“LOANHEAD, 23rd July, 1839. MY DEAR MISS A. E.,—May grace, mercy, and peace be with you, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. I was exceedingly happy at the receipt of your kind letter, and I am very glad you enjoy the country so much. I do not wonder that you delight so very much in it; for I here sit at a window situated in the midst of flowers, and have a most expanded view of the works of creation; and so much do I enjoy the sight, that I do not think anything of an outward description could delight me so much. But as the sun with its genial beams is cheering and invigorating all nature, so, my dear Miss A., let our souls be drawing fresh supplies from Jesus ‘the Sun of Righteousness.’ Oh that our admiration was but heightened with the fulness and sufficiency of Christ! He is that green fir tree from which all the fruit of His people is found. In all seasons, He is like a tree loaded with fruit; giving doth not impoverish Him, neither doth withholding enrich Him.
You complain, my dear friend, of hardness of heart, and coldness of affection, but to whom can we go but to Jesus, that we may have our affections warmed, and our hearts drawn out in love to Him. Oh let us cleave closer than ever unto God, and be more devoted to His glory, lest it should be said, ‘Did not ye eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves?’ Aim, my dear Christian friend, at His glory in all things: ‘Whether therefore ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.’ It is the will and pleasure of Jesus that His children ‘cry mightily’ unto Him, and He delights that they should exercise faith in Him. He says, ‘O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice, and thy countenance is comely;’ and oh let the language of our souls be, ‘Behold we come unto Thee, for Thou art the Lord our God. Oh what a precious thing faith is!
‘How glorious is the gift of faith
That cheers the darksome tomb!
And through the damp and noisome grave
Can shed a rich perfume.
Precious the faith that lifts the soul
Above desponding fear;
Joyful in hope of heaven, her home,
And longing to be there.’
25th July.—I think, my dear friend, much of our lives should be spent in travelling between our own emptiness and the inexhaustible fulness which is in Christ. Are we poor and needy? Then the Lord thinketh upon us: a poor empty sinner, and a rich and full Saviour, are well met; and He is a Saviour suited to our need. Are we hungry? He is that bread of life, of which, if we eat, we shall live for ever. Are we naked and weak? ‘In the Lord have we righteousness and strength.’ Remember, my dear Miss A., that you are in an enemy’s country, and there may be many troubles and trials that may yet beset your path; but, in the midst of them all, may you ever repair to the Rock that is higher than you.
27th July.—You will be glad to hear that I have been removed to the country, and that God, in His kind providence, opened a door for me. How mysterious are the dealings of God towards me! I entreat you, help me to praise Him for His goodness, and for His wonderful works. Truly His ‘way is in the sea, and His path in the great waters, and His footsteps are not known.’ I have been carried out these three days into the garden, and I feel very much refreshed by it. God is, I think, blessing the means for the recovery of the weak body a little. I do feel a little increasing strength; for, when I came here, I could not lift my voice in praise to God at worship, but now I can sing with comparative ease, and this is no small mercy. E. is with me, and I do find her a kind nurse, and excellent companion. I think I shall remember this sweet season both in time and eternity. Pray that the Lord may continue His presence with us. Remember me very affectionately to Mrs. S. I trust her health continues to improve. May she, in all her weakness, be enabled to rejoice that God has said, ‘I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.’—Now, my dear Miss A., that the Lord may give you a growing hope of eternal life, and a cheering prospect of a blissful immortality, is the earnest prayer of your humble and obedient servant,
ELIZABETH LINDSAY.”
“LOANHEAD, 10th August, 1839.
MY DEAR CHRISTIAN FRIEND,—I received your kind letter of the 25th, which was to me, like the cooling streams to the thirsty and weary traveller, truly refreshing to my soul. I indeed think it very kind of you to spare so much time as to write to me, especially when you have such a multiplicity of interests to attend to. The Lord is still proving and trying you, by making you taste a little of the bitter waters of Marah while you sojourn in this howling wilderness. I am persuaded, dear sir, you would not live here always. You would rather ‘depart, and be with Christ, which is far better.’ It is not very pleasant for the believer in Jesus to wander in a solitary way, at such a distance from his heavenly home; but does not this sweet promise sustain and comfort your heart, when all outward comforts seem to fail:—‘Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.’
