He will make us fiery like Himself, even as fire turns the wettest
green-wood into fire. We have more than enough of cold Christians who
are afraid of nothing so much as of being betrayed into warm emotion.

I believe, dear brethren, and I am bound to express the belief, that
one of the chief wants of the Christian Church of this generation,
the Christian Church of this city, the Christian Church of this
chapel, is more of the fire of God! We are all icebergs compared with
what we ought to be. Look at yourselves; never mind about your
brethren. Let each of us look at his own heart, and say whether there
is any trace in his Christianity of the power of that Spirit who is
fire. Is our religion flame or ice? Where among us are to be found
lives blazing with enthusiastic devotion and earnest love? Do not
such words sound like mockery when applied to us? Have we not to
listen to that solemn old warning that never loses its power, and,
alas! seems never to lose its appropriateness: 'Because thou art
neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of My mouth.' We ought to
be like the burning beings before God's throne, the seraphim, the
spirits that blaze and serve. We ought to be like God Himself, all
aflame with love. Let us seek penitently for that Spirit of fire who
will dwell in us all if we will.

The metaphor of fire suggests also--purifying. 'The Spirit of
burning' will burn the filth out of us. That is the only way by which
a man can ever be made clean. You may wash and wash and wash with the
cold water of moral reformation, you will never get the dirt out with
it. No washing and no rubbing will ever cleanse sin. The way to purge
a soul is to do with it as they do with foul clay--thrust it into the
fire and that will burn all the blackness out of it. Get the love of
God into your hearts, and the fire of His Divine Spirit into your