Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1921-04-14

" 0@ fallen human ma
ture there Is
darkness and death until the Spirit
Of God moves, bringing light and life.
There is 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 Is
true that. to outward appearance.
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
affect the character and condition OF
the water which produces the scum.
1t is as Peter ,says, merely escaping
'the polluton4 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 rise (II Peter AZ.
Second. Until born of the Spirit Of
God, there Is nothing but dense igno-
rance, void of all spiritual truth. mo
man knoweth the things of God save
the Spirit Of God" Il Cor. 2:1D.
Hence, without the instruction Of the
Spirit of God there can be no knowl-
edge Of God. Nature may teach con-
corning 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 it remains true that imam
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, a man is void Of power in
state Of spiritual weakness. Il was
40 natural strength which enabled
todDlSVu " w llipssI NAlACAto NhAiNh
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 was naturally Il weak man until
1.-THE Spirit Of the Lord came upon
Samson enabling him TO perform
the feats which go nonplussed his adj
versaries.
David was little more than a boy
when he met Goliath. He had no
natural ability to rcpe with the Phil
istine, but with tho Spirit Of God upon
him he overcame the champion of the
enemy of his people.
Gideon had only three hundred OPP
posed to the host Of the Midianites.
yet, by the operation Of the Holy
Spirit Gideon's band came Off vic
torious.
The apostles were men Ignorant
and unlearned," yet all the learning
and wisdom of the greatest ecclesias-
teal court the world has ever seen,
could not confound them. The power
of these men lay not in their learn
ing but in "the Holy Ghost whom God
hath given to them that obey him..
The last word of our Lord 70 them
before he assembled on high was. Eye
shall receive power after rat the
Holy Ghost is come upon yo0
The apostle Paul had no wealth OF
gold, vet he turned the world up,
side down. Not IN physical strength
and not in numbers, neither in the
learning of the schools, nor THE realth
Of the world does spiritual rrar lie,
and this is borne out by the words
of the prophet Zechariah, who de-
clares that the work Of God is TO be
done mot by might nor by power, but
bv nv Spirit said the Lord.
Enough has been said to show that
if a man will have any part of spir-
itual life, be relieved from his spir-
itual ignorance and be clothed with
spiritual power, there must be on the
part of that man full surrender to
the Holy Spirit of God; and if any
man will possess the Holy Spirit of
God he must be willing to accept the
One whom that Spirit has come to
impart. even the Lord Jesus Christ.
The acceptance and acknowledgment
of the Lord Jesus Christ as ones per-
sonal Saviour is the doorway to the
experience Of the new BIRTH and the
new birth is the doorway of a spir-
itually enlightened mind, and such an
enlightened mind is the doorway to
spiritual power.