THE
H O M EWAR D
PAT H.
O _
" THE BEGI\NING AND GROWTH OF THE CHRISTIAN
LIFE, OR THE SUNDAY-SCHOOL TEACHER."
"Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to
the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city."
THIRD EDITION.
BOSTON:
WALKER, WISE, AND COMPANY,
245 WASIINGTON STREET.
1 8 6 0. 
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1856, by
CROSBY, NICHOLS, & CO.,
In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.
University Press, Cambridge:
Welch, Bigelow, & Co., Electrotypers and Printers. 
CONTENTS.
INTRODUCTORY 
INWARD DISSATISFACTION AND UNEASINESS
ALIENATION FROmI GOD 
NEED OF RECONCILIATION, AND OF A DISTINCT
RELIGIOUS CHOICE.....
THE NEW BIRTH......
CHRIST THE RECONCILER AND SAVIOUR 
CHRIST THE SANCTIFIER...
PERSONAL ACCEPTANCE.....
THE TRUE SPHERE OF LIFE.
PRAYER........
SPIRITUAL TRIALS......
THE DAILY LIFE.........
THE SABBATH.......
THE CHURCH OF CHRIST.....
THE HO.ME OF THE BELIEVER.
i
LErrLIR
I.
II.
IH.
IV.
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XTTT.
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xv.  
LETTER I.
INTRODUCTORY.
THE interest I have long felt in you, my
young friend, has led me to form the purpose
of addressing to you a series of letters, relative
to your inward life, your spiritual needs, and
your Christian growth and progress. Novelty
of thought or illustration will not be my aim,
but to aid you in the attainment of that secret
life which is "hid with Christ in God."
From my acquaintance with the influences
that immediately surround you, I have thought
there might be times when you earnestly longed
to express your feelings and wants to some heart
in which you could place confidence, and find
the sympathy and help you secretly crave.
Either repressed by personal diffidence, or repulsed by the reserve or coldness of others, or
by a secret consciousness that your deepest
wants and spiritual difficulties would inot be
understood by those around you, you have
passed on from month to month, sometirnmes
feeling that you had gained a little in the true 
THE HOMEWARD PATH.
path, -  sometimes wholly discouraged, - often
indifferent, and with little or no definite aim in
your spiritual life.  Sometimes you have felt
a sort of pride in hiding your better feelings
under the mask of coldness or indifference;
sometimes, by a frivolous manner, or a light,
careless word, you have sought to conceal those
secret convictions that would not let you rest in
complacent ease and self-satisfaction; and sometimes, too, you have sincerely and earnestly
longed for some true Christian friend to whom
you might express your dissatisfaction and your
secret anxiety, - some one who would truly
sympathize with you and aid you.
To meet such longings, to supply so far as
I may the place of a personal counsellor and
friend, to lead you to a better understanding of
your true position, of your personal relation to
God and to Christ, and to point out to you your
only true path of life, in a child-like obedience
and a Christian faith and trust, will be my single
and sincere endeavor.
If at any time my words may not seem applicable to your immediate state of mind, your
own judgment will point out the true course of
thought and inquiry; remembering that, while
the great facts of a spiritual experience are
ever one and the same, they are also modified
according to the peculiar mental habits, native
dispositions, and natural temperament of the
individual.
2 
INTRODUCTORY.
Let me beg you, then, not to adopt my conclusions, or to trust my guidance alone; but by
a prayerful study of the Word of Truth, as applicable to your own heart and character, may
you be led to the one only living Fountain of
Life and Peace.
3
I 
LETTER II
INWARD DISSATISFACTION AND UNEASINESS.
THE state of your  mind, my dear friend, as
revealed in your welcome letter, is probably not
so strange and peculiar as you seem to imagine;
for the same restlessness, the same dissatisfaction, the same uneasy longings and disquiets,
the same anxious fears and trembling hopes,
have, in some form, been felt by every soul
that has been roused, even for a little season,
to a sense of its spiritual needs.
Unless the child has been educated under the
purest Christian influences, and in early youth
has given the heart to God and to Christ, - unless the new birth into the spiritual life, the birth
of the immortal desires and affections, has been
simultaneous with the growth and development
of that which is merely earthly and perishable,
the season must come when questions such as
these force themselves upon the soul with irresistible power: -" What am I, and whither do I
tend?  For what purpose am I living?  What
is my trust for the present, and what my only 
INWARD DISSATISFACTION AND UNEASINESS.  5
true hope for the future?  Have  I any sure
foundation of faith? Know I, from experience,
aught of that life over which death hath no
power?  Do I really believe in God, in Christ,
in immortality? What is the meaning of salvation through Christ, and of the kingdom of
heaven being within?"
No matter how pure and fair the life to outward seeming, no matter what has been the judgment of partial friends or careless observers, if
the soul is not conscious of a personal interest
in divine things, if it feels that it is not one with
Christ, and through him reconciled to the Father,
if it knows nothing from its own experience of
the love of a Saviour, and of the Divine holiness and compassion manifested in and through
him, then must there be discontent, dissatisfaction, uneasiness. Be sure there is that within
you which will make you restless, and which
must make you restless, until you find rest in
God.   Through a personal acceptance of the
Redeemer alone, will you find peace.
But you say: "I do long, and at times earnestly long, for a more consistent, purer, higher
life than I am now leading.  What is merely
outward does not and cannot satisfy me.
Health, friends, the comforts of life, intellectual pursuits, the stimulus of conscious mental
progress, the rewards of faithful industry,all such blessings are no unworthy sources of 
THE HOMEWARD PATH.
happiness; yet in seasons of any peculiar trial
or temptation, or in hours of solitude and self recollection, I find they utterly fail me.  There
is a deeper life concealed from human view, of
which at such times I am conscious; there are
wants which the common occupations or pleas ures or intercourse of the day do not and can not satisfy.
"I turn to the pages of the New Testament,
and as I read there the glowing words of the
Apostles, expressive of a living faith in Christ,
of a love stronger than death, of a love that cast eth out all fear,- as I hear them speak of a life
hid with Christ in God, of longing to depart and
to be with Christ, - I feel that I have not yet
learned even the alphabet of religious truth. I
believe in Christ, that is, intellectually I believe
in him; but I do not feel my personal relation
to him as a Saviour and Redeemer. I admire
the purity of his life; I see something of the
greatness of his mission, and reverence his selfsacrificing love, and the tenderness of his compassion; but when he speaks of himself as the
only' Way, Truth, and Life,'- when he says,
'No man cometh unto the Father but by me,'
'I am the Resurrection and the Life,'- when
the Apostle emphatically declares of Christ, that
there is no other name under heaven, given
among men, whereby we can be saved, - I feel
that there is a meaning in such words which I
6 
INWARD DISSATISFACTION AND UNEASINESS. 7
have not yet begun to fathom,-a sense in
which he is the Saviour of man of which as
yet I know nothing.
" Sometimes I have tried to dissipate these
thoughts by outward excitement, sometimes by
a more stringent performance of duty; but in a
few days I have yielded to old habits and delinquencies, feeling how mechanical was such a
routine.
"I make resolves to goven  my passions, to curb
my wayward temper, to be more faithful to my
daily duties and my obligations to others; but
again and again do I break them, and I am
weary of striving. The ground I think I have
gained, in a few days of relaxed watchfulness
and of discontent is entirely lost, and the same
resolves are made, week after week, only to meet
with the same results.
" I look to the pure and noble examples of some
whom I reverence and love, and as I know their
calmness, nay, even joy of spirit, amid trial and
sorrow, their peace of mind amid the petty vexations of daily life, I feel that theirs is a hidden
source of strength and repose which, as yet, I
have not found. Often, too, when I strive to
pray, there seems no reality in the service. God
seems afar off, and retribution and immortality
and heaven mere dreams. I repeat the Saviour's
own words, but his being and presence are tod
often vague and shadowy; I do not feel my 
THE HOMIE WARD PATH.
personal relationship to him, nor my indebtedness to him, and his commands possess little
abiding control over my inward being. I am
dissatisfied and inwardly restless. I am conscious of yearning desires that are not satisfied,
of aspirations that are not filled. The future
often looks to me uncertain, mysterious, and
dark, and there are moments when, with all
that to the world's eye seems bright and fair,
life appears to me'scarcely desirable.
" Is there indeed a reality in the Christian faith,
a peace and a hope which the world gives not,
and cannot take away?  Are these thoughts
and questionings, these vague surmises, these
anxious longings and desires, these hours of dissatisfaction and self-reproach, mere fanciful chimeras? And if not, how am I to meet them,
- how find light and peace for the soul?"
No, my young friend; thoughts and questionings like these are no mere fancies, no vain delusions of the soul, but the voice of the Spirit
pleading with you, striving with you, to turn
you from the fading glitter of earthly trifles
and passing pursuits, from vain attempts at
self-excitation and mere self-culture, and to repose your weary, restless heart on the bosom of
Infinite Pity and Love. God would have you
to be wholly his, and to find your true peace
only through the mediation and love of Christ.
And so he would teach you by all this inward
8 
INWVARD DISSATISFACTION AND UNEASINESS.  9
dissatisfaction and uneasiness that the earth is
not your abiding-place, nor this world your
home; that there is but one path in which you
are to walk, - the path of humble self-consecration and devotion to his service; that there is but
one guide whom you are to follow,- even Him
who is the very manifestation of the Father.
Thank God that in any measure you have
begun to feel your spiritual necessities; that the
voice of the Spirit has been heard within your
soul; that, however dim the inward light, you
yet do long, and long earnestly at times, for a
deeper faith, a warmer love, and a better life.
Cherish these feelings, I entreat you,- cherish
them more than the most costly of jewels,- for
they are the strivings of your immortal nature,
the voice of that within which cannot die, the
pleadings of that Holy Spirit which, in times
past, you have so often grieved away by your
thoughtlessness or passion or frivolity, or by your
undue absorption in the outward, transient pursuits of life.
Pray, too, however dim your faith, however
unrealizing to your soul may be the being and
the presence of God. Pray through Christ, that
you may be taught how to pray. Neglect not
this exercise, unless you would lose at once all
higher aspirations and aims; neglect it not,
however little present help or comfort you may
seem to derive from it; neglect it not, at the 
THE HOMEWVARD PATH.
peril of your own soul. " Draw nigh to God,"
however feebly, however imperfectly, and "he
will draw nigh to you." " Seek, and ye shall
find."
In your present state of mind, everything depends upon your fidelity to this duty. Neglect
it, and indifference, worldliness, and carelessness will again roll back their dark and heavy
waves over your soul, and perhaps never again
will you hear, as now,;that heavenly voice which
says to you, " Arise, and depart, for this is not
your rest." Neglect it, and perchance the solemn
realities of an opening eternity shall first again
awaken you from your deathlike slumber of
cold indifference.
"Return, 0 wanderer, now return,
And seek thy Father's face;
Those new desires which in thee burn
Were kindled by his grace.
"Return, 0 wanderer, now return,
And wipe the falling tear;
The Spirit calls,- no longer mourn,
'T is Love invites thee near."
10 
LET-TER III.
ALIENATION FROMI GOD.
THE first step, my young friend, which you
need to take, is to understand more clearly your
true state of mind, and the causes of your present dissatisfaction and anxieties. Let me, then,
say distinctly and emphatically, that all of your
spiritual troubles and mental difficulties proceed
from one fruitful source of uneasiness and disquiet,-  the alienation of your soul from God,the evil and the sin that is within. I do not now
undertake to discuss the cause of this unhappy
state, or to inquire what is the true origin of it.
Theories on this subject are as numerous as
leaves in the forest, and to discuss them or theorize concerning them here would be of no avail,
even were it possible for the age4ong question
to be settled; for peace rarely, if ever, comes
through a mere intellectual conviction. Enough
that you feel the want within, that you know
the sin to be there, that you are conscious of this
bitter sense of alienation from your  God  and
Father, that you long, in your better moments,
for light, faith, reconciliation. 
THE HOMEWARD PATH.
And now what you need is to deepen within
you, by prayer and meditation, this sense of in ward destitution, until your whole soul is filled
with the longing desire for relief; until your one
earnest and heartfelt prayer is for that repentance
that needeth not to be repented of, -for that
pardon so freely vouchsafed, through Christ, to
every penitent, humble soul.
Could you once feel that your will was God's
will, your purposes and desires one with his, that
you were his child, and that everything which
befalls you on your pilgrimage, every circumstance of your changing life, is ordered by his
perfect wisdom and love, you would no longer
restlessly fret against your daily surroundings,
or say to yourself that a different position would
impart what you inwardly need; for there would
be in the soul itself the repose and trust of the
little child in its Father's home, - and would
not such a trust be happiness?
Hitherto, the circumstances of your outward
life have, in some measure, concealed from you
your true character, especially as you have but
recently contemplated your inner life with that
close and searching scrutiny which the question,
" How far have I any claim to the Christian
name? " ever demands.
Your lot thus far has been comparatively a
sheltered one.   In the sanctuary of home the
fiercer temptations have not assailed you. You
1-2 
ALIENATION FROM GOD.
have not been called to test the strength of your
principles or your power of resistance by conflict
with the sternest and most bitter forms of human
trial. You have enjoyed many religious privileges
in the instructions of the Church, and from your
earliest years the Scriptures have been within
your reach. You have often chosen and done
the right, but you now feel that this was the result rather of mere external influences, than of
any firm, deliberate chqice in the soul. Your
faith has been that of the intellect, not of the
heart. You have made resolves, planned duties,
and sought, for a time, zealously to fulfil them,
but have often failed, because you have relied on
your own strength alone. You have sometimes
engaged in works of benevolence, and have
doubtless done something to alleviate the sorrows
and sufferings of others; but even such works
have afforded no abiding satisfaction, for often
they have been engaged in with far too much
of self-reference, rather than in the simple desire
to follow in the Master's steps, -with a feeling as if by the performance of such duties you
were earning a title to self-approval. You have
believed in God, that is, you have said to yourself that you believed in him as an all-wise and
holy Creator; but you have not lived as in the
presence of a Father, encompassing your whole
path, reading each secret thought, watching each
flitting desire, and answering each true and
13 
THE HOMEWARD PATH.
heavenward aspiration,- a God of holiness not
to be trifled with, a God of justice not to be gainsaid, a God of love desiring nothing so much as
that every child of his should be righteous and
safe.
You have spoken in general terms of Christ
as the Saviour of the world; but you have not
felt your personal indebtedness to him, your personal need of him, as the only Reconciler of the
soul to God.   Your thoughts have often rested
on the future; but there has been too little keenness of spiritual perception for you to cherish,
hitherto, much, if any, doubt as to your acceptance with God. You have thought your situation safe because you evinced an outward respect for religion, were guilty of no flagrant sins,
and bore, to the world's eye, a correct moral
character. But you now feel that such a state
of mind is far from being a right, safe, or Christian state, and ask: "How  shall I render my
present dissatisfaction the means of true repentance and of spiritual growth? What is my
first duty? How shall I attain to a realizing
Christian faith?"
I reply: First of all, study the Scriptures with
a direct, personal reference to your own wants,
desires, and needs. Study them now, not for intellectual knowledge, not for criticism, but as the
direct revelation of God's will and law to your
own soul, as containing your only true standard
of judgment, your only chart and inspiration.
14 
ALIENATION FROMN GOD.
Read the Sermon on the Mount, and apply
its divine precepts, one by one, to your own feelings, words, habits, and dispositions, so that you
may see how far your inward life accords with
its high standard, as manifested in the life of
the Redeemer.
" Blessed are the pure in heart," the humble,
the meek, the forgiving, the forbearing; "blessed
are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness," not with a fain} longing, an indefinite
desire, a vague aspiration, but with an earnest,
hearty, whole-souled seeking after purity and
holiness. " Judge not, that ye be not judged;
forgive, as ye would be forgiven; as ye would
that men should do to you, do ye even so to
them," - in kindness, gentleness, sympathy, forbearance, charity.
Does your past life bear witness to fidelity
even in these simple requirements? But you
are bidden to take up the cross daily, and follow Christ; to follow him in his self-renunciation, his self-sacrificing love, his devotion to God,
his love to man. Is such your case? Have you
begun resolutely and in earnest to lead such a
life?
Read and ponder those last sublime discourses
of the Saviour with his disciples; and as you
meditate on that love stronger than death, as
you listen to his earnest words of affectionate entreaty and promise, "Abide in me, and I in you;
15 
THE HOMEWVARD PATH.
I will not leave you comfortless, I will come unto
you," ask yourself, - if you know from personal
experience the blessed reality of those words, -
how far your outward life has been the result of
this close, intimate relation of your soul to that
of the Redeemer. Meditate, too, on the perfect
holiness of God, and the requirements of his law,
until you understand more truly what sin is;
how abhorent in the sight of Infinite Purity, how
hateful in view of Perfect Holiness! Meditate
upon it until you deeply feel that the state of
alienation from God in which you have been
contented to live, the coldness and indifference
which have characterized so much of your past
life, are in themselves sins of fearful moment.
Living beneath the eye of the greatest and
holiest of beings, enjoying every moment blessings from his hand more than you can recount,
depending upon his watchful love and guardian
care for every breath you draw, upon the inworking of his ever-present Spirit for every
power of mind you exercise, upon his tender
mercy, vouchsafing to you so many sources of the
purest happiness through the exercise of your
kindly affections, -you have yet been content
to pass days and weeks and months, as if all of
these things depended only on the exercise of
your own strength, as if they were rightfully
your own, and derived from your own powers
alone. These uncounted, infinite favors of the
16 
ALIENATION FROM GOD.
Holy One you have received as a mere matter of course, with no thought of the Giver, no
grateful recognition of the hand that strews
your daily path with blessings. From day to
day, you have enjoyed the rich bounties of his
kind providence, forgetting Him in whom alone
you live and move, and have your whole being.
Is not such ingratitude sin? How often, too,
have your seasons of devotion been either wholly
neglected, or hurried through, because some engagemient was to be fulfilled, some pleasure to
be enjoyed, some recitation to be prepared, or
some business to be accomplished, too important to be postponed! But have you ever questioned the relative importance of these things in
the sight of God?
How often have you entered upon the untried
scenes of a new day, refreshed by peaceful slumber, and renovated in every faculty, without one
ascription of praise and thanksgiving, one petition for heavenly strength, guidance, and protection! And when the duties and cares and enjoyments of the day have closed, how often have
you yielded your powers to the calm insensibility of repose, without one thought of Him who
compasses your path and your lying down, who
besets you behind and before, and even lays his
hand upon you in infinite and tender compassion, that you may turn and look to him!
This forgetfulness of God, - this cold indiffer
2
17 
THE HOMEWVARD PATH.
ence, -is not this sin? A child to forget his
parent, -to live in the Father's house, unmindful of the Father's presence, -is it not strange,
unnatural, sinful?
But you say, or rather you have often secretly
felt, that God was altogether too merciful to call
you to any stringent account for your failures
or short-comings; that he would never exercise
any retributive justice upon a character on the
whole so moral and cbrrect as your own. Taking the sublime revelation, that God is Love,
and making it a sort of covert for your low
aims and unspiritual purposes, you have never
fathomed its deep and vast significance, nor remembered that justice is a part of love, and that
perfect holiness is an essential attribute of the
Almighty. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; and because you know so little of the Divine attributes, you have felt as if all
were well with you, forgetting that Immaculate
Purity, before which  the very heavens are not
clean.
This deep sense of the Divine holiness, of the
strict requirements of his law, and of your own
sins, omissions, and short-comings, can alone lead
you to feel your personal need of the Saviour.
You may admire his example, you may wonder
at his miracles, you may rejoice in his acts of
beneficence, you may weep over his sufferings,
or exult in his glory; but you will not enter into
18 
ALIENATION FROM GOD.
tender sympathy or loving communion with him,
until you are brought to feel a personal interest
in his spirit; until you feel your need of one who
shall assure you of pardon and reconciliation, of
one in whose strength your weakness shall find
support, of one in whose compassionate regard
and affection the secret yearnings of your soul
shall alone be satisfied. After all your indifference, forgetfulness, and negligence, the dark
background of conscious Sin, unworthiness, and
alienation from God must first display the radi
ant image of the cross.
You reply, that you do believe in the law of
God, that you wish to feel thus, and that, at
times, you truly desire to love Christ and to be
his disciple; but you are so often utterly indifferent, the truths of religion seem so unreal, that you
cannot grasp them, nor give them in your mind
the weight which you know belongs to them.
Such feelings are the necessary result of much
of your past unfaithfulness and negligence; of
having often grieved away the Spirit, and closed
your heart to the pleadings of the Divine voice.
But I earnestly entreat you, look no longer to
anything outward as the cause of your present
disquiet. The difficulty is within. The evil is
there alone. God's voice is again speaking to
you. Quench not the Spirit. Listen to its monitions, and may it guide you to Christ, the
Way and the Life.
19 
THE HOMEWARD PATH.
"My Father bids me come;
0, why do I delay?
He calls my wandering spirit home,
And yet from him I stay.
"Father, the hindrance show
Which I have failed to see;
And let me now consent to know
What keeps me far from thee.
"In me the hindrance lies;   The fatal bar remove,
And let me see, in sweet surprise,
Thy full redeeming love."
20 
LETTER IV.
NEED OF RECONCILIATION, AND OF A DISTINCT
RELIGIOUS CHOICE.
You feel, my dear friend, and truly fee], that
your character is not all that it should be, that
your faith is that of the intellect rather than of
the heart, subject to the fluctuations of each passing emotion or opinion, or changing outward
scene. You read, and now at length ponder for
yourself the solemn words of Christ, " Except a
man be born again, he cannot enter into the kingdom of Heaven," and you feel that, however fair
your character may stand in the eyes of others,
there has not been, deep in your soul, the firm,
deliberate choice of Christ as your only Guide
and Saviour, that the ruling desire and aim of
your spirit has not been that of a child-like obedience to the Father. You know that
"The world can never give
The bliss for which you sigh,"
that neither outward success, nor luxurious living, nor intellectual attainments, nor engrossment 
THE HOMEWARD PATH.
in business or pleasure, nor even the diligent dis
charge of external duties alone, can ever fill those
profound inward cravings of the spirit; and you
ask, " How can I more deeply feel and realize
my wants, and know my only true position, so
as to be able firmly and deliberately to resolve,
' Henceforth, Jesus shall be my only guide; I
will strive, God helping me, to be a true and
faithful disciple'?"
I reply, Next to that personal study and application of the truths of Scripture of which I
have already spoken, seek frequent and prolonged
seasons of meditation and communion with your
God and your Saviour. Seek the hour of retirement. Look carefully and searchingly within,
and again and again meditate on the great facts
of your inward life, until they become more real
and true than aught in the outward world of
passing events, -until they become the reality,
the outward only the shadow.
