Walk circumspectly- Burns, William Chalmers

A letter to the professed disciples of Christ at Perth   1840 

“he that endure to the end shall be saved. “-Matthew 10:22

My dear friends in the lord i have felt the deepest anxiety about the state of your precious souls since we parted last, and have often wished to write to you; but when i thought of doing so, i always felt your case so very weighty, that i was obliged to give it over, having no power to speak to you as i could wish. I cannot, however, delay longer to let you know my continual care for you in the lord. now we live if ye stand fast in the lord. “but i fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. when i consider our lord’s wonderful and most affecting parables of the sower, of the tares and the wheat, and of the ten virgins, with many other parts of his heart-searching word; when i look around me and see one and another going back to the world, and walking no more with jesus; and, above all, when i hear of some among yourselves who walk disorderly, and, by their open vanities and sins, bring dishonor on the holy and blessed name of Jesus, i feel my heart almost ready to break with concern about you all, and would indeed be utterly cast down, were it not that i hear the lord Jesus saying, “my sheep shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of my hand. they are in his hand, -the hand of Jehovah, and yet the hand which was nailed to the cross to redeem them; and neither the devil, with all his malice and cunning wiled; nor the world, with its seductive smiles and bitter frowns; nor the old man, with its deceitful lusts and passions, can take them from him. But ah! My dearly beloved and longed for, how many of those who seem for a time to be Christ’s sheep, listening to his voice, and following him, turn out afterwards to be wolves in sheep’s clothing! Christ’s true sheep hear his voice, and follow him, -they follow him willingly, they follow him fully, and they follow him constantly; whereas many that walk for a time among the sheep soon begin again to listen to the voice of strangers, and follow them rather than the good shepherd, when they come to a point where they must make a choice, and either part with others for Christ, or part with Christ for others. When we begin to set our faces nward, we are often like a dog following two men who are going together upon the same road.

You cannot tell, as long as the men go on in company, to which of the two the dog belongs; but when they come to a point where they must separate and go opposite ways, the dog will follow the one who is his master. Thus, have you not seen some around you who seemed to follow Christ while the crowd followed him, but who now, alas! When these have gone back to their old ways, desert Christ and go with the world? O! Is it not so with some of you, dear friends? When you must sacrifice a lust or sacrifice Christ, which do you crucify? When you must part with a companion, or a lover, or a relative, in order to serve the lord, which do you abandon-your friend or your savior? I am sure you are beginning to understand somewhat better than you did, why the christian life in this world is called a warfare. You are no doubt feeling that you have enemies without and enemies within, who seek your downfall and your destruction night and day. Do not be deluded with the idea that the way to heaven is everywhere strewed with roses, and that the enemies you have to contend with are either few or weak. The lord has said “they are many, and they are strong, and they hate us with cruel hatred. how powerful and deceitful an enemy has each of you in your own heart! “he that trusteth in his own heart is a fool. “the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? o, how it can point the most hideous sins in the colours of innocence! How i can honey over with unhallowed pleasure polls of the most deadly soul-slaying poison! This enemy, dear friends, is far more than a match for all the saints that ever lived on earth, and it will assuredly ruin both you and me, unless the lord make us by his spirit to detect its wiles, and enable us by his almighty power to overcome them.

If you would overcome in the lord’s battle, o! Study deeply your own hearts, and flee to the infinite grace and power of emmanuel, for refuge from it. And remember this must be a daily and hourly work. The old man is not easily made to lay down his arms to christ: he will fight after he has got many a fall, and many a severe wound; and, even after he seems to be lying dead, he will revive again and renew the combat. The world also is the irreconcilable and deadly enemy of the lord’s ransomed ones. It overcomes many by its ungodly example, and its ungodly spirit; and when the influence neither of its spirit not example will prevail against us, it will try to win us by smiles, or terrify us by frowns, -to attract us by a blooming rose, or daunt us by an unsheathed dagger. You will generally find that its smiles, and fawning and flatteries, are more to be dreaded than its scoffs and jeers, and bitter calumnies. No one is so dangerous to the christian as a companion or friend, who is unconverted, but has many amiable qualities, and treats him with kindness and respect. Satan will tempt one to believe, in such a case, that there may be something really good in an unregenerate heart, and that you need not be so anxious as you may have been about a new heart, and a new christ-exalting, world-condemning, god-glorifying, flesh- crucifying life! O! Beware of the wolf in sheep’s clothing. Abandon the unconverted as your companions, if you do not wish to abandon the well-grounded hope of escaping eternal perdition, and reaching eternal glory. In almost every case of open backsliding which i have heard of in this place, i have found that the poor backslider never fully renounced his or her former associates, and thus was gradually drawn away by them again into former habits of ungodliness; and i have no doubt you have noticed the same thing among yourselves. he that walketh with wise men shall be wise, but the companion of fools shall be destroyed. “come out from among them, and be ye separate, and touch not the unclean thing; and i will receive you, and will be a father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the lord almighty. what shall i say, my dearly beloved friends, of the wiles and malice of the devil, the god of this world? Alas! I am myself but little acquainted with these, through my own carnal blindness and security, and am therefore little able to warn and direct you, from experience. But the lord hath said, “Satan goeth about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. “take unto you the whole Armour of god, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. woe to them that are ignorant of Satan’s devices against the lord Jesus, and all who truly follow him! Their ignorance is the surest proof that they are led captive by him at his will. Believer, he will watch his opportunity against you; and, when you are off your guard, -perhaps, when alone, or when in the company of those from whom you think you have not much to fear, he will seek to prevail against you by some of his manifold devices. -i might say much more of these things, beloved, but my time is nearly gone; and i am afraid that, while i have been seeking to put you on your guard, and to beat to pieces a false, and therefore awfully dangerous, security, it may be needful to add a word of encouragement to anxious and desponding souls.

