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

LETTER XVII.

Valley of Achor, March 25, 1818.

My kind Friend, Mrs. O.

Grace and peace be to you.  The wise and good, but solemn providence of God, having deprived me of the public opportunity of comforting my afflicted friends, I have no other means of doing it, but by a few lines, about the best, the most import, and precious objects, which will take eternity itself, fully to unfold.  You, doubtless, must lament with me, the narrowness of our minds, in receiving the most blessed things, with the intrusion of necessary business—the cares of life—the heavy conflicts we have also to experience, with many painful visits from the enemy of our souls—the native reluctant of the body, and the pressure of many trying thoughts.  These hinder our running the heavenly race, these keep us down, so that we cannot rise in heavenly mindedness; and a sense of our past sins, makes us ready to halt, so that we cannot walk comfortably.  But though this is our case, yet blessed be God, we are not in despair, nor are we out of the promise: They that wait on the Lord, shall renew their strength; and blessed are all they that wait for me.  This made David deliver this charge: My soul, wait thou only on God, for my expectation is from him.  What, alas! should we do without the promises?  Grace made them, but the hand of divine truth is to make them good.  Our wants, woes, and miseries, were all known and consulted, by the adorable trinity; and dark as we are about the mystery of God, all is clear to himself.  But I lament, I feel a proneness to judge of the Lord, by carnal reason, and this is like judging of an unfinished picture, by the original.  We must stay till it is finished: or, like judging of a watch, when it is all in pieces; we may admire it when put together.  I often catch myself at this work, especially when I am very low, nervous, and tried in mind, temper, and providence.  This is very carnal.  May the blessed spirit quicken faith to rise, and wing its way to eternal love, eternal grace, eternal mercy, and eternal kindness.  This is its proper element: here we are at home; here is liberty, peace, joy, and satisfaction.  Here we see infinite wisdom, contriving a time when, a place where, and a manner how merciful kindness, and melting pity should be manifested.  Here we see every sweet attribute harmonize, and every grace displayed, while the cross of your dear lovely, loving Saviour appears truly glorious.  See the cluster of excellencies around it, hymning its praises, with harps of love.  Faith begins the song; hope, full of immortality joins; loves notes are clearly heard; joy is sweetly provoked to help repentance with her deep sounding notes.  Zeal most cheerfully moves her fingers on the harp, while fear, more silently, more reverently touches the strings.  Patience most meekly assists, and humility sounds her simple airs; yet there is not one discordant string.  Angels listen, and the redeemed above, beckon us home to the general assembly, that all may bear in the chorus.  And this will be the burden of the song; worthy is the lamb that was slain: but why the Lamb? but because, in him, and in his love, person and work, all the glory of the God of grace is most eminently displayed.

In Christ Jesus the glory of God shines, and God is glorified in him; and God glorified Christ, as man-mediator in himself, when he brought him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand.  Gave him to be head over all things, and to fill his people with spiritual good.  He was deeply humbled, and sorely tried—he was sharply tempted, and sadly afflicted, before his exaltation, and we must be conformed to his image.  Before honor, is humility.  Christ found it so, and all his followers must.  But when troubles abound, is it not strange? that though this is the very time the Saviour is most tender, most careful, and most indulgent of us, as a parent is of a sick child, more than the strong and healthy.  Yet these are the very seasons we have most fears, most cares, and most terrors; when, in reality, we have the least reason.  How then, is that text?  For my thoughts are not as your thoughts, nor my ways as your ways, saith the Lord.  And it is very remarkable, that the greatest part of the precious promises are made to the tried people of God.  I pray the God of all grace, to strengthen our faith in his love, in his grace, in his truth, and in his word.  O that when we open the Bible, we could always think we are opening, and looking into the very heart of God himself; as a God of love; but we are too apt to read for others, and say, O what sweet things are here for God’s children.  Yes, they are for us, and whatever suits us, that is ours.  Whatsoever things were written afore time, were written for us, that we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge, and we have fled; trouble, guilt, sin, fear, Satan, world, and conscience has pursued; but as faith gathers strength in the person, and work of Christ, we find they cannot hurt us.  Thy vengeance will not strike us here; nor Satan dares our souls invade.  Frighten us he may, but reign, he never can any more.  No, our hearts are bespoke.  Christ is the lover, and faith, prayer, desire, and intreaty has said most sincerely, Take my poor heart!  Set me as a seal upon thine heart.  Lord, take and make me thine! take me as I am.  Amen.

