When the Holy Ghost is Come | Page 7

in them. This is
fitly expressed in one of our songs:--
"Holy Spirit, come, Oh, come! Let Thy work in me be done! All that
hinders shall be thrown aside; Make me fit to be Thy dwelling."
Previous to Pentecost He was with them, using the searching preaching
of John the Baptist, and the life, the words, the example, the sufferings,
and the death and resurrection of Jesus as instruments with which to
fashion their hearts for His indwelling. As the truth was declared to
them in the words of Jesus, pictured to them in His doings, exemplified
in His daily life, and fulfilled in His death and His rising from the dead,
the Holy Spirit wrought mightily within them; but He could not yet find
perfect rest in their hearts; therefore He did not yet abide within them.
They had forsaken all to follow Christ. They had been commissioned to
preach the Gospel, to heal the sick, to cleanse the lepers, to raise the
dead, to cast out devils. Their names were written in Heaven. They
were not of the world, even as Jesus was not of the world, for they
belonged to Him and to the Father. They knew the Holy Spirit, for He
was with them, working in them, but not yet living in them, for they
were yet carnal; that is, they were selfish, each seeking the best place
for himself. They disputed among themselves as to which should be the
greatest. They were bigoted, wanting to call down fire from Heaven to
consume those who would not receive Jesus, and forbidding those who
would not follow them to cast out devils in His name. They were
positive and loud in their professions of devotion and loyalty to Jesus
when alone with Him. They declared they would die with Him. But
they were fearful, timid, and false to Him when the testing time came.
When the mocking crowd appeared, and danger was near, they all
forsook Him, and fled; while Peter cursed and swore, and denied that
he knew Him.
But the Holy Spirit did not forsake them. He still wrought within them,
and, no doubt, used their very mistakes and miserable failures to perfect
within them the spirit of humility and perfect self-abasement in order
that they might safely be exalted. And on the day of Pentecost His work
of preparation was complete, and He moved in to abide for ever.

Hallelujah!
And this experience of theirs before Pentecost is the common
experience of all true converts. Every child of God knows that the Holy
Spirit is with him; realises that He is working within, striving to set the
house in order. And with many who are properly taught and gladly
obedient, this work is done quickly, and the heavenly Dove, the
Blessed One, takes up his constant abode within them; the toil and
strife with inbred sin is ended by its destruction, and they enter at once
into the sabbath of full salvation.
Surely this is possible. The disciples could not receive the Holy Spirit
till Jesus was glorified; because not until then was the foundation for
perfect, intelligent, unwavering faith laid. But since the day of
Pentecost, He may be received immediately by those who have
repented of all sin, who have believed on Jesus, and been born again.
Some have assured me that they were sanctified wholly and filled with
the Spirit within a few hours of their conversion. I have no doubt that
this was so with many of the three thousand who were converted under
Peter's preaching on the day of Pentecost.
But often this work is slow, for He can only work effectually as we
work with Him, practising intelligent and obedient faith. Some days the
work prospers and seems almost complete, and then peace and joy and
comfort abound in the heart; at other times the work is hindered, and
oftentimes almost or quite undone, by the strivings and stirrings of
inbred sin, by fits of temper, by lightness and frivolity, by neglect of
watchfulness and prayer, and the patient, attentive study of His word;
by worldliness, by unholy ambitions, by jealousies and envyings, by
uncharitable suspicions and harsh judgments and selfish indulgences,
and slowness to believe.
"The flesh lusteth against the Spirit," seeks to bring the soul back under
the bondage of sin again, while the Spirit wars against the flesh, which
is "the old man," "the carnal mind." The Spirit seeks to bring every
thought into "captivity to the obedience of Christ," to lead the soul to
that point of glad, whole-hearted consecration to its Lord, and that
simple, perfect faith in the merits of His blood which shall enable Him
to cast out "the old man," destroy "the carnal mind," and, making the
heart His temple,