The Power of Faith Part 9

We next find Mrs. Graham administering consolation and imparting instruction to a lady residing near Boston, Mrs. C----. With this lady Mrs. Graham formed an acquaintance in New York, shortly after her arrival in America. She was then a gay young widow; but having a strong and cultivated mind, was delighted with Mrs. Graham and family; and a friends.h.i.+p was formed between them, which ceased only with their lives.

As a proof of her friends.h.i.+p, Mrs. C---- wished to introduce her young female friends into gay fas.h.i.+onable society. This Mrs. Graham opposed; and while she stated her reasons she endeavored to persuade her young friend to come out from the world and cast in her lot with the people of G.o.d.

"A word spoken in due season, how good it is." This was verified in the case of Mrs. C----, who, like her friend, was destined to enter the heavenly kingdom "through much tribulation." She afterwards entered the marriage state, and became a second time a widow while her children were still young; and though not dest.i.tute, her income was considerably reduced; which circ.u.mstances may throw light on parts of Mrs. Graham's letters. Unhappily there was no evangelical minister near her place of residence, which, with the want of early religious training, may account for so much darkness as to her spiritual state.

Mrs. Graham often visited her, and it pleased G.o.d in due time to scatter the darkness. Mrs. C---- for many years fully enjoyed the consolations of religion. She trained up her children according to the maxims of her friend, and had the happiness of seeing them following in her steps. One, Mrs. J.W., she saw depart in peace; and her own dying-bed was soothed by the prayers and attentions of her son, an esteemed and highly useful clergyman in one of our populous cities. As Mrs. C---- adopted the signature of _Pilgrim,_ the letters to her inserted in the former editions of this memoir, are noticed as addressed to P----.

To Mrs. C----, a Lady near Boston.

"FEBRUARY 10, 1797.

"MY EVER DEAR FRIEND--The desire of waiting you a long letter has occasioned too much delay on my part. One thing I can a.s.sure you of, you have been much on my mind, and the subject of all our prayers.

"Tears of joy ran down my cheeks when J---- told me the state of your mind, and I thank our good and gracious G.o.d for opening your eyes to see the vanity of this world, the corruption of your own heart, your need of atoning blood, and of a better righteousness than your own. Hail, my sister in Jesus; flesh and blood hath not taught you this, but your Father who is in heaven: the work is his, evidently his; and being begun, he will carry it on, and finish it too. Commit your soul then into his hand; he 'came not to call the righteous, but _sinners_ to repentance;' his errand to our world was to seek and to save the _lost_. Trusting in his mercy, through Christ, your soul is as safe as his word is true; for none perish that trust in him.

"'Trust in the Lord with all thy heart, and lean not to thine own understanding;' be not discouraged because of deadness, darkness, wandering, want of love, want of spirituality, want of any kind. Who told you of these evils and wants? the Sun of righteousness s.h.i.+ning into your soul has shown you many of the evils there, but the half you know not yet. The more you learn of the holiness and purity of the divine nature and the spirituality of his law, the more you will be dissatisfied with every thing yours. Even a holy apostle said, 'In me, that is, in my flesh,' or natural mind, dwelleth no good thing. The flesh l.u.s.teth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; so that the things that I would, I do not; and the things that I would not, those I do. Yet it is not I,' not my new nature, 'but sin that dwelleth in me; for to will is present with me, but how to perform that which is good I find not.'

"If this was the case with the apostle, who sealed his testimony with his life, is it strange that you and I should have hearts full of all abominable things? These realities are cause of deep humility before G.o.d, but none of despair or doubt. All are alike guilty and vile, the whole head is sick, and the whole heart unsound; therefore we need a whole Christ to atone for our sin, to cover our naked souls with his imputed righteousness, and to be surety for us; to sanctify us by his Spirit, and prepare us for the purchased inheritance. O try to rest in him: believe it, you are complete in him; give up, my dear friend, poring over and diving into your own heart and frames, and try to trust in an almighty Saviour to save you from foes without and foes within. Read Romaine's Walk and Life of Faith: he himself attained to a high degree of holiness by getting out of himself, and trusting, resting, believing from day to day, for grace, for every duty, as it occurred. The promise runs, 'As thy days so shall thy strength be.'

