February 1772
My dear friend has been thinking — “Well, I could not have expected such neglect; a letter sent in October, and not answered in January; I am surprised what can be the meaning of it!” I answer, to my shame, that I am grown very lazy, and good for nothing. It is high time I was dismissed from the vineyard; and any other master but mine would have had nothing to do with me long ago. I cannot but loathe myself, and stand wondering daily at his kindness. Never was self lower, and his loveliness higher, than in this new year. Worthless as I am, beyond all conception, yet he begun the year with vouchsafing me some delightful Pisgah-views. You must know it has been a custom with me for many years to have a sermon on the New Year’s Day, and to have the text of a sort of watch-word, something very short and striking, and which may serve the believers to feast upon a twelvemonth. I have found this very useful to myself, and so have others. Our text for 1772 was, Christ is ALL. I send you some remarks, believing you will have fellowship with us in them, as you certainly have in that adorable Person of whom they treat.
Christ has all the fullness of salvation in him, as God-man; and he has it to the glory of the Father, and of the eternal Spirit: for it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell, as in the head for the use of his members. And it pleased the Holy Spirit to testify of his fullness in the Scripture; and it pleases him by his grace to bring believers to use it, and to live upon it; and then they are truly converted. All other experience is not worth one farthing. The great work of the Holy Ghost is to pull down SELF, and to exalt Christ. This he does effectually, and this he has done in you. Think what your debt is; try to cast it up; and send me the sum total. Say, how much do you owe the Holy Spirit for enlightening your understanding, and convincing you that Christ is the one Sun of the spiritual world. What a most blessed change has he wrought upon your mind! He has stripped you of the knowledge that puffeth up; and has sent you to Christ, and to none but Christ, to be taught the things of God. He has brought you humbled to the Saviour’s feet, where you are sitting among his lowest scholars (and that’s the best place) to hear his words. Thus he has glorified your Divine prophet in you; and in the matter of teaching, he has made Christ your all. The Bible, and ministers, and means, have now got their right place; they are subservient to Christ’s teaching. He is exalted by your use of them: for you don’t go to them, but to HIM in them, to receive lesson upon lesson, and line upon line. Thus may you and I be found waiting upon our great Lord and Master through the year seventy-two! and when w e thus put honor upon his office, and give glory to his teaching, we may expect to learn much of him: he w ill guide our feet in the way of peace; lie will enlarge our faculties to know more of the wonders of his grace; and he will enable us to enjoy more of the heavenly sweetness of his precious love. Yes, Lord, we have great expectations from thee: thou canst teach us far more than we have yet learned. O make us every day humbler scholars, that, whatever we learn, the praise of it may be thine, and our growth in saving knowledge may add to thy fame and renown!
Methinks I hear you ask — “But how shall I know for certain that I am one of Christ’s scholars, and that he has indeed taken me into his tuition and teaching?” My dear Madam, you are to know it from what you have learned of him. You cannot be certain of it any other way. He would have you to look at his revealed truth, and to try yourself by it. Has not he made you wise in it unto salvation? O do, pray do, acknowledge what he has done for your soul !• When you was sensible of your fallen state, in which you inherit a corrupt nature, and felt that in it you could do nothing but sin — when guilt was in your conscience, and fear was in your heart, what was it which brought you relief? To what did you look for pardon, and from whence did you expect peace with God? Your answer will show whether you are Christ’s scholar, and how far you have advanced in his school.
I can make your reply (for I have heard you say as much) — “Why, to be sure, I have no hope but in that offering which perfect-ETH FOR EVER, and in that righteousness which justifieth from all things. This is my salvation — this, and nothing else — Christ IS ALL — I expect no pardon but in his blood — no justification but in his obedience — no safety but in his keeping me — no happiness but in his love — no heaven but in the enjoyment of Immanuel.”
Very well, this is a good confession. But who taught it you? Was it not Jesus, he who alone teacheth man saving knowledge? Has not he opened your eyes to see, and your heart to receive, those most blessed truths? Yes, he has. And do you praise him as he deserves? O no! A thought often comes into your head, “If I had learned those things of Christ, how could it be that I am so little and so seldom comforted by them? they are full of all consolation, and I am sometimes quite empty: how can this be?” I’ll tell you, my good friend. The very same thought comes into my head, and plagues me. But I get the better of it. Consider where it is written, He that is comforted shall he saved! You are called upon to trust the work of Christ, and to trust it for yourself upon the word of Christ. His word is your whole salvation: his word, and nothing in yourself. (Here I should stop. This is the end of my paper. But I cannot get done — you must let me finish my sentence, although it be to your cost. Well, you’ll forgive me, I hope, and therefore I proceed) — His word, and nothing in yourself, is to be your lawful warrant to call this salvation your own, and to use it for your own. Rest here, giving credit to the free promise of salvation to all that will receive it, and I’ll lay my life of it you will not want comfort long. You will have God’s faithfulness for your security that you are a saved sinner; and the belief of this cannot but bring peace and joy into your heart. According to your faith, so will your comfort.be. But if you rest not here, get comfort where you will, it w ill not be true; it cannot be lasting. Not true; because all comfort dwells in Christ; everything else is emptiness and vanity — not lasting; because frames, feelings, habits, graces, joys, &c. &c., ebb and flow. Only Christ abideth the same forever, and only his unchangeable word can fix your comfort. Trust it; make it your constant warrant to go to Christ for comfort, and he cannot deny his word: according to your faith, so will he give unto you.
