Adventures in the Far West | Page 6

of
sectarian conflict; every one is too busy doing the will of God.
Dying is used to express consecration because some felt that the
consecration was so acute that it seemed they had to suffer the pains of
death. Others have not so felt. Whatever the feeling, there must be the
dying.
Two women, one a widow and the other her daughter, lived together.
They were both devout. The younger woman became sick, and grew
worse and worse. At last all hope of life was gone, and mother and
daughter began praying that the dying girl might have "dying grace."
The condition for obtaining this grace consisted in an absolute
submission to die, a yielding of all to God's will; as she met the
condition, so she received "dying grace." But the sequel was

unexpected. While one receiving dying grace was supposed to die, this
young woman lived and got well. But her "dying grace," as they termed
it, was still hers. One day she spoke of it to her mother and said:
"Mother, I am coming to believe that 'dying grace' is the grace we need
to live by." And it is.
This young woman had made the deathbed consecration. God had
accepted the sacrifice, had poured out His grace, and the young woman
was sanctified wholly; and that was exactly what she needed to live by.
She had died to self.
Now, how shall you know that all is given up and the sacrifice
acceptable to God? This may well engage our attention.
First of all, remember that your will is your own, and that you yourself
know what your intentions are. Whenever you decide to go to town to
buy a hat or coat, you have no trouble in knowing your mind, do you?
Of course not! And you can be just as sure of your mind or will in the
matter of consecration to God.
You might begin this way: I desire to be wholly the Lord's: my will I
desire to surrender; and my life I wish to be lived for God. Since the
Lord in His Word has said, "By the mercies of God ... present your
bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your
reasonable service" (Romans 12:1), you may rest assured that God only
awaits this surrender, and will be glad to accept it.
Now, do not only desire to be consecrated, but at once begin to count
yourself the Lord's, permanently, irrevocably, for time, for eternity.
Some, in the earnestness and intensity of their souls, in the solemn hour
of their complete and definite surrender or consecration have written it
out on paper, in the form of a will, and, signing it, have called on
angels and God to witness the solemn act of their souls. But whether it
is written out on paper or be simply the unchangeable determination
within the heart, the point must be come to when all is yielded. There
must be a final "yes" to God; the gift must be deposited on the altar,
and from henceforth you are to consider yourself wholly the Lord's no
matter how you feel about it. It must amount to a transaction, like the

signing of a deed, or a contract, and when it has come to this point
where you do actually hand yourself over to the Lord, body, soul, and
all to be His forever, then you are to count the offering complete and
the die cast forever.
Should you be tempted to investigate whether you "feel" that you are
all consecrated, remember that your feelings have nothing to do with it.
Your will is master here. As your will goes, you go.
"When thy soul is on the altar laid, Guard it from each vain desire;
When thy soul the perfect price hath paid, God will send the holy fire."
Do you lay all on the altar? "Whether is greater, the gift, or the altar
that sanctifieth the gift?" (Matthew 23:19). If you have everything on
the altar, your feet, like the priest's in Joshua's day, are dipping into the
brim of the Jordan. You are ready to pass over. Just pass on over! Call
the transaction closed. Your heart feels a deep security in handing all
over to God, and there is the witness of your own soul that you have,
now, given up all and God accepts the offering.
What next? Ask God to purge your soul until He is satisfied concerning
its purity. Ask Him to kill all the things which displease Him, and
destroy the last remains of inbred sin. Ask Him to restore the image of
God in your soul, to come in and possess His temple. Ask God to fill
you with the Holy Spirit, to let the Comforter take