80. “J. L.,” Forest Hill. We could not recommend the printing of your lines; though we have no objection to offer to the use you make of the incident.
81. “R. S.,” Parton. The “other sheep” of John 10:16, are those to be gathered in from the wide Gentile world, to form, with the sheep of the Jewish fold, “one flock.” The moment had not yet arrived for any reference to the “one body.” The middle wall of partition had to be broken down, by the cross. Our blessed Lord had to rise from the dead, to ascend into the heavens, to take His seat in majesty and glory, to send down the Holy Ghost in order to baptize believers— Jews and Gentiles—into one body.
82. “J. G. B.,” Westminster. The rendering of Rom. 3:22 is sufficiently clear in our Authorized Version. Some authorities omit the particle and thus render the passage, “Righteousness of God by faith of Jesus Christ unto (or towards) all, and upon all them that believe, for there is no difference.” We can see no object in substituting the word “but” for “and.” As to the aspect of the righteousness, it is unto or towards all. As to the final result, it is upon all them that believe.
83. “Inquire,” Richmond. Your question is entirely one of individual conscience and spiritual judgment. Let each be fully persuaded in his own mind, remembering that whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
84. “A.,” London. Your case is truly most sad and humiliating. We have never met its parallel, though we have met with many terrible cases. It will, no doubt, cause you to walk softly all the rest of your days in this world. Still, blessed be the God of all grace, it is not beyond His reach. He can restore the soul even from deeper depths than those into which you have plunged. The grace of God, the blood and advocacy of Christ, the powerful ministry of the eternal Spirit can reach—yea, we trust, have reached—your case. We trust you are in a truly repentant state of heart, and such a state is the sure precursor of divine restoration. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Here is the provision of divine grace. May you know its efficacy! We deeply feel for you. The heart could bleed for you. God forbid we should pen one harsh sentence, or inflict an additional wound on your already deeply wounded spirit. We do not consider that there is any need to expose your case, seeing you have truly confessed and forsaken your sin. The grand object of the discipline of the assembly is to maintain the holiness of the Lord’s table, by putting away known evil—evil in its active energy. The secondary object is to deliver the sinning one from the power of evil, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. In your case, God in His mercy has come in and led you into true self-judgment, and enabled you to put away the evil, so that the assembly is not involved. But O dear friend, let us solemnly exhort you to walk watchfully and keep under your body.
85. “E. B.,” Brighton. Your kind note has come to hand, for which please accept our best thanks. Accept a very precious motto which we trust may be made a blessing to your soul, in the midst of your varied exercises; it is this, “the just shall live by faith.” May the Lord’s own peace be with you!
86. “M. S. S.,” Dublin. Accept our warmest thanks for your letter and the accompanying lines.
87. “F. W.,” Tetbury. Thanks for your kind communication.
88. “A. E. G.,” Brighton. We do, most heartily, bless God for your letter. His holy name be praised! May He fill you with His own precious love, so that you may praise Him continually. As to Matt. 12:31, we have often referred to it. The blasphemy against the Holy Ghost consisted in attributing to Beelzebub the works done by the Eternal Spirit. How could it possibly “apply to a believer?”
89. “F.” and “H.,” Derby. In Rom. 8:13, the expression, “Ye shall die,” and “Ye shall live,” are not similar in the original. The former is a contingent, the latter, an absolute proposition. “ If ye live after the flesh ye are about to die” (μέλλετε ἀποθνήσκειν); “But if ye, through the Spirit, do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live” (ζήσεσθε). To live after the flesh is the highway to death; let us beware of it, and never tread it. As to verse 9, all true believers—all who belong to Christ—have His Spirit. Hence, if any have not the Spirit, they are none of His. And, most surely, we may add, those who have the Spirit can understand and prize His precious witness. Can a child understand the sweet whisperings of a mother’s love? They must be heard to be understood; but did ever any child who had heard them ask “How am I to know them?” We can hardly think so.
90. “W. B.,” Herne Bay. It will help you in the understanding of the blessed teaching in John 13:1-10, if you will refer to the washing of the priests, under the law. On the great day of their inauguration, they were wholly washed. This action was never repeated. But, for daily service, they needed to wash their feet and hands in the brazen laver, in the tabernacle; or the brazen sea in the temple. Now, the first of these actions typified “the washing of regeneration,” which, we need hardly say, is never repeated. The second sets forth the daily washing of sanctification, which is never interrupted. “He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit.” All is founded, blessed be God, on the atoning death of our Lord Jesus Christ—the only basis of life, salvation, blessing, and glory, for poor sinners such as we. The blood that expiates, and the water that cleanses, both flow from the side of a crucified Savior. All praise and adoration to His peerless Name!
It is beautiful to mark the varied lines of truth in scripture; and, moreover, it is important that the soul be governed, and the character formed, by all truth, and not by some special line of truth. Thus it is divinely true that we are “once purged” by the blood of Jesus, and our bodies are to be washed with pure water. In other words, we have the blood for the conscience; the basin for the feet; and, we would just add, blessed be God, the bosom for the head. So, also, we are quickened, or born again, by the word; and we are cleansed by the word. “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to thy word.” Such is the infinite fullness, depth, variety, freshness, and power of the word of God! May we prize it more and more! Accept our hearty thanks for your kind and cheering letter.
91. “An Enquirer,” Bantry. We have no recollection of receiving any such communication, nor can we find it amongst our correspondence. You can form no idea of the mass of letters which come to hand from all quarters, and on all sorts of subjects. The fact is, it would be utterly impossible to reply to the half. Our friends must kindly bear with us, and remember that we seek to reply to their communications as time and space permit, and according as we deem them likely to be generally useful.
92. “ D.,” Middleton. Unquestionably, 1 Cor. 10:17 teaches that one unbroken loaf should be laid on the Lord’s table. It is beautifully expressive of the unity of the body. With regard to your second question, we are most fully assured that for a Christian—a true believer—a child of God to join a “Good Templars’ lodge,” is to form an unequal yoke; and as to the idea of being able to do good by such a step, the question is, are we to do evil that good may come? Surely not. To obey is better than sacrifice; and to hearken than the fat of rams. And, besides the positive evil involved in an unequal yoke, how can any follower of the meek and lowly Jesus, the self-emptied, obedient, dependent man, be a member of an “Independent Order?” And how can anyone who knows aught of his own vileness, weakness, and nothingness, style himself “a Good Templar,” or a good anything? And, further, we would ask, how can anyone who understands aught of his personal responsibility to Christ, surrender his individuality by becoming a member of a club? If I join a club, or a society, I merge my personality in that club, while, at the same time, I am morally responsible before God and man for all the actings of that club. In fact, the whole thing, root and branch, is false. Cannot a Christian be temperate without joining a club? Are the claims of a club more powerful than the claims of Christ? True “temperance” is one of the fruits of the Spirit, and grows only in the new creation. I must be in the new creation to produce it; and, if there, I do not want to join a club. We know no club, no society, no association, but the church of God, the body of Christ, into which all true believers are incorporated by God the Spirit; and, being so incorporated, they are to be governed, in all things, by the word of God; and that word emphatically tells us not to be unequally yoked together with unbelievers for any purpose whatever. Oh! that we trembled more at the word of God! One of the most appalling features of the present day is the deliberate setting aside of the very plainest statements of the word of God. Men seem to have no idea of submitting absolutely to the authority of Holy Scripture. We solemnly warn all Christians to look seriously to this matter. Let us remember that our God. has uttered such words as these: “But to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and TREMBLETH AT MY WORD.”