CONTEMPLATIONS

- A SERIES OF LETTERS TO A FRIEND

William Huntington (1745-1813)

LETTER IX.

TO THE REV. J. JENKINS, LEWES, SUSSEX.

Fellow-servant and fellow-sufferer, companion in travail and tribulation, peace and truth be with thee.

I AM glad that you approve, and that any thing clear, harmonious, consistent, informing, or establishing, appears to you. I shall, therefore, propose to bring forth what little yet remains on my mind, or may yet occur on the sublime subject. Reason, or the dim light of nature, is a poor guide in this mystery. Light in the head, without love and reverence in the heart, has a tendency to exalt. "Knowledge puffeth up, but, charity edifieth." A high look, a stiff neck, and a proud heart, God will not suffer; but he will dwell with the humble and the contrite, and will own and acknowledge those that reverence, love, and fear him. In his light we see light; and, if teachable and tractable, he will guide us with his eye, and lead us by his Spirit; while the inward anointing, which is the illuminating, renewing, softening, and humbling influences of his grace and Holy Spirit, which the saints experience, will teach them all things necessary to be known, or essential to salvation. Our sufficiency is of God, who can make us able ministers of the New Testament; and, if he does not make us so able as some are, yet we must "minister as of the ability which God giveth; that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ," 1 Pet iv. 11. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and our unctuous experience of his divine impressions and influence, must regulate all our views, opinions, and conclusions, upon divine subjects. Whatever the understanding discovers, and the mind conceives, is always handed down to the soul's experience of divine power; the Spirit's work on the soul being, an exact and an infallible copy of the revealed mind and will of God in the scriptures of truth; on which account the church is called "the pillar and ground of the truth," I Tim. iii. 15. The Spirit is the author of the scriptures, both of the Old Testament and the New. The gospel is the ministry of the Spirit, 2 Cor. ii. 8. And the Spirit of Christ, in the prophets of the Old Testament, "testified beforehand of the sufferings of Christ, and of the glory that should follow," 1 Pet. i 11. And we are told that "the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy," Rev. xix. 10. Therefore, whatever the enlightened understanding discovers, and the mind perceives or conceives, it is immediately handed down to the experience of the Spirit's teaching within, to see if it be consistent with the anointing which teacheth all things; and, if it agree with the anointing, and has the sanction of the Holy Spirit, immediately the mind is led to the written word for support and confirmation, and the Spirit brings some word home to the mind which proves and establishes it; and this witness of God is greater than the witness of all the men in the world: but, if it agree not with the anointing, and in it receive not the Spirits sanction, nor any word come in to confirm it, it is rejected and cast out, as being contrary to the anointing. "And ye need not that any should teach you, but as the same anointing teacheth you," I John, ii. 27. Whatsoever, therefore, contradicts the Spirit's work and his teaching, is to be rejected. If my dear brother will attentively observe this inward teaching, he will perceive something of it all the day long; and, without this divine compass, it is in vain to launch out into the profound depths of divine mysteries, and especially that of the Holy Trinity. "Canst thou by searching find out God? Canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? The measure thereof is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea," Job, xi. 8, 9. "Secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but things which are revealed belong unto us, and to our children for ever," Deut. xxix. 29. And God has promised that he will give us a heart to know him, for he will pardon them whom he reserves, Jer. 1. 10. And again. "For all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more," Heb. viii. 11, 12. I was led into the glorious mystery of the Holy Trinity by the teaching of God in my own soul. It is written in the prophets, "All thy children shall be taught of God," Isa. liv. 13. This passage our Lord quotes, "It is written in the prophets, and they shall be all taught of God. Every man, therefore, that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me," John, vi. 45. And it is added, "No man can come to me, except the Father, which hath sent me, draw him," John, vi. 44. Now, from this divine teaching there is none of God's elect exempted; they shall be all taught of God. And the Saviour informs us, that, by God here, God the Father is meant; and he adds, "Every man, therefore, that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me." He must both hear and learn of the Father before he comes to Christ; nor can any man come to Christ except the Father draw him; and all such, says Christ, "I will raise up at the last day," John, vi. 44. From hence we learn that all the elect are taught of the Father; and that every one of the Father's pupils come to Christ; and, without being drawn by the Father, they cannot come; and those that do come shall be infallibly saved and raised up at the last day.

