COPY OF A LETTER FROM A TRIED MINISTER ΤΟ A SISTER IN THE FAITH. Dearly Beloved Sister in Jesus, I have often thought of writing to you, but have been hindered by my labours, sorrows, and severe trials, that I sometimes cry out, Why is his chariot wheels so long in coming." But it is the Lord, let him do what seemeth him good. For if I am in tribulation it is for the sake of his dear children, therefore I desire to say, not my will, but thine be done." May the good Lord help me to send you a word in season, for to him I look to direct my thoughts and make them a blessing to your soul. I perceive by your letter you are still in the school of the cross, learning the happy art of extracting real good out of seeming evil, and to grow tall by stooping. The world, the flesh, and the devil are a sad plague in this school, but grace makes the Spirit willing to learn by suffering, yea, it cares not what it endures, so that sin may be mortified and Jesus made precious to the soul. Surely when we see the most spiritual and highest taught of the Lord's children so often in heaviness through manifold temptations, and when we consider how dear he loves them, and also what he has done and prepared for them, we may take it for granted, that there is a needs be for their sufferings; for it would be easy for his power to make their whole life in this world, from the hour of their conversion to their death a continual course of satisfaction and comfort, without any thing to distress them from within or without. But if it were so, should we not lose many advantages? In the first pace we should not be very conformable to our head, nor be able to say, as he was so are we in this world." I believe a child of God 66 would be ashamed to be so utterly unlike his Lord. What! the master always a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, and the servant always happy and full of comfort? What Jesus despised, reproached, and neglected, opposed and betrayed, and his people admired and caressed? He living in the want of all things, and they filled with abundance; he sweating blood for anguish, and they strangers to distress? How unsuitable would these things be to set forth, the conformity of members to their head. How much better to be called to the honour of filling up the measure of his sufferings; for it is well the servant be as his master. A cup was put into his hand on our account and his love engaged him to drink it for us. The which it contained he drank wholly himself, but he left us a little affliction to taste, that we might pledge him, and remember how he loved us, and how much more he endured for us than he will ever call us to endure for him. Again, how could we live without sufferings manifest the nature and truth of gospel grace? What room should we then have for patience, submission, meekness, and forbearance, and readiness to forgive. If we have nothing to try us, either from the hand of the Lord, or from the hands of wicked men, under the cloak of religion; I have always found a white devil worse than a black one. A christian without trials would be like a mill without wind or water; the contrivance and design of the wheel-work within side would be unnoticed and unknown, without someting to put it in motion from without. Nor would our graces grow unless they were called into exercise. The difficulties we meet with, not only prove, but through his grace, strengthen the graces of the Spirit. If a person was always to sit still without making use of his legs or arms, he would probably wholly lose the power of moving his limbs at last, but by walking and working, he becomes strong and active. So in a long course of ease the powers of the new man would certainly languish, and the soul would grow indolent, cowardly, and faint, therefore the Lord appoints his children such dispensations as make them strive, and struggle, and pant after himself. They must press through a crowd, swim against a stream, endure hardships, run, wrestle, and fight, and thus their strength grows in these exercises. By these things likewise they are made more willing to leave the present world to which we are prone to cleave, too closely in our evil hearts, when our path is very smooth. Had Israel enjoyed their former peace and prosperity in Egypt, when Moses came to invite them to Canaan, I think thay would hardly have listened to him. But the Lord suffered them to be brought into great trouble and bondage, and then the news of deliverance were more welcome, yet still they were but half willing, for they carried a love to the flesh pots in Egypt with them into the wilderness. We are like them, though we say this world is vain and sinful, we are too fond of it, and though we hope for true happiness only in heaven, we are often well content to stay longer here; but the Lord sends afflictions, one after another to quicken our desires, and to convince us that this cannot be our rest, it is polluted. Sometimes, if we drive a bird from one branch of a tree, he will hop to another a little higher, and from thence to a third: but if we continue to disturb him, he will at last take wing and fly quite away. Thus when we are forced from one creature comfort, we perch upon another, and so on: but the Lord mercifully follows us with trials, and will not let us rest upon any. By degrees our desires take a nobler flight, and can be satisfied with nothing short of himself; then we long to depart, and to be with Christ, I think your which is far better. experience is generally of the fearful doubting cast, such souls however the Lord has given a particular charge to his real ministers to comfort: he knows our infirmities, and what temptations mean, and as a good shepherd, expresses a peculiar care and tenderness for the weak of the flock. But how shall I attempt to comfort you? Surely