November 9, 1897

“Editorial” The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald 74, 45, p. 712.

“ONE shall chase a thousand.” If you are a Christian, the Lord intends that you shall have more influence for good than a thousand other people can have for evil. He intends that you shall have more influence over a thousand worldlings and sinners than a thousand such can have over you.ARSH November 9, 1897, page 712.1

What a disappointment to the Lord, then, what a grief to the angels, and what a satisfaction to Satan, it is, when a professed Christian—one who bears the name of the Lord, and stands under the ensign of the mighty One of Israel—yields to the influence of worldlings and sinners because they are many, and he is one!ARSH November 9, 1897, page 712.2

Ah! when that is done, it shows that the heart is not loyal to the Lord. It shows that there is in the heart really a love for the world and a willingness to fellowship sin; and the name of the Lord is dishonored, and his ensign is disgraced, by the Christian profession of such people. And if you are excusing yourself from genuine Christian faithfulness by the plea that you are alone while there are many sinners around, that is what is really the matter,—at heart you are disloyal to the Lord and a sympathizer with the enemy.ARSH November 9, 1897, page 712.3

Put is all away. Stand up like a true and loyal soldier. Fix your heart upon the Lord to be loyal to him, though not another soul on earth is so. Then though you be but one, yet you will have more influence over a thousand than the thousand can have over you. Remember, it is “not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord.” “Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savor of his knowledge by us in every place.”ARSH November 9, 1897, page 712.4

“‘He Shall Glorify Me’” The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald 74, 45, p. 712.

OF the Holy Spirit, Jesus said, “He shall glorify me.” And how the Spirit should do this is declared in the very next words: “For he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you.”ARSH November 9, 1897, page 712.1

Now we also are to glorify the Lord. And how can we do this in any other way than that in which the Spirit glorifies him? The Spirit glorifies the Lord by receiving of his, and showing it to us; we, then, can glorify the Lord only by receiving, by the Spirit, the things of his, and showing them to others.ARSH November 9, 1897, page 712.2

What things are they of which the Spirit takes and shows to us?—“All things that the Father hath are mind: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall show it unto you.” The Spirit, then, takes of all things that the Father has, and shows them unto us: nothing is reserved. Thus he glorifies the Lord. And we are to take all things that he gives to us, and show them to other people: nothing is to be reserved. Thus shall we glorify the Lord.ARSH November 9, 1897, page 712.3

True, the Holy Spirit does not show to us all these things all at once, but as we can receive them and bear them. Neither are we to show to others all at once, all that he has shown us. We must show them to others as they can receive them and bear them.ARSH November 9, 1897, page 712.4

Yet the Spirit receives from the Lord nothing that he is not to give away. He receives from the Lord, only to show it to us; therefore what he receives from the Lord, he receives it only to give it away to us. And from him we receive nothing that we are not to give away. We receive it only to show it to others; therefore what we receive, we receive it, not to keep for ourselves or our own gratification, but only to give it away to others.ARSH November 9, 1897, page 712.5

Wherever the Spirit finds opportunity to give to us most of the things of God, there he most abides and most fully works. And wherever is the place that we can give away the most of what we have received of him, there is the place for us to abide and work. This is the true test of where the call of the Lord is for you to abide and to work. Wherever you can give to others the most of what the Spirit has shown to you, that is the place to which you are called.ARSH November 9, 1897, page 712.6

The ever-present question, then, of the Christian is, Where can I give the most fully to others that which I have received of the Lord?ARSH November 9, 1897, page 712.7

And wherever that may be, there go, and glorify the Lord by taking the things of the Lord, by his Spirit, and showing them to others.ARSH November 9, 1897, page 712.8

He who attempts to keep to himself and for himself, that which he has received from the Lord, surely loses it; while he who freely gives it all to others will always have abundance.ARSH November 9, 1897, page 712.9

“He shall glorify me: for he shall take of mine, and shall show it unto you.” “Freely ye have received, freely give.”ARSH November 9, 1897, page 712.10

“‘Whom the World Cannot Receive’” The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald 74, 45, pp. 712, 713.

“IF ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive.”ARSH November 9, 1897, page 712.1

The work, then, cannot receive the Spirit of God. Mark: the Word does not say that the world shall not receive the Spirit; it says that the world “cannot receive” him.ARSH November 9, 1897, page 712.2

It is not the statement of a penalty, or a judgment, visited upon the world, that it shall not receive the Holy Spirit; it is a statement of the simple truth of the nature of things, that it cannot receive him.ARSH November 9, 1897, page 712.3

It is the same as saying of a blind man that he cannot see. Of a blind man there would be a great difference between the Lord’s saying, He cannot see, and, He shall not see. For him to say of a blind man, He shall not see, would be a sentence fixed; whereas to say of him, He cannot see, would be but a simple statement of a truth already existing.ARSH November 9, 1897, page 712.4

Thus it is as to the world and the Holy Spirit; it is not a sentence fixed that the world shall not receive him; but the simple statement of a truth that already exists, and exists in the nature of things.ARSH November 9, 1897, page 712.5

