soul, till it is consummated in endless bliss. Various are the fears,
doubts, and misgivings of heart, to which you have been liable; many have
been the Workings of inbred corruption, and the power of sin, as stirred
up by the law, and which lay hid, till they were seen and felt by you;
this being attended with gloominess, dejection, and legal striving, shews
that it was the work of the law; and the Lord taking the opportunity to
lead you to Jesus, as the atoning sacrifice, and the end of the law for
righteousness, shews the greatness of his rich grace, and the boundless
love of his heart. But God and your own soul best knows, what distress
of mind is experienced before the Saviour speaks peace to the heart, and
assures it of its acceptance and justification before God, in _his_ own
work: yet, amidst all the distress, a truly awakened grace-taught soul
experiences, there is a clearing _to_, and a humble trusting _in_ Christ,
so that if you had died in that distress of mind, you would most
certainly have been saved, seeing our interest in Christ does not save
the soul, it was saved in the Lord long before we had an existence; but
no humbled believer can rest short of the knowledge and personal
enjoyment of that salvation, by the leadings and teachings of the Holy
Spirit, as the glorifier of Christ. I remember this was my case, and I
find it has been yours’: this is the secret path which no fowl knoweth,
and the vulture’s eye hath not yet seen: all spiritual teaching is the
evidence of our interest in the electing love of God, all others are
passed by. I do not wonder at your esteem for that sweet chapter, the
50th of Isaiah, it would fill an immense volume to do it justice, in
describing its full glories; the Holy Spirit led the mind of the prophet
very divinely into the knowledge of Christ, as the atonement and
justification of his people; and this subject is most sweetly set forth
in this chapter, with an affectionate address to poor souls walking in
darkness, about their interest in Christ, and a direction given them how
to act in such a state. The chapter opens with the reason why the Lord
had rejected the Jews, and why _he_ put them away, viz. for their awful
and obstinate rejection of the person, the ministry, the miracles, and
work of the Son of God. The adorable Redeemer then asserts the dignity
of his own God-head, as manifested in the awful and grand display of his
works of power, justice, and vengeance; these great themes are set forth
in the three first verses. The Saviour then describes his commission
from the Father, to accomplish the calling and redemption of the elect,
agreeable to an ancient stipulation, or covenant, subsisting between the
father and the Son; _he_ next points out _his_ ability for the work as
God-Man, and _his_ qualifications, by the out-pouring of the Holy Spirit
without measure upon _him_, in the 4th and 5th verse’s. Next follows his
voluntary abasement of himself into the hands of _his_ enemies, with the
firmness of his mind, and the constancy of his love to his church, as
manifested in his unparalleled sorrows, his confidence in his being
carried through the great and arduous work of the redemption of his
church, and his full triumph over all his enemies; the help that was
promised him by his Father, in the covenant, and the challenge that he
would give to the enemies of his dear people, for whom he should work out
a complete righteousness; read the 6, 7, 8, and 9th verses. Christ Jesus
did in the love of his heart engage, agreeable to the call of the Father,
to become the surety of his Church: all their sins being imputed to him,
he stood guilty in the eye of the law, and justice of God; and having
given ample satisfaction to justice, fulfilled the law, made
reconciliation, glorified all the perfections of God, and put away sin:
he was justified in the Spirit at his resurrection, having paid the debt,
he received the receipt in full, and upon his triumphant entrance into
glory, bearing the marks and scars in his sacred body, with the virtue of
his work fresh in the mind of God, and sweetly accepted by him, he gives
the challenge to law, to justice, to all. Who shall lay any thing to the
charge of God’s elect, unpardoned, unatoned for? Who will contend with
me? let us stand together: Who is mine adversary? let him come near to
me! This is Christ’s universal challenge to all accusers of his
children: he has done the work, nothing can be added to it, or taken from
it, and the adorable Father imputes this work to his Church; faith is
given them to receive this atonement and righteousness, and power is
given them to enjoy it as their own; and this believing and receiving the
work the Lord Jesus has accomplished, is called, obeying Christ’s voice;
while the work of God on the heart is stiled, fearing the Lord. This
fear, and this obedience are evidences of interest in the great work of
the Triumphant Conquerer of sin, death, and hell. And, whoever among the
Lord’s called ones, are walking without a sense of God’s love, find a
sense of interest in the Redeemer; without the light of comfort, the
light of joy, and the light of love; though darkness is felt by them, and
nothing but darkness without them, yet they are not totally in the dark,
but they are the children of the light, and of the day. Let such trust
in Jesus, and stay their minds upon the Spirit’s testimony of Christ; but
this trusting and staying is the gift of God. The chapter then concludes
with an address to all pharisees, who reject the perfect work of Christ,
and who trust in a form of godliness, without the power. Such compass
themselves about with their own sparks, walk in their own light, and die,
at last, in sorrow. The parable of the foolish virgins will illustrate
this last verse.
