The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-01-05

The international Sunday School
Lesson for January 10 is, 1.-The
Descent of the Holy Spirit Acts
>: 1-o1,
BY WILLIAM L. ELLIS.

1t used to be the fashion to try to
explain everything about Christianity.
The Wisest men have got over that,
since they find themselves living in a
maze of simple phenomena that are
inexplicable. The physical scientist
has to say. Il don't know" as often
as the theologian. He gravely admits
that he does not know what life is;
nor matter or air or light or electrici-
ty. He says man has a mind and q
brain, but he cannot tell you What
the former really is. Man is a spirit
and Il body. admits the scientists; but
ne gives up, or guesses wildly, When
asked to define the spirit.
If man is a mystery, how much
more so God! Here the Sunday
schools of the world are brought face
to face with the ~impenetrable mystery
of the Holy Spirit, the most inexDlica-
bic and supernatural truth in ID! the
real of religion. What may be said
in answer to eager, puzzling questions
pom this profound mystery? As
suredly not the cheap and easy an
SWcrS of minimizing em~OtionalistS who
glibly profess to have mastered the
secrets of the Godhead. Moving soft
" and reVerently. and admitting all
the way that our knowledge is very
human and our theme altogether in
finite, We may at least grasp some of
the elementary considerations involved
III any study of this miracle of the
descent of the Holy Spirit upon the
infant Christian Church at Pentecost.
Always. too. il is To be borne in mind
that some things which may not he eX-
planned may yet he experienced. The
Holy Spirit may not be defined intel
lectually, but he may be known eX-
pcrimentally.
The Orphaned Band.
When the little of or
phaned disciples stood gazing up to-
ward tho rlnI6 (which had received
their Master it verify seemed as if the
end of all things had come. The
whole vast scheme of things had tot
tered and fallen. All their hopes had
come to naught. lhey We're only a
small band of laundering Galileans,
untutored p~rovincials- 1t was. hui
manly speaking. impossible for them
to carry one the work of Jesus. So
there had to be Somebody to take the
place Of the assembled Leader. The
situation absolutely required this.
Somebody must come to be at the
head Of the new church..
That Somebody, the case required,
had to be everything hat Jesus had
been. This was atseeminely impossi-
BILE condition.. The basis or the dis
ciples' faith was that no other man
existed. or ever had existed. like unto
their Lord. Yet his successor must
be his Alter Ego. And such a One
had been promised by Jesus: in
phrases not Vet clear to his friends.
There was to come a new Leader who
would be the Other Self of Jesus,
standing in his stead and filling all
his offices.
One Last instruction had been laid
upon the bereaved and mystified band:
they We're to wait for that Somebodye
arrival. More important than the
telling of their story, or the organiza-
ton Of the Church. was the neces sity
Tor waiting for This Canine Ono ENyi
IDENTITY, in the mine of Jesus. the adj
vent OF this Somebody, whose coming
justified his going. was all-important.
And the event proved that Pentecost
was the birthday of the Church
oneness and Waves.
That Somebody's arrival was spec
tacular mysterious, mighty. The
friends of Jesus had been waiting. ac-
cording to Instructions, in one mind
and one place. Now that the world
IS beginning to get a glimmering of
a conception of the power of ether
waves, and thought-waves, and spir-
ltual forces, the power of concerted.
common prayer may seem less contra
fy to nature. Enough to recall that it
was when the disciples were all with
one accord in one place" that the
wonder occurred.
As from the im~palpable air. there
came a rushing torrent of sound. like
a mighty wind. Scared, and wonder
ing, the disciples had scarcely time to
realize this Force which filled all the
room to tenseness. when q stjll
stranger sign appeared; for distribute
cd above the head of each appeared
z qulVerlng tongue of flame. That
unprecedented symbol was followed
by an equally strange experience.
Thrilled and filed to ecstasy by this
new Power, the humble GaIiIeans
10lJnn their. TON M InAeaI -
speech, and they spoke with other Ian
Suages than their own.
We thumb the books in vain for any
precedent to his. The phenomenon
Is bafftlng, a veritable miracle. That
day marked the advent OF a new
somebody to reign over the hearts Of
of men. and to loose powers hitherto
unsupported. He is the onlv explain
alton Of subsequent phenomena equal
~ wonderful. Some commentator
try to explain away these strange
events at PentecOSt, because they are
outside the pale of their experience.
Similarly. a traveller recentlv wrote
4 plain, careful narrative of e~xtraOrdi-
nary spiritual manifestations which
he had witnessed in India. Other eve
Witnesses, like DIR. Charles Cuthbert
Hall. had testified TO exactly the same
proceedings; but the editor of a relig-
ious PAPER challenged the whole re-
port, because, fOrSOOth. he had never
seen it on this wise himSa f, The self
assured cOmplacency with which we
ignore or discredit everything outside |
our own meagre experience is a |
ssh of inherent smallneSs and provin-
cialiSm. there are more things in
heaven and earth than anv man has
ever dreamed of. It is no evidence of
intellectual superiority, but rather Of
irtoIarance. to fail to accept accredited
witness of even improbable phe-
nomena. What is the skeptic to say
concerning the recent revival in Wales.
or the present REVEALS in India. Korea
and Manchuria. with expressions rival
ing those Of PentecoSt?
somebody At tho Helm.
The simple truth Is that Christianity
itself, with this Somebody left out is
more Of an incredible miracle than
thc most wonderful acts that have
ever been aScrihnd to the Spirit OF
Jesus. There is no other eNplana-
ton possible for the rise and power Of
the religion of Christ except the ir-
resiStible power of an omnlSccnt,