Remember that there are two opposing forces
in the world, to either of which you may yield
allegiance as the governing principle of your
life,-tvo conflicting tendencies within you, the
one leading you upward to God, to truth, to
heaven, through all that is pure and holy and
benevolent and good; the other dragging you
down to evil and loss and perdition, through
indifference and selfishness, frivolity and sensual indulgence, and a life without God in the
22 
THE NEED OF RECONCILIATION.
world. You cannot equally divide your affections and allegiance.   You cannot serve God
and Mammon. You cannot be a disciple of
Christ and a votary of business or fashion. You
cannot love the Father and love the world. One
principle or the other must reign supreme. Neutrality is impossible, or a life equally balanced
between the two. We cannot follow Christ
when it is pleasant, and our own inclinations
when his law and example would bid us deny
self, and take up the cross and follow him. There
must be in the soul a solemn, deliberate choice,
guiding the whole character and life. Outward
morality cannot take the place of inward piety,
nor self-culture that of a true, upward-looking
faith in God through Christ.
Your present discontent and restlessness is the
necessary result of past unfaithfulness, and you
need heartfelt penitence, not merely for single
acts of wrong, but for the whole disobedient
temper and alienated heart.
Different persons may call such feelings, such
needs, by different names, but the fact is none
the less true and real. You may term it conviction of sin, renewal, the second birth, reconciliation, harmony with God, a true faith, -
yet the meaning is one and the same. It is
the need of feeling one's self in friendship with
God, the need of pardon and reconciliation, the
assurance that henceforth you hold the position
23 
THE HOMEWARD PATH.
of a true child to the Father, whom he implicitly trusts and loves, - that your will and desires and purposes are one with his. There
are those who hide such convictions under the
delusive mask of gayety, frivolity, or absorption
in business or pleasure; and if they deny their
reality, it is because they have never looked into
the hidden mysteries of the soul or listened to
its deep self-questionings, so far as to be conscious of their real wants. But the fact is clearly before us, mirrored in weary hearts, in restless spirits, in dissatisfied, unhappy minds, all
the world over.
It was this consciousness of inward need, more
than aught else, that drew the disciples around
the Master; for they felt that in him the soul's
secret longings would find satisfaction and peace.
It was this that brought the humbled penitent
to his feet; that led the gentle Mary to listen
with such grateful love to every word that fell
from his divine lips; that led Nicodemus to seek
him, amid the covert shades and stillness of the
night; that brought the wearied,. the sick, and
the heavy-laden to seek were it but one word
of assurance and pardon, one word of heavenly authority, saying, " Come unto me, and I will
give you rest."
Paul needed it, with all his eloquence, ere he
became a humble disciple in the school of Christ.
The jailer at Philippi needed it, when he cried out
24 
THE NEED OF RECONCILIATION.
in his agony and fear, "What must I do to be
saved? Agrippa needed it, as, enthroned in royal
state, he coldly cast aside the golden opportunity,
and to the eloquent and persuasive pleadings of
his noble prisoner mockingly exclaimed, "Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian."
Loyola needed it, when stretched on the couch of
anguish and suffering, as the pomps and glories
of the outward world faded from his view, and
the solemn realities of the spirit life startled his
slumbering conscience with a power too mighty
and too authoritative to be gainsaid. Bunyan
needed it, until he commenced to verify in his
own strange and eventful life his "Pilgrim's Progress" to a better land. The accomplished Chalmers needed it, ere he learned the lesson of an
entire self-renunciation, ere the seal of an inward
consecration had sanctified his noble powers to
the Master's use.
You too have felt the need, amid the engrossing duties of your school life, the excitements and
joys of opening youth, the trials and pleasures
of home duties, beneath the pressure of care, or
in anxious watchings by the sick-bed, or in
hours of bodily pain and weariness, or of solitude and loneliness. And be assured that unless you utterly stifle your better convictions, and
quench the pleadings of the Spirit, you will feel
it, until you seek the only relief in sincere penitellce, and a deliberate choice, as to the guide,
25 
THE HOMEWVARD PATH.
the Master you will serve, -leading you to a
sincere Christian faith.
"I feel within a want,
For ever burning there; -
What I so thirst for, grant,
0 Thou who hearest prayer!"
But you are not left alone in making this
choice. God is already working within you by
his Spirit, both to will and to do of his good
pleasure.  "No man;" says the Saviour, "can
come to me," can even desire or wish to come,
" unless the Father who hath sent me draw
him." And now it is your part to open your
heart freely and fully to these divine influences,
-to seek in earnest and persevering prayer the
help, the strength, the peace you need.
Be true to your own soul. Let nothing interrupt your daily seasons of devotion.   Seek
truly the constant help of the Spirit; and let
me again and earnestly entreat you not to neglect this duty because you feel cold or indifferent, or to say to yourself that in such a state of
mind prayer would be a mockery. Only the
more because of such feelings is it your duty.
It. is God's appointed and commanded means of
gaining the strength, the faith you need. And
he has never promised to give you the best desires of your heart, the /best gifts of his grace,
unless you seek and ask for them. Go to him,
then, in your coldne%s and indifference; go, that
26 
THE NEED OF RECONCILIATION.
you may receive of his light and life. If at times
you feel utterly indifferent, only say, " Lord,
teach me to pray; give me the desire to pray ";
and let this single petition dwell in your heart,
and rise again and again in your thoughts, until
a better desire dawn, and you can again offer the
sincere prayer for forgiveness and strength. You
know that there is only loss and danger to the
soul in absenting yourself from the mercy-seat.
It is not then a mockery to come, even when
you are cold and indifferent. It is to come to
your Father, -to come, just as the little child
goes to his earthly parent, with all his griefs
and  his joys, knowing  that he will find help
and sympathy and love.
"Be constant at the throne of grace,
And persevere in prayer."
Remember, too, the words of promise, " If ye,
being evil, know how to give good gifts unto
your children, how much more shall your Father
who is in heaven give the Holy Spirit to them
that  ask  him."   " Likewise  the Spirit also
helpeth our infirmities; for we know not what
we should pray for as we ought; but the Spirit
itself maketh intercession for us with groanings
which cannot be uttered."
Expect not always to feel the same interest
and the same fervor; but having striven, by reflection and serious meditation, to awaken in
your soul a sense of the Divine Presence and of
27 
THE HOMEWARD PATH.
your own wants and needs, then hesitate no
longer; and however imperfect, however brief,
the prayer thus offered will never fail of its answer in God's own time and way.
Make then your choice firmly and deliberately;
say to yourself, "I am determined henceforth to
be a disciple of Christ; I know in my better moments the infinite importance of spiritual realities; I know the unsatisfactory nature of all mere
earthly pursuits, and I am determined to choose
Him for my Guide and Friend who will never
fail me, who so lovingly invites me to come to
him."
You will often fail; you will daily fall short
of your resolves; you will still have to struggle
with feelings- of indifference and apathy; but
there will be deep in your soul this consciousness: "I have resolved, before God, to strive
to be his child. I will no longer live as an
alien from my Father's house. I will come
back, and whatever discipline of sorrow or
trial he may appoint, I will receive it gratefully, as a means of leading me nearer to himself";
"For now my spirit sighs for home,
And longs for light whereby to see,
And like a weary child would come,
0 Father, unto Thee!"
Is not such a deliberate choice, such a simple
resolve, possible? Does it not now depend
28 
THE NEED OF RECONCILIATION.
wholly on yourself, and does not God require
it of you? The Spirit is again pleading with
you.  Grieve it not away.  Give up everything,
rather than quench its influences; for " now is
the accepted time." It may be that your whole
future well-being will depend upon the faithful use you make of your present convictions,
of the present consciousness of your wants and
needs. To stand still is to go back; for light
will dawn upon you, only as you "follow on to
know the Lord."
Avoid for the present aught that would tend
to dissipate your better feelings and more spiritual desires, and seek faithfully and earnestly,
through communion and prayer, strength resolutely to choose the narrow path of life.
"When shall thy love constrain
And draw me to thy breast?
When shall my soul return again
To God, her only rest?
"Ah! what avails my strife,
My wandering to and fro?
Thou giv'st the words of endless life:
Ah! whither should I go?
"Here at thy feet I fall,
I long to be made free;
I fain would now obey the call,
And give up all for Thee."
29 
LETTER V.
THE NEW BIRTH.
I FEAR that you are perplexing your mind
with mere theological subtilties, and are hesitating in the plain path of duty, from a false
expectation of what you think you ought to
feel and experience. You know your inward
needs; you are conscious that your past life has
been sinful, that you have not cherished the
true feelings of a child toward God, that, although surrounded by many religious influences,
you have not hitherto regarded love to God and
faith-in Christ as the one thing needful; and
you know too, that having been awakened,
through the influences of the Spirit, to this sense
of your spiritual wants, the religious choice,
the yielding yourself up to these inward, divine
promptings, lies wholly in your own power.
No one can constrain you to make it, or can
deter your from entering on, the only true path
of life. It must be the resolve, the act, of your
own free-will, resulting from an inward conviction of its fitness and its necessity, and of your
obligation to your God and your Saviour. 
THE NEW  BIRTH.
But you are waiting to possess some peculiar
feelings of interest in spiritual things, to realize
some secret, entire change, somnething altogether
different from anything hitherto experienced,
before you think that you have any right to
regard yourself as having truly entered upon
the Christian course.  The  new  birth  seems
to you something strange, and mysterious,
something with which you have little to do,
a change to be wrought for you, not within
you, and with your own co-operation.
Let us, then, understand distinctly what is implied in this phrase, what is its true meaning.
I reply, it is a change of aim, of purpose, of
desire, of character; a change sometimes, indeed,
effected suddenly to human sight, - the particular event or season of excitement to which
it is ascribed being often the occasion rather
than the cause of its development, -but generally a secret and gradual transformation of
the inward life, begun on earth, to be completely consummated only in heaven.   It is a
change of motive and desire, the birth of the
spiritual nature, the awakening of a spiritual
conviction. With some, but with comparatively few in the present imperfect state of
Christian society and education, this takes place
very early in life.  Where the child has been
surrounded  by  religious  influences,  and  has
received a truly Christian education, his first
31 
THE HOMEWARD PATH.
thoughts, desires, and aspirations may be so directed heavenward, his earliest affections may
be so fixed on the Redeemer, and through him
he may so learn of the Father, that the world
may never claim him for its own, nor chill the
ardor of his young desires.  The choice of the
right, the true, the heavenly, may be his first
conscious choice. But as in your case you
have lived much of your past life unmindful of
God, with slight personal interest in the truths
revealed through Christ, with only transient emotions of gratitude, and with little reference to his
will and example, so your life henceforth must
be guided and regulated by reference not to
self, but to God; not by mere worldly desires
and aims, but by those laws of spiritual truth,
duty, and obligation which are permanent and
eternal.
And for all who have led for a longer or
shorter period of time a mere worldly life, with
little thought of eternal realities, and with little
taste for religious pursuits and enjoyments,
with all in whom the merely earthly instincts and
desires have triumphed over the spiritual, even
for a little season, - there must be this inward
awakening and renewal, this change of motives and aims, from the selfish and worldly to
the spiritual, divine, and heavenly.
Such a change is rightly termed " being born
again," so great, so important, so essential is it.
32 
THE NEW  BIRTflH.
Without it, we cannot enter into the kingdom
of heaven; we can know nothing of those spiritual desires, aims, affections, joys, that constitute the enjoyment, the blessedness, the peace,
of that kingdom,- the kingdom that comes
not with observation, but has its reign within, in
the secret sanctuary of the soul.
It is a change wrought within by the Spirit of
God, which never ceases to plead with us, and
to bless us; our own hearts freely and consciously opening themselves to the reception of the
Divine influence, and our whole souls going forth
in the earnest prayer for an entire harmony of
will and purpose with God; our lives attesting
the sincerity of our aims, while we constantly
look to the Spirit as our only sure source of
strength and support.
To the eye of others, the routine of the outward life may often seem but little diffelbrent after
such renewal, after the new birth, after the deliberate, determined choice of the soul, especially
where circumstances and education have so restrained and guarded the individual as to render
flagrant acts of sin almost impossible, or when
the native temperament has been of that serious,
quiet cast which precludes sudden outbursts of
temper and passion, and is often mistaken for
true, religious goodness.   But to the quickened,
spiritual eye, that turns its glance inward in
searching self-inspection, the world within, the
3
33 
THE HOMEWARD PATH.
life of the spirit, no longer seems as before. Old
things are passing away, not at once, not suddenly, not without strenuous effort, watchfulness,
and prayer, and the individual may not even be
conscious of the exact time when this change,
this new birth into the spiritual life, commences;
nevertheless he is assured of its reality. He feels
the inworking of new motives, of spiritual desires, of longings for a more perfect obedience,
and a life more truly conformed to the spirit of
Him whom he now acknowledges as the only
Master of the soul. He is no longer satisfied
with a correct moral life alone, with the regular
performance of duties that seem fair and good to
the world's eye, nor even with high and noble
intellectual attainments: he has tested all of
these, and found them wanting; for in all he has
been serving self rather than God, forgetting
that every power and faculty is but a stewardship from the Almighty Giver.  But nlow he rejoices in a holier and higher light, and he knows
its reality, not from mere feeling or emotion, but
because he can trace within a more tender conscientiousness, a more faithful devotion to duty,
a truer regard for the welfare of others, a warmer
sympathy, a more enlarged charity. His prayers, too, are more sincere and fervent, and are
no longer offered at stated times, from habit or
a sense of duty, but because he esteems it his
highest privilege to draw near his Father and his
34 
THE NEW BIRTH.
Saviour in supplication and communion.   His
interest in direct religious duties is more heartfelt, and his sense of religious obligations more
deep and abiding. He is conscious of a growing interest in spiritual truths, of cherished desires, aims, and purposes, which have no fulfilment in any worldly occupation or pleasure, but
which ever point onward and upward for their
full fruition. Hie is willing to walk in the solitary path of duty, or to thoose such labors as
may bring upon him obloquy and scorn from
others, if he only feels that his Master calls him
to the work; for fidelity to his Father and his
Saviour has become the ruling desire and aim of
his soul.
The common, every-day duties of life, and
even the outward, material world, seem transfigured to his quickened spiritual vision.
"With richer beauty glows
The world, before so fair;
Her holy light Religion throws,
Reflected everywhere."
The changing seasons,- spring, with its bursting buds and promises of hope and beauty, and
autumn, with its harvests of joy and hues of
golden radiance; summer, in its rich luxuriance
and fulness of life and gladness, and winter,
with its icy breath and mantle of snow; day,
with its light and life and ceaseless activity, and
night, in its solemn stillness and blessed minis
35 
THE HOMEWVARD PATH.
tries of silence and repose,- all bring to his soul
their own peculiar lessons of spiritual truth and
blessing; for they whisper of
"A Presence and a Spirit that impels
All thinking objects, all objects of all thought,
And rolls through all things."
Jonathan Edwards thus describes the same experience: " My sense of divine things gradually increased, and became more and more lively, and
had more of inward'sweetness. The appearance
of everything was altered; there seemed to be,
as it were, a calm, sweet cast or appearance of
divine glory, in almost everything. God's excellency, his wisdom, his purity, and love, seemed
to appear in the sun, moon, and stars; in the
clouds and blue sky; in the grass, flowers, trees;
in the water and all nature."
In fine, a radical and entire change -the introduction of new purposes, motives, and aims -
is gradually taking place within his soul. In the
language of Scripture, he is "born again," he is
a new creature; not springing at once to the full
stature of the mature Christian, not leaving at a
single bound all old habits, wrong desires, selfish
propensities, but, with the consciousness of having made the distinct and decided choice ol
Christ as the only Master of the soul, of obeying
God and keeping his law, he goes on, day by
day, conquering the evil, and, through the strength
ever vouchsafed to the humble and sincere seek
36
r 
THE NEW BIRTH.
er, gaining new and higher attainments in the
Christian life.
I have spoken of the new birth as being generally a silent and gradual change, a secret though
certain transformation of the inward life. Yet
the experience of faithful Christians, from the
time of the Apostles to the present day,.assures
us that there are undoubted instances of conversion where the change is at once sudden and genuine; and do we not err in doubting the reality
of such cases, and thus, in our secret thought,
limiting the power of the Omnipotent?   Can
the soul turn from sin to God too soon or too
suddenly? Do not our endeavors often lack
earnestness, and our appeals fall lifeless upon the
heart, because we have no true faith in the power
of God to touch at once the secret springs of the
soul?  Do we not vainly limit the mighty influences of the Spirit to those earlier times when
thousands were converted in a single day, and
the Pentecostal song of gladness echoed from
heart to heart its joyous notes of praise, - for.
getting the still unchanging nature of God's attributes, the sacredness of his law, and his eternal promises through Christ, the same yesterday,
to-day, and for ever?
At those moments when the Spirit of God
moves over the soul, and searches its deepest and
most hidden recesses, -when the brightness of
his ineffable purity and holiness reveals the dark
37 
THE HOMEWARD PATH.
ness and the evil within,- when the holiness or
his law condemns the disobedience and sin of
the alienated heart, and the depth of his love
incarnated in the Saviour rebukes the secret ingratitude and melts the ice of the cold and selfish
spirit, -then, convinced as never before of its
inward want and destitution, acknowledging in
grief and bitterness the worthlessness and sinfulness of the life unsanctified by the Father's
presence and the Savibur's love, feeling the hatefulness of sin in the eye of perfect Holiness, and
longing to be relieved from the burden of remorse, of an accusing conscience, and the sense
of God's displeasure, it bows in agony and contrition at the foot of the cross, with the heartfelt
confession of sin; and, at length, through the
secret depths of the soul is heard that heavenly
voice of pardon and of hope, "God so loved the
world that he gave his only-begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but
have everlasting life."  And with this blessed
assurance, with faith in the reconciling love of
God through Christ, with new aims and earnest
prayers and longings for a spiritual life, the soul,
though deeply conscious of sin and unworthiness, is yet "born again," and has "passed from
death unto life," from being the mere creature of
time and the slave of appetite and passion, to
the living consciousness of being an immortal
being, an heir of eternity, a child of God, re
I
38 
THE NEW BIRTH.
deemed through Christ, with the determined will
and purpose of henceforth consecrating its whole
powers and influence to the Master's service.
But whatever may have been your personal
experience, examine anew, sincerely and prayerfully, your own heart. Test your motives, aims,
and  desires.   Ask yourself such questions as
these: -What  is now  the ruling desire of my
soul, what my prevailing aim? Am I seeking
to live for what is pure, holy, and true, or am I
absorbed in mere outward duties, in business, or
dress, or fashion, or worldly frivolities? Do I
feel a growing interest in religious truths and duties? Do I seek more constantly help from God,
and does prayer seem no longer a mechanical
form, but a blessed privilege? Have I a deeper
sense of my own weakness, and a growing consciousness that my sufficiency is from God alone?
Have I a truer faith in Christ,- a faith no longer of the intellect merely, but springing from my
conscious heart-need of a Saviour and Redeemer? Am I becoming more conscientious, faithful, and diligent, more kind and charitable, more
gentle and loving, more humble and self-denying? Am I gaining, day by day, more control
over my passions and every wayward inclination? Am I growing more Christ-like in heart
and in life?
Put such questions as these to yourself, simple yet comprehensive; and though unconscious
39
w 
THE HOMEW'ARD PATH.
perhaps of any sudden change, yet if you are
able, as I trust, to answer them, in some good
measure, in the affirmative, then may you feel,
without any vain self-conceit, that you have indeed entered upon the true and narrow way, that
the work of regeneration is truly and hopefully
begun within your soul, and that God will work
within you both to will and to do of his good
pleasure.
"There are those of ripe experience, of high
Christian attainments, of that heavenly-mindedness which is always serene and unclouded as
the upper sky. But all this did not come of itself. Always when the internal experience of
such persons is disclosed to us, we find that they
reached those summits of peace through conflicts
and watchings that sometimes chased repose
from their pillows. The path of our regeneration is open and plain. It is simple self-denial
until there is no self to be denied; and this is
never accomplished without painful vigils and
struggles and persevering toil, however smoothly our external affairs may flow on...... And
yet we would not represent the Christian life as
only a life of struggle. The region of eternal
rest is not reached through a path of incessant
upward toil. We go from one height to another, as hills rise above hills, and on every
height gained we enjoy its partial peace.  There
are seasons when our wrong propensities are qui
40 
THE NEW BIRTH.
escent, and we rest from our labor until temptation wakes them up and the conflict begins
anew. And when one of these enemies is destroyed, we have the peace of victory until another comes in sight, all the while rejoicing in
our faith in Him who is our shield and buckler,
and who gives us at these intervals the earnest
of everlasting rest and progress."
While, then, you still cherish a deep sense of
your own unworthiness'and sin, of your past
alienation from God, and of his violated law,
remember also his words of promise through
Christ, the forgiveness and the help vouchsafed
to every penitent,  seeking  soul.   "He  that
spared not his own Son, but delivered him up
for us all, how shall he not with him also freely
give us all things?"  "Herein is love, not that
we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent
his Son to be the propitiation for our sins."
May He who has begun the good work within you, sustain and keep you, and nourish you
in all spiritual truth and life, until you are wholly
his.
41
L 
LETTER VI.
CHRIST THE RECONCILER AND SAVIOURo
You are conscious; my dear friend, of having
made the distinct and heartfelt choice of the religious life. You are earnestly desirous of forming a truly Christian character, of leaving henceforth all your past indifference, coldness, and sin,
all alienation from God, and backwardness in
his service. You trust that you are sincerely
penitent for the past, and you long for a higher,
truer, nobler life, than you have hitherto led,for a full, entire consecration of yourself to God.
But you say that you are still restless and dissatisfied; that you are not conscious of any definite, constant progress; that sin still gains the
mastery, and old habits of thought and feeling
cling to you with a tenacious grasp. While you
acknowledge in the secrecy of your soul the supremacy of the unseen and spiritual, such motives have not that control over your daily life
which you believe they ought to possess in the
Christian heart, and you cannot feel assured of
the forgiveness and acceptance of God. 
CHRIST THE RECONCILER AND SAVIOUR. 43
Allow me, then, to point out to you some
causes which have led to your present state of
feeling, and to direct you to the only true path
of peace.
While your penitence has been sincere, your
choice true and deliberate, your steps turned to
the one narrow and rugged path of life, there
still lurks in your soul a secret feeling, that in
some way what you have thus far accomplished
merits the approval of Heaven, - that your own
righteousness will be sufficient, as it were, to
open the celestial gates of peace and to insure
the word of pardon.
There is, with all your consciousness of sin
and imperfection, a concealed, and yet a baneful
sense of self-sufficiency in your soul, -a pride
of purpose,- a feeling that you can accomplish
something as of yourself, and so approve yourself,
which is nothing but self-righteousness. Like
Christian, you have turned aside from the sure,
though narrow path, and, quitting your faithful
guide, have vainly sought help of Mr. Legality,
and have found, like him, your burden only becoming the heavier and more difficult to bear.
