eiterated very strongly her conviction on this subject,
appealing to our Lord's teaching in the seventeenth chapter of John.
[15]

And this brings me to what you say about the chapter entitled The
Mystics of To-day; or, "The Higher Christian Life," and to your inquiry
as to her later views on the question. You are quite right in supposing
that while writing this chapter she had a good deal of sympathy with
some of the advocates of the "Higher Life" doctrine. She heartily agreed
with them in believing that it is the privilege of Christ's disciples to
rise to a much higher state of holy love, assurance, and rest of soul
than the most of them seem ever to reach in this world; and further,
that such a spiritual uplifting may come, and sometimes does come,
in the way of a sudden and extraordinary experience. But it is never
without a history. She gives a beautiful picture of such an experience
in the case of Stephanas, who was "as gay as any boy," and then adds:
"Now, the descent of the blessing was sudden and lifted him at once into
a new world, but the preparation for it had been going on ever since he
learned to pray."

But while agreeing with the advocates of the Higher Life doctrine
in some points, she was far from agreeing with them in all. And her
disagreement increased and grew more decided in her later years. The
subject is often alluded to in her letters to Christian friends; and
should these letters ever be published, they will answer your inquiry
much better than I can do. The points in the "Higher Life" and "Holiness
through Faith" views which she most strongly dissented from, related to
the question of perfection. The Christian life--this was her view--is
subject to the great law of growth. It is a process, an education, and
not a mere volition, or series of volitions. Its progress may be rapid,
but, ideally considered, each new stage is conditioned by the one that
went before: _first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn
in the ear_. It embraces the whole spirit and soul and body; and its
perfect development, therefore, is a very comprehensive thing, touching
the length and breadth, the depth and height of our entire being. It is
also, in its very nature, conflict as well as growth; the forces of evil
must be vanquished, and these forces, whether acting through body, soul,
or spirit, are very subtle, treacherous, and often occult, as well as
very potent; the best man on earth, if left to himself,