Scripture: "Wait for the promise of the Father.""Ye shall be baptised with the Holy Ghost not many days hence."—ACTS i. 4, 5.
After our Lord had given the great command: "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature." He again added another, His very last command: "Tarry till ye be endued with power from on high." "Wait for the promise of the Father." "Ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence."
All Christians agree that the great command to preach the Gospel to every creature was not only for the disciples, but is binding on us too. But all do not appear to consider that the very last command, not to preach until they had received the power from on high; is equally binding on us as it was on the disciples. The Church appears to have lost possession of that which ought to be to her a secret of secrets—the abiding consciousness, day by day, that it is only as she lives in the power of the Holy Spirit that she can preach the Gospel in demonstration of the Spirit and of power. It is owing to this that there is so much preaching and working with so little of spiritual result. It is owing to nothing but this that the universal complaint is heard that there is so little prayer, and specially that there is so little of that much-availing prayer that brings down the Power from on high on her ministrations.
In this book we desire to study the Secret of Pentecost as it is to be found in the words and the deeds of our blessed Master, and in the words and the deeds of His disciples as they took Him at His word, and continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, until the promise was fulfilled, and they became full of the Holy Ghost, and proved what the mighty power of their God could do through them.
Let us seek earnestly the grace of the Holy Spirit, who alone can Himself reveal to us what eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor hath .entered into the heart of man to conceive—the things which God hath done and loves to do for them that wait upon Him. Let us pray that the lost secret may be found—the sure promise that in answer to fervent prayer the power of the Holy Ghost will indeed be given.
