May the least be as David, and hasten the hour, O burnish us all into arrows of light Our battle-bow Thou, and our quiver of might; C. H. M. PERSONAL LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. OUR JUBILEE MEMORIAL. 37, New Kent Road, S.E., July 9th, 1882. Dear Sir, It did truly do my heart good when I read of the Lord's goodness to you at your jubilee meeting. May peace and unity exist to the end of your days amongst you and your flock. But I said to myself, I can give him nothing. But I am enabled at times to think of you to the Lord, when the blessed Spirit brings you and others of God's sent servants before me: and I do beg Him to keep you all faithful to His Word, and preserve your lives to sound aloud His fame and Name for many years to come, if His blessed will; for true trumpeters are scarce now-a-days. Oh, what blasphemy is being spread abroad; most lamentable to think of. My poor prayer is to the dear Lord to make and keep His own people honest and true to their colours. "If Baal be God, serve him," I say. "If God be God, serve Him," with mind and heart, fully and unmixed. For "Tis perfect poverty alone That sets the soul at large." True liberty. I know that our God knows all that is taking place; for not the smallest thing could take place without His permission; at the same time I think it calls upon God's people to be on their watch-tower, and to cry aloud to Him, for the abominable sins that are done in the land, and to spare this our guilty nation. I almost say sometimes to myself, "Would to God there was a little persecution going on among His people, that it might stir them up,' for I cannot but think that the Church of Christ is in a very low spot, and real vital religion at a low ebb. It is with grief that I say it. But, dear sir, forgive me if I am wrong, God's power alone is wanting; that is everything to a child of God. A SPARROW ALONE. A KIND WORD FROM OLD PILGRIMS. Fareham, July 10th, 1882. To my very dear Brother in Christ,-Being rather shaky this morning, but having a desire to write to one whose face I have never seen in the flesh, yet having read the Advocate some years, and having received grace for the obedience of faith in some small measure, by the same Spirit which worketh by love to you and the brethren, I am desirous you should know, by the above books, I have, with my dear aged sister, felt greatly instructed, settled and established concerning soul matters, therefore I feel deeply indebted to God, in thus raising you up at such a time of dearth of hearing the gospel, when the work and operation of the Spirit is so little insisted upon as the ground of all spiritual teaching tending to confirm and establish all that are wavering and halting between two opinions. Yet how great the mercy to come to an establishment in doctrine, principle and experience, and especially to feel the power of God leading us into the practical and essential feeling of Titus ii. 11 to the end, which St. Paul so prefixed in all his epistles,--with "grace, mercy and peace be with you, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ." I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Christ Jesus, that in every thing ye are enriched by Him, in all utterance, and in knowledge, even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you (1 Cor. i.) Dear Sir, please to receive the enclosed letter we have received from our much beloved friend and brother Mr. Hammond, with very many thanks to God for mercy received by him and many friends in hearing and answering prayer on his behalf. We are, dear Sir, yours in bonds of love and union in Spirit, G. OAKSHOTT, Letters by the Household of Faith. LETTER BY RUTH BRYAN. Good-Friday Morning. How did my soul at breakfast dissolve in Psalm xxii, especially the first part. Never did I see and feel so fully before how our precious Head and Husband agonized under unanswered petitions ; how He looked at others who were delivered and seemed to feel less and lower than all. Oh, He is a precious companion in tribulation; having suffered, being tempted, He is able to succour them that are tempted; having suffered being deserted, He can feel with those who feel alone; and having felt the anguish of being unanswered, He can walk and talk with those who are saying, "Mine eyes fail while I wait for my God." Oh, He is wonderful wherever we find Him, and His bosom is a precious resting-place wherever we may be. May we consider Him to-day, and be let into the depths of His suffering love, and sit beneath that solemn cross, "Where Jesus' blood in rivers flowed For love of worthless me." Rivers of love and blood drown mountains of guilt; and prostrate into nothingness, the abominable monster SELF. Its high towers can never rise in atoning blood, for Christ is all and in all. "I'd creep beside Him like a worn, And see Him die for me." He said, "It is finished!" of the work and penal suffering, but He will never say it is finished of the love and the glory; and therefore the tide keeps rolling in afresh when we seem to have got to the lowest low water. Mark !-I know not how to leave off, I am yours, in the once-suffering Lamb,-Amen. R. B. [One word on the expression "unanswered," as applied by beloved Ruth to some of the Saviour's petitions. She was too sound to imply that her Beloved ever offered a prayer not according to the Father's will, and hence received no approving reply: for this would invalidate the perfection of the Redeemer's work and intercession, and oppose His own words to the Father, "I know that thou hearest Me always." All dear Ruth intends is an apparent or seemingly delayed reply.