“Tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.” Luke 24:49. “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you.” Acts 1:8.
“Tend me your arm, Andrew!” ’
“Haste ye, Martha; nor falter on the hillside!”
“He hath promised to meet us on the Mount of Olives, and He will not fail His word.”
On through the lush grass, wet with the morning dew, they climb.
“How think ye, Mary, that He will appear?”
“Will He come toiling up the hill?”
“Will He suddenly descend from out a cloud?
“Or will He quietly disclose Himself within our very midst?”
In fancy, one hears that expectant company questioning among themselves as they ascend the fragrant pouaan slope, to assemble at the appointed trysting place.
“Forty days have passed since He rose from out the Tomb, triumphant over death and hell.”
“Yea, hath He not appeared unto us within our rooms, called to us from the shores of the sea, walked beside us upon the lonely road?”
“He has stood among us as we sat at meat, and lifted up His nail pierced hands to bless our humble fare.”
“And now He is to depart this earth. Seemeth my heart will break with mourning the loss of Him!”
“Aye, John; but remember He saith He hath work for us to do, that the preaching of His Word, instead of being at an end, stands but upon the threshold of its mission. And He hath bidden us go forth and preach the Gospel to the uttermost regions of the earth.”
“Why art thou fallen silent, Peter?”
“John, my heart fainteth at that command.
“How shall I be trusted with the glorious Gospel of His everlasting power?
“Have I not proven weak and ineffectual in the oo of trial, more than wanting in each hour of test?”
Was the form of the rugged seaman of a sudden shaken by a trembling as though caused by the chill breeze which swept the moist grasses?
“The Master Himself hath most clearly diagnosed senteie and put His finger on the sore within my soul.
“«The spirit,’ said He, ‘is willing; but the flesh is weak.’ How I have failed Him!
“Failed Him in Consecration, and cried, concerning the bearing of the cross, ‘Be it far from Thee, Lord!’ Failed in the Prayer Life — slept when I should have watched; failed in Forbearance, and cut off the High Priest’s servant’s ear.
“Yea, and most miserably failed Him in Testimony.
THE HO.uy SPIRIT él My cheeks flush as with the heat of a furnace, and I am as one taken with an ague when I remember that fearsome night. Remember how I protested that I knew Him not? And then He came out of Pilate’s Hall and looked on me!
“The look in those dear eyes! Would that I had died ere dawned that day! When I should have owned Him, I denied! When I should have confessed, I cursed!
“T failed Him in the thoroughfare of Faith — went ‘a-fishing’, and returned to the old life, refusing to believe the testimony of those who declared Him risen from the dead!
“Go preach?
“How splendid a preacher would J be, with such wondrous stamina and fortitude!” _ One pictures the disciples walking on in silence for the space of a few rods ere Peter, with that characteristic habit of “thinking outloud,” speaks again—a habit which was later to be put to such splendid use in the Service.
“And yet, for all this, when He appeared at the Sea of Galilee after His resurrection, He said unto me, ‘Feed my sheep — feed my lambs!’
“Filled am I with wonder that He should lean upon so weak a stick!”
Up the hill came the disciples, their distinctive costumes marking them as from Jerusalem, Mt. Zion, Bethany, and the regions about Galilee.
What thrilling emotions stirred within their breasts as they reached the summit and waited upon that cloud-enshrouded hilltop for their Lord! What ques-
ou e)H0S ag a AsEn ay
wer within their tions must have pressed for ans anxious minds:
on His work?
“The Master saith we are to carry
nature?
“Think ye that work shall be of limited
preached
“Think ye that signs shall follow still the Word?
“Shall miracles attend the answered pray
re; the leper
“Shall the lame be healed, as heretofo cleansed, the dumb be made to sing?
the de-
“Or shall all miracles be withdrawn with parture of the Saviour?
“Great
“Think ye we shall preach henceforth the
Was’?” I An,’ or shall it be, anon, the ‘Great I
A score of similar queries must have beaten in-
urgent sistently upon the door of their hearts, seeking answer.
“Tet me not forget to ask Him this!”
that!
“Philip, fail not to remind me to ask Him He
thin gs befo re Tis imperative that we know these enters the veiled fastness of Eternity .”
“Think ye He will be silent, Thomas? Or shall He sometimes speak from out the Glory?”
Then suddenly,
Before they were aware,
He was — in — the — midst!
Oh, the glory shining on His face!
Precious, pierced hands upraised in blessing!
“Hush! He is speaking!”
His words, like silver chiming of clear bells ring out beneath the vaulted sky — the sky which should so soon receive Him from their sight.
See! The disciples and followers assembled there, sway forward to catch His every word.
“Go ye —
“Into all the world —
“And preach the Gospel unto every creature —”
Ah, yes! Bless Him! Rent and torn by cruel nails; smitten and mocked and hanged upon a tree; scorned and cursed by a railing mob as He hung quivering, agonized through the long hours, till death glazed His loving eyes and mercifully stilled the breaking heart — yet His radiant, glowing love for a lost world is all undimmed. Thinking of them still — His whole desire to send them the saving Word!
What a Saviour!
What a Redeemer!
How can the world restrain itself from falling prostrate at His feet?
“Preach the Gospel —’
“But what sort of a Gospel shall we preach?”’ listening hearts inquire.
“Shall we preach a limited Gospel, or the potent Gospel of power which He employed?”
“S-s-sh!
“Still your breathing!
“Steady the pounding of your hearts and fix upon your memory His Word, ere He departs this world to sit upon His Father’s throne.”’
