The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1885-03-11

ice-bound church in which worldliness
and fashion, and neglect of prayer, and
other grlevous SINS have so lowered the
spiritual temperature that the plants of
grace are frost bitten. Sermons lie like
lcicles upon its floor; its pray room
becomes a refrigerator, and we need not
wonder that no poor sinner is attracted
In thither to be warmed. An awakened
sinner is never drawn into a freezing
church. He is shivering already, and he
wants to go where he can find the evil
dences OF Chrlsts presence in warm hearts,
and sympathy for his soul, and in the
luminous lives of Christians.
The first duty of cold Christian or a
cold church Is to confess back-sliding and
get back to Christ. There is a traditional
saying of our Saviour " He who is near
est to Me Is nearest to the fire." A fresh
inflow of Christ's Spirit will rekindle
love, awaken. sympathy for perishing sim
ners, inspire zeal, and keep the soul up
to that steady enthusiasm which is the
normal condition of one of whom Jesus
d'OeHS by His Spirit. The gunpowder
flash of mere emotion and the pine-shav.
ing blaze of zeal that only breaks out
periodically, effect nothing; what God de-
mands is the constant anthracite glow of
a soul that dwelleth in God, for God is
love.
Here is a timely hint to sincere in
quirers who complain that their hearts
are hard aud stubborn, and will not
yield. What you need is the melting
power of Christ's Spirit. Take your
stubborn, sin CONCEALED heart to Him.
Put yourself before the Cross. Open
yourself to the omnipotent love of Him
who bled for you. Beseech Him to pour
His divine fire into your soul. Then
your heart will not only be melted it
can also be moulded into the new life
patterned after the model of the Master.
You not only need melting, you re-
quire publication. Christ was predicted
by Malachi as a "refner's fire." The
cold water OF mere reformation will not
get the ingrained dirt and pollution of
sin out of your heart. AS DIR. Maclaren
has pithily said The way to purify a
soul is to do with it as they do with foul
clay-thrust it into the fire, and that will
burn the blackness out of it. Get the
fire of the Spirit of Jesus into your hearts
to melt you down, and then the scum
and the dross will come to the top, and
you can skim them off, The indwelling
fire of the divine Spirit will not only con-
sumo sin and purify character, it will
keep holy fame of love glowing in the
heart and beaming out in the daily life.
Remember that you cannot create FIRE;
you can only receive it and use it. Here
is the insane mistake of all those who say
/" they are trying" and are all the time
trying to convert themselves without the
aid of the Holy Spirit. He that hath
the Son Of God hath life; he that hath not
the Son of God shall not see life. Every
moment you waste Ill staying away from
Christ imperils your soul
Here too lies the sin and crime of
"qWenching the Spirit" AS soon might
the Arctic explorer extinguish the spark
on which he depended to keep him from
freezing to death. Fan the divine spark.
Obey the blessed heaven sent influence
yield to the Spirit; cooperate with the
Spirit. A single wilful sin may drive
away this giver of eternal life AS for
those church members WIN help to put
out the spark that has been kindled in
another soul, they are guilty of a cruel
ty that is akin to wilful murder. Quench
not the Holy Spirit
o blessed Jesus Source of all light
and of all life, pour Thyself into our souls
as a fame of fire, quickening us to new
life, kindling our affection to sacred
glow, consuming our ungodly passions
and lusts, Sling us with the power from
on high, and making us all burning and
shining lights to Thine honor and glory
". Y. Evangelist.