It has been my own happy lot, during the last thirty-seven years, to become acquainted with hundreds of individuals, who were not inferior to apostolic Christians.
That the disciples of Jesus should meet together on the first day of the week for the breaking of bread, and that that should be their princ.i.p.al meeting, and that those, whether one or several, who are truly gifted by the Holy Spirit for service, be it for exhortation, or teaching, or rule, etc., are responsible to the Lord for the exercise of their gifts--these are to me no matters of uncertainty, but points on which my soul, by grace, is established, through the revealed will of G.o.d.
FORMALISM.
I have often remarked the injurious effects of doing things because others did them, or because it was the custom, or because they were persuaded into acts of _outward_ self-denial, or giving up things whilst the heart did not go along with it, and whilst the _outward act_ WAS NOT _the result of the inward powerful working of the Holy Ghost, and the happy entering into our fellowship with the Father and with the Son._
Everything that is a mere form, a mere habit and custom in divine things, is to be dreaded exceedingly: _life, power, reality,_ this is what we have to aim after. Things should not result from without, but from within. The sort of clothes I wear, the kind of house I live in, the quality of the furniture I use, all such like things should not result from other persons" doing so and so, or because it is customary among those brethren with whom I a.s.sociate to live in such and such a simple, inexpensive self-denying way; but whatever be done in these things, in the way of giving up, or self-denial, or deadness to the world, should result from the joy we have in G.o.d, from the knowledge of our being the children of G.o.d, from the entering into the preciousness of our future inheritance, etc. Far better that for the time being we stand still, and do not take the steps which we see others take, than that it is merely the force of example that leads us to do a thing, and afterwards it be regretted. Not that I mean in the least by this to imply we should continue to live in luxury, self-indulgence, and the like, whilst others are in great need; but we should begin the thing in a right way, i.e., aim after the right state of heart; begin _inwardly_ instead of _outwardly._ If otherwise, it will not last. We shall look back, or even get into a worse state than we were before. But oh, how different if joy in G.o.d leads us to any little act of self-denial! How gladly do we do it then! How great an honour then do we esteem it to be!
How much does the heart then long to be able to do more for Him who has done so much for us! We are far then from looking down in proud self-complacency upon those who do not go as far as we do, but rather pray to the Lord that He would be pleased to help our dear brethren and sisters forward who may seem to us weak in any particular point; and we also are conscious to ourselves that if we have a little more light or strength with reference to one point, other brethren may have more light or grace in other respects.
HELPING ONE ANOTHER.
As to the importance of the children of G.o.d"s opening their hearts to each other, especially when they are getting into a cold state, or are under the power of a certain sin, or are in especial difficulty; I know from my own experience how often the snare of the devil has been broken when under the power of sin; how often the heart has been comforted when nigh to be overwhelmed; how often advice, under great perplexity, has been obtained,--by opening my heart to a brother in whom I had confidence. We are children of the same family, and ought therefore to be helpers one of another.
INQUIRY MEETINGS.
1. Many persons, on account of timidity, would prefer coming at an appointed time to the vestry to converse with us, to calling on us in our own house. 2. The very fact of appointing a time for seeing people, to converse with them in private concerning the things of eternity, has brought some who, humanly speaking, never would have called on us under other circ.u.mstances; yea, it has brought even those who, though they thought they were concerned about the things of G.o.d, yet were completely ignorant; and thus we have had an opportunity of speaking to them. 3.
These meetings have also been a great encouragement to ourselves in the work; for often, when we thought that such and such expositions of the Word had done no good at all, it was, through these meetings, found to be the reverse; and likewise, when our hands were hanging down, we have been afresh encouraged to go forward in the work of the Lord, and to continue sowing the seed in hope, by seeing at these meetings fresh cases, in which the Lord had condescended to use us as instruments, particularly as in this way instances have sometimes occurred in which individuals have spoken to us about the benefit which they derived from our ministry, not only a few months before, but even as long as two, three, and four years before.
