The Voice of Faith in the Valley of Achor: Vol. 1 [of 2] / being a series of letters to several friends on religious subjects

LETTER XLVII.

Achor’s Vale, March 5th, 1819.

Mr. Frimbley.

MY DEAR SIR,

Not having seen or heard of my dear friend for some time past, I must inquire after you, hoping that I need make no apology for the friendly enquiry. I suppose you are still in the wilderness, and God has promised to make this world such to us—he has not given such a promise to the non-elect; it is their paradise, and our plague; ’tis their home, but our inn; ’tis their portion, but our bait. We are not born for this place, it is doomed to fire; we are but pilgrims, staying at this spot, till an order comes from the king of the better country, and demands us home. And is heaven our home—are we sure that we shall get safe at last? let us examine, for faith can reason well. If the Lord meant to destroy us, he would not have shewed us what he has, nor would he have told us what he has: we have seen our natures, found them vile; we have seen the spirituality of God’s law, we have seen the vanity of all things below the stars, we have seen our strength to be perfect weakness, we have seen the exact suitableness of Christ, we have seen the value of his blood and obedience, and the love of his heart in bearing our persons before the throne, we have seen his good hand in many a trouble, and we have seen his faithfulness, mercy, wisdom, and truth. We have seen many and better people than we are, blaze in a profession, and go out in darkness; we have seen the workings of corruption, and the malice of Satan. Can my dear friend deny it? Are not these truths in your soul’s experience and mine? Many a grand doctrine has the blessed Spirit opened to us, many a promise has he applied, many a sweet thought has he sent home, many a precious idea has he formed in the mind, and many a gracious hint of his greatness, goodness, and love: these are some things he has told us—the secret of the Lord, is with them that fear him, and he will shew them his covenant. I trust the Lord is carrying you on in the divine life; he has promised that the path of his people, shall be as the light of the day—that day may be cloudy, windy, and stormy, yet it is day, because the darkness of nature is past, and shall never return, Mysterious providences may distress, yea almost distract us, yet faith will ride again, she may get low but shall never fail; it never has yet, although it has been as low as it could be. I beg the Lord to strengthen our faith, encourage hope, and draw forth love:—these graces have to do with Christ, and the Father’s love to us in him.

It is truly lamentable that the Lord’s children in the present day, are resting so short of their precious privileges; they have not attained, nor are they pressing on to know what might be known, even the promise of the Father, in the more abundant out-pouring of the Spirit: this is a blessing worth waiting and hoping for; for we, through the Spirit, wait for the hope of righteousness, by faith: and this is what the Apostle Paul prays the Ephesians may be favored with.—See the 1st. chapter of Eph. from verse 16th to the close; and in the same Epistle he prays, also, that the saints might be so enlarged in soul, as to come up to the attainments of the most eminent saints, and know, and enjoy, the love of the adorable Trinity.—This is a spiritual baptism, of which the outward is only a sign—it is to be admitted into the most holy views of, and communion with, God, in his three-fold character of persons, in his decrees, purposes, and covenants, in his eternal transactions, and the outgoings of his love, the glories of Christ’s person, and the everlasting perfection of his work. These grand subjects are food for faith, these nourish faith, and lead us to establishment and solid peace, that neither sin, law, nor Satan can disturb.

I trust you go to hear some one who is calculated to feed the soul. As for myself I am often low, yet contented at times with the lowest form in the school of Jesus. I hope your dear partner in life is led on amidst all conflicts, trials and plagues—blessed is she that believeth, and I trust dear Mrs. F. is long brought to that. Faith centers in Jesus, and gathers strength in every trial; it will be victorious by and bye. The victory which Jesus has gained is given to us by the Father, and it is the work of the Spirit to manifest it with some power.

I have no news to send about myself—if the Lord wanted me to carry him into Jerusalem he would send word that I must be loosed now, for the Lord hath need of him.—God be with you both.

Your’s, truly,
Ruhamah.

LETTER XLVIII.

Valley of Achor, June 16th, 18195.

My dear Mrs. Bailey.

