The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1908-03-13

SuElSlS uodL SdhC' ~ 40 W ehVAA WV
preach the Divine and crucitied Christ
to whom the Holy Spirit is given for
witnessing power, see 1st Cor 2. 1-5.
There is nothing that can be substi-
tuted with success in Gods sight for
the fullness of his Holy Spirit. The
engine may he perfect piece of hu-
man mechanism as is possible with
mighty wheels ponderous shafts and
polished trimmings and ten thousand
tons of water but without fire, she is
only dead pile of useless display.
nice to behold. but powerless to turn
a single wheel: And not only so. but
must be removed out OF the way to
make room for another equipped with
the power that only fire can produce.
And SO with the minister Of Jesus
Christ. He may possess all the bril-
liant trimmings that culture, society
and education can produce and have
every other qualification on earth. but
without the Baptism Of the Holy
Ghost, and fire, his words will be as
sounding brass or tinkling symbol. !"
see Acts 2, "a: Matt. 3, IL: Lu. 3,
16: Heb. /, Z: IL. 29.
The Gospel of the crucified, risen
ascended and glori6ed Christ was not
allowed to be preached until after the
endowment with Pentecostal power.
Acts /, 8. Christ was not acknow-
lodged, by God. as his Son until the
Spirit descended upon Him. Matt.3,
1917. Men may be teased, coaxed
and persuaded to join denomination
without the Heavenly joy and peace OF
the precious Holy Spirit, but no one
was ever won to Christ, in the real
Gospel way, without it.
Right here is where many good
meaning preachers, not only fail them
selves, but hinder rather than help
the cause. Some one has been moved
by their eloquence, or persuaded by
their arguments, to unite with the
church, his real experience being taken
for guaranteed, when the real fact is
he only reformed and was never born
again at all, thus being deceived, for
Except a man be born again he can
not see the Kingdom of God, John
8, and being so deceived is inclined
to indifference and doubling and, in
many cases is more difficult to search
for real salvation than before he start
ed at all, and often never finds the
true secret of happy life. while all
this time his careless life has had an
unwholesome influence on the COM
munity in which he has lived.
After all said has teen done, with
out cultivation of the passion for
souls, very few If any, will ever be
won. This is the greatest of all hu'
man qualifications, and will be evi'
dent in his preaching. His earnest.
! ness, exhortation, pathos, power and
personal appeal all, will show it, al
we'll as warning and invitation. Al
old Scotch woman said of Robert Nc
Cheyne, "He breaches as if he is a.dyir
Almost to have you converted. A
colored minister was so burdened fol
the lost that be went, after midnight
and knelt at the doors of many unsavet
and pleaded with God for their saliva
tion. John Knox said "Give me Scot
land or | die" George Whiteielt
said "Give me souls OF take mine
William Burns. turned off from Argyle
street, Glasgow, in order to weep alone
for the uusaved masses going to ant
fro.
A man was in desert where wilt
beasts aud ugly things clutched at hin
and when he stood on the bluff over
! looking the Sea where the breakers
were beating on the white beech, there
on the sand lay n body which hi
| thought he recognized to ee his own.
And while the waves were coming
nearer aud neraer, he saw white
| figure, a woman clothed in white
with something red in her hand and as
she came near to rescue him he saw
she bore in her hand her own Gas il
seemed) bleeding heart. What a pic
ture of inspiration for us all to be-
come winners of souls. Men are peri
shing. perishing, perishingl The
threatening pillows of destruction
draw nearer and nearer to those dead
in trespasses and in sins. Q that We
all might weep with Christ over the
wicked city and seek to gather then
for his Kingdom, and 60 with our owl
bleeding hearts to the perishing mul
titudes everywhere that they might
he won, iu perfect peace, to Him Who
| l;.oLk ..,l roin.,oAk Ennornr nl,d nunr.l