^, IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 4i. 1.0 ^^ ^ ^= tt£ 12,2 12.2 •« 136 Hill 1.1 l.-^Ka u |l.25 1 1.4 lllll^^ ^ 6" - ► 4W %^ 7 Hiotographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716)872-4503 ^ ^ ^V ^ N^ iV \\ ;\ 4v 4^0 z CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. ' i^' CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques Tachrical and Bibliographic Notaa/Notaa tachniquas at bibllographiquaa Tha Inatituta haa attamptad to obtain tha baat original copy availabia for tilming. Faaturaa of thia copy which may ba bibliographically uniqua, which may altar any of tha imagaa in tha raproduction. or which may significantly changa tha uaual mathod of filming, ara chackad balow. D D a n D D D D n D Colourad covara/ Couvartura da coulaur Covara damagad/ Couvartura andommagia Covara raatorad and/or laminatad/ Couvartura raatauria at/ou pallicul4a Covar titia miaaing/ La titra da couvartura manqua Colourad mapa/ Cartaa giographiquaa an coulaur Colourad init (i.a. othar than blua or black)/ Encra da coulaur (i.a. autra qua biaua ou noira) Colourad plataa and/or illuatrationa/ Planchaa at/ou illuatrationa tt coulaur Bound with othar matarial/ Ralii avac d'autraa documants Tight binding may causa shadowa or distortion along intarior margin/ Laraliura sarria paut cauaar da I'ombra ou da la diatoraion la kMig dm la marga intiriaura Blank Paavas addad during rastoration may appaar within tha taxt. Whanavar possibia. thaaa hava baan omittad from filming/ II sa paut qua cartainas pagaa blanchaa ajoutiaa \>in d'una rastauration apparaiaaant dana la taxta, mais. loraqua cala itait poaaibia, caa pagaa n'ont paa «t4 film«aa. L'Institut a microfilmA la maillaur axampiaira qu'il lui a iti possibia da sa procurar. Las details da cat axampiaira qui sont paut-Atra uniquas du point da vua bibliographiqua. qui pauvant modifier una imciga raproduita. ou qui pauvant axigar una modification dans la m^thoda normala da fiimaga aont indiquAa ci-daaaoua. Tha tot! D D D Cokjurad pagaa/ Pagaa da coulaur Pagaa damagad/ Pagaa andommagias Pagaa raatorad and/or laminatad/ Pagaa rastaurAas at/ou palliculias rri Pagaa discolourad. stainad or foxad/ Tha poai ofti film Ori| bag tha aior oth4 firal «ior or II Pagaa dAcolorias, tachatias ou piquies Pagaa datachad/ Pagaa dAtachias Showthroughy Tranaparanca I I Pagaa datachad/ rri Showthrough/ pn Quality of print varias/ Quality in^gaia da I'impraasion Includas supplamantary matarial/ Comprand du material supplAmantaira D Only adition availabia/ Saula Mition disponibia Pagaa wholly or partially obscured by errata slips, tissues, etc.. hava been refllmed to ensure the best possible image/ Lea pagaa totalament ou partiellement obscurcies par un fauillet d'errata, una peiure, etc., ont At* fiimAes i nouveau da fapon A obtanir la mailleure image possible. Additional comments:/ Commantairea suppiimantairea: Wrinkisd may film slightly out of focus. Tha ahal TIN whi Mai diff anti bad righ raqi nw This item is filmed at tha reduction ratio checked below/ Ce document eat filmA au taux da reduction indiqu* ci-daaaoua. 10X 14X 18X 22X 28X aox y 12X 16X 20X MX 28X 32X 1 Ttw copy fllin«d hmrm hM bean r«produo«d thanks to tho gonoroaity of: DouglM Library Quaan't Univarsity L'axamplaira filmA f ut raprodult grica i la gAnirositA da: Douglas Library Quaan's Univarsity Tha Imagaa appaaring hara ara tha baat quality posslbia eonaldaring tha condition and laglblllty of tha original copy and in kaaping wKh tha filming contract spaclflcatlona. Original coplas in printad papar covara ara filmad baglnning with tha front covar and anding on tha last paga with a printad or illuatratad Impras- sion, or tha back covar when approprlata. All othar original coplaa ara filmad baglnning on tha first paga wKh a printad or illuatratad Impraa- «ion, and anding on tha kiat paga with a printad or illuatratad Impraaalon. Laa Imagaa suN'antas ont 4t4 raprodultaa avac la plua grand soln, compta tanu da la condition at da la nattatA da l'axamplaira film*, at an conformM avac las conditions du contrat da fllmaga. Laa axamplairaa orlginaux dont la couvartura an paplar aat ImprimAa sont filmfo an commanpant par la pramiar plat at an tarmlnant soit par la darnlAra paga qui comporta una amprainta d'Impraaalon ou d'lliustratlon, solt par la sacond plat, aalon la caa. Toua laa autraa axamplairaa orlginaux sont fllmte an commandant par la pramlAra paga qui comporta una amprainta d'Impraaalon ou d'llluatratlon at an tarmlnant par la darnlAra paga qui comporta una talla amprainta. Tha last racordad frama on aach microficha shall contain tha symbol — ^> (moaning "CON- TINUED"), or tha aymboi ▼ (moaning "END"), whichavar appiiaa. Un daa aymbolaa suivanta apparaftra sur la darnlAra imaga da chaqua microficha, salon la caa: la aymbola — »> signifia "A SUIVRE", la symbols ▼ signifia "FIN". IMaps, plataa, charta, ate, may ba filmad at diffarant raductlon ratios. Thoaa too l&rga to ba antiraly included in ona axpoaura ara filmad baglnning in tha uppar laft hand cornar, iaft to right and top to bottc.Ti, aa many framaa aa raquirad. Tha following diagrama liluatrata tha mathod: Laa cartaa, pianchas, tablaaux, ate. pauvant Atra fllmia A das taux da rMuction diffArants. Lorsqua la document aat trap grand pour Atra raprodult an un aaui clichA, 11 aat film* A partir da I'angla supArlaur gaucha, da gaucha A droita. at da haut an baa. 9n pranant la nombra d'imagaa nAcaaaaira. Laa diagrammas sulvants illustrant la m*thoda. ^r.:. 1 2 3 4 5 6 '■^ •-<>■, ^■ Knj¥ared by !. C '.^uV«= 7> .|i'-^^^- iNClDii^M M i ILLUSTRATIONS •?«»,' lt«fl B-^ni^?. ".v^ „,. « -n> HH« jukiir. c," UTc, ir.Tc. wi- >i*i Jr#« *■>, Arsntjt ■,,# ■v-"" # '«. HP --. T-- :•'•:!••«,■•.:• j'» ^ It' ■P" ;v'.-*l)iU;s. , ,. ,i:>A:;- "in^^-M^ -fy :i, tW--'^ <^:/' , ;*>- •' / . /;^;^S^ .^'/■. ;'.:.v ! !'■ INCIDENTAL ILLUSTRATIONS •V i«« ECONOMY OF SALVATION, Jfh §otMnt% ntii JPttiUs* • T ■>!'.. Mrs. FHCEBE PALMER, A«nn>» ov "mi wat ot Moinritt," "BirTraB obyotiow," *>v»wim BitovUt* "VAitB Aii% ix» BrrBOTS," •'aMOOhuuntoMB or mk«. l. m, Ct" «*<>>• Bve< ^ lean Kweclflkink mriMliu intorcntthatMii|vimM4M«vMmM«rtlit'gN«itnAt>M Me Scripture it the VoBb or Qoo. which it indeed Un Uie«t F«iBtaB«itaL*-liOttUI> lannM»iQatbmOULWvmiiaiaaoM.—Snui9 Womh or Oun. titoniif: PUBLISnnO BT O. R. BANDKRSOSr, WKBIiETABT BOOK ROOM. 1866. L I MCOfdlnff to Act of ConfrcM, in th« yttr MSB; Br WiiLTXK C. Paiuih, M. D. ti tha Onk'i Oflin or the Olttrict Court oi the Dlitrlct of MoMactnuetd^ Steicotyped tnd Printed by 4. C(t«in, JTranKlfR JpJntfng J^otuK, no Wuhtngton St., Boitoii. *o HBV. BISBOF AND MRS. HAMLIKS, * XUlt ZiOirO VBIBS Airb 9r IIlmMlf, M Whan UP* we to b«ll«v« ourMlTM Wholly fluietlflwir f7 An Con vanlon and enttra 8«nctlflc»Uon ilnialUBMiu t M Uowkoon may antlr* 8«neUfle«tlon tuoeMdOonTtnloaf 18 May llollneu of Heart be received by one Act of Valthf M MiMt thU Blewilnc be Profeeeed la order to be Retained T 40 The Sweeteit Thing I ever told you, 48 Can I believe myielfSanoUfledbefbre lam eof tf Unity of the Spirit, 47 Bellgion an Active Principle, « 48 Come to the Right Polot,and then Believe, 48 *•! cannot M« Into this Way," 51 Why are there not more Mluionariei T 88 One of SMtan'D D«vice«, '86 The Talent— uwd or lo»t, ....00 To a SMUIarlied MInlater, , 81 A Watchman away from hia Post, 68 An Oppoaer Smitten, ;.,.: 84 Victory In Death, 66 What Is wanting ? 67 The Sisters— How a Cbuioh was boUt, 66 The Salvation— retained or lost, 71 Ministry, Education and Politics, 78 Secular Business, and a Call to the Ministry, 76 Conversion of a Jew, 77 The two Tenehers — Jesus and Oamaliel, 78 Have you given up All ? Tes, All, 79 The Pious ftliatress and her Servant, 80 Stingy Christians 81 Why is his Chariot go long in coming f 84 Church Poverty Self-imposed, 86 A Hnndrad aad lifty Dollars and Twelve Boub, 8} yiii OONTBMTS. , h MM Slw LoBftr W»7 aod Shorter Wa7 tnrtea, i... 91 ▲ Barlvkl ni»7 be withheld in mney, , 97 LwdtayaqrBUhoplMddiDg, 99 At Kwllah Bwnm, 104 Th« only Foundatlf m of Faith, 106 The Noblemmn, , 106 Christ in the Heart, 1.8 The Time appointed 109 A Pioneer Faith reqalrcd of Minister!,. 109 My Experience, 109 Th* great Bequidtion, 118 Conftarion, 114 Stead&stness, 116 A Point beyond WaTering, 116 To a Bereayed Father, '. 117 ShatHd Paths, 121 A Satanic Expedient, 128 . The Oelflstial Oarb assumed, 126 To the Law and to the Testimony, 128 Vmltsof theOontroTcrsy, 188 The Han who did not know where lie was, 186 The Half-honr Proposition, 188 In Darkness from Meglectof Duty, 146 The Witness of the Spirit, 148 To a Seeker of the Witness of the Spirit, 160 Permnal Effort to enlifit Seekers of Salvation, ....164 A Flight to the Altar, 166 The Mistake, ,\ 158 A ConTcrsion questioned, and why, , 102 A sudden and unquestionable ConversIiMx, 166 The Captain and his Ouest, 167 JnstUleation and Sanctiflcation, 171 Where does the one end and the other begin? 171 TheOiisis, 172 Can we be more than Perfect ?........ 174 UnlTcrsalism harrowed out, 176 LoTe-feast Testimony, 176 The Machinci-y and the Motive Power, 178 A R^narkable Meetinjir, , 186 Of that Faith which Sanctifies wholly now, 188 The Steps In Vaith taken by your Friend, 189 Awakened just in time, 191 The Tnvincibles, 197 Humanity in Heaven, 198 Divinity on Earth 200 Privileirae are Duties, 201 One Idea, 202 "This one Thing I do," 308 Wnlaterial TrIaU and Triumphs, 906 ....9T ....» .. 104 ...105 ...106 ...18 ...109 .. 109 ...109 ...118 ...114 ...116 ...lie ...117 ....121 ....128. ....126 ....128 ....188 ....186 ....188 ....146 ...148 p. ..150 .164 .166 .158 .102 ...166 .167 ..m ..171 .172 .174 ...178 .176 ...178 ..186 ..188 ...189 ..191 ..197 ..198 ..200 ..201 ..202 .208 .206 :;"■'■"■"• V. CONTSNTB. *■•:■• ' -"^ -. lit VAa B«pntfttloB in Htami, 207 The Rcjeetod MiuUter'a Refage, 208 beekinK the LoMt, 210 The Inebriate, 211 A Hiniiitering Angel took the Name, 217 The Blagistrate, the Lawyer, and the Merchant 218 Gatherings by the Way, 220 A SturleRS Crown, 220 How new Vict iries may be obtained, 221 The Work guarded, not the Workmen, 222 Family Gathering, 228 To a Callfomian, 226 Providence indicates the Will of God, 225 BusinesH subservient to Soul-saving, 226 Christians in Search of Gold, 298 The Bridal Party, 229 • The Wedding Tour, 229 Married Life commenced aright, 288 Sunday Morning News, 286 Converted and called to Preach in three Days,. 288 ■ Supplementary, '. .242 Close Quarters, 246 God's Forewamings, 261 Providential Admonitions disregarded, 262 A Cup ot Cold Water, 264 The Traveller entertained, 261 The Generous Hostess rewarded, 257 My Rich Poor Friend, 258 ^' My Poor Rich Friend, 261 A Covenant well-ordered and sure, 268 Equality, 286 t The Colored Woman and the Lawyer, 266 -^ Life a Failure, 268 Wealth first, the Ministry afterwards 268 The Incog, 271 The Incog in the Nursery, 271 ''.J, " " Kitchen 278 " «« Parlor and Chamber, 274 1 " " Counting-house, 276 A " «« Church, 276 " " Pulpit, 277 The Minister's Wife, 279 Proxy Worship, ..286 Praving by Proxy, 286 ?* Sinirfng by Proxy, • .287 »- Scriptural Worship, 292 " t Conviction of the Unlearned and Unbelieving contemplated, 292 t> . Scriptural' Singing, 298 v ATrophy of Congregational Sin^Hnv, '^ -^ # it CONTENTS. ■ * " - ... ^^^ "ABebtpda, 803 How FnnoM experienced Religion, .802 I don't mean to be made Unhappy to-day, 804 HetapliyBioal Difflcnlties considered, , 807 Place the Stake a little ftrther, 812 The Incog and the Pocket-book, > 814 Do not Profess before yon BelieTe, 819 A New Church on Right Principles, 828 I don't beliere in Holiness, 826 Conversion of Sinners and Sanctiflcation of BelioTers, 828 '% The Conversion of a Husband delayed, 881 Show the Footmarks 885 Relation of Christian Experience, 835 My Experience is not my own, 837 The Word of their Testimony, 838 Sensitiveness, 842 Do the Sanctified feel sensitively? 842 A Messenger told it, 814 Do you persecute Christ ? 845 The Methodist Ministry, 847 Pnbllshit. Tellit, 858 VatherM ,..U 855 Young Converts may be wholly Sanctified .- 868 ASinguUrVow, 866 Thank-offering for Salvation fW»m Trouble, 867 Ood appropriates what is given to Him, .868 How is it with that ChUd ? 869 Qet down Low, ,..' 870 Ood's Word its own Evidence, 872 Enriched by Trials, 874 Worse than Judas, ..875 The Savior Sold for less than Thirty Pieoes of Silver, 875 Aristocracy in Religious Associations, 877 Who are the Aristocracy of Heaven f 879 Who most proper to take charge of a Convert 879 ^^ ;v> 5 '> 'i^'Si^a^k %,.n- i...r,..i>.l INCIDENTAL ILLUSTRATIONS >■•>;.- or TBI v>s s-a:? *^-.j-i ECONOMY OF SALVATION. »* f » 3iii (iId-4asWottd djhcir. * Christians are — and in fact ought to be — ^very happy. Do you shrink away from me and say, ''O, that sounds old-fashioned and fanatical " ? Well, agreed. But pray, my friend, do not leave me until I introduce to your attention some old-fashioned friends, who are inviting us to unite with them in adoring triumphant song. And with whom shall we join ? Here is David. Shall we unite with him, and " shout unto God with the voice of triumph " ? And here is Isaiah. Surely, we will no longer let him chide our silence. Then let us strike the note yet higher, and "sing unto the Lord, for he hath done excellent things ; this is known in all the earth. Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion ; for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee." And yet I must detain you, for here is the importunate Zephaniah, beseechingly saying, " Sing, O daughter of Zion ! shout, O Israel ! be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem ! '* And Ezra is here also. u ILLUSTRATIONS OP THE Qmt excitement. AVhy not? Shouting and loul-saTlng. telling us of a great excitement which attracted much attention in his day, when all the people shouted with a great shout, and praised the Lord, because the foun- dation of the Lord's house was laid, so that the noise was heard afar off; for the people shouted with a loud shout. Now if you had been there, my friend, would you have chided them, as old-fashioned and fanatical ? But lo ! here comes John ! Hark ! Do you not hear a great voice of much people ? What are they singing ? " Alleluia : salvation, and glory, and honor, and power unto the Lord our God ! " Listen ! They challenge us to unite with them. Shall we do it? Alleluia! It is done ! How ^exhilarating the strain ! Surely our spirits are already proving the raptures of the redeemed and blood-washed ! And why not ? As the redeemed of the Lord, we will — ^we must — claim our purchased inheritance with the saints, and will return to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon our heads ! "But what have happy Christians, the so.igs of the redeemed, and the shouts of the inhabitants of Zion, to do with the salvation of souls? Is not this the one legitimate calling of the Christian ? And how little have the tri- umphs of Christians to do with the salvation of those who are blinded by the god of this world ! " Do not be too fixed in your opinion, my friend. Let me illustrate by an incident which came under my observation, and then tell me if the joy of the Lord is not the strength of the church. . . y^'W' ECONOMY OF SALVATION. IS Tb* Jo]r of nlratloii. The young lady. Th« inquiry. JESUS RECEIVES DISCIPLES " IMMEDIATELY." ,**"' "Would you not love to be just as happy as that lady ? '* asked I of a whole-souled worldling. The lady to whom the attention of this worldling had been directed had just entered into the conscious pos- session of perfect love j and so joyful was she in having attained the Spirit's witness to the fact that Christ now reigned unrivalled in her heart, that, fron\,the abundance of her heart, she literally obeyed the Scriptui;(^, " Shout, ^O Israel, be glad and rejoice with all thy heart, O daughter of Jerusalem ! " For she felt that the Lord had cast out her enemy, and the King of Israel, even the Lord, was in the midst of her. I had just been laboring in spirit with her, and had witnessed her deep groanings and pleadings for the destruction of sm, and for purity of heart; and, now that the enemy had been cast out, and the witness of purity given, it was not wonder- ful that she was shouting in view of the full entrance of the Holy One in the midst of her, making all things new. This was at one of the feasts of tabernacles, in the rear of a private tent ; and standing at the tent door was the unconverted yet interesting young lady to whom we had addressed our inquiry — " Would you not love to be just as happy ? " In a wishful tone she replied, " I would." ** Well, the same happiness is for you, if you are only willing to comply with the same conditions. It does not take the Savior longer to accept disciples now, than in the days of his incarnation. When he l l | il l lii l lilll W IWI I I 14 * ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE i "Mil you comply?" *' I would lora to— bat ■' " i* called those early disciples, Feter« James, John and Matthew, it is written * Immediately they forsook all and f followed him/ Would you be willing to forsake all and follow Jesus?" 'V ' " .. r*-*^. ' '^ She looked sad, and hesitated. 0, how my heart ^ coveted her, for the service of the Savior! She was indeed lovely, and her hesitating mood reminded me of the one whom Jesus looked upon and loved. But her heart was in close affinity with the world. She had won its smiles, ^was enjoying its friendships, and, to more than an ordinary degree, had its charms been lavished!^ upon her. No wonder that she hesitated, as we again affectionately and most appealingly said, " In the name and in the presence of the Lord I ask, will you not now comply with the conditions of discipleship, and, * like those early disciples, immediately forsake all and follow Jesus ? " Still she lingered — said she would love to do it— but If her heart had spoken out, it had doubtless said, "Greatly do I desire the smiles of my Savior, — ^fain would I be his disciple ; but, alas I I cannot renounce the world." "We reminded her of the interesting young man who came to the Savior, desiring to be received as his dis- ciple. But, lacking in one point, he was not received, and no intimation is given, in the records of grace, that he ever afterwards complied with the conditions, and became a follower of the Savior. Thus, with yourself, - we know that God now calls you j but we dare not— . . -tik. . ^u.W"-i^a"i£A-'.". KCONOMY OF SALVATION. 15 The eommand. The hesitation. The encouragement. cannot assure you that he will ever again call you. He says, " Now is the accepted time I behoM, now ia the day of salvation ! " To-morrow is in eteraity, and before the i^rrow you may be there also ; especially if you longer resist God by your delays. Have we reason to believe that he would have called Peter, James or John repeatedly, if they had refused to come at his bidding ? Did any of these linger and make excuses ? One of his disciples once said, " Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father ! '* "VVho can conceive of any earthly con- sideration of equal importance with this ? But even this plea was not regarded as of sufficient importance to pre- vent an immediate response to the Savior's call, " Fol- low me." The Savior only replies, "Let the dead bury their dead, but follow thou me." Jesus is now calling you, as truly as though you could hear your name distinctly uttered from the highest heavens, in tones loud as were the thunders of Sinai. And will you not now say, " In the strength of grace. Lord, I will forsake all and follow thee " ? / <:: ^ She grew yet more pensive, as she saw the way to the Savior hedged up by the cross. But we took pains to assure her that the yoke of Christ was easy and his burden light. "We told her how graciously the Savior would bear her, cross and all, if she would only resolve in his strength to take it up. But yet we j feared she would go away sorrowful, for she evidently was unwilling to comply with, the only conditions [upon which Jesus had promised to receive her. -.^^.^i^ "We were surrounded by some worldly-minded pro 16 ILLUSTRATIONS OF THB TIm roppwiUon. The bjr-path. Th« wunlBf. fessors, friends of the young lady, who apparently with much interest were waiting the issue, and, failing to get her consent, we changed our mode of address, and pleasantly said, " If you could become a disciple %f the Lord Jesus Christ, without giving up the world, like some worldly-minded professors, you would love to be a disciple of that sort, would you not ? " Her countenance quickly brightened as she suddenly conceived the idea, that I had found some easier way to Jesus than by the cross, and she joyfully exclaimed, "I would." "Well, there is a by-path which seems to be leading upward. There is a way that seemeth right to a man. There are many who take upon them- selves the name of Christ, who do not renounce the world. They seem to have found some broader, easier way, than the way of the cross. But the Bible pre- sents but one direct way to heaven, and that way is the narrow way of the cross. The cross covers all the way. The way is not broad enough to admit of going around it. When I was a child, I used to hear people talk of going around the cross. But, since I have learned to read the Bible for myself, I see it presents no way of going around the cross, without getting out of the way. Jesus says, ' If any man will be my disciple, let him deny himself, take up his cross, (not go around it,) and follow me.' Those, therefore, who attempt to go around the cross instead of taking it up, get out of the way to heayen into the by*pjiith, the way that seemeth to be right, but the end wb^ieof is death. And these are the 'memy* to which the Savior refers, when he fays, ECONOMY OV BALYATIOK. 17 I wmnlag. patently "with failing to get address, and iisciple%f the le world, like lid love to he she suddenly easier way to ly exclaimed, which seems that seemeth :e upon them- renounce the )roader, easier le Bible pre- lat way is the all the way. ;oing around eople talk of ,ve learned to ts no way of of the way. pie, let him :>und it,) and to go around f the way to emeth to be these are the en he says, LUb-long dacepUon. A Uim Ugbt. « Many will say to me in that day. Lord, Lord, have we not propheiiied in thy name ? and in thy name have cast out devils ? and in thy name done many wonderful woi'lcs ? And then will I profess unto them I never knew you ! * People generally die in the light in which they live ; for there is nothing enlightening in death ; it only disembodies the spirit. How evidently had these people died in their deception ! and now they come to the very door of heaven, expecting admission, hut the Savior says, * I never knew you.* Now would you love to imagine yourself in the way to heaven, in some other way than the way of the cross ? Christians are called the light of the world ; and would you love to take upon yourself a profession, as a light of the world, and have others follow you, as you are wishing to follow other worldly-minded professors, and then find, in the end, that souls have been lost by following you, instead of being saved through your influence ? Suppose one puts up a beacon-light in a wrong place, and a vessel is decoyed from the right channel and stranded, and all on board perish, who is responsible for the loss of life ? " Now do you desire to take upon yourself the pro- fession of Christ, without giving up the world ? "Would you be willing to be looked up to as one of the lights of the world, without having previously taken upon you the cross of Christ ? " With much earnestness she exclaimed " No ! I don't want to be such a professor ! " . " Then I again ask you, in the name of the Lord, will you comply with the conditions of discipleship ? As !• 18 ILLUSTRATIONS OF THB The only tfrmt. AU bwren la walUng. well may you make up your mind now that you will be lost — forever lost ! and, after millions of the ages of eternity have rolled away, take up the lamentation, • the harvest is past, the summer is ended, and I am not saved,' as to make up your mind that you will not com- ply with the conditions of discipleship ; for on no other terms can you be saved. O, my dear young friend, what a solemn and eventful moment is this for you I You and I will remember it, as together we stand, with an assem- bled universe, at the judgment-seat of Christ. The hosts of the Xv»'r"i'ary convinced of sin, that every other considerat fv^ v ., .;>3t in tL- oyer- whelming fact that she was a sinuer. ^^ " ': I had told her that the Savior was waiting to receive her, if she would comply with the conditions. And her eye, in fact, seemed fixed, as though she saw the Savior Li the distance. But she saw an insunnount9.ble moun- BCONOVT Of SALVATION. tl A moanMa of ipillt. ''onflmloB. less impor uence ; \> ur sustain I bejbre you le strength God will o his w^rk jefore been Lord J but ivinced of tLj ovier- to receive And her he Savior ble moun- tain of gfuilt intervening between herself and the Savior. And, notwithstanding she si emed to keep her ey t; ou Jpsus, as though she must and would come to him, yet her heart was so overwhelmed with a sense of her sins, tliat fthe was wholly lost to outward observances, and she cried out, with a loud and yet louder voice, " O Lord, I am a sinner 1 I am a sinner ! I AM a sinner ! '* And still she repeated it again and again, with a voice yet more intensely sorrowful and vehement, m numbers gathered round in amazement. I might have sought to restrain her cry, .s did the multitude that of blind Bartimeus. But it is better that sinners know, and feel, and even publicly a knowl- edge that they are sinners. And I wished th 9 dear young lady so deeply to feel her sins, and so fulJy and repentingly to confess herself a sinner before God and man, that she might ever, from the depths of humdity, remember the fact. a "With some difficulty I obtained her attention and observed : " It was said of the Savior, in the days of his incarnation, * This man receiveth sinners.' Now you acknowledge that you are a sinner, and if Christ is t le Savior of sinners, is he not your Savior ? and can yt a not say, * My Savior, receive me * ? '* 1*1* fc The Holy Spirit condescended to speak through the organ of clay, and own the agency which had been appointed to lead this precious soul to Christ. Imme- diately she adopted the language, and began to cry : " My Savior, receive me ! My Savior, receive ME 1 MY Savior, receive ME ! *) , if i 22 ILLUSTRATIONS OP THE Salvation now. The encouragement. The prayer. The faith. m And thus she continued to cry for a few moments ; while, to the eye of her faith, the Savior was evidently drawing yet nearer and nearer. Again I interrupted her and said : " Your Savior has said just when he will receive you. He is saying to you just now, * Now is the accepted time ; behold, now is the day of salvation I ' If he says now, he means now ! Can you not say, * My Savior, receive me now ' ? " « .,..„. " My Savior, receive me now ! My Savior, receive me now ! " she several times repeated with yet greater earnestness, and most evidently with increasing faith, and yet more experimental apprehensions that the Savior was drawing yet nearer to her, as she was thus endeavor- ing in faith to draw nigh unto him. And still she repeated, « My Savior, receive me now ! " " If your Savior has promised to receive you now, and you give yourself away to him now, is it not your duty to believe that he does receive you now ? Not that he di4i receive you before you renounced your sins and gave yourself away to him ; but that he does now receive you, while you are just now giving yourself away to him. He says : * Him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out.' You come to hiru, do you not ? " « I do." " Well, is he true to his word, or is he not ? He either does receive yon, or he does not. Ho^y is it ? In the name of the Lord, I ask you, how is it ? Does Jesus now receive you ? Can you not now say, * My Savior, thou dost receive me ' ? " The next utterances were those of copfident faith. ECONOMY OP SALVATION. 28 Faith. The roceptloa. Jojr. ve you now, ThQU DOST " My Savior, thou dost receive me ! receive me ! Alleluia ! Alleluia ! " But we cannot describe the scene that followed. It seemed as though the Savior had at first stood in the distance, waiting till she should yield to the Holy Spirit's operations ; and, just as she drew nigh to him, in the dedication of herself to him, he drew nigh unto her, and the moment she believingly took him at his word, and opened her heart to receive him, he entered, and revealed himself to her, not only as her Savior, but as the fairest among ten thousand, the altogether lovely, and, in loud acclamations, she shouted his praise. I know you would not have hesitated in uniting with her had you been present ; for who could have refrained ? Hov- ering angels united in our joy, and flew back to heaven with the blissful tidings of another sinner saved. O, it was indeed a wondrous change, and the new-born spirit, thus suddenly translated from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God's dear Son, was unbounded in its raptures ! Scarcely one half-hour had passed since we had assured her that the Lord was willing to make her as happy as the friend to whose acclamations of praise she had listened ; but now, had we asked whether i herself or that friend had a right to raise the higher note of praise, siyely she would have claimed it for her- self, and who would have denied her the privilege ? . "We should judge her to have been a star in the fash- lionable world, and worldly-minded professors had circled around her. These now would have gathered closely to [her to partake in her ioy. It o-j was a curious and memo- } I ^ 24 * ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE A withering reproof. The new song. Baptism at midnight. rable sight that now presented itself. As these friends drew more closely to her, she, instinctively, as if by an ' impulse of her renewed nature, shrank away, retreating yet farther and farther as they approached, exclaiming, > " I have been ashamed of Jesus, — but I am not ashamed " of him now ! " Surely the reproof was withering, and 5 my heai't was pained for them ; but it was right, and the > Holy Spirit made use of the circumstance to recall these t worldly professors back to the cross of Christ. ;? ust* i % *r« The joyful reception of this new disciple occurred a ! little before the evening twilight. Hour after hour, fe during the evening and night, did we hear the rapturous note of victory and praise ascend from the lips of that newly-received disciple. Seldom, if ever, have I heard such melodious and soul-thrilling strains of praise. She had become an acknowledged disciple, and the Divine Teacher, at whose feet she was now sitting, had indeed taught her, — " some melodious sonnet "'•ii' Sung by flaming tongues above." About midnight, she was baptized with water in the '' name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, and received - into Christ's visible church. The last I heard from her, which was about two years after her happy change, she still continued a lovely dis- ciple of the Lord Jesus Christ, and was said to be more than an ordinary Christian. Does not this prove that it does not take Jesus longer to receive disciples now, than in the days of his incarna- ^ tion? Here was an unawakened sinner deeply convinced ECONOMY OF SALVATION. m at midnight. OonTerted in a half-ltour. Why notr The infidel. of sin, and powerfully converted in less than half an hour. Why is it that some convicted sinners are days, weeks, and even years, seeking salvation ? Is it hecause the ways of the Lord are not equal ? or is it hecause the cross of Christ is not made sufficiently prominent, and an entire renunciation of the world regarded as im- perative ? Surely, Christ is as truly able to Rave three thousand in one day now, as on the day of Pentecost. Decision for God, an entire surrender, faith vi our Lord Jesus Christ, are the steps ; and may not these be taken in a half-hour as truly and ejffectively as in a half-century ? If one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day, why nott^-'f^^p:/^. »*■■! \o\mm vtrm^ InpMilg. *?.!'-■. «M<%:;y ''.■-^■' Vr Some imagine that the subject of holiness has nothing to do with arresting the attention of sinners. But here is a case of one who professed himself an infidel, but who, through the presentation of Bible Christianity, which, according to the Bible standard, is holiness to the i«ord, became convinced, in view of its being so presented, of its divine origin. This was a marked case. It will now be two weeks to-morrow morning, since we were in G., Upper Canada^ The church was quite densel/ I? I ^e ILLUSTRATIONS OP THE ' WiU it do to spouk of hollnen here? " The penBive man. crowded with a mixed multitude. In view of this, we were questioning whether we had not hetter make more general remarks than we imagined some present might anticipate. But, while we were thus questioning, the district chairman, who was present, arose, and announced to the people that we would speak to them on the sub- ject of holiness. We did so, and felt that the Lord helped us. On the evening of the same day, while numbers were surrounding the altar of prayer, some earnestly seeking the witness of adoption, and others pleading for the sanctifying seal, the minister pointed out to me a gentleman in the congregation, who sat pensively leaning his head on his hand, and asked if I would not go and converse with him. On going to him, I found he had been a professed infidel. I cannot here go through with the way in which the Lord helped me to meet his case, but will pass over details, which I am sure would interest you, to say that, at the close of the evening service, the minister in charge gave permission to all who might wish to converse with us to come for- ward to the altar, when, lo ! this professed infidel, with a number of others, responded to the invitation. From deeply interested countenances greeting us in every direction, we saw that our friend, the sceptic, was not the only one deeply concerned in what might be the result of the interview. " Mrs. P.," said he, " I have come here to ask your advice : I am willing to do any thing you may suggest." ** I would advise you at once to kneel down here, by his altar, and begin to call upon God to have mercy on ECONOMY OP SALVATION. Motires to prayer. The cry. Satan ndsted. your soul. God is a God near at hand, and not afar off^ to all that call upon him." The infidel objected, and pleaded his want of faith in God ; but I reminded him of his promise to take my advice, and observed that blind Bartimeus would prob- ably never have attracted the attentions of the Savior, unless he had called after him j and never was any one saved without being very humble and decided. It was not a small thing to be saved, neither was it at a small sacrifice that Christ had left his throne in heaven, and lived a life of suffering on earth, and died the death of the cross to purchase salvation for him. ** Well, I assure you, I am willing to do any thing that you say will be helpful to me." ** Then kneel here at this altar, and begin to cry, O, Lord, have mercy upon me, for Christ's sake ! " "But how do I know that there is a Christ? " ^ ' ' And here, again, we hushed his unbelieving reason- ings, reminding him of his promise, and telling him that these suggestions were not from himself, as he imagined, but directly from Satan ; and, if he would resist in the name of the Lord, Satan would fly. ' ' ''' ^ But a few moments succeeded, and the infidel was on his knees, uttering the words, " O, Lord, have mercy upon me, for Christ's sake I " And still he repeated them. ' ■ '' '■ ■ *;ff >'"■ !. ^•...y.m Who can depict the interest of this moment, as this intelligent and well-known sceptic humbly knelt at the altar of prayer, in the presence of his Christian friends Ui whom, through a distorted spiritual and neighbors. £9 ILLUSTRATIONS OP THE " Our brother." The UBurance. A surprisiDg announcoment. vision, he had only seen numerous and greatly magnified infirmities ! But, now, they beheld him praying. And many were the earnest and tearful responses as this aflfec- tionate band of Christian brethren, one after another, united in supplication in his behalf, and said, " Lord, for Christ's sake, have mercy upon this, our fricndt — our Irother / " O, indeed, who can conceive of any thing that equals the sweetly affectionate, forgiving spirit of our holy Christianity ? The scene was affecting. We could not doubt but it was the Spirit itsel/f helping our infirmi- ties, as we lingered there, amid the eager scores who were waiting the issue. I was so convinced that the Lord had taken his own work in hand, that I turned to the sceptic, as we rose from our knees, and said, — " My friend — my brother — God will help you, and that right early. I feel, in my heart, that there is hope in your case. G^-^ is not only the Hearer, but the In- spirer, of prayer ; and such prayers as have been pre- sented in your behalf could only have been inspired by God. And now I know there is hope in your case. Yes, God will help you ; I know he will." " If the"e is hope in my case, — if I am ever saved, — ^it will be through what you said, here in this church, this morning." I must confess my surprise. Though I had trusted in the Lord for a word in season to all, yet, to have found an acknowledged infidel, who, through the pre- sentation of the way of holiness as a doctrine of the Bible, and the only way leading from eaith to heaven cast up for the ransomed of the Lord to walk in, — ^that f ' 1 ECONOMY OP SALVATION. 29 Th« tnfldel conTerted. " Ue maketh the foca to ahia*.*' such an one should be shaken in hb infidelity, exceeded my anticipations, i *>. liivf :U v/oir jft'il ii«mi).ti^MM We were to leave the next morning ; but, before daylight, the infidel called on us, looking pale, and evi- dently much excited. Before leaving, he promised that he would never cease praying till the Lord had mercy on his soul. A letter, received to-day, infoims us that, the third day subsequent to our departure, he was pow- erfully converted to God. The minister speaks of his conversion as one of the most remarkable he ever wit- nessed. ^ s :- ft' i '<: U iV ■ '5-;J.i « .tJ: >■!