THE DAY OF REST. LEARNING TO FLOAT; OR, SAVED THROUGH FAITH.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 291, 18 August 1888, Page 4

THE DAY OF REST. LEARNING TO FLOAT; OR, SAVED THROUGH FAITH.

(Hy lli{\. Jami<s Johnston, Glasgow.)

A pew yeai>> ago I had a vWib from a young member of my llock who was about to leave an office in Glasgow for a situation in a distant land, whoro his medical adviser had recommended him to go for the restoration ot his health, at that time somewhat m paired. He had formeily been well known for his excellence in all kinds ot athletic sports, in which his enthusiasm and genial nature made him a favouiite with his companions, and his agility th e admiration ot spectators. In cleaning h° had lew equals, and in the race no &wifte l< ioot pie-sed the swai.i or old Glasgow Green. He was a fine specimen of a youth in foim and face. His frank and open countenance, with it« modest expression, bespoke the simplicity and sincerity of hid mind, and the purity of his life, which were we'l known to mo from intimate acquaintance wi'h him and his family. 1 knew the excellence of his moral chaiaotei, and his atbent on to all icligious duties, but was ignoiant o f liis ci uc .spiritual c-tate, logaiding which he had hither 1 o been ro;>erved, and it has been a tsouiceof thankfulness ever since that, in the conversation of which the following is the impel feet record, he was led to speak so I reel} 7 and to reveal a secret struggle which had been long going on in his soul, of which the world, and even his own family, knew nothing ; and I am guileful to God that I was led to a vein of thought and illustration which so entirely mot hi? case, and led to his at once obtaining a peace which he had sought in vain. That the change which then came o\er him was. a genuine work of divine grace, was, abundant!) testined by the evident results in his outer life — lontr enough as an evidence of his piety, al.is ! too shoit for tbo--e who have now to mourn his loss ; and a little diary he kept reveals the depth and fulness of the new life w ichin. I am convinced, from a wide experience, (hat there are many young people who conceal, beneath a lively, cheerful manner in society and the family circle, aheait that longf for the life of God within them, and not a few who, amid the folly and gaicly oi a frivolous life, hide a mind that is ill at ease, a d would gladly exchange their frivolities for the substantial peace of the gospel, if they only knew how to attain it. and some who for a reason rush into scenes of riot and sin, not from the love of wickedness, but fiom a deshe to diowti or deaden the accusations of consciencs. For such the following narrative is now published. The lecital in public and private has already been blessed of God in bringing several to a solid peace, and leading them io a holy life, and it is now sent forth with the earnest prayer that the spirit ot the Lord may accompany it, and make it a mes^engoi of peace to many «oul?. After some time spent in general conversation and useful hints for my young fiiend in carinjj for his health and happiness in the climate and societ\ fen which he was going, L .^aid to him, " Well, Walter, in leaving youi count ly and friends, can you leave us with the comforting assurance that you have taken God for your Father, and Jesus for your saviour and friend? That would be the highest satisfaction to you, and the greatest consolation to us. Walter (with n ook of honest frankness and considerable feeling) — No, sir, I cannot ; for I ha\ c not. Pastor — What ! Walter, do you mean to s^ that ■s on are still a sti anger to God and His Christ 9 W. (With more feeling), Yes, I am. P. My dcai- fri nd, how is this? Would \on not wi-ih to be reconciled to God, and to bo assured of His love. W. (Wi'h an expression of deep earnestness). Theic is nothing in the world I wish so much. P. Well, what prevents you ? If you are willing, and Jesus says, " Come unto mo, all yn that la 1 our and are heavy laden, and I will five you rest." (Matt. xi. 28.) W . Idi not know, but I have often gone and tried to find rest, but I never got it. P. How is that? Has Christ not said, " lim thit cometh to mo I will in no wise cast out." (John vi. 37 ) Do you say that yon hcT\e gone to Him, and found that Jesus did not keep his word ? W. No, Ido not blame him. I suppose I h.ive not • one in the right way. P. The right wfiy? How many ways are there ? I know of only one way of going to Christ. Je&us complains, "Ye will not come to mo, that ye might have life." (John v. 40.) He refused the Jews who enme to Him for the sake of loaves and fishes; but I never heard of him refusing anj becauce they came the wrong way if they came to Him for salvation. (John vi. 26-47.) W. But 1 suppose I have not been earnest enough. P. Do you mean to say that you were not honest and sincere when you went to God to ask for pardon and peace through the blood of Jesus ? That was nob like you, Walter W. Yes. I did sincerely and honestly desire forgiveness, but perhaps I had not enough of feeling, or I might not be sufficiently sorry for sin, or did nob repent aright,

