I Embrace a few moments to answer your kind letter. Not want of love but leisure prevented my doing it before; yet I have not forgotten you in my prayers. Your case hath been upon my heart. I pray God you may be enabled, at this time especially, to plead the promise of temporal blessings. Remember, my dear brother, you can call God, your God and Father: if so, your God will supply all your wants. These words were so pressed upon my soul once when in extremity, that I hope I shall never forget them: “Be careful for nothing, but by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God.” I have for these eight or nine years past, had no visible settled fund, but fetched in all temporal supplies by pleading the promises. My God never failed me, he never will. This morning I have been lecturing upon Elisha’s multiplying the widow’s oil. The Lord God of Elisha is yet living. O that you may have faith to apply to him. O that you may be willing to be made poor. My brother, I find freedom in writing to you. Blessed be God, who hath made any thing that I have spoken of use to your soul. Tell your wife, she must take my advice, and pray with you. She sins, I think, in omitting it. I rejoice to hear that the Lord is with you at the tabernacle. May he be with you more and more! My brother, God is doing wonders here indeed. Every day he shews us great things. Yesterday, and the day before, how did he display his power? I am lost when I think of it. O that God should ever dwell with such an ill and hell-deserving wretch as I am! Amazing! Thy mercies, O God, they humble me. Adieu.
Your unworthy and affectionate friend and brother,
G. W.
LETTER CCCCLIII.
To Mr. J—— N——.
Edinburgh, Sept. 13, 1742.
My very dear brother N——,
I Have just been writing to our dear brother G—— T——, and now sit down to write to you. Both your letters came to me at the same time, and had I not been used to trials of that nature, would have affected me much. Dear Mr. T—— speaks many things, that I know are too true of the Moravian Brethren; but his spirit seems to be too much heated, and I fear some of his own wild-fire is mixed with that sacred fire of zeal, which comes from God. My dear brother, I want to be more like unto God, who sees and corrects all things that are amiss, and yet continues unmoved in his own nature. I want to be more like unto Jesus, God blessed for evermore! who sees all the quarrels and heart-risings of his children one amongst another, and yet bears with, and loves them still. My heart doth not reproach me, for my kindness and friendship with those that differ from me. I think I have been led by the word and spirit of God into this part of my conduct; but I confess that I am jealous, and trust with a godly jealousy, over many who talk and write of the Lamb, and who mimic some particular persons in their outward way of behaviour, but yet are not truly poor in spirit. They act too much like me, who at my first setting out imitated the outward shew of humility in Monsieur Dezenly, before I got true simplicity of heart. Indeed, I have too little of it now. But, blessed be God by his free grace, I am what I am. I think I can say I am made unfeignedly happy in the Lord Jesus Christ, and can discover in some measure between a false and disguised holiness. Glory be to the Redeemer’s name, I walk in light and liberty, and am enabled to rejoice in the Lord always. Though I can say to corruption, “Thou art my sister,” yet I can with a full assurance of faith at all times say, “God is my father, and all is mine, because I am Christ’s.” My dear, very dear host and brother, I pray God that you and I may more experience the glorious liberty of the children of God: a liberty not from the in-being, but from the reigning power and dominion of sin. Jesus came to make us kings, as well as priests, and it is our privilege to reign upon the earth. We that believe, do enter into rest. Faith is of an all-conquering nature, and causes us to trample sin, death, and hell under our feet. My dear brother, I experience more, unspeakably more of the Redeemer’s power, than when I saw you last. My happiness increases daily, and I am persuaded will increase, ’till grace is swallowed up in glory. My principles as to the fundamentals of the gospel are just the same as yours. I cannot renounce those precious truths, that I have felt the power of, and which were taught me not of man but of God. At the same time, I would love all that love Jesus, though they differ from me in some points. The angels love all the true worshippers of Jesus every where, and why should not we? If our brethren will quarrel with us, let us not quarrel with them. O my dear brother, I pray our dear Redeemer to give you meekness to those, who may not see so far as you do. I entreat you, my dear brother, to overcome their evil with your good. Zeal for God may excite others to oppose you, as well as you to oppose them; therefore bear with and love them. This will shew you to be a disciple indeed, and to have that mind, which was in Christ Jesus. O that we grew up into his divine likeness, and were indeed conformed to our great Exemplar! How truly simple and void of guilt should we be! Our brother, I fear, has not dealt uprightly with me. At first he called me a servant of God, and then a blasphemer and deceiver, and said, I should be in a miserable condition. Pray tell P—— of it, and acquaint him at the same time, that I grow happier and happier in the Lamb every day, and more and more honoured by the great Head and King of the Church. O simplicity! whether art thou fled?—In a short time I hope to embark for Georgia, and then, God willing, I shall see you face to face. Wonderful things have been doing here; things unspeakable and full of glory. The confusions abroad are no greater than what I expected to hear of. Just such a scene hath been at home; but the glorious Emmanuel will over-rule all for good. Why have you not written to my poor family in Georgia? I am persuaded great things will come from the orphan-house. O remember, my dear brother, to exercise catholic love in all its branches. I love and long much to see you. I shall write, God willing, to Mr. W——. I find his spirit is also imbittered. May the Lord sweeten all your hearts! With hearty thanks for all favours, I am, my very dear brother,
Most affectionately yours in the glorious Jesus,