be always of the lovingkindness of the Lord; with my mouth will I be ever showing forth thy truth from one generation to another." Yet the enemy injected a fear, "If thou dost believe, why is there not more sensible change?" I answered (yet not I) that "I know not. But this I know, I have now peace with God; and I sin not to-day, and Jesus my Master has forbid me to take thought for the morrow.". "But is not any sort of fear," continued the tempter, 66 a proof that thou dost not believe." I desired my Master to answer for me, and opened His book upon those words of St. Paul, "Without were fightings, within were fears." Then I inferred, "Well may fears be within me; but I must go on and tread them under my feet." + Friday, 26th. My soul continued in peace, but yet in heaviness through manifold temptations. I asked Mr. Telchig, the Moravian, what to do? He said, "You must not fight with them as you did before, but flee from them, the moment they appear, and take shelter in the wounds of Jesus." Saturday, 27th.-Believing one reason of my want of joy was want of time for prayer, I resolved to do no business till I went to church in the morning, but continue pouring out my heart before Him, and this day my spirit was enlarged, so that now, though I was assaulted by many temptations, I was more than conqueror, gaining more power thereby to trust, and to rejoice in God my Saviour. Sunday, 28th.—I waked in peace, but not in joy. On Monday, 29th, I went with Mr. Wolf to Dummer. He is one of the first-fruits of P. Bohler's ministry in England. I was much strengthened by the grace of God in him. Yet was his state so far above mine that I was often tempted to doubt whether we had one faith. But, without much reasoning about it, I held here; though his be strong and mine weak, yet that God hath given some degree of faith even to me, I know by its fruits. For I have constant peace, not one uneasy thought; and I have freedom from sin, not one unholy desire. Yet on Wednesday I did grieve the Spirit of God, not only by not watching unto prayer, but likewise by speaking with sharpness instead of tender love of one that was not sound in the faith. Immediately God hid His face and I was troubled; and in this heaviness I continued till the next morning, June 1st, when it pleased God, while I was exhorting another, to give comfort to my soul, and, after I had spent some time in prayer, to direct me to those gracious words, "Having therefore boldness to enter into the holiest," &c. "Let us hold fast the pro SOME OME time since a minister preached a powerful sermon on entire sanctification. After the service a friend met Mrs. I, and was talking with her in regard to the sermon, and how the minister had not only obeyed the command given to Peter, "Feed my lambs," but had also obeyed the one which said, "Feed my sheep." Presently a gentleman walked near to them and stopped, seeming to listen attentively to what they were saying. Mrs. L left, and as the other was about to go away, he, stepping to her, said, "Our minister did preach a good sermon, but after all he did not tell us how to get it." "How to get it?" she repeated? salt bra word, wit, djubred earw I c'quof+ 99 10f Yes, how to get it." "Why, my dear sir, there are but two steps to that blessing, and if you are in earnest about seeking it, God can give it to you in ten minutes, just as well as in ten years.' "Two steps? What are they?" katan "The first is entire consecration to God, the next is faith in our Lord Jesus Christ." "Consecration! I have consecrated and reconsecrated myself to God for the last thirty years, and have never received the blessing." "Did you ever in that time believe that Jesus saved wholly? He says, Believe, and you shall receive." "I think I can say I have consecrated myself to God a thousand times, but I have never felt that I had the blessing." "The promise is not feel, and you shall receive; but believe, and you shall receive. It seems your repeated consecrations during these thirty past years have not brought the blessing, but if you will give yourself wholly to the Lord, and by faith claim Christ as your complete Saviour, now, you may receive the blessing just where you stand... You say you have given yourself wholly to the Lord so many times. Will you give yourself wholly to Him now?" “I think I am willing." "Do you know that you are willing? It is your privilege to know that you are willing." After a moment's pause he said, "I am willing.” She said to him, "God not only required Abraham to be willing, to lay Isaac on the altar, but He required him to put his Isaac upon it. And so He requires you to put yourself on the altar. And if you are willing to give yourself to the Lord, do it now. Close your eyes for one minute and talk with God, who is here present with us, and tell Him that you are now entering into an everlasting covenant with Him, to be what He wills you to be. To do His will, and to suffer His entire will, He being your helper. That you give yourself, soul, body, and spirit to Him, for time and eternity." He stood with closed eyes for a short time, at the end of which she