P. My dear friend, can you tell me of any passages of Scripture in which it is .^aid how much sorrow you must feel for sin before Chrisbwill receive you, or the degree and duration ot repentance required by God before He wi'l pat don the sinner. W. JSTo, I cannot ; but I have read so much about these things in the biographies of good men, and I felt I was not like them, and the Bible tells us of some who " watered their couch with their tears" and "went mourning all the day long, ' and I cannot Co that. P. You will find many things in human biographies which will lead you far astray, it you think you must go through the same experience. Even the inspired records of conversion aie not given for our imitation, bub for our encouragement ; and no two of them arc aliks, just that you might not mimic conversion. Paul had a sore struggle, with three days fasting and groaning, while God's hand lay hea^y on him j (Acts ix. 9.) and Luther's soul was rent with contending passions, as if it were the battJe-iield where two armies contended for victory, with the noise and tumult of deadly warfare ; but, on the olher hand, the heart of Lydia was opened so gently, that when the Lord entered, it was like the noiselo&s sunbeam stealing into the heart of the opening llower ; (Acts xvi. 14 ) and the piou-. Cajsar Malap of Geneva, often said, after 30 years' holy and at dent following of God, "My conversion to the Lord Jesus might, with propriety, be compared to a mother routing an infant with a ki&s." W. (With somo perplexity.) But I fear there must have been something wrong with my players, or my wav of going about it. P. I have no doubt there \va& much that \va& wrong with your prayers, and with all you did, and if you wait until you can make a perfect prayer, or until you can come without sinning in the very act of coming, you will never be ready to go to the Saviour. The Bible never bays we shall be paidoned when we make good prayers, o i that Je»uswill receive us when we go to him in a perfect way. " God be me'oiful to me a dinner," is the best sample i of a prayer for you or any other teeking pardon. (Luke xviii. 13.) W. But will Christ receive me if I co to Him without feeling my sins and mourning over them ? P. You will never go to Chri&t if you do not feel \our feins le!=s or more. (Mat. ix. 12-13.) If you feel yi ur sins, so much as to be willing toghe up all confidence in yourself, and to trust to Christ alone for your salvation, that is all that is needed before you come. You will feel more true sorrow lor bin ajter you have received pardon than you did when you were seeking it. The s^ieat use uf conviction of &in before pardon i& to le id men to Christ, but such soriow is only legal lepentanee and sa\es no man. (Gal. iii. 24; Cor. vii. 9 10.) iVJy young f i iend, go as you are and tell Him you do not feel enough ; that is one of your sins, take it to Jesus, and when he has pardoned you, you wjII know what evangelical r pentancc is. W. But I have lepeatcdly gone in that way, and I have never felt any sense of pardon oi peace. It seems as if there was no use trying. P. My dear Walter. I suspect you ha\e never gone to Christ at all. You have only wished to go, and tried to prepaie to go, and prayed to go ; but you leave Jesus fc'anding and saying, " Yo will not come unto Me." W. But why do you think I have never gone ? I assure you I have often tried. P. I believe you, Walter ; and to show you that I am not. needlessly suspecting ) cm, I will fccli you whafc jou did, jusfc as it I had been with you m your closet. You went on your knees and you confessed your .sins to (*od, and you asked him for Christ's pake to forgive you, and to give you a new heart, and to keep you from sinning against Him in the future, as you have done in the past ; and then, after a while, you rose from your knees, and you thought with yourself thus :—": — " Well, now, if God has heard a d answered me, then I will feel Aery different from what I was before. I should feel like quite a new man, feel peace, and joy, and love spring up in my heart, and I should bo able to re^i&t sin in a way [ never could before. But instead of this seme of a rjreab change \on felt calm, and cool, and ju&t much as you did before, and in a little while yo j fell before temptation as easily a- ever, and you came to the conclusion that God had not heard your prayer, and that Jesus had not pardoned you. W. Tint was ju&t exactly how Ifelt. You seem not only to have looked into my | closet, but into my heart. P. My young