The Newtown bee., 1908-11-27

it, A doubt in our minds enlarges tn
 realm of doubt in other minds. 4 thousand negatives are of no valu'
 until you put something positive be
 fore them. Gods word is very posi-
 tive declaration of His mind and will
 This element of power ever comes out
 of deep and thorough conviction, ant
 from conviction proceed courage ant
 faith. We must plant Our creeds
 deeply in our minds and hearts, before
 they become bright revelation of Goo
 in our lives, and divine message up.
 on our lips. Let us but have these
 and we shall be possessors of some o1
 the most potent forces that help tc
 bring men into right relations to God.
 It sometimes seems to me, when
 preaching, that l have in my congre- gatior, everything that is requisite. The deficiency seems to be in me. The
 wheels are'here. All they need is life
 in them. The wood and the coals are ready, but there seems to be no torch
 to klndle the fire. But it is pretty hard
 to start the Divine fire in a soul that has been living all the week in the fog of the world; that comes to Gods
 House water-logged with business, and saturated with the damps of unbelief.
 The preacher may mass all his latent forces upon such soul and never move it one jot, his forceful and eloquently uttered conviction will fall like down
 upon such a mind. Important as this
 element is it is only one element of
 power, alone it is powerless.
 Another element of power is love,
 love not only for the message, but love
 for God and men, for His sake. Paul
 tells us that without it he is only sounding brass and a tinkling cymbol.
 No other force constrains to such hero- ic and effective service. Fear, am- bition, sense of duty, all these are motives that should stimulate us to fidelity, but love the love of Christ constrains us; if that love be dominant in us it will impel us to do what we do for Christ and our fellowmen with all our power. Not only will its gentle influence stimulate us to labor, but it will give power to every word and act of life. The hearts that have resisted may be all other influences, will at length yield to the gentle touch of love, just as the frozen stream yields to the enticement of the warm rays of the sun. The life of God has begun in many soul when His love, through us, has been revealed to that soul. We now come, in conclusion, to that power which alone is both efficient and suffi- cient, the power which takes and uses all these elements of power in us and cooperating with them, will secure the results at which we aim. It is the effectual working of Gods power, the power of the Holy Spirit. All other elements without it are powerless. The work we are set to do is Gods work and the might which unites and pervades and applies our power is His. [ faul tells us that "the signs and won- ders he wrought among the gentiles were wrought by the power of the Spir- 1t of God" .. |
 In the Roman temple when the ves- tal fires became extinct, it was forbid | len to rekindle them by artificial means; they must be relit by a pure ,eam from the sun. If the Divine fire las become extinct in the pulpit or in my of your hearts it can be renewed , nly from above. "Tarry at Jerusa- em, twas the Saviour's last message i o his ministefing servants) till ye be
 ndued with power from on high Ye hall be baptised with the Holy Ghost lot many days hence." The time that 5 spent in waiting for this enduement f power is never spent in vain. It is oily to run on Gods errands until He ends us; if we go without his power ge shall only be confronted with fail
 re. This is the power that takes nan, the whole of him, and masses it nto an irresistible force that sweeps a. vay every barrier from human souls nd forces upon conscience and heart he convicting and converting word of iod. It reveals to the preacher the
 lad tiding Christ brought to lost 1orld, clearly and sweetly and he sees heir adaptation to the needs and sor- ows of his fellow-men so fully, that is heart aches with pity and love for hem until they are brought into right citations with God and their lives are transformed into His image. That is he power we all need in our Christian 'ork for we are all Gf Christians) min 'ters of Christ. If we lack this pow F then let US most earnestly seek for :. It may be lacking in the pulpit, nd there may be less of it there, than lere would be if you only daily in rayer besought it for him who has cen set over you in the Gospel. It lay be lacking in your hearts. There
 no power but that that can wake a { church into life and activ- y. If then, we ask ourselves why l e lack his power the answer must be ( ,und in us and not in God, for He as said that He is more willing to ( i've the Holy Spirit to them that ask i'm, than earthly parents are to give ood gifts unto their children.