Grace and mercy be with you.—I hope you are well in health and spirits, and, above all, that the Lord is with you. I wish you felt grateful for what he has done for you: it is well to look back to the days of our ignorance; for although we know but little yet, still the Lord might have left us to know nothing; but is written, All thy children are taught of God; and if we belong to the election of graces we are taught by the Father. There are two things we are sure to learn of the Father; we learn our own depravity and condemnation by the law, that we deserve nothing at the hands of God, but his wrath, because we have sinned against him; and we learn of him the value of Christ, as he is revealed in the word. We learn the record that God has given us of his Son, that he is just such a Saviour as we need; for being condemned we need a surety to pay our debts, a better righteousness to appear in, before God, and we need an atonement to take away all our sins—Christ has done it, and he is now in heaven pleading our cause, representing us before God, and answering all the charges that can be brought against us by Law, by Satan, or by conscience. His blood and obedience, his holy nature, holy life, and agonizing death, is our everlasting cure. This is so precious to the Father, that he accepts all that come to him in his dear Son’s name, and pleading his work; he will never send them away, cast them out, or give them up to Satan; this is our mercy; none that trust in him shall be desolate, forsaken, lost, condemned, or damned—Selah.

You have many trials, but they are most divinely appointed to produce the fruits of righteousness, to exercise faith and patience, to empty us of the love of sin and the world, to shew us our weakness, and the daily need we have of Christ, as our strength, our wisdom, and our deliverer. Christ is our support, our strength, and our help, till he works a deliverance for us. I am learning this, that I may explain it to others; I talked about these things, and felt them in a degree, but now I know them deeper than I once did; the Lord has instructed me with a strong hand, and I long to speak these things to others, yet a sense of my unworthiness keeps me back from thinking even about it. I want the Lord’s children to trace up these mercies and trials to an everlasting covenant, where they were provided; and it is very blessed to remember, that all flows in love to us, and were divinely appointed for us in infinite wisdom—the Lord is author of all our mercies, he is not the author of our sins; he permits them, and he over-rules them, according to his own plans, which he laid out in eternity, but he did not begin them, he does not force us to them, and it would be wicked to suppose it: the Lord foresaw them, and he could have prevented them, but he had some grand ends to answer by them. He decreed to glorify his justice, his mercy, and his grace by them. So it is the case with all our trials now, they are all laid out in number, weight, and measure, and they will terminate well; they will bring glory to God, and magnify the riches of his free grace.

I wish my dear Friend felt much of a spirit of grace and supplication. Our conflicts are designed for this very end, to stir us up to prayer, and reading the word: just like a person of property, who feels he is in want of money, and searches his Father’s will to see where his property lies. This is our case—

Sometimes my Lord his face doth hide,
To make me pray, or kill my pride.

This is the design we are ready to suppose, when all things run against us, that God is against us; but it is quite the contrary, God is not at war with us, but against some of his and our enemies, within us: this is the reason why he contends with us, to empty us of self, to bring us to live upon Christ, as our all in all, that we may die daily to self and the world; and thus in due time, live a life of faith upon Christ. We all want to live a life of sense, but the Lord will be trusted in the dark, as well as followed in the light, and we must be brought to this point, if we wish to honour God—but we want to live on frames and feelings, to walk in sunshine and good roads; but this cannot be called trusting in him. There are many very precious promises made to those who trust in him, and these we should lose, if we were not led into this path.

I trust dear Mr. B. is well—my christian respects to him: tell him I hope the Lord will lead his mind to Christ as his Saviour, and hope God will bless you both, and all who are dear to you.—Many thanks for your concern for

Ruhamah.

LETTER XLIX.

Achor’s Vale, February 17th, 1819.

Mr. & Mrs. Shephard.