The voice of conscience has spoken loudly
and clearly within your soul, and has not been
unheeded; but you have yet to learn that conscience, without a reconciling Christ, lacks peace
* as well as strength; for, as another has well
said, "the mere moral or conscience system of 
THE HOMEWARD PATH.
life excludes the most powerful principle of disinterested action, which is a grateful love and
trust in a personal help, flowing infinitely from
God, through Christ and his cross. Then, too,
it engenders the poor habit of continual selfreference, self-measurement, and self-centralization, instead of taking the soul up above itself,
giving it an object there to live for in faith and
love. It sets consciousness above revelation, as
a light to the mysteries of our inner life; and
that consciousness is a dim candle over a deep
mine."
Strive as you will, you will never fulfil the
perfect law of God, that which demands that
every thought even shall be brought into captivity and entire obedience. Where then do you
stand? Merit is out of the question. Self-exaltation is abashed. Pride is rebuked. " The aspiration after the perfect in all noble natures is
the mightiest hunger of the heart. But if no
blessed promise of forgiveness is to come by
faith, and comfort its failures, all its yearnings
are tortures, and it is only the mightiest tormenter of the heart."
Is there no peace, then, for the restless, penitent, aspiring soul? Is life to be passed in this
constant struggle, this inward uneasiness, this
consciousness of the imperfection of the work,
compared with the purity and holiness of the
requirement? Is there to be constant dissatis
44 
CHRIST THE RECONCILER AND SAVIOUR. 45
faction and restlessness and self-upbraiding, with
no clear beacon-light of hope and trust to
brighten the narrow path, and guide the trembling steps?
Let the blessed words of the Redeemer answer your anxious  self-questionings.   " Come
unto me, and I will give you rest. I am the
light of the world; he that followeth me shall
not walk in darkness, but shall have the light
of life. This is the new covenant in my blood,
shed for many, for the remission of sins." And
again, hear the Apostle's joyful declaration:
"Now, in Christ Jesus, ye who sometime were
afar off, are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
God commendeth his love toward us, in that
while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
For if, when  we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much
more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his
life. Therefore, being justified by faith, we have
peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
In whom we have redemption through his blood,
even the forgiveness of our sins." And as if
these assurances were not sufficient, we have the
words of the beloved disciple: " God so loved the
world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in hirn should not perish,
but have everlasting life. If any man sin, we
have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ
the righteous; and he is the propitiation for our 
THE HOMEWARD PATH.
sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins
of the whole world." Here, then, is your true
answer: " By grace are ye saved, through faith,
not of works, lest any man  should boast";not because you have attained, either are already
perfect, but because of the supreme desire, the
ruling love, the trusting faith of the soul, casting
aside all self-confidence, and resting its only hope
on the free promises of God, through Christ, the
reconciler and intercessor.
Look, then, away from yourself to Christ.
Turn your eyes from this anxious self-inspection
to the cross on Calvary.   Hear those divine
words, "Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the
ends of the earth." See the fulness, the depth
of the love there revealed; and while the contemplation of that divine sacrifice, thus needed to move and melt your soul, thus needed
for your personal reconciliation, pardon, and acceptance, discloses to you as nothing else can
your own inward evil and sin, the heights of
God's perfect holiness, and the depths of his divine compassion, - while it leads you to exclaim
with the prodigal's penitence, "Father, I have
sinned against heaven and before thee,"- let it
also speak of pardon and strength and hope.
Doubt not the promises of the Almighty, through
his holy Son, thus tenderly interceding with
man. If, in sincerity, we confess and lament,
and seek to turn from our sins, " He is faithful
46 
CHRIST THE RECONCILER AND SAVIOUR. 47
and just to forgive us our sins." Mark these
words. He not only promises forgiveness, but
the promise is in full accordance with his faithfulness and justice, as manifested in the cross
of Christ, -in perfect harmony with his free,
divine, and ceaseless love, -quickening the soul
too, by that joyous hope, that, through his Spirit
and his Son, He will at length "cleanse us from
all unrighteousness."
There is a state of mind, not founded on true
humility, which questions the reality of its own
penitence and the forgiveness of God, from a lurking, half-acknowledged feeling- seldom actually expressed in words, or even distinctly brought
before the inward vision, until some sudden revelation of God's providence draws aside the thin
veil of self-deception - that God is unable thus
to forgive, thus to justify the soul through Christ.
It questions the Divine omnipotence, not so much
from any distinct purpose of so doing, as because
it secretly, but falsely imagines, that by cherishing
such feelings it deepens its own poor humility;
forgetting meanwhile that such doubting of the
promises of God is, in itself, an actual and presumptuous sin.
Cast aside, then, once for all, your idle self
questionings; cast aside your weary strivings for
reconciliation and peace, without Christ and his
cross; cast aside your vain scepticism as to God's
own promises. What more could he have done 
THE HOMIEWARD PATH.
for you than he has done? While he embodies
his divine love and compassion in that Holy One
cradled in the manger at Bethlehem, manifests
through him his own infinite purity and tenderness, incarnating the depths of his love and his
perfect holiness in that Lord of suffering, mingles there that mightiest expression of his abhorrence of all sin, and of his yearning love over
the sinner, - why should you turn away, as if
this were a sort of world's exhibition, having no
peculiar voice of awakening or assurance to your
soul?
Arise from your doubts and misgivings. Cast
away your tattered, unseemly garment of selfrighteousness, and come joyfully into the life of
reconciliation, and of a humble Christian hope.
It is no human voice that whispers in your soul's
better moments, " I have visited thee; I have redeemed thee; thou art mine." Trust the promises of God through Christ; - not in a vain spirit
of meriting aught of the Divine favor, but because you are conscious of the desire and purpose of consecrating yourself wholly to him,
of being moved, swayed, governed by his will.
Leave, henceforth, all your past alienation, all
your doubts of the Divine promises, and hear
those blessed words, " Come out from among
them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and I
will be a Father to you, and ye shall be my sons
and daughters. saith the Lord Almighty."
48 
CHRIST THE RECONCILER AND SAVIOUTR. 49
Even so I have known one for years struggling with the darkness of an unsatisfied faith,
desiring sincerely to be a true Christian in heart
and life, yet longing in vain for any definite assurance or cheerful hope, until in God's holy
providence the veil  of  self-deception was  removed, the thought of meriting the Divine approval was cast for ever aside, the sin of doubting his word of promise through Christ was
clearly seen, and from tiat reconciling cross of
suffering was heard the blessed word of pardon;
and as a sweet benediction fell upon the weary
soul the heavenly response, " I will be to thee a
Father; and thou shalt be my child."
Dwell often in secret and prayerful contemplation upon this sublime theme, - of the rec —
onciling love of God, manifested in the life and
teachings, the sufferings and the cross, of the Redeemer.  Let your daily, fervent prayer be,
"Lead me, 0 Spirit, to the Son,
To feel and know what he has done;
To lay me low before the cross,
And reckon all beside as dross;
To speak, and think, and act, and move,
And love, as thou wouldst have me love."
Go, in your conscious weakness and sin, in
your doubts and misgivings, and devoutly thank
God that he has led you to feel your dependence upon Christ as a personal Saviour.
"Let not conscience make you linger,
Nor of fitness idly dream;
L 
THE HOMEWARD PATH.
All the fitness he requireth,
Is to feel your need of him."
Draw nigh, then, unto God, in full assurance of
faith, through his own appointed Mediator; draw
nigh in the simple, confiding trust and confidence of a child; and then will he, pouring out
upon you the spirit of adoption, make you feel
the reconciliation, the joy, the peace, of one of
his children. And through whatever secret discipline God may appoint, may you at length be
enabled, trustingly, to exclaim, " I know that my
Redeemer liveth, and am persuaded that he is
able to keep that which I have committed unto
him!"  This living faith may not come at once;
you may have long to seek, and press, and strive;
but "though it tarry, wait for it; because it
will surely come: it will not tarry." " He that
cometh to me shall never hunger, and he that
believeth on me shall never thirst."
"What blessed effects does the love of God
produce in the hearts of those who abide in
him!" writes Lady Huntington to Charles Wesley.  "How solid is the peace, and how divine
the joy, that springs from an assurance that we
are united to the Saviour by a living faith!
Blessed be his name. I have an abiding sense
of his presence with me, notwithstanding the
weakness and unworthiness I feel. After the
poor labors of the day are over, my heart still
cries,' God be merciful to me a sinner!'  But I
50 
CHRIST THE RECONCILER AND SAVIOUR.  51
can ever add,' Thanks be unto him for a Saviour
and Redeemer.' "- May such a faith and peace
be yours, through Christ the Reconciler and Intercessor! 
LETTER VII.
CHRIST THE SANCTIFIER.
THE last letter addressed to you would be
incomplete and unsatisfying, did I not point
you to Christ as the Sanctifier, no less than as
the Reconciler of the soul unto God,- as him
through whom alone you have the full promise
and assurance of forgiveness, and the hope of
the Divine  acceptance.   Some  persons seem
vainly to imagine that salvation is something
wholly external to them, something existing in
the far-off future alone, forgetting that the only
true kingdom of heaven is within, having its
commencement even now and here, and  that
the highest degree of outward happiness and
success would be wholly unsatisfying and incomplete, without the inward spirit of faith and love
and trust;   that the great redemption which
Christ has brought to us lies in freedom from the
power of sin itself, in meeting that deep, present
need of the soul, of which I have already spoken.
And herein we perceive the perfect harmony of
the separate yet united offices he bears to the
individual spirit. 
CHRIST THE SANCTIFIER.
The blessed assurance, "Thy sins are forgiven
thee," breathes over the soul its holy benediction
of peace, only to gird it anew for daily conflict
with evil and temptation, and to whisper in its
gentle accents of love and entreaty, "Go and sin
no more."
Comparatively easy would it be to maintain
the fervor of our desires, the loftiness of our
aims, the spirituality of our aspirations, were
our watchfulness requisite only in the hours of
solitude and retirement; did the secrecy of the
closet, or the quiet watches of the night, alone
witness our struggles with sin and wrong desire
and evil passion. But to carry our convictions
of truth and of duty into the conflicts of daily
life, to evince a quiet fortitude, a Christian spirit
of love, forbearance, and forgiveness, under petty
provocations, to quench the rising passion and
speak the gentle word, to maintain an unblemished integrity, to be consistent under every circumstance with our acknowledged aims, to assert in every scene and season, by a pure and
blameless and spiritual walk among men, the
supremacy of the unseen and spiritual, -here
lies the true arena of our conflict, here the broad
theatre where we are to prove the truth of our
Christian convictions and purposes.
Here, too, you have often felt wearied and disheartened. Conscious of so much in your heart
and life inconsistent with the commands of God
53 
THE HOMEWARD PATH.
and the perfect example of Christ, - seeing the
heights of Christian attainment towering ever
higher and higher above you,- you have sometimes yielded to the sense of your own utter
weakness and short-coming, and have felt that
the conflict was too great for you, that your life
would never express your true aims and loftier
purposes. Yet just here lies the hardest conflict,
with all noble, aspiring natures. This higher aspiration, this longing for a nobler life, for a more
rapid and consistent progress, compared with the
imperfection and insufficiency of the actual attainment, is no unreal or mere fanciful struggle.
Unless met and sustained by a Christian faith
and hope, it presses upon the soul with a crushing and deadening sense of utter insufficiency
and personal weakness. Faith grows dim, resistance flags, the star of hope is dimmed, and
the soul either sinks into a dreary darkness or a
lethargic sleep of indifference.
But at this very point, when the light of the
Spirit has revealed to you the weakness, the imperfection, the sin within, -when  you shrink
from the life-long conflict, and fear for your own
progress and perseverance in the true path, - at
this very point Christ again meets you with his
blessed words of encouragement and hope, promising to do that, in and for you, which you cannot do of yourself.  He came not alone through
his death to proclaim assurance of pardon, and
54 
CHRIST THE SANCTIFIER.
to seal the promise of acceptance; but through
his life, through his teachings, through his fervent intercessions, and, more than all, through
his ever-present spirit as the Comforter, the
Sanctifier of the soul, to renew it in the Divine
image, to quicken it to newness of life, to breathe
into it a divine strength, to sustain it in conflict,
to live within it, as its only true life.
" Abide in me, and I in you." Have you ever
fathomed the deep meaning of this promise in
your hours of regret, dissatisfaction, or discouragement? You are not laboring and striving
alone. A mightier and holier than man is with
you, nearer to you than the truest of earthly
friends, and if you will but listen and yield yourself unreservedly to his guidance, his word of
encouragement ever is, " My strength shall be
made perfect in thy weakness";  "I  will give
to him who is athirst, of the fountain of the
water of life freely."  "I am the Bread of Life.
He that cometh to me shall never hunger, and
he who believeth on me shall never thirst."  "Lo,
I am  with you alway! "  Do  we  ask more?
"If ye, being evil, know how to give good gifts
unto your children, how much more shall your
Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to them
that ask him." "Peace I leave with you, nmy
peace I give unto you. Let not your heart be
troubled, neither let it be afraid."
And again, in the assured language of the
55 
THE HOMEWARD PATH.
Apostle, - an epitome of the whole Gospel revelation of pardon and reconciliation and renewal,
-" After that the kindness and love of God
toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his
mercy, he saved us, by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost, which he
shed on us abundantly, through Jesus Christ
our Saviour."   Through  Christ abiding with
you, with the sustainig influences of his grace
and the quickening power of his Spirit, go forth
then, firmly yet humbly, to meet the daily conflict within and around you, in fhle spirit and
faith of Paul resolutely exclaiming, "I can of
mine own self do nothing, but through Christ
strengthening me I can do all things."
" Maintain only an unchangeable resolution
of obedience, and an upright intention towards
God, and all will be well. Christ sent forth his
early disciples, not to luxury, but to conflict;
not to honor, but to contempt; not to amusement, but to labor; not to take repose, but to
bring forth much fruit with patience." Even so
he sends forth every true-hearted follower to
grow strong through endurance, and resolute by
stringent exertion; animating them by his own
example, quickening them by his felt presence,
sanctifying, purifying, and redeeming them by
his own indwelling, co-working Spirit.
Go not forth, then, to your daily duties, and
56 
CHRIST THE SANCTIFIER.
joys, and conflicts, as if alone. Go not forth from
the secrecy of your closet, as if you left there al]
peace and heavenly companionship; but go as
in the Master's presence; go strengthened with
might from his spirit in the inner man; go in the
spirit of that noble artist of old,
"Who never moved his hand
Till he had steeped his inmost soul in prayer";
go in trust, and faith, and cheerful hope; and so
may strength from the Most High quicken your
often feeble endeavors and distrusting heart, and
may Christ ever abide with you, and the Spirit
sanctify you wholly!
57 
LETTER VIII.
PERSONAL ACCEPTANCE.
IN your last letter you ask, " How shall I truly
know that I am personally the subject of this
sanctifying influence?   Is there not presumption, a sort of self-conscious pride, in saying, with
any degree of certainty or assurance, that I indeed belong to Christ, that I possess such a
measure of faith and holiness as to be called a
child of God?"   I reply, None of us can be absolutely certain of a future salvation, because so
long as we live we are in danger of falling; but
we can know the present state of our souls in
relation to God and to Christ; we can be sure
that we are seeking an inward renewal, that our
aims, purposes, desires, are heavenward and
spiritual. In the words of another: "We can
be sure that we are on the rig,ht way; not sure
that we love God with all our heart, but sure
that we do love him sincerely and really; not
sure that we are obedient in all things, but surer
that it is our aim and purpose to obey; not sure
that our faith and penitence are what they should 
PERSONAL ACCEPTANCE.
be, but that we have the germs of true penitence
and the seeds of a right faith. We may know
that we have passed from death unto life,
know that, whereas we were once blind, now we
see, -know that we are sincere in our purpose
and our effort, and that we have a peace and a
joy within, from communing with God, which
cannot be taken from us...... We  need to
feel that our sins are forgiven, and that we are
the children of God. With such a conviction
clear and strong in our hearts, duty is pleasure,
trial is happiness.   Without it, how  hard to
struggle against sin! how hard to make daily
resolutions, strive with daily temptations, begin
continually an ever-recurring    warfare! "
Now, such an assurance can be ours only
through prayer, self-examination, a personal application of the words of Scripture, and a faithful
listening to the voice of the Spirit within, which
must either acquit or condemn us; for it is "the
Spirit that beareth witness with our spirits that
we are the children of God."  And " the fruit of
the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, patience."   Of course,
these fruits are not seen in their ripeness and
maturity at once, but you can judge whether
they are the growing traits of your character,
whether the soul is gradually yet surely conforming itself to the Master's image, whether it
is your sincere and daily prayer that such may
be yours.
59 
THE HOMEWARD PATH.
Then you have many other test-proofs, scattered throughout the whole New Testament.
" To such as believe, Christ is precious. Truly
our fellowship is with the Father, and with his
Son, Jesus Christ. Hereby know we that we
dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given
us of his Spirit. He that believeth on the Son
of God hath the witness in himself. The love
of God is shed abroad in our hearts, through the
Holy Spirit.  Whoso  keepeth his word, in him
verily is the love of God perfected."
While your only standard of self-judgment is
that of your Divine Master, let me again entreat
you not to perplex and distress yourself because
your present life displays not fully the ripened
fruits of the mature Christian.   Only be sure
that your penitence has been sincere, your consecration full and entire, your self-confidence displaced by a firm, entire reliance on the promises
of God, that, through the Spirit, he will work in
and with you to will and to do of his good pleasure, -then doubt not his power to sanctify you
wholly, and, through Christ, to redeem you from
the inward power of sin. Trust in the Divine
help. Trust faithful efforts of duty. Trust in
the assured answer to all sincere prayer. We
rob ourselves of our true peace, and so of all
earnestness anid effective endeavors, when we
thus doubt the simple promises of God.  " We
linger too much in the old Jewish notion of being
60 
PERSONAL ACCEPTANCE.
saved by the works of the Law. There is a
sense in which Christ is our Redeemer, which
many of us have hardly yet begun to fathom.
We need to draw nearer to Him, to think less of
our own deeds, and more of what he has done
and promised, and is even now doing for us.
We need to feel that, after all short-comings and
failures, there is still acceptance of the soul with
God, through what Christ has revealed, through
faith in him as the manifestation of the Father,
assuring us of forgiveness and remission of sins,
simply because our hearts are given to him.
The penitence, the aim, the self-consecration, the
faith,- this is it, that renders a soul acceptable
to God and to Christ, not because it is spotless
or sinless." Realizing this, while we watch and
pray, and strive against sin, and fear to grieve
away the Spirit, shall we not rest more confidingly in the condescending grace and all-surpassing goodness of God?
But here you ask, " Howv shall I know that I
truly love God and Christ? How be assured
that the conditions of acceptance are fulfilled?"
Let the revealed word again make answer.
"This is the love of God, that we keep his commandments.  He that hath my commandments
and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me."
True love is to be judged of by its fruits,
rather than by the mere feeling or emotion it
excites, at the passing moment, towards any
61 
THE HOIMENVARD PATH.
particular object of affection,- its fruits of loyalty, obedience, cheerful self-sacrifice, self-denying
exertion, patience, forbearance, fidelity.
This is the true and better part of affection,
manifesting itself in the daily life and conversation; and without this the mere emotional
feeling, however apparently strong and ardent,
would  be  utterly futile and worthless.   The
ardor and intensity of such feelings depend in a
great measure upon the natural constitution and
temperament of the individual; and we have no
right to judge of the state of one's religious affections merely by the warmth of his zeal, or the
fervor of his expressions of interest.
Emotion  has  well been termed  the "tidal
wave" of affection, ebbing and flowing with the
current of passing circumstances;  "but in the
deep, full reservoir, sheltered from the wind, there
can be no wave. Emotion makes us conscious
of affection, as the waves do of our motion upon
the water, though affection may be as deep without emotion as with it, as the ocean is no less
deep in calm than in storm. Nay, shallow affection may be liable to the most agitating emotions, as the most shallow of our great lakes is
heaved by a quick, short swell, such as never
stirs the profounder bosom of the deep." The
deeper affection, the obedience, the love, the
trust, which abides unmoved amid every change
and fluctuation and restless beating of the out
62 
PERSONAL ACCEPTANCE.
ward life, which only believes the more confidently and trusts the more implicitly when the
darkness gathers and trials encompass the path,
which obeys without questioning and acts without hesitation at the call of duty, however arduous
or difficult, -this is the true love of the Christian heart, this the standard of self-judgment.
"Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
Not every one who saith, Lord, Lord, shall enter
into the kingdom of heaven, but he who doethl
the will of my Father in heaven." And in the
last interview of our Saviour with Peter, the
most impulsive, ardent, and enthusiastic of all
the little band of Apostles, how strikingly does
he guard him against any reliance on mere feeling, or momentary glow of emotion, when, after
thrice drawing from him the confession of his
deep attachment to the Master, whom he had as
often denied, he leaves him with the emphatic
command,-  as if its fulfilment were the only
true pledge of his real affection and devotedness
to his service,-  "Feed  my  sheep, feed  my
lambs! "
But while you seek, in your seasons of selfexamination, this only reliable proof of love to
God and to Christ, do not believe that all warmth,
fervor, and glow of feeling are wholly out of
your power.  The affections, no less than the
powers of thought and intellect, grow stronger
and deeper in proportion to their true exercise.
63 
THE HOMEWARD PATH.
The laws of action and'of reaction are equal.
It is a remark ascribed to St. Augustine, that
"prayer is the measure of love," which implies
that those who love much will pray much, and,
conversely, that those who pray much will love
much.
We cannot, it is true, love a mere abstraction,
an impalpable something, simply because we
believe we ought so to love. Truly to love God
we must know himf, -know him as our Father, as our best, truest, nearest Friend; feel him
near to us in every bright and joyous, and in
every clouded and trying, scene of life; speaking
to us in the glad sunshine and the darkened
cloud,- in the dewy freshness of the summer
morn, and the calm and glowing radiance of the
sunset hour, - in the gorgeous tints of the autumn forests, and the opening leaves and bursting buds of the joyous spring; drawing near to
us in all our daily walks; encompassing our
path and our lying down; spreading around us
the comforts, the blessings, of each passing day;
filling our tables with plenty; sending the pulses
of health bounding through our veins; blessing
us in countless forms and ways, or withholding
such gifts of his bounty only the more truly to
draw our hearts to Him, only to crown us with
a yet more enduring loving-kindness and a yet
more tender mercy.
But, above all, to love God we must know
64 
PERSONAL ACCEPTANCE.
him as manifested in Christ, -know him as in
carnated in human form,- know him as revealing his holiness, his tenderness, his pity, his forbearance, his yearning love and condescending
grace, ill the suffering, glorified Redeemer. Here
you can fix your full and earnest regard. Here,
through a growing sense of your own inward
wants and failings, you can enter into personal
companionship with a strength made perfect in
weakness. Here you can'sit at the very feet of
One who knows you wholly, who has been tried
through sorrow and desertion and all forms of
human suffering, and who can and does feel with
you and for you in every secret struggle and
every spiritual aspiration. Here is no vain abstraction, but the Father thus condescendingly
manifesting himself to his children, as if to
awaken in them those deep, fervent emotions of
love and of trust which form the only true, living, and enduring bond between the Parent and
the child.