-THE EDITOR.] A LETTER BY THE LATE MR. OXENHAM. Guildford, March 14th, 1840. My afflicted distressed sister in the Lord,-What shall I say to thee in answer to thy sorrowful epistle. That thou art in the footsteps of the flock is manifest, for the like affliction and sorrow was felt by the patriarch Jacob, who said, respecting his children, "Ye will bring down my grey hairs with sorrow to the grave." But mark the patriarch's end when on his dying bed, he said, "I have waited for Thy salvation, O Lord," drew up his feet in the bed, and entered his eternal rest. Many have been the trials and afflictions of my sister; but hitherto the Lord hath helped her; and although no affliction is joyous, but rather grievous; yet they are amongst the "all things" that shall (not may) work together for our good. I know by sad and painful experience the answer. My poor unbelieving heart hath replied, "But how can this or that distressing event work for good?" Blind carnal reason cannot reconcile these things with the word of promise, and well did Mr. Hart express it : : "Could we see how all were right, Where were room for credence ? Christians yield obedience." I can feel for and sympathise with you; and my prayer shall be that the God Who hath fed thee all thy life long, and Who hath manifested His love to thee in Christ, and given thee amidst all thy fears, trials and afflictions, a good hope through grace, will support, comfort, and strengthen thee by His Spirit in the inner man; and depend upon it, when thou arrivest at thy Father's house, (and the time cannot be far off), thou wilt look back at thy journey through this wilderness, and say, "My God and Saviour hath done all things well." Paul, who had suffered cold, hunger and nakedness, yet says, "these light afflictions." Yet how often have you and I called them heavy? O for Paul's faith to look beyond this vale of tears, and realise some of the blessedness of the saints above. This is done not by looking on "things temporal," for they are too often miserable; but by looking to things "Eternal," and trusting on the faithfulness, love and power of our most kind God and Saviour. Hath not God delivered my sister in six troubles? Will He not in the seventh? Yes, surely, for He hath in faithfulness said, "I will bring you through fire and water;" and that "neither life nor death, nor things present (however dark and distressing), nor things to come," be they what they may, shall ever separate us-poor, sinful, unworthy us-from His love." Our Sister Holloway hath long been tried by an afflicted tabernacle. If still in the body give my kindest Christian love to her, as by your account she will soon reach her eternal home. The poor woman's afflictions have not been her family, but a frail tabernacle; but all must have a cross to take up and carry. Our forefather's motto was: "No cross, no crown." Who would therefore in their right mind, but act the part of Moses ?- "choose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season," which must end in eternal death. Cheer up, therefore, my sister; a few more trials and then we'll bid an eternal adieu to sin and sorrow. Dame unites in love to you, Mrs. Seest, and all our Christian friends, with your brethren. THOS. OXENHAM. P.S.-Whether we shall be able to take a journey in May, I must leave. I think I informed you in my last that I was suffering from influenza, which hath so weakened my voice that I cannot engage in family prayer, and have but faint hopes of ever speaking again in public. My partner took it of me, and is now suffering from a great deal of fever and debility, but hope the means may be blest to her recovery. Whether our friends the Dunkites are alive we know not, having no tidings from them since Christmas, to whom, Mr. Parsons, and friends at Lewes, &c., &c., give our Christian love. Farewell. LETTER BY MARY LEVITT. Hull, February 7th, 1872. Dearly beloved in the Lord, our. unchangeable Friend, Father, Judge, and Saviour. In Him I trust, on Him I depend, and unto Him I look, and on Him cast all my care, well knowing that I am safe in His hand. I have long since ceased from man whose breath is in his nostrils. There was a time in my experience when I thought too much of a man, a servant of the Most High God. I thought him infallible, but God shewed me my mistake, and I had some very severe discipline. Only God knows the heavy trial I had to pass through. The lessons I then learnt are not forgotten, nor ever will be. They are not to learn over again now when I am old and have other troubles: no, sufficient for the day is the evil thereof. We must take up our cross and follow Christ, through evil report and good report. I have always found His grace sufficient. I know that "all things work together for good to them that love God, and are the called according to His purpose." In the world we must have tribulation; but Jesus says, "in Me ye shall have peace." As you truly observe, "great peace have they who love Thy law, and nothing shall offend them." Oh, no, we rise above everything, "And sing the Lamb that once was slain, I was very pleased to read our brother's letters; I often wondered we never heard from him. I wish I could have been with you all on Monday, but you had my heart with you. He gave me good advice in his letter; but my Lord had been before him and settled the matter. My mind was made up to be still, and leave it all with God, while I watched and looked on. The angel will work wondrously: "Forward, then, with courage go, My few remaining days will soon be numbered; my sorrows will soon be over; and I shall be beyond the reach of all my foes, both external and internal— "Where flesh and sin no more control The sacred pleasures of the soul.” |