It does not reflect upon the character of others in their absence. It is long suffering, it behaveth not itself unseemly, is not provoked, is not puffed up, thinketh no evil, bears the burdens and responsibilities of life meekly, rejoiceth in the truth, believeth all that God hath said. This grace never faileth, but will shine brighter, clearer to all eternity. You may have the tongues of men and angels, and lack this experience, you are nothing but a sinner in the sight of God.
A church armed with this power is more than a match for all the powers of darkness. The first church under the gospel dispensation were poor, uneducated men and women. They tarried at Jerusalem until they were baptized with the Holy Ghost and with fire, and with this blessing upon them the powers of darkness fled in dismay. Nothing could stand before them. It was said, “ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you, and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” This was literally true. Ancient systems of idolatry which had grown gray with age, melted away like the mist at noon-day as God’s army advanced, and over every battle-field the blood-stained banner of King Emanuel was unfurled. Deserts were made to blossom as the rose, and woods, and fields, and rocks, and rills, all seemed to offer the tribute of praise and thanksgiving for the wonderful display of God’s power in the salvation of the nations round about them. This power is forever the same, and when the church meet the conditions, it comes as on the day of Pentecost, with visible manifestations of His presence and power to save,“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, to-day and forever.”
I believe that the Free Methodist church was born of the Spirit. God owns her as a legitimate child. In every place where she meets the requirements, times of refreshing, and the salvation of souls are reported. No church, in my opinion, so fully meet the conditions on which the precious promises are made. She is an important link in the family of churches. May she ever reflect a certain light, live in the experience of perfect love, be true to all the vows that she has made to God, constantly making war upon the enemies works until every rebel flag shall trail in the dust, and Jesus Christ crowned Lord of all. Amen.
IX.
Dreams and Presentiments.
“Man is fearfully, and wonderfully made,” with capabilities as boundless as eternity. This is true so far as our moral and intellectual make up is concerned. We may grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, while this life shall last, and forever, in the life that is to come. Progression is the law of our being. God, who made us, has his own peculiar way of imparting knowledge to his children, or the creatures which he hath made.
In our public school system we have the primary, and the higher grades. It is so in the school of Christ; there is the primary, and the higher grades of instruction. The primary grade consists in what we learn from the schools, books, and papers. The higher grade is confined to the teaching of the Holy Ghost. Too many are satisfied with the primary grade, and treat insultingly the Holy Ghost. But where He is received with loving embrace, and allowed to have his own way, He will lead us into all truth.
Preconceived notions gathered from theological schools, very much interfere at times with our receiving and being instructed by the Holy Ghost. Science has done much to facilitate culture. News gathered from all lands, comes to us with lightning speed. The improvements of to-day annihilate time, and bridge over vast distances. In the evening we receive the doings of the morning in continents far away. But with all the improvements in science and art, it cannot compete with the Holy Ghost.
The great mistake of to-day, is substituting the arts, and sciences, and the wonderful discoveries made in Biblical literature, for the Holy Ghost and its teachings. There is nothing that can take its place. We can learn more, comprehend more, experience more about the things pertaining to our spiritual and eternal well-being in a moment of time, when under the direct inspiration of the Holy Ghost, than can be gained in all coming time from every other source.
One pentecostal flash of the Holy Ghost on a consecrated heart, and mind, brings intelligence that all the culture of the day cannot fathom, nor in any way comprehend. Some people are afraid of this power, and being led of the spirit, because individuals have been mistaken, and were under a wrong spirit when they thought that they were really under the influence of Christ. It is true, we may be moved by a wrong spirit, our intellectual machinery is very sensitive to the touch of a good, or a wrong impression.
How shall we know when an impression comes upon us, from whence it comes? There are certain rules laid down in God’s blessed book, which if we are careful to observe, we shall not go astray: “It will be a lamp to our feet, and a light unto our path.” God has not set us to navigating the broad ocean of life without chart, or compass. Thank God, we have a chart, and the Holy Ghost to make it plain; so plain, that the wayfaring man, though a fool, shall not err therein. The impression that comes upon us, if it leads us to exalt Christ, it’s all right.