May 15th, 1872.
My Dear Brother In The Lord,—On my return I found letters and papers and cases of conscience rather out of all number awaited me, and I have had to stick close to desk-work, only taking Sunday and one or two evenings in the week for preaching or teaching. Everything that makes one realize that God is God, and sits as God upon the throne, yet stooping down to direct the infinitesimal little affairs of each of us who is in Christ, is blessed. Yes; if behind the difficult letter, or the long voyage, God be seen through faith, the Savior-God, one or other of them is alike acceptable to the saved soul. My task, however, has kept me rather in London, but I am to go down Saturday to Ipswich, and I hope thence on to Stowmarket.
" Not by power nor by might, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord," is a great text for the last days-a very Philadelphian text. It seems to me to lie behind a good many of our little difficulties here in England. If faith go first, then energy as of faith can follow after; for God is in the scene, and resurrection from the dead is recognized as a principle. But if energy gets forward before or beyond faith, it is drawn from within us, and brings with it nature and the world and flesh. Flesh cannot rebuke and put down flesh, as some think; and if it be tried, flesh is drawn out in opposition to flesh. Better to have hard cases in God's hand than easy ones in our own.
I am struck on my return at finding the progress of decay in Established Church walls and in walls of church system, on the one hand, and, on the other, of the growth in knowledge, and the diffusion of it everywhere, as to fellowship of saints as heavenly saints, children of God everywhere.
On the other hand, Satan's anger against the very notion of such a company as " God's company gathered to Christ and in the Spirit " is made manifest by such pitiful tracts as——and others have been printing and circulating; and the same thing is going on on the Continent. In France there are three leading ecclesiastics broken out of the papal system by the late (Ecumenical Council's decree of the infallibility of the Pope, yet they have set busily, to work to rebuild what has been destroyed.
This is a wilderness, and we want something of the kind to drive us in upon Him who has said (Jer. 2:3131O generation, see ye the word of the Lord. Have I been a wilderness unto Israel? a land of darkness? wherefore say my people, We are lords; we will come no more unto thee? (Jeremiah 2:31)), " Have I been a wilderness unto Israel? a land of darkness? " To me He has not been so, and is not in Himself.
Most affectionately yours, beloved brother and sister in the Lord, G. V. W.