BV 4501 .U6 1843b Upham, Thomas Cogswell, 1799-1872. Principles of the interior U - J J PRINCIPLES X^"^*"' INTERIOR OR HIDDEN LIFE, DESIGNED PARTICULARLY FOR THE CONSIDERATION OF THOSE WHO ARE SEEKING ASSURANCE OF FAITH AND PERFECT LOVE, BY THOMAS C. UPHAM. BOSTON: D. S. KING, NO. 1, CORNHILL. 1843. Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1843, in the District Clerk's Office of the District Court of Maine. PRESS OF J. GRIFFIN, BKUNSWICK. It is the object of the present Work to aid in promoting Holy Living. It will be noticed, that the principles of the "Work take for granted, and every where imply, that man ought to be, and may be holy. Holiness is the one great thing, for which, above all others, man should live. It has been my desire in the follow- ing pages, some of which have already appeared in a periodical publication, to promote this great result. There are reasons of a personal nature, why I should not have written. There are other reasons, which none can appreciate but myself, which seemed to me imperatively to require it. If what is said is true, nothing but good can ultimately flow from it. If it be otherwise, it is my earnest supplication that He, who can bring good out of evil, will overrule the mistakes of human infirmity to the glory of his own name. U. CONTENTS. ^^^^- PAGE. 1. Some marks or traits of the hidden life - - - 13 2. On the doctrine of holiness ----- 21 3. Directions to aid in the attainment of holiness - 32 4. On the relation of natural and religious faith - 43 5. Appropriating faith ------ 55 6. Of disinterested or pure love in distinction from inter- ested love ------- fi4 7. On the love of our neighbor and of ourselves - 77 8. On the distinction between love and joy - - 84 9. On the distinction between natural and spiritual joy 91 10. Some marks or characteristics of perfection of love - 99 11. On the act or covenant of religious consecration - 107 12. Of assurance of faith ------ Urt 13. Relation of consecration to assurance of faith - 140 14. Relation of assurance of faith and perfect love - 148 15. Considerations on the life of faith - - - - 157 1(3. Of a life of special signs and manifestations, as com- pared with a life of faith _ - . . 168 17. On the entire subjection of the will • - - 186 18. On the joy of faith in the want and desolation of all things else ------- 197 19. On the nature of the temptations of a sanctified heart 201 20. " Believe that ye receive, and ye shall have" - - 213 21. On the dispensation of the Holy Ghost - - - 222 22. The providences of God considered as interpreters of the inward operations of the Holy Spirit - - 232 23. Suggestions to aid in securing the guidance of the Ho- ly Spirit ------- 240 24. Evidences of being guided by the Holy Spirit - 247 25. On the voice of God in the interior solitude of the soul 267 26. Of the excision and crucifixion of the natural life - 269 27. Of the new life in the image of Christ - - - 289 28. On the true idea of spiritual liberty - - - 311 29. On the state of inward recollection - - - 322 30. On growth in holiness ------ 334 31. On the confession of sin - - - - - 343 32. Remarks on interior trials and desolations - - 350 33. On the necessity of possessing the gifts and graces of God in purity of spirit ----- 359 34. On the principle of inward quietude or stillness - 365 35. Additional remarks on the state of interior stillness 374 36. On spiritual cooperation with God - - - 379 37. Distinction between impulses and a sanctified judg- ment - - - - - -- - 388 38. On the grace of silence as a means of sustaining a holy life° ------- - 400 39. On the true idea of interior annihilation or nothingness 408 40. On the state of union with God - - - - 418 41. On varieties of christian character _ - - 4-9 42. Religious maxims ------ 4J5 PRINCIPLES OF THE INTERIOR OR HIDDEN LIFE. CHAPTER FIRST. Some Marks or Traits of the Hidden Life. There is a modification or form of religious ex- perience which may conveniently, and probably with a considerable degree of propriety, be denom- inated the Interior or Hidden Life. When a person first becomes distinctly conscious of his sinfulness, and in connection with this experience, exercises faith in Christ as a Savior from sin, there is no doubt, however feeble these early exercises may be, that he has truly entered upon a new life. But Ihis new life, although it is in its element different from that of the world, is only in its beginning. It embraces, undoubtedly, the true principle of a restored and renovated existence, which in due time will ex- pand itself into heights and depths of knowledge and of feeling ; but it is now only in a state of incip- iency , maintaining, and often times but feebly main- taining a war with the anterior or natural life, and being nothing more at present than the early rays and dawnings of the brighter day that is coming. 2 14 SOME MARKS OR TRAITS It is not so with what may he conveniently denom- inated the Hidden Life; a form of expression which we employ to indicate a degree of Christian experi- ence, greatly in advance of that, which so often lin- gers darkly and doubtfully at the threshold of the Christian's career. As the Hidden Life, as we now employ the expressions, indicates a greatly advan- ced state of religious feeling, resulting in a sacred and intimate union with the Infinite Mind, we may perhaps regard the Psalmist, who had a large share of this interior experience, as making an indistinct allusion to it when he says "Thou art;ny hiding place, and my shield." And again "He that dwell- eth in the secret place of the Most High, shall a- bide under the shadow of the Almighty." Perhaps the Apostle Paul makes some allusion to this more advanced and matured condition of the religious life, when in the Epistle to the Galatians, he says "I am crucified with Christ ; nevertheless I live; yet NOT I, BUT Christ liveth in me." And again, ad- dressing the Colossians, "Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth ; for ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God." And does not the Savior himself sometimes recog- nize the existence of an Interior or Hidden Life, unknown to the world, and unknown, to a con- siderable extent, even to many that are denomina- ted Christians, but who are yet in the beginning of their christian career ? " He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the Church- es. To him that overcometh will I give to eat of OF THE HIDDEN LIFE. 15 the HIDDEN MANNA, aiid I will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth, save he that receiveth it." The phrase Hidden Life, which is appropriate- ly and pecuUarly the hfe of all those, who, advan- cing beyond the first elements of Christianity, may properly be said to be sanctified in Christ Jesus, in- dicates a vitality or living principle, which differs in various particulars from every other form of life. In the first place, the life of those, who dwell in the secret place of the Most High, may be called a Hidden Life, because the animating principle, the vital or operative element, is not so much in itself as in another. It is a life, grafted into another life. It is the life of the soul, incorporated into the life of Christ ; and in such a way, that, while it has a dis- tinct vitality, it has so very much in the sense, in which the branch of a tree may be said to have a distinct vitality from the root. It buds, blossoms, and bears fruit in the strong basis of an eternal stock. "I am the vine," says the Savior, "ye are the branches. He, that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit ; for with- out me ye can do nothing." This is a great mystery, but it is also a great truth. The Christian, whose "life is hid with Christ in God," can never doubt, that his spiritual existence and growth originate in and are sustained in that divine source alone. In the second place, the life, which we are con- sidering, may properly be called a Hidden Life, be- cause its moving principles, its interior and pow- 16 SOME MARKS Oft TRAITS erful springs of action, are not known to the world. This is what might naturally be expected from what has already been said in respect to the relation existing between a truly devoted Christian and his Savior ; inasmuch as he is taken from himself and is grafted into another, and has now become a "new man in Christ Jesus." The natural man can appreciate the natural man. The man of the world can appreciate the man of the world. And it must be admitted, that he can appreciate, to a con- siderable extent, numbers of persons, who profess to be Christians, and who are probably to be re- garded as such in the ordinary sense of the term, because the natural life still remains in them in part. There is such a mixture of worldly and re- ligious motives in the ordinary forms of the religious state, such an impregnation of what is gracious with what is natural, that the men of the world can undoubtedly form an approximated, if not a positive estimate of the principles, which regulate the conduct of its possessors. But of the springs of movement in the purified or Hidden Life, except by dark and uncertain conjecture, they know com- paratively nothing. Little can the men, who under the teachings of nature have been trained up to the reception and love of the doctrine, which inculcates '•an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth," appre- ciate the evangelical precept, which requires us, when we are assaulted, "to turn the other cheek." Still feebler and more imperfect is the idea, which they form of that ennobling Christian philosophy, OF THE HIDDEN LIFE. 17 which inculcates the love of holiness for holiness' sake. They are entirely at a loss, and on any principles with which they are at present acquain- ted, they ever must be at a loss, in their estimate of that intimacy andsacredness of friendship, which exists between God and the sanctified mind. Right- ly is it said in the Scriptures, "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him ; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." Again, the Hidden life has a claim to the de- scriptive epithet, which we have proposed to apply to it, because, in its results upon individual minds, it is directly the reverse of the life of the world. The natural life seeks notoriety. Desirous of hu- man applause, it aims to clothe itself in purple and fine linen. It covets a position in the market place and at the corners of the streets. It loves to be called Rabbi. But the life of God in the soul, occupied with a divine companionship, avoids all unnecessary familiarities with men. It pursues a lowly and retired course. It obeys the precept of the Saviour, "When thou prayest, enter into thy clos- et, and pray to thy Father, who seeth in secret". It neither desires to see nor to be seen openly, ex- cept when and where duty calls it. It is willing to be little, to be unhonored, and to be cast out from among men. It has no eye for worldly pomp ; no ear for worldly applause. It is formed on the mod- el of the Saviour, who was a man unknown. He came into the world, the highest personage on the 18 SOME MARKS OR TRAITS highest errand; and yet so humble in origin, so simple in appearance, so gentle in heart and man- ners, that the Avorld conld not comprehend him ; and he was ever a sealed book, except to those, who had the key of the inner life to open it with. In close connection with what has been said, we may remark further, that the hidden life of religion is not identical with the place and with the form- alities and observances of religion ; nor is it neces- sarily dependent upon them. If it were so, it would no longer be hidden: but would be as much exposed to notice, as that which is most expansive and attractive in the outward temple and in the external formality. It is true that places of wor- ship and the various outward formalities of worship may be its handmaids, and oftentimes very im- portant ones; but they are not its essence. It has no essence, but its own spiritual nature, and no true locality but the soul, which it sanctifies. It may be found, therefore, among all classes of men and con- sequently in all places, occupying equally the pur- ple of the king and the rags of a beggar ; prostrating itself at the altar of the cathedral, or offering its pray- er in the humble conventicle in the wilderness : like the wind that bloweth where it listeth, and "ye know not whence it cometh nor whither it goeth." And, therefore, being what the Savior has denominated it, "the kingdom of god within you," and essential- ly independent of outward circumstances, it pos- sesses a perpetual vitality. It cannot die, for the vivifying breath of God is in it. And hence it is, OF THE HIDDEN LIFE. 19 that ill the most disastrous periods of the church, there have always been some, (a seven thousand perhaps,) who have not bowed the knee to Baal. Ministers may have become corrupt; churches may have been infected Avith unholy leaven ; the rich and the learned may have been unanimous in their rejection of every thing except the mere super- ficialities of religion; and yet it will be found that God, who values the blood of his beloved Son too highly to let it remain inoperative, has raised his altar in individual hearts. In the dwellings of the poor, in solitary places, in the recesses of vallies and mountains, he has written his name upon re- generated minds ; and the incense of their adora- tion, remote from public notice, has gone silently up to heaven. These are general views and remarks, which will perhaps be better understood in the result. We do not think it necessary to dwell upon them longer at present. In conclusion, we would say, however, that the true Ilidden Life has its princi- ples; principles of origin and principles of perpetui- ty. The popular Christianity, that which exists in great numbers of the professed followers of Christ, has sometimes seemed to those, who have looked into its nature, to be a sort of chaos, entire- ly irregular and confused, '-'without form and void." The measurement, and almost the only measurement of its vitality, is excitation, temporary emotion. It is driven downward and upward, backward, forward, and transversely, by the blind 20 THE HIDDEN LIFE. impulse of emotive power. So that if we seek it here, supposing it has a fixed principle of move- ment which will help to designate where it is, it is gone somewhere else ; and if we seek it somewhere else, it has already altered its position. The true Hidden Life, refusing to be characterised by the fa- tal mark of inconstancy, has cast anchor in God ; and its principles are the strong cable, which holds it there. This is one thing, which, if we estimate the subject correctly, the church of God are called upon to learn more fully, viz. that the true life of God in the soul has its principles ; principles found- ed in wisdom ; principles fixed and inflexible. / God never made a stone, an herb, a blade of grass, or any natural thing however insignificant ; nor does he sustain it for a moment, without a princi- ple of action. It is impossible for God to operate accidentally. Whatever he does. He does by prin- ciple. And if this is true in natural things, it is equally so in spiritual things. God did not make ; and does not sustain the soul by accident. Nor does He raise it from its fallen condition ; rekindle within it a renovated life; and bear it onward to present and eternal victory by a fortuitous aid, an accidental fatality. The new life in the soul, there- fore, has its laws of beginning and progress, as well as every other form of life. CHAPTER SECOND. On the Doctrine of Holiness. Having in the preceding chapter given some gen- eral idea of the Interior or Hidden Life, the impor- tant inquiry naturally suggests itself; In what way shall we gain admission into this desirable state 7 The Gospel evidently contemplates, in the case of every individual, a progress from the incipient con- dition of mere forgiveness and acceptance, immense- ly important as it is, to the higher state of interior renovation and sanctification throughout. The A- postle appears to have reference to this onward progress of the soul in the expressions he employs in the commencement of the sixth chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews. "Therefore, leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on un- to perfection ; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith towards God; of the doctrine of baptism and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this will we do, if God permit." What direction, then, shall we take ? What course shall we pursue, that we may rise a- "bove the merely initiatory principles and feelings of 22 ON THE DOCTRINE the gospel life, and enjoy the delightful privilege of walking in close and uninterrupted communion with God? In answer to this general inquiry we remark, that the first and indispensable prerequisite is HOLINESS OF HEART. Itis generally supposed, that God may exhibit pity and pardon to those, in whom there still exist some relics and stains of inward corruption ; in other words, that those, may be for- given or pardoned, who are not entirely sanctified. But those, who would walk acceptably with their Maker, who would receive from him his secret com- munications and enjoy the hidden embraces of his love, must see to it, first of all, that they are pure in heart ; that they have a present, as well as a pros- pective salvation ; in other words, that they are holy. We are aware, that, in the view of some, this condition of realizing the full life of God in the soul is an impracticable one. They regard holiness in this life, as a thing unattainable; or, what seems to me to he practically the same view, as a thing never attained. The persons, to whom we now allude, seem to look upon holiness as a sort of intangible ab- straction, as something placed high and remotely in the distance, as designed to be realized by angels and by the just made perfect in heaven, but situated far beyond mere human acquisition. Hence it is, that followed and scourged by an inward condemnation, they remain in the condition of servants, and do not cheerfully and boldly take that of sons. They wander about, oftentimes led captive by OF HOLINESS. 23 Satan, in the low grounds of the gospel life, a- mid marshes and tangled forests ; and do not ascend into the pleasant hills and that emblemati- cal land of Beulah, where are spicy breezes and perpetual sunshine . In this state of things, it will be readily seen that it is necessary to delay a short time here. It be- comes a very important inquiry, whether holiness, in any strict and proper sense of that term, is some- thing attainable in the present life. Among other reasons it is important to be able to answer prop- erly this question, because, unless we believe in the attainableuess of hohness, we shall not be likely, such are the laws of the human mind, to attain it. Perhaps we may say, that without this belief it will be impossible to attain it. And without holiness, without a heart thoroughly purified from the stains of voluntary transgression, we may be assured that we shall not enter into the secrets of the Most High; the Hidden Life will be hidden to us : and there will be many things in the Christian's privileges, more precious than rubies, which will never, in the present state of being, come within the range of our experience. But before we can decide whether holiness is at- tainable, we must endeavor to form some definite conception of its nature. And here it may be proper to remark, that we are obliged to travel over ground which has already been repeatedly occupied by former writers. We shall, therefore, be as concise, as will be at all consistent with giv- ing any thing hke a correct idea of the subject. 