LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. (penciffeb Zitouffi*. a Collection of $oemjs AND BY HENRY &ENZEL, Jr. %* " Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report ; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."— Phil. 4: 8. FOR THE AUTHOR : GILLISS BROTHERS & TURNURE, ART AGE PRESS, NEW YORK : 1890. TS3I56 Copyright, 1889, By Henry Wenzel, Jr. This Volume is Respectfully Inscribed TO JReb. JSobert Croofe, LMB., PASTOR OF il?emp0teaD $£♦ <&. Ctiurct), Hempstead, L. I., During Whose Recent Pastorate at the Central ty. utyect& PAGE. My Aim. My Aim - 13 A Day. Sunrise - - - - - '7 Morning Thoughts - - - 18 Follow Jesus - - - - - 19 Life's Diary 20 Watch and Pray - - - - 21 Sunset - - - - - - 22 The Value of Time - - - - 25 Preparation for Prayer - - - 26 A Prayer - - - - - 27 Peaceful Sleep _ - - - 29 A Week. Sabbath Day 33 Song of Praise - - - - - 34 Tell the Story - - - - 35 Class Meeting - - - - - 3 6 Blessings at Home 38 8 ARRANGEMENT OF SUBJECTS. PAGE. Contemplation and Work. The Sinner's Lot - - - - 41 The Love of God 41 Listen : Speak - - - - - 42 Sow the Seed 43 God Will Bless Our Efforts - - - 44 Incitement to Labor 45 For Seekers of Religion. Redeeming Love - - - - 49 The Soul's Great Need - - - 50 Grieve Not the Saviour- - - - 52 Come to the Saviour 53 Be Reconciled to God - - - - 54 Live for God 55 Start Well : Press On To Win - - 56 Keep the Prize in View - - - 57 'Tis Pleasure to Please God - - - 57 The Christian's Reward 58 "Come" and "Abide." Come unto Me - - - - 61 Abide in Me - - - - 61 Trials. Trials 65 What God Chooses is Best - - 66 We Should Learn This Lesson Better - - 66 ARRANGEMENT OF SUBJECTS. 9 PAGE. Return Good for Evil. " Live it Down " - - - 69 Though Hard, 'Tis Best - - - 69 Judge Not ----- 70 A Lesson From Nature - - - 71 The Character of God. The Best Conception of God 75 God is Love - - - - - 75 Meditation. Meditation ----- 79 God's Presence - - - - 79 Foretastes of Heaven 80 Friendship. To a Friend in Need be True - - 83 Gratitude's the Only Return - - - 83 Discouragements. A False Impression 87 The Memory of Sin - - - - 87 Discouragements 89 Prayers. Thy Spirit, Lord, Impart - - - 93 Faith, Hope and Charity 94 Life's Short Day. The Flight of Time - - - - 99 Life ! From Us 'Tis Quickly Fleeting - 100 IO ARRANGEMENT OF SUBJECTS. PAGB. Various Subjects. Man and Nature - - - - 103 The Only Refuge - 105 Jesus ------ io 6 Woman's Work - - - 106 Improve the Time - 108 It Must Not Be - - 108 Let Thy Will With God's Will Parallel Run - 109 Instant in Prayer - - - 109 The Lord's Teaching True - - - no Our Doctrines - - - 1 1 1 Before God's Altar - - - 11 1 Habits - - - - 112 The Annunciation - - - - 113 Gospel Songs. Can You Believe? - - - - 117 There is Healing With the Saviour - - 118 His Grace is Sufficient for Thee - 119 Discourses, With Poems. The Plan of Salvation - - - 125 The Gospel Plan (Poem) - - - 130 Justification By Faith - - - - 135 The Work and Witness of the Spirit - 147 The Spirit's Work (Poem) - - -155 flfo aim. MY AIM. HOW oft do the fleeting moments Prove seasons of richest delight, As I try to show to others What to them is a hidden light. I take my pencil and paper, And write, as the thoughts come and go, Of Jesus, the Christian and Heaven, And things I would like them to know ; Sweetly the moments employing. While trying my best to impart A thought that will set one thinking, A word that will soften the heart; Contrasting the life at present With that of the life soon to be, Thus trying to tell to others What God hath revealed unto me. a jBay, SUNRISE. SOFTLY o'er the hill-tops stealing, See the soft, resplendent ray Of the sun in grandeur rising, Herald of the coming day; Brighter and still brighter glowing, Tinting with a gorgeous hue Clouds that hover o'er the hill-tops, Adding beauty to the view. See the sun itself appearing — Lo ! the heavens reflect the light, And proclaim the rising monarch Conqueror o'er the fleeting night. As we see the sunlight dawning Ere the sun is seen to shine, So at first the Light from Heaven Shone into your heart and mine. 18 MORNING THOUGHTS. 'Twas the light his Word afforded That prepared our hearts to see Him who, as the Sun of Glory, Hath appeared to you and me. We may know whom he enlightens, For their lives reflect his light ; In their souls the Lord hath risen, Conqueror o'er nature's night. MORNING THOUGHTS. IN the early hours of morning, When the sun began to rise, And its light was fast ascending In the distant eastern skies, Have I thought of my Creator, Who had kept me through the night, And again had me awakened To behold the morning light. FOLLOW JESUS. 19 As the sun was still ascending, And the day had well begun, While alike on just and unjust Shone the brightly-beaming sun — With it were my thoughts still rising, As from earth to heaven they soared, Till my mind was lost in wonder At the matchless love of God. FOLLOW JESUS. AS day appears and you arise, Commit yourself to God, And walk each minute of the day The path your Saviour trod — The path of duty, plain and clear— 'Tis easy walking there, For God, in spirit, walks with you, And helps your burdens bear. 20 life's diary. So walk that ev'ry step may be One nearer to your God ; For this is walking in the path In which your Saviour trod. As Jesus trod this path to heaven, Keep thou his steps in view ; For where he trod, there you may tread, Where he stepped, there may you. LIFE'S DIARY. OUR life is like a written book — Each day begins a page, On which we write, from day to day, Our life at ev'ry stage. Once written it must e'er remain, For we can ne'er erase A blot upon the page of time, Nor a lost word replace. WATCH AND PRAY. 21 This object our sole aim should be, As day by day goes past, To make each page, and thus each day, Much better than the last. WATCH AND PRAY. NO words to us more needful are To remember day by day, Than are found in this commandment Of the Saviour's, " Watch and pray." Without watching we do little ; For, succeed as best we may, We could do a great deal better If we'd daily watch and pray. Then let us ever watchful be Till our armor down we lay, Rememb'ring 'tis the Lord's command That we daily watch and pray. 22 SUNSET. SUNSET. HOW sweet the time has been to me When, quiet and alone, I watched the setting of the sun, Its beauty as it shone Above the hills, so far away As scarcely to be seen, Except by light of fading day — The golden sunset's sheen. The colors bright, the gold and red Around the softer blue, The silver, yellow and the green, And those of darker hue — I see them as they fade away, Blend softly into one, Till they grow faint and die away, And vanish with the sun. SUNSET. 23 My being is with rapture filled, My mind is lost in thought. I think of him who made the sun, And all these beauties wrought ; I marvel at his wondrous power, His wisdom and his might At whose command the sun appeared, And day emerged from night. I think of how, when I was in The darkness of sin's night, He bade the Sun of Righteousness Give unto me his light. And though, by his own works revealed, The power of God I see, I think of wonder far more great, The love of God to me. I pray the sunset of my life, As viewed by God above, May have its colors bright with joy, Its dark clouds tinged with love ; 24 SUNSET. The clear blue sky of faith and hope, The golden light of peace, May blend into a tranquil one As my life's work shall cease. How sweetly, then, the dawn will come Upon my soul above, Where all is peace and joy and rest, Where reigns the God of love ; Where I shall see my Saviour's face, And those now with him there Who once with me rejoiced below, And helped my burdens bear. They dwell in realms of pure delight, Beyond yon dark'ning skies ; They walk in spotless white the streets Of God's sweet paradise. Soon I with them shall share the joys Of that bright land above, The land of peace and joy and rest, God's