To Mr. C——
The willing and obedient — Profession and practice — The cross — “I will guide thee by mine eye” — Lessons of experience — The importance of immediate action in the use of present grace — A temptation not to speak definitely yielded to — Sad effects — Reproved, but not rejected — God doth not afflict willingly — Holiness may be forfeited by neglect — strange testimony — Reply — Acknowledgment — Lingering in duty — Its consequences — Views of personal obligation.
You say that you know you must be willing and obedient, if you would eat the good of the land. I have thought, my dear brother C, that the Lord had taken much pains to teach you this lesson; but has not your experience taught you, that it is
Consecration. A Cross shunned. “What do ye more than Others ]”
one thing to receive a lesson, and quite another thing to retain it? My heart assures me, my precious brother, that you are sincere before God; and as you have earnestly asked my advice, I am sure you wish me to be candid.
Permit me, then, to say, that grace, I think, has done much for you. I see no reason to conclude, that you have been mistaken as to your state, in conceiving it to be one of consecration to God; but yet I have observed, what, by some, might be deemed discrepancies between your conduct and profession, which may retard your own progress and also hinder your success in testifying of Christ as your full Saviour. Let me instance. Not long since you were asked to take part in the exercises of a meeting where your services were really required. It was evident that there was not another present to take your place, but you yielded to the shrinking of the flesh, and declined before several who do not profess to be wholly sanctified, saying, “I do not feel free to it.” Here was one professing to be wholly sanctified, unwilling to perform a duty rendered obvious by the providence of God; and how could those not professing the blessing reconcile the conduct and the profession? If the thoughts of most present had been uttered, doubtless the response of many hearts had been, “What do ye more than others?” I must confess that, though fully aware of the sincerity of brother C,
Follow the Lamb. Daily Cross. Painful Experience.
yet I could not but feel that a profession carried out thus was hardly to be desired.
Imagine that the Saviour, when about to bear the cross up the hill of Calvary for you, had yielded to the shrinkings of nature, and said, “I do not feel free to it.” You have given yourself up to follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth; but I need not say to you, that you cannot do this, unless you take up your cross daily and follow after him. The warfare is against the world, the flesh, and Satan. Doubtless every successive day of our pilgrimage will present “something still to do or bear,” from which the flesh may shrink; but shall we yield? If so, we are the servants of him whom we obey. But I am persuaded better things of brother C, though I thus speak.
I am thankful that your heavenly Father reproved you on the occasion referred to. In his great love he sometimes permits us to be convinced, by painful experience, of our errors. We who are parents take pains to instruct our children, in order that they may gradually come to a knowledge of the various duties of life, and after having once clearly assured them of a duty, we expect them to act accordingly. We do not condemn a child for not knowing, but if he disobeys subsequently to his being convinced of duty, then condemnation follows. Now, dear brother, in more instances than the one referred to, have I feared that you
Guided by a Look. A Silken Cord. Bliss.
would come under condemnation. Your Lord and Master says, “I will instruct thee, and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go; I will guide thee with mine eye.” How quiet and gentle his sway! It is true, he holds the reins which are to o-uidc us through all the vicissitudes of life, and its various duties; yet they are held by the hand of infinite wisdom and love; and the silken cord, which holds us in the way, is a bond of love, I heard one, who is now eminent for the holiness and usefulness of her life, say, on her first entrance upon the way, “I resolved to obey every intimation of the Holy Spirit, even the faintest of them.” Richly does her experience prove the faithfulness of God, “The willing and the obedient shall eat the good of the land.”
If I were to be guided by the eye of another, what constant watchfulness were necessary; but if my inmost heart were wholly possessed with the idea, that, to turn my attention off from that eye of light, were to leave me, perhaps in one moment, to take a step which might end in darkness, misery, and death; whereas, on the other hand, obedience to its dictates were only submitting to what was, in the highest degree, necessary for my well-being — O that were bliss indeed! What a privilege to be guided by an eye whose every motion is dictated by love — infinite love! Please turn to the thirty-second Psalm, and read from the
Bit and Bridle, Lessons learned. “Why don’t you do it?”
eighth verse to the close. How evident it is, that our heavenly Father would have us obey the gentle monitions of his Spirit! “Be not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding; whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle.” How our hearts yearn in love over a child who exhibits a ceaseless desire to know and obey our wishes! Such a child may my dear brother C. ever be.
