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THE 

WORKS 


OF 


THE  REV.  JOHN  NEWTON, 

LATE 

RECTOR  OF  THE  UNITED  PARISHES 

OF 

ST.  MARY  WOOLNOTH  ^  ST.  MARY  WOOLCHURCH  HAW, 
LOJVDOA''. 


From  the  last  London  Edition, 
PUBLISHED   BY    DIRECTION   OF    HIS   EXECUTORS; 


IN  SIX  VOLUMES. 
VOL.  I. 


J^EW-YORK: 


PUBLISHED  BY  WILLIAMS  8c  WHITING, 

AX   THEIR  THSOLOGICAL   AND   CLASSICAL   BOOK-STORE) 

N'*.  118,  Pearl-street. 

J.  SEYMOUR,  Printer. 

1810, 


CONTENTS 

OF   VOLUME  I. 


AN  AUTHENTIC  NARRATIVE  OF  SOME   REMARKABLE 

AND  INTERESTING  PARTICULARS  IN  THE  LIFE 

OF  **»••»,  IN  FOURTEEN  LETTERS. 

Page 

Preface, •  •  ^ 

Let. 

1.  Introductoiy  Obsen-ations, 5 

2.  Occurrences  in  early  Life,    .  .  .' 12 

3.  Journey  to  Kent,  Voyage  to  Venice,  5cc 18 

4.  Voyage  to  Madeira,  Entry  on  board  a  Guineaman,  and 

Voyage  to  Africa, 31 

5    Hardships  endured  in  Africa, 38 

6.  Lnlargement  in  Africa, 45 

7.  Voyage  from  Cape  Lopez  for  England, 52 

8.  Danger,  Sec.  ic  the  Voyage  from  Cape  Lopez, 59 

9.  Events  in  Ireland,   and  arrival  in  England,  .......  66 

10    \oyage  to  Atrica, 72 

1 1.  Voyage  to  Antigua,  return  to  England,  and  Marriage, .  79 

12.  Another  Voyage  to  Africa, 86 

13.  Last  Voyage  to  Africa,  &C 92 

14.  Conclusion  of  the  Narrative, 99 

FORTY-ONE  LETTF.RS  ON  RELIGIOUS  SUBBJECTS, 
BY  OMICRON  AND  VIGIL. 

1.  On  Trust  in  God, 109 

2.  To  a  Student  in  Divinity, 115 

3.  Whether  the  Sins  of  Believers  shall  be  publicly  decla- 

red at  the  great  Day  ? 123 

4.  To  T heron,  on  Family  Worship, 128 

5.  On  the  Snares  and  Difficulties  attending  the  Ministry 

of  the  Gospel, 135 

6.  Of  the  practical  Influence  of  Faith, 142 

7.  On  the  Propriety  of  a  Ministerial  Address  to  the  Un- 

converted,       14$ 

3.  On  the  inward  Witness  to  the  ground  and  reality  of  Faith,  155 

9.  On  tfie  Doctrines  of  Election  and  final  Perseverance,  .  162 

10.  Grace  in  the  Blade,  Mark   iv.  28, 171 

11.  Grace  in  the  Ear,  Mark  iv.  28,     178 

12.  The  full  Corn  in  the  Ear,  Mark  iv.  28, 184 


iv  CONTENTS. 

Let.  Page 

13.  On  hearing  Sermons, 192 

14.  On  Temptation,      200 

15.  A  Plan  of  a  compendious  Christian  Library,      210 

16.  On  the  Inefficacy  of  our  Knowledge,     219 

17.  On  a  Believer's  Frames,     226 

18.  Thoughts  on  the  Exercise  of  social  Prayer,     23* 

19.  On  Controversy,     241 

20.  On  Confoi-mity  to  the  World,      24/ 

21.  I  was  once  Blind,  but  now  I  See,      354 

22.  On  the  Advantages  of  a  State  of  Poverty,     261 

23.  On  Simplicity  and  Godly  Sincerity,     270 

24.  On  Communion  with  God,      276 

25.  On  Faith,  and  the  Communion  of  Saints,     284 

26.  On  the  Increase  of  Gospel-Illumination,     290 

27.  On  Union  with  Christ,     292 

28.  Of  the  Lord's  promised  Guidance,     294 

29.  On  the  earnest  Expectation  of  the  Creature,  waiting  for 

the  Manifestation  of  the  Sons  of  God,  Rom,  viii.  19, 20,21,  302 

30.  On  the  right  Use  of  the  Law,     ,  310 

31.  Of  Love  to  the  Brethren,     320 

32.  On  Candour, 325 

jH    On  Man  in  hisfallen  Estate,     J  33^ 

35.  On  Things  lovely,  and  of  good  Report,     346 

36.  To  a  gay  Friend  on  his  Recovery  from  Illness,  ....  353 

37.  On  Christian  Experience,     357 

.38.  Religion  necessary  to  the  Enjoyment  of  Life,     ....  366 

3!).  A  Word  in  Season,     371 

40.  To  Professors  in  Trade,     378 

41.  On  the  Ministry  of  Angels,     382 

CARDIPHONIA,  OR  THE  UTTERANCE  OF  THE  HEART; 
IN  THE  COURSE  OF  A  REAL  CORRESPONDENCE. 

Twenty-six  Letters  to  a  Nobleman, 393 

Eight  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  S****, 521 

Eleven  Letters  to  Mr.  B***»,  8tc 581 

Four  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  R****,     607 

A  Letter  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  O****,     618 

Seven  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  P****, 623 

Three  Letters  to  INIrs.  G****,      s ^39 

Two  Letters  to  Miss  F****,      654 

Four  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Dr.  •***, 660 


AN 

AUTHENTIC  NARRATIV>E 

OF 
JOME  REMARKABLE  AND  INTERESTING  PARTICULARS 

IN  THE 

LIFE  OF  ********* 

COMMITNICATED, 

IN  A  SERIES  OF  LETTERS, 

TO  THE 

REV.  T.  HAWEIS, 

RECTOR  OF  ALDWINCKLE,   NORTHAMPTONSHIRE} 
AND  BY  HIM,    AT  THK  REQUEST  OF  FRIENDS,    NOW  MADE  PUBLIC. 


I  will  bring  the  blind  by  a  way  that  they  knew  not,  I  will  lead  them  in  paths 
that  they  have  not  known ;  1  will  make  darkness  light  before  them,  and 
crooked  things  straight.  These  things  will  I  do  unto  them,  and  not  for- 
sake them.     Is.  xlii.  16. 

I  am  as  a  wonder  unto  many.    Psat.  Ixxi.  7. 


Vol.  I.  B 


PREFACE. 


Xhe  first  of  the  following  letters  is  so  well  adapted  an  intro- 
duction to  the  rest,  that  to  trouble  the  reader  with  a  long 
preface  would  be  quite  needless  and  impertinent.  I  ^dll 
therefore  detain  him  from  entering  upon  the  delightful  and 
instructive  relation  which  the  following  sheets  present  him 
with,  little  longer  than  while  I  assure  him,  that  the  narra- 
tive is  quite  genuine,  and  that  the  following  lettere  were 
written  to  me  at  my  request.  Some  verbal  relations  of  the 
facts  awakened  my  cmiosity  to  see  a  more  connected  ac- 
count of  them,  which  the  author  very  obligingly  consented 
to,  having  at  that  time  no  intention  of  its  being  made  pub- 
lic. But  the  repeated  solicitations  of  friends  have  at  last 
prevailed :  and  indeed  the  pul)lication  is  the  more  needful, 
as  several  imperfect  copies  have  been  handed  about,  and 
there  has  been  cause  to  think  some  surreptitious  edirion 
might  steal  through  the  press  into  the  hands  of  the  public, 

I  have  therefore,  with  consent  of  the  author,  now  sent 
tliese  Letters  abroad  in  their  original  form.  They  were 
written  in  haste,  as  letters  of  friendship,  to  gratify  ray  curi- 
osity ;  but  the  style,  as  well  as  the  narrative  itself,  is  so 
plain  and  easy,  that  corrections  were  thought  needless.  I 
can  only  add  my  best  wishes,  that  the  great  truths  tliey 
contain  may  prove  as  edifying  as  the  facts  are  striking  and 
(jntertaining. 

T,  HAWEIS. 

Jlr/whckle,  Auff.  1764, 


PKIHCETOIT 
INTRODUCTORY  OBSERVATIONS. 


LETTER  I. 

Reverend  and  Dear  Sir, 

\  IVIAKE  no  doubt  but  you  have  at  times  had  pleasing 
reflections  upon  that  promise  made  to  the  Israelites, 
Deut.  viii.  2.  They  were  then  in  the  wilderness, 
surrounded  with  difficulties,  whicli  were  greatly  ag- 
gravated by  their  own  distrust  and  perverseness :  they 
had  experienced  a  variety  of  dispensations,  the  design 
of  which  they  could  not  as  yet  understand  ;  they  fre- 
quently lost  sight  of  God's  gracious  purposes  in  their 
favour,  and  were  much  discouraged  by  reason  of  the 
way.  To  compose  and  animate  their  minds,  Moses  here 
suggests  to  them,  that  there  was  a  future  happy  time 
drawing  near,  when  their  journey  and  warfare  should 
be  finished;  that  they  should  soon  be  put  in  possession 
of  the  promised  land,  and  have  rest  from  all  their  fears 
and  troubles  :  and  then  it  would  give  them  pleasure  to 
look  back  upon  what  they  now  found  so  uneasy  to 
bear : — "  Thou  shalt  remember  all  the  way  by  which 
"  the  Lord  thy  God  led  thee  through  this  wilderness." 
But  the  importance  and  comfort  of  these  words  is 
Still  greater,  if  we  consider  them  in  a  spiritual  sense, 
as  addressed  to  all  who  are  passing  through  the  wil- 
derness of  this  world  to  a  heavenly  Canaan ;  who  by 
faith  in  the  promises  and  power  of  God,  are  seeking 
an  eternal   rest  in  that  kingdom  which  cannot  be  sha- 


6  Ititroductory  Observations.  Let.  1. 

ken.  The  hope  of  that  glorious  inheritance  inspires  us 
M  ith  some  degree  of  courage  and  zeal  to  press  forward 
to  where  Jesus  has  already  entered  as  our  fore-runner; 
and  when  our  eye  is  fixed  upon  him,  we  are  more 
than  conquerors  over  all  that  would  withstand  our 
progress.  But  we  have  not  yet  attained  ;  we  still  feel 
the  infirmities  of  a  fallen  nature  ;  through  the  remains 
of  ignorance  and  unbelief,  we  often  mistake  the  Lord's 
dealings  with  us,  and  are  ready  to  complain,  when,  if 
Ave  knew  all,  we  should  rather  rejoice.  But  to  us  like- 
wise there  is  a  time  coming,  when  our  warfare  shall  be 
accomplished,  our  views  enlarged,  and  our  light  in- 
creased :  then  with  what  transports  of  adoration  and 
love  shall  we  look  back  upon  the  way  by  which  the 
Lord  led  us !  We  shall  then  see  and  acknowledge, 
that  mercy  and  goodness  directed  every  step  ;  we  shall 
see,  that  what  our  ignorance  once  called  adversities 
and  evils,  were  in  reality  blessings,  which  we  could  not 
have  done  well  without;  that  nothing  befel  us  without 
a  cause ;  that  no  trouble  came  upon  us  sooner,  or 
pressed  us  more  heavily,  or  continued  longer,  than  our 
case  required ;  in  a  word,  that  our  many  afflictions 
were  each  in  their  place  among  the  means  employed 
by  divine  grace  and  wisdom,  to  bring  us  to  the  pos- 
session of  that  exceeding  and  eternal  weight  of  glory 
which  the  Lord  has  prepared  for  his  people.  And, 
even  in  this  imperfect  state,  though  we  arc  seldom 
able  to  judge  aright  of  our  present  circumstances,  yet 
if  we  look  upon  the  years  of  our  past  life,  and  com- 
pare the  dispensations  we  have  been  brought  through, 
with  the  frame  of  our  minds  under  each  successive 
period ;  if  we  consider  how  wonderfully  one  thing  has 
been  connected  with  another,  so  that  what  we  now 
number  amongst   our   greatest  advantages,    perhaps, 


Let.  1.  IrUroductorij  Observations.  7 

took  their  first  rise  from  incidents  which  we  thou<^ht 
hardly  wortli  our  notice ;  and  that  we  have  sometimes 
escaped  the  greatest  dangers  that  threatened  us,  not  by 
any  wisdom  or  foresight  of  our  own,  but  by  the  in- 
tervention of  circumstances  which  we  neither  desired 
nor  thought  of: — I  say,  when  we  compare  and  consi- 
der these  things  by  the  light  afforded  us  in  the  holy 
Scripture,  we  may  collect  indisputable  proof,  from  the 
narrow  circle  of  our  own  concerns,  that  the  wise  and 
good  providence  of  God  watches  over  his  people  from 
the  earliest  moment  of  their  life,  over-rules  and  guards 
them  through  all  their  wanderings  in  a  state  of  igno- 
rance, leads  them  in  a  way  that  they  know  not,  till  at 
length  his  providence  and  grace  concur  in  those  events 
and  impressions  which  bring  them  to  the  knowledge  of 
him  and  themselves. 

I  am  persuaded,  that  every  believer  will,  upon  due 
reflection,  see  enough  in  his  own  case  to  confirm  this 
remark  ;  but  not  all  in  the  same  degree.  The  outward 
circumstances  of  many  have  been  uniform;  they  have 
known  but  little  variety  in  life ;  and  with  respect  to 
their  inward  change,  it  has  been  effected  in  a  secret 
way,  unnoticed  by  others,  and  almost  unperceived  by 
themselves. — The  Lord  has  spoken  to  them,  not  in 
thunder  and  tempest,  but  with  a  still  small  voice  he 
has  drawn  them  gradually  to  himself:  so  that,  though 
they  have  a  happy  assurance  of  the  thing,  that  they 
know  and  love  him,  and  are  passed  from  death  unto 
life  ;  yet  of  the  precise  time  and  manner,  they  can  give 
little  account.  Others  he  seems  to  select,  in  order  to 
show  the  exceeding  riches  of  his  grace,  and  the  great 
ness  of  his  mighty  power  :  he  sutlers  the  natural  rtbel- 
lion  and  wickedness  of  their  hearts  to  have  full  scope  ; 
while  sinners  of  less  note  are  cut  oil"  with  little  warninir. 


8  hitrodiiclory  Obscrcatiom.  Let.   I. 

these  are  spared,  though  sinning  with  a  high  hand,  and 
as  it  were  studying  their  own  destruction.  At  length, 
when  all  that  knew  them  are  perhaps  expecting  to  hear 
that  they  are  made  signal  instances  of  divine  vengeance, 
the  Lord,  (whose  thoughts  are  high  above  ours,  as  the 
heavens  are  higher  than  the  earth,)  is  pleased  to  pluck 
them  as  brands  out  of  the  fire,  and  to  make  them  mo- 
numents of  his  mercy,  for  the  encouragement  of  others  : 
they  are  beyond  expectation,  convinced,  pardoned, 
and  changed.  A  case  of  this  sort  indicates  a  divine 
power  no  less  than  the  creation  of  a  world  :  it  is  evi- 
dently the  Lord's  doing,  and  it  is  marvellous  in  the 
eyes  of  all  those  who  are  not  blinded  by  prejudice  and 
unbelief 

Such  was  the  persecuting  Saul :  his  heart  was  full  of 
enmity  against  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  and  therefore  he 
persecuted  and  made  havoc  of  his  disciples.  He  had 
been  a  terror  to  the  church  of  Jerusalem,  and  was 
going  to  Damascus  with  the  same  views. — He  was  yet 
breathing  out  threatening?  and  slaughter  ac^ainst  all  that 
loved  the  Lord  Jesus. — He  thought  little  of  the  mis- 
chief he  had  hitherto  done. — He  w  as  engaged  for  the 
suppression  of  the  whole  sect ;  and  hurrying  from 
house  to  house,  from  place  to  place,  he  carried  me- 
naces in  his  look,  and  repeated  threatenings  with 
every  breath.  Such  was  his  spirit  and  temper,  when 
the  Lord  Jesus,  whom  he  hated  and  opposed,  checked 
him  in  the  height  of  his  rage,  called  this  bitter  perse- 
cutor to  the  honour  of  an  apostle,  and  inspired  him 
with  great  zeal  and  earnestness,  to  preach  that  faith 
which  he  so  lately  destroyed. 

Nor  are  v^g  without  remarkable  displays  of  the 
same  sovereign  efiicacious  grace  in  our  own  times. 
1  may  p.v.ticularly  mention  the  instance  of  the 


}aet.  i.  Introductory  Observations.  ^ 

late  colonel  Gardener.  If  any  real  satisfaction  could 
be  found  in  a  sinful  course,  he  would  have  met  with 
it;  for  he  pursued  the  experiment  with  all  possible  ad- 
vantages.— He  was  habituated  to  evil ;  and  many  un- 
common, almost  miraculous  deliverances,  made  no  im- 
pression upon  him.  Yet  he  likewise  was  made  willing 
in  the  day  of  God's  power  :  and  the  bright  example  of 
his  life,  illustrated  and  diffused  by  the  account  of  him 
published  since  his  death,  has  afforded  an  occasion 
of  much  praise  to  God,  and  much  comfort  to  his 
people. 

After  the  mention  of  such  names,  can  you  permit 
me,  Sir,  to  add  jni/  own  ?  If  I  do,  it  must  be  with  a 
very  humblincp  distinction.  These  once  eminent  sinners 
proved  eminent  Christians  :  much  had  been  forgiven 
them;  they  loved  much.  St.  Paul  could  say,  "The 
"  grace  bestowed  upon  me  was  not  in  vain  ;  for  I  la- 
"  boured  more  abundantly  than  they  all."  Colonel 
Gardener  likcAvise  was  as  a  city  set  upon  a  hill,  a  burn- 
ing and  a  shining  light :  the  manner  of  his  conversion 
was  hardly  more  singular,  than  the  whole  course  of  his 
conversation  from  that  time  to  his  death.  Here,  alas ! 
the  parpJlel  greatly  fails.  It  has  not  been  thus  with  me. 
— I  must  take  deserved  shame  to  myself,  that  I  have 
made  very  unsuitable  returns  for  what  I  have  received. 
But  if  the  question  is  only  concerning  the  patience  and 
long-suffering  of  God,  the  wonderful  interposition  of  his 
providence  in  favour  of  an.unworthy  sinner,  the  power 
of  his  grace  in  softening  the  hardest  heart,  and  the 
riches  of  his  mercy  in  pardoning  the  most  enormous  an'd 
aggravated  transgressions  ;  in  these  respects  I  know 
no  case  more  extraordinary  than  my  own.  And  indeed 
most  persons  to  whom  I  have  related  my  story,  have 
thought  it  worthy  of  being  preserved. 

Vol.  I.  C 


10  InlrOihictorji  Obscrvulions.  Lef.  1, 

I  never  gave  any  succinct  account,  in  writinjr,  of  the 
Lord's  dealing  with  me,  till  very  lately  :  for  I  was  de- 
terred, on  the  one  hand,  by  the  f^reat  difiiculty  of  writ- 
ing properly  when  Self'  is  concerned  ;  on  the  other,  by 
the  ill  use  which  persons  of  corrupt  and  perverse  minds 
are  often  known  to  make  of  such  instances.  The  Psal- 
mist reminds  us,  that  a  reserve  in  these  things  is  proper, 
when  he  says,  "  Come  and  hear,  all  ye  that  fear  God, 
"  and  I  will  declare  what  he  hath  done  for  my  soul ;"' 
and  our  Lord  cautions  us  not  to  "  cast  pearls  before 
"  swine,"  The  pearls  of  a  Christian  are,  perhaps,  his 
choice  experiences  of  the  Lord's  power  and  love  in  the 
concerns  of  his  soul ;  and  these  should  not  be,  at  all  ad- 
Ventures,  made  public,  lest  we  give  occasion  to  earthly 
and  grovelling  souls  to  profane  what  they  cannot  under- 
stand. These  were  the  chief  reasons  of  my  backward- 
ness ;  but  a  few  weeks  since  I  yielded  to  the  judgment 
and  request  of  a  much  respected  fiiend,  and  sent  him 
a  relation  at  large,  in  a  series  of  eight  letters.  The 
event  has  been  what  I  little  ex})ected  :  I  wrote  to  one 
person  ;  but  my  letters  have  fallen  into  many  hands  : 
amongst  others,  I  find  they  have  reached  your  notice; 
and,  instead  of  blaming  me  for  being  too  tedious,  and 
circumstantial,  which  was  the  fault  I  feared  I  had 
committed,  you  are  pleased  to  desire  a  still  more  dis- 
tinct detail.  As  you  and  others  of  my  iriends  appre- 
hend my  compliance  with  this  request  may  be  at- 
tended with  some  good  effect,  may  promote  the  j>leas- 
ing  work  of  praise  to  our  adorable  Redeemer,  or  con- 
firm the  faith  of  some  or  otlier  of  his  peo[)le,  I  am 
willing  to  obey  :  I  give  up  my  ov.  n  reasonings  upon  the 
inexpediency  of  so  inconsitierablc  a  person  as  myself 
adventuriuiv  in  so  public  a  point  ol  view.  If  (iod  may 
be  glorified   on  my   behalf,   and  his  cliiidren  in   any 


Let.  1.  Introductory  (^hscrvaiiotis.  11 

measure  comforted  or  instructed  by  what  I  have  to  de- 
clare of  liis  goodness,  I  shall  be  satisfied  ;  and  am  con- 
tent to  leave  all  other  possible  consequences  of  this  un- 
dcrtakiniT  in  his  hands  who  docs  all  things  well. 

I  must  again  have  recourse  to  my  memory,  as  I 
retained  no  copies  of  the  letters  you  saw.  So  far  as 
I  can  recollect  what  I  then  wrote,  I  will  relate ;  but 
shall  not  affect  a  needless  variety  of  phrase  and  man- 
ner, merely  because  those  have  been  already  perused 
by  many.  I  may,  perhaps,  in  some  places,  when  re- 
peating the  same  facts,  express  myself  in  nearly  the 
*;ame  words ;  yet  I  propose,  according  to  your  desire, 
to  make  this  relation  more  explicit  and  particular  than 
the  former ;  especially  towards  the  close,  which  I 
wound  up  hastily,  lest  my  friend  should  be  wearied. 
I  hope  you  will  likewise  excuse  me,  if  I  do  not  strict- 
ly confine  myself  to  narration,  but  now  and  then  inter- 
sperse such  reflections  as  may  offer  while  I  am  writing ; 
and  though  you  have  signified  your  intentions  of  com- 
municating what  I  send  you  to  others,  I  must  not  on 
this  account  afl'ect  a  conciseness  and  correctness,  avIjIcIi 
is  not  my  natural  talent,  lest  the  whole  should  appear 
dry  and  constrained.  1  shall,  therefore,  if  possible, 
think  onU"  of  you,  and  Avrite  with  that  confidence  and 
freedom  which  your  friendship  and  candour  deserve. 
This  sheet  may  stand  as  a  preface  ;  and  I  purpose,  as 
far  as  I  can,  to  intermit  many  other  engagements,  until 
I  have  completed  the  task  you  have  assigned  me.  In 
the  mean  time,  I  entreat  the  assistance  of  your  prayers, 
that  in  this,  and  all  my  poor  attempts,  I  may  riave  a 
single  eye  to  his  glory,  v.ho  vvas  pleased  to  call  me 
out  of  horrid  darkness  into  the  marvellous  light  of  his 
gospel. 

JcuL   12,   1763.  T  am,  .S:c. 


13  Occune7ices  in  Early  Life.  Let.  2. 


r.ETTER  II> 
Reverend  Sir, 

1  CAN  sometimes  feel  a  pleasure  in  repeating  the  grate- 
ful ackno^^  ledgment  of  David,  "  O  Lord,  I  am  thy 
"  servant,  the  son  of  thine  handmaid  ;  thou  hast  loosed 
"  my  bands."     The  tender  mercies  of  God  towards 

vnc  were  manifested  in  the  fn'st  moment  of  my  life. 

I  was  born  as  it  were  in  his  house,  and  dedicated  to 
him  in  my  infancy.  My  mother,  (as  I  have  heard 
from  many,)  was  a  })ious  experienced  Christian  :  she 
was  a  Dissenter,  in  communion  with  the  late  Dr.  Jen- 
nings. I  was  her  only  child ;  and  as  she  was  of  a 
weak  constitution,  and  a  retired  temper,  almost  her 
"whole  employment  was  the  care  of  my  education.  I 
have  some  faint  remembrance  of  her  care  and  instruc- 
tions. At  a  time  when  I  could  not  be  more  than  three 
years  of  age,  she  herself  taught  me  English  ;  and  with 
so  much  success,  (as  I  had  something  of  a  forward 
turn,)  that  when  I  was  four  years  old,  I  could  read 
Avith  propriety  in  any  common  book  that  oiiered.  She 
stored  my  memory,  which  was  then  very  retentive, 
with  many  valuable  pieces,  chapters,  and  portions  of 
Scripture,  catechisms,  hymns,  and  poems.  My  temper 
at  that  time  seemed  quite  suitable  to  her  wishes :  I 
had  httle  inclination  to  the  noisy  sports  of  children,  but 
was  best  pleased  when  in  her  compan}^,  and  always  as 
wiiliuis'  to  learn  as  she  was  to  teach  me.  How  far  tli^ 
best  education  nray  fall  short  of  reaching  the  heart, 
will  strongly  appear  in  the  sequel  of  my  history  :  yet  I 
think,  for  tfie  encouragement  of  yjious  parents  to  go  on 
in  the  good  way,  of  doing  their  part  faithfully  to  for^n 


Let.  2.  Occurrences  in  Earhj  TJfe.  Vo 

their  children's  minds,  I  may  properly  propose  myself 
as  an  instance.  Though  in  process  of  time  I  sinned 
a\vay  all  the  advantages  of  these  early  impressions,  yet 
they  were  for  a  great  while  a  restraint  upon  me ;  they 
returned  again  and  again,  and  it  was  very  long  before 
1  could  wholly  shake  them  off;  and  when  the  Lord  at 
length  opened  my  eyes,  I  found  a  great  benefit  from 
the  recollection  of  them.  Further,  my  dear  mother, 
besides  the  pains  she  took  with  me,  often  commended 
me  with  many  prayers  and  tears  to  God  ;  and  I  doubt 
not  but  I  reap  the  fruits  of  these  prayers  to  this  hour. 

My,  mother  observed  my  early  progress  with  pecu- 
liar pleasure,  and  intended  from  the  first  to  bring  me 
up  with  a  view  to  the  ministry,  if  the  Lord  should  so 
incline  my  heart.  In  my  sixth  year  I  began  to  learn 
Latin  ;  but  before  I  had  time  to  know  much  about  it, 
the  intended  plan  of  my  education  was  broke  short. — 
The  Lord's  designs  were  far  beyond  the  views  of  an 
earthly  parent :  he  was  pleased  to  reserve  me  for  an 
unusual  proof  of  his  patience,  providence,  and  grace  > 
and  therefore  over-ruled  the  purpose  of  my  friends,  by 
depriving  me  of  this  excellent  parent  when  I  was  some- 
thing under  seven  years  old.  I  was  born  the  C^4tli 
July  1725,  and  she  died  the  1 1th  of  that  month  1732. 

iVIy  father  was  then  at  sea,  (he  was  a  commander  in 
the  ]\f editerranean  trade  at  that  time :)  he  came  home 
the  following  year;  and  soon  after  married  again. 
Thus  I  passed  into  different  hands.  I  was  well  treated 
in  all  other  respects ;  but  the  loss  of  my  mother's  in- 
structions was  not  repaired.  I  was  now  permitted  to 
mingle  with  careless  and  profane  children,  and  sooa 
began  to  learn  their  ways.  Soon  after  my  father's 
marriage  I  was  sent  to  a  boarding-school  in  Essex, 
where   the  imprudent  severity  of  the   master  almost 


14i  Ocairrenas  in  Early  Life.  Let.  2. 

broke  my  spirit,  and  relish  for  books.  With  him  I 
forgot  the  first  principles  and  rules  of  arithmetic,  which 
iny  mother  had  taught  me  years  before.  1  staid  thrre 
two  years  :  in  the  last  of  the  two  a  new  u:^her  coming, 
who  observed  and  suited  my  temper,  I  took  to  the 
Latin  with  great  eagerness ;  so  that  before  I  \\  as  ten 
years  old,  1  reached  rmd  maintained  the  first  post  in 
the  second  class,  which  in  that  school  read  Tully  and 
Virgil.  I  believe  I  was  pushed  forward  too  fast,  and 
therefore  not  bt^ing  grounded,  I  soon  lost  all  I  had 
learned,  (for  I  left  school  in  my  tenth  year  ;)  and  when 
I  long  afterwards  undertook  tlie  Latin  language  fr;-m 
books,  I  think  I  had  little  if  any  advantage  from  what 
I  had  learned  before. 

My  father's  second  marriage  was  from  a  family  in 
Essex  ;  and  when  I  was  eleven  years  old,  he  took  me 
with  him  to  sea.  He  was  a  man  of  remarkable  good 
sense,  and  great  knowledge  of  the  world ;  he  took 
great  care  of  my  morals,  but  could  not  supply  my  mo- 
ther's  part  Having  been  educated  himself  in  Spain, 
he  always  observed  an  air  of  distance  and  severity  in 
his  carriage,  which  overawed  and  discouraged  my  spirit. 
I  was  always  in  fear  when  before  him,  and  therefore  he 
had  the  less  influence.  From  that  time  to  the  year 
]  742  I  made  several  voyages ;  but  with  considerable 
intervals  between  ;  which  were  chiefly  spent  in  the 
country,  excepting  a  few  months  in  my  fifteenth  year, 
"when  I  was  placed  upon  a  very  advantageous  prospect 
at  Aiicant  in  Spain.  But  my  unsettled  behaviour,  and 
impatience  of  restraint,  rendered  that  design  abortive. 

In  this  period,  my  temper  and  conduct  were  ex- 
ceedingly various.  At  school,  or  soon  alter,  I  had 
little  concern  about  religion,  and  easily  received  very 
ill  impressions.     But  I  was  often  disturbed  with  con- 


Lei.  2.  Occurrences  i?i  Early  Life.  15 

victions,  I  was  fond  of  reading  from  a  child  ;  among 
other  books,  Bennefs  Christian  Oratory  often  came 
in  my  Avay :  and  though  I  understood  but  little  of  it, 
the  course  of  life  therein  recommended  appeared  very 
desirable;  and  I  Avas  inclined  to  attempt  it.  I  began 
to  pray,  to  read  the  Scripture,  and  keep  a  sort  of  diary. 
I  was  presently  religious  in  my  oAvn  eyes  ;  but,  alas ! 
this  seeming  goodness  had  no  solid  foundation,  but 
passed  awav  like  a  morninn;-cloud,  or  the  early  dew. 
I  was  soon  weary,  gradually  gave  it  up,  and  became 
worse  than  before.  Instead  of  prayer,  I  learned  to 
curse  and  blaspheme,  and  was  exceedingly  wicked 
when  from  under  my  parent's  view.  All  this  was  be- 
fore I  was  twelve  years  old.  About  that  time  I  had 
a  dangerous  fall  from  a  horse :  I  was  thrown,  I  be- 
lieve, within  a  few  inches  of  a  hedge-row  newly  cut 
down.  I  got  no  hurt :  but  could  not  avoid  takinfj  no- 
tice  of  a  gracious  providence  in  my  deliverance  ;  for 
had  I  fell  upon  the  stakes,  I  had  inevitably  been  killed. 
i\Iy  conscience  suggested  to  me  the  dreadful  conse- 
quences, if  in  such  a  state  I  had  been  summoned  to 
appear  before  God.  I  presently  broke  off  from  my 
profane  practices,  and  appeared  quite  altered,  liut  it 
was  not  long  before  I  declined  again.  These  struggles 
between  sin  and  conscience  were  often  repeated  ;  but 
the  consequence  was,  that  every  relapse  sunk  me 
still  into  greater  depths  of  wickedness.  I  was  once 
roused  by  the  loss  of  an  intimate  campanion.  We  had 
agreed  to  go  on  board  a  man  of  war,  (I  think  it  was 
on  a  Sunday ;)  but  I  providentially  came  too  late ; 
the  boat  was  overset,  and  he  and  several  others  were 
drowned.  I  was  invited  to  the  funeral  of  my  play-fel- 
low, and  was  exceedingly  affected,  to  think  that  by  a 
delay  of  a  few  minutes,  (which  had  much  displeased 


Jo  Occurrences  in  Early  Life.  Let.  ^. 

and  angered  me  till  I  saw  the  event,)  my  life  had  been 
preserved.  HoAvever,  this  likewise  was  soon  forgot. 
At  another  time,  the  perusal  of  the  Family-List nictor 
put  me  upon  a  partial  and  transient  reformation.  In 
brief,  though  I  cannot  distinctly  relate  particulars,  I 
think  I  took  up  and  laid  aside  a  religious  profession 
three  or  four  different  times  before  I  was  sixteen  years 
of  age :  but  all  this  while  my  heart  was  insincere.  I 
often  saw  a  necessity  of  religion  as  a  means  of  escapino- 
hell ;  but  I  loved  sin,  and  was  unwilling  to  forsake  it. 
Instances  of  this,  I  can  remember,  were  frequent  in  the 
midst  of  all  my  forms  :  I  was  so  strangely  blind  and 
stupid,  that  sometimes  when  I  have  been  determined 
upon  things  which  I  knew  were  sinful,  and  contrary  to 
my  duty,  I  could  not  go  on  quietly  till  I  had  first  dis- 
patched my  ordinary  task  of  prayer,  in  which  I  have 
grudged  every  moment  of  my  time  ;  and  when  this  was 
finished,  my  conscience  was  in  some  measure  pacified, 
and  I  could  rush  into  folly  with  little  remorse. 

My  last  reform  was  the  most  remarkable  both  for 
degree  and  continuance.  Of  this  period,  at  least  of 
some  part  of  it,  I  may  say  in  the  apostle's  words, 
''  After  the  strictest  sect  of  our  religion,  I  lived  a 
•'  Pharisee."  I  did  every  thing  that  might  be  ex- 
pected from  a  person  entirely  ignorant  of  God's  righte- 
ousness, and  desirous  to  establish  his  own.  I  spent 
the  greatest  part  of  every  day  in  reading  the  Scriptures, 
meditation,  and  prayer.  I  fasted  often ;  I  even  ab- 
stained from  all  animal  food  for  three  months  ;  I  would 
hardly  answer  a  question,  for  fear  of  speaking  an  idle 
word.  I  seemed  to  bemoan  my  former  miscarriages 
t'ery  earnestly,  sometimes  with  tears.  In  short,  I  be- 
came an  ascetic,  and  endeavoured,  so  far  as  my  situa- 
tion vv'ould  permit,  to  tenounce  society,  that  I  might 


Let.  2.  Occurrence!;  in  Earhi  Life.  17 

avoid  temptation.  I  continued  in  this  serious  mood, 
(I  cannot  give  it  a  liigher  title,)  for  more  than  two 
years,  without  any  considerable  breaking  off:  but  it 
was  a  poor  religion ;  it  left  me,  in  many  respects, 
under  the  power  of  sin  ;  and,  so  far  as  it  prevailed, 
only  tended  to  make  me  gloomy,  stupid,  unsociable, 
and  useless. 

Such  was  the  frame  of  my  mind  when  I  became 
acquainted  with  lord  Shaftesbury.  I  saw  the  second 
volume  of  his  Characteristics  in  a  petty  shop  at  Alid- 
dleburg,  in  Holland.  The  title  allured  me  to  buy  it, 
and  the  style  and  manner  gave  me  great  pleasure  in 
reading,  especially  the  second  piece,  which  his  lordship, 
with  great  propriety,  has  entitled,  A  Rhapsody.  No- 
thing could  be  more  suited  to  the  romantic  turn  of  my 
mind,  than  the  address  of  this  pompous  declamation. 
Of  the  design  and  tendency  I  was  not  aware :  I  thought 
the  author  a  most  religious  person,  and  that  I  had  only 
to  follow  him  and  be  happy.  Thus,  with  fine  words, 
and  fair  speeches,  my  simple  heart  was  beguiled.  This 
book  was  always  in  my  hand  :  I  read  it  till  I  could  very 
nearly  repeat  the  Rhapsody  verbatim  from  beginning  to 
end.  No  immediate  effect  followed  ;  but  it  operated 
like  a  slow  poison,  and  prepared  the  way  for  all  that 
followed. 

This  letter  brings  my  history  down  to  December 
1742.  I  was  then  lately  returned  from  a  voyage  ;  and 
my  father  not  intending  me  for  the  sea  again,  was  think- 
ing how  to  settle  me  in  the  world  :  but  I  had  little  life 
or  spirit  for  business ;  I  knew  but  little  of  men  and 
things,  I  was  fond  of  a  visionary  scheme  of  a  con- 
templative life,  a  medley  of  religion,  philosophy,  and 
indolence  ;  and  was  quite  averse  to  the  thoughts  of  an 
industrious  application  to  business.     At  length  a  mer- 

VOL.  I.  T)  ^ 


r 


18  Journey  to  Kent.  Let.  3. 

chant  in  Liverpool,  an  intimate  friend  of  my  father's 
(to  wliom,  as  the  instrument  of  God's  goodness,  I  have 
since  been  chiefly  indebted  for  all  my  earthly  comforts,) 
proposed  to  send  me  for  some  years  to  Jamaica,  and 
to  charge  himself  with  the  care  of  my  future  fortune.  I 
consented  to  this  ;  and  every  thing  was  prepared  for  my 
voyage.  I  was  upon  the  point  of  setting  out  the  fol- 
lo^ving  week.  In  the  mean  time  my  father  sent  me  on 
some  business  to  a  place  a  few  miles  beyond  i\Iaidstone 
in  Kent ;  and  this  little  journey,  which  was  to  have 
been  only  for  three  or  four  days,  occasioned  a  sudden 
and  remarkable  turn,  which  roused  me  from  the  ha- 
bitual  indolence  I  had  contracted,  and  gave  rise  to  the 
series  of  uncommon  dispensations,  of  which  you  desire 
a  more  particular  account.  So  true  it  is,  that  "  the 
"  way  of  man  is  not  in  himself;  it  is  not  in  man  that 
"  walketh  to  direct  his  steps." 

1  am  affectionately, 
January  13,  11  Go.  Yours  in  the  best  bonds. 


LETTER  III. 

Dear  Sir, 

FEW  days  before  my  intended  journey  into  Kent, 
I  received  an  invitation  to  visit  a  family  in  that  county. 
They  were  distant  relations,  but  very  intimate  friends 
of  my  dear  mother.  She  died  in  their  house;  but  a  cool- 
ness took  place  upon  my  father's  second  marriage,  and 
I  had  heard  nothing  of  them  for  many  years.  As  my 
road  lay  within  half  a  mile  of  their  house,  1  obtained 
my  father's  leave  to  call  on  them.  I  was,  however,  ve- 
ry indifferent  about  it,  and  sometimes  thought  of  pass- 


Let.  3.  Joiirneij   to   Kent.  19 

inn-  on  :  Iiovvcver,  I  went.  I  was  known  at  first  sight 
before  I  could  tell  my  name,  and  met  with  the  kind- 
est reception,  as  the  child  of  a  dear  deceased  friend. 
— My  friends  had  two  daughters.  The  eldest,  (as  I 
understood  some  years  afterwards,)  had  been  often  con- 
sidered by  her  mother  and  mine,  as  a  future  wife  for 
me,  from  the  time  of  her  birth.  I  know,  indeed,  that 
intimate  friends  frequently  amuse  themselves  with  such 
distant  prospects  for  their  children,  and  that  they  mis- 
carry much  oftener  than  succeed.  I  do  not  say  that 
my  mother  predicted  what  was  to  happen,  yet  there 
was  something  remarkable  in  the  manner  of  its  taking 
place.  All  intercourse  between  the  families  had  been 
long  broken  oft^;  I  was  going  into  a  foreign  countr}-, 
and  only  called  to  pay  a  hasty  visit ;  and  this  I  should 
not  have  thought  of,  but  for  a  message  received  just 
at  that  crisis,  for  I  had  not  been  invited  at  any  time 
before.  Thus  the  circumstances  were  precarious  in 
the  highest  degree,  and  the  event  was  as  extraordinary. 
Almost  at  the  first  sight  of  this  girl,  (for  she  was  then  un- 
der fourteen,)  I  was  impressed  widi  an  aftertion  for  her, 
which  never  abated  or  lost  its  influence  a  single  moment 
in  my  heait  from  that  hour.  In  degree,  it  actually 
ecjualled  all  that  tiie  writers  of  romance  have  imagined  ; 
in  duration,  it  was  unalterable.  I  soon  lost  all  sense  of 
religion,  and  became  deaf  to  the  remonstrances  of  con- 
science and  prudence  ;  but  my  regard  for  her  was  al- 
ways the  same  ;  and  I  may  perhaps  venture  to  say, 
that  none  of  the  scenes  of  misery  and  wickedness  I 
aiterwards  expciienced,  ever  banished  her  a  single 
hour  t02;c*^hcr  from  mv  wakinii  thoui^hts,  for  the  seven 
following  y(  jrs. 

Give  nie  leave,  Sir,  to  reflect  a  little  upon  this  unex- 
pected incident,  and  to  consiclcr  its  influence  upon  my 


20  Journey  to  Kent.  Let.  3. 

future  life,  and  how  far  it  was  subservient  to  the  views 
of  Divine  Providence  concerning  me  :  which  seem  to 
have  been  twofold ;  that  by  being  given  up  for  a  while 
to  the  consequences  of  my  own  wilfulness,  and  after- 
wards reclaimed  by  a  high  hand,  my  case,  so  far  as  it 
should  be  known,  might  be  both  a  warning  and  an  en- 
couragement to  others. 

In  the  first  place,  hardly  any  thing  less  than  this  vio- 
lent and  commanding  passion  would  have  been  sufficient 
to  awaken  me  from  the  dull  melancholy  habit  I  had 
contracted.  I  was  almost  a  misanthrope,  notwith- 
standing I  so  much  admired  the  pictures  of  virtue  and 
benevolence  as  drawn  by  lord  Shaftesbury  ;  but  now 
my  reluctance  to  active  life  was  overpowered  at  once, 
and  I  was  willing  to  be  or  to  do  any  thing  which  \m%\\i 
subserve  the  accomplishment  of  my  wishes  at  some  lu- 
ture  time. 

Further,  when  T  afterwards  made  shipwreck  of  faith, 
hope,  and  conscience,  my  love  to  this  person  was  the 
only  remaining  principle  which  in  any  degree  supplied 
their  place;  and  the  bare  possibility  of  seeing  her 
again,  was  the  only  present  and  obvious  means  of  re- 
straining me  from  the  most  horrid  designs  against  my- 
self and  others. 

But  then  the  ill  effects  it  brought  upon  me  coun- 
terbalanced these  advantages.  The  interval  usually 
styled  the  time  of  courtship,  is  indeed  a  pleasing  part 
of  life,  where  there  is  a  mutual  affection,  the  consent 
of  friends,  a  reasonable  prospect  as  to  settlement, 
and  the  whole  is  conducted  in  a  prudential  manner, 
and  in  subordination  to  the  will  and  fear  of  God, 
When  things  are  thus  situated,  it  is  a  blcssincr  to  be 
susceptive  of  the  tender  passions.  But  vvhen  these  con- 
comitants are  wanting,  what  we  call  love  is  the  most 


Let.  3.  Journey  to  Kent.  21 

tormentincr  passion  in  itself^  and  the  most  destructive 
in  its  consaiuence.s,  that  can  be  named.  And  they 
were  all  wanting  in  my  case.  I  durst  not  mention  it 
to  her  friends,  or  to  my  own,  nor  indeed  for  a  consid- 
erable time  to  herself,  as  I  could  make  no  proposals : 
it  remained  as  a  dark  fire,  locked  up  in  my  own  breast, 
which  gave  me  a  constant  uneasiness.  By  introducing 
an  idolatrous  regard  to  a  creature,  it  greatly  weakened 
my  sense  of  religion,  and  made  further  way  for  the  en- 
trance of  infidel  principles  ;  and  though  it  seemed  to 
promise  great  things,  as  an  incentive  to  diligence  and 
activity  in  life,  in  reality  it  performed  nothing.  I  often 
formed  mighty  projects  in  my  mind  of  wtmt  I  would 
willingly  do  or  suffer  for  the  sake  of  her  1  loved  ;  yet 
while  I  could  have  her  company,  I  was  incapable  of 
forcing  myself  av.  ay,  to  improve  opportunities  that  of- 
fered. Still  less  could  it  do  in  regulating  my  manners. 
It  did  not  prevent  me  from  enga^iini;  in  a  long  train  of 
excess  and  riot,  utterly  unworthy  the  honourable  pre- 
tensions I  had  formed.  And  though,  through  the  won- 
derful interposition  of  Divine  Goodness,  the  maze  of 
my  follies  was  at  length  unravelled,  and  my  wishes 
crowned  in  such  a  manner  as  overpaid  my  sufferings ; 
vet  I  am  sure  I  would  not  go  through  the  same  series 
of  trouble  again,  to  possess  all  the  treasures  of  both 
the  Indies.  I  have  enlarged  more  than  I  intended  on 
this  point,  as  perhaps  these  papers  may  be  useful  to 
caution  others  against  indulging  an  ungovernable  pas- 
sion, by  my  painful  experience.  How  often  may  such 
headstrong  votaries  be  said  "  to  sow  the  wind,  and  to 
"  reap  the  whirlwind  !" 

]\Iy  heart  being  now  fixed  and  riveted  to  a  parti- 
cular object,  I  considered  every  thing  I  was  concerned 
with  in  a  new  lisht.     I  concluded  it  would   be  abso- 


22  Journeij  to  Ktml ,  and'  Let.  3. 

lutely  impossible  to  live  at  such  a  distance  as  Jamaica, 
for. a  term  of  four  or  five  years;  and  therefore  deter- 
mined, at  all  events,  that  I  would  not  go.  I  could 
not  bear  either  to  acquaint  my  father  with  the  true  rea- 
son, or  to  invent  a  false  one  ;  therefore,  without  taking 
any  notice  to  him  why  I  did  so,  I  stayed  three  weeks, 
instead  of  three  days,  in  Kent,  till  I  thought,  (as  it 
proved,)  the  opportunity  would  be  lost,  and  the  ships 
sailed.  I  then  returned  to  London.  I  had  highly  dis- 
pleased my  father  by  this  disobedience  ;  but  he  was 
more  easily  reconciled  than  I  could  have  expected. 
In  a  little  time  I  sailed  with  a  friend  of  his  to  Venice. 
In  this  voyage  I  was  exposed  to  the  company  and  ill 
example  of  the  common  sailors,  among  whom  I  rank- 
ed. Importunity  and  opportunity  presenting  every  day, 
I  once  more  began  to  relax  from  the  sobriety  and  or- 
der which  I  had  observed,  in  some  degree,  for  more 
than  two  years.  I  was  sometimes  pierced  with  sharp 
convictions ;  but  though  I  made  a  few  faint  etforts  to 
stop,  I  never  recovered  from  this  declension,  as  I  had 
done  from  several  before :  I  did  not,  indeed,  as  yet 
turn  out  profligate  ;  but  I  was  making  large  strides  to- 
wards a  total  apostasy  from  God.  The  most  remark- 
able check  and  alarm  I  received,  (and,  for  what  I  know, 
the  last,)  was  by  a  dream,  which  made  a  very  strong, 
though  not  an  abiding  impression  upon  my  mind. 

The  consideration  of  whom  I  am  writing  to,  renders 
it  needless  for  mc  either  to  enter  upon  a  discussion  of 
the  nature  of  dreams  in  general,  or  to  make  an  apo- 
logy for  recording  my  own.  Those  who  acknowledge 
Scripture,  will  allow  that  there  have  been  monitor\- 
and  supernatural  dreams,  evident  conununications  from 
Heaven,  cither  directing  or  foretelling  future  events  : 
and  those  who  are  acquainted  with  the  history  and  ex- 


Let.  3.  Voyao-c  to  Venice^  A'r.  23 

pericnce  of  the  people  of  God,  are  well  assured,  that 
such  intimations  have  not  been  totally  withheld  in  any 
period  down  to  the  present  times.  Reason,  far  from 
contradicting  this  supposition,  strongly  pleads  for  it, 
where  the  process  of  reasoning  is  rightly  understood, 
and  carefully  pursued.  So  that  a  late  eminent  writer*, 
^vho,  I  presume,  is  not  generally  charged  with  enthu- 
siasm, undertakes  to  prove,  that  the  phasnomenon  of 
dreaming  is  inexplicable  at  least,  if  not  absolutely  im- 
possible, without  taking  in  the  agency  and  interven- 
tion of  spiritual  beings,  to  us  invisible.  1  would  refer 
the  incredulous  to  him.  For  my  own  part,  I  can  sav, 
without  scruple,  "  The  dream  is  certain,  ^nd  the  in-  ' 
"  terpretation  thereof  sure."  I  am  sure  I  dreamed  to 
the  following  effect ;  and  I  cannot  doubt,  from  what  I 
have  seen  since,  that  it  had  a  direct  and  easy  applica- 
tion to  my  own  circumstances,  to  the  dangers  in  which 
I  was  about  to  plunge  myself,  and  to  the  unmerited  de- 
liverance and  mercy  which  God  would  be  pleased  to 
afford  me  in  the  time  of  my  distress. 

Though  1  have  wrote  out  a  relation  of  this  dream 
more  than  once  for  others,  it  has  happened  that  I  never 
reserved  a  copy ;  but  the  principal  incidents  are  so 
deeply  engraven  on  my  memory,  that  I  believe  I  am 
not  liable  to  any  considerable  variations  in  repeating 
the  account.  The  scene  presented  to  my  imagination 
w  as  the  harbour  of  Venice,  where  we  had  lately  been, 
I  thought  it  was  night,  and  my  watch  upon  the  deck ; 
and  that,  as  I  was  walking  to  and  fro  by  myself,  a  per- 
son came  to  me,  (I  do  not  remember  from  whence,) 
and  brought  me  a  ring,  with  an  express  charge  to  keep 
it  carefully;  assuring  me,  that  while  1  preserved  that 

•  Baxter  on  the  vis  inerti<e 


24  Jouruejj  to  Kcni,  and  Let.  3. 

ring,  I  should  be  happy  and  successful ;  but  if  I  lost 
or  parted  with  it,  I  must  expect  nothing  but  trouble 
and  misery.  I  accepted  the  present  and  the  terms 
willingly,  not  in  the  least  doubting  my  own  care  to  pre- 
serve it,  and  highly  satisfied  to  have  my  happiness  in  my 
own  keeping.  I  was  engaged  in  these  thoughts,  when 
a  second  person  came  to  me,  and  observing  the  ring  on 
my  finger,  toak  occasion  to  ask  me  some  questions 
concerning  it.  I  readily  told  him  its  virtues ;  and  his 
answer  expressed  a  surprise  at  my  w  eakness,  in  ex- 
pecting such  effects  from  a  ring.  I  think  he  reasoned 
with  me  some  time  upon  the  impossibility  of  the  thing; 
and  at  len^h  urged  me,  in  direct  tcruis,  to  throw  it 
away.  At  first  I  was  shocked  at  the  proposal ;  but  his 
insinuations  prevailed.  I  began  to  reason  and  doubt 
myself;  and  at  last  plucked  it  off  my  finger,  and  drop- 
ped it  over  the  ship's  side  into  the  water :  which  it  had 
no  sooner  touched,  than  I  saw,  the  same  instant,  a  ter- 
rible fire  burst  out  from  a  range  of  the  mountains,  (a 
part  of  the  Alps.)  which  appeared  at  some  distance  be- 
hind the  city  of  Venice.  I  saw  the  hills  as  distinct  as 
if  awake,  and  they  were  all  in  flames.  I  perceived  too 
late  my  folly  ;  and  my  tempter,  with  an  air  of  insult,  in- 
formed me,  that  all  the  mercy  God  had  in  reserve  for 
me  was  comprised  in  that  ring,  which  I  had  wilfully 
thrown  away.  I  understood  that  I  must  now  go  with 
him  to  the  burning  mountains  ;  and  that  all  the  flames 
I  saw  were  kindled  upon  my  account.  I  trembled, 
and  was  in  a  great  agonv;  so  that  it  was  surprising  I 
did  not  then  awake :  but  my  dream  continued  ;  and 
when  I  thought  myself  upon  the  point  of  a  constrained 
departure,  and  stood  self-condemned,  without  plea  or 
hope,  suddenly  either  a  third  person,  or  the  same  who 
brought  the  ring  at  first,  came  to  me,  (I  am  not  certain 


Let.  3.  Voyage  to  Venice^  S^-c.  25 

which,)  and  demanded  the  cause  of  my  grief.  I  told 
him  the  plain  case,  confessing  that  I  had  ruined  myself 
wilfully,  and  deserved  no  pity.  He  blamed  my  rash- 
ness ;  and  asked,  if  I  should  be  wiser  supposing  I  had 
my  ring  again  ?  I  could  hardly  answer  to  this  ;  for  I 
thought  it  was  gone  beyond  recall.  I  believe,  indeed, 
I  had  not  time  to  answer,  before  I  saw  this  unexpected 
friend  go  down  under  the  water,  just  in  the  spot  where 
I  had  dropped  it ;  and  he  soon  returned,  bringing  the 
ring  with  him.  The  moment  he  came  on  board,  the 
flames  in  the  mountains  were  extinguished,  and  my  se- 
ducer left  me.  Then  was  "  the  prey  taken  from  the 
"  hand  of  the  mighty,  and  the  lawful  captive  delivered." 
My  fears  were  at  an  end,  and  with  joy  and  gratitude  I 
approached  my  kind  deliverer  to  receive  the  ring  again  : 
but  he  refused  to  return  it,  and  spoke  to  this  affect : 
"  If  you  should  be  intrusted  with  this  ring  again,  you 
"  would  very  soon  bring  yourself  into  the  same  distress; 
"  you  are  not  able  to  keep  it :  but  I  will  preserve  it  for 
*'  you,  and,  whenever  it  is  needful,  will  produce  it  in 
'^  your  behalf." — Upon  this  I  awoke  in  a  state  of  mind 
not  to  be  described  :  I  could  hardly  eat  or  sleep,  or 
transact  my  necessary  business,  for  two  or  three  days. 
But  the  impression  soon  wore  ofi^,  and  in  a  little  time 
I  totally  forgot  it;  and  I  think  it  hardly  occurred  to  my 
mind  again,  till  several  years  afterwards.  It  will  ap- 
pear, in  the  course  of  these  papers,  that  a  time  came, 
when  I  found  myself  in  circumstances  very  nearly  re- 
sembling those  suggested  by  this  extraordinary  dream, 
when  I  stood  helpless  and  hopeless  upon  the  brink  of 
an  awful  eternity  :  and  I  doubt  not  but,  had  the  eyes 
of  my  mind  been  then  opened,  I  should  have  seen  my 
grand  enemy,  who  had  seduced  me  wilfully  to  renounce 
and  cast  away  mv  relisjious  profession,  and  to  involve 
Vol.  I.     "  ^       E 


2G  Journey  to  Kent,  muI  Let.  3. 

myself  in  the  most  complicated  crimes ;  I  say,  I  should 
probably  have  seen  him  pleased  with  my  agonies,  and 
waiting  for  a  permission  to  seize  and  bear  away  my 
soul  to  his  place  of  torment.  1  should  perhaps  have 
seen  likewise,  that  Jesus,  whom  I  had  persecuted  and 
defied,  rebuking  the  adversary,  challenging  me  for  his 
own,  as  a  brand  plucked  out  of  the  fire,  and  saying, 
"  Deliver  him  from  going  down  to  the  pit;  I  have  found 
"  a  ransom."  However,  though  I  saw  not  these  things^ 
I  found  the  benefit ;  I  obtained  mercy.  The  Lord  an- 
swered for  me  in  the  day  of  my  distress  ;  and,  blessed 
be  his  name,  he  who  restored  the  ring,  (or  what  was 
signified  by  it,)  vouchsafes  to  keep  it.  O  what  an  un- 
speakable comfort  is  this,  that  I  am  not  in  mine  own 
keeping !  "  The  Lord  is  my  shepherd."  I  have  been 
enabled  to  trust  my  all  in  his  hands  ;  and  I  know  in 
whom  I  have  believed.  Satan  still  desires  to  have  me, 
that  he  might  sift  me  as  wheat ;  but  my  Saviour  has 
prayed  for  me,  that  my  faith  may  not  fail.  Here  is 
my  security  and  power ;  a  bulwark  against  which  the 
gates  of  hell  cannot  prevail.  But  for  this,  many  a  time 
and  often,  (if  possible,)  I  should  have  ruined  myself 
since  my  first  deliverance ;  nay,  I  should  fall,  and 
stumble,  and  perish  still,  "after  all  that  the  Lord  has 
done  for  me,  if  his  faithfulness  wasnot  engaged  in  my 
behalf,  to  be  my  sun  and  shield  even  unto  death. — 
"  Bless  the  Lord,  O  my  soul  !" 

Nothing  very  remarkable  occurred  in  the  following 
part  of  that  voyage.  I  returned  home  December 
1 743,  and  soon  after  repeated  my  visit  to  Kent,  where 
I  protracted  my  stay  in  the  same  imprudent  manner 
I  had  done  before  ;  w  hich  again  disappointed  my  fa- 
ther's desiLms  in  my  favour,  and  almost  provoked  him 
to  disown  me.     Before  any  thing  suitable  offered  again, 


Let.  3.  Voyage  to  Venice^  ^-c.  27 

I  was  impressed,  (owing  entirely  to  my  own  thoughtless 
conduct,  which  was  all  of  a  piece,)  and  put  on  board 
a  tender :  it  was  at  a  critical  juncture,  when  the  French 
fleets  were  hovering  upon  our  coast,  so  that  my  father 
was  incapable  to  procure  my  release.  In  a  few  days 
I  was  sent  on  board  the  Harwich  man  of  war  at  the 
Nore :  I  entered  here  upon  quite  a  new  scene  of  life, 
and  endured  much  hardship  for  about  a  month.  My 
father  was  then  willing  that  I  should  remain  in  the 
navy,  as  a  war  was  daily  expected,  and  procured  me  a 
recommendation  to  the  captain,  who  took  me  upon  the 
quarter-deck  as  a  midshipman.  I  had  now  an  easy 
life  as  to  externals,  and  might  have  gained  respect ;  but 
my  mind  was  unsettled,  and  my  behaviour  very  indif- 
ferent. I  here  met  with  companions  who  completed 
the  ruin  of  my  principles ;  and  though  I  affected  to  talk 
of  virtue,  and  was  not  so  outwardly  abandoned  as  af- 
terwards, yet  my  delight  and  habitual  practice  was 
wickedness.  My  chief  intimate  was  a  person  of  ex- 
ceeding good  natural  talents,  and  much  observation ; 
he  was  the  greatest  master  of  what  is  called  the  Jree- 
thinhng  scheme.  I  remember  to  have  met  with,  and 
knew  how  to  insinuate  his  sentiments  in  the  most 
plausible  way. — And  his  zeal  was  equal  to  his  address ; 
he  could  hardly  have  laboured  more  in  the  cause,  if 
he  had  expected  to  gain  heaven  by  it.  Allow  me  to 
add,  while  I  think  of  it,  that  this  man,  whom  I  ho- 
noured as  my  master,  and  whose  practice  I  adopted  so 
eagerly,  perished  in  the  same  Avay  as  I  expected  to 
have  done.  I  have  been  told,  that  he  was  overtaken 
in  a  voyage  from  Lisbon  with  a  violent  storm ;  the  vessel 
and  people  escaped,  but  a  great  sea  broke  on  board, 
and  swept  him  into  eternity. — Thus  tlie  Lord  spares 
or  punishes  according  to  his  sovereign  pleasure ! — But 


28  Journey  to  Kent,  and  Let.  3. 

to  return  :  I  was  fond  of  liis  company;  and  having 
myself  a  smattering  of  books,  was  eager  enouoh  to 
show  my  reading.  He  soon  perceived  my  case,  that 
I  had  not  wholly  broke  through  the  restraints  of  con- 
science, and  therefore  did  not  shock  me  at  first  with 
too  broad  intimations  of  his  design  ;  he  rather,  as  I 
thought,  spoke  favourably  of  religion  :  but  when  he  had 
gained  my  confidence,  he  began  to  speak  plainer ;  and 
perceiving  my  ignorant  attachment  to  the  Characteris- 
tics^ he  joined  issue  with  me  upon  that  book,  and  con- 
vinced me,  that  I  had  never  understood  it.  In  a 
word,  he  so  plied  me  with  objections  and  arguments, 
that  my  depraved  heart  was  soon  gained,  and  I  entered 
into  his  plan  with  all  my  spirit.  Thus,  like  an  unwary 
sailor  who  quits  his  port  just  before  a  rising  storm,  I 
renounced  the  hopes  and  comforts  of  the  Gospel  at  the 
very  time  when  every  other  comfort  was  about  to  fail  me. 

In  December  1744  the  Harwich  was  in  the  Downs, 
bound  to  the  East  Indies.  The  captain  gave  me  liberty 
to  go  on  shore  for  a  day;  but,  -without  consulting  pru- 
dence, or  regarding  consequences,  I  took  horse,  and, 
following  the  dictates  of  my  restless  passion,  I  went  to 
take  a  last  leave  of  her  I  loved.  I  had  little  satisfaction 
in  the  interview,  as  I  was  sensible  that  I  was  taking 
pains  to  multiply  my  own  troubles.  The  short  time  I 
could  stay  passed  Ukc  a  dream ;  and  on  New-year's 
day  1 745  I  took  my  leave,  to  return  to  the  ship.  The 
captain  was  prevailed  on  to  excuse  my  absence  ;  but 
this  rash  step,  (especially  as  it  was  not  the  first  liberty 
of  the  kind  I  had  taken,)  highly  displeased  him,  and 
lost  me  his  favour,  which  I  never  recovered. 

At  length  we  sailed  from  Spithead  with  a  very  large 
fleet.  We  put  into  Torbay  with  a  change  of  wind ; 
but  it  returning  fair  again,  we  sailed  the  next  day.   Se- 


Let  3.  Voyage  to  VeJiice^  S>c.  29 

veral  of  our  fleet  were  lost  in  attempting  to  leave  that 
place;  but  the  following  night  the  whole  fleet  was  greatly 
endangered  upon  the  coast  of  Cornwall,  by  a  storm 
from  the  southward.  The  darkness  of  the  night,  and 
the  number  of  the  vessels,  occasioned  much  confusion 
and  damage.  Our  ship,  though  several  times  in  immi- 
nent danger  of  being  run  down  by  other  vessels,  es- 
caped unhurt;  but  many  suffered  much,  particularly 
the  Admiral.  This  occasioned  our  putting  back  to 
Plymouth. 

While  we  lay  at  Plymouth,  I  heard  that  my  father, 
who  had  interest  in  some  of  the  ships  lately  lost,  was 
come  down  to  Tor  bay.  He  had  a  connexion  at  that 
time  with  the  African  company.  I  thought,  if  I  could 
get  to  him,  he  might  easily  inti-oduce  me  into  that  ser* 
vice,  which  would  be  better  than  pursuing  a  long  un- 
certain voyage  to  the  East  Indies.  It  was  a  maxim 
with  me  in  those  unhappy  days,  Never  to  deliberate  ; 
the  thought  hardly  occurred  to  me,  but  I  was  resolved 
to  leave  the  ship  at  all  events  :  I  did  so,  and  in  the 
wrongest  manner  possible.  I  was  sent  one  day  in  the 
boat,  to  take  care  that  none  of  the  people  deserted  ; 
but  I  betrayed  my  trust,  and  went  oflf  myself  I  knew 
not  what  road  to  take,  and  durst  not  ask,  for  fear  of 
being  suspected  ;  yet  having  some  general  idea  of  the 
country,  I  guessed  right;  and  when  I  had  travelled 
some  miles,  I  found,  upon  inquiry,  that  I  was  on  the 
road  to  Dartmouth.  All  went  smoothly  that  day,  and 
part  of  the  next;  I  walked  apace;  and  expected  to 
have  been  with  my  father  in  about  two  hours,  when 
I  was  met  by  a  small  party  of  soldiers.  I  could  not 
avoid  or  deceive  them.  They  brought  me  back  to 
Plymouth ;  I  walked  through  the  streets  guarded  like 
a  felon — My  heart  was  full  of  indignation,  shame,  and 


30  Journey  to  Kent,  Sec.  Let.  S. 

fear. 1  was  confined  two  days  in  the  guards  house, 

then  sent  on  board  my  ship,  kept  a  while  in  irons, 
then  pu|)licly  stripped  and  wiiipped;  after  which  I  was 
degraded  from  my  office,  and  all  my  former  companions 
forbidden  to  show  me  the  least  favour,  or  even  to  speak 

to  me. As  midshipman  I  had  been  entitled  to  some 

command,  which,  (being  sufficiently  haughty  and  vain,) 

I  had  not  been  backward  to  exert. 1  was  now  in 

my  turn  brought  down  to  a  level  with  the  lowest,  and 
exposed  to  the  insults  of  all. 

And  as  my  present  situation  was  uncomfortable,  my 
future  prospects  were  still  worse ;  the  evils  I  suffered 
were  likely  to  grow  heavier  every  day.  While  my 
catastrophe  was  recent,  the  officers,  and  my  quondam 
brethren,  were  something  disposed  to  screen  me  from 
ill  usage ;  but  during  the  little  time  I  remained  with 
them  afterwards,  I  found  them  cool  very  fast  in  their 
endeavours  to  protect  me.  Indeed  they  could  not  avoid 
it,  without  running  a  great  risk  of  sharing  with  me ; 
for  the  captain,  though  in  general  a  humane  man,  who 
behaved  very  well  to  the  ship's  company,  was  almost  im- 
placable in  his  resentment  when  he  had  been  greatly 
offended,  and  took  several  occasions  to  show  himself 
so  to  me  ;  and  the  voyage  was  expected  to  be,  (as  it 
proved,)  for  five  years.  Yet  I  think  nothing  I  either 
felt  or  feared  distressed  me  so  much  as  to  see  myself 
thus  forcibly  torn  away  from  the  object  of  my  affec- 
tions, under  a  great  improbability  of  seeing  her  again, 
and  a  much  greater  of  returning  in  such  a  manner  as 
would  give  me  hopes  of  seeing  her  mine.  Thus  I  was 
as  miserable  on  all  hands  as  could  well  be  imagined. 
My  breast  was  filled  with  the  most  excruciating  pas- 
sions, eager  desire,  bitter  rage,  and  black  despair. — 
Every  hour  exposed  me  to  some  new  insult  and  hard- 


Let.  4.  Voyage  io  Madeira,   Si-c.  SI 

ship,  with  no  hope  of  relief  or  mitigation  :  no  friend  to 
take  my  part,  or  to  listen  to  my  complaint.  Whether 
I  looked  inward  or  outward,  I  could  perceive  nothing 
but  darkness  and  misery.  I  think  no  case,  except  that 
of  a  conscience  wounded  by  the  wrath  of  God,  could 
be  more  dreadful  than  mine :  I  cannot  express  with 
what  wishfulness  and  regret  I  cast  my  last  looks  upon 
the  English  shore ;  I  kept  my  eyes  fixed  upon  it,  till 
the  ship's  distance  increasing,  it  insensibly  disappeared ; 
and  when  I  could  see  it  no  longer,  I  was  tempted  to 
throw  myself  into  the  sea,  which,  (according  to  the 
wicked  system  I  had  adopted,)  would  put  a  period  to 
all  my  sorrows  at  once.  But  the  secret  hand  of  God 
restrained  me.  Help  me  to  praise  him,  dear  Sir,  for 
his  wonderful  goodness  to  the  most  unworthy  of  all 
his  creatures. 

January  15,  1763.  I  am,  &c. 


LETTER  IV. 
Dear  Sir, 


Ti 


HOUGH  I  desired  your  instructions  as  to  the  man- 
ner and  extent  of  these  memoirs,  I  began  to  write  be- 
fore I  received  them,  and  had  almost  finished  the  pre- 
ceding sheet  when  your  favour  of  the  1 1  th  came  to 
hand.  I  shall  find  another  occasion  to  acknowledge 
my  sense  of  your  kind  expressions  of  friendship,  which 
I  pray  the  Lord  I  may  never  give  you  cause  to  repent 
or  withdraw  :  at  present  I  shall  confine  myself  to  what 
more  particularly  relates  to  the  task  assigned  me.  I 
shall  obey  you.  Sir,  in  taking  notice  of  the  little  inci- 
dents you  recall  to  my  memory,  and  of  others  of  the 


32  Foyage  to  Madeira,  ^-c.  Let.  4i. 

like  nature,  which,  without  your  direction,  I  should 
have  thought  too  trivial,  and  too  much  my  own  to  de- 
serve mentioning.  When  I  began  the  eight  letters,  I 
intended  to  say  no  more  of  myself  than  might  be  ne- 
cessary to  illustrate  the  wonders  of  divine  providence 
and  grace  in  the  leading  turns  of  my  life  ;  but  I  ac- 
count your  judgment  a  sufficient  warrant  for  enlarging 
my  plan. 

Amongst  other  things,  you  desired  a  more  explicit 
account  of  the  state  and  progress  of  my  courtship,  as 
it  is  usually  phrased.  This  was  the  point  in  which  I 
thought  it  especially  became  me  to  be  very  brief;  but  I 
submit  to  you  ;  and  this  seems  a  proper  place  to  resume 
it,  by  telling  you  how  it  stood  at  the  time  of  my  leaving 
England.  When  m)  inclinations  first  discovered  them- 
selves, both  parties  were  so  young,  that  no  one  but 
myself  considered  it  in  a  serious  view.  It  served  for 
tea-table  talk  amongst  our  friends  ;  and  nothing  further 
was  expected  from  it.  But  afterwards,  when  my  pas- 
sion seemed  to  have  abiding  effects,  so  that  in  an  in- 
terval of  two  years  it  was  not  at  all  abated,  and  espe- 
cially as  it  occasioned  me  to  act  without  an}?  regard  to 
prudence  or  interest,  or  my  father's  designs ;  and  as 
there  was  a  coolness  between  him  and  the  family,  her 
parents  began  to  consider  it  as  a  matter  of  consequence ; 
and  when  I  took  my  last  leave  of  them,  her  mother,  at 
the  same  time  she  expressed  the  most  tender  affection 
for  me,  as  if  I  had  been  her  own  child,  told  me  thai 
though  she  had  no  objections  to  make,  upon  a  supposi- 
tion, that  at  a  maturer  age  there  should  be  a  probability 
of  our  engaging  upon  a  prudent  prospect ;  yet  as  things 
then  stood,  she  thought  herself  obliged  to  interfere ; 
and  therefore  desired  I  would  no  more  tliink  of  return- 
ing to  their  house,  unless  her  daughter  was  from  home, 


Let.  4.  Voijage  to  Maderia,  ^-c.  8S 

till  such  time  as  I  coqld  either  prevail  with  myself  en- 
tirely to  give  up  my  pretensions,  or  could  assure  her 
that  I  had  my  father's  e^cpress  consent  to  go  on.  IMuch 
depended  on  Mrs.  N*****'s  part  in  this  affair  ;  it  was 
something  difficult ;  but  though  she  was  young,  gay, 
and  quite  unpractised  in  such  matters,  she  was  directed 
to  a  happy  medium.  A  positive  encouragement,  or  an 
absolute  refusal,  would  have  been  attended  with  equal, 
though  different  disadvantages.  But  without  much 
studying  about  it,  I  found  her  always  upon  her  guard  : 
she  had  penetration  to  see  her  absolute  power  over  me, 
and  prudence  to  make  a  proper  use  of  it ;  she  would 
neither  understand  my  hints,  nor  give  me  room  to 
come  to  a  direct  explanation.  She  has  said  since, 
that  from  the  first  discovery  of  my  regard,  and  long  be- 
fore the  thought  was  agreeable  to  her,  she  had  olten  an 
unaccountable  impression  upon  her  mind,  that  sooner  or 
later  she  should  be  mine.    Upon  these  terms  we  parted. 

I  now  return  to  my  voyage. — During  our  passage 
to  Madeira,  I  was  a  prey  to  the  most  gloomy  thoughts. 
Though  I  had  well  deserved  all  I  met  with,  and  the 
captain  might  have  been  justified  if  he  had  carried  his 
resentment  still  further  ;  yet  my  pride  at  that  time  sug- 
gested that  I  had  been  grossly  injured  :  and  this  so  far 
wrought  upon  my  wicked  heart,  that  I  actually  formed 
designs  against  his  life ;  and  this  was  one  reason  that 
made  me  willing  to  prolong  my  own.  I  was  some- 
times divided  between  the  two,  not  thinking  it  practica- 
ble to  effect  both.  The  Lord  had  now  to  appearance 
given  me  up  to  judicial  hardness  ;  I  was  capable  of  any 
thing.  I  had  not  the  least  fear  of  God  before  my  eyes, 
nor,  (so  far  as  I  remember,)  the  least  sensibility  of  con- 
science. I  was  possessed  of  so  strong  a  spirit  of  delu- 
sion, that  I  believed  my  own  lie,  and  was  firmly  per- 

VoL.  I.  F 


k 


31  Entry  on  board  a  G'uincanuin,  and  Let.  4. 

suaded,  that  after  death  I  should  cease  to  be. — Yet 
the  Lord  preserved  me  ! — Some  intervals  of  sober  re- 
flection would  at  times  take  plate  :  when  I  have  chosen 
death  rather  than  life,  a  ray  of  hope  would  come  in, 
(though  there  was    little  probability  for  such  a  hope,) 
that  I  should  yet  see  better  days  ;  that  I  might  again 
return  to  England,  and  have  my  wishes  crowned,  if  I 
did  not  wilfully  throw  myself  away.     In  a  word,  my 
love  to  Mrs.  N*****  was  now  the  only  restraint  I  had 
left.     Though  I  neither  feared  God,  nor  regarded  men, 
I  could  not  bear  that  she  should  think  meanly  of  mc 
when  I  was  dead.     As  in  the  outw  ard  concerns  of  life, 
the  weakest  means  are  often  employed  by  Divine  Pro- 
vidence to  produce  great  effects,  beyond  their  common 
influence,  (as  when  a  disease,  lor  instance,  has  been 
removed  by  a  fright,)  so  I  found  it  then :  this  single 
thought,  which  had  not  restrained  me  from  a  thousand 
smaller  evils,    proved  my   only  and   effectual  barrier 
against  the  greatest  and  most  fatal  tem})tations.     How 
long  I  could  have  supported  this  conflict,  or  what,  hu- 
manly speaking,  would  have  been  the  consequence  ol 
my  continuing  in  that  situation,  I  cannot  say ;  but  the 
Lord,  whom  1  little  thought  of,  knew  my  danger,  and 
was  providing  for  my  deliverance. 

Two  things  I  had  determined  w  hen  at  Plymouth , 
that  I  would  7wt  go  to  India,  and  that  I  would  go  to 
Guinea  ;  and  such  indeed  was  the  Lord's  \^iU  concern- 
ing me ;  but  they  were  to  be  accomplished  in  his  w  ay, 
not  in  my  own.  We  had  been  now  at  Madeira  some 
time  ;  the  business  of  the  fleet  was  completed,  and  wc 
were  to  sail  the  following  day.  On  that  memorable 
morning  J  was  late  in  bed,  and  had  slept  longer,  but 
that  one  of  the  njidshipmen,  (an  old  coisipanion,)  came 
down,  and,  between  jest  and  earnest,  bid  me  rise  ;  and 


4BI 


Let.  4,  Arrival  in  Africa.  35 

as  I  did  not  immediately  comply  he  cut  down  the  ham- 
mock, or  bed,  in  which  I  lay  ;  which  forced  me  to  dress 
m3'self.  I  was  very  angry,  but  durst  not  resent  it.  I 
was  little  aware  how  much  his  caprice  affected  me  ;  and 
that  this  person,  w ho  had  no  design  in  what  he  did,  was 
the  messenger  of  God's  providence.  I  said  little,  but 
went  upon  deck  ;  where  I  that  moment  saw  a  man  put- 
ting his  clothes  into  a  boat,  who  told  me  he  was  going 
to  leave  us.  Upon  inquiring,  I  was  informed,  that  two 
men,  from  the  Guinea  ship,  which  lay  near  us,  had  en- 
tered on  board  the  Harwich,  and  that  the  commodore, 
(the  present  Sir  George  Pocock,)  had  ordered  the  cap- 
tain to  send  two  others  in  their  room.  !My  heart  in- 
stantly burned  like  fire. 1  begged  the  boat  might  be 

detained  a  few  minutes ;  I  ran  to  the  lieutenants,  and 
entreated  them  to  intercede  with  the  captain  that  I 
might  be  dismissed.  Upon  this  occasion,  though  I  had 
been  formerly  upon  ill  terms  with  these  officers,  and 
had  disobliged  them  all  in  their  turns ;  yet  they  had 
pitied  my  case,  and  were  ready  to  serve  me  now.  The 
captain,  who,  when  we  were  at  Plymouth,  had  refused 
to  exchange  me,  though  at  the  request  of  Admiral  Med- 
ley, was  now  easily  prevailed  on.  I  believe,  in  little 
more  than  half  an  hour  from  my  being  asleep  in  my 
bed,  I  saw  myself  discharged,  and  safe  on  board  an- 
other ship.  This  was  one  of  the  many  critical  turns  of 
life,  in  v>  hich  the  Lord  was  pleased  to  display  his  pro- 
vidence and  care,  by  causing  many  unexpected  circum- 
stances to  concur  in  almost  an  instant  of  time.  These 
sudden  opportunities  were  several  times  repeated  ;  each 
of  them  broudit  me  into  an  entire  new  scene  of  action, 
and  they  were  usually  delayed  to  almost  the  last  mo- 
ment in  which  they  could  have  taken  place. 

The  ship  I  went  on  board  was  bound  to  Sierra  Ixone. 


36  Entni  on  hoard  a  Gnineaman^  and  Let.  4-. 

and  the  adjacent  parts  of  what  is  called  the  JVlndivard 
Coast  oj  Ajrica.  The  commander,  I  found,  was  ac- 
quainted with  my  father ;  he  received  me  very  kindly, 
and  made  fair  professions  of  assistance  ;  and  I  believe 
he  would  have  been  my  friend :  but  without  making 
the  least  advantage  of  former  mistakes  and  troubles,  I 
pursued  the  same  course ;  nay,  if  possible,  I  acted 
much  worse.  On  board  the  Harwich,  though  my  prin- 
ciples were  totally  corrupted,  yet,  as  upon  my  first 
going  there  I  was  in  some  degree  staid  anti  serious,  the 
remembrance  of  this  made  nie  ashamed  of  breaking 
out  in  that  notorious  manner  I  could  otherwise  have 
indulged.  But  now,  enterintj  amongst  strangers,  I 
could  appear  without  disguise ;  and  I  well  remember, 
that  while  I  was  passing  from  the  one  ship  to  the  other, 
this  was  one  reason  why  I  rejoiced  in  the  exchange, 
and  one  reiiection  I  made  upon  the  occasion,  viz.  "  That 
"  I  now  might  be  as  abandoned  as  I  pleased,  without 
"any  control;"  and  from  this  time  I  was  exceedingly 
vile  indeed,  little  if  any  thing  short  of  that  animated 
description  of  an  almost  irrecoverable  state,  which  we 
have  in  2  Pet.  ii.  14.  I  not  only  sinned  Avith  a  high 
hand  myself,  but  made  it  my  study  to  tempt  and  se- 
duce others  upon  every  occasion  ;  nay,  I  eagerly  sought 
occasion,  sometimes  to  my  own  hazard  and  hurt.  One 
natural  consequence  of  this  carriage  was,  a  loss  of  the 
favour  of  my  new  captain  ;  not  that  he  was  at  all  reli- 
gious, or  disliked  my  wickedness  any  further  than  it  af- 
fected his  interest,  but  I  became  careless  and  disobe- 
dient:  I  did  not  please  him,  because  I  did  not  intend 
it ;  and  as  he  was  a  man  of  an  odd  temper  likewise,  we 
the  more  easilv  disagreed.  Jjesides,  I  had  a  little  of 
that  unlucky  wit,  wiiieh  can  do  little  more  than  multi- 
ply troubles  and  enemies  to  its  possessor;  and,  upon 


^ 


Let.  4.  Arrival  in  Africa.  37 

some  imagined  affront,  I  made  a  song,  in  -which  I  ri- 
diculed his  ship,  his  designs,  and  his  person,  and  soon 
taught  it  to  the  whole  ship's  company.  Such  was  the 
ungrateful  return  I  made  for  his  ofl'ers  of  friendship 
and  protection.  I  had  mentioned  no  names  ;  but  the 
allusion  was  plain  ;  and  he  was  no  stranger  either  to 

the  intention  or  the  author. -I  shall  say  no  more  of 

this  part  of  my  story ;  let  it  be  buried  in  eternal  si- 
lence.  But  let  me  not  be  silent  from  the   praise  of 

that  grace  w  hicli  could  pardon,  that  blood  which  could 
expiate,  such  sins  as  mine  :  Yea,  "  the  Ethiopian 
"  may  change  his  skin,  and  the  leopard  his  spots," 
since  I,  who  was  the  willing  slave  of  every  evil,  pos- 
sessed with  a  legion  of  unclean  spirits,  have  been 
spared,  and  saved,  and  changed,  to  stand  as  a  monu- 
ment of  his  almighty  power  for  ever. 

Thus  1  went  on  for  about  six  months,  by  which  time 
the  ship  was  preparing  to  leave  the  coast.  A  few  days 
before  she  sailed,  the  captain  died.  I  was  not  upOn 
much  better  terms  with  his  mate,  who  now  succeeded 
to  the  command,  and  had,  upon  some  occasion,  treated 
me  ill.  I  made  no  doubt  but  if  I  went  with  him  to  the 
West-Indies,  he  would  put  me  on  board  a  man  of  war; 
and  this,  from  A\hat  I  had  known  already,  was  more 
dreadful  to  me  than  death.  To  avoid  it,  1  determined 
to  remain  in  Africa ;  and  amused  myself,  w  ith  many 
golden  dreams  that  here  I  should  fmd  an  opportunity 
of  improving  my  fortune. 

There  are  still  upon  that  part  of  the  coast  a  few- 
white  men  settled,  (and  there  were  many  more  at  the 
time  I  was  first  there,)  whose  business  it  was  to  pur- 
chase slaves,  &c.  in  the  rivers  and  country  adjacent, 
and  sell  them  to  the  ships  at  an  advanced  price.  One 
of  these,  who  at  first  landed   in   my  indigent   circum- 


3?5  Hardships  endured  hi  AjYica.  Let.  5. 

stances,  had  acquired  considerable  wealth :  he  had 
lately  been  in  England,  and  was  returning  in  the  vessel 
I  was  in,  of  which  he  owned  a  quarter  part.  His  ex- 
ample impressed  me  with  hopes  of  the  same  success  \ 
and,  upon  condition  of  entering  into  his  service,  I  ob- 
tained my  discharge.  I  had  not  the  precaution  to 
tnake  any  terms,  but  trusted  to  his  generosity.  I  re- 
ceived no  compensation  for  my  time  on  board  the  ship, 
but  a  bill  upon  the  owners  in  England ;  which  was 
never  paid,  for  they  failed  before  my  return.  The  day 
the  vessel  sailed,  I  landed  upon  the  island  of  Benanoes, 
with  little  more  than  the  clothes  upon  my  back,  as  if  I 
had  escaped  shipwreck. 

January  17,  1763.  I  am,  &c. 


LETTER  V 

Dear  Sir, 


T 


HERE  seems  an  important  instruction,  and  of  fre- 
quent use,  in  tiiese  words  of  our  dear  Lord,  "  Aline 
hour  is  not  yet  come."  The  two  following  years,  of 
which  I  am  now  to  give  some  account,  will  seem  as  an 
absolute  blank  in  a  very  short  life  :  but  as  the  Lord's 
hour  of  grace  was  not  yet  come,  I  was  to  have  still 
deeper  experience  of  the  dreadful  state  of  tlie  heart  of 
man  when  left  to  itself  I  have  seen  frequent  cause 
since  to  admire  the  mercy  of  the  Lord,  in  banishing  me 
to  those  distant  parts,  and  almost  excluding  me  from 
human  society,  at  a  time  when  1  was  big  with  mischief, 
and  like  one  infected  with  the  pestilence,  was  capable  of 
spreading  a  taint  wherever  I  went.  Had  my  affairs 
taken  a  different  turn  ;  had  1  succeeded  in  my  designs,. 


Let.  5.  Hardships  ciidurcd  in  Africa.  39 

and  remained  in  England,  *iny  sad  story  would  proba- 
bly have  been  worse.  Worse  in  myself,  indeed,  I 
could  have  hardly  been ;  but  my  wickedness  would 
have  had  greater  scope  ;  I  might  have  been  very  hurt- 
ful to  others,  and  multiplied  irreparable  evils.  But  the 
Lord  wisely  placed  me  where  I  could  do  little  harm. 
The  few  I  had  to  converse  with,  were  too  much  like 
myself,  and  I  was  soon  brought  into  such  abject  cir- 
cumstances, that  I  was  too  low  to  have  any  influence. 
I  was  rather  shunned  and  despised  than  imitated ;  there 
being  few,  even  of  the  negroes  themselves,  (during  the 
first  year  of  my  residence  among  them,)  but  thought 
themselves  too  good  to  speak  to  me.  I  was  as  yet  an 
-''  outcast  lying  in  my  blood,"  (Ezek.  xvi.)  and,  to  all 
appearance,  exposed  to  perish. But  the  Lord  be- 
held me  with  mercy, — he  did  not  strike  me  to  hell,  as 
I  justly  deserved  ;  "he  passed  by  me  when  I  was  m 
'-'  my  blood,  and  said  unto  me,  Live."  But  the  ap- 
pointed time  for  the  manifestation  of  his  love,  to  cover 
all  my  iniquities  with  the  robe  of  his  righteousness,  and 
to  admit  me  to  the  privileges  of  his  children,  was  not 
till  long  afterwards  :  yet  even  now  he  bid  me  live  ;  and 
I  can  only  ascribe  it  to  his  secret  upholding  power, 
that  what  I  suffered  in  a  part  of  this  interval,  did  not 
bereave  me  either  of  my  lite  or  senses ;  yet,  as  by  these 
sufferings  the  force  of  my  evil  example  and  inclinations 
was  lessened,  I  have  reason  to  account  them  amongst 
my  mercies. 

It  may  not,  perhaps,  be  amiss  to  digress  for  a  few^ 
lines,  and  give  you  a  very  brief  sketch  of  the  geography 
of  the  circuit  1  was  now  confined  to ;  especially  as  I 
may  have  frequent  occasion  to  refer  to  places  I  shall 
now  mention  :  for  my  trade  afteruards,  when  the  Lord 
jjavc  me  to  see  better  davs,  was  chieflv  to  the  same 


4Q  Hardships  endured  in  Africa.  Let.  5. 

places,  and  with  the  same  persons,  ^vhere  and  by  whom 
I  had  been  considered  as  upon  a  level  with  their  mean- 
est slaves.  From  Cape  de  Verd,  the  most  western 
point  of  Africa,  to  Cape  ]\f  ount,  the  whole  coast  is  full 
of  rivers  :  the  principle  are,  Gambio,  Rio  Grande, 
Sierra  Leone,  and  Sherbro.  Of  the  former,  as  it  is  well 
known,  and  I  was  never  there,  I  need  say  nothing. 
The  Rio  Grande,  (like  the  Nile,)  divides  into  many 
branches  near  the  sea.  On  the  most  northerly,  called 
Cacheo,  the  Portuguese  have  a  settlement.  The  most 
southern  branch,  known  by  the  name  of  Rio  Niuia,  is,. 
or  then  was,  the  usual  boundary  of  the  white  men's 
trade  northuard.  Sierra  Leone  is  a  mountainous  pen- 
insula, uninhabited,  and,  I  believe,  inaccessible,  upon 
account  of  the  thick  woods,  excepting  those  parts  which 
lie  near  the  water.  The  river  is  large  and  navigable. 
From  hence,  about  twelve  leagues  to  the  south  east, 
are  three  contiguous  islands,  called  the  Be?iff noes,  about 
twenty  miles  in  circuit ;  this  was  about  the  centre  of  the 
white  men's  residence.  Seven  leagues  further,  the  same 
way,  lie  the  Flantanes,  three  small  islands,  two  miles 
distant  from  the  continent  at  the  point,  which  form  one 
side  of  the  Sherbro.  This  river  is  more  properly  a 
sound,  running  within  a  long  island,  and  receiving  the 
confluence  of  several  large  rivers,  ''  rivers  luikuoxvu  to 
song,''  but  far  more  deeply  engraven  in  my  remem- 
brance than  the  Po  or  Tyber.  The  southernmost  of 
these  has  a  very  peculiar  course,  almost  parallel  to  the 
coast ;  so  that,  in  tracing  it  a  great  many  leagues  up- 
wards, it  will  seldom  lead  one  above  three  miles,  and 
sometimes  not  more  than  half  a  mile  from  the  sea- 
shore. Indeed  I  know  not  but  tliat  all  these  rivers 
may  have  communications  with  each  other,  and  with 
the  sea  in  many  places,  which  I  have  not  remarked. 


I 


Let.  -5.  Hardships  endured  hi  Jfrica.  41 

If  yon  cast  your  eyes  upon  a  large  map  of  Africa  while 
you  are  reading  this,  you  will  have  a  general  idea  of 
the  country  I  was  in  ;  for  though  the  maps  are  very  in- 
correct, most  of  the  places  I  have  mentioned  are  in- 
serted, and  in  the  same  order  as  I  have  named  them. 

My  new  master  had  formerly  resided  near  Cape 
Mount,  but  now  he  settled  at  the  Plantanes,  upon  the 
largest  of  the  three  islands.  It  is  a  low  sandy  island, 
about  two  miles  in  circumference,  and  almost  covered 
with  palm-trees.  We  immediately  began  to  build  a 
house,  and  to  enter  upon  trade.  I  had  now  some  de- 
sire to  retrieve  my  lost  time,  and  to  exert  diligence  in 
what  was  before  me  ;  and  he  was  a  man  with  whom  I 
might  have  lived  tolerably  well,  if  he  had  not  been 
soon  influenced  against  me :  but  he  was  much  under 
the  direction  of  a  black  woman,  who  lived  witli  him  as 
a  wife.  She  was  a  person  of  some  consequence  in  her 
own  country,  and  he  owed  his  first  rise  to  her  interest. 
This  woman,  (I  know  not  for  what  reason,)  was  strange- 
ly prejudiced  against  me  from  the  first ;  and  what  made 
it  still  worse  for  me,  was  a  severe  fit  of  illness,  which 
attacked  me  very  soon,  before  I  had  opportunity  to 
show  what  I  could  or  would  do  in  his  service.  I  was 
sick  when  he  sailed  in  a  shallop  to  Rio  Nuna,  and  he 
left  me  in  her  hands.  At  first  I  was  taken  some  care 
of;  but  as  I  did  not  recover  very  soon,  she  grew 
weary,  and  entirely  neglected  me.  I  had  sometimes 
not  a  little  difficulty  to  procure  a  draught  of  cold  water 
when  burning  with  a  fever.  My  bed  was  a  mat  spread 
upon  a  board  or  chest,  and  a  log  of  wood  my  pillow. 
When  my  fever  left  me,  and  my  appetite  returned,  I 
would  gladly  have  eaten,  but  there  was  no  one  gave 
unto  me.  She  lived  in  plenty  herself,  but  hardly  al- 
lowed me  sufficient  to  sustain  life,    except  now  and 

Vol.  I.  G 


4'^  Hardships  cndand  in  AJrica.  Let.  5. 

then,  Mhen,  in  the  liighest  good  humour,  she  would 
send  me  victuals  in  her  own  plate  after  she  had  dined  ; 
and  this,  (so  greatly  was  my  pride'humbled,)  I  received 
M  ith  thanks  and  eagerness^  as  the  most  needy  beggar 
does  an  alms.  Once,  I  well  remember,  I  was  called  to 
receive  this  bounty  from  her  own  hand  ;  but  being  ex- 
ceedingly weak  and  feeble,  I  dropped  the  plate.  Those 
who  live  in  plenty  can  hardly  conceive  how  this  loss 
touched  me ;  but  she  had  the  cruelty  to  laugh  at  my 
disappointment;  and  though  the  tal)le  Avas covered  M'ith 
dishes,  (for  she  lived  much  in  the  European  manner,) 
she  refused  to  give  me  any  more.  My  distress  has 
been  at  times  so  great,  as  to  com})el  me  to  go  by  night, 
and  pull  up  roots  in  the  plantation,  (though  at  the  risk 
of  being  punished  as  a  thief,)  which  I  have  eaten  raw 
upon  the  spot,  for  fear  of  discovery.  The  roots  I 
speak  of  are  very  Avholesome  food,  when  boiled  or  roast- 
ed ;  but  as  unfit  to  be  eaten  raw  in  any  quantity  as  a 
potatoe.  The  consequence  of  this  diet,  which,  after  the 
first  experiment,  I  always  expected,  and  seldom  missed, 
was  the  same  as  if  I  had  taken  tartar  emetic ;  so  that 
1  nave  often  returned  as  empty  as  I  went ;  yet  neces- 
sity urged  me  to  repeat  the  trial  several  times.  I  have 
sometimes  been  relieved  by  strangers  ;  nay,  even  by 
the  slaves  in  the  chain,  who  have  secretly  brought  me 
\'ictuals,  (for  they  durst  not  be  seen  to  do  it,)  from  their 
own  slender  })ittance.  Next  to  pressing  want,  nothing 
sits  harder  upon  the  mind  than  scomi  and  contempt ;  and 
of  this  likewise  I  had  an  abundant  measure.  When 
I  was  very  slowly  recovering,  this  woman  would  some- 
times pay  me  a  visit,  not  to  pity  or  relieve,  but  to  in 
suit  me.  She  would  call  me  worthless  and  indolent, 
and  compel  me  to  walk  ;  which,  when  I  could  hardly 
do,  she  would  set  her  attendants  to  mimic  my  motion. 


I 


Let.  o.  Ho.rdships  cmlnrcd  in  Africa.  4ii 

to  clap  their  hands,  laugh,  throw  limes  at  me  ;  or,  it 
they  chose  to  throw  stones,  (as  I  think  m  as  the  case 
once  or  twice,)  they  were  not  rebuked  :  but,  in  general, 
though  all  who  depended  on  her  favour  must  join  in  her 
treatment,  \-et,  when  she  was  out  of  sight,  I  v»as  rather 
pitied  than  scorned  by  the  meanest  of  her  slaves.     At 
length  my  master  returned  from  his  voyage.     I  com- 
plained of  ill  usage  ;  but  he  could  not  believe  me  :  and 
as  I  did  it  in  her  hearing,  I  fared  no  better  for  it.    But 
in  his  second  voyage  he  took  me  with  him.     We  did 
pretty  well  for  a  while,  till  a  brother-trader  he  met  in 
the  river  persuaded  him  that  I  was  unfaithful,  and  stole 
his  o;oods  in  the  night,  or  when  he  was  on  shore.    This 
was  almost  the  only  vice  I  could  not  be  justly  charged 
with:  the  only  remains  of  a  good  education  I  could 
boast  of,  was  what  is  commonly  called  honesty ;  and,  as 
far  as  he  had  intrusted  me,  I  had  been  always  true  ; 
and  though  my  great  distress  might,  in  some  measure, 
have  excused  it,  I  never  once  thought  of  defrauding 
him  in  the  smallest  matter.     However,  the  charge  was 
believed,  and  I  condemned  without  evidence.     Fmin 
that  time  lie  like^\  ise  used  me  very  hardly :  when^Hr 
he  left  the  vessel,  I  was  locked  upon  deck,  with  a  pint 
of  rice  for  my  day's  allo'tvance  ;  and,  if  he  staid  longer, 
I  had  no  relief  till   his  return.     Indeed,  I  believe  I 
should  have  been  nearly  starved,  but  for  an  opportunity 
of  catching  fish  sometimes.     When  fowls  were  killed  for 
his  own  use,  1  seldom  was  allowed  any  part  but  the  en- 
trails to  bait  my  hooks  with  :  and  at  \\  hat  we  call  slack 
xcater,  that  is,  about  the  changing  of  the  tides,  when 
the  current  was  still,  I  used  generally  to  fish,  (for  at 
other  times  it  was  not  practicable,)  and  I  very  often 
succeeded.     If  I  saw  a  fish  upon  my  hook,  my  joy  was 
Jittie  less  than  any  other  person  mav  have  found  in  the 


4j4  llardsJiips  enduvcd  in  Africa.  Lei.  5. 

accomplishment  of  the  scheme  he  had  most  at  heart. 
Such  a  fish,  hastily  broiled,  or  rather  half  burnt,  with- 
out sauce,  salt,  or  bread,  has  afforded  me  a  delicious 
meal.  If  I  caught  none,  I  might,  (if  I  could,)  sleep 
away  my  hunger  till  the  next  return  of  slack  water,  and 
then  try  again.  Nor  did  I  suffer  less  from  the  inclemency 
of  the  weather,  and  the  want  of  clothes.  The  rainy 
season  was  now  advancing ;  my  whole  suit  was  a  shirt, 
a  pair  of  trowsers,  a  cotton  handkerchief  instead  of  a 
cap,  and  a  cotton  cloth,  about  two  yards  long,  to  sup- 
ply the  want  of  upper  garments  :  and,  thus  accoutred, 
I  have  been  exposed  for  twenty,  thirty,  perhaps  near 
forty  hours  together,  in  incessant  rains,  accompanied 
■with  strong  gales  of  wind,  without  the  least  shelter, 
when  my  master  was  on  shore.  I  feel  to  this  day 
some  faint  returns  of  the  violent  pains  I  then  con- 
tracted. The  excessive  cold  and  wet  I  endured  in 
that  voyage,  and  so  soon  after  I  had  recovered  from 
a  long  sickness,  quite  broke  my  constitution,  and  my 
spirits.  The  latter  were  soon  restored  ;  but  the  effects 
of  the  former  still  remain  with  me,  as  a  needful  me- 
vimto  of  the  service  and  wages  of  sin. 

In  about  two  months  we  returned ;  and  then  the 
Test  of  the  time  I  remained  with  him  was  chiefly  spent 
at  the  Plantanes,  under  the  samiC  regimen  as  I  have  al- 
ready mentioned.  JMy  haughty  heart  was  now  brought 
down ;  not  to  a  wholesome  repentance,  not  to  the  lan- 
guage of  the  prodigal;  this  was  far  Irom  me  ;  but  my 
spirits  were  sunk;  I  lost  all  resolution,  and  almost  all  re- 
flection. I  had  lost  the  fierceness  which  fired  me  when 
on  board  the  Harwich,  and  which  made  me  capable  of 
the  most  desperate  attempts ;  but  I  was  no  further 
changed  than  a  tyger  tamed  by  hunirer; — remove  the  ■ 
occasion,  and  he  will  be  as  wild  as  ever. 


Let.  6.  EnlargemcJit  in  Jfrica.        '  4:b 

One  thing,  though  strange,  is  most  true.  Though 
destitute  of  food  and  clothing,  depressed  to  a  degree 
beyond  common  wretchedness,  I  could  sometimes  col- 
lect mv  mind  to  mathematical  studies.  I  had  bought 
Borrow  s  Euclid  at  Plymouth  ;  it  was  the  only  volume 
I  brought  on  shore  ;  it  was  always  with  me,  and  I  used 
to  take  it  to  remote  corners  of  the  island  by  the  sea- 
side, and  draw  m.y  diagrams  with  a  long  stick  upon  the 
sand  -Thus  I  often  beguiled  my  sorrows,  and  almost 
forgot  my  feeling ; — and  thus,  without  any  other  assist- 
ance, I  made  myself  in  a  good  measure  master  of  the 
first  six  books  of  Euclid. 

January  1 7,   1 7Q^.  I  am,  &c. 


LETTER  VL 
Dear  Sir, 


T 


HERE  is  much  piety  and  spirit  in  the  grateful  ac- 
knowledgment of  Jacob,  "  With  my  staff  I  passed 
"  over  this  Jordan,  and  now  I  am  become  two  bana^." 
These  are  words  which  ought  to  affect  me  with  a  pecu- 
liar emotion.  I  remember  that,  some  of  those  mourn- 
ful days  to  which  my  last  letter  refers,  I  was  busied  in 
planting  Ume  or  lemon  trees.  The  plants  I  put  in  the 
ground  were  no  longer  than  a  young  gooseberry-bush  : 
my  master  and  his  mistress  passing  by  my  place,  stopped 
a  while  to  look  at  me  :  at  last,  "  Who  knows,"  says  he, 
"  who  knows  but  by  the  time  these  trees  grow  up  and 
"  bear,  you  may  go  home  to  England,  obtain  the  com- 
"  mand  of  a  ship,  and  return  to  reap  the  fruit  of  your 
*^  labours  ?  We  see  strange  things  sometimes  happen." 
This,  as  he  intended  it,  was  a  cuttina;  sarcasm.     I  be- 


4G  Enlargement  in  Africa.  Let.  6. 

lieve  he  thought  it  full  as  probable  that  I  should  live  to 
be  king  of  Poland.  Yet  it  proved  a  prediction,  and 
they,  (one  of  them  at  least,)  lived  to  see  me  return  from 
England,  in  the  capacity  he  had  mentioned,  and  pluck 
some  of  the  first  limes  from  those  very  trees.  How 
can  I  proceed  in  my  relation,  till  I  raise  a  monument 
to  the  divine  goodness,  by  comparing  the  circumstances 
in  which  the  Lord  has  since  placed  me,  with  what  I  was 
at  that  time !  Had  you  seen  me.  Sir,  then  go  so  pen- 
sive and  solitary,  in  the  dead  of  night,  to  wash  my  one 
shirt  upon  the  rocks,  and  afterwards,  put  it  on  wet  that 
it  might  dry  upon  my  back  w  hile  I  slept ;  had  you  seen 
me  so  poor  a  figure,  that  when  a  ship's  boat  came  to 
the  island,  shame  often  constrained  me  to  hide  myself 
in  the  woods  from  the  sight  of  strangers ;  especially 
had  you  known  that  my  conduct,  principles,  and  heart, 
were  still  darker  than  my  outward  condition  ;  how  little 
would  you  have  imagined  that  one  who  so  fully  an- 
swered to  the  ru7>;To»  Kat  ^uiVav":?,-*  of  the  apostlc,  was  re- 
served to  be  so  peculiar  an  instatice  of  the  providential 
cjjK  and  exuberant  goodness  of  God.  There  was  at 
tHR  time  but  one  earnest  desh'e  in  my  heart  which  was 
not  contrary  and  shocking  both  to  religion  and  reason  : 
that  one  desire,  though  my  vile  licentious  life  rendered 
me  peculiarly  unworthy  of  success,  and  though  a  thou- 
sand difficulties  seemed  to  render  it  impossible,  the 
Lord  was  pleased  to  gratify.  But  this  favour,  though 
great,  and  greatlv  [)rized,  was  a  small  thing,  compared 
to  the  blessings  of  his  grace  :  he  spared  me,  to  give  me 
"'  the  knowledge  of  himself  in  the  person  of  Jesus 
*'  Christ.''  In  love  to  my  soul,  he  delivered  me  from 
the  pit  of  corruption,  and  cast  all  my  aggravated  sins 

•  Hateful,  and  hating  one  another. 


I,et.  6.  Enlargement  in  AjYica.  4:7 

behind  his  back.     He  brought  my  feet  into  the  paths 

of  peace. This  is  indeed  the  chief  article,  but  it  is 

not  the  whole.  When  he  made  me  acceptable  to 
himself  in  the  Beloved,  he  gave  me  favour  in  the  sight  of 
others.  He  raised  me  new  friends,  protected  and  guid- 
ed me  through  a  long  series  of  dangers,  and  crowned 
every  day  with  repeated  mercies.  To  him  1  owe  it  that 
I  am  still  alive,  and  that  I  am  not  still  living  in  hunger 
and  in  thirst,  and  in  nakedness,  and  the  Avant  of  all 
things  :  into  that  state  I  brought  myself :  but  it  was  He 
delivered  me.  He  has  given  me  an  easy  situation  in 
life,  some  experimental  knovvledge  of  his  gospel,  a  large 
■acquaintance  amongst  his  people,  a  friendship  and  cor- 
respondence vvith  several  of  his  most  honoured  ser- 
vants.— But  it  is  as  difficult  to  enumerate  my  present 
advantages,  as  it  is  fully  to  describe  the  evils  and  mise- 
ries of  the  preceding  contrast. 

I  know  not  exactly  how  long  things  continued  with 
me  thus,  but  I  believe  near  a  twelvemonth.  In  this 
interval  I  wrote  two  or  three  times  to  my  father :  I 
gave  him  an  account  of  my  condition,  and  desired  lus 
assistance ;  intimating,  at  the  same  time,  that  I  had  re- 
solved not  to  return  to  England  unless  he  was  pleased 
to  send  to  me.  I  have  likevvise  by  me  letters  wrote  to 
]Mrs.  N****  in  that  dismal  period ;  so  that  at  the  lowest 
ebb,  it  seems  I  still  retained  a  hope  of  seeing  her  again. 
My  father  applied  to  his  friend  in  Liverpool,  of  whom 
I  have  spoken  before  ;  who  gave  orders  accordingly  to 
a  captain  of  his,  who  was  then  fitting  out  for  Gambia 
and  Sierra  Leone. 

Sometime  within  the  year,  as  I  have  said,  I  obtained 
my  master's  consent  to  live  with  another  trader,  who 
dwelt  upon  the  same  island.  Without  his  consent  I 
could  not  he  taken ;  and  he  was  unwilling  to  do  it 


48  Enlarg^me7U  in  Africa.  Let.  6. 

sooner ;  but  it  was  then  brought  about.  This  was  an 
alteration  much  to  my  advantage  :  1  was  soon  decently 
•  clothed,  lived  in  plenty,  was  considered  as  a  companion, 
and  trusted  with  the  care  of  all  his  domestic  effects, 
which  were  to  the  amount  of  some  thousand  pounds. 
This  man  had  several  factories,  and  white  servants,  in 
dif^^erent  places  ;  particularly  one  in  Kittam,  the  river  1 
spoke  of,  which  runs  so  near  along  the  sea- coast.  I  was 
soon  appointed  to  go  there,  where  I  had  a  share  in  the 
management  of  business,  jointly  with  another  of  iiis  ser- 
vants. We  lived  as  we  pleased,  business  flourished, 
and  our  employer  was  satisfied.  Here  I  began  to  be 
wretch  enough  to  think  myself  happy.  There  is  a  sig- 
nificant phrase  frequently  used  in  those  parts,  That 
such  a  white  man  is  grown  black.  It  does  not  intend 
an  alteration  of  complexion,  but  disposition.  I  have 
known  several,  who,  settling  in  Africa  after  the  age  of 
thirty  or  forty,  have,  at  that  time  of  life,  been  gradually 
assimilated  to  the  tempers,  customs,  and  ceremonies, 
of  the  natives,  so  far  as  to  prefer  that  country  to  Kng- 
l^d  :  they  have  even  become  dupes  to  all  the  pretended 
charms,  necromancies,  amulets,  and  divinations  of  the 
blinded  negroes,  and  put  more  trust  in  such  things  than 
the  wiser  sort  among  the  natives.  A  part  of  this  spirit 
of  infatuation  was  growing  upon  me,  (in  time  perhaps 
I  might  have  yielded  to  the  whole ;)  I  entered  into 
closer  engagements  with  the  inhabitants  ;  and  should 
have  lived  and  died  a  wretch  amongst  them,  if  the  Lord 
had  not  watched  over  me  for  good.  Not  that  I  had  lost 
those  ideas  which  chiefly  engaged  my  heart  to  England, 
but  despair  of  seeing  them  accomplished  made  me  will- 
ing to  remain  where  I  was.  I  thought  I  could  more 
easily  bear  the  disappointment  in  this  situation  than 
nearex  home.     But  so  soon  as  I  had  lixcd  my  connec- 


Let.  G.  Enlargement  in  Africa.  49 

tions  and  plans  with  these  views,  the  Lord  providentially 
interposed  to  break  them  in  pieces,  and  save  me  from 
ruin  in  spite  of  myself. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  ship  that  had  orders  to  bring 
me  home  arrived  at  Sierra  Leone.  The  captain  made 
inquiry  for  me  there,  and  at  the  Benanoes  ;  but  under- 
standing that  I  vvas  at  a  great  distance  in  the  country, 
he  thought  no  more  about  me.  Without  doubt,  the 
hand  of  God  directed  my  being  placed  at  Kittam  just 
at  this  time ;  for  as  the  ship  came  no  nearer  than  the 
Benanoes,  and  staid  but  a  few  days,  if  I  had  been  at 
the  Plantanes,  I  could  not  perhaps  have  heard  of  her 
till  she  had  been  sailed.  The  same  must  have  certainly 
been  the  event  had  I  been  sent  to  any  other  factory,  of 
which  my  new  master  had  several  upon  different  rivers. 
But  though  the  place  I  was  at  was  a  long  way  up  a 
river,  much  more  than  a  hundred  miles  distance  from 
the  Plantanes  ;  yet,  by  the  peculiar  situation  which  I 
have  already  noticed,  I  was  still  within  a  mile  of  the 
sea-coast.  To  make  the  interposition  more  remarka- 
ble, I  was  at  that  very  juncture  going  in  quest  of  trade, 
to  a  place  at  some  distance  directly  from  the  sea ;  and 
should  have  set  out  a  day  or  two  before,  but  that  we 
waited  for  a  few  articles  from  the  next  ship  that  offered, 
to  complete  the  assortment  of  goods  I  was  to  take  with 
me.  ^ye  used  sometimes  to  walk  on  the  beach,  in  ex- 
pectation of  seeing  a  vessel  pass  by  ;  but  this  was  very 
precarious,  as  at  that  time  the  place  was  not  at  all  re- 
sorted to  by  ships  for  trade.  Many  passed  in  the  night, 
others  kept  at  a  considerable  distance  from  the  shore. 
In  a  word,  I  do  not  know  that  any  one  had  stopped 
while  I  was  there,  though  some  had  before,  upon  ob- 
serving a  signal  made  froin  the  shore.  In  February 
1747,  (I  know  not  the  exact  day.)  mv  fellow-servant 

Vol.  I.  H         ' 


50  Enlargement  171  Africa.  Let.  6, 

walking  down  to  the  beach  in  the  forenoon,  saw  a  vessel 
sailing  past,  and  made  a  smoke  in  token  of  trade.  She 
was  ah'eady  a  little  beyond  the  place  ;  and  as  the  wind 
was  fair,  the  captain  was  in  some  demur  whether  to 
stop  or  not.  However,  had  my  companion  been  half 
an  hour  later,  she  would  have  been  gone  beyond  recall ; 
but  he  soon  saw  her  come  to  an  anchor,  and  went. on 
board  in  a  canoe  ;  and  this  proved  the  very  ship  I 
have  spoken  of  One  of  the  first  questions  he  was 
asked  was  concerning  me;  and  when  the  captain  under- 
stood I  was  so  near,  he  came  on  shore  to  deliver  his 
message.  Had  an  invitation  from  home  readied  me 
when  I  was  sick  and  starving  at  the  Plantanes,  I  should 
have  received  it  as  life  from  the  dead  ;  but  now,  for  the 
reasons  already  given,  1  heard  it  at  first  with  indiffer- 
ence. The  captain,  unwilling  to  lose  me,  told  a  story 
altogether  of  his  own  framing:  he  gave  me  a  very  plau- 
sible account  how  he  had  missed  a  large  packet  of  let- 
ters and  papers  which  he  should  have  brought  with 
him  ;  but  this,  he  said,  he  was  sure  of,  having  had  it 
from  my  father's  own  mouth,  as  well  as  from  his  em- 
ployer, that  a  person  lately  tlead  had  left  me  oL'400 
per  annum  ;  adding  further,  that  if  1  was  any  way  em- 
barrassed in  my  circumstances,  be  had  express  orders 
to  redeem  me,  though  it  should  cost  one  half  of  his 
cargo.  Every  particular  of  this  was  false  ;  nor  could 
I  myself  believe  what  he  said  about  the  estate  ;  but  as 
I  had  some  expectations  from  an  aged  relation,  I 
thought  a  part  of  it  might  be  true.  But  I  was  not 
long  in  suspense  :  for  though  my  fc*^l:er's  care  and  de- 
sire to  see  me  had  too  little  weight  w  ith  me,  and  would 
have  been  insufficient  to  make  me  quit  my  retreat ;  yet 
the  remembrance  of  Mrs.  N *****,  the  hopes  of  seeing 
tier,  and  the  possibility  that  accepting  this  offer  might 


Let.  6.  Enkirgement  in  Africa.  51 

once  more  put  me  in  a  way  of  gaining  her  hand,  pre- 
vailed over  all  other  considerations.  The  captain  further 
promised,  (and  in  this  he  kept  his  word,)  that  I  should 
lodge  in  his  cabin,  dine  at  his  table,  and  be  his  constant 
companion,  without  expecting  any  service  from  me. 
And  thus  I  was  suddenly  freed  from  a  captivity  of 
about  fifteen  months.  I  had  neither  a  thought  nor  a 
desire  of  this  change  one  hour  before  it  took  place.  I 
embarked  with  him,  and  in  a  few  hours  lost  sight  of 
Kittam. 

How  much  is  their  blindness  to  be  pitied,  who  can 
see  nothinc  but  chance  in  events  of  this  sort !  so  blind 
and  stupid  was  I  at  that  time  :  I  made  no  reflection, 
I  sought  no  direction  in  what  had  happened :  like  a 
wave  of  the  sea  driven  with  the  wmd,  and  tossed,  I 
was  governed  by  present  appearances,  and  looked  no 
further.  But  he  who  is  eyes  to  the  blind,  was  leading 
me  in  a  way  that  I  knew  not. 

Now  I  am  in  some  measure  enlightened,  I  can  easily 
perceive,  that  it  is  in  the  adjustment  and  concurrence 
of  these  seemingly  fortuitous  circumstances,  that  the 
ruling  power  and  wisdom  of  God  is  most  evidently  dis- 
played in  human  affairs.  How  many  such  casual  events 
may  we  remark  in  the  history  of  Joseph,  which  had 
each  a  necessary  influence  on  his  ensuing  promotion !  If 
lie  had  not  dreamed,  or  if  he  had  not  told  his  dream  ; 
if  the  ]\Iidianites  had  passed  by  a  day  sooner,  or  a  day 
later  ;  if  they  had  sold  him  to  any  person  but  Potiphar; 
if  his  mistress  had  been  a  better  woman ;  if  Pharaoh's 
officers  had  not  displeased  their  lord  ;  or  if  any  or  all 
these  things  had  fell  out  in  any  other  manner  or  time 
than  they  did  ; — all  that  followed  had  been  prevented ; 
the  promises  and  purposes  of  God  concernins;  Israel, 
their  bondage,  deliverance,  polity,  and  settlement,  must 


32  Voyage  from  Cape  Ixjpezfor  England.       Let.  7. 

have  failed  :  and  as  all  these  things  tended  to  and  cen- 
tred in  Christ,  the  promised  Saviour,  the  desire  of  all 
nations  would  not  have  appeared.  Mankind  had  been 
still  in  their  sins,  without  hope,  and  the  counsels  of 
God's  eternal  love  in  favour  of  sinners  defeated.  Thus 
we  may  see  a  connexion  between  Joseph's  first  dream 
and  the  death  of  our  Lord  Christ,  with  all  its  glorious 
consequences.  So  strong,  though  secret,  is  the  conca- 
tenation betvAeen  the  greatest  and  the  smallest  events. 
What  a  comfortable  thought  is  this  to  a  believer,  to 
know,  that  amidst  all  the  various  interfering  designs  of 
men,  the  Lord  has  one  constant  design,  which  he  can- 
not, vvill  not  miss,  namely,  his  own  glory  in  the  com- 
plete salvation  of  his  people ;  and  that  he  is  wise,  and 
strong,  and  faithful,  to  make  even  those  things  which 
seem  contrary  to  this  design,  subservient  to  promote  it? 
You  have  allowed  me  to  comment  upon  my  own  text ; 
yet  the  length  of  this  observation  may  need  some  apo- 
logy. Believe  me  to  be,  with  great  respect,  &c. 
January  18,  1763. 


LETTER  VIL 

Dear  Sir, 


T 


HE  ship  I  was  now  on  board  as  a  passenger,  was 
on  a  trading  voyage  for  gold,  ivory,  dyers  wood,  and 
bees-wax.  It  requires  much  longer  time  to  collect  a 
cargo  of  this  sort  than  of  slaves.  The  captain  began 
his  trade  at  Gambia,  had  been  already  four  or  five 
months  in  Africa,  and  continued  there  a  year,  or  there- 
abouts, after  I  was  with  him  ;  in  whicli  time  he  ranged 
the  whole  coast  as  far  as  Cape  Lopez,  which  lies  about 
a  degree  south  of  the  equinoctial,  and  more  than  a 


Let.  7         Voyage  from  Cape  Lopez  for  EnglaJid.  53 

thousand  miles  further  from  England  than  the  place 
where  I  embarked.  I  have  little  to  offer  worthy  your 
notice  in  the  course  of  this  tedious  voyage.  I  had  no 
business  to  employ  my  thoughts,  but  sometimes  amus- 
ed myself  with  mathematics  :  excepting  this,  my  whole 
life,  when  awake,  was  a  course  of  most  horrid  impiety 
and  profaneness.  I  know  not  that  I  have  ever  since 
met  so  daring  a  blasphemer :  not  content  with  common 
oaths  and  imprecations,  I  daily  invented  new  ones ;  so 
that  I  Avas  often  seriously  reproved  by  the  captain,  who 
was  himself  a  very  passionate  man,  and  not  at  all  cir- 
cumspect in  his  expressions.  From  the  relation  I  at 
times  made  him  of  my  past  adventures,  and  what  he 
saw  of  my  conduct,  and  especially  towards  the  close  of 
the  voyage,  when  we  met  with  many  disasters,  he  would 
often  tell  me,  that,  to  his  great  grief,  he  had  a  Jonah 
on  board  ;  that  a  curse  attended  me  wherever  I  went; 
and  that  all  the  troubles  he  met  with  in  the  voyage 
were  owing  to  his  having  taken  me  into  the  vessel.  I 
shall  omit  any  further  particulars,  and  after  mentioning 
an  instance  or  two  of  the  Lord's  mercy  to  me,  while  I 
was  thus  defying  his  power  and  patience,  I  shall  pro- 
ceed to  something  more  worthy  your  perusal. 

Although  I  lived  long  in  the  excess  of  almost  every 
other  extravagance,  I  never  was  fond  of  drinking:  and 
my  father  has  often  been  heard  to  say,  that  while  I 
avoided  drunkenness,  he  should  still  entertain  hopes  of 
my  recovery.  But  sometimes  I  u'ould  promote  a  drink- 
ing-bout, for  a  frolic  sake,  as  I  termed  it ;  for  though  I 
did  not  love  the  liquor,  I  was  sold  to  do  iniquity,  and  de- 
lighted in  mischief  The  last  abominable  frolic  of  this 
sort  I  engaged  in  was  in  the  ri\  er  Gabon ;  the  propo- 
sal and  expense  were  my  own.  Four  or  five  of  us  one 
evening  sat  down  upon  deck,  to  see  who  could  hold 


54  Voyage  from  Cape  Lopez  for  England.         Let.  7. 

out  longest  in  drinking  gene\-a  and  rum  alternately : 
a  large  sea-shell  supplied  the  place  of  a  glass.  I  was 
very  unfit  for  a  challenge  of  this  sort ;  for  my  head 
was  always  incapable  of  bearing  much  strong  drink. 
However,  I  began,  and  proposed  the  first  toast,  which 
I  well  remember  was  some  imprecation  against  the 
person  who  should  stat^t  first.  This  proved  to  be  my- 
self. My  brain  was  soon  fired.  I  arose,  and  danced 
about  the  deck  like  a  madman ;  and  while  I  was  thus 
divertin,^  my  companions,  my  hat  went  overboard. — 
By  the  light  of  the  moon,  I  saw  the  ship's  boat,  and 
eagerly  threw  myslf  over  the  side  to  get  into  her,  that 
I  might  recover  my  hat.  ^ly  sight  in  that  circum- 
stance deceived  me ;  for  the  boat  was  not  within  my 
reach,  as  I  thought,  but  perhaps  twenty  feet  from  the 
ship's  side.  I  was,  however  half  overboard,  and 
should  in  one  moment  more  iiave  plunged  myself  into 
the  Avater,  M'hen  somebody  caught  hold  of  my  clothes 
behind,  and  pulled  me  back.  This  was  an  amazing 
escape  :  for  I  could  not  sA\im,  if  I  had  been  sober  ;  the 
tide  ran  very  strong ;  my  companions  were  too  much 
intoxicated  to  save  me  ;  and  the  rest  of  the  ship's  com- 
pany were  asleep.  So  near  was  I  to  appearance  of 
perishing  in  that  dreadful  condition,  and  sinking  into 
eternity  under  the  weight  of  my  own  curse. 

Another  time,  at  Cape  Lopez,  some  of  us  had  been 
in  the  woods,  and  shot  a  buffalo,  or  wild  cow ;  wc 
brought  a  part  of  it  on  board,  and  carefully  marked 
the  place,  (as  I  thought,)  A\here  we  left  the  remainder. 
In  the  evenin2  we  returned  to  fetch  it ;  but  mc  set  out 
too  late.  I  undertook  to  be  the  guide ;  but  night 
coming  on  before  we  could  reach  the  place,  we  lost 
our  way.  Sometimes  we  A\'ere  in  swamps,  up  to  the 
middle  in  water  ;  and  when  we  recovered  dry  land,  wq 


Let.  7.         Voyage  from  Cape  Lopez  for  England.  55 

could  not  tell  whether  we  were  walking  towards  the 
ship,  or  wandering  further  from  her.  Every  step  in- 
creased our  uncertainty.  The  night  grew  darker,  and 
we  were  entangled  in  inextricable  woods,  where  per- 
haps the  foot  of  man  had  never  trod  before.  That 
part  of  the  country  is  entirely  abandoned  to  wild  beasts, 
with  which  it  prodigiously  abounds.  We  were  indeed 
in  a  terrible  case,  having  neither  light,  food,  nor  arms, 
and  expecting  a  tiger  to  rush  from  behind  every  tree. 
The  stars  were  clouded,  and  we  had  no  compass,  to 
form  a  judgment  which  way  we  were  going.  Had 
things  continued  thus,  we  had  probably  perished  ;  but 
it  pleased  God  no  beast  came  near  us  ;  and,  after  some 
hours  perplexity,  the  moon  arose,  and  pointed  out  the 
eastern  quarter.  It  appeared,  then,  as  we  had  ex- 
pected, that  instead  of  drawing  nearer  to  the  sea-side, 
we  had  been  penetrating  into  the  country,  but  by  the 
guidance  of  the  moon,  we  at  length  came  to  the  water- 
side, a  considerable  distance  from  the  ship.  We  got 
safe  on  board,  without  any  other  inconvenience  thajii 
what  we  suffered  from  fear  and  fatigue. 

Those,  and  many  other  deliverances,  were  all  at 
that  time  entirely  lost  upon  me.  The  admonitions  of 
conscience,  which,  from  successive  repulses,  had  grown 
weaker  and  weaker,  at  length  entirely  ceased  ;  and  for 
a  space  of  many  months,  if  not  for  some  years,  I  can- 
not recollect  that  I  had  a  single  check  of  that  sort. 
At  times  I  had  been  visited  with  sickness,  and  have 
believed  myself  near  to  death  ;  but  I  had  not  the  least 
concern  about  the  consequences.  In  a  word,  I  seemed 
to  have  every  mark  of  final  impenitence  and  rejection; 
neither  judgments  nor  mercies  made  the  least  impres- 
sion on  me. 

At  length,  our  business  finished,  we  left  Cape  Lopez, 


56  Voyage  from  Cape  Lopez  for  Englaml.        Let.   7. 

and,  after  a  few  days  stay  at  the  island  of  Annabona, 
to  lay  in  provisions,  we  sailed  homewards  about  the 
beginning  of  January,  1748.  From  Annabona  to  Eng- 
land, without  touching  at  any  intermediate  port,  is  a 
very  long  navigation,  perhaps  more  than  seven  thou- 
sand miles,  if  we  include  the  circuit  necessary  to  be 
made  on  account  of  the  trade-winds.  We  sailed  first 
westward,  till  near  the  coast  of  Brazil,  then  north- 
wards, to  the  banks  of  Newfoundland,  with  the  usual 
variations  of  wind  and  weather,  and  without  meeting 
any  thing  extraordinary.  On  these  banks  we  stopped 
half  a  day  to  fish  for  cod  :  this  was  then  chiefly  for  di- 
version ;  we  had  provisions  enough,  and  little  expected 
those  fish,  (as  it  afterwards  proved,)  would  be  all  we 
should  have  to  subsist  on.  We  left  the  banks  March  1, 
with  a  hard  gale  of  wind  westerly,  which  pushed  us 
fast  homewards.  I  should  here  observe,  that,  with  the 
length  of  this  voyage  in  a  hot  climate,  the  vessel  was 
greatly  out  of  repair,  and  very  unfit  to  support  stormy 
weather ;  the  sails  and  cordage  were  likewise  very 
mucli  worn  out,  and  many  such  circumstances  con- 
curred to  render  what  followed  more  dangerous.  I 
think  it  was  on  the  9th  of  March,  tlie  day  before  our 
catastrophe,  that  I  felt  a  thought  pass  through  my 
mind,  which  I  had  long  been  a  stranger  to.  Among 
the  few  books  we  had  on  board,  one  was  Stanhope's 
Thomas  a  Kempis :  I  carelessly  took  it  up,  as  I  had 
often  done  before,  to  pass  away  the  time ;  but  I  had 
still  read  it  with  the  same  indifference  as  if  it  was  en- 
tirely romance.  However,  while  i  was  reading  this 
time,  an  involuntary  suggestion  arose  in  my  mind, 
What  if  these  thintj^s  should  be  true  ?  I  could  not  bear 
the  force  of  the  inference,  as  it  related  to  myself,  and 
therefore  shut  the  book  presently.     My  conscience  wit- 


Let.  7.         Voijagefrom  Cape  Lopez  for  England.  57 

nessed  against  me  once  more ;  and  I  concluded,  that, 
true  or  false,  I  must  abide  the  consequences  of  my  own 
choice.  I  put  an  abrupt  end  to  these  reflections,  by 
joining  in  with  some  vain  conversation  or  other  that 
came  in  the  way. 

But  now  the  Lord's  time  xvas  come,  and  the  convic- 
tion I  was  so  unwilling  to  receive,  was  deeply  impressed 
upon  me,  by  an  awful  dispensation.  I  went  to  bed 
that  night  in  my  usual  security  and  indifference  ;  but 
was  awaked  from  a  sound  sleep  by  the  force  of  a  vio- 
lent sea,  which  broke  on  board  us.  So  much  of  it 
came  down  below  as  filled  the  cabin  I  lay  in  w  ith  wa- 
ter. This  alarm  was  followed  by  a  cry  from  the  deck, 
that  the  ship  was  going  down,  or  sinking.  As  soon  as 
1  could  recover  myself,  I  essayed  to  go  upon  deck ; 
but  was  met  upon  the  ladder  by  the  captain,  who  de- 
sired me  to  bring  a  knife  with  me.  While  I  returned 
for  the  knife,  another  person  went  up  in  my  room,  who 
was  instantly  washed  overboard.  We  had  no  leisure 
to  lament  him :  nor  did  we  expect  to  survive  him  long  ; 
for  we  soon  found  the  ship  was  filling  with  water  very 
fast.  The  sea  had  torn  away  the  upper  timbers  on  one 
side,  and  made  the  ship  a  mere  wreck  in  a  few  mi- 
nutes. I  shall  not  affect  to  describe  this  disaster  in  the 
marine  dialect,  which  would  be  understood  by  io-w ; 
and  therefore  I  can  give  you  but  a  very  inadequate  idea 
of  it.  Taking  in  all  circumstances,  it  was  astonishing, 
and  almost  miraculous,  that  any  of  us  survived  to  relate 
the  story.  We  had  immediate  recourse  to  the  pumps; 
but  the  water  increased  against  all  our  efforts :  some 
of  us  were  set  to  hailhig  in  another  part  of  the  vessel, 
that  is,  to  lade  it  out  with  buckets  and  pails.  We  had 
but  eleven  or  twelve  people  to  sustain  this  service  ;  «and 
notwithstanding  all  we  could  do,  she  was  full,  or  verv 
Vol.  T.        ^  I 


58  Voyage  from  Cape  Lopez  for  England.        Let.  7. 

near  it ;  and  then  with  a  common  cargo  she  must  have 
sunk  of  course  ;  but  we  had  a  great  quantity  of  bees- 
wax and  wood  on  board,  which  were  specifically  lighter 
than  the  water ;  and  as  it  pleased  God  that  we  received 
this  shock  in  the  very  crisis  of  the  gale,  towards  morn- 
ing we  were  enabled  to  employ  some  means  for  our 
safety,  which  succeeded  beyond  hope.  In  about  an 
hour's  time,  the  day  began  to  break,  and  the  wind 
abated.  We  expended  most  of  our  clothes  and  bed- 
ding to  stop  the  leaks,  (though  the  weather  w  as  exceed- 
ing cold,  especially  to  us,  who  had  so  lately  left  a  hot 
climate  ;)  over  these  we  nailed  pieces  of  boards,  and  at 
last  perceived  the  water  abate.  At  the  beginning  of 
this  hurry  I  was  little  affected.  I  pumped  hard,  and 
endeavoured  to  animate  myself  and  my  companions. 
I  told  one  of  them,  that  in  a  few  days  this  distress 
would  serve  us  to  talk  of  over  a  glass  of  wine  :  but  he 
being  a  less  hardened  sinner  than  myself,  replied  with 
tears,  "  No,  it  is  too  late  now  "  About  nine  o'clock, 
being  almost  spent  with  cold  and  labour,  I  went  to 
speak  with  the  ca[>tain,  who  was  busied  elsewhere  ;  and 
just  as  I  was  returning  from  him,  I  said,  almost  with- 
out any  meaning,  "  If  this  will  not  do,  the  Lord  have 
"  mercy  on  us."  This,  (though  spoken  with  little  re- 
flection,) was  the  first  desire  I  had  breathed  for  mercy 
for  the  space  of  many  years.  I  was  instantly  struck 
with  my  own  words,  and,  as  Jehu  said  once,  JFhaf 
hast  thou  to  do  with  peace?  So  it  directly  occurred, 
Jt  hat  mercy  can  there  be  J  or  me?  I  was  obliged  to 
return  to  the  pump,  and  there  I  continued  till  noon, 
almost  everv  passing  w  ave  l)reaking  over  my  head  ;  but 
we  made  ourselves  fast  w  ith  ropes,  that  we  might  not 
be  cashed  away.  Indeed,  I  expected  that  every  time 
the  vessel  descended  in  the  sea,    siie  would  rise  no 


Lei.  8.     Danger,  &c.  m  the  Vojrige from  Cape  Lopez,  59 

more,  and  though  I  dreaded  death  noii\  and  my  heart 
foreboded  the  worst,  it  the  Seriptures,  which  I  I'ad 
long  since  opposed,  were  indeed  true  ;  yet  still  I  was 
but  halt-convinced,  and  remained  for  a  space  ot  time 
in  a  sullen  frame,  a  mixture  of  despair  and  impatience, 
I  tliought,  if  the  Christian  religion  was  true,  I  could 
not  be  forgiven;  and  was  therelore  expecting,  and  al- 
most, at  times,  wishing  to  know  the  worst  ot  it. 
January  J  9,  17(53.  I  am,  &c. 


LETTER  VIII. 
Dear  Sir, 


T 


HE  10th,  (that  is,  in  the  present  style,  the  21st,)  of 
]\Iarch,  is  a  day  much  to  be  remembered  by  me,  and 
I  have  never  suffered  it  to  pass  wholly  unnoticed  since 
the  year  1748.  On  that  day  the  Lord  sent  from  on 
high,  and  delivered  me  out  of  deep  waters. — I  con- 
tinued at  the  pump  from  three  in  the  morn'mg  till  near 
uoon,  and  then- 1  could  do  no  more.  I  went  and  lay 
down  upon  my  bed,  uncertain  and  almost  indifferent, 
whether  I  should  rise  again.  In  an  hour's  time  I  was 
called  ;  and  not  being  able  to  pump,  I  went  to  the 
helm,  and  steered  the  ship  till  midnight,  excepting  a 
small  interval  for  refreshment.  I  had  here  leisure  and 
convenient  opportunity  for  reflection,  I  began  to  think 
of  my  former  religious  professions ;  the  extraordinary 
turns  in  my  life  ;  the  calls,  warnings,  and  deliverances  I 
had  met  with ;  the  licentious  course  of  my  convei'sa- 
tion,  particularly  ray  unparalleled  effrontery  in  making 
the  gospel-history,  (which  I  could  not  be  sure  was  false, 
though  I  was  not  as  yet  assured  it  was  true,)  the  con- 


60         Danger,  Sec.  in  the  Votj  age  from  Cape  Lopez.      Let.  5, 

slant  subject  of  profane  ridicule.  I  thouglit,  allowing 
the  Scripture-premises,  there  never  was,  nor  could  be, 
such  a  sinner  as  myself;  and  then  comparing  the  ad- 
vantages I  had  broken  through,  I  concluded  at  first, 
that  my  sins  were  too  great  to  be  forgiven.  The  Scrip- 
ture likewise  seemed  to  say  the  same  ;  for  I  had  form- 
erly been  well  acquainted  with  the  Bible,  and  many 
passages  upon  this  occasion  returned  upon  my  memory, 
particularly  those  awful  passages,  Prov.  i,  24—31. 
Heb.  vi.  4.  6.  and  2  Pet.  ii.  20,  which  seemed  so  ex- 
actly to  suit  my  case  and  character,  as  to  bring  with 
them  a  presumptive  proof  of  a  divine  original.  Thus, 
as  I  have  said,  I  waited  with  fear  and  impatience  to  re- 
ceive my  inevitable  doom.  Yet  though  I  had  thoughts 
of  this  kind,  they  were  exceeding  faint  and  dispro- 
portionate ;  it  was  not  till  long  after  (perhaps  several 
years,)  till  I  had  gained  some  clear  views  of  the  infinite 
righteousness  and  grace  of  Christ  Jesus  my  Lord,  that 
I  had  a  deep  and  strong  apprehension  of  my  state  by 
nature  and  practice  ;  and  perhaps  till  then  I  could  not 
have  borne  the  sight.  So  wonderfully  does  the  Lord 
proportion  the  discoveries  ol  sin  and  grace  ;  for  he 
knows  our  frame,  and  that  if  he  was  to  put  forth  the 
greatness  of  his  power,  a  poor  sinner  would  be  instantly 
overwhelmed,  and  crushed  as  a  moth. — But  to  return: 
\vhen  I  saw,  beyond  all  probability,  there  was  still  hope 
of  respite,  and  heard  about  six  in  the  evening,  that  the 
ship  was  freed  from  water, — there  arose  a  gleam  of 
hope.  I  thought  I  saw  the  hand  of  God  displayed  in 
our  favour  :  I  began  to  pray. — I  could  not  utter  the 
prayer  of  laith  ;  I  could  not  draw  near  to  a  reconciled 
God,  and  call  him  Father.  ]\iy  prayer  was  like  the 
cry  of  the  ravens,  which  yet  the  Lord  does  not  dis- 
dain to  hear.     1  now   began  to   think  of  that  Jesus 


Let.  8.     Danger,  8rc.  in  the  Voyage  from  Cape  Lopez.  Gl 

'vhom  I  had  so  often  derided  :  I  recollected  the  particu- 
lars of  his  life,  and  of  his  death ;  a  death  for  sins  not  his 
oxvn,  but,  as  I  remembered^  for  the  sake  of  those  who 
in  their  distress  should  put  their  trust  in  him.     And 

now  I  chiefly  wanted  evidence.- The   comfortless 

principles  of  infidelity  were  deeply  riveted,  and  I  ra- 
ther wished  than  believed  these  things  were  real  facts. 
You  will  please  to  observe.  Sir,  that  I  collect  the  strain 
of  the  reasonings  and  exercises  of  my  mind  in  one  view  • 
but  I  do  not  say  that  all  this  passed  at  one  time.  The 
great  question  now  was,  how  to  ohimn  faith  ?  I  speak 
not  of  an  appropriating  faith,  (of  which  I  then  knew 
neither  the  nature  nor  necessity,)  but  how  I  should 
gain  an  assurance  that  the  Scriptures  were  of  divine  in- 
spiration, and  a  sufficient  warrant  for  the  exercise  of 
trust  and  hope  in  God.  One  of  the  first  helps  I  re- 
ceived, (in  consequence  of  a  determination  to  examine 
the  New  Testament  more  carefully,)  was  from  Luke  xi. 
1 3.  I  had  been  sensible,  that  to  profess  faith  in  Jesus 
Christ,  when  in  reality  I  did  not  believe  his  history,  was 
no  better  than  a  mockery  of  the  heart-searching  God;  but 
here  I  found  a  Spirit  spoken  of,  which  was  to  be  com- 
municated to  those  who  ask  it.  Upon  this  I  reasoned 
thus  ; — If  this  book  be  true,  the  promise  in  this  passage 
must  be  true  likewise  :  I  have  need  of  that  very  spirit 
by  which  the  whole  was  wrote,  in  order  to  understand  it 
aright.     He  has  engaged  here  to  give  that  Spirit  to  those 

who  ask. 1  must  therefore  pray  for  it;  and  if  it  is 

of  God,  he  will  make  good  his  own  word.  My  pur- 
poses were  strengthened  by  John  vii.  17.  I  concluded 
from  thence,  that  though  1  could  not  say  from  my  heart 
that  I  believed  the  Gospel,  yet  I  would  for  the  present 
take  it  for  granted,  and  that  by  studying  it  in  this  light 
I  should  be  more  and  more  confirmed  in  it.     If  what  I 


62  Danger,  <^'C.  in  the  Voyage  J  torn  Cape  Lopez.     Let.  8. 

am  writincr  could  be  perused  by  our  modern  infidels, 
they  would  say,  (for  1  too  well  know  their  manner,)  that 
I  was  very  desirous  to  persuade  myseli  into  this  opinion. 
1  confess  I  was ;  and  so  would  they  be,  if  the  Lord 
would  show  them,  as  he  was  pleased  to  show  me  at 
that  time,  the  absolute  necessity  ot  some  expedient  to 
interpose  bctueen  a  righteous  God  and  a  sintul  soul. 
Upon  the  Gospel-scheme  I  saw  at  least  a  peradventure 
of  hope,  but  on  every  other  side  1  was  surrounded  with 
black  unfathomable  despair. 

The  wind  was  now  m.oderate,  but  continued  fair, 
and  we  were  still  drawing  nearer  to  our  port.  We  be- 
gan to  recover  from  our  consternation,  though  we  were 
greatly  alarmed  by  our  circumstances.  We  found  that 
the  water  having  floated  all  our  moveables  in  the  hold, 
all  the  casks  of  provision  had  been  beaten  in  pieces  by 
the  violent  motion  of  the  ship:  on  the  other  hand,  our  live 
stock,  such  as  pigs,  sheep,  and  poultry,  had  been  washed 
over  board  in  the  storm  In  effect,  all  the  provisions 
we  saved,  except  the  fish  I  mentioned,  and  some  food 
of  the  pulse  kind,  which  used  to  be  given  to  the  hogs, 
(and  there  was  but  little  of  this  left,)  all  our  other  pro- 
visions would  have  subsisted  us  but  a  week  at  scanty  al- 
lowance. The  sails  too,  were  mostly  blown  away,  so 
that  we  advanced  but  slowly  even  while  the  wind  was 
fair.  We  imagined  ourselves  about  a  hundred  leao;ues 
from  the  land,  but  were  in  reality  much  further.  Thus 
we  proceeded  with  an  alternate  prevalence  of  hopes 

and  fears. My  leisure  time  was  chiefly  employed  in 

reading  and  meditating  on  the  Scripture,  and  praying  to 
the  Lord  lor  mercy  and  instruction. 

Things  continued  thus  for  four  or  five  days,  or  per- 
haps longer,  till  we  were  awakened  one  morning  by 
the  joyful  shouts  of  tl)e  watch  upon  deck  proclaiming 


Let.  8.    Danger.,  Src.  in  the  Vmiage  from  Cape  Lopez,  63 

the  sight  oi  land.  We  were  all  soon  raised  at  the 
sound.  The  dawning  was  uncommonly  beautiful,  and 
the  light,  (just  strong  enough  to  discover  distant  ob^ 
jects,)  presented  us  w  ith  a  gladdening  prospect :  it 
seemed  a  mountainous  coast,  about  twenty  miles  from 
us,  terminating  in  a  cape  or  point,  and  a  little  further 
two  or  three  small  islands,  or  hummocks,  as  just  rising 
out  of  the  water ;  the  appearance  and  position  seemed 
exactly  answerable  to  our  hopes,  resembling  the  north- 
west extremity  of  Ireland,  which  we  were  steering  for. 
We  sincerely  congratulated  each  other,  making  no 
doubt  but  that,  if  the  wind  continued,  we  should  be  in 
safety  and  plenty  the  next  day.  The  small  remainder 
of  our  brandy,  (which  w  as  reduced  to  little  more  than  a 
pint,)  was,  by  the  captain's  orders,  distributed  amongst 
us  ;  he  added  at  the  same  time,   "  We  shall  soon  have 

"  brandy  enough."' We  likewise  ate  up  the  residue 

of  our  bread  for  joy  of  this  welcome  sight,  and  were  in 
the  condition  of  men  suddenly  reprieved  from  death. 
While  we  were  thus  alert,  the  mate,  with  a  graver  tone 
than  the  rest,  sunk  our  spirits,  by  saying,  that  "  he 
"  wished  it  niight  prove  land  at  last."  If  one  of  the 
common  sailors  had  first  said  so,  I  know  not  but  the  rest 
would  have  beat  him  for  raising  such  an  unreasonable 
doubt.  It  brought  on,  however,  warm  debates  and 
disputes,  whether  it  was  land  or  no  :  but  the  case  was 
soon  unanswerably  decided  ;  for  the  day  was  advancing 
fast ;  and  in  a  little  time  one  of  our  fancied  islands  be- 
gan to  grow  red  from  the  approach  of  the  sun,  which 
soon  arose  just  under  it.  In  a  w'ord,  we  had  beeri 
prodigal  of  our  bread  and  brandy  too  hastily;  our  land 
was  literally  in  nubihus,  nothing  but  clouds  ;  and  in  half 
an  hour  more,  the  whole  appearance  was  dissipated. 
•— — -Seamenjiave  often  known  deceptions  of  this  sort 


64      Danger,  ^w  in  the  Voyage  from  Cape  Lope.:.     Let.  8. 

but  in  our  extremity  mc  were  very  loth  to  be  unde- 
ceived. However,  we  comforted  ourselves,  that  though 
we  could  not  see  the  land  yet,  we  should  soon,  the 
wind  hitherto  continuing  fair.  But,  alas  !  we  were  de- 
prived of  tliis  hope  likewise.  That  very  day  our  fair 
wind  subsided  into  a  calm,  and  the  next  morning  the 
gales  sprung  up  from  the  south-east,  directly  against 
us,  and  continued  so  for  more  than  a  fortnight  alter- 
wards.  The  ship  was  so  wrecked,  that  we  were  obliged 
to  keep  the  wind  always  on  the  broken  side,  unless  the 
weather  was  quite  moderate.  Thus  we  were  driven, 
by  the  wind  fixing  in  that  quarter,  still  further  from  our 
port;  to  the  northward  of  all  Ireland,  as  far  as  the 
Lewis,  or  western  islands  of  Scotland,  but  a  long  way 
to  the  westward.  In  a  word,  our  station  was  such  as 
deprived  us  of  any  hope  of  being  relieved  by  other  ves- 
sels. It  may,  indeed,  be  questioned,  whether  our  ship 
was  not  the  very  first  that  had  been  in  that  part  of  the 
ocean  at  the  same  season  of  the  year. 

