Or why he help demands.”
Christian men and women are stewards for God. Their income, after economically providing for their own needs, goes for God’s cause. How this cause would move, if all that profess to be disciples of Christ, were thus actuated. The secret of living where the great Shechinah will shine full-orbed upon your soul; where, not a cloud will arise to intervene for a moment, to darken the soul’s vision, comes when you are under, and daily bearing the cross. What blessed opportunities are presented daily, for denying self, and making glad hearts which have long been in the deepest sorrow, and affliction. How we may cheer the broken-hearted, if we will, and help the pilgrim on his way.
The very best investments come on this line. But woe to him that is greedy of gain, that is constantly seeking to lay up treasures on earth where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal. “Whatsoever a man soweth, that, shall he also reap,” is the fiat of fate; the unchangeable law of Him that made and controls all things on earth, and in Heaven.
This people will have another class of manifestations, peculiar and marvelous. When the Holy Ghost comes on an individual, as it will, when a complete surrender has been made, there will be at times, visible evidences of that fact. This manifestation will not be the same with every individual, neither will it be always the same with the same person. The Spirit’s operations are differently presented; some will fall—others will laugh—some will cry—run—jump—shake as with the ague—shout—praise God—sing—and in various peculiar ways, God the Holy Ghost will manifest Himself. This has been the condition of things in the church of God from the beginning down to the present time when the church has been alive in Him, earnestly seeking to do His will. But when a church is dead—plucked up by the root—cold, frozen, stiff, formal, backslidden, why, then they have things “decently, and in order.” There are lots of churches in these days that, a legally constituted amen, would give them all a severe run of fever!
I suppose that if David, the King of Israel, should come to worship with you as he worshiped before the ark, dancing with all his might, you would have him stop, or put him out. I have no doubt but that you would set as umpire and cry out fanaticism, wild-fire.
Jesus, on his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, was followed by the crowd; the children that were there worshiped Him, crying out Hosannah to Jesus, the King of Israel! The old Pharisees then acted just as they have ever since when God blesses His children, requesting them to stop their noise. Jesus gently reproved them in the statement made. Said He: “If these should hold their peace, the stones would cry out.” How this truth has been verified again and again. When one people stop praising God in the way the Spirit directs and operates, then another is raised up to take their place, thus it has ever been. The Free Methodist church was raised up to take the place made vacant by others, to offer the tribute of praise in its various moods and tenses to the Lord Almighty. Beware how you put your hands on the Ark! Death comes on that line. “Quench not the Spirit.” Alas! the fumes of the dead killed in that way cover the land like a malaria, and the odor in many of our churches is stifling. O, for a breeze of salvation’s life and power on all the churches.
But to return. The man healed at the beautiful gate by Jesus Christ through Peter, went off leaping, and walking, and praising God. It must have looked very strange to those who saw it. A man, lame from his birth, performing in such a peculiar manner. Why did he not after the healing power came on him, walk off quietly? Why excite curiosity? Doubtless it was for God’s glory. If he had gone to his home in a quiet manner, but few would have taken notice of the circumstance; whereas leaping, and walking, and praising God, drew the attention of the people and of those who never had known him, to the marvelous fact, that a miracle had taken place on this man, and while their curiosity was in lively exercise, Jesus Christ was preached unto them as the Physician for soul and body. He wants the glory for what He does for our souls and bodies.
The day of Pentecost was a sample day of what we might have every day, during this dispensation, if the church wanted it and would put herself in the same condition to receive it, and doubtless with as peculiar, and marked demonstrations. On that occasion, it sat upon each like a tongue of fire, and they all began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. It has been said that some seventeen different languages were spoken on that occasion. What other outer demonstrations there were on that occasion we are not informed; but it is quite evident from what followed, there were some, for Peter’s denial of the charge of drunkenness would indicate the fact that they did take place. “These are not drunken as ye supposed.”
In every genuine revival the church has had from the very beginning up to the present time, powerful manifestations of God’s presence in a way calculated to arouse the most hardened and wretched sinner to a realization of their awful danger while in their sins, causing them to cry out from the very depths of despair, God be merciful to me a sinner. We often hear persons pray for the influences of the Spirit. Under certain conditions that would be right, but what we always need, is the mighty baptism of the Holy Ghost and fire, just as it came on the sample day, and if I read the scriptures aright, the promise is that God will pour out of His Spirit in this dispensation, upon all flesh, not sprinkle us with an influence but saturate and fill us. For He says, “Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess, but be filled with the Spirit.”
