men’s hearts.  They could go nowhere—­in Jerusalem, Judaea, Samaria, or the uttermost parts of the earth—­where the gracious ministries of the Spirit had not preceded them.  He, the Paraclete, was not only with them, their “strong-siding Champion,” He was in the world also, in the hearts even of them who set themselves most stoutly against the Lord and against His Anointed, subduing their rebelliousness and reconciling them to God.  We who teach and preach to-day, do we think of these things as we ought?  Does not our message sometimes win a response which is at once a surprise and a rebuke to us?  We knew that the seed which we cast into the ground was the word of God; but the soil seemed so poor and thin we scarce had looked for any harvest; yet the seed sprang up and grew, we knew not how.  We had forgotten that over all that wide field which is the world the Divine Husbandman is ever at work, at work while men sleep, breaking up the fallow ground, and making ready the soil for the seed.  We need to learn to count more on God, to grasp more fully the glorious breadth of promise which He has given us in His Spirit, to remember that, not only in the Church, but in the world—­which is His world—­that Spirit is always present to testify of God, to convict men of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment.

And yet, while we encourage ourselves with thoughts like these, we dare not forget that men may resist, they may grieve, they may quench the Holy Spirit.  He is grieved whensoever He is resisted; He may be resisted until He is quenched.  It was Christ Himself who spoke of a sin against the Holy Spirit which “hath never forgiveness.”  Is there any more painful, perplexing, and yet more certain fact in life than this, that man can resist God?  Is there any that has bound up with it more terrible and inevitable issues?  “Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears,” cried the martyr Stephen to his judges, “ye do always resist the Holy Ghost:  as your fathers did, so do ye.”  And the end for their fathers and for them we know.  Wherefore the Holy Spirit saith:  “To-day, if ye shall hear His voice, harden not your hearts.”

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CONCERNING THE KINGDOM OF GOD

     “The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but
     righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.”—­ST. PAUL.

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VI

CONCERNING THE KINGDOM OF GOD

     “Thy kingdom come.  Thy will be done, as in heaven, so on
     earth.”—­MATT. vi. 10.

I