asked, "Have you given yourself wholly to God?" After deep searching he said, "I have given up all I see to give up." "Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and show you if there be anything kept back, or if all is given up." After a short pause, in which he seemed to realise that he was under the searching eye of the Great Searcher of hearts, he said, "There is nothing kept back, it is all given up." She said, "Now call the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, to witness the covenant that you are about entering into, to be wholly and for ever the Lord's, from this moment never to take anything off that altar." He did it, and while he stood with closed eyes, entering into an everlasting covenant with the Triune God, his countenance bore such an expression of the workings of the Holy Spirit as is never to be forgotten. As he opened his eyes, she said, "Have you given yourself wholly to the Lord ? " He said, "Yes." Repeating it again, she said, "Are you wholly and for ever the Lord's ?" He said, "Yes, wholly His." "Do you believe that He accepts the offering you have made?" With a countenance beaming with delight, while tears of joy. trickled down his cheeks, he said, "How can I doubt it? I have been true to my part, and I cannot doubt but God is true to His." "Then you now claim Christ as your complete Saviour?" Yes, He is my complete Saviour." "Your Saviour from all sin just now?" He said, "Yes, He saves me wholly," and then said, "Why, how easy!" 66 Yes, now you see it is easy for Jesus to save us when we give ourselves to Him, and by faith take Him as our complete Saviour. Surely one day is with God as a thousand years." He had wandered in the wilderness of unbelief for thirty years, seeking the blessing after his own plan, which is consecration and feeling, instead of seeking it in God's order, which is consecration and faith. M. INWARD SIN. TH HIS inward sin! O, its mighty depths! its profound subtleties! its various operations! its frequent victories! I find it intermingled with my thoughts, giving colour to my affections, corrupting my motives, disturbing my dreams, dictating my will, beclouding my understanding, rising in my memory, and bribing my conscience. It apologises for these things, and justifies itself in the face of Divine denunciation and displeasure. It even distorts the character, the attributes, and the word of God to justify itself, and establish its hold more firmly. I find it intruding upon me in my devotional exercises in the closet. I can scarcely have a thought of God, or speak a word for Him, or do an act for Him, but this inward sin must intrude itself in some way either to contaminate them or to denounce them. When alone, unengaged with public things and unassociated with religious people, O, how powerfully does this inward sin then come forth. As a giant refreshed with new wine, and panoplied with new-made armour of the devil, it starts up and makes its assaults upon the kingdom of my soul, as though it would take it by hellish storm. What arguments! what per suasions! what promises! what attractions! what impellings! My God! who is able to withstand ? All this within me. It is circumscribed in the narrow limits of myself. I alone know it of all the human kind. My most intimate friend knows it not. I walk with him, or work with him, or do business with him; we are on the most intimate terms of respect and of friendship, but he knows not my inward sin. Is not this one secret of its strength? Does it not, as one phase of its subtlety, say to me, "Tell it not, for if you do all confidence will be lost in you, and you will be obliged to give up what religion you profess, Keep your profession, but do not reveal your inward sin. You will have power over it by degrees; meantime you can have all its pleasures without its public reproaches." In this way, I fear it strengthens its strongholds and perpetuates its life. What am I to do? Shall I confess it to my brethren? If I do will they pray for me? Will they sympathise with me and help to bear my burden? Will this confession break its spell and disperse its strength? Is it enough that I confess to God and mourn over it with tears of deep penitence, and look to Jesus Christ as the Saviour to the uttermost? Have I not done this? Do I not know what it is to have my soul broken up into contrition, and my eyes suffused with tears, because of the evil within? Have not the pains of hell got hold upon me? Have I not found trouble and sorrow? Have not my feet well-nigh slipped, and have I not been near to the verge of ruin and despair? Has not High Heaven seen my anguish of soul, and heard my earnest resolves and promises? Still I feel the inward sin; I smart under its piercings, and groan beneath its burden. When, when, my Lord, shall I be delivered? Shall I carry it to death? Is there no help for me in my God? there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there?" "O that my load of sin were gone! 66 April, 1870. O that I could at last submit At Jesu's feet to lay it down— Break off the yoke of inbred sin, I cannot rest till pure within- "Is E. |