Provisions  now  began  to  grow  very  short;  the  half 
of  a  salted  cod  was  a  day's  subsistence  for  twelve  peo- 
ple. We  had  plenty  of  fresh  water,  but  not  a  drop  of 
stronger  liquor ;  no  bread,  hardly  any  clothes,  and  very 
cold  weatlier.  We  had  incessant  labour  with  the 
pumps,  to  keep  the  ship  above  water.  Much  labour 
and  little  food  wasted  us  fast,  and  one  man  died  under 
the  hardship.  Yet  our  sufferings  were  light  in  compa- 
rison of  our  just  fears.  We  could  not  afford  this  bare 
allowance  much  longer,  but  had  a  tcnible  prospect  of 
being  either  starved  to  death,  or  reduced  to  feed  upon 
one  another.  Our  expectations  grew  darker  every  day  ; 
and  I  had  a  further  trouble  peculiar  to  inysell.  The 
captain,  whose  temper  was  quite  soured  by  distress, 
was  hourly  reproaching  me,  (as  I  formerly  observed,) 


Let.  8.     Danger.)  <^r.  in  the  Voyage  from  Cape  Lopez.         65 

as  the  sole  cause  of  the  calamity ;  and  was  confident^ 
that  if  I  was  thrown  overboard,  and  not  otherwise,  they 
should  be  preserved  from  death.  He  did  not  intend  to 
make  the  experiment ;  but  the  continual  repetition  of 
this  in  my  ears  gave  me  much  uneasiness,  especially  as 
my  conscience  seconded  his  words  ;  I  thought  it  very 
probable,  that  all  that  had  befallen  us  was  on  my  ac- 
count. I  was  at  last  found  out  by  the  powerful  hand 
of  God,  and  condemned  in  my  own  breast.  However, 
proceeding  in  the  method  I  have  described,  I  began  to 
conceive  hopes  greater  than  all  my  fears  ;  especially 
when  at  the  time  we  were  ready  to  give  up  all  for  lost, 
and  despair  was  taking  place  in  every  countenance,  I 
saw  the  wind  come  about  to  the  very  point  we  wished 
it,  so  as  best  to  suit  that  broken  part  of  the  ship  which 
must  be  kept  out  of  the  water,  and  to  blow^  so  gentle 
as  our  few  remaining  sails  could  bear  ;  and  thus  it  con- 
tinued, without  any  observable  alteration  or  increase, 
though  at  an  unsettled  time  of  the  year,  till  we  once 
more  were  called  up  to  see  the  land,  and  were  con- 
vinced that  it  was  land  indeed.  We  saw  the  island 
Tory,  and  the  next  day  anchored  in  Lough  S willy  in 
Ireland.  This  was  the  8th  of  April,  just  four  weeks 
after  the  damage  we  sustained  from  the  sea.  When 
we  came  into  this  port,  our  very  last  victuals  was  boil- 
ing in  the  pot ;  and  before  we  had  been  there  two 
hours,  the  wind,  which  seemed  to  have  been  provi- 
dentially restrained  till  we  were  in  a  place  of  safety, 
began  to  blow  with  great  violence ;  so  that,  if  we  had 
continued  at  sea  that  night  in  our  shattered  enfeebled 
condition,  we  must,  in  all  human  appearance,  have 
gone  to  the  bottom.  About  this  time  I  began  to  know, 
that  there  is  a  God  that  hears  and  answers  prayer. 
How  many  times  has  he  appeared  for  mc  since  thil^ 
Vol.  I.  K 


66  Events  In  Ireland.,  8fC.  Let.  9. 

great  deliverance  !  Yet,  alas  !  how  distrustful  and  un- 
grateful is  my  heart  unto  this  hour ! 

Jan.   19,  1703.  I  am,  &c. 


LETTER  IX. 

Dear  Sir, 


I 


HAVE  brought  my  history  down  to  the  time  of  my 
arrival  in  Ireland,  1748  ;  but  before  I  proceed,  I  would 
look  back  a  little,  to  give  you  some  further  account  of 
the  state  of  my  mind,  and  how  far  I  was  helped  against 
inward  difficulties,  which  beset  me  at  the  time  I  had 
many  outward  hardships  to  struggle  with.  The  straits 
of  hunger,  cold,  weariness,  and  the  fears  of  sinking, 
and  starving,  I  shared  in  conmion  with  others ;  but, 
besides  these,  I  felt  a  heart-bitterness,  which  was  pro- 
perly my  own  ;  no  one  on  board  but  myself  being  im- 
pressed with  any  sense  of  the  hand  of  God  in  our 
danger  and  deliverance,  at  least  not  awakened  to  an}' 
concern  for  their  souls.  No  temporal  dispensations 
can  reach  the  heart,  unless  the  Lord  himself  applies 
them.  ]\Iy  companions  in  danger  were  either  quite 
unaffected,  or  soon  forgot  it  all :  but  it  was  not  so  with 
me ;  not  that  I  was  any  wiser  or  better  than  they,  but 
because  the  Lord  was  pleased  to  vouchsafe  me  pecu- 
liar mercy ;  otherwise  I  v.as  the  most  unlikely  person 
in  the  ship  to  receive  an  impression,  hsiving  been  often 
before  quite  stupid  and  hardened  in  the  very  face  of 
great  dangers,  and  always,  till  this  time,  had  hardened 
my  neck  still  more  and  more  after  every  reproof  ^ — I 
can  see  no  reason  why  the  Lord  singled  me  out  for 
mercy,  but  this,  ^\  that  so  it  seemed  good  to  him  ;"  w\\- 


Let.  9.  Events  in  Ireland,  8,C.  Cf 

less  it  was  to  show,  by  one  astonishing  instance,  that 
Mith  him  "  nothing  is  impossible." 

There  were  no  persons  on  board  to  whom  I  could 
open  myself  with  freedom  concerning  the  state  of  my 
soul ;  none  from  whom  I  could  ask  advice.  As  to 
books,  I  had  a  New  Testament,  Stanhope  already  men- 
tioned, and  a  volume  of  bishop  Beveridge's  sermons, 
one  of  which,  upon  our  Lord's  passion,  affected  me 
much.  In  perusing  the  New  Testament,  I  was  struck 
with  several  passages,  particularly  that  of  the  tig-tree, 
Luke  xiii.  ;  the  case  of  St.  Paul,  1  Tim.  i.  ;  but  par- 
ticularly the  Prodigal,  Luke  xv. ;  a  case,  I  thought, 
that  had  never  been  so  nearly  exemplified  as  by  my- 
self;— and  then  the  goodness  of  the  father  in  receiving, 
nay,  in  running  to  meet  such  a  son,  and  this  intended 
only  to  illustrate  the  Lord's  goodness  to  returning  sin- 
ners,— this  gained  upon  me.  I  continued  much  in 
prayer ;  I  saw  that  the  Lord  had  interposed  so  Jar  to 
save  me  ;  and  I  hoped  he  would  do  more.  The  out- 
ward circumstances  helped  in  this  place  to  make  me 
still  more  serious  and  earnest  in  crying  to  him  who 
alone  could  relieve  me  ;  and  sometimes  I  thought  I 
could  be  content  to  die  even  for  want  of  food,  so  I 
might  but  die  a  believer.  Thus  far  I  was  answered, 
that  before  we  arrived  in  Ireland  I  had  a  satisfactory 
evidence  in  my  own  mind  of  the  truth  of  the  Gospel, 
as  considered  in  itself,  and  its  exact  suitableness  to  an- 
swer all  my  needs.  I  saw  that,  by  the  way  there 
pointed  out,  God  might  declare,  not  his  mercy  only, 
but  his  justice  also,  in  the  pardon  of  sin,  on  the  account 
of  the  obedience  and  sufferings  of  Jesus  Christ.  My 
judgment  at  that  time  embraced  the  sublime  doctrine 
of  "  God  manifest  in  the  flesh,  reconciling  the  world 
"  to  himself."     I  had  no  idea  of  those  systems  which 


68  Eveias  171  Ireland,  Src.  Let.  9. 

allow  the  Saviour  no  higher  honour  than  that  of  an 
upper  servant,  or,  at  the  most,  a  dtmi-god.  I  stood  in 
need  of  an  Almighty  Saviour,  and  such  a  one  I  found 
described  in  the  New  Testament.  Thus  far  the  Lord 
had  wrought  a  marvellous  thing  ;  I  was  no  longer  an 
infidel  ;  I  heartily  renounced  my  former  profaneness  ; 
I  had  taken  up  some  right  notions,  was  seriously  dis- 
posed, and  sincerely  touched  with  a  sense  of  the  un- 
deserved mercy  I  had  received,  in  being  brouaht  safe 
through  so  many  dangers.  I  was  sorry  for  my  past 
mis-spent  life,  and  purposed  an  immediate  reformation  : 
I  was  quite  freed  from  the  habit  of  swearing,  which 
seemed  to  have  been  deeply  rooted  in  me  as  a  second 
nature.  Thus,  to  all  appearance,  I  was  a  new  man. 
But  though  I  cannot  doubt  that  this  change,  so  far  as 
it  prevailed,  was  wrought  by  the  Spirit  and  power  of 
God  ;  yet  still  I  was  greatly  deficient  in  many  respects. 
I  was  in  some  degree  affected  with  a  sense  of  my  more 
enormous  sins ;  but  I  was  little  aware  of  the  innate 
evils  of  my  heart.  I  had  no  apprehension  of  the  spi- 
rituality and  extent  of  the  law  of  God  ;  the  hidden  life 
of  a  Christian,  as  it  consists  in  communion  with  God 
by  Jesus  Christ,  and  a  continual  dependence  on  him 
for  hourly  supplies  of  wisdom,  strength,  and  comfort, 
•was  a  mystery  of  which  I  had  as  yet  no  knowledge.  I 
acknowledged  the  Lord's  mercy  in  pardoning  what  was 
past,  but  depended  chiefly  upon  my  own  resolution  to 
do  better  for  the  time  to  come.  I  had  no  Christian 
friend  or  faithful  minister  to  advise  me  that  my  strength 
was  no  more  than  my  righteousness  ;  and  though  I  soon 
began  to  inquire  for  serious  books,  yet  not  having  spiritual 
discernment,  I  frequently  made  a  wrong  choice ;  and  I 
was  not  brought  in  the  way  of  evangelical  preaching  or 
conversation,  (except  a  few  times  when  I  heard  but  un- 


Let.  9,  Events  in  Ireland,  Src.  69 

derstood  not,)  for  six  years  after  this  period.  Those 
things  the  Lord  was  pleased  to  discover  to  me  gradu- 
ally. I  learnt  them  here  a  little,  and  there  a  little,  by 
my  own  painful  experience,  at  a  distance  from  the  com^ 
mon  means  and  ordinances,  and  in  the  midst  of  the  same 
course  of  evil  company,  and  bad  examples,  as  I  had 
been  conversant  with  for  some  time.  From  this  period 
I  could  no  more  make  a  mock  at  sin^  or  jest  with  holy 
things  ;  I  no  more  questioned  the  truth  of  Scripture,  or 
lost  a  sense  of  the  rebukes  of  conscience.  Therefore  I 
consider  this  as  the  beginning  of  my  return  to  God,  or 
rather  of  his  return  to  me ;  but  I  cannot  consider  my- 
self to  have  been  a  believer,  (in  the  full  sense  of  the 
word,)  till  a  considerable  time  afterwards. 

I  have  told  you,  tiial,  in  the  time  of  our  distress,  we 
had  fresh  water  in  abundance.  This  was'.a  considera» 
ble  relief  to  us,  especially  as  our  spare  diet  was  mostly 
salt-fish  without  bread  ;  we  drank  plentifully,  and  were 
not  afraid  of  wanting  water;  yet  our  stock  of  this  likewige 
was  much  nearer  to  an  end  than  we  expected  ;  we  sup- 
posed that  we  had  six  large  butts  of  water  on  board ; 
and  it  was  well  that  we  were  safe  arrived  in  Ireland  be^ 
fore  we  discovered  that  five  of  them  wexe  empty,  having 
been  removed  out  of  their  places,  and  stove  by  the  vio- 
lent agitation  M'hen  the  ship  was  full  of  water.  If  we 
had  found  this  out  while  we  were  at  sea,  it  would  have 
greatly  heightened  our  distress,  as  we  must  have  drank 
more  sparingly. 

While  the  ship  was  refitting  at  Lough  Swilly,  I  re- 
paired to  Londonderry.  I  lodged  at  an  exceeding 
good  house,  M'here  I  was  treated  with  much  kindness, 
and  soon  recruited  mv  health  and  strength.   I  was  now^ 

^  CD 

a  serious  professor  ;  went  twice  a-day  to  the  prayers  at 
church,  and  determined  to  receive  the  sacrament  the 


70  Events  m  Ireland^  S(c.  Let.  9. 

next  opportunity,  A  few  days  before,  I  signified  my 
intention  to  the  minister,  as  the  rubric  directs;  but  I 
found  this  practice  was  grown  obsolete.  At  length  the 
day  came  :  I  arose  very  early,  was  very  particular  and 
earnest  in  my  private  devotion  ;  and,  with  the  greatest 
solemnity,  engaged  myself  to  be  the  Lord's  for  ever, 
and  only  his.  This  was  not  a  formal  but  a  sincere  sur- 
render, under  a  warm  sense  of  mercies  recently  re- 
ceived ;  and  yet,  for  want  of  a  better  knowledge  of  my- 
self, and  the  subtiity  of  Satan's  temptation,  I  was  se- 
duced to  forget  the  vows  of  God  that  were  upon  me. 
Upon  the  whole,  though  my  views  of  the  Gospel-sal- 
vation were  very  indistinct,  I  experienced  a  peace  and 
satisfaction  in  the  ordinance  that  day,  to  which  I  had 
been  hitherto  a  perfect  stranger. 

The  next  day  I  was  abroad  with  the  mayor  of  the 
city,  and  some  other  gentlemen,  shooting  :  I  climbed 
up  a  steep  bank,  and  pulling  my  fowling-piece  after 
me,  as  I  held  it  in  a  perpendicular  direction,  it  went 
off  so  near  my  face  as  to  burn  away  the  corner  of  my 
hat.  Thus,  when  we  think  ourselves  in  the  greatest 
safety,  we  are  no  less  exposed  to  danger,  than  when  all 
the  elements  seem  conspiring  to  destroy  us.  The  Di- 
vine Providence,  which  is  sufficient  to  deliver  us  in  our 
utmost  extremity,  is  equally  necessary  to  our  preser- 
vation in  the  most  peaceful  situation. 

During  our  stay  in  Ireland  I  wrote  home.  The 
vessel  I  was  in  had  not  been  heard  of  for  eigliteen 
months,  and  was  given  up  for  lost  lon^  before.  i\Iy 
father  had  no  more  expectation  of  hearing  that  I  was 
alive;  but  he  received  my  letter  a  fe^v  days  before  he 
left  London.  He  was  just  a;oing  governor  of  York 
Fort  in  Hudson's  Bay,  from  whence  iie  never  returned. 
He  sailed  before  I  landed  in  England,  or  he  had  [)ur- 


l,et.  9.  Arrival  in  Englaml.  71 

posed  to  take  me  with  him ;  but  God  designing  other- 
wise, one  hindrance  or  other  delayed  us  in  Ireland 
until  it  was  too  late.  I  received  two  or  three  affec- 
tionate letters  from  him,  but  I  never  had  the  pleasure 
of  seeing  him  more.  I  had  hopes,  that,  in  three  years 
more,  I  should  have  had  an  opportunity  of  asking  his 
forgiveness  for  the  uneasiness  my  disobedience  had 
given  him  :  but  the  ship  that  was  to  have  brought  him 
home  came  without  him.  "According  to  the  best  ac- 
counts we  received,  he  was  seized  uith  the  cramp  when 
bathing,  and  drowned,  a  little  before  her  arrival  in  the 
bay. — Excuse  this  digression. 

jVIy  father,  willing  to  contribute  all  in  his  power  to 
my  satisfaction,  paid  a  visit  before  his  departure  to  my 
friends  in  Kent,  and  gave  his  consent  to  the  union 
which  had  been  so  long  talked  of.  Thus  when  I  re- 
turned to ,  I  found  I  had  only  the  consent  of  one 

person  to  obtain  ;  w  ith  her  I  as  yet  stood  at  as  great  an 
uncertainty  as  on  the  first  day  I  saw  her. 

I  arrived  at ■  the  latter  end  of  May,    1748, 

about  the  same  day  that  my  father  sailed  from  the 
Nore ;  but  found  the  Lord  had  provided  me  another 
lather  in  the  gentleman  whose  ship  had  brought  me 
home.  He  received  me  with  great  tenderness,  and  the 
strongest  expressions  of  friendship  and  assistance  :  yet 
no  more  than  he  has  since  made  good ;  for  to  him,  as 
the  instrument  of  God's  goodness,  I  owe  my  all.  Yet 
It  w  ould  not  have  been  in  the  power  even  of  this  friend 
to  have  served  me  effectually,  if  the  Lord  had  not  met 
with  me  on  my  way  home,  as  I  have  related.  Till 
then  I  was  like  the  man  possessed  with  the  legion.— 
No  arguments,  no  persuasion,  no  views  of  interest,  no 
remembrance  of  the  past,  or  regard  to  the  future,  could 
have  constrained  me  within  the  hounds   of  common 


72  Voyage  to  Africa.  Let.   10. 

prudence.  But  now  I  was  in  some  measure  restored 
to  my  senses.  My  friend  immediately  offered  me  the 
command  of  a  ship ;  but,  upon  mature  consideration, 
I  declined  it  for  the  present.  I  had  been  hitherto  al- 
ways unsettled  and  careless ;  and  therefore  thought  I 
had  better  make  another  voyage  fn^st,  and  learn  to 
obey,  and  acquire  a  further  insight  and  experience  in 
business,  before  I  ventured  to  undertake  such  a  charge. 
The  mate  of  the  vessel  I  came  home  in  was  preferred  to 
the  command  of  a  new  ship,  and  I  engaged  to  go  in  the 
station  of  mate  with  him.  I  made  a  short  visit  to  Lon- 
don, &c.  which  did  not  fully  ans.M'er  my  views.  I  had 
but  one  opportunity  of  seeing  Mrs.  N*****,  of  which  I 
availed  myself  very  little;  for  I  was  always  exceeding 

awkward  in  pleading  my  own  cause  viva  voce.- -But 

after  my  return  to  L ,  I  put  the  question  in  such  a 

manner,  by  letter,  that  she  could  not  avoid,  (unless  I 
had  greatly  mistaken  her,)  coming  to  some  sort  of  an 
explanation.  Her  answer,  (though  penned  with  abund- 
ance of  caution,)  satisfied  me,  as  I  collected  from  it, 
that  she  was  free  from  any  other  engagement,  and  not 
unwilling  to  wait  the  event  of  the  voyage  I  had  under- 
taken. I  should  be  ashamed  to  trouble  you  with  theso 
little  details,  if  you  had  not  yourself  desired  me. 
January  20,    1763.  I  am,  kv. 


LETTER  X. 

Dear  Sir, 

.Y  connexions  with  sea-affairs  have  often  led  me  to 
think,  that  the  varieties  observable  in  Christian  expe- 
rience may  be  properly  illustrated  from  the  circuin- 


Let.  10.  yoi/agc  to  Africa.  TS 

Stances  of  a  voyage.  Imagine  to  yourself  a  number  of 
vessels,  at  different  times,  and  from  different  places, 
bound  to  the  same  port ;  there  are  some  things  in 
which  all  these  would  agree, — the  compass  steered  by, 
the  port  in  view,  the  general  rules  of  navigation,  both 
as  to  the  management  of  the  vessel,  and  determinino; 
their  astronomical  observations,  would  be  the  same  in 
all.  In  other  respects  they  would  differ  :  perhaps  no 
two  of  them  would  meet  with  the  same  distribution  of 
winds  and  weather.  Some  we  see  set  out  with  a  pros- 
perous gale  :  and  when  they  almost  think  their  passage 
secured,  they  are  checked  by  adverse  blasts  ;  and,  aftex' 
enduring  much  hardship  and  danger,  and  frequent  ex- 
pectations of  shipwreck,  they  just  escape,  and  reach  the 
desired  haven.  Others  meet  the  greatest  difficulties  at 
tirst ;  they  put  forth  in  a  storm,  and  are  often  beaten 
back ;  at  length  their  voyage  proves  favourable,  and 
they  enter  the  port  with  a  Trxupo^op.a,  a  rich  and  abund- 
ant entrance.  Some  are  hard  beset  with  cruisers  and 
enemies,  and  obliged  to  fight  their  way  through  ;  others 
meet  with  little  remarkable  in  their  passage.  Is  it  not 
thus  in  the  spiritual  life?  All  true  believers  walk  by 
the  same  rule,  and  mind  the  same  things  :  the  word  of 
God  is  their  compass  ;  Jesus  is  both  their  polar  star 
and  their  sun  of  righteousness  ;  their  hearts  and  faces 
are  all  set  Sion-ward.  Thus  tar  they -are  as  one  body, 
animated  by  one  spirit ;  yet  their  experience,  formed 
upon  these  common  principles,  is  far  from  being  uni- 
form. The  Lord,  in  his  first  call,  and  his  foUouing 
dispensations,  has  a  regard  to  the  situation,  temper, 
talents  of  each,  and  to  the  particular  services  or  trials 
he  has  appointed  them  for.  Though  all  are  exercised 
at  times,  yet  some  pass  through  the  voyage  of  life  much 
more  smoothly  than  others.  But  he  "  who  walketh 
Vol.  r.      '  L 


r-i  Voyage  io  Africa.  Lrt.  10. 

''  upon  the  \vings  of  the  ^vind,  and  measures  the  Ava- 
"  ters  in  the  hollow  of  his  hand,"  will  not  suffer  any  of 
whom  he  has  once  taken  charge,  to  perish  in  the  storms, 
though  for  a  season,  perhaps,  many  of  them  are  ready 
to  give  up  all  hopes. 

We   must  not,  therefore,   make    the  experience   of 
others,   in  all  respects,  a  rule  to  ourselves,   nor  our 
own  a  rule  to  others  ;  yet  these  are  common  mistakes, 
and  productive  of  many  more.     As   to   myself,  every 
part  of  my  case  has  been  extraordinary. — I  have  hardly 
met  a  single  instance  resembling   it.     Few,   very  fe^^■, 
have  been  recovered  from  such  a  dreadful  state ;  and 
the  few  that  have  been  thus  favoured,  have  generally 
passed  through  the  most  severe  convictions ;  and  after 
the  Lord  has  given  them  peace,  their  future  lives  have 
been  usually  more  zealous,  bright,  and  exemplary,  than 
common.     Now  as,  on  the  one  hand,  my  convictions 
were  very  moderate,  and  far  beloM-  what  might   have 
been  expected  from  the  dreadful  review  I  had  to  make : 
so,  on  the  other,  my  first  beginnings  in  a  religious  course 
were  as  faint  as  can  be  well  imagined.     I  never  knew 
that  season  alluded  to,   Jer.  ii.  2.    Rev.  ii.  4.  usually 
called  the  time  of  the  first  love.     Who  would  not  ex- 
pect to  hear,  that  after  such  a  wonderful  unhoped-for 
deliverance  as  I  had  received,  and  after  my  eyes  were 
in  some  measure  enlightened  to  see  things  aright,  I 
should  immediately  cleave  to  the   Lord  and  his  ways, 
with  full  purpose  of  heart,  and  consult  no  more  with 
flesh  and  blood  ?  But,  alas  !  it  was  far  otherwise  with 
me.     I  had   learned  to  pray  :  I  set  some  value  upon 
the  word  of  God,  and  \\  as  no  longer  a  libertine  :  but 
my  soul  still  cleaved  to  the  dust.     Soon  after  my  de- 
parture from   L ,  I  began  to  intermit,   and  grow 

slack  in  waiting  upon  the  Lord  :  I  grew  vain  and  tri- 


Let.  10.  J'oyage  to  AjVica.  7b 

A'm^  in  my  conversation ;  and  though  my  heart  smote 
me  often,  yet  my  armour  was  gone,  and  I  declined 
fast ;  and  by  the  time  I  arrived  at  Guinea,  I  seemed 
to  have  forgot  all  the  Lord's  mercies,  and  my  own  en- 
gao;ements,  and  was,  (profaneness  excepted.)  almost  as 
bad  as  before.  The  enemy  prepared  a  train  of  tempt- 
ations, and  I  became  his  easy  prey ;  and,  for  about  a 
month,  he  lulled  me  asleep  in  a  course  of  evil,  of  uhich, 
a  feu'  months  before,  I  could  not  have  supposed  myself 
any  longer  capable.  How  umch  propriety  is  there  in 
the  apostle's  advice,  "  Take  heed,  \e%t  any  of  you  be 
''  hardened  through  the  deceitfulness  of  sin  r"  O  who 
can  be  sufficiently  upon  their  guard  !  Sin  first  deceives, 
and  then  it  hardens.  I  was  now  fast  bound  in  chains  ; 
I  had  little  desire,  and  no  pou  er  at  all,  to  recover  my- 
self. I  could  not  but  at  times  reflect  how  it  was  with 
me  ;  but  if  I  attempted  to  struggle  with  it,  it  was  in 
vain.  I  was  just  like  Samson,  when  he  said,  "  I  will 
"  go  forth,  and  shake  myself  as  at  other  times ;"  but 
the  Lord  was  departed,  and  he  found  himself  helpless, 
in  the  hands  of  his  enemies.  By  the  remembrance  of 
this  interval,  tiie  Lord  has  often  instructed  me  since, 
what  a  poor  creature  I  am  in  myself,  incapable  of 
standing  a  single  hour,  without  continual  fresh  supplies 
Oi  strenjith  and  ifrace  from  the  fountain-head. 

At  length  the  Lord,  whose  mercies  are  infinite,  inter- 
posed in  my  behalf.  My  business  in  this  voyage,  while 
upon  the  coast,  was  to  sail  from  place  to  place  in  the 
long  boat,  to  purchase  slaves.  The  ship  was  at  Sierra 
Leone,  and  I  then  at  the  Plantancs,  the  scene  of  my 
former  captivity,  where  every  thing  I  saw  might  seem 
to  remind  me  of  my  ingratitude,  I  was  in  easy  circum- 
stances, courted  by  those  who  formerly  despised  me: 
the  Hme-trees  I  had  planted  were  growing  tall,  and  pro- 


*6  ^'oi/agc  cd  Jjrica.  Let.  10. 

mised  fruit  the  following  year;  against  vvliich  time  I  had 
expectations  of  returning  with  a  ship  of  my  own.  But 
none  of  these  things  affected  me,  till,  as  I  have  said, 
the  Lord  again  interposed  to  save  me.  He  visited  me 
with  a  violent  fever,  which  hroke  the  fatal  chain,  and 
oiice  more  brought  me  to  myself  But,  O  what  a  pros- 
pect!  I  thought  myself  now  summoned  aAvay. My 

past  dangers  and  deliverances,  my  earnest  prayers  in 
the  time  of  trouble,  my  solemn  vows  before  the  Lord  at 
his  table,  and  my  ungrateful  returns  for  all  his  good- 
iiess,  were  all  present  to  my  mind  at  once.  Then  I 
began  to  wish  that  the  Lord  had  suffered  me  to  sink 
into  the  ocean,  ^vhcn  I  first  besought  his  mercy.  For  a 
little  while  I  concluded  the  door  of  hope  to  be  quite 
shut ;  but  this  continued  not  long.  Weak,  and  almost 
delirious,  I  arose  from  my  bed,  and  crept  to  a  retired 
part  of  the  island  ;  and  here  I  found  a  renewed  liberty 
to  pray.  I  durst  make  no  more  resolves,  but  cast  my- 
self before  the  Lord,  to  do  with  me  as  he  should  please. 
I  do  not  remember  that  any  particular  text,  or  remark- 
able discovery,  was  presented  to  my  mind  ;  but  in  ge- 
neral I  was  enabled  to  hope  and  believe  in  a  crucified 
Saviour.  The  burden  was  removed  from  my  con- 
science, and  not  only  my  peace,  but  my  health  was  re- 
stored :  I  cannot  say  instantaneously  ;  but  I  recovered 
from  that  hour  ;  and  so  fast,  that  when  1  returned  to  the 
sliip,  two  days  afterwards,  I  was  perfectly  well  before 
I  got  on  board.  And  from  that  time,  I  trust,  I  have 
been  delivered  from  the  povver  and  dominion  of  sin  ; 
though  as  to  the  effects  and  conflicts  of  sin  dwelling  in 
me,  I  still  "  groan,  being  burdened."  I  now  began 
again  to  wait  upon  the  Lord;  and  though  I  have  often 
grieved  his  Spirit,  and  foolishly  wandered  from  him 
since,  (when,  alas  !   shall  I  be  more  wise  r)  yet   his 


.Let.  10.  Toycigc  to  Africa.  7? 

powerful  grace  has  hitherto  preserved  me  from  such 
black  declensions  as  this  I  have  last  recorded  ;  and  I 
humbly  trust  in  his  mercy  and  promises,  that  he  will  be 
my  guide  and  guard  to  the  end. 

My  leisure  hours  in  this  voyage  were  chiefly  em- 
ployed in  learning  the  Latin  language,  which  I  had 
now  entirely  forgot.  This  desire  took  place  from  an 
imitation  I  had  seen  of  one  of  Horace's  odes  in  a  Ma^ 
gazine.  I  began  the  attempt  under  the  greatest  disad- 
vantages possible  ;  for  I  pitched  upon  a  poet,  perhaps, 
the  most  difficult  of  the  poets,  even  Horace  himself,  for 
my  first  book.  I  had  picked  up  an  old  English  transla- 
tion of  him,  which,  with  Castalio's  Latin  Bible,  were 
all  my  helps.  I  forgot  a  Dictionary;  but  I  would  not 
therefore  give  up  my  purpose,  i  had  the  edition  in 
iisum  Delphini  ;  and  by  comparing  the  Odes  m  ith  the 
interpretation,  and  tracing  the  words  I  could  under- 
stand from  one  place  to  another  by  the  index,  with  the 
assistance  I  could  get  from  the  Latin  Bible  :  in  this 
way,  by  dint  of  hard  industry,  often  waking  when  I 
might  have  slept,  I  made  some  progress  before  I  re- 
turned, andnot  only  understood  the  sense  and  meaninq- 
of  many  Odes,  and  some  of  the  Epistles,  but  began  to 
relish  the  beauties  of  the  composition,  and  acquired  a 
spice  of  what  Mr.  Law  calls  classical  enthusiasm.  And 
indeed,  by  this  means,  I  had  Horace  more  ad  uuguem 
than  some  who  are  masters  of  the  Latin  tongue ;  for 
my  helps  were  so  few,  that  I  generally  had  tiie  pas- 
sage fixed  in  my  memory,  before  I  could  fully  under- 
stand its  meaning. 

My  business  in  the  long-boat,  during  eight  months 
we  were  upon  the  Coast,  exposed  me  to  innumerable 
dangers  and  perils,  from  burning  suns  and  chilling  dews, 
winds,  rains,  and  thunder-storms,  in  the  open  boat;  and 


78  Fo!/<'(ge  to  Africa.  Let.  10, 

on  shore,  from  lonfr  journeys  through  the  woods,  and  the 
temper  of  the  natives,  v^ho  are  in  many  places  cruel, 
treacherous,  and  watchintr  opportunities  for  mischief. 
Several  boats  in  the  same  time  were  cut  off,  several  white 
men  poisoned,  and  in  my  own  boat  I  buried  six  or  se- 
ven people  with  fevers.  When  going  on  shore,  or  re- 
turning from  it  in  their  little  canoes,  I  liave  been  more 
than  once  or  twice  overset  by  the  violence  of  the  surf, 
or  breach  of  the  sea,  and  brought  to  land  half-dead,  (for 
I  could  not  swim.)  An  account  of  such  escapes  as  I 
still  remember,  would  swell  to  several  sheets,  and  many 
more  I  have  perhaps  forgot;  I  shall  only  select  one 
instance,  as  a  specimen  of  that  uonderlul  providence 
which  watched  over  me  for  good,  and  which,  1  doubt 
not,  you  will  think  worthy  of  notice. 

When  our  trade  was  finished,  and  we  M'ere  nearsail- 
ina;  to  the  West  Indies,  the  only  remainino;  service  I 
had  to  perform  in  the  boat,  was  to  assist  in  bringing  the 
wood  and  water  from  the  shore.  We  were  then  at  Rio 
Cestors.  I  used  to  go  into  the  river  in  the  afternoon 
with  the  sea  breeze,  procure  my  loading  in  the  evening, 
and  return  on  board  in  the  morning  with  the  land-wind. 
Several  of  these  little  voyages  I  had  made;  but  the  boat 
was  grown  old,  and  almost  unfit  for  use.  This  service 
likewise  was  almost  completed.  One  day,  having  dined 
on  board,  I  was  preparing  to  return  to  the  river  as 
formerly  :  I  had  takesi  leave  of  the  captain,  received  his 
orders,  was  ready  in  the  boat,  and  just  going  to  put  off. 
as  we  term  it ;  that  is,  to  let  go  our  ropes,  and  sail 
from  the  ship.     In  that  instant  the  captain  came  up 

from  the  cabin,  and  called  me  on   board  again. 1 

went,  expecting  further  orders  ;  but  he  said,  he  had  took 
it  in  his  head,  (as  he  phrased  it,)  that  I  should  remain 
that  day  in  the  ship ;  and  accordingly  ordered  another 


Let.   II.  Voyage  to  Anti[{ua.  79 

man  to  go  in  my  room.  I  n  as  surprised  at  this,  as  the 
boat  had  never  been  sent  away  without  me  before,  and 
asked  him  the  reason  :  he  could  give  me  no  reason  but  as 
above,  that  so  he  would  have  it.  Accordingly  the  boat 
went  without  me ;  but  returned  no  more:  she  sunk  that 
night  in  the  river,  and  the  person  who  had  supplied  my 
place  was  drowned.  I  was  much  struck  when  we  received 
news  of  the  event  the  next  morning. — The  captain  him- 
self, though  quite  a  stranger  to  religion,  so  far  as  to  deny 
a  particular  providence,  could  not  help  being  affected; 
but  he  declared,  that  he  had  no  other  reason  for  coun- 
termanding me  at  that  time,  but  that  it  came  suddenly 

into  his  mind  to  detain  me. 1  wonder  I  omitted  this 

in  my  eight  letters,  as  I  have  always  thought  it  one  of 
the  most  extraordinary  circumstances  of  my  life. 
January  21,  1763.  T  am,  &c. 


LETTER  XI. 


Dear  Sir, 


A 


FEW  days  after  I  w^as  thus  wonderfully  saved  fmni 
an  unforeseen  danger,  we  sailed  for  Antigua,  and  from 
thence  proceeded  to  Charlestown  in  South  Carolina.  In 
this  place  there  arc  many  serious  people ;  but  I  knew 
not  where  to  find  them  out :  indeed  I  was  not  aware  of 
a  difference,  but  supposed  that  all  who  attended  public 
worship  were  good  Christians.  I  was  as  much  in  the 
dark  about  preaching,  not  doubting  but  whatever  came 
from  the  pulpit  must  be  very  good.  I  had  two  or  three 
opportunities  of  hearing  a  dissenting  minister,  named 
Smith,  who.  by  what  I  have  known  since,  I  believe  to 


80  ^'oi/age  to  Antigua^  ^c  Let.  11. 

have  been  an  excellent  and  powerful  preacher  of  the 
Gospel ;  and  there  was  something  in  his  manner  that 
struck  me,  but  I  did  not  rightly  understand  him.  The 
best  words  that  men  can  speak  are  ineffectual,  till  ex- 
plained and  applied  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  who  alone 
can  open  the  heart.  It  pleased  the  Lord,  for  some 
time,  that  I  should  learn  no  more  than  what  he  enabled 
me  to  collect  from  my  own  experience  and  reflection. 
?\Jy  conduct  was  now  very  inconsistent. — Almost  every 
day,  when  business  would  permit,  I  used  to  retire  into 
the  woods  and  fields,  (for  these,  when  at  hand,  have 
always  been  my  favourite  oratories,)  and  I  trust  I  be- 
gan to  taste  the  sweets  of  communion  with  God,  in  the 
exercises  of  prayer  and  praise ;  and  yet  I  frequently 
spent  the  evenings  in  vain  and  worthless  company.  In- 
deed, my  relish  for  worldly  diversions  was  much  weak- 
ened, and  I  was  rather  a  spectator  than  a  sharer  in 
their  pleasures ;  but  I  did  not  as  yet  see  the  necessity 
of  an  absolute  forbearance.  Yet,  as  my  compliance 
with  custom  and  company  was  chiefly  owing  to  want  of 
light,  rather  than  to  an  obstinate  attachment,  and  the 
Lord  was  pleased  to  preserve  me  from  what  I  knew  was 
sinful,  I  had  for  the  most  part  peace  of  conscience,  and 
mv  stronfTest  desires  were  towards  the  things  of  God. 
As  yet  I  knew  not  the  force  of  that  precept,  "  Abstain 
"  from  all  appearance  of  evil ;" — but  very  often  ven- 
tured upon  the  brink  of  temptation  :  but  the  Lord  was 
gracious  to  my  weakness,  and  would  not  suffer  the 
enemy  to  prevail  against  me,  I  did  not  break  with  the 
world  at  once,  (as  might  in  my  case  have  been  expected,) 
but  I  was  gradually  led  to  see  the  inconvenience  and 
folly  of  one  thing  after  another ;  and  when  I  saw  it,  the 
Lord  strengthened  me  to  give  it  up.     But  it  was  some 


Let  11.  Return  to  Englaiul.,  and  Marriage.  SX 

years  before  I  was  set  quite  at  liberty  from  occasional 
compliances  in  many  things  in  which  at  this  time  I  durst 
by  no  means  allow  myself. 

We   finished   our  voyage,   and  arrived  in    L . 

When  the  ship's  affairs  were  settled,  I  went  to  Lon- 
don, and  from  thence,  (as  you  may  suppose,)  I  soon  re- 
paired to  Kent.  More  than  seven  years  were  now 
elapsed  since  my  first  visit. — -No  views  of  the  kind 
could  seem  more  chimerical,  or  could  subsist  under 
greater  discouragements  than  mine  had  done  ;  yet, 
throuiih  the  over-rulins;  goodness  of  God,  wliile  I 
seemed  abandoned  to  myself,  and  blindly  following 
my  own  headstrong  passions,  I  was  guided  by  a  hand 
that  I  knew  not  to  the  accomplishment  of  my  wishes. 
Every  obstacle  was  now  removed.  I  had  renounced 
my  former  follies,  my  interest  w^as  established,  and 
friends  on  all  sides  consenting :  the  point  was  now  en- 
tirely between  ourselves  ;  and^  after  what  had  passed, 

■was  easily  concluded.- 'Accordingly  our  hands  were 

joined  on  the  1st  of  February  1730. 

The  satisfaction  I  have  found  in  this  union,  you  will 
suppose,  has  been  greatly  heightened  by  reflection  on 
the  former  disaoreeable  contrasts  I  had  gone  throu2;h, 
and  the  views  I  have  had  of  the  singular  mercy  and 
providence  of  the  Lord  in  bringing  it  to  pass.  If  you 
please  to  look  back  to  the  beginning  of  my  sixth  letter 
(p.  45,)  I  doubt  not  but  you  will  allow,  that  few  per- 
sons have  known  more,  either  of  the  misery  or  happi- 
ness of  which  human  life,  (as  considered  in  itself,)  is  ca- 
pable. How  easily,  at  a  time  of  life  when  I  was  so 
little  capable  of  judging  (but  a  few  months  more  than 
seventeen,)  might  my  affections  have  been  fixed  where 
they  could  have  met  with  no  return,  or  where  success 
would  have  been  the  heaviest  disappointment.     Tlie 

Vor.  I  U 


83-  liciurii  to  Engkuidyand  Matrtage.         Let.  i\ . 

long  delay  I  met  uitli  was  likewise  a  nicrc}^ ;  for  had  I 
succeeded  a  year  or  two  sooner,  before  the  Lord  was 
pleased  to  change  my  heart,  we  must  have  been  mu- 
tually unhappy,  even  as  to  the  present  life.  "  Surely 
"  mercy  and  goodness  have  followed  me  all  my  days." 
But,  alas !  I  soon  began  to  feel  that  my  heart  was 
still  hard  and  ungrateful  to  the  God  of  my  life.  This 
crowning  mercy,  which  raised  me  to  all  I  could  ask  or 
wish  in  a  temporal  view,  and  which  ought  to  have  been 
an  animating  motive  to  obedience  and  praise,  had  a 
contrary  effect. — I  rested  in  tlie  gift,  and  forgot  the 
giver.  My  poor  narrow  heart  ^^•as  satisjied. — A  cold 
and  careless  frame,  as  to  spiritual  things,  took  place, 
and  gained  ground  daily.  Happily  for  me,  the  season 
was  advancing,  and  in  June  I  received  orders  to  re- 
pair to  L .     This  roused  me  from   my   dream ;   I 

need  not  tell  you  that  I  found  the  pains  of  absence  and 
separation  fully  proportioned  to  my  preceding  pleasure. 
It  was  hard,  very  hard,  to  part,  especially  as  conscience 
interfered,  and  suggested  to  me  how  little  I  deserved 
that  we  should  be  spared  to  meet  again. — But  the 
Lord  supported  me.  I  was  a  poor,  faint,  idolatrous 
creature ;  but  I  had  now  some  acquaintance  M'ith  the 
way  of  access  to  a  throne  of  grace  by  the  blood  of 
Jesus  ;  and  peace  was  soon  restored  to  my  conscience. 
Yet  through  all  the  following  voyage  my  irregular  and 
excessive  aticctions  were  as  thorns  in  my  eyes,  and 
often  made  my  other  blessings  tasteless  and  insipid. 
But  he  who  doth  all  things  well,  over-ruled  this  like- 
wise for  good.  It  became  an  occasion  of  quickening 
me  in  prayer  both  for  her  and  myself;  it  increased  my 
indifference  for  company  and  amusement ;  it  habitu- 
ated me  to  a  kind  of  voluntary  self-denial,  which  I  was 
s^fterwards  taught  to  improve  to  a  better  purpose. 


Let,   II.  Voyage  to  Africa.  S^ 

While  I  remained  in  England,  we  corresponded 
everv  post;  and  all  the  while  I  used  the  sea  after- 
wards, I  constantly  kept  up  the  practice  of  writing  two 
or  three  times  a  week,  (if  weather  and  business  per- 
mitted,) though  no  conveyance  homeward  offered  for 
six  or  eight  months  together.  My  packets  were  usual- 
ly heavy  ;  and  as  not  one  of  them  at  any  time  miscar- 
ried, I  have  to  the  amount  of  near  two  hundred  sheets 
of  paper  now  lying  in  my  bureau  of  that  correspond- 
ence. I  mention  this  little  relief  I  contrived  to  soften 
the  intervals  of  absence,  because  it  had  a  good  effect 
beyond  my  first  intention.  It  habituated  me  to  think 
and  write  upon  a  great  variety  of  subjects;  and  1  ac- 
quired, insensibly,  a  greater  readiness  of  expressing 
myself  than  I  should  have  otherwise  attained.  As 
I  gained  more  ground  in  religious  knowledge,  my 
letters  became  more  serious ;  and,  at  times,  I  still 
find  an  advantage  in  looking  them  over  ;  especially  as 
they  remind  mc  of  my  many  providential  incidents,  and 
the  state  of  my  n:iind  at  different  periods  in  these 
voyages,  v.  hich  would  otherwise  have  escaped  my  me- 
mory. 

I  sailed  from  L in  August  1750,  commander  of 

a  good  ship.  I  have  no  very  extraordinary  events  to 
recount  from  this  period,  and  shall  therefore  contract 
my  memoirs,  lest  I  become  tedious ;  yet  I  am  willing 
to  give  you  a  brief  sketch  of  my  history  down  to  1755, 
the  year  of  my  settlement  in  my  present  situation.  I 
had  now  the  command  and  care  of  thirty  persons  :  I 
endeavoured  to  treat  them  with  humanity,  and  to  set 
them  a  good  example  :  I  likewise  established  public 
worship,  according  to  the  liturgy,  twice  every  Lord's 
,  day,  officiating  myself.  Further  than  this  I  did  not 
proceed,  while  I  continue^  in  that  employment. 


34  Voyage  lo  Africa.  Let.  11, 

Having  now  much  leisure,  I  prosecuted  the  study  of 
the  Latin  with  good  success.  I  remembered  a  dic- 
tionary this  voyage,  and  procured  two  or  three  other 
books  ;  but  still  it  was  my  hap  to  choose  the  hardest. 
I  added  Juv-enal  to  Horace;  and,  for  prose  authors,  I 
pitched  upon  Livy,  Cfesar,  and  Sallust.  You  will  ea- 
sily conceive,  Sir,  that  I  had  hard  work,  to  begin,  (where 
I  should  have  left  off,)  with  Horace  and  Livy.  I  was 
not  aware  of  the  difference  of  style  ;  I  had  heard  Livy 
highly  commended,  and  was  resolved  to  understand 
him.  I  began  ^^itll  the  first  page  and  laid  down  a 
rule,  which  I  seldom  departed  from,  not  to  proceed  to 
a  second  period  till  I  understood  the  first)  and  so  on. 
I  was  ollen  at  a  stand,  but  seldom  discouraged  :  here 
and  there  I  found  a  few  lines  quite  obstinate,  and  was 
forced  to  break  in  upon  my  rule,  and  give  them  up, 
especially  as  my  edition  had  only  the  text,  without  any 
hotcs  to  assist  me.  But  there  were  not  many  such ; 
for  before  the  close  of  that  voyage,  I  could,  (with  a  few 
exceptions,)  read  Livy  from  end  to  end,  almost  as  rea- 
dily as  an  English  author.  And  I  found,  in  surmount- 
ing this  difficulty,  I  had  surmounted  all  in  one.  Other 
prose  authors,  when  they  came  in  my  way,  cost  me 
little  trouble.  In  short,  in  the  space  of  two  or  three 
voyages,  I  became  tolerably  acquainted  with  the  best 
classics,  (I  put  all  I  have  to  say  upon  this  subject  toge- 
ther ;)  I  read  Terrence,  Virgil,  and  several  pieces  of 
Cicero,  and  the  modern  classics,  l^uchanan,  Erasmus, 
and  Cassimir.  At  len<2;th  I  conceived  a  design  of  be- 
coming  Ciceronian  myself,  and  thought  it  would  be  a 
fine  thing  indeed  to  write  pure  and  elegant  Latin.  I 
made  some  essays  towards  it,  but  by  this  time  the  Lord 
was  pleased  to  draw  me  nearer  to  himself,  and  to  give 
me  a  fuller  view  of  the  "  pearl  of  great  price,"  the  in- 


Let.  11.  Voyage  to  Africa.  85 

estimable  treasure  hid  in  the  field  of  the  holy  Scripture ; 
and,  for  the  sake  of  this,  I  was  made  willing  to  part 
with  all  my  new-acquired  riches.  I  began  to  think 
that  life  was  too  short,  (especially  my  life,)  to  admit  of 
leisure  for  such  elaborate  trifling.  Neither  poet  nor 
historian  could  tell  me  a  word  of  Jesus,  and  I  there- 
fore applied  myself  to  those  who  could.  The  classics 
were  at  first  restrained  to  one  morning  in  the  week, 
and  at  length  quite  laid  aside.  I  have  not  looked  in 
Livy  these  five  years,  and  I  suppose  I  could  not  now 
well  understand  him.  Some  passages  in  Horace  and 
Virgil  I  still  admire  ;  but  they  seldom  come  in  my  way. 
I  prefer  Buchanan's  Psalms  to  a  whole  shelf  of  Elze- 
virs.  Eut  thus  much  I  have  gained,  and  more  than 

this  I  am  not  solicitous  about,  so  much  of  the  Latin  as 
enables  me  to  read  any  useful  or  curious  book  that  is 
published  in  that  language.  About  the  same  time,  and 
for  the  same  reason  that  I  quarrelled  with  Livy,  I  laid 
aside  the  mathematics. — I  found  they  not  only  cost  me 
much  time,  but  engrossed  my  thoughts  too  far;  my  head 
was  literally  full  of  schemes.  I  was  weary  of  cold  con- 
templative truths,  which  can  neither  warm  nor  amend 
the  heart,  but  rather  tend  to  aggrandize  self.  I  found 
no  traces  of  this  wisdom  in  the  life  of  Jesus,  or  the 
writings  of  Paul.  I  do  not  regret  that  I  have  had  some 
opportunities  of  knowing  the  first  principles  of  these 
things  :  but  1  see  much  cause  to  praise  the  Lord  that 
he  inclined  me  to  stop  in  time ;  and,  whilst  I  was 
"  spending  my  labours  for  that  which  is  not  bread," 
was  pleased  to  set  before  me  "  wine  and  milk  without 
"  money  and  without  price." 

My  first  voyage  was  fourteen  months,  through  vari- 
ous scenes  of  danger  and  difficulty,  but  nothing  very 
remarkable ;  and,    as  I   intend  to  be  more  particular 


S6  Another  Voyage  to  Africa.  Let.  12. 

with  regard  to  the  second,  I  shall  only  say,  that  I  was 
preserved  from  every  harm  :  and  having  seen  many  fall 
on  my  right  hand  and  on  my  left,  I  was  brought  home 
in  peace,  and  restored  to  where  my  thoughts  had  been 
often  directed,  November  2,  1751. 

Jamiiirii  £2,  \763.  I  am,  &c. 


LETTER  XII. 

Dear  Sir, 

ALMOST  wish  I  could  recall  my  last  sheet,  and  re- 
tract my  promise.  I  fear  I  have  engaged  too  far,  and 
shall  prove  a  mere  egotist.  What  have  I  more  that 
can  deserve  your  notice?  However,  it  is  some  satis- 
faction that  I  am  now  writing  to  yourself  only  ;  and,  I 
believe,  you  will  have  candour  to  excuse  what  nothing 
but  a  sense  of  your  kindness  could  extort  from  me. 

Soon  after  the  period  where  my  last  closes,  that  is, 
in  the  interval  between  my  first  and  second  voyage  af- 
ter my  marriage,  I  began  to  keep  a  sort  of  diary ;  a 
practice  which  1  have  since  found  of  great  use.  I  had 
in  this  interval  repeated  proofs  of  the  ingratitude  and 
evil  of  my  heart.  A  life  of  ease,  in  the  midst  of  my 
friends,  and  the  full  satisfaction  of  my  wishes,  was  not 
favourable  to  the  progress  of  grace,  and  afforded  cause 
of  daily  humiliation.  Yet,  upon  the  whole,  I  gained 
ground.  I  became  acquainted  with  books,  which  gave 
ine  a  farther  view  of  Christian  doctrine  and  experience; 
particularly,  ScougaCs  Life  of  God  in  the  Soul  of  Man, 
llcrrefs  illeditations,  and  the  Life  of  Colonel  Gardi- 
nc7\  As  to  preaching,  I  heard  none  but  the  connnon 
sortj  and  had  iiardly  an  idea  of  any  better;  neither  had 


Let.  12.  Another  Voyage  to  Africa,  87- 

I  the  advantage  of  Chiistian  acquaintance,  I  was 
likewise  greatly  hindered  by  a  cowardly  reserved  spirit; 
I  was  afraid  of  being  thought  precise ;  and  though  I 
could  not  live  without  prayer,  I  durst  not  propose  it 
even  to  my  wife,  till  she  herself  first  put  me  upon  it ; 
so  far  was  I  from  those  expressions  of  zeal  and  love, 
which  seem  so  suitable  to  the  case  of  one  who  has  had 
much  forjiiven.     In  a  few  months  the  returnino;  season 

called  me  abroad  again,  and  I  sailed  from  L ,  in  a 

new  ship,  July,  \75^Z. 

A  sea-faring  life  is  necessarily  excluded  from  the 
benefit  of  public  ordinances  and  Christian  communion: 
but,  as  I  have  observed,  my  loss  upon  these  heads  was 
at  this  time  but  small.  In  other  respects,  I  knou*  not 
any  calling  that  seemiS  more  favourable,  or  affords 
greater  advantages  to  an  awakened  mind,  for  promot- 
ing the  life  of  God  in  the  soul ;  especially  to  a  person 
who  has  the  comujand  of  a  ship,  and  thereby  has  it  in 
his  power  to  restrain  gross  irregularities  in  others,  and 
to  dispose  of  his  own  time  ;  and  still  more  so  in  African 
voyages,  as  these  ships  carry  a  double  proportion  of 
men  and  officers  to  most  others,  w  hich  made  my  de- 
partment very  easy  ;  and,  excepting  the  hurry  of  trade. 
&c.  upon  the  coast,  which  is  rather  occasional  than 
constant,  afforded  me  abundance  of  leisure.  To  be  at 
sea  in  these  circumstances,  withdrawn  out  of  the  reach 
of  innumerable  temptations,  with  opportunity  and  a  turn 
of  mind  disposed  to  observe  the  wonders  of  God  in  the 
great  deep,  with  the  two  noblest  objects  of  sight,  the 
expanded  lieaxens,  and  the  expanded  ocean,  continu- 
ally in  view ;  and  where  evident  interpositions  of  Di- 
vine Providence,  in  answer  to  prayer,  occur  almost 
every  day  :  these  are  helps  to  quicken  and  confirm  the 
life  of  faith,  which  in  a  good  measure  supply  to  a  reli- 


88  Another  Voyage  to  Africa.  Let.  12. 

gious  sailor  the  want  of  those  advantages  which  can  be 
enjoyed  only  uj)on  the  shore.  And  indeed,  thougli  my 
knowledge  of  spiritual  things,  as  knowledge  is  usually 
estimated,  was  at  this  time  very  small ;  yet  I  sometimes 
look  back  with  regret  upon  those  scenes.  I  never  knew 
sweeter  or  more  frequent  hours  of  divine  communion, 
than  in  my  two  last  voyages  to  Guinea,  when  I  was 
either  almost  secluded  from  society  on  shipboard,  or 
when  on  shore  amongst  the  natives.  I  have  wandered 
through  the  woods,  reflecting  on  the  singular  goodness 
of  the  Lord  to  me,  in  a  place  where,  perhaps,  tnere 
Mas  not  a  person  that  knew  him  for  some  thousand 
miles  round  me.  Many  a  time,  upon  these  occasions, 
I  have  restored  the  beautiful  lines  of  Propertius  to  their 
right  owner ;  lines  full  of  blasphemy  and  madness  when 
addressed  to  a  creature,  but  full  of  comfort  and  pro-' 
priety  in  the  mouth  of  a  believer. 

Sic  egv  denertis  possim  bene  -vivere  sylvis, 
Que  nulla  /nanano  sit  via  trita  peek  : 
Tu  mihi  curarum  rerji/i'  s,  in  node  vel  atra 
Liuiien,  et  in  solis  tu  mi/ii  turba  locis. 

PARAPHRASED. 

In  desert  woods,  with  thee,  my  God, 
Where  human  footsteps  never  trod, 

How  happy  could  I  be  ! 
Thou  my  repose  from  care,  my  light 
Amidst  the  darkness  of  the  night, 

In  solitude  my  company. 

In  the  course  of  this  voyage  I  was  wonderfully  pre- 
served in  the  midst  of  many  obvious  and  many  unfore- 
seen dangers.  At-  one  time  there  was  a  conspiracy 
amongst  my  own  people  to  turn  pirates,  and  take  the 


Let.   12.  Another  Voijage  to  Africa,  89 

ship  from  me.  When  the  plot  was  nearly  ripe,  and 
they  waited  only  a  convenient  opportunity,  two  of  those 
concerned  in  it  were  taken  ill  one  day ;  one  of  them 
died,  and  he  was  the  only  person  I  buried  M'hile  on 
board.  This  suspended  the  aftair,  and  opened  a  way 
to  its  discovery,  or  the  consequence  might  have  been 
fatal.  The  slaves  on  board  were  likewise  frequently 
plotting  insurrections,  and  were  sometimes  upon  the 
very  brink  of  mischief;  but  it  was  always  disclosed  in 
due  time.  When  I  have  thought  myself  most  secure, 
I  have  been  suddenly  alarmed  with,  danger ;  and  when 
I  have  almost  despaired  of  life,  as  suddenly  a  deliver- 
ance has  been  vouchsafed  me.  I\Iy  stay  upon  the 
Coast  was  long,  the  trade  very  precarious  ;  and,  in  the 
pursuit  of  my  business,  both  on  board  and  on  shore,  I 
Mas  In  deaths  often.  Let  the  following  instance  serve 
as  a  specimen. 

I  was  at  a  place  called  JMana,  near  Cape  IMount, 
where  I  had  transacted  very  large  concerns  ;  and  had, 
at  the  time  I  am  speaking  of,  some  debts  and  accounts 
to  settle,  which  required  my  attendance  on  shore,  and 
I  intended  to  so  the  next  mornins;.  When  I  arose 
I  left  the  ship,  according  to  my  purpose ;  but  w  hen  I 
came  near  the  shore,  the  surf,  or  breach  of  the  sea,  ran 
so  high,  that  I  was  almost  afraid  to  attempt  landing. 
Indeed  I  had  often  ventured  at  a  worse  time ;  but  I 
felt  an  inward  hindrance  and  backwardness,  which  I 
could  not  account  for  :  the  surf  furnished  a  pretext  for 
indulging  it ;  and  after  waiting  and  hesitating  for  about 
half  an  hour,  I  returned  to  the  ship,  without  doing  my 
business  ;  which  I  think  I  never  did,  but  that  morning, 
in  all  the  time  I  used  that  trade. ^But  I  soon  per- 
ceived the  reason  of  all  this. It  seems,  the  day  be- 
fore  I  intended  to  land,  a  scandalous  and  groundless 

Vol.  I.  N 


90  Another  Foi/age  to  Africa.  Let.  12. 

charge  had  been  laid  against  me,  (by  whose  instigation 
I  could  never  learn,)  which  greatly  threatened  my 
honour  and  interest,  both  in  Africa  and  En^jland,  and 
would  perhaps,  humanly  speakingr,  have  affected  my 
life,  if  I  had  landed  according  to  my  intention.  I 
shall,  perhaps,  inclose  a  letter,  which  will  give  a  full 
account  of  this  strange  adventure  ;  and  therefore  sh^U 
Say  no  more  of  it  here,  any  further  than  to  tell  you,  that 
an  attempt  aimed  to  destroy  cither  my  life  or  character, 
and  which  mi<j;ht  very  probably,  in  its  consequences, 
have  ruined  my  voyage,  passed  off  without  the  least  in- 
convenience. The  person  most  concerned  owed  me 
about  a  hundred  pounds,  which  he  sent  me  in  a  huff; 
and  otherwise,  perhaps,  would  not  have  paid  me  at  all. 
I  was  very  uneasy  for  a  few  hours,  but  was  soon  after- 
wards comforted.  I  heard  no  more  of  my  accusation 
till  the  next  voyage  :  and  then  it  w^as  publicly  acknow- 
ledged to  be  a  malicious  calumny,  without  the  least 
shadow  of  a  ground. 

Such  were  the  vicissitudes  and  difficulties  through 
which  the  Lord  preserved  me.  Now  and  then  both 
faith  and  patience  were  sharply  exercised  ;  but  suitable 
strength  was  given  ;  and  as  those  things  did  not  occur 
every  day,  the  study  of  the  Latin,  of  which  I  gave  a  ge- 
neral account  in  my  last,  was  renewed,  and  carried  on 
from  time  to  time  when  business  would  permit.  I  was 
mostly  very  regular  in  the  management  of  my  time;  I  al- 
lotted eight  hours  for  sleep  and  meals,  eight  hours  for 
exercise  and  devotion,  and  eight  hours  to  my  books :  and 
thus,  by  diversifying  my  engagements,  the  whole  day  was 
agreeably  filled  up;  and  I  seldom  found  a  day  too  long, 
or  an  hour  to  spare.  J\Iy  studies  kept  me  employed  ; 
and  so  tar  it  was  well :  otherw  isc  they  w  ere  hardly  worth 
the  time  tliey  cost,  as  thcv  led  me  to  an  admiration  of 


Let.  12.  Another  Voyage  to  Jfriea.  91 

false  models  and  false  maxims  ;  an  almost  unavoida- 
ble consequence,  (I  suppose,)  of  an  admiration  of  clas- 
sic authors.     Abating  what  I  have  attained  of  the  lan- 
guage, I  think  I  might  have  read  Cassandra  or  Cleopa- 
tra to  as  good  purpose   as  I  read  Livy,   whom  I  now 
account  an  equal  romancer,  though  in  a  different  wa}^ 
From  the  Coast  I   went  to  St.  Christopher's  ;  and 
here   my    idolatrous    heart  was   its  own   punishment. 
The  letters  I  expected  from  Mrs.  N*****  were  by  mis- 
take forwarded  to  iVnti^ua,  which  had  been  at  first  pro- 
posed as  our  port.  As  I  was  certain  of  her  punctuality 
in  writing,    if  alive,  I  concluded,  by  not  hearing  from 
her,  that  she  was  surely  dead.     This  fear  aifected  me 
more  and  more  ;   I  lost  my  appetite  and  rest ;  I  telt  an 
incessant   pain   in  my   stomach;     and  in  about  three 
weeks  time,  I  was  near  sinking  under  the  weight  of  an 
imaginary  stroke.     I  felt  some  severe  symptoms  ot  that 
mixture  of  pride  and  madness  which  is  commonly  call- 
ed a  broken  heart ;  and  indeed  I  wonder  that  this  case 
is  not  more   common  than   it  appears  to  be.      How 
often  do  the  potsherds  of  the  earth  presume  to  contend 
with  their  maker  !  and    what  a  wonder  of  mercy  is   it 
that  they  are  not  all  broken  !   However,  my  complaint 
was  not  all  grief;   conscience  had  a  share.     I  thought 
my  unfaithfulness  to  God  had  deprived  me  of  her,  es- 
pecially my  backwardness  in  speaking  of  spiritual  things, 
which  I  could  hardly  attempt  even  to  her.   It  was  this 
thought, that  I  had  lost  invaluable,irrecoverable opportu- 
nities, which  both  duty  and  affection  should  have  engaged 
me  to  improve,  that  chiefly  stung  me ;  and  I  thought, 
I  would  have  given  the  world  to  know  she  was  living, 
that  I  might  at  least  discharge  my  engagements  by  v\rit- 
ing,  though  I  was  never  to  see  her  again.     This  was  a 
sharp  lesson  ;  but  I  hope  it  did  me  good ;  and  when  I 


92  Last  Voyage  to  Africa,  Let.  13, 

had  thus  suffered  some  weeks,  I  thought  of  sending  a 
small  vessel  to  Antijiua.  I  did  so  ;  and  she  brought  me 
several  packets ;  which  restored  my  health  and  peace, 
and  gave  me  a  strong  contrast  of  the  Lord's  goodness 
to  me,  and  my  unbelief  and  ingratitude  towards  him. 

In  August,  1753,  I  returned  to  L .   My  stay  was 

very  short  at  home  that  voyage,  only  six  weeks.  In  that 
space,  nothing  very  memorable  occurred  ;  I  shall  there- 
fore begin  my  next  v\ith  an  account  of  my  third  and  last 
voyage.  And  thus  I  give  both  you  and  myself  hopes 
of  a  speedy  period  to  these  memoirs,  which  begin  to 
be  tedious  and  ininiite,  even  to  myself;  only  I  am  ani- 
mated by  the  thought,  that  I  write  at  your  request ; 
and  have  therefore  an  opportunity  of  showing  my- 
self, &c. 

January  31,  1753. 


LETTER  Xlir. 

Dear  Sir, 

-Y  third  voyage  was  shorter  and  less  perplexed  than 
either  of  the  former.  Before  I  sailed,  I  met  with  a 
young  man  who  had  formerly  been  a  midshipman,  and 
my  intimate  companion  on  board  the  Haruich.  He  was, 
at  the  time  I  first  knew  him,  a  sober  youth ;  but  I  found 
too  much  success  in  my  unhappy  attempts  to  infect 

him  with  libertine  principles.    When  we  met  at  L , 

our  acquaintance  renewed  upon  the  ground  of  our  for- 
mer intimacy.  He  had  good  sense,  and  had  read  many 
books. — Our  conversation  frequently  turned  upon  reli- 
gion ;  and  I  was  very  desirous  to  repair  the  mischief  I 
had  done  him.  I  gave  him  a  plain  account  of  the  man- 


Let.   13.  Last  Voyage  to  Africa.  93 

ner  and  reason  of  my  change,  and  used  every  argument 
to  persuade  him  to  relinquish  his  infidel  schemes  ;  and 
when  I  sometimes  pressed  him  so  close,  that  he  had  no 
other  reply  to  make,  he  would  remind  me,  that  I  was 
the  very  first  person  who  had  given  him  an  idea  of  his 
liberty.  This  occasioned  me  many  mournful  reflec- 
tions. He  was  then  going  master  to  Guinea  himself; 
but  before  his  ship  was  ready  his  merchant  became  a 
bankrupt,  which  disconcerted  his  voyage.  As  he  had 
no  further  expectations  for  that  year,  I  offered  to  take 
him  with  me  as  a  companion,  that  he  might  gain  a  know- 
ledge of  the  Coast ;  and  the  gentlemen  who  employed 
me  promised  to  provide  for  him  upon  his  return.  My 
view  in  this  Mas  not  so  much  to  serve  him  in  his  busi- 
ness, as  to  have  an  opportunity  of  debating  the  point  with 
him  at  leisure  ;  and  I  hoped,  in  the  course  of  my  voy- 
age, my  arguments,  example,  and  prayers,  might  have 
some  good  effect  on  him.  My  intention  in  this  step 
was  better  than  my  judgment ;  and  I  had  frequent 
reason  to  repent  it.  He  was  exceedingly  profane,  and 
grew  worse  and  worse.  I  saw  in  him  a  most  lively  pic- 
ture of  what  I  had  once  been  ;  but  it  was  very  inconve- 
nient to  have  it  always  before  my  eyes.  Besides,  he  was 
not  only  deaf  to  my  remonstrances  himself,  but  laboured 
all  he  could  to  counteract  my  influence  upon  others.  His 
spirit  and  passions  were  likewise  exceeding  high;  so  that 
it  required  all  my  prudence  and  authority  to  hold  him  in 
any  degree  of  restraint.  He  was  as  a  sharp  thorn  in  my 
side  for  some  time  ;  but  at  length  I  had  an  opportunity 
upon  the  Coast  of  buying  a  small  vessel,  which  I  supplied 
with  a  cargo  from  my  own,  and  gave  him  the  command, 
and  sent  him  away  to  trade  on  the  ship's  account.  When 
we  parted,  I  repeated  and  enforced  my  best  advice. 
I  believe  his  friendship  and  regard  was  as  great  as  could 


94  Last  Voyage  to  Africa.  Let,  13. 

be  expected,  where  principles  were  so  diametrically  op- 
posite. He  seemed  greatly  affected  when  I  left  him ; 
but  my  words  had  no  weight  with  him  :  when  he  found 
himself  at  liberty  from  under  my  eye,  he  gave  a  hasty 
loose  to  every  appetite  ;  and  his  violent  irregularities, 
joined  to  the  heat  of  the  climate,  soon  threw  him  into 
a  malignant  fever,  which  carried  him  off  in  a  few  days. 
He  died  convinced,  but  not  changed.  The  account  I 
had  from  those  who  were  with  him  was  dreadful.  His 
rage  and  despair  struck  them  all  with  horror ;  and  he 
pronounced  his  own  fatal  doom  before  he  expired,  with- 
out any  appearance  that  he  either  hoped  or  asked  for 
mercy.  I  thought  this  awful  contrast  might  not  be  im- 
proper to  give  you,  as  a  stronger  view  of  the  distin- 
guishing goodness  of  God  to  me,  the  chief  of  sin- 
ners. 

I  left  the  Coast  in  about  four  months,  and  sailed  for 
St.  Christopher's.  Hitherto  I  had  enjoyed  a  perfect 
state  of  health,  equally  in  every  climate,  for  several 
years  ;  but  upon  this  passage  I  was  visited  with  a  fe- 
ver, which  gave  me  a  very  near  prospect  of  eternity. 
I  have  obtained  liberty  to  inclose  you  three  or  four  let- 
ters, which  will  more  clearly  illustrate  the  state  and 
measure  of  my  experience  at  different  times,  than  any 
thing  I  can  say  at  present.  One  of  them,  you  will 
find,  was  wrote  at  this  period,  when  I  could  hardly 
hold  a  pen,  and  had  some  reason  to  believe  I  should 
write  no  more.  I  had  not  that  TAJipocpopta  *  which  is  so 
desirable  at  a  time  when  flesh  and  heart  fails ;  but  my 
hopes  were  greater  than  my  fears ;  and  1  felt  a  silent 
composure  of  spirit,  which  enabled  me  to  wait  the 
event  without  much  anxiety.     My  trust,  though  weak 

•  Full  assurance. 


Let.  13.  Last  J'oi/age  to  Jfrica.  95 

in  degree,  was  alone  fixed  upon  the  blood  and  riohte- 
ousness  of  Jesus  ;  and  those  words,  "  He  is  able  to  save 

"  to  the  uttermost,"  gave  me  great  relief. 1  was 

for  a  while  troubled  vvith  a  very  singular  thought ;  whe- 
ther it  was  a  temptation,  or  that  the  fever  disordered 
my  faculties,  1  cannot  say ;  but  I  seemed  not  so  much 
afraid  of  wrath  and  punishment,  as  of  being  lost,  and 
overlooked  amidst  the  myriads  that  are  continually  en- 
tering the  unseen  world.    What  is  my  soul,  thought  I, 

among  such  an  innumerable  multitude  of  beings  ? 

And  this  troubled  me  greatly.  Perhaps  the  Lord  will 
take  no  notice  of  me.  1  was  perplexed  thus  for  some 
time  ;  but  at  last  a  text  of  Scripture,  very  apposite  to 
the  case,  occurred  to  my  mind,  and  put  an  end  to  the 
douht :  "  The  Lord  knoweth  them  that  are  his."  In 
about  ten  days,  beyond  the  hopes  of  those  about  me,  I 
began  to  amend  ;  and  by  the  time  of  our  arrival  in  the 
West  Indies,  I  was  perfectly  recovered. — I  hope  this 
visitation  was  made  useful  to  me. 

Thus  far,  that  is,  for  about  the  space  of  six  years, 

the  Lord  was  pleased  to  lead  me  in  a  secret  Avay. 

I  had  learned  something  of  the  evil  of  my  heart ;  I  had 
read  the  Bible  over  and  over,  with  several  good  books, 
and  had  a  general  view  of  the  Gospel-tnith  :  but  my 
conceptions  were,  in  many  respects,  confused,  not  hav- 
ing in  all  this  time  met  with  one  acquaintance  Mho 
could  assist  my  inquiries.  But  upon  my  arrival  at  St. 
Christopher's  this  voyage,  I  found  a  captain  of  a  ship 
from  London,  v.hose  conversation  was  greatly  helpful 

to  me.     He    was   and  is  a  member  of  Mr.    B r"s 

church,  a  man  of  experience  in  the  things  of  God,  and 
of  a  lively,  communicative  turn.  We  discovered  each 
other  by  some  casual  expressions  in  mixed  company, 
and  soon  became,  so  far  as  business  would  permit,  in- 


9G  Last   Voyage  to  AJ'nca.  Let.  13. 

separable.  For  near  a  Tnonth  we  spent  every  evening  to- 
gether on  board  each  other's  ship  alternately,  and  often 
prolonged  our  visits  till  towards  day-break.  I  was  all 
ears  ;  and  what  uas  better,  he  not  only  informed  my  un- 
derstanding, but  his  discourse  inflamed  my  heart. • 

He  encouraged  me  to  open  my  mouth  in  social  prayer  ; 
he  taught  me  the  advantage  of  Christian  converse;  he  put 
me  upon  an  attempt  to  make  my  profession  more  pub- 
lic, and  to  venture  to  speak  for  God.  From  him,  or 
rather  from  the  Lord  by  his  means,  I  received  an  in- 
crease of  knowledge  :  my  conceptions  became  clearer 
and  more  evangelical ;  and  I  was  delivered  from  a  fear 
Avhich  had  long  troubled  me — the  fear  of  relapsing  in- 
to my  former  apostasy.  But  now  I  began  to  under- 
stand the  security  of  the  covenant  of  grace,  and  to  ex- 
pect to  be  preserved,  not  by  my  own  pov.er  and  holi- 
ness, but  by  the  mighty  power  and  promise  of  God, 
through  faith  in  an  unchangeable  Saviour.  He  likewise 
gave  me  a  general  view  of  the  state  of  religion,  with 
the  errors  and  controversies  of  the  times,  (things  to  which 
I  had  been  entirely  a  stranger,)  and  finally  directed  me 
where  to  apply  in  London  for  further  instruction.  With 
these  new-acquired  advantages,  1  left  him ;  and  my 
passage  homewards  gave  me  leisure  to  digest  what  I 
had  received.  I  had  much  comfort  and  freedom  during 
those  seven  weeks,  and  my  sun  was  seldom  clouded. 

I  arrived  safe  in  L August  ]754. 

My  stay  at  home  was  intended  to  be  but  short ;  and 
by  the  beginning  of  November  I  M'as  again  ready  for 
the  sea :  but  the  Lord  saw  fit  to  over-rule  my  design. 
Durinjj  the  time  I  was  engaijed  in  the  slave-trade,  I 
never  had  the  least  scruple  as  to  its  lawfulness.  I  Avas 
upon  the  whole  satisfied  with  it,  as  the  appointment 
Providence  had  marked   out  for  me ;  yet  it  was,  in 


J 


Let.  13.  Last  Voya;^e  to  Africa.  97 

many  respects,  far  from  eligible.  It  is,  indeed,  ac- 
counted a  genteel  employment,  and  is  usually  very  pro- 
fitable, though  to  me  it  did  not  prove  so,  the  Lord  Sv  e- 
ini£  that  a  lars^e  increase  of  wealth  would  not  be  <»;ood 
for  me.  However,  I  considered  myself  as  a  sort  of 
gaoler  or  turnkey,  and  I  was  sometimes  shocked  with 
an  employment  that  was  perpetually  conversant  with 
chains,  bolts,  and  shackles.  In  this  view  I  had  often 
petitioned  in  my  prayers,  that  the  Lord,  in  his  own 
time,  would  be  pleased  to  fix  me  in  a  more  humane  call- 
ing ;  and,  if  it  might  be,  place  me  where  1  might  have 
more  frequent  converse  with  his  people  and  ordinances, 
and  be  freed  from  those  long  separations  from  home 
which  very  often  were  hard  to  bear.  My  prayers 
were  now  answered,  though  in  a  way  I  little  expected. 
I  now  experienced  another  sudden  unforeseen  change 
of  life.  I  was  within  two  days  of  sailing,  and  to  all  ap- 
pearance in  good  health  as  usual ;  but  in  the  afternoon, 
as  I  was  sitting  with  ]\Irs.  K*****,  by  ourselves,  drink'- 
ing  tea,  and  talking  over  past  events,  I  was  in  a  mo- 
ment seized  with  a  fit,  which  deprived  me  of  sense  and 
motion,  and  left  me  no  other  sign  of  life  than  that  of 
breathing. — I  suppose  it  was  of  the  apoplectic  kind.— -It 
lasted  about  an  hour  ;  and  when  I  recovered,  it  left  a 
pain  and  dizziness  in  my  head,  which  continued  with 
such  symptoms  as  induced  the  physicians  to  judge  it 
would  not  be  safe  or  prudent  for  me  to  proceed  on  the 
voyage.  Accordingly,  by  ihe  advice  of  my  friend  to 
whom  the  ship  belonged,  I  resigned  the  command  thq 
day  before  she  sailed  ;  and  thus  I  was  unexpectedly 
called  from  that  service,  and  freed  from  a  share  of  the 
future  consequences  of  that  voyage,  which  proved  ex- 
tremely calamitous.  The  person  who  went  in  my  room, 
most  of  the  officers,  and  many  of  the  crew.  died. 
A^u.  I.  O      ' 


98  LasL  loi/agc  to  Africa.  Let.   lo. 

and  the  vessel  was  brought  home  with  great  diffi- 
culty. 

As  I  was  now  disenfiaged  from  business,  I  left 
L- •,  and  spent  most  of  the  following  year  at  Lon- 
don and  in  Kent.     But  I  entered  upon  a  new  trial. 

You  will  easily  conceive,  that  Mrs.  N*****  was 

not  an  unconcerned  spectator,  when  I  lay  extended, 
and  as  she  thought,  expiring  upon  the  ground.  In  ef- 
fect, the  blow  that  struck  me  reached  her  in  the  same 
instant :  she  did  not  indeed  immediately  feel  it,  till  her 
apprehensions  on  my  account  began  to  subside  ;  but  as 
I  grew  better,  she  became  worse  :  her  surprise  threw 
her  into  a  disorder  which  no  physicians  could  define, 
or  medicines  remove.  Without  any  of  the  ordinary 
symptoms  of  a  consumption,  she  decayed  almost  visi- 
bly, till  she  became  so  weak,  that  she  could  hardly 
bear  any  one  to  walk  across  the  room  she  was  in.  I 
was  placed  for  about  eleven  months  in  what  Dr.  Youn^ 
calls  the 

dreadful  post  of  ubservation", 

Darker  every  hour. 

It  was  not  till  after  my  settlement  in  my  present  sta- 
tion, that  the  Lord  was  pleased  to  restore  her  by  his 
own  hand,  when  all  hopes  from  ordinary  means  were  at 
an  end.  But  before  this  took  place,  I  have  some  other 
particulars  to  mention,  which  must  be  the  subject  of  the 
following  sheet,  which  I  hope  will  be  the  last  on  this 
subject,  from,  &c. 

February  1,  1763. 


Let.  14.  'Conclusiun  of  the  XanvUivc.  99 


LETTER  XIV. 
Dear  Sir, 


B 


►Y  the  directions  I  had  received  from  my  friend  at 
St.  Kitt's,  I  soon  found  out  a  religious  acquaintance  in 
London.  I  first  ap})lied  to  Mr,  13 -,  and  chiefly  at- 
tended upon  his  ministry  when  in  town.  From  him  I 
received  many  helps,  both  in  public  and  private ;  for 
he  was  pleased  to  favour  me  with  his  friendship  from 
the  first.  His  kindness,  and  the  intimacy  between  us, 
has  continued  and  increased  to  this  day  ;  and  of  all  my 
many  friends,  I  am  most  deeply  indebted  to  him.     The 

late  IVIr.  H d  w  as  my  second  acquaintance,  a  man 

of  a  choice  spirit,  and  an  abundant  zeal  for  the  Lord's 
service.     I  enjoyed  his  correspondence  till  near  the  time 

of  his  death.     Soon  after,  upon  Mr.  W- ^d's  return 

from  America,  my  two  good  friends  introduced  me  to 
him ;  and  though  I  had  little  personal  acquaintance  with 
him  till  afterwards,  his  ministry  v»  as  exceeding  useful  to 
me.  I  had  likewise  access  to  some  religious  societies, 
and  became  known  to  many  excellent  Christians  in  pri- 
vate life.  Thus,  w  hen  at  London,  I  lived  at  the  foun- 
tain-head, as  it  w^ere,  for  spiritual  advantages.  When 
1  was  in  Kent  it  was  very  different ;  yet  1  found  some 
serious  persons  there:  but  the  fine  variegated  woodland 
country  afforded  me  advantages  of  another  kind,  JMost 
of  njy  time,  at  least  some  hours  every  day,  I  passed  in 
retirement,  when  the  weather  was  fair  ;  sometimes  in 
the  thickest  woods,  sometimes  on  the  highest  hills,  where 
almost  every  step  varied  the  prospect.  It  has  been 
my  custom,  for  many  years,  to  perform  my  devotional 


loo  Conclusion  of  the  Narrative,  Cct.  14. 

exercises  sub  dio,  when  I  have  opportunity ;  and  I  al- 
ways find  these  rural  scenes  have  some  tendency  both 
to  refresh  and  to  compose  my  spirits.  A  beautiful  di- 
versified prospect  gladdens  my  heart.  When  I  am 
withdrawn  from  the  noise  and  petty  works  of  men,  I 
consider  myself  as  in  the  great  temple  which  the  Lord 
has  built  for  his  own  honour. 

The  country  between  Rochester  and  Maidstone,  bor- 
dering upon  the  Med  way,  was  well  suited  to  the  turn  of 
my  mind  ;  and  was  I  to  go  over  it  now,  I  could  point  to 
many  a  place  where  I  remember  to  have  either  earnest- 
ly sought,  or  happily  found  the  Lord's  comfortable  pre- 
sence with  my  soul.  And  thus  I  lived,  sometimes  in 
London,  and  sometimes  in  the  country,  till  the  autumn  of 
the  following  year.  All  this  while  I  had  two  trials  more 
or  less  upon  my  mind  :  the  first  and  principal  was  Mrs. 
N*****'s  illness ;  she  still  grew  worse,  and  I  had  daily 
more  reason  to  fear  that  the  hour  of  separation  was  at 
hand.  When  faith  was  in  exercise,  I  was  in  some 
measure  resigned  to  the  Lord's  will ;  but  too  often  mv 
heart  rebelled,  and  I  found  it  hard  either  to  trust  or  to 
submit.  I  had  likewise  some  care  about  my  future 
settlement:  The  African  trade  was  overdone  that  year, 
and  my  friends  did  not  care  to  fit  out  another  ship  till 
mine  returned.  I  was  some  time  in  suspense;  but  in- 
deed a  provision  of  food  and  raimnent  has  seldom  been 
a  cause  of  great  solicitude  to  me.  I  found  it  easier  to 
trust  the  Lord  in  this  point  than  in  the  former ;  and 
accordingly  this  was  first  answered.  In  August  I  re- 
ceived an  account,  that  I  was  nominated  to  the  office 

of •.     These  places  are  usually  obtained,  or  at 

least  sought,  by  dint  of  much  interest  and  apphca- 
tion ;  but  this  came  to  me  unsought  and  unexpected. 
I  knew,  indeed,  my  good  friend  in  L — — <  had  endea- 


Let.   14.  Conclusion  of  the  Narrai'ive.  101 

voured  to  procure  another  post  for  me,  but  found  it 
pre-engaged.  I  tound  afterwards,  tiitit  the  place  1  had 
missed  would  have  been  very  unsuitable  for  me ;  and 
that  this  M  hich  I  had  no  thought  of,  was  the  very  thing 
I  could  iiave  w  ishtd  for,  as  it  afforded  me  much  leisure, 
and  the  liberty  of  living  in  my  own  w  ay.  Several  cir- 
cumstances, unnoticed  by  others,  concurred  to  show  me, 
that  the  good  hand  of  the  Lord  was  as  remarkably  con- 
cerned in  this  event,  as  in  any  other  leading  turn  of  mv 
life. 

But  when  I  gained  this  point,  my  distress  in  the  o- 
thcr  was  doubled  :  I  was  obliged  to  leave  Mrs.  ]\  ***** 
in  the  greatest  extremity  of  pain  and  illness,  w  hen  the 
physicians  could  do  no  more,  and  I  had  no  ground  of 
hope  that  I  should  see  her  again  alive,  but  this, — that 
nothing  is  impossible  with  the  Lord.  I  had  a  severe 
conflict;  but  faith  prevailed  :  I  found  the  promise  re- 
markably fulfilled,  of  strength  proportioned  to  my  need. 
The  day  before  I  set  out,  and  not  till  then,  the  burden 
w as  entirely  taken  from  my  mind  ;  I  was  strengthened 
to  resign  both  her  and  myself  to  the  Lord's  disposal, 
and  departed  from  her  in  a  cheerful  frame.  Soon  af- 
ter I  was  gone,  she  began  to  amend,  and  recovered  so 
fast,  that  in  about  two  months  I  had  the  pleasure  to 
meet  her  at  Stone,  on  her  journey  to  L . 

And  now  I  think  I  have  answered,  if  not  exceeded 
your  desire.  Since  October  \755,  we  have  been  com- 
fortably settled  here ;  and  all  my  circumstances  have 
been  as  remarkably  smooth  and  uniform,  as  they  were 
various  in  former  years.  My  trials  have  been  light 
and  few  ; — not  but  that  I  still  find,  in  the  experience 
of  every  day,  the  necessity  of  a  life  of  faith.  My  prin- 
cipal trial  is — the  body  of  sin  and  death,  which  makes 
me  often  to  sigh  out  the  Apostle's  complaint.    "  O 


1 02  Conclvsion  of  the  Narrative.  Let.  14. 

*'  wretched  man  !"  but  with  him  likewise  I  can  say, 
"  I  thank  God  through  Jesus  Christ  my  Lord."  I 
live  in  a  barren  land,  where  the  knowledge  and  power 
of  the  Gospel  is  very  low  :  yet  here  are  a  few  of  the 
Lord's  people  ;  and  this  wilderness  lias  been  a  useful 
school  to  me,  where  I  have  studied  more  leisurely  the 
truths  1  gathered  up  in  London.  I  brought  down  with 
me  a  considerable  stock  of  notional  truth  ;  but  I  have 
since  found,  that  there  is  no  effectual  teacher  but  God  ; 
that  we  can  receive  no  further  than  he  is  pleased  to 
communicate  ;  and  that  no  knowledge  is  truly  useful  to 
me,  but  what  is  made  my  own  by  experience.  Many 
things  I  thought  I  had  learned,  would  not  stand  in  an 
hour  of  temptation,  till  I  had  in  this  way  learned  them 
over  again.  Since  the  year  17.'57,  I  have  had  an  in- 
creasing acquaintance  in  the  West- riding  of  Yorkshire, 
where  the  Gospel  flourishes  greatly.  This  has  been  a 
good  school  to  me  :  I  have  conversed  at  large  among 
all  parties,  m  ithout  joining  any  ;  and  in  my  attempts  to 
hit  the  golden  meau^  1  have  sometimes  been  dran  n  too 
near  the  different  extremes  ;  yet  the  Lord  has  enabled 
me  to  profit  by  my  mistakes.  In  brief,  I  am  still  a 
learner,  and  tlie  Lord  still  condescends  to  teach  me. 
I  bc2;in  at  lenjith  to  see  that  I  have  attained  but  very 
little  ;  but  I  trust  in  him  to  carry  on  his  own  work  in 
my  soul,  and  by  all  the  dispensations  of  his  grace  and 
providence,  to  increase  my  knoA^ledge  of  him,  and  of 
myself. 

When  I  was  tixcd  in  a  house,  and  found  my  busi- 
ness would  affoixl  me  much  leisure  time,  I  considered 
in  what  manner  I  should  improve  it.  And  now  ha- 
ving reason  to  close  with  the  Apostle's  determination, 
''  to  know  nothing  but  Jesus  Christ,  and  him  crucili- 
"^  ed,"  I  devoted  my  life  to  the  prosecution  of  spiritual 


Let.  14.  Conclusion  of  the  Narrative.  103 

knowledge,  and  resolved  to  pursue  nothing  but  in  sub- 
servience to  this  main  design.  This  resolution  divorced 
me,  (as  I  have  already  hinted,)  from  the  classics  and 
mathematics.  My  first  attem})t  was  to  learn  so  much 
Greek  as  would  enable  me  to  understand  the  New 
Testament  and  Septuagint ;  and  when  I  had  made  some 
progress  this  way,  I  entered  upon  the  Hebrew  the  fol- 
lowing year ;  and  two  years  afterwards,  having  sur- 
mised some  advantages  from  the  Syriac  version,  I  be- 
gan with  that  language.  You  must  not  think  that  I 
have  attained,  or  ever  aimed  at,  a  critical  skill  in  any 
of  these :  I  had  no  business  with  them,  but  as  in  re- 
ference to  something  else.  I  never  read  one  classic 
author  in  the  Greek  ;  I  thought  it  too  late  in  life  to 
take  such  a  round  in  this  language  as  I  had  done  in  the 
Latin.  I  only  wanted  the  signification  of  scriptural 
words  and  phrases ;  and  for  this  I  thought  I  might 
avail  myself  of  Scapula,  the  Synojms,  and  others,  who 
had  sustained  the  drudgery  before  me.  In  the  He- 
brew, I  can  read  the  historical  books  and  psalms,  w  ith 
tolerable  ease;  but  in  the  prophetical  and  difficult  parts, 
I  am  frequently  obliged  to  have  recoiu-se  to  lexicons. 
kc.  However,  I  know  so  much  as  to  be  able,  with 
such  helps  as  are  at  hand,  to  judge  for  myself  the 
meaning  of  any  passage  I  have  occasion  to  consult. 
Beyond  this  I  do  not  think  of  proceeding,  if  I  can  find  ■ 
better  employment ;  for  I  would  rather  be  some  way 
useful  to  others,  than  die  with  the  reputation  of  an  emi- 
nent linguist. 

Together  with  these  studies,  I  have  kept  up  a  course 
of  reading  of  the  best  writers  in  divinity  that  have  come 
to  my  hand,  in  the  Latin  and  English  tongues,  and 
some  French,  (for  I  picked  up  the  French  at  times  while 
I  used  the.  sea.)     But  within  these  two  or  three  vears, 


104;  Cofw/uaion  of  the  Narrative.  Let.  M. 

I  hav6  accustomed  myself  chiefly  to  writing,  and  have 
not  found  time  to  read  many  books  besides  the  Scrip- 
tures. 

I  am  the  more  particular  in  this  account,  as  my  case 
has  been  something  singular  ;  for  in  all  my  literary  at- 
tempts, I  have  been  obliged  to  strike  out  my  own  path, 
by  tlie  light  I  could  acquire  from  books,  as  I  have  not 
had  a  teacher  or  assistant  since  I  was  ten  years  of  age. 

One  word  concerning  my  views  to  the  ministry,  and 

I  have  done. 1  have  told  you,  that  this  was  my  dear 

mother's  hope  concerning  me ;  but  her  death,  and  the 
scenes  of  life  in  which  I  afterwards  engaged,  seemed  to 
cut  off  the  probability.  The  first  desires  of  this  sort  in 
my  own  mind,  arose  many  years  ago,  from  a  reflection 
on  Gal.  i.  23,  24.  "  But  they  had  heard  only,  that  he 
"  which  persecuted  us  in  times  past,  now  preacheth  the 
"  faith  which  once  he  destroyed.     And  they  glorified 

"  God  in  me.'' 1  could  not  but  wish  for  such  a 

public  opportunity  to  testify  the  riches  of  divine  grace. 
I  thought  I  was,  above  most  living,  a  fit  person  to 
proclaim  that  faithful  saying,  "  That  Jesus  Christ  came 
"  into  the  world  to  save  the  chief  of  sinners  :"  and  as 
my  life  had  been  full  of  remarkable  turns,  and  I  seem- 
ed selected  to  show  what  the  Lord  could  do,  I  was  in 
some  hopes,  that,  perhaps,  sooner  or  later,  he  might 
call  me  into  this  service. 

I  believe  it  was  a  distant  ho})e  of  this  that  determin- 
ed me  to  study  the  original  Scriptures  ;  but  it  remained 
an  imperfect  desire  in  my  own  breast,  till  it  was  re- 
commended to  me  by  some  Christian  friends.  I  start- 
ed at  the  thought,  when  first  seriously  proposed  to  me, 
but  afterwards  set  apart  some  weeks  to  consider  the 
case,  to  consult  mv  friends,  and  to  entreat  the  Lord'^^ 
direction. — The  judgment    of  my  friends,  and  manv 


Let.  14.  Cotichisiou  of  the  Narrative.  105 

things  that  occurred,  tended  to  engage  me.  i\Iy  first 
thought  was  to  join  the  Dissenters,  from  a  presumption 
that  I  could  not  honestly  make  the  required  subscrip- 
tions ;  but  Mr.  C- •,  in  a  conversation  upon  these 

points,  moderated  my  scruples ;  and  preferring  the  estab- 
lished church  in  some  other  respects,  I  accepted  a  title 
from  him  some  months  afterwards,  and  solicited  ordi- 
nation from  the  late  archbishop  of  York.  I  need  not 
tell  you  I  met  a  refusal,  nor  what  steps  I  took  after- 
wards to  succeed  elsewhere.  At  present  I  desist  from 
my  applications.  My  desire  to  serve  the  Lord  is  not 
weakened  ;  but  I  am  not  so  hasty  to  push  myself  for- 
ward as  I  was  formerly.  It  is  sufficient  that  he  knows 
how  to  dispose  of  me,  and  that  he  both  can  and  will  do 
what  is  best.  To  him  I  commend  myself:  I  trust  that 
his  will  and  my  true  interest  are  inseparable.  To  his 
name  be  glory  for  ever.  And  thus  I  conclude  my 
story,  and  presume  you  will  acknowledge  I  have  been 
particular  enough.  I  have  room  for  no  more,  but  to 
repeat,  that  I  am,  &c. 

February  2,  17^3. 


VoT.  L 


FORTY-ONE  LETTERS 


ON  RELIGIOUS  SUBJECTS, 


NAMELY, 

1. 

On  Trust  in  God. 

^1. 

2. 

To  a  Student  in  Divinity. 

S  22. 

3. 

On  2  Cor.  v.  10.  and  Rom. 

0  23. 

xiv.  12. 

R  24 

4. 

On  Family- Worship. 

^  25. 

5. 

On  the  Difficulties  attending 

y         1 

the  Ministry. 

H  56. 

6. 

On  the  Influence  of  Faith. 

V  27. 

7. 

On  a  Ministerial  Address  to 

R  28. 

the  Unconverted. 

U  29. 

8. 

On  the  inward  Witness. 

V  30. 

9. 

On  Election  and  Persever- 

Ml- 

ance. 

y  32. 

10, 

On  Grace  in  the  Blade. 

H  33. 

11. 

On  Grace  in  the  Ear. 

12. 

On  Grace  in  the  Full  Corn. 

0  34. 

13. 

On  Hearing  Sermons. 

1 

14. 

On  Temptation. 

i  35. 

15. 

A   Plan  of  a   Christian   Li- 

i 36. 

brary. 

w 

16. 

On  the  Inefficacy  of  Know- 

t 37. 

ledge 

17. 

On  a  Believer's  Frames. 

w 

18. 

On  Social  Prayer. 

K  S9 

19. 

On  Controversy. 

$40. 

20. 

On  Conformity  to  the  World. 

H  41. 

On  Spiritual  Blindness. 
On  a  State  of  Poverty. 
On  Simplicity  and  Sincerity. 
On  Communion  with  God. 
On  Faith,  and  the  Commu- 
nion of  Saints. 
On  Gospel-Illumination. 
On  Union  with  Christ. 
On  the  Divine  Guidance. 
On  kom.  viii.  19,20,  21. 
On  the  right  Use  of  the  Law. 
On  Love  to  the  Brethren. 
On  Candour. 

(1)  On  Man   in  his  Fallen 
Estate. 

(2)  On   Man  in  his  Fallen 
Estate. 

On  Phil.  iv.  8. 
To  a  Friend  on  Recovery 

from  Illness. 

On  Christian  Experience. 

On  Religion  necessary  to  the 
Enjoyments  of  Life. 

A  word  in  Season 

I'o  Professors  in  Trade. 

On  the  Ministry  of  Angels. 


109 


LETTER  I. 

On  Trust  in  the  Provide7ice  of  God,  and  Boievolence 
to  his  Poor. 

My  Dear  Friend, 

X  HE  more  I  think  of  the  point  you  proposed  to  me, 
the  more  I  am  confirmed  to  renew  the  advice  I  then 
save.  There  is  doubtless  such  a  thinsj  as  Christian 
prudence  ;  but,  my  friend,  beware  of  counterfeits.  Self- 
love  and  the  evil  heart  of  unbelief,  will  endeavour  to 
obtrude  upon  us  a  prudence,  so  called,  which  is  as  op- 
posite to  the  former  as  darkness  to  light.  I  do  not 
say,  that,  now  you  have  a  wife,  and  the  prospect  of  a 
family,  you  are  strictly  bound  to  communicate  with  the 
poor  in  the  same  proportion  as  formerly.  I  say,  you  are 
not  bound ;  for  every  thing  of  this  sort  should  proceed 
from  a  willing  mind.  But  if  you  should  tell  me,  the 
Lord  has  given  you  such  a  zeal  for  his  glory,  such  a 
concern  for  the  honour  of  the  Gospel,  such  a  love  to 
his  members,  such  a  grateful  sense  of  his  mercies,  (es- 
pecially by  granting  you,  in  this  late  instance  of  your 
marriage,  the  desire  of  your  heart,)  and  such  an  affiance 
in  his  providence  and  promises,  that  you  find  yourself 
very  unwilling  to  be  one  sixpence  in  the  year  less  use- 
ful than  you  was  before,  I  could  not  blame  you  or  dis- 
suade you  from  it.  But  I  do  not  absolutely  advise  it ; 
because  I  know  not  the  state  of  3'our  mind,  or  what 
measure  of  faith  the  Lord  has  given  you.  Only  this  I 
believe,  that  when  the  Lord  gives  such  a  confidence,  he 
will  not  disappoint  it. 


110  On  Trust  in  God.  Let.  1. 

When  I  look  among  the  professors,  yea,  among  the 
ministers  of  the  Gospel,  there  are  few  things  I  see  a  more 
general  want  of,  than  such  a  trust  in  God  as  to  tempo- 
rals, and  such  a  sense  of  the  honour  of  being  permitted 
to  relieve  the  necessities  of  his  people,  as  might  dispose 
them  to  a  more  liberal  distribution  of  what  they  have  at 
present  in  their  power,  and  to  a  reliance  on  him  for  a 
sufficient  supply  in  future.  Some  exceptions  there  are. 
Some  persons  I  have  the  happiness  to  know  whose 
chief  pleasure  it  seems  to  be,  to  devise  liberal  things. 
For  the  most  part,  we  take  care,  first,  to  be  well  sup- 
plied, if  possible,  with  all  the  necessaries,  conveniencies, 
and  not  a  few  of  the  elegancies  of  life ;  then  to  have  a 
snug  fund  laid  up  against  a  rainy  day,  as  the  phrase  is, 
(if  this  is  in  an  increasing  way,  so  much  the  better,)  that 
when  we  look  at  children  and  near  relatives,  we  may 
say  to  our  hearts,  *'  Now  they  are  well  provided  for." 
And  when  we  have  gotten  all  this  and  more,  we  are  per- 
haps content,  for  the  love  of  Christ,  to  bestow  a  pit- 
tance o^'our  superfluities,  a  tenth  or  twentieth  part  of 
what  we  spend  or  hoard  up  for  ourselves,  upon  the 
poor.  But,  alas  !  what  do  we  herein  more  than  others  ? 
■Multitudes  who  know  nothing  of  the  love  of  Christ,  will 
do  thus  much,  yea,  perhaps,  greatly  exceed  us,  from  the 
mere  feelings  of  humanity. 

But  it  may  be  asked,  would  you  show  no  regard 
to  the  possibility  of  leaving  your  w'lie,  or  children  unpro- 
vided for  ?  Quite  the  reverse  :  I  would  have  you  attend 
to  it  very  much;  and  behold,  the  Scriptures  show  you 
the  more  excellent  way.  If  you  had  a  little  money  to 
spare,  would  you  not  lend  it  to  me,  if  I  assured  you  it 
should  be  repaid  when  wanted  ?  1  can  point  out  to  you 
better  interest  and  better  security  than  I  could  possibly 
give  you  :  Prov.  xix.  17.    "  He  that  bath  pity  upon  the 


Let.  1.  On  Trust  in  God.  Ill 

"  poor,  lendeth  unto  the  Lord  :  and  that  which  he  hath 
"  given,  will  he  pay  him  again."  What  think  you  of 
this  text?  Is  it  the  word  of  God,  or  not?  Is  he 
worthy  of  belief,  or  not  ?  Is  he  able  to  make  good  his 
word,  or  is  he  not  ?  I  dare  stake  all  my  interest  in 
your  friendship,  (which  I  should  be  very  loath  to  forfeit,) 
that  if  you  act  upon  this  maxim,  in  a  spirit  of  prayer 
and  faith,  and  with  a  single  eye  to  his  glory,  you  shall 
not  be  disappointed.  Read  over  IMatth.  vi.  26 — 34. 
Shall  we  confine  that  reasoning  and  those  promises  to 
the  primitive  times?  Say  not,  "  If  the  Lord  would 
make  windows  in  heaven  this  thing  might  be."  He 
has  more  ways  to  bless  and  prosper  those  who  trust 
in  him,  than  we  are  able  to  point  out  to  him.  But  I 
tell  you,  my  friend,  he  will  sooner  make  windows  in 
heaven,  turn  stones  into  bread,  yea,  stop  the  sun  in  his 
course,  than  he  will  suffer  those  who  conscientiously 
serve  him,  and  depend  upon  him,  to  be  destitute. 

Some  instances  we  have  had  of  ministers  who  have 
seemed  to  transgress  the  bounds  of  strict  prudence  in 
their  attention  to  the  poor.  But  they  have  been  men 
of  faith,  prayer,  and  zeal ;  if  they  did  it,  not  from  a 
caprice  of  humour,  or  a  spirit  of  indolence,  but  from 
such  motives  as  the  Scripture  suggests  and  recommends. 
I  believe  their  families  have  seldom  suffered  for  it.  I 
wish  you  to  consult  upon  this  head,  what  Mrs.  AUeine 
says,  in  the  affecting  account  she  has  given  of  that  ho- 
noured and  faithful  servant  of  God,  her  husband,  Jo- 
seph AUeine.  Besides,  you  know  not  what  you  mav 
actually  sa-ve  in  the  course  of  years  by  this  method. 
The  apostle,  speaking  of  some  abuses  that  obtained  in 
the  church  of  Corinth,  says,  "  For  this  cause  man^^ 
"  are  sick  among  you."  If  prudence  should  shut  up 
the  bowels  of  your  compassion,  (which  I  trust  it  never 


112  On  Trust  in  God.  Let.  1. 

will,)  the  Lord  might  quarter  an  apothecary  upon  your 
family,  vvhich  would  perhaps  cost  you  twice  the  money 
that  would  have  sufficed  to  refresh  his  people,  and  to 
commend  your  ministry  and  character. 

But  if,  after  all,  prudence  will  be  heard,  I  counsel 
you  to  do  these  two  things.  First,  Be  very  certain  that 
you  allow  yourselves  in  nothing  superfluous.  You  can- 
not, I  trust,  in  conscience  think  of  laying  out  one  penny 
more  than  is  barely  decent ;  unless  you  have  another 
penny  to  help  the  poor.  Then,  secondly.  Let  your 
friends  who  are  in  good  circumstances,  be  plainly  told, 
that,  though  you  love  them,  prudence,  and  the  neces- 
sary charge  of  a  family,  will  not  permit  you  to  entertain 
them  ;  no,  not  for  a  night.  What !  say  you,  shut  my  door 
against  my  friends  ?  Yes,  by  all  means,  rather  than 
against  Christ.  If  the  Lord  Jesus  was  again  upon  earth 
in  a  state  of  humiliation,  and  he,  and  the  best  friend 
you  have,  standing  at  your  door,  and  your  provision  so 
strait  that  you  could  not  receive  both,  which  would  you 
entertain?  Now,  he  says  of  the  poor,  "  Inasmuch  as 
"  ye  did  it  to  the  least  of  these  my  brethren,  ye  did  it 
*'  unto  me."'  Your  friends  have  houses  of  their  own, 
and  money  to  pay  at  an  inn,  if  you  do  not  take  them  in  ; 
but  the  poor  need  relief  One  would  almost  think  that 
passage,  Luke  xiv.  12 — 14.  was  not  considered  as  a 
part  of  God's  word ;  at  least  I  believe  there  is  no  one 
passage  so  generally  neglected  by  his  own  people.  I 
do  not  think  it  unlawful  to  entertain  our  friends  ;  but  if 
these  words  do  not  teach  us,  that  it  is  in  some  respects 
our  duty  to  give  a  preference  to  the  poor,  I  am  at  a  loss 
to  understand  them. 

I  Avas  enabled  to  set  out  upon  the  plan  I  recommend 
to  you,  at  a  time  when  my  certain  income  was  much  too 
scanty  for  my  own  provision,  and  before  I  had  the  ex- 


],et.   1.  On  Trnsl  in  God.  113 

pcctation  or  promise  of  assistance  from  any  pei'Son  upon 
earth.  Only  I  knew  that  the  Lord  could  provide  me 
with  whatever  he  saw  needful  ;  and  I  trusted,  that  ii  he 
kept  me  dependent  upon  liimself,  and  desirous  to  live 
for  his  service  only,  he  assuredly  Mould  do  so.  I  have 
as  yet  seen  no  cause  to  repent  it.  I  live  upon  his  pro- 
mise ;  for  as  to  any  present  ways  or  means,  every  thing 
here  below  is  so  uncertain,  that  I  consider  myself  in  the 
same  situation  with  the  bijds  ot  the  air,  who  have  nei- 
ther storehouse  nor  barn.  To-day  I  have  enough  for 
myself,  and  something  to  impart  to  them  that  need  ;  as 
to  futurity,  the  Lord  must  provide;  and  i'or  the  most 
part  I  can  believe  he  will.  I  can  tell  y  ju,  lion  ever,  that 
now  and  then  my  heart  is  pinched  ;  unbelief  cieeps  in, 
and  self  would  much  rather  choose  a  strong  box,  or  what 
the  world  calls  a  certainty^  than  a  lite  of  absolute  de- 
pendence upon  the  providence  of  God.  However,  in 
my  composed  hours  I  am  well  satisfied.  Hitherto  he 
has  graciously  taken  care  of  me ;  therefore  may  my 
heart  trust  in  him,  and  not  be  afraid. 

Consider,  my  friend,  the  Lord  has  done  well  for  you 
likewise.  He  has  settled  you  peaceably  in  a  good  and 
honourable  interest ;  he  has  now  answered  your  pray- 
ers, in  giving  you  a  partner,  with  whom  you  may  take 
sweet  counsel,  one  that  will  help  and  strengthen  you  in 
your  best  desires.  Beware,  therefore,  of  that  reason- 
ing which  might  lead  you  to  distrust  the  Lord  your 
God,  or  to  act  as  if  you  did.  You  complain  that 
there  is  too  much  of  an  expensive  taste  among  some 
persons  in  your  congregation.  If  you  set  yourself  to 
discountenance  this,  and  should  at  the  same  time  too 
closely  shut  up  your  hands,  they  will  be  ready  to 
charge  you  with  being  governed  by  the  same  worldly 
spirit,  though  in  another  form.     If  you  have  been  hi- 

VoL.  I.  Q 


114  On  Trust  in  God.  Let.  1. 

therto  tender  and  bountiful  to  the  poor,  and  should 
make  too  great  and  too  sudden  an  alteration  in  this  re- 
spect, it  the  blame  should  not  fall  upon  you,  it  probably 
woulfl  upon  your  wife,  who,  I  believe,  would  be  far  Irom 
deserving  it.  If  the  house  which  has  been  open  to  the 
poor  in  former  times,  should  be  shut  against  them  now 
you  live  in  it,  would  it  not  lead  the  people's  thoughts 
back  ?  Would  it  not  open  the  mouths  of  those  who  do 
not  love  your  ministry,  to  say,  That  notwithstanding  all 
your  zeal  about  doctrines,  you  know  how  to  take  care 
of  your  own  interest,  as  well  as  those  whom  you  have 
thought  indifferent  and  lukewarm  in  the  cause  of  the 
Gospel  ?  Would  it  not  ?  But  I  forbear.  I  know  you 
need  not  such  arguments.  Yet  consider  how  many 
eyes  are  upon  you,  watching  for  your  halting.  Now, 
at  your  first  setting  out,  is  the  proper  time  seriously  to 
seek  the  Lord's  directions,  that  you  may,  from  the  be- 
ginning, adopt  such  a  plan  as  may  be  most  to  your 
own  comfort,  the  honour  of  your  character  as  a  mi- 
nister, the  glory  of  him  who  has  called  you,  and  the 
edification  of  your  people.  It  is  easier  to  begin  well, 
than  to  make  alterations  afterwards.  I  trust  the  Lord 
will  guide  and  bless  you  in  your  deliberations.  And 
for  my  own  part,  I  am  not  in  the  least  afraid  that  you 
will  ever  have  cause  to  blame  me  for  the  advice  I  have 
given,  if  you  should  be  disposed  to  follow  it. 

I  have  given  you  my  opinion  freely,  and  perhaps  with 
an  appearance  of  more  strictness  than  is  necessary.  But 
I  would  apply  our  Lords  words  in  another  case  to  this  : 
"  All  men  cannot  receive  this  saying ;  he  that  is  able  to 
"  receive  it,  let  him  receive  it."  If  the  Lord  has  given 
you  this  confidence  in  his  word,  you  are  happy.  It  is 
better  than  the  possession  of  thousands  by  the  year. 

I  am,  t>cc. 


Let.  2.  To  a  SludcJit  in  Dhmitij,  US 

LETTER  II. 

Extract  of  a  Letter  to  a  Student  vt  Divinity. 
Dear  Sir, 

X  HE  subject  of  your  last  is  important.  I  can  sympa- 
thize v\ith  your  anxiety,  liaving  knovvn  much  of  it  my- 
self, and  therefore  willingly  devote  my  first  leisure  to 
your  service.  But  shall  I  indeed  condole  with  you  ?  or 
shall  I  rather  congratulate  you  on  the  perplexity  you 
complain  of?  I  know  it  is  not  pleasing;  but  I  hope  it 
will  be  sanctified  and  profitable  to  you. 

Though  I  am  no  enemy  to  the  acquisition  of  useful 
knowledge,  I  have  seen  many  instances  of  young  men 
who  have  been  much  hurt  by  what  they  expected  to 
reap  advantage  from.  They  have  gone  to  the  academy 
humble,  peaceable,  spiritual,  and  lively  ;  but  have  come 
out  self- wise,  dogmatical,  censorious,  and  full  of  a  pru- 
dence founded  upon  the  false  maxims  of  the  world.  I 
have  been  ready  to  address  them  with  that  line  of  Mil- 
ton :  % 

"  If  thou  art  he— But  ah  !  how  fall'n  !'* 

I  do  not  mention  this  as  the  necessary  fault  of  the 
institution,  but  as  the  frequent  effect  of  notions  too 
hastily  picked  up,  when  not  sanctified  by  grace,  nor 
balanced  by  a  proportionable  depth  of  spiritual  expe- 
rience. I  am  therefore  glad  to  hear,  that  notwith- 
standino;  the  advantages  you  have  had  in  the  pursuit  of 
your  studies,  you  feel  an  inward  conviction,  that  you 


116  To  a  Student  inBivinitij.  Let.  2, 

still  need  something  ^\  hich  you  cannot  receive  from 
men  or  books,  in  order  to  complete  your  fitness  for 
the  ministry ;  that  you  may  be  "  a  workman  that  needs 
"  not  to  be  ashamed,"  and  enabled  rightly  to  divide, 
(to  distinguish  and  distribute,)  the  word  of  truth. 

It  seems  to  me  a  point  of  more  curiosity  than  use, 
to  inquire  too  nicely  into  the  modus  of  the  Holy  Spirit's 
assistance  in  the  composure  and  delivery  of  sermons. 
If  we  cannot  exactly  state  the  boundaries  between  "what 
we  may  deem  the  result  of  our  own  thouizhts,  and  the 
needful  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  it  seems  a  safe 
^  way  to  give  him  the  honour  of  the  Avhole,  and  to  at- 
tribute nothino;  to  ourselves  but  our  infirmities.  If  we 
liave  a  capacity,  means  for  improvement,  diligence  to 
make  use  of  those  means,  and  if  that  diligence  is  at- 
tended with  any  degree  of  success ;  may  we  not  ac- 
knowledge, that  the  former  links  of  this  chain  are  the 
effect  of  his  goodness  and  favour  no  less  than  the 
latter  ? 

To  the  question,  How  far  is  it  lawful  to  expect  this 
assistance  ?  I  answer,  It  is  lawful  very  far,  even  to  lay 
the  whole  stress  upon  it,  so  as  to  be  firmly  persuaded 
that  we  can  neither  meditate  or  speak  to  purpose  with- 
out it ;  that  if  we  have  not  this  assistance,  whatever  else 
we  have,  or  may  think  we  have,  we  shall  but  "  darken 
''  counsel  by  words  without  knowledge."  For  this,  I 
think,  I  have  warrant  in  John  xv.  5.  If  any  person 
supposes  he  has  so  far  mastered  a  system  of  divinity, 
that  though  he  can  indeed  do  better  with  the  Spirit's 
assistance,  yet  he  can  make  a  tolerable  shift  without  it, 
I  envy  him  not  this  attainment. 

But  if  the  question  intends,  How  far  a  dependence 
upon  the  Holy  Spirit  may  lawfully  supersede  the  use 
of  means?  I  answer,   Xot  in  the  least.     The  blessing 


Let.  2.  To  a  Student  in  Divmitij.  llf 

and  the  means  are  so  closely  united,  that  they  cannot 
be  separated.  The  blessing  may  be  surely  expected, 
if  diligently  sought  in  the  use  of  proper  means,  and  we 
have  no  just  reason  to  expect  it  without  them.  But  to 
clear  up  the  whole,  let  it  be  considered,  what  may  de- 
serve the  name  of  diligence  in  this  matter  ?  and  what 
are  the  proper  means  ? 

By  diligence,  I  understand  Sphitual  diligence.  Such 
an  active,  improving,  industrious  habit,  as  is  peculiar 
to  a  heart  impressed  with  some  real  abiding  sense  of 
the  love  of  God,  the  worth  of  souls,  the  shortness  of 
time,  and  the  importance  of  eternity.  Without  this 
turn  of  mind,  though  a  man  should  spend  sixteen  hours 
every  day  in  his  study,  he  may  be  a  mere  trifler.  The 
greatest  part  of  his  application  will  be  spent  on  what  is 
least  necessary,  and  his  knowledge  will  chiefly  prove  of 
that  sort  w  hich  pufFeth  up,  without  communicating  any 
real  benefit:  Gen.  xli.  21.;  Psalm  cxxvii.  2. 

The  chief  means  for  attaining  wisdom,  and  suitable 
gifts  for  the  ministry,  are  the  holy  Scriptures,  and 
prayer.  Tiie  one  is  the  fountain  of  living  water,  the 
other  the  bucket  w ith  which  we  are  to  draw.  And  I 
believe  you  will  find,  by  observation,  that  the  man  who 
is  most  frequent  and  fervent  in  prayer,  and  most  de- 
voted to  the  word  of  God,  will  shine  and  flourish  above 
his  fellows.  Next  to  these,  and  derived  from  them,  is 
meditation.  Bv  this,  I  do  not  mean  a  stated  exercise 
upon  some  one  particular  subject,  so  much  as  a  dispo- 
sition of  mind  to  observe  carefully  what  passes  within 
us  and  around  us,  w  hat  we  see,  hear,  and  feel,  and  to 
apply  all  for  the  illustration  and  confirmation  of  the 
written  word  to  us.  In  the  use  of  these  means,  and  an 
humble  dependence  upon  the  Lord  in  all  the  changing 
dispensations  we  pass  through,  our  spiritual  experience 


118  To  a  Student  in  Divinitij.  Let.  ^. 

will  enlarge  ;  and  this  experience  is  the  proper  fund  of 
our  ministerial  capacity,  so  tar  as  it  may  be  considered 
inherent  in  us  :  Prov.  xvi.  23. ;  Matth.  xiii.  52.  ;  1 
John  i.  3. 

These  means  are  of  universal  importance.  The 
Avisest  can  do  nothing  without  them  ;  the  weakest  shall 
not  use  them  in  vain.  There  are  likewise  subordinate 
means,  which  may  be  helpful,  and  should  in  general  be 
attended  to.  Yet  they  ought  not,  I  apprehend,  to  be 
considered  as  a  .s7//e  qua  iwnAn  a  minister's  call  and 
iitness.  The  first  preachers  had  them  not,  and  some 
in  the  present  day  are  enabled  to  do  well  without  them. 
Under  this  head,  I  principally  intend  all  that  comes 
under  the  usual  denomination  of  literature.  A  compe- 
tent acquaintance  with  the  learned  languages,  history, 
natural  philosophy,  &c.  is  very  desirable.  If  these 
things  are  held  in  a  proper  subserviency,  if  they  do  not 
engross  too  much  of  our  time,  nor  add  fuel  to  the  fire 
of  that  self-importance  which  is  our  great  snare  ;  they 
may  contribute  to  increase  and  enlarge  our  ideas,  and 
facilitate  our  expressing  ourselves  with  propriety.  But 
these  attainments,  (like  riches,)  are  attended  with  their 
peculiar  temptations  ;  and  unless  they  are  under  the  re- 
gulation of  a  sound  judgment,  and  a  spiritual  frame  of 
mind,  will  prove,  (like  Saul's  armour  to  David,)  rather 
cumbersome  than  useful  in  preaching.  The  sermons 
of  preachers  thus  qualified  are  often  more  ingenious 
than  edifying,  and  rather  set  off  the  man,  than  com- 
mend the  Gospel  of  Christ. 

As  you  desire  my  advice  a\  ith  respect  to  your  future 
studies,  I  shall  comply  without  hesitation  or  ceremony. 

The  original  Scriptures  well  deserve  your  pains,  and 
will  richly  repay  them.  There  is  doubtless  a  beauty, 
fulness,  and  spirit,   in  the  originals,   which  the   best 


Let.  2.  To  a  Student  in  Divinity.  il9 

translations  do  not  always  express.  Vvlien  a  word  or 
phrase  admits  ot  various  senses,  the  translators  can  only 
preserve  one  ;  and  it  is  not  to  be  supposed,  unless  they 
Avere  perfectly  under  the  influence  of  the  same  intaili- 
ble  Spirit,  that  they  should  always  preler  the  best. 
Only  be  upon  your  guard,  lest  you  should  he  tempted 
to  think,  that  because  you  are  master  of  the  gramujati- 
cal  construction,  and  can  tell  the  several  acceptations 
of  the  words  in  the  best  authors,  you  are  therefore  and 
thereby  master  of  the  spiritual  sense  likewise.  This 
you  must  derive  from  your  experimental  knowledge, 
and  the  influence  and  teaching  of  the  Spirit  of  God. 

Another  thing  which  will  much  assist  you  in  com- 
posing and  speaking  properly  and  acceptably,  is  logic. 
This  will  teach  you  what  properly  belongs  to  your  sub- 
ject, and  what  may  be  best  suppressed  ;  and  likewise 
to  explain,  divide,  enumerate,  and  range  your  ideas  to 
advantage.  A  lax,  immethodical,  disproportionate  man- 
ner, is  to  be  avoided.  Yet,  beware  of  the  contrary  ex- 
treme. An  affected  starchness  and  over  accuracy  will 
fetter  you,  will  make  your  discourses  lean  and  drv, 
preclude  an  useful  variety,  and  savour  more  of  the 
school-lamp,  than  of  that  heavenly  fire  w  hich  alone  can 
make  our  meditations  efficacious  and  profitable,  eitiier 
to  ourselves  or  our  hearers.  The  proper  medium  can 
hardly  be  taught  by  rule  ;  experience,  observation,  and 
prayer,  are  the  best  guides. 

As  your  inquiry  seems  chiefly  to  be,  How^  to  fill  up 
your  outlines ;  I  would  advise  you  to  study  the  living 
as  well  as  the  dead,  or  rather  more.  Converse  much 
with  experienced  Christians  and  exercised  souls.  You 
will  find  advcuitage  in  this  respect,  not  only  from  the 
wise,  but  from  the  weak  of  the  flock.  In  the  course 
of  your  acquaintance,  you  will  meet  with  some  in  a 


120  To  a  Student  in  Diviniiij.  Let.  2. 

backsliding  state,  some  under  temptations,  some  walk- 
ing in  darkness,  others  rejoicing  in  the  light,  &c.  Ob- 
serve how  their  spirits  work,  what  they  say,  and  how 
they  reason  in  their  several  cases  ;  what  methods  and 
arguments  you  find  most  successful  in  comforting  the 
feeble-minded,  raising  up  those  who  are  cast  down,  and 
the  like,  and  what  answers  they  return.  Compare  these 
with  the  word  of  God,  and  your  own  heart.  What 
you  observe  of  ten  persons  in  these  different  situations, 
may  be  applied  to  ten  thousand.  For  though  some 
circumstances  vary,  theijeart  of  man,  the  aids  of  grace, 
and  the  artifices  of  Satan,  in  general,  are  universally 
the  same.  And  whenever  you  are  to  preach,  remem- 
ber, that  some  of  all  these  sorts  will  probably  be  before 
you,  and  each  should  have  something  said  to  their  own 
peculiar  case. 

The  tempted  and  distressed  will  be  most  probably 
relieved,  by  opening  the  various  states  and  exercises  of 
the  heart,  and  by  showing  from  scriptural  and  other 
examples,  that  no  new  thing  has  befallen  them.  The 
careless  and  backsliders,  Avho  have  made  a  profession, 
should  be  reminded  of  that  blessedness  they  once  spoke 
of,  and  warned  of  their  danger.  Those  who  are  now 
upon  the  mount,  should  be  cautioned  to  expect  a 
change,  and  to  guard  against  security  and  spiritual 
pride.  To  the  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins,  (some  such 
will  be  always  present,)  it  is  needful  to  preach  the  spi- 
rituality and  sanction  of  the  law,  tliat  they  may  be  stir- 
red up  to  seek  to  Jesus.  Of  him  all  awakened  souls 
love  to  hear  much.  Let  him  therefore  be  your  capital 
subject.  If  you  discuss  some  less  essential  topic,  or 
bend  all  your  strength  to  clear  up  some  dark  text, 
though  you  should  display  much  learning  and  ingenui- 
ty, you  will  probably  fall  short  of  your  main  design, 


Let.  2.  To  a  StudcM  in  Divimt)/.  12.1 

which  I  dare  say  will  be  to  promote  the  glory  of  God, 
and  the  good  of  souls. 

You  will  likewise  find  advantage,  by  attending  as 
much  as  you  can  on  those  preachers  whom  God  has 
blessed  with  much  power,  life,  and  success  in  their  mi- 
nistry. And  in  this  you  will  do  well  not  to  confine 
yourself  to  any  denomination  or  party,  for  the  Spirit  of 
the  Lord  is  not  confined.  DitFerent  men  have  diiFer- 
ent  gifts  and  talents.  I  would  not  wish  you  to  be  a 
slavish  admirer  of  any  man.  Christ  alone  is  our  mas- 
ter and  teacher.  But  study  the  excellencies  of  each ; 
and  if  you  observe  a  fault  in  any,  (for  no  human  mo- 
dels are  perfect  J  you  will  see  what  you  are  yourself  to 
avoid. 

Your  inquiries  respecting  my  own  experience  on  this 
subject,  must  be  answered  very  briefly.  I  have  long 
since  learnt,  that  if  I  was  ever  to  be  a  minister,  faith 
and  prayer  must  make  me  one.  I  desire  to  seek  the 
Lord's  direction,  both  in  the  choice  and  management 
of  subjects  ;  but  I  do  not  expect  it  in  a  way  of  extraor- 
dinary impulse,  but  in  endeavouring  to  avail  myself,  to 
the  best  of  my  judgment,  of  present  circumstances.— 
The  converse  I  have  with  my  people,  usually  suggests 
what  I  am  to  preach  to  them.  At  first,  my  chief  soli- 
citude used  to  be,  what  I  should  find  to  say  :  I  hope  it 
is  now,  rather,  that  I  may  not  speak  in  vain.  For  the 
Lord  has  sent  me  here,  not  to  acquire  the  character  of 
a  ready  speaker,  but  to  win  souls  to  Christ,  and  to  edify 
his  people.  As  to  preparation,  I  make  little  use  of 
books,  excepting  the  Bible  and  Concordance.  Though 
I  preach  without  notes,  I  most  frequently  write  more 
or  less  upon  the  subject.  Often  when  I  begin,  I  am  at 
a  loss  how  I  shall  proceed  ;  but  one  thing  insensibly  of- 
fers after  another,  and,  in  general,  I  believe  the  best  and 

Vol.   r.  R 


122  To  a  Student  in  Divinity.  Let.  2", 

most  useful  parts  of  my  sermon  occur  dc  novo  m  hile  1 
am  preaching.  This  reminds  me  of  Luther's  maxim, 
Bene  preccisse  est  bent  stiiduisse.  When  I  can  find  my 
heart  in  frame  and  liberty  for  prayer,  every  thing  else 
is  comparatively  easy. 

I  should  be  very  glad  if  any  thing  1  have  offered 
may  afford  you  satisfaction.  The  sum  of  my  advice  is 
this  :  Examine  your  heart  and  views.  Can  you  appeal 
to  him  who  knows  all  things,  concerning  the  sincerity  of 
your  aim,  that  you  devote  yourself  to  the  work  of  the 
ministry,  not  for  worldly  regards,  but  \vith  an  humble 
desire  to  promote  the  Redeemer's  kingdom  r  If  so,  and 
his  providence  has  thus  far  concurred  with  you,  trust 
him  for  your  sufficiency  of  every  kind,  and  he  w  ill  not 
disappoint  you,  but  will  be  near  to  strengthen  you  ac- 
cording to  your  day.  Depend  not  upon  any  cisterns 
vou  can  hew  out  for  yourself,  but  rejoice  that  you  have 
liberty  to  come  to  the  fountain  that  is  always  full,  and 
always  flowing.  You  must  not  expect  a  mechanical 
sufficiency,  such  as  artificers  acquire  by  habit  and  ex- 
ercise in  their  business.  When  you  have  preached  well 
nineteen  times,  this  will  be  no  security  for  the  twen- 
tieth. Yea,  when  you  have  been  upheld  for  twenty 
years,  should  the  Lord  withhold  his  hand,  you  would 
be  as  much  at  a  loss  as  at  first. 

If  you  lean  upon  books  or  men,  or  upon  your  own 
faculties  and  attainments,  you  will  be  in  fear  and  in 
danger  of  falling  continually.  But  if  you  stay  yourself 
upon  the  Lord,  he  will  not  only  make  good  your  ex- 
pectations, but  in  time  will  give  you  a  becoming  confi- 
dence in  his  goodness,  and  free  you  from  your  present 
anxiety. 

One  thins  more  I  must  mention  as  belouiijinii  to  the 
subject:  That  a  comfortable  freedom  for  public  ser- 


Let.  3.  On  2  Cor.  v.  10.  and  Horn.  xiv.  12.  123 

vice  depends  much  upon  the  spirituality  of  our  walk 
before  God  and  man.  Wisdom  will  not  dwell  w  ith  a 
triflino;,  an  assuming,  a  censorious,  or  a  worldly  spirit. 
But  if  it  is  our  business,  and  our  pleasure,  to  contem- 
plate Jesus,  and  to  walk  in  his  steps,  he  will  bless  us, 
we  shall  be  like  trees  planted  by  a  constant  stream,  and 
he  will  prosper  the  work  of  our  hands. 

I  am,  &c. 


LETTER  III. 

A  Letter  to  a  Frieiul,  on  the  Question,  Whether  the  Sins  of 
Believers  shall  be  publicly  declared  at  the  great  Day  ?  Or 
how  are  zee  to  nfulcrstand  the  Apostle^s  Assertion^  "  We 
"  must  all  appear  before  the  Judgment-seat  of  Christ; 
"  that  every  one  may  receive  the  Things  done  in  his  Body^ 
"  according  to  that  he  hath  doiie,  ivhether  it  be  good  or 
"  bad^''    2  Cor.  v.  10.  compared  with  Roni.  xiv.  12. 

My  Dear  Sir, 


.Y  heart  congratulates  you.  What  changes  and 
events  many  in  younger  life  may  be  reserved  to  see, 
who  can  tell  ?  bat  your  pilgrimage  is  nearly  finished.-— 
You  stand  upon  the  river's  brink,  with  the  city  full  in 
view,  availing  and  wishing  for  the  appointed  hour  :  you 
need  not  be  anxious  concerning  your  passage,  for  every 
circumstance  attending  it  is  already  adjusted  by  infinite 
wisdom  and  love,  and  the  King  himself  will  be  ready 
to  receive  you.  While  you  continue  here,  I  am  glad 
to  hear  from  you,  and  should  be  glad  to  contribute  in 
any  way  or  degree  to  your  satisfaction,  or  even  to  show 
my  willingness,  if  I  can  do  no  more.  I  can  propose 
little  more  than  the  latter^  by  offering  my  thoughts  on 


124  On  2  Cor.  v.  10.  and  Jlom.  xir.  12.  Let.  3. 

the  subject  you  propose  from  2  Cor.  v.  10.  and  the 
apparent  diHiculty  of  understanding  that  passage,  in 
full  harmony  with  the  many  texts  which  seem  expressly 
to  assert,  that  the  sins  of  believers  are  so  forgiven  as 
to  be  remembered  no  more. 

There  is  doubtless,  (as  you  observe,)  a  perfect  con- 
sistence in  every  part  of  the  word  of  God  ;  the  difficul- 
ties we  meet  with  are  A^diolly  owing  to  the  narrowness 
of  our  faculties,  and  the  ignorance  which  in  some  de- 
gree is  inseparable  from  our  present  state  of  imperfec- 
tion. And  we  may,  in  general,  rest  satisfied  with  the 
thought  that  there  is  a  bright  moment  approaching, 
when  the  veil  shall  be  wholly  taken  away.  It  is  the 
part  of  faith  to  rest  upon  the  plain  declarations  of  Scrip- 
ture, without  indulging  a  blameable  curiosity  of  know- 
ing more  than  is  clearly  revealed  ;  yet  while  we  humbly 
depend  upon  divine  teaching,  it  is  right  to  aim  at  as 
enlarged  a  sense  of  what  is  revealed  as  we  can  attain 
to.  Every  acquisition  of  this  kind  is  more  valuable 
than  gold,  especially  respecting  those  points  which  have 
an  immediate  tendency  to  comfort  and  support  us  un- 
der the  view  of  an  approaching  dissolution  ;  the  ques- 
tion you  have  proposed  is  undoubtedly  of  this  nature. 

May  the  Lord  direct  my  thoughts  and  pen,  that  I 
may  not  "  darken  counsel  by  words  without  know- 
"  ledge  !" — I  have  been  looking  over  the  passage  you  re- 
fer to  in  Dr.  Ridgley,  and  think  I  might  be  well  excused 
from  saying  any  thing  further  on  the  subject,  as  he  hath 
briefly  and  fully  stated  all  the  arguments  that  have  oc- 
curred to  me  on  either  side  of  the  question,  and  closes 
with  a  proper  caution  not  to  be  peremptory  in  deter- 
mining, lest  by  attempting  to  be  wise  above  what  is 
written,  I  should  betray  my  own  folly. — Yet  as  you 
desire  to  have  my  tiiouglitS;,  I  must  say  something. — I 


Let.  3.  On  2  Cor.  \\  10.  and  Rom.  xiw  12.  i:^'S 

wish  I  may  not  give  you  reason  to  think  that  this  cau- 
tion has  been  lost  upon  me. 

I  think  all  the  great  truths  in  which  we  are  concern- 
ed, are  clearly  and  expressly  laid  down,  not  only  in 
one,  but  in  many  places  of  Scripture  ;  but  it  sometimes 
happens,  that  here  and  there  we  meet  with  a  text, 
which,  in  the  first  and  ob\  ious  sound  of  the  words, 
seems  to  speak  differently  from  what  is  asserted  more 
largely  elsewhere ;  which  texts,  singly  taken,  afford 
some  men  their  only  ground  for  the  hypothesis  they 
maintain.  Thus  the  Arians  lay  a  great  stress  on  John 
xiv.  28.  and  the  Arminians  on  James  ii.  24.  &c.  But 
their  true  interpretation  is  to  be  sought  according  to 
the  analogy  of  faith.  They  are  capable  of  a  sense  a- 
greeable  to  the  others,  though  the  others  are  not  intel- 
ligible in  the  sense  they  would  fix  upon  these.  In  like 
manner  I  would  say,  whatever  may  be  the  precise 
meaning  of  2  Cor.  v.  10.  we  are  sure  it  cannot  be  de- 
signed to  weaken  what  we  are  taught  in  almost  every 
page,  of  the  free,  absolute,  and  unalterable  nature  of  a 
believer's  justification  ;  the  benefit  of  which,  as  to  the 
forsiveness  of  sin,  is  signified  by  the  phrases  of  "  blot- 
"  ting  out," — "  not  remembering," — "  casting  behind 
*'  the  back," — and  "into  the  depths  of  the  sea." — The 
sins  of  a  believer  are  so  effectually  removed,  that  even 
when,  or  if  they  are  sought  for,  they  cannot  be  found. 
For  Jesus  has  borne  them  away  :  believers  are  complete 
in  him,  and  clothed  in  his  righteousness. — They  shall 
stand  before  God  without  spot  or  wrinkle.  Wlio  shall 
lay  any  thing  to  their  charge  r 

But  it  is  probable  that  those  stray  expressions  chief- 
ly, if  not  entirely,  respect  the  guilt,  imputation,  and  de- 
served consequences  of  sin. — None  can  suppose  that 
the  Lord  Avill  or  can  forget  the  sins  of  his  people,  or 


126  On  2  Cor.  v.  10.  and  Horn.  xiv.  12.  Let.  3. 

that  they  can  be  ever  hid  from  his  all  comprehendino- 
view.  Neither  can  I  think  they  themselves  will  forget 
them.  Their  song  is  founded  upon  a  recollection  of 
their  sins  and  their  circumstances  in  this  life,  Rev.  v.  9. 
and  their  love,  and  consequently  their  happiness,  seems 
inseparably  connected  with  the  consciousness  of  what 
ihey  were,  and  what  they  had  done,  Luke  vii.  47. 
And  I  think  those  are  the  sweetest  moments  in  this  life, 
when  we  have  the  clearest  sense  of  our  own  sins,  pro- 
vided the  sense  of  our  acceptance  in  the  Beloved  is 
proportionably  clear,  and  we  feel  the  consolations  of 
his  love,  notwithstandins;  all  our  transgressions.  When 
we  arrive  in  glory,  unbelief  and  fear  will  cease  for  ever ; 
our  nearness  to  God,  and  communion  with  him,  will 
be  unspeakably  beyond  what  we  can  now  conceive. 
Therefore  the  remembrance  of  our  sins  will  be  no  a- 
batement  of  our  bliss,  but  rather  the  contrary.  When 
Pharaoh  and  his  host  were  alive,  and  pursuing  them, 
the  Israelites  were  terrified  ;  but  afterwards,  when  they 
saw  their  enemies  dead  upon  the  shore,  their  joy  and 
triumph  were  not  abated,  but  heightened,  by  the  con- 
sideration of  their  number. 

With  respect  to  our  sins  being  made  known  to  others, 
I  acknowledge  with  you,  that  I  could  not  now  bear  to 
have  any  of  my  fellow-creatures  made  acquainted  with 
what  passes  in  my  heart  for  a  single  day  ;  but  I  appre- 
hend it  is  a  part  and  a  proof  of  my  present  depravity, 
that  I  feel  myself  disposed  to  pay  so  great  a  regard  to 
the  judgment  of  men,  while  I  am  so  little  affected  with 
what  I  am  in  the  sight  of  the  pure  and  holy  God.  But 
I  believe  that  hereafter,  when  self  shall  be  entirely  rooted 
out,  and  my  will  perfectly  united  to  the  divine  will,  I 
should  feel  no  reluctance,  supposing  it  for  the  manifest- 
ation of  his  glorious  grace,  that  men,  angels,  and  devils. 


Let.  3.  On  2  Cor.  v.  10.  aJid  Rom.  xiv.  12.  127 

should  know  the  very  worst  of  me.  Wiiether  it  will  be 
so  or  no,  I  dare  not  determine.  Perhaps  the  difficulty 
chiefly  lies  in  the  necessity  of  our  being  at  present  taught 
heavenly  things  by  earthly.  In  the  descriptions  we  have 
of  the  great  day,  allusion  is  made  to  w  hat  is  most  so- 
lemn in  human  transactions.  The  ideas  of  the  judg- 
ment-seat, the  great  trumpet,  of  the  books  being  opened^ 
and  the  pleadings,  Matth.  xxv.  ^7 — 44.  seem  to  be 
borrowed  from  the  customs  that  obtained  amongst  men 
to  help  our  weak  conceptions,  rather  than  justly  and 
fully  to  describe  what  will  be  the  real  process. — Now^, 
when  we  attempt  to  look  into  the  unseen  world,  we 
carry  our  ideas  of  time  and  place,  and  sensible  objects, 
along  with  us ;  and  we  cannot  divest  ourselves  of  them,  or 
provide  ourselves  with  better  :  yet  perhaps  they  have  as 
little  relation  to  the  objects  we  aim  at,  as  the  ideas  which 
a  man  born  blind  acquires  from  what  he  hears  and  feels, 
have  to  the  true  nature  of  light  and  colours.  Mr.  Locke 
mentions  one,  who,  after  much  thought  and  conversa- 
tion, supposed  he  had  got  a  tolerable  notion  oi scarlet^ 
and  that  it  was  something  nearly  resembling  the  sound 
of  a  trumpet.  Perhaps  this  is  no  improper  emblem  of 
the  utmost  we  can  attain  to,  when  we  are  endeavouring 
to  realize  the  solemnities  of  the  judgment-day.  What 
Me  mean  by  memory  and  reasoning,  may  possibly  have 
no  place  in  the  world  of  spirits.  We  guess  at  some- 
thing more  suitable,  perhaps,  when  we  use  the  term 
intuition.  But  I  apprehend  we  must  die  before  we  can 
fully  understand  what  it  signifies  :  perhaps  thoughts 
may  be  as  intelligible  there  as  words  are  here. 

In  a  word,  my  dear  Sir,  if  I  have  not  given  you  satis- 
faction, (I  am  sure  I  have  not  satisfied  mj^self,)  accept 
my  apology  in  the  words  of  a  much  wiser,  and  an  in- 
spired man  :  "  Such  knowledge  is  too  wonderful  for  me : 


128  0?i  Family^oorship.  Let.  4» 

"  it  is  hisli,  I  cannot  attain  unto  it."  Ere  lonjj  we 
shall  know  :  in  the  mean  while  our  cause  is  in  sure 
hands ;  we  have  a  Shepherd  who  will  guide  us  below, 
an  Advocate  who  will  receive  and  present  us  before 
the  throne  above.  I  trust  we  meet  daily  before  the 
throne  of  grace,  hereafter  we  shall  meet  in  glory.  The 
paper  w  ill  allow  no  more. 

Believe  me  yours  in  the  Lord,  &c. 


LETTER  IV. 

To  Theron,  on  Family-xvorship. 


Sir, 


J\.  NEGLECT  of  family- prayer,  is,  1  am  afraid,  too 
common  amongst  professors  in  this  day.  I  am  glad 
that  you  consider  it  both  as  a  duty  and  a  privilege., 
and  are  by  grace  determined,  that  when  you  shall  com- 
mence master  of  a  family,  you  will  worship  God  with 
all  your  house.  It  was  Abraham's  commendation,  that 
he  not  only  served  the  Lord  himself,  4)ut  was  solicitous 
that  his  children  and  household  might  serve  him  like- 
wise. I  trust  that  he  avIio  inclines  your  heart  to  walk  in 
the  footsteps  of  faithful  Abraham,  will  bless  you  in  the 
attempt,  and  give  you  peace  in  your  dwelling  ;  a  mercy 
which  is  seldom  enjoyed,  which  indeed  can  hardly  be 
expected,  by  those  families  which  call  not  upon  the 
Lord. 

Though  I  readily  comply  with  your  request,  and 
should  be  glad  if  I  can  offer  any  thing  that  may  assist 
or  animate  you  in  your  good  purpose,  I  am  afraid  I  shall 
not  answer  your  expectations  with  regard  to  the  parti- 


Let.  4.  On  Family-ivorship.  129 

culars  of  your  inquiry,  concerning  the  most  proper 
method  of  conducting  family-worship.  The  circum- 
stances of  families  are  so  various,  that  no  determinate 
rules  can  be  laid  down,  nor  has  the  word  of  God  pre- 
scribed any;  because,  being  of  universal  obligation,  it  is 
wisely  and  graciously  accommodated  to  suit  the  dif- 
ferent situations  of  iiis  people.  You  must  therefore, 
as  to  circumstantials,  judge  for  yourself.  You  will  do 
well  to  pursue  such  a  method  as  you  shall  find  most 
convenient  to  yourself  and  famil}-,  without  scrupulously 
binding  yourself,  when  the  Scripture  has  left  you  free. 

We  have  no  positive  precept  enjoining  us  any  set 
time  for  prayer,  nor  even  how  often  we  should  prav, 
either  in  public  or  private ;  though  the  expressions  of 
"  continuing  instant  in  prayer,"  "  praying  without  ceas- 
"  ing,"  and  the  like,  plainly  intimate  that  prayer  should 
be  frequent.  Daniel  prayed  three  times  a-day  ;  which 
the  Psalmist  speaks  of  as  his  practice  likewise  ;  and  in 
one  place  declares  his  purpose  of  praising  God  seven 
times  p,-day.  This  last  expression  is  perhaps  indefi- 
nite, not  precisely  seven  times,  but  very  often.  Indeed, 
a  person  who  lives  in  the  exercise  of  faith  and  love, 
and  who  finds  by  experience  that  it  is  good  for  him  to 
draw  nigh  to  God,  will  not  want  to  be  told  how  often 
he  must  pray,  any  more  than  how  often  he  must  con- 
verse with  an  earthly  friend.  Those  whom  we  love, 
we  love  to  be  much  with.  Love  is  the  best  casuist, 
and  either  resolves  or  prevents  a  thousand  scruples 
and  questions,  which  may  perplex  those  who  only  serve 
God  from  principles  of  constraint  and  fear.  And  a 
believer  will  account  those  his  happiest  days,  when  he 
has  most  leisure  and  most  liberty  of  spirit  for  the  exer- 
cise of  prayer.  However,  I  think  family-prayer  cannot 
be  said  to  be  stated^  unless  it  be  performed  at  least 

\o^..  I.  S 


130  On  Familij-ivorsJiij).  Let.  4. 

daily,  and,  when  unavoidable  hindrances  do  not  pre- 
vent, twice  a-day.  Though  all  times  and  seasons  are 
alike  to  the  Lord,  and  his  ear  is  always  open  whenever 
we  have  a  heart  to  call  upon  him ;  yet  to  us  there  is  a 
peculiar  suitableness  in  beginning  and  closing  the  day 
with  prayer  :  in  the  morning,  to  acknowledge  his  good- 
ness in  our  preservation  through  the  niglit,  and  entreat 
his  presence  and  blessing  on  our  persons  and  callinffs  in 
the  course  of  the  day ;  and  at  night,  to  praise  him  for 
the  mercies  of  the  day  past,  to  humble  ourselves  before 
him  for  what  has  been  amiss,  to  wait  on  him  for  a 
renewed  manifestation  of  his  pardoning  love,  and  to 
commit  ourselves  and  our  concerns  to  his  care  and 
protection  while  we  sleep.  You  will,  of  course,  choose 
those  hours  when  you  are  least  liable  to  be  incom- 
moded by  the  calls  of  business,  and  when  the  family 
can  assemble  with  the  most  convenience  ;  only  I  would 
observe,  that  it  greatly  preserves  regularity  and  good 
order  in  a  house,  to  keep  constantly  to  the  same  hours 
Mhen  it  is  practicable ;  and  likewise,  that  it  is  best  not 
to  defer  evening-prayer  till  late,  if  it  can  be  well  avoid- 
ed ;  lest  some  who  join  in  the  exercise,  and  perhaps  the 
person  himslf  who  leads  in  it,  should  be  too  weary  or 
sleepy  to  give  a  due  attention.  On  this  account,  I  should 
advise  to  have  family- prayer  before  supper,  where  peo- 
ple have  the  choice  and  disposal  of  their  own  hours. 