Study, then, the life and character of Christ,
until he stands before you in his spiritual power
and divine glory, -until in your inmost soul
you feel that he alone meets those secret cravings and  wants which point you to him  as
your Saviour and Redeemer.   And by such contemplation, by prayer and spiritual communion,
love will grow in your soul,- the feeling, the
affection, the emotion of love, as well as a more
5
65
_ 
THE HOMEWARD PATH.
confirmed obedience, a more stringent loyalty, a
more faithful adherence to duty.
But let me entreat you not to be disheartened,
as some are, because this deeper emotion is often
wanting, or because your feelings seldom reach
the level of your aspirations. The noble refrain
of Paul, " I am persuaded that neither life nor
death, nor angels nor principalities nor powers,
nor things present, nor things to come, nor height
nor depth, nor any other creature, can separate
us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus
our Lord," was the result of years of conflict,
faith, and prayer; the faith kindling the love,
and the love ever reacting, and quickening and
strengthening the faith and the obedience. As
has been well said: " The want of such emotional feelings may sometimes be regarded as a misfortune; but it should not discourage the Christian who persists in his obedience. The truth is,
that obedience in this situation, as being more
difficult, may be considered as more disinterested, and pure, and acceptable to God." If your
emotions are dull and sluggish upon other
themes, you have no reason to expect intense
fervor and glow when you contemplate those of
the highest and most spiritual character. Only
be sure that your aims and purposes are true
and heavenly, that your ruling desire is for the
life hid with Christ in God, that your daily striving is for a closer conformity to the spirit of your
66 
PERSONAL ACCEPTANCE.
Master, and obedience to his commands. Then
distress not yourself because you do not always
feel just as you wish and desire, because your
affections are not so quick nor your love so fervent as you would faini experience. God reads
your inmost heart. He sees the secret purpose
and the inward longing, - the longing to know
him more fully, to love him more fervently, to
believe on him more trustingly, as he has manifested himself in the Redeemer. And the soul
thus turned to him he will not leave to itself, to
vain efforts at self-excitation.   He will impart
what you need; he will quicken and animate,
strengthen and sustain. He who spared not his
own Son, shall he not give, in his own time, all
those feelings of love you desire, all those deeper
emotions of gratitude, and confiding trust in
his all-embracing goodness and loving-kindness,
which you earnestly long for?
Only be faithful to the means offered to you,
-faithful to those means of inward quickening
which God has placed within your own control,
- faithful in prayer, communion, and the earnest
study of the revealed word, -faithful in watchfulness and self-examination, - faithful in tracing the Father's hand in all the trivial events of
each passing day, - faithful in looking unto
Jesus; then doubt not the assured promise, "He
that seeketh, findeth; and to him that knocketh,
it shall be opened."
67 
THE HOMEWARD PATH.
Remember too the comforting thought of aii
old English poet in such moments of self-questioning, coldness, and doubt, "that our Heavenly
Father does in truth take the will for all in all."
"And when the heart says, (sighing to be approved,)
' 0 could I love!' and stops, God writeth'Loved'!"
I have thus endeavored to point out to you
some of the plain and simple tests by which you
may judge of your true spiritual state, and of
your right to accept the clear, full promises of
God. Not at once, I repeat, not by any one
earnest resolve or stringent effort, can you attain
the stature of the perfect Christian; but
"Day by day with strength supplied,
Through the life of Him who died,"
go forth, in trusting faith, to the combat with
sin and evil within and around you, remembering the quickening words of the beloved disciple:
" It doth not yet appear what we shall be; but
we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be
like him, for we shall see him as he is; and every
man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure." And again he says:
"These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye
may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye
may believe on the name of the Son of God.
And this is the confidence that we have in him,
that, if we ask anything according to his wsill, he
68 
PERSONAL ACCEPTANCE.
heareth us; and if we know that he hears us,
whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the
petitions that we desired of him."
May this purer love, and warmer devotion, and
deeper assurance of faith, be yours, in God's
own time and way!
69 
LETTER IX.
THE TRUE SPHERE OF LIFE.
FROAI your last letter, my dear friend, I fear
that you are in danger of becoming dissatisfied
with your present circle of duties, and the comparatively retired sphere of life in which Providence has placed you, and are cherishing a secret feeling, that in some more commanding
position, in some wider and more conspicuous
field, you could accomplish more fully the great
ends of existence, could exert a larger influence,
and do more for the cause of Christ and the
promotion of his truth in the world.   Now  I
will not reprove you for this feeling, for it is far
from being a strange or unnatural one. There
is an almost universal tendency in the human
mind to aspire and seek after objects above and
beyond its immediate sphere of operations, accompanied at th8 same time by more or less discontent with present pursuits, duties, and occupations. Sometimes it expresses itself in an undefinable restlessness, or a peevish discontent,
and again in a morbid sensitiveness, or an impa 
THE TRUE SPHERE OF LIFE.
tient longing for something more definite, cornplete, and satisfying. It looks not at the sphere
immediately around it, but imagines that in
the distant future there must exist some situation, some position of influence, of duty, and
effort, more in consonance with its individual
capacities and powers. The feeling is confined
to no age or condition, to no particular class in
society and no special routine of daily duty. It is
the natural expression of'all aspiring souls, and
when placed under the control of reli,ious principle, and converted into a holy ambition, forms
one of the chief motive powers to effort, progress,
and advancement; otherwise it is a constant
source of unhappiness, discontent, and weariness.
If the Master would only bid us do some
great thing, something to excite attention and
admiration, something that would lead even to
the burning stake or the cross of shame, how
gladly would we press forward to the conflict!
But to go on, day after day, patiently seeking
the conquest over inward passion and sin, performitg "the trivial round and common task"
of daily duty, -this is too monotonous, too
humbling. Pride shrinks away abashed, and a
thirst for humRan admiration steals imperceptibly
into the soul, too often withering all its higher
aims and holier aspirations.
But you. ask, How shall I indeed know that I
71 
THE HOMEWARD PATH.
am filling my true sphere of life,- that assigned
me by Divine Providence?
I reply, God places us in such situations in
life, and opens to us such spheres of duty, as are
best suited to our individual capacities, talents,
and spiritual needs; and when new duties and
new spheres are assigned to us, to the prayerful,
watchful, and self-forgetting spirit, there are always clear and definite indications by which to
judge of the true path, by which to distinguish
the leadings of Providence from a mere restless
love of change, or discontent with the simple routine of daily duty.
In the performance of the humbler duties of
life, in quiet home circles or on the arena of
daily toil and business, most of us are called to
fight the good warfare, and prove ourselves true
Christians. Comparatively few are called to be an
Oberlin or a Howard, a Judson or a Boardman, a
Catherine Adorna or an Elizabeth Fry; for noble
as are such exhibitions of the Christian spirit,
nay, I would rather say, such exemplifications of
the divine life in the human soul, -they rather
stand before us as beacon-lights to show the
power of self-sacrifice and self-renunciation imparted to every Christian heart, if only the consecration be unreserved and entire; to manifest
the living spirit which can alone impart vitality
and power to any sphere of life, whether narrow or extended to the world's eye.
72 
THE TRUE SPHERE OF LIFE.
And by what inherent right do we call any
sphere circumscribed or limited?
Spiritual power is not confined to narrow walls
or small apartments, to the nursery or school room, to the couch of weary pain and languish ing, to the workshop or the ledger.  It needs no
trumpet to herald its authority, no banner of
fashion to reveal its potent sway, no applause of
the multitude to proclaim its true greatness and
authority. Silently and secretly it achieves its
true victories in the quiet sanctuary of home,
by humble firesides and cottage hearths, in the
abodes of poverty as well as in the circles of luxury, by the bed of lingering illness and chronic
infirmity, in devotion to helpless infancy and
feeble'age, in the instruction of the ignorant, patience towards the wayward, fidelity to uncongenial duties, forbearance and gentleness, love
and charity. Its utterances, though simple and
unpretending, are fraught with intense power;
for how often the slightest word uttered in true
sincerity, and falling on the prepared spirit, has
an efficacy in inspiring a living and vital faith,
which no direct effort, no attempt at influence,
could ever exert!
Christ does not call upon all of us to be apostles or martyrs, preachers or missionaries. When
one whom he had healed sought to express his
devotion and love by following him with his disciples, he bade him rather go home to his friends,
73 
THE HOMEWARD PATH.
and make known in that narrower circle what
great things the Lord had done for him. And
so he bids most of us take up his cross and bear
it faithfully and resolutely in our own households, to proclaim the worth and the authority
of a living faith, by an uncompromising integrity,
a rigid fidelity, a tender regard, a gentle compassion, a forbearing love, and a Christ-like walk and
conversation.
I have known one for years confined to his
couch, by a most painful, chronic infirmity, cut
off in opening manhood from every bright prospect which talent and education opened before
him; for months and years unable to move a
limb without the greatest suffering, even the
light of heaven shut out at times from his secluded apartment, and hardly able to bear even
the gentlest touch of a mother's or a sister's
hand; and yet from that chamber of suffering
and weariness and seclusion, there went forth,
through his triumphant spirit of faith, and cheerful trust, and Christian self-forgetfulness, an influence to sustain, to quicken, and to animate,a pure and holy influence, which only His eye
that looks through the immortal ages can ever
measure.
I have known, too, the gentle and devoted
sister and daughter, seldom spoken of in the
circles of fashion or mere gayety, never seeking
to bring herself into notice, but evincing her
74 
THE TRUE SPHERE OF LIFE.
cheerful, trusting, self-forgetting spirit in the quietness of home, pouring forth her rich treasures
of love, and faithfully cultivating her powers of
mind and heart, the better to contribute to the
happiness of the little circle which her gentleness
and thoughtfulness retained under her influence;
and though early and suddenly called away to
higher spheres of duty and usefulness, yet through
her Christ-like spirit and holy trust leaving in the
hearts of all who knew and loved her a sense of
the reality of the Christian faith and hope, whose
quickening and animating power eternity alone
can reveal.
I have known, too, the abodes of poverty and
desolation made rich by a heavenly faith and
trust; suffering sanctified by prayer and patience; love and tenderness softening the sterner
aspects of unremitting toil and care; self-denial
and patience and holy faith writing their ineffaceable signet on brows consecrated by the baptism of trial and sorrow; and amid such scenes
of earthly want and care, amid scenes, often repulsive to the mere worldly eye of fashion, again
and again have I felt, how often in the sight of
Heaven the standard of mere human judgment
is reversed, and in a true Christian influence
and power the last become first, and the first
last.
Have you considered such truths, however,
and do you still feel dissatisfied and uncertain
75 
THE HOMEWARD PATH.
with regard to your true sphere of life and duty?
I reply, By a close and strict self-examination,
without flattery or self-deception, learn whether
your powers, your attainments, your endeavors,
are such as would fit you for a wider sphere,
or a more commanding position than you now
occupy.   Then  ask yourself, if now  you are
faithfully filling your present sphere, if you are
making that sphere as large as it is your duty
to make it, and whether in your present position
you are earnestly and perseveringly seeking the
development of your highest moral and intellectual powers.
Look  at the circumstances in which Providence has placed you, and see if there are not,
in these, indications of your true sphere, - if
there are not duties immediately around you
which constitute the first and highest claim
upon you.
"Not by deeds that win the crowd's applauses,
Not by works that give thee world-renown,.
Not by martyrdom, or vaunted crosses,
Canst thou win and wear the immortal crown.
"Daily struggling, though oft tried and lonely,
Every day a rich reward will give;
Thou wilt find, by hearty striving only,
And truly loving, thou canst truly live."
If such be not the case, if you feel that, as you
are now situated, your powers are cramped, your
higher energies repressed, your nobler faculties
76 
THE TRUE SPHERE OF LIFE.
undeveloped, if the promptings of the Spirit
point you to other duties and new pursuits,
then have you a right to seek a different sphere,
and in a wider and more commanding circle to
endeavor to accomplish the highest purposes of
life.
But do you still feel these higher aspirations,
these longings for wvider circles of influence; and
are you conscious, at the same time, that there
are circumstances which forbid your seeking a
different sphere, so that it would be a manifest
violation of duty to desert your present position?
Then feel assured, that these very circumstances are in reality the best for you, the true means
through which you are to develop your highest
spiritual powers.
Seek to be conscientious and faithful where
you  are.   Watch  for daily opportunities  of
growth and progress; and if, at times, you
feel that some of your powers have not their
full scope, remember that the blessing of God
ever rests on the consecrated and childlike spirit.
Remember also, that this is but the commencement of life, and if you are but true to yourself,
use will be found for the powers here faithfully
cultivated, in the holier exercises, the higher duties, and the larger sphere of the future life.
God has best resources; he makes flowers
bloom, and waterfalls dash, and innumerable
signs of beauty reveal themselves, where no
77
,.a 
THE HOBIEWARD PATH.
eye sees them, where no foot of man ever trod
Be content, then, earnestly to press on, and to
let some of your powers grow and ripen in silence. Feel that you are but an instrument in
the hand of God, and that if, now, to some are
committed larger and wvider ministries of influence, hereafter we are to be judged according
to our opportunities and talents alone.
In the words of another, "You must not say,
that in your sphere you can do little or nothing.
Be patient, be confiding; you do not choose your
sphere. Prepare yourself for greater usefulness
by fidelity in the path Providence now marks
out for you; avail yourself of opportunities to
bear witness to the truth, as far as these are
given. Cultivate in yourself the disinterested,
mild, generous, resolute spirit of Jesus Christ.
In these ways accumulate moral power, and
be assured that openings for its exercise will
multiply. Nothing helps us to discover means
of doing good, like growing better and stronger.
Be grateful that in any way, or to any degree,
you may be God's minister on earth."'
Had we but a child-like faith, and a simple
confidence in God, we should no longer be perplexed by such anxious questionings and restless
strivings. Too much do we feel as if the world
depended upon our feeble efforts, and not on the
Divine Providence. Too prone are we to forget
that we are but instruments in His hands, and
78
r 
THE TRUE SPHERE OF LIFE.
that all efforts are in vain, unless made under the
guidance and blessing of the Divine spirit. Let
there be action indeed, earnest, faithful, devoted
action, but let this be preceded by an entire selfsurrender, by a willingness to yield all with a
simple trust to the Father, to followv Christ wherever he may lead.
As this living faith and trust become a more
vital reality to your soul, so will the peace of
God  more truly dwell within it.  The doubts
that arise with regard to the sphere of life and
the fit path of duty will gradually be dispersed,
and a clearer and fuller light will shine upon your
way.
Remember also, that the quiet and secret
influence of Christian faith is greater than the
widest array of philanthropic effort. This can
be cultivated in every sphere, and under every
circumstance of life, and it implies no strange,
unnatural, or complex state of mind. It is simply a childlike trust in the. Father, and a ready
obedience to the Master, the life daily and hourly
answering the question, " Lord, what wilt thou
have nme to do?" And such a spirit -the daily
doing of God's will- -will impart a serene lovelinless to the character, and a simplicity of aim
and purpose, that shall indeed nmake the heart at
one with God and with Christ.
This will clothe us with righteousness and loveliness like a garment, and we shall be all uncon
79 
THE HOMEWARD PATH.
scious save of our Master's presence, -too busy
in finding out " how many simple ways there are
to bless," to think anything about ourselves
We shall love Christ more and more, and find
our sympathies every day becoming more intense
and unselfish.
"To sojourn inr the world, and yet apart;
To dwell with God, and yet with man to feel,
To bear about for ever in the heart
The gladness that J-is spirit doth reveal";
here lies your true field of effort; here is a sphere
to tax all your powers, to satisfy all your aspirations.  " It is while we are walking in the way
of duty that angel thoughts meet us."   The
kingdom of Heaven is within. Labor here
earnestly and truly. Pray for the entire renewal, the sanctification, of your own heart;
and hereafter you shall know that, through your
life of faithful devotion to duty and of cheerful
effort, through your confiding, humble faith and
trust, through the pure and devout aspirations
of your spirit, breathed indeed in secret, yet remembered on high, other souls have become
sanctified through the truth.
Remember, too, the faithful words of a Christian poet:
"The trivial round, the common task,
Will furnish all we ought to ask; -
Room to deny ourselves; a road
To bring us daily nearer God.
80 
THE TRUE SPHERE OF LIFE.
"Only, O Lord, in thy dear love
Fit us for perfect rest above;
And help us this, and every day,
To lice more nearly as we pray."
6
81 
LETTER X.
PRAYER.
I WISH, my dear friend, to bring distinctly and
definitely before your mind at this time the subject of Prayer; for, if I am not mistaken, the
"want of a steady and true progression in the
Christian spirit and life," of which you complain,
arises, in part at least, from erroneous views of
the true nature and object of this important duty
and privilege.
Apart from any other consideration, if you
look merely at the teachings of Jesus on this
subject,- from the commencement of his ministry, when crowds gathered around him and the
poor and forsaken listened to his loving words
of entreaty, whein, with the chosen few, he
withdrew lo the calm stillness of Olivet, or uttered his teachings in that beloved home-circle
which his presence has for ever sanctified to human thought, until in the shades and agony
of Gethsemane, with the sorrows and sins of a
world borne upon his heart, he turned yet again
to the wearied and grief-stricken disciples, and 
PRAYER.
in the solemn emphasis of that dark hour of
woe, and as the last fervent utterance of earnest
entreaty, bade them "watch and pray," -you
cannot but feel that there is a solemnity and a
reality connected with this duty, a power and a
spiritual influence brought to bear upon the soul
through the faithful use of this privilege, which
you have hitherto regarded in too general and
cursory a manner. It is true that you have
formed the habit of daily prayer, and on no account would remit it, for there is a general, indistinct feeling in your soul that good in some way
will result from it; but your thoughts, if definitely expressed, would sometimes utter themselves in this form:- -   All events and purposes
are clearly known to God; to him the future is
present, no less than the past. He reads at a
glance my whole inward being, my aims, desires,
and intentions; hlie knows my secret sins and
weaknesses, my strength of resistance and power of progress. As a God of love, of justice,
and of power, he will impart to my soul all
that it needs; he will give strength and grace,
though I ask not for it; the circumstances o.
my outward life will of course be all ordered according to his infinite wisdom, and no thought
or prayer of mine can change his fixed, unsearchable decrees. I will pray still, because somehow
I feel as if neglecting a duty in omitting the
stated exercises of devotion, and yet I really feel
as if little positive good resulted from them.
83 
THE HOMEWARD PATH.
"It is seldom that I feel that my prayers are
directly answered, and when I read of, or meet
with, those who seem to derive such actual comfort and hope from this spiritual communion
with the unseen, there is a meaning in their
words and expressions of trust which I have not
yet fathomed. I acknowledge that there is an
efficacy in lifting the soul to God, so far as it
thus becomes more deeply impressed with a
sense of its own sinfnlness and dependence, and
with God's perfect holiness and love, - so far as
it learns more truly its own power of progress
and advancement, and, through such self-excitation, is led to holier aims and desires; but more
than this, I often cannot admit. It is true, that
in seasons of sudden danger or deep anxiety I
invoke the aid of God as by a natural impulse,
and yet I know  that my feeble prayers cannot
change his fixed and general laws in the government of the world.  There  are moments,
too, when my heart glows with love and holy
gratitude to the great Giver of all good, and
gladly do I utter my fervent thanksgiving and
praise; but such an utterance can work no effect
on the heart of the Infinite One. As a Christian
duty, indeed, I still purpose and wish to continue
the habit of prayer; but it is not a confiding, rejoicing act, or one from which I can trace any
actual good results."
You may think, my friend, that I have over
84
B — 
PRAYER.
stated the case; but could you listen to the free
utterances of some, calling themiselves Christians,
you would feel that even this is but a meagre
outline of the actual condition of many hearts,
of the want in many souls of any true, realizing
faith in the efficacy of prayer.
These words may not all apply to your individual condition; but, if I am not mistaken, such
feelings, only half acknowledged to yourself, and
perhaps never actually expressed in words, have
been the cause of many of your inward difficulties, have hindered your true progress, and kept
you from those higher spiritual communings and
enjoyments promised through Christ to every
sincere seeker.
I would ask you, then, first of all, putting
aside all mere philosophical speculations, and all
endeavors to comprehend, with your limited and
feeble capacities, the counsels of the Infinite
God, to turn again to the simple teachings of
Christ, to the words of him who came as the
manifestation of the Father, and whose instructions you regard as of Divine authority. Reading such words, is there not some strange delusion in your mind, some perversion of feeling,
that has led you to doubt and question the simple assurance of Christ?   Have you not been
led away by some fatal self-deception, debarring
you from your true inheritance, and depriving
you of your oft-desired peace and strength?
85 
THE HOMElEWARD PATH.
"If ye, being evil, kinow how to give good
gifts unto your children, how much more shall
your Heavenly Father give the holy spirit to
them that ask  him! Pray that ye enter not into
temptation. Whatsoever ye shall ask in my
name, that will I do. Ask and receive, that your
joy may be full. Whatsoever ye shall ask in
prayer, believing, ye shall receive." Can language be niore emphatic than thib? It is true
there are twvo conditions annexed to this promised answer to prayer, but they are such as lie
within the control of every sincere seeker, such
as no true soul need fail of fulfilling.
As I have before said, God has not promised
to give us the best gifts of his grace unless we
seek and ask for them. It is not enough that wTe
merely wish, or hope, or languidly desire them;
but we must ask, - ask with earnestness, with
sincerity, with a deep conviction of our need,
with an intense longing to receive the petitions
offered,- ask with the childlike earnestness that
cannot be refused, unless the desired blessing be
inconsistent with the soul's highest good. And
we must ask, believing that we shall receive.
There must be an entire faith and reliance on
the simple promise of God, on his power, his
willingness, his desire to grant to the soul all
that it needs, all that a Father can bestow of
love and blessing upon the heart of his child.
When the disciples were astonished at the exhi
86 
PRAYER.
bition of the Divine power of Jesus, and he
sought to impress their souls with the mighty
influence of this inward principle of action, he
did not directly answer the thoughts and questionings that must have arisen in their minds,
but simply and emphatically said to them,
"Have faith in God."   And this same trust,
belief, and unquestioning faith must we also possess, would we have poured into our souls those
holy, divine influences, which, through Christ,
are ever granted in answer to sincere prayer.
Cast away, then, your cold and specious reasonings, your sceptical doubts and unworthy
questionings, and go to your Father with those
earnest petitions and desires which can never fail
of a true and full response.   Cast away your
sinful unbelief in the power of the Almighty to
grant your requests, and believe that He who
marshals all the mighty hosts of heaven, and
calleth the stars by name, at whose fiat countless worlds and systems are brought into being,
who looketh on the earth and it trembleth, and
who holdeth the waters of the great deep as in
the hollow of his hand, -believe that He, who
knoweth the end from the beginning, can so
adapt the secret workings of his providence, and
the holy influences of his spirit, as to answer the
prayers of the humblest of his children, and to
meet the faintest heavenward desires and longings of the youngest heart.