fiiend, T speak from experience, and the knowledge of many like you. W. But should I not have felt a change ? Am I not to find peace, and joy, and strength when I go to Christ? P. Most assuredly youaie, but you are to go jirti, and feel the change after. W. But d d I not do that"? It was after I had piayed that I looked fora sense of pardon and peace, not before. P. Yes. it was after you had 2^'ciyad, but not after you had gone to Jesus. To <jo to Him is to trust Him, and you showed that you had nob trusted Him .vhen you looked into your heart to s-ee if He had done what you asked Him i o do, and what He had promised to do. You could not trust His woid without the c\idence of your feelings to support it. W. But peace and purity were the very things I most wanted ; and was 1 not l'ighb to look for them ? P. Yes. Most assuredly you did right to look for them, and if \ ou had looked for them, not as a nrouf that God haJ answered you, but tecau.se you bclie\ed that He would keep His word, you would have found them. By looking into your heart to see whether yon had got this ansv\cr to your p-ayor, you showed that you had not trusted or gone to Him. W. (With a real earnestness). But how am I go then ? P. Walter, did you ever learn to float ? W. (With a look of surprise). Yes. But why do you ask the question? P. You shall sco presently. You re member you weie told that water was heavier than your body, and that if you laid yourself on your back quite still, with nothing but your face above the surface >t would support yon. W. Yes ? And so it did. P. But did you find it easy to trust yoursolf to it ? Did you float the first time you tried ? W. No ; I could not lie still, and trust to nothing but water. I struggled or tried to catch at something to keep me up, and down I went. P. Just so, Walter ; and that is the reason why you do nob find rest and peace in Jesus. You do not. trust Him. You struggle to get some sense of pardon, or you catch at some frames and feelings, and down you go into the depths of despondency, and, if God's grace prevent not, you will sink into the bottomless deep of despair. W. Am I then to be content without a sense of pardon and peace, and a feeling of love and joy in a salvation from guilt and sin ? P. Most assuredly not. Never rest, my friend, until you find not only pardon, but an assurance of it, and never be content

until you aro sensible (/fa thorough change, and feel in your heart the fruits of the Spirit. But how did you get to feel at ease resting on such an unstable element as water ? VV. I got to believe that it could support me, and I saw it supported others, and after a few trials, when I trusted myself on it, and felt it supported me, I lost all fear, and could throw myself into it at any depth. fc\ Just so ; you believed the truth that water could support you, and acted on that belief. That is to say, you trusted it, and then you felt it held you up. It is the very same with Christ and His Word ; believe in Him, i.e., trust Him practically, a^d then you v/ill feel that he supports or saves you. If you had been like many timid people, who wish to be able to float but never learn, becau; c they lay themselves only half down or struggle find sink, and can never rest quietly on the water because they do not Jlel it supporting them, you too would never have learned to float. Yet that is what you are doing with Christ and His Word. Because iou do not leel a sense of pardon, you will nob trust Him, and because you do not feel peace you will not 111 1 ust in the peace promised. You practically say, "I will not trust the solemn promise of the Saviour until I have gob the thing promised in ray po&session. I wlil not Lru t my pardon and peace in His hands ; I most feel in my own heart." If I were to say to you, come to me to-morrow and I will give yon a book, you would not &ay, or even think within yourself, "I'll believe that lohen 1 have (jot the book in my own bands- — not before.' Yet that is what you are virtually paying regatding Christ's promifcos at the very time you proiess to be going to Him or trustiug Him lor pardon and eternal life. W. (With a deeply thoughtful look.) I think I now see where I wa& wrong 1 , and I am sorry icr having dishonoured the Saviour so much. But how am 110 learn to trust Him ? P. How did you learn to float? W. Oh ! as soon as I had ttusted to the water alone, without looking for any other thing to support me, I found I was safe, and could throw myself on it freely. P. My dear young fiicnd, do the same with Jesus Christ. Is His word in the gospel not to be trusted as muoh as the law which governs that most unstable clement water ? He says, ' Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.' Don't begin and say, 'I do not feel my load of sin hca\ y enough ; I have not laboured long enough in repenting of