Part 12

I gazed with intense interest upon the widow’s mite; and at the same time, my thoughts ran back to the time, when Jesus stood opposite the treasury, and saw the rich casting in their abundance, unto the Lord, when along came a poor widow, and cast in two mites. How little, I thought, as I compared “the mite,” with the large pieces of silver and gold that were upon either side. I presume that many that witnessed the above transaction, recorded by St. Mark, thought, “how insignificant the offering.” There was one present, whose eye of flame penetrates the very intents of the heart, thought differently. He, declaring to the multitude that, the poor widow’s mite was in His estimation, greater than the large amounts cast in by the rich. There are reasons, _why_, the blessed Jesus put such high value on the widow’s MITE.

First, she made sacrifice of all her living. She gave to the extent of her ability. In making her consecration, she did not retain a part, as did Ananias and Saphira; but placed herself squarely upon the Gospel platform, where she could fully trust the Lord, and claim His favor. Jesus says, “Give, and it shall be given to you; good measure pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with what measure ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.”

Second. She gave, CHEERFULLY--“For God loveth a cheerful giver.”

“For if there be first a willing mind it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.”

Thirdly. She gave her mite, in faith; for what is not of faith is sin. She doubtless realized, that all of our offerings to God must be in faith in order to be acceptable. Many lose their reward in giving, because they do not give cheerfully, but grudgingly; not to the extent of their ability, nor as much as the case demands, or conscience, and the Holy Ghost says give; not in faith, but doubting, because an unwillingness on their part to walk in the light.

This class never prove the fulness of the blessing of the Gospel of Christ; “pressed down, shaken together, and running over.” Jesus says, “That it is more blessed to give than to receive.” Glory to God!

Here, is encouragement to give of our substance as God hath prospered us. There is no investment that we can make with our goods that pays so well as to give to him that needeth; and especially, to the house-hold of faith. And to those that have but a mite to give, it shall receive its reward; if it be to the extent of our ability, if it be done cheerfully; and if in faith, because we love God, and the souls and bodies of perishing men.

XXIII.

ARE WE DRIFTING?

Yes I hope so--out into the ocean of infinite love; away from the dangerous reefs of formalism; away from the universal spread of pride and vanity; away from the devil’s most successful snare, _secretism_; away from the abominable, filthy habit of whiskey-drinking and tobacco using, and all its slimy associations; away from the cramping, belittling, soul-destroying, man-debasing element--_covetousness_; far away from all longings after the world, its pleasures, its allurements, its honors, its riches, and plunging into all the fulness of God. It’s glorious thus to drift; to have a consciousness that you abide in Christ; that you are growing in grace; that you are gaining on your enemies; that your faith overcomes the world; that you are taking greater delight, day by day, in the things of life and immortality. O, glory to God for the assurance that the saints have that they are getting nearer and nearer to God every day, drifting out into the great abyss of God’s eternal love.

To the question so often propounded--“Are We Drifting?”--I can answer for myself, _I am_, according to the above. Glory to the Lamb forever! Although I am drifting, moving along with giant strides by the mighty waves of free grace, yet I never felt so completely anchored to Christ as now. I have a hope that is an anchor to my soul. It’s cast to that within the veil, and it’s both sure and steadfast. It holds my vessel steadily on her course, ’midst all storms of life. It matters not how high the billows may roll, how fierce the storms may beat against my frail bark, I am safe. I ride proudly above the waves, because I am anchored to the eternal Rock of Ages. Vessels often break loose from their moorings, because their anchorage is poor. It may be their anchor is dropped in the sand or mud. In either case, they will drift until their anchor takes hold on rock, or she drifts ashore and is wrecked. It is so with us. If our anchor is cast into any of the elements of this world, we shall drift, not into Christ, but away from him, and become _wrecks_. How sad it is to find wrecks all along life’s way! to see those that were once saved of God, moving on to Mount Zion with songs, and everlasting joy upon their heads; they did obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing did flee away; but now, alas! How is the fine gold become dim.

Which way are _you_ drifting? Do you enjoy perfect love? Are you as clear in your experience as when you joined the Church? Are you walking in _all_ the light that God lets shine upon your heart? Does the light shine as clear as in bygone days? Do you have sensible manifestations of God’s presence? Do you have the joy of the Lord? Do you really get blessed of _God_? Do you rejoice evermore? Do you in everything give thanks? Do you love the _cross_? Is the way that God leads you delightful? And can you sing--

“Jesus all the day long, Is my joy and my song?”