■■'. , ' • i ' 1 <.' trntrnt V f \r -■' > ■. ■, (!i- I (.' JL i^althg (^omxkmntt u: >■■ ■ Have you a healthy countenance ? Does your face, that divinely constructed index of the human soul, speak to the beholder of the pleasures of salvation — the joy of the Holy Ghost ? Do not think me officious in pressing this question, or in my more minute inquiries. The heavenly Healer bids me ask you. He has a balm on hand which « maketh the face to shine " in the image of the heavenly. Yes, shine ! So that, though the lips may not possess muscular power to move, and the tongue be palsied amid the physical agonies of dissolving nature, the shining, speaking countenance may tell of joy unutterable, and full of glory. Have you never seen 30 ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE Health Id ■lokncu. Skill of the IleaTenly Healer. DaTid on health. this ? I have j and, from vivid sketches in memory, might portray countenances, most radiant with healthful beauty, though, at the same time, the physical frame was variously and hopelessly diseased. Physical disease, say you, I might endure, but O, these many and varied mental solicitudes ! — How can I, amid these, exhibit a beaming, healthful countenance ? I tell you, the heav- enly Healer can meet your condition. Your case may be intricate, but it would indicate a sinful distrust in his divine skill, should you yield to the idea that the pecu- liarities of your condition may not be readily met. David regarded it as really important that he should have a healthy countenance. He chided his soul -for being disquieted and cast down, and he was not willing his soul should remain in this condition, but hastens to cheer her, and directs her attention to God, the infinite Source of bliss-inspiring hope. David's eye of faith was fii^e^ on the future. And, though exercised with trials which, for the present, were not joyous, he was not willing that his soul should be sad. This, he knew, would disfigure his countenance, and he bids his heart hope in God, "Who," says he, "is the health of my countenance.^* Then Da\id cared what sort of a countenance he pre- sented. And are you sufficiently careful what sort t)f countenance you present? "When you looked so dis- quieted, careworn and sad, how did you present the skill of the Divine Healer ? You profess to have come to him, and to have committed your case fully to him. It is his will that his saving health may be known among all nations. If he cause his face to shine upon you, it ECONOMY OP SALVATION. 81 The reflector. Qod Is in a Chrldtian. The life, the ihoe and the ihont. is in order that you may reflect his image ; that your face may shine upon others ; that gentle, loving, trust- ful, heart-cheering, health- restoring influences may ema- ni^ from your radiant, healthful countenance. And why not, if God is the health of your countenance ? How significant the expression, " Who is the health of my countenance, and my God " ! If we behold, in every Christian, a habitation for God through the Spirit, — if it is God working in us to will and to do, why ought not the world to behold, in every Christian, a counte- nance so healthful, and radiant, that Christianity may be everywhere commended for its ability to make its pos- sossorhappy? .jf.i,. ;; > ' ■lin, !'^ --r \-:'^ 't.: -,3: I ■»■! ' ,-K'v.:'i ^v. 1 . , f ! % $mlx ^muid bit llie J^mikuf a djltristian. ■, f-: i I HAVE known H. M , ever since I was a child, and, from his very countenance, conceived the idea that there was something veiy happifying in the enjoyment of the right sort of religion. His religion might have been too obviously engrossing to suit the taste of some. But the smile of heavenly bliss which lighted up his fivce, and the frequent outbursting of his heart — " O, bless the Lord " ! ♦• Precious Savior " ! found a lodg- ment in my young heart which, to the present hour, .,^'..^i ILLUSTRATIONS OF THB OoDTlotod Kt tho light offcCbrteUan't eonrartod. 18 telling to the praise of the Savior. If Christians cannot be happy, who can? I have known more than one convinced of sin and brought to Christ by observing the happy countenances of Christians. Here is one who is now, and for many years has been, a triumphant believer. When a child, she was beholding the smiling countenance of a minister. He was not in the*pulpit, neither was he speaking. But he was filled with the joy of the Lord, just as every Christian ought to be. It was " God, who was the health of his countenance," and, through his shining face, the Holy Spirit spoke to the young heart of my own dear sister. , , " It is because that minister enjoys religion that he is so happy." So said the Holy Spirit. From that mo- ment, she resolved that she \rould never rest until she also enjoyed religion. This dear child afterwards found that her heart was very sinful. She saw that she could not enjoy religion until she was saved from her sins. Most earnestly did she cry to God for forgiveress. The third day after, she was so powerfully converted, that it seemed as if her newly-forgiven, new-born spirit, would almost have left its glay tenement. As Daniel, in the presence of the angel, she swooned away. And was it surprising ? for a greater than Gabriel had come, and had said, "A new spirit will I put within you." — "Thy sins are fbrgiven, accepted thou art, Sha listened, and hearen sprang up In her heart.*' ! is it not strange that Christians are net generally ECONOMY OF SALVATIOlT. m SalTatlon uid •xhltaunttion. The Oatholio prieit, th* ProtMUnt flunily and Um Bible. more happy? Is it wonderful that Christians should sometimes manifest happy excitement when these entran- cing changes come over them ? Who can contemplate the souFs translation from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God's dear Son, without at once seeing that such a change must produce some sort of exhilara- tion! Do not, my friend, be afraid of happy excite- ment. Few persons, in these days, have had more of such excitement than David and Paul, and many of the Old and New Testament saints. i^ f I (Kjferf flf djhrisiian C^ouriesg mH n lapg <^ntt My friend J. was educated for a Roman Catholic priest. He actually believed in the infallibility of " the church J " for he had ever been taught that it was a sin to question, and it was on this principle alone that he reconciled all its strange inconsistencies. He had finished his studies, but, before entering fully upon the duties of his vocation as a priest, he spent a few weeks in travelling. He paused at the house of a pious Protes- tant family, where he was taken ill, and detained a num- ber of days. Sad and lonely, he took up a Protestant Bible, which lay on a table in his sick room. As he read of the new birth, in the third chapter of John, his mind was partially arrested with the thought 'that there 84 ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE A PratMtaDl Mrrlc*. Tha panltont. P»rdon. Th« Mwly Ughtod MontanuiM. might be something more in spiritual religion than he had anticipated. Pleasant and sympathizing friends of the Protestant community began to gather around him, and proffer their services. As he grew better, and was able to venture out, he was courteously invited to attend Protestant service, and such had been the manifestations of Christian kindness on the part of his newly acquired friends, that he did not feel quite free to refuse. He went. The occasion wa» one of special mercy. The power of the Lord was present to awaken and convert. Among the seekers of salvation, was a gentleman whose heart was deeply smitten with sorrow for sin ; and, from the depths, he cried unto the Lord. Suddenly, upon an act of reliance on Christ, his burden of guilt was re- moved> and Jesus said, " Son, be of good cheer ; thy sins, which were many, are all forgiven thee ; go in peace, and sin no more." " What a ehange his word can make, Turning darkneu Into day " ! My friend had been closely watching the countenance of this gentleman. He had with amazement witnessed his deep anguish, and now, to his still greater astonish- ment, he saw his face suddenly lighting up with heavenly illumination, as though a beam from the throne of the Ineffable had penetrated the depths of his being. The Dove of Peace had come to that heart. The angel of the covenant was now telling this repentant sinner that his name was written in heaven. The veriest sceptic could not have doubted but some mysterious change was '>', ECONOMY OF SALVATION. 1 WOBtoOMIM. TIm WBVwttd prUat— —AttulMd nobody-^but told hU MpwiMie*. being >v i ought. " Surely, there is some secret trons- formiug power in grace to which I am a 8tranger>" thought our ^ lend. From that moment, he resolved that he would, for himself, know the verities of salva- tion. He became an earnest, humble seeker. It was but a short time before he was enabled to testify, from his own experimental realizations, the power of grace to change the heart, and raise to newness of life. Christ, as the only Mediator between God and man, now revealed him- self as his ever-interceding Savior in such sweetness, light and power, that the Virgin Mary, and all other interceding saints, were forever put in the shade. The great superstructure of error which had, from infancy, been rearing in his mind, founded on the infallibility of " the church," now tottered and fell, and utter was the destruction thereof. Out of the abundance of his heart he began to declare what great things the Lord had done for him. As it was a manifestation of Christian cour- tesy, and the outbeamings of love, as depicted in the countenance of a sinner newly saved, that had won his heart over to Christ, he was not now required to use other weapons than those furnished out of the armory of love. He did not feel called to attack his friends of the Roman Catholic faith. But he did feel called to present the truth, and to proclaim his own heart-expe- riences of the power of saving grace. These things soon became noised abroad in the Catholic community, and he was publicly denounced from their pulpits. It was deemed important that he should defend himself and the truth. Protestant pulpits were offered for this purpose. ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE A trophy. The grave of Wesley. His writings. His weapons were love, and the Lord gave him good success ; and, to this day, he continues to be a faithful minister of the cross, a trophy won to Christ, by a manifestation of Christian courtesy, and the happy face of a Christian. , ., . , .... ,, , , ; ;i ri-jv. a^t ®W lanttmarh. 2 }<■» «■(?! ■'-■■' 'v ■ .' '^iu^ •*•' K: ..^•t-v H'J . ' '^■l'>0 •},i > ^k rmut'^ Visi*.i.^\ ^.•^vi;.; "it.... M WESLEY SPEAKING FOR HIMSELF. ' -- - i Beadeb ! how would it strike you were I to take you just now to a newly opened grave, to hold converse with an exhumed tenant of the tomb ? Over fifty years has the spirit of that tenantless body been in the spirit-world, and now it comes to commune with thee. But I will not detain you with a grave scene. The opened grave and the exhumed body may indeed awe your spirit. But, though it were in our power to introduce you actually to such scenes, the perturbation of your mind might pre- clude that calm, solemn attention which we would now invite to a message from one who, being dead, yet speaketh ; our God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. We will call you to listen to the spirit-tones of one whose unexhumed body still rests in the peace- ful tomb, but whose sainted spirit still communes with thee, through his writings. As a child of Methodism, we ask you to listen to important truths from hun who. ECONOMY OF SALVATION. 37 The cardinal doctrine. The queiition. Wesley >• answer. under God, was the founder of Methodism. You cannot consistently fail to feel a deep interest in relation to the Bible doctrine of Christian holiness. It was to spread this that the Wesleys were thrust out. And it is to sftcure your harmony with Mr. "Wesley on this cardinal doctrine of Methodism, that we have introduced this article. ' .^»«-!< *bW*T^-~ v^y^'fr WHEN ARE WE TO BELIEVE OURSELVES WHOLLY SANCTIFIED I Do you ask, with a recent writer, " Does God require me to believe he sanctifies me wholly at some particular time, and promise that, when I so believe, he will do it ? If so, where in the Bible is that requisition made ? " Hear the answer from Mr. Wesley : — " But what is that faith by which we are sanctified, saved from sin, and perfected in love ? . . . . It is a divine evidence and conviction that he is able to do it now. And why not ? Is not a moment to him the same as a thousand years ? He cannot want more time to accomplish what is his will. And he cannot want, or stay for, any more worthiness or fitness in the persons he is pleased to honor. We may therefore boldly say, at any point, *Now is the day of salvation.' * To-day, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.* ' Behold, all things are now ready, come unto the marriage.' " To this confidence, that God is both able and willing to sanctify us now, there needs to be added yet one thing more, a divine evidence and conviction that he docth it. In that hour, it is done. God says to the inmost soul, 'According to thy faith be it done unto thee.' Then the 88 ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE A miscbieToua opinion- Sanotiflcation after justification. How long ? soul is pure from every spot of sin ; it is clean from all unrignteousness. *' . ^■-' * - j-.i . .■,' i-i,.?'ii»f ib^**?'*' ARE CONVERSION AND ENTIRE SANCnFICATION SIMULTANEOUS! Do you ask whether the work of regeneration and the work of entire sanctification are not simultaneously wrought in the heart ? Mr. Wesley will answer in his sermon on the " Scripture Way of Salvation." " Hence may appear the extreme mischievousness of the seemingly innocent opinion, that there is no sin in a believer ; that all sin is destroyed, root and branch, the moment a man is justified." Also, Vol. i. p. 405: " The new birth is not the same with sanctification. . . . This is a part of sanctification, not the whole ; it is the gate to it, the entrance into it." Again, he says. Vol. iii. p. 164 : " He differs from some of the clergy of the Church of England, because * they speak of justification either as the same thing with sanctification, or as some- thing consequent upon it.' I believe justification to be wholly distinct from sanctification, and necessarily ante- cedent to it. »» £■ *srj' ■na'iteliStt HOW SOON MAY ENTIRE SANOnnCATION SUCCEED CONVERSION] Do you, then, on being assured that you are not wholly sanctified at the moment of conversion, ask how soon you may expect to have that work wrought ? Mr. Wesley answers ; . * - .^ - - - -^^ - . •- , .',. ,.■ ■ , . ,,,^•v^•^v■ '-^fv^? • -li* m.^ " Now, with God, one day is as a thousand years. It plainly follows that the quantity of time is nothing to him. Centuries, years, months, days, hours, and ECONOMY OF SALVATION 59 Forty witnesses. Six liundrod and fifty-two witnesses in London. iwei in his moments are exactly the same. Consequently, he can as well sanctify in a day after we are justified as in a hun- dred years. Accordingly, we see in fact there is no dif- ference, that some of the most unquestionable witnesses of sanctifying grace were sanctified within a few days after they were justified." He, as was his custom, illus- trates his views by various experiences, and says : " I spoke to these, forty in all, one by one. Some of these said they received the blessing ten days, some seven, some four, some three days, after they found peace with God, and two of them the next day. "What marvel, since one day with God is as a thousand years ? " '.%iH MAY HOLINESS OF HEART BE EECEIVED BY ONE ACT OF FAITH } Do you say that you cannot conceive how the soul can be wholly sanctified instantaneously, and by one act of faith? Hear Mr. Wesley's views on the subject: ■nst?:' 'Wv-:-f'''^'ir.i ^--' ^ *•,,! t.*r •' ;'•*■■-'■ "i-^^i^'^-iv^'l/' " Not trusting to the testimony of others, I carefully examined the most of these myself, and, in London alone, found six hundred and fifty-two members of our society who were exceeding clear in their experience, and of whose testimony I could see no reason to doubt ; .... and every one of these, after most careful in- quiry, I have not found one exception, either in Great Britain or Ireland, but had declared that his deliverance from sin was instantaneous; that the change was wrought in a moment." . . In the same connection he goes on to say, "What shall we do that this work may be wrought in us ? Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and \ ILLUSTRATIONS OP THE F«ath. What about profession 7 Advice to Miss B. all his wisdom, and power, and faithfiilness are engaged on thy side. In this, as in all other instances, by grace we are saved, throvgh faith. Sanctification is not of "works, lest any man should boast. It is the gift of God, and is to be received by plain, simple faith." /^.■,'^.'i.r .'i* ■ ■ V MUST THIS BLESSING BE PROFESSED IN ORDER TO BE RETAINED! But is it important, after receiving this blessing, that I profess it in scriptural terms, and is this profession par- ticularly helpful, in Mr. Wesley's opinion, toward retaining it ? Here let Mr. "Wesley give his own testimony j and we will also permit the sainted Fletcher, •who alsoi being dead, yet speaketh, to unite in the tes- timony: '"'- ■i4.;.iM-^A[^j^,r-A. " One great means of retaining it is, frankly to declare what God has given you, and earnestly to exhort all believers you meet with to follow after full salvation." " I doubt we are not explicit enough, in speaking on full salvation, either in public or in private." '"*' '■"-' '"' '^' '^^^i.^^^^^^.'--*^'-- -^i .-^'U^'^tU' In his letters to Miss B., who had just received the blessing of entire sanctification. Vol. vii. p. 103, he ad- vises her to profess it, and says : ':^ M^^^^'r- !>>*#* m?l " Undoubtedly, it will be a cross to declare what God has done for your soul, nay, and afterwards Satan will accuse you on the account, telling you you did it out of pride ; yea, and some of your sisters would blame you, and perhaps put the same construction on it." In Vol. vii. p. 13, he says : " I buried the remains of Joseph Norbury, a faithful witness for Jesus Christ. For about i t'%-'' ^ liit (/ ECONOMY OF SALVATION. 41 Wesley's fean. Fletcher's testimony. Satan's bait. three years he has humbly and boldly testified that God had saved him from all sin." Again he says : " I am afraid Christian perfection will be forgotten. Encourage Richard Blackwell and M. CooUey to qieak plainly. A general faintness in this respect has fallen on the whole kingdom. Sometimes I seem almost weary of striving against the stream of both preachers and people." Mr. Fletcher, after giving in a strong and explicit testimony of his personal realizations of the power of Christ to save from all sin, says : ; . i. • ^^t . v^ •"* ''Yes, I rejoice to declare it and bear witness to the glory of grace, that I am dead indeed unto sin, and alive unto God, through our Lord Jesus Christ. I received this blessing four or five times before, but I lost it, by not observing the order of God, who has told us, ' With the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.' But the enemy offered his bait under various colors, to keep me from a public declaration." :' ^ // ■ 'i He then goes on at length to specify what sort of bait Satan used to keep him from an open, explicit declara- tion of entire sanctification j the baits are much the same as have been publicly urged recently, and made the occasion of many losing the blessing, but we will not now take time to specify. Suffice it to say, that, after he had received the blessing the fifth time, and had learned this wile of the devil, we hear no more of his being beguiled, by these satanic sophistries, into the loss of the blessing j and we have reason to believe he maintained a steady public profession to the last. , ;^, :':ti.U»»i ILLUSTRATIONS OP THE Certain societies did not prosper. Way ? Letter to Adam Clarke. Mr. "Wesley, on p. 459, Vol. iv of his Journal, speaks with regret of the fact, that Methodism in certain quar- ters had gained no ground, and then gives, as a reason : " The preachers had given up the Methodist testi- mony. Either they did not speak of perfection at all, (the peculiar doctrine committed to our trust,) or they spoke of it only in general terms, without urging believers to go on unto perfection, and to expect it every moment. And where this is not earnestly done, the work of God does not prosper." " I examined the society, and was surprised to find fifty mem>>ers fewer in it than I left in it last October. One reason is. Christian perfection has been little insisted on ; and, where this is not done, be the preachers ever so eloquent, there is but little increase, either in the number or grace of the hearers." — ^Vol. iv, p. 120. "Perceiving that they had sufifered much by not having the doctxine of perfection clearly explained and strongly enforced, I preached ex- pressly on that head." — ^Vol. iv, p. 557. "We have a letter before us written but one year before Mr. "Wesley's decease, bearing directly on these subjects. It is to the J^ey. Dr. Adam Clarke, and reads thus: WtWfS- ■ ij'.\'.i- lirectly or indirectly, speak against it, let lum be a preacher or leadrr no longer. I doubt whether he should continue in the society. Fecause he that could speak thus in our con* gregations oannot be an hjnest man. '^ .at.; ECONOMY OF SALVATION. A glorious wltncvfl. " The sweeten' ihing.-' No foToritium with Ood. I wish Sister Clarke to do what she can, but no more than she can. Betsy Hitchic, Mrs. Johnson and ^I. Chuko arc women after my own heart. Lott week, I had an excellent letter from Mrs. Pawson, (a glorious witness of full salvation,) showing how impossible it is to retain pure love without growing therein." — Vol. vii, p. 206. <. ■A . IVf- '■'rr^U^^l, -!r /r,n;l^-'^f;,.^/;('Y,n .•/l<.A'',jS'i <■ h " ihu ^urrdi^st 3^hittig J mr lold f ou/* /<■ tiynsirr-.f^'Tirvyi [H-i-i^ -r; "' .5x(.. Sweeter also than honoy and the honeycomb.— Satid. ij>*ii n (( Let me tell you one of the sweetest things I .ver told you in all my life. Jesus has washed my hef* t in his own most precious blood, and he has beautified it, and he has come and brought his Father with him to abide with me ! " So said a lovely Christian, whose very countenance seemed to bespeak the indwelling of the Holy Trinity. ' -^ What a glorious experience ! And yet not more glorious than is guaranteed by the will of our Father to every one of his children. Our Father has no favor- ites ; his will runs alike to all. The sweet experience of the lovely Christian just referred to will surely be desired by all who read these lines. Then why not claim it? It is embraced in the will of yowr Father, precious child of Jesus ! Open the will of your Father just now. Bead John xiv. 23 : " If a man love me, he will keep my words ; and my Father will love him, and; i4 ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE Tbe beln and th* will. IloUneu in the children honon the fkthei'. we will come unto him, and make our abode with him." Here is the experience of this beloved child of God, to which you have just listened, made sure to you. Are you not complying with the conditionsj " If a man love me," &c. ? Surely, you will now claim this glorious portion of your inheritance. When an earthly father leaves a mil, specifying the inheritance which, at a vast expenditure of toil and self-sacrifice, he has made avail- able for his children, how eagerly each one gathers around to ascertain distinctly what his portion of the inheritance may be ! And why should not every child of God, with far greater eagerness, search diligently to know distinctly his portion of the inheritance ? "Would not the name of an earthly parent be dishonored, if, after an inhencance calculated to show his great love to his children had been purchased, his children, through negligence, should leave their rights unclaimed, and live in penury ? So do you not only wrong yourself, but you dishonor the worthy name by which you are called, if you do not, with becoming eagerness and de- cision, resolve on claiming, at once, the inheritance pur- chased for you by the blood of Jesus. When you search the Scriptures, search them as the records of your Father's will ; and remember that not only is your Father willing that you should claim your portion of the inheritance, but his honor as your Father stands connected with your living in the enjoyment of these purchased privileges. Can you, to the praise of Jesus, and in honor of your Father in heaven, say, " Jesus hath washed my heart in his own most precious blood, ECONOMY OP SALVATION. 45 nil blood. The gir ....a the fttter. Imperfcet ncrtfleet. and has beautified it, and has brought his Father with him to abide with me " ? *»> ^ ^^' '*?'•>' ^ * !/' » ' *- ** III* blood demands the purchased grace ; *( ;?«• -j .•WC<;i aAlUi UlB blood's availing plea «; I'U' ^ Hiti «>i^4 • Obtained the lielp for all our race, ; n . ■■' ; . j-^. '• I'Jili'/ "'''■'"' And sends it down to me.'* ,. , . J"' ,r s:* iij,,iiiiij'5y!'^aJti -'ii^^i'siii ■ ^^i "-?•'< •1 irf^-Wft,-. ^*~*A r *!*- ^*fc».*-#.#-*^ GoD*s service is a reasonable service, and such a requisition would be unreasonable and unscriptural. The Jews, under the old dispensation, were not required to believe that their offerings were sanctified before they were laid upon the altar. It was by virtue of the altar upon which their offerings were laid that they were sanctified. ** Whatsoever toucheth the altar shall be holy." How, then, could they believe their offerings were holy before they touched the altar? Neither could they believe their offerings acceptable unless they brought such as were perfect, and without blemish, as required by the law. Witness those Jews who, in the days of the prophet Malachi, brought the lame, the blind, the torn and sick for sacrifice. Could they be- lieve that God would accept their imperfect sacrifices ? God had said he would not, ar d how could they believe that he would? They lingered long, and desired it » 46 ILLUSTRATIONS OP THB Consecration must precede iUth. Tba Chriftian'i alter. much, wearying the Lord, and covering his altar with tears j but their efforts were all worse than useless ; they could not believe God would accept their imperfect sacrifices, for he had said he would not, and he cannot deny himself - ., 4*-^. ^ >«v. . : " v .j* .>.-,^ t.;. The difficulties with many offerers who come to the Chistian altar may be thus solved. They are told that the blessing of entire sanctification is received by faith, but arc not duly observant of the fact that an entire setting apart of all for God must necessarily precede faith. They try to believe before the offer- ing is laid on the altar. How inconsistent and worse than futile are such efforts ! Christ alone can moke us whole. As mauy as touched him believingly in the days of his incarnation were made perfectly whole. ''We have an altar." This altar is Christ. His blood is the purifying medium. He says, " For their sakes I sanctify myself, that they may be sanctified through the truth ; " as though he had said. For their sakes I set my- self apart to endure the agonies of Gethsemane, and to bleed and expire on the cross, that they, through faith in my purifying blood, may be sanctified. And now Christ waits to receive the offerings of his people. Offer- ings presented to God through Christ are " holy, accept- able." So great virtue is there in Jesus, our atoning sacrifice, that as many as touch him believingly are made whole of whatever diseases they have. Of the Chris- tian's altar, it may ever be said, " whatsoever toucheth the altar shall be holy." We think few find it diffi- cult to believe after the sacrifice is bound to the altar. ECONOMY OP SALVATION. «r Reasona why so few are entirety uncttfled. even with cords to the horns of the altar. Christ then becomes our light and our salvation. Faith is wonder- fully simple. The difficulties mainly come by trying to believe the offering is " holy, acceptable," hefcrre it is laid upon the Christian's altar. Many, as the Jews in the days of ^Malachi, are not willing to bring that which is without blemish. They sin after the similitude of those covetous Jews, and bring the lame, the blind, the torn and sick for sacrifice. How few are willing to go without the camp, bearing the reproach of the pro- fession of this grace ! How few are willing to be of no reputation for him who made himself of no reputation for u . ! How few are, in all respects, willing to com ply with the conditions upon which entire sanctification is promised, and how few, consequently, are enabled to believe for the blessing ! Alas ! how utterly impos- sible is it to believe while we lovo the praise of men more than the praise of God ! " How can ye believe who receive honor one of another, and seek not the honor that comcth from God only ? " <« f I Inits of ih ^fini. • /, '■■^'■fw!i<- -vi^r -s*4>ii ".•y}*f& The apostle speaks of "the unity of the spirit." Holiness gives that unity. "When we enter within the vail, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, we meet on the ground where x—^ ^ 48 ILLUSTRATIONS OF THB Ifktural anil iplrltual tlci. Rrliglon and action. *' NaniM, and iiocU, and partiM fUl, ' And Cbrliit alono U oU In all." Yes, you are my sister in Christ. We have been begotten together in the bowels of Jesus. Oao says, " Spiritual relationships arc often stronger than those of nature." Apd why should they not be ? for natural ties, apart from religious influences, have their origin and end in the present state ; whereas spiritual relationships have their origin in the Eternal God, the Infinite Source of life and happiness, and must, if rightly cher- ished, endure as long as God himself endures. " If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanseth us from all sin." " That they may be one, even as we are one." How close is the connection between the Father and the Son ! and what an indescribable oneness of spirit should exist among Christ's disciples ! ^ ., , .|, ; ^ 4, ^ :^ . ^ IW 1 >| A ; As far as I am acquainted with your views of holiness, they are sweetly in harmony with my perceptions of that state. It is the life of (lod in the soul of man, and is, of course, an active principle. The religion of the Bible is not mere sentimentalism, or quietism. The purposes of ECONOMY OP SALVATION. ZmL Dollcf of nn untruth. ••Ood la light." our redemption remain unanswered unless we are unto God a peculiiu- people, zealous of good works. ** My goodness," says the Psalmist, " extendeth not unto thee." No; our benevolent efforts, and our wisely directed zeal, must extend to those objects on which the sympa- thies of the Savior were expended, — for whom he made himself of no reputation, — to whom he ministered in the form of a servant, and for whom he became obedient unto death. I . ..,■ - i, ' ,IJ(>A ^:]^-^. ,/,. ■ '>,yv \Ui 4 MVM ({zmt to Wit riight fpoint, and i\im ielim. \ Yes, the way of holiness is entered bj* faith. 'Out your error is her' Vou have been perplexing yourself about the doctrine of faith before you have any right to exercise the faith which brings you into the enjoyment of the blessing. The Spirit only can take of the things of God, and reveal them to us. And what right have you to expect the Spirit's aid in helping you to hcleive, until you make the necessary sacrifices ? I know you would not be willing to believe an untruth ; but you would believe an untruth if you believed God accepted you wholly, unless you gave yourself wholly lo him. " God is light, and in him is no darkness at all." He dways draws nigh unto us, (bringing light and salvation teith him,) to the degree we draw nigh unto him Let me illustrate. ♦ v i# 6 50 ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE Pleadings but no surrender. Light may become darknoM. u, I saw a professor much conformed to the spirit of the world. " "Why do you not get the blessing of holiness ? " I asked. " I do not know," she replied, " unless it be that it is so difficult for me to exercise faith.*' I had conversed with this person months before, on an occasion when she was weeping and pleading before God for the grace of entire sanctiiication. Said I, as I witnessed her importunate pleadings, " Are you willing to comply with the co7iditions upon which God promises the blessing ? Are you now intending to give up con- formity to the world, resolved to come out, and be separate ? " She answered only with tears and groans. I affectionately expostulated, and urged the necessity rof making the surrender nowj while the Holy Spirit was enlightening her mind. She hesitated, and, though she .greatly desired that God would accept her sacrifice, yet she felt that she could not bring her mind to comply with the conditions, and give up all. Finding that my prayerful entreaties were ineffectual, I faithfully laid the consequences before her thus : " You are dependent on the Holy Spuit for the light you have in regard to the duty of present holiness. If you do not, as a worker together with God, use this light, by obeying it, you will lose it, and then, though you had worlds to offer in an attempt to purchase it back, it were in vain. Light re&isted on any given point becomes darkness^ and then how great is that darkness ! Your darkness will be such^ that you will doubtless sincerely think your- ECONOMY OP SALVATION. m Delusion. " Why are you not holy ? " self to be in the way to heaven, though not in the way of holiness. You will think this because, if you will not believe, and obey the truth, God will give you over to delusion, and you will believe a lie. You will think yourself as safe as professors in general, and you will doubtless die in the same light in which you live, as the mass of professors do. There is nothing enlightening in death; it only unclothes the spirit. You will then stand at the door of heaven, and, among the " many" in that day, will say, " Lord, Lord, open unto us," and he shall answer, ** I know you not, whence ye are." Then shall ye begin to say, " We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets." But he shall say, " I know ye not, whence ye are." This professor did not comply with the only condition upon which God had promised to make her holy. "We parted, and now as I was saying, after the lapse of a few months again we met. Now, on my beseechingly saying, '*Why are you not holy?" she replies, " 0, 1 suppose it is because it is so difficult for it nn »« ; /- !*M ^aJ^w^t m into IWs Wn^/* -.^iUia*^,, "I CANNOT see into this way of holiness. I have wished to know more about it, and I thought I would ask you." So said a young and amiable looking lady, who. me to exercise ^iVA. -it ■ ■ •— - 6% ILLUSTRATIONS OF THB " Do }-aa UN »ll your light? ** " Ah, thftt it th« thought" from h^r exterior, one might judge, had yet to \eaxn that the friendship of the world is enmity with God. "Do yoU| in regard to getting into this way, use all the light you already have ? Have you been doing the will of God as far as you have known it ? " " I fear I have not." *' There is no duty set forth more clearly in the Bible than that of mtirc consecration* * Ye are not your own, ye are bought with a price ; . therefore, glorify God in your body and spirit, which are God's.* Here, in most explicit terms, you see the claim that your Redeemer now has, and ever lias had, on the entire service of your soul, body, and spirit. You do not need any more light in order to ascertain the duty of an immediate and entire surrender of your whole being to God. Have you made this surrender ? " With tearful eyes she exclaimed, " Ah, that is the thought that is ever suggested, when I ask for more light! I know I ought to lay all upon the altar of God J but I have not yet presented the sacrifice." " Then, of course, you have no right to expect to know of the doctrine of entire holiness. God has said, if any man will do his will, he shall know of the doc- trine J but, until you come to the point to do his will, you cannot know. Mark this. It is one thing to intend, or to be willing, to do a given act ; and it is quite another thing actually to do it. Thus, under the Jewish dispen- sation, a person might see the duty of presenting his offering according to God*s requirement; he might intend to be obedient, or he might even be willing to do EGOliroifY OF SALVATION. 68 *' Do aa wall m you know.** Ilollnou ftDd the mlMknuury work. it. But| unless the offering was actually laid upon the altar, it was not made holy. For it was only that which touched the altar that was made holy. "Now, if you want light to beam directly from heaven on your way, I will tell you precisely the point, and the only point, where you may gain it. i?o what you already know to be your duty. * Bind the sacrifice to the altar, even with cords to the horns of the altar.' Here at this point will you know that * God is the God who sboweth us light.* Till you bind the sacrifice here, fully X "^seA that it shall ever remain, you cannot know ex- r?'*!f mentally of the faith that sanctifies." ,#»/ *•••< WXIxg nxt ihn mi mm Pis.^ionarles? W^'i* Because entire devotedness to God does not more generally prevail. The first question with an individual entirely devoted to God, is, "What wilt Thou have me to do ? " Are the fields ripe, ready to harvest, and does he see the laborers few ? how does the heart of the devoted one bound forward to enter the field ! Does he SCO a portion of the Lord's vineyard wholly destitute of culture where thousands of perishing heathen are waiting to receive the seed of the gospel ? he will not wait for impressions, sights, or sounds, in order to be assured of a divine call. 6» ^ ^ IT .usthations of th4 Edueatlon and the miniatry. The mind that waa In ChrUt. The knowledge of the fact, that millions of heathen are now accessible, constitutes a call to one who has it in his power to go. Educational abilities are desirable, but too much ado may be inade on this subject. Christ, who called Peter from his fishing nets, and Matthew from the receipt of custom, may not always require a long scholastic training for the work of soul-saving, either for home or foreign service. What service can be conceived of as so acceptable in the sight of God as soul-saving ? And are there not demands on both the ministry and laity, wholly beyond what have been met ? If the reception of the mind that was in Christ be the criterion by which we are to judge whether we belong to him, it were well for some, frotn among both the ministiy and the laity, to bring themselves to this test, in view of the great demand there is at present for laborers. Many who peruse these lines have bright and happy homes. Endearing relationships, kin- dred spirits, and joyous anticipations, make the idea of leaving home and all "the dear delights of ripe society" exceedingly painful. But how did the mind that was in Christ inspire him to act ? In leaving the bosom of his Father to save the perishing, did he not, for your ssi)i j, leave endearing relationships ? In leaving the society of angels, and all the pure spirits in the regions of im- mortality, did he not make sacrifices for you ? Do you manifest, either to your own heart's satisfaction, or to the satisfaction of the gazing world, that you love and pity the perishing, as Christ loved and pitied you ? Say not that you have the spirit that was in Christ, unless you ECONOMY OP SALVATION. " ^Vill you be a miMlonary T " Doon openicg. ' Thy Mogdom come.