02.02. CHOICE EXCERPTS contd
My dear friend,
Every year, and indeed every day—affords me new proofs of the evil and deceitfulness of my heart, and of my utter insufficiency to think even a good thought by myself! I have had much experience of warfare, on account of the remaining principle of indwelling sin. Without this experience, I would not have known so much of the wisdom, power, grace and compassion of Jesus. I have good reason to commend Him to others—as a faithful Shepherd, an infallible Physician and an unchangeable Friend! I have found Him such. His name is precious! His love is amazing! His compassions are boundless!
I trust I am enabled to choose Him as my all, my Lord, my Strength, my Savior, my Portion! I long for more grace to love Him better; for, alas! I have reason to number myself among the least of saints, and the chief of sinners.
Had He not been with me, and were He not mighty to forgive and deliver—long ago I would have been trodden down like mire in the streets. He has wonderfully preserved me in my outward walk, so that they who have watched for my halting have been disappointed. But He alone knows my innumerable backslidings, and the great perverseness of my heart. It is of His grace and mercy that I am what I am! Having obtained help from Him, I continue to this day!
I am, indeed, a poor servant—but He is a gracious Master! I am sure that He is with me, and is pleased to keep up in my heart, some sense of . . .
the evil of sin,
the beauty of holiness,
my own weakness, and
His glorious all-sufficiency.
Oh! who is a God like Him—who forgives iniquity, and casts the sins of His people into the depths of the sea! I shall not always live at such a poor dying rate. The land to which we are going is far different than this wilderness through which He is now leading us. Then we shall see His face—and never, never sin!
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March 1, 1769
Dear madam,
Through grace, I can say, that, as I never saw more of my own vileness—so, I think, I never saw Jesus more precious and desirable; or was more clearly sensible of the vanity of everything without Him, than I have of late. "None but Jesus!" is my motto. All wisdom, righteousness, holiness and happiness, which does not spring from and center in Him—I renounce.
The heart is deceitful,
the world is ensnaring,
the enemy is subtle and powerful.
But we know Him who has said, "My grace is sufficient for you!" He is able to keep us from falling, in every circumstance and station to which His providence calls us.
Our daily prayer should be, "Hold me up—and I shall be safe!" Psalms 119:117
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September 10, 1760
Dear Madam,
The best advice I can send, or the best wish I call for you, is that you may have an abiding and experimental sense of those words of the apostle, "LOOKING UNTO JESUS!" The duty, the privilege, the safety and the unspeakable happiness of a believer, are all comprised in that one sentence!
Let us first pray that the eyes of our understanding may be opened and strengthened; and then let us fix our whole gaze upon Him! But how are we to behold Him? I answer, in the looking-glass of His written Word! There He is represented to us in a variety of views. The wicked world can see no loveliness in the portraiture He has given of Himself; yet, blessed be God, there are those who can "behold His glory as the glory of the only begotten Son of God, full of grace and truth!" And while they behold it, they find themselves, changed into His image," by the transforming influence of His Spirit.
In vain we use our reasonings, and arguments, and resolutions, to beat down our corruptions and to silence our fears. A believing view of Jesus is the only effectual means!
When heavy trials in life are appointed us, and we are called to give up, or perhaps to pluck out a right eye—it is an easy matter for another to say, "Be comforted;" but this is totally useless. Only a believing view of Jesus will sustain us!
When: we can fix our thoughts upon Him, as submitting, for our sakes, to drink our whole bitter cup of the wrath of God to the very dregs; and we consider, that He who thus suffered in our nature, who knows and sympathizes with all our weakness, is now the Supreme Disposer of all that concerns us, and we further consider, He numbers the very hairs of our heads, appoints every trial we meet with in number, weight, and measure, and will allow nothing to befall us but what shall contribute to our real good—this view, I say, is the sure remedy for every disease, and powerfully reconciles us unto every affliction.
Again, we are afraid of being swallowed up by our many restless enemies; and are weary of our long pilgrimage through such a thorny, tedious, barren wilderness. A sight of Jesus, as Stephen saw Him, crowned with glory, yet noticing all the sufferings of His poor servants, ready to receive them to Himself and make them partakers of His everlasting joy—this will raise the spirits, and restore strength; this will animate us to hold on and to hold out! This will do it—and nothing but this can!
Looking unto Jesus will melt the soul into love and gratitude; and those who greatly love, and are greatly obliged, find obedience to Jesus to be easy. When Jesus is upon our thoughts, then we can ask the Apostle’s question with befitting disdain, "What! Shall I continue in sin—that grace may abound? God forbid! What! Shall I sin against my Lord, my Love, my Friend—who once died for my sins, and now lives and reigns on my behalf; who supports, and leads, and guides, and feeds me every day? God forbid! No! Rather
"Looking unto Jesus—the author and finisher of our faith!" Hebrews 12:2
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If we are guilty—He is our Righteousness; if we are sick—He is our infallible Physician; if we are weak, helpless, and defenseless—He is the compassionate and faithful Shepherd who has taken charge of us, and will not allow anything to disappoint our hopes of heaven, or to separate us from His love.
He knows our frame, He remembers that we are but dust, and has engaged to: guide us by His counsel, support us by His power, and at length to receive us to His glory—that we may be with Him forever!
