LETTER XXV.
“Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith.”
To —
The work of God, Father, Son, and Spirit, was ever opposed by satan and his emissaries in all the grand displays of his favour to his dear people, in the open manifestation of his love, in the accomplishment of our redemption, in the proclamation of pardon and mercy in the gospel, and in the operations of the ever-blessed Spirit on the hearts of his chosen. It is the last point I now beg you to notice; there are greater and more mischievous foes to this work than to any other, because this opposition generally comes from a quarter where one would hardly expect it; some profest Christians deny it entirely; others admit it in part only, as an assistant to the creature. The apostle has addressed such characters in this pointed speech. “Beware, lest that come on you which was spoken by the prophet, ‘Behold ye despisers and wonder, and perish, for I work a work in your days; a work in which you shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you.’” You may talk to many about the works of creation and redemption, and they may give credit to it; but if you talk to them about the work of God the Holy Spirit on the heart, they will hiss like a serpent, and soon manifest their enmity to you and the work itself. But, my dear friend, although God has been pleased to begin, and is actually carrying on this work in our hearts, have we not more formidable foes within: are not our inward enemies worse than every outward foe? Let me appeal to your conscience. Do you not at times give way to doubting, and God-dishonouring unbelief? Do you not lie against your right, and offend the Lord in a fit of ingratitude, and too often indulge your suspicions and your complaints? Is not this giving place to satan, to harrass your mind, and keep up the distance between God, and your soul; setting you at questioning the reality of a work of grace in the heart, and begetting a fear in your soul that you are nothing but an hypocrite? The world, perhaps, joins in it and says the same: oh, you are nothing but an hypocrite. Perhaps providence seems contrary, troubles befal you, the members of the same church are permitted to suspect your religion, and condemn you only as an hypocrite. Under this opposition I have sighed and wept. Yet will you believe it, even this has done me much good: the fears of being an hypocrite, and being found so in death and judgment, have driven me to pray that God would make me sincere and without offence. By persevering in prayer I have obtained fresh light; the Lord has cast a ray on the track he has led me; and by reading the word I have been enabled to compare my past and present case with the word of God: this has often afforded me joy and peace in believing: not that I make my experience a foundation of hope, but I look upon some Bible parts of experience to be tokens for good, way-marks, evidences, and infallible signs and proofs of the electing love of God and of redemption from woe. The method I have found good to adopt has been the following:—
First, I have considered the characters specified in the Bible, to whom the promises and invitations belong: these persons are described clearly by such terms, and couched in such words as the very weakest believer may comprehend, sometimes as expressive of his feelings, and the views which he has of himself, in himself; so that when faith is too weak to apprehend what we are in Christ, it is busied about what we are in ourselves, as described in the word, and as we are led to feel, see, lament and acknowledge the same before God and man. For instance, the word of God has set forth our state as dead, blind, captive, alienated from God, filled with enmity, rebellion, pride and unbelief. An acquaintance with these things as inherent in our nature is peculiar only to God’s people: all men are by nature in this state, but the children of God are the only persons who see it, feel it and lament it, and prize the remedy God has provided. When I have heard or read sermons and authors speak of the dignity and excellency of human nature, I have felt disgusted, because I know, first, what the Bible has declared of human nature, and secondly, I have had the painful feelings of these things; I have felt my deadness, I have seen my blindness, I have felt my bondage, and saw, with horror, my distance and want of conformity to God. I have been brought into such circumstances as to feel my rebellion against a holy and a just God, his law, his gospel, his people and his sovereign dispensations: the Lord has shown me my pride of heart, and I have felt shut up in unbelief; I have seen my weakness, and been led captive by sin, satan and the world; and to this day feel the tyranny of sin; though, blessed be God, sin is not my sovereign, it rages, but it does not reign. A view, a deep heart-felt acquaintance with these things is feeling the plague of the heart; and deep as our knowledge may be of this desperate sore, not one half can ever be known by us. It was a good saying of Mr. Whitfield’s, “There are two mysteries we can never comprehend, the mystery of Godliness, as set forth in the gospel, and the mystery of iniquity which works in the heart.” No one can possibly prize the holy person and precious work of Christ, but those who are led by the Spirit into an acquaintance with their own hearts. This knowledge of the human heart distinguishes a believer from an hypocrite, and a mere carnal professor; it is the most painful part of our experience, but it is very useful. The full loatheth an honeycomb, but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet; and as the ever blessed Spirit leads us on to know our desperate vileness, so we see the justice of God in our condemnation, by the holy law which we have violated; we see the sin of Adam in a most awful light, and view it imputed to us, and condemning us. These things are better understood than it is possible to write them. I beg leave to observe once more, this knowledge of the human heart is gradual; we saw a little of it at our first setting out, but what do we see now. Hence the command to Ezekiel, “Turn again, son of man, thou shalt yet see greater abominations than these.” Oh! the patience and forbearance of God with such hell-deserving sinners. Oh! the love of his heart, and the greatness, freeness, and power of his grace, give, oh, give him the glory for ever.
Yours, J. C.