The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1895-04-10

Acts XIX, 2.
The word ghost, which means q soul, or
spirit, has been degraded in common par
lance. We talk of ghosts rs baneful and
frightful and in frivolous or superstitious
way. But my text speaks OF Ghost who IS
omnipotent and divine and everywhere pres
ent and ninety-one times in the New Testa-
ment called the Holy Ghost. The only time
ever heard this text preached from was in
the opening days of my ministry, when q
glorious old Scotch minister came up to help
me in my village church. On the dayof my
ordination and installation he said, "If
you get into tho corner of Saturday
| night without enough sermons for Sunday,
send for me, and will come aud preach
for you" The fact ought to be known
that the first three years OF 4 pastors life
arc appallingly arduous. No other profess
sion makes the twentieth part OF the demand
on q young man. If a secular preacher
prepares one or two speeches for q .politi-
cal campaign it is considered arduous. II
a lecturer prepares one lecture for year,
he is thought to have done well. But q
young pastor has two sermons to deliver
every Sabbath before the salne audience, be-
sides all his other work, and the most Of
ministers never recover from the awful ner-
yous strain OF the first three years. Be
sympathetic with all young ministers and
withhold your criticisms.
My aged Scotch friend responded to my
first call and came and preached from the
text that now announce. remember moth
ing but the text. 1t was the last sermon he
ever preached. On the following Saturday he
was called to his heavenly reward. But I
remember just how he appeared as, leaning
over the pulpit, he looked into the face OF
the audience, and with earnestness and
pathos and electric force asked them, in the
words of my text, "Have ye received the
Holy Ghost2" The office Of this present dis
course is to open door, to unveil Person
age. to introduce force not sufficiently rec
ognized. He is as great as God. He Is God.
The second verse of the first chapter OF the
Bible introduces Him--Gencsis l., 2. "The
Spirit of God moved upon the face OF the
waters"-that is, as On albatross or eagle
spreads her wings oVor her young and warns
them into life and teaches them to fly, so the
Eternal Spirit spread His. great. broad
radiant wings over this earth in Its callow
and unfle lged state and warmed 1t into life
and duttered over it and set it winging its
way through immensity. 1t is the tip top OF
ell beautiful and sublime suggestiveness. Can
you not almost see the outspread wings over
the nest of young worlds? "The Spirit Of
God moved upon the face of the waters"
Another appearance Of the Holy Ghost was
at Jerusalem during great feast Strangers
speaking seventeen different languages were
present from many parts Of tho world. But
In one house they heard what seemed like the
coming Of cyclone or hurricane. 1t made
the trees bend and the houses quake. The
cry was, "What Is that2" And then a forked
fame OF fire tipped each forehead, and what
with the blast Of wind and the dropping fire
panic took place, until Peter explained that
1t was neithor cyclone.nor confagration, but
the brilliance and amounting ind bapt1sma
power of the Hoy Ghost.
That scene. was partially repeated in a
forest when Rev. John Easton was preach
ing. There WAS the sound OF rushing,
mighty wind. and the people looked to the
sky to see if there were any signs OF storm,
but 1t was clear sky, yet the sound OF the
wind was so great thut horses, frightened.
broke loose from their fastenings, and the
whole assembly felt that the sound was su-
pernatural and pentecostal. Oh, what an
Infinite and almighty and glorious person.
age Is tho Holy Ghost! He brooded this
planet into life, and now that through sin it
has become o dead world He will brood it
the second time into life. Perilous attempt
would be a comparison between the three
persons of the Godhead. They are equal,
but there is some consideration which at
taches itself to tho third person OF the Trim
ity, the Holy Ghost. that does not attach
| itself to either God the Father or God the
Son. We may grieve God the Father and
grieve God the Son and be forgiven, but We
are directly told that there is a sin against
the Holy Ghost, which shall never be for
given either in this world or In the world to
come, And it is wonderful that'while on the
street you hear the name OF God and Jesus
Christ used in profanity you never hear the
words Holy Ghost. This hour speak OF the
Holy Ghost as Biblical interpreter, as hui
man constructor, as a solace for the broken
hearted, rs O preachers reinforcement.
The Bible is mass Of contradictions, an
affirmation of impossbilities, unless the
Holy Ghost helps us to understand it. The
Bible says of itself that the Scripture Is not
for "private Interpretation" but "holy men
of God spake as they were movedby the Holy
Ghost'-that is, not private Interpretation,
| but Holy Ghost Interpretation. Pile on your
study table all the commentaries OF the Bible
| Matthew Henry and Scott and Adam Clarke
and Albert Barnes and Bush and Alexander,
and oil the archgologies, and all the Bible
dictionaries, and all the maps Of Palestine.
and all the International series OF Sunday
school lessons And il that is all you will
understand the deeper and grander meap-
ings of the Bible 80 we'll as that Christian
| mountaineer who, Sunday morning, after
having shaken down the fodder for the cat
| tie, comes into his cabin, takes up his we'll
worn Bible, and with a prayer that stirs the
heavens asks for the Holy Ghost to unfold
| the book.
No more unreasonable would be if
should take up The Novoe Vremya of St.
Petersburg, all printed in Russian, and say,
| "There is no sense in this newspaper, for l
| cannot understand one line OF oil its COL
umns," than for any man to take up the
Bible, and without getting Holy Ghost il
| Elimination as to it's meaning say: This
| Book insults my common sense. L cannot
underestimate. Away with the incongruity!"
| No one but the Holy Ghost, who inspired
| the Scriptures, can explain the Scriptures.
| Fully realize that, and you will be as enthu-
able friend who told me in Philadelphia last
week that he was reading the Bible through
! the tifty-ninth time, and 1t became more at
| tractive and thrilling every time he went
| through it. In the saddlebags that hnnS
| across nv horses back as I rode from Jeru-
salem down to the Daud Sea and up to Da-
| mascus had all the books about Palestine
| that could carry, but many man on his
knees, in the privacy OF his room, has had
| flashed upon him more vivid appreciation OF
| the word of God than many man who has
visited all the scenes OF Christ's birth, ana
| Paul's eloqueDce, and Peters Imprisonment,
| and Joshua's prowess, and E!ijah's ascen-
sion. I do not depreciute any OF the helps
| for Bible study, but do say that they all
together come infinitely short without d.
| rect communication from the throne OF Coo
in response to prayerful solicitation. We
may find many interesting things about the
| Bible without especial illumination, as how
many horses Solomon had in bis stables, or
| how long was Noah's ark, or who. WAS the
| only woman whose full name is given In the
| Scriptures;or which is the middle verse OF the
| Bible, and all that will do you no more good
| than to be able to tell how many beanpoles
| there are in your neighbours garden.
The learned Earl OF Chatham heard the
| famous Mr.. Cecil preach about tho Holy