87 
THE HOMEWARD PATH.
It is true that God knows that you have need
of these blessings, and that he bestows upon
you countless favors without your asking; yet
he has seen fit to grant these special influ.
enees, and this inward strength and help, only
where the soul so longs and desires for them as
to ask for them. And is not such a condition
reasonable and just? Is it not in accordance
with our whole earthly experience? Is there
aught unreasonable or strange in such a simple
command,   " Ask, that ye may receive "?
But you say, "God  is immutable, and no
word or prayer of mine can change his unalterable decrees."   True, with him is no  variableness, neither shadow of turning; but has not
your view of the Divine nature, exalted as you
think it to be, limited him in his power of will
and of action? Taking your stand upon the
highest plane of spiritual truth, as you imagine,
and embracing the whole creation and government of the universe under the " general laws" of
nature, as you term them, have you not in reality circumscribed and limited that Infinite, Eternal Power?  Have you not vainly set bounds to
his Almightiness?   Have  you not in reality
made your own feebleness the measure of his
Omnipotence?  If, as we believe, his laws and
purposes are eternal, are they not so vast, so
comprehensive, as to include the care of the least
of his creatures, the answer to every secret aspi
88 
PRAYER.
ration, every sigh of penitence, every sincere
and  earnest prayer?   You  imagine, perhaps,
that in your view alone the Divine nature is
truly exalted and honored, forgetting that with
him there is "no high, no low, no great, no
small," and that there can be nothing more derogatory than to limit his modes of action to our
finite thought and comprehension. Taking the
simple declaration of Jesus, as he pointed to the
lilies of the field and the fowls of the air, and
taught the love and constant care of God over
the least of his outward works, shall we sinfully
doubt that he has so organized the great structure of the moral universe as to be able to
adapt his peculiar blessings to every changing
want of the immortal soul,- that conscious
spirit through which alone we hold communion
with Him?
Do not all the teachings of Christ assure us
that he comes to every penitent, waiting soul
with the peculiar ministries of his grace, granting his favors, his special gifts, even as the heart
turns to him and confides in his promises of forgiving love?  " Whatsoever ye shall ask in my
namne, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son."
But you say: "I have surely no reason to ask
for any merely temporal, outward blessings; the
circumstances of my life are all ordered by the
Divine will, and these can form no part of real
prayer."
89 
THE HOMEWARD PATH.
Yet have not these very circumstances a constant reflex influence over your inward being;
and can they then be, however humble, a matter of indifference, to be excluded from the
thoughts in the hour of secret devotion? Christ
himself has taught us to pray for our daily
bread; and while we ask most earnestly for that
living Bread of which he who eateth shall never
hunger, surely we may also pray for that necessary nourishment of the bodily life, which ever
cometh from Him who feeds the fowls of the air,
and hears the young ravens when they cry.
How far and to what degree the discipline of
the outward life, health and sickness, joy and
sorrow, prosperity and adversity, may  be arranged or modified, if I may so speak, in answer
to the prayer of faith, we know not.   Yet if
such prayers are offered in sincerity and trust,
with an implicit reliance on the goodness and
providence of God, with faith that, whatever
may be the result, it will surely be for the soul's
best and eternal good, then they are not in vain.
They bring the soul into a truer harmony with
the Divine will, taking away all restless impatience, and leading it to feel, that, through these
outward surroundings, trials, and obstacles, it is
to be led through the mere vestibule into the
holy inward sanctuary of the temple of the
Most High.
They lead us, also, to see the hand of Provi
90 
PRAYER.
dence in all the circumstances of our daily life;
thus blending the thought of God with the
most common scenes, and hallowing the daily
routine of duty by His ever-watchful presence.
And who knows how often danger may be
averted, and blessings bestowed, in direct an swer to the prayer of the believing soul?
However dim our faith, however distrustful
our cold and unbelieving hearts, let us not limit
the power of the Almighty, nor set bounds to
His ways among the children of men! Let us
not vainly imagine that the deepest philosophy
can fathom the wonderful mysteries of the spirit world, or comprehend its vast and beneficent
laws of cause and effect, and spiritual influence;
but, accepting the simple words of the Redeemer, " Ask, and ye shall receive," let us bow
in conscious humility, and, opening our souls
to the influences of the Spirit, ask in faith, that
we may receive the promised blessing.
But you say again, " Often I derive little real
help or comfort from my prayers. I offer them
from a sense of duty; but I find no special help
resulting from them, and in consequence there is
little joy or peace in the exercise."
Now, the answer to prayer may be regarded
both as special and general. WVe may be able
to trace its immediate results, and may feel and
know that our petitions are answered, either
from the inward testimony of the spirit, the con
91 
THE HOMEWARD PATH.
scious help and strength imparted in the hour of
temptation and in the performance of duty, and
the peace which passeth understanding that fills
the soul when the whole inward being is in harmony with the Divine will; or from those open,
direct, unmistakable answers to fervent prayer,
which cannot but arrest the attention even of
the thoughtless and indifferent. And, on the
other hand, there may be no immediate sense of
the promised response, and yet deep in the soul,
perhaps even below the region of distinct consciousness, the secret influences of the Divine
spirit will so act upon the whole being as to
change, regenerate, and sanctify it, and thus more
than answer its most earnest petitions, though
the individual may often be unable to trace the
distinct process by which such renewal is effected.
Again, do we pray for some peculiar blessing, and at the same time ask for a deeper and
holier faith in God and Christ? May not the
better gift be granted only through the denial of
the lesser good? May not the outward blessing
which we crave be often withheld even from
sincere prayer, that the spirit of an unfaltering
faith and an unwavering trust may be implanted
in the most secret recesses of the soul?
But you say that your prayers do not bring to
your soul the light and satisfaction you desire.
How, then, do you offer them? What is their
spirit, and what your true purpose in praying?
92 
PRAYER.
Is there a real earnestness on your part, a deep
sincerity, a heart-felt desire to receive the blessings askle(I?  \Vhen you pray to be made more
humble, to have all self-confidence taken from
you, to be strong only through the help that
Christ imparts, do you really, in your inmost
soul, desire that such should be your profound
experience? or are you still cherishing some secret pride, some vain self-reliance, some desire to
uphold your rights, and your pride or honor in
the eyes of the world, however this may conflict
with the known law of Christ? Do you pray
for a more gentle, forgiving, forbearing temper,
and yet at the first provocation harbor unkind
thoughts and resentful feelings, and excuse your
ready yielding to temptation by saying that the
occasion justifies such righteous indignation?
Do you ask in the morning to be filled with the
Divine spirit and  guided by the Divine will,
and yet throughout the day seek only your own
pleasures, and give all your thoughts to mere
business, dress, or fashion?  Do you pray that
God and Christ may abide with you, and yet
close those secret avenues to your soul through
which alone the holy spirit may enter, by an
undue absorption in the transient, passing things
of earth and of time? Test the true spirit of
your prayers; try your life by them.  Know
whether they are really sincere; and if you find
that you ha-e indeed been faithless on your part,
93 
THE HOMEWARD PATH.
.
then question not vainly the Divine omnipotence
and love, but, with a child's confession and trust,
go to your Father, and renewedly seek, in humble and sincere penitence, the desired help and
strength.
Then, too, let me counsel you to be faithful
to those means which are always a help to true
prayer; for this act is at once the loftiest and
highest, and yet the most simple, that can ever
engage the human soul,- demanding thought.
energy, faith, and earnestness.   It is the human holding converse with the Divine, the finite
with the Infinite and Eternal. Let the season
of prayer be preceded by thought and devout
contemplation, by communion with your own
soul, and a renewed recognition of your entire
dependence upon the Author and Upholder of
your being. Feel the sacredness of that Divine
presence before which you bow; let no vague,
unmeaning phrases pass your lips; but in lowly
self-abasement and in simple faith offer your
petitions, not in any set form of words, but in
the sincere outpouring of your most secret desires and wants. Think not that any occurrences of the passing day, any duties however
lowly, any temptations however slight, any joys
or griefs however seemingly trivial, are too
minute or too humble to bring before your Father and your Saviour. Our prayers are sometimes unmeaning, because we deal so much in
94 
PRAYER.
generalities. We offer petitions for the world at
large, that sin may be put away and the kingdom of righteousness established; we pray that
God's will may be done throughout the whole
earth; and at the same  time our own hearts
are in a state of aught but submission under
some trifling inconvenience or personal suffering,
or our minds are filled with some petty vexation
that has ruffled our tempers or tried our patience;
and these so-called trifles we vainly seek to hide
from the eye of the All-searching One, asking
for blessings in general, and not for what we
really want at the moment.  "But were God in
Christ known and regarded as the soul's familiar
friend; were every trouble of the heart, as it
rises, breathed into his bosom; were it felt that
there is not one of the smallest of life's trifles
that has not been permitted by Him, and permitted for some specific good purpose to the
soul, how much more heart-work would there be
in prayer!  Hiow daily, how constant, might it
become!"
Accustom yourself, also, to inward ejaculatory
prayer. When your hands are busy, or when
enjoying the wonderful beauties of the outward
world, or exercising your physical powers, or
even when the mind is engaged in business or
intellectual pursuits, let there be the frequent
turning of the soul to God, the secret prayer for
strength and guidance, breathed in the sacred
95 
THE HOIMEWVARD PAT'I.
language of Secripture, or the devout utterance
of some familiar hymn; and so let every occupation, every duty and pleasure, lead you nearer
and yet nearer to the Source of truth and life.
Thus alone will you learn to feel as a blessed
reality the Father's love, presence, and sustainilig help; thus alone will you enter into that
holy and ceaseless communing with the Divine
Spirit which is the only true life of the soul.
"Come, in thy pleading spirit, down
To us, who for thy comingi stay;
Of all thy gifts we ask but one,
Ae ask the constant power to pray.
0, grant us, Lord, this great request;
Thou caust not then deny the rest."
While you thus seek to " pray without ceasing," and offer in faith earnest petitions for your
own  spiritual life and  guidance, let me  ask
whether your prayers are sufficiently those of
intercession, or whether there is not a covert,
baneful spirit of selfishness at times inwoven
even with your most devotional moods and higihest desires? Have you habitually remembered
your duty and your privilege, while seeking spiritual favors for yourself, to bear others on your
heart to the throne of grace?  You may possess
but the one talent, so far as your direct influence
over others is concerned; your sphere of duty
may  be limited and confined; sickness  may
cripple your active powers, or circumstances
96 
PRAYER.
compel you to expend all your time and efforts
in providing for the bare necessities of life; but,
thank God, none of these things can bind the
soul, or repress its immortal aspirations, or close
the avenues of secret prayer.  Christ ever abides
with you, heaven opens before you, immortality
unfolds its visions of glory, joy, and ceaseless
progress; and whose but the All-seeing Eye can
trace these secret spiritual ministries, those purer
aims, holier desires, and ffore devout purposes,
awakened in other souls through the all-prevailing power of fervent intercession?
A faithful and devoted missionary, in a distant
and foreign land, thus wrote to a Christian
friend, from his arduous field of labor: " Perhaps you cannot do more for the cause of Christ
than to set apart stated and frequent seasons for
special supplication in our behalf. It is not by
the number and strength of missionaries that the
great work is to be accomplished; but through
the intercession of the children of God, the holy
spirit will be given.   This is a part of your
appropriate work,- allow me to say, a great
part,- a talent put into your hands for which
you must render an account."
Our prayers deepen in intensity and fervor in
proportion to their individuality; and if we feel
that true interest in the spiritual welfare of others that leads us to desire, above all things else,
their redemption from sin, and their personal con
7
97 
THE HOMIEWVARD PATH.
secration to the Master's service, will not our
petitions be fireighted with new ardor and ear  nestness,-will not the secret hour of devotion
be often prolonged as we remember the prom ise of the Eternal through his Son, " Askl, and
ye shall receive"?   Are there not friends and
kindred, the young, the tempted, the suffering,
the sinning, all around us, who thus need our
prayers for help, and strength, and spiritual life?
Does not the cause of'Christ languish in many
of our churches, and religious faith grow dim,
and earnestness die away, because the prayers of
Christians are so faint and few that his " king dom may come"? So far as you are able to
unite  at stated times with others, whether in
public or private, in these petitions for mutual
help and spiritual strength, deem it ever your
privilege so to do, thus weavinga closer the bonds
of a spiritual interest and sympathy with the sincere followers of Christ; but if debarred from
such  communuion, neglect not your own  personal duty and privilege, in offering those secret
prayers of intercession, breathed only for the ear
of Him who ever hears the faintest whisper of
the true and earnest heart.
Finally, you have constant and imperative
need of this vital spirit of prayer to sustain your
own soul in the daily, hourly conflict with temptation and sin, and to cherish a living spirit of
gratitude and trust.
98
v — 
PRAYER.
"Rugged and thorny is the path
Marked for the Christian's race,
And thou wilt deviate and fall
AVitlhout God's strengthening grace.
Then, while He fills the mercy-seat,
Be thou no stranger there
The heavenly manna must be sought
Daily, through fervent prayer."
Seek, then, faithfully the sure and sustaining
influences of the spirit, promised and pledged to
the soul through the Redeemer. Receive each
spiritual help and blessing through him as the
one Maediator. Look to him as the faithful Intercessor, and remember his parting words of
peace, strength, and promise, rolling back from
the soul the clouds of doubt, fear, and uncertainty, and shedding over it the calm radiance of
celestial peace: -" Hitherto ye have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and ye shall receive, that
your joy may be full."
...I.
99
vr 
LETTER XI.
SPIRITUAL TRIALS.
YouR last letter, ry dear friend, assures me
that you are truly seeking to lead the life of the
Christian, and are earnestly striving for a deeper
and purer faith; yet there are doubts and difficulties in your mind which you hardly know how
to interpret or meet, - a darkness which often
hides from you the Father's reconciled countenance, and robs you of all true peace.
To point out to you the meaning of these difficulties, and to show you how even such trials
may be made conducive to your highest spiritual
good, will be now my aim.   The subjects upon
which I shall touch are such as peculiarly require
inward scrutiny and the concentrated attention
of the spiritual powers; for the faith which you
need and desire is, from its very nature, wholly
spiritual, and can never be attained by any outward process, or by any effort of the intellectual
powers alone.
We live too much in externals, and are too
readily satisfied when the daily routine of life is,
.-.... 
SPIRITUAL TRIALS.
on the whole, comfortable and satisfying, forgetting the unfathomed depths of being, the mysteries of the world within, which occasionally startle us from our' slumber of indifference and heartless peace, as somne strange, unforeseen event,
some wonderful, providential dealing, some sudden light from  the Divine word or the everpresent spirit, pierces the most secret recesses of
the soul, revealing its intricate windings, its want
and destitution, its weakn@ss and its strength, its
helplessness in self-confidence, and its power in
an entire self-renunciation.
Well has it been said: "In man's deepest
consciousness, read sometimes clearly and sometimes dimly, is the subject-mnatter of a Paradise Lost and a Paradise Regained, which the
seers and bards of humanity have struggled to
articulate distinctly in prophecy and song.  Only
when the things of immortality become  mere
matters of tradition, and not subjective realities, man conceives this drama as enacted in
some far-off and imaginary heavens, and not
where alone it can be found, -in himself."
Something of these inward trials, something
of these struggles, amounting at times even to
anguish of soul, you have felt, and the conflict
has been the harder because you have had few
or none to understand and to sympathize with
your deepest wvants.
MIany there are who virtually regard the ex
101 
THE HOMEWARD PATH.
ternal circumstances of life - sickness, poverty,
uncongenial pursuits and labors, loss of property,'
bereavements - as the only trials of life, and
would hardly comprehend the language of one
who speaks of such as are wholly inward and
spiritual.  "For the natural man receiveth not
the things of the spirit of God; neither can he
know them, because they are spiritually discerned."
Not that I would' overlook, or regard as of
little account, what is usually termed the outward discipline of life, requiring as it does the
truest Christian faith to meet it with a cheerful
trust and a holy submission.   But appealing
now to your own consciousness, I would ask, Is
this all? When life has seemed the most joyous, and external circumstances the most propitious, has there not often been the deepest trial
and the most intense struggle in the inward
spirit?
Judging from your last letter and my knowledge of your past spiritual experience, your state
of mind might be expressed in a confession like
this: "I am conscious of having made the distinct choice of the religious life, of having sought
to follow Jesus as my only guide and to know
him as my Saviour. I have striven to feel my
personal relations to him, to be faithful in prayer
and the study of the Scriptures, and diligent in
duty. But again and again does the solemn
102 
SPIRITUAL TRIALS.
question recur, Am  I born again?  Ought I to
regard myself as entitled to those promises made
to the children of God?  Failing so often in
duty, do I truly belong to Christ and share in his
covenant of love?   I have not that realizing
faith in God and in Christ which, in my better
moments, I desire. At times, there even seems
no reality in their being, - heaven appears afar
off and immortality a dream. I pray, but cannot feel the Father's loving presence. I long
to hear the still, small voice, but there is only
silence. I meditate, but doubts arise as to the
reality of the themes of revelation. I ponder the
life of the divine Redeemer, but no glow of warm
emotion suffuses my soul, and I cannot feel the
love and devotion I desire. I seek to cherish a
deeper faith, but often the words of revelation
seem to have no personal application; and when
I am alone, ill the hour of retirement and prayer, often all appears to my spirit blank, vague,
and unmeaning.  There are times, indeed, when
faith grows clear and bright, and, with renewed
courage and hope, I can press on in the conflict;
but again and again do these darker seasons
recur, and, weary and disheartened, I am tempted to yield to self-indulgence and to give up all
effort. How, then, am I to meet these struggles,
these trials of religious confidence? How satisfy this restless yearning for a more abiding and
conscious reconciliation, and a truer fellowship
with Christ? "
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THE HOMEWARD PATH.
I reply: If you are indeed conscious of a true
consecration of yourself to God through Christ,
and of loolking to his spirit for guidance and
help, if you are faithful in prayer, then understand that these darker hours, these seasons of
coldness and doubt and inward restlessness, are
the tryin~, of you faithi, the test of your sincerity,
the divinely appointed means of your growth in
the spiritual life.,
Some there are who need chiefly the varied
and changing discipline of the outward life to
render them fit for the kingdom of Heaven; but
others are to be purified through inward trial,
through secret and severe struggles unknown save
to the eye of the All-seeing, and are thus alone
prepared to receive the crown of life which the
Master has promised to those who abide faithful
even amid  the darklness, and who  are called
upon cheerfully to bear his cross, knowing that
it will soon bear them beyond the scenes of trial,
conflict, and doubt, to the unveiled presence of
the Father and the Saviour.
In such inward struggles, the first essential
condition of our attaining to any true peace and
faith of the soul is, that we become thoroughly conscious of our weakness and our needs
that we feel the absolute  necessity of giving
up all self-confidence, and relying solely on the
Fathler's help and mnercy as manifested in Christ.
Now, in these trials of religious confidence, there
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SPIRITUAL TRIALS.
is doubtless some need within your soul, some
unhealthy tendency, some secret destitution,
that can be remedied only through a purely
spiritual discipline; and it is wonderful to observe how many different and peculiar Wvays the
Father has of leading us to himself. Now he
aids us by imparting the clear, -ull light of his
countenance, and again, in equal love, by withholding the conscious sense of his presence and
favor; now, by suffusing the soul with gladness,
joy, and peace, and then by permitting doubt,
sorrow, and uneasiness; now, by crowning the
life with success and prosperity, and again, in
like mercy, darkening every earthly prospect by
disappointment, suffering, and sorrow; now, by
giving the full assurance of his forgiveness and
reconciling mercy in Christ, and then, in equal
love, clouding the spiritual vision, and hiding
the full rays of his countenance; now, by laying on us the cross, and then by holding forth
the crown; yet always with the same Divine
wisdom, always with the same great purpose
of infinite love,-to lead the soul to an unwavering trust, a childlike confidence, a perfect
faith.
In the words of another: "You have been
years wandering, unfitting yourself for spiritual
peace, because out of harmony with God, who
demands the supreme devotion of your soul.
What right have you to expect to spring, at
105
I 
THE HOMEWARD PATH.
one bound, into the complete restoration of
every disordered  faculty?  It ought to  be
enough, if, your face being firmly turned towards your Father in Heaven, he lifts, little
by little, the veil that hides the full splendor
of his presence. What you are to learn by
your present discontent is, that you are not
sufficient to yourself, but must look above yourself; that you cannot guide yourself, but must
beseech the Spirit to guide you; that you, being
finite, cannot grasp infinite things, but must let
the Saviour reach up for you, show you where
your uncertain hand shall lay hold on the rod
and staff, and make you one with him. But
what wonder, if, before the Father introduces
you into the full joy of believing, or the rewards of obedience, he first tries your faith?
Be sure, that no otherwise can you have that
faithful spirit of which Christian disciples are
made."
But you ask, Why is this discipline my peculiar appointment? Why is not a hopeful
trust and assurance granted to me, even as to
others? Why these secret struggles, to be met
only in silence? Why this darkness of spirit,
often clouding every joyous scene, and dimming
every future hope? Ah! question not vainly
the appointed discipline of the All-wise and Allmerciful! Rather let the words of the Redeemer
be an all-sufficient response: "What I do thou
106
I 
SPIRITUAL TRIALS.
knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter."
Could we see the end from the beginning,were the results of our probation all clearly mirrored before us, —  what room  would there be
for the exercise of faith? But in these inward
struggles, no less than in the outward discipline
of life, wte must still seek the Saviour's spirit,
and breathe his prayer of -submission, "Father,
thy w-ill be done."
And does not the whole revelation of God
through Christ assure us that the great end
of life, and the true meaning of all its varied
discipline, is to produce, and test, and purify
our faith, until it becomes an unchanging, unwavering, all-conquering Trust?
You long for a deeper assurance, for a more
conscious personal relationship to your Saviour,
for a more realizing sense of things unseen; but
with your longings and desires, has there not
sometimes been  mingled a secret restlessness
and impatience? Have you not forgotten those
words of the Psalmist, far more enduring and
significant than all his regal glory and authority,
and pregnant with an immortal life and power:
' Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him."
Abiding in him, have you been willing to wait
his own time for a fuller revelation, for more
quickening influences from his spirit, no less
than to strive and to pray for them?
107
WI 
THE HOMEWARD PATH.
" The crown of patience cannot be received
where there has been no suffering. If thou refuse to suffer, thou refusest to be crowned; but
if thou wish to be crowned, thou must fight
manfully and suffer patiently."
Longing to feel more truly the Saviour's
presence and love, hear as if from his own lips
the words of assurance: " Let not thy heart
be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Believe in
me, whose redeeming power has overcome the
world, and place all thy confidence in my mercy. I am often nearest thee when thou thinkest
me at the greatest distance; and when thou hast
given up all as lost in darkness, the light of peace
is ready to break upon thee."