I am endeavoring to be willing and obedient; yet, it is by painful experience that I have occasionally learned some useful lessons. I will attempt to give you a glance at the way a few of these were learned; and I think the relation may help to expose the devices of Satan. A few days after I first received the witness of holiness, I was at a meeting where there was a number of persons deeply agonized in spirit for the salvation of God. Some were groaning for justifjang grace, and others for full redemption. 0, thought I, if there were only some one here to talk about the simple way of salvation by faith! “Why do you not do it?” was suggested. O, thought I, it would require a special commission to undertake a duty so formidable; for among the suppliants for full salvation were one or more ministers, and other persons of influence. I was at a camp meeting, and I hastened to a retired place, that I might, without interruption, inquire of God. But I had scarcely knelt before I received the gentle chidings
Reproved. Opportunity lost. “Don’t be definite.”
of the Spirit thus: “Did you not, in supplicating guidance for the day, ask that you might be filled with the knowledge of the will of God, with all wisdom and spiritual understanding?” <fec. When you asked, did you not believe that you received the thing you desired? Why then did you not let your conduct correspond with your faith, by acting promptly? Before I called, God had answered, and I hastened back to the meeting; but it was only to learn that my omission had frustrated the design of God; for I had scarcely reached the place before the meeting was closed, preparatory to public exercises from the stand. I felt so deeply mortified that Satan should thus have robbed me of this opportunity for usefulness, that I believe I have not needed a repetition of the lesson.
A short time after this I was at a love-feast. My heart was rejoicing in the blessedness of full salvation; and the privilege of sounding it abroad to the ends of the earth would, indeed, have been blissful. It was presented. You have mentioned it before in this church; and, perhaps, the most here have heard your experience on this point; and here are others who profess to enjoy this blessing, yet they do not speak so definitely nor so often on that subject, and it will appear more humble to be more reserved. I concluded I would not speak definitely of enjoying the blessing, but would leave it to be infeiTed. I rose to testifv, but felt no hb-Reproved, but not condemned. Stay taught.
ei-ty. I was startled, said but little, and sat down. I thought, Can it be that it was not my duty to speak? No, that duty was clear. If the Lord required the testimony, why did he not help me, was the next question? I inquired the cause. My Saviour was most graciously near and precious, and truly did I feel that he did not condemn me; but, in love he assured me, that I had chosen my own way to speak, therefore I had no right to expect the special help of the Holy Spirit. I was pained indeed. I saw that I had not honored God as I might have done; yet the transgression had not been willful; but it surely was one which needed the atonement of Christ; and had it not been every moment available, impurity, sufficient to banish my soul from his presence, had been contracted: yet I still felt that I loved God with all my heart; that I still kept all upon the altar, and, consequently, could still say, The blood of Jesus deaiseth. To the praise of God I believe I may say, that Satan has never again had the advantage of me on this point.
I would urge the importance of looking well to the things which we have gained. A lesson once learned should ever be retained. We as parents would feel ourselves grieved and dishonored by a child who is ever learning, and never coming to the knowledge which we desire to impart. Our heavenly Father is intent on teaching us the lessons
The Divine Tenderness. Danger of being drawn back.
Ik’
of his grace, and if we will not learn otherwise than by ‘painful experience, his love may move him to treat us accordingly. Yet in all our afflictions he is afflicted; and shall we move the heart of infinite love to painful correctives, in order to make and keep us right? It is because the bowels of compassion are yearning toward us, that he says, “Be not as the horse or as the mule.” O may our dear brother C. be guided most peacefully, and gently, in every heavenward step, by the eye of Love!
In other cases than the one in question, have I observed your proneness to shrink from the cross. In this you say your heavenly Father reproved you; and, doubtless, he has before reproved you. It is my impression, that the next time you do thus, he will remove the light of his countenance, and you will be numbered among the many who once enjoyed the blessing of holiness, and have lost it. Think of the position in which Israel would have stood, if after they had once, by the power of God, entered upon their promised inheritance, they had been driven back again into the wilderness by their enemies. What cause of triumph would this have been to their foes, and how dishonoring to themselves and to their God! O what a stiniggle with the powers of darkness had my dear brother before entering this his rightful inheritance, and shall his enemies yet again prevail, and
Obedience without Impulses. “Happy till I sought Holiness.”
drive him back? Jesus, Captain of our salvation, forbid it! Sooner cut short thy work in righteousness, and take him to thyself in heaven.
