Our text is found in Heb. 10:24,25: "Consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works; not forsaking the assembling of yourselves together as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as ye see the day approaching."

This is Harvester's Day, and in order that we might be in harmony with the spirit of the day our subject should have some bearing upon the harvest work. But we must remember that harvesting not merely includes the cutting of the grain; it also takes in the various processes necessary for the securing of the crop that has been thus gathered. Harvesting would not only mean the cutting of the wheat, but it would include the tying of the wheat into bundles, stacking the bundles into shocks, and finally, according to oriental methods, placing them in the barn. This morning we are not going to tell you how to go out and gather more grains of wheat by the use of the sickle of truth, but we will try to tell, more particularly, what our duty is toward fellow grains of wheat, those of the same spiritual shock of wheat. I believe, dear friends, that our relationship to our brethren is going to have an important bearing upon our own lives, as well as prove an assistance to those who are seeking to walk in this same narrow, but precious way.

When we look into the religions of the world we find that all over the earth Satan seems to have had some peculiar reason for constantly suggesting a trinity. Among so many of the heathen nations we find the teaching of a trinity. When we examine the Christian religion we find it has come under the influence of paganism and heathen philosophy, and the doctrine of the trinity is conspicuously presented. I am not inclined to give Satan credit for much originality. I believe none of God's creatures can be original; He is the only one whose ideas are strictly original. You remember that Jesus was ready at all times to confess this. He said that He could do nothing, except as He saw the Father [PE418] do. I have no doubt that this is, to some degree, Satan's position, too; that when Satan is bringing out something original, seemingly, he is taking some of the things which he heard and saw when he was in harmony with the Almighty, and giving them a twist or turn to suit them to his own use and advantage. It seems to me if Satan has so persistently forced this thought of the trinity upon the people of earth, he must have some sort of reason for it, even though we cannot believe Satan's conception of the trinity could be the right one. We have seen the unreasonableness and unscripturalness of the teaching usually spoken of as the "Trinity," and Brother Woodworth has so effectively presented this that no further comment seems necessary.

But we do find when we come to the Word of God that the great design of the Creator is to have a trinity. We find that our Heavenly Father is the first, the foremost, the greatest part of that wonderful trinity. We find that the Lord Jesus was to be the second person in that marvelous trinity. We find that the third person in that trinity was not to be an influence, disposition, or power merely, nor was the third part to be a single individual. The Bible gives us to understand that the third member in the trinity will be those who have faithfully followed in the foot-steps of our dear Redeemer. Jesus expressed this thought when He prayed, as recorded in John 17:21, "That they all may be one, as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in us." There is the trinity; there we have the three in one-the Father, the Son, and those who follow in the foot-steps of the Son. You may ask, "Are they all to be co-equal and co-eternal with God?" O no. We realize that in that trinity God will be higher than any of the rest. Next to God will be His own dear Son, and on the lowest place in the wonderful trinity, will come those who walk in His foot-steps.

This is the thought in 2 Peter 1:4, where the Apostle says, "Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises, that by these ye might be partakers of the nature of God." That is what it really says in the Greek. We are glad there is such a hope as that. Does it fill us with pride? No, it crushes us with humility. No wonder the Apostle calls it a "high calling." No wonder that the Scriptures emphasize and enlarge upon it as they do. Who could believe it possible if there was not so much evidence to support it in the Word of God? If this great blessing is to be given any, what must be the marvelous unity among those to compose that wonderful class, the Body of Christ, the Bride of Christ, the class to be so much closer to God and His Son than any of the angels have ever been, or ever will be? No wonder the Word of God exalts the hope of the church as it does. We could not believe this unless the Word of God told us it was so. [PE419]

So we understand it is necessary, not only for you and for me to get ready for that wonderful place, but it is necessary that we help our brothers and sisters to prepare for that glorious condition. You will recall that we read in the book of Revelation of the time when it will be said, "The marriage of the Lamb has come, and His bride hath made herself ready." You have a work, not only to get ready yourself, but you have also a work to help the fellow members of that prospective bride class to get ready. The question is, "How can we do our part as brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ; how can we fulfill the obligations that God has very properly placed upon us as joint-heirs with the Redeemer in these wonderful prospects?" We are going to mention several different things that will be beneficial in seeking to make our calling and election sure, as brethren of our dear Redeemer.

