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made it possible for men naturally ignorant and narrow to open up a commission for all the world and for all ages, and this commmission as unfolded on Pentecost was ratified in heaven and recorded on the earth.

The people heard, accepted, obeyed, and were pardoned, just as Jesus specified and contemplated in His Commission to the apostles—nothing was added and nothing taken away.

The Holy Spirit came into the world to abide to the end of the Christian dispensation; He was present and in control of the apostles on the day of Pentecost - they spoke "as the Spirit gave them utterance;" He must in our day, must of necessity, use His own utterances ratified in heaven and recorded, in carrying forward His work, or He must abolish the ratification and the record and authoritatively reveal Himself and the way of salvation again, or reveal an entirely new way of salvation!

CHAPTER XIII.

The Holy Spirit and the Terms and Point of Pardon.

The one great object of Divine revelation about which there is no doubt and no dispute is the remission of sins and the promise of eternal life through the Son of God. Paul in addressing the saints at Rome brought this point out clearly and forcibly, and in closing said: "Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, but now is made manifest, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandemnt of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith to God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen (Rom., 16:25-27)." This is the summary of the revelation of God. Analyze it:

The establishment of these Roman saints by the preaching of the gospel of Christ.

This gospel was and is the unfolding of a great mystery - a mystery since the world began.

It was made manifest by the Scriptures of the prophets in obedience to the commandment of the Eternal God that all nations might have a chance to obey it.

There are three instrumentalities named and implied. by which God unfolded His great mystery; the prophets, the Scriptures, and the apostles.

To these Scriptures, prophets, and apostles - we must make our appeal for a knowledge of the terms of pardon and the point of pardon; in other words, the conditions on our part and the point in our relation to God where He can and does forever blot out all our past sins.

No theory of the work of the Holy Spirit in enlightenment by unfolding the mysteries of the Divine Mind, conviction, conversion, or in relation to the Christian life, that eliminates the fact that there are terms of pardon, or that eliminates, modifies or abridges these terms of pardon, can be true.

I emphasize Paul's reason for the revelation of the mystery of God: "Made known to all nations for the obedience of faith"-in other words, God has made known His will in order that men may hear, believe and obey. Here is Luke's report of some of the early preaching of this gospel: "And the word of God increased;"— more preachers and preaching" and the number of disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith (Acts, 6:7)." Again, and in this case Luke is specific: "And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing, believed, and were baptized (Acts, 18:8)." Again, Paul testifies of Jesus: "By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name (Rom., 1:1-5)."

The word "gospel" covers the whole ground: "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek; for therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith:"-literally and plainly in order to faith" as it is written, The just shall live by faith (Rom., 1: 16, 17).”

The need of the gospel is because the world is lost-that it is lost, lost inextricably, irretrievably lost, is proven by its own fruits. Hear Paul: "For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law (Rom., 2: 12)." Again: "What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin (Rom., 3:9)." Again: "Now we

know that whatsoever thing the law saith, it saith to them that are under the law; that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God (Rom., 3: 19)." Again: "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God (Rom., 3:23)." Again: "Behold therefore, the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness otherwise thou also shall be cut off (Rom., 11: 22)." Again: "But the Scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe (Gal., 3:22)." That the world is lost and even now perishing in its sins is proven by Divine revelation — revelation has no other reason for existing: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life; for God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved; he that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God, and this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil, for every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light lest his deeds should be reproved (Jno., 3: 16-20)." That the world is lost for time, lost for eternity, without the Lord's help, is proven by its own testimony. I call eight witnesses representing humanity; in this they voice the experience of all men. Pharoah, the king of Egypt, acknowledged to Moses: "I have sinned (Ex., 9:27)." Balaam acknowledged to the angel of God: "I have sinned (Num., 22: 34)." Achan acknowledged to Joshua: "I have sinned (Josh., 7:20)." Saul acknowledged to Samuel: "I have sinned (I. Sam., 15:24-30)." David acknowledged to the Lord: "I have sinned (II. Sam., 24: 17)." Job acknowledged to God: "I have sinned (Job., 7:20)." Micah acknowledged to the people: "I have sinned (Mic., 7:9)." Judas acknowledged

This

to the chief priests: "I have sinned (Matt., 27: 1-4). acknowledgment fits the experience, the character, and is in harmony with the life of every rational and accountable being under heaven; hear John the apostle: "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us; * * * if we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar and his word is not in us (I. Jno., 1: 8, 10)."

Sin is twofold in its nature and in its manifestation; Israel's acknowledgment is the voice of the world: "And the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, saying, We have sinned against thee, both because we have forsaken our God, and also served Baalim (Judg., 10: 10)." Our condemnation is the same: We forsake the true and living God and go after other gods" the gods of this world." "Against thee, thee only, have I sinned (Ps., 51:4) "—" God be merciful to me a sinner (Luke, 18:13)!"

The consequences of sin against God are numerous and terrible; hear Paul: "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Heb., 10:31)." Again: "For our God is a consuming fire (Heb., 12:29)." The first consequence of sin was the separation from God, the breaking off of personal communion with Him; after the first pair sinned, God drove them out from His garden, where He had personally talked with them: "And he placed at the east of the garden of Eden cherubim, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life (Gen., 3:24)." Again, the prophet of the Lord: "Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear (Isa., 59: 1, 2)." Another consequence of sin is alienation from God: "This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: who being past all feeling

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