world; light descending from above into the human soul, creating law-givers, discoverers, prophets, teachers, oracles. That man can commune inwardly and directly with the unseen Gods, and be inspired by them, may be said to have been the almost universal faith of the human race, taught by the religions of India, Persia, China, Egypt, Greece, Rome, Scandinavia; by Zoroaster and Mohammed; and by all the savage tribes of Asia, Africa, America and the islands of the Pacific.

Christianity, then, promulgated no new doctrine in declaring that men might be inspired by the spirit of God so as to acquire insight, strength and love from within the depths of the soul. That had been universally believed before. But Christianity, in its doctrine of the Holy Spirit, differed from all other religions as to the nature and conditions of this inspiration.

1. Christianity differs from all other religions, in maintaining the universality of this influence. Other religions, so far as I know, have limited inspiration, either to a few select souls, as prophets and saints; or, secondly, to some select class, as priests; or, thirdly, to those who sought it by seclusion, by meditation, by solitary prayer, by self-denial, going apart into caves and cells to macerate the body by starvation and asceticism.

The Jews, Greeks, and Romans believed in prophets raised up and specially sent as seers and reformers. The Egyptians and Brahmins believed in an inspired priesthood, or caste, especially holy. The Buddhists, the New Platonists, and others, believed in attaining communion with God by intense meditation, shutting out the world, and forgetting the very existence of body.

But on the day of Pentecost, in the first words which Peter said, he declared that the prophecy of Joel was fulfilled-" It shall come to pass, in the last days, saith the

Lord, that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh, and your sons and daughters shall prophesy." Accordingly, through the Book of Acts, and in all the Epistles, we find that wherever the gospel was preached, all were told that they were to receive the Holy Spirit. "By one spirit," says Paul, " we have all been baptized into one body, whether we be Greeks or Jews, slaves or freemen; and we have all drank of the same spirit." All Christians were regarded as receiving this spiritual influence. Cesarea to visit the Centurion, Cornelius, and told Cornelius and his friends about Christ and the pardoning love of God, there came a powerful spiritual impression on all in the room. They seemed to be Romans, but they were all deeply moved; and so Peter baptized them with water, because, as he said, they had already been baptized by the Holy Ghost.

When Peter went to

It is nowhere stated in the New Testament that only the apostles and preachers were inspired. All Christians were inspired; but their inspiration showed itself in different ways. It inspired some of them with knowledge, helping them to a clear sight of truth. It inspired some of them with wisdom, helping them to see what was the best thing to be done in any emergency. It inspired some of them with faith, enabling them to feel the presence and love of God amid bereavement, loneliness, bitter disappointment and sharp trial. It inspired some of them to be good physicians, tender and careful nurses of the sick. If they saw a man or a woman who had a gift of healing, they said, "She is inspired by the Holy Ghost to heal disease, as the Apostle Paul is inspired to preach." When we see such a noble and wonderful woman as the dear friend who has

*

lately left us; so tender, so wise, so firm, so skilful, so

* Dr. Susan Dimock, lost in the Schiller.

modest, so strong, we trace it back to something in her organization or education. The disciples of Jesus would have said, "Susan Dimock is inspired by the Holy Ghost with a gift of healing," and I think their explanation would probably be as correct as ours. Do you not suppose that the Lord put into that young heart some deep spiritual strength and wisdom? It seems to me quite rational to think so.

Gifts were special, but the inspiration was universal; one and the same for all, from the lowest to the highest. God was in every heart in this happy community of brothers. and sisters.

But, after a while, the Ethnic idea of inspiration was imported into Christianity, and then people thought they would make themselves saints by living in caves and eating roots, by living on the tops of columns or by becoming martyrs. Then it was supposed that God selected some Christians to be saints, and inspired them, and made them a sort of aristocracy in the Church. But, at first, all were saints, and no one was called so. There are no such titles in the New Testament as St. Matthew and Mark, St. Peter and St. Paul; all that has been put in since. Paul and Peter were no more saints than the humblest member in the church, and they seem to me to be degraded by such titles. The only titles in the early church were brother and sister.

This, therefore, is one of the characters of the true Christian doctrine of divine influence, that God's influence comes to all of us whenever we wish for it. This is what

Jesus says: "If a hungry child asks his father and mother for bread, will they give him a stone? No! Do you think, then, that if any of you ask God for power to do right and be right, he will not give it to you? So certain it is that God will give his holy spirit to them who ask him."

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2. According to the New Testament, the divine influence is not only universal, but it is continuous, constant, an everflowing stream, descending into every open soul. It is not only for all men, but it is at all times.

The Ethnic view of divine influence makes it arbitrary, occasional, intermittent; sometimes coming, then going away. This Ethnic view has also been imported into Christianity.

The whole modern system of revivals rests on the notion that God is specially present at certain times and places; that he comes to London or Boston with some revival preacher; that he is nearer to us at some times than at others. Father Taylor told me that he once went into a church in Boston where a revival was going on, and heard the minister say, "The Lord is in Boston now; Jesus is here to-night; he may go away to-morrow; beware lest you lose this opportunity." Father Taylor, who never feared the face of mortal man, rose in his place and said, "Brethren, that is not my Jesus; my Jesus is always here. He does not come or go. Do not believe that he can ever leave you or forsake you."

Undoubtedly there are seasons when the human heart is more tender, more susceptible, more open to divine influence, than at other times. So in this opening season of the year, the seeds and buds are more susceptible to the influence of the sun. The buds are swelling by millions on the trees; every day they become a little larger; presently they open into delicate, soft leaflets; then they hang out their pretty forms more and more unfolded. Some immense force is pushing them from within, and attracting them from without. The small plants in the sick girl's window in some narrow city lane feels the same influence; the weeds and grasses over ten thousand miles of latitude feel the influence. Every twenty-four hours swells this

tide of vegetable life which flows in upon us like the

ocean.

Thus, too, there are doubtless Spring seasons in the human soul, when we are more susceptible to divine influence than at other times. God is not necessarily nearer than at other times, but our hearts are turned more towards him. The sun is no nearer to the earth now than it was in winter; indeed, it is really further off; but the earth has turned up towards it, so that in these northern latitudes we receive his rays more directly. So, on the day of Pentecost, the souls of the disciples, saddened by the loss of their mighty friend, and comforted by communion with him after his resurrection, were so turned up towards God as to be able to receive more fully that divine influence. In this way God sends seasons of refreshment and revival, and makes one age more full of divine life than another. But it is a relapse into Paganism to suppose that God gives his influence at one time and withholds it at another according to any arbitrary rule, or that he ever really goes away from us. This is the view which the prophet Elijah ridiculed, when the priests of Baal cried and shouted to their God from morning to evening, saying, “O! Baal, hear us!" "Cry aloud," said Elijah ; " perhaps he has gone on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened." But Jesus says, "I and my Father will come and make our abode with him."

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3. A third peculiarity of the Christian v'ew of divine influence is, that it considers inspiration as natural, rational and practical.

It is rational. It does not come to confuse the mind, but to give it more insight, deeper knowledge. Part of our knowledge comes to us from the outward world by observation; but another part, and often the best part, comes to us from within, by intuition.