"I cannot at this distance, and knowing nothing of characters, offer you any advice with respect to outward means; but if you know any truly pious, spiritual minister, I should think it your duty to lay open your mind to him. You may find in books matter as good as any man living can speak; but it is the Lord's appointed way, and he often honors his servants, his ministers, by making them messengers of peace and comfort to his children. 'Are any sick, let them call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over them.' See how the Christians of old a.s.sociated with one another. I am now doubly yours, etc.,

"I.G."

"APRIL 14, 1797.

"Eternity seems very near. I have often thought so without any visible cause. Well, it will come; a few more rolling years, months, weeks, or days will a.s.suredly land me on Canaan's happy sh.o.r.e. Then shall I know and enjoy what ear hath not heard, eye seen, nor heart conceived, even the blessedness that is at G.o.d's right hand. I have desired, though I know not that I have asked, to glorify G.o.d on my death-bed, and to leave my testimony at the threshold of eternity, that not one word of all that my G.o.d has promised has failed. He has been--O what has he not been?--in all my trials, all my afflictions, all my temptations, all my wanderings, all my backslidings, he has been all that the well-ordered covenant has said. Let this Bible tell what G.o.d in Christ, by his Spirit and his providence, has been to me; and let the same Bible say what he will be to me 'when flesh and heart fails;' yea, when 'the place that now knows me shall know me no more.'

Perhaps when the messenger does come I shall not know him, but depart in silence. Well, as the Lord wills; he knows best how to glorify himself. Jesus shall trim my lamp and perfect his image on my soul, sensible or insensible. I shall enter into his presence, washed in his blood, clothed in his righteousness, and my sanctification perfected.

I shall 'see him as he is,' and be like him.

"Mourn not, my children, but rejoice; gird up the loins of your mind,' and set forward on your heavenly journey through this wilderness. So far as I have followed Christ, so far follow my example; still living on Christ, depending on him for all that is promised in the well-ordered covenant. O stumble not into the world except when duty calls; at best it is a deadly weight, a great hinderance to spiritual-mindedness, and in as far as it gets a footing in your heart, it will not only mar your progress, but your comfort.

Lord, feed my children constantly with 'thy flesh and thy blood,' that they may never hunger nor thirst for this world, but grow in the divine life, and in the joy and comfort of the Holy Ghost. Amen."

"OCTOBER 20, 1797.

"How condescending is our covenant G.o.d. All we have or enjoy is from his hand; he gave us our being; our lives, although forfeited a thousand times, have been preserved. 'Our bread has been given us, and our water sure;' and not only these necessaries, but many comforts and good temporal things have fallen to our lot; 'thou hast furnished our table,' hast provided medicines and cordials when sick. Lord, I thank thee for all these mercies, but above all, that we can call thee our reconciled Father; that we have them not as the world have them, who are far from thee, and have no portion among thy children, nor interest in thy well-ordered covenant; but that we have them as thy redeemed, as part of covenant provision, and with a covenant blessing, and among the _all things_ that work together for our good. Lord, enable us to be rich in good works. How condescending, that thou acceptest a part of thine own as freewill-offerings, and hast annexed promised blessings to those who consider the poor; hast said, 'He who giveth to the poor, lendeth to the Lord.'

"I thank thee that thou hast laid to hand a sufficiency to enable me and mine to eat our own bread; even that which, according to the regulations of society, men call our own. Thou only hast a right to call it not so, for we are thine, and all that thou hast given us; but of thy free bounty and kind providence, 'thou hast enabled us to provide things honest and of good report in the sight of all men,' and to give a portion to them who need.

"I trust thy Spirit has directed my judgment in the determination I have taken to set apart, from time to time, this portion, according as thou prosperest us in business, and preservest us in health and ability to pursue it. I bless thee for indulgent, encouraging appearances, that since I began the practice thou hast added to my stock, and that which I have given has never straitened, but thou hast prospered me more and more. My poor's purse has never been empty when called for, neither has my family purse. Of thine own I give thee, and bless thy name for the privilege.