Don’t think, my good friend, I would have you to walk mourning and melancholy. No. There is nothing in Christ to make you so. He is all light, and life, and love, and joy, and that without ceasing; an infinite and everlasting fullness of all blessings. I would lead you to him in the direct road, which is to lead you out of self entirely. Christ is the way — look more at him, and less at self; trust more to him, and less to your faith or comforts; live upon nothing in yourself, but live every moment upon him; don’t eye his gifts so much — fix your heart upon the giver; be ahvays thinking of his fullness whenever you feel your own emptiness; whatever you are, or do, or suffer, let all things bring you to make (forgive me, I must go on: I take up another half-sheet, and I beseech you, again and again, let all things bring you to make) use of Christ. Read about him. Go to your closet to converse with him. Go to church to meet him. Make him your companion. Accustom your mind to meditate upon him. Pray without ceasing to him as your bosom friend. Don’t be shy of him; he hates shyness. Draw near; he bids you come with boldness, vile, unthankful, unprofitable, as you are: his dear heart is always open to hear your complaints, and to relieve your distresses, be they what they will. Remember, he is the Sun of our world, and you cannot be thus always in his presence without being enlightened by his rays and cherished with his warm beams. When any are very cold within doors, and see the sun shining sweetly, they don’t use to ask. Is it my sun? May I go out to walk in the noon-day brightness, and get myself warm in this delightful sunshine? Is it for me? yes, make use of it, who will: it shines for you; Christ is as freely yours as that sunshine. You may walk in his light, and enjoy his comforts. You may take him for your righteousness, and your holiness; you may Uve on him for grace and glory. He is yours, and all he has is yours also, for your use to-day and for ever.
Thus you see, my good friend, how we intend to live in London through the year 1772. Christ is our all, not only in our title to salvation, but also in our present enjoyment of its blessings. We expect a great income, and all from Christ. Our faith in him is not an empty notion, (as the world thinks,) but it is a reality. Christ is the substance; all besides is shadow; and by faith we now take possession of the substance. We live by him, and we live on him. We need envy nobody. What are princes to us? Our estate is vastly beyond theirs; the inheritance is sure; the riches unsearchable; and the income — ask and have; and that increasing through eternity. O blessed, most blessed inheritance! The prospect is not like that of Moses. He only saw the country, but we go over Jordan. We, who have believed, do enter into rest. We are living in the land which floweth with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands. An heir of this country may live in the poorest cottage at K — , and yet be richer than a king. If he live this year, as he should do, by the faith of the Son of God, what are the riches of emperors compared to his? He can look into his title-deeds, and there read two clauses, which make him rich, even beyond conception; all things are
YOURS AND YOURS FOR EVER.
I know what you will think, as well as if I heard you tell me your thoughts. I am acquainted with the vile suggestions of the enemy. He may tempt you to doubt of these truths, on account of your having still so many wants. But, my friend, the more the better. We should glory in our wants. They make us rich: for we can want nothing but it is in Christ’s fullness, and laid up there for us. This makes way for a constant intercourse between you and Christ, and keeps up a holy friendship in giving and receiving. By this means a sweet familiarity will be maintained, and a growing intimacy cherished. Christ requires you would be free with him, and draw largely upon his bank. Every moment you want something. Christ says, “Here it is; come to me for it: I can deny you nothing.” O go to him at his bidding, and put honor upon his love. Your many, your great wants, will only give him an occasion to show how much he loveth you. He has for you bowels of the tenderest compassion. He feels for you more than you can think. Blessed is that want, look at it by faith, and you will find it so, which brings you to Christ for a supply.
Do you want Temporals — read my Grant, Matt. vi. 32 — or Spirituals, trust my Promise, Eph. i. 3 — or Eternals, look at my Gift in Rom. vi. 23; and be assured I will withhold from you no manner of thing that is good. Stand upon this ground, and here survey your wants: be they what they will, trust Christ for a supply. Live like a Christian, by the faith of the Son of God, for temporals, spirituals, and eternals: this is living. This is holy living; for you cannot be thus receiving every moment out of Christ’s fullness, but you must feel some gratitude to your Divine friend, and a growing willingness to be his debtor for grace, and to be one of his pensioners for glory. This is HIGH living. For then has the Holy Spirit magnified Jesus in you upon earth, when you make him all and in all; and then has he given you the certain earnest that he will bring you to heaven, where you will find Jesus all and in all, for ever and ever.
This is a little touch of our new year’s gift. Pray tell Miss W r it’s our standing dish for 1772: I wish her a good stomach to feast on it with us; it is food and physic: I know she likes it. I don’t doubt but in a very short time she and I shall sit down at the King’s own table, and feast with him, and on him, and bless him, as long as we have our being. Pray tell them at the next door, Christ is all. And tell my dear little Vicar, to whom my heart is knit, to
exalt Christ — Up with him, Mr. B;
come, try; up with him a little higher. Pray, and preach, and live, that Christ be exalted. God bless the lifting up of Christ
in K pulpit! Amen.
There is nothing I wish myself of good
but I wish it to Mr. M. I really love
my K friends, and often think of that
precious child. O Lord, keep him! Jesus, save him! may death never part mother and son. I wish my prayers may be heard for him. His portion with us is worth a thousand K s. May he find with us Christ
his ALL.
W. R.