A Word of Encouragement from One Christian Minister to Another

My Dear Brother,—You say you are depressed; and as I have often been depressed myself, I feel moved to offer a few thoughts of sympathy and counsel to a brother in trouble.

Just now my path is a little more sunny than it has been at some other times; but I have often cried out with David, "0 my God, my soul is cast down within me!" But these seasons have driven me to a throne of grace, and greatly endeared the precious promises of the word of God; for as stars shine brightest in the darkest night, so it has been found, that in the night of trouble these luminaries in the firmament of revelation have shone upon our path with purer radiance.

Sometimes I have wondered what purpose could be answered by such personal, domestic, or ministerial trials, and have wanted to see the end from the beginning, till I have read, "They that sow in tears shall reap in joy," and then I have seen, as there is a long season between the seed-time and the harvest, that I must wait patiently as the husbandman doth, for the early and latter rain, and have been cheered also by the thought, that as the one grain of seed produces thirty, sixty, or a hundredfold—so for every tear there may be many a song, and that "the harvest will by far exceed what we have sown in hope."

Sometimes my way has seemed hemmed in on every side, as was the prophet's when ho said, "He hath hedged me about that I cannot get out," Lam. iii. 7; and again in the 9th verse, "He hath inclosed my way as with hewn stone." Even so our troubles often increase, and the clouds become darker and darker. A little light gleamed through the a hedge "But Oh, the dungeon of "hewn atone" through which not one beam of the Sun of righteousness could penetrate! In this dungeon I have been preserved from plunging about, and "disquieting myself in vain," by that kind voice, "Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord;" and he has always been as good as his word, the prison door has at length been opened, and the poor emancipated captive has been heard to sing, "The Lord is my portion, saith my soul, therefore will I hope in him."

Then, again, in church troubles, when surrounded by hostile and unreasonable spirits, so as to induce the complaint of the Psalmist, "Many there be that rise up against me," the greatest difficulty I have found was to control my own feelings; yet the voice of the best Friend whispered, "Hold thy peace, and I will fight for thee." And when enabled to rest there, and wait prayerfully for God's interposition, his word has never failed, he has shown that the hearts of all men, like the elements of nature, are subject to his control, and he has spoken the storm into a calm. One promise I commend especially to your believing regard, for times without number it has been as "an anchor to the soul," and I have said of it as David said of the sword of Goliah, "Give me it, there is none like it:" it is this, "No weapon formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that riseth against thee in judgment thou shall condemn," &c. Isaiah liv. 17. Keep this sword bright, my dear brother, it is of heavenly temperament, and will never break in the day of battle.

At other times I have been like the runaway prophet in my heart, and have tried to go down to Tarshish, to get out of the pastoral work and so escape pastoral troubles; perhaps you have never been so rebellious; if ever you should, remember Jonah! We had better have trouble in the way than out of it; besides, we should expect tribulation, our Lord has told us no less. For a part of our office is to "comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God," 2 Cor. i. 4. Yet strange as it may seem, Satan has taken occasion to suggest, "If you were a child of God, you would not be thus tried and thus perplexed." But then, we need to be reminded that because we are his children, our heavenly Father will correct us, and that though the rod is in his hand there is love in his heart. It is because we are branches of the true vine, that he will prune us. Because we are more precious in his estimation than gold, he will put us in the furnace to purify us.

Then there are times when there is neither peace nor prosperity in Zion. "Our house (the church) is not as we desire." Divine influence appears to be suspended. It seems winter all the year round, and we fear the time of the "singing of birds" will never come again! And then even the few that are seen at our prayer-meetings, how cold they are! and their prayers or rather lamentations, have sometimes cut me to the quick. I knew it was true enough, that there were few or no signs of conversion in the congregation, and sad lukewarmness in the church. Yet it grieved me, and perhaps mortified my pride to hear the people's acknowledgment of it, and to see them thus hanging their harps on the willows. If your depression at all resembles this, take encouragement; God's delays are not denials. It may be true you have been long waiting for the fulfilment of the promise you have pleaded, but your having wrongly dated his promissory notes will not invalidate them. We do not understand God's chronology, and must not attempt to set his sun by our dial, but should regulate our dial by his son. He will do all things well.

It is worthy also of being recorded for the encouragement of brethren who have not been so long in the work, that it has often been subsequently revealed, that at the very time when we were mourning that our labour was in vain in the Lord, the seed was being sown in many hearts, and though unseen like the grain beneath the clod, was germinating there, and preparing to spring up as we have afterwards beheld it, "first the blade, then the ear, and then the full corn in the ear." Then we have been ashamed of our unbelief, and thought we should never doubt again, but, alas, this sad unbelief is so indigenous to the soil of the human heart that it will rise; nevertheless, lengthened experience in the ministerial and pastoral work, have abundantly confirmed the faithfulness of God.

Therefore, dear brother, let us seek by private devotion to fan into a holy flame the little spark of heavenly love which is smouldering in our own heart« — lay ourselves out more for the Saviour's glory—cherish an increasing conviction of our own nothingness— rely more prayerfully and believingly on the promised aid of the Holy Spirit —"delight ourselves in the Lord, that he may give us the desire of our hearts." And we shall again take down our harps and sing of the grace, the faithfulness, and love of the Master we serve. So prays a brother and companion in the work and tribulation of the gospel ministry.