UNKNOWN
UNKNOWN
MY DEAR BROTHER IN THE LORD, — I have thought of you with much interest in relation to your exercises, and have prayed that the Lord may grant you an abundant furnishing of grace, mercy and peace at all times, and particularly when depressing conditions are present. There are certain physical conditions which tend to depression, and the enemy is ever [p. 355] ready to take advantage of this, and to seek to bring on the mind and conscience the sins of the past, as though they were still standing against us. We cannot be too simple in holding to the efficacy of the death and blood of Christ, as having settled every question of the past, and in cherishing the thought that full forgiveness is in the heart of God, so that He refuses every charge, never remembers our sins and iniquities, and never regards us as other than as having Christ as our righteousness. I take it that you have not really any difficulty as to this, or as to the complete satisfaction of God in the Person of Christ, and in the perfection of that work which He has accomplished for the purging of the sins of those who believe on Him. But that you are troubled by times of depression when you have not the conscious joy of divine favour.
We have to learn to distinguish between the ground of peace on which our souls are with God through the Person and work of Christ, and present conscious enjoyment, which may be, more or less, affected by physical or mental conditions. Those conditions may even be the direct governmental consequences of past evil, in which case they have to be humbly accepted as the mighty hand of God upon us; they help to maintain in our souls true self-judgment before Him, so that repentance is deepened as time goes on. But then all this is in view of our being exalted in Christ. The learning of what I am, and of what I have been, is humbling, but it need not be distressing if I see that all the conditions which have been present with me have just been the occasion for God to bring to light what is in His own heart, and that they may magnify before my soul the greatness of His salvation, in Christ. The more I realise the weakness that is in myself, and the many things that I have to deplore in my past, or even my present, the more thankful I am to know that God has brought in another Man — Christ Jesus — and has secured in Him all His own thoughts of blessing manward.
I find in myself the negation of every divine thought; I am the Nay. But He is the Yea; everything that is of God and for God’s pleasure is substantiated and confirmed in Him, and, through infinite grace, it is there for me, to be the solid stay and comfort of my soul, and my praise God-ward at all times. I may, have experiences concerning which I have to say, “This is my infirmity”, and they cast me upon the mercy and faithfulness of Christ as the One who succours weakness [p. 356] in unfailing priestly grace. He is a present, living Resource and Refuge for us, and every conscious weakness is an occasion to look straight to Him for divine succour and deliverance. A sinking Peter cried, “Lord, save me”, and the mighty Hand was outstretched at once. I would encourage you to turn directly to Him in your times of special need, with confidence that His love is unchanged and unchangeable. He can make you a peculiar vessel to honour in spite of all the weakness that you find in yourself. That very weakness makes you need Him in a special way, and the way you learn Him through it, and in it, will be your special bit in the testimony, and your distinction in the kingdom by and by.
It is a wholesome thing to remember what we were as in the flesh. See 1 Corinthians 6: 9 - 11; Titus 3: 3 - 7; 1 Timothy 1: 12 - 16; 1 Peter 4: 3; Ephesians 2, etc. But it will be seen that, when the time past of our lives is referred to, the object of the Spirit of God is to enhance the appreciation of that grace which has reached us and blessed us through the Lord Jesus Christ. These scriptures, and many others, show that it is our sinful state and course which provided God with an outlet for all that was in His heart as a Saviour God. The conditions on our side are the very things that have given occasion for the shining out of the blessed God in the revelation of Himself in grace. Our sinner-ship thus becomes our introduction to the knowledge of God, and furnishes Him with the opportunity to make Himself known in His true character and nature. Self-judgment on our part is suitable and essential, but it is divested of the depressing features which would otherwise accompany it when we see how our sinfulness has, made God a necessity to us in the true grace which the gospel makes known. Hence conviction of sin is ever accompanied by an attractive sense of goodness in God which can be counted on, notwithstanding all that we are conscious of on our side. Indeed, it is that very consciousness that impels us to turn to God.
Satan would use the thought of what we have been to cast us down, but God would use it to make His grace in Christ more precious and indispensable. The more I learn myself the more thankful I am for the death of Christ, which has not only removed my sins but brought my whole history as in the flesh to an end. We are divinely entitled to honour God in the greatness of His grace, and of His salvation in [p. 357] Christ, and to dwell on the efficacy of His precious blood through which we have redemption in Him.
Physical or mental depression caused by bodily conditions may be of such a nature as to tend to greatly affect conscious enjoyment of spiritual blessing. This makes the priestly grace and service of Christ a very great necessity if we are to be sustained in liberty of spirit, and He does not fail to minister it to us. Such conditions are of the nature of infirmity, and it is well to fully recognise them as such, even though there may be in them a governmental element which calls for humbling. They are, nevertheless, the subject of the sympathy and succour of Christ as Priest. He prays for us that faith may not fail, even when under God’s hand we are feeling how grievously we have erred. His intercessory service of love takes account of everything, and we may be fully assured of this at all times. The conditions may not be at once relieved, but we may be sure that they will be, and it is ours to trust Him at all times. We may honour the Lord by holding fast confidence in Him, even when we are “cast down”. The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is “the Father of compassions, and God of all encouragement”, and He encourages those that are brought low, 2 Corinthians 1: 3; 7: 6. I think you must have proved this, at least in some measure, and you will undoubtedly do so in times of need as you turn to Him.
With love in the Lord Jesus,
Yours affectionately in Him,