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July, 1777
Dear sir,
I have recently read "Robertson’s History of Charles V", which, like most other histories, I consider as a commentary upon those passages of Scripture which teach us the depravity of man, the deceitfulness of the heart, the ruinous effects of sin; and the powerful, though secret, rule of Divine Providence, moving, directing, controlling the designs and actions of men, with an unerring hand—to the accomplishment of His own purposes, both of mercy and judgment. Without the clue and the light which the Word of God affords—
But with the Scripture key—all is plain, all is instructive. Then I see truly, that there is a God, who governs the earth, who pours contempt upon princes, captures the wise in their own craftiness, over-rules the wrath and pride of man—to bring His own designs to pass; and restrains all that is not necessary to that end; blasting the best concerted enterprises at one time, by means apparently slight, and altogether unexpected, and at other times producing the most important events from instruments and circumstances which are, at first thought, too feeble and trivial to deserve notice!
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Where the Gospel is preached, those who perish do willfully resist the Gospel light, choose and cleave to darkness, and stifle the convictions which the truths of God will, in one degree or other, force upon their minds. The cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, the love of other things, the violence of sinful appetites, their prejudices, pride, and self-righteousness either prevent the reception, or choke the growth of the gospel seed. Thus, their own sin and obstinacy is the proper cause of their destruction. "You WILL not come to Me—that you might have life." John 5:40
At the same time, it is true that they cannot come, unless they are supernaturally drawn by God! "No one CAN come to Me—unless the Father who sent Me draws him." John 6:44.
The natural man is so blinded by Satan, so alienated from God by nature and wicked works, so given up to sin, so averse from that way of salvation which is contrary to his pride and natural wisdom—that he will not embrace it or seek after it! And therefore he cannot receive it—until the grace of God powerfully enlightens his mind, and overcomes his obstacles.
The unbeliever is insensible of his lost and dreadful condition. He does not know the evil of sin, the strictness of God’s law, the majesty of the God whom he has offended, nor the total apostasy of his heart! He is blind to eternal realities, and ignorant of the excellency of Christ! He thinks that he is whole—and sees not his need of this great Physician! For salvation, he relies upon his own wisdom, power, and supposed righteousness.
Now, in this state of things, when God comes with a purpose of saving mercy—He begins by convincing the person of sin, judgment, and righteousness; causes him to feel and know that he is a lost, condemned, helpless creature; and then reveals to him the necessity, sufficiency, and willingness of Christ to save those who are ready to perish—without money or price—without personal doings or deservings.
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"The carnal mind is enmity against God!" Romans 8:7
The heart of man—of any man, every man, however apparently amiable in his outward conduct, however benevolent to his fellow creatures, however abundant and zealous in his religious devotions —is, by nature, enmity against God! Not indeed against the idea which he himself forms of God —but against the character which God has revealed of Himself in the Scripture!
Man is an enemy to the justice, sovereignty, and law of God.
He is an enemy to the one method of salvation,
which God has appointed in the Gospel, which is by grace alone.
All that is godly or gracious in a person
—is the effect of a new creation, a supernatural principle,
wrought in the heart by the Gospel of Christ, and the agency of His Spirit!
Until that is effected, the highest attainments, the finest qualifications in man, however they may exalt him in his own eyes, or recommend him to the notice of his fellow-worms, are but abominations in the sight of God!
The Gospel is calculated and designed—to stain the pride of human glory.
It is not provided for the wise and the self-righteous, for those who
think they have good hearts and good works to plead
—but
It fills the hungry with good things—but it sends the rich away empty!
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"The human heart is most deceitful and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?" Jeremiah 17:9
The soil of human nature, though many spots are certainly better weeded, planted, and fertilized than others—is everywhere the same—universally bad! The human heart is so bad, that it cannot be worse—and of itself is only capable of producing noxious weeds, and nourishing venomous creatures!
We know that culture, skill, and expense will make a garden—where all was desert before. When Jesus,
But its natural propensity to bring forth weeds still continues, and one half of God’s dealings with us, may be compared to a company of weeders, whom He sends forth into His garden—to pluck up all which He has not planted with His own hand; and which, if left to grow, would quickly overpower and over top the rest!
But, alas! the ground is so impregnated with evil seeds, and they shoot in such quick succession, that if this weeding work were not constantly repeated, all former labor would be lost! Hence arises the necessity of daily crosses and disappointments, and such multiplied convictions that we are nothing, and can do nothing, of ourselves! All these trials are needful, and barely sufficient, to prevent our hearts from being overrun with pride, lust, worldliness and self-dependence.
And as we have chosen Him for our Physician—let us commit ourselves to His management, and not prescribe to Him what He shall prescribe for us. He knows us and He loves us better than we do ourselves—and will do all things well.
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The life of faith seems so simple and easy in theory, that I can point it out to others in few words. But in practice it is very difficult; and my advances are so slow, that I hardly dare say I get forward at all. It is a great thing indeed to have the spirit of a little child, so as to be habitually afraid of taking a single step without God’s leading.
I have some idea of
A Christian should be conformable to Christ in his spirit and in his practice. That is, he should be spiritually minded, dead to the world, and filled with zeal—for the glory of God, the spread of the Gospel, and the good of souls. He should be humble, patient, meek, cheerful, and thankful under all events and changes. He should account it the business and honor of his life—to imitate Him who pleased not Himself but went about doing good.
The whole deportment of a Christian should show that the saving knowledge of Jesus affords him all he could expect from it— a balm for every grief, an amends for every loss, a motive for every duty, a restraint from every evil, a pattern for everything which he is called to do or suffer, and a principle sufficient to constitute the actions of every day, even in common life—as acts of piety.
