DEDICATION
To those who are
conscious of having lived unworthily and yet long for a larger and
fuller
life; and those who, in noble moments, aspire to usefulness, but
somehow, amidst the mazes of a
luxurious, worldly, self-seeking age, have missed their way and would
be thankful for a friendly
voice to lead them out, these pages are dedicated by their brother.
The Author
INTRODUCTION
The sermons in this volume
were prepared in the rush of my regular work, with no thought
of publication. The last three sermons in this volume were preached at
the Revivalist
campmeeting, near Cincinnati, O., in June, 1905, and taken down by
shorthand reporters. After the
preaching of the last one, dear old Dr. Godbey arose and put his arms
around my neck, and said:
"While you were preaching, God gave a message to me for you. He wants
you to give a volume of
sermons to the young preachers and teachers of Holiness, including the
sermon you have preached
this morning. I want you to grant me the privilege of writing the
introduction." This is how I came
to publish this book, and the following is the introduction written by
Dr. Godbey:
At 11 A. M., the last Sunday
of Salvation Park Camp-meeting, Ohio, 1905, Rev. A. M.
Hills, D. D., President of the Texas Holiness University, preached a
powerful sermon on the Holy
Ghost, to a vast audience of Holiness people from all parts of the
United States, British America,
and quite a sprinkle from the Old World and the West India Islands.
Seventy-five minutes they
hung spellbound on the eloquent lips of the magnetic preacher; his
whole physiognomy,
supernaturally radiant with the celestial splendor and flashing like
lightning in all directions, was
eminent from the indwelling Holy Ghost, whose glorious truth the man of
God was heroically
dispensing; he was even miraculously illuminated and energized by the
Omnipotent Author.
The effects of the sermon on
the multitude were marvelous. They seemed to be literally
transported into the actual presence of the Almighty; overawed,
electrified and thrillingly
entranced, as if the archangel of doom had descended, and the dead were
rising responsive to his
trumpet call, and all gathering before the Great White Throne. In
conclusion, responsive to the
stentorian appeal of the enthusiastic preacher, "Will you be true to
the Holy Ghost?" the entire
multitude sprang to their feet, and scores made for the altar. A
Pentecostal scene utterly
indescribable followed; meanwhile, many prayed through into the
kingdom, and pilgrims entered
Beulah Land by dozens.
Meanwhile, God spoke to me
to ask the preacher to publish the sermon, and with it as many
others as He would give him, for the evangelization of the world,
through the instrumentality of the
Holiness people who are this day girdling the globe and preaching the
Gospel of full salvation,
Pentecostal power, and the Lord's coming, to all nations. Therefore,
this book is of Divine
authorship, through the humble instrumentality of our excellent brother.
God is raising up an army of
evangelists, male and female, in all nations, indiscriminate of
race, color, nationality and religion; even miraculously saving and
sanctifying the poor victims of
sin, down at the bottom of slumdum; transforming saloon-keepers,
drunkards, bums, thugs and
harlots into flaming preachers of this glorious Gospel. A very small
percentage of this vast
evangelistic host, now preaching beneath every sky, has ever enjoyed
educational opportunities.
Therefore, it is really a sine qua non of their greatest possible
efficiency to take all possible short
cuts to the Biblical exegesis indispensable not only to qualify them to
preach the everlasting
Gospel, but to fortify them against the multitudinous, dangerous errors
which Satan's counterfeit
preachers are everywhere propagating to the fatal delusion and
destruction of unsuspecting
millions who are captured by their sophistries, hailing them as angels
of light, while they are really
wolves in sheep's clothing. Thus beguiled and hallucinated, they are
led away till, hopelessly
lassoed by Satan, they drop into Hell. Hence the transcendent
importance on the part of all who
preach the living Word, (i. e., all of the Holiness people, who alone
are competent to preach full
salvation, from the simple fact that we can only efficiently preach
what we experience), to fortify
themselves by reading good books. Consequently, this book of sermons
will prove a thesaurus of
wisdom and guidance in the hands of our thousands of young preachers,
who this day, washed in
the blood and baptized with fire, are going to the ends of the earth.
The Holiness books are, in
God's providence, His teachers of His blessed Word. If you do not read
them, you are in great
danger of doing immense harm, and seriously damaging souls by preaching
error. In this way the
cause of Holiness has suffered much detriment. You may have a true and
genuine experience and
yet, through ignorance of the Bible, teach all sorts of error.
Now to the
Father, Son and Holy Ghost, I commend this book of sermons, with all of
the
other valuable books written by its author, our beloved friend and
brother in Christ. Showers of
blessings on all who shall read this book.
W. B. Godbey