CONTEMPLATIONS- A SERIES OF LETTERS TO A FRIENDWilliam Huntington (1745-1813)LETTER XIX.TO THE REV. J. JENKINS, AT THE NEW VICARAGE, LEWES, SUSSEX. To my deeply beloved Son, greeting; wishing that grace and peace may be multiplied to him through our Lord Jesus Christ.I RECEIVED yours, and am thankful for the good tidings. Go on; God shall endow us with a good dowry, by adding to us many more sons; these are a kind of first-fruits of God's creatures, and these fruits shall remain. But I shall proceed with my delightful subject, which is to shew. That the Holy Spirit in the gospel must be obeyed; for, according to the obedience of man, is the reward to be given, whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness. "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well-doing; for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have, therefore, opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith," Gal. vi. 7-10. To sow to the Spirit is to obey him and to be led by him. Our Lord calls himself a sower, and the word of life which he sowed he calls seed; and in sowing the good seed of the word he was obedient to him that appointed him. "My Father gave me a commandment what I should say and what I should speak, and I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak, therefore, even as the father said unto me, so I speak," John, xii. 49, 50. Now there is a twofold sowing to the Spirit: internal and external. Internal when we observe his operations, and are obedient to his motions and dictates; for instance, when he applies the word with power, and reproves us with the word, convincing us of our sins by it; then to speak evil of the preacher by whom the Spirit speaks, to rail against him and the truth, is hating the light, and rebelling against it and against our own convictions of the truth of it; and this rebellion is against the Holy Ghost himself. It is said of Israel in the wilderness, that "they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit so that "he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them," Isaiah, lxiii. 10. Moses and Aaron were God's mouth to the people; the Holy Spirit spake in them to the children of Israel: but "they envied Moses in the camp, and Aaron the saint of the Lord," Psalm cvi. 16. And by their rebelling against these men they rebelled against the Holy Spirit which influenced them and spoke by them. "They angered him also at the waters of strife, so that it went ill with Moses for their sakes: Because they provoked his spirit, so that he spake unadvisedly with his lips," Psalm cvi 32, 33. Sinners, reproved and convinced by the Holy Spirit, should not only come to the light and be diligent in their attendance on the word; but God calls for confessions to be made to him, and for submission to his will; which is called humbling ourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt us in due time. There is such a thing as accepting the punishment of our iniquity, choosing the chastenings of God before our own will and our own way; saying, as others have done, "Search me, and try me, and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." And again, "I will bear the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him, until he plead my cause and execute judgment for me; he will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness." Coming to the light that our deeds may be made manifest; exposing our conscience to the force and power of his word, however sharp and piercing; confessing all our crimes, which the light of the word discovers and reproves us for; is accepting our punishment, and preferring the chastisements of God before carnal ease and the pleasures of sin, and is yielding obedience to the Holy Spirit; And it shews that the heart is made honest. 2. The Spirit is a spirit of supplication. He sets the elect of God to crying day and night, until God avenge them of their adversaries. "Call upon me in the time of trouble (says God); I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me." And again, "I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and try them as gold is tried; they shall call upon my name, and I will bear them; and I will say, It is my people; and they shall say, The Lord is my God. This should be carefully and diligently attended to when the Holy Spirit is illuminating, quickening, reproving, and convincing the sinner; and if it is neglected the Spirit resents it, and makes conscience accuse the sinner for this his neglect, and he is often covered with shame and confusion of face when he goes to the throne of grace again. Nor is it seldom that some disaster or other befalls the sensible sinner, under this sin of omission, when prayer has been neglected; and often times the sinner is informed of this when he comes to examine himself. Prayer, in the times of the gospel, was typified by the offering of incense under the law, which was perpetual morning, and evening; and prayer goes by the same name under the gospel. "For from the rising of the sun, even unto the going down of the same, my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the Lord of hosts," Mal. i. 11. Moreover, God requires of us thank-offerings for favour, received. "I will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody." The souls of God's saints are often filled with joy and gladness, that thanksgiving and the voice of melody may redound to the glory of God, by humble acknowledgments of his mercies, and by singing his praises. Furthermore, we should celebrate those perfections of God which shine so bright in his appointment of Christ Jesus to be the Saviour of mankind; which is done by speaking good, or by making honourable mention of his holy name; and by proclaiming the glorious perfections of his nature, making them famous and illustrious among mankind; praising and commending the holy properties of his nature; and enumerating and