nd one
soul. And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection
of the Lord Jesus; and great grace was upon them all." It is as if the
story of Pentecost is repeated a second time over, with the prayer, the
shaking of the house, the filling with the Spirit, the speaking God's
word with boldness and power, the great grace upon all, the
manifestation of unity and love--to imprint it ineffaceably on the heart
of the Church: it is prayer that lies at the root of the spiritual life
and power of the Church. The measure of God's giving the Spirit is our
asking. He gives as a father to him who asks as a child.

Go on to the sixth chapter. There we find that, when murmurings arose as
to the neglect of the Grecian Jews in the distribution of alms, the
apostles proposed the appointment of deacons to serve the tables. "We,"
they said, "will give ourselves to prayer and the ministry of the word."
It is often said, and rightly said, that there is nothing in honest
business, when it is kept in its place as entirely subordinate to the
kingdom, which must ever be first, that need prevent fellowship with
God. Least of all ought a work like ministering to the poor hinder the
spiritual life. And yet the apostles felt it would hinder them in their
giving themselves to the ministry of prayer and the word. What does
this teach? That the maintenance of the spirit of prayer, such as is
consistent with the claims of much work, is not enough for those who are
the leaders of the Church. To keep up the communication with the King on
the throne and the heavenly world clear and fresh; to draw down the
power and blessing of that world, not only for the maintenance of our
own spiritual life, but for those around us; continually to receive
instruction and empowerment for the great work to be done--the apostles,
as the ministers of the word, felt the need of being free from other
duties, that they might give themselves to much prayer. James writes:
"Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit
the fatherless and widows in their affliction." If ever any work were a
sacred one, it was that of caring for these Grecian widows. And yet,
even such duties might interfere with the special calling to give
themselves to prayer and the ministry of the word. As on earth, so in
the kingdom of heaven, there is power in the division of labour; and
while some, like the deacons, had specially to care for serving the
tables and m