LETTER FROM WILLIAM HUNTINGDON.
February 23rd, 1803.
My Dearly Beloved Brother in the Lord Jesus,
I have no doubt but you are still in the field of action. The law in the members will continue to war as long as the law of faith is in the mind; faith brings an eyesore to Satan, because it came from Christ, and holds fast and abides by Christ and His interest. Unbelief is of Satan, and staunch in his cause, and will make God a liar in His Word, rather than prove disloyalty to Satan. This sin is Satan’s best ally; his shield in us; his bolts and bars; without which he can do but little; hence he labours hard to strengthen and encourage it, and to stir up our rebellion to take part with it against God, as you may see in Thomas, Zechariah and others. But, “whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith.”
Faith is born of God, and is a fruit of God’s most Holy Spirit; it is a most noble warrior, having overcome the world, and was itself never overcome. Faith lays hold of the Son of God, who is its own shield, and by this means quenches every fiery dart of the wicked; for, though these darts often gall and unsettle us, narrow up our inbred corruptions, and inflame us with anger, rage, and spiritual and carnal jealousy, yet faith holds up the shield, and, by showing and applying the atonement, quenches the flames of these darts, so that the fire does not burn to destruction, so as to set us on fire of hell, which is what Satan aims at. Faith puts on the breastplate of righteousness every time that peace is restored to us, and is to us continually a fresh proof that in the Lord we have righteousness and strength. It is the breastplate that guards the heart and conscience against all the reproaches, accusations and condemnations of Satan; so that he cannot sink us in despair, though he tries hard, and at times gets us to the very brink, so that we know not on which side we shall fall, whether into despair, apostacy, or into the great transgression. “As for me,” says the Psalmist, “my feet were almost gone, my steps had well-nigh slipped; for all day long have I been plagued and chastened every morning.” But faith holds fast her breastplate, which is expressly called the righteousness of faith; and the more she is obstructed and opposed the stronger she gets. “The righteous shall hold on their way, and they that have clean hands shall wax stronger and stronger.”
Sometimes it so happens that we are brought into captivity to the law of sin which is in our members, and we have nothing set before us to feed on but the lusts of the flesh, which are our sorrowful meat; even the thoughts of foolishness is sin. Our wretched rebellion causes the lips to mutter perverseness, which increases our guilt; but in the end faith eyes the promise of victory, looks again to the crucifixion, applies the atonement, melts the soul, and restores peace. Thus again we overcome him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of our testimony, and now, being restored to the joys of his salvation, and favoured with another spark of divine love from the altar, we cry out, Nay! but “in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that hath loved us.”
The devil and the doctor have lately had a sharp conflict, in which I stuck to him with every weapon I possessed; it was blow for blow, wound for wound, and stripe for stripe; for it is a hell to my soul to bear his insolence, rage, lasciviousness and blasphemy; and it is as complete a hell to him, to hear us cry, pray, praise and bless God. He never can feed, but upon our corruption and our misery: “Dust shall be the serpent’s meat.” “When we are in dust and ashes he banquets; but in our festivals he fasts, and sits in sackcloth. So run I, but not at uncertainty; so fight I, but not as those that beat the air.”
My fellow-soldier and fellow-sufferer, these are spoils from the field of action, sent by one who is faint, yet pursuing; wearied with the toils of war, yet in arms; hoping for a pension, yet expecting no quarters.
God bless thee. Ever thine.
—W. H.