Dearest A,
When I commenced this series of letters to you, I had no idea of its extending into the new year; but somehow, when writing to a friend, thoughts accumulate, and the pen runs on. I told you, at the close of my last, that you should hear from me again, if you did not forbid; and, as I have heard nothing of a veto, I feel at liberty to proceed. And I am glad to do so, inasmuch as the special line of things upon which I entered in my December letter is one so signally adapted to fit us for contemplating and grappling with the present condition of things in the professing church.
It seems to me we are in imminent danger of yielding to the current, and allowing ourselves to be carried down the stream, because it appears so hopeless to think of making a firm stand for Christ and His cause. Against this, my beloved friend, we must jealously watch and vigorously strive. Nothing can ever justify the individual believer in lowering the standard, relaxing his grasp, or yielding the breadth of a hair, in the grand struggle to which he is called. The very fact of the utter ruin of the body corporate, is the urgent reason for personal devotedness. The more chilling and withering the surrounding atmosphere, the greater the demand for personal energy. Even though we could not reckon upon the countenance or support of a single individual, it is our bounden duty and high privilege to plant the foot of faith firmly on divine ground, and there to be steadfast and unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. A regiment may be cut down to a man; but if that man be but able to grasp and defend the colors, the dignity of the regiment is maintained. So also if a single individual be enabled to hold up the standard of the name and word of Jesus, he may count on present blessing and a future bright reward. “ To him that overcometh will I grant,” &c.
But I must proceed with my series of living illustrations drawn from the inspired pages of the volume of God—that peerless, priceless, eternal Revelation, which, we may truly say, teems with evidence in proof of my thesis that, “ Whatever be the condition of the public body, it is the happy privilege of the man of God to enjoy the very highest communion, and occupy the very highest ground.” This, as you will remember, is my present subject; and it is a subject of deepest interest to me—one in which the heart finds peculiar solace, strength and encouragement.
In my last communication, we were led to contemplate the magnificent conduct of Moses, at the foot of Mount Sinai. I must now ask you to look at the conduct of Elias, on the top of Mount Carmel. Both these honored servants of God are closely linked together on the page of inspiration.
In the eighteenth chapter of the first book of Kings, we have one of the brightest scenes in the life of Elijah the Tishbite. I am not, you may be sure, going to offer my beloved friend anything like an elaborate exposition of this chapter. I just select one fact out of it for my present purpose, and that is recorded in the thirty-first verse, “And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the Lord came, saying, Israel shall be thy name. And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord.”
Here, then, we have faith taking its stand on God’s, own ground, acting according to the integrity of divine revelation, and confessing the indissoluble unity of Israel’s twelve tribes; and this, too, in the presence of Ahab and Jezebel and eight hundred false prophets; and not only so, but in the presence of a divided nation. Israel’s visible unity was gone. The ten tribes were broken off from the two. The entire condition of things was depressing in the extreme.
But Elijah, on the top of Carmel, was enabled to look beyond Israel’s practical state, and fix his believing gaze on God’s immutable truth. I say, on the top of Cannel, it was thus with this illustrious witness. Elsewhere, alas! it was different. Under the juniper tree, and on Mount Horeb we do not see the same lofty range, for “Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are,” and as such he sometimes fell far below the moral elevation of the life of faith.
However, it is with Elijah on Mount Carmel that we have to do just now, and with the altar of twelve stones which he was enabled, by faith, there to erect in the face of all the ruin and corruption around him. Had he looked at the things that were seen—had he been governed by Israel’s moral condition—had he shaped his way and regulated his conduct by the state of things around him, he could not have dared to build an altar of twelve stones. Unbelieving nature might reason thus, “ This is not the time for an altar of twelve stones. The day is gone by for that. It was all very well and very suitable in the days of Joshua the son of Nun, and in the brilliant days of Solomon. But to think of it now, is the height of folly and presumption. You ought to be ashamed to refer to such a thing just now, inasmuch as it only rebukes the condition of your people. how much better—how much more becoming—how much more morally suitable to lower the standard according to your true condition. Why assume such high ground in view of your low estate? Why seek to maintain such lofty principles in the face of such humiliating practice?”
But what, let me ask, is faith’s reply to all this worthless reasoning! Simply this—’’ God’s standard or nothing.” If the truth of God is to be accommodated to the condition of God’s people, there is an end to all true testimony and acceptable service. It is quite true that a certain course of action may be right, at one time, and not at all right at another. This we can perfectly understand; but the truth of God never changes. “ Forever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven.” We must maintain the eternal stability of the truth of God, even though that truth makes manifest our fallen condition.
