the baptism with the Holy Ghost, but they
had not heard that that promise had been as yet fulfilled. Paul told them
that it had and took steps whereby they were definitely baptized with the
Holy Spirit before that meeting closed. It is equally evident from Gal.
iii. 2 that the baptism with the Holy Spirit is a definite experience of
which one may know whether he has received it or not. In this passage Paul
says to the believers in Galatia, "This only would I learn of you,
Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of
faith?" Their receiving the Spirit had been so definite as a matter of
personal consciousness, that Paul could appeal to it as a ground for his
argument. In our day there is much talk about the baptism with the Holy
Spirit and prayer for the baptism with the Spirit that is altogether vague
and indefinite. Men arise in meeting and pray that they may be baptized
with the Holy Spirit, and if you should go afterwards to the one who
offered the prayer and put to him the question, "Did you receive what you
asked? Were you baptized with the Holy Spirit?" it is quite likely that he
would hesitate and falter and say, "I hope so"; but there is none of this
indefiniteness in the Bible. The Bible is clear as day on this, as on
every other point. It sets forth an experience so definite and so real,
that one may know whether or not he has received the baptism with the Holy
Spirit, and can answer yes or no to the question, "Have you received the
Holy Ghost?"

In the second place it is evident that _the baptism with the Holy Spirit
is an operation of the Holy Spirit distinct from and additional to His
regenerating work_. This is evident from Acts i. 5, "For John truly
baptized with water; but ye _shall be_ baptized with the Holy Ghost _not
many days hence_." It is clear then that the disciples had not as yet been
baptized with the Holy Ghost, that they were to be thus baptized not many
days hence. But the men to whom Jesus spoke these words were already
regenerate men. They had been so pronounced by our Lord Himself. He had
said to them in John xv. 3, "Now ye are _clean through the word_ which I
have spoken unto you." But what does clean through the word mean? 1 Peter
i. 23 answers the question, "_Being born again_, not of corruptible seed,
but of incorruptible, _by the word of God_, which liveth and abideth
forever." A little earlier on the same night Jesus had said to them in
John xiii. 10, R. V., "