The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1897-10-23

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after that the Holy Ghost is come
unto YOU" Neglect that blessed |
spirit, and faith in that divine power,
and every instrumentality of man,
however beautiful and naturally
effective it may be in itself, is useless
for all spiritual purposes.
Suppose that the apostles of old
instead of waiting upon God in earn
est prayer during those preparatory
days that interviewed between the
Ascension and the coming of the
Spirit, had thought only of the world
and of worldly methods. Could the
day Of Pentecost have come? Would
the Spirit have entered into hearts
unfit to welcome and accept?. Sup
pose they had wandered away during
that period from the spirituality of
the teaching of Jesus, and had spent
their time in cold and lifeless contrc-
versy as to its meaning, could the day
of Pentecost have come? Suppose
they bad busted the mselves in profit
less speculation and theorizing as TO
what this coming power might be,
could the day of Pentecost have
comet Again, imagine, if you can,
that instead of the united love and
concord that marked those prayerful
gatherings in the upper room at
Jerusalem, there had been strife and
discord and dissension, could the
blessed Spirit have come to divided
body7
Let it never be forgotten that God
works by law. His laws operate just
as truly in the spiritual kingdom
as in any other kingdom. He, him.
self, gives the vital influence requis-
tie to make our work effectual. The
spiritual law bids US to use the best
instrumentalities and employ the
means of grace as opportunities per-
NIT, but, above all, to ask God to
give the blessing. Obedience to this
law will revolutionize our spiritual
life. Men have talked of organizing
revivals of Spirit within the churches,
and 80 far as those revivals have been
conducted in obedience to the great
spiritual laws which govern life and
progress within the church, they have
prospered. so far as they have de-
pended upon the organization or wis
dom of man, they have failed. Pente-
cost was intended to be perpetual
blessing. 1t may become so as the
church in these days fulfills as rea-
Oily as the disciples did of old, the
preliminary conditions attaching to
the promise that was made to them.
Speaking on behalf of our own
beloved church, the message would
venture to address to you this day is
one of vital moment. Our need is
the power of the Spirit. What can
take the place of that power? Surely
we require it just as much as the
apostles did. The age in which we
live has not outgrown the Gospel of
Christ. Men talk at times as if that
Gospel was obsolete, oldfashioned
or unable to meet the requirements
of the new age. When they have
done so it is because the church her
self has failed to trust in the power
which can make that Gospel effect.
ual, and has lowered the standard of
spiritual life in false conformity to
the current thought and speculation
of the times.
Much discussion is going on in the
world without as to the future exist
ence of this particular branch of the
Christian church. We hear it said
from time to time that in the growing
liberalities of religious belief we are
to be absorbed and our indemnity as
an individual denomination is to be
merged in other bodies. This is
good opportunity to answer, and we
trust, for all time, such criticism. If
the existence of church depended
simply on the enunciation of certain
theological beliefs, there might be a
grain of truth in the criticism; but if
a church exists to do spiritual work
in this world of ours, to better hui
mainly, to bring men into subsection
to the great principles of righteous
ness, then we apprehend there can be
no time when it may be proper to say
that such a church under the guild
ance of Gods spirit, and dependent
upon the power of that spirit, can be
said to have completed its work in
the world.
If anything can interfere with The
future of the Universalist church, it
must be because of failure from
within. Without the spirit Of God
we have no name to live. With
that spirit in our midst we have
glorious and abundant work still
to do for him in this our day and