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ion with her; and of his doing all things well," and such freedom of soul, sweetly to acquiesce in his will, as were effectual to mingle the tears of joy, with those of mourning." But as you, by something like a spirit of prophesy, have suggested, I have found, "that I had no security for the continuance of so desirable a frame of mind." I have since indeed felt," that it may not only be very difficult," but that I have actually been, altogether unable, " to preserve a right temper, in other circumstances of an afflictive nature, which to others," and to myself in prospect, might have appeared to be much less trying. Since some of the first weeks of this memorable season of trial and comfort, oh! how weak has my faith been found! How have I been shaken by various temptations, on the foundation where I thought I stood most securely; the atonement, righteousness, and intercession of the Redeemer, and the glorious provisions, and the great and precious promises of the covenant of grace, of which he is the blessed Mediator; while my interest in these, have been hid from my view! How soon have my best impressions been lost, or greatly abated, and my best purposes been forgotten, or miserably failed in the execution! How soon has my light been exchanged for darkness; and my peace for trouble! And how many hours and days of stupidity, distraction, and dejection, have I lately known! Lord what is man! Oh, how deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked is the human heart! And how artful and powerful is that adversary, who goeth about continually seeking whom he may destroy, or harass, and injure, to the extent of his abilities! And oh! what a God and Saviour, have we to go, and return to, to trust, and to hope in; who, as a

father pitieth his children, pitieth them that fear him; who has compassion for their infirmities, forgives the multitude of their transgressions, according to the multitude of his tender mercies; heals their backslidings; subdues the power of their unbelief and their iniquities; bruises down satan in due time under their feet; and instead of casting them away for ever, as he justly might, for their sin and folly in wandering from him, and forsaking their own mercies, in the foolish pursuit of lying vanities, graciously restores to them again and again, his free spirit of grace, to draw them again to himself, in the exercises of repentance and faith, prayer and hope, and the renewal of their forgotten, violated vows of a better obedience and submission to his holy will, for the time to come; when thus humbled again before him, raises them again to some renewed experiences of his pardoning mercy, and of the joys of his salvation! Thus, I sometimes dare to think and hope, the Lord hath dealt with me, who am less than the least of all his mercies, and the very chief of sinners. Oh! my soul, and all that is within me, bless the Lord for all his wise counsels, and gracious dealings fear and love him, who corrects thee to humble and prove thee, and to do thee good in the latter end; who by the various changes through which he leads thee, takes the wisest and best methods, to discover thy weakness and insufficiency; thy sins and follies, and to manifest the glory of his own abounding all-sufficient grace, and astonishing and everlasting love. Rest in him alone, as thy refuge and portion, and thy All in all: and in promoting his glory, and shewing forth his praise, and in following thy dearest of all mortal friends, and all other christian friends, now inheriting the promises

in his heavenly kingdom, and the enjoyment of that everlasting rest, which remaineth for the people of God, let all thy activity and zeal, be henceforth employed! And may the grace of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, be made sufficient for me, and his strength perfect in my weakness, for these important and desirable purposes. To these purposes, help me, my friend, with your prayers. In return for this most important office of love, that absent friends can render to each other, I shall endeavour, when I can pray for myself, to offer up for you also, from time to time, some petitions, that the God of all grace may supply all your wants, according to his riches in glory, by Christ Jesus, so as to furnish you thoroughly, for all your work and warfare, and particularly for the purpose of sanctifying to your good, and to the benefit of the church, that bodily affliction with which you are exercised, which at the first view, seems to wear a frowning aspect towards yourself and your people; but which may be appointed, ordered, and conducted, in manifold wisdom, faithful love, and tender mercy to both. You have not, I presume, forgotten what you have written to me; that is, " when the chastisements of Heaven, are sanctified, they are not judgements, but mercies." Of the truth of this I am well assured: in the experience of it, I have thought that I have been enabled, sincerely to rejoice; may I, and may you feel, more and more of its power and happy influence upon our temper and conduct, under our respective trials!

Under my great and sore troubles, which the Lord has shewed me, it has been no small consolation to me, and indeed, one of the greatest that I have enjoyed, to perceive the continuance of hopeful appearances, that the

Lord has been, and is still, carrying on a work of grace among us in this part of his church. To the advancement of this, the judgements which he has executed among us by fire and mortal sickness, during the past seasons, have, I trust, been made happily subservient, through the attending influences of his sanctifying spirit. If the particular afflictions, or the consolations under them, which I have experienced, may have been, as I am led to hope they have been, in some measure conducive, through the same sanctifying blessing, to the benefit, and the furtherance of the salvation of any of my beloved and affectionate people, who have most kindly taken their part in my afflictions, and all my concerns; blessed be the name of God; and for such a desirable purpose, I think it an honor, privilege, and happiness, to be called to suffer the greatest trials with which it pleases the only wise God our Saviour, to exercise his people and his ministers, in this probationary

atate.

My health is in some degree graciously restored to me, from a state of extreme and alarming weakness, to which I was reduced by sickness, in August and September. That measure of it which I now enjoy, is however but small, and attended with some threatening symptoms. I have been, and am, sufficiently admonished, to remind me that the time is short, and that I must ere long, and may very soon, put off this tabernacle, and pass from all earthly scenes, to my everlasting abode in the world of spirits. Oh! may I be effectually awakened, and engaged, through the grace of God with me, to do the work of my day, before that night comes, in which no man can work, and so to acquit myself in the duties, and under the trials, of my christian profession,

and ministerial office, that when I finish my course here, I may enter into the future, full, and everlasting joy of my Lord; in his kingdom of glory, where, with the late dear partner of all my cares and joys in this mortal life, and with all the spirits of the just made perfect, I may glorify the adorable Author of my being, redemption, and happiness, infinitely better than I ever have done, or ever can do, in this evil world!

Your unworthy brother, and friend,

ISAAC S. KEITH.

DEAR SIR,

TO DR. F.

CHARLESTON, OCTOBER 15, 1806.

Very pressing engagements, prevented my answering your kind letter of the 20th ult. at the time of my receiving it.

The sentiments which you have suggested in your letter concerning the Missionary business in our country, accord wonderfully with my own on this subject; and of course have given me much pleasure. For some considerable time past, I have been revolving many of the very thoughts, which you have so well, and so feelingly expressed, in my own mind; and on several occasions, I have given some pretty plain, and broad hints in my public discourses from the pulpit, relative to what is doing by others in Europe and the United States, and to what appears to me to be our duty in Carolina, in this most worthy undertaking, and most important of all causes. But as my attention and

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