Are there any of you that have got such a view of your spiritual enemies, and of the dangers and difficulties that beset you on the road to zion, that you are cast down, and ready to give up the contest? To such an one i would say, while you have good reason to despair of help from yourself, or any other creature on earth or in heaven, you have infinite reasons for looking unto jesus as the author and finisher of faith; who, as the captain of salvation, has already overcome, in the name of all his people, the devil and the world, and has promised to give them the victory, yea, to make them more than conquerors! The thought of our guilt, and depravity, and misery, ought not to lead us to despair of Emmanuel, but only  to despair of ourselves. It ought to drive us to the throne of Jehovah’s grace, instead of driving us away from it. Presumptive fleshly confidence is a soul – ruining sin, but unbelieving distrust in Jehovah-jesus is a sin unspeakably more heinous and hell-filling. It is precious to be taught that without christ we can do nothing; but it is far, far more precious, to be led by the spirit, with paul, to glory even in our infirmities that the power of christ may rest upon us. The first gospel-lesson is to look for nothing connected with salvation in ourselves: but the second and the greatest lesson is to see christ as “all and in all. ” when we are weak, then we are strong, -weak as the worm jacob in ourselves, but mighty as he was in jehovah, to thrash the mountains and beat them small, and make the hills as chaff. It was jacob’s sense of weakness that was his strength, when he wrestled with the angel at peniel, and prevailed. We are told that he wept and made supplication. His tears and prayers prevailed with jehovah, whose compassions are most deeply and tenderly moved in our behalf, when, like poor worms,

we are lying helpless in the dust at his feet! There may be the weakest child of god say, with david, ‘by thee through troops of men i break, and them discomfit all; and, by my god assisting me, i overleap a wall. as for god, perfect is his way: the lord his word is try’d; he is a buckler to all those who do in him confide. Who but the lord is god? But he who is a rock and stay? tis god that girdeth me with strength, and perfect makes my way. he made my feet swift as the hinds, set me on my high places. Mine hands to war he taught, mine arms brake bows of steel in pieces. The shield of thy salvation thou didst on my bestow. Thy right hand held me up, and great thy kindness made me grow. and in my way my steps thou hast enlarged under me, that i go safely, and my feet are kept from sliding free. Mine en’mies i pursued have, and did them overtake; nor did i turn again till i an end of them did make. “i wounded them, they could not rise; they at my feet did fall. Thou girdest me with strength for war; my foes thou brought’st down all: and thou hast giv’n to me the necks of all mine enemies; that i might them destroy and slay, who did against me rise. they cried out, but there was none that would or could them save; yea, they did cry unto the lord, but he no answer gave. Then did i beat them as small as dust before the wind that flies; and i did cast them out like dirt upon the street that lies. (psalm 18:29-42) if you want to fight, and overcome, and receive the crown of life in the day of the lord, which is at hand, o! Study his word much, and, as far as you can, alone, and upon your knees! Watch and pray without ceasing. But above all, believe on the lord jesus christ. Behold the lamb of god. Live by faith upon the son of god. Behold him as your only righteousness, to atone for your guilt, and give you a right to eternal glory; – behold him as your only life, raising you from the grave of your trespass to walk with him in newness of life, and glorify god in your bodies and spirits, which are god’s. Behold him as your only strength, saying “fear not, thou worm, jacob, ” &c. (isaiah 41:14), and teaching you to say, “thou are my king, o god: command deliverances for jacob. Through thee will we push down our enemies, ” &c. (psalm 44) o! Let us think of jesus, until our hearts are filled with adoring love to his glorious person, and with ardent humble zeal for his glory; until we hate sin with a perfect hatred, and have our whole hearts set on that holiness without which no one shall see the lord. Time would fail me, my dear friends, were i to try to say a hundredth part of what is in my heart: i must draw to a close.

I would press upon you to study the concluding chapters of the epistles, as your divine and blessed rule of life in the hands of the merciful and righteous mediator. Pray over these for the illumination of the holy ghost, and for his almighty power to sanctify your hearts through the truth. Be much alone with god. Grieve not the spirit. Rejoice in the lord, and again i say, rejoice. Walk wisely toward them that are without, redeeming the time. See that you fall not out among yourselves by the way. Warn the unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men: and the very god of peace sanctify you wholly, and i pray god your bodies, souls, and spirits, be preserved blameless to the day of his coming. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it. Brethren, remember me in your prayers, that i may open my mouth boldly, to declare the mystery of christ, as i ought to speak. I cannot write more, but trust to come to you again, and see you face to face, when the lord will, which perhaps may not be long. the foundation of god standeth sure, having this seal, the lord knoweth them that are his; and let everyone that nameth the name of christ depart from iniquity. “he that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved. may grace, mercy, and peace, from god the father, and the lord and saviour jesus christ, be with you all. Amen. Your humble and affectionate servant in the lord, kilsyth, august 11, 1840. William c. Burns. p. S. -i have got many letters from perth, which i find it almost impossible to answer at present, for want of time. There were signs of the lord’s presence at glasgow, when i was there last week. I go again to them to- morrow. in the name of the lord will we display our banners. “come, lord jesus, come quickly! ” why tarry the wheels of thy chariot? Gird thy sword on thy thigh, and ride forth, conquering and to conquer. Remember breadalbane, to which i go on friday, if the lord will.