24 ON THE DOCTRINE First, — And in the first place, we proceed to re- mark, that the hoHness, which Christ requires in his people, and which, in order to distinguish it from Adamic perfection, is sometimes designated as evangelical or gospel holiness, does not necessarily imply a perfection of the physical system. Adam, before his fall, was a perfect man physically as well as mentally. His senses were sound; his limbs symmetrical ; his muscular powers unin- jured ; and in all merely corporeal or physical re- spects, we may reasonably suppose, that he pos- sessed all that could be desired. But this is not our present condition. Far from it. In conse- quence of the fall of Adam, we inherit bodies that are subject to various weaknesses and infirmities. Many are called, in the Providence of God, to en- dure a great degree of suifering through the whole course of their days. These weaknesses and in- firmities, which are often the source of great per- plexity and suffering, are natural to us. To a con- siderable extent at least, we cannot prevent their coming ; nor, when they have come, can we, by any mere voluntary acts, send them away. We admit, therefore, if gospel holiness necessarily im- plies physical perfection, that none can be holy. But this is not the case. Second. — We remark, in the second place, that evangelical or gospel holiness does not necessarily imply a perfection of the intellect, either in its per- ceptive or in its comparing and judging powers. The perfection of the intellectual action depends in OF HOLINESS. 25 part on the perfection of physical action ; on the perfection, for instance, of the organs of sense, the organs of the sight, hearing, and touch. But in our present fallen condition, it is well known that these and other physical instrumentalities, which have a greater or less connection with the mental action, are greatly disordered. And the natural and necessary consequence of this state of things will be a degree of perplexity and obscurity in such mental action. And such is the connection of the powers of the mind, one with another, that an erroneous action in one part of the mind will be likely to lay the foundation for a degree of er- roneous action in some other part. Hence in the present life a perfect knowledge of things, either in themselves or in their relations, may be regard- ed in the light of a physical impossibility. And such perfect knowledge, in which there is not the least possible mistake or error, does not appear to be required of us in the gospel, as a necessary condition of holiness and of acceptance with God. It may be added here, that in this respect also our condition appears to differ from that of our first parent. Adam, it is true, did not possess omniscience, but within the range of his perceptive powers he was not subject to error. So far as God permitted him to know at all, he knew correctly. So that relatively to the sphere of his ability and action, he was as perfect intellectually, as he was corporeally and physically. THiRD.-In the third place, there is ground for saymg, that the holiness which, in accordance 3 26 ON THE DOCTRINE with the principles of the gospel, is required to be exercised in the present life, differs in some re- spects from the holiness or sanctification of a fu- ture life. It is important to add, however, that it does not differ in its nature ; but only in some of its accessories or incidents. In its nature holiness ev- er will be, and ever must be the same ; but it may difTer in some of the attendant circumstances or in- cidents, under which it exists. One of the particu- lars of an accessory or incidental character, in which the holiness of the future life may be regard- ed as differing from that of the present, is, that it is not liable, by any possibility whatever, to any interruption or suspension. No physical infirmity, no weariness or perplexity, of body or of mind, nothing will ever, even for a moment, either vitiate or weaken the purity of its exercises. The spirit- ual body, which constitutes the residence of the soul in its heavenly state, accelerates and perfects its operations, instead of retarding and perplexing them ; so that its purity is always unstained, its joy always full, the song of its worship always new. Another ground of difference between the sanctification or holiness of the present and tliat of the future life is to be found in the circumstance, that in the present life we are subject to perpetual and heavy temptations. No one, however advanced in religious experience, is wholly exempt from them. On the contrary, persons, who are the most holy, often endure temptations of the severest kind. But it is not so in the heavenly world. In that happier place the contest ceases forever. OF HOLINESS. 27 There is not only no sin, and no possibility of sin- ning ; but no temptation to sin. CWhile, therefore, we hold to the possibility of a freedom from actual voluntary transgression in this life, it ought to be understood that we do not hold to a freedom from temptation. So that we may speak of the contin- uance of the spiritual warfare in the present life, as a matter of necessity, but not of the continu- ance of sin as a matter of necessity. / We may also admit, in addition to what has been remarked, that all mere physical infirmities, which originate in our fallen condition, but which necessarily prevent our doing for God what we should otherwise do ; and also all unavoidable er- rors and imperfections of judgment, which in their ultimate causes result from sin, (we have reference here to Adam's sin.) require an atonement. It seems to be clear, that God constituted the human race on the principle of an unity, or perhaps moiG pre- cisely, of a close connection, of obligations and in- terests ; linking together man with man, as with bands of iron, in the various civil, social, and do- mestic relations. And in consequence of the exist- ence of the great connective laws of nature, (laws which our own judgments and consciences alike approve,) it seems to be the case, that we may sometimes justly suffer, in our own persons, results which are of a punitive kind, although in their source flowing from the evil conduct of others rath- er than our oAvn. And hence it is that the head of a family ordinarily does not sin, without affect- ing the happiness of its members. Nor does any 28 ON THE DOCTEINE member of the family ordinarily sin without in- volving others in the consequences of the trans- gression. Nor does the head of a community, or of a State, or of any other associated body, com- mit errors and crimes without a diffusion of the attendant misery through the subordinate parts of the association. In other words, an union or asso- ciation of relations and interests, whether it be es- tablished by ourselves or by that higher Being with whose wisdom we ought ever to be satisfied, neces- sarily induces a common liability to error, suffer- ing, and punishment. /"And in accordance with this view, we may very pfoperly, sincerely, and deeply mourn over those various infirmities and imperfections, which flow out of our connection with an erring and fallen parent, although they are very different in their nature from deliberate and voluntary transgres- sions ; and may with deep humility make applica- tion to the blood of Christ, as alone possessing that atoning efficacy, which can wash their stains away. / In other words, God is to be regarded as righteous in exacting from us whatever we could or might have rendered him if Adam had not fal- len, and if the race had remained holy. Neverthe- less he has mercifully seen fit to remit or forgive all these involuntary sins, more commonly and per- haps more justly called imperfections or trespasses, if we will but cordially accept of the atonement in the blood of Christ. But without the shedding of blood and confession, there is no more remission in this case than in any other. It is probably in refer- OF HOLINESS. 29 ence to such imperfections or trespasses, rather than to sins of a deUberate and vohmtary nature, that some good people speak of the moral certainty or necessity we are under of sinning all the time. If such is all their meaning, it is not very necessary to dispute with them. What, then, after these various remarks and ex- planations, is the nature of Christian perfection, or of that holiness, which, as fallen and as physically and intellectually imperfect creatures, we are im- peratively required and expected to exercise ; and to exercise not merely in the "article of death," but at the present moment and during every succeed- ing moment of our lives 7 It is on a question of this nature, if on any one which can possibly be pro- posed to the human understanding, that we must go to the Bible ; and must humbly receive, irre- spective of human suggestions and human opinions, the answer which the word of God gives. Happily for us, and happily for the world, this question is answered by the Savior himself; and in such a way as to leave the subject clear and satisfactory to humble and candid minds. When the Savior Avas asked, Which is the great commandment in the Law, he answered, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets J' Matt. xxii. 37-8-9. And it is in accordance with the truth, involved in this remarkable passage, that 8» 30 ON THE DOCTRtNE the apostle asserts, Rom. xiii. 10, ^^Love is the ful- filling of the laio.^' He, therefore, who loves God with his whole heart and his neighbor as himself, although his state may in some incidental respects be different from that of Adam, and especially from that of the an- gels in heaven, and although he may be the subject of involuntary imperfections and infirmities, which, in consequence of his relation to Adam, require confession and atonement, is, nevertheless, in the gospel sense of the terms, a holy or sanctified per- son. He has that love, which is the "fulfilling of the law." He bears the image of Christ. It is true, he may not have that physical or intellectual perfection which the Savior had ; but he bears his moral image. And of such an one can it be said in the delightful words of the Saviour, John xiv. 23: "If a man love me, he will keep my words, and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him." Holiness, as the term has now been explained, in other words, pure and perfect love, is required of all persons. We do not esteem it necessary to de- lay and repeat all the passages, in which the re- quisition is made. It is written very plainly upon all parts of the Bible, from the beginning to the end of it. "But as he, which hath called you, is ho- ly," says the apostle Peter, "so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, be ye holy, for I am holy." All, therefore, which we have to say further at the present time is this : Those, who aim at the possession of the Hidden OF HOLINESS. 31 Life, who wish to walk with God and to hold com- mimioii with him in the interior man, as a friend converses with a friend, will find these glorious results impossible to them, except on the condition of HOLINESS OF HEART. So long as they indulge voluntarily in any known sin, they erect a wall of separation between themselves and their heav- enly Father ; and he cannot and will not take them into his bosom, and reveal to them the hidden se- crets of his love. They must stand far off; we do not say that they are utterly rejected ; but they occu- py the position of their own selection ; obscure and perplexed in their ovm. experience, and darkness and perplexity to all around them. CHAPTER THIRD. Directions to aid in the attainment of Holiness. Having in the second Chapter attempted to show, that the higher reahzations of the rehgious Ufe, those in which the wall of separation is broken down and the fallen spirit of man emerges into unity with its maker, can exist only in connection with holiness of heart, the next important question to be considered is, How we may attain to a state of holiness 1 How may we experience the desir- able change from weakness of faith to assurance of faith, from a weak and vacillating love to per- fection of love, or, what is to be regarded as essen- tially the same thing, from a partial to a state of entire sanctification '? In reply to this interesting inquiry, Ave proceed to remark, that there are three things, upon which, in connection with the opera- tions and influences of the Holy Spirit, this great result seems especially to depend. First. — And the first is a belief in the attaina- bleness of sanctification or holiness at the present time. There are two acknowledged principles in the philosophy of the human mind, which have an im- ATTAINMENT OF HOLINESS. 33 portant connection with such behef. The first is, that we never can feel under moral obligation to do a thing which we believe impossible to be done. Now the popular doctrine, that no man ever has been sanctified, or ever will be sanctified, till the moment of death, places, in the view of the common mind, the opposite doctrine, viz. tliat sanctification is attainable at any period of life, in the light of an impossibility. The idea, that no man has been sanctified or will be sanctified till death, is inexplicable in the view of men generally, except on the ground that there is some insuperable obstacle in the way of it, although they may not readily perceive or explain what that obstacle is. The conviction of the impossibility of present sanctification will exist in the common mind as it has done in times past, just so long as the popular doctrine, that there have not been and never will be cases of it, prevails. And the conse- quence is, as might naturally be expected, that throughout a great proportion of the churches the sense of obligation to be holy is very feeble. It is not wrought into the mind ; it does not weigh up- on it heavily, and give it no rest. Nor is it possi- ble on the principles of mental philosophy that it should, while the common notions on this subject remain. Men will never feel the obligation to be what they believe it impossible for them to be. — Now this great work of holiness, we venture to say, will never be accomplished in us without a deep sense of our obligation to be holy. Another principle, involved in the philosophy of 34 DIRECTIONS TO AID IN THE the mind, and having a connection with this sub- ject, is this : No person, such is the relation be- tween the will and belief, can put forth a volition to do a thing, which at the same time he believes impossible to be done. I do not believe, for in- stance, in the possibility of flying in the air ; and I am unable to put forth a volition to do any such thing. I may exercise a desire to fly in the air; but while I have an utter disbelief in its possibility, I shall never put forth a volition to do it. So if I disbelieve in the possibility of being holy, I can never put forth a volition, (hat is to say, a fixed de- termination, to be so. I may put forth a volition to do many good things ; I may put forth a volition to grow in grace; but to put forth a volition, a fixed, unalterable determination, with divine as- sistance, to resist and overcome every sin, to be wholly the Lord's, to be holy, when I believe such a result to be unattainable, is what, on the principles of the philosophy of the mind, I am unable to do. I might as well put forth a volition to create a con- tinent, or to remove the Rocky Mountains into the Pacific Ocean, or to do any thing else, which I know it to be impossible for me to do. Now if these two philosophical principles have been correctly stated, first, that the sense of obhga- tion to be holy at the present time will depend on a belief in the present attainableness of holiness ; and, second, that the volition or voluntary deter- mination to be holy now, necessarily presupposes the same belief; then we see very clearly the im- portance of being established in this doctrine. ATTAINMENT OF HOLINESS. 35 Who can expect to be holy now, and holy through his whole life, that does not feel the weight of obli- gation to be so ? Still more, who can reasonably expect to be holy, that does not put forth a volition, a fixed, unalterable determination with divine as- sistance to be so } And if these, the obligation and tlie volition or fixed purpose of mind, depend on the antecedent belief, then evidently the first great preparatory step to a holy life, is, to be fully settled in the doctrine ; — in other words, to believe fully in tlie attainableness of holiness at the present time. And this, as the matter presents itself to my own mind, is, practically, a very important conclusion. Upon the mind, that can appreciate the relation and the application of the principles which have just been laid down, the reception of the conmion doc- trine of the impossibility of present sanctification presses with the weight of a millstone. A person in this position feels, that he cannot move ; he is like a man that is shut up in prison and in irons, and in accordance with the saying, that '-hope de- ferred maketh the heart sick," he soon ceases to make effort, when there is nothing but defeat be- fore him. We say, then, to every one, who feels the importance of this subject, and who is sincere- ly desirous to be holy in heart, go to the Bible. Go with a single eye. Go in the spirit of humble prayer. And see whether the Lord does not re- quire you to be wholly his, in the exercise of as- surance of faith and of perfect love; — and whether he has not, in the blood of his Son, made ample provision for this blessed result ? 36 DIRECTIONS TO AID IN THE Second. — In answer to the question, how we may attain to holiness, we proceed to say, that a second indispensable thing is an act of personal consecration to God. Some confound such an act of consecration with the full or complete state of sanctification. But this confusion of ideas ought to be avoided. Sanctification is something more than the consecrating act. Consecration is simply putting forth the volition, (a foundation for which is now laid in the belief of the duty and the attain- ableness of holiness,) the fixed unalterable deter- mination, with divine assistance, to be wholly the Lord's. In other words, it is a fixed purpose, not to be altered during the whole period of our existence, to break off from every known sin ; and to walk, to the full extent of our ability, in the way of the divine requirements. God recognizes the moral agency of man, fallen as he is ; and very properly calls upon him and requires him to make this con- secration, however unavailable it may ultimately be without his own accessory aid. Now it does not necessarily follow, because we put forth a de* termination to do a thing, that the thing is done; although it is certain that the thing will never be done without the previous determination. Such a consecration, therefore, extending to all that we are and all that we have, is necessary. And let it not be said, that we have no power to make it. We are not speaking now of persons, who are in the deadness of original unconversion. We are speaking of Christians, of persons in a justified state, whose dead wills have been partially quick- ATTAINMENT OF HOLINESS. 37 ened by the Holy Ghost, and who certainly can do something in this way. Such a consecration, there- fore, made with the whole soul and for all coming time, is necessary. And it is so, first, because we can have no avail- able faith in the promises of God without it. It is a great complaint in the Christian church at the present day, that there is a want of faith. If we may take the statements of Christians themselves, they do not believe ; certainly not as they should do. And why is it 7 It is because they have not fully consecrated themselves to God; in other words, they coi i tinue to indvilge in some known sins. Such are the laws of the mind, that they cannot have full faith in God as a friend and father to them, so long as they are conscious of voluntarily sinning af^ainst him. The Saviour himself has distinctly recognized the principle, that faith under such cir- cumstances is an impossibility. "How can ye be- lieve, who receive honor one of another, and seek not the honor that cometh from God only?" If we seek the honor that cometh from God, in other words, if in the fixed purpose of our minds we consecrate ourselves to him, to do, as far as in us lies, his whole will, then, and not otherwise, we can believe that he will be to us, and do for us, all that he has promised in his Holy Word. It is pre- cisely here as it is in common life. It is impossi- ble for us, in our intercourse of man with man, to believe that a man whom we deliberately sin against and injure, has confidence in us and loves us, provided we are certain that he has knowledge 4 38 DIRECTIONS TO AID IN THE of the fact. The principle will be found to hold good in regard to God as well as man. Before Ad- am and Eve sinned, they had faith in God as their father and friend. But their faith failed as soon as they had sinned; and they immediately hid themselves from his ])resence. If we would have faith, therefore, we must endeavor by consecration to cease from all known voluntary sin. In entire accordance with these views are the remarkable expressions in the first epistle of John. '• Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confi- dence toward God." An act of entire consecration is necessary, so far as it is in our power to make it, secondly, because we have no encouragement to believe that God will sanctify us in the state of personal and spiritual in- activity and declension. As has already been said, God recognizes the moral agency of man, fallen as he is ;• and especially when, after having justified him by the application of the Saviour's blood, he has given him the principle of a new spiritual life. It is because he has given us the power of distin- guishing between good and evil ; because he has given us judgment and conscience and will ; be- cause he has breathed into us the breath of a new spiritual life ; thereby putting us into communica- tion with himself, and opening to us the fountains of everlasting strength, that he has the right and ex- ercises the right of requiring us to surrender all to him. And if we find the attempt difficult, as no doubt on account of our past lives we shall be very likely to, he nevertheless requires that we shall do ATTAINMENT OF HOLINESS. 