by not strengthening a mistake to which we are all liable, by leading you to look into your own heart for which you will never find there; something in yourself whereon to ground your hopes, if not wholly, yet at least in part: rather let me endeavour to lead you out of yourself, let me invite you to look to Jesus only. Should we look for light in our own eyes or in the sun? Is it indwelling sin distresses you? then I can tell you, Jesus died for sin and sinners, that his blood and righteousness are of infinite value, that his arm is almighty, his compassions infinite, and his promises yea and amen. Do you hesitate at embracing the promises of the gospel, where you read that they are addressed to those who mourn, and who hunger and thirst after righteousness, and who are poor in spirit. You cannot but be sensible that a gracious God has begun to work these dispositions in your heart? If you say, that though you do at times mourn and hunger, and you are afraid you do it not enough or not aright. This sort of reasoning is very far from the spirit and language of the gospel, for it is grounded on a secret supposition, that in the forgiveness of sins, God has respect to something more than the atonement and meditation of Jesus, namely to previous good sume, nor the floods drown them. As the great Head of the church he is washing the feet of his disciples, digging and purging his garden, pruning his trees, awaking the north wind, beating his spices, snuffing his candles, trimming his lamps, trying his gold, refining his silver, purging the dross, removing the rubbish, de scending in a cloud, and stripping us of self-admiration which is idolatry→→ and all this is in covenant love. I hope you find the name and grace of Jesus more and more precious, his promises more sweet, and your enjoyment of them more abiding, with a deep sense of your own weakness, and unworthiness, so as to feel you are not worthy of the least of God's mercies; at the same time to have a firm persuasion of the Lord's all-sufficiency to support, supply, comfort and guide you to the end of your journey, then you will enter the rest that remains for the people of God. You owe your growth in divine things to his blessing upon these afflictions, which he has appointed for you and sanctified to you. I am at present in myself cold, dry, barren, sick and sorrowful," but this is my comfort in my affliction, for with thy word, O Lord, thou hast quickened me." I have the promise of being watered every moment, but my unbelief often tells me, this is not done: if it was, I should not be so barren and unfruitful, however, "He knoweth the way that I take, and when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold." But I hope I shall lose some of my dross and tin, for if I do, the gold will shine the brighter, But amidst. all the circumstances of outward and inward trouble, there is this consolation for the christian's heart, which cannot be taken away, namely, "The foundation of God standeth sure, the Lord knoweth them that are his." so that they are safe, when the world and all things in it falls to destruction, they shall be preserved and qualifications in a sinner's heart, which are to share with the blood of Christ in the honour of salvation. The enemy deceives us in this matter the more easily, because a propensity to the covenant of works is a part of our natural depravity. We are poor, lost, vile, guilty creatures, in and of ourselves we are ten thousand times more vile and sinful than we can possibly conceive, there is not an evil done under the sun but we have the root of it in our hearts. Depend upon it, none can know the depth of the depravity that is in our hearts. But if we experimentally know that we must perish without Christ, and feel our need of him, and believe "He is able to save to the uttermost, all that come unto God by him," we know enough to warrant us to cast our souls upon him, and not dishonour when we do so by fearing that he will disappoint our hope. We want more faith to trust him, greater submission to his will, a liv ing upon him, as he is set forth, a leaving all with him to manage for us, and to favour us with the presence of the Holy Ghost in his saving of fices, as a spirit of revelation in our understanding, as a spirit of power on our will, as a spirit of faith in our heart, as a spirit of love in our affections, as a spirit of light in our judgment, as a spirit of peace in our conscience with his constant operations, as a spirit of supplication enabling us at all times to draw near to God. I have heard that severe afflictions have been your lot, and if I had not heard it, I should have taken it for granted to be true, for I believe the Lord loveth you, and as many as he loveth, he rebukes and chastens. I think you can say, afflictions have been good for you, and I doubt not but you have found strength equal to your day, for the Lord's faithfulness is engaged for this to all his dear children, to support them in all their trials, so that the fire shall not conApril, 1847.] M shall shine forth in the regions of bliss for ever the Lord himself is their keeper now, and will be their glory and glorifier for evermore. Oh, what a glorious prospect is this to look forward to amidst all the darkness, sin, and sorrow of an evil world we have to pass through to our Father's "house, not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." Oh, what consummation, what joy without sorrow! Life here is nothing in that view nor all the troubles of life, for death vanishes with its terrors before the faith and hope of the radiant scene. Eternity with all its height and depth appears only a boundless ocean of liberty, light, and love, to which every moment is carrying on the soul and for which the soul is led to pant after, like the thirsty hart for water