"Grant direction with respect to whom, and how much to give."

The following meditations will afford refreshment to every Christian heart:

"1797.

"'As ye have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding there in with thanksgiving.'

"Yes, just so, and no other way shall any poor corrupted creature attain holiness, in the very same manner that he received the Lord Jesus at first. He is' the Alpha; and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.'

"O Lord, my Saviour, my complete Saviour, and in whom I am complete, I received thee as my expiatory sacrifice, by whom atonement was made for my sins; by whom reconciliation was made; I reconciled to G.o.d, and G.o.d to me. I was then delivered from the power of darkness and translated into the kingdom of G.o.d's dear Son, and have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins. This same blood must cleanse my daily spots, must cleanse my very best services; this same blood must cleanse my conscience daily, and give me confidence in G.o.d, as my reconciled Father. By this same peace-speaking blood I daily present myself in his presence, and know that he sees no iniquity in me so as to condemn me.

"O Lord, I receive thee as my justifying righteousness, disclaiming all confidence in my own works, throwing them aside as filthy rags. I place my sole dependence upon an imputed righteousness, _that_ righteousness wrought out by thee as my surety, in thy holy, meritorious life and death; believing thy testimony, that 'the wages of sin is death, but the gift of G.o.d is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord.' Just so must I go on, trusting in, resting upon, rejoicing in the Lord my righteousness. By one man's offence many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many, and I among others, be made righteous. 'Christ is the end of the law for righteousness,' therefore I walk at liberty, free from all dread of condemnation. Not as a slave, not as a servant, not as a hireling, not as a probationer; but as a child and heir of G.o.d, to whom the inheritance is made sure. I have received the seal of the testament, ratified and made sure by the death of the testator. All the blessings contained in this Bible, the records of the well-ordered covenant, are mine; and, Oh glorious truth, the testator died to ratify and insure this testament; but he lives again, the glorious executor.

"O Lord, I received thee as my king: depending upon promised strength, I swore allegiance to thee, and to thy government. Just so, my dear sovereign Master, must I go on: rejoicing in its privileges, subjecting myself cheerfully to its restrictions; studying with care its positive commands, and setting myself to obey; submitting with meekness to its discipline; claiming thy kingly power to subdue the corruptions of my heart, to defend from foes within and foes without; and when thou callest me to fight, to arm me for battle, and lead me on to victory.

"I received thee as my divine Saviour, as the covenant of the people: the covenant arranged, ratified, and fulfilled; to me a covenant of free gift. Receiving thee, I received all the promises in their fullest extent, as legally made over and confirmed to me by the irrevocable gift of Deity: and in thee, as my Saviour, dwelleth all the fulness of the G.o.dhead bodily; yes, dwelleth in him for his people, his ransomed; dwelleth in him as our head; we are united to him, one with him, as he and the Father are one, and being one with him, we are complete in him. He is the head, we the members; he is the vine, we the branches; he is the foundation and chief corner-stone, we the building. Thus let us walk in him; rooted and built up in him; filled with the knowledge of his will, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; walking worthy of the Lord, unto all pleasing--being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of G.o.d; strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power; unto all patience and long-suffering, with joyfulness; for it is he who worketh in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure; and although of ourselves we can do nothing, yet we can do all things through Christ strengthening us; and he has promised, that 'as our days so shall our strength be.'

"It is well, Lord, it is well. Thou art mine, and I am thine: thou art mine with all thy fulness, what can I want besides? Nothing, Lord. Thou hast given me 'the heritage of those that fear thy name;' I am satisfied with my portion. Amen. Be my G.o.d and the G.o.d of my seed, and glorify thy name in us."

"OCTOBER, 1797.

"'Remove far from me vanity and lies,' Psa. 119. Every deviation from rect.i.tude and truth is sin. Who that knows any thing of the corruption of the human heart, and its strange tendency to stray, to err, yea, even to pervert the plainest, simplest, and most obvious truths, but must see the propriety of his joining the psalmist, and crying out, Lord, remove far from me the way of lies.

"The way of lies as it respects our judgment and sentiments, as it respects our motives of action, and as it respects our conduct.

"As it respects our judgment: how does every species of error abound; even the serious and earnest seekers of truth differ in many things, which, although they may not prevent their final salvation, mar their progress in knowledge, in holiness, and in comfort. Lord, remove far from us the way of lies. Lead us to the pure, unmixed, unerring word of truth, as it respects our sentiments, and as it respects our conduct. O how many deceive themselves by resting on a speculative knowledge of the truth, or what they esteem such, while their hearts remain unaffected, their tempers unsanctified, and their lives unfruitful. Pa.s.sionate, stubborn, relentless, unmerciful, implacable tempers indulged and unmortified, must be a way of lies.

'Learn of me,' says the Saviour, 'for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest to your souls.' 'The meek will he guide in judgment,' the meek will he teach his way.

"'Remove far from me the way of lies, and teach me thy law graciously.'

"'Teach me thy law graciously,' not the ceremonial and the moral law alone, but the whole of G.o.d's revealed will. The psalmist knew the law ceremonial and moral, but he wants more and more of the teaching of the Spirit of G.o.d. 'He,' the Spirit of truth, 'shall take of mine, and show it unto you.' The word of G.o.d is ever the same; it contains the whole truth, and nothing but the truth; every thing necessary to safety, to holiness, and happiness: but O, the difference between him who reads with a mind enlightened by the Spirit of G.o.d, and him who reads with no other a.s.sistance than his own poor blinded, darkened reason. Teach me then thy law graciously. I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy judgments. 'Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.' The psalmist thirsted after more and more extensive views of the word of G.o.d, and still as his views were enlarged he desired more. 'The earth is full of thy mercy,' verse 64; this was one lesson, but still he cries, 'Teach me thy statutes. Thou hast dealt bountifully with me, O Lord, according to thy word.' Still he cries, 'Teach me good judgment and knowledge. It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I might learn thy statutes.'"

"OCTOBER, 1797.

"I love to feel the kindlings of repentance, self-loathing under a sense of ingrat.i.tude, heart-melting with the view of pardoning grace. I love to feel the sprinkling of my Redeemer's blood on my conscience, drawing forth the tears of joy and grat.i.tude in the view of a free pardon. I love to dwell on the seal of reconciliation, while my heart, glowing with grat.i.tude, sinks into the arms of my redeeming Lord, in full confidence of his love and my safety for ever. I love to feel longings after closer communion, after more conformity to his image, more usefulness to my fellow-members of the body of Christ, and to all his creatures. I love to feel deeply interested in the success of the gospel, in the declarative glory of Jehovah, as manifested in his works of creation and providence, but chiefly in the superexcellent work of redemption: for 'thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.'"

CHAPTER VI.

FORMATION OF THE WIDOWS' SOCIETY-- CLOSE OF HER SCHOOL.

In November, 1797, the "Society for the Relief of Poor Widows with small Children" was inst.i.tuted at New York; a society which has risen into great respectability, and has been productive of very beneficent effects. The Lord, in his merciful providence, prepared this inst.i.tution, to grant relief to the many bereaved families who were left widows and orphans by the ravages of the yellow-fever in the years 1798 and 1799.

It took its rise from an apparently advent.i.tious circ.u.mstance.

Mr. B----, in the year 1796, was one of the distributing managers of the St. Andrew's Society. The distribution of this charity was of course limited to a certain description of applicants. Mrs. B----, interested for widows not ent.i.tled to share in the bounty of the St.

Andrew's Society, frequently collected small sums for their relief.

She consulted with a few friends on the propriety of establis.h.i.+ng a female society for the relief of poor widows with small children, without limitation. Invitations in the form of circular letters were sent to the ladies of New York, and a very respectable number a.s.sembled at the house of Mrs. Graham. The proposed plan was approved, and a society organized. Mrs. Graham was elected first directress, which office she held for ten years.

At the semiannual meeting in March, 1798, Mrs. Graham made a very pleasing report of the proceedings of the Managers, and of the amount of relief afforded to the poor. The ladies of New York truly honored themselves and religion by their zeal in this benevolent undertaking, in reference to which Mrs. Graham says, in a letter to her friend Mrs. Walker: