Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 11 (1896)
Lt 37, 1896
Haskell, S. N.
NP
February 2, 1896
Extract. Portions of this letter are published in BTS 08/1905, 05/1915.
[Brother Haskell:]
“Arise, shine: for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For behold darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to the light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.” [Isaiah 60:1-3.] 11LtMs, Lt 37, 1896, par. 1
If we will keep looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith, we shall catch the light of His countenance, reflect His image, and grow up into the full stature of men and women in Christ Jesus. My brother, to know Him is life eternal. We are to contemplate God in Christ. We are certainly near the end; and if we would only do the work the Lord would have us do, walking in the footsteps of Jesus, our hearts would become in His hands sacred harps, every chord of which would send forth praise and thanksgiving to the Lamb, sent by God to take away the sins of the world. 11LtMs, Lt 37, 1896, par. 2
The life of Christ and His labors of love, shames and condemns our unbelief. But the promise is, “Ask, and it shall be given you.” “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more will your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” [Matthew 7:7, 11.] Then let us ask. I am sorry that so few know Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour. 11LtMs, Lt 37, 1896, par. 3
The character of God as represented by His Son, as the Lord of heaven and earth and yet our Father, is not only full of justice and truth, but of mercy and lovingkindness. This makes the lessons of Christ as a new revelation of God, as a new gift received in a new light to the world, showing the deep and broad benevolence He bears toward man—Christ’s representation of God—as a tender, loving, pitying Father. 11LtMs, Lt 37, 1896, par. 4
My brother, the Lord would have your thoughts center upon Him. For every service, every self-denial, every sacrifice we make, the Lord has guaranteed to requite us, not because it is a debt He owes us, but because His heart is full of infinite love, full of mercy and tenderness, overflowing toward us in that He will repay us a hundred fold in this life, and give us in the world to come life everlasting. The reason why so many are weak is that they do not cultivate faith, but look at the objectionable and discouraging features. They do not consider that all the universe of heaven is waiting to become co-laborers with them, waiting to make them the living agencies to bless the world with the messages God shall give them to bear. 11LtMs, Lt 37, 1896, par. 5
The Lord Jesus is our strength and happiness. He is the great storehouse from which the human agent may, on every occasion, draw strength and happiness. How grieved He is when, after He has given us a rich experience in His willingness to help us in any emergency, we withdraw our eyes from His sufficiency to look on and bemoan our own weakness. We forget to behold Him and to trust Him as the One ever ready to help those who need His help. We have no right to bemoan our own weakness and inefficiency, because He has shown Himself to be an ever present help in time of need. 11LtMs, Lt 37, 1896, par. 6
In the place of studying our poor ignorant, worthless selves, we need to study Jesus and become more and more able to behold Him, talk of Him, apprehend His character, avail ourselves of His kindness and helpfulness, and receive the blessings He proffers us. As we receive of Him, we have something with which to help others. Thus receiving and imparting, we grow in love toward God, increasing in faith and peace, and assurance, and holiness, which is wholeness toward Him. We give to Him all that there is of us, that the blessings which He has brought within our reach may be communicated to others as freely as they have been communicated to us from the Lord Jesus our Restorer. To every one who believes, He is as the Tree of Life in the Paradise of God. His branches reach to the lower world, in order that the blessings which He has purchased for us may be brought within our reach. From this tree we may pluck and eat, and then guide others to it, that they also may eat. 11LtMs, Lt 37, 1896, par. 7
O, why do we spend our breath and our precious golden moments in bemoaning our leanness and wretchedness? Christ has made every provision for us by giving us a Comforter in His representative, the Holy Spirit, to be ever present to present to us from the Tree of Life its precious fruit. The office work of the Holy Spirit is to bring to our remembrance all things that Christ has spoken for our comfort, that we may have hope and a sweet sense of forgiveness. A rich current of praise and gratitude and thanksgiving will constantly flow from our soul; the sweet spirit of Jesus will kindle in our hearts grateful praise; our souls will be uplifted with a sense of security; and the unfailing, in exhaustible righteousness of Christ becomes our righteousness by faith. 11LtMs, Lt 37, 1896, par. 8
There is a work for every individual to do if he will co-operate with God in His work. “For thus saith the high and holy One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” [Isaiah 57:15.] This is the work the holy intelligences are waiting to do through human agents if they will but render to God heart and mind and every endowment to be used to His glory. “Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? 11LtMs, Lt 37, 1896, par. 9
“Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness (the righteousness of Christ) shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy rereward. Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here am I,” (what wilt thou have; what shall I do for thee.) “And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.” [Isaiah 58:6-9, 11.] 11LtMs, Lt 37, 1896, par. 10