Knowing your own insufficiency, and having
the Divine promise that, in God's own time and
way, the holy spirit will be given to every heart
that truly seeks it, why will you not quietly rely
on this assurance with an undoubting faith, and
willingly bear the cross which can alone lead to
the ascension mount of a clearer faith and vision?
"0 Way for all that live! heal us by pain and loss;
Fill all our years with toil, and bless us with thy rod:
Thy bonds bring wider freedom; climbing by the cross
Wins that bright height where looms the city of our God."
There is also another subtle tendency in
your soul, indistinctly recognized by yourself,
and unknown to some, but which has doubtless
108 
SPIRITUAL TRIALS.
marred your progress and often clouded your
spiritual vision; namely  " The  temptation of
longing more earnestly for rest than for faithful
submission.  You have heard that there is joy in
believing, and so you undertake to believe for
the sake of the joy. You desire a comfortable
and quiet mind; and this, though it is a far
nobler thirst than that of the senses, is still, if
it is too strong, tainted with selfishness, and
wanting in faith.  As there is a spiritual pride,
so there is a spiritual luxury, and the appetite
that lusts after it is one of the subtle enemies
that beset those who have passed out of the
lowest  stage of conscience  into  the second.
There is an ambition to do something as out
of your own self, for the delight of approving
yourself, which is nothing else than self-righteousness.   The  mercenary  tendency to offer
God your good works as a price for purchasing an allowance of self-complacency, is one
that needs to be watched by sincere seekers
after the liberty and nobleness of true devotion.
It defeats its own end. Peace never comes in
that way; nothing does but discontent and confusion.  Peace comes swiftest when you seek it
as an end least.  Seek purity, seek renewal of
heart and life, seek harmony with God, seek the
society of Christ as a Saviour and Intercessor for
you, and Peace, in God's good time, will come
of itself."
109 
THE HOMEWARD PATH.
Do you reply, "I ack1]owvledge all of this to be
true in my better moments, yet in the hours of
clouded faith I am impatient, and long to comprehend at once the reality of things unseen?"
Remember, then, now and ever, the one great
end of all this spiritual discipline. Remember
that often we must be buffeted in our highest
desires before we become thoroughly humble
and altogether Christ's.
Remember, too, that though peace and joy in
believing are spoken of as the ultimate fruits of
the Spirit, they are not necessarily to be regarded
as the direct and immediate results.
A full assurance of faith blesses the seeking,
waiting soul, as indeed the gift of God,- but as
a gift, withheld in a measure from some, only that
a greater and more enduring good may be granted. From you it may be withheld, in God's
inscrutable wisdom; but will it not be enough,
if, when this earthly scene is passed, and this
earthly veil withdrawn, you  come  forth from
the furnace seven times purified, a vessel meet
for the Master's use?
The very longing and desire you have for a
deeper and more realizing faith, show that you
are not wholly destitute of its power.
"He that wants faith, and apprehends a grief
Because he wants it, has a true belief;
And he who grieves because his grief's so small
Has a true grief, and the best faith of all."
110 
SPIRITUAL TRIALS.
In the words of Thomas a Kempis, that wonderful master of the heart's deep secrets, " Think
not thyself abandoned when I permit tribulation
to come upon thee for a season, or suspend the
consolations thou art always fondly desiring; for
this is the narrow way to the kingdom of Heaven; and it is more expedient for my servants to
be exercised with miany sufferings, than to enjoy
that perpetual rest and peace which they would
choose for themselves. I, who know the hidden
thoughts of thy heart, and the depth of the evil
that is in it, know that thy salvation depends
upon being sometimes left in the full perception
of thy own sins and weakness; lest, in the undisturbed prosperity of the spiritual life, thou
shouldest exalt thyself for what is not thy own,
and take complacence in vain conceit of perfection, to which man of himself cannot attain.....
The advancement of spiritual life depends, not
upon the enjoyment of consolation, but upon
bearing the want of it with resignation, humility, and patience, so as not to relinquish prayer,
or remit any of thy accustomed holy exercises."
But you say again, "I would willingly bear
this want of assurance and this trial of faith,
could I only feel that I indeed belong to Christ;
but when I seek within, for the marks of the regenerate spirit, I find myself so far from the true
Christian standard, that, at times, I dare not
believe that I am' born again.'"
ill 
THE HOMEWARD PATH.
In reply, let me again ask if you are not
looking too much to the efficacy of your own
works and your own attainments, and too little
to the cross of Christ.   Have  you  not still
some latent thought of meriting the Divine approval, instead of relying solely on the free
mercy of God, pledged to the soul in the suffering and risen Saviour?
Do you not still cherish a lingering doubt of
the words of promise, instead of joyfully and
thankfully receiving them into the soul, as the
very help and strength you need, so freely and
fully vouchsafed to you?  "He that cometh to
me I will in no wise cast out.   Come unto me,
all ye who are weary and heavy-laden, and I
will give you rest.  Herein is love, not that we
loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his
Son to be the propitiation for our sins." Look
not within with such anxious self-questioning,
but turn to the cross and seek there a more
confiding and cheerful trust, and, relying onl
God's love and goodness, let it be your daily
prayer, that whether by suffering or comfort,
by grief or peace, through darkness or light,
you may be so chastened and renewed as to
be wholly His; that you may be able to say
and to feel in all things, " Thy will be done."
"In meek obedience to the heavenly Teacher,
Thy weary soul can find its only peace;
Seeking no aid from any human creature,
Looking to God alone for its release.
112 
SPIRITUAL TRIALS.
"And He will come in his own time and power,
To set his carnest-hearted children free;
Watch only through this dark and painful hour,
And the bright morning yet will dawn for thee."
" Know then," in the emphatic words of another,
-— " know that the two powers that this slow
trying of your faith and religious constancy are
meant to develop in your soul, are humbler prayers, and a more patient feeling, after and followin,o after Christ.  These together are faith; and
their certain end, in God's own time, will be
peace and assurance."
Know too that you are not alone in these
secret conflicts. The spiritual experience of the
pure and the faithful in all ages and climes assures us that through much tribulation must we
enter into the kingdom of Heaven. From the
rapt musings and utterances of inspired prophets; from the lowly self-abasement and humiliation of the Hebrew bard, as he swept the
strings of his harp in mournful unison with his
own self-accusing and penitent spirit; from the
self-upbraiding of the faithless disciple, and the
deep and mighlty spiritual struggles of the greatest of the Apostles; from faithful witnesses to
the truth in those earlier times; from the confessions of Augustine, and the pleading eloquence
of Chrysostom; from the retirement of Jerome
and the convent of Theresa, and from that deep
voice of inward conflict and agony resounding
S
113 
THE HOMEWVARD PATH.
over the wastes of the desert, and echoing from
mountain caves and  solitary groves and  the
deepest recesses of the wxildlerness; from all the
faithful and true in the midst of sorrow and
doubt and temptation; from LuLther's cell, the
scene of his mightiest struggle and victory
from Loyola's couch of suffering, and from Chalmers's chamber of illness; from Bunyan's prison
of conflict, from Brairrerd's wilderness abode, and
from Edwards's midnight study; from Fenelon's
meditations on the deep things of the inward
life, and from many a redeemed and purified
spirit in quiet home-circles of love and peace,
comes one united voice of faith and of hope,
bidding us doubt not, and despond not, but strive
as they have striven, and trust as they have
trusted; assuring us, that for us too, in God's
own time, the clouds of earth may all be rolled
away, and, in the fulness of His conscious
presence, we may receive for ever "the open
vision for the written word."
I have spoken of trials of religious confidence.
There are yet many others which you have already experienced to some extent, or which, if
life be spared, must soon be yours: trials of sickness, of bereavement, of parting with friends, of
sudden changes and unexpected reverses, of anxious days and weary nights and lonely hours, 
trials that will test to the utmost the reality of
114 
SPIRITUAL TRIALS.
your faith, the sincerity of your obedience, and
the depth of your submission. As in the more
secret struggles of the soul, so in these you must
go forth alone to the conflict, and, like the prophet of old, must tread the wine-press alone; for
no human friend, however near and dear, can
fully comprehend your soul, or understand the
peculiar sorrows and trials that at times bow
your spirit in grief and in agony. And yet you
are not alone, if the Father is with you; not
alone, if beneath you are the Everlasting arms;
not alone, if the Saviour's voice whispers amid
the darkness, " It is I, be not afraid," and to the
surging waves of grief says, " Peace, be still";
not alone, if the Redeemer's hand is laid upon
your brow in blessing, and the pulses of your
throbbing heart are stilled by his holy benediction, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give
unto you; not as the world giveth, give I unto
you: let not your heart be troubled, neither let
it be afraid."
From the night-watches on Olivet, from the
garden of Gethsemane, and the cross on Calvary, have come the Christian's hope and trust;
and in the light of the Saviour's countenance
suffering is for evermore transfigured, and trial
and grief made radiant with a heavenly brightness and joy.
God grant that you may so meet the varied
discipline of life, and so seek its one great end,
115 
THE HOMEWARD PATH.
that through every new trial of your faith you
may be brought to a more trusting confidence ill
your Father, and to a more assured repose on
your Saviour's love; receiving, at length, the
end of your faith, even the salvation of your
soul.
4
116
WI 
LETTER XII.
THE DAILY LIFE.
HAVING spoken to you of the great spiritual
meaning of life, and of its varied spiritual diseipline and experience, and believing that you
are sincerely striving to walk in that narrow path
of Christian obedience which the  Master has
markled before you, it might seem unnecessary
for me to refer to any of the details of daily
conduct, which I might leave to the cognizance
of your own inward convictions of duty, and the
judgment of your own conscience.
Yet when I remember how many who enter
upon the Christian course fail in the race, and
grow weary and disheartened, through the routine of daily toil and care, and the constant
friction of little troubles and vexations, or rest
midway in the course, making no definite progress, neglecting the cultivation of their powers,
and falling into habits of self-indulgence, selfishness, and  worldliness, I feel that the young
pilgrim needs every help and defence which
Christian counsel, sympathy, and love can place 
THE HOMIEWVARD PATIH.
around him, to aid and sustain him in the narrow path of life. Let me then speak to you
freely and simply, trusting that my words will
be received with kindness, though they may contain no new or exciting truths.
If I am not mistaken, your true aim and sincere desire in every better moment is to be in
heart and life a follower of Christ, a true and
faithful disciple of your divine Master; and such
an aim and desire includes at once the entire
consecration of all your powers to his service,your powers of heart and mind, your opportunities of doing good and exerting a Christian influence, the employment of your time, the use
of your means, the improvement of every opportunity of self-culture, the doing of God's will and
not your own, in things little no less than great.
You have given yourself to your Master's service, and simple, child-like obedience to his
commands is his one requirement. You are no
longer to consult your own ease and pleasure
and self-indulgence, but to merge each selfish,
lower thought in the desire to conform the spirit
wholly to the Divine will. -
You have chosen Christ as your only true
guide, and are therefore never to compare your
life and character with the imperfect attainments
or the low standard of those around you, but to
look only to the spirit and life of Him who alone
has given the perfect example which you are to
118 
THE DAILY LIFE.
follow. " Be ye perfect, even as your Father in
heaven is perfect." " Be ye holy, for I am holy."
I do not ask whether such a spirit and such a
life is an easy attainment, but I do ask whether
there is not, at times, a secret and baneful tendency in your soul to rest satisfied with a low
standard of obedience, with a half-way compliance with many of the Divine laws, with a
readiness to exclude some of the pursuits and
business of the daily life from comparison with
the strict requirements of your only perfect standard and guide?
As to the regulation of your whole inward
being, the control of your thoughts, wvishes, and
desires, do you habitually and daily bring these
under the cognizance of the great laws of accountability, or do you often remain content if in
outward act the life has been in any good measure conformed to the dictates of truth and of
duty?  Have you remembered that thoughts are
truly the deeds of the soul, and, when your hands
have been busily occupied, have you watched
their swiftly changing current, seeking to keep it
pure and clear, - a transparent stream of holy
desires, and pure affections, and noble deeds, in
which the Divine image may be truly mirrored?
Have you endeavored at such times so to regulate and control them as to turn them to useful
subjects of contemplation, reviewing the books
you have read, the sermons and lectures you
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THE HOMEWARD PATH.
have heard, strengthening your judgment, attention, and reasoning powers by seeking abstract
themes of thought and inquiry, tracing the guiding care and love of God in all the varied circumstances of your own life, his providential
dealings with your soul, his greatness, power,
and wisdom, as displayed in the works of creation, his holiness and love as manifested in
Christ the Saviour?  In whatever manual labor,
or routine of toil, you have been engaged, if
your thoughts have been left free to range at
will, has the day been truly improved so long as
no conscious effort has been made thus to deepen, enlarge, and purify the fountains of your
inward being,-  so long as God has not thus
been in all your thoughts?
Your affections, too, are to be fixed supremely
upon what is unseen and heavenly; and if your
love to God and to Christ be sincere and heartfelt, love to your fellow-men of every age and
condition will daily grow deeper and stronger within your soul. The first commandment
cannot be truly fulfilled without a faithful obedience to the second; and these pure and holy
affections, this tender regard for others' welfare,
this desire to live for their good, and not for
mere selfish aims and purposes, this divine charity that thinketh no evil, and would transform
the intended injury into a heavenly blessing,
this tender, gentle love, stronger than death, and
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THE DAILY LIFE.
shedding its halo of celestial radiance over every
darker scene of earthly care, trial, and sorrow, 
this can bless the soul and transform it into the
Divine image, only through the daily exercise
of loving thoughts and deeds, through gentle
words, and the cultivation of each holy affection.
Your sympathies, too, if your spirit truly be conformed to your Mlaster's, will be in harmony
with all that is pure, true, and heavenly, and
will readily flow forth at every call of benevoleIlce and charity, not wasting themselves in
mere vague wishes or expressions of pity that
require no self-sacrifice, but manifesting their
truth and their reality by the tender regard, the
ready deed, the open hand, and the gentle word
of kindness.  Many there are who  will mourn
over fictitious tales of sorrow and of suffering,
and even pride themselves upon their tender
ness of feeling, whose presence never cheers the
chamber of sickness, or lights the dark abode
of grief, or gladdens the home of suffering and
poverty; who never seek to bear another's burden of care or anxiety, to comfort the lonely
heart, or impart peace to the mourning spirit.
And yet such would fain call themselves Christian disciples.
But while you seek to follow your Saviour in
the earnest cultivation of every pure and holy
emotion, in the quickening of every feeling of
kindly sympathy, let me guard you against
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THE HOIEWARD PATH.
any undue longing for receiving this in return.
There is in many souls a subtile craving, a
morbid yearning to receive full and entire sympathy from those with whom  they are daily
associated; and where this is united with a
shrinking, sensitive temperament, it often engenders a sickly selfishness, and a spirit of exaction that is seldom  satisfied with the simple
ecurtesies and kindnesses of the daily life, but is
ever demanding a larger share of love and of
sympathy. It places self first, and requires love
in order to bestow it, instead of letting the affections flow forth in genial kindness toward all of
God's children, and loving them in and through
Christ.
Yet it needs not wide experience, nor the discipline of many years to assure us, that the(re
are seasons in the lives of al], when, so far as regards human aid and sympathy, we must breast
the conflict alone; that there are secret desires
and heavenly aspirations, earnest longings and
grave doubts, heavy anxieties and restless yearnings for a truer peace and hope, which must be
combated only in the secret solitude of the soul,
and which the nearest and dearest can never
fully comprehend.
But why should we shrink even from this discipline, -to some, the sternest in life? Why
refuse to drink even of this cup?   Why  not,
rather, make it the blessed means of leading us
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THE DAILY LIFE.
to a more entire trust in the Father, and a more
implicit reliance on the Saviour's constant love,
tenderness, arid sympathy? Why not let it teach
us to live out of ourselves, by living wholly to
God and to Christ? Why not so purify this craving for human sympathy, and so discipline this
painful sensitiveness of the inward nature, that
every pure and loving affection shall twine only
the more certainly around the tree of life, - that
every sensitive fibre of the soul's secret being
shall have its firm and enduring root in the Rock
of Ages?
The busy world moves on; day follows day,
and the restless tide of human life sweeps by us,
little heeding whether we are borne along by the
current, or whether we silently disappear beneath
its surging waves.  Yet not unnoticed do  we
move on; one Eye there is, which marks the
sparrow's fall, and no thought of the child's spirit
escapes that searching glance. And shall it not
be enough to the heart longing for sympathy to
know that it may be enfolded for ever in the
arms of everlasting love, to believe that the Infinite One has manifested himself in the Saviour,
to pledge to the soul that love, and to draw it
nearer to himself? With this conscious sympathy, yield up, then, all disquiet. Repose on the
bosom of eternal love, and the spirit of trust shall
fill your soul with a gentle, self-sacrificing love,
that shall find it ever far more blessed to give
than to receive.
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Rest in the Saviour's tender sympathy, and
though, in the secret recesses of the soul, deep
calleth unto deep, and no human voice responds
to the earnest cry of longing desire, he who
fathomed every depth of earthly trial and sorrow
will be with you, and in his presence and his
love shall you find peace.
"0 holy trust! 0 endless sense of rest!
Like the beloved John
To lay the head upon the Saviour's breast,
And thus to journey on!"
Your time is also to be regarded as a sacred
and holy trust, for which you are to render a
strict account. However pressing may be the
routine of daily business, care, or toil, some portion of each day should be sacredly set apart for
spiritual thought, meditation, and prayer. He
who thinks the use of all such seasons superseded by obeying the Apostle's command to
"pray without ceasing," will doubtless end in
not praying at all, and sinking into carelessness,
worldliness, and indifference. The spirit no less
than the body needs its regular seasons of
refreshment and strengthening; and while so
much care, time, and thought are given to the
supply of the bodily wants, is there not some inwvard disorder, some spiritual sickness, if you
grudge the hour set apart for the special nourishment of your immortal nature, -if you derive
little enjoyment or help from your regular sea
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sons of devotion? If your interest in spiritual
themes, your hours of religious meditation, your
seasons of prayer, lose their attraction for you,
then pause, and faithfully examine the true state
of your soul, and turn again ere it be too late;
retrace the forsaken path, and in lowly confession again implore the help of the Spirit to break
the bonds of indifference and worldliness.
However occupied the day may be, let a certain portion of it be also sacredly set apart
for the cultivation of your intellectual powers.
MAany make it an excuse, that they have no
time for mere mental pursuits, and therefore
make no effort to add to their knowledge, or to
strengthen and develop their powers of memory,
reason, and judgment. Yet even fifteen minutes a day, faithfully and systematically used,
would give one in a few years an amount of
knowledge, and a development of the mental
faculties, surprising and even mysterious to him
who has never attempted any regular course of
self-culture.
And here let me guard you against the too
prevalent idea, that mere reading is of itself to
benefit you, -with little regard to its ultimate
scope or design. While, at times, you read sirnmply for amusement and recreation, selecting, of
course, such books as are in accordance with the
spirit of your faith,- the spirit of purity, benevolence, and truth,- and carefully excluding all
125 
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such as would vitiate the taste, lower the standard of Christian purity and morality, or degrade
the nobler feelings and aspirations of the soul, let
such books be read truly as a recreation, while
you devote the chief part of your leisure hours to
the systematic perusal and study of books that require attention, that will exercise your judgment,
test your powers of reason, enlarge your sphere
of thought, strengthen the memory, quicken the
imagination, and expand the whole intellectual
being.  Read  slowly, and often take notes of
what you read. Accustom yourself to writing
out, however briefly and simply, your thoughts
and opinions on the subjects under discussion.
Compare the opinions of different authors, and,
in this way, exercise your own judgment, and
though you may seemingly accomplish less by
pursuing such a course, the true mental acumen
thus gained will really be of far more lasting
benefit than if dozens of volumes were hastily
and carelessly perused.
Do not make it an excuse that you have no
time for such pursuits, if hours are spent in devotion to dress, fashion, and amusement. Having
consecrated yourself in the secret purpose of the
heart to your Master's service, does he not demand of you to render the daily account of this
portion of your stewardship, -to prepare yourself
by the faithful use of every opportunity, however
humble, to exert a higher and wider influence,
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THE DAILY LIFE.
knowing that the more you are in yourself, the
richer and fuller your mental resources, the more
you can ever be to others?  Might not an hour
be somnetimes taken from your slumbers, or a
dress trimmed less fashionably, or the table
spread less luxuriously, or an advantageous bargain less eagerly pursued, in order to attain
those enduring riches, that wealth of mind, and
that power of thought, which no change call take
from you? The unfaithful servant who buried
his one talent had even the single gift taklen
from him; while the promise that more shall be
given is pledged alone to him who seeks truly to
cultivate and improve every capacity and opportunity, however slight.
If you would be a true disciple, a certain portion of your time is, in some w-vay or form, to be
faithfully devoted to others.   If pressing home
duties and cares do not fully occupy you, - and
this is rarely the case if they be rightly and methodically arranged, though, of course, they ever
possess the first claim, -then, if you truly desire
to follow Christ, you will seek out other paths of
effort and usefulness, will cheer the chamber of
sickness and the abode of poverty, instruct the
young, counsel the ignorant, help the tempted,
and reap those  rich harvests of charity and
love spread all around you. You can also aid
others less favorably situated in their intellectual pursuits, and impart of what you have freely
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received; or by the faithful use of your pen, you
can often, in the simple, friendly letter, strengthen
the wavering purpose, excite the noble desire,
and animate the sluggish spirit to higher and
more spiritual aims; for remember that self-consecration to God includes the faithful use of all
your time, talents, and opportunities.
And here let me guard you against a false
balancing of your duties, or a selfish view of
your daily routine of business.   There is too
prevalent among many a sort of busy idleness,
that deems itself always occupied, and prides itself upon  the amount  of labor accomplished.
And  yet what is the real result?   Compared
with -the Gospel standard, what is its true and
ultimate end? Is it worthy the life of an immortal being?
To spend hour after hour, and day after day,
in the best season of life, in the use of the needle,
where there is no demand for personal maintenance, ill mere embroidery, or in seeking to keep
up with the constantly changing style of fashion
and dress, not content with mere comfort or
simple elegance and taste, but indulging in the
love of show, display, and overloaded ornament,
and then giving the poor excuse, when called
upon for any work of kindness or deed of charity, that there is no tipme to attend to such things,
-does it not evince a perverse state of the moral character, a heart far distant from the heart of
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THE DAILY LIFE.
the Redeemer? Do not misunderstand me.
Every accomplishment and the cultivation of
every taste has its true and rightful place; but
are you not bound, in the use of your leisure
hours, by your very Christian discipleship, to
ask seriously and thoughtfully, " Lord, what
wilt tlhou have me to do? " Have you a right
to mere self-indulgence and ease, when even
Christ pleased not himself, when  the Master
you have chosen came not to be ministered
unto, but to minister? Might not the hour
too readily given to work of no real value, to
the novel or the mere fashionable call, be far
better employed in earnest self-improvement, in
efforts for those less advantageously situated, in
reading to some weary invalid, or seeking to
comfort some stricken and sorrowing spirit?