A Christian should make every event through which he passes, subservient and subordinate to his main design—the glory of Christ.
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We often complain of
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May, 1774.
My dear Madam,
Death and illness are still walking about the town. The sudden death of our friend is a heavy blow. He was an amiable, judicious, candid man, and an excellent preacher in a great sphere of usefulness; and his age and constitution gave hopes that he might have been eminently serviceable for many years. How often does the Lord write vanity upon all our expectations from men! O for grace to take warning by the sufferings of others—to set loose to the world, and so number our days as to incline our hearts to the one thing needful. Indeed that one thing includes many things, sufficient to engage the best of our thoughts and the most of our time—if we were duly sensible of their importance.
But I may adopt the Psalmist’s expression, "My soul cleaves to the dust!" How is it that the truths of which I have the most undoubted conviction, and which are, of all others, the most weighty—should make so little impression upon me? O I know the cause! It is deeply rooted. An evil nature cleaves to me; so that when I would do good—evil is present with me.
It is, however, a mercy to be made sensible of it, and in any measure humbled for it. Before long, this evil nature will be dropped into the grave—then all hindrances shall cease! This thought gives relief—
In the mean time, may He enable us to serve Him with our best. O that every power, faculty, and talent, were devoted to Him! He deserves all we have—and ten thousand times more if we had it; for He has loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood! In one sense we are well suited to answer His purpose; for if we were not vile and worthless beyond expression, the exceeding riches of His grace would not have been so gloriously displayed. His glory shines more in redeeming one sinner—than in preserving a thousand angels!
And now, dear madam, farewell. If the Lord spares our lives, I hope we shall see each other again upon earth. But above all, let us rejoice in the blessed Gospel, by which immortality is brought to light, and a glorious prospect opened beyond the grave! There at least, after all the changes and trials of this earthly state, we shall meet to part no more!
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We learn more, and more effectually—by one minute’s communion with God through the medium of His Word—than we could from an assembly of theologians, or a library of books!
"If anyone teaches other doctrine and does not agree with the sound teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ and with the teaching that promotes godliness, he is conceited, understanding nothing, but having a sick interest in disputes and arguments over words. From these come envy, quarreling, slanders, evil suspicions, and constant disagreement among men whose minds are depraved and deprived of the truth." 1 Timothy 6:3-5
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"But He said to me, ’My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak—then I am strong!" 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
August 19, 1775.
Dear friend,
Do not be afraid—even when you feel your own weakness and insufficiency most sensibly. We are never more safe, and never have more reason to expect the Lord’s help—than when we are most sensible that we can do nothing without Him. This was
This way of being saved entirely by grace, from first to last—is contrary to our natural pride. It mortifies SELF, leaving it nothing to boast of. When we think ourselves so utterly helpless and worthless, we are too ready to fear that the Lord will therefore reject us. Whereas, in truth, such a poverty of spirit is the best mark we can have of a saving interest in His promises and care.
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January 16, 1775.
Dear friend,
I can sympathize with you in your troubles—yet, knowing the nature of our salvation, that, by an unalterable appointment, the way to the kingdom lies through many tribulations; I ought to rejoice, rather than sympathize, that to you it is given, not only to believe—but also to suffer!
If you escaped these hard things, whereof all the Lord’s children are partakers, might not you question your adoption into His family? How could the power of grace be manifest, either to you, in you, or by you—without afflictions? How could the corruptions and devastations of the heart be checked, without a cross? How could you acquire a tenderness and skill in speaking to those who are weary, without a taste of such trials as they also meet with? You would only be a hearsay witness to the truth, power, and sweetness of the precious promises, unless you have been in such a situation as to need them, and to find their suitableness and sufficiency.
The Lord has given you a good desire to serve Him in the Gospel, and He is now training you for that service. Many things, yes, the most important things, belonging to the Gospel ministry, are not to be learned by books and study—but by
that you shall not be tried above what He will enable you to bear,
and that all things shall work together for your spiritual good!
Were we to acquire no other knowledge of the Christian warfare, than what we could derive from cool and undisturbed book study, instead of coming forth as able ministers of the New Testament, and competently acquainted with the devices, the deep-laid devices and stratagems of Satan—we would prove to be worthless. But the Lord will take better care of those whom He loves and designs to honor. He will try, and permit them to be tried, in various ways. He will make them feel much affliction in themselves, that they may know how to feel much for others.
This painful discipline is necessary to enable us to take the field in a public capacity with courage, wisdom, and success, that we may lead and animate others in the fight! It is equally necessary for our own sakes, that we may obtain and preserve the grace of humility, which He has taught you to set a high value upon. Indeed, we cannot value it too highly; for we can be neither comfortable, safe, nor habitually useful, without sincere humility! The root of pride lies deep in our fallen nature, and, where the Lord has given great abilities—pride would grow apace, if He did not mercifully watch over us, and suit His dealings with us, to keep it down.
Therefore I trust He will make you willing to endure hardships, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. May He enable you to behold Him with faith holding out the prize, and saying to you, "Fear none of those things that you shall suffer! Be faithful unto death, and I will give you a crown of life!"
We sail upon a turbulent and tumultuous sea—but we are embarked on a good vessel, and in a good cause. We have an infallible and almighty Pilot, who has the winds and weather at His command, and can silence the storm into a calm with a word, whenever He pleases. We may be persecuted—but we shall not be forsaken; we may be cast down—but we cannot be destroyed. Many will molest us that we may fall—but the Lord will uphold us!