my past life. Christ's reference to the heavy laden and the labouiiug is to encourage the very woi>t of sinners, or those who feel themselves the worst, and who might think they are the least likely to get rest. He doe- not add these woicls to hinder any one fiom coming. In other places He makes no reference to the load and the labour, when He says from His throne in glory, " Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely," (E,ev. xxii. 17 ; John vii. 37.) and His gracious lips have said, " Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out." Don t trouble yourself about the ivay of coming, but come — that is, trust Him just as you a.c. Don't", look at yourseli, except to see your sins and needs. Look to Jesus as He is. "I, if Ibe lifted up, will draw all men unto me." (John xii.32.) Listen to 'vhat Paul said to the cruel, hardened jailer at Philippi, " Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shaltbe saved." (Acts xvi., 31.) Notice, " believe and thou shalt be saved," whether you feel it or not. And we are told that the man did believe, and at once he felt assured of his salvation, and rejoiced in God that very night. It requires no preparation to do this, just as it requires no preparation to enable you to float. It needs much preparation to tit us for the work of the Christian life. We need training to make us good soldiers of Jesus Christ, (1 Cor. ix. 25-27.) that we may fight the good nght of iaith, and that we may run the race set before us. But for the first act ot the Christian, we may be anything that is weak and unworthy and sinful. We enter the kingdom as a little child. If you wish to swim to glory, or win the prize, you must train the body to hard work, and develop the muscles ; but to float, the little plump, round child will do it more easily than uhe ma ■ wasted with fasting or trained like a wrestler. Go home, my dear young fiicnd, and go to Jesus by faith just as you learned to float. After a few words of prayer, specially seeking the presence of the Holy Spirit in the heart of my young friend, he went away, promising to see me again. In a day or two he came back to tell me the result. I saw as soon as lie entered my study that theie was a chance. The beaming eye and full heart, and the warm, prolonged pressure ot the hand told of the happy issue even before he could burst out with the exclamation :—": — " I know it now ! I have learned to float ! You were quite light ! I did as you told me that very night. I trusted Him and He saved me, I feel it now because I have trusted Him. Now my peace is like a river, an.l I can go to the end of the world without fear. God is my friend, and Jesus assures me that I shall never perish, for no man is able to pluck His sheep out of His hand." This joyful confidence of my young friend rested on a sure foundation. He never lost his new-found peace, and the change he felt in himself was seen by others, and though his life was not prolonged, he enabled to bear his testimony in favour of a free and full salvation by both life and lip. Reader, do you feel your need of pardon and peace ? Do you feel sin a burden ? or do you l egret that you do not feel it enough ? Are you conscious of a want, or feel dissatisfied because you have not higher desircn and deeper sense of need ? Do you long for lest in God, or grieve that you can real, in things so unworthy of your better nature ? Do you wi&h to come to Jesus for .salvation, or have you a craving for you know not wiiat? Do you think you are too gicata sinner to come to Him,ordoyou think it mockery to come to Him, because you feel so little desire or need of Him ? In any case, I earnestly exhort you to come — to come as you are, and to come at once. Take Christ as He is freely offered by the Father. "God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son, that whoSOEVER BE LIE VET U IN HIM SHOULD NOT perish, but have everlasting life. ' Into this ocean of the grace of God cast yourself with infinitely more confidence than you commit your body to the unstable and treacherous waters nf the pea. This great and wide sea is broad enough to bear on its ample bo-om the vast fleets of commerce and navies of the world — all may float on its surface, and pass from land to land on this highway of the nation?. The ocean of grace is deeper and wider, for it covers a world's sins, and could bear worlds of sinners on it* surface, safe, as in the bosom of God. Can men trust themselves to float on ■ the faithlees deep, and cannot you by faith cast yourselves on the suie mercies of a covenant God in Christ ? From learning to float, know what it is to be saved by faith.

•'Coming events cast their shadows before." An American senator predicts that within ten years Canada will either be represented in the English or United Stated Legislature—probably the latter,