The first thought expressed in our text is "consider one another." We realize that we could not be a brother if we did not have brethren, and if we have brethren we must perform the part of a brother toward them. This means that we must give consideration to them; we must have a very deep, heartfelt interest in their affairs-in their spiritual welfare. I often think of the way the Apostle Paul brings this to our attention in Rom. 8:23, when he says, "And not only they (not only does the world groan and long for something better) but we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body." What are we waiting for-the redemption of our physical body? O no. That has been redeemed as much as it ever will be. When you and I are justified through the blood of Jesus, that is where the redemption of the human body takes place. Our human body will never have any greater deliverance than it has there. But we understand there is to be a redemption of our body-not your body or my body-but our body, the one body in which we all have a share. That was what the Apostle was longing for. He said (not in so many words, but we get the thought from his language) that he was not merely longing for his resurrection; he was not merely longing for the time when he would enter the kingdom, but he was thinking of the rest of God's people. He was thinking, "I love them as dearly as I love myself; I am glad to lay down my life for them, and I will not be thoroughly content until they are all with me, too. I long to be with the Master, but I have the same longing for them as for myself, and am waiting for the glorious time when the last member will have passed beyond, and that mystical body of Christ will have its full redemption, its complete deliverance.

We see then, dear friends, you and I will have to lay aside the selfish feelings. We must not only think of my part in the plan, but we must thing of our part in the plan, we must think of our place in the [PE420] kingdom, we must think of our position in the Body. I remember some time ago getting down on my knees in prayer, and when I finished with that prayer the thought came to my mind, "What a selfish prayer you have just offered. You have asked God to bless you, and you did not say anything of your brethren; you asked the Lord to help you to understand His Word better, but you did not ask Him to help your brethren to understand it better; you asked God to give you opportunities for service, but you did not ask Him to give them such opportunities; you told Him that you were longing for that great consummation beyond the veil, but you did not tell Him that they were longing for that for that consummation." I went down on my knees again and asked God to forgive me for that selfish prayer, and I prayed over again. Instead of I and my, I put we and our. I think, dear friends, that we want to get that spirit, and to realize that there is a peculiar relationship existing between those who have made this covenant of sacrifice. We do not want to think of ourselves, but we want rather to "consider one another," as Paul said, "We are members one of another." I know that when we come to see these precious truths, and make this consecration, we begin to feel that way.

Some time ago a brother told me of his experience along this line. He said, "Brother Barton, when I came to see God's great plan, and made a consecration to the Lord, I was overwhelmed with gratitude-it was so wonderful, so marvelous. I felt such a great longing to meet with others who had such a love for God as I had. There were none in my neighborhood. Soon information came in the Watch Tower that a convention was to be held within one hundred miles or so. I said, I must go to that convention and meet some of these people, for I have such an interest in them. I thought as I was getting ready to go to the.convention. What will these people think of me when I get there? I feel that I love them so much that I will make a fool of myself, but I cannot help it. I must go even if I do act foolish. I know I will wear such a smile on my face, and give them such a hand-shake that they will think I am a little bit 'loony,' but I will go anyhow." He went with considerable misgivings, but he said, "You know when I got to the convention I found them all acting just like I wanted to act." This is really the spirit that animates all of us. We are glad that, in the Lord's providence, we have come to the place where we do consider one another.

However, I do not believe that it is enough to have this spirit when we are together at a convention. We must consider one another in connection with all of the unpleasant experiences of life; we must consider one another in connection with the trials, difficulties and besetments of life. If some brother has offended you; if some brother seems to be in the wrong, you must consider him also as suggested by the Master [PE421] in the words of Matt. 18:15-17. He tells us there that if a brother offends against us we should go and speak to the brother alone. If we cannot come to a settlement we may go again and take one or two other brothers with us. If we still accomplish nothing, and the matter seems to be of sufficient importance, it may be brought before the church.

The Lord did not lay this down as a rule that must be followed. He did not mean, in other words, that if a brother has done something that is offensive you must follow that course. No; in the great majority of cases it would be a better plan to just pass the matter by. If we have a fault-finding spirit, and feel that we must follow this course every time a brother does something that is offensive to us, we might be running to the brethren much of the time, and we would keep the church continually disturbed. Every few weeks we would have a meeting of the Ecclesia to consider our difficulties with a brother. The more of the spirit of the Lord we have, the less occasion will we find to have recourse to that method. The thought is, rather use this method than to use some wrong method. Rather than go around criticizing a brother, and having evil thoughts about him, if it is of such great importance that the matter must be dealt with in some way, then the Lord says, I will tell you what to do. First, go to see that brother. But when you go to see that brother, consider him; consider one another to provoke unto love and good works.