MY DEAR FRIENDS,

Grace and peace be with you.—This is what the Apostles wished the Church of God, in all their Epistles, to which they often subjoined mercy. What these three epithets imply, I and you must die to know, the adorable Trinity purposing to set his love on man and on angels—it was love indeed, as it flowed from the heart of God. It is love, but it being set on some, and not on others; some are elect angels, some are not; some are elect men, some are not; and this love being so distinguished, is grace, or free favour; and this favour manifested to us as fallen, guilty, hell-deserving creatures, is mercy. I wish you to make these distinctions, as they will open many blessed texts and doctrines of the word. Now as grace and mercy flows to us so divinely, this brings peace indeed, and in fact. These three terms at once, include the gracious covenant work of the ever adorable Trinity: the Father is the God of all grace, the ever blessed Spirit is the mercy that saves us, and Christ is our peace. And these terms also set forth the three-fold offices of the ever blessed Jesus—he is merciful, as our Prophet, gracious, as our Priest, and peaceable, as our king. And is there not another sweet idea occurs to the mind in experience, the influences of the Spirit are gracious; these teach us to see our misery, and help us to cry for mercy; and mercy seen and felt in pardoning sin, produces peace, thus grace, mercy, and peace are with us.

There was something you said to me at the place, which gave me very great pleasure, in reference to yourself, and from which I gathered a hope you was growing in the knowledge of God our Saviour. This is life eternal to know him, and it is a very great favour indeed to be growing in that knowledge; many of the Lord’s children are grieved that they cannot get better, nor grow into a good opinion of themselves. Hence they are not pleased with themselves, and cast down because they appear so bad to themselves, whereas our main concern should be to get better acquainted with Christ, as he is revealed in the gospel, carrying on the great work of salvation. You and I must lament, that when God’s children meet together, even in their most serious moments, they spend all their time in talking about their frames, and feelings, instead of Christ; whereas, talking about Jesus, and striving to get some sweet ideas of him, as he is set forth in the word, and communicating those ideas, would be the best subject, to improve the mind, warm the heart, and lead out the soul to love Christ, and one another. This would be the communion of saints, as connected with the forgiveness of sins. Poor, tried saints are always talking about their feelings; and common professors are talking about this religious society, and the other, and thus they are well pleased with what they do for God, before God has done any thing for them: There is no communion in all this, ’tis a mere bubble, and a plan of Satan’s, to keep Christ out of the mind. Christ is all in heaven, and he should be all in the Church; and when he is all in all to us, we have got the sweetest evidence that we can have, that we belong to God. I am sometimes cast down in soul, but the Lord raises me up again; and although the work of God is genuine on the soul, yet I find, by repeated experience, that I can neither love, believe, or hope, but as the blessed Spirit operates on the soul. Without Christ we can do nothing, no more than a body without a head, or limb cut off the body, or sick man without a physician, or an accused man without a counsellor, or a condemned man without a pardon. Christ is our Lord, physician, advocate, and atonement, our righteousness and strength; and it is our mercy he is the balm in Gilead, health amongst the witnesses, and the healer there. Gilead signifies witnesses: these are the Bible, and in the Church, and, blessed be God, in our hearts; also as there are many things there can witness for him. Hence God says, Ye are my witnesses, and my servant, whom I have chosen. Christ was God’s witness to us, and we are witnesses of the freeness of his grace, and the value of his blood. Christ represents us to God and we represent Christ—he is God-Man in one. Man ruined himself in aspiring to be God, and God saves man by becoming man; the divinity is espoused to our nature, that our souls might be espoused to Christ, and to God in him. The adorable Father and eternal Spirit aims at the exaltation of Christ, as God-Man, and all things are made for this purpose.

All things for his sake did Jehovah prepare,
For of him, and through him, and to him they are;
All systems and worlds which revolve through the sky
Were made for the lifting of Jesus on high.

May he be glorified in your salvation and mine, and reward you both for your sincere esteem for him, who remains

Your’s in him,
Ruhamah.

LETTER L.

Achor’s Vale, October 26th, 1819.

Mr. Fossett.

