In driving between Melbourne and my home I often stop at a wayside trough to give the horse a drink. I notice that the trough is quite full of water and that there is a box in one end of it. As the horse drinks the water is lowering, and presently I hear a sound as of a running tap. Yes, the sound is coming from the box. That box is covering a piece of mechanism that needs explaining. Within it there is a tap connected by pipes with the Yan Yean Reservoir up in the Plenty Ranges. Attached by a lever to the tap is a metal ball, which rests on the surface of the water. As the horse drinks, the water on which the ball is floating is lowered, and thus the ball is lowered; the lowering of the ball opens the tap and the Yan Yean begins to pour in; so that, although the water is being withdrawn by the thirsty animal, a fresh supply is being poured in, the trough is "being filled," so that it is always "full." Thus may it be with the soul of the believer. No matter what the outflow into the surrounding emptiness may be, or the withdrawals by thirsty, needy souls, there is the continual inflow, so that there may be the constant "Fullness." Indeed the outflow depends directly on the inflow; one can only give as he gets. It is ours to see to the connection between us and the infinite Reservoir away up among the hills of God being kept open, to see that the tap is kept in proper working order by faith and prayer and meditation, and then, one might almost say, automatically, the heart will be kept full, "filled with all the Fullness of God," no matter what the spiritual drain upon us may be; for now it is not a question of our capacity to contain, but a question of God's infinite supply for all our needs. This too is the explanation of the "overflow," the flowing "Rivers" of John vii. 38. It is the overflow, and only the overflow, that blesses. There is not a drop for thirsty souls till some one overflows. It is the overflow in the Sabbath School class, and in the pulpit, and, for that matter, in every other sphere of Christian service, that brings blessing; and this overflow is in direct proportion to the inflow. "Rivers" cannot flow out unless "Rivers" first flow in.
An ordinary service pipe in our domestic water supply may serve to illustrate some of the points we have been considering. We take a bucket to the tap for water, and lo! there is none. Something is wrong. Either the authorities have cut off our supply because of some infraction of the law on our part, or there is an obstruction in our service pipe, or the pressure is insufficient to give us even a drop, or the supply is so deficient that it has been shut off for a time from us that it may be sent in another direction. Sometimes, alas! the "flowing" of the "living waters" from the soul of the believer ceases; but the ordinary round of duty, either in the district visiting, or in the Sabbath School class, or in the pulpit, has not ceased; a ceaseless stream of talk may still be flowing on, but there is no "living water" in it all. Why? It is not that the pressure aback of us, the pressure in the infinite Reservoir away up among the hills of God, is insufficient, or that the supply is deficient, unable to meet our needs because it is supplying needy ones elsewhere. God's water supply never breaks down as we often find our city supply failing. If the "flowing" has ceased, it is from one of two reasons: either God has, in mercy and in judgment, cut off the supply, or there is an obstruction in us, and sin is at the bottom of both reasons. "Search me, O God … and see if there be any way of wickedness in me" (Ps. cxxxix. 23, 24). "Confession, cleansing" is the divinely-appointed method for putting right what has gone wrong.
Sometimes on going to the tap we find that there is water, but such a miserable dribble! either from insufficient pressure or some partial obstruction in the pipe, or perhaps it is because we have not opened the tap fully. What a wretched parody of the flowing "Rivers" of John vii. 38 are the life and service of many of the Christians of to day! Some of the "living water" is doubtless coming from them, but it is only percolating through, dribbling, trickling out of them. Why? Certainly not, as has been already remarked, from insufficient pressure; the fault, the failure is not on God's side, but there is some local obstruction—amounting in many a case to almost entire obstruction,—some little idol or other in our heart, if not a "sin," yet certainly a "weight" (Heb. xii. 1), and this hinders the outflow. Confession and cleansing are still God's remedy. Or the hindrance may be our unbelief, "limiting the Holy One of Israel;" opening the tap but a little instead of opening it full; expecting little when we were divinely authorized to expect much; refusing to obey the command, "Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it" (Ps. lxxxi. 10). "Rivers" cannot flow through a heart full of unbelief.
Sometimes, again, on going to the tap we get a little water and a great deal of air. What a noise! Now air is a very good thing in its own place, but that is not in a water pipe; that is meant to convey water and nothing else, and for the water pipe to do its work, it is necessary that it be emptied and cleansed of everything else, even of air. Scripture hath said that some things "puff up," and there is a good deal of "puff" in some hearts through which the living water is supposed to be flowing. God be merciful unto us! Such hearts, like our water pipe, need emptying and cleansing.
Yet once more, on going to the tap, we find a splendid supply; the pipe is clean, the pressure is good. Now before we open the tap the pipe is full of water; when the tap is opened and the bucket filling, the pipe is still full, for although the water is pouring out at the tap, it is pouring in at the reservoir, so that the pipe is kept full, even though the tap is open and the water streaming from it. When the tap is shut, you cannot say any more about the pipe now than that it is still full of water. Even so may it be with the believer who is spiritually adjusted. When resting at his Master's feet he is full; when actively engaged in service he is still full; his normal condition is, "full of the Holy Ghost," because he has learnt how to obey the command, "Be ye filling with the Spirit."
CHAPTER XV.
ITS EFFECTS.
Among the effects and benefits which in this life accompany and flow from being filled with the Holy Ghost, may be mentioned the following:—
1. Courage.
"Oh, I could not do so and so—I have not the courage," is a reply frequently made by Christian people when asked to undertake some piece of service or other for the Master. The first point to be settled is, "Is that the Master's will for me?" If so, lack of courage is a confession to the lack of the "Fullness of the Holy Ghost." The Spirit-filled man knows the fear of God and knows no other fear.