Honolulu Republican, Volume IV, Number 502, 21 January 1902 — MINISTERS'UNION HAS A MEETING [ARTICLE]

MINISTERS'UNION HAS A MEETING

Rev. E. S. Suckle? Reads Paper Od “Advent of the Holy Spirit." BEV. MB. SCUDDED GIVES ADDRESS W. D WESTERVELT SPEAKS ON THE COWING ANTi-SALOON LEAGUE CONVENTION. Many of Honolulu's Clergy Present at Yesterday's Meeting—Visiting Minister Stultr. From the Philippines. Deliver a Short Address and Answers Many Questions. There was a meeting of the Ministerial Union of this city yesterday morning at 10 o'clock. R:v. E. S. Muckley of the Christian Church r*ad a paper on “The Advent of the Huiy Spirit." After the discussion of the ques tinn of the Advent of the Holy Spirit upon earth to take up His abode in the church as a permanent influence and power in the church, the speaker i took up the question of the time 1 when, and conditions upon which the gift of the Holy Spirit is received j by the individual coming to Christ, j as follows: Conditions of the Gift. “And, now. as briefly as possible, what are tne conditions upon which the individual may receive the gift i of the Holy Spirit? Is there a definite tim- at which the Holy Spirit takes up his abode in thejndividual? t Or is it a matter of uncertainty? If ; there are conditions, are these con- , ditions made plain 0 I "Peter said in Acts 5:32. ‘And we ! are witnesses of these tilings; and i so is also the Hedy Ghost whom God 1 hath given to them that obey him.’ On what authority did Peter assert , th s? Jesus had taught him that .fact. He said: Tf ye love me keep , my commandments. And I will pray the Father. anil he shall give you an i other Comforter ‘ And when one of 1 the disciples wondered how Christ would manifest himself unto them and ] not unto the world. Ho replied: ’if I a man love me he will keep mv words: and my Father will love him I and wo will come unto him and make cur abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings.' "From this teaching of Christ Pe- V ter learned that obedience resulting trom a sincere love was a necessary qualification to the reception of the. Holy Spirit. But this is natural, for i God has always honored the obedient and dishonored the disobedient, for disobedience is rebellion and God cannot brook rebellion nor bless the rebellious. So God's whole scheme of redemption is planned with the object in view of overcoming rcbelI.on in order that His great heart may pour out blessings. The blessing' of the Holy Spirit, therefore, i inform us. Both who and what must j be obeyed? Obey the Commandments. At the transfiguration the voice, . ut of the cloud said: 'This is my i beloved Son, in whom I am well j. leased; hear ye him.' Christ then is our authority. In that ever glori rus and prescious discourse of comfort and assurance the night before his crnciflction He repeatedly asserts the necessity of obeying his commandments. and keeping his words. (Conspicuously John 14:15, 21. 23, 24; 15. 10). And in giving the commission he told his disciples that all au thority had been given unto nim. So ther is no question as to yhom we an to yield obedience. But obedience implies law as well as a lawgiver and definite, clear law at that, law that ~ not ambiguous: for law that can bo r ad and fairly understood, from : it- i onstrnctioo. in more senses than one. is invalid and becomes inoperaj live. i “It is logical, therefore, to assume .that Christ gave a definite slat-ment of the t~rms and conditions of salvation. 1.-t us observe, therefore, teat becoming a Christian is n t a ylekl ing to a mere impulse, nor the re- ; .ivieg cf a mere sentiment, nor the . xpenencing cf a mere emotion, but the loyal. hearty, joyous obedience t<> the commandments of one who has ■ -er chosen a- master For b w < Is- can we know we have become Christians "If Chris: did not clearly slate the terms of acceptance with him, if he did not clearly at at-- the conditions ip n which we would be forgiven and become th- reby qualified to receive I; the Holv Spirit which Is'not given to ur.forgiren persons, he was n t a good law-maker and there is no such | thing as a revelatiofi Got made known his will to man. through j Christ, in unmistakable terms. Othi erwise no one could be held responsi | Me if he failed to do God's will. A !lc mmandment. therefore. Is not sub- , jeet to interpretation in the sense ; that obscure passages are. but is something to b? obeyed for if it rteds interpreting it connot have the

