The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-03-25

D. but many a man on his knees IN the prI-
vacy OF his own room. has had flashed
upon him more vivid appreciation OF the
Word Of God than many a man who has
visited all the scenes OF Christ's birth, and
rauls elOquencc. and Peters impris0n-
ment. and JOshua's proves and Elijah's
ascension. do not depreciate any Of the
helps for Bible study but I do say that
they all together come infinitely short
without a direct communication from the
throne OF God. in response to prayerful
solicitation. We may find many inter
esting things about the Bible without es-
pecial Illumination. as how many horses
solomon had In his stables. OF how long
was Noah's ark, or who was the only Wo-
man whose full name Is given In the Scrip
lures, or which is the middle verse Of the
Bible. and all that viii do you no more
good than 10 be able 10 tell how many bean
poles there are in your neighbours gar
den. The learned Earl OF Chatham heard
the famous Mr. Cecil preach about the
holy ghost. and said 20 a friend on the
way home from church: Il could not UNI
derstand IL. and do you suppose anybody
understood it?' "Oh. yes" said his
Christian friend. there were uneducated
women and some little children present
who could understand it," / warrant you
that the English soldier had under SUI
pernal influence read the Book, for after
the battle OF InkeTmann was over he was
found dead with his hand glued TO the
page Of the open Bible by his own blood.
and the words adhered TO his hands as
they buried him: II am the resurrection
and the life. he that believeth in me,
though dead yet shall ne live"
Next consider the Holy Ghost as a hui
man reconstructor. We must be made
over again. Christ and Nicodemus talked
about IT, Theologians call 1t regeneration.
I do not care what you call It, but we have
10 be reconstructed by the Holy Ghost.
We become new creatures, hating that we
once loved. and loving what we once
hated. If sin were a luxury, II must be-
come a detestation II we preferred bad
associa tions, we must prefer good asso-
Citations. In most cases II is such a COM
plete change that the world notices the diff
ference, and begins to ask, What has
come over that man? Whom has he been
with? What has so affected him. What
has ransacked his entire nature? What
has turned him square about?" Take two
pictures of Paul. one on the road to Dam
ascus to kill the disciples of Christ; the
other on the road to Ostia to die for
Christ. Come nearer home. and look al
the man who found his chief delight In a
low class Of club rooms, hiccoughing
around the card-table, and then stumbling
down the front steps after midnight, and
staggering homeward; and that same man,
one week afterward. with his family on
the way to prayer-meeting. What has
done IL? II must be something tremen-
dous. IL must be God. 1t must be the
Holy Ghost.
Notice the Holy Ghost as the solacer of
broken hearts. Christ calls him the Com
forter. Nothing does the world so much
want as comfort. The most Of people have
been abused. misrepresented, cheated, lied
about, swindled bereft. What is needed is
balsam for the wounds, lantern for dark
roads, rescue from maligning pursuers, a
lift from the marble slabs of tombstones.
Life to most has been semi-failure. They
have not got what they wanted. They
have not reached that which they started
for. Friends betray. Change of business
stand loses old custom, and does not
bring enough custom to make up for the
loss. Health becomes precarious when
one most needs strong muscle, and steady
nerve, and clear brain. Out of this audi
ence of thousands and thousands, If /
should ask all those who have been unhurr
in the struggle of life to stand up. or all
standing to hold up their right hand, not
one would move. Oh, how much we need
the Holy Ghost as Comforter. He recites
the sweet Gospel promises to the hardly
bestead. He assures of mercy mingled
with the seventies. He consoles with
thoughts of coming release. He tells of
a heaven where tear is never wept, and
burden Is never carried, and injustice is
never suffered. Comfort for all the young
people who are maltreated at home, or
receive insufficient income, or are robbed
of their schooling. or kept back from posi-
lions they have earned by the putting for
ward of others less worthy. Comfort for
all these men and women, midway I'm the
path of life, worn out with what they
have already gone through. and with no
Frightening future. Comfort for these
aged ones amid many infrmities, and
who feel themselves to be in the way in
afala aalxr s.c
established with their own grit.
The Holy Ghost comfort, I think, gener-
ally comes in the shape of a soliloquy.
You find yourself saying to yourself,
"WeI, l ought not to so on this way
about my mothers death. She had suf-
fered enough. She had borne other peo-
pies burdens long enough. ! am glad
that father and mother are together in
heaven. and they will be waiting TO greet
US, and it will be only a little while any
how, and God makes no Mistakes" or
you soliloquize, saying, 1T is hard to lose
my property l am sure / worked hard
enough for it. But God will take care of
us, and as to the children, the money
might have spoiled them. and we find that
those who have to struggle for themselves
generally turn out best, and it will all
be we'll If this upsetting of our worldly
resources leads us to lay up treasures in
heaven" Or you soliloquize, saying, 1T
was hard to give up that boy when the
Lord took him. / expected great things
of him. and oh, how we miss him out
of the house, and there are so many
things l come across that make one
think of him, and he was such a splen-
did fellow; but then what an escape he
has made from the temptations and sor-
rows which come to all who grow up
and it is grand thing TO have him safe
from all possible harm. and there are
all those Bible promises for parents who
have lost children, and we shall feel
a drawing heavenward that we could not
have otherwise have experienced" And
after you have said that you get relief
which comes from an outburst of tears.
| do not say to you, as some say, do not
cry. God pity people in trouble who have
/ the parched eye-ball, and the dry eye-lid,
and cannot shed a tear. That makes ma
MACS. To Gods people tears are the
dews of the night dashed with sunrise.
am so glad you can weepA But you
! think these things you say to yourself
are only soliloquies. No, no. They are
/ the Comforter. who is the Holy Ghost
Notice. also the Holy Ghost, as the
preachers reinforcement. You and l
/ have known preachers encyclopaedia in
! knowledge, brilliant as an iceberg when