A Letter To Jessie Crake – November 24th, 1856
My dear friend, Jesse Crake,
I hope this illness has not altogether been unprofitable to me, as during it I have had many seasons of prayer, meditation, and reading the Word with sweetness and feeling. There must be times, especially in a minister, for laying up, as well as laying out. There is a trading in divine matters, whereby the soul becomes enriched with heavenly treasure. Seclusion and solitude, of which I have had much, are favourable seasons for confession, meditation, and self-examination; and when the mind is solemnized with the weighty matters of eternity, prayer and supplication are made to the Lord for those blessings that we feelingly stand in need of. Much of my time, at various seasons during my illness, has been so spent. And there has been joined with it, at times, careful study of the Word of God, especially some of the Epistles of the New Testament.
The mind and judgment need to be informed and established in the truth of God; and a minister or writer who does not give his mind to the revelation of God’s truth, and does not take solemn delight and pleasure therein, will not much feed the church of God. Here I see many ministers deficient in our day. There is so much gossiping and visiting from house to house, not as godly instructors, but for mere society’s sake, that precious time is wasted, and the mind dissipated, until the soul becomes like the garden of the sluggard. My delicate health, it is true, in a good measure, keeps me from these things, and thus it may be, for this and other reasons, a blessing in disguise.
Yours affectionately,
J. C. P.
Jesus is LORD! 
Leave a comment