But then where is the Fathers teaching described? How does he teach us? And what do we hear and learn of him? This is what I will endeavour to make plain. "The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity, Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O Lord, and teachest him out of thy law; that thou mayest give law rest from the days of adversity, until the pit be digged for the wicked," Psalm xciv. 11-13. Now the schoolmaster, by which God teaches us, is the moral law; as for the ceremonial law, that was never enjoined to the Gentiles. Out of this law are we taught of God the Father; and our lessons are prefaced with his chastening rod. "Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, and teachest;" and Christ says, we both bear and learn of the Father. Two things we hear; first, the chastening rod. "The Lord's voice crieth into the city, and the man of wisdom shall see thy name: hear ye the rod, and who hath appointed it," Micah, vi. 9. Here is the voice of the Lord crying, to the chosen, calling the city of Zion, and here is a rod that speaks, "Hear ye the rod." Now this is what our Lord says-we hear and we learn of the Father; and he teacheth us out of the law. The second sound that we hear is called the Lord's voice, that cries to the city; and that voice is, by Paul, called a voice of words; it is "blackness, and darkness, and tempest; the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words," Heb. xii. 18, 19. A voice of words, not a life-giving power. And this voice of words is called a killing letter, or the letter that killeth, which, when it came to Paul, sin revived, and he died. And what can kill us, but the curse, or sentence, of the ministration of death, engraven on tables of stone? The voice we hear, therefore, is the curse of the broken law condemning us; the rod that we hear is the wrath and anger of God smiting, reproving, and rebuking us. This is what we hear; and the lessons we learn are, the guilt and filth of sin, the wrath of God, and the enmity of our own hearts. The next lessons we learn are, the holiness, justice, and terrible majesty of God. These are the things that we bear and learn of the Father; and "Every one that hath heard and learned of the Father (says Christ), cometh unto me." Now what is that which is promised to this blessed man, thus chastened and taught out of the law? Why, God will "give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit be digged for the wicked." The thing promised is rest; but who wants rest? None but those who labour, and are heavy laden. The labourer is he who is toiling under the curse and wrath of God, to recommend himself to God's favour, and to get life by the works of the law: and hard labour this is. The load that he carries is the guilt he has contracted, and the corruptions of his heart which the law discovers; and this is a sore burden, too heavy for any to bear. Now there is a voice in the word to such souls pointing to Christ, "To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing," Isai. xxviii. 12. The Saviour calls to such souls also - "Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." But no invitations will do for a poor soul that finds himself condemned already. And, therefore, "No man can come to me (says Christ) except my father draw him." However, to Christ all that are taught of God must come; for the Spirit of God and the promise of life are both in him; and into his hands are all the elect put, and to his foot they must be brought, and be made to hear his voice and receive the word from his mouth, that they may live. The fiery law comes first to condemn us to death, and the voice and word of the Son of God afterward to raise the dead. "The Lord came from Sinai and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand went a fiery law for them. Yea, he loved the people: all his saints are in thy hand: and they sat down at thy feet; every one shall receive of thy words," Deut. xxxiii. 2, 3. This passage shews that all whom the Father teaches out of the fiery law must come to Christ the great prophet, and sit down at his feet to receive of his word. This was the good part which Mary chose, that could not be taken from her. Here Mary Magdalene sat, and got her pardon and her much love; and here God draws us all. But how does he draw us?

First, by causing the storms of Sinai now and then to abate, and the arrows of his quiver to lose their keenness.

2dly, By guiding our eyes to the promises, encouragements, invitations, and kind pathetic words spoken by the Lord Jesus.

3dly, By causing now and then a ray of light, a beam of hope, and some budding expectations, to spring up in our hearts while we attend to the voice of Christ in the gospel.