Excuse the brevity of these remarks. Affectionate respects to your
better half.
Your’s,
_Ruhamah_.
LETTER XLV.
_Valley of Achor_, _Nov._ 14_th_, 1818.
Mr. FREEMAN.
MY DEAR FRIEND,
Grace be with you. The hand of our Father has separated us for a time;
this is done in infinite wisdom, and I hope in covenant love. I do not
pretend to say my case is similar to the holy apostle Paul’s, but I trust
there is the same grand end to be answered, by my captivity. Several, I
hope, will have to bless God that I was ever brought into this place:
some poor run-away servant, like Onesimus—some prodigal character, and
strange to tell, some proud and self-conceited pharisee, I hope, has
learnt a little by my feeble efforts in this place—the only way to God.
I have great hopes of an awful character also—nor have I any great desire
to leave this captivity, till I see _what_ the Lord is about to do with
him. I see much wisdom in my removal from the Church for a time: many
grew tired of the repeated messages of mercy which I constantly
delivered, and would travel all day long in search of some other
preachers: this was not acting like contented children. And I know also,
that the Lord would remove me away for a time, because those Israelites
began to loathe the manna; for this purpose fiery serpents were sent in
among them. Christ calls some people serpents, and their lying tongues
are compared to fire. These have stung the people, but let us look to
him who is lifted upon the pole of the Gospel, and who alone can cure our
wounds, and heal all our diseases. I am much pleased in hopes of seeing
this sweet text yet accomplished, (30th Isaiah) “Moreover the light of
the moon, shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun
shall be seven-fold, as the light of seven days, when the Lord bindeth up
the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wind”—Selah.
But my dear Friend, I also am highly culpable; persecution having ceased,
and prosperity come on, faith could not grow in this state. I mixed too
much with the world, and grew too careless of God’s tried ones—the rod
was wanted, had it been spared, I should have been spoilt, but my
heavenly Father would not spare for my much crying; it is now my duty,
and mercy to detain this messenger, and read what the Lord means by it,
knowing the master’s feet is behind, I hope, with many a blessing for us
all. It is in this confidence I hope yet to praise Him, who now
supports, consoles, upholds, and often smiles on my soul. In his
presence is life—My presence shall go with thee. Whither shall I flee
from thy presence? Is not this presence the Holy Spirit himself, who is
promised to the Church? And is not Christ himself the very life of the
soul? Is he not the very life of heaven above, and the life of the
Church? Do you not see and feel a deadness in a congregation, and under
a sermon, if your Lord is not all in all? Is not every place without
him, like the empty grave of Christ? They may be good moral men, both
the minister and the people; such angels may be sitting at the head and
feet of that Church, but no spiritual Mary can be happy, if the Master is
not there. The grave cloaths may be well folded up, and the napkin that
was about the head, in a place by itself; these things our dear Lord left
behind him, and if the veil is taken from our eyes, if our bonds are
loosed, we must leave those things which bound us by nature. Legal
ceremonies and pharisaic works—these must be left in Christ’s grave, we
have nothing to do with them; if we be risen with Christ, we must seek
those things which are above. I trust you are quickened by his power,
that the Holy Spirit is leading you to Christ, as the resurrection and
the very life of your soul: that you feel _after_ him, when he is
distant, feel _for_ him in his sorrows, and feel miserable when you are
not allowed to draw near. Is this your experience? blessed be God if it
is. Do observe—when all is dark within then it is your time to go out to
Christ: only read the 3rd. and the former part of the 5th chapter of
Solomon’s Song, and if light is given you on these chapters, it will cast
a radiancy on the way the Lord has led you. Still beg of God that my
trials may be of use to me, and to many—time is on the wing, and if
prayer did not succeed in keeping me from this place, nor yet in my
speedy deliverance, yet, I have blessings in abundance, and this trial
will turn out for the furtherance of the truth, through your prayers.
