The Elevation of the Spirit

s And the Spirit entered into me and set me upon my feet, that 1 heard him that spake unto me.” — EZEK, ii. 2,

I will not hear the words of Him that

== speaks to me if my soul is grovelling in the dust. Before I can hear Him the Spirit must set me on my feet, must cause me to stand upright, must impress me with the dignity of being a man. Consider, my soul, when is it that thou hearest most clearly the voice of duty? Is it not when thou art most conscious of thine own responsibility, most alive to thine own deathless greatness? It is when thou standest on thy feet in the sense of immortality that thou art most inspired by the message of revelation. Before all things the Spirit must lift thee up, raise thee into the level of the sunbeams. It is in vain that the mirror exists in the room if it is lying on its face; the sunbeams cannot reach it until its face is upturned to them. Even so is it with thee, my soul. Heaven. lies about thee not only in thine infancy, but at all times. But it is not enough that a place is prepared for thee; thou must be prepared for the place. It is not enough that thy light has come; thou as the Prophet says must arise thyself and shine. No outward shining can reveal unless thou art thyself a reflector of its glory. Nature cannot charm thee if thou art not already happy. Society cannot delight thee if thou art not already social. Goodness cannot gladden thee if thou art not already good. If thou wouldst see thy Father running to meet thee, thou must first say within thyself, “I will arise and go to my Father.” What thy Father runs to meet is thy separation, thy want, thy need. He comes to thee because thou canst not live without Him, and the moment thou feelest that thou canst not. He waits until thou art dissatisfied with the swine-husks, until thou art weary of riotous living, until thou hast lifted thine eyes out of the miry clay; and then He flies to greet thee with the ring and the robe. When the Spirit has set thee on thy feet thou shalt hear the words of thy Father.