his Christian life, President Edwards says,--"I felt a _burning desire_
to be, in everything, a _complete_ Christian, and conformed to the
blessed image of Christ. I had an eager thirsting after _progress_ in
these things, which put me upon pursuing and _pressing_ after them. It
was my _continual strife_, day and night, and constant inquiry, how I
should _be_ more holy, and _live_ more holily, and more becoming a child
of God, and a disciple of Christ. I now sought an increase of grace and
holiness, and a holy life, with much more earnestness than ever I sought
grace before I had it. I used to be continually examining myself, and
studying and contriving for likely _ways and means_, how I should live
holily, with far greater diligence and earnestness than ever I pursued
anything in my life; yet, with too great a dependence on my own
strength--which afterwards proved a great damage to me." "Mrs. Edwards
had been long in an uncommon manner growing in grace, and rising, by
very _sensible degrees_, to higher love to God, weanedness to the world,
and mastery over sin and temptation, through _great trials and
conflicts_, and long-continued _struggling_ and _fighting_ with sin, and
_earnest_ and _constant prayer_ and _labor_ in religion, and engagedness
of mind in the use of all means. This growth had been attended, not only
with a great increase of religious affections, but with a most visible
alteration of outward behavior; particularly in living above the world,
and in a greater degree of steadfastness and strength in the way of duty
and self-denial; maintaining the Christian conflict under temptations,
and conquering, from time to time, under _great trials_; persisting in
an unmoved, untouched calm and rest, under the _changes and accidents_
of time, such as seasons of extreme pain and apparent hazard of
immediate death."

You will find accounts of similar trials and struggles in the lives of
all eminent saints. This is what we may expect. It agrees with the