therefore exposed the soul to as
much as she could enjoy of heavenly pleasures and consciousness,
without death to the flesh. In these experiences the soul found and
knew God to be the fulfilment of all desires and all needs. The soul
stood steadied before God in an unutterable Happiness which she
perceived had no limit but God's Will, and her own capacity to
endure the rapture of Him.

What is it that would seem to determine this immeasurable privilege
of Access to Him? It would seem to be a healthy willing will
towards Him under all circumstances (to begin with).

In due time He converts this mere will into a sweet love, the natural
love of the heart and mind--by Gift of the Father we love Jesus
Christ. This is salvation.

But beyond salvation it would feel to be this way--after a further
great endeavour and endurance on our part, a further great striving
towards Him, He will awaken and prick to new life the soul and fill
us with Holy Love. This is the second baptism, the baptism of the
Spirit of Love. This is the entry to the Kingdom, and immediately
we taste of the Godhead. What this is, what this ravishment of
happiness is, cannot be known or guessed till we ourself have
experienced it.

In all this we progress by the communicated Power of Christ. How
is this Power to be recognised, how is it communicated? Can we
stand still and receive it like the dew, without work? At first, no--but
later it would almost seem to be yes; or else it is that the exact
attitude of heart and mind necessary for the reception of Grace
becomes so habitual, so natural, that eventually we come to live in a
state in which the communication of this Power becomes nearly
continuous--though at any time by negligence or by a wrong attitude
of Spirit _we fall away from it and lose it completely,_ and in all
times of temptation or of testing we are cut off from _sensible_
contact with it.

We learn then that Grace awaits every creature that attunes himself
to the Will of Christ: it awaits good and bad, saint and sinner, it
transforms the sinner into the saint, and but for its deliberate
withdrawals we might suppose its action to be automatic, we might
suppose it a fixed power like the sun, shining upon worthy and
unworthy alike in degree. But Grace is far more subtle and
mysterious than this. Grace is the most sublime, the most exquisite
secret of all the mysteries which exist between the Soul and her
Maker.

* * *

I find that He work