II. Its experiences
II. Its experiences
All the effects of faith within the domain of personal consciousness are real and precious. The conscious experiences which result from saving faith, such as a sense of pardon, adoption, and a new life, are not to be undervalued; yet there remain coexistent with these disagreeable elements of consciousness, such as doubts, fears, and clouds. These commingle with the peace, joy, and light of the converted soul, so that it often sings
Een the rapture of pardon is mingled with fears.
And the cup of rejoicing with sadness and tears.
Its enjoyments are, at best, variable. The particular improvement in the realm of experience which the fullness of faith brings is that it clears the skies of the soul, disperses its shadows, and secures to it a sustained light, warmth, and enjoyment in God. There are several new elements of experience which it ushers in.
It so fully persuades the soul of its acceptance with God, makes it so conscious of his indwelling presence, and so assures the soul of the verity of spiritual things, that the soul walks in the light and sings,
Not a clouddoth arise
To darken my skies.
Doubts vanish; their hideous specters never even flit across the soul; and the experience of the seraphic Faber becomes verified to the heart:
I know not what it is to doubt;
My heart is always gay.
The soul stands on the solid ground of conscious certainty respecting its salvation and hope. It walks now by faith. Some speak often of walking by faith as though it were a rough, dark way. They say: I have many doubts, much darkness, no joy, but I am walking by faith. By no means are they. Faiths way is not such; it is a cloudless way, a smooth way, a joyous way. The way that is cloud-cast and doubt-strewn is the way of sight. The fullness of faith is a vision of soul, where its eye, as it sweeps the horizons of time and eternity,
Reads its title clear
To mansions in the skies,
rejoices in hope, walks above the world and sin, and to it
The invisible appears,
And God is seen by mortal sight
The exclamation of one when faiths full orb had risen within his soul was, Lo, what a witness! Clearer than that of my adoption it is a perfect globe of assurance.
2. Freedom from fear is another new phase of experience of soul
which attends the fullness of faith
The dread of duty which haunts so many Christian lives, and which paralyzes the souls sensibilities for enjoying God, quits the soul. Crosses become delights, service joy. Faith in its fullness emancipates the soul from the bondage of doing duty in the dread of it, and brings it the liberty of doing duty in the love of it. This is accompanied by a freedom from the fear of Gods will. The chief reason why so many Christians hesitate to offer themselves living sacrifices unto God, is that they fear to say, Thy will be done. They fear that he may choose some suffering or disappointment or persecution or bereavement for them. But the soul full of faith adores Gods sweet will; it is so persuaded of the divine all-lovingness, that he will not choose for it what is not best, as that it has no concern about what his will is concerning it. The bondage of dreading a loving Fathers will is supplanted by the liberty of delighting in it. This embraces, also, no fear for the future. Said a Christian woman: I have grace sufficient for the present, but I don't believe I could endure the trials and temptations some have, should they come to me. Had she been full of faith she would have been quiet from the fear of evil. The soul full of faith fears neither coming age or service or death. It lives in no fear of backsliding or spiritual decline, or fruitless years to come; its confidence is like Pauls: I am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him. A Christian woman was in the habit of saying in the presence of her saintly colored servant, who was always happy: Dinah, suppose this should happen, or that should come to you, some great sorrow, accident, or misfortune. Why, missus, said Dinah, I never sposes any thing; its your sposes that make you so miserable. I knows all things work together for good to dem what loves de Lord, and that makes me happy all de time. Dinah was full of faith. Such a soul never supposes any thing about the future, and so rejoices in hope.
3. Heavenly mindedness is another new element of experience in the soul full of faith
Heavenly mindedness is a state, not a mere emotion of soul. The heart becomes possessed of heavenly thoughts and feelings. It lives on a celestial altitude of experience in the midst of pressing duties, cares, and perplexities. It is an experience akin to what some saints have realized during long periods of decline, as they anticipated their early translation to heaven. Said Mrs. Professor Lacroix, days before her death, I am done with earth; I have begun to live in heaven. Thus by the power of a fullness of faith, the soul, not waiting for the near approach of death, may be lifted into an experience where it begins to live the heavenly life while yet in the body. Then, as one has beautifully written: It goes to heaven before it gets there locally. God transfers his kingdom and glory to the heart, making it a province of the land of light in advance. The whole realm of its inner being is annexed to the heavenly empire, and its citizenship is transferred from earth to the heavenly city. O glorious, wondrous faith, which enables us to know
Our heaven begun below!
Dear reader, may the Lord lead you to this fullness of faith, so that having your conversation in heaven you may exultantly sing
Yet onward I haste to the heavenly feast:
That indeed is the fullness, but this is the taste,
And this I shall prove, till with joy I remove
To the heaven of heavens in Jesus love.