right around them they think
good. Abraham was long-sighted; he had glimpses of the celestial city.
Moses was long-sighted, and he left the palaces of Egypt and
identified himself with God's people--poor people, who were slaves;
but he had something in view yonder; he could see something God had in
store. Again there are some people who are sort of long-sighted and
shortsighted, too. I have a friend who has one eye that is long-sighted
and the other is short-sighted; and I think the Church is full of this
kind of people. They want one eye for the world and the other for the
Kingdom of God. Therefore, everything, is blurred, one eye is long and
the other is short, all is confusion, and they "see men as trees
walking." The Church is filled with that sort of people. But Stephen
was long-sighted; he looked clear into heaven; they couldn't convince
him even when he was dying, that Christ had not ascended to heaven.
"Look, look yonder," he says, "see Him over there; He is on the throne,
standing at the right hand of God;" and he looked clear into heaven;
the world had no temptation for him; he had put the world under his feet.
Paul was another of those long-sighted men; he had been caught up and
seen things unlawful for him to utter; things grand and glorious. I tell
you when the Spirit of God is on us the world looks very empty; the
world has a very small hold upon us, and we begin to let go our hold of
it. When the Spirit of God is on us we will just let go the things of
time and lay hold of things eternal. This is the Church's need to-day;
we want the Spirit to come in mighty power, and consume all the vile
dross there is in us. Oh! that the Spirit of fire may come down and
burn everything in us that is contrary to God's blessed Word and Will.
In John xiv, 16, we read of the Comforter. This is the first time He
is spoken of as the Comforter. Christ had been their Comforter. God
had sent Him to comfort the sorrowing. It was prophesied of Him, "The
Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He hath anointed me to preach
the Gospel to the poor; He has sent me to heal the broken-hearted."
You can't heal the brokenhearted without the Comforter; but the world
would not have the first Comforter, and so they rose up and took Him
to Calvary and put him to death; but on going away He said, "I will
send you another Comforter; you shall not be comfortless; be of good
cheer, little flock; it is the Father's good pleasure to give you the
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