39 all that we can. And it is at this point, when we have put forth, with all the energy and sincerity of our being, the unalterable determination, relying upon divine assistance, that we will be wholly his, that he meets us. The two principles of entire consecration and of divine assistance to the full ex- tent of the promises, go together. And both are em- bodied in that remarkable passage of Scripture, which should be written upon the heart of every believer, '•Co??te ye out from among them, and be ye sep- arate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and my daughters, saith the Lord MnightyJ' 2 Cor. vi. 17, 18. It will of course be understood, that, in making this act of consecration, we have a sincere and ear- nest desire for holiness. We cannot suppose it pos- sible, that it should be made in any other state of mind. Thirdly . — A third thing requisite in order to pres- ent sanctification, is a full belief in the faithfulness of God in relation to the fulfillment of his promises. Having believed, first, that holiness is a duty, and that such provision is made for it as to render it attainable ; and having, secondly, consecrated our- selves to God in all things to do his will, we are now, in the third place, to have faith in him, that he will do what he has voluntarily assumed as his own part ; in other words, that he will fulfill the promises he has graciously made ; that he will accept the sac- rifice which we have deliberately laid upon his al- tar; and make us fully and entirely his. This is 40 DIRECTIONS TO AID IN THE oftentimes the most difficult thing of the whole ; dif- ficult, not in itself considered ; but in consequence of our naturally fallen condition. Some, it is true, be- lieve easily; — believe at once ; and of course enter in at such an open door, that they are filled with surprise. But many stumble at this point. They feel the dreadful eftects of former habits of mind. That old unbelief, which has so long kept them far from God, still clings to them. They hesitate, lin- ger, become discouraged, and are oftentimes defeat- ed. It is at this crisis of one's religious history, that the saying of Elizabeth to Mary has an es- pecial meaning ; "Blessed is she that believed." There is one thing, in particular, which seems to render it necessary to believe that God does now accept the consecration, which is made. It is, that this belief constitutes, if we may so express it, the transition point, (or rather perhaps the transition it- self,) from consecration to sanctification. In the act of consecration we solemnly promise the Lord, that, relying upon his grace, we will now and for- ever break off from every known sin. But in ex- ercising faith in God as true to his promises and as giving us strength to be his and as now receiving us, we may be said in some respects to do a still greater work, viz. we renounce absolutely and en- tirely all self-reliance and all confidence in our own strength. And he, who breaks off from every known sin ; and at the same time in full reliance upon the word of God and with childlike simplicity, leaves himself entirely and in all things in the hands of God, unresistingly to receive the suggestions and ATTAINMENT OF HOLINESS. 41 to fulfill the guidance of the Holy Spirit, necessarily becomes, in the Scripture sense of the terms, a ho- ly or sanctified person. He becomes so, because he is precisely in that position, in which God de- sires him to be, and in which the grace of God is pledged to give redemption and victory. God ne- cessarily receives him. In other words, he passes from a state of rebellion to one of submission ; from a state of unbelief to one of childlike confidence ; and from himself and out of himself into God. The difficulty of believing at this particular crisis results not only from our former habits of imbelief ; but also in part, although it may seem to be a contra- diction, from the extreme simplicity and facility of the thing to be done. The internal process in the minds of many persons, when they arrive at this specific point, seems to be like this. Is it possible, they say, that we can experience so great a blessing in a manner so easy, so simple, that we stum- ble at its very simplicity? Must we experience the great work of interior salvation in the way of re- nunciation, by merely giving up all and by sinking into the simplicity and nothingness of little chil- dren? Is there nothing, which is personally merito- rious, nothing which is the subject of self-gratula- tion, neither in the beginning, nor in the progress, nor in the completion of the divine life 1 And thus, through the extreme goodness of God in making the way so easy, they are confused and kept back. In a word, they disbelieve, simply because in this position of their experience, nothing is required but 4» 42 DIRECTIONS TO AID IN HOLINESS. believing. Happy is he, who, in losing all things, gains all things. Happy is he ,who alienates him- self from himself, in order that God may take pos- session of that self, which he has renounced. A- gaili we repeat, ''Blessed is she that believed." It is in the exercise of belief, nnder the circumstances which we have now been considering, that we realize the full import of those striking passages of Scrip- ture, (passages which we shall probably have oc- casion to remark npon hereafter) Mark xi. 24, " Therefore I say unto you., ichat tilings soever ye desire., when ye pray^ believe that ye receive them., and ye shall have them.^' And 1st Epistle of John v. 1.5, ^^ And this is the confidence that we have in him., that if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us. Jlnd ij we know that he hears ms, whatsoever ice ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.'' ^ A faithful and persevering application of the principles laid down in this chapter, attended with reliance on God for his blessing, will result, we have no doubt, in leading persons into the narrow and holy way. We say persevering application, because in nothing is perseverance, a fixed tenaci- ty of purpose, more desirable than in the pursuit of holiness. He, who puts his hand to the plough here, with the secret reservation that he will look back when he pleases, might as well make no be- ginning. There must be a fixedness of determina- tion, which will not be discouraged by any obsta- cles ; an inflexible will, which, with God's blessing, will continue steadfast to the end. CHAPTER FOURTH. On the relation of Natural and Religions Faith. A PORTION of the remarks of the last chapter, those which have relation to our exercising trust in the divine declarations, naturally introduce us to another subject, which is of essential importance in the internal Christian life. It is not easy to appre- ciate fully the various practical applications and the important results, connected with the principle of FAITH. A principle so fundamental, taking pre- cedence in the order of nature, though not in rank or degree, even of that of Love, that it would not be easy to bestow upon it too early or too careful a notice. The subject of faith will be repeatedly in- troduced in the course of this Work, and will be considered in various relations and aspects. It is our object in the present chapter, to illustrate brief- ly the principles and results of religious faith, by a reference to the analogy or resemblance of natural faith ; in the hopes that the high place which is assigned to faith in the Scriptures, will be less ob- jected to, when we remember, that, considered as a purely natural principle, it is one of the most powerfid and wonderful principles, which our Ma- 44 ON THE RELATION OF ker has implanted Avithin ns. In other words, if we understand well what natural faith is, we have reason to think and believe, that we shall be more likely to understand and appreciate the doctrines of religious faith. It will be noticed here, that we do not confound together Natural and Religious faith, as if they were one and the same thing. It is true there is a common nature in some respects ; but the differ- ence, nevertheless, is too great not to be distinctly recognized. We consider them, though closely connected, as evidently separate, and shall remark upon them separately and in succession. First. — We proceed then to say, in the first place, that natural faith is the gift of God in his natural, and not in his religious dispensation of things. In other words, natural faith is a princi- ple of our nature. It is a principle which has its origin in our mental constitution, and is sustained by its appropriate laws. It is so intimately con- natural to us, and is so constantly operative, that we sometimes almost forget that we are possessed of such a principle ; and we certainly have, in general, but a feeble conception of its immense in- fluence ; an influence which is felt at all times, in all situations, and among all classes. A few brief references to the actual state of things will illus- trate what we mean. The life of children, for instance, from the peri- od of their infancy upward to the years of their departure from the parental home, is a life of faith. Not of religious faith, it is true ; but still a life of NATURAL AND RELIGIOUS FAITH. 45 faith. How does it happen, though they are en- tirely dependent for food, raiment, and shelter, that they nevertheless have no trouble, no anxiety on the subject 7 The answer is, because they have faith. If it were not so, if they were deficient in faith, it is obvious they would be exceedingly wretched. But having entire faith in their parents, that they will provide for their wants, sympathize in their sorrows, and protect them in danger, they remain in simplicity and quietness of spirit ; and in the language of Scripture, " are careful for noth- ing." It was the knowledge of this fact which in- fluenced the Savior, — not exclusively, perhaps, but in part, — to direct Christians, so often and emphat- ically as he did, to become like little children. Again, the existence and the operations of natu- ral faith are seen in the intercourse of man with man in the relations of life and in the transactions of business. So complicated are the relations of society, and so dependent is man on his fellow man, that it is difficult to see, if man had not faith in others, how he could exist in the world for any length of time. Faith is the supporter of law and order ; the basis of all contracts involving future liabilities ; the strong pillar of great civil and polit- ical associations. As soon as there is a cessation or general diminution of reciprocal confidence in the community, what perplexities arise in business! What confusion and weakness in the administra- tors of the law ! What unavoidable and general ruin ! 46 ON THE RELATION OF We may add further, that faith, in its natural operation, is the strength of individuals as well as of communities. The natural man is strong in natural faith. Who expects any marked and fa- vorable results from the man who has no faith in himself, and no faith in the business he is engaged in? It is faith in himself, which gives the true en- ergy to his efforts. Indeed the well known law of our mental nature, which was made the subject of remark in the last chapter, shows that it must be so ; viz., that as a general rule, the power of the vo- lition, or voluntary purpose, corresponds, in any given case, to the degree of faith or belief which exists. If, for instance, we have absolutely no be- lief, or faith, that we are able to do a given thing, we shall find it utterly impossible to put forth a volition or fixed determination to do it: and in ac- cordance with this view, if we have doubts of the accomplishment of an object, in other words, if our faith be weak, the decision which we form, the purpose of movement and action, will generally be found to be proportionably inefiicient. And hence it is a common artifice among men, if they wish to perplex and prevent the attainment of certain objects by others, to represent such objects as ex- ceedingly difficult, and even unattainable, on the principle that in proportion as their belief in the attainableness of the thing is weakened, their pur- pose and effort to attain it will be less vigorous. And on the other hand, what prodigies have been wrought by strength of faith, even natural faith! NATURAL AND RELIGIOUS FAITH. 47 How many persons have been carried, by the mere energy of this inferior form of faith, through amaz- ing difficuhies to the possession of natural and worldly objects! It was obviously faith in the practicability of his plans, which supported the great Athenian orator through the immense diffi- culties of his position, and placed him ultimately at the head of the Commonwealth. It was faith, operating in connection with other remarkable ele- ments of character, which carried the armies of Hannibal over the terrific barriers of the Alps. What sustained Columbus, in his vast and untried project of attempting to find a new world, but strong, unconquerable faith in the practicability of his object ? Who would meet the scorn and criti- cisms of men ; who would endure pains of body and mind ; who would undergo the perils of the ocean, the vicissitudes of climate, of hunger, thirst, and nakedness, for the attainment of an object which he believed to be impracticable, and in re- gard to which, therefore, he had no faith 7 But often, very often, have these things been done in the strength of faith. Ridicule has been met ; op- position has been braved ; suffering, in all the va- rieties of its forms, has been endured ; and that, too, calmly, patiently and triumphantly, when strong faith has been the soul's support. It is faith which, in commercial enterprises, in inventions in the arts, in projects of remote discovery, in great social and political movements, makes men suc- cessful adventurers, discoverers, reformers, con- querors, martyrs. And if such are the marked re- 48 ON THE RELATION OF suits of mere natural faith, what may we not ex- pect from the more ennobling principle of religious faith! Second. — We proceed now to the other and more important view of the subject. Religious faith, that which enables us effectually to embrace Christ as our Savior and God as our portion, that which enables us to regard the threatenings and promises of God as present realities, is obviously not the natural inheritance of man in his present fallen state, but is the special gift of God through the op- eration of the Holy Spirit. In its nature, that is to say, in its purely psychological or mental develop- ment, it must be admitted that it appears to be and probably is essentially the same with natural faith ; but it is modified and characterized by the impor- tant facts, that it arises on its own peculiar occa- sions, that it has its peculiar and appropriate ob- jects, and that it is of divine origin. Nevertheless it remains true, notwithstanding the important dis- tinction which has just been referred to, that reli- gious faith, when once graciously implanted in the soul, operates, in many respects, similarly or anal- ogously to natural faith, observing the same gener- al laws and characterized by the same general re- sults. A few statements will indicate and illus- trate some of the leading points of analogy between the two forms of faith, and will tend to throw light upon the subject of faith in general. (1.) In the exercise of natural faith in our pa- rents, for instance, we have entire and unwavering confidence that they will be kind to us ; that they NATURAL AND RELIGIOUS FAITH. 49 will watch over us and feed us; that they will clothe us and shelter us. Our faith in them is so strong, is so exclusive of any uncertainty, that it practically becomes moral certainty and knowl- edge. Accordingly we have no hesitancy in say- ing, that the country, which they inhabit, will be our country ; that the hearth which beams for them will shine also for us ; that the home which shel- ters them will shelter us. Where they go, we go ; where they lodge, we lodge. Religious faith, which has a different object, nevertheless operates analogously. It attaches itself to God as its ob- ject, and recognizes him as our Father. The ob- ject is changed ; the inward operation of the prin- ciple is chiefly sustained by an imparted and gra- cious efficacy ; but the manner of the operation and the result are the same. Accordingly, when it is in full exercise, we trust, with entire assur- ance, all our interests in the hands of our heavenly Father ; we resolve all secondary instrumentality into his instrumentality; we rejoice in him in pros- perity and adversity, in health and in sickness; we take him as our all in all. In the beautiful language of Madame Guyon, as it is translated by Cowper, we can say in the full- ness of our hearts ; " To me remains nor place nor timfl, " My country is in every clime ; " I can be calm and free from care " On every shore, since God is there. (2.) Again. Natural faith operates, or "works," in the Scripture form of expression, by natural 5 50 ON THE RELATION OF love. It is faith which, more than any thing else, holds the key that unlocks love's golden fountain. Who can love another, except, perhaps, with that lower form of love, which is synonymous with pity or sympathy, in whom he has no faith? How soon does our love to a person, to whom we were once devotedly attached, cease, when our faith in him ceases ! No sooner is the confidence which we reposed in the person's truth, honor and other estimable qualities, taken away, than the love which rested upon it falls to the ground. And thus religious faith, sustained by the Holy Spirit, but operating in a manner entirely analogous, is undoubtedly the true basis of religious love. With- out the key of faith, the fountain of divine love would not be opened in our hearts. It would be impossible. It is because we believe or have faith in God as just, benevolent, and holy, as possessed of every possible perfection calculated to attract and secure our love, that we love him. And it is a groat and important truth, as certain on natural principles as it is on Scriptural principles, that our love will rise and fall just in proportion to our faith. If our hearts are full of love to God at the present moment, and we should the next moment cease to believe in him as a God of truth, justice and goodness, our love would necessarily terminate at once. Such is the great law of our intellectual and moral being ; and such is the doctrine of the Scriptures. (3.) We proceed to remark dgain, that the anal- ogy or resemblance between natural faith and re- NATURAL AND RELIGIOUS FAITH. 