*' are thus actuated ; and ever keep in mmd the solemn fact, " If any man have not the spirit of Christ, he is none of his." I will not ask you now whether you are a minister, or a lay member ; but I will Sisk you a question, the answer to which I implore you will now settle as in the imme*^ diate presence of God. "Will you be a missionary, either in person or by proxy ? Hundreds of missionaries are now needed in the foreign field. See every portion of China opening for the reception of the Christian mis- pionary ! See the thousands in India and Turkey, wait- ing to receive the seed of the gospel ! See the signs of the times betokening that God is about to take away the vail which, for ages, has been on the Jewish mind 1 'She latter day glory is about to burst upon us. The prayer, " Thy kingdom come," presented by you a thousand times, is about to be answered, and what do you intend to do specifically towards hastening the answer ? "Will you, in person, enter the mission field ? Perhaps, if you have not ministerial talent, the Lord may accept your services as a physician, a tradesman, a farmer, a carpenter, a blacksmith. "What an amount of \rork for the Christian laborer does the present state of the world present ! " See where the senrants of the Lord, A busy multitude, appear ; For Jesus day and night employed, Ills hei ItAj^c they toil to clear. The love of Christ tlivir hearts coustrains, And strengthens their unwearied hands, They spend their »weat, and toil and pains, To cu'tiyate l!&2i&&us:i's la&ds." m ILLrSTKATIONS OF THE FalM toaahen. / Btranga qmMtion. "No! bo! no!" 1 Such is the exceeding subtlety of Satan, that the most devoted and earnest disciple may be ensnared by his devices, -without the most careful reliance on God for wisdom, and a minute obedience to the directions of the written word. The danger of being beguiled by teachers whose theories may not be in entire cOnfonnity with the written tvord, is obviously set forth in the following con- versation, between one who would be a spiiitual guide, and a mother in Israel. Said the former, " "Would you not be willing to sin, if God required it ? " " No, indeed," quickly responded that mother ili Israel ? " Then you are not entirely dead, or you would be willing to do any thing that God wants you to do," said the subtle reasoner. ** God never wanted any body to sin ! He hates sin," responded the mother. ** Why! not be willing to sin, if it would be for the glory of God ? " exclaimed the reasoner in an expostu- lating tone. ** No ! no ! no ! It could not be for the gloiy of God! God never wanted any ^ one to sin." So ex- claimed this mother in Israel, while a feeling of abhor- rence possessed her soul in view of being thus assaulted by Satan. She plainly saw that this subtle reasoner would fain, as an angel of light, have infused into her ECONOMY OF SATiVATIOU. 67 M1ek«d thought*. A Strang* theory. > I don't kD' r »bc«t tlwt." soul the doctrine of devils, and her righteous spirit was vexed, in view of the boldness of the attack. Not willing to yield at the first repulse, the reasoner continued his questionings. , ** Do you ever have any wicked thoughts ? " She replied thnt wicked thoughts were sometimes suggested to her mind, but she resisted them by prayer. He rejpined, " This is evidence that you are not yet deadt for if you were dead, and had wicked thoughts, they would not be from the devil, for the devil never has any thing to do with the soul that is entirely dead." He then went on to descant on his own experience, ard stoutly maintained, that Satan had not had any thing to do with him, during the past fifteen years. This mother in Israel, perceiving that he who woild be her mstructor, had already been led far into errcf by bis ignorance of Satan's devices, was deeply^ grieved in spu'it. She knew he imagined thtit he had been led into a higher state, of which he said she could not know, until she had also reached the same point, and well knowing how vain her efforts in teaching him would be, she, with an air bespeakin.; uubiousness and sorrow, shook her head significant!/, and said, " I don't know about that! " Vv jir With a look of complacency, sad indeed to witness, this would-be teacher in religion re maiked : " Once you were my teacher, but now I am your spiritual teacher." And thus, in his self-sufficiencv and assumption of 58 ILLVBTRATXONS OF TH#r TT DeceltftilnMW of error. A doctrine ofdorlla. Wlw» Math the word? superior spii'itual knowledge, he turned away from one who had indeed exercised, in former years, a motherly supervision over him in spiritual things. How little do we know, afiter having once become ensnared by the subtleties of the deceivtA, how far and how rapidly we may proceed in error ! How passing strange, that one should go so far as to imagine he could sin to the glory of God, when God, by his word, declares that he cannot look upon sin with allowancoil Yet so it was. This errorist had been so far deluded as to imagine that, though he had not sinned for fifteen years, and indeed could not sin, yet God, for his own glory, might do things in him and by him which, by ^oee not in this higher state, might be regarded as sinful. Surely, this is in no ordinary degree a doctrine of devils. "What more could Satan desi**^ than that pro- fessed Christians assume the ground that they may sin for God*s glory! But in what a\«iul terms does the God of the Bible denounce those that assume this groimd! "Hethatcommittethsinisof thedevil." "The soul that sinneth, it shall die." " But*,** says the errorist, *Ke that is bom of God cannot sin;* though the act may appear sinful to those in a lower state, yet, in the sight of God, they are all his own acts, for * He docth the work.* And what a strange perversion of Scitpture is here! God, who has said, "Thou shalt not kill," has, with equal authority, said, " Avoid the ajtjfearance of evil.*' " God is not tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man.** What a scan^ial on ths pure doctrines of Christianity did Paul regard the «lan- KCOKOMT OF SALYATIOK. 59 kith llw word r » WiMM* damnntlon la Ju*t." Duty of the Mthftil. dcrous report? of those who procli'imecl it as one of the sayings of the early Christians, " Let us do evil that good may come ; " so exceedingly injurious to the pure cause of Christ^ did he regard it, that he pronounced the damnation of such, just. •sji'And how should such doctrines be regarded, by those who adhere to the blessed doctrine (»f Christian Perfec- tion ? Shall we, who believe that the express object for which our Savior endured the cross was to save his peo- ple from their sins, have our forces weakened by a semblance of fellowship with such doctrines? God grant that we may all scand as faithful monitors, to give timely warning of "Satan's devices." May we ever serve as faithful and efficient instructors to those who would find the one and onlj/yvay leading from earth to heaven. It is the way of holiness which has been cast up for the ransomed of the Lord to walk in. The Bible speaks of no " higher " way, but it teaches the necessity of constant progress in the way of holiness. Neither do the Scriptures give ns any authority for the blelief, that the Holy Spirit will lead lis into any other state, than may be plainly inferred from the Bible. For any one to imagine, that the Holy Spirit will lead him into a state, beyond where the teachings of the "Wokd may be specially needful, or lead him into a state or a belief, for which an explicit " thus sailh the Lord," may not be ^iven, is erroneous. And wherever such a device has obtained, whether among ministiy or laity, we fearlessly, in the name of the Lord, pronounce it a device of Satan. «0 ILLUSTRATIONS OP THE Th* buriwl tftt«nt tiiken Awny. or one who would not pnsch. SJhc STalnit— ufidflrlosi Is it not possible to neglect a gift so long that it shall be taken away and given to another ? I have known of some remarkable cxos of this sort. One was that of a most intimate friend, now a lay member of the church of Christ, but, whether he is now in the enjoyment ot religion, is a questionable matter. Fonnerly, he was called, by the voice of the church and his own con* science, to an oHicial relation; but he refused, and placed himself ^n circumstances not eligible for therela' tibn, and where he might escape importunity on the * subject. Too well, alas ! did he succeed. But the Mas- ter of the household, who has said, "Occupy till I come," did not permit him to hold his gift without occu- pying. No ! he took it away, and, for years past, this •brother has not been able even to open his mouth in prayer with his family. He says his gift has been taken away, and his friends think so too. A few months since, a brother who, some years ago, felt that he was called to the ministry, came to see me. He refused, and the chastisements, of the Lord were brought to bear heavily upon him. And yet he delayed, till now it is evident, from his physical ailments and his disastrous financial condition, that the Lord no more requires him in the holy vocation of the ministry. He had neglected his gift too long. The last hour will come with you, my brother, when you, also, will have neglected the gift too long. Will preaching once, or twice, or a ECONOMY OF SALVATIOIf. 61 WIU the Muter Mjr, '• Wall doM? >* Bolieltnd*. dozen times a year, answer the claims of God upon you, in view of tiic dispensation of the gospel which he has committed to you ? 1 fear it Avill not be said of y 3u, "Well done, good and faithful servant," unless you now decide on redeeming the time. I say " nowy* be- cause it seems to me that the crisis in your career is now reached. I I do not think my mind would have been so solemnly urged in this communication to you, but through the operations of the Holy Spirit. Shall I tell you that I have just passed a wakeful night in your behalf? You may be surprised at this, in view of our short acquaint* ance, but it is even so. I do not mean that I slept none, but my slumbers were broken and dreamy, and I seemed to be, most of the time, engaged in entreating you to use your talent ere it should be taken from you. ■n n *i Sl.iMi" '-»■. 5f0 a S^urulariiSfd ^iuistDr. I HAVE accustomed myself so much to talking on paper, that, with me, the responsibility of a paper talk seems to differ but little from that of an oral communi- cation. I will not apologize for yielding to urginga made on my mind by the Holy Spirit ; and I believe it is through influences thus induced I now address you. Had opportunity offered yesterday afternoon, I might e$ IliHTiTB ATIOlf 8 OP THB CalM to lh« mlnlitrj. A work that ChtlHrM «ui*t do. have said about the same things I now write. But, ai Providence did not then seem to permit a f^ inter* change of thought, I could not chide myself for the omission. Yet my heart is so burdened, that I ha^is concluded that my expectations, at that time, were frns- tratcd in order to indicate the present as the better mode of communicating with you. I asked you, on Saturday evening, whether you had not reason to believe that God hi..» once committed to you a dispensation of the gospel. You answered unhesitatingly in the affirmative. O, what a wonderful trust is this 1 It seems to me that the highest archangel might covet a dispensation so gloriously replete with grace. Yes, God has dispensed to my Brother , the ability to do what even Gabriel may not do. Why was not the angel, who, in answer to the alms and prayers of Cornelius, was sent from God to him, per- mitted to dispense to him the gospel of his salvation ? Was it not because a higher and more responsible trust had been committed to Peter than might be committed to an angel, even though that angel might have been Gabriel himself? O, indeed, my brother has been entrusted with a higher gift than any with which God charges an angel of light. Now, my dear brother, let me ask you before the Lord, in whose presence I stand, have you been faithful to the solemn trust ? Have you, in the use of this precious gift, been instant hi season, out of season, so that, when your Lord cometh and knocketh, you may open to him immediately, and lay, ^>Here> Lordj is thine own ir ith untry " ? BOONOMY OF SALVATION. bS No MMItalt. Tba onflUtbAil wfttobnuui, uti lot! Kwta. Do you think Uio claims of your Lord and Master would be satisfied, should you say, " Lord, though I have not used this gifl for the identical purpose for which it was entrusted, yet I have not thrown it wholly away, l>ut have used the influence gained by ministerial char- acter, for educational and other purposes *' ? Would this satisfy the claims of your Judge ? If not, O, hasten, nr y brother, and repent I Yes, repent, and bring forth fruits meet for repentance. O, hasten and redeem the time ; for the day is for spent, and already the Judge is at the door ! rmt 31 Mafrhman atcas from his |poj;i. You have been called to stand as a watchman on the walls of Zion, but you have deserted your post. Souls, that ought to have been warned by you, have undoubt- edly perished. And where will their \^.cod be found ? Do not think me severe, my dear brotiici, but can you expect to enjoy the bliss of the blood- washed company in heaven, while scores are eternally wailing " where the worm dieth not and the fira is not quenched ? " -r* souls, who might have been saved, had you improved the dispensation of the gospel committed to you. Had you given them timely warning, they might now have been singing the song of Moses and the Lamb. These suppositions are not improbable nor unscriptuiral. See 64 ILLUSTRATIONS OP THE Blood- gttiUineM. '' Lot the dead bury their dead." The reTlral. Ezekiel 53 : 6 — 9 : "Ho is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at the watchman's hands. Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked to turn from his way, if he turn not from his way, he shall die in his iniquity, but thou hast deliveried thy soul," The Lord .deliver my brother from blood-guiltiness. In your case, I cannot see but you must either thus be found guilty of blood, or that God will raise up another to do your work, and to take your crown, unless you begin at once to redeem the time. Shall it not be the latter, my brother ? Will you not let the dead bury their dead, and now give yourself up afresh and unreservedly to the identical work to which you have been called ? *-'^ »<■■! i'txm mp: *'it*s>,_(i...^ Jlw ^^i^o&tr ^niiUrt. ,i ^f' ...;a I HAVE recently been visiting a village where scores have been brought to see their need of a Savior. The village is not large ; but, in proportion to the number of inhabitants, I think the revival is the most general I ever witnessed. On Sabbath evening, the pastor re- quested that those who were resolved to seek the Lord would manifest it by rising. About seventy arose. But what a solemn announcement was made that even- ing I A young physician, who, by his impious course, had set God at defiance, was announced as on the very Tefge cf eternity, and requesting the prayers of wn ECONOMT OF SALVATION. ' The oppoMr — nioo«edad tor a tlin« — bnt Ood took him. congregation. This young man had been extensively known in the village as an opposer of religion. Three years previous to this tiroe, the Lord commenced to work in the place, when this young man openly said he would put- a stop to it. For this purpose, he got up a ball, and so engaged the attentions of the community that he actually gained his point. No special work of the Spirit had been known from that time till this. And . now God was about to take him away. The next morning, the bell, in solemn tones, from the spire of that village church, told the community that the oppo- ser was removed. God had taken his own work in hand. The work of the Lord went on with power while I remained, till it really seemed as if the whole place was turning to the Lord. - m* .^. ,™.,... , .c. y-MXil^- ■ ,A-^. ':'Ci>'i<^^iSMx'i tm$m* ^f'A: •yr "And thof OTename him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their tea ttanQii]r.'WBxTii.ATioM xU. 11. So^ine time since, ah incident was related at the Tues- day afternoon meeting, which was about as follows. An aged believer, while passing over the waters of Jordan, was severely. buffeted by Satan. All the sins of his former life were in appalling array brought out be- fore him ; and even his well-intended efforts were so distorted by the presentations of the fierce accuser as to 9* 0V ..ILLUSTRATIONS OP TUB The dying mint. ■Th« unrolling catalogm. '•Is that all r" appear sins of suificient enormity to sink him forever. The appalling catalogue of the past, as, in its unrollings, it presented another, and another, and yet another sin, of deeper die, would have ovorwhctmcd him but for a vivid recollection, which, in this time of need, was worth more than untold millions of gold. It was amid this scene of peril that the Holy Comforter brought to ^ his remembrance, " The blood of Jesus cleanseth from oil sin. 'rii^f-t's? ;r»Tn jm'Knf j.f,r» ^.'-■•■- iVv-w But still the catalogue of the past unrolled, presenting yet another and ahother item, which would have been still more appalling but for the gentle whisperings of the ever-blessed Comforter, continually urging upon his recollections, " The blood of Jesus cleanseth from all And still this aged disciple, sustained by the »» sm. txuth wliich the Holy Spirit had brought so vividly to his remembrance, was enabled to keep his head above the water ; and, as the cruel tempter still presented to his spirit's vision one sin after another, as though the catalogue were never to be finished, the veteran believer would, with self-abhorrence, and yet with hopefulness, exclaim, " Is that all ? " " No," vociferated the tempter, ** that ;' not all ; here is something more ; " and yet again, " something more ! " till at last Satan was wearied as it were with his own work, and conceived, doubt- less, that he had already brought up enough to over- whelm his antagonist, who was now fainting in the death struggle. But the accuser did not perceive that the Holy Spirit, as a peaceful dove, was hovering near SUSlu. 121 uiiS aWiui iiOUr Oi COiiulCt. rpv. _ A i - -1 - . - xiie lempteu one. ECONOMY OP SALVATION. 67 The naiu9 of Jumii and viotory. If you had been holy. The promine. again rallying, cried out, " Is that all ? " " Yes," said the tempter, " that is all." " Now," said the tempest- tossed heliever to his exulting foe, " let me put at the foot of that list the name of Jesus ; for the blood of Jesus cleanseth from all sin ! " We need not add, that the tempter was vanquished, and the exulimg victor bounded triumphantly over the swellings of Jordan, jmid shouts of victory, tlirough the blood of the Lamb ! J ^-r.. * A^ i, j I NEED not say to you that what you want is the bless I'ng of entire san^tification. Had you been in the defi- /oite and unwavering possession of this grace since the time you first began to minister in holy things, doubt- tess you had, since that time, been in unbroken and jffective service in the ranks of the ministry, and scores, ,f not hundreds more had, through your agency, been :onverted and sanctified, i.^-f ■ ,u«;i^/vS';a .*«-.*.»>>» s? i You need this blessing now, in ordei" to enter afresh ato the service of the sanctuary. " Be ye clean that bear fhe vessels of the Lord." If you see wherein you may have missed the mark, and have not done as much toward having souls as you might have done, confess this before God and your brethren. ** If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us firom all unrighteoasness." And how long will it talce ai^ XLLUSTBATIONS OP THB " L^ yourself on the altar now." " The hand of » woman." our promise-keeping God to do this ? If confessiou is made now, ought you not to expect forgiveness and cleansing now ? Your Savior says, " Come, for all things are now ready." The longer you stay away, the deeper the stains of impurity become. You will glorify God more by coming now, than by lingering till the morrow, and, even ere the morrow, you may be instrumental in the canctification of others. Let me ask, my dear brother, do you now lay yourself, with all your interests near or remote, urion the altar ? You cannot look for the fire to descend and consume your sacrifice, unless your offering is u]pon the altar. It is not until you pre- sent yourself wholly to God through Christ that you can know the all-cleansing efficacy of that blood which puri- £i|lb; O, that from this hour you may realize the full power of saving grace \^^^ <>Hirfi^ mTiHm»i>(t ta^i»6ivop?« it9« '■^ mmr:.*}m im i ■ ,■■». . hi. m ^ihm-f^ hhff^ .athe ^ijjtcrs— Sou; a dlhurrh vcix^ 3Ciult. ■'^'* *' Tho Lord Bhall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman." j^Pften has* the observation of Deborah, with the accompanying circumstances, come to mind in unison with the thought of two devoted sisters residing in the village of L . In this place, which is contiguous to a seat of learning, where many Gamaliels of the present day have been tuitioned in those aristocratic views which would expose to contumely, and keep at a distance th» ECONOMY OP SALVATION. Aootmrd. A gay profesflor rerovated. RMUltl. approach of Methodism, thes'; sisters have been instru- mental in rearing our banner. At the same place resides a brother who, for several years, has been a member of our communion. Though possessed of enlightened piety which, if sufficiently ardeut, would have gathered others around him, he stood, for some years, shrinkingly aione.**'''*^*^**'^*^** ''^^ '/JHif •*><*' i''*fhTin»m mit .%,!,»., :a'*i»*'f,y:t;t»i4^ Cracious influences cften urged him to invite a gath- ering of the people for social worship. As time passed on, probabilities for successful action on the part of Methodism grew less promising. About four years since, the elder of two sisters, than exceedingly gay, vis- ited the city of . Here, coming in contact with a lover of holiness, a plainly attired female disciple of the Lord Jesus, she became convinced that she was her- self a lover of pleasure more than a lover of God. She yielded to the persuasions of the Spirit, renounced the world, and, on making this surrender, found the way to the cross, which had before seemed inaccessible, perfectly easy. v*^'?,v m-^m She returned home with a spirit fired witl the life- renewinjx energies of the gospel, and it was not long ere she obtained a fellow-helper in an only sister. A fond mother also soon afterwards joined with them in their heavenward course. Aais ^m m^^uiir^-ii^ ■^Uitt'tmiiii^tHmi'-- Through the instrumentality of Mr.. S., the female who had been helpful in the conversion of the cldei , with others who had become interested, these lambs of the fold were directed to the more elevated work of the No sooner did they become understauuiiigiy * m V.) ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE Two ohitrriiM rulsod up. Proctlcftl d^ii-ifltfun*. convinced, thaii they resolved, at evtJ-y sti^rifice, ok securing (le prive of their high ce^'ing. Aiidt'jjy Im/v«! all since become zoaloua "wft^^nesses that *he blood of Jesus clcauscth i'unn all aiv.*i;Thtcoui;:nrs8. The reigh- bors Avero invited to their house for social worship, bi't the place soon become too simill. ISTaiiy zealous wor* shippers ard /mo chuiches oi'o the xjsnltof .'! work tlius coin.me;iccd.;«jS'-"i^<«t-ia(itK au€> :m.i^ ^fe^r- «w-k«la<)n s'yiThe h"othi;r wlic had so long stood alone, mourning ever the de;;(»latioii3 of Zion, most heartily cooperates witlx tiVi ;5caloiJ!j sisters in their labors of love, and he, "wilh thomsclves, is now wiUldng onward, by the might of the Spirit, in the King's highway. The example of tliese sisters brings out the express design of "the Savior in redeeming us unto liimself. Witness his words: '•• Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." And what an encour- aging consideration that God so often takes the weak things of this world to confound the mighty ! And sho'ild not such an exemplification of the blessedness of entire devotedness to God be inspiring to all who seek the upbuilding of Zion ? How little probability is there that these two sisters would have been thus inspired, apd thus successful, hp.d they not thus early been filled with the might which inward holiness giv< 3 ! How was it that the brother, who had occupied tlv • iound years before, had been shrinking from the ; \ .ions of the Holy Spin Had he obeyed, his 0. .3 might before haye resul ..^ in rearing the walls c uxon in tliat place. ECOKOMY OF SALVATION. 71 Bonus bad the offor. " Tho MlMionary Dooki.'* Had he, early in his religious career, received the full baptism of the Holy Ghost, ns did these two sisters, he would not have yielded to his shrinking flesh, and the Lord might not have raised up these two sistors to do what ho, in his manly strength, if wholly sanctified, might have done. Barac seemed fairly to have had the offer of doing what Deborah afterwards did, and it was not to his credit that God sold Sisera into the hand of a You gave mo an encouraging account of the " Mis- sionary Books," in your last, and said, as far as you could ascertain, about twenty persons had, within a few weeks, received the blessing of entire sanctification through reading them. And, among these, are six in the college who are preparing for the ministry ! And not only young men, but, among the number who have put on the whole armor, are gray-hau'ed men, who are boldly testifying, from experience, that, " The blood of Je8"« cleansetk !Vom all sin." Hallelujah ! the Lord Go'i v-uimpotfjii reigneth ! :i£i-t.,ihmdm 'itr^JmJd^ll.:^kkl&i*t? X shall long ic hear how these, my dear southern friends, endure. The sanc*;.iied have much to endure. " We are sanotified to prepare us for conflict," says the devoted Bishoti H, ** God arms us with the n ^'ILLUSTRATIONS OP THB God'i obiect In our tanctlflcotion. Weslay't opinion. armor of righteousness, in order that we may stand the fiercest fire from the ranks of the enemy. Yet in all we may stand. I have known some intimately, who, though placed in the front of the battle, and called to en- dure the hottest fire, have remained unshaken for years. Yet my heart is moved with tenderest sympathy and solicitude for those who are babes in this grace. With Mr., Wesley, I have observed it is exceeding common for persons to lose it more than once before they are estab- lished therein." That excellent man also warns us against yielding to the impression, that persons who have pro- fessed this attainment were deceived, because they are not now in the enjoyment of it. After describing a most instructive experience of this blessing, he says, " Now suppose, ten weeks or ten months hence, this per- son should be cold and dead, shall I say she deceived her- self, this was merely the work of her imagination ? Not at all ; I have no right so to judge, or authority so to speak. I will rather say, she was unfai'hful to the grace, and so cast away what was really given. There- fore that way of talking, which has become so common, of staying to see if the gift be really given, which some take to be so exceedingly wise, I take to be exceedingly foolish. If a man say I feel nothing but love, and I know him to be an honest man, I believe him. What, then, should I stay to see ? Not whether he has such a blessing, but whether he will Tcecp it." See Mr. Hartweirs tract, " Old Paths," in reply to H, Mattison. j,^ Mr. Wesley goes on to say, ** What a grievous error, to think those that are saved from sin cannov lose what BCONOMY OF SALVATION. ts Purity may b« lo«t— or kept -iiL' — <* Tha lawyer. they have gained 1 It is a miracle if they do not, see- ing all earth and hell are engaged against them ; while, meantime, so few even of the children of God endeav- or skilfully to help them. . . . Two things are certain : the one that it is possible to lose even the pure love of God ; the other that it it. not necessary — ^it is not unavoidable, it may be lost, but it may be kept." Yes, ^ we may be kept, by the power of God through faith. Christ is able to keep that which we have committed into his hands unto that day. He is able to keep us from falling, and to present us faultless before the prei- ence of his glory with exceeding joy,ti»«^'^^t^^ y'i**>i; ,rm mi m^^^t^ r ,.. . ■r ^ym^m^:-'^^ ^^ j^lj t[ Ptoi%r ittuialiott anil |olitii:3. r ai^ rf\-4yf tf:%^tnini0»'iM '.yxd^.ki r — Wi mt -ikf^ fikr^ ^^fiiM^ ''On Saturday evening, 1 called, when on my way to meeting, on Brother S , the lawyer, who, you will remember, made such an interesting confession, last Thursday evening, in the altar. I was there introduced to a gentleman who was a student at the Wesky r-. University at the same time Brother S was there. I found afterwards, that this gentleman, who was in- deed prepossessing in his appearance, was formerly a flaming minister, and, about six years since, was called, from tV.- midst of a gracious revival in his charge, to take * : presidency of one of our literary institudons, ' the duties of which, he has been filling till wi^ia the '<^*~^ 'fl >■ , ,,.;!.■. 'tlltriTRATIONS' jf THE The exeltr. * clear In Juitiflektloa. No itandtng stIU. last two ji' tliKje weeks. He had now come to this city, intending to take the editorship of a political paper. Said Brother S — , in view of this arrangement, ' " What ! you, a minister, romp ♦o enter into politics, and I, a lawyer, have had lo get out oi them to save my 'soul." I knew nothing o^ these matters, however, till a subsequent interview, but O, how continuously am I assured that God does give me wisdom when I put my "trust in him ! I think I had not boen with this brother more than two minut'i when, on ascertaining he was a minister, I said, ** Brother, do you enjoy the witness of entire sanctification ? " He said he feared he was far from it, and knew not tnat he could speak with clear- ness of a state of justification. I observed that iiis case, in this regard, was not remarkable. If he had not, in obedience to God, been going on to entire holiness, he ' could not, of course, have been standing still, any more than the Israelites could have stood still after the}- were brought out of Egypt, and had journeyed forward to the borders o- fhe pr- mised ' nd. The Lord would not let them stand still there ; they either had to obey and go forward, or ■?'' back ; and thus it must be with our- selves. From this momant his case was laid as a bur- den on my soul. He went to the Saturday night meet- ing, and became moi deeiily convicted of his need of inward purity. On • ' ibbath, yet clearer light pen- etrated his soul. Ha toll, me he had lost his relish for preaching, and had not preached more than once or twice in a year ; but he went with me to my parish, '•(the city prison,) and labored there and preached at ECONOMY OF BALVATIOIT. T« Th« bordan. The mMMge. What would the kpottlM bar* Mid t N , on "Perfect love casteth out fear," in the evening. My heart was so burdened with his case, that I spent the night in wakefulness, in his behalf. I believe the Lord sends messages now through human agencies just as truly as in former days, and O, how pressed in spirit I was, until I had delivered the burden of my heart to this brother I The result was, that he felt the message to be as the word of the Lord to him. The Spirit had diet ed the message, and now carried it to his inmost heait. He felt, as I had believed, that a crisis of wonderful magnitude in his career had come. He wept in deep humility before God, and now says that his work is the ministry. I believe it does us good not on)v to confess our faults before God, but before one anucher; and, yesterday afternoon, at the meeting, this brother made an humble confession, and he now feels that nothing less than the full baptism of the Holy G^ ^st can make him permanently what God intends he should be. . f^Ti^(ftt^:-\^'f\4il ht\: A'''fV^^^'' u^^ f^^^itM^ '■i^-'^irA -i/iy.*!^' ^As*. ,4'T/f •*•-'. ••>-*?i^i-ii^¥' ■*.fe.,I JSwuIar iuHinm and a dfatl U ih Pmlstra* ?! . I WONDER if ^eter, John, James or any of the other apostles, had been called, after the day of Pentecost, to devote themselves to the cause of education, or to fill many a situation which clergymen, now fill connected with dollars and cents, whether they would not have XLLUSTRATIOlf S OF TUB "IlhnoliMaon." If Ood'i erdw wtn IbUoirad. •(V •aid, " It ia not rouson tliut wo »hould lonvo tho word of God and serve UibloM." Doubtluu thoy would lay, to their bretlireii of tho liiity, ** I^ook yo out among yoa 7 lenof houcitt report, full of thu Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom wc may appoint ovur this business, but wo will give oursclvcH continually to pniyer and tho miniHtry of the a»'d." 1 foci (luito sure that cither Peter, James or ,-n, while the freshness of their baptism mos upon them, would have felt that they were coming down from tho duties of their high vocation if any situation, how- over eligible, hud been offered not wholly connected with the ministry of tho word. But wo do not read that tliey over lost the freshness of that baptism, and^ from the subsequent tone of their writings, wo may con- clude that such was c;vcn their devotion to their work that they would ever have felt that it was " not reason " for them to leave the ministry of the word, for any other work. i , yWero it now the order of the church that ministers of the present day should tarry at Jerusalem until endued with power from on high, by the reception of the full bap" tism of tfic Holy Ghont, and were the freshness of this baptism ever retained, what a different aspect would the church present ! Many more brethren, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, might be found to manage those matters which now take the attention of ministers, and far more effectual would be the labors of those men who should give themselves continually to prayer, and the ministry of the word. ^ The reason why we do not now witness more of those ICONOMY OV fALVATION. 77 TIm TwIm at th« ftltar. •• Sbltoh k remarkable diiplayi of grace which tome think to be A peculiarity of apostolic dayi, ii doubtleii only becauie minittteri and pooplo do not feel that it is an imperiotu arid divine injunction that they tarry at Jerusalem until they recoive the baptism of the Holy Ghost. >'9 'i0 ^vt'i: i«>>i j^.iltil,.J--^''j&SI# itu^iV ,iu I Two or throe evenings since, a Jew was converted at the altar of the church where we worship. He came for- ward two evenings. As I conversed with him on the first occasion, and would have told him how to trust in Christ, he said, ** I do not understand." I endeavored to simplify, but he continued to say, " I cannot under- stand." " I came here," said he, " to confess that I now believe in Christ as the true Messiah." His expec- tation seemingly had not gone so far as to say, " I have found him of whom Moses, in the law and the prophets, did write." The next evening, he came forward" to espouse Christ as his personal Savior, and the Lord gra- ciously enabled him to call Jesus Lord by the Spirit. And most interestingly did he testify of it before a large congregation. He stands at the head of a company of inquirers who have, for some time past, been meeting to investigate in regard to a coming Shiloh. Now, he boldly testifies that Shiloh has come. He is very intelligent, and given to investigation. We do not doubt but that 78 ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE ■:*( Tba testimony. Thu Carlitlon't Toaoher. Lesioni. the Lord is about to raise hiia up as a preacher of right- eousness among his own people. I have learned that several of his inquiring friends were present at the time he went forward, and, from the altar, testified of his experimental kiowledge of Christ as his Savior. One of the largest and most expensive synagogues in Amer- ica is within a few steps of this church ; and our pastor thinks that this is only the beginning of a work among our friends who have so long been looking for Shiloh to come. ' ' ,!<:• ' n- ui ; : "> . *• i .Tt./ji .,.^; »••*» I afhe im S^acte— &us m& (Bamalid. Ui f f I HAVE heard my dear Dr. P. say, in speaking of the scholarship of Paul, that he was regarded as more than ordinarily favored because he sat at the feet of Gamaliel; but that the most obscure Christian has a Teacher with whom Gamaliel is not to be compared. The Christian sits at the feet of Jesus. Christ is his Teacher, and is ever, in love, saying to his pupil, " Learn of me." You say you have been taking some new lessons in trusting the Lord. I shall wait for your answer to this with much interest, expecting, of course, to learn the result of these new lessons in trusting; the Lord. I have also been taking some new lessons, of late, in the art of holy warfare. Blessed be the Cap- tain of my salvation. He does teach *' my hands to war, and my fingers to fight.' »» ^/" il ■ ECONOMY OF SALVATION. 79 Increwring light obeyed. Lut neodlesa ornament gone. *^ iacu gou mm u|| Jlin gcs, Jill f ^, A LADY, who by some might have t)een called a star in the fashionable world, was wholy sanctified last night. About three months since, she was converted. But, in looking upon her, and observing how light was grad- ually brought to her mind as she became better able to endure it, I thought of the Savior's words to his disci- ples, " I have many things to say unto you, but ye can- not bear them now." Her influence has been consider- able in view of the many who, more recently than her- self, have been brought to Christ ; and O, how I longed that she, in all things, might be an example to believ- ers I She has, by degrees, been parting with her relics of worldliness, till I really hope that she has now parted with her last one. This one had given me uneasiness, and I asked her if she would not give it up. " I will," said she. Last night, she came to the social meeting, adorned as a woman professing godliness. Her appearance was not only lovely, but of good report as a follower of Jesus. As I noticed that this sister's last needless ornament was gone, it brought vividly to my recollection a scene in the history of Jacob and. his household, where he was commanded to go up to Bethel, there to receive a renewal of the promises to himself and to his seed. Before going up, they were to put away all their household gods, and their earrings, and change their garments, and be clean. After they had made these preparations, Jacob took their household m ■ n ILLUSTRATIONS OP THE Jacob at Bethel. The saorifice. Faith. Coavenion of a Catholic. gods, and their earrings, and hid them under an oakj doubtless with the intention that they should never — never — be again resumed. Thus prepared, they went up to Bethel, and most graciously did the Lord accept them. Jacob's name was changed to Israel, and the Lord renewed his covenant to him and his seed forever. And thus it was with this sister. She had searched out her last idol, and hid it. "Have you given up all?" I asked. " Yes, all" she replied. " If you are indeed wholly given up, the Lord waits now to receive you wholly. He does not mean five minutes hence, but now" " Now is the accepted time, behold, now is the day of salvation." She appropriated the promises, and was cleansed &om all filthiness of the flesh and spirit. I had thrown my arm around her, as I stood conversing, and so great was the power resting upon her that her physical system began to give way, and she sunk under '£i- .^H-r )ii yjii-i i»-!''^a. " The OTerwhelming p^wer of saTing grace." ' J . i r :- . ;,,/<»'. i :i\'i.-n is^- /*f-i% She jjiflus Sftisims and tor ^uruani ,'J; r'O- •t'.t' : .■ t5w . E I .1 .. kA^\\ ' .'V. ^ .!',i :!•,.(>•'.' . .•^.