The Spirit's Recognition of Christ
No man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost, ’ — 1 Cor, xii, 3,
Thi me HE thought is a beautiful one. Paul yi teéy says that all worship is participation
: in that. which we adore. And verily he is right. Worship is the homage of the heart, and the heart can only pay homage to that which is already in it. If I admire the beauties of Shakespeare I must be myself a Shakespeare. However much I acknowledge his lordship over me I can only do so by reason of a kindred spirit; the light which shows him to be above me is his own light in me. I may be a mute inglorious poet; I may never be able to write a line in my life; never fit to give forth one note of song. But if my heart has thrilled to the accents of the Swan of Avon, if my soul has bowed down before the majesty of that which it instantaneously feels but could never have expressed, I have already the clear and certain evidence that the germ of the same genius sleeps in me.
My soul, art thou seeking a test of whether thou hast the Spirit of Christ? Art thou desirous to know whether the life that dwelt in Him dwells in thee? Not long needest thou wait for an answer. There is a test for thee which is infallible, unimpeachable. Is Christ to thee an object of admiration? Does there rise within thee a thrill of rapture at the sound of His footsteps passing by? Does there wake within thee a flutter of the heart as His voice reaches thine ear? Does there vibrate within thee a chord of music as His accents fall upon thy way? Does there swell within thee an infinite longing to be like Him, to be near Him, to be one with Him? Dost thou feel thyself to be poorer than before, meaner in thine own eyes than ere He had crossed thy path? Then thou art already like Him, thou hast already His Spirit. Thou art like Him because thou seest Him as He ts — beautiful. If thou wert not like Him it would be impossible for thee to see His beauty; thou wouldst be able to look only on His marred visage. But thou hast seen beneath the marred visage. Thou hast bowed before a glory not made with hands. Thou hast recognised a kingdom amid the emblems of the dust. Thou hast reverenced a lordship hid in a servant’s form. Thou hast detected a loveliness that concealed itself in the miry clay. Therefore thou art like Him; thou hast the impress of His image in thyself, for that which thou lovest is already half thine own. No man can say that Christ is Lord but by participation of His own Spirit.