51 ligious faith may be observed in another important particuUir. It is an important law of natural faith, that it acquires strength by repetition or habit. Of the existence of the law of habit, and of its ex- tensive applications, probably no persons, who are acquainted with the operations of the human mind, will have any doubt : and in accordance with this law, every new exercise of confidence or faith in any one of our fellow men, tends to increase the confidence or faith already existing. Religious as well as natural faith may be increased by the same law and in the same manner. In other words, every new exercise of faith in God and in his great precepts and promises, which is the true idea of re- ligious faith, increases the strength of the principle of faith. This is, practically, a very important view ; and especially to those who are desirous of hving a truly holy life. I am aware that the in- crease of religious faith, as well as its origin in the first instance, is the gift of God. But God very properly requires us to observe the laws of our men- tal nature, and to do what it is our privilege to do. Accordingly the blessing of God, manifested in the increase of religious faith, seems to me, as a gener- al thing, to conform to this view ; and that those and those only who, in observance of the natural law, diligently exercise the faith they already have, can reasonably expect to have more, either by natural increase or by special grace. And, indeed, the doctrine which has now been advanced will apply to all the Christian gracies, since God no where gives encouragement, so far as we can perceive, iy:i ON THE KELATION OF that he will add to the possessions of him who mis- improves even his one talent. "For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance; but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath." Matt, xiii. 12. (4.) We remark further, that religious faith, in perfect analogy to that which is natural, brings personal and mighty energy to its possessor ; and places in his hand, in the sharp contest with sin and Satan, the shield of victory. It does this, among other things, and on the same principle that natural faith does, by giving exceeding power to his religious volitions or determinations. The man who has no faith, is necessarily powerless. He is smitten by the irreversible law of nature, as well as by the present and special frown of God. He lies prostrate upon the ground, a mere imbecile, use- less and impracticable alike to good and evil ; but he who has faith acts, and acts vigorously. Faith diffuses a calm but effective energy through the whole man : especially is this true of religious faith. He who has this faith, possesses the power of ad- ding the infinite to the finite. He relies on the di- vine promises, in the occasions on which they prop- erly apply, as things in a present fulfillment; and thus incorporates with his own comparative and acknowledged weakness, the mighty energy of a present God. And besides all this, God bestows especial honor upon those who possess religious faith. They, and they only, are his dear children. Their names are written upon his heart of infinite NATURAL AND RELIGIOUS FAITH. 53 love. Every element of his nature is pledged in their behalf. And hence we should not be sur- prised, when we consider what power faith has in itself by its natural law, and also that it takes hold of the infinite God, and enlists in our behalf his mighty heart of love, that the Holy Scriptures are sprinkled over, as it were, with illustrations and declarations of the immense efficacy and of the wonderful triumphs of this divine principle : "Faith, mighty faith, the promise sees, "And looks to that alone ; "Laughs at impossibilities, " And cries, IT shall be done." In conclusion, we have but one remark more to make, which seems to flow naturally out of what has been said. The remark will be, in part, a rep- etition of what has been said in the preceding chap- ter ; but it seems to me deserving of repeated notice and reflection. It is well understood and admitted among the believers in present sanctification, that sanctification, as well as justification, 'js. 'by faith, and that it can be in no other way. Now any crSed or doctrine, which, either by direct assertion or by implication, makes present sanctification, otherwise termed holiness or perfected love, a practical im- possibility, necessarily excludes and annihilates all faith which is appropriate to that particular result. And on the principles which have been laid down, he, who has no faith in the present attainableness of sanctification, is necessarily deprived of the great source and instrument of sanctifying power. He lies prostrate, overwhelmed, hopeless. Can it 5» 5 4 OF NATURAL AND RELIGIOUS FAITH. be surprising then, that so many Christians live in a sort of hopeless bondage to sin, when the preva- lent doctrine is, that present sanctification, or sanc- tification antecedent to the"article of death," never has been and never will be attained 7 If we do not believe in the possibility of present sanctification, then we are not in a situation to put forth the fixed and irrevocable purpose or determination of mind which is requisite to a successful pursuit of it. If we do not believe in the practicability and attain- ableness of present sanctification, then we cannot exercise faith in those important portions of the di- vine word which promise it. And we see here an explanation, in part, at least, why a portion of the followers of Christ remain in great darkness and sorrow, and almost constantly under the dominion of sin, while others, operating on a difterent theo- logical basis, and availing themselves of the mighty power of faith, mount upward to regions of inward light and life. I sat me down in earth's benighted vale, And had no courage and no strength to rise ; Sad to the passing breeze I told my tale, And bowed my head and drained my weeping eyes. But Faith came by, and took me by the hand j And now the valleys rise, the mountains fall ; Welcome the stormy sea ! the dangerous land ! With Faith to aid me, I can conquer all. CHAPTER FIFTH. Appropriating Faith. We speak only the general sentiment, in mak- ing faith the foundation of the religious life. The blessings, which are purchased and are offered us in the New Covenant, in particular, cannot be re- ceived except by faith. In the language of Mr. Erskine, which is well adapted to popular appre- hension, " Christ is the bread of life, faith is the mouth of the soul, that eats and feeds upon him. Christ is the mystical brazen serpent, faith the eye of the soul that looks to him for healing. Christ is tlie strong hold cast open to the prisoners of hope, faith the foot of the soul, that runs into him for shelter."^^ If it is desirable to live acceptably to God and to walk in the light of his countenance, it is desirable to possess faith. We are told in the Scriptures, that " without /a?7/i it is impossible to please God." How important it is, therefore, to have right views of this excellent Christian grace, considered in its relation to sanctification and holy living, as well as in its connection with justifica- tion. * Ebenezer Erskine on the Assurance of Faith. Discourse II. 56 APPROPRIATING FAITH. There are three leading kinds of faith, saying nothing of some subordinate modifications, viz. historical faith, a general religious faith, and an appropriating faith ; each of which is entitled to a brief notice. An historical faith in the Saviour is merely a belief that such a man as Jesus Christ, possessing many of the virtuous traits which his biographers have ascribed to him, appeared in Pal- estine at the commencement of the Christian era. It is not easy to see how a person who gives cre- dence to any of the historical narrations of antiqui- ty, can do otherwise than receive this belief This faith, however, does not necessarily involve the existence of religion, or even of good morals. Men of abandoned characters and of essentially infidel sentiments may go as far as this. Voltaire and other distinguished enemies of the Christian sys- tem had a belief of this kind. "Alas," says Jacob Behmen, speaking of the state of things in his times, of which he says, that true faith was never weaker since Christ's time than it is now, " the faith of this day is but histor- ical, a mere assent to the matter of fact, that Jesus Christ lived and died, that the Jews killed him, that he left this world, and is not king on earth in the outward man ; but that men may do what they list, and need not die from sin and their evil lusts. All this the wicked child self rejoiceth in, that it may fatten the Devil by living deliciously."^ (2.) There is also a general religious faith. A person may not only believe with those who pos- * The Way to Christ, Bk. II, Chap. 3, ^. 52. APPROPRIATING FAITH. 57 sess an historical faith, that there was such a man as Jesus Christ; but may also believe, that he died for the salvation of men in general. This form of faith, it is true, is important; but it does not and cannot secure all those objects which are ascribed to faith in the Bible. I suppose it may be said with truth, that the devils believe and know, not only that there was such a being as Jesus Christ, but that he died upon the cross for sinners. It does not commend itself to human reason, and still less to the word of God, to say that a man has saving faith, who believes in Jesus Christ as the Saviour of the world so far as the world receives him in that capacity, and yet individually and personally does not believe in him as his own Saviour. If such a general and unappropriating faith were suf- ficient, it would be no difficult matter to fill up our churches, since those who have such a faith a§ illis may be found in great numbers. But a faith of this kind, and which goes no fur- ther than this, is practically dead. And perhaps it may be said here, that the great sirTof the people of our own age is, not that they have merely an his- torical faith and stop in that, as in some former corrupt periods ; but that they too often rest satis- fied with a general and abstract faith, which is theoretically applicable to the world at large, with- out bringing it home to themselves. They believe in the general truth, without making a specific and personal application ; and thus serve Satan as ef- fectually, as far as they are personally concerned, as if they had only an historical faith. 58 APPROPRIATING FAITH. (3.) A third form or modification of the great principle of faith, is what may be called appropri- ating FAITH. The necessity of this form of faith is evident from even a slight consideration of the sub- ject. The usual understanding is, with the excep- tion of those who hold strictly to a limited atone- ment, that our Saviour has provided a common salvation, adequate to the wants of all ; but avail- able only in the case of those who exercise faith. How far this salvation will practically extend; how many individuals will avail themselves of it ; why some are taken and others are left, we cannot tell ; nor are we certain, that it is important for us to know. But certain it is, that no one will ac- cept of the provision which is made, without faith. But what sort of faith 1 The answer is, It is that which can speak in the first person ; that Avhich has an appropriating power ; that which can say / have sinned ; /have need of this salvation; /take it home to myself It is not enough for me to say, I believe that Christ died for others ; I must also believe that he died for me mdividually, and ac- cept of him as my Saviour. It is not meant by this, that previous to the exercise of appropriating faith, and independently of such exercise, we have a special or particular interest in Christ, separate from aiid above that of others ; and that appropri- ating faith consists in believing in this special or particular interest. An appropriating faith of this kind, and operating in this manner, might be very dangerous. It is merely meant, that out of the common interest, which is broad as the human APPROPRIATING FAITH. 59 race, we may, by means of faith, take individually that which the gospel permits us to receive and re- gard as our own ; and that we can avail ourselves of this common mterest, so as to make it personally our own, in no other way. God deals with us, (certainly for the most part,) as individuals, and not in masses. When he re- quires men to repent of sin, to exercise gratitude, to love, and the like, the requisition is obviously made upon them as individuals, as separate from and as independent of others. It is not possible to conceive of any other way, in which obedience to the requisition can be rendered. Nor is it conceiv- able that the remedial effect of the atonement should be realized in any other way than this. How is it possible, if I, in my own person, have suffered the wound of sin, that a remedy, which is general and does not admit of any specific and personal appropriation, should answer my purpose ? Furthermore, in dying for all, in other words, in furnishing a common salvation, available to all on their acceptance of the same, Christ necessarily died for me as an individual, since the common mass or race of men is made up of individuals, and since I am one of that common mass or race. And indeed we can have no idea of a community or mass of men, except as a congregation or col- lection of separate persons. In dying for the whole on certain conditions, he necessarily, therefore, on the same conditions, died for the individuals composing that whole. 60 APPROPRIATING FAITH. It would seem to follow, then, from what has been said, that the faith, which we especially need, is a personal or appropriating faith; a faith which will disintegrate us from the mass, and will enable us to take Christ home in all his offices to our own business and our own bosoms. We must be en- abled to say, if we would realize the astonishing cleansing and healing efficacy there is in the gos- pel, of God that he is my God, of the Saviour that he is MY Saviour. We must be enabled to lay hold of the blessed promises, and exclaim, these are the gift of my Father, these are the purchase of MY Savior, these are meant for me. It was thus, that patriarchs, prophets and apos- tles believed. This was the faith of those conse- crated ones, of whom the world was not worthy, recorded in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews. Hear the language of the Psalmist, as an illustra- tion of what is to be found frequently in the Scriptures. How precise, how personal, how re- mote from unmeaning generalities. "I will love thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower." And it is worthy of notice, that the first word of the Lord's prayer has this appropriating character. '•Our Father, who art in heaven." It is here, in connection with this form of faith, that we find the great and effective instrument of progress and of victory in the Interior Life. If APPROPRIATING FAITH. 61 we possess an appropriating faith, and if our faith be operative and strong as it should be, we shall not only gain the victory over the various tempta- tions which beset us in the present life, but shall find ourselves rapidly forming a new and wonder- ful acquaintance with God. In the present life a strong and operative appropriating faith is the key which unlocks the mysteries of the divine nature, and admits the soul to a present and intuitive ac- quaintance with its exceeding heights and depths of purity and love. No man, who has not this faith or has it not in a high degree, can be said to live in true union with the divine mind, with God and in God. Hence we consider it important to say distinctly, in endeavoring to sketch some of the traits and principles of the interior or hidden life, that those persons will have no true and ex- perimental knowledge of the things which we af- firm, who merely believe generically and not speci- fically ; in other words, who believe for others rath- er than themselves ; who, in the exercise of a sort of discursive faith which embraces the mass of mankind, cannot be said to possess it individually and personally, and for their own soul's good. Let us, then, begin to learn the great lesson of faith ; of faith in its general nature ; of faith in its vari- ous modifications ; and particularly the indispensa- ble lesson of appropriating faith. Well has Martin Luther somewhere remarked, that the marrow of the gospel is to be found in the pronouns meum and NOSTRUM, MY and OUR. Faith is better to us, far better, than mere Intel- 62 APPROPRIATING FAITM. lectual illumination; better than any strength of joyous emotion ; better than any thing and every thing else, except holy love, of which it is the true parent. The fallen angels, in their primitive state of holiness, had illuminations, great discoveries of God and of heavenly things, and great raptures. But when their faith failed, when they ceased to have perfect confidence in God, they fell never to rise again. Our first parents fell in the same way ; because they ceased to have confidence in God ; be- cause they ceased to believe him to be what he professed to be, and that he would do what he de- clared he would do. Their previous glorious ex- periences, their illuminations and joys, availed nothing, as soon as unbelief entered. Unbelief in them, and unbelief in their descendants, has ever been the great, the destructive sin. And faith on the other hand, an implicit confidence in God, a perfect self-abandonment into his hands, ever has been, and from the nature of the case ever must be, the fountain of all other internal good, the life of all other life in the soul. And it may be remarked here in addition to Avhat has been said, that God, in his infinite mercy, knowing the ruinous effects of unbelief, seems de- termined to try and to strengthen the belief of his people during their present state of probation. His word declares, that they must walk by faith in the present life. All his various Providences point in the same direction. He, who attempts to walk in any other way, will find himself inconsistent, changeable, subject to unsuitable elevations and de- APPROPRIATING FAITH. 