THE HOLY GHOST.

A very interesting subject is the work of The Spirit upon the Person of Our Lord Jesus.We see The Holy Ghost mysteriously operating in the formation and birth of the holy child Jesus, for by the overshadowing of The Holy Ghost He was born of a woman. This work of The Holy Spirit was manifested to all believing eyes when The Lord Jesus came out of the waters of the Jordan after His baptism, and The Holy Spirit descended like a dove and rested upon Him. Before He was said to "wax strong in spirit," but afterwards He is described as " full of The Holy Ghost." Then He was led of The Spirit and inspired by His divine energy, and this was shown throughout the whole of His life, for The Spirit was with Him in innumerable miracles, and in the demonstration and power which followed His word, so that He spoke as one who had authority, and not as the scribes. In Him was fulfilled abundantly the prophecy which saith "and The Spirit of The Lord shall rest upon Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of The Lord, and shall make Him of quick understanding in the fear of The Lord, and He shall not judge after the sight of His eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of His ears, but with righteousness shall He judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth."The Holy Spirit had also a peculiar interest in His resurrection, for He was "declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead." He was put to death in the flesh, but quickened by The Spirit. That same Spirit wrought mightily when The Lord ascended up on high, and led captivity captive, then succeeding His ascension, the gifts of the cloven tongues of fire and the mighty rushing wind were witnessed by His disciples, for The Spirit of God was given abundantly to the church in connection with the ascencion of the Redeemer. Oh how sweetly doth The Spirit co-operate with Christ at this very day, for it is He who takes the things of Christ and reveals them unto us. He is the abiding witness in the church to the truth of the gospel, and the worker of all our gifts and graces. Jesus gives repentance, but The Spirit works it, faith fixes upon Christ, but The Spirit of God first creates faith and opens the eye which looks to Jesus. This whole dispensation through it is the peculiar office of The Spirit of God to be revealing Christ to His people, and Christ in His people, and Christ in the midst of an ungodly and gainsaying generation, for a testimony against them. Blessed be the name of The Holy Spirit, that He is that divine anointing, and so proves His hearty assent to the great plan of redemption.

"Even Now"

We will never excercise faith concerning those for whose salvation we have no care about. I trust we are diligent in looking after individuals, especially those who are amongst our own family and friends. This is what Martha did, her whole care was for her brother. It is often easier to have faith that Christ can save sinners generally than to believe that He can come into our own homes and save some particuar one of our household. But oh what joy when He does, when we are able to pray with our own loved ones and rejoice with them at their being made alive by the power of The Holy Ghost. We cannot expect to have this privilege however unless like Martha we send our prayer to Jesus, and go to meet Him, and tell Him of our need.
In Jesu's presence it seems natural to trust Him, even at the worst extremity. It is when we are at our wits end that He delights to help us. When our hopes seem to be buried, then it is that God gives us a resurrection. When our Issac is on the altar, then the heavens are opened and the word of God comes to us.
Art thou beginning to doubt thy Saviour and to complain of His delay? Have faith that He will come at just the right time, though He must be the Judge of when the time will be best for Him to appear.
Martha had a fine faith, her faith had to do with a dreadful case, her brother was dead and had been buried, but her faith still lived hallelujah, and in spite of everything that went against her she believed in Jesus and looked to Him to help her in her extremity. Her faith went to the very edge of the gulf and she said "but I know that even now, whatso-ever Thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee." Still Martha had not so much faith as she thought she had for soon after her wonderful confession of confidence in the power of the Lord Jesus she stood at the grave of her brother and evidently doubted the wisdom of He whom she professed to trust, she objected to the stone being removed and strong in the admitted facts of the case she urged her reason "Lord by this time he stinketh." Well but Martha you said but not long ago "even now" yes, she said it and she believed it, in the same way that most of us believe, but when her faith was sharply tried by the facts of the matter, she did not have all the faith she had professed to have. I have a suspicion that this is true of most of us. We often fancy that our confidence in Christ is much stronger than it actually is. When we are not called upon to bear the trouble we feel wonderfully strong, but when the trial comes, very much of our boasted faith ebbs away and disappearss like smoke in the wind. Take heed now to examine well your faith, let it be true and real, for you will have need of it all.
Praise God, Jesus did not take Martha at her worst but at her best. When Our Lord says "according to your faith be it unto you" He does not mean your faith at it's ebb but in it's flood. He reads the thermometer at it's highest point not at it's lowest, He doesn't even take the mean reading of our trust, He gives us credit for our quickest pace not counting our slowest or seeking to discover our average speed in this matter of faith. He did for Martha all she could have dared hoped for and much, much more. Her brother did arise and was restored to her and Mary and their friends. In thy case too, oh thou trembling timorous one, The Lord will take thee at thy best and He will do for thee great and wonderful things, seeing that thou desirest to believe greatly and that thy prayer is "Lord I believe, help Thou mine unbelief."

THE POWER OF HIS RESURRECTION.

The doctrine of a risen Saviour is exceedingly sweet and precious, it is the corner-stone of the entire building that is the church, it is the key-stone of the arch of our salvation.
It would take a volume to set forth all the streams of living water that flow from this one sacred source. Jesus a-risen from the dead and alive forever more. But to know that He is risen, and to have fellowship with Him as Risen Lord, communing with Him by possessing a risen life ourselves, seeing Him leave the tomb by leaving the tomb of worldliness, this is sweeter and more precious still. The doctrine is the basis of the experience, but as the flower is lovelier than the root, so is the experience of fellowship with the risen Saviour more lovely than the doctrine itself. I would have you to believe that Christ arose from the dead and sing about it, and get all the joy and comfort that the well attested and witnessed to fact affords, but I beseech you rest not contented even there. Though you cannot see Him as the disciples did, yet I bid you aspire to see Him by the eye of faith; And though like Mary Magdalene you may not touch Him you can talk with Him and walk with Him in newness of life.
To know a crucified Saviour as having crucified with Him all my sins, this is high knowledge, but to know a risen Lord as having justified me, as having bestowed upon me new life making me a new creation through His own life, this is a grand style of experience, short of that ought none to be satisfied.
May you both "know Him" and know "the power of His resurrection."
Why should newly alive souls in Jesus wear the grave clothes of worldliness and unbelief? Arise for He is risen.