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THE STRUGGLES OF HIS SPIRITUAL POSSIBILITY. EVAN ROBERTS IN THE INWARD STRUGGLES The reader will recall the fact already referred to that Evan Roberts kept a Bible with him in the pit and the smithy, and read it habitually. The reading of it created self-reflection and continual meditation. The result of this was intense spiritual struggles. He experienced these struggles very often at the thought of the woeful condition of this sinful world. This thought always brought about an intense and terrible conflict in his mind. The ruling passion of his life from childhood was a desire to see men in the possession of Christ. What was the nature of these struggles? His spiritual possibility striving for freedom to act under the influence of the Holy Spirit. The possibility was conscious of its existence, and strenuously endeavoured to free itself from the bonds of carnal inclinations, passions, and instincts which had not been subjected, and natural but undeveloped powers. To give perfect freedom to the spiritual possibility of a soul, it were necessary to have boldness, courage, and unyielding perseverance, in a highly developed state. In every one of these struggles in the heart of Evan Roberts, his possibility fought for freedom, and gained each time in strength. The influence of the bonds decreases as the strength of the spiritual power increases. Every struggle deadens the evil principles, and strengthens the highest powers of the soul, which must reach a certain stage of development to condition the bursting forth of the possibility of the successful Revivalist. After every mental and emotional struggle, young Roberts resolved anew to consecrate himself more fully to Christ and His work. He was anxious to devote himself to his Master’s service, but was unable to do so, something prevented him continually. Though feeling now and again that he could sacrifice all to his Saviour, the power of the bonds of sin in his heart would prevent him doing so. Down in the depths of his soul there was a store of desires, which often were as perturbed as a thunderstorm, or as the swelling of the ocean waves in a raging tempest, but the natural bulwarks were too strong for them to conquer and burst forth. Neither the hour of God nor that of his desires had yet come. These two hours must meet ere his possibility is let free. The struggles of his possibility were some of the most important things in the life of Evan Roberts; hence the reason why we have devoted a whole chapter to them. Thus he learned some of the chief lessons of his life — lessons that are and will be lasting elements in his influence. And a good thing about them is that he learned them without knowing at the time that they were lessons. They served the same purpose in his history as the three years that Paul the Apostle spent in Arabia after his wonderful conversion on the way to Damascus. The following are the main things that Evan Roberts acquired through the afore-mentioned struggles. I. KNOWLEDGE OF THE POWER AND THE EVIL OF SIN. In going through these lessons, we see the infinite wisdom of God manifesting itself when raising a man to spiritual work. What man, who has not experienced what it is to fight against sin in his heart, can speak to others of the great evil of sin? It is impossible for the man who gives way before every kind of sin to understand the power of moral evil. To understand this a man must have fought against it, not only in abstaining from outward sinful actions, but in its inward and most deceitful forms, he must know of the great commotions of a holy nature fighting against the sins of the mind, heart, and will. To know the great evil of sin, one must perceive, through intense meditation, its destructive effects on all the powers of life. Evan Roberts went through these processes between the age of B and 25, and his inner, intense experience was so cultivated as to enable him to know the most deceitful forms of sin. These years were not only to him the school of the inward struggles, but also the school which gave him immortality as a Revivalist. II. SELF-MORTIFICATION. One of the results of these inward struggles was self-mortification. The intense desires that arose in his soul to surrender all to the Saviour prove that the Christ in his heart had won the victory, and also that the evil power had been partly mortified. The winning of a victory implies that the enemy has been weakened. This is true morally and spiritually, as well as naturally. Little by little, these struggle taught him to battle more and more bravely against everything that opposed the expression of his highest and richest possibility. This meant learning the way to subdue self. When we listen to Evan Roberts relating the intensity of his inward struggles and the difficulties in the way of surrendering all to Christ, we can easily realise that he has experienced things that the average man knows nothing about. To destroy sinful self means much more than anyone can conceive until he tries. A man may commit natural suicide under the influence of passion, through lack of consideration, during insanity, or because of an inherent tendency in that direction, but the moral self cannot thus be destroyed. It takes time, trouble, effort, and all the energy of the soul to do this, though one is helped by grace. Moral self-mortification is a continual process, and does not reach completion in the history of anyone in this life. The difficulty arises from (1) the fact that the evil self is so dear to us, and (2) its power. The powerful elements of sin in the heart are numerous, and some of them enliven after every struggle and such is the experience of every Christian. In these struggles, Evan Roberts gained sufficient mastery over self and Iearned to humiliate it to such a great extent as to be able to let free his possibility as Revivalist. III. SELF-CONTROL. He must have acquired self-control in his inward struggles, else he had not emerged victoriously. It is one of the most effectual elements in his influence today. Hr, remarkable coolness strikes us with wonder at times. When the congregation is a seething mass, it is strange to see one so taken up — and who is heart and soul — in the work, keeping without losing his balance. During the whole of his meetings, we cannot refer to a single instance in which he lost himself as to do any-thing unseemly. This is strange in one who feels so intensely, and who gives such a full expression to his feelings. The school of 14 years experience alone accounts for this. He does not possess a cold nature, but one burning with zeal for the glory of Jesus. These characteristics in his self-control show that it has been ohtained by a man who knows what it is to have trouble with his inner self. IV. SELF-CONFIDENCE The