Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1895-03-29


and all the maps of Palestine, and all
the international series Of Sunday
school lessons. And if that is all you
will not understand the deeper and
grander meanings of the Bible so well
as that Christian mountaineer who,
Sunday morning, after having shaken
down the fodder for the cattle, comes
into his cabin, takes up his we'll worn
Bible, and with prayer that stirs the
heavens asks for the Holy Ghost to un-
fold the book
No more unreasonable would l be IL
should take up The Noyoe Vremya OF
st. Petersburg, all printed in Russian,
and say, There is no sense in this
newspaper, for cannot understand one
line of all its columns" than for any
man to take up the Bible, and without
getting Holy Ghost illumination as to
its meaning say: This Book insults my
common sense. | cannot understand 1t.
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
enthusiastic lover Of the old book as
nv venerable friend who told me in
Philadelphia last week that be was read
ing the Bible through the fifty ninth
time, and it became more attractive and
thrilling every time he went through 1t.
In the saddlebags that hung across my
horses back as | rode from Jerusalem
down to the Dead sea and up to Damas-
Gus l had all the books about Palestine
that l could carry, but many a man on
his knees, in the privacy Of his room,
has had flashed upon him more vivid ap-
probation of the word OF God than
many man who has visited all the
scenes of Christ's birth, and Pauls elo-
ouence, and Peters imprisonment, and
Joshua 5 prowess, and Elijah s ascension.
[ do not depreciate any Of the helps for
Bible study, but do say that they all
together come infinitely short without
direct communication from the throne
of God in response to prayerful solicita-
ton. We may find many interesting
things about the Bible without especial
illumination, as how many horses Solo,
mon had in his stables, or how long was
Noah's ark, or who was the only woman
whose full name is given in the Scrip
lures. 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 neigh
boris garden.
The learned Earl Of Chatham heard
the famous Mr.. Cecil preach about the
Holy Ghost and said to friend on the
way home from church: 81 could not
understand it, and do you suppose any
body understood it"' "Oh, yes" " said
his Christian friend, There were uned-
ucated women and some little children
present who understood it,. " l warrant
YOU that the English soldier had under
supernal influence read the book, for
after the battle Of mkermann 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, Il am the
resurrection and the life; he that be-
lieveth in me, though dead, yet shall ne
live"
A Reconstructor and Solace.
Next consider the Holy Ghost as a
human reconstructor. We must be made
over again. Christ and Nicodemus talk
ed about it. Theologians call it regener'
alton. do not care what you call 1t,
but we have to be reconstructed by the
Holy Ghost. We become new creatures,
hating what we once loved end loving
what we once hated. If sin ere lux
ury, it must become detestation. II we
preferred bad associations, we must pre-
fer .2od associations. In most cases 1t Is
such a complete change that the world
notices the difference and begins to ask:
"What has come over that man! Whom
has he been with? What has so affected
him? What has ransscked his entire ma
ture? What has turned him square
about?" Take two pictures OF Paul-one
con the road to Damascus to kill the dis
ciples of Christ, the other on the road 70
Ostia to die for Christ. Come nearer
home and look at the man who found
his chief delight in low class OF club
rooms hiccoughing around card table
and then stumbling down the front steps
after midnight and staggering home
ward. and that same man, one week aft
erward. with his family on the way 70
a PRAYER meeting. What has done itf IL
must be something tremendous. ltmus'
be God. 1t must he the Holy Ghost
Notice the Holy Ghost as the solacer
of broken hearts. Christ calls him the
Comforter. Nothing does the world SC
much want as comfort. The most people
have been abused, misrepresented, cheat
ed. lied about, swindled, bereft What
is needed is balsam for the wounds, Ian
tern for dark roads, rescue from malign'
ing pursuers, a lift from the marble slab
Of tombstones. Life to most has been
semifailure. They have not got what they
wanted. They have not reached that
which they started for. Friends betray.
Change of business stand loses old Gus
tom 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 audience Of thousands
and thousands, if should ask all those
who have been uDhurt in the struggle
of life to stand up, or all standing tC
hold up their right hands, not one would
move. Oh, how much we need the Holy
Ghost as comforterl 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 HEAVIER
where tear is never wept and burden II
never carried and injustice is never SUI
fered. Comfort for all the young people
who are maltreated at home, or receive
insufficient income, or are robbed OF theii
.nhooling, or kept back from positions
they earned by the putting forward o
others less worthy. Comfort for all thes'
men and women midway in the path O
life, worn out with what they have oil
ready gone through, and with no bright
ening future Comfort for these age.
n Z A.. sn~I.s Nnn