I have yet a little room on my sheet, and there are other lessons which with me have been somewhat painfvilly learned; and, as they involve points about which we have conversed, I will mention them briefly. I told you that the Lord had assured me, that it was not for me to wait for imjyelUng influences, but rather to act from the dictates of a sanctified judgment, (and if we render up mind, memory, and will, every moment, to Christ, are we not to believe he sanctifies all these powers?) We may often be required to act with y’onijytness where the circumstances will not admit of delay. The promptings of the Spirit may often suggest, as was said to David, “Do what is in thy heart, for the Lord is with thee;” or with Joshua, when he was lying on his face, and it was said, “Up, for Israel hath sinned.”
I was present at a meeting for testimony on holiness, where, after it had for some time progressed most profitably, an influential individual arose and said, among other inexplicable things, “When I experienced religion I was as happy as I could live; but afterward, when my mind became interested on the subject of sanctification, I lost all my enjoyment, and have never regained it since.” I had expected much from the meeting, but, for a
Silent Watchman. Taking Sides with God. The Result.
moment, all seemed lost. Several ministers were present, and I earnestly hoped some might defend the precious doctrine of holiness from the aspersion which had been implied; but they were silent. I had been solicited to be present, to help forward the exercises of the meeting, and the enemy tauntingly suggested, If you reply by way of reproving this brother, it will look as if you were indeed willing to be a teacher among teachers. But shall any one be left to conceive, from such high authority, (for the one who had spoken was a minister,) that as soon as they really resolve on obedience to the command, “Be ye holy,” they are to lose all their enjoyment in religion? I could not abide the thought, and said, If others will not do their duty, by taking sides with God, they must settle it before God for themselves; it is the Lord’s most precious truth which suffers, and he can use this feeble instrument in its defense.
I spoke; and the Lord not only took care of his truth, but he took care of my influence in the minds of those present, as I plainly saw afterward. The next day, the individual who had spoken so questionably came to me, and with tears acknowledged that he had permitted his mind to get into great darkness on that point. He seemed very sincere in his resolves that he would seek till he obtained the blessing.
It was only during the ensuing week that I was
Boisterous. Stand up for the Truth. The Delay.
again present, under similar circumstances, at a meeting held quite remote from the one just referred to. A minister had said at the opening of the
meeting,” Sister is with us, and will instruct
us in the way of holiness.” The enemy made this a source of some temptation to me, but the way of the Lord seemed to be preparing for a baptism of the Spirit, when an illiterate man, seemingly of boisterous habits, began to tell of an experience made up of signs and wonders. After telhng of great ecstasies, he concluded by saying, with much emphasis, “Brethren and sisters, if you are happy you are holy.” I longed, for the sake of the cause, that some one would set him right; but said the enemy, “If you should attempt to do it, they would certainly think that you thought yourself capable of instructing them.” The Spirit said, “Stand up in defense of truth: did not God take care of your influence, last week, under similar circumstances, and will he not do it now?” I lingered, saying in my heart. The views which this person has presented are so palpably wi’ong, that any discerning individual may discover their falsity; and thus I reasoned, neither really decided not to speak in defense of truth, nor fully resolved that I would do so, until the gracious influence, which had before prevailed, seemed to be withdrawn from the meeting, and I saw that I had grieved the Spirit of holiness. Never since that time have
Reputation. Let us keep what we get. Established.
I dared to be otherwise than fearless in the defense of truth. I do not judge others; to their own Master they stand or fall, but my duty is plain, I have given up my reputation to God; and I cannot consistently make a profession of being wholly- given up to the service of Christ, or of having received his Spirit, without standing out faithfully in defense of the blessed doctrines of the gospel, and manifesting that spirit, by a corresponding sympathy, when his cause suffers.
The Lord help us to “look to ourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward,” and may we ever be found perfect and complete in all the will of God. Yours, in the fellowship of the Spirit.