paradise of love. THE VALUE OF TIME. 25 THE VALUE OF TIME. FEEBLE, tott'ring o'er the grave, Bound by fear a wretched slave, Agonizing at the thought of death, Thinking, Were it mine to give All the world could I but live, Willingly I'd give it for my breath— As I feel it fleeting fast — That I might look o'er the past With repentance, view it through my tears, Wishing that, at this late day, They could wash the sins away That have darkened all my former years. # * * * * Were it in the lot of fate Such condition were my state, Little more could I regret the flight Of the hours fleeting by Even then than now do I, 26 PREPARATION FOR PRAYER. As I in the silence of the night Look back o'er the day just gone To the early hours of morn, And see all that I have left undone, Asking, if I so much see Chargeable therein to me, What has God seen since the rising sun ? PREPARATION FOR PRAYER. HOW sweet it is at close of day, When night is passing fast away, To think, before we kneel to pray, Of what our prayer shall be. As we look back upon the way That God hath led us through the day, Our thankfulness fits us to pray To him acceptably. Or as we think, with morning's light, How God hath kept us through the night, Our gratitude prepares aright Our hearts and minds for prayer. A PRAYER. 27 And, while we think, 'tis right that we Consider what our wants may be ; Then we should pray consistently For those things which we need. And unto prayer we should not go To ask for blessings which we know If God on us should them bestow, We'd be surprised indeed. A PRAYER. T ESUS, Eternal God, Creator, J Who didst make from naught This earth, and by thy power Dost support all things Therein, and from their birth Until their death preserve, To thee I pray : O thou who art the first and last, Beyond the future and the past, Who in thy loving mercy hast Washed all my sins away, Accept my ev'ning prayer: 28 A PRAYER. " Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep." For thou who keepest heavenly spheres Encircling round this globe From contact with each other free, Thou surely -canst keep me ! " If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take." O thou who gavest unto those Who loved and served thee This promise, Where I am, There also thou shalt be, To thee I pray ! " If I should die before I wake," Do thou, O Lord, my spirit take. PEACEFUL SLEEP. 29 PEACEFUL SLEEP. NOW I lay my weary body Down, and sweetly will I sleep, While the angels, hov'ring o'er me, Shall their constant vigils keep ; They will sweetly guard my spirit Through the silent hours of night, Till upon the coming morrow I behold the morning light. May be that the coming morrow Shall upon my spirit dawn In a land where the to-morrow Is forevermore unborn. So to rest I lay my body, By life's burdens sore oppressed, Glad if I awake to labor, Or if I awake to rest. a ftKeefc. SABBATH DAY. ANOTHER week is past and gone, Another Sabbath has begun ; Oh, may we on this holy day With rev'rence worship, praise and pray. And as we listen to thy Word, May all its truths be felt as heard, And then, in thine appointed way, Be put in practice day by day. Oh, may thy praise our hearts inspire — Grant unto us that heavenly fire That burneth out all dross within, That cleanseth us from ev'ry sin. Let ev'ry mind from care be free As we shall look in prayer to thee, Asking of thee, ere we shall part, To bless and strengthen ev'ry heart. 34 SONG OF PRAISE. So shall the blessings of this day Encourage us as on our way We journey to that land of peace Where Sabbath joys shall never cease. SONG OF PRAISE. OUR Father, God, we worship thee, In this our song of praise, For all thy blessings and thy love To us in by-gone days. We praise thee for thy greatest gift — Thy blessed, only Son, Who through his life and by his death Hath our salvation won. We praise thee for the Holy Ghost — Thy Spirit — freely given To help us here on earth below To fit our souls for heaven. TELL THE STORY. 35 We praise thee for thy blessed Word, Thy messenger of light — A chart, illumined by thy grace, To guide our souls aright. May these great blessings of thy love Our portion ever be Till life shall end, and we shall reign Forever, Lord, with thee. TELL THE STORY. THERE is a story unto which Each day adds something new ; Come, tell it now — you know it well : What has God done for you ? Has he been leading you in paths By waters still and calm, Where peace and joy and rest are found, And naught your soul can harm ? 36 CLASS MEETING. Or has the way been dark and drear, Your eye of faith been dim, And have you wandered from the path That you should travel in? If so, to us your failings tell, Or now your joy impart — 'Twill help us, for no doubt 'twill find An echo in some heart. So speak — the time is passing by, The moments are but few. Come, tell us now the love of God, The story ever new. CLASS MEETING. AS years go by, from week to week We meet together here, By prayer and song and sympathy Each other's hearts to cheer ; CLASS MEETING. 37 To tell of Jesus and his love — How, trusting in his might, We've tried to lead poor sinful souls From darkness into light. We tell how Satan oft has tried Our souls from Christ to win, How by obedience and faith We've conquered over sin. Sometimes we have to tell, with pain, That in temptation's hour, Relying on ourselves, we've been O'ercome by Satan's power ; That, pleading we could little do, We've naught of work begun, Or, waiting some great thing to do, Have left all work undone. And thus the faithful tell their joy, The erring ones their shame, Then all unite in songs of love To praise the Saviour's name. 38 BLESSINGS AT HOME. The time goes by — we part again ; But, though the hour has past, The lessons from each other learned Throughout our lives shall last. BLESSINGS AT HOME. IT seems to be God's will that some Should labor not abroad, but home ; Deprived of public means of grace, Their home becomes the meeting-place Where God vouchsafes to grant to them What others in communion find With those who worship in his house — A happy heart and peaceful mind. Contemplation ano Moth. THE SINNER'S LOT. WITH pity and love for the sinner I think of his lost estate— His life in itself but a shadow Of the death his soul doth await ; No thought of the unending future But darkness and deep despair ; No hope of the heaven hereafter, Or the crown that the saints shall wear. THE love of God makes us to feel The dreadful guilt of sin, And causes us to sympathize With those enthralled therein. 42 LISTEN : SPEAK. LISTEN : SPEAK. LISTEN ! Children of the Lord, Redeemed from death by him ; Listen to the piercing cry Of those in depths of sin. Listen to the solemn moan, The low, despairing sound : Listen ! those were once your words- Oh ! where can rest be found ? Listen ! Jesus speaks to you : From sin I set you free. Listen ! tell these dying souls They can find rest in me. Speak of how from sin and death The Lord hath set you free ; Speak till those in depths of sin Do his salvation see. SOW THE SEED. 43 Speak to ev'ry sinful heart, No matter where 'tis found ; Speak to those once on the rock, But now on sinking ground. Speak ! for God will bless your words, Although they be but few ; Speak by actions, words and deeds Of God's great love to you. SOW THE SEED. AS Christians we should sow the seed, And discouraged never be ; We should labor on with patience, And expect the fruit to see. We should never be impatient, Nor expect the fruit to see On the sapling while 'tis growing That we find upon the tree; 44 SOW THE SEED. Nor forget upon the sapling To bestow our special care — From the sapling that's neglected Grows the tree that does not bear. Neither should we cease our pruning If the tree no fruit doth bear, Nor declare it dead or fruitless While the germ of life is there. Nor, perchance the tree dies fruitless, Does it lessen our reward ; We must sow the seed and labor For the fruit — which comes from God. Then let us toil and labor on, And discouraged never be ; Let us sow the seed with patience, And expect the fruit to see. GOD will bless our efforts If our lives are true ; He will make all prosper That for him we do. INCITEMENT TO LABOR. 