brooks, and the nearer it approaches, the more glorious it appears! Oh, my gracious God, what hast thou prepared for them that love thee? It hath not entered into the heart of man to conceive. This is all we can say, we shall see him as he is, and be like him. I appear at present to be like one forgotten and out of mind by most of those who professed to love me for the truth's sake; but it is nothing new for the chief butler to forget God's Josephs; I believe no one in this day of empty profession has ever been treated with more cruelty than I have by professed teachers of the gospel and rich empty professors, and what has made it more painful is, that those who should have stood by me if they have not joined the camp of the enemy, they wink at their sin and are in correspondence with them and have treated me with neglect and silent contempt, because my enemies are rich but I am poor, so like my Master I am despised and rejected of men; but, it is well the servant be as his Master, and the disciple as 66 his Lord." But I hope through the doing and dying of Jesus I shall soon enjoy the best of blessings in its eternal bloom in a brighter and better world, when the winds of scandal shall howl no more, the tumultuous waves and the roaring billows of complicated grief shall distress my tempest-tossed mind no more for ever. I have been building my nest too much in the tree of creature-friendship, but the storm has blown it down, and I am glad to embrace the rock, I am wet with the showers from the mountains of trouble, but I find shelter, hope, and solid rest in Jesus and his finished work. The Lord very frequently makes the evil devised against us by Satan and his emissaries answer many valuable purposes, and so wisely manages those things which appear to be the greatest evils to be the greatest advantage to us, and to effect his own glory in some mysterious way. Our mercy under every dispensation is to lay passive in his hand, to believe in his love and to be humbled before him, and wait for his delivering hand. Our covenant God has marked out our path in love and in infinite wisdom, and though the hand of God may lay heavy upon us in deep afflictions and the dispensations of divine providence may be very dark, and our trials very severe, it is a mercy to know, to believe, and to be enabled to rest on the staff of divine faithfulness, ever bearing in mind that the grand design of every trouble and conflict is to answer the purposes of the divine glory, and ultimately to bring us to himself, to great nearness and conformity to Christ, and to everlasting bliss. 2 Cor. iv. 17, 18. The gardener takes but little notice of that tree he intends to cut down. He never manures, prunes, waters or defends it, but he does all these things to his own plantation. We live in a dying world; a few more rising and setting suns will settle all. The storm will then be over, and we shall be where the wicked will cease to trouble us, and our weary souls will be for ever at rest. Storm after storm is black with ill, But while my ship is doom'd to ride, The way to heaven 'tis through the wave, Yea though he die beneath a shed, Give my christian love to your husband, I never expect to see you any more in this world, but I trust I shall in a better, to part no more for ever, till then, farewell, yours' in the bonds of love in Jesus. As I know you are anxious to become acquainted with the effects that follow upon my visits to the sick and the dying, I hasten to inform you the one I attended last evening was a case preguant with the deepest interest, and will be remembered by me with feelings of praise and thanksgiving, seeing so great an honour has been conferred upon one so, utterly unworthy, as to be employed by my heavenly Father to communicate a blessing to one of his distressed and afflicted children; the person I refer to is a young woman who has been married but a few years, during which time she has been greatly tried by the unnatural conduct of her cruel husband. It appeared she had been accustomed from her youth to read the Scriptures, and in the more advanced stages of her history was privileged to live in families where the name of Jehovah was feared, and his Sabbaths and ordinances regarded, but alas, as she said, without the least spiritual advantage to her; however, it pleased the Lord to afflict her, with a very painful and dangerous disorder; she was brought indeed to the very gate of death, and was sinking to all human appearance under the most fearful of all diseases, the loss of reason; previous to my visit, she had been confined three months to her room, a great portion of which to her bed, requiring attendance night and day; in addition to bodily pain was much tried in mind by a discovery of her state as a lost and ruined sinner, and felt as if involved in the thickest darkness, all hope of recovery was taken away, and so awfully sinful did she appear in her own eyes, that she verily thought the pit of eternal misery was already open to receive her, and would soon realize all the horrors of the worm that dieth not, and the fire that is not quenched; from this time she grew worse, as it regarded her bodily complaint, but was greatly relieved in mind by the very seasonable visitation of the Lord's presence, which enabled her to believe she was saved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation. blessed frame of mind was of short duration, for Satan, the determined enemy of the children of light took advantage of the peculiar nature of her complaint, and by his secret influence led her to doubt and question the reality of all her past enjoyment and to conclude she was still in the gall of bitterness, and in the bonds of iniquity; in this distressed state I found her when I first visited her; her soul was indeed cast down by This |