It is possible to go to a brother inconsiderately, and provoke him to anger. The wrong way would be to go to him and say, "See here, brother, you have tried me greatly; I am almost inclined to drop you altogether, but I remember that the Lord says if a brother offends us we are to go and speak to him. I am following this rule. This has got to stop; it cannot go further. If you do not recognize that you are wrong, and correct the course that you are following, I will have to see that this is dealt with in some other way." One would almost think it was the emperor of Germany delivering an ultimatum to the Czar of Russia. Then he wonders why he has no influence with that brother. Then he goes to the brother with two or three other brothers. When the matter comes before them he says, "Now I am following the Lord's advice in this; I went to him and asked him to acknowledge his fault, but he would not listen to me; he just turned away from me. I have followed the method which the Scriptures authorize, and the time has come to do something." He has not been following the method the Lord suggested at all.

He should have gone to the brother more in this spirit: He might say, "Now, Brother Smith, I have come to have a little talk with you. Brother, it seems to me that brotherly love should mean so much to us. I love you, as I love all of the Lord's people, but some little things [PE422] have come between us lately; haven't you noticed it? It does not seem that we are as cordial as we used to be. I may be to blame partly for this. You know when anything comes up each one can see where the other is to blame. In my mind I can see where you might be to blame, and doubtless you can see where I am to blame. Cannot we settle this matter? I believe it would be to the spiritual benefit of each of us. Cannot we bury this matter; can't we love one another as brethren?" This is the way to gain a brother. That is the spirit in which to approach one with whom we have differences. The first thing is, we must be considerate. Consider one another, that we may provoke unto love and good works. Entice the brother in the direction that would be good for him, and that would enable him to be faithful to others of God's people around him.

The second essential, if we would properly perform the part of a brother, is that we must constantly look to the Lord for help; we must look to Him for assistance; we must look to Him for advice. We must continually be in that attitude in which we are afraid of ourselves; in which we are suspicious of ourselves. You know that there has never yet been a difficulty between brethren but what each one thought he was right. If you would listen to one brother he could tell you many different reasons for thinking he was right; if you listened to the other he would tell you as many reasons why the other brother was wrong, and he himself was right. Knowing this to be so we should be constantly suspicious of ourselves, we should constantly examine ourselves.

If we are listening to a discourse we should be thinking, "I wonder how I can live on a higher plane as a result of listening to this lesson?" On the contrary, if we find that we can apply all sorts of points to the friends; if when the brother makes a good point we say, "I hope Sister So-and-So is here; I hope she takes this to herself." Then something else is said, and we think, "Why, you would almost think that he is aiming that at Brother So-and-So. I hope he will feel real humble after that. I hope we will have no more trouble with him in the class"-if you are in this attitude, examine yourself. We need to look into our own hearts. If we do this there will not be time or inclination to apply these things to those around us.

With this thought in view let us constantly go to the Lord in prayer about the matter, and before we get to the end of the prayer, let us be sure that we want the Lord's will done. There is no use praying the Lord to help you if you are not willing to take the help. There is no use knocking at the door if you do not want Him to open it. The Lord says, "Knock, and it shall be opened unto you." Someone says, "I have been knocking and knocking, but the Lord has not opened." Some think they have been knocking, but they really only pretended to. Suppose you noticed that [PE423] a man was apparently knocking at a door, but he was refraining from striking the door-he would not let his hand get nearer than a half inch from the door. He was not knocking; he was only making believe. That is the way with some of the Lord's people, I am afraid. They think they are knocking, but in reality they are not knocking at all. They pray to the Lord, "send us more opportunities for service," and possibly in heart are saying, "I hope I don't have to do any more; I am doing my share already, and do not think I should be expected to do more than this." No wonder the Lord does not hear that knock, and open the door. I think the continual attitude of our heart should be, "Lord, show me your will, and I will be glad to do that will." We should not be of those who are all of the time telling about wanting to do the Lord's will, and when the Lord's will is made plain to them they find some excuse for not doing it.

We are all imperfect and have our weaknesses, but the Lord covers these defects with the merit of His Son, and thus our consecration is just as acceptable as if we were perfect. But sooner or later we are brought to the place where He expects us to gain more of a victory over these things and if we fail to overcome, it proves a spiritual drawback to us.

