The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1919-04-24
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
Especially Prepared For Readers Of
The Republican.
SUNDAY, APRIL 9th.

: Ii we tnen, DelDg evil, know now to
give good gifts unto your children. how
much more shall your heavenly Father
give the Holy Spirit to them that ask
him? Luke Ills.
U. S. WRIGHT.
THE PROMISE.
Every book in the New Testament
save Johns second and third Letters
had some mention of the Holy Spirit.
There is not line that was not written
after Pentecost and every statement
even in the words of the Master is color
ed by the medium of the experience
which was the vital thing in the soul of
the pensman. For that reason no ex-
plantations are ever thought of for all
the richness of the meaning that was
the breath of life in that early church.
Most of them knew Jesus in those FL It
years of the church's development and
had seen the meaning of the Spirit filled
life for God gave not the Spirit by
measure unto Him. When the shadow
of the cross covered His sky He filled
those hours with the promise of an
other Comforter to take the place
emptled by death. And while they had
no desire for another but only Tor Him
self so important did He hold the change
that He said. at is expedient that / go
away for if go not away. the Com
forter will not come" ''t'or He abldeth
with you, and shall be in YOU" There
should be no break in the new relation
such as the cross brought and the propo-
sition is changed from the outside to
the inside, from with to in, so that the
intimacy of it would far transcend that
of the friendly presence of the bodily
Lord. Now if this new Presence should
be another like Jesus the term Com
forter IS not sufficient. There were
times when it was not comfort but bit
ing condemnation that they had receiy-
ed, not comfort but counsel, not COM
fort but command, and all this is wrap
ped in the meaning of the word Jesus
used in making the wonderful promise.
THE Holy Spirit is not given to be q
nursing mother to fretful children, but
the captain of mighty host of nerve
and fire" Eye shall receive power"
was to be fulfilled in their lives and it
was as His strength was made perfect
in their weakness. They should be able
to witness in words of flame and in an
emergency speak rightly. They should
be illumined for they should be led into
all truth much of which He had not
been able to speak because they were
not able to bear it.
THE PRoGAM.
Jesus was vitality concerned about the
last man and all His planning included
the world. He had told them that the
world could not receive the Spirit Then
He said, He. when He is come. unto
you) will convict the world of sin, of
righteousness, of judgment. Christi
ans are to become sub-stations thru
which the Spirit attracts and 6isturbs
the world. distributing centers for the
love of God. The extension is thru
human contacts. Notice the expanding
movement in Jerusalem and each con-
vert has had some spoken word. The
Ethiopian official is met by Philip. Cor
nellus by Peter, Saul by Ananias and
this is the invariable method used in
making God real to men. Christ wants
me and then He wants to use me for
the creating of other members of His
kingdom and to SO live the Christ life
that the forces that go to the building
of the world society shall become Chris
tian forces because directed by Christly
men. "God manifested himself thru
his Son, but gives his life thru his
Spirit" and it is that impaired life
that becomes the means of reproducing
Gods life in the men of the world and
Transforming sinners into saints.
THE Product
Two things follow the coming of the
Spirit into the life; one of these is SON
ship and the other the consciousness OF
it. We cry, abba. Father" But the
fact precedes this and is the reproduce
tion il US of the character of our Lore.
We are not imitators of Christ seeking
to reach an external ideal but Christ is
formed within Us, the hope of glory
Oneness of life means oneness of ex-
perience. There must be a new adjust.
ment of the life that takes in thu con-
seriousness of new power and the temp
tation of Jesus is repeated, for power
is to be used; shall it be for bread? Nv
interests and Christ's interests conflict
in the devilish mirage that revsyses
truth and our vision must look only tp-
on our Lord face. We can trust Hi0.
Then we are tossed TO the olh,r y
treme of presumption that rejects Il
insurance because God will keep wt.o,
we commit TO Him. that refuses 10 u
the natural things, rational laws, b.
cauSe thew are nos snirit1al Reali,i u.s