(WRITTEN, 1811-1847.)*
(Continued from page 263.)
(9.)
MY VERY DEAR FRIEND,—Suppose I am more brutish than any man, your welcome letter has been of no small comfort on reading your friendly and brotherly experience; and especially the plainness of utterance convinces me of your being upon the field of Boaz. Happy, happy are the small remnant that are taught in Christ’s school to follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth, and trace His various dealings with their souls from the womb to the tomb, from the Red Sea of correction to the wilderness of instruction, and from the wilderness of Baca’s vale to black Jordan of despairing in their own ragged and tattered righteousness—saying with the four lepers (and determining in their extremity), What shall we do? Their mercy was that they got ifs and hows trampled under foot, and that their mortification turned to their miraculous consolation; and poor dejected men and abhorred unclean lepers as they were in the eyes of the generation that were clean in their own eyes, yet we see, when the promise was accomplished, the tidings of plenty came by them to town and king. Asses’ heads and doves’ dung were not Israel’s meat when the lepers were sounding the trumpet. Lord, hasten the day of sounding the trumpet by the lepers, of battering Jericho’s towering walls with Joshua’s rams’ horns. When will the worm Jacob thresh the mountains? When will the anointed stripling, David, come from the wilderness to put to death the Philistine that is Israel’s terror? When will Moses come down from the mount, and see how our Aarons have made the people naked? Lord, hasten the day that our idolizing mirth will be turned to a repenting grief. I think with myself that a generation was never riper for a down look of the Almighty’s anger than this generation is. How few are the number that are groaning for the abominations of heart and city! Indeed, our prophets are covered with a cloud in His anger. Indeed, I am so much confined in my mind at this time in reading, praying, writing—I am so untoward in any commanded duty at times—that I must drag myself before I can get this proud, carnal heart off his bed of sloth. When I am delivered from the lion of a guilty conscience, a bear of a blasphemous heart meets me—no sooner delivered from lion and bear than a serpent meets me. The one Esau that terrified me in my young days in my actual sins is four hundred Esaus in my original sins. I compare my heart corruptions to the phenix. The burning of it to-day will have a resurrection to-morrow out of the burning ashes. But I must tell you, my dear friend, that Joab will not give his presence to Absalom till he gets his field burnt to ashes.
Now, lest I be tedious to you, I must forbear, and humbly return an answer to a friendly letter, although it be returning brass for gold. Accept of the orphan in regard for the parent, although it is presented in a homely dress. Solomon saith that a poor man is better than a liar. I hope you will find me the poor man, and not the liar, as I aim at the poor man’s honesty in presenting you with these broken crumbs from a poor man’s plain and unfashionable table. In this time of famine a bit of wholesome bread is rarely to be seen. Lord, keep the bairns from the Egyptian bakers. Better be plucking the corn ears on the Sabbath-day with Jesus than feeding and feasting at Jezebel’s table. The sons of the prophets were like to be poisoned in a time of scarcity by one who gathered a lapful of herbs of a wild vine. Oh, the lamentable day we have now, with so many gatherers of deadly herbs! I see that the old prophet did not cast in the healing meal until they felt death in the pot—it was a mercy to them that the old prophet was so near them.
I must conclude, as the kingdom is not in word, but in power. Since we parted I have had dark and gloomy days, ups and downs. I have nothing new to write. Nimrod’s sons are at a great height with their Babel tower. The old serpent is spueing his malice daily at the few of us here. They are thinking to banish Alex. Gair from them. Remember me to your praying friends, to the Governor—Finlay M’Intosh—and Gedaliah—Peter Stuart.—I am, truly yours,
A. GAIR.
DUNBEATH, 22nd December, 1822.
* These letters are reprinted by permission from a booklet issued by Mr. C. Mackay, at Kingussie in 1891.
(10.)
MY DEAR FRIEND,—Solomon saith, “Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth.” On reading your letter, it makes me rejoice that you are a living man. Praise God that you have a talebearer, your conscience, to accuse or excuse as your various frames require. If the king’s son were dead, there would be no tidings. I see by your complaint you are a comers to see Jesus—the comers’ conflict is beginning—a battle with the devil. In Romans 7th see the Apostle Paul, after having his evidences registered in heaven, praying at the gates of hell for a victory, and a delivery out of your mire; and see the answer of his ardent prayers at the throne of grace. Will you accept of Paul’s temptation? Would you not accept of Paul’s grace? My dear brother, be not terrified. Satan’s temptations may terrify you, but his horrors will not harm you; they are his sin, not your guilt if you don’t yield actually—Luke ix., 42nd verse. Suppose some villain were to meet a chaste virgin in a wilderness and ravish her, if she struggled and cried she is innocent by the law of God. This is her affliction; not her sin; she may mourn for her suffering; but it is not her guilt, as she cried and struggled: and in reference to your temptation, therefore, let faith batter down his temptation from Satan, saying, Christ underwent greater difficulties—he hath borne the burden and the heat of the day—and in His name I will encounter, and grapple with the devil himself, and Christ will conquer him by my hands. Remember, Christ was crucified naked, that His people’s sins, private before God, might be covered from friends and enemies. To conclude, make Satan’s suggestions your complaint at the throne of grace, but not your confession; thus you will gall him to his infernal spirit. Then, you’ll read the 9th chapter of Ezekiel, 4th verse. The righteous soul is grieved every day while in Sodom. When Noah was in the ark the unclean beasts were the ark’s ballast, and after his delivery from the flood the cursed Ham mocked him. As to my own feeling and experience, I often thought that the sin you are mortified with is the forbidden fruit that Satan tempts with in the state of grace, as he tempted Adam in the state of innocence—it’s the Saul that banishes to the wilderness. If we could sacrifice this Isaac! Accept of the mite sent you from a poor and unlearned friend that wishes you and your’s well in the Lord.
ALEX. GAIR.
REISGLE, 9th February, 1824.
(II.)
MY VERY DEAR BROTHER,—Solomon saith that the preparation of the heart in man is from the Lord: and I must say it is a duty incumbent upon me to embrace the present opportunity to write an answer to an afflicted brother under the Fatherly smarting rod bereaving him of his dear and promising offspring in the flower of shining youth—much to the grief of parents and all intimately acquainted with their amiable and moral conduct, which must add to your mortification and consolation, as their life embalmed their death. Now, my dear Joseph, observe that “God’s covenant people may be exercised with many sharp afflictions in their persons and families—even David’s house was the house of mourning.” “All sorts of outward affliction are incident to all sorts of men—a godly family cannot be a miserable, but it may be a mourning family.” “Religion secures us from the wrath, but it does not secure us from the rod of God—the covenant excludes the curse, but includes the cross.” I am at a very narrow passage betwixt two adversaries—a raging devil, and a flattering devil within. Am I regenerated, or another reprobate? a legal professor, or a sincere, converted believer? At times I am tempted to believe that a child of God never had such fiery trials as I have now in my old age. I may say with Pharaoh’s butler, It is now I remember the folly of my youth, with the leanness of my old barren, withered, glaring profession. In my first days I was brought to Damascus, to the house of correction, for actual sins and folly of my young light days. I am now transported to Italy, to the black school, to learn the depth of Satan’s tempting devices after Eden’s golden forbidden fruit, and of old Adam’s complying heart therewith. In this school I am taught by painful and mortifying experience anent Satan’s delusions as a crooked serpent and a raging devil, using all his flattery and craft in endeavouring to drain all sanctuary water to his own mill. Read Psalm lxxxiii. I said too much. Accept of the mite presented to you in a homely garb. Note that David’s smarting rod was heavier than yours or mine; for your relations and mine were such as gave us much comfort in their lives, and we had much ground of hope in their death, but his were taken away in their sin. Oh to be endowed with a spirit of resignation and consolation! All who expect the crown of victory at their death must take the cross on their shoulders, and yield themselves to bear, as Simon the Cyrenian did, the light end with Jesus. Sweet Jesus will sugar these galling crosses to his poor, afflicted, and despised bairns; and Christ will make the devil’s emissaries stepping-stones to the banqueting house of wine. Remember me and my wife to your lovely spouse and family; tell her that Christ will make up the breach that he made by death. Pray for the few that are left among the living in Jerusalem.—I remain your friend,
A. GAIR.
DUNBEATH, 24th January, 1840.
(12.)
MY DEAR FRIEND,—Solomon saith that hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life. Indeed, since our parting here I have been so much confined in my ideas at times that I could not speak as I should, nor order my speech, by reason of darkness which overwhelmed my spirit under a burden of melancholy—outward and inward fear and anxiety, between Laban following with his hue and cry, Why hast thou stolen my gods, and taken away my daughters?—Laban behind to take him back to serve him—and Esau with many armed men before him to prevent his going to inherit the promise of the land of Canaan. Poor Jacob is indeed entangled between them. The application is easy—see Jeremiah xxxvii. 12, 13, 14, “Then said Jeremiah, It is false; I fall not away to the Chaldeans.” If they will spue Joseph out of Reay, let him go and tell the wicked that it shall be ill with him if he will not turn from his sins to the Judge of all Adam’s race; and tell the righteous that it shall be well with him, when the earthly tabernacle is dissolved, to be relieved from his groaning burdens by reason of corruption in heart and life—a daily sigh and sob in this weary wilderness. As to your removing from Reay, be not discouraged—you will see in Deuteronomy, “Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount.” Accept of the above.—Mr. Lachlan said of a poor man’s prayer, Rivel-ravel from a friend is better than blank paper. I must be done, and tell you that John Anderson is now like to leave this wilderness, daily getting weaker since you saw him, which adds to my burdens in many respects. As to myself, I am, if I may say it, a bush burning daily but, by the good will of Him that dwelt in the bush, not consumed as yet.—I am remaining, your friend truly,
A. GAIR.
BLACKBURN, 9th April, 1847.