When the Holy Ghost is Come | Page 9

and "while Peter yet spake these

words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word"; and in
Acts xv. 7-9, at the first Council in Jerusalem, we have Peter's rehearsal
of the experience of Cornelius and his household. Peter says: "Men and
brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among
us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the Gospel,
and believe. And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness,
giving them the Holy Ghost, even as He did unto us; and put no
difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith." Here
we see that their believing, and the sudden descent of the Holy Ghost
with cleansing power into their hearts, constitute one blessed
experience.
What patient, waiting, expectant faith reckons done, the baptism with
the Holy Ghost actually accomplishes. Between the act of faith by
which a man begins to reckon himself "dead indeed unto sin, but alive
unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans vi. 11), and the act
of the Holy Spirit, which makes the reckoning good, there may be an
interval of time, "a little while" (Hebrews x. 37); but the act and state of
steadfastly, patiently, joyously, perfectly believing, which is man's part,
and the act of baptising with the Holy Ghost, cleansing as by fire,
which is God's part, bring about the one experience of entire
sanctification, and must not and cannot be logically looked upon as two
distinct blessings, any more than the act of the husband and the act of
the wife can be separated in the one experience of marriage.
There are two works and two workers: God and man. Just as my right
arm and my left arm work when my two hands come together, but the
union of the two hands constitute one experience.
If my left arm acts quickly, my right arm will surely respond. And so, if
the soul, renouncing self and sin and the world, with ardour of faith in
the precious blood for cleansing, and in the promise of the gift of the
Holy Spirit, draws nigh to God, God will draw nigh to that soul, and
the blessed union will be effected suddenly: and in that instant, what
faith has reckoned done will be done, the death-stroke will be given to
"the old man," sin will die, and the heart will be clean indeed, and
wholly alive toward God through our Lord Jesus Christ. It will not be a
mere "make-believe" experience, but a gloriously real one.
It is possible that some have been led into confusion of thought on this
subject by not considering all the Scriptures bearing on it. What is it

that cleanses or sanctifies, and how? Jesus prays: "Sanctify them
through Thy truth: Thy word is truth." Here it is the word, or truth, that
sanctifies.
John says: "The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all
sin." Here it is the blood.
Peter says: "God...put no difference between us and them, purifying
their hearts by faith." And Paul says: "That they may receive
forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified
by faith." Here it is by faith.
Again, Paul writes: "God hath from the beginning chosen you to
salvation through sanctification of the Spirit" (2 Thess. ii. 13). And
again, "That the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being
sanctified by the Holy Ghost" (Romans xv. 16). And Peter writes: "To
the strangers... elect... through sanctification of the Spirit" (1 Peter i. I,
2). Here it is the Spirit that sanctifies or makes clean and holy.
Is there, then, confusion here? Jesus says, "the truth"; John says, "the
blood"; Paul and Peter say, "faith," and "the Holy Ghost." Can these be
reconciled? Let us see.
Here is a child in a burning house. A man at the peril of his life rushes
to the spot above which the child stands in awful danger, and cries out,
"Jump, and I will catch you!"
The child hears, believes, leaps, and the man receives him; but just as
he turns and places the boy in safety, a falling timber smites him to the
ground wounded to death, and his flowing blood sprinkles the boy
whom he has saved.
A breathless spectator says: "The child's faith saved him." Another says:
"How quick the lad was! His courageous leap saved him." Another says:
"Bless the child! He was in awful danger, and he just barely saved
himself." Another says: "That man's word just reached the boy's ear in
the nick of time, and saved him." Another says: "God bless that man!
He saved that child." And yet another says: "That boy was saved by
blood; by the sacrifice of that heroic man!"