One or two thoughts suggested by what must have fallen solemnly on our attention this morning, in relation to the presence of the Spirit of God, and how far-allowing all grace and sovereignty of God in being for us and with us at the end, in spite of failures—still the thought of how far we are with God is solemn. I don’t think it takes away in the least from the blessed fact of His own goodness and grace, that rises beyond and above all failure and responsibility, but if it is true, and we do accept the fact, that we are really at the very end, at the last hour, on the very eve of the removal of the saints of God from the earth; then it is a solemn question, not only with respect to testimony, but with respect to other matters, it is on my heart to touch upon a little now, how far the place and power of God the Holy Ghost, is really owned in conscious communion with the thoughts of God, by His people at the present moment. Now it has been said, that no one would desire to weaken the blessed testimony of the Spirit of God in the 14th John, but, that the deficiency and feebleness is in not giving the Holy Ghost His place in the 15th and 16th. How far have we not lost one of the subjects of the testimony of the 14th. If I understand His testimony (chap, 14), it is this, that He associates us, places us in His own position, His own place before the Father. Now I think it is a wonderful thing how little sense there is of that in the hearts of the saints. Or take chapter 17, where, after laying the foundation in His Person and work, He associates us in all the blessedness that springs from it. “Thou hast loved them as thou hast loved me,” The knowledge of the Father’s love, it is wonderful if you have to do with the saints individually, in various places, and find out the condition in which the saints are individually, you find out how things are ecclesiastically. Now it is a wonderful thing how little it is known what it is to have to do with the Father. It is simply the knowledge of the Father’s love. How few there are that have the real sense, that they have the knowledge of the Father’s love, that they have a Father. There is no security without it. If I have not a Father in heaven, I must go to the world for help. Everything around that is planted, as it was said—when you are face to face with difficulties, difficulties in circumstances at home, in the Church of God. What little sense we have that we have a Father, and I believe if I must say it, it touched my own heart I honestly confess, if we have failed in giving the Holy Ghost His place before the world, we have positively lost the blessed consciousness which He would give us of our place before the Father. I would prefer that it came from some one more able to speak of it. But take another matter, we cannot blind ourselves to the fact of this, there are difficulties on every hand at the present moment. There is hardly a place where there are not difficulties of one kind and another. I feel, before the Lord, they meet us and prove the denial of this very thing. Is God the Holy Ghost looked to in connection with these difficulties as the power to meet them? It is not as to the question of the doctrine. The question is as to the application of the doctrine of the gospel. If God really does care for the glory of His Son, the glorified man, and if the Holy Ghost has come down here and fills the house as well as His important indwelling in the saints, and bearing witness to the glory of Christ, and conducting the interests of Christ at the present moment, then is it not a serious thing that when things arise that call for our divine judgment, that we are at sea and unable to act effectually in them. It is not that we deny the presence of God the Holy Ghost, but is there not a want in our souls of confidence in the resources of the living God outside all the resources of men? Consequently we make use of things we have got to our hand instead of being in the power of the Holy Ghost, and look at what comes out of it.
A thought here as to our mission. I think it was said here yesterday that God had a distinct mission for His people at the present moment. Now if there is such a thing in His mind, and who can doubt it, it should be before us as distinct and definite.
Have you and I the sense distinctly in our souls that the measure of our separation from the whole world under judgment at the present moment is no less a measure than the separateness of Christ from it. “As thou hast sent me,” &c. We are sent back into it, morally separated from it, as Christ was divinely. I said in my heart, when our brother was speaking this morning, who could maintain me in the distinctness, the definiteness of that position but God the Holy Ghost. Well if I look at the question of testimony, I think it is appalling. It is not that one would become morbid, no, thank God, God is for us. We can have all the power and strength of God being for us, but I say if it is true that we have failed, or are slipping away from that distinctness and separateness of mission and testimony, because we have not given God the Holy Ghost His place, I do not think we ought to say we can throw ourselves on God: of course we can, but the more sense we have of the unfailing resources of God, the more sense we must have of anything that may be inconsistent on our part.