T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S He it is who inspired the sacred writers of the Old and New Testaments: this is God’s prerogative; but to adduce one Scripture out of many, “ Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” He it is who anoints the Incarnate Word. The might in which the man Christ Jesus acted is ever represented in Scripture as the might of God. That might is the power of the Holy Ghost: for, “ The Fatner giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.” And lastly, He it is who guides and governs the Universal Church. For proof of this, I need but again refer to the record of His jurisdiction as con tained in the Acts of the Apostles. He distributes gifts severally to every man as He wills. He ordains ministers.. He shuts the door and no man opens it. He opens, and no man shuts. He rules as Master and Lord in the house of God which is the Church of the living God. Seeing then that the Holy Spirit is the Creator of heaven and earth, that He holds the issues of life and death in His hands, that He is the Author and Finisher of spiritual life, that He in spired the sacred writers of the Old and New Testaments, that He anoints the Incarnate Word, and that He guides and governs the universal Church; we acknowledge that these are the operations of God alone, and that He who performs them can be none other than of the Godhead. THE POWER OF UNITED PRAYER “ If two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that ye shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.” —Matt. 18:19. THIS is a lesson on joint supplication. The key-word is agree, that is, symphonise. The word itself is a whole revelation. Symphony is not an arbitrary or acciden tal agreement: it obeys a law that is
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unalterable—the law of the chord. No symphony can be produced between notes which are not in harmony. A careless touch on an instrument may work not harmony, but horrible discord. The musi cian intelligently, instinctively strikes keys which are in accord. The symphony of believing suppliants is not any mere covenanted agreement, unless that agreement is itself the result of the Spirit’s work in bringing disciples into accord with Himself and so with each other. We are to conceive the entire body of disciples as the key-board of a vast instrument—and the Holy Spirit as the Divine Musician, laying His artist hand on two or more keys, tuned to the pitch of the instrument, and prepared to sound a perfect chord! You and I cannot agree in this sense as touching what we ask, except so far as we first agree with Him, so that our prayer is the expression of His will. Symphony with the Spirit is the basis of symphony with the disciples. Thus He may move upon hearts physically separated, but united by spiritual proximi ty. When the secrets of many hearts are revealed, we shall undoubtedly find that praying souls, far separated and often unknown to each other, have been led of the Spirit to pray for like things, at the same time, and with a degree of accord which can be explained only by His holy moving. What boundless avenues of suggestions and possible power this lesson on sym phony opens up! How it illuminates oui Lord’s words about that joint prayer foi the harvest-field, and the divine thrusting forth of labourers into its wide vacancies which is the one sovereign remedy for al the world’s need. Prayer is the soul and secret of every grandest form of service. The lost art, ir the department of work for God, is th< art of prevailing prayer. Now and ther only do we see men and women who seen to have recovered the lost secret, withou' which our power is always prevented ant often paralysed!—A. T. Pierson.
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