The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1909-01-07
DESCENT OF THE
HOLY SPIRIT
''esoN TExT.-Acts 2:i-2l. Memory
Sunday School Lesson for Jan. 10, 1909
Specially Arranged for This Paper

LESSON TExT.-Acts 2:l-H. Memory
verses, "a
-o..Da.N TEXT.-"I will pray the Fa-
Their, and he shall give you another Com
forter. that he may abide with you for
ever; even the Spirit OF Truth."-Jobp
H:i6, II.
Saturday or Sunday morning. The day
OF Pentecost. 50 days after the Passover
at which Christ was crucined. The mod
ern Whitsunday.
CONNECTION.-Ten days after the last
lesson. the Ascension, were spent In
prayer and waiting.
PLACE.-Jerusalem Perhaps the oft
mentioned upper room; perhaps one OF
the rooms in the temple courts.
Comment and Suggestive Thought.
Three outward manifestations of the
Holy Spirits presence.-V. 2. And
suddenly" AS they we're praying. Sc
the lightning breaks forth suddenly
from the cloud, but the electricity that
prepared for It had been gathering
silently for hours. ID The sound
from heaven" tits source) 'as Of a
rushing mighty wind" More clearly
In the revisions. "as of the rushing OF
a mighty wind" II does not say that
there was any wind. but only a sound
as OF a wind. No "whirlwind shook
the shyilding." "The audible sign fill
ing the room announced the power
represented by II as doing the same"
Prof. Hovey. 1T tthe sound) filled
all the house." and was heard beyond
its walls by the multitudes ". g..
(2.) V. 3. The manifestation to the
ear was followed by its manifestation
to the eye. "Cloven tongues" not
each tongue cleft into two parts.
forked. but the fire was in the form
OF tongues which distributed them
selves over the company. n tongue
settling upon the head OF each one"
-Rackam. Like as of fire." II was
not real fire. as an organ OF destruc-
ton. but with the appearance and
brightness OF fire. like that Of the
burning bush which Moses saw.
Cd The third manifestation was
through the gift of tongues.
The Significance of the Symbols Of
the Spirit-the Symbol OF the Wind
The Greek word, as the Hebrew word.
for spirit" is the same as that for
wind" which is a natural metaphor
to represent the spirit. Jesus himself
so uses It in John g. 8.
l. IL is an invisible power Of which
no one knows whence II cometh or
whittier Il goeth." But you cannot
tell the causes. which are beyond our
rhAu
daily reports from the weather bureau.
no one knows where and when a storm
will arise. We see the storm and its
direction. and can tell with great
probability to what place 1t is going
and when II will get there. But for
beginning and end we know not
whence II cometh nor whittier 1t goeth.
2. But we recognize II by its eff
fects. in sound. In music. in force, In
life.
3. II Is essential to life.
4. II Is all-pervasive.
s. II is very powerful. The air is so
po&xren that even free dynamite smit-
'nT aRaanst II on one side crushes the
rocks on the other. The other day the
air from an explosion of dynamite
swept away nearly whole village.
.. Yet Il is very gentle and delicate.
breathing around the rose, and gently
touching the little child.
The Symbol OF the Flame and Light.
Il. II is mysterious in nature, in
effably glorious, everywhere present
swift winged, undefiled and unde-
filable.
Of the Holy Spirit, changing night into
day.
3. II expresses this purifying power
II is a disease destroyer, a refiner OF
gold.
4. II symbollzed the comfort,
warmth. cheer. fresh life. joy. peace,
which the Holy Spirit imparts.
s. Fire Is the symbol of intense en-
ergy and zeal. The Holy Spirit fills
the soul With glowing enthusiasts and
unconquerable energy and zeal.
6. Light convinces the world OF dust.
OF dirt, OF a thousand evil things I'M
known In the darkness. For examples,
a ray of light In a dusty room, and
Tyndall's ray through the glass tube.
showing seed germs that no other
process could make known. So the
Spirit convinces of ain. OF the evils in
the heart.
The truth OF this lesson applies to
boys and girls as well as to adults. II
is said OF the boy Jesus that the
grace Of God" was upon him. while
he "wsxed strong. advanced In wis
dom and stature. and in favor with
God and man" John the Baptist also
was filed with the Holy Spirit even
from HIS birth.
Children need the Holy Spirit to
help them TO be good. and enable them
to be disciples Of Jesus.
The gift of tongues was an indorse-
ment of the command to disciple all
nations, an inspiration to obey IL, and
a pointer to the means. "The human
tongue, Illuminated and sancitifled by
fire from the inner sanctuary, was
about to be the instrument OF the COS.
pers advancement"
The Transformation OF the Anostles