Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-12-18
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self. He hath knowledge or the voice, that
Is, He understands the voice Of the whole
creation OF God, for the heavens declare
the glory Of God and the armament show
eth his handlworlS, and the earth and
the waters lift UP their voices. The
fowls OF the air cry to their maker. and
He feedeth them: and the abyss call to
the abyss and the hearts of men are per-
petually putting up their cry. There is
a cry OF worship and a cry of wickedness,
a cry of piety and a cry of blasphemy, a
cry Of joy and cry of sorrow, and all
these voices are heard in the ears OF
the Lord of hosts. Ny purpose Is TO out
line the work OF the holy spirit in each
individual soul. Mems actions, my dear
friends, are all actuated by some mo-
tive, both in the temporal and spiritual
life Leaving aside the actuating motives
OF men in regard to temporal matters, we
viii ask. what power or infsience guides
the Christian in his relations to God? We
have four great lights TO guide us in our
actions. First, reason; which is very
weak in things pertaining to God; and is
not sufficient by itself TO conduct us to
our end 1t may be fttingly compared
10 Ignes fatin. which shines in the night
a little above the ground, and lead the
traveller straight TO rivers and precipices,
for after all. human reason unenlightened
by faith. is but low thing and can con-
duct us only in our ruin.
Secondly, faith; which by attaching us
TO supreme truth supplies US with a safe
guidance secure from error.
Thirdly. supernatural prudence; which
being added 10 faith, makes US choose
those supernatural means which are the
most useful for attaining a supernatural
end.
FourthIy, the gifts Of the holy spirit,
which by principles more exalted, without
reasoning show us what is best, enabling
Us to discern II In the light Of God with
more or less Of evidence, according to the
degree in which we possess Him.
Since the fall Of man into sin, the spirit
of God has assisted from the beginning
every man that has come into the world
born Of Adam; so that there never yet
was any soul which had not sufficient
grace. IL IL had sufficient fidelity to CORE
spond with IL, to escape eternal death.
Every soul created to the likeness Of
God is Illuminated by the light of God
even in his creation. There never yet
was a soul born into the world that had
not the light Of reasons and the light OF
conscience, that is. the light of God, shin
ing in the soul. The whole world is the
reflection of the presence and the per-
lection of God. The reason and the con-
science. rightly exercised, can see and
read His existence. His glory, and His
God-head in the works of his hands. No
man can hide himself from the love and
from the glory Of God Go where he
may. If he walk upon the eartn. God is
there; IL he ascend into heaven, He is
there also; IL he go down into the deep,
God is there before him.
Every living soul therefore has an illu-
mination OF God I'm the order OF nature by
the light Of conscience, and by the light Of
reason. and by the working Of the spirit
Of Sod in his head and in his heart lead
ing him to believe in God and to obey
Tim. When we talk Of the grace of the
Holy Ghost. we mean that sanctifying
power and the influx Of the Holy Ghost; 1t
is the presence of the Holy Spirit entering
into the soul and infusing sanctity into
our very being. When grace takes possess
sion of the soul, in the reason il assumes
the form Of faith; in the win it takes
the form Of love; faith. hope and charity
are the three primary workings of the
Holy Spirit in the soul. But the special
Office of the Holy Ghost is to sanctify.
This work is the fulfillment of the prom
ise made by the incarnate son OF God
when He said ut is expedient for you
that go. For If I go not,the Paraclete will
not come: but IL 20 1 will send Him to
YOU" (St John XVIII 'I win not leave
you orphans; I win come to you" est
John xiv-1s.) On the day Of Penteeost the
Holy Ghost. The Third Person OF the
Blessed Trinity, came to take up His Of
fee through the Incarnation of the Son.
Now we live under the dispensation of the
Holy Ghost. We are at this time commit
ted to the care and guidance Of the Third
Person of the Blessed Trinity; so that the
dispensation under which We are is that
of the spirit of God. the sanctifier. 1t Is
wonderful then, how men with the pages
OF the New Testament before them can
fail to see this-that the 5one great evan
gelical gift, the one great gift Of the gos-
pei is the gift of the Holy Ghost Our
whole state is elevated. Because we are
the children Of the Second Adam, His
Father is our Father; because we are the
sons OF God by grace. He is our elder
brother. The Holy Ghost dwells in us, be-
cause He descsnds from our head upon
all His members. We are born again
through Christ into new and supernatur-
al state The state of a Christian child
transcends. I'm supernatural grace and
dignity. all that God has ever before be-
slowed upon his creatures. II, then, this
be so. there are some plain practical les
sons for us to learn.
First, we ought to be habitually con-
scious that we are in a supernatural order.
Dear brethren. II there be one thing that
Is to our shame. one thing which ought
10 cast us down with our faces in the dust
IL Is this, that We live all the day long
as IL there were no Holy Ghost, as If we
were like the Ephesians. who, when the
apostle asked them If they had received
the Holy Ghost since they believed. said:
I'VE have not so much as heard whether
there be a Holy Ghost" We live in the
world and are worldly. We live on the
earth and are earthly, We live for pleas
ure. we live for trade, for money, for lev
itieS, for frivolities. for indulgence of our
own WILL Many live for worse, for they
live in pride and covetiousness, in jeal-
ousies. in envies. i'm animosities. In malice
one with another. Many live I'm worse still,
IL 1t were possible so to say. They spend
their years in revealing, wallowing in
gross sins OF sensuality. and yet-they have
been made temples OF the Holy Ghost. Is
Il not true that IL you look around the
world you see men on every side living
as IL they had never been born again
They live as II they had been born Of the
flesh. and Of the flesh alone. They live
for the world and nothing else. Such, be-
cause they have fallen from bapusmal
grace. is the state OF multitudes of hap
tized Christians. l ask you. then. 10 ex-
anime yourselves as in Gods sight. Have
you any Of these marks upon you? IL you
have you are then guessing the spirit Of
your baptism. The man that follows the
spirit OF his baptism is conscious Of the
supernatural help that is in him, and is
faithful 10 the duties Of his state in the
world. and discharges them with an eX-
act fidelity, because he does them not for
man. but for God. A man who remem-
hers continually that he is predestined