November 15th, 1875.
The sight of your handwriting, dear brother, was welcome to me; for I wanted to hear from and all about you.
The difference between the counsel or purpose of the Lord and His working it out into action is obvious enough. The seed of the woman was announced in Gen. 3 as to bruise the serpent's head, as well as the serpent to bruise His heel.
But though such was declared in Gen. 2:1515And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. (Genesis 2:15), seven thousand years were to roll 'their course ere the seed of the woman finally did so as in Rev. 20:1010And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. (Revelation 20:10), and four thousand ere the woman's seed was born. God's purpose and intention about Moses, and his willing attempt to work-it out himself, are given to us in Ex. 1 and 2. See also Acts 7:23-2923And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel. 24And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian: 25For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them: but they understood not. 26And the next day he showed himself unto them as they strove, and would have set them at one again, saying, Sirs, ye are brethren; why do ye wrong one to another? 27But he that did his neighbor wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us? 28Wilt thou kill me, as thou diddest the Egyptian yesterday? 29Then fled Moses at this saying, and was a stranger in the land of Madian, where he begat two sons. (Acts 7:23‑29). After forty years the Lord's time was come (30-42, &c.), and He wrought with an unwilling Moses. God has a counsel and a plan, and has revealed many such in the written Word; but who can work them out? Who keeps us in the position of dependence? Who proves himself the God of resurrection to us in the carrying out of His work but Himself? The New Testament is studded with instances of the -same kind. Peter would go through death for his Master's sake ere Christ died and rose; the same Peter who had to go through death for his Master's sake after his Master was risen.
If you will consider this you will, I think, see and get helped as to many puzzling things. A young man converted gets hold of " Enoch walked with God " as his purpose in life. Surely it is God's purpose for all His children; for it was what the Son of His love did perfectly. But many a one has set out to walk, and given himself to the work (as did John Mark), who, before they could be spoken of by God as having that true of them, had to learn some lesson or other about themselves, or their circumstances, or God. Lookers-on say, " A mistake from first to last," without taking what is precious from what is vile. The soul that humbly waits on God learns of God all about the various parts of the conflict, and comforts itself in God, and waits to see what end the Lord will bring forth. " Be still, and know that I am God," is the word for you, perhaps; but look up and do not be puzzled. God often says, " It was well it was in thine heart," even where His time for working out is not fully come, and when we have been showing out self, and what's of the world, and gives power to Satan too.
I bear you on my heart. May our God, the Father and God of our Lord Jesus Christ, sustain, and mold, and guide, and lead you.
Very truly yours in the Lord, G. V. W.
Self-judgment from first to last; for they that bear the vessels of the Lord must be clean; but Job, and Moses, and Samuel, and David, and Peter, and Paul, and John, all have to pass that way.