The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1913-05-20

~ upon the hand
llkASlGk kUoSELLJI maids in those
days will pour
out My Spirit After this Will pour out
Ny Spirit upon all flesh. Joel 2:2S. 20.
The Pastor called attention to the
fact that be had transposed the two
parts of this text to make their mean
ing more apparent. He declared that
the Prophet unquestionably taught
two outpourings of the Holy Spirit,
only one of which has yet come. The
one generally commemorated today by
Catholics and Episcopalians is the first
of these--the pouring out of the Holy
Spirit on Gods faithful servants and
handmaidens. The second one is not
all 1esh-not upon the Elect. but upon
all mankind the non-elect.
The Pastor remarked that Pentecost
was a Jewish festival celebrating the
harvest. On that day, nearly nineteen
centuries ago, God poured out His
Holy Spirit upon His waiting servants
and handmaidens, in the upper room
at Jerusalem That event was impor-
tant, not only to those who then par
ticipated. but to all of Gods people
from then until now. Prior to that
day of Pentecost, no one except Jesus
had ever received spirit begetting-the
Holy Spirit of sonship Prior to that
date, God held all humanity at a dis
lance from Himself. declaring that
because they were sinners He could
not accept them as sons. that first
their sins must be atoned for
Pastor Russell pointed out that this
alienation from God had continued for
more than four thousand years before
Jesus came. Adam was called a son
of God, but after him no one was
styled a son of God until Jesus Dur
ing all that time, Abraham alone was
styled friend Of God, because of his
devotion, his faith But a friend is
not son, and none other than Abra-
ham had even so high title as friend.
The Jews had the honorable title of
servants of God. attaining that through
the Law Covenant, under Moses.
Not only do the old Testament Scrip
lures not refer to the Jews as sons of
God, but the Jews themselves have
never claimed such relationship. On
the contrary. after Jesus had received
the Holy Spirit and had begun His
ministry, He spoke of Himself as be.
ing the Son of God, and this the Jews
resented, taking up stones to stone
Him. They declared it blasphemous to
claim so close a relationship to Jeho-
YAH Again. we read of the disciples
before Jesus death, 1.-THE Holy Spirit
was not yet given; because that Jesus
was not yet glorified. John 7:39
From these testimonies of the Bible.
the Pastor deduced that 1t was neces-
sary for Jesus to finish His sacrifice
for sins. and to ascend on High, into
the presence of Jehovah God, and pre-
sent the merit of His sacrifice on be-
half of the Household of Faith, before
the Apostles or any of the Church
could be recognized of God. The de
sire which Jesus had awakened In
their hearts was that they might be
come His footstep followers In doing
the Heavenly Fathers will-even to
the extent of laying down their lives
for the Truth. for righteousness. And
so His disciples declared that they had
left all to follow Him.
Before leaving them, Jesus admon
ished that they should not attempt to
begin their work until after receiving
the Fathers recognition of them as
sons. He said. "Tarry We in the city
of Jerusalem until We be endued with
power from on High" While He was
with them. He breathed upon them
and gave them of His Holy Spirit and
power, by which they healed the sick.
cast out demons, etc. But when He
left them they had not this power, or
authority. and must wait until the Fa
Their gave II TO them directly, even as
He gave it directly to the Lord Jesus
at the time the Holy Spirit came upon
Him at His baptism.
"When Pentecost Was Fully Come"
For ten days the Apostles and other
faithful brethren tarried, praying In
the upper room. waiting for the prom
Used demonstration of Divine accept
ance that would indicate to them that
Jesus had appeared in the presence of
God. and had made satisfaction for
their sins, and that the Heavenly Fla
ther had accepted Jesus sacrifice on
their behalf. and by the begetting Of
the Holy Spirit would recognize them
as sons of God-not as human sons
however 'rhe sonship to which Jesus
ana the Church have been begotten
during this Gospel Age Is on a far
higher than human plane-far above
the angelic. also St Peter explains
that our begetting is to the Divine
nature. % Peter a.
Without the begetting there could be
no ultimate birth to the Divine nature
In the resurrection. Thus it was with
Jesus. He was begotten of the Holy
Spirit, quickened by the Spirit, and
gradually developed during the three
and half years of His earthly min
istry. But He was not born of the
Spirit until His resurrection, as we
read: HE was the First-born from
the dead"-"the First-born amongst
many brethren" The Church are be-
gotten of the Holy Spirit under the
same Covenant of Sacrifice, that If
faithful they may attain to the same
Spirit birth by a similar resurrection.
St Peter explains that while the gift
of the Holy Spirit was from the Fa.
Their, it would not come to the Church
direct. as though ignoring the Lord
Jesus. He says of Jesus, being by
the right hand of God exalted, and hav-
Ing received of the Father the promise
Of the Holy Spirit. He hath shed this
forth" tActs 2:33). Again he says.
Who Is gone into Heaven, and is on
the right hand of God, angels and au-
thorities and powers being made sub
1ect unto Him." q Peter 1922. The
Pentecostal blessing. therefore, was a
double attestation. 1t proved that Je-
sus as the great Redeemer accomplish
ed, in manner pleasing to the Father.
the work the Father gave Him to do
1t proved that those who received the
Spirit We're accepted as sons of God
their original sin beingcanceled through
the merit of Christ's sacrifice.
And although the miraculous mani
festations of Gods favor have not been
repeated during this Age, we know
that all of the same class are PARTED
pants in the same blessing. 1.-THE God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
which according to His abun-
dant mercy hath begotten US again.
Il Peter !: 81 While we are required
to Walk by faith and not by sight.
nevertheless our faith has its sure
footing in that original Pentecostal