er--and these, men who keep very near God--to abide so
contentedly within them, and to acquiesce so thankfully in the
brightening glories of One whom self-importance and ambition would
prompt to take for a rival and an enemy.

The words before us signalise at once John's lofty conception of the
worth of his work, and his humble consciousness of its worthlessness as
compared with Christ's. 'I indeed baptize you with water, but He with
fire.' As is the difference between the two elements, so is the
difference between His ministry and mine--the one effecting an outward
cleansing, the other being an inward penetrating power, which shall
search men through and through, and, burning, shall purge away dross and
filth. The text comes in the midst of a triple representation of our
Lord's work in its relation to his, each portion of which ends with the
refrain, 'the fire.' But these three fires have not the same effects.
The first and last destroy, the second cleanses. These are threatenings,
but this is altogether a promise. There is a fire that consumes the
barren tree and the light chaff that is whirled from the threshing-floor
by the wind of His fan; but there is also a fire that, like the genial
heat in some greenhouse, makes even the barren tree glow with blossom
and loads its branches with precious fruit. His coming may kindle fire
that will destroy, but its merciful purpose is to plunge us into that
fiery baptism of the Holy Ghost, whereof the result is cleansing and
life. Looking at the words before us, then, they lead us to think of
that emblem of the Spirit of God, of Christ as bestowing it, and of its
effects on us. I venture to offer a few considerations now on each of
these points.

I. The Holy Spirit is fire.

It would scarcely be necessary to spend any time in illustrating that
truth, but for the strange misapprehension of the words of our text
which I believe to be not uncommon. People sometimes read them as if the
first portion referred to those who trust in Christ, and who therefore
receive the blessings of His sanctifying energy, whilst the latter
words, on the other hand, were a threatening against unbelievers. Now,
whatever may be the meaning of the emblem in the preceding and
subsequent clauses, it can have but one meaning in our text itself--and
that is, the purifying influence of the Spirit of God. Baptism with the
Holy Ghost is not one thing and baptism with fire another, but the
former is the reality