The Varieties of Religious Experience - Penn State University

William Jamesknown.’ Having then secretly made ready this habit, while her parentsthought to have married her, her father having promised her toa rich French merchant, she prevented the time, and on Easterevening, having cut her hair, put on the habit, and slept a little, shewent out of her chamber about four in the morning, taking nothingbut one penny to buy bread for that day. And it being said to her ingoing out, Where is thy faith? in a penny? she threw it away, beggingpardon of God for her fault, and saying, ‘No, Lord, my faith isnot in a penny, but in thee alone.’ Thus she went away wholly deliveredfrom the heavy burthen of the cares and good things of thisworld, and found her soul so satisfied that she no longer wished foranything upon earth, resting entirely upon God, with this only fearlest she should be discovered and be obliged to return home; for shefelt already more content in this poverty than she had done for allher life in all the delights of the world.”196Another example from Starbuck’s MS. collection:—“At a meeting held at six the next morning, I heard a man relatehis experience. He said: The Lord asked him if he would confessChrist among the quarrymen with whom he worked, and he saidhe would. Then he asked him if he would give up to be used of theLord the four hundred dollars he had laid up, and he said he wouldand thus the Lord saved him. The thought came to me at oncethat I had never made a real consecration either of myself or of myproperty to the Lord, but had always tried to serve the Lord in myway. Now the Lord asked me if I would serve him in HIS way, andgo out alone and penniless if he so ordered. The question waspressed home, and I must decide: To forsake all and have him, orhave all and lose him! I soon decided to take him; and the blessedassurance came, that he had taken me for his own, and my joy wasfull. I returned home from the meeting with feelings as simple asa child. I thought all would be glad to hear of the joy of the Lordthat possessed me, and so I began to tell the simple story. But tomy great surprise, the pastors (for I attended meetings in threechurches) opposed the experience and said it was fanaticism, and196 An Apology for M. Antonia Bourignon, London, 1699, pp. 269,270, abridged.291