"Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls". In what way is soul salvation going on? Is it not just bound up with this—I am in difficulty, I am in adversity, I am in trial, my whole soul craves for a change of situation. It is the soul realm. But is not the Lord rather more concerned to have me on top of the situation in spirit, where my soul is not dictating the terms and governing me and bringing me down into oppression because of its longings for different conditions? I am denying my soul and in my spirit I am walking with the Lord, and my soul is not dominant. Here you are, like Paul or Peter, suddenly clamped in prison: "This is horrible, I do not like this, please let me get out!" Your whole soul begins to writhe and to demand and crave. Your souls will never be satisfied until you are out, break out, or somehow or other bribe somebody to let you out, and what spiritual gain is there? Where have you got spiritually? But supposing like Paul, you are a prisoner on a chain, and while your soul would very much like to be free—for Paul said, "I would to God, that... all that hear me this day, might become such as I am, except these bonds" (Acts 26:29). The chain was there, he was conscious of it, his soul did not like the chain, but he is on top of his chain. When he is writing those letters to the Ephesians and the Colossians, his spirit is above, he has brought his soul into the captivity of Christ, his soul is saved.