The Raymer enterprise., 1920-08-05

and death. In
" N fallen human ma
ture there 10
darkness and death until the Spirit
OF God moves. bringing light and life.
There 10 q popular fallacy which
says that an unregenerated man may
grow better. This idea rises from the
failure to distinguish between the
moral and spiritual elements. 1t IL
true that. to outward appearances,
there may be moral Improvement but
this Improvement is merely like re
moving the scum from the top Of
pool OF stagnant water. 1t does not
aHect the character and condition Of
the water which produces the scum.
II Is a. Peter says merely escaping
the pollutions which are In the
world The one who Is born Of the
Spirit Of God not only escapes the
pollutions which are In the world. but
the corruption from which the pollu.
tons risa III Peter 1:4).
Second. Until born Of the Spirit Of
God. therp is nothing but dense igno-
rance. void Of all spiritual truth. "No
man knoweth the things Of God save
the Spirit Of God" II Cor. 2:11).
Hence, without the instruction Of the
Spirit Of God there can be no knowl.
edge Of God. Nature may teach con.
cerning the eternal power and deity Of
God. and history may teach concerning
the providence Of God. and science
may teach something Of the mar.
velous accuracy Of the divine
power. but 1t remains true that "man
by wisdom, whether Of nature. his.
tory or science) knows not God" All
the movements for a higher type Of
morality among men which originate
apart from the Spirit of God, must
necessarily have man as their object
and, therefore. can reach no higher
than man himself.
Without the work Of the Holy Spirit
man must abide In absolute igno-
rance Of the things Of God, wholly
void Of any spiritual truth.
Third. Until the Holy Spirit oper-
ates, q man ID void Of power, in q
state Of spiritual weakness 1t was
no natural strength which enabled
Samson to do those exploits which
are credited to him. Had Samson
been physical giant, there would
have been no question In the woman's
mind, as to where his strength lay.
he vas naturally a weak man until
The Spirit Of the Lord came upon
Samson" enabling him to perform
Che feats which 90 nonplussed his id.
versariea
David was little more than a boy
when he met Goliath. He had no
natural ability to. cope with the Phil.
istine, but with the Spirit Of God upon
him he overcame the champion Of the
enemy Of his people.
Gideon had only three hundred op-
posed to the host Of the Midlanites.
yet, by the operation Of the Holy
Spirit Gideon's band came on vic.
t0rious.
The apostles were men ignorant
and unlearned,r yet all the learning
and wisdom Of the greatest ecclesias-
tical court the world has ever seen.
could not confound them. The power
Of these men lay not 10 their learn.
ing but in ''the Holy Ghost whom God
hath given to them that obey him."
ghe last word Of our Lord to them
HAfore he ascended on high was. 'Ye
shsIl receive power after that the
Holy Ghost is come upon you"
The apostle Paul had no wealth Of
eold, yet he .turned the world up
side down." Not In physical strength
and not IN numbers neither In the
learning Of the schoola nor the wealth
Of the world does spiritual power NJ,
and this is borne out By the words
Of the prophet zechariaA who e.
cisres that the work of God b to -
dee not by niightsnes by power but
b. my Spirit" said the Lord.
Enough has been said to show that
II 4 map will have any Dart .of spir.
itual life, be relieved from his splr.
itual ignorance and be clothed With
spiritual power, there must ba on TIE
part Of that man . full surrender to
tbe Holy Spirit Of God; and II any
man win possess the Holy Spirit Of
0ed he must be willing to accept the
one whom that Spirit has come to
impart, even the Lord Jesus Christ
ne acceptance and acknowledgment
az the Lord Jesus Christ 40 ones per
sonal Saviour ID the doorway to the
experience Of the new birth. and the
new birth IL the doorway Of q spir.
finally enlightened mind, and such an
enlightened mind II the doorway to
spiritual power.
The Only paradlse.
Recollection 10 the only paradise
srom which We cannot be turned out