A Letter To Thomas Godwin – February 28th, 1865

My dear Friend, Thomas Godwin,

I have been desirous for some time to answer your truly kind, affectionate, and experimental letter, which I read with much sweetness and pleasure. When I read how the Lord had favoured your soul, and the sweet and blessed feelings which you had under it, the words came to my mind—”Love all defects supplies.” When your letter came, I had just been reading 1 Sam. 20, and I thought verse 23 was very suitable to the feelings of mutual union and affection which had been between us for so many years, in spite of all that sin and Satan, friends or foes, professors or possessors may have tried to break it. What you said also about the precept, and the desire which you felt as the Lord blessed your soul to keep it, very much fell in with my own views and feelings, and with what I had been writing the day before. When walking in the North Park a few days before, I had for a short time a very sweet and blessed view of the meeting of all doctrine, precept, and practice in the Person of our dear Lord, for so I must call Him, as I believe He is dear to both of us, though you may have been more favoured than I. I am not fond of referring anybody to my poor writings, but if you will just read a few lines in page 94 of the March Standard, beginning with “All doctrine” down to “acceptable service”, you will see what, for a few moments, seemed presented to the eyes of my faith. Now this was much the strain, though you were favored with a larger and more abiding measure, of what I seemed to see and feel upon these points. When then your letter came, it so met my feelings and so dropped into any experience, that it quite did me good to read it. And as I would like others to feel the same, I want to ask your permission to put it into the Standard.

This, my dear friend, is the right way to keep the precept. You were keeping it in the railway carriage. There was no wandering eye or wandering heart; no listening to the conversation; no going out after the things which feed pride and covetousness; no, I dare say you did not want to look out of the window of the carriage. Love is the fulfilling of the law—love to the Lord, love to His truth, love to His people, love to His doctrines, love to His ways, love to His ordinances, love to His precepts. And I am well convinced, where this spring is lacking, there is love to neither doctrine, experience, or practice. Oh that I were more favored with it in my own soul! I should then need no whip and no spur. But where there is not a spiritual mind and a love for the Lord, and what comes from and what leads to the Lord, religion, call it by what name you will, is but a burdensome, legal, and unacceptable service.

I like much what the Holy Spirit says by Paul, Gal. 6:15, 16. Our best rule is the new creature—that new man which, after God, is created in righteousness and true holiness (Eph. 4:24). And can we not say, dear friend, with Paul — “As many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God”? And if we are blessed with the possession of this inward rule, and the Holy Spirit shines and act upon it, we shall find it sweetly harmonize with the precepts as the outward rule.

But there are very few, speaking comparatively, in the professing church of God who can receive or bear this. When you began to insist on practice at W. you know how it was received, and what a storm and confusion it created. Now I believe that men can bear the precept, if it be handled in a legal way, though they themselves are walking contrary to it. But when a man thinks he can, when he likes, alter his ways, the precept does not touch him, because he believes that if he is not fulfilling it now, he can and will do it one day. But when it comes out of a Gospel heart, is preached by Gospel lips, and handled by Gospel hands, then none will receive it but those who have felt the inward life and power of the Gospel with its effects in the soul. But I must not fall to preaching. You know these things better than I; and it is our mercy if we have been taught by the Holy Spirit to know anything for ourselves, either of doctrine or experience, either of promise or precept.

You have no doubt heard of the dangerous illness of Mr. Grace. But he has been spared to his wife and family, and to his congregation also, as I hope; though I understand it will be probably some time before he will be able to resume his place. He was comfortable in his mind during his illness; not favoured with any great manifestations, but with a calm reliance on the faithfulness of God, and with some sweet communion with the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. He felt himself that he would die, and was quite resigned.

You will be glad to hear that, through much mercy, I am better in health than when you were here, and hope now that it may please the Lord to restore me in some measure to the work of the ministry, though I hardly expect ever to be fit for much continuous labor.

Yours very affectionately,
J. C. P.