Extracts of Letters by Editor

Publishing Committee · Rochester, N. Y. · Oct 4, 1853

Extracts of Letters.

By Editor

BRO. PAUL FOLSOM writes from Somerville, Mass., Sept. 25th, 1853:—"We thank the Lord for his goodness to us, poor, unworthy subjects of grace. We know that we have the truth on our side, which gives me courage to yet hope in his mercy.

"We have just had a meeting here, which I believe will prove for our good. The leaven of the truth is already working, and my prayer is that it may work until the whole lump shall be leavened. Although we have some trials, I believe the Lord will bring us safely through the furnace, and not a hair of our head shall perish. The nearer we get to the harbor, the more dangers there will be in the way. The rocks and quicksands are on either side of us, as we pass along down the stream of time; but we have this rare promise, that our Father is at the helm, and he will guide the Advent Ship safe into the Port. Let us keep up good courage, for the land is just before us, and we need not become faint-hearted now, when we are almost there.

"We have had the signs in this generation, foretold by our Saviour, and we may now lift up our heads and rejoice, knowing that our redemption draweth nigh. He has told us so to do.

"I am determined to go on my way rejoicing, the grace of God assisting me, and praise his name for what he has done for me. I thank the Lord for the Advent doctrine; for it has weaned me from this cold-hearted world, and brought me out where I can prepare to meet the Saviour in the air. I thank our Heavenly Father that we can rejoice in his salvation, and hold on to the promise of the Lord. The pathway brightens as we move along in the third angel's message.

"A short time since several of us spent one Sabbath at Bro. Day's, Rock Bottom, Mass. We had a powerful time. The Spirit of the Lord rested down upon us, and in very deed it was a season long to be remembered. Such a manifestation of the power of God I have not witnessed for some time. I trust we gained strength to brave the trials of the way. It is good to call to mind the refreshings from the Lord which we have enjoyed; for while we have so many adverse scenes to pass through, were it not for some bright spots through this desert waste, we should sometimes almost sink in despair."

[The following extracts from Krummacher's Elijah the Tishbite, a German Author, were sent us by Sister P. Day, of Rock Bottom, Mass. She writes: Although I have read them many times, yet they always seem good and comforting to me.]

"Our prophet is called Elijah, which is interpreted, 'my God of power,' or, 'the Lord is my strength,' a beautiful and a great name; and he bore it in deed, and in verity. He was a man like myself and thyself; nothing in himself, and yet the strength of God was his: he had no power, yet deeds of omnipotence proceeded from his hands; he lay in the dust, a worm, and yet participated in the authority and government of God, a king; and had the power to close and open the clouds; to command the dead that they live, the living that they perish, and to hold judgment upon the enemies of God. Hence he might justly be called Elijah, which implies, you will say, 'God strengthens me?' By no means: 'God himself is my strength.' Here is a difference; for it does not mean the same, my beloved, if you say, 'God guards me with his shield,' or if you may assert, 'God is my shield.'—If he guards me with his shield, nothing shall injure even a hair of my head, and misfortune at which I tremble cannot approach me. But if God be my shield, I thrust my head into a turbulent storm as if the heavens were calm and serene, and rejoice in God even in the midst of tumult, as if I were not in it.—Peter, when he went out of prison, freed of his fetters, and all the bolts flew back before him, could shout for joy on his way. 'The shield of the Lord surrounds me.' Stephen, under the deadly shower of stones of his enemies, exclaimed, with his angelic countenance, 'God is my shield.' It does not signify the same condition, if a person says, 'God comforts me,' and if another may declare, 'God is my comfort.' If the Lord comfort me, I am light and glad, and happy in my heart, and into the sorrow of my soul, flows sensations of joy, that cheering spirit. If God be my comfort, the heart can be riven, and sad, and parched; I do not despair, but am comforted, and of good cheer, and pursue my way in the turmoil, and am calm. I do not possess it in the feelings, but I possess it in the naked faith in the God who has once sworn to me to be my God; I have it in the faith which has and possesses, also, what I neither see nor taste, nor feel." (I think we shall need just such faith soon, to go through the time of trouble. The Lord grant we may have it.)

"'Rejoice not that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.' The joy of our superiority goes hand in hand with the danger of self-conceit; the joy in the adoption by God, which grace confers upon us, is purer and more separate from the flesh; it humiliates and humbles us. The joy in the power we possess easily leads us back upon ourselves; the joy in the mercy bestowed upon us keeps us at the feet of Jesus, and disposes the soul to praise and exalt him. The joy in the victory we have gained easily dims the inward eye, and removes our depravity out of sight; the joy in the inexplicable glory in which we are called, is like a luminary, in the brightness of which we cannot overlook our own unworthiness. The joy in the abilities within us is brittle and mutable; for these abilities can be withdrawn from or reduced.—The joy in our citizenship in heaven is everlasting; for we know that the firm foundation of the Lord endures forever, and bears the inscription, 'The Lord knoweth his people.' Even if we do not believe, he remains faithful; he cannot deny himself. O happy they whose names are written in the book of life, and doubly happy they who know that they are so.—Amen."

BRO. A. ABBEY writes from Hubbardsville, N. Y., Sept. 25th, 1853:—"The cause of truth looks more precious than ever. While darkness is increasing, and the power of the enemy gaining ground, the Sacred Word becomes more dear. I feel like clinging closer and closer to the Word. I feel an interest in the paper, and sympathy for those who have the labor of it. I am much interested in reading it,"

BRO. W. A. LOUGHHEAD writes from Elmira, N. Y., Sept. 24th, 1853:—"I have great reason to praise the Lord for his goodness unto me. I praise his holy name that he has shown me what I must do to have eternal life. How plain it is that the commandments are all binding, and that the Sabbath was made for man. I am trying to keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus, and I am determined by the help of the Lord to go on; and my prayer is that I may seek righteousness and meekness, if so be that I may be hid in the day of the Lord's anger."