Now, can you, from the very bottom of your heart, say _Yes!_ to these questions? If so, I think that you are drifting heavenward; if not, hellward.

Which way are you drifting?

XXIV.

PAP.

Webster says the word “pap” means “soft food designed for children or infants.” Children, whose stomachs are weak and unable to digest hearty food, have to be fed on this. It requires but little effort of nature to dispose of this kind of food.

We have in Zion a great many aged infants that require this kind of spiritual provender. You feed them with the solid roast beef of the gospel, and immediately they are in cramps and spasms; and O, such wailings of displeasure. It is as true to-day as when St. Paul wrote to the Corinthian brethren, there are many that ought to be full grown men and women in spiritual attainments, but are mere babes, and have to be fed on infant’s food; and the only way that many can be persuaded to remain in the church, or even to make a half-way profession of the religion of Jesus Christ, is to give them large doses of this precious diet. Many will hang on tremendously, and pull mightily, so long as they receive that attention and nursing that their infantile natures demand, but as soon as that stops then comes the chills.

The cause lies in the fact, they were not weaned. The Psalmist says, “Surely, I have behaved and quieted myself as a child that is weaned of his mother: my soul is even as a weaned child.” If you want to spoil a child, indulge him in all that delights his fancy. Our heavenly Father knows better than to indulge his children in all their wants. He has promised to give us what we need--not all we want. “My God shall supply all your need, according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” The best discipline that we get in this life, is to learn to deny self. The direct route to glory lies along that line. “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me.” A radical cure is experienced in bearing the cross. This will crucify us to self, and our longing to be rocked and dandled at the expense of everybody. Bearing the cross, helping the souls and bodies of men as they need, and as you are blessed with means and opportunity will cause you to outgrow all of your infantile notions. It is gloriously possible to be fully saved in this life; to run the whole length of the Christian race with joy and gladness; go on forced marches; yea, on the double quick, carrying heavy knapsacks of sorrow and affliction, rejoicing evermore, and in everything giving thanks.

XXV.

VICTORY.

It is impossible to have a victory, until we have had a fight. It would be impossible to shout the shout of victory, unless it had been fairly gained. In order to win a victory we must fight. The route from earth to glory is through the battle field. “We must fight if we would reign.” Thank God, we fight not against flesh and blood, but against powers, against principalities, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Many a Christian warrior comes from the field of battle with an inglorious defeat, because he fails to properly estimate the strength of his enemy. Nations have suffered fearful defeats because they failed to estimate the character and strength of their foes. When our rebellion broke out, Lincoln called for 75,000 men to put it down. A great many at the North said the 75,000 men could conquer the South before breakfast; but Bull Run told another story. What a sight! implements of war scattered all the way from Bull Run to Washington!

How many of Zion’s soldiers have started out, full of hope and courage, giving promise of wonderful achievements, but alas! the very first foe, the skirmish line, and perhaps that was no more than a simple sneer from the devil, and defeat followed; like Ahab, pierced between the joints of the harness, they were borne from the field of battle on the litter of discouragement.

The hospitals all over the land are full of wounded soldiers; those who went into battle full of zeal, but failed to estimate the job they had on hand, were captured, and are now in the hands of their enemies. Ask such to shout victory! It would be for them an impossibility. They are prisoners of war.

God expects us not only to fight, but to win. We ought to go from every battle flushed with victory. The Word says, “Fight the good fight of faith; lay bold on eternal life.” That is, obtain victory in every place; the closet, at the family altar, in the prayer meeting, when the word of God is preached, among the children, in the kitchen, parlor, trade and commerce, when laboring to bring poor sinners to Zion, paying your vows unto the Lord, helping on the gospel as God has prospered you with means, and in every place and under all circumstances, let victory be written upon your banner. It is shameful to suffer defeat. “This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.” How sickening to simply play fight and never know what a square victory means.

God has provided for our complete success in every engagement. We may be clad with heavenly armour sufficient to make the weakest saint victorious. The idea of being on the sick list half or two-thirds of the time is extreme folly. If you have on the whole armour of God, you will stand complete in all the will of God, and never know defeat.

“Courage! your Captain cries, Who all your toil foreknew-- Toil ye shall have, yet all despise; I have o’ercome for you.”

Think of it! The Master has overcome for you! Glory to God!