For the above reasons I would particularly recommend to other servants of Christ, especially to those who live in large towns, if they have not already introduced a similar plan, to consider whether it may not be well for them also to set apart such times for seeing inquirers. Those meetings, however, require much prayer, to be enabled to speak aright, to all those who come, according to their different need; and one is led continually to feel that one is not sufficient of one"s self for these things, but that our sufficiency can be alone of G.o.d. These meetings also have been by far the most wearing-out part of all our work, though at the same time the most refreshing.
PASTORAL VISITATION.
An _unvisited_ church will sooner or later become an _unhealthy church._
PEW-RENTS.
1. Pew-rents are, according to James ii. 1-6, against the mind of the Lord, as, in general, the poor brother cannot have so good a seat as the rich. 2. A brother may gladly do something towards my support if left to his own time; but when the quarter is up, he has perhaps other expenses, and I do not know whether he pays his money grudgingly, and of necessity, or cheerfully; but G.o.d loveth a cheerful giver. _I knew it to be a fact_ that sometimes it had not been convenient to individuals to pay the money, when it had been asked for by the brethren who collected it. 3. Though the Lord had been pleased to give me grace to be faithful, so that I had been enabled not to keep back the truth, when He had shown it to me; still I felt that the pew-rents were a snare to the servant of Christ. It was a temptation to me, at least for a few minutes, at the time when the Lord had stirred me up to pray and search the Word respecting the ordinance of baptism, because 30 pounds of my salary was at stake if I should be baptized.
STATE CHURCHES.
All establishments, even because they are establishment, i.e., the world and the church mixed up together, not only contain in them the principles which necessarily must lead to departure from the word of G.o.d; but also, as long as they remain establishments, entirely preclude the acting throughout according to the Holy Scriptures.
FAITH.
ANXIETY.
Where Faith begins, anxiety ends; Where anxiety begins, Faith ends.
Ponder these words of the Lord Jesus, "Only believe." As long as we are able to trust in G.o.d, holding fast in heart, that he is able and willing to help those who rest on the Lord Jesus for salvation, in all matters which are for His glory and their good, the heart remains calm and peaceful. It is only when we _practically_ let go faith in His power or His love, that we lose our peace and become troubled. This very day I am in great trial in connection with the work in which I am engaged; yet my soul was calmed and quieted by the remembrance of G.o.d"s power and love; and I said to myself this morning: "As David encouraged himself in Jehovah his G.o.d, when he returned to Ziklag, so will I encourage myself in G.o.d;" and the result was peace of soul.... It is the very time for _faith_ to work, when _sight_ ceases. The greater the difficulties, the easier for _faith._ As long as there remain certain natural prospects, faith does not get on even as easily (if I may say so), as when all natural prospects fail.
DEPENDENCE ON G.o.d.
Observe two things! We acted _for G.o.d_ in delaying the public meetings and the publishing of the Report; but _G.o.d"s way leads always into trial, so far as sight and sense are concerned. Nature_ always will be tried _in G.o.d"s ways._ The Lord was saying by this poverty, "I will now see whether you truly lean upon me, and whether you truly look to me."
Of all the seasons that I had ever pa.s.sed through since I had been living in this way, _up to that time,_ I never knew any period in which my faith was tried so sharply, as during the four months from Dec. 12, 1841, to April 12, 1842. But observe further: We might even now have altered our minds with respect to the public meetings and publishing the Report; for _no one knew our determination, at this time,_ concerning the point. Nay, on the contrary, we knew with what delight very many children of G.o.d were looking forward to receive further accounts. But the Lord kept us steadfast to the conclusion, at which we had arrived under His guidance.
GIFT AND GRACE OF FAITH.