I am sorry to find that you are quite alone. Yet, you are not alone; for the Lord is with you, the best Counselor and the best Friend!
There is a strange backwardness in us (at least in me) to fully improve that gracious intimacy to which He invites us. Alas! that we so easily wander from the fountain of life—to hew out broken cisterns for ourselves; and that we seem more attached to a few drops of His grace in our fellow-creatures, than to the fullness of grace that is in Himself! I think nothing gives me a more striking sense of my depravity, than my perverseness and folly in this respect. Yet He bears with me, and does me good continually.
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I sympathize with you in your sorrow for
We feel and grieve for any deaths in our own little circles; but O, the dreadful mischief of sin! Human death is as frequent as the hours, the minutes, perhaps the moments of every day. And though we may be impacted by but one death in a million—the souls of all others have an equal capacity for endless happiness or misery!
In this situation, the Lord has honored us with a call to warn our fellow-sinners of their danger, and to set before them His free and sure salvation! And if He is pleased to make us instrumental of snatching but one as a brand out of the fire—it is a service of more importance than to be the means of preserving a whole nation from temporal ruin!
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(Letter of John Newton to a minister)
It has been reported to me—that the length of your sermons is frequently two hours, and the vehemence of your voice so great—that you may be heard far beyond the church-walls.
I would be unwilling to dampen your zeal—but I feel unwilling likewise, that by excessive, unnecessary exertions, that you should wear away very soon, and preclude your own usefulness!
I know that the spirits of some high-strung people are highly volatile. I consider you as mounted upon a fiery steed, and provided you use due management and circumspection, you travel more pleasantly than we plodding folks upon our sober, stolid horses. But then, if instead of pulling the rein—you plunge in the spurs, and add wings to the wind—I cannot but be in pain for the consequences. Permit me to remind you of an old adage—the end of speaking is to be heard; and if the person farthest from the preacher can hear, he speaks loud enough.
Upon some occasions, a few sentences of a discourse may be enforced with a voice still more elevated—but to be uncommonly loud from beginning to end—is hurtful to the speaker, and in no way useful to the hearer! It is a fault which many inadvertently give into at first, and which many have repented of too late—when the harmful practice has rendered it habitual, and not easily corrected. I know some think that preaching very loudly—and preaching with power—are synonymous expressions. But your judgment is too good to fall in with that false sentiment.
There is a quotation from Homer, where he describes the eloquence of Nestor, and compares it, not to a thunderstorm or hurricane—but to a fall of snow, which, though pressing, insinuating, and penetrating—is soft and gentle. I think the simile is beautiful and expressive.
Secondly, as to long preaching. There is an old-fashioned instrument called an hour-glass, which in days of yore, before clocks and watches abounded, used to be the measure of many a good sermon, and I think it a tolerable stint. I cannot wind up my ends to my own satisfaction in a much shorter time than an hour—nor am I pleased with myself if I greatly exceed an hour.
If an angel was to preach for two hours—unless his hearers were angels likewise—the greater part of them wish that he had preached for a much shorter time! It is a shame it should be so—but so it is! Partly through the weakness and partly through the wickedness of the flesh—we can seldom stretch our attention to spiritual things for two hours—without cracking it, and hurting its spring! When weariness begins—edification ends!
Besides, overlong sermons break in upon family concerns, and often call off the thoughts from the sermon—to the pudding at home, which is in danger of being over-boiled! Long sermons leave likewise but little time for secret or family devotions, which are entitled to a share of each Sunday.
Upon the preacher long sermons must have a bad effect, and tend to wear him down before his time. I have known some, by over preaching at first, have been constrained to sit still and do little or nothing for months or years afterwards. I recommend you to this wise advice: Set out at such a pace—that you may hold out to your journey’s end.
Now, if Fame with her hundred mouths has brought me a false report of you, and you are not guilty of preaching either too long or too loud, still I am not willing my remonstrance may go for nothing. I desire you to accept it, and thank me for it as a proof of my love to you, and likewise of the sincerity of my friendship; for if I had wished to flatter you—I could easily have written on another subject.
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July, 1764
My dear Madam,
Sin is the sickness of the soul, in itself mortal and incurable as to any power in heaven or earth—but that of the Lord Jesus only. But He is the great, the infallible, Physician. Have we the privilege to know His salvation? Have we been enabled to put ourselves into His hand? Then we have then no more to do but to attend His prescriptions, to be satisfied with His methods, and to wait His time.
It is lawful to wish we were well; it is natural to groan, being burdened—but still He must and will take His own course with us; and, however dissatisfied with ourselves, we ought still to be thankful that He has begun His work in us, and to believe that He will complete it. Therefore while we mourn—we should likewise rejoice! We should encourage ourselves to expect all that He has promised; and we should limit our expectations by His promises.
We are sure, that when the Lord delivers us from the guilt and dominion of sin, He could with equal ease free us entirely from sin—if He pleased. But He has appointed that sanctification should be effected, and sin mortified, not at once completely—but little by little; and doubtless He has wise reasons for it. Therefore, though we are to desire a growth in grace, we should, at the same time, acquiesce in His appointment, and not be discouraged or despond, because we feel that conflict which His Word informs us will only terminate with our lives.
Your heart is not worse than it was formerly—only your spiritual knowledge is increased. And this is no small part of the growth in grace, which you are thirsting after—to be truly humbled, and emptied, and made little in your own eyes.
Further, the examples of the saints recorded in Scripture (and indeed of the saints in general), prove that the greater measure any person has of the grace of God, the more conscientious and lively they have been, and the more they have been favored with assurances of the Divine favor—so much the more deep and sensible, is their perception of indwelling sin and infirmity! So it was with Job, Isaiah, Daniel, and Paul.
It is likewise common to overcharge ourselves. Indeed we cannot think ourselves worse than we really are! Yet some things which abate the comfort and alacrity of our Christian profession, are rather natural impediments than properly sinful—and will not be imputed to us by Him who knows our frame, and remembers that we are but dust.
Thus, to have an infirm memory; or to be subject to disordered, irregular, or depressed spirits—are faults of the constitution, in which the heart and will has no share; though they are all oppressive, and sometimes needlessly so, by our charging ourselves with guilt on their account. The same may be observed of the unspeakable and fierce temptations of Satan, with which some people are pestered—but which shall be laid to him from whom they proceed, and not to them who are troubled and terrified because they are forced to feel them.
Lastly, it is by the experience of these evils within ourselves, and by feeling our utter insufficiency, either to perform duty or to withstand our enemies—that the Lord takes occasion to show us the suitableness, the sufficiency, the freeness, the unchangeableness of His power and grace!
Let us then, dear madam, be thankful and cheerful! And while we take shame to ourselves—let us glorify God, by giving Jesus the honor due to His name!
Though we are poor—He is rich.
Though we are weak—He is strong.
Though we have nothing—He possesses all things.
He suffered for us. He calls us to be conformed to Him in sufferings. He conquered in His own person, and He will make each of His members more than conquerors in due season.
It is good to have one eye upon ourselves—but the other should always be fixed on Him who is our Savior, Husband, Sustainer and Shepherd! In Him—we have righteousness, peace, and power. He can control all that we fear; so that if our path should be through the fire or through the water, neither the flood shall drown us, nor the flame kindle upon us! Before long He will cut short our conflicts, and say, ’Come up higher!’ Then shall our grateful songs abound—and every fear be wiped away! Having such promises and assurances, let us lift up our banner in His name, and press on through every discouragement!
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July, 1764
My dear Madam,
In a letter I received from Mrs. **** yesterday, she writes thus:
"I am at present very ill with some disorder in my throat, which seems to threaten my life. But death or life, things present or things to come—all things are mine, and I am Christ’s! O glorious privilege! precious foundation of soul-rest and peace, when all things concerning us are most troublous! Soon we shall be at home with Christ, where sin, sorrow, and death have no place! In the mean time, our Beloved will lead us through the wilderness. How safe, how joyous we are—in the most dire case!"
If these should be
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1769.
Dear friend,
I heard of your being laid on the bed of affliction, and of the Lord’s goodness to you there, and of His raising you up again. Blessed be His name! He is all-sufficient and faithful; and though He causes grief, He is sure to show compassion in supporting and delivering.
Ah! the evil of our nature is deeply rooted and very powerful—or such repeated, continual corrections and chastisements would not be necessary! And were they not necessary, we would not have them. But such we are—and therefore such must be our treatment. For though the Lord loves us with a tenderness beyond what the mother feels for her nursing child—yet it is a tenderness directed by Infinite Wisdom, and very different from that weak indulgence which in parents we call fondness, which leads them to comply with their children’s desires and inclinations, rather than to act with a steady view to their true welfare.
The Lord loves His children, and is very indulgent to them so far as they can safely bear it—but
It is true, without a single exception, that all His paths are mercy and truth, to those who fear Him. His love is the same, when He wounds—as when He heals; when He takes away—as when He gives. We have reason to thank Him for all—but most for His loving corrections and chastisements.
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"He began to teach them many things." Mark 6:34
Though we are poor, slow scholars—the great Teacher to whom we have been encouraged and enabled to apply, can and will effectually teach us! He communicates not only instructions—but capacities and abilities. There is none like Him! He can make . . .
the blind to see,
the deaf to hear, and
the dumb to speak!
How great is His condescension and patience! How does He accommodate Himself to our weakness—and teach us as we are able to bear!
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1772.
Dear friend,
I can assure you of my sincere sympathy with you in your trials. I can in some measure guess at what you feel, from what I have seen and felt myself in cases where I have been similarly concerned. But my compassion, though sincere, is ineffectual. Though I can pity—I cannot relieve. All I can do is, as the Lord enables me, to remember you before His throne of grace.
But there is One whose compassion is infinite! The love and tenderness of ten thousand earthly friends, of ten thousand mothers towards their nursing infants, if compared with His—are less than a drop of water, compared to the ocean!
And His power is infinite too. Why then do our sufferings continue, when He is so compassionate, and could remove them with a word? Surely, if we cannot give the particular reasons (which yet He will acquaint us with hereafter, John 13:7), the general reason is at hand. He does not afflict us needlessly—but for our profit; to make us partakers of His holiness, and because He loves us!
I wish you much comfort from David’s thought, Psalms 142:3, "When my spirit was overwhelmed within me—You knew my path." The Lord is not withdrawn to a distant universe—but His eye is upon you! He does not see you with the indifference of a mere spectator—but He observes with loving attention—He knows, He considers your path. Yes, He appoints it—and every circumstance about it is under His direction! Your trouble began at the hour which He saw best—it could not come before! He has marked the degree of it, to a hair’s breadth; and the duration to the minute! He knows likewise how your spirit is affected; and such supplies of grace and strength, and in such seasons as He sees needful—He will afford. Therefore, hope in God, for you shall yet praise Him!
