24th November, 1727.
REV. AND VERY DEAR SIR,—Yours of the 22nd September came to my hand 28th October, and I have taken this very first occasion to make you a return, that I may shew the cordial sympathy I have with you in your afflicted lot, and may not put you to a tiresome waiting for anything that can come from me to you, from whom I would rather hear, than speak to in such matters. I could not but think, that the very writing of your letter to me, behoved, through the divine blessing accompanying it, to be of use to you in your affliction for your comfort. Sure I am it was an apt mean; though the most fit means can of themselves effect nothing, but only as they are blown upon by the Spirit, and so rendered effectual to their ends. The account you gave of the situation of matters with you with respect to the way, as it has a comfortable distinctness in it, without any thing of the confusion you speak of discernible to me; so it carries such an agreeableness to the waymarks set up by the Spirit, the leader in the way, to be seen standing for the direction of travellers in the scripture of truth, that you have ground from the word to take the comfort of your being in the way in spite of hell, and consequently of your coming assuredly to the end of the journey in a happy fort, since the great leader drops none by the way, but perfects what he has begun, and never leaves nor forsakes the work of his own hands, nor those in whom it is wrought. I think I need not insist to add to what you have advanced from the scripture on that head. What pincheth you, seems to be the blowing of the wind in your face, particularly the rising of storms and tempests upon you, so that sometimes you lose sight, are blown aside, yea, blown down and foundered. But, dear sir, if you were beyond these you would not be a traveller, but one got home from your travels; you would not be in, or by the way, but come to the end of it. It is the glory of the man who is the Father’s fellow, to be “an hiding-place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest,” Isa. xxxii. 2, to be a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, when the blast of the terrible ones is a storm against the wall. When should that glory of his be, if these tempests and storms did not rise, if the terrible ones did not get leave to blow sometimes furiously, like a storm against the wall? If then our Lord Jesus, whose strength is made perfect in weakness, sees meet to take away your ease for a time, to make it a stepping-stone to his own glory, where you hear the Lord hath need of it, you will straightway send it. I verily think, that when a poor believer is engaged in a combat with the powers of darkness, our Lord Jesus has an occasion of signalizing his victory over the bruised serpent next to that which he had on the cross. It is true, that staggering even on, that place is to be lamented as a sinful weakness; but, I think, all the travellers and combatants will be found to have been staggerers through stress, though that gives them not their denomination from their believing. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, yet we hear very much of his impatience too. Peter remained with an unfailing faith when he was sifted, yet he was shamefully foundered. Even Abraham, though in that instance, Rom. iv. he staggered not; yet in another case he did, Gen. xii. 11, and downwards; and in that same instance Sarah, who was a type of the church, as Abraham, was of Christ, staggered: and fell foully, but recovered, Gen. xviii. In this last faith had but one single word, “My Lord,” and unbelief had all the rest of the speech; and yet the Spirit of God makes honourable mention of that one word in the New Testament, 1 Peter iii. 6: drawing a vail over the rest. I own that temptation within, and troubles from without, trysting together, make a very heavy case; yet it is scriptural too, that without be fightings and within be fears. You have been particularly honoured of God to contend for the faith; and it is no wonder Satan’s malice prompt him to dispute it with you immediately; and the wisdom of the God of truth appears in permitting it to be so, to teach dependence on himself in managing the contending otherwise. The strong champion of truth, Luther, found himself hardly bestead in the several conflicts with his own breast. I desire to maintain a cordial sympathy with you in all your trials; being yours very affectionately.