MY DEAR FRIEND AND BROTHER,

When the chastising hand of God is laid heavily upon a nation, a family, an individual, or a church, it becomes the afflicted to ask, Is there not cause? When the troubles abounded on pious Job, he said unto God, Shew me wherefore thou contendest with me? and when the Lord made a breach upon Uzzah, the reason is assigned, no doubt as an answer to some enquiring souls, who were deeply affected with the Lord’s hand. David finding the cause of the breach was that of acting contrary to the orders which had been previously given, in reference to the persons bearing the ark (1 Chronicles, xv, 13) The Lord our God made a breach upon us, for that we did not seek him after the due order. And it is an awful circumstance recorded in the New Testament, that, the sad disorders and conduct of the Church at Corinth, was resented by the great Head of the Church on many of its members (see 1 Cor. xi, 30). It has pleased the Lord to make an awful breach amongst us, as a Church; the removal and long reproach of your minister, the troubles and disgrace of the congregation, the affliction of mind, body, and circumstances of the Church at large, must be viewed as the rod of a Father, chastising and correcting, reproving and calling to consideration. As an individual, I trust the Lord has convinced me of the sad occasion of these afflictions, and having granted me the assurance of his pardoning mercy, I feel it my duty to call the attention and exertion of the deacons and managers, the church and congregation, to lay this important matter to heart; and knowing the cause, to endeavour to remove it. The Lord Jesus is jealous of his honour, and whatever sullies or tarnishes that glory, he will resent it in some way or other.

It has been a source of grief to many pious, grace-taught, and conscientious persons, that there is so great a neglect of the order of the gospel amongst us, as professing to believe in, and love the Lard Jesus, by the teaching of his Spirit—permit me to say, that this is a reason why the Lord has thus so deeply afflicted us. I have been constantly preaching the word, as far as I was taught, and helped, to the Lord’s people amongst us, for some years: God has given his testimony to the word of his grace, and there has been an assembling in his house, a submission to the ordinance of baptism, by the majority, and a constant attendance at the Lord’s table. This was well as far as it went; but it is necessary to stand complete in the whole will of God, and to act in all things, consistent with the rules laid down in his word. The precepts of the New Testament are the laws of Christ, as king in Zion, and they must form our rule of conduct in the Church, and in the world. A wilful neglect of this rule, is an insult upon the Saviour, and he will resent such conduct in his own People. Let us therefore search and try our ways, and turn again unto the Lord.

I have frequently endeavored to rectify the error into which we have fallen, viz. The neglect of Church order. Some years ago, I published a pamphlet, entitled “The Nature of a Gospel Church,” with the covenant into which all the members were to enter, upon their admission to the Lord’s table. But, alas! this has scarcely ever been noticed since: it was approved of, but never practised. I hope, at a future day, to revise that little book, and add the following Articles, which appear to me to be important, to the founding and establishing the Church in future, and for the glory of the Saviour; but till we are settled again, as a congregation, I take this opportunity of sending you what I humbly conceive to be the Spirit’s mind, concerning the well-being of the Church of Christ. These Articles, I pray the God of all grace, to enable us constantly to observe, with the rules laid down in the members covenant, and the confession of faith there published.

The Articles, I hope, will be punctually attended to. I know your concern of mind on this subject, and have no doubt, by prayer and perseverance, but the Lord will succeed our humble attempt to glorify his holy name.—Christian love to Mrs. F.

I remain, your’s truly, in gospel bonds,

Ruhamah.

Rules of the Ruhamah Society.

1.—That as many Deacons be chosen, as the circumstances of the Church may require: that they may be men taught of God, and good moral characters, and who are Baptists, both in Principle and Practice.

2.—That the Deacons shall be chosen by Lot, or by a Majority of the Members, at a public Meeting of the Church, when every Member shall be entitled to a Vote, except those who are under Church censure: such cannot be admitted to vote, till fully restored.

3.—That the Minister shall make it a particular point of conscience, to point out the work of Deacons, in the faithful discharge of their office.

4.—That the Minister and Deacons shall be reproved by the Church, for any inconsistency of conduct, or a deviation from any of the fundamental doctrines of the gospel; and should either Minister or Deacons continue to persist in such practises, or errors, they must be suspended, should a majority of the Church so determine,

5.—Should any of the Members act in any unjustifiable way to the Minister, such shall be reproved; and if they continue such conduct, the Church shall expel them.

6.—That the Minister is to have but one voice in the Church, on any occasion whatever.

