"The knowledge of the Three-One God is interwoven with all true
Christian faith, with all vital religion. I do not say," he adds,
"that every real Christian can say, with the Marquis de Renty, 'I
bear about with me continually an experimental verity, and a
fullness of the ever-blessed Trinity. I apprehend that this is
not the experience of "babes," but rather "fathers in Christ."'
But I know not how anyone can be a Christian believer till he
'hath the witness in himself,' till 'the Spirit of God witnesses
with his spirit that he is a child of God'; that is, in effect,
till God the Holy Ghost witnesses that God the Father has
accepted him through the merits of God the Son.
"Not that every Christian believer adverts to this; perhaps, at
first, not one in twenty; but, if you ask them a few questions,
you will easily find it is implied in what he believes."
I shall never forget my joy, mingled with awe and wonder, when
this dawned upon my consciousness. For several weeks I had been
searching the Scriptures, ransacking my heart, humbling my soul,
and crying to God almost day and night for a pure heart and the
baptism with the Holy Ghost, when one glad, sweet day (it was
January 9th, 1885) this text suddenly opened to my understanding:
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us
our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness"; and I was
enabled to believe without any doubt that the precious blood
cleansed my heart, even mine, from all sin. Shortly after that,
while reading these words of Jesus to Martha: "I am the
resurrection and the life; he that believeth on Me, though he
were dead, yet shall he live; and he that liveth and believeth on
Me shall never die," instantly my heart was melted like wax
before fire; Jesus Christ was revealed to my spiritual consciousness,
revealed in me, and my soul was filled with unutterable love. I
walked in a heaven of love. Then one day, with amazement,
I said to a friend: "This is the perfect love about which the
Apostle John wrote; but it is beyond all I dreamed of; in it is
personality; this love thinks, wills, talks with me, corrects me,
instructs and teaches me." And then I knew that God the
Holy Ghost was in this love, and that this love was God, for
"God is love."
Oh, the rapture mingled with reverential, holy fear--for it is a
rapturous, yet divinely fearful thing--to be indwelt by the Holy
Ghost, to be a temple of the Living God! Great heights are always
opposite great depths, and from the heights of this blessed
experience many have plunged into the dark depths of fanaticism.
But we must not draw back from the experience through fear. All
danger will be avoided by meekness and lowliness of heart; by
humble, faithful service; by esteeming others better than
ourselves, and in honour preferring them before ourselves; by
keeping an open, teachable spirit; in a word, by looking steadily
unto Jesus, to whom the Holy Spirit continually points us: for He
would not have us fix our attention exclusively upon Himself and
His work _in_ us, but also upon the Crucified One and His
work _for_ us, that we may walk in the steps of Him whose
blood purchases our pardon, and makes and keeps us clean.
"Great Paraclete! to Thee we cry:
O highest Gift of God most high!
O Fount of life! O Fire of love!
And sweet Anointing from above!
"Our senses touch with light and fire;
Our hearts with tender love inspire;
And with endurance from on high
The weakness of our flesh supply.
"Far back our enemy repel,
And let Thy peace within us dwell;
So may we, having Thee for Guide,
Turn from each hurtful thing aside.
"Oh, may Thy grace on us bestow
The Father and the Son to know,
And evermore to hold confessed
Thyself of Each the Spirit blest."
"HAVE YE RECEIVED THE HOLY GHOST SINCE YE BELIEVED?"