Anne Dutton's
Letters on Spiritual Subjects
Dear Sir,
Oh! the infinite love, the boundless grace of God—that though we are bent to
backsliding from Him, and are every day guilty of it more or less—He will
still call us His people, and, according to His promise, will heal our
backslidings and love us freely—us who by nature were a sea of vileness, a
hell of iniquity, a mass of black and horrid antithesis to His infinite
purity—us who by practice were transgressors from the womb—and, which is
most amazing, us who since the display of His infinite, all-attracting
grace, in the forgiveness of our sins, and in the admission of us into all
the royalties and privileges of the sons of God, have, nevertheless,
slighted His love, despised His commandments, forsaken the Lord, and gone
after other lovers!
And yet, oh yet, God loves us! Us who are guilty of
such ingratitude as is not to be found even among the damned—and this,
notwithstanding He knew beforehand how treacherously we would deal with Him;
how rebellious, how abominable we would be. Oh, this was free love indeed!
We have tried it by innumerable provocations, by most aggravated
transgressions, all of our sins, being of a deep dye, an extensive guilt, a
bloody color; and yet, all glory to infinite, unchanging love—our Jehovah
consumes not the sons of Jacob, but loves them freely still!
Oh, free, invincible, everlasting love!
Overcome us! Melt us! Draw us! Then
returning, under Your healing influence, we will say repeatedly, after all
our heart, lip, and life-backslidings, "Behold, we come unto You, for You
are the Lord our God." Oh, what an unspeakable privilege is it, that such
poor backsliding children as we are, have such a merciful Father, that will
not cause His anger to fall upon us, though we have done as many evil things
as we could!
Surely it is our wisdom to come to the Savior daily, as
being in ourselves poor sinners, and to abide in Him continually by faith,
to receive of His fullness and grace—and all supplies of grace for
multiplied pardon, abundant peace, full joy, renewed strength, and
increasing holiness.