•f'ii'v.f «« «k A Catholic girl, of more than ordinary intelligence, was translated from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God's dear Son, a few hours since. Christ manifested himself to her as her reconciled Savior while I tras endeavoring to direct the eye of her faith. iBCONOMY OP SALVAt Ion. Tb« tool of a domestic (WTed. ReoponBibility of a mistress. Sweetly did the peace of God, which passeth all under- standing, take possession of her heart. She has been living with a dear friend of mine, who took her in as extra help in the hour of sickness. As the occasion passed by, she still kept her, for she perceived that the spirit of the Lord had begun to brood upon the chaos of her heart. Her zeal and sincerity seemed worthy of a better faith ; and, now that God sent her, in the order of his providence, where the light of truth shone upon her, she was not disobedient to the heavenly vision. But it was by a gradual process. And my friend acted upon the principle that she would sacrifice that which cost her something, and so, in the hope of (Securing the ultimate salvation of the girl, she still re- tained her, though she did not longer need her services. How do millions of this world's wealth sink into insigni- ficance in view of the salvation of one soul ! If this soul may be a star in the crown of my friend, the wealth of the richest kingdom on earth would be as dust in the balance compared with the gain of having saved a soul from death. The relation of mistress and servant involves higher responsibilities than many ima- gine. If every pious lady at the head of a household establishment should feel that the souls of those who are dependent on her care are as priceless as her own in the sight of God, would there not be greater sacrifices made for their spiritual benefit ? ?■ 'J'j i '•*•;. t it Msr -'( '•d ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE Of praying and gtving. God gives to ua as ve give. PenurkinsneiS. ^liitgg djlimiians. iMim^dm^ y , Jf( Who is there even among you that would shut the doors for nought T Neithtr > do ye kindle a fli-e on mine altar for nought." J AM thankful for the opportunity ta say, that, if our friends should do much more toward sustain- ing the institutions of religion among themselves, it would do much towards hettering their spiritual condi- tion. The Bible makes it as much a duty to give according as God has prospered us, as it makes it our duty to pray. One reason why many are spiritually lean is, because they are so lean in their manner of giving. God gives, generally, in both spirituals and temporals, in about the proportion we give to others. " Give, and it shall be given you, good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over." Those who do not give gospel measure do not receive gospel measure. We ought to regard it at least as great a privilege to give as to receive. But why do I thus speak ? The Bible makes it greater. ** It is more blessed to give than to receive." Yet this is a privilege of which our friends do not avail themselves as they ought. In the first place, if they have a church to build, or repair, instead of regarding it as a privilege to lay up specifically for that purpose, as David did, unwilling to sacrifice that which cost him nothing, some, I fear, would regard it as a privilege to have our city j&riends, by public subscriptions or private donations, pay oflf the debt to the last cent. And, from the scanty f ■. ECONOMY OF SALVATION. 83 Soantx ministerial support. Co»tlesB ofleringf. Qod'n reproof. support that some of theso give their minister, I have thought that they might feel themselves as so much in pocket if their minister might be sustained from abroad also. Certain it is, that it would be more comfortable for the feelings of their minister, who is sometimes left to feel as though he was receiving his scanty support more as a dependent on the charities of his people, than £^ an ambassador from the court of heaven.. In the days of the prophet Malachi, there were those who were dis- posed to sustain the institutions of religion in about the same way. They waited long, and in earnest entreaty, at God's altar. They were ready to sacrifice also, but it was not of that which cost them any thing. Have you not noticed how ready some people were to appro- priate to their minister that which they cannot turn in- to money? "Well, just such ofierers were those who waited at the altar in the days of this ancient prophet. And these would have had the prophet beseech God that he would be gracious unto them. But what does the Lord, by the mouth of the prophet, say ? " Who is there even among you that would shut the doors for nought ? Neither do ye kindle a fire on mine altar for nought ; I have no pleasure in you, saith the Lord of Hosts, neither will I accept an offering at your hand." And when the blessing of the Lord is withheld from such a people, as it ever must be, how ant they are to suppose that it is for want of power with God in their minister ! But, though the most holy minister that ever filled the sacred desk, or even Gabriel from the throne of God direct, should minister to such a people. /I 84 ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE i'\ Who can bless when God curses? A revival prayed for. Why delayed 7 it were in vain to supplicate the blessing of God. God has pronounced a curse on those who oflfer polluted bread upon his altar. And who can minister blessings to those, upon whom God has pronounced curses, unless they will first repent and forsake their covetous practices 'SiVi-<^i -Jit'! -^j;n vTlil^fyp f;; W~'> I .>:V:U:lu-': li-^'^' Vti'.'i' ,''>*^i:iV , "SSlItg is Ws ({Wid S0 long in tmln^?"' ♦ » ff ?i I AM thankful to learn that you are, with such ardent longings, looking for a revival of religion. May the Lord give my dear brother the desire of his heart in seeing the church quickened, and in beholding repen- tant sinners brought home to Christ. To rejoice in this is to rejoice in the joy of Christ and of angels. It was the joy of Christ to see many sons brought to glory. Angels rejoice over one sinner that repenteth. I do not think that your heavenly Father will reprove you for your earnestness in this behalf. But " Ye have need of patience." Perhaps the chariot wheels are waiting in order that the church may be better prepared for the weighty responsibility that an ingathering to the fold of Christ ever imposes. Nursing fathers and mothers are as much needed in tht family relation of heaven, as in the family relation of earth. How soon would the new-bom in- fant languish and die if it were not for the most careful ECONOMY OP SALVATION. 85 AdditionB to the church may be useless. A cheap gospel. and minute assiduities of those to whom it is entrusted 1 Alas I how often do babes, born into the kingdom of Christ, languish and die for want of the pains-taking assiduities of holy love! . 'iri 'ijit ■; " '\ •^ For want of a holy, zealous membership, not unfre- quently has much of the the fruit of a revival been lost. Though weight may have been added to the church in numbers, yet, in this, the church is not advantaged, un- less her membership, in their individual capacity, be as lights in the world. Every member who is not a light which may be safely followed, tarnishes her glory, and retards her triumphant march towards those higher re- gions of light and glory into which God intends that she shall, ere long, merge. > -s .«. , f f « ,*;'?'^i? ■ U ■A m-^r. i^'- ■- ' ' ' ' " ■ '' ■■• ■■ :■ -'-^ , .-^ *-i ;■ '. .' How much shall we glTe to reliere it ? I HAVE long felt that we are but stewards ; and, whether the Lord would have us appropriate means to sustain churches the financial condition of whose mem- bership requires that they should sustain themselves, and where the people are suffering from penuriousness just as much as the church is suffering from debt, has often placed me in embarrassing circumstances. Not to give when solicited is always a trial ; but to give to ohurches who want a cheap gospel is doing them no rr 80 ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE Many oalli. Th« man who to raputod rich. Uli rule of glTlnf favor, and is making mo, in the eye of God, an un^viat steward. Rather would I be in the place of the hea^ then, who know not the gospel, than in the place of those who put so light an estimate upon it as to be unwilling to make sacrifices of time and money for its support. We have hundreds of calls for expenditures of both time and money in this city, of which our — — friends can know but little. The poor, from almost every lane and alley in our city, are calling for aid ; not only our own poor, but we have, as you know, an influx of the destitute from almost every nation under heaven. We have not only the churches where wo worship * sustain, the most of which are largely in debt, but we sustain several mission stations, besides entertaining scores of calls from destitute portions of the land, where the church is breaking up new ground. To give, under circumstances of this sort, is blessed — far more blessed than to receive. The one of whom you speak, who is reputed rich, is not rich according to the worldling's acceptation of that term. The reason why some have thought him rich is probably the fact that he endeavors to give according as the Lord pros- pers him i that is, he does not increase his personal and domestic expenditures as his means increase, but economizes in these that he may give to the cause of Christ as God has prospered him. He who does not do this is not a Bible Christian in this regard. I know he gives one hundred dollars yearly to one foreign sta- tion alone, has done it for years past, and expects to do it, should the Lord spare him, for years to come. In i -w ECONOMY OF SALVATION. w Mo bflip fbr the Ini* >U Dollan wad lonbi. Caae of the Indian charoh. the church where he holds his own relation, he has probably paid two or three hundred dollars during the past year, while scores of other calls have made demands on his purse. But as to the church in , I think he would say that even one dollar is too much to give to a people who know the excellency of the gospel, but are unwilling to give of their own means for its sup- port. •»^'''*«'''^-^* '■■" '*-'"^ '•'thivr'-*^^' #,»^rt *'>' HlM^lf fJSlllWO '^•ty-.'n J-' .^ an unusual degree. The people a mind to give. In a few momciits, the one hundred and fifty dollars were announced, and more could as readily have been obtained harl it been needful. " God will bless a people who give after this sort," said an individual present. And God did bless. That day, the work of revival, with which that church had, for months, been blessed, received a new. impulse, and, ere its close, it was foimd that twelve souls had been con- verted. We well knew that we had merited nothing, and in humbleness of mind before God could only say, " Of thine own have we given thee." But we felt, in our hearts, that the temple of Solomon could not have been more evidently blessed with tokens of the divine presence than our ul adorned, yet commodious, temple had been on that day. When one said, at the close of the day, " Should we not have been losers had we re- fused that collection, — one hundred and fifty dollars and twelve souls ? " our hearts said, " Let us live and die with a people who have not so many artificial wants as to put up the bar against applications from necessitous churches." And inexpressibly glad were we that the woe of which Mr. Wesley speaks had npt yet fallen 8* .1 . '.t .i ■»' '■.' Vii'. .fiy m If IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 l^|2£ 12.5 1.1 l.-^lia HlUt. 1.25 II 1.4 III = 11^ III 1.6 =5 ^ 6" ► 'W z Hiotographic Sdences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. M580 (716) 872-4503 'ii-:'' ''■' ''3§. W^ ■■'*^:;. 90 ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE BteiMd window! knd frewo pftintinKi. VThat » Uwjar nM. upon U8, when rich men should become necessaiyto us. ' Should we not think our Quaker friends had lowered the dignity of their position if, in order to attract the at- tention of the more wealthy, they should deem it neces- sary to build churches with lofly sj^es, stained window- glass, and fresco paintings ? And, ae an individual^ I know that there aie those of other denominations who are looking down with pity upon us in view of the inno- vattbns of this description which are now coming in upon us. But, alas ! how prone we are to incline, with God's ancient, peculiar people, to say, " Make us a king that we may be like to the nations that are about us ** ! God had designed that they should stand ^lone, and, by their exhibitions of glory and strength, attract the eyes of surrounding nations to them ; and how sadly did they mistake the ipark in coming over to the usages of other nations instead of bringing other nations over to them ! What a coming down was this ! Said a lawyer, one ot the most intelligent and influential men residing in one of our large cities, " Our Metnodist friends mistalce the matter when they come down from their simplicity. I now and then get into one of their little social meet- ings to hear an old Methodist brother speak. I sup- pose some might call him illiterate ; but there is more divinity in one of his simple recitals of experience than in most of the sermons I hear." He then gave his views in regard to our departures from our well-known original simplicity in building and decorating churches, in language much as above expressed. May the Lord ECONOMY OF SALVATION. 9i TlMbMttWt A dinct way to the light. Mr.O. •ave US from being influenced, by the opinions of men who would have us build Methodist cathedrals, and who refer us back to the temple of Solomon as a model for a place of Christian worship. IMIWl I m " Sdttflw Mag '' ma " morUf Mag ** Mtl M ot )ne he ty. et- P- re an his wn es, rd ExPEBiENCE is the best test. I am not fond of dis- cussion on the plain Bible doctrine of Christian holi- ness, — a doctrine which the Scriptures have made so plain that " the way-faring men, though fools, shall not err therein." To my mind, there seems to be a direct, and not a circuitous way of coming to the light on this, the crowning doctrine of the Bible, and the most dis- tinctive doctrine of Methodism. " If any man will do his Will, he shall know of the doctrine." If he does not do his will, and specifically seek to obey the command, **Be#ye holy," have we a Bible reason for believing that he does know of the doctrine ? And if he does not experimentally know of the doctrine, would it not be better for him to pause, and, either by the longer or the shorter way, come into the enjoyment of the wit- ness of this grape, as did the now sainted minister, who, as I am about to relate, fairly tried both the longer and the shorter ways ? Mr. C, when quite young as a minister, felt that he was called of God to be a man of clean hands and a pure ILLUSTRATIONS 07 THX TlM bMBg :-i His very nature shuddered at the thought of what must be the poignancy of such long-continued feeling, if thus concentrated, and he fairly yielded the point. His friend, knowing that neither tears, earnestness, nor conviction are our Savior, that Christ is the only Savior, and that one plunge into the open foimtain can do more towards cleansing the soul from sin than rivers of tears, earnestly inquired, — " Brother C, if you knew you were going to die in two minutes, what would you do ? " " i would cast myself on the infinite merits of my Savior ! " he quickly responded. " Do you think he would save you ? " ECONOMY OF SALVATION. 96 " What, flrom all ilii f" A man eornmred. The only way Inio tba hdllMt. ^^** Yea, If even J, through his precious merits, would be saved ! " / "What, from a// sin?** «>*'Yes, ^0.^ I * * From off lulquJty.fcom All, i »|j|j ^>ii Ha wo^ld i|iy wnl ladeem.* " ■Ji .«' What 1 "without any more conviction ? " exclaimed his friend. • -.ntn iakrun^.'!^- At this point, he manifested much emotion, and, amid tears and smiles, exclaimed : — -ii^**0, sister, you have cornered me!" He now saw where his error had been, in taking the ** longer toay" when, in less than two minutes, he might, at any period during his earnest religious career, have cast himself wholly on the infinite merits of his Savior, and been saved at once from all sin. And, now that he perceived his error, he delayed not, but at once cast himself as fully and everlastingly on Christ as, perhaps, he would have done, if he had been about to take a leap into the eternal world. The moment he did this, he consciously realized that he was saved fully, and was enabled to testify that the blood of Jesus cleanseth from all sin. On the evening of that day, I heard him testify, before a large congregation, in one of our city churches, of the blessedness of the one and only way into the holiest — ^by virtue of a present and entire reliance on Christ. And is not this the present duty of every believer ? Does God leave it to our choice whether we will now obey the command — whether we will now be holy or not ? Surely, brethien, it is not left optional with ourselves whether we 96 ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE OuiM of Inaffleienoy. " Be y« elMO." WMley on auly Mmotlflefttloiu. will take the longer or the shorter way. God commands present holiness. The early apostles did not need this grace more than ourselves. Our inefficiency from not having earlier obtained ^his grace will, I fear, tell in the loss of souls. Dear ambassador for Christ, how many more souls might, you have been instrumental in saving, had you entered into the enjoyment of this grace when God first called you by his Spirit, saying, " Be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord " ! Would you not have been instrumental in saving more souls if you had been filled with the power of inward holiness ? What has become of these so^ls who might thus have been saved ? Is there not danger that God may require their blood at your hands ? Surely, you have already lingered quite too long. Bedeem the time. If God says to you now, ** Be ye holy," he does not mean to-morrow. Opinions of men about a longer or a shorter way will furnish no excuse on points where the Bible is so clear. Hear Wesley, as he mingles Bible admonition and cogent, argument : " Now, with God, one day is as a thousand years. It plainly follows, that the quantity of time is nothing to him. Centuries, years, months, days, hours, and moments, are exactly the same. Consequently, he can as well sanctify in a day after we ai'e justified as in a hundred years. There is no difference at all un- less we suppose him to be one with ourselves. Accord- ingly, we see, in fact, that some of the most unquestion- able witnesses of sanctifying grace were sanctified within a few days after they were justified." — Wesley's Works, Vol. vii, p. 14. If these are fair deductions from scrip? . ECONOMY OP SALVATION. % A wlemn queition. Th« ohuroh uiil young eooTerU. Individual rMponalblllty. ture and experience, what is your state to-day before God ? And are you sure that some of these, who may have been following your example in not going over to possess this good land, may not^iave stumbled over you, and fallen to rise no more ? >*•■< % %itikixl mag b« MjHMwU'in Prnj* Yes, an unholy membership clogs the chariot wheeb of the church, and prevents her aggressive movements. Unless a devoted, earnest membership undertakes to lead forth those w ho are newly-born to Zion, how un- likely are the new-born babes to retain the ardors of their first love ! How soon does the world resume its hold on the heart ! and it is thus that the church is so much burdened with the spiritually dead. But ., whom does the guilt lie ? Where may the blood ol these souls be found ? Of whom will God require it ? O, indeed, an ingathering of precious lambs into the fold does bring vast responsibilities on the individual members oi a church. I do not doubt but that it is often in mercy to the church that God does not hear her ofit-repeated prayer for a revival. In view of this, it is no wonder that we are divinely admonished that "judg- ment must begin at the house of God." It is not sur- prising that the disciples were required to wait until endued with power from on high. ? .x s \ ILLUSTRATIONS OF TUB Nanlag psnnta. I«t Uw obnrab pnpM« btrMlt No timfl lott mt PvntMosl. If the church is first filled with the spirit of Christ, and then, by his constraining love, is brought to feel a travail of soul for the perishing, with what carefulness will her members, thus constrained, watch over those bom into the family of Christ through their instrumen- tality 1 Where a church is in such a case, nursing fathers and mothers are not wanting. If the church is ready for her increased responsibility, I do not doubt,, my dear brother, that you will soon see the enlarged — "the almost impatient desire" of your heart granted. If the church is not ready, I pray you, for the Lord*i^ sake, be instant, in season and out of season, in pleading with her, and with God in her behalf, that she prepare herself for the work of soul- saving, iff Tell her that God waits to endue her with power from on high. Tell her that, if she would be thus endued, she must tvait specifically before God in this behalf as did the early disciples. After they had seen three thousand pricked to the heart in one day, however, I presume they did not think that the time they had spent in waiting to be endued with power had been lost. Perhaps some of them might have been impatient, but they waited, and the power came. So will it be with the church in the present day. Let the church get in readiness, and then show her readiness by laboring for and with souls, and more may be done by her, in a prepared state, in one week, than might before have been accomplished by the labor of months. ECONOMY OF BALVATIOH^ The qoMtloii to with Um ohurah. LmmUd( tnit In the flhaneUr ft fMMaa. m ,.. — ■■,■■, .I.. I ■ ■ I .1 , „ 1 .1 ■■ I. ■■! ■ .—11,.., - 1 1^ I pray that the Lord may give you grace to continue earnest in effort for the salvation of sinners. And may he also empower you for yet greater faithfulness to the church by way of arousing her to a sense of her respon- sibilities, for, with her, I do not doubt, rests the question, whether God shall work mightily among you in the awakening and conversion of sinners. IW f l 3ta5t fags 4 iislio; iddiitjj. I BUFFOSE the first point in the character of our late venerable Hedding to strike even a casual observer would be, his perfect simplicity of character — ^his evi- dent oneness of purpose. If his deep piety had not marked him for a leading spirit in the circles of piety, his excellent common sense, and the ingenuousness of his affectionate heart, would have drawn around him a circle of honest heait<9> ready to acknowledge him as their unaspiring leader. What some may speak of as his native dignity, was, to my mind, the offspring of this perfect ingenuousness. Beligiously and morally, he was transparent. Who ever heard of Bishop H. being accused of disguised motives ? -||Iis heart seemed ever as a deep well-spring, whose gushings forth were spontaneous issues of ** Peace upon earth and good v. '1 towards men.'* I do not doubt that, irora an early period in his religious career, he was 100 ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE. A ptnonal Intorrlaw. Incidmii ofMrtjr IMb d«t»il« ■«»- " I loathe myielf when Ood I aee, And Into nothing fall, Content If thou exalted be, And Christ be aU in all." i'finwii > '' He related the incidents of his first serious attack, when suddenly deprived of speech, and threatened with immediate dissolution without scarce a moment's warn- ing. His perfect composure of mind, and his happy consciousness of entire trust and rest in Christ, he 9» 102 nit. 1^' ;! ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE An unoompkdning sufferer. Dreadfiil satanio onMt regarded as a blessed dispensation of grace to help in time of need. Though his speech returned, and he recovered from the severity of this attack, yet he never regained his former state of health. From this period he became, for most of the time, a great sufferer. Said he to Mrs. H., "I bear great burdens ; " but then again he would speak of the supports of grace as far outweighing all. Said Mrs. H. to me, " Though he suffered so severely and so long, yet never did I, during his illness, hear an impatient word, or a murmur of complaint." '^* He remarked to us that, for weeks subsequent to his first attack, he was so kept from the power of the adversary that Satan was not permitted to approach him with a single temptation. As a veteran on the Christian battle-field, he seemed to have fought his last battle with the tempt- er, and all seemed about to be hushed in eternal peace, when suddenly the tempter made an onset more terrible than may be described. To use his own words, it ** baf- fled description ; " and, for malignity, subtlety and power, was far beyond any thing he had ever endured. It seemed as if Satan had mustered his forces to wrest from him the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. He observed, " Of all the acute reasonings of the most subtle and refined infidel writers, never have I met with any thing, which would compare with the awful sugges- tions of this occasion." The shafts of Satan were lev- elled against his repose in the promises, the authenticity of the word of God, and the entire scheme of man's redemption throusfh Christ, Well, the conflict was ^ BCONOMT OP SALVATION. 103 Tietory. Oompoture In riew of Instant death. Qentleness. BeneTolenc«. with a man of God, and it is not surprising that the adversary should have mustered the spirits most daring in fiendish subtlety of all in hell for the last conflict with one who had so long been a prominent leader of God's sacramental hosts. After this, Satan seemed to leave him to undisturbed repose in Christ. The tests of the graces of the Spirit were constant and severe. But all the fruits of the Spirit he appeared to possess in perfect matunty, so that I do not doubt but that he was perfect and entire, wanting nothing. To him the sting of death, was gone. Said he to my hus- band, with a cheerful air, " Doctor, I think I am liable to be taken suddenly, perhaps without a moment's warn- ing ; you may, perhaps, think me hypochondriacal, but do you not think so ?" My husband assured him that he was wholly with him in opinion in regard to his expos- ure to instant death, and he received the additional con- firmation with as much happy composure as if he had been told that he was likely to live and labor a score of years. I observed great gentleness of manner, and exceeding carefulness about the comfort of others, as though he would lighten their burdens to the last iota that hi? physical ability would allow. He sat at table with us, and though, from asthmatic oppression, it was difficult for him to converse, yet he could not have been unconscious of the satisfaction he was imparting ; and such was the power of the gracious words that fell from his lips, that he doubtless still found it more blessed to give than to receive. Never shall I forget the chastened heavenly exhilaration of his manner on this occasion. 104 ILLUSTRATIONS OP THE The parting. Lamb-like patience in pain. Tlie widow or " oar Biyali.'* Truly did he seem to be filled with all goodness. Neither can I forget his fervent apostolic benediction, *' God bless you ! " We parted with some hope of again meeting on earth. Soon after our return home, Mrs. Hedding concluded a letter to us, by saying, " Mr. H. enjoys great composuie of mind, and, as he often says iW *j;f »«».*> ■%'< ■ * When pain o'er my weak flesh prevails, With Iamb-like patience arm my breast,' ..4. so it evidently is with him. But O, the thought of that hour when I shall hear his voice no more ! Then my soul shall put its trust in God, and ' under the shadow of his wings will I make my refuge.* " "Well, that solemn hour has come, and the bereaved companion of our Elijah, whom the heavens have received, is left in widowhood. May the prayers of a bereaved church be answered in her behalf. ^ _ ^i^^iir'iVji: 'i^R-i^miii tm i mt h,w^^ ^^i^jiii.'tf* ' ".i^*f^«eFte;fe^if5f»^ ^i«' ifi.'H: f - ,A ?.*.4 J I DO not doubt that our God has wrought i^ you a willin2;ness to do his will. Yet I fear that, in one prom- inent regard, you may not be a worker together with God. He has brought you into a position where he no longer leaves it optional with yourself whether you will believe. I would not trespass on your time by vain repetitions, yet I must say, though it be but a reiteration of sentiments urged on other occasions, that you have ECONOMY OP SALVATION. 105 The riti of Israel. A luppoaiUon. Faith the condition of ttahllUr. now come to a point, in your heavenward journey, from which you may not recede. The Israelites came to such a point. Led onward by the hand of God, until the borders of the promised land were reached, it was not left to their choice whether they would go over and pos- sess the land. God commanded them to go over, assur- ing them that he would save them from the hand of their enemies ; but, *' they believed not God, and trusted not in his salvation." ■I'ini .{.31 :ji^^ ,„ ,„.,.™ ..,,., . '■«•' ^\h/ii ■■■'■ ^ri^,* ■:*•*'« '• *■ *^-* !' If, from the time you were first empowered to be- lieve, after having been enabled, by the Holy Spirit, to offer yourself a living sacrifice to God through Christ, you had taken the word of God as the foundation of your faith, and, like Abraham, journeyed onward, tak- ing the word as expressly the voice of the Spirit, an established state of experience had long since been yours. I would not chide ; but, surely, the ways of the Lord are equal. " If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established." Does not this imply fault on the part of man ? Surely, God would not thus reprove, unless he had given a foundation for your faith, which may be readily ascertained by the most unsophisticated mind, and also had given the ability to believe. Did the Israelites need more than the word of God to assure 100 ILLUSTRATIONS Oy TKB Ootl** ptodg* doabtodi ••Noalxn." TlM nobtomitn Nprorad, and why t thorn that, in tho evont of thoir going over to posseas the land, thoy should be saved from tho hand of their onemiu8 ? God had pledged his eternal veracity to do this for them, and it was their sin that they did not obediently go over, relying on his immutable word. Imagine that they had stood at this point, pleading for some tangible or sensible demonstration beyond, or In any way apait from, the word. Do you not think their pleadings would have boon worse than in vain ? "Would not our God, " the same yesterday, to-day, and forever, have said, "No sign shall bo given "? , , „ ^,., , ,..,1.^ ;,..rtt<{-.- She UoMeman. ^^^^^^^^m^kmh i* '^^l<¥iy^; Did you ever contemplate the cose of tho nobleman who said, ** Sir, come down ere my child die " ? Why did the Savior so reprovingly say to him, " Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe " ? What sign or wonder had the man asked other than that he required tlic Savior to go down instead of saying, with the centurion, " Sjjcak but (he word," etc. ? The centu- rion magnified the word of the Lord, and made it hon- orable, and the Savior, well pleased, commends his faith, and readily fulfils his desire. Had the nobleman been willing to take tho bare word of Christ for the recovery of his son, he had not been so signally rebuked. Yet it was in vain that he yet again, in his earnest importu- nity, said, ** Come down." The Savior, unalterable ECONOMY OP SALVATION. 107 •• Oe, thjr ion llrath." Of waiting for * algn. ** He that belleTstb hath tb« witiuM. in his purpose, and unyielding in his requirement of faith on the part of his petitioner, commands him, " Go ! " giving him his word alone in which to trust as the wherefore or authority for his faith. " Go, thy soft livoth," is all that the Savior said. Neither his per- emptoriness, nor his importunity, nor the dignity of a nobleman's position among men, induced the Savior to diange his purpose. Suppose he had lingered as you have done, yielding to a desire for some internal or external manifestation before he consented to believe Christ, and had not obediently gone his way trusting in the word that Jesus had spoken, would not his linger- ing have been worse than in vain ? for he had then been guilty, not only of doubting the word of Jesus, but of disobeying also, by lingering in his beseeching attitude, after Christ had not only said to him, " Thy son liveth," but had also, at the same time, commanded him to ** Go ! " The nobleman's son would doubtless have died, had he not obeyed God and gone his way at the command, trusting for the fulfilment of Christ's word. And thus have you, my brother, long stood ; yet shall I, in all humility, tell you what has long been the con- firmed sentiment of my l\eart in regard to you ? Let me then say, that neither your earnest importunity, nor the dignity of your position in the church of Christ, nor any thing which may propose itself to your mind as a reason, will induce our God, who changeth not, to give you the witness of entire sanctification, until you believe his word ; for it is only " he that believeth " that " hath the witness in himself." 108 iV ILLUSTRATIONS OP THE Christ In the heart by fltith. The word personified. Apology. djhrifit in ilic '$mt # The Holy Spirit has begotten earnest desires in the heart of my brother for an indwelling Christ. The Scriptures declare it your privilege to know that Christ dwells in your heart. But here the requisition for faith again meets you. " That Christ may dwell in your heart by faith" Eph. 3 : 17. You are commanded not to say, in your heart, " "Who shall ascend into heaven to bring Christ down from above, or who shall descend into the deep, that is, to bring Christ up again from the dead ; but what saith it ? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heait, that is, the word of faith," &c. Here the word is personified, as though it ■were Christ himself speaking. And do you really re- ceive the written word as though it were indeed the voice of Christ speaking in your inmost soul, or are you looking for some sign or wonder, saying in your heart, as did the nobleman, " Come down " ? If so, I think our unchangeable Lord will say to you, "No sign shall be given but that which has already been given." I hope I may not seem severe. I dare not write other than the honest convictions of my mind, and I believe also you do not wish me to do otherwise. -.i. -I' ECONOMY OP SALVATION. 109 Oontinnance In partial bondags. A son should elaim the InherltaoM. -*f/^i, Wxi Wlm Jl^poinicl You speak of " the time appointed of the Father," by- way of favoring the idea that there may be, by divine appointment, a needs-be for your partial bondage. You acknowledge that it is your unbelief that keeps you in this state. If unbelief is a sin, it cannot be for the glory of God that any man continue therein. You are kept, as you intimate, rather as a servant than as a son. But now, as the fulness of time has already come, it surely would be far more to the glory of God if now, through your Redeemer, you should claim your adoption as a son, and assert your right as an inheritor of the promises by which you are made a partaker of the divine nature. Would it not have been more for the glory of God if, years since, you had claimed your full privilege as an heir of God ? Scores more might have believed through your testimony, if, in presenting Christ as a Savior from all sin, you had, in unwavering confidence, been able to say, " I speak that which I do know, and testify of that which I have seen." . /. '■- J 'Wi 31 §mm 4*r ( You cannot cleanse yourself from all dithiness of the flesh and spirit until you appropriate the promises. Op* " believe God ; so shall ye prosper ; believe, so shall ye be established." Yes, established ; " for we, who believe, do enter into rest." Christ, at this mo*^ ment, is in your heart, working in you. These intense breathings after conformity to his image, so long con- tinued, ass' re you of his indwelling — ^his continuous workings. You want inward purity ; and, in answer to this divinely inspired petition, he now says to you, " I will ; be thou clean." Now Christ is speaking ; and, surely, he can mean no other time than now. *f Now is the accepted time." O, I trust you are now listening to his inward voice, and not saying, in your heart, lo here! or lo there! for the kingdom of God is within you. :ftki.Ui^^yM What you say about your house, as swept and garnished, is encouraging. If you have been emptied of sin and self, it is because your Lord and Savior has been at work within, turning out the buyers and sellers^y and thus preparing your heart for his constant indwekiJ t i ECONOMY OF SALVATION. Ill *' Lo, I am thy MlvaUon." FMllng, tha fruit of fUth. My nMd oT OhrUt, ling. He knows you cannot work in yourself that which is well pleasing in his sight ; he, therefore, pur- poses to work in you. Do suggestions arise in regard to the idej^tical moment when he will thus work in you ? If you will listen, you may now hear him inwardly say- ing " Lo, I am thy salvation " ! Are you saying I can- not yet believe because I do not feel as yet any special change ? Neither will you feel this special change until you really, in heart, believe, without making any con- ditions with the Lord in regard to your feelings. The feelings you desire are the fruit of faith, and cannot precede it. Can you not now trust your Savior for pres- ent and continuous salvation irrespective of frames and feelings? To illustrate my meaning more fully, and furnish a clew to your difficulty in regard to faith, which " is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen," please allow me to narrate an item of T <» :.-.*..>- MY EXPERIENCE. ..,1. ..x, It has been about eighteen years since I began to live in a state of continuous trust, — depending on Christ every moment as my present indwelling Savior. Never, previous to my coming into this state of continuous reli- ance, did I have such keen perceptions of my absolute need of «the atonement. O, what a deep and abiding consciousness have I every moment had of my need of Christ as a Savior ! Yet I do not presume to claim this grace of present salvation from all sin, on the ground that I have never erred since the hour I first received this precious gifb. I would rather present the matter ; ( 112 M ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE Kapt by the povrar of Ood. Perftwt 1ot«. Freedom tnm impuUtlon of dn. thus. Since the moment that I first laid all upon the altar, I believe I have never removed the gift from off the altar. Through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, momentarily meted out in supplies suited to n^ neces- sities, I have been kept by the power of God through faith, constantly apprehending Christ as my full Savior. I have not, since that hallowed hour, seen the moment but I had rather die than knowingly offend God. Yes, I do believe that I have kept all upon the altar, and not because of the worthiness of the offerer, or the greatness of the gifts, but because of the infinite merits of Christ, the offering has been in a state of continuous acceptance. God, the searcher of my heart, knows that he is the supreme object of my affections. Is not this loving God with all the heart ; or rather, is it not what the Bible terms perfect love ? " Love is the fulfilling of the law." David speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. Who is that man, but the one who, with a sincere intention, and with an aim to which every earthly consideration is subservient, endeavors to please God in all things, yet trusting wholly in Christ, conscious that his best endeavors can only be acceptable to God through the all-cleansing blood ? O, is not this the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin? Why not? Because the blood of Jesus cleanseih — ^not that it can or will cleanse, but cleanseth — cleanseih now. Such blessedness, I trust, is now the heritage of my dear brother. ^; ^.rajx'i'i 3-f*' to *ktL'''-'W<*i*-h'-t.J- h'KS'-r ■iii-J -^i'-i .f'M ^. ^ s60N0)fT OF Salvation. 