Oh precious promise! it is enough to cheer the heart of every drooping believer, and make us forget our sorrows. Let us ‘lift up our heads with joy, for the day of our redemption draweth nigh.’ May the Lord make your light to shine yet more and more in the world, by making you the honoured instrument in His hand of bringing many many souls under the power of the truth. I trust, dear friend, the Lord is calling you forth to more extended usefulness in His Church. He has given you the spirit willingly to ‘spend and be spent’ in His service, and He will not let you want work. ‘The harvest is truly great, but the labourers are few.’ I am sorry to hear that Mr. Beith is leaving Glenelg; but if it is a call from the Lord, we have no right to penetrate into His design, it becomes us to be silent. He leads His people ‘by a right way.’
12th August.—I was brought here on the 15th of July, notwithstanding all my unbelief. I felt so weak before coming that I never thought I could be able to bear the fatigue; but the Lord kindly disappointed my fears, and exceeded my hopes, by strengthening me for the journey, so that I bore it pretty well. For the first week I was very ill, repeatedly threatened with a shock of palsy, and the pain in my head rose to such an extremity as almost to deprive me of reason. But He who knows His people’s souls in adversity, compassionated my case, and in His own good time sent me relief; and, while I was so much worse, to the praise of His own name be it spoken, kept my mind in perfect peace. You may know from experience that our great adversary was very busy with his suggestions, by telling me I had done wrong in coming here, and that it was not the will of God. But it pleased the Lord to make it plain to me that it was my duty, both from His providence and from the inward witness of His Spirit. ‘I am now able to walk a few steps with assistance.’ ‘Is anything too hard for the Lord?’ No. He ‘killeth and maketh alive, He bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up.’ I have got a wheeling chair, in which I can be drawn out; and I am at present cherishing the hope that I shall yet get to the house of God, to worship with His people.
‘That I, in Zion’s daughter’s gates,
May all Thy praise advance;
And that I may rejoice always
In Thy deliverance.’
Pray for us, that the Lord may be glorified in us and by us, that we may not live to ourselves. I have never spent a happier season than since I came here. The candle of the Lord is shining upon our tabernacle, and E. and I are very happy together. Oh pray that He may shine upon us more and more, and still give us peace! Favour me with a letter soon. Now, dear sir, may ‘the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you.’—I remain, dear sir, your humble and obedient servant, in the bonds of the Gospel,
ELIZABETH LINDSAY.”
“LOANHEAD, 10th August, 1839. MY DEAR MISS G.,—I was happy to receive your very welcome letter. What a wonder that any of the dear children of God should sacrifice so much of their time for my comfort; but I dare say, my dear Christian friend, you have often found, when you were drawing from the fountain of life to refresh others, that your own soul was refreshed also. Good reason have I to say with the Psalmist, ‘I will bless the Lord at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth.’ Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me be stirred up to magnify His holy name. He calls on all that is within him—every power and faculty of his soul;—and well he might, for there is no half work with God. His is finished work; and the soul that has been created anew in Christ Jesus can be satisfied with nothing short of this. Let us, therefore, bestir every energy, and press on with vigour. May the Lord, the Spirit, my dear friend, who is able to make all grace abound to you, ever give you ‘joy and peace in believing.’ Oh may we have grace given us to ‘walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.’ Oh to be consistent Christians! I fear there may be many now lifting up their eyes in endless torments who may point at the inconsistencies of Christians, and say, These were a stumbling-block to my poor soul. Should not the thought of this keep us ever watchful? This is a day when we have need to hide ourselves in our closets, and ‘shut the doors about us.’ Oh to have communion with God! It is this which keeps up the life of God in the soul. It is this which makes the face of the believer to shine; and where there is union there is communion. We live in a dark and cloudy day—a day when vital religion is at a very low ebb; but oh, my beloved friend, let this stimulate us to live closer to God, and be more devoted to His glory than we have ever yet been! May this be our glory and our rejoicing, that ‘the Lord sitteth upon the floods; yea, the Lord sitteth King for ever.’
