49. Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit
INSIGHT TO THE SCRIPTURE.—If you bring me minerals from California, I shall know these specimens have gold in them, because I see there little points of yellow gold, but I shall not know what the white and the dark points are that I see. But let a metallurgist look at it, and he will see that it contains not only gold, but silver and lead and iron, and he will single them out. To me it is a mere stone, with only here and there a hint; of gold, but to him it is a combination of various metals. Now take the Word of God, that is filled with precious stones and metals, and let one enlightened in spiritual things go through it, and he will discover these treasures; while an unconverted man will see no beauty there.
SWORD, NOT SCABBARD.—It is not the drapery in which divine truth may be clothed, nor the force and beauty of the illustrations with which it may be presented, but it is the truth itself—the bare, naked, unvarnished truth—that is the instrument of the Spirit’s power. That is the sword of the Spirit; and it is the sword that does the work, not the scabbard in which it is sheathed. The scabbard may be finely fitted, and beautifully embellished, bound with the finest gold, and glittering with jewels of polished diamonds; but it is not the garnished scabbard, it is the drawn sword, which the Spirit wields, and which, when wielded by Him, is quiet and powerful, piercing even to the dividing asunder of the soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intents of the heart.
TWO ADVOCATES.—There are two sorts of advocates: the one plead before the judges; the other are consulting advocates, who instruct and advise their clients. Jesus is an Advocate of the first of these classes. He is our pleading Advocate before the Judge. But the Holy Ghost is our chamber Councilor, who advises, instructs and comforts us; gives us courage to address ourselves to God, boldness to speak to Him, so that we may prevail. Happy are we in having two such Advocates,—one of whom pleads for us in Heaven; and the other teaches us to form our requests on earth.
MINER’S LIGHT.—A man has lost his way in a mine. By the light of one candle he is groping for the road to sunshine and to home. That light is essential to his safety. The mine has many winding passages. Here and there marks have been made on the rocks to point out the true path, but he cannot see them without that light. There are many deep pits into which he may suddenly fall, but he cannot avoid the danger without that light. Should it go out, he must soon perish. Should it go out, that mine will be his tomb. How carefully he carries it! How anxiously he shields it from sudden gusts of air, from water dropping on it, from everything that might quench it! The case described is our own. We are like that lonely wanderer. Quench not the inner light—the Spirit.
COMMON MARK.—The indwelling of God the Holy Spirit is the common mark of all believers in Christ. It is the Shepherd’s mark of the flock of the Lord Jesus, distinguishing them from the rest of the world. It is the goldsmith’s stamp on the genuine sons of God, which separates then from the dross and mass of false professors. It is the King’s own seal on those who are H’s peculiar people, proving them to be His property. It is the earnest which the Redeemer gives to His disciples, while they are in the body, as a pledge of the redemption to come.