Correspondence 11 (Coulter)

Philadelphia, Pa., Dec. 12, 1907.

Dear Brother Ker: – There are a great many questions in my mind, some more prominent than others

and some more persistent than others; some I try to turn away from, while others I long to have answered. The most important, or probably the most persistent, is, Have I the mind of Christ? But when that question becomes active and burdensome there are so many others which follow in rapid succession that I become lost, and swallowed up in doubts and fears and trembling. The mind of Christ is as clear as the light of day; there are no spots upon its beautiful, bright surface; it measures the “temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.” It opens to the view of its happy possessor the whole paradise of God; it shows the finished work of perfect obedience to the will of God the Father. If these things be so, and I have the mind of Christ, why do I walk in darkness, doubt and fear! Whence cometh the dark and lowering cloud of opposition, which bedims the testimony of the great cloud of witnesses sent out by the mind of Christ? Why do I listen to the evil seductions of my flesh, and forget that God is above all and in us all? In my earnest inquiry after the truth I often lose sight of the fact that although I may have the mind of Christ, yet sin continues to abound in my mortal flesh; but when the spark of hope lights into a blaze, I find that where sin abounds grace doth much more abound, to the glory of God and to the dissipation of the darkness and doubt and fear. It appears to me just now that the light of the mind of Christ reveals to me all the evils of a totally depraved and deceitful heart; it shows me what I am by nature, and also what is my hope and attitude toward God. The mystery of iniquity stands out in direct contrast and enmity to the mystery and truth of godliness; it shows us how we are wrapped in both mysteries, the one having the mind of Christ, and the other partaking of the evils of the flesh. To have the mind of Christ leads us into communion with Christ, and also with the Father through Christ. It leads us also to the house of our Master’s brethren, where the love of God is made manifest in the exercise of the spirit of love in the hearts of the brethren. The simple desire to be in the company of our brethren is one of the small things which we are apt to overlook as a testimony of our acceptance in the Beloved. Do we ever get beyond our first simple desire for righteousness and holiness, for brotherly intercourse, for communion with saints, for listening to the preaching of the word, for stealing away alone to the evening sacrifice of supplication and prayer! These are the things dictated by the mind of Christ. When the children of Israel brought of their own possessions the material for the building of the temple, only those offerings were accepted which were brought with a willing mind, of which the apostle also speaks on this wise: “For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.” This is the mind of Christ. Still the question comes up, Have I that wondrous mind! Can I claim such a high attainment? Is it my very own! Do I live by the faith of the Son of God! Methinks I can see it afar off, and I long for it. Sometimes I think I can understand it, but all is vain unless I possess it and own it. Is it mine, is it mine! This is my cry day and night. Can it be possible that I preach the gospel to others and am myself a castaway! My precious brother, do you have the same questions and heart searchings! I think you do. Your brother in search of truth,

B. F. COULTER.

Signs Of The Times
Volume 76., No. 3.
FEBRUARY 1, 1908.