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April 14, 1909. THE PRESBYTERIA
YE SHALL BE WITNESSES UNTO ME.
Acts, 1:8.
By Mr. Wm. Laurie Hill.
It was not until the disciples had received power, after
the Holy Ghost came upon them, that they were to fulfill
their promised destiny as witness-bearers for Jesus.
In the upper room in Jerusalem had gathered the
fieble. few, affrighted sheep that had scattered at beholding
the terrors of that crucifixion scene. We do not
doubt that the agonizing ninth hour cry of the Master,
"My God! My God! why hast thou fotsaken me?" was
still ringing in their ears, and their hearts were sore
and despondent. It was In this hour of darkness and
gloomy doubts that the Master came into their midst
in his glorious resurrection body, and (after a brief forty
days' sojourn) leading them out toward the home of
Mary and Martha, plainly to be seen in the distance, he
gives them his last commands and promises, and from
()livet he ascended to the Father in glory and hath prepared
for his faithful ones their ever abiding home.
His command was, "Depart not from*Jerusalem, but
wait for the promise of the Father, which ye have heard
of me."
His Promise Was?
"Ye shall receive power after the Holy Ghost is come
upon you: and ye shall he witnesses unto me both in
. Jerusalem and in all Judea and in Samaria."
Did it stop there? Nay. but "unto the uttermost
parts of the earth." He gave yet another promise that
rings down the ages and cheers the hearts of our
twentieth century witnesses. Mathew makes this record,
chapter 28:20. "And lo, T am with you alwav, even
unto the end of the world."
The Command is Glorious.
"Go preach!" The other command, "Wait at Jerusalem,"
was hard to obey. With so much to be done,
waiting doubtless seemed to sonic r?f ?
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pccially impetuous Peter, a poor way to accomplish
anything. But while they were waiting they held that
ten days' prayer-meeting, and lo! the Holy Spirit (according
to promise), descended with tremendous power,
and the growth of that infant church was startling to
the faith even of the chosen disciples.
The energizing power of the Holy Spirit is the great
motor of a living Church. Nearly twenty centuries have
passed and the growth of Christianity has not been in
the ratio established at Pentecost, just because the
witnesses have failed to bear such witness as did the
apostles in those early days.
One sermon nreached hv ? T,~i ?
, v...^ u?v,Mi.u..iS rcier
was the means of converting three thousand souls, and
the young church had "daily added to it of such as shall
he saved."
The Forward Movement.
This wonderful awakening in our day had its origin
not so much among the ministry as among the laymen
of the Church. Thousands of professing Christians, all
over our own and and other lands, are now awake to
the mighty truth, "Ye shall he witnesses unto me."
Every member of the body of Christ is a witness for
Christ. If not, he or she is like a dead limb clinging to
a live body.
i . ' '
N OF THE SOUTH. 9
We are having in this twentieth century a wonderful
reproduction of that scene in "The Valley of Vision."
Ezekiel, chapter 37.
The prophet sees in the valley the earth strewn with
dead men's bones, and he says "they were very dry."
The question comes to the prophet, "Son of Man, can
these bones live?" And I answered. "O Lord, thou
knowest." Again came the words. "Prophesy upon
these bones and say unto them. O ye dry bones hear
the word of the Lord." Thus saith the Lord God unto
these bones, "Behold. I will cause breath to enter into
you and ye shall live."
And as the oronhet watrhps thp tmnfifnnnitinri
lie sees bone come to bone, and sinews and flesh cover
the bones, "but there was no breath in them." Then
came the message, "Prophesy unto the wind: thus saith
the Lord Come from the four winds, O breath, and
breathe upon these slain that they may live;" "and they
stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army."
Brethren of the twentieth century, is not this but a
picture, over twenty-five hundred years old of our beloved
Church?
We have been asleep all these years, and while we have
slept millions of human souls have passed into eternity
to whom we have failed to tell about the wonderful
Storv of redeem intr Inve
s - ^ ? ?
We do thank God that the Holy Spirit has at last
aroused from slumber a mighty host that will not fail
to stand forth and witness for Jesus Christ. The recent
meeting at Birmingham of the laymen and the ministry
of the Southern Presbyterian Church, the meetings being
held by Christian men of all denominations throughout
the world, are the advance guard of a mighty army
that shall bear the white banner of the cross to the ends
of the earth, "Conquering and to conquer." for King
Immanuel.
"Waft, waft ye winds his story,
And you, ye waters roll,
Till like a sea of eflorv,
It spreads from pole to pole;
Till o'er our ransomed nature.
The Lamb for sinners slain.
Redeemer, King, Creator.
In bliss returns to reign!"
Floral Manse, N. C.
SOWING AND REAPING.
There was .a year in the little church at Blantyre
when but one convert was welcomed to the Lord's
table, but that lad was David Livingstone; and as he
was sown in the soil of his much loved Africa, he has
become the seed germ of that mighty ingathering of
souls which is being garnered into the heavenly store
nouse.
A young Sunday school teacher, a poor seamstress,
one Sunday gave to a rough street Arab a shilling to
induce him to go to a Sunday school. That boy, Amos
Sutton, was converted, went to work as a missionary
tmong the Telugus, and after twenty-five years, ten
thousand converts were won in a single year.?Examiner.