The Voice of Faith in the Valley of Achor: Vol. 1 [of 2]: being a series of letters to several friends on religious subjectsChurch, J. (John)
Religion
The Voice of Faith in the Valley of Achor: Vol. 1 [of 2]: being a series of letters to several friends on religious subjects
Church, J. (John)
Christian life; Church, J. (John), approximately 1780-approximately 1825 -- Correspondence; Clergy -- England -- Correspondence
I trust these lines will find you well in health, seeking the Lord from a
feeling sense of need, waiting for more grace, that you may love the
Saviour more, and serve him better. He is a good master, and I have
found him so. He is kind, loving, and gracious, and no doubt I shall
prove him so to the end. I find him now in his supporting hand, his
sacred presence, his word sweet in reading, and his throne still open to
receive my petitions. I am shut out from my public work, but I am not
shut out from God, and I shall yet see why I am put in this place,
through the cruelty of a wicked man, who has sworn falsely, both before a
magistrate and a judge, when I could not defend myself, but he will have
his reward another day. No doubt I am sent here for some very great end,
and if it is but for the good of one soul, it will be worth all my
sorrow. I only want to live to know more of Christ, to bring forth more
fruit to God, and to be useful to others—and I may be useful here, as
well as in any other place. I hope you will be favored by the blessed
Spirit with an enlarged mind, to see such excellencies in Christ—as
God-Man Mediator, as bearing all your sin, as suffering in your stead, as
obeying the law for you, taking away the sting of death, rising for your
life, ascending to heaven, and appearing in your room for you before God;
in a prepared place to make intercession with God, to send you every
blessing, and to wait till your appointed time, then he will send for you
home, to be with him for ever. There you will see his face, and never,
never sin. These are blessings you must long for, if you belong to God.
Sin must be felt as a burden, sin must be hated as an enemy, sin must be
fled from as a serpent, sin must be pardoned and took away before God;
and nothing can do this for us, but the precious blood of Christ, and the
free favour of God, manifested in the work of the Holy Spirit, leading
our minds to the Saviour, and enabling us to believe in him to the saving
of the soul. O that you may be blessed with clearer knowledge, stronger
faith, greater love, and sweeter obedience. I am grieved I am not able
to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ, as I once did, but I live in
the hopes of being a greater blessing to the church than I ever was
before; but, I trust, if I ever do again, I shall keep many at a greater
distance than I did before. I am at times broken-hearted about the cause
of Christ, especially that part of it I had the management of. It is
like a ship at sea, we will call her the Packet Distress—the disciples
went out to sea, night came on, the wind blew hard, the sea arose in
consequence of it, the poor ship was in the dark, and in the deep. No
sails were unfurled, they were obliged to tug at the oar, and after they
had rowed a great way, Jesus was seen on the water coming towards them;
but although when they were toiling in rowing, and what is very blessed
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