under the dispensation of the Holy Spirit, the “Guide and Comforter” that was promised, even though it has blindly and from time to time rejected the guidance and therefore known not the comfort.  The Old Law of “Thou shalt not” was followed by the New Law of “Thou shalt,” and this in turn by the law of the third Person of the Trinity which does not supersede the dispensations of the Father and of the Son, but fulfills them in that it affords the spiritual power, if we will, to abide by the inhibitions and to carry out the commands.

Our search is for peace, the Great Peace, “the Peace of God which passeth all understanding,” and we shall achieve this for ourselves and for the world only through ourselves as individuals, and so for the society of which we are a part, and in so far as we bring ourselves into contact with the Spirit of God.  There is deep significance in the fact that the first time Christ used the salutation “Peace be unto you,” was after His resurrection.  It would seem that this special gift of the Holy Spirit had to be withheld from man until after the human life of God the Son had been brought to an end in accomplishment, for He says “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you:  not as the world giveth give I unto you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”  “It is expedient for you that I go away; for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you:  but if I depart I will send Him unto you.  When He, the Spirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth.”  “Ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you.”

It is the spirit that quickeneth.  After God had revealed the Law and given to us the great redeeming and atoning Life, He saw that we had need of a further manifestation before we should be able to keep the law and live the life.  Therefore the Holy Spirit was sent to quicken us and give us power to do what we had both heard and seen.  Today we accept the moral law, we recognize the perfection of Chirst’s life, but we need to be reminded again that the power to be “sons of God” is present with us if we will but use it.  As this power is a spirit it can only be apprehended spiritually; when our minds and hearts are set on material things, even on good material things, the “still small voice” of the spirit remains unheard:  but if we listen first to that inward voice and then use the means of grace afforded us, we are enabled to lift up our hearts and minds to the Creator and then to use in His service all the material universe which is also His creation.  We can not get a right philosophy by working for right philosophy, but only by living in the right relationship as individuals:  then as a by-product of religion a right philosophy will come.  We can not get a right industrial system by searching for a right industrial system, but if we show forth in our lives the Christian virtues, a right industrial system will come as one of the by-products of religion.  So with each one of our