_WIND AND FIRE_
ACTS ii. 1-21.
The Holy Spirit will minister to me as a _wind_. He will create an
atmosphere in my life which will quicken all sweet and beautiful growth.
And this shall be my native air. Gracious seeds, which have never awaked,
shall now unfold themselves, and "the desert shall rejoice and blossom as
the rose." It was a saying of Huxley, that if our little island were to be
invaded by tropical airs, tropical seeds which are now lying dormant in
English gardens and fields would troop out of their graves in bewildering
wealth and beauty! "Breathe on me, breath of God!"
And the Holy Spirit will minister to me as a _fire_. And fire is our
supreme minister of cleansing. Fire can purify when water is impotent. The
great fire burnt out the great plague. There are evil germs which cannot
be dealt with except by the searching ministry of the flame. "He shall
baptize you ... _with fire_." He will create a holy enthusiasm in my soul,
an intense and sacred love, which will burn up all evil intruders, but in
which all beautiful things shall walk unhurt.
"Kindle a flame of sacred love
On these cold hearts of ours."