I  think,  with  you,  that  it  is  very  expedient  and  pro- 
per that  reading  a  portion  of  the  word  of  God  should 
be  ordinarily  a  part  of  our  family-worship  ;  so  likewise 
to  sing  a  hymn  or  psalm,  or  part  of  one,  at  discretion  ; 
provided  there  are  some  persons  in  the  family  who  have 
enouiih  of  a  musical  ear  and  voice  to  conduct  the  sing- 
ing in  a  tolerable  manner  ;  otherwise  perhaps  it  may  be 
better  omitted.     If  you  read  and  sing,  as  well  as  i)ray. 


Let.  4.  On  Famili/'worship.  131 

care  should  be  taken  that  the  combined  services  do  not 
run  into  an  inconvenient  length. 

The  chief  thing  to  be  attended  to  is,  that  it  may  be 
a  spiritual  service ;  and  the  great  evil  to  be  dreaded 
and  guarded  against  in  the  exercise  of  every  duty  that 
returns  frequently  upon  us,  is  formality.  If  a  stated 
course  of  family-prayer  is  kept  up  as  constantly  in  its 
season  as  the  striking  of  the  clock,  it  may  come  in  time 
to  be  almost  as  meciianically  performed,  unless  we  are 
continually  looking  to  the  Lord  to  keep  our  hearts 
alive.  It  most  frequently  happens,  that  one  or  more 
members  of  a  family  are  unconverted  persons.  When 
there  are  sucli  present,  a  great  regard  should  be  had  to 
them,  and  every  thing  conducted  with  a  view  to  their 
edification,  that  they  may  not  be  disgusted  or  wearied, 
or  tempted  to  think  that  it  is  little  more  than  the  fash- 
ion or  custom  of  the  house ;  which  will  probably  be 
the  case,  unless  the  master  of  the  family  is  lively  and 
earnest  in  performance  of  the  duty,  and  likewise  cir- 
cumspect and  consistent  in  every  part  of  his  behaviour 
at  other  times.  By  leading  in  the  worship  of  God  be- 
fore children,  servants,  or  strangers,  a  man  gives  bond, 
(as  it  were,)  for  his  behaviour,  and  adds  strength  to 
every  other  motive  which  should  engao-e  him  to  abstain 
irom  all  appearance  of  evil.  It  should  be  a  constant 
check  upon  our  language  and  tempers  in  the  presence 
of  our  families,  to  consider  tliat  we  began  the  day,  and 
propose  to  end  it  with  them  in  prayer.  The  apostle 
iV'ter  uses  tliis  argument  to  inliuence  the  conduct  of 
husliands  and  wives  towards  each  other  ;  and  it  is  equal- 
ly applicable  to  all  the  members  of  a  family  ;  "  Ihat 
"  your  prayers  be  not  hindered  ;"  that  is,  either  pre- 
vented and  put  oft",  or  despoiled  of  all  life  and  efficacy 
by  the  ferment  of  sinful  passions.     On  tiie  ottier  hand.. 


132  On  Famihj-vcorship.  Let.  4. 

the  proper  exercise  of  family-prayer,  when  recommend- 
ed by  a  suitable  deportment,  is  a  happy  means  of  in- 
structing children  and  servants  in  the  great  truths  of  re- 
ligion, of  softening  their  prejudices,  and  inspiring  them 
with  a  temper  of  respect  and  affection,  which  will  dis- 
pose them  to  cheerful  obedience,  and  make  them  un- 
willing to  grieve  or  offend.  In  this  instance,  as  in  every 
other,  we  may  observe,  that  the  Lord's  commands  to 
his  people  are  not  arbitrary  appointments,  but  that,  so 
far  as  they  are  conscientiously  complied  with,  they  have 
an  evident  tendency  and  suitableness  to  promote  our 
own  advantage.  He  requires  us  to  acknowledge  him 
in  our  families,  for  our  own  sakes ;  not  because  he  has 
need  of  our  poor  services,  but  because  we  have  need  of 
his  blessing,  and  without  the  influence  of  his  grace, 
(which  is  promised  to  all  who  seek  it,)  are  sure  to  be 
unhappy  in  ourselves  and  in  all  our  connexions. 

When  husband  and  wife  are  happily  partakers  of  the 
same  faith,  it  seems  expedient,  and  for  their  mutual 
good,  that,  besides  their  private  devotions,  and  joining 
in  family- prayer,  they  should  pray  together.  They 
have  many  wants,  mercies,  and  concerns,  in  common 
"\\'ith  each  other,  and  distinct  from  the  rest  of  the  fami- 
ly. The  manner  in  which  they  should  improve  a  little 
time  in  this  joint  exercise,  cannot  well  be  prescribed  by 
a  third  person  ;  yet  I  will  venture  to  suggest  one  thing; 
and  the  rather,  as  I  do  not  remember  to  have  met  with 
it  in  print.  I  conceive  that  it  may  prove  much  to  their 
comfort  to  pray  alternately,  not  only  the  husband  with 
and  for  the  wife,  but  the  wife  with  and  for  the  husband. 
The  Spirit  of  God,  by  the  Apostle,  has  expressly  re- 
strained women  from  the  exercise  of  spiritual  gifts  in 
public  ;  but  I  apprehend  the  practice  I  am  speaking  of 
can  no  way  interfere  with  that  restriction.     I  suppose 


Let.  4.  071  Familij-icorship.  133 

them  in  private  together,  and  then  I  judge  it  to  be 
equally  right  and  proper  for  either  of  them  to  pray  ^vith 
the  other.  Nor  do  I  meet  any  thing  in  St.  Paul's  writ- 
ings to  prevent  my  thinking,  that  if  he  had  been  a  mar- 
ried man,  he  would,  though  an  apostle,  have  been  glad 
of  the  prayers  of  his  wife.  If  you  ask,  how  often  they 
should  pray  together?  I  think  the  oftencr  the  better, 
provided  it  does  not  break  in  upon  their  duties ;  once 
a-day  at  least ;  and  if  there  is  a  choice  of  hours,  it 
might  be  as  well  at  some  distance  from  their  other  sea- 
.sons  of  worship.  But  I  would  observe,  as  before,  that 
in  matters  not  expressly  commanded,  prudence  and  ex- 
perience must  direct. 

I  have  written  upon  a  supposition  that  you  use  ex- 
tempore prayer ;  but  as  there  are  many  heads  of  fami- 
lies who  fear  the  Lord,  and  have  not  yet  attained  li- 
berty to  pray  extempore  before  others,  I  would  add. 
that  their  inability  in  this  respect,  whether  real,  or  whe- 
ther only  proceeding  from  fear,  and  an  undue  regard  to 
self,  will  not  justify  them  in  the  omission  of  family- 
prayer.  Helps  may  be  procured.  Mr.  Jenks's  Devo- 
tions are  in  many  hands,  and  I  aoubt  not  but  there  are 
other  excellent  books  of  the  same  kind,  with  which  I 
am  not  acquainted.  If  they  begin  with  a  form,  not 
with  a  design  to  confine  themselves  always  to  one,  but 
make  it  a  part  of  their  secret  pleading  at  the  throne  of 
grace,  that  they  may  be  favoured  with  the  gift  and 
spirit  of  prayer  ;  and  accustom  themselves,  while  they 
use  a  form,  to  intersperse  some  petitions  of  their  own  ; 
there  is  little  doubt  but  they  will  in  time  find  a  growth 
in  liberty  and  ability,  and  at  length  lay  their  book  en- 
tirely aside.  For  it  being  every  believer's  duty  to  wor- 
ship God  in  his  family,  his  promise  may  be  depended 


134  On  Pamtly-ioorship.  Let.  4. 

upon,  to  give  them  a  sufficiency  in  all  things,  for  those 
services  which  he  requires  of  them. 

Happy  is  that  family  where  the  worship  of  God  is 
constantly  and  conscientiously  maintained.  Such  houses 
are  temple.';  in  which  the  Lord  dwells,  and  castles  gar- 
risoned by  a  divine  power.  I  do  not  say,  that  by  ho- 
nouring God  in  your  house,  you  w ill  wholly  escape  a 
share  in  the  trials  incident  to  the  present  uncertain  state 
of  things.  A  measure  of  such  trials  will  be  necessary 
for  the  exercise  and  manifestation  of  3'our  graces,  to 
give  you  a  more  convincing  proof  of  the  truth  and 
sweetness  of  the  promises  made  to  a  time  of  affliction, 
to  mortify  the  body  of  sin,  and  to  u  ean  you  more  ef- 
fectually from  the  world.  But  this  I  will  confidently 
say,  that  the  Lord  Avill  both  honour  and  conjfort  those 
who  thus  honour  him.  Seasons  will  occur,  in  which 
you  shall  know,  and  probably  your  neighbours  shall  be 
constrained  to  take  notice,  that  he  has  not  bid  you  seek 
him  in  vain.  If  you  meet  w  ith  troubles,  they  shall  be 
accompanied  by  supports,  and  followed  by  deliverance ; 
and  you  shall,  upon  many  occasions,  experience  that  he 
is  your  protector,  preserving  you  and  yours  from  the 
evils  by  which  you  will  see  others. suffering  around  you. 
I  have  rather  exceeded  the  limits  I  proposed,  and 
therefore  shall  only  add  a  request,  that  in  your  ad- 
dresses at  the  throne  of  grace,  you  will  remember, 
&c. 


Let.  5.      On  Difficulties^  Src.  attending  the  Mimstn/.         135 


LETTER  V. 

On  the  Snares  and  Difficult ies  attending  the  Ministry, 
oj  the  Gospel. 


Dear  Sir, 


I 


AM  glad  to  hear  that  you  are  ordained,  and  that  the 
Lord  is  about  to  ti\  you  in  a  place  where  there  is  a 
prospect  of  your  being  greatly  useful.  He  has  given 
you  the  desire  of  your  heart ;  and  I  hope  he  has  given 
you  likewise  a  heart  to  devote  yourself,  witliout  reserve, 
to  tiis  service,  and  the  service  of  souls  for  his  sake.  I 
■willingly  comply  with  your  request ;  and  shall,  without 
ceremony,  offer  you  such  thoughts  as  occur  to  me  up- 
on this  occasion. 

You  have,  doubtless,  often  anticipated  in  your  mind 
the  nature  of  the  service  to  w  hich  you  are  now  called, 
and  made  it  the  subject  of  much  consideration  and 
prayer.  But  a  distant  view  of  the  ministry  is  gene- 
rally very  different  from  what  it  is  found  to  be  when 
we  are  actually  engaged  in  it.  The  young  soldier, 
who  has  never  seen  an  enemy,  may  form  some  gene- 
ral notions  of  what  is  before  him  ;  but  his  ideas  will 
be  much  more  lively  and  diversified  when  he  comes 
upon  the  field  of  battle.  If  the  Lord  was  to  show  us 
the  whole  beforehand,  who  that  has  a  due  sense  of  his 
own  insufficiencv  and  weakness,  would  venture  to  en- 
gage ?  But  he  first  draws  us  by  a  constraining  sense  of 
his  love,  and  by  giving  us  an  impression  of  the  worth 
of  souls,  and  leaves  us  to  acquire  a  knowledge  of  what 
is  ditficu't  and  disagreeable  by  a  gradual  experience. 
The  ministry  of  the  Gospel,  like  the  book  which  the 


136  On  the  Snares  awl  Difficulties  Let.  5. 

Apostle  John  ate,  is  a  bitter  sweet  ;  but  the  sweetness 
is  tasted  first,  the  bitterness  is  usually  known  after- 
wards, when  we  are  so  far  engaged  that  there  is  no 
ijoino;  back. 

Yet  I  would  not  discoura2;e  you :  it  is  a  good  and 
noble  cause,  and  we  serve  a  good  and  gracious  blaster  ; 
who,  though  he  will  make  us  feel  our  weakness  and 
vileness,  will  not  suffer  us  to  sink  under  it.  His  grace 
is  sufficient  for  us :  and  if  he  favours  us  with  an  hum- 
ble and  dependent  spirit,  a  single  eye,  and  a  simple 
heart,  he  will  make  every  difficulty  give  way,  and  moun- 
tains shall  sink  into  plains  before  his  power. 

You  have  known  somethinsj  of  Satan's  devices  while 
you  were  in  private  life ;  how  he  has  envied  your  pri- 
vileges, assaulted  your  peace,  and  laid  snares  for  your 
feet:  though  the  Lord  would  not  suffer  him  to  hurt 
you,  he  has  permitted  him  to  sift  and  tempt,  and  shoot 
his  fiery  arrows  at  you.  Without  some  of  this  disci- 
pline, you  would  have  been  very  unfit  for  that  part  of 
your  office  which  consists  in  speaking  a  word  in  season 
to  weary  and  heavy-laden  souls.  But  you  may  now 
expect  to  hear  from  him,  and  to  be  beset  by  his  power 
and  subtilty  in  a  different  manner.  You  are  now^  to 
be  placed  in  the  forefront  of  the  battle,  and  to  stand  as 
it  were  for  his  mark  :  so  far  as  he  can  prevail  against 
you  now,  not  yourself  only,  but  many  others,  will  be 
atfectcd  :  many  eyes  will  be  upon  you  ;  and  if  you  take 
a  wrong  step,  or  are  ensnared  into  a  wrong  spirit,  you 
will  open  the  mouths  of  the  adversaries  wider,  and 
grieve  the  hearts  of  believers  more  sensibly  than  if  the 
same  things  had  happened  to  you  while  you  was  a  lay- 
man. The  work  of  the  ministry  is  truly  honourable  ; 
but,  like  tlie  post  of  honour  in  a  battle,  it  is  attended 
with  peculiar  dangers  :  therefore  the  apostle  cautions 


Let.  5.  attending  the  MiTUstry.  137 

Timothy,  "  Take  heed  to  thyself,  and  to  thy  doctrine." 
To  thyself  in  the  first  place,  and  then  to  ^hy  doctrine; 
the  latter  without  the  former  would  be  impracticable 
and  vain. 

You  have  need  to  be  upon  your  guard  in  whatever 
way  your  first  attempts  to  preach  the  Gospel  may  seem 
to  operate.  If  you  should,  (as  may  probably  be  the 
case,  where  the  truth  has  been  little  known,)  meet  with 
much  opposition,  you  will  perhaps  find  it  a  heavier  trial 
than  you  are  aware  of;  but  I  speak  of  it  only  as  it  might 
draw  forth  your  corruptions,  and  give  Satan  advantage 
against  you :  and  this  may  be  two  ways  ;  first,  by  em- 
bittering your  spirit  against  opposers,  so  as  to  speak  in 
anger,  to  set  them  at  defiance,  or  retaliate  upon  them  in 
their  own  way  ;  which,  besides  bringing  guilt  upon  your 
conscience,  would  of  course  increase  your  difficulties, 
and  impede  your  usefulness.  A  violent  opposition 
against  ministers  and  professors  of  the  Gospel  is  some- 
times expressed  by  the  devil's  roaring,  and  some  people 
think  no  good  can  be  done  without  it.  It  is  allowed, 
that  men  who  love  darkness  will  show  their  dislike  of  the 
light :  but,  I  believe,  if  the  wisdom  and  meekness  of  the 
friends  of  the  Gospel  had  been  always  equal  to  their 
good  intentions  and  zeal,  the  devil  would  not  have  had 
opportunity  of  roaring  so  loud  as  he  has  sometimes 
done.  The  subject-matter  of  the  Gospel  is  offence 
enough  to  the  carnal  heart;  we  must  therefore  expect 
opposition  :  but  we  should  not  provoke  or  despise  it,  or 
do  any  thing  to  aggravate  it.  A  patient  continuance 
in  well-doing,  a  consistency  in  character,  and  an  atten- 
tion to  return  kind  offices  for  hard  treatment,  will,  in  a 
course  of  time,  greatly  soften  the  spirit  of  opposition  ; 
and   instances  are  to  be  found  of  ministers,  who  are 

treated  with  some  respect  even  by  those  persons  in 
Vol.  T.  T 


138  On  the  Simres  ami  DiJjlcuUlcs  Let.  5. 

their  parishes  who  are  most  averse  to  their  doctrine. 
When  the  apostle  directs  us,  "  If  it  be  possible,  and  as 
"  much  as  in  us  lies,  to  live  peaceably  with  all  men," 
beseems  to  intimate,  that  though  it  be  difiicult,  it  is 
not  wholly  impracticable.  We  cannot  change  the  root- 
ed prejudices  of  their  hearts  against  the  Gospel ;  but  it 
is  possible,  by  the  Lord's  blessing,  to  stop  their  mouths, 
and  make  them  ashamed  of  discovering  it,  when  they 
behold  our  good  conversation  in  Christ.  And  it  is 
well  worth  our  while  to  cultivate  this  outward  peace, 
provided  we  do  not  purchase  it  at  the  expense  of  truth 
and  faithfulness  ;  for  ordinarily  we  cannot  hope  to  be 
useful  to  our  people,  unless  we  give  them  reason  to 
believe  that  we  love  them,  and  have  their  interest  at 
heart.  Again,  opposition  will  hurt  you,  if  it  should 
give  you  an  idea  of  your  own  importance,  and  lead 
you  to  d^vell  with  a  secret  self-approbation  upon  your 
own  faithfulness  and  courage  in  such  circumstances. 
If  you  are  able  to  stand  your  ground,  uninfluenced 
either  by  the  favour  or  the  fear  of  men,  you  have 
reason  to  give  glory  to  God  ;  but  remember,  that  you 
cannot  thus  stand  an  hour,  unless  he  upholds  you.  It 
shows  a  wrong  turn  of  mind,  when  we  are  very  ready 
to  speak  of  our  trials  and  difficulties  of  this  kind,  and 
of  our  address  and  resolution  in  encountering  them. 
A  natural  stiffness  of  spirit,  with  a  desire  to  have  self 
taken  notice  of,  may  make  a  man  willing  to  endure  those 
kind  of  hardships,  though  he  has  but  little  grace  in  ex- 
ercise :  but  true  Christian  fortitude,  from  a  conscious- 
ness that  we  speak  the  truths  of  God,  and  are  support- 
ed by  his  power,  is  a  very  dift'erent  thing. 

If  you  should  meet  with  but  little  opposition,  or  if 
the  Lord  should  be  pleased  to  make  your  enemies 
your  friends,  you  will  probably  be  in  danger  from  the 


Lot.  5.  alluding  the  Minislry.  139 

opposite  quarter.  If  opposition  has  hurt  many,  popu- 
larity has  wounded  more.  To  say  the  truth,  I  am  in 
some  pain  for  you.  Your  natural  abilities  are  consi- 
derable ;  you  have  been  diligent  in  your  studies  ;  your 
zeal  is  warm,  and  your  spirit  is  lively.  With  these 
advantages,  I  expect  to  see  you  a  popular  preacher. 
The  more  you  are  so,  the  greater  will  your  field  of  use- 
fulness be  ;  but,  alas  !  you  cannot  yet  know  to  what  it 
will  expose  you.  It  is  like  walking  upon  ice.  When 
you  shall  see  an  attentive  congregation  hanging  upon 
your  words  ;  when  you  shall  hear  the  well-meant,  but 
often  injudicious  commendations  of  those  to  whom 
the  Lord  shall  make  you  useful ;  when  you  shall  find, 
upon  an  intimation  of  your  preaching  in  a  strange  place, 
people  thronging  from  all  parts  to  hear  you,  how  will 
your  heart  feel  ?  It  is  easy  for  me  to  advise  you  to  be 
humble,  and  for  you  to  acknowledge  the  propriety  of 
the  advice  ;  but  while  human  nature  remains  in  its 
present  state,  there  will  be  almost  the  same  connexion 
between  popularity  and  pride,  as  between  fire  and  gun- 
powder :  they  cannot  meet  without  an  explosion,  at 
least  not  unless  the  gunpowder  is  kept  very  damp.  So 
unless  the  Lord  is  constantly  moistening  our  hearts, 
(if  I  may  so  speak,)  by  the  influences  of  his  Spirit,  popu- 
larity will  soon  set  us  in  a  blaze.  You  will  hardly  find 
a  person  who  has  been  exposed  to  this  fiery  trial, 
without  suffering  loss.  Those  whom  the  Lord  loves, 
he  is  able  to  keep,  and  he  will  keep  them  upon  the 
whole  ;  yet  by  such  means,  and  in  a  course  of  such 
narrow  escapes,  that  they  shall  have  reason  to  look 
upon  their  deliverance  as  no  less  than  miraculous. 
Sometimes,  if  his  ministers  are  not  watchful  against 
the  first  impressions  of  pride,  he  permits  it  to  gather 
.strength  ;  and  then  it  is  but  a  small  thing  that  a  few 


14*0  On  the  Snares  and  Difficulties  Let.  5. 

of  their  admirers  may  think  them  more  than  men  in  the 
pulpit,  it  they  are  left  to  commit  such  mistakes  when  out 
of  it,  as  the  weakest  of  the  flock  can  discover  and  pity. 
And  tliis  will  certainly  be  the  case,  while  pride  and  self- 
sufficiency  have  the  ascendant.  Beware,  my  triend,  of 
mistaking  the  ready  exercise  of  gifts  for  the  exercise  of 
grace.  The  minister  may  be  assisted  in  public  for  the 
sake  of  his  hearers ;  and  there  is  something  in  the 
nature  of  our  public  work,  when  surrounded  by  a  con- 
course of  people,  that  is  suited  to  daw  forth  the  ex- 
ertion of  our  abilities,  and  to  engage  our  attention  in 
the  outward  services,  when  the  frame  of  the  heart  may 
be  far  from  being  right  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord.  Whea 
Moses  smote  the  rock,  the  water  followed  ;  yet  he 
spoke  unadvisedly  with  his  lips,  and  greatly  displeased 
the  Lord.  However,  the  congregation  was  not  disap- 
pointed for  his  fault,  nor  was  he  put  to  shame  before 
them ;  but  he  was  humbled  for  it  afterwards.  They 
are  happy  whom  the  Lord  preserves  in  some  degree 
humble,  without  leaving  them  to  expose  themselves  to 
the  observation  of  men,  and  to  receive  such  wounds  as 
are  seldom  healed  without  leaving  a  deep  scar.  But 
even  these  have  much  to  suffer.  Many  distressing  ex- 
ercises you  will  probably  meet  with  upon  the  best  sup- 
position, to  preserve  in  you  a  due  sense  of  your  own 
unworthiness,  and  to  convince  you,  that  your  ability, 
your  acceptance,  and  your  usefulness,  depend  upon  a 
power  beyond  your  own.  Sometimes,  perhaps,  you 
will  feel  such  an  amazing  difference  between  the  frame 
of  your  spirit  in  public  and  in  private,  when  the  eyes  of 
men  are  not  upon  you,  as  will  make  you  almost  ready 
to  conclude,  that  you  are  no  better  than  an  hypocrite, 
a  mere  stage  player,  who  derives  all  his  pathos  and  exer- 
tion from  the  sight  of  the  audience.     At  other  times 


Let.  5.  attending  the  Ministry.  141 

you  will  find  such  a  total  emptiness  and  indisposition  of 
mind,  that  former  seasons  of  liberty  in  preaching  nill 
appear  to  you  like  the  remembrance  of  a  dream,  and 
you  will  hardly  be  able  to  persuade  yourself,  you  shall 
ever  be  capable  of  preaching  again  :  the  Scriptures  will 
appear  to  you  like  a  sealed  book,  and  no  text  or  subject 
afford  any  light  or  opening  to  determine  your  choice  • 
And  this  perplexity  may  not  only  seize  you  in  the  study, 
but  accompany  you  in  the  pulpit.  If  you  are  enabled 
at  some  times  to  speak  to  the  people  with  power,  and 
to  resemble  Sampson,  when,  in  the  greatness  of  his 
strength,  he  bore  away  the  gates  of  the  city,  you  Avill 
perhaps,  at  others,  appear  before  them  like  Sampson 
w  hen  his  locks  were  shorn,  and  he  stood  in  fetters. 
So  that  you  need  not  tell  the  people  you  have  no  suf- 
ficiency in  yourself ;  for  they  will  readily  perceive  it 
without  your  information.  These  things  are  hard  to 
bear  ;  yet  successful  popularity  is  not  to  be  preserved 
upon  easier  terms  :  and  if  they  are  but  sanctified  to 
hide  pride  from  you,  you  will  have  reason  to  number 
them  amongst  your  choicest  mercies. 

I  have  but  just  made  an  entrance  upon  the  subject  of 
the  difficulties  and  dangers  attending  the  ministry.  But 
my  paper  is  full.  If  you  are  willing  I  should  proceed, 
let  me  know,  and  I  believe  I  can  easily  find  enough  to 
fill  another  sheet.  May  the  Lord  make  you  wise  and 
watchful !  That  he  may  be  the  light  of  your  eye,  the 
strength  of  your  arm,  and  the  joy  of  your  heart,  is  the 
sincere  prayer  of,  &c. 


JM  Of  the  Influence  of  Faii/i.  Let.  G. 

LETTER  VI. 

Of  the  Practical  Influence  of  FaitJi. 
Sir, 

1  HE  use  and  importance  of  faith,  as  it  respects  a  sin- 
ner's justification  before  God,  has  been  largely  insisted 
on ;  but  it  is  likewise  of  great  use  and  importance  in 
the  dail}'^  concerns  of  life.  It  gives  evidence  and  sub- 
sistence to  thiniTs  not  seen,  and  realizes  the  great  truths 
of  the  Gospel,  so  as  that  they  become  abiding  and  liv- 
ing principles  of  support  and  direction  while  we  are 
passing  through  this  wilderness.  Thus,  it  is  as  the  eye 
and  the  hand,  without  which  we  cannot  take  one  step 
with  certainty,  or  attempt  any  service  with  success.  It 
is  to  be  wished  that  this  practical  exercise  of  faith  were 
duly  attended  to  by  all  professors.  We  should  not  then 
meet  w-ith  so  many  cases  that  put  us  to  a  stand,  and 
leave  us  at  a  great  difficulty  to  reconcile  what  we  see 
in  some  of  whom  we  would  willingly  hope  well,  with 
what  we  read  in  Scripture  of  the  inseparable  concomi- 
tants  of  a  true  and  lively  faith.  For  how  can  we  but 
be  staggered,  Mhen  we  hear  persons  speaking  the  lan- 
guage of  assurance,  that  they  know  their  acceptance 
Avith  God  through  Christ,  and  have  not  the  least  doubt 
of  their  interest  in  all  the  promises  ;  while,  at  the  same 
time,  we  see  them  under  the  influence  of  unsanctified 
tempers,  of  a  proud,  passionate,  positive,  worldly,  self- 
ish, or  churlish  carriage  ? 

It  is  not  only  plain,  from  the  general  tenor  of  Scrip- 
ture, that  a  covetous,  a  proud,  or  a  censorious  spirit, 
are  no  more  consistent  with  the  Spirit  of  the  Gospel, 


Let.  6.  Of  the  Influence  of  Faith.  i4t3 

than  drunkenness  or  whoredom ;  but  there  are  many 
express  texts  directly  pointed  against  the  evils  which 
too  often  are  found  amongst  professors.  Thus  the 
Apostle  James  assures  us,  "That  if  any  man  seemeth 
"  to  be  religious,  and  bridleth  not  his  tongue,  his  reli- 
"  gion  is  vain ;"  and  the  Apostle  John,  "  That  if  any 
"  man  love  the  world,  the  love  of  the  Father  is  not  in 
"  him  ;"  and  he  seems  to  apply  this  character  to  any 
man,  whatever  his  profession  or  pretences  may  be, 
"  who  having  this  world's  goods,  and  seeing  his  brother 
"  have  need,  shutteth  up  his  bowels  of  compassion  from 
"  him."  Surely  these  texts  more  than  intimate,  that 
the  faith  which  justifies  the  soul,  does  likewise  receive 
from  Jesus  grace  for  grace,  whereby  the  heart  is  puri- 
fied, and  the  conversation  regulated  as  becomes  the 
Gospel  of  Christ. 

There  are  too  many  who  would  have  the  ministry  of 
the  Gospel  restrained  to  the  privileges  of  believers  ;  and 
when  the  fruits  of  faith,  and  the  tempers  of  the  mind, 
which  should  be  manifest  in  those  who  have  "  tasted 
"  that  the  Lord  is  gracious,'  are  inculcated,  think  they 
sufficiently  evade  all  that  is  said,  by  calling  it  legal 
preaching.  I  would  be  no  advocate  for  legal  preach- 
ing ;  but  we  must  not  be  deterred,  by  the  fear  of  a  hard 
word,  from  declaring  the  whole  counsel  of  God  ;  and 
we  have  the  authority  and  example  of  St.  Paul,  who 
was  a  champion  of  the  doctrines  of  free  grace,  to  ani- 
mate us  in  exhorting  professors  to  "  walk  worthy  of 
"  God,  who  has  called  them  to  his  kingdom  and  glory." 
And  indeed  the  expression  of  a  believer's  privilege  is 
often  misunderstood.  It  is  a  believer's  privilege  to 
walk  with  God  in  the  exercise  of  faith,  and,  by  the 
power  of  his  Spirit,  to  mortify  the  whole  body  of  sin; 
to  gain  a  growing  victory  over  the  world  and  self,  and 


144  Of  tlie  hifiuence  of  Faith.  Let.  6. 

to  make  daily  advances  in  conformity  to  the  mind  that 
was  in  Christ.  And  nothing  that  we  profess  to  know, 
believe,  or  hope  for,  deserves  the  name  of  a  privilege, 
further  than  we  are  influenced  by  it  to  die  unto  sin,  and 
to  live  unto  righteousness.  Whosoever  is  possessed  of 
true  faith,  will  not  confine  his  inquiries  to  the  single 
point  of  his  acceptance  with  God,  or  be  satisfied  w  ith 
the  distant  hope  of  heaven  hereafter.  He  will  be  like- 
wise solicitous  how  he  may  glorify  God  in  the  world, 
and  enjoy  such  foretastes  of  heaven  as  are  attainable 
while  he  is  yet  upon  earth. 

Faith,  then,  in  its  practical  exercise,  has  for  its  object 
the  'svhole  word  of  God,  and  forms  its  estimate  of  all 
things  with  which  the  soul  is  at  present  concerned,  ac- 
cording to  the  standard  of  Scripture.  Like  Moses,  it 
"  endures,  as  seeing  him  who  is  invisible."  When  our 
Lord  was  upon  earth,  and  conversed  w  ith  his  disciples, 
their  eyes  and  hearts  were  fixed  upon  him.  In  danger 
he  was  their  defender ;  their  guide  when  in  perplexity ; 
and  to  him  they  looked  for  the  solution  of  all  their 
doubts,  and  the  supply  of  all  their  wants.  He  is  now 
withdrawn  from  our  eyes ;  but  faith  sets  him  still  be- 
fore us,  for  the. same  purposes,  and,  according  to  its 
degree,  with  the  same  effects,  as  if  we  actually  saw  him. 
His  spiritual  presence,  apprehended  by  faith,  is  a  re- 
straint from  evil,  an  encouragement  to  every  service, 
and  affords  a  present  refuge  and  help  in  every  time  of 
trouble.  To  this  is  owinjr  the  delight  a  believer  takes 
in  ordinances,  because  there  he  meets  his  Lord ;  and 
to  this  likewise  it  is  owing,  that  his  religion  is  not  con- 
fined to  public  occasions  ;  but  he  is  the  same  person  in 
secret  as  he  appears  to  be  in  the  pwhlic  assembly ;  for 
he  worships  him  who  sees  in  secret ;  and  dares  appeal 
to  his  all-seeing  eye  for  the  sincerity  of  liis  desires  and 


Let.  G.  Of  the  Influence  of  Faith.  145 

intentions.  By  faith  he  is  enabled  to  use  prosperity 
with  moderation ;  and  knows  and  feels,  that  what  the 
world  calls  good  is  of  small  value,  unless  it  is  accom- 
panied with  the  presence  and  blessings  of  him  whom 
his  soul  loveth.  And  his  faith  upholds  him  under  all 
trials,  by  assuring  him,  that  every  dispensation  is  under 
the  direction  of  his  Lord  ;  that  chastisements  are  a  token 
of  his  love  ;  that  the  season,  measure,  and  continuance 
of  his  sufferings,  are  appointed  by  infinite  wisdom,  and 
designed  to  work  for  his  everlasting  good ;  and  that 
grace  and  strength  shall  be  afforded  him,  according  to 
his  day.  Thus,  his  heart  being  fixed,  trusting  in  the 
Lord,  to  whom  he  has  committed  all  his  concerns,  and 
knowing  that  his  best  interests  are  safe,  he  is  not  greatly 
afraid  of  evil  tidings,  but  enjoys  a  stable  peace  in  the 
midst  of  a  changing  world.  For,  though  he  cannot  tell 
what  a  day  may  bring  forth,  he  believes  that  he  vvho  has 
invited  and  enabled  him  to  cast  all  his  cares  upon  him, 
will  suffer  nothing  to  befall  him  but  what  shall  be  made 
subservient  to  his  chief  desires,  the  glory  of  God  in  the 
sanctification  and  final  salvation  of  his  soul.  And  if, 
through  the  weakness  of  his  flesh,  he  is  liable  to  be 
startled  by  the  first  impression  of  a  sharp  and  sudden 
trial,  he  quickly  flees  to  his  strong  refuge,  remembers 
it  is  the  Lord's  doing,  resigns  himself  to  his  will,  and 
patiently  expects  a  happy  issue. 

By  the  same  principle  of  faith,  a  believer's  conduct  is 
regulated  towards  his  fellow-creatures  ;  and  in  the  dis- 
charge of  the  several  duties  and  relations  of  life,  his 
great  aim  is  to  please  God,  and  to  let  his  light  shine 
in  the  world.  He  believes  and  feels  his  own  weakness 
and  un worthiness,  and  lives  upon  the  grace  and  par- 
doning love  of  his  Lord.  This  gives  him  an  habitual 
tenderness  and  gentleness  of  spirit.     Humbled  under  a 

Voj.  L        ^"  IJ 


146  Of  ihc  [iifluence  of  Faith.  Let.  6. 

sense  of  much  forgiveness  to  himself,  he  tinds  it  easy  to 
forgive  others,  if  he  has  aught  against  any.  A  due  sense 
of  what  he  is  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord,  preserves  hiiu 
from  giving  way  to  anger,  positiveness,  and  resent- 
ment :  he  is  not  easily  provoked,  but  is  "  swift  to  hear, 
''  slow  to  speak,  slow  to  wrath  ;"  and  if  offended,  easy  to 
be  entreated,  and  disposed,  not  only  to  yield  to  a  re- 
conciliation, but  to  seek  it.  As  Jesus  is  his  life,  and 
righteousness,  and  strength,  so  he  is  his  pattern.  By 
faith  he  contemplates  and  studies  this  great  exemplar 
of  philanthrophy.  With  a  holy  ambition  he  treads  in 
the  footsteps  of  his  Lord  and  Master,  and  learns  of  him 
to  be  meek  and  lowly,  to  requite  injuries  with  kindness, 
and  to  overcome  evil  with  good.  From  the  same  views, 
by  faith  he  derives  a  benevolent  spirit,  and,  according 
to  his  sphere  and  ability,  he  endeavours  to  promote  the 
welfare  of  all  around  him.  The  law  of  love  being  thus 
wTitten  in  his  heart,  and  his  soul  set  at  liberty  from  the 
low  and  narrow  dictates  of  a  selfish  spirit,  his  language 
will  be  truth,  and  his  dealings  equity.  His  promise 
may  be  depended  on,  without  the  interposition  of  oath, 
bond,  or  witness ;  and  the  feelings  of  his  own  heart, 
under  the  direction  of  an  enlightened  conscience,  and  the 
precepts  of  Scripture,  prompt  him  "  to  do  unto  others 
"as  he  would  desire  they,  in  the  like  circumstances, 
''  should  do  unto  him."  If  he  is  a  master,  he  is  gentle 
and  compassionate  ;  if  a  servant,  he  is  faithful  and  obe- 
dient :  for  in  either  relation  he  acts  bv  faith,  under  the 
eye  of  his  Master  in  heaven.  If  he  is  a  trader,  he 
neither  dares  nor  wishes  to  take  advanta<i;e  either  of  the 
ignorance  or  the  necessities  of  those  with  whom  he  deals. 
And  the  same  principle  of  love  influences  his  whole 
conversation.  A  sense  of  his  own  infirmities  makes 
him  candid  to  those  of  others  :  he  will  not  readily  be- 


Let.  C.  Of  the  Influence  of  Faith.  147 

lieve  reports  to  their  prejudice,  without  sufficient  proof; 
and  even  then,  he  will  not  repeat  them,  unless  he  is 
lawfully  called  to  it.  He  believes  that  the  precept, 
"  Speak  evil  of  no  man,"  is  founded  upon  the  same  au- 
thority with  those  which  forbid  committing  adultery  or 
murder ;  and  therefore  he  "  keeps  his  tongue  as  with  a 
"  bridle." 

Lastly,  Faith  is  of  daily  use  as  a  preservative  from  a 
compliance  with  the  corrupt  customs  and  maxims  of  the 
world.  The  believer,  though  ix  the  world,  is  not  of 
it :  by  faith  he  triumphs  over  its  smiles  and  enticements; 
he  sees  that  all  that  is  in  the  world,  suited  to  gratify  the 
desires  of  the  flesh  or  the  eye,  is  not  only  to  be  avoided 
as  sinful,  but  as  incompatible  with  his  best  pleasures. 
He  will  mix  with  the  world  so  far  as  is  necessary,  in 
the  discharge  of  the  duties  of  that  station  of  life  in 
which  the  providence  of  God  has  placed  him,  but  no 
further.  His  leisure  and  inclinations  are  en^ao;ed  in  a 
different  pursuit.  They  who  fear  the  Lord  are  his 
chosen  companions  ;  and  the  blessings  he  derives  from 
the  word,  and  throne,  and  ordinances  of  grace,  make 
him  look  upon  the  poor  pleasures  and  amusements  of 
those  who  live  ^^  ithout  God  in  the  world  with  a  mix- 
ture of  disdain  and  pity ;  and  by  faith  he  is  proof 
against  its  frowns.  He  will  obey  God  rather* than  man; 
he  will  "  have  no  fellowship  with  the  unfruitful  works 
•'  of  darkness,  but  will  rather  reprove  them."  And  if, 
upon  this  account,  he  should  be  despised  and  injuriously 
treated,  whatever  loss  he  suffers  in  such  a  cause,  he  ac- 
counts his  gain,  and  esteems  such  disgrace,  his  glory. 

I  am  not  aiming  to  draw  a  perfect  character,  but  to 
show  tlie  proper  effects  of  tliat  faith  which  justifies, 
which  purifies  the  heart,  worketh  by  love,  and  over- 
comes the  Avorld.     An  habitual  endeavour  to  possess 


148  Oh  Ministerial  Address.  Let.  7  • 

such  a  frame  of  spirit,  and  thus  to  adorn  the  Gospel  of 
Christ,  and  that  with  growing  success,  is  what  1  am 
persuaded  you  are  not  a  stranger  to ;  and  I  am  afraid 
that  they  who  can  content  themselves  with  aiming  at 
any  thing  short  of  this  in  their  profession,  are  too  much 
strangers  to  themselves,  and  to  the  nature  of  that  liberty 
wherewith  Jesus  has  promised  to  make  his  people 
free.  That  you  may  go  on  from  strength  to  strength, 
increasing  in  the  light  and  image  of  our  Lord  and  Sa- 
viour, is  the  sincere  prayer  of,  &c. 


LETTER  VII. 

On  the  Proprietij  of  a  Ministerial  Address  to  the  Unconverted. 

Sir, 

xN  a  late  conversation  you  desired  my  thoughts  con- 
cerning a  scriptural  and  consistent  manner  of  address- 
ing the  consciences  of  unawakened  sinners  in  the  course 
of  your  ministry.  It  is  a  point  on  which  many  emi- 
nent ministers  have  been,  and  are  not  a  little  divided ; 
and  it  therefore  becomes  me  to  propose  my  sentiments 
with  modesty  and  caution,  so  far  as  I  am  constrained 
to  differ  from  any,  from  whom  in  general  I  would  be 
glad  to  learn. 

Some  think  that  it  is  sufficient  to  preach  the  great 
truths  of  the  word  of  God  in  their  hearing ;  to  set  forth 
the  utterly  ruined  and  helpless  state  of  fallen  man  by 
nature,  and  the  appointed  method  of  salvation  by  grace, 
through  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ;  and  then  to 
leave  the  application  entirely  to  the  agency  of  the  Lloly 
Spirit,  wtu)  alone  can  enlighten  the  dark  understandings 
of  sinners,  and  enable  them  to  receive  in  a  due  man- 


Let.  7.  On  Mimsterial  Address.  149 

ner,  the  doctrines  either  of  the  law  or  the  Gospel.  And 
they  apprehend,  that  all  exhortations,  arguments,  and 
njotives,  ad-iresscd  to  those  tvho  are  supposed  to  be 
still  under  the  influence  of  the  carnal  mind,  are  incon^ 
sistent  with  the  principles  of  free  grace,  and  the  ac- 
knowledged inability  of  such  persons  to  perform  any 
spiritual  acts  ;  and  that  therefore  the  preachers,  who, 
avow  ing  the  doctrines  of  free  grace,  do,  notw  ithstanding, 
plead  and  expostulate  with  sinners,  usually  contradict 
themselves,  and  retract  in  their  application  what  they 
bad  laboured  to  establish  in  the  course  of  their  ser- 
mons. 

There  are  others,  who,  though  they  would  be  ex- 
tremely unwilling  to  derogate  from  the  free  grace  and 
s  overeign  power  of  God  in  the  great  w  ork  of  conver- 
sion, or  in  the  least  degree  to  encourage  the  mistaken 
notion  which  every  unconverted  person  has  of  his  own 
power ;  yet  think  it  their  duty  to  deal  with  sinners  as 
rational  and  moral  agents :  and,  as  such,  besides  de- 
claring the  counsel  of  God  in  a  doctrinal  way,  to  warn 
them  by  the  terrors  of  the  Lord,  and  to  beseech  them 
by  his  tender  mercies,  that  they  receive  not  the  grace  of 
God,  in  a  preached  Gospel,  in  vain.  Nor  can  it  be 
denied,  but  that  some  of  them,  when  deeply  affected 
with  the  worth  of  souls,  and  the  awful  importance  of 
eternal  things,  have  sometimes,  in  the  warmth  of  their 
hearts,  dropped  unguarded  expressions,  and  such  as 
have  been  justly  liable  t®  exception. 

If  wc  were  to  decide  to  which  of  these  different  me- 
thods of  preaching  the  preference  is  due,  by  the  discerni- 
ble effects  of  each,  it  w  ill  perhaps  appear  in  fact,  with- 
out making  any  invidious)  comparisons,  that  those  mi- 
nisters whom  the  Lord  has  honoured  with  the  greatest 
success  in  awakening  and  converting  sinners,  have  ge- 


150  On  Ministcmd  Address.  Let.   7. 

nerally  been  led  to  adopt  the  more  popular  way  of  tw- 
hortation  and  address  ;  while  they  who  have  been  stu- 
diously careful  to  avoid  any  direct  application  to  sin- 
ners, as  unnecessary  and  improper,  if  they  have  not 
been  altogether  without  seals  to  their  ministry,  yet  their 
labours  have  been  more  owned  in  building  up  those 
who  have  already  received  the  knowledge  of  the  truth, 
than  in  adding  to  their  number.  Now,  as  "  he  that 
"  winneth  souls  is  M'ise,"  and  as  everv  faithful  labourer 
has  a  warm  desire  of  being  instrumental  in  raising  the 
dead  in  sin  to  a  life  of  righteousness,  this  seems  at  least 
a  presumptive  argument  in  favour  of  those,  who,  be- 
sides stating  the  doctrines  of  the  Gospel,  endeavour,  by 
earnest  persuasions  and  expostulations,  to  impress  them 
upon  the  hearts  of  their  hearers,  and  entreat  and  warn 
them  to  consider,  "  how  they  shall  escape  if  they  nc- 
"  gleet  so  great  salvation."  For  it  is  not  easy  to  con- 
ceive, that  the  Lord  should  most  signally  bear  testimony 
in  favour  of  tliat  mode  of  preaching  which  is  least  con- 
sistent with  the  truth,  and  with  itself. 

But  not  to  insist  on  this,  nor  to  rest  the  cause  on  the 
authority  or  examples  of  men,  the  best  of  whom  are  im- 
perfect and  fallible,  let  us  consult  the  Scriptures,  which, 
as  they  furnish  us  with  the  whole  subject-matter  of  our 
ministry,  so  they  aftbrd  us  perfect  precepts  and  patterns 
for  its  due  and  orderly  dispensation.  With  respect  to 
the  subject  of  our  inquiry,  the  examples  of  our  Lord 
Christ,  and  of  his  authorized  ministers,  the  apostles, 
are  both  our  rule  and  our  warrant.  The  Lord  Jesus 
was  the  great  preacher  of  free  grace,  ''  who  spake  as 
"  never  man  spake ;"  and  his  ministry,  while  it  pro- 
vided relief  for  the  weary  and  heavy-laden,  was  emi- 
nently designed  to  stain  the  pride  of  all  human  glory. 
lie  knew  what  was  in  man,  and  declared,  "  that  none 


Let.  1 .  On  Ministerial  Address.  151 

"  could  come  unto  him,  unless  drawn  and  taught  of 
"  God ;"  John  vi.  44 — 46.  And  yet  he  often  speaks 
to  sinners  in  terms,  M'hich,  if  they  were  not  known  to 
be  his,  might  perhaps  be  censured  as  inconsistent  and 
illegal;  John  vi.  27.;  Luke  xiii.  24 — 27.:  John  xii. 
35.  It  appears,  both  from  the  context  and  the  tenor 
of  these  passages,  that  they  were  immediately  spoken, 
not  to  his  disciples,  but  to  the  multitude.  The  apostles 
copied  from  their  Lord  ;  they  taught,  that  we  have  no 
sufficiency  of  ourselves,  even  to  think  a  good  thought, 
and  that  "  it  is  not  of  him  that  v.illeth,  or  of  him  that 
"  runneth,  but  of  God  who  show  eth  mercy  ;"  yet  they 
plainly  called  upon  sinners,  (and  that  before  they  had 
criven  evident  signs  that  they  were  pricked  to  the  heart, 
as  Acts  iii.  31.)  "  to  repent,  and  to  turn  from  their 
"'  vanities  to  the  living  God  ;"  Acts  iii.  19.  and  xiv. 
\5.  and  xvii.  30.  Peter's  advice  to  Simon  Maa;us  is 
very  full  and  express  to  this  point ;  for  though  he  per- 
ceived him  to  be  "  in  the  very  gall  of  bitterness,  and  in 
"  the  bond  of  iniquity,"  he  exhorted  him  "  to  repent,  and 
"  to  pray,  if  perhaps  the  thought  of  his  heart  might  be 
"  forgiven."  It  may  be  presumed,  that  we  cannot  have 
stronger  evidence,  that  any  of  our  hearers  are  in  a  car- 
nal and  unconverted  state,  than  Peter  had  in  tlie  case  of 
Simon  Magus  ;  and  therefore  there  seems  no  sufficient 
reason  why  we  should  hesitate  to  follow  the  apostle's 
example. 

You  have  been  told,  that  repentance  and  faith  are  spi- 
ritual acts,  for  the  performance  of  w  hich,  a  principle  of 
spiritual  life  is  absolutely  necessary;  and  that  therefore, 
to  exhort  an  unregenerate  sinner  to  repent  or  believe, 
must  be  as  vain  and  fruitless  as  to  call  a  dead  person 
out  of  his  grave.  To  this  it  may  be  answered.  That 
we  might  cheerfully  and  confidently  undertake  even  to 


152  On  Ministerial  Address.  Let  7. 

call  the  dead  out  of  their  graves,  if  we  had  the  com- 
mand and  promise  of  God  to  warrant  the  attempt ;  tor 
then  we  might  expect  his  power  would  accompany  our 
"word.  The  vision  of  Ezekiel,  chap,  xxxvii.  may  be 
fitly  accommodated  to  illustrate  both  the  difficulties  and 
the  encourasement  of  a  Gospel-minister.  The  deplor- 
able state  of  many  of  our  hearers  may  often  remind  us 
of  the  Lord's  question  to  the  prophet,  "  Can  these  dry 
"  bones  live  r"  Our  resource,  like  that  of  the  prophet, 
is  entirely  in  the  soverei2;nty,  grace,  and  power  of  the 
Lord:  "O  Lord,  thou  knowest;  impossible  as  it  is  to 
"  us,  it  is  easy  for  thee  to  raise  them  unto  life  ;  there- 
*'  fore  we  renounce  our  own  reasonings ;  and  though 
"we  see  that  they  are  dead,  we  call  upon  them  at  thy 
"  bidding,  as  if  they  were  alive,  and  say,  O  ye  dry 
"  bones,  hear  the  word  of  the  Lord  !  The  means  is 
'"'  our  part,  the  work  is  thine,  and  to  thee  be  all  the 
"  praise."  The  dry  bones  could  not  hear  the  prophet; 
but  while  he  spoke,  the  Lord  caused  breath  to  enter 
into  them,  and  they  lived,  but  the  word  was  spoken  to 
them  considered  as  dry  and  dead. 

It  is  true,  the  Lord  can,  and  I  hope  he  often  does, 
make  that  preaching  effectual  to  the  conversion  of  sin- 
ners, wherein  little  is  said  expressly  to  them,  only  the 
truths  of  the  Gospel  are  declared  in  their  hearing  ;  but 
he  who  knows  the  frame  of  the  human  heart,  has  pro- 
vided us  with  a  variety  of  topics  which  have  a  moral  suit- 
ableness to  engage  the  faculties,  affections,  and  con- 
sciences of  sinners,  so  far  at  least  as  to  leave  them- 
selves condemned  if  they  persist  in  their  sins,  and  by 
which  he  often  effects  the  purposes  of  his  grace;  though 
none  of  the  means  of  grace  by  which  he  ordinarily 
works,  can  produce  a  real  change  in  the  heart,  unless 
they  are  accompanied  vvith  the  efficacious  power  ot  his 


I,ct.  -7.  On  Mini  St  cried  Address.  153 

Spirit.  Sliould  we  admit,  that  an  unconverted  person 
is  not  a  proper  subject  of  ministerial  exhortation,  be- 
cause he  has  no  power'  in  himself  to  comply,  the  just 
consequence  of  this  position  would  perhaps  extend  too 
far,  even  to  prove  the  impropriety  of  all  exhortation 
universally  :  for  when  we  invite  the  weary  and  lieavy- 
laden  to  come  to  Jesus,  that  they  may  find  rest ;  when 
we  call  upon  backsliders  to  remember  from  whence 
they  are  fallen,  to  "  repent,  and  to  (\o  tlieir  first  works;" 
yea,  When  we  exhort  believers  to  "  walk  worthy  of 
"  God,  who  has  called  them  to  his  kingdom  and  glory;" 
in  each  of  these  cases  we  press  them  to  acts  for  which 
they  have  no  inherent  power  of  their  own  ;  and  unless 
the  Lord,  the  Spirit,  is  pleased  to  apply  the  word  to 
their  hearts,  we  do  but  speak  into  the  air ;  and  our  en- 
deavours can  have  no  more  effect  in  these  instances, 
than  if  we  were  to  sav  to  a  dead  body,  "  Arise,  and 
"  walk."  For  an  exertion  of  divine  power  is  no  less 
necessary  to  the  healing  of  a  wounded  conscience,  than 
to  the  breaking  of  a  hard  heart ;  and  only  he  who  has 
begun  the  good  u  ork  of  grace,  is  able  either  to  revive 
or  to  maintain  it. 

Though  sinners  are  destitute  of  spiritual  life,  they  are 
not  therefore  mere  machines.  They  have  a  power  to 
do  many  things,  which  they  may  be  called  upon  to  ex- 
ert. They  are  capable  of  considering  their  v»  ays  ;  they 
know  they  are  mortal ;  and  the  bulk  of  them  are  per- 
suaded in  their  consciences,  that  after  death  there  is  an 
appointed  judgment :  they  are  not  under  an  inevitable 
necessity  of  living  in  known  and  gross  sins  ;  that  they 
do  so,  is  not  for  want  of  power,  but  for  want  of  will. 
The  most  profane  swearer  can  refrain  from  his  oaths, 
while  in  the  presence  of  a  person  w  hom  he  fears,  and 
to  whom  he  knows   it  would   be   displeasing.     Let  a 

Vol.  L  X 


154  On  MinisUrhd  Jddrcs^.  Let.   7. 

drunkard  see  poison  put  into  his  liquor,  and  it  may 
stand  by  him  untasted  from  morning  to  night.  And 
many  would  be  deterred  from  sins  to  which  they  are 
greatly  addicted,  by  the  presence  of  a  child,  though 
thqy  have  no  fear  of  God  before  their  eyes.  They 
have  a  power  likewise  of  attending  upon  the  means  of 
grace  ;  and  though  the  Lord  only  can  give  them  true 
faith  and  evangelical  repentance,  there  seems  no  im- 
propriety to  invite  them,  upon  the  ground  of  the  Gos- 
pel-promises, to  seek  to  him  who  is  exalted  to  bestow 
these  blessings,  and  who  is  able  to  do  that  for  them 
which  they  cannot  do  for  themselves  ;  and  who  has  said, 
"  Him  that  cometh  unto  me,  I  will  in  nowise  cast  out." 
Perhaps  it  will  not  be  easily  proved,  that  entreaties,  ar- 
guments, warnings,  formed  upon  these  general  princi- 
ples, which  are  in  the  main  agreeable  and  adequate  to 
the  remaininof  light  of  natural  conscience,  are  at  all  in- 
consistent  with  those  doctrines  which  ascribe  the  whole 
of  a  sinner's  salvation,  from  first  to  last,  to  the  free 
sovereign  grace  of  God. 

We  should  undoubtedly  endeavour  to  maintain  a 
consistency  in  our  preaching ;  but  unless  we  keep  the 
plan  and  manner  of  tlie  Scripture  constantly  in  view, 
and  attend  to  every  part  of  it,  a  design  of  consistency 
may  fetter  our  sentiments,  and  greatly  preclude  our 
usefulness.  We  need  not  wish  to  be  more  consistent 
than  the  inspired  writers,  nor  he  afraid  of  speaking  as 
they  have  spoken  before  us.  We  may  easily  perplex 
ourselves  and  our  hearers,  by  nice  reasonings  on  the 
nature  of  human  liberty,  and  the  divine  agency  on  the 
hearts  of  men  ;  but  such  disquisitions  are  better  avoid- 
ed. We  shall,  perhaps,  never  have  full  satisfaction  on 
these  subjects,  till  we  arrive  in  the  world  of  light.  In 
the  mean  time,  the  path  of  duty,  the  good  old  way,  lies 


Let.  8.  On  the  imvnrd  Witness  of  Faith.  155 

plain  before  us.  If,  when  you  are  in  the  pulpit,  the 
Lord  favours  you  Avith  a  lively  sense  of  the  greatness  of 
the  trust,  and  the  worth  of  the  souls  committed  to  your 
charse,  and  fills  vour  heart  with  his  constrainin«;  love, 
many  little  curious  distinctions,  which  amused  you  at 
other  times,  will  be  forgotten.  Your  soul  will  go  forth 
with  your  words ;  and  while  your  bowels  yearn  over  poor 
sinners,  you  will  not  hesitate  a  moment,  whether  you 
ought  to  warn  them  of  their  danger  or  not.  That  great 
champion  of  free  grace.  Dr.  Owen,  has  a  very  solemn 
address  to  sinners  ;  the  running  title  to  which  is,  "  Ex- 
"  hortations  unto  believing."  It  is  in  his  exposition  of 
the  130th  IJsalm,from  p.  242.  to  247.  Lond.edit.  1 609, 
which  I  recommend  to  your  attentive  consideration. 

I  am,  &c. 

LETTER  VIII. 

On  the  inward  Witness  to  the  Ground  and  Reality  of  Faith. 
Sir, 


READILY  offer  you  my  thouo;hts  on  1  John  v.  10. 
''  He  that  believeth  on  the  Son  of  God,  hath  the  wit- 
"  ness  in  himself;"  though,  perhaps,  you  will  think  I 
am  writing  a  sermon,  rather  than  a  letter.  If  we  be- 
lieve in  the  Son  of  God,  whatever  trials  we  may  meet 
with  in  the  [)rescnt  life,  our  best  concerns  are  safe,  and 
our  happiness  is  sure.  If  we  do  not,  whatever  else  we 
have,  or  seem  to  have,  we  are  in  a  state  of  condemna- 
tion ;  and,  living  and  dying  so,  must  perish.  Thou- 
sands, it  is  to  be  feared,  persuade  themselves  that  they 
are  believers,  though  they  cannot  stand  the  test  of 
Scripture.  And  there  are  many  real  believers,  who, 
ilu-ough  the  prevalence  of  remaining  unbelief,  and  the 


156  On  the  inward  Witness  of  Faith.  Let.  8. 

temptations  of  Satan,  form  hard  conclusions  against 
themselves,  though  the  Scripture  speaks  peace  to  them. 
But  how  does  this  correspond  with  the  passage  betore 
us,  which  asserts  universally,  "  He  that  believeth,  hath 
"  the  witness  in  himself?"  for  can  a  man  have  tiie  \a  it- 
ness  in  himself,  and  yet  not  know  it  ?  It  may  be  an- 
swered, the  evidence,  in  its  own  nature,  is  sufficient 
and  infallible  ;  but  we  are  very  apt,  when  we  would 
form  a  judgment  of  ourselves,  to  superadd  rules  and 
marks  of  trial,  which  are  not  given  us,  (for  that  pur- 
pose,) in  the  Bible.  That  the  word  and  Spirit  of  God 
do  witness  for  his  children,  is  a  point  in  which  many 
are  agreed,  who  are  far  from  being  agreed  as  to  the  na- 
ture and  manner  of  that  witness.  It  is,  therefore,  very 
desirable,  rightly  to  understand  the  evidence  by  which 
we  are  to  judge  whether  we  are  believers  or  not. 

The  importance  and  truth  of  the  Gospel-salvation  is 
"witnessed  to  in  heaven,  by  "  the  Father,  the  Word,  and 
"  the  Spirit."  It  is  witnessed  to  on  earth,  by  "  the 
"  Spirit,  the  v.atcr,  and  the  blood,"  ver.  7,  8.  The 
Spirit,  in  ver.  8.  (I  apprehend,)  denotes  a  divine  light 
in  the  understanding,  communicated  by  the  Spirit  of 
God,  enabling  the  soul  to  perceive  and  approve  the 
truth.  7 he  nater  seems  to  intend  the  powerful  influ- 
ence of  this  knovrledjye  and  lig-ht  in  the  work  of  sanctiti- 
cation.  And  the  blood,  the  application  of  the  blood  of 
Jesus  to  the  conscience,  relieving  it  from  guilt  and  fear, 
and  imparting  a  "  peace  which  passes  all  understand- 
"  ing."  And  he  that  believeth  hath  this  united  testi- 
mony of  the  Spirit,  the  water,  and  the  blood,  not  by 
hearsay  only,  but  in  hiniself.  According  to  the  mea- 
sure of  his  faith,  (for  faith  has  various  degrees,)  he  has 
a  living  proof  that  the  witness  is  true,  by  the  cficcts 
wrought  in  his  own  heart. 


Let.  8.  On  the  inward  IVitncas  of  Faith.  157 

These  things,  which  God  has  joined  together,  are 
too  often  attempted  to  be  separated.  i\ttempts  of  this 
kind  have  been  a  principal  source  and  cause  of  most  of 
the  dangerous  errors  and  mistakes  which  are  to  be 
found  amongst  professors  of  religion.  Some  say  much 
concerning  tlie  Spirit  ;  and  lay  claim  to  an  inn  ard  light, 
whereby  they  think  they  know  the  things  of  God. 
Others  lay  great  stress  upon  the  water  ;  maintaining  a 
regular  conversation,  abstaining  from  the  defilements  of 
the  world,  and  aiming  at  a  mastery  over  their  natural 
desires  and  tempers  ;  but  neither  the  one  nor  the  other 
appear  to  be  duly  sensible  of  the  value  of  the  blood  of 
atonement,  as  the  sole  ground  of  their  acceptance,  and 
the  spring  of  their  life  and  strength.  Others,  again, 
are  all  for  the  blood ;  can  speak  much  of  Jesus,  and  his 
blood  and  righteousness;  though  it  does  not  appear  that 
they  are  truly,  spiritually  enlightened,  to  perceive  the 
beauty  and  harmony  of  Gospel-truths,  or  that  they  pay 
a  due  regard  to  that  "  holiness  without  which  no  man 
''  can  see  the  Lord."  But  Jesus  came,  not  by  water 
only,  or  by  blood  only,  but  by  water  ^nd  blood;  and 
the  Spirit  bears  witness  to  both,  because  the  Spirit  is 
truth.  The  water  alone  affords  but  a  cold  starched 
form  of  godliness,  destitute  of  that  enlivening  power 
which  is  derived  from  a  knowledge  of  the  preciousness 
of  Jesus,  as  the  Lamb  that  was  slain.  And  if  any  talk 
of  the  blood  without  the  water,  they  do  but  turn  the 
grace  of  God  into  licentiousness  :  so,  likev.ise,  to  pre- 
tend to  the  Spirit,  and  at  the  same  time  to  have  low 
thoughts  of  Jesus,  is  a  delusion  and  vanity  ;  for  the  true 
Sffirit  testifies  and  takes  of  his  glory,  and  presents  it  to 
the  soul.  But  the  real  believer  receives  tlie  united  tes- 
timony, and  has  the  witness  in  liimself  that  he  does  so. 

To   have  the  witness  in  ourselves,  is   to  have  the 


158  On  the  inward  Witnesn  of  Faith.  Let.  8. 

truths  that  are  declared  in  the  Scripture  revealed  in  our 
hearts.  This  brings  an  experimental  conviction,  which 
may  be  safely  depended  on,  "  that  we  have  received 
"  the  grace  of  God  in  truth."  A  man  born  blind  may 
believ-e  that  the  sun  is  bright  upon  the  testimony  of  an- 
other ;  but  if  he  should  obtain  his  sight,  he  would  have, 
the  witness  in  himself.  Believing  springs  from  a  sense 
and  perception  of  the  truths  of  the  Gospel ;  and  who- 
ever hath  this  spiritual  perception  is  a  believer.  He  has 
the  witness  in  himself.  He  has  received  the  Spirit;  his 
understanding  is  enlightened,  whereby  he  sees  things  to 
be  as  they  are  described  in  the  word  of  God,  respect- 
ing his  own  state  by  sin,  and  the  utter  impossibility  of 
his  obtaining  relief  by  any  other  means  than  those  pro- 
posed in  the  Gospel.  These  things  are  hidden  from  us 
by  nature.  He  has  likewise  received  the  blood.  The 
knowledge  of  sin,  and  its  demerits,  if  alone,  would  drive 
us  to  despair  ;  but  by  the  same  light  of  the  Spirit,  Jesus 
is  apprehended  as  a  suitable  and  all-sufficient  Saviour. 
All  that  is  declared  concerning  his  person,  offices,  love, 
sufferings,  and  obedience,  is  understood  and  approved. 
Here  the  wounded  and  weary  soul  finds  healing  and 
rest.  Then  the  Apostle's  language  is  adopted,  "  Yea, 
"  doubtless,  and  I  count  all  things  but  loss  for  the  ex- 
"  cellency  of  the  knowledge  of  Christ  Jesus  my  Lord." 
He  has  like^vise  received  the  water,  considered  as  the 
emblem  of  sanctification.  To  a  believer,  all  that  the 
Scripture  teaches  concerning  the  nature,  beauty,  and 
necessity  of  holiness,  as  a  living  principle  in  the  heart, 
carries  conviction  and  evidence.  A  deliverance  from 
the  power,  as  well  as  from  the  guilt  of  sin,  appears  to 
be  an  important  and  essential  part  of  salvation.  He 
sees  his  original  and  his  proper  happiness,  that  no- 
thing less  than  communion  with  God,  and  conformity 


Let.  8.  On  the  inioard  Witness  of  Faith.  159 

to  him,  is  worth  his  pursuit.  And  therefore  he  can 
say,  "  My  soul  thirsteth  for  thee  ;  1  delight  in  the  law 
"  of  God  after  the  in^rard  man."  In  a  word,  his 
judgment  and  his  choice  are  formed  upon  a  new  spi- 
ritual taste,  derived  from  the  w  ritten  word,  and  corres- 
pondent uith  it,  as  the  musical  ear  is  adapted  to  relish 
harmony :  so  that  what  God  has  forbidden,  appears 
hateful ;  what  he  has  commanded,  necessary  ;  what  he 
has  promised,  desirable ;  and  what  he  has  revealed, 
glorious.  Wlioever  has  these  perceptions,  has  the  wit- 
ness in  himself,  that  he  has  been  taught  of  God,  and 
believes  in  his  Son. 

If  you  think  this  explanation  is  agreeable  to  the 
Scripture,  you  will  be  satisfied  that  the  witness  spoken 
of  in  tliis  passage,  is  very  different  from  what  some 
persons  understand  it  to  be.  It  is  not  an  impulse,  or 
strong  persuasion,  impressed  upon  us  in  a  way  of  which 
we  can  give  no  account,  that  "  we  are  the  children  of 
''  God,"'  and  that  our  sins  are  freely  forgiven ;  nor  is 
the  powerful  application  of  a  particular  text  of  Scrip- 
ture necessary  to  produce  it :  neither  is  it  always  con- 
nected with  a  very  lively  sensible  comfort.  These 
things  in  some  persons  and  instances,  may  accompany 
the  witness  or  testimony  we  are  speaking  of,  but  do 
not  properly  belong  to  it :  and  they  may  be,  and  often 
have  been,  counterfeited.  But  what  I  have  described 
is  inimitable  and  infallible  ;  it  is  indubitably,  as  the  ma- 
gicians confessed  of  the  miracles  of  ]\f  oses,  the  finger  of 
God,  as  certainly  the  effect  of  his  divine  power  as  the 
ereation  of  the  world.  It  is  true,  many  who  have  this 
witness,  walk  in  darkness,  and  are  harassed  with  many 
doubts  and  perplexities,  concerning  their  state :  but 
this  is  not  because  the  witness  is  not  sufficient  to  give 
them  satisfaction,  but  because  thev  do  not  account  it 


i  (>0  Q71  the  immrd  Witness  of  Faith.  Let.  8. 

so :  being  misled  by  the  influence  of  self-will  and  a 
legal  spirit,  they  overlook  this  evidence  as  too  simple, 
and  expect  something  extraordinary ;  at  least  they  think 
they  cannot  be  right,  unless  they  are  led  in  the  same 
way  in  which  the  Lord  has  been  pleased  to  lead  others 
-with  whom  they  may  have  conversed.  But  the  Lord, 
the  Spirit,  is  sovereign  and  free  in  his  operations  ;  and 
though  he  gives  to  all  who  are  the  subjects  of  his  grace, 
the  same  views  of  sin,  of  themselves,  and  of  the  Sa- 
viour ;  yet,  with  respect  to  the  circumstantials  of  his 
work,  there  is,  as  in  the  features  of  our  faces,  such  an 
amazing  variety,  that  perhaps  no  two  persons  can  be 
found  whose  experiences  have  been  exactly  alike  :  but 
as  the  Apostle  savs,  That  "  he  that  believcth,"  that  is, 
whosoever  believeth,  (without  exception,)  "  has  this 
"  witness  in  himself;"  it  must  consequently  arise  from 
what  is  common  to  them  all,  and  not  from  what  is  pe- 
culiar to  a  few. 

Before  I  conclude,  I  would  make  two  or  three  obser- 
vations. In  the  hrst  place,  I  think  it  is  plain,  that  the 
supposition  of  a  real  believer's  living  in  sin,  or  taking 
encouragement  Irom  the  Gospel  so  to  do,  is  destitute 
of  the  least  foundation  in  truth,  and  can  proceed  only 
from  an  ignorance  of  the  subject.  Sin  is  the  burden 
under  which  he  s^roans  ;  and  he  would  account  nothing: 
short  of  a  deliverance  from  it  worthy  the  name  of  sal- 
vation. A  principal  part  of  his  evidence  that  he  is  a 
believer,  arises  from  that  abhorrence  of  sin  which  he 
habitually  feels.  It  is  true,  sin  still  dwelleth  in  him  ; 
but  he  loathes  and  resists  it :  upon  this  account  he  is  in 
a  state  of  continual  warfare  ;  if  he  was  not  so,  he  could 
not  have  the  witness  in  himself,  that  he  is  born  of  God. 

Again  :  From  hence  arises  a  solid  evidence,  that  the 
Scripture  is  indeed  the  word  of  God,  because  it  so  ex- 


Let.  8.  On  tlie  inward  Witness  of  Faith.  161 

actly  describes  what  is  exemplified  in  the  experience  of 
all  who  are  subjects  of  a  work  of  grace.  While  we  are 
in  a  natural  state,  it  is  to  us  as  a  sealed  book  :  though 
we  can  read  it,  and  perhaps  assent  to  the  facts,  we  can 
no  more  understand  our  own  ccncernnitnts  in  m  hat  we 
read,  than  it  it  was  written  in  an  unknown  tongue,  liut 
when  the  mind  is  enliglitened  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  the 
Scripture  addresses  us  as  it  were  by  name,  explains 
every  ditiiculty  under  which  we  laboured,  and  proposes 
an  adequate  and  etfectual  remedy  for  the  relief  of  all 
our  wants  and  fears. 

Lastly,  It  follows,  that  the  hope  of  a  believer  is  built 
upon  a  foundation  that  cannot  be  shaken,  though  it  may 
and  will  be  assaulted.  It  does  not  depend  upon  occa- 
sional and  changeable  frames,  upon  any  that  is  preca- 
rious and  questionable,  but  upon  a  correspondence  and 
agreement  with  the  written  word.  Nor  does  this  agree- 
ment depend  upon  a  train  of  laboured  arguments  and 
deductions,  but  is  self-evident,  as  light  is  to  the  eye,  to 
every  person  who  has  a  real  participation  of  the  grace 
of  God.  It  is  equally  suited  to  all  capacities  ;  by  this 
the  unlearned  are  enabled  to  know  their  election  of 
God,  and  "  to  rejoice  with  a  joy  unspeakable  and  full 
"  of  glory."  And  the  wisest,  if  destitute  of  this  per- 
ception, though  they  may  be  masters  of  all  the  external 
evidences  of  Christianity,  and  able  to  combat  the  cavils 
of  infidels,  can  see  no  real  beauty  in  the  truths  of  the 
Gospel,  nor  derive  any  solid  comfort  from  them. 

I  have  only  sent  you  a  few  hasty  hints  :  it  would  be 
easy  to  enlarge ;  but  I  sat  down,  not  to  write  a  book, 
but  a  letter.  May  this  inward  witness  preside  with 
power  in  our  hearts,  to  animate  our  hopes,  and  to  mor- 
tify our  corruptions  ! 

I  am,  (Sec. 
Vol.  I.  Y 


162  On  Election  and  Perswerame.  Ltt.  9. 

LETTER  IX. 
On  the  Doctrines  of  Election  andji7ial  Perseverance. 
Dear  Sir^ 


Y< 


OUR  letter  breathes  the  spirit  of  a  Christian, 
though  you  say  you  are  not  a  Calvinist.  I  should  have 
still  confined  myself,  in  my  letters,  to  the  great  truths 
in  which  we  are  agreed,  if  you  had  not  invited  me  to 
touch  upon  the  points  wherein  we  differ.  If  you  were 
positive  and  peremptory  in  your  present  sentiments,  I 
should  not  think  it  my  duty  to  debate  with  you  ;  in  that 
case,  we  might  contend  as  much  for  victory  as  for 
truth.  But  as  you  profess  yourself  an  inquirer,  and 
are  desirous  of  forming  your  judgment  agreeable  to 
the  word  of  God,  without  being  influenced  by  the  au- 
thority of  names  and  parties,  I  willingly  embrace  the 
occasion  you  offer  me.  You  say,  that  though  you  are 
not  prejudiced  against  the  doctrines  of  election,  and 
perseverance  of  the  saints,  they  appear  to  you  attended 
with  such  difficulties,  that  you  cannot  yet  heartily  and 
fully  assent  to  them.  May  the  Lord,  the  Spirit,  whose 
office  it  is  to  guide  his  people  into  all  truth,  dictate  to  my 
pen,  and  accompany  what  I  shall  write  with  his  bless- 
ing. It  is  not  my  intention  to  prove  and  illustrate  these 
doctrines  at  large,  or  to  encounter  the  various  objec- 
tions that  have  been  raised  against  them.  So  much 
has  been  done  in  this  way  already,  that  I  could  only 
repeat  what  has  been  said  to  greater  advantage  by 
others.  Nor  need  I  refer  you  to  the  books  which  have 
been  professedly  written  upon  this  argument.  In  a  let- 
ter to  a  friend,  I  shall  not  aim  at  the  exactness  of  a 


Let.  9.  On  Election  and  Perseveranee.  163 

disputant,  but  only  offer  a  few  unpremeditated  hints,  in 
the  same  manner  as  if  1  had  the  pleasure  of  personally 
conversing  with  you. 

Permit  me  to  remind  you,  in  the  first  place,  of  that 
important  aphorism,  John  iii.  27-  (which  by  the  by 
seems  to  speak  strongly  in  favour  of  the  doctrines  in 
question :)  "  A  man  can  receive  nothing,  except  it  be 
"  given  him  from  heaven."  If  you  should  accede  to  my 
opinions  upon  my  persuasion  only,  you  would  be  little 
benefited  by  the  exchange.  The  Lord  alone  can  give 
us  the  true  vital,  comfortable,  and  useful  knowledge  of 
kis  own  truths.  AVe  may  become  wise  in  notions,  and 
so  far  masters  of  a  system,  or  scheme  of  doctrine,  as  to 
be  able  to  argue,  object,  and  fight,  in  favour  of  our  own 
hypothesis,  by  dint  of  application,  and  natural  abilities ; 
but  we  rightly  understand  what  we  say,  and  whereof  we 
afiirm,  no  further  than  we  have  a  spiritual  perception  of 
it  wrought  in  our  hearts  by  the  power  of  the  Holy 
Ghost.  It  is  not  therefore  by  noisy  disputation,  but  by 
humble  v/aiting  upon  God  in  prayer,  and  a  careful  pe- 
rusal of  his  holy  word,  that  we  are  to  expect  a  satistac- 
tory,  experimental,  and  efficacious  knowledge  of  the 
truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus.  I  am  persuaded,  that  you  are 
seeking  in  this  way;  if  so,  I  am  confident  you  shall  not 
seek  in  vain.  The  Lord  teaches  effectually,  though  for 
the  most  part  gradually.  The  path  of  the  just  is  com- 
pared to  the  light,  which  is  very  faint  at  the  early  dawn, 
but  shineth  more  and  more  to  the  perfect  day. 

If  you  sincerely  seek  the  Lord's  direction  by  prayer, 
you  will  of  course  make  use  of  his  appointed  means  of 
information,  and  search  the  Scriptures.  Give  me  leave 
to  offer  you  the  following  advices,  «  hile  you  art  read- 
ing and  comparing  spiritual  things  with  spiritual.  First, 
Not  to  lay  too  great  stress  upon  a  few  detached  texts. 


164  On  Election  and  Perseverance.  Let.  9. 

but  seek  for  that  sense  which  is  most  agreeable  to  the 
general  strain  of  the  Scripture.  Tlie  iniallible  word  of 
God  must,  doubtless,  be  consistent  with  itself.  If  it 
does  not  appear  so  to  us,  the  obscurity  and  seeming  in- 
consistency must  be  char^jed  to  the  remaining  darkness 
and  ij:,nordnce  of  our  minds.  As  many  locks,  whose 
wards  differ,  are  opened  with  equal  ease  by  one  mas- 
ter-key; so  there  is  a  certain  comprehensive  view  of 
scriotin-al  truth,  which  opens  hard  places,  solves  objec- 
tions, and  happily  reconciles,  illustrates,  and  harmon- 
izes many  texts,  which,  to  those  who  have  not  this 
master-key,  frequently  styled  the  analogy  of  faith,  ap- 
pear little  less  than  contradictory  to  each  other.  When 
you  obtain  this  key,  you  will  be  sure  that  you  have  the 
right  sense. 

Again,  You  will  do  well  to  consult  experience  as 
you  go  along.  For  though  this  is  not  to  be  depended 
upon  in  the  first  instance,  but  must  itself  be  subjected 
to  the  rule  of  the  written  word,  yet  it  is  a  good  subor- 
dinate help.  Consider  which  sense  is  most  agreeable 
to  what  passes  within  you  and  around  you,  and  which 
best  answers  to  the  dealings  of  God  with  yourself,  and 
to  what  you  can  observe  of  his  dealings  w  ith  others. 

Further,  When  you  are  led,  (as  I  think  you  will  be, 
if  you  are  not  already,)  to  view  the  Caivinist  doctrines 
in  a  favourable  light,  be  not  afraid  of  embracing  them, 
because  there  may  be  perhaps  some  objections  Mhich, 
for  want  of  a  full  possession  of  the  key  I  mentioned, 
you  are  iw^t  able  to  clear  up  ;  but  consider  if  there  arc 
not  as  str(j^  or  stronger  objections  against  the  other 
side.  W^M'e  poor  w eak  creatures  ;  and  the  dealing 
up  of  ever^j^difiiculty  is  not  what  we  are  immediately 
called  to;'.^put  rather  to  seek  that  light  which  may 
strengthen  and  feed  our  souls. 


Let.  9.  On  Election  ami  Perseverance,  165 

Lastly,  Compare  the  tendency  of  different  opinions. 
This  is  an  excellent  rule,  if  we  can  fairly  apply  it. 
Whatever  is  from  God  has  a  sure  tendency  to  ascribe 
glory  to  hi[n,  to  exclude  boasting  from  the  creature,  to 
promote  the  love  and  practice  of  holiness,  and  increase 
our  dependence  upon  his  grace  and  faithfulness.  The 
Calvinists  have  no  reason  to  be  afraid  of  resting  the 
merits  of  their  cause  upon  this  issue  ;  notwithstanding 
the  unjust  misrepresentations  which  have  been  often 
made  of  their  principles,  and  the  ungenerous  treatment 
of  those  who  would  charge  the  miscarriages  of  a  lew  in- 
dividuals,  as  the  necessary  consequence  of  embracing 
those  principles. 

But  I  must  check  myself,  or  I  shall  finish  my  letter 
before  I  properly  begin  my  subject.  You  have  objec- 
tions to  the  doctrine  of  election.  You  will  however 
agree  with  me,  that  the  Scripture  does  speak  of  it,  and 
that  in  very  strong  and  express  terms,  particularly  St. 
Paul.  I  have  met  with  some  sincere  people,  as  I  be- 
lieve, who  have  told  me,  they  could  not  bear  to  read 
his  9th  chapter  to  the  Romans,  but  always  passed  it 
over  :  so  that  their  prejudices  against  election,  preju- 
diced them  against  a  part  of  the  Scripture  likewise. 
But  why  so,  unless  because  the  dreaded  doctrine  is 
maintained  too  plainly  to  be  evaded  ?  But  you  will  sa}^ 
that  some  writers  and  preachers  attempt  to  put  an 
easier  sense  upon  the  apostle's  words.  Let  us  judge 
then,  as  I  lately  proposed,  from  experience.  Admit- 
ting, Mhat  I  am  sure  you  w ill  admit,  the  tot^l  depravity 
of  human  nature,  how  can  we  account  for  the  conver- 
sion of  a  soul  to  God,  unless  we  likewise  admit  an  elec- 
tion of  grace ":  The  work  must  begin  somewhere.  Ei- 
ther the  sinner  first  seeks  the  Lord,  or  the  Lord  first 
seeks  the  sinner.     The  foriiier  is  impossible,  if  by  na- 


166  On  Election  ami  Perseverance.  Let.  &, 

ture  we  are  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins ;  if  the  God  of 
this  world  has  blinded  our  eyes,  and  maintains  the  pos- 
session of  our  hearts ;  and  if  our  carnal  minds,  so  far 
from  being  disposed  to  seek  God,  are  enmity  against 
him.  Let  me  appeal  to  yourself.  I  think  you  know 
yourself  too  well  to  say,  that  you  either  sought  or  loved 
the  Lord  first:  perhaps  you  are  conscious,  that  for  a 
season,  and  so  far  as  in  you  lay,  you  even  resisted  his 
call ;  and  must  have  perished,  if  he  had  not  made  you 
willing  in  the  day  of  his  power,  and  saved  you  in  defi- 
ance of  yourself.  In  your  own  case,  you  acknowledge 
that  he  began  with  you ;  and  it  must  be  the  case  uni- 
versally with  all  that  are  called,  if  the  whole  race  of 
mankind  are  by  nature  enemies  to  God.  Then  further, 
there  must  be  an  election,  unless  all  are  called.  But 
we  are  assured  that  the  broad  road,  which  is  thronged 
■with  the  greatest  multitudes,  leads  to  destruction.  Were 
not  you  and  I  in  this  road  ?  Were  we  better  than  those 
who  continue  in  it  still  ?  What  has  made  us  dififer  from 
our  former  selves?  Grace.  What  has  made  us  differ 
from  those  who  are  now  as  we  once  were?  Grace. 
Then  this  grace,  by  the  very  terms,  must  be  differenc- 
ing, or  distinguishing  grace ;  that  is,  in  other  words, 
electing  grace.  And  to  suppose,  that  God  should 
make  this  election  or  choice  only  at  the  time  of  our 
calling,  is  not  only  unscriptural,  but  contrary  to  the  dic- 
tates of  reason,  and  the  ideas  we  have  of  the  divine 
perfections,  particularly  those  of  omniscience  and  im- 
mutability. They  who  believe  there  is  any  power  in 
man  by  nature,  whereby  he  can  turn  to  God,  may  con- 
tend for  a  conditional  election  upon  the  foresight  of 
faith  and  obedience  :  but  while  others  dispute,  let  you 
and  me  admire,  for  we  know  that  the  Lord  foresaw  us, 
(as  we  were,)  in  a  state  utterly  incapable  either  of  be- 


Let.  9.  On  Election  and  Perseverance.  167 

lieving  or  obeying,  unless  he  was  pleased  to  work  in  us 
to  will  and  to  do,  according  to  his  own  good  pleasure. 
As  to  final  perseverance,  whatever  judgment  we  torm 
of  it  in  a  doctrinal  view,  unless  we  ourselves  do  so  per- 
severe,  our  profession  of  religion  ^vill  be  utterly  vain ; 
for  only  "  they  that  endure  to  the  end  shall  be  saved." 
It  should  seem,  that  whoever  believes  this,  and  is  duly 
apprized  of  his  own  weakness,  the  number  and  strength 
of  his  spiritual  enemies,  and  the  difficulties  and  dangers 
arising  from  his  situation  in  this  evil  world,  will  at  least 
be  desirous  to  have,  (if  possible,)  some  se'curity,  that  his 
labour  and  expectation  shall  not  be  in  vain.  To  be  at 
an  uncertainty  in  a  point  of  so  great  importance,  to  have 
nothing  to  trust  to  for  our  continuance  in  well-doing, 
but  our  own  feeble  efforts,  our  partial  diligence  and 
short-sighted  care,  must  surely  be  distressing,  if  we 
rightly  consider  how  unable  we  are  in  ourselves  to 
withstand  the  forces  of  the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the 
devil,  which  are  combined  against  our  peace.  In  this 
view  I  should  expect  that  the  opposers  of  this  doctrine, 
if  thoroughly  sensible  of  their  state  and  situation,  upon 
a  supposition  that  they  should  be  able  to  prove  it  un- 
scriptural  and  false,  would  weep  over  their  victory,  and 
be  sorry  that  a  sentiment,  so  apparently  suited  to  en- 
courage and  animate  our  hope,  should  not  be  founded 
in  truth.  It  is  not  to  be  wondered  at,  that  this  doc- 
trine, which  gives  to  the  Lord  the  glory  due  to  his  name, 
and  provides  so  effectually  for  the  comfort  of  his  people, 
should  be  opposed  and  traduced  by  men  of  corrupt 
hearts.  But  it  may  well  seem  strange,  that  they  who 
feel  their  need  of  it,  and  cannot  be  comfortable  without 
it,  should  be  afraid  or  unwilling  to  receive  it.  Yet 
many  a  child  of  light  is  walking  in  darkness  upon  this 
account.     Either  they  are  staggered  by  the  sentiments 


168  0)1  Kicciion  and  Perseverance.  Let.  ^. 

of  those  whom  they  think  wiser  than  themselves,  or 
stumbled  by  the  falls  of  professors  who  were  once  ad, 
vocates  for  tliis  doctrine,  or  perplexed  because  they 
cannot  rightly  understand  those  passages  of  Scripture 
which  seem  to  speak  a  different  language.  But  as  liefht 
and  knowledge  increase,  these  difficulties  are  lessened. 
The  Lord  claims  the  honour,  and  he  engages  for  the 
accomplishment  of  a  complete  salvation,  that  no  power 
shall  pluck  his  people  out  of  his  hand,  or  separate  them 
from  his  love.     Their  perseverance  in  grace,  besides 
being  asserted  in  many  express  promises,  may  be  prov- 
ed with  the  fullest  evidence  from  the  unchangeableness 
of  God,  the  intercession  of  Christ,  the  union  which  sub- 
sists between  him  and  his  people,  and  from  the  princi- 
ple of  spiritual  life  he  has  implanted  in  their  hearts, 
which  in  its  own  nature  is  connected  with  everlasting 
life,  for  grace  is  the  seed  of  glory.     I  have  not  room 
to  enlarge  on  these  particulars,  but  refer  you  to  the  fol- 
lowing texts,  from  which  various  strong  and  invincible 
arguments  might  be  drawn  for  their  confirmation;  Luke 
xiv.  28 — 30.  compared  with  Phil.  i.  6 ;  Heb.  vii.  25. 
with  Rom.  viii.  34 — 59  ;  John  xiv.  19-  with  John  xv.  L 
2  ;  John  iv.  14.     Upon  these  grounds,  my  friend,  why- 
may  not  you,  who  have  fled  for  refuge  to  the  hope  set 
before  you,  and  committed  your  soul  to  Jesus,  rejoice 
in  his  salvation  ;  and  say,   *'  While  Christ  is  the  foun- 
"  dation,  root,  head,  and  husband  of  his  people,  while 
"  the  word  of  God  is  Yea  and  Amen,  while  the  coun- 
"  sels  of  God  are  unchangeable,  while  we  have  a  Me- 
'*'  diator  and  High  Priest  before  the  throne,  whHe  the 
"  Holy  S{)irit  is  willing  and  able  to  bear  witness  to  the 
"  truths  of  the  Gospel,  while  God  is  wiser  than  men, 
"  and  stronger  than  Satan,  so  long  the  believer  in  Jesus 
''  is  and  shall  be   safe  ?  Heaven  and  earth   must  pas^ 


Let.  9.  On  Election  aJirl  Perseverance.  169 

'"  away,  but  the  promise,  the  oath,  the  blood,  on  which 
"  my  soul  relies,  affords  me  a  security  which  can  nevei: 
"  fail." 

As  the  doctrines  of  election  and   perseverance  are 
comfortable,    so  they  cut  off  all  pretence  of  boasting 
and  self-dependence,  when  they  are  truly  received  in 
the  heart,  and  therefore  tend  to  exalt  the  Saviour.    Of 
course  they  stain  the   pride  of  all  human  glory,   and 
leave  us  nothing  to  glory  in  but  the  Lord.    The  more  "we 
are  convinced  of  our  utter  depravity  and  inability  from 
first  to  last,  the  more  excellent  will  Jesus  appear.     The 
whole  may  give  the  physician  a  good  word,  but  the  sick 
alone  know  how  to  prize  him.     And  here  I  cannot  but 
remark  a  difference  between  those  Avho  have  nothing 
to  trust  to  but  free  grace,  and  those  who  ascribe  a  little 
at  least  to  some  good   disposition  and  ability  in  man. 
We  assent  to  Avhatever  they  enforce  from  the  word  of 
God  on  the  subject  of  sanctilication.     We  acknowledge 
its  importance,  its  excellency,  its  beauty ;  but  we  could 
wish  they  would  join  more  with  us  in  exalting  the  Re- 
deemer's name.     Their  experience  seems  to  lead  them 
to  talk  of  themselves,   of  the  change  that  is  wrought 
in  them,   and  the  much  that  depends  upon  their  own 
watchfulness  and   striving.       We  likewise   would   be 
thankful  if  wc  could   perceive  a  change    wrought  in 
us  by  the  power  of  grace  :  we  desire  to  be  found  watch- 
ing likewise.     But  when  our  hopes  are  most  alive,  it  is 
less  from  a  view  of  the  imperfect  beginnings  of  grace  in 
our  hearts,  than  from  an  apprehension  of  him  who  is 
our  all  in  all.     His  person,  his  love,  his  sufferings,  his 
intercession,  com.passion,   fulness,    and    faithfulness — 
these  are  our  delightful  themes,  which  leave  us  little  lei- 
sure,   when  in  our  best  frames,  to  speak  of  ourselves. 
How  do  our  heart?  soften,  and  our  eyes  melt,  when  we 

Vol.  I.  Z  ' 


1*0  On  Election  aiiil  Pi rscveranu.  Lot.  9. 

feel  some  liberty  in  thinking  and  speaking  of  him!  For 
we  had  no  help  in  time  past,  nor  can  have  any  in  time 
to  come,  but  from  him  alone.  If  any  persons  have 
contributed  a  mite  to  their  own  salvation,  it  was  more 
than  we  could  do.  If  any  were  obedient  and  faithful 
to  the  first  calls  and  impressions  of  his  Spirit,  it  was 
not  our  case.  If  any  "were  prepared  to  receive  him 
beforehand,  we  know  that  we  were  in  a  state  of  alien- 
ation from  him.  We  needed  sovereign  irresistible 
grace  to  save  us,  or  we  had  been  lost  for  ever.  If 
there  are  any  who  have  a  power  of  their  own,  we  must 
confess  ourselves  poorer  than  they  are.  We  cannot 
watch,  unless  he  watches  with  us  ;  we  cannot  strive, 
unless  he  strives  with  us;  we  cannot  stand  one  moment, 
unless  he  holds  us  up  ;  and  we  believe  we  must  perish 
after  all,  unless  his  faithfulness  is  engaged  to  keep  us. 
But  this  we  trust  he  will  do,  not  for  our  righteousness, 
but  for  his  own  name's  sake,  and  because  having  loved 
us  with  an  everlasting  love,  he  has  been  pleased  in  lov- 
ing kindness  to  draw  us  to  himself,  and  to  be  found  of 
us  when  we  sought  him  not. 

Can  you  think,  dear  Sir,  that  a  person  who  lives  un- 
der the  influence  of  tiiese  sentiments,  will  desire  to  con- 
tinue in  sin  because  grace  abounds  ?  No.j-^you  are  too 
candid  an  observer  of  men  and  manners,  ^o  believe  the 
calumnies  w  hch  are  propagated  against  us.  It  is  true, 
there  are  too  many  false  and  empty  professors  amongst 
us  ;  but  are  there  none  amongst  those  who  hold  the  op- 
posite sentiments?  And  I  would  observe,  that  the  ob- 
jection drawn  from  the  miscarriages  of  reputed  Calvin- 
ists  is  quite  beside  the  purpose.  We  maintain  that  no 
doctrines  or  means  can  change  the  heart,  or  produce  a 
gracious  conversation,  w  illiout  the  ellicacious  povv'cr  of 
Almighty  grace  ;  therefore,  if  it  is  found  to  be  so  in  fact, 


•Let.   10.  On  Grace  in  the  Blade.  171 

it  should  not  be  charged  against  our  doctrine,  but  ra- 
ther admitted  as  a  proof  and  confirmation  of  it.  We 
confess,  that  we  fall  sadly  short  in  every  thing,  and 
iiave  reason  to  be  ashamed  and  amazed  that  we  are  so 
faintly  influenced  by  such  animating  principles ;  yet, 
upon  the  whole,  our  consciences  bear  us  w  itness,  and 
we  hope  m  e  may  declare  it  both  to  the  church  and  to 
the  world,  without  just  fear  of  contradiction,  that  the 
doctrines  of  grace  are  doctrines  according  to  godliness, 

I  am,  &c. 


LETTER  X. 
A  ;  or,  Grace  in  the  Blade,     Mark  i\-.  28. 
Dear  Sir, 


A> 


.CCORDING  to  your  desire,  I  sit  down  to  give  you 
my  general  views  of  a  progressive  work  of  grace,  in  the 
several  stages  of  a  believers  experience;  which  I  shall 
mark  by  the  different  characters  A,  B,  C,  answerable 
to  the  distinctions  our  Lord  teaches  us  to  observe  from 
the  growth  of  the  corn,  ]\lark  iv.  28.  ''  First  the  blade, 
♦^then  the  ear,  after  that  the  full  corn  in  the  ear."  The 
Lord  leads  all  his  people  effectually  and  savingly  to  the 
knowledge  of  the  same  essential  truths,  but  in  such  a 
variety  of  methods,  that  it  will  be  needful,  in  this  dis- 
quisition, to  set  aside,  as  much  as  possible,  such  things 
as  may  be  only  personal  and  occasional  in  the  experi- 
ence of  each,  and  to  collect  those  only  which  in  a  greater 
or  less  degree  %'e  common  to  them  all.  I  shall  not 
therefore  give  yc^Ti  copy  ^ef  my  own  experience,  or  of 
that  of  any  individual ;  Sst  shall  endeavour,  as  clearly 
as   I  can,  to  state  what  the  Scripture  teaches  uis  con- 


172  On  Grace  iu  the  Blade.  Let.  10, 

cerning  the  nature  and  essentials  of  a  work  of  grace,  so 
far  as  it  will  bear  a  general  application  to  all  those  w  ho 
are  the  subjects  of  gracious  operations. 

By  nature  we  are  all  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins,  not 
only  strangers  to  God,  but  in  a  state  of  enmity  and  op- 
position to  his  government  and  grace.  In  this  respect, 
whatever  difference  there  may  be  in  the  characters  of 
men  as  members  of  society,  they  are  all,  whether  wise 
or  ignorant,  whether  sober  or  profane,  equally  incapa- 
ble of  receiving  or  approving  divine  truths,  1  Cor.  ii.  14. 
On  this  ground  our  Lord  declares,  "  No  man  can  come 
*'  unto  me,  except  the  Father  who  has  sent  me  draws 
"  him."  Though  the  term  Father  most  frequently  ex- 
presses a  known  and  important  distinction  in  the  ador- 
able Trinity,  I  apprehend  our  Lord  sometimes  uses  it 
to  denote  God,  or  the  Divine  Nature,  in  contradistinc- 
tion from  his  humanity,  as  in  John  xiv.  9-  And  this 
I  take  to  be  the  sense  here  :  "  No  man  can  come  unto 
"  me  unless  he  is  taught  of  God,"  and  wrought  upon 
by  a  divine  power.  The  immediate  exertion  of  this 
power,  according  to  the  economy  of  salvation,  is  rather 
ascribed  to  the  Holy  Spirit  than  to  the  Father,  John 
xvi.  8 — 1 1.  But  it  is  the  power  of  the  God  and  Fa- 
ther of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ:  and  therefore  severally 
attributed  to  the  Father,  Son,  and  Spirit,  John  v.  2 1 . 
and  ch.  vi.  44 — 63  ;  2  Cor.  iii.  ]  8  ;  2  Thess.  iii.  5. 

By  A,  I  would  understand  a  person  who  is  under  the 
drawings  of  God,  which  will  infallibly  lead  him  to  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  for  life  and  salvation.  The  begin- 
ning of  this  work  is  instantaneous.  It  is  effected  by  a 
certain  kind  of  licfht  communicated  to  the  soul,  to  which 
it  was  before  an  utter  stranger.  The  eyes  of  the  un- 
derstanding are  opened  and  enlightened.  The  light  at 
first  afforded  is  weak  and  indistinct,  like  the  morning 


Let.  10.  On  Grace  in  the  Blade.  173 

dawn ;  but  when  it  is  once  begun,  it  w  ill  certainly  in- 
crease and  spread  to  the  perfect  day.  We  commonly 
speak  as  if  conviction  of  sin  was  the  first  work  of  God 
upon  the  soul  that  he  is  in  mercy  about  to  draw  unto 
himself.  But  I  think  this  is  inaccurate.  Conviction  is 
only  a  part,  or  rather  an  immediate  effect  of  that  first 
work  ;  and  there  are  many  convictions  which  do  not  at 
all  spring  from  it,  and  therefore  are  only  occasional 
and  temporary,  though  for  a  season  they  may  be  very 
sharp,  and  put  a  person  upon  doing  many  things.  In 
order  to  a  due  conviction  of  sin,  we  must  previously 
have  some  adequate  conceptions  of  the  God  with  whom 
we  have  to  do.  Sin  may  be  feared  as  dangerous  with- 
out this  ;  but  its  nature  and  demerit  can  only  be  under- 
stood by  being  contrasted  with  the  holiness,  majesty, 
goodness,  and  truth,  of  the  God  against  whom  it  is  com- 
mitted. No  outvvard  means,  no  mercies,  judgments, 
or  ordinances,  can  communicate  such  a  discovery  of 
God,  or  produce  such  a  conviction  of  sin,  without  the 
concurrence  of  this  divine  light  and  poM'er  to  the  soul. 
The  natural  conscience  and  passions  may  be  indeed  so 
far  wrought  upon  by  outward  means,  as  to  stir  up  some 
desires  and  endeavours  ;  but  if  these  are  not  founded  in 
a  spiritual  apprehension  of  the  perfections  of  God,  ac- 
cording to  the  revelation  he  has  made  of  himself  in  his 
word,  they  will  sooner  or  later  come  to  nothing ;  and 
the  person  affected  will  either  return  by  degrees  to  hii 
former  ways,  2  Peter  ii.  20  ;  or  he  will  sink  into  a  self- 
righteous  form  of  godliness,  destitute  of  the  power, 
Luke  xviii.  1 1.  And  therefore,  as  there  are  so  many 
things  in  the  dispensation  of  the  Gospel  suited  to  work 
upon  the  natural  passions  of  men,  the  many  woful  mis- 
carriages and  apostasies  amongst  professors  are  more  to 
be  lamented  than  wondered  at.     For  though  the  seed 


174  On  Grace  in  the  Blade.  Let,   10. 

may  seem  to  spring  up,  and  look  green  for  a  season,  if 
there  be  not  depth  for  it  to  take  root,  it  will  surely  wi- 
ther away.  We  may  he  unable  to  judge  with  certainty 
upon  the  first  appearance  of  a  religious  profession,  whe- 
ther the  work  be  thus  deep  and  spiritual  or  not ;  but 
"  the  Lord  knows  them  that  are  his ;"  and  wherever  it 
is  real,  it  is  an  infallible  token  of  salvation.  Now,  as 
God  only  thus  reveals  himself  by  the  medium  of  Scrip- 
ture truth,  the  light  received  this  way  leads  the  soul  to 
the  Scripture  from  whence  it  springs,  and  all  the  lead- 
ing truths  of  the  word  of  God  soon  begin  to  be  per- 
ceived and  assented  to.  The  evil  of  sin  is  acknow- 
ledged ;  the  evil  of  the  heart  is  felt.  There  may  be  for 
a  while  some  efforts  to  obtain  the  favour  of  God  by 
prayer,  repentance,  and  reformation  ;  but,  for  the  most 
part,  it  is  not  very  long  before  these  things  are  proved 
to  be  vain  and  ineffectual.  The  soul,  like  the  woman 
mentioned,  Mark  v.  26.  wearied  w  ith  vain  expedients, 
finds  itself  Avorse  and  worse,  and  is  gradually  brought 
to  see  the  necessity  and  sufficiency  of  the  Gospel  sal- 
vation. A.  may  soon  be  a  believer  thus  far :  That  he 
believes  the  word  of  God,  sees  and  feels  things  to  be  as 
they  are  there  described,  hates  and  avoids  sin,  because 
he  knows  it  is  displeasing  to  God,  and  contrary  to  his 
goodness  ;  he  receives  the  record  which  God  has  given 
of  his  Son  ;  has  his  heart  affected  and  drawn  to  Jesus 
by  views  of  his  glory,  and  of  his  love  to  poor  sinners ; 
ventures  upon  his  name  and  promises  as  his  only  en- 
couragement to  come  to  a  throne  of  grace  ;  waits  dili- 
gently in  the  use  of  all  means  appointed  for  the  com- 
mimion  and  growth  of  grace ;  loves  the  Lord's  people, 
accounts  them  the  excellent  of  the  earth,  and  delights 
in  their  conversation.  He  is  longing,  waiting,  and  pray- 
ing, for  a  share   in   those   blessings  which  he  believes 


Let  10.  On  Grace  in  the  Blade.  i7o 

they  enjoy,  and  can  be  satisfied  with  nothing  less.  He 
is  convinced  of  the  power  of  Jesus  to  save  him ;  but 
through  remaining  ignorance  and  legality,  the  remem- 
brance of  sin  committed,  and  the  sense  of  present  cor- 
ruption, he  often  questions  his  willingness;  and,  not 
knowing  the  aboundings  of  grace,  and  the  security  of 
the  promises,  he  fears  lest  the  compassionate  Saviour 
should  spurn  him  from  his  feet. 

While  he  is  thus  young  in  the  knowledge  of  the  Gos- 
pel, burdened  with  sin,  and  perhaps  beset  with  Satan's 
temptations,  the  Lord,  "  who  gathers  the  lambs  in  his 
"  arms,  and  caries  them  in  his  bosom,"  is  pleased  at 
times  to  favour  him  with  cordials,  that  he  may  not  be 
swallowed  up  with   over-much  sorrow.     Perhaps  his 
heart  is  enlarged  in  prayer,  or  under  hearing,  or  some 
good  promise  is  brought  home  to  his  mind,  and  applied 
with  pow-er  and  sweetness.       He  mistakes  the  nature 
and  design  of  these  comforts,  which  are  not  given  him 
to  rest  in,  but  to  encourage  him  to  press  forward.     He 
thinks  he  is  then  right,  because  he  has  them,  and  fondly 
hopes  to  have  them  always.     Then  his  mountain  stands 
strong.     But  ere  long  he  feels  a  change  :  his  comforts 
are  withdrawn ;  he  finds  no  heart  to  pray ;  no  attention 
in  hearing  ;  indwelling  sin  revives  with  fresh  strength, 
and  perhaps  Satan  returns  with  redoubled  rage.  Then 
he  is  at  his  wit's  end ;  thinks  his  hopes  were  presumptu- 
ous, and  his  comforts  delusions.       He  wants  to  feel 
something  that  may  give  him  a  warrant  to  trust  in  the 
free  promises  of  Christ.     His  views  of  the  Redeemer's 
gracefulness  are  very  narrow  ;  he  sees  not  the  harmony 
and  glory  of  the  divine  attributes  in  the  salvation  of  a 
sinner;   he   sighs  for  mercy,  but  fears  that  justice  is 
against  him.     However,  by  these  changing  dispensa- 
tions, the  Lord  is  training  him  up,  and  bringing  him  for- 


17G  On  Grace  in  the  Blade.  Let.   10. 

ward.  He  receives  grace  from  Jesus,  whereby  he  is 
enabled  to  light  against  sin  ;  his  conscience  is  tender, 
his  troubles  are  chiefly  spiritual  troubles  ;  and  he  thinks, 
if  he  could  but  attain  a  sure  and  abiding  sense  of  his 
acceptance  in  the  beloved,  hardly  any  outward  trial 
would  be  capale  of  giving  him  much  disturbance.  In- 
deed, notwithstanding  the  weakness  of  his  faith,  and  the 
prevalence  of  a  legal  spirit,  which  greatly  hurts  him, 
there  are  some  things  in  his  present  experience  which 
he  may  perhaps  look  back  upon  with  regret  hereafter, 
when  his  hope  and  knowledge  will  be  more  establish- 
ed. Particularly  that  sensibility  and  keenness  of  appe- 
tite with  which  he  now  attends  the  ordinances,  desiring 
the  sincere  milk  of  the  word  with  earnestness  and  ea- 
gerness, as  a  babe  does  the  breast.  He  counts  the  hours 
from  one  opportunity  to  anotlier ;  and  the  attention  and 
desire  with  which  he  hears  may  be  read  in  his  counte- 
nance. His  zeal  is  likewise  lively ;  and  may  be,  for 
want  of  more  experience,  too  importunate  and  forward. 
He  has  a  love  for  souls,  and  a  concern  for  the  glory  of 
God  ;  which,  though  it  may  at  some  times  create  him 
trouble,  and  at  others  be  mixed  with  some  undue  mo- 
tions of  self,  yet  in  its  principle  is  highly  desirable  and 
commendable  ;  vTohn  xviii.  10. 

The  grace  of  God  influences  both  the  understanding 
and  the  aflections.  Warm  affections,  without  know- 
ledge, can  rise  no  higher  than  superstition ;  and  that 
knowledge  which  does  not  influence  the  heart  and  af- 
fections, will  only  make  a  hypocrite.  The  true  be- 
liever is  rewarded  in  both  respects  ;  yet  we  may  ob- 
serve that  though  A.  is  not  without  knowledge,  this  state 
is  more  usually  remarkable  for  the  warmth  and  liveli- 
ness of  tlie  aflfections.  On  the  other  hand,  as  the 
work  advances,  though  the  affections  are  not  left  out, 


Let.  10.  On  Grace  in  the  Blade.  177 

yet  it  seems  to  be  carried  on  principally  in  the  under- 
standing.    The  old  Christian  has  more  solid,  judicious, 
connected  views  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  glo- 
ries of  his  person  and  redeeming  love  ;  hence  his  hope  is 
more  established,  his  dependence  more  simple,  and  his 
peace  and  strength,  ceteris  paribus,  more  abidinji  and 
uniform,  than  in  the  case  of  a  young  convert ;  but  the 
latter  has,  for  the  most  part,  the  advantage  in  point  of 
sensible  fervency.     A  tree  is  most  valuable   when  la- 
den with  ripe  fruit,  but  it  has  a  peculiar  beauty  when 
in  blossom.     It  is  spring-time  with  A  ;  he  is  in  bloom, 
and,  by  the  grace  and  blessing  of  the  heavenly  husband- 
man, will  bear  fruit  in  old  age.     His  faith  is  weak,  but 
his  heart  is  warm.     He  will  seldom  venture  to  think 
himself  a  believer  ;  but  he  sees  and  feels,  and  does 
those  things  which  no  one  could,  unless  the  Lord  was 
with  him.     The  very  desire  and  bent  of  his  soul  is  to 
God,  and  to  the  word  of  his  grace.     His  knowledge  is 
but  small,  but  it  is  growing  every  day.  If  he  is  not  sl  fa- 
ther or  a  young  man  in  grace,  he  is  a  dear  child.    The 
Lord  has  visited  his  heart,  delivered  him  from  the  love 
of  sin,  and  fixed  his  desires    supremely   upon  Jesus 
Christ.     The  spirit  of  bondage  is  gradually  departing 
from  him,  and  the  hour  of  liberty,  which  he  longs  for, 
is  approaching,  when,  by  a  further  discovery  of  the  glo- 
rious Gospel,  it  shall  be  given  him  to  know  his  accept- 
ance, and  to  rest  upon  the   Lord's  finished  salvation. 
We  shall  then  take  notice  of  him  by  the  name  of  B,  in 
a  second  letter,  if  you  are  not  unwilling  that  I  should 
prosecute  the  subject. 

I  am,  &c. 


Vol.  I.  2  A 


178  On  Grace  in  the  Ear.  Let.   11. 

LETTER  XI. 

B  ;  or,  Grace  in  the  Ear.     Mark  iv.  28. 
Dear  Sir, 

^r 

X  HE  manner  of  the  Lord  s  work  in  the  hearts  of  his 
))eople  is  not  easily  traced,  though  the  fact  is  certain, 
and  the  evidence  demonstrable,  from  Scripture.  In 
attempting  to  explain  it,  we  can  only  speak  in  genera], 
and  are  at  a  loss  to  form  such  a  description  as  shall 
take  in  the  immense  variety  of  cases  which  occur  in  the 
experience  of  believers.  I  have  already  attempted 
such  a  general  delineation  of  a  young  convert,  under 
the  character  of  A,  and  am  now  to  speak  of  him  by  the 
name  of  B. 

This  state  I  suppose  to  commence,  when  the  soul, 
after  an  interchange  of  hopes  and  fears,  according  to 
the  d liferent  frames  it  passes  through,  is  brought  to  rest 
in  Jesus,  by  a  spiritual  apprehension  of  his  complete 
suitableness  and  sufficiency,  as  the  wisdom,  righteous- 
ness, sanctification,  and  redemption  of  all  who  trust  in 
him.  and  is  enabled  by  an  appropriating  faith  to  say, 
*'  He  is  mine,  and  I  am  his."  There  are  various  de- 
grees of  this  persuasion  ;  it  is  of  a  growing  nature,  and 
is  capable  of  increase  so  long  as  we  remain  in  this 
worid.  I  call  it  assurance,  M'hen  it  arises  from  a  simple 
view  of  the  grace  and  glory  of  the  Saviour,  inde[)endcnt 
of  our  sensible  frames  and  feelings,  so  as  to  enable  us 
to  answer  all  objections  from  unbelief  and  Satan,  with 
the  apostle's  words,  "  Who  is  he  that  condemneth?  It 
"  is  Christ  that  died,  yea  rather,  that  is  risen  again, 
•'  wlio  is  even  at  the  right  hand  of  God,  who  also  mak- 


Lf^'t.    II.  OnJjrace  in  the  Ear.  179 

"  cth  intercession  for  us."  Rom.  viii.  34.  This,  in  m\ 
judgment,  does  not  belong  to  the  essence  of  faith,  so 
that  B  should  be  deemed  more  truly  a  believer  than  A, 
but  to  the  establishment  of  faith.  And  now  faith  is 
stronger,  it  has  more  to  grapple  with.  I  think  the  cha- 
racteristic of  the  state  of  A  is  desire,  and  of  B  is  coiiflict. 
Mot  that  B's  desires  have  subsided,  or  that  A  was  a 
stranger  to  conflict;  but  as  there  was  a  sensibly  eager- 
ness and  keenness  in  A's  desires,  which  perhaps,  is 
seldom  known  to  be  equally  strong  afterwards  ;  so 
there  are  usually  trials  and  exercises  in  B's  experience, 
something  different  in  their  kind,  and  sharper  in  their 
measure,  than  what  A  was  exposed  to,  or  indeed  had 
strength  to  endure.  A,  like  Israel,  has  been  delivered 
from  Egypt  by  great  power  and  a  stretched-out  arm, 
has  been  pursued  and  terrified  by  many  enemies,  has 
given  himself  up  for  lost  again  and  again.  He  has  at 
last  seen  his  enemies  destroyed,  and  has  sung  the  song 
of  i\Io3es  and  the  Lamb  upon  the  banks  of  the  Red 
Sea.  Then  he  commences  B.  Perhaps,  like  Israel, 
he  thinks  his  difficulties  are  at  an  end,  and  expects  to 
go  on  rejoicing  till  he  enters  the  promised  land.  But, 
alas !  his  difficulties  are  in  a  manner  but  beginning ;  he 
has  a  wilderness  before  him,  of  which  he  is  not  aware. 
The  Lord  is  now  about  to  suit  his  dispensations  to 
humble  and  to  prove  him,  and  to  sliow  him  what  is  in 
his  heart,  tiiat  he  may  do  him  good,  at  the  latter  end, 
and  that  all  the  glory  may  redound  to  his  own  fi-ee 
grace. 

Since  the  Lord  hates  and  abhors  sin,  and  teaches  his 
people  whom  he  loves  to  hate  it  likewise,  it  might  seem 
desirable,  (and  all  things  are  equally  easy  to  him,)  that 
at  the  same  time  they  are  delivered  from  the  guilt  and 
reigning  power  of  sin.  thny  should  likev.ise  be  perfectly 


180  On  Grace  in  the  Ear.  Let.   11. 

m 
freed  from  the  defilement  of  indwelling  sin,  and  be 
made  fully  conformable  to  him  at  once.  His  wisdom 
has,  however,  appointed  otherwise.  But  from  the  above 
premises,  of  his  hatred  of  sin,  and  his  love  to  his  peo- 
ple, I  think  we  may  certainly  conclude,  that  he  would 
not  suffer  sin  to  remain  in  them,  if  he  did  not  purpose 
to  over-rule  it,  for  the  fuller  manifestation  of  the  gloi"^ 
of  his  grace  and  wisdom,  and  for  the  making  his  salva- 
tion more  precious  to  their  souls.  It  is,  however,  his 
command,  and  tiierefore  their  duty ;  yea,  further,  from 
the  new  nature  he  has  given  them,  it  is  their  desire  to 
watch  and  strive  ajiainst  sin ;  and  to  propose  the  mor- 
tification of  the  whole  body  of  sin,  and  the  advance- 
ment of  sanctification  in  their  hearts,  as  their  great  and 
constant  aim,  to  wiiich  they  are  to  have  an  habitual 
persevering  regard.  Upon  this  plan  B  sets  out.  The 
knowledge  of  our  acceptance  with  God,  and  of  our 
everlasting  security  in  Christ,  has  in  itself  the  same  ten- 
dency upon  earth  as  it  will  have  in  heaven,  and  would, 
in  proportion  to  the  degree  of  evidence  and  clearness, 
produce  the  same  efiects,  of  continual  love,  joy,  peace, 
gratitude,  and  praise,  if  there  was  nothing  to  counter- 
act it.  But  B  is  not  all  spirit.  A  depraved  nature 
still  cleaves  to  him,  and  he  has  the  seeds  of  every  na-  * 
tural  corruption  yet  remaining  in  his  heart.  He  lives 
likewise  in  a  world  that  is  lull  of  snares,  and  occasions, 
suited  to  draw  forth  those  corruptions  ;  and  he  is  sur- 
rounded by  invisible  spiritual  enemies,  the  extent  of 
•whose  power  and  subtilty  he  is  yet  to  learn  by  painful 
experience.  B  knows,  in  general,  the  nature  of  his 
Christian  warfare,  and  sees  his  right  to  live  upon  Jesus 
for  righteousness  and  strength.  He  is  not  unwilling  to 
endure  hardships  as  a  good  soldier  of  Jesus  Christ; 
and  believes,  that  though  he  may  be  sore  thrust  at,  that 


Let.  11.  On  Grace  m  the  Ear.  181 

he  may  fall,  the  Lord  will  be  his  stay.  He  knows, 
that  his  heart  is  "  deceitful  and  desperately  wicked  ;" 
but  he  does  not,  he  cannot  know  at  first,  the  full  mean- 
ing of  that  expression.  Yet  it  is  for  the  Lord's  glory, 
and  will  in  the  end  make  his  grace  and  love  still  more 
precious,  that  B  should  find  new  and  mortifying  proofs 
Q^  an  evil  nature  as  he  goes  on,  such  as  he  could  not 
once  have  beiie\  ed  had  they  been  foretold  to  him,  as  in 
the  case  of  Peter,  Mark  xiv.  29.  And,  in  efi'ect,  the 
abominations  of  the  heart  do  not  appear  in  their  full 
strength  and  aggravation,  but  in  the  case  of  one,  who, 
like  B,  has  tasted  that  the  Lord  is  gracious,  and  re- 
joiced in  his  salvation.  The  exceeding  sinfulness  of 
sin  is  manitested,  not  so  much  by  its  breaking  through 
the  restraint  of  threatenings  and  commands,  as  by  its 
beinij  capable  of  acting  against  light  and  against  love. 
Thus  it  was  with  Hezekiah.  He  had  been  a  faithful 
and  zealous  servant  of  the  Lord  for  many  years  ;  but  I 
suppose  he  knew  more  of  God,  and  of  himself,  in  the 
time  of  his  sickness,  than  he  had  ever  done  before. 
The  Lord,  w  ho  had  signally  defended  him  from  Senna- 
cherib, was  pleased  likewise  to  raise  him  from  the  bor- 
ders of  the  grave  by  a  miracle,  and  prolonged  the  time 
'  of  his  life  in  answer  to  prayer.  It  is  plain,  from  the 
song  which  he  penned  upon  his  recovery,  that  he  was 
greatly  affected  with  the  mercies  he  had  received  :  yet 
still  there  was  something  in  his  heart  which  he  knew 
not,  and  which  it  was  for  the  Lord's  glory  he  should  be 
made  sensible  of;  and  therefore  he  was  pleased  to 
leave  him  to  himself  It  is  the  only  instance  in  which 
he  is  said  to  have  been  left  to  himself,  and  the  only  in- 
stance in  which  his  conduct  is  condemned.  I  appre- 
hend, that  in  the  state  of  B,  that  is,  for  a  season  after 
'r,e  have  knov-n  the  Lord,    we  have  usually  the  most 


182  On  Grace  in  tlic  Ear.  Let.  11. 

sensible  and  distressing  experience  of  our  evil  natures. 
I  do  not  say,  that  it  is  necessary  that  we  should  be  left 
to  fall  into  gross  outward  sin,  in  order  to  know  \vhat  is 
in  our  hearts  ;  though  I  believe  many  have  thus  fallen, 
whose  hearts,  under  a  former  sense  of  redeeming  love, 
have  been  as  truly  set  against  sin,  as  the  hearts  of 
others  who  have  been  preserved  from  such  outwaixJ 
falls.  The  Lord  makes  some  of  his  children  examples 
and  warnings  to  others,  as  he  pleases.  They  who  are 
spared,  and  whose  worst  deviations  are  only  known  to 
the  Lord  and  themselves,  have  great  reason  to  be  thank- 
ful. I  am  sure  I  have  :  the  merciful  Lord  has  not  suf- 
fered me  to  make  any  considerable  blot  in  my  profes- 
sion durinj^;  the  time  I  have  been  numbered  amongst 
his  people.  But  I  have  nothing  to  boast  of  herein. 
It  has  not  been  owing  to  my  wisdom,  watchfulness,  or 
spirituality,  though  in  the  main  he  has  not  suffered  me 
to  live  in  the  neglect  of  his  appointed  means.  But  I 
hope  to  go  softly  all  my  days  under  the  remembrance 
of  many  things,  for  which  I  have  as  great  cause  to  be 
abased  before  him,  as  if  I  had  been  left  to  sin  griev- 
ously in  the  sight  of  men.  Yet  with  respect  to  my  ac- 
ceptance in  the  Beloved,  I  know  not  if  I  have  had  a 
doubt  of  a  quarter  of  an  hour's  continuance,  for  many 
years  past.  But,  Oh  !  the  multiplied  instances  of  stu- 
pidity, ingratitude,  impatience,  and  rebellion,  to  which 
my  conscience  has  been  witness !  And  as  every  heart 
knows  its  own  bitterness,  I  have  generally  heard  the 
like  comphunts  from  others  of  the  Lord's  people  uith 
whom  I  ha\e  conversed,  even  from  those  who  have  ap- 
])eared  to  be  eminently  gracious  and  spiritual.  B  docs 
not  meet  with  these  things  perhaps  at  first,  nor  every 
day.  The  Lord  appoints  occasions  and  turns  in  life, 
which  try  our  spirits.     There  are  particular  seasons 


Let.   11.  On  Grace  in  the  Ear.  .       183 

when  temptations  are  suited  to  our  frames,  tempers, 
and  situations  ;  and  tliere  are  times  when  he  is  pleased  * 
to  withdraw,  and  to  permit  Satan's  approach,  that  we 
may  teel  how  vile  we  are  in  ourselves.  We  are  prone 
to  spiritual  pride,  to  self  dependence,  to  vain  confi- 
dence, to  creature  attachments,  and  a  train  of  evils. 
The  Lord  often  discovers  to  us  one  sinful  disposition 
by  exposing  us  to  another.  He  sometimes  shows  us 
Avhat  he  can  do  for  us  and  in  us  ;  and  at  other  times 
how  little  we  can  do,  and  how  unable  we  are  to  stand 
without  him.  By  a  variety  of  these  exercises,  through 
the  over-ruling  and  edifying  influences  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
B  is  trained  up  in  a  growing  knowledge  of  himself  and 
of  the  Lord.  He  learns  to  be  more  distrustful  of  his 
own  heart,  and  to  suspect  a  snare  in  every  step  he 
takes.  The  dark  and  disconsolate  hours  which  he  has 
brought  upon  himself  in  times  past,  make  him  doubly 
prize  the  light  of  God's  countenance,  and  teach  him  to 
dread  whatever  might  grieve  the  Spirit  of  God,  and 
cause  him  to  withdraw  again.  The  repeated  and  mul- 
tiplied pardons  which  he  has  received,  increase  his  ad- 
miration of,  and  the  sense  of  his  obligations  to,  the  rich 
sovereign  abounding  mercy  of  the  covenant.  ]\Iuch 
has  been  forgiven  him,  therefore  he  loves  much,  and 
therefore  he  knows  how  to  forgive  and  pity  others.  He 
does  not  call  evil  good,  or  good  evil ;  but  his  own  ex- 
periences teach  him  tenderness  and  forbearance.  He 
experiences  a  spirit  of  meekness  towards  those  who  are 
overtaken  in  a  fault,  and  his  attempts  to  restore  such, 
are  according  to  the  pattern  of  the  Lord's  dealings  with 
himself.  In  a  word,  B's  character,  in  my  judgment, 
is  complete,  and  he  becomes  a  C,  when  the  habitual 
frame  of  his  heart,  answers  to  that  passage  in  the  pro- 
phet Ezekiel,  chap.  xvi.  63.      "  That  thou  mayest  re- 


184  On  Grace  in  the  full  Corn.  Let.  12. 

"  member,  and  be  confounded,  and  never  open  thy 
•'  mouth  any  more,  (to  boast,  complain,  or  censure.)  be- 
"  cause  of  thy  shame,  when  I  am  pacified  towards  thee 
"  for  all  that  thou  hast  done,  saitn  the  Lord  God." 

I  am,  txc. 


LETTER  XII. 

C;  or,  The  full  Corn  in  the  Ear,     Mark  iv.  28. 
Dear  Sir, 

*  Y  way  of  distinction,  I  assigned  to  A  the  character- 
istic of  desire,  to  B  that  of  cotiflict.     I  can  think  of  no 
single  word   more  descri[)tive  of  the  state  of  C  than 
cunt  emp  hit  ion.   His  eminence,  in  comparison  of  A,  does 
not  consist  in  the  sensible  warmth  and  fervency  of  his 
affections  :  in  this  respect  many  of  the  most  exemplary 
believers  have  looked  back  with  a  kind  of  regret  upon 
the  time  of  their  espousals,   when,   though  their  judg- 
ments were  but  imperfectly  formed,  and  their  views  of 
Gospel-truths  were  very  indistinct,   they  felt  a  fervour 
of  spirit,  the  remembrance  of  which  is  both  humbling 
and  refreshing ;  and  yet  they  cannot  recall  the  same 
sensations.     Nor  is  he  properly  distinguished  from  B 
by  a  consciousness  of  his  acceptance  in  the   Beloved, 
and  an  ability  of  calling  God  his  father;  for  this  I  have 
supposed  B  has  attained  to.     Though,    as   there  is  a 
growth  in  every  grace,   C  having  had  his  views  of  the 
Gospel,  and  of  the  Lord's  faithfulness  and  mercy,  con- 
firmed by  a  longer  experience,  his  assurance  is  of  course 
more  stable  and  more  simple,   than  when  he  first  saw 
himself  safe  from  all   condemnation.      Neither  has  C, 
properly  speaking,  any  more  strength  or  stock  of  grace 


Let.  12.  0?i  Grace  in  the  full  Corn.  185 

inherent  in  himself  than  B,  or  evxn  than  A.  He  is  in 
the  same  state  of  absolute  dependence,  as  incapable  of 
performing  spiritual  acts,  or  of  resisting  temptations  by 
his  own  power,  as  he  was  at  the  first  day  of  his  setting 
out.  Yet  in  a  sense  he  is  much  stroncrer,  because  he 
has  a  more  feeling  and  constant  sense  of  his  own  weak- 
ness. The  Lord  has  been  Umz  teachino;  him  this  les- 
son  by  a  train  of  various  dispensations  ;  and  through 
grace  he  can  say,  He  has  not  suffered  so  many  tilings 
in  vain.  His  heart  has  deceived  him  so  often,  thai  he 
is  now  in  a  good  measure  weaned  from  trusiing  to  it ; 
and  therefore  he  does  not  meet  with  so  many  disap- 
pointments. And  having  found  again  and  again  the 
vanity  of  all  other  helps,  he  is  now  taught  to  go  to  the 
Lord  at  once  for  "  grace  to  help  in  every  time  of  need." 
Thus  he  is  strong,  not  in  himseit,  but  in  the  grace  that 
is  in  Christ  Jesus. 

But  C's  happiness  and  superiority  to  B,  lies  chiefly  in 
this,  that  by  the  Lord's  blessing  on  the  use  of  means, 
such  as  prayer,  reading  and  hearing  of  the  word,  and 
by  a  sanctified  improvement  ol  \^hat  lie  has  seen  of  the 
Lord,  and  of  his  o\^n  heart,  in  the  course  of  bis  expe- 
rience, he  has  attained  clearer,  deeper,  and  more  com- 
prehensive views  of  the  mystery  of  redeeming  love  ;  of 
the  glorious  excellency  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  in  his  per- 
son, offices,  grace,  and  faithfulness ;  of  the  harmony 
and  glory  of  all  the  divine  perfections  manifested  in  and 
by  him  to  the  church;  of  the  stability,  beauty,  fulness, 
and  certainty  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  and  ot  the  heights, 
depths,  lengths,  and  breadths  of  the  love  ot  God  in 
Christ.  Thus  though  his  sensible  feelings  may  not  be 
so  warm  as  when  he  was  in  the  state  of  A,  his  iudg- 
ment  is  more  solid,  his  mind  more  fixed,  his  thoughts 
more  habitually  exercised  upon  the  things  within  the 

Vol.  L        '  2  B 


180  On  Grace  in  the  full  Com,  Let.  12. 

vail.  His  great  business  is  to  behold  the  glory  of  God 
in  Christ ;  and  by  beholding,  he  is  changed  into  the 
same  image,  and  brings  forth  in  an  eminent  and  uni- 
form manner  the  fruits  of  righteousness,  which  are  by 
Jesus  Christ  to  the  alory  and  praise  of  God.  His  con- 
templations are  not  barren  speculations,  but  have  a 
real  influence,  and  enable  him  to  exemplify  the  Chris- 
tian character  to  more  advantage,  and  with  more  con- 
sistence, than  can  in  the  present  state  of  things  be  ex- 
pected either  from  A  or  B.  The  ioUowing  particulars 
may  illustrate  my  meaning. 

I.  Humility.  s\  measure  of  this  grace  is  to  be  et- 
pected  in  every  true  Christian  :  but  it  can  only  appear 
in  proportion  to  the  knowledge  they  have  of  Christ  and 
of  their  o^vn  hearts.  It  is  a  part  of  C's  daily  employ- 
ment to  look  back  upon  the  v\ay  by  which  the  Lord  has 
led  him  ;  and  while  he  reviews  the  Ebenezers  he  has  set 
up  all  along  the  road,  he  sees,  in  almost  an  equal  num- 
ber, the  monuments  of  his  own  perverse  returns,  and 
how  he  has  in  a  thousand  instances  rendered  to  the  Lord 
evil  for  good.  Comparing  these  things  together,  he  can 
without  affectation  adopt  the  apostle's  language,  and  style 
himself  "  less  than  the  least  of  all  saints,  and  of  sinners 
"  the  chief"  A  and  B  know  that  they  ought  to  be 
humbled  ;  but  C  is  truly  so,  and  feels  the  force  of  that 
text  which  I  mentioned  in  my  last ;  Ezek.  xvi.  63. 
Again,  as  he  knows  most  of  himself,  so  he  has  seen 
most  of  the  Lord.  The  apprehension  of  infinite  Ma- 
jesty combined  with  infinite  love,  makes  him  shrink  into 
the  dust.  From  the  exercise  of  this  grace  he  derives 
two  others,  which  are  exceedingly  ornamental,  and  prin- 
cipal branches  of  the  mind  which  was, in  Christ. 

The  one  is,   submission  to  the  Avill  of  God.     The 
views  he  has  of  his  own  vileness,  unworthiness,  and 


Let.  12.  On  Grace  in  the  full  Corn.  187 

ignorance,  and  of  the  divine  sovereignty,  ^\isdom,  and 
love,  teach  him  to  be  content  in  every  state,  and  to  bear 
his  appointed  lot  of  suffering  with  resignation,  accord - 
ins£  to  the  lanfjuaiie  of  David  in  a  time  of  affliction,  "  I 
*'  was  dumb,  and  opened  not  my  mouth,  because  thou 
-'  didst  it." 

The  other  is,  tenderness  of  spirit  towards  his  fellow 
Christians.  He  cannot  but  judge  of  their  conduct  ac- 
cording to  the  rule  of  the  word.  But  his  own  heart, 
and  the  knowledge  he  has  acquired  of  the  snares  of 
the  world,  and  the  subtilty  of  Satan,  teach  him  to  make 
all  due  allowances,  and  qualify  him  for  admonishing 
and  restoring,  in  the  spirit  of  meekness,  those  who  have 
been  overtaken  in  a  fault.  Here  A  is  usually  blameable; 
the  warmth  of  his  zeal,  not  being  duly  corrected  by  a 
sense  of  his  own  imperfections,  betrays  him  often  into 
a  censorious  spirit.  But  C  can  bear  with  A  likewise, 
because  he  hath  been  so  himself,  and  he  will  not  ex- 
pect green  fruit  to  be  ripe. 

II.  Spirituality.  A  spiritual  taste,  and  a  disposition 
to  account  all  things  mean  and  vain,  in  comparison  of 
the  knowledge  and  love  of  God  in  Christ,  are  essen- 
tial to  a  true  Christian.  The  world  can  never  be  his 
prevailing  choice ;  I  John  ii.  1 3.  Yet  we  are  re- 
newed but  in  part,  and  are  prone  to  an  undue  attach- 
ment to  worldly  things.  Our  sj^rits  cleave  to  the  dust, 
in  defiance  to  the  dictates  of  our  better  judgments; 
and  I  believe  the  Lord  seldom  gives  his  people  a  con- 
siderable victory  over  this  evil  principle,  until  he  has 
let  them  feel  how  deeply  it  is  rooted  in  their  hearts. 
We  may  often  see  persons  entangled  and  clogged  in 
this  respect,  of  whose  sincerity  in  the  main  we  cannot 
justly  doubt;  especially  upon  some  sudden  and  unex- 
pected turn  in  life,  which  brings  them  into  a  situation 


"1B8  On  Grace  in  the  full  Corn.  Let.  12. 

they  have  not  been  accustomed  to.  A  considerable 
part  ot  our  trials  are  ujercifully  appointed  to  wean  us 
from  this  propensity  ;  and  it  is  gradually  weakened  by 
the  Lord's  showing  us  at  one  time  the  vanity  of  the 
creature,  and  at  another  his  om  n  excellence  and  all- 
sufficiency.  Even  C  is  not  pertect  in  this  respect ;  but 
he  is  more  sensible  of  tne  evil  of  such  attachments, 
more  humbled  lor  them,  more  's^atchful  against  them, 
and  more  delivered  Irom  them.  He  still  feels  a  fetter, 
but  he  longs  to  be  free.  His  allo\\ed  desires  are 
brought  to  a  point ;  and  he  sees  nothing  worth  a  se- 
rious thought,  but  communion  with  God  and  progress 
in  holiness.  "Whatever  outward  changes  C  may  meet 
with,  he  will  in  general  be  the  same  man  still.  He  has 
learned  with  the  apostle,  not  only  to  suffer  want,  but, 
(which  is  perhaps  the  harder  lesson,)  how  to  abound. 
A  palace  A^ould  be  a  prison  to  him,  without  the  Lord's 
presence,  and  with  this  a  prison  would  be  a  palace. 
From  hence  arises  a  peaceful  reliance  upon  the  Lord  ; 
he  has  nothing  which  he  cannot  commit  into  his  hands, 
which  he  is  not  habitually  aiming  to  resign  to  his  dis- 
posal. Therefore  he  is  not  afraid  of  evil  tidings ;  but 
when  the  hearts  of  others  shake  like  the  leaves  of  a  tree, 
he  is  fixed,  trusting;  in  the  Lord,  who  he  believes  can 
and  xcill  make  good  every  loss,  sweeten  every  bitter, 
and  appoint  all  things  to  \\  ork  together  for  his  advan- 
tage. He  sees  that  the  time  is  short,  lives  upon  the 
foretastes  of  glory,  and  therefore  accounts  not  his  life, 
or  any  inferior  concernment  dear,  so  that  he  may  finish 
his  course  uith  joy. 

in.  A  union  of  heart  to  the  glory  and  will  of  God, 
is  another  noble  distinction  of  C's  spirit.  The  glory  of 
God  and  the  good  of  his  people  are  inseparably  con- 
nected.    JBut  of  these  great  ends  the  first  is  unspeaka- 


Let.  12,  071  Grace  in  the  full  Corn,  189 

bly  the  highest  and  the  most  important,  and  into  which 
every  thing  else  will  be  finally  resolved.  Now,  in  pro- 
portion as  we  advance  nearer  to  him,  our  judgment, 
aim,  and  end,  will  be  conformable  to  his,  and  his  glory 
will  have  the  highest  place  in  our  hearts.  At  first  it 
is  not  so,  or  but  very  imperfectly.  Our  concern  is 
chiefly  about  ourselves  ;  nor  can  it  be  otherwise.  The 
convinced  soul  inquires.  What  shall  I  do  to  be  saved  ? 
The  young  convert  is  intent  upon  sensible  comforts  ; 
and  in  the  seasons  when  he  sees  his  interest  secure,  the 
prospect  of  the  troubles  he  may  meet  with  in  life  makes 
him  often  wish  for  an  early  dismission,  that  he  may  be 
at  rest,  and  avoid  the  heat  and  burden  of  the  day.  But 
C  has  attained  to  more  enlarged  views ;  he  has  a  desire 
to  depart  and  to  be  with  Christ,  which  would  be  im- 
portunate if  he  considered  only  himself;  but  his  chief 
desire  is,  that  God  may  be  glorified  in  him,  whether  bv 
his  life  or  by  his  death.  He  is  not  his  own ;  nor  does 
he  desire  to  be  his  own  ;  but  so  that  the  power  of  Jesus 
may  be  manifested  in  him,  he  will  take  pleasure  in  in- 
firmities, in  distresses,  in  temptations  :  and  though  he 
lonofs  for  heaven,  would  be  content  to  live  as  lonjx  as 
jMethusclah  upon  earth,  if,  by  any  thing  he  could  do  or 
suffer,  the  will  and  glory  of  God  might  be  promoted. 
And  though  he  loves  and  adores  the  Lord  for  what  he 
has  done  and  suffered  for  him,  delivered  him  from,  and 
ap[)ointed  him  to  ;  yet  he  loves  and  adores  liim  likewise 
with  a  more  simple  and  direct  love,  in  which  self  is  in 
a  manner  forgot,  from  the  consideration  of  his  glorious 
excellence  and  perfections,  as  he  is  in  himself  That 
God  in  Christ  is  glorious  over  all,  and  blessed  for  ever, 
is  the  very  joy  of  his  soul ;  and  his  heart  can  frame  no 
higher  wish,  than  that  the  sovereign,  wise,  holy  Mill  of 
God  may  be  accomplished  in  him,  and  ail  his  creatures. 


On  Grace  in  the  full  Corn.  Let.  12. 

Upon  this  grand  principle  his  praters,  schemes,  and 
actions,  are  formed.  Thus  C  is  ah'eady  made  like  the 
angels  ;  and,  so  far  as  is  consistent  with  the  inseparable 
remnants  of  a  fallen  nature,  the  will  of  God  is  regarded 
by  him  upon  earth,  as  it  is  by  the  inhabitants  of  hea- 
ven. 

The  power  of  divine  grace  in  C  may  be  exemplified 
in  a  great  variety  of  situations.  C  may  be  rich  or 
poor,  learned  or  illiterate,  of  a  lively  natural  spirit,  or 
of  a  more  slow  and  phlegmatical  constitution.  He  may- 
have  a  comparatively  smooth,  or  a  remarkably  thorny 
path  in  life  ;  he  may  be  a  minister  or  layman  ;  these 
circumstantials  will  give  some  tincture  and  difference  in 
appearance  to  the  work ;  but  the  work  itself  is  the 
same ;  and  we  must,  as  far  as  possible,  drop  the  con- 
sideration of  them  all,  or  make  proper  allowances  for 
each,  in  order  to  form  a  right  judgment  of  the  life  of 
faith.  The  outward  expression  of  grace  may  be  height- 
ened and  set  off  to  advantage  by  many  things  which  are 
merely  natural,  such  as  evenness  of  temper,  good  sense, 
a  knowledge  of  the  world,  and  the  like ;  and  it  may  be 
darkened  by  things  which  are  not  properly  sinful,  but 
unavoidable,  such  as  lowness  of  spirit,  weak  abilities, 
and  pressure  of  temptations,  which  may  have  effects 
that  they  who  have  not  had  experience  in  the  same 
things  cannot  properly  account  for.  A  double  quan- 
tity of  real  grace,  if  1  may  so  speak,  that  has  a  double 
quantity  of  hindrances  to  conflict  with,  will  not  be  easi- 
ly observed,  unless  these  hindrances  are  likewise  known 
and  attended  to  ;  and  a  smaller  measure  of  grace  may 
appear  great  when  its  exercise  meets  with  no  remarka- 
ble obstruction.  For  these  reasons,  we  can  never  be 
competent  judges  of  each  other,  because  we  cannot  be 
competently  acquainted  with  the  whole  complex  case. 


Let.  12.  On  Grace  in  the  full  Corn.  191 

But  our  great  and  merciful  High-priest  knows  the 
whole  ;  he  considers  our  frame,  ''  remembers  that  we 
"are  but  dust;"  makes  gracious  allowances,  pities, 
bears,  accepts,  and  approves,  with  unerring  judgment. 
The  sun,  in  his  daily  course,  beholds  nothing  so  excel- 
lent and  honourable  upon  earth  as  C,  though  perhaps 
he  may  be  confined  to  a  cottage,  and  is  little  known  or 
noticed  by  men.  But  he  is  the  object  and  residence  of 
divine  love,  the  charge  of  angels,  and  ripening  for  ever- 
lasting glory.  Happy  C  !  his  toils,  sufferings,  and  ex- 
ercises, will  be  soon  at  an  end  ;  soon  his  desires  will  be 
accomplished  ;  and  he  who  has  loved  him,  and  re- 
deemed him  with  his  own  blood,  will  receive  him  to 
himself,  with  a  "  Well  done,  good  and  faithful  servant; 
"  enter  thou  into  the  joy  of  thy  Lord." 

If  this  representation  is  agreeable  to  the  Scriptures, 
how  greatly  are  they  mistaken,  and  how  much  to  be 
pitied,  w\\o,  wliile  they  make  profession  of  the  Gospel, 
seem  to  have  no  idea  of  the  effects  it  is  designed  to  pro- 
duce upon  the  hearts  of  believers,  but  either  allow 
themselves  in  a  worldly  spirit  and  conversation,  or  in- 
dulge their  unsanctified  tempers,  by  a  fierce  contention 
for  names,  notions,  and  parties.  jMay  the  Lord  give 
to  you  and  to  me  daily  to  grow  in  the  experience  of 
that  wisdom  which  "  is  first  pure,  then  peaceable,  gen- 
"  tie,  and  easy  to  be  intreated,  full  of  mercy  and  good 
"  works,  without  partiality,  and  without  hypocrisy." 

I  am,  kc. 


192  Oh  hearing  Sermons.  Let.  13. 

LETTER  XIII. 
On  hearing  Sertnons, 
Dear  Sir, 

X  AM  glad  to  find  that  the  Lord  has  at  length  been 
pleased  to  fix  you  in  a  favoured  situation,  where  you 
have  frequent  opportunities  of  hearing  the  Gospel.  This 
is  a  great  privilege ;  but,  like  all  other  outward  privi- 
leges, it  requires  grace  and  wisdom  to  make  a  due  im- 
provement of  it ;  and  the  great  plenty  of  ordinances 
you  enjoy,  though  in  itself  a  blessing,  is  attended  with 
snares,  which,  unless  they  are  carefully  guarded  against, 
may  hinder  rather  than  promote  your  edification.  I 
gladly  embrace  the  occasion  you  afford  me,  of  offering 
you  my  advice  upon  this  subject.  A  remembrance  of 
the  mistakes  I  have  myself  formerly  committed,  and  the 
observations  I  have  made  upon  the  conduct  of  profess- 
ors, considered  as  hearers,  will  perhaps  in  some  mea- 
sure qualify  me  for  the  task  you  have  assigned  me. 

The  faithful  ministers  of  the  Gospel,  are  all  the  ser- 
vants and  ambassadors  of  Christ ;  they  are  called  and 
furnished  by  his  Holy  Spirit;  they  speak  in  his  name; 
and  their  success  in  the  discharge  of  their  office,  be  it 
more  or  less,  depends  entirely  upon  his  blessing :  so  far 
they  are  all  upon  a  par.  But  in  the  measure  of  their 
ministerial  abilities,  and  in  the  peculiar  turn  of  their 
preaching,  there  is  a  great  variety.  There  are  "  diver- 
"  sities  of  gifts  from  the  same  Sj)irit ;  and  he  distributes 
"  to  every  man  severally  according  to  his  own  will." 
Some  are  more  happy  in  alarming  the  careless^  others 
in  administering  consolation  to  the  xvounded  conscience. 


liet.   13.  On  hearing  Sermons.  193 

Some  are  set  more  especially  for  the  establishment  and 
coniirmation  of  the  Gospel  doctrines  ;  others  are  skilful 
in  solving  casuistical  points  ;  others  are  more  excellent 
in  enforcing  practical  godliness ;  and  others  again,  hav- 
ing been  led  through  depths  of  temptation  and  spiritual 
distress,  are  best  acquainted  with  the  various  workings 
of  the  heart,  and  know  best  how  to  speak  a  word  in 
season  to  weary  and  exercised  souls.  Perhaps  no  true 
minister  of  the  Gospel,  (for  all  such  are  taught  of  God,) 
is  w  holly  at  a  loss  upon  either  ot  these  points  ;  but  few, 
if  any,  are  remarkably  and  equally  excellent  in  manag-- 
ing  them  all.  Again,  as  to  their  manner,  some  are  more 
popular  and  pathetic,  but  at  the  same  time  more  gene- 
ral and  diffuse ;  while  the  want  of  that  life  and  earnest- 
ness in  delivery  is  compensated  in  others  by  the  close- 
ness, accuracy,  and  depth  of  their  compositions.  In 
this  variety  of  gifts,  the  Lord  has  a  gracious  regard  to 
the  different  tastes  and  dispositions,  as  well  as  to  the 
wantg  of  his  people  :  and  by  their  combined  effects  the 
complete  system  of  his  truth  is  illustrated,  and  the  good 
of  his  church  promoted  with  the  highest  advantage ; 
while  his  ministers,  like  oliicers  assigned  to  different 
stations  in  an  army,  have  not  only  the  good  of  the  whole 
in  view,  but  each  one  his  particular  post  to  maintain. 
This  would  be  more  evidently  the  case,  if  the  remain- 
ing depravity  of  our  hearts  did  not  afford  Satan  but  too 
much  advantage  in  his  subtile  attempts  to  hurt  and  en- 
snare us.  But,  alas  !  how  often  has  he  prevailed  to  in- 
fuse a  spirit  of  envy  or  dislike  in  ministers  towards  each 
other,  to  withdraw  hearers  from  their  proper  concern- 
ment, by  dividing  them  into  parties,  and  stirring  them 
up  to  contend  for  a  Paul,  an  Apollos,  or  a  Cephas,  for 
their  own  favourites,  to  the  disparagement  of  others, 
who  are  equally  dear  to  the  Lord,  and  faitliful  in  his 
Vol.  L  2  C 


194  On  hearing  Sermons.  Let.  13. 

service  ?  You  may  think  my  preamble  long  ;  but  I 
shall  deduce  my  advices  chiefly  from  it ;  taking  it  fov 
granted,  that  to  you  I  have  no  need  of  proving  at  large 
Avhat  I  have  advanced. 

