"But Aaron remained silent." Leviticus 10:3
To Miss M., December 31, 1850.
My beloved friend,
It is with much hesitation and considerable delicacy of feeling that I now
address you, fearing to add to the grief of an already wounded heart. But
yet I know not how to be silent towards you, now that your troubled spirit
is the subject of new sorrow from the loss of one much beloved. I know that
sometimes anguish is too deep to bear the touch of human sympathy, and that
there are cases which only He can reach who gave to the heart its
sensibilities, and who can quell its most violent throbbings, or speak peace
to its most agitated and distracted emotions. This I once very sensibly
experienced under a most painful bereavement. It was the death of a
half-brother whom I loved, and that death occasioned or accelerated, it was
feared, by his own imprudence. My feelings were harrowed because of the
state of my poor brother's soul, and my heart was agonized with
self-accusation for not being sufficiently faithful to him, though I had
used my poor powers in the way of warning. But now he was gone without hope,
I felt all was distraction; and nothing that was said could remove or soothe
my anguish, until, with power never to be forgotten, these words were
sounded in my soul, "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" With
them came a great calm and a solemn submission to the Divine sovereignty. It
was something like Aaron's silence, when his two sons had been cut off by
immediate judgment from the Lord. There seemed no alleviation to his natural
feelings—but everything to aggravate grief; yet grace prevailed above
nature, and, absorbed in the Divine will, his soul seemed to anchor on the
Rock while wave and billow went over him. The Lord's wonders are seen in the
deep, and He can do as great miracles by supporting under, as by preserving
from, peculiar trials.
Excuse me for speaking thus. These things may be very
inapplicable to your sorrow; but of whatever nature are the circumstances of
our trial, nothing is so truly quieting as being enabled to bow to our
Father's will, and take the cup immediately from His hand. No events take
Him by surprise. "Shall there be evil in a city, and the Lord has not done
it?" When useful, amiable, and valued lives are unexpectedly cut off we
marvel; but though deep the mysteries of Jehovah's permissive will--far too
deep for us to fathom--yet these things do not happen by chance. We see this
in the case of Job, whose children were all cut off by Satan's agency—but
not without Divine permission. He, recognizing as in a Father's hand the
sword which had slain his earthly comforts, said, "The Lord gave, and the
Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." While most puzzled by
the Lord's providential movements, and writhing under the smart of
bereavement, it is most soothing and blessed to be enabled by the Spirit to
feel, "Father, Your will be done." "Father, glorify Your name." Oh that our
precious Jesus may draw near and bind up your bleeding heart, yes, all your
hearts; and may He administer His strong consolations and cordials, as He is
accustomed to do in times of special need!
To yourself, my beloved friend, may He be very gracious,
giving you even this "valley of Achor for a door of hope." May He keep Satan
from gaining advantage, and you from giving place to him. He will provoke to
fretfulness—but may the Lord rebuke him, and give you to feel and say, "I
know, O Lord, that your judgments are right, and that you in faithfulness
have afflicted me." (Ps.119:75) Very sweet is Heb. 12:5-9. Finally, may the
Lord sanctify this stroke, and "honey" yet "be found in the end of the rod;"
and though the grape seems very, very sour, yet may there be "a blessing in
it."
I would commit you to Him who can make all grace to
abound towards you in support, comfort, and deliverance.
Kindly excuse this, and believe me, with tenderest
sympathy, yours very affectionately,
R. Bryan