63 pressions ; and in many respects falling short of what a Christian ought to be. Not that faith is the only Christian principle, or the only Christian grace. By no means. But it is the fundamental principle ; the prerequisite and preparatory element ; especially of that Love, which purifies the heart, and is the "fulfilling of the law." And to which, therefore, as another great and indispensable Chris- tian trait, which, though second in the order of na- ture, is generally considered more eminently and peculiarly characteristic of the true inward life than any other, we proceed to give a renewed attention. CHAPTER SIXTH. Of disinterested or pure Love in distinction from interested Lore. It will be recollected, that it was attempted to be shown in one of the preceding chapters, that evangelical holiness is to be regarded as the same thing with perfect love. The great commandment is: "Thou shalt love the Lord, thy God, with all thy heart, and thy neighbor as thyself." He who begins to love may be said to begin to be holy ; but it is he, and he only, in whom the principle of love has subdued that of selfishness, and who loves with his whole heart, in whom holiness can be said to be complete or entire. Faith undoubtedly, whether we consider the subject scripturally or psychologically, is the foundation of love. The views, which have been presented in the two last chapters, abundantly show, that faith is a princi- ple, antecedent to love in time, and absolutely in- dispensable. But it is love, nevertheless, to which God has assigned the high honor of declaring it to be "the fulfilling of the law." So that the great question, that in comparison with which every oth- er is of small importance, %yhether we are wholly OF DISINTERESTED OR PURE LOVE. 65 the Lord's and are truly holy, may be resolved in- to another, viz. whether we arc perfected in love? But we proceed to remark here, in this position of our inquiries, that there are various kinds of love. There are not only differences in degree, which separate perfect love from all the weaker or inferior gradations ; but what is of vital impor- tance, it is generally understood that there are dif- ferences also in nature. For instance, we may love another merely for the benefits which he has con- ferred upon us ; or we may love him for what he is IN AND OF HIMSELF. It is the latter only, which is to be regarded as pure love, disinterested love. It is our object to show in this chapter, that we must not only love God in the highest degree ; but with that sort of love, which is in its nature pure or dis- interested. (1.) — In the first place, we are required to do this on natural principles. Nature herself, — in oth- er words, the common feeling and common sense of mankind — teaches us what true love is, in dis- tinction from interested or merely selfish love. If we profess to love a person, it is the common and natural understanding in the case, that we ])rofess to love him as he is ; in other words, we love him for what he is in and of himself; and not merely or chiefly for the benefits which he may have con- ferred upon us. The . principles of the philosophy of the mind, which are drawn chiefly from an ob- servation of the feelings and conduct of men, do not appear to recognize any other true love than this. If my neighbor, for instance, declares that 6* 65 OF DISINTERESTED OR PURE LOVE. he loves me I accept his declaration and rejoice in it; but if I afterwards learn, that he loves me mere- ly in consequence of some benefits I have conferred upon him, I can truly say to him, he is mistaken in the whole matter ; and that he loves himself and not me. It seems to be self- evident, that all true love must terminate in the object that is beloved ; and not in the person that exercises love. And accordingly true love is never egotistical. In other words it shows no disposition to revert continually to itself; and to revolve around its own centre of origin. On the contrary, true or pure love, in dis- tinction from that which is self-interested, is diffu- sive, generous, and self-forgetting. It expatriates it- self, as it were ; flying on its beautiful wings from its own heart to find a home in the heart of another. And it is accordingly with such love, a love which lives for another and not for itself, a love devoid of any debasing and inferior mixture, that we ought to love God. (2) — In the second place, while men are evident- ly able to make the distinction between these differ- ent kinds or forms of love, it is apparent also, that they respect and honor disinterested love; while they have neither admiration nor esteem, for that form of love which is based upon personal interest merely. Some ancient heathen writers, Cicero in his treatise De Amicitia, and Plato in particular, in various pla- ces of his writings, speak in the highest terms of that friendship or afiection, which is disinterested. Pla- to advances the sentiment, that the most divine trait in man's nature, and that, without which he can- OF DISINTERESTED OR PURE LOVE. 67 not be happy, is, "to deny and go out of himself for love," Hence it is, that ancient writers bestow such high commendation upon the friendship of Py- thias and Damon, who lived under the tyrant Dio- nysius, and were willing to die for each other. Each of them seemed willing to forget, and, as it were, to extinguish himself, in order that the other might live and be happy . This was true love. And men are so constituted, that such love always commands their regard and honor. They instinc- tively perceive, that it has in itself a divine element, which necessarily allies it to the highest and pur- est form of existence, whatever it may be ; and that it is morally beautiful and ever must be so, in its own underived lustre. And accordingly they speak of it at their firesides ; they crown it with historic encomiums ; they sing its praises in poetry ; while all other love, as existing between man and man, they despise and trample under their feet. And is it reasonable to suppose, that a love, which men them- selves, darkened as they are in their natural percep- tions, instinctively condemn and reject, will be acceptable to God 1 (3) — In the third place, the character of God is so pure, so exalted, that the claims of right and jus- tice cannot be satisfied with any homage which it may receive, short of pure, disinterested love. God contains in himself the sum of all conceivable ex- cellence. If there is any being who is to be loved for himself, because he contains in himself every thing that is lovely, it is God. If human beings reject, with an instinctive contempt, any love 68 OF DISINTERESTED OR PURE LOVE. which is found to be based upon selfish considera- tions, how can God, who has so much higher claims, receive it 1 Upon this point all language fails. The tongues of angels cannot describe the divine excellence. It is because God is what He is, and will continue to be what He has been, that He is the true and only proper object of the heart's highest homage. The divine character stands forth, in the view of the universe, as the natural, the appropriate, and ever sufficient object of pure love. But the question may be asked here with some degree of force. Is not God's benevolence towards ourselves to be taken into view, and to have some effect upon our feelings? Undoubtedly it is. We shall love God, if we fulfill the divine requisition in its entire extent, as he is, and not otherwise than he is. And this implies, that we are to take into view every part of his character and of his acts. It is true, it is impossible to love him with that kind of love which is called pure love, for the sim- ple and exclusive reason, that he has been good to us. Pure love, which does not confine itself to any personal or interested view of things, necessarily requires a wider basis of movement than this. But we love him with entire purity of love, because, while He has been good to us. He has sustained, in every other respect, the perfection of his charac- ter and acts. In other words, there has been a diffusion of truth, purity, and righteousness over his whole character and administration ; including what he has done for ourselves as well as his acts OF DISINTERESTED OB PURE LOVE. 69 in other respects. And it is his character and acts, as thus presented in their entireness, and not in par- tial ghmpses, which command the homage of pure love. (4.) — In the fourth place, the Scriptures require us to love God with disinterested or pure love. We say nothing here of the great command, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart ; which evidently implies the dethronement and ex- clusion of selfishness. There are various other passages of Scripture, which, if we rightly under- stand them, evidently look to this result, viz. that we should love Him for what he is in and of him- self, independently of our own private interests. Accordingly it is said in Luke, chap. 14:26; "If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple." And again in the same chapter, "So likewise, whosoever he be of you, that forsaketh NOT ALL THAT HE HATH, he cauuot be my disciple." And again it is said in another place, " Love your enemies ; bless them that curse you ; do good to them that hate you." And perhaps still more di- rectly and appositely to the subject under consider- ation, the inquiry is made in another passage, "If ye love them, which love you, what thanks have ye? for sinners also love those, that love them. And if ye do good to them, who do good to you, what thanks have ye 1 for sinners also do even the same." These are the declarations and precepts of the Savior himself. There are many others ve- 70 OF DISINTERESTED OR PURE LOVE. ry similar, to be found in different parts of the Word of God. As when, for instance, the Apostle John says, " Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, tlie love of the Father is not in him.'^ How true it is, then, that charity, or the genuine love of God and our neighbor, "seeketh not her own." And how ap- propriate the direction, "Look not every man on his own things ; but every man also on the things of others." — We have only to add, that passages, such as have now been referred to, evidently strike at the existence of that form of love, if such it can be called, which proposes to build itself on person^ al or selfish considerations. But what shall be done, it will perhaps be said here, with that passage of Scripture, 2d John, 4: 19, which asserts, "We love God, because He first loved us." The difficulty here, as it seems to us, is easily explicable. We admit, that, in our pres- ent condition, we never should have loved God, if his love to us had not been antecedent. He formed the plan of salvation ; He sent his beloved Son to make an atonement for our sins ; He commissioned the Holy Spirit to open the eyes of our understand- ings, and to enable us to contemplate his glory. In a word, he has put us into a situation, utterly unattainable by our own unaided efibrts, in which we can truly estimate his character in its whole extent of glory, not only as possessed of infinite mercy, but of infinite justice. It is in view of such proceedures of the divine administration, that we can truly say," we love God, because He first OF DISINTERESTED OR PURE LOV£. 71 loved us." And at the same time can say with equal truth, and in a still more important and es- sential sense, we love Him for what He is in and of himself. His previous love to us, without which we never should have exercised any love towards Him of any kind whatever, has opened the way for the exercise on our part of that pure and holy love, which alone can be truly acceptable. (5.) — We remark further, that the nature of the human mind is such, being limited and dependent, that it evidently requires an adequate centre of love, on which it can rest. No being, that is weak and dependent, and is conscious, as man is, of this weakness and dependence, can find a safe and sat- isfactory centre in itself Accordingly the man, whose love reverts Avholly or chiefly to himself, is always found to be more or less anxious and un- happ3^ And if our love fixes upon any being out of ourselves, but short of God and to the exclusion of God, it soon finds a weakness there, and becomes uneasy; and has a sort of instinctive consciousness, that the true centre is not yet found. Hence if our souls would find rest, they can find it only by an alienation of self and of all subordinate creatures, and by union with God. And what has now been said is not only obvious in itself, but it is believed, it will be found to be confirmed by the testimony of those, who have made the greatest advance- ment in holiness. In the transition they have passed through from the natural life to the true life of God in the soul, they have attached themselves, as it was perhaps natural they should do, to various 72 OF DISINTERESTED OR PURE LOVE. inferior objects, to outward forms, to ministers, to church organization and ceremonies, to christian friends ; and have endeavored for a time to find a rest of soul in these inferior things. But it has al- ways eluded them. They have felt the foundation shake. They have realized an inward disquietude and weakness, till, leaving every thing else, how- ever desirable in many respects and for many pur- poses it might be, they have reached the strong rock of salvation in God alone. Finally, it is the nature of true love to react up- on and to expand itself. It is satisfied with noth- ing but constant increase. It ever desires to love more ; and is ever enlarging its own capability of loving. It can, therefore, rest firmly and quietly, and with entire satisfaction, only in an object which has capacity and fullness enough to meet this tendency. As in God there is not only infini- ty of being but infinite loveliness, so the principle of love in men, though it should expand and in- crease itself through all eternity, will find in Him all its wants supplied. No other object can supply them ; and it seeks no other. But in God it finds all that it needs. It has a home there, like no oth- er home. It has no fear of failure in the beloved object ; it has no desire of change. It exults tri- umphantly, and with ever increasing exultation, in the midst of the glories of the Infinite Mind. This is the true point of rest; the soul's eternal rock; the everlasting centre ; and it can be no Avhere else. In connection with what has been said, we make a few remarks further, naturally flowing out OF DISINTERESTED OR PURE LOVE. 73 of the subject. And, in the first place, we observe^ it is a bad sign, when Christians are thinking more of themselves than of God ; in other words, when they are more taken up with their own joys and sorrows, than they are with God's will. When this is ihe case, they have not as yet learnt the great lesson of self-crucifixion ; of doing and suf- fering the will of another. "The cup which my father giveth me shall I not drink it ? " These are the words of the Savior ; and they convey deep and precious meaning. When we are fully deliv- ered from the influence of selfish considerations, and have become conformed to the desires and pur- poses of the Infinite Mind, we shall drink the cup, and drink it cheerfully, whatever it may be. In a word, we shall necessarily be submissive and hap- py in all trials, and in every change and diversity of situation. Not because we are seeking happi- ness as a distinct object, or thinking of happiness as a distinct object, but because the glorious will of Him whom our soul loves supremely, is accom- plished in us. To the purified mind, the sorrows and joys of this life, when contemplated in the light of God's providences, are alike. Whatever God sends is welcome to it. Hence we say, it shows a state of mind short of evangelical perfection, when we think more of ourselves than we do of God, and more of our own happiness than we do of the divine glory. We remark, in the second place, that in the doc- trine of pure love, existing in the highest degree, we find the true basis of Christian harmony. There 7 74 Of DISINTERESTED OR PURE LOVE. never can be harmony among Christians without some common centre of attraction. Without such a centre their principles of movement will vary, and they will be exposed to perpetual conflicts. What a delightful prospect would be presented, if all Christians could meet in this great centre! W^hat unity of purpose ! What mingling of affec- tion ! It is party and selfish interests which divide. A common interest unites. God, being loved with perfect love, and for his own sake, makes all hearts one. It is then, that we all drink, and are all nour- ished, at the same fountain. We unite in him and rejoice in him, as a principle of life-giving inspira- tion, having a common and universal efficacy, op- erating as the soul of each separate soul and the life of each separate life, and thus making what was before separate and self-interested but one life and one soul in himself We observe again, that we find in this doctrine the true principle, not only of union among Cliris- tians in this life, but of the permanent moral har- mony of the universe. The universe must have a centre. And it has. And that centre is God. But there cannot be universal harmony, notwithstand- ing, unless all hearts are drawn to that centre, as the supreme object of attraction and delight. This simple principle of pure love, always terminating in God as its centre, and as its supreme object, ex- cludes every jarring sound, and establishes univer- sal concord. And as it is exercised without dis- trust and without fear, attaching itself to an object whose perfections never change, it naturally brings OF DISINTERESTED OR PURE LOVE. / iJ substantial joy ; joy full as its fountain, which is God, and lasting as his existence, which is eter- nity. Finally, in the opposite of pure love, that is to say, in selfishness, as it developes itself in a future life, we find the great principle of moral discord, and also that, which constitutes the essential basis of the misery of hell. The misery of hell is not an accident ; but just to the extent it is experienced at all, it is a permanent and necessary truth. Like everything else it has its philosophy. Its leading element is love, terminating in self as the supreme object; in other words, it is supreme selfishness. This principle, wherever it exists and wherever it is transferred, necessarily carries with it the grand element of the world of woe. A being, who is su- premely selfish, is necessarily miserable. The re- sult does not depend upon choice or volition, but upon the nature of things. Instead of the principle of unity, which tends to oneness of purpose with other beings, and naturally leads to happiness, he has within him the principle of exclusion and of eter- nal separation. In its ultimate operation, if it is per- mitted permanently to exist, it necessarily drives him from every thing else, and wedges him closer and closer in the compressed circumference of his own personality. So that he is not only at vari- ance with God and with all holy beings ; but he is not at unity even with the devils themselves. The principle of love, terminating in self as the supreme object and exclusive of other objects, in other words, supreme selfishness, makes him at war 76 OF DISINTERESTED OR PURE LOVE. with all other beings ; and it is impossible for him to be happy but in their destruction, which is also an impossibility. This is the true hell and ever- lasting fire. " Oh Love ! I languish at thy stay ! " I pine for thee with lingering smart ! " "Weary and faint through long delay ; " When wilt thou come into my heart ? " From sin and sorrow set me free, " And swallow up my soul in thee ! " Come, Oh my comfort and delight ! " My strength and health, my shield and sun, ' " My boast, and confidence, and might, " My joy, my glory, and my crown ; " My Gospel hope, my calling's prize j " My tree of life, my paradise. CHAPTER SEVENTH. On the Love of our Neighbor and of ourselves. We proceed now to the consideration of a sub- ject, naturally flowing out of that of the foregoing Chapter, viz. that of love to our neighbor, and of created and inferior beings in general. And the first proposition, which we lay down is this. If our love to God be disinterested and pure, and at the same time exist in a degree suitable to the ob- ject, viz. in the highest degree, then all other love, and the love of all other creatures will be entirely subordinate to this, and will exist only in relation to it. If we possess pure and perfect love to God, we shall perfectly sympathize with Him in his love towards whatever He has made; and shall, ac- cording to our capacity, love just as He does. Our love will naturally, and perhaps we may say of necessity, flow in the same channel. And whatev- er things He takes an interest in, whether material or immaterial, whether of greater or less conse- quence, will possess precisely the same interest for us, so far as we possess an equal knowledge of their nature and an equal capacity of love. The devout recollection of the great Architect will iin^ 7S ON THE LOVE OF OUR NEIGHDOR part a degree of sacredness and value to whatever is the work of his hands. In his woods, his rivers, his mountains, his burnished sky and his boundless ocean, we shall see the indistinct reflection of him- self, and join to our perception of beauty in the ob- ject a still higher admiration of the wisdom and goodness of its Maker. We shall recognize in the birds of the air, in the cattle of the verdant hills, and even in the heedless insect that hums around our path, the agency of Him, who doeth all things well. And we shall feel here, as in other things, that we can never be indifferent to any thing, which our Heavenly Father has made and takes an interest in. As we rise in the scale of beings to those, which have a rational and moral nature, to those, who are kindred in race and are perhaps kindred by the nearer relationship of family ties, we shall experi- ence the exercise of love on the same principle. We do not deny, that we shall be susceptible of a natural love. We know that we shall be. But what we mean to say is, that our love, whether purely natural and founded on the relations we sustain to the object, or whether an acquired love and resting wholly upon the deliberate perception of its amiable qualities, will be perfectly subordi- nate to the love of God and will be regulated by it. It would perhaps be a concise expression of the fact to say, whatever specific modifications our love may assume under the operation of natural causes, that we shall love all things in and for God. And if we are required in the first instance to love God AND OF OURSELVES. 