d on a tombstone in the old
burying-ground at Portland. It occurs again and again in her early
letters; in one written in 1840 she says: "I thought to myself that if
God continued His faithfulness towards me, I shall have afflictions such
as I now know nothing more of than the name"; in another written four
years later, in the midst of the sweetest joy: "I know there are some of
the great lessons of life yet to be learned; I believe I must _suffer_
as long as I have an earthly existence." And in after years, when it
formed so large an element in her own experience, she came to regard
suffering, when sanctified by the word of God and by prayer, as the
King's highway to Christian perfection. This point is often referred to
and illustrated in her various writings--more especially in Stepping
Heavenward and Golden Hours. Possibly she carried her theory a little
too far; perhaps it does not appear to be always verified in actual
Christian experience; but, certainly, no one can deny that it is in
harmony with the general teaching of inspired Scripture and with the
spirit of catholic piety in all ages. [16]

Another point, which also found illustration in her books, is the vital
connexion between the habit of devout communion with God in Christ and
all the daily virtues and charities of religion; another still is
the close affinity between depth in piety and the highest, sweetest
enjoyment of earthly good.

Her own Christian life was to me a study from the beginning. It had
heights and depths of its own, which awed me and which I could not fully
penetrate. Jonathan Edwards' exquisite description of Sarah Pierrepont
at the age of thirteen, Mrs. Edwards' own account of her religious
exercises after her marriage, and Goethe's "Confessions of a Beautiful
Soul," always reminded me of some of its characteristic features. If my
pastoral ministrations gave any aid and comfort to other souls, I can
truly say it was all largely due to her. And as for myself, my debt of
gratitude to her as a spiritual helper and friend in Christ was, and is,
and ever will be, unspeakable. The instant I began to know her, I began
to feel the cheering influence and uplifting power of her faith. For
more than a third of a century it was the most constant and by far the
strongest human force that wrought in my religious life. Nor was it a
human force alone; for surely faith like hers is in real contact with
Christ Himself and is an inspiration of His Spirit