extolling them, by speaking of his manifold and wonderful works, and of the innumerable mercies and blessings of his providence and grace towards us in Christ Jesus. The scriptures abound with such ascriptions, acclamations, and celebrations, in the saints holy triumphs. David is famous for this; there is scarce a revealed attribute of God but he makes honourable mention of. As holiness. - "God hath sworn by his holiness I will rejoice." Power. - "Sing unto the Lord a new song, for his own right hand and stretched-out arm hath gotten himself the victory." His might and reign, his glory and majesty. - "Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts. I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works. And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts: and I will declare thy greatness. They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness. All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord; and thy saints shall bless thee. They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power; to make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom," Ps. cxlv. 3-7, 10-12. Almost every perfection of the Divine Being is brought forth in the holy triumphs of the royal psalmist, justice and judgment not excepted. "Justice and judgment are the habitation of his throne; mercy and truth shall go before thy face." Of loving-kindness David sings; of faithfulness and truth; of goodness, pity, and compassion; and of mercy, and the eternal duration of it, through-out a whole psalm. Different frames and different dispensations call for different offerings and exercises. "Is any afflicted? let him pray." Times of trouble and times of affliction in the furnace are seasons for extraordinary prayers; the common morning and evening sacrifices are not sufficient at such times; we must give ourselves unto prayer; give up ourselves wholly unto it, and attend to this very thing. Nor will the old common way, no, nor even the usual mode of expressions, do. Fiery trials call for fresh power, and even for agonzing energy; new words, new arguments, and unusual pleas and entreaties must be made use of; our arguments and pathetic pleadings must tally with our dreadful sensations. Souls that meditate terror must fetch their words from their feelings, or else the words of their mouth will run counter to the meditations of their heart. We must use all the skill and oratory of distress, grief, and sorrow, and all the eloquence of misery. "I cried to thee, O Lord; and unto the Lord I made supplication. What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth?" Psalm xxx. 8, 9. "Will the Lord cast off for ever? and will he be favourable no more? Is his mercy clean gone for ever? doth his promise fail for evermore? Hath God forgotten to be gracious? Hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies?" Psalm lxxvii. 7-9. "For the grave cannot praise thee; death cannot celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth," Isa. xxxviii, 18. Sowing to the Spirit internally, is to walk as the Spirit leads us; he is to guide us into all truth, and not to speak of himself. This chiefly respects our principles, the object of our faith and worship, and the true and spiritual worship and adoration which God requires of us; the whole of which is included in what the scripture calls "the way of holiness," Isaiah, xxxv. 8; which is following the Lord "in the regeneration," Matt. xix. 28. In which following, all things become new; not only a new birth, but we are brought into the bond of a new covenant, are made to serve in the newness of spirit, with new views and new principles, and to walk in a new and living way. The Spirit leads us to "walk with God in peace and equity." These two, peace and equity, always go together. When the believer keeps a conscience void of offence, he delights himself in the abundance of peace; he makes straight paths for his feet, and he finds his ways to be pleasantness, and his paths peace. But, if he make a crooked path (and all the ways of sin are crooked, because they are counter to the will and word of God), he that goes therein shall not know peace. But 2. There is a sowing to the Spirit externally. And the apostle's explanation of this sowing to the Spirit, is given by himself "Let us not be weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." And then tells us what he means by well-doing. "As we have, therefore, opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith," Gal. vi. 9, 10. To do good to them that are not as yet in the faith, is to labour to recommend Christ and his gospel to them by a becoming life and conversation, to drop a word of reproof or instruction to them when opportunity offers, or to use our endeavours to bring them under the word. "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that beareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely," Rev. xxii. 17. After our Lord had called two or three of his first followers, he made use of these to bring others. Andrew hearing and seeing John point to Christ, followed him; he then finds his brother Peter, and brings him to Jesus; the next day Jesus found Philip; and then Philip finds Nathaniel, and brings him; and, blessed be God, this work is going on still. Moreover, by doing good unto all men, the apostle means liberality. Poor people have more exalted notions of alms-deeds than they have of any other good-work whatsoever. You may talk to them about faith, and about love to the brotherhood, and the patience of hope, and of suffering afflictions, of bearing the cross, and of self-denial; but these are all out of their sight, and out of their reach; but circumspection in life and a liberal heart, are obvious to all, and stop the mouths of all, unless it be the devil himself. And in this the child of God has a double advantage. The world loves its own; sinners love sinners, and will give and lend