Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1872-10-28

exceptions to this general rule, but | be-
lieve this is usually owing either to dis
order of body, or ignorance of the Cos
pei promises. Therefore, have not for
many years thought consciousness of
acceptance to be essential to justifying
faith.
The quotation is long, but it is well
worth bordering by all inquirers after
the truth. The exceptional cases spok-
en- of by Wesley exist at the present day.
They should be encouraged to hold fast
their profession, even though, from the
arrangement of their physical organism,
they have no direct witness of the Spirit
to their acceptance with God. For the
special benefit of this class, / would
strongly commend book on our list of
Book Room publications, entitled 'sSav-
ing Faith" by DIR. Chamberlain. He
shows that the only requirement for ad-
mission to Wesley's societies, namely, a
desire to flee from the wrath to come,
evinced by abstaining from sin, and by
doing good works, involves saving faith,
and that assurance is not an essential of
the faith that saves. Having disposed
Of the exceptional cases, there remain
three distinctly marked classes, The
highest class, embracing ..but very few"
are privileged with the full assurance of
hope. AS hope relates to the future, the
assurance covers the future, as we'll as
the present. There have always been
witnesses to this high experience They
exist to-day. | cannot account for their
existence otherwise than by referring it
to the Spirit which in the matter of
| Charfsmato ''divideth to every man sew
orally as he will" It may be the de-
sign of the head of the Church to exalt
some souls to mountain peaks, to see
clearly the promised land for the encour-
agement of the mass of believers below
under the clouds of doubt, and to shout
to them, "Heaven, heaven as the van
guard of Xenophon's dispirited remnant
of the ten thousand, from the summit Of
the Armenian mountains when the wish
editor Euxine greeted their glad eyes
shouted to their wearied fellow soldiers
below, 1.-The sea, the sea-" l am no
certain that this is Charisma, though
) it seems from reasons which will soon b.
: shown, that Wesley regarded it as such
In the list of special gifts, the full as
surance of hope does not occur, unless i
: may be involved in 1.-The word of knowl
edge by the same Spirit" My reason
for .suspecting that Wesley regarded thi
. blessing as a special gift, is found in hi
+ description of the lowest degree of assur
l ance, which he styles ''the common priv
ilege of Christians. If he had said
: was the common experience, we shoul
have been left to infer that the highe
was nevertheless attainable by all. Blu
the use of the word privilege exclude
such an inference. The same reasonin
: applies to the next lower degree of Gel
u tainty, the full assurance of faith.
e If he regarded this as different bles:
e ing from perfect love, which he urge
o upon all the members of his societies.
IS cannot be charged with Inconsistency
$ but if he regarded it as the same as tn;
blessing. we do not see how he can e
cape that charge. We believe that bot
of these blessings of perfect love and flu
&. assurance are impaired by the Comfort
when He bestows upon the believer ''tl
amounting that abideth and teacheth
makes real to the soul ali things pertai
ing to life and godliness. Believe
e should be pointed to those heights of e.
perience, and be urged to lay aside ev
ry impeachment to the ascent to those S
:. rene and sunny submits,
'4where dwells the Lord our righteousness
' And keeps His own in perfect peace
And everlasting rest"
he The distinction in the editorial /
re tween the cleansing of the soul from
a. conscious and from its unconscious q
en- pravity, would have pleased me bett
ut if it had "thus saith the Lord" L
W. criticism on the use of the term holine
IT. to express distinctive work when it b
RS a much broader Specification in the Scri
sr, lures. is very just, as the cautions &
ST. timely against the hasty profession of {
"a. tire sanctifcation before there is t
cir most complete and indubitable assurar
lg- of the possession of so great blessi1
ay A mistake at this important point /
in produced abundance of skepticism on
,lv subject, and plentiful hypocrisies.-R
m Daniel Steele, ID. d.
VI
nd FRENCH PREACHING.-M d. c.
be way says at really seems to me tt