As  the  gifts  and  talents  of  ministers  are  different,  I 
advise  you  to  choose  for  your  stated  pastor  and  teacher, 
one  whom  you  find  most  suitable,  upon  the  whole,  to 
your  own  taste,  and  whom  you  are  likely  to  hear  with 
the  most  pleasure  and  advantage.  Use  some  delibe- 
ration and  nmch  prayer  in  this  matter.  Entreat  the 
Lord,  who  knows  better  than  you  do  yourself,  to  guide 
you  where  your  soul  may  be  best  fed  ;  and  when  your 
choice  is  fixed,  you  will  do  well  to  make  a  point  of  at- 
tending his  ministry  constantly,  I  mean  at  least  at  the 
stated  times  of  worship  on  the  Lord's  day.  I  do  not 
say  that  no  circumstance  v\  ill  justify  your  going  else- 
where at  such  times  occasionally  ;  but,  I  think,  the  sel- 
domer  you  are  absent,  the  better.  A  stated  and  regu- 
lar attendance  encourages  the  minister,  affords  a  good 
exam])le  to  the  congregation  ;  and  a  hearer  is  more 
likely  to  meet  with  what  is  directly  suited  to  his  own 
case,  from  a  minister  who  knows  him,  and  expects  to 
see  him,  than  he  can  be  from  one  who  is  a  stranger. 
Especially  I  would  not  wish  you  to  be  absent  for  the 
sake  of  gratifying  your  curiosity,  to  hear  some  new 
preacher,  who  you  have  perhaps  been  told  is  a  very 
extraordinary  nian.  For  in  your  xcai/  such  occasions 
might  possibly  offer  almost  c\  ery  week.  What  I  have 
observed  of  many  who  run  about  unseasonably  after 
new  preachers,  has  reminded  me  of  Prov.  xxvii.  8. 
*'  As  a  bird  that  wandereth  from  her  nest,  so  is  the 
"  man  that  wandereth  from  his  place."'  Such  unset- 
tled hearers  seldom  thrive  :  they  usually  grow  wise  in 
their  own  conceits,  have  their  heads  filled  m  ith  notions. 


Let.   13.  0)1  hearing  Sermons.  195 

acquire  a  dry,  critical,  and  censorious  spirit ;  and  are 
more  intent  upon  disputing  who  is  the  best  preacher, 
than  upon  obtaining  benefit  to  themselves  from  what 
they  hear.  If  you  could  find  a  man  indeed,  who  had 
a  power  in  ^iw^e//  of  dispensing  a  blessing  to  your  soul, 
you  might  follow  him  from  place  to  place ;  but  as  the 
blessing  is  in  the  Lord's  hands,  you  will  be  more  likely 
to  receive  it  by  waiting  where  his  providence  has  placed 
you,  and  where  he  has  met  with  you  before. 

But  as  human  nature  is  prone  to  extremes,  permit 
me  to  give  you  a  caution  on  the  other  hand.  If  the 
minister,  under  whom  you  statedly  attend,  is  made  very 
acceptable  to  you,  you  will  be  in  the  less  danger  of 
slighting  him.  But  be  careful  that  you  do  not  slight 
any  other  minister  of  Christ.  If,  therefore,  when  you 
come  to  hear  your  own  preacher,  you  find  another  in 
the  pulpit,  do  not  let  your  looks  tell  him,  that  if  you 
had  known  he  had  been  there,  3^ou  would  not  have 
come.  I  wish  indeed  you  may  never  think  so  in  your 
heart;  but  though  we  cannot  prevent  evil  thoughts  from 
rising  in  our  minds,  we  should  endeavour  to  combat 
and  suppress  them.  Some  persons  are  so  curious,  or 
rather  so  weak,  that  if  their  favourite  minister  is  occa- 
sionally absent,  they  hardly  think  it  worth  their  while 
to  hear  another.  A  judicious  and  faithful  niinister,  in 
this  case,  instead  of  being  delighted  with  such  a  mark 
of  peculiar  attachment  to  himself,  will  be  grieved  to 
think  that  they  have  profited  no  more  by  his  labours ; 
for  it  is  his  desire  to  win  souls,  not  to  himself,  but  to 
Jesus  Christ.  I  hope  you,  my  friend,  will  always  at- 
tend the  ordinances  with  a  view  to  the  Lord's  presence  ; 
and  when  you  are  in  your  proper  place,  consider  the 
preacher, (if  he  preaches  the  truth, )as  one  providentially 
and  expressly  sent  by  the   Lord  to  you  at  that  time ; 


19G  On  hearing  Sermons.  Let.  13. 

and  that  you  could  not  choose  better  for  yourself,  all 
things  considered,  than  he  has  chosen  for  you.  Do 
not  limit  the  Almighty,  by  confining  your  expectations 
to  a  single  instrument.  If  you  do,  you  will  probably 
procure  your  own  disappointment.  If  you  fix  your 
hopes  upon  the  man,  the  Lord  may  withhold  his  bless- 
ing, and  then  the  best  men  and  the  best  sermons  will 
prove  to  you  but  as  clouds  without  uater.  But,  be- 
sides the  more  stated  seasons  of  worship  on  the  Lord's 
day,  you  have  many  opportunities  of  hearing  sermons 
occasionally  in  the  course  of  the  week ;  and  thus  you 
may  partake  of  that  variety  of  gifts  which  I  have  al- 
ready spoken  of  This  will  be  either  a  benefit,  or 
otherwise,  according  to  the  use  you  make  of  it.  I 
would  recommend  to  you  to  improve  these  occasions, 
but  under  some  restrictions. 

In  the  first  place,  be  cautious  that  you  do  not  dege- 
nerate into  the  spirit  of  a  mere  hearer,  so  as  to  place 
the  chief  stress  of  your  profession  upon  running  hither 
and  thither  after  preachers.  There  are  many  who  are 
always  upon  the  wing  ;  and,  without  a  due  regard  to 
what  is  incumbent  upon  them  in  the  shop,  in  the  fa- 
mily, or  in  the  closet,  they  seem  to  think  they  were 
sent  into  the  world  only  to  hear  sermons,  and  to  hear 
as  many  in  a  day  as  they  possibly  can.  Such  persons 
may  be  fitly  compared  to  Pharaoh's  lean  kine ;  they  de- 
vour a  great  deal ;  but  for  want  of  a  proper  digestion, 
they  do  not  flourish  :  their  souls  are  lean  ;  they  have 
little  solid  comfort ;  and  their  profession  abounds  more 
in  leaves  than  in  fruit.  If  the  twelve  apostles  were 
again  upon  earth,  and  vou  could  hear  them  all  every 
week;  yet,  if  you  were  not  attentive  to  the  duties  of  the 
closet ;  if  you  did  not  allow  yourself  time  for  reading, 
meditation,   and   prayer ;  and  if  you  did  not  likewise 


Let.  13.  On  hearing  Sernmns:  197 

conscientiously  attend  to  the  concernments  of  your  par- 
ticular calling,  and  the  discharge  of  your  duties  in  re- 
lative life ;  I  should  be  more  ready  to  blame  your  in- 
discretion, than  to  admire  your  zeal.  Every  thing  is 
beautiful  in  its  season  ;  and  if  one  duty  frequently  jos- 
tles out  another,  it  is  a  sign  either  of  a  weak  judg- 
ment, or  of  a  wrong  turn  of  mind.  No  public  ordi- 
nances can  make  amends  for  the  neglect  of  secret 
prayer ;  nor  will  the  most  diligent  attendance  upon 
them  justify  us  in  the  neglect  of  those  duties,  which,  by 
the  command  and  appointment  of  God,  we  owe  to  so- 
ciety. 

Again,,  as  it  is  our  trial  to  live  in  a  day  wherein  so 
many  contentions  and  winds  of  strange  doctrines 
abound,  I  hope  you  will  watch  and  pray  that  you  may 
not  have  itching  ears,  inclining  you  to  hearken  after  no- 
vel and  singular  opinions,  and  the  erroneous  sentiments 
of  men  of  unstable  minds,  who  are  not  sound  in  the 
faith.  I  have  known  persons  who,  from  a  blameable 
curiosity,  have  gone  to  hear  such,  not  for  the  sake  of 
edification,  whicli  they  could  not  expect,  but  to  know 
what  they  had  to  say,  supposing  that  they  themselves 
were  too  well  established  in  the  truth  to  be  hurt  by 
them.  But  the  experiment,  (without  a  just  and  lawful 
call,)  is  presumptuous  and  dangerous.  In  this  way 
many  have  been  hurt,  yea,  many  have  been  overthrown. 
Error  is  like  poison ;  the  subtilty,  quickness,  and  force 
of  its  operation,  is  often  amazing.  As  we  pray  not  to 
be  led  into  temptation,  we  should  take  care  not  to  run 
into  it  wilfully.  If  the  Lord  has  sho^Mi  you  what  is 
right,  it  is  not  worth  your  while  to  know,  (if  you  could 
know  it,)  how  many  ways  there  are  of  being  wrong. 

Further,  I  advise  you,  when  you  hear  a  Gospel-ser- 
^•non,  and  it  is  not  in  all  respects  to  your  satisfaction. 


198  Oft  hearing  Senywm,  Let.  13. 

be  not  too  hasty  to  lay  the  v  hole  blame  upon  the 
preacher.  The  Lord's  ministers  have  not  much  to  say 
in  th  ir  own  behaif.  They  feel,  (it  is  to  be  hoped,)  their 
own  weakness  and  detects,  and  the  greatness  and  diffi- 
culty of  their  work.  They  are  conscious  that  their 
warmest  endeavours  to  proclaim  the  Saviour's  glory  are 
too  cold ;  and  their  most  importunate  addresses  to  the 
•consciences  of  men  are  too  faint ;  and  sometimes  they 
are  burdened  with  such  discouragements,  that  even 
their  enemies  would  pity  them  if  they  knew  their  case. 
Indeed,  they  have  much  to  be  ashamed  of;  but  it  m  ill 
be  more  useful  for  you,  who  are  a  hearer,  to  consider 
whether  the  fault  may  not  possibly  be  in  yourself. 
Perhaps  you  thought  too  highly  of  the  man,  and  ex- 
pected too  much  from  him  ;  or  perhaps  you  thoui^ht  too 
meanly  of  him,  and  expected  too  little.  In  the  former 
case,  the  Lord  justly  disappointed  you  ;  in  the  latter, 
you  received  according  to  your  faith.  Perhaps  you 
neglected  to  pray  for  him  ;  and  then,  though  he  might 
be  useful  to  others,  it  is  not  at  all  strange  that  he  was 
not  so  to  you.  Or  possibly  you  have  indulged  a  tri- 
fling spirit,  and  brought  a  dearth  and  deadness  upon 
your  own  soul ;  for  which  you  had  not  been  duly  hum- 
bled, and  the  Lord  chose  that  time  to  rebuke  you. 

Lastly,  as  a  hearer,  you  have  a  right  to  try  all  doc- 
trines by  the  word  of  God  ;  and  it  is  your  duty  so  to 
do.  Faithful  ministers  will  remind  you  of  this  ;  they 
will  not  wish  to  hold  you  in  an  implicit  and  blind  obe- 
dience to  what  they  say  upon  their  own  authority,  nor 
desire  that  you  should  follow  them  further  than  they 
have  the  Scripture  for  their  warrant.  They  would  not 
be  lords  over  your  conscience,  but  helpers  of  your  joy. 
Prize  this  Gospel-liberty,  which  sets  you  free  from  the 
doctrines  and  commandments  of  men  ;  but  do  not  abuse 


Let.  13.  0)1  hearing  Sermons.  199* 

it  to  the  purposes  of  pride  and  self.  There  are  hearers 
who  make  themselves,  and  not  the  Scripture,  the  stand- 
ard of  their  judgment.  They  attend  not  so  much  to 
be  instructed,  as  to  pass  their  sentence.  To  them,  the 
pulpit  is  the  bar  at  which  the  minister  stands  to  take 
his  trial  betore  them  ;  a  bar  at  which  few  escape  cen- 
sure, from  judij;es  at  once  so  severe  and  inconsi?tent. 
For,  as  these  censors  are  not  all  of  a  mind,  and  perhaps 
agree  in  nothins;  so  much  as  in  the  opinion  they  have 
of  their  own  wisdom,  it  has  often  happened,  that,  in  the 
course  of  one  and  the  same  sermon,  the  mhiister  has 
been  condemned  as  a  Legalist  and  an  Antinoniian,  as 
too  high  in  his  notions,  and  too  low,  as  having  too  little 
action,  and  too  much.  O  !  this  is  a  hateful  spirit, 
that  prompts  hearers  to  pronounce  e.v  cathedra  as  if 
they  were  infallible,  breaks  in  upon  tJie  rights  of  private 
judgment,  even  in  matters  not  essential,  and  makes  a 
man  an  offender  for  a  word.  This  spirit  is  one  fre- 
quent unhappy  evil,  which  springs  from  the  corruption 
of  the  heart,  when  the  Lord  affords  the  means  of  grace 
in  great  abundance.  How  highly  would  some  of  the 
Lord's  hidden  ones,  who  are  destitute  of  the  ordinances, 
prize  the  blessing  of  a  preached  Gospel,  with  which  too 
many  professors  seem  to  be  surfeited.  I  pray  God  to 
preserve  you  from  such  a  spirit,  (which  I  fear  is  spread- 
ing, and  intects  us  like  the  pestilence,)  and  to  guide  you 
in  all  things. 

T  am.  i^'c. 


200  On  Tcmplatwn.  Let.  l\\ 

LETTER  XIV. 

On  Temptation. 
Deal'  Sir, 


HAT  can  you  expect  from  me  on  the  subject  of 
Temptation,  with  which  you  have  been  so  mtich  more 
conversant  than  myself?  On  this  point  I  am  more  dis- 
posed to  receive  information  from  you,  than  to  offer  my 
advice.  You,  by  the  Lord's  appointment,  have  had 
much  business  and  exercise  on  these  great  waters  ; 
whereas  the  knowledge  I  have  of  what  passes  there,  I 
have  gained  more  from  observation  than  from  actual 
experience.  I  shall  not  wonder  if  you  think  I  write 
like  a  novice  :  however,  your  request  has  the  force  of  a 
command  with  me.  I  shall  give  you  my  thoughts  ;  or 
rather,  shall  take  occasion  to  write,  not  so  much  to  you 
as  to  others,  who,  though  they  may  be  plunged  in  the 
depths  of  temptation,  have  not  yet  seen  so  much  of  the 
wisdom  and  power  of  God  in  these  dispensations  as 
yourself.  I  shall  first  inquire,  Why  the  Lord  permits 
some  of  his  people  to  suffer  such  violent  assaults  from 
the  powers  of  darkness  ;  and  then  suggest  a  fe^v  advices 
to  tempted  souls. 

The  temptations  of  Satan,  (which,  though  not  tlic 
most  painful,  are  in  reality  tlie  most  dangerous,)  do  not 
directly  belong  to  my  present  design.  I  mean  those, 
by  which  he  is  too  successful  in  drawing  many  profess- 
ors from  the  path  of  duty,  in  liihng  them  with  spiritual 
pride,  or  lulling  them  into  carnal  security.  In  these  at- 
tempts he  is  often  most  powerful  and  prevalent  when 
he  is  least  perceived  ;  he  seldom  distresses  those  whom 


Let.  14.  On  Temptation.  20i» 

he  can  deceive.  It  is  chiefly  when  these  endeavours 
fail,  that  he  fights  against  the  peace  of  the  soul.  "  He 
hates  the  Lord's  people,  grudges  them  all  their  privi- 
leges and  all  their  comforts  ;  and  w  ill  do-  what  he  can 
to  disquiet  them,  because  he  cannot  prevail  against 
them.  And  though  the  Lord  sets  such  bounds  to  his 
rage  as  he  cannot  pass,  and  limits  him  both  as  to  man- 
ner and  time,  he  is  often  pleased  to  suffer  him  to  dis- 
cover his  malice  to  a  considerable  degree ;  not  to  gra- 
tify Satan,  but  to  humble  and  prove  them ;  to  show 
them  what  is  in  their  hearts,  to  make  them  truly  sen- 
sible of  their  immediate  and  absolute  dependence  upon 
himself,  and  to  quicken  them  to  watchfulness  and  prayer. 
Though  temptations,  in  their  own  nature,  are  grievous 
and  dreadful,  yet  ^vhen,  by  the  grace  of  God,  they  arc 
productive  of  these  effects,  they  deserve  to  be  num- 
bered among  the  "  all  things  which  are  appointed  to 
•'  work  together  for  the  sood  of  those  who  love  him.' 
The  light  carriage,  vain  confidence,  and  woful  backslid- 
ings  of  many  professors,  might,  perhaps,  (speaking  after 
the  manner  of  men,)  have  been  in  some  measure  pre- 
vented, had  they  been  more  acquainted  with  this  spirit- 
ual warfare,  and  had  they  drunk  of  the  cup  of  tempta- 
tion, which  but  few  of  those  who  walk  humbly  and  up- 
rightly are  exempted  from  tasting  of,  though  not  all  in 
the  same  degree.  One  gracious  end,  therefore,  that 
the  Lord  has  in  permitting  his  people  to  be  tempted, 
is  for  the  prevention  of  greater  evils,  that  they  may  not 
grow  proud  or  careless,  or  be  ensnared  by  the  corrupt 
customs  of  the  world.  In  this  view,  I  doubt  not,  how- 
ever burdensome  your  trials  may  at  some  seasons  prove, 
you  are  enabled,  by  your  composed  judgment,  to  re- 
joice in  them,  and  be  thankful  tur  them.  You  know 
what  you  suffer  now :  but  you  know  not  what  might 
Vol.  I.  2  D 


303  On  Temptation.  Let.  14. 

have  been  the  consequence,  if  you  had  never  smarted 
by  tlie  fiery  darts  of  the  wicked  one.  You  might  have 
been  taken  in  a  more  fatal  snare,  and  been  numbered 
with  those  who,  by  their  ffrievous  declensions  and  falls, 
have  caused  the  ways  of  truth  to  be  evil  spoken  of. 

Another  design  is.  for  the  manifestation  of  his  power, 
and  wisdom,  and  grace,  in  supporting  the  soul  under  such 
pressures  as  are  evidently  beyond  its  O'wn  strength  to 
sustain,  A  bush  on  fire,  and  not  consumed,  en^aeed  the 
attention  of  Moses.  This  emblem  is  generally  applica- 
ble to  the  state  of  a  Christian  in  the  present  life,  but 
never  more  so  than  when  he  is  in  the  fire  of  temptation. 
And  though  his  heaviest  sufferings  of  this  kind  are 
usually  hidden  from  the  notice  of  his  fellow-creatures, 
yet  there  are  other  eyes  always  upon  him.  "  We  are," 
says  the  Apostle,  "  a  spectacle  to  the  world  ;"  not  only 
to  men,  but  to  angels  also.  Many  things  probably  pass 
in  the  invisible  state,  in  which  we  have  a  nearer  concern- 
ment than  we  are  ordinarily  aware  of.  The  beginning 
of  the  book  of  Job  throws  some  light  upon  this  point,  and 
informs  us,  (of  which  we  should  have  been  otherwise  to- 
tally ignorant,)  of  the  true  cause  ot  his  uncommon  suffer- 
ings. Satan  had  challenged  him,  charged  him  as  a  hypo- 
crite, and  thought  he  w  as  able  to  prove  him  one,  if  he 
could  have  permission  to  attack  him.  The  Lord,  for  the 
vindication  of  Job's  integrity,  and  forthe  manifestation  of 
his  own  faithfulness  and  power  in  favour  of  his  servant, 
was  pleased  to  give  Satan  leave  to  try  w  hat  he  could  do. 
The  experimentanswered  many  good  purposes:  Job  was 
humbled,  yet  approved  ;  his  friends  w  ere  instructed  ; 
Satan  w as  confuted,  and  disappointed  ;  and  the  wisdom 
and  mercy  of  the  Lord,  in  his  darkest  dispensations 
towards  his  people,  were  gloriously  illustrated.  This 
contest  and  the  event  were  recorded   for  the  direction 


Let.  14.  071  Temptation  305 

and  cncourairement  of  his  church  to  the  end  of  time. 
Satan's  malice  is  not  abated  ;  and  though  he  has  met 
with  millions  of  disappointments,  he  stid,  like  Goliah  of 
old,  defies  the  armies  of  Crod's  Israel;  he  challenges  the 
stoutest,  and  "  desire.^  to  have  them  that  he  may  sift 
"  them  as  wheat.'  Indeed,  he  is  far  an  overmatch  for 
them,  considered  as  in  themselves:  but  though  they  are 
weak,  their  Redeemer  is  mighty,  and  they  are  for  ever 
secured  bv  his  love  and  intercession.  "  The  Lord 
*'  knows  them  that  are  his,  and  no  weapon  formed 
"  aijainst  them  can  prosper."  That  this  may  appear 
with  the  fullest  evidence,  Satan  is  allo^^ed  to  assault 
them.  We  handle  vessels  of  glass  or  china  with  caution, 
and  endeavour  to  preserve  them  from  falls  and  blows, 
because  we  know  they  are  easily  broken.  But  if  a  man 
had  the  art  of  making  glass  malleable,  and  like  iron,  ca- 
pable of  bearing  the  stroke  of  a  hammer  without  break- 
ing, it  is  probable,  that  instead  of  lockino;  it  carefully 
up  he  would  rather,  for  the  commendation  of  his 
skill,  permit  manv  to  attempt  to  break  it,  when  he  knew 
their  attempts  would  be  in  vain.  Believers  are  com- 
pared to  earthen  vessels,  liable  in  themselves  to  be 
destroyed  by  a  small  blow  ;  but  they  are  so  strength- 
ened and  tempered  by  the  power  and  supply  of  divine 
grace,  that  the  fiercest  efforts  of  their  fiercest  enemies 
against  them  mav  be  compared  to  the  dashing  of  w  aves 
against  a  rock.  And  that  this  may  be  known  and  no- 
ticed, they  are  exposed  to  many  trials;  but  the  united 
and  repeated  assaults  of  the  men  of  the  world,  and  the 
powers  of  darkness,  afford  but  the  more  incontestible 
demonstration,  that  the  Lord  is  with  them  of  a  truth, 
and  that  his  strength  is  made  perfect  in  their  weakness. 
Surely  this  thought,  my  friend,  will  afford  you  consolpk- 


304  0«  Temptation.  Let.  14. 

tion  ;  and  you  will  be  content  to  suffer,    if  God  ma}' 
be  glorified  by  you  and  in  you. 

Further,  By  enduring  temptation,  you,  as  a  living 
member  of  the  body  of  Christ,  have  the  honour  of 
being  conformed  to  your  head.  He  suffered,  being 
tempted  ;  and  because  he  loves  you,  he  calls  you  to  a 
participation  of  his  sufferings,  and  to  taste  of  his  cup ; 
not  the  cup  of  the  wrath  of  God  ;  this  he  drank  alone, 
and  he  drank  it  all.  But  in  affliction  he  allows  his 
people  to  have  fellowship  with  him ;  thus  they  fill  up 
the  measure  of  his  sufferings,  and  can  say,  As  he  w^as, 
so  are  we  in  the  world.  IMarvel  not  that  the  world 
hates  you,  neither  marvel  that  Satan  rages  against  you. 
Should  not  the  disciple  be  as  his  Lord  ?  Can  the  ser- 
vant expect  or  desire  peace  from  the  avowed  enemies 
of  his  master?  We  are  to  follow  his  steps;  and  can 
we  wish,  if  it  Avere  possible,  to  w  alk  in  a  path  strewed 
with  flowers,  when  his  was  strewed  with  thorns  ?  Let 
us  be  in  nothing  terrified  by  the  power  of  our  adversa- 
ries ;  which  is  to  them  an  evident  token  of  perdition, 
but  to  us  of  salvation,  and  that  of  God.  To  us  it  is 
given,  not  only  to  believe  in  Christ,  but  also  to  suffer 
for  his  sake.  If  we  w'ould  make  peace  with  the  world, 
the  world  would  let  us  alone  ;  if  we  could  be  content  to 
walk  in  the  ways  of  sin,  Satan  would  give  us  no  dis- 
turbance ;  but  because  grace  has  rescued  us  from  his 
dominion,  and  the  love  of  Jesus  constrains  us  to  live 
to  him  alone,  therefore  the  enemy,  like  a  lion  robbed  of 
his  prey,  roars  against  us.  He  roars,  but  he  cannot 
devour  ;  he  plots  and  rages,  but  he  cannot  prevail ;  he 
disquiets,  but  he  cannot  destroy.  If  we  suffer  with 
Christ,  we  shall  also  reign  with  him:  in  due  time  he  will 
bruise  Satan  under  our  feet,   make  us  more  than  con- 


Let.  14.  On  Temptation.  205 

querors,  and  place  us  where  Ave  shall  hear  the  voice  of 
Mar  no  more  for  ever. 

Again,  As  by  temptations,  we  are  conformed  to  the 
Ufe  of  Christ,  so  likewise,   by  the  sanctifying  power  of 
grace,  they  are  made  subservient  to  advance  our  con- 
formity to  his  image  ;  particularly   as  we  thereby  ac- 
quire a  sympathy  and  fellow-feeling  with  our  suffering 
brethren.     This  is  eminently  a  branch  of  the  mind  that 
was  in  Christ.     He  knows  how  to  pity  and  help  those 
who  are  tempted,  because  he  has   been  tempted  him- 
self    He  knows  what  temptations  mean,  not  only  with 
that  knowledge  whereby  he  knows  all  things,  but  by 
experience.     He  well  remembers   what  he  endured  in 
the  wilderness,  and  in  the  garden  ;  and  though  it  is  for 
his  glory  and  our  comfort  that  he  suffered  temptation 
without  sin,  yet  for  that  very  reason,   and  because  he 
was  perfectly  holy,  the  temptations  of  Satan  were  un- 
speakably more  bitter  to  him  than  they  can  be  to  us. 
The  great  duty  and  refuge  of  the  tempted  now  is,  to 
apply  to  him ;  and  they  have  the  highest  encouragement 
to  do  so,  in  that  they  are  assured  he  is  touched  with  a 
feeling  of  our  infirmities.     And  for  the  like  reason  they 
find  some  consolation  in  applying  to  those  of  their  bre- 
thren who  have  suffered  the   same  things.     None  but 
these  can  either  understand  or  pity  their  complaints. 
If  the   Lord  has  any  children  who  are  not  exercised 
with  spiritual  temptations,    I  am  sure  they  are   but 
poorly  qualified  to   "  speak  a  word  in  season  to  them 
"  that  are  weary."     In  this  school  you  have    acquired 
the  tongue  of  the  learned  ;  and  let  it  not  seem  a  small 
thins;  to  you,  if  the  Lord  has  mven  vou  wisdom  and  abi- 
lity,  to  comfort  the  afflicted  ones  :  if  your  prayers,  your 
conversation,   and  the  knowledge  they   have  of  your 
trials,  afford  them  some  relief  in  a  dark  hour,  this  is  au 


206  On  Temptation.  Let.  14. 

honour  and  a  privilege  which,  I  am  persuaded,  you  will 
think  you  have  not  purchased  too  dear,  by  all  that  you 
have  endured. 

Once  more  :  Temptations,  by  giving  us  a  painful  sen* 
sibiHty  of  the  weakness  of  our  graces  and  the  strength 
of  our  inward  corruptions,  tend  to  mortify  the  evil  prin- 
ciples of  self-dependence  and  self-righteousness,  which 
are  so  deeply  rooted  in  our  fallen  nature ;  to  make 
Christ,  in  all  his  relations,  offices,  and  characters,  more 
precious  to  us  ;  and  to  convince  us,  that  without  him 
we  can  do  nothing.  It  would  be  easy  to  enlarge  upon 
these  and  other  advantages  which  the  Lord  enables  his 
people  to  derive  from  the  things  which  they  suffer ;  so 
that  they  may  say,  with  Samson,  "  Out  of  the  eater 
"  comes  forth  meat ;"  and  that  what  their  adversary  de- 
signs for  their  overthrow,  contributes  to  their  establish- 
ment. But  I  have  already  exceeded  my  limits.  Enough, 
I  hope,  has  been  said  to  prove,  that  He  has  wise  and 
gracious  ends  in  permitting  them  for  a  season  to  be 
tossed  with  tempest,  and  not  comforted.  Ere  long 
these  designs  will  be  more  tuUy  unfolded  to  us  ;  and  we 
shall  be  satisfied  that  he  has  done  all  things  well.  In 
the  mean  while  it  is  our  duty,  and  will  be  much  for  our 
comfort,  to  believe  it  upon  the  authority  of  his  word. 

1  should  now  proceed  to  otfer  some  advices  to  those 
who  are  tempted  ;  but  I  am  ready  to  say.  To  what 
purpose?  When  the  eneniy  comes  in  like  a  flood; 
Avhen  the  very  foundations  of  hope  are  attacked  ;  m  hen 
suspicions  are  raised  in  the  mind,  not  only  concerning 
an  interest  in  the  promises,  but  concerning  the  truth  of 
the  Scripture  itself;  when  a  dark  cloud  blots  out,  not 
only  the  sense,  but  almost  the  remembrance  of  past 
comforts  :  when  the  mind  is  overwhelmed  with  torrents 
of  blasphemous,    unclean,   or  ni.onstrous  imaginations. 


Let.  14.  On  Temptation.  307 

things  horrible  and  unutterable  ;  when  the  fiery  darts  of 
Satan  have  set  the  corruptions  of  the  heart  in  a  flame ; 
at  such  a  season  a  person  is  little  disposed  or  able  to 
listen  to  advice.  I  shall,  however,  mention  some  things 
by  which,  ordinarily,  Satan  maintains  his  advantage 
against  them  in  these  circumstances,  that  they  may  be 
upon  their  guard  as  much  as  possible. 
His  principal  devices  are, 

1.  To  hide  from  them  the  Lord's  designs  in  permit- 
ting him  thus  to  rage.  Some  of  these  I  have  noticed  ; 
and  they  should  endeavour  to  keep  them  upon  their 
minds.  It  is  hard  for  them,  during  the  violence  of  the 
storm,  to  conceive  that  any  good  can  possibly  arise 
from  the  experience  of  so  much  evil.  But  when  the 
storm  is  over,  they  find  that  the  Lord  is  still  mindful 
of  them.  Now,  though  a  young  soldier  may  well  be 
startled  at  the  first  onset  in  the  field  ot  battle,  it  seems 
possible,  that  those  who  have  been  often  engaged,  should 
at  length  gain  confidence  from  the  recollection  of  the 
many  instances  in  which  they  have  formerly  found,  by 
the  event,  that  the  Lord  was  surely  with  them  in  the 
like  difficulties,  and  that  their  fears  were  only  ground- 
less and  imaginary.  When  the  warfare  is  hottest,  they 
have  still  reason  to  say,  "  Hope  thou  in  God;  for  I 
"  shall  yet  praise  him." 

2.  To  make  them  utter  impatient  speeches,  which  do 
but  aggravate  their  distress.  It  is  said  of  Job,  under 
his  first  trials,  "  In  all  this  he  sinned  not  with  his  lips, 
"  nor  charged  God  foolishly."  So  long  Satan  was  un- 
able to  prevail.  Afterwards  he  opened  his  mouth,  as 
Jeremiah  did  likewise,  and  cursed  the  day  of  his  birth. 
When  he  once  began  to  complain,  his  causes  of  com- 
plaint increased.  We  cannot  prevent  dreadful  thoughts 
from  arising  in  our  hearts ;  but  we  should  be  cautious 


^06  On  Temptation.  Let.  14. 

of  giving  them  vent,  b}^  speaking  unadvisedly.  This  is 
like  letting  in  wind  upon  a  smothering  fire,  m  hich  will 
make  it  burn  more  fiercely. 

3.  To  persuade  them  that  all  they  feel  and  tremble 
at  arises  immediately  from  their  own  hearts.  Indeed, 
it  is  a  most  awful  proof  of  our  depravity,  that  we  feel 
something  within  ready  to  close  with  the  suggestions  of 
the  enemy,  in  defiance  of  our  better  j  udgment  and  de- 
sires. But  it  is  not  so  in  all  cases.  It  is  not  always 
easy,  nor  is  it  needful,  exactly  to  draw  the  line  between 
the  temptations  of  Satan  and  our  own  corruptions  : 
but  sometimes  it  is  not  impossible  to  distinguish  them. 
When  a  child  of  God  is  prompted  to  blaspheme  the 
name  that  he  adores,  or  to  commit  such  evils  as  even 
unsanctified  nature  would  recoil  at;  the  enemy  has  done 
it,  and  shall  be  answerable  for  the  whole  guilt.  The 
soul  in  this  case  is  passive,  and  suffers  with  extreme  re- 
luctance what  it  more  dreads  than  the  greatest  evils 
which  can  affect  the  body.  Nor  do  the  deepest  wounds 
of  this  kind  leave  a  scar  upon  the  conscience,  when  the 
storm  is  over  ;  which  is  a  proof  that  they  are  not  our 
own  act. 

4.  To  drive  them  from  the  throne  of  grace.  Prayer, 
■uhich  is  at  all  times  necessary,  is  especially  so  in  a  time 
of  temptation.  But  how  hard  is  it  to  come  boldly,  that 
we  may  obtain  help  in  this  time  of  need  !  but,  however 
hard,  it  must  be  attempted.  By  discontinuing  prayer, 
we  give  the  enemy  the  greatest  encouragement  possi- 
ble; for  then  he  sees  that  his  temptations  have  the  c^ 
feet  which  he  intends  by  them,  to  intercept  us  from  our 
strong  hold.  When  our  Lord  was  in  an  agony,  he 
prayed  the  most  earnestly  ;  the  ardour  of  his  prayer  in- 
creased with  the  distress  of  his  soul.  It  would  be 
happy  if  we  could  always  imitate  him  in  this :  but  too 


Let.  Ik  On  Temptation.  209 

often  temptations  and  difficulties,  instead  of  rousing  our 
application,  dishearten  and  enfeeble  us ;  so  that  our 
cries  are  the  faintest,  when  we  stand  most  in  need  of 
assistance.  But  so  long"  as  prayer  is  restrained,  our 
burden  is  increased.  Psahn  xxxii.  3.  5.  If  he  cannot 
make  them  omit  praying,  he  will  repeatedly  endeavour 
to  weary  them  by  working  upcjn  the  legality  which 
cleaves  so  close  to  the  heart.  Satan  is  a  hard  task- 
master, when  he  interferes  in  the  performance  of  our 
spiritual  duties.  This  he  does  perhaps  more  frequently 
than  we  think  of;  for  he  can,  if  it  serves  his  purpose, 
appear  as  an  angel  of  light.  When  the  soul  is  in  a 
tempest,  and  attempts  to  pray,  he  will  suggest,  that 
prayer  on  these  occasions  should  be  protracted  to  such 
a  length,  and  performed  with  sucli  steadiness,  as  is 
found  to  be  at  that  season  quite  impracticable.  Such 
constrained  efforts  are  wearisome  ;  and,  from  the  man- 
ner of  the  pertormance,  he  takes  occasion  to  fix  fresh 
guilt  upon  the  conscience.  Short,  frequent,  and  fer- 
vent petitions,  which  will  almost  necessarily  arise  from 
what  is  felt  when  temptation  is  violent,  are  best  suited 
to  the  case ;  and  we  need  not  add  to  tiie  burden,  by 
tasking  ourselves  beyond  our  power,  as  if  we  expected 
to  be  heard  for  our  much  speaking.  Blessed  be  God 
that  we  fight  with  an  enemy  already  vanquished  by  our 
Lord,  and  that  we  have  a  sure  promise  of  victory.  The 
Lord  is  our  banner. 

I  am^  &G. 


Vol.  I.  Q  E 


310  On  a  Christian  Lihranj.  Let.  15. 

LETTER  XV. 

Jl  Flan  of  a  conipenclioics  Christian  Library. 

Dear  Sir, 

xjlN  eager  desire  of  reading  many  books,  though  it  is 
often  supposed  to  be  the  effect  of  a  taste  for  knowledge, 
is  perhaps  a  principal  cause  of  detaining  multitudes  in 
ignorance  and  perplexity.  When  an  unexperienced 
person  thus  ventures  into  the  uncertain  tide  of  opinions, 
he  is  liable  to  be  hurried  hither  and  thither  with  the 
changing  stream  ;  to  fall  in  with  every  new  proposal, 
and  to  be  continually  embarrassed  with  the  difficulty  of 
distinguishing  between  probability  and  truth.  Or  if,  at 
last,  he  happily  finds  a  clue  to  lead  him  through  the 
labyrinth  wherein  so  many  have  been  lost,  he  will  ac- 
knowledge, upon  a  review,  that  from  what  he  remem- 
bers to  have  read,  (for  perhaps  the  greater  part  he  has 
wholly  forgotten,)  he  has  gained  little  more  than  a  dis- 
cpvery  of  what  mistakes,  uncertainty,  insignificance,  ac- 
rimony, and  presumption,  are  often  obtruded  on  the 
world  under  the  disguise  of  a  plausible  title-page. 

It  is  far  from  my  intention  to  depreciate  the  value, 
or  deny  the  usefulness  of  books,  without  exception  :  a 
few  well-chosen  treatises,  carefully  perused  and  tho- 
roughly digested,  will  deserve  and  reward  our  pains ; 
but  a  multiplicity  of  reading  is  seldom  attended  with  a 
good  effect.  Besides  the  confusion  it  often  brings  upon 
the  judgment  and  memory,  it  occasions  a  vast  expense 
of  time,  indisposes  for  close  thinking,  and  keeps  us 
poor,  in  the  midst  of  seeming  plenty,  by  reducing  us  to 


Let.  15.  On  a  Christian  Library,  211 

live  upon  a  foreign  supply,  instead  of  labouring  to  im- 
prove and  increase  the  stock  of  our  own  reflections. 

Every  branch  of  knowledge  is  attended  with  this  in- 
convenience ;  but  it  is  in  no  one  more  sensibly  felt  than 
when  the  inquiry  is  directed  to  the  subject  of  religion. 
Perhaps  no  country  has  abounded  so  much  with  reli- 
gious books  as  our  own ;  many  of  them  are  truly  ex- 
cellent ;  but  a  very  great  number  of  those  which  are 
usually  more  obvious  to  be  met  with,  as  they  stand  re- 
commended by  great  names,  and  the  general  taste  of 
the  public,  are  more  likely  to  mislead  an  inquirer,  than 
to  direct  him  into  the  paths  of  true  peace  and  wisdom. 

And  even  in  those  books  which  are  in  the  main  agree- 
able to  the  word  of  God,  there  is  often  so  great  a  mix- 
ture of  human  infirmity,  so  much  of  the  spirit  of  con- 
troversy and  party,  such  manifest  defects  in  some,  and 
so  many  unwarrantable  additions  to  the  simple  truth  of 
the  Gospel  in  others,  that,  unless  a  person's  judgment 
is  already  formed,  or  he  has  a  prudent  friend  to  direct 
his  choice,  he  will  be  probably  led  into  error  or  pre- 
judice before  he  is  aware,  by  his  attachment  to  a  fa- 
vourite author. 

Allowing,  therefore,  the  advantage  of  a  discreet  and 
seasonable  use  of  human  writings,  I  would  point  out  a 
still  more  excellent  way  for  the  acquisition  of  true  know- 
ledge :  a  method  which,  if  wholly  neglected,  the  ut- 
most diligence  in  the  use  of  every  other  means  will 
prove  ineffectual;  but  which,  if  faithfully  pursued  in  an 
humble  dependence  upon  the  divine  blessing,  will  not 
only  of  itself  lead  us  by  the  straightest  path  to  wisdom, 
but  will  also  give  a  double  efficacy  to  every  subordinate 
assistance. 

If  I  may  be  allowed  to  use  the  term  book  in  a  meta- 
phorical sense,  I  may  say,  that  the  JMost  High  God,  in 


212  On  a  Chri'iian  Library.  Let.  15. 

condescension  to  the  weakness  of  our  faculties,  the  bre- 
vity of  our  lives,  and  our  ujany  avocations,  has  com- 
prised all  tiiC  knowledge  conducive  to  our  real  happi- 
ness in  four  comprehensive  volumes.  The  hrst,  which 
may  be  considered  as  the  text,  is  cheap,  portable,  and 
compendious,  so  that  hardly  any  person  in  our  favoured 
land,  who  is  apprised  of  its  worth,  need  be  w  ithout  it ; 
and  the  other  three,  which  are  the  best  and  tulkst  com- 
mentaries upon  this,  are  always  at  hand  for  our  pe- 
rusal, and  pressing  upon  our  attention  in  every  place 
and  circumstiince  of  our  lives. 

It  w\\\  be  easily  apprehended,  that  by  the  first  book 
or  volume,  I  mean  that  perfect  and  infallible  system  of 
truth,  the  Bible.  The  internal  characters  of  this  book, 
arising  from  its  comprehensiveness,  simplicit}',  majesty, 
and  autliority,  sufiiciently  prove  to  every  enlightened 
mind,  that  it  is  given  by  inspiration  of  God.  They 
■who  are  competent  judges  of  this  evidence,  are  no  more 
disturbed  by  the  suggestions  of  some  men  reputed  wise, 
that  it  is  of  human  composition,  than  if  they  were  told 
that  men  had  inv(  nted  the  sun,  and  placed  it  in  the  fir- 
mament. Its  fulness  speaks  its  author.  No  case  has 
yet  occurred,  or  ever  will,  for  which  there  is  not  a  suf- 
ficient provision  made  in  this  invaluable  treasury.  Here 
Ave  ma\  seek,  (and  we  shall  not  seek  in  vain,)  w  herewith 
to  combat  and  vanquish  every  error,  to  illustrate  and 
confirm  every  spiritual  truth.  Plere  are  promises  suited 
to  every  want,  directions  adapted  to  every  doubt  that 
can  possibly  ari^e.  Mere  is  milk  for  babes,  meat  for 
strong  men,  medicines  for  the  wounded,  refreshment  for 
the  weary.  The  general  lii?;tory  of  all  nations  and 
ages,  and  the  particular  experience  of  each  private  be- 
liever, friMij  the  beginning  to  the  end  ol  time,  arc  won- 
derfully comprised  in  this  single  volume  ;  so  that  who- 


Let.  15.  On  a  Christian  Library.  213 

ever  reads  and  improves  it  aright,  may  discover  his 
state,  his  progress,  his  temptations,  his  danger,  and  his 
duty,  as  distinctly  and  minutely  marked  out,  as  if  the 
Avhole  had  been  written  for  him  alone.  In  this  respect, 
as  well  as  in  many  others,  great  is  tlie  mystery  of  god- 
liness. 

The  simplicity,  as  well  as  the  subject-matter  of  the 
Bible,  evinces  its  divine  original.  Though  it  has  depths 
sufficient  to  embarrass  and  confound  the  proudest  ef- 
forts of  unsanctitied  reason,  it  does  not,  as  to  its  gene- 
ral import,  require  an  elevated  genius  to  understand  it, 
but  is  equally  addressed  to  the  level  of  every  capacity. 
As  its  contents  are  of  universal  concernment,  they  are 
proposed  in  such  a  manner  as  to  engage  and  satisfy  the 
inquiries  of  all ;  and  the  learned,  with  respect  to  their 
own  personal  interest,  have  no  advantage  above  the  ig- 
norant. That  it  is  in  fact  read  by  many  w\\o  receive 
no  instruction  or  benefit  from  it,  is  M'hoUy  owino;  to 
their  inattention  or  vanity.  This  event  may  rather  ex- 
cite grief  than  wonder.  The  Bible  teaches  us  to  expect 
it.  It  forewarns  us,  that  the  natural  man  cannot  re- 
ceive the  things  of  God,  can  neither  understand  nor  ap- 
prove them.  It  points  out  to  us  the  necessity  of  a  hea- 
venly teacher,  the  Holy  Spirit,  who  has  promised  t9 
guide  those  w  ho  seek  him  by  prayer  into  all  necessary 
truth.  They  who  implore  his  assistance,  find  the  seals 
opened,  the  veil  taken  away,  and  the  way  of  salvation 
made  plain  before  them. 

The  language  of  the  Bible  is  likewise  clothed  with 
inimitable  majesty  and  authority.  God  speaks  in  it, 
and  reveals  the  glory  of  his  pertections,  his  sovereignty, 
holiness,  justice,  goodness,  and  grace,  in  a  manner  m  or- 
thy  of  hiujself,  though  at  the  same  time  admirably 
adapted  to  our  weakness.     The  most  laboured  efforts 


:^14  On  a  &linstia7i  Library.  Let.  15. 

of  human  genius  are  flat  and  languid,  in  comparison  of 
those  parts  oi  tlie  Bible  which  are  designed  to  give  us 
due  apprehensions  of  the  God  with  whom  we  have  to 
do.  Where  shall  we  find  such  instances  of  the  true 
sublime,  the  great,  the  marvellous,  the  beautiful,  the 
pathetic,  as  in  the  Holy  Scriptures  ?  Again,  the  ef- 
fects which  it  performs  demonstrate  it  to  be  the  Mord 
of  God.  With  a  powerful  and  penetrating  energy^ 
it  alarms  and  pierces  the  conscience,  discovers  the 
thoughts  and  intents  of  the  heart,  convinces  the  most 
obstinate,  and  makes  the  most  careless  tremble.  With 
equal  authority  and  efficacy,  it  speaks  peace  to  the 
troubled  mind,  heals  the  wounded  spirit,  and  can  im- 
part a  joy  unspeakable  and  full  of  glory,  in  the  midst  of 
the  deepest  distress.  It  teaches,  persuades,  comforts, 
and  reproves,  with  an  authority  that  can  neither  be  dis- 
puted nor  evaded  ;  and  often  communicates  more  light, 
motives,  and  influence,  by  a  single  sentence,  to  a  plain  . 
unlettered  believer,  than  he  could  derive  from  the  vo- 
luminous commentaries  of  the  learned.  In  a  word,  it 
answers  the  character  the  apostle  gives  it :  *'  It  is  able 
"  to  make  us  w  ise  unto  salvation  ;  it  is  completely  and 
"  alone  sufficient  to  make  the  man  of  God  perfect, 
''  thoroughly  furnished  for  every  good  -work."  The 
doctrines,  histories,  prophecies,  promises,  precepts,  ex- 
hortations, examples,  and  warnings,  contained  in  the 
Bible,  form  a  perfect  avhole,  a  complete  summary  of 
the  will  of  God  concerning  us,  in  which  nothing  is  want- 
ing, nothing  is  superfluous. 

The  second  volume  which  deserves  our  study  is  the 
book  of  Creation.  "  The  heavens  declare  the  glory  of 
^^  God,  and  the  firmament  showeth  his  handy-work  :" 
nor  can  we  cast  our  eyes  any  where,  without  meeting 
innumerable  proofs  of  his  wisdom,  power,  goodness,  and 


Let.  15.  On  a  Christian  Library.  215 

presence.  God  is  revealed  in  the  least  as  well  as  in  the 
greatest  of  his  works.  The  sun  and  the  glow-worm,  the 
fabric  of  the  universe,  and  each  single  blade  of  grass, 
are  equally  the  effects  of  divine  power.  The  lines  of 
this  book,  though  very  beautiful  and  expressive  in  them- 
selves, are  not  immediately  legible  by  fallen  man.  The 
works  of  creation  may  be  compared  to  a  fair  character 
in  cypher,  of  which  the  Bible  is  the  key ;  and  without 
this  key  they  cannot  be  understood.  This  book  was 
always  open  to  the  Heathens  ;  but  they  could  not  read 
it,  nor  discern  the  proofs  of  his  eternal  power  and  god- 
head which  it  affords.  "  They  became  vain  in  their 
''  own  imaginations,  and  worshipped  the  creature  more 
"  than  the  Creator."  The  case  is  much  the  same  at 
this  day  with  many  reputed  wise,  whose  hearts  are  not 
subjected  to  the  authority  of  the  Bible.  The  study  of 
the  works  of  God,  independent  of  his  word,  though 
dignified  with  the  name  oi  philosophy,  is  no  better  than 
an  elaborate  trifling  and  waste  of  time.  It  is  to  be 
feared  none  are  more  remote  from  the  true  knowledge 
of  God,  than  many  of  those  who  value  themselves  most 
upon  their  supposed  knowledge  of  his  creatures.  They 
may  speak  in  general  terms  of  his  wisdom ;  but  they 
live  without  him  in  the  world ;  and  their  philosophy 
cannot  teach  them  either  to  love  or  serve,  to  fear  or 
trust  him.  They  who  know  God  in  his  word,  may  find 
both  pleasure  and  profit  in  tracing  his  wisdom  in  his 
T\'orks,  if  their  inquiries  are  kept  within  due  bounds^ 
and  in  a  proper  subservience  to  things  of  greater  im- 
portance ;  but  they  are  comparatively  few  who  have  lei- 
sure, capacity,  or  opportunity  for  these  inquiries.  Eut 
the  book  of  creation  is  designed  for  the  instruction  of 
all  believers.  If  they  are  not  qualified  to  be  astrono- 
mers or  anatomists,  yet  from  a  view  of  the  heavens,  the 


216  On  a  Christian  Library.  Let.  lb, 

■work  of  God's  fingers,  the  moon  and  the  stars,  which 
he  hath  created,  they  learn  to  conceive  of  his  conde- 
scension, power,  and  faithfidness.  Though  they  are 
unacquainted  with  the  theory  of  light  and  colours,  they 
can  see  in  the  rainbow  a  token  of  God's  covenant-love. 
Perhaps  thev  have  no  idea  of  the  magnitude  or  distance 
of  the  sun ;  but  it  reminds  them  of  Jesus  the  Son  of 
righteousness,  the  source  of  lidit  and  life  to  their  souls. 
The  Lord  has  established  a  wonderful  analogy  between 
the  natural  and  the  spiritual  world.  This  is  a  secret 
only  known  to  them  that  fear  him  ;  but  they  contem- 
plate it  with  pleasure;  and  almost  every  object  they  see, 
when  they  are  in  a  right  frame  of  mind,  either  leads 
their  thoughts  to  Jesus,  or  tends  to  illustrate  some 
Scriptural  truth  or  promise.  This  is  the  best  method 
of  studying  the  book  of  Nature  ;  and  for  this  purpose 
it  is  always  open  and  plain  to  those  who  love  the  Bible, 
so  that  he  who  runs  may  read. 

The  book  of  Providence  is  the  third  volume,  by 
which  those  who  fear  the  Lord  are  instructed.  This 
likewise  is  inextricable  and  unintelligible  to  the  wisest 
of  men  who  are  not  governed  by  the  word  of  God. 
But  when  the  principles  of  Scripture  are  admitted  and 
understood,  they  throw  a  pleasinii  light  upon  the  study 
of  Divine  Providence,  and  at  the  same  time  are  con- 
firmed and  illustrated  by  it.  Wliat  we  read  in  the 
Bible,  of  the  sovereignty,  wisdom,  power,  omniscience, 
and  omnipresence  of  God,  of  his  over-ruling  all  events 
to  the  accomplishment  of  his  counsels  and  the  mani- 
festation of  his  glory,  of  the  care  he  maintains  of  his 
church  and  people,  and  of  his  attention  to  their  prayers, 
is  exemplified  by  the  history  of  nations  and  families, 
and  the  daily  occurrences  of  private  life.  The  believer 
receives  hourly  and  indubitable  proofs  that  the   Lord 


Let.  15.  On  a  Christian  Lib  ary.  '■ZVl 

reigns  ;  that  verily  there  is  a  God  that  judges  the  earth. 
Hence  arises  a  solid  confidence  :  he  sees  that  his  con- 
cerns are  in  safe  hands  ;  and  he  needs  not  be  afraid  of 
evil  tidings  ;  his  heart  is  fixed  trusting  in  the  Lord  : 
while  others  live  at  an  uncertainty,  exposed  to  the  im- 
pression of  every  new  appearance,  and,  like  a  ship  in  a 
storm,  Mithout  rudder  or  pilot,  abandoned  to  the  power 
of  the  x'l  inds  and  waves.  In  the  history  of  Joseph,  and 
in  the  Book  of  Esther,  and  indeed  throughout  the  Bible, 
we  have  specimens  of  the  wise  unerring  providence  of 
God  :  what  important  consequences  depend,  under  his 
management,  upon  the  smallest  events ;  and  with  what 
certaintv  seemins  contino-encies  are  directed  to  the  issue 
which  he  has  appointed.  By  these  authentic  specimens 
we  learn  to  judge  of  the  whole;  and  with  still  greater 
advantage  by  the  light  of  the  New  Testament,  which 
shows  us,  that  the  administration  of  all  power  in  heaven 
and  earth  is  in  the  hands  of  Jesus.  The  government  is 
upon  his  shoulders  :  the  King  of  Saints  is  King  of  na- 
tions. King  of  kings,  and  Lord  of  lords  :  not  a  spar- 
row falls  to  the  ground,  nor  a  hair  from  our  heads, 
without  his  cognizance  ;  and  though  his  ways  are  higher 
than  our  ways,  and  his  thoughts  than  our  thoughts; 
though  his  agency  is  vailed  from  the  eye  of  sense  by 
the  intervention  of  second  causes  \  yet  faith  perceives, 
acknowledges,  admires,  and  trusts  his  management. 
This  study,  like  the  former,  does  not  require  superior 
natural  abilities,  but  is  obvious  to  the  weakest  and 
meanest  of  his  people,  so  far  as  their  own  duty  and 
peace  are  concerned. 

The  fourth  volume  is  the  book  of  the  Heart,  or  of 
Humun  Nature,  comprehending  the  experience  of  what 
passes  within  our  ow  n  breasts,  and  the  observations  we 
make  upon  the  principles  and  conduct  of  others,  cora- 

VoL.  L  2  F 


318  On  a  Chrht'ian  Library.  Lrl.  15. 

pared  with  what  we  read  in  the  word  of  God.  Tlie 
heart  of  man  is  deep  ;  but  all  its  principles  and  work- 
ings, in  every  possible  situation,  and  the  various  man- 
ners in  which  it  is  affected  by  sin,  by  Satan,  by  worldly 
objects,  and  by  grace,  in  solitude  and  in  company,  in 
prosperity  and  in  affliction,  are  disclosed  and  unfolded 
in  the  Scripture.  JNlany  who  are  proud  of  tlieir  know- 
ledge of  what  they  might  be  safely  ignorant  of,  arc  utter 
strangers  to  themselves.  Having  no  acquaintance  with 
the  Scripture,  they  have  neither  skill  nor  inclination  to 
look  into  their  own  hearts,  nor  any  certain  criterion 
whereby  to  judge  of  the  conduct  of  human  life.  But 
the  Sible  teaches  us  to  read  this  mysterious  book  also ; 
shows  us  the  source,  nature,  and  tendency,  of  our 
hopes,  fears,  desires,  pursuits,  and  perplexities  ;  the 
reasons  why  we  cannot  be  happy  in  ourselves,  and  the 
vanity  and  insufficiency  of  every  thing  around  us  to  help 
us.  The  rest  and  happiness  proposed  in  the  Gospel, 
is  likewise  found  to  be  exactly  suitable  to  the  desires 
and  necessities  of  the  awakened  heart ;  and  the  conduct 
of  those  who  reject  this  salvation,  as  well  as  the  gracious 
effects  produced  in  those  who  receive  it,  prove  to  a  de- 
monstration, that  the  word  of  God  is  indeed  a  discerner 
of  the  thoughts  and  intents  of  the  heart. 

My  limits  will  admit  but  of  a  few  hints  upon  these 
extensive  subjects.  I  shall  only  observe,  that  whoever 
is  well  read  in  these  four  books,  is  a  \\ise  person,  how 
little  soever  he  may  know  of  what  the  men  of  the  world 
call  science.  On  the  other  hand,  though  a  man  should 
be  master  of  the  whole  circle  of  classical,  polite,  and 
philosophical  knowledge,  if  he  has  no  taste  for  the 
Bible,  and  has  no  ability  to  apply  it  to  the  works  of 
creation  and  providence,  and  his  own  experience,  he 
knows  nothing  yet  as  he  ought  to  know.    I  have  pointed 


Let.  IG.  On  the  Inefficacy  of  Knowledge.  219 

out  a  treasure  of  more  worth  than  all  the  volumes  in 
tljc  \"atican. 

I  am,  &c. 


LETTER  XV  L 

On  the  IncJJlcncij  of  our  Knoa'lcdgr. 
Dear  Sir, 

T 

A  O  l)e  enabled  to  form  a  clear,  consistent,  and  com- 
prehensive judgment  of  the  truths  revealed  in  the 
Scripture,  is  a  great  privilege  ;  but  they  who  possess  it 
are  exposed  to  the  temptation  of  thinking  too  highly  of 
themselves,  and  too  meanly  of  others,  especially  of 
those  who  not  only  refuse  to  adopt  their  sentiments, 
but  venture  to  oppose  ttem.  We  see  few  controver- 
sial writings,  however  excellent  in  other  respects,  but 
are  tinctured  with  this  spirit  of  self-superiority ;  and 
they  who  are  not  called  to  this  service,  if  they  are  at- 
tentive to  what  passes  in  their  hearts,  may  feel  it  work- 
ing within  them,  upon  a  thousand  occasions  ;  though, 
so  far  as  it  prevails,  it  brings  forcibly  home  to  ourselves 
the  charge  of  ignorance  and  inconsistence,  which  we  are 
so  ready  to  fix  upon  our  opponents.  I  know  nothing 
as  a  means  more  likely  to  correct  this  evil,  than  a  se- 
rious consideration  of  the  amazing  difference  between 
our  acquired  judgment,  and  our  actual  experience  ;  or, 
in  other  words,  how  little  influence  our  knowledge  and 
judgment  have  upon  our  own  conduct.  This  may 
confirm  to  us  the  truth  and  propriety  of  the  apostle's 
observation,  "  If  any  man  think  that  he  knoweth  any 
"  thing,  he  knoweth  nothing  yet  as  he  ought  to  know." 
Not  that  we  are  bound  to  be  insensible  that  the  Lord 


220  On  the  Inefficaaj  of  Knoivledge.  Let.  16. 

has  taught  us  what  we  were  once  ignorant  of ;  nor  is  it 
possible  that  we  should  be  so  ;  but  because,  if  we  esti- 
mate our  knowledore  bv  its  effects,  and  value  it  no  fur- 
ther  than  it  is  experimental  and  operative,  (which  is  the 
proper  standard  whereby  to  try  it,)  we  shall  find  it  so 
faint  and  feeble  as  hardly  to  deserve  the  name. 

How  firmly,  for  instance,  are  we  persuaded,  in  our 
judgments,  that  God  is  omnipresent !  Great  as  the 
difficulties  may  be  which  attend  our  conceptions  of  this 
point,  the  truth  itself  is  controverted  by  few.  It  is  ge- 
nerally acknowledged  by  unawakened  persons  ;  and  1 
may  add,  too  frequently  known  even  by  believers,  as  if 
they  knew  it  not.  If  the  eyes  of  the  Lord  are  in  every 
place,  how  strong  a  guard  should  this  thought  be  upon 
the  conduct  of  those  who  profess  to  fear  him  !  We 
know  how  we  are  often  affected  when  in  the  presence 
of  a  fellovt'-worm  ;  if  he  is  one  on  whom  we  depend, 
or  who  is  considerably  our  superior  in  life,  how  careful 
are  we  to  compose  our  behaviour,  and  to  avoid  what- 
ever might  be  deemed  improper  or  oftensivc  !  Is  it  not 
strange  that  those  who  have  taken  their  ideas  of  the  di- 
vine majesty,  holiness,  and  purity,  from  the  Scriptures, 
and  are  not  wholly  insensible  of  their  inexpressible  obli- 
gations to  regulate  all  they  say  or  do  by  his  precepts, 
should  upon  many  occasions  be  betrayed  into  impro- 
prieties of  behaviorir,  from  which  the  presence  of  a  no- 
bleman, or  prince,  would  have  effectually  restrained 
them,  yea,  sometimes  perhaps  even  the  presence  of  a 
child  r  Even  in  tlie  exercise  of  prayer,  by  w  hich  we 
profess  to  draw  near  the  Lord,  the  consideration  that 
his  eye  is  upon  us  has  little  power  to  engage  our  atten- 
tion, or  prevent  our  thoughts  from  wandering,  like  the 
fooFs  eyes,  to  the  ends  of  the  earth.  What  should  wc 
think  of  a  person,  who,  being  admitted  into  the  king's 


Let.   16.  Oil  the  Incfficacy  of  Kno-a'Iedgr.  221 

presence,  upon  business  of  the  greatest  importance^ 
should  break  oft"  in  the  midst  of  his  address,  to  pursue 
a  butterfly  ?  Could  such  an  instance  of  weakness  be 
met  with,  it  would  be  but  a  faint  emblem  of  the  incon- 
sistencies which  they  who  are  acquainted  with  their 
own  hearts  can  often  charge  themselves  with  in  prayer. 
They  are  not  wholly  ignorant  in  what  a  frame  of  spkit 
it  becomes  a  needy  dependent  sinner  to  approach  that 
God,  before  whom  the  angels  are  represented  as  vail- 
ing their  faces  :  yet,  in  defiance  of  their  better  judg- 
ment, their  attention  is  diverted  from  him  with  whom 
they  have  to  do,  to  the  merest  trifles  ;  they  are  not  able 
to  realize  that  presence  with  which  they  believe  them- 
selves to  be  surrounded,  but  speak  as  if  they  were 
speaking  into  the  air.  Further,  if  our  sense  that  God 
is  always  present  uas  in  any  good  measure  answerable 
to  the  conviction  of  our  judgment,  would  it  not  be  an 
effectual  preservative  from  the  many  importunate  though 
groundless  fears  with  v.hich  we  are  harassed  ?  He  savs, 
"  Fear  not,  I  am  with  thee  ;*'  he  promises  to  be  a  shield 
and  a  guard  to  those  who  put  their  trust  in  him ;  yet, 
though  we  profess  to  believe  his  word,  and  to  hope  that 
he  is  our  protector,  we  seldom  think  ourselves  safe  even 
in  the  path  of  duty,  a  moment  longer  than  danger  is 
kept  out  of  our  view.  Little  reason  have  we  to  value 
ourselves  upon  our  knowledge  of  this  indisputable  truth, 
when  it  has  no  more  effective  and  habitual  influence 
upon  our  conduct. 

The  doctrine  of  God's  sovereignty  likewise,  though 
not  so  generally  owned  as  the  former,  is  no  less  fully- 
assented  to  by  those  who  are  called  Ca/i'iiiists.  \Ve 
zealously  contend  for  this  point,  in  our  debates  with 
the  Arm'udans ;  and  are  ready  to  wonder  that  any 
should  be  hardy  enough  to  dispute  the  Creator's  ri"lit 


'2i2  On  the  Incfjicacy  of  Kmvcledge.  Let.  16. 

to  do  what  he  will  with  his  own.  While  we  are  only 
engaged  in  defence  of  the  election  of  grace^  and  have  a 
comfortable  hope  tiiat  we  are  ourselves  of  that  number, 
we  seem  so  convinced,  by  the  arguments  the  Scripture 
affords  us  in  support  of  this  truth,  that  we  can  hardly 
forbear  charging  our  adversaries  with  perverse  obsti- 
nacy and  pride,  for  opposing  it.  Undoubtedly  the 
ground  of  this  opposition  lies  in  the  pride  of  the  human 
heart :  but  this  evil  principle  is  not  confined  to  any 
party ;  and  occasions  frequently  arise,  when  they  who 
contend  for  the  divine  sovereignty,  are  a  little  more  prac- 
tically influenced  by  it  than  their  opponents.  This  hu- 
miliating doctrine  concludes  as  strongly  for  submission 
to  the  will  of  God,  under  every  circumstance  of  life,  as 
it  does  for  our  acquiescing  in  his  purpose  to  have  mercy 
on  whom  he  will  have  mercy.  But,  alas  !  how  often 
do  vve  find  ourselves  utterly  unable  to  apply  it,  so  as  to 
reconcile  our  spirits  to  those  afflictions  which  he  is 
pleased  to  allot  us.  So  far  as  we  are  enabled  to  say, 
when  we  are  exercised  with  poverty,  or  heavy  losses  or 
crosses,  "  I  was  dumb  and  opened  not  my  mouth,  be- 
"  cause  thou  didst  it,"  so  far,  and  no  further,  are  we 
truly  convinced,  that  God  has  a  sovereign  right  to  dis- 
pose of  us,  and  all  our  concernments,  as  he  pleases. 
How  often,  and  how  justly,  at  such  seasons,  might  the 
argument  we  offer  to  others,  as  sufficient  to  silence  all 
their  objections,  be  retorted  upon  ourselves,  "  Nay, 
"  but  who  art  thou,  O  man,  who  repliest  against  God? 
"  Sliall  the  tiling  formed  say  unto  him  that  formed  it, 
"  Why  hast  thou  made  me  thus?"  A  plain  proof  that 
our  knowledge  is  more  notional  than  experimental. 
What  an  inconsistence,  that  while  we  think  God  is  just 
and  righteous,  in  withholding  from  others  tlie  things 
which  pertain  to  their  everlasting  peace,  we  should  find 


Let.  10.  On  the  Inefficccy  of  Knoxdodge.  223 

it  so  hard  to  submit  to  his  dispensations  to  ourselves 
in  matters  of  unspeakably  less  importance  ! 

But  the  Lord's  appointments,  to  those  who  fear  him, 
are  not  only  sovereign,  but  wise  and  gracious.  He  has 
connected  their  good  with  his  own  glory,  and  is  en- 
gaged, by  promise,  to  make  all  things  work  together 
for  their  advantage.  He  chooses  for  his  people  better 
than  they  could  choose  for  themselves  :  if  they  are  in 
heaviness,  there  is  a  need-be  for  it,  and  he  withholds 
nothing  from  them  but  what,  upon  the  whole,  it  is  bet- 
ter they  should  be  without.  Thus  the  Scriptures  teach, 
and  thus  we  profess  to  believe.  Furnished  with  these 
principles,  wc  are  at  no  loss  to  suggest  motives  of  pa- 
tience and  consolation  to  our  brethren  tliat  are  afflicted; 
we  can  assure  them,  vvithout  hesitation,  that  if  they  are 
interested  in  the  promises,  their  concerns  are  in  safe 
hands  ;  that  the  things  which  at  present  are  not  joyous 
but  grievous,  shall  in  due  season  yield  the  peaceful 
fruits  of  righteousness,  and  that  their  trials  are  as  cer- 
tainly mercies  as  their  comforts.  We  can  prove  to 
them,  from  the  history  of  Joseph,  David,  Job,  and 
other  instances  recorded  in  Scripture,  that  notwith- 
standing any  present  dark  appearances,  it  shall  certainly 
be  well  with  the  riorhteous  ;  that  God  can  and  will  make 
crooked  things  straight ;  and  that  he  often  produces  the 
greatest  good  from  those  events  which  we  are  apt  to 
look  upon  as  evil.  From  hence  we  can  infer,  not  only 
the  sinfalness,  but  the  folly  of  finding  fault  with  any  of 
his  dispensations.  We  can  tell  them,  that  at  the  worst 
the  sufferings  of  the  present  life  ai-e  not  worthy  to  be 
compared  with  the  glory  that  shall  be  revealed ;  and 
that  therefore,  under  the  greatest  pressures,  they  should 
so  weep  as  those  who  expect  in  a  little  time  to  have  all 
their  tears  wiped  away.     But  when  the  case  is  our  own, 


3.24  On  the  hwfficacij  of  Knoidedgc.  Let.  JG. 

when  vvc  are  troubled  ou  every  side,  or  touched  in  the 
tenderest  part,  how  difficult  is  it  to  feel  the  force  of 
these  reasonings,  though  we  know  they  are  true  to  a  de- 
monstration? Then,  unless  we  are  endued  with  fresh 
strength  from  on  high,  we  are  as  liable  to  complain  and 
despond,  as  if  we  thought  our  afflictions  sprung  out  of 
the  i2;i*ound,  and  the  Lord  had  fori2;otten  to  be  ^ra- 
cious. 

I  might  proceed  to  show  the  difference  between  our 
judgment  when  most  enlightened,  and  actual  expe- 
rience, with  respect  to  every  spiritual  truth.  We  know 
there  is  no  proportion  between  time  and  eternit}',  be- 
tween God  and  the  creature,  the  favour  of  the  Lord  and 
the  favour  or  the  frowns  of  men  ;  and  yet  often,  when 
these  things  are  brought  into  close  competition,  we  are 
sorely  put  to  it  to  keep  steadfast  in  the  path  of  duty ; 
nay,  without  new  supplies  of  grace,  we  should  certainly 
fail  in  the  tune  of  trial,  and  our  knowledge  would  have 
no  other  effect  than  to  render  our  guilt  more  inexcusa- 
ble. We  seem  to  be  as  sure  that  \ve  are  Aveak,  sinful, 
fallible  creatures,  as  we  are  that  we  exist;  and  yet  we 
are  prone  to  act  as  if  we  were  wise  and  good.  In  a 
word,  we  cannot  deny,  that  a  great  part  of  our  know- 
ledge is  as  I  have  described  it,  like  the  light  of  the  moon, 
destitute  of  heat  and  influence  ;  and  yet  we  can  hardly 
help  thinking  of  ourselves  too  highly  upon*the  account 
of  it. 

May  we  not  say  m  itli  the  Psalmist,  "  Lord,  what  is 
"  man  !"  yea,  what  an  enigma,  what  a  poor  inconsist- 
ent creature  is  a  believer  !  In  one  view,  how  great  is 
his  character  and  privilege !  lie  knows  the  Lord  ;  he 
knows  himself.  His  understanding  is  enlightened  to 
apprehend  and  ^contemplate  the  great  mysteiies  of  the 
Gospel.     He  has  just  ideas  of  the  evil  of  sin,  the  vanity 


Let.  16.  On  the  Inefficaaj  of  Knoxdcdge.  225 

of  the  world,  the  beauties  of  holiness,  and  the  nature 
of  true  happiness.  He  was  once  "  darkness?  but  now 
"  he  is  light  in  the  Lord."  He  has  access  to  God 
by  Jesus  Christ ;  to  whom  he  is  united,  and  in  whom 
he  lives  by  faith.  While  the  principles  he  has  received 
are  enlivened  by  the  agency  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  he  can 
do  all  things.  He  is  humble,  gentle,  patient,  watchful, 
faithful.  He  rejoices  in  afflictions,  triumphs  over  temp- 
tation, lives  upon  the  foretastes  of  eternal  glory,  and 
counts  not  his  life  dear,  so  he  may  glorify  God  his  Sa- 
viour, and  finish  his  course  with  joy.  But  his  strength 
is  not  his  own ;  he  is  absolutely  dependent,  and  is  still 
encompassed  with  infirmities,  and  burdened  with  a  de- 
praved nature.  If  the  Lord  withdraws  his  power,  he 
becomes  weak  as  another  man,  and  drops,  as  a  stone 
sinks  to  the  earth  by  its  own  weight.  His  inherent 
knowledge  may  be  compared  to  the  windows  of  a 
house,  which  can  transmit  the  light,  but  cannot  re- 
tain it.  Without  renewed  and  continual  communica- 
tions from  the  Spirit  of  grace,  he  is  unable  to  withstand 
the  smallest  temptation,  to  endure  the  slightest  trial,  to 
perform  the  least  service  in  a  due  manner,  or  even  to 
think  a  good  thought.  He  knows  this,  and  yet  he  too 
often  forgets  it.  But  the  Lord  reminds  him  of  it  fre- 
quently, by  suspending  that  assistance  without  which  he 
can  do  nothing.  Then  he  feels  what  he  is,  and  is  easily 
prevailed  upon  to  act  in  contradiction  to  his  better  judg- 
ment. Thus  repeated  experience  of  his  own  weakness 
teaches  him  by  degrees  where  his  strength  lies  ;  that  it 
is  not  in  any  thing  that  he  has  already  attained,  or  can 
call  his  own,  but  in  the  grace,  power,  and  faithfulness 
of  his  Saviour.     He  learns  to  cease  from  his  own  un- 

derstandmg,  to  be  ashamed  of  his  best  endeavours,  te 
Vol.  \.  <l  G 


226  On  a  Believer'' s  Frames.  Let.  17. 

abhor  himself  in  dust  and  ashes,  and  to  glory  only  in 
the  Lord. 

From  hence  we  may  observe,  that  believers  who 
have  most  knowledge,  are  not  therefore  necessarily  the 
most  spiritual.  Some  may  and  do  walk  more  honour- 
ably ^nd  more  comfortably  with  two  talents,  than  others 
with  live.  He  who  experimentally  knows  his  own  weak- 
ness, and  depends  simply  upon  the  Lord,  will  surely  thrive 
though  his  acquired  attainments  and  abilities  may  be  but 
small :  and  he  who  has  the  greatest  gifts,  the  clearest 
judgment,  and  the  most  extensive  knowledge,  if  he  in- 
dulges high  thoughts  of  his  advantages,  is  in  imminent 
danger  of  mistaking,  and  falling  at  every  step  ;  for  the 
Lord  will  suffer  none  whom  he  loves  to  boast  in  them- 
selves. He  will  guide  the  meek  with  his  eye,  and  fill 
the  hungry  with  good  things  ;  but  the  rich  he  sendeth 
empty  away.  It  is  an  invariable  maxim  in  his  king- 
dom. That  whosoever  exalteth  himself,  shall  be  abased  : 
but  he  that  humbleth  himself,  shall  be  exalted. 

I  am,  &c. 


LETTER  XVn. 

0)1  a  Delievcr'^s  Frames. 
Dear  Sir, 

X  OU  ask  me,  in  your  letter,  What  should  one  do 
when  one  finds  one's  self  always  still,  quiet,  and  stupid, 
except  in  the  pulpit;  is  made  useful  there,  but  cannot 
get  either  comfort  or  sorrow  out  of  it,  or  but  very  rarely? 
You  describe  a  case  w  hich  my  own  experience  has  made 
very  familiar  to  me  :  I  shall  take  the  occasion  to  offer 


Let.  17.  On  a  Believer's  Frames,  227 

you  a  few  miscellaneous  thoughts  upon  the  subject  of  a 
believer's  frames ;  and  I  send  them  to  you,  not  by  tlie 
post,  but  from  the  press  ;  because  I  apprehend  the  ex- 
ercise you  speak  of  is  not  peculiar  to  you  or  to  me,  but 
is  in  a  greater  or  less  degree  the  burden  of  all  who  are 
spiritually  minded,  and  duly  attentive  to  what  passes 
in  their  own  hearts,  whether  they  are  in  the  ministry 
or  not. 

As  you  intimate,  that  you  are  in  the  main  favoured 
■with  liberty  and  usefulness  in  the  pulpit,  give  me  leave 
to  ask  you,  What  you  would  do  if  you  did  not  find 
yourself  occasionally  poor,  insufficient,  and,  as  you  ex- 
press it,  stupid  at  other  times  ?  Are  you  aware  of  what 
might  be  the  possible,  the  probable,  the  almost  certain 
consequences,  if  you  always  found  your  spirit  enlarged, 
and  your  frames  lively  and  comfortable  ?  Would  you 
not  be  in  great  danger  of  being  puffed  up  with  spiritual 
pride?  Would  you  not  be  less  sensible  of  your  abso- 
lute dependence  upon  the  power  of  Christ,  and  of  your 
continual  need  of  his  blood,  pardon,  and  intercession  ? 
Would  you  not  be  quite  at  a  loss  to  speak  suitably  and 
feelingly  to  the  case  of  many  gracious  souls,  who  are 
groaning  under  those  effects  of  a  depraved  nature,  from 
which,  upon  that  supposition,  you  would  be  exempted.^ 
How  could  you  speak  properly  upon  the  deceitfulness 
of  tlic  heart,  if  you  did  not  feel  the  deceitfulness  of 
your  own,  or  adapt  yourself  to  the  changing  experiences 
through  which  your  hearers  pass,  if  you  yourself  were 
alwavs  alike,  or  nearly  so?  Or  how  could  you  speak 
pertinently  of  the  inward  warfare,  the  contrary  princi- 
ples of  flesh  and  spirit  fighting  one  against  another,  if 
your  own  spiritual  desires  were  always  vigorous  and 
successful,  and  met  with  little  opposition  or  control  ? 

The  apostle  Paul,  though  favoured  with  a  sinijular 


228  0)1  a  Believer's  Frames.  Let.  IT. 

eminency  in  grace,  felt  at  times  that  he  had  no  suffi- 
ciency in  hiinseh  so  much  as  to  think  a  good  thought; 
and  he  sau-  there  was  a  dauijer  of  his  being  exalted 
above  measure,  if  the  Lord  had  not  wisely  and  graci- 
ously tempered  his  dispensations  to  prevent  it.  By 
"  being  exalted  above  measure,"  perhaps  there  may  be 
a  reference  not  only  to  his  spirit,  lest  he  should  think 
more  highly  of  himself  ttian  he  ought,  but  likewise  to 
his  preaching,  lest,  not  having  the  same  causes  of  com- 
plaint and  humiliation  in  common  with  others,  he  should 
shoot  over  the  heads  of  his  hearers,  confine  himself 
chiefly  to  speak  of  such  comforts  and  privileges  as  he 
himself  enjoyed,  and  have  little  to  say  for  the  refresh- 
ment of  those  who  nere  discoura^ied  and  cast  down  by 
a  continual  conflict  vvith  indwellin':  sin.  The  angel  who 
appeared  to  Cornelius  did  not  preach  the  Gospel  to 
him,  but  directed  hiu)  to  send  for  Peter ;  for  though  the 
glory  and  grace  of  the  Saviour  seems  a  fitter  subject  for 
an  angel's  powers  than  tor  the  poor  stammering  tongues 
of  sinful  men,  yet  an  angel  could  not  preach  experi- 
mentally, nor  describe  the  warfare  between  grace  and 
sin  from  his  own  feelings.  And  if  we  could  suppose  a 
minister  as  full  of  comforts  and  as  free  from  failings  as 
an  angel,  though  he  would  be  a  good  and  happy  man, 
I  cannot  conceive  that  he  would  be  a  good  or  useful 
preacher;  for  he  would  not  know  how  to  sympathize 
with  the  weak  and  afflicted  of  the  flock,  or  to  comfort 
them  under  their  ditticulties  with  the  consolations  M'here- 
Avith  he  himself  in  similar  circumstances  had  been  com- 
forted of  God.  It  belongs  to  your  calling  of  God  as  a 
minister,  that  you  should  have  a  taste  of  the  various 
spiritual  trials  which  are  incident  to  the  Lord's  people, 
thai  thereby  you  may  possess  the  tongue  of  the  learned, 
and  know  how  to  speak  a  word  in  season  to  them  that 


Let.  17.  On  a  Believer's  Frames.  229 

are  weary ;  and  it  is  likewise  needful  to  keep  you  per- 
petually attentive  to  that  important  admonition,  "  With- 
*'  out  me  ye  can  do  nothing." 

Thus  much,  considering  you  as  a  minister.     But  we 
may  extend  the  subject  so  as  to  make  it  applicable  to 
believers  in  general.     I  would  observe,  therefore,  that 
it  is  a  sign  of  a  sad  declension,  if  one,  who  has  tasted 
that  the  Lord  is  gracious,  should  be  capable  of  being 
fully  satisfied  with  any  thing  short  of  the  light  of  his 
countenance,  which  is   better  than  life.     A  resting  in 
notions  of  Gospel-truth,  or,  in  the  recollection  of  past 
comforts,  without  a  continual  thirst  for  fresh  commu- 
nications from  the  fountain  of  life,  is,  I  am  afraid,  the 
canker  which  eats  away  the  beauty  and  fruitfulness  of 
many  professors  in  the  present  day  ;  and  which,  if  it 
does  not  prove  them  to  be  absolutely  dead,  is  at  least 
a  sufficient  evidence  that  they  are  lamentably  sick.    But 
if  we  are  conscious  of  the  desire^  if  we  seek  it  carefully 
in  the  use  of  all  appointed  means,  if  we  willingly  allow 
ourselves  in  nothing   which  has  a  known  tendency  to 
grieve  the  Spirit  of  God,  and  to  damp  our  sense  of  di- 
vine things  ;  then,  if  the   Lord  is   pleased  to  keep  us 
short  of  those  comforts  which  he  has  taught  us  to  prize, 
and,  instead  of  lively  sensations  of  joy  and  praise,  we 
feel  a  languor  and  deadness  of  spirit,  provided  we  do 
indeed  feel  it,  and  are  humbled  for  it,  we  have  no  need 
to  give  way  to  despondency  or  excessive  sorrow  ;  still 
the  foundation  of  our  hope,  and  the  ground  of  our  abid- 
ing joys   is  the  same ;  and  the  heart  may  be  as  really 
alive  to  God,  and  grace  as  truly  in  exercise,  when  we 
walk  in  comparative  darkness  and  see  little  light,  as 
when  the  frame  of  our  spirits  is   more   comfortable. 
Neither  the  reality  nor  the   measure  of  grace  can  be 
properly  estimated  by  the  degree  of  our  sensible  com- 


23(i  0?i  a  Believer's  Frames.  Let.  17. 

forts.  The  great  question  is,  How  we  are  practically 
influenced  by  the  word  of  God,  as  the  ground  of  our 
hope,  and  as  the  governing  rule  of  our  tempers  and 
conversation  ?  The  apostle  exhorts  believers  to  rejoice 
in  the  Lord  always.  He  well  knew  that  they  were  ex- 
posed to  trials  and  temptations,  and  to  much  trouble, 
from  an  evil  heart  of  unbeliet ;  and  he  prevents  the  ob- 
jections we  might  be  ready  to  make,  by  adding,  "  And 
*'  again,  I  say,  Rejoice ;"  As  if  he  had  said,  I  speak 
upon  mature  consideration  ;  I  call  upon  you  to  rejoice, 
not  at  some  times  only,  but  at  all  times  ;  not  only  v»hen 
upon  the  mount,  but  when  in  the  valley  ;  not  only  Avhen 
you  conquer,  but  while  you  are  fighting ;  not  only  when 
the  Lord  shines  upon  you.  but  when  he  seems  to  hide 
his  face.  When  he  enables  you  to  do  all  thinirs,  you 
are  no  better  in  yourselves  than  )0u  were  bclore ;  and 
when  you  feel  you  can  do  notliing,  you  are  no  worse. 
Your  experiences  will  vary;  but  his  love  and  promises 
are  always  unchancreable.  Thouiih  our  desires  ot  com- 
fort,  and  what  we  call  lively  frames,  cannot  be  too  im- 
portunate W' hile  tijey  are  regulated  by  a  due  submission 
to  his  will,  yet  they  may  be  inordinate  for  want  ot  such 
submission.  Sinlul  principles  may,  and  too  often  do, 
mix  with  and  defile  our  best  desiies.  1  have  often  de- 
lected tlie  two  vile  abominations  Self-will  and  Self- 
righteousness  insinuating  themselves  into  this  concern: 
like  Satan,  who  v.orks  by  them,  they  can  occasionally 
assume  the  appearance  of  an  angel  of  light.  I  have 
felt  an  impatience  in  my  spirit,  utterly  unsuitable  to  my 
state  as  a  binncr  and  a  beggar,  and  to  my  profession  of 
yielding  myself  and  all  my  concerns  to  the  Lord's  dis- 
posal. He  has  mcrcilully  convinced  me  that  I  labour 
under  a  complication  of  disorders,  summed  up  in  the 
word  .sill ;  he  has  graciously  revealed  himselt  to  me  as 


Let.   17.  On  a  Believer's  Frames.  231 

the  infallible  physician;  and  has  enabled  me,  as  such, 
to  commit  myself  to  him,  and  to  expect  my  cure  from 
his  hand  alone.  Yet  how  often,  instead  of  thankfully 
acceptinif  his  prescriptions,  have  I  foolishly  and  pre- 
sumptuously ventured  to  prescribe  to  him,  and  to  point 
out  how  I  would  have  him  deal  with  me  !  How  often 
have  I  thoutiht  somethinijf  was  necessary  Avhich  he  saw 
best  to  deny,  and  that  I  could  have  done  better  with- 
out those  dispensations  which  his  wisdom  appointed  to 
work  for  my  good  ?  lie  is  God,  and  not  man,  or  else 
he  would  have  been  weary  of  me,  and  left  me  to  my 
own  management  long  ago.  Hom'  inconsistent !  to  ac- 
knowledge  that  I  am  blind,  to  entreat  him  to  lead  me, 
and  yet  to  want  to  choose  my  own  way,  in  the  same 
breath  !  I  have  limited  the  Holy  One  of  Israel,  and 
not  considered  that  he  magnifies  his  wisdom  and  grace 
in  working  by  contraries,  and  bringing  good  out  of  seem- 
ing evil.  It  has  cost  me  something  to  bring  me  to  con- 
fess that  he  is  wiser  than  I ;  but  I  trust,  through  his 
blessing,  I  have  not  suffered  wholly  in  vain.  My  sen- 
sible comforts  have  not  been  great ;  the  proofs  I  have 
had  of  the  evils  of  my  sinful  nature,  my  incapacity  and 
aversion  to  good,  have  neither  been  few  nor  small ;  but 
by  these  unpromising  means  I  hope  he  has  made  his 
grace  and  salvation  precious  to  my  soul,  and  in  some 
measure  weaned  me  from  leaning  to  my  own  under- 
standing. 

Again,  self-righteousness  has  had  a  considerable  hand 
in  dictating  many  of  my  desires  for  an  increase  of  com- 
fort and  spiritual  strength.  I  have  wanted  some  stock  of 
my  own.  I  have  been  wearied  of  being  so  perpetually 
beholden  to  him,  necessitated  to  come  to  him  always 
in  the  same  strain,  as  a  poor  miserable  sinner.  I  coujd 
have  liked  to  have  done  something  for  myself  in  com- 


932  On  a  Believer's  Frames.  Let.  12". 

mon,  and  to  have  depended  upon  him  chiefly  upon  ex- 
traordinary occasions.  I  have  found,  indeed,  that  I 
could  do  nothing  without  his  assistance,  nor  any  thing 
even  with  it  but  what  I  have  reason  to  be  ashamed  of. 
If  this  had  only  humbled  me,  and  led  me  to  rejoice  in 
his  all-sufficiency,  it  would  have  been  well.  But  it  has 
often  had  a  different  effect,  to  make  me  sullen,  angry, 
and  discontented,  as  if  it  was  not  best  and  most  desira- 
ble that  he  should  have  all  the  glory  of  his  own  work, 
and  I  should  have  nothing  to  boast  of,  but  that  in  the 
Lord  I  have  righteousness  and  strength.  I  am  now 
learning  to  crlory  only  in  my  infirmities,  that  the  power 
of  Christ  may  rest  upon  me ;  to  be  content  to  be  no- 
thing, that  he  may  be  All  in  All.  But  I  find  this  a 
hard  lesson  ;  and  when  I  seem  to  have  made  some  pro- 
ficiency, a  slight  turn  in  my  spirit  throws  me  back,  and 
I  have  to  begin  all  again. 

There  is  an  inseparable  connexion  between  causes 
and  effects.  There  can  be  no  effect  without  a  cause, 
no  active  cause  without  a  proportionable  effect.  Now 
indwelling  sin  is  an  active  cause  ;  and  therefore  while  it 
remains  in  our  nature,  it  will  produce  effects  according 
to  its  strength.  Why  then  should  I  be  surprised  that  if 
the  Lord  suspends  his  influence  for  a  moment,  in  that 
moment  sin  will  discover  itself?  Why  should  I  wonder 
that  I  can  feel  no  lively  exercise  of  grace,  no  power  to 
raise  my  heart  to  God,  any  further  than  he  is  pleased 
to  work  in  me  mightily ;  any  more  than  wonder  that  I 
do  not  find  fire  in  the  bottom  of  a  well,  or  that  it  should 
not  be  day  when  the  sun  is  withdra^^Il  Irom  the  earth. 
Humbled  I  uuijbt  to  be,  to  find  I  am  so  totally  de- 
praved ;  but  not  discouraged,  since  Jesus  is  appointed 
to  rne  of  God,  wisdom,  lighteousness,  sanctificaiion, 
and  redemption ;  and  since  I  find  that,  in  the  midst  of 


Let.   17.  On  a  Believer'' s  Frames.  233 

all  thiiJ  darkness  and  deadness,  he  keeps  alive  the  prin- 
ciple of  grace  which  he  has  implanted  in  my  lieart. 

As  to  Mr.  Rutherford's  expression  which  you  men- 
tion, that  "  there  is  no  temptation  like  being  without 
'''  temptation  ;"  I  allow  it  in  a  qualified  sense,  that  is, 
it  is  better  of  the  two  to  suffer  from  Satan's  fiery  darts, 
than  to  be  lulled  asleep,  and  drawn  into  a  careless  se- 
curity, by  his  more  subtle,  though  less  perceptible  de- 
vices ;  so  as  to  grow  indifferent  to  the  means  of  grace, 
and  sink  into  a  worldly  spirit,  or,  like  the  church  of 
Laodicea,  to  imagine  ourselves  rich,  and  increased  in 
goods,  and  that  we  have  need  of  nothing.  But  I  am 
persuaded  this  is  not  your  case  ;  the  deadness  you  com- 
plain of,  and  which  is  a  burden  you  groan  under,  is  a 
very  different  thing.  And  I  advise  you  to  be  cautious 
iiow  you  indulge  a  desire  to  be  exercised  with  Satan's 
temptations,  as  supposing  they  would  be  conducive  to 
uiake  you  more  spiritual,  or  would  of  course  open  you 
a  way  to  greater  consolations.  If  you  have  such  a  de- 
sire, I  may  say  to  you  in  our  Lord's  words,  "  you 
"  know  not  what  you  ask."  He  w  ho  knows  our  weak- 
ness, and  the  power  of  our  adversary,  has  graciously 
directed  us  to  pray,  that  w-e  enter  not  into  temptation. 
Have  you  considered  what  the  enemy  can  do,  if  he  is 
permitted  to  come  in  like  a  flood  ?  In  one  hour  he 
could  raise  such  a  storm  as  would  put  you  to  your  wit's 
end.  He  could  bring  such  a  dark  cloud  over  your 
mind,  as  would  blot  out  all  remembrance  of  your  past 
comforts,  or  at  least  prevent  you  from  deriving  the  least 
support  from  them.  He  could  not  only  fight  against 
your  peace,  but  shake  the  very  foundations  of  your 
hope,  and  bring  you  to  question,  not  only  your  interest 
in  the  promises,  but  even  to  doubt  of  the  most  impor- 
tant and  fundamental  truths  upon  which  your  ho|:>es 

Vol.  I.  2  II 


23-^  On  Social  Fraycr.  Let.  18. 

have  been  built.  Be  thankful,  therefore,  if  the  Lord 
restrains  his  malice.  A  young  sailor  is  often  impatient 
of  a  short  calm  ;  but  the  experienced  mariner,  who  has 
been  often  tossed  with  tempests,  and  upon  the  point  of 
perishing,  will  seldom  wish  for  a  storm.  In  a  word, 
let  us  patiently  wait  upon  the  Lord,  and  be  content  tu 
follow  as  he  leads,  and  he  will  surely  do  us  good. 

I  am,  &c. 


LETTER  XVIIL 

TJioughts  on  the  Exercise  of  Social  Prayer^ 
Sir, 

X  ACCOUNT  it  a  great  mercy,  that  at  this  time,  wheo 
iniquity  so  generally  abounds,  there  is  a  number,  I  hope 
a  growing  number,  whose  eyes  aft'ect  their  hearts,  and 
who  are  stirred  up  to  unite  in  prayer  for  the  spread  of 
Gospel-knowledge,  and  a  blessing  upon  our  sinful  land. 
Meetings  for  social  prayer  are  frequent  in  different 
parts  of  the  kingdom,  and  amongst  various  denomina- 
tions of  Christians.  As  the  Lord  has  promised,  that 
when  he  prepares  the  heart  to  pray,  he  will  graciously 
incline  his  ear  to  hear,  who  can  tell  but  he  may  yet  be 
entreated  for  us,  and  avert  the  heavy  and  justly-de- 
served judgments  which  seem  to  hangover  us? 

It  is  much  to  be  desired,  that  our  hearts  might  be  so 
affected  with  a  sense  of  divine  things,  and  so  closely  en- 
gaged when  wc  are  worshipping  God,  that  it  might  not 
be  in  the  power  of  little  circumstances  to  interrupt  and 
perplex  us,  and  to  make  us  think  the  service  Mcari- 
sonie,  and  the  time  which  we  employ  in  it  tedious.  But 
as  our  inffrmities  are  many  and  great,  and  the  enemy  of 


Let.   IS.  On  Social  Prayer.  235 

our  souls  is  watchful  to  discompose  us,  if  care  is  not 
taken  bv  those  who  lead  in  social  prayer,  the  exercise 
which  is  approved  by  the  judgment,  may  become  a 
burden,  and  an  occasion  of  sin.  Complaints  of  this 
kind  are  frequent,  and  might  perhaps  be  easily  rectified, 
if  the  persons  chiefly  concerned  were  spoken  to  in  love. 
But  as  they  are  usually  the  last  who  hear  of  it,  it  may 
perhaps  be  of  service  to  communicate  a  few  remarks 
on  a  subject  of  such  general  concern. 

The  chief  fault  of  some  good  prayers  is,  that  they  are 
too  long  ;  not  that  I  think  we  should  pray  by  the  clock, 
and  limit  ourselves  precisely  to  a  certain  number  of 
minutes  ;  but  it  is  better  of  the  two,  that  the  hearers 
should  wish  the  prayer  had  been  longer,  than  spend 
half  or  a  considerable  part  of  the  time  in  wishing  it  was 
over.  This  is  frequently  owing  to  an  unnecessary  en- 
largement upon  every  circumstance  that  offers,  as  well 
as  to  the  repetition  of  the  same  things.  If  we  have  been 
copious  in  pleading  for  spiritual  blessings,  it  may  be 
best  to  be  brief  and  summary  in  the  article  of  inter- 
cession for  others  ;  or  if  the  frame  of  our  spirits,  or  the 
circumstances  of  affairs,  lead  us  to  be  more  large  and 
particular  in  laying  the  cases  of  others  before  the  Lord, 
respect  should  be  had  to  this  intention  in  the  former 
part  of  the  prayer.  There  are,  doubtless,  seasons  when 
the  Lord  is  pleased  to  favour  those  who  pray  with  a  pe- 
<'uliar  liberty  ;  they  speak  because  they  feel ;  they  ha^c 
a  wrestling  spirit,  and  hardly  know  how  to  leave  off. 
When  this  is  the  case,  they  who  join  with  them  are 
seldom  wearied,  though  the  prayer  should  be  protracted 
something  beyond  the  usual  limits.  But  I  believe  it  some- 
times happens,  both  in  praying  and  in  preaching,  that 
we  ^re  apt  to  spin  out  our  time  to  the  greatest  length, 
^hex\  we  have  in  realitj  the  least  to  say.  Long  prawrs 


236  On  Social  Fraycr.  Let.  18. 

should  in  general  be  avoided,  especially  where  several 
persons  are  to  pray  successively  ;  or  else  even  spiritual 
hearers  will  be  unable  to  keep  up  their  attention.  And 
here  I  would  just  notice  an  impropriety  we  sometimes 
meet  with,  that  when  a  person  gives  expectation  that 
he  is  just  going  to  conclude  his  pra^-er,  something  not 
thought  of  in  its  proper  place  occurring  that  instant  to 
his  mind,  leads  him  as  it  were  to  begin  again.  But  un- 
less it  is  a  matter  of  singular  importance,  it  would  be 
better  omitted  for  that  time. 

The  prayers  of  some  good  men  arc  more  like  preach- 
ing than  praying.  They  rather  express  the  Lord's  mind 
to  the  people,  than  the  desires  of  the  people  to  the 
Lord.  Indeed  this  can  hardly  be  called  prayer.  It 
might  in  another  place  stand  for  part  of  a  good  sermon ; 
but  will  afford  little  help  to  those  who  desire  to  pray 
•with  their  hearts.  Prayer  should  be  sententious,  and 
made  up  of  breathings  to  the  Lord,  either  of  confession, 
petition,  or  praise.  It  should  be  not  only  scriptural 
and  evangehcal,  but  experimental,  a  simple  and  unstu- 
died expression  of  the  wants  and  feelings  of  the  soul. 
It  will  be  so  if  the  heart  is  lively  and  aifected  in  the 
duty ;  it  must  be  so  if  the  edification  of  others  is  the 
point  in  view. 

Several  books  have  been  written  to  assist  in  the  gift 
and  exercise  of  prayer,  as  by  Dr.  Watts  and  others  ; 
and  many  useful  hints  may  be  borrowed  from  them  ; 
but  a  too  close  attention  to  the  method  and  transitions 
therein  recommended,  gives  an  air  of  study  and  forma- 
lity, and  offends  against  that  simplicity  which  is  so  es- 
sentially necessary  to  a  good  prayer,  that  no  degree  of 
acquired  abilities  can  compensate  for  the  want  of  it.  It 
is  possible  to  learn  to  pray  mechanically,  and  by  rule ; 
but  it  is  hardly  possible  to  do  so  with  acceptance,  and 


T.ct.   18.  On  Social  Prayer.  237 

benefit  to  others.  When  the  several  parts  of  invoca- 
tion, adoration,  confession,  petition,  &c.  foUov*'  each 
other  in  a  stated  order,  the  hearer's  mind  generallj^  goes 
before  the  speaker's  voice,  and  we  can  form  a  tolerable 
conjecture  what  is  to  come  next.  On  this  account  Ave 
often  find,  that  unlettered  people,  who  have  had  little 
or  no  help  from  books,  or  rather  have  not  been  fettered 
by  them,  can  pray  with  an  unction  and  savour  in  an 
impremeditated  way,  while  the  prayers  of  persons  of 
much  superior  abilities,  perhaps  even  of  ministers  them- 
selves, are,  though  accurate  and  regular,  so  dr^  and 
starched,  that  they  afford  little  either  of  pleasure  or 
profit  to  a  spiritual  mind.  The  spirit  of  prayer  is  the 
fruit  and  token  of  the  Spirit  of  adoption.  The  studied 
addresses  with  which  some  approach  the  throne  of 
grace,  remind  us  of  a  stranger's  coming  to  a  great  man's 
door  ;  he  knocks  and  waits,  sends  in  his  name,  and  goes 
through  a  course  of  ceremony,  before  he  gains  admit- 
tance ;  while  a  child  of  the  family  uses  no  ceremony  at 
all,  but  enters  freely  when  he  pleases,  because  he  knows 
he  is  at  home.  It  is  true,  we  ought  always  to  draw 
near  the  Lord  with  great  humiliation  of  spirit  and  a 
sense  of  our  unworthiness.  But  this  spirit  is  not  al- 
ways best  expressed  or  promoted  by  a  pompous  enu- 
meration of  the  names  and  titles  of  the  God  with  whom 
we  have  to  do,  or  by  fixing  in  our  minds  beforehand  the 
exact  order  in  which  we  propose  to  arrange  the  several 
parts  of  our  prayer.  Some  attention  to  method  may 
be  proper,  for  the  prevention  of  repetitions  ;  and  plain 
people  may  be  a  little  defective  in  it  sometimes ;  but 
this /iefect  will  not  be  half  so  tiresome  and  disagreea- 
ble as  a  studied  and  artificial  exactness. 

^vlan}',  perliaps  most  people  who  pray  in  public,  have 
some  favourite  word  or  expression  which  recurs  too 


S38  On  Social  Prayer .  Let.  38, 

often  in  their  prayers,  and  is  frequently  used  as  a  mere 
expletive,  having  no  necessary  connexion  with  the  sense 
of  what  they  are  speaking.  The  most  disagreeable  of 
these  is,  when  the  name  of  the  blessed  God,  with  the 
addition  of  perhaps  one  or  more  epithets,  as.  Great, 
Glorious,  Holy,  Almighty,  8^x.  is  introduced  so  often, 
and  without  necessity,  as  seems  neither  to  indicate  a 
due  reverence  in  the  person  who  uses  it,  nor  suited  to 
excite  reverence  in  those  who  hear.  I  will  not  say, 
that  this  is  taking  the  name  of  God  in  vain,  in  the  usual 
sense  of  the  phrase  :  it  is,  however,  a  great  impropriety, 
and  should  be  guarded  against.  It  would  be  well  if 
they  who  use  redundant  expressions,  had  a  friend  to 
give  them  a  caution,  as  they  might  with  a  little  care  be 
retrenched ;  and  hardly  any  person  can  be  sensible  of 
the  little  peculiarities  he  may  inadvertently  adopt,  un- 
less he  is  told  of  it. 

There  are  several  things  likewise  respecting  the  voice 
and  manner  of  prayer,  which  a  person  may  with  due 
-care  correct  in  himself,  and  which,  if  generally  cor- 
rected, would  make  meetings  for  prayer  more  pleasant 
than  they  sometimes  are.  These  I  shall  mention  by 
pairs,  as  the  happy  and  agreeable  w^ay  is  a  medium  be- 
tween two  inconvenient  extremes. 

Very  loud  speaking  is  a  fault,  ^vhen  the  size  of  the 
place,  and  the  number  of  hearers,  do  not  render  it  ne- 
cessary. The  end  of  speaking  is  to  be  heard  :  And, 
when  that  end  is  attained,  a  greater  elevation  of  the 
voice  is  frequently  hurtful  to  the  speaker,  and  is  more 
likely  to  confuse  a  hearer  than  to  fix  his  attention.  I 
•do  not  deny  but  allowance  must  be  made  for  constitu- 
tion, and  the  warmth  of  the  passions,  which  dispose 
some  persons  to  speak  louder  than  others.  Yet  such 
will  do  well  to  restrain  themselves  as  much  as  thej  can. 


Let.  18.  On  Social  Prayer.  23^ 

It  may  seem  indeed  to  indicate  great  earnestness,  and 
that  the  heart  is  much  affected ;  yet  it  is  often  but  false 
fire.  It  may  be  thought  speaking  with  power  ;  but  a 
person  who  is  favoured  with  the  Lord's  presence  may 
pray  with  power  in  a  moderate  voice ;  and  there  may 
be  very  little  power  of  the  Spirit,  though  the  voice 
should  be  heard  in  the  street  and  neighbourhood. 

The  other  extreme  of  speaking  too  low,  is  not  so  fre- 
quent, but,  if  we  are  not  heard,  we  might  as  well  alto-, 
gether  hold  our  peace.  It  exhausts  the  spirits,  and 
wearies  the  attention,  to  be  listening  for  a  length  of  time 
to  a  very  low  voice.  Some  words  or  sentences  will  be 
lost,  which  will  render  what  is  heard  less  intelligible 
and  agreeable.  If  the  speaker  can  be  heard  by  the 
person  furthest  distant  from  him,  the  rest  will  hear  of 
course. 

The  tone  of  the  voice  is  likewise  to  be  regarded 
Some  have  a  tone  in  prayer,  so  very  different  from  their 
usual  way  of  speaking,  that  their  nearest  friends,  if  not 
accustomed  to  them,  could  hardly  know  them  by  their 
voice.  Sometimes  the  tone  is  changed,  perhaps  more 
than  once,  so  that  if  our  eyes  did  not  give  us  more  cer- 
tain information  than  our  ears,  we  might  think  two  or 
three  persons  had  been  speaking  by  turjis.  It  is  pity 
that  when  we  approve  what  is  spoken,  we  should  be  so- 
easily  disconcerted  by  an  awkwardness  of  delivery;  yet 
so  it  often  is,  and  probably  so  it  will  be,  in  the  present 
weak  and  imperfect  state  of  human  nature.  It  is  more 
to  be  lamented  than  wondered  at,  that  sincere  Chris- 
tians are  sometimes  forced  to  confess,  "  He  is  a  good 
"  man,  and  his  prayers,  as  to  their  substance,  are  spi- 
"  ritual  and  judicious ;  but  there  is  something  so  dis- 
"  pleasing  in  his  manner,  that  I  am  always  uneasy  when 
''  I  hear  him." 


240  On  Social  Prayer.  Let.  IS. 

Cointrary  to  this,  and  still  more  offensive,  is  a  custom 
that  some  have  of  talking  to  the  Lord  in  prayer.  It  is 
their  natm'al  voice  indeed;  but  it  is  that  expression  of  it 
which  they  use  upon  the  most  familiar  and  trivial  occa- 
sions. The  human  voice  is  capable  of  so  many  inflec- 
tions and  variations,  that  it  can  adapt  itself  to  the  dif- 
ferent sensations  of  our  mind,  as  joy,  sorrow,  fear,  de- 
sire, &c.  If  a  man  was  pleading*;  for  his  life,  or  ex- 
pressing his  thanks  to  the  king  for  a  pardon,  common 
sense  and  decency  would  teach  him  a  suitableness  of 
manner ;  and  any  one  who  could  not  understand  his 
language,  might  know  by  the  sound  of  his  words  that 
he  Vi^as  not  making  a  bargain,  or  telling  a  story.  How 
much  more,  when  we  speak  to  the  King  of  kings,  should 
the  consideration  of  his  glory,  and  our  own  vileness,  and 
of  the  important  concerns  we  are  engaged  in  before  him, 
impress  us  with  an  air  of  seriousness  and  reverence,  and 
prevent  us  from  speaking  to  him  as  if  he  was  altogether 
such  a  one  as  ourselves  ?  The  liberty  to  which  we  arc 
called  by  the  Gospel,  does  not  at  all  encourage  such  a 
pertness  and  familiarity  as  would  be  unbecoming  to  use 
towards  a  fellow-worm  who  was  a  little  advanced  above 
us  in  worldly  dignity. 

I  shall  be  glad  if  these  hints  may  be  of  any  service 
to  those  who  desire  to  worship  God  in  spirit  and  in 
truth,  and  who  v^ish  that  whatever  has  a  tendency  to 
damp  the  spirit  of  devotion,  either  in  themselves,  or  in 
others,  might  be  avoided.  It  is  a  point  of  delicacy  and 
difficulty  to  tell  any  one  what  we  wish  could  be  altered 
in  his  manner  of  prayer  ;  but  it  can  give  no  just  offence 
to  ask  a  friend,  if  he  has  read  a  letter  on  this  subject, 
in  A  Collection  of  Twmty-siv  Letters,  published  in 
1775. 

I  am,  &c. 


Let.  19.  On  Controversy.  24:1 

LETTER  XIX. 

On  Coyitrovcrsy. 


Dear  Sir, 


Ai 


■S  you  are  likely  to  be  engaged  in  controversy,  and 
your  love  of  truth  is  joined  with  a  natural  warmth  of 
temper,  my  friendship  makes  me  solicitous  on  your  be- 
half. You  are  of  the  strongest  side  :  for  truth  is  great, 
and  must  prevail ;  so  that  a  person  of  abilities  inferior 
to  yours,  might  take  the  field  with  a  confidence  of  vic- 
tory. I  am  not,  therefore,  anxious  for  the  event  of  the 
battle ;  but  I  would  have  you  more  than  a  conqueror^ 
and  to  triumph  not  only  over  your  adversary,  but  over 
yourself.  If  you  cannot  be  vanquished,  you  may  be 
wounded.  To  preserve  you  from  such  wounds  as 
might  give  you  cause  of  weeping  over  your  conquests, 
I  would  present  you  with  some  considerations,  which, 
if  duly  attended  to,  will  do  you  the  service  of  a  coat  of 
mail ;  such  armour,  that  you  need  not  complain,  as 
David  did  of  Saul's,  that  it  will  be  more  cumbersome 
than  useful ;  for  you  will  easily  perceive  it  is  taken  from 
that  great  magazine  provided  for  the  Christian  soldier, 
the  word  of  God.  I  take  it  for  granted,  that  you  will 
not  expect  any  apology  for  my  freedom,  and  therefore 
I  shall  not  oti'er  one.  For  method  sake,  I  may  reduce 
cny  advice  to  three  heads,  respecting  your  opponent,  the 
public,  and  yourself. 

As  to  your  opponent,  I  wish,  that  before  you  set  pen 
to  paper  against  him,  and  during  the  whole  time  you 
are  preparing  your  answer,  you  may  commend  him  by 
earnest   prayer  to  the  Lord's  teaching  and  blessing. 

Vol.  L  2  I 


S4>2  On  Controvenj/.  Let.  19. 

This  practice  viU  have  a  direct  tendency  to  conciliate 
your  heart  to  love  and  pity  him  ;  and  such  a  disposition 
will  have  a  good  influence  upon  every  page  you  write. 
If  you  account  him  a  believer,  though  greatly  mistaken 
in  the  subject  of  debate  between  you,  the  words  of  Da- 
vid to  Joab,  concerning  Absalom,  are  very  applicable  : 
"  Deal  gently  with  him  for  my  sake."  The  Lord  loves 
him  and  bears  with  him  :  therefore  you  must  not  des- 
pise him,  or  treat  him  harshly.  The  I>ord  bears  with 
you  likewise,  and  expects  that  you  should  show  tender- 
ness to  others,  from  a  sense  of  the  much  forgiveness 
you  need  yourself  In  a  little  while  you  will  meet  in 
heaven  ;  he  will  then  be  dearer  to  you  than  the  nearest 
friend  you  have  upon  earth  is  to  you  now.  Anticipate 
that  period  in  your  thoughts  ;  and  though  you  may  find 
it  necessary  to  oppose  his  errors,  view  him  personally 
as  a  kindred  soul,  with  whom  you  are  to  be  happy  in 
Christ  for  ever.  But  if  you  look  upon  him  as  an  un- 
converted person,  in  a  state  of  enmity  against  God  and 
his  grace,  (a  supposition,  which,  without  good  evidence, 
you  should  be  very  unwilling  to  admit,)  he  is  a  more 
proper  object  of  your  compassion,  than  of  your  anger. 
Alas  !  "  He  knows  not  what  he  does."  But  you  know 
who  has  made  you  to  differ.  If  God,  in  his  sovereign 
pleasure,  had  so  appointed,  you  might  have  been  as  he 
is  now  ;  and  he,  instead  of  you,  might  have  been  set  for 
the  defence  of  the  Gospel.  You  were  both  equally 
blind  by  nature.  If  you  attend  to  this,  you  will  not 
reproach  or  hate  him,  because  the  Lord  has  been 
pleased  to  open  your  eyes,  and  not  his.  Of  all  people 
who  engage  in  controversy,  we,  who  are  called  Calvin- 
ists,  are  most  expressly  bound  by  our  own  principles  to 
the  exercise  of  gentleness  and  moderation.  If,  indeed, 
the^  who  differ  from  us  have  a  power  of  changing  them- 


Let.  19.  On  Controversij,  243 

selves,  if  they  can  open  their  own  eyes,  and  soften  their 
own  hearts,  then  we  might  with  less  inconsistence  be 
offended  at  their  obstinacy ;  but  if  we  believe  the  very 
contrary  to  this,  our  part  is,  not  to  strive,  but  in  meek- 
ness to  instruct  those  who  oppose,  "  if  peraci venture 
"  God  will  give  them  repentance  to  the  acknowledge- 
"  ment  of  the  truth."  If  you  write  with  a  desire  of  be- 
ing an  instrument  of  correcting  mistakes,  you  will  of 
course  be  cautious  of  laying  stumbling-blocks  in  the 
way  of  the  blind,  or  of  using  any  expressions  that  may 
exasperate  their  passions,  confirm  them  in  their  pre- 
judices, and  thereby  make  their  conviction,  humanly 
speaking,  more  impracticable. 

By  printing,  you  will  appeal  to  the  public ;  where 
your  readers  may  be  ranged  under  three  divisions. — 
First,  such  as  differ  from  you  in  principle.  Concern- 
ing these  I  may  refer  you  to  what  I  have  already  said. 
Though  you  have  your  eye  upon  one  person  chiefly, 
there  are  many  like-minded  with  him  ;  and  the  same 
reasonincp  will  hold,  whether  as  to  one  or  to  a  million. 
There  will  be  likewise  many  who  pay  too  little  regard 
to  religion,  to  have  any  settled  system  of  their  own,  and 
yet  are  pre-engaged  in  favour  of  those  sentiments  which 
are  least  repugnant  to  the  good  opinion  men  naturally 
have  of  themselves.  These  are  very  incompetent  judges 
of  doctrines  ;  but  they  can  form  a  tolerable  judgment 
of  a  writer's  spirit.  They  know  that  meekness,  humi- 
lity, and  love,  are  the  characteristics  of  a  Christian 
temper ;  and  though  they  affect  to  treat  the  doctrines 
of  grace  as  mere  notions  and  speculations,  which,  sup- 
posing they  adopted  them,  would  have  no  salutary  in- 
fluence upon  their  conduct ;  yet  from  us,  who  profess 
these  principles,  they  always  expect  such  dispositions 
as  correspond  with  the  precepts  of  the  Gospel.     They 


244  On  Controversy.  Let.  19. 

are  quick-sighted  to  discern  when  we  deviate  from  such 
a  spirit,  and  avail  themselves  of  it  to  justify  their  con- 
tempt of  our  arguments.  The  Scriptural  maxim,  That 
"  the  wrath  of  man  worketh  not  the  righteousness  of 
"  God,"  is  verified  by  daily  observation.  If  our  zeal 
is  embittered  by  expressions  of  anger,  invective,  or  scorn, 
we  mav  think  we  are  doing  service  to  the  cause  of  truth 
when  in  reality  we  shall  only  bring  it  into  discredit.^ — 
The  weapons  of  our  warfare,  and  which  alone  are 
powerful  to  break  down  the  strong  holds  of  error,  are 
not  carnal  but  spiritual ;  arguments  fairly  drawn  from 
Scripture  and  experience,  and  enforced  by  such  a  mild 
address,  as  may  persuade  our  readers,  that,  whether  we 
can  convince  them  or  not,  we  wish  well  to  their  souls, 
and  contend  only  for  the  truth's  sake  ;  if  we  can  satisfy 
them  that  we  act  upon  these  motives,  our  point  is  half 
gained ;  they  will  be  more  disposed  to  consider  calmly 
w'hat  we  offer  ;  and  if  they  should  still  dissent  from  our 
opinions,  they  will  be  constrained  to  approve  our  inten- 
tions. 

You  will  have  a  third  class  of  readers,  who  being  of 
your  own  sentiments,  will  readily  approve  of  what  you 
advance,  and  may  be  further  established  and  confirmed 
in  their  views  of  the  Scripture-doctrines,  by  a  clear  and 
masterly  elucidation  of  your  subject.  You  maybe  in- 
strumental to  their  edification,  if  the  law  of  kindness  as 
well  as  of  truth  regulates  your  pen,  otherwise  you  may 
do  them  harm.  There  is  a  principle  of  self,  which  dis- 
poses us  to  despise  those  who  differ  from  us  ;  and  we 
are  often  under  its  influence,  when  we  think  we  are  only 
showing  a  becoming  zeal  in  the  cause  of  God.  I  rea- 
dily believe,  that  the  leading  points  of  Arminianism 
spring  from,  and  are  nourished  by,  the  pride  of  the  hu- 
man heart;  but  Tshould  be  glad  if  the  reverse  was  al- 


Let.  19.  On  Controversy,  315 

ways  true ;  and  that  to  embrace  what  are  called  the 
Calvinistic  doctrines  was  an  infallible  token  of  an  hum- 
ble mind.  I  think  I  have  known  some  Arminians,  that 
is,  persons,  who  for  want  of  clearer  light,  have  been 
afraid  of  receiving  the  doctrines  of  free  grace,  who  yet 
have  given  evidence  that  their  hearts  were  in  a  degree 
humbled  before  the  Lord.  And  I  am  afraid  there 
are  Calvinists,  who,  while  they  account  it  a  proof  of 
their  humility,  that  they  are  willing  in  words  to  debase 
the  creature,  and  to  give  all  the  glory  of  salvation  to 
the  Lord,  yet  know  not  what  manner  of  spirit  they  are 
of.  Whatever  it  be  that  makes  us  trust  in  ourselves 
that  we  are  comparatively  wise  or  good,  so  as  to  treat 
those  with  contempt  who  do  not  subscribe  to  our  doc- 
trines, or  follow  our  party,  is  a  proof  and  fruit  of  a  self- 
righteous  spirit.  Self-righteousness  can  feed  upon  doc- 
trines, as  well  as  upon  works  ;  and  a  man  may  have  the 
heart  of  a  Pharisee,  while  his  head  is  stored  with  or- 
thodox notions  of  the  unworthiness  of  the  creature,  and 
the  riches  of  free  grace.  Yea,  I  would  add,  the  best 
of  men  are  not  wholly  free  from  this  leaven  ;  and  there- 
fore are  too  apt  to  be  pleased  with  such  representatioiis 
as  hold  up  our  adversaries  to  ridicule,  and  by  conse- 
quence flatter  our  own  superior  judgments.  Contro- 
versies, for  the  most  part,  are  so  managed  as  to  indulge 
rather  than  to  repress  this  wrong  disposition ;  and  there- 
fore, generally  speaking,  they  are  productive  of  little 
good.  They  provoke  those  whom  they  should  con- 
vince, and  puff  up  those  whom  they  should  edify.  I 
hope  your  performance  will  savour  of  a  spirit  of  true 
humility,  and  be  a  means  of  promoting  it  in  others. 

This  leads  me,  in  the  last  place,  to  consider  your 
own  concern  in  your  present  undertaking.  It  seems  a 
laudable  service  to  defend  the  faith  once  delivered  to 


246  On  Cofttroversy.  Let.  19. 

the  saints ;  we  are  commanded  to  contend  earnestly  for 
it,  and  to  convince  gainsayers.  If  ever  such  defences 
were  seasonable  and  expedient,  they  appear  to  be  so  in 
our  day,  when  errors  abound  on  all  sides,  and  every 
truth  of  the  Gospel  is  either  directly  denied,  or  grossly 
misrepresented.  And  yet  we  find  but  very  few  writers 
of  controversy  who  have  not  been  manifestly  hurt  by  it. 
Either  they  grow  in  a  sense  of  their  own  importance, 
or  imbibe  an  angry,  contentious  spirit,  or  they  insensibly 
withdraw  their  attention  from  those  things  which  are 
the  food  and  immediate  support  of  the  life  of  faith,  and 
spend  their  time  and  strength  upon  matters  which  at 
most  are  but  of  a  secondary  value.  This  shows,  that 
if  the  service  is  honourable,  it  is  dangerous.  What  will 
it  profit  a  man  if  he  gains  his  cause,  and  silences  his 
adversary,  if  at  the  same  time  he  loses  that  humble 
tender  frame  of  spirit  in  which  the  Lord  delights,  and 
to  which  the  promise  of  his  presence  is  made !  Your 
aim,  I  doubt  not,  is  good  ;  but  you  have  need  to  watch 
and  pray,  for  you  will  find  Satan  at  your  right  hand  to 
resist  you  :  he  will  try  to  debase  your  views ;  and 
though  you  set  out  in  defence  of  the  cause  of  God,  if 
you  are  not  continually  looking  to  the  Lord  to  keep 
you,  it  may  become  your  own  cause,  and  awaken  in 
you  those  tempers  which  are  inconsistent  with  true 
peace  of  mind,  and  will  surely  obstruct  communion 
with  God.  Be  upon  your  guard  against  admitting  any 
thing  personal  into  the  debate.  If  you  think  you  have 
been  ill-treated,  you  will  have  an  opportunity  of  show- 
ing that  you  are  a  disciple  of  Jesus,  who,  ''  when  he 
"  was  reviled,  reviled  not  again ;  when  he  suffered,  he 
"  threatened  not."  This  is  our  pattern,  thus  we  are  to 
speak  and  write  for  God,  "  not  rendering  railing  for 
''  railing,  but  contrariwise  blessing ;  knowing  that  here- 


Let.  20.  On  Co7iformity  to  tJie  World.  247 

"  unto  we  are  called."  The  wisdom  that  is  from  above 
is  not  only  pure,  but  peaceable  and  gentle ;  and  the 
want  of  these  qualifications,  like  the  dead  fly  in  the  pot 
of  ointment,  will  spoil  the  savour  and  efficacy  of  our  la- 
bours. If  we  act  in  a  wrong  spirit,  we  shall  bring  little 
glory  to  God,  do  little  good  to  our  fellow-creatures,  and 
procure  neither  honour  nor  comfort  to  ourselves.  If 
you  can  be  content  with  showing  your  wit,  and  gaining 
the  laugh  on  your  side,  you  have  an  easy  task ;  but  I 
hope  you  have  a  far  nobler  aim,  and  that,  sensible  of 
the  solemn  importance  of  Gospel-truths,  and  the  (Com- 
passion due  to  the  souls  of  men,  you  would  rather  be  a 
means  of  removing  prejudices  in  a  single  instance,  than 
obtain  the  empty  applause  of  thousands.  Go  forth;, 
therefore,  in  the  name  and  strength  of  the  Lord  of 
Hosts,  speaking  the  truth  in  love ;  and  may  he  give  you 
a  witness  in  many  hearts,  that  you  are  taught  of  God, 
and  favoured  with  the  unction  of  his  Holy  Spirit. 

I  am,  &c. 


LETTER  XX. 

On  Conformitij  to  the  World. 
Dear  Sir, 

OU  will,  perhaps,  be  surprised  to  see  my  thoughts 
on  your  query  in  print,  rather  than  to  receive  them  by 
the  post,  as  you  expected.  But  as  the  subject  of  it  is 
of  general  concern,  I  hope  you  will  not  be  displeased 
that  I  have  taken  this  method.  It  would  do  honour  to 
the  pen  of  an  able  casuist,  and  might  be  of  considerable 
service  in  the  present  day,  clearly  to  explain  the  force 
of  the  apostle's  precept,  ''  Be  not  conformed  to  this 


24S  On  Conformity  to  the  WcyrhL  Let.  20. 

"world;"  and  to  state  the  just  boundary  between  a 
sinful  compliance  with  the  world,  and  that  scrupulous 
singularity  which  springs  from  a  self-righteous  principle, 
and  a  contracted  view  of  the  spirit  and  liberty  of  the 
Gospel.  To  treat  this  point  accurately,  would  require 
a  treatise  rather  than  a  letter ;  I  only  undertake  to  olfer 
you  a  few  hints ;  and  indeed,  when  the  mind  is  formed 
to  a  spiritual  taste,  a  simple  desire  to  be  guided  by  the 
Word  and  Spirit  of  God,  together  with  a  due  attention 
to  our  own  experience,  will,  in  most  practical  cases, 
supersede  the  necessity  of  long  and  elaborate  disqui- 
sitions. 

By  the  world,  in  the  passage  alluded  to,  Rom.  xii.  2. 
I  suppose  the  apostle  means  the  men  of  the  world,  in 
distinction  from  believers  ;  these,  not  having  the  love 
of  God  in  their  hearts,  or  his  fear  before  their  eyes,  are 
of  course  engaged  in  such  pursuits  and  practices  as  are 
inconsistent  with  our  holy  calling,  and  in  which  we  can- 
not imitate  or  comply  with  them,  without  hurting  our 
peace  and  our  profession.  We  are  therefore  bound  to 
avoid  conformity  to  them  in  all  such  instances  ;  but  we 
are  not  obliged  to  decline  all  intercourse  with  the  world, 
or  to  impose  restraints  upon  ourselves,  when  the  Scrip- 
ture does  not  restrain  us,  in  order  to  make  us  as  unlike 
the  world  as  possible.  To  instance  in  a  few  particu- 
lars : 

It  is  not  necessary,  perhaps  it  is  not  lawful,  wholly 
to  renounce  the  society  of  the  world.  A  mistake  of 
this  kind  took  place  in  the  early  ages  of  Christianity, 
and  men,  (at  first,  perhaps,  with  a  sincere  desire  of 
serving  God  without  distraction,)  withdrew  into  deserts 
and  uninhabited  places,  and  wasted  their  lives  at  a  dis- 
tance from  their  fellow-creatures.  But  unless  we  could 
flee  from  ourselves  likewise,  this  would  afford  us  no  ad- 


Let.  20.  On  Conformty  to  the  World.  ^9 

vantage ;  so  long  as  we  carry  our  own  wicked  hearts 
\\ith  us,  we  shall  be  exposed  to  temptation,  go  where 
we  will.  Besides,  this  would  be  thwarting  the  end  of 
our  vocation.  Christians  are  to  be  the  salt  and  the 
lights  of  the  world,  conspicuous  as  cities  set  upon  a  hill; 
they  are  commanded  to  "let  their  light  shine  before 
•'  men,  that  they,  beholding  their  good  works,  may  glo- 
■'  rify  their  Father  who  is  in  heaven."  This  injudi- 
cious deviation  from  the  paths  of  nature  and  providence, 
gave  occasion  at  length  to  the  vilest  abominations ;  and 
men  who  w  ithdrew  from  the  world,  under  pretence  of 
retirement,  became  the  more  wicked  and  abandoned, 
as  they  lived  more  out  of  public  view  and  observation. 

Nor  are  we  at  liberty,  much  less  are  we  enjoined,  to 
renounce  the  duties  of  relative  life,  so  as  to  become 
careless  in  the  discharge  of  them.  Allowances  should, 
indeed,  be  made  for  the  distresses  of  persons  newly 
awakened,  or  under  the  power  of  temptation,  which 
may  for  a  time  so  much  engross  their  thoughts  as 
greatly  to  indispose  them  for  their  bounden  duty.  But, 
in  general,  the  proper  evidence  of  true  Christians  is, 
not  merely  that  they  can  talk  about  divine  things,  but 
that,  by  the  grace  of  God,  they  live  and  act  agreeable 
to  the  rules  of  his  word,  in  the  state  in  which  his  pro- 
vidence has  placed  them,  whether  as  masters  or  ser- 
vants, husbands  or  wives,  parents  or  children ;  bearing 
rule,  or  yielding  obedience,  as  in  his  sight.  Diligence  and 
fidelity  in  the  management  of  temporal  concernments, 
though  observable  in  the  practice  of  many  worldly  men, 
may  be  maintained  without  a  sinful  conformity  to  the 
world. 

Neither  are  we  required  to  refuse  a  moderate  use  of 
the  comforts  and  conveniences  of  life,  suitable  to  the 
station  which  God  has  appointed  us  in  the  world.    The 

Vol.  I.  £  K 


350  0)1  Conj'ormitij  lo  the  World.  Let.  20. 

spirit  of  self- righteousness  and  will-worship  works  much 
in  this  way,  and  supposes  tliat  there  is  something  ex- 
cellent in  long-fastings,  in  abstaining  from  pleasant  food, 
in  wearing  meaner  clothes  than  is  customary  with  those 
in  the  same  rank  of  life,  and  in  many  other  austerities 
and  singularities  not  commanded  by  the  word  of  God. 
And  many  persons,  who  are  in  the  main  sincere,  are 
grievously  burdened  with  scruples  respecting  the  use  of 
lawful  things.  It  is  true,  there  is  need  of  a  constant 
watch,  lest  what  is  lawful  in  itself  become  hurtful  to 
us  by  its  abuse.  But  these  outward  strictnesses  may  be 
carried  to  great  lengths,  without  a  spark  of  true  grace, 
and  even  without  the  knowledge  of  the  true  God.  The 
mortifications  and  austerities  practised  by  theBramins  in 
India,  (if  the  accounts  we  have  of  them  be  true,)  are  vastly 
more  severe  than  the  most  zealous  effects  of  modern  su- 
perstition in  our  country.  There  is  a  strictness  which 
arises  rather  from  ignorance  than  knowledge,  is  wholly 
conversant  about  externals,  and  gratifies  the  spirit  of 
self  as  much  in  one  way  as  it  seems  to  retrench  it  in 
another.  A  man  may  almost  starve  his  body  to  feed  his 
pride  :  but  to  those  who  fear  and  serve  the  Lord,  every 
creature  of  God  is  good,  and  nothing  to  be  refused,  if  it 
be  received  with  thanksgiving,  for  it  is  sanctified  by  the 
word  of  God  and  prayer. 

Notwithstanding  these  limitations,  the  precept  is  very 
extensive  and  important.  "  Be  not  conformed  to  the 
"  world."  As  believers,  we  are  strangers  and  pilgrims 
upon  earth.  Heaven  is  our  country,  and  the  Lord  is 
our  King.  We  are  to  be  known  and  noticed  as  his  sub- 
jects, and  therefore  it  is  his  pleasure,  that  we  do  not 
speak  the  language,  or  adopt  the  customs,  of  the  land  in 
which  we  sojourn.  We  are  not  to  conform  to  the  world, 
as  we  did  in  the  days  of  our  ignorance.     And  though 


T.ei.  20.  On  Confonniti/  to  tJic  World,  251 

we  have  received  the  principles  of  grace,  and  have 
tasted  of  the  goodness  of  the  Lord,  the  admonition  is 
still  needful ;  for  vve  are  renewed  but  in  part,  and  are 
liable  to  be  drawn  aside  to  our  hurt  by  the  prevalence 
of  evil  examples  and  customs  around  us. 

We  must  not  conform  to  the  spirit  of  the  world.  As 
members  of  society,  we  have  a  part  to  act  in  it  in  common 
with  others.  But  if  our  business  is  the  same,  our  prin- 
ciples and  ends  are  to  be  entirely  different.  Diligence 
in  our  respective  callings  is,  as  I  have  already  observed, 
commendable,  and  our  duty :  but  not  with  the  same 
views  which  stimulate  the  activity  of  the  men  of  the 
world.  If  they  rise  early,  and  take  rest  late,  their  en- 
deavours spring  from  and  terminate  in  self,  to  establish 
and  increase  their  own  importance,  to  add  house  to 
house,  and  field  to  field,  that,  like  the  builders  of  Babel, 
they  may  get  themselves  a  name,  or  provide  means  for 
the  gratification  of  their  sinful  passions.  If  they  suc- 
ceed, they  sacrifice  to  their  own  net ;  if  they  are  crossed 
in  their  designs,  they  are  filled  with  anxiety  and  impa- 
tience ;  they  either  murmur  or  despond.  But  a  Chris- 
tian is  to  pursue  his  lawful  calling  with  an  eye  to  the 
providence  of  God,  and  with  submission  to  his  wisdom. 
Thus,  so  far  as  he  acts  in  the  exercise  of  faith,  he  can- 
not be  disappointed.  He  casts  his  care  upon  his  Hea- 
venly Father,  who  has  promised  to  take  care  of  him. 
What  he  gives,  he  receives  with  thankfulness,  and  is 
careful  as  a  faithful  steward  to  improve  it  for  the  fur- 
therance of  the  cause  of  God,  and  the  good  of  man- 
kind ;  and  if  he  meets  with  losses  and  crosses,  he  is  not 
disconcerted,  knowing  that  all  his  concerns  are  under  a 
divine  direction ;  that  the  Lord  whom  he  serves,  chooses 
for  him  better  than  he  could  choose  for  himself;  and 
that  his  best  treasure  is  safe,  out  of  the  reach  of  the 


252  On  Conformity  to  the  World.  Let.  20. 

various  changes  to  which  all  things  in  the  present  state 
are  liable. 

We  must  not  conform  to  the  maxims  of  the  world. 
The  world  in  various  instances  calls  evil  good,  and  good 
evil.  But  we  are  to  have  recourse  to  the  law  and  to  the 
testimony,  and  to  judge  of  things  by  the  unerring  word  of 
God,  uninfluenced  by  the  determination  of  the  great  or 
the  many.  We  are  to  obey  God  rather  than  man, 
though  upon  this  account  we  may  expect  to  be  despised 
or  reviled,  to  be  made  a  gazing-stock  or  a  laughing  stock 
to  those  who  set  his  authority  at  defiance.  We  must 
bear  our  testimony  to  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus,  avow 
the  cause  of  his  despised  people,  and  walk  in  the  prac- 
tice of  universal  obedience,  patiently  endure  reproaches, 
and  labour  to  overcome  evil  with  good.  Thus  we  shall 
show  that  we  are  not  ashamed  of  him.  And  there  is 
an  hour  coming  when  he  will  not  be  ashamed  of  us, 
who  have  followed  him,  and  borne  his  cross  in  the  midst 
of  a  perverse  generation,  but  will  own  our  worthless 
names  before  the  assembled  world. 

We  must  not  conform  to  the  world  in  their  amuse- 
ments and  diversions.  We  are  to  mix  with  the  world 
so  far  as  our  necessary  and  providential  connexions 
engage  us  ;  so  far  as  we  have  a  reasonable  expectation 
of  doing  or  getting  good,  and  no  further.  "  What  fel- 
"  lo^^  ship  hath  light  with  darkness,  or  what  concord 
"  hath  Christ  with  Belial?"  What  call  can  a  believer 
have  into  those  places  and  companies,  where  every 
thing  tends  to  promote  a  spirit  of  dissipation ;  where  the 
fear  of  God  has  no  place  ;  where  things  are  purposely 
disposed  to  inflame  or  indulge  corrupt  and  sinful  appe- 
tites and  passions,  and  to  banish  all  serious  thoughts  of 
God  and  ourselves?  If  it  is  our  duty  to  redeem  time,  to 
walk  with  God,  to  do  all  things  in  the  name  of  our  Lord 


Let.  90.  On  Conformity  to  the  World.  253 

Jesus  Christ,  to  follow  the  example  which  he  set  us 
when  he  was  upon  earth,  and  to  work  out  our  salvation 
with  fear  and  trcmblin<>; ;  it  must  of  course  be  our  dutv 
to  avoid  a  conformity  w  ith  the  world  in  those  vain  and 
sensual  diversions,  which  stand  in  as  direct  contradic- 
tion to  a  spiritual  frame  of  mind  as  darkness  to  light. 

The  leading  desires  of  every  person  under  the  influ- 
ence of  Gospel-principles,  will  be  to  maintain  an  ha- 
bitual communion  with  God  in  his  own  soul,  and  to 
manifest  the  power  of  his  grace  in  the  sight  of  men.  So 
far  aG  a  Christian  is  infected  by  a  conformity  to  the 
spirit,  maxims,  and  sinful  customs  of  the  world,  these 
desires  will  be  disappointed.  Fire  and  water  are  not 
more  opposite  than  that  peace  of  God  which  passeth  all 
understanding,  and  that  poor  precarious  pleasure  which 
is  sought  in  a  compliance  with  the  world  ;  a  pleasure, 
(if  worthy  the  name,)  which  grieves  the  Spirit  of  God, 
and  stupifies  the  heart.  Whoever,  after  having  tasted 
that  the  Lord  is  gracious,  has  been  prevailed  on  to 
make  the  experiment,  and  to  mingle  with  the  world's 
vanities,  has  certainly  thereby  brought  a  damp  upon  his 
experience,  and  indisposed  himself  for  the  exercise  of 
prayer,  and  the  contemplation  of  divine  truths.  And 
if  any  are  not  sensible  of  a  diiference  in  this  respect,  it 
is  because  the  poison  has  taken  a  still  deeper  eflfect,  so 
as  to  benumb  their  spiritual  senses.  Conformity  to  the 
world  is  the  bane  of  many  professors  in  this  day.  They 
have  found  a  way,  as  they  think,  to  serve  both  God  and 
Mammon.  But  because  they  are  double-minded,  they 
are  unstable ;  they  make  no  progress ;  and,  notwith- 
standing their  frequent  attendance  upon  ordinances, 
they  are  lean  from  day  to  day ;  a  form  of  godliness,  a 
scheme  of  orthodox  notions  they  may  attain  to,  but  thev 
will  remain  destitute  of  the  life,  po\^er,  and  comfort  of 


2o4!  On  Blhidmss.  Let.  21. 

religion,  so  long  as  they  cleave  to  those  things  which 
are  incompatible  with  it. 

Conformity  to  the  world  is  equally  an  obstruction  in 
the  way  of  those  who  profess  a  desire  of  glorifying  God 
in  the  sight  of  men.  Such  professors  do  rather  disho- 
nour him ;  by  their  conduct,  as  far  as  in  them  lies,  they 
declare  that  they  do  not  find  the  religion  of  the  Gospel 
answer  their  expectations  ;  that  it  does  not  afford  them 
the  satisfaction  they  once  hoped  for  from  it ;  and  that 
therefore  they  are  forced  to  seek  relief  from  the  world. 
They  grieve  the  people  of  God  by  their  compliances, 
and  oftentimes  they  mislead  the  weak,  and  by  their 
examples  encourage  them  to  venture  upon  the  like  li- 
berties, which  otherwise  they  durst  not  have  attempted. 
They  embolden  the  wicked  likewise  in  their  evil  ways, 
w  hile  they  see  a  manifest  inconsistence  between  their 
avowed  principles  and  their  practice ;  and  thus  they 
cause  the  ways  of  truth  to  be  evil  spoken  of.  The 
paper  constrains  me  to  conclude  abruptly :  may  the 
Lord  enable  you  and  me  to  lay  this  subject  to  heart, 
and  to  pray  that  we  may,  on  the  one  hand,  rightly  un- 
derstand and  prize  our  Christian  liberty ;  and,  on  the 
other  hand,  be  preserved  from  that  growing  evil,  a  con- 
formity to  the  world  ! 

I  am,  &c. 

LETTER  XXL 

i  ivas  once  blind,  hut  now  I  siu;. 
Dear  Sir, 

■V 

X  HE  question,  What  is  the  discriminating  character- 
istic nature  of  a  work  of  grace  upon  the  soul  ?  has  been 


Let.  21.  On  Bliiuliwss,  255 

upon  my  mind ;  if  I  am  able  to  give  you  satisfaction 
concerning  it,  I  shall  think  my  time  well  employed. 

The  reason  why  men  in  a  natural  state  are  utterly  ig- 
norant of  spiritual  truths  is^  that  they  are  wholly  desti- 
tute of  a  faculty  suited  to  their  perception.  A  remark- 
able instance  we  have  in  the  absurd  construction  which 
Nicodemus  put  upon  what  our  Lord  had  spoken  to  him 
concerning  the  new  birth.  And  in  the  supernatural 
communication  of  this  spiritual  faculty,  by  the  agency 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  I  apprehend  the  inimitable  and  abid- 
ing criterion,  which  is  the  subject  of  our  inquiry,  does 
primarily  consist.  Those  passages  of  Scripture  wherein 
the  gospel-truth  is  compared  to  light,  lead  to  a  familiar 
illustration  of  my  meaning.  IMen  by  nature  are  stark 
blind  with  respect  to  this  light ;  by  grace  the  eyes  of  the 
understanding  are  opened.  Among  a  number  of  blind 
men,  some  may  be  more  ingenious  and  of  better  capa- 
city than  others.  They  may  be  better  qualified  for 
such  studies  and  employments  which  do  not  require 
eye-sight  than  many  who  can  see,  and  may  attain  to 
considerable  skill  in  them  ;  but  with  respect  to  the  true 
nature  of  light  and  colours,  they  are  all  exactly  upon  a 
level.  A  blind  man,  if  ingenious  and  inquisitive,  may 
learn  to  talk  about  the  light,  the  sun,  or  the  rainbow,  in 
terms  borrowed  from  those  who  have  seen  them ;  but 
it  is  impossible  that  he  can  have,  (I  mean  a  man  born 
blind,)  a  just  idea  of  either;  and  whatever  hearsay-know- 
ledge he  may  have  acquired,  he  can  hardly  talk  much 
upon  these  subjects  without  betraying  his  real  ignorance. 
The  case  of  one  mentioned  by  Mr.  Locke  has  been 
often  quoted.  He  believed,  that  after  much  inquiry 
and  reflection,  he  had  at  last  found  out  what  scarlet 
was ;  and  being  asked  to  explain  himselt^  "  I  think," 
says  he,   "  scarlet  is  something  like  the  sound  of  a 


2jG  On  Blindness.  Let.  21. 

"  trumpet."  This  man  had  about  the  same  knowledge 
of  natural  light  as  Nicodemus  had  of  spiritual.  Nor 
can  all  the  learning  or  study  in  the  world  enable  any 
person  to  form  a  suitable  judgment  of  divine  truth,  till 
the  eyes  of  his  mind  are  opened,  and  then  he  will  per- 
ceive it  at  once. 

Indeed,  this  comparison  is  well  suited  to  show  the  en- 
tire ditference  between  nature  and  grace,  and  to  explain 
the  ground  of  that  enmity  and  scorn  which  fills  the 
hearts  of  blinded  sinners,  against  those  who  profess  to 
have  been  enlightened  by  the  Spirit  of  God.  The  rea- 
son why  blind  me  a  are  not  affronted  when  we  tell  them 
they  cannot  see,  seems  to  be,  that  they  are  borne  down  by 
the  united  testimony  of  all  who  are  about  them.  Every 
one  talks  of  seeing  ;  and  they  find  by  experience,  that 
those  who  say  they  can  see  can  do  many  things  which 
the  blind  cannot.  Some  such  conviction  as  this  many 
have,  who  live  where  the  Gospel  is  preached,  and  is  made 
the  power  of  God  to  the  salvation  of  others.  The  con- 
versation and  conduct  of  the  people  of  God  convinces 
them,  that  there  is  a  difterence,  though  they  cannot  tell 
wherein  it  consists.  But  if  we  could  suppose  it  possi- 
ble, that  there  was  a  whole  nation  of  blind  men,  and  one 
or  two  persons  should  go  amongst  them,  and  profess 
that  they  could  see,  while  they  could  not  offer  them 
such  a  proof  of  their  assertion  as  they  were  capable  of 
receiving,  nor  even  explain,  to  their  satisfaction,  what 
they  meant  by  sight ;  what  may  we  imagine  would  be 
the  consequence  ?  I  think  there  is  little  doubt  but  these 
innovators  would  experience  much  thesame  treatmenta.> 
the  believers  of  Jesus  often  meet  with  from  a  blind  worlil 
The  blind  people  would  certainly  hate  and  despise  them 
for  i)resuming  to  pretend  to  what  tliei/  had  not.  They 
would  try  to  dispute  them  out  of  their  senses,  and  bring 


Lot.  21.  On  Blindness.  257 

many  arguments  to  prove,  that  there  could  be  no  such 
thing  as  either  light  or  sight.  They  would  say,  as  many 
say  now,  How  is  it,  if  these  things  are  so,  that  we  should 
know  nothing  of  them  ?  Yea,  I  think  it  probable,  they 
would  rise  against  them  as  deceivers  and  enthusiasts, 
and  disturbers  of  the  public  peace,  and  sa>,  "  Away 
"  with  such  fellows  from  the  earth ;  it  is  not  fit  that 
"  they  should  live."  But  if  we  should  suppose  further, 
that  during;  the  heat  of  the  contest  some  of  these  blind 
men  should  have  their  eyes  suddenly  opened,  the  dis- 
pute as  to  them  would  be  at  an  end  in  a  minute ;  they 
would  confess  their  former  ignorance  and  obstinacy, 
confirm  the  testimony  of  those  whom  they  had  before 
despised,  and  of  course  share  in  the  same  treatment 
from  their  blind  brethren,  perhaps  be  treated  still  worse^ 
as  apostates  from  the  opinion  of  the  public. 