XXVI.

LOCK UP.

Boats, when running on canals, do not go far on a level, before they come to a lock. This is made of solid masonry, with two sets of gates, upper and lower. The water above the lock is from five to fifteen feet higher than the water below. In order that the vessel may pass through and pursue her journey, she must enter the lock, shut the lower gates, turn a wicket in the upper gate which will let in water from above, filling the lock, and raising the boat to the level above; the gates will then open, she will pass out and pursue her journey.

Now, is it not very much so in our religious experience? When converted, we enter the channel of life. We run on this level for a season; with some, much longer than others; all, perhaps, too long. On some canals, levels are very short; but all, that are born of the Spirit, very early in their experience come to a point where they must take advance ground, lock up! or go back. We must go into the lock, shut the gates behind us, leave no possible chance for retreat. This locking up might represent reconsecrating ourselves to God. In doing this, we ought to be very specific. Discriminate under the blazing light of the Holy Ghost. Humble yourself under the hand of God, by confessing your failures, making wrongs right, and God will lift you up. Be thorough. Do not be satisfied to run on the same experience, day in and day out; week in and week out; month in and month out; year in and year out. Alas! alas! how many run in this way, on the same level until it becomes a dead level! In some cases it would be impossible to tell whether there was any current either way. When we first enter the channel of life, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. “By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God; and not only so, but we glory in tribulation also knowing that tribulation worketh patience, and patience experience, and experience hope: and hope maketh not ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” What we greatly need in many places among us, is to lock up into the faith that will give us access into the rich experiences that were once delivered unto the saints; Elijah, Paul, Hester Ann Rogers, Carvosso, Bramwell, Fletcher, Wesley, Madam Guvon, Muller, and a host of others. Then, the communion of faith and love will bear us up to things above. I said that to elevate a boat from a lower level to a higher one, water was let in from above. It is precisely so in the Christian life. If we aim at obedience, becoming more holy, of living a purer life, in walking in all of God’s ordinances blameless, we must go often into the lock of crucifixion; then the water of life will come in from above in living streams, and our experience will be clearer than the noonday sun. Like the tree planted by the rivers of water, bringing forth fruit in its season, our leaf also will not wither.

I want to ask, my dear brethren and sisters of our beloved Zion, don’t you think it is time that you locked up? Why tarry? Remember your vows to God and the church. Press for the mark! “Ye shall receive power, after the Holy Ghost is come upon you.” Bend all your energies for the summit level.

XXVII.

SUCCESS.

Success in any department of life, depends upon the right use of right means; at the right time; in the right place, and in the right manner. Like causes will produce like results in all ages of the world. Hence the farmer wishing to raise wheat, breaks up the soil, sows his seed, and waits patiently for the early and latter rain with the assurance “that seed-time and harvest will not fail;” and with rejoicing he gathers thirty, sixty or a hundred fold into his barn. This is also true of spiritual things. Success is certain to the man called of God to preach, if he avails himself of the right means, employs them at the right time, and in the right manner.

1. The means to be employed is the Word of God; and this must come forth like a stream of fire, from a heart blazing with the love of God. The command is, “Preach the Word.” Into this armory man may enter, and take to himself just the weapons that will give him victory on every battle-field. I thank God! he may be thoroughly furnished, and never know defeat. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” But there is more to follow; “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me by thy free Spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners _shall_ be converted unto thee.” Here success is based upon being _thoroughly_ furnished with heaven’s panoply, the blessing of a clean heart, and possessing the joy of the Lord. The more I search God’s Word, the more I am convinced that he has provided means for the complete subjugation of this world to himself. He never designed that defeat should be written upon our banners, but that we should press the enemy to the very gates of hell. “He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.” Here is a declaration from God who cannot lie, that, if we go forth in his strength, having renewed within us a right spirit, the spirit that will cause us to weep over sinners lost, as Jesus wept over Jerusalem, and erring Samaria, with this spirit, clad in armor all divine, we shall come forth from every field of battle, bringing our sheaves with us. But in order to wield heaven’s artillery successfully, an experimental knowledge of the same is necessary. “The laborer must first be partaker of the fruit.”

2. As to time and manner. “Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord.” In order to make full proof of our ministry, every redeemed power must be in complete harmony with God; employed at the right time, place, and in the right manner; by being instant in season, and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all long suffering and doctrine.

