THE following letter has been received by a friend from Mr. C. B. Van Woerden, Akkrum, Holland, who is known and respected by several of our readers. We take the liberty of publishing it as spiritually edifying and of general interest:—
AKKRUM, 5th November, 1914.
MY DEAR FRIEND,—I was very glad in receiving to-day your letter, dated 30th October, which I got “opened by censor,” which I suppose will be the case as well with this of mine. I cannot deny that you and all the friends I know in Scotland are often in my mind in these awful days in which the Lord is drawing the terrible sword. The iniquities of the nations are going to be punished according to their ways. And what will we do in the day of visitation, and in the desolation which shall come from far? To whom will we flee for help, and where will we leave our glory? How many woes are pronounced in the Word of God which we may apply to ourselves, the Lord being the same, yesterday, and to-day, and for ever! We have forsaken the Lord, “the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.” All the nations that are in war think they have a righteous and just cause. None of them have sinned, and so they are all sure of the victory. It looks as if the Lord is working this work in His wrath, for where is the fulfilment of the promise, “When thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness”? How blessed are the children of God who may enter their chambers and shut their doors and hide themselves “as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast!” It is their privilege that they have a principle from which they desire to say, “I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against him.” O that the Lord would pour out His Spirit, and bring His people to that blessed place. Who knoweth but he might turn and repent, “and turn away from his fierce anger that we perish not?”
It is very strange and wonderful that we here are not yet involved in this War. I have always been sure that England and Holland are the most privileged nations of the world in which the Lord has many of His people, but this my faith contains also, that I have always been sure that the judgments of the Lord would come at any time over these nations for forsaking their own mercy. The Lord alone knows why we are not yet involved in this fearful struggle. Until this day we have only some material loss, and, of course, the difficulties connected with the mobilisation. Oh, that the Lord would come and bring us to kiss the rod, and Him who has appointed it, that we might rejoice because of the Lord’s judgments. I read to-night in Psalm cxlvii., “He delighteth not in the strength of the horse; he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man. The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him; in those that hope in his mercy.” Would to God that I could apply this to your country, as a public confession of the magistrates, and I would be sure that the victory would be yours, which my heart wishes, as there is no country to which I am more attached, besides our dear Holland, as Scotland and England.
Since the beginning of the War, we have a Belgian family under our roof, father and mother and a boy. And of the same family there is a daughter with my eldest daughter in Bodegraven, and another daughter with my second son here in Akkrum. They are Roman Catholics, but they submit themselves to the rule of our house, also to the family worship and our Sabbath meetings. May the Lord bless His word to their souls! They have never heard of the way of salvation, but it looks as if they understand now somewhat of the necessity of Christ as a Mediator and to be found in Him. One of the girls burned her prayer book and her rosary. In the meantime, I cannot observe any real conviction of sin.
I have hope that one of my sons, my namesake, who is “at the front” as a soldier, received there a saving view of a Saviour, which made Christ dear to him. I think you will remember him—Cornelius. I have since long had a good hope that the conviction under which he laboured was the Spirit’s work to make Christ necessary to his soul. My other children are all well, also my wife, who was very glad to see your hand-writing again and to hear the contents of the letter.
You write that you would wish me to be in Scotland. So would I, but there is no possibility now. Will you be so kind as to give my respects to Mr. Macrae? I did not hear about his illness, and am glad to know he is so far better again; also to the friends I have met with.
Perhaps you will say in reading this, “How is it with yourself?” And I would answer: I have no expectation of “the flesh.” The longer I live the more I see that sin will never be conquered, and that my flesh will not stop striving against the Spirit. You write: “I will be often fearing it is not possible that one, in whom the Holy Spirit was, could feel as I do.” But I would reply: “Fear ye not; for it is the Holy Spirit who makes you feel as you do.” What would we do with Christ if there was not a daily sense of our being so utterly helpless, bowed down under the strength and power of sin and unbelief, yea, of the enmity of our flesh to God?” O that I were delivered of that love to sin, that makes my daily groaning under its power, but I know that the ways of the Lord are right, and that I need to feel its strength that my only hope may be in the righteousness of Christ. Would not the love of Christ constrain Him to use His power in destroying the power of our corruptions, if it were good to us? Where would be our fighting “the good fight of faith,” if there were no enemies? Will not this make Christ precious to our souls that we are not able, and often so unwilling to fight as we should do, and is not this the only way to bring us to that blessed knowledge that we shall not only conquer but that we are “more than conquerors through Him that loved us?” My dear friend, I feel most times very dark, but this strengthens my hope that the love of the Father in Christ is sovereign and free and unchangeable, and that He is righteous in remembering His poor and afflicted people. Were salvation put in my hands, I was lost for ever; but, now the Father put it in the hand of Christ, I wish to leave it in His almighty hand, and commit my soul to Him who is mighty to save to the uttermost.
Will you please tell Mr. Macrae that I would be very glad if he would write me, at any time when circumstances allow him, just a few lines to let me know how he is and his family, though I did not write since long—it’s being so difficult to correspond in English?
May the Lord be with you, who will keep His Church in every place where He will dwell! And when you get access at a throne of grace, remember me at a throne of grace—remember me, who wishes to do the same for you and all that love the Lord Jesus Christ.—Your affectionate friend, C. B. V. WOERDEN.