The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-05-10

the Holy Spirit given to the Apostles,
just as Jesus promised. (John 16:13)
This was accomplished, not by a mirac-
| ulous operation upon each individual,
but through the gifts of the Spirit.
or the gifts specified, some were gen
eral: others were particular. Thus the
| Church still has the gift Of teaching
given to the Apostles for our blessing.
Thus we still have pastors and teach
ers, to assist the Church to an under
| landing of the Divine Word and to the
proving Of all things by that Word.
| And this was to continue until all the
| Church shall have been edited, built
| up, and the Body Of Christ shall have
been completed. Moreover, each men,
Der of the Body has need of this edi-
flying work, that he may be qualified
for his place in the Body. According
to the Apostles explanation, all these
| gifts Of the Spirit are of the Lord, ex-
ercised throughout this Gospel Age un-
der the supervision Of our glorious
Head and Master-Jesus.
Other gifts Of the Spirit were local and
temporary; gifts Of miracles, tongues,
interpretations, etc. The early Church
| contained not many great. wise or
| learned. Few of. them would have
been capable Of reading the Bible, If
they had had one. Few, if any, Of the
| little classes, were possessors Of the
| Old Testament Scriptures. These could
be heard read every Sabbath in the
! synagogues, but not otherwise. They
were kept very sacredly guarded. and
especially were they refused to heretics,
as the Jews thought the Christians
to be.
The New Testament Scriptures, we
must remember, were not written until
a considerable time after P~entecOst.
and it was not until the close Of the
first century that they began to be col
lated, and two or three centuries before
the question was finally decided which
| Books should constitute the canon Of
the New Testament.
We may suppose that ever then these
were r~everenced more as heirlooms
than as the only existing Divinely in
spired authority. The doctrine Of Apos-
tolic succession came in about that
time. Notshaving Scripture, and realiz-
ing that the power to work miracles
had descended as a kind of legacy from
our Lord to the Apostles. many were
led to believe this doctrine almost in
stinctively, and to rank the living Dish
ops as equal to the Twelve Apostles.
Moreover, to receive instruction from
a living teacher is always easier than
to receive it from the study Of a book.
Therefore the writings of the Apostles
and indeed Of all the Bible-fell into
disuse, to the injury of the Household
Of Faith. A greater appreciation of
the gift which the Lord had poured
out upon His followers-the Holy Spirit
and the fruits which that Spirit de-
veloped, joy, peace, faith, love, etc
would have kept them from such error.
They would have been more appreci-
ative Of the inspired Record, and CORE
spondingly less appreciative Of the un
inspired words Of all other men.
we sec, uOWSfStS IhuL uhuSL CA4cL
ing conditions at that time-the abb
sence of Scriptural writings-the gifts
bestowed at Pentecost Visible mani
festations of supernatural power)
were very essential to the early
Church. Well would 1t have been for
them and their successors If, after hav-
ing made use Of these miraculous man
ifestations at the beginning Of the
Age, and being prepared by them for
the written Word. they had further
appreciated the Importance Of the
Word Of the Lord through the inspired
Apostles. This would have guarded
them from grievous errors which are
still troubling the Lords followers.
The Fruits of the Spirit.
Quite a distinction is to be observed
between the gifts of the Spirit and the
fruits Of the Spirit. The gifts were
planned. and the special gifts Of Apos-
tolic qualification. But these gifts
gradually passed away. as God had
foreknown. Instead, the Lord looked
for the fruits of the Spirit, which the
loyal and obedient are to cultivate.
All who have received the imparta-
ton of the Lords Spirit are expected
to manifest the fruits Of His Spirit,
even as those who first received
the gifts were expected to use them.
The fruits most evidently are higher
gifts in Gods estimation, and should
be in ours. Earnestly let us desire the
fruits Of the Spirit. These r the re-
suit also of the great gift bestowed
after Jesus had assembled. They are
indirect gifts, however. In giving us
a knowledge of the Truth, through the
merit Of Jesus. the Father prepared
the way by which WI might develop
these fruits, and thus become copies Of
His Son. q,
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