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God. The world is not of God. The world, therefore, cannot receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.ARSH November 9, 1897, page 712.6

The world lieth in the wicked one. The Spirit of God is the Spirit of the Holy One. The two are at opposites. The world, therefore, cannot receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.ARSH November 9, 1897, page 712.7

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God. The world has another god—“the god of this world.” Therefore the world cannot receive the Spirit which is of God.ARSH November 9, 1897, page 712.8

The Holy Spirit sheds abroad the love of God. The love of the world is enmity with God. Therefore the world cannot receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.ARSH November 9, 1897, page 712.9

Thus it stands, in the very nature of things, in the very nature of the world itself, that the world cannot—simply cannot—receive the Holy Spirit. And so also he that is of the world cannot receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. He who loves the world; he who loves the things that are in the world and of the world; he who holds friendship with the world; he whose god is the god of the world,—he simply cannot receive the Spirit of God.ARSH November 9, 1897, page 712.10

But thank the Lord, Christ “gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world.” There is deliverance from the world, into the glorious liberty of the sons of God; men can be separated from the world unto God, and so can receive the Spirit of God. Of such it is said, “Ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.” “I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain.” “As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.... Receive ye the Holy Ghost.”ARSH November 9, 1897, page 712.11

Yet one—yes, the one—great trouble with so many professed Christians is that they are not entirely separated from the world. They still incline to the world, to the ways, the fashions, the wishes, and the things, of the world. And this hinders their receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit, because that Spirit “the world cannot receive.”ARSH November 9, 1897, page 712.12

“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God.” No one can have the Spirit of God while entertaining the spirit of the world. No one can have the Spirit of God and the spirit of the world at the same time. No one can be led by the Spirit of God and the spirit of the world both at the same time; for they lead in directly opposite directions.ARSH November 9, 1897, page 712.13

No one can receive the Holy Spirit while inclining to the world, to its ways, its fashions, or its wishes; for “the world cannot receive” him. No on can receive the Spirit which is of God while indulging the spirit of the world; for “the world cannot receive” him.ARSH November 9, 1897, page 712.14

It is like a child having his hands full of tinsel and toys. His father holds out to him a beautiful, most-needed, and invaluable gift. But as he is, the child cannot receive the precious gift. It matters not how much he may be pleased and charmed with it and want it, his hands are full already, and he simply cannot receive the offered and most-needed gift. Ah! but he can let go of the tinsel and the toys; he can empty his hands. Then he can receive the good gift that is offered to him.ARSH November 9, 1897, page 712.15

Thus it is with thousands of would-be Christians: the beautiful, most-needed, and invaluable gift of the Holy Spirit is freely offered to them; they are pleased and charmed with it; they “want it, O, so much!” they pray for it; they plead for it; they long for it;—but they cannot receive, simply cannot. And why?—Because their hearts and their hands are already full of the tinsel and the toys, the love and the lust, of the world, with the fashions, the wishes, the admiration, and the ways, of the world. Thus, however much they may want the Holy Spirit, and however fully and freely he may be given by the Father, they cannot receive him. Ah! but they can let go of the world, they can turn their backs upon it all, they can empty heart and hands of the tinsel and the toys; then they can receive the Holy Spirit, and the Lord himself will see to it that they shall.ARSH November 9, 1897, page 712.16

This is consecration: and it is the very thought of the Scripture. When David had prepared of his “own proper good,” and abundantly, for the building of the temple of the Lord, he said to all the people, “Who then is willing to consecrate his service this day unto the Lord?” 1 Chronicles 29:5. The margin gives the Hebrew expression for “consecrate his service,” and it is “fill his hand.” In these words the call reads, “Who then is willing to fill his hand this day unto the Lord?”ARSH November 9, 1897, page 713.1

No man can fill his hands unto the Lord, whose hands are already dull unto the world; but whosoever will empty his hands unto the world can easily fill them unto God. No one can fill his heart unto the Lord, whose heart is already full unto the world; but whosoever will empty his heart unto the world can easily fill it unto God. Yea, with all such, God himself will see to it that heart and hands shall be filled unto the Lord. “Because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts.”ARSH November 9, 1897, page 713.2

Do you want the gift of the Spirit of God? Do you want to be baptized with the Holy Ghost? Do you want to receive the Holy Spirit?—Yes, you do, “O so much!”ARSH November 9, 1897, page 713.3

Then are you of the world, so that you cannot receive him? Is your heart entertaining the spirit of the world, so that you cannot receive the Spirit which is of God? Are your hands full of the tinsel and the toys of the world, so that you cannot receive the Spirit of truth?ARSH November 9, 1897, page 713.4

Which do you choose—the spirit of the world, or the Spirit of God? You cannot have both: which will you take? Who, then, is willing to fill heart and hand this day unto the Lord? Who is willing, who will, who does, empty out heart and hand this day unto the world, that he may fill heart and hand this day unto God?ARSH November 9, 1897, page 713.5

“Receive ye the Holy Ghost,” “whom the world cannot receive.”ARSH November 9, 1897, page 713.6