to sinners; but sinners cannot love saints as saints, and because they belong to Christ; nor can they relieve them, or be charitable to them, because of God's love to them in Christ Jesus. "When saw we thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?" The answer is, "Inasmuch as ye did it not to these," my brethren, 'ye did it not to me.'" Not one of all these ever relieved a child of God as such; whereas there are thousands of sinners, persecutors, and even enemies both to God and to his church, who do partake largely of the liberality of the people of God; and this is acceptable to God, as may be seen in the prayers and alms of Cornelius the centurion, Acts, x.; and in the nobleness of mind which Abraham shewed to the King of Sodom. By these means some are drawn or won to hear the word of God, and that to profit. The mouths of others are stopped, while the believer makes it manifest that the kingdom (of which he is a subject) is not of this world. And in all these things God is glorified; and the children of God are a sweet savour unto him, both in them that perish and in them that are saved. "Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven," Matt. v. 16. But the apostle adds, "Especially to the household of faith." The ties of nature give us a feeling for those who are in the flesh, and fill us with wonder at discriminating grace, when the bond of all perfectness binds us more strongly to the excellent of the earth; for we can only pity the other, but we can delight ourselves in these. To the household of faith, if we sow sparingly we shall reap sparingly, and if we sow bountifully we shall reap bountifully. To receive a prophet in the name of a prophet, has the promise of a prophet's reward. To receive a righteous man in the name of a righteous man, has the promise of a righteous man's reward. And he that receives one of the little ones that belong to Christ, shall in nowise lose his reward. A morsel of bread, or a cup of cold water only, given to any in the name of a disciple, shall most surely be rewarded at the resurrection of the just; for he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting." We must sow prayers in their behalf; we may sow the seeds of instruction in their ears, bread and water to their bellies, apparel to their backs, and relief in their necessities; and reap fourfold in this life, and in the world to come life everlasting. To all this the word of God directs, and to all this the Holy Spirit leads - "For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, and righteousness, and truth," Eph. v. 9. Once more, my dear son. The best of men have no more than their own appointed time on the earth; the strength, the natural and spiritual abilities, the grace, and such wordly substance as it pleases God to give them. Now, as all these come of God through Christ, so from all these things Christ expects some returns; for when he comes, it will be to know what every one has gained by trading. Some redeem the time while the days are evil. Paul, was willing to spend and be spent for the church; he spent his property and his strength in the service of Christ; with the grace that he had received by the Spirit he seasoned many; and by his natural and spiritual abilities he became all things to all men; he instructed many, he silenced many gainsayers, and left a glorious testimony behind of his fruitfullness in the church, of the goodness of God to him, of the blessedness of his state, and of his glorious and triumphant end: and in all these things he sowed to the Spirit; and they that do so "shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting." And this reaping respects this present life as well as the future. God's blessing upon mount Zion is life for evermore. And it has pleased God to put the blessing of life into every spiritual thing that the believer deals in. Upon his believing he passes from death to life; his repentance is unto life; the promises he obtains are the words of life; his justification is unto life; God circumcises his heart to love God that he may live; his hope is a lively hope; and the very way in which he walks is the new and living way. In short, the love and eternal purpose of God, the voice of the Son and the operations of the Spirit, are all life to the believer; and the more we sow the more we reap; the more we love God and the brethren, the more lively we are; the stronger our faith and the firmer our hope are, the more abundant is our life. In all these things lie our sowing and reaping. And let us, my dear brothers be constant, unmoveable, and always abounding in this work of the Lord, knowing that our labour is not, shall not, be in vain in the Lord. To get weary and to faint in well-doing, is sad work. "Look to yourselves," says John, "that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward," 2 John, 8. And now, my beloved son, seeing we are not ignorant of Satan's devices, and knowing his desperate and inveterate enmity both to Christ and his church, suffer him not to baffle and confuse thee, by setting up any imaginary resemblances of the divine persons in your mind when you are approaching to God; infinity and immensity cannot be circumscribed! God filleth all space. Nor suffer the devil to confound thee, by suggesting that you will displease the one by addressing the other. Whatsoever is truly and property God, is the object of divine worship. And that Jesus Christ the Son of God, and the Holy Ghost the Spirit of God, are truly, really, and properly God, is as clearly revealed in the scriptures as that the Father is so. "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God our heavenly Father, and the communion of the Spirit of all grace, be with thee, and with all that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity and truth, both now and for evermore;" is the prayer of, dear son, Yours in Christ Jesus, W. HUNTINGTON, S.S. |