"Lift up a standard for the people"-Isaiah. God's method of instruction by examples. Luther-childhood and youth. Death of Alexis. Visit to Mansfeldt. Thunderbolt at his side. Convictions. Enters convent. Agony-Illness. Staupitz. Gleams of hope. Old monk and his credo. Forgiveness of sin. Joy of Luther. Recovery. Luther's first Bible. Appointment as Professor at Wittemburg. Lectures. Embassy to Rome. Deeper experience. Unbounded joy. EXAMPLES COMPARED, CHAPTER III. Luther's example-its force. D'Aubigné. Conversion at Geneva. Haldane pays the debt of Knox at Geneva. Glorious work amongst the students. D'Aubigné's course for five years after. Journey to Copenhagen. Meeting with Rieu and F. Monod at Kiel. His inward struggles. Call upon Kleuker. Instructions. Second experience in the inn-room at Kiel. Disavowal of perfectionism. Baxter, Edwards, Hewitson, &c., &c., compared with Wesleyans and Oberlinians. Experience the same-theories different. Parallel between D'Aubigné and Mrs Rogers. d Page 3 7 19 CHAPTER IV. EXPLANATIONS. THE FACTS, AND THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE FACTS, 1. Full salvation. Apostles. Primitive Christians. Explanation not needed. 2. Second experience distinct from the first. Not accounted for by supposing deception in the first. Nor return from backsliding. The true solution. Experimental apprehension of the way of sanctification by faith. 3. Instantaneous. Why? Not always marked. 4. Harmonies and differences between Lutherans, Wesleyans, and Oberlinians. Page 31 CHAPTER V. A STUMBLING-STONE, "Gather out the stones." No necessary connexion between this second experience and perfectionism. The one an experience the other a theory. Oberlin. Experience of Messrs Mahan and Finney. Shocked at the question whether the experience was not "Christian perfection." The terms and theory adopted afterwards. Another illustration. NOT FOR ME. WHY NOT? CHAPTER VI. "For the promise is unto you and to your children," &c. Unbelief not modesty. Plea of the unconverted. Christ a full Saviour. Objection. CARVOSso. An orphan. Converted. "Second Conversion." Becomes a fisherman. Eminently useful. Builds a chapel. Becomes a farmer. Gathers three classes. Builds another chapel. Means of 700 conversions in one place. Learns to write at sixty-five. Letters and autobiography, voluminous and luminous. General Sir HENRY HAVELOCK. Conversion on the sea on board the "General Kyd." Deeper experience at Fort-William, Calcutta. Eminent usefulness. 48 57 66 Repent and be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and ye shall receive the Holy Ghost." Objection anticipated. The Father and the Spirit not dishonoured but honoured by full trust in Jesus. Official relations of the three persons of the Trinity. Illustrations. Essential relations. Solution of Scripture difficulties upon the subject. Solution of practical difficulties. Prayer to each of the persons warranted. CHAPTER II. CHRIST ALL-SUFFICIENT AND FAITH ALL-INCLUSIVE, The analogies of first and second experience. Differences. CHRIST ALL. A SON OF THE PROPHETS AT A SCHOOL OF THE PROPHETS. Legal struggles. Covenants. Vows. Failures. Conversation with a fellow-student. Conviction. Agony. Deliverance. Takes Christ as all. Great Joy. FAITH TWOALL-INCLUSIVE. Gives all. Takes all. AN EMINENT Her fruitless attempts to take salvation without consecrating all to God. Her success when she consecrates all. A MERCHANT. His vain attempts to gain all by consecration without taking Christ as a sanctifying Saviour. His success when he trusts all to Christ. FOLD. CHAPTER III. STOPPED IN THE WAY. BY WHAT? . God arrests by the burning bush. Man conjures up difficulties. Difficult to arouse the Christian to see what God has in store for him. ABRAHAM's two stages in the way to Canaan. CHILDREN OF ISRAEL. Shrunk back after their deliverance from Egypt. Afraid to enter Canaan. Page 75 93 114 Difficulties-1. FEAR OF THE BRAND. General Havelock. 2. FEAR OF HERESY. Danger. A SHAKERESS. Was once the wife of an excellent minister. False principle of interpretation. Millerite views. Met a Shakeress. Fascinated. Warning. 3. RELUCTANCE TO GIVE UP THE WORLD. False reasonings. 4. ASCETIC VIEWS OF RELIGION. The temptations and distortions of Satan. BLINDNESS OF MIND THROUGH UNBELIEF. Page Christ the way. By-ways. Want of docility as the basis of all. A YOUNG CHRISTIAN. Her conversion. Happiness. Attractions of the world. Difficulties. Her second experience. Convinced. Goes to Jesus. Finds Him. Has the fulness of salvation all in one hour. SOME MISS THE WAY BY CLINGING TO A PRECONCEIVED WAY OF THEIR OWN. THE WORKER. His theory of sanctification by works, and his abundant works to secure sanctification. Failure. Error pointed out. Effect upon him overwhelming. Converted at last to sanctification by faith. THE PASTOR. Tried every by-way. Went first to books and men instead of Christ. Next to the promotion of unpopular reforms to humble himself. Then to change of habits and to hard work for religion. Next to prayer to be made holy. Finally, in despair, saw in the contrast seventh and eighth of Romans. Christ the way. Happiness. Revival. 133 PART III. PROGRESS AND POWER. CHAPTER I. STAGES OF PROGRESS-STARTING POINTS NOT STOPPING PLACES, 155 The two travellers in the train. YoUNG GENTLEMAN. His mistake. Its correction. Why speak of stages? Increasing Baptist. The apostles. Whitefield. Do all Christians have the same experience? Yes, essentially. No, circumstantially. A NEW ENGLAND LADY IN THE WEST. Her conversion. Journey. Log-cabin home. Illness. Rebellions. Submission. Trust. Full salvation. Varieties, as Abraham and Jacob. Must all have second conversion? Essentially, yes. Circumstantially, no. Full salvation experienced by many in the last days or moments of life. Dr PAYSON. Governor DUNCAN. Three weeks' illness. Unprepared to die. Struggles. Failure. Leaves all to Jesus. Triumphant. "Tell him I have found the way of salvation by faith in Jesus." Page TIMES AND SEASONS, CHAPTER II. 178 Harvest. Revivals no God's works timely. Seed time. CHAPTER III. THE PRESENT AND THE FUTURE, The present the stepping-stone to the future. Near the end. The future. Unity, activity, and spirituality. Union, its progress. Activity, its prevalence. Spirituality, its buddings. Significant omissions in recent descriptions of Luther's and D'Aubigné's experience. Spirituality, the want of the present for the future. The power of full salvation. THE JUDGE AND THE POOR AFRICAN WOMAN. 190 CHAPTER IV. THE CHRISTIAN LIFE, ITS ABIDING FORCES AND ABIDING Learning to die. Learning to live. Abiding forces, faith, 210 |