anyone from imagining that the pump was found afterwards in the cup, but as

there are passages which speak of the filling or baptism of the Spirit, the

unguarded reader does not discern the meaning so clearly.  Now if the Spirit

fills us with something that takes the place of 'wine wherein is excess', we

should seek to know what it is.  Once again the parallel epistle, Colossians,

supplies the needed information (we give a slightly revised rendering):

'Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing

one another in all wisdom, singing in psalms and hymns and spiritual

songs with grace in your hearts to the Lord' (Col. 3:16).

This parallel is so complete that we cannot avoid the inference that

'to be filled with the Spirit' will be to be filled by the Spirit with the

word of Christ.  The Spirit everywhere takes of the things of Christ and

applies them to the heart of the believer.  That constitutes the inspiration

of his renewed conversation, 'speaking to yourselves', and will prevent any

corrupt communication from proceeding out of his mouth, for out of the

abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh, and a heart filled by the Spirit

with the word of Christ will speak accordingly.  The melody of hearts finds

its Amen in:

'Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the

name of our Lord Jesus Christ' (Eph. 5:20).

It is written that, 'he that soweth discord among brethren is an

abomination unto the Lord', and we may well shrink back from any

participation in that which is so grievous.  To the Corinthians, the apostle

speaks with equal intensity when he would show them the fleshly character of

a party spirit.  'Is Christ divided?  Was Paul crucified for you? or were ye

baptized in the name of Paul?'  We must not think of unity as though it were

a synonym for uniformity.  The spirit that prompts the language, 'Master, we

saw one casting out demons in Thy Name, and he followeth not us; and we

forbade him, because he followeth not us', must be repudiated, for it savours

not of Christ, but of the flesh.  Among those who seek the truth of the Word,

there is not one who can lay claim to all the truth, and while the diligence

and usefulness of others should provoke us to emulation, we must encourage

continually the spirit that can say, 'Enviest thou for my sake?  Would God

that all the Lord's people were prophets, and that the Lord would put His

spirit upon them'.

While we must ever watch our hearts and words lest faction should be

encouraged, we must equally weigh over the teaching of the Word as to

fellowship.  Many who have sought to avoid the evil of a party spirit, have

overstepped the Scriptural bounds of fellowship.  We are urged

to 'put up no bar', and not to sit in judgment upon fellow -believers.  Much

as we appreciate the spirit that often prompts those who thus speak, and

while we have endeavoured to allow in others the liberty we ourselves enjoy,

we see too plainly the teaching of the Word to allow ourselves to become

entangled in a fellowship that is contrary to the Word, merely for

sentimental or other feelings.  While we are enjoined to 'receive him that is

weak in the faith', and not to despise the one whose weakness causes him to

act very differently to ourselves, there are occasions when continued

fellowship becomes a betrayal of our trust: