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THE KING’S" BUSINESS
the live coal upon his lips a mighty work of grace purged and thrilled his heart. Indeed he became a partaker of the Divine nature. “For our God is a consuming fire.” He sits as the refiner of His people. If any man' be in Christ Jesus, he is a new creature. This baptism of fire cannot be found upon any bargain counter but rather in the furnace of affliction. God seems com pelled to keep that furnace heated night and day in order that he may burn out the base metal from our hearts and lives and leave only the pure gold. Many years ago in one of the cities of Illinois a certain pastor seemed to have unusual power with God and with men. Many wondered because of it. They tried to explain it but they found it impossible to account for his unusual power by human measurements. It was not his learning, personality, language or delivery. There was an undercurrent of conviction in every sermon which seemed to bring men and women to God. When a friend of mine was conducting a meeting in that city the singer sang one of his own composi tions, “Blessed Jesus, Keep Me White.” The minister whom I have mentioned ran from the tent weeping, when the singer had proceeded' but a little way in the song. The next day when he sang the same hymn again, the same minister was unable to control his emotion and hurried from the tent, weeping as he went. My friend asked him why he could not bear to hear the song. He answered: PATHETIC SEQUEL “We had a( little boy in our home who was four years of age, as sweet a child as you ever saw. That song was his favorite. He sang it around the house day after day. We thought it was best for him to lie down about an hour every afternoon, whether he slept or not. One day he was on the lounge in my study when his mother came to have him go on an errand across the' street. He was. singing ‘Blessed Jesus, Keep Me White.’ He got up and started across to our neighbor’s home. He saw the street car coming up
unclean lips. He was accusing himself of associating with undesirable companions. The young people of our nation have suf fered irreparable injury because of foul associations. ASK ISAIAH '. His confession preceded his cleansing. If you are interested to know why he branded himself and his companions unclean, I will ask him. “Isaiah, I haye always considered you one of the best young men around this district. They speak well of you from Dan to Beersheba. There is no reason why you should feel, so bad about these little sins. A man must have some personal lib erty. Now tell me why you feel so unhappy and so dissatisfied with yourself and with the rest of us.” Isaiah answers: ' “Because mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.” O for a vision of the king, today. Could we see Him in His beauty, in His power, in His purity, I believe we would repent in sackcloth and ashes. If you see Him in His cleansing power you must confess and forsake your sins. Isaiah received the bap tism of fire. He says, “Then flew one of the seraphim to me having a live coal in his • hands which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar and he laid it upon my mouth.” I repeat, this fire-cleansing imme diately followed , his honest confession of his uncleanness. SPEAK RIGHT OUT If you would have, victory over sin, drag out your besetting sin before Almighty God and call it by name as Isaiah did. If you are a liar, say so. If you are an adul- - terer, say'so. If,you are profane, say so. If you are a gossipper, say so. Drag the deadly serpent from its hiding place and kill it with your confession. The seraphim placed a live coal upon his lips. If he was to speak God’s holy message his lips must be cleansed by fire. But lips of themselves cannot be unclean, spiritually speaking. “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth Speaketh.” The lips merely express and prove the purity or the rottenness of the heart itself. When the seraphim put
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