If  this  illustration  is  justly  applicable  to  our  subject, 
it  may  lead  us  to  several  observations,  or  inferences, 
which  have  a  tendency  to  confirm  what  Ave  are  else- 
where expressly  taught  by  the  word  of  God. 

In  the  first  place,  it  shoAvs,  that  regeneration,  or  that 
sreat  change  without  which  a  man  cannot  see  the  kino- 
dom  of  God,  is  the  effect  of  Almighty  power.  Nei- 
ther education,  endeavours,  nor  arguments,  can  open  the 
eyes  of  the  blind.  It  is  God  alone,  who  at  first  caused 
light  to  shine  out  of  darkness,  who  can  shine  into  our 
hearts,  "  to  2:ive  us  the  li2;ht  of  the  knowledge  of  the 
*'  glory  of  God  in  the  face  of  Jesus  Christ."  People 
may  attain  some  natural  ideas  of  spiritual  truths  by 
reading  books,  or  hearing  sermons,  and  may  thereby 
become  wise  in  their  ov,n  conceits  ;  they  may  learn  to 
imitate  the  language  of  an  experienced  Christian ;  but 
they  knovv'  not  what  they  say,  nor  whereof  they  affirm, 
and  are  as  distant  from  the  true  meaning  of  the  terms, 

^^OL.  I.  2  L 


^aS  Oh  Blindncsi.  Let.  21^ 

as  a  blind  man,  \\\\o  pronounces  the  words  blue  or  redf 
is  from  the  ideas  which  those  words  raise  in  the  mind 
of  a  person  who  can  distinguish  colours  l>y  his  sight. 
And  from  hence  "we  may  infer  the  sovereignty,  as  well 
as  the  efficacy,  of  grace ;  since  it  is  evident,  not  only 
that  the  objective  light,  the  word  of  God,  is  not  afforded 
universally  to  all  men ;  but  that  those  who  enjoy  the 
same  outward  means,  have  not  all  the  same  perceptions. 
There  are  many  who  stumble  in  the  noon- day,  not  for 
want  of  light,  but  for  want  of  eyes  :  and  they  who  now 
see  were  once  blind  even  as  others,  and  had  neither 
power  nor  will  to  enlighten  their  own  minds.  It  is  a 
mercy,  however,  when  people  are  so  far  sensible  of  their 
own  blindness,  as  to  be  willing  to  wait  for  the  mani- 
festation of  the  Lord's  power,  in  the  ordinances  of  liis 
own  appointment.  He  came  into  the  world,  and  he 
sends  forth  his  G  ospel,  that  those  who  see  not  may  see ; 
and  when  there  is  a  desire  raised  in  the  heart  for  spirit- 
ual sight,  it  shall  in  his  due  time  be  answered. 

From  hence  likewise  we  may  observe  the  proper  use 
and  value  of  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel,  which  is  the 
great  instrument  by  which  the  Holy  Spirit  opens  the 
blind  eyes.  Like  the  rod  of  Moses,  it  owes  all  its  effi- 
cacy to  the  appointment  and  promise  of  God.  i\Iinis- 
ters  cannot  be  too  earnest  in  the  discharge  of  their  of- 
iice;  it  behooves  them  to  use  all  diligence  to  find  out  ac- 
ceptable words,  and  to  proclaim  the  Avhole  counsel  of 
God.  Yet  when  they  have  done  all,  they  have  done 
nothing,  unless  their  word  is  accompanied  to  the  heart 
by  the  power  and  demonstration  of  the  spirit.  With- 
out this  blessing,  an  apostle  might  labour  in  vain  ;  but 
it  shall  be  in  a  measure  affiarded  to  all  who  preach  the 
truth  in  love,  in  simplicity,  and  in  an  humble  depen- 
dence upon  him  who  alone  can  give  success.  Tliis  in  a 


Let.  21.  On  Blindness,  259 

.great  measure  puts  all  faithful  ministers  on  a  level,  not- 
Avithstanding  any  seeming  disparity  in  gifts  and  abilities. 
Those  who  have  a  lively  and  pathetic  talent,  may  en- 
gage the  ear,  and  raise  the  natural  passions  of  their 
hearers  ;  but  they  cannot  reach  the  heart.  The  bles- 
sing may  be  rather  expected  to  attend  the  humble  than 
the  voluble  speaker. 

Further  we  may  remark,  that  there  is  a  difference  in 
kind,  between  the  highest  attainments  of  nature,  and 
the  effects  of  grace  in  the  lowest  degree.  Many  are 
convinced,  m  ho  are  not  truly  enlightened  ;  are  afraid  of 
the  consequences  of  sin,  though  they  never  saw  its  evil ; 
have  a  seeming;  desire  of  salvation,  which  is  not  founded 
upon  a  truly  spiritual  discovery  of  their  own  wretched- 
ness, and  the  excellency  of  Jesus.  These  may,  for  a 
season,  hear  the  w ord  with  joy,  and  walk  in  the  way  of 
professors  ;  but  we  need  not  be  surprised  if  they  do  not 
hold  out,  for  they  have  no  root.  Though  many  such 
fall,  the  foundation  of  God  still  standeth  sure.  We 
may  confidently  affirm,  upon  the  warrant  of  Scripture, 
that  they  who,  having  for  a  Avhile  escaped  the  pollu- 
tions of  the  world,  are  again  habitually  entangled  in 
them,  or  w  ho,  having  been  distressed  upon  the  account 
of  sin,  can  find  relief  in  a  self-righteous  course,  and 
stop  short  of  Christ,  "  who  is  the  end  of  the  law  for  righ- 
"  teousness  to  every  one  that  believeth  ;"  we  may  affirm 
that  these,  whatever  profession  they  may  have  made, 
were  never  capable  of  receiving  the  beauty  and  glory  of 
the  Gospel-salvation.  On  the  other  hand,  though,  w  here 
the  eyes  are  divinely  enlightened,  the  sohI's  first  views 
of  itself  and  of  the  Gospel  may  be  confused  and  indis- 
tinct, like  iiim  who  saw  men  as  it  were  trees  Malkin?  • 
yet  this  light  is  like  the  daw  n,  which,  though  weak  and 


If-^ 


260  ~  On  Blhichiess.  Let.  21. 

faint  at  its  first  appearance,  shineth  more  and  more 
unto  the  perfect  day.  It  is  the  work  of  God  ;  and  his 
work  is  perfect  in  kind,  though  progressive  in  the  man- 
ner. He  will  not  despise  or  forsake  the  day  of  small 
things.  When  he  thus  begins,  he  will  make  an  end  ; 
and  such  persons,  however  feeble,  poor,  and  worthless, 
in  their  own  apprehensions,  if  they  have  obtained  a 
glimpse  of  the  Redeemer's  glory,  as  he  is  made  unto 
us,  of  God,  ^\'isdom,  righteousness,  sanctification,  and 
redemption,  so  that  his  name  is  precious,  and  the  de- 
sire of  their  hearts  is  towards  him,  have  good  reason 
to  hope  and  believe,  as  the  wife  of  Manoah  did  in  a 
similar  case,  that  if  the  Lord  had  been  pleased  to  kill 
them,  he  would  not  have  showed  them  such  things  as 
these. 

Once  more  :  This  spiritual  sight  and  faculty  is  that 
which  may  be  principally  considered  as  inherent  in  a 
believer.  He  has  no  stock  of  grace,  or  comfort,  or 
strength  in  himself.  He  needs  continual  supplies  ;  and 
if  the  Lord  v.'ithdraws  from  him,  he  is  as  weak  and  un- 
skilful, after  he  has  been  long  engaged  in  the  Christian 
warfare,  as  he  was  when  he  first  entered  upon  it.  The 
eye  is  of  little  present  use  in  the  dark  ;  for  it  cannot  see 
without  lisht.  But  the  return  of  lidit  is  no  advan- 
tage  to  a  blind  man.  A  believer  may  be  much  in  the 
dark  ;  but  his  spiritual  sight  remains.  Though  the  ex- 
ercise of  grace  may  be  low,  he  knows  himself,  he  knows 
the  Lord,  he  knows  the  way  of  access  to  a  throne  of 
grace.  His  frames  and  feelings  may  alter  ;  but  he  has 
received  such  a  knowledge  of  the  person  and  offices,  the 
power  and  grace  of  Jesus  the  Saviour,  as  cannot  be 
taken  from  him  ;  and  he  could  withstand  even  an  angel 
that  should  preach  another  gospel,  because  he  has  seen 


Let.  22.  On  the  Advantages  of  Poverty.  261 

the  Lord.  The  paper  constrains  me  to  break  off.  May 
the  Lord  increase  his  light  in  your  heart,  and  in  the 
heart  of,  &c. 


LETTER  XXII. 

On  the  Advantages  of  a  State  of  Poverty. 

My  Dear  Friend, 

A  CONFESS  myself  ahnost  ashamed  to  write  to  you. 
You  are  pinched  by  poverty,  suffer  the  want  of  many 
things  ;  and  your  faith  is  often  sharply  tried,  when  you 
look  at  your  family,  and  perhaps  can  hardly  conceive 
how  you  shall  be  able  to  supply  them  with  bread  to  the 
end  of  the  week.  The  Lord  has  appointed  me  a  dif- 
ferent lot.  I  am  favoured,  not  only  with  the  necessaries, 
but  with  the  comforts  of  life.  Now  I  could  easily  give 
you  plenty  of  good  advice;  I  could  tell  you,  it  is  your 
duty  to  be  patient,  and  even  thankful,  in  the  lower  state ; 
that  if  you  have  bread  and  water,  it  is  more  than  you 
deserve  at  the  Lord's  hands  ;  and  that,  as  you  are  out 
of  hell,  and  made  a  partaker  of  the  hope  of  the  Gospel, 
you  ought  not  to  think  any  thing-  hard  that  you  meet 
with  in  the  way  to  heaven.  If  I  should  say  thus,  and 
say  no  more,  you  would  not  dispute  the  truth  of  my  as- 
sertions ;  but,  as  coming  from  me,  who  live  at  ease,  t© 
you,  who  are  beset  with  difficulties,  you  might  question 
their  propriety,  and  think  that  I  know  but  little  of  my 
own  heart,  and  could  feel  but  little  for  your  distress. 
You  would  probably  compare  me  to  one  who  should 
think  himself  a  mariner,  because  he  had  studied  the  art 
of  navigation  by  the  fire-side,  though  he  had  never  seen 
the  sea.     Yet  I  hope,  by  my  frequent  converse  with  the 


262  Onthe  Adva)aages  of  Fovcritj.  Lst.  22. 

Lord's  pocr,  (for  I  live  in  the  midst  of  an  afflicted  and 
})Oor  people,)  I  have  made  some  observations,  which, 
though  not  strictly  the  fruit  of  my  own  experience,  may 
not  be  wholly  unseasonable  or  unacceptable  to  you. 

Whether  the  rich  or  the  poor,  av ho  live  without  God 
in  the  world,  are  most  to  be  pitied,  is  not  easy  to  deter- 
mine. It  is  a  dreadful  case  to  be  miserable  in  both 
worlds ;  but  yet  the  parade  and  seeming  prosperity  in 
which  some  live  for  a  few  years,  will  be  no  abatement, 
but  rather  a  great  aggravation,  of  their  future  torment. 
A  madman  is  equally  to  be  pitied,  whether  he  is  laid 
upon  a  bed  of  state  or  a  bed  of  straw.  Madness  is  in 
the  heart  of  every  unregenerate  sinner ;  and  the  more 
he  possesses  of  this  world's  goods,  he  is  so  much  the 
niore  extensively  mischievous.  Poverty  is  so  far  a  ne- 
gative good  to  those  who  have  no  other  restraint,  that 
it  confines  the  effects  of  the  evil  heart  within  narrower 
bounds,  and  the  small  circle  of  their  immediate  connex- 
ions :  whereas  the  rich,  who  live  under  the  power  of 
sin,  are  unfaithful  stewards  of  a  larger  trusty  and  b}'' 
their  pernicious  influence  are  often  instrumental  in  dif- 
fusing profaneness  and  licentiousness  through  a  country 
or  a  kingdom  ;  besides  the  innumerable  acts  of  oppres- 
sion, and  the  ravages  of  war,  which  are  perpetrated  to 
gratify  the  insatiable  demands  of  luxury,  ambition,  and 
pride.  But  to  leave  this,  if  we  turn  our  eyes  from  the 
false  maxims  of  the  world,  and  weigh  things  in  the  ba- 
lance of  the  sanctuary,  I  believe  we  shall  find,  that  the 
believing  poor,  though  they  have  many  trials  which  call 
for  our  compassion,  have  some  advantages  above  those 
of  the  Lord's  people  to  whom  he  has  given  a  larger 
share  of  the  good  things  of  the  present  life.  Why  else 
does  the  apostle  say,  "  God  has  chosen  the  poor?"  or 
why  do  we  see,  in  fact,  that  so  few  of  the  rich,  or  wise, 


Let.  22.  On  tJhc  Advantages  of  Toverty,  36  S 

or  mighty,  are  called  ?  Certainly  he  does  not  choose 
them  because  they  are  poor ;  for  "  he  is  no  respecter 
"  of  persons  ;"  rather  I  think  we  may  say,  that  knowing 
what  is  in  their  hearts,  the  nature  of  the  world  through 
which  they  are  to  pass,  and  what  circumstances  are 
best  suited  to  manifest  the  truth  and  efficacy  of  his 
grace,  he  has,  in  the  general,  chosen  poverty  as  the  best 
state  for  them.  Some  exceptions  he  has  made,  that  his 
people  may  not  be  wholly  without  support  and  counte- 
nance, and  that  the  sufficiency  of  his  grace  may  be  made 
known  in  every  state  of  life  ;  but,  for  the  most  part,  they 
are  a  poor  and  afflicted  people :  and  in  this  appoint- 
ment he  has  had  a  regard  to  their  honour,  their  safety, 
and  their  comfort.  I  have  room  for  but  a  very  brief 
illustration  of  these  particulars. 

Sanctified  poverty  is  an  honourable  state  ;  not  so  in- 
deed in  the  judgment  of  the  world ;  the  rich  have 
many  friends,  the  poor  are  usually  despised.  But  I  am 
speaking  of  that  honour  which  cometh  from  God  only. 
The  poor,  who  are  "  rich  in  faith,  and  heirs  of  the 
"  kingdom,"  are  honoured  with  the  nearest  external 
conformity  to  Jesus  their  Saviour  ;  who,  though  he  was 
l.ord  of  all,  was  pleased  for  our  sakes  to  make  himself 
so  poor  that  he  had  not  where  to  lay  his  head,  and 
submitted  to  receive  assistance  from  the  contributions 
of  his  followers ;  Luke  viii.  3.  By  this  astonishing 
humiliation,  he  poured  contempt  upon  all  human  glory, 
and  made  the  state  of  poverty  honourable  ;  and  now 
"  he  that  reproaches  the  poor,  despiseth  his  maker." 
And  as  he  was,  so  were  his  apostles  in  the  world.  They 
were  not  only  destitute  of  rank,  titles,  and  estates,  but 
were  often  in  hunger  and  nakedness,  and  had  no  certain 
dwelling-place.  To  infer  from  hence,  as  some  have 
done,  that  riches,  and  the  accommodations  of  life,  are 


264  On  the  Advantages  of  Povertrj.  Let.  22. 

unsuitable  to  the  state  of  a  Christian,  is  the  mark  of  a 
superstitious  and  legal  spirit.  There  were  in  those 
days  several  believers  that  were  in  a  state  of  af- 
fluence ;  as  for  instance,  Theophilus,  whom  Luke  ad- 
dresses by  a  title  of  honour,  K(xria--i,  most  noble  or  excel- 
lent ;  the  same  which  St.  Paul  ascribes  to  the  Roman 
Governor.  But  we  may  safely  infer,  that  that  state 
of  life  in  which  our  Lord  was  pleased  to  converse 
with  men,  and  which  was  the  lot  of  his  apostles,  and 
most  favoured  servants,  is  honourable  in  the  sight  of 
God. 

Again :  Poverty  is  honourable,  because  it  affords  a 
peculiar  advantage  for  glorifying  God,  and  evidencing 
the  power  of  his  grace,  and  the  faithfulness  of  his  pro- 
mises, in  the  sight  of  men.  A  beiievei',  if  rich,  lives 
by  faith ;  and  his  faith  meets  with  various  trials.  He 
himself  knows  by  v.hom  he  stands ;  but  it  is  not  ordi- 
narily so  visible  to  others,  as  in  the  case  of  the  poor. 
When  ministers  speak  of  the  all- sufficiency  of  God  to  those 
who  trust  in  him,  and  the  certain  effect  of  the  principles  of 
the  Gospel,  in  supporting,  satisfying,  and  regulating  the 
mind  of  man,  the  poor  are  the  best  and  most  unsuspect- 
ed witnesses  for  the  truth  of  their  doctrine.  If  we  are 
asked.  Where  do  these  wonderful  people  live,  who  can 
delight  themselves  in  God,  esteem  a  dav  in  his  courts 
better  than  a  thousand,  and  prefer  the  light  of  his  coun- 
tenance to  all  earthly  joy  ?  \Ve  can  confidently  send 
them  to  the  poor  of  the  flock.  Amongst  the  number 
w'ho  are  so  called,  there  are  some  who  will  not  disap- 
point our  appeal.  Let  the  world,  who  refuse  to  believe 
the  preachers,  believe  their  own  eyes  ;  and  when  they 
see  a  poor  person  content,  thankful,  rejoicing,  admiring 
the  Lord's  goodness  for  affording  him  ^\•hat  they  account 
bard  fare,  and,  in  the  midst  oi  various  pressures,  in- 


Let.  22.  On  the  Advantages  of  Poverty.  26l 

capable  of  being  bribed  by  offers,  or  territied  by  threats, 
to  swerve  a  step  from  the  path  of  known  duty,  let  them 
acknowledge  that  this  is  the  finger  of  God.  If  they 
harden  themselves  against  this  evidence,  "neither  would 
"  they  be  persuaded^  though  one  should  arise  from  the 
''  dead." 

And  as  poverty  is  an  honourable,  so  it  is  compara- 
tively a  safe  state.  True,  it  is  attended  with  its  pecu- 
liar temptations ;  but  it  is  not  near  so  suitable  to  draw 
forth  and  nourish  the  two  grand  corruptions  of  the 
heart,  self-importance,  and  an  idolatrous  cleaving  to 
the  world,  as  the  opposite  state  of  riches.  They  who 
are  rich  in  this  world,  and  who  know  the  Lord  and  their 
own  hearts,  feel  the  wisdom  and  propriety  of  the  apostle  s 
charge,  "  Not  to  be  high-minded,  nor  to  trust  in  uncer- 
"  tain  riches."  If  poor  believers  consider  the  snares  to 
which  their  rich  brethren  are  exposed,  they  will  rather 
pray  for  and  pity,  than  envy  them.  Their  path  is  slip- 
pery ;  they  have  reason  to  cry  continually  "^  Hold 
"  thou  me  up,  and  I  shall  be  safe  :"  for  they  live  in 
the  midst  of  the  hurries  and  vanities  of  the  world,  are 
engaged  in  a  large  sphere  of  action,  and  are  incessantly 
exposed  to  interruptions  and  snares.  The  carriage  of  all 
around  them  reminds  them  of  their  supposed  conse- 
quence ;  and,  by  the  nature  of  their  situation,  they  are 
greatly  precluded  from  plain  dealing  and  friendly  ad- 
vice. But  the  poor  are  not  surrounded  with  flatterers, 
nor  teased  willi  impertinences.  They  meet  with  little 
to  stimulate  their  pride,  or  to  soothe  their  vanity.  They 
not  only  believe  in  their  judgments,  but  are  constrained 
to  feci,  by  the  experience  of  every  day,  that  this  world 
cannot  aiibrd  them  rest.  If  they  have  food  and  rai- 
ment, and  grace  therewith  to  be  content,  they  have  rea- 
son to  be  thankful  for  an  exemption  from  those  splendid 

Vol.  I.  2  M 


266  On  the  Advaiiiages  of  Poverty.  Let.  22. 

cares,  and  delusive  appearances,  which  are  the  insepara- 
ble attendants  of  wealth  and  worldly  distinction;  and 
which,  if  not  more  burdensome,  are,  humanly  speaking, 
much  more  dangerous,  and  greater  impediments  to  the 
progress  of  a  spiritual  life,  than  the  ordinary  trials  of  the 
poor. 

The  believing  poor  have  likewise,  for  the  most  part, 
the  advantage  in  point  of  spiritual  comfort ;  and  that 
principally  in  tuo  respects.  First,  As  they  are  called 
to  a  life  of  more  immediate  dependence  upon  the  pro- 
mise and  providence  of  God,  (having  little  else  to  trust 
to,)  they  have  a  more  direct  and  frequent  experience  of 
his  interposition  in  their  favour.  Obadiah  was  a  ser- 
vant of  God,  though  he  lived  in  the  court  of  Ahab.  He, 
doubtless,  had  his  difficulties  in  such  a  situation;  but  he 
was  not  in  want.  He  had  not  only  enough  for  himself 
in  a  time  of  dearth,  but  was  able  to  impart  to  others. 
We  may  believe,  that  he  well  knew^  he  was  indebted  to 
the  Lord's  goodness  for  his  provision ;  but  he  could 
hardly  have  so  sweet,  so  strong,  so  sensible  an  im- 
pression of  God's  watchful  care  over  him  as  Elijah  had, 
who,  when  he  was  deprived  of  all  human  support,  was 
statedly  fed  by  the  ravens.  Such  of  the  Lord's  people 
who  have  estates  in  land,  or  thousands  in  the  bank,  will 
acknowledge,  that  even  the  bread  they  eat  is  the  gift  of 
the  Lord's  bounty ;  yet,  having  a  moral  certainty  of  a 
provision  for  life,  I  should  apprehend  that  they  can- 
not exercise  faith  in  tlie  divine  Providence,  with  re- 
spect to  their  temporal  supplies,  so  distinctly  as  the 
poor,  who,  having  no  friend  or  resource  upon  earth, 
are  necessitated  to  look  immediately  to  their  Father 
who  is  in  heaven  for  their  daily  bread.  And  though 
it  is  not  given  to  the  world  to  know  what  an  inter- 
course is  cairied  on  between  heaven  and  earth,  nor 


Let.  22.  On  the  AdvaJttages  of  Poverty.  2&J 

with  what  acceptance  the  prayers  of  the  poor  and  af- 
flicted enter  into  the  ears  of  the  Lord  of  hosts  ;  yet 
many  of  them  have  had  such  proofs  of  his  attention, 
wisdom,  faithfulness,  power,  and  love,  in  supplying  their 
wants,  and  opening  them  a  way  of  relief,  when  they  have 
been  beset  with  difficulties  on  all  sides,  as  have  been,  to 
themselves  at  least,  no  less  certain  and  indisputable,  I 
had  almost  said  no  less  glorious,  than  the  miracles  which 
he  wrought  for  Israel  when  he  divided  the  Red- sea  be- 
fore them,  and  gave  them  food  from  the  clouds.  Such 
evidences  of  the  power  of  faith,  the  efficacy  of  prayer,  and 
the  truth  of  the  Scriptures,  (preferable  to  mountains  of 
gold  and  silver,  and  for  which  the  state  of  poverty  fur- 
nishes the  most  frequent  occasions,)  are  a  rich  overba- 
lance for  all  its  inconveniences.     But, 

Secondly,  I  apprehend  that  the  humble  and  believing 
poor  have,  in  general,  the  greatest  share  of  those  conso- 
lations which  are  the  effect  of  the  light  of  God's  coun- 
tenance lifted  up  upon  the  soul,  of  his  love  shed  abroad 
in  the  heart,  or  of  a  season  of  refreshment  from  his  pre- 
sence. By  such  expressions  as  these,  the  Scripture  in- 
timates that  "  joy  unspeakable  and  full  of  glory ;"  a 
description  of  which  those  who  have  tasted  it  will  not 
require,  and  those  who  are  strangers  to  it  could  not  un- 
derstand. This  joy  is  not  always  the  companion  of 
faith,  not  even  of  strong  faith ;  but  it  is  that  which  a 
believer,  whether  rich  or  poor,  incessantly  thirsts  after; 
and,  in  comparison  whereof^  all  worldly  good  is  but 
vanity  and  disappointment.  The  Lord  imparts  this  joy 
to  his  people,  in  season  and  measure,  as  he  sees  fit :  but 
his  poor  people  have  the  largest  share.  They  have  little 
comfort  from  the  world,  therefore  he  is  pleased  to  be 
their  comforter.  They  have  many  trials  and  sufferings ; 
and  he  with  whom  they  have  to  do  knows  their  situation 


2G8  On  the  Advantages  of  Poverty.  Let.  22. 

and  pressures  :  he  has  promised  to  make  their  strength 
equal  to  their  day,  and  to  revive  their  fainting  spirits 
Avith  heavenly  cordials.  When  it  is  thus  with  them, 
they  can  say,  with  Jacob,  "  I  have  enough  ;"  or,  as  it 
is  in  the  orio;inal,  "  I  have  all."  This  makes  hard  things 
easy,  and  the  burden  light,  which  the  flesh  would  other- 
wise complain  of  as  heavy.  This  has  often  given  a 
sweeter  relish  to  bread  and  water,  than  the  sensualist 
ever  found  in  the  most  studied  and  expensive  refine- 
ments of  luxury.  Blessed  are  the  poor  who  are  rich  in 
faith,  and  heirs  of  the  kingdom  which  God  has  promised 
to  them  that  love  him.  They  often  enjoy  the  most 
lively  foretastes  of  the  glory  which  shall  be  revealed. 

Have  not  you,  my  friend,  found  these  things  true  in 
your  own  experience  ?  Yes ;  the  Lord  has  sanctified 
your  crosses,  and  supported  you  under  them.  Hitherto 
he  has  helped  you,  and  he  will  be  with  you  to  the  end. 
As  you  have  followed  him  upon  earth,  you  will  ere  long 
follow  him  to  heaven.  *'  You  are  now  called  to  sow 
"  in  tears,  there  you  shall  reap  in  joy,  and  God  shall 
"  wipe  all  tears  from  your  eyes."  In  the  meantime, 
be  thankful  that  he  honours  you,  in  appointing  you  to 
be  a  witness  for  the  truth  and  power  of  his  grace,  in 
the  midst  of  an  unbelieving  world. 

It  is  true,  that  even  where  the  spirit  is  willing,  the 
flesh  is  weak.  You  have  sharp  trials,  which,  for  the 
present,  cannot  be  joyous,  but  grievous  ;  and  you  have, 
doubtless,  felt  the  depravity  of  your  nature,  and  the  sub- 
tlety of  Satan,  at  sometimes  prompting  you  to  im[)a- 
tience,  envy,  and  distrust.  But  these  evils  are  not  pe- 
culiar to  a  state  of  poverty ;  you  would  have  been  ex- 
posed to  the  same  had  you  lived  in  affluence,  together 
with  many  others,  from  which  you  are  now  exempted : 
for  riches  and  poverty  are  but  comparative  terms,  and 


L<3t.  22.  On  the  Advantages  of  Poverty.  g(J9 

it  is  only  the  grace  of  God  can  teach  us  to  be  content 
in  any  possible  situation  of  life.  The  rich  are  as  prone 
to  desire  something  which  they  have  not  as  the  poor ; 
and  they  who  have  most  to  lose,  have  most  to  fear. 
That  a  man's  life,  (the  happiness  of  hb  life,)  "  consisteth 
''  not  in  the  abundance  of  the  things  which  he  possess- 
"  eth,"  is  an  aphorism  founded  upon  the  highest  au- 
thority, and  confirmed  by  universal  experience  and  ob- 
servation. 

In  a  word,  you  are  not  poor,  but  rich.  The  pro- 
mises are  your  inheritance  : — heaven  is  your  home ; — 
the  angels  of  the  Lord  are  ministering  spirits,  who  re- 
joice to  watch  over  you  for  good  ;  and  the  Lord  of  an- 
gels himself  is  your  sun  and  shield,  and  everlasting  por- 
tion. It  is  impossible  that  you,  to  whom  he  has  given 
Himself,  his  Son,  his  Spirit,  his  grace,  his  kingdom,  can 
want  any  thing  that  is  truly  good  for  you.  If  riches 
were  so,  he  could  pour  them  upon  you  in  abundance, 
as  easily  as  he  provides  you  your  daily  bread.  But 
these,  for  the  most  part,  he  bestows  on  those  who  have 
no  portion  but  in  the  present  life.  You  have  great  rea- 
son to  rejoice  in  the  lot  he  has  appointed  for  you,  which 
secures  you  from  numberless  imaginary  wants  and  real 
dangers,  and  furnishes  you  with  the  fairest  opportunities 
for  the  manifestation,  exercise,  and  increase  of  the 
graces  he  has  implanted  in  you.  Influenced  by  these 
views,  I  trust  you  can  cheerfully  say, 

What  others  value,  I  resign  : 

Lord,  'tis  enough  that  thou  art  mine. 

I  commend  you  to  the  blessing  of  our  covenant  Godj> 
and  to  Jesus  our  Saviour,  "  who,  when  he  was  rich, 
"  made  himself  poor  for  our  sakes,  that  we  through  his 
"  poverty  might  be  rich." 

I  ara,  &c. 


370  On  SimpliciUj  and  Sincerittj.  Let.  23. 

LETTER  XXIII. 

On  Simplicity  a?id  Godly  Sincerity, 
Dear  Sir, 

XT  would  be  a  happy  time  if  all  professors  of  the  Gos- 
pel could,  with  the  apostle,  rejoice  in  the  testimony  of 
their  consciences,  that  they  walked  in  simplicity  and 
godly  sincerity.  How  many  evils  and  scandals  would 
be  then  prevented  !  But,  alas  !  too  many  who  name 
the  name  of  Christ  seem  to  have  hardly  any  idea  of  this 
essential  part  of  the  Christian  character.  A  few  thoughts 
upon  a  subject  so  little  attended  to  may  not  be  unsea- 
sonable. The  most  advanced  in  the  Christian  life  have 
something  of  this  lesson  yet  to  learn ;  and  the  greater 
proficiency  we  make  in  it,  the  greater  will  be  our  in- 
ward peace,  and  the  more  will  our  light  shine  before 
men,  to  the  glory  of  our  heavenly  Father. 

Simplicity  and  sincerity,  though  inseparable,  may  be 
distinguished.  The  former  is  the  principle  from  which 
the  latter  is  derived.  Simplicity  primarily  respects  the 
frame  of  our  spirit  in  the  sight  of  God;  sincerity  more 
directly  regards  our  conduct  as  it  falls  under  the  obser- 
vation of  men.  It  is  true,  tiie  terms  are  frequentl}'  used 
indifferently  for  each  other,  and  may  be  so  without  oc- 
casioning any  considerable  mistake  :  but  as  they  are  not 
precisely  the  same,  it  may  be  proper,  if  we  would  speak 
accurately,  to  keep  this  distinction  in  view. 

Some  persons  who  have  been  more  enamoured  with 
the  name  of  Simplicity  than  acquainted  with  its  nature, 
have  substituted  in  its  stead  a  childishness  of  language 
and  manners,  as  if  they  understood  the  word  iiwple 


Let.  23.  On  Simplicity  arid  Sincerity.  3T1 

only  in  the  mere  vulgar  sense,  as  equivalent  to  foolish. 
But  this  infantine  softness  gives  just  disgust  to  those  who 
have  a  true  taste  and  judgment  of  divine  things  ;  not 
only  as  it  is  an  unnecessary  deviation  from  the  common 
usages  of  mankind,  but  because,  being  the  effect  of  art 
and  imitation,  it  palpably  defeats  its  own  pretences. 
An  artificial  or  affected  simplicity  is  a  contradiction  in 
terms,  and  differs  as  much  from  the  simplicity  of  the 
Gospel  as  paint  does  from  beauty. 

The  true  simplicity,  which  is  the  honour  and  strength 
of  a  believer,  is  the  effect  of  a  spiritual  perception  of  the 
truths  of  the  Gospel.  It  arises  from,  and  bears  a  pro- 
portion to  the  sense  we  have  of  our  own  unworthiness, 
the  power  and  grace  of  Christ,  and  the  greatness  of  our 
obligations  to  him.  So  far  as  our  knowledo-e  of  these 
things  is  vital  and  experimental,  it  will  make  us  simple- 
hearted.  This  simplicity  may  be  considered  in  two  re- 
spects :  a  simplicity  of  intention — and  a  simplicity  of 
dependence.  The  former  stands  in  opposition  to  the 
corrupt  workings  of  self,  the  latter  to  the  false  reason- 
ings of  unbelief. 

Simplicity  of  intention  implies,  that  we  have  but 
one  leadino;  aim,  to  which  it  is  our  deliberate  and  unre- 
served desire,  that  every  thing  else  in  which  we  are  con- 
cerned may  be  subordinate  and  subservient.  In  a  word, 
that  we  are  devoted  to  the  Lord,  and  have  by  grace 
been  enabled  to  choose  him,  and  to  yield  ourselves  to 
him,  so  as  to  place  our  happiness  in  his  favour,  and  to 
make  his  glory  and  will  the  ultimate  scope  of  all  our  ac- 
tions. He  well  deserves  this  from  us.  He  is  the  all- 
sufficient  good.  He  alone  is  able  to  satisfy  the  vast  ca- 
pacity he  has  given  us  ;  for  he  formed  us  for  himself: 
and  they  who  have  tasted  he  is  gracious,  know  that 
"  his  loving  kindness  is  better  than  life ;"  and  that  his  pre- 


272  On  Simplicity  and  Si^iceriiy.  Let.  23, 

sence  and  fulness  can  supply  the  want,  or  make  up  the 
loss  of  all  creature-comforts.  So  likewise  he  has  a  just 
claim  to  us  that  we  should  be  wholly  his  :  for,  besides 
that,  as  his  creatures,  we  are  in  his  hand  as  clay  in  the 
hands  of  the  potter,  he  has  a  redemption-title  to  us.  He 
loved  us,  and  bought  us  with  his  own  blood.  He  did  not 
hesitate  or  halt  between  two  opinions,  when  he  engaged 
to  redeem  our  souls  from  the  curse  of  the  law,  and  the 
power  of  Satan.  He  could,  in  the  hour  of  his  distress, 
have  summoned  legions  of  angels,  (had  that  been  needful,) 
to  his  assistance,  or  have  destroyed  his  enemies  with  a 
word  or  a  look ;  he  could  easily  have  saved  himself : 
but  how  then  could  his  people  have  been  saved,  or  the 
promises  of  the  Scripture  have  been  fulfilled?  Therefore 
he  willingly  endured  the  cross,  he  gave  his  back  to  the 
smiters,  he  poured  out  his  blood,  he  laid  down  his  life. 
Here  was  an  adorable  simplicity  of  intention  in  him ; 
and  shall  we  not,  O  thou  lover  of  souls  !  be  simply, 
heartily,  and  wholly  thine  ?  Shall  we  refuse  the  cup  of 
affliction  from  thy  hand,  or  for  thy  sake  ?  Or  shall  we 
desire  to  drink  of  the  cup  of  sinful  pleasure,  when  we 
remember  what  our  sins  have  cost  thee  ?  Shall  we  w  ish 
to  beloved  by  the  world  that  hated  thee,  or  to  be  admired 
by  the  world  that  despised  thee  ?  Shall  we  be  ashamed 
of  professing  our  attachment  to  such  a  Saviour  r  Nay, 
Lord,  forbid  it.  Let  thy  love  constrain  us,  let  thy  name 
be  glorified,  and  thy  will  be  done  by  us  and  in  us.  "  Let 
"  us  count  all  things  loss  and  dung,  for  the  excellency 
"  of  the  knowledge  of  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord."  Let  us 
not  desire  any  thing  thou  seest  fit  to  withhold,  nor  re- 
pine to  part  with  what  thou  callest  for  ;  nor  even  take 
pleasure  in  what  thou  bestowest,  unless  we  can  improve 
it  for  thee,  and  ever  prefer  thy  love  above  our  chief 
temporal  joy  !  Such  is  the  language  of  the  heart  that  is 


Let.  23,  On  Simplicity  and  Sinceritij.  273 

blessed  with  Gospel-simplicity.  It  was  once  the  strong- 
hold of  sin,  the  throne  of  self;  but  now  self  is  cast  down, 
and  Jesus  rules  by  the  golden  sceptre  of  love.  This 
principle  preserves  the  soul  from  low,  sordid,  and  idola-- 
trous  pursuits,  will  admit  of  no  rival  near  the  beloved, 
nor  will  it  yield  either  to  the  bribes  or  threats  of  the 
world. 

There  is  likewise  a  simplicity  of  dependence.  Unbe- 
lief is  continually  starting  objections,  n)agnifying  and 
multiplying  difficulties.  But  faith  in  the  power  and  pro- 
mises of  God,  inspires  a  noble  simplicity,  and  casts  every 
care  upon  him,  who  is  able  and  has  engaged  to  support 
and  provide.  Thus,  when  Abraham,  at  the  Lord's  call, 
forsook  his  country  and  his  father's  house,  the  apostle 
observes,  "  He  went  out,  not  knowing  whither  he 
"  went."  It  was  enough  that  he  knew  whom  he  Jol- 
lozvad.  The  all-sufficient  God  was  his  guide,  his  shield, 
and  his  exceeding  great  reward.  So  when  exercised  with 
long  waiting  for  the  accomplishment  of  a  promise,  he 
staggered  not,  ov  ^iSKpiSn,  he  did  not  dispute  or  question, 
but  simply  depended  upon  God,  who  had  spoken,  and 
was  able  also  to  perform.  So  likewise  when  he  received 
that  hard  command,  to  offer  up  his  son,  of  whom  it  was 
said,  "  In  Isaac  shall  thy  seed  be  called,"  he  simply 
obeyed,  and  depended  upon  the  Lord  to  make  good  his 
own  vvord,  Heb.  xi,  18,  19-  In  this  spirit  David  went 
forth  to  nieet  Goliah,  and  overcame  him  :  and  thus  the 
three  worthies  were  unawed  by  the  threats  of  Nebu- 
chadnezzar, and  rather  chose  to  be  cast  into  a  burning 
furnace  than  to  sin  against  the  Lord.  And  thus  Elijah 
in  a  time  of  famine,  was  preserved  from  anxiety  and 
want,  and  supported  by  extraordinary  methods,  1  Kings 
j.  14.  In  these  times  we  do  not  expect  miracles,  in 
the  strict  sense  of  the  word  ;  but  thev  who  simply  de-- 

Vox,.  I.  2  N 


374  On  SimpUdty  and  Sinceritij.  Let.  2;J. 

pend  upon  the  Lord,  will  meet  with  such  tokens  of  his 
interposition  in  a  time  of  need,  as  will,  to  themselves  at 
least,  be  a  satisfying  proof  that  he  careth  for  them. 
How  comfortable  is  it  to  us,  as  well  as  ornamental  to 
our  profession,  to  be  able  to  trust  the  Lord  in  the  path 
of  duty  !  To  believe  that  he  will  supply  our  wants,  di- 
rect our  steps,  plead  our  cause,  and  control  our  ene- 
mies !  Thus  he  has  promised,  and  it  belongs  to  Gospel- 
simplicity  to  take  his  word  against  all  discouragements. 
This  will  animate  us  in  the  use  of  all  lawful  means,  be- 
cause the  Lord  has  commanded  us  to  wait  upon  him  in 
them  :  but  it  will  likewise  inspire  confidence  and  hope 
when  all  means  seem  to  fail,  Hab.  iii.  17,  J  8.  For 
want  of  this  dependence  many  dishonour  their  profes- 
sion, and  even  make  shipwreck  of  the  faith.  Their 
hearts  are  not  simple ;  they  do  not  trust  in  the  Lord, 
but  lean  unto  their  own  understandings,  and  their  hopes 
or  fears  are  influenced  by  worms  like  themselves.  This 
causes  a  duplicity  of  conduct.  They  i^ear  the  T^rd, 
and  serve  other  gods.  By  their  language,  at  some  times, 
one  would  suppose  they  desire  to  serve  the  Lord  only; 
but,  as  if  they  feared  that  he  was  not  able  to  protect 
or  provide  for  them,  they  make  a  league  with  the  world^ 
and  seek  either  security  or  advantage  from  sinful  com- 
pliances. These  cannot  rejoice  in  the  testimony  of  a 
good  conscience.  They  must  live  miserably.  They 
are  attempting  to  reconcile  what  our  Lord  has  declared 
to  be  utterly  incompatible,  the  service  of  God  and  Mam- 
mon. They  have  so  much  sense  of  religion  as  embit- 
ters their  worldly  pursuits  ;  and  so  much  regard  to  the 
world  as  prevents  their  receiving  any  real  comfort  front 
religion.  These  are  the  lukev\arm  professors,  neither 
hot  nor  cold  ;  neither  approved  of  men,  nor  accepted  of 
God,     They  can  attend  upon  ordinances,  and  speak 


Let.  23.  On  Simplicity  ami  Sincerity.  STS 

like  Christians  ;  but  their  tempers  are  unsaiictified,  and 
their  conduct  irregular  and  blameable.  They  are  not 
simple ;  and  therefore  they  cannot  be  sincere. 

I  need  not  take  time  to  prove,  that  the  effect  of  sim- 
plicity will  be  sincerity.  For  they  who  love  the  Lord 
above  all,  who  prefer  the  light  of  his  countenance  to 
thousands  of  gold  and  silver,  who  are  enabled  to  trust 
him  with  all  their  concerns,  and  would  rather  be  at  his 
disposal  than  at  their  own,  will  have  but  little  tempta- 
tion to  insincerity.  The  principles  and  motives  upon 
which  their  conduct  is  formed,  are  the  same  in  public 
as  in  private.  Their  behaviour  will  be  all  of  a  piece, 
because  thev  have  but  o?ie  design.  They  will  speak 
the  truth  in  love,  observe  a  strict  punctuality  in  their 
dealings,  and  do  unto  others  as  they  would  others 
should  do  unto  them ;  because  these  things  are  essen- 
tial to  their  great  aim  of  glorifying  and  enjoying  their 
Lord.  A  fear  of  dishonouring  his  name,  and  of  griev^- 
ing  his  spirit,  mIU  teach  them  not  only  to  avoid  gross 
and  known  sins,  but  to  abstain  from  all  appearance  of 
evil.  Their  conduct  will  therefore  be  consistent ;  and 
they  will  be  enabled  to  appeal  to  all  who  know  them, 
'^that  in  simplicity  and  godly  sincerity,  not  in  fleshly 
"  wisdom,  but  by  the  grace  of  God,  they  have  had  their 
*'  conversation  in  the  world." 

To  a  sincere  Christian,  that  craft  and  cunning  which 
passes  for  wisdom  in  the  world,  appears  to  be  not  only 
unlawful  but  unnecessary.  He  has  no  need  of  the  little 
reserves,  evasions,  and  disguises,  by  which  designing 
men  endeavour,  (though  often  in  vain,)  to  conceal  their 
proper  characters,  and  to  escape  deserved  contempt. 
He  is  what  he  seems  to  be,  and  therefore  is  not  afraid 
of  being  foiaid  out.  He  walks  by  the  light  of  the  wis- 
Aom  that  is  from  above,  and  leans  upon  the  arm  of  al- 


2?6  On  Comimniion  w'Uh  God.  Let.  24» 

mighty  power;  therefore  he  walks  at  liberty,  trusting  in 
the  Lord,  uhom  he  serves  with  his  spirit  in  the  Gospel 
of  his  Son^ 

I  am,  &c. 


LETTER  XXIV. 

On  Communion  with  GocL 
Deal'  Sir, 


Ti 


HOUGH  many  authors  have  written  largely  and 
well  concerning  communion  with  God,  I  shall  not  refer 
you  to  books,  or  have  recourse  to  them  myself ;  but,  in 
compliance  with  your  request,  shall  simply  offer  you 
what  occurs  to  my  thoughts  upon  the  subject.  I  pro- 
pose not  to  exceed  the  limits  of  a  sheet  of  paper,  and 
must  therefore  come  immediately  to  the  point. 

That  God  is  to  be  worshipped,  is  generally  acknow- 
ledged; but  that  they  who  worship  him  in  spirit,  and  in 
truth,  have  real  fellowship  and  communion  with  him, 
is  known  only  to  themselves.  The  world  can  neither 
understand  nor  believe  it.  ]\Iany  who  would  not  be 
thought  to  have  cast  off  all  reverence  for  the  Scripture, 
and  therefore  do  not  choose  flatly  to  contradict  the  apos- 
tle's testimony,  1  John  i.  3,  attempt  to  evade  its  force 
by  restraining  it  to  the  primitive  times.  They  will  al- 
low that  it  might  be  so  then  ;  but  they  pretend  that  cir- 
cumstances with  us  are  2;reatlv  altered.  Circumstances 
are,  indeed,  altered  with  us,  so  far,  that  men  may  now 
pass  for  Christians  who  confess  and  manifest  themselves 
strangers  to  the  Spirit  of  Christ:  but  who  can  believe 
that  the  very  nature  and  design  of  Christianity  should 
alter  in  the  course  of  time  r  and  that  communion  with 


Let.  24.  On  Convmniion  with  God,  277 

God,  \vliich  was  essential  to  it  in  the  apostle's  days, 
should  be  now  so  unnecessary  and  impracticable,  as  to 
expose  all  who  profess  an  acquaintance  with  it,  to  the 
charge  of  enthusiasm  and  folly  ?  However,  they  who 
have  tasted  that  the  Lord  is  gracious,  will  not  be  dis- 
puted out  of  their  spiritual  senses.  If  they  are  compe- 
tent judges  whether  they  ever  saw  the  light,  or  felt  the 
beams  of  the  sun,  they  are  no  less  certain  that,  by  the 
knowledge  of  the  Gospel,  they  are  brought  into  a  state 
of  communion  with  God. 

Communion  presupposes  union.  By  nature  we  are 
strangers,  yea,  enemies  to  God  ;  but  we  are  reconciled, 
brought  nigh,  and  become  his  children,  by  faith  in  Christ 
Jesus.  We  can  have  no  true  knowledge  of  God,  de- 
sire tOM-ards  him,  access  unto  him,  or  gracious  commu- 
nications from  him,  but  in  and  through  the  Son  of  his 
love.  He  is  the  medium  of  this  inestimable  privilege  : 
for  he  is  the  way,  the  only  vvay,  of  intercourse  between 
heaven  and  earth  ;  the  sinner's  way  to  God,  and  God's 
way  of  mercy  to  the  sinner.  If  any  pretend  to  know 
God,  and  to  have  communion  with  him,  otherwise  than 
by  the  knowledge  of  Jesus  Christ,  whom  he  hath  sent, 
and  by  faith  in  his  name,  it  is  a  proof  that  they  neither 
know  God  nor  themselves.  God,  if  considered  abstract- 
ed from  the  revelation  of  himself  in  the  person  of  Jesus, 
is  a  consuming  fire;  and  if  he  should  look  upon  us  with- 
out respect  to  his  covenant  of  mercy  established  in  the 
INIediator,  we  could  expect  nothing  from  him  but  indig- 
nation and  wrath.  But  when  his  Holy  Spirit  enables 
us  to  receive  the  record  which  he  has  given  of  his  Son, 
we  are  delivered  and  secured  from  condemnation ;  we 
are  accepted  in  the  Beloved  ;  we  are  united  to  him  in 
xvhom  allthefulnessof  the  Godhead  substantially  dwells. 


27S  On  Conwrnnion  with  God.  Let.  24 

and  all  the  riches  of  divine  wisdom,  power,  and  love, 
are  treasured  up.  Thus  in  him,  as  the  temple  wherein 
the  glory  of  God  is  manifested;  and  by  him,  as  the  repre- 
sentative and  high  priest  of  his  people;  and  through  him, 
as  the  living  head  of  his  mystical  body  the  church,  be- 
lievers maintain  communion  with  God.  They  have 
meat  to  eat  which  the  world  knows  not  of,  honour  which 
Cometh  of  God  only,  joy  which  a  stranger  intermeddleth 
not  with.  They  are  for  the  most  part  poor  and  afflict- 
ed, frequently  scorned  and  reproached,  accounted  hy- 
pocrites or  visionaries,  knaves  or  fools ;  but  this  one 
thing  makes  amends  for  all,  "  they  have  fellowship  with 
*'  the  Father,  and  with  his  Son  Jesus  Christ." 

I  would  observe  further,  that  as  the  incarnation  of 
that  Mighty  One,  on  whom  our  help  is  laid,  was  neces- 
sary, that  a  perfect  obedience  to  the  law,  and  a  complete 
and  proper  atonement  for  sin,  might  be  accomplished 
in  the  human  nature  that  had  sinned,  and  fallen  short 
of  the  glory  of  God  ;  so,  in  another  view,  it  affords  us 
unspeakable  advantage  for  our  comfortable  and  intimate 
communion  with  God  by  him.  The  adorable  and  awful 
perfections  of  Deity  are  softened,  if  I  may  so  speak,  and 
rendered  more  familiar  and  engaging  to  our  apprehen- 
sions, when  we  consider  them  as  resident  in  him,  who 
is  very  bone  of  our  bone,  and  flesh  of  our  flesh ;  and 
who,  having  by  himself  purged  our  sins,  is  now  seated 
on  the  right  hand  of  the  IMajesty  on  high,  and  reigns  in 
the  nature  of  man,  over  all,  God  blessed  for  ever.  Thus 
he  who  knows  our  frame,  by  becoming  man  like  our- 
selves, is  the  supreme  and  ultimate  object  of  that  phi- 
lanthropy, that  human  affection,  which  he  originally  im- 
planted in  us.  lie  has  made  us  susceptible  of  the  en- 
dearments of  friendship  and  relative  life ;  and  he  ad- 


Let.  2-i.  On  Communion  ivith  God.  279 

mils  us  to  comumnion  with  himself  under  the  most  en- 
gaging characters  and  relations,  as  our  friend,  our  bro- 
ther, and  our  husband. 

They  who,  by  that  faith  which  is  of  the  operation  of 
God,  are  thus  united  to  him  in  Christ,  are  brought 
tlicreby  into  a  state  of  real  habitual  communion  with 
him.  The  degree  of  its  exercise  and  sensible  percep- 
tion on  our  parts,  is  various  in  different  persons,  and  in 
the  same  person  at  different  times  ;  for  it  depends  upon 
the  communications  we  receive  from  the  Lord,  the 
Spirit,  who  distributes  to  every  man  severally  according 
to  his  will,  adjusting  his  dispensations  with  a  wise  and 
merciful  respect  to  our  present  state  of  discipline.  If 
we  were  wholly  freed  from  the  effects  of  a  depraved 
nature,  the  snares  of  an  evil  world,  and  the  subtle  temp- 
tations of  Satan,  our  actual  communion  with  God  would, 
be  always  lively,  sensible,  and  fervent.  It  will  be  thus 
in  heaven ;  there  its  exercise  will  be  without  obstruc- 
tion, abatement,  or  interruption.  But  so  long  as  we  are 
liable  to  security,  spiritual  pride,  indolence,  an  undue 
attachment  to  v.orldly  things,  and  irregular  distempered 
passions,  the  Lord  is  pleased  to  afford,  increase,  sus- 
pend, or  renew,  the  sensible  impressions  of  his  love  and 
grace,  in  such  seasons  and  measures  as  he  sees  most 
suitable  to  prevent  or  control  these  evils,  or  to  humble 
us  for  them.  We  grieve  his  Spirit,  and  he  withdraws; 
but,  by  his  secret  power  over  our  hearts,  he  makes  us 
sensible  of  our  folly  and  loss,  teaches  us  to  mourn  after 
him,  and  to  entreat  his  return.  These  desires,  which 
are  the  effects  of  his  own  grace,  he  answers  in  his  own 
time,  and  shines  forth  upon  the  soul  with  healing  in 
his  beams.  But  such  is  our  weakness,  and  so  unapt 
are  we  to  retain  even  those  lessons  which  we  have  learnt 
by  painful  experience,  that  we  are  prone  to  repeat  our 


280  On  Cummunio7t  idth  God.  Let.  ^^ 

former  miscarriages,  and  to  render  a  repetition  of  the 
same  changes  necessary.  From  hence  it  is  that  what 
we  call  onv frames  are  so  very  variable,  and  that  our 
comfortable  sense  of  divine  communion  is  rather  tran- 
sient than  abiding.  But  the  communion  itself,  upon 
which  the  life  and  safety  of  our  souls  depend,  is  never 
totally  obstructed  ;  nor  can  it  be,  unless  God  should  be 
unmindful  of  his  covenant,  and  forsake  the  work  of  his 
own  hands.  And  when  it  is  not  perceptible  to  sense,  it 
may  ordinarily  be  made  evident  to  faith,  by  duly  com- 
paring what  vvc  read  in  the  Scripture  with  what  passes 
in  our  hearts.  I  say  ordinarily^  because  there  may  be 
some  excepted  cases.  If  a  believer  is  unhappily  brought 
under  the  power  of  some  knov.n  sin,  or  has  grievously 
and  notoriously  declined  from  his  profession,  it  is  pos- 
sible that  the  Lord  may  hide  himself  behind  so  dark  a 
cloud,  and  leave  him  for  a  while  to  such  hardness  of 
heart,  as  that  he  shall  seem  to  himself  to  be  utterly  des- 
titute and  forsaken.  And  the  like  apprehensions  may 
be  formed  under  some  of  Satan's  violent  temptations, 
when  he  is  permitted  to  come  in  as  a  flood,  and  to 
overpower  the  apparent  exercise  of  every  grace  by  a 
torrent  of  blasphemous  and  evil  imaginations.  Yet  the 
Lord  is  still  present  with  his  people  in  the  darkest  hours, 
or  the  unavoidable  event  of  such  cases  would  l)e  apos- 
tasy or  despair.     Psalm  xli.  1 1. 

The  comnmnion  we  speak  of  comprises  a  mutual  in- 
tercourse and  conmiunication  in  love,  in  counsels,  and 
in  interests. 

In  love.  The  Lord,  by  his  Spirit,  manifests  and 
confirms  his  love  to  his  people.  For  this  purpose  he 
meets  them  at  his  throne  of  grace,  and  in  his  ordinances. 
There  he  makes  himself  known  unto  them,  as  he  does 
not  unto  the  world  ;  causes  his  goodness  to  pass  before 


Let.  24.  On  Commwnon  ivith  God.  281 

them  ;  opens,  applies,  and  seals  to  them  his  exceeding 
great  and  precious  promises  ;  and  gives  them  the  Spi- 
rit of  adoption,  whereby,  unworthy  as  they  are,  they 
are  enabled  to  cry,  "Abba,  Father."  He  causes  them 
to  understand  that  great  love  wherewith  he  has  loved 
them,  in  redeeming  them  by  price  and  by  power,  wash- 
ing them  from  their  sins  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb,  re- 
covering them  from  the  dominion  of  Satan,  and  prepar- 
ing for  them  an  everlasting  kingdom,  where  they  shall 
see  his  face,  and  rejoice  in  his  glory.  The  knowledge 
of  this  his  love  to  them,  produces  a  return  of  love 
from  them  to  him.  They  adore  him,  and  admire  him  ; 
they  make  an  unreserved  surrender  of  their  hearts  to 
him.  They  view  him,  and  delight  in  him  as  their  God, 
their  Saviour,  and  their  portion.  They  account  his 
favour  better  than  life.  He  is  the  sun  of  their  souls  : 
if  he  is  pleased  to  shine  upon  them,  all  is  well,  and 
they  are  not  greatly  careful  about  other  things ;  but  if 
he  hides  his  face,  the  smiles  of  the  whole  creation  can 
afford  them  no  solid  comfort.  They  esteem  one  day 
or  hour  spent  in  the  delightful  contemplation  of  his 
glorious  excellencies,  and  in  the  expression  of  their  de- 
sires towards  him,  better  than  a  thousand  ;  and  when 
their  love  is  most  fervent,  they  are  ashamed  that  it  is 
so  faint,  and  chide  and  bemoan  themselves  that  they 
can  love  him  no  more.  This  often  makes  them  long  to 
depart,  willing  to  leave  their  dearest  earthly  comforts, 
that  they  may  see  him  as  he  is,  without  a  vail  or  cloud; 
for  they  know  that  then,  and  not  till  then,  they  shall 
love  him  as  they  ought. 

In  counsels.  The  secret  of  the  Lord  is  with  them 
that  fear  him.  He  deals  familiarly  with  them.  He 
calls  them  not  servants  only,  but  friends;  and  he  treats 
them  as  friends.    He  affords  them  more  than  promises ; 

Vol.  L  2  O 


282  On  Communion  with  God.  Let.  24. 

for  he  opens  to  them  the  plan  of  his  great  designs  from 
everlasting  to  everlasting  ;  shows  them  the  strong  foun- 
dations and  inviolable  securities  of  his  favour  towards 
them,  the  height,  and  depth,  and  length,  and  breadth 
of  his  love,  which  passeth  knowledge,  and  the  unsearch- 
able riches  of  his  grace.  He  instructs  them  in  the 
mysterious  conduct  of  his  providence,  the  reasons  and 
ends  of  all  his  dispensations  in  which  they  are  con- 
cerned ;  and  solves  a  thousand  hard  questions  to  their 
satisfaction,  which  are  inexplicable  to  the  natural  wis- 
dom of  man.  He  teaches  them  likewise  the  beauty  of 
his  precepts,  the  path  of  their  duty,  and  the  nature  of 
their  warfare.  He  acquaints  them  with  the  plots  of 
their  enemies,  the  snares  and  dangers  they  are  exposed 
to,  and  the  best  methods  of  avoiding  them.  And  he 
permits  and  enables  them  to  acquaint  him  with  all  their 
cares,  fears,  wants,  and  troubles,  with  more  freedom 
than  they  can  unbosom  themselves  to  their  nearest 
earthly  friends.  His  ear  is  always  open  to  them  ;  he  is 
never  weary  of  hearing  their  complaints,  and  answering 
their  petitions.  The  men  of  the  world  would  account 
it  a  high  honour  and  privilege  to  have  an  unrestrained 
liberty  of  access  to  an  earthly  king ;  but  what  words  can 
express  the  privilege  and  honour  of  believers,  who, 
whenever  they  please,  have  audience  of  the  King  of 
kings,  whose  compassion,  mercy,  and  power,  are,  like 
his  majesty,  infmite.  The  world  wonders  at  their  in- 
difference to  the  vain  pursuits  and  amusements  by  which 
others  are  engrossed ;  that  they  are  so  patient  in  trou- 
ble, so  inflexible  in  their  conduct,  so  well  satisfied  with 
that  state  of  poverty  and  obscurity  which  the  Lord,  for 
the  most  part,  allots  them  ;  but  the  wonder  would 
cease,  if  what  passes  in  secret  were  publicly  known. 
They  have  obtained  the  pearl  of  great  price ;  they  have 


Let.  24.  On  Comimaiion  xoith  God,  283 

communion  with  God ;  they  derive  their  wisdom, 
strength,  and  comfort  from  on  high,  and  cast  all  their 
cares  upon  him  who,  they  assuredly  know,  vouchsafes 
to  take  care  of  them.  This  reminds  me  of  another 
branch  of  their  communion,  namely, 

In  interests.  The  Lord  claims  them  for  his  portion, 
he  accounts  them  his  jewels,  and  their  happiness  in 
time  and  eternity  is  the  great  end  which,  next  to  his 
own  glory,  and  in  inseparable  connexion  with  it,  he 
has  immediately  and  invariably  in  view.  In  this  point 
all  his  dispensations  of  grace  and  providence  shall  finally 
terminate.  He  himself  is  their  guide  and  their  guard; 
he  keeps  them  as  the  apple  of  his  eye  ;  the  hairs  of  their 
head  are  numbered,  and  not  an  event  in  their  lives  takes 
place  but  in  an  appointed  subserviency  to  their  final 
good.  And  as  he  is  pleased  to  espouse  their  interest, 
the}^,  through  grace,  are  devoted  to  his.  They  are  no 
longer  their  own,  they  would  not  be  their  own  ;  it  is 
their  desire,  their  joy,  their  glory,  to  live  to  him  who 
died  for  them.  He  has  won  their  hearts  by  his  love, 
and  made  them  a  willing  people  in  the  day  of  his  power. 
The  glory  of  his  name,  the  success  of  his  cause,  the 
prosperity  of  his  people,  the  accomplishment  of  his 
will,  these  are  the  great  and  leading  objects  which  are 
engraven  upon  their  hearts,  and  to  which  all  their 
prayers,  desires,  and  endeavours,  are  directed.  They 
would  count  nothing  dear,  not  even  their  lives,  if  set  in 
competition  with  these.  In  the  midst  of  their  afflic- 
tions, if  the  Lord  is  glorified,  if  sinners  are  converted, 
if  the  church  flourishes,  they  can  rejoice.  But  when 
iniquity  abounds,  when  love  waxes  cold,  when  professors 
depart  from  the  doctrines  of  truth,  and  the  power  of  god- 
liness, then  they  are  grieved  and  pained  to  the  heart ; 


284  On  Faiths  and  the  Communion  of  Saints.       Let.  25. 

then  they  are  touched  in  what  they  account  their  near- 
est interest,  because  it  is  their  Lord's. 

This  is  the  spirit  of  a  true  Christian.  May  the  Lord 
increase  it  in  us,  and  in  all  who  love  his  name  !  I  hav^ 
room  only  to  subscribe  myself,  &c. 


LETTER  XXV. 

On  Faith,  and  the  Communion  of  Saints. 
Dear  Sir, 

N  compliance  with  your  request,  I  freely  give  you 
my  sentiments  on  the  particulars  you  desired;  your  can- 
dour will  pass  over  all  inadvertencies,  when  I  give  you 
such  thoughts  as  offer  themselvs  spontaneously,  and 
without  study.  If  the  Lord  is  pleased  to  bring  any  thing 
valuable  to  my  mind,  I  shall  be  glad  to  send  it  to  you  ; 
and  I  am  willing  to  believe  that  when  Christians,  in 
his  name  and  fear,  are  writing  to  one  another,  he  does 
often  imperceptibly  guide  us  to  drop  "  a  word  in  sea- 
*'  son ;"  which  I  hope  will  be  the  case  at  present. 

The  first  object  of  solicitude  to  an  awakened  soul, 
is  safety.  The  law  speaks,  the  sinner  hears  and  fears : 
a  holy  God  is  revealed,  the  sinner  sees  and  trembles ; 
every  false  hope  is  swept  away ;  and  an  earnest  inquiry 
takes  place,  ''  What  shall  I  do  to  be  saved?"  In  pro- 
portion as  faith  is  given,  Jesus  is  discovered  as  the  only 
Saviour,  and  the  question  is  answered ;  and  as  faith  in- 
creases, fear  subsides  and  a  comfortable  hope  of  life  and 
immortality  succeeds. 

When  we  have  thus  "  a  good  hope  through  grace," 
that  heaven  shall  be  our  home,  I  think  the  next  inquiry 


Let.  25.     On  Faiths  and  the  Commumoii  of  Saints,  285 

is,  or  should  be,  How  we  may  possess  as  much  of  hea- 
ven by  the  way  as  is  possible  ?  In  other  words,  How  a 
life  of  communion  with  our  Lord  and  Saviour  may  be 
maintained  in  the  greatest  power,  and  with  the  least  in- 
terruption that  is  consistent  with  the  present  imperfect 
state  of  things  ?  I  am  persuaded,  dear  Sir,  this  is  the 
point  that  lies  nearest  your  heart ;  and  therefore  I  shall 
speak  freely  my  mind  upon  it. 

In  the  first  place,  it  is  plain  from  Scripture  and  ex- 
perience, that  all  our  abatements,  declensions,  and  lan- 
guors, arise  from  a  defect  of  faith  ;  from  the  imperfect 
manner  in  which  we  take  up  the  revelation  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  in  the  Scripture.  If  our  apprehensions  of 
him  were  nearly  suitable  to  the  characters  he  bears  in 
the  word  of  God  ;  if  we  had  a  strong  and  abiding  sense 
of  his  power  and  grace  always  upon  our  hearts  ;  doubts 
and  complaints  would  cease.  This  would  make  hard 
things  easy,  and  bitter  things  sweet,  and  dispose  our 
hearts  with  cheerfulness  to  do  and  suffer  the  whole  will 
of  God  ;  living  upon  and  to  him,  as  our  wisdom,  righ- 
teousness, sanctification,  joy,  and  supreme  end,  we 
should  live  a  heaven  upon  earth.  The  face  of  the 
question  is  therefore  a  little  changed,  and  amounts  to 
this,  What  are  the  means  to  increase  and  strengthen 
our  faith? 

I  apprehend  that  the  growth  of  faith,  no  less  than 
of  all  other  graces  of  which  faith  is  the  root,  is  gradual, 
and  ordinarily  effected  in  the  use  of  appointed  means ; 
yet  not  altogether  arbitrary,  but  appointed  by  him  who 
knows  our  frame  ;  and  therefore  works  in  us,  in  a  way 
suited  to  those  capacities  he  has  endued  us  with. 

I.  If  faith  arises  from  the  knowledge  of  Christ,  and 
this  knowledge  is  only  contained  in  the  word  of  God, 
it  follows,  that  a  careful,  frequent  perusal  of  the  Scrip- 


286  On  Faith,  atid  the  Communion  of  Saints.     Let.  25. 

tures,  which  testify  of  him,  is  a  fit  and  a  necessary 
means  of  improving  our  faith. 

II.  If,  besides  the  outward  revelation  of  the  word, 
there  must  be  a  revelation  of  the  Spirit  of  God  like- 
wise, whose  office  it  is  "  to  take  of  the  things  of  Jesus, 
"  and  show  them  to  the  soul,"  bv,  and  accordintr  to  the 
written  word,  John  xvi.  14.  2  Cor.  iii,  18.  ;  and  if  this 
spirit  is  projuised  and  limited  to  those  who  ask  it ; — 
then  it  follo\vs  likewise,  that  secret  prayer  is  another 
necessary  means  of  strengthening  faith.  Indeed,  these 
two  I  account  the  prime  ordinances.  If  we  were  pro- 
videntially, and  not  wilfully  restrained  from  all  the 
rest,  the  word  of  sjrace,  and  the  throne  of  grace,  would 
supply  their  wants  ;  w  ith  these  we  might  be  happy  in  a 
dungeon,  or  in  a  desert ;  but  nothing  will  compensate 
the  necrlect  of  these.  Though  we  should  be  engaged  in 
a  course  of  the  best  conversation  and  sermons,  from 
one  end  of  the  week  to  the  other,  we  should  languish 
and  starve  in  the  midst  of  plenty ;  our  souls  would 
grow  dry  and  lean,  unless  these  secret  exercises  are 
kept  up  with  some  degree  of  exactness. 

III.  Another  means  to  this  purpose,  is  faithfulness 
to  light  already  received,  John  xiv.  1 5 — 24.  especially 
verse  21.  It  is  worth  observation,  that  faith  and  fide- 
lity, the  act  of  dependence,  and  the  purpose  of  obe- 
dience, are  expressed  in  the  Greek  by  the  same  word. 
Though  the  power  is  all  of  God,  and  the  blessing  of 
mere  free  grace ;  yet  if  there  is  any  secret  reserve,  any 
allowed  evil  connived  at  in  the  heart  and  life,  this  will 
shut  up  the  avenues  to  comfort,  and  check  the  growth 
of  faith.  I  lay  very  little  stress  upon  that  faith  or  com- 
fort w  hich  is  not  affected  by  unsteady  walking. 

The  experience  of  past  years  has  taught  me  to  dis- 
tinguish between  ignorance  and  disobedience.      The 


Let.  25.     On  Faith,  caul  the  Communion  of  Saints.  287 

Lord  is  gracious  to  the  weakness  of  his  people  ;  many 
involuntary  mistakes  will  not  interrupt  their  communion 
with  him  :  he  pities  their  infirmity,  and  teaches  them  to 
do  better.  But  if  they  dispute  his  known  vvill,  and  act 
against  the  dictates  of  conscience,  they  will  surely  suffer 
for  it.  This  will  weaken  their  hands,  and  bring  distress 
into  their  hearts.  Wilful  sin  sadly  perplexes  and  re- 
tards our  progress.  JMay  the  Lord  keep  us  from  it ! 
It  raises  a  dark  cloud,  and  hides  the  Sun  of  Righteous- 
ness from  our  view ;  and  till  he  is  pleased  freely  to  shine 
forth  again,  we  can  do  nothing:  and  for  this  perhaps  he 
will  make  us  wait,  and  cry  out  often,  "  How  long,  O 
"  Lord  !  how  long?" 

Thus,  by  reading  the  word  of  God,  by  frequent 
prayer,  by  a  simple  attention  to  the  Lord's  will,  toge- 
ther with  the  use  of  public  ordinances,  and  the  observa- 
tions we  are  able  to  make  upon  what  passes  within  us 
and  without  us,  which  is  what  we  call  e.vperience,  the 
Lord  watering  and  blessing  with  the  influence  of  his 
Holy  Spirit,  may  grow  in  grace,  and  the  knowledge 
of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  ;  be  more  humble  in  our  own 
eyes,  more  weaned  from  self,  more  fixed  on  him  as  our 
all  in  all,  till  at  last  we  shall  meet  before  his  throne. 

The  communion  of  saints,  another  point  you  desired 
my  thoughts  upon,  is  the  great  privilege  of  all  the  chil- 
dren of  God ;  they  may  be  separate  from  each  other  in 
body,  and  yet  may  daily  meet  at  the  throne  of  grace. 
This  is  one  branch  of  the  communion  of  saints,  to  be 
present  in  spirit  to  each  other  ;  sharing  in  common  of 
the  influences  of  the  same  spirit,  they  feel  the  same  de- 
sires, aim  at  the  same  objects,  and,  so  far  as  they  are 
personally  acquainted,  are  led  to  bear  each  other  upon 
their  hearts  in  prayer.  It  has  often  been  an  encourage- 
ment to  me  in  a  dark  and  dull  hour,  when  rather  the 


288  On  Faith,  and  the  Comnnmion  of  Saints.     Let.  25. 

constraint  of  duty,  than  the  consideration  of  privilege, 
has  brought  me  upon  my  knees,  to  reflect  how  many 
hearts,  and  eyes,  and  hands,  have  been  probably  lifted 
up  in  the  same  moment  with  mine  ;  this  thought  has 
given  me  new  courage.  O  what  a  great  family  has  our 
Father !  and  what  David  says  of  the  natural  is  true  of 
the  spiritual  life.  Psalm  civ.  "  These  wait  all  upon  thee; 
"  that  thou  mayest  give  them  their  meat  in  due  season. 
"  That  thou  givest  them,  they  gather :  thou  openest 
"  thine  hand,  and  they  are  filled  with  good."  Then  I 
particularly  think  of  those  who  have  been  helpful  to  me 
in  time  past;  tiie  seasons  of  sweet  communion  we  have 
enjoyed  together,  the  subjects  of  our  mutual  complaints, 
&c.  Where  are  they,  or  how  engaged  now  ?  Perhaps 
this  moment  praying  or  thinking  about  me.  Tlien  I 
am  roused  to  make  their  cases  my  own,  and  by  attempt- 
ing to  plead  for  them,  I  get  strength  to  pray  for  myself. 
It  is  an  encouragement,  no  doubt,  in  a  field  of  battle,  to 
know  that  the  army  we  belong  to  is  large,  unanimous, 
all  in  action,  pressing  on  from  every  side  against  the 
common  enemy,  and  gaining  ground  in  every  attack. 
But  if  we  derive  fresh  spirits  from  considering  our  friends 
and  associates  on  earth,  how  should  we  take  fire  if  we 
could  penetrate  within  the  vail,  and  take  a  view  of  the 
invisible  world  !  We  should  not  then  complain  that  we 
were  serving  God  alone.  O  the  numbers,  the  voices, 
the  raptures,  of  that  heavenly  host !  Not  one  com- 
plaining note,  not  one  discordant  string.  How  many 
thousand  years  has  the  harmony  been  strengthening  by 
the  hourly  accession  of  new  voices  ! 

I  sometimes  compare  this  earth  to  a  temporary  gal- 
lery or  stage,  erected  for  all  the  heirs  of  glory  to  pass 
over,  that  they  may  join  in  the  coronation  of  the  Great 
Kinoj  :  a  solemnitv  in  which  they  shall  not  be  mere 


Let.  2.5.     On  Fait/i,  ami  the  Communion  of  Saints.  289 

spectators,  but  deeply-interested  parties  ;  for  he  is  their 
husband,  their  Lord;  they  bear  his  name,  and  shall 
share  in  all  his  honours.  Righteous  Abel  led  the  van; 
— the  procession  has  been  sometimes  broader,  sometimes 
narrowed  to  almost  a  single  person,  as  in  the  days  of 
Noah.  After  many  generations  had  successively  entered 
and  disappeared,  the  King  himself  passed  on  in  person, 
preceded  by  one  chosen  harbinger ;  he  received  many 
insults  on  his  passage  ;  but  he  bore  all  for  the  sake  of 
those  he  loved,  and  entered  triumphant  into  his  glory. 
He  was  followed  by  twelve  faithful  servants,  and  after 
them  the  procession  became  wider  than  ever.  There 
are  many  yet  unborn  who  must,  (as  we  do  now,)  tread  in 
the  steps  of  those  gone  before  ;  and  when  the  .vhole 
company  is  arrived,  the  stage  shall  be  taken  down  and 
burnt. 

Then  all  the  chosen  race  shall  meet  before  the  throne. 

Shall  bless  the  conduct  of  his  grace,  and  make  his  wonders  known. 

Let  us  then,  dear  Sir,  be  of  good  courage ;  all  the 
saints  on  earth,  all  the  saints  in  heaven,  the  angels  of 
the  Lord,  yea,  the  Lord  of  angels  himself,  all  are  on 
our  side.  Though  the  company  is  large,  yet  there  is 
room ; — many  mansions  ; — a  place  for  you  ; — a  place,  I 
trust,  for  worthless  me. 

I  am,  cScc. 


Vol.  T.  2  ? 


"390  On  Gospel-IUuminatio;i.  Let.  26, 

LETTER  XXVI. 

On  the  gradual  Increase  of  Gospel-Illumination. 

Dear  Sir, 

X  HE  day  is  now  breaking,  how  beautiful  its  appear- 
ance! how  welcome  the  expectation  of  the  approaching 
sun !  It  is  this  thought  makes  the  dawn  agreeable,  that 
it  is  the  presage  of  a  brighter  light ;  otherwise,  if  we 
expect  no  more  day  than  it  is  this  minute,  we  should 
rather  complain  of  darkness,  than  rejoice  in  the  early 
beauties  of  the  morning.  Thus  the  life  of  grace  is  the 
dawn  of  immortality :  beautiful  beyond  expression,  if 
compared  with  the  night  and  thick  darkness  which  for- 
merly covered  us ;  yet  faint,  indistinct,  and  unsatisfying, 
in  comparison  of  the  glory  which  shall  be  revealed. 

It  is,  however,  a  sure  earnest ;  so  surely  as  we  now 
see  the  light  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness,  so  surely  shall 
v»'e  see  the  Sun  himself,  Jesus  the  Lord,  in  all  his  glory 
and  lustre.  In  the  mean  time,  we  have  reason  to  be 
thankful  for  a  measure  of  light  to  walk  and  work  by,  and 
sufficient  to  show  us  the  pits  and  snares  by  which  we 
might  be  endangered  :  and  we  have  a  promise,  that 
our  present  light  shall  grow  stronger  and  stronger,  if  we 
are  diligent  in  the  use  of  the  appointed  means,  till  the 
messenger  of  Jesus  shall  lead  us  within  the  vail,  and 
then  farewell  shades  and  obscurity  for  ever. 

I  can  now  ahnost  see  to  write,  and  shall  soon  put  the 
extinguisher  over  mv  candle  :  I  do  this  without  the  least 
reluctance,  when  I  enjoy  a  better  light;  but  I  should 
have  been  unwilling  half  an  hour  ago.  Just  thus,  mc- 
thinks,  when  the  light  of  the  glorious  Gospel  shines  into 


Let.  26.  Ou  Gospel-Illumination.  291 

the  heart,  all  our  former  feeble  lights,  our  apprehen- 
sions, and  our  contrivances,  become  at  once  unnecessarv 
and  unnoticed.  How  cheerfully  did  the  apostle  put  out 
the  candle  of  his  own  righteousness,  attainments,  and 
diligence,  when  the  true  Sun  arose  upon  him  !  Phil. 
iii.  7,  8.  Your  last  letter  is  as  a  comment  upon  his 
determination.  Adored  be  the  grace  that  has  given  us 
to  be  like-minded,  even  to  "  account  all  things  but  loss 
"  for  the  excellency  of  the  knowledge  of  Christ  Jesus 
''  our  Lord." 

While  I  am  writing,  a  new  lustre,  which  gilds  the 
liouse  on  the  hill  opposite  to  my  study-window,  informs 
me  that  the  sun  is  now  rising;  he  is  rising  to  others,  but 
not  yet  to  me;  my  situation  is  lower,  so  that  they  enjoy 
a  few  gleams  of  sun-shine  before  me  ;  yet  this  momen- 
tary difference  is  inconsiderable,  when  compared  to  the 
duration  of  a  whole  day.  Thus  some  are  called  by 
grace  earlier  in  life,  and  some  later ;  but  the  seeming 
difference  will  be  lost  and  vanish  when  the  great  day 
of  eternity  comes  on.  There  is  a  time,  the  Lord's  best 
appointed  time,  when  he  will  arise  and  shine  upon  many 
a  soul  that  now  sits  "  in  darkness,  and  in  the  region  of 
'■  the  shadow  of  death.'" 

I  have  been  thinkins;  on  the  Lord's  conference  with 
Nicodemus  ;  it  is  a  copious  subject,  and  affords  room, 
in  one  part  or  other,  for  the  whole  round  of  doctrinal 
and  experimental  topics.  Nicodemus  is  an  encourag- 
ing example  to  those  who  are  seeking  the  Lord's  salva- 
tion :  he  had  received  some  favourable  impressions  of 
Jesus ;  but  he  was  very  ignorant,  and  much  under  the 
fear  of  man.  He  durst  only  come  by  night,  and  at  first, 
though  he  heard,  he  understood  not ;  but  He,  who 
opens  the  eyes  of  the  blind,  brought  him  surely,  though. 
;»entlY,  forward.     The  next  time  we  hear  of  him,  he 


292  071  Vmon  mth  Chrhl.  Let.  27. 

durst  put  in  a  word  in  behalf  of  Christ,  even  in  the 
midst  of  his  enemies,  John  vii. ;  and  at  last,  he  had  the 
courage  openly  and  publicly  to  assist  in  preparing  the 
body  of  his  master  for  its  funeral,  at  a  time  when  our 
Lord's  more  avowed  followers  had  all  forsook  him,  and 
fled.  So  true  is  that,  "  Then  shall  ye  know,  if  ye  fol- 
*'  low  on  to  know  the  Lord ;"  and  again,  "  He  giveth 
*'  power  to  the  faint;  and  to  them  that  have  no  might, 
"  he  increaseth  strength." 

Hope  then,  my  soul,  against  hope;  though  thy  graces 
are  faint  and  languid,  he  who  planted  them  will  water 
his  own  work,  and  not  suffer  them  wholly  to  die.  He 
can  make  a  little  one  as  a  thousand ;  at  his  presence 
mountains  sink  into  plains,  streams  gush  out  of  the  flinty 
rock,  and  the  wilderness  blossoms  as  the  rose.  He  can 
pull  down  what  sin  builds  up,  and  build  up  what  sin 
pulls  down  ;  that  whicli  was  impossible  to  us,  is  easy  to 
him,  and  he  has  bid  us  expect  seasons  of  refreshment 
from  his  presence.     Even  so,  come,  Lord  Jesus. 

I  am,  &c. 


LETTER  XXVir. 

On  Union  zdth  ChrisL 


Dcjii- 


T 


HE  union  of  a  believer  with  Christ  is  so  intimate, 
so  unalterable,  so  rich  in  privilege,  so  powerful  in  in- 
fluence, that  it  cannot  be  fully  represented  by  any  de- 
scription or  similitude  taken  from  earthly  things.  The 
mind,  like  the  sight,  is  incapable  of  apprehending  a  great 
object,  without  viewing  it  on  different  sides.  To  help 
our  weakness,  the  nature  of  this  union  is  illustrated,  in 


TiPt.  27.  On  U)don  idth  Christ.  293 

the  Scripture,  by  four  comparisons,  eacli  throwincr  ad- 
ditional light  on  the  subject,  yet  all  falling  short  of  the 
thintr  sicrnitied. 

In  our  natural  state,  we  are  y.\\j^un!^ofj.imi  xa;  "crtft^s^o^Ew;, 
driven  and  tossed  about  by  the  changing  winds  of  opi- 
nion, and  the  waves  of  trouble,  which  hourly  disturb 
and  threaten  us  upon  the  uncertain  sea  of  human  life. 
But  faith,  uniting  us  to  Christ,  fixes  us  npon  a  sure 
foundation,  the  Rock  of  Ages,  where  Ave  stand  im- 
moveable, though  storms  and  floods  unite  their  force 
against  us. 

By  nature  we  are  separated  from  the  divine  life,  as 
branches  broken  off,  withered  and  fruitless.  But  grace, 
through  faithj  unites  us  to  Christ,  the  living  Vine,  from 
whom,  as  the  root  of  all  fulness,  a  constant  supply  of 
sap  and  influence  is  derived  into  each  of  his  mystical 
branches,  enabling  them  to  bring  forth  fruit  unto  God, 
and  to  persevere  and  abound  therein. 

By  nature  we  are  rvynloi  xa»  ^xKroviuc^  hatefal  and  abomi- 
nable in  the  sight  of  a  holy  God,  and  full  of  enmity  and 
hatred  towards  each  other.  By  faith,  uniting  us  to 
Christ,  we  have  fellowship  with  the  Father  and  the  Son, 
and  joint  communion  among  ourselves ;  even  as  the 
members  of  the  same  body  have  each  of  them  union, 
communion,  and  sympathy,  with  the  head,  and  with 
their  fellow-members. 

In  our  natural  estate,  we  were  cast  out  naked  and 
destitute,  without  pity,  and  without  help,  Ezek.  xvi.  ; 
but  faith,  uniting  us  to  Christ,  interests  us  in  his  righ- 
teousness, his  riches,  and  his  honours.  Our  Redeemer 
i?  our  husband  ;  our  debts  are  paid,  our  settlement  se- 
cured, and  our  names  changed. 

Thus  the  Lord  Jesus,  in  declaring  himself  the  foun- 
dation, root,  head,  and  husband  of  his  people,  takes  in 


394  In  what  Manner  we  are  Let.  28. 

all  the  ideas  we  can  frame  of  an  intimate,  vital,  and  in- 
separable union.  Yet  all  these  fall  short  of  truth ;  and 
he  has  given  us  one  further  similitude,  of  which  we  can 
by  no  means  form  a  just  conception,  till  we  shall  be 
brought  to  see  him  as  he  is  in  his  kingdom,  John  xvii. 
21.  "  That  they  all  may  be  one,  as  thou.  Father,  art 
"  in  me,  and  I  in  thee ;  that  they  also  may  be  one 
'  in  us. 

Well  may  we  say,  What  hath  God  wrought !  How 
inviolable  is  the  security,  how  inestimable  the  privilege, 
how  inexpressible  the  happiness  of  a  believer !  How 
greatly  is  he  indebted  to  grace  !  He  was  once  afar  off, 
but  he  is  brought  nigh  to  God  by  the  blood  of  Christ : 
he  was  once  a  child  of  wrath,  but  is  now  an  heir  of 
everlasting  life.  How  strong  then  are  his  obligations  to 
walk  worthy  of  God,  who  has  called  him  to  his  king- 
dom and  glory  ! 

I  am,  &e. 


LETTER  XXVIII. 

Answer  to  the  ^uestioJi,  In  -what  manner  arc  xve  to  expect  the 
Lord^s  promised  Guidance  to  influe7ice  onr  Judgments^  and 
direct  our  iSteps  in  the  Path  of  Duty  ? 

Dear  Sir, 

T  is  well  for  those  who  are  duly  sensible  of  their  own 
weakness  and  fallibility,  and  of  the  difficulties  with 
which  they  are  surrounded  in  life,  that  the  Lord  has 
promised  to  guide  his  people  with  his  eye,  and  to  cause 
them  to  hear  a  word  behind  them,  saying,  "  This  is  the 
"  way,  walk  ye  in  it,"  when  they  are  in  danger  of  turn- 
ing aside,  either  to  the  ri";ht  hand  or  to  the  left.     For 


Let.  28.  to  expect  tlie  Divine  Guidance.  295 

this  purpose,  he  has  given  us  the  written  word  to  be  a 
lamp  to  our  feet,  and  encouraged  us  to  pray  for  the 
teaching  of  his  Holy  Spirit,  that  we  may  rightly  under- 
stand and  apply  it.  It  is^  however,  too  often  seen,  that 
many  widely  deviate  from  the  path  of  duty,  and  com- 
mit gross  and  perplexing  mistakes,  while  they  profess  a 
sincere  desire  to  know  the  will  of  God,  and  think  they 
have  his  warrant  and  authority.  This  must  certainly 
be  ow'ing  to  misapplication  of  the  rule  by  which  they 
judge,  since  the  rule  itself  is  infallible,  and  the  promise 
sure.  The  Scripture  cannot  deceive  us,  if  rightly  un- 
derstood ;  but  it  may,  if  perverted,  prove  the  occasion 
of  confirming  us  in  a  mistake.  The  Holy  Spirit  cannot 
mislead  those  who  are  under  his  influence ;  but  we  mav 
suppose  that  we  are  so,  when  we  are  not.  It  may  not 
be  unseasonable  to  offer  a  few  thoughts  upon  a  subject 
of  great  importance  to  the  peace  of  our  minds,  and  to 
the  honour  of  our  holy  profession. 

IVIany  have  been  deceived  as  to  what  they  ought  to 
do,  or  in  forming  a  judgment  beforehand  of  events  in 
which  they  are  nearly  concerned,  by  expecting  direction 
in  ways  which  the  Lord  has  not  warranted.  I  shall 
mention  some  of  the  principal  of  these,  for  it  is  not  easy 
to  enumerate  them  all. 

Some  persons,  when  two  or  more  things  have  been 
in  view,  and  they  could  not  immediately  determine 
which  to  prefer ;  have  committed  their  case  to  the  Lord 
by  prayer,  and  have  then  proceeded  to  cast  lots :  tak- 
ing it  for  granted,  that  after  such  a  solemn  appeal,  the 
turning  up  of  the  lot  might  be  safely  rested  in  as  an  an- 
swer from  God.  It  is  true,  the  Scripture,  and  indeed 
right  reason,  assures  us,  that  the  Lord  disposes  the  lot ; 
and  there  are  several  cases  recorded  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, in  which  lots  were  used  by  divine  appointment ; 


2%  In  iiiJint  Manner  we  are  Let.  28. 

but  I  think  neither  these,  nor  the  choosing  Matthias  by 
lot  to  the  apostleship,  are  proper  precedents  for  our 
conduct.  In  the  division  of  the  lands  of  Canaan,  in  the 
affair  of  Achan,  and  in  the  nomination  of  Saul  to  the 
kingdom,  recourse  was  had  to  lots  by  God's  express 
command.  The  instance  of  Matthias  likewise  was  sin- 
gular, such  as  can  never  happen  again ;  namely,  the 
choice  of  an  apostle,  who  would  not  have  been  upon  a 
par  with  the  rest,  vvho  were  chosen  immediately  by  the 
Lord,  unless  He  had  been  pleased  to  interpose  in  some 
extraordinary  way ;  and  all  these  were  before  the  canon 
of  Scripture  was  completed,  and  before  the  full  descent 
and  communication  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  who  was  promised 
to  dwell  with  the  church  to  the  end  of  time.  Under  the 
New  Testament  dispensation,  we  are  invited  to  come 
boldly  to  the  throne  of  grace,  to  make  our  requests 
known  to  the  Lord,  and  to  cast  our  cares  upon  him  : 
but  we  have  neither  precept  nor  promise  respecting  the 
use  of  lots ;  and  to  have  recourse  to  them  without  his 
appointment,  seems  to  be  tempting  him  rather  than  ho- 
nouring him,  and  to  savour  more  of  presumption  than 
dependence.  The  effects  likewise  of  this  expedient  have 
often  been  unhappy  and  hurtful :  a  sufficient  proof  how 
little  it  is  to  be  trusted  to  as  a  guide  of  our  conduct. 

Others,  when  in  doubt,  have  opened  the  Bible  at  a 
venture,  and  expected  to  find  something  to  direct  them 
in  the  first  verse  they  should  cast  their  eye  upon.  It  is 
no  small  discredit  to  this  practice,  that  the  Heathens, 
who  knew  not  the  Bible,  used  some  of  their  favourite 
books  in  the  same  way  :  and  grounded  their  persuasions 
of  what  thcv  ouijht  to  do,  or  of  what  should  befall  them, 
according  to  the  passage  they  happened  to  open  upon. 
Among  the  Romans,  the  writings  of  Virgil  were  fre- 
quently consultixl  upon  theh3e  occasions;  which  gave  rise 


Let.  28.  to  expect  the  Divine  Guidance.  '^Syi 

to  the  well-known  expression  of  the  Sortes  Jlrgiliancp. 
And  indeed  Virgil  is  as  well  adapted  to  satisfy  inquirers 
in  this  way,  as  the  Bible  itself;  for  if  people  will  be  go- 
verned by  the  occurrence  of  a  single  text  of  Scripture, 
without  regarding  the  context,  or  duly  comparing  it  with 
the  general  tenor  of  the  word  of  God,  and  with  their  own 
circumstances,  they  may  commit  the  greatest  extrava- 
gances, expect  the  greatest  impossibilities,  and  contra- 
dict the  plainest  dictates  of  common  sense,  while  they 
think  they  have  the  word  of  God  on  their  side.  Can 
the  opening  upon  2  Sam.  vii.  3.  when  Nathan  said 
unto  David,  "  Do  all  that  is  in  thine  heart,  for  the 
"  Lord  is  with  thee,"  be  sufficient  to  determine  the 
lawfulness  or  expediency  of  actions  r  Or  can  a  glance  of 
the  eye  upon  our  Lord's  words  to  the  woman  of  Canaan, 
Matth.  XV.  28.  "  Be  it  unto  thee  even  as  thou  wilt," 
amount  to  a  proof,  that  the  present  earnest  desire  of  the 
mind,  (whatever  it  may  be,)  shall  be  surely  accomplished? 
Yet  it  is  certain  that  matters  big  with  important  conse- 
quences have  been  engaged  in,  and  the  most  sancpuine 
expectations  formed,  upon  no  better  warrant  than  dip- 
ping, (as  it  is  called,)  upon  a  text  of  Scripture. 

A  sudden  strong  impression  of  a  text,  that  seems  to 
have  some  resemblance  to  the  concern  upon  the  mind, 
has  been  accepted  by  many  as  an  infallible  token  that 
they  were  right,  and  that  things  would  go  just  as  they 
would  have  them  :  or,  on  the  otlier  hand,  if  the  passage 
bore  a  threatening  aspect,  it  has  tilled  them  with  fears 
and  disquietudes,  which  they  have  afterwards  found 
were  groundless  and  unnecessary.  These  impressions, 
being  more  out  of  their  power  than  the  former  method, 
have  been  more  generally  regarded  and  trusted  to,  but 
have  frequently  proved  no  less  delusive.  It  is  allowed, 
that  such  impressions  of  a  precept  or  a  promise,  as 

Vol.  I.  2  Q 


208  In  vchat  Manner  xve  are  Let.  2S. 

humble,  animate,  or  comfort  the  soul,  by  giving  it  a 
lively  sense  of  the  truth  contained  in  the  words,  are 
both  profitable  and  pleasant ;  and  many  of  the  Lord's 
people  have  been  instructed  and  supported,  (especially 
in  a  time  of  trouble,)  by  some  seasonable  word  of  grace 
applied  and  sealed  by  his  Spirit  with  power  to  their 
hearts.  Cut  if  impressions  or  impulses  are  received  as 
a  voice  from  heaven,  directing  to  such  particular  ac- 
tions as  could  not  be  proved  to  be  duties  without  them, 
a  person  may  be  unwaril}'  misled  into  great  evils  and 
gross  delusions  ;  and  many  have  been  so.  There  is  no 
doubt  but  the  enemy  of  our  souls,  if  permitted,  can  fur- 
nish us  with  Scriptures  in  abundance  in  this  way,  and 
for  these  purposes. 

Some  persons  judge  of  the  nature  and  event  of  their 
designs,  by  the  fieedom  which  they  find  in  prayer. 
They  say  they  commit  their  ways  to  God,  seek  his  di- 
rection, and  are  favoured  with  much  enlargement  of 
spirit ;  and  therefore  they  cannot  doubt  but  what  they 
have  in  view^  is  acceptable  in  the  Lord's  sight.  I  would 
not  absolutely  reject  every  plea  of  this  kind,  yet,  with- 
out other  corroboratin"  evidence,  I  could  not  admit  it  in 
proof  of  what  it  is  brought  for.  It  is  not  ataays  easy 
to  determine  when  we  have  spiritual  freedom  in  prayer. 
Self  is  deceitful ;  and  when  our  hearts  are  much  fixed 
and  bent  upon  a  thing,  this  may  put  words  and  earnest- 
ness into  our  mouths.  Too  often  we  first  secretly  de- 
termine for  ourselves,  and  then  come  to  ask  counsel  of 
God  ;  in  such  a  disposition  we  are  ready  to  catch  at 
every  thing  that  may  seem  to  favour  our  darling  scheme; 
and  the  Lord,  for  the  detection  and  chastisement  of  our 
hypocrisy,  (for  hypocrisy  it  is,  though  perhaps  hardly 
perceptible  to  ourselves,)  may  answer  us  according  to 
cur  idols ;  see  Ezek.  xiv.  3,  4.     Besides^  the  grace  of 


Let.  28.  to  expect  the  Divine  Guidance,  299 

prayer  may  be  in  exercise,  when  tlie  subject-matter  of 
the  prayer  may  be  founded  upon  a  mistake,  from  the 
intervention  of  circumstances  which  we  are  unacquainted 
with.  Thus  I  may  have  a  friend  in  a  distant  country,  I 
hope  he  is  alive,  I  pray  for  him,  and  it  is  my  duty  so  to 
do.  The  Lord,  by  his  Spirit,  assists  his  people  in  what 
is  their  present  duty.  If  I  am  enabled  to  pray  with 
much  liberty  for  my  distant  friend,  it  may  be  a  proof 
that  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  pleased  to  assist  my  in- 
firmities, but  it  is  no  proof  that  my  friend  is  certainly 
alive  at  the  time  I  am  praying  for  him;  and  if  the  next 
time  I  pray  for  him  I  should  find  my  spirit  straightened, 
I  am  not  to  conclude  that  my  friend  is  dea(^^  and  there- 
fore the  Lord  will  not  assist  me  in  praying  for  him  any 
longer. 

Once  more :  A  remarkable  dream  has  sometimes 
been  thought  as  decisive  as  any  of  the  foregoing  me- 
thods of  knowing  the  will  of  God.  That  many  whole- 
some and  seasonable  admonitions  have  been  received 
in  dreams,  I  willingly  allow  ;  but,  though  they  may  be 
occasionally  noticed,  to  pay  a  great  attention  to  dreams, 
especially  to  be  guided  by  them,  to  form  our  sentiments, 
conduct,  or  expectations,  upon  them,  is  superstitious 
and  dangerous.  The  promises  ai'c  not  made  to  those 
who  dream,  but  to  those  who  watch. 

Upon  the  whole,  though  the  Lord  may  give  to  some 
persons,  upon  some  occasions,  a  hint  or  encouragement 
out  of  the  common  way ;  yet  expressly  to  look  for  and 
seek  his  direction  in  such  things  as  I  have  mentioned, 
is  unscriptural  and  ensnaring.  I  could  fill  many  sheets 
with  a  detail  of  the  inconveniences  and  evils  which  ha\  e 
followed  such  a  dependence,  within  the  course  of  my 
own  observation.  I  have  seen  some  presuming  they 
were  doing  God  service,  while  acting  in  contradiction  to 


300  In  xoJiat  manyier  tvc  are  Lei.  28. 

his  express  commands.  I  have  known  others  infatuated 
to  believe  a  lie,  declaring  themselves  assured,  beyond 
the  shadow  of  a  doubt,  of  things  which,  after  all,  never 
came  to  pass;  and  when  at  length  disappointed,  Satan 
has  improved  the  occasion  to  make  them  doubt  of  the 
plainest  and  most  important  truths,  and  to  account  their 
whole  former  experience  a  delusion.  By  these  things 
weak  believers  have  been  stumbled,  cavils  and  offences 
against  the  Gospel  multiplied,  and  the  v\ays  of  truth 
evil  spoken  of. 

But  how  then  may  the  Lord's  guidance  be  expected  ? 
After  what  has  been  premised  negatively,  the  question 
may  be  answered  in  a  few  words.  In  general,  he  guides 
and  directs  his  people,  by  affording  them,  in  answer  to 
prayer,  the  light  of  his  Holy  Spirit,  which  enables  them 
to  understand  and  to  love  the  Scriptures.  The  word  of 
God  is  not  to  be  used  as  a  lottery ;  nor  is  it  designed 
to  instruct  us  by  shreds  and  scraps,  which,  detached 
from  their  proper  places,  have  no  determinate  import ; 
but  it  is  to  furnish  us  with  just  principles,  right  appre- 
hensions to  regulate  our  judgments  and  affections,  and 
thereby  to  influence  and  direct  our  conduct.  They  who 
study  the  Scriptures,  in  an  humble  dependence  upon 
divine  teaching,  are  convinced  of  their  own  weakness, 
are  taught  to  make  a  true  estimate  of  every  thing  around 
them,  are  gradually  formed  into  a  spirit  of  submission 
to  the  will  of  God,  discover  the  nature  and  duties  of 
their  several  situations  and  relations  in  life,  and  the 
snares  and  temptations  to  which  they  are  exposed.  The 
word  of  God  dwells  richly  in  them,  is  a  preservative 
from  error,  a  light  to  their  feet,  and  a  spring  ot*strength 
and  consolation.  By  treasuring  up  the  doctrines,  pre- 
cepts, promises,  examples,  and  exhortations  of  Scrip- 
ture, in  their  minds,  and  daily  comparing  themselves 


Let.  28.  to  expect  the  Divine  Guidance.  301 

with  the  rule  by  which  they  walk,  they  grow  into  an  ha- 
bitual frame  of  spiritual  wisdom,  and  acquire  a  gracious 
taste,  which  enables  them  to  judge  of  right  and  wrong 
with  a  degree  of  readiness  and  certainty,  as  a  musical 
ear  judges  of  sounds.  And  they  are  seldom  mistaken, 
because  they  are  influenced  by  the  love  of  Christ,  which 
rules  in  their  hearts,  and  a  regard  to  the  glory  of  God, 
which  is  the  great  object  they  have  in  view. 

In  particular  cases,  the  Lord  opens  and  shuts  for 
them,  breaks  down  walls  of  difficulty  which  obstruct 
their  path,  or  hedges  up  their  way  with  thorns,  when 
they  are  in  danger  of  going  wrong,  by  the  dispensations 
of  his  providence.  They  know  that  their  concernments 
are  in  his  hands  ;  they  are  willing  to  follow  whither  and 
when  he  leads ;  but  are  afraid  of  going  before  him. 
Therefore  they  are  not  impatient :  because  they  believe, 
they  will  not  make  haste,  but  wait  daily  upon,  him  in 
prayer;  especially  when  they  find  their  hearts  most  en- 
gaged in  any  purpose  or  pursuit,  they  are  most  jealous 
of  being  deceived  by  appearances,  and  dare  not  move 
further  or  faster  than  they  can  perceive  his  light  shining 
upon  their  paths.  I  express  at  least  their  desire,  if  not 
their  attainment :  thus  they  would  be.  And  though 
there  are  seasons  when  faith  languishes,  and  self  too 
much  prevails,  this  is  their  general  disposition  ;  and  the 
Lord,  whom  they  serve,  does  not  disappoint  their  ex- 
pectations. He  leads  them  by  a  right  way,  preserves 
them  from  a  thousand  snares,  and  satisfies  them  that 
he  is  and  will  be  their  guide  even  unto  death. 

I  am,  &c. 


On  Rom.  viii.  1^  20,  ZL  Let.  29. 


LETTER  XXIX. 


Thoughts  on  Bom.  xi'A.  19,  20,  21. 

Dear  Sir, 

A.  HE  apostle  evidently  introduces  this  passage  in  con- 
firmation of  what  he  had  said  before,  ver.  17,  18.  The 
privileges  of  the  children  of  God  are  not  only  great,  but 
sure.  Every  thing  we  see  confirms  our  expectation  of 
what  God  has  promised.  The  whole  frame  of  nature, 
in  its  present  state  of  imperfection,  strongly  pleads  for 
a  future  and  better  dispensation,  as  necessary  to  vindi- 
cate the  wisdom,  goodness,  and  justice  of  God  ;  and 
this  shall  take  place  when  the  sons  of  God  shall  be  ma- 
nifested, and  shall  shine  forth  in  the  kingdom  of  their 
Father.  It  would  be  injurious  to  the  honour  of  God 
to  suppose,  that  things  were  at  first  created  in  the  state 
they  are  now  in,  or  that  they  will  always  continue  so  ; 
and  therefore  the  creature,  which  was  originally  designed 
to  show  forth  the  glory  of  God,  is  represented  as  bur- 
dened and  groaning  till  those  impediments  are  removed, 
which  prevent  it  from  fully  answering  its  proper  end. 

Dr.  Guyse's  proposal  of  reading  the  20th  verse,  (the 
words  in  hope  excepted,)  in  a  parenthesis,  seems  greatly 
to  free  the  sense  from  embarrassment.  Then  the  pro- 
position in  the  19th  and  21st  verses  will  be,  "  The 
"  earnest  expectation  of  the  creature  waiteth  in  hope, 
''  for  the  manifestation  of  the  sons  of  God,  because  the?i 
*'  the  creature  also  shall  be  delivered  from  the  bondage 
"  of  corruption,"  Sec.  The  20th  verse  expresses  the 
creature's  })rescnt  state,  "  It  is  subject  to  vanity  ;"  and 


Let.  29.  On  Rom.  viii.  19,  20,  21.  SOS 

intimates  the  cause,  "  Not  willingly,"  but  by  reason  of 
liim  who  hath  subjected  the  same. 

By  the  creature  some  understand  mankind,  as  the 
word  is  used,  Mark  xvi.  15.;  and  it  is  certain,  that, 
partly  from  imperfect  tradition,  and  partly  from  a  gene- 
ral rumour  of  the  prophecies  extant  among  the  Jews, 
the  Heathens  had  some  confused  apprehension  of  a  de- 
liverer from  misery ;  agreeable  to  which,  or  rather  on 
account  of  their  need  of  a  Saviour,  whether  they  knew 
it  or  not,  Christ  is  styled  the  desire  of  all  nations.  But 
this  does  not  seem  to  be  the  sense ;  because  the  crea- 
ture here  is  said  to  be  subject  to  vanity,  not  willingli/^ 
and  is  represented  as  groaning,  travailing,  and  longing, 
ver.  22,  for  deliverance.  But  it  is  so  far  from  being  the 
concurrent  desire  of  all  mankind,  or  indeed  the  desire 
of  any  single  person,  to  obtain  freedom  from  the  bond- 
age of  sin,  that  we  are  naturally  pleased  with  it,  and 
yield  a  willing  subjection.  Besides,  the  period  referred 
to  is  beyond  the  present  life,  and  intends  not  a  partial 
relief  here,  but  a  full  deliverance  hereafter.  It  seems, 
therefore,  that  creature  in  these  verses,  and  creation  in 
ver.  22,  as  they  are  both  expressed  by  the  same  word 
in  the  Greek,  are  to  be  taken  in  the  same  sense.  The 
whole  frame  of  this  lower  world,  which  is  now  subject 
to  vanity  on  account  of  the  sin  of  many,  is  represented 
as  londncr  and  waiting  for  deliverance. 

The  word  arroxa^aJoKia,  which  wc  render  earnest  expec- 
tation^ is  very  emphatical ;  it  imports  a  raising  up  or 
thrusting  forward  the  head,  as  persons  who  are  in  sus- 
pense for  the  return  of  a  messenger,  or  the  issue  of  some 
interesting  event.  Compare  Judges  v.  28.  Luke  xxi. 
28.  It  occurs  but  once  more  in  the  New  Testament, 
Phil.  i.  20  :  where  the  apostle  is  describing,  in  one  view, 


304  0?i  Bom.  viii.  19,  20,  21.  Let.  20. 

the  confidence  of  his  hope,  and  the  many  conflicts  and 
oppositions  which  were  the  daily  exercise  of  his  faith. 

Now  it  is  a  frequent  beauty  in  the  Scripture-lan<3;uage, 
to  apply  human  aifections  to  the  inanimate  creation ;  and 
these  expressions  are  to  be  taken  in  a  figurative  sense, 
as  denoting  the  importance  and  evidence  of  what  is  said. 
See  Gen.  iv.  11.  Isa.  i.  2.  Luke  xix.  40.  The  "  earnest 
"  expectation  of  the  creature,"  therefore,  teaches  us 
two  thinjjs,  the  weight  and  burden  of  the  evils  under 
■which  the  world  groans,  and  the  sure  purpose  of  God 
to  restore  all  things  by  Jesus  Christ.  There  is  a  period 
approaching,  when  all  that  is  new,  rough,  and  crooked, 
shall  be  made  plain  and  straight.  The  Lord  has  pro- 
mised it ;  and  therefore  all  his  works  are  represented  as 
expecting  and  waiting  for  it. 

This  shall  be  at  the  manifestation  of  the  sons  of  God. 
They  are  now  hidden,  unknown,  unnoticed,  and  mis- 
represented, for  the  most  part.  Their  life  is  in  many 
respects  hidden  from  themselves,  and  their  privileges  al- 
together hidden  from  the  world.  But  ere  long  they 
will  be  manifested,  their  God  will  openly  acknowledge 
them ;  every  cloud  by  which  they  are  now  obscured 
shall  be  removed,  and  they  shall  shine  like  the  sun  in 
the  kingdom  of  their  Father.  They  have  now  a  gra- 
cious liberti/ :  they  are  freed  from  condemnation,  from 
the  pow  er  of  sin,  from  the  law  as  a  covenant  of  works, 
from  the  yoke  of  carnal  ordinances,  from  the  traditions 
and  inventions  of  men,  and  from  the  spirit  of  bondage; 
yet  they  suffer  much  from  indwelling  sin,  the  temptations 
of  Satan,  and  their  situation  in  a  wicked  and  ensnaring 
world.  But  they  are  animated  with  the  hope  of  a  glo- 
rious liberty,  when  every  evil,  imperi'ection,  and  abate- 
ment, shall  cease ;  when  they  shall  be  put  in  the  full 


Let.  29.  On  Rom.  viii.  19,  20,  21.  305 

possession  of  a  happiness  answerable  to  the  riches  of 
divine  love,  and  the  efficacy  of  the  blood  and  mediation 
of  Jesus;  and  then  the  curse  shall  be  fully  removed  from 
the  creation ;  the  Lord  shall  create  all  things  new,  and 
again  pronounce  all  things  good.  When  they  are  thus 
manifested,  the  creature's  expectation  shall  be  answered. 
It  shall  be  restored  to  its  honour  and  use.  Under  what 
circumstances,  and  to  what  particular  purposes,  this 
change  will  take  place,  we  know  not ;  but  a  change  wor- 
thy of  divine  wisdouj,  though  beyond  the  limits  of  our 
weak  apprehensions,  we  are  \Aarranted  from  Scripture 
to  expect.  It  is  asserted  in  this  passage  ;  to  which  per- 
haps we  may  properly  add  2  Pet.  iii.  13.  llev.  xxi.  I. 
It  would  be  easy  to  indulge  vain  conjectures  upon  this 
subject ;  but  it  is  more  safe  to  restrain  them,  and  to  con- 
tent ourselves  with  what  is  clearly  revealed.  The  hour 
is  coming  when  all  difficulties  shall  be  explained,  when 
the  mysterious  plan  of  divine  Providence  shall  be  un- 
folded, vindicated,  and  completed ;  then  it  shall  appear, 
that  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  the  head  and  restorer  of 
the  creation ;  and  how  fully  in  every  sense  he  has  re- 
paired the  ruin  brought  into  the  world  by  sin,  and  de- 
stroyed the  works  of  the  devil. 

In  the  mean  time  the  sons  of  God  groan,  waiting  for 
the  adoption  ;  and  the  creation  groans  with  them.  At 
present  it  is  subject  to  vanity.  Its  original  design  was, 
to  fulfil  the  will,  and  to  set  forth  the  glory  of  God  ;  but, 
by  the  sin  of  man,  it  is  disappointed  u  ith  respect  to 
these  ends ;  not  absolutely,  for  still  the  heavens  declare 
his  glory,  and  the  earth  is  full  of  his  goodness  ;  but,  with 
regard  to  outward  appearances,  there  is  a  great  abate- 
ment in  both  these  respects.  We  may  instance  a  few 
particulars,  in  which  the  creature  is  abused  and  op- 
pressed, contrary  to  the  design  of  its  creation. 

Vor.  I.  "  2  R 


3GG  On  Bom.  viii.  19,  20,  21.  Let.  27, 

The  creature  was  intended  to  show  forth  the  glory  of 
God.  But  here  it  has  been  disappointed,  and  has 
groaned,  being  burdened  in  all  ages.  Vain  rnan  has 
always  been  disposed  to  serve  and  worship  the  creature 
more  than  the  Creator.  Tiie  whole  world  formerly, 
except  the  Jews,  were  sunk  in  idolatry,  paying  divine 
honours  to  the  sun  and  moon,  yea,  to  stocks  and  stones  ; 
and  a  great  part  of  the  earth  is  to  this  moment  covered«r 
%vith  the  same  darkness.  When  this  is  the  case,  the 
creature  groans  under  vanity,  being  perverted  directly 
contrary  to  its  proper  end.  And  there  is  another  idola- 
try, if  not  so  gross,  yet  in  us  more  inexcusable,  by 
which  the  generality  of  those  who  bear  the  name  of 
Christians  are  no  less  alienated  from  the  knowledge 
and  love  of  the  true  God,  than  the  Heathens  them- 
selves. 

Again  :  The  creatures,  as  the  sei'vants  of  God,  are 
properly  designed  to  promote  the  welfare  of  his  chil- 
dren, 1  Cor.  iii.  22.  Job  v.  23.  This  great  end  is  in- 
deed finally  secured  by  the  promise.  That  all  shall  work 
together  for  their  good.  But  at  present  they  are  ex- 
posed to  great  sufferings  :  all  things  seem  to  come  alike 
to  all.  This,  on  the  Lord's  part,  is  a  wise  and  gracious 
appointment  for  the  exercise  of  faith,  the  mortification 
of  sin,  and  the  advancement  of  sanctification.  But  still 
in  itself  it  is  a  vanity,  under  Avhich  the  creation  groans. 
When  Jesus  was  crucified  in  persoii,  the  sun  withdrew 
his  light,  rocks  rent,  and  the  earth  quaked.  There  is  a 
proportionable  constraint  upon  nature  when  he  suffers 
in  his  members.  Sometimes  this  part  of  the  vanity  has 
been  suspended,  as  in  the  case  of  Daniel  and  his  com- 
panions ;  and,  doubtless,  the  creatures  would  in  general 
reverence  the  heirs  of  glory,  were  not  the  effects  of  sin 
upon  them  continued  for  wise  reasons.     They  were 


Let.  29.  On  Bom.  viii.  19,  20,  21.  S07 

subject  to  man,  when  man  was  subject  to  his  ]\Iaker 
At  present  there  is  an  apparent  inconsistence,   when 
beasts,  and  storms,  and  seas,  rage  against  those  whom 
their  Creator  is  pleased  to  favour. 

Once  more :  The  creatures  of  God  might  be  expected 
'to  ensfasfe  in  his  behalf  against  his  enemies.  But  it  is 
subject  to  vanity  here  likewise.  The  earth  is  the  Lord's  ; 
yet  the  chief  parts  and  possessions  of  it  are  in  the  hands 
of  those  who  hate  him;  yea,  his  enemies  employ  his 
creatures  against  his  own  friends.  Surely,  if  the  secret 
powerful  restraint  of  his  providence  were  taken  off,  it 
would  be  otherwise  !  How  ready  all  the  creatures  are 
to  fight  in  the  Lord's  cause,  if  he  please  to  employ  them, 
we  may  learn  from  the  history  of  Egypt,  in  Exodus, 
from  the  death  of  Dathan  and  Abiram,  and  the  destruc- 
tion of  Sennacherib's  army.  It  is  therefore  a  bondage 
introduced  by  sin,  and  under  which  they  groan,  that 
they  are  compelled  to  prolong  the  lives  and  serve  the 
occasions  of  ungodly  sinners. 

The  effect  being  manifest,  tJ^iat  the  creature  is  subject 
to  vanity,  the  apostle  briefly  intimates  the  cause:  "  Not 
"  willingly."  The  creature,  considered  in  itself,  is  not  in 
fault.  All  things  were  created  good  in  the  beo-innine, 
and  in  themselves  are  good  still.  Not  the  fault,  but 
the  perversion  and  subjection  of  the  creature,  are  here 
complained  of  A  beauty,  variety,  and  order  in  the 
works  of  God,  are  still  discernible,  sufficient  to  fill  an 
attentive  and  enlightened  mind  with  wonder,  love,  and 
praise  ;  though  it  must  be  allowed,  that  sin  has  not  only 
alienated  our  hearts,  and  disabled  our  faculties,  so  that 
we  cannot  rightly  contemplate  God  in  his  works,  but 
has  likewise  occasioned  a  considerable  alteration  in  the 
visible  state  of  things.  One  instance  is  expressly  sne- 
«ified.  Gen.  iii.  16. 


308  On  Rom.  Yiil  19,  20,21.  Let.  29. 

The  positive  cause  is  ascribed  to  Ilim  who  has  sub- 
jected the  same.  These  words  may  bear  three  different 
senses,  in  agreement  with  the  current  doctrine  of  the 
Scripture.  The  prime  author  of  the  mischief  was  Satan, 
Full  of  malice  and  enmity  against  God  and  his  crea- 
tures, he  attempted  to  bring  evil  into  this  lower  world, 
and  was  pi  rmitted  to  succeed  ;  the  Lord  purposing  to 
over-rule  it  to  his  own  glory.  But  for  a  season  the 
work  of  the  devil  has  been,  to  introduce  and  maintain  a 
sad  scene  of  vanity  and  misery.  Our  first  father  Adam 
was  the  direct  and  immediate  cause  of  the  entrance  of 
sin  and  vanity  into  the  creation.  He  was  created  up- 
right, and  all  things  good  about  him  :  but  he  listened 
to  Satan,  and  sinned,  and  by  his  sin 

Brought  death  into  the  world,  and  ail  our  wo  ; 

for  w'c  were  concerned  in  his  transgression,  as  he  was 
our  head  both  in  nature  and  law.  But  we  may  refer 
the  Him  to  God  ;  and  this  seems  best  to  suit  the  apos- 
tle's design  here.  God,  the  righteous  judge,  subjected 
the  creature  to  vanity,  as  the  just  consequence  and  de- 
sert of  man's  disobedience.  But  he  has  subjected  it  in 
hope;  with  a  reserve  in  favour  of  his  own  people,  by 
which,  though  they  are  liable  to  trouble,  they  are  se- 
cured from  the  penal  desert  of  sin,  and  the  vanity  of 
the  creature  is  by  his  wisdom  over-ruled  to  wise  and 
gracious  purposes.  The  earth,  and  all  in  it,  was  made 
for  the  sake  of  man:  for  his  sin  it  was  first  cursed,  and 
afterwards  destroyed  by  water  ;  and  sin  at  last  shall  set 
it  on  fire.  But  God,  who  is  rich  in  mercy,  appointed 
a  people  to  himself  out  of  the  fallen  race :  for  their 
sakes,  and  as  a  theatre  whereon  to  disj)lay  the  wonders 
of  his  providence  and  grace,  it  was  renewed  after  the 


Let.  29.  On  Rom.  viii.  19,  20,  21.  309 

flood,  and  still  continues  ;  but  not  in  its  original  state  : 
there  are  marks  of  the  evil  of  sin,  and  of  God's  displea- 
sure against  it,  Avherever  we  turn  our  eyes.  This  truth 
is  witnessed  to  by  every  thing  without  us  and  within 
us.  But  there  shall  be  a  deliverance  to  those  who  fear 
him ;  and,  by  his  word  and  Spirit,  he  teaches  them  to 
receive  instruction  and  benefit,  even  from  this  root  of 
bitterness.  Even  now  they  are  the  sons  of  God  ;  but 
it  doth  not  yet  appear  w  hat  they  w  ill  be  when  he  shall 
appear,  and  be  admired  in  all  them  that  believe.  Then 
they  shall  be  manifested,  and  then  the  creature  also 
shall  be  delivered  from  the  bondage  of  corruption. 

Kow  blind,  then,  are  they  u  ho  expect  happiness  from 
the  creature,  which  is  itself  subject  to  vanity,  and  who 
are  meanly  content  with  the  present  state  of  things  !  It 
is  because  they  are  estranged  from  God,  have  no  sense 
of  his  excellency,  no  regard  for  his  glory,  no  knowledge 
of  their  own  proper  good  !  They  are  further  removed 
from  tlie  desires  they  ought  to  have  in  their  present 
circumstances,  than  the  brute  creation,  or  the  very 
ground  they  walk  on  ;  for  all  things  but  man,  have,  an 
instinct,  or  natural  principle,  to  answer  the  end  for 
which  they  were  appointed.  Fire  and  hail,  wind  and 
storm,  fulfil  the  word  of  God,  though  we  poor  mortals 
dare  to  disobey  it.  But  if  the  secret  voice  of  the  whole 
creation  desires  the  consummation  of  all  things,  surely 
they  who  have  the  light  of  God's  word  and  Spirit  will 
look  forward,  and  long  for  that  glorious  day.  Amen. 
Even  so,  come,  Lord  Jesus ! 

I  am,  &c. 


Oh  the  right  Use  of  the  Laiv.  Let.  30> 

LETTER  XXX. 

On  the  Right  Use  of  the  Law, 
Dear  Sir, 

T 
OU  desire  my  thonghts  on  1  Tim.  i.  8.  ^'  We  know 

-"■  the  law  is  good,  if  a  man  use  it  lawfully,"  and  I  wil- 
lingly comply,  I  do  not  mean  to  send  you  a  sermon  on 
the  text;  yet  a  little  attention  to  method  may  not  be 
improper  upon  this  subject,  though  in  a  letter  to  a 
friend.  Ignorance  of  the  nature  and  design  of  the  law 
is  at  the  bottom  of  most  religious  mistakes.  This  is  the 
root  of  self-righteousness,  the  grand  reason  why  the 
Gospel  of  Christ  is  no  more  regarded,  and  the  cause  of 
that  uncertainty  and  inconsistence  in  many,  who,  though 
they  profess  themselves  teachers,  understand  not  what 
they  say,  nor  whereof  they  affirm.  If  we  previously 
state  what  is  meant  by  the  law,  and  by  what  means  we 
knov/  the  law  to  be  good,  I  think  it  will,  from  these  pre- 
mises, be  easy  to  conclude  what  it  is  to  use  the  law 
iawfully. 

The  law,  in  many  passages  of  the  Old  Testament, 
signifies  the  whole  revelation  of  the  v.ill  of  God,  as  in 
Psalm  i.  2.  and  xix.  7.  But  the  law,  in  a  strict  sense, 
is  contradistinguished  from  the  Gospel.  Thus  the  apos- 
tle considers  it  at  large  in  his  epistles  to  the  Romans 
and  Galatians.  I  think  it  evident,  that,  in  the  passage 
you  have  proposed,  the  apostle  is  speaking  of  the  law 
of  IMoses.  But,  to  have  a  clearer  view  of  the  subject 
it  may  be  proper  to  look  back  to  a  more  early  period. 

The  law  of  God,  then,  in  the  largest  sense,  is  tiiat 
rule,  or  prescribed  course,  which  he  has  appointed  fot 


Let.  30.  071  the  right  Use  of  the  Law.  Zll 

his  creatures  according  to  their  several  natures  and  ca- 
pacities, that  they  may  answer  the  end  for  which  he  has 
created  tliem  Thus  it  comprehends  the  inanimate  cre- 
ation. The  wind  or  storm  fulfil  his  word  or  law.  He 
hath  appointed  the  moon  for  its  seasons  ;  and  the  sun- 
knoweth  its  going  down,  or  going  forth,  and  performs 
all  its  revolutions  according  to  its  Maker's  pleasure.  If 
we  could  suppose  the  sun  was.  an  intelligent  being,  and 
should  refuse  to  shine,  or  should  wander  from  the  sta- 
tion in  which  God  had  placed  it,  it  would  then  be  a 
transgressor  of  the  law.  But  there  is  no  such  disorder 
in  the  natural  world.  The  law  of  God  in  this  sense,  oir 
what  many  choose  to  call  the  law  of  nature,  is  no  other 
than  the  impression  of  God's  power,  whereby  all  things 
continue  and  act  according  to  his  will  from  the  begin- 
ning :  for  "  he  spake,  and  it  was  done ;  he  commanded, 
"  and  it  stood  fast." 

The  animals  destitute  of  reason  are  likewise  under  a 
law;  that  is,  God  has  given  them  instincts  according  to 
their  several  kinds,  for  their  support  and  preservation, 
to  which  they  invariably  conform.  A  wisdom  unspeak- 
ably superior  to  all  the  contrivance  of  man  disposes 
their  concernments,  and  is  visible  in  the  structure  of  a 
bird's  nest,  or  the  economy  of  a  bee-hive.  But  this 
wisdom  is  restrained  within  narrow  limits ;  they  act 
without  any  remote  design,  and  are  incapable  either  of 
good  or  evil  in  a  moral  sense. 

When  God  created  man,  he  taught  him  more  than 
the  beasts  of  the  earth,  and  made  him  wiser  than  the 
fowls  of  heaven.  He  formed  him  for  himself,  breathed 
into  him  a  spirit  immortal  and  incapable  of  dissolution, 
gave  him  a  capacity  not  to  be  satisfied  with  any  creature- 
good,  endued  him  with  an  understanding,  will,  and  af- 
fections, which  qualified  him  for  the  knowledge  and  ser- 


31^  On  the  right  Use  of  the  Law.  Let,  30. 

vice  of  his  IMaker,  and  a  life  of  communion  with  him. 
The  law  of  God,  therefore,  concerning  man,  is  that  rule 
of  disposition  and  conduct  to  which  a  creature  so  consti- 
tuted ought  to  conform ;  so  that  the  end  of  his  creation 
mijjht  be  answered,  and  the  wisdom  ofGod  be  manifested 
in  him  and  by  him.  Man's  continuance  in  this  regular 
andhap})y  state  was  not  necessary  as  it  is  in  the  creatures, 
who,  having  no  rational  faculties,  have  properly  no  choice, 
but  act  under  the  immediate  agency  of  divine  power. 
As  man  was  capable  of  continuing  in  the  state  in  which 
he  was  created,  so  he  was  capable  of  forsaking  it.  He 
did  so,  and  sinned  by  eating  the  forbidden  fruit.  We 
are  not  to  suppose  that  this  prohibition  was  the  whole  of 
the  law  of  Adam,  so  that  if  he  had  abstained  from  the 
tree  of  knowledge,  he  might  in  other  respects  have 
done,  (as  we  say,)  what  he  pleased.  This  injunction 
was  the  test  of  his  obedience ;  and  while  he  regarded 
it,  he  could  have  no  desire  contrary  to  holiness,  be- 
cause his  nature  was  holy.  But  when  he  broke  tlirough 
it,  he  broke  through  the  whole  law,  and  stood  guilty  of 
idolatry,  blasphemy,  rebellion,  and  murder.  The  divine 
light  in  his  soul  was  extinguished,  the  image  of  God  de- 
faced ;  he  became  like  Satan,  whom  he  had  obeyed,  and 
lost  his  power  to  keep  that  law  which  was  connected 
with  his  happiness.  Yet  still  the  law  remained  in  force : 
the  blessed  God  could  not  lose  his  right  to  that  rever- 
ence, love,  and  obedience,  which  must  always  be  due  to 
him  from  his  intelligent  creatures.  Thus  Adam  became 
a  transgressor,  and  incurred  the  penalty,  death.  But 
God,  who  is  rich  in  mercy,  according  to  his  eternal  pur- 
pose revealed  the  promise  of  the  seed  of  the  woman,  and 
instituted  sacrifices  as  types  of  that  atonement  for  sin, 
which  He,  in  the  fulness  of  time,  should  accomplish  by 
the  sacrifice  of  himself 


Let.  30.  On  the  right  Une  of  the  Lav:.  313 

Adam,  after  his  fall,  was  no  lont^er  a  public  person  ; 
he  was  saved  by  grace,  through  faith  :  but  the  depravity 
he  had  brought  upon  human  nature  remained.  His  chil- 
dren, and  so  all  his  posterity,  were  born  in  his  sinful 
likeness,  without  either  ability  or  inclination  to  keep  the 
law.  The  earth  was  soon  filled  with  violence.  But  a 
few  in  every  successive  age  were  preserved  by  grace, 
and  faith  in  the  promise.  Abraham  was  favoured  with 
a  more  full  and  distinct  revelation  of  the  covenant  of 
grace  ;  he  saw  the  day  of  Christ,  and  rejoiced.  In  the 
time  of  Aloses,  God  was  pleased  to  set  apart  a  pecu- 
liar people  to  himself,  and  to  them  he  published  his  law 
with  great  solemnity  at  Sinai :  this  law  consisted  of  two 
distinct  parts,  very  different  in  their  scope  and  design, 
though  both  enjoined  by  the  same  authority. 

The  decalogue,  or  ten  commands,  uttered  by  the 
voice  of  God  himself,  is  an  abstract  of  that  original  la\v 
under  which  man  was  created  ;  but  published  in  a  pro- 
hibitory form — the  Israelites,  like  the  rest  of  mankind, 
being  depraved  by  sin,  and  strongly  inclined  to  the  com- 
mission of  every  evil.  This  law  could  not  be  designed 
as  a  covenant,  by  obedience  to  which  man  should  be 
justified  ;  for  long  before  its  publication  the  Gospel  had 
been  preached  to  Abraham,  Gal.  iii.  8.  But  the  law 
entered  that  sin  might  abound ;  that  the  extent,  the  evil, 
and  the  desert  of  sin  might  be  known  ;  for  it  reaches  to 
the  most  hidden  thoughts  of  the  heart,  requires  abso- 
lute and  perpetual  obedience,  and  denounces  a  curse 
upon  all  who  continue  not  therein. 

To  this  was  superadded  the  ceremonial  or  Levitical 
law,  prescribing  a  variety  of  institutions,  purifications, 
and  sacrifices;  the  observance  of  which  were,  during 
that  dispensation,  absolutely  necessary  to  the  accepta- 

Vol.  I.  2  S 


5'1-i  On  the  right  Use  of  the  Laiv.  Let.  304 

ble  worship  of  God.  By  obedience  to  these  prescrip- 
tions, the  people  of  Israel  preserved  their  legal  right  to 
the  blessings  promised  to  them  as  a  nation,  and  which 
were  not  confined  to  spiritual  worshippers  only  :  and 
they  were  likewise  ordinances  and  helps  to  lead  those 
who  truly  feared  God,  and  had  conscience  of  sin,  to 
look  forward  by  faith  to  the  great  sacrifice,  the  Lamb  of 
God,  who  in  the  fulness  of  time  was  to  take  away  sin 
by  the  sacrifice  of  himself.  In  both  these  respects  the 
ceremonial  law  was  abrogated  by  the  death  of  Christ, 
The  Jews  then  ceased  to  be  God's  peculiar  people;  and 
Jesus  having  expiated  sin,  and  brought  in  an  everlasting 
righteousness  by  his  obedience  unto  death,  all  other  sa- 
crifices became  umiecessary  and  vain.  The  Gospel 
supplies  the  place  of  the  cereraonial  law  to  the  same 
advantage  as  the  sun  abundantly  compensates  for  the 
ttvinkling  of  the  stars,  and  the  feeble  glimmering  of 
moonlight,  which  are  concealed  by  its  glory.  Believers 
of  old  were  relieved  from  the  strictness  of  the  moral  law 
by  the  sacrifices  which  pointed  to  Christ.  Believers 
under  the  Gospel  are  relieved  by  a  direct  application  of 
the  blood  of  the  covenant.  Both  renounce  any  depen- 
dence on  the  moral  law  for  justification,  and  both  accept 
it  as  a  rule  of  life  in  the  hands  of  the  Mediator,  and  are 
enabled  to  yield  it  a  sincere,  though  not  perfect,  obe- 
dience. 

If  an  Israelite,  trusting  to  his  obedience  to  the  moral 
law,  had  ventured  to  reject  the  ordinances  of  the  cere- 
monial, he  would  have  been  cut  oft'.  In  like  manner, 
if  any  who  are  called  Christians  are  so  well  satisfied 
with  their  moral  duties,  that  tkey  see  no  necessity  of 
making  Christ  their  only  hope,  the  law  by  which  they 
seek  life  Avili  be  to  them  a  ministration  unto  death. 


J  .el.  30.  Gn  Ihe  right  Use  of  the  Law.  315 

Christ,  and  he  alone,  delivers  us,  by  faith  in  his  name, 
from  the  curse  of  the  law,  having  been  made  a  curse 
for  us. 

A  second  inquiry  is,  How  we  came  to  know  the  law 
to  be  good  ?  For  naturally  we  do  not,  we  cannot  think 
so.  We  cannot  be  at  enmity  with  God,  and  at  the 
same  time  approve  of  his  law;  rather  this  is  the  ground 
of  our  dislike  to  him,  that  we  conceive  the  law  by  which 
we  are  to  be  judged  is  too  strict  in  its  precepts,  and 
too  severe  in  its  threatenings ;  and  therefore  men,  *o  far 
as  in  them  lies,  are  for  altering  this  law.  They  think  it 
would  be  better  if  it  required  no  more  than  we  can  per- 
form, if  it  allowed  us  more  liberty,  and  especially  if  it 
Avas  not  armed  against  transgressors  with  the  penalty  of 
everlasting  punishment.  This  is  evident  from  the  usual 
pleas  of  unawakened  sinners  ;  some  think,  "  I  am  not 
"  so  bad  as  some  others ;"  by  which  they  mean,  God 
will  surely  make  a  difference,  and  take  favourable  no- 
tice of  what  they  suppose  good  in  themselves.  Others 
plead,  "  If  /  should  not  obtain  mercy,  what  will  be- 
''  come  of  the  greatest  part  of  mankind?"  by  which 
they  plainly  intimate,  that  it  would  be  hard  and  unjust 
in  God,  to  punish  such  multitudes.  Others  endeavour 
to  extenuate  their  sins,  as  Jonathan  once  said,  I  did 
but  taste  a  little  honey,  and  I  must  die.  "  These  pas- 
"  sions  are  natural  to  me,  and  must  I  die  for  indulsfino- 
"■  them  r"  In  short,  the  spirituality  and  strictness  of 
the  law,  its  severity,  and  its  levelling  effect,  confound- 
ing all  seeming  differences  in  human  characters,  and 
stopping  every  mouth  without  distinction,  are  three  pro- 
perties of  the  law,  which  the  natural  man  cannot  allow 
to  be  good. 

These  prejudices  against  the  law  can  only  be  removed 
•by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit.    It  is  his  office  to  en~ 


316  On  the  right  XIsc  of  the.  Lmv.  let.  30. 

lighten  and  convince  the  conscience;  to  communicate 
an  impression  of  the  majesty,  holiness,  justice,  and  au- 
thority of  the  God  with  \Yhom  we  have  to  do,  whereby 
the  evil  and  desert  of  sin  is  apprehended  :  the  sinner  is 
then  stripped  of  all  his  vain  pretences;  is  compelled  to 
plead  guilty,  and  must  justify  his  judge,  even  though  he 
should  condemn  him.     It  is  his  office  likewise  to  disco- 
ver the  grace  and  glory  of  the  Saviour,  as  having  ful- 
filled the  law  for  us,  and  as  engaged  by  promise  to  en- 
able those  who  believe  in  him  to  honour  it  with  a  due 
obedience  in  their  own  persons.      Then  a  change  of 
judgment  takes  place,  and  the  sinner  consents  to  the 
law,  that  it  is  holy,  just,  and  good.     Then  the  law  is 
acknowledged  to  b©^  holy  :  it  manifests  the  holiness  of 
God  ;  and  a  conformity  to  it  is  the  perfection  of  human 
nature.  There  can  be  no  excellence  in  man,  but  so  far 
as  he  is  influenced  by  God's  law  :  without  it,  the  greater 
his  natural  powers  and  abilities  are,  he  is  but  so  much 
the  more  detestable  and  mischievous.    It  is  assented  to 
•as  just,  springing  from  his  indubitable  right  and  autho- 
rity over  his  creatures,  and  suited  to  their  dependence 
upon  him,  and  the  abilities  with  which  he  originally  en- 
dowed them.     And  though  we  by  sin  have  lost  those 
abilities,  his  right  remains  unalienable;  and  therefore  he 
can  justly  punish  transgressors.     And  as  it  is  just  in  re- 
spect to  God,  so  it  is  good  for  man  ;  his  obedience  to 
the  law,  and  the  favour  of  God  therein,  being  his  pro- 
per happiness,  and  it  is  impossible  for  him  to  be  happy 
in  any  other  way.     Only,  as  I  have  hinted,  to  sinners 
these  things  must  be  applied  according  to  the  Gospel, 
and  to  their  new  relation  by  faith  to  the  Loid  Jesus 
Christ,  who  has  obeyed  the  law,  and  made  atonement 
for  sin  on  their  behalf;  so  that  through  him  they  arc 
7:3elivcred   from  condemnation,  and  entitled  to  all   the 


i.et.  30.  On  the  right  Use  of  the  Lan\  317 

benefits  of  his  obedience :  from  him  likewise  they  re- 
ceive the  law,  as  a  rule  enforced  by  his  own  example, 
and  their  unspeakable  obligations  to  his  redeeming  love. 
This  makes  obedience  pleasing,  and  the  strength  they 
derive  from  him  makes  it  easy. 

We  may  now  proceed  to  inquire,  in  the  last  place. 
What  it  is  to  use  the  law  lawfully  ?  The  expression  im- 
plies, that  it  may  be  used  unlawfully  ;  and  it  is  so  by 
too  many.  It  is  not  a  lawfid  use  of  the  law  to  seek 
justification  and  acceptance  with  God  by  our  obedience 
to  it ;  because  it  is  not  appointed  for  this  end,  or  capa- 
ble of  answering  it  in  our  circumstances.  The  very  at- 
tempt is  a  daring  impeachment  of  the  wisdom  and  good- 
ness of  God  ;  for  if  righteousness  >could  come  by  the 
law,  then  Cin-ist  has  died  in  vain;  Gal.  ii.  21.  iii.  21.; 
so  that  such  a  hope  is  not  only  groundless,  but  sinful ; 
and,  w^hen  persisted  in  under  the  light  of  the  Gospel, 
is  no  less  than  a  wilful  rejection  of  the  grace  of  God. 
Again,  It  is  an  unlawful  use  of  the  law,  that  is,  an 
abuse  of  it,  an  abuse  both  of  law  and  Gospel,  to  pre- 
tend, that  its  accomplishment  by  Christ  releases  be- 
lievers from  any  obligation  to  it  as  a  rule.  Such  an  as- 
sertion is  not  only  wicked,  but  absurd  and  impossible 
in  the  highest  decree  :  for  the  law  is  foimded  in  the  rc- 
lation  between  the  Creator  and  the  creature,  and  must 
unavoidably  remain  in  force  so  long  as  that  relation 
subsists.  While  he  is  God,  and  we  are  creatures,  in 
every  possible  or  supposable  change  of  state  or  circum- 
stances, he  must  have  an  unrivalled  claim  to  our  rever- 
ence, love,  trust,  service,  and  submission.  No  true  be- 
liever can  deliberately  admit  a  thought  or  a  wish  oi 
being  released  from  his  obligation  of  obedience  to  God 
in  Avhoie  or  in  part ;  he  will  rather  start  from  it  with 
abhorrence.    But  Satan  labours  to  drive  unstable  sout> 


318  On  the  right  Use  of  the  Law.  Let.  30. 

from  one  extreme  to  the  other,  and  has  too  often  suc- 
ceeded. Wearied  with  vain  endeavours  to  keep  the 
law,  that  they  might  obtain  life  by  it,  and  afterwards 
taking  up  with  a  notion  of  the  Gospel  devoid  of  power, 
they  have  at  length  despised  that  obedience  which  is  the 
honour  of  a  Christain,  and  essentially  belongs  to  his 
character,  and  have  abused  the  grace  of  God  to  licen- 
tiousness.    Bwt  we  have  not  so  learned  Christ. 

To  speak  affirmatively,  The  law  is  lawfully  used  as 
a  means  of  conviction  of  sin  :  for  tlws  purpose  it  was 
promulgated  at  Sinai.  The  law  entered,  that  sin  might 
abound  :  not  to  make  men  more  wicked,  though  occa- 
sionally and  by  abuse  it  has  that  effect,  but  to  make 
them  sensible  how  wicked  they  are.  Having  God's  law 
in  our  hands,  we  are  no  longer  to  form  our  judgments 
by  the  maxims  and  customs  of  the  world,  where  evil  is 
called  good,  and  good  evil ;  but  are  to  try  every  princi- 
ple, temper,  and  practice,  by  this  standard.  Could 
men  be  prevailed  upon  to  do  this,  they  would  soon 
listen  to  the  Gospel  with  attention.  On  some  the  Spirit 
of  God  does  thus  prevail :  then  they  earnestly  make  the 
jailer's  inquiry,  "  What  must  I  do  to  be  saved  ?"  Here 
the  work  of  grace  begins  ;  and  the  sinner,  condemned 
in  his  own  conscience,  is  brought  to  Jesus  for  life. 

Again :  When  we  use  the  law  as  a  glass  to  behold 
tlie  glory  of  God,  we  use  it  lawfully^  His  glory  is  emi- 
nently revealed  in  Christ;  but  much  of  it  is  with  a 
special  reference  to  the  law,  and  cannot  be  otherwise 
discerned.  We  see  the  perfection  and  excellence  of 
the  law  in  his  life.  God  was  glorified  by  his  obedience 
as  a  man.  What  a  perfect  character  did  he  exhibit ' 
yet  it  is  no  other  than  a  transcript  of  the  law.  Such 
would  have  been  the  character  of  Adam  and  all  his 
cace,  had  the  law  been  duly  obeyed.     It  a])pears,  there- 


Let.  3a  Ou  the  right  Use  of  the  Law.  S10 

fore,  a  wise  and  holy  institution,  fully  capable  of  dis- 
playing that  perfection  of  conduct  by  which  man  would 
have  answered  the  end  of  his  creation.  And  we  see 
the  inviolable  strictness  of  the  law  in  his  death.  There 
the  glory  of  God  in  the  law  is  manifested.  Though  he 
was  the  beloved  Son,  and  had  yielded  personal  obe- 
dience in  the  utmost  perfection,  yet,  when  he  stood  in 
our  place  to  make  atonement  for  sin,  he  was  not  spared. 
From  what  he  endured  in  Gethsemane  and  upon  the 
cross,  we  learn  the  meaning  of  that  awful  sentence, 
"  The  soul  that  sinneth  shall  die." 

Another  lawful  use  of  the  law  is,  to  consult  it  as  a 
rule  and  pattern  by  which  to  regulate  our  spirit  and 
conversation.  The  grace  of  God,  received  by  faith, 
will  dispose  us  to  obedience  in  general ;  but  through  re- 
maining darkness  and  ignorance  we  are  much  at  a  loss 
as  to  particulars.  We  are  therefore  sent  to  the  law, 
that  we  may  learn  how  to  walk  worthy  of  God,  who  has 
called  us  to  his  kingdom  and  glory ;  and  every  precept 
has  its  proper  place  and  use. 

Lastly :  We  use  the  law  lawfully  when  we  improve  it 
as  a  test  whereby  to  judge  of  the  exercise  of  grace.  Be- 
lievers differ  so  much  from  what  they  once  were,  and 
from  what  many  still  are,  that  without  this  right  use  of 
the  law,  comparing  themselves  with  their  former  selves, 
or  with  others,  they  would  be  prone  to  think  more  highly 
of  their  attainments  than  they  ought.  But  when  they 
recur  to  this  standard,  they  sink  into  the  dust,  and  adopt 
the  language  of  Job,  "  Behold,  I  am  vile  ;  I  cannot  an- 
"  swer  thee  one  of  a  thousand." 

From  hence  we  may  collect  in  brief,  how  the  law  is 
good  to  them  that^use  it  lavvfull}-.  It  furnishes  them 
AV'ith  a  comprehensive  and  accurate  view  of  the  will 
of  God,   and  the  path   of  duty.     By  the  study  of  the 


Of  Love  to  the  Brethren,  Let.  '61. 

law,  they  acquire  an  habitual  spiritual  taste  of  what 
is  right  or  wrong.  The  exercised  believer,  like  a  skil- 
ful workman,  has  a  rule  in  his  hand,  whereby  he  can 
measure  and  determine  with  certainty  ;  whereas  others 
judge  as  it  were  by  the  eye,  and  can  only  make  a  ran- 
dom guess,  in  which  they  are  generally  mistaken.  It 
likewise,  by  reminding  them  of  their  deficiencies  and 
short-comings,  is  a  sanctified  means  of  making  and  keep- 
ing them  humble ;  and  it  exceedingly  endears  Jesus, 
the  law-fulfiUer,  to  their  hearts,  and  puts  them  in  mind 
of  their  obligations  to  him,  and  of  their  absolute  depend- 
ence upon  him  every  moment. 

If  these  reflections  should  prove  acceptable  to  you, 
I  have  my  desire  ;  and  I  send  them  to  you  by  the  press, 
in  hopes  that  the  Lord  may  accompany  them  with  his 
blessing  to  others.  The  subject  is  of  great  importance, 
and,  were  it  rightly  understood,  might  conduce  to  settle 
some  of  the  angry  controversies  which  have  been  lately 
agitated.  Clearly  to  understand  the  distinction,  con- 
nexion, and  harmony,  between  the  law  and  the  Gospel, 
and  their  mutual  subserviency  to  illustrate  and  estab- 
lish each  other,  is  a  singular  privilege,  and  a  happy 
means  of  preserving  the  soul  from  being  entangled  bv 
errors  on  the  right  hand  or  the  left. 

I  am,  &c. 

LETTER  XXXI. 

Of  I.ot'c  to  the  Brethren. 
Dear  Sir, 

A  HE  apostle  having  said,  "  Marvel  not,  my  brethren, 
*'  if  the  world  hate  you,"  immediately  subjoins,  "  W§ 


Let.   31.  Of  Ij)ve  to  the  Brethren.  321 

"  know  that  we  have  passed  from  death  unto  life,  be- 
*'  cause  we  love  the  brethren."  By  the  manner  of  his 
expression,  he  sufficiently  intimates,  that  the  want  of 
this  love  is  so  universal,  till  the  Lord  plants  it  in  the 
heart,  that  if  we  possess  it,  we  may  thereby  be  sure  he 
has  given  us  of  his  Spirit,  and  delivered  us  from  con- 
demnation. But  as  the  heart  is  deceitful,  and  people 
may  be  awfully  mistaken  in  the  judgment  they  form  of 
themselves,  we  have  need  to  be  very  sure  that  we  rightly 
understand  what  it  is  to  love  the  brethren,  before  we 
draw  the  apostle's  conclusion  from  it,  and  admit  it  as  an 
evidence  of  our  own  favour,  that  we  have  passed  from 
death  unto  life.  Let  me  invite  you,  reader,  to  attend 
with  me  a  little  to  this  subject. 

