BELIEVER'S LETTERS FROM THE PAST 1: G. WESTERVELT (EMMAUS OLD SCHOOL BAPTIST CHURCH NYC)

It amazes us how knowledgeable believers were in the past, that they could write such sound letters in the faith - ed.

Dear Brother Beebe: It affords me great joy and satisfaction to understand one of the great ends and designs of the Gospel, which is calculated, through the power of the Spirit, and to establish us on the immovable base, and grand foundation of the prophets and apostles - which is electing love, and Christ Jesus himself the chief cornerstone; that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the slight of men, and cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive. See Eph. 4.14.  The apostle Paul in these words declares one special people and for which the ministry of the word was instituted, which was to preserve from error and seduction, to prevent instability of mind and unstableness of judgment, and to confirm all real christians in the fundamental truths of the gospel.

"That we henceforth be no more children" - not in t respect to age, but as regards knowledge and understanding.  Child is a word that denotes imperfection and weakness - instability and ungroundedness in knowledge.  How many are there who are but children, down from the past of to people, who, like the waves of the sea, are tossed to and fro?  How many are there who once appeared to stand like Mount Zion in the doctrine of sovereign Election - salvation by Christ only and his rich grace?` have recently by an agitated world been tossed on the shoals of Arminianism - salvation by human contrivance - such as the newly invented plans of the day?  The world, or sea, and those that are of the world, are the most likely not only to be tossed to and fro, but covered with the miry and dirty doctrines of human tradition.  False doctrine is not only compared to the waves of the sea, which are many, but also the winds; and their adherents are represented as airy clouds, driven by every wind every wind of doctrine. Oh, these winds in our day. They are very protracted especially when they beat hurricane-like upon the anxious seats and benches for the space of four days together. Oh! How good it is for the heart to be established with grace, and to know that we are drawn by the chords of God's, electing love, and not driven by winds; for we notice of professors who have no solid principles, every wind of doctrine has power over them to drive them to and fro; every teacher can cast them into what mold he pleases, and blow them, like glass into this, or that shape, at the pleasure of his breath.

But why is it called wind of doctrine? Because somebody; being only wind in the preacher, breeds out but wind into hearer, because of its vanity and novelty, and prevails over unstable minds. How do these wind-like imposters fill and puff up men with such windy systems and errors, slight by the slight of men (a metaphor taken from gamesters, who with a sleight of hand cog the dice and win the game.).  False doctrine needs a juggler, who, by sleight of hand, can cheat the eye and bewilder the senses, and make things appear real when in fact they are novel cheats.   And how many there are diluted by the slight of men; who made a sleight of hand and slight of tongue, turn, transposed and transform those sweet scriptures, which is the wheel containing the legacy bequeathed to the elect family of God, so as to make them speak what the Holy Ghost never directed. By what means do they prove the consistency or propriety of the Bible, tract and missionary, societies, theological seminary, Sunday, infant theological schools, and abstinence societies? Answer by slight. So you see that these winds of doctrine are put in motion by the slight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive. Cunning craftiness, signifying, subtlety, and policy, are the very traits of the serpent and false teachers are not much better, who, by slight, misrepresent, and by cunning craftiness lie in wait to deceive. Lying in weight signifies an ambushment or stratagem of war, and shows to us that all seducers, slight and craftiness, used to this variant, that they made in snare and entrapment within the ambushment of their impositions. And what is the present ambushment of their impositions?  And what, did you see? Notice, those in ambush hardly call their secret dens by their proper names, but sometimes one name, and sometimes another, this is their craft; but a present, they call it, benevolence! Poor unstable souls! Oh, what a fine name this cunning craftiness indeed, wherein they lie like a band of banditti.  But what is their object? It is to deceive; to make men believe that benevolence is a means, ordained of God to save poor sinners from everlasting wretchedness by joining a benevolent society, and secure to themselves a crown of glory on those who will be benefited and saved by their benevolence. This is the craftiness of those who lie in wait in the dens of benevolence, so-called, to deceive.

From the whole we may learn that seducers and false teachers are craft-masters of slight and craftiness, using subtlety and stratagem for deceit. How thankful we should be that God has through Christ and his apostles, revealed unto us the perfect way to glory and happiness and that is electing love; which is provided us a powerful Savior, who has saved all that the father intended, with the Holy Ghost, who works at effectually in teaching, ceiling, comforting and applying the electing love to our hearts; in providing for his royal family, apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers, for the perfection of the Saints, for the work of the ministry, and for the edifying of the body of Christ; and this to continue, till we, the whole household of God, down to the latest generation, all coming to the unity of the faith, and the knowledge of the son of God, onto a perfect man, and onto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. This shows the world that the gospel shall continue until all the elect family of God is brought in, who shall then measure with, an answer to the foreordained stature, being the fullness of Christ.

Again from the dead, Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work, to do his will, working in you, that which is well pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; Tacombi, the glory, forever, and ever. Amen. 

Yours, in love,

G. Westervelt