45 INCITEMENT TO LABOR. TO know that God doth me employ, And granteth me a place In which to sow the seed of truth, And waters with his grace The seed I sow, till it springs forth And blossoms as the rose, Incites me still to labor on, Whatever may oppose. For God selects for me the ground, And giveth me the seed, And for the work of sowing truth Doth furnish all I need. Tis mine, then, but to sow the seed, To sow and never cease ; The seed I sow God makes to grow, And gives the blest increase. if ot ^>ee6et# of IReWgion. REDEEMING LOVE. HOW wondrous this great gift of God- His all-redeeming love — Which comes to poor benighted man As light from heaven above ! How wondrous that, in those dark hours Of sin and nature's night, The fulness of the time had come To give mankind that light ! How wondrous that the light shone on Till night became as day, And that mankind could hear those words From Christ, " I am the way ! " How wondrous that the light now shines, That we can see its flame, And know that, as it saves from sin, It keeps us from the same! $0 THE SOUL'S GREAT NEED. How wondrous that the light will shine Till we at last find rest Among the saints of Christ, in God, In regions of the blest ! "In every human being there is a capacity for receiving God. There is a need which God alone can supply. Even in persons who live in sin and self and in the world, the consciousness of this inner hungering for something which they cannot find is at times keen and intense. In the devoted, consecrated Christian this capacity de- velops into a faculty for union with God. When we have once entered upon this life of feeding upon God we can never be satisfied with the world. Nothing else satisfies us but the personality of God himself. Man was made to live upon God." THE SOUL'S GREAT NEED. THERE is in ev'ry heart a strife, A strife that God alone can still There is in ev'ry soul a void, A void that God alone can fill. It seems as if 'twas God's design When first he formed a human soul That he himself should there abide, And occupy, and fill the whole. THE SOUL'S GREAT NEED. 5 I Once did man forfeit by his sin The Spirit-life that God had given ; Since then for that departed life The needy soul of man hath striven. Those who, in sinful pleasure, strive To drown the keener sense of need, Do but enlarge the void within By ev'ry sinful thought and deed. 'Tis not a lack of earthly joy The needy soul of man reveals ; The need of union with its God — The lack of God within it feels. The soul that to its Maker yields Itself without reserve, to be With his own presence sweetly filled, Shall from all sense of want be free. Depending day by day on him For each returning day's supply, It finds in God its ev'ry need, For which it will on God rely. 52 GRIEVE NOT THE SAVIOUR. GRIEVE NOT THE SAVIOUR. WHEN, with heart of love and pity, We a helping hand would lend, Or would speak a word of comfort To a tried and troubled friend ; How 'twould fill our hearts with sorrow Were our helping hand refused, Were our cheering words rejected, And our sympathy abused. How it would increase our sorrow Were it to our minds made clear That our motives were suspected, Or considered insincere. No endeavor in the future For the wrong could make amend — We would feel we were not treated As a friend should treat a friend. COME TO THE SAVIOUR. 53 Jesus to the heavy-laden Is of friends the very best ; He with love and pity calls them : Come to me, I'll give you rest. Oh, ye weary, heavy-laden, Grieve not him who waits to aid ; Rest not till you've found the Saviour, At his feet your burdens laid. COME TO THE SAVIOUR. COME to me, ye heavy-laden, Lab'ring 'neath a load of care 'Tis the Saviour sweetly calling : Bring it unto me in prayer. Flee to him who sweetly calls you, Answer to his call in prayer: Lord, I bring thee all my burden, Cast on thee my ev'ry care. 54 BE RECONCILED TO GOD. BE RECONCILED TO GOD. COME, seek the Lord without delay- No loss of time can you afford ; We plead with you, in Jesus' stead, Be reconciled to God. There is no virtue in this rail At which we bid you humbly bow ; By coming you express your need Of God's salvation now. Then come, all ye who feel your need, And by this act make known That you forsake all other hope To trust in Christ alone. LIVE FOR GOD. 55 LIVE FOR GOD. YOU know there is a God, You know his Word is true, And when you read therein believe That Jesus died for you. You know that by his death Your God is reconciled, That, if you but believe it true, You are indeed his child. Then why not as a child Of God resolve to live, To him who gave his life for you Your life henceforth to give? 56 START WELL: PRESS ON TO WIN. START WELL : PRESS ON TO WIN. START well, young soul, start well ; Make ev'ry action tell For God and your advancement ; Start well, young soul, start well. Press on, young soul, press on, And keep your eye upon The crown for you awaiting ; Press on, young soul, press on. To win, young soul, to win, You must continue in The good way and ever pray — To win, young soul, to win. KEEP THE PRIZE IN VIEW. 57 KEEP THE PRIZE IN VIEW. THE Christian who would gladly run The way of God's commands Will bear no burden on his back, No weight within his hands ; But, thrusting off his load of sin, And ev'ry weight of care, Will onward urge his way to heaven — A crown awaits him there. TIS PLEASURE TO PLEASE GOD. NO happiness, no earthly joy Can such sweet peace afford As feels the Christian when he knows His ways do please the Lord. 58 THE CHRISTIAN'S REWARD. He cares not for the worldling's scoff- It is to him a sign That he is Christ's, if such as scorned His Lord do him malign. For he who in his walk in life A Christ-like spirit shows, With opposition — like his Lord — Will meet where'er he goes. So, then, my brother, if the world Doth not thy way applaud, Remember that we cannot please The world and please the Lord. THE CHRISTIAN'S REWARD. GLADLY let us toil and labor For the Christian's sweet reward- To enjoy the Master's favor, And to know that we please God. "Come" ana "abioe." COME UNTO ME. COME unto me, ye that labor, Or that heavy-laden be ; Many though thy cares and sorrows, Ev'ry one now cast on me. Unto me bring ev'ry burden — None can be too great or small ; Though some seem to overwhelm thee, On me freely cast them all. Many though life's burdens may be, Ev'ry one I'll bear for thee. ABIDE IN ME. I AM the vine, the branches ye, Ye must abide in me ; Apart from me naught can ye do, For I must strengthen thee. 62 ABIDE IN ME. Herein ye glorify my name, If ye much fruit do bear ; So my disciples shall ye be, And in my love shall share. If ye love me, then ye shall ask Of me whate'er ye will ; My promise is, I'll give it thee, That promise I'll fulfil. My friends, not servants shall ye be, If this one thing do ye — To one another show such love As I have shown toward thee. Abide in me and I in thee, And naught can sever thee From God, but with him thou shalt reign Through all eternity. Ctfal& TRIALS. EACH trial patiently receive, And with submission bear Whatever with it God may send, Of sorrow or of care. Think not thy trial too severe, Nor murmur nor complain ; To know it cometh from the Lord Alleviates our pain. The raging winds and troubled sea Were subject to his will, So are thy trials — they shall cease When he shall speak, " Be still." As in the stilling of the waves God's power we may see, By thy submission God would teach The power of love in thee. 66 WHAT GOD CHOOSES IS BEST. WHAT GOD CHOOSES IS BEST. THOSE who in God's wisdom Their confidence rest Believe what he chooses For them is the best. They suffer with meekness Whatever his will, Believing his promise He'll surely fulfill- All things shall for those who Love God work for good ; And trusting his guidance, Though not understood, They bear with submission Whate'er he may send, And doubt not that all will Be well in the end. WE should learn this lesson better From each sorrow and each care God will strengthen us to bear them, If we look to him in prayer. mtutn d&ooD for €Ul "LIVE IT DOWN." MANY things we do and mention With the very best intention Are by others very often misconstrued ; But, though smiles beget a frown, Smile again and " Live it down," By returning for the evil naught but good. THOUGH HARD, 'TIS BEST. HOW hard it is, when sorely tried By any unkind word, To hold the tongue, and not resent That which we may have heard. Though hard, it is the better plan To mutely bear its pain, Than in the future have to bear Perhaps as much again. 