The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-05-27

make me clean vessel for the spirit
of life o God, take all selfishness and
meanness and world lines out of my life!
God, may l live and breathe and plan
and work for only thee' Is not that
your idea of how the disciples of old
passed the days in Jerusalem preceding
the moment when the power of the Holy
Spirit came upon them in tongues of fire?
If you and | would only do as those
disciples of old did and come with such
players and pleadings upon our lips, do
you not believe that Christ would also
endue us with power from on high?
If l night be pardoned a smile, my
idea of those days preceding Pentecost
were not loke our eYangelistic meetings
when a preacher would stand up and de-
liver text and then have an introduce
ton and a conclusion. They were rather
like the days of the Welsh revival of
1905. There, am told, the people crowd
ed into the churches, and there was no
set leader. Now a hymn would be start
ed. Now the promises of God would be
repeated by many different lips. Now a
testimony would be given Now an earn
est prayer would be lifted up. The meet
ings would not start at or s o'clock
and run from an hour and half and
have every one look at his watch If the
service went a second over ninety min
utes. But there the meetings would start
at any time. Then when the meetings
once got started they would run on and
on, sometimes five or even ten hours
loath to leave each other and go home
and go to sleep. Yes, the Welsh re-
vival was to me exact duplication of
the days preceding Pentecost.
In the Upper Chamber.
Come, let me take you to the upper
chamber in Jerusalem. 1t is the year 80
A. D. 1t is about the LIST of June of the
beginning of summer All the hillsides
about Jerusalem are covered with flowers.
As we come to this upper chamber, which
was supposed to belong to the Evangelist
Mark, who was one of the biographers
of Jesus, we find that these disciples
had been abiding there for nearly ten
days, or ever since the ascension. l hear
a womans sweet voice lifted in prayer.
1t is the voice of Mary, the mother of
Christ. The voice goes something like
this: 80 Lord Jesus, 1 cared for thee
when thou vert a child I am thy mother.
but thou art my Lord. Send thy spirit
into our midst. Come quickly with thy
power. Come and cleanse us from all
| sins" Then as the prayer died away in
| pleading sobs methinks | hear a. voice
starting a song as we sometimes hear in
| a Methodist gathering, but instead of a
! Methodist hymn the voice leads the little
! gathering through the noble melodies of
the grand old Twenty-third Psalm of Da-
vid. which is a promise in music. And as
| the climax is reached a strange spiritual
| influence sweeps over the room when the
voices chorus that last grand verse.
''surely goodness and mercy shall follow
| me all the days of my life. and / will
dwell in the house of the Lord forever"
Then for a little while silence reigns.
Why, it is so still that you can almost
| hear each heart beat Then another sob.
! Then Peter arises and says: "Oh, breth-
| rem why. did | deny him? Why did |
| desert him at the saddest moment of his
| life? / can now see him turning his great
| loving eyes upon me. / denied him not
| only once, but twice and thrice. But
though the cock crew to remind me. he
never reproaehed me. He surely forgives
| If we come and ask his forgiveness"
Then another silence. Then a searching
of the Scriptures. Then sobbing voice
says: IT am Thomas, the doubter. But
| he forgives me- even me- Then the
prayer and the supplications and the con-
LESSONS go on. But on the tenth day,
while they were still praying. suddenly
each man and woman and child turned
toward the others and cried Look!
Look See the flames! 1t is the mani
festation of the Holy Spirit And oh,
my friends, if we come to God believing
| that he would bless us If we asked him
| and If we would only meet and pray and
! agonize and consecrate ourSely~e to his
service as the disciples IF old dlu on the
day of Pentecost do you not believe Christ
would give to us the higher power of gos-
pei life? He will. VIII you not. there
fore, here and now start forth to seek
our Pentecost and begin to plead and to
| consecrate your whole life to the Mas
ter's service?