The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-03-29

God has plainly revesled IL in tho Scrip.
lures. He has taught us overo and over
In . thousand different ways, that we
are nothing, and Christ is all, but this
is lesson we are very slow to learn,
and self was strong in me, needing .
long and bitter discipline to bring me
to the end Of IT.
At last, however, / saw cles.ly that
WAS indeed truly nothing; that I needed
Christ just as absolutely for my daily
living 80 had needed Him in the first
place to give me life. discovered that
1 was just as unable TO govern nay tenn
per or my tongue for Ave minutes ss
mad been long ago to convert my soul,
and that the entire dedication of my.
self to God was only possible for me. as
He Himself should bring II about. I
found out, In short, tho simple truth,
| which ought to have learned long be-
fore, that without Christ-not merely
without His help. but without Himself
apart from HIN, 1 could do nothing,
absolutely nothing. saw that all my
efforts, instead of helping, had only him
dered she work. In making them was
frustrating the grace Of God, and frus-
trsting IL % truly as the sinner who is
seeking TO save his soul by his own eff
forts; for IL righteousness come By the
law. III IL could come by any such legal
works as shese)-"Christ L. dead in
vain" And gave up all my legal
strivings at once and forever.
Then 1 Began to search the Scriptures,
TO see whether there was any provision
In Jesus TO meet my need; and I found
they were fall OF this glorious truth. 1
found that the salvation He had died to
procure WAS declared to be q perfect
salvation, aud that He was able to
save to the very uttermost. I found
10
Life, and that He wanted to come into
my heart and take full possession there
and subdue All things to Himself. 1
found that He not only permitted me,
but that He com anded me, to abide in
Him, and promised that, 30 abiding. 1
should bring forth much fruit, and
should not sin. L felt that this was in
deed gospel to meet my utnost needs,
that such Q salvation as this would sat-
isfy the widest limit OF my longings,
and unspe akably 1 desired to appropri-
ate 1t as mine.
But here L was met by another enemy
whom 1 had thought forever slain. Il
seemed as II 1 could not trust jesus
as IL I was actually afraid to do so. Le-
galley had been met and conquered, but
unbelief still rem ained, and threatened
to shut me out altogether Irvm the
promised land Of rest. Although God
had declared the Lord Jesus to be per.
feet Saviour. sufficient for my daily and
hourly needs, could not believe He
would really prove to be so. II seemed
too great srust to repose even in
Jesus. But in His infinite love He
broke down this last rem aiming barrier
also.
He sent to our house young man,
whose soul was in great darkness be-
cause ofdoubts concerning his salvation.
1t was my privilege to point him to
Jesus as Saviour just suited TO meet
his needs, and to tell him of the COM
ple.eness and present reality of the SAL
talked 30 him. and set forth the
boundless love of Christ, and His divine
power 10 save to the uttermost all who
come unto God by Him, my heart was
rebuked for my own unbelief.
Could / exhort this poor doubling
soul to trust that Redeemer whom I
myself was afraid to trust? Gould 1t be
that the Saviour, who was willing to for.
give the sins Of the rebel, would be I'M
willing to deliver the longing soul of
one who loved Him and painted to fol-
low Him, from the present power and
dominion os sin? Was to urge another
to believe that his prayers for forgive
ness were answered, when I did not be-
lieve that my prayers for conformity to
the image of Christ were, or ever would
be? My heart shrunk back at the
thought OF such inconsistency. and the
last barrier of unbelief was broken
down. Jesus revealed Himself to me as
80 worthy of my utmost confidence, tha
l could not help trusting Him. He
showed Himself to me as perfect and
complete and present Saviour. and 1
abandoned my whole self TO His care,
T nft he'll
that could not feel. nor think. nor act.
for one moment as ought to do; and
that He must do 1t all for me all.
confessed my own absolute inability to
dedi,ste myself to His service my pow
erlessnees to submit my will to His;
and cast myself, as it were. headlong
into the ocean of His love, to have all
these things accomplished In ms by His
almighty working. trusted Him en-
tirely. 1 took Him for my Saviour from
the daily power of sin. with as naked q
faith as once took Him for my Saviour
from its guilt. believed the truth
that He was my practices sAnctific Ation
as we'll as my jussific alton, and that He
not only could save me, aud would
save me. bus that He did. Jesus be-
came my present Saviour. and my soul
found rest ct last, such q ress that no
words can describe it--rest from all it's
legal strivings, rest from all its weary
conflicts, rest from all Its bitter failures.
The secret Of holiness was revealed to
me; and that secret was Jesus,-Jesus
made unto me wisdom, and righteous
ness, and sanctificstion and redemption
At first my faith wac but q weak and
wavering one. Almost tremblingly I
hung on TO Christ moment by moment,
saying continually In my hesrt, Jesus,
1 trust Thee; l trust Thee. Look,
Lord, | am trusting Thea But