“And these signs shall follow them that believe:
“In My Name shall they cast out devils;
“They shall speak with new tongues;
“They shall take up serpents;
“And if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them;
“They shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” Mark 16:17, 18.
A perceptible movement must have run through the assembled group as those words re-echoed within their consciousness. Peter must have turned and looked wide-eyed into the face of John. Thomas must have laid a quick, clutching hand upon the arm of James and of Andrew.
“Sions shall follow!”
“Did we hear aright?”
“Aye, Thomas, those were His words. Demons are still to be cast out. Believing hands laid upon the sick shall cause them to recover.”
“But list thee! There shall be a new sign —”’
A hush falls upon the assemblage. Rigid, each listener, as though carved out of stone! They look upon the glistering figure, with the light of the rising sun upon His face. Understanding begins to dawn; they recall His words:
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.”
“Greater works?”
Had He not miraculously fed the hungering thousands? Had not demons fled before His presence? Had not the insane been rendered sane at His command? Had not the sinful been cleansed, yea utterly transformed by the renewing of their minds? Had not
Tue Houy SPIRIT 35 the sick been healed and the dead raised up by a touch of His omnipotent hand?
There was, then, to be no cessation of the power; but — oh, staggering thought! — rather an increase thereof!
“Greater works?”
How could this be?
Can you not sense the revolution of their minds as they grappled with the dumbfounding statement?
“Greater,” perhaps, because there would be an everincreasing multitude of hands and hearts to do the work; whereas He, bless Him, confined Himself to one human frame.
“Greater,” mayhap, because there would be some centuries in which to accomplish the task of promulgating the Gospel; whereas His labors had been limited to three and a half short years.
“Greater,” possibly, because the scope of their work was to be enlarged until it should reach the ends of the earth; whereas His ministry had been conducted within the borders of Palestine.
“Greater works!”
Surely He could not mean to infer that the “signs” which should attest the preached Word would be greater after His ascension than during His earthly ministry! What works could be greater?
“Not so, Lord!’ I hear the impulsive Peter cry.
“None, O Lord, could accomplish greater works than we have seen Thee do!”
The minds of the disciples were yet holden by the blanketing curtain of tomorrow’s inscrutability.
They knew not the fiery power of Pentecost which was to fall envelopingly, transformingly upon them (Acts 2).
They knew not of that day wherein five thousand souls should turn to Chris* within a single hour (Acts 4).
They knew not the power of God, before which lying spirits should fall lifeless, withered as by a furnace blast (Acts 5). They knew not that one of them, walking through the city, should see the sick, who had been carried on beds and couches and laid upon the streets, leap from their pallets healed, every one, at the passing of his shadow (Acts 5).
Blind, their eyes!
Limited, their vision!
But He, standing there with the clear light of eternal wisdom shining upon Him — He knew it all, and sounded forth the amazing dictum.
Had He not said:
“Verily, verily, Isay unto you, he that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my
Father.
“And whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
“Tf ye shall ask anything in My Name, I will do it.
“If ye love me, keep My commandments.” John
Keep His commandments!
Did not they all, at the memory of those words,
surge forward as though to throw their arms about
THE HoO.uy SPIRIT BT Him and lovingly protest a thought that they should fail to follow and obey Him?
How they adored Him!
Let Him but point the way, and they would walk therein!
Let Him but lead, and they would follow; speak, and they would rise to obey.
O’erwhelmingly must their love have surged up from homely rugged hearts in answer to that challenge!
“Tf ye love Me, keep my commandments.”
To which commandment did He refer?
Would God more hearts would ask themselves this self-same question! How many of clergy and laity read and blithely quote the foregoing Scripture without ever pausing to consider its true relation to the words which immediately follow, and which refer definitely to the receiving of the Holy Spirit.
“Tf ye love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever; even the Spirit of Truth: whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.” John 14: 16-17.
“Go, Peter!
“Go, John!
“Go, Thomas— and preach the Gospel!
“Go, ye who love Me, and bear my Word!”
How their hearts must have thrilled at the deliverance of the Great Commission!
And yet, seemeth I hear Peter gasp: af (0) ea Ona EOEN See
“But Lord, I am such a failure!
pendable
“T have proven myself a broken and unde reed.
denying
“Consider my weakness, my cowardice in ity in
my inst abil Thee before a little maid. Consider ant Thine departing for the old life and work the inst influence was removed!
worthily —
“How canst Thou rely on me to preach to be a bearer of Thy Word?”
er, must
John also, standing closest to the Mast have murmured:
“Master, lwent a-fishing with him and was as easild
reste swayed. I have been Thy beloved, and oft when mine head upon Thy breas t. But I fear that
greater that sacred pillow is removed, I shall prove the weakling.
“How shall I stand when faced with the stern issue of the fray?”
Thomas, likewise, must have rumbled, deep-voice and ashamed:
“Consider, Lord, the doubt that hindered the progress of faith in my heart, and refused to believe until it was possible to handle Thee and see!”’
Well might all of His disciples have cried:
“Tord, how can we do Thy work without Thy power? How may we accomplish greater works with our limited strength and wisdom?”
Hold!
Patience for a space, questioning hearts. He who entered not the field without a special dispensation of inl Bengeey not thee forth without that self-same mantle!
Said He not, ‘He that dwelleth in me, He doeth the works’’?
Lo, that same power shall be accorded thee.
Thou the mouthpiece — He, the Word.
Thou the vessel — He, the living stream.
Thou the instrument——He it is who shalt lift thee up and use thee as He will.
Hark ye!
The Voice goes on —
“Behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.”’ Luke 24:49.