Suppose the case of a man who is much addicted to the use of tobacco. Let us imagine that he uses it to a degree that makes him undesirable company, tobacco juice running down his chin and staining his coat most filthily. However, his consecration is just as acceptable to the Lord as is the case where tobacco had never been used. God does not hold this against him.

We will suppose that several years pass and he still is addicted to the old habit, even though not in quite so repulsive a way as formerly. His conscience does not condemn him, neither does the Lord. But the time comes when the brother reaches a crisis on that particular point. Perhaps he has been thinking of the life of Jesus. He has been thinking of how noble and pure Jesus was, and of how he should imitate the Master. He should not do anything that would bring reproach upon His name. He thinks, "there is not one thing I do but what, if I believed the Master would not do it in my place, I would give it up. I wonder if there is anything in my life that is not in harmony with the Lord's will? I believe I have been doing just as the Lord would have me do." But then the thought comes to his mind, "There is the tobacco you are using; do you suppose, if He were in your place, that He would go around chewing tobacco?" "No, I don't think He would." "Don't you think it would be best to give up the use of tobacco; don't you think it would honor the Lord more; don't you see how it would ruin the Bible account if we read there of God's people chewing tobacco?" [PE424]

I am glad it does not say anything like that, the brother says. That is where the crisis would be in that brother's life. Up to that time God accepted him as if he had not been addicted to this unclean habit, but now the time has been reached when the brother sees his privilege of sacrificing along this line, and the Lord expects him to act in harmony therewith.

We want to be in that attitude in which we desire to know the Lord's will in all of these things; where we would say, "Lord, we want to know and do your will; it does not matter whether it is easy or hard." Thus we look constantly to the Lord for divine aid, that we may do our part as members of the body of Christ.

There is another thing about this. When we have thus laid matters in the Lord's hand we should not be fanatical about being guided by impulses. It is not that the thought comes, "I had better do this, or that," and you do it. The Lord says, "Let us reason together." At the same time we are not to go to an extreme and worry about matters, and go about burdened with anxiety. We are not to say, "I have asked the Lord to guide me, and I wonder whether He will." We ask for blessings, and then wonder whether the Lord will give them. Didn't you ask the Lord to guide you? "Yes." Then the Lord must be guiding. But we say, "I wonder if it would have been better if I had done the other way." We have the promise of divine guidance; let us not permit our minds to be burdened with anxiety. It is wrong to be guided by impulse, and it is wrong to go to the other extreme and allow anxiety to burden and overwhelm us with nervousness.

There is a third point essential to enable us to properly perform the part of a brother. It is this-be careful not to criticize your brethren. Remember, the Lord has not appointed us as judges, but He has appointed us as members in the body that we might be judged as to whether we will ultimately be fit to be glorified with the Redeemer, and then to be associated with Him in the judgment of the world. Under no circumstances are we at liberty to judge a brother.

There are certain circumstances under which we might be at liberty to judge a brother's actions, or to judge a brother's knowledge on some points, but even there we must be very careful. Let me make the distinction a little more carefully. For instance, the time comes for an elect ion in our little company. We must now do some judging. We must not judge Brother Smith or Brother Jones. We have no right to do that, but we are at liberty to judge as to whether Brother Smith has sufficient of the qualities of a teacher to be chosen elder of the class. We must distinguish between judging a brother, and judging his methods, or the degree of his knowledge. We understand the same principle applies [PE425] when the elders come to give discourses before the class. The elders are justified in judging what the class may need, but they are not qualified to judge the hearts. Draw a sharp line of demarcation between the individual, and the particular actions of the individual. Even where it is found necessary to judge, or correct the course of an individual, we must be careful to do it indirectly, rather than directly. We must do it wisely, and would better not do it at all if we cannot do it helpfully.

This may be well illustrated by an occurrence in Arkansas. There was a brother living there who had for many years been using tobacco. Different ones had reasoned with him about it, but he still continued to use it. The time came when Brother Raymond was expected to make a pilgrim visit to this place, and the brother reasoned, "now when Brother Raymond comes and finds that I am using tobacco he will give me a scolding. But when he starts to give me a scolding I will say, 'Brother Raymond, you have no business meddling in this matter; that is something between me and the Lord.' I will give him as good as he gives me." He was ready to defend himself and show Brother Raymond how he should keep his place; how he was overstepping the mark to criticize him. The pilgrim brother came, spent the time of his appointment, and when he was ready to leave had not mentioned the tobacco. The brother said, "He has not done his duty; he knows that, as a Christian, he should be calling attention to these things that are not right; he has neglected his duty; I will tell him he has not done his duty." So he said, "Brother Raymond, I suppose you noticed that I chew tobacco?" "Yes." After waiting a little he said, "Brother Raymond, what do you think of chewing tobacco?" He replied, "I do not chew tobacco." He said, "I did not know what to make of it. I could not use my argument at all. After Brother Raymond had gone I decided to throw my tobacco away."

