THE somewhat incorrect impression (without my knowledge) and the circulation of a private letter of mine which grow out of previous correspondence, and which by itself and unexplained is calculated to lead to misapprehension, imposes on me the obligation to publish, in another form, what I have long been deeply exercised about before the Lord, being chiefly distressed at the unsuspecting or careless indifference, and still more at the favor, with which this system of doctrine has been received in many places. For the author of it I feel unfeigned grief, yet praying that in God's mercy he may be delivered from the snare into which he has fallen. Personal affection for him, reciprocal too (I say it with thankfulness to God), hindered me for long from saying anything at all; I desired rather to 'wait in hope that the Lord would graciously open his eyes, and lead him to listen to the oft repeated exhortations of his brethren to withhold or withdraw the publication of views which he well knows are a fruitful cause of sorrow and division. But warning and entreaty, on the part of many, have been expended upon him in vain. Nothing stays his avowed determination to stand by his tract; and he seeks to shelter himself from the righteous application of Rom. 16:1717Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. (Romans 16:17) by throwing the onus of division upon others. The Lord is the judge of all this, and the facts are more or less before the saints. With great reluctance and anguish of heart I venture now to print upon this matter; for it is evident that as long as the writings remain un-withdrawn, the cause of the trouble remains, and it becomes a duty to the saints, for the Lord's sake, to set forth their nature, in as far as He in grace may enable one so to do.
I do not call in question the sincerity of the author, or doubt his being fully convinced that his views are based on the scripture, to which he himself appeals. I believe he is unconscious of the nature of the system he has elaborated, but which has to be examined calmly in the Lord's presence. I have no pretension to enter into all its details, desiring to confine myself to that part of the doctrines which stands as title to this paper, though other points which it is difficult to avoid are occasionally alluded to; for in fact, the system hangs together. This is even the author's boast. He rejoices in its "consistency," as he often expresses it; and this very thing has betrayed him further, 1 have no doubt, than a few years back he would have dared to go. But he cannot expect his brethren to follow him without first inquiring, in the presence of God, whither he is leading them. Surely faithfulness to the Lord imposes this on each one of His saints. It is for these I write, beseeching those of my brethren who have read these publications to put the question to their own consciences in His presence: Do these writings minister Christ to the soul, feeding it with what is divine, and as such often necessarily unexplained, though revealed in grace and presented by God to the simplicity of faith? Or do they, by seeking to explain what God has not explained and render in this way divine mysteries intelligible to the human mind, lead the soul gradually to a place and standing where the rock which was under its feet is exchanged for a quicksand, and where also, as an inevitable result, the direct authority of the word of God upon the soul is weakened and even annulled?
I must ask the reader's kind indulgence as to the long notes which encumber part of this tract; I have endeavored to keep the text as much to the point as I could, and so thought it more convenient to put into notes, matter which, though not without collateral interest, would in the text have led to digressions more embarrassing than helpful.
Quotations are generally from the Authorized Version, unless there seemed special advantage (as in the epistles) in taking them from the New Translation for exactness' sake.
I desire to express here the deep obligation under which I am to those brethren who have kindly assisted me in the correction of these pages.
April, 1885. W. J. L.