The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1895-12-22
STEPHEN MERRITT, EVANGELIST
On Religious, Political and Fi-
nanciaI Change.
Tho Change Wrought by the holy Christ /.
In the Individual. in the Church and
In tho Community. is Wonderful, ana
Will Work With Augmented Power
Until the Coming OF the Lord.


Until the Coming of the Lord,
a change immediate, and to q certain
extent, complete, takes place in every
one that receives the Holy Ghost. Chris.
tisns; followers of Jesus. lovers of the
Lord and of Zion. wo are; but when the
Holy Spirit comes into our hearts. our
very being is changed. We had life;
now, more sbuudantly. Our lives are
altered. Sef-coneciousness, self cues.
tioning, self doubling, and self-glory-
ing are all takon away. Self hood has
fled, Hirselt has possession. Our
spiritual condition Ia totally different
from formerly. The low state of Chris.
tian character has given place to the
higher. The change has come. Fear
Ia cast out. Difficulties are met as soon
as they arise, and met successfully.
Dangers melt like snow before the sun.
We wonder az do others OF the wisdom,
courage and power Inc parted, not realiz-
Ing 1t is not OF us, but OF Him. Oh the
change We underworld but failed;
now, whatever we do. prospers. We
talked and urged and preached with no
results; now His utterances tell, and
From weakness we are changed to
power His, not ours; not cultivated
but received; gift, gift of God. This
cnange on, Or In us, works changes in
Others. The church becomes quickened
and Zion rejoices. The Holy Ghost be-
comes known; 1.-THE Comforter has
come" the Administrators is allowed to
take His own place; to do His work, in
his time. In His way; He is to convict,
and convincei to convert, or to condemn.
His, also, Is the work OF Specification,
70 separate by holiness, mot ours, His,l,
for holiness, to His honor and glory
He is our righteousness and sanotifioa-
tion. Then begins tho uphuilding time,
developing, enlarging, widening, deep
ening; and this for Is habitation of God
In the Spirit. Now inside, enthroned,
He becomes the Willer.
he wills, aa He Wills, and Is allowed
to do 60. We let nothing intervene, we
permit nothing to interfere. His will is
paramount; 1t is all, in all. Our will is
lost and swallowed up In His. He does
Gil. Now He becomes the Causer and
causes US. We are His, and He CON.
trolls. We are continually giving Him
more and more Of ourselves, so au to
make more and moro room for Him. Flo
nils, then He enlarGes, then nlls, again
and again. We had Hin before, but
now He over6ows, He baptizes, i'm
merses, all under, oil over. He
drenches with Himself. We are filed
by Him, with Him. We are empsied by
Him, 30 we may be filled with Him.
Nov we can go all lengths with Him
without diverqing into the self OF fansi.-
cism. Why. He does all the work and
has the control OF us. What have we
done? Yielded that iG all, and have
nj
blessing Of God, and no-other can take
or NIL its place. The gift OF the Holy
Ghost."
When He comes into our hearts or
midst, He makes this change and be-
comes tho Unifsr, or Uniter, the unity
OF tho Spirit, unifying in one. See,
when He enters, how bigotry departs;
no denomlnational separation; one in
Christ Jesus. The change in individuals
Is marvellous in its miraculous results,
but 1t is even moro so. when the church
individually and collectively receives
Him; Pentecost afternoon found the
infant church, just born, with s. crowd
OF gospel hearers crying for mercy, in
polyglotical language, and hundreds
after hundreds swept into the kingdom,
baptised and became followers of the
despised and crucified Galileau, until
5000 were added In one, and that the
first day.
few days later. Notwithstanding the
tumult that had been generated, 5000
men Ito say nothing of women probably
IS 600 more) cast in their lot with the
baby church. John the Baptist, nor
Jesus Himaelf never knew such spirit.
ual results. Oh, If the dear church of
Jesus would only receive Him, whom
Jesus sent. what signs would follow,
what an influence would BIO impaired,
what power would be generated and
outpoured? The Church. needs this
change. 1t must DO one OF her painful
memories that the dear Holy Spirit has
been 80 geaersliy ignored, forgotten and
kept in the background. But the change
Is more than formative. 1t has begun,
1t is in progress, is ia on. The desire is
the cry OF the church to-day, and
the cry Of the Holy Ghost to the
church ia receive" and the oom-
mingled cry Is being heard, nnderatood
and answered. He Himself is hesrken-
ing to the longing of His people; and
His people are listening to His voice,
and He Is making Himself known as
never before.
The Church 10 being made ready. Is in
lCONTINUED ON 6IIJ pAar