Lambeth, January 18, 1763
My dear Friend: — I often remember you in the best place, and for the best purposes, but cannot bring myself to love writing of letters; yet I have again taken up my pen, to wish you every spiritual blessing purchased by the life and death of our incarnate God, and that will make you as happy as you can be on this side of heaven. In this new year, may you grow in the knowledge and excellency of his most adored person, of his complete, finished salvation, and of your own particular interest in it; and, having these believing views, may you glorify him by living happy upon his fullness! I know a little of these matters, and but little; yet I am sitting, abashed at my ignorance, at my Master’s feet. He has made me willing to hear his words; and I find his lips so full of grace, that I cannot spare a moment for my Homer or Virgil, my favorite TuUy or Demosthenes. Adieu forever to all the cla.ssics. I see an heavenly life, as well as a matchless beauty, in my Lord’s words; and though I am a dull scholar, yet he is a blessed Master. He keeps me waiting upon him day by day, trusting nothing to my own understanding, but listening continually to his instruction: so he gets all the glory of making me wise unto salvation. To this great prophet may you repair for instruction all this year! He teaches as never man taught. His doctrine is with power and demonstration of the Spirit. He can so humble your pride, that you shall be as dependent upon him as a new-born babe; and then, having emptied you of your own carnal reason, and false wisdom, he will enlighten you by his Word and Spirit, with saving truth. Here the humblest scholar learns the most; for our highest lesson is to learn how to live upon Him, who was made of God unto us wnsdom; and he who relies most upon him for that wisdom will certainly be the wisest. If the whole world was mine, and I could purchase what I would with it, I would give it all to be a scholar made poor in spirit at Christ’s feet. And what, then, can I wish my dear friend better, than to be one of his little children, whom he teaches his mind and will? Only I could wish you more humbled, that you may more perfectly learn the two blessed truths which he is exalted to teach his people; namely, to believe in his blood and righteousness, and to live upon his grace and power.
His prophetical office is to teach us how to be always safe by believing in him, and always happij’hj living upon him. He has the residue of the Spirit with him, and he sends him into the behever’s heart, to be always preaching this most comfortable doctrine, that whatever he wants for his acceptance at the bar of justice, it is perfectly to be had, and freely in the fullness of the Lord Christ. Sins as red as scarlet, sins as numerous as the stars, or as the sand upon the sea-shore innumerable, and nature as black as hell, a heart as wicked as the Devil, the divine and eternally precious blood of Jesus can so cleanse and purify, that not one spot shall remain; for he is Almighty. He has all power in heaven and earth to pardon sin. If I had been guilty of all the sins of Adam and Eve, and of all their descendants to this day, yet believing in him I should be safe, because his blood cleanseth from all sin. And in Christ the believer has a better righteousness than that of the angels; theirs is finite, his is infinite: — a better righteousness than that of our first parents in paradise; theirs was the righteousness of a creature, and they lost it; this is the righteousness of God, and it is an everlasting righteousness, never to be lost. It is the righteousness in which the saints stand before God for ever and ever. When the Holy. Spirit takes of these things of Christ, and preaches them to the heart, oh, what a sweet peace follows! — for the believer then finds himself saved from all the miseries of sin, and entitled to all the blessings of eternal glory; and, being thus persuaded of his safety by believing in the atoning blood of our Great High Priest, then the Holy Spirit teaches him how to live upon Christ, and how to make use of Christ’s fullness. On our learning this lesson depends our comfortable walk heaven-wards: for Christ does not give us a stock of grace, and expect us to improve it by being faithful to grace given: no, no; that is not his way. Our souls must depend upon him, as our bodies do upon the elements of this world. Every moment we must live by faith upon his fullness, and be every moment receiving out of it grace for grace. And this is our happiness — to have all in Christ. A beggar in myself, but rich with unsearchable, eternal riches in him. Ignorant still in myself, but led and taught by his unerring wisdom. A sinner still, but believing in his blood and righteousness. Weak and helpless still, but kept by his Almighty love. Nothing but sorrow in myself, nothing but joy in him.
Oh! this is a blessed life. No tongue can tell what a heaven it is, thus to live by faith upon the Son of God. Thanks be to him, I know a little of it; and I cannot but heartily pray that you may know more of it this year than you ever did. Surely I could not have thought, some years ago, that there was such an heaven upon earth as I now find — Blessings for ever on the Lamb! May you find it more and more! Sweet Jesus keep you, my dear friend!
Your’s,
W. R.