There  are  some  counterfeits  of  this  love  to  the  breth- 
ren, which  it  is  to  be  feared  have  often  been  mistaken 
for  it,  and  have  led  people  to  think  themselves  some- 
thing, when  indeed  they  were  nothing.   For  instance : 

There  is  a  natural  love  of  the  brethren.  People 
may  sincerely  love  their  relations,  friends,  and  benefac- 
tors, who  are  of  the  brethren,  and  yet  be  utter  strangers 
to  the  spiritual  love  the  apostle  speaks  of  So  Orpah 
had  a  great  affection  for  Naomi,  though  it  was  not 
strong  enough  to  make  her  willing  with  Ruth  to  leave 
her  native  country,  and  her  idol-gods.  Natural  affec- 
tion can  go  no  further  than  to  a  personal  attachment; 
and  they  who  thus  love  the  brethren,  and  upon  no  better 
ground,  are  often  disgusted  with  those  things  in  them, 
for  which  the  real  brethren  chiefly  love  one  another. 

There  is  likewise  a  love  of  convenience.  The  Lord's 
people  are  gentle,  peaceful,  benevolent,  swift  to  hear, 
slow  to  speak,  slow  to  wrath.  They  are  desirous  of 
adorning  the  doctrine  of  God  their  Saviour,  and  ap- 
proving themselves  followers  of  him  who  pleased  not 

Vol.  L  ^  T 


332  Of  Love  to  the  Brethren.  Let.  31  - 

himself,  but  spent  his  life  in  doing  good  to  others. 
Upon  this  account,  they  who  are  full  of  themselves, 
and  love  to  have  their  own  way,  may  like  their  com- 
pany, because  they  fmd  more  compliances,  and  less  op- 
position from  tliem,  than  from  such  as  themselves.  For 
a  while  Laban  loved  Jacob ;  he  found  him  diligent  and 
trust-worthy,  and  perceived  that  the  Lord  had  pros- 
pered him  upon  Jacob's  account ;  but  when  he  saw  that 
Jacob  flourished,  and  apprehended  he  was  likely  to  do 
without  him,  his  love  was  soon  at  an  end ;  for  it  was 
only  founded  in  self-interest. 

A  party -lo've  is  also  common.  The  objects  of  this 
are  those  who  are  of  the  same  sentiment,  worship  in  the 
same  vvay,  or  are  attached  to  the  same  minister.  They 
who  are  united  in  such  narrow  and  separate  associations, 
may  express  warm  affections,  without  giving  any  proof 
of  true  Christian  love  ;  for  upon  such  grounds  as  these, 
not  only  professed  Christians,  but  Jews  and  Turks,  may 
be  said  to  love  one  another  ;  though  it  must  be  allowed 
that  believers  being  renewed  but  in  part,  the  love  which 
they  bear  to  the  brethren,  is  too  often  debased  and  al- 
layed by  a  mixture  of  selfish. affections. 

The  principle  of  true  love  to  the  brethren,  is  the 
LOVE  OF  God,  that  love  which  produceth  obedience, 
1  John  V.  2.  "  By  this  we  know  that  w^e  love  the  chil- 
''  dren  of  God,  if  we  love  God,  and  keep  his  command- 
''  mcnts."  When  pco})lc  are  free  to  form  their  connex- 
ions and  friendships,  the  ground  of  their  communion  is 
in  a  sameness  of  inclination.  The  love  spoken  of  is 
spiritual.  The  children  of  God,  who  therefore  stand 
in  the  relation  of  brethren  to  each  other,  though  they 
have  too  many  unhappy  differences  in  points  of  smaller 
importance,  agree  in  the  supreme  love  they  bear  to  their 
heavenly  Father,  and  to  Jesus  their  Saviour ;  of  course 


Let.  31.  Of  Love  to  the  Brethren.  323 

they  agree  in  disliking  and  avoiding  sin,  which  is  con- 
trary to  the  will  and  command  of  the  God  whoni  they 
love  and  worship.  Upon  these  accounts  they  love  one 
another,  they  are  like-minded  ;  and  they  live  in  a  world 
where  the  bulk  of  mankind  are  against  them,  have  no 
regard  to  their  Beloved,  and  live  in  the  sinful  practices 
which  his  grace  has  taught  them  to  hate.  Their  situa- 
tion, therefore,  increases  their  affection  to  each  other. 
They  are  washed  by  the  same  blood,  supplied  by  the 
same  grace,  opposed  by  the  same  enemies,  and  have 
the  same  heaven  in  view :  therefore  they  love  one  an- 
other with  a  pure  heart  fervently. 

The  properties  of  this  love,  where  its  exercise  is  not 
greatly  impeded  by  ignorance  and  bigotry,  are  such  as 
prove  its  heavenly  original.  It  extends  to  all  who  love 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  sincerity;  cannot  be  confined 
within  the  pale  of  a  denomination,  nor  restrained  to  those 
w  ith  whom  it  is  more  immediately  connected.  It  is  gen- 
tle, and  not  easily  provoked  ;  hopes  the  best,  makes  al- 
lowances for  infirmities,  and  is  easily  entreated.  It  is  kind 
and  compassionate;  and  this  not  in  words  only,  but  sym- 
pathizes with  the  afflicted,  and  relieves  the  indigent,  ac- 
cording to  its  ability;  and  as  it  primarily  respects  the  im- 
age of  Christ  in  its  objects,  it  feels  a  more  peculiar  attach- 
ment to  those  uhom  it  judges  to  be  the  most  spiritual, 
though  without  undervaluing  or  despising  the  weakest 
attainments  in  the  true  grace  of  the  Gospel. 

They  are  happy  who  thus  love  the  brethren.  They 
have  p^issed  from  death  unto  life;  and  may  plead  this 
gracious  disposition,  though  not  before  the  Lord  as  the 
ground  of  their  hope,  yet  against  Satan,  when  he  would 
tempt  them  to  question  their  right  to  tiie  promises.  But 
alas !  as  I  before  hinted,  the  exercise  of  this  love,  when 
it  really  is  implanted,  is  greatly  obstructed  through  the 


334  Of  Love  to  the  Brethren.  Let.  Bl. 

remaining  depravity  which  cleaves  to  believers.  Wc 
cannot  be  too  watchful  against  those  tempers  which 
weaken  the  proper  effects  of  brotherly  love,  and  thereby 
have  a  tendency  to  darken  the  evidence  of  our  having 
passed  from  death  unto  life.  We  live  in  a  day  when 
the  love  of  many,  (of  ^^'hom  we  would  hope  the  best,)  is  at 
least  grown  very  cold.  The  effects  of  a  narrow,  a  sus- 
picious, a  censorious,  and  a  selfish  spirit,  are  but  too  evi- 
dent amongst  professors  of  the  Gospel.  If  I  w  ere  to 
insist  at  large  upon  the  offences  of  this  kind  which  abound 
amongst  us,  I  should  seem  almost  reduced  to  the  neces- 
sity, either  of  retracting  what  I  have  advanced,  or  of 
maintaining  that  a  great  part,  (if  not  the  greatest  part,) 
of  those  who  profess  to  know  the  Lord,  are  deceiving 
themselves  with  a  form  of  godliness,  destitute  of  the 
power  :  for  though  they  may  abound  in  knowledge  and 
gifts,  and  have  much  to  say  upon  the  subject  of  Chris- 
tian experience,  they  appear  to  want  the  great,  the  ini- 
mitable, the  indispensable  criterion  of  true  Christianity, 
a  love  to  the  brethren  ;  without  which,  all  other  seeming 
advantages  and  attainments  are  of  no  avail.  How  is  this 
disagreeable  dilemma  to  be  avoided  ? 

I  believe  they  who  are  most  under  the  influence  of 
divine  love,  will  join  with  me  in  lamenting  their  defi- 
ciency. It  is  well  that  we  are  not  under  the  law,  but 
under  grace ;  for  on  whatever  point  we  try  ourselves  by 
the  standard  of  the  sanctuary,  we  shall  find  reason  to 
say,  "  Enter  not  into  judgment  with  thy  servant,  O 
"  Lord."  There  is  an  amazing  and  humbling  difference 
between  the  conviction  we  have  of  the  beauty  and  ex- 
cellence of  divine  truths,  and  our  actual  experience  of 
their  power  ruling  in  our  hearts.  In  our  happiest  hours, 
"when  we  are  most  affected  with  the  love  of  Jesus,  we 
feel  our  love  fervent  towards  his  people.     Wc  wish  it 


Let.  31.  Of  Love  to  the  Brethren^  325 

were  always  so;  but  we  are  poor  inconsistent  creatures, 
and  find  we  can  do  nothing  as  we  ought,  but  as  we  are 
enabled  by  his  grace.  But  we  trust  we  do  not  allow 
ourselves  in  what  is  wrong ;  and,  notwithstanding  we 
may  in  particular  instances  be  nnisled  by  ignorance 
and  prejudice,  we  do  in  our  hearts  love  the  brethren, 
account  them  the  excellent  of  the  earth,  and  desire  to 
have  our  lot  and  portion  with  them  in  time  and  in  eter- 
nity. We  know  that  the  love  we  bear  them  is  for  his 
sake ;  and  when  we  consider  his  interest  in  them^  and 
our  obligations  to  hirn^  we  are  ashamed  and  grieved 
that  we  love  them  no  better. 

If  we  could  not  conscientiously  say  thus  much,  we 
should  have  just  reason  to  question  our  sincerity,  and 
the  safety  of  our  state  ;  for  the  Scriptures  cannot  be 
broken,  nor  can  the  grace  of  God  fail  of  producing  in 
some  degree  its  proper  fruits.  Our  Saviour,  before 
whom  we  must  shortly  appear  as  our  judge,  has  made 
love  the  characteristic  of  his  disciples ;  and  without 
some  evidence  that  this  is  the  prevailing  disposition  of 
our  hearts,  we  could  find  little  comfort  in  calling  him 
God.  Let  not  this  be  accounted  legality,  as  if  our  de- 
pendence was  upon  something  in  ourselves.  The  ques- 
tion is  not  concerning  the  method  of  acceptance  with 
God,  but  concerning  the  fruits  or  tokens  of  an  accepted 
state.  The  most  eminent  of  these,  by  our  Lord's  ex- 
press declaration,  is  brotherly  love.  "  By  this  shall  all 
"  men  know  that  you  are  my  disciples,  if  you  love  one 
"  another."  No  w^ords  can  be  plainer  ;  and  the  conse- 
quence is  equally  plain,  however  hard  it  may  bear  upon 
any  professors,  that  though  they  could  speak  with  the 
tongues  of  angels,  had  the  knowledge  of  all  mysteries,  a 
power  of  working  miracles,  and  a  zeal  prompting  them  to 
give  their  bodies  to  be  burned  in  defence  of  the  truth ; 


326  On  Candour.  Let.  32. 

yet  if  they  love  not  the  brethren,  they  are  but  as  sound- 
ing brass  or  tinkling  cymbals  :  they  may  make  a  great 
noise  in  the  church  and  in  the  world  ;  they  may  be  wise 
and  able  men,  as  the  words  are  now  frequently  under- 
stood ;  they  may  pray  or  preach  with  great  jfiuency ; 
but  in  the  sight  of  God  their  faith  is  dead,  and  their 
religion  is  vain. 

lam,  &c. 


LETTER  XXXII. 

On  Candour. 
Dear  Sir, 

AM  with  you  an  admirer  of  candour ;  but  let  us  be- 
ware of  counterfeits.  True  candour  is  a  Christian  grace, 
and  will  grow  in  no  soil  but  a  believing  heart.  It  is  an 
eminent  and  amiable  properly  of  that  love  which  beareth, 
believeth,  hopeth,  and  endureth  all  things.  It  forms 
the  most  favourable  judgment  of  persons  and  charac- 
ters, and  puts  the  kindest  construction  upon  the  con- 
duct of  others  that  it  possibly  can,  consistent  with  the 
love  of  truth.  It  makes  due  allowances  for  the  infirmi- 
ties of  human  nature  ;  will  not  listen  with  pleasure  to 
what  is  said  to  the  disadvantage  of  any,  nor  repeat  it 
without  a  justifiable  cause.  It  will  not  be  confined 
within  the  walls  of  a  party,  nor  restrain  the  actings  of 
benevolence  to  those  whom  it  fully  approves  ;  but 
prompts  the  mind  to  an  imitation  of  him  who  is  kind 
to  the  unthankful  and  the  evil,  and  has  taught  us  to 
consider  every  person  we  see  as  our  neighbour. 

Such  is  the  candour  which  I  wish  to  derive  from  the 
Gospel ;  and  I  am  persuaded  they  who  have  imbibed 


Let.  32.  On  Candour.  327 

most  of  this  spirit,  will  acknowledge  that  they  arc  still 
defective  in  it.     There  is  an  unhappy  propensity,  even 
in  good  men,  to  a  selfish,   narrow,  censorious   turn  of 
mind  ;   and  the  bdst  are  more  under  the  power  of  pre- 
judice than  they  are  aware.     A  want  of  candour  among 
the  professors  of  the  same  Gospel,  is  too  visible  in  the 
present  day.     A  truly  candid  person  will  acknowledge 
what  is  right  and  excellent  in  those  from  whom  he  may 
be  obliged  to  differ  :  he  will  not  charge  the  faults  or  ex- 
travagances of  a  few  upon  a  whole  party  or  denomina- 
tion :  if  he  thinks  it  his  duty  to  point  out  or  refute  the 
errors  of  any  persons,  he  will  not  impute  to  them  such 
consequences  of  their  tenets  as  they  expressly  disavow; 
he  will  not  wilfully  misrepresent  or  aggravate  their  mis- 
takes, or  make  them  offenders  for  a  word  :  he  will  keep 
in  view  the  distinction  between  those  things  which  are 
fundamental   and  essential  to  the  Christian  life,  and 
those  concerning  which  a  difference  of  sentiment  may 
and  often  has  obtained  among  true  believers.     Were 
there  more  candour  among  those  who  profess  to  love 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  sincerity,  the  emotions  of  anger 
or  scorn  would  not  be  so  often  felt  or  excited,  by  pro- 
nouncing or  hearing  the  words  Churchman,  or  Dis- 
senter, or  Cahinist,  or  even  Arm'mian.     Let  us,  my 
friend,  be  candid:  let  us  remember  how  totally  ignorant 
we  ourselves  once  Mere ;   how  often  we  have  changed 
our  sentiments  in  one  particular  or  other,  since  wx  first 
engaged  in  the  search  of  truth  ;  how  often  we  have  been 
imposed  upon  by  appearances ;   and  to  how  many  dif- 
ferent persons  and  occurrences  we  have  been  indebted, 
under  God,  for  the  knowledge  which  we  have  already 
attained.     Let  us  likewise   consider   what  treatment 
we  like  to  meet  with  from  others ;  and  do  unto  them 
as  Ave  would  they  should  do  unto  us.     These  consi- 


32S  On  Candour.  "Lat.  o2. 

derations  will  make  the  exercise  of  candour  habitual 
and  easy. 

But  there  is  a  candour,   falsely  so   called,   which 
springs  from  an  indifference  to  the  truth,  and   is  go- 
verned by  the  fear  of  men  and  the  love  of  praise.  This 
pretended  candour  depreciates  the  most  important  doc- 
trines of  the  Gospel,  and  treats  them  as  points  of  spe- 
culation and  opinion.     It  is  a  temporizing  expedient  to 
stand  fair  with  the  world,  and  to  avoid  that  odium  which 
is  the  unavoidable  consequence  of  a  steadfast,  open,  and 
hearty  adherence  to  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus.  It  aims 
to  establish  an  intercommunity  between  light  and  dark- 
ness, Christ  and  Belial;  and,  under  a  pretence  of  avoid- 
ing harsh  and  uncharitable  judgments,  it  introduces  a 
mutual  connivance  in  principles  and  practices  which  are 
already  expressly  condemned  by  clear  decisions  of  Scrip- 
ture.    Let  us  not  listen  to  the  advocates  for  a  candour 
of  this  sort ;   such  a  lukewarm  temper,   in  those  who 
would  be  thought  friends   of  the  Gospel,  is  treason 
against  God,  and  treachery  to  the  souls  of  men.     It  is 
observable,  that  they  who  boast  most  of  this  candour, 
and  pretend  to  the  most  enlarged  and  liberal  way  of 
thinking,   are  generally  agreed  to  exclude  from  their 
comprehension  all  M'hom  they  call   bigots ;  that  is,  in 
other  words,  those  who,  having  been  led  by  divine  grace 
to  build  their  hopes  upon  the  foundation  w^iich  God  has 
laid  in  Zion,  are  free  to  declare  their  conviction,  that 
other  foundation  can  no  man  lay;  and  who,  having  seen 
that  the  friendship  of  the  world  is  enmity  with  God, 
dare  no  longer  conform  to  its  leadins;  maxims  or  cus- 
toms,  nor  express  a  favourable  judgment  of  the  state 
or  conduct  of  those  who  do.     Candour  itself  knows  not 
how  to  be  candid  to  these;  their  singularity  and  impor- 
tunity are  offensive;  and  it  is  thought  no  way  inconsist- 


Let.  3^2.  On  Camlout:  329 

ent  with  the  specious  boast  of  benevolence  and  mode- 
ration to  oppose,  hate,  and  revile  them.  A  sufficient 
proof,  that  the  candour  which  many  plead  for,  is  only  a 
softer  name  for  that  spirit  of  the  world  which  opposes 
itself  to  the  truth  and  obedience  of  the  Gospel. 

If  a  person  be  an  avowed  Socinian  or  Deist,  I  am 
still  to  treat  him  with  candour  ;  he  has  a  right  from  me, 
so  far  as  he  comes  in  my  way,  to  all  the  kind  offices  of 
humanity.  lam  not  to  hate,  reproach,  or  affront  him; 
or  to  detract  from  what  may  be  valuable  in  his  charac- 
ter, considered  as  a  member  of  society.  I  may  avail 
myself  of  his  talents  and  abilities  in  points  where  I  am 
not  in  danger  of  being  misled  by  him.  He  may  be  a 
good  lawyer,  or  historian,  or  physician;  and  I  am  not  to 
lessen  him  in  these  respects,  because  I  cannot  commend 
him  as  a  divine.  I  am  bound  to  pity  his  errors,  and  to 
pray  if  perad venture  God  will  give  him  repentance  to 
the  acknowledgment  of  the  truth;  and  if  I  have  a  call 
to  converse  with  him,  I  should  speak  with  all  gentleness 
and  meekness,  remembering  that  grace  alone  has  made 
me  to  differ.  But  I  am  not  to  compliment  him,  to  in- 
sinuate, or  even  to  admit  that  there  can  be  any  safety 
in  his  principles.  Far  be  that  candour  from  us  which 
represents  the  Scripture  as  a  nose  of  wax,  so  that  a 
person  may  reject  or  elude  the  testimonies  there  given 
to  the  Deity  and  atonement  of  Christ,  and  the  all- 
powerful  agency  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  with  impunity. 

On  the  other  hand,  they   who  hold  the  Head,  who 

liave  received  the  record  which  God  hatli  given  of  his 

Son ;  who  have  Scriptural  views  of  sin  and  grace,  and  fix 

their  hopes  for  time  and  eternity  upon  the  Saviour;  in  a 

word,  all  who  love  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  sincerity; — 

these,  I  apprehend,  if  they  are  prevented  from  receiving, 

jicknowledgins;,   and  loving  each  other,  as  he  has  rC' 
Vol.  I,      ^'  2  U 


530  On  C'cindouf.  Let. 


64, 


ceived,  owned,  and  loved  them,  are  justly  chargeable  witli 
a  want  of  candour.  Shall  I  be  cold  to  diose  whom 
Jesus  loves?  Shall  I  refuse  them  whom  he  has  accepted? 
I  find  perhaps  that  they  cannot  rightly  understand,  and 
therefore  cannot  readily  embrace  some  points  of  doctrine 
in  which  the  Lord  has  been  pleased  to  enlighten  me ; 
that  is,  I,  (supposing  my  knowledge  to  be  real  and  ex- 
perimental,) have  received  five  talents,  and  they  have 
as  yet  obtained  but  two ;  must  I  for  this  estrange  myself 
from  them  ?  Rather  let  me  be  careful  lest  they  be  found 
more  faithful  and  exemplary  in  the  improvement  of  two 
talents,  than  I  am  in  the  management  of  five.  Again, 
why  should  some  of  those  who  know,  or  might  know, 
that  my  hope,  my  way,  my  end,  and  my  enemies,  are  the 
same  with  theirs,  stand  aloof  from  me,  and  treat  me  with 
coldness  and  suspicion,  because  I  am  called  a  Cal- 
vinist  ?  I  was  not  born  a  Calvinist,  and  possibly  they 
may  not  die  as  they  are;  however  that  may  be,  if  our 
hearts  are  fixed  upon  the  same  Jesus,  we  shall  be  per- 
fectly of  one  mind  ere  long,  why  should  we  not  encou- 
rage and  strengthen  one  another  now?  O  that  the  arm 
of  the  Lord  might  be  revealed,  to  revive  that  candour 
which  the  apostle  so  strongly  enforces  both  by  precept 
and  example!  Then  the  strong  would  bear  the  infir- 
mities of  the  weak,  and  believers  would  receive  each 
otl^er  without  doubtful  disputation. 

Once  more  :  However  sound  and  orthodo.v,  (as  the 
phrase  is^)  professors  may  be  in  their  principles,  though 
true  candour  will  make  tender  allowances  for  the  frailty 
of  nature,  and  the  power  of  temptation,  yet  neither 
candour  nor  charity  will  require  us  to  accept  them  as 
real  believers,  unless  the  general  strain  and  tenor  of 
their  deportment  be  as  becometh  the  Gospel  of  Christ. 
It  is  to  be  lamented  that  too  many  judge  rather  by  the 


Let.  32.  O/i  Candow:  331 

notions  which  people  express,  than  by  the  fruits  which 
they  produce  ;  and  as  they  judge  of  others,  so  they  often 
judge  of  themselves.  We  cannot  have  opportunity  to 
say  all  we  could  wish,  and  to  all  M'hom  we  would  wish 
to  say  it,  upon  tliis  subject,  in  private  life.  Therefore  it 
is  the  wisdom  and  duty  of  those  who  preach,  and  of  those 
who  print,  to  drop  a  word  of  caution  in  the  way  of  their 
liearers  and  readers,  that  they  may  not  mistake  notion 
for  life,  nor  a  form  of  godliness  for  the  power.  The 
grace  of  God  is  an  operative  principle ;  and  where  it 
really  has  place  in  the  heart,  the  effects  will  be  seen  ; 
Acts  xi.  23.  :  effects  so  uniform  and  extensive,  that 
the  apostle  James  makes  one  single  branch  of  conduct, 
and  that  such  a  one  as  is  not  usually  thought  the  most 
important,  a  sufficient  test  of  our  state  before  God  ;  for 
he  affirms  universally,  that  "  if  any  man  seem  to  be  re- 
"  ligious,  and  bridleth  not  his  tongue,  his  religion  is 
"  vain."  And  again  he  assures  us,  that  "  whoever  will 
'"'  be  a  friend  of  the  world,  is  the  enemy  of  God."  And 
to  the  same  purpose  Paul  expresses  himself  on  the  sub- 
ject of  love,  (that  love  which  he  describes  so  accurately, 
that  none  can  mistake  it,  unless  they  willingly  deceive 
themselves.)  He  declares,  that,  without  this  love,  the 
brightest  knowledge,  the  warmest  zeal,  and  the  most 
splendid  gifts,  are  nothing  worth.  It  is  to  be  feared 
these  decisions  will  bear  hard  upon  many  who  have  a 
name  to  live  among  the  churches  of  Christ.  Thevare 
hearers  and  approvers  of  the  Gospel,  express  a  regard 
to  those  who  preach  it ;  they  will  stickle  and  fight  for 
the  doctrines,  and  know  not  how  to  bear  those  who  fall 
a  hair's  breadth  short  of  their  standard  :  and  vet  there  is 
so  much  levity  or  pride,  censoriousness  or  worldliness, 
discoverable  in  their  general  behaviour,  that  their  cha- 
racters appear  very  dubious  ;  and  though  we  are  bound 


S^2  (1)  On  Mcxn  in  hia  Fallen  Estate.  Let.  33. 

to  wish  them  well,  candour  will  not  oblige  or  warrant 
us  to  judge  favourably  of  such  conduct;  for  the  uner- 
ring word  of  God  is  the  standard  to  which  our  judg- 
ments are  to  be  referred  and  conformed 

In  the  sense  and  under  the  limitations  which  I  have 
expressed,  we  ought  to  cultivate  a  candid  spirit,  and 
learn  from  the  experience  of  our  own  weakness,  to  be 
Sentle  and  tender  to  others  ;  avoidintj  at  the  same  time 
that  indifference  and  cowardice,  which,  under  the  name 
of  candour,  countenances  error,  extenuates  sin,  and  de- 
rogates from  the  authority  of  Scripture. 

1  am,  &:c. 


LETTER  XXXIII. 

(1)  On  Man  in  his  Fallen  Estate. 

Lord,  what  is  Man  ! 
Dear  Sir, 

VV  E,  hear  much  in  the  present  day  of  the  dignity  of 
human  nature.  x\nd  it  is  allowed  that  man  was  an  ex- 
cellent creature  as  he  came  out  of  the  hands  of  God  ; 
but  if  ^ve  consider  this  question  with  a  view  to  fallen 
man,  as  depraved  by  sin,  how  can  we  but  join  with  the 
Psalmist  in  wonder  that  the  great  God  should  make 
any  account  of  him  ? 

Fallen  as  man  is  from  his  original  state  of  happiness 
and  holiness,  his  natural  faculties  and  abilities  afford 
sufficient  evidence,  that  the  hand  which  made  him  is 
divine.  He  is  capable  of  great  things.  His  under- 
standing, will,  affections,  imagination,  and  memory,  arc 
noble  and  amazing  powers.  But  aIcw  him  in  a  moral 
light,  as  an  intelligent  being,  incessantly  dependent  upon 


Lei.  33.  (1)  On  Man  m  Ms  FallcJi  Estate.  333 

God,  accountable  to  him,  and  appointed  by  him  to  a 
5;tate  of  existence  in  an  unchangeable  world  ;  consider- 
ed in  this  relation,  man  is  a  monster,  a  vile,  base,  stupid, 
obstinate,  and  mischievous  creature;  no  words  can  fully 
describe  him.  ]\Ian,  M'ith  all  his  boasted  understand- 
ing and  attainments,  is  a  fool :  so  long  as  he  is  destitute 
of  the  saving  grace  of  God,  his  conduct,  as  to  bis  most 
important  concernments,  is  more  absurd  and  inconsist- 
ent than  that  of  the  meanest  idiot;  witli  respect  to  his 
affections  and  pursuits,  he  is  degraded  far  below  the 
beasts;  and  for  the  malignity  and  wickedness  of  his  will, 
can  be  compared  to  nothing  so  properly  as  to  the  devil. 

The  question  here  is  not  concerning  this  or  that  man, 
a  Nero  or  a  Hehogabalus,  but  concerning  human  na- 
ture, the  whole  race  of  mankind,  the  few  excepted  who 
are  born  of  God.  There  is  indeed  a  difference  amongst 
men,  but  it  is  owing  to  the  restraints  of  Divine  Provi- 
dence, without  which  earth  would  be  the  very  image  of 
hell.  A  wolf  or  a  lion,  while  chained,  cannot  do  so 
much  mischief  as  if  they  were  loose  ;  but  the  nature  is 
the  same  in  the  w  hole  species.  Education  and  interest, 
fear  and  shame,  human  laws,  and  the  secret  power  4Df 
God  over  the  mind,  combine  to  form  many  characters 
that  are  externally  decent  and  respectable ;  and  even 
the  most  abandoned  are  under  a  restraint  which  pre- 
vents them  from  manifesting  a  thousandth  part  of  the , 
wickedness  which  is  in  their  hearts.  13ut  the  heart  it- 
self is  universally  deceitful,  and  desperately  wicked. 

Man  is  a  fool.  He  can  indeed  measure  the  earth, 
and  almost  count  the  stars ;  he  abounds  in  arts  and 
inventions,  in  science  and  policy — and  shall  he  then  be 
called  a  fool  ?  The  ancient  Heathens,  the  inhabitants 
of  Egypt,  Greece,  and  Rome,  were  eminent  for  this  kind 
of  wisdom.     They  are  to  this  day  studied  as  models  bv 


334.  (1)  On  Man  in  his  Fallen  Estate.  Let.  33. 

those  who  aim  to  excel  in  history,  poetry,  painting, 
architecture,  and  other  exertions  of  human  genius,  "vvhich 
are  suited  to  polish  the  manners,  without  improving  the 
heart.  But  their  most  admired  philosophers,  legisla- 
tors, logician?,  orators,  and  artists,  were  as  destitute  as 
infants  or  idiots  of  that  knowledge  which  alone  deserves 
the  name  of  true  wisdom.  Professing  themselves  to  be 
wise,  they  became  fools.  Ignorant  and  regardless  of 
God,  3^et  conscious  of  their  weakness,  and  of  their  de- 
pendence upon  a  power  above  their  own,  and  stimu- 
lated by  an  inv»ar(l  principle  of  fear,  of  which  they  knew 
neither  the  origin  nor  right  application,  they  worship- 
ped the  creature  instead  of  the  Creator,  vea,  placed 
their  trust  in  stocks  and  stones,  in  the  works  of  men's 
hands,  in  non-entities  and  chimeras.  An  acquaintance 
with  their  mythology,  or  system  of  religious  fables, 
passes  with  us  for  a  considerable  branch  of  learning, 
because  it  is  drawn  from  ancient  books  written  in  lan- 
guages not  known  to  the  vulgar  ;  but  in  point  of  cer- 
tainty or  truth,  we  might  receive  as  much  satisfaction 
from  a  collection  of  dreams,  or  from  the  ravings  of  lu- 
natics. It^  therefore,  we  admit  these  admired  sages  as 
a  tolerable  specimen  of  mankind,  must  we  not  confess, 
that  man  in  his  best  estate,  while  uninstructed  by  the 
Spirit  of  God,  is  a  fool?  But  are  we  wiser  than  they? 
Not  in  the  least,  till  the  grace  of  God  makes  us  so. 
Our  superior  advantages  only  show  our  folly  in  a  more 
striking  light.  Why  do  we  account  any  persons  foolish  ? 
A  fool  has  no  sound  judgment;  he  is  governed  wholly 
by  appearances,  and  u  ould  prefer  a  fine  coat  to  the 
writings  of  a  large  estate.  He  pays  no  regard  to  con- 
sequences. Fools  have  sometimes  hurt  or  killed  their 
best  friends,  and  thought  they  did  no  harm.  A  fool 
cannot  r<;ason,  therefore  arguments  are  lost  upon  him. 


Let.  33.  (I)  On  Man  in  his  Fallen  Estate.  335 

At  one  time,  if  tied  with  a  straw,  he  dares  not  stir  ;  at 
another  time,  perhaps,  he  can  hardly  be  persuaded  to 
move,  though  the  house  were  on  fire.  Are  these  the 
characteristics  of  a  fool  ?  Then  there  is  no  fool  like  the 
sinner,  who  prefers  the  toys  of  earth  to  the  happiness  of 
heaven ;  who  is  held  in  bondage  by  the  foolish  customs 
of  the  world,  and  is  more  afraid  of  the  breath  of  man, 
than  of  the  wrath  of  God. 

Again :  Man  in  his  natural  state  is  a  beast,  yea,  below 
the  beasts  that  perish.  In  two  things  he  strongly  re- 
sembles them ;  in  looking  no  higher  than  to  sensual 
gratifications,  and  in  that  selfishness  of  spirit  which 
prompts  him  to  propose  himself  and  his  own  interest  as 
his  proper  and  highest  end.  But  in  many  respects  he 
sinks  sadly  beneath  them.  Unnatural  lusts,  and  the 
want  of  natural  affection  towards  their  offspring,  are 
abominations  not  to  be  found  among  the  brute  creation. 
What  shall  we  say  of  mothers  destroying  their  children 
with  their  own  hands,  or  of  the  horrid  act  of  self-mur- 
der !  Men  are  worse  than  beasts  likewise  in  their  ob- 
stinacy ;  they  will  not  be  warned.  If  a  beast  escapes 
from  a  trap,  he  will  be  cautious  how  he  goes  near  it 
again,  and  in  vain  is  the  net  spread  in  the  sight  of  any 
bird.  But  man,  though  he  be  often  reproved,  hardens 
his  neck;  he  rushes  upon  his  ruin  with  his  eyes  open, 
and  can  defy  God  to  his  face,  and  dare  damnation. 

Once  more  :  Let  us  observe  how  man  resembles  the 
devil.  There  are  spiritual  sins,  and  from  these  in  their 
height  the  Scripture  teaches  us  to  judge  of  Satan's  cha- 
racter. Every  feature  in  this  descriotion  is  strono-  in 
man  ;  so  that  what  our  Lord  said  to  the  Jews  is  of  ge- 
neral application,  "  Ye  are  of  your  father  the  devil,  and 
"  the  lusts  of  your  father  you  will  do."  Man  resembles 
Satan  m pride ;  this  stupid,  wicked  creature  values  him- 


336  (1)  On  Man  in  his  Fallen  Estafc,  Let.  33. 

self  upon  his  wisdom,  power,  and  virtue,  and  will  talk 
of  being  saved  by  his  good  works  ;  though  if  he  can, 
Satan  himself  need  not  despair.  He  resembles  him  in 
malice;  and  this  diabolical  disposition  often  proceeds  to 
murder,  and  would  daily  if  the  Lord  did  not  restrain  it. 
He  derives  from  Satan  the  hateful  spirit  of  e7ivij  :  he  is 
often  tormented  beyond  expression,  by  beholding  the 
prosperity  of  his  neighbours;  and  proportionably  pleas- 
ed with  their  calamities,  though  he  gains  no  other  advan- 
tage from  them  than  the  gratification  of  this  rancorous 
principle.  He  bears  the  image  likewise  of  Satan  in  his 
cruelty.  This  evil  is  bound  up  in  the  heart  even  of  a 
child.  A  disposition  to  take  pleasure  in  giving  pain  to 
others,  appears  very  early.  Children,  if  left  to  them- 
i^elves,  soon  feel  a  gratification  in  torturing  insects  and 
animals.  What  misery  does  the  wanton  cruelty  of  men 
inflict  upon  cocks,  dogs,  bulls,  bears,  and  other  crea- 
tures, which  they  seem  to  think  were  formed  for  no 
other  end  than  to  feast  their  savage  spirits  with  their 
torments  !  If  we  form  our  judgment  of  men,  when 
they  seem  most  pleased,  and  have  neither  anger  nor  re- 
sentment to  plead  in  their  excuse,  it  is  too  evident,  even 
from  the  nature  of  their  amusements,  Avhose  they  are 
and  whom  they  serve  ;  and  they  are  the  worst  of  ene- 
mies to  each  other.  Think  of  the  horrors  of  war,  the 
rage  of  duellists,  of  the  murders  and  assassinations  with 
which  the  world  is  filled,  and  then  say,  "  Lord,  what 
"  is  man  !*'  Further,  if  deceit  and  treachery  belong  to 
Satan's  character,  then  surely  man  resembles  him.  Is- 
not  the  universal  observation,  and  complaint  of  all  ages, 
an  affecting  comment  upon  the  prophet's  words,  "Trust 
"  ye  not  in  a  friend,  put  not  confidence  in  a  guide,  keep 
"  the  doors  of  thy  mouth  from  her  that  lieth  in  thy 
"  bosom,  for  they  hunt  every  man  his  brother  \s\i\\  a 


Let  33.         (1)    On  Man  in  his  Fallen  Estate.  337 

"  net."  How  many  have  at  this  moment  cause  to  say 
with  David,  "  Tiie  words  of  his  mouth  were  smoother 
"  than  butter,  but  war  was  in  his  heart ;  his  words  were 
''  softer  than  oil,  yet  were  they  drawn  swords."  Again  : 
like  Satan,  men  are  eager  in  tempting  others  to  sin  ; 
not  content  to  damn  themselves,  they  employ  all  their 
arts  and  influence  to  draw  as  many  as  they  can  with 
them  into  the  same  destruction.  Lastly :  In  direct  op- 
position to  God  and  goodness,  in  contemptuous  enmity 
to  the  Gospel  of  his  grace,  and  a  bitter  persecuting 
spirit  against  those  who  profess  it,  Satan  himself  can 
hardly  exceed  them.  Herein,  indeed,  they  are  his 
agents  and  willing  servants;  and  because  the  blessed 
God  is  himself  out  of  their  reach,  they  labour  to  show 
their  despite  to  him  in  the  persons  of  his  people. 

I  have  drawn  but  a  sketch,  a  few  outlines  of  the  pic- 
ture of  fallen  man.  To  give  an  exact  copy  of  him,  to 
charge  every  feature  with  its  full  aggravation  of  horror, 
and  to  paint  him  ^6-  he  is,  would  be  impossible.  Enough 
has  been  observed  to  illustrate  the  propriety  of  the  ex- 
clamation, "  Lord,  what  is  man  !"  Perhaps  some  of 
my  readers  may  attempt  to  deny  or  extenuate  the 
charge,  and  may  plead,  that  I  have  not  been  describing 
mankind,  but  some  of  the  most  abandoned  of  the 
species,  who  hardly  deserve  the  name  of  men.  But  I 
have  already  provided  against  this  exception.  It  is  hu- 
man nature  I  describe  ;  and  the  vilest  and  most  profli- 
gate individuals,  cannot  sin  be3'ond  the  powers  and  li- 
mits of  that  nature  which  they  possess  in  common  with 
the  more  mild  and  moderate.  Though  there  may  be  a 
difference  in  the  fruitfulness  of  trees,  yet  the  production 
of  one  apple  decides  the  nature  of  the  tree  upon  which 
it  grew,  as  certainly  as  if  it  had  produced  a  thousand  : 
so  in  the  present  case,  should  it  be  allowed  that  these 
Vol.  I.  2  X 


338  (1)  On  Man  in  his  Fallen  Estate,  Let.  33. 

enormities  cannot  be  found  in  all  persons,  it  would  be  a 
sufficient  confirmation  of  what  I  have  advanced,  if  they 
can  be  found  in  any  ;  unless  it  could  be  likewise  proved, 
that  those  who  appeared  more  wicked  than  others,  were 
of  a  different  species  from  the  rest.  But  I  need  not 
make  this  concession  ;  they  must  be  insensible  indeed 
Avho  do  not  feel  something  within  them  so  very  contrary 
to  our  common  notions  of  goodness,  as  would  perhaps 
make  them  rather  submit  to  be  banished  from  human 
society,  than  to  be  compelled  bona  jick  to  disclose  to 
their  fellow-creatures  every  thought  and  desire  which 
arises  in  their  hearts, 

]\Iany  useful  reflections  may  be  drawn  from  this  un- 
pleasing  subject.  We  cannot  at  present  conceive  how 
much  we  owe  to  the  guardian  care  of  Divine  Provi- 
dence, that  any  of  us  are  preserved  in  peace  and  safety 
for  a  single  day  in  such  a  world  as  this.  Live  where 
we  will,  we  have  those  near  us,  who,  both  by  nature, 
and  by  the  power  which  Satan  has  over  them,  are  ca- 
pable of  the  most  atrocious  crimes.  But  he  whom  they 
know  not,  restrains  them  so  that  they  cannot  do  the 
things  that  they  would.  When  he  suspends  the  re- 
straint, they  act  immediately  ;  then  we  hear  of  murders, 
rapes,  and  outrages.  But  did  not  the  Lord  reign  with 
a  strong  hand,  such  evils  would  be  perpetrated  every 
hour,  and  no  one  would  be  safe  in  the  house  or  in  the 
field.  His  ordinance  of  civil  government  is  one  great 
means  of  preserving  the  peace  of  society  ;  but  this  is  in 
many  cases  inadequate.  The  heart  of  man,  when  fully 
bent  upon  evil,  will  not  be  intimidated  or  stoj)pcd  by 
gibbets  and  racks. 

How  wonderful  is  the  love  of  Ciod  in  giving  his  Son 
to  die  for  such  wretches  !  And  how  strong  and  abso- 
lute is  the  necessity  of  a  new   birth,  if  we  would   be 


Let.  3-1.  (2)  On  Man  In  his  Fallen  Estate.  339 

happy !  Can  beasts  and  devils  inlierit  the  kingdom  of 
God?  The  due  consideration  of  this  subject  is  likewise 
needful,  to  preserve  believers  in  an  humble,  thankful, 
watchful  frame  of  Spirit.  Such  we  once  were,  and 
such,  with  respect  to  the  natural  principle  remaining  in 
us,  which  the  apostle  calls  the  flesh  or  the  old  man,  we 
still  are.  The  propensities  of  fallen  nature  are  not  era- 
dicated in  the  children  of  God,  though  by  grace  they 
are  made  partakers  of  a  new  principle,  which  enables 
them,  in  the  Lord's  strength,  to  resist  and  mortify  the 
body  of  sin,  so  that  it  cannot  reign  in  them.  Yet  they 
are  liable  to  sad  surprisals  ;  and  the  histories  of  Aaron, 
David,  Solomon,  and  Peter,  are  left  on  record,  to  teach 
us  what  evil  is  latent  in  the  hearts  of  the  best  men,  and 
what  they  are  capable  of  doing  if  left  but  a  little  to 
themselves.     "  Lord,  what  is  man !' 

I  am,  &c. 


LETTER  XXXIV. 
(2)  Qn  Man  in  his  Fallen  Estate, 
Lord,  what  is  Man  ! 
Dear  Sir, 

J.  HE  nature  of  fallen  man  agrees  to  the  description 
the  apostle  has  given  us  of  his  boasted  wisdom  :  it  is 
earthly,  sensual,  devilish.  I  have  attempted  some  Ge- 
neral delineation  of  it  in  the  preceding  letter  ;  but  the 
height  of  its  malignity  cannot  be  properly  estimated, 
unless  we  consider  its  actings  \\ith  respect  to  the  licrht 
of  the  Gospel.  The  Jews  were  extremely  wicked  at 
the  time  of  our  Lord's  appearance  upon  earth  :  vet  he 


310  (2)  On  Man  in  his  Fallen  Estate.  Let.  34. 

said  of  them,  "  If  I  had  not  come  and  spoken  to  them, 
"  they  had  not  had  sin  ;"  that  is,  as  the  light  and  power 
of  his  ministry  deprived  them  of  all  excuse  for  continu- 
ing in  sin,  so  it  proved  the  occasion  of  showing  their 
wickedness  in  the  most  aggravated  manner;  and  all 
their  other  sins  were  but  faint  proofs  of  the  true  state 
of  their  hearts,  if  compared  with  the  discovery  they 
made  of  themselves,  by  their  pertinacious  opposition  to 
Jiirn.  In  this  sense,  what  the  apostle  has  observed  of 
the  law  of  Moses,  may  be  applied  to  the  Gospel  of 
Christ:  it  entered,  that  sin  might  abound.  If  we  would 
estimate  the  utmost  exertions  of  human  depravity,  and 
the  strongest  effects  it  is  capable  of  producing,  we  must 
select  our  instances  from  the  conduct  of  those  to  whom 
the  Gospel  is  known.  The  Indians,  who  roast  their 
enemies  alive,  give  sufficient  proof  that  man  is  barbarous 
to  his  own  kind ;  which  may  likewise  be  easily  demon- 
strated without  going  so  far  from  home;  but  the  preach- 
ing of  the  Gospel  discovers  the  enmity  of  the  heart 
against  God,  in  ways  and  degrees  of  which  unenlight- 
ened savages  and  heathens  are  not  capable. 

By  the  Gospel,  I  now  mean  not  merely  the  doctrine 
of  salvation  as  it  lies  in  the  holy  Scripture,  but  that  pub- 
lic and  authoritative  dispensation  of  this  doctrine,  which 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  has  committed  to  his  true  mini- 
sters ;  who  having  been  themselves,  by  the  power  of  his 
grace,  brought  out  of  darkness  into  marvellous  light, 
are  by  his  Holy  Spirit  qualified  and  sent  forth  to  de- 
clare to  their  fellow-sinners,  what  they  have  seen,  and 
felt,  and  tasted,  of  the  word  of  life.  Their  commission 
is,  to  exalt  the  Lord  alone,  to  stain  the  pride  of  all  hu- 
man glory.  They  are  to  set  forth  the  evil  and  demerit 
bf  sin,  the  strictness,  spirituality,  and  sanction  of  the 
law  of  God,  the  total  apostacy  of  mankind  ;  and  from 


Let.  34.  (2)  On  Man  in  7iis  Fallen  Estate.  341 

these  premises  to  demonstrate  the  utter  impossibility  of 
a  sinner's  escaping  condemnation  by  any  works  or  en- 
deavours of  his  own ;  and  then  to  proclaim  a  full  and 
free  salvation  from  sin  and  wrath,  by  faith  in  the  name, 
blood,  obedience,  and  mediation  of  God  manifest  in  the 
flesh  ;  together  with  a  denunciation  of  eternal  misery  to 
all  who  shall  finally  reject  the  testimony  which  God  has 
given  of  his  Son.  Though  these  several  branches  of 
the  will  of  God  respecting  sinners,  and  other  truths  in 
connexion  with  them,  are  plainly  revealed  and  repeat- 
edly inculcated  in  the  Bible ;  and  though  the  Bible  is  to 
be  found  in  almost  every  house,  yet  we  see,  in  fact,  it 
is  a  sealed  book,  little  read,  little  understood,  and  there- 
fore but  little  regarded,  except  in  those  places  which 
the  Lord  is  pleased  to  favour  with  ministers  who  can 
confirm  them  from  their  own  experience,  and  who,  by 
a  sense  of  his  constraining  love,  and  the  worth  of  souls, 
are  animated  to  make  the  faithful  discharge  of  their  mi- 
nistry the  one  great  business  of  their  lives :  who  aim 
not  to  possess  the  wealth,  but  to  promote  the  welfare  of 
their  hearers  ;  are  equally  regardless  of  the  frowns  or 
smiles  of  the  Avorld ;  and  count  not  their  lives  dear,  so 
that  they  may  be  wise  and  successful  in  winning  souls 
to  Christ. 

When  the  Gospel,  in  this  sense  of  the  word,  first 
comes  to  a  place,  though  the  people  are  going  on  in 
sin,  they  may  be  said  to  sin  ignorantly ;  they  have  not 
yet  been  warned  of  their  danger.  Some  are  drinking 
down  iniquity  like  water ;  others  more  soberly  burying 
themselves  alive  in  the  cares  and  business  of  the  world ; 
others  find  a  little  time  for  what  they  call  religious 
duties,  which  they  persevere  in,  though  they  are  utter 
strangers  to  the  nature  or  the  pleasure  of  spiritual  wor- 
ship ;  partly,  as  thereby  they  think  to  bargain  with  God, 


343  {2)   On  Man  in  his  Fallen  Estate,  Let.  34. 

and  to  make  amends  for  such  sins  as  they  do  not  choose 
to  relinquish ;  and  partly  because  it  gratifies  their  pride, 
and  affords  them,  (as  they  think,)  some  ground  for  say- 
ing, "  God,  I  thank  thee  I  am  not  as  other  men."  The 
preached  Gosjicl  declares  the  vanity  and  danger  of  these 
several  ways  which  sinners  choose  to  walk  in.  It  de- 
clares, and  demonstrates,  that,  different  as  they  appear 
from  each  other,  they  are  equally  remote  from  the  path 
of  safety  and  peace,  and  all  tend  to  the  same  point,  the 
destruction  of  those  who  persist  in  them.  At  the  same 
time  it  provides  against  that  despair  into  which  men 
^vould  be  otherwise  plunged,  when  convinced  of  their 
sins,  by  revealing  the  immense  love  of  God,  the  glory 
and  grace  of  Christ,  and  inviting  all  to  come  to  him, 
that  they  may  obtain  pardon,  life,  and  happiness.  In 
a  word,  it  shows  the  pit  of  hell  under  men's  feet,  and 
opens  the  gate  and  points  out  the  way  to  heaven.  Let 
us  now  briefly  observe  the  effects  it  produces  in  those 
who  do  not  receive  it  as  the  power  of  God  unto  salva- 
tion. These  effects  are  various,  as  tempers  and  cir- 
cumstances vary  ;  but  they  may  all  lead  us  to  adopt  the 
Psalmist's  exclamation,  "  Lord,  what  is  man  !" 

J\lany  who  have  heard  the  Gospel  once  or  a  few 
times,  will  hear  it  no  more ;  it  awakens  their  scorn,  their 
hatred  and  rage.  They  pour  contempt  upon  the  wis- 
dom of  God,  despise  his  goodness,  defy  his  power ; 
and  their  very  looks  express  the  spirit  of  the  rebellious 
Jews,  who  told  the  prophet  Jeremiah  to  his  face,  "  As 
"  to  the  word  which  thou  hast  spoken  to  us  in  the  name 
"  of  the  Lord,  we  will  not  hearken  to  thee  at  all."  The 
ministers  who  preach  it,  are  accounted  men  that  turn  the 
world  upside  down  ;  and  the  people  who  receive  it,  fools 
or  hypocrites.  The  word  of  the  Lord  is  a  burden  to 
fhcm,  and  they  hate  it  with  a  perfect  hatred.     How 


Let.  3-1.  (2)  On  Man  in  his  Fallen  Estate.  343 

strongly  is  the  disposition  of  the  natural  heart  manifested, 
by  the  confusion  which  often  takes  place  in  families, 
where  the  Lord  is  pleased  to  awaken  one  or  two  in  a 
house,  while  the  rest  remain  in  their  sins !  To  profess, 
or  even  to  be  suspected  of,  an  attachment  to  the  Gospel 
of  Christ,  is  frequently  considered  and  treated  as  the 
worst  of  crimes,  sufficient  to  cancel  the  strongest  obliga- 
tions of  relation  or  friendship.  Parents,  upon  such  a 
provocation,  will  hate  their  children,  and  children  ridi- 
cule their  parents  :  many  find,  agreeable  to  our  Lord's 
declaration,  that  from  the  time  a  sense  of  his  love  en- 
gaged their  hearts  to  love  him  again,  their  worst  foes 
have  been  those  of  their  own  household ;  and  that  they 
who  expressed  the  greatest  love  and  tenderness  for 
them  before  their  conversion,  can  now  hardly  bear  to 
see  them. 

The  bulk  of  a  people  will  perhaps  continue  to  hear, 
at  least  now  and  then,  and  to  those  who  do,  the  Spirit 
of  God  usually,  at  one  time  or  other,  bears  testimony  to 
the  truth  :  their  consciences  are  struck,  and  for  a  season 
they  believe  and  tremble.  But  what  is  the  consequence  } 
No  man  Avho  has  taken  poison  seeks  more  earnestly  or 
speedily  for  an  antidote,  than  those  do  for  something  to 
stifle  and  smother  their  convictions.  They  run  to  com- 
pany, to  drink,  to  any  thing,  for  relief  against  the  un- 
welcome intrusion  of  serious  thoughts;  and  when  they 
succeed,  and  recover  their  former  indifference,  they  re- 
joice as  if  they  had  escaped  some  great  danger.  The 
next  step  is,  to  ridicule  their  own  convictions;  and  next 
to  that,  if  they  see  any  of  their  acquaintance  under  the 
like  impressions,  to  use  every  art,  and  strain  every 
nerve,  that  they  may  render  them  as  obstinate  as  them- 
selves. For  this  purpose,  they  T.atch  as  a  fouler  for 
the  bird,  flatter  or  revile,  tempt  or  threaten;  and  if  thev 


344  (2)  On  Mm  in  his  Fallen  Estate.  Let.  34. 

can  prevail^  and  are  the  occasion  of  hardening  any  in 
their  sins,  they  rejoice  and  triumph  as  if  they  accounted 
it  their  interest  and  their  glory  to  ruin  the  souls  of  their 
fellow- creatures. 

By  frequent  hearing,  they  receive  more  light.  They 
are  compelled  to  know,  whether  they  will  or  not,  that 
the  wrath  of  God  hangs  over  the  children  of  disobe- 
dience. They  carry  a  sting  in  their  consciences,  and  at 
times  feel  themselves  most  miserable,  and  cannot  but 
wish  they  had  never  been  born,  or  that  they  had  been 
dogs  or  toads,  rather  than  rational  creatures.  Yet  they 
harden  themselves  still  more.  They  affect  to  be  happy 
and  at  ease,  and  force  tliemselves  to  wear  a  smile  when 
anguish  preys  upon  their  hearts.  They  blaspheme  the 
way  of  truth,  watch  for  the  faults  of  professors,  and 
with  a  malicious  joy  publish  and  aggravate  them.  They 
see  perhaps  how  the  w  icked  die,  but  are  not  alarmed ; 
they  see  the  righteous  die,  but  are  not  moved.  Nei- 
ther providences  nor  ordinances,  mercies  nor  judgr 
ments,  can  stop  them  ;  for  they  are  determined  to  go 
on  and  perish  with  their  eyes  open,  rather  than  submit 
to  the  Gospel. 

But  they  do  not  always  openly  reject  the  Gospel- 
truths.  Some  A\  ho  profess  to  approve  and  receive 
them,  do  thereby  discover  the  evils  of  the  heart  of  man, 
if  possible,  in  a  yet  stronger  light.  They  make  Christ 
the  minister  of  sin,  and  turn  his  grace  into  licentious- 
ness. Like  Judas,  they  say,  Hail,  Master!  and  betray 
him.  This  is  the  highest  pitch  of  iniquity.  They  per- 
vert all  the  doctrines  of  the  Gospel.  From  election 
they  draw  an  excuse  for  continuing  in  their  evil  ways  ; 
and  contend  for  salvation  without  works,  because  they 
love  not  obedience.  They  extol  the  righteousness  of 
Christ,  but  hold  it  in  opposition  to  personal  holiness. 


Let.  34.  (2)  On  Man  in  his  Fallen  Estate.  345 

In  a  word,  because  they  hear  that  God  is  good,  they 
determine  to  persist  in  evil.  "  Lord,  what  is  man  !" 

Thus  wilful  and  impenitent  sinners  go  on  from  bad 
to  worse,  deceiving  and  being  deceived.  The  word 
which  they  despise  becomes  to  them  a  savour  of  death 
unto  death.  They  take  different  courses,  but  all  are 
travelling  down  to  the  pit :  and,  unless  sovereign  mercy 
interpose,  will  soon  sink  to  rise  no  more.  The  final 
event  is  usually  two-fold.  Many,  after  they  have  been 
more  or  less  shaken  by  the  word,  settle  in  formality. 
If  hearing  would  supply  the  place  of  faith,  love,  and 
obedience,  they  would  do  well;  but  by  degrees  they  be- 
come sermon-proof:  the  truths  which  once  struck  them 
lose  their  power  by  being  often  heard ;  and  thus  multi- 
tudes live  and  die  in  darkness,  though  the  light  has  long 
shone  around  them.  Others  are  more  openly  given  up 
to  a  reprobate  mind.  Contempt  of  the  Gospel  makes 
Infidels,  Deists,  and  Atheists.  They  are  filled  with  a 
spirit  of  delusion  to  believe  a  lie.  These  are  scoffers, 
walking  after  their  own  lusts  ;  for  where  the  principles 
of  religion  are  given  up,  the  conduct  will  be  vile  and 
abominable.  Such  persons  sport  themselves  w  ith  their 
own  deceivings,  and  strongly  prove  the  truth  of  the 
Gospel,  while  they  dispute  against  it.  We  often  find 
that  people  of  this  cast  have  formerly  been  the  subjects 
of  strong  convictions ;  but  when  the  evil  spirit  has 
seemed  to  depart  for  a  season,  and  returns  again,  the 
last  state  of  that  person  is  worse  than  the  first. 

It  is  not  improbable  that  some  of  my  readers  may 
meet  with  their  own  characters,  under  one  or  other  of 
the  views  1  have  given  of  the  desperate  wickedness  of 
the  heart,  in  its  actings  against  the  truth.  May  the 
Spirit  of  God  constrain  them  to  read  with  attention  ! 
Your  case  is  dangerous,  but  I  would  hope  not  utterly 

Vol.  I.  ^  2  Y 


346         On  some  Blemishes  'in  Christian  Chanido's.     Let.  3.3. 

desperate.  Jesus  is  mighty  to  save.  His  grace  can 
pardon  the  most  aggravated  offences,  and  subdue  the 
most  inveterate  habits  of  sin.  The  Gospel  you  have 
hitherto  slighted,  resisted,  or  opposed,  is  still  the  power 
of  God  unto  salvation.  The  blood  of  Jesus,  upon  which 
you  have  hitherto  trampled,  speaks  better  things  than 
the  blood  of  Abel,  and  is  of  virtue  to  cleanse  those 
^\  hose  sins  are  scarlet  and  crimson,  and  to  make  them 
w  hite  as  snow.  As  yet  you  are  spared  ;  but  it  is  high 
time  to  stop,  to  throw  down  your  arms  of  rebellion,  and 
humble  yourselves  at  his  feet.  If  you  do,  you  may  yet 
escape  ;  but  if  not,  know  assuredly  that  wrath  is  coming 
upon  you  to  the  uttermost ;  and  you  will  shortly  find, 
to  your  unspeakable  dismay,  that  it  is  a  fearful  thing  to 
fall  into  the  hands  of  the  living  God. 

I  am,  &c. 


LETTER  XXXV. 

Whatsoever  Things  are  lut'ely^  ivhatsoei'er  Things  are  of  good 
Report^ — think  on  these  Things.     Phil.  iv.  8. 

Dear  Sir, 

X  HE  precept  which  I  have  chosen  for  my  motto  is 
applicable  to  many  particulars,  Avhich  are  but  seldom 
and  occasionally  mentioned  from  the  pulpit.  There  are 
improprieties  of  conduct,  which,  though  usually  consi- 
dered as  foibles  that  hardly  deserve  a  severe  censure, 
arc  properly  sinful ;  for  though  som^  of  them  may  not 
seem  to  violate  any  express  command  of  Scripture,  yet 
they  are  contrary  to  that  accuracy  and  circumspection 
which  become  our  profession.  A  Christian,  by  the 
tenor  of  his  high  calling,  is  bound  to  avoid  even  the 


Let.  35.     On  sonic  Blemishes  in  Chmlian  Characters.         347 

appearance  of  evil ;  and  his  deportment  should  not  only 
be  upright  as  to  his  leading  principles,  but  amiable  and 
engaging,  and  as  free  as  possible  from  every  inconsist- 
ence and  blemish.  The  characters  of  some  valuable 
persons  are  clouded  ;  and  the  influence  they  might  other- 
wise have,  greatly  counteracted  by  comparatively  small 
faults  :  yet  faults  they  certainly  are ;  and  it  would  be 
well  if  they  could  be  made  so  sensible  of  them,  and  of 
their  ill  effects,  as  that  they  might  earnestly  watch,  and 
strive,  and  pray  against  them.  I  know  not  how  to  ex- 
plain myself  better  than  by  attempting  the  outlines  of  a 
few  portraits,  to  each  of  which  I  apprehend  some  strong 
resemblances  may  be  found  in  real  life.  I  do  not  wish 
to  set  my  readers  to  work  to  find  out  such  resemblances 
among  their  neighbours  ;  but  would  advise  them  to  exa- 
mine  carefully,  whether  they  cannot,  in  one  or  other  of 
them,  discover  some  traces  of  their  own  features  :  and 
though  I  speak  of  men  only,  counterparts  to  the  several 
characters  may  doubtless  be  found  here  and  there  among 
the  women  ;  for  the  imperfections  and  evils  of  a  fallen 
nature,  are  equally  entailed  upon  both  sexes. 

AusTERi:s  is  a  solid  and  exemplary  Christian.  He 
has  a  deep,  extensive,  and  experimental  knowledge  of 
divine  things.  Inflexibly  and  invariably  true  to  his 
principles,  he  stems  with  a  noble  singularity  the  torrent 
of  the  world,  and  can  neither  be  bribed  nor  intimidated 
from  the  path  of  duty.  He  is  a  rough  diamond  of  great 
intrinsic  value,  and  would  sparkle  with  a  distinguished 
lustre,  if  he  were  more  polished  :  but  though  the  word 
of  God  is  his  daily  study,  and  he  prizes  the  precepts,  as 
well  as  the  promises,  more  than  thousands  of  gold  and 
i-ilver,  there  is  one  precept  he  seems  to  have  over- 
looked ,•  I  mean  that  of  the  apostle.  Be  courteous. 
Instead  of  that  gentleness  and  condescension  which  will 


348         On  some  Blemishes  in  Christian  Characters.     Let.  35. 

always  be  expected  from  a  professed  follower  of  the 
meek  and  lowly  Jesus  ;  there  is  a  harshness  in  his  man- 
ner, which  makes  him  more  admired  than  beloved  ;  and 
they  who  truly  love  him,  often  feel  more  constraint  than 
pleasure  Avhen  in  his  company.  His  intimate  friends 
are  satisfied  that  he  is  no  stranger  to  true  humility  of 
heart ;  but  these  are  few.  By  others  he  is  thought 
proud,  dogmatic,  and  self-important ;  nor  can  this  pre- 
judice against  him  be  easily  removed,  until  he  can  lay 
aside  that  cynical  air  which  he  has  unhappily  con- 
tracted. 

HuMANUs  is  generous  and  benevolent.  His  feel- 
ings are  lively,  and  his  expressions  of  them  strong.  No 
one  is  more  distant  from  sordid  views,  or  less  influenced 
by  a  selfish  spirit.  His  heart  burns  with  love  to  Jesus, 
and  he  is  ready  to  receive  with  open  arms  ail  who  love 
his  Saviour.  Yet  with  an  upright  and  friendly  spirit, 
■which  entitles  him  to  the  love  and  esteem  of  all  who 
know  him,  he  has  not  every  thing  we  Avould  wish  in  a 
friend.  In  some  respects,  though  not  in  tl)e  most  cri- 
minal sense,  he  bridleth  not  his  tongue.  Should  you, 
without  witness  or  writing,  intrust  him  with  untold  gold, 
you  would  run  no  risk  of  loss ;  but  if  you  intrust  him 
•with  a  secret,  you  thereby  pHt  it  in  the  possession  of 
the  public.  Not  that  he  would  wilfully  betray  you, 
but  it  is  his  infirmity.  He  knows  not  how  to  keep  a 
secret;  it  escapes  from  him  before  he  is  aware.  So 
likewise  as  to  matters  of  fact :  in  things  which  are  of 
great  importance,  and  where  he  is  sufficiently  informed, 
no  man  has  a  stricter  regard  to  truth ;  but  in  the  smaller 
concerns  of  common  life,  whether  it  be  from  credulity, 
or  from  a  strange  and  blameable  inadvertence,  he  fre- 
quently grieves  and  surprises  those  who  know  his  real 
character,  by  saying  the  thing  that  is  not.     Thus  the}- 


Let.  35.     On  some  Blemishes  in  Christian  Characters.  349 

to  whom  he  opens  his  very  heart,  dare  not  make  him 
i^eturns  of  equal  confidence;  and  they  who  in  some  cases 
would  venture  their  lives  upon  his  word,  in  others  are 
afraid  of  telling  a  story  after  him.  How  lamentable  are 
such  blemishes  in  such  a  person  ! 

Prudens,  though  not  of  a  generous  natural  temper, 
is  a  partaker  of  that  grace  which  opens  the  heart,  and 
inspires  a  disposition  to  love  and  to  good  works.  He 
bestows  not  his  alms  to  be  seen  of  men  ;  but  they  who 
have  the  best  opportunities  of  knowing  what  he  does 
for  the  relief  of  others,  and  of  comparing  it  with  his 
ability,  can  acquit  him  in  good  measure  of  the  charge' 
w  hich  another  part  of  his  conduct  exposes  him  to.  For 
Prudens  is  a  jjreat  economist:  and  though  he  would  not 
willingly  wrong  or  injure  any  person,  yet  the  meannesses 
to  which  he  will  submit,  either  to  save  or  gain  a  penny 
in  what  he  accounts  an  honest  way,  are  a  great  dis- 
credit to  his  profession.  He  is  punctual  in  fulfilling  his 
engagements  ;  but  exceedingly  hard,  strict,  and  suspi- 
cious in  making  his  bargains.  And  in  his  dress,  and 
every  article  of  his  personal  concerns,  he  is  content  to 
be  so  much  below  the  station  in  which  the  providence 
of  God  has  placed  him,  that  to  those  who  are  not  ac- 
quainted with  his  private  benefactions  to  the  poor,  he 
appears  under  the  hateful  character  of  a  miser,  and  to 
be  governed  by  that  love  of  money  which  the  Scripture 
declares  to  be  the  root  of  all  evil,  and  inconsistent  with 
the  true  love  of  God  and  of  the  saints. 

VoLATiLis  is  sufficiently  exact  in  performing  his 
promises  in  such  instances  as  he  thinks  of  real  impor- 
tance. If  he  bids  a  person  depend  upon  his  assistance, 
•he  will  not  disappoint  his  expectations.  Perhaps  he  is 
equally  sincere  in  all  his  promises  at  the  time  of  making 
them ;  but  for  want  of  method  in  the  management  of  his 


350         On  S07)ie  Blemishes  in  Christian  Cliaracters.      Let.  35. 

affairs,  he  is  always  in  a  hurry,  always  too  late,  and  has 
always  some  engagement  upon  his  hands  with  which  it 
is  impossible  he  can  comply  :  yet  he  goes  on  in  this  way, 
exposing  himself  and  others  to  continual  disappoint- 
ments. He  accepts,  without  a  thought,  proposals  which 
are  incompatible  with  each  other,  and  will  perhaps  un- 
dertake to  be  at  two  or  three  difierent  and  distant  places 
at  the  same  hour.  This  has  been  so  long  his  practice, 
that  nobody  now  expects  him  till  they  see  him.  In 
other  respects  he  is  a  good  sort  of  man  ;  but  this  want 
of  punctuality,  which  runs  through  his  whole  deport- 
ment, puts  every  thing  out  of  course  in  which  he  is  con- 
cerned, abroad  and  at  home.  VolatiUs  excuses  him- 
self as  well  as  he  can,  and  chiefly  by  alleging,  that  the 
things  in  which  he  fails  are  of  no  great  consequence. 
But  he  would  do  well  to  remember,  that  truth  is  a  sacred 
thing,  and  ought  not  to  be  violated  in  the  smallest  mat- 
ters, without  an  unforeseen  and  unavoidable  prevention. 
Such  a  trifling  turn  of  spirit  lessens  the  weight  of  a  per- 
son's character,  though  he  makes  no  pretensions  to  re- 
ligion, and  is  a  still  greater  blemish  in  a  professor. 

Cess  A  TOR  is  not  chargeable  with  being  buried  in  the 
cares  and  business  of  the  present  life  to  the  neglect  of 
the  one  thing  needful ;  but  he  greatly  neglects  the  duties 
of  his  station.  Had  he  been  sent  into  the  world  only 
to  read,  pray,  hear  sermons,  and  join  in  religious  con- 
versation, he  might  pass  for  an  eminent  Christian.  But 
though  it  is  to  be  hoped,  that  his  abounding  in  these 
exercises  springs  from  a  heart-attachnient  to  divine 
things,  his  conduct  evidences  that  his  judgment  is 
weak,  and  his  views  of  his  Christian  calling  are  very 
narrow  and  defective.  He  docs  not  consider,  that 
waiting  upon  God  in  the  public  and  private  ordinances 
is  designed,  not  to  excuse  us  from  the  discharge  of  the 


Lei.  35.     On  some  Blemishes  in  Christian  Characters.  351 

duties  of  civil  life,  but  to  instruct,  strengthen,  and  qua- 
lify us  for  their  performance.  His  affairs  are  in  disor- 
der, and  his  family  and  connexions  are  likely  to  suffer 
by  his  indolence.  He  thanks  God  that  he  is  not  wordly- 
minded ;  but  he  is  an  idle  and  unfaithful  member  of  so- 
ciety, and  causes  ihe  way  of  truth  to  be  evil  spoken  of. 
Of  such  the  apostle  has  determined,  that  "  if  any  man 
"  will  not  work,  neither  should  he  eat." 

CuRiosus  is  upright  and  unblameable  in  his  general 
deportment,  and  no  stranger  to  the  experiences  of  a 
true  Christian.  His  conversation  upon  these  subjects 
is  often  satisfactory  and  edifying.  He  would  be  a  much 
more  agreeable  companion,  were  it  not  for  an  imperti- 
nent desire  of  knowing  every  body's  business,  and  the 
grounds  of  every  hint  that  is  occasionally  dropped  in 
discourse  where  he  is  present.  This  puts  him  upon 
askinji;  a  multiplicity  of  needless  and  improper  ques- 
tions ;  and  obliges  those  who  know  him,  to  be  continu- 
ally upon  their  guard,  and  to  treat  him  with  reserve. 
He  catechises  even  strangers,  and  is  unwilling  to  part 
with  them  till  he  is  punctually  informed  of  all  their  con- 
nexions, employments,  and  designs.  For  this  idle  cu- 
riosity he  is  marked  and  avoided  as  a  busy-body  ;  and 
they  w'ho  have  the  best  opinion  of  him,  cannot  but 
wonder  that  a  man,  who  appears  to  have  so  many 
better  things  to  employ  his  thoughts,  should  find  leisure 
to  amuse  himself  with  what  does  not  at  all  concern  him. 
Were  it  not  for  the  rules  of  civility,  he  would  be  af- 
fronted every  day  :  and  if  he  would  attend  to  the  cold 
and  evasive  answers  he  receives  to  his  inquiries,  or 
even  to  the  looks  with  which  they  are  accompanied,  he 
might  learn,  that,  though  he  means  no  harm,  he  ap- 
pears to  a  great  disadvantage,  and  that  this  prying  dis- 
position, is  very  unplcasing. 


352        On  some  Blemishes  in  Christian  Characters.     Let.  35. 

QuERULUs  wastes  much  of  his  precious  time  in  de- 
claiming against  the  management  of  public  affairs;  though 
he  has  neither  access  to  the  springs   which  move  the 
wheels  of  government,  nor  influence  either  to  accelerate 
or  retard  their  motions.     Our  national  concerns  are  no 
more  affected  by  the  remonstrances  of  Querulus,  than 
the  heavenly  bodies  are  by  the  disputes  of  astronomers. 
While  the  news-papers  are  the  chief  sources  of  his  in- 
telligence, and  his  situation  precludes  him  from  being  a 
competent  judge  either  of  matters  of  fact,  or  matters  of 
right,  why  should  Querulus  trouble  himself  with  politics? 
This  would  be  a  weakness,  if  we  consider  him  only  as  a 
member  of  society  ;'but  if  we  consider  him  as  a  Chris- 
tian, it  is  worse  than  weakness  :  it  is  a  sinful  conformity 
to  the  men  of  the  world,  who  look  no  further  than  to  se- 
cond causes,  and  forget  that  the  LORD  reigns.    If  a 
Christian  be  placed  in  a  public  sphere  of  action,he  should 
undoubtedly   be  faithful  to  his  calling,  and  endeavour 
by  all  lawful  methods  to  transmit  our  privileges  to  pos- 
terity :  but  it  would  be  better  for  Querulus  to  let  the 
dead  bury  the  dead.  There  are  people  enough  to  make 
a  noise  about  political  matters,  who  know  not  how  to 
employ  their  time  to  better  purpose.     Our  Lord's  king- 
dom is  not  of  this  world  ;   and  most  of  his  people  may 
do  their  country  much  more  essential  service  by  pleading 
for  it  in  prayer,  than  by  finding  fault  with  things  which 
they  have  no  power  to  alter.     If  Querulus  had  oppor- 
tunity of  spending  a  few  months  under  some  of  the  go- 
vernments upon  the  continent,  (I  may  indeed  say  under 
any  of  them,)  he  would  probably  bring  home  with  him 
a  more  grateful  sense  of  the  Lord's  goodness  to  him,  in 
appointing  his  lot  in  Britain.     As  it  is,  his  zeal  is  not 
only  unprofitable  to  others,  but  hurttul  to  hiuiself     It 
embitters  his  spirit^  it  diverts  his  thoughts  from  things  of 


Let.  36.      To  a  gay  Friend  on  Becovcnj  from  Illness,         353 

greater  importance,  and  prevents  him  from  feeling  the 
value  of  those  blessings,  civil  and  religious,  which  he  ac- 
tually possesses:  and  could  he,  (as he  wishes,)  prevail  on 
many  to  act  in  the  same  spirit,  the  governing  powers 
might  be  irritated  to  take  every  opportunity  of  abridg- 
ing that  religious  liberty  which  we  are  favoured  with 
above  all  the  nations  upon  earth.  Let  me  remind  Que- 
rulus,  that  the  hour  is  approaching,  when  many  things, 
which  at  present  too  much  engross  his  thoughts  and  in- 
flame his  passions,  w  ill  appear  as  foreign  to  him  as  what 
is  now  transactinof  amono;  the  Tartars  or  Chinese. 

Other  improprieties  of  conduct,  which  lessen  the  in- 
fluence, and  spot  the  profession  of  some  who  wish  well 
to  the  cause  of  Christ,  might  be  enumerated,  but  these 
may  suffice  for  a  specimen. 

I  am,  &c. 


LETTER  XXXVI. 

To  a  gay  Fncmd,  on  his  Recovery  from  Ilhicss. 
Dear  Sir, 

SUPPOSE  you  will  receive  many  congratulations  on 
your  recovery  from  your  late  dangerous  illness;  most  of 
them  perhaps  more  sprightly  and  better  turned,  but  none, 
I  persuade  myself,  more  siivcere  and  affectionate  than 
mine.  I  beg  you  w  ould  prepare  yourself  by  this  good 
opinion  of  me,  before  you  read  further  :  and  let  the 
reality  of  my  regard  excuse  what  you  may  dislike  in  my 
manner  of  expressing  it. 

When  a  person  is  returned  from  a  doubtful  distant 
voyage,  we  are  naturally  led  to  inquire  into  the  incidents 
he  has  met  with,  and  the  discoveries  he  has  made,     In- 

VOL.  I.  '1  Z 


354i         To  a  gay  Friend  on  Recovery  from  Illness.       Let.  36. 

dulge  me  in  a  curiosity  of  this  kind,  especially  as  my 
affection  gives  me  an  interest  and  concern  in  the  event. 
You  have  been,  my  friend,  upon  the  brink,  the  very 
edge  of  an  eternal  state;  but  God  has  restored  you  back 
to  the  world  again.  Did  you  meet  with,  or  have  you 
brought  back,  nothing  new  ?  Did  nothing  occur  to  stop 
or  turn  your  usual  train  of  thought  ?  Were  your  appre- 
hensions of  invisible  things  exactly  the  same  in  the  height 
of  your  disorder,  when  you  were  cut  off  from  the  world 
and  all  its  engagements,  as  when  you  were  in  perfect 
health,  and  in  the  highest  enjoyment  of  your  own  incli- 
nations ?  If  you  answer  me,  "  Yes,  all  things  are  just 
"  the  same  as  formerly,  the  difference  between  sickness 
"  and  health  only  excepted  ;"  I  am  at  a  loss  how  to  re- 
ply. I  can  only  sigh  and  wonder  j  sigh,  that  it  should 
be  thus  with  any,  that  it  should  be  thus  with  you,  whom 
I  dearly  love ;  and  wonder,  since  this  unhappy  case, 
strange  as  it  seems  in  one  view,  is  yet  so  frequent,  why 
it  was  not  always  thus  with  myself;  for  long  and  often 
it  was  just  so.  Many  a  time,  when  sickness  had  brought 
me,  as  we  say,  to  death's  door,  I  was  as  easy  and  insen- 
sible as  the  sailor,  who,  in  the  height  of  a  storm,  should 
presume  to  sleep  upon  the  top  of  the  mast,  quite  regard- 
less that  the  next  tossing  wave  might  plunge  him  into  the 
raging  ocean,  beyond  all  possibility  of  relief.  But  at 
length  a  day  came,  which,  though  the  most  terrible  day 
I  ever  saw,  I  can  now  look  back  upon  with  thankful- 
ness and  pleasure  :  I  say,  the  time  came,  when,  in  such 
a  helpless  extremity,  and  under  the  expectation  of  im- 
mediate death,  it  pleased  God  to  command  the  vaiJ 
from  my  eyes,  and  I  saw  things,  in  some  measure,  as 
they  really  were.  Imagine  with  yourself,  a  person 
trembling  upon  the  point  of  a  dreadful  precipice,  a 
powerful  and  inexorable  enemy  eager  to  push  him  down, 


Let.  36.     To  a  gay  Friend  o?i  Recovery  from  Illness.  355 

and  an  assemblage  of  all  that  is  horrible  waiting  at  the 
bottom  for  his  fall ;  even  this  will  give  you  but  a  faint 
representation  of  the  state  of  my  mind  at  that  time. 
Believe  me,  it  was  not  a  whitn  or  a  dream,  which  changed 
my  sentiments  and  conduct,  but  a  powerful  conviction, 
which  will  not  admit  the  least  doubt;  an  evidence  which, 
like  that  I  have  of  my  own  existence,  I  cannot  call  in 
question  without  contradicting  all  my  senses.  And 
though  my  case  was  in  some  respects  uncommon,  yet 
something  like  it  is  known  by  one  and  another  every 
day :  and  I  have  myself  conversed  with  many,  who, 
after  a  course  of  years  spent  in  defending  Deistical  prin- 
ciples, or  indulging  libertine  practices,  when  they  have 
thought  themselves  confirmed  in  their  schemes,  by  the 
cool  assent  of  what  they  then  deemed  Impartial  Reason, 
have  been,  like  me,  brought  to  glory  in  the  cross  of 
Christ,  and  to  live  by  that  faith  which  they  had  before 
slighted  and  opposed.  By  these  instances,  I  know  that 
nothing  is  too  hard  for  the  Almighty.  The  same  power 
which  humbled  me,  can  undoubtedly  bring  down  the 
most  haughty  infidel  upon  earth.  And  as  I  likewise 
knew,  that,  to  show  his  power,  he  is  often  pleased  to 
make  use  of  weak  instruments,  I  am  encouraged,  not- 
withstanding the  apparent  difficulty  of  succeeding,  to 
warn  those  over  whom  friendship  or  affection  gives  me 
any  influence,  of  the  evil  and  the  danger  of  a  course  of 
life  formed  upon  the  prevailing  maxims  of  the  world. 
So  far  as  I  neglect  this,  I  am  unfaithful  in  my  pro- 
fessions both  to  God  and  man. 

I  shall  not  at  present  trouble  you  in  an  argumenta- 
tive way.  If  by  dint  of  reasoning  I  could  eflect  some 
change  in  your  notions,  my  arguments,  unless  applied 
by  a  superior  power,  would  still  leave  your  heart  un- 
changed and  untouched.     A  man  may  give  his  assent 


356         To  a  gay  Friend  on  Recoverii  from  Illness.     Let.  36, 

to  the  Gospel,  and  be  able  to  defend  it  against  others, 
and  yet  not  have  his  own  spirit  truly  influenced  by  it. 
This  thought  I  shall  leave  with  you,  that  if  your  scheme 
be  not  true  to  a  demonstration,  it  must  necessarily  be 
false  ;  for  the  issue  is  too  important  to  make  a  doubt  on 
the  dangerous  side  tolerable.  If  the  Christian  could 
possibly  be  mistaken,  he  is  still  upon  equal  terms  with 
those  who  pronounce  him  to  be  so  ;  but  if  the  Deist  be 
wrong,  (that  is,  if  we  are  in  the  right,)  the  consequence 
to  him  must  be  unavoidable  and  intolerable.  This,  you 
-will  say,  is  a  trite  argument :  I  own  it ;  but,  beaten  as 
it  is,  it  will  never  be  worn  out  or  answered. 

Permit  me  to  remind  you  that  the  points  in  debate 
between  us  are  already  settled  in  themselves,  and  that 
our  talking  cannot  alter  or  affect  the  nature  of  things ; 
for  they  will  be  as  they  are,  whatever  apprehensions  we 
may  form  of  them :  and  remember  likewise,  that  we 
must  all,  each  one  for  himself,  experience  on  which 
side  the  truth  lies.  I  used  a  wrong  word,  when  I  spoke 
of  your  recox)ery  ;  my  dear  friend,  look  upon  it  only  as 
a  repriex:e  ;  for  you  carry  the  sentence  of  death  about 
with  you  still ;  and  unless  you  should  be  cut  off,  (which 
God  of  his  mercy  forbid  !)  by  a  sudden  stroke,  you  will 
as  surely  lie  upon  a  death-bed,  as  you  have  been  now 
raised  from  a  bed  of  sickness.  And  remember  likewise, 
(how  can  I  bear  to  write  it !)  that,  should  you  neglect 
my  admonitions,  they  will,  notwithstanding,  have  an 
effect  upon  you,  though  not  such  an  effect  as  I  could 
wish.  They  w  ill  render  you  more  inexcusable.  I  have 
delivered  my  ow^n  soul,  by  faithfully  warning  you  :  but 
if  you  will  not  examine  the  matter  with  that  seriousness 
it  calls  for ;  if  you  will  not  look  up  to  God,  the  former 
of  your  body,  and  the  preserver  of  your  spirit,  for  di- 
rection and  assistance  how  to  please  him  ;  if  you  will 


Let.  37.     On  some  Points  of  Clinstian  Experience.  357 

have  your  reading  and  conversation  only  on  one  side  of 
the  question ;  if  you  determine  to  let  afflictions  and 
dangers,  mercies  and  deliverances,  all  pass  without  re- 
flection and  improvement ;  if  you  will  spend  your  life 
as  though  you  thought  you  were  sent  into  the  world 
only  to  eat,  sleep,  and  play,  and,  after  a  course  of  years, 
be  extinguished  like  the  snuff  of  a  candle  ; — why,  then, 
you  must  abide  the  consequences.  But,  assuredly, 
sooner  or  later,  God  will  meet  you.  My  hearty  daily 
prayer  is,  that  it  may  be  in  a  way  of  mercy,  and  that 
you  may  be  added  to  the  number  of  the  trophies  of  his 
invincible  grace. 

I  am,  &c. 


LETTER  XXXVir. 

Some  Faints  of  Christiaii  Experience  considered. 

To  a  Friend. 
Dear  Sir, 

X  TRL^ST  the  difference  of  our  sentiments,  since  we 
are  agreed  in  the  one  thing  needful,  will  no  more  inter- 
rupt our  union  and  fellowship,  than  the  difference  of 
our  features,  or  the  tone  of  our  voices.  I  wish  you  to 
believe  that  I  would  be^^o  advocate  for  carelessness  or 
formality.  I  hope  my  conscience  bears  me  Avitness, 
that,  besides  trusting  in  the  letter  of  the  Scripture,  I 
likewise  desire  an  increase  of  that  inward  and  comfort- 
able sense  of  divine  things  in  which  I  believe  you  are 
happy  ;  and  that  I  wish  not  only  to  be  a  subject  of  the 
kingdom  of  Jesus,  but  likewise  to  have  that  kingdom 
powerfully  set  up  in  my  heart,  which  consists  of  ri<>h- 
teousness,  peace,  and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost.     Indeed, 


358  On  some  Points  of  Chmlian  Experience.       Let.  37. 

I  see  not  how  these  can  be  distinguished,  or  what 
ground  I  could  have  to  think  myself  a  subject  of  his 
kingdom,  unless  I  earnestly  desired  to  have  that  king- 
dom in  all  its  branches  and  blessings  flourishing  in  my 
soul.  I  do  not  know  that  I  live  in  the  neglect  of  any 
means  appointed  of  God  for  my  growth  in  these  bless- 
ings, or  willingly  allow  myself  in  what  is  inconsistent 
■with  them  ;  I  think  my  heart  is  habitually  in  the  pur- 
suit of  them,  and  that  there  is  seldom  an  hour  in  any 
day  when  lively  communion  with  my  God,  in  Christ,  is 
not  present  to  my  view  as  the  chief  good.  To  this  pur- 
pose, through  grace,  I  can  venture  to  express  myself  to 
vian,  though  still  it  is  true,  when  I  come  before  the 
Lord,  notwithstanding  the  diligence  and  circumspection 
I  would  aim  at,  I  see  myself  a  poor,  inconsistent  crea- 
ture, that  my  strength  is  perfect  weakness,  and  all  I 
have  is  sin.  I  confess  I  am  afraid  of  fixino;  the  crite- 
rion  of  a  work  of  grace  too  high,  lest  the  mourners  in 
Zion  should  be  discouraged ;  because  1  find  it  is  the 
■will  of  God  that  such  should  not  be  discouraged,  but 
comforted  ;  and  because  it  appears  to  me,  that  the 
scriptural  marks  have  respect  rather  to  desires,  if  real, 
than  to  attainments,  or  at  least  to  those  attainments 
which  are  often  possessed  by  persons  who  are  kept  very 
short  of  sensible  comforts,  IMatth.  v.  3 — 9.  Luke  xviii. 
12,  13.     1  Pet.  ii.  7. 

The  points  between  you  and  me  seem  chiefly  the  fol- 
lowing :  1.  When  may  a  person  be  properly  denomi- 
nated a  believer.^  2.  What  are  the  proper  evidences 
and  necessary  concomitants  of  a  lively  thriving  frame  of 
spirit?  3.  Wliether  such  a  degree  of  foithfulness  to 
light  received,  as  is  consistent  with  the  remnant  of  a 
depraved  nature  in  our  present  state,  m  ill  certainly  and 
always  preserve  our  souls  from  declensions  and  ^vinter- 


Let.  37.     On  some  Points  of  Christian  Experiawe.  359 

seasons?  4.  Whether  that  gracious  humility,  which 
arises  from  a  due  sense  of  our  own  vileness,  and  of  the 
riches  of  divine  grace,  be  ordinarily  attainable  without 
some  mortifying  experience  of  the  deceitfulness  and  des- 
perate wickedness  of  our  own  hearts  ?  A  few  lines 
upon  each  of  these  particulars,  will,  I  think,  take  in  the 
chief  parts  of  your  letter. 

I.  We  differ  something  with  respect  to  what  consti- 
tutes a  believer.  I  own  nothing  has  surprised  me  more, 
in  the  course  of  our  friendly  debate,  than  your  supposing 
that  a  person  should  date  his  conversion  and  his  com- 
m^cing  a  believer,  from  the  time  of  his  receiving  the 
Gospel-truths  with  that  clearness  and  power  as  to  pro- 
duce in  him  an  abiding  assurance.  The  apostle,  in 
Eph.  i.  13,  makes  a  plain  distinction  between  believing 
and  being  sealed  with  the  Holy  Spirit  of  promise.  By  the 
experience  and  observation  of  many  years,  I  have  been 
more  and  more  persuaded,  that  to  represent  assurance 
as  being  of  the  essence  of  faith,  is  not  agreeable  to  the 
Scripture,  which  in  many  places  cither  expressly  as- 
serts, or  strongly  intimates,  the  contrary,  John  i.  .50, 
and  XX.  29.  Rom.  x.  9-  1  John  v.  1.  Whoever  is  not 
a  believer,  must  be  an  unbeliever;  there  can  be  no  me- 
dium. Either  there  are  many  believers  who  have  not 
assurance,  or  else  there  are  many  unbelievers  who  love 
the  Lord  Jesus,  hate  sin,  are  poor  in  spirit,  and  adorn 
the  doctrine  of  the  Gospel  by  their  temper  and  conver- 
sation: and  I  doubt  not  but  those  who  now  have  as- 
surance, had,  before  they  attained  it,  a  something  which 
wrought  by  love,  and  overcame  the  world.  I  know  no 
principle  capable  of  these  effects  but  faith,  which, 
though  at  first  it  be  like  a  grain  of  mustard-seed,  is  the 
seed  of  God :  though  it  be  faint,  it  is  genuine,  as  the 
dawnincr  lijrht  is  of  the  same  nature  with  that  which 


3G0  On  some  Po'dUs  of  Christian  Experioicc.    Let.  37. 

flows  from  the  noon-day  sun.  I  allow  that  while  faith 
is  weak,  there  may  be  little  solid  comfort ,  if  by  that  ex- 
pression, abiding  comfort  be  meant.  Faith  gives  safety 
and  spiritual  life  :  abiding  peace  and  establishment  fol- 
low the  sealing  of  the  Spirit.  But  though  an  infant  has 
not  the  strength,  activity,  and  understanding,  which  he 
will  attain  when  he  arrives  to  the  age  of  manhood,  he 
is  as  fully  possessed  of  a  principle  of  life,  while  he  is 
an  infant,  as  at  any  time  afterwards. 

II.  We  seem  to  differ  likewise  as  to  the  marks  of  a 
lively  thriving  spirit ;  at  least  if  any  are  supposed  to  be 
better  or  surer  than  those  to  which  our  Lord  has  pro- 
mised blessedness,  Matth.  v.  3 — 9-  He  has  said, 
"  Blessed  are  they  that  mourn ;"  but  he  has  not  said, 
More  blessed  are  they  that  are  comforted.  They  are 
to  be  sure  more  happy  at  present ;  but  their  blessedness 
consists  not  in  their  present  comforts,  but  in  those  per- 
ceptions of  Gospel-truths,  which  form  them  to  that  con- 
trite spirit  in  which  God  delighteth,  (Is.  Ivii.  18,)  and 
which  make  them  capable  of  divine  comforts,  and  spirit- 
ual hungerings  and  thirstings  after  them.  Perhaps  we 
do  not  argue  ad  idem;  we  may  mean  different  things.  I 
would  not  represent  myself  as  a  stranger  to  peace  and 
joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost.  In  the  midst  of  all  my  conflicts, 
I  have  a  heart-felt  satisfaction  from  the  Gospel,  which 
nothing  else  could  give.  But  I  mean,  though  this  be 
with  me  as  an  abiding  principle,  it  rarely  aftbrds  me 
what  I  think  you  intend  when  you  speak  of  sensible 
comforts.  I  cannot  feel  that  warmth  of  heart,  that  glow- 
ing of  love,  which  the  knowledge  of  such  a  Saviour  should 
inspire.  I  account  it  my  sin,  and  I  feel  it  my  burden, 
that  I  cannot.  And  when  I  truly  do  this,  when  I  can 
abhor  myself  for  my  stupidity,  mourn  over  it,  and  hum- 
bly look  up  to  the  Lord  for  relief  against  it,  I  judge  my 


Let.  37.      On  sovie  Points  nf  Christian  Experience.  301 

soul  to  be  at  such  times  as  much  alive  to  God,  as  it 
would  be  if  he  saw  fit  to  increase  my  comfort.  Let  me 
always  either  rejoice  in  him,  or  mourn  after  him,  I  would 
leave  the  alternative  to  him,  who  knows  best  how  to  suit 
liis  dispensations  to  my  state;  and  I  trust  he  knows  that 
I  do  not  say  this  because  1  set  a  small  value  upon  his 
presence.  As  to  the  experience  of  the  apostles,  I  be- 
lieve they  were  patterns  to  all  succeeding  believers;  but 
with  some  regard  to  the  several  trials  and  services  to 
which  we  may  be  called  in  this  world,  he  distributes  se- 
verally to  all  his  people  according  to  his  own  will,  yet 
with  a  wise  and  gracious  accommodation  to  the  circum- 
stances  and  situations  of  each.  The  apostle  Paul  con- 
nects the  aboundings  of  his  consolations  with  the  aboun- 
dings  of  his  afflictions,  and  with  the  state  of  the  people  to 
whom  he  preached,  2  Cor.  i.  4 — 7.  And  if,  instead 
of  preaching  the  Gospel  from  Jerusalem  to  Illyricum  in 
the  face  of  persecution,  he  had  lived  in  a  land  of  liberty, 
and  been  confined  to  a  parochial  cure,  for  aught  I  know, 
his  cup  might  not  have  run  over  so  often.  Succeeding 
ministers  of  the  Gospel,  when  called  to  very  laborious 
and  painful  services,  have,  for  the  like  reasons,  been 
often  favoured  with  a  double  portion  of  that  joy  which 
makes  hard  things  easy,  and  bitter  things  sweet.  And, 
in  general,  all  the  Lord's  people  who  walk  humbly  be- 
fore him,  may  expect  that  in  or  after  seasons  of  great 
trial,  and  in  proportion  to  their  pressures,  he  will  fa- 
vour them  with  peculiar  comforts.  It  is  in  this  way, 
he  in  a  great  measure  fulfils  his  promise  of  making  their 
strength  equal  to  their  day.  And  I  am  enabled  to 
trust  him  in  this  matter,  that  if  he  should  at  any  time 
see  fit  to  call  me  to  a  more  difiicult  and  dangerous 
sphere  of  service,  or  lead  me  into  the  furnace  of  afflic- 
tion, he  Mould,  if  he  saw  it  needful,  support  and  refresh 
Vol.  L  3  A 


3G2  On  some  Points  of  Christian  Experience.        Let.  37. 

me  by  such  manifestations  of  his  glory  and  love,  as  I 
know  but  little  of  at  present.  In  a  word,  a  humble 
dependent  frame  of  spirit,  perseverance  in  the  use  of 
appointed  means,  care  to  avoid  all  occasions  of  sin,  an 
endeavour  to  glorify  God  in  our  callings,  and  an  eye  to 
Jesus  as  our  all  in  all; — these  things  are  to  me  sure 
indications  that  the  soul  is  right,  that  the  Lord  is  pre- 
sent, and  that  grace  is  thriving  and  in  exercise,  whe- 
ther sensible  consolations  abound  or  not. 

III.  I  propose  the  third  question,  concerning  such  a 
degree  of  faithfulness  to  light  received,  as  is  consistent 
'with  the  renuiants  of  a  depraved  nature,  because  I  ap- 
prehend one  effect  of  indwelling  sin  is,  to  render  it 
morally  impossible  for  us  to  be  entirely  faithful  to  that 
light  and  power  which  God  has  given  us.  It  may  sound 
like  a  contradiction  to  sav,  we  cannot  do  what  we  can 
do  :  but  there  are  many  enigmas  in  a  believer's  experi- 
ence, at  least  in  mine ;  and  I  never  expect  to  meet  the 
man  that  knows  his  own  heart,  that  will  say  he  is  al- 
ways faithful,  diligent,  and  obedient,  to  the  full  extent 
of  his  ability ;  I  rather  expect  he  would  confess,  with 
me,  that  he  feels  a  need  of  more  ability,  and  fresh  sup- 
plies of  grace,  to  enable  him  to  make  a  better  improve- 
ment of  what  he  has  already  received.  If  some,  as 
you  suppose,  in  their  dullest  frames,  can  read  the  Bible, 
go  to  the  throne  of  grace,  and  mourn,  (as  they  ought,) 
over  "what  is  ,'.:niss,  I  must  say  for  myself,  I  can,  and  I 
cannot.  \\  ithout  doubt  1  c<://?  take  the  Bible  in  my 
hand,  and  force  myself  to  read  it ;  I  can  kneel  down, 
and  I  can  =;ee  I  ought  to  mourn  :  but  to  understand 
and  attend  to  Mhat  I  read,  to  engage  my  heart  in 
prayer,  or  to  be  duly  humbled  under  the  sense  of  so 
dark  and  dissipated  a  state  of  mind ;  these  things,  at 
some  scaspns,  I  can  no  more  do  than  I  can  raise  the 


Let.  37.      On  some  Points  of  Christian  Experience.  363 

dead  ;  and  yet  I  cannot  plead  positive  inability.  I  am 
satisfied  that  what  prevents  me  is  my  sin,  but  it  is  the 
sin  of  my  nature,  the  sin  that  dwelleth  in  me.  And  I 
expect  it  will  be  thus  with  me  at  times,  in  a  greater  or 
less  degree,  till  this  body  of  sin  shall  be  wholly  des- 
troyed. Yet  I  believe  the  Lord  is  with  me,  even 
when  he  seems  to  be  absent,  otherwise  my  corruptions, 
at  such  seasons,  might  easily  prevail  to  betray  me  into 
open  or  allowed  sin,  which,  blessed  be  the  grace  and 
care  of  mv  good  Shepherd,  is  not  tlie  case.  I  know  not 
if  I  rightly  understand  the  expression,  "  We  may  hum- 
"  bly  hope,  that  those  things  we  fall  into,  which  are  not 
*'  in  our  power  to  prevent,  will  not  be  set  to  our  ac- 
"  count."  The  least  of  the  evils  I  feel,  and  which 
seem  most  involuntary,  if  set  to  my  account,  would 
ruin  me ;  and  I  trust,  that  even  my  worst  deviations 
shall  not  appear  against  me,  because  I  am  a  believer 
in  Jesus  :  and  I  know,  and  am  sure,  that  I  do  not  wish 
to  continue  in  sin  that  grace  may  abound.  My  con- 
science bears  me  witness,  that  I  would  not  desire  the 
rule  of  duty  to  be  narrowed,  or  accommodated  to  my 
imperfections  in  a  single  instance.  If  the  expression 
only  means,  that  these  unavoidable  effects  of  our  evil 
nature  should  not  break  our  peace  of  conscience,  or 
discourage  us  in  our  approaches  to  God,  I  am  of  the 
same  mind ;  through  mercy  I  have  seldom  any  more 
doubt  of  my  acceptance  in  the  Beloved,  Avhen  in  a  dark 
frame,  than  when  I  am  most  favoured  with  liberty. 

IV.  Whether  true  evangelical  humility,  and  an  en- 
larged  view  of  the  grace  of  God  in  Christ  triumphing 
over  all  obstacles,  be  ordinarily  attainable  without  an 
experience  of  declensions,  backslidings,  and  repeated 
forgiveness?  is  the  last  question  I  shall  consider.  I 
dare  sav  you   will  do  me  the  justice  to  believe,  that  I 


3G4  On  some  Points  of  Christian  Experience,      Let.  37. 

would  not  advise  any  one  to  run  into  sin  in  order  to  get 
a  knowledge  of  his  own  heart:  David  broke  his  bones 
thereby  ;  he  obtained  an  affecting  proof  of  his  inability 
of  standing  in  his  own  strength,  and  of  the  skill  and 
goodness  of  his  physician  who  healed  him:  yet  no  man 
in  his  wits  would  break  his  bones  for  the  sake  of  mak- 
ing experiments,  if  he  were  ever  so  sure  they  would  be 
well  set  again.  You  think  that  a  believer  is  never  more 
humble  in  his  own  eyes,  or  admires  Jesus  more,  than 
when  he  is  filled  with  joy  and  peace ;  I  readily  allow, 
that  the  present  impressions  of  divine  love  are  hum- 
bling; however,  the  direct  tendency  of  gracious  conso- 
lations in  themselves,  is  one  thing;  ^\hat  evils  they  may 
afterv/ards  occasion  through  the  desperate  depravity  of 
our  hearts,  is  another.  We  have  a  memorable  case  in 
point  to  explain  my  meaning.  The  apostle  Paul's  re- 
collection of  his  course  while  in  a  natural  state,  and  the 
singular  manner  of  his  conversion,  were  evidently  suit- 
ed to  make  him  a  humble  Christian,  and  he  was  so.  By 
an  especial  favour  of  the  Lord,  he  was  afterwards  taken 
up  into  the  third  heaven ;  what  he  saw  or  heard  there 
he  has  not  told  us,  but  surely  he  met  with  nothing  tiiat 
could  have  a  tendency  to  make  him  proud ;  doubtless 
he  saw  Jesus  in  his  glory,  and  the  humble  spiritual 
worship  of  heaven  ;  a  sight  which  we  might  deem  suffi- 
cient to  make  him  walk  in  self-abasement  all  the  days 
of  his  life  :  but  Paul,  though  an  eminent  saint,  was  still 
liable  to  the  effects  of  indwellincr  sin  ;  he  was  in  danger 
of  beinii  exalted  through  the  abundance  of  revelations, 
and  the  Lord,  his  wise  and  gracious  keeper,  saw  fit,  in 
order  to  prevent  it,  that  a  messenger  from  Satan  should 
be  given  him  to  buffet  him.  Pride  is  so  subtle,  that  it 
can  gather  strength  even  from  those  gracious  manifesta- 
tions which  seem  directly  calculated  to  mortify  it;  so 


Lei.  37.       On  some  Fohits  of  C/iHstian  Experiencr.  365 

danoerous,  that  a  messenger  from  Satan  himself  may  be 
esteemed  a  mercy,  if  over-ruled  and  sanctified  by  the 
Lord  to  make  or  keep  us  more  humble  :  therefore, 
though  we  can  never  be  too  earnest  in  striving  against 
sin,  too  watchful  in  abstaining  from  all  appearance  of 
evil,  and  though  they  who  wait  upon  the  Lord  may 
comfortably  hope,  that  he  w  ill  preserve  them  from  such 
things  as  would  dishonour  their  profession  in  the  sight 
of  men,  yet  I  apprehend  they  who  appear  most  to  adorn 
the  Gospel  in  their  outward  conversation,  are  conscious 
of  many  things  between  the  Lord  and  their  own  souls, 
which  covers  them  with  shame,  and  that  his  tenderness 
and  mercy  to  them,  notwithstanding  their  perverseness, 
constrains  them  with  admiration  to  adopt  the  language 
of  Micah,  "  Who  is  a  God  like  unto  thee,  that  pardon- 
"  eth  iniquity,  and  passeth  by  the  transgression  of  the 
*'  remnant  of  his  heritao;e  r"  and  I  believe  likewise,  that 
without  such  striking  and  repeated  proofs  of  what  is  in 
their  hearts,  they  would  not  so  feelingly  enter  into  the 
spirit  of  Job's  confession,  "  Behold,  I  am  vile  !"'  nor 
would  they  have  such  a  lively  sense  of  their  obligations 
to  the  merciful  care  and  faithfulness  of  their  great  Shep- 
herd, or  of  their  entire  and  absolute  dependence  upon 
him,  for  wisdom,  righteousness,  sanclification,  and  re- 
demption :  I  find  these  considerations  useful  and  neces- 
sary to  reconcile  me  to  my  lot.  The  Lord  knows  what 
I  need,  and  what  I  can  bear  :  gladly  would  I  receive, 
earnestly  would  I  desire,  more  of  comforts  while  here  ; 
but  if  I  mourn  now,  I  hope  to  be  comforted  in  heaven  ; 
in  the  mean  time  it  is  more  immediately  necessary  for 
me,  both  as  a  Christian  and  as  a  minister,  that  I  should 
be  humbled  :  the  Lord's  Avill  be  done.  I  cannot  pre- 
tend to  determine  what  ministers,  or  what  body  of  peo- 
ple, come  nearest  the  character  of  the  primitive  time  ; 


S66  On  Religion  as  iwcessliry  Let.  38. 

but  in  my  judgment  they  are  the  happiest  who  have, 
the  lowest  thoughts  of  themselves,  and  in  whose  eyes 
Jesus  is  most  glorious  and  precious. 

I  am,  &c. 


LETTER  XXXVIII. 

That  Tnic  Religion  is  necessary y  in  order  to  the  best  Enjoy- 
ment of  the  Pleasures  of  the  present  Life. 

To  a  gay  Friend. 

Dear  Sir, 

J.  HOUGH  I  truly  love  you,  and  have  no  reason  to 
doubt  of  the  reality  of  your  friendship  to  me ;  yet  I  can- 
not but  apprehend,  that  notwithstanding  our  mutual  re- 
gard, and  my  frequent  attempts  to  be  witty,  (if  I  could,) 
for  your  diversion,  there  is  a  something  in  most  of  my 
letters,  (which  I  cannot,  dare  not  wholly  suppress,)  that 
disgusts  and  wearies  you,  and  makes  you  less  inclined 
to  keep  up  a  frequent  intercourse,  than  you  w^ould  other- 
wise be.  Rather  than  lose  you  quite,  I  will  in  general 
spare  you  as  much  as  I  can ;  but  at  present  you  must 
bear  with  me,  and  allow  me  full  scope.  You  have 
given  mc  a  challenge,  which  1  know  not  how  to  pass 
over;  and  since  you  so  far  justify  my  preaching,  as  to 
condescend  to  preach,  (in  your  way,)  yourself,  permit 
me  for  this  time  to  preach  again,  and  to  take  some  pas- 
sages in  your  letter  for  my  text. 

In  the  present  debate  I  will  accept  your  compliment, 
and  suppose  myself  to  be,  as  you  say,  a  man  of  sense. 
You  allow,  then,  that  all  the  sense  is  not  on  your  side. 
Tliis,  indeed, you  cannot  deny;  for  whatever  becomes  of 


Let.  38.  to  the  Enjoyments  of  IJfe.  367 

me,  it  is  needless  to  tell  you,  that  Hale,  Boyle,  and  other 
great  names  I  could  mention,  were  men  of  as  great  pe- 
netration and  judgment,  had  as  good  opportunities,  and 
took  as  much  pains  to  be  informed  of  the  truth,  as  any 
of  the  advocates  for  infidelity  can  pretend  to.  And  you 
cannot,  with  any  modesty  or  consistence,  absolutely  de- 
termine, that  they  had  not  as  good  grounds  for  thinking 
themselves  right,  as  you  can  have  for  concluding  they 
were  wrong. 

But  declining  the  advantage  of  human  authority,  I  am 
content  the  point  should  rest  between  you  and  me.  And 
here  I  beg  you  to  observe,  that  I  have  one  evident  ad- 
vantage over  you  in  judging,  namely,  that  I  have  expe- 
rienced the  good  and  evil  on  botli  sides,  and  you  only 
on  one.  If  you  were  to  send  me  an  inventory  of  your 
pleasures,  how  charmingly  your  time  runs  on,  and  how 
dexterously  it  is  divided  between  the  coffee-house,  play- 
house, the  card-table,  and  tavern,  with  intervals  of  balls, 
concerts,  &c. ;  I  could  answer,  that  most  of  these  I  have 
tried  and  tried  again,  and  know  the  utmost  they  can 
yield,  and  have  seen  enough  of  the  rest,  most  heartily  to 
despise  them  all.  Setting  religion  entirely  out  of  the 
question,  I  profess  I  had  rather  be  a  worm  to  crawl  upon 
the  ground  than  to  bear  the  name  of  max,  upon  the  poor 
terms  of  whiling  away  my  life  in  an  unsipid  round  of 
such  insignificant  and  unmanly  trifles.  I  will  return 
your  own  expression — I  believe  you  to  be  a  person  of 
sense ;  but,  alas  !  how  do  you  prostitute  your  talents 
and  capacity  ;  how  far  do  you  act  below  yourself,  if  you 
know  no  higher  purpose  of  life  than  these  childish  dissi- 
pations, together  with  the  more  serious  business  of  rising 
early  and  sitting  up  late,  to  amass  money,  that  you  may 
be  able  to  enlarge  your  expenses  !  I  am  sure,  while  I 
lived  in  these  things,   I  found  them  unsatisfying  and 


3GS  On  Religion  as  necessary  Let.  38. 

empty  to  the  last  degree ;  and  the  only  advantage  they 
afforded,  (miserable  are  they  who  are  forced  to  dean  it 
an  advantage,)  was,  that  they  often  relieved  me  from  the 
trouble  and  burden  of  thinking.  If  you  have  any  other 
pleasures  than  these,  they  are  such  as  must  be  evil  and 
inconvenient,  even  upon  your  own  plan  ;  and  therefore 
my  friendship  will  not  allow  me  to  bring  them  into  the 
account.  I  am  willing  to  hope  you  do  not  stoop  still 
lower  in  pursuit  of  satisfaction.  Thus  far  we  stand  upon 
even  ground.  You  kmjw  all  that  a  life  of  pleasure  can 
give,  and  I  know  it  likewise. 

On  the  other  hand,  if  I  should  attempt  to  explain  to 
you  the  source  and  streams  of  my  best  pleasures,  such 
as  a  comfortable  assurance  of  the  pardon  of  my  sins,  an 
habitual  communion  uith  the  God  who  made  heaven  and 
earth,  a  calm  reliance  on  the  Divine  Providence,  the 
cheering  prospect  of  a  better  life  in  a  better  world,  v.ith 
the  pleasing  foretastes  of  heaven  in  my  own  soul ;  should 
I,  or  could  I,  tell  you  the  pleasure  I  often  lind  in  reading 
the  Scripture,  in  the  exercise  of  prayer,  and  in  that  sort 
of  preaching  and  conversation  which  you  despise ;  I  dou  bt 
not  but  you  would  think  as  meanly  of  my  happiness  as  I 
do  of  yours.  But  here  lies  the  difference,  my  dear  friend, 
you  condemn  that  which  you  have  never  tried.  You 
knoAv  no  more  of  these  things  than  a  blind  man  does  of 
colours ;  and,  notwithstanding  all  your  flourishes,  I 
defy  you  to  be  at  all  times  able  to  satisfy  yourself, 
that  things  may  not  possibly  be  as  I  have  represented 
them. 

Besides,  what  do  I  lose  upon  my  plan,  that  should 
make  me  so  worthy  of  your  pity  ?  Have  you  a  quicker 
relish  in  the  prudent  use  of  temporal  comforts  ?  Do 
you  think  I  do  not  eat  my  food  with  as  much  pleasure 
as  you  can  do,  though  perhaps  with  less  cost  and  variety? 


Let.  38.  to  the  Enjoyments  of  lift.  3G3 

Is  your  sleep  sounder  than  mine  ?  Have  not  I  as  much 
satisfaction  in  social  life  ?  It  is  true,  to  join  much  with 
the  gay  fluttering  tribe,  who  spend  their  days  in  laugh 
and  sing-song,  is  equally  contrary  to  my  duty  and  incli- 
nation. But  I  have  friends  and  acquaintance  as  well  as 
you.  Among  the  many  who  favour  me  with  their  esteem 
and  friendship,  there  are  some  who  are  persons  of  sense, 
learning,  wit,  and,  (what  perhaps  may  weigh  as  much  with 
you,)  of  fortune  and  distinction.  And  if  you  should  say, 
"  Ay,  but  they  are  all  enthusiasts  like  yourself,"  you 
would  say  nothing  to  tli£  purpose;  since  upon  your 
maxim,  that  '"'  happiness  is  according  to  opinion,"  it 
cannot  be  an  objection,  but  the  contrary,  to  have  my 
acquaintance  to  my  own  taste.  Thus  much  for  the 
briiihter  side  of  your  situation ; — or  let  me  add  one  thing 
more.  I  know  you  have  thoughts  of  marriage :  do  you 
think,  if  you  should  enter  into  this  relation,  your  prin- 
ciples are  calculated  to  make  you  more  happy  in  it  than 
I  am  ?  You  are  well  acquainted  with  our  family-life. 
Do  you  propose  to  know  more  of  the  peace  and  heart- 
felt joy  of  domestic  union  than  I  have  known,  and  con- 
tinue to  know  to  this  hour  ?  I  wish  you  may  equal  us; 
and  if  you  do,  we  shall  still  be  as  before,  but  upon  even 
ground.  I  need  not  turn  Deist,  to  enjoy  the  best  and 
the  most  that  this  life  can  afford. 

But  I  need  not  tell  3'ou,  that  the  present  life  is  not 
made  up  of  pleasurable  incidents  only.  Pain,  sickness, 
losses,  disappointments,  injuries,  and  affronts  with  men, 
will,  more  or  less,  at  one  time  or  other,  be  our  lot.  And 
can  you  bear  these  trials  better  than  I  ?  You  will  not 
pretend  to  it.  Let  me  appeal  to  yourself:  Mow  often 
do  you  toss  and  disquiet  yourself'  like  a  wild  bull  in  a 
net,  when  things  cross  your  expectations?  As  vour 
thouirhts  are   more  engrossed  by  what  vou  see,  you 

Vol.   I.  '     3B      "^ 


370  On  Religion  ns  necessary^  S:c.  Let.  38. 

must  be  more  keenly  sensible  of  what  you  feel.  You 
cannot  view  these  trials  as  appointed  by  a  wise  and 
heavenly  Father  in  subservience  to  your  good;  you  can- 
not taste  the  sweetness  of  his  promises,  nor  feel  the 
secret  supports  of  his  strength,  in  an  hour  of  affliction; 
you  cannot  so  cast  your  burden  and  care  upon  him,  as 
to  find  a  sensible  relief  to  your  spirit  thereby  ;  nor  can 
you  see  his  hand  engaged  and  employed  in  effecting 
your  deliverance.  Of  these  things  you  know  no  more 
than  of  the  art  of  flying;  but  1  seriously  assure  you, 
and  I  believe  my  testimony  will  go  further  with  you 
than  my  judgment,  that  they  are  realities,  and  that  I 
have  found  them  to  be  so.  When  my  worldly  con- 
cerns have  been  most  thorny  and  discouraging,  I  have 
once  and  again  felt  the  most  of  that  peace  which  the 
world  can  neither  give  nor  take  away.  However,  I 
may  state  the  case  still  lower.  You  do  pretty  well 
among  your  friends ;  but  how  do  you  like  being  alone  ? 
Would  you  not  give  something  for  that  happy  secret, 
which  could  enable  you  to  pass  a  rainy  day  pleasantly, 
without  the  assistance  of  business,  company,  or  amuse- 
ment ?  W  ould  it  not  mortify  you  greatly  to  travel  for 
a  week  in  an  unfrequented  road,  where  you  should  meet 
with  no  lively  incidents  to  recruit  and  raise  your  spirits? 
Alas  !  what  a  poor  scheme  of  pleasure  is  yours,  that 
will  not  support  an  interval  of  reflection  ! 

W^hat  you  have  heard  is  true;  I  have  a  few  friends 
who  meet  at  my  house  once  a  fortnight,  and  we  spend 
an  hour  or  two  in  worshipping  the  God  who  made  us. 
And  can  this  move  your  indignation,  or  your  compassion? 
Does  it  show  a  much  nobler  spirit,  a  more  refined  way  of 
thinking,  to  live  altogether  without  God  in  the  world:  If 
I  kept  a  card-assembly  at  those  times,  it  would  not  dis- 
please you.     How  can  you,  as  a  person  of  sense,  avoid 


Let.  39.  A  Ward  in  Season,  371 

being  shocked  at  your  own  unhappy  prejudice?  But  I 
remember  how  it  was  once  with  myself,  and  forbear 
to  wonder.  May  He  who  has  opened  my  eyes,  open 
yours !  He  only  can  do  it.  I  do  not  expect  to  con- 
vince you  by  any  thing  I  can  say  as  of  myself;  but  if 
he  be  pleased  to  make  use  of  me  as  his  instrument  then 
you  will  be  convinced.  Hovv  should  I  then  rejoice  ! 
I  should  rejoice  to  be  useful  to  any  one,  but  especially 
to  you,  whom  I  dearly  love.  ]\lay  God  show  you  your 
true  self,  and  your  true  state  ;  then  you  will  attentively 
listen  to  what  you  disdain  to  hear  of,  his  goodness  in 
providing  redemption  and  pardon  for  the  chief  of  sin- 
ners, through  him  who  died  upon  the  cross  tor  sins  not 
his  own.  Keep  this  letter  by  you  at  my  request ;  and 
when  you  write,  tell  me  that  you  receive  it  in  good 
part ;  and  that  you  still  believe  me  to  be,  &c. 


LETTER  XXXIX. 

A  Word  in  Season. 
Dear  Sir, 

XNthis  dark  and  declining  day,  when  iniquity  abounds^ 
the  awful  tokens  of  God's  displeasure  are  multiplying 
around  us,  and  too  many  professors,  not  duly  sensible 
of  the  real  cause  of  all  the  evils  we  either  feel,  or  have 
reason  to  fear,  are  disputing,  instead  of  praying ;  may 
the  Lord  bestow  upon  you  and  me,  and  upon  all  who 
fear  his  name,  a  spirit  suited  to  the  times  !  that  the 
words  of  David,  "  I  beheld  the  transgressors,  and  was 
"  grieved,"  may  express  the  very  sensation  and  frame 
of  our  hearts.     Permit  me  to  keep  this  expression  in 


372  A  Iford  in  Season.  Let.  39. 

my  vicAV,  while  I  write,  though  it  may  j^erhaps  give  my 
letter  something  of  the  air  of  a  sermon. 

The  Hebrew  word  answering  to  "  I  was  grieved," 
signifies  such  a  kind  of  grief  as  is  mixed  with  dislike  ; 
such  a  grief  as  a  believer  must  feel  w'hen  he  has  a  sense 
of  his  own  corruptions.  It  is  frequently  rendered,  as 
in  Ezek.  xx.  43.  to  loathe:  ".You  shall  loathe  yourselves 
''  in  your  own  sight."  We  are  not  required,  strictly, 
to  hate  ourselves,  but  the  evil  that  is  in  us.  So,  when 
we  look  at  transgressors,  we  are  not  to  hate,  but  to  pity 
them,  mourn  over  them,  and  pray  for  them  ;  nor  have 
we  any  right  to  boast  over  them  ;  for,  by  nature,  and  of 
ourselves,  we  are  xo  better  than  thej/.  But  their  sin- 
fulness should  cause  a  dislike,  an  holy  indignation :  as 
it  is  recorded  of  our  Lord,  who,  though  full  of  compas- 
sion and  tenderness,  so  that  he  wept  over  his  enemies, 
and  prayed  for  his  actual  murderers,  yet  looked  upon 
transgressors  with  aus:e)\  being  <j-rieTcd  for  the  hard- 
ness  of  their  hearts. 

A  feeling  of  this  kind  seems  essential  to  that  new  na- 
ture which  characterises  the  children  of  God  ;  and, 
where  it  is  not  in  habitual  exercise,  it  is  a  sufficient 
evidence,  that  the  soul,  if  truly  alive  to  God  at  all,  is  at 
least  in  a  lean  and  distempered  state.  Who  can  avoid 
being  grieved  and  hurt  by  that  which  is  in  direct  oppo- 
sition to  what  he  most  loves  ?  Believers  love  holi- 
ness ;  and,  unless  when  stupified  by  the  arts  of  Satan, 
can  hardly  bear  themselves  for  what  they  find  contrary 
to  it  within  their  own  breasts  ;  and  must,  therefore,  of 
course,  be  grieved  with  the  sins  of  others.  Like  right- 
eous Lot,  and  from  his  principles  they  are  "  vexed 
"  with  the  conversation  of  the  wicked."  Can  they  who 
reverence  the  name  of  God  be  easy  and  unconcerned 
when   they  hear  it  blasphemed  ?     No  ;  their  cars  are 


Lcl.  oO.  A  Word  in  Season.  373 

wounded,  and  their  hearts  are  pained.  Can  they  who 
are  followers  of  peace  and  purity,  behold,  unmoved,  the 
riots,  licentiousness,  and  daring  wickedness,  of  those 
M  ho  have  cast  off  both  shame  and  fear  ?  Can  they  who 
have  bowels  of  mercy  and  compassion,  be  unaffected 
when  they  see  the  iron  hand  of  oppression  grinding  the 
faces  of  the  poor?  Or  can  any  who  love  the  songs  of 
Zion,  help  being  shocked  with  the  songs  of  drunkards? 
I  trust  there  are  many,  who,  upon  these  accounts,  are 
daily  crying,  "  My  soul  is  among  lions  :"  "  Wo  is  me 
"  that  I  dwell  in  Mesech !"  "  O  gather  not  m^  soul 
"  with  sinners."  The  thought  of  being  shut  up  for  ever 
with  the  ungodly  would  be  terrible  as  hell  to  a  gracious 
soul,  though  there  were  no  devouring  fire,  no  keen 
sense  of  the  wrath  of  God,  to  be  feared. 

They  are  grieved  likewise  upon  their  Lord's  account ; 
for  they  have  obtained  a  spark  of  zeal  for  his  honour 
and  glory.  With  Elijah,  they  are  "  very  jealous  for 
"  the  Lord  of  hosts."  They  feci  their  obligations  to  him, 
and  know  he  well  deserves  to  reign  in  every  heart.  But 
when,  on  the  contrary,  they  see  almost  every  one  in  a 
conspiracy  against  him,  despising  him  to  his  face,  tram- 
pling upon  his  laws-,  rejecting  his  authority,  and  abusing 
his  patience ;  their  eyes  affect  their  hearts.  What  man 
of  sensibility  could  brook  to  see  every  one  about  him 
contriving  how  to  affront  and  injure  the  person  whom 
he  most  loved  ?  Now  the  Lord  is  the  believer's  best 
friend,  the  beloved  of  his  soul :  and  therefore  he  is 
gricred  and  troubled  when  he  "  beholds  the  trans- 
"  gressors." 

This  emotion  is  likewise  heightened  by  compassion 
to  souls.  Grace  gives  some  view  of  the  evil  of  sin,  the 
dreadfulness  of  the  wrath  of  God,  and  the  vast  impor-* 
tanceofthat  v^ord  etf.rxitv.     Thus  instructed  in  the 


374  A  Word  in  Season.  Let.  3?. 

sanctuary  of  God,  they  would  be  stocks  and  stones,  were 
they  capable  of  beholding  sinners  rushing;  upon  destruc- 
tion, without  being  grieved  for  them.  But  they  cannot 
bear  it.  They  cannot  but  give  and  repeat  a  faithful 
warning,  though  they  have  little  reason  to  expect  any 
better  return  than  scorn  and  ill  treatment,  for  what  the 
world  accounts  an  impertinent  officiousness. 

But  who  then  are  believers?  Who  are  thus  "  on  the 
"  Lord's  side  ?"  If  these  sentiments  are  common  and 
radical  to  all  who  are  born  of  God,  can  we  make  no 
abatement  ?  or  must  we  unchristian  perhaps  the  greater 
part  of  professors  at  this  time  ?  for  it  is  too  evident, 
that  many  who  bear  the  name  of  Gospel-professors, 
discover  but  little  of  this  concern.  In  general,  I  think, 
this  subject  affords  no  improper  test  for  the  trial  of  our 
spirits.  The  effects  of  grace,  in  similar  circumstances, 
are  uniform  ;  but  if  any,  Avho  think  themselves  pos- 
sessors of  it,  feel  no  grief  for  the  aboundings  of  sin,  and 
the  obstinacy  of  sinners,  they  differ  from  the  saints  re- 
corded both  in  the  Old  and  New  Testament ;  and  it 
will  be  their  wisdom  to  examine  and  take  heed  lest  they 
be  deceived.  It  is  easy  to  call  Christ,  Lord,  Lord  ; 
but  a  criminal  lukewarmness  of  spirit,  where  his  cause, 
honour,  and  Gospel  are  in  question,  will  one  day  meet 
with  an  awful  rebuke,  and  be  treated,  in  those  who 
make  mention  of  his  name,  as  high  treason  against  his 
person  and  government. 

But  if  we  allow,  that,  through  the  contagion  of  the 
times,  and  the  power  of  Satan,  it  is  possible  for  true 
Christians  to  sink  into  this  indifference,  and  for  the  wise 
as  well  as  the  foolish  virgins  to  sleep,  when  they  should 
be  watching  unto  prayer  ;  even  tliese  have  much  to  fear, 
lest  they  should  largely  participate  in  the  sufferings 
which  the  provocations  they  connive  at  have  a  direct 


Let.  39.  A  Word  in  Seaso?i.  375 

tendency  to  bring  upon  a  sinful  people.  When  na- 
tional sins  draw  down  national  judgments,  the  Lord 
has  given  us  a  hope,  that  he  will  fix  a  mark  oi protec- 
tion upon  them  Avho  sigh  and  mourn  in  secret  before 
him,  for  the  evils  which  they  are  unable  to  prevent.  To 
these  he  will  be  a  sanctuary ;  he  will  either  preserve 
them  unhurt,  in  the  midst  of  surrounding  calamities,  or 
he  will  support  them  with  consolations  superior  to  all 
their  troubles,  when  the  hearts  of  others  are  shaken  like 
leaves  in  a  storm.  But  none  have  reason  to  expect  to 
be  thus  privileged,  who  have  not  a  heart  given  them  to 
tamznt  their  own  sins,  and  the  sins  of  those  among 
whom  they  live. 

Surely  the  Lord  has  a  controversy  with  this  land ;  and 
there  hardly  can  a  period  be  assigned  in  the  annals  of 
ages,  when  it  was  more  expedient,  or  seasonable  for 
those  who  fear  him,  to  stir  up  each  other  to  humiliation 
and  prayer,  than  at  present.  What  is  commonly  called 
our  national  debt,  is  swelled  to  an  enormous  greatness. 
It  may  be  quickly  expressed  in  figures ;  but  a  person 
must  be  something  versed  in  calculation,  to  form  a  to- 
lerable idea  of  accumulated  millions.  But  what  arith- 
metic is  sufficient  to  compute  the  immensity  of  our  na- 
tional debt  in  'd spiritual  sense?  or,  in  other  words,  the 
amount  of  our  national  sins  ?  The  spirit  of  infidelity, 
•which  for  a  time  distinguished,  comparatively,  a  few, 
and,  like  a  river,  was  restrained  within  narrow  bounds, 
has  of  late  years  broken  down  its  banks,  and  deluged 
the  land.  This  wide-spreading  evil  has,  in  innumera- 
ble instances,  as  might  be  expected,  emboldened  the 
natural  heart  against  the  fear  of  God,  hardened  it  to  an 
insensibility  of  moral  obligation,  and  strengthened  its 
prejudices  against  the  Gospel.  The  consequence  has 
been,  that  profligate  wickedness  has  become  almost  as 


37G  A  Word  in  Season.  Let.  39» 

universal  as  the  air  we  breathe ;  and  is  practised  with 
little  more  reserve  or  secrecy  than  the  transactions  of 
common  business,  except  in  such  instances  as  would 
subject  the  offender  to  the  penalty  of  human  laws.  O 
the  unspeakable  patience  of  God  !  The  multiplied  in- 
stances of  impiety,  blasphemy,  cruelty,  adultery,  vil- 
lany,  and  abominations,  not  to  be  thought  of  without 
horror,  under  which  this  land  groans,  are  only  known 
to  him  who  knoweth  all  things.  There  are  few  sins 
which  imply  greater  contempt  of  God,  or  a  more  ob- 
durate state  of  mind  in  the  offender,  than  perjury  ;  yet 
the  guilt  of  it  is  so  little  regarded,  and  temptations  to  it 
so  very  frequent,  that  perhaps  I  do  not  go  too  far  in 
supposing,  there  are  more  deliberate  acts  of  perjury 
committed  amongst  us,  than  among  all  the  rest  of  man- 
kind taken  together.  Though  some  of  the  Roman  poets 
and  historians  have  given  very  dark  pictures  of  the  times 
they  lived  in,  their  worst  descriptions  of  this  kind  would 
hardly  be  found  exaggerated,  if  applied  to  our  own. — 
But  what  are  the  sins  of  Heathens,  if  compared  with 
the  like  evils,  perpetrated  in  a  land  bearing  the  name 
of  Christian,  favoured  with  the  word  of  God,  the  light 
of  the  Gospel,  and  enjoying  the  blessings  of  civil  and 
religious  liberty  and  peace,  in  a  higher  degree,  and  for 
a  longer  continuance,  than  was  afforded  to  any  people 
of  whose  history  we  have  heard  ? 

The  state  of  the  churches  of  Christ  at  this  time  af- 
fords likewise  ample  cause  for  humiliation  and  grief. 
The  formality,  conformity  to  the  world,  the  want  of 
love,  the  intemperate  and  unprofitable  contentions, 
w  hich  prevail  among  us,  show  how  faintly  the  power  of 
the  Gospel  is  felt,  even  by  many  who  profess  to  have 
embraced  it.  The  true  and  undeliled  doctrine  of  Jesus 
is  not  only  opposed  by  its  declared  enemies,  but  icoiuuled 


Let.  39.  A  Word  m  Season.  377 

and  dishonoured  m  the  house  of  its  friends.  And  though 
the  sins  of  those  who  avow  subjection  to  the  institutions 
of  Christ,  may  not  have  so  gross  a  stamp  of  profligacy 
and  immorality,  as  of  those  who  set  him  openly  at  de- 
fiance ;  yet  tiiey  have,  in  some  respects,  an  aggravation, 
of  which  the  others  are  not  capable  ;  as  being  commit- 
ted against  clearer  light,  and  peculiar  acknowledged  ob- 
ligations. From  the  consideration  of  both  taken  together, 
who,  that  has  a  spark  of  seriousness  and  attention,  and 
that  has  learned  from  Scripture  and  history  the  sure 
connexion  between  sin  and  trouble,  can  forbear  trem- 
bling at  that  alarming  question,  so  often  proposed  to 
the  consciences  of  ungrateful  Israel  of  old,  "  Shall  not 
"  I  VISIT  for  these  thinQ;s?  saith  the  Lord  :  and  shall 
"  not  my  soul  be  avenged  on  such  a  nation  as  this?" 
Especially  when  we  see  the  dispensations  of  God's  pro- 
vidence so  a\\  fully  corresponding  with  the  threatenings 
in  his  word. 

How  much  is  it  to  be  desired,  then,  that  all  who  truly 
fear  the  Lord,  instead  of  wasting  their  time  in  useless 
squabbles,  may  unite  in  earnest  j&r^'j/er;  and,  with  deep 
compunction  of  heart,  bemoan  those  evils  w-hich,  unless 
repented  of  and  forsaken,  may  bring  upon  us,  as  a  peo- 
ple, such  distress  as  neither  we  nor  our  fathers  have 
known !  If  he  is  pleased  thus  to  give  us  a  heart  to 
seek  him,  he  will  yet  be  found  of  us ;  but  if,  when  his 
hand  is  lifted  up,  we  cannot  or  will  not  see,  nor  regard 
the  signs  of  the  times,  there  is  great  reason  to  fear  that 
our  case  is  deplorable  indeed. 

A  few,  however,  there  will  be,  who  will  lay  these 
things  suitably  to  heart ;  and  whom  the  Lord  will  fa- 
vour and  spare,  as  a  man  spareth  his  only  son  that 
serveth  him.  That  you  and  I  may  be  of  this  happv 
number,  is  the  sincere  prayer  of,  Sec.  ^ 

\'0L.  L  3  C 


378  To  Professors  in  Trade.  Let.  40. 


LETTER  XL. 

A  Word  to  Pi'ofessors  in  Trade, 

Dear  Sir, 

jLT  is  suspected,  (or  rather  it  is  too  certainl}^  known,) 
that  among  those  who  are  deemed  Gospel-professors, 
there  are  some  persons  who  allow  themselves  in  the 
practice  of  dealing  in  prohibited,  uncustomed,  or,  (as  the 
common  phrase  is,)  snniggled  goods,  to  the  prejudice 
of  the  public  revenue,  and  the  detriment  of  the  fair  tra- 
der. 

The  decisions  of  the  word  of  God,  upon  this  point, 
are  so  plain  and  determinate,  that  it  is  rather  difficult 
to  conceive  how  a  sincere  mind  can  either  overlook  or 
mistake  them.  The  same  authority  which  forbids  us  to 
con\m\\. adultery , ox 7niirdei\Ye(\\\\vt^  us  to  "render  unto 
"  Ccesar  the  things  that  are  Caesar's;"  to  render  unto 
all  their  dues,  tribute  to  whom  tribute,  custom  to  w^hom 
custom.  These  precepts  enjoin  no  more  than  what  the 
common  sense  of  mankind  pronounces  to  be  due  from 
subjects  and  members  of  society,  to  the  governments 
they  live  under,  and  by  which  they  are  protected.  But 
the  obligation  is  greatly  enforced  upon  those  who  ac- 
knowledge themselves  the  disciples  of  Christ,  since  he 
has  been  pleased  to  make  their  compliance  herein  a  part 
of  the  obedience  they  owe  to  himself.  And  it  is  plain, 
that  tnese  injunctions  areuniversal  and  binding,  under  all 
civil  governments,  as  such;  fornonecan  justly  suppose, 
that  tributes  exacted  by  the  Roman  emperors,  (under 
whose  dominion  the  first  Christians  lived,)  such  as  Tibe- 


Let.  40.  To  Professors  in  Trade.  379 

rius  or  Nero,  had  the  sanction  of  our  Lord  and  his 
apostles  on  account  of  their  peculiar  equity. 

The  vending  smuggled  goods,  or  the  buying  them,  if 
known  to  be  so,  is  likewise  injurious  to  the  fair  trader, 
Avho,  conscientiously  paying  the  prescribed  duties,  can- 
not afford  to  sell  so  cheap  as  the  smuggler ;  and  therefore 
must  expect  the  fewer  customers.  In  this  view,  it  of- 
fends the  royal  law,  of  "  doing  to  others  as  we  would 
"  they  should  do  unto  us."  The  force  of  this  argument 
may  be  easily  felt  by  any  one  who  will  honestly  make 
the  case  his  own.  Without  any  nice  reasoning,  people 
may  know  in  a  moment,  that  they  should  not  like  to  be 
put  to  this  disadvantage.  It  is  therefore  unjust  (i,  e. 
sinful,  and  utterly  unbecoming  a  professor  of  religion,) 
to  purchase  smuggled  goods,  even  in  small  quantities 
and  for  family- use.  As  for  those  who,  being  in  trade 
themselves,  make  this  practice  a  branch  of  their  business, 
and,  under  the  semblance  of  a  fair  reputation,  are  doing 
things  in  secret  which  they  would  tremble  to  have  dis- 
covered, being  afraid  of  the  exchequer,  though  not  of 
God  ; — I  can  only  pray,  that  God  may  give  them  re- 
])entance  ;  for  it  is  a  work  of  darkness,  and  needs  it. 
Transactions  of  this  kind  cannot  be  carried  on  for  a 
course  of  time  without  such  a  series  and  complication 
of  fraud  and  meanness  *',  and  for  the  most  part  of  per- 
jury likewise,  as  would  be  scandalous,  not  only  in  a  pro- 
fessed Christian,  but  in  an  avowed  infidel. 

It  should  be  observed  likewise,  that  there  is  hardly 
any  set  of  men  more  lost  to  society,  or  in  a  situation 
more  dangerous  to  themselves  and  others,  than  the  peo- 
ple who  are  called  smugglers.    Frequent  fightings,  and 


•  Dr.  Johnson,  defininjj  a  smuggler,  says,  he  Is  "  a  ^uiretch  who  imports 
*'  or  exports  goods  without  payment  of  the  customs." 


380  To  Professors  in  Trade.  Let.  40. 

sometimes  murder  itself,  are  the  consequence  of  their 
ilHcit  commerce.  Their  money  is  ill  gotten,  and  it  is  ge- 
nerally ill  spent.  They  are  greatly  to  be  pitied.  The 
employment  they  are  accustomed  to  has  a  direct  ten- 
dency to  deprive  them  of  character,  and  the  privileges 
of  social  life,  and  to  harden  their  hearts  and  stupify 
their  consciences,  in  the  ways  of  sin.  But  for  whom 
are  they  risking  their  lives,  and  ruining  their  souls  ?  I 
would  hope,  reader,  not  for  you,  if  you  account  your- 
self a  Christian.  If  you,  for  the  sake  of  gain,  encourage 
and  assist  them,  by  buying  or  selling  their  goods,  you  are 
so  far  responsible  for  the  consequences.  You  encour- 
age them  in  sin ;  you  expose  them  to  mischief.  And 
have  you  so  learned  Christ?  Is  this  the  testimony  you 
give  of  the  uprightness  of  your  hearts  and  ways  ?  Is  it 
thus  you  show  your  compassion  for  the  souls  of  men? 
Ah  !  shake  your  hands  from  gain  so  dearly  earned. — 
Think  not  to  support  the  cause  of  God  with  such  gain  : 
he  hates  robbery  for  burnt-offering.  Think  it  not  law- 
ful, or  safe,  to  put  a  farthing  of  it  into  your  treasury,  lest 
it  secretly  communicate  a  moth  and  a  curse  to  all  that 
you  possess ;  for  it  is  the  price  of  blood,  the  blood  of 
souls.  If  you  are  indeed  a  child  of  God,  and  will  persist 
in  this  path  after  admonition  received,  be  assured  your 
sin  will  find  you  out  If  the  Lord  loves  you  he  will  not 
suffer  you  to  prosper  in  your  perverseness.  You  may 
rather  expect,  that  as  a  little  damaged  corn  is  sufficient 
to  spoil  the  whole  heap  to  which  it  is  laid,  so  money  thus 
obtained  will  deprive  you  of  the  blessing  and  comfort 
you  might  otherwise  expect  from  your  lawful  acquisi- 
tions. 

If  you  are  determined  to  persist,  in  opposition  to  Scrip- 
ture, to  law,  to  equity  and  humanity,  you  have  doubt- 
less, as  I  suppose  ;you  a  professor,  some  plea  or  excuse 


Let.  40.  To  Professors  in  Trade.  38 J 

^vith  wliicli  you  attempt  to  justify  yourself,  and  to  keep 
your  conscience  quiet.  See  to  it,  that  it  be  such  a  one 
as  will  bear  the  examination  of  a  dying  hour.  You  will 
not  surely  plead,  that  "  things  are  come  to  such  a  pass, 
''  there  is  no  carrving;  on  business  upon  other  terms  to 
"  advantaife  !"  Will  the  practice  of  the  world,  who 
know  not  Christ,  be  a  proper  precedent  for  you,  who 
call  yourself  by  his  name  ?  That  cannot  be,  since  his 
command  is,  "  Thou  shalt  not  follow  a  multitude  to 
"  do  evil/'  That  the  truth  and  power  of  his  grace 
may  be  manifested,  he  is  pleased  to  put  his  servants 
into  such  situations,  that  they  must  forego  some  seem- 
ing advantages,  and  suffer  some  seeming  hardships,  in 
their  worldly  connexions,  if  they  will  approve  them- 
selves faithful  to  him,  and  live  in  the  exercise  of  a  good 
conscience.  lie  promises,  that  his  grace  shall  be  suffi- 
cient for  them.  It  is  the  l/lessiug  of  the  Lord  that 
maketh  j^ich  ;  and,  for  want  of  this,  we  see  many  rise 
early,  take  late  rest,  and  eat  the  bread  of  carefulness, 
to  no  purpose.  And  I  believe,  integrity  and  diligence 
in  business,  with  a  humble  dependence  upon  his  Provi- 
den(!e,  are  the  best  methods  of  thriving  even  in  tem- 
porals. However,  they  who  lose  for  him  are  in  no 
danger  of  losing  hy  him.  They  may  be  confident  of  so 
much  as  he  sees  best  for  them  ;  and  they  shall  have  his 
peace  and  blessing  with  it.  But  if,  when  you  are  placed 
in  a  state  of  trial,  the  love  of  the  world  is  so  powerful 
in  your  heart,  that  you  cannot  resist  the  temptation  of 
enriching  yourself  by  unlawful  means,  you  liave  great 
reason  to  fear  you  have  not  his  Spirit,  and  are  there- 
fore none  of  his. 

I  am,  &c. 


382  On  the  Mlmstrjj  of  Angels.  Let.  41. 

LETTER  XLI. 

On  the  Ministry  of  Angels. 
Dear  Sir, 


T 


HE  saints  on  earth,  though  exposed  to  many  suffer- 
ings, and  assaulted  by  many  enemies,  are  as  safe  as  the 
saints  in  glory.  They  have  been  enabled,  in  the  day  of 
God's  power,  to  commit  themselves  to  the  care  of 
Jesus,  the  great  shepherd  ;  who  is  faithful  to  his  trust, 
and  able  to  save  them  to  the  uttermost.  His  eye  is  al- 
ways upon  them ;  his  everlasting  arms  are  underneath 
them ;  and  no  power,  or  policy,  can  separate  them 
from  his  love. 

The  apostle,  in  the  name  and  behalf  of  the  church 
militant,  having  taken  a  leisurely  and  distinct  survey  of 
all  the  difficulties  and  opposition  they  can  possibly  meet 
with,  in  life  or  in  death,  from  the  visible  or  invisible 
worlds ;  triumphs  in  an  assurance,  that  none  of  these 
things  singly^  nor  all  of  them  together,  shall  prevail ; 
but  that,  on  the  contrary,  believers  shall  be  made  con- 
querors, yea,  more  than  conquerors,  through  Him  who 
has  loved  them. 

In  the  course  of  his  enumeration  of  the  real  or  sup- 
posed dangers  to  which  the  people  of  Christ  are  ex- 
posed, he  ])articularly  mentions,  angels,  principalities, 
and  powers  ;  intimating  to  us  a  subject  of  great  impor- 
tance, though  too  seldom  and  too  faintly  attended  to  by 
us  ;  I  mean  the  part  which  the  inhabitants  of  the  unseen 
world  take  in  our  concerns.  Angels  is  a  general  name  ; 
the  terms pri72cipalities  and  pozi'ers,ixnd  elsewhere  thi^ones 
and  dominions,  applied  to  them,  we  shall  not  perhaps 


I»et.  41.  On  the  Ministry  of  Angels.  383 

clearly  understand,  till  we  mingle  with  the  world  of 
spirits.  These  different  names  seem,  however,  to  imply, 
that  some  difference  of  degree,  and  possibly  some  sub- 
ordination of  rule,  obtains  among  them.  But  they  shall 
not  be  able,  either  singly  or  collectively,  to  separate  be- 
lievers from  the  love  of  God  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus. 

The  general  distribution  of  angels,  principalities,  and 
powers,  is  into  good  and  evil.  They  were  all  created 
glorious  and  excellent  creatures  ;  for  nothing  but  good 
could  originally  proceed  from  God,  the  fountain  of 
goodness.  But  some  of  them  "  kept  not  their  first 
"  estate."  Sin  despoiled  them  of  their  glory,  and 
changed  them  from  angels  of  light  into  powers  of  dark- 
ness. And  though  they  have  a  permissive  liberty,  sub- 
servient to  the  limitations  and  designs  of  divine  wisdom, 
to  influence  the  minds,  and  to  interfere  in  the  affair Sj  of 
mankind  ;  yet  they  are  confined  in  chains  of  darkness 
which  they  cannot  break,  and  are  reserved  to  the  judg- 
ment of  the  great  day. 

There  are  likewise  an  innumerable  company  of  elect 
or  good  angels,  Rev.  iii.  1 1 .  who  were  preserved  by 
sovereign  grace,  and  are  now  established,  (together  with 
believers,)  in  Christ  Jesus,  the  great  Head  of  the 
whole  family  of  God,  in  heaven  and  in  earth.  From 
these,  we  may  be  sure,  believers  have  nothing  to  fear. 
They  are  our  brethren  diudi  fellow-servants.  They  join 
in  the  song  of  the  redeemed  before  the  throne  ;  and  re- 
joice in  the  conversion  of  a  sinner  upon  earth.  We 
cannot  include  these  in  the  apostle's  challenge,  any  fur- 
ther than  by  way  of  supposition ;  as  he  expresses  him- 
self upon  another  occasion,  Gal.  i.  8.  It  is  not  possi- 
ble that  an  an2;el  from  heaven  should  preach,  if  he  came 
to  preach,  any  other  Gospel  than  that  which  is  revealed 
in  Scripture;  but  if  such  a  thing  could  be  supposed,  we 


384  0)1  the  Mimst)^j  of  Angels.  Let.  41. 

ought  not  to  regard  him.  So  it  is  not  to  be  thought 
that  the  elect  angels  of  God  should  wish  to  hinder  the 
salvation  of  a  sinner.  But  if  you  conceive,  for  a  mo- 
ment, that  any  or  all  of  them  could  form  such  a  design, 
they  would  not  be  able  to  succeed  :  for  they  are  all 
subject  to  "  HIM  who  loved  us,  and  washed  us  from 
''■  our  sins  in  his  own  blood."  So  far,  however,  are  the 
holy  angels  from  designing  us  harm,  that  they  are 
greatly  instrumental  in  promoting  our  good.  They  are 
"  ministering  spirits,  sent  forth  to  minister  to  the  heirs 
"  of  salvation  ;"  and  they  rejoice  in  the  service,  and  ac- 
count it  their  honour  to  be  thus  employed. 