inward struggles won for him his self-confidence. Having conquered his evil self, he can trust in his new and better self. If this was sufficient to enable him to gain the victory over the evil elements of his nature in the past, he can trust in it for the future. He knows that to live the life of the new man will bring happiness to the soul, and enable him to develop in the image of Christ. He can trust in it, too, in relation to other people. If he was able, through the help of the Spirit of God, to conquer self, he concludes that he can be a power in the hands of the same Spirit to turn other men from the error of their ways. This two-fold self-confidence can only be found in a man who has overcome self. To gain the highest self-confidence, we must have had experience of all the different kinds of inward struggles, and come out conquerors from them all. V. DEPTH OF SYMPATHY. Without the inward struggles, Evan Roberts could not have the deep compassion that he shows towards sinners. The depth of his sympathy forms one of the most powerful elements in his ministry. Not-with-standing his naturally tender disposition he could never enter into the feelings and difficulties of different classes of people were it not for the knowledge he has by experience of battling with all the ordinary forms of sin in his own moral, inner life. Experience of the same circumstances as those of the one with whom we sympathise is essential to true sympathy. In his own person, the renowned Revivalist knows what it is to be tempted in all things after the same manner as other sinners. For this reason, he can weep with those that weep for their sins, and rejoice with those that overcome them. To have true moral influence over others, one must have this knowledge by experience. It was at a tremendous cost that Evan Roberts possessed it, which must likewise cost dearly to others who will have it; but, once gained, it pays beyond estimation. But what is the price to any man compared with what it cost the Man Christ Jesus. The sacrifice to Him was infinite, and we must bear in mind that we cannot secure a true sympathetic power — only along the same lines as He ohtained it. VI. SELF-DEVELOPMENT. We dwelt upon the fact that these inward struggles were a cause of the self-development of the Revivalist, but not at great length. It is impossible for any possibility in a man’s nature to develop without activity. Every faculty must act in accordance with the laws of its own nature before it can attain a high degree of healthy development. When development takes place in the highest powers of a man’s nature, it is a proof that they are not in subjection to the lowest powers of his nature, such as his passions and the evil tendencies of his soul. On the other hand, if the passions, etc. are seen to develop and overcome reason, intellect, and conscience, we may be certain that they are free from the control of the highest powers of the mind. In the struggle they have gained the victory over reason, intellect, and conscience, and are become free to act according to their own nature. In the inward struggles in the history of Evan Roberts, the higher powers overcame the lower, but not without energetic action on their part. The result of that action was a substantial self-development in them. Through this self-development they came to have more mastery over the evil of the heart from time to time, and to be able to act with more perfection, power and rapidity, and give a wider expression to themselves. The self-developed Evan Roberts now before the congregations is the result of a process of a self-activity on the part of the highest powers of the soul. This self-development, be it borne in mind, is the child of the inward struggles of his soul, and not an effortless growth of his mind. VII. SELF-REALISATION The Revivalist realised the strength and quality of powers through these mental struggles. Many go through life without realising the powers of their minds. The reason for this is that they have not experienced any inward struggles. To realise the strength of our rational powers, something must call out their utmost activity. Their intellectual activity can be brought out by the study of profound and difficult subjects; and so a man will realise the magnitude of his intellectual strength, but their moral development and power will only be realised by means of moral activity. A man can realise his moral greatness only by battling with sin in his soul, as well as sin outside of himself, and by practising the principles of righteousness, truth, and holiness. It was in this sphere that Evan Roberts fully realised himself. Although quiet and unostentatious he went through things that made him conscious of his moral energies and powers, and he believed that those were sufficient in the hands of the Spirit of God to disturb a nations conscience. This self-development cannot be ohtained either in a day, a week, a month, or a year. It is the fruit of various moral experiences and constant struggles, and increases as moral difficulties are over-come. The deepest self-realisation is always seen in those who battle most with moral difficulties. This is the only path that leads to self-realisation, and by ever following it, our subject attained a high degree of such realisation even at a very early age. VIII. THE POWER OF GRACE He saw what a man could do through the help of grace, and by putting himself entirely in the hands of the Holy Spirit. The Divine Spirit acted powerfully upon his moral powers, hence he was able to place himself entirely in His hand. He attributes what he is today to grace, and he can say with Paul, I am what I am because of the grace of God. Only a young man saturated with divine grace could accomplish what he has during the last months. It is because of what grace has done in and through him that he believes in the power of grace to save the chief of sinners. Without this belief, no one will do great and Iasting work for Jesus.. It would be impossible for Evan Roberts to do the kind of work that he does were it not for his complete confidence in the possibility of grace. He would have been a failure without having grace in his heart, and believing in its saving power to convert the vilest sinner. It must be remembered, however, that experience of the power of grace in the heart of the man himself can alone condition such a belief. In all the inward struggles that Evan Roberts had, he won the victory through the power of grace. When in the struggles, and often fearing defeat, he would turn to the Throne of Grace for strength and wisdom. He always had sufficient to meet his needs in the treasure house of mercy. The above lessons made him one of the most wonderful in prayer, as we shall see in the next chapter.

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