Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 10 (1895)

1895

Letters

Lt 1, 1895

Aubrey, Sister

1895

Previously unpublished.

My dear Sister Aubrey:

I thought that I should be able to visit you before leaving for Sydney, but this cannot be, I am sorry. I learn that you have lost your husband since I met you on the Brighton campground. I am up very early this morning to get an opportunity to write to you a few words of consolation. 10LtMs, Lt 1, 1895, par. 1

It is not now a long period before we shall have filled the years of our probationary time. If we do not see the Saviour coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory, we shall rest in the grave. If we are found obedient children to the commandments of God, we shall have part in the first resurrection upon whom the second death shall have no power, (Revelation 22:12-14): “And behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Blessed are they who do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.” Precious words! They are more valuable than fine gold, even the golden wedge of Ophir. 10LtMs, Lt 1, 1895, par. 2

(John 14:12-14): “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do, because I go unto my Father; and whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.” 10LtMs, Lt 1, 1895, par. 3

“If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter that He may abide with you forever.” [Verses 15, 16.] “He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me; and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself unto him.” [Verse 21.] 10LtMs, Lt 1, 1895, par. 4

“If a man love me, he will keep my words, and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not, keepeth not my sayings, and the word which ye hear is not mine but the Father which sent me.” [Verses 23, 24.] 10LtMs, Lt 1, 1895, par. 5

(John 15:9-11): “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love even as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken unto you that my joy might remain in you and that your joy might be full.” It is our privilege when the law of God is universally disregarded and made void, to say with David “It is time, O God, for thee to work, for they have made void thy law.” “Then shall I not be ashamed when I have respect to all thy commandments.” [Psalm 119:126, 6.] 10LtMs, Lt 1, 1895, par. 6

We are not left in ignorance and darkness to travel an uncertain path. O, let us be grateful to our heavenly Father for that great love wherewith He hath loved us. Jesus gave His precious life that He might have power to pardon transgression and sin and make it possible for Him to impart His character to us that we should follow His example and return to our loyalty to God, and through the grace which He shall freely give us, we become obedient to all God’s commandments. My dear sister, Jesus will be your strength as you follow on to know the Lord. There are voices many that would lead us from the path cast up, the royal path of life and holiness for our own soul’s salvation, also that we may be laborers together with God. 10LtMs, Lt 1, 1895, par. 7

We must exert all the powers God has given us to walk in the path of humble obedience. Every stumbling block placed in our way, let us seek the Lord that it shall be made a new errand to the throne of grace, that we may have divine wisdom to walk in perfect obedience to a “thus saith the Lord,” that we may co-operate with Jesus Christ and the heavenly angels in leading souls to obedience to God’s commandments, which are not grievous. We are to study the lessons of Jesus Christ, and do His way, and follow His example. Christ said, “I have kept my Father’s commandments.” [John 15:10.] Shall we keep the Father’s commandments, or shall we keep the commandments of men? 10LtMs, Lt 1, 1895, par. 8

Our precious Saviour, when He was educating and training His disciples to co-operate with Him in the great work of the gospel of His kingdom, found obstacles on every hand. The teachings and sayings of the rabbis, the customs and traditions, like a mass of rubbish, was piled above the precious jewels of truth that the truth could not be discerned. The world’s Redeemer rescued these jewels from the companionship of error and re-set them in their order in the framework of truth. The Lord Jesus declared to the priests and scribes and rabbis, “Ye do make void the law of God through your tradition; ye teach for doctrine the commandments of men.” [Matthew 15:6, 9.] [These] very same difficulties we have to meet in our day—the sayings of men. There must be a training of the heart after the example and practice of Jesus Christ. 10LtMs, Lt 1, 1895, par. 9

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” “Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets; I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill (every specification in that law) for verily I say unto you till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law till all be fulfilled.” [Matthew 5:16-18.] The heavens and the earth remain, testifying to the immutability of the law of God. Such plain and positive language as this will meet every transgressor in that day when sentence of an evil work shall be pronounced against the transgressor of God’s law; and the blessed benediction shall be given to the obedient. 10LtMs, Lt 1, 1895, par. 10

Hear the words spoken by Christ, “Whosoever, therefore, shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” [Verse 19.] Will the transgressor get to heaven and then be treated as the least in that kingdom? No, but the heavenly intelligences, angels, and councils of heaven, and Jesus Christ and the Father, will call them, the human agents, the least of the Lord’s created intelligences. They know not—intelligent as they may seem to be—the things that make for their peace—to practice obedience to His commandments. Adam lost Eden because of his disobedience, he was cut off from access to the tree of life because of transgression. This every intelligent human being can know, if they will. 10LtMs, Lt 1, 1895, par. 11