I  propose,  in  this  paper,  briefly  to  consider  the  mi- 
nistry of  GOOD  angels  ;  and  may  perhaps  hereafter  offer 
a  few  thoughts  on  the  influence  and  interference  of  evil 
angels,  who  are  continually  labouring  to  disturb  and 
trouble  those  whom  they  are  not  permitted  to  destroy. 
J\nd  I  shall  not  attempt  to  amuse  the  reader  with  new 
and  strange  conjectures  upon  these  subjects,  or  to  in- 
trude into  those  things  which  are  not  revealed,  but 
shall  confine  myself  to  the  express  declarations  of  the 
word  of  God. 

The  great  God  icorks  all  m  all  in  both  worlds. 
It  is  he  who  filleth  the  earth  with  good  things,  causes 
the  grass  to  grow  for  the  cattle,  and  provides  corn  for 
the  food  of  man.  But  in  thus  spreading  a  table  for  us, 
he  makes  use  oiinstjmments.  He  commands  his  sun  to 
shine,  and  his  rain  to  descend.  So  he  is  the  life,  strength, 
and  comfort,  of  the  renewed  soul.  All  the  streams  of 
grace  flow  from  Christ,  the  fountain.  But,  from  the 
analogy  observable  in  his  works,  we  might  reasonably 
suppose,  that,  on  many  occasions,  he  is  pleased  to  use 
means  and  instruments,  and  particularly  the  ministry  of 
his  angels,  to  communicate  good  to  his  children.    Scrip- 


Let.  41.  On  the  Mijiistn/  of  Angels.  385 

ture  expressly  confirms  this  inference,  and  leaves  it  no 
longer  a  point  of  mere  conjecture.  He  gives  his  angels 
charge  over  tliem,  and  they  encamp  round  about  them 
that  fear  him.  In  this  \va\'  honour  is  given  to  Jesus, 
as  the  Lord  both  of  angels  and  men  ;  and  a  sweet  inter- 
course is  kept  up  between  tlie  different  parts  of  the 
household  of  God.  That  angels  have  been  thus  em- 
ployed in  fact,  is  plain  from  the  history  both  of  the 
Old  and  New  Testament.  They  have  often  made 
themselves  risible,  when  sent  to  declare  the  will  of 
God,  as  to  Jacob,  Elijah,  and  David.  Gabriel  ap- 
peared to  Zacharias  and  Mary  ;  and  a  multitude  joined 
in  ascribinii  "  glory  to  God  in  the  highest,"  when  they 
brought  to  the  shepherds  the  jovful  news  of  a  Saviour's 
birth.  An  angel  delivered  Peter  from  prison,  and  com- 
forted Paul  when  tossed  by  a  tempest  upon  the  seas. 
How  far  the  sensible  ministration  of  angels  is  continued 
in  these  days,  is  not  easy  to  determine.  ]\Iany  persons 
have  been  imposed  upon  by  Satan,  through  such  ex- 
pectations ;  and  it  is  not  safe  to  look  for  extraordinary 
thino-s  :  vet  I  do  not  know  that  we  have  warrant  from 
Scripture  to  limit  the  Lord,  so  far  as  to  affirm,  that  he 
dolh  not,  nor  ever  will,  upon  any  occasion  permit  his 
angels  to  be  seen  by  men,  as  in  former  times.  The 
apostle,  pressing  believers  to  exercise  hospitality,  uses 
this  argument,  that,  "  thereby  some  have  entertained 
"  angels  unawares  ;"  which  would  hardly  seem  to  be  a 
pertinent  motive,  if  it  were  absolutely  certain  that  angels 
would  never  offer  themselves  as  visitants  to  the  servants 
of  God  in  future  times,  as  they  had  formerly  done.— - 
But,  waving  speculations  as  to  their  visible  appearance, 
it  is  sufficient  to  know,  that  they  are  really,  though  in- 
visibly, near  us,  and  mindful  of  us. 

May  we  not  receive  assistance  from  the  ansels  in  oin 
Vol.  L  3D 


386  On  the  Ministry  of  Angels.  Let.  41. 

spiritual  warfare  ?  That  evil  angels  have  an  influence 
and  power  to  distress  and  disquiet  us,  is  well  known  to 
exercised  souls.  And  it  seems  quite  reasonable  to  be- 
lieve, that  the  good  angels  are  as  willing,  and  as  able,  to 
communicate  helpful  and  encouraging  impressions.  As 
it  is  not  ahvays  easy  to  distinguish  between  the  tempta- 
tions of  Satan  and  the  workings  of  our  own  evil  hearts  ; 
so  it  may  be  equally  or  more  difficult  to  distinguish  these 
assistances  from  the  effects  of  gracious  principles  abid- 
ing in  us,  or  from  the  leadings  and  motions  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.  Nor  need  we  be  anxious  about  it.  We  can- 
not err  in  ascribing  all  to  the  Lord.  Yet  there  is  some- 
thing cheering  in  the  thought,  that  we  are  accompanied 
and  surrounded  by  these  blessed  spirits,  who  have  both 
inclination  and  ability  to  relieve,  strengthen,  and  ad- 
monish us,  in  ways  v.hich  we  cannot  fully  understand. 
Who  can  tell  how  often,  and  how  seasonably,  a  promise, 
a  caution,  a  direction  from,  or  agreeable  to  the  word  of 
God,  is  darted  upon  our  minds  by  these  kind  messen- 
gers of  our  Father's  love  ? 

We  may  warrantably  think,  they  are  employed  in  re- 
straining, over-ruling,  and  controlling,  the  designs  of 
Satan  and  his  angels.  The  power,  malice,  and  subtlety 
of  our  enemy,  are  very  great.  We  may  learn  what  he 
would  do  to  us  all,  if  he  could,  from  the  instance  of  Job. 
But  the  Lord  rebukes  him,  and  that  most  probably  by 
the  ministry  of  unfallen  angels,  m  ho  are  said  to  encamp 
round  his  people,  to  deliver  them  ;  and  doubtless  their 
care  is  especially  employed  where  the  greatest  danger  lies. 
IMuch  to  this  purpose  seems  to  be  implied  in  the  follow- 
ing passages,  Dan.  x.  13.  Rev.  xii.  7.  Jude  9- 

They  are  witnesses  to  the  sufferings  and  to  the  wor- 
ship of  his  people,  1  Cor.  iv.  9-  Though  they  do  not 
fihow  themselves  to  us,  as  heretofore  to  Peter  or  Paul. 


Let.  41.  On  the  Minisinj  of  Angela.  387 

they  are  still  near,  and  attentive ;  are  interested  in  the 
conflicts,  and  rejoice  in  the  victories,  of  a  poor  believer. 
They  are  present  likewise  in  our  solemn  assemblies ; 
therefore  the  apostle  charges  Timothy,  as  "  before  the 
"  elect  angels ;"  and  seems  to  refer  to  them  in  1  Cor. 
xi.  10.  This  reflection  should  enliven  and  regulate  our 
thoughts  \\  hen  we  come  together  :  for  though  the  pre- 
sence of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  is  the  great  considera- 
tion, yet  this  likewise  may,  in -its  proper  place,  have 
some  influence  to  compose  our  behaviour,  Ilcb.  xii.  ^£'. 

The  ministry  of  angels  preserves  us  from  innumera- 
ble dangers  and  alarms  w  hich  await  us  in  our  daily  path. 
This  is  expressly  taught  in  Psalm  xci.  When  we  receive 
little  or  no  harm  from  a  fall,  or  w  hen  a  sudden  motion 
of  our  minds  leads  us  to  avoid  a  danger  which  we  were 
not  aware  of,  perhaps  the  angels  of  God  have  been  the 
means  of  our  preservation ;  nay,  it  may  be  ow  ing  to  their 
good  ofiices  that  we  ever  perform  a  journey  in  safety  or 
are  preserved  from  the  evils  we  are  liable  to  when  sleep- 
ing upon  our  beds,  and  incapable  of  taking  any  care  of 
ourselves. 

Finally,  they  are  appointed  to  attend  the  saints  in  their 
last  hours  ;  and,  in  a  manner  beyond  our  present  appre- 
hension, to  keep  otf  the  powers  of  darkness,  and  bear 
the  children  of  God  safely  home  to  their  Father's  house, 
Luke  xvi.  9M. 

The  limits  of  a  sheet  will  not  admit  of  enlargement 
upon  these  particulars.  The  subject  is  pleasing  and 
comfortable,  and  well  suited  to  encourage  believers 
under  two  very  common  trials.  ^ 

L  We  are  often  cast  down  to  think  how  few  there  are 
w^ho  worship  (lod  in  spirit  and  in  truth ;  and  are  ready 
to  complain,  with  Elijah,  that  we  are  almost  left  to  serve 
him  alone.     But  Jesus  is  not  slighted  and  despised  ift 


388  Onthe  Minhlr})  of  Angch.  Let.  41. 

yonder  world  as  he  is  in  this.  If,  like  the  servant  of 
Elisha,  our  eyes  were  supernaturally  opened,  to  take 
a  glance  within  the  vail,  what  a  glorious  and  astonishing 
prospect  would  the  innumerable  host  of  angels  afford  us! 
Then  we  should  be  convinced,  that,  far  from  being  alone, 
there  are  unspeakably  more  for  us  than  against  us.  Faith 
supplies  the  want  of  sight ;  is  the  evidence  of  things 
not  seen  ;  and,  upon  the  authority  of  the  word  of  God, 
is  as  well  satisfied  of  their  existence  and  employment, 
as  if  they  weie  actually  in  our  view. 

Again,  2.  ]\fany  of  the  Lord's  people  are  tempted 
to  think  themselves  neglected  by  their  fellow  Christians, 
because  they  are  poor:  a  discouragement  for  which  there 
is  often  too  much  occasion  given.  But,  poor  believer, 
be  not  greatly  distressed  upon  this  account.  If  your 
brethren  upon  earth  are  too  prone  to  slight  you,  your 
heavenly  friends  are  not  so  proud  and  foolish.  The 
angels  will  attend  and  assist  you,  though  you  live  in  a 
poor  mud-walled  cottage,  as  willingly  as  if  you  were 
lodged  in  the  palace  of  a  king.  They  are  not  affected, 
one  way  or  the  other,  Avith  those  trivial  distinctions 
which  are  so  apt  to  bias  the  judgment  and  regard  of 
mortals. 

]\Iay  we  take  a  pattern  from  the  angels!  Their  whole 
desire  is,  to  fulfil  the  will  of  God;  and  they  account  no 
service  mean  in  which  he  is  pleased  to  employ  them  ; 
otherwise,  great  and  holy  as  they  are,  they  might  disdain 
to  wait  upon  sinful  worms.  Our  vanity  prompts  us  to 
aim  at  something  great,  and  to  wish  for  such  services 
as  might  make  us  known,  talked  of,  and  regarded.  J]ut 
a  child  of  God,  if  in  the  way  of  duty,  and  in  the  place 
which  the  Lord's  providence  has  allotted  him,  is  well  em- 
ployed, though  he  should  have  no  higher  service  than  to 
sweep  the  streets ;  provided  he  does  it  humbly,  thank- 


Let.  41.  On  the  Ministnj  of  Angels.  389 

fully,  and  heartily,  as  to  the  Lord.     An  angel,  so  pla- 
ced, could  do  no  more. 

This  paper  will  doubtlessly  fall  into  the  hands  of  some 
who  are  not  believers,  but  are  spending  their  days  in  sin. 
\\\\h  a  word  to  such  as  these,  I  would  conclude.  To 
you  this  is  but  a  dark  subject.  You  have  reason  to  be 
alarmed  :  for,  be  assured,  the  whole  host  of  heaven  is 
against  you,  while  they  consider  you  in  a  state  of  re- 
bellion against  their  Lord.  They  burn  with  an  holy 
zeal  to  avenge  his  cause  ;  and  only  wait  his  command  to 
smite  you,  as  one  of  them  smote  Herod,  for  )wt  giving 
glory  to  God.  Pray  for  faith  and  repentance.  If  you 
believe  in  Jesus,  and  turn  from  your  evil  ways,  the  an- 
gels will  love  you,  rejoice  over  you,  watch  over  you, 
fight  for  you,  and  at  last  convey  you  into  his  glorious 
presence. 

I  am,  &c. 

March  5,  1777- 


CARBIFHONIA 


THE  UTTERANCE  OF  THE  HEART, 


IN   THE   COURSE  OF 


A  REAL  CORRESPONDENXE. 


c«<<»-f^<^ 


Haec  res  et  jungit,  junctos  et  servat  amicos. 

HoR.  Lib.  i.  Sat.  3, 

As  in  water  face  answereth  to  face,  so  the  heart  of  man  to  man. 

Prov.  xxvii.  19. 


ADVERTISEMENT. 


J.  HE  deference  due  to  the  Public  seems  to  require  an  apology 
for  committing  letters  of  private  correspondence  to  the  press,  while 
the  writer  is  yet  living.  He  is  sensible  that  sending  them  abroad 
■without  his  name  prefixed,  will  not  of  itself  be  sufficient  to  obviate 
the  charge  of  egotism.  The  manner  of  expression  and  thinking, 
•^'here  an  author  has  been  repeatedly  in  print,  will  mark  him  out 
to  good  judges  when  they  see  him  again,  so  as  to  render  any  fur- 
ther description  unnecessary. 

The  solicitation  of  friends,  though  a  trite,  is  not  always  an  im- 
proper plea,  and  would  probably  in  the  present  case  be  admitted, 
if  he  had  not  determined  to  conceal  the  names  of  his  correspond- 
ents likewise,  and  to  suppress,  as  far  as  possible,  every  circum- 
stance which  might  lead  to  discover  them.  For  they  certainly  did 
recommend  the  publication,  and  return  him  their  letters  purpose- 
ly that  a  selection  might  be  made.  But  as  he  does  not  think  him- 
self at  liberty  to  declare  them,  he  must  forego  the  advantage  of 
screening  himself  under  the  sanction  of  their  judgment. 

Posthumous  letters  are  usually  published  to  disadvantage.  If  it 
be  supposed  that  the  author  has  friends  whose  regard  to  his  mem- 
ory will  make  them  willing  to  purchase  what  appears  under  his 
name,  that  circumstance  has  sometimes  given  occasion  to  an  in- 
discriminate and  injudicious  publication  of  letters  collected  from 
all  quarters,  in  which  more  attention  is  paid  to  the  bulk  than  the 
value.  For  amongst  a  number  of  letters  written  to  intimate  friends, 
some  will  be  too  trivial  to  deserve  notice,  and  others  may  be  so  in- 
termingled with  details  of  private  or  domestic  concerns,  as  perhaps 

Vol.  I.  f?  E 


ADVERTISEMENT. 

to  give  pain  to  those  who  are  interested  in  them,  when  they  sec 
them  in  print.  The  writer  of  the  following  letters  thought  him- 
self more  competent  to  decide  at  present,  which  and  how  much  of 
the  papers  before  him  might  be  not  utterly  unworthy  of  being  pre- 
served, than  a  stranger  could  be  after  his  decease. 

Further,  he  finds  that  between  an  increase  of  engagements  on  the 
one  hand,  and  the  unavoidable  effects  of  advancing  years  on  the 
other,  he  can  expect  but  little  leisure  or  ability  for  writing  letters 
in  future,  except  upon  necessary  business.  By  this  method  of  send- 
ing to  each  of  his  correspondents  many  letters  at  once,  he  takes 
leave  of  them  with  the  less  regret,  persuaded  that  he  thus  commu- 
nicates the  substance  of  all  he  could  offer,  if  he  was  able  to  write 
to  them  severally  as  often  and  as  much  at  large  as  in  times  past. 

Though  some  attention  has  been  paid  to  variety,  it  was  not  prac- 
ticable wholly  to  avoid  what  may  be  thought  repetition,  without  de- 
stroying the  texture  and  connexion  of  many  letters  ;  particularly 
in  those  which  treat  of  affliction.  But  where  the  same  subject  re- 
curs, it  is  usually  placed  in  something  of  a  different  point  of  view, 
or  illustrated  in  a  different  manner. 

Thus  much  to  bespeak  the  reader's  favourable  and  candid  peru- 
sal of  what  is  now  put  into  his  hands.  But  the  writer  stands  before 
a  higher  tribunal ;  and  would  be  much  to  be  pitied,  if  lie  were  not 
conscious,  that  in  this  publication  he  has  no  allowed  aims,  but  to  be 
subservient  to  the  gracious  designs  of  God  by  the  Gospel,  and  to 
promote  the  good  of  his  fellow-creatures. 

A'bvemher  29,  1780. 


TWENTY»SIX  JLETTERS 

TO 

A    NOBLEMAN. 

LETTER  I. 

My  Lord,  March— 1765. 

REIMEMBER,  when  I  once  had  the  pleasure  of 
waiting  on  you,  you  were  pleased  to  begin  an  interesting 
conversation,  v/hich,  to  my  concern,  was  interrupted. 
The  subject  was  concerning  the  causes,  nature,  and 
marks  of  a  decline  in  grace ;  how  it  happens  that  we 
lose  that  warm  impression  of  divine  things,  which  in 
some  favcjred  moments  we  think  it  almost  impossible 
to  forget;  how  far  this  change  of  frame  is  consistent  with 
a  spiritual  growth  in  other  respects;  how  to  form  a  com- 
parative judgment  of  our  proficiency  upon  the  whole  ; 
and  by  what  steps  the  losses  we  sustain  from  our  neces- 
sary connexion  with  a  sinful  nature  and  a  sinful  world, 
may  be  retrieved  from  time  to  time.  I  beg  your  Lord- 
ship's permission  to  fill  up  the  paper  with  a  view  to 
these  inquiries.  I  do  not  mean  to  offer  a  laboured 
essay  on  them,  but  such  thoughts  as  shall  occur  while 
the  pen  is  in  my  hand. 

The  awakened  soul,  (especially  when,  after  a  season 
of  distress  and  terror,  it  begins  to  taste  that  the  Lord  is 
gracious,)  finds  itself  as  in  a  new  w-orld.  No  change  in 
outward  life  can  be  so  sensible,  so  affecting.  No  won- 
der, then,  that  at  such  a  time  little  else  can  be  thought 
of;  the  transition  from  darkness  to  light,  from  a  sense 
of  wrath  to  a  hope  of  glory,  is  the  greatest  that  can  be 
imagined,  and  is  oftentimes  as  sudden  as  wonderful. 


394  Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  Let.  1. 

Hence  the  general  characteristics  of  young  converts  are 
zeal  and  love.  Like  Israel  at  the  Red  Sea,  they  have 
just  seen  the  wonderful  works  of  the  Lord,  and  they 
cannot  but  sing  his  praise ;  they  are  deeply  affected 
with  the  danger  they  have  lately  escaped,  and  with  the 
case  of  multitudes  around  them,  who  are  secure  and 
careless  in  the  same  alarming  situation !  and  a  sense  of 
their  own  mercies,  and  a  compassion  for  the  souls  of 
others,  is  so  transporting  that  they  can  hardly  forbear 
preaching  to  every  one  they  meet. 

This  emotion  is  highly  just  and  reasonable,  with  re- 
spect to  the  causes  from  whence  it  springs ;  and  it  is 
doubtless  a  proof,  not  only  of  the  imperfection,  but  the 
depravity  of  our  nature,  that  we  are  not  always  thus  af- 
fected ;  yet  it  is  not  entirely  genuine.  If  we  examine 
this  character  closely,  which  seems  at  first  sight  a  pattern 
and  a  reproof  to  Christians  of  longer  standing,  we  shall  for 
the  most  part  find  it  attended  with  considerable  defects. 

1.  Such  persons  are  very  weak  in  faith.  Their  con- 
fidence arises  rather  from  the  lively  impressions  of  joy 
•within,  than  from  a  distinct  and  clear  apprehension  of 
the  work  of  God  in  Christ.  The  comforts  which  are  in- 
tended as  cordials  to  animate  them  against  the  opposi- 
tion of  an  unbelieving  world,  they  mistake  and  rest  in 
as  the  proptr  evidences  of  their  hope.  And  hence  it 
comes  to  pass,  that  when  the  Lord  varies  his  dispensa- 
tions, and  hides  his  face,  they  are  soon  troubled  and  at 
their  w  it's  end. 

2.  They  who  are  in  this  state  of  their  first  love,  are 
seldom  free  from  something  ot  a  censorious  spirit.  They 
have  not  yet  felt  all  thedeceitfulness  of  their  own  hearts ; 
they  are  not  well  acquainted  with  the  devices  or  temp- 
tations of  Satan;  and  therefore  know  not  how  to  sym- 
pathize or  make  allowances,   where  allowances  are  nc- 


Let.  1.  Letters  to  a  Nobleman. .  395 

cessary  and  due,  and  can  hardly  bear  with  any  who  do 
not  discover  the  same  earnestness  as  themselves. 

3.  They  are  likewise,  more  or  less  under  the  influence 
of  self-  righteousness  and  self-will.  They  mean  well ; 
but  not  being  as  yet  well  acquainted  with  the  spiritual 
meaning  and  proper  use  of  the  law,  nor  established  in 
the  life  of  faith,  a  part,  (oftentimes  a  very  considerable 
part,)  of  their  zeal  spends  itself  in  externals  and  non- 
essentials, prompts  them  to  practise  what  is  not  com- 
manded, to  refrain  from  what  is  lawful,  and  to  observe 
various  and  needless  austerities  and  singularities,  as  their 
tempers  and  circumstances  differ. 

However,  with  all  their  faults,  methinks  there  is  some- 
thing very  beautiful  and  engaging  in  the  honest  vehe- 
mence of  a  young  convert  Some  cold  and  rigid  judges 
are  ready  to  reject  these  promising  appearances  on  ac- 
count of  incidental  blemishes.  But  would  a  gardener 
throw  away  a  fine  nectarine,  because  it  is  green,  and 
has  not  yet  attained  all  that  beauty  and  flavour  which  a 
few  more  showers  and  suns  will  impart?  Perhaps  it  will 
hold  for  the  most  part  in  grace  as  in  nature,  (some  ex- 
ceptions there  are,)  if  there  is  not  some  Jire  in  youth, 
we  can  hardly  expect  a  proper  warmth  in  old  age. 

But  the  great  and  good  Husbandman  watches  over 
what  his  own  hand  has  planted,  and  carries  on  his  work 
by  a  variety  of  ditTerent  and  even  contrary  dispensa- 
tions. While  their  mountain  stands  thus  strong,  they 
think  they  shall  never  be  moved;  but  at  length  they 
find  a  change.  Sometimes  it  comes  on  by  insensible 
degrees.  That  part  of  their  affection  which  was  purely 
natural,  will  abate  of  course  when  the  power  of  novelty 
ceases  :  they  w  ill  begin,  in  some  instances,  to  perceive 
their  own  indiscretions ;  and  an  endeavour  to  correct 
the  excesses  of  an  imprudent  zeal  will  often  draw  thcra 


396  Letters  to  «  Nobleman.  Let.  1. 

towards  the  contrary  extreme  of  remissness :  the  evils 
of  their  hearts,  which,  though  overpowered,  were  not 
eradicated,  will  revive  again :  the  enemy  will  watch  his 
occasions  to  meet  them  with  suitable  temptations ;  and 
as  it  is  the  Lord's  design  that  they  should  experiment- 
ally learn  and  feel  their  own  weakness,  he  will  in  some 
instances  be  permitted  to  succeed.  When  guilt  is  thus 
brought  upon  the  conscience,  the  heart  grows  hard,  the 
hands  feeble,  and  the  knees  weak;  then  confidence  is 
shaken,  the  spirit  of  prayer  interrupted,  the  armour  gone, 
and  thus  things  grow  worse  and  worse,  till  the  Lord  is 
pleased  to  interpose:  for  though  we  can  fall  of  ourselves, 
we  cannot  rise  without  his  help.  Indeed  every  sin,  in 
its  own  nature,  has  a  tendency  towards  a  final  apostacy; 
but  there  is  a  provision  in  the  covenant  of  grace,  and  the 
Lord,  in  his  own  time,  returns  to  convince,  humble, 
pardon,  comfort,  and  renew  the  soul.  He  touches  the 
rock,  and  the  waters  flow.  By  repeated  experiments 
and  exercises  of  this  sort,  (for  this  wisdom  is  seldom  ac 
quired  by  one  or  a  icw  lessons,)  we  begin  at  length  to 
learn  that  we  are  nothing,  have  nothing,  can  do  nothing 
but  sin.  And  thus  we  are  gradually  prepared  to  live 
more  out  of  ourselves,  and  to  derive  all  our  sufficiency 
of  every  kind  from  Jesus,  the  fountain  of  grace.  We 
learn  to  tread  more  warily,  to  trust  less  to  our  oavu 
strength,  to  have  lower  thoughts  of  ourselves,  and  higher 
thoughts  oihim:  in  which  two  last  particulars,  I  appre- 
hend what  the  Scripture  means  by  a  growth  of  grace 
does  properly  consist.  Both  are  increasing  in  the  lively 
Christian  ; — every  day  shows  him  more  of  his  own  heart, 
and  more  of  the  power,  sufficiency,  compassion,  and 
grace  of  his  adorable  Redeemer ;  but  neither  will  be 
complete  till  we  get  to  heaven. 

I  apprehend,  therefore,  that  though  we  find  an  abate- 


Let.  1,  Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  397 

ment  of  that  sensible  warmth  of  affection  whicli  we  felt 
at  fust  setting  out ;  yet  if  our  views  are  more  evange- 
lical, our  judgment  more  ripened,  our  hearts  more  ha- 
bitually humbled  under  a  sense  of  inward  depravity, 
our  tempers  more  softened  into  sympathy  and  tender- 
ness ;  if  our  prevailing  desires  are  spiritual,  and  we 
practically  esteem  the  precepts,  ordinances,  and  people 
of  God  ;  we  may  warrantably  conclude,  that  his  good 
work  of  grace  in  us  is,  upon  the  whole,  on  an  increase. 

But  still  it  is  to  be  lamented,  that  an  increase  of 
knowledge  and  experience  should  be  so  generally  at- 
tended with  a  decline  of  fervour.  If  it  was  not  for 
what  has  passed  in  my  own  heart,  I  should  be  ready  to 
think  it  impossible.  But  this  very  circumstance  gives 
me  a  still  more  emphatical  conviction  of  my  own  vile- 
ness  and  depravity.  The  want  of  humiliation  humbles 
me,  and  my  very  indifference  rouses  and  awakens  me 
to  earnestness.  There  are,  however,  seasons  of  re- 
freshment, ineffable  glances  of  light  and  power  upon 
the  soul,  which,as  they  are  derived  from  clearer  displays 
of  divine  grace,  if  not  so  tumultuous  as  the  first  joys, 
are  more  penetrating,  transforming,  and  animating.  A 
glance  of  these,  when  compared  with  our  sluggish  stu- 
pidity when  they  are  withheld,  weans  the  heart  fi'om 
this  wretched  state  of  sin  and  temptation,  and  makes 
the  thoughts  of  death  and  eternity  desirable.  Then  this 
conflict  shall  cease ;  I  shall  sin  and  wander  no  more, 
see  him  as  he  is,  and  be  like  him  for  ever. 

If  the  question  is.  How  are  these  bright  moments  to 
be  prolonged,  renewed,  or  retrieved  r  we  are  directed 
to  faith  and  diligence.  A  careful  use  of  the  appointed 
means  of  grace,  a  watchful  endeavour  to  avoid  the  oc- 
casions and  appearances  of  evil,  and  especially  assiduity 
in  secret  prayer,   will  bring  us  as  much  of  them  as  the 


398  Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  Let.  2; 

Lord  sees  good  for  us.  He  knows  best  why  we  are  not 
to  be  trusted  with  them  continually.  Here  we  are  to 
walk  by  faith,  to  be  exercised  and  tried  ;  by  and  by  we 
shall  be  crowned,  and  the  desires  he  has  given  shall  be 
abundantly  satisfied. 

I  am,  &c. 


LETTER  n. 

My  Lord,  April — 1766. 

X  SHALL  embrace  your  permission  to  fill  my  paper. 
— As  to  subject,  that  which  has  been  a  frequent  theme 
of  my  heart  of  late,  I  shall  venture  to  lay  before  your 
Lordship, — I  mean  the  remarkable  and  humbling  dif- 
ference which  I  suppose  all  who  know  themselves  may 
observe,  between  their  acquired  and  their  experimental 
knowledge,  or  in  other  words,  between  their  judgment 
and  their  practice.  To  hear  a  believer  speak  his  ap- 
prehensions of  the  evil  of  sin,  the  vanity  of  the  world, 
the  love  of  Christ,  the  beauty  of  holiness,  or  the  impor- 
tance of  eternity,  who  would  not  suppose  him  proof 
against  temptation  ?  To  hear  with  what  strong  argu- 
ments he  can  recommend  watchfulness,  prayer,  forbear- 
ance, and  submission,  when  he  is  teaching  or  advising 
others,  who  would  not  suppose  but  he  could  also  teach 
himself,  and  influence  his  own  conduct?  Yet,  alas! — 
Quam  dispar  sibi !  The  person  who  rose  from  his 
knees  before  he  left  his  chamber  a  poor,  indigent,  falli- 
ble, dependent  creature,  who  saw  and  acknowledged 
that  he  was  unworthy  to  breathe  the  air  or  to  see  the 
light,  may  meet  with  many  occasions  before  the  day  is 
closed,  to  discover  the  corruptions  of  his  heart,  and  to 
show  how  weak  and  faint  his  best  principles  and  clearest 


Let.  2.  Letters  lo  a  Nobleman.  399 

convictions  are  in  their  actual  exercise.     And  in  this 
view,   how  vain  is  man  I   v.hat  a  contradiction  is  a  be- 
liever  to  himself !    He  is  called  a  Believer  emphati- 
call}',  because  he  cordially  assents  to  the  word  of  God  ; 
but,  alas  !  how  often  unworthy  of  tlie  name  !  If  I  -was 
to  describe  him  from  the  Scripture-character,  I  should 
say,   he  is  one  whose  heart  is  atiiirst  for  God,  for  his 
glory,  his  ima^e,  his  presence  :  his  affections  are  fixed 
upon  an  unseen  Saviour ;    his  treasures,   and   conse- 
quently his  thoughts,  are  on  high,  beyond  the  bounds  of 
sense.     Having  experienced  much  forgiveness,  he  is  full 
of  bowels  of  mercy  to  all  around;  and  having  been  often 
deceived  by  his  own  heart,   he  dares   trust  it  no  more, 
but  lives  by  faith  in  the  Son  of  God,  for  wisdom,  right- 
eousness,   and  sanctification,    and   derives    from   him 
grace  for  grace ;  sensible  that  without  him  he  has  not 
sufficiency  even  to  think  a  good  thought.      In  short — 
He  is  dead  to  the  world,  to  sin,  to  self,  but  alive  to  God, 
and  lively  in  his  service.     Prayer  is  his  breath,  the  word 
of  God  his  food,  and  the  ordinances  more  precious  to 
him  than  the  light  of  the  sun.     Such  is  a  believer — in 
his  judgment  and  prevailing  desires. 

But  was  I  to  describe  him  from  experience,  especially 
at  some  times,  how  diiferent  would  the  picture  be? 
Though  he  knows  that  communion  with  God  is  his 
higiiest  privilege,  he  too  seldom  finds  it  so ;  on  the  con- 
trary, if  duty,  conscience,  and  necessity  did  not  compel, 
he  would  leave  the  throne  of  grace  unvisited  from  day 
to  day.  He  takes  up  the  Bible,  conscious  that  it  is  the 
fountain  of  life  and  true  comfort ;  yet  perhaps  while  he 
is  making  the  reflection,  he  leels  a  secret  distaste,  which 
prompts  him  to  lay  it  down,  and  give  his  preference  to 
a  newspaper.  He  needs  not  to  be  told  of  the  vanity 
and  uncertainty  of  all  beneath  the  sun  ;  and  yet  is  al- 

VoL.  I.        '  3  F  ' 


400  Letters  to  ei  Nobleman.  Let.  2. 

most  as  much  elated  or  cast  down  by  a  trifle,  as  those 
who  have  their  portion  in  this  world.  He  believes  that 
all  things  shall  work  together  for  his  good,  and  that  the 
most  high  God  appoints,  adjusts,  and  over-rules  all  his 
concerns  ;  yet  he  feels  the  risings  of  fear,  anxiety,  and 
displeasure,  as  though  the  contrary  was  true.  He  owns 
himself  ignorant,  and  liable  to  be  deceived  by  a  thou- 
sand fallacies  ;  yei  is  easily  betrayed  into  positiveness, 
and  self-conceit.  He  feels  himself  an  unprofitable,  un- 
faithful, unthankful  servant,  and  therefore  blushes  to 
harbour  a  thought  of  desiring  the  esteem  and  commen- 
dations of  men,  yet  he  cannot  suppress  it.  Finally,  (for 
I  must  observe  some  bounds,)  on  account  of  these  and 
many  other  inconsistencies,  he  is  struck  dumb  before 
the  Lord,  stripped  of  every  hope  and  plea,  but  what  is 
provided  in  the  free  grace  of  God,  and  yet  his  heart 
is  continually  leaning  and  returning  to  a  covenant  of 
works. 

Two  questions  naturally  arise  from  such  a  view^  of 
ourselves.  First, — Flow  can  these  things  be,  or  why 
are  they  permitted  ?  Since  the  Lord  hates  sin,  teaches 
his  people  to  hate  it  and  cry  against  it,  and  has  promised 
to  hear  their  prayers,  how  is  it  that  they  go  thus  bur- 
dened ?  surely  if  he  could  not,  or  would  not,  over- 
rule evil  for  good,  he  would  not  permit  it  to  continue. 
By  these  exercises  he  teaches  us  more  truly  to  know  and 
feel  the  utter  depravity  and  corruption  of  our  whole  na- 
ture, that  we  are  indeed  defiled  in  every  part.  His 
method  of  salvation  is  likew  ise  hereby  exceedingly  en- 
deared to  us ;  we  see  that  it  is  and  must  be  of  grace, 
wholly  of  grace ;  and  that  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and 
his  perfect  righteousness,  is  and  must  be  our  all  in  all. 
His  power  likewise  in  maintaining  his  own  work,  not- 
withstanding our  infirmities,  temptations,  and  enemies. 


Let.  2.  Letters  to  a  Nuldeniivi.  401 

is  hereby  displayed  in  the  clearest  light,  his  strength  is 
manifested  in  our  weakness.  Satan  likewise  is  more 
remarkably  disappointed  and  put  to  shame,  when  he 
iinds  bounds  set  to  his  rage  and  policy,  beyond  which 
he  cannot  pass ;  and  that  those  in  whom  he  finds  so 
much  to  work  upon,  and  over  M'hom  he  so  often  pre- 
vails for  a  season,  escape  at  last  out  of  his  hands.  He; 
casts  them  down,  but  they  are  raised  again  ;  he  wounds 
them,  but  they  are  healed  :  he  obtains  his  desire  to  sift 
them  as  wheat,  but  the  prayer  of  their  great  Advocate 
prevails  for  the  maintenance  of  their  faith.  Further, 
by  what  believers  feel  in  themselves,  they  learn  by  de- 
grees how  to  warn,  pity,  and  bear  with  others.  A  soft, 
patient,  and  compassionate  spirit,  and  a  readiness  and 
skill  in  comforting  those  who  are  cast  down,  is  not  per- 
haps attainable  in  any  other  way.  And  lastly,  I  be- 
lieve nothing  more  habitually  reconciles  a  child  of  God 
to  the  thought  of  death,  than  the  wearisomeness  of  this 
warfare.  Death  is  unwelcome  to  nature ; — but  then, 
and  not  till  then,  the  conflict  will  cease.  Then  we  shall 
sin  no  more.  The  flesh,  with  alt  its  attendant  evils, 
will  be  laid  in  the  grave ; — then  the  soul,  which  has 
been  partaker  of  a  new  and  heavenly  birth,  shall  be 
freed  from  every  incumbrance,  and  stand  perfect  in  the 
Redeemer's  righteousness  before  God  in  glory. 

But  though  these  evils  cannot  be  wholly  removed,  it 
is  worth  while  to  inquire.  Secondly,  How  they  may  be 
mitigated  ?  This  Ave  are  encouraged  to  hope  for.  The 
word  of  God  directs  and  animates  to  a  crowth  in  <>"race  • 
and  though  we  can  do  nothing  spiritually  of  ourselves, 
yet  there  is  a  part  assigned  us.  We  cannot  conquer 
the  obstacles  in  our  way  by  our  own  strength  ;  yet  we 
can  give  way  to  thcjn  ;  and  if  vre  do,  it  is  our  sin,  and 
will  be  our  sorrow.     The  disputes  concerning  inherent 


402  Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  Let.  3. 

power  in  the  creature,  have  been  carried  to  inconve- 
nient lengths ;  for  my  own  part,  I  think  it  safe  to  use 
Scriptural  language.  The  apostles  exhort  us,  to  give 
all  diligence,  to  resist  the  devil,  to  purge  ourselves  irom 
all  filthiuess  of  flesh  and  spirit,  to  give  ourselves  to  read- 
ing, medikitioti,  and  prayer;  to  watch,  to  put  on  the 
whole  aroKHir  of  God,  and  to  abstain  from  all  appear- 
ance of  evil.  Faithfulness  to  light  received,  and  a  sin- 
cere endeavour  to  conlorm  to  the  means  prescribed  in 
the  word  of  God,  with  an  humble  application  to  the 
blood  of  sprinkling,  and  the  promised  Spirit,  will  un- 
doubtedly be  answered  by  increasing  measures  of  light, 
faith,  strength,  and  comfort;  and  we  shall  know,  if  we 
follow  on  to  know  the  Lord. 

I  need  not  tell  your  Lordship  that  I  am  an  extem- 
pore writer.  I  dropped  the  consideration  of  whom  I 
•was  addressing  from  the  first  paragraph  :  but  I  now 
return  and  subscribe  myself,  with  the  greatest  defer- 
ence, &c. 


LETTER  in. 
My  Lord,  April— 1770. 

X  HAVE  a  desire  to  fill  the  paper,  and  must  therefore 
betake  myself  to  the  expedient  I  lately  mentioned. — 
Glorious  things  are  spoken  of  the  city  of  God,  or,  (as  I 
suppose,)  the  state  of  glory,  in  Rev.  xxi.  from  verse  10. 
ad  jinem.  The  description  is  doubtless  mystical,  and 
perhaps  nothing  short  of  a  happy  experience  and  parti- 
cipation will  furnish  an  adequate  exposition.  One  ex- 
pression, in  particular,  has  I  believe  puzzled  wiser  heads 
than  mine  to  explain.  The.  street  of  the  eity  rras  pure 
gold,  as  it  zvcre  transparent  glass.     The  construction 


Let.  3.  Letters  to  a  Not/lenian.  403 

likewise  in  the  Greek  is  difficult.  Some  render  it  pure 
gold  tramparent  as  glass  ;  this  is  the  sense,  hut  then  it 
should  he  neuter,  ^»«?«v;;,  to  agree  with  x'','^'^^"-^-  If  our 
reading  is  right,  we  must  understand  it  either  of  gold 
pure^  bright,  and  perspicuous  as  the  finest  transparent 
glass,  (for  all  glass  is  not  transparent,)  or  else,  as  two 
distinct  comparisons,  splendid  and  durable  as  the  purest 
gold,  clear  and  transparent  as  the  finest  jrlass.  In  that 
happy  world  the  beauties  and  advantages  which  here 
are  divided  and  incompatible,  will  unite  and  agree. 
Our  glass  is  clear,  but  brittle  ;  our  gold  is  shining  and 
solid,  but  it  is  opaque,  and  discovers  only  a  surface. 
And  thus  it  is  with  our  minds.  The  powers  of  the 
imaiiination  arc  lively  and  extensive,  but  transient  and 
uncertain.  The  powers  of  the  understanding  are  more 
solid  and  regular,  but  at  the  same  time  more  slow  and 
limited,  and  confined  to  the  outside  properties  of  the 
few  objects  around  us.  But  when  we  arrive  within  the 
vail,  the  perfections  of  the  glass  and  the  gold  will  be 
combined,  and  the  imperfections  of  each  will  entirely 
cease.  Then  we  shall  knotv  more  than  we  can  now 
imadne.  The  aiass  will  be  all  Q-old.  And  then  we 
hhall  apprehend  Truth  in  its  relations  and  consequences, 
not,  (as  at  present,)  by  that  tedious  and  fallible  process 
which  we  call  Reasoning,  but  by  a  single  glance  of 
thought,  as  the  sight  pierces  in  an  instant  through  the 
largest  transparent  body.     The  gold  zi'ill  be  all  glass. 

I  do  not  offer  this  as  the  sense  of  the  passage,  but  as 
a  thought  which  once  occurred  to  me  while  reading  it. 
I  daily  groan  under  a  desultory  ungovernable  imagina- 
tion, and  a  palpable  darkness  of  understanding,  which 
greatly  impede  me  in  my  attempts  to  conteuiplate  the 
truths  of  God.  Perhaps  these  complaints,  in  a  greater 
or  less  degree,  are  common  to  all  our  fallen  race,  and 


404  Letters  to  a  NoOleman.  Let.  3. 

exhibit  mournful  proofs  that  our  nature  is  essentially 
depraved.  The  grace  of  God  affords  some  assistance 
for  correcting  the  wildness  of  the  fancy,  and  enlarging 
the  capacity  of  the  mind  :  yet  the  cure  at  present  is  but 
palliative ;  but  ere  long  it  shall  be  perfect,  and  our 
complaints  shall  cease  for  ever.  Now  it  costs  us  much 
pains  to  acquire  a  pittance  of  solid  and  useful  know- 
ledge ;  and  the  ideas  we  have  collected  are  far  from 
being  at  the  disposal  of  judgment,  and,  like  men  in  a 
crowd,  are  perpetually  clashing  and  interfering  v.ith 
each  other.  But  it  will  not  be  so,  when  we  are  com- 
pletely freed  from  the  effects  of  sin.  Confusion  and 
darkness  will  not  follow  us  into  the  world  where  lisht 
and  order  reign.  Then,  and  not  till  then,  our  know- 
ledge will  be  perfect,  and  our  possession  of  it  uninter- 
rupted and  secure. 

Since  the  radical  powers  of  the  soul  are  thus  enfee- 
bled and  disordered,  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that 
the  best  of  men,  and  under  their  highest  attainments, 
have  found  cause  to  make  the  ac^aiowledgment  of  the 
apostle,  "  When  I  would  do  good  evil  is  present  with 
"  me."  But,  blessed  be  God,  though  we  must  feel 
hourly  cause  for  shame  and  humiliation  for  what  we  are 
in  ourselves,  we  have  cause  to  rejoice  continually  in 
Christ  Jesus,  who,  as  he  is  revealed  unto  us  under  the 
various  names,  characters,  relations,  and  offices,  which 
he  bears  in  the  Scripture,  holds  out  to  our  faith  a  balm 
for  every  wound,  a  cordial  for  every  discouragement, 
and  a  sufficient  ansucr  to  every  objection  which  sin  or 
Satan  can  suggest  against  our  peace.  If  we  are  guilty, 
he  is  our  righteousness  :  if  we  are  sick,  he  is  our  inial- 
ble  physician ;  if  we  are  weak,  helpless,  and  defence- 
less, he  is  the  compassionate  and  faithful  Shepherd  who 
has  taken  charge  of  us,  and  will  not  suffer  any  thing  to 


liCt.  4.  Litters  to  a  Noblenxin.  405 

disappoint  our  hopes,  or  to  separate  us  from  his  love. 
He  knows  our  frame;  he  remembers  that  we  are  but 
dust ;  and  has  engaged  to  guide  us  by  his  counsel,  sup- 
port us  by  his  power,  and  at  length  to  receive  us  to  his 
glory,  tliat  we  may  be  with  him  for  ever. 

1  am,  with  the  greatest  deference,  &c. 


LETTER  IV. 

My  Lord,  Februciry — 1772, 

A  HAVE  been  sitting  perhaps  a  quarter  of  an  hour 
with  my  pen  in  my  hand,  and  my  finger  upon  my  upper 
lip,  contriving  how  I  should  begin  my  letter. — A  detail 
of  the  confused  incoherent  thoughts  w  hich  have  succes- 
sively  passed  through  my  mind,  would  have  more  than 
filled  the  sheet ;  but  your  Lordship's  patience,  and  even 
your  charity  for  the  writer,  would  have  been  tried  to  the 
uttermost,  if  I  could  have  penned  them  all  down.  At 
length  my  suspense  reminded  me  of  the  apostle's  words, 
Gal.  v.  17.  "  Ye  cannot  do  the  things  that  ye  would." 
This  is  an  humbling  but  a  just  account  of  a  Christian's 
attainments  in  the  present  life,  and  is  equally  applicable 
to  the  stroncrest  and  to  the  weakest.  The  weakest  need 
not  say  less^  the  strongest  will  hardly  venture  to  say  wore. 
The  Lord  has  given  his  people  a  desire  and  will  aiming 
at  great  things  ;  without  this  they  would  be  unworthy 
the  name  of  Christians  ;  but  they  cannot  do  as  they 
would  :  their  best  desires  are  weak  and  ineffectual,  not 
absolutely  so,  (for  he  who  works  in  them  to  w  ill,  enables 
them  in  a  measure  to  do  likewise,)  but  in  comparison 
with  the  mark  at  which  they  aim.  So  that  while  they 
have  great  cause  to  he  thankful  for  the  desire  he  has 
given  them,  and  for  the  degree  in  which  it  is  answered, 


IDti  Lcitcrs  to  a  Nobleman.  Let.  4, 

they  have  equal  reason  to  be  ashamed  and  abased  un- 
der a  s.ense  of  their  continual  defects,  and  the  evil  mix- 
tures which  taint  and  debase  their  best  endeavours.  It 
would  be  easy  to  make  out  a  long  list  of  particulars 
which  a  believer  would  do  if  he  could,  but  in  which  from 
first  to  last,  he  finds  a  mortifying  inability.  Permit  me 
to  mention  a  few,  which  I  need  not  transcribe  from 
books,  for  they  are  always  present  to  my  mind. 

He  would  Avillingly  enjoy  God  in  prayer  : — he  knows 
that  prayer  is  his  duty  ;  but,  in  his  judgment,  he  consi- 
ders it  likewise  as  his  greatest  honour  and  privilege. 
In  this  light  he  can  recommend  it  to  others,  and  can  tell 
them  of  the  wonderful  condescension  of  the  great  God, 
who  humbles  himself  to  behold  the  thino;s  that  are  in 
heaven,  that  he  should  stoop  so  much  lower,  to  afford 
bis  gracious  ear  to  the  supplications  of  sinful  worms 
upon  earth.  He  can  bid  them  expect  a  pleasure  in 
waiting  upon  the  Lord,  different  in  kind  and  greater  in 
degree  than  all  that  the  world  can  afford.  By  prayer 
he  can  say.  You  have  liberty  to  cast  all  your  cares  upon 
him  that  careth  for  you.  By  one  hour's  intimate  access 
to  the  throne  of  grace,  where  the  Lord  causes  his  glory 
to  pass  before  the  soul  that  seeks  him,  you  may  acquire 
more  true  spiritual  knowledge  and  comfort,  than  by  a 
day  or  a  week's  converse  with  the  best  of  men,  or  the 
most  studious  perusal  of  many  folios  :  and  in  this  light 
he  would  consider  it  and  improve  it  for  himself.  But, 
alas  !  how  seldom  can  he  do  as  he  would !  How  often 
does  he  find  this  privilege  a  mere  task,  which  he 
would  be  glad  of  a  just  excuse  to  omit  ?  and  the  chief 
pleasure  he  derives  from  the  performance,  is  to  think  that 
his  task  is  finished  : — he  has  been  drawing  near  to  God 
with  his  lips,  while  his  heart  was  far  from  him.  Surel}- 
this  is  not  doing  as  he  would,  when,  (to  borrow  the  ex- 


Let.  4.  Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  407 

pression  of  an  old  woman  here,)  he  is  dragged  before 
God  like  a  slave,  and  comes  away  like  a  thief. 

The  like  may  be  said  of  reading  the  Scripture.  He 
believes  it  to  be  the  Mord  of  God  :  he  adn)ires  the  wis- 
dom and  grace  of  the  doctrines,  the  beauty  of  the  pre- 
cepts, the  richness  and  suitableness  of  the  promises ; 
and  therefore,  with  David,  he  accounts  it  preferable  to 
thousands  of  gold  and  silver,  and  sweeter  than  honty  or 
the  honeycomb.  Yet  while  he  thus  thinks  of  it,  and  desires 
that  it  may  dwell  in  him  richly,  and  be  his  meditation 
night  and  day,  he  cannot  do  as  he  would.  It  will  re- 
quire some  resolution  to  persist  in  reading  a  portion  of 
it  every  day ;  and  even  then  his  heart  is  often  less  en- 
gaged than  when  reading  a  pamphlet.  Here  again  his 
privilege  frequently  dwindles  into  a  task.  His  appetite 
is  vitiated,  so  that  he  has  but  little  relish  for  the  food 
of  his  soul. 

He  would  willingly  have  abiding,  admiring  thoughts 
of  the  person  and  love  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Glad 
he  is,  indeed,  of  those  occasions  w  hich  recall  the  Saviour 
to  his  mind;  and  ^vith  this  view,  notwithstanding  all  dis- 
couragements, he  perseveres  in  attempting  to  pray  and 
read,  and  waits  upon  the  ordinances.  Yet  he  cannot  do  as 
he  would.  Whatever  claims  he  may  have  to  the  exer- 
cise of  gratitude  and  sensibility  towards  his  fellow- crea- 
tures, he  must  confess  himselt  mournfully  ungrateful  and 
insensible  towards  his  best  Friend  and  Benefactor.  Ah! 
what  trifles  are  capable  of  shutting  him  out  of  our 
thoughts,  of  whom  we  say.  He  is  the  Beloved  of  our 
souls,  who  loved  us,  and  gave  himself  for  us,  and  whona 
we  have  deliberately  chosen  as  our  chief  good  and  por- 
tion. What  can  make  us  amends  for  the  loss  we  sufter 
here  ?  Yet  surely  if  we  could,  we  would  set  him  alwavs 

Vol.  T.  "^  3  G 


408  titers  to  a  Nobleman.  Let.  4. 

before  us ;  his  love  should  be  the  delightful  theme  of 
our  hearts 

From  morn  to  noon,  from  noon  to  dewy  eve. 

But  though  we  aim  at  this  good,  evil  is  present  with  us  ; 
we  find  we  are  renewed  but  in  part,  and  have  still  cause 
to  plead  the  Lord's  promise,  To  take  away  the  heart  of 
stone,  and  give  us  a  heart  of  flesh. 

He  would  willingly  acquiesce  in  all  the  dispensations 
of  Divine  Providence.  He  believes  that  all  events  are 
under  the  direction  of  infinite  wisdom  and  goodness,  and 
shall  surely  issue  in  the  glory  of  God  and  the  good  of 
those  who  fear  him.  He  doubts  not  but  the  hairs  of  his 
head  are  all  numbered,  that  the  blessings  of  every  kind 
>vhich  he  possesses,  were  bestowed  upon  him,  and  are 
preserved  to  him,  by  the  bounty  and  special  favour  of 
the  Lord  whom  he  serves ;  that  afflictions  spring  not  out 
of  the  gi'ound,  but  are  fruits  and  tokens  of  Divine  love, 
no  less  than  his  comforts  ; — that  there  is  a  need-be, 
whenever  for  a  season  he  is  in  heaviness.  Of  these  prin- 
ciples he  can  no  more  doubt,  than  of  what  he  sees  with 
his  eyes,  and  there  are  seasons  when  he  thinks  they  will 
prove  sufficient  to  reconcile  him  to  the  sharpest  trials. 
But  often  when  he  aims  to  apply  them  in  an  hour  of 
present  distress,  he  cannot  do  what  he  would.  He  feels 
a  law  in  his  members  warring  against  the  law  in  his 
mind ;  so  that,  in  defiance  of  the  clearest  convictions,  see- 
ing as  though  he  perceived  not,  he  is  ready  to  complain, 
murmur,  and  despond.  Alas  !  how  vain  is  man  in  his 
best  estate !  How  much  weakness  and  inconsistency 
even  in  those  whose  hearts  are  right  with  the  Lord  !  and 
what  reason  have  we  to  confess  that  we  are  unworthy, 
u  profitable  servants ! 


Let.  5.  Letters  to  a  Noblemnn.  409 

It  were  easy  to  enlarge  in  this  way,  would  paper  and 
time  permit.  But  blessed  be  God,  we  are  not  under 
tlie  law,  but  under  grace.  i\nd  even  these  distressing 
effects  of  the  remnants  of  indwelling  sin  are  over-ruled 
for  good.  By  these  experiences  the  believer  is  weaned 
more  from  self,  and  taught  more  highly  to  prize  and 
more  obsolutely  to  rely  on  him,  who  is  appointed  unto 
us  of  God,  Wisdom,  Righteousness,  Sanctification,  and 
Redemption.  The  more  vile  we  are  in  our  own  eyes, 
the  more  precious  he  will  be  to  us  ;  and  a  deep  repeated 
sense  of  the  evil  of  our  hearts  is  necessary  to  preclude 
all  boasting,  and  to  make  us  willing  to  give  the  whole 
glory  of  our  salvation  where  it  is  due.  Again,  a  sense 
of  these  evils  will,  (when  hardly  any  thing  else  can  do  it,) 
reconcile  us  to  the  thoughts  of  death  ;  yea,  make  us  de- 
sirous to  depart  that  we  may  sin  no  more,  since  we  find 
depravity  so  deep  rooted  in  our  nature,  that,  (like  the 
leprous  house,)  the  whole  fabric  must  be  taken  down 
before  we  can  be  freed  from  its  defilement.  Then,  and 
not  till  then,  we  shall  be  able  to  do  the  thing  that  we 
would  :  when  we  see  Jesus,  we  shall  be  transformed 
into  his  image,  and  have  done  with  sin  and  sorrow  for 
ever. 

I  am,  with  great  deference,  &c. 


LETTER  V. 
My  Lord,  March— 1772 

A  THINK  my  last  letter  turned  upon  the  apostle's 
thought.  Gal.  v.  17.  "  Ye  cannot  do  the  tilings  that  ye 
would."  In  the  parallel  place,  Rom.  vii.  19.  there  is 
another  clause  subjoined,  "  The  evil  which  I  would  not, 
"  that  I  do."     This,  a(;ided  to  the  former,  would,  com- 


410  'Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  Let.  5. 

plete  the  dark  side  of  my  experience.  Permit  me  to 
tell  your  lordship  a  little  part,  (for  some  things  must 
not,  cannot  be  told,)  not  of  what  I  have  read,  but  of 
what  I  have  felt,  in  illustration  of  this  passage. 

I  would  not  be  the  sport  and  prey  of  wild,  vain,  fool- 
ish, and  worse  imaginations  ;  but  this  evil  is  present 
with  me ;  my  heart  is  like  a  highway,  like  a  city  with- 
out walls  or  gates.  Nothing  so  false,  so  frivolous,  so 
absurd,  so  impossible,  or  so  horrid,  but  it  can  obtain  ac- 
cess, and  that  at  any  time,  or  in  any  place  :  neither  the 
study,  the  pulpit,  or  even  the  Lord's  table,  exempt  me 
from  their  intrusion.  I  sometimes  compare  my  words 
to  the  treble  of  an  instrument,  which  my  thoughts  ac- 
company with  a  kind  of  base,  or  rather  an ti- base,  in 
which  every  rule  of  harmony  is  broken,  every  possible 
combination  of  discord  and  confusion  is  introduced,  utter- 
ly inconsistent  with,  and  contradictory  to,  the  intended 
melody.  Ah!  what  music  would  my  praying  and  preach- 
ing often  make  in  the  ears  of  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  if  he 
listened  to  them  as  they  are  jnine  only  !  By  men,  the 
upper  part  only,  (if  I  may  so  speak,)  is  heard  ;  and 
small  cause  there  is  for  self-gratulation,  if  they  should 
happen  to  commend,  when  conscience  tells  me  they 
would  be  struck  with  astonishment  and  abhorrence 
could  they  hear  the  whole. 

But  if  this  awful  effect  of  heart-depravity  cannot  be 
wholly  avoided  in  the  present  state  of  human  nature, 
yet,  at  least,  I  would  not  allow  and  indulge  it;  yet  this  I 
find  I  do.  In  defiance  of  my  best  judgment  and  best 
wishes,  I  find  something  within  me  which  cherishes  and 
cleaves  to  those  evils,  from  which  I  ought  to  start  and 
flee,  as  I  should  if  a  toad  or  a  serpent  was  put  in  iny 
food  or  in  my  bed.  Ah  !  how  vile  must  the  heart,  (at 
least  my  heart,)  be,  that  can  hold  a  parley  with  such 


Let.  5.  Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  411 

abominations,  when  I  so  well  know  their  nature  and 
their  tendency.  Surely  he  who  finds  himself  capable  of 
this,  may,  without  the  least  affection  of  humility,  (how- 
ever fair  his  outward  conduct  appears,)  subscribe  him- 
self less  than  the  least  of  all  saints,  and  of  sinners  the 
very  chief. 

I  would  not  be  influenced  by  a  principle  of  self  on 
any  occasion  ;  yet  this  evil  I  often  do.  I  see  the  base- 
ness and  absurdity  of  such  a  conduct  as  clearly  as  I  see 
the  light  of  the  day.  I  do  not  affect  to  be  thought  ten 
feet  hio;h,  and  I  know  that  a  desire  of  being  thought  wise 
or  good,  is  equally  contrary  to  reason  and  truth.  I 
should  be  grieved  or  angry  if  my  fellow-creatures  sup- 
posed I  had  such  a  desire :  and  therefore  I  fear  the  very 
principle  of  self,  of  which  I  complain,  has  a  considera- 
ble share  in  prompting  my  desires  to  conceal  it.  The 
pride  of  others  often  offends  me,  and  makes  me  studious 
to  hide  my  own  ;  because  their  good  opinion  of  me  de- 
pends much  upon  their  not  perceiving  it.  But  the  Lord 
knows  how  this  dead  fly  taints  and  spoils  my  best  ser- 
vices, and  makes  them  no  better  than  specious  sins. 

I  would  not  indulge  vain  reasonings  concerning  the 
counsels,  ways,  and  providences  of  God ;  yet  I  am 
prone  to  do  it.  That  the  Judge  of  all  the  earth  will  do 
right,  is  to  me  as  evident  and  necessary  as  that  two  and 
two  make  four.  I  believe  that  he  has  a  sovereign  ricrht 
to  do  what  he  will  with  his  own,  and  that  this  sove- 
reignty is  but  another  name  for  the  unlimited  exercise  of 
wisdom  and  goodness.  But  my  reasonings  are  often 
such,  as  if  I  had  never  heard  of  these  principles,  or  had 
formally  renounced  them.  I  feel  the  workings  of  a  pre- 
sumptuous spirit  that  would  account  for  every  thing;, 
and  venture  to  dispute  whatever  it  cannot  comprehend. 


412  Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  Let.  5. 

What  an  evil  is  this,  for  a  potsherd  of  the  earth  to  con- 
tend with  its  Maker !  I  do  not  act  thus  towards  my 
fellow-creatures ;  I  do  not  find  fault  with  the  decisions 
of  a  judge,  or  the  dispositions  of  a  general,  because, 
though  I  know  they  are  fallible,  yet  I  suppose  they  are 
wiser  in  their  respective  departments  than  myself  But 
I  am  often  ready  to  take  this  liberty  when  it  is  most 
unreasonable  and  inexcusable. 

I  would  not  cleave  to  a  covenant  of  works  :  it  should 
seem  from  the  foregoing  particulars,  and  many  others 
which  I  could  mention,  that  I  have  reasons  enough  to 
deter  me  from  this.  Yet  even  this  I  do.  Not  but 
that  I  say,  and  I  hope  from  my  heart.  Enter  not  into 
judgment  with  thy  servant,  O  Lord  ;  I  embrace  it  as  a 
faithful  saying,  and  worthy  of  all  acceptation,  that  Jesus 
Christ  came  into  the  world  to  save  sinners  ;  and  it  is  the 
main  pleasure  and  business  of  my  life,  to  set  forth  the 
necessity  and  all-sufficiency  of  the  JNIediator  between 
God  and  man,  and  to  make  mention  of  his  righteous- 
ness, even  of  his  only.  But  here,  as  in  every  thing  else, 
I  find  a  vast  difference  between  my  judgment  and  my 
experience.  I  am  invited  to  take  the  water  of  Wie freely y 
■yet  often  discouraged,  because  I  have  nothing  where- 
with to  pay  for  it.  If  I  am  at  times  favoured  with  some 
liberty  from  the  above-mentioned  evil,  it  rather  gives 
me  a  more  favourable  opinion  of  myself,  than  increases 
my  admiration  of  the  Lord's  goodness  to  so  unworthy  a 
creature  ;  and  when  the  returning  tide  of  my  corruptions 
convinces  me  that  /  am  still  the  same,  an  unbelieving 
legal  spirit  would  urge  me  to  conclude  that  the  Lord  is 
changed  :  at  least,  I  feel  a  weariness  of  being  beholden 
to  him  for  such  continued  multiplied  forgiveness  ;  and  I 
fear  that  some  part  of  my  striving  against  sin,  and  my 


Let.  6.  Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  413 

desires  after  an  increase  of  sanctification,  arises  from  a 
secret  wish  that  I  might  not  be  so  absolutely  and  en- 
tirely indebted  to  him. 

This,  my  Lord,  is  only  a  faint  sketch  of  my  heart ; 
but  it  is  taken  from  the  life :  it  would  require  a  volume 
rather  than  a  letter  to  fill  up  the  outlines.  But  I  believe 
you  will  not  regret  that  I  choose  to  say  no  more  upon 
such  a  subject.  But  though  my  disease  is  grievous,  it  is 
not  desperate ;  I  have  a  gracious  and  infallible  physi- 
cian. 1  shall  not  die,  but  live,  and  declare  the  works 
of  the  Lord. 

I  remain,  my  Lord,  &c. 


M 


LETTER  VI. 

My  Lord,  April— 1772. 


.Y  two  last  letters  turned  upon  a  mournful  subject, 
the  depravity  of  the  heart,  which  impedes  us  when  we 
would  do  good,  and  pollutes  our  best  intended  services 
with  evil.  We  have  cause,  upon  this  account,  to  go 
softly  all  our  days  ;  yet  we  need  not  sorro^v  as  they  who 
have  no  hope.  The  Lord  has  provided  his  people  relief 
under  those  complaints,  and  teaches  us  to  draw  im- 
provement from  them.  If  the  evils  we  feel  were  not 
capable  of  being  over-ruled  for  good,  he  would  not  per- 
mit them  to  remain  in  us.  This  we  may  infer  from 
his  hatred  to  sin,  and  the  love  which  he  bears  to  his 
people. 

As  to  the  remedy,  neither  our  state  nor  his  honour 
are  affected  by  the  workings  of  indwelling  sin,  in  the 
hearts  of  those  whom  he  has  taught  to  wrestle,  strive, 
and  mourn,  on  account  of  what  they  feel.  Though  sin 
wars,  it  shall  not  reign;  and  though  it  breaks  our  peace. 


A14  Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  Let.  6. 

it  cannot  separate  from  his  love.  Nor  is  it  inconsistent 
with  his  holiness  and  perfection,  to  manifest  his  favour 
to  such  poor  defiled  creatures,  or  to  admit  them  to  com- 
munion with  himself;  for  they  are  not  considered  as  in 
themselves,  but  as  one  with  Jesus,  to  whom  they  have 
fled  for  refuge,  and  by  whom  they  live  a  life  of  faith. 
They  are  accepted  in  the  Beloved,  they  have  an  Advo- 
cate with  the  Father,  w  ho  once  made  an  atonement  for 
their  sins,  and  ever  lives  to  make  intercession  for  their 
persons.  Though  they  cannot  fulfil  the  law,  he  has 
fulfilled  it  for  them ;  though  the  obedience  ot  the  mem- 
bers is  defiled  and  imperfect,  the  obedience  of  the  head 
is  spotless  and  complete;  and  though  there  is  much  evil 
in  them,  there  is  something  good,  the  fruit  of  his  own 
gracious  Spirit.  They  act  from  a  principle  of  love,  they 
aim  at  no  less  than  his  glory,  and  their  habitual  desires 
are  supremely  fixed  upon  himself.  There  is  a  difference 
in  kind  between  the  feeblest  efforts  of  faith  in  a  real  be- 
liever, Mhile  he  is  covered  with  shame  at  the  thoughts 
of  his  miscarriages,  and  the  highest  and  most  specious 
attainments  of  those  w  ho  are  wise  in  their  own  eyes,  and 
prudent  in  their  own  sight.  Nor  shall  this  conflict  re- 
main long,  or  the  enemy  finally  prevail  over  them. 
They  are  supported  by  almighty  power,  and  led  on  to 
certain  victory.  They  shall  not  always  be  as  they  are 
now ;  yet  a  little  while,  and  they  shall  be  fretd  from 
this  vile  body,  which,  like  the  leprous  house,  is  incura- 
bly contaminated,  and  must  be  entirely  taken  down. 
Then  they  shall  see  Jesus  as  he  is,  and  be  like  him^ 
and  with  him  for  ever. 

The  gracious  purposes  to  which  the  Lord  makes  the 
sense  and  feeling  of  our  depravity  subservient,  are  ma- 
nifold. Hereby  his  own  power,  wisdom,  faithfulness, 
and  love,  are  more  signally  displayed.     His  power,  in 


Let.  C.  Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  416 

maintaining  hi^  own  work  in  the  midst  of  so  much  op- 
position, like  a  spark  burning  in  the  water,  or  a  bush 
unconsumed  in  the  flames.  His  wisdom,  in  defeating 
and  controlling  all  the  devices  which  Satan,  from  his 
knowledge  of  the  evil  of  our  nature,  is  encouraged  to 
practise  against  us.  He  has  overthrown  many  a  fair 
professor,  and,  like  Goliah,  he  challenges  the  whole 
army  of  Israel ;  yet  he  finds  there  are  some  against 
whom,  though  he  thrusts  sorely,  he  cannot  prevail ;  not- 
withstanding any  seeming  advantage  he  gains  at  some 
seasons,  they  are  still  delivered,  for  the  Lord  is  on  their 
side.  The  unchangeableness  of  the  Lord's  love,  and 
the  riches  of  his  mercv,  are  likewise  more  illustrated  by 
the  multiplied  pardons  he  bestows  upon  his  people, 
than  if  they  needed  no  forgiveness  at  all. 

Hereby  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  more  endeared  to 
the  soul ;  all  boasting  is  effectually  excluded,  and  the 
glory  of  a  full  and  free  salvation  is  ascribed  to  bun 
alone.  If  a  mariner  is  surprised  by  a  storm,  and  alter 
one  night  spent  in  jeopardy,  is  presently  brought  safe 
into  port ;  though  he  may  rejoice  in  his  deliverance,  it 
will  not  affect  him  so  sensibly,  as  if,  after  being  tempest- 
tossed  for  a  long  season,  and  experiencing  a  great  num- 
ber and  variety  of  hair-breadth  escapes,  he  at  last  gains 
the  desired  haven.  The  righteous  are  said  to  be  scarce- 
ly saved,  not  with  respect  to  the  certainty  of  the  event, 
for  the  purpose  of  God  in  their  favour  cannot  be  disap- 
pointed ;  but  in  respect  of  their  own  apprehensions,  and 
the  great  difficulties  they  are  broui^ht  through.  But 
when,  after  a  long  experience  of  their  own  deceitful 
hearts,  after  repeated  proofs  of  their  weakness,  wilful- 
ness, ingratitude,  and  insensibility,  they  find  that  none 
of  these  things  can  separate  them  from  the  love  of  God 
in  Christ,  Jesus  becomes  more  and  more  precious  to 

Vol.  I.  3  H 


41G  Letters  to  a  Noblevirni.  Let.  G. 

their  souls.  They  love  much,  because  much  has  been 
forgiven  them.  They  dare  not,  they  v,i\\  not  ascribe 
any  thing  to  themselves,  but  are  glad  to  acknowledge, 
that  they  must  have  perished,  (if  possible,)  a  thousand 
times  over,  if  Jesus  had  not  been  their  Saviour,  their 
shepherd,  and  their  shield.  When  they  were  wander- 
ing he  brought  them  back,  when  fallen  he  raised  them, 
when  wounded  he  healed  them,  when  fainting  he  re- 
vived them.  By  him  out  of  weakness  they  have  been 
made  strong  ;  he  has  taught  their  hands  to  war,  and 
covered  their  heads  in  the  day  of  battle.  In  a  word, 
some  of  the  clearest  proofs  they  have  had  of  his  excel- 
lence, have  been  occasioned  by  the  mortifying  proofs 
they  have  had  of  their  own  vileness.  They  would  not 
have  known  so  much  of  him,  if  they  had  not  known  so 
much  of  themselves. 

Further,  a  spirit  of  humiliation,  which  is  both  the 
Decus  et  Tutamen^  the  strength  and  beauty  of  our  pro- 
fession, is  greatly  promoted  by  our  feeling,  as  well  as 
reading,  that  when  we  would  do  good,  evil  is  present 
with  us.  A  broken  and  contrite  spirit  is  pleasing  to 
the  Lord,  he  has  promised  to  dwell  with  those  who  have 
it;  and  experience  shows,  that  the  exercise  of  all  our 
graces  is  in  proportion  to  the  humbling  sense  we  hav^e 
of  the  depravity  of  our  nature.  But  that  we  are  so  to- 
tally depraved,  is  a  truth  which  no  one  ever  truly  learned 
by  being  only  told  it.  Indeed,  if  we  could  receive,  and 
habitually  maintain,  a  right  judgment  of  ourselves,  by 
what  is  plainly  declared  in  Scripture,  it  would  probably 
save  us  many  a  mournful  hour ;  but  experience  is  the 
Lord's  school,  and  they  M'ho  are  taught  by  him  usually 
learn,  that  they  have  no  wisdom  by  the  mistakes  they 
make,  and  that  they  have  no  strength  by  the  slips  and 
falls  they  meet  with.     Every  day  draws  forth  some  new 


Let.  G.  Letters  to  a  NoMemaiu  4.17 

corruption  which  before  was  little  observed,  or  at  least 
discovers  it  in  a  stronger  light  than  before.  Thus  by 
degrees  they  are  Aveaned  from  leaning  to  any  supposed 
M  isdom,  power,  or  goodness  in  themselves  ;  they  feel 
the  truth  of  our  Lord's  words,  "  without  me  ye  can  do 
*'  nothing  ;"  and  the  necessity  of  crying  with  David, 
"  O  lead  me  and  guide  me  for  thy  name's  sake."  It  is 
chiefly  by  this  frame  of  mind  that  one  Christian  is  dif- 
ferenced from  another ;  for,  though  it  is  an  inward  feel- 
ing, it  has  very  observable  outward  eft'ects,  which  are 
expressively  intimated,  Ezek.  xvi.  63.  "  Thou  shalt  be 
"  dumb  and  not  open  thy  mouth,  in  the  day  when  I  am 
*'  pacified  towards  thee,  saith  the  Lord  God."  The 
knowledge  of  my  full  and  free  forgiveness  of  thy  innu- 
merable backslidintjs  and  transgressions,  shall  make  thee 
ashamed,  and  silence  the  unruly  workings  of  thine  heart. 
Thou  shalt  open  thy  mouth  in  praise;  but  thou  shalt  no 
more  boast  in  thyself,  or  censure  others,  or  repine  at  my 
dispensations.  In  these  respects  we  are  exceedingly 
prone  to  speak  unadvisedly  with  our  lips.  But  a  sense 
of  great  unworthinessand  much  forgiveness  checks  these 
evils.  ^V'hoever  is  truly  humble  will  not  be  easily 
angry,  will  not  be  positive  and  rash,  will  be  compas- 
sionate and  tender  to  the  infirmities  of  his  felloM-sin- 
ners,  knowing,  that  if  there  be  a  difference,  it  is  grace 
that  has  made  it,  and  that  he  has  the  seeds  of  every  evil 
in  his  o\An  heart;  and,  under  all  trials  and  afflictions,  he 
w  ill  look  to  the  hand  of  the  Lord,  and  lay  his  mouth  in 
the  dust,  acknowledging  that  he  suffers  much  less  than 
his  iniquities  have  deserved.  These  are  some  of  the 
advantages  and  good  fruits  which  the  Lord  enables  us 
to  obtain  from  that  bitter  root,  indwelling  sin. 

I  am,  with  great  deference,  &c, 


418  Letters  to  a  Nobleman,  Let. 

LETTER  VII. 

My  Lord,  September — 1772 


W] 


EAK,  unskilful,  and  unfaithful,  as  I  am  in  practice, 
the  Lord  has  been  pleased  to  give  me  some  idea  of  what 
a  Christian  ought  to  be,  and  of  what  is  actually  attain- 
able in  the  present  life,  by  those  whom  he  enables  ear- 
nestly to  aspire  towards  the  prize  of  their  high  calling. 
They  w  ho  are  versed  in  mechanics  can,  from  a  know- 
ledge of  the  combined  powers  of  a  complicated  ma- 
chine, make  an  exact  calculation  of  what  it  is  able  to 
perform,  and  what  resistance  it  can  counteract ;  but 
who  can  compute  the  possible  effects  of  that  combina- 
tion of  principles  and  motives  revealed  in  the  Gospel, 
upon  a  heart  duly  impressed  with  a  sense  of  their  im- 
portance and  glory  ?  When  I  was  lately  at  ]\Ir.  Cox's 
Museum,  while  I  was  fixing  my  attention  upon  some 
curious  movements,  ima^inino-  that  I  saw  the  whole  of 
the  artist's  design,  the  person  who  showed  it  touched  a 
little  spring,  and  suddenly  a  thousand  new  and  unex- 
pected motions  took  place,  and  the  whole  piece  seemed 
animated  from  the  top  to  the  bottom.  I  should  have 
formed  but  a  very  imperfect  judgm.ent  of  it,  had  I  seen 
no  more  than  what  I  saw  at  first.  I  thought  it  mi^ht 
in  some  measure  illustrate  the  vast  difference  that  is 
observable  amongst  professors,  even  amongst  those  who 
are,  it  is  to  be  hoped,  sincere.  There  are  persons  who 
appear  to  have  a  true  knowledge,  (in  part,)  of  the  nature 
of  the  Gospel-religion,  but  seem  not  to  be  apprised  of 
its  properties,  in  their  comprehension  and  extent.  li 
they  have  attained  to  some  hope  of  their  acceptance  ;  if 
they  find  at  seasons  some  communion  with  God  in  the 


Let.   7.  Letters  to  a  Noblemun.  -il'j 

means  of  grace ;  if  they  are  in  measure  delivered  from 
the  prevailing  and  corrupt  customs  of  the  world,  they 
seem  to  be  satisfied,  as  if  they  were  possessed  of  all. 
These  arc  indeed  great  things;  Sedmel'wr a  latent.  The 
profession  of  too  many,  whose  sincerity  charity  would 
be  unwilling  to  impeach,  is  greatly  blemished,  notwith- 
standing their  hopes  and  their  occasional  comforts,  by 
the  breakings  forth  of  unsanctified  tempers,  and  the  in- 
dulgence of  vain  hopes,  anxious  cares,  and  selfish  pur- 
suits. Far,  very  far,  am  I  from  that  unscriptural  sen- 
timent of  sinless  perfection  in  fallen  man.  To  those 
who  have  a  due  sense  of  the  spirituality  and  ground  of 
the  divine  precepts,  and  of  what  passes  in  their  own 
hearts,  there  will  never  be  wanting  causes  of  humiliation 
and  self-abasement  on  the  account  of  sin;  yet  still  there 
is  a  liberty  and  privilege  attainable  by  the  Gospel,  be- 
3'ond  what  is  ordinarily  thought  of.  Permit  me  to  men- 
tion two  or  three  particulars,  in  which  those  m  ho  have 
a  holy  ambition  of  aspiring  to  them  shall  not  be  alto- 
gether disappointed. 

A  delight  in  the  Lord's  all-sufficiency,  to  be  satisfied 
in  him  as  our  present  and  eternal  portion.  This,  in  the 
sense  in  which  I  understand  it,  is  not  the  effect  of  a 
present  warm  frame,  but  of  a  deeply  rooted  and  abiding 
principle;  the  habitual  exercise  of  which  is  to  be  esti- 
mated by  the  comparative  indifference  with  which  other 
things  are  regarded.  The  soul  thus  principled  is  not  at 
leisure  to  take  or  to  seek  satisfaction  in  any  thing  but 
what  has  a  known  subserviency  to  this  leading  taste. 
Either  the  Lord  is  present,  and  then  he  is  to  be  rejoiced 
in ;  or  else  he  is  absent,  and  then  he  is  to  be  sought  and 
waited  for.  They  are  to  be  pitied,  who,  if  they  are  at 
some  times  happy  in  the  Lord,  can  at  other  times  be 
happy  without  him,  and  rejoice  in  broken  cisterns,  when 


4!2{)  Lcitci's  lo  a  Isoblemaii.  Let.  7, 

their  spirits  are  at  a  distance  from  the  fountain  of  living 
waters.  I  do  not  plead  for  an  absolute  indifference  to 
temporal  blessings ;  he  gives  us  all  things  richly  to  enjoy  ; 
and  a  capacity  of  relishing  them  is  his  gift  likewise;  but 
then  the  consideration  of  his  love  in  bestowing  should 
exceedingly  enhance  the  value,  and  a  regard  to  his  will 
should  regulate  their  use.  Nor  can  they  all  supply  the 
\\M\ioi  that  which  we  can  only  receive  immediately  from 
himself.  This  principle  likewise  moderates  that  inordi- 
nate fear  and  sorrow  to  which  we  are  liable  upon  the  pro- 
spect or  the  occurrence  of  great  trials,  for  which  there  is  a 
sure  support  and  resource  provided  in  the  all-sufficiency, 
of  infinite  goodness  and  grace.  What  a  privilege  is  this, 
to  possess  God  in  all  t/iings  while  we  have  them,  and  all 
things  in  God  when  they  are  taken  from  us. 

An  acquiescence  in  the  Lord's  w  ill,  founded  in  a  per- 
suasion of  his  wisdom,  holiness,  sovereignty,  and  good- 
ness. This  is  one  of  the  greatest  privileges  and  bright- 
est ornaments  of  our  profession.  So  far  as  we  attain  to 
this,  we  are  secure  from  disappointment.  Our  own 
limited  views,  and  short-sighted  purposes  and  desires, 
may  be,  and  will  be,  often  over  ruled ;  but  then  our 
main  and  leading  desire,  that  the  will  of  the  Lord  may 
be  done,  must  be  accomplished.  IIow  highly  does  it 
become  us,  both  as  creatures  and  as  sinners,  to  submit 
to  the  appointments  of  our  Maker!  and  how  necessary 
is  it  to  oiu'  peace !  This  great  attainment  is  too  often 
unthought  of,  and  overlooked;  we  are  prone  to  fix  our 
attention  upon  the  second  causes  and  immediate  instru- 
ments of  events ;  forgetting  that  whatever  befalls  us  is 
according  to  his  purpose,  and  therefore  must  be  right 
and  seasonable  in  itself,  and  shall  in  the  issue  be  pro- 
ductive of  good.  From  hence  arise  impatience,  resent- 
ment, and  secret  repinings,  which  are  not  only  sinful, 


Let.  7.  Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  421 

but  tormenting :  whereas,  if  all  things  are  in  his  hand, 
if  the  very  hairs  of  our  head  are  numbered ;  if  every 
event,  2;reat  and  small,  is  under  the  direction  of  his  pro- 
vidence and  purpose;  and  if  he  has  a  wise,  holy,  and 
gracious  end  in  view,  to  which  every  thing  that  happens 
is  subordinate  and  subservient; — then  we  have  nothing 
to  do,  but  with  patience  and  humility  to  follow  as  he 
leads,  and  cheerfully  to  expect  a  happy  issue.  The  path 
of  present  duty  is  marked  out;  and  the  concerns  of  the 
next  and  every  succeeding  hour  are  in  his  hands.  How 
happy  are  they  who  can  resign  all  to  him,  see  his  hand 
in  every  dispensation,  and  believe  that  he  chooses  bet- 
ter for  them  than  they  possibly  could  for  themselves  ! 

A  single  eye  to  his  glory,  as  the  ultimate  scope  of  all 
our  undertakings.  The  Lord  can  design  nothing  short 
of  his  own  glory,  nor  should  we.  The  constraining  love 
of  Christ  has  a  direct  and  marvellous  tendency,  in  pro- 
portion to  the  measure  of  faith,  to  mortify  the  corrupt 
principle,  Sc/f,  which  for  a  season  is  the  grand  spring  of 
our  conduct,  and  by  which  we  are  too  much  biassed 
after  we  know  the  Lord.  But  as  grace  prevails,  self  is 
renounced.  We  feel  that  we  are  not  our  ov,n,  that  we 
are  bought  with  a  price;  and  that  it  is  our  duty,  our  ho- 
nour, and  our  happiness,  to  be  servants  of  God  and  of 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  To  devote  soul  and  bod}',  every 
talent,  power,  and  facult}',  to  the  service  of  his  cause 
and  will;  to  let  our  light  shine,  (in  our  several  situations,) 
to  the  praise  of  his  grace ;  to  place  our  highest  joy  in 
the  contemplation  of  his  adorable  perfections;  to  rejoice 
even  in  tribulations  and  distresses,  in  reproaches  and  in- 
firmities, if  thereby  the  power  of  Christ  may  rest  upon 
us,  and  be  magnified  in  us ;  to  be  content,  yea,  glad  to 
be  nothing,  that  he  may  be  all  in  ail; — to  obey  hm,  m 
opposition  to  the  threats  or  solicitations  of  men ;  to  trust 


43^2  Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  Let.  T. 

him,  though  all  outward  appearances  seem  against  us ; 
to  rejoice  in  him,  though  we  should,  (as  will  sooner  or 
later  be  the  case,)  have  nothing  else  to  rejoice  in ; — to 
live  above  the  world,  and  to  have  our  conversation  in 
heaven ;  to  be  like  the  angels,  finding  our  own  pleasure 
in  performing  his  : — This,  my  lord,  is  the  prize,  the 
mark  of  our  high  calling,  to  which  we  are  encouraged 
with  a  holy  ambition  continually  to  aspire.  It  is  true, 
we  shall  still  fall  short;  we  shall  find,  that  when  we 
would  do  good,  evil  will  be  present  with  us.  But  the 
attempt  is  glorious,  and  shall  not  be  wholly  in  vain. 
He  that  gives  us  thus  to  will,  will  enable  us  to  perform 
with  growing  success,  and  teach  us  to  profit  even  by 
our  mistakes  and  imperfections 

O  blessed  man!  that  thus  fears  the  Lord,  that  de- 
lights in  his  word,  and  derives  his  principles,  motives, 
maxims,  and  consolations,  from  that  unfailing  source  of 
light  and  strength.  He  shall  be  like  a  tree  planted  by 
the  rivers  of  water,  whose  leaf  is  always  green,  and  fruit 
abundant.  The  wisdom  that  is  above  shall  direct  his 
plans,  inspire  his  counsels;  and  the  power  of  God  shall 
guard  him  on  every  side,  and  prepare  his  w-ay  through 
every  difficulty :  he  shall  see  mountains  sink  into  plains, 
and  streams  spring  up  in  the  dry  wilderness.  The 
Lord's  enemies  will  be  his;  and  they  may  be  permitted 
to  fight  against  him,  but  they  shall  not  prevail,  for  the 
Lord  is  with  him  to  deliver  him.  The  conduct  of  such 
a  one,  though  in  a  narrow  and  retired  sphere  of  life,  is 
of  more  real  excellence  and  importance,  than  the  most 
splendid  actions  of  kings  and  conquerors,  which  fill  the 
annals  of  history,  Prov.  xvi.  32.  And  if  the  God  whom 
lie  serves  is  pleased  to  place  him  in  a  more  public  light, 
his  labours  and  cares  will  be  amply  compensated,  by  the 
superior  opportunities  afforded  him  of  manifesting  the 


Let.  8.  Letters  to  a  Nobleman. 

power  and  reality  of  true  religion,  and  promoting  the 
good  of  mankind. 

I  hope  I  may  say,  that  I  desire  to  be  thus  entirely 
given  up  to  the  Lord ;  I  am  sure  I  must  say,  that  what 
I  have  written  is  far  from  being  my  actual  experience. 
Alas  !  I  might  be  condemned  out  of  my  own  mouth, 
\vere  the  Lord  strict  to  mark  what  is  amiss.  But,  O 
the  comfort !  Ave  are  not  under  the  law,  but  under 
g.ace.  The  Gospel  is  a  dispensation  for  sinners,  and 
we  have  an  Advocate  with  the  Father.  There  is  the 
unshaken  ground  of  hope.  A  reconciled  Father,  a  pre- 
vailing Advocate,  a  powerful  Shepherd,  a  compassionate 
Friend,  a  Saviour,  who  is  able  and  willing  to  save  to  the 
uttermost.  He  knows  our  frame  ;  he  remembers  that 
we  are  but  dust ;  and  has  opened  for  us  a  new  and 
blood -besprinkled  way  of  access  to  the  throne  of  grace, 
that  we  may  obtain  mercy,  and  find  grace  to  help  in 
every  time  of  need. 

I  am^  &c. 


LETTER  VIII. 

My  Lord,  April— 1773. 

OR  five  or  six  weeks  past  I  have  been  a  good  deal 
indisposed.  The  ground  of  my  complaint  was  a  cold, 
attended  with  a  slight  fever,  and  for  some  time  with  a 
cough,  which  made  me  feel  some  inconvenience  in 
preaching;  to  this  succeeded  a  deafness,  so  great  as  to 
cut  me  off  from  conversation :  for  I  could  not  hear  the 
sound  of  a  voice,  unless  it  was  spoken  loud  in  my  ear. 
But  the  Lord  has  mercifully  removed  the  fever  and 
cough,  opened  my  cars,  and  I  am  now  nearly  as  well 
as  usual.  I  had  cause  to  be  thankful,  especially  for  two 
Vol.  I  3  1 


424  Lett  era  to  a  ISobkman.  Let.  8, 

things,  under  this  dispensation  :  First,  that  I  was  en- 
abled, though  sometimes  with  a  little  difficulty,  to  go  on 
with  my  public  work.  It  is  a  singular  favour  I  have  to 
acknowledge,  that  for  the  space  of  almost  nine  years, 
since  I  have  been  in  tiie  ministry,  our  sabbath  and 
weekly  opportunities  have  not  been  once  suspended  : 
whereas  I  have  seen  many  of  the  Lord's  servants  laid 
by  for  a  considerable  space  within  that  time.  My  other 
great  mercy  was,  that  the  Lord  was  pleased  to  preserve 
me  in  a  peaceful  resigned  frame ;  so  that  when  I  was 
deaf,  and  could  not  be  certain  that  I  should  recover  my 
hearing  any  more,  I  was  in  general  as  cheerful  and 
easy  as  at  other  times.  This  was  the  effect  of  his 
goodness  : — for  though  I  know  enough  of  his  sove- 
reignty, wisdom,  and  faithfulness ;  of  his  right  to  do  what 
he  pleases,  and  the  certainty  that  he  does  all  things 
w^ell,  to  furnish  me  with  arguments  enough  to  prove 
that  submission  to  his  will  is  our  absolute  duty ;  yet  I 
am  sensible,  that  when  the  trial  actually  comes,  not- 
withstanding all  the  advice  I  may  have  offered  to  others, 
I  should  myself  toss  like  a  wild  bull  in  a  net ;  rebel  and 
repine;  forget  that  I  am  a  sinner,  and  that  he  is  sove- 
reign ;  this,  I  say,  would  always  and  invariably  be  the 
case,  unless  he  was  graciously  pleased  to  fulfil  his  word, 
that  strength  shall  be  according  to  the  day.  I  hope 
my  deafness  has  been  instructive  to  me.  The  exercise 
of  our  senses  is  so  easily  and  constantly  performed,  that 
it  seems  a  thing  of  course ;  but  I  was  then  reminded 
how  precarious  the  tenure  is  by  which  we  hold  those 
blessings  wiiich  seem  most  our  own,  and  Avhich  are 
most  immediately  necessary  to  the  comfortable  enjoy- 
ment of  life.  Outward  senses,  mental  faculties,  health 
of  body,  and  peace  of  mind,  are  extremely  valuable  ; 
but  the  continuance  of  them  for  a  sins-le  moment  dc- 


hot,  8.  Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  42i> 

pends  upon  him  who,  if  he  opens  none  can  shut,  and 
when  he  shuts  none  can  open.  A  minute  is  more  than 
sufficient  to  deprive  us  of  what  we  liold  most  dear,  or 
to  prevent  us  from  deriving  the  least  comfort  from  it  if 
it  is  not  taken  away.  I  am  not  presuming  to  give  your 
lordship  information  ;  but  only  mentioning  the  thoughts 
that  were  much  upon  my  mind  while  I  was  incapable 
of  conversation.  These  are  indeed  plain  and  obvious 
truths,  which  I  have  long  acknowledged  as  indisputa- 
ble ;  but  I  have  reason  to  be  thankful  when  the  Lord 
impresses  them  with  fresh  power  upon  my  heart,  even 
though  he  sees  lit  to  do  it  by  the  medium  of  afflictions. 
I  have  seen  of  late  something  of  the  weight  and  impor- 
tance of  that  admonition,  Jer.  ix.  ^3,  24.  A  passage 
which,  though  addressed  to  the  wise,  the  mighty,  and 
the  rich,  is  of  universal  application ; — for  selfj  unless 
corrected  and  mortified  by  grace,  vvill  find  something 
v\  hereof  to  glory,  in  the  meanest  characters  and  the 
lowest  situation.  And  indeed,  when  things  come  to  be 
weighed  in  the  balance  of  the  sanctuary,  the  lunatics  in 
licdlam,  some  of  whom  glory  in  their  straw  or  their 
chains,  as  marks  of  splendour  or  ensigns  of  royalty,  have 
as  much  reason  on  their  side,  as  any  persons  upon  earth 
who  glory  in  themselves.  This  alone  is  the  proper 
ground  of  glory  and  joy,  if  we  know  the  Lord.  Then 
all  is  safe  at  present,  and  all  vvill  be  happy  for  ever. 
Then,  whatever  changes  may  affect  our  temporal  con- 
cernments, our  best  interests  and  hopes  are  secured  be- 
yond the  reach  of  change ;  and  whatever  we  may  lose 
or  suffer  during  this  little  span  of  time,  will  be  abun- 
dantly compensated  in  that  glorious  state  of  eternity 
which  is  just  at  hand. 

I  am,   $i.r.. 


426  Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  Let.  9. 

LETTtlR  IX. 

IMy  Lord,  December — 1772. 

X  LATELY  emplo3'ed  some  of  my  leisure  hoiirs,(\vhich, 
when  I  am  not  indolent,  are  but  few,)  in  reading  the  Me- 
moirs of  the  duke  of  Sully,  which 'occasionally  came  in 
my  way.  It  afforded  me  matter  for  variety  of  reflec- 
tions. I  pity  me  duke  of  Sullv,  whose  attachment  to 
the  name  of  a  Protestant  seems  to  have  been  little  more 
than  a  point  of  honour,  who  drew  all  his  resources  from 
himself,  and  "whose  chief  aim  seems  to  have  been  to  ap- 
prove himself  faithful  to  an  earthly  master.  He  acted 
as  well  as  could  be  expected  from  natural  principles ; 
and  the  Lord,  who  emploj^ed  him  as  an  instrument  of 
his  providence,  rewarded  his  fidelity  with  success,  ho- 
nour, and  riches  :  a  reward  Avhich,  though  in  itself  a 
poor  one,  is  suited  to  the  desires  of  men  who  place  their 
happiness  in  worldly  things,  and  is  so  far  a  compensa- 
tion of  their  services.  It  is  given  to  your  lordship  to 
act  from  nobler  principles,  and  with  more  enlarged 
views.  You  serve  a  INIaster,  of  whose  favour,  protec- 
tion, and  assistance,  you  cannot  be  deprived  ;  who  m  ill 
not  overlook  or  misconstrue  the  smallest  service  you  at- 
tempt for  him;  who  will  listen  to  no  insinuations  against 
3^ou,  who  is  always  near  to  comfort,  direct  and  strength- 
en you ;  and  who  is  preparing  for  you  such  honours  and 
blessings  as  he  only  can  give,  an  inheritance,  (the  reverse 

OI     all     earthly     good,)     «(fG«pTov,    Jta*    a/^*avTOv,    xa*   a.jjiO'.favTov*. 

Thus  animated  and  thus  supported,  assisted  likewise  by 
the  prayers  of  thousands,  jnay  we  not  warrantably  hope 

•  Incorruptible,  undefiled,  unhiding-. 


I,cl.  9.  Lcttem  to  a  Nobleman.  427 

that  your  lordship  will  he  an  instrument  of  great  good, 
and  that  both  church  and  state  will  be  benefited  by  your 
example,  counsels,  and  care  ? 

In  another  view,  the  duke  of  Sully's  history  exhibits 
a  comment  upon  the  Psalmist's  words,  "  Surely  man  in 
"  his  best  estate  is  altogether  vanity."  Y'lew  him  in 
one  light,  he  seems  to  have  possessed  all  that  the  most 
aspiring  mind  could  aim  at — the  favour  and  confidence 
of  his  prince,  accumulated  wealth,  great  honours,  and 
such  power  by  his  offices  and  influence  with  the  king, 
that  he  could  almost  do  what  he  pleased.  Yet  he  had 
so  much  to  suffer  from  the  fatigues  and  difficulties  of 
his  station,  and  the  cabals  and  malice  of  his  enemies, 
that,  in  the  midst  of  all  his  grandeur,  a  dispassionate 
mind  would  rather  pity  than  envy  him.  And  how  sud- 
denly were  his  schemes  broken  by  the  death  of  the 
king !  Then  he  lost  his  friend,  his  protector,  his  in- 
fluence. The  remainder  of  his  days  were  imbittered  by 
many  inquietudes  ;  he  lived  indeed,  (if  that  could  afford 
any  consolation,)  in  much  state  and  pageantry  after- 
wards ;  but  after  havino;  toiled  throuj^h  more  than  four- 
score  years,  died  at  last  almost  of  a  broken  heart  from 
domestic  uneasinesses.  And  is  this  all  that  the  world 
can  do  for  those  who  are  accounted  most  successful ! 
Alas  ! 

Too  low  they  build  who  build  below  the  skies. 

xVnd  what  a  picture  of  the  instability  of  human  things 
have  we  in  his  master  Henry!  Admired,  beloved, 
dreaded  ;  full  of  vast  designs,  fondly  supposing  him- 
self born  to  be  the  arbiter  of  Europe,  in  an  awful  mo- 
ment, and  in  the  midst  of  his  friends,  suddenly  struck 
from  the  height  of  his  crrandeur,  and  snatched  into  the 


MH  Letters  to  a  NoOlemati.  Let.  0. 

invisible,  unchangeable  world.     In  that  moment  all  his 
thoughts  perished. 

How  unspeakably  awful  such  a  transition  !  How  re- 
markable were  his  own  forebodings  of  the  approaching 
hour  !  O  Lord,  how  dost  thou  pour  contempt  upon 
princes,  and  teach  us  that  the  great  and  the  mean  are 
equally  in  thy  hands,  and  at  thy  disposal,  as  clay  in  the 
hands  of  the  potter  !  Poor  king  I  while  he  expected 
obedience  to  his  own  commands,  he  lived  in  habitual 
defiance  of  the  commands  of  God.  Men  may  respect 
his  memory,  for  his  sincerity,  benevolence,  and  other 
amiable  qualities ;  but  besides  that,  he  was  engrossed 
by  a  round  of  sensual  pleasure,  (when  business  of  state 
did  rot  interfere,)  his  life  was  stained  with  adultery. 
Happy,  if  in  the  hours  he  spent  in  retirement,  when  the 
pre-intimation  of  his  death  hung  heavy  upon  his  mind, 
the  Lord  humbled  and  softened  his  heart,  and  gave  him 
repentance  unto  life  !  I  wish  the  history  afforded  a 
proof  of  this.  However,  in  his  death,  we  see  an  affect- 
ing proof,  that  no  human  dignity  or  power  can  ward  off 
the  stroke  of  the  Almighty,  who  by  such  sudden  and 
unexpected  dispensations  often  shows  himself  terrible 
to  the  princes  and  great  men  of  the  earth.  O  !  that 
they  could  see  his  hand,  and  wisely  consider  his  doing 
in  them. 

But  happy  is  the  man  who  fears  the  Lord,  and  de- 
lights in  his  commandments  ;  who  sets  God  always  be- 
fore him,  and  acts  under  the  constraining  influence  of 
redeeming  love.  He  is  the  real  friend  and  the  best 
champion  of  his  country,  who  makes,  not  the  vague  no- 
tions of  human  wisdoiu  and  honour,  but  the  precepts 
and  example  of  the  blessed  Jesus,  the  model  and  the 
motive  of  his  conduct.     He  inculcates,   (as  occasion 


Let.  10.  Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  4!29 

offers,)  the  great  truths  of  religion  in  his  conversation, 
and  demonstrates  them  by  his  practice ;  yet  the  best 
part  of  his  life  is  known  only  to  God  and  himself.  His 
time  is  divided  between  serving  his  country  in  public, 
and  wrestling  for  it  in  private.  Nor  shall  his  labours 
or  his  prayers  be  lost.  Either  he  shall  have  the  desire 
of  his  heart,  and  shall  see  the  religion  and  the  liberty 
he  so  highly  values  transmitted  to  posterity  ;  or,  if  he 
should  live  when  wrath  is  decreed,  and  there  is  no  re- 
medy, the  promise  and  the  providence  of  God  shall  seal 
him  as  the  peculiar  charge  of  angels,  in  the  midst  of 
public  calamity.  And  when  all  things  are  involved  in 
confusion,  when  the  hearts  of  the  wicked  shall  shake 
like  the  leaves  of  the  forest,  he  shall  be  kept  in  perfect 
peace,  trusting  in  the  Lord. 

I  am,  with  the  greatest  deference,  &c. 


Ui 


LETTER  X. 

iMy  Lord,  March— 177: 


SUALLY  for  some  days  before  I  purpose  writing 
to  your  lordship,  my  thoughts  are  upon  the  stretch  for 
a  subject ;  I  do  not  mean  all  day  long,  but  it  is  so  more 
or  less :  but  I  might  as  well  spare  my  inquiries;  I  can 
come  to  no  determination,  and  for  the  most  part  begin 
to  write  at  an  absolute  uncertainty  how  I  am  to  proceed. 
Since  I  cannot  premeditate,  my  heart  prays  that  it  may 
be  given  me  in  the  same  hour  what  I  shall  offer.  A 
simple  dependence  upon  the  teaching  and  influence  of 
the  good  Spirit  of  God,  so  as  not  to  supersede  the  use 
of  appointed  means, .  would,  if  it  could  be  uniformly 
maintained,  make  every  part  of  duty  easy  and  success- 
ful.    It  would  free  us  from  much  solicitude,  and  pre- 


430  Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  Let.   10. 

vent  many  mistakes. — Methinks  I  have  a  subject  in  vievv 
already,  a  subject  of  great  importance  to  myself,  and 
which  perhaps  will  not  be  displeasing  to  your  lordship: 
How  to  walk  with  God  in  the  daily  occurrences  of  life, 
so  as  to  do  every  thing  for  his  sake  and  by  his  strength. 

When  we  are  justified  by  faith,  and  accepted  in  the 
Beloved,  we  become  heirs  of  everlasting  life ;  but  we 
cannot  know  the  full  value  of  our  privileges  till  we  en- 
ter upon  the  state  of  glory.  For  this,  most  who  are 
converted  have  to  wait  some  time  after  they  are  par- 
takers of  grace.  Though  the  Lord  loves  them,  hates 
sin,  and  teaches  them  to  hate  it,  he  appoints  them  to 
remain  a  while  in  a  sinful  world,  and  to  groan  under  the 
burden  of  a  depraved  nature.  He  could  put  them  in 
immediate  possession  of  the  heaven  for  which  he  has 
given  them  a  meetness,  but  he  does  not.  He  has  a 
service  for  them  here,  an  honour  which  is  worth  all  they 
can  suffer,  and  for  which  eternity  'will  not  afford  an  op- 
portunity, namely,  to  be  instruments  of  promoting  his 
designs,  and  manifesting  his  grace  in  the  world.  Strictly 
speaking,  this  is  the  whole  of  our  business  here,  the  only 
reason  why  life  is  prolonged,  or  for  ^vhich  it  is  truly 
desirable,  that  we  may  fill  up  our  connexions  and  situa- 
tions, improve  our  comforts  and  our  crosses,  in  such  a 
manner  as  that  God  may  be  glorified  in  us  and  by 
us.  As  he  is  a  bountiful  Master  and  a  kind  Father, 
he  is  pleased  to  afford  a  variety  of  temporal  blessings, 
which  sweeten  our  service,  and  as  coming  from  his  hand 
are  very  valuable,  but  are  by  no  means  worth  living  for, 
considered  in  themselves,  as  they  can  neither  satisfy  our 
desires,  preserve  us  from  trouble,  or  su])port  us  under  it. 
That  light  of  God's  countenance,  which  can  pervade  the 
walls  and  dissipate  the  gloom  of  a  dungeon,  is  unspeak- 
ably preferable  to  all  that  can  be   enjoyed  in  a  palace 


Let.  10.  Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  431 

without  it.  The  true  end  of  life  is,  to  live  not  to  our- 
selves, but  to  him  who  died  for  us  ;  and  while  we  devote 
ourselves  to  his  service  upon  earth,  to  rejoice  in  the  pro- 
spect of  being  happy  with  him  for  ever  in  heaven.  These 
things  are  generally  known  and  acknowledged  by  pro- 
fessors ;  but  they  are  2ifan)oured  few  who  act  consist- 
ently with  their  avowed  principles  ;  who  honestly,  dili- 
gently, and  without  reserve,  endeavour  to  make  the  most 
of  their  talents  and  strength  in  promoting  the  Lord's  ser- 
vice, and  allow  themselves  in  no  views  or  designs  but 
what  are  plainly  subordinate  and  subservient  to  it.  Yea, 
I  believe  the  best  of  the  Lord's  servants  see  cause  enough 
to  confess,  that  they  are  not  only  unproti table  in  com- 
parison of  what  they  wish  to  be,  but  in  many  instances 
unfaithful  likewise.  They  find  so  many  snares,  hin- 
drances, and  temptations,  arising  from  without,  and  so 
much  embarrassment  from  sin  A\hich  dwells  within,  that 
they  have  more  cause  for  humiliation  than  self-compla- 
cence, w  hen  they  seem  most  earnest  and  most  useful. 
HoAvever,  we  have  no  Scriptural  evidence  that  we  serve  the 
Lord  at  all,  any  further  than  we  find  an  hal)itual  desire 
and  aim  to  serve  him  wholly.  He  is  gracious  to  our  im- 
perfections and  weakness  ;  yet  he  requires  all  the  heart, 
and  will  not  be  served  by  halves,  nor  accept  what  is 
performed  by  a  divided  spirit.  I  lately  met  with  some 
profane  scoifs  of  Voltaire  upon  the  sentiment  of  doing 
all  to  the  glory  of  God,  (such  as  might  be  expected 
from  such  a  man ;)  however,  this  is  the  true  alchymy 
which  turns  every  thing  to  gold,  and  ennobles  the  com- 
mon actions  of  life  into  acts  of  religion,  1  Cor.  x.  3L 
Nor  is  there  a  grain  of  real  goodness  in  the  most  specious 
actions  which  are  performed  without  a  reference  to  God's 
glory.  This  the  world  cannot  understand ;  but  it  will 
appear  hishlv  reasonable  to  those  Avho  take  tlieir  ideas 
Vol.  L    "  3  K 


432  Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  Let.  10. 

of  God  from  the  Scripture,  and  who  have  felt  the  ne- 
cessity, and  found  the  benefits  of  redemption.  We  are 
debtors  many  ways.  The  Lord  has  a  right  to  us  by 
creation,  by  redemption,  by  conquest,  when  he  freed  us 
from  Satan's  power,  and  took  possession  of  our  hearts 
by  his  grace ;  and  lastly,  by  our  own  voluntary  surrender 
in  the  day  when  he  enabled  us  to  fix  our  choice  on  him- 
self, as  our  Lord  and  our  portion.  Then  we  felt  the 
force  of  our  obligations,  Me  saw  the  beauty  and  honour 
of  his  service,  and  that  nothing  was  worthy  to  stand  in  the 
least  degree  of  competition  with  it.  This  is  always 
equally  true  though  our  perceptions  of  it  are  not  always 
equally  strong.  But  where  it  has  been  once  really 
known,  it  cannot  be  wholly  forgotten,  or  cease  to  be  the 
governinjT  principle  of  life;  and  the  Lord  has  promised 
to  revive  the  impression  in  those  who  wait  upon  him,  and 
thereby  to  renew  their  strength.  For  in  proportion  as 
we  feel  by  what  ties  we  are  his,  we  shall  embrace  his 
service  as  perfect  freedom. 

Again,  when  the  eye  is  thus  single,  the  whole  body 
will  be  full  of  light.  The  principle  of  acting  simply  for 
God,  will  in  general  make  the  path  of  duty  plain,  solve 
a  thousand  otherwise  dubious  questions,  lead  to  the  most 
proper  and  obvious  means,  and  preclude  that  painful 
anxiety  about  events,  which  upon  no  other  plan  can  be 
avoided.  The  love  of  God  is  the  best  casuist;  especially 
as  it  leads  us  to  a  careful  attendance  to  his  precepts,  a 
reliance  on  his  promises,  and  a  submission  to  his  will. 
Most  of  our  perplexities  arise  from  an  undue,  though 
perhaps  unperceived,  attachment  to  self.  Either  we 
have  some  scheme  of  our  own  too  closely  connected 
with  our  general  view  of  serving  the  Lord,  or  lay  some 
stress  upon  our  own  management,  which  though  we  sus- 
pect it  may  possibly  fail  us,  we  cannot  entirely  help 


Let.  11.  Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  43S 

trusting  to.  In  these  respects  the  Lord  permits  his  ser- 
vants occasionally  to  feel  their  own  weakness;  but  if  they 
are  sincerely  devoted  to  him,  he  will  teach  them  to  pro- 
fit by  it,  and  bring  them  by  degrees  to  a  simplicity  of 
dependence,  as  well  as  of  intention.  Then  all  things 
are  easy.  Acting  from  love,  and  walking  by  faith,  they 
can  neither  be  disappointed  or  discouraged.  Duty  is 
their  part,  care  is  his,  and  they  are  enabled  to  cast  it 
upon  him.  They  know  that  when  their  expedients  seem 
to  fail,  he  is  still  all-sufficient.  They  know  that,  being 
engaged  in  his  cause,  they  cannot  miscarry ;  and  that, 
though  in  some  things  they  may  seem  to  fall  short  of 
success,  they  are  sure  of  meeting  acceptance,  and  that  he 
will  estimate  their  services,  not  by  their  actual  effects, 
but  according  to  the  gracious  principle  and  desire  he  has 
put  into  their  hearts,  2  Chron.  vi.  7,  8. 

I  am,  &c. 


LETTER  XI. 
My  Lord,  June — 1773. 


.Y  old  cast-off  acquaintance,  Horace,  occasionally 
came  in  my  way  this  morning. — I  opened  it  upon  lib.  3. 
od.  29.  Did  I  not  know  the  proposal  to  be  utterly  im- 
practicable, how  gladly  should  I  imitate  it,  and  send 
your  lordship,  in  honest  prose,  if  not  in  elegant  verse, 
an  invitation.  But  I  must  content  myself  with  the  idea 
of  the  pleasure  it  would  give  me  to  sit  with  you  half  a 
day  under  my  favourite  great  tree,  and  converse  with 
you,  not  concerningthe  comparatively  petty  affairs  of  hu- 
man governments,  but  of  the  things  pertaining  to  the  king- 
dom of  God.  How  many  delightful  subjects  would  sug- 
gest themselves  in  a  free  and  retired  conversation,    The 


434  Letters  to  a  ISobicman.  Let.  11. 

excellency  of  our  King,  the  permanency  and  glory  of  his 
kingdom,  the  beauty  of  his  administration,  the  privileges 
of  his  subjects,  the  review  of  what  he  has  done  for  us, 
and  the  prospect  of  what  he  has  prepared  for  us 
in  future  ; — and  if,  w  hile  we  were  conversing,  he 
should  be  pleased  to  join  us,  (as  he  did  the  disciples 
when  walking  to  Emmaus,)  how  would  our  hearts  burn 
within  us  !  Indeed,  whether  we  are  alone  or  in  com- 
pany, the  most  interesting  topics  strike  us  but  faintly, 
unless  he  is  pleased  to  afford  his  gracious  influence;  but 
M  hen  he  is  present,  light,  love,  liberty,  and  joy,  spring 
up  in  the  hearts  that  know  him. — This  reminds  me,  (as 
I  have  mentioned  Horace,)  to  restore  some  beautiful  lines 
to  their  proper  application.  They  are  impious  and  idol- 
atrous as  he  uses  them,  but  have  an  expressive  propriety 
in  the  mouth  of  a  believer  : — 

Lucem  redde  tu£^  Dux  bone-^fialriiz^ 
Instar  veris  enim  vultus  ubi  tuus 
Jlffulsit  fiofiulo^  gratior  it  Dies 
£t  Soles  melius  vitent. 

But  we  cannot  meet.  All  that  is  left  for  me,  is  to 
use  the  liberty  you  allow  me  of  offering  a  few  hints  upon 
these  subjects  by  letter,  not  because  you  know  them 
not,  but  because  you  love  them.  The  hour  is  coming, 
■when  all  impediments  shall  be  removed. — All  distinc- 
tions shall  cease  that  are  founded  upon  sublunary  things, 
and  the  earth  and  all  its  M'orks  shall  be  burnt  up. 
Glorious  day  !  May  our  souls  be  filled  with  the  thought, 
and  learn  to  estimate  all  things  around  us  nou\  by  the 
view  in  which  they  will  appear  to  us  then.  Then  it  will 
be  of  small  moment  who  was  the  prince,  and  who  was 
the  beggar  in  this  life; — but  who  in  their  several  situa- 
tions, sought,  and  loved,  and  feared,  and  honoured  the 


I^et.  11.  Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  435 

Lord.     Alas  !  how  many  of  the  kings  of  the  earth,  and 
the  rich  men,  and  the  chief  captains,  and  the  might}^ 
men,  will  then  say,  (in  vain,)  to  the  mountains  and  the 
rocks.  Fall  on  us,  and  hide  us  !  In  this  world  they  are 
for  the  most  part  too  busy  to  regard  the  commands  of 
God,  or  too  happy  to  seek  his  favour ;  they  have  their 
good  things  here ;  they   please  themselves  for  a  while, 
and  in  a  moment  they  go  down  to  the  grave  :  in  that 
moment  their  thoughts  perish,  their  schemes  are  left  un- 
finished, they  are  torn  from  their  possessions,  and  enter 
upon  a  new,  an  untried,  an  unchangeable,  a  never-end- 
ins:  state  of  existence.     Alas,  is  this  all  the  world  can 
afford  !  I  congratulate  you,  my  lord,  not  because  God 
has  appointed  you  to  appear  in  an  elevated  rank,  (this, 
abstracted  from  the  opportunity  it  affords  you  of  greater 
usefulness,  would  perhaps  be  a  more  proper  subject  for 
condolence  ;)  but  that  he  has  admitted  you  to  those  ho- 
nours and  privileges  which  come  from  him  only,  and 
which  so  few  in  the  superior  ranks  of  life  think  worthy  of 
their  attention.     I  doubt  not  but  you  are  often  affected 
with  a  sense  of  this  distinguishing  mercy.     But  though 
we  know  that  we  are  debtors,  great  debtors  to  the  grace 
of  God,  which  alone  has  made  us  to  differ,  we  know  it 
but  imperfectly  at  present.     It  doth  not  yet  appear 
what  we  shall  be,  nor  can  we  form  a  just  conception  of 
the  misery  from  which  we  are  redeemed,  much  less  of 
the  price  paid  for  our  redemption.     How  little  do  we 
know  of  the  Redeemer's  dignity,  and  of  the  unutterable 
distress  he  endured  wl^en  his  soul  was  made  an  offering 
for  sin,  and  it  pleased  the  Father  to  bruise  him,  that  by 
his   stripes  we  might   be  healed.      These  things  will 
strike  us  quite  in  another  manner,  when  we  view  them 
in  the  li^ht  of  eternity.     Then,  to  return  to  the  thought 
from  which  I  have  rambled,  then  and  there  I  trust  we 


'i3G  Letters  to  a  Noblevian.  Let.  11. 

shall  meet  to  the  highest  advantage,  and  spend  an  ever- 
lasting day  together  in  happiness  and  praise.  With  this 
thou2;ht  I  endeavour  to  comfort  myself,  under  the  regret 
I  sometimes  feel  that  I  can  have  so  little  intercourse 
\vith  3'ou  in  this  life. 

i\Iay  the  cheering  contemplation  of  the  hope  set  be- 
fore us,  support  and  animate  us  to  improve  the  interval, 
and  fill  us  with  an  holy  ambition  of  shining  as  lights  in 
the  world,  to  the  praise  and  glorv  of  his  grace  who  has 
called  us  out  of  darkness.  Encompassed  as  we  are 
with  snares,  temptations,  and  infirmities,  it  is  possible, 
(by  his  promised  assistance,)  to  live  in  some  good  mea- 
sure above  the  world  while  we  are  in  it ;  above  the  in- 
fluence of  its  cares,  its  smiles,  or  its  frowns.  Our  con- 
versation, TToAtTsu/^a,  our  citizenship  is  in  heaven.  V,e 
are  not  at  home,  but  only  resident  here  for  a  season,  to 
fulfil  an  appointed  service  ;  and  the  Lord,  whom  we 
serve,  has  encouraged  us  to  hope,  that  he  will  guide  us 
by  his  wisdom,  strengthen  us  by  his  power,  and  com- 
fort us  with  the  light  of  his  countenance,  which  is  better 
than  life.  Every  blessing  we  receive  from  him  is  a 
token  of  his  favour,  and  a  pledge  of  that  far  more  ex- 
ceeding and  eternal  weight  of  glory  which  he  has  re- 
served for  us.  O  !  to  hear  him  say  at  last,  Well  done, 
good  and  faithful  servant,  enter  thou  into  the  joy  of  thy 
Lord !  will  be  a  rich  amends  for  all  that  we  can  lose, 
suffer,  or  forbear,  for  his  sake. 

I  subscribe  myself,  with  great  sincerity,  &c. 


Let.   1-2.  Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  437 

LETTER  XII. 

My  Lord,  February — \77A. 

X  HE  first  line  of  Horace's  epistle  to  Agustus,  when 
rightly  applied,  suggests  a  grand  and  cheering  idea.  As 
addressed  by  the  poet,  nothing  can  be  more  blasphem- 
ous, idolatrous,  and  al)surd  ;  but  with  what  comfort  and 
propriety  may  a  Christian  look  up  to  Him,  to  whom  all 
power  is  committed  in  heaven  and  earth,  and  say,  Cum 
tot  sustineas  et  tanta  negotia  Solus  !  Surely  a  more 
weighty  and  comprehensive  sentence  never  dropped 
from  an  uninspired  pen.  And  how  beautifully  and  ex- 
pressively is  it  closed  by  the  w  ord  solus  !  The  govern- 
ment is  upon  his  shoulders  ;  and  though  he  is  concealed 
by  a  veil  of  second  causes  from  common  eyes,  so  that 
they  can  perceive  only  the  means,  instruments,  and  con- 
tingencies by  which  he  works,  and  therefore  think  he 
does  nothing  ;  yet,  in  reality,  he  does  all.,  according  to 
his  ow  n  counsel  and  pleasure,  in  the  armies  of  heaven, 
and  among  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth. 

Who  can  enumerate  the  Tot  et  tanta  negotia,  which 
fire  incessantly  before  his  eye,  adjusted  by  his  wisdom^ 
dependent  on  his  will,  and  regulated  by  his  power,  in 
his  kingdoms  of  providence  and  grace?  If  we  consider 
the  heavens,  the  work  of  his  fingers,  the  moon  and  the 
stars  which  he  has  ordained  ;  if  we  call  in  the  assistance 
of  astronomers  and  glasses  to  help  us  in  forming  a  con- 
ception of  the  number,  distances,  magnitudes,  and  mo- 
tions of  the  heavenly  bodies  ;  the  more  we  search,  the 
more  we  shall  be  confirmed,  that  these  are  but  a  por- 
tion of  his  ways. — But  he  calls  them  all  by  their  names, 
upholds  them  hv  his  power,  and  v.ithoiit  his  continual 


438  Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  Let.  12. 

energy  they  would  rush  into  confusion,  or  sink  into  no- 
thing. If  we  speak  of  intelligences,  he  is  the  life,  the 
joy,  the  sun  of  all  that  are  capable  of  happiness.  What- 
ever may  be  signified  by  the  thrones,  principalities,  and 
powers  in  the  world  of  light,  they  are  all  dependent 
upon  his  power,  and  obedient  to  his  command ;  it  is 
equally  true  of  angels  as  of  men,  that  without  him  they 
can  do  nothing.  The  powers  of  darkness  are  likewise 
under  his  subjection  and  control.  Though  but  little  is 
said  of  them  in  Scripture,  we  read  enough  to  assure  us 
that  their  number  must  be  immensely  great,  and  that 
their  strength,  subtley,  and  malice,  are  such  as  w^e  may 
tremble  to  think  of  them  as  our  enemies,  and  probably 
should,  but  for  our  strange  insensibility  to  whatever  does 
not  fall  under  the  cognizance  of  our  outward  senses. 
But  he  holds  them  all  in  a  chain,  so  that  they  can  do  or 
attempt  nothing  but  by  his  permission ;  and  whatever 
he  permits  them  to  do,  (though  they  mean  nothing  less,) 
has  its  appointed  subserviency  in  accomplishing  his 
designs. 

But  to  come  nearer  home,  and  to  speak  of  what 
seems  more  suited  to  our  scanty  apprehensions, — still 
we  may  be  lost  in  wonder.  Before  this  blessed  and 
only  Potentate,  all  the  nations  of  the  earth  are  but  as 
the  dust  upon  the  balance,  and  the  small  drop  of  a 
bucket,  and  might  be  thought,  (if  compared  with  the 
immensity  of  his  works,)  scarcely  worthy  of  his  notice; 
yet  here  he  presides,  pervades,  provides,  protects,  and 
rules  In  him  his  creatures  live,  move,  and  have  their 
being  :  from  him  is  their  food  and  preservation.  The 
eyes  of  all  are  upon  him  :  what  he  gives  they  gather, 
and  can  gather  no  more  :  and  at  his  word  they  sink 
into  the  dust.  There  is  not  a  worm  that  crawls  upon 
the  ground,  or  a  flower  that  grows  in  the  pathless  wil- 


Let.  12.  Letters  to  a  Noblenuin.  439 

derness,  or  a  shell  upon  the  sea  shore,  but  bears  the 
impress  of  his  wisdom,  power,  and  goodness.  With 
respect  to  men,  he  reigns  with  uncontrolled  dominion 
over  every  kingdom,  family,  and  individual.  Here  we 
may  be  astonished  at  his  wisdom  in  employing  free 
agents,  the  greater  part  of  whom  are  his  enemies,  to  ac- 
complish his  purposes.  But,  however  reluctant,  they 
all  serve  him.  His  patience  likewise  is  w^onderful. — 
Multitudes,  yea,  nearly  our  whole  species,  spend  the 
life  and  strength  which  he  affords  them,  and  abuse  all 
the  bounties  he  heaps  upon  them,  in  the  ways  of  sin. 
His  commands  are  disregarded,  his  name  blasphemed, 
his  mercy  disdained,  his  power  defied,  yet  still  he 
spares.  It  is  an  eminent  part  of  his  government,  to 
restrain  the  depravity  of  human  nature,  and  in  various 
ways  to  check  its  effects,  which,  if  left  to  itself  with- 
out his  providential  control,  would  presently  make 
earth  the  very  image  of  hell.  For  the  vilest  men  are 
not  ^suffered  to  perpetrate  a  thousandth  part  of  the 
evil  which  their  hearts  would  prompt  them  to.  The 
earth,  though  lying  in  the  \ncked  one,  is  filled  with  the 
goodness  of  the  Lord.  He  prcscrveth  man  and  beast, 
sustains  the  young  lion  in  the  forest,  feeds  the  birds  of 
the  air,  which  have  neither  storehouse  nor  barn,  and 
adorns  the  insects  and  the  flowers  of  the  field  with  a 
beauty  and  elegance  beyond  all  that  can  be  found  in 
the  courts  of  kinss. 

Still  more  wonderful  is  his  administration  in  his  king- 
dom  of  grace.  He  is  present  with  all  his  creatures,  but 
in  a  peculiar  manner  with  his  own  people.  Eacii  of 
these  are  monuments  of  a  more  illustrious  display  of 
power,  than  that  which  spread  abroad  the  heavens  like 
a  curtain,  and  laid  the  foundations  of  the  earth ;  for  he 

Vol.  I.  3  L 


4-10  Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  Let.  12. 

finds  them  all  in  a  state  of  rebellion  and  enmity,  and 
makes  them  a  willing  people  ;  and  from  the  moment  he 
reveals  his  love  to  them,  he  espouses  their  cause,  and 
takes  all  their  concerns  into  his  hands.  He  is  near 
and  attentive  to  every  one  of  them,  as  if  there  was  only 
that  one.  This  high  and  lofty  One,  who  inhabits  eter- 
nity, before  whom  the  angels  vail  their  faces,  conde- 
scends to  hold  communion  with  those  whom  men  de- 
spise. He  sees  not  as  man  seeth — rides  on  a  cloud 
disdainful  by  a  sultan  or  a  czar,  to  manifest  himself  to 
an  humble  soul  in  a  mud-walled  cottage.  He  comforts 
them  when  in  trouble,  strengthens  them  when  weak, 
makes  their  beds  in  sickness,  revives  them  when  faint- 
ing, upholds  them  when  falling,  and  so  seasonably  and 
effectually  manages  for  them,  that  though  they  are  perse- 
cuted and  tempted,  though  their  enemies  are  many  and 
mighty,  nothing  that  they  feel  or  fear  is  able  to  sepa- 
rate them  from  his  love. 

i\nd  all  this  He  does  solus.  All  the  abilities,  powers, 
and  instincts,  that  are  found  amongst  creatures,  are 
emanations  from  his  fullness.  All  changes,  successes, 
disappointments — all  that  is  memorable  in  the  annals  of 
history,  all  the  risings  and  falls  of  empires,  all  the  turns 
in  human  life,  take  place  according  to  his  plan.  In 
vain  men  contrive  and  combine  to  accomplish  their  own 
counsels,  unless  they  are  parts  of  his  counsel  likewise  ; 
the  efforts  of  their  utmost  strength  and  wisdom  arc 
crossed  and  reversed  by  the  feeblest  and  most  un- 
thought-of  circumstances.  But  when  he  has  a  work  to 
accomplish,  and  his  time  is  come,  however  inadequate 
and  weak  the  means  he  employs  may  seem  to  a  carnal 
eye,  the  success  is  infallibly  secured;  for  all  things  serve 
him,  and  are  in  his  hands  as  clay  in  the  hands  of  the 


Let.  12.  Letters  to  a  Noblevmn.  441 

potter.  Great  and  marvellous  are  thy  works,  Lord 
God  Almighty  !  just  and  true  are  thy  ways,  thou  King 
of  saints ! 

This  is  the  God  whom  we  adore.  This  is  he  who  in- 
vites us  to  lean  upon  his  almighty  arm,  and  promises  to 
guide  us  with  his  unerring  eye.  He  says  to  you,  my 
lord,  and  even  to  me,  "  Fear  not,  I  am  with  thee ;  be 
**  not  dismayed,  I  am  thy  God  ;  I  will  strengthen  thee, 
"  yea,  I  will  help  thee,  yea,  I  will  uphold  thee,  with  the 
*'  right  hand  of  my  righteousness."  Therefore,  while  in 
the  path  of  duty,  and  following  his  call,  we  may  cheer- 
fully pass  on,  regardless  of  apparent  difficulties  ;  for  the 
Lord,  whose  we  are,  and  who  has  taught  us  to  make 
his  glory  our  highest  end,  will  go  before  us,  and  at  his 
word  crooked  things  become  straight,  light  shines  out  of 
darkness,  and  mountains  sink  into  plains.  Faith  may 
and  must  be  exercised,  experience  must  and  will  confirm 
what  his  word  iteclares,  that  the  heart  is  deceitful,  and 
that  man  in  his  best  estate  is  vanity.  But  his  promises 
to  them  that  fear  him  shall  be  confirmed  likewise,  and 
they  shall  find  him,  in  all  situations,  a  sun,  a  shield, 
and  an  exceeding  great  reward. 

I  have  lost  another  of  my  people  ;  a  mother  in  our 
Israel ;  a  person  of  much  experience,  eminent  grace, 
wisdom,  and  usefulness.  She  walked  with  God  forty 
years  :  she  was  one  of  the  Lord's  poor ;  but  her  po- 
verty vvas  decent,  sanctified,  and  honourable.  She  lived 
respected,  and  her  death  is  considered  as  a  public  loss. 
It  is  a  great  loss  to  me :  I  shall  miss  her  advice  and 
example,  by  which  I  have  been  often  edified  and  ani- 
mated. But  Jesus  still  lives.  Almost  her  last  words 
were,  '■'  The  Lord  is  my  portion,  saith  my  soul." 

I  am,  Slc. 


443  Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  Let.  13. 

LETTER  Xin. 
My  Lord,  March  10,  \77i. 

X  OR  about  six  weeks  past,  I  have  had  occasion  to 
spend  several  hours  of  ahnost  every  day  with  the  sick 
and  the  dying.  These  scenes  are  to  a  minister  like 
walking  the  hospitals  to  a  young  surgeon.  The  various 
cases  which  occur  exemplify,  illustrate,  and  explain, 
with  a  commanding  energy,  many  truths,  which  may  be 
learned  indeed  at  home,  but  cannot  be  so  well  under- 
stood, or  their  force  so  sensibly  felt,  without  the  ad- 
vantage of  experience  and  observation.  As  physicians, 
besides  that  competent  general  knowledge  of  their  pro- 
fession which  should  be  common  to  them  all,  have 
usually  their  several  favourite  branches  of  study,  some 
applying  themselves  more  to  l)otany,  others  to  che- 
mistry, others  to  anatomy ;  so  ministers,  as  their  incli- 
nations and  gifts  differ,  are  led  more  closely  to  consi- 
der some  particular  branch  of  the  system  of  divine 
truth.  Some  are  directed  to  state  and  defend  the  doc- 
trines of  the  Gospel ;  some  have  a  talent  for  eluci- 
dating difficult  texts  of  Scripture ;  some  have  a  turn  for 
explaining  the  prophetical  parts,  and  so  of  the  rest. — 
For  myself,  if  it  be  lawful  to  speak  of  myself,  and  so 
far  as  I  can  judge,  anatomy  is  my  favourite  branch  :  I 
mean  the  study  of  the  human  heart,  with  its  workings 
and  counter-workings,  as  it  is  differently  affected  in  a 
state  of  nature  or  of  grace,  in  the  different  seasons  of 
prosperity,  adversity,  conviction,  temptation,  sickness, 
and  the  approach  of  death.  The  Lord,  by  sending  me 
hither,  provided  me  a  good  school  for  these  purj)oscs. 
I  know  not  where  I  could  have  had  a  better,  or  afford- 


Let.  13.  Letters  to  a  Noblenum.  448 

ing  a  greater  variety  of  characters,  in  proportion  to  the 
number  of  people  ;  and  as  they  are  mostly  a  poor  peo- 
ple, and  strangers  to  that  address  which  is  the  result  of 
education  and  converse  with  the  world,  there  is  a  sim- 
plicity in  what  they  say  or  do,  which  gives  me  a  peculiar 
advantage  in  iudgincr  of  their  cases. 

But  I  was  about  to  speak  of  death.  Though  the 
grand  evidence  of  those  truths  upon  which  our  hopes 
are  built,  arises  from  the  authority  of  God  speaking 
them  in  his  word,  and  revealing  them  by  his  Spirit  to 
the  awakened  heart,  (for  till  the  heart  is  awakened,  it  is 
incapable  of  receiving  this  evidence  ij)  yet  some  of  these 
truths  are  so  mysterious,  so  utterly  repugnant  to  the 
judgment  of  depraved  nature,  that,  through  the  re- 
maining influence  of  unbelief  and  vain  reasoning,  the 
temptations  of  Satan,  and  the  subtle  arguments  with 
which  some  men  reputed  wise,  attack  the  foundations 
of  our  faith,  the  minds  even  of  believers  are  sometimes 
capable  of  being  shaken.  I  know  no  better  corroborat- 
ing evidence  for  the  relief  of  the  mind  under  such  as- 
saults than  the  testimony  of  dying  persons,  especially 
of  such  as  have  lived  out  of  the  noise  of  controvers}-, 
and  who  perhaps  never  heard  a  syllable  of  what  has 
been  started  in  these  evil  days  against  the  Deity  of 
Christ,  his  atonement,  and  other  important  articles. 
Permit  me,  my  lord,  to  relate,  upon  this  occasion,  some 
things  which  exceedingly  struck  me  in  the  conversation 
I  had  with  a  young  woman,  \\hom  I  visited  in  her  last 
illness,  about  two  years  ago.  She  w  as  a  sober,  prudent 
person,  of  plain  sense,  could  read  her  Bible,  but  had 
read  little  beside.  Her  knowledge  of  the  world  was 
nearly  confined  to  the  parish ;  for,  I  suppose,  she  was 
seldom,  if  ever,  twelve  miles  from  home  in  her  life.  She 
had  known  the  Gospel  about  seven  years  before  the  Lord 


444  Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  Let  13. 

visited  her  with  a  lingering  consumption,  which  at 
length  removed  her  to  a  better  world.  A  iew  days  be- 
fore her  death,  I  had  been  praying  by  her  bed-side,  and 
in  my  prayer  I  thanked  the  Lord  that  he  gave  her  now 
to  see  that  she  had  not  followed  cunningly-devised  fa- 
bles. When  I  had  finished,  she  repeated  that  word, 
"No," she  said,  "not  cunningly-devised  fables :  these  are 
"  realities  indeed;  I  feel  their  truth;  I  feel  their  comfort. 
"  O  tell  my  friends,  tell  my  acquaintance,  tell  inquiring 
"  souls,  tell  poor  sinners,  tell  all  the  daughters  of  Jeru- 
"  salem,  (alluding  to  Solomon's  Song,  v.  16.  from  which 
"  she  had  just  before  desired  me  to  preach  at  her  fune- 
"  ral,)  what  Jesus  has  done  for  my  soul.  Tell  them,  that 
"  now,  in  the  time  of  need,  I  find  him  my  beloved  and 
"  my  friend,  and  as  such  I  commend  him  to  them." 
She  then  fixed  her  eyes  steadfastly  upon  me,  and  pro- 
ceeded, as  well  as  I  can  recollect,  as  follows  :  "  Sir, 
"you  are  highly  favoured  in  being  called  to  preach  the 
"  Gospel.  I  have  often  heard  you  with  pleasure;  but 
"give  me  leave  to  tell  you,  that  I  now  see  all  you 
"  have  said,  or  can  sa}-,  is,  comparatively,  but  little. 
"  Nor  till  you  come  into  my  situation,  and  have  death 
"  and  eternity  full  in  your  view,  will  it  be  possible  for 
"you  to  conceive  the  vast  weight  and  importance  of 
"  the  truths  you  declare.  Oh,  sir,  it  is  a  serious  thing 
"'  to  die  !  No  words  can  express  what  is  needful  to  sup- 
"  port  the  soul  in  the  solemnity  of  a  dying  hour." 

I  believe  it  was  the  next  day  when  I  visited  her 
again.  After  some  discourse  as  usual,  she  said,  with 
a  remarkable  vehemence  of  speech,  "  Are  you  sure  I 
"  cannot  be  mistaken  r"  I  answered  without  hesita- 
tion, "  Yes,  I  am  sure ;  I  am  not  afraid  to  say,  uiy 
"  soul  for  yours,  that  you  are  right."  She  paused  a 
little,  and  then  replied,   "  You  say  true;  I  know  I  am 


Let.  13.  Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  445 

"  right.  I  feel  that  my  hope  is  fixed  upon  the  Rock  of 
"  ages  :  I  know  in  whom  I  have  believed.  Yet  if  you 
*'  could  see  with  my  eyes,  you  would  not  wonder  at  my 
*'  question.  But  the  approach  of  death  presents  a  pro- 
''  spect,  which  is  till  then  hidden  from  us,  and  which 
"cannot  be  described."  She  said  much  more  to  the 
same  purpose,  and  in  all  she  spoke  there  was  a  dig- 
nity, weight,  and  evidence,  which  I  suppose  few  pro- 
fessors of  divinity,  when  lecturing  from  the  chair,  have 
at  any  time  equalled.  We  may  well  say  with  Elihu, 
Who  teacheth  like  him  ?  JMany  instances  of  the  like 
kind  I  have  met  with  here.  I  have  a  poor  girl  near 
me,  who  looks  like  an  ideot,  and  her  natural  capacity  is 
indeed  very  small ;  but  the  Lord  has  been  pleased  to 
make  her  acquainted  alternately  with  great  temptations, 
and  proportionably  great  discoveries  of  his  love  and 
truth.  Sometimes,  when  her  heart  is  enlarged,  I  lis- 
ten to  her  with  astonishment.  I  think  no  books  or 
ministers  I  ever  met  with  have  given  me  such  an  impres- 
sion and  understanding  of  what  the  apostle  styles  -ra  j8«Su 
Tou  0£ot>,  as  I  have  upon  some  occasions  received  from 
her  conversation. 

But  I  am  rambling  again.  IVIy  attendance  upon  the 
sick  is  not  always  equally  comfortable,  but  could  I  learn 
aright,  it  might  be  equally  instructive.  Some  confirm 
the  preciousness  of  a  Saviour  to  me,  by  the  cheerfulness 
with  which,  through  faith  in  his  name,  they  meet  the 
king  of  terrors.  Others  no  less  confirm  it,  by  the  ter- 
ror and  reluctance  they  discover  when  they  find  they 
must  die ;  for  though  there  are  too  many  m  ho  sadly 
slight  the  blessed  Gospel  Avhile  they  are  in  health,  yet 
in  this  place  most  are  too  far  enlightened  to  be  quite 
thoughtless  about  their  souls,  if  they  retain  their  senses 


446  Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  Let.  13. 

in  their  last  illness.  Then,  like  the  foolish  virgins,  they 
sa}^,  Give  us  of  your  oil.  Then  they  are  willing  that 
ministers  and  professors  should  pray  with  them,  and 
speak  to  them.  Through  the  Lord's  goodness,  several 
whom  I  have  visited  in  these  circimistances  have  af- 
forded me  good  hope  :  they  have  been  savingly  changed 
by  his  blessing  upon  what  has  passed  at  the  eleventh 
hour.  I  have  seen  a  marvellous  and  blessed  change 
take  place  in  their  language,  views,  and  tempers,  in  a 
few  days.  I  now  visit  a  young  person,  who  is  cut  short 
in  her  nineteenth  year,  by  a  consumption,  and  I  think 
cannot  live  many  days.  I  found  her  very  ignorant  and 
insensible,  and  she  remained  so  a  good  while ;  but  of 
late  I  hope  her  heart  is  touched.  She  feels  her  lost  state, 
she  seems  to  have  some  right  desires,  she  begins  to 
pray,  and  in  such  a  manner  as  I  cannot  but  hope  the 
Lord  is  teaching  her,  and  will  reveal  himself  to  her  be- 
fore she  departs.  But  it  is  sometimes  otherwise.  I 
saw  a  young  woman  die  last  week  :  I  had  been  often 
with  her;  but  the  night  she  was  removed,  she  could 
only  say,  O,  I  cannot  live  !  I  cannot  live  !  She  repeated 
this  mournftd  complaint  as  long  as  she  could  speak ; 
for  as  the  vital  powers  Mere  more  oppressed,  her  voice 
was  changed  into  groans  :  her  groans  grew  fainter  and 
fainter,  and  in  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour  after  she  had 
done  speaking,  she  expired.  Poor  thing,  1  thought  as 
I  stood  by  her  bed-side,  if  you  were  a  duchess,  in  this 
situation,  what  could  the  world  do  for  you  now  !  I 
thought  likewise  how  many  things  are  there  that  now 
give  us  pleasure  or  pain,  and  assume  a  mighty  import- 
ance in  our  view,  which,  in  a  dying  hour,  will  be  no 
more  to  us  than  the  clouds  which  tiy  unnoticed  over  our 
heads.    Then  the  truth  of  our  Lord's  aphorism  will  be 


Let.  14.  Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  4i'%7 

seen,  felt,  and  acknowledged,  "  One  thing  is  needful ;" 
and  we  shall  be  ready  to  apply  Grotius's  dying  confes- 
sion to  (alas  !)  a  great  part  of  our  lives,  Ah  xntamperdi- 
d'l,  nihil  agendo  laboriose. 

Your  lordship  allows  me  to  send  unpremeditated  let- 
ters.    I  need  not  assure  you  this  is  one.  - 

I  am,  &c. 


LETTER  XIV. 

My  Lord,  May  24,  1774. 

HAT  a  mercy  is  it  to  be  separated  in  spirit,  con- 
versation, and  interest,  from  the  world  that  knows  not 
God!  Where  all  are  alike  by  nature,  grace  makes  a  hap- 
py and  unspeakable  difference.  Believers  were  once  un- 
der the  same  influence  of  that  spirit  who  still  worketh 
in  the  children  of  disobedience,  pursuing  different  paths, 
but  all  equally  remote  from  truth  and  peace ;  some 
ha:tching  cockatrice  eggs,  others  weaving  spiders'  webs. 
These  two  general  heads  of  mischief  and  vanity,  include 
all  the  schemes,  aims,  and  achievements  of  which  man 
-is  capable,  till  God  is  pleased  to  visit  the  heart  with  his 
grace.  The  busy  part  of  mankind  are  employed  in 
multiplying  evils  and  miseries  ;  the  more  retired,  specu- 
lative, and  curious,  are  amusing  theniselves  with  what 
will  hereafter  appear  as  unsubstantial,  unstable,  and 
useless  as  a  cobweb.  Death  will  soon  sweep  away  all 
that  the  philosophers,  the  virtuosi,  the  mathematicians, 
the  antiquarians,  and  other  learned  tritlers,  are  now 
weaving  with  so  much  self-applauded  address.  Nor 
will  the  fine-spun  dresses,  in  wiiich  the  moralist  and  the 
self-righteous  clothe  themselves,  be  of  more  advantage, 
-to  them,  either  for  ornament  or  defence,  than  the  pro*» 
Vol.  I.  3  M 


44S  Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  Let.  14. 

duce  of  a  spider.  But  it  is  given  to  a  few  to  know 
their  present  state  and  future  destination.  These  build 
upon  the  immovable  Rock  of  ages  for  eternity :  these 
are  trees  springing  from  a  living  Root,  and  bear  the  fruits 
of  righteousness,  which  are  by  Jesus  Christ,  to  the 
glory  and  praise  of  God.  These  only  are  awake,  while 
the  rest  of  the  world  are  in  a  sleep,  indulging  in  vain 
dreams,  from  which  likewise  they  will  shortly  awake ; 
but,  O  with  what  consternation,  when  they  shall  find 
themselves  irrecoverably  divorced  from  all  their  delu- 
sive attachments,  and  compelled  to  appear  before  that 
God  to  whom  they  have  lived  strangers,  and  to  whom 
they  must  give  an  account !  O  for  a  thousand  tongues 
to  proclaim  in  the  ears  of  thoughtless  mortals  that  im- 
portant aphorism  of  our  Lord,  "  One  thing  is  needful!"' 
Yet  a  thousand  tongues  would  be,  and  are  employed 
in  vain,  unless  so  far  as  the  Lord  is  pleased  to  send  the 
watchman's  warning,  by  the  power  and  agency  of  his 
own  Spirit.  I  think  the  poet  tells  us,  that  Cassandra 
had  the  gift  of  truly  foretelling  future  events  ;  but  she 
was  afterwards  laid  under  a  painful  embarrassment, 
that  nobody  would  believe  her  words.  Such,  with  re- 
spect to  the  bulk  of  their  auditories,  is  the  lot  of  Gospel- 
ministers  :  they  are  enlightened  to  see,  and  sent  forth 
to  declare,  the  awful  consequences  of  sin  ;  but,  alas, 
how  few  believe  their  report  I'To* illustrate  our  grief 
and  disappointment,  I  sometimes  suppose  there  was  a 
danserous  water  in  the  wav  of  travellers,  over  which 
there  is  a  bridge,  which  those  who  can  be  prevailed 
upon,  may  pass  with  safety.  By  the  side  of  this  bridge 
watchmen  are  placed,  to  warn  passengers  of  the  danger 
of  the  waters ;  to  assure  them,  that  all  who  attempt  to 
go  through  them  inevitably  perish ;  to  invite,  entreat, 
and  beseech  them,  if  they  value  their  lives,  to  cross  the 


Let.  14.  Letters  to  a  NobUman.  449 

bridge.  IMethinks  this  should  be  an  easy  task :  yet  if 
we  should  see,  in  fact,  the  greater  part  stopping  their 
ears  to  the  friendly  importunity,  many  so  much  offended 
by  it  as  to  account  the  watchman's  care  impertinent, 
and  only  deserving  of  scorn  and  ill  treatment,  hardly 
one  in  fifty  betaking  themselves  to  the  friendly  bridge, 
the  rest  eagerly  plunging  into  the  waters,  from  which 
none  return,  as  if  they  were  determined  to  try  who 
should  be  drowned  first :  this  spectacle  would  be  no 
unfit  emblem  of  tlie  reception  the  Gospel  meets  witli 
from  a  blinded  world.  The  ministers  are  rejected,  op- 
posed, vilified ;  they  are  accounted  trou biers  of  the 
world,  because  they  dare  not,  cannot  stand  silent,  while 
sinners  are  perishing  before  their  eyes ;  and  if,  in  the 
course  of  many  sermons,  they  can  prevail  but  on  one 
soul  to  take  timely  warning,  and  to  seek  to  Jesus,  who 
is  the  way,  the  truth,  and  the  life,  they  may  account  it 
a  mercy  and  an  honour,  sufficient  to  overbalance  all  the 
labour  and  reproaches  they  are  called  to  endure.  From 
the  most  they  must  expect  no  better  reception  than  the 
Jews  gave  to  Jeremiah,  M'ho  told  the  prophet  to  his 
face,  "  As  to  the  word  thou  hast  spoken  to  us  in  the 
"  name  of  the  Lord,  we  will  not  hearken  to  thee  at  all; 
"  but  we  will  certainly  do  whatsoever  thing  goeth  forth 
"  out  of  our  own  mouth."  Surely,  if  the  Lord  has 
given  us  any  sense  of  the  worth  of  our  souls,  any  com- 
passion towards  them,  this  must  be  a  painful  exercise ; 
and  experience  must  teach  us  sometiiing  of  the  mean- 
ing of  Jeremiah's  pathetic  exclamation,  "  O  that  my 
"  head  were  waters,  and  mine  eyes  fountains  of  tears 
*'  that  I  might  weep  day  and  night,  for  the  slain  of  the 
"  daughter  of  my  people  !"'  It  is  our  duty  to  be  thus 
affected.  Our  relief  lies  in  the  wisdom  and  sovereignty 
of  God.     lie  reveals  his  salvation  to  whom  he  pleases, 


450  Letters  to  a  Nobieman.  Let.  14. 

for  the  most  part  to  babes;  from  the  bulk  of  the  wise  and 
the  prudent  it  is  hidden.  Thus  it  hath  pleased  him,  and 
therefore  it  must  be  right.  Yea,  he  will  one  day  condescend 
tojustify  the  propriety  and  equity  of  his  proceedings  to  his 
creatures ;  then  evxry  mouth  will  be  stopped,  and  none 
will  be  able  to  reply  against  their  Judge.  Liijht  is  come 
into  the  world,  but  men  prefer  darkness.  They  hate 
the  light,  resist  it,  and  rebel  against  it.  It  is  true,  all 
do  so ;  and  therefore,  if  all  were  to  perish  under  the 
condemnation,  their  ruin  would  be  their  own  act.  It  is 
of  grace  that  any  are  saved,  and  in  the  distribution  of 
that  grace,  he  does  w  hat  he  will  with  his  own  :  a  right 
which  most  are  ready  enough  to  claim  in  their  own  con- 
cerns, though  they  arc  so  unwilling  to  allow  it  to  the 
Lord  of  all.  Many  perplexing  and  acrimonious  dis- 
putes have  been  started  upon  this  subject;  but  the 
redeemed  of  the  Lord  are  called,  not  to  dispute,  but 
to  admire  and  rejoice ;  to  love,  adore,  and  obey.  To 
know  that  he  loved  us,  and  gave  himself  for  us,  is  the 
constraining  argument  and  motive  to  love  him,  and  sur- 
render ourselves  to  him ;  to  consider  ourselves,  as  no 
longer  our  own,  but  to  devote  ourselves,  with  every  fa- 
culty, power,  and  talent,  to  his  service  and  glory.  He 
deserves  our  all ;  for  he  parted  with  all  for  us.  He 
made  himself  poor,  he  endured  shame,  torture,  death, 
and  the  curse  for  us,  that  we  through  him  might  inherit 
everlasting  life.  Ah  !  the  hardness  of  my  heart,  that  I 
am  no  more  affected,  astonished,  overpowered,  w'\\.h. 
this  thought ! 

