(Continued from Vol. XIII., page 468.)
[The author here leaves a blank, wherein it seems she intended to set down her coming from the North to Faukland in Fife, but did not; and so begins her remarks from that place in the South, as follows.]
THE Lord was pleased to take several pieces of work off my hand in that place, which I forbear to mention, and so confirmed me of my coming there; but one special thing to me was the Lord’s tenderness in weaning me from the North by degrees, by bringing me out of it for a little season, then taking me back again, and there cut me short as to my expectation in some things, and meeting with the death of some of my choicest acquaintances. Mr. Thomas Ross was driven out of the country by persecution, as also Mr. Thomas Hog was sent prisoner to the South, and then I was driven away myself two years after I had returned from Fife. I could no more hesitate about my call to the South, these things putting it beyond doubt. For when I came South formerly, though I met with contradicting providences, yet I durst not question my call; but I could not see it to be in mercy, I being for a season so sore tried in that place with so many wants, but especially the gospel, and my dearest society, which I was not able to dispense with. And after I came South the second time, I met with some very sore tossings before I could get any settling, which put me to fear that I had not been thankful for that way of living that formerly He had provided for me in Fife, and my unmortifiedness to my acquaintances in the North; for, when I would have been glad of it, I could not have it, though it was by the persecutors I was opposed, which made it the more easy to be borne with; for, whatever was my guilt, yet it was for truth’s sake that I suffered. Yet I durst not think I had sinned in going North, since 1. I found my going South a punishment of my iniquity, being drawn from such sweet company. 2. I got no settling in that place till I engaged to go North if the Lord called me. 3. My going from that place was promised to me as a deliverance; from Psalm 18: “He brought me to a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me.” And when I came North I got a hearty welcome from the Lord’s people, but especially from Himself. 4. He countenanced my coming there with the conversion of several who were brought under the means that was much blessed of God at that time, viz., Mr. Hog’s ministry, by being brought to my family to learn. 5. I judged that I was brought back to suffer for religion in that place where I had professed it. 6. It brought Mr. Welwood north, who confirmed by his preaching what our ministers had been holding forth—I mean the controverted truths,—and himself professed that he was much edified by conversing with some in the North, and many times spoke of them in the South to professors for imitation. And besides, that faithful servant of the Lord, Mr. Thomas Hog, being to come South, he behoved from his acquaintance of, and commanding him to the people, make him acceptable before he came, he having occasion to converse with the most part of professors through the nation, and to confirm what others had witnessed before of that man’s faithfulness, being to come here in an unstable time. And this will either prove a blessing or a curse to the South of Scotland, as the Lord helps folk to improve, or leaves them to flight. All these things followed upon my going North, and several others of weight, which I forbear to mention. But this made all matters easy to me, God’s gentleness in weaning me by degrees, and at so great leisure, and by such and such means, from these I was so united to, and then brought me from them by persecution upon His account, for whose sake I loved them. And to confirm me further that the Lord was calling me to look a little higher than the creatures for comfort (1) He took me from some clearly. (2) Other spiritual comforts of all sorts, except what were absolutely necessary; and all this for that only end—to bring my soul to a blessed necessity of taking consolation in God only, without any reserve, which I long stuck at, but now have got over it, having experienced an all-sufficiency in Him to make the soul live comfortably without these. And now the Lord hath clearly shown me that His ways in removing all these props are mercy and truth, whatever representation they may seem to have to the contrary, for these props are not sufficient to bear the weight of my burdens. I had leaned upon them, and they and I had fallen together if the Lord, in wisdom and mercy, had not done as He hath done. So now I see what that meant which I met with long ago, which I could not then understand. When the Lord was about to comfort me against a sore trouble I was to meet with, He promised me many desirable things, and concluded with that, “I will be thy God,” which I wondered much at, I not questioning it; but the Lord foresaw that I was to meet with troubles, under which only this could bear me up. And now these many years He hath been training me to improve this privilege; and though I have been one of the unteachablest that ever He taught, yet the little I have learned of this hath been of great use to me. For, meeting with untenderness from some of whom I expected other things, together with some other sad ingredients, I was like to be overwhelmed, but was helped to flee to the mercy of God. The great matter that troubled me was some innovations we were like to be entangled with by the enemies of the Lord’s work in the land. I had been for a long time desiring that, if I were called to suffering, the grounds of it might be clear. The Lord had cleared to me formerly my duty in what I suffered for, but now I thought our waters were jumbled by the untenderness of some (who owned the way of the Lord) in publishing that which by the enemy might after be made a jest, even when some whom themselves judged tender had evidenced their dislike of it. I presently concluded that an unchangeable God would do as formerly, and a merciful God would deal graciously, and so much the more that we were destitute. This raised me up and healed me. Now, I have trusted in His mercy, and my heart shall rejoice in His salvation. He will either preserve me from suffering, or clear my call to suffer, and strengthen me in it. And I am further confirmed in the duty of ceasing from man, whose breath is in his nostrils.
The Lord was at great pains to convince me of my call to stay at Edinburgh, which I was averse from. And, after essaying all means to settle elsewhere, they proved unsuccessful, for I could not get a house in the country but from one who had taken the Declaration, which I durst not do, because there was a curse on all that they had. The grounds of my aversion to live at Edinburgh were these: 1. The blood of the saints that was continually shed in it, whereby it was liable to judgments. It was also hard to be a spectator to these sad sights, and to hear of them in ‘all their circumstances. 2. The abounding of sins of all sorts. 3. Confluences of all sorts resorting thither did occasion debates and contests. 4. Little access for doing good to young or old. Notwithstanding of all these, confined I must be to that place; and when at any time I got leave to retire alone, it proved a confirmation that I must stay still in Edinburgh till He take me out of it. But all providences confirm that it is only for trial I am brought here, and that by seeing all the evils that were amongst His people I might the more easily submit, not only to the deferring of deliverance, in which I had great difficulty, but also in acquiescing to His judgments in bringing on all the evils that He had threatened. The troubles I met with here were: 1. Continual difficulties to live. 2. Little health. 3. Constant contentions. (1) From these that had made defection and complied with the enemy; and (2) From the company I joined with, because I could not run to their extremes of separation, and despising of them whom I knew the Lord had sent, which I could not do, lest, by despising of them, I should be reckoned amongst these who despise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost: “For he that despiseth you, saith Christ, “despiseth me,” etc., though I desired to countenance none who had complied in the least. I remark this as an evidence of the Lord’s care of me, that I was not shaken in the least with their big pretensions, the Lord giving some confirmation against their way when there appeared anything in them more than ordinary to be a temptation.
I find the Lord’s way with me now is an emptying me of all comfort, either from my diligence in His service (for I am kept from that, either by sickness or the distractions of the place) or from manifestations and communications of His love as formerly, or from clear teaching me either in duties or His mind in providences as usual, all which hath a tendency to humble the heart, to keep faith in exercise upon the unchangeableness of God, and to take consolation from having an interest in Him, and from the hopes of the eternal enjoyment of God, and in Him of all things. And thus the Lord weaned me from external comforts, whether spiritual, as public ordinances, private fellowship, lovers and friends being put far away, and not only so, but these proving tormentors; or temporal, by disappointments and griefs from all airths almost, my only child being removed when most hopeful both in naturals and spirituals, which left a constant wound in my heart, yet nevertheless I live; and (1) By the power of Almighty God making it manifest that nothing is too hard for Him. (2) By giving daily strength and supply in prayer. (3) By discovering sometimes His care of me, in guiding me immediately by (or to escape) snares which I was not able to discern till afterwards. (4) By discovering to me sometimes that the anchor is sure, fixed, and cannot move. (5) By manifesting His care of me, in supplying me in externals, my heavenly Father knowing what I need before I ask, and when I ask He performs His gracious Word and gives, especially when I am least anxious and trust most to Him. (6) By comforting me against trouble before it come, and that continually, be the trouble what it will. He measures out less or more comfort as preparation for lesser or greater afflictions. (7) By discovering to me His love in all providences, even in these that appear to be most sharp, as, for instance, in great difficulties. 1. The Lord discovers what is in my heart, and this humbles me. 2. He makes me believe an outgate if it be best for me, and so keeps faith in exercise by frequent difficulties. And what need there is of faith in exercise at this day may easily appear. 3. I find His effectual power changing the frame of my heart, so it makes me dispense with things most freely that my heart is most taken up with and are the greatest ground of my trouble, and so delivers me before I be delivered, and then real deliverance follows, and that confirms me that my spiritual good is intended by afflictions, and that it is an evidence of His tenderest love and care of His own work in my soul. What is man, that thou shouldst visit him, and try him every moment? (8) By confirming me and frequently answering all my objections to the contrary, raised from improbabilities of His appearing again in this land, by clearing up His holy Word to me, persuading my heart that what I formerly was made to hope concerning that, should certainly come to pass.
I am still more and more confirmed that in me dwells no good, and that my sufficiency is in Him; nay, in me dwells much evil, and that He, out of the riches of His free grace in Christ Jesus, overcomes my evil with His good. The work I find the Lord is putting in my hand, both by word and providence, is to prepare for His coming, and I find the improvement of talents a great ground of preparation, which I could never win to in this place however desirous I have been, which often puts me to admire why I am continued in it. Only one thing I did see, that before I came to this place I was restless in crying for deliverance to the land, and what I have seen here hath made me sober to that, we being so unmeet for it, being so defiled with, and ensnared into the palpable snares of the time, whereby we are exposed to greater wrath, even His further going away from His sanctuary, and we partaking of the sad woe of His departing, both by temporal and spiritual plagues. If we had faithfully resisted temptations and had not yielded to shun sufferings, we would have been both otherwise supported under our sufferings, and might have prevented the length that they are come unto; but the Lord has found out the hypocrisy of this land. We having proceeded from evil to worse; the holiness of God, who is of purer eyes than that He can behold iniquity, and who will by no means clear the guilty, is concerned to make us know that He is such an one as His Word reveals Him to be by His severity on those who have abused His gentleness. And now He may say to all of us, “Judge between me and my vineyard,” but especially to some whose eyes He hath opened to see the evils of the public guilt this land lies under. And the reason, I conceive, why the Lord hath discovered to some the heinousness of some sins that they never had the temptation to commit themselves, hath been only to justify the Lord in His contending with this land, and to quiet them under His delaying to answer His people’s prayers for His appearing in the behalf of this afflicted land.
(To be Continued.)
The late Rev. C. H. H. Wright, D.D.—By the death of Dr. Wright, which took place on 25th March, Protestantism has lost a true friend and a scholarly defender. In the field of Biblical introduction Dr. Wright was a distinguished scholar whose influence was almost wholly on the side of conservatism. He held high and honourable positions, being Bampton Lecturer (1878), and Downellan Lecturer (1880-1), to mention only two in the long list of honours. He never received preferment in the Church of England, of which he was a distinguished ornament. Among his writings having special reference to Protestantism may be mentioned:—Roman Catholicism, or the Doctrines of the Church of Rome; The Mass in the Greek and Roman Churches; Prayers for the Dead and Scripture Proofs.