ETERNAL LIFE NO. 1
ETERNAL LIFE NO. 1
Your letter reached me here. If I were to say that I quite understand Mr.———— it would not help you much. The first and main thing for you and every saint to do in the present trouble as to the question of eternal life is to ascertain what it is according to the word of God. A pious churchman would tell you one thing, a Methodist would tell you another, and it is sad to say some who once walked with us as brethren now separate from us because they do not see eternal life as we see it as set forth in scripture. The Lord had risen from the dead when He breathed on His disciples. It is a life, then, at the other side of death, and we have it in Him. We have died with Him, and “our life is hid with Christ in God”. See Colossians 3. Christ is our life, and we enjoy Him, our life, as we reckon ourselves to be dead indeed unto sin but alive unto God in Jesus Christ. No one can enjoy eternal life but at the other side of death. I cannot be raised up with Christ unless I have died with Him. It is here all the difficulty lies as to the understanding of eternal life. Therefore Paul says to Timothy, “Lay hold on eternal life” (1 Timothy 6: 19). I do not think that I need add any more now. When you have waited on the Lord as to it and looked to Him to show you the nature of eternal life, which is as Mr. D———— has said, is ‘[p. 107] an out-of-the-world condition of things’, you will then begin to learn the wonderful calling of a Christian — not only saved from eternal judgment, but raised up with Christ, to share in His life, and to enjoy the things which He enjoys.
May you be thus richly blessed.