I do not need to remind you—that Jesus has suffered unspeakably more for you! He drank for your sake—a cup of unmixed wrath! And He only puts into your hand—a cup of affliction mixed with many mercies! What are all of our sufferings—compared to His? And yet He endured them freely. He needed not to have borne them—for He might have left us to perish! But such was His love—that He died that we might live; and endured the fiercest agonies that He might open to us the gate of everlasting peace and happiness!
Remember that we are chastened less than our iniquities have deserved. If our illness is so grievous and so hard to bear—what do we owe to Him who delivered us from that place of unutterable torment, where there is weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth forever—without hope or respite!
How amazingly perverse is my heart—that I can be more affected with
Oh, if we could always behold Him by faith—as evidently crucified before our eyes—how would it compose our spirits as to all the sweets and bitters of this poor life! What an armor would it prove against all the snares and temptations whereby Satan would draw us into evil! I long for more love to Jesus—that I may be preserved humble, thankful, watchful, and dependent upon Him. To behold the glory and the love of Jesus—is the only effectual way to be changed into His image!
To stand at the foot of the Cross, with a softened heart and melting eyes; to forget our sins, sorrows, and burdens, while we are wholly swallowed up in the contemplation of Him who bore our sins in His own body upon the cruel tree—is certainly the most desirable situation on this side the grave!
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I should be more affected than I am, with . . .
the coolness of my love,
the faintness of my zeal,
the vanity of my heart, and
my undue attachment to the things of time.
O these clogs, fetters, valleys, and mountains, which . . .
obstruct my course,
darken my views,
slacken my pace, and
disable me in service!
Well it is for me, that I am not under the law—but under grace.
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Remember your exalted privilege—you have the Bible in your hands, and are not bound to follow books or preachers any farther than what they teach agrees with the Oracles of Truth. We have great reason to be thankful for
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August, 1772
My dear Miss,
So that if sometimes my spirit is in a measure humble, lively and holy—it is not that I have grown better than I was—but the Lord is pleased to put forth His gracious power in my weakness!
And when my heart is dry and stupid, when I can find no pleasure in waiting upon God—it is not because I am worse than I was before—but only because the Lord sees it best that I should feel—what a poor creature I am.
My heart was once like a dungeon, beyond the reach of the sun, and always dark. Yet the Lord by His grace has been pleased to make this dungeon into a room, by putting windows in it. But I need not tell you, that though windows will transmit the light into a room, they cannot supply the lack of light. When the day is gone—the windows are of little use. When the day returns, the room is enlightened by them again. Thus, unless the Lord shines, I cannot retain today—the light I had yesterday! And though His presence makes a delightful difference, I have no more to boast of in myself at one time than another. When He is with me—all goes on pleasantly. When He withdraws—I find I can do nothing without Him.
I need not wonder that I find it so; for it must be so of course, if I am what I confess myself to be—a poor, helpless, sinful creature in myself. Nor need I be over-much discouraged, since the Lord has promised to help those who can do nothing without Him—and not those who can make a tolerable shift to help themselves.
In His great mercy, He does not so totally withdraw, as to leave me without any power or will to cry for His return. I hope He maintains in me at all times—a desire for His presence. Yet it befits me to wait for Him with patience, and to live upon His faithfulness, when I can feel nothing but evil in myself.
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We may indeed admire God’s patience towards us.
If we were blind, and reduced to need a person to lead us—and yet would dispute with him, and direct him at every step—we would probably soon weary him, and provoke him to leave us to find the way by ourselves!
But our gracious Lord is long-suffering and full of compassion. He bears with our frowardness—yet He will take methods both to shame and to humble us, and to bring us to a confession that He is wiser than we. The great and unexpected benefit He intends for us, by all the discipline we meet with—is to tread down our wills, and bring them into subjection to His. So far as we attain to this, we are out of the reach of disappointment. For when the will of God can please us—we shall be pleased every day, and from morning to night—with respect to His dealings with us.
SELF is active in my heart, though it does not absolutely reign there. I profess to believe that one thing is needful and sufficient—and yet my thoughts are prone to wander after a hundred more. If it is true, that the light of His countenance is better than life—why am I solicitous about anything else? If He is all-sufficient, and gives me liberty to call Him mine—why do I go a begging to creatures for help? If He is about my path and bed; if the smallest, as well as the greatest, events in which I am concerned are under His immediate direction; if the very hairs of my head are numbered—then my care (any farther than a care to walk in the paths of His precepts, and to follow the openings of His providence) must be . . .
useless and needless,
yes indeed sinful and heathenish,
burdensome to myself, and
dishonorable to my profession!
Let us cast down the load we are unable to carry; and if the Lord is our Shepherd, refer all, and trust all to Him! Let us endeavor to live to Him and for Him today, and be glad that tomorrow, with all that is behind it, is in His hands
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July 7, 1778
My dear friend,
No looking-glass could show my face more justly—than this lion shows my heart. I could trace every feature—as wild and fierce by nature; yes, much more so—but grace has in some measure tamed me. I know and love my Keeper, and sometimes watch His looks that I may learn His will. But, oh! I have my surly fits too! Seasons when I relapse into the savage again, as though I had forgotten all.
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November 27, 1778.
