"You are keeping that which God bids you to throw away!" "Forbid it!" again burst from her lips. "But you are, Priscilla," persisted the minister. "How so, sir?" she tremblingly murmured; then laying down her knitting, she folded her aged hands upon her lap and settled herself into an attitude of attention. .."Listen to me, and I will tell you from God's own Word; that will strike right home to the mark more than any word of mine." And opening his Bible at the fiftieth of Isaiah, he read the tenth verse: "Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of His servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God." Old Priscilla's eyes glistened, and giving her hands a little secret hug of pleasure, she exclaimed with renewed energy : "Beautiful! beautiful! Let him trust in the name of the Lord'—and as if that wasn't enough to encourage any poor body-let him stay upon his God'-his God, to make it all his very own--beautiful!” “And yet such a poor body is disobedient, and keeping something that God bids her throw away!" said the minister quietly. "Oh, sir, do 'e for pity's sake, speak out plain to a poor body; for it's me in no mistake you mean," implored old Priscilla, as the tears dimmed the glisten in her eyes. "With all my heart, my friend, I will strive to be faithful to you; but you must ask the Holy Spirit to make you also faithful to yourself. Now answer me a few questions without any reserve." "Surely, sir, just as a child would." "You have been in trouble of mind lately, doubting your safety on the Rock of Salvation, Jesus Christ our Saviour; doubting whether your sins are forgiven, and whether you are accepted by God in His 'beloved Son.' Is it not so, Priscilla ?" A slight movement of her head signified "Yes." "Then it is clear that in you this text finds a fulfilment; you are walking in darkness and have no light—that is your present case, and abundantly accounts for your having no joy in the Lord,1 which is one of the true believer's most precious privileges. Now, next comes the reason for your being in such a miserable state of mind, when it is quite contrary to God's will that you should be so. 66 6 'Rejoice, believer in the Lord, Who makes your cause His own; The hope that rests upon His Word So said John Newton, and so says every child of God who is walking in the light of His countenance and fatherly love. Come, let us look for the reason of your present state, my friend." "Ah sir, you have not far to look; I see it all now, and so would you too, if you could peep into my heart and see how faithless it is, and how full of the maunders, instead of trust and the peace that comes out of believing in the Lord's work for poor sinners. Ah sir, you wouldn't wonder then that I've just been walking in darkness, without a spark of light to light up my road and show me my Saviour's blessed face." As though relieved of a great burden, old Priscilla gave a deep sigh of satisfaction, and looked up brightly at her minister, adding: "Sir, when the Holy Spirit takes of the things of Jesus,2 and shows them unto us, it is wonderful how doubts vanish, just like black-beetles when the lamp is turned on 'em!" The minister could not but smile at this homely simile; it seemed to him so exactly like what our dark thoughts do when a ray of love shines in and scares them all away; but not noticing it further, he said : "You perceive I was not far wrong, Priscilla, when I said the reason of your spiritual unhappiness was because you Neh. viii. 10; Isa. xxix. 19; Phil. iv. 4; Psa. v. II; I Thess. v. 16. John xvi. 15. 2 were living in disobedience to God, and keeping that which He bade you throw away." Priscilla did not again say "Forbid it!" but, not quite understanding, she again asked him, "How so, sir?” "The Lord says, 'Cast thy burden on Me;' 1 and you are keeping it till your poor weary, heavy-laden soul is nigh to sinking in the Slough of Despond; and in keeping this burden of sinful doubt you are casting away a very precious jewel. Confidence, or trust in the all-atoning blood and perfect merits of the Lord Jesus Christ, and through these, peace and forgiveness from God, sent to you by His Holy Spirit, the ever-ready messenger of God's love to our souls; this too is an act of disobedience, for God, through the Apostle Paul, says: Cast not away your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward.' 2 Great reward indeed! how great they only can tell who have grasped the 'precious promises' and made them their own. As obedient children we have no more right to cast away this confidence than we have to keep our burden when God says, 'Cast it on Me.' Do you think you understand now, Priscilla, when you are disobedient?" "Thank the Lord I do, sir. Here have I been hugging a great huge burdensome question, 'Can all these precious promises be made to me?' when what I ought to have done was to take it and roll it—it was too heavy to lift-right away on my blessed burden-bearer, the Lord Jesus Christ! No wonder that I was walking in darkness with my cruel load weighing me down!" 66 6 If we walk in the light, as He is in the light,' then is it that we know by sweet experience that the 'blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.'3 You see God has a word to meet you on every point. He so knoweth our frames and so remembereth that we are dust. I will tell you a little story, Priscilla, of a dear Christian friend of mine who has lately gone to be for ever with the Lord. She was a dear devoted servant of Christ, but, something like 1 Psa. lv. 22. 2 Heb. x. 35. 3 I John i. 7. 4 Psa. ciii. 14. yourself, walked in darkness; sometimes, because she did not fully realise her privilege as a child of light. She could give all God's precious promises to others, but she failed to realise them herself. Some folks call this humility, but I call it want of faith. The consequence was that when lying on her death-bed, she could not look up with perfect confidence and say, 'I know in whom I have believed and am persuaded.' She could only say 'I hope indeed I am safe -I trust I am.' Sad uncertainty for a dying bed. Her sister, also a godly woman, prayed God on her behalf that He would send His Spirit of strength and consolation into her soul; and having done this, she waited to see the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.' 12 "It so happened that one day whilst the sick sister was sleeping, the other occupied herself with turning out a rummage drawer, when finding an old worsted sampler of their girlish days, she tossed it on one side, up towards the invalid's pillow, thinking she might like to see a relic of that happy time; and presently, forgetting all about it, she turned towards the window to finish a book until her service should be again required by the invalid. "She was soon deep in a most interesting part of the volume, when she was startled by a clear voice from her sister's bed. "I have done it-Mary!' "And turning, she beheld the old worsted sampler in Anna's hands, whilst, with a smile of satisfaction, she seemed to be reading something that years ago had been stitched into it with coloured wool. On catching Mary's look of inquiry, she repeated: "I have-done it!' "What have you done, dear?' "What it tells me.' "In explanation she tried to pass the sampler to her sister, but being too weak, her hand dropped on the quilt, 12 Tim. i. 12. 2 James v. II. but near enough to enable Mary to read the words, 'Cast thy burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain thee.' 66 6 Is this what you have done at last, dear?' she anxiously inquired. "Yes, I have cast it on the Lord!' "So the valley was lighted, and Anna passed away in perfect peace, because she trusted in Him, and cast herself on Jesus only. 66 'There, Priscilla, that is just what you and we all must do if we wish to be happy believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. We must cast away the burden, but prayerfully seek to keep the confidence. God's word is full of encouragements to those who trust in Him to carry on the good work He has through the Holy Spirit begun in their soul. 'Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform (or finish) it until the day of Jesus Christ.'" 1 But Priscilla wanted no more to assure her that in herself alone, and not in the willingness of the Lord to receive her, lay the cloud which had darkened her path and made her a woman of a sorrowful spirit," when she should have been letting her light "so shine before men as to bring glory to God who had called her out of darkness into the glorious sunshine of His presence.3 "2 Reader, will you lay this thought to heart? First make sure that by casting away all deeds of darkness you have a right to walk in the light; then, by the grace of God, strive to keep in the light; by simple faith looking unto Jesus who would never have been the author, if He had not meant to he "the finisher of our faith." 4 Cast away all your sins, doubts, and fears, but keep all God's blessed promises, made to you for Jesus' sake, if you would have joy and peace in believing that your guilt is all removed, and even its stains washed out in the precious blood of Christ. 1 Phil. i. 6. 2 Matt. v. 16. 4 Heb. xii. 2. 8 I Peter ii. 9. |