Newspapers / Zion’s Landmarks (Wilson, N.C.) / Sept. 1, 1875, edition 1 / Page 4
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156 Zion’s Landmarks : Wilson, N. 1' Kenky County, Mo., August 6tli, 1875. FAcler Bodmhamer—Dear Brother in Ohrid:— rrwM,. HAVE just read a commni- cation in the Landmarks,from you, headed toallthat loveaud obey God ; grace, mercy and j t I be ij ultiplied. This is wliat my poor hungry soul lias been desiring and praying for a long time. To say I love God, I liope I do; but to live up to my duty in obeying his commands I do not, but fail in every point. Oh! that grace, mercy and peace could be mul tiplied to me a poor burdened sinner ; tliLs would give roe the greatest solid comfort of anything else in the world. Sometimes I feel confident that God has hid his face from me fora .season to reveal something to me for hi.s own glory, aiul for the good of my poor luingry soul. My hope is almost gone, and my mind is overshadowed with many doubts and fears. My harp is hung on the willows, and my head is bowed down all the day long. I expect you have heard before this that my dear husband, I)r. James W. Wall, was no more; he departed this life on the 10th of May in the 5&th year of his age. He died strong in the faith, and talked as long as he had breath, and seemed perfectly rec onciled to the will of his Heavenly Tather. What a consolation to all of his relations and friends, and par ticularly to his bereaved family. I have often thought since his depart ure if he had died and left no evidence behind that he was born again I could not have borne the trial. But blessed be God for his great love to him a poor lost sinner. Oh 1 that I could yet praise him Avhom my soul loves. ■ What is this world to me, my brother in tribulation? I would spend the remainder of my days in giving him all the glory if it was in my power. Oh 1 that my soul wms filled with praise to him for his great love to us. I have often tried to comfort my self while my mind has been so cast down, but it seems in vain ; what to do, I know not. If left to myself, I arn gone forever and forever. I know I do not want to live here always in this vale of tears. Oh I T.rf)rd remember me in thy rich mercy. 1 ’liave to risk my all in the hands of a '-rueified Saviour. 'Where shall I take shelter oh! Lord, but under the shadow of thy wing? Great God, in much mercy look thou down on me, make me trust in thy holy name ; for there is no other name given un der heaven whereby we can be .saved, Iritin and through the Lord Jesus ('iirlst. l\Iy mind for sometime has been so till! of doubts that I fear I commit a sin in distrusting the goodness of God to mo, a poor 'worthle.ss creature lot in w’onder and astonishment to think God in his rich mercy should conde.scend to look on me with a ])ityiug eye. What shall I do to live a Christian life ? Oh 1 that God would show me as I thought once that I was saved by his everlasting salvation. Then, oh ! then would I be easy all the days of my life. I care not for wealth, nor any worldly enjoyment; only let my soul enjoy the rich smiles, of thy iieavenly influence, oh ! Lord of life and glory. I look back on my past life and see how I have been ble.ssed; then I see at once that this calls for my loudest praise and everlasting thanks. Re flecting over these things makes me see how I stand in the sight of God. Dear brother, do you know any thing of such sore conflicts, and do you go mourning all the dav long, thinking where is he- whom my soul love.s? I at one time almo.st gave up, and indeed I thought “ wdiy art thou cast down, oh ! my soul, and why art thou disquieted within me ; hope thou in God ; for thou shalt yet praise him.” Oh ! that I knew I should yet praise him; then I surely would be yet in hope if I died. In despair. In all my trouble! try to-be patient and endure all suffering in meekness, knowing that God is able to keep me by the power of his almighty arm, if consistent with his will. Let me hear from you soon as con venient. You do not know the de light and comfort it is to me to hear from God’s dear children, that are scattered here and there In this wide- world of sin and sorrow. Answer my letter through the Landmarks, ©r any way you like best. It has great weight on the- little tender lambs of my Master’s fold to read the communications thaJ are printed in religious papers. I must close. ' r " ' Yourunw:orthy sister intribulacibn.. Fhrewell, Mary F. Ward. Keeneesyille, Forsytli County, N. C.. Aug. 26th, 1875. So Ay M u y F. Wall of hlissouri:— m i^^^OLLS of Augui A 8 ^ an 1 finds us all plied, what been desiring. Y"ou also state that this Is your poor hungry soul has- also gain fell owship- of God ; you with the meek of the earth, and yet you cannot gain fellowship with your self; and I am glad my sister that you and I are so near alike in tribu lation] lov it speaks something good for us in future. Remember the words ofour Saviour : “ In this world ye shall have tribulation, but in me peace ; be of good cheer, I have over come the Nvorld.” This speaks tins much for, and to us, that when we are done with the world we will be also done wltla trib ulation ; for when he overcame- the world he overcame tribulation also. But we arc not to be-put in possession of that complete victory so as to liave perfect peace until “ mortality is swallowed up of life.” The Ufa here spoken of is a life ;us( 6th to hand a I an t finds us all well in bodily health. Y'ou refer in your tetter to my article in the Landmarks, especially to the words “ grace, mercy and peace be ' multi- Also the words, “to all that love and obey God.” Yon say “ I hope I do, but to live up to my duty in obeying his commands I do not, but fail in every point.” In those feelings you prove to the household of faith that you are born given us of Christ. “ I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish.” The mortality to be swallowed up is this animal, or