70 JUDGE NOT. For, with the trials o'er, to know He used an angry word Would to the Christian cause more pain Than aught he might have heard. JUDGE NOT. ALL men on the earth are sinful, All deserve the wrath of God, Therefore to condemn another None can very well afford. Think, before you judge another, To restraining grace 'tis due That the faults you find in others Are not also found in you. A LESSON FROM NATURE. 7 1 A LESSON FROM NATURE. AS the stream among the mountains, Small and shallow though it be, Falling spreads o'er rocks beneath it Spray most beautiful to see, Hiding all their ragged edges 'Neath its cloak of foamy white, Thus presenting naught but beauty To the rapt beholder's sight : So should we, when in another Ragged rocks of fault we see, Try to lovingly conceal them 'Neath the cloak of charity, Like the mountain stream withholding Them from the beholder's view, Which is doing unto others As you'd have them do to you. €^e C^aractet; of dEtoti. THE BEST CONCEPTION OF GOD. SEEKING out the best conception Of the mighty God above, This I found, without exception, To be sweetest, God is love. GOD IS LOVE. FROM this house of flesh incarnate Within which my soul is stayed, Looking out upon the beauties Of a world divinely made, Through the windows of the vision Often have I looked above, For earth's beauties, pointing skyward, Sweetly whispered — God is Love. jtteuitatfon. MEDITATION. IN times when from my mind, O God, All other objects flee, How sweet it is to meditate, To think alone of thee. While thinking of thy might and power My soul is over-awed ; The silence seems to speak— " Be still, And know that I am God." GOD'S PRESENCE. MY soul has never known A sweeter hour than this, A foretaste of the joy of heaven, And everlasting bliss. 80 FORETASTES OF HEAVEN. To know that God is near, To feel his Spirit's power — Could aught but heaven afford the joy And bliss I've felt this hour ? FORETASTES OF HEAVEN. TO us, as children of the Lord, In various ways are given Sweet foretastes of the joy reserved And waiting us in heaven. ifrfenti^fp. TO A FRIEND IN NEED BE TRUE. TO a friend in need be faithful, To a friend in need be true, Trying to do unto others As you'd have them do to you. And remember, though thy kindness From the world meets no applaud, Ev'ry kindness to God's creatures Is a kindness to the Lord. GRATITUDE'S the only return That anyone should ask For any kindness shown a friend, E'en though it be a task. ©tecowragementis. A FALSE IMPRESSION. HOW sorrowful my heart and sad — A moment since 'twas bright and glad, Now full of grief and pain, Caused by a false impression lent To one who knew not what I meant — By words I spoke with good intent, But can't recall again. THE MEMORY OF SIN. IN life how many times do we Through disobedience, Or, by that which is even worse, By wilful negligence Of God's commands — upon ourselves Bring condemnation's pain, 88 THE MEMORY OF SIN. Relief from which 'tis hard to find, To make us feel again As when we were from sorrow's care And guilty conscience free, Keeping all of God's commands With strict fidelity. Tis said of Peter that through life At each cock crow he cried For sorrow, at the memory That he his Lord denied. 'Tis so with us in after life, As mem'ry doth recall To mind the sins of former years, However great or small — Though God forgives, yet we regret Whate'er that may have been Which mem'ry, looking o'er the past, Pronounces wilful sin. DISCOURAGEMENTS. 89 DISCOURAGEMENTS. OFTEN do we feel discouraged, Often think we live in vain, Think as Christians we're a failure, That we scarce deserve the name. Often do we feel disheartened, And, because we ofttimes fall, Think perchance we are not Christians, That we never were at all. $ta¥tf& THY SPIRIT, LORD, IMPART. TO us, O Lord, we pray, do thou Thy Spirit now impart ; Oh, may the Comforter descend, And reign in ev'ry heart. Then shall we labor here below With holy zeal and love, Serving with joyful hearts our God, As angels do above. And as our days fleet quickly by, And we draw near our home, Oh, may the richest joys of grace In fullest power come. 94 FAITH, HOPE AND CHARITY. FAITH, HOPE AND CHARITY. THERE are three graces, Lord, we need, And now desire of thee, Which only thou alone canst give — Faith, Hope and Charity. FAITH. 'Tis Faith that takes God at his word, And trusts him to fulfil His ev'ry promise unto those Who strive to do his will. HOPE. Tis Hope that makes our hearts rejoice As victories we gain, And lights with joy the way to heaven Till we its end attain. FAITH, HOPE AND CHARITY. 95 CHARITY. Tis Charity, the bond of love By which God's love we see, That makes us feel — I love my God, Because he first loved me. And now on us, we pray, bestow Faith, Hope and Charity, And may they e'er with us abide Till we thy glory see. life's ^ott &ay t THE FLIGHT OF TIME. LIFE ! How fleeting, how uncertain ! Ev'ry moment that has passed But more forcibly reminds us That the next may be our last. Little do we heed the moments As they swiftly glide away, Stealing one by one the minutes From the morning of life's day, Till the busy world around us, With its bustle and its strife, Calls to mind that time hath brought us Midway to the noon of life, With but half the morn remaining Ere we reach life's sunny noon. Ah ! the busy moments fleeting Close life's morning far too soon. IOO THE FLIGHT OF TIME. After noon the busy hours Pass as moments swiftly by, While the sun is fast descending Midway in life's western sky. Swiftly, swiftly, oh, how swiftly Does its quickly fading ray Bring us unto life's brief sunset, To the ending of life's day. Solemn are life's closing moments, As we mark our fleeting breath Till our heart doth cease its beating, And we fall asleep in death. Oh, that we had in life's morning Thus to value time begun : Time flies quickly, from life's morning Till the day of life is done. LIFE ! From us 'tis quickly fleeting- Fleeting with our ev'ry breath ; At each heart-beat one step nearer Comes the messenger of death. teartoujEi Subjects. MAN AND NATURE. NATURE! What a vast world of thought arises from this word ! So great her glories are that night and day their voice is heard On land and sea, unceasingly, to speak alone of thee, Their Maker and Preserver, throughout time's eternity. The sun and moon, the stars so bright — those firmly fixed in place, And those that dart with light'ning speed through countless miles of space — Speak to us — thy power tell, as naught but thy creations can, And by their grandeur make us feel the little- ness of man. 104 MAN AND NATURE. Oh ! What is man, that thou should'st care for his unworthy heart? That in thy love and mercy thou should'st grant to him a part ? A soul thou gavest unto him, a copy of thine own, Eternal life and peace and joy, to Nature all unknown. Man is born, he lives, he dies, is buried, and whence has gone ? If God's beloved, to his God, to meet him at his throne, There to behold, with rapturous joy, his blessed Saviour's face, And sing, through all eternity, the wonders of his grace ; Whilst Nature can but stand secure till Earth shall melt away In fervent heat, as God declares it shall be on that day When all the things of time shall cease, and live on nothing can Except the never-dying soul he giveth unto man. THE ONLY REFUGE. I05 THE ONLY REFUGE. WHEN my sins, as waves of ocean, Round me rose on ev'ry side, From the billows' fierce commotion Sought my soul a place to hide — Sought and found the only refuge From the storms of life's rough sea — Sought and found the Rock of Ages, Rock of Ages cleft for me. Jesus is the only refuge From the storms of life's rough sea ; As each storm is seen approaching, To this Rock my soul doth flee ; From its hiding-place in Jesus Sees the storm in fury break Far below on the foundation Of the Rock no storm can shake ; Looks in safety from this refuge On each fitful storm of life, Fearing not the waves' commotion, Nor the billows' angry strife. 