Do you not know that your life is hid with Christ in God? Then is not your life bound up with the life of Christ? In your own experience, when depressed and discouraged, almost ready to yield to despair, have you not felt that light has come to you amid the darkness? Have you not felt that Jesus was pouring into your life perpetual streams from the ocean fullness of His love? Bear in mind that the church militant is not the church triumphant. We see our path to the Paradise of God intercepted by the whole synagogue of Satan, who is intent on weakening our faith by intercepting the rays of the Sun of Righteousness. But our Saviour has warned us that “through much tribulation we must enter into the kingdom of God.” [Acts 14:22.] “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” [John 16:33; 14:27.] 11LtMs, Lt 37, 1896, par. 11
The Lord Jesus is a risen Saviour. He is not lying in Joseph’s new tomb; He has risen, and has proclaimed over the rent sepulcher of Joseph, “I am the resurrection and the life.” [John 11:25.] We are to manifest to the world that we know we have a risen Lord, whose life is a quickening power in our lives. By appropriating Christ to ourselves we can say, “Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience experience; and experience, hope: and hope maketh not ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given unto us.” [Romans 5:1-5.] 11LtMs, Lt 37, 1896, par. 12
Jesus Christ is the life of every blessing, every grace, every religious ordinance, the life of all that is precious and valuable to the children of God. In the human agent we shall often meet with uncertainty and disappointment; but it is not well for us to brood over that phase of character, for if we look at it and talk of it, it becomes to us a living reality. Distrust and suspicion bear their own fruit, and we will reap that which we sow. But Christ is an overflowing fountain, an ever outspreading shade. In His shadow we may find rest and peace and pleasure. When temptations assail you, as they surely will, when care, perplexity, and darkness seem to enshroud the soul, look, O look, to where with eyes of faith you last saw the light, and you will rest in Christ’s love and under His protecting shield. Bereavements come to all, but we have no right to mourn over the dead or to afflict our souls because of the change in our lives. This certainly cannot help them or us. 11LtMs, Lt 37, 1896, par. 13
Our work is to do service for the Master by representing Christ in character to the world. We must honor our Saviour in all things. Who, my brother, has applied to you the precious promises? Who heals the human sorrows? Who dries the bitter tears? Jesus. He is our Restorer. When sin struggles for the mastery in the human heart, when guilt seems to oppress the soul and burden the conscience, when unbelief clouds the mind, who lets in the beams of light? Whose grace is sufficient to subdue sin, and who gives the precious forgiveness and pardons all our sins, expelling the darkness, and making us hopeful and joyful in God? Jesus, the sin-pardoning Saviour. He is still our Advocate in the courts of heaven; and those whose lives are hid with Christ in God must arise and shine, because the glory of the Lord has risen upon them. 11LtMs, Lt 37, 1896, par. 14
The reason [for] the spiritual feebleness of today is the low estimate the believer is constantly inclined to form of his spiritual character. But he is of that value that the Lord Jesus has paid an infinite price for his salvation, and Christ would have His chosen heritage value themselves according to the price He placed upon them. In view of this, do not let any one of us disappoint Jesus by placing a low estimate upon ourselves. Let us embrace the opportunities and privileges, which will increase our value with God, by using all the treasures of His grace to become precious and lovely in His sight. If this were done, many more souls of solid moral worth would be seen, because by uniting with Jesus, our lives become imbued with His spiritual likeness. Practical holiness would run like threads of gold through our lives, and as they behold the wholeness of character to God, heavenly angels would say, “I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.” [Isaiah 13:12.] 11LtMs, Lt 37, 1896, par. 15
All heaven rejoices over the weak, faulty human soul that gives itself to Jesus and lives a life of purity. Those who overcome much, love Jesus the most, and are put next to Christ, next to the great white throne, within the inner circle; yes, greatly honored. “Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy. He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.” [Revelation 3:4, 5.] 11LtMs, Lt 37, 1896, par. 16
Every moment is exceedingly precious. We cannot, without great loss neglect the precious opportunity of walking in the light. If we have neglected to place our hand in the hand of Christ, we are in constant danger of being deceived. We will be led in false paths by seducing spirits, who have not received the love of the truth, but who have, in turning away from Christ, become blinded by strong delusions, so that they believe and work a lie. 11LtMs, Lt 37, 1896, par. 17
In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, be strong in the grace of Christ; know that He loves you and will be to you a constant efficiency. Lift your voice in praise and thanks to God. “Behold, bless the Lord, all ye servants of the Lord, which by night stand in the house of the Lord. Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the Lord. The Lord that made heaven and earth bless thee out of Zion.” [Psalm 134:1-3.] 11LtMs, Lt 37, 1896, par. 18
Give my love to Brother and Sister Robinson, and all those who love God. 11LtMs, Lt 37, 1896, par. 19