So we see there is a wise way and an unwise way to help the brethren along these lines. Let us remember that perhaps the best way to help the brethren is by our example. We need not be impatient if the lessons sink in slowly. If we begin to criticize, it will possibly be a set-back. I think, perhaps, this is one of the directions in which the brethren who are married have trials which some of the single ones do not have. I have often imagined that the husband and wife would take the liberty of telling one another what is in their mind more than others. Of course, they might be a real help in holding one another back from offering criticisms of others. But if time after time they pass little criticisms of brothers and sisters the liberty increases. The husband says, "Did you hear what Sister So-and-So said?" "Yes, and I heard Brother So-and-So say thus and so; I never can have any confidence in him again." Thus they encourage one another, and soon they cannot meet [PE426] Brother So-and-So on the street with the same sweet spirit as formerly.

While you and I are not at liberty to criticize others, we must expect more or less of criticism from others, and when it comes we must be ready to show the spirit that the Master did. He did not return railing for railing, reviling for reviling, or anything of that nature. We must have the spirit of overlooking if a brother or sister criticizes us, and think they did not mean it as bad as it sounded. Some time ago I made a statement in conversation with a sister. I saw that I had offended her, and I did not know what to make of it. I turned it over in my mind, and wondered what made the sister take it that way. I finally found that one could take two meanings from what I had said, and she had taken the opposite meaning from what I had in mind. We must make allowances, for even the best of us do not always say things just as we wish they had been said. Therefore, if someone says something critical or unkind, take it for granted that they do not mean it as bad as it sounded.

There is another lesson here. We must keep in mind that no two persons are just alike in make-up, and no two have just the same experiences in life. No one has exactly the same environment as another; no one goes through exactly the same education as another. We must consider all of this, and make allowances for it. I often feel great pity for some of the great criminals in the world, and think, "If I were in just the same situation as they were in when they committed the crime; and if I had passed through the experiences that led up to the crime that they had passed through; if I had been reared in the same environment, and under the same influences, how do I know that I would not have done the same thing?" This ought to keep us humble, and make us charitable. It may be God's will that one of His children should do exactly the opposite to what He would want another to do. It may be God's will for you to stay over to the convention tomorrow, and it may be His will that another should go home. In either case we must decide for ourselves. I believe the learning of this principle will enable us to escape a great many bitter experiences in life, as well as keep us from bringing bitterness into the lives of others. We are glad to know that it will never be the Lord's will that anybody should do wrong, but at the same time the thing that seems wrong to one might seem quite right to another, and perhaps it would be just the thing the Lord wishes him to do.

In Oklahoma eleven or twelve years ago a brother told me of an experience that I never forgot. This brother was a merchant. A part of his business was the buying of butter and eggs from the country merchants, and these were shipped to St. Louis. At that time he was in the [PE427] Methodist church. One day the presiding elder called at his place of business, and said, "I want to have a little talk with you." They went to the office of the store. The presiding elder said, "I understand that you do not conduct your business honestly." He said, "I try to conduct it as honestly as anybody could." The presiding elder said, "I hear that you do some very dishonest things." The brother said, "What dishonest thing have you heard that I do?" He replied, "I understand that the other day you sent a consignment of butter to St. Louis to the commission merchants, and told them you were shipping good butter, when in reality it was very inferior butter. That is not honest." The brother said, "I will explain that very simply. In our business we have certain terms by which we designate the products we handle. When we say 'good butter' among butter men we mean, in reality, poor butter, by that term designating inferior butter." The presiding elder said, "You cannot cover that up in that way; I am shocked to think that you are so dishonest." How easily we can misunderstand and misjudge.

