Ever since the death of our dear mother, I have felt a deep interest in
your welfare. And your being left, while young, in a measure dependent
upon me, has increased my affection for you. You have now left my roof,
to sojourn among strangers. You have little knowledge of the world, and
your religious experience has been short. I trust, therefore, you will
cordially receive a few hints from one whose fraternal affection has
been strengthened by many peculiar circumstances, and who, for many
years, has not ceased to remember you in his prayers.
Young Christians, when they first obtain peace and comfort in Christ,
are prone to think the struggle over, the victory won. But nothing can
be farther from the truth. They have but just enlisted under the banner
of the great Captain of their salvation, in a warfare which will never
cease till they shall have obtained the final victory over sin and
death, and entered into the joy of their Lord. This mistake often leads
them to be satisfied with what they have already experienced, and to
cease that constant inward strife and earnestness, which they exercised
while under conviction, before they found "joy and peace in believing."
They see such a heavenly sweetness in divine things, that they think it
impossible they should "lose the relish all their days." This begets
self-confidence, and they trust in their own strength to keep where they
are, instead of eagerly pressing forward, in the strength of Christ,
after higher attainments. The consequence is, they soon lose their
lively sense of divine things, backslide from God, and become cold and
barren in their religious affections. A little child, when it first
begins to walk, is safe while it keeps hold of the hand of its mother,
or faithful nurse. But, when it begins to feel confident of its own
strength, and lets go its hold, it soon totters and falls. So with the
Christian. He is safe while he keeps a firm hold of Christ's hand. But
the moment he attempts to walk alone, he stumbles and falls.
The Scriptures represent the grace of God in the heart, as a growing
principle. It is compared to a mustard-seed, which is the least of all
seeds. But, when it springs up, it rises and spreads its branches, till
it becomes the greatest of all herbs. The beauty and appropriateness of
this figure will not be appreciated, unless we take into consideration
the luxuriant growth of plants in Eastern countries. The Jews have a
fable of a mustard-tree whose branches were so extensive as to cover a
tent. There are two things that no one would expect to see, in the
growth of such a plant: (1.) To spring at once into full maturity. (2.)
To become stationary in its growth, before it arrives at maturity. If it
ceases to grow, it must wither away and die.
The spiritual reign of Christ in the heart is also compared to a _little
leaven_, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the
whole was leavened. It was so little at first that it was said to be
_hid_. It could not be seen. So grace, when first implanted in the
heart, is often so little in degree, and so much buried up in remaining
corruption, that it can scarcely be discovered at all. But the moment
the leaven begins to work, it increases without ceasing, till the whole
is leavened.
Again; Christ says, "the water that I shall give him shall be _in him_ a
well of water, _springing up into everlasting life_." When these words
were uttered, our Lord was sitting upon a deep well, in conversation
with the woman of Samaria. As his custom was, he drew instruction from
the objects around him. He directed her attention away from the water
which can only quench animal thirst, to that living water which
refreshes the soul. But she, not understanding him, wished to know how
he could obtain _living water_ from a deep well, without anything to
draw with. In order to show the superiority of the water of life, he
told her that those who drank it should have it _in them_, constantly
springing up of itself, as if the waters of the well should rise up and
overflow, without being drawn. The very idea of a _living spring_ seems
to cut off the hope of backsliders. You remember the cold spring that
used to flow from the rock, before our father's door. The severest
drought never affected it, and in the coldest season of a northern
winter it was never frozen. Oft, as I rose in the morning, when the
chilling blasts whistled around our dwelling, and everything seemed
sealed up with perpetual frost, the ice and snow would be smoking around
the spring. Thus, like a steady stream, let your graces flow, unaffected
by the drought or barrenness of others, melting the icy hearts around
you.
This "_living water_," in the soul, is intended to represent the
indwelling of the Holy Spirit. In the new birth, there is formed a holy
union between the Spirit of God and the faculties of the soul, so that
every correct feeling, with every good act, is produced by the Holy
Spirit acting in unison with those faculties. Hence, our bodies are
called the temple of the Holy Ghost, and he is said to dwell in us. What
a solemn truth! What holy fear and carefulness ought we to feel
continually; and how softly should we walk before the Lord of Hosts!
