“God is a name my soul adores,
Th’ Almighty Three, th’ Eternal One:
Nature and grace, with all their powers,
Confess the Infinite Unknown.”
I wish you were in possession of the excellent Jones on the “Catholic Doctrine of the Trinity.”
Yours, J. C.
LETTER X.
“The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies.”
“Love the truth and peace.”
To—
What a mercy for us that all divine teaching is the gracious work of God the Holy Spirit; and when we view, in his own light, what He is, as He has condescended to set himself forth in his own word, we are amazed at his condescension. He is called the Eternal Spirit; He is Omnipresent, Omniscient, Omnipotent; He is a person—and what is a person but a living, thinking, acting, intelligent agent? And what we have professed at church, when, perhaps, we did not understand what we said, is a most noble and glorious testimony—“I believe in God, the Holy Ghost, the Lord and giver of life, who proceedeth from the Father and the Son; and who, with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, who spake by the prophets”—this gracious, divine, and glorious person has engaged to lead all his people into all necessary truth, and He will be faithful to his covenant promises; nor do I esteem it a small mercy to be established in the glorious doctrine of the Trinity, as it is set forth in God’s Word, after my mind had been so perplexed with errors and temptations.
But now another very keen temptation beset me, respecting the doctrine of eternal election, and its attendant reprobation. This was painted to me, in the most horrible terms, as the most cruel and unjust act, such as could never be attributed to a merciful God. Erroneous books, preachers, professors, carnal reason, and the devil, all combined to oppose it. A very plain reason that the doctrine is of God—or else such would never oppose it; if the doctrine was of the world, the world would love its own—but, because it is of God, therefore they hate it. Thousands of tongues and pens have been raised up against it, but these two mountains of brass still stand as firm as ever. The manner in which the wicked would, though varnished with seeming piety, represent the doctrine, is thus:—that to hold the doctrine of election is saying, that the elect will be saved, do whatever they may—and the reprobate will be damned, let them do all the good they can. This is the manner in which they carnally state the matter; and, as they are but carnal, and the carnal mind is enmity with God, what can we expect from such thorns and thistles, surely not the figs and grapes of truth? Others admit that election may be true, but then we are elected upon condition of our good behaviour; and others profess to believe that election is certainly a truth, but then all others may be saved, if they will, as they have a good chance for it, being in a salveable state (and so they wrap it up). Amidst this pro and con. my mind was not a little distressed, till the Lord led me into the truth, as it is in Jesus, and gave me to see he had blest me with the Bible evidences of my eternal election of God. I saw from the Word that election was a sovereign, holy, wise, gracious act of Jehovah, before all worlds; that Christ’s election was first, as head, and the church was chosen in him, that the head and the body were alike chosen, loved, and viewed as one—and this choice was for the glory of God, for the glory of Christ, and for the holiness and eternal happiness of the church. God chose his people that they might be holy, not because they were so, but that they might be so; and he predestinated the same people to enjoy his presence, love, and glory, to all eternity. They are set apart for himself, predestinated to himself. “This people have I formed for myself.” And must not that man be a fool and a madman that does not desire to know that he was chosen to be holy, and predestinated to the enjoyment of God for ever? Let such oppose this precious doctrine: but—
“O, may this Bible truth inspire
My soul with sacred bliss;
And lane me safe in mansions where
My chosen Saviour is.”Lyndal’s Hymns.
Would not professors be better employed in attending to God’s Word, which so dearly states this matter, and praying for the enjoyment of the evidences of it in their own souls, than cavilling against it, seeing they never can overthrow this ancient mountain, this eternal hill? The Lord not only opened my eyes to see it, humbled my heart to receive it, but gave my soul the Bible evidences of it. For—