After a day thus passed, would you not lie
down to rest at night with a fuller and more
peaceful consciousness of having striven, at least,
to be faithful in your stewardship, however humble in the world's eye?
So far as the choice of your pursuits lies
within your own control, have some due regard
to your individual tastes and talents, and never
undertake the acquirement of any particular accomplishment simply because it is the fashion.
You cannot reasonably expect to excel in all
branches and pursuits, and has not God marked
out, in a great measure, the true path for each,
9
129 
THE HOMEWARD PATH.
by their individual gifts and preferences? For
instance, to spend hours every day, year after
year, at that period when the mind  is most
active and most receptive, in acquiring a mere
mechanical proficiency on some musical instrument, where there is no ear or taste, is little
better than an utter waste of time; while the
same  leisure, pains, and attention, directed to
more congenial pursuits, would prepare the individual to exert a far higher influence, and
assure to him real wealth of mind and of heart.
Remember, too, that such leisure hours, and such
seasons of life, when, to a greater or less extent,
your time is at your own disposal, are opportunities for which you are sacredly responsible. In
the Saviour's teachings the sins of omission are
no less severely dealt with than those of commission. " Not every one who saith unto me,
Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of
Heaven, but he who doeth the will of my  Father who is in heaven."  "Inasmuch as ye did
it not to one of the least of these my brethren,
ye did it not to me."
Your means of expenditure, whether greater
or less, are also to be held as a sacred trust,
and never for mere purposes of self-indulgence.
If God has placed within your control more than
is essential for the mere comforts of life, you are
to look upon its use as a stewardship for which
you are to render a strict account. And if your
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THE DAILY LIFE.
consecration of all that you have and are has
been full and unreserved, you will not look to the
example or fashion of those around you, but
again will the earnest inquiry arise in your heart,
"Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?"
Adopt a simple, modest style of dress, such as
will never attract attention, and let it always be
such as is consistent with your means, your individual duties and occupations, and conducive
to health and comfort. But to load the dress
with superfluous ornaments, to be ever changing
the style and fashion, to exercise not the slightest
self-denial, to expend all your means in mere
selfish indulgence from  a vain love of admiration and display, and, when called upon to aid
in any work of charity, to reply that you cannot
possibly afford it, that you are too poor to give,
- does it not evince a spirit little in unison with
that of the cross?
Remember, too, that no man liveth to himself.
and that the Christian is a living epistle, known
and read by all men. While you cast the mantle
of charity over others who err in this respect, you
cannot but feel in your inmost soul that their
personal Christian influence is weakened by such
self-indulgence, and such apparent love of display and admiration. And in the hour of secret
prayer and confession, must you not often bow
in humility, that so many thoughts are given to
mere external show and fashion, so much time
expended on what must perish with the using?
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THE HOMEWARD PATH.
In the words of another: "Could some magic
reflection be added to mirrors, so that, while they
show back the adjustment of garments, they
should also reveal the emptiness of the soul,
what dismal disclosures would startle the sleeping conscience! Howv slow pride is to learn,
that every accumulation of useless finery upon
the person bears an exact proportion to the poverty of character beneath it! When the true
Christian standard of dress and furnishing shall
be confessed, these wasteful outlays on gaudy
colors and superfluous ornaments will be blushed
for as indecencies. God, in his justice, cannot
be satisfied while the grand charities and philanthropies of. his kingdom languish, and the
treasures of ostentation are so full."
As one who desires to be a disciple of the
lowly and humble Redeemer, "let your adorning then be not the outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting
on of apparel, but let it be the hidden man of the
heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the
ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is, in
the sight of God, of great price."
Remember, too, the Apostle's exhortation, that
"whether we eat or drink, or whatsoever we do,
we do all to the glory of God"; that is, let every
appetite be brought under the control and regulation of Christian principle, and made subject to
the great laws of accountability. As in dress so
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WI 
THE DAILY LIFE.
in food and drink, have a regard to the health
and well-being of the body, this wonderful instrument through which the soul holds intercourse
with the external world; and so use it and care
for it, so reverence its wonderful mechanism, and
the Divine wisdom and care displayed even in
its minutest members, that you may truly ren.
der it a pure and fitting temple for the indwelling
of the immortal spirit.
Never despise or violate the laws of health
and of your physical well-being by vain selfindulgence, carelessness, or mere love of fashion;
for so intimate is the connection between the
material and the spiritual, that you cannot violate the laws of your bodily organization without feeling surely and necessarily the reaction
in sluggish moods, weakened moral and intellectual powers, and crippled efforts for progress
and improvement.
In whatever you do, however humble your
occupation, however trivial your duties, do all
to the glory of God. By cheerfulness, punctuality, honesty, fidelity, self-forgetfulness, and forbearance, recommend the truth of Christ to every
man's conscience, and evince that not in name
alone, but in deed and in heart, you are a disciple of your Master.
Guard your secret springs of thought, check
the rising of passion, and hold the temper in
faithful subjection.  "The temper itself, in fact,
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is one of the ingredients ila our composition most
independent of immediate and voluntary control.
Control over it is gained by the will only through
long and patient discipline; and so it is an effectual revealer of our real selves.  It acts so
suddenly, that deliberation has not time to dictate its behavior, and, like other tell-tales, it is
so much in a hurry, that an after-thought fails
to overtake the first message.  It lets the hidden
man out, and pulls off his mask." Have the
mastery, then, over your inward self, and you
will never be the prey of changing circumstances or sudden temptation, or exclaim, as so many
do, at any unforeseen occurrence: "It was too
provoking! it was beyond endurance!"  Would
it have been beyond the Saviour's endurance
and forbearing love? Would his spirit have
been kindled in anger at the slight provocation
that excites the passionate word?
Is it not, rather, because you have not faithfully learned of Him who was meek and lowly
in heart, who, when he was reviled, reviled not
again, that so often the blush of anger crimsons
your cheek, and the hasty word passes your lips?
Only feel that this victory over self, this conquest
over temper and passion, is possible,- only strive
and pray earnestly and daily that your whole
soul may be renewed in the Divine image, - and
you will surely come off more than conqueror
through Him that hath loved us. Only corn
134 
THE DAILY LIFE.
pare your thoughts and words, your feelings and
temper, with his pure, gentle, loving, and forgiving spirit, and not with the low standard,
and the imperfect attainments, of those around
you; and looking into his heavenly countenance, with his eye resting upon you, will you
not long and pray to be delivered from every
unholy passion, every irritable feeling, every
thought even, that shall'separate you from a
full and entire communion with his pure and
spotless spirit?
In great things you do brace yourself for the
conflict; but in petty duties and trifling vexations you yield from want of watchfulness and
prayer, and anger and impatience too often gain
the mastery.
But remember the arena of your conflict. Beneath the eye of the All-holy One, with the hand
of the Son of God stretched forth to sustain you,
with the secret influences of the Spirit to cheer
you on your course, and the crown of life upheld as the reward of the faithful combatant,
shall you not press forward with eager zeal and
constant watchfulness, even to the attainment of
the prize of your high calling?
If toil be thus hallowed by the Father's presence, and duty performed in the Master's spirit,
and every trial of patience and of temper made
conducive to the soul's eternal growth and progress, will you  not learn  to look upon  the
135 
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daily life as indeed  the appointed  means  of
your spiritual discipline, - the path, rough and
broken and steep, it may be, yet the sure and
certain path, to lead you to the Father's nearer
presence, - to your higher home above?
Let your conversation and your hours of social
intercourse be also faithfully regulated and gov erned by the great laws of Christian truth, forbearance, gentleness, and love.   Not alone by
deeds are you to manifest your Christian discipleship; but in those hours of unreserved social
communion when your words are uttered without
restraint, in the home circle, or with a few chosen
friends, you are equally to remember your obligation to observe the most exact truth in every
statement, and to let your conversation be pervaded and marked by the spirit of Christian
charity and love.
Many there are, kind in act and generous in
deed, whose words are sharper than a two-edged
sword, so that the nearest friend is never sure
of escaping the shaft of bitter satire or of keen
ridicule. Others delight to utter the secret innuendo, to repeat the last tale of slander or the
mere gossip of the neighborhood, and, often without any direct intention of exceeding the limits
of truth, by artifices of voice or manner, or by
setting the tale in a new light to render it the
more effective, enhance or change its import,
until as it passes from one to another the plainii
136 
THE DAILY LIFE.
and real truth is so concealed and distorted as
to be wholly beyond recognition. How fruitful
are the harvests from such departures from the
eternal laws of truth, justice, and love, I need
not say. Unkind dissensions, bitter jealousies,
petty enmities, alienated families and neighborhoods in every community, bear too evident witness of the prevalence of an evil and sin, indulged in with little or no compunction by many
who call themselves Christians.
But if your self-consecration has been true in
its aim and purpose, you wvill keep a strict and
watchful guard over your words, and weigh every
utterance. Even in the hour of playful conversation or of trifling repartee, you wvill not forget
that the eye of the God of Truth and of Love is
upon you; and your  words, however gay and
light, will yet be uttered as in his presence, and
wvill be free from all scandal, gossip, or unkindness.
In the home circle, let your conversation be
cheerful and loving, seeking at fit times to contribute directly to the improvement of those
around you; and in the larger social gathering,
at the pleasant party, or the joyous feast, remember that even there Christ recognizes his true disciple no less than in the secret closet, -that
even there the Master's image is to be faithfully
reflected in your soul.
Avoid as you would a deadly poison the base
137 
THE HOMEWARD PATH.
habit of exaggeration, misstatement, misrepre sentation, and  petty scandal.   Indulge in no
remarks about others, and repeat no words of
ill-natured gossip, whichl you would shrink from
uttering ill the Saviour's presence, or hearing
from his lips.
Better, far better, a continued silence, than to
gain the reputation of being an entertaining,
agreeable person, at the expense of blunting
each finer moral feeling, and of violating the
laws of truth and of Christian charity.
Were there a thorough reform among Christians even ill this single respect, we might expect to enjoy a heaven upon earth, compared
with the numerous troubles and dissensions now
created by the mere neglect to control the words
and sanctify the speech by the spirit of exact
and entire truthfulness.  And does not habitual
indulgence in this so-called petty sin evince a
heart utterly uncontrolled by true Christian principle,-a spirit that has never really felt its
own sinfulness, or realized the Saviour's tender
and forbearing love? " Out of the abundance
of the heart the mouth speaketh." If you delight in listening to petty scandal, in repeating
the tale of slander, in detracting from the merits
of your neighbor, in indulging in mean suspicions and covert surmises, be assured there is
that within which needs a thorough and entire
renewal, a spirit unsubdued and unsanctified,
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THE DAILY LIFE.
a heart that rests not on the Redeemer. " A
good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither
can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit; wherefore by their frltits ye shall know them."
Remember, too, that you possess no more
firuitful opportunities of doing good than in the
use you make of your simple, daily words, or
of hours of prolonged conversation. How often
can you speak the word of encouragement, or
roll back the cloud of disappointment, suffering,
or anxiety, by a timely expression of love and
of sympathy!  How  often can you bless the
heart of childhood, or cheer the lonely spirit, by
the utterance of a glad and holy trust! How
often can you impart your own treasures of mind
and heart to those less favorably situated, or, by
a free, spiritual communion, how may another
'soul be quickened to a nobler, higher life, and
inspired with a deeper and more trusting faith!
While you never introduce direct religious conversation at unseasonable times or places, let all
your words be so pervaded by a truly religious
spirit, that, whether in a grave or gay, a serious
or lively mood, they shall ever mirror the purity
of the soul's inmost being,- a purity that would
shun even the thought of sin, and is satisfied
only as it reflects more and more clearly and distinctly the Divine image.
While you mingle freely with others in the
daily duties and business of life and in the so
139 
THE HOMEWARD PATH.
cial circle, choose for your intimate friends and
associates those only who will truly aid you in
your spiritual progress, and whose influence and
example will tend to excite and quicken your
own endeavors.  And remember that such true
spirits are not confined to any one walk or sphere
of life; but that alike in the home of luxury and
the abode of poverty you will find the Master's
image reflected, by its own inherent attraction
ever bringing others within the circle of its gentle and true influence.
"Our many deeds, the thoughts that we have thought,
They go out from us, thronging every hour;
And in them all is folded up a power,
That on the earth doth move them to and fro;
And mighty are the marvels they have wrought,
In hearts we know not, and may never know."
I have thus spoken of the need of unceasing
watchfulness and circumspection amid all the
duties of the daily life, and have endeavored to
show you that the one purpose of self-consecration necessarily includes the Christian use of
your time, means, and opportunities, the control
of your thoughts and desires, the government of
your appetites and passions, the regulation of
your speech, and your intercourse with others.
I do not ask whether this is an easy attainment.
Such a question the Christian pilgrim will never
pause to consider, for his only motto ever is,
"Upward and onward"; -" Be ye perfect, even
as your Father is perfect."
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THE  DAILY LIFE.
"0 watch, and strive, and pray!
The battle ne'er give o'er;
Renew it boldly every day,
And help divine implore.
Ne'er think the victory won,
Nor lay thine armor down;
Thy arduous work will not be done
Till thou obtain thy crown."
Remember, too, that this very discipline of the
daily life is the heaven-appointed means, not
only of strengthening and purifying the inward
nature, but also of testing the true metal of character, and thus showing us our real selves.  If we
are overcome by slight temptations and yield to
petty provocations, -if we are faithless in duty,
or hide the truth by mean prevarication or unjust
slander, - if temper habitually gain the mastery,
and anger flush the brow, -then we may be
sure that there is something wvrong within, and
that mere external remedies and defences will
be of no avail. The heart must be anchored by
the Rock of Ages, would it breast the storms
of sudden temptation and trial, would it rest ill
peace amid the buffetings of the daily life.
The martyr's faith and courage, and the martyr's endurance, are not qualities to be assumed
at the moment of trial, but must have their firm
root in faithful struggles and earnest efforts, in
sincere convictions, and in victories that have
been gained in the secrecy of the inmost soul.
The patient forbearance and the calm trust in
141 
THE HOIMEWVARD PATH.
the midst of anxiety and sorrow, the temper unruffled by provocation and injury, the unwearied
fidelity to uncongenial duties, evince ever that
the conflict has been waged, and the victory
won, through those deep struggles of the spirit
known only to the unseen eye.
"I have seen," says another, " a sudden thunder-gust smite an elm on one of our river-meadows, tossing its branches, twisting its trunk,
prying at its root until it wvrithed as if wrestling
with an invisible Titan, and tearing off a few
light leaves to whirl in airy eddies, but yet struggling in vain to unsettle the firm and elastic lord
of the green valley from its place. Did the
earth give her graceful and kingly child, as the
cloud came up, any special props or braces, any
thicker bark or longer root to breast the shock?
All these had to be provided in the persevering
nurture of'spring suns and winter blasts, sapgiving summer nights and dripping autumn
rains, when no eye could mark the gradual
growth. The tempest did not create the vigor
which it tried and proved, and left erect as ever."
Nay, the vigor and the strength must ever
come through those silent and secret ministries
unnoticed by the outward eye, - through patient toil and faithful self-communion and earnest watchfulness, and that heart-felt prayer
which alone can bring the soul into true communion with the unseen and spiritual.
142
6. 
THE DAILY LIFE.
Thus only can you form a true, consistent,
noble, generous, Christian character. Thus only
can you enter into that higher faith of the soul,
which not alone believes, but trusts with an unwavering assurance, the  Father's promise, and
rests in the Saviour's reconciling love.  Thus
only can you be in heart and in life a faithful,
humble, sincere disciple of the Master.
143 
LETTER XIII.
THE SABBATH.
IN your last letter, my dear friend, you ask in
what way you can best spend the Sabbath, in
order to render its hours conducive to your higlhest spiritual interests. I reply, that, while the
manner of passing this sacred time must necessarily vary with individual circumstances and
needs, there are certain great ends to be kept in
view, to be modified according to your own
views of duty and responsibility.
We speak of the seventh day as a season of
rest; but let me earnestly entreat you not to fall
into the habit, too common among many, of rendering it a day devoted to mere bodily repose,
ease, and sloth, -  a day to indulge in the prolonged morning slumber, to enjoy the luxurious
repast, to attend the public services of religion
once indeed as a sort of bane to conscience, but
to return home and while away the remaining
hours by discussing the latest news, by frivolous
and idle conversation, or dissipating every serious impression made at church by giving the 
THF, SABBATH.
succeeding hours to the letter of mere gossip, or
to the last new novel or popular magazine of
the day. How is it possible to unite in the worship of the sanctuary, and join in the prayers
and praises of the house of God, with any degree of fervor and interest, if the preceding hours
have been given solely to dress, trifling conversation, or light reading? How can one expect
to feel any interest in the'simple services of the
Church, or to find them the means of spiritual
growth, if no preparation has been made for
receiving the truth, and no earnest need or desire
felt for Divine light and guidance? Were the
secret thoughts of each heart clearly laid open,
as from Sabbath to Sabbath we meet avowedly
for the worship of Jehovah, for communion with
the Master and Saviour, and unitedly to supplicate the holy influences of the Spirit, what
strange, what humiliating disclosures would startle us from our dull indifference, our vain and
trifling thoughts, our earth-bound desires! To
how many would the service prove a mere form
of outward decency, with no heart and no soul;
and how many would be found to regard it
wholly as a sort of intellectual stimulus, and, if
this were wanting, would pronounce it at once
dull, indifferent, and worthless!
We cannot, it is true, expect to feel an equal
interest in every service of public worship; but
if there has been the preparation of the heart,
10
145
L. 
THE HOMEWARD PATH.
the secret communion, the hour of retirement aid
prayer, there are few occasions when the soul
may not derive new strength, quickening, and
fervor from uniting with others in acts of social
prayer and praise. Do not complain that such
hours are of no availing benefit to you, so long
as you have not been faithful on your part. Prepare the soul for the service by turning the
thoughts inward, and striving to realize more
deeply your secret wants and needs, by gaining
wider views of your duty, and letting your spirit
mount in earnest prayer and aspiration in view
of your immortal destiny; or bending in lowly
humility and confession, rest at the foot of the
cross, and seek there the pardon, strength, and
help you need. And returning from the service
of united confession and thanksgiving, deepen
the impressions made by reviewing what you
have heard, and turning your thoughts to subjects of a kindred nature. Occasionally take
notes of the sermon to which you have listened,
especially if it has been one that has peculiarly
interested or impressed you, and in this way
deepen the impressions made, until the truths
uttered become strong and abiding convictions
in your soul, - a part of your very life and being.
The Sabbath was, indeed, made for man a day
of rest, but was made for him that it might be
the rest of progress, the rest derived from change
of pursuits and occupations, the rest of earnest
146 
THE SABBATH.
endeavors and spiritual communings, the rest of
laboring for others and contributing to their happiness and improvement.
Make it emphatically a day for spiritual
thought, communion, and prayer, - a day for
gaining higher ideas of duty and progress, for
bringing you into closer fellowship with the unseen world, for leading you nearer to God, to
Christ, and to heaven.  However you may be
situated, endeavor sacredly to set apart some portion of its hours for private meditation and prayer, for learning more truly your own spiritual
wants and needs, and for obtaining a more vital
faith in those helps and blessings ever promised
to the sincere seeker.
Let your reading be such as will advance your
spiritual life, quicken each sluggish endeavor,
elevate your thoughts, ennoble your aspirations,
strengthen you for duty and effort, and bring
you into a closer harmony with all that is pure,
true, and heavenly. Make the Bible your first
and chief study; and in saying this I feel that 1
am opening before you a field of inquiry and
research, which will more than occupy every
leisure Sabbath hour. Study it in the spirit of
humility and prayer; study it, first and chief of
all, for its rich, spiritual truths, and with a faithful individual application to your own needs;
but remember that you are also sacredly bound
to gain as thorough and complete an intellectual
147 
T Till-, TIOMIEVARD PATH.
knowledge of this divine record as lies in your
power,- of the evidences of its truth, the history
of its various books, the manner of its compilation, the wonderful fortunes of the chosen race,
the influence both of Judaism and Christianity
upon the advance of civilization and the progress of higher truths among mankind.
However brief may be the time you are able
to devote to such puisuits during the week, one
or two hours only, faithfully devoted to such a
course of inquiry on each Sabbath, would impart to you an amount of knowledge and an
increased power of thought, the value of which
you can hardly over-estimate.
Then you have the rich stores of Christian
biography, from which you can draw so many
incentives to duty, and which so eminently tend
to quicken the inner life, and rouse the soul to
higher purposes and efforts.  Only keep distinctly in view the one great end of rendering the day
a season of spiritual progress, of making its hours
subservient to your highest religious interests,
and your own judgment will point out to you
the true path; remembering that you are to
have regard to the influence of your example
over others in this respect, no less than in the
duties and business of the daily life.
You have, too, spread all around you the wonderful displays of the Divine power and goodness ill the works of creation, and, turning from
148 
THE SABBAT'H.
the wsitten page, let your thoughts rest in grateful adoration upon the love and wisdom of Him
who unfolds before you the constantly changing.
bookl of nature, and offers to your inquiring
glance such rich treasures of spiritual thought
and wealth.
And do not vainly imagine that it is essential
for you to possess, as some, the privilege of visiting places of renown,- the snow-crowned mountain, the thundering cataract, the bald ocean
cliff, the placid lake of surpassing loveliness,in order truly to enjoy and enter into the deep
spiritual meaning of the rich beauty which the
Father's hand has spread all around us. Not
partially, as man, does HIe bestow the gifts of
his bounty.   However  confined  and  circumscribed the limits of your home may be, day
follows day and night succeeds to night in their
ceaseless alternation of light and of darkness,
and "there is no speech nor language where
tiheir voice is not heard."  The sky overarches
you in its solemn grandeur, its ceaseless change
of beauty and glory, and there is not a single
hour when, if you turn your eye in wondering
adoration above, you cannot there discern the
very finger of the Almighty, displaying, as in no
other form, the inexhaustible riches of his own
infinite spirit of loveliness and grandeur.
"The sky is as a temple's arch;
The blue and wavy air
149 
THE HOAMEWARD PATH'I'.
Isglorious with the spinit-mar(hl
Of messengers at prayer.
"Thle gentle moon, thle kindling 1stin,
The many stars, are given,
As shrines to burn earth's incense li,
The altar-fires of heaven."