79 with ALL our heart, it does not clearly appear when we fulfill the divine requisition, how we can love our neighbor or any thing else in any other way than this. "But what is," says a certain writer, "loving any creature only in and for God? It is when we love it only, as it is God's work, image, and delight] when we love it merely as it is God's, and belongs to Him. This is loving it in God. And when all that we wish, intend, or do to it, is done from a love of God, for the honor of God, and in conformity to the will of God. This is loving it ^for God. This is the ONE LOVE, that is, and must be the spirit of all crea- tures, that live united to God. Now this is no spec- ulative refinement or fine spun fiction of the brain ; but the simple truth, a first law of nature, and a necessary bond of union between God and the crea- ture. The creature is not in God, is a stranger to him, has lost the life of God in itself, whenever its love does not thus begin and end in God." * And in this way, under the great law of supreme love to God, we may not only love, as we ought to, our friends, our relatives, and our fellow men uni- versally ; but, under the same law and in the same manner, we may love ourselves, and may love and seek our own happiness. God is willing that we should. He has made us so that we cannot do oth- erwise. He requires us to do it. But what is our happiness? It is to love God with all our heart, and to hold all other love in subordination ; or what seems to be the same thing, to love God supremely, and to exercise and measure all other love with a * Law's Spirit of Prayer, Ft. I. Ch. II. 80 ON THE LOVE OF OUR NEIGHBOR reference to that supreme and perfect standard of measurement. It is to feel the full power of that divine attraction, which silently draws us from the circumference to the centre ; it is to experience the restoration of the broken bond of union with the Di- vine Mind ; to be lost, as it were, in the great ocean of the infinite fullness. In other words, our happi- ness is to renounce ourselves entirely, in order that God, in whom alone is all goodness, may resume that throne in the heart, from which He has been banished. And accordingly we love ourselves and our own happiness, even our frail bodies as well as our immortal souls, because God made us ; because He takes care of us and desires our happiness and recognizes the propriety of our exercising the same desire: because He has designed us,under the opera- tions of his grace, to be mirrors of his own image and the temples of the Holy Ghost ; and not because we have a desire, or could for a moment have a desire, a purpose, or a love adverse to, or even not coincident with his. So that all subordinate love of his creatures, whether it have relation to our- selves or others, may truly and properly resolve it- self into the love of God. (I.) — In connection with what has been said, we may properly make one or two remarks. The first is, that this doctrine makes the exercise of love to our neighbors, in the same degree in which we love ourselves, an easy thing. We love ourselves, only as we love God. In other words, if we love God with perfect love, the love of ourselves will be sub- ordinated and restricted by the controlling desire, AND OF OURSELVES. 81 THAT God may be glorified in us. We can seek nothing, desire nothing, love nothing for ourselves, but what is subordinate to and has a tendency to God's glory. So that the love of self, whatever it may be, is merged and purified in the encircling and absorbing love of God. The love of our neigh- bor is properly measured, on the principles of the Scriptures, by the love of ourselves. And as we can love ourselves only in subordination to God's will and glory ; so we can love our neighbor only in the same manner and the same degree. In oth- er words, both the love of ourselves and of our neighbor are only rills and drops from the mighty waters of love to God. And on the supposition, that we are filled with the love of God, the love of our neighbor flows out from the great fountain of divine love, in the various channels and in the de- gree which God chooses, as easily and as natural- ly, as a stream flows from its lake in the moun- tains over the meadows and valleys below. There is no need of effort. Only let God in his provi- dence furnish the occasion; and in a moment the heart will open, and the streams will gush out. Hence the remarks, which are found in various pla- ces of the writings of Augustine, Thauler, and Fenelon to this effect, (and some eminent theologi- ans of this country appear decidedly to favor this view,) that the love of God is capable of animating and regulating all those affections, which we owe to his creatures ; that the true manner of loving our neighbor, is to love him in and for God ; and 82 ON THE LOVE OF OUR NEIGHBOR that we never love him so purely and so much, as when we love him in this way. (2.) — We observe further, that the love of our neighbor, flowing from this divine source, and equaUing in degree the love of ourselves, meets and adapts itself, with a wonderful flexibility, to all the ordinary occasions and demands of life. It leads us to the humble residences of the poor, and the chambers of the sick. And while it sympa- thizes in the sufferings, it also rejoices in the con- solations of others, just as it would in its own, "Such souls," says Fenelon, "as are really de- tached from themselves, like the saints in heaven, regard the mercies distributed to others, with the same complacency as those they receive them- selves ; for, esteeming themselves as nothing, they love the good pleasure of God, the riches of his grace, and the glory He derives from the sanclifi- cation of others, as much as that which He derives from them. All is then equal, for the personal self or ME is lost. The me is no more me, [that is, rela- tively to the exercise of the affections on their ap- propriate occasions,] than another person. It is God alone, that is all in all. It is God, whom they love and admire ; and who, in the exercise of this disinterested or pure love, causes all the joy of their hearts." (3.) We remark again, that, on the principles which have been laid down, we see how we may fulfill the command of our Savior to love our ene- mies, to bless them that curse us, and to do good to them that hate and persecute us. Instead of AND OF OURSELVES. 83 being a very difficult thing as is commonly sup- posed, and as it would undoubtedly be on natural principles, it becomes easy, because, in the lan- guage of Francis De Sales, " We cannot love God as we ought, without adopting his sentiments and LOVING WHAT He LOVES." Now wc kuow that God loves those Avho do not love Him. He loved us, even when we were his enemies. He so loved a rebellious and disobedient world, as to give his Son to die for it. And if we are in the same spirit, lov- ing only what He loves and hating what He hates, we shall find no difficulty in loving our enemies, and in praying for those who " despitefully entreat us," No matter how unlovely they may be in them- selves, no matter how cruel and unjust their treat- ment may be to us, the consideration, that our Heavenly Father loves them and requires us to love them, lays all things even, and opens the full channels of the heart, as if there were no obstacles existing. Finally, Avhen we love our fellow-men in this way, we love with a perseverance and constancy, which could not be realized under other circum- stances. Our love is not subject to those breaks and variations, which characterize it when it is based upon the uncertainties of the creature, instead of the immutability of the divine will . On the con- trary, it continually flows on and flows on, wheth- er it meets with any favorable return or not, par- taking in no small measure, of the unchangeable- ness of the divine nature. CHAPTER EIGHTH. On the Distinction between love and joy. It would seem from the views, which have been taken, that perfect love is to be regarded, on the principles of the Gospel, as essentially the same thing, or rather as precisely the same thing with sANCTiFicATioN or HOLINESS. Certain it is, that those, who are perfected in love, whatever may be their infirmities and errors, and however important and proper it may be for them to make constant ap- plication to the blood of the atonement both for the forgiveness of the infirmities of the present and of tlie infirmities and transgressions of the past, are spoken of and are treated in the New Testament, as accepted, sanctified, or holy persons. Those, therefore, who are truly and without any self inter- ested reflections seeking perfection of love, may very properly be considered as seeking holiness. But it is proper to say here, that some degree of ob- servation and inquiry hac given occasion to the re* mark, that some persons, who are truly seeking the sanctifying power of assured faith and perfect- ed love, and who suppose that they are seeking it in the right way, have nevertheless committed the ON THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN LOVE AND JOY. 85 dangerous error of confounding joy with love ; and are in fact, without being fully aware of it, seek- ing after a state of highly joyful and rapturous ex- citement, instead of true love. It is to some mis- take of this kind that the pious Lady Maxwell probably has reference, when she says, "The Lord has taught me, that it is by faith, and not joy I must live." It seems tome, therefore, important, in order to understand the true foundation of the christian life, to draw the distinction between joy and love. This is the object of the present chap- ter. (1 .) — In endeavoring to point out the distinction between joy and love, which, it must be admitted, cannot be satisfactorily done without careful con- sideration, we proceed to remark in the first place, that the distinction is very properly made in philo- sophical writers between Emotions and Desires ; and that joy is to be regarded as an emotion, rath- er than a desire. Regarded as an emotive state of the mind, joy, like the emotions generally, natur- ally terminates in itself That is to say, a person may be the subject of highly raised joyful emotions, and at the same time may remain inactive. He may be wholly occupied with the extatic movement of his own feelings, and be destitute of thought, feeling, and action for others. — But the leading characteristic of love, that in particular which dis- tinguishes it from mere joy, is the element of desire. It is the nature of love, as it is the nature of every thing else of which de'sire is the prominent element, not to stop or terminate in itself : but to lead to 86 ON THE DISTINCTION something else. And, furthermore, love, like oth- er benevolent affections, is not only active in rela- tion to others ; but is active for the good of others. We have here, therefore, an important ground of distinction. If Christians were filled with joyful feelings merely, they might, being destitute of oth- er principles of action, remain slothful at their own firesides, and see the world perish in their sins. But love, on the contrary, is sweetly and powerful- ly impulsive ; and constrains us, especially if it be strong, to do good in every possible way to our fellow men. And hence the expression of the Apostle, "the love of Christ constraineth us." (2.) — In the second place, joy may be founded on selfish considerations. But love, certainly that which God recognizes and requires, that disinter- ested or pure love of which we have already given some account, is always benevolent. It is some- times the case, in consequence of a wrong position of our minds, that we may even rejoice in the evil or suffering of others. We may be very well pleas- ed, very happy, when we see them perplexed, mis- represented, and injured. But it does not appear, how we can at such times be said to love them. Joy, therefore, may go where love will not follow. Joy may have a field of action which love has not. Accordingly we can conceive of the devils rejoic- ing. They may rejoice, and undoubtedly do re- joice in the misery of each other. It is their nature. Evil is their good. But we cannot conceive how they can love. * (3.) — We may remark, in the third place, that BETWEEN LOVE AND JOY. 87 in love there is always something elevating, enno- bling, and purifying to the soul. It is the great source and fountain of generous and exalted ac- tions. It is the secret and powerful spring of re- ligious magnanimity, of holy heroism. But the tendency of joy is, in itself considered and inde- pendently of other principles, to create in the mind a species of spiritual sensuality. It leads the soul, (at least such is its tendency, unless accompanied by other principles,) to sit quietly and inactively in the easy chair of its own gratification. It thinks too much of itself, to have the power of thinking much of others. Its tendency, therefore, in itself considered and independently of other principles of action, is to turn the mind off from the highest good. It may even have the effect, (and it is be- lieved that the experience of some Christians on this point Avill confirm the statement,) to remove the mind, in some degree, from God himself, and from Christ, and from the Holy Ghost, upon whom it ought always to rest. And this, certainly, is a result which is greatly to be deplored. (4.) — It will be recollected, in the fourth place, that a leading characteristic of love, as already has been remarked, is desire ; a state of mind, which may very properly be distinguished from an emo- tion. Accordingly we can never love an object, without desiring the good of that object. In the exercise of love we carefully notice those occasions, on which we may have it in our power to promote the good or happiness of the beloved object ; and are faithful to improve them. When our love is 88 ON THE DISTINCTION decided and strong, we are oftentimes much more solicitous to secure the welfare and happiness of the beloved person than our own. The state of mind, as already intimated, is not quiescent, but impulsive ; it impels to action ; and not to selfish, but benevolent action. Observe the love of a pa- rent to a child. Perhaps the child may be deform- ed in body or mind, or both. There may be noth- ing especially attractive either in its person, con- duct, or prospects. And yet the heart of the pa- rent constantly goes out towards the child in acts of kindness. And the same may be observed, in a multitude of cases, on the part of the child towards the parent. Some parents are brutish and cruel in their conduct; their hearts are hardened, perhaps by intemperance ; their natural aifections are thus blunted ; but their children, notwithstanding this, love them, watch over them, and do a multitude of acts, which could result only from love. It is in accordance with these views, that we find mention in Scripture of those who received the word of God with joy ; and yet soon withered away. And why 1 Because, with all their joy, they had not the abid- ing root of LOVE. They were the subjects of a tem- porary pleasurable excitement ; but had never ex- perienced a new direction and bent of the heart. True love, clinging to the object of the affections, is permanent ; joy is often evanescent. (5.) — We remark further, as a natural conse- quence of what has been said, that the love of God, as it exists in the minds of those who are his devoted followers, always inquires after his will. BETWEEN LOVE AND JOY. 89 It does not ask after ease, pleasure, reward ; nor, on the other hand, does it ask after trial, suffering, and contempt; it merely asks after the Father's will. Its language is that of the Savior, when he says, " Lo, I come to do thy will, O GodJ^ And as in common life we think much of a person that is beloved, and desire his favor and approbation ; so in regard to God, if we truly love him, he will be very much in our thoughts, and his approbation and favor will be to us of great price. If he is the highest object of our love, we shall desire no high- er happiness than that of constant communion with him, and of being always united to him by one- ness of will. Thus we may be said to be in him, and he in us; and that eternal rest of the soul, which constitutes the true heaven, will be com- menced here. Then we shall have the true joy, calm, deep, unchangeable. Love goes before ; joy comes after. Love is the principle of action ; joy is the reward. In the spiritual tree of life, love is the nutritive sap, the permeating and invigorating power, that flows through the body and the soul of man ; joy is one of its beautiful fruits and flow- ers. If, therefore, love is strong, joy will never fail us. But, on the other hand, if love is wanting, there can be no joy, except that joy of the world, which worketh death. In view of what has been said, one or two re- marks may be made. And the first is, if we are truly sanctified to the Lord, in other words, if we love God with all our hearts, our course as Chris- tians will be a consistent and stable one. Our rule 90 ON THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN LOVE AND JOY. of action will be the will of God ; our principle of action will be the love of God. And as the will of God is fixed, and is made known to us in various ways, especially in his holy Word, we shall endeavor to fulfill it at all times humbly and faithfully, with- out regard to those temporary and changing feel- ings which too often perplex the religious life. It may be remarked further, in conclusion, that in the state of mind which has been spoken of, we shall not fail of any consolation which is needful for us. It belongs to the very nature of desire, that, when the desire is gratified, we are more or less happy. Accordingly in exercising love to God, the leading element of which is desire, and in doing and suffering his holy will, in accordance with such desire, we cannot be otherwise than happy in a con- siderable degree. If we seek joy or happiness as an ultimate object, we cannot fail, on religious princi- ples, to miss of it. If, under the promptings of love, we seek merely to do and suffer the will of God, we shall certainly, except in those cases, where God, by a special act of sovereignty, withdraws consolation in order to try ourjaith, possess all that consolation, which will be needful. And in the case which has just been mentioned, if our faith, still trusting in the beloved object, sustains the terrible shock of apparent desertion, (as when our Savior exclaimed, "My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me ? ")we shall soon find abun- dant consolation returning. CHAPTER NINTH. On the distinction between natural and spiritual Joy. We have endeavoured in the preceding chapter to point out the distinction between love and joy ; a distinction, not very obvious at first sight, but which really exists and is important to be made. But it is proper to add here, that the views of the chapter may be somewhat aided, and perhaps modified in their practical application, in connection with a distinction, which yet remains to be made, and which may very properly be made, between NATURAL joy and spiritual joy. It is true, that gracious or spiritual joy is not to be confounded with Love, any more than natural joy is. In both cases, the distinction between love and joy is a real and permanent one. But then there remains the additional view, which will help to throw further light upon the subject before us, that gracious or holy joy differs, in some of its aspects, from natu- ral joy. We proceed, then, to remark, in the first place, that natural joy and spiritual joy are difierent in their origin. Natural joy, which is sometimes de- nominated "the joy of the world", arises from nat- 92 ON THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN ural causes; from physical or worldly good; from health, property, worldly influence, the indulgences of sense ; from such causes, in a word, as we might suppose to exist and to produce joy within us, if we had no perception of a God and no knowledge of religion. Spiritual or gracious joy, which is spiritual or gracious in its origin, arises from the knowledge of spiritual objects, from the discharge of spiritual or religious duties, and from the inspiring agency of the Holy Ghost. And hence it is sometimes de- nominated the "joy of the Holy