To Mr. M——
Mr. M inquires whether the power to believe may not be withheld — The power to exercise faith never withheld from the truly sincere — Difficulty with one who had been seeking the Lord four years, and how removed — Man possesses the awful power of pronouncing his own blessings and curses — Five individuals converted the same day on which they were awakened — Difficulty with Mr. S. — Of one who thought it was too late.
To MY Sin-sick Friend, Mr. M. “But,”
you ask, “does not the Lord in his sovereignty at times withhold the power to exercise faith from the seeking soul?” And further, “How is it that some for weeks and months, with so much sincerity and earnestness, go about as mourners in Zion, while others, perhaps, only in a few hours go through the process of awakening and conversion?”
A Four Years’ Seeker.
I do not think we have any Scripture ground for the supposition, that God ever withholds the power to exercise faith from the sincere inquirer. It is tnie that there may be difficulties in the way of exercising faith with some who desire salvation. I once knelt beside a mourner, and said,
‘’How long since you first began to seek the Lord?”
“Four years.”
“Four years!” I exclaimed; “what! seeking the Lord four years, and say that you have not yet found him! Surely this must be a mistake. God hath said, *And ye shall seek me and find me, when jQ shall search for me with all your heart.* God cannot be imfaithful, and there must have been some mistake in your manner of seeking him.”
I then began to inquire whether there had not been some reservation in her mind, relative to sacrificing all for Christ. “Perhaps,” said I, “you may have had your eye upon some worldly minded professor, and thought, * If I could get religion, and be or do like such a one, how gladly would I enjoy it.’ Your mind may have been so enhghtened as to see these things inconsistent with an entire surrender, but still you have persevered in endeavoring to bring God to your terms, instead of coming yourself to his.”
She frankly acknowledged that this had indeed
Converted in Five Minutes.
been precisely her case. I assm-ed her that she might just as well give up all hope at once of evet being saved, as to continue to seek God with these reservations.
Though you might go on years longer as a professed seeker, you woidd come no nearer the point. But there is no probabiHty that the Spirit of the Lord would strive with you thus long. What a mercy that yOur Saviom-j grieved and insulted by your offers of half-hearted service, has not ceased to tender you his grace, and left you to utter hardness and impenitence! But you may be now receiving the last urgings of the Spirit; yet let me tell you, if you will now make confession of yom* sin, in not being willing to give up all for Christ, and will come, renouncing yourself and sin, he will now receive you. She made the resolve that she would yield; and the more powerful influences of the Spirit were immediately given to help her infirmities; and in perhaps less than five minutes she was filled with the joys of salvation.
In like manner is the faithfulness of God to the seeker ever exhibited. Though not often so clearly perceivable to the eye of man, as in the case just stated, yet in the eye of Omniscience every case is undoubtedly equally marked. I cannot believe that there is any lingering on the part of God in fulfilling his promises to the seeking soul. When we come to him in the way of his
Five convicted and converted in a Day.
requirements, we are met with his blessing; when imwilhng to comply with the conditions upon which salvation is offered, we are rejected. God is not man that he should change, neither is he a respecter of persons. With Israel on Mount Ebal, and on Mount Gerizim, we pronounce our own blessings and cujses; for, alike with them, the course which we pursue will draw down just such results as God hath pronounced on the characters we sustain.
But God is love; and it is my desire to encourage you in the assurance, that there will be no delay on his part in meeting you on the ground of the promises; Within a few days I have seen this exemplified in the experience of five persons, in whose awakening and conversion I have been most deeply interested. Neither of the five, I have reason to believe, were really awakened imtil the day on which I addressed them personally relative to their danger out of Christ. On the same day on which they were comicted they were converted. I believe one had previously attended church occasionally, but the others were habitual neglecters of God’s house and worship. They were convinced of the necessity of seeking God with all the heart, if they would find hun; and of the uselessness of expecting to find him, unless they came to this decision. I placed this view of the subject prominently before them, when they first promised to seek the Lord. *’ If you knew
Successful Seeker. Mr, S.
you were to die before twelve o’clock to-night, you would be very much in earnest, and feel that you had no time to lose,” said I to one. “Yes,” was the reply. I said, “You would not, in that case, seek God with more than all your heart, and unless you seek him just as earnestly now, you will not find; for he has not promised to be found of you until you seek him with all your heart.” The same evening on which this conversation occurred she was converted.
I knew an individual who, for years, felt the need of salvation to a degree that imbittered all earthly enjoyments. He was not only willing to come out from the world, but gave most unequivocal demonstration of his unwillingness to be conformed to its Spirit. It was cause of much prayerful concern with m.e, that one so sincere, and in earnest, should so long remain in this state, and I sent for him to come and spend an evening with me, hoping that the hinderance might, ‘m some way, be ascertained. Nothing seemed to throw light on the subject, until at the close of the
interview I said,” Mr. S, have you never felt
it to be your duty to join the church?” With a decision of manner, which told just were his will was strongly fixed, he replied, “That I will never do, until I know I have religion; for there are backshders enough in the church now.”
“This,” said T,” is just what I believe yol will
Joins the Clmrdi- ^’Give me thy Heart.”
have to do, ‘before you get the witness of your acceptance. Yes, you will have to do it; and then trust the Lord to keep you. To do otherwise imphes a distrustfulness which must be displeasing to God,” I added.
The next night he came out under circimistances of unusual publicity, and said, “Such and such were my views, but now I have maxle up my mind to unite with the church,” This was on Saturday night, and on Sunday morning, Jesus, the resurrection and the life, raised Ms soul to the most joyful assurance of renovated nature, even the enjoyment of a life of ffiith on the Son of God,
A variety f eases might be given, lilustmtive of the faithfulness of God, and of the effects resulting frcm faith and obedience; but I must close with the relation of one which, I hope, may be suited to y-Gur case: —
An individual, after vari<?us expedients in reading, fasting, and praying, at length came to the eoneiusion that it was too late for him to seek salvation; that he had sinned beyond the limits of mercy. While in heaviness he was thus reflecting upon his sins, the text, “My son, give me thine heart,” came to his mind. Can it be, thought he, that God makes such a requisition of me as this? He knows what a heart I have, how hard, how polluted, how unfit for life or for death; and yet he says, “Give me thme heart,” What can he
A Heart given to Christ.
want of my heart? He wants to make it good; to create it anew; to wash it in the blood of Jesus, and to make it a temple meet for the residence of his Spirit. “I dropped my flail,” said he, (for he was in his barn at work,) “and prostrating myself upon the straw, I said, * 0 Lord, if thou canst accept of such a heart as mine, here it is. I give myself to thee just as I am, a poor, vile sinner.’” Instantly he was saved; and so wonderful did the plan of salvation now appear to him — so new, so suited to the condition of the lost — that it seemed as if all his life had been spent in the dark; and he was affected to tears, that no one had ever thus explained to him the way of salvation.
Yours, in Christian love.