And God who is ever faithful, will make us successful in winning souls to himself, and leading on believers to the promised land of perfect love.

XXVIII.

THEY MIGHT BE A SUCCESS.

There is, just now, considerable inquiry by some portions of the Methodist family, how to make their _class-meetings_ a success--how make them more spiritual--how get the members to attend them.

I have a recipe which answers the above, and proves a success in all cases. In order to get a perfect understanding of the idea, I will relate a circumstance: When a boy I learned to hunt bees. The country was new, and bees were often found in hollow trees--frequently with a large amount of honey. In order to find where the bees lived, I took a box about ten inches long, six wide, and six deep, with a glass cover. I would place in this box about one pound of honey. I would then catch a bee from off some flower, and put him in the box with the honey, then put the box in some clear place where the sun could shine upon it. When the bee had filled himself with the honey, he would fly away to the tree where he lived, always going in a straight line. He would soon deposit, and return, bringing several more bees with him. These would fill themselves and fly away to the tree, deposit, and return, with perhaps an increase of fifty bees. By some process the bees would communicate the fact that they had found honey, so on every return trip their numbers rapidly increased, until it seemed the whole hive was after the honey.

Now, let a class-leader find the honey--get it in his own soul--the honey of perfect love--the real thing--not a guess so affair, but a positive holiness; holiness that comes by a perfect consecration, with a clear endorsement of the Holy Ghost; holiness that shines as clear as the sun at noonday; opposed to all pomp and display; arrayed against the devil and all his works; that is dead to the world and alive to God; holiness that has love divine in every element, running through every vein, and fibre, and muscle of his spiritual and intellectual being. This will be the real honey. Yea, sweeter than honey and the honey-comb. Then you will talk salvation--not simply about salvation,--you will talk _it_. The real honey will flow out in your words, and songs of praise, as water flowed from the smitten rock. A hallowed influence will attend you everywhere. “The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad” for you; “and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with singing.” Then your members will be charmed with your godly conversation. They will come to class to hear you talk of Jesus’ wondrous saving power--how he saves you from sin and sinning. And while you talk the fire will burn. They will catch the flame and carry the glad tidings to others, and they to others, until the whole church will be on fire with God’s love. This recipe is exceedingly good for ministers of the gospel, and in fact for everybody. Try it.

XXIX.

FEAR, OR THE SCARE-CROW DEVIL.

Farmers, frequently put up some frightful object in their corn-fields to scare away the crows--preventing them from pulling up and eating the corn. The devil works in like manner, to prevent honest souls from partaking of the real corn of the kingdom. He succeeds remarkably well, if by any means the saints are prevented from getting blessed, baptized with the Holy Ghost, and made all alive in Christ Jesus, and sinners converted to God. He don’t care how much religion we profess, if we are only destitute of real piety.

He loves to have us profess a giant’s grace if, in fact, we are empty. This scare-crow, when simmered down to a philosophical point, is _Fear_. It often presents the very frightful character of _Wildfire_, _Fanaticism_, _Nazarite_, etc. The Devil is exceedingly busy, on all occasions, at every means of grace, especially at quarterly and camp-meeting, to prevent the work of grace. One of the strangest things in connection with this work is that, the saints _professedly_, will help the Devil do his miserable work of unfurling the _scare-crow_ banner. How many inglorious defeats we have as “Pilgrims,” all through _fear_. Fear of what? Why, our reputation is at stake. Some are afraid the saints will shout more than is meet; others that they will jump too high; or the glory that is unutterable will become unmanageable in some way; or that the car of salvation will get out of the groove of modern quiet, still no excitement, sweet, precious holiness that disturbs nobody, kills nobody, resurrects nobody, leaving all in the cold embrace of death. From such we say, _Good Lord_, deliver us.

It is exceedingly distressing to be where the work is managed by men full of _fear_. If a saint happens to get blessed, their appearance, the peculiar noise made, the length of the amen, the terror produced among the unsaved, _all_ must be critically tested by their rules of propriety. What we need is perfect love that casteth out fear; especially this tormenting fear.

He that feareth is not made perfect in love. “For God has not given us the spirit of _fear_; but of power and love, and of a sound mind.” Thank God! we may be delivered out of the hand of our enemies, and serve him _without fear_, in holiness and righteousness before him _all the days of our life_.”

“Give to the wind your fears, Hope and be undismayed.”

“For whom the Son maketh free, shall be free indeed.”

XXX.

TRUST.