7.—That the Church meet once a month, at which the Minister, if possible, is to be always present, and the Deacons also to make it a point of conscience to attend all the public and private meetings of the Church and Congregation, as far as they are able.

8.—That the Church Meetings shall always be opened with Prayer, and reading the preceptive parts of the New Testament, setting forth the Duty of Church Members.

9.—That the Minister shall have the privilege to call the Church together on any special occasion.

10.—That no Minister be suffered to go into the Pulpit to preach, without the consent of the majority of the Church, unless on any urgent occasion, when either Minister or Deacons may give their consent.

11.—That the Minister shall appoint some of the Deacons to manage all the temporal affairs of the Church, and appoint one of the Members once a year, to act as Secretary to them, and report the state of the temporal affairs of the Chapel to the Church.

12.—That the particular Affairs of the Church shall not be disclosed to those who have no connection with us; and any unpleasant circumstances which may arise in the Church, or concerning any Member, shall not be exposed to the world—and all Admonitions to offending Persons shall be kept from general observation.

13.—That a Book or Books shall be kept to record the names of the Members, and every important transaction in the Church.

14.—That no Person acting as a Servant in the Church shall hold more than one Office, except by particular request.

15.—That no Member be allowed to bring any grievance of a temporal nature, before the Church, till it has obtained the Consent of the Minister and Deacons.

16.—That the Ordinance of the Lord’s Supper be duly administered every first Lord’s Day in the month, in the Evening, and on particular occasions, when the Minister shall appoint.

17.—That when a Person desires to unite with the Church, to break Bread, and to partake of the various Privileges of the Lord’s House, they are to intimate the same to the Minister or to the Deacons, or to any Member to introduce them.

18.—That the Deacons are to enquire into the state of their souls, respecting a Work of Grace, and if they are satisfied, the Candidate is to be brought to the Minister, who is to propose them to the Church at the earliest Meeting thereof. This Examination is to be in a very faithful, yet candid and affectionate manner. The Deacons are also to take the earliest opportunity of minutely enquiring into the moral Character and Conduct of such Persons, and upon approbation the Candidate must attend at the next Church Meeting.

19.—That Persons wishing to be admitted be also requested to relate to the Church the dealings of God with their souls; but, if timid, they may give in a written account of the same, or the Minister to ask them such questions as relate to the subject; and upon the Candidate’s retirement, the Deacons are to give an account of the report of their moral conduct, and if there is a majority of Votes, they shall be immediately admitted as Members of the Church.

20.—That if such Persons are not baptized by immersion, the subject is to be particularly explained to them by the Deacons and Members of the Church, as they have opportunity, but they are not to be admitted to the Lordly Table till the subject is opened to them.

21.—That any desirous of Baptism, are to signify the same as early as possible to the Deacons, or Minister, that, when there is a convenient number, they may partake of that ordinance. Not less than twelve persons, unless under very peculiar circumstances. And if it be signified, privately, that any Person or Persons are not able to bear the usual expence attending the ordinance, the Church is to bear that expence, as on those occasions there is much damage done to the Chapel.

22.—That the baptized Persons, and all those who were admitted as Members at the Church Meeting, shall be publicly received at the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper, when the Articles of Faith shall be read to them, an address be given them, with singing and prayer, when they are to receive the right hand of fellowship from the Minister, the representative of the Church.

23.—That the Minister and Deacons shall enforce the various Duties of Church Members, and stir each other up to every good word and work. That they shall sympathize with each other; study each other’s spiritual and temporal welfare—that they shall deal and trade with each other, as much as their circumstances will admit, in preference to any other, as Children of the same Father. That they warn the unruly, instruct the ignorant, comfort the feeble-minded; give timely, kind, affectionate, but faithful reproof, when needed; restore the Backslider, and endeavour to promote the prosperity and peace of the Church. But if any Member persists in walking inconsistently, such shall be admonished by the Minister and Deacons; but if this has no avail, the Church shall be informed of it, and if no reproof has had any effect, such offender shall be cut off, till some signs of penitence and reformation appear, when, if it be desired, such Person shall be re-admitted.

FINIS.