I think you will admit, dearest A., that there is something uncommonly fine in the actings of our prophet, on Mount Carmel. It does the heart good, in this day of miserable laxity—this day of playing fast and loose with the truth of God, to see a man unfurling the divine standard in the face of eight hundred false prophets, with Ahab and Jezebel at their back.
If there is one feature of the present moment more deplorable than another, it is the loose way in which the truth of God is held. We see, on all hands, a strong tendency to lower the standard of obedience. It is deemed narrow-minded to contend for the paramount authority of Holy Scripture. The Word of God is fast losing its place in the hearts and minds of professing Christians. That familiar motto, “ the Bible, and the Bible alone is the religion of Protestants,” if it ever was true—which I very much doubt—is certainly not true now. There is a most determined effort, throughout the length and breadth of Christendom to eliminate—to get rid altogether of the word of God as a paramount infallible authority.
This may seem a strong, harsh, ultra statement. I may be deemed a stupid narrow-minded bigot for penning such words. I cannot help it, my friend. I am thoroughly convinced of the truth of what I say. I believe if you look closely into the proceedings of the various sections of the professing church—if you examine the public preachings and teachings of the day—if you will give close attention to what emanates from the press, the pulpit, and the platform, throughout the length and breadth of Christendom, you will find that I have only too strong and ample ground for my statement.
Thanks be to God, there are here and there some bright exceptions. Occasionally you may hear a voice raised for the truth of God—for the plenary inspiration and absolute authority of holy scripture. But alas I alas! the voices are few, feeble, and far between. Viewed as a whole, the professing church is gliding rapidly down the inclined plane. The progress of infidelity is truly appalling. I remember, in the days of my childhood, how that a feeling of horror was wakened in the heart by the very mention of an infidel, or of anyone who could dare to speak against our adorable Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, or deny the inspiration of the word of God in its every line and every sentence.
Alas! alas! how changed is the aspect of things in this our day! I cannot allow myself to go into details in the way of evidence; but I am thoroughly persuaded of this fact that the professing church is hastening on to a fearful moment in her history, in the which she will utterly reject the word, the Christ, and the Spirit of God. Look where you will, and you must be struck with the fact that the ignorance of superstition and the impudence of infidelity are fast gaining sway over the minds of millions.
As to superstition, what has this enlightened age of ours witnessed? What are the fruits which this pernicious tree has produced at the close of the nineteenth century? In the first place, millions of our fellow men have professed their belief in an immaculate woman; and, in the second place, their belief in an infallible man! Only think of this 1 Think of any one in his sober senses giving his assent and consent to two such monstrous absurdities! Does it not look uncommonly like that “ strong delusion “ which God will, ere long, send on Christendom, to believe a lie!
And as to infidelity, in its audacious tampering with the word of God, its calling in question the divine integrity of the sacred volume, its scornful rejection of the plenary inspiration of holy scripture, its blasphemous assaults upon the Person of the Son of God who is over all God blessed forever—you have only to look around you, on every side, to see the tributary streams rushing, with terrible vehemence, to swell the tide of evidence in proof of the melancholy fact that infidelity is raising its head, with proud audacity, throughout the length and breadth of the professing church.
It is the deep and settled persuasion of this that makes one prize, all the more, the faith and faithfulness of those worthies of old who stood forth, in the face of a hostile world, and boldly maintained the truth of God, spite of the palpable ruin and failure of the people of God. It is perfectly delightful to contemplate the prophet Elijah the Tishbite, standing by his altar of twelve stones, and offering thereon his sacrifice to the living and true God—the Jehovah of Israel. He was simply standing on the same platform as Moses, in Exod. 33 It is the blessed platform of faith whereon each true believer can take his stand, in calm and holy confidence, and there abide with God.
The standard of God must never be lowered the breadth of a hair. It is, like Himself, unchangeable. It was as much the duty and the privilege of Elijah to act under that standard, as it was of Solomon, David, Joshua, or Moses. Israel might change, but Jehovah or His word never can; and it is with Him and His eternal word that faith has to do, in all ages. Come what may, my much loved friend, you and T are to walk with God, to lean on Him, cling to Him, draw from Him, find all our springs in Him—springs of peace and power—the power of personal communion, of worship, of service and of testimony. He never fails a trusting heart—never has—never will—never can—no, never; blessed, throughout all ages, be His holy Name Let us, therefore, abide in Him and hold fast His word, spite of everything. While seeing and feeling and owning the real condition of things around us, let us never forget that we have individually to do with God and the word of His grace.
Ever, my dearest A.
Your deep affectionately yokefellow.
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