There is balmy consolation in Gilead, amongst the heap of witnesses, and a real physician there, to heal every wound that sin has made.  I long to be at that mount.  But many, alas! surround it, that never feed on it—many walk about Zion, that never enter into it, and many have the word, and desire the word, that never did desire, or enjoy the sincere milk of it.  You and I know that there can be no feeding without life, and this life is seen by the appetite.  Blessed are they, that hunger and thirst after righteousness; after an increasing knowledge of it, and after a divine enjoyment of it—to be found in it, in death, and to be owned in it, in the last great day.  Ah! this is the rich robe.  I pray my dear friend may be found adorned with it, when the judge shall appear in awful grandeur; when the elements shall melt with fervent heat; when the stars shall fall from their sockets, and when sun and moon; when the grand planetary orbs shall be thrown into promiscuous ruin, and all creation fly away before the face of him, who will ere long swear, that time shall be no more.  There are two precious promises, confirmed by the path of a covenant God.  He swore by himself, that in blessing, he would bless his people.  He has sworn he never will be wroth with, nor rebuke his people.  This is sweet food for precious faith.  O may you feast on it divinely.  Because he could swear by no greater, He swore by himself, saying, I declare, in blessing you, I will bless you.  Eternal life is in God’s blessing, and this life being in Christ, in blessing, God blesses us for evermore.—I trust my dear friend’s mind is often led to the Saviour, and that you prove his preciousness in his sacred person, his covenant love, his meritorious obedience, and his atoning blood—his prevalent intercession, and his advocacy with the Father.  This is the glorious object of faith, and round him faith hovers, till it can gather strength enough to lay hold of him—to him it often looks, and always bends; and close to him it cleaves, as the fond ivy entwines round the oak.  This, you doubtless, see in your lowest state, even when low in body, weak in nerves, barren in mind, tried in the world, and grieved in the church; and when nature is reluctant; the flesh a heavy clog, and the spirits within, seem to sink into earth, as its centre.  Yet there is a going to our spiritual David, though in as helpless a state as lame Mephibosheth, or aged Barzillai.  I have had many strange changes of mind since I last saw you, but I was never more sensible of the carrying on, and increase of the work of God in my soul, than I am now.  In my very best state, I can never rise above this motto.  Full of the deepest need.  And this line following, expresses the warmest desires of my heart.  Thou, oh Christ, art all I want.  I am learning, daily, to know his value.  I feel my need of him increases, and strange to tell, the lower I sink in this frame, the higher I rise in confidence—in a confidence that I never did so fully attain before; for if I had a little of it in times past, company, visiting, the neglect of prayer, and carelessness of manners, lamed me in both feet.  But I find it most blessed to be kept near the Saviour.  I have had some blessed views of him, and I am covetous for more.  I want to enjoy his love, and to walk in him—to be adorned with his light—to be crowned with his loving kindness—to rise superior to the world—to fight the good fight, and so to lay hold on eternal life—to apprehend, embrace, and enjoy the everlasting favours of God.

I hope my good friend, Mr. R. is well in health and spirits, as trying times, and body of sin and death will permit.  I hope he is growing in knowledge.  This will increase faith, and beget a blessed confidence, that maketh not ashamed.  The main point with us, is, to beg the Lord, the holy Spirit, to create a supernatural faculty in our minds, to take in subjects, truly supernatural, that our affections may be supernatural also; and where this is the privilege, the mercy and the honor, it is a most divine evidence, that our persons are in Christ.  The most blessed subject we can ever apprehend, is the love of God.  O to be led with some power to this, so as to conceive of it, as set upon us.  What a favour!  We often judge of it by its effects upon us, and by reflecting on what the holy Spirit has wrought in us.  This is a good plan sometimes; but are there not periods in your experience, when you doubt of the reality of the Spirit’s work on your own heart?  I find it the most blessed method in my very worst, and in my very best frame, to fall low at the feet of Jesus, and to study the love of God, to guilty man, with the joint operation of each adorable person in the trinity, on the heart.  The Father convinces, chastens, and teaches us, out of his law, and testifies of his dear son to us.  He then brings us to Christ; the son accepts us, pardons, justifies, receives, and owns us as his own, while the Holy Spirit, acts as a divine comforter, sealer, and witness.  And when this is experienced, we have the witness of the water, the blood, and the spirit; and these three agree in one, to witness our adoption, and the love of God to us, in Christ Jesus.  This, and this only, reconciles the mind to bear the cross, daily, whether it be reproach or bondage, whether it be weakness of body, or trying circumstances, or even if they all come together.