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_1. Prayer._

"How much more shall your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them
that ask Him?" (Luke xi. 13.) This promise is given to God's children. It
is the dearest wish of the great Father-heart of God that His children
should be filled with His Spirit. Who has a fathoming line long enough to
sound the depths of that "how much more"? You "ask;" Father "gives." What
is the next step? Why, of course, you "receive!" else all Father's "giving"
will be of no avail.

"When they had prayed ... they were all filled with the Holy Ghost" (Acts
iv. 31).

"Prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost" (Acts viii. 15).

"Tarry" (Luke xxiv. 49). "Wait" (Acts i. 4)--not idling, but praying,
pleading the promise. "These all with one accord continued steadfastly in
prayer" (Acts i. 14).

"They were all with one accord in one place, and suddenly" the answer
came! (Acts ii. 1.) So in obtaining the blessing of the Fullness, prayer
has its place.

_2. Laying on of hands._

"Then laid they their hands on them and they (Samaritan converts) received
the Holy Ghost" (Acts viii. 17).

"Then when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they
sent them away" (Acts xiii. 3). Barnabas and Saul were men who were
already full of the Holy Ghost, but by the laying on of hands (it is
probable that hands had been laid on these men before this) they received
a fresh anointing of the Holy Ghost, a fresh equipment for special
service, and thus they were set apart for the work to which the Holy Ghost
was calling them.

"And when Paul had laid his hands upon them (the men of Ephesus), the Holy
Ghost came on them" (Acts xix. 6).

"They laid their hands on them" (the deacons) (Acts vi. 6).

"Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy,
with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery" (1 Tim. iv. 14).

"Stir up the gift of God, which is in thee through the laying on of my
hands" (2 Tim. i. 6). It is quite evident that laying on of hands was no
meaningless ceremonial in the primitive Church. Is there any reason why it
should ever be an empty, barren form in our own day?

We come now to examine the answer given to the question--How is the
Fullness of the Spirit to be obtained?--viz., "Claim it." It must be borne
clearly in mind that we are dealing now with a cleansed and consecrated
soul. If you are not "cleansed," attend first to the cleansing. If you are
not consecrated, a