It pleased the Lord, I think, to give me in some cases something like the gift (not grace) of faith, so that unconditionally I could ask and look for an answer. The difference between the _gift_ and the _grace_ of faith seems to me this. According to the _gift of faith_ I am able to do a thing, or believe that a thing will come to pa.s.s, the not doing of which, or the not believing of which would not be sin; according to the _grace of faith_ I am able to do a thing, or believe that a thing will come to pa.s.s, respecting which I have the word of G.o.d as the ground to rest upon, and, therefore, the not doing it, or the not believing it _would be sin._ For instance, _the gift of faith_ would be needed, to believe that a sick person should be restored again, though _there is no human probability: for there is no promise to that effect; the grace of faith_ is needed to believe that the Lord will give me the necessaries of life, if I first seek the kingdom of G.o.d and His righteousness: for _there is a promise to that effect._ (Matt. vi. 33.)
SELF-WILL.
The natural mind is ever p.r.o.ne _to reason, _when we ought _to believe;_ to be _at work,_ when we ought to be _quiet;_ to go our own way, when we ought steadily to walk on in G.o.d"s ways, however trying to nature.
TRIALS OF FAITH.
The Lord gives faith, for the very purpose of trying it for the glory of His own name, and for the good of him who has it; and, by the very trial of our faith, we not only obtain blessing to our own souls, by becoming the better acquainted with G.o.d, if we hold fast our confidence in Him, but our faith is also, by the exercise, strengthened: and so it comes, that, if we walk with G.o.d in any measure of uprightness of heart, the trials of faith will be greater and greater.
It is for the church"s benefit that we are put in these straits; and if, therefore, in the hour of need, we were to take goods on credit, the first and primary object of the work would be completely frustrated, and no heart would be further strengthened to trust in G.o.d, nor would there be any longer that manifestation of the special and particular providence of G.o.d, which has. .h.i.therto been so abundantly shown through this work, even in the eyes of unbelievers, whereby they have been led to see _that there is, after all, reality in the things of G.o.d,_ and many, through these printed accounts, have been truly converted. For these reasons, then, we consider it our precious privilege, as heretofore, to continue to wait upon the Lord only, instead of taking goods on credit, or borrowing money from some kind friends, when we are in need. Nay, we purpose, as G.o.d shall give us grace, to look to Him only, though morning after morning we should have nothing in hand for the work--yea, though from meal to meal we should have to look to Him; being fully a.s.sured that He who is now (1845) in the tenth year feeding these many orphans, and who has never suffered them to want, and that He who is now (1845) in the twelfth year carrying on the other parts of the work, without any branch of it having had to be stopped for want of means, will do so for the future also. And here I do desire in the deep consciousness of my natural helplessness and dependence upon the Lord to confess that through the grace of G.o.d my soul has been in peace, though day after day we have had to wait for our daily provisions upon the Lord; yea, though even from meal to meal we have been required to do this.
GIVING.
ASKING GIFTS, ETC.
It is not enough to obtain means for the work of G.o.d, but that these means should be obtained in G.o.d"s way. To ask unbelievers for means is _not_ G.o.d"s way; to _press_ even believers to give, is _not_ G.o.d"s way; but the _duty_ and the _privilege_ of being allowed to contribute to the work of G.o.d should be pointed out, and this should be followed up with earnest prayer, believing prayer, and will result in the desired end.
CLAIMS OF G.o.d.
It is true, the Gospel demands our _All;_ but I fear that, in the general claim on _All,_ we have shortened the claim on _everything._ We are not under law. True; but that is not to make our obedience less complete, or our giving less bountiful: rather, is it not, that after all claims of law are settled, the new nature finds its joy in doing more than the law requires? Let us abound in the work of the Lord more and more.
GIVING IN ADVERSITY.
