90

BlissWhat

“It is with gratitude I record that my soul is impressed with a sense of the divine presence and love. I can rejoice in the blessed conviction that my Beloved is mine, and I am his !—I have a present salvation. ful hopes—animating prospects are before me. ever results happen to me, temporally, may my soul but enjoy the presence of God, and all will be well. O, my Father, baptize me largely, and still more largely, with the hallowing influences of thy Holy Spirit; this will renovate my nature, and cleanse the very thoughts of my heart. This is what I want—inward holiness—to be holy as thou hast called me to be.

"Each day lays me under increased obligations to dedicate myself entirely to the service of my God and king, and I find the blessed effect of each morning renewing my covenant engagements with God, my devotion of all I have, and all I am, to him. have a constantly indwelling God. Unspeakable love! I desire to that he whom the heaven of heavens cannot contain, will condescend to come and take up his abode in the humble, contrite heart. My religion calls me to be up and doing. My time is short; the veil which separates me from eternity may soon be drawn aside. Indeed, I am not able to repress a serious and solemn foreboding that my days on earth will not be prolonged. How important that I should prepare! so that, with holy calmness and composure I may await the momentous summons. am always ready, it cannot come upon me unawares. If I One with Christ, through faith, when I shall hear that 'the Master is come and calleth for thee,' I shall then, in its full triumph, be enabled joyfully to exclaim, 'Ever

so, come, Lord Jesus.' I am really in a strait: I have 'a desire to depart and be with Christ.'

"Ere I close my book, I again pray for thy blessing, O my Father; bless, O bless, I beseech thee, the confession I have made of thee, and give me strength according to my need. Amen."

CHAPTER VIII.

LEILA'S LETTER TO HER FATHER.

THE letter to which Leila refers, we shall give in full: it breathes the spirit of filial piety and love, and is at once a fine proof of her good sense, and an ornament to the religion she professed:

"My very, very dear Father :— -Do you love me? O, how plainly I hear you say, 'How can my dear daughter ask me this question? Has she not had proofs of my affection again and again? Does she not know that she is dearer to me than all the world besides?' But, my very dear father, do you love me?-do you love me? Yes, I know that you love me dearly love me; and, my dear father, I love you most tenderly—most deeply; so as no language I could think of could describe to you; and I know that you believe that I do.

“Well, then, my father, will you not rejoice whilst your daughter tells you of the goodness of God as manifested towards her-a poor, sinful, guilty creature? O! I do so fear you will distrust this delightful work, and yet not from wilful unkindness neither, but from what you will believe to be a proper sense of duty. But, my dear father, with tears of joy coursing down her cheeks, your Leila tells you that she knows, she feels all her sins are forgiven through the blood-shedding of Jesus of Nazareth. O! be mild while I speak further, and yet I am

faint, and my hand trembles so that I can scarcely go forward.

"I am so happy!-O! my dear father, if you did but know how very happy, I am quite sure of this, you would rejoice with me; you would not hesitate a single moment, but would come, as you are invited, and drink largely of those fountains of bliss, the streams whereof make glad the city of God. I feel that God loves me, and that I love Him. I feel that I am his child, and I have through grace a blissful assurance that, saved by my blessed Redeemer, I shall see him, and be happy in his presence to all eternity. And will you not come to heaven, too, my dearest father?

"Do not suppose that I am mistaken, or that I am deceiving myself. O, no! I am as sure that all my sins are forgiven through Christ Jesus, as I am of the being of God himself. I could tell you the very minute when I first received this conviction, and was enabled to rejoice in God my Saviour. And if you, my dear papa, would in this same way test its reality, by possessing for yourself a knowledge of the love of God, it would alone be quite sufficient to convince you of the truth of the Christian religion. When under the influence of joy, no argument, however forcible or sophistical, could convince you that sorrow filled your heart. The result of faith in Christ is peace and joy in believing; to this my experience bears testimony. What further proof can I wish that its origin is divine? I do not. I have this internal consciousness, and am as certain of it, as of anything that affects my external senses.

"With great propriety we always attach importance to a remedy that has been tried, and more especially

too, if the individual recommending it has personally proved it to be efficacious. I once was very unhappy. Instead of submitting myself to the righteousness of God, I was going about to establish my own righteousness. At this time I was sunk in sin, and knew not where to look for one ray of comfort. My whole soul hungered for food my religion could not give; it groped in its deep night for some pillow on which to repose itself, and find the dawnings of heaven, but all was in vain till it found repose in the wounded side of Jesus; and here may I abide for ever! Allow me, then, my dear father, in the fullest filial affection, to recommend to you this remedy. I know you are not happy; you cannot be happy as you are at present, and this is the only cure, and it is the never-failing cure, for a weary sin-sick soul.

"I need not tell you the train of circumstances which, in a gracious and benignant providence, God used to produce this sweet change-of course you will understand me as meaning instrumentally; to God's Holy Spirit alone am I indebted for that illumination which enabled me to see his way of salvation. And O, it is so simple-only believe! "Whosoever believeth on him [that is Christ] shall be saved.' Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believes. But the proofs that the Messiah has come, and that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah, are numberless, unmistakable, and positive. Shall I go on? I must hope that you will bear with me.

"The law, which was given by Jehovah to Moses upon Mount Sinai, was designed for that land which was given to our great ancestor Abraham, and for that