I believe that among the truth friends this is true. A brother told me some years ago of a trial he had. A brother told him that he did wrong, if he went to a home and found a set of Scripture Studies there, to sell the people another set. He seemed to think one should say, "These are the same as the books you have there in your book-. case. You read those; you will not have to buy these." This brother said, "I do not do that because I know of three different cases where people have purchased the second set of books, and not knowing that they had the same set and had been warned against reading them, they read those last purchased and became interested." I think that is the proper view to take in this matter. We are desirous that the people shall get what will be a blessing to them. What some might mistakenly consider dishonest would be thoroughly honest from the proper standpoint.

Suppose, for instance, a doctor is called to see a patient who was slowly dying. He says to the patient, "I have some blue pills here which I think will cure you." Someone comes in just after he leaves, and seeing the pills, says, "Don't you touch those pills; they look just like the pills the doctor gave me, and they almost killed me; don't you take them." When the doctor comes again he asks, "Did you take those blue pills?" The patient says, "No, I didn't take them, doctor. I heard that they are bad pills; that someone took some pills like those and it almost killed them. I was afraid to take them." Well," the doctor says, "if you are afraid to take these I will give you some other pills." He goes away and prepares pills of the same ingredients, but with a red coating, and these the patient takes and a cure is effected. This would be deceiving in the estimation of some; but the doctor would be doing wrong if he did [PE428] not do that. It is the same with the colporteurs.

We have somewhat the same experience in the photo drama work. I was in the photo drama work last year from May to December, and I had a good opportunity to learn some of the conditions. Some things which we were led to do might cause some to wonder whether it was entirely consistent, if they did not understand the details. But when the details were understood it put matters in an entirely different light.

Let us be careful not to misunderstand, or judge others, because their viewpoint is different from our own. Let us take for granted that from their viewpoint the matter is perfectly right, even if from our viewpoint it would have seemed right to follow another course.

Another point is, if we do not find something in the Lord's people that does not seem to be just what we would wish, let us not make a hobby of it. Do not keep pushing the matter forward until you have ruined your usefulness, and at the same time referred to it so often that the others do not pay any attention when you mention it. To illustrate, in Los Angeles I made reference to a matter which I had never mentioned in a public discourse before. I made some little suggestion regarding the propriety of the sisters exercising care that their manner of dressing be not such as to provoke unfavorable criticism from others. I never expect to mention it again. I presume this will appear in the convention report. I trust the Lord may so guide that such as need it get the blessing. I can see that if I would keep on emphasizing this matter our effectiveness would be lessened-it would become nauseating and the friends would say, "wherever Brother Barton goes you may expect to have a lecture on dress." It may seem right and proper to mention a matter like this at a large convention, but if it were in a little class meeting of only eight or ten the sisters might consider it unkindly personal. So, if we really se some point that needs correction, let us pray about it that we may know what would be the best way, and when would be the best time to present it. Watch for an opportune time to present it, and then leave the matter in the Lord's hands. Thus, in the Lord's providence, we may be proving a help to His people.

You remember the Scriptures refer to the church as the body of Christ. As the high priest was anointed and the oil ran down over the body to the feet, so in the body of Christ. First Jesus was anointed with the Spirit, as the Head, and the anointing passed down to the church at Pentecost, and thus it has been coming down to the feet members. But there is a second side to the picture, namely, looking upon the members of the body according to their usefulness. Some are like hand members, because they have done work like hands do. Others are like feet members because they have done work like feet would do. Likewise [PE429] some are used to do the speaking.

But there is a third view, for some of the members are changing their position in the body, as it were. As the oil was poured over the body it ran down over the body, not up, so when you pour the oil of God's Holy Spirit upon another brother, it means that in that act you are going above the brother. Suppose a brother gets higher than you, and becomes God's agent for pouring the Holy Spirit down upon you-in that he is proving himself to be a superior brother, and you are proven to be an inferior. Suppose a time comes when a brother loses his zeal. He still serves God's people, but possibly with not the same amount of earnestness that he formerly had. You start out to pour down the Holy Spirit upon him, and you get above that brother. Of course Jesus is above all of the rest, because the Holy Spirit all came from Him. None of us were channels through which the Holy Spirit reached Jesus. No, He was the fountain through which the Holy Spirit reached us. But we recognize that the more we use our influence, our words, our lives, our means, to help the rest of God's people to get the Holy Spirit, in that act, as it were, we are getting to a higher place in the body. We can see this in the way the Master said, "He that will be greatest among you, let him be servant of all," because as he serves others, and pours the Holy Spirit down upon them, it means that he is raising his position in that glorious body.

May the Lord help us, not only to be brethren, but to be effective, helpful brethren to those who are walking in the same narrow way.