The New Life

:
The New Life.
this point, he ought especially to be on his guard
against two errors. Some become dispirited when
they stumble: they think that their surrender was
not sincere, and lose their confidence towards God.i
Others again take it too lightly. They think that it
cannot be otherwise : they concern themselves little
with stumblings, and continue to live in them.^ Let
us take these words of God to teach us what we ought
to think of our stumblings. There are three lessons.
Let not stumblings discourage you. You are called
to perfectness : yet this comes not at once : time and
patience are needful for it. Therefore James says
' Let patience have its perfect work that ye may be
*
perfect and entire."^* Think not that your surrender
was not sincere ; acknowledge only how weak
you still are. Think not also that you must only continue
stumbling : acknowledge only how strong your
Saviour is.
Let stumbling rouse you to faith in the tnighty
keeper. It is because you have not relied on Him
^ith a sufficient faith that you have stumbled.* Let
stumbling drive you to Him. The first thing that
you must do with a stumbling is : go with it to your
Jesus. Tell it out to Him.^ Confess it, and receive
forgiveness. Confess it, and commit yourself with
* Heb. iii. 6, 14, x. 35.
2 Rom. vi. I ; Gal ii. 18, iii. 3.
^ Matt. V. 48 ;
2 Tim. iii. 17 ; Heb. xiii. 20, 21 ;
Jas. i. 4 ; i Pet. v. 10.
< Matt. xiv. 31, xvii. 20.
* Ps. xxxviii. 18, Ixix. 6 ; i John i. 9, ii. 1.
* The Dutch version has it :
" Let endurance have a perfect
work, that ye may be perfect and wholly sincere."—Tr.
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