13th August.—The ordinance of the Lord’s Supper was administered in this place yesterday. I have purposed in my heart going up to worship with His people, but being rather worse last week, I felt unable to be taken. But the Lord was unto me as a little sanctuary. He made me ‘sit under His shadow with great delight, and His fruit was sweet to my taste.’ Oh how amazing His condescension! Help me to praise Him; for, to the glory of His name be it spoken, He fed me from the same text of Scripture that the minister preached from. Oh pray that the Lord may keep me humble and watchful.
‘He that is down, need fear no fall;
He that is low, no pride;
He that is humble, ever shall
Have God to be his guide.’
Now, my ever dear friend, may the Lord command His blessing on you and your dear family, ‘even life for evermore.’ Pray for us. E. joins me in grateful love; and I remain, my dear Miss G., in the bonds of the everlasting Gospel, your humble and obedient servant,
ELIZABETH LINDSAY.”
“To Mr. T. LOANHEAD, 7th September, 1839. MY DEAR CHRISTIAN FRIEND,—I was happy at the receipt of your very welcome letter of the 5th instant. How many precious ways of communicating the Lord has opened up for the comfort of His people! Oh that we held communion with God while we hold it with one another, and so improved our privilege! I have often had to reprove myself for saying to dear friends, when asked to write, I have nothing to write about. Alas! are we named by the name of Jesus, and yet have nothing to write about, when the subject of redeeming love remains inexhausted, and inexhaustible? Surely, as long as we have the love of God in Christ rescuing the sinner from the gates of death and hell, and making him ‘meet to be a partaker of the inheritance of the saints in light,’ we can never be at any loss for a subject. To any one who has tasted and seen that the Lord is gracious this will be ever welcome, and ever new. Let us, therefore, my dear friend, seek to ‘show forth the praises of Him who has called us out of darkness into His marvellous light.’ I hope you will be enabled to ‘present your body a living sacrifice, holy, and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.’ May you have a single eye to the glory of God in all that you do; so shall you go on in the strength of the Lord, with a heart filled with love and zeal for His cause, and a thirst for the good of souls, glorifying your Father which is in heaven. He only is worth living for.
You will likely have heard that I have been once more within the house of God. How did my heart rejoice when it was said unto me, ‘Go up to the house of the Lord.’ The twenty-third Psalm was sung both times, and the text was, ‘And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear My voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.’ The first head was, The state the sheep are in; they are at a distance from God, and far from righteousness. Secondly, They needed to be brought back, and that by an Almighty power. Thirdly, The blessed state to which they are brought. The minister (Mr. Anderson) dwelt very much upon the last head. There was nothing remarkably striking in it. It was a plain practical discourse, in which the love of God was set forth in all its fulness, and the way of a sinner’s acceptance before God. What my feelings were I shall never be able to describe. I indeed felt the words of the Psalmist suitable to my case, ‘A day in Thy courts is better than a thousand.’
‘If such the sweetness of the stream,
What must the fountain be!’
What must it be indeed! ‘Eye hath not seen nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive, the things God hath prepared for them that love Him.’ But what we know not now, we shall know hereafter: oh that our hearts and affections were fixed on eternal things! This world is nothing but ‘vanity and vexation of spirit;’ may we therefore, my dear friend, sit loose to all its enjoyments, for it is an ensnaring enemy to the Christian.
Let your sympathy excuse this short confused letter, as the pain in my side warns me to stop. Give my kind regards to M., and tell her we long much to see her. Now, may the ‘peace of God, which passeth all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ Pray for me.—I remain, dear friends, in the bonds of the Gospel, your sincere well-wisher,
ELIZABETH LINDSAY.”
(To be Continued.)