Ghost." (2.) — Again, natural joy, arising from natural principles, and unchecked and unregulated by gracious influences, has oftentimes a very powerful effect upon the physical system. And it is possi- ble and even probable, that this may sometimes be the case with true spiritual or gracious joy ; espe- cially when the emotion is strong and immediately successive to a painfully depressed and suffering state of mind. And it is not unreasonable to sup- pose, that, in some cases, when powerful physical results are found to exist, that there may be a union or combination of natural and gracious emo- tion. But it is nevertheless true, that the natural tendency of spiritual joy, in itself considered, and independently of any peculiar circumstances, is, in a remarkable degree, and much more so than that of mere natural joy, to produce a tranquilizing effect upon the mind and through the mind upon the physical system, and to promote soundness and regularity of action in both. (3.) — We observe, in the third place, that there NATURAL AND SPIRITUAL JOY. 93 is a tendency in natural joy, especially when it is strong, to perplex the action of the perceptive and discriminating or judging powers. This is true of the natural emotions generally, when they are in an excited state. Any considerable agitation in that portion of our sensitive nature, which is termed the Emotions, is commonly understood to ^be unfa- vorable to correct perception and judgment. A man, for instance, who is agitated with emotions of displeasure, of jealousy, or of fear, will find it difficult, while remaining in such state of agitation, to go through successfully with an intricate train of mathematical or other reasoning. And the re- sult will be the same, if he is considerably agitated with emotions of natural pleasure or joy. But true spiritual joy, when undisturbed by imfavorable in- fluences from the physical system and unmixed with natural joy, leaves the mind tranquil, and the perceptive and discriminating faculties clear and eflTective in the highest degree. And these views seem to be confirmed by a consideration of the state of holy beings. All holy beings, there can be no doubt, experience true joy of heart ; but in our re- flections on their mental character and operations, it is certain, that we never conceive of them as having their minds clouded and their perceptive powers blunted by excessive emotion. The natu- ral feelings, which are regulated with difliculty, continually run into excess ; but this is never the case with those truly religious or gracious feelings, which are really inspired by the Holy Ghost. And, tlierefore, when it said of the disciples on a certain 94 ON THE DISTINCTIOiM BETWEEN occasion, (Luke 24 : 41,) that they ''believed not for JOY," it is probable, that they experienced an excitement and confusion of mind, resulting from a mixture of natural joy with emotions of an holy kind. (4.) — It remains to be remarked further, that natural joy is often attended with certain inciden- tal evils, which are not likely to exist in connection with gracious or holy joy ; such as an undue hilar- ity of spirit, a sort of unreflecting and too youthful levity and flightiness of thought and manner, un- suitable to our age or our situation in life; what George Fox, in speaking of some Christians in his day, expressively describes, as " being up in the airy MIND." On the other hand, holy joy, when it is free from any mixture and perversion of natural joy, is deliberately and deeply serious. When nat- ural joy is superadded or is superinduced upon a truly spiritual or gracious experience, and gives a character to our actions, it is possible, that there may be sometimes results bordering upon those airy and flighty manifestations, which have been mentioned ; but whenever this is the case, it is cer- tain, that these results do not flow from any state of mind, which is truly the work of the Holy Spir- it. Religious or sanctified joy, always bearing the stamp of deliberation and wisdom, always in keep- ing with that seriousness which naturally flows out of the truths and the responsibilities of religion, is entirely suited to the objects and occasions, on which it arises ; so as to leave in the mind both the appearance and the fact of perfect tranquillity ; Natural and spiritual joV. 95 such as there is in God himself, who may be said to be always happy, always joyful, and yet to be always serious and unalterably tranquil. This joy seems to me to be often expressed in the Scriptures by the word peace ; and is probably the precise state of mind, the delightful legacy of all true Christians, which the Savior had in view, when he said to his disciples, "peace I leave with you ; MY peace I give unto you." Such a joy may be strong. In the language of scripture, it may be *' unspeakable and full of glory." But it is always calm and peaceful ; and in this respect is entirely different from that excited and unprofitable intoxi- cation of spirit, which is sometimes found to be ex- perienced, and which so possesses and agitates the mind, that the will of God and our duty cannot be clearly perceived. Finally, holy joy, being founded in the percep- tion of the character, attributes, and will of God, is not necessarily liable to changes. He, who rejoices in God to-day, having a correct view of his char- acter and will, will never find reason to do other- wise than rejoice in that character and will, in all coming time. And simply because Godj in his character and his will, is always the same. In all afiiictions and trials of whatever nature, there will still remain the basis of a serene and pure joy in the depths of the heart. But natural joy,being found- ed upon natural objects, which are frail, uncertain, and full of imperfection, necessarily partakes of the uncertainty and imperfect nature of its causes. And hence it is said in the portion of Scripture al- fi 96 ON THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN ready referred to. "They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy, [that is with natural joy.] And these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation, fall away." So that holy or spiritual joy may be compared to the sun, which always shines with its pure and beautiful light, even when wrapped in clouds ; but natural joy is like a meteor, gleaming for a moment and then extinguished; rekindled again after a time, but destined soon and suddenly to sink in still greater darkness. In connection with the marks, which thus sepa- rate natural from spiritual joy, we observe, in con- clusion, that spiritual joy, being a truly Christian grace, is exceedingly valuable and desirable. And truly blessed is he, who possesses that state of mind, which is properly called "joy in the Holy Ghost." It is true it is a grace, both subsequent in time and inferior in rank to love, which ought to be sought first as the reigning and controlling principle of the soul. But, it is, nevertheless, in its appropriate time and place,one of the precious gifts and graces of God. And hence theTVarious expressions and commands, having a relation to this cheering state of mind, which are found in the Bible. "Rejoice in (he Lord, O ye righteous ; for praise is comely for the up- right." Ps. 33; 1. "But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings ; that when his glo- ry shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with ex- ceeding joy." First Peter, 4: 13. "These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full." John, 15; NATURAL AND SPIRITUAL JOY. 97 11. " Rejoice evermore ; pray without ceasing ; in every thing give thanks ; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." 1st Thess. 5 ; 16, 17,18. Illastration of the subject from personal experience. [In the following extract from the personal experience of a pious person of the Baptist church, now no longer living, the read- er will notice an exemplification of that tendency to seek for joy- ous emotion, which is so common and oftentimes so injurious.] " I trust I was enabled deliberately, not only in view of sickness and death, but of life and health, to make an unreserved consecration of my all to Christ, and to feel that in whatever situation I might be, holiness to the Lord must henceforth be my motto. I could now yield myself a willing subject to the sanctifying grace of God, beheving he would work in me according to the good pleas- ure of his will. Soon a heavenly calm possessed my mind, a sense of the divine glory surrounded me, and my whole soul seemed in sweet harmony with the holiness of God. There were no rapturous emotions, but I felt " The sacred awe that dares not move, And all the silent heaven of love." How easy now seemed the divine requirement, to love Him with all the heart, and my neighbor as myself I felt a peculiar tenderness of conscience, and feared nothing but to offend my Savior. Be- ing still feeble in body,I could not endure strong men- tal exercises, and as the change in my feelings was not sudden, nor characterized by strong emotions, I was 9 98 ON NATURAL AND SPIRITUAL JOV. soon'tempted to doubt whether it was really what 1 had been seeking for. I prayed earnestly for a full- ness OF JOY, and an undoubted evidence, but the more I sought for this, the less my evidence appeared, un- til I was willing to leave all with God, to give either a crumb or a full meal. My peace then re- turned, and blessed be God, it has continued like a river, to flow broader and deeper to the present time. Never before did I feel so much my entire depen- dence on all-sufficient grace, and such a confidence that it would be given in every time of need. Like a little child I have looked into the Bible for instruc- tion, and O what an inexpressible glory has beam- ed therefrom ! A new blessedness has appeared while receiving Christ as a Savior from all sin, — a present Savior, a full Savior. How glorious the consideration to one, who has all her life in some degree been subject to bondage ! Truly I can now say the Holy Spirit has led me into the truth, and the truth has made me free. I no longer feel like a wanderer, but like a child at home. My weary soul now rests in Christ, and finds "his yoke easy, and his burden light." With entire confidence can I now commit all my interests, temporal and spiritual, in- to his hands, and feel that they are safe. My great- est desire is to know and do the will of my Heav- enly Father, and to possess all the mind of Christ. I feel deeply interested in the progress of holiness. With all my heart can I bid God-speed to those, who are engaged in promoting this blessed cause."* * Guide to Christian Perfection, Vol. Ill, p. 39. CHAPTER TENTH. Some marks or characteristics of perfection of Love. If the doctrine, which is variously termed sanc- tification, evangelical holiness, and evangelical or christian perfection, be true, then it will follow, that it is our duty and privilege, even in the present life, to realize in our own souls the fulfillment of that great command, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart." In other words, it is our duty and privilege to possess what may properly be called perfect love. Accordingly it becomes a very important and interesting inquiry, When can our love properly be said to be perfect ? It will be our object in the remarks which follow in this chap- ter, to endeavor to answer this inquiry. But before proceeding, it may be proper to pre- mise here, that perfection of love implies the remo- val or extinction of all selfishness. In other words, perfect love is always pure love. We may proba- bly conceive of love, which is pure in its nature-, but is deficient, and therefore not perfect in its degree or intensity. But we cannot conceive of love which is acceptable to God, and is perfect in degree, which has any intermixture of selfishness. 100 SOME MARKS OR CHARACTERISTICS Another remark, which may properly be made here, is this. Perfection of love is necessarily rela- tive to the capacity of the subject of it. In other words, what would be perfection of love in one would not be in another, whose capacity of loving is greater. That precise amount or degree of love in man, which would be characterized as perfect in consequence of being all his capacity could render, would be imperfect in an angel or other being of greater capacity. With these remarks in recollection, we proceed to inquire, when our love to God may be regarded as PERFECT. In other words, when shall we know, or at least have reasonable grounds to believe, that we fulfil in our own hearts that great and excellent command. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and soul and mind and strength? — Love to a human object is generally understood to embrace two things ; first, a pleasure or compla- cency in the object, and second, a desire to do good to that object. When speaking of God, who sus- tains to us a relation higher and different from that sustained by human beings, we may with proprie- ty alter the form of expression slightly, although with essentially the same idea at the bottom, and say that love to God embraces two things; first, a pleasure or complacency in his character, and SECOND, a desire to promote his glory. The charac- teristics of entireness or perfection of love, which we shall proceed to mention, are based upon this distinction. First. — Accordingly the first mark of perfect love OF PERFECTION OF LOVE. 101 to God is an entire approbation of and delight in his character in all respects. In other words, appro- ving and complacent emotions, without the least intermixture of doubt and dissatisfaction, arise in view of his power and justice, as well as of his goodness and mercy, so that we delight truly and continually in his whole character, and in all the exhibitions of his character, as they are actually made known to us in the Holy Scriptures or in any other way. The least want of trust and compla- cency in the divine character will necessarily be a vicious ingredient or element in the affection of love, which cannot fail to diffuse weakness and imper- fection throughout. — This is one point, then, on which it is important to examine ourselves. If we find, that the character of God, as it presents itself to notice in all its varieties, appears to us exceed' ingly pure and lovely; if we contemplate it with a perfect conviction, that all its manifestations will be in accordance with truth, mercy, and righteous- ness, and with no other emotions in any respect, than those of entire complacency, then we have reason to think, that we have one of the marks or characteristics of perfection of love. Not, in all probability, the leading and decisive, but still an indispensable one. Second.^ — A second mark of perfect love to God is the existence of a desire to promote his glory, which is the other higher and more decisive char- acteristic of this complex mental state, in such a degree^ that we are not conscious of having any de- sire or will at variance with the will of God, 102 SOME MARKS OR CHARACTERISTICS In Other words, it is our sincere and constant de- sire to do and to suffer in all things the will of God. When such is the case, when there is an entire and cordial acquiescence of our own in the will of God both to do and to suffer, we have the second mark, and we may add also, the most important and sat- isfactory one, that our love is perfect. The nature of the human mind is such, that we never can have an entire and cordial acquiescence in the will of God in all things, without an antecedent approval of and complacency in his character and adminis- tration. — Accordingly the second mark, viz., a will entirely accordant with and lost in the will of God, is of itself sufficient, inasmuch as it necessarily in- cludes and embraces the first. And by this mark alone, as I suppose, we might know, whether our love is or is not perfect. We may, perhaps, illustrate this view of the sub- ject, by what we sometimes notice in the various forms and degrees of filial love. We will take, in the first place, the case of a child, who is sincerely attached to his father, but who, as we sometimes express it, exhibits a "will of his own." This child, undoubtedly, loves his father very much ; but at the same time he does not always do, with en- tire pleasure and readiness, what his father wishes him to do. He sometimes hesitates, exhibits a clouded brow, or utters an impatient expression, when certain things are required of him. He has certain little objects of his own which he is very much attached to; and if his father's plans happen to cross and oppose them, he exhibits, in a greater OF PERFECTION OF LOVE. 103 or less degree, a disposition to set np for himself and to rebel. And when he outwardly obeys, it is found that he does it reluctantly, and not with a will harmonizing and blending with the paternal will. Now we say very truly, that this child loves his father — perhaps he loves him very much — and yet it is clear he does not love him perfectly. But when we see a child who is happy only when he sees his father happy ; whose delight it is to antici- pate the father's wishes; whose will, by a sort of instinctive tendency, is invariably and powerfully united and blended with the paternal will, so that the least opposition between the two wills is a source of the greatest grief to him, we at once feel, and cannot help feeling, that the love of such a child may properly be called perfect. And in accordance with this view, it is said to have been one of the sayings of the devout Francis Xavier, that "the perfection of the creature consists in willing noth- ing but the will of the Creator." What other idea of perfection of love can we have than this ? His heart is made one with another heart, and what could we ask for more? This, then, is the true mark of perfection in Christian love, viz. an entire coincidence of our own wills with the will of God ; a full and hearty substitution of the divine mind in the place of our own minds ; the rejection of the natural principle of life, which is love termi- nating in self, and the adoption of the heavenly principle of life, which is love terminating and ful- filled in God ; in other words, the expulsion of self from the heart and the enthronement of God there 104 SOME MARKS OK CHARACTERISTICS as its everlasting sovereign. This view, which is practically, as well as theologically, a very impor- tant one, seems to be confirmed by what the Savior says of himself in a number of passages. John vi. 38, "For I came down from heaven not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me." John iv. 34, "Jesus saith unto them. My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work." Heb. X. 9, " Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God." The same idea, viz, that perfection of Christian love exists, and exists only in connec- tion with a will united to and perfectly coincident with the will of God, is conveyed in that interest- ing passage, Mark iii. 34, 35, "And he looked round about on them which sat about him, and said, Be- hold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother." Matt. vii. 21, "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter in- to the kingdom of heaven, but he, that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." A number of inferences easily follow from these general views, and which may be regarded as fur- nishing some additional or secondary marks of per- fected love. (1.) — A person, who has perfect love, will love his Bible above all other books. It will be dear to his heart, an inexpressible treasure. And the reason is obvious. It is because in the Bible he learns the will of God, which he delights in, more than in any tiling else. And hence it is one of the artifices of Satan, who is no friend of the Bible, to endeavor OF PERFECTION OF LOVE, 105 to detach devout minds from the study of the Di- vine Word under the plausible pretence, that the inward teachings of the Spirit are of more value, than the outward letter. An artifice, which he, who desires a close walk with God, will carefully guard against ; remembering that God cannot con- sistently, and will not, neglect and dishonor his own divine communications ; that the Holy Spiril operates in a peculiar manner, in connection with the written Word ; and that he, who deserts the Word of God, may reasonably expect to be