Notes by the Way: Section III

“Come and let us reason together.” — The word of the Lord.

Being naturally much given to reasoning, seldom disposed to credit an assertion without an ostensible wherefore; she sometimes almost closed in with the suggestion, that her constitutional temperament was so greatly to her disadvantage, that she need scarcely expect to be strong in faith, imagining that persons naturally credulous, had in spiritual matters greatly the advantage of those that required a specified reason for every specified item of belief, most cautiously examining step by step the validity of the ground, ere the venture be made to tread firmly.

Yet this very trait of character, that she had habituated herself to regard as so unpropitious, when brought into obedience to Christ, was made subservient to her spiritual advantage.

She afterward found that God did not require her to believe any thing but what was thoroughly substantiated by the requiremerds of his written word. And became convinced that it ‘was not only her privilege, but also made her duty by the express declarations of that word, to test every step as she passed onward in the heavenly way, by a careful searching of the Scriptures f in order to prove the validity of each step as successively taken.

This course she found to be necessary, not only for the establishment of her own soul, in order to be rooted and grounded, so as not to be easily moved away from the hope of the gospel, but also a prerequisite not to be dispensed with, if she would honor God by being able to give an answer with meekness and fear, to those that asked a reason of her hope.

But she lost beyond all calculation by thus lingering for years in this comparatively undecided course. Some estimation of the irreparable loss sustained may be conceived by an allusion to one who in a given time is required to build. He lays the foundation, and begins to advance with his edifice, but fearful of some mistake, he overthrows it, and then again commences uprearing it, and after again having made, perchance, still higher advances, again demolishes for the same reason. And this was precisely her unwise course.

It was not until she was enabled through grace, to resolve on ceasing to have her mind influenced irt its decisions of her state, by a reference to the experience of others, and determined with a resoluteness not to be shaken, to take the Bible as her counsellor, that she was enabled to make much progress in the divine life. But when she came to this decision, the Spirit began mightily to help her infirmities.

The hour will never be forgotten when, with a settled purpose of soul, she looked abroad on every motive of earthly ambitioo, and deliberately counted all things lost, for the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ; it was then that the Spirit said encouragingly, and also assuringly “A door great and effectual is opened... but there are many adversaries.”

From that moment she became more understandingly convinced than ever before, that there were foes for her to face, and became truly aware of the significant import of the inquiry,

“Must I be carried to the skies

On flowery beds of ease, Whilst others fought to win the prize,

And sailed through bloody seas ]

Are there no foes for me to face 1 * ’

Must I not stem the flood 1
Is this vile world a friend to grace,

To help me onto God”