2-Spiritual Baptism of Hans Hauge

Continued from "Life and Work of Hauge"

SPIRITUAL BAPTISM, APRIL 5, 1796.

After Hauge came home from Fredrikstad, he lived quietly with his parents and worked on the farm.

The 5th of April, 1796, he was out working in the field. He sang the hymn, “Jesus, I long for Thy blessed communion.” When he had sung the second verse:

“Mightily strengthen my spirit within me,
That I may learn what Thy Spirit can do!
O take Thou captive each passion within me,
Lead Thou and guide me my whole journey through!
All that I am and possess I surrender,
If Thou alone in my spirit mayest dwell,
All will I yield Thee, my Savior most tender,
Take me and own me, and all will be well,” -

he seemed to be lifted up from earth, and his soul was filled with the peace “that passeth all understanding.”

As soon as he had gathered his wandering senses, then he was sorry that he had not served the dear God; now he felt nothing in the world was worth while. “It was a glory which cannot be explained,” he says; “my soul felt something supernatural, divine and blessed.” He sensed a fervent love of God and wished that all people should be saved.

He found renewed interest in study of the Bible and the sacred writings, and new, bright thoughts concerning the truth flashed upon his mind. The revelation of the whole truth gathered up into this sum total for him:

“Christ has come to be our Savior, we will by his Spirit be born again, be converted, more and more be consecrated into the qualifications of God to serve only the Triune Deity, in order to prepare our souls for the eternal happiness.”

Thus on the foundation of this hymn he was brought near God in an extraordinarily spiritual manner; in this nearness to God he still acknowledged his sins stronger, at the same time the power of the new life was born in his soul, and the love of God sprang forth with great strength; all this signified that God had heard his prayer.

Now he sees the whole existence in the light of this new life; his soul is filled with the most ardent love for those who still wandered in darkness.

“Then I saw, as it were, the world submerged in evil, which I lamented, and I prayed that God would delay the punishment, that some might be converted. Now I had the desire to serve God, and prayed that he would reveal to me what I should do.”

As an answer to this prayer, he was forcefully reminded of the events in Isaiah, Chapter 6; and the Lord’s orations to the prophet became alive in his soul as if it were spoken to him. “I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: whom shall I send and invite to my big supper and call from all sides, north and south, east and west? I said: Send me; for my heart burned from love for all people. Deep within me I heard a voice, saying: You shall confess my name before men, exhort them to repent and seek me’ while I am to be found, to call upon me while I am near, to touch their hearts, so that they may pass over from darkness to light.”

To be continued.....