4thly, The dreadful passages of scripture that pierced us through get out of sight, and nothing but Christ and his kind dealings with sinners appear; and while our face is turning to the Lord the vail is gradually taken away. The more we see of Jesus, the softer our souls get, and the more our hearts melt; and the more Christ shines in the word, the more we wonder, till his very name appears as a healing ointment poured forth; and, as the bowels yearn over him, so faith in him springs up; the Holy Spirit then testifies of him, and presents him to view, till the, understanding becomes susceptible of the light of his countenance, and then confidence goes out and embraces him; then God accepts us "in the beloved," and gives us "the light of the knowledge of the glory of himself in the face of Jesus Christ," while the Spirit fills us with joy and peace. And here the soul finds "rest from the days of adversity, till the pit be digged up for the wicked;" that is, they shall rest safe and secure in Christ Jesus, while the wicked fill up their own measure; for the wicked are said to dig their own pit, and to fall into their own destruction. This, my dear brother, is what the apostle calls coming "to God the judge of all;" and then "to Jesus the Mediator of the New Testament, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel," Heb. xii. 23, 24. This is a saving and an experimental knowledge of the holy and blessed Trinity. We come first to God in a fiery law; when he chastens and judges us, "that we should not be condemned with the world," 1 Cor. xi. 32; and then draws us to Christ, and accepts us in him. And in Jesus Christ we find rest from both our labour and our load, and, at the same time, we come into the glorious liberty of the children of God. The Holy Ghost sheds abroad the love of God in our heart, and this casts out wrath, which is a spirit of bondage to fear, and all torment with it; and operates in us as a spirit of love, of power, and of a sound mind." This is an experimental knowledge of the Holy Trinity, and such as none ever experience but the elect of God; and in this way they are all taught of God: and the experience of this good work is such as Satan and all his emissaries can never destroy. No man, made thus wise to salvation, ever dared to set his mouth against the Holy Trinity; and a fool cannot, for this wisdom is too high for him.

This is coming to God, "the fountain of living waters," Jer. ii. 13; and to Christ, "the well of salvation," Isaiah, xii. 3; and to the "river, the streams whereof make glad the city of God," Psal. xlvi. 4.

Thus, also, saith God: "I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people," Jer. xxxi. 33. "And I," saith the Saviour, "will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is New Jerusalem, which commeth down out of heaven from my God; and I will write upon him my new name," Rev. iii. 12. And the Spirit makes us living epistles - "Ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ, ministered by us; written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in the fleshly tables of the heart," 2 Cor. iii. 3.

The voice of God the Father's love in the heart is - "Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love; therefore with loving - kindness have I drawn thee," Jer. xxxi. 3.

The voice of the atonement of Christ, in the believer's conscienence, is, pardon, peace, and reconciliation with God. And these are better things than those spoken by the blood of Abel, Heb. xii. 24.

And the distinct voice of the Holy Ghost in the hearts of all believers is, "Abba, Father," Gal. iv. 6. This divine teaching, my dear brother, is attended with a holy claim upon God as our own God; and God will own and acknowledge such. To such God speaks, "Thou shalt call me thy Father, and thou shalt not turn away from me," Jer. iii. 19; which is what no man can do, in truth, without the witness and voice of the Spirit of adoption; for it is he that cries, "Abba Father." Such souls, also, claim Jesus for their own, with an infallible witness in their own souls of the truth of it; which no man can do, in truth, without the Spirit of God; for no man can say that Jesus is the Lord" (with application) but by the Holy Ghost," I Cor. xii. 3. Hence it is plain that the Spirit of God makes us, as he did the prodigal, arise and go to our Father; which, when spoken by the Spirit, is what God will ever own and honour, as he did in that parable - "This is my son." And, though at times unbelief preveils, yet the Spirit subdues it again and again, as he did in Thomas, "My Lord and my God!" These plain truths, my dear brother, clearly reveal this most sublime mystery; and these things the children of God have in their own experience; and it is such experience as this that worketh hope. This is submitting to divine revelation, and not being wise above what is written. And whatever appears dark to us in the word of God we must pray the Lord to shine upon it, that we may know the mind of the Spirit in it; for it is in his light that we see light. And, "if any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth liberally and upbraided not;" and he will guide us by his counsel. But let us for ever shun the bold intrusions of unhumbled and unsanctified men, who are so daring and presumptuous; for God will resist such, and make their feet stumble upon the dark mountains; while "the meek he will guide in judgment, the meek will he teach his way." Strange notions are daily circulated in town against these things; and such men "shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived;" for, if the force of truth beat them out of one refuse of lies, the devil drives them into another; and, being hardened to the last degree, they can adopt words which one dare not recite, and use arguments which it is scandalous to imitate: but the time will come when God will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible," Isa. xiii. 11.

I shall conclude this long, epistle with the triune benediction of heaven - "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you," 2 Cor. xiii. 14, and with all that love our Lord Jesus Christ, now and for evermore. So prays, dear brother,

Yours in the ties of immortal love,

W. HUNTINGTON.