The flood gates of woe were opened to our world by Adam’s supposed small transgression, [and man was] separated from the tree of life, lest sin, transgression of the law of God, should become immortalized. Please read (Revelation 22) and take in the words of Christ, for He shows all the human family plainly what they must do to find access again to the tree of life. “Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. ... I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And Whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely.” Verses 14, 16, 17. 10LtMs, Lt 1, 1895, par. 12

There is suspended over the transgressor the sweeping sentence of utter condemnation. The clouds of God’s wrath are collected over all who break and teach others to break the (supposed) least of God’s commandments, for in thus doing, they are co-operating with the first great deceiver. He tempted Adam to disregard the words of God and to believe his falsehoods. He is with all subtlety teaching the same, and it is a painful thought that those who claim to be ministers of the Word should co-operate with the one who was the enemy of God, and voice his deceiving falsehoods. God has opened before me the danger to every human agent who shall turn from the plain words of Jesus Christ and take up with the words that shall come from human lips to make void the words of God in His holy commandments. 10LtMs, Lt 1, 1895, par. 13

My sister, the cross of Calvary testifies to the immutability of the law of God. Our God, having committed Himself to the amazing work of our redemption, in giving His only begotten Son, resolved that He would spare nothing, however costly, that was essential for the saving of the souls of the sinners. His law could not be changed or one precept of it altered to meet man in his fallen condition. His law was the transcript of His character, the standard of character for all human intelligences. In giving Jesus, His only begotten Son, He gave all the resources of heaven to meet every demand to accomplish this great work. He would not have it said by worlds unfallen, by the universe of heaven, by Satan’s kingdom, by an apostate world, that His gift could have a competition. Having given Jesus, the great Gift, He gave all heaven with Him. 10LtMs, Lt 1, 1895, par. 14

He would bless immeasurably the great groundwork of the redemption of a lost world; He would surround the world with favors; He would heap gift on gift, and open for all who will receive His gift believing on Jesus, the treasures of eternal life. He established His throne on earth in the Holy Spirit’s power to convince the world of sin, of righteousness, and judgment, that Christ through His Holy Spirit might live through all the powers of the soul and a perpetual current of blessedness and joy in obedience to all God’s commandments which might be given to our world, counter-working the work of Satan which power was impelling the human agent to disobedience to God’s expressed will in His commandments. 10LtMs, Lt 1, 1895, par. 15

O, what a God of love, what a Father we have who gave Himself in Jesus Christ for a perishing world. The Lord God can never surpass this exhibition of His love. Never can there be a richer display of His grace, His love to a world, fallen. The cross of Calvary has rolled away the thick darkness from before the throne of God and revealed an eternal weight of glory. Eye hath not seen, ear hath not heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, the things that God hath prepared for them that love Him. 10LtMs, Lt 1, 1895, par. 16

And that love is demonstrated by all who keep His commandments. If ye love me, keep my commandments. Saith John, “He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoso keepeth His word, in him, verily, is the love of God perfected. Hereby know we that we are in Him; he that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk even as He walked.” [1 John 2:4-6.] 10LtMs, Lt 1, 1895, par. 17

There is not a semblance of a chance as to the commandments to which he refers. “Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning. Again a new commandment I write unto you which thing is true in Him and in you; because the darkness is past and the true light now shineth. He that saith he is in the light” (thus saith the Jewish church) “and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.” [Verses 7-10.] Shall we accept the truth as it is in Christ Jesus? “Him that honoreth God, God will honor, but he that despiseth God shall be lightly esteemed.” [See 1 Samuel 2:30.] Many cry, Away with the commandments of God; crucify that law, just as the Jews cried, Away with Christ, crucify Him, crucify Him, because that law condemns their iniquities and all crooked practices. 10LtMs, Lt 1, 1895, par. 18

We require a better, deeper, more lovely teaching than man can give us. “My words,” saith Christ, “are spirit and life.” [John 6:63.] The truth enshrined in the heart becomes a vitalizing power, and we cannot be too urgent in impressing this upon human minds. There is absolutely no panoply but truth. The only dishonor we should fear is rebellion against God. Make sure we are working on Christ’s side, cling closely to the Bible for it alone will ennoble and purify, and when we are like-minded with our God, we shall be strong in His strength. “And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father) full of grace and truth.” [John 1:14.] 10LtMs, Lt 1, 1895, par. 19

Dear sister, I am praying for you that you may be “kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” [1 Peter 1:5.] Jesus loves you and He wants you to co-operate with Him, and His peace will be with you and you shall rest in His love. Well, dear sister, I have written these lines because I love you. 10LtMs, Lt 1, 1895, par. 20