might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name (Jno., 20: 30, 31)." Again: "Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also (II. Tim., 2: 1, 2)."

The Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, three in One, One in three, a trinity too deep for human discrimination, speculation or comprehension - but this we know, while we can not encompass the Spirit He has been the active agent in all dispensations for the development of the Divine purpose and plan; He worked through Moses and the prophets; through Jesus the Anointed of God; and through the apostles, and what is of infinite importance to us, He still works through them, through their words, and through their examples.

Why was He the active agent? Because He is Permanent, Personal, and Eternal; all His earthly instrumentalities, including Jesus, have passed on. When Moses served his generation by being God's instrument for the promulgation of His law, he passed on, but the Holy Spirit who guided him still used the law after Moses had quit the walks of men. When the prophets had served their generation as teachers of the law which they enforced by prophecies of better days to come, they too passed on, but the Holy Spirit who guided them, inspired them, still used their words and work after they had entered upon their well-earned rewards. Jesus spoke the words of God because God gave not the Holy Spirit by measure unto Him, and when He finished the work committed unto Him, He entered upon His glory, but the Holy Spirit still uses His glorious life, and His matchless words, with the same object, purpose, and results, as those which followed the first time they were spoken. The apostles were "filled with the Holy Spirit;" they spoke His message bringing forth "the deep things of God," and recording them for future generations, and then passed on, but the

Holy Spirit who spoke through them still speaks through their message; He used this truth on the minds of the Samaritans, through Philip the evangelist, who was of the semi-inspired; He used this truth on the minds of the Corinthians, through Apollos who was not inspired, but was mighty in the Scriptures; He uses this truth whenever, wherever and by whomsoever preached unto this our day.

Moses and the prophets are dead, Jesus has ascended up on high; all the apostles are dead, all the co-workers with the apostles on whom they laid their hands have gone to rest; all the noble band of uninspired co-workers — Epaphroditus, Timothy, Titus, Phebe, Aquila, Priscilla, Apollos, and many others have passed over the river; they have been gone from earth for ages; but — and may He make this truth vital and powerful to you even while you read my message-the Holy Spirit still lives and His word, His message, the seed of the Kingdom, abides; yea, and will abide. Amen.

No theory of the Holy Spirit's work in conviction and conversion in apostolic times that eliminates the uninspired co-worker with the apostles, can be true.

CHAPTER VIII.

The Holy Spirit and Present Day Agencies.

It is over eighteen centuries since the last apostle, or the last inspired man died. We know the Holy Spirit worked then, but does He work now? If so, how does He work? Through what does He work? Through whom does He work? Can we connect present day people and methods with the Holy Spirit and His work? What is the Holy Spirit doing now? Can I in any way influence His movements? If so, how?

These are, I confess, hard questions. We are in a world of sin, the wages of which is death. Yet it is a long way from us back to the apostles. What am I to do? That the Holy Spirit spoke to and through Abraham no one doubts; that He spoke to and through Moses and the prophets is well established; that He spoke to and through Jesus and the apostles and through those on whom apostolic hands had been laid is the burden of New Testament preaching; but where do I come in? Does He speak to me? If so, how does He speak to me? When does He speak to me? Where does He speak to me? What does He say to me? I am personally, vitally, eternally concerned in these questions.

The Creator must of necessity be greater in power, wisdom, goodness, than the created. The human mind can not comprehend God, unaided; and even with Divine aid, must of necessity fall far short of the glory of the Uncreated, All-knowing One: "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! for who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his coun

sellor? or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? for of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory forever. Amen (Rom., 11:33-36)."

"Who hath known the mind of the Lord?" Aye, that is the question of the ages. Paul raises the question again: "For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him?" He then opens the flood-gate of light: "But we have the mind of Christ (I. Cor., 2:16)!" Again: "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus (Phil., 2:3)." No one knew the Eternal Mind before creation; no one knew it until it was made known through Moses and the prophets, and through Jesus and the apostles. The Divine Mind is opened in them and through them to the Human Mind: "I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts (Jer., 31: 31-34; Heb., 8: 1-13)."

Unaided by Divine light we can not see far, but in this world about us we can see beauty, adaptation, plenty; a liberal provision for every legitimate need. From this we reason that God must be wise and kind and good. But I am conscious of yearnings, aspirations, longings, that this world with its boundless wealth can not gratify. The very things I most desire are not here; the question of questions "Does death end all? is not answered by any voice in this world. In view of my sins, of which I am painfully and continually conscious; in view of my ignorance, about which I am constantly reminded; in view of God's goodness in the riches of the physical world, is it reasonable, is it probable, is it possible, that He would make me to desire above every desire to know His Mind concerning me to bless me with power to know, and then leave me in the dark? Is it not reasonable is anything else reasonable? - to believe that He would, and has, revealed His Mind or does. reveal His mind? On the hypothesis-I may say, on the demonstration that God has revealed Himself, I shall proceed with this argument.

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No theory of the Holy Spirit's work in the use of

instrumentality that eliminates the fact that God has revealed, or does reveal, His Mind to the human mind, can be true.

There might be three methods, or there might be just one of the three methods, of God's revelation:

He might reveal Himself direct to each individual, which would do away with Moses and the prophets, Christ and His apostles, the Scriptures, and all human agency in preaching the gospel to every creature; or all accountability to God for any failure that might follow the Divine — direct from Heaven - evangelization.

He might reveal Himself freely, fully, perfectly, through men, through His Son, and through records in the languages of earth, so that the responsibility of making this record, this revelation, known, might be upon those who first received it and upon those to whom they communicated it, and thence passed on until all men and all ages shall know the Mind of God.

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The Holy Spirit is Personal, is God. His nature, we may suppose, from what we see in creation and providence, is truth, love, power, mercy, light, holiness, wisdom, and justice. The Scriptures bear me out in this conclusion. As to His truth: "For the word of the Lord is right; and all his works are done in truth; he loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord (Ps., 33: 4, 5)." As to His love: And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him (I. Jno., 4: 16)." As to His power: "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork; day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge; there is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard; their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. His going forth is from the end of the