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4« THE EARNEST CHRISTIAN.kftlof flesh. And I will put my Spiritwithin yon, and canse you to walk inmy statutes, and ye shall keep myjudgments, and do them I wiUalso save yon from all your uncleanness."Is this promise, so fnU andcomprehensive, true ? Does the Lordreally mean to do all this in a man ?can any one donbt it who believesJehovah ? Mark how explicit andpersonal the language, " I will sprinkleyou—I will save yon—I will put mySpirit in you." Now, if this were acheck for so many dollars, from a humanfriend of undoubted ability, wewould take it without a question, andreckon ourselves richer by just somuch as he promised. And we wouldbe so much richer without doubt. Andthis is God's note of hand, his " I promiseto pay on demand," to the seekingsoul who endorses the note by hisacceptance of it. Accepting God's promiseis faith! There is nothing afterthis; faith can do no more." I cannot Wash my heart,Bnt by believing Thee,And waiting for the blood to ImpartThe spotless pnrity."Now, is a man saved when he hasdone tbis ?You might with as much proprietyand reason ask, " Is God's word true ?"He is saved. He puts his trust inthe promise of Jehovah, made to him,suited to his peculiar need, and therecan be no failure. The end of faith'seffort is to trnst in the the word of theLord. Through all tbis, the soul maybe and continue in an emotionlessstale, unconscious of the presence of adivine power, nneleansed ftom its inwarddepravity. Yet he may declarehis faith, as it is said, " I believed,and Iherefore have I spoken;" he mayrejoice in the Lord, who is the strongrock of his trust; for he has salvationby promise.But this is not the end of the divinetransaction. The fulfillment of thepromise is a part of the agreement,—"IwUl doit." And by the descentof the Holy Ghost it is done: thecleansing virtue of the blood of Jesnsmust take effect upon this consecratedheart—this one " waiting for the fire."It is possible for Jesus now to bring in"salvation by power," seeing the sonlhas accepted his promise, and put theDivine Promiser upon fulfillment ofhis oath. And no part of this is it ofthe work of faith to perform. Herethe sonl lies passive and silent beforethe Lord, and ceases from its ownworks. And it is done. " The heavensshall pass away, but not one jotor tittle" bf his word shall ever fail!As to the moment when salvationby promise becomes salvation by power,it may be the next instant afterthe soul haslielieved and accepted the"word,"—God's bank-note,—as thesufBcient, divine guaranty of full redemption; or it may be hours, or evendays before the baptism of the HolyGhost consciously cleanses and fiUswith perfect love the whole spiritnalbeing. But faith can wait with patience,for her God is true!Let no Christian be misled by strainingafter any wonderful upheaving ofthe soul, some strange, emotional condition,before trusting in Jesus, as anassurance that he has a right to trustin him. Faith has a right to trnst in 'his word, not in anything else. Butlet every sincere seeker after purityexpect to " be baptized with the HolyGhost not many days hence." Hemust feel the cleansing-power, must" know thiat Christ dwells inliis heart,"and must realize beyond a peradventure•' that the blood of Christ cleansethfrom all sin ;" for the power of theHoly Ghost is a conscions salvation,and all tbis ahall he assuredly know,by a divine witness, too: and all thishe will easily obtain, if he wiU butobserve the order of God, which is," by faith ye are saved ; by the HolyGhost ye shall receive power.—Rev.W. H. Boole, in Banner of Zion.»-*-•—This is tbe Lord's lower honse ;and while we are lodged here, we haveno assurance to lie ever in one chamber; but must be content to removefrom one corner to another, resting inhope that when we come to the Lord's