Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1916-11-26
Joseph NJ. Brown Addresses the
People And Asks All Pastors
To Preach On The Holy Ghost


from a well known Georgian, address,
ed to the people:
To the People of Georgia:
Now that our period of political
turmoil has passed, l shall, in this
communication, write to you upon a
subject unparalleled probably, among
our public men.
A number of months ago, Rev. j. n.
Patton, D. D., pastor of the Presbyter-
ian church, Marietta, preached on the
subject of the Holy Ghost, or Holy
Spirit" and Herewith called attention
to the fact that sermons were rarely
preached regarding the personality of
that members of the Divine Trinity
/ have often thought of this dis
course, and have wondered why his
statement should be so true, as it UNI
doubtedly is. Really, / cannot recall
having ever heard another sermon on
the personality of the Holy Spirit.
Furthermore, | cannot recall having
heard sermon from text taken from
the Ten Commandments, the basic
code of morals, of action and of wor-
slip, which the Almighty, in person,
gave to us through Moses, and for
some years l have seen but one such
sermon reported in the daily press, un
til recently, when Rev. Henry Afford
Porter, D. D., pastor of the Second
Baptist church in Atlanta, began n
series of sermons from texts including
tile Ten Commandments In truth, 50
far as my observation extends, the
trend of a great proportion of the mod
ern pulpit thought seems to be flowing
away from the fundamentals of our
faith and into the channels of topics
pertaining to the present day Yet,
God, truth, justice and purity are
eternal, and we are taught: Jesus
Christ, the same yesterday, and today,
and forever" (Hebrews 1879.
But the point l shall make herein is
that the Christian world, in my judg
ment, certainly within recent years,
has failed to grasp the distinctive pow
ers of the Holy Spirit, or las generally
translated) Holy Ghost. His exalting
value to us and our direct obligations
to Him as a member of the omnipo
tent, eternal and holy Trinity Nav,
while we have a definite idea of God,
the Father, or Creator, and God, the
Son, or Savior, and while we pray to
tie first, asking for mercles in the
name of the second, we overlook the
injunction in Jude 20: But We, be-
loved, building up yourself on your
most holy faith, praying in the Holy
Ghost In fact, judging from the
sermons which hear, or which, in
multiplied numbers, see synopsized III
the press from pulpits of all denomina
tons, it seems to me that we at times
put into the background, if we do not
almost ignore, the presence and guild
ing powers of the Holy Spirit; and We
too often seem to forget Him as a
comforter and intercessor
Yet, the Holy Sp:Iit was, physically
speaking, the father Of the man-god
Jesus Christ. (Matthe'g 1880; Luke
26-35) When Christ was baptized
the Holy Spirit descended from heaven
upon Him in the shape of dove. "Ant
To- voice from heaven, saying, This
is my beloved Son in whom | am wei
/ Ileased' This was not the voice q
the dove, hence here is a seeming Goa
tradiction; but God, the Creator, wa;
Christ's Father in Heaven C''My Fathel
which is in heaven" (Matthew 7:21
1922, 80; 16:17); and the Holy Spiri-
the other member of the GodheaG
whom Christ John 14:12, 13, 16, II
26) clearly differentiates from Hi
Father in heaven, was His Father TO
earthly birth. John, the Baptist, sal,
to his followers: Il indeed have hap
tized you in water, He Christ sha,
baptize you in the Holy Ghost" MAR
I1;S.)
Christ Himself before His ascension
to heaven, said to His disciples: &c
We, therefore, and teach all nations
baptizing them in the name of tn
Father, and of the Son, and of the Hol
Ghost" Matthew 2S:19.) And tn
apostle John writes: For there ar
three that bear record in heaven, tn
Father, the World and the Holy Ghos
and these three are one" q. job
SD
The foregoing references and quota
tions show that not only the apostle
but the angel Gabriel, and Christ Hin
self asserted the Holy Spirit to be
member of the supreme heavenly Trir