I hope the pious friendly Females I had the pleasure of seeing with you,
are all well: give them my kind love, tell them it will be well. Wishing
you every covenant blessing in enjoyment, especially that in the 8th
chapter of Hebrews—10, 11, and 12th verses,
I remain, your’s, in Christ,
_Ruhamah_.
LETTER XLVI.
_Achor’s Vale_, _January_ 23rd. 1819.
Miss WATTS.
MY EVER DEAR FRIEND,
Grace and peace be with you. I received and read your simple, but
sincere testimony of the work of God on your soul, with pleasure—Oh! that
the ever adorable Spirit would increase it, that you may abound in
knowledge and judgement. It is a mercy to be called by grace in our
early days. What shall we render to the Lord, for thinking upon us in
our low estate; for bestowing a thought of us in the councils of
eternity, and appointing us to obtain salvation, by the doing and dying
of a glorious Redeemer? We are poor, lost, vile, guilty creatures, in
and of ourselves: we are ten thousand times more vile and sinful than we
can possibly conceive; there is not an evil done under the sun, but we
have got the root of it in our hearts. This I have often declared, but I
am now more sensibly led to know it; the Lord is gradually teaching me in
deep experience, what I have often preached to others. I have many sad
moments, but the Saviour smiles again, and then I get up and run on a
little while; but, alas! the burden of a body of sin and death, sinks my
spirits again, and sometimes I have darkness on my path; but I must tell
you, that when I am drove out from every joy, hope, comfort, or pleasure,
I always find it most blessed to cast myself at the dear Saviour’s feet,
saying
Lord thine arm must be reveal’d
Ere I can by faith be heal’d,
Since I scarce can look to thee,
Cast a gracious look on me,
At thy feet I humbly lay,
Shine, Oh! shine my fears away.
What a special favour, my dear friend, to be led to the Saviour, to know
him in any measure, by the teachings of his own Spirit; to desire him
above all, and to make up all our happiness alone in him. When you look
around you on those who are destitute of grace, and whose souls abhor the
very sound of religion, and others who are contented with a bare outside
shew; these have a form and a name to live, but they are dead, and why do
we differ from them—this is an act of pure mercy and covenant love. We
do not envy their state, although they possess every comfort in life, nor
does Satan trouble them; but we are chastened and judged of the Lord that
we should not be condemned with the world. We are brought into judgement
in our own hearts, God the Spirit illuminates and quickens the
conscience, we feel our guilt, we acknowledge the justice of our
sentence, and see that God would be just if he cut us off, and sent us to
hell. We are filled with fears, we are distrest in mind, nor can any
solid comfort be felt, only as God is pleased to give us scriptural views
of Christ—as the gift of the Father’s love, as every way suited to act
for us with God, as our Mediator, being God with God, and man with man,
well calculated to make an atonement, to bring God and man together, into
a state of reconciliation; to obey the law which we had violated, and to
endure that very curse which we had deserved—blessing on his dear name,
he felt all the hell in his precious soul and sacred body, which we had
deserved, and he left nothing for us to do, but to believe and to take
the comfort of it. And here it is we want much light, life, and power;
that we may be able to receive this great work in such a way, as to
produce peace, love, and joy. We want the heart persuaded into this
truth; hence the Saviour said, Receive the truth, and the truth shall
make you free. And these are some of the many precious truths we want
power to receive—I have blotted out as a thick cloud thy transgressions.
In the Lord shall thou be justified, and shall glory. Yea, I have loved
thee with an everlasting love. Having begun the good work, he will
finish it. I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.
The Lord give my much loved friend power to take, receive, and enjoy
these precious truths in her own soul. I am much melted into wonder, and
gratitude, and praise, when I hear the Lord has ever blessed my poor
message to any of his dear people, that he ever gave testimony to the
word of his grace, by my feeble instrumentality—glory be to his name, he
has made me manifest to your soul that he sent me to preach; and having
experienced his love, you are enabled to prove it, by sympathising with
me in my sorrows, and helping to comfort me in tribulation. May the dear
Lord bring me back in the fulness of the blessings of the gospel of
Christ, truly humbled in spirit, and with a heart and a mouth full of
Christ, that I may yet praise him who is the health of my countenance,
and my merciful God.
Grace, mercy, and peace be your’s, in enjoyment and dependence, and God
be glorified in your present and your eternal salvation.—I remain,
Your affectionate and grateful Friend,
_Ruhamah_.
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_ 16_th_, 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.