My dear friend,
I heartily sympathize with you in your illnesses—but I see you are in safe hands! The Lord loves you—and He will take care of you. He who raises the dead—can revive your spirits when you are cast down. He who sets bounds to the sea, and says "Hitherto shall you come, and no further," can limit and moderate those illnesses which sometimes distress you. He knows why He permits you to be thus exercised. I cannot assign the reasons—but I am sure they are worthy of His wisdom and love, and that you will hereafter see and say, "He has done all things well!"
I do not like to puzzle myself with second causes, while the first cause is at hand, which sufficiently accounts for every phenomenon in a believer’s experience. Your constitution, your situation, your temper, your distemper, all that is either comfortable or painful in your lot—is of His appointment! The hairs of your head are all numbered. The same power which produced the planet Jupiter—is necessary to the production of a single hair! Nor can one of your hairs fall to the ground without His notice—any more than the stars can fall from their orbits! In providence, no less than in creation—He is the absolute Sovereign and Ruler.
Healing and wounding are equally from His hand—and are equally tokens of His love and care over us! "The Lord gives—and the Lord takes away. Praise the name of the Lord!" Job 1:21
Therefore, fear not—only believe.
~ ~ ~ ~ A sealed book in all languages
"My soul cleaves to the dust! Quicken me according to Your Word!" Psalms 119:25
The Scripture itself, whether I read it in Hebrew, Greek or English—is
O for more of His gracious influence, which in a moment can make my wilderness-soul rejoice and blossom like the rose!
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My dear friend,
I hope and trust, that you find the Lord’s presence with you in your new home; otherwise you would think it a dungeon! There is the same difference among people now, as there was between the Egyptians and Israel of old. Multitudes are buried alive under a cloud of thick darkness—but all the Lord’s people have light in their dwellings. Ah! how many great and fair houses are there, without the heavenly inhabitant! It might be written upon their doors, ’God is not here!’ And, when you go in, you may be sure of it, for there is neither peace nor truth within the walls.
This thought has often struck me, when I have been to see some fine houses, as they are called. When the Lord is not known and acknowledged, the rooms are but
On the other hand, the houses of believers, though most of them are poor cottages—are truly palaces; for it is the presence of the King that makes the court! There the Lord reigns upon a throne of grace, and there a royal guard of angels take their stand to watch over and minister to the heirs of salvation.
After all, the best houses upon earth—are but inns, where we are accommodated a little time, while we are doing our Master’s business.
Your real dwelling, your real home, is in heaven; here on earth, you are but a sojourner. But, to express it in a more honorable manner—you are an ambassador, entrusted with affairs of great importance, to manage for the King, your Master!
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"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Romans 12:2
We are not to stoop to a conformity to the vain world among whom we live. We are . . .
neither to imitate their customs,
nor regard their maxims,
nor speak their language,
nor desire their honors or their favors,
nor fear their frowns!
If they account us as
The Lord whom we serve has engaged to maintain and protect us, and has given us His instructions to which it is both our duty and our honor to conform.
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I have little idea as to the state of things in the world—for I seldom see a newspaper for two weeks together. And when I do, I meet with so little to encourage me, that
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"God is exalted in His power. Who is a teacher like Him?" Job 36:22
God has given us His infallible Word, and promised us His infallible Spirit—to guide us into all necessary truth!
In the study of His infallible Word, and in dependence upon His infallible Spirit, none can miss the way of peace and salvation, who are sincerely desirous to find it. But we are cautioned to keep our eye upon both; and the caution is necessary, for we are too prone to separate what God has joined together.
What strange mistakes have been made by some who have thought themselves able to interpret Scripture by their own abilities, because they have studied with much diligence! Unless our dependence upon divine teaching bears some proportion to our diligence—we may take much pains to little purpose!
On the other hand, we are directed to expect the teaching and assistance of the Holy Spirit only within the limits, and by the medium of the written Word. For He has not promised to reveal new truths—but to enable us to understand what we read in the Bible—and if we venture beyond the pale of Scripture,
Only an attention to the Word of God, joined to humble supplications for the guidance of the Spirit—will lead us to new advances in true knowledge.
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Indeed, the great points of our eternal concerns, may be summed up in a few words:
to have a real conviction of our sin and unworthiness;
to know that Jesus is the all-sufficient Savior, and that there is no other;
to set Him before us as our Shepherd, Advocate and Master;
to place our hope upon Him alone;
to live to Him—who lived and died for us;
to wait in His appointed means for the consolations of His Spirit;
to walk in His steps—and copy His character;
to be daily longing for the end of our warfare—that we may see Him as He is.
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I feel much more union of spirit with some holy Arminians, than I do with some worldly Calvinists. If I thought that a certain person feared sin, loved the Word of God, and was seeking after Jesus—I would not walk the length of my study to proselyte him to the Calvinistic doctrines! Not because I think them mere opinions, or of little importance to a believer—I think the contrary; but because I believe these doctrines will do no one any good—until he is taught them by God. I believe a too hasty assent to Calvinistic principles, before a person is duly acquainted with the plague of his own heart—is one principal cause of that lightness of profession which so lamentably abounds in this day, a chief reason why many professors are rash, heady, high-minded, contentious about words, and sadly remiss as to the divine means of grace.
For this reason, I suppose, though I never preach a sermon in which the tincture of Calvinism may not be easily discerned by a judicious hearer—yet I very seldom insist expressly upon those five points, unless they fairly and necessarily are in my text of Scripture.
I believe most people who are truly alive to God, sooner or later meet with some pinches in their experience which constrain them to flee to those doctrines of grace for relief—which perhaps they had formerly dreaded, if not abhorred, because they knew not how to get over some harsh inferences they thought necessarily resulted from them, or because they were stumbled by the miscarriages of those who professed them.