"The righteous," says David, "shall flourish like a palm-tree; he shall
_grow_ like a cedar in Lebanon." But if the cedar should cease to grow
as soon as it springs up, it would never become a tree. It must wither
and die.--Again; it is said, "Ye shall _go forth and grow up as calves
of the stall_." A healthy calf, that is fed in the stall, cannot but
grow and thrive. And surely the Lord has furnished us, in his holy word,
abundant food for our spiritual growth and nourishment. If the calf is
diseased, or if he refuses to eat, he will pine away and die; and so
with us. The apostle Paul speaks of _growing up_ into Christ, in all
things; and of _increasing_ in the knowledge of God. By this he
evidently means, that experimental knowledge of God in our hearts, by
which we are changed into his image. The apostle Peter exhorts us to
"_grow_ in the grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ." Again, he directs us to feed upon the sincere and simple truths
of the gospel, as the infant is nourished by its mother's milk, and to
_grow_ thereby. As conversion is called being "born again," the young
convert is very properly compared to a "new-born babe." As a babe is
least when first born, so the Christian, when first converted, has the
least grace; unless, indeed, he becomes diseased, and pines away, like a
sickly infant. And such is truly the deplorable case of the backslider.
The motives which urge us to seek and maintain an elevated standard of
piety are the highest that can be presented to our minds. _The glory of
God requires it._ This is the greatest possible good. It is the
manifestation of the divine perfections to his intelligent creatures.
This manifestation is made by discovering to them his works of creation,
providence, and grace, and by impressing his moral image upon their
hearts. In this their happiness consists. In promoting his own glory,
therefore, God exercises the highest degree of disinterested
benevolence. Nothing can add to his happiness; nothing can diminish it.
If the whole creation were blotted out, and God were the only Being in
the universe, he would still be perfectly glorious and happy in himself.
There can be, therefore, no selfishness in his desiring his own glory.
It is the good of the creature alone that is promoted by it. A desire to
glorify God must, then, be the ruling principle of all your conduct, the
moving spring of all your actions. But how is the glory of God promoted
by your growth in grace?
1. It is manifested to yourself, by impressing his image upon your
heart; and by giving you a spiritual discovery of the excellence, purity
and loveliness, of his moral character.
2. It is manifested to others, so far as you maintain a holy life and
conversation; for thereby the moral image of Christ is exhibited. The
glory of Christ is manifested by the holy walk of his people, just as
the glory of the sun appears by the reflected light of the moon.
3. The glory of God is promoted by making others acquainted with the
exhaustless riches of free grace, and bringing them to Christ; for, by
that means, they receive spiritual light to behold the beauty and glory
of the divine perfections, and his image is stamped upon their souls.
But your usefulness in this respect depends mainly upon the measure of
grace you have in your own heart. The reason why many Christians do so
little good in the world is, that they have so little piety. If you
would be eminently useful, you must be eminently holy.
But, you may ask, "What is the standard at which I must aim?" I answer:
The law of God is the only true standard of moral excellence; and you
have the pattern of that law carried out in action, in the perfect life
of our blessed Lord and Master. No standard short of this will answer
the requirements of the word of God. "He that abideth in him, ought
himself also so to walk, EVEN AS HE WALKED." All that we fall short of
this is _sin_. There is no want of ability in the case, but what arises
from our own voluntary wickedness of heart. Christ says that he came not
to _destroy_ the law, but to fulfil it. "We are not released from the
_obligation_ of perfect obedience; though grace has taken away the
_necessity_ of such obedience as the ground of our acceptance with God."
The law is not made void, but established, by grace. We cannot be
_saved_ by our obedience; because we have already broken the law, and we
cannot mend it. But, while we trust alone in Christ, independent of
anything in ourselves, for justification before God, the signs or
evidences of our faith must be found within us. There must be a new and
holy principle in our hearts; and just as far as this principle
prevails, so far it will show itself in obedience to the law of God.
There is no resting-place, in the agonizing conflict, till we are "_holy
as God is holy_." I do not say that Christians ever do become perfectly
holy in this life. The contrary appears, from the testimony both of
Scripture and experience, to be the universal fact. But this is the
measure of obligation, and we should strive after it with all the
earnestness of which we are capable.
We must not settle down contented with our attainments, while one sin
remains unsubdued in our hearts. The Scriptures are full of this
doctrine. The apostle Paul expresses far more earnestness of desire
after higher attainments in the divine life than is ever felt by such
Christians as have only a feeble and glimmering hope of entering the
abodes of the blessed. "If _by any means_," says he, "I might attain
unto the resurrection of the dead;" or that state of perfect holiness
which the saints will have attained at the resurrection. And the kind of
effort which he put forth to obtain the object of his desires is most
forcibly described in the passage quoted at the beginning of this
letter. In view of this standard, you will be able to see, in some
measure, the exceeding sinfulness of sin; and it will drive you more
entirely out of yourself to the cross of Christ. You will see the
necessity of daily renewing your repentance, submission, and faith.