113 Mat at tnry point. What tha adTanarjr would gUdljr do. KipottolstloB. 1* .1' ih^ (firtat llfquisHion. iij * Top quote the passage, " To as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to as many as believed on his name." Are you care- ful to mark how you are met, at every point, by the requt- siiion — faith ? " Even to as many as believed on his name." Yet here I must pause. Am I talking to my dear Doctor H. as though he were not appropriating that class of promises which ensures adopion ? Though your letter favors the intimation, yet I dare not think you would grieve your heavenly Father so much as to regard yourself as a servant rather than a son, after all the gracious assurances you have received that you are, and have long been, his child, " through yai^A in Christ Jesus." The adversary would fain keep you ever in the act of laying the foundation of your faith. Alas ! how much does he gain, if he can keep us toiling among the first principles of the doctrine of Christ, instead of leav- ing them, and going on to perfection ? Ah ! these end- less doubtings ! How unlikely is such a one to be rooted, and grounded, and built up in our most holy faith ! O, I long that my dear brother be rooted and grounded iu love ! O, that you may now resolve never more to give the enemy the advantage of an j^ in regard to the love of God to you as his own dear child, and, as sudh, an heir of God, and an inheritor pf all the exceeding great and precious promises ! i^^^ v^- ^ • - ,,*" It was not a small thiner that the Lord had done for M »» f^'. 114 ILLUSTRATIONS OP THE BrkUnoM of lod's lort to larMl. Tbclr flnfUl quMtionlag*^ his covenant people, in ^>ringing them out of Egyptian buiidage. The evidences of his abiding love and contin- ued presence, were being ceaselessly demonstrated by the manner in which they were being guided onward and sustained. The cloud by day, and the pillar of fire by night, also the manna, descending daily from heaven, were ever-speaking tokens of the Almighty's love, and his continuous workings in their midst ; it was, therefore, their sinful questioning, " Is God among us ? " which was exceedingly displeasing to God, and was signally punished. Dear brother, do not sin after the same similitude. God is with us. He is ever giving you tokens of love, and his continuous workings within you, and in your behalf, aro ever-speaking assurances of his favor toward you as ]ds child. You know the love of God; yet this is 7\ot enough. It is by knotving and believing the love of Christ. " Herein is our love made verfect." •'■4J. , say to you, as to a disciple of former days, " Dost thou now believe ? you would not dare say. No ! Surely, in view c. the faith of which you have already been made the ^i.i:, yr :. would not withhold the glory due to his jri. nxi/w. TfiC Author and Finisher of your faith is now waiting t) hear ih:j confession of your mouth. O, give '■,^\ ECONOMY OF SALVATlOISf. Tbc wttn " "t U done." n»«d»onlti»n, " Hold OmV* 115 to God the glory due to liis name. Angels in heaven, saints on earth, and the spirits of the just made perfect, now disembodied, love {o hear God praised for Ins M'on- dorful works. You are " compassed about by a cloud of witnesses." Shall they now hear an acknowledgment of your faith? In heart, you now believe, and, with your lips, I trust, will, from this time henceforth, un- waveringly say : " Faith in thy nnmo thou seest I hare, for thou that fkith hast wrought; ^ . , Dead souls thou callost from the grare, And ipcakcit worlds from nought. ■'.'iti The thing iurpasses all my thooght, ..,,,1 >, ', . ; ^ - Yot faithful Is my Lord ; "* ^' *"■ " **' Through unbelief I Htaggor not, ' ^.iM't.ii rU^ri, t>M9>^ For (lod hath spoke the word. >' > rMM- 'Tts done, thou dost this moment sare, M •■ « wfl*^ With full salvation bless ; v § '<|iv.j>lH ^jj^ Redemption through thy blood I have, And spotless love and peace." *^"^ tl'l^ wl i U !l,r«*ii ^ ** fwl-; t- J »,. i^ilil": 'J^^ii:*^-* :ri. We are made partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end. Do you observe the condition ? — ^If we " holdfast" steadfast. Why the necessity of holding fast, with such a steadfast unyielding grasp on faith, if there were not a mighty power ceaseless in effort to wrest it from us, and also if tremendous consequences were not pending as the result-- of loosing that grasp ? O, how glad I am that I resolved ■4 ■^•-;;^^: ,, % 116 ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE lUth to b« guarded. Vluetuatlng ChrbtiMU. An uawaTering Mth. never to unloose my hold on faith, though I might be called to my death struggle in retaining it! O, my brother ! in the strength of the Lord, fix some guards to your faith. Let there be a hedge about it, which may never be overleaped. Know, if you draw back, or by any means get out of this hedge, God will have no pleas- ure in you. " Now the just shall live by faith ; but, if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him." Many indulge in waverings to such a degree that you seldom know where to find them. One day, you may find them in a high state of emotion, profess- ing faith in Christ as their full Savior, and, on another, wavering and dispirited. It is because their faith de- pends on the state of their emotions, rather than on the faithfulness of God. Such a profession dishonors God, and it is only the self-induced consequences of such a course that those who do thus are driven about, and tossed as a wave of the sea, and do not receive any thing from the hand of the Lord. You may get to a point beyond wavering ; a point in the life of faith from which you may never indulge a temptation to retreat. I trust many of the redeemed have reached this point on their way, in returning to Zion. Some, I know, have ; and have not, for years, indulged a doubt. Glory be to God in the highest ! -"- - "■"'^ ''"''T^li^^mi-iii'liifc'niriijfri r'-innirtrtifr-- ECONOMY OF SALVATION. 117 QoMtlon to be now lettled. Qod'a fliltbftilneu. Awful alternative. You may step directly up to this point now, my brother. Come ; and may the Lord help you while, in answer to his holy bidding, I show you the way. First, let this question be forever settled, Do you now believe ? Pause and settle this question, so that you, hereafter, regard it as a matter never more to be touched. God cannot be unfaithful. It is only for you to know that you com- ply with the condition upon which he promises this blessing of salvation from all sin to know that he, at that moment, fulfils the promise to you. So long as you are empowered by the Holy Spirit to offer your self a living sacrifice to God throvgh Christ, so long you may know that the offering is holy and acceptable. God has said so, and to doubt it, (even though it may be from the plausible pretext furnished by your own unworthiness,) is a sin. It is doubting God ; and ** He that believeth not maketh God a liar." Awful alterna- tive ! My brother, are you not now beyond the point of waveiing? i"" " ' "vir i ^ti a Jpereaufd 4^tfteL - • I AWOKE, at an early hour this morning, with the question, " Wilt thou be made whole ? " It seemed as though the Holy Spirit was proposing the inquiry to me, in order that I might propose it to another. Surely, this question implies the necessity of the hearty assent of the will, on the part of the afHictcd, to be n^ade whole. 118 ILLUSTRATIONS 05* THE The patittnt must oonsout to a cute. Melancholy. fbreboiUngB. The Comlbrter The process must be submitted to, by •which the heavenly Healer proffers to effect the cure. But I have neither time, nor inclination, just now, to discuss doc- trinal points. And your mental anguish, and your posi- tion as a theologian, alike remind me that it would b§ uncalled for, and in ill taste. ,» But I hope you will forgive me when I say, I fear you do wrong in refusing to be comforted. It was not one of the New Testament saints that said, " I will go down to the grave, weeping." Your affliction is keen, and your natural sensibilities are acute ; but you would not have us infer that the God of all consolation has not a remedy precisely suited to the necessities of your con- dition. My very heart groaned when I read, " I cannot hope that the little which remains to me of life, will suffice to make me whole I I feel that I am shut up to one unbroken scene of anguish and teais, for the rest of my life. * My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me. Where is thy God ? ' " Is this, my brother, the language of one, whose heart has long been the abode of the Sanctifier ? Has not the Comforter come, to abide with j'^ou forever ? Sui'ely, we are witnesses of these things, and so, also, is the Holy Ghost, which God hath given to them that obey him. The Holy Spirit, which is the Comforter, has come. He has taken up his abode in your heart. The love of God shed abroad in your heart, and other fruits of the Spirit so abundantly bestowed, prove his indwelling. The Comforter proposes consolation, but you refuse the proffered grace, and say, that you will go down to the ECONUMY OF S'ALVATION. 110 Wo ihould Uatlty of the Oomfbrtor. ''' " Do you not grieve the Spirit T " grave mourning for your son. Is this right ? Do you not grieve the Holy Spirit? That you should have tribulation is not surprising ; otherwise, how could you know how to minister " comfort to them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith you yourself are comforted of God " ? ; j*^ -^H 'ih^fv *<». M^vj'^k*? '*^ •* I O, my deiu' brother ! why do you not, in the name of the Lord, resist the tempter, when he says, " Where is thy God '* ? The least in the kingdom cl heaven is greater than John the Baptist ; and, if David had enjoyed the light and glory of the Spirit's dispensation, would he have uttered such an exclamation ? When the Savior says to his disciples, " It is expedient for you that I go away, for, if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you," does not his language imply an obligation, on the part of every believer, to prove and testify of the consoling influences of the Comforter ? The Israelites tempted the Lord when they said, " Is the Lord among us ? " And when the tempter says, " Where is thy God ? " and we yield to repeated questionings of this sort, are we not sinning after the same similitude ? I hope you will not think me wanting in sympathy. The Lord knows that he has given me sensibilities which are keen. And, before the Comforter came to abide in my heart, O, how acutely did I suffer the pangs of bereavement ! But O, how have nature's ties been re peatedly riven ! Twice were we written childless ; our two eldest boys being removed by death. And yet again did death enter our dwelling : a dear little daughter, one of the most lovely and beautiful beings my eyes ever \ m I I i .ILLUSTRATIONS OP THE BeraeToment. The diviae Intention met. '* OTormuch aorrow " guarded against beheld, was taken away with a stroke. Through grace, we were kept from charging God foolishly in this third and most painful visitation. We knew that the Judge of all the earth would do right. So keenly did we feel the infliction, that we dared not let it pass without the designed improvement. So sure were we that our heavenly Father would not permit such a signal affliction to befall us without intending that some signal good should be accomplished, that we were in haste to learn the lessons which Infinite Love would communicate ; well assured that " He doth not afllict willingly, nor grieve the children of men." And we feared a severer infliction in case this did not accomplish the purpose whereunto it was sent. I believe it was the design of God, that the death of that lovely child should be made the occasion of the spiritual life of many. * ' "* There is danger of what the Bible terms " overmuch sorrow." And unless we are careful to keep within the guards of grace, we may be swallowed up of this sorrow. We saw our danger, and turned our stricken hearts and our weeping eyes away to the Comforter. We looked away from the grave ; for " the sorrow of this world worketh death." We felt that we could not, without involving guilt, enfeeble our physical and mental ener- gies by looking into the grave. And, now that our loved one was beyond our care, we felt that it was due that the energies which might have been more exclusively devoted to the loved object, should be rendered diffusive, and directed to other channels, where they might flow abroad in streams of spiritual life to multitudes. ' ssa? Iff 1 1 • s^ . :a.M ' U.-^ ECONOMY OF SALVATION. The denandatlon. All religiouB esperiAnoe ii to be teited by the Bible. t-f0Y'«u^ Uh #td laths. *' Thai taith the Lord, Stand ye in the wayo, and fee, and aak fbr the old pathti where is the good way, and walk therein." — Tmi wobd or Gos. There is nothing new in religion. "With the Apoca- lypse the volume of revelation closes. *' If any man shall add unto these things^ God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book ; and if any man shall take away from the words of this book, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book." Any spiritual manifestation which may not, in all its aspects j consist with the written word of God, is questionable. Never can the soul be brought into a higher state than that for which an explicit, '* Thus saith the Lord," may be given. It is an inspiring thought, that the Bible only sets boundaries to the attainments of the believer, such as may be inferred from the exceed- ing greatness of God's power, and the riches of his grace. But the exceeding greatness of God*8 power, and the riches of his grace, may only be known by the revelation he has given of them in his vrritten word. Says one, " In remarking thus, you do not give sufficient prominence to the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. Living, as we do, under the dispensation of the Spirit, are we not warranted in the conclusion that we are being led into all truth when we submit ourselves wholly to his dictations ? " No ! Apart from the instructions of the written word, we may not expect to be thus u 122 ILLUSTRATIONS OP THE Tlw Bible a plain book. Th« way of hollueaa the only way. directed. For the Bible is expressly the voice of the Spirit. Neither do the Scriptures favor any thing mystical in re- ligion. Befined.sentimentalism, or any thing that the common mind, imbued with the spirit of Christ, may not readily apprehend, should surely be avoided j for, by the most unsophisticated may these old yaths be found. And 80 undeviiitingly may be the onward 3tep even of the humble intellect that the wayfaring man, though a fool, need not err therein. " No prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation." The Holy Spirit, through Peter, speaks of this open, free access to truth as a matter ^n^ in importance ; " Knowing this^r*^" Let MB not, then, by the relation of mystical experiences, fevor the idea that new light, revealing a higher state than that given in the old Bible landmarks, has been revealed to us. The BiMe speaks of no third state, liigher than a state of holiness ; it only admonishes us to go on, "perfecting holiness in the fear of the Lord." 1*5 Says an inquirer, " Is not God ever making further .revelations of his mind by the developments of experi- ence which we witness in his progressive workings, in the hearts of the eminently pious ? " With my eye on that word, which God has magnified above all his name, I answer. No. Nothing reliable can be gathered thus. Otherwise, the volume of revelation is not closed. New revelations, with these new developments in experience, are, upon this supposition, continually being made. Then let us not encourage in others, nor seek for our- selves, any experience, however specious, for which an explicit reason from the Bible may not be given. Let I ECONOMY OP SALVATION. 128 W* ibould gire no nnotion to mysUoal oxp«rionoea. SaUnle daoepttoni. U8, who profess to have found the old paths — the highway of holiness, be careful how we give our sanction to those mystical experiences whose tendencies lead to quietism, antinomianism, perfectionism, and other un- scriptural isms, which, from time to time, have told so disastrously against the doctrine of heart holiness — Christian perfection. »* f » 3i ^atanit (6^iiUni ■^^ik f \Xi> Hm m^ '* The power of Satan is great, and It Is his appropriate business eontlnnally to »?^.:' .J,; ' ■{ assault the saints of Ood."—PaoF.UPiuii. a^ i,.^j ^ly^i, xst, Satan is a formidable enemy. Neither is he alone in his walkings to and fro in the earth. He has many emissaries. ** Many spirits are gone out into the world." If these spirits were always clothed in their native robe, then to the holy soul would the danger of being beguiled by them be compai'atively small. But here they are walking to and fro through the earth, ever infesting the path of the pious, and, in exterior, so like good angels that only by the most careful scrutiny can their deceptions be discovered. Satan transforms himself into an angel of light, and so exceedingly subtle is he that human wisdom furnishes no criterion by which his identity may, with certainty, be detected. The lamp of heaven alone emits rays by which the decep- tions of Satan can be discovered. *' Thy word is a lamp.** By this light, Satan is detected ; and the inquirer is led to infallible conclusions. , -. a: ,- lU ILLUSTRATIONS OF TUB i* II* MWUMS the $mnt$. Extnet (Wttn Upham. Fancied annihilation of mI£ "'But to take one step without this lamp to guide our feet is exceedingly dangerous. Satan is unceasing in his efforts to overcome. It is not the cold professor, but the saints, that he accuses day and night before God. Professor Upham says, " Thou hast contended with Satan, and hast been successful. Thou hast fought with him, and he has fled from thee. But O ! remember his arti- fices. Do not indulge the belief that his nature is changed. True, indeed, he is now very complacent, and is, perhaps, singing thee some syren song j but he was never more a devil than he is now. He now assaults thee, by not assaulting thee, and knows that he shall con- quer when thou fullest asleep.'* And in view of the fact that it is not until the end of time that he is to be cast down, how deceived is he who imagines that he has attained to a higher siate where the life of nature is so extinct that Satan can find no ground to work upon — a state of boasted exemption from his attacks ! ;, t if,;..-. To all professors of holiness the author already quoted very properly says : " The cost of holiness was the blood of the Son of God, and greatly does he mistake who supposes that it can be preserved short of " eter- nal vigilance." My heart is sad when I hear the sincerely pious talk of a " higher state, a state of which the Bible nowhere speaks, promising exemption from the assaults of Satan j or what is, in fact, equal to this assumption, a state where, self being annihilated, the individual can no longer be attacked, but God, in the individual, receives the assault. How disastrous must be the tendencies of these refined ; ^■VV4*:': ECONOMY OP SA I. VAT ION. 125 A MUnlo Ttotory. PerflMsUonlim. Th« warning 017 ihould b« hMurd. mysticisms ! Hardly can I conceive of any thing dis- playing more of the subtlety of Satan than this. If he can beguile us into the belief that we are beyond his power, so that the most prayerful vigilance is not neces- sary, he has already obtained a great victory. - i^^'r^nm t^ At this point, the mighty have fallen. Here the dreadful doctrine denominated " perfectionism*' begins. Dear brethren in Christ, let us be up and doing With the sword of the Spirit, let us carefully guard every approach, in semblance, toward this doctrine. Shall the glorious doctrine of Christian holiness again be coun- terfeited and brought into disrepute by the errings of those who have once been its able and sincere advocates ? - Let one who, for many years, has been observing the insidiousness of Satan on these points — one who often has had occasion to remark, that the time now is, that Satan would deceive, if it were possible, even the very elect — ^let such an one raise the warning cry, and give you some idea of the manner of him whose coming is in " all deceivableness and lying wonders." .Vrr ••*-■ \u %lesiial (Sarb Jlssmnd. « ^^i^ H- " And no marvel ; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light." i Satan is well aware that light cannot have fellowship with darkness. He, therefore, docs not approach the holy soul as a fiend of darkness ; otherwise, his rejection were certain. For, in the truly holy, Satan comes and 11 • )l ILLUSTRATIONS OF TUB Satan*! audacity. Tbfl terror of hli Inalaaatioiii. finds nothing. It is only -with that which hears the ■emhlance oi light, that the sanctified soul can have fel- lowship. But how high is his aim, and how wonderful his audacity ! "Who would have thought that he would come to our Lord ? Surely, he could not have thought to find any tiling there. And shall the disciple imagine that he may reach, in this world, a state of exemption from his attacks ? " As he was, even so are we in this world." " The disciple is not above his master ^ but every one that is perfect shall be as his master.'* And now the deceiver comes to the disciple even as he came to our Lord, bririging detached portions of Scripture, and, with much sagacity, suiting the temptation to our physical emergencies or mental aptitudes. Blending truth with error, he now suggests, — * You are holy. All your desires and affections must, therefore, spring from a pure source. Satan, therefore, can find nothing in you, and wherefore should he come ? Your body and soul having been, by an irrevocable act, forever con- secrated, set apart and sealed, the tendencies of your being must, therefore, be wholly spiritual, and without alloy. The energies constraining your actions must, of course, be divine in origin. Your whole life being, therefore, one of ceaseless aspiration toward God, you will not need stated seasons of prayer. Acts of this sort would indicate that you were going before the Spirit rather than following after the Spirit. As you have given yourself up to follow the leading- of the Spirit wholly, you may now expect to be led into all truth, and will not need that any man teach you ; for the K C O N U M Y 1' SALVATION. 127 QumUom by a lorar of tha old patha. Th« d«o«lT«r'a raaponM. anointing that you have received teachoth you all things. In relation to the observance of various religious duties, your inclinations aie to guide you ; for, since they all originate in purity, resistance to them will be resistance to the Holy Spirit. To be passive, then, is your highest duty." .jvf,,../ .,, : f»,.*».f! /?.» (liiH >vt " But," asks the inquirer after the old paths, " am I authorized in believing I shall be led by the Spirit apart from the written word ? Does not our Lord say, < Except a man deny himself and take up his cross daily, he cannot be my disciple ? ' Am I not, by the teachings of the Bible, continually being urged to be * instant in season and out of season,' — * pray in all prayer and intercessions for all saints ? * Docs not the Spirit, through the Scriptures, ever admonish me to be * stead- fast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord ? * Am I not warned against neglecting the ordi- nances of God*s house * as the manner of some is,' and am I not, in the command to follow Christ, required to ful- fil all righteousness, and, in all things, to be an example to believers ? " " Ah ! " replies this questionable Spirit, " you axe not yet in the light, and, therefore, cannot apprehend the privileges of this higher state. You have not yet submitted to the entire crucifixion of self. In the principle that prompts these restless doings — doings — self, iu a specious form, is to be seen. You know not yet what it means to be dead indeed ; and not until the life of nature expires, can you know that holy liberty which the Spirit gives to those who are made free lies XLLU8TRATIUNS OF 1 II K i ; Mjratorioui •xp<>rlenoM quMtionad. Th« Dlbla U the tMt. indeed In this holy resting out uf self, where all the animal propensities have been so fully crucified that they can never again revive, there are mysteries which the uninitiated cannot receive." Thus in obscurity, and as an object of compassion, is this inquirer after the old ' paths left. This questionable spirit, having taken its victim into a higher state than that for which a reason ' can be given from the Bible, the inquirer after the old paths cannot, of course, be initiater\ until he also con- cludes to travel beyond the limits of Bible experience. ^ ix; JJ:^ .-It:,,, 'i; '/U.U( — '***« ■ - ,i ht/ii ,«.ffuUo'i " ®0 ih Saw and k ih totimonji/' " To the law and to tho testimony ; if they ipeak not according to this word, it b because there is no light in them."— Isaiab vlii. 20. But the Bible gives light, and it is not in vain that the inquirer turns to the law and to the testimony. And now, how shall we try this questionable spirit, of whom we have bpon speaking, and know whether his teachings be of God, or of Satan transformed as an angel of light ? Thanks be to God, we have an infalUblc test, " To the law and to the testimony." Never, then, need the sim- plest mind be turned out of the way, even though his enemy be exceeding subtle. "What, then, do the Scriptures teach us in regard to the tempter ? Do they promise us, in this state of proba- tion, exemption from his attacks ? No ; for, in all points. lii..'-^-' it jirj. y.r'. 'xii^.j/''5 . .{ ■^'ii\ ECONOMY OF SALVATION. 120 OhiUl'a tampUtlou. Natar* not dtad. WM Christ, our exemplar, tempted, yet without sin. '*But," says one, " wc do not read of Christ'tt being tempted, otl. r than in the early part of his career, and, as the disciple travels onward with him, he rises to yet higher ground, until he arrives at a state beyond the power of the tempter." The life of the Savior was well- nigh a continuous series of temptation. When about to finish his earthly career, he said to his disciples, " Ye are they who have been with me in my temptations." But we know that the disciples were not with him in liis temptation in the wilderness, and it therefore follows, that he was subject to temptation during the whole period of his life. And what indications ore there in his sufferings in the garden, where he was " in an agony," and upon his arrest, where he said " Now is the power of darkness," and upon the cross, where he cried, ** My God, why hast thou forsaken me ? " that up to the last the Lamb of God was pursued by the tempter ! And then tlie idea of the entire extinction of our nat- ural life, so thal^we are no more in danger of being ensnared through our natural propensities, is also erro- neous, and has often led to qrcat error in practice. The Incarnate God took vipon himself our nature. He was very man, as also very God. In him we perceive the two natures — ^liuman and divine. His human nature shrunk from suffering, and, in view of the cup which the Father gave him to drink, he said, " If it be jDossible, let this cup pass from me." Had the Savior embraced the idea that the life of nature was entirely extinct, in- stead of saying, " Not my will but thine be done," what 130 I L L U S T 11 A T I O N S OF THE Uow betrayals may come. What Satan loree. r would have been done to ransom a world of sinners ? "Well, " as he was, even so are we in this world j " and let us not imagine that we can arrive at a state where our natural tendencies may not betray us into error. ^' ''-'^ ' .fr"^%'' ^'^ The disciple may, and ever should, be in a state where the human will is wholly subjected to the divine will. But should the requirement be such as to cause a shrink- ing of the flesh, let him not be discouraged ; for this shrinking of the flesh will not render him less pleasing to his Father. Our heavenly Father loves to see his children willing* to do painfid duties. Let us, then, not talk of a higher path than that in which the Savior trod before us. And let us regard with suspicion all attempts to fix on a higher way than that marked by his foot-prints. '*■"' "' ■'' ■-'' '-^'f'* •**" ■•'..-<'■■? vvw' *••' -Mht^vMH 4t^^ •^ The higher our state, in reality, is, the more subtle will Satan be in his inventions to effect our overthrow. Could he induce one who has been long and successfully engaged in promoting holiness, to favOT any of his spe- cious pretences, what a conquest would be gained ! — a conquest well worthy a jubilee in the lower regions. Ah! Satan loves a shining mark ! J ^ *' i?#lf -» ^^ With Paul, then, let us keep our hody under ; for the tempter tempts the disciple as his Lord j that is, through the medium of the flesh. As followers of Christ, let us closely keep our eye fixed upon his example in all things. Does the multitude press upon us, so that we may not ever, as we would, find time for earnest plead- in ora — o- and deep communion, without sometimes noux^ W4CWM f» ECONOMY OF SALVATION. 131 Bzamplos. Stated prayer. Old paths. before day ? let us rather do this than be deprived of seasons of soul-transforming fellowship with God. Let us also take the example of the Old and New Testament saints. With Abraham, let us be with our families, early at the altar. If David, amid his many concernments, as sovereign of a mighty kingdom, could regard his stated seasons of devotion as so important as to fix the resolve that he would, mornings noon and 7iight, pray and cry aloud, — and if Daniel, amid his high responsibilities, and vexations from his heathenish neighbors, regarded his stated hours for communion with God as so impor- tant as not to admit of interference, — ^let us look with suspiciousness upon an inclination to regard these mat- ters as unimportant. If the enemy would beguile us to yield to this inclination, in whatever form he may come, let us say, " Get thee behind me, Satan ; for thou savor- est not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men. " Yes, to the old paths ! M< IVii'M " The way the holy prophets went, The road that leads fh>m banishment, The King's highway of holiness, We '11 go, for all his paths are peace." :rH " But," say some, " we live under the dispensation of the Spirit ; and now, in searching out the old paths, you go so far back as to take us from under the dispensation of liberty proposed by the Spirit, as though we were to be again justified by the deeds of the law." Not so. Paul, in referring to things aforetime, said, " These things were written for our instruction." If holy men of old spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost, they \ \... 13^ ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE Sanctuary pririleges. Prayer. The standard. doubtless ■ =s r" "'- The Bible being the only infallible standard, and no human authority being comparable with it, the latter being only right as far as it is found one in sentiment with it, let this book, above all others, be the book of books with us. An inspired one loved it so much, that it was his meditation day and night. Let it, with us, be the last book at night, and the earliest at dawn. I know one who has been in the daily habit of studying it thus for years past on her knees, and many a lesson has she thus learned in humble waiting before God, com paring Scripture Avith Scripture, believing that spiritua. things can only be spiritually discerned. If we take the entire voice of the written word for the government of our conduct, our lives will present one beautiful assemblage of graces. Otherwise, we may wrest the Scriptures to our own destruction. Even Satan can quote detached pas- # .. ■l^-.-:.-.^J^\i\y. ... \i\ mmmmmtu ECONOMY OF SALVATION. 1S3 The entire Toice. Itegponsibllity of controTenialista. sages to suit his own purposes ; but let us obey the order of God, and compare Scripture with Scripture, and hearken to the entire voice of the Old and New Testa- ments. f^'-:f^p:hu-^-\ 'f iMior but not mter. Important question. want of an application of the all-cleansing blood. But « adopting the opinion does not make it true. With the i main writer in the recent controversy, he may conclude ' that he is about as safe without it as with it ; and think that God will not condemn him for not going up to possess the good land, though he long since was brought out of spiritual Egypt. He may conclude that the case of the Israelites who entered not in because of unbelief furnishes no admonition to him ; and thus he may get into an easier place for conscience ; but whether he has got into a safer place, the light of eternity will reveal. ii ;.••'■ ti'iWi? . ./Aii* . ., ..,. ^ ;. .' -■(..i.i.'^i.i j ^jMf* {ffiiii^ itu; Pan wh didn't Imour WXkn le Win. r,;t; ;<•<» ii..»l'W*.;i**.r- 'V<»> '••i- One traveller, accosting another by the way, said, "Do you, my brother, enjoy the blessing of entire sanctification ? " " I do not know but I received that blessing at the time I was justified ; for I rather think I have loved God with all my heart ever since." "You know that we have received of that spirit whereby we know the things freely given to us of God. Nothing is more explicitly given than the will of God on this point. * This is the mil of God, even your sanc- tification.* Now do you know that you are wholly sanctified ? " ,**Xwould rather not speak confidently, but I think 136 ILLUSTRATIONS OP THE Are you an exception T Aflrald to promiM. 1 have been willing to cut off a right hand, or pluck out 9 light eye, ever since my conversion." " It matters little, my dear bi other, v}hen you received the blessing j whether at the time of your conversion, or since. Mr. Wesley says, * I will not say that God may not cut short his work, and sanctify a soul wholly at the moment of conversion ; but of the hundreds with whose experience I have been familiar, I have not met with one such case.' So I will say, in regard to your- self; I have known no such case, among the hundreds with whom I have been conversant ; but if yoa think your case an e:|cception, of course I will not dispute it. But, since it is your privilege to know, will you not rssolve before God to have the matter settled, before you rest your head on your pillow this night ? " " 0, 1 should be afraid to make such a resolve 1 "What if I should not get it ! " " So you are afraid to trust God for what he has promised to give you. He says, * Now is the accepted time, behold, now ^s the day of salvation.* When Jesus said, * It is finish^'d,' then he wrought out this salvation for you ; and no ', en the part of God, all things are ready. But it is a pearl of great price, and you will not get it until you feel that no expenditure of time or inter- est is too great for its attiiinment. Will you decide on having it before you sleep ? " "I really dare not promise, for I might fail in getting it." ' In sajing thus, do yoi. mean to assume that God might be unfaithful, and not give what he has prom- ECONOMY Of SALVATX6n. 187 Dtiflnitenees and Importunity. ResolTe. Light. m ised ? When the disciples said, * Lord, teach us how to pray,' the Savior, by an illustration, taught them to pray precisely thus. Dcfiniteness and nnyielding importti' nity now, were the lessons taught on this occasion. (See the parable of the three loaves.) The man applied to, had, perhapb, not told his importunate friend he would give him three loaves if he came ; but God has told you that it is his will even your sanctification now, and are you afraid to trust him for the fulfilment of his word ? " This brother was a man of business, and he concluded that the object called for a concentration of all his energies, and he deliberately resolved before God, that he would not give sleep to his eyes, or slumber to his eyelids, until he knew that he was wholly sanctified throughout body, soul, and spirit. " The day of the Lord is near in the valley of decis- ion." Immediately, on his making this resolve, God began to draw nigh unto him. He soon saw very clear- ly that he. was not wholly sanctified. I met with him again on the afternoon of the same day." ' ^ " I see," said he, " now that there is unbelief in my heart." — ^'> --^"^ .w.,- t'^i-u^-ja - - ^t '^'*t■ 7^''^' " V/ell, the Holy Spirit has revealed this to you in order that you may be saved from it ; but you do not feel that you can save yourself ; and, if Christ alone is to save you from it, why not trust in him to save you just now ? " He now felt that there was too much to be done in his heart to be so folly saved in so short a time. But '>.-' ?*i^ .i'* 12» 188 . * ILLUSTKATIONS OF THB Saved flrom perplexity. Feast of tabemaclea. « * he was told that the longer he staid away in any degree ^ fi'om the atonement, the deeper the stain of sin becomes, ^ as eveiy moment's delay makes us the more unworthy. "' He was persuaded, at last, to make the venture ; and, in a moment, proved that, " He is able to save unto ^^ the uttermost all that come unto God by him, seeing he "^ ever liveth to make intercession for us." He, from this ' time, became a joyful witness that " The blood of Jesus • cleanseth from all sin." How soon was he saved from «^^ his doctrinal perplexities on resolving that he would not rest until he experimentally hicw of the doctrine ! .:M . .1-. .■ .v^Xid Uirr *^';?' '.•::.'>•• it? ••» 1 •• Short is our longest day of life; v, ^ , ; And soon its prospect ends; ' 'i ' ?' i i Tet, on this day's uncertain date, •• • 't_ Eternity depends : But equal to our being's aim, ' ' . If'^^Ji^i'^i? < 1 -*:'•.'•' The space to Tirtue given, ■ ; i. .> i ruUfi: And every moment, wellimproved, . j . « :t^i "^'i?>iS i. J>i; ; Secures an age in heaven." •'^''^"■^. ^'^'^-'^^ »risc^^ was at a camp-meeting, and the closing love-feast * W'as being held. Much interest had prevailed on the i subject of holiness during the process of the meeting, * and many had there received the sanctifying seal. Scores ' of clear witnesses had already testified, in scriptural ^ terms, of the power of the Sanctifier, and scores more, ^ with longing looks, were waiting to testify that the blood * of Jesus cleanseth from all sin. . ; .* - .- E (.* O N O M Y O L' 2] A L \ A T I O N . 139 Porting talk. Wbut Is Qoil ((nlnt; to do with the lacrlflce? A lady who was at this feast of tabernacles from a distance, as an invited guest, at last arose, and asked the privilege of a little parting talk, which was more than willingly granted. She spoke, as nearly as I can remem- ber, about as follows : — " I did not speak at an earlier period in this love-feast, ^ because it always has seemed to me ungenerous for any , one to occupy much time when others are waiting, long- ing for the privilege of giving in a testimony. Truly, , it may, this morning, be said, ' Praise waitcth for thee, 0, God, in Zion ! ' I have waited till others have fin- ished giving in their testimonies, intending to occupy a little moie time than might be admissible, if it were not for the fact that I am so soon to leave you, and may never again have the privilege of mingling in your soci- ety till we meet at the feast of the Lamb. I cannot tell you how greatly the testimonies I have heard this morn- ing have inspired my heart. I have looked upon the witnesses who have risen to testify that they have set themselves apart and received the sanctifying seal, as set apart to labor and to be henceforth * workers together with God,' in saving the world. I heard a sister at a meeting similar to this, say, in an affecting, earnest man- ner, * I have laid my sacrifice upon the altar, but O, what is the Lord going to do with it ? ' Bitthren and sisters, God is going to use our sacrifices. He intends to use us as instruments in the salvation of our relatives, friends and neighbors. As in ancient time, when the walls of Jerusalem were being reared, every man was required to build over against hjs J^ouse, so every one 140 1 L L U ti T K A T I O N H O F T II £ BoiMkhing mora than % tuua; The worli of the Ohriitlu. h is now called to n Hpccitic proportion of labor. And entire hollne»» implies uu entire identification with the ■work of the Lord. Not that I think the Lord would have \\a unmindful of our ordinary avocations, but he would have u« make our every-day associations subser- vient to the spiritual interests of those with whom we are thus connected, so that we may say :— i«flr *»;.}? !«^fti| feli^|j[f»I> ttklTI TJkV 'V^* • llTcry work I do below *>*«al*a**tflii' ((Vy, )f^ftl' t ' ii , \, • I do It to the Lord.' . .^ , -, v .* "From my own realizations, I can testify that entire sanctification — holiness to the Lord — is something more than a blessing in name The terms are significantly expressive of the state. I have no fellowship with any sort of sanctification that wraps itself up in rapturous ox mystical experience, and does not tell on the salvation of sinners. Holiness implies the dedication of all the pow- ers of body and mind to the promotion of Christ's king- dom — an entire identification of interest with the purposes of God. And here, let me testify that, for the last sev- enteen yeai's, I consciously have had no scpiu'ate interests from those which stand connected with the salvation of the world. Every thing sinks* into insignificance in comparison with the great work of saving siimers. If I have a passion for one thing above another, it is that of soul-saving. "We are called to be followers of Christ ; and, though we cannot follow him in his vicarious death, yet we can follow him in manifestations of self-sacrificing zeal and love. Christ left the pure atmosphere of heav- en, tlie songs of angels, and the holy society of kindred spirits, where all is hormo ly and love, for a residence of 1 ECONOMY OF SATVATION. 141 Jmoi* Meriflclni vpirlt. A quAKttuM. A uroponltlon. ■I years in this sin-pollutccl "world, to boar "the contradic- tion of sinners," to hear the wails of sorrow occasioned by sin, and to endure the agonies of the cross ; all to Bave sinners. Did the spirit of Christ induce him to make sacrifices ? Then the Christian must, in his meas- wre, be actuated by the same spirit ; for " If any man have not the spirit of Christ, he is none of big." I always measure my attainments in grace by the degrees I possess of the mind that was in Christ. iKiiti 4*«4U«-ti, •Tho Christian liven to ChrUt alono, t .^.uoiMiUU/ tl**?. ™ To OhriHt iilono ho Ulos ' " I need not say to you, my dear brethren and sisters, that you cannot retain tl" t blessing of holiness, unless, on all suitable occasions, you are willing to confess it. It is a gift from God, and God requires the acknowlpdr;- ment of every good thing that is in us, by Christ Jesus. But do you indeed desire that the communication of your faith may bo greatly effectual ? Do you desire that your friend? and neighbors may know that entire sanctification is something more than a blessing in name ? Do you desire that the cause should not be harmed by its being said of you, * What do ye more than others ?' Do you desire that a greater revival than has been known in this region, should be the fruits of this camp-meeting ? Then let me suggest to you a way by which these most desira- ble results may be brought about. Let me ask that you here set apart a given portion of every day to labor specifically in the work of soul-saving. I do not mean solely that you devote this time to prayer for sinners ; }U2 1 1. L U J T 11 A T 1 O N S F T JI K "*»?i ParMntl affort. Oarid'i principl*. A frMtion of Umo cTury day for loul-MTinf . this, of course, you will not neglect ; but what I mean is, that you set apart a portion of time daily to go out among sinners, and let them know that you are praying for them, and that you mean to follow them with your prayers and entreaties till they are won over to Christ. iiCt them know that you feel that their state is exceed- ingly perilous, and their souls of such infinite worth that you are willing to make sacrifices of time and labor in their behalf, and are resolved not to give them up. David scorned to sacrifice that which cost him nothing. liCt your business associations and domestic arrangements show that your time and means are set apart for holy purposes, all being made subservient to the salvation of those around you. Do not forget that you are to act not only on the principle which David avowed, when he said, * Shall I sacrifice that which cost me nothing ? * but, if you have the spirit of Christ, you are requu*ed to exhibit before the world the principles upon which your Savior practised. Trample on pleasure and pain, repu- tation, ease and wealth ; bid defiance to the shrinkings of the flesh ; forego, if need be, the companionship of the pious, to seek and save the lost, perishing sinner. If you cannot appropriate two hours per day, specifically in this employ, appropriate one. If you cannot, by rising earlier or retiring later, or by more careful economy in saving up your moments from things less important, save up two hours for soul-saving, then, if you can, set apart c^ie hour, and if you are so circumstanced, by your engagements to others, that you cannot set apart one hour, you surely can, in the evening, if not through th« day. ECONOMY OF B A T< V A Tl O N . US Order. Daolilon. Now! How rouIi arc iMl. HotWea (br a plan of Ubor. appropriate one half-hour out of the twenty-four, for this one greal work of the Christian. " Little is ever accomplished without system and decision. * Order is heaven's first law.' If any thing of moment is to be done, the time must be set when we ai"e to say, *It shall be done now.* All the sinners on this ground intend to be saved ; but they do not bring it to the point now. Many of them, doubtless, will leave it day after day, till the last day of life comes unexpectedly, and what should have been the business of life is left till too late, and all is lost. So it may be with us in regard to lost opportunities. Souls will be lost which ought to have a timely warning from us, unless we .set apart some time to labor for them. It is true that, with the wholly sanctified, all the time is sanctified. Timr, with talent and influence, ^ .is been laid upon t) dtar. We do not doubt but every child of God on this encampment intends, on going home, to work for (Jcid during the coming year as never before. Yet, a> ever, each hour will bring its demands of ordi- nary care ; and I fear little more will be done than has been done, unless some specific appropriation of time be made. '" * •■• ' ■ •'* •'' '* ' '* ^ ' *"■*''' '*' " We have come a long distance to be present with you ; but a hundred times over should we be repaid if we might only know that all here, who have professed to be wholly sanctified, would set apart but one half- hour daily, from this day, September 2d, 1854, to Sep- tember 2d, 1855, specifically to the work of soul- Baviug a. ^y^pif-;'' itpnt .( \:tt'^:i'i^'y 4tii? Gi t,'.Cf V I ;**»s}# ^\k i 144 ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE A demonitntlon. ThiM hundred Tolanteera. The eomputotion. t Perhaps a score or more of preachers were around, and on the minister's stand, with the excellent presid- ing elder at their head. The sister then turned appeal- ingly to the presiding officer of the meeting, and asked if it would meet his approval to have a demonstration of those who engage in this " Jialf-hour proposition." The worthy elder hailed the proposal with delight, and desired all, who would solemnly before God so engage, to rise and so pledge themselves by standing on their ' feet. A host of laborers, of about three hundred, arose, and stood looking like an army of invincibles. O, how the sight of our eyes gladdened our heart, as we be- held this band of strong, joyous volunteers for God ! The sister who had made the proposal was aflfected, and'^ cried out, "Now I know that you will, indeed, have' such a revival as has never before been witnessed in this region. Praise ! praise the Lord ! " The presiding elder, with evident elation of feeling, began to sum up how • many glorious days of labor three hundred half-hours daily would make; but the hour set for closing the' meeting had already more than arrived, and this ever-to- ' be-remembered band of God*s sacramental host received ' the apostolic benediction, and sepai'ated with the purpose ' of each man going after his man as in the days of an- ' cient warfare. But five days had intervened when we again heard '^ from "the regions round about," where this army of ' God's elect had been scattered, and what was our joy on ■* hearing that the work of revival had already begun in power in sejpral places! "It began with the half** i ECONOMY OF SALVATION. 145 BMOltl. Tha laborers. Propodtlon to the iMdar. father Bmtm. hour proposition" said the informant. In several places^ souls had been brought to bo-w at the foot of the cross as earnest seekers of salvation. In one place, eighteen, in another eleven, &c., &c. Alleluia I the Lord God omnipotent reigneth I , „.^-W.,i,-., i '■ ' " ■■■■.,..■- ._, J ■ . ( , " See Where the serrants Of the Lord, gji,j , /itiJ«*W jiii lSf.m,fJ-&Uii'M- A buBy multitude, appear, ' V '<< - • bi;;*; '.■!*:iX,p^ " The love of Christ their hearts constrains, , ^,,y. And strengthens their unwearied hands; ^^ J* They spend their sweat, and toll, and pains, ;. -rl4 'b'^ii"' To oultivate Inunanners lands." ' . ♦ . , t'> 'il lift "Mi t Fpr Jesus day and night employed, His heritage they toll to clear. • And now let me solemnly, as in the more immediate presence of God, ask every reader of this article to unite in this "half-hour proposition" Do not say that you cannot spare the time. Scorn to sacrifice that which costs you nothing. If Christ made sucli sacrifices to save your soul, rejoice iti the privilege of sacrificing that which costs something in laboring to save the souls of others. Have you ever read " Father Reeves," the poor mechanic, who, though not unmindful of the duty of caring for his own household, found th^t working from six o'clock in the morning till eight at night, did not leave him quite time enough to go out among the people and work for God, so he resolved on living on six or seven shillings per week less, and to sacrifice the time to God. His biographer says, "He felt called upon to make sacrifices ; " and faith in God, and love for souls impelled him to make them. A poor mechanic sacrificing some- thing over one dollar and a quarter per week, thiu he 18 1 146 ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE ' I V* uiut gtve timt. Serring God by proxy. 460 Tteits a year. In darkness. might give the time to the Lord, is an act of faith and devotion rarely equalled, and is worthy the consideration of men of superior social position, who will willingly give a subscription to a benevolent object, in order to do good by proxy, but who shun personal service. * Obe- dience is better than sacrifice,' a subscription costs a rich man little, and it is not clear from Scripture that any thing short oi personal devotion to the cause of God, will be accepted by him who hath said, "Occupy till I come." Father Keeves kept an account of the number of his visits for several successive years, and during the earlier part of his life they average four hundred and fifty a year, and during the latter part of his life they average six hundred and fifty a year. This was a man who, for the greater part of his long life, was wholly dependent on his daily labors, and yet, with all this amount of labor, he found time for public, closet and fftmily duties. Take an extract from his diary as a sample. (See Diary, Dec. 1831.) You say you are in darkness; have lost your roll, and cannot again find it, and that you are more than miserable. Deeply do I sympathize with you. But, surely, you have not forgotten, " If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father." Also, "If we con- I ECONOMY OP SALVATION. 147 The laboion are few ! An enthiuiastio doctrine. Christ wu dlBbonosed. fess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousnes." You con- fess your sin, and why not at once claim forgiveness and cleansing ? In view of your statements, I do not doubt but you trespassed in refusing to labor in promoting the cause of holiness. " The laborers are few." Witnesses who testify of purity of heart are greatly needed, especi- ally in the region in which you reside. And in propor- tion to the scarcity of the laborers is the call imperative to those whom God has enabled, from their own experi- ence of the great salvation, to testify of what they know. '- he feeling of disinclination to labor, of which you speak, was doubtless from the power of the tempter. But " that we are not to do good unless our hearts are free to it," Mr. Wesley denominates an " enthusiastic doctrine." Indeed, in proportion to the magnitude of the work the Lord has for us to do, we shall be called to withstand Satanic influences calculated to deter us from our work. But, surely, there is no sin in feeling these dissuasive influences^ if we do not yield to them. The greater the shrinking of the flesh, the greater the victory if we only resist. You did not resist, and the Captain of your sal- vation was dishonored by your defeat ; and darkness and misery have been brought upon your soul. But is it not your duty, now that you confess your sin, to believe God not only forgives, but, as you again present yourself wholly to God through Christ, is it not also your duty to believe that the blood of Jesus cleanseth from all unrighteousness ? And, since you lost the blessing by not laboring to promote the cause of holiness when t/!w w ILLUSTRATIONS OP THE PUgrim and Us rolL The open fonntaln. Of fUth, the witneM of the Spirit, tad Joy yoa had reason to believe it was your duty to do so, ret olve that you will, from this hour, redeem the time in eJBTorts to promote the cause as never before. Do not forget that, when Pilgrim lost his roll, he went right back to the place where he lost it, and found it again. The same fountain in whose waters you washed and were clean, is still open, &l'dl flowing, and still it clean-* seth from all unrighteousness. Will you not, with me,"* now praise the Lord for this ? Will you not just now ■I « Plnnge Into the purple flood, BlM in aU the Uft.of Ctod,*' 7 ..ft; MvliVl*^?. f O» m vlf* ;?./y'(v i.!~; 1.^.1 ®he Mxhm 4 ih $}^lnt All your difficulties, my dear brother, seem to be the consequence of this error. As soon as your sensi- ble emotion had subsided, and you were called to walk by faith, you gave up your confidence, and thought you had lost the witness of the Spirit. Now the witness of the Spirit is not joyous emotion. At the time of its reception, we may have joyous emotion ; but this is not the witness of the Spirit. " He that believeth hath the witness in himself." This, I apprehend to be an internal conviction, produced by the Spirit, that we have the grace for which we have believed. This con- viction may have been produced in the heart by some noiseless and almost indiscernible process. But, if we I .'SfeJ?;-.;; ECONOMY OF SALVATION. tk Fftlth and emotion. Ohriat in th« wilderneM. " Out not amy yoor confldanoSi'' I have that knowledge, it does not matter how it has been received, or when. To know the fact is enough. " The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth. So is eveiy one that is born of the Spirit." You were saved by grace, throvLgh faith* Had you remembered this, you would not have thrown away the blessing of salv^tio]i, just so soon a^ God began to test your faith. ' The Spirit descended like a dove, and abode upon the Savior. Immediately afterwards, he was taken 6y tht Spirit into the wilderness, to be tempted of the devil. "We may not presume that while he wan there with the wild beasts, and subject to more, far more, dreadful suggestions tlaafi^ you have ever known, he had sensi- ble emotions of joy. No ; hif joy was to submit to the will of his heavenly Father, and it was the will of his Father that he should be tempted. And so his joy consists in this. Looking at the matter in this way, we can easily conceive how we may count it all joy when we fall into divers temptations. So, my brother, you see we may know, with the Savior, that we have the abidings of the Spirit, however severely tempted. Had you, while being tempted, obeyed the command of your Lord, ** Cast not away your cojifidence,*^ you would have found yourself a gainer in the end. A firmer establishment of soul would have succeeded, and you would now have been prepared to comfort those who are in tribulation, with the comfort wherewilh you were comforted of God. In casting away your confidence^ . ., .18* 150 JL LUSTRATIONS OP THE Vaith not emotion. Confession befoie forglTeness. 4 you displeased God ; for he has said, ** The just shall live hy faith," (not emotion.) In yielding up your faith because you had not joyous emotion, you grieved the Holy Spirit to such a degree, thai I do not wonder your distress has bec%/me so grievous. For God has said, " If any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him." TO A 8EEKEE OP THE WITNESS OF THE SPIEIT. You say, my dear brother, that you will do any thing I will advise. In the name of the Lord, I would now advise that you confess your sin in having cast away your confidence. TpU the Lord that you now desire and intend, from this moment, to obey him, and, as he has Said " The just shall live by faith," you desire rather to live a life of faith, than a life of emotion. And, now, my brother, begin at once to bring forth fruits meet for repentance. Resume your confidence. God did not take it from you. You cast it away, and now he again commands you to believe. Do not wait till you are more worthy; for every moment's delay makes you more unworthy. Do not try to save yourself; for Christ alone can save. Not even in the least degree can you save yourself. If your heart is unmoved, and hard, do not calculate on bringing it up unto a condition of earnest and vigorous affection yoiirself. Let your first endeavor be to yield it up to God. He has assured you that the preparation of the heart is with him. It is your Savior who is to take away tihe heart of stone, and give a heart of fl-^sh. If you should yield your heart up wholly to him in pre- ECONOMY OF SALVATION. 151 9hffait rMeives wlutt we gin». Wb ii the wltneaa. cisely the state in which it now is, what do you think he would do with it ? Do you imagine it would long con* tinue in its present unfeeling condition ? My advice >m, that you now resign yourself believingly into his hands. Are you doing this now ?........ Do you say", YES ? Then Christ is now receiving you — ^he is now saving you. Now is the day of salvation. He is doi^ it, let your emotions be what they may. You may gay, I do not feel it. Remember yatVA is not feeling. You are not saved by feeling, but hy faith. " Thy faitk hath saved thae ; go in peace, and sin no more." Yes; the moment you do this, you are saved. Could you weep rivers of tears, you cou'^d not induce the SavJ.or to save you in any other way. We must trust in C f£RiST to do for us what we know we cannot do for ouri elves. The faith that saves is trust. And the gospel p? oposes no ether way to be saved than that of 2i present pad cou' tin^ous trust in Christ. Emotion, or no emotion, if you are now doing this, you are now being saved. Wheh you do this, the Spirit, through the revealed word, tells you that you are saved. He that believeth hath the witness in himself. The cotisciousn.ess, or, in other words, the knowledge th^* i*" is so, is the witness of the Spirit. For it is the Spirit alone that can produce this consciousness. A short time since, a sister caid to me, " I believe I do love the Lord with all my heart, *' " Do you not know it? " said I. " Yes, I kfiow it," f'ne replied ; " but I want the mtncss.''^ I turned to Dr. B., who was standing by,- audsaid," Here, Dr. B., isasister whp believes m^hn(^ ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE. ^I teUsT*, ud know, but mat Um «ltn«H." that she loves the Lord >vith all her heart, but she wanta the witness of the Spirit that it is so." Dr. B., addressings^ himself to her, said, " You believe the sun shines — you know it, and now do you want the toitness of it ? Is not the knowledge of it imparted through the aj^cncy of the^ Holy Spirit, witnessing with your spirit ? What witness,^ v beyond what you have, do you need, since you have the knowledge of the fact ? " O, yes, " He that believetk hathi the witness in himself." Bemember that, in believing - the word of the immutable Jehovah, you have a fbunda'*f tion for your faith immovable as the throne of the etexvt naL You believe your fallible friend, and, without 4^ shadow of doubt, speak to your friends of your fa'th in my word. Your faith in me produces some effect ; £ot your exhibit, not only by your words, but by your ac-w tions, your faith in what I say. Should I write you now ^ that one of your deare&( friends, for whose salvation you have been greatly desirous, was converted at the y St. altar, last evening, your heart would at once leap with delight, and you would hasten to inform your Brother S . It is because you have faith in my •written word. But how can I speak in words that will do justice to the subject, when 1 would speak of the dif*J * ference between the words of man and the words of God ? "The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit,'!' and they are life." " He that believetk on me, though he were dead, yet shall he live." But where shall .1 pause? When I get on this theme, — the divinity of the word of God, — ^my heart ever burns with hfivenly inspirations, and its ardors seem to know no bound*M ECONOMY OF SALVATION. i5d Toa brought it upon j^;" ,^^"*'"'*" ■ ^*f.--i>H" 'V? T''^'''' *' ,^!i^ A PLIGHT TO THE AITAB. i^j^ f Sitting, one Sabbath evening, in the midst of one of our large city congregations, my heart was deeply pen- etrated, as I cast my eye on the thoughtless ones in the gallery. Judging from appearances, most of them were votaries of fashion and folly. " Without God, having no hope in the world " ! exclaimed my heart, as I "^pre- sented wishful desires to heaven in their behalf. " Sup- pose," said the Spirit, " it should be your duty to go up there, and mingle with them, and try to urge some of them to come to Christ." I was not then so much accus- tomed to being " instant in season and out of season," and my nature shrunk from the publicity, and the apparent officiousness of such an act. But I dared not do other- wise than bring the matter closely to the Lord, and, in doing so, duty was made plain. - , . ^ 156 ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE BariouB but mate. A mMMgt from Qod. A nid(l«n moTMBent. 1 then asked bcHevingly, that the Lord would direct my steps. I noticed a young hidy that looked serious^ though not apparently airected. I addressed her on the subject of r^^Ugion, but could elicit no answer to my various inquiries, though she seriously listened. My efforts being apparently unavailing, I left her. I pressed, with urgency, the gospel invitation on several others. A few accepted, and went forward for prayers. But still, my heart seemed pressed with th )nviction that the object for which I had been specially sent there was not answered. I asked the. Lord if it were indeed so, that my mind might still be directed. The young lady I had addressed on entering the gallery, still sat there, in a serious and rather pensive mood. Believing that " He that asketh rccciveth," I asked for a message from God to her, and felt that I received what I had asked. I went to the young lady, and, trusting in the Spirit to give power, I solemnly said, " I have a message from God unto thee ! " It wai evident that the Holy Spirit accompanied the words with much power to her inmost heart. The great deep was being broken up, and the large tears began to drop in quick succession. Observing this, I said, " If you wish to have the united prayers of God*s people, I will go with you from the gallery, and we will go forward to- gether to the altar of prayer." But she was still, as before, silent. A young lady rose by her side to go out, when she suddenly started up too. The movement was so unexpected, and she was so powerfully convicted, that I thought she was going to dart out of the church, to hide ECONOMY OV SALVATION. 167 TbaiuprtM. HMto. A fluDlljr or«l«Ttn conTertod. de from the presence of God, and I, with sorrow and 8ur- prise, said, ,^i*i ^ ,^^0 ^ "Whatl going away?'* 4^,u.^&, .^ . "Going down to the altar! '* she exclaimed quickly. ^9 I had promised to go with her, I, of course, felt tbe duty of being true to my word. But she preceded me to the altar so rapidly, that, in order to go with hor, I really had to make myself a spectacle to the congregation, and run. Her haste reminded me of Bunyan's Cb 'stian, fleeing from the City of Destruction, crying. Life 1 Life ! Eternal Life 1 ,^ ^^^^^, ,; j^ ^^^ ^ .^ .,, j^^ ^,j , .^ ^ •*#«*,( For three days, she sought Jesus, sorrowing, vl a he revealed himself to her, the " fairest among ten thousand," and the one " altogether lovely." Her friends were all entirely irreligious ; and, themselves unaccustomed to attend the means of grace, they opposed hei attendance, and variously persecuted her, to turn her from the right way of the Lord. She had been a gay votary of the world. I advised her not to compromise true Christian principles in any iota, but to serve the Lord with earnest steadfastness, manifesting that she ^ lA given up the world, and exhibiting, by her daily >va.: a: and conversa- tion, all the lovely proprieties of a religious life, assuiing her, if she would do this, that tl.e Lord would permit her to see the salvation of her relatives. It was not long before the different branches of the family, fjather, mother, brothers and sisters, married and unmarried, were also induced to attend the means of grace ; and, in less than three months, the family circle, eleven in num- hfix, were all brought into t^p fold of Christ. Sur^y^ it 14 158 I ILLUSTRATIONS OP THE ' I A dugpr. Ood glrei the word, and we mniit oarry it. Labor not In Tain. is important to attend to these gentle impressions which the Holy Spirit makes on the heart. We would not encourage fanatical hap-hazurd efforts ; but there is danger of over-nicety — danger of being so fearful of following impressions, as not to follow any impression made by the Holy Spirit on the heart. How can the Holy Spirit do much with such instrumentalities toward the world's conversion ? It is God that gives the word, and we, as agents, must be ready to convey it to the sinner. A number of times have I, during our protracted meeting, looked upon the gay and thoughtless, and asked the Lord to speak through me to them. I have then, as in the case just narrated, taken the message, and delivered it as from the High and Holy One. God has honored my faith, and often owned the effort in the speedy conviction of the sinner. Surely, in this, as in all other matters, " according to our faith " it is done unto us. I believe, in answer to strong faith, God will always send the message to the sinner's heart j and though they may not always yield, yet it is the duty of the church to give the invitation, whether sinners will hear or forbear. The throne of God must be guiltless. Christians are workers together with God, and, if truly spiritually-minded, are either a savor of life unto life, or of death unto death, to those with whom they communicate. '^^"^hmJ ■iVH ''i*-jn VT^-^ .>i.-. . v-^ '^■-- ' .... •^,,.,,..,:-^;i,o •.-s^{|^• J;i.. Otr • THE MISTAKE. ., t!" *> On one occasion I mcde an apparent mistake, by speaking to a professor, supposing I was addressing one ..' 't •% ECONOMY OP SALVATION. 159 ▲ proftMor Uken Anr » worldling. A gay lady. Expoatumiion. "vrhose heart was wholly in the world. /* And why did you speak to me as to one not professing religion ? " asked this gay church member. We did not tell her, being quite sure that she might readily infer the cause. Is not " the friendship of this world enmity with God ? " and if any man will be the friend of the world, is he not the enemy of God ? Strange ! that the professed follow- ers of Christ should love to be so like the world in spirit and appearance, thit it should be difficult to distinguish them. '-'?'':::! ' •;»■'.«!- '■►*:'><' "* /' , f«<4:^ j:^. vm/Vf^?*?!- • The next evening I thought, now I will be careful not to speak to a professor for a worldling again. I will look for the most irreligious-looking, worldly-conformed person in the house. I singled out one who seemed wholly irreligious, and was remarkable for the gaiety of her appearance. I asked her if she did not think it her duty to set out in the service of the Savior. She assured me that she had not ?5een in the habit of thinking seri- ously on the subject. I said, ' • ' • "Though you m?y not have been in the habit of thinking much, yet it is your dvty to think. It was the sin of Israel that they did not consider. You know, as a redeemed creature, you belong to God. You know that you are not your own ; for you have been bought with a price. O, why do you not begin to seek the Lord?" She was courteoi/.s and respectful, as every one duly acquainted with the proprieties of life will be, when addressed in regard to the highest, and most ennobling of all subjects, the salvation of the soul. But from the ■'^R'l fM .160 ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE An excuM oQered — and onaworrd. h A qu«8tioa of lUith. A ooDcesiloa. »» iknt fact that it is not common, in our congregations, to address persons in regard to their individual salvation, who do not manifest any interest on the subject, she probably wondered why I should have singled out such an unlikely subject as herselfl '* ^^w «is r *!***# ^^r^-^T' ^nAa a reason why she could not begin at once to seek the Lord, she said, r^ ? . «*i - m^ ^« ; j * '^ fs. ** I have no feeling on the subject of religion. " But do you not know that it is your duty to begin to seek the Lord ?"•■' ^ «'• - , ,„ ,, ^, " I suppose it is." ...aIkt " Let us settle this question. It either is your duty, or it is not. You believe the Bible is the word of God, do you not ?" »_ She looked as if she could chide me for asking the question, and exclaimed, with son7C warmth, I, "Certainly Idol" I*'* And do you, indeed, believe it to be God's word, as truly as though you could hear him speaking in tones of thunder iVom the heavens, as when uttered on Sinai ? " "I do!" " If, then, you could hear the voice of God, sounding out from the highest heavens, speaking directly to you, telling you the precise moment when you must begin to seek the Lord, you would not delay one moment. Tou would not hesitate about duty, would you ? " ' "No, indeed, I would not." ** Now, my friend, God is speaking to you from heaven this moment. You say you believe the Bible is hig word, as truly as though you could hear him speak from * ^ ■. ■.!i'^sitiSii£Ji.i^i.r^3iiii,-. ECONOMY OP SALVATION. 161 The act and the time. Directioni for obtaining the requisite feeliag. ren Ihig ton heaven. God, by the voice of his word, is now saying to you, *Give me thy heart.* If you say, * When, XiOrd ? ' he tells you just when. * Now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.' *It is time to seek the Lord.' How can the duty of the present moment be made plainer ? You cannot, without making yourself a greater sinner, hesitate for one moment. You cannot hesitate from the idea that you are not convicted ; for the knowledge of duty is con- viction." '" >i -tf j.^r'/ l^^u* i>'.*. • "But I have no feeling." - - • tiM^i* ^.n i-:*.!*' /"If I will tell you just how you may get feeling, will you follow my advice ? " :v.t.j^//,oi* "I will." . ..;; :..... .i u '■ i -.:-..;. >K.i Then, go kneel there, with those seekers of salvation. Begin to call upon the Lord. Christ is exalted to be a Prince and a Savior, to give repentance unto Israel, and remission of sins. Call upon Christ for the gift of repentance. You will then have the united prayers of God's people. There will be more than two or three agreed in presenting your case to God. The fervent, effectual prayer of the righteous availeth much. Many seekers of salvation have found the Savior under sim- ilar circumstances. It is not until the day that you seek the Lord with all your heart, that he promises to be found of you. Seek him now with all your heart, and he will now be found of you. You know your duty, and if you will now yield to these convictions, you will have all the feeling that will be needful. It is not Christ alone is the Savior. I save you ; 14 • ml 16^ ILLUSTRATIONS OF TUB Seekinis God. without a tear. ConTort«d in an hour. The Jailer and Peter. Yielding to these solemn convictions of duty, but without shedding a tear, this gay votary of fashion went forward, and, with several other seekers of salvation who had presented themselves, she knelt at the altar of prayer. She had been there but a few moments before manifestations of feeling were abundant. She wept profusely. She sought the Lord with all her heart. And how long does it take such an one to find the Lord ? If I should say the whole process of awakening and con- version did not occupy quite an hour, would you doubt the genuineness of the work ? Do not say, yes, until after you have ascertained how long it took the Lord to convert the jailer in the days of Paul, -i ■^ A CONVERSION QUESTIONED, AND WHY J ^ I say this, because the experience of one of my friends, whose conversion was thus rapid in its pro- cesses, was so seriously questioned as to be well-nigh fatal to the convert. The conversion was not ques- tioned because the fruits were wanting ; but because it was so sudden. And these questionings, too, were from the lips of grave divines. Suppose, the second day after the jailer's conversion, he had casually fallen in with the apostle Peter. He tells Peter of the bliss- ful heart realizations which have resulted from his faith in Christ. With a joyous excitement consequent on the sudden transition from the darkness of unbelief to the light of faith, he expatiates on the blessedness of his change, — the joy and peace of believing. He expects -^ki- te heart-inspiring sympathy from Peter, as the old friend -■m ECONOMY Ol' SALVATION. 163 A cooling caution from Peter- iind then another from John. ' Iriof Paul, his spiritual father. "But," says Peter, " my 3f, friend, you need to be careful. Paul generally produces oi an excitement wherever he goes. A great many sud- \: den conversions take place under his ministry, and, as a '>^4 consequence, spurious conversions are not uncommon. l.;you had better be careful, very careful, not to let the I /I intelligence of yonr conversion spread abroad till after ijyou have waited long enough to test your conversion r fully, and know that it is genuine. Do you not think ;:,our young convert, the jailer, by this time, begins to feel his confidence decreasing, and the excitements of his first I i love somewhat lessened ? >*,r w mik." M*.«f*v 0**^4^. v;. But he goes on, and unexpectedly meets the apostle John, another of the old friends of his spiritual father, Paul. His confidence and love begin to gather re- newed inspirations, and he tremblingly again ven- tures to tell of the happy change wrought in his heart through faith in Christ. John looks serious, and, instead of manifesting joyous reciprocation, begins to speak of the danger of being deceived. " But," says the jailer, " Paul recognized me as a true convert, and baptized me sa, such. He did not tell me I had reason to fear deception, because I was so suddenly converted." " Yes," says John, " h\t Paul was himself three days under conviction, and how can it be ' hxt you should b" converted in so short a time ? " ** It has been much oii my mind," says our young convert, *' that I ought to come out at once before the world in the profession of ^r if^y feith." " But," says John, ** you had better wait, and bp sure that the change is real^ a^d not the effect of Mi w o lUl^ ILLUSTRATIONS OP THE The young conTert %nX h^i pastor. DiMnMlons. Darkiie«n Ughi ag!?i/ii. Gudden excitem( nt ; for, if you should (rli;),r cj to fill away, as y:me olher of Paul's coii verts fh, hoT mr :h would it be to the disadvtiatag3 of the cauf.*^ which you wish to serve ! " Now this is not a fancy picture. We had a friend whose conversion was well-niRh >s 8::.dden as the jailer's. A.ul there were two mLiisters who^/; abili- ty to settle theological difficulties might hare pi>-ced tharn beyon;] Petev or John, if time spent in theolog- ical sf.udica Y, ere the criterion. Our unconverted friend hiul iiccftrapanied us to a place, where it was not unu- sual to ■witness sudden and remarkable displays of the awakening, justifying and sanctifying power of God. He was awakened, and suddenly conveited perhaps in about as short a time as was the jailer. Yielding to the tiame sort of inspiration which David felt, when he said "Come unto me, all ye that fear the Lord, and I will tell you what he hath done for my soul,*' he went to tell his pastor, who belonged to a different theological school from that of the minister under whose labors he had been so suddenly converted. He was met in jui^t about the way above supposed. It was distressing to see the perplexity of his mind on his return. But we assured him that the Lord could convert a soul just ae thoroughijr in half an hour, as in half a centuiy. He had felt it his duty openly to profess Christ that evening. But, yielding to these dissur :. . u;, he became disheartened, and resolved not to coir :t in an open profeesioii This resistance to dii:^ ^i gtit great dark- ness upc2' ,-^j mind. Aft^r Jabo' uvg v.ith him prayer- ECONOMY OP SALVATION. 165 ^ A oauUon reiterated, and consequent fttllure. The iportumaii. fully for some time, his confidence was again restored, and he resolved to confess Christ. Again he left us, rejoicing in faith, and strong in resolution, when the tempter again, through a minister, attacked him on the same grounds ; the suddenness of his conversion, and the danger of profession j and again he returned per- plexed and discouraged as before. Could such an one be" expected to hold fast his faith, and in the end make a good confession before many witnesses ? Surely, it would have been well-nigh miraculous if he had. He was not taken away from under such influences, and he did not en- dure better than the jailer might have endured, if placed under circumstances such as we have described. His conversion was doubtless pronounced an ephemeral con- version. And those sage theological friends perhaps thought the wisdom of their counsels vindicated by the result to a demonstration. M ** .».jr 4 1 i * ?iti ir- ; A SUDDEN AND UNQUESHONABLE CONVERSION. lut I had another friend who, though even more t suddenly converted, did not fall in with the same sort ^ of. doctors of divinity, and endured manfully. My a friend, Mr. , was a man of fine natural address, ^ and a lo^'er of pleasure. He often attended divine wor- '• ship, and ofter , on the Sabbath, made resolves to devote \h .j^j-ull ; o the service of Christ. But he had thoughtless ^ -ompanions, ai,J he was fond of the race, and his social and spoiti^e qualities wev , ever bringing him into the > snare of Satan. Each week witnessed him under yet 4 greater condemnation from broken resolves. One Sat- 4 .V*. 1618 ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE A midnight tow on ttie two Testaments. Help and solratlon. urday night, returning late fiom his business, he reflect- ed on his many broken vows. His conscience told him he ought to do better ; but his heart was so sadly re- minded of his many failures, that he scarcely dared to TOW again. But a new thought struck him. He had reached his home. It was now about the solemn mid- night hour. The lights in his dwelling were all ex- tinguished. But he knew where the good old family Bible was. He remembered that the God of the Bible was a covenant-keeping God, and opening it between the Old and New Covenant, he, as in the solemn presence of God, with one hand placed on the Old Testament, and the other on the New, renewed his resolves, and said, ** O Lord i if thou mlt help met I will serve thee forever.^' '' Strength from heaven was immediately let down into his soul. He felt that God, as his Almighty Helper, began to " work in him mightily to will and to do of his good pleasure." He laid his head on his pillow that night, conscious of the inworkings of the Holy Spirit. He greeted the light of the blessed Sabbath, a new creature in Christ Jesus. To his own perceptions, and to the observation of his friends, " Old things had passed away." By his beaming countenance, and with his lips, he testified that the joy of the Lord was his strength. Though his sudden change was singularly unlocked for, yet we never heard the genuineness of his conversion questioned. His consistent, happy, useful life bore ample testimony that he had passed from death unto life — ^p" 'i"-"^it-^tT'i ,Trr;pYv^>-n57 ■-'.- N • S"-ry Qi I ECONOMY OF SALVATION. 167 Breakftat onboard a itoamer. Tha inquiry. " 0, 1 am happy." .1.^ - . , " Will he not hla help afford r , Help while yet I asit ia given ; iXtul hl^*i* *^fm'jiiVi: God cornea down, the Qod aud Lord, . Who made both aarth and heaTen.',' ,^ ui 'W i\~r -an ylfjdi^ <4i ^o.-t^ -xa io: 'x ®hu dja^lairi and his (Buusi ** Captain, did you ever tura your attention seriously to the subject of religion ? " So said we to the captain of a steamer, with whom we , had been chatting over a good breakfast on board of his ■ vessel. Our captain was evidently more pleasantly ar home on almost any othei subject, than the subject of relig:'^' ; But we dared not let the opportunity pass without b,\j- ing a few words to him about his eternal interests. The captain, in answer to our inquiry, assured us that he thought exceedingly well of religion, but had never given much of his attention to the subject. And, as we still persisted in urging its importance, he exclaimed, i.rrt** 0, I am happy." * ?'^ :::^^ .J I r. ^ ** We would be far from disputing that point v; '■ 't y >u, captain. There is a sort of hilarity which the man of the world may enjoy when he does not thinlc. But only let him once begin to consider, and his happiness is all spoiled." ;> - ; . * ^ ' . ', ' I would not wish you to think me wholly inattentive yW' tne subject of religion. But there are so many things to claim one's attention, I do not, I suppose, get as 168 ILLUSTRATIONS .' F THE A propoiU!r>' •« Y^i." Th« aiflvrence sUtad. much Uiuo ^,0 tiiiiik as I ought. But I am not without my crrjoyments. ^ ^,,^,^ j^,,, ,: lUb ^Uhni^l ^/ ^n^m " Do not misnnaerstana me, captain ; of course, I would not differ with you in opinion on that subject. But let me tell you, w.ieio i LhinL. there is a differ- ence. Now, let us be very honest with each other. Candidly, my friend, will you be really honest with me, if I will be purely so with yoii ? " The captain looked a little demurrish, probably fearing that he would come oul on the wrong side, but, as gentle- men will sometimes rather even give up their own Btron;j will, than to disoblige the ladies, he hesitatingly said. "Y-e-8." '" " Well, then, here is where I think you will find the difference between the happiness of the worldling and that of the Christian. You enjoy the world and the various socialities of life. In festive, mirthful scene?, your hilarity abounds, but in the midst of the most mirthful, only begi'i to thin\. My oul is immortal ! This night, my soul may be required of me. In such an hour as I think not, the Son of man cometh. You know that these things, are not idle f ctasies. jTour judgment tells you that they are solemn realities : the mv>re you think and let your better juf^^jmct predominate, the more un. , happy you are.*' >' • "True! true!" ' " ' ' " Now, captain, here is the difference ; the more we think, the more happy we are. The religion of our Lord Jesus Christ furnishes, in itself, an inexhaustible *t -i.JiA:vs..J^vfr- ECONOMY OF SALVATION. 169 PMj and happlnaM. Two witnMMf. A hnppy wnl in m lufltring body. fund of happiness. "While it docs not forbid uiiy thing of a worldly nature that is really needful for our enjoy- ment, it furnishes other enjoyments, rich and varied beyond expression. That it has the promise of the life that now is, you admit ; for you believe the Bible. And we are witnesses of this truth. (Husband was standing 1 jside me.) We have been testing the truth of these principles ever since we were little children, and, surely, we may be perm'*ted to judge. What we say between each other, when no mortal eai- is within hearing, must be honest, you will allow ; and, husband, do we not often say, between each other, that the worldling does not even begin to know what happiness means ? " '' Here husband added his testimony, and observed, " Religion has been every thing to me. I have been trying it ever since I was a little boy. I don't know what I should have been without it. I have tried it in childhood, in youth, and in middle age, and now, as I egin to contemplate going down the declivity of life, the happiness it imparts only increases." " Now you see, captain, you have our united testimony. We do not wish you to infer that Christians have no trials. Christians, in common with worldlings, are called to endure various earthly vicissitudes, and trirds painful to the flesh ; but, while the worldling has nothing to cheer him under these circumstances, the Christian has only to think, and be happy in his soul, however much his body may suflfer. His heavenly Father is ever saying to him, " All things work together for good to them that love God," and he has only to keep thinking of tloB, ! (f «• • no ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE DMtb and horn*. The qutitioB. The rcipoDM. The pftrtteg. and the more he thinks, the more hnppy he becomes. Of course, we know that tlie hour of death and earthly separation must come. But this, instead of destroying our happiness, only makes us think with yet greater joy of our inheritance— OUT home beyond the grave, where we shall spend an eternity of happiness in yet more ^'lissful union, in the presence of him, 'whom, having not seen, we love.* Now, captain, you see here are two agreed, and * in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established.' Tell me, then, what do you think of the difference between the happi- ness of the worldling and of the Christian ? You see I have been candid ; will you be candid ? " The captain frankly acknowledged that we had the right of the matter, and conceded that our case was fairly won. He confessed that it was only when he could manage to keep out of his thoughts death and eternity, that he could be happy. He seemed deeply serious, and we were encouraged to believe that he would give his more earnest attentions to the subject of religion. "We repeated the words, . ' -*>;^> •,♦51 i \:h-r nu 1.9 :>< n! is religion, that must giTO Solid comfort while we live ; 'Tis religion must supply Solid comfort when we die. After death, its joys will be Lasting as eternity ; Let mc, then, make Ood my friend, Then my joys shall never end." 1} "We separated affectionately. Sinners do i^ot love us ' less for being faithful to their souls. They know, if we * heartily believe what we profc s to believe, that we XCOMOMT OF SALVATION. 171 Man of th* world. A quMtion— Mkad— Intorpratod— ftDiwoNd. ought to bo instant in season, and out of season, in our efforts to save them. Many men of the world seldom hear a gospel sermon ; and even those who do hear fre- quently need the affectionate and practical demonstra- tions of an earnest Christianity to arrest their attentions, and win them to Christ. - ' •; -.^i i i. i. hu V v.t' (fh ('tih '.7';'. ''"■•' n i f I f. WHERE DOES THE ONE END, AND THE OTHER BEGIN t .^.j KuBtt^cation and ^antti^tatiom ** I CANNOT, for the life of me, see where justification ends and sanctification begins." So said my friend, in rather an earnest, though not very devotional, mood. He might with as much propriety have said, " I cannot, for the life of me, see where a person leaves off the use of letters and reads well." A state of sanctification cannot be obtained or retained, but in connexion with a state of justification ; as necessarily so as the letters of the alphabet stand in connexion with reading. The way to leave the principles of the doctrine of Christ is, not to forget them, just as we do not forget the ele- mentary branches in literature for the pursuit of higher studies. We could no more go on in sanctifi- cation without justification, than we could go on per- fecting ourselves in reading, after we had forgotten our letters. But shall I tell you just how and where I apprehended this point in my own experience ? I had been going on, sweetly conscious of the smiles of my • t i il- m,; ■]l'fV^ m ILLUSTRATIONS OP THE An Item of personal expericr^oe. Increasing Iigh^■ "B« ye holy." heavenly Father. For v>ome time, I had been in such a state of conscious, loving obedience, that I think I would rather have died than knowingly have offended my heavenly Father. My course had been onward and upward. As I ascended the heavenly way, clearer light shone upon my mind, revealing higher duties, requiring more of the spirit of sacrifice, and furnishing yet stronger tests of obedience. But, with increasing light, increasing strength was given, enabling me to be answerable to tiiese higher duties : for I had not learned how to retain a state of justification while under con- demnation at the same time for neglecting known duties. THE CRISIS. But the memorable crisis came when I could not have retained a state of justification one hour longer without passing over into that state where entire sanctification begins. Others may act upon the principle that it is optional with themselves whether they will remain in a state of justification, or go on to a state of entire sancti- fication, but, with me, the command was absolute, «' Go on to perfection " — " be ye holy ; " and, if I had not obeyed, I should have been condemned for my disobedience ; and how could I have been in a state of condemnation and in a state of justification at the same time ? But I will show you the crisis, the precise point where justification would have ended, and condemnation would have begun, if I had not taken the further step, and entered ^. " The land of rest firom imbretl sin, The land ol perfect holinerr " ■)}.\ ECONOMY OP SALVATION. ns The decision. Of willing and doing. An eternal surrender. s I had, that evening, been enabled to come to the decis- ion that I would, not only in word, but in spirit, recog- nize my covenant engagements, and yield myself, with ali the ties that had bound me to eaith, wholly and for- ever to God. I had often endeavored to enter into covenant engagements before ; but I now saw there was a marked difference between being willing to give up all, and the act of really giving up all ; — ^as marked a dif- ference as may be inferred to exist between an offerer under the Jewish dispensation who is willing to lay his sacrifice on the altar, and another offerer who really per- forms the act of placing his gift there. The sacrifice of the offerer could not be sanctified un- til it was laid on the altar, for it was by virtue of the altar that it was sanctified. When I clearly perceived this, O what a struggling of nature ensued ! I had lift- ed my hand to God — ^had often said, " I will give up all; " but row, when I saw that there was to be an eternal surrender of life, reputation, and friends dearer than life — all — all! O, it was a point quite beyond what I had reached before. But what could I do? Could I stand still at this point, and remain in a state of Justification while refusing to comply with what I knew to be the demand of God, and iu fulfilment of covenant engagements long since made ? I saw I could not ; I must either make the necessary sacrifices, or I must sin, and, by my disobedience, forfeit a state of justifica- tion. And it is here justification would have ended with me had I refused to be holy. Do you ask, How did you retain a state of justification before, when all was not lb* :( r^ 174 ILLUCTRATIONS OF THE Increasing light obeyed. A point reached. How can one be more than perfect? given up ? Perhaps I cannot answer your question bet- ter than by referring you to what the Savior said to his disciples, " I have many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now," I had, for some time previous to this, been answerable to the light as I had received it. The Holy Spirit had led me onward, revealing higher and yet higher duties, as I was able to bear them, till I was brought up to the point described, and was enabled to be answerable to my covenant engagements, and yield myself up entirely and irrevocably to God ; and, in do- ing this, 1 felt that I did no more than I ought to do, and was but an unprofitable servant. CAN WE BE MORE THAN PERFECT! Do not those who go on to perfection arrive at a point, where they stop ? for how can one be more than pei - feet ? No ! Do you remember that Paul speaks of perfecting holiness in the fear of the Lord ? Or, I do not know why we may not take a simile we have be- fore used, and ask. Must not a child stop reading, be- cause he has learned to read perfectly? whereas his having learned to read perfectly only introduces him to yet higher and higher branches of study, till his mighty soul goes on grasping in knowledge while life endures. Or, to use another figure : Holiness is a way cast up for the ransomed of the Lord to walk in. If you were in the way to a given place, would it be necessary for you to stop because you were in the way ? The fact is, your only aim in getting into the way was thst you might progress in the way until you reached the destined ECONOMY OF SALVATION. 175 The way to our home. Qod has given it a name. Caught under a harrow. point. Well, heaven is our home. It is our home, for Christ has purchased heaven for us. There is a way by which we must go, if we would reach this home. God has given this way a name. It shall be called The "Way of Holiness. In this way our goings must be established if we would over reach our heavenly desti- nation. The redeemed of the Lord shall walk there. But remember you cannot walk in this way of holiness until you have entered upon it. O, may you enter speedily I , * -*■ - i*-^ Winkmrdmx Sarroujd <®ut. Father R was educated in the belief of Uni- versal Salvation, and, until he was about twenty-four years old, he thought himself a lirm believer, and would probably have been seriously incensed had his best friend hinted that he was not sound in the faith of Universal- ism. And with this delusion conscience was well-nigh quieted, when the following significant incident occur- red: He was harrowing a field with a pair of young wild steers. The harrow caught in a stump. In the effort to release it, the cattle started, and he was thrown under the harrow. The steers now ran in wildest speijd. The teeth of the harrow in the mean time had fastened to his clothing, and an awful and immediate deatli seemed inev- itable. And who can depict or conceive the horror of '■a ii m : *i f I 176 ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE A UnlrenalUk in troubto. Hli pnyer, oonrarilou and lubMqumt Ubort. the Hcene, as, with furious speed, he was dragged under this " instrument with 'ceth " the space of thirty or forty rods I But this harrowing of his body was only made the occasion of a harrowing of conscience, which wholly exceeded his care for his body, and he began to call mightily on God, and promised the Lord, if he would but spare his life, he would serve him all his days. " Lord, have mercy — Lord, have mercy on my soul 1 " was his cry. Nor did he cease to ciy until God indeed manifested his saving mercy, and he was filled with praise for delivering and saving grace. After his re- lease, one suggested, " I thought you were a Universal- ist, and, if so, why afraid to die ? " He answered, " I thought so too ; but, when death stared me in the face, I found the doctrine of IJniversalism would not stand the test.'" And it was thus, about forty years since, that Father B. was brought to know the pardoning mercy of God through Christ. Ever since, he has been a steady traveller in the way to heaven. And earnest have been his manifestations of solicitude that all who are endeavoring to make themselves think they believe in Universal Salvation, may know that the doctrine will not stand the harrow of conscience in view of sudden and awful death. ' Father K- LOVE-FEAST TESTIMONY. did as every one who resolves to serve the Lord ought to do ; that is, immediately after his conversion, he united with an evangelical church. But the people with whom he united in church fellow • ECONOMY OF SALVATION. 177 A pnjn olxole. The ihort wty of faith and the louj way of Urtng. ship did not believe that Christ stood ever ready to save his people from all their sins in the present life. Some months after, he was thrown in contact with a people who believed that the prayer of the apostle, " The very God of peace sanctify you wholly," &c., ought to be fulfilled in the experience of every believer. This was at a camp-meeting. A prayer circle had been formed for specific labor on this theme. It was the first that Father R had heard of the subject of entire sanc- tification. His immediate resolve was, that, if there was a state of religious experience beyond what he enjoyed, it should, through grace, be his. He told his brethren his want of knowledge on the subject, and solicited their advice and prayers. The brethren instructed him, and prayed for him, and, before ho left that circle, he was a happy partaker of the grace of entire sanctification. A minister present, after hearing this interesting love-feast testimony from the lips of Father R , exclaimed, " Father R , you were not then told it might take a long time to grow up into a readiness to obtain the blessing before it could be received? " " No ! " he ex- claimed, " we believed in having it done and done with.'' Father B , another father in Israel, then arose, and, after stating specifically when and where he received the blessing of holiness, said, " Brethren and sisters, I go for the short way of faith, and the lon^ way of living." An eairnest response resounded through the air, and the congregated hundreds joined in the hearty " Amcu ! " /« '4 jff 178 ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE Thing of life. Idle handa. ConBtornation and delay. «w'«- m' ®h* JPlaritiimrg md ih Poiicc fottrm Us Let us enter into this famous, well-arranged manu- facturing establishment. Here are the most magnificent, various, and finely-wrought specimens of art turned off at shortest notice, and apparently with the ease of thought. Let us look closely into this stupendous machinery. Here are "wheels within wheels," and what not. "What a complication! — little, tiny wheels and large wheels, shafts, bands, lathes, saws, drills, — every thing with the ease of naturalness, yet with the most exact precision, performing its office. As though it were a thing of life, endued with inherent power, and voluntary in its own acts, it is ever turning out to the gaze of the curious observer these beautiful speci- mens of workmanship * ♦ ♦ *. But, ah, suddenly, an, utter cessation ! This thing of life has ceased its work- ings. Every part of this complicated and stupendous machinery is motionless as death. What has befallen it? • ■-■ »- - -' --.If'-- . ' ■ '■ '■■■-'• ..i - - .' • .-.tnK.r Ah, there was a secret power, hidden away— out of sight, propelling it to action. That power ceases to act ; for some ill-intentioned individual has stealthily detached the motive force from the machinery. What shall be done ? What loss must accrue to the owner by these passing minutes ! Scores of hands are idle, and the minutes of many make hours. But why all this delay and consternation ? How simple the act by which all this wrong may be adjusted, and this thing of life ECONOMY OP SALVATION. 179 " Put on tb« steam.' Intelligent and Influential lady. Hard maiter. put in motion again ! Put on the steam ! There, now all is right again. Every thing is in action. How simple the expedient, yet how effectual ! -i " Mrs. -V i how are you getting along in religion ? " " ** O, do not begin to ask me ; for I cannot begin to tell what a distresseu, perplexed state of mind I am in. Why, I am not even willing to be holy, and, of course, I cannot ask the Lord to make me holy." Mrs. was an intelligent and influential lady, and the wife of a .minister. She was the daughter of the late Judge — — , in that region favorably and exten- sively known. The enemy of all righteousness knew that she was placed in a position to exert a far-reaching influence for good ; and so he took proportionate pains to tempt her with many, and varied perplexities. We were now on a camp ground, and, on first reaching the encampment, we had heard of Mrs. 's distressed state of mind. And, in the midst of the encampment, we had, for the first time, met. Wishing not to refer to what we had heard of her strange perplexities, — ^for the tempter loves to have us consume the precious time given us for noble purposes, in detailing his tempta- tions,— -to avoid a recital of this sort, I simply asked the preceding question, and was answered as stated. ♦ She then went on to specify many things that she was not willing to do, some things which I thought it prob- able she mij^ht be required to do, and other things I thought she might not be required to do. Satan is a hard master, and he often presents strange inconsistencies to the mind, in the form of duties. And then because he 180 , ILLUSTRAIIONS OF TH A ntanio ruse. Not willing to be holy. God'i work honorabla. cannot induce us to consent to things that are not pure, and lovely, and of good report, then he accuses us that we are not willing to do our duty. And thus many a sincere person gets under the condemnation of Satan, whom, in reality God does not condemn, otherwise than as he condemns us for believing Satan. '* I am not willing to be holy," she exclaimed. " I am not willing to go and stand there, and invite sinners to Christ, and tell cold-hearted professors of the danger of their condition. I am not willing to be,of no reputa- tion for Christ's sake. Befdre the world, I might possi- bly be willing to be of no reputation j but, before my brethren and sisters, and especially before ministers, I am not." ** I do not know that the Lord will require you to do all these things you have spoken of. His service is honorable. He does not require us to do any thing that is not pure, and lovely, and of good report ; nothing that Gabriel, or the highest archangel in heaven, might not covet to do. If you could have made yourself willing, you would have done it long ago — ^would you not ? "Indeed I would." •^'" ' *' " >- ' «#m " You do not expect to make yourself willing, do you?" '' '-''*■ '* ' ''"^'^ ""* ^*^'' '^' ■ '-^ • .^^-' ^;i imr^-i "No!" Jiv,i.» i»;«'i ,i! "■ ..fsfi*. I ** Do you think Christ could make you willing ? " After a little hesitation she replied, " Yes — ^if it were not for my unbelief." "' -*• 'Ut j?i ^':. /'> . j>iVi. ir^iwM.^i^^\ Uwi -fm^m 'tmi ECONOMY OF SALVATION. 181 How to be IP" '-' willing to work. Veiy Mrd. Ability equal to duty. if , ** How can he save you from your unbelief or any other sin, unless you yield yourself wholly up to him, and let him do it ? It surely is a sin not to be willing to be holy, not to be willing to be of no reputation, and to perform every duty. But you cannot work a willingness in yourself. It is only Christ that can work in you that which is well pleasing in his sight ; but how can he do it, until you yield yourself wholly up to him ? If ho would have you do those things which have been sug- gested to your mind as duty, he can cause you to be more than willing. The moment you yield yourself up whol- ly to him he will put his Spirit within you, and the things which you have felt you could not do will be the very things you will love to do ; for Christ will work in you mightily to will and to do of his good pleasure. ' But still she was sad, very sad ; still she kept looking at herself, and her many varied failures in duty, instead of looking to Jesus j mucii .is it would have been with those Israelites, after they nu ^ been bitten by the fiery serpents, had they looked at their wounds instead of looking up to the brazen serpent. We reminded her of this, and said, * ^ . . ! " Mrs. , God is not a hard master ; his ways are equal. He says, " Look ur to me and be ye saved," not leaving it optional with yourself whether you will do this or not. He does not command you to look, to him, without giving you the abili j . You dishonor and dis- obey your Savior, every mome it you linger thus. Your malady, instead of growing better, is growing worse. Your agony and tears, though you might weep tears of 16 183 LLUSTllATIONS OF THE The look and the onre. Unmindful (if teari, B«Ur th arMumi. blood, cannot induce the Savior to save you in your unbelief. You are disobeying God, every moment while you are looking at the effects of sin on your heart instead or looking to the Savior. And just as surely will you perish, as those Israelites would have perished, however sincere or earnest thoy might have been in their intention to look up to the brazen serpent, if they had not actually looked up. * -vi vif-^^if )> •.,.;• sa t\;i\ami\ai It was then proposed that we should n Ire from the gaze of the multitude, to Mrs. 's private tent. Here, as in the solemn presence of God, she resolved on an immediate. Unconditional, irrevocable surrender of her entire being to Christ. He? heart had been in a tumult of conflicting sorrows, but no/r •;he seemed unmindful even of her tears, as she kn«;;U to yield herself up in everlasting covenant to God, resolved from that moment to trust in Christ, as her present and complete Savior, believing that he would empower her for every duty, and work in her mightily, " to will and to do of his good pleasure." ^ - . — ^ - What could she do but yield herself up to God, through Christ, jttst as she was ? This she did. And, without requiring signs or wonders, she calmly took God at his word, believing, as she gave herself up wholly, he received her wholly, just because he said so, and this, surely, was not believing without a reason. She took the word of God as the foundation of her faith, and did not say in her heart, " "Who shall ascend into heaven to bring Christ down, or who shall descend into the deep, to bring Christ up ? " But, simply, because Christ ECONOMY OP SALVATION. 183 TruHt and rtit. Mn. ' now to work. hud Baid he would receive her, and would come and dwell in her heart, and work in her that which was well pleasing in his sight, e^^ ^rustc "" in him to do just what he had said he u ou ^u ind who cvci' trusted in him, and was confounc '^ '. ' ,^i '-'■ / fi:;. Sweetly did she enter A. u O! what a heavenly calm succeeded I Chiist had to take up his abode in her. And she quietly and oelievingly rested on his word. -1 mil''' rFrhM;«r "rff M.V! ' I ■■ ■;■ • \i' ■■. H '] I felt a divine conviction on my own heart that the work was done ; and, with a joyful and confident heart, praised the Lord for what he had done, and said, ii^j :< "'TifldoLe! thegreat transactioa 'a done!" ** Lord, she is forever thine 1 Thou dost receive her." And together, in subdued accents, we praised and mag- nified the name of our covenant-keeping God. The christian brother, who had first mentioned, in my hearing, the spiritual distress of this now happy friend, came in, when I was quickly called away to other duties. This brother subsequently informed me that, shortly after I left the tent, a company of thoughtless worldlings came in tc see Mrs. , when, with tears, and in the most urgent, persuasive manner, she cried out, " ! what will become of these sinne^;|, if they do not re- pent, and turn to the Lord ? " And thus, in most winning entreaty, she sought to gain them to the Savior. How evidently was Christ now working in her heart, to do the very things which she ' '' said she could not do ! ^. ,Xhe next day, I incidentally saw her standing just ': A ■M ■lis . t IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) /, -% '>> 'W Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14S80 (716)872-4503 ^ "* *^% *• ^.^ v\^< &J *.s S¥/ * ^ S(WA ■ *^: ';S- 184 ILLUSTRATIONS OP THE HeetM in » leaQr temple. Thirty ministerB. The Mcret of power ftmnd. about where she had pointed, as she said to me, '* I am not willing to go and stand there, and tell worldly pro- fessors of the danger of their condition, and urge sinners to Christ." But there she stood, amid worl^y profes- sors and sinners, tearful, yet in dignified, ifioving pathos, pleading that they would comi)ly with the conditions ot salvation. ,' ,^ * The last day of the meeting came. Hundreds had' assembled to witness the closing exercises. There, be- fore the rough-made pulpit, in that beautiful leafy temple " not made with hands," sat about thirty of Christ's ambassadors, with their venerated presiding elder. Dr. — — , at their head. Many, from among both the ministry and laity, had been testifying, to the praise of Godj of the excellency of grace. Among others, Mrs. had risen, and witnessed a good confession, testifying joyfully of the blessedness of having yielded up all believingly to Christ, trusting in him to work in her mightily that which was well pleasing in his sight. Just as the exercises were about closing, she rose again, and for a few moments stood with her handkerchief to her face, so much affected as to be unable to speak. ,,, . »" «*Can I ? can I ?" she wept out, when, as if sue ly reminded of the secret of power she had so recently learned, she exclaimed, " Yes, I can ! " And then, with a holy composure and a dignity of bearing, such as could only have been inspired by the Spirit, through whose influences she spoke, she address- ed that group of ministers, in words which may never en- *m- ECONOMY OF SALVATION. 185 as jof [he Iss- rer TlM mlnlsten addresBed. Presiding elder> reply. Every spring in motion. be forgotten. "With due deference to their calling, as legates from the skies, she addressed such words of burning truth and entreaty, in such faithfulness, affec- tionateness and power, as, I think, I never heard equal- ed. Who, that heard, will ever forget them ! Ministers and people were astonished, and wept. After she had finished, the presiding elder arose, much affected, and said. .^tt;. ir' '! r^tf ** Thank you! Thank you. Sister I believe some of us do try to be faithful to the people of our various charges, but O, how few feel the importance of being faithful to us ! " >..f vr^;^?' Hk _:j.^:A'-»rff >f*#i(i ^ And this was the christian sister whc>se spiritual ener- gies were, such a short time since, paralyzed; who said she was not even willing to be holy, and therefore could not ask to be made holy ; who was not willing to be of no reputation before her Christian friends, and especially before ministers. Here she was, as by an in- herent power, and by her own election, choosing to do those very things, which she had in vain sought to make herself willing to do. What mysterious change has come over her ? Why, she has learned the secret of power. By a simple act of entire reliance on Christ, she became so fully united to Christ, that every secret spring of her being was set in motion, and brought into harmonious action with the divine will. And who can tell what may be accomplished, by the mighty inwork- ings of an indwelling Christ in this soul, now that all its vast machinery is in full and harmonious action? The secret of power is union with Christ. 16 • ^ ■ifO ♦•"ise XLLUSTRATIONO OF THB •- !( ▲ remarkable meoting. The promino. A bleasing fbr the meet nnworthj. 31 ImarliabU Pwtinig. '.•?■ (•' ^\ There "was a company of humble disciples who, in attending a meeting on one occasion, received such a * '^blessing that the influence of that one blessing was as r-^' far-reaching as their lives. They had come together by the appointment of the Savior, but not more by his appointment than on some special occasions when you \ assemble with your brethren. Christ had promised to ' 'Bend the promise of his Father upon them, but not more explicitly than he has promised to send the prdm- ise of his Father upon you. I do not doubt but there were those among that company who felt themselves very unworthy of the grace. But, in making the prom- ise, Christ had not said, '* If you will assemble, and get yourselves into a state of worthiness, I r '^i send the promise of my Father upon you." "We a of one, in fact, who seemed to be specially unworthy. If it had been asked, "Who among this company is the most un- worthy ? he would have been the first to respond, " It is I " ! And such were the well-known facts in his case, that it is probable none could have successfully disputed the case with him. For he had, with oaths and curses, denied his Savior not long previous to this eventful meeting. But the Savior had told him to be present at the meeting, and that was enough to assure him that the promise of the Father was to come upon him with as much fulness and freeness as upon the others. Christ had not said that the most worthy should receive the .t ! S'- ii V u "i ECONOMY OF SALVATION. Which recfllved the greateit blosslng 7 It ia for you. Speciflo asiunnee. greatest blessing. And, if we may judge from the effect of the blessing, we may infer that, of all the great bless- ings on that occasion received, Peter received the great- ^.^ est. So penetrating, all-pervading, and ever-enduring ^ jWas the blessing that I do not doubt but its conse- ^f.^ quences, in the case of each of these humble disciples, v,< were not only as far-reaching as life with them, but as ;.,, I enduring as eternity. Would you like to receive such (,, (I blessing? I will try to tell you how you may get it. o) If you would get as great a blessing as the early dis- t^^, ciples received, you must " forget the things that are I,; behind," just as Peter did. It was tho full baptism of the Holy Ghost which Peter received. You may see the promise of the Father recorded in Acts ii. 17, 18. By this you will see that the promise is just as specifi- cally for you now as it was for those early disciples. " I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy," &c. If you would get this great blessing, resolve that you will make every- thing subservient to the attainment of it now. Begin to wait for it with a definite resolve that you will have it. And if the enemy tells you that you are wilful, and asks the wherefore of such a resolve, tell him that your Lord has told you to tarry at Jerusalem, with the spe- cific assurance that he will send the promise of his Father upon you. If he asks, " How do you know that this is God's time " ? you may tell him that God has specifi- cally set the time : " Now is the accepted time." If he tells you about your present and former unworthi- ..finess^-you can tell him that you have resolved to obey 188 ILLUSTRATIONS OF THB A prlTtltf* to fbrgat. WMley on tha Mlb vhloh unoUiM. God, and forget the things that ai'o behind — that yon never received one blessing bscauso you were worthy, but many and continuous* blessings because of ttie infi- nite merits of your Savior. And then go, claiming the blessing now. If God has promised the blessing now, it is your duty to have it now ; for there con be no fail- ure on the part of God ; his word is eternal truth. Hit name is ** The Faithful and True Witness." The bleii- ing is received by faith ; but do you ask to know 'mvr OP THAT FAITH WHICH SANCTIFIES WHOLIT NOW! V Mr. Wesley says : " A man cannot be sanctified with- out fidth. He may have ever so much repentance, or ever so much good works, yet all this does not at all avail. He is not sanctified till he believes ; but the mo- ment he believes, with or without those fruits, yea, with more or less of this repentance, he is sanctified." Mr; Wesley goes on to say : " You shall not be disappointed of your hope : it will come, and will not tarry. Look for it, then, every day, every hour, every moment I Why not this moment ? Certainly, you may look for it now, if you believe it is by faith. And by this token you may surely know whether you seek it by faith or by works. If by works, you want something to be done first, before you are sanctifi'^d. You think, I must first be, or do, thus or thus. Then you are seeking it by works unto this day. If you seek it by faith, you may expect it as you are ; and if as you are, then expect it now. It is of importance to observe that there is an in- separable connexion between these three points : expect ECONOMY OF SALVATION. VIm thfM polata. Ilnw your frland uppMhaniUd thtm. ;l it It by faith ; expect it m you nre ; and expect it now I To deny one of thoHe ia to deny them all. To allow one is to allow them all. Do you believe we ore sanctified by faith ? Be true, then, to your principle, and look for this blessing just as you are, neither better nor worse ; as a poor sinner that has nothing to pay, nothing to plead, but Christ died. And if you look for it as you are, then expect it now. Stay for nothing ; why should you ? Christ is ready, and he is all you want. He is waiting for you ; ho is at the door I " ^^yf, TUB STEPS IN FAITH TAKEN UY YOUU FRIEND. ¥?«■ -r Shall I tell you the step by which a friend of yours was brought to the exercise of that faith by which the blesbing of holiness was received ? After having made an unconditional and absolute surrender of herself to C^hrist, the question was proposed, " How do you know that God will receive you ? " For a moment, the inquiry ■eemed perplexing, and she began to question, " HoW shall I know that God will receive me ? " She could think of no way she might know, and was pondering over the point when the Spirit inwardly whispered, *' It is written, * I will receive you.' " " Must I believe it because it stands written — simply recorded — in the word of God, without any other evidence ? " she exclaimed, when the Holy Spirit reproved her unbelief by saying, ** If you should hear God audibly speaking to you from heaven, in tones of thunder, just as he spake on Mount Sinai, and he should say, * I will receive you ; * or, if you should see it written in letters of fire, as a sign, 190 ILLUSTBATIONB OF T 11 ]£ Sign uohlDg the hMrena. Tha foand»tion. Th« tat Tanqntobed. arching the heavens, * I will receive you/ would you believe it then ? " "I could not help believing it then ; I should have the evidence of my senses/* she respond- ed. And here she was reproved from the fact that she had always known that the blessing was received by faith, and she now saw that the Bible was as much the Word of God as though she could hear him speaking in tones of loudest thunder every moment, or as though she could see it written on a sign arching the heavens ; and she also saw that faith was to believe it. " But/' said the enemy, " suppose, after you have believed, you do not receive any special manifestation, or do not feel dif- ferent ? " " It is written, « The just shall live by faith,' " was the response. " But suppose you were called to live a long life, and should have nothing to depend on but the naked word of God, and then should even die, and come up before your Judge without any other re- liance than the word of God, what would you do then ? " " I would come up before my Judge, and, if questioned why I had come there without having had any of those extraordinary manifestations of which others might speak, I would say, * The foundation of my faith was thy im mutable word.* '* And here Satan was vanquished ! Yes, vanquished ! I do not mean that the tempter assaulted her no more, but that she was now left to the confirmed consciousness of her own spirit that, in heart, she believed. But there was yet another step to be taken before she could receive that divinely inwrought consciousness by which the Holy Spirit was to testify with her spirit that the work was wrought ; for — -^h-' ECONOMY OF SALVATION. 19! Tta« two wltneiMM. Bhrinklngt. The ana wakened Isdjr. , _ <• Both the wltneMee an Joined The Spirit of Ood with oun." - That further step you will see distinctly recognized • in the passage, " "With the heart man believeth unto • righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." Just so soon as she began tnth her - mouth to confess the faith of her heart before God, just 80 «oon the Holy Spirit powerfully testified with her spirit, that it was unto salvation — -present— full salvation* I ■!■ I ^ "* " Instant in season out of season." That is, where ' there are not opportunities, make them. Who does not feel a shrinking of the flesh in relation to these out- of-the-way duties ? « The flesh dislikes the way, ~' ' Hv ' 1;^^ i ' ' But fUth approves it well." .^ ,',,.,; { ■::m: .■if There is no sin in feeling a shrinking of the flesh in view of crossing duties. Do you not think that Abra- ham felt a shrinking of the flesh while journeying to Mount Moric'i? But there is no sin in being tempted to shrink. The sin lies in yielding. ' -i-.a}: np.hi;-^.:& ,iv» t( "WTill you go to see a lady living in street ? She seems to be evidently very near death, and I can see no reason to think that she is prepared for her change. She seems to be asleep in the cradle of carnal security. She is an attendant on a church where, with 10$ ILLU8TBATI0NS OF THS OrdlnaoAM not fftHng. DUtaaatT* InfliMnMi. Wielud ipirtu. " ■ ■«. too many, the ordinances are regarded as saving, and, in i her estimation, baptism may be regeneration. Neithec^ herself, nor friends, may wish to see you; but I think./ her soul is at stake. Do go ! " «* »^>t- i, -- About thus said a zealous disciple, who even prefer* i red that her sick friend should be offended rather than i| ' that she should lose her soul. ..f»#^*A.^ito*(iH 4 But do ,you wonder that I should feel a shrinking of nature in view of the anticipated repulsion ? To go ai t an intruder, and visit a sick lady, who might not wish to 1 see me, and be the revealer of unpleasant truths which >( it might vex her to hear, — " And then you have so little { confidence in death-bed repentance," said the tempter. { The whole matter looked discouraging, and my nature t recoiled. Such a dissuasive influence did I feel against , going, that I began to question whether it might not be .^ Satanic influences operating against the salvation of that { soul. Satan is the Prince of the power of the air, and | evil intelligences are all around us. r -;.it{nui-'-;hvr -^^ifKot ^^k^'i.i.^eJ: ^'t 'vi'"Tl»«y *'»'<>''8*l»e air, and darken heayon, i ;•«* . ^'^^fm^;h'<^' And rule the lower ;orld.» ■'^'y-^4r^iV{ "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but [ against principalities, again ,t powers, against the rulers r of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wicked- > ness in high jjlft^es," or, as the margin of my Bible says, " against mcked spirits." I do not doubt but souls have been lost that might have been saved, if it had not been ' for the enthusiastic doctrine " that we are not to do : good unless our hearts are free to it.".'?^'**'*^ ,.'*^Jt* oirA ECONOMY OP SALVATIOK. 198 CspHtl oat of tetoa'f doinp. A eool raeaption. DmIu of m Ml(hbor. ■■■■'' |i But we may make capital oven out of Satan's own doings, on the same principle that God can make the wrath of his enemies to praii9>him. Now, thought I, if i Satan does not want me to go and see this lady, surely d I must go ; for Satan is always wrong. And so I went, particularly because the enemy tempted me to/eel tuch'^ a dissuasive influence against going. ii I found access to the lady even more embarrassing than I had anticipated. Every look and action seemed ' to say, "What has brought you here?" — "What . have you come for?" : Si^t I went forward, trusting ixtj£ him who has the he^g|yi|[^ the children of men in hii li hands, believing that Tie would give me all the influencey '^ wisdom, and power needful for the emergency. Christians do not go a warfare at their awn charge»>^ and it is strange we do not learn ever to confide in God, '* believing, if he calls us to a duty, that he will sustain ui in a way that will be most influential for good, and jkOtM really unbecoming the dignity of our high calling. Hi»"^ work is all so honorable that an angel might covet the privilege of doing it. I Iiad scarcely finished making affectionate inquiries into the state of the health of the lady, when she mentioned the very recent and unex- pected death of her nearest neighbor. I expressed deep interest, and asked, t.l**>,'*/ *■.! " Was she prepared to die-?" v^.^x.. x^,\ " O, her friends did not like to have much said to her 1 i* They were afraid of alarming her, and hastening hes. * death." And then, as if the £ict of her neighbor's being pre- u 194 ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE •' Bikld Um Unl'a pnjtr." HbortDtra of Ufc. KUnjr dM«iT«4. pared for a joyful appearing in the presence of God had ^ been placed wholly beyond doubt, she added, ^j ** She prayed just before she died, — said the Lord*t , ^ prayer, I believe." "* , j "Ah I I am afraid, if that is all the, evidence she left ^ of being prepared for death, she may have died unpre* k pared to meet God. O, it is, indeed, a serious thing to , be prepared to spend an unending eternity in the pre- , sence of a pure and holy God ! What a moment is life t^^ Even the longest life on earth is as " a vapor that ap- _^ peareth for a Httle time and then vanishcth away/*,^ But the^oul is immortal. Millions on millions of ages,, are before us ; and, when thesagidijlj^st, the soul has but ^ begun to live — ^millions on millions will again pass away, and yet the soul has but commenced the eternity of its existence. Surely, the whole of life, even though our ^ years were multiplied to threescore and ten, seems short ^ indeed in view of preparing the soul to spend an eter- nity of happiness in the presence of a righteous and holy God. " Not every one that saith unto me. Lord ! Lord I shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father, which is in heaven." It is not a small thing to be saved. It will require some- thing more than attention to outward observances and a . profession of religion. How evident, from the words of the Savior, that many (not a few) die deceived, and never know their true condition till they are ushered ^ into eternity ! The Savior never used one untruthful figure. He says nothing to frighten us into obedience| JD-m^'* BCONOMT OF BALTATIOlf. 1«« Notblog BMNly to flrlghUa. Th« Udy'i Mtonlahmenl. Pnytr propoMd. or to excite needless fears — he never uses a figure which '" is too strong in its ultimate bearings to express the reality of the thing intended. Nothing but an application of ihe blood of Christ to our souls and a life of devoted- . ness to his will, will meet the requirement of God. * Many shall say unto me, Lord, Lord, have we not pro- ' phesied in thy name, and in thy name have cast out t devils, and in thy name, have done many wonderful ' works ? * How evidently were these professors of reli- gion I But what does the Savior say ? " Then will I profess unto them I never knew you." The lady looked on me evidently astounded. A bystander might have '" thought me cruel. But I remembered a brother who, ' when near death, upbraidingly said to his sister, one of my friends, " You would rather I would lose my soul f than make me angry," and I determined this lady should ' not have occasion to upbraid me thus at the bar of God. ' The remarks seemed to have fallen upon her with al- ^ most a bewildering force. .,,^j.^ w^. „ j. Silence, solemn as eternity, for a few moments, sue- y ceeded. I broke it by saying, "Shall I pray?" i*^j *^ The startling things I had said seemed so confound- *> ing, that, perhaps, from bewilderment rather than from » unwillingness, there was no reply, when I solemnly said, " Let us pray." W*is -stBrn I knelt, and endeavored to pray aa thp Spirit gave utterance. During prayer, I heard btifled sobs. On rising from prayer, I saw that the Holy Spirit was powerfully at work ; but I resolved not to linger for •■**;;. ^, 196 ILLUSTRATIONS OF THK 'Ih« doctor called. The patient better. Surprise among friendi. farther conversation, fearful of interfering with the operations of the Spirit, by the introduction of a word that might divert her mind. Near midnight, following the next day, my husband was sent for in his p'-ofessional capacity, in great haste, to see a lady, who, it was said, was dying. "What should he witness, on entering the sick chamber, but the lady I had visited the day previous, newly raised from the death of sin to a life of holiness ! She had been enabled truly and heartily to repent of sin, and was now believing on the Lord Jesus Christ. Faith in Christ possesses a vital power, and who that has proved it, does not know it ? So gloriously did this lady prove its life-restoring influences, that it seemed almost like a resurrection of the body, as well as of the soul. She had, for months, been pining away with the consumption ; but now, her body appeared well-nigh resurrected with the soul, and she, with a remarkable degree of physical, mental, and spiritual power, talked of the glory of her inheritance, and, in exalted strains, she gave God the glory of her salvation, and urged her friends to prepare to meet her in heaven. Her friends, being unaccustom- ed to witness such manifestations of the saving power of Christ, thought surely she must be dying, and had thus opportunely sent for a pious physician, who well knew how to rejoice with a soul newly raised to spirit- ual life. *.^'' ' r^--. -' .- ■'■- ■^-.M-:,'>"^ H>>' •*rt'?'' Tuir The life of eternity know, ^ , . ■^ ' Angelical happiness prove, : 'fi )ti . v &-* ,,- And witness a heaven below.*' ^ . The state of this lady's health continued much im- proved ; so that we almost concluded that the Lord intended to raise her up : and it was not until ahout three months afterwards that the Lord took her to him- self. IMIWI Uh |nmn£ibto. 1 i 'if 't.Tii- u;j*'' I KNOW you desire to be fitted for the highest degree of usefulness. You will be useful in about the same proportion you are holy, and are armed with the might of the Spirit. You will, doubtless, find oppos- ers, perhaps some where least expected. But we are armed for conflict. And, after the Captain of our sal- vation has put upon us the whole armor, it ought not to surprise us greatly that he should place us where we may be called to endure the fiercest fire of our opposers. With the shield of faith, the breastplate of righteous- ness, and the entire preparation of the gospel, what may we not endure ? Did ever the hottest fire of the enemy penetrate through these ? Never ! Those who are thus equipped are not only conquerors, but more than conquerors. I have heard it said that Napoleon had a company of reserves, which he called " Invinci- bles." This company was made up of those who had 17* 198 ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE VaXlUtrj dlatlDotlon. Brer Tlotorloos. God worki bjr signalized themselves by deeds of noble daring, and the signal honor of being chosen one of this corps, was regarded as an equivalent for the imminent jeopardy of life, m.any times over. This company of honored re- serves, we are told, was only called out on occasions when more than ordinary bravery was in requisition. Do you not covet to be one of the Lord's Invincibles ? I must confess I do. Then let us not shrink, though we may be placed where hard fighting may be demand- ed. Through our God we shall do valiantly. The Captain of our salvation goes out before us, and never did he lose a battl6i-i^s»^M»«!t=-*fKW*-*s^m'T;i-'v ^f^ii^:.; s'^^iniii'i , '-^■' Op the high responsibilities of the calling of the Chris- tian, I have conceptions wholly beyond my power to express. God, at an infinite expenditure, has redeemed a lost world ; and now it is his will that it should speed- ily be renovated, and brought home to himself. But he intends doing this through human agencies. By his Son, who was the " express image of his person," and in whom dwelt all the " fulness of the Godhead bodily," the work was begun. He was the Son of man. He inhab- ited a human form, and, among men, appeared as man. Passing from childhood — ^through youth unto mature manhood — subject to the diversified changes incident to ECONOMY OF SALVATION 199 Tht God-MMi— In Jerusfttem— on th« oroBi»— In heaTen—onr BepnienUtiT*. ■!''■'- " l,.l..l...l- — - ■ ■■■ I.— ■.■■■■Ill» these successive stages in common life, teaching us how to live, " tempted in all points like as we are, yet with- out sin," and, by his vicarious death, purchasing salva- tion for all mankind, and then, having passed through the portals of death. jii i* And shown our feet the w»y, he ascended on high. Sanctified humanity had now become glorified humanity; but it was humanity still. Those very feet, that had traversed the streets of Jeru- salem and its adjacent villages, and whose every step, as our Exemplar, had been in obedience to the will of lus Father, and which were at last nailed to the cross,—- those identical hands, which had been extended in min- istrations to the multitude, and had so recently washed the disciples* feet, and had yet more recently been extended before heaven and earth, and riveted to the wood — that head, pierced with thorns ; that body, whose every limb, and fibre, had been convulsed with intenser agony than the mind of man may conceive, — that identical body ascended to heaven. The disciples stood gazing with wonder and awe as they saw that human, yet glorified, form borne upward till " a cloud received him out of their sight." And, now that the Son of God has ascended, he has not forgotten that he was the Son of man. No. Be it ever remembered, that he hath borne glorified humanity to heaven — -»:/4!t *' The dear tokens of hia passion, Still bis doazling body bears." And there he represents us before the throne of his Pother. wl. "Yes, man once mauc in ine image oi urou ua.ia 4.1, « :-«arr= .~.f CI.-. A V. now a representative in heaven. too ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE Bwnn't npreMnUUrt. A ohUd'i qoMtlon. How om nwy ehtM a thouHBd. iimnitg on (Earth. Henceforth, earth may no more know Christ after the flesh. But has he left no representative of him- self ? Is his image to fade away from the earth ? No ; he died to restore the lost image of Qod to man. While in heaven, he represents man ; he leaves man here to represent him. "As he was, even so are we in this world." His very footprints he hath left indelibly ' marked ; and now, if we say we abide in him, we must walk even as, he walked. Do you wonder, when I a^y that the responsibilities of tne Christian seem to my mind so high, that my spirit labors for power to expresi its weighty conceptions ? li^ Little daughter said to me, a few weeks since, " Ma, what is it to have the mind that was in Christ ? " " If your mind were in me," I replied, " I should act just as you act, and if the mind of Christ id in us, we shall act just as Christ would have acted, if placed in sim- ilar circumstances to ours : for it is the mind that moves to action." "Were all who are called by the name of Christ actually to possess his mind, and re- . fleet his image, and to exhibit their living realizations of that faith, which says, " I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me," it would be an every day sight to see " one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight." And if we may thus speak of the calling of Christians, where shall we find words to speak of their responsibilities ? i ^n1 BCONOMT OF SALVATION. 201 How Um worid might har* bean renoTftted. ConwquencM. Blood-gnllUiuM. We know that Christ has purchased for us all the g^ace we need, but we do not properly appreciate the ; fact that our privileges are high responsibilities — solemn ' duties. These privileges are blood-bought, and the ' honor of God, and the establishment of his kingdom on earth, stand connected with our availing ourselves ' of them. I cannot but believe that, long since, a ' redeemed world had been renovated, had individual professors acted upon the principle that their privileges were duties. Where is the professor, who takes the « Bible as the book which marks out the boundaries of his inheritance, who, if you ask, " Do you believe it . to be your privilege to have Christ constantly dwelling in your heart ? " would not say, " 0, yes, for he hath said. He would dwell in me, and walk in me." But, alas ! how few exhibit, by their lives, that they have his constant and conscious indwelling ! And yet, what tre- mendous consequences stand connected with professors availing themselves of their privilege, in this regard I The Savior says, " I in th'^m, and thou in me, that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.'* From this, we see it plainly inferrible, that, unless those who name the name of Christ exhibit before the world an indwel- ling Christ, the world will not believe ; then, if the world perishes in its unbelief, upon whose skirts will the blood of these souls be found? — souls for whom Christ hath died ! "^^ '^ ^"^ i»- -■*'.>' : 20S ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE Th* hobby. The dlitlnguUhlng dookrino. OrdiBfttlon Tom fbrgoMMi. *< That is a man of one idea. Holiness is his hobby. Seldom have I heard him preach a sermon, speak in a y-r meeting, or fall in with a friend, but, before he gets through, he will be on his old hobby — ^holiness. Yesj holiness, with him, is alpha and omega." About thus remarked my friend, as the character of an eminently holy, laborious and successful minister passed in review before him. And this friend was a Methodist minister, who, had I asked him, " What is the distin- guishing doctrine of Methodism ? " would, probably, have said, " Holiness." For this doctrine, the founder of Methodism suffered the greatest opprobrium, and, for this, does Methodism, even to the present hour, stand out as most objectionable before several other denomina- tions. How little do those who indulge In observations of this sort conceive of the mischievous and far-reach- ing consequences ! A person has a right «o his opinion as a member of community ; but has a man who, by sol- emn ordination vows, has taken upon himself obligations to sustain the doctrines of a church which has given him suffrage, a right to givf utterance to sentiments which would poisonously affect its vital interests ? The church, surely, will not hold a man guiltless who does this. But who are th6se men, who talk about those^ who, in their ministrations, give the doctrine of holiness the prominence which the Bible and the Methodist Epis- copal Church give it? Are they of that cl visss of men EOONOttY OF SALVATION. ieo8 A Mrioui qumtlon. Panl't one IdM. Object of bii piMohlog. whose ministrations have been most signally blest by the head of the church? Are they those whose deep- toned and all-pervading piety makes its mark most permanently upon the social circle and church commu- nity ? Are they those, who, by their symmetrical lives, exhibit most of the power and beauty of internal holiness ? And yet more serious in aspect, in view of eternity, is the question. Is the ultimate object of all religious ministrations, that is, — " that every man may he presented pcifect in Christ Jesus," — more fully met in ministers of this description ? ■'T J •^BtmaiQetj-i^mimm ■ *^ Paul professed a state of perfection. And he regard- ed progress in this state as so important, that he expres- ses his absorption on this subject, thus : " This one thing I do, forgetting the things which are behind, and reach- ing forth unto those things which are before," &c. He then exhorts all who are perfect to be thus minded. ** But, surely, Paul was not always harping on the word holiness," says my friend. No ; but Paul regarded this as the ultimate object of all pious effort, the one aim of all preaching, warning and teaching. "Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in ail wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus."'"' Paul well knew that to fail of this was m ILLVBTRATIOMS OF THB OoBTemtion with Paul. Juitlflcation retained by obedience to fail of heaven. He was aware that not one of the many converted through his agency could reach the heavenly goal, unless presented perfect. Suppose one of his sons in the gospel had said, ** Father Paul, why tell us to mind this one thing, by being thus engrossed in one topic ? We shall, surely, be branded as men of one idea. Why say * Without holiness no man shall see the Lord ' ? We profess to be in a state of justifica- tion, and you do not think a justified soul can be lost ! " Perhaps we might have heard this affectionate spiritual sire say, " My children in the gospel, know that, in order to retain the grace of justification wherein you stand, you must obey God, and go on to perfection. If disobedient in this one thing, you will be condemned, and, of course, you cannot be condemned and justified at the same time. You cannot retain a state of justification, imless you mind this one thing, and go on to perfection. " But, Father Paul, if we obey your admonition, and mind this one thing, what will become of these poor perishing sinners around us, who have not yet learned even the first principles of the doctrine of Christ ? Shall we leave them to perish while we are thus occupying ourselves with our own experience, and saying, with you, * This one thing I do ' ? " ;.* ^ " No, my dear children ; in minding this one thing, '' you include every duty of this sort. Duty, in every form, is included in perfection ; it implies an assemblage of all the christian graces. It is having that mind that was in Christ, and did your Savior, in minding this one ~ thing, absorb himself in his own experience ? ** ECONOMY OF SALVATION. £05 What about my influeneef Aniwtr. A paitor'a triala Taried a n d how. » i* f I , ** But, Father Paul, shall we ftot, by following you, in minding this one thing, appear as men of contracted minds, and, by this indication of a limited understanding, shall we not circumscribe our influence ? Should we be regarded as men of one idea, what hope can we entertain of ever rising to influential positions? By dou» f « lle^utaiion in ^tixvm* !fftbttft'« m theeutb. \) ^ 1 And, when bli Fatlx gently whiipere lea?e, « U'm^^%td h»»* «lfi«W ^*'** dwkened rath iball oboage to open elghti .^{, ^rf, g,^ . , l»»w imir9» Myrtadi, with uproiied wings, the word leeelTe, *^ Andoahef himlatotheNelmaof U|^t .iinir mlrf dl^t '*»' 'H* l^tritd IBinistw's |[«^uj«. '"^^^^ Do you use your minis; »r well, or is hp I'^iy- >• •^'••^(BcI and less honored because the infirmities oi :—i. oegin to approach, and because the pious solidity of his manner 7.8 less calculated to court popular applause than the it^j. >j 3r of some younger or less pious minister ? "Would ^')t; vo Uy liaye roi insight Into the vicissitudes of Bcmo • ijitDxers ? I ;f. me tell you of a scene which 10 B002IOIC\ op lALVATIOir. 909 8e«M behind Um «urtftiii. Oow to lh« ' '>tn at lM»fM. witnessed behind the curtain. Here is a mitiidter past the meridian of life. With iuithfulncsM and much suc- cess, he has served his people. And dow, in the order cf Providence, he is removed to another sphere of 1 i^or. He needs no commendation. Many epistlM of commendation have been written, not with ink, hut with the Spirit of the living God ; not in tables of stone, but in the fleshly tables of the heart. And thus he leaves for another field of labor. He is about to enter upon it, when opposing influences obtrude. The p'^ople rise en massCf and reject him. He goes, not to the authorities of the church, but goes directly to him from whom he receives his commission. He does not " sti i ve nor cry, neither is his voice heard in the street ; '* but he brings his cause to the court of heaven, and makrs his requests known. As the disciples returned to Jesus, so he returns, and tells him all. Having committed his cause to him who judgeth righteously, he, hour after hour, in lone, prayerful waiting, asks the bidding of his divine com- missioner. Hours, and even days, pass away, when this pleading, heait-stricken minister is summoned from his closet. He, in whose hand is the heart of kings, has taken the cause of this faithful ambassador into his own keeping, and lo ! without any personal interview, or the employment of any means but those of fasting and prayer on his part, the very people who had rejected him are now waiting with open hearts to receive him. He goes, filled with the might of the Spirit. God greatly owns his labors»a]id man^are added to the Lord. ii< Toaxaj^oxe 810 ILLX;STRATIO^ S OF THK r ' < :i H-mAi' A good itutor a gift from Ood. A gem among rubbish. Ah, it was the Lord that turned the heart of this people, even as the rivers of water are turned, whither- soever he will. But who can tell the agony of that faith- ful minister's heart, during the hours of his rejection ? How much better, had this people gone to the Head of the church, and asked for a pastor after God's own heart, and saved this faithful minister these burning tears ! A good pastor is the gift of God, and God will send such to that people who, in humble, prayerful con fidence, wait upon him. " He that asketh receiveth." l*t»l ''ih: ■» ;■( S^iMns Ito Sflfit. Ai'i ^^^} -nOiS >v; Perhaps you are aiming too high. If you cannot reach that dignitary, walking yonder in his beaver of the latest style, and his fine broadcloth, we will step aside from the walks of the refined. We will not look for polish of any sort. But yet, who knows but we may find a gem amid the quarry of rubbish ? Here are broken hats, and soiled and tattered garments. But the wearer has, in his possession, a gem of priceless value. But of this fact, he is scarcely aware. He has been cast into the lowest dregs of society. He has sipped the intoxi- cating cup, till his senses are benumbed. Though made in God's image, he has well-nigh sunk to the level of the brute ! He is bending low. His manliness of form, his intellect, his precious soul, made in the image of God, K C O N O M Y OF i A L V A T 1 O N . 211 The king uid the gipsy. Heavenly benevolsove and human wrctchedneu. are well-nigh lost from human vision — buried beneath the rubbish of sin. ^■^i-i, .'^^r^ • i.; ■■n fi'»'« »i>M^ff!?j*f It was thought wonderful condescension, in the king who lingered behind his courtiers in the chase, to seek out the dying mother of the weeping little gipsy. But the King of kings, the Lord of lords, left his throne in glory, to seek and save the lost. Let us imitate his condescension, and " not mind high things, but conde- scend to men of low estate." Was a sacrifice needed to save the world ? The wealth of heaven was expended. Was Christ laborious and incessant in his efforts to seek and to save the lost? He was weary when at Jacob's well, and often found not time, " so much as to 'eat." Yes, he came to seek and to save the lost. Seek- ing implies research, labor. Research, aye, wearing la- bor may be needful, before we find these precious gems, so nearly lost amid the devastations of sin. But we must have them. The Savior hath need of them. He purchased them with his own blood. Every one of them is worth more than the universe. It is his will that they should deck his crown, and shine as stars in the firmament forever. Then we will think no pains too great to gather them. But let us get down low — ^very low — in the depths of humility, or we may not be able to bring up these priceless gems from the depths, into which sin has plunged them. THE INEBRIATE. ,.,,.• Shall we tell you just how we sought out, and found. one of these, who seemed i^wnk into the very lowest gl2 ILLUSTRATIONS OF THB A Bpeotmen of degraded humanity on the oamp ground. depths of sin and degradation ? It was on an occasion, when a portion of the tribes of Israel go up to worship in the wilderness, as in ancient days. The public ser- vices of the day had closed, and those not disposed to remain on the ground over night were departing. We were about leaving for the night, with the physician of a neighboring village, when one of the most degraded, be- sotted-looking inebriates, pausing at the door of the tent, inquisitively looked in. Such a down-trodden, low, sunken-looking being, I think, I never saw on a camp- ground before or since. One might have imagined, from his appearance, that he had not performed his toilet after any fashion, either in washing, or changing his apparel, for many days. As I looked on him, my heart yearned sadly over him, and I thought if the Savior was on this ground in person, as in Jerusalem in the days of his incarnation, would not this individual, above all others, attract his attention ? He " came to seek and to save the lost," and the nearer an individual is being lost, the more does he need salvation ; and the greater and more immediate his demand on our sym- pathies. But it was now high time to hasten away ; and the kind physician, whose hospitalities we were sharing, was not well, and waiting with some anxiety to leave the ground. ** And what a wonderful display of voluntary humility, to go unsolicited, and interest yourself with such a spectacle of degraded humanity ! " said the enemy, tauntingly. But so strongly were the sympa- thies of my heart enlisted, that I resolved to overleap all opposing influences, and do just as I believed my Sa- ECONOMY OF SALVATION. S13 Bzpoitulation. A promise wmght. A elaim for Jestu. vior would have done, under similar circumstances. I addressed him affectionately, and said, " O, my friend, why do you indulge in that which is so destructive to soul and body ? " - •- - -ii *:<. r-w i it "W-h-a-t — d-o — ^y-o-u- — s-a-y ? " he stammered out, reminding one much more of the animal that had re- turned to his " wallowing in the mire," than of a human being. ' , ^ I repeated with a yearning heart, and in a sympathiz- ing tone, " Will you not resolve, in the Urength of the Lord, that you will never taste another drop of Equor ? " r^'- I was only answered in a gruff, guttural half-intelli- " *^ble tone, my meaning, probably, being scarcely appre- hended. The intoxicating draught had well-nigh done its worst for this poor inebriate, and it was only the fact, that he had a soul that cost the price of the Ee- deemer*s blood, that raised him above the brute crea- tion. But this consideration told with almost agonizing weight on my heart, and a kind, waiting husband, and waiting, hurrying friends, all failed to move me. '' ■ My faith had claimed that soul for Jesus. Jesus, as my Almighty Helper, seemed to stand at my right hand, that I should not be moved. I heard his voice, whis- pering in my Spirit's ear, " Ask what ye will in my name, and it shall be done unto you." I asked, with a faith that would take no denial, for the salvation of that soul ; and, as "faith without works is dead,'* I resolved on the use of every possible means. With still greater impor- tum^, I xirged the question yet again and again, <|<^# ' £14 ILLUSTRATIONS Of THl ThtMteiMd dMtruoUon. IIopoAil Rymptom. Buddmly yUldi. " Will you not resolve, in the strength of the Lord, to give up the use of intoxicating liquor ? It has already well-nigh ruined you, soul and body. It is destroying your prospects for time and for eternity. O, "will you not give it up, and resolve, in the strength of the Lord, never to take another drop? You, doubtless, have often resolved in your own strength that you would do this before. But, mark, I do not ask you to do it in your own strength." ..i ; >.] li ,. i t, • - v .. ■_> ■ ,_n '- ^ Addressing him again, I said, " I want to pray with you, that the Lord may strengthen you j but I cannot ask the Lord to strengthen you to do a thing, that you have not resolved you will do. How can I ask the Lord to strengthen you to keep a resolve which you have not made ? God promises grace to help in time of need. The moment you make the resolve in the strength of the Lord, that moment Almighty strength is pledged for your sustainment.",,, .._,, ^.^ ICONOMT OF SALTATION. S16 The Spirit'* ratpoiuw to a good rasolutlon. Prayer till the midnight hour. , He suddenly yielded, and exclaimed, in a firm voice, " In the strength of the Lord, I will 1 " : Seldom, if ever, have I witnessed such a sudden and miraculous effusion of the Spirit into any poor soul. His spiritual susceptibilities, which before had seemed too obtuse ever to be reached, were now strangely touched, and, to the amazement of all, he cried out, a >^ " Oh, wife ! wife I wife ! how have we lived ! ** He rushed to a bench standing near, and fell on his knees, crying for mercy. His wife, a poor broken- hearted woman, not known to us till this eventful moment, was quickly by his side, and there, in humble confessions to God, and to each other, they implored mercy through Christ. Many, and earnest were the petitions, presented in behalf of these penitent, weeping suppliants. And it was not till near midnight, that we felt that we could leave them. How delightful it is to see the charities of our divine Christianity so beautifully exhibited ! Here was one, who, by the errors of his life, had brought himself down to the very lowest dregs of society, by a resolve made in the strength of the Lord Jehovah, suddenly brought up, and laid on the heart of God's people, enlisting their most imploring supplica< tions, and tearful sympathies, and holding them waking, till near the midnight hour. Could any thing, but the blessed charities, the divine inspirations of our holy Christianity, have done this ? The next morning witnessed the inebriate and his wife, yet stronger in their purposes to lead a new life. They seemed to have lost all idea of self-dependence. II 216 ILLUSTUATIONS OF THB How God drew nigh. A public KTOWftl. *'P«Mo,b«tUll." and wcro trusting in the Lord to strengthen them. In drawing nigh unto God, in the decision that they would forsake tho intoxicating cup, and every evil way, God drew nigh unto them, and gave thorn to see tho sinful- ness of their hearts and lives. They were now earnest, humble seekers of salvation. When the invitation was given in the public congregation, to those who had re- solved to give up all, and follow Christ, to come forwai'd, where they might have the prayers and sympathies of the pious, this man and his wife eagerly hastened forward. The hour of deliverance came. Toward evening of the same day, tho (inebriate was enabled to exercise faith in the Saviol: of sinners. I was near him when his soul was emancipated from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God's dear Son. O, it was indeed beauti- ful, to see tliat dark countenance suddenly lighted Up with holy joy, as the Savic.»* said, " Peace, be still " ! The sun, suddenly emerging from the darkest thunder- cloud, gives but a faint emblem of that sudden transition from darkness to light. The child of wrath had been born into the kingdom of grace ! The heir of sin and death had been made an inheritor of God, and an heir of eternal life ! His wife was also, the same afternoon, made a nai'takcr of the like precious faidi. About two years subsequent to the conversion of the inebriate, I was again in the same region. Said the lady of the minister, in charge of a large church mem bership in that region, ** Do you remember the inebriate you spoke to that evening, in the tent door ? " , , mwfniJtJsj ECONOMY OP SALVATION. SlY Two yam In tbo way unnoticed. Workmm. -r •t- "Indeed I do." v j ''' '*0, I wish you could have heard him give in his testimony, a week or two ago, in our love-feast ! He is getting on delightfully in religion, and has, ever since, been doing avcU for himself and family." ; ' 4' :!»« ■'- Was not this a gem worth getting down very low to look after ? O, shall I not, in the day of eternity, see it sparkling in my Redeemer's crown ? Surely, such a —0— *