deserted by the Spirit. (2.) — Perfect love will exhibit a trait of perma- nency and perseverance under the most trying cir- cumstances. Our fears and hopes vary ; our joys and sorrows vary ; but we may reasonably expect that perfect love will continue the same. There is no reason why it should change, since the object at which it aims is the same with the immutable will of God. The will of God is its true life. Accord- mgly, when in the providence of God we are afflict- ed, our joys will be less, but there will be no dim- mution of love. Joy flourishes in the sunshine, but love grows and flourishes in the storm also. God may hide his face from us, but hearts of love still look in that direction where his face is. The Sa- vior, on a certain occasion, was greatly afiiicted. His language was, "My soul is exceeding sorrow- ful, even unto death." His joy was taken from him, but his love remained. He could still say, while he prayed that the cup might, if possible, 106 SOME MARKS OF PERFECTION OF LOVE. pass from him, " Nevertheless, not as I will, but as Thou wilt." (3.) — We remark, in conclusion, that those, in whom the love of God is perfected, will love the children of God with peculiar strength. Perfect love is the image of Christ in the soul ; and wherev- er we see that image, in whatever denomination of Christians, and in whatever persons, our hearts will recognize the divine relationship, and rejoice in it. Without this strong love to those who bear the divine image, we may be sure that our love is not perfect. It is God's great work, and highest delight, to create this image in the hearts of men ; and if our will is swallowed up in his will, we shall rejoice in it in some degree as he does, and shall know the delightful meaning of those numer- ous passages of Scripture which speak of the love of Christians to each other. " Tis Love unites what sin divides ; The centre, where all bliss resides ; To which the soul once brought, Reclining on the first Great Cause, From his abounding sweetness draws Peace, passing human thought." CHAPTER ELEVENTH. On the Act or Coveuant of Religions Consecration. The two great and inspiring elements of the re- ligious life are faith and love. And in the case of those who are experiencing all that it is our privi- lege to experience in the present state of being, they are perfect faith and perfect love. Hence it became necessary, at an early stage of our inqui- ries, to enter into some explanations of these two great principles. Principles so important, that they ought to be fully understood both in their nature and relations. Principles so nearly affiliated, that if one exists, the other exists, and whether they are contemplated in their combined or separate ac- tion, are so effective and ascendant over the men- tal operations, that their existence in the highest degree necessarily involves the renovation of the whole moral nature. We are now prepared to return to a topic, which was briefly noticed in the third chapter, and to consider it a little more at large. We refer to the important subject of personal Consecration. And we call it important, because it seems to us that it is closely connected with, and is, indeed, a sort of 108 ON THE ACT OR COVENANT antecedent condition to whatever is most valuable in the experience of faith and love. We do not propose, however, in the present chapter, to enter into an examination of the necessity of the dedica- ting or consecrating Act, and of the benefits con- nected with it, which we cannot doubt are general- ly conceded ; but to limit our remarks to the man- ner, in which the act or covenant of consecration ought to be made. (1.) — And the first remark, which we have to make on this subject, is, that the consecration of ourselves to God should be made deliberately. — A consecration, made in this manner, viz. with calmness and deliberation, is due to our own char- acters, as rational and reflecting beings. As God has made us perceptive and rational, he desires and expects us, especially in important transactions, to act in accordance with the principles he has given us. It is not reasonable to suppose, that God would be pleased with a consecration, made thoughtlessly and by blind impulse, rather than by deliberate reflection. Man has deliberately re- belled and gone astray, and it is due to himself and his Maker, it is due to truth and to holiness, that he should deliberately and reflectingly submit and return ; that his repentance of sin should be ac- companied with a clear perception of his sinful- ness; that his determination to do God's wiU should be attended with some suitable apprehen- sions of what He requires ; and that his fixed pur- pose of future obedience should be sustained by the united strength of all appropriate considerations. OF RELIGIOUS CONSECRATION. 109 (2.) — We observe, in the second place, that the consecration must be made for all coming time. It is true, that there may be specific consecrations of a modified character, restricted to particular ob- jects and occasions, and limited also to definite pe- riods. A person, for instance, may devote himself exclusively, for a limited time, to the one important object of erecting a place of public worship. And regarding him as giving to this one object all his powers of body and of mind, we may properly speak of him, in an imperfect or modified sense of the term, as consecrated to this particular work. But it is quite obvious, that such instances of con- secration are exceedingly different from the one under consideration ; which is fundamental and universal in its character, and which would be in- consistent with itself, if it were applied to one ob- ject to the exclusion of others ; which takes into view the very being and nature of the soul ; which considers the principles of man's departure from God and also the principles involved in his restoration ; which recognises the full amount of God's immu- table and infinite claims ; and which, therefore, on the grounds of truth and rectitude, as well as of safety and of happiness, cannot be made for a less period than all time and eternity. (3.) It may be remarked again, that the consecra- tion, including our bodies as well as our spirits, and our possessions as well as our persons, all we are and all we have, all we can do and all we can suflfer, should be made without any reserve. There are many professors of religion, who are willing 10 110 ON THE ACT OR COVENANT to give up something to the Lord ; and perhaps it can be said, that there are many who are wil- ling to give up MUCH ; but the consecration, of which we are speaking, requires us to be truly willing to give up ALL. And not only to be willing to give up all, but to do it. It is true, that in our present state, some things are needful for us, and our heav- enly Father assures us that he is not ignorant of it. But while, in compassion to our obvious wants, he bestows upon us those things, which are necessary to beings who must be fed, clothed, and sheltered, he requires us to hold these and all other gifts of a temporal nature, which we sometimes call our own, as bestowments imparted by himself for a special purpose, and to be retained and used in per- fect subordination to the divine will. — And still more important and necessary is it, that all the exercises of the mind, that all powers and efforts of the intel- lect and all desires and purposes of the heart and will, should be laid sacredly upon the divine altar; in perfect simplicity of view ; without any reserva- tion, and without any regards, however secret and intimate, to the claims of self; inscribed, as it were, within and without, with holiness to the Lord; FROM God, OF God, and for God. — Consecration without reserve implies, that we are not only to give up our persons and powers to be employed as God wills, but also to endure or suffer as God wills ; and it implies also that we are to give them up to bo employed and to suffer, just in the time and place, and in all the precise circumstances, which are agree- able to God ; without presuming to dictate to him in OF RELIGIOUS CONSECRATION 111 the smallest respects, and without any will or choice of our own. (4.) — Finally, in the full conviction that no ef- forts or purposes of our own will be available with- out divine assistance, we should make the conse- cration in reliance upon divine strength ; recogni- zing, on the one hand, our own entire weakness ; and at the same time fully believing, on the other, in the willingness and readiness of God to aid and deliver us in every time of temptation and trial. A consecration, made without a distinct recognition of our own insufficiency, and without the expres- sion and the reality of reliance on God alone as our only hope, would be wanting in the most es- sential element. It would necessarily fail of the divine blessing ; and could not result in any good. "Lay it down to yourself, as a most certain prin- ciple," says Dr. Doddridge, "that no attempt in re- ligion is to be made in your own strength. If you forget this, and God purposes finally to save you, he will humble you with repeated disappointments, till he teach you better." A consecration, thus deliberately made, inclu- ding all our acts, powers, and possessions of body, mind, and estate, made without any reserve either in objects, time, or place ; embracing trial and suf- fering as well as action, never to be modified, and never to be withdrawn, and which contemplates its fulfilment in divine and not in human strength, necessarily brings one into a new relationship with God, of the most intimate, interesting, and effective nature. It is not easy to see, how a soul, that is 112 ON THE ACT OR COVENANT thus consecrated, can ever be deserted. Divinity is pledged in its behalf. And in all times of temp- tation and trial, when clouds and storms hang dark- ly and heavily around, there will always be a re- deeming power, a light in the midst of shadows, the shining of the bow of promise. A word further remains to be said here. I am aware, there are some, who seem to appreciate the necessity of entirely consecrating themselves to God, and perhaps may be said to be willing to do it, but who have felt a difficulty in one particular. They have inquired with a good deal of solicitude, how is it possible to make a consecration now, which shall bind us to fulfil the will of God in all the emergencies of the unseen and untried future ; including cases, the difficulties of which we are now unable to appreciate ; and therefore do not know, that we have now, or ever shall have strength to meet them. In respect to such cases, all we can say is, that we must commit ourselves into the hands of God in the exercise of simple faith; remem- bering his declaration, that "his grace is sufficient." God hath said, Heb. 13 : 5, "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, the Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. " In the conclusion of this subject, I would intro- duce another short passage from Dr. Doddridge.=^^ — "I would further advise and urge," he says, "speaking on the matter of making an entire conse- cration of ourselves, " that this dedication should * Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul, Chap, xvu. OF RELIGIOUS CONSECRATION. 113 be made with all possible solemnity. Do it in ex- press words. And perhaps it may be in many cases most expedient, as many pious Divines have recom- mended, to do it in writing. Set your hand and seal to it, that on such a day of such a month and year, and at such a place, on full consideration, and serious reflection, you came to this happy resolu- tion, that whatever others might do, you would serve the Lord." In connection with some further remarks of this kind, he gives two forms of conse- cration, of which the following is an abridgement. Form of consecration, abridged from Dr. Doddridge. Eternal and ever blessed God ! I desire to pre- sent myself before Thee with the deepest humilia- tion and abasement of soul, sensible how unworthy such a sinful worm is, to appear before the Holy Majesty of heaven, and to enter into a Covenant transaction with Thee. I come acknowledging myself to have been a great offender ; smiting on my breast, and saying with the humble publican, God be merciful to me a sinner. I come invited in the name of thy Son, and wholly trusting in his perfect righteousness ; intreating that, for his sake, Thou wilt be merciful to my unrighteousness, and wilt no more remember my sins. Permit me, O Lord, to bring back unto Thee those powers and faculties, which I have ungrate- fully and sacrilegiously alienated from thy service : And receive, I beseech Thee, thy poor revolted crea- 10» 114 ON THE ACT OR COVENANT ture, who is now convinced of thy right to him, and desires nothing in the world so much as to be Thine. It is with the utmost solemnity, that I make this surrender of myself unto Thee. I avouch the Lord this day to be my God ; and I avouch and declare myself this day to be one of his Covenant children and people. Hear, O Thou God of heaven, and re- cord it in the book of thy remembrance, that I am thine, entirely thine. I would not merely conse- crate to Thee some of my powers, or some of my possessions, or give Thee a certain portion of my services, or all I am capable of for a limited time ; but I would be wholy thine and thine forever. From this day do I solemnly renounce all the former Lords, which have had dominion over me, every sin and every lust; and bid in thy name an eternal defiance to the powers of Hell, which have most unjustly usurped the empire over my soul, and to all the corruptions, which their fatal temptations have introduced into it. The whole frame of my nature, all the faculties of my mind and all the mem- bers of my body would I present before Thee this day, as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to to God, which I know to be my most reasonable service. [To Thee I consecrate not only my per- son and powers,] but all my worldly possessions ; and earnestly pray Thee also to give me strength and courage to exert for thy glory all the influence I may have over others in the relations of life, in which I stand. Nor do I only consecrate all that I am and have to thy service ; but I also most humbly resign and OF RELIGIOUS CONSECRATION. 115 submit to thine holy and sovereign will, myself, and all that I can call mine. I leave, Lord, to thy management and direction all I possess and all I wish ; and set every enjoyment and every interest before Thee, to be disposed of as Thou pleasest ; contentedly resolving, in all that Thou appointest for me, my will into Thine, and looking on myself as NOTHING, and on Thee, O God, as the great, E- ternal All, whose word ought to determine every tiling'; and whose government ought to be the joy of the whole rational creation. Receive, O heavenly Father, thy returning prod- igal ! Wash me in the blood of thy dear Son ! Clothe me with thy perfect righteousnes ; And sanc- tify me throughout by the power of thy Spirit. And Lord, when thou seest the agonies of dissolving nature upon me, remember this Covenant, even though I should then be incapable of recollecting it, and look with pitying eye upon thy dying child. Put strength and confidence into my de- parting spirit ; and receive it to the embraces of thine everlasting love. CHAPTER TWELFTH. Of Assurance of Faith, It is worthy of notice, both as a religious and an historical fact, that in a number of Christian sects a distinct and well defined modification of person- al religious experience has for many ages been known and recognized under the denomination of ASSURANCE OF FAITH. The phraseology, which is employed to indicate this form of experience, seems to have had its ori- gin in the following passage in Hebrews. "Hav- ing, therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us through the veil, that is to say, his flesh ; and having a high priest over the house of God ; let us draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith, hav- ing our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water." Heb. 10: 19—22. In the early periods of this country, when the piety of our ancestors was chastened and invigora- ted by heavy afflictions, the instances of assurance OF FAITH, as compared with those of later times, OF ASSURANCE OF FAITH. 117 were frequent. It is a matter of thankfulness, that they are not unknown even now. The basis of this form of reUgious experience, as the name given to it itself indicates, is faith. And in this respect, it stands undoubtedly on the same footing with every other form of true religious experience. Nor do I know that the faith, which is experienced in these marked and triumphant in- stances of the religious life, is different from what is experienced in other cases, except in the single circumstance of degree. It is a very high degree of faith. The term assurance, which, in its ordin- ary acceptation, excludes the idea of doubting, is an evidence that it is so. The phrase, assurance OF FAITH, conveys, in its own terms and on its own face, the idea of faith without doubting, in other ■words, of perfect faith. Looking at the subject in the light of the terms used, I think we are at lib- erty to say, that assurance of faith is synonymous with undoubting or perfect faith. The instances themselves of this form of experience, whether tliey are such as are made known to us historical- ly in the lives of those who are said to have liv- ed and died in assurance, or such as have come within the range and notice of more recent obser- vations, sustain this view. Those, who are in the enjoyment of this state of mind, are a people, that have an unwavering confidence in God. In the language of John Rogers, the memorable martyr of Smithfield, given in a short published account of his early religious experience, " they live by faith in the Son of God, above the letter in the life ; 118 OF ASSURANCE OF FAITH. above the form in the power ; above self in a higher self; so that they are no longer them- selves ; but are by the grace of God what they are ; not doubting, that they shall appear perfect in Christ's righteousness, being pardoned by his death, purged by his blood, sanctified by his spirit, and saved by his power." We have an instructive and precious illustration of the state of mind, denominated assurance of FAITH, in the instances of early saints mentioned in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews ; in Abel, who "offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain;" in Enoch, who "had this testimony that he pleased God;" in Abraham, "who went out, not knowing whither he went," and who, " when he was tried, offered up Isaac; " in Moses, "who es- teemed the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt ;" in Gideon, Barak, David, Samuel, and the prophets, of whom as well as of others the testimony is given, that through faith they "subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, of whom the world was not worthy;" and in regard to whom it is expressly said, that God him- self was "not ashamed to be called their god." As the subject of an assured acceptance with God is, in our apprehension, one of preeminent im- portance, and as it has in these latter days received less attention than it did formerly and far less than it deserves, we have thought it might be proper to introduce here an instructive passage from the OF ASSURANCE OF FAITH. 119 some persons, who supposed, that no such thing is to be expected in the church of God as a full and absolute assurance, except in some very extraor- dinary circumstances, such as that of martyrdom, and asserting that this view is contrary to the doc- trine of Protestants as maintained by their most celebrated writers, he proceeds as follows. "It is manifest, that it was a common thing for the saints that we have a history or particular account of in Scripture, to be assured. God, in the plainest and most positive manner, revealed and testified his special favour to Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Daniel, and others. Job often speaks of his sincerity and uprightness with the greatest im- aginable confidence and assurance, often calling God to witness to it; and says plainly, "I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that I shall see him for myself, and not another," Job 19. 25,