November 23
My dear Frieivd: — As I have not been permitted to talk to you face to face this summer, why should not I converse -with you in another way? I think it right to tell you my present feelings, and how I stand affected towards you. I believe that all the true love in the world comes from the infinite fullness of Jesus. It has no other source: and he has (eternal blessings on him!) warmed my cold heart with some of his precious love. I feel a ray of it drawing my affections to my dear friend. Its sweet influence is from above: its origin is Divine; it is, indeed, of heavenly extraction and birth. No thanks to me that it partakes of some of the gracious properties of the fountain from whence it springs; for some of them it has, my conscience bearing me witness. And these, I confess, are not natives of mine own soil: not being planted in it, am I able to make them grow and flourish? O no! The God of all grace is the free giver; he is the mighty continuer: without him they would have never been; without him they would have died at their birth, and gone out like a spark in the ocean. But I do really find some of the image and likeness of my loving Lord upon my heart, and that towards you. Thei’e can be no tme friendship without an union of spirit. In order to be pure and steadfast, it must be refined from selfish views and carnal motives; it must spring from no outward attachment, but from a real agreement and harmony of soul; such is the nature of Christian friendship. It is beyond all Plato’s rules, and Seneca’s morals. They had no idea of it. Reason the most refined could never understand our doctrine. He that is joined to the Lord is one spirit; a most wonderful union; big with blessings, temporal and eternal. Among its temporal blessings, it is not the least that he reforms the heart, and makes it loving, like his own; capable of receiving its heavenly friendship, and capable of showing it to his praise, by especial love to his brethren and our brethi-en.
In whatever view I am considering our Divine Friend, there is always something which gives him, and most justly, the pre-eminence. He is, and will be for ever, the most blessed head, which communicates life, and breath, and all things, to every member. In the character now before us, O how exalted, how glorious is he! Yes, he is beyond all blessing and praise, for being a present Saviour to his people; as he mightily delivers them from the tyranny of their vile tempers, and renders them happy in one another. It is from his grace that they put on, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, &c. He plants those virtues in the heart; he waters them with the rain of heaven; he shines upon them; and he makes them flourish in spite of all the opposition of selfish passions and inbred lusts; indeed he does. There are persons in the world who are infinitely indebted to Jesus Christ for that brotherly love which is the bond of perfectness, and who, in some measure, walk in love, according to his teaching. But they mourn, I know they do, because they find so little gratitude to him, and so little conformity to his example. Yet some likeness there is, and they are striving every day for more, still setting out afresh: not content with any past attainment, they study both to love him more, and to draw more virtue from him, that they may love others as Christ also loved them.
Methinks I see one of his disciples warm and eager in this pursuit. I stop him, and ask, Sir, upon what principle is it that your heart is so set upon being like Christ? you are quite unwearied in having your own hateful tempers subdued, and in putting on the sweet dispositions of the meek and lowly Jesus.
His answer, I am sure, would be, “The love of Christ constraineth me: O how I feel the blessed effect of being one with my Lord! He has taught me in my very heart to love God, and man for God’s sake; to this dearest Jesus I am indebted for my paradise restored; and I am never happier than when I am sensible of my vast debt; for then I love him best, and am most enabled to manifest it to men. Beyond description, beyond conception of any, yea, all the glorified saint?, is the love of Immanuel to my soul; it is like himself, infinite and boundless; it is quite free, given to the unworthiest, and to the most unthankful; a perfect love, nothing but love, such as excludes all shyness and coldness, prevents misconstructions and quarrels, yea, removes the very cause and ground of them. A communicative love, most generously bestowing a right and title to all blessings upon the beloved; for thus the grant of the great charter runs: all mine are thine; and, to crown the whole, it is a lasting love; yea, everlasting, reaching from eternity to eternity. The more I study and experience of this heavenly love, the more I find my heart affected with it, and the more I wish that all my friendships may reflect some image of, and bring some glory to, the friendship of my Jesus.”
Having read this passage over carefully, I can, if called upon, set my hand and seal to it. All this I know to be true. W. R. Some little spark of this holy flame (but, though little, inestimable) has long ago thawed my frozen heart, and has kept a warmth of affection in it which he that kindled often hears of in prayer and praise for you, and of which they who know you, and come in my way, hear also. Some kind providence will, I doubt not, ere long, let you hear it with your own ears. With pleasing hope I look forward to a present, because I am sure of a future, meeting which will never end. Our friendship will run coeval with our being; it is an union formed by the Divine hand of Jesus, who has won our hearts, and made them one in himself, in a bond which he will not, and none else can, break: so that we may sing, in humble confidence, all our way to Sion,
The love divine
That made us thine.
Shall keep us thine for ever.
Tell Mr. B he is in my debt, and I
wish him to get out of it; but he must pray a good deal for me before he does; so must you. Pray the more for me. Ply the throne. Mrs. Romaine joins in all.