At the end of the last century a very G.o.dly and liberal merchant in London was one day called on by a gentleman, to ask him for some money for a charitable object. The gentleman expected very little, having just heard that the merchant had sustained heavy loss from the wreck of some of his ships. Contrary, however, to expectation, he received about ten times as much as he had expected for his object. He was unable to refrain from expressing his surprise to the merchant, told him what he had heard, how he feared he should scarcely have received anything, and asked whether after all there was not a mistake about the shipwreck of the vessels. The merchant replied, It is quite true, I have sustained heavy loss, by these vessels being wrecked, but that is the very reason, why I give you so much; for I must make better use than ever of my stewardship, lest it should be entirely taken from me.
How have we to act if prosperity in our business, our trade, our profession, etc., should suddenly cease, notwithstanding our having given a considerable proportion of our means for the Lord"s work? My reply is this: "In the day of adversity _consider."_ It is the will of G.o.d that we should ponder our ways; that we should see whether there is any particular reason, why G.o.d has allowed this to befall us. In doing so, we may find, that we have too much looked on our prosperity as a matter of course, and have not sufficiently owned and recognized _practically_ the hand of G.o.d in our success. Or it may be, while the Lord has been pleased to prosper us, we have spent too much on ourselves, and may have thus, though unintentionally, _abused_ the blessing of G.o.d. I do not mean by this remark to bring any children of G.o.d into bondage, so that, with a scrupulous conscience, they should look at every penny, which they spend on themselves; this is not the will of G.o.d concerning us; and yet, on the other hand, there is verily such a thing as propriety or impropriety in our dress, our furniture, our table, our house, our establishment, and in the yearly amount we spend on ourselves and family.
GIVING AND h.o.a.rDING.
I have every reason to believe, that, had I begun to lay up, the Lord would have stopped the supplies, and thus, the ability of doing so was only _apparent._ Let no one profess to trust in G.o.d, and yet lay up for future wants, otherwise the Lord will first send him to the h.o.a.rd he has ama.s.sed, before He can answer the prayer for more.
"There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth _more than is meet,_ but it tendeth to poverty." (Prov. xi.
24.) Notice here the word _"more than is meet;"_ it is not said, withholdeth all; but "more than is meet" viz., while he gives, it is so little, in comparison with what it might be, and ought to be, that it tendeth to poverty.
MOTIVES TO GIVING.
Believers should seek more and more to enter into the grace and love of G.o.d, in giving His only-begotten Son, and into the grace and love of the Lord Jesus, in giving Himself in our room, in order that, constrained by love and grat.i.tude, they may be increasingly led to surrender their bodily and mental strength, their time, gifts, talents, property, position in life, rank, and all they have and are to the Lord. By this I do not mean that they should give up their business, trade, or profession, and become preachers; nor do I mean that they should take all their money and give it to the first beggar who asks for it; but that they should hold all they have and are, for the Lord, not as owners, but as stewards, and be willing, _at His bidding,_ to use for Him part or all they have. However short the believer may fall, nothing less than this should be his aim.
STEWARDSHIP.
It is the Lord"s order, that in whatever way He is pleased to make us His stewards, whether as to temporal or spiritual things, if we are indeed acting as _stewards_ and not as _owners,_ He will make us stewards over _more._
Even in this life, and as to temporal things, the Lord is pleased to repay those who act for Him as stewards, and who contribute to His work or to the poor, as He may be pleased to prosper them? But how much greater is the _spiritual_ blessing we receive, both in this life and in the world to come, if constrained by the love of Christ, we act as G.o.d"s stewards, respecting that with which He is pleased to intrust us!
SYSTEMATIC GIVING.
Only _fix even the smallest amount_ you purpose to give of your income, and give this regularly; and as G.o.d is pleased to increase your light and grace, and is pleased to prosper you more, so give more. If you neglect an _habitual giving, a regular giving, a giving from principle and upon scriptural ground,_ and leave it only to feeling and impulse, or particular arousing circ.u.mstances, you will certainly be a loser.
A merchant in the United States said in answer to inquiries relative to his mode of giving, "In consecrating my life anew to G.o.d, aware of the ensnaring influence of riches and the necessity of deciding on a plan of charity, before wealth should bias my judgment, I adopted the following system: