is pure, in an
instant? God could make a babe into a man in an instant, for anything I
know; but that is not His way. He allows it to grow gradually, first by
the use of milk and exercise, and then by the use of stronger meat, and
greater labors. And according to Scripture, this is His plan of bringing
up spiritual babes to spiritual manhood. God could make seed produce a
crop instantaneously, if He would, I suppose; but His plan is to let the
grain grow and ripen gradually. And it is His plan, according to
Scripture, to let the spiritual grain grow up and the spiritual harvest
ripen gradually. And it is better it should be so. Gradual growth in
knowledge and goodness is most conducive, I believe, to the happiness of
man. I would not make a child into a man all at once if I could. I would
let him have the pleasure and the privilege of passing, in the ordinary
way, through all the intermediate stages. Nor would I alter the
arrangement with regard to spiritual growth. It is best to learn a
lesson at a time. You might raise the dough quicker by gunpowder than by
leaven or yeast; but I prefer to see it raised in the ordinary way. I am
content to grow in grace and knowledge, as people grow in strength and
stature. It is God's plan, and I like it. If anybody can pass from the
gates of hell to the gates of heaven, from the bottom of the horrible
pit to the top of the delectable mountains at a jump, let him; I prefer
to trudge with ordinary pilgrims, and enjoy the pleasures of the
journey, and the beautiful scenery of the road, at my leisure. "The ways
are ways of pleasantness; the paths are paths of peace;" and I enjoy
them. And I would not for the world, make the impression on people's
minds, that they are in danger of perdition, if they cannot skip across
the universe from hell to heaven in no time. God likes spiritual
children as well as spiritual men, though He would not have them to
continue children. Why should preachers make things hard that God makes
easy, and require impossible tasks where God asks only a reasonable
service? Some folks have little minds, and some have crooked ones.
That's my view of the matter. I am charged with rejecting God's truth.
The fact however is, God's truth is the joy and rejoicing of my heart.
It is my pleasant food. But I do not like some people's manglement of
that truth, and I sometimes think the manglers belong to the class
of whom Christ said, "It were good for those men if they had neve