The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-03-29

| Church ten years before I found ont
| that tho Holy Spirit had n work TO per-
form. God has his work; Christ has his
work. and the Holy Spirit has his work.
The Holy Spirit is as much a person as
| God. and Christ never referred TO him
| except as a person. His work is TO con-
vince us Of righteousness and OF sin.
when a man gets drunk and does some
shameful act his conscience tells him II
| Is wrong: when he steals my pocket book
his conscience conyicts him. but IL takes
an exceedingly strong influence to con-
Wet him Of the unrighteousness Of un-
belief. that is the work Of the Holy
Spirit
great many people don't like 70 so
where the work OF the Holy Spirit is
going on. They are afraid OF its in
huence. II makes them feel uncomfor-
table. 4 man Is often converted against
his will. and / have seen them strick-
en- with the power Of the Holy Ghost as
they entered the door.
man may be convicted without
preaching. Ii sometimes happens 10 him
as he walks along the street.
The next thing the Holy Spirit does
when he has convicted man IS TO
spread abroad the love Of God in his
heart What the Church wants to-day
is TO be baptized with the Spirit Of Cal
vary lutu we Will DE llltU WIN love-
love and Hope.
There Is great power in love. Get your
heart filed with love and you will have
all the graces OF the Spirit. The love
OF God brings Joy and peace. The Spirit
Of God also imparts hope. If you are
full Of the Spirit you are bound 10 be
hopeful. Let the preacher loose hope
and II soon takes possession Of the
whole church. The heads Of the congre-
CATION will droop like bulrushes and the
whole thing viii die.
DO not be cast down, we are on the
winning side. God has decrecd that every
knee shall bend and every head shall
bow before him. The time is coming
when he shall sway his sceptre to the
ends Of the earth.
The ark Of God Is billed through and
no devi can side-track it either
The Spirit Of God also gives liberty.
You must Danish stiffness from your
churches and get rid Of this spirit Of
criticism. You had better have a few
first-cass funerals if you can't get rid
Of 1t any other way.
Get a church split half in two. and see
II the preacher can preach with liberty
1t Is easy 10 preach when people pray.
but very hard when they criticize. If
you believe they don't criticize preachers
just listen as you 20 out tonight
II ii were not Tor this spirit Of criti-
cism the Holy Ghost would come and
come quickly TO do great work here.
Give lin the right Of way.
The work Of the Holy Ghost IS 20 testi-
~ Of the Father. The work Of the Holy
Ghost is TO show us the truth as il is
In Christ Jesus. He works through the
word, and he always honors the word.
the nord HBd the Spirit
Take the word and the Spirit; they
work together and glorify God and If you
hear Of any other spirits than these they
are lying spirits and spirits Of darkness.
You never saw a man full Of the Holy
Spirit that was not also fun of the
Scripture Men who could not quote a
verse Of Scripture before they were con-
verted have poured II forth afterwards by
the hour, recalling the verses their moth
ers taught them in their childhood.
There is life in his word. The earth
shall pass away. but my word shall
live forever, saith the Lord.
The Holy Spirit has had three dwelling
places He came down in the glory of
the Shekinah I'm the temple. in the wilder
ness, and again when Solomon was pray
Ing and the Levites were singing in the
temple at Jerusalem. The glory of the
Shekinah appeared again. and his glory
flled the temple with golden light
No FussinG in rbe Choir
DO YOU think there was any fussing in
the choir that day? | have known the
Holy Spirit kept out of many a church
by the choir. The Holy Spirit can't work
where there are quarrelings and back
billings
Now the dwelling place Of the Holy
Spirit is our bodies. our bodies are
living temples of the Holy Spirit DO
you not think we ought TO keen them
pure and sweet and clean? l was a
little shocked when l heard that this
beautiful church was defaced last night
by someone using tobacco.
DO you think 1T is fair TO treat the
Holy Spirit that way in his living temple?
1 must say l think it is dishonoring the
Holy Ghost
Mr.. Moody then said he wanted every
body TO listen: that what he would then
say was as important as anything it was
possible for him TO say while in Rich
mond Said he, the Spirit Of God coming
TO me as the Spirit of God only is one
thing. and the Spirit of God coming to
me to anoint me for service is another
thing.
Mr. Moody then preached that there was
a great power that many Christians had
lost sight Of: that a man could be filed
with the Spirit Of God: that it was a
command TO be filled. and that God would
not order us 10 be filled if he wasn't go
ing 10 do H.
God Hates ~ Vacuum.
Said he God hates vacuum. If you
empty yourself of yourself God will MI
you with his Spirit.
Here Mr.. Moody showed his originality
and resources by grasping tumbler and
pitcher on the organ, and reaching over
the open baptistry behind him, ran the
glass over with water. and then emptied
1t into the baptistry TO illustrate the pro-
cess Of filing and emptying and the oppo-
sition of nature TO a vacuum
Mr.. Moody closed his sermon with
magnificent description of the story OF
Elijah and Elisha. and assured his hear
ers that they might get the double por-
tion OF the Spirit that Elisha asked FOR
If they would go 10 God for it,
The service was closed by singing "The
Rock of Ages" and all who desired the
power of God for service were invited TO
remain to an after-meeting
An inpre--v Service.
Then took place one Of the mist impress
sive and noble services ever seen in this
city. Several prayers were offered with
the one special pleading for the gift Of
the power Of the Holy Spirit, and then
some time was spent in silent PRAYER.
The invitation was given 10 those who
desired the power Of the Spirit for ser
vice TO rise and many ministers and
devout Christian men and women whose
lives have been devoted TO the service of
God, asked prayers that they might be
given the power of the Spirit.