Methodism, in the days of Wesley, Whitfield, Asbury and Peter Cartwright, was marked by very peculiar outer demonstrations. Falling, like the dead slain in battle, was a very common feature. At a camp-meeting held in about the year 1803 in Kentucky, five hundred at one time fell under the power of the Holy Ghost. “Somewhere between 1800 and 1801, in the upper part of Kentucky, at a memorable place called Cane Ridge, there was appointed a sacramental meeting by some of the Presbyterian ministers, at which meeting seemingly unexpected by ministers or people, the mighty power of God was displayed in a very extraordinary manner, many were moved to tears, and bitter and loud crying for mercy. The meeting was protracted for weeks. Ministers of almost all denominations flocked in from far and near. The meeting was kept up both night and day. Thousands heard of the mighty work, and came on foot, on horseback, in carriages and wagons. It was supposed that there were in attendance at times during the meeting from twelve to twenty-five thousand people. Hundreds fell prostrate under the mighty power of God, as men slain in battle. Stands were erected in the woods from which preachers of different churches proclaimed repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, and it was supposed by eye and ear witnesses, that between one and two thousand souls were happily and powerfully converted to God during the meeting. It was not unusual for one, two, three, and four to seven preachers to be addressing the listening thousands at the same time from the different stands erected for that purpose. The Heavenly fire spread in almost every direction. It was said, by truthful witnesses, that at times more than one thousand persons broke out into loud shouting all at once, and the shouts could be heard for miles around.” The Methodist preachers that were at this meeting possessed some of the John Wesley ability to utilize whatever might aid in advancing the Redeemer’s Kingdom, saw in the meeting just described a glorious opportunity, which they immediately embraced, and out of which evolved the notorious camp-meeting referred to in another place as a child of Methodism. Bishop Simpson said in a sermon that he preached to a large congregation of class-leaders at Philadelphia, Pa., from these words, “He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire,” “that the Methodists owed their success to this baptism; and what made them peculiar was the fire.” This was a double blessing, producing intensity of life and action, with visible manifestations of God’s presence and power often manifested in peculiar ways. I remember well for more than fifty years, how the Lord graciously poured out His Spirit on our beloved Zion. The times of refreshing, cries for mercy, the songs of praise, the amens and the glorious Hallelujahs that I heard half a century ago, come welling up in my soul as though it were yesterday.I attended a quarterly meeting at Albion, N. Y., in the old brick M. E. Church, L. Stiles pastor, in 1857. This was one of the original meetings gotten up by Rev. B. T. Roberts, and Rev. L. Stiles. It was a four day meeting. I had never been away from home before to attend a meeting of this character. I had a good deal of anxiety to know what kind of people I should see at that meeting. An old class-leader that lived near me was on his way to that meeting with me. Said I, ‘Brother, what kind of folks will attend the quarterly meeting?’ Said he, ‘The very cream of the church.’ As we came near the church we could hear the saints as they met each other coming in from the regions round about, greeting one another with ‘Praise the Lord, I am so glad to see you, how does your soul prosper, well? glory to God.’ Then would ring out Spirit-born amens. This was before the meeting had commenced. I was captured by these greetings. This meeting commenced at 9 o’clock A. M., with a prayer meeting, first was five minutes of secret prayer. In about two minutes an old gray-haired pilgrim got blessed, sprang up and commenced shouting glory, Hallelujah, with what I thought, unearthly power. He jumped to his feet and I to mine. He continued to shout, and I gazed with wonder, and shook from head to foot as though everything around me was moving heavenward. Very soon I got on my knees again and asked the Lord to steady my nerves, for I felt that I must have something, for the element around me was perfectly awful and solemn. I had been on my knees but a short time before a Bro. in the back part of the church sprang to his feet and with such lung power as it seemed to me at that time I had never heard before shouted with all his might—‘Hallelujah’—and this he repeated until the house was full of glory, and of God.This was a Pentecostal meeting. Here the saints received the baptism of the Holy Ghost and fire, fitting them up for the awful ordeal of expulsion from their own home, consecrated by the dearest ties of nature and grace; made dear by every recollection of bygone days. Here in the beginning of our Christian life, were Spiritual fathers and mothers, who cared for us with great tenderness and solicitude. Now, to be thrust out from our dear old home, simply because we loved her and were trying to maintain her rights, was cruel indeed. But God had a purpose in this, as much as He had in the selling of Joseph into Egypt. Benjamin must be cast out to man the LIFE-BOAT, to rescue the perishing. Nearly thirty years has come and gone with trials, conflicts, persecutions, broadside after broadside from the old craft, and other crafts, yet, the Captain has maintained his place at the mast-head, holding high the insignia that brought us to the front,‘HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD.’” May his life and health be preserved for years to come to maintain the same work that he has so tenaciously held to in the past, amen. While others have been raised up to help in bearing aloft the banner of heart purity, noble men and women, our brother has not become puffed up by great prosperity, but maintains the simplicity of the gospel as in other days.