Even the simple blade of grass at your door,
now bathed with the morning dew, now sparkling in the clear sunshine, and now reflecting a
darker hue, as the passing cloud or the o'erhanging bough shields it from the noonday
sun, speaks in ever-living tones of the love and
care of Him who listens to the faintest whisper
of the child's heart.   The wild-flowers of field
and forest, the soft, green moss, the mountain
lichen, the barkly trunk, the fresh, moist ground
of spring, the delicate tendrils of the simple vine
as it climbs around your very door, -are not all
instinct with the spirit of a Power, Beauty, and
Love ever around and ever near you? And in
the light of the Saviour's teachings, in the light
reflected from his broken sepulchre, in the holy
remembrances of that "first day of the weekl,"
do not the most common scenes of nature become transfigured with a new and wonderful
glory?
The very heavens become radiant with a
deeper beauty, as we remember how they were
parted over the Jordan, and the baptism of the
Holy One was sealed by those Divine words,
150
V 
THE SABBATH.
"This is my beloved Son"; and a holier light
is reflected from each placid stream and sparkling wvave, as they speak to the soul of those
waters of which he who drinketh shall never
thirst, - as they become symbolical of that river,
" the streams whereof make glad the city of our
God." Even the gathering mists and the dark
and lowvering clouds become transfused with a
brighter glowv, as we listen to the voice that
spake amid the storm, and hushed the raging
waters, saying, " Peace, be still." And when,
ill some favored hour, we gaze on the wide
amphitheatre of forests, hills, and mountains, a
sublimer beauty and a holier majesty crown their
summits, as they reminid us of those everlasting
hills, "from whence  cometh our help," -  that,
"as the mountains are round about Jerusalem,
so the Lord is round about them that fear him,"
-  as wve remember those once with us, now beholdingt the glories of the New Jerusalem, the
city "that hath no need of the sun or the moon
to shine in it, for the glory of God doth lighten
it, and the Lamb is the light thereof."
Consecrated by such a spirit, will you not find
in the works of nature a new and inexhaustible
fountain of spiritual truth and power, a medium
through which you can ever hold communion
with your Father and your Saviour?
A portion of your Sabbath, if its hours are in
any measure under your own control, should also
151
r — 
THE HOMNIEWARD PATH.
be set apart for the direct instruction of others,
the young or the ignorant, either in your own
home or in the Sabbath school.   As you have
received, so are you sacredly bound to impart of
your own spiritual advantages and blessings;
and in no way can you more truly deepen and
quicken your inward being, than by seeking to
aid others in walking in the narrow path of life.
Give, freely and fully, even though it be at the
cost of some sacrifice of ease and indulgence.
Deem it a privilege, if in any form or way you
can labor in your Master's vineyard, if you can
follow him in his walks of benevolence and
labors of love. Be faithful to your high calling
as a Christian disciple, and the Sabbath will
never be a weariness, but a period blessed above
other seasons for its privileges and opportunities,
its hours for direct spiritual communion, for secret meditation and social worship, -its hours
both for receiving and imparting the truths revealed through the mission and mediation of a
crucified and risen Saviour. Let it be a day of
cheerfulness and of quiet joy, -a day when the
ordinary pursuits of life are laid aside, and its
hours especially consecrated to the worship of
God, to the cultivation of the religious nature,
and to the use of such means as shall fit the
soul the better to meet the trials and discipline
of the daily life, and prepare it more truly for
that direct, spiritual communion and intercourse
152
o. 
TIHE SABBATH.
in the Mlaster's society promised to the faithful
servant.
A Sabbath thus passed will bring wvith it its
own special blessings; and in a deeper religious
faith, in larger powers of usefulness, in more
spiritual endeavors and aims, and a more faithful walk among men, you will reap the blessed
effects of its hours of holy consecration and
prayer.
May you so improve these hours, that they
will indeed be to you a foretaste of your heavenly home, of an eternal Sabbath of progress
and of joy.
"Then shall a new, a spirit childhood come,
A fresher sense of life in thee have room!
A life that knows no pain, no death, no tomb!
There sight shall know what faith hath first believed;
There perfect trust thy heart hath ne'er conceived;
There sadd'ning thoughts be gone, thy mind here grieved!
Then for the work, my soul, that waits thee there,
A firm, bold heart within thee daily bear,
Undimmed by painful thoughts, unbowed by care."
153 
LETTER XIV.
THE CHURCH OF CHRIST.
IT has been with deep interest, my dear friend,
that I have watched your progress in the spiritual life, and your earnest endeavors to be a true
disciple of your Saviour and Redeemer. But
while you are striving to govern your inward
being, and to regulate your daily life by his
teachings and example, let me ask if one thing
is not still wanting as an aid to your own
spiritual progress and consecration, and needful
to give to your example and influence its due
and rightful efficacy.
While you have consecrated yourself in the
secrecy of your own heart to your Master's service, and are seekling to become more and more
conformed to his spirit and to look to him as
your only Saviour, is there not an obligation
laid upon you by the very name you wish to
bear of a Christian disciple, to observe the simple ordinances of his appointment, and in outward rite to confirm the resolve and the dedication made before God in your own soul? Re
i. 
THE CHURCH OF CHRIST.
membering him who came from the bosom of
the Father, leaving the glory which he had with
him before the world was, being baptized with
the baptism of sorrow and of suffering, and crucified that we might live, will you  longer
hesitate openly and fully to acknowledge having chosen him as your Lord and Master?
Feeling your dependence upon God's mercy
in him as your only refuge and strength, will
you refuse to sit at his table of commemorative
love, and, in the ordinance of his own appointment, to remember him, your Saviour and Intercessor?
If, in early infancy, you were dedicated to
your Father and your Saviour by holy parental
love, then renew now in the sanctuary of your
own heart, and takesdupon yourself, those vows
of consecration, and come and openly call yourself a disciple of your Master, by remembering
him in his feast of dying love.
But if the emblematic water has never rested
upon your brow, typical of that inward purity
to which the Christian disciple aspires, of that
cleansing fromn all the defilements of sin and
of evil for which he prays and longs through
the influences of the Spirit, then remember the
Saviour's own example, when the voice came
from the open heavens, "This is my  beloved
Son, hear ye him"; remember his parting
words, "Go ye into all the world and preach
155 
THE HOMIEWVARD PATH.
the Gospel to every creature, baptizing them
in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and
of the Holy Ghost."
Observe the rite, not as a mere form, not as
an act possessing some peculiar or magic efficacy, but as one by which you recognize your
relation to the Church of Christ, by which you
bring yourself into membership with that great
spiritual body of which he is the head, by which
you express your inward desire and purpose to
be henceforward freed from the stains of sin, and
to become pure and holy, reflecting ill your soul
the Mlaster's image. Observe it in the spirit of
humility and' prayer, feeling assured that in your
own strength you are nothing and can do nothing,
but that through Christ aiding you, you can do
all things. Go, too, to thee Lord's table, and in
penitence and lowliness, yet with a hopeful, trusting spirit, remember him who has so faithfully
aided you thus far, and who has promised ever
to abide with you and to dwell within you; remember him who suffered that you might live;
and watching with him in that shaded garden of
agony, and standing beside that cross of suffering
and of shame, can you coldly turn away, and feel
no wish to take part in his festival of redeeming
love?
As your wveary, anxious spirit has found repose
in his tenderness and sympathy; as the burden of
care and duty has become lightened through his
156
.r 
THE CHURCH OF CHRIST.
sustaining love and guidance; as the clouds of
sorrow and grief have been fringed with rays of
heavenly light firom his countenance; as the sinburdened; alienated heart has been brought back
to its Father through his divine ministry of reconciliation, pardon, and peace; as every glad and
joyous scene has been doubly blessed by his
smile of love, -have you no acknowledgment
to make of what he has done, and is even now
doing, for your soul?
In your own heart calling him Master and
Saviour, will you longer hesitate openly anil
truly to express that consecration and faith in the
ordinances of his own appointment? Will it not
be both a sacred duty and a blessed privilege?
Not high attainments, not a mature experience,
does he demand; but the simple wish and the
sincere purpose to be his humble and faithful
disciple. "Come unto me, for he that comineth
I will in no wise cast out."  It is not the voice
of your friend, nor that of any human being, that
appeals to you, but that of the Son of God. He
presides at the feast; his voice bids all to come
to him who would choose him as their Master
and Guide, - all who have any love to him, or
who sincerely long to love him more truly, and
to serve him more faithfully.
Not those who feel that they have attained,
or are already perfect, does he invite to take
part in that service of love; but the heart long
157 
THE HOMEWARD PATH.
ing to be his, the spirit striving for progress, that
would fain rest in his bosom of redeeming love,
the soul conscious of sin and weakness, yet
humbly hoping and trusting for forgiveness and
redemption from all sin through his love and
reconciling mercy.
As you inow stand, your position lacks firm
ness and definiteness.   There is either such a
thing as a Church, or there is not; and by the
Church I mean that body of individuals, of whatever creed, nation, or clime, who believe in Jesus
as the Son of God and the Saviour of men, and
who so believe in him as to be desirous, above
all things else, of leading his spiritual life, and
of being spiritually united to him. It is that
body of Christian believers of which Christ is
literally and spiritually the Head. According to
the teachings of our Saviour and his Apostles,
the one distinguishing sign of admission to the
Church is the rite of baptism, administered either
to the child or the adult; in the former case, the
parents, of course, solemnly pledging themselves
to educate the child as a member of that Church,
and to make the relation as true and real to
him as that wvhich he holds to the family circle,
- a relation which he will gladly recognize for
himself in maturer years, for he will feel that he
is a child of the Church no less than a child of
earthly parents, and his earnest desire will be to
prove himself a faithful disciple of his Saviour.
158 
THE CHURCH OF CHRIST.
So of the Lord's Supper. The teachings of
the Apostles, and all Christian history, point out
this ordinance as a direct, voluntary, positive,
and outward recognition of a church relation.
However observed, at whatever times, or with
whatever confession, its simple observance is
expressive of love, gratitude, and consecration
to the Master, s- of the desire to enter into a
closer and more spiritual relation to him, who
has promised ever to abide with the sincere and
seeking soul. In the words of another: " As
Baptism signifies the washing away of former
sins, and is the emblem of repentance, so partaking of the Supper signifies a taking of the
bread which cometh down from heaven, the
being nourished in Christian, spiritual life, and
is thus the emblem of Christian growth or holy
living..... One thing is here essential, -  that
we do, in some way, at some time, by some
mode of allegiance, acknowledge the Church as
an institution or power in the world, having a
body and a spirit, of which Christ is directly and
personally the Head.   Otherwise it is almost
superfluous to say one cannot be a Church man
or woman.  I must not merely say,'I believe
it,' not acting accordingly, and thus practically
denying my belief.  I must take a Chiurchi positiort, and must show my loyalty by service, faith,
trust, and deeds."
Hesitate, then, no longer. Come unto Him
159 
THE HOMEWARD PATH.
whom you have chosen as your Master, and in
these ordinances of Divine appointment acknowledge openly Him whom you serve.  Come
and receive freely the blessings he stands ready
to bestow upon every open, fearless disciple, and
let no thought or fear of man stand between
your soul and its Redeemer. Come, and so coInfess him before men, that he may confess you
before the Father and-his holy angels.
Remember, too, that as you take this open,
definite position, you express your faith in that
vital union which should ever exist between the
soul and its Redeemer. " I am the vine, ye are
the branches "; and as the abiding and sustaining Comforter, Quickener, and Friend, he has
promised to dwell within you, to guide and animate you, to prompt you to duty, to restrain
you from sin, to lead you to the Father. - You
express, too, not merely your affection and allegiance to Christ, but your purpose to strive to
be like him, "'the willing servant of every human want," - to be prompt in duty, ready for
every benevolent exertion, willing to make sacrifices, to give yourself to his work, wherever and
however he may point the way.
"0, give to Christ alone thy heart,
Thy faith, thy love supreme;
Then for his sake thine alms impart,
And so give all to him."
But you say, " At times I feel thus, and would
160 
THE CHURCH OF CHRIST.
be willing to make any exertion or sacrifice; but
again I am cold and indifferent, and I dare not
trust my own faith and purposes." I reply, that
if you are conscious of sincerity of purpose and
aim, of having made the distinct choice of Christ
as your Saviour and Guide, then observe these
very ordinances which he has appointed as mneans
of spiritual nourishment, growth, and quickening. God reads your heart, and, while your feelings may often vary according to your peculiar
temperament and the influence of outward circumstances, He knows the settled purpose, the
true and real desire, of the inmost soul. While,
then, you may not always be able to feel the
same fervor and interest, let the observance of
the holy Supper be preceded by self-examination
and prayer, by communion with your Saviour,
and meditation on all that he has done, and has
promised to do, for you, and it will never be
without some quickening, hallowing power over
your soul. If observed in a right spirit, it will
be the means of greater watchfulness, of a truer
earnestness, and a more faithful walk among
men; weaving stronger bonds of spiritual union,
and bringing you into closer harmony with the
great Head of the Church Universal.
Come, then, and in these ordinances of Divine
appointment openly and joyfully acknowledge
your relationship to Christ, your membership in
the one great spiritual Church of which he is the
11
161
El 
THE HOMEWARD PATH.
Life and the Head. Consecrate yourself to the
Father who loves you, who has ever watched
over, kept, and sustained you, -the God of eternal wisdom, power, and love. Consecrate yourself to your Saviour, to him who lived and died
for you, who has given you the assurance of
pardon and salvation through his redeeming
love, who has promised to aid you, and to dwell
with and in you, even as your spirit turns to him
in humble faith for strength and blessing. Consecrate yourself to those influences of the Holy
Spirit promised, through Christ, to every believing, waiting soul; and thus acknowledging your
Divine allegiance before men, thus confessing
your Saviour on earth, may you be aided so to
live, that he shall at length receive you, a redeemed and purified spirit, to his nearer presence,
-that you may hear his own joyous words of
welcome, "W ell done, good and faithful servant! enter thou into the joy of thy Lord!"
1.62 
LETTER XV.
THE HOMIE OF THE BEI,IEVER.
SINCE I last wrote to you, my dear friend, you
have been called to pass through new and trying
experiences, in the removal from your little circle
of one very near and dear to you. Another has
passed on, leaving your home solitary indeed,
yet leaving the blessed memories of her pure
and Christ-like spirit to cheer and guide you, as
you strive, through earnest prayer and a trusting
faith, to say with your Redeemer, "Father, thy
will, not mine, be done! "  "If ye loved me, ye
would rejoice, because I go unto the Father";
and while the discipline of this present life is
needed for your further purification, needed to
prepare you better for those higher and wider
spheres of progress and of love in the Saviour's
immediate presence, will you not, even amid
your sorrow, listen to those blessed words: " I
am the Resurrection and the Life; in my Father's house are many mansions, - I go to prepare a place for you; and if I go and prepare
a place for you, I will come again, and receive
r 
THE HOMEWARD PATH.
you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may
be also"? Will you not turn with a deeper faith
to Him who has taught us, by his own cross as
well as by his lips, that throu,h suffering the
soul is made perfect, -made strong, patient,
trustful? WVill you not look upon this new be reavement as one of those marks of favor, honor,
and distinction, which the Father, who  loveth
those whom He chasteneth, has set upon you?
What hearts so likely to preserve the elevation,
peace, and strength of the spiritual life, as those
which have some of their nearest friends already
within the veil, dwelling among things unseen
to these mortal eyes?  In what spirits is prayer
likely to be so fervent, and the daily life so true,
as where the communion of saints is felt to be
a precious reality, and the intercourse between
earth and heaven is innocently kept open and
free by the passage of human sympathies and
affections? What so animating as the thought
of the." cloud of witnesses "?
The demands laid on you are now peculiarly
strong; yet this is not your burden, but your
dignity, not your hardship, but your joy, designed
to stimulate and animate, not to depress you.
Of yourself you are not sufficient for them, but
all the more must you lean on the Almighty
arm, and watch for the leadings of His providence. Leave every day to the God who watches over you, cares for you, and will direct your
164 
THIE HOME OF THE BELIEVER.
path, and feel that, however desolate your home,
he has yet a work for you to fulfil both for
yourself and others.
How often in the cemmon routine of life do
the things of earth and of time gain an all-absorbing hold upon the mind, while those that are
unseen and eternal fade in the dim distance!
How often do we forget our entire dependence
upon the Father, and imagine that in our own/
strength we can do and bear all things!  How
often does the Saviour's love and help and tender sympathy become a mere abstraction, as we
vainly rely on human supports, or trust in human sympathy alone! But God, in his infinite
mercy, leaves us not to ourselves. He sees our
peculiar needs, and, through his own discipline
of love, again and again does he seek to lead
us nearer to himself; to cause us to rest in him
with a faith so full, so true, so entire, that it
shall rather be the expression of a full and joyous trust, of that entire submission of the will
which ceases to question and to speculate, though
it sees no way of deliverance, or meets only a
cross.
Well has another said:  " While  tho chief
energy of the spiritual life seems to be in exercise, in contests with rebellious passions, it is a
higher energy that awes them into silence,- it
is a diviner strength acting in the hours of the
soul's peace than in its seasons of warfare. Its
repose is the serene strength of (Qod."
*.**.d..-... {.
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': In the furnace God may prove thee,
Thence to bring thee forth more bright;
But can never cease to love thee,   Thou art precious in his sight.
God is with thee,   God, thine everlasting light."
As in sorrow and sadness, yet with an un
questioning faith, you pray for entire submission
to the Father's will, will you not feel a deeper
gratitude and a holier love to Him, who, through
his own resurrection, has given the full assurance
of a life over which death can have no power?
Will not the desolation of the earthly household
lead you to turn a more longing eye to our only
true and enduring home? Will it not quicken
your hours of devotion, render prayer more fervent, faith more hallowed, and awaken a deeper
sympathy towards those suffering under any
forms of sorrow or trial?
And if such be its blessed influence, will you
shrink from bearing your Master's cross, if thereby you can participate more fully in his spirit,
and be drawn nearer the Father?
"Love thou the path of sorrow that Christ trod;
Toil on, and wait in patience for thy rest;
O'city of our God! we soon shall see
Thy glorious walls, - home of the loved and blessed."
How does the messenger of sorrow ever bear
to the faithful spirit the richest blessings of trust
and hope! Not alone do we remain to fulfil
our appointed pilgrimage; for there are forms
.*..
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THE HOME OF THE BELIEVER.
around us which the outward eye sees not, and
we listen to the sound of gentle voices which the
outward ear hears not. They come to us in our
moments of temptation and trial, and whisper of
strength and victory and progress; they hold
converse with the spirit in hours of solitude and
sadness, and breathe peace and hope into the
soul; and as they pass hence, they leave behind
them, as Elijah of old, their own rich mantles of
power and love. So there are a thousand joyous things in life unheeded when all seems
bright around us; but when the calm stream of
prayer is supplied by sorrow and disappointment,
new beauties and higher thoughts are revealed,
and the faithful, simple performance of duty itself, in its triumph over mere feeling, brings its
own deep reward and chastened joy.
And how beautifully to the spirit-eye do the
most common scenes of life become transformed
through the power of death!  The places where
those whom we love were wont to dwell are
henceforth invested with a more sacred influence, and, to the earnest and thoughtful spirit,
there comes the voice bidding the soul bow
down in reverence, for the spot on which it
stands is holy ground. So does every new departure of those whom we love -the faithful
disciples of the Master -make the home that
is preparing for us more beautiful; for the Saviour has taught us that death is but an incident,
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THE HOMEWARD PATH.
and not even a transforming incident, to the
spirit.  " They wait to receive us with the same
countenance of affection they wore upon earth,
but more lovely, more radiant, more spiritual.
The far country towards which we journey
seems nearer to us, and the way less dark; for
some have gone before, passing so quietly to
their rest that day itself dies not more calmly."
"Though death his sacred seal hath set
On bright and bygone hours,
Still they we mourn are with us yet,
Are more than ever ours; Ours by the pledge of love and faith,
By hopes of heaven on high,
By trust, triumphant over death,
In immortality."
We read in ancient story that Cleombrotus, a
Grecian youth, having read Plato's argument on
the immortality of the soul, was so ravished by
his descriptions of a future life, that, unwilling
to wait nature's dull course, he leaped into the
sea, the sooner to be assured of the certainty of
his hopes and anticipations.
To him the worth and dignity of this present
life were unknown; but will not a true Christian
hope unite both worlds, and cause the bow of
God's love to encompass both in its beautiful
embrace? Not to the sluggish and indifferent
spirit are the rich consolations of immortality
unfolded; not by undervaluing the present existence are we to learn to prize the glories yet to
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THE HOME OF THE BELIEVER.
be revealed. Unless it be Christ for us to live,
it cannot be gain for us to die. Then alone shall
we be fully conscious of that " perfect love that
casteth out fear"; for only the spirit that sees the
Father's hand in the trials as well as in the hap piness, in the sorrows no less than in the joys of
life, can possess that inward assurance which
has  power  to transform  the  "reaper whose
name is Death " into the angel messenger from
the Father.
Such a faith, triumphant in life, the daily, active, busy life of each day, in its toil and its rest,
its public business and its hours of retirement,
its struggles, hopes, fears, and aspirations,such a faith, vital, living, ever growing deeper,
purer, and more fervent, as it passes through
"the trivial round and common task" of daily
duty, - such a faith can alone teach us the
deep and holy meaning of those sublime words,
" Whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall
never die."
Remember, then,-and  let the thought be
more and more deeply impressed upon your
mind by all the varied discipline of life, - remember that this earth is not your abiding-place,
nor this world your home. The spirit that abides
in Christ, the heart that rests in the Father's
love, the soul whose deepest longings and truest
desires are fixed on things unseen and eternal,
truly as it rejoices in all that is fair and beauti
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THE HOMEWARD PATH.
ful here unfolded to view, will yet ever yearn for
that closer fellowship, that holier communion,
and that more entire redemption from sin, to be
found only in the blessedness, the joy, and peace
of its heavenly inheritance.
The Christian's Home! To be with the Father,- no cloud of doubt, no unforgiven sin, to
hide the brightness of his unveiled presence, but
with a child-like spirit to trust for ever his mercy, truth, and love; to be with Christ, the Saviour of the soul, the sympathizer and helper in
every trial and sorrow of the earthly life, to rest
in his reconciling love, and to have him still as
the Shepherd and Guide among the green pastures and beside the still waters of the Paradise
of God; to meet with apostles and prophets,
and with the true and holy of every age; to rejoin the loved of our own home circles who have
preceded us thither, and who wait to receive us
with a deeper and purer affection than when we
dwelt with them on earth; to have all fear and
sin cast out by perfect love; to join the great
company of the redeemed in ascribing "Blessing and honor and glory and power unto Him
that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the
Lamb," - is not this home, the Believer's only
true home? " Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree
of life, and may enter in through the gates into
the city.   And the city had no need  of the
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sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it; for the
glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is
the light thereof."          I
" My Father's house on high!
Home of my soul, how near
At times, to faith's aspiring eye,
Thy golden gates appear!
"Here in the body pent,
Absent from thee I roam;
Yet nightly pitch my moving tent
A day's march nearer home.
"Be thou at my right hand,
Then can I never fail;
Uphold thou me, and I shall stand;
Help, and I must prevail."
THE END.
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