force of a commandment AH the ntiais to salvation most be made clear or God is r sponsible for erery kit scuL Who Is To Be Obeyed. ■'What, therefore, is to be obeyed in corn, a g to Christ? I am neither qualified nor authorized to say th- refcre I go to the Word. . “Tae record says ‘Ali authority hath been given auto m in heaven end in earth Go ye. therefore, and make disciples of ail nations, baptizing th- m into the aam- of the Father and of the Son and of the Hoty Spir;’ teaching th*-m to ohs* rve ali things whatsoever I commanded yea; and 10. I am with you always, ev~n onto the end of the world.' "In Mark w have; *Co y- into all the world and preach the g spel lo the whole creation. He that be-li-veth and is baptized >hai! be Saved; but he that disbelieveth shall be condemned.' Luke- records as fob, lows: Thus it is written that the j Christ should suffer, and rise again from the deal the third day; and that repentance and remission of sics should be preached in his name unto | all the nations, beginning from Jem-' salt m ' (Quoted from the Revised j Version.) “Three conditions of salvation are clearly stated in these quotations from the commission, as recorded in the synoptic gospels, to be Faith. Repentance and Baptism. Faith in Christ is produced b> preaching Christ and him crucified. This faith leads to repentance and the penitent believer is indisputably a proper subject for baptism, that is. for an expression of his faith in an overt act of obedience; for no one can claim to believe in Christ, and to have sub mined to Christ who will not obey a clear command of Christ's when he learns what that command is. “So. then, these conditions are the most natural we could expect, and in no sense unreasonable, after Christ bad determined that baptism should be the overt act of obedience. Law can be briefly defined a 'rule of ae tion.' In these conditions we have the Law by which people become Christians, the law in obedience to which a man brines himself to the point where God can formally remit sins and give him the Holy Spirit to abide in him; for the blessed Paraclete cannot b* given before sins are forgiven. And. naturally enough, Peter so understood Christ’s commission: for in Id? Pentecostal sermon, the very first sermon preached after Christ's ascension, he recognized and taught the very conditions stated in the scriptures adduced, from which w - e gather these conditions. Peter's sermon was designed to produce faith in those who had participated in and i consented to the death of Christ, designed to bring them to believe in this Christ by establishing the fa-1 of his Messiahship. The sermon pro- ( dueed the desired and designed effect, for ‘when they heard this, they were pricked in their hearts, and said unto Peter and the rest of tho apostles: ‘‘‘Men and brethren, wnat shall we do?' (Acts 2:371. Peter regarded this question as an evidence of then faith, for in his reply to this great question he. did not tell them to believe as was told the Philippine jailor. but in perfect harmony with the great commission that he had heard from his risen Master’s lips just ten days before, and under the power and direction of the Holy Spirit, he replied; 'Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.' ” Work in Philippines. The reading of this paper was followed by a free discussion in which a number of those present took part. Rev. Home r C. Stuntz. a Methodist clergyman who is the superintendent 01 the Methodist Mission work in the Philippines, gave a short address on these islands and answered a number of question put to him by his hearers concerning the conditions there. Rev. Mr. Scndder. who is on his way to Japan to take up work in the missionary field there, was intro dueed and Rev. W. D- 0 JjFestervelt spoke in behalf of the Anti-Saloon L ague, especially with regard to the coming temperance conference of representatives of all the different nationalities here. He also gave an cutline of the work done In the past and stated that the outlook was very bright indeed. The .following were present at the tr--ting; Rev. W. D. Westervelt. Rev E S Muckley. Rev. W M Kincaid, Rev. J I’. Erdman. Rev. J- J. Waldron. Rev. W P Rice. Rev. H Binghtm, Pr. Sen-no E Bi-hop. Rev O. HJ Gulick. Rev. Mr StuJder. Rev. O. P. Emerson. Rev Mr. Pear - i Rev. H C Stuntz Rev A O. Henshaw, Rev. Mr, Riley. R.-v. L. ! H.w< Rm \ V Soared. Secretary f the Y M C A H C Brown cr ; Major Wood