In this way I was made a Calvinist myself; and I am content to let the Lord take His own way, and His own time, with others.
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"I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes—but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God." 1 Timothy 2:9-10
I have no doubt that many godly parents who desire to see their children brought up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, give them many excellent lessons in the nursery. They endeavor to impress their tender minds with a sense of their sinful state by nature, of the evil of pride, and of the vanity of the world. But, when their children begin to appear in public view, for lack of due reflection, or resolution, or both—they either encourage, or at least permit them, to form habits, which have a direct tendency to counteract all the benefits which might otherwise be hoped for, from the instruction of their early years.
If clothes are considered merely as a covering for the body and a defense from the cold, it will be difficult to draw the line to determine exactly between what is necessary and what is superfluous. But it is more for the honor of the gospel that a woman, professing godliness, should be distinguished from others, by modesty, sobriety and good works, than by the shape of her hat, or the color of her garment.
A careful attention to ’dress’ will cost you much of what is more valuable than money—that is, your precious time! It will too much occupy your thoughts, and that at the seasons when you would wish to have them otherwise engaged. And it certainly administers fuel to that latent fire of pride and vanity, which is inseparable from our fallen nature and is easily blown up into a blaze!
If a woman, when going to public worship, looks in the mirror and contemplates, with a secret self-delight, the figure which it reflects to her view—I am afraid she is not in the frame of spirit most suitable for one, who is about to ’cry for mercy as a miserable sinner’.
I am most concerned by what we call ’fashion’, and the eagerness with which every changing fashion, however improper, is adopted by people whose religious profession might lead us to hope they had no time to attend to such trifles! If some allowance is to be made for youth on this subject, it is painful to see mothers, and possibly sometimes grandmothers, who seem, by the gaudiness and levity of their attire—very unwilling to be sensible that they are growing older!
It may be a sufficient censure of some fashions—to say they are ridiculous. And perhaps the inventors of them had no worse design, than to see how far they could lead ’the passive unthinking many’ in the path of absurdity! Why should a godly woman, or one who wishes to be thought so—make herself ridiculous, or hazard a suspicion of her character, to please and imitate an ungodly world?
But the worst of all the fashions are those, which are evidently calculated to allure the eyes, and to draw the attention of men. Is it not strange that modest and even pious women should be drawn into an immodest compliance? Yet I have sometimes been in company with ladies of whose modesty I have no doubt and of whose piety I entertained a good hope, when I have been embarrassed and at a loss as to which way to look! They are indeed noticed by the men—but not to their honor nor advantage. The manner of their dress gives encouragement to vile and insidious men, and exposes them to dangerous temptations. Their immodesty has often proved the first step into the road which leads to misery and ruin. They are pleased with the flattery of the worthless, and go on without thought, "like a bird flying into a snare, little knowing that it would cost him his life!"
Soon, and perhaps suddenly—the body, now adorned with so much extravagance and care, must be deposited in the grave, and be food for worms!
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"Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus!" 2 Timothy 2:3
A minister is a soldier of Jesus Christ and, as such, is to expect to endure hardship. It is well to have this in mind in the education of young men for the Christian ministry.
They are not called to be loafers—but soldiers; not to live delicately—but to prepare for battle and hardship. They should therefore be advised and accustomed to prefer a plain and frugal manner of life, and to avoid multiplying those expenses which luxury and folly would prompt us to multiply almost infinitely.
A propensity to indulgence either in the quantity or quality of food, is a baseness unworthy of a man, still more unsuitable to the character of a Christian, and scandalous in a minister!
A propriety in dress should also be consulted. Neatness is commendable; but a student in divinity should keep at a distance from being a devotee to fashion. A finical disposition in this article not only occasions a waste of time and expense—but is an evidence of a trifling turn of mind and exposes the fine self-admiring youth, to the contempt or pity of the wise and godly.
Farther, a habit of rising early should be resolutely formed. It redeems much time, and chiefly of those hours which are most favorable to study or devotion. It likewise cuts off the temptation to sitting up late, a hurtful and preposterous custom, which many students unwarily give in to and which they cannot so easily break, when the bad effects of it upon their health convince them too late of their imprudence.
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Liverpool, October 3, 1755
My dearest wife,
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My dearest wife,
I was enabled this morning to commend you to the Lord’s blessing, with much comfort. God is gracious and merciful—even in afflicting us! If your health should be fully restored, let us remember it is but a reprieve. We must experience, sooner or later, another and final visitation, to put an end to this frail life. Happy shall we be, if, when that hour arrives, we shall be found ready, and enabled, by faith in our Redeemer to withstand and overcome the shock of that last enemy, death.
I have a cheerful hope that He will raise you up in due time. Until then, let us attend to present duty, and keep close to Him by humble prayer and a renewed dependence upon the blood of Jesus. Let us, while the rod is upon us, inquire into the meaning of it, and hear His voice by it. Let us bow to His chastisement, and acknowledge that we have rebelled against Him, and that He afflicts us far less than our iniquities have deserved. Then we may be assured, that though He causes grief, He will have compassion; and will not only deliver us—but allow us to see, and to say, that "it was good for us to have been afflicted!"
Make use of means prescribed for restoring your health—but do not rest in them. The blessing must be from the Great Physician. To Him let us apply for it; and ascribe to Him all the praise if we obtain relief.
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