The Varieties of Religious Experience - Penn State University

William Jamestual World, asking me my opinion of it as a literary work only.Being proud of my critical talents and wishing to enhance myselfin my new friend’s esteem, I took the book to my bedroom forquiet, intending to give it a thorough study, and then write herwhat I thought of it. It was here that God met me face to face, andI shall never forget the meeting. ‘He that hath the Son hath lifeeternal, he that hath not the Son hath not life.’ I had read thisscores of times before, but this made all the difference. I was nowin God’s presence and my attention was absolutely ‘soldered’ onto this verse, and I was not allowed to proceed with the book till Ihad fairly considered what these words really involved. Only thenwas I allowed to proceed, feeling all the while that there was anotherbeing in my bedroom, though not seen by me. The stillnesswas very marvelous, and I felt supremely happy. It was most unquestionablyshown me, in one second of time, that I had nevertouched the Eternal: and that if I died then, I must inevitably belost. I was undone. I knew it as well as I now know I am saved.The Spirit of God showed it me in ineffable love; there was noterror in it; I felt God’s love so powerfully upon me that only amighty sorrow crept over me that I had lost all through my ownfolly; and what was I to do? What could I do? I did not repenteven; God never asked me to repent. All I felt was ‘I am undone,’and God cannot help it, although he loves me. No fault on thepart of the Almighty. All the time I was supremely happy: I feltlike a little child before his father. I had done wrong, but my Fatherdid not scold me, but loved me most wondrously. Still mydoom was sealed. I was lost to a certainty, and being naturally of abrave disposition I did not quail under it, but deep sorrow for thepast, mixed with regret for what I had lost, took hold upon me,and my soul thrilled within me to think it was all over. Then therecrept in upon me so gently, so lovingly, so unmistakably, a way ofescape, and what was it after all? The old, old story over again,told in the simplest way: ‘There is no name under heaven wherebyye can be saved except that of the Lord Jesus Christ.’ No wordswere spoken to me; my soul seemed to see my Saviour in the spirit,and from that hour to this, nearly nine years now, there has neverbeen in my life one doubt that the Lord Jesus Christ and God the203