Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1902-10-25
THE HOLY GHOST.
Sunday Discourse by DIR. Chapman. the
Noted Pastor Evangelist.
Shows How the Holy Ghost is the Christian
Helper Beyond All 0ihers-Is the Lie
of the Church.

NEW York CITY. Inc sermon here
furnished to the press is the most impress
sive one of series which the Rev DR. J
NilbIr Chapman prepared some time ago
Tor the Bible Institute Colportage Associa-
ton. II - entitled The Holy Ghost in
His Relation TO the Church" and was
preached from the text And the Lord
added to the church daily such as should
be saved" Acts ,: AZ
In the honest cndeavor which we make
properly 10 live the Christian life and III
the end receive a reward from the hand of
the Master. thereby not missing our
crown. the Hoy Ghost beyond all others
is our helper. lie is certainly to be count
ed as the director and leader of our church
life. We need expect no great outpouring
OF the Holy Ghost so long as His leader
ship Is ignored. and without this high
spiritual atmosphere we may expect, as in
eividuals. no special victories.
On the day OF Pentecost two great events
occurred: the first was the exaltation OF
Jesus Christ at the right hand of the
Father-"This Jesus hath God raised up.
whereof we are all witnesses" (Acts ,:
32l: the other was the outpouring of the
Spirit. because Jesus had been raised up
and exalted. The point is that Christ as
our head had poured out upon Him the
Holy Ghost: thus receiving Him in trust
for the body; and it naturally follows that
what the head has received the members
oil the body have right to claim. Since
that day. in the plan of God. the Holy
Ghost has been the administrator of the
affairs IF the church. and He is here to
make Christ real to every believer. If He
had tarried with us in the flesh and had
claimed His presence. He would have been
denied to YOU; but now that He is present
IN the Spirit. we may all have Him and
lay Claim to His presence. and the love of
God may be shed abroad in our hearts by
the Holy Ghost. He Is in a real sense the
vicar OF Christ. and there can be no other
The Son OF God is to-day at the right hand
of God. representing the church, and the
Spirit of God ought to be enthroned and
exalted in the church. representing the
risen Christ He is to counsel her. to
guide her and to control her-in a word,
He IS to govern all things in the church,
from the least things unto the greatest.
The Scriptures are evidence that He has
9 message for the church. 1t is generally
believed that the epistles to the seven
churches in the Revelation contain the pro-
phetic setting forth of the church's history
its declines and recoveries, it's failures
and returns. and it is believed by many
that we have come to the Iaodicean period
of history of the last DAYS of the church.
Seven times we have the expression re-
peated: He that hath an ear. let him hear
what the Spirit saith unto the churches
used after each OF the churches had hack
Sudden. Ephesus had left her first love:
Smyrna was rich. and likelv to be proud:
Percamos was touched with the doctrine
OF Balaam: Thyatira was Influenced by .Ic-
zebel; Sardis had a name to live and was
dead; Philadelphia had but little strength,
while Laodicea was neither hot nor cold.
The real cure for backsliding in the church
j. that which comes to MS by the HOLY
Ghost OF the revelation of Gods will and
the Interpretation of Gods word.
The church is a called-out body. We
we're chosen in Him before the worlds
foundation, and we are elect according to
the ioreknowledge of God, for thus saith
the Scripture. Jesus Is in heaven direct
ms the work of the church, but the Holy
Ghost Is here carrying out the plan. This
plan extends to the minutest details of the
life OF the church. lie has ordained the
offlces we must have, and the kind of men
we must lay hold upon to fill them:
Wherefore He saith. when He assembled up
on high, He led captivity captive, and gave
gifts unto men. And He gave some. apos-
ties; and some, prophets; and some. evan
Tor the perfecting of saints. for the work of
the ministry, for the edifying OF the body
. Christ" Ephesians 4: s, IL, y. The
church is really the habitation of God.
Hear what the Scriptures have to say:
Eph. 2: 10 to 22-"Now therefore We are
no more strangers and foreigners. but fel-
low-citizens with the saints, and of the
household of God; and are built upon the
foundation of the apostles and prophets,
Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cor
nerstone; in whom all the building fifty
trained together groweth unto a holy tenn
pie IN the Lord: in whom We also are
Duilded together for an habitation OF God
fhrOff0h ha II II =.
US, we must be careful of our church life,
tor we may grieve Him and quench Him
by the way we live and work MANY
things are done to-day in the church which
may commend themselves to men, and vet
tall utterly short of the approval of God.
As an illustration. Peter, standing up with
the 10, spoke of the departure of Judas,
and declared that one must be chosen in
his stead. Prayer was offered. n vote was
taken. and Matthias elected; but there
was no indication that this election was
ever ratified by the Lord for Matthias at
once sinks out OF sight. Two years after
ward the Lord calls one to fill the va;
speaks thus of himself: Gal. ]: l-"Paul,
an apostle, not of men. neither by man,
but by Jesus Christ and God the Father
who raised Him from the dead"
ii.
The church was established by signs and
wonders. Acts .: to And when the
Jay OF Pentecost was fully come they
were all with one accord i'll one place And
suddenly there came sound from heaven
As OF rushing, mighty wind. and it filled
ali the house where they were sitting.
And there appeared unto them cloven
tongues like as OF fire, and it sat upon each
CT them. And they were all filled with the
Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other
tongues, as the Spirit gave them utter.
ance. Heb. ,: 4-''God also bearing them
witness. both with signs and wonders. and
Nth divers miracles and gifts of the Holy
Ghost, according 10 His own will"
There was no church in the Old Tesla.
ment. This Is the opinion of many Bible
teachers. In Acts .: IL. we read Then
they that gladly received His word were
baptized, and the same day there were
added unto them about 5000 scals." In
this text the words unto them" are writ.
ten IN italics, so that the original is. there
were added about 5000 souls" But we
must add to something when we add. so
IN Acts 2: ~, we read: And the Lord
added to the church daily such as should
be saved" But there Is a still better ex.
PLANTATION. In Acts 5: Il, we read: They
were added to the Lord
This Is Paul's conception Of the church.
Christ Is the head and the church is His
body. We are being called out row from
the Gentle world. Every new soul won
Tor Christ comes in to complete the body
Some day the last man win come in, and
the skies will brighten with the return OF
the Lord.
1t is this that gives one the passion for
soul-winning. 1t is this thought that fur.
nishes the inspiration for the foreign mis-.
sionary. The church is a called-out body
and the missionary is sent to Africa, to
China, to Japan, that he nav work in the
fellowship OF the Holy Ghost in leading