slightest danger that the blessed business with which He charges Himself
will be neglected!

There are other aspects of consecration in the Divine Word which have not
been touched upon, but enough has been said for our purpose to show what
it is, and what its blessed results will be. Our life and service will be
enriched beyond telling by enthroning Christ. This, of course, involves
the breaking of all our idols, for He will not share His throne with any.
When Mahmoud, the conqueror of India, had taken the city of Gujarat he
proceeded, as was his custom, to destroy the idols. There was one, fifteen
feet high, which its priests and devotees begged him to spare. He was deaf
to their entreaties, and seizing a hammer he struck it one blow when, to
his amazement, from the shattered image there rained down at his feet a
shower of gems, pearls and diamonds--treasure of fabulous value, which had
been hidden within it! Had he spared the idol he would have lost all this
wealth. Let us not spare _our_ idols. It is to our interest to demolish
them. If we shatter them there will rain about our hearts the very
treasures of Heaven, the gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit; but if we
spare our idol we will miss riches unsearchable.

The consecrated life is a Christ-centered life, the only truly-centered
life; every other life is eccentric: yet how often do we hear worldly
people or worldly-minded Christians (what a contradiction in terms!)
criticising some devoted Spirit-filled man or woman as "so eccentric,"
simply because of their loyalty to Christ their King! when all the while
it is the critics that are "eccentric,"--off the true center. Indeed, so
eccentric did the first Spirit-filled band appear, that "others mocking
said, they are filled with new wine;" _so they were_ "full of new wine,"
the "new wine" of the kingdom. And in God's sight these drunken, eccentric
men were the only truly-centered spiritually-adjusted men in the throng.

CHAPTER XIII.

_CLAIMING._

Having considered the two conditions necessary to being filled with the
Spirit, viz., the cleansing of the heart, and the consecration of the
cleansed heart to God, we come now to the very practical question--How is
this Fullness to be obtained by the cleansed and consecrated believer?
Before proceeding to consider the answer, "Claim it," let us notice what
the Divine Word has to say about (1) prayer and (2) laying on of hands in
connection with the obtaining