Adamic life, in which life is seated the seeds of all our misery. In this life sin is the prominent feature, yet it is presented in many pleasing forms to our nature: such as riches of time, honor one of another, pride of life, self-esteem, smartness, wisdom of the world, prudence according to fashion, beauty, love, lust of the eye and heart; and many other forms, out of Avhich grow envy, malice, jealousy, disquietness, and in short all the miseries of this life. And I am fully satisfied that the swallowing up of this Adamic life, calledmarta^i- tyhj this“/f/(3 given” is the only means known in the covenant of mercy, to free any from the evils a’nd troubles of mortality. I have no doubt but you are ap prised of this fact: that it is no part of the Adamic man that is at war with sin, or troubled about it; neither ilo I find in my experience that my faith, hope or charity, is sufficient to do any more than simply hide my Adamic man from others, bv driving him within doors, by the force of spiritual arms, and it is not at all times that I am sufficiently armed to do even that; but when I have been able to chase him out of sight to othei’s, he Is yet in sight, and in feel ing to me, and is so pestilent and quarrelsome within that I often bring a heavy sigh before I think of my self, and say “ oh! wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this -bMy of dentil.’” At other time.s hq Breaks out in his fury to Such a pitch, that I think I shall fall at his hand. “ I fear that I shall fall one day by the hand of Saul,” and in this I intimidated condition, being at ray- wits’ end and off my guard, I have been led, or driven, and I hardly know at times which; at any rate I have had to remain inCA.STDB thun der for days and w'eeks on bis ac count. So-' I betake myself to prayer, and have- prayed as best I could to the Lord to remove all evil desires of every character from me,, and .so keep me that I may have no ungodly thoughts, asts, desires, or temptations,, and that I might love only him, and his cause; and the only answ'er I have ever been able get is “ my grace is sufficient for thee,”'and this sw/- fieient for thee is only applicable to me in this- sense, to prevent these evils from-: being imputed to me.. “Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord will not impute sin.” Y”ou spoke of -wishing for “grace,, mercy and peace to-be multiplied in you. In mathematical rules wc multi- plv one figure, or figures by another,, and so long as this multiplication is going on the-account is growing rap idly ; but this- grace also has a rule of' subtraction,, so that while the spiritual man is growing, or multi plying, the visible or Adamic man is under the rule of .subtraction, and is getting less, or no- better, but rather worse.” For under this spiritual mathematical rule of multiplication and sr.vbtraction, Raul could say, “ when I am weak (in the flesh) then am I strong, (in the spirit.) Sub traction of grace showed him what Paul was. (weak) Multiplication of grace showmd him wdiat Christ is (strength.) Paul was euidently more than a GRADUATE in spiritual mathematics because science can only reduce to the lowest denomination; but grace subtracted from Paul until be could say, “unto me, who am less than the least.” For which saying the Apostle suffered the lo.ss of . his once world's renown for learning, and now is styled common and supenstitious by the Doctors of the daw. I am sure that if the religions world w'as to figure until judgment day, without an experience of grace they never can bring the ans-iver for anything to be les.s than the LEAST, and yet every child of God has this answer worked out and settled in his own heart, and this an swer is this; “bring the weake.sL poorest, humblest and meanest Chris tian in the -world and set him down before me, and tell me all hi.s faults,, and when I shall have heard them., all my feelings are that I am les.s worthy than he. So that if he be the LEAST, by all that’s known, by all thaPs seen, by all that’s told, 1 Paul, am yet less by what I feck. Hence I am les.s in, and by ^ny FEEUINGS than the .LEAST by DE SCRIPTION. So I am “less than the- LEAST.” Now my sister, if you wdll turn to- your litjle book of answers, (heart or- experiense) first edition, you Wll find the aanjc ans-wer set down ; for- this book of answei’s is all alike. ill ^water, face answers to face , so the heart of man to man.” In conclusion let me say that for the past twenty years I have been., walking by faith, and living upon HOPE; and what little of the passover- I eat is eaten with bitter herbs onlj^ ;; for if a single day passes over me- writhout bringing heart trouble, I know not when, and judging the future by the past, I never expect to .see any better times in this- life,. “And if in this life only we have hope in Christ, we-are of all mem most miserable.:” 'Write to me again, and pray for me a poor lone pilgrim. L. I Bodenhamer.. TAi.LAroosA Co., Ala., July 1st 1875. Elder Gold ^HE enclosed letter from Eldcr- ^ Mitchell has afforded me so much, comfort that it -would.- be too .selfisbi foi me to keep it to-myself; please put it in the Landmarks that otbers- may receive its benefits. J. E. M. Henderson.. Box i38, Oeelika, .-Vi.a., June isti875. Elder J. E. W. Tlcnderron—Beloved' Brother in Christ:—- T seems unreasonable to attempt wu’it.ing unle.ss one bad somc- thing to -write,, bnt as I am often thinking of yon, though 1 can writ© nothing ofspecial interest I will drot) you this note in token of my continued regard and remem brance.. I oft feel very lonely even in the- midst of company and when looking at the world and its affairs,, its spirit and its doctrine religiously,, compared with the riches of grace in Christ and the glory of liis kingdom—
Zion’s Landmarks (Wilson, N.C.)
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Sept. 1, 1875, edition 1
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