106 JESUS. For in thee, thou Rock, I'm resting, In thy cleft from danger free. Matchless love ! I'm lost in wonder ! Cleft that I might hide in thee ! JESUS. Jesus died for me, Kven left his throne above, So that he might show his love Unto sinful man below — So that I that love might know. WOMAN'S WORK. LOOK upon each dying brother As a soul Christ died to save Perishing without salvation, For his soul's salvation crave. woman's work. 107 But shall man be saved by woman ? Haste to lay such thoughts aside ; See naught in a dying brother But a soul for whom Christ died. If you feel God's Spirit prompts you, Speak to him, at any cost — You may lead him to the Saviour, If you don't he may be lost. May be lost ! to you, my sister, If the future should reveal That, because you did not seek him, He was lost, how would you feel ? Wait not, then, while souls are dying, For the Saviour speaks to you : What ye do for these, my brethren, Such also for me ye do. 108 IMPROVE THE TIME. IMPROVE THE TIME. TEACH us, O Lord, whene'er we meet To speak as Christians should, And may our conversation tend To one another's good. Oh, teach us to employ the time, Each moment, as we ought, And may our ev'ry meeting be With richest blessing fraught. IT MUST NOT BE. YET once more I write of Jesus, Telling of his wondrous power, How he aids us, through the Spirit, In temptation's darkest hour This one thought to bring before thee — 'Tis the Saviour speaks to thee When, though thou would'st not so reason, Conscience says : It must not be. IT MUST NOT BE. IO9 Must not be ! obey thy conscience ; This is not a stern command, But a loving word of counsel From a friend now close at hand — One who was in all points tempted, Even tempted like as we ; Yes, 'tis Jesus, through the Spirit, Teaching us : It must not be. LET thy will with God's will parallel run, Then thou canst boldly say, " Thy will be done," Knowing that thy will and God's will are one. INSTANT in prayer — this does not mean Unceasingly with God to plead, But constantly on him to lean, A prayer to God for ev'ry need. IIO THE LORDS TEACHING TRUE. THE LORD'S TEACHING TRUE. THE lives of those who love the Lord Convince us that 'tis true, Who rightly cares for his own soul Cares for his brother's too. The lives of those who love not God This fact have clearly shown : Who cares not for his brother's soul Cares little for his own. Thus do men's lives attest as true The teaching of the Lord : Who loves not him whom he hath seen Loves not the unseen God. OUR DOCTRINES. Ill OUR DOCTRINES. ONLY Scripture can determine Whether they are right or wrong We will find them in the Scripture, If to Scripture they belong. For as Scripture never changes, But the same doth e'er remain, If from Scripture they were taken, We will find them there again. BEFORE GOD'S ALTAR. BEFORE God's altar standing, Husband and wife to-day Their covenant renewing — Their Saviour to obey, Are to his Church united, In heart and purpose one To glorify together The name of his dear Son. 112 HABITS. Oh, may they e'er be faithful, To all their vows be true, Their talents all employing Thy will on earth to do, Till thou who them united As one in bonds of love, As one in love receive them Into thy Church above. HABITS. THERE'S a habit so common 'Tis missed in but few ; 'Tis the habit of boasting Of what we can do. There's a habit more common — Too common, 'tis true ; 'Tis the habit of shirking That which we can do. There's a habit not common — 'Tis found in but few ; 'Tis the doing, not boasting Of what we can do. THE ANNUNCIATION. THE ANNUNCIATION. NEAR to the town of Bethlehem, By night, while others slept, The shepherds, watching o'er their sheep, Their faithful vigils kept, When, lo ! an angel of the Lord Came down 'mid heavenly light — They saw the glory of the Lord, And trembled at the sight. Fear not ! to them the angel said ; To you and all the earth Good tidings of great joy I bring, Of Christ the Saviour's birth ; And this shall be to you a sign : In Bethlehem's manger laid, Enwrapt in swaddling clothes, you'll find The heavenly babe displayed. But ere the angel of the Lord Had thus his message given, With him a multitude appeared, A glorious host from heaven, 114 THE ANNUNCIATION. Saying, Glory be to God on high, Peace and good-will toward men, Announcing thus the birth of Christ, The Babe of Bethlehem. d&oispel ^ongjs. CAN YOU BELIEVE? CAN you believe, my brother, That Jesus died for you? Can you believe God's message Of salvation is true? CHORUS. Can you believe, will you not trust, Do you accept as true God's message of salvation, That Jesus died for you ? Will you not trust, my brother, The work that Christ hath done ? Will you not claim salvation Through faith in God's dear Son? Do you accept, my brother, The word of God as true? Do you accept the pardon That now he offers you ? 1 1 8 THERE IS HEALING WITH THE SAVIOUR. THERE IS HEALING WITH THE SAVIOUR. TO each weary, sin-sick mortal The blessed Saviour's voice Is sweetly, tenderly calling: Repent, believe, rejoice. CHORUS. There is healing with the Saviour For ev'ry sin-sick soul ; With such the Saviour is pleading: Believe and be made whole. The whole need not a physician, The sick Christ came to save ; Oh, trust in him for salvation — For you his life he gave. Think not to mend your condition, You could not if you tried ; For such weak and helpless sinners The blessed Saviour died. HIS GRACE IS SUFFICIENT FOR THEE. 1 1 9 Then come, weary, sin-sick mortal, To him who waits to cure ; The Great Physician will heal you, Will cleanse and make you pure. HIS GRACE IS SUFFICIENT FOR THEE. ART thou with sin heavy-laden, And longing in vain to be free? Flee to the dear, loving Saviour, Whose grace is sufficient for thee. CHORUS. His grace is sufficient for thee, His grace is sufficient for thee ; Flee to the dear, loving Saviour, Whose grace is sufficient for thee. 20 HIS GRACE IS SUFFICIENT FOR THEE. Sin's yoke, though heavy, can never Keep thee — if for pardon thou'lt flee — From Jesus, the loving Saviour, Whose grace is sufficient for thee. By grace thou shalt find salvation, Through faith, and with no other plea Than the blood of the dear Saviour, Whose grace is sufficient for thee. ©iscourfirts, T3W# (poems. €^e #lan of ^albatfon. W$z Wpel $lan ($oem). THE PLAN OF SALVATION. "TN the beginning God created the heaven 1 and the earth." (Gen. i: I.) " So God created man in his own image." (Gen. i : 27.) " And the Lord God planted a gar- den eastward in Eden ; and there he put the man whom he had formed" (Gen. 2: 8), whom he promised to bless, if obedient ; whom he threatened with death, should he disobey. Adam, the man whom God had created, disobeyed God, and, as a conse- quence, the seed of spiritual death — which began in Adam — has been transmitted to all his descendants ; so you and I find our- selves " inclined to evil, and that continu- ally," because we have inherited from Adam a sinful nature. God had decreed in the beginning the death of the soul as the penalty of sin ; so you and I, with men of all ages — " for all 126 THE PLAN OF SALVATION. have sinned " — were, even at the Fall, fore- seen to finally deserve the wrath of God on account of sin, which the sinful nature in- herited from Adam would cause us to com- mit. Therefore, in the sight of God all men must be forever lost, unless he provide some way for their escape from the penalty of sin. In providing a way of escape God had to provide that the penalty of sin be paid, else he would have disregarded his holy law, which decreed that the soul that sinned should die. So God, out of the great love wherewith he loved us, " gave his only be- gotten Son " (who fulfilled all righteous- ness), who willingly died to pay the pen- alty of our sin, that God might give unto us the reward he merited by his righteousness. In other words, Jesus, who was righteous, merited eternal life and all its blessings : we, by our sins, merited death. God laid upon Jesus (who never sinned) the penalty of our sin, that it might be possible to give us (who never merited anything but death) the re- THE PLAN OF SALVATION. 1 27 ward that Jesus merited. Thus God pro- vided for the salvation of sinners and the sat- isfaction of the demands of his holy law. God has made Faith — belief in what God has said concerning the salvation of your soul by the death of his Son — the condition upon which you shall be treated as right- eous, instead of sinful. Never to doubt that, because Jesus died in your stead, you shall receive the eternal life which was his, but which he gave to you when he took in exchange the penalty of your sin, is to con- tinually have saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The motive that moves us to repent of our sin (to " cease to do evil" and " learn to do well") is the love of God, which we see displayed toward such sinners as we in the gift of his Son to die in our stead ; and ever after we have a new motive within by which we act — that of love to God — the responsive love, the knowledge of his love to us, kindled in our hearts. Thus, after believing in Jesus 128 THE PLAN OF SALVATION. as our Saviour, we try to live to please God because we love him. Any works performed before conversion — before we were actuated by the new motive of love to God — were not acceptable to God ; and why ? Because we did them, not out of a spirit of love ; but now, loving God, he ac- cepts our works as evidences of our grati- tude and love, and as such works they meet his approval ; and he has promised to finally reward us in heaven, with greater or less honor, according to our works. But God knows that, though actuated by this new impulse of grateful love, yet, be- cause the soul doth still abide in a body in which the effect of the Fall continues till it destroys the body in death, no man can ren- der unto God the perfect obedience his law demands. (Rom., ch. 7.) Knowing this, God has provided for the forgiveness of sin after justification ; so that if, through the in- firmity of the flesh, we sin, we may obtain pardon. The death of Christ was not only for our THE PLAN OF SALVATION. 12Q sins up to the time of our conversion, but to the time of our death : even as we do not receive the reward he merited for us in part, but the whole. So the evangelist (John), writing to Christians, exhorting them to "sin not," adds: "And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous : and he is the propitia- tion for our sins : and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." (1 John 2: 1, 2.) ****** * The secret of a happy Christian life is to know what God hath promised concerning the salvation of your soul, and never to doubt that he will keep his every promise. I have tried to put the plan of salvation before my readers in a plain and simple manner, hoping, by so doing, to be the means, in God's hand, of leading some precious soul to the Saviour. Can you, my reader, believe what God hath said in this sweet promise? — " Fear not : for I hav% redeemed thee, I have called thee 130 THE GOSPEL PLAN. by thy name; thou art mine." (Isa. 43 : 1.) If you do believe that God has redeemed you, happy are you : if not, 'tis the prayer of the writer that you may. THE GOSPEL PLAN. HOW simple is the gospel plan By which a soul may know And feel, For me the Saviour died, For me his blood did flow. ' Tis simply needed that whoe'er Would be a child of God Should pray, and while he prays believe God does his faith reward — Reward his plea: I'm lost, undone, But Jesus died for me ; To save me from this wretched state He died on Calvary. THE GOSPEL PLAN. 131 I feel my sin, I much regret And sorrow for the past. O Lord, e'en now my heart renew — Let not this anguish last. Thus he repents and then believes, And gladly finds 'tis true That whatsoe'er we ask in faith, As promised, God will do. a 3!uj3tificatiott idv tfaftJj." JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH. " 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 : as it is written, The just shall live by faith." (Rom. i : 16, 17.) " \T OW we know that what things soever IN the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law : that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight : for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets ; even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God ; being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God hath set forth to be a propiti- ation through faith in his blood, to declare 136 JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH. his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God ; to declare, I say, at this time his right- eousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus." (Rom. 3: 19-26.) I design, by explaining the above Script- ure, to show unto those who have not ac- cepted Christ as their Saviour the plan of salvation, the love of God devised, whereby he has made it possible that they may be saved. Without going into detail regarding the corruption of man's nature, through the sin of our first parents, I will state what we each acknowledge concerning ourselves — we are sinful. We can form some idea of our own depravity by a few moments of calm, self-searching thought. Think, if you will, for a moment — If the thoughts that pass through your mind, unknown to any but yourself and God, were suddenly exposed to mortal view, how quickly would the opin- ion of your character, formed by those who judged the same by external evidences, be JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH. 1 37 changed ! Then, remember that God knoweth even the thoughts of your heart, and is not deceived by your outward acts, as are those around you. Oh ! if we would appear sinful to mankind, could they read our thoughts and fathom our motives, how must we appear before God, to whom both are clearly and continually manifest ? This is a solemn thought for all of us — those who are Christians, as well as those who are not. God, seeing the sinfulness of our nature, has provided a way of escape from the pun- ishment of sin. He gave unto Moses what all acknowledge to be a righteous law — that by the law all men might be made to see their sinfulness, and become convinced that, because of their sin, they merited the wrath of God as displayed in his punishment thereof. The law is God's standard of righteous- ness. If any man could render perfect obedience to the law, that man would be proclaimed righteous by the law. But no 138 JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH. man has ever kept the law save one — the man Christ Jesus. No other will ever keep it ; for the law was not given that man, by keeping it, might be saved, but to show men that, because of their sinfulness, they could not keep it, and therefore could not merit salvation by anything they could do. We see, then, that it is impossible for us to obtain salvation by trusting in our works. How, then, shall we obtain it ? Is there any other way ? Yes ! the way God has provided, who hath given his Son a sin-offering for us, " that we might be made the righteous- ness of God in him " — that all who trust for salvation in the merit of him who ful- filled all righteousness (but died in our stead as a sinner) might receive the reward he merited — might have imputed unto them the reward of his righteousness, the penalty of their sins being laid upon him. If Jesus died for all mankind, why is the work he did not made effectual to the sav- ing of all men ? Simply because men will not accept the work Christ has performed JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH. 1 39 for them — the works they could not per- form — as the ground of their hope. They trust in their own morality, saying: If I do to others as I would have them do to me, that is all that is necessary. They comply with one commandment or more, in a way that they think must place them in the favor of God on account of their mer- itorious works How shallow their claim to God's favor becomes when it is compared to God's revealed standard of good works — the moral law. They pride themselves on keeping one or more of its command- ments, not daring to pretend that they render a perfect obedience to all its require- ments : thus they become their own accus- ers, condemning themselves ; for the law demands a perfect obedience — to break one of its commandments is to break the whole law. Now, as to those who really desire to be saved. If God taught them that keeping the law would save them, they would try to keep it ; but God has taught them that I40 JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH. it will not ; therefore they cry, as did Paul : " Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" which is as much as to say: Since I can- not save myself by keeping the law, tell me, Lord, the way I may be saved, and I will comply with it, whate'er it may be. To all such souls, who are willing to be saved in God's own way, he has revealed a righteousness " from faith to faith " (see Rom. I : 17), which means that God has made known to mankind that his way of saving men is, by counting all that believe what he hath said concerning the salva- tion of their souls by the death of his Son, as if they, by rendering a perfect obedience to the law, had been proclaimed righteous thereby, and thus merited their salvation. The Apostle Paul, to explain justifying faith, quotes the following verses from Gen- esis, which speak of God's promise to Abraham and his faith in the following manner: " And he brought him forth abroad, and JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH. 141 said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them : and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And he believed in the Lord ; and he counted it to him for righteousness." (Gen. 15:5,6.) Commenting on Abraham's faith as shown in the fifteenth chapter of Genesis, Paul adds : " He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief ; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God ; and being fully per- suaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him ; but for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead ; who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification." (Rom. 4 : 20-25.) Here we have " Justification By Faith " fully, though briefly, explained. If we ask, What should we believe, and how, in order that we may be saved? we find an answer 142 JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH. here. We should believe just what Abra- ham believed — the promise of God ; only, as Abraham believed what God promised him, so you must believe what God has promised you. God promised Abraham that as the stars were for multitude, so should his seed be. It seemed impossible to Abraham, but because God said so he believed it, never doubting. The promise, " So shall thy seed be," had reference to the future. Abraham, doubting not that it would come to pass, kept looking toward the future, conducting himself according to the way God commanded, showing by his willing obedience his gratitude to God for the bless- ings he had promised to bestow upon him, and evidencing by his continued obedience his continued belief that God would fulfil his promise. God encouraged Abraham's faith continually, by evidences of his favor, especially by rewarding his faith in answer to prayer. Thus God promised and Abraham be- lieved ; and the promise made to Abraham JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH. 143 is to this day being fulfilled, and shall con- tinue to be, till all the seed of Abraham " shall have entered into the rest remaining unto the people of God. As Abraham believed God, and was counted, because of his having faith, as if he were righteous ; so, if you believe God's promise (of salvation, by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ), you shall be treated as though you were righteous, because of your faith. God's promise concerning you — one far greater than that made to Abraham— is this: " For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoso- ever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3 : 16.) This promise, like God's promise to Abra- ham, refers to the future ; but, as with Abraham, the blessings begin and continue with your faith. If you are grateful for God's promise to you, you will do as did Abraham — show your gratitude by continu- 144 JUSTIFIC TION BY FAITH. ally keeping the commandments of God to the best of your ability, never doubting that God will keep his promise, and that you shall be saved. God will encourage your faith as he did Abraham's, by evidences of his favor — especially by rewarding your faith in answer to prayer. " Have faith in God" C^e mot* ano WLitnm of t^e Spirit C^e ^pint's auot* (#oem), THE WORK AND WITNESS OF THE SPIRIT. FOR the benefit of those who are seeking a knowledge of their acceptance with God, through the witness of his Spirit to their adoption into the family of God as his children, I have chosen the subject of " The Work and Witness of the Spirit,'' as revealed in part of Rom. 5: 5 ; 8: 15, 16, concern- ing which I hope to write to the edification and comfort of all who may read. We are to consider the work the Spirit does and the means he uses, not the way he performs his work, for this we know not of. (John 3 : 8.) " And hope maketh not ashamed ; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us." (Rom. 5 : 5.) Here we learn that the revelation of the love of God toward us is given unto us by 148 THE WORK AND WITNESS the Holy Spirit, whose office it is to take of the things of God and reveal them unto us. (John 16: 13, 14; I Cor. 2 : 10-13.) Therefore, when, realizing the love of God to us, we can say in sincerity, " We love him, because he first loved us" (i John 4: 19), we have the evidence that the Holy Spirit is within us, " because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us " (Rom. 5:5); for "we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God ; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God." (1 Cor. 2 : 12.) " For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear ; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the chil- dren of God." (Rom. 8:15, 16.) " The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God," for " because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, OF THE SPIRIT. 149 crying, Abba, Father " (Gal. 4:6); therefore if we can look unto God as a child to its par- ent, and call him our Father, we need no longer doubt of our acceptance with God, through the witness of his Spirit to our adoption into the family of God as his chil- dren ; for the very confidence we manifest, in calling God Father, is but the expression of the inward assurance of the spirit of adoption within. The question naturally arises : Through what means does the Spirit of God reveal the love of God to us ? We have aleady re- marked that 'tis the office of the Spirit to take of the things of God and reveal them un- to us, and this he does by disposing us to ac- cept the revelation of the love of God toward us which God hath given unto us in his Word, which revelation came to us through the Holy Spirit — " For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man : but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost " (2 Peter 1:21), through whom all Scripture is given, for "All Script- I50 THE WORK AND WITNESS ure is given by inspiration of God " (2 Tim. 3 : 16), who also doth guide us into all truth. (John 16: 13 ; 14:26; 15:26, etc.) Thus far we have learned that both the knowledge of the love of God and the dispo- sition to accept it are given unto us by the Holy Spirit. Scripture also teaches us that we are con- vinced of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment to come by the Holy Spirit. " And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment : of sin, because they believe not on me ; of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more ; of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged." (John 16: 8-II.) " Of sin, because they believe not on me " (v. 9) — because they will not accept Christ as their Saviour. The Spirit reveals the love of God in the gift of Christ. (John 13 : 16.) " Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.' (1 John 4: 10.) OF THE SPIRIT. I5 1 This is the manifestation of the love of God that men reject, rejecting which, by re- fusing to accept Christ as their Saviour, they are brought under the condemnation of God ; for by so doing they become convinced that they bring upon themselves the wrath of God, according as it is written: "He that believeth not the Son ... . the wrath of God abideth on him." (John 3 : 36.) "The goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance." (Rom. 2 : 4.) Through the Spirit we are led to repentance— for he reveals the goodness of God. " By grace are ye saved through faith ; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God." (Eph. 2 : 8.) " For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ. ... to believe on him " (Phil. 1 : 29) by the Spirit, who dispenses the gifts of God " to every man severally as he will" (1 Cor. 12 : 11) ; for " no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost." (1 Cor. 12: 3.) Thus we have seen the love of God to us is revealed : we are convinced of sin in re- 152 THE WORK AND WITNESS jecting Christ, the manifestation of that love. We are led to repentance through the reve- lation of the goodness of God, and are given power to believe on the only-begotten Son of God as our Saviour, through the Holy Spirit given unto us. " Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us : and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. . . . And this is his command- ment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one an- other, as he gave us commandment. And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us." (1 John 3 : 16, 23, 24.) " Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a wit- ness to us : for after that he had said before, This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them/' (Heb. 10: 15, 16.) Here we see how the Spirit bears witness through the Word of God. OF THE SPIRIT. I 53 " He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself." (i John 5: 10.) This will be clearly understood by reading the following verses — the first five of the same chapter: " Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God : and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his com- mandments : and his commandments are not grievous. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world : and this is the vic- tory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God ? " (1 John 5 : 1-5.) In like manner the Holy Spirit portrays in the Word of God the marks, the character and the fruit by which the children of God may be known. (Gal. 5 : 22 ; Eph. 5 : 9.) " By their fruits ye shall know them." (Matt. I 54 THE WORK AND WITNESS OF THE SPIRIT. 7 : 20.) If we examine ourselves by the standard there given we may know " whether we be in the faith" or not. (2 Cor. 13 : 5.) " Beloved, if" (after thus examining our- selves) " our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God " (1 John 3: 21), " . . . . because we keep his com- mandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight." (1 John 3 : 22.) Then can we say with Paul : " Our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in sim- plicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world " (2 Cor. 1: 12); and with John we can say: " And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us" (1 John 3 : 24), who — the Spirit — hath disposed us to keep the commandments of God, by so revealing the love of God to us in his Word, as to kindle a responsive love and gratitude within our hearts, from which springs our obedience — the obedience of faith, the obe- dience of love. THE SPIRIT'S WORK. 1 55 THE SPIRIT'S WORK. THERE is a time in ev'ry life When in the heart of stone The Spirit, the convictor, comes, Who comes from God alone, And, striving with the sinful heart, Brings sorow, fear and shame ; The sins of years he brings to view, And then condemns the same. He makes the heart to feel its guilt, Its lost and wretched state, And hastens news of Christ to give, Before it be too late. Then, in the midst of sin and shame, He speaks in tones of power The Saviour's blessed name, and says, Believe and sin no more. 156 THE SPIRIT'S WORK. To each repentant heart he makes The way of hope appear, Speaks softly of redeeming love, And brings the Saviour near — Holds him before the anxious eyes Till they his beauty see, Till in its love the heart breaks forth And cries, " He died for me." He makes the new-born spirit feel The bliss of sins forgiven, And bids it live for Christ alone, To meet its God in heaven. He says : Be faithful, earnest, true, And guard thy way from sin Till life is o'er, and then in death Thou shalt the vict'ry win. %nUx. PAGE. A Abide in Me 61 A False Impression 87 A Lesson From Nature . . 71 A Prayer 27 B Before God's Altar in Be Reconciled to God. . . 54 Blessings at Home 38 C Can You Believe 117 Class Meeting 36 Come to the Saviour 53 Come Unto Me 61 D Discouragements 89 F Faith, Hope and Charity. 94 Follow Jesus 19 Foretastes of Heaven ... 80 PAGE. G God is Love 75 God's Presence 79 God Will Bless Our Ef- forts 44 Gratitude's the Only Re- turn 83 Grieve Not the Saviour . . 52 H Habits 112 His Grace is Sufficient for Thee 119 I Improve the Time 108 Incitement to Labor 45 Instant in Prayer 109 It Must Not Be io8 J Jesus 106 Judge Not 70 Justification by Faith .... 135 158 K Keep the Prize in View. . 57 L Let Thy Will With God's Will Parallel Run 109 Life! From Us 'Tis Quickly Fleeting 100 Life's Diary 20 Listen : Speak . 42 Live for God 55 Live it Down 69 M Man and Nature 103 Meditation 79 Morning Thoughts 18 My Aim 13 O Our Doctrines in P Peaceful Sleep 29 Preparation for Prayer . . 26 Redeeming Love 49 Sabbath Day 33 Song of Praise 34 Sow the Seed 43 Start Well : Press On To Win 56 Sunrise 17 Sunset 22 T Tell the Story 35 The Annunciation 113 The Best Conception of God 75 The Christian's Reward. 58 The Flight of Time 99 The Gospel Plan 130 The Lord's Teaching True no The Love of God 41 The Memory of Sin 87 The Only Refuge 105 The Plan of Salvation ... 125 There is Healing With the Saviour 118 The Sinner's Lot 41 The Soul's Great Need. . 50 The Spirit's Work 155 The Value of Time 25 The Work and Witness of the Spirit 147 i59 PAGE. Though Hard, 'Tis Best. 69 Thy Spirit, Lord, Im- part 93 'Tis Pleasure to Please God 57 To a Friend in Need Be True 83 Trials 65 W Watch and Pray 21 We Should Learn This Lesson Better 60 What God Chooses is Best 66 Woman's Work 106 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 0018 603 067