You see, from what the apostle says of his own experience, that high
spiritual attainments are not to be expected without great labor and
strife. True piety is indeed the work of the Holy Spirit; but the fact
that God works in us to will and to do of his good pleasure, is made the
ground of Paul's exhortation to work out our own salvation with fear and
trembling.
The attainments of eminent saints are too generally looked upon as out
of the reach of common Christians. They seem to think God is not willing
to give all his children the same measure of grace. But he could not
have said more than he has in his holy word, to convince them to the
contrary. "Open thy mouth _wide_, and I will fill it." Our Lord
repeatedly assures us that God is more willing to give good things to
those that ask him, than earthly parents are to give good gifts to their
children. And whoever will read the lives of such eminent Christians as
Edwards, Whitefield, Brainerd, Martyn, Payson, Mrs. Edwards, Mrs.
Anthony, Mrs. Huntington, James B. Taylor, and many others which might
be mentioned,--and take notice of the means which they used, will not be
surprised at their attainments. The Bible represents the Christian as in
the constant exercise of holy affections; and we should never rest with
anything short of this. Some of the persons I have mentioned did arrive
at such a state of feeling. President Edwards enjoyed, for many years,
the constant light of God's countenance, and habitual communion with
him. And so did Mrs. Edwards, James B. Taylor, and many others.
She, for a long time, enjoyed, as she said, "THE RICHES OF FULL
ASSURANCE." She felt "an uninterrupted and entire resignation to God,
with respect to health or sickness, ease or pain, life or death; and an
entire resignation of the lives of her nearest earthly friends." She
also felt a "sweet peace and serenity of soul, without a cloud to
interrupt it; a continual rejoicing in all the works of nature and
Providence; a wonderful access to God by prayer, sensibly conversing
with him, as much as if God were here on earth; frequent, plain,
sensible, and immediate answers to prayer; all tears wiped away; all
former troubles and sorrows of life forgotten, except sorrow for sin;
doing everything for God's glory, with a continual and uninterrupted
cheerfulness, peace, and joy." At the same time, she engaged in the
common duties of life with great diligence, considering them as a part
of the service of God; and, when done from this motive, she said they
were as delightful as prayer itself. She also showed an "extreme anxiety
to avoid every sin, and to discharge every moral obligation; she was
most exemplary in the performance of every social and relative duty;
exhibited great inoffensiveness of life and conversation; great
meekness, benevolence, and gentleness of spirit; and avoided, with
remarkable conscientiousness, all those things which she regarded as
failings in her own character."
How did these persons arrive at this eminence in the Christian life?
Although by free sovereign grace, yet it was by no miracle. If you will
use the same means, you may attain the same end. In the early part of
his Christian life, President Edwards says,--"I felt a _burning desire_
to be, in everything, a _complete_ Christian, and conformed to the
blessed image of Christ. I had an eager thirsting after _progress_ in
these things, which put me upon pursuing and _pressing_ after them. It
was my _continual strife_, day and night, and constant inquiry, how I
should _be_ more holy, and _live_ more holily, and more becoming a child
of God, and a disciple of Christ. I now sought an increase of grace and
holiness, and a holy life, with much more earnestness than ever I sought
grace before I had it. I used to be continually examining myself, and
studying and contriving for likely _ways and means_, how I should live
holily, with far greater diligence and earnestness than ever I pursued
anything in my life; yet, with too great a dependence on my own
strength--which afterwards proved a great damage to me." "Mrs. Edwards
had been long in an uncommon manner growing in grace, and rising, by
very _sensible degrees_, to higher love to God, weanedness to the world,
and mastery over sin and temptation, through _great trials and
conflicts_, and long-continued _struggling_ and _fighting_ with sin, and
_earnest_ and _constant prayer_ and _labor_ in religion, and engagedness
of mind in the use of all means. This growth had been attended, not only
with a great increase of religious affections, but with a most visible
alteration of outward behavior; particularly in living above the world,
and in a greater degree of steadfastness and strength in the way of duty
and self-denial; maintaining the Christian conflict under temptations,
and conquering, from time to time, under _great trials_; persisting in
an unmoved, untouched calm and rest, under the _changes and accidents_
of time, such as seasons of extreme pain and apparent hazard of
immediate death."
You will find accounts of similar trials and struggles in the lives of
all eminent saints. This is what we may expect. It agrees with the
Christian life, as described in God's word. It is "through much
tribulation that we enter the kingdom of heaven." This is the way in
which you must go, if you would ever enter there. You must make religion
the great business of your life, to which everything else must give
place. You must engage with your _whole soul_ in the work, looking to
the cross of Christ for strength against your spiritual enemies; and you
will come off "conqueror at last," through him that hath loved us, and
given himself for us.
Your affectionate Brother.