My thoughts have been very much with you, and I would have been willing to be with you, personally, but as this may not be, I offer you a few lines, expressive of my deep love, interest, and concern.
It is not so important as to what I, or any one, may think of you but that my interest and the interest of others may be, because of our Heavenly Father's deep interest in you.
Our Saviour said to His disciples, "Satan hath desired to have you that he might sift you as wheat, but I have prayed for thee, Simon, that thy faith fail not, and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren." [Luke 22:31.] It has been my observation wherever I have been, that it is evident the purpose and effort of Satan is to have us, and there have always been those who faith should not fail, and as such are truly converted, with the Apostle, dying daily, these would strengthen their brethren; would be enabled to stand in the gap, [Ezekiel 22:30] for gaps there will be; always read to stand still and see the salvation of the Lord; to "'Be still and know that I am God." [Psalm 46:10.] God intends that we should prosper; intends that we should more and more be His children, and be drawn closer and closer to Him, but the enemy's design is to prevent this. He says, "I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel." [Genesis 49:7.] He will attempt to cause roots of bitterness to spring up knowing full well that many will be defiled thereby.
Oh, my beloved Friends, these are real facts, but what a favor, what a blessing to believe and to know there is a way of escape for the little ones, from the adversary, and that one way, be fully persuaded, is to cling closely to the Great I Am; to flee into the stronghold. What a privilege we have to declare with the Prophet, "I will stand upon my watch, and sit me upon the tower and wait to see what the Lord will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved." "Reproofs of instruction are the way of life." Oh, how we enjoyed our visit among you. Every moment was precious, and was a feast of fat things, of wine well refined; of wine well refined on the lees. It has been food for many days, and is plenteous for me as I write, and many times has the language of my soul been, as it is at this moment, blessed be the Lord who truly took us that way; blessed be His name who preserved us to and from, thru what appeared to us a perilous journey, and we cannot but say, "Thou didst it and blessed be thy name; and unto thee be all the praise."
My faith was strengthened in my visit among you, and my eyes were opened to see the beautiful location, and I still behold you, but beware; Satan would defeat it all, and one way he would accomplish this would be by causing us unintentionally to harm one another.
How kindly a flock of sheep cling together though they differ a little sometimes, yet still cling closely to the flock, ever and anon leading one another along. I have watched them, particularly one cold frosty morning as they came down the path in the pasture, the one in the lead would stop, and soon another from the ranks would walk forward and the rest would follow and so would journey on, and this occurred more than once. How instructive. "One is your Master, even Christ, and all ye are brethren." [Matthew 23:8.] How much the same it is with cattle when the abusive members are removed. The horns were given, no doubt in the wild state but are often dangerous when domesticated.
The Apostle compares the Church to the human body, where all the members are compactly bound together, and that upon the uncomely part we bestow the more abundant honor, that there may be no schism in the body.(1) I do not recall there are any uncomely members in your precious company, or at least, I do not feel that way, but I remember the words of the same Apostle again where he says, "Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted and the brother of high degree in that he is brought low;" [James 1:9] and those precious words of Christ-"A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another." [John 13:34.] Oh my beloved friends, the Truth, the blessed Truth is more than all else besides. What should we not sacrifice for it--ourselves, our fondest desires, our choicest hopes, anything, if thine eye offend thee pluck it out, etc. [Matthew 5:29; also 18:29 and Mark 9:47.]
"Now no chastening for the present seemest not to be joyous, but grievous; nevertheless, afterwards it yieldeth the peaceable fruits of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby." [Hebrews 12:11.] Then we can say in truth, "I thank thee for all, but most for the severe." "The fruits of righteousness is peace, the effect thereof quietness and assurance forever."(2) I have drunk deeply of the cup of afflictive dispensation, often crying out of the depths, in agony of soul, "How long, O Lord, how long?" but amidst it all was often filled with the feeling, "I will rejoice in the Lord and joy in the God of any salvation." [Isaiah 61:10.] So I can a little sympathize--,but we have no excuse, for it is said "Where sin abounds, grace does much more abound." [Romans 5:20.] Christ who knew no sin was cruelly crucified. We have not suffered that, though no doubt, often deserving. Oh, keep the eye upon the guide, the true guide, for "If thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light." [Matthew 6:22.] "Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth, for ye are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God," etc.[Colossians 3:2-3.]
Well, words are truly feeble and the flesh is weak, but the Spirit is strong. God wants His Truth to prosper, and unto Him is the gathering of the people to be, and of the strength and increase of His kingdom there is to be no end, then see how we are placed, not only to come to Him ourselves, but concerned that others, all men, may come, and as our hearts are more and more inclined unto this we will look away from every thing else and the longing of our lives will be, Oh come, come unto Him.
As I was thinking of you, a longing desire came over me to be with you, when the language very strongly revived, "Dip down where you are, dip down, there is right here succor and hope. Dip down, Oh, dearly beloved, dip down, right where you are, right underneath are the wells of salvation, dip down into the refreshing and satisfying waters hereof there is the sufficiency, be satisfied, be strengthened, be prepared to meet all the problems and the difficulties, all the discouragements, the insinuations, and the temptations of the enemy."(3)
Oh my heart is filled with love for you without respect of persons, as you are met in your Quarterly Meeting, may our Heavenly Father be with you, may He baptize you, may the dear lame walk and blind be healed,(4) and may you now be prepared to go forward to possess the good land, the land that flows with milk and honey where God says peace, peace be unto you.
In weakness, but in love of the everlasting Gospel.
Your friend,
1. 1.See 1 Corinthians 12. -pds
2. 2.... Probably from Galatians 5:22 or James 3:18. -pds
3. 3.... Reference unknown. -pds
4. 4.... See (among others Isaiah 29:18, 35:5, 42:7, 42:18; Matthew 15:30; and Luke 4:18, 7:22. -pds