faith should never be relinquished, but retained even with the unyielding grasp of death should the powers of darkness be permitted to assail even thus formidably. Never can the important step that followed be forgotten in time or in eternity. "THE WAY OF HOLINESS." IS THERE NOT A SHORTER WAY? SECTION VI. "He staggered not at the promise of God, through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; being fully persuaded that what he had promised he was able also to perform."-The word of God. "Faith in thy power thou seest I have, In hope against all human hope, Thy quickening word shall raise me up, The thing surpasses all my thought, Through unbelief I stagger not, For God hath spoke the word.” FROM the preceding views she discerned clearly, that one more step must be taken ere she had tested fully the faithfulness of God. "Faithful is he who hath called you, who also will do it," was now no longer a matter of opinion, but a truth confidently believed, and she now saw that she must relinquish the confident expression before indulged in, as premising something in the future, “Thou wilt receive me," for the yet more confident expression, implying present assurance, "Thou dost receive!" It is, perhaps, almost needless to say, that the enemy who had heretofore endeavored to withstand every step of the Spirit's leadings, now, with much greater energy, withstood; the suggestion that it was strangely presumptuous to believe in such a way, was presented with a plausibility which only Satanic subtilty could invent; but the resolution to believe had passed; and then the Spirit most inspiringly said to her heart, “The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.". And now realizing that she was engaged in a transaction eternal in its consequences, she here, in the strength, and as in the presence of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and those spirits that minister to the heirs of salvation, said, "O, Lord, I now call heaven and earth to witness that I now lay body, soul, and spirit, with all these redeemed powers, upon thine altar, to be for ever THINE! "TIS DONE! Thou hast promised to receive me! Thou canst not be unfaithful! Thou dost receive me now! From this time henceforth I am thine-wholly thine!" The enemy suggested, ""Tis but the work of your own understanding-the effort of your own will." But the spirit of the Lord raised up a standard which Satan, with his combined forces, could not overthrow. It was by the following presentation of truth that the Spirit helped her infirmities. "Do not your perceptions of right-even your own understanding -assure you that it is matter of thanksgiving to God that you have been thus enabled to present your all to him ?" "Yes," responded her whole heart, "it has been all the work of the Spirit. I will praise Him! Glory be to God in the highest! Worthy is the Lamb to receive glory, honor, and blessing! Hallelujah! the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth! Yes, thou dost reign unrivalled in my heart! Thou hast subdued all things to thyself, and now thou dost reign throughout the empire of my soul, the Lord God of every motion!" The SPIRIT now bore full testimony to her spirit of the TRUTH of THE WORD! She felt in experimental verity that it was not in vain that she had believed; her very existence seemed lost and swallowed up in God; and she seemed plunged as it were, into an immeasurable ocean of love, light and power, and realized that she was encompassed with the "favor of the Almighty as with a shield, and felt assured, while she continued thus to rest her entire being on the faithfulness of God, she might confidently stand rejoicing in hope," and exultingly, with the poet, assure her heart- "My steadfast soul from falling free, Shall now no longer rove, And all my soul be LOVE." She now saw infinite propriety, comprehensiveness, and beauty, in those words of DIVINE origin from which she had before indulged a shrinking, as implying a state too high and sacred for ordinary attainment or expectation. |