And if we cannot strengthen our own souls no man can strengthen them for
us. No man can raise our bodies to life, much less can he raise our
souls. The physician himself cannot cure the sicknesses of our bodies;
he can only give us fit medicines, and leave them to cure us by certain
laws of nature, which he did not make, and which he cannot alter. And
though the physician can, by much learning, understand men’s bodies
somewhat, who can understand men’s souls? We cannot understand our own
souls; we do not know what they are, how they live; whence they come, or
whither they go. We cannot cure them ourselves, much less can anyone
cure them for us. The only one who can cure our souls is He that made
our souls; the only one who can give life to our souls is He who gives
life to everything. The only one who can cure, and strengthen, and
comfort our spirits, is He who understands our spirits, because He
himself is the Spirit of all spirits, the Spirit who searcheth all
things, even the deep things of God; because He is the Spirit of God the
Father, who made all heaven and earth, and of Jesus Christ the Son, who
understands the heart of man, who can be touched with the feelings of our
infirmities, and hath been tempted in all things, just as we are, yet
without sin.
He is the Comforter which God has promised to our spirits, the only
Comforter who can strengthen our spirits; and if we have Him with us, if
He is strengthening us, if He is leading us, if He is abiding with us, if
He is changing us day by day, more and more into the likeness of Jesus
Christ, are we not, as I said at the beginning of my sermon, richer than
if we possessed all the land of England, stronger than if we had all the
armies of the world at our command? For what is more precious than—God
Himself? What is stronger than—God Himself? The poorest man in whom
God’s Spirit dwells is greater than the greatest king in whom God’s
Spirit does not dwell. And so he will find in the day that he dies.
Then where will riches be, and power? The rich man will take none of
them away with him when he dieth, neither shall his pomp follow him.
Naked came he into this world, and naked shall he return out of it, to go
as he came, and carry with him none of the comforts which he thought in
this life the only ones worth having. But the Spirit of God remains with
us for ever; that treasure a man shall carry out of this world with him,
and keep to all eternity. That friend will never forsake him, for He is
the Spirit of Love, which abideth for ever. That Comforter will never
grow weak, for He is Himself the very eternal Lord and Giver of Life; and
the soul that is possessed by Him must live, must grow, must become
nobler, purer, freer, stronger, more loving, for ever and ever, as the
eternities roll by. That is what He will give you, my friends; that is
His treasure; that is the Spirit-life, the true and everlasting life,
which flows from Him as the stream flows from the fountain-head.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account