I  am,  &c. 


Let.  15.  Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  451 

LETTER  XV. 

My  Lord,  April  20,  1774. 

A  HAVE  been  pondering  a  good  while  for  a  subject^ 
and  at  last  I  begin  without  one,  hoping  that,  (as  it  has 
often  happened,)  while  I  am  writing  one  line,  something 
will  occur  to  fill  up  another.  Indeed,  I  have  an  inex- 
haustible fund  at  hand  ;  but  it  is  to  me  often  like  a 
prize  in  the  hand  of  a  fool,  I  want  skill  to  improve  it. 
O  for  a  warm,  a  suitable,  a  seasonable  train  of  thought 
that  might  enliven  my  own  heart,  and  not  be  unworthy 
your  lordship's  perusal !  Methinks  the  poets  can  have 
but  cold  comfort,  when  they  invocate  a  fabled  muse; 
but  we  have  a  warrant,  a  right,  to  look  up  for  the  in- 
fluence of  the  Holy  Spirit,  who  ordains  strength  for  us, 
and  has  promised  to  work  in  us.  What  a  comfort, 
what  an  honour  is  this,  that  worms  have  liberty  to  look 
up  to  God  !  and  that  he,  the  high  and  holy  One  who 
inhabiteth  eternity,  is  pleased  to  look  down  upon  us,  to 
maintain  our  peace,  to  supply  our  wants,  to  guide  us 
with  his  eye,  and  to  inspire  us  with  wisdom  and  grace 
suitable  to  our  occasions  !  They  who  profess  to  know 
something  of  this  intercourse,  and  to  depend  upon  it, 
are,  by  the  world,  accounted  enthusiasts,  who  know  not 
what  they  mean ;  or  perhaps  hypocrites,  who  pretend 
to  what  they  have  not,  in  order  to  cover  some  base  de- 
signs.'— But  we  have  reason  to  bear  their  reproaches 
with  patience.     Could  the  miser  say, 

Pofndiis  me  dbilat,  at  mihi  jilaudo 


Ifise  domiy  shmtl  ac  numinos  contemfdor  in  area. 


4i52  Letters  to  a  NoOleman.  Let.  15, 

Well  then  may  the  believer  say,  Let  them  laugh,  let 
them  rage,  let  them,  if  they  please,  point  at  me  for 
a  fool  as  I  walk  the  streets :  if  I  do  but  take  up  the 
Bible,  or  run  over  in  my  mind  the  inventory  of  the 
blessings  with  which  the  Lord  has  enriched  me,  I  have 
sufficient  amends.  Jesus  is  mine ;  in  him  I  have 
wisdom,  righteousness,  sanctification^  and  redemption, 
an  interest  in  all  the  promises  and  in  all  the  perfec- 
tions of  God  ;  he  will  guide  me  by  his  counsel,  sup- 
port me  by  his  power,  comfort  me  with  his  presence, 
while  I  am  here,  and  afterwards,  when  flesh  and  heart 
fail,  he  will  receive  me  to  his  glory. 

Let  them  say  what  they  will,  they  shall  not  dispute 
or  laugh  us  out  of  our  spiritual  senses.  If  all  the  blind 
men  in  the  kingdom  should  endeavour  to  bear  me 
down,  that  the  sun  is  not  bright,  or  that  the  rainbow 
has  no  colours,  I  would  still  believe  my  own  eyes.  I 
have  seen  them  both  ;  they  have  not.  I  cannot  prove 
to  their  satisfaction  what  I  assert,  because  they  are  des- 
titute of  sight,  the  necessary  medium  ;  yet  their  excep- 
tions produce  no  uncertainty  in  my  mind  :  they  would 
not,  they  could  not  hesitate  a  moment,  if  they  were  not 
blind.  Just  so,  they  who  have  been  taught  of  God, 
who  have  tasted  that  the  Lord  is  gracious,  have  an  ex- 
perimental perception  of  the  truth,  which  renders  them 
proof  against  all  the  sophistry  of  infidels.  I  am  per- 
suaded we  have  many  plain  people  here,  who,  if  a  wise 
man  of  the  world  was  to  su2;£fest  that  the  Bible  is  a  hu- 
man  invention,  would  be  quite  at  a  loss  how  to  answer 
him  by  arguments  drawn  from  external  evidences  ;  yet 
they  have  found  such  effects  from  tliis  blessed  book, 
that  they  would  be  no  more  moved  by  the  insinuation 
than  if  they  were  told,  that  a  cunning  man,  or  set  of  men, 
invented  the  sun,  and  placed  it  in  the  firmament.     So, 


Let.  15.  Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  453 

if  a  wise  Socinian  was  to  tell  them  that  the  Saviour  was 
onl}'^  a  man  like  themselves,  they  would  conceive  just 
such  an  opinion  of  his  skill  in  divinity,  as  a  philoso- 
pher would  do  of  a  clown's  skill  in  astronomy,  who 
should  aliirm  that  the  sun  was  no  bi^crer  than  a  cart- 
wheel. 

It  remains  therefore  a  truth,  in  defiance  of  all  the 
cavils  of  the  ignorant,  that  the  Holy  Spirit  does  in- 
fluence the  hearts  of  all  the  children  of  God,  or  in  other 
w  ords,  they  are  inspired,  not  with  new^  revelations,  but 
with  grace  and  wisdom,  to  understand,  apply,  and  feed 
upon  the  great  things  already  revealed  in  the  Scriptures, 
without  which  the  Scriptures  are  as  useless  as  spectacles 
to  tlie  blind.  "Were  it  not  so,  when  v.e  become  ac- 
quainted with  the  poverty,  ignorance,  arxd  wickedness 
of  our  hearts,  we  must  sit  down  in  utter  despair  of 
being  ever  able  to  think  a  good  thought,  to  offer  a  sin- 
gle petition  aright  in  prayer,  or  to  take  one  safe  step  in 
the  path  of  life.  But  now  we  may  be  content  with  our 
proper  weakness,  since  the  power  and  spirit  of  Christ 
are  engaged  to  rest  upon  us ;  and  while  we  are  pre- 
served in  a  simple  dependence  upon  this  help,  though 
unable  of  ourselves  to  do  any  thing,  we  shall  find  an 
ability  to  do  every  thing  that  our  circumstances  and 
duty  call  for.  What  is  weaker  than  a  worm  ?  Yet  the 
Lord's  worms  shall,  in  his  strength,  thresh  the  moun- 
tains, and  make  the  hills  as  chaff.  But  this  life  of 
faith,  this  living  and  acting  by  a  power  above  our  own, 
is  an  inexplicable  mystery,  till  experience  makes  it 
plain.  I  have  often  wondered  that  St.  Paul  has  ob- 
tained so  much  quarter  at  the  hands  of  some  people,  as 
to  pass  with  them  for  a  man  of  sense ;  for  surely  the 
greatest  part  of  his  writings  must  be,  to  the  last  degree, 


4*54  Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  l^et.  15. 

absurd  and  unintelligible  upon  their  principles.  How- 
many  contradictions  must  they  find,  for  instance,  if  they 
give  any  attention  to  what  they  read  in  that  one  pas- 
sage, Gal.  ii.  20.  "  I  am  crucified  with  Christ :  never- 
"  theless  I  live  ;  yet  not  I,  but  Christ  liveth  in  me:  and 
''  the  life  which  I  now  live  in  the  flesh,  I  live  by  faith 
"  in  the  Son  of  God,  who  loved  me  and  gave  himself 
^^  for  me." 

And  as  believers  are  thus  inspired  by  the  Holy 
Spirit,  who  furnishes  them  with  desires,  motives,  and 
abilities,  to  perform  what  is  agreeable  to  his  will ;  so  I 
apprehend,  that  they  who  live  without  God  in  the 
world,  whom  the  apostle  styles  sensual,  not  having  the 
Spirity  are,  in  a  greater  or  less  degree,  ad  captum  reci- 
pient is,  under  what  I  may  call  a  black  inspiration. — 
After  making  the  best  allowances  I  can,  both  for  the 
extent  of  human  genius,  and  the  deplorable  evil  of  the 
human  heart,  I  cannot  suppose  that  one  half  of  the 
wicked  wit,  of  which  some  persons  are  so  proud,  is  pro- 
perly their  own.  Perhaps  such  a  one  as  Voltaire 
would  neither  have  written,  or  have  been  read  or  ad- 
mired so  much,  if  he  had  not  been  the  amanuensis  of 
an  abler  hand  in  his  own  way.  Satan  is  alwavs  near 
when  the  heart  is  disposed  to  receive  him  ;  and  the 
Lord  withdraws  his  restraints,  to  heighten  the  sinner's 
ability  of  sinning  with  an  eclat,  and  assisting  him  with 
such  strokes  of  blasphemy,  malice,  and  falsehood,  as 
perhaps  he  could  not  otherwise  have  attained.  There- 
fore I  do  not  wonder  that  they  are  clever  and  smart, 
that  they  raise  a  laugh,  and  are  received  with  applause 
amoni!  those  who  are  like-minded  with  themselves.  But 
unless  the  Lord  is  pleased  to  grant  them  repentance, 
(though  it  is  rather  to  be  feared  some  of  them  are  given 


Let.  15.  Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  455 

up  to  judicial  hardness  of  heart,)  how  much  better 
Avould  it  have  been  for  them  had  they  been  born  idiots 
or  lunatics,  than  to  be  distinguished  as  the  willing, 
industrious,  and  successful  instruments  of  the  powers 
of  darkness,  in  beguiling,  perverting,  and  ruining  the 
souls  of  men  !  Alas,  what  are  parts  and  talents,  or 
any  distinctions  which  give  pre-eminence  in  life,  un- 
less they  are  sanctified  by  the  grace  of  God,  and  di- 
rected to  the  accomplishment  of  his  will  and  glory ! 
From  the  expression,  Bind  them  in  bundles  and  burn 
them,  1  have  been  led  to  think,  that  the  deceivers 
and  the  deceived,  they  who  have  prostituted  their  gifts 
or  influence  to  encourage  others  in  sin,  and  they  who 
have  perished  by  their  means,  may,  in  another  world, 
have  some  peculiar  and  inseparable  connexion,  and 
spend  an  eternity  in  fruitless  lamentations,  that  ever 
they  were  connected  here. 

Your  lordship,  I  doubt  not,  feels  the  force  of  that 
line, 

O  to  grace  how  great  a  debtor  I 

Had  not  the  Lord  separated  you  for  himself,  your 
rank,  your  abilities,  your  influence,  which  now  you 
chiefly  value  as  enlarging  your  opportunities  of  useful- 
ness, might,  nay  certainly  would,  have  been  diverted 
into  the  opposite  channel. 

I  am,  &c. 


Vol.  I.  3  N 


456  Letters  to  a  Nobleman,  Let.  16. 

LETTER  XVI. 

My  Lord,  November  5,  1774. 

X  HAVE  not  very  lately  had  recourse  to  the  expedient 
of  descanting  upon  a  text,  but  I  believe  it  the  best  method 
I  can  take  to  avoid  ringing  changes  upon  a  few  obvious 
topics,  which  I  suppose  uiiitormly  present  themselves  to 
my  mind  when  I  am  about  to  write  to  your  lordship. 
Just  now  that  sweet  expression  of  David  occurred  to  my 
thoughts,  The  Lord  is  my  Shephei^d!  Permit  me,  without 
plan  or  premeditation,  to  make  a  few  observations  upon 
it  ;  and  may  your  lordship  feel  the  peace,  the  confi- 
dence, the  blessedness,  which  a  believing  application 
of  the  words  is  suited  to  inspire. 

The  Socinians,  and  others,  in  their  unhappy  laboured 
attempts  to  darken  the  principal  glory  and  foundation- 
comfort  of  the  Gospel,  employ  their  critical  sophistry 
against  those  texts  which  expressly  and  doctrinally  de- 
clare the  Redeemer's  character;  and  affect  to  triumph, 
if  in  any  manuscript  or  ancient  version  they  can  find  a 
variation  from  the  received  copies  which  seems  to  favour 
their  cause.  But  we  may  venture  to  wave  the  authority 
of  every  disputed  or  disputable  text,  and  maintain  the 
truth  against  their  cavils,  from  the  current  language  and 
tenor  of  the  whole  Scripture.  David's  words  in  Psalm 
xxiii.  are  alone  a  decisive  proof  that  Jesus  is  Jehovah, 
if  they  will  but  allow  two  things,  A\hich  I  think  they 
cannot  deny ; —  ] .  That  our  Sav  iour  assumes  to  himself 
the  character  of  the  Shepherd  of  his  people  ; — and  2. 
That  he  did  not  come  into  the  world  to  abridge  those 
advantages  which  the  servants  of  God  enjoyed  before  his 
incarnation.     Upon  these  premises,  which  cannot  be 


Let  16.  Letters  to  a  Nobleman,  457 

gainsayed  without  setting  aside  the  whole  New  Testa- 
ment, the  conclusion  is  undeniable  :  for  if  Jehovah  was 
David's  Shepherd,  unless  Jesus  be  Jehovah,  we  who 
live  under  the  Gospel  have  an  unspeakable  disadvan- 
tage, in  being  intrusted  to  the  care  of  one  who,  ac- 
cording to  the  Socinians,  is  a  mere  man;  and,  upon 
the  Arian  scheme,  is  at  the  most  a  creature,  and  infi- 
nitely short  of  possessing  those  perfections  which  David 
contemplated  in  his  Shepherd.  He  hpd  a  Shepherd 
whose  wisdom  and  power  were  infinite,  and  might 
therefore  w  arrantably  conclude  he  should  not  want,  and 
need  not  fear.  And  we  also  may  conclude  the  same,  if 
our  Shepherd  be  the  Lord  or  Jehovah,  but  not  other- 
wise. Besides,  the  very  nature  of  the  Shepherd's  office 
respecting  the  state  of  such  frail  creatures  as  we  are,  re- 
quires those  attributes  for  the  due  discharge  of  it,  which 
are  incommunicably  divine.  He  must  intimately  know 
every  individual  of  the  flock. — His  eye  must  be  upon 
them  every  one,  and  his  ear  open  to  their  prayers,  and 
his  arm  stretched  out  for  their  relief,  in  all  places  and 
in  all  ages. — Every  thought  of  every  heart  must  be 
open  to  his  view,  and  his  wisdom  must  penetrate,  and 
his  arm  control  and  over-rule  all  the  hidden  and  com- 
plicated machinations  of  the  powers  of  darkness.  — He 
must  have  the  administration  of  universal  providence 
over  all  the  nations,  families,  and  persons  upon  earth,  or 
he  could  not  effectually  manage  for  those  who  put  their 
trust  in  him,  in  that  immense  variety  of  cases  and  cir- 
cumstances in  which  they  are  found.  Reason,  as  well 
as  Scripture,  may  convince  us,  that  he  who  gathereth 
the  outcasts  of  Israel,  who  healeth  the  broken  in  heart, 
who  upholdeth  all  that  fall,  raiseth  up  all  that  are  bowed 
down,  and  upon  whom  the  eyes  of  all  wait  for  their  sup- 
port, can  be  no  other  than  he  who  telleth  the  number 


458  Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  Let.  10. 

of  the  stars,  and  calleth  them  all  by  their  names;  who  is 
great  in  power,  and  whose  understanding  is  infinite. 
To  this  purpose  likewise  the  prophet  Isaiah  describes 
this  mighty  Shepherd,  chap.  xl.  9 — 17.  both  as  to  his 
person  and  office. 

But  is  not  this  indeed  the  great  mystery  of  godliness  ! 
How  just  is  the  apostle's  observation,  that  no  man  can 
say,  Jesus  Christ  is  the  Lord,  but  by  the  Holy  Ghost ! 
How  astonishing  the  thought, — that  the  Maker  of  hea- 
ven and  earth,  the  Holy  One  of  Israel,  before  whose 
presence  the  earth  shook,  the  heavens  dropped,  when 
he  displayed  a  faint  emblem  of  his  INIajesty  upon  Sinai, 
should  afterwards  appear  in  the  form  of  a  servant,  and 
hang  upon  a  cross,  the  sport  and  scorn  of  wicked  men  ! 
I  cannot  wonder  that  to  the  wise  men  of  the  world  this 
appears  absurd,  unreasonable,  and  impossible ;  yet  to 
right  reason,  to  reason  enlightened  and  sanctified,  how 
ever  amazing  the  proposition  be,  yet  it  appears  true  and 
necessary,  upon  a  supposition,  that  a  holy  God  is  pleased 
to  pardon  sinners  in  a  way  suited  to  display  the  awful 
i^lories  of  his  justice.  The  same  arguments  which  prove 
the  blood  of  bulls  and  goats  insufficient  to  take  away 
sin,  w  ill  conclude  against  the  utmost  doings  or  sufferings 
of  men  or  ancrels.  The  Redeemer  of  sinners  must  be 
mighty  ;  he  must  have  a  personal  dignity  to  stamp  such 
a  value  upon  his  undertakings,  as  that  thereby  God 
may  appear  just,  as  well  as  merciful,  in  justifying  the 
ungodlv  for  his  sake  ;  and  he  must  be  all-sufficient  to 
bless,  and  almighty  to  protect,  those  who  come  unto 
him  for  safety  and  life. 

Such  a  one  is  our  Shepherd.  This  is  he  of  whom  we, 
through  grace,  are  enabled  to  say,  we  are  his  people, 
and  the  sheep  of  Ins  pasture.  We  are  his  by  every  tie 
and  right;  he  made  us,  he  redeemed  us,  he  reclaimed 


Let.  16.  Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  459 

us  from  the  hand  of  our  enemies,  and  we  are  his  by  our 
own  voluntary  surrender  of  ourselves ;  for  though  we 
once  slighted,  despised,  and  opposed  him,  he  made  us 
willing  in  the  day  of  his  power  :  he  knocked  at  the  door 
of  our  hearts;  but  we,  (at  least  I,)  barred  and  fastened 
it  against  him  as  much  and  as  long  as  possible.  But 
when  he  revealed  his  love,  wx  could  stand  out  no  longer. 
Like  sheep,  we  are  weak,  destitute,  defenceless,  prone 
to  wander,  unable  to  return,  and  always  surrounded 
with  wolves.  But  all  is  made  up  in  the  fulness,  ability, 
wisdom,  compassion,  care,  and  faithfulness  of  our  great 
Shepherd.  He  guides,  protects,  feeds,  heals,  and  re- 
stores, and  Avill  be  our  guide  and  our  God  even  until 
death.  Then  he  will  meet  us,  receive  us,  and  present 
us  unto  himself,  and  we  shall  be  near  him,  and  like  him, 
and  with  him  for  ever. 

Ah  !  my  lord,  what  a  subject  is  this  !  I  trust  it  is  the 
joy  of  your  heart.  Placed  as  you  are  by  his  hand  in  a 
superior  rank,  you  see  and  feel  that  the  highest  ho- 
nours, and  the  most  important  concernments  that  ter- 
minate with  the  present  life,  are  trivial  as  the  sports  of 
children,  in  comparison  with  the  views  and  the  privi- 
leges you  derive  from  the  glorious  Gospel ;  and  your 
situation  in  life  renders  the  grace  bestowed  upon  you 
the  more  conspicuous  and  distinguishing.  I  have  some- 
where met  with  a  similar  reflection  of  Henry  the  Fourth 
of  France,  to  this  purpose,  that  though  many  came  into 
the  world  the  same  day  with  him,  he  was  probably  the 
only  one  among  them  that  was  born  to  be  a  king.  Your 
lordship  is  acquainted  with  many,  who,  if  not  born  on 
the  same  day  with  you,  were  born  to  titles,  estates, 
and  honours  ;  but  how  few  of  them  "were  born  to  the 
honour  of  making  a  public  and  consistent  profession  of 
the  glorious  Gospel !     The  hour  is  coming,  when  all 


460  Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  Let.  16. 

honours  and  possessions,  but  this  which  cometh  of  God 
only,  will  be  eclipsed  and  vanish  ;  and,  "  like  the  base- 
"  less  fabric  of  a  vision,  leave  not  a  wreck  behind."  How 
miserable  will  they  then  be,  who  must  leave  their  all ! 
What  a  mortifying  thought  does  Horace  put  in  the 
way  of  those  who  disdain  to  read  the  Scripture  ? 

Liquenda  telluSf  et  domus,  et  filacens 
Uxor:  neque  harum,  quas  colis,  arborum 
Te^fireter  invisan  cufiressos, 
Ulla  brevem  dominuni  sequetur. 

But  grace  and  faith  can  make  the  lowest  state  of  life 
supportable,  and  make  a  dismission  from  the  highest 
desirable.  Of  the  former  I  have  many  living  proofs 
and  witnesses  around  me.  Your  lordship,  I  trusty  will 
have  sweet  experience  of  the  latter,  when,  after  having 
fulfilled  the  will  of  God  in  your  generation,  you  shall 
be  called,  (I  hope  in  some  yet  distant  day,)  to  enter  into 
your  Master's  joy.  In  the  mean  time,  how  valuable 
are  life,  talents,  influence,  and  opportunities  of  every 
kind,  if  we  are  enabled  to  improve  and  lay  out  all  for 
him  who  has  thus  loved  us,  thus  provided  for  us  !  As 
to  myself,  I  would  hope  there  are  few  who  have  so 
clear  a  sense  of  their  obligations  to  him,  who  make 
such  unsuitable  and  languid  returns  as  I  do.  I  think  I 
have  a  desire  to  serve  him  better;  but,  alas  !  evil  is  pre- 
sent with  me.  Surely  I  shall  feel  something  like  shame 
and  regret  for  my  coldness,  even  in  heaven  ; — for  I  find 
I  am  never  happier  than  when  I  am  most  ashamed  of 
myself  upon  this  account  here. 

I  am,  &c. 


I,et,  1 7,  Letters  to  a  Noblevian.  16 1 


LETTER  XVII. 
My  Lord,  December  8,  1774. 


H. 


.OW  wonderful  is  the  patience  of  God  towards  sin- 
ful men  !  In  him  they  live,  and  move,  and  have  their 
being ;  and  if  he  were  to  withdraw  his  support  for  a 
single  moment,  they  must  perish.  He  maintains  their 
lives,  guards  their  persons,  supplies  their  wants,  while 
they  employ  the  powers  and  faculties  they  receive  from 
him  in  a  settled  course  of  opposition  to  his  will.  They 
trample  upon  his  laws,  affront  his  government,  and  de- 
spise his  grace ;  yet  still  he  spares.  To  silence  all  his 
adversaries  in  a  moment,  would  require  no  extraordi- 
nary exertion  of  his  power ;  but  his  forbearance  to- 
wards them  manifests  his  glory,  and  gives  us  cause  to 
say,  Who  is  a  God  like  unto  thee? 

Sometimes,  however,  there  are  striking  instances  of 
his  displeasure  against  sin.  When  such  events  take 
place,  immediately  upon  a  public  and  premeditated 
contempt  offered  to  Him  that  sitteth  in  the  heavens;  I 
own  they  remind  me  of  the  danger  of  standing,  if  I  may 
so  speak,  in  the  Lord's  way ;  for  though  his  long-suf- 
fering is  astonishing,  and  many  dare  him  to  his  face 
daily,  with  seeming  impunity ;  yet  he  sometimes  strikes 
an  awful  and  unexpected  blow,  and  gives  an  illustra- 
tion of  that  solemn  word,  "Who  ever  hardened  him- 
"  self  against  the  Lord  and  prospered  ?"  But  who  am 
I,  to  make  this  observation  ?  I  ought  to  do  it  with  the 
deepest  humiliation,  remembering  that  I  once  stood, 
(according  to  my  years  and  ability,)  in  the  foremost  rank 
of  his  avowed  opposers;  and  with  a  determined  and 
unwearied  enmity,  renounced,  defied,  and  blasphemed 


463  Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  J^Qi.  17, 

him.  "  But  he  will  have  mercy  on  whom  he  will  have 
"  mercy ;"  and  therefore  I  was  spared,  and  reserved  to 
speak  of  his  goodness. 

Josephus,  when  speaking  of  the  death  of  Herod 
Agrippa,  ascribes  it  to  a  natural  cause,  and  says,  he 
was  seized  with  excruciating  pains  in  his  bowels.  But 
Luke  informs  us  of  the  true  cause :  an  angel  of  the  Lord 
smote  him.  Had  we  a  modern  history,  written  by  an 
inspired  pen,  we  should  probably  often  be  reminded 
of  such  an  interposition  where  we  are  not  ordinarily 
aware  of  it.  For  though  the  springs  of  actions  and 
events  are  concealed  from  us  for  the  most  part,  and  vain 
men  carry  on  their  schemes  with  confidence,  as  though 
the  Lord  had  forsaken  the  earth ;  yet  they  are  under 
his  eye  and  control ;  and  faith,  in  some  measure,  in- 
structed by  the  specimens  of  his  government  recorded 
in  the  Scripture,  can  trace  and  admire  his  hand,  and 
can  see  how  he  takes  the  wise  in  their  own  craftiness, 
stains  the  pride  of  human  glory  ;  and  that  when  sinners 
speak  proudly,  he  is  above  them,  and  makes  every  thing 
bend  or  break  before  him. 

While  we  lament  the  growth  and  pernicious  effects  of 
infidelity,  and  see  how  wicked  men  and  seducers  wax 
worse  and  worse,  deceiving,  and  being  deceived ;  w  hat 
gratitude  should  fill  our  hearts  to  him,  who  has  been 
pleased  to  call  us  out  of  the  horrid  darkness  in  which 
multitudes  are  bewildered  and  lost,  into  the  glorious 
light  of  his  Gospel  ?  Faint  are  our  warmest  concep- 
tions of  this  mercy.  In  order  to  understand  it  fully,  we 
should  have  a  full  and  adequate  sense  of  the  evil  from 
which  we  are  delivered ;  the  glory  to  which  we  are 
called ;  and  especially  of  the  astonishing  moans  to  which 
we  owe  our  life  and  hope,  the  humiliation,  sufferings, 
and  death  of  the  Son  of  God.     But  our  views  of  these 


Let.  17.  Letters  to  a  Noblemayi.  4G3 

points,  while  in  our  present  state,  are  and  must  be  ex- 
ceedingly weak  and  disproportionate.  We  know  them 
but  in  part,  we  see  them  ^*£cro7r7fs,  by  reflection,  raiiier 
the  images  than  the  things  themselves  ;  and  though  they 
are  faithfully  represented  in  the  mirror  of  God's  word, 
to  us  they  appear  indistinct,  because  we  see  them 
through  a  gross  medium  of  ignorance  and  unbelief. 
Hereafter  every  vail  shall  be  removed  ;  we  shall  know, 
in  another  manner  than  we  do  now,  the  unspeakable 
evil  of  sin,  and  the  unsupportable  dreadfulness  of  God's 
displeasure  against  it,  when  we  see  the  world  in  flames, 
and  hear  the  final  sentence  denounced  upon  the  un* 
godly.  We  shall  have  far  other  thoughts  of  Jesus  when 
we  see  him  as  he  is  ;  and  shall  then  be  able  to  make  a 
more  affecting  estimate  of  the  love  w  hich  moved  him  to 
be  made  a  substitute  and  a  curse  for  us  ;  and  we  shall 
then  know  what  great  things  God  has  prepared  for  them 
that  love  him.  Then  with  transport  we  shall  adopt  the 
queen  of  Sheba's  language,  It  Mas  a  true  report  we 
heard  in  yonder  dark  world ;  but  behold  the  half,  the 
thousandth  part,  was  not  told  us  !  In  the  mean  time, 
may  such  conceptions  as  we  are  enabled  to  form  of  these 
great  truths,  fill  our  hearts,  and  be  mingled  with  all  our 
thoughts,  and  all  our  concerns  ;  may  the  Lord,  by  faith, 
give  us  an  abiding  evidence  of  tlie  reality  and  import- 
ance of  the  things  which  cannot  yet  be  seen  ;  so  shall 
we  be  enabled  to  live  above  the  world  while  we  are  in 
it,  uninfluenced  either  by  its  blandishments  or  its  frowns, 
and,  with  a  noble  simplicity  and  singularity,  avow  and 
maintain  the  cause  of  God  in  truth,  in  the  midst  of  a 
crooked  and  perverse  generation.  He  whom  we  serve 
is  able  to  support  and  protect  us  ;  and  he  well  deserves, 
at  our  hands,  that  we  should  be  willing  to  endure,  for 
his  sake,  much  more  than  he  will  ever  permit  us  to  be 

Voj .  r  3  O 


1<64  Letters  to  a  Noblevmn.  Let.  17. 

exercised  with.  The  believer's  call,  duty,  and  privi- 
lege, is  beautifully  and  forcibly  set  forth  in  Milton's 
character  of  Abdiel,  at  the  end  of  the  Fifth  Book  : 


-Faithful  found 


Amonp;  the  faithless,  faithful  only  he  : 

Among  innumerable  false,  unmov'd, 

Unshaken,  unse^uc'd,  unterrified, 

His  loyalty  he  kept,  his  love,  his  zeal ; 

Nor  number,  nor  example,  with  him  wrought 

To  swerve  from  truth,  or  change  his  constant  mind, 

Though  single.- 

Methinks  your  lordship's  situation  particularly  re- 
sembles that  in  which  the  poet  has  placed  Abdiel. — 
You  are  not  indeed  called  to  serve  God  quite  alone; 
but  amongst  those  of  your  own  rank,  and  with  whom 
the  station  in  which  he  has  placed  you  necessitates  you 
to  converse,  how  few  are  there  who  can  understand,  se- 
cond, or  approve,  the  principles  upon  which  you  act,  or 
easily  bear  a  conduct  which  must  impress  conviction, 
or  reflect  dishonour  upon  themselves  !  But  you  are  not 
alone ;  the  Lord's  people,  (many  of  whom  you  will  not 
know  till  you  meet  them  in  glory,)  are  helping  you  here 
with  their  prayers;  his  angels  are  commissioned  to  guard 
and  guide  your  steps ;  yea,  the  Lord  himself  fixes  his 
eye  of  mercy  upon  your  private  and  your  public  path, 
and  is  near  you  at  your  right  hand,  that  you  may  not 
be  moved  !  That  he  may  comfort  you  with  the  light  of 
his  countenance,  and  uphold  you  with  the  arm  of  his 
power,  is  my  frequent  prayer. 

I  am,  &c. 


Let.  18.  Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  465 

LETTER  XVIII. 
My  Lord,  January  20,  1775. 


Wi 


E  have  entered  upon  another  year! — So  have  thou- 
sands, perhaps  millions,  w  ho  will  not  see  it  close !   An 
alarming  thought  to  the  worldlino;!  at  least  it  should  be 
so.     I  have  an  imperfect  remembrance  ot  an  account  I 
read,  when  I  was  a  boy,  of  an  ice  palace,  built  one  win- 
ter at  Petersburgh.     The  walls,  the  roof,  the  floors,  the 
furniture,  were  all  of  ice,  but  finished  with  taste  :  and 
every  thing  that  might  be  expected  in  a  royal   palace 
was  to  be  found   there ;  the  ice,    while  in  the  state  of 
water,  being  previously  coloured,  so  that  to  the  eye  all 
seemed  formed  of  proper  materials ;  but  all  was  cold, 
useless,   and  transient.     Had  the  frost  continued  till 
now,  the  palace  might  have  been  standing;  but  with  the 
returning  spring  it  melted  away,  like  the  baseless  fabric 
of  a  vision.    Methinks  there  should  have  been  one  stone 
in  the  building,   to  have  retained  the  inscription  *S7c 
transit  gloria  miuidi !  for  no  contrivance  could  exhibit 
a  fitter  illustration  of  the  vanity  of  human  life.       Men 
build  and  plan  as  if  their  work  were  to  endure  for  ever ; 
but  the  wind  passes  over  them,  and  they  are  gone.    In 
the  midst  of  all  their  preparations,  or  at  furthest  when 
they  think  they  have  just  completed  their  designs,  their 
breath  goeth  forth,   they  return  to  their  earth  ;  in  that 
very  day  their  thoughts  perish. 

liow  mciny  sleep  who  kept  the  world  awake  I 

Yet  this  ice  house  had  something  of  a  leisurely  dissolu- 
tion ;  though,  when  it  began  to  decay,  all  the  art  of  man 
was  unable  to  prop  it ;  but  often  death  comes  hastily. 


466  Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  Let.  18. 

and,  like  the  springing  of  a  mine,  destroys  to  the  very 
foundations  without  previous  notice.  Then  all  we  have 
been  concerned  in  here,(all  but  the  conseqiiences  of  our 
conduct,  which  will  abide  to  eternity,)  will  be  no  more 
to  Ub  than  the  remembrance  of  a  dream.  This  truth  is 
too  plain  to  be  denied  ;  but  the  greater  part  of  mankind 
act  as  if  they  were  convinced  it  was  false  :  they  spend 
their  days  in  vanity,  and  in  a  moment  they  go  down  to 
the  grave.  What  cause  of  thankfulness  have  they  who 
are  delivered  from  this  delusion,  and  who,  by  the  knov,- 
ledge  of  the  glorious  Gospel,  have  learned  their  true 
state  and  end,  are  saved  from  the  love  of  the  present 
world,  from  the  heart- distressing  fear  of  death;  and 
know,  that  if  their  earthly  house  were  dissolfedWkQ  the 
ice  palace,  they  have  a  house  not  made  with  hands, 
eternal  in  the  heavens. 

Yet  even  these  are  much  concerned  to  realize  the 
brevity  and  uncertainty  of  their  present  state,  that  they 
may  be  stimulated  to  make  the  most  and  the  best  of  it ; 
to  redeem  their  time,  and  manage  their  precarious  op- 
portunities, so  as  may  most  tend  to  the  praise  and  glory 
of  him  who  has  called  them  out  of  darkness  into  marvel- 
lous light.  Why  should  any  that  have  tasted  that  the 
Lord  is  gracious  wish  to  live  another  day,  but  that  they 
may  have  the  honour  to  be  fellow- workers  with  him,  in- 
strumental in  promoting  his  designs,  and  of  laying  them- 
selves out  to  the  utmost  of  their  abilities  and  influence  in 
his  service !  To  enjoy  a  sense  of  his  loving  kindness, 
and  to  have  the  light  of  his  countenance  lifted  up  upon 
our  souls,  is  indeed,  respecting  oarselves,  the  best  part 
of  life,  yea,  better  than  life  itself;  but  this  we  shall 
have  to  unspeakably  greater  advantage  when  we  have 
finished  our  course,  and  shall  be  wholly  freed  from  the 
body  of  sin.     And  therefore  the  great  desirable  while 


Let.  ISi  Letters  to  a  Nobletnan.  4G7 

here  seems  to  be  grace,  that  we  may  sewe  him  and 
suffer  for  him  in  the  world.  Though  our  first  wish  im- 
mediately upon  our  own  accounts  might  be,  to  depart 
and  be  with  Jesus,  which  is  vo'k'Koi  fxaxxov  KpEio-o-ov,  yet  a 
lively  thought  of  our  immense  obligations  to  his  redeem- 
ing love,  may  reconcile  us  to  a  much  longer  continuance 
here,  if  we  may  by  any  means  be  subservient  to  diffuse 
the  glory  of  his  name,  and  the  blessings  of  his  salvation^ 
which  is  God's  great  and  principal  end  in  preserving 
the  world  itself.     When  historians  and  politicians  des- 
cant upon   the  rise  and  fall  of  empires,  with  all  their 
professed  sagacity,   in  tracing  the  connexion  between 
causes  and  effects,  they  are  totally  unacquainted  with 
the  great  master- wheel  which  manages  the  whole  move- 
ment ;  that  is,  the  Lord's  design  in  favour  of  his  church 
and  kingdom.     To  this  every  event  is  subordinate ;  to 
this  every  interfering  interest  must  stoop.     How  easily 
might  this  position  be  proved,  by  reviewing  the  history 
of  the  period  about  the  Reformation.     Whether  Dr. 
Robertson  considers  things  in  this  light,  in  his  history  of 
Charles  V.  I  know  not,  as  I  have  not  seen  his  books  ; 
but  if  not,  however  elaborate  his  performance  may  be 
in  other  respects,  I  must  venture  to  say,  it  is  essentially 
defective,  and  cannot  give  that  light  and  pleasure  to  a 
spiritual  reader  of  which  the  subject  is  capable.     And 
I  doubt  not  but  some  who  are  yet  unborn  will  hereafter 
clearly  see  and  remark,  that  the  present  unhappy  dis- 
putes between  Great  Britain  and  America,  with  their 
consequences,  whatever  tt)ey  may  be,  are  part  of  a  series 
of  events,  of  which  the  extension  and  interests  of  the 
church  of  Christ  were  the  principal  final  causes.     In  a 
word,  that  Jesus  may  be  known,  trusted,  and  adored, 
and  sinners,  by  the  power  of  his  Gospel,  be  rescued  from 
sin  and  Satan,  is  comparatively  the  To  /v— the  one  great 


4G8  Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  Let.  18. 

busineSwS,  for  the  sake  of  which  the  succession  of  day 
and  night,  summer  and  winter,  is  still  maintained ;  and 
when  the  plan  of  redemption  is  consummated,  sin,  which 
now  almost  fills  the  earth,  will  then  set  it  on  lire  ;  and 
the  united  interest  of  all  the  rest  of  mankind,  when  de- 
tached from  that  of  the  people  of  God,  will  not  plead 
for  its  preservation  a  single  day.  In  this  view,  I  con- 
gratulate your  lordship,  that  however  your  best  en- 
deavours to  serve  the  temporal  interests  of  the  nation 
may  fall  short  of  your  wishes  ;  yet,  so  far  as  your  situa- 
tion gives  you  opportunity  of  supporting  the  Gospel- 
cause,  and  facilitating  its  progress,  you  have  a  prospect 
both  of  a  more  certain  and  more  important  success. 
For  instance,  it  was,  under  God,  your  lordship's  favour 
and  influence  that  brought  me  into  the  ministry.  And 
though  I  be  nothing,  yet  he  who  put  it  into  your  heart 
to  patronize  me,  has  been  pleased  not  to  suffer  what  you 
then  did  for  his  sake  to  be  wholly  in  vain.  He  has  been 
pleased,  in  a  course  of  years,  by  so  unworthy  an  in- 
strument as  I  am,  to  awaken  a  number  of  persons,  who 
were  at  that  time  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins  ;  but  now 
some  of  them  are  pressing  on  to  the  prize  of  their  high 
calling  in  Christ  Jesus  ;  and  some  of  them  are  already 
before  the  throne.  Should  I  suggest  in  some  companies, 
that  the  conversion  of  a  hundred  sinners,  (more  or  less,) 
to  God  is  an  event  of  more  real  importance  than  the 
temporal  prosperity  of  the  greatest  nation  upon  earth,  I 
should  be  charged  with  ignorance  and  arrogance ;  but 
your  lordship  is  skilled  in  Scriptural  arithmetic,  which 
alone  can  teach  us  to  estimate  the  value  of  souls,  and 
will  agree  with  me,  that  one  soul  is  worth  more  than  the 
whole  world,  on  account  of  its  redemption-price,  its 
vast  capacities,  and  its  duration.  Sliould  we  suppose  a 
nation  to  consist  of  forty  millions,  the  whole  and  each 


£et.  19.  Letters  to  a  Nohleyna7h.  469 

individual  to  enjoy  as  mucli  good  as  this  life  can  afford, 
without  abatement,  for  a  terra  of  fifty  years  each ;  all 
this  good,  or  an  equal  quantity,  might  be  exhausted  by 
a  single  person  in  two  thousand  million  of  years,  which 
M'ould  be  but  a  moment  in  comparison  of  the  eternity 
which  would  still  follow.  And  if  this  good  were  merely 
temporal  good,  the  whole  aggregate  of  it  would  be  evil 
and  misery,  if  compared  with  that  happiness  in  God, 
of  which  only  they  who  are  made  partakers  of  a  divine 
life  are  capable.  On  the  other  hand,  were  a  whole 
nation  to  be  destroyed  by  such  accumulated  miseries  as 
attended  the  seise  of  Jerusalem,  the  sum-total  of  these 
calamities  would  be  but  trifling,  if  set  in  competition 
with  vvhat  every  single  person  that  dies  in  sin  has  to  ex- 
pect, when  the  sentence  of  everlasting  destruction,  from 
the  presence  of  the  Lord,  and  the  glory  of  his  power, 
shall  be  executed. 

What  an  unexpected  round  have  my  thoughts  taken 
since  I  set  out  from  the  ice  palace !  It  is  time  to  re- 
lieve your  lordship,  and  to  subscribe  myself,  &c. 


I 


LETTER  XIX. 

My  Lord,  February  23,  1775. 


ASSENT  to  our  Lord's  declaration,  "  Without  me 
''ye  can  do  nothing;"  not  only  upon  the  authority  of 
the  speaker,  but  from  the  same  irresistible  and  expe- 
rimental evidence,  as  if  he  had  told  me,  that  I  cannot 
make  the  sun  to  shine,  or  change  the  course  of  the  sea- 
sons. Though  my  pen  and  my  tongue  sometimes 
move  freely,  yet  the  total  incapacity  and  stagnation  of 
thought  I  labour  under  at  other  times,  convinces  me, 
that  in  myself  I  have  not  sufficiency  to  think  a  good 


470  Letters  to  a  Noblcmcui.  Let.  I'J. 

thought ;  and  I  believe  the  case  would  be  the  same,  if 
that  little  measure  of  knowledge  and  abilities,  which  I 
am  too  prone  to  look  upon  as  my  own,  were  a  thousand 
times  greater  than  it  is.     For  every  new  service  I  stand 
in  need  of  a  new  supply,  and  can  bring  forth  nothing 
of  my  supposed   store  into  actual  exercise,   but  by  his 
immediate  assistance.     His  gracious  influence  is  that 
to  those  who   are  best  furnished  with  gifts,   which  the 
water  is  to  the  mill,  or  the  wind  to  the  ship,   without 
which  the  whole  apparatus  is  motionless   and  useless. 
I  apprehend  that  we  lose  much  of  the  comfort  which 
might  arise  from  a  sense  of  our  continual  dependence 
upon  him,  and,  of  course,  fall  short  of  acknowledging, 
as  we  ought,   what  we  receive  from  him,  by  mistaking 
the  manner  of  his  operation.     Perhaps  we  take  it  too 
much  for  granted,  that  communications  from  himself 
must  bear  some  kind  of  sensible  impression  that  they 
are  his,  and  therefore  are  ready  to  give  our  own  indus- 
try or  ingenuity  credit  for  those  performances  in  which 
we  can  perceive  no  such  impression :  yet  it  is  very  pos- 
sible that  we  may  be  under  his  influence  when  we  are 
least  aware:  and  though  what  we  say,  or  write,  or  do, 
may  seem  no   way  extraordinary:  yet  that   we  should 
be  led  to  such  a  particular  turn  of  thought  at  one  time 
rather  than  at  another,  has,  in  my  o^\'n  concerns,  often 
appeared  to  me  remarkable,   from  the  circumstances 
which  have  attended,  or  the  consequences  which  have 
followed.     How  often,  in  the  choice  of  a  text,  or  in  the 
course  of  a  sermon,   or  in  a  letter  to  a  friend,    have  I 
been  led  to  speak  a  word  in  season  !  and  what  I  have 
expressed  at  large,  and  in  general,  has  been  so  exactly 
suited  to  some  case  which  I  was  utterly  unacquainted 
with,  that  I  could  hardly  have  hit  it  so  well,  had  I  been 
previously  informed  of  it.     Some  instances  of  this  kind 


Let.  19.  Letters  to  a  Noblcnuin.  4,71 

have  been  so  striking,  as  hardly  to  admit  a  doubt  of 
superior  agency.  And  indeed,  if  believers  in  Jesus, 
however  unworthy  in  themselves,  are  the  temples  of 
the  Holy  Ghost;  if  the  Lord  lives,  dwells,  and  walks 
in  them  ;  if  he  is  their  life  and  their  light ;  if  he  has 
promised  to  guide  them  with  his  eye,  and  to  work  in 
them  to  will  and  to  do  of  his  own  good  pleasure  ;  rne- 
thinks  what  I  have  mentioned,  and  more,  may  be  rea- 
sonably expected.     That  line  in  the  hymn, 

Help  I  every  moment  need, 

is  not  a  hyperbolical  expression,  but  strictly  and  liter- 
ally true,  not  only  in  great  emergencies,  but  in  our 
smoother  hours,  and  most  familiar  paths.  This  gra- 
cious assistance  is  afforded  in  a  way  imperceptible  to 
ourselves,  to  hide  pride  from  us,  and  to  prevent  us  from 
being  indolent  and  careless  with  respect  to  the  use  of 
appointed  means  ;  and  it  would  be  likewise  more  abun- 
dantly, and  perhaps  more  sensibly  afforded,  were  our 
spirits  more  simple  in  waiting  upon  the  I-ord.  But,  alas ! 
a  divided  heart,  an  undue  attachment  to  some  temporal 
object  sadly  deadens  our  spirits,  (I  speak  for  myself,) 
and  grieves  the  Lord's  Spirit;  so  that  we  walk  in  dark- 
ness and  at  a  distance,  and  though  called  to  great  pri- 
vileges, live  far  below  them.  But  methinks  the  thought 
of  him  who  is  always  near,  and  upon  whom  we  do  and 
must  incessantly  depend,  should  suggest  a  powerful  mo- 
tive for  the  closest  attention  to  his  revealed  will,  and 
the  most  punctual  compliance  with  it ;  for  so  far  as  the 
Lord  withdraws,  we  become  as  blind  men,  and  with  the 
clearest  light,  and  upon  the  plainest  ground,  we  are  lia- 
ble, or  rather  sure,  to  stumble  at  every  step. 

Though  there  is  a  principle  of  consciousness,  and  a 

Vol.  I.  3  P 


472  LetUrs  to  a  Nobleman.  Let  19. 

determination  of  the  will,  sufficient  to  denominate  our 
thoughts  and  performances  our  own ;  yet  I  believe  man- 
kind in  general  are  more  under  an  invisible  agency  than 
they  apprehend.  The  Lord,  immediately  from  him- 
self, and  perhaps  by  the  ministry  of  his  holy  angels, 
guides,  prompts,  restrains,  or  warns  his  people.  So 
there  undoubtedly  is  what  I  may  call  a  black  inspira- 
tion, the  influence  of  the  evil  spirits  who  work  in  the 
hearts  of  the  disobedient,  and  not  only  excite  their 
wills,  but  assist  their  faculties,  and  qualify  as  well  as 
incline  them  to  be  more  assiduously  wicked,  and  more 
extensively  mischievous,  than  they  could  be  of  them- 
selves. I  consider  Voltaire,  for  instance,  and  many 
writers  of  the  same  stamp,  to  be  little  more  than  secre- 
taries and  amanuenses  of  one  who  has  unspeakably  more 
wit  and  adroitness  in  promoting  infidelity  and  immo- 
rality, than  they  of  themselves  can  justly  pretend  to. 
They  have,  for  a  while,  the  credit,  (if  I  may  so  call  it,) 
of  the  fund  from  whence  they  draw ;  but  the  world 
little  imagines  who  is  the  real  and  original  author  of 
that  philosophy  and  poetry,  of  those  fine  turns  and 
sprightly  inventions,  which  are  so  generally  admired. 
Perhaps  many,  now  applauded  for  their  genius,  would 
have  been  comparatively  dolts,  had  they  not  been  en- 
gaged in  a  cause  which  Satan  has  so  much  interest  in 
supporting. 

But  to  return  to  the  more  pleasing  subject.  How 
great  and  honourable  is  the  privilege  of  a  true  believer! 
That  he  has  neither  wisdom  nor  strength  in  himself,  is  no 
disadvantage  ;  for  he  is  connected  with  infinite  wisdom 
and  almighty  power.  Though  weak  as  a  worm,  his 
arms  are  strengthened  by  the  mighty  God  of  Jacob,  and 
all  things  become  possible,  yea,  easy  to  him,  that  occur 
within  the  compass  of  his  proper  duty  and  calling.  The 


Let.  19.  Letters  io  a  Noblcmcm.  473 

Lord,  whom  he  serves,  engages  to  proportion  his 
strength  to  his  day,  whether  it  be  a  day  of  service  or  of 
suffering  ;  and  though  he  be  fallible  and  short-sighted, 
exceeding  liable  to  mistake  and  imposition  ;  yet,  while 
lie  retains  a  sense  that  he  is  so,  and  with  the  simplicity 
of  a  child  asks  counsel  and  direction  of  the  Lord,  he 
seldom  takes  a  wrong  step,  at  least  not  in  matters  of 
consequence  ;  and  even  his  inadvertencies  are  over- 
ruled for  good.  If  he  forgets  his  true  state,  and  thinks 
himself  to  be  something,  he  presently  finds  he  is  in- 
deed nothing  ;  but  if  he  is  content  to  be  nothing,  and 
to  have  nothing,  he  is  sure  to  find  a  seasonable  and 
abundant  communication  of  all  that  he  wants.  Thus 
he  lives,  like  Israel  in  the  wilderness,  upon  mere  boun- 
ty ;  but  then  it  is  a  bounty  unchangeable,  unwearied, 
inexhaustible,  and  all-sufficient.  Moses,  when  speak- 
ing of  the  methods  the  Lord  took  to  humble  Israel, 
mentions  his  feeding  them  with  manna,  as  one  method. 
I  could  not  understand  this  for  a  time.  I  thought  they 
Mere  rather  in  danger  of  being  proud,  when  they  saw 
themselves  provided  for  in  such  an  extraordinary  way. 
But  the  manna  would  not  keep ;  they  could  not  hoard 
it  up,  and  were  therefore  in  a  state  of  absolute  depen- 
dence from  day  to  day :  this  appointment  was  well 
suited  to  humble  them.  Thus  it  is  with  us  in  spirituals. 
We  should  be  better  pleased,  perhaps,  to  be  set  up 
with  a  stock  or  sufficiency  at  once,  such  an  inherent 
portion  of  wisdom  and  power,  as  we  might  depend 
upon,  at  least  for  common  occasions,  without  being  con- 
strained by  a  sense  of  indigence,  to  have  continual  re- 
course to  the  Lord  for  every  thing  we  want.  But  his 
way  is  best.  His  own  glory  is  most  displayed,  and  our 
safety  best  secured,  by  keeping  us  quite  poor  and  empty 
in  ourselves,  and  supplying  us  from  one  minute  to  an- 


4^4  Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  Let.  20. 

Other,  according  to  our  need.  This,  if  any  thing,  will 
prevent  boasting,  and  keep  a  sense  of  gratitude  awake 
in  our  hearts.  This  is  nell  adapted  to  quicken  us  to 
prayer,  and  furnishes  us  vvith  a  thousand  occasions  for 
praise,  which  would  otherwise  escape  our  notice. 

But  who  or  what  are  we,  that  the  ]\Iost  High  should 
thus  notice  us !  should  visit  us  every  morning,  and  water 
us  every  moment !  It  is  an  astonishing  thought,  that 
God  should  thus  dwell  Avith  men  !  that  he,  before 
■whom  the  mightiest  earthly  potentates  are  less  than 
nothing  and  vanity,  should  thus  stoop  and  accommo- 
date himself  to  the  situation,  wants,  and  capacities  of 
the  weakest,  meanest,  and  poorest  of  his  children  ! 
But  so  it  hath  pleased  him.  He  seeth  not  as  man 
seeth. 

I  am,  &c. 


LETTER  XX. 
iMy  Lord,  August — 1775. 

HAVE  no  apt  preface  or  introduction  at  hand,  and 
as  I  have  made  it  almost  a  rule  not  to  study  for  what 
I  should  offer  your  lordship,  I  therefore;  beg  leave  to 
begin  abruptly.  It  is  the  future  promised  privilege  of 
believers  in  Jesus,  that  they  shall  be  as  the  angels  ;  and 
there  is  a  sense  in  which  we  should  endeavour  to  be  as 
the  angels  now.  Tiiis  is  intimated  to  us  where  we  arc 
taught  to  pray.  Thy  will  be  done  on  earth,  as  it  is  in 
heaven.  I  have  sometimes  amused  myself  with  sup- 
posing an  angel  should  be  appointed  to  reside  awhile 
upon  earth  in  a  human  body ;  not  in  sinful  flesh  like 
ours,  but  in  a  body  free  from  inhrn)ity,  and  still  pre- 
serving an  unabated  sense  of  his  ow  n  happiness  in  the 


Let.  20.  Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  475 

favour  of  God,  and  of  his  unspeakable  obligation  to  his 
goodness ;  and  then  I  have  tried  to  judge,  as  well  as  I 
could,  how  such  an  angel  Avould  comport  himself  in 
such  a  situation.  I  know  not  that  I  ever  enlarged  up- 
on the  thought,  either  in  preaching  or  writing.  Permit 
me  to  follow  it  a  little  in  this  paper. 

Were  I  acquainted  with  this  heavenly  visitant,  I  am 
willing  to  hope  I  should  greatly  reverence  him  ;  and,  if 
permitted,  be  glad,  in  some  cases,  to  consult  him :  in 
some,  but  not  in  all ;  for  I  think  my  fear  would  be  equal 
to  my  love.  ]\Iethinks  I  could  never  venture  to  open 
my  heart  freely  to  him,  and  unfold  to  him  my  number- 
less complaints  and  infirmities ;  for,  as  he  could  have 
no  experience  of  the  like  things  himself,  I  should  sup- 
pose he  would  not  know  how  fully  to  pity  me ;  indeed, 
hardly  how  to  bear  with  me,  if  I  told  him  at  all.  Alas  ! 
what  a  preposterous,  strange,  vile  creature  should  1  ap- 
pear to  an  angel,  if  he  knew  me  as  I  am  !  It  is  well  for 
me,  that  Jesus  was  made  lower  than  the  angels,  and 
that  the  human  nature  he  assumed  was  not  distinct  from 
the  common  nature  of  mankind,  though  secured  from 
the  common  depravity  ;  and  because  he  submitted  to 
be  under  the  law  in  our  name  and  stead,  though  he 
was  free  from  sin  himself,  yet  sin,  and  its  consequences, 
being,  (for  our  sakes,)  charged  upon  him,  he  acquired, 
in  the  days  of  nis  humiliation,  an  experimental  sympa- 
thy with  his  poor  people.  He  knows  the  effects  of  sin 
and  temptation  upon  us,  by  that  knowledge  whereby  he 
knows  all  things  ;  but  he  knows  them  likewise  in  a  way 
more  suitable  for  our  comfort  and  relief,  by  the  suffer- 
ings and  exercises  he  passed  through  for  us.  Hence 
arises  encouragement.  We  have  not  an  high  priest  who 
cannot  be  touched  with  a  feeling  of  our  infirmities,  but 
was,  in  all  points,  tempted  even  as  ^ve  are.     When  I 


476  Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  luei.  20, 

add  to  this,  the  consideration  of  his  power,  promises, 
and  grace,  and  that  he  is  exalted  on  purpose  to  pity, 
relieve,  and  save,  I  gather  courage.  With  him  I  dare 
be  free,  and  am  not  sorry,  but  glad,  that  he  knows  me 
perfectly,  that  not  a  thought  of  my  heart  is  hidden  from 
him.  For  without  this  infinite  and  exact  knowledge  of 
my  disease,  how  could  he  effectually  administer  to  my 
cure?  But  whither  am  I  rambling?  I  seem  to  have 
lost  sight  of  the  angel  already,  I  am  now  coming 
back,  that  if  he  cannot  effectually  pity  me,  he  may  at 
least  animate  and  teach  me. 

In  the  first  place,  I  take  it  for  granted  this  angel 
would  think  himself  a  stranger  and  pilgrim  upon  earth. 
He  would  not  forget  that  his  '^oXinvixa,  was  in  heaven. 
Surely  he  would  look  upon  all  the  bustle  of  human 
life,  (further  than  the  design  of  his  mission  might  con- 
nect him  with  it,)  w  ith  more  indifference  than  we  look 
upon  the  sports  of  children,  or  the  amusements  of 
idiots  and  lunatics,  which  give  us  an  uneasiness,  ra- 
ther than  excite  a  desire  of  joining  in  them.  He 
would  judge  of  every  thing  around  him,  by  the  refer- 
ence and  tendency  it  had  to  promote  the  will  of  him 
that  sent  hiui ;  and  the  most  specious  or  splendid  ap- 
pearances, considered  in  any  other  view,  would  make 
no  impression  upon  him. 

Consequently,  as  to  his  ov.n  concernment,  all  his 
aim  and  desire  would  be  to  fulfil  the  will  of  God,  All 
situations  would  be  alike  to  him  ;  whether  he  was  com- 
manded, as  in  the  case  of  Sennacherib,  to  destroy  a 
mighty  army  with  a  stroke  ;  or,  as  in  the  case  of  Ha- 
gar,  to  attend  upon  a  woman,  a  servant,  a  slave;  both 
services  would  be  to  him  equally  honourable  and  im- 
portant, because  he  was  in  both  equally  pleasing  his 
Lord,  which  would  be  his  element  and  his  joy,  whether 


Let.  20.  Letters  to  a  Nobteman.  477 

he  was  appointed  to  guide  the  reins  of  empire,   or  to 
sweep  the  streets. 

Acrain,  the  angel  would  doubtless  exhibit  a  striking 
example  of  benevolence ;  for  being  free  from  selfish 
bias,  filled  with  a  sense  of  the  love  of  God,  and  a 
knowledge  of  his  adorable  perfections ;  his  whole  heart, 
and  soul,  and  strength,  would  be  engaged  and  exerted, 
both  from  duty  and  inclination,  to  relieve  the  miseries, 
and  advance  the  happiness  of  all  around  him ;  and  in 
this  he  would  follow  the  pattern  of  him  who  doeth 
good  to  all,  commanding  his  sun  to  rise,  and  his  rain 
to  fall,  upon  the  just  and  the  unjust ;  though,  from  the 
same  pattern,  he  would  show  an  especial  regard  to  the 
household  of  faith.  An  angel  would  take  but  little  part 
in  the  controversies,  contentions,  and  broils,  which 
might  happen  in  the  time  of  his  sojourning  here,  but 
would  be  a  friend  to  all,  so  far  as  consistent  with  the 
general  good. 

The  will  and  glory  of  God  being  the  angel's  great 
view,  and  having  a  more  lively  sense  of  the  realities  of 
an  unseen  world  than  we  can  at  present  conceive,  he 
would  certainly,  in  the  first  and  chief  place,  have  the 
success  and  spread  of  the  glorious  Gospel  at  heart. 
Angels,  though  not  redeemed  with  blood,  yet  feel  them- 
selves nearly  concerned  in  the  work  of  redemption. 
They  admire  its  mysteries.  We  may  suppose  thcni 
well  informed  in  the  works  of  creation  and  providence. 
But,  (unlike  too  many  men,  who  are  satisfied  with  the 
knowledge  of  astronomy,  mathematics,  or  history,)  they 
search  and  pry  into  the  counsels  of  redeeming  love,  re- 
joice at  the  conversion  of  a  sinner,  and  think  them- 
selves well  employed  to  be  ministering  spirits,  to  minis- 
ter to  the  heirs  of  salvation.  It  would  therefore  be  his 
chief  delight  to  espouse  and  promote  their  cause,   and 


4TS  Letters  io  a  Nobleman.  Let.  20, 

to  employ  all  his  talents  and  influence  in  spreading  the 
savour  and  knowledge  of  the  name  of  Jesus,  which  is 
the  only  and  effectual  means  of  bringing  sinners  out  of 
bondage  and  darkness,  into  the  glorious  liberty  of  the 
sons  of  God. 

Lastly,  Though  his  zeal  for  the  glory  of  his  Lord 
would  make  him  willing  to  continue  here  till  he  had 
finished  the  work  given  him  to  do,  he  would,  I  am  per- 
suaded, look  forward  with  desire  to  the  appointed  mo- 
ment of  his  recall,  that  he  might  be  freed  from  behold- 
ing and  mixing  with  the  sin  and  vanity  of  those  who 
know  not  God,  render  his  account  with  joy,  and  be 
welcomed  to  heaven  with  a — Well  done,  good  and 
faithful  servant.  Surely  he  would  long  for  this,  as  a 
labourer  for  the  setting  sun ;  and  would  not  form  any 
connexion  with  the  things  of  time,  which  should  prompt 
him  to  wish  his  removal  protracted  for  a  single  hour 
beyond  the  period  of  his  prescribed  service, 

Alas!  why  am  not  I  more  like  an  angel?  My  views  in 
my  better  judgment  are  the  same.  ]My  motives  and 
obligations  ar#even  stronger  ;  an  angel  is  not  so  deeply 
indebted  to  the  grace  of  God,  as  a  believing  sinner, 
who  was  once  upon  the  brink  of  destruction,  has  been 
redeemed  with  blood,  and  might  justly  have  been,  be- 
fore now,  shut  up  with  the  powers  of  darkness  without 
hope !  Yet  the  merest  trifles  are  sufficient  to  debase 
my  views,  damp  my  activity,  and  impede  my  endea- 
vours in  the  Lord's  service,  though  I  profess  to  have  no 
other  end  or  desire  which  can  make  a  continuance  in 
life  worthy  mv  wish. 

I  am,  c^'c. 


LeU  21.  Letters  to  a  Nobleimnt  479 

LETTER  XXI. 

My  Lord,  November — 1775. 

DUM  loquimiir  tempiis  fugit.  In  the  midst  of  the 
hurries  and  changes  of  this  unsettled  state,  we  glide' 
along  swiftly  towards  an  unchangeable  world,  and  shall 
soon  have  as  little  connexion  with  the  scenes  we  are 
now  passing  through,  as  we  have  with  what  happened 
before  the  flood.  All  that  appears  great  and  interest- 
ing in  the  present  life,  abstracted  from  its  influence 
upon  our  internal  character,  and  our  everlasting  allot- 
ment, will  soon  be  as  unreal  as  the  visions  of  the  night. 
This  we  know  and  confess  ;  but  though  our  judgments 
are  convinced,  it  is  seldom  our  hearts  are  duly  affected 
by  the  thought.  And  while  I  find  it  easy  to  write  in 
this  moralizing  strain,  I  feel  myself  disposed  to  be  se- 
riously engaged  about  trifles,  and  trifling  in  the  most 
serious  concerns,  as  if  I  believed  the  very  contrary.  It 
is  with  good  reason  the  Lord  challenges,  as  his  own 
prerogative,  the  full  knowledge  of  the  deceitfulness,  des- 
perate wickedness,  and  latent  depths  of  the  human 
heart,  which  is  capable  of  making  even  his  own  people 
so  shamefully  inconsistent  with  themselves,  and  with 
their  acknowledged  principles. 

I  find  that,  w  hen  I  have  something  agreeable  in  ex- 
pectation, (suppose,  for  instance,  it  were  a  iew  hours 
conversation  with  your  lordship,)  my  imagination  paints 
and  prepares  the  scene  before  hand,  hurries  me  over 
the  intervening  space  of  time,  as  though  it  were  a  use- 
less blank,  and  anticipates  the  pleasure  I  propose. 
Many  of  my  thoughts  of  this  kind  are  mere  waking 
breams ;    for   perhaps  the  opportunity  I   am  eagerly 

Vol,  I.  3  Q  "^ 


4S0  Letters  to  a  Soblcinon.  Let.  21. 

waiting  for  never  happens,  but  is  swallowed  up  by 
some  unforeseen  disappointment ;  or  if  not,  something 
from  witliin  or  without,  prevents  its  answering  the  idea 
I  had  formed  of  it.  Nor  does  my  fancy  confine  itself 
within  the  narrow  limits  of  probabilities  ;  it  can  busy 
itself  as  eagerly  in  ranging  after  chimeras  and  impos- 
sibilities, and  engage  my  attention  to  the  ideal  pursuit 
of  things  \\  hich  are  never  likely  to  happen.  In  these 
respects  my  imagination  travels  with  wings  ;  so  that  if 
the  wildness,  the  multiplicity,  the  variety  of  the  phan- 
toms which  pass  through  my  mind  in  the  space  of  a 
winter's  day,  were  known  to  my  fellow-creatures,  they 
would  probably  deem  me,  as  I  am  often  ready  to  deem 
myself,  but  a  more  sober  and  harmless  kind  of  lunatic. 
But  if  I  endeavour  to  put  this  active  roving  power  in  a 
right  track,  and  to  represent  to  myself  those  scenes, 
which,  though  not  yet  present,  I  know  will  soon  be 
realized,  and  have  a  greatness,  which  the  most  enlarged 
exercise  of  my  powers  cannot  comprehend  :  if  I  would 
fix  my  thoughts  upon  the  hour  of  death,  the  end  of  the 
world,  the  coming  of  the  Judge,  or  similar  subjects ; 
then  my  imagination  is  presently  tame,  cold,  and  jaded, 
travels  very  slowly,  and  is  soon  wearied  in  the  road  of 
truth  ;  though  in  the  fairy  fields  of  uncertainty  and  folly 
it  can  skip  from  mountain  to  mountain.  ]\lr.  Addison 
supposes,  that  the  imagination  alone,  as  it  can  be  dif- 
ferently affected,  is  capable  of  making  us  either  incon- 
ceivably happy  or  miserable.  I  am  sure  it  is  capable 
of  making  us  miserable,  though  I  believe  it  seldom 
gives  us  much  pleasure,  but  such  as  is  to  be  found  in 
a  fool's  paradise.  But  1  am  sure,  were  my  outward 
life  and  conduct  perfectly  free  from  blame,  the  disor- 
ders and  defilement  of  my  imagination  are  sufficient  to 
constitute  me  a  chief  sinner,  in  the  sight  of  him   to 


Let.  21.  Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  481 

whom  the  thoughts  and  intents  of  the  heart  are  con- 
tinually open,  and  who  is  of  purer  eyes  than  to  behold 
iniquity. 

Upon  this  head  I  cannot  but  lament  how  universally 
almost,  education  is  suited,  and  as  it  were  designed,  to 
add  to  the  stimulus  of  depraved  nature.  A  cultivated 
imagination  is  commended  and  sought  after  as  a  very 
desirable  talent,  though  it  seldom  means  more  than  the 
possession  of  a  large  stock  of  other  people's  dreams 
and  fables,  with  a  certain  quickness  in  compounding 
them,  enlarging  upon  them,  and  exceeding  them  by  in- 
ventions of  our  own.  Poets,  painters,  and  even  histo- 
rians, are  employed  to  assist  us  from  our  early  years,  in 
forming  an  habitual  relish  for  shadows  and  colourings, 
which  both  indispose  for  the  search  of  truth,  and  even 
unfit  us  for  its  reception,  unless  proposed  just  in  our 
own  way.  The  best  effect  of  the  Belles  Lettres 
upon  the  imagination  seems  generally  expressed  by  the 
word  Taste,  And  what  is  this  taste,  but  a  certain  dis- 
position which  loves  to  be  humoured,  soothed,  and  flat- 
tered, and  Avhich  can  hardly  receive  or  bear  the  most 
important  truths,  if  they  be  not  decorated  and  set  off 
with  such  a  delicacy  and  address  as  taste  requires.  I 
say  the  most  impoi^tant  truths  ;  because  truths  of  a  se- 
cular importance  strike  so  closely  upon  the  senses,  that 
the  decision  of  taste  perhaps  is  not  waited  for.  Thus, 
if  a  man  be  informed  of  the  birth  of  his  child,  or  that 
his  house  is  on  fire,  the  message  takes  up  his  thoughts, 
and  he  is  seldom  much  disgusted  with  the  manner  in 
which  it  is  delivered.  But  what  an  insuperable  bar  is 
the  refined  taste  of  many,  to  their  profiting  by  the 
preaching  of  the  Gospel,  or  even  to  their  hearino-  it  ? 
Though  the  subject  of  a  discourse  be  weighty,  and 
some  just  representation  given  of  the  evil  of  sin   the 


482  Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  Let.  2S. 

worth  of  the  soul,  and  the  love  of  Christ ;  yet,  if  there 
be  something  amiss  in  the  elocution,  language,  or  man- 
ner of  the  preacher,  people  of  taste  must  be  possessed, 
in  a  good  measure,  of  grace  likewise,  if  they  can  hear 
him  with  tolerable  patience.  And  perhaps  three 
fourths  of  those  who  are  accounted  the  most  sensible 
and  judicious  in  the  auditory,  will  remember  little  about 
the  sermon,  but  the  tone  of  the  voice,  the  awkward- 
ness of  the  attitude,  the  obsolete  expressions,  and  the 
like,  while  the  poor  and  simple,  not  being  encum- 
bered with  this  hurtful  accomplishment,  receive  the 
messenger  as  the  Lord's  servant,  and  the  truth  as  the 
Lord's  word,  and  are  comforted  and  edified.  But  I 
stop.  Some  people  would  say,  that  I  must  suppose 
your  lordship  to  have  but  little  taste,  or  else  much  grace, 
or  I  should  not  venture  to  trouble  you  with  such  letters 

as  mine. 

I  am,  &c. 


LETTER  XXII. 
My  Lord, 

X  HE  apostle  speaks  of  a  blessedness,  which  it  is  the 
design  of  the  Gospel  to  impart  to  those  who  receive  it. 
The  Galatians  once  had  it,  and  spoke  of  it.  The 
apostle  reminds  them  of  their  loss,  which  is  left  upon 
record  as  a  warning  to  us.  His  expression  has  led  mo 
sometimes  to  consider  wherein  a  Christian's  present 
blessedness  consists.  I  mean  that  which  is  attainable 
in  this  state  of  trial,  and  the  sense  and  exercise  of 
which  may  be,  and  too  often  is,  suspended  and  taken 
from  us.  It  is  a  blessedness  which,  if  we  speak  of 
man  in  a  natural  state,  his  eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  his 
rnr  heard  so  as  to  understand  it,  nor  can  the  idea  of  it 


Let;  22.  Letters  to  a  Noble>mu.  483 

arise  in  his  heart.  It  is  no  way  dependent  upon  out- 
ward circumstances.  Prosperity  cannot  impart  it,  pre- 
serve, or  supply  the  want  of  it;  nor  can  adversity  put  it 
out  of  our  reach.  The  wise  cannot  acquire  it  by  dint 
of  superior  abilities ;  nor  shall  the  simple  miss  it  for 
want  of  capacity. 

The  state  of  true  believers,  compared  with  that  of 
others,  is  always  blessed.  If  they  are  born  from  above, 
and  united  to  Jesus,  they  are  delivered  from  condem- 
nation, and  are  heirs  of  eternal  life,  and  may  therefore 
well  be  accounted  happy.  But  I  consider  now,  not 
their  harvest,  but  their  first  fruits ;  not  their  portion  in 
reversion,  but  the  earnest  attainable  in  this  life ;  not 
what  they  shall  be  in  heaven,  but  what,  in  an  humble 
attendance  upon  the  Lord,  they  7)iai/  be  while  upon 
€arth.  There  is  even  at  present  a  prize  of  our  high 
calling  set  before  us.  It  is  much  to  be  desired,  that  we 
had  such  a  sense  of  its  value  as  might  prompt  us  so  to 
run  that  we  might  obtain.  I  have  thought  this  blessed- 
ness may  be  comprised  in  five  particulars,  though,  in 
order  to  take  a  succinct  view  of  the  subject,  some  of 
these  mi2;ht  be  branched  out  into  several  others :  but  I 
would  not  by  too  many  subdivisions  give  my  letter  the 
air  of  a  sermon, 

In  the  first  place,  a  clear,  well-grounded,  habitual 
persuasion  of  our  acceptance  in  the  Beloved  is  attain- 
able ;  and  though  we  may  be  safe,  we  cannot  be  said  to 
enjoy  blessedness  without  it.  To  be  in  a  state  of  sus- 
pense and  uncertainty  in  a  point  of  so  great  importance, 
is  painful;  and  the  Lord  has  accordingly  provided,  that 
his  people  may  have  strong  consolation  on  this  head. 
They  are  blessed,  therefore,  who  have  such  views  of  the 
power,  grace,  and  suitableness  of  Jesus,  and  the  cer- 
tainty and  security  of  redemption  in  him,  togettier  with 


484  Letters  to  a  Noblcnmn,  Let.  23. 

such  a  consciousness  that  they  have  anchored  their 
hopes,  and  ventured  their  all,  upon  his  person,  work,  and 
promise,  as  furnishes  them  with  a  ready  answer  to  all 
the  cavils  of  unbelief  and  Satan,  in  the  apostle's  man- 
ner, Rom.  viii.  31 — 37.  That  Paul  could  thus  chal- 
lenge and  triumph  over  all  charges  and  enemies,  was 
not  an  appendage  of  his  office  as  an  apostle,  but  a  part 
of  his  experience  as  a  believer ;  and  it  lies  equally  open 
to  us  :  for  we  have  the  same  Gospel  and  the  same  pro- 
mises as  he  had;  nor  is  the  efficacy  of  the  Holy  Spirit's 
teaching,  a  whit  Aveakned  by  length  of  time.  But  many 
stop  short  of  this.  They  have  a  hope,  but  it  rather 
springs  from  their  frames  and  feelings,  than  from  a 
spiritual  apprehension  of  the  Redeemer's  engagements 
and  fulness,  and  therefore  fluctuates  and  changes  like 
the  weather.  Could  they  be  persuaded  to  pray  with 
earnestness  and  importunity,  as  the  apostle  prays  for 
them,  Ephes,  i.  17,  18.  and  iii.  16 — 19^  they  would 
find  a  blessedness  which  they  have  not  yet  known;  for 
it  is  said,  ''Ask,  and  ye  shall  receive." — And  it  is  said 
likewise,  "  Ye  receive  not,  because  ye  ask  not." 

Could  this  privilege  be  enjoyed  singly,  the  natural 
man  would  have  no  objection  to  it.  He  would,  (as  he 
thinks,)  be  pleased  to  know  he  should  be  saved  at  last, 
provided  that  while  here  he  might  live  in  his  sins.  But 
the  believer  will  not,  cannot  think  himself  blessed,  un- 
less he  has  likewise  a  conscience  void  of  offence.  This 
was  the  apostle's  daily  exercise,  though  no  one  was  fur- 
ther from  a  legal  spirit,  or  more  dependent  upon  Jesus 
for  acceptance.  But  if  we  live  in  any  known  sin,  or 
allow  ourselves  in  the  customary  omission  of  any  known 
duty,  supposing  it  possible,  in  suCh  a  case,  to  preserve  a 
sense  of  our  acceptance,  (which  can  hardly  be  supposed, 
for  if  the  Spirit  be  grieved,   our  evidences  decline  of 


Let.  22.  Letters  to  a  Nofjleman.  4^5 

course,)  yet  we  could  not  be  easy.  If  a  traveller  was 
absolutely  sure  of  reaching  his  journey's  end  in  safety ; 
yet  if  he  walked  with  a  thorn  in  his  foot,  he  must  take 
every  step  in  pain.  Such  a  thorn  will  be  felt  in  the 
conscience,  till  we  are  favoured  with  a  simplicity  of 
heart,  and  made  willing  in  all  things,  great  or  small,  to 
yield  obedience  to  the  authority  of  the  Lord's  precepts, 
and  make  them  the  standing  rule  of  our  conduct,  with- 
out wilfully  admitting  a  single  exception.  At  the  best, 
we  shall  be  conscious  of  innumerable  short-comings, 
and  shameful  defilement;  but  these  things  will  not  break 
our  peace  if  our  hearts  are  upright.  But  if  we  trifle 
with  light,  and  connive  at  what  we  know  to  be  wrong,  we 
shall  be  weak,  restless,  and  uncomfortable.  How  many, 
who  we  would  hope  are  the  children  of  the  King,  are 
lean  from  day  to  day,  because  some  right-hand  or  right- 
eye  evil,  which  they  cannot  persuade  themselves  to  part 
with,  keeps  them  halting  between  two  opinions  ;  and 
they  are  as  distant  from  happiness,  as  they  are  from  the 
possibility  of  reconciling  the  incompatible  services  of 
God  and  the  world.  But  happy  indeed  is  he  who  con- 
demneth  not  himself  in  that  thing  Mhich  he  alloweth. 

Real  communion  with  the  Lord,  in  his  appointed 
means  of  grace,  is  likewise  an  im.portant  branch  of  this 
blessedness.  They  were  instituted  for  this  end,  and  are 
sufficient,  by  virtue  of  his  power  and  Spirit,  to  answer 
it.  I  do  not  believe  this  enjoyment  will  be  always 
equal.  But  I  believe  a  comfortable  sense  of  it,  in  some 
measure,  is  generally  attainable.  To  read  the  Scrip- 
ture, not  as  an  attorney  may  read  a  will,  merely  to  know 
the  sense ;  but  as  the  heir  reads  it,  as  a  description  and 
proof  of  his  interest :  to  hear  the  Gospel,  as  the  voice 
of  our  Beloved,  so  as  to  have  little  leisure  either  for  ad- 
miring the  abilities,   or  censuring  the  defects  of  the 


486  Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  Let.  ^2. 

preacher ;  and,  in  prayer,  to  feel  a  liberty  of  pouring 
out  our  hearts  before  the  Lord,  to  behold  some  glances 
of  his  goodness  passing  before  us,  and  to  breathe  forth 
before  him  the  tempers  of  a  child,  the  spirit  of  adop- 
tion :  and  thus,  by  beholding  his  glory,  to  be  conformed 
more  and  more  to  his  image,  and  to  renew  our  strength, 
by  drawing  water  out  of  the  wells  of  salvation  :  herein 
is  blessedness.  They  who  have  tasted  it  can  say,  it  is 
good  for  me  to  draw  nigh  to  God.  The  soul  thus  re- 
freshed by  the  water  of  life,  is  preserved  from  thirsting 
after  the  vanities  of  the  world ;  thus  instructed  in  the 
sanctuary,  comes  down  from  the  mount  filled  with  hea- 
venly wisdom,  anointed  with  a  holy  unction,  and  there- 
by qualified  to  judge,  speak  and  act  in  character,  in  all 
the  relations  and  occasions  of  secular  life.  In  this  way, 
besides  the  pleasure,  a  spiritual  taste  is  acquired,  some- 
thing; analogous  to  the  meaning  of  the  word  taste  when 
applied  to  music  or  good-breeding,  by  which  discords 
and  improprieties  are  observed  and  avoided,  as  it  were 
by  instinct,  and  what  is  right  is  felt  and  followed,  not  so 
much  by  the  force  of  rules,  as  by  a  habit  insensibly  ac- 
quired, and  in  which  the  substance  of  all  necessary  rules 
are,  if  I  may  so  say,  digested.  O  that  I  knew  more  of 
this  blessedness,  and  more  of  its  effects ! 

Another  branch  of  blessedness,  is  a  power  of  repos- 
ing ourselves  and  our  concerns  upon  the  Lord's  faith- 
fulness and  care ;  and  may  be  considered  in  two  re- 
spects :  a  reliance  upon  him  that  he  will  surely  provide 
for  us,  guide  us,  protect  us,  be  our  help  in  trouble,  our 
shield  in  danger ;  so  that  however  poor,  weak,  and  de- 
fenceless in  ourselves,  we  may  rejoice  in  his  all-suffi- 
ciency as  our  own ;— and  further,  in  consequence  of 
this,  a  peaceful,  humble  submission  to  his  will,  under  all 
events  which,  upon  their  first  impression,  are  contrary 


Let  22.  Letters  to  a  Noblemayu  487 

to  our  own  views  and  desires.  Surely,  in  a  world  like 
this,  where  every  thing  is  uncertain,  w  here  we  are  ex- 
posed to  trials  on  every  hand,  and  know  not  but  a  single 
hour  may  bring  forth  something  painful;  yea,  dreadful  to 
our  natural  sensations,  there  can  be  no  blessedness,  but 
bO  far  as  we  are  thus  enabled  to  intrust  and  resign  all 
to  the  direction  and  faithfulness  of  the  Lord  our  Shep- 
herd. For  want  of  more  of  this  spirit,  multitudes  of 
professing  Christians  perplex  and  wound  themselves, 
and  dishonour  their  high  calling,  by  continual  anxieties, 
alarms,  and  complaints.  They  think  nothing  safe  under 
the  Lord's  keeping,  unless  their  own  eye  is  likewise  upon 
it ;  and  are  seldom  satisfied  with  any  of  his  dispensa- 
tions :  for  though  he  gratify  their  desires  in  nine  in- 
stances, a  refusal  in  the  tenth,  spoils  the  relish  of  all,  and 
they  show  the  truths  of  the  Gospel  can  afford  them  little 
comfort,  if  self  is  crossed.  But  blessed  is  the  man  Avho 
trusteth  in  the  Lord,  and  whose  hope  the  Lord  is.  He 
shall  not  be  afraid  of  evil  tidings  :  he  shall  be  kept  in 
perfect  peace,  though  the  earth  be  moved,  and  the 
mountains  cast  into  the  midst  of  the  sea. 

The  paper  admonishes  me  it  is  time  to  relieve  your 
lordship: — and  I  have  not  room  to  detain  you  long  upon 
the  fifth  particular.  It  belongs  to  a  believer's  blessed- 
ness, to  feel  his  spirit  cheerful  and  active  for  the  Lord's 
service  in  the  world.  For  to  what  other  end  should  he 
wish  to  live  ?  If  he  thought  of  himself  onlv,  it  would 
be  better  to  depart  and  be  with  Jesus  immediately. 
But  he  is  a  debtor  to  his  grace  and  love  ;  and  though, 
strictly,  he  can  make  no  returns, — yet  he  longs  to  show 
his  thankfulness  :  and  if  the  Lord  give  him  a  heart  to 
redeem  his  time,  to  devote  his  strength  and  influence, 
and  lay  himself  out  for  his  service, — that  he  may  be  in- 
strumental in  promoting  his  cause,  in  comforting  his 

Vol.  I.  3  R 


488  Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  Let.  23. 

people, — or  enable  him  to  let  his  light  shine  before  men, 
that  his  God  and  Father  may  be  honoured  ; — he  will 
account  it  blessedness.  This  is  indeed  the  great  end 
of  life,  and  he  knows  it  will  evidently  appear  so  at  the 
approach  of  death ;  and,  therefore,  while  others  are 
cumbered  about  many  things,  he  esteems  this  the  one 
thing  needful. 

I  remain,  my  Lord,  &c. 


LETTER  XXIIL 

My  Lord,  July — 1776. 

J.  HAT  I  may  not  weary  you  by  a  preamble,  I  oblige 
myself  to  take  the  turn  of  n.y  letter  from  some  passage 
of  Scripture ;  and  I  fix  upon  that  which  just  now  oc- 
curred to  my  thoughts,  a  clause  in  that  pattern  of  prayer 
■which  he  who  best  knows  our  state,  has  been  pleased 
to  leave  for  the  instruction  of  his  people  in  their  great 
concern  of  waiting  at  his  throne  of  grace,  Matth.  vi.  1 3. 
— "  And  lead  us  not  into  temptation."  This  petition 
is  seasonable  at  all  times,  and  to  all  persons  who  have 
any  right  knowledge  of  themselves,  or  their  spiritual 
calling. 

The  word  temptation,  taken  at  large,  includes  every 
kind  of  trial.  To  tempt  is  to  try  or  prove.  In  this 
sense,  it  is  said,  the  Lord  tempted  Abraham  :  that  is, 
he  tried  him;  for  God  cannot  tempt  to  evil.  He  pro- 
posed such  an  act  of  obedience  to  him,  as  was  a  test  of 
his  faith,  love,  dependence,  and  integrity.  Thus,  all  our 
afflictions,  under  his  gracious  management,  are  ap- 
pointed to  prove,  manifest,  exercise,  and  purify  the 
graces  of  his  children.  And  not  afflictions  only,  pros- 
perity likewise  is  a  state  of  temptation  :  and  many  who 


Let.  23.  Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  489 

have  endured  sharp  sufferings,  and  came  off  honoura- 
bly, have  been  afterwards  greatly  hurt  and  ensnared  by 
prosperity.  To  this  purpose  the  histories  of  David  and 
Hezekiah  are  in  point.  But  by  temptation  we  more 
frequently  understand  the  wiles  and  force  which  Satan 
employs  in  assaulting  our  peace,  or  spreading  snares 
for  our  feet.  He  is  always  practising  against  us,  either 
directly  and  from  himself,  by  the  access  he  has  to  our 
hearts,  or  mediately,  by  the  influence  he  has  over  the 
men  and  the  things  of  this  world.  The  words  which 
follow  confirm  this  sense, —  "  Lead  us  not  into  tempta- 
"  tion;  but  deliver  us  from  evil,"  a~o  rov  tow^ov,  from  the 
evil  one,  as  it  might  be  properly  rendered  here,  and  in 
1  John  V.  19.  The  subtlety  and  power  of  this  adver- 
sary are  very  great :  he  is  an  over-match  for  us ;  and 
we  have  no  hope  of  safety  but  in  the  Lord's  protection. 
Satan's  action  upon  the  heart  may  be  illustrated  by  the 
action  of  the  wind  upon  the  sea.  The  sea  sometimes 
appears  smooth;  but  it  is  always  disposed  to  swell  and 
rage,  and  to  obey  the  impulse  of  every  storm.  Thus, 
the  heart  may  be  sometimes  quiet ;  but  the  wind  of 
temptation  will  awaken  and  rouse  it  in  a  moment :  for 
it  is  essential  to  our  depraved  nature  to  be  unstable  and 
yielding  as  the  water  ;  and  when  it  is  under  the  impres- 
sion of  the  enemy,  its  violence  can  only  be  controlled  by 
him,  who  says  to  the  raging  sea,  "  Be  still,  and  here 
*'  shall  thy  proud  waves  be  stayed."  The  branches  of 
temptation  are  almost  innumerable  ;  but  the  principal 
may  be  reduced  to  the  several  faculties  of  the  soul,  (as 
we  commonly  speak,)  to  which  they  are  more  directly 
suited. 

He  has  temptations  for  the  understanding.  He  can 
blind  the  mind  with  prejudices  and  false  reasonings,  and 
ply  it  with  arguments  for  infidelity,  till  the  most  obvious 


490  Letters  to  a  Noblemcni.  Let.  23. 

truths  become  questionable.  Even  where  the  Gospel 
has  been  received,  he  can  insinuate  error,  which,  for  the 
suddenness  and  malignity  of  its  effects,  may  be  properly 
compared  to  poison.  A  healthy  man  may  be  poisoned 
in  a  moment ;  and  if  he  be,  the  baneful  drug  is  usually 
mixed  with  his  food.  j\Iany  who  for  a  while  seemed 
to  be  sound  in  the  faith,  have  had  their  judgments 
strongly  and  strangely  perverted,  and  prevailed  upon  to 
renounce  and  oppose  the  truths  they  once  prized  and 
defended.  Such  instances  are  striking  proofs  of  human 
weakness,  and  loud  calls  to  watchfulness  and  depend- 
ence, and  to  beware  of  leaning  to  our  understandings. 
For  these  purposes  he  employs  both  preachers  and  au- 
thors, who,  by  fine  words  and  fair  speeches,  beguile  the 
hearts  of  the  unwary.  And,  by  his  immediate  influence 
upon  the  mind,  he  is  able,  (if  the  Lord  permits  him,)  to 
entangle  those  who  are  providentially  placed  out  of  the 
reach  of  corrupt  and  designing  men. 

He  tempts  the  conscience.  By  working  upon  the 
unbelief  of  our  hearts,  and  darkening  the  glory  of  the 
Gospel,  he  can  hold  down  the  soul  to  the  number, 
weight,  and  agcrravation  of  its  sins,  so  that  it  shall  not 
be  able  to  look  up  to  Jesus,  nor  draw  any  comfort  from 
his  blood,  premises,  and  grace.  LIow^  many  go  bur- 
dened in  this  manner,  seeking  relief  from  duties,  and 
perhaps  spending  their  strength  in  things  not  com- 
manded, though  they  hear,  and  perhaps  acknowledge, 
the  Gospel?  Nor  are  the  wisest  and  most  established 
able  to  witlistand  his  assaults,  if  the  Lord  withdraw  and 
give  him  leave  to  employ  his  power  and  subtlety  unre- 
strained. The  Gospel  affords  sufficient  ground  for  an 
abiding  assurance  of  hope ;  nor  should  we  rest  satis- 
fied without  it.  However,  the  possession  and  preser- 
vation of  this  privilege  depends  upon  the  Lord's  pre- 


Let.  23.  Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  491 

sencc  nith  tlie  soul,  and  his  shielding  us  from  Satan's 
attacks  ;  for  I  am  persuaded  he  is  able  to  sift  and  shake 
the  strongest  believer  upon  earth. 

He  has  likeM'ise  temptations  suited  to  the  will.  Je- 
sus makes  his  people  willing  in  the  day  of  his  power; 
yet  there  is  a  contrary  principle  remaining  within  them, 
of  which  Satan  knows  how  to  avail  himself  There  are 
occasions  in  which  he  almost  prevails  to  set  self  again 
upon  the  throne,  as  Dagon  was  raised  after  he  had  fal- 
len before  the  ark.  How  else  should  any  who  have 
tasted  that  the  Lord  is  gracious,  give  way  to  a  repining 
spirit,  account  his  dispensations  hard,  or  his  precepts 
too  strict,  so  as  to  shrink  from  their  observance  through 
the  fear  of  men,  or  a  regard  to  their  worldly  interest  ? 

Further,  he  has  snares  for  the  affections.  In  manaer- 

o 

ing  these,  he  gains  a  great  advantage  from  our  situation 
in  a  world  that  knows  not  God.  The  Scripture  gives 
Satan  the  title  of  god  of  this  world;  and  believers  learn^ 
by  painful  experience,  how  great  his  power  is  in  and 
over  the  persons  and  things  of  it.  So  that  to  be  steadfast 
in  wisdom's  ways,  requires  unremitted  efforts,  like  press- 
ing through  a  crowd,  or  swimming  against  a  stream.  Plow 
hard  is  it  to  live  in  the  midst  of  pitch  and  not  be  defiled ! 
The  air  of  the  world  is  infectious.  Our  business  and 
unavoidable  connexions  are  so  interwoven  with  occa- 
sions of  sin,  and  there  is  so  much  in  our  hearts  suited  to 
them,  that  unless  we  are  incessantly  upheld  by  almighty 
strength,  we  cannot  stand  a  day  or  an  hour.  Past  vic- 
tories afford  us  no  greater  security  than  they  did  Sam- 
son, who  was  shamefully  surprised  by  enemies  whom 
he  had  formerly  conquered.  Xor  are  we  only  tempted 
by  compliances  that  are  evil  in  themselves.  With  res- 
pect to  these,  perhaps,  conscience  may  be  awake,  and 
we  stand  upon  our  guard  ;  but  we  are  still  upon  Satan's 


492  Letters  to  a  Kobieman.  Let.  26. 

ground;  and  uhile  he  may  seem  to  allow  himself  defeat- 
ed, he  can  dexterously  change  his  method,  and  come  up- 
on us  where  we  do  not  suspect  him.  For  Perimiis  in 
Uoitis.  Perhaps  our  greatest  danger  arises  from  things 
in  themselves  lawful.  He  can  tempt  us  by  our  nearest 
and  dearest  friend,  and  pervert  every  blessing  of  a  kind 
Providence,  into  an  occasion  of  drawing  our  hearts  from 
the  Giver ;  yea,  spiritual  blessings,  gifts,  comforts,  and 
even  graces,  are  sometimes  the  engines  by  which  he 
practises  against  us,  to  fill  us  with  vain  confidence  and 
self-sufficiency,  or  to  lull  us  into  formality  and  indolence. 
That  wonderful  power  which  we  call  the  imagination, 
is,  I  suppose,  rather  the  medium  of  the  soul's  perceptions 
during  its  present  state  of  union  with  the  body,  than  a 
spiritual  faculty,  strictly  speaking;  but  it  partakes  largely 
of  that  depravity  which  sin  has  brought  upon  our  whole 
frame,  and  affords  Satan  an  avenue  for  assaulting  us  with 
the  most  terrifying,  if  not  the  most  dangerous  of  his  temp- 
tations. At  the  best,  v/e  have  but  an  indifferent  command 
over  it.  We  cannot,  by  an  act  of  our  own  will,  exclude 
a  thousand  painful,  wild,  inconsistent,  and  hurtful  ideas, 
Avhich  are  ever  ready  to  obtrude  themselves  upon  our 
minds ;  and  a  slight  alteration  in  the  animal  system,  in 
the  motion  of  the  blood  or  nervous  spirits,  is  sufficient 
to  withdraw  it  wholly  from  our  dominion,  and  to  leave 
us,  like  a  city  without  walls  or  gates,  exposed  to  the  in- 
cursion of  our  enemy.  We  are  fearfully  and  wonderfully 
made ;  and,  with  all  our  boasted  knowledge  of  other 
things,  can  form  no  conception  of  what  is  so  vastly  in- 
teresting to  us,  the  mysterious  connexion  between  soul 
and  bod}^,  and  the  manner  in  which  they  are  mutually 
affected  by  each  other.  The  effects  we  too  sensibly  feel. 
The  wisest  of  men  would  be  accounted  fools  or  mad^ 
were  they  to  express  in  words  a  small  part  of  what  passes 


Let.  23.  Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  493 

within  them;  and  it  would  appear  that  much  of  the  sober- 
est life  is  little  better  than  a  waking  dream :  but  how  dread- 
ful are  the  consequences  when  the  Lord  permits  some 
hidden  pin  in  the  human  machine  to  be  altered !  Imme- 
diately a  door  flies  open,  which  no  hand  but  his  can 
shut,  and  the  enemy  pours  in  like  a  flood,  falsehood  and 
horror,  and  the  blackness  of  darkness ;  the  judgment 
is  borne  down  and  disabled,  and  the  most  distressing 
illusions  seize  us  with  all  the  apparent  force  of  evidence 
and  demonstration.  When  this  is  the  case  in  a  certain 
degree,  we  call  it  distraction ;  but  there  are  various  de- 
grees of  it,  which  leave  a  person  in  the  possession  of  his 
senses  as  to  the  things  of  common  life,  and  yet  are  suf- 
ficient, with  respect  to  his  spiritual  concerns,  to  shake  the 
very  foundations  of  his  hope,  and  deprive  him  of  all  peace 
and  comfort,  and  make  him  a  terror  to  himself.  All 
the  Lord's  people  are  not  called  to  navigate  in  these 
deep  waters  of  soul  distress  ;  but  all  are  liable.  Ah  ! 
if  we  knew  what  some  suffer,  the  HorribUia  de  Deo,  et 
Terrihilia  de  Fide,  which  excruciate  the  minds  of  those 
over  whom  Satan  is  permitted  to  tyrannise  in  this  way, 
surely  v;e  should  be  more  earnest  and  frequent  in  pray- 
ing, "  Lead  us  not  into  temptation,"  From  some  little 
sense  I  have  of  the  malice  and  subtlety  of  our  spiritual 
enemies,  and  the  weakness  of  those  barriers  which  we 
have  to  prevent  their  assaults,  I  am  fully  persuaded  that 
nothing  less  than  the  continual  exertion  of  that  almighty 
power  which  preserves  the  stars  in  their  orbits,  can 
maintain  our  peace  of  mind  for  an  hour  or  a  minute. 
In  this  view,  all  comparative  difference  in  external  situ- 
ations seems  to  be  annihilated  ;  for  as  the  Lord's  pre- 
sence can  make  his  people  happy  in  a  dungeon,  so  there 
are  temptations,  which,  if  we  felt  them,  would  instantly 
render  us  incapable  of  receiving  a  moment's  satisfaction 


494  Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  Let.  23. 

from  an  assemblage  of  all  earthly  blessings,  and  make 
the  company  of  our  dearest  friends  tasteless,  if  not  in- 
supportable. 

Ah!  ho'v  little  do  the  gay  and  the  busy  think  of  these 
things  !  How  little  indeed  do  they  think  of  them  who 
profess  to  believe  them !  How  faint  is  the  sense  of  our 
obligations  to  him,  who  freely  submitted  to  the  fiercest 
onsets  of  the  powers  of  darkness,  to  free  us  from  the 
punishment  due  to  our  sins  ;  otherwise  we  must  have 
been  for  ever  shut  up  with  those  miserable  and  merci- 
less spirits,  who  delight  in  our  torment,  and  who,  even 
in  the  present  state,  if  they  get  access  to  our  minds,  can 
make  our  existence  a  burden  ! 

But  our  Lord,  who  knows  and  considers  our  weak- 
ness, of  which  we  are  so  little  aw  are,  allows  and  directs 
us  to  pray,  "  Lead  us  not  into  temptation."  We  are 
not  to  expect  an  absolute  freedom  from  temptation;  we 
are  called  to  be  soldiers,  and  must  sometimes  meet  with 
enemies,  and  perhaps  with  Mounds  ;  yet  considering  this 
prayer  as  provided  by  him,  who  knows  what  we  are,  and 
where  we  are,  it  may  afford  us  both  instruction  and 
consolation. 

It  calls  to  a  constant  reflection  upon  our  own  weak- 
ness. Believers,  especially  young  ones,  are  prone  to 
rest  too  much  in  grace  received.  They  feel  their  hearts 
warm ;  and,  like  Peter,  are  ready  to  please  themselves 
with  thinking  how  they  would  act  in  such  or  such  a 
state  of  trial.  It  is  as  if  the  Lord  had  said,  Poor  worms, 
be  not  high-minded,  but  fear  and  pray,  that,  if  it  may 
be,  you  may  be  kept  from  learning,  by  bitter  experience, 
how  weak  your  supposed  strength  is.  It  sweetly  inti- 
mates, that  all  our  ways,  and  all  our  enemies,  are  in  the 
hands  of  our  great  Shepherd.  He  knows  our  path. 
AVe  are  short-sighted,  and  cannot  tell  what  an  hour  may 


Let.  23.  Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  4^ 

bring  forth:  but  we  are  under  his  protection  ;  and  if  we 
depend  upon  him,  we  need  not  l)e  anxiously  afraid.  He 
will  be  faithful  to  the  trust  we  repose  in  him,  and  will 
suffer  no  temptation  to  overtake  us,  but  what  he  will 
support  us  under  and  bring  us  through.  But  it  becomes 
us  to  beware  of  security  and  presumption,  to  keep  our 
eyes  upon  him,  and  not  to  think  ourselves  safe  a  mo- 
ment longer  than  our  spirits  feel  and  breathe  the  mean- 
ing of  this  petition. 

It  implies,  likewise,  the  duty  of  watchfulness  on  our 
part,  as  our  Lord  joins  them  elsewhere,  "  Watch  and 
"  pray."  If  we  desire  not  to  be  led  into  temptation, 
surely  we  are  not  to  run  into  it.  If  we  wish  to  be  pre- 
served from  error,  we  are  to  guard  against  a  curious 
and  reasoning  spirit.  If  we  would  preserve  peace  of 
conscience,  we  must  beware  of  trifling  with  the  light 
and  motions  of  the  Holy  Spirit;  for  without  his  assistance 
we  cannot  maintain  faith  in  exercise.  If  we  would  not 
be  ensnared  by  the  men  of  the  world,  we  are  to  keep  at 
a  proper  distance  from  them.  The  less  we  have  to  do 
with  them  the  better,  excepting  so  far  as  the  providence 
of  God  makes  it  our  duty  in  the  discharge  of  our  callings 
and  relations,  and  taking  opportunities  of  doing  them 
good.  And  though  we  cannot  wholly  shut  Satan  out 
of  our  imaginations,  we  should  be  cautious  that  we  do 
not  wilfully  provide  fuel  for  his  flame ;  but  entreat  the 
Lord  to  set  a  watch  upon  our  eyes  and  our  ears,  and  to 
teach  us  to  reject  the  first  motions  and  the  smallest  ap- 
pearance of  evil. 

I  have  been  so  intent  upon  my  subject,  that  I  have 
once  and  again  forgot  I  was  writing  to  your  lordship, 
otherwise  I  should  not  have  let  my  lucubration  run  to 
so  great  a  length,  which  I  certainly  did  not  intend  when 
-I  began.     I  shall  not  add  to  this  fault,  by  makin<T  an 

Vol.  L  3  S 


496  Letters  to  a  Isubleman.  Let.  24. 

apology.  I  have  touched  upon  a  topic  of  great  import- 
ance to  myself.  I  am  one  among  many  who  have  suf- 
fered greatly  for  want  of  paying  more  attention  to  my 
need  of  this  prayer,  O  that  I  could  be  wiser  hereafter, 
and  always  act  and  speak  as  knowing  that  I  am  always 
upon  a  field  of  battle,  and  beset  by  legions  I 

I  am,  with  great  respect,  &c. 


LETTER  XXIV. 
My  Lord,  September — 1776. 

ITHOUTany  preamble,  I  purpose  now  to  wait  on 
your  lordship,  with  a  few  thoughts  on  the  meaning  of 
that  name  which  first  obtained  at  Antioch,  in  other  words, 
what  it  is  to  be  a  Christian  ?  What  are  the  effects, 
which,  (making  allowance  for  the  unavoidable  infirmi- 
ties attending  upon  the  present  state  of  mortality,)  may 
be  expected  from  a  real  experimental  knowledge  of  the 
Gospel?  I  would  not  insinuate  that  none  are  Christians 
who  do  not  come  up  to  the  character  I  would  describe; 
for  then  I  fear  I  should  unchristian  myself:  but  only  to  con- 
sider what  the  Scripture  encourages  us  to  aim  at  as  the 
prize  of  our  high  calling  in  this  life.  It  is  generally  allowed 
and  lamented,  that  we  are  too  apt  to  live  below  our  pri- 
vileges, and  to  stop  short  of  w  hat  the  spirit  and  the  pro- 
mises of  the  Gospel  point  out  to  us  as  attainable. 

Mr.  Pope's  admired  line,  "  An  honest  man's  the 
"  noblest  work  of  God,"  may  be  admitted  as  a  truth 
when  rightly  explained.  A  Christian  is  the  noblest 
work  of  God  in  this  visible  world,  and  bears  a  much 
brighter  impression  of  his  glory  and  goodness  than  the 
sun  in  the  firmament ;  and  none  but  a  Christian  can  be 
strictly  and  properly  honest :  all  others  are  too  much 


Let.  2-1.  Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  497 

under  the  power  of  self,  to  do  universally  to  others  as 
tlic}^  would  others  should  do  unto  them;  and  nothing  but 
an  uniform  conduct  upon  this  principle  deserves  the 
name  of  honesty. 

The  Christian  is  a  new  creature,  born  and  tauiiht  from 
above.  He  has  been  convinced  of  his  guilt  and  misery 
as  a  sinner;  has  fled  for  refuge  to  the  hope  set  before  him ; 
has  seen  the  Son  and  believed  on  him  :  his  natural  pre- 
judices against  the  glory  and  grace  of  God's  salvation 
have  been  subdued  and  silenced  by  almighty  power;  he 
has  accepted  the  Beloved,  and  is  made  acceptable  in 
him  :  he  now  knows  the  Lord  ;  has  renounced  the  con- 
fused, distant,  uncomfortable  notions  he  once  formed  of 
God  ;  and  beholds  him  in  Christ,  who  is  the  w^ay,  the 
truth,  and  the  life,  the  only  door  by  which  we  can  enter 
to  any  true  satisfying  knowledge  of  God,  or  comnuuiion 
with  him.  But  he  sees  God  in  Christ,  reconciled,  a 
Father,  a  Saviour,  and  a  Friend,  who  has  freely  for- 
given him  all  his  sins,  and  given  him  the  spirit  of  adop- 
tion: he  is  now  no  longer  a  servant,  much  less  a  stranger, 
but  a  son  ;  and  because  a  son,  an  heir  already  interested 
in  all  the  promises,  admitted  to  the  throne  of  grace,  and 
an  assured  expectant  of  eternal  glory.  The  Gospel  is 
designed  to  give  us  not  only  a  peradventure  or  a  proba- 
bility, but  a  certainty  both  of  our  acceptance  and  our 
perseverance,  till  death  shall  be  swallowed  up  in  life. 
And  though  many  are  sadly  fluctuating  and  perplexed 
upon  this  head,  and  perhaps  all  are  so  for  a  season  ; 
yet  there  are  those  who  can  say,  we  know  that  we  are 
of  God  ;  and  therefore  they  are  steadfast  and  unmove- 
able  in  his  way  ;  because  they  are  confident  that  their 
labour  shall  not  be  in  vain,  but  that  when  they  shall  be 
absent  from  the  body,  they  shall  be  present  with  their 
Lord.  This  is  the  state  of  the  advanced,  experienced 


498  Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  Let.  24. 

Christian,  who,  being  enabled  to  make  his  profession 
the  chief  business  of  his  hfe,  is  strong  in  the  Lord,  and 
in  the  power  of  his  might.  Every  one  who  has  this 
hope  in  Christ,  purificth  himself,  even  as  he  is  pure. — 
I  would  now  attempt  a  sketch  of  the  Christian's  tem- 
per, formed  upon  these  principles  and  hopes,  under  the 
leading  branches  of  its  exercise,  respecting  God,  him- 
self, and  his  fellow  creatures. 

The  Cliristian's  temper  God- ward  is  evidenced  by 
hiimiliti/.  He  has  received  from  Gethsemane  and  Gol- 
gotha such  a  sense  of  the  evil  of  sin,  and  of  the  ho- 
liness of  God,  combined  with  his  matchless  love  to 
sinners,  as  has  deeply  penetrated  his  heart ;  he  has  an 
affecting  remembrance  of  the  state  of  rebellion  and 
enmity  in  which  he  once  lived  against  this  holy  and 
good  God ;  and  he  has  a  quick  perception  of  the  de- 
filements and  defects  which  still  debase  his  best  ser- 
vices. His  mouth  is  therefore  stopped  as  to  boasting;  he 
is  vile  in  his  own  eyes,  and  is  filled  with  wonder,  that 
the  Lord  should  visit  such  a  sinner  with  such  a  salva- 
tion. He  sees  so  vast  a  disproportion  between  the  ob- 
ligations he  is  under  to  grace,  and  the  returns  he  makes, 
that  he  is  disposed,  yea,  constrained,  to  adopt  the 
apostle's  words  without  affectation,  and  to  account 
himself  less  than  the  least  of  all  saints ;  and  knowing 
his  own  hearty  while  he  sees  only  the  outside  of  others, 
he  is  not  easily  persuaded  there  can  be  a  believer  upon 
earth  so  faint,  so  unh'uitful,  so  unworthy  as  himself. 
Yet,  though  abased,  he  is  not  discouraged,  for  he  en- 
joys peace.  The  dignity,  offices,  blood,  righteousness, 
faithfulness,  and  compassion  of  the  Redeemer,  in  whom 
he  rests,  trusts,  and  lives,  for  wisdom,  righteousness, 
sanctification,  and  redemption,"  are  adequate  to  all  his 
wants  and  wishes,  provide  him  with  an  answer  to  every 


Let.  24.  Letters  to  a  Nobleimn.  499 

objection,  and  give  him  no  less  confidence  in  God,  than 
if  he  were  sinless  as  an  angel :  for  he  sees,  that  though 
sin  has  abounded  in  him,  grace  has  much  more 
abounded  in  Jesus.  With  respect  to  the  past,  all 
things  are  become  new  ;  with  respect  to  the  present 
and  future,  he  leans  upon  an  almighty  arm,  and  relies 
upon  the  word  and  power  which  made  and  upholds  the 
heavens  and  the  earth.  Though  he  feels  himself  un- 
worthy of  the  smallest  mercies,  he  claims  and  expects 
the  greatest  blessings  that  God  can  bestow  ;  and  being 
rooted  and  grounded  in  the  knowledge  and  love  of 
Christ,  his  peace  abides,  and  is  not  greatly  affected, 
either  by  the  variation  of  his  own  frames,  or  the 
changes  of  God's  dispensations  towards  him  while  here. 
With  such  a  sense  of  himself,  such  a  lieart-felt  peace 
and  heavenly  hope,  how  can  his  spirit  but  breathe  love 
to  his  God  and  Saviour?  It  is  indeed  the  perfection 
of  his  character  and  happiness,  that  his  soul  is  united 
by  love  to  the  chief  good.  The  love  of  Christ  is  the 
joy  of  his  heart,  and  the  spring  of  his  obedience.  With 
his  Saviour's  presence,  he  finds  a  heaven  begun  upon 
earth ;  and  without  it,  all  the  other  glories  of  the  hea- 
venly state  would  not  content  him.  The  excellence  of 
Christ,  his  love  to  sinners,  especially  his  dying  love  ; 
his  love  to  himself  in  seeking  and  saving  him  when  lost, 
saving  him  to  the  uttermost — But  I  must  stop.  Your 
lordship  can  better  conceive  than  I  can  describe,  how 
and  ^\  hy  Jesus  is  dear  to  the  heart  that  knows  him. 
That  part  of  the  Christian's  life  which  is  not  employed 
in  the  active  service  of  his  Lord,  is  chiefly  spent  in 
seeking  and  maintaining  communion  with  him.  For 
this  he  plies  the  throne,  and  studies  the  word  of  grace, 
and  frequents  the  ordinances,  where  the  Lord  has  pro- 
mised to  meet  with  his  people.     These  are  his  golden 


SOO  Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  het.  24. 

hours ;  and  when  thus  employed,  how  poor  and  trivial 
does  all  that  the  world  calls  great  and  important  ap- 
pear in  his  eyes !  Yea,  he  is  solicitous  to  keep  up  an 
intercourse  of  heart  with  his  Beloved  in  his  busiest 
scenes ;  and  so  far  as  he  can  succeed,  it  alleviates  all 
his  labours,  and  sweetens  all  his  troubles.  And  when 
he  is  neither  communing  with  his  Lord,  nor  acting  for 
hini,  he  accounts  his  time  lost,  and  is  ashamed  and 
grieved.  The  truth  of  his  love  is  manifested  by  mb- 
missioii.  This  is  twofold,  and  absolute,  and  without 
reservein  each.  He  submits  to  his  revealed  will,  as  made 
known  to  him  by  precept,  and  by  his  own  example. 
He  aims  to  tread  in  his  Saviour's  footsteps,  and  makes 
conscience  oi  all  his  commandments,  without  exception, 
and  without  hesitation.  Again,  he  submits  to  his  pro- 
vidential will :  he  yields  to  his  sovereignty,  acquiesces 
in  his  wisdom ;  he  knows  he  has  no  right  to  complain 
of  any  thing,  because  he  is  a  sinner ;  and  he  has  no 
reasoUy  because  he  is  sure  the  Lord  does  all  things 
"u-ell.  Therefore,  this  submission  is  not  forced,  but  is 
an  act  of  trust.  He  kno^vs  he  is  not  more  unworthy 
than  he  is  unable  to  choose  for  himself,  and  therefore 
rejoices  that  the  Lord  has  undertaken  to  manage  for 
him ;  and  were  he  compelled  to  make  his  ova  n  choice, 
he  could  only  choose,  that  all  his  concerns  should  re- 
main in  that  hand  to  which  he  has  already  conmiitted 
them.  And  thus  he  judges  of  public,  as  well  as  of  his 
personal  affairs.  He  cannot  be  an  unaffected  specta- 
tor of  national  sins,  nor  without  apprehension  of  their 
deserved  consequences ;  he  feels,  and  almost  trembles 
for  others,  but  he  himself  dwells  under  the  shadow  of 
the  Almighty,  in  a  sanctuary  that  cannot  be  forced  ; 
and,  therefore,  should  he  see  the  earth  shaken,  and  the 
mountains   cast  into  the  midst  of  the  sea,  his  heart 


Let.  24i.  Lcclers  to  a  Nobleman.  501 

would  not  be  greatly  moved,  for  God  is  his  refuge. — 
The  Lord  reigns.  He  sees  his  Saviour's  hand  direct- 
iu'j-  every  dark  appearance,  and  over-ruling  all  to  the 
accomplishment  of  his  own  great  purposes  :  this  satis- 
fies him ;  and  though  the  winds  and  waves  should  be 
high,  he  can  venture  liis  own  little  bark  in  the  storm, 
for  he  has  an  infallible  and  almighty  Pilot  on  board 
with  him.  And  indeed,  why  should  he  fear  when  he 
has  nothing  to  lose  ?  His  best  concerns  are  safe ;  and 
other  things  he  holds  as  gifts  from  his  Lord,  to  whose 
call  he  is  ready  to  resign  them,  in  vv'hatever  way  he 
pleases  ;  well  knowing,  that  creatures  and  instruments 
cannot  of  themselves  touch  a  hair  of  his  head  without 
the  Lord's  permission,  and  that  if  he  does  permit  them, 
it  must  be  for  the  best. 

I  might  enlarge  further. — But  I  shall  proceed  to  con- 
sider the  Christian's  temper  respecting  himself.  He 
lives  godly  and  soberly.  By  sobriety  we  mean  more 
than  that  he  is  not  a  drunkard ;  his  tempers  toward 
God,  of  course,  form  him  to  a  moderation  in  all  tempo- 
ral things.  He  is  not  scrupulous  or  superstitious ;  he 
understands  the  liberty  of  the  Gospel,  that  every  crea- 
ture of  God  is  good  if  it  be  received  with  thanksgiving : 
he  does  not  aim  at  being  needlessly  singular,  nor  prac- 
tise self-devised  austerities.  The  Christian  is  neither  a 
Stoic  nor  a  Cynic ;  yet  he  finds  daily  cause  for  watch- 
fulness and  restraint.  Satan  will  not  often  tempt  a 
believer  to  gross  crimes  :  our  greatest  snares  and  sorest 
conflicts  are  usually  found  in  thin-^s  lawful  in  them- 
selves, but  hurtful  to  us  by  their  abuse,  engrossing  too 
much  of  our  time,  or  of  our  hearts,  or  somehow  in- 
disposing us  for  communion  with  the  Lord.  The 
Christian  will  be  jealous  of  any  thing  that  might  en- 
tangle his  affections,  dampliis  zeal,  or  straighten  him  in 


602  Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  Let»  24. 

his  opportunities  of  serving  his  Saviour.  He  is  likewise 
content  with  his  situation,  because  the  Lord  chooses  it 
for  him  ;  his  spirit  is  not  eager  for  additions  and  alter- 
ations in  his  circumstances.  If  Divine  Providence 
points  out  and  leads  to  a  change,  he  is  ready  to  follow, 
thoush  it  should  be  what  the  world  would  call  from  a 
better  to  a  worse ;  for  he  is  a  pilgrim  and  a  stranger 
here,  and  a  citizen  of  heaven.  As  people  of  fortune 
sometimes,  in  travelling,  submit  cheerfully  to  incon- 
venient accommodations,  very  different  from  their 
homes,  and  comfort  themselves  with  thinking  they  are 
not  always  to  live  so ;  so  the  Christian  is  not  greatly 
solicitous  about  externals.  If  he  has  them,  he  will 
use  them  moderately.  If  he  has  but  little  of  them, 
he  can  make  a  good  shift  without  them  :  he  is  but  upon 
a  journey,  and  will  soon  be  at  home.  If  he  be  rich, 
experience  confirms  our  Lord's  words,  Luke  xii.  15.; 
and  satisfies  him,  that  a  large  room,  a  crowd  of  ser- 
vants, and  twenty  dishes  upon  his  table,  add  nothing 
to  the  real  happiness  of  life.  Therefore  he  will  not 
have  his  heart  set  upon  such  things.  If  he  be  in  a 
humbler  state,  he  is  more  disposed  to  pity  than  to  envy 
those  above  him ;  for  he  judges  they  must  have  many 
encumbrances  from  which  he  is  freed.  However,  the 
will  of  God,  and  the  light  of  his  countenance,  are  the 
chief  things  the  Christian,  whether  rich  or  poor,  re- 
gards ;  and  therefore  his  moderation  is  made  known 
unto  all  men. 

A  third  branch  of  the  Christian's  temper  respects  his 
fellow-creatures.  And  here,  methinks,  if  I  had  not 
filled  a  sheet  already,  I  could  enlarge  with  pleasure. 
We  have,  in  this  degenerate  day,  among  tliose  who 
claim,  and  are  allowed  the  name  of  Christian,  too  many 
of  a  narrow,  selfish,  mercenary  spirit ;  but  in  the  be* 


Let.  2-1;.  Letters  to  a  Nolleirian.  SOS" 

ginning  it  was  not  so.  The  Gospel  is  designed  to  cure 
such  a  spirit,  but  gives  no  indulgence  to  it.  A  Chris- 
tian has  the  mind  of  Christ,  who  went  about  doing 
good,  who  makes  his  sun  to  shine  upon  the  good  and 
the  evil,  and  sendeth  rain  on  the  just  and  the  unjust. 
His  Lord's  example  forms  him  to  the  habit  of  diffusive 
benevolence  ;  he  breathes  a  spirit  of  good- will  to  man- 
kind, and  rejoices  in  every  opportunity  of  being  useful 
to  the  souls  and  bodies  of  others,  without  res^ject  to 
parties  or  interests.  He  commiserates,  and  would,  if 
possible,  alleviate,  the  miseries  of  all  around  him ;  and 
if  his  actual  services  are  restrained  by  want  of  ability, 
yet  all  share  in  his  sympathy  and  prayers.  Acting  in 
the  spirit  of  his  Master,  he  frequently  meets  with  a 
measure  of  the  like  treatment ;  but  if  his  good  is  re- 
quited with  evil,  he  labours  to  overcome  evil  with 
good.  He  feels  himself  a  sinner,  and  needs  much  for- 
giveness :  this  makes  him  ready  to  forgive.  He  is  not 
haughty,  captious,  easily  offended,  or  hard  to  be  recon- 
ciled ;  for  at  the  feet  of  Jesus  he  has  learned  meekutss; 
and  when  he  meets  with  unkindness  or  injustice,  he 
considers,  that,  though  he  has  not  deserved  such  things 
from  men,  they  are  instruments  employed  by  his  hea- 
venly Father,  (from  whom  he  has  deserved  to  suffer 
much  more,)  for  his  humiliation  and  chastisement;  and 
is  therefore  more  concerned  for  their  sins  than  for  his 
own  sufferings,  and  prays,  after  the  pattern  of  his  Sa- 
viour, "  Father,  forgive  them,  for  they  know  not  what 
"  they  do  !"  He  knows  he  is  fallible ;  therefore  cannot 
be  positive.  He  knows  he  is  frail ;  and  therefore  dares 
not  be  censorious.  As  a  member  of  society,  he  is  just, 
punctual  in  the  discharge  of  every  relative  duty,  faith- 
ful to  his  engagements  and  promises,   rendering  to  all 

their  dues,  obedient  to  lawful  authority,  and  actincr  to 
Vol.  I.  3  T 


504:  Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  Let.  24, 

all  men  according  to  the  golden  rule,  of  doing  as  he 
would  be  done  by.  His  conduct  is  simple,  devoid  of 
artifice,  and  consistent,  attending  to  every  branch  of 
duty ;  and  in  the  closet,  the  family,  the  church,  and  in 
the  transactions  of  common  life,  he  is  the  same  man  ; 
for  in  every  circumstance  he  serves  the  Lord,  and  aims 
to  maintain  a  conscience  void  of  offence  in  his  sight. 
No  small  part  of  the  beauty  of  his  profession  in  the 
sight  of  men,  consists  in  the  due  government  of  his 
tongue.  The  law  of  truth,  and  kindness,  and  purity, 
is  upon  his  lips.  He  abhors  lying;  and  is  so  far  from 
inventing  a  slander,  that  he  will  not  repeat  a  report  to 
the  disadvantage  of  his  neighbour,  however  true,  with- 
out a  proper  call.  His  converse  is  cheerful,  but  inof- 
fensive ;  and  he  will  no  more  wound  another  with  his 
wit,  (if  he  has  a  talent  that  way,)  than  with  a  knife. 
His  speech  is  with  grace,  seasoned  with  salt,  and  suited 
to  promote  the  peace  and  edification  of  all  around  him. 
Such  is  the  Christian  in  civil  life ;  but  though  he 
loves  all  mankind,  he  stands  in  a  nearer  relation,  and 
bears  an  especial  brotherly  love,  to  all  who  are  pai'- 
takcrs  of  the  faith  and  hope  of  the  Gospel.  This  re- 
gard is  not  confined  within  the  pale  of  a  denomination, 
but  extended  to  all  who  love  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in 
sincerity.  He  calls  no  man  master  himself;  nor  does 
he  wish  to  impose  a  Shibboleth  of  his  own  upon  others. 
He  rejoices  in  the  image  of  God,  wherever  he  sees  it, 
and  in  the  work  of  God,  wherever  it  is  carried  on. 
Though  tenacious  of  the  truths  which  the  Lord  has 
taucfht  him,  his  heart  is  open  to  those  who  differ  from 
him  in  less  essential  points,  and  allows  to  others  that 
right  of  private  judgment  which  he  claims  for  himself, 
and  is  disposed  to  hold  communion  in  love  with  all  who 
hold  the  head.     He  cannot  indeed  countenance  those 


Let.  2k  Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  505 

who  set  aside  the  one  foundation  which  God  has  laid  in 
Zion,  and  maintain  errors  derogatory  to  the  honour  of 
his  Saviour,  or  subversive  of  the  faith  and  experience  of 
his  people  ;  yet  he  wishes  well  to  their  persons,  pities 
and  prays  for  them,  and  is  ready  in  meekness  to  in- 
struct them  that  oppose  :  but  there  is  no  bitterness  in 
his  zeal,  being  sensible  that  raillery  and  invective  are 
dishonourable  to  the  cause  of  truth,  and  quite  unsuit- 
able in  the  mouth  of  a  sinner,  who  owes  all  that  dis- 
tinguishes him  from  the  vilest  of  men  to  the  free  grace 
of  God.  In  a  word,  he  is  influenced  by  the  wisdom 
from  above,  which,  as  it  is  pure,  is  likewise  peace- 
able, gentle,  and  easy  to  be  entreated,  full  of  mercy 
and  good  works,  without  partiality,  and  without  hy- 
pocrisy. 

I  must  just  recur  to  my  first  head,  and  observe,  that 
with  this  spirit  and  deportment,  the  Christian,  while  he 
is  enabled  to  maintain  a  conscience  void  of  offence  to- 
wards God  and  man,  is  still  sensible  and  mindful  of  in- 
dwelling sin  :  he  has  his  eye  more  upon  his  rule  than 
upon  his  attainments ;  and  therefore  finds  and  con- 
fesses, that  in  every  thing  he  comes  exceedingly  short, 
and  that  his  best  services  are  not  only  defective  but  de- 
filed :  he  accounts  himself  an  unprofitable  servant,  is 
abased  in  his  own  eyes,  and  derives  all  his  hope  and 
comfort,  as  well  as  his  strength,  from  Jesus,  whom  he 
has  known,  received,  and  trusted ;  to  whom  he  has  com- 
mitted his  soul ;  in  whom  he  rejoices,  and  worships  God 
in  the  spirit,  renouncing  all  confidence  in  the  flesh,  and 
esteeming  all  things  as  loss,  for  the  excellency  of  the 
knowledge  of  Christ  Jesus  his  Lord. 

If  I  have  lately  been  rather  tardy  in  making  my  pay- 
ments to  your  lordship,  I  have  proportionably  increased 
the  quantity.   It  is  high  time  I  should  now  relieve  your 


506  Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  L<^{.  2b, 

patience.  I  hope  I  long  to  be  a  Christian  indeed  ;  and 
I  hope  this  hasty  exennplifieation  of  my  wishes  will  an- 
swer to  your  lordship's  experience  better  than  I  fear  it 
does  to  my  own.  May  I  beg  a  remembrance  in  your 
prayers,  that  he  who  has  given  me  to  will  and  desire, 
may  work  in  me  to  be  and  to  do  according  to  his  own 
good  pleasure. 

I  am,  &c. 


LETTER  XXV. 
My  Lord,  November — 1776. 


M- 


.Y  London  journey,  which  prevented  my  writing  in 
October,  made  me  amends  by  an  opportunity  of  wait- 
ing upon  your  lordship  in  person.  Such  seasons  are 
not  only  pleasant  at  the  time,  but  afford  me  pleasure 
in  the  review.  I  could  have  wished  the  half  hour  we 
were  together  by  ourselves  prolonged  to  half  a  day. 
The  subject  your  lordship  was  pleased  to  suggest  has 
been  often  upon  my  mind  ;  and  glad  should  I  be,  were 
I  able  to  offer  you  any  thing  satisfactory  upon  it. — 
There  is  no  doubt  but  first  religious  impressions  are 
usually  mingled  with  much  of  a  legal  spirit ;  and  that 
conscience  at  such  a  time  is  not  only  tender,  but  mis- 
informed and  scrupulous  :  and  I  believe,  as  your  lord- 
ship intimated,  that  when  the  mind  is  more  enlightened, 
and  we  feel  a  liberty  from  many  fetters  we  had  im- 
posed upon  ourselves,  we  are  in  danger  of  verging  too 
far  towards  the  other  extreme.  It  seems  to  me  that 
no  one  person  can  adjust  the  medium,  and  draw  the 
line  exactly  for  another.  There  are  so  many  particu- 
lars in  every  situation,  of  which  a  stranger  cannot  be  a 
competent  judge,  and  the  best  human  advices  and  mo- 


Let.  25.  Letters  to  a  Nol/levuin.  507 

dels  are  mixed  with  such  defects,  that  it  is  not  right  to 
expect  others  to  be  absolutely  guided  by  our  rules,  nor 
is  it  safe  for  us  implicitly  to  adopt  the  decisions  or  prac- 
tices of  others.  But  the  Scripture  undoubtedly  fur- 
nishes sufficient  and  infallible  rules  for  every  person, 
however  circumstanced ;  and  the  throne  of  grace  is  ap- 
pointed for  us  to  wait  upon  the  Lord  for  the  best  ex- 
position of  his  precepts.  Thus  David  often  prays  to  be 
led  in  the  right  way,  in  the  path  of  judgment.  By 
frequent  prayer,  and  close  acquaintance  with  the  Scrip- 
ture, and  an  habitual  attention  to  the  frame  of  our 
hearts,  there  is  a  certain  delicacy  of  spiritual  taste  and 
discernment  to  be  acquired,  which  renders  a  nice  dis- 
quisition concerning  the  nature  and  limits  of  the  Adia- 
phora,  as  they  are  called,  or  how  near  we  may  go  to  the 
utmost  bounds  of  what  is  right,  without  being  wrong, 
quite  unnecessary.  Love  is  the  clearest  and  most  per- 
suasive casuist;  and  when  our  love  to  the  Lord  is  in 
lively  exercise,  and  the  rule  of  his  word  is  in  our  eye, 
we  seldom  make  great  mistakes.  And  I  believe  the 
overdoings  of  a  young  convert,  proceeding  from  an  ho- 
nest simplicity  of  heart,  and  a  desire  of  pleasing  the 
Lord,  are  more  acceptable  in  his  sight  than  a  certain 
coolness  of  conduct,  which  frequently  takes  place  after- 
ward, when  we  are  apt  to  look  back  with  pity  upon  our 
former  weakness,  and  secretly  to  applaud  ourselves  for 
our  present  greater  attainments  in  knowledge,  though 
perhaps,  (alas,  that  it  should  ever  be  so  !)  we  may  have 
lost  as  nmch  in  warmth  as  we  have  gained  in  light. 

From  the  time  we  know  the  Lord,  and  are  bound  to 
him  by  the  cords  of  love  and  gratitude,  the  two  chief 
points  we  should  have  in  our  view,  I  apprehend,  are  to 
maintain  communion  with  him  in  our  own  souls,  and 
to  glorify  him  in  tire  sight  of  men.     Agreeable  to  these 


508  Letters  to  a  NoMenian.  Let.  25. 

views,  though  the  Scripture  does  not  enumerate  or  de- 
cide totidem  verbis,  for  or  against  many  things  which 
some  plead  for,  and  others  condemn ;  yet  it  furnishes 
us  with  some  general  canons,  which  if  rightly  applied, 
^vill  perhaps  go  a  good  way  towards  settling  the  debate, 
at  least  to  the  satisfaction  of  those  who  would  rather 
please  God  than  man.  Some  of  these  canons  I  will 
just  mark  to  3'our  lordship  :  Rom.  xii.  1,2.  1  Cor. 
viii.  13.  and  x.  31.  2  Cor.  vi.  17.  Ephes.  iv.  30. 
Ephes.  V.  11.  15,  16.  1  Thes.  v.  22.  Ephes.  vi.  18. 
to  which  I  may  add,  as  suitable  to  the  present  times, 
Isa.  xxii.  12.  Luke  xxi.  34.  I  apprehend  the  spirit  of 
these  and  similar  passages  of  Scripture,  (for  it  would  be 
easy  to  adduce  a  larger  number,)  will  bring  a  Christian 
under  such  restrictions  as  follow. 

To  avoid  and  forbear,  for  his  own  sake,  whatever 
has  a  tendency  to  damp  and  indispose  his  spirit  in  at- 
tendance upon  the  means  of  grace ;  for  such  things, 
if  they  be  not  condemned  as  sinful  per  se,  if  they  be  not 
absolutely  unlawful,  yea,  though  they  be,  when  duly  re- 
gulated, lawful  and  right,  (for  often  our  chief  snares  are 
entwined  m- ith  our  blessings ;)  yet  if  they  have  a  re- 
peated and  evident  tendency  to  deaden  our  hearts  to 
divine  things,  of  which  each  person's  experience  must 
determine,  there  must  be  something  in  them,  either  in 
season,  measure,  or  circumstance,  wrong  to  us ;  and 
let  them  promise  what  they  will,  they  do  but  rob  us  of 
our  gold  to  pay  us  with  counters.  For  the  light  of 
God's  countenance,  and  an  open  cheerfulness  of  spirit 
in  walking  with  him  in  private,  is  our  chief  joy ;  and 
we  must  be  already  greatly  hurt,  if  any  thing  can  be 
pursued,  allowed,  or  rested  in,  as  a  tolerable  substi- 
tute for  it. 

For  the  sake  of  the  church,  and  the  influence  example 


Let.  25.  Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  509 

may  have  upon  his  fellow  Christians,  the  law  of  charity 
and  prudence  will  often  require  a  believer  to  abstain 
from  some  things,  not  because  they  are  unlawful,  but 
inexpedient.  Thus  the  apostle,  though  strenuous  for 
the  riii'ht  of  his  Christian  liberty,  would  have  abridi^ed 
himself  of  the  use,  so  as  to  eat  no  meat,  rather  than 
offend  a  weak  brother,  rather  than  mislead  him  to  act 
against  the  present  light  of  his  conscience.  Upon  this 
principle,  if  I  could,  without  hurt  to  myself,  attend 
some  public  amusements,  as  a  concert  or  oratorio,  and 
return  from  thence  with  a  warm  heart  to  my  closet, 
(the  possibility  of  which,  in  my  own  case,  I  greatly 
question ;)  yet  I  should  think  it  my  duty  to  forbear, 
lest  some  weaker  than  myself  should  be  encouraged  by 
me  to  make  the  like  experiment,  though  in  their  own 
minds  they  might  fear  it  was  wrong,  and  have  no  other 
reason  to  think  it  lawful  but  because  I  did  it :  in  which 
case  I  should  suspect,  that  though  I  received  no  harm, 
they  would.  And  I  have  known  and  conversed  with 
some  who  I  fear  have  made  shipwreck  of  their  pro- 
fession, who  have  dated  their  first  decline  from  imita- 
ting others,  whom  they  thought  wiser  and  better  than 
themselves,  in  such  kind  of  compliances.  And  it  seems 
that  an  obligation  of  this  sort  of  self-denial  rises  and  is 
strengthened  in  proportion  to  the  weight  and  influence 
of  our  characters.  Were  I  in  private  life,  I  do  not 
know  that  I  should  think  it  sinful  to  kill  a  partridge  or 
a  hare  ;  but,  as  a  minister,  I  no  more  dare  do  it  than  I 
dare  join  in  a  drunken  frolic,  because  I  know  it  would 
give  offence  to  some,  and  be  pleaded  for  as  a  license  by 
others. 

There  is  a  duty,  and  a  charity  likewise,  which  we 
owe  to  the  w^orld  at  large,  as  well  as  a  faithfulness  to 
God  and  his  grace,  in  our  necessary  converse  among 


*c^ 


510  Letters  to  a  Noblemm.  Let.  25, 

them.  This  seems  to  require,  that  though  we  should 
not  be  needlessly  singular,  yet,  for  their  instruction,  and 
for  the  honour  of  our  Lord  and  Master,  we  should 
keep  up  a  certain  kind  of  singularity,  and  show  our- 
selves called  to  be  a  separated  people  :  that  though  the 
providence  of  God  has  given  us  callings  and  relations 
to  fill  up,  (in  which  we  cannot  be  too  exact,)  yet  we  are 
not  of  the  world,  but  belong  to  another  community,  and 
act  from  other  principles,  by  other  rules,  and  to  other 
ends,  than  the  generality  of  those  about  us.  I  have 
observed  that  the  world  will  often  leave  professors  in 
quiet  possession  of  their  notions  and  sentiments,  and 
places  of  worship,  provided  they  will  not  be  too  stiff 
in  the  matter  of  conformity  with  their  more  general 
customs  and  amusements.  But  I  fear  many  of  them 
have  had  their  prejudices  strengthened  against  our  holy 
religion  by  such  compliances,  and  have  thought  tliat  if 
there  Avere  such  joy  and  comfort  to  be  found  in  the 
ways  of  God  as  they  hear  from  our  pulpits,  professors 
would  not,  in  such  numbers,  and  so  often,  run  amongst 
them  to  beg  a  relief  from  the  burden  of  time  hanging 
upon  their  hands.  As  our  Lord  Jesus  is  the  great  re- 
presentative of  his  people  in  heaven,  he  does  them  the 
honour  to  continue  a  succession  of  them  as  his  repre- 
sentatives upon  earth.  Happy  are  they  who  are  fa- 
voured with  most  of  the  holy  unction,  and  best  enabled 
to  manifest  to  all  around  them,  by  their  spirit,  tempers, 
and  conversation,  what  is  the  proper  design  and  genuine 
effect  of  his  Gospel  upon  the  hearts  of  sinners. 

In  our  way  of  little  life  in  the  country,  serious  peo^ 
pie  often  complain  of  the  snares  they  meet  with  from 
worldly  people,  and  yet  they  must  mix  with  them  to  get 
a  livelihood.  I  advise  them,  if  they  can,  to  do  their 
business  with  the  world  as  thev  do  it  in  the  rain.     If 


het.  25.  Letters  to  a  Nobleman,  511 

their  business  calls  them  abroad,  they  will  not  leave  it 
undone  for  fear  of  being  a  little  wet ;  but  then,  when 
it  is  done,  they  presently  seek  shelter,  and  will  not  stand 
in  the  rain  for  pleasure ;  so  providential  and  necessary 
calls  of  duty,  that  lead  us  into  the  world,  will  not  hiirt 
us,  if  we  find  the  spirit  of  the  world  unpleasant,  and 
are  glad  to  retire  from  it,  and  keep  out  of  it  as  much 
as  our  relative  duties  will  permit.  That  which  is  our 
cross,  is  not  so  likely  to  be  our  snare  ;  but  if  that  spirit, 
■which  we  should  always  watch  and  pray  against,  in- 
fects and  assimilates  our  minds  to  itself,  then  we  are 
sure  to  suffer  loss,  and  act  below  the  dignity  of  our 
profession. 

The  value  of  time  is  likewise  to  be  taken  into  the 
account.  It  is  a  precious  talent,  and  our  Christian 
profession  opens  a  wide  field  for  the  due  improvement 
of  it.  Much  of  it  has  been  already  lost,  and  therefore  we 
are  exhorted  to  redeem  it.  I  think  many  things  Avhich 
custom  pleads  for  will  be  excluded  from  a  suitableness 
to  a  Christian,  for  this  one  reason,  that  they  are  not 
consistent  with  the  simplest  notion  of  the  redemption  of 
time.  It  is  generally  said  we  need  relaxation  ;  I  allow 
it  in  a  sense:  the  Lord  himself  has  provided  it;  and 
because  our  spirits  are  too  weak  to  be  always  upon  the 
Aving  in  meditation  and  prayer,  he  has  appointed  to  all 
men,  from  the  king  downwards,  something  to  do  in  a 
secular  way.  The  poor  are  to  labour,  the  rich  are  not 
exempted  from  something  equivalent.  And  v,  hen  every 
thing  of  this  sort  in  each  person's  situation  is  properly 
attended  to,  I  apprehend,  if  the  heart  be  alive,  and 
in  a  right  state,  spiritual  concernments  will  present 
themselves,  as  afford ing  the  noblest,  sweetest,  and  most 
interesting  relaxation  from  the  cares  and  business  of 

life ;  as,  on  the  other  hand,  that  business  will  be  the 
Vol.  T,  3  II 


512  Lcllcrs  to  a  XuLleman.  Let.  25. 

best  relaxation  and  unbending  of  the  mind  from  reli- 
gious exercises ;  and,  between  the  two,  perhaps  there 
ou2;ht  to  be  but  little  mere  leisure  time.  A  life  in  this 
seiisc,  divided  between  God  and  the  world,  is  desirable, 
^\'ilen  one  part  of  it  is  spent  in  retirement,  seeking  after 
and  conversing  with  him  whom  our  souls  love  ;  and  the 
other  part  of  it  employed  in  active  services  for  the  good 
of  our  family,  friends,  the  church,  and  societ}^,  for  his 
sake.  Every  hour  which  does  not  fall  in  with  one  or 
other  of  these  views,  1  apprehend  is  lost  time. 

The  day  in  which  we  live  seems  likewise  to  call  for 
something  of  a  peculiar  spirit  in  the  Lord's  people. 
It  is  a  day  of  abounding  sin,  and  I  fear  a  day  of  im- 
pending judgment.  The  world,  as  it  was  in  tlie  days 
of  Noah  and  Lot,  is  secure.  We  are  soon  to  have  a 
day  of  apparent  humiliation ;  but  the  just  causes  for  it 
are  not  confined  to  one  day,  but  will  subsist,  and  too 
probably  increase  every  day.  If  I  am  not  m.istaken  in 
the  signs  of  the  times,  there  never  was,  within  the  an- 
nals of  the  English  history,  a  period  in  which  the  spirit 
and  employment  described,  Ezek.  ix.  4.  could  be  more 
suitable  than  the  present.  The  Lord  calls  for  mourn- 
ing and  weeping,  but  the  words  of  many  are  stout 
against  him ;  new  species  of  dissipation  are  invented 
almost  daily,  and  the  language  of  those  who  bear  the 
greatest  svray  in  what  is  called  tlie  polite  circle,  I  mean 
the  interpretative  language  of  their  hearts,  is  like  that 
of  the  rebellious  Jews,  Jer.  xliv.  16,  17,  Sec.  "  As  for 
''  the  word  which  thou  hast  spoken,  we  will  not  hearken 
'■•  unto  thee  at  all."  In  short,  things  are  coming  to  a  ■ 
point,  and  it  seems  to  be  ahnost  putting  to  the  vote 
whether  the  Lord  or  Baal  be  God.  In  this  state  of 
aftairs,  mcthinks,  we  cannot  be  too  explicit  in  avowing 
our  attachment  to  the  Lord,  nor  too  carchd  in  avoiding 


Let.  25.  Letters  to  a  Noljleman.  513 

an  improper  correspondence  with  those  who  are  in  con- 
federacy against  him.  We  know  not  how  soon  we  may 
ii;reatly  need  that  mark  of  providential  protection  which 
is  restrained  to  those  who  sigh  and  cry  for  our  abomi- 
nations. Upon  the  whole,  it  appears  to  me,  tliat  it  is 
more  honourable,  comfortable,  and  safe,  (if  we  cannot 
exactly  hit  the  golden  mean,)  to  be  thought  by  some 
too  scrupulous  and  precise,  than  actually  to  be  found 
too  compliant  with  those  things  which,  if  not  absolutely 
contrary  to  a  divine  commandment,  are  hardly  compa- 
tible with  the  genius  of  the  Gospel,  or  conformable  to 
the  mind  that  -was  in  Christ  Jesus,  which  ought  also  to 
be  in  his  peojile.  The  places  and  amusements  which 
the  world  frequent  and  admire,  where  occasions  and 
temptations  to  sin  are  cultivated,  where  the  law  of  what 
is  called  good  breeding  is  the  only  law  w  hich  may  not 
be  violated  with  impunity,  where  sinful  passions  are 
provoked  and  indulged,  where  the  fear  of  God  is  so 
little  known  or  regarded,  that  those  who  do  fear  him 
inust  hold  their  tongues  though  they  should  hear  his 
name  blasphemed,  can  hardly  be  a  Christian's  voluntary 
chosen  ground.  Yet  I  fear  these  characters  will  apply- 
to  every  kind  of  polite  amusement  or  assembly  in  the 
kingdom. 

As  to  family  connexions,  I  cannot  think  we  are 
bound  to  break  or  slight  them.  But  as  believers  and 
their  friends  often  live  as  it  were  in  two  elements,  there 
is  a  mutual  awkwardness,  which  makes  their  inter- 
views rather  dry  and  tedious.  But  upon  that  account 
they  are  less  frequent  than  they  would  otherwise  be, 
which  seems  an  advantage.  Both  sides  keep  up  re- 
turns of  civility  and  affection  ;  but  as  they  cannot  unite 
in  sentiment  and  leading  inclination,  they  will  not  con- 
trive to  be  very  often  together,  except  there  is  some- 


514}  Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  Let.  2(>. 

thing  considerable  given  up  by  one  or  tlie  other ;  and 
I  think  Christians  ought  to  be  very  cautious  what  con- 
cessions they  make  upon  this  account.  But,  as  I  said 
at  the  beginning,  no  general  positive  rules  can  be  laid 
down. 

I  have  simply  given  your  lordship  such  thoughts  as 
have  occurred  to  me  while  writing,  without  study,  and 
■without  coherence.  I  dare  not  be  dogmatical ;  but  I 
think  what  I  have  written  is  agreeable  both  to  particu- 
lar texts  and  to  the  general  tenor  of  Scripture.  I  sub- 
mit it  to  your  judgment. 

f  I  am,  &c. 


LETTER  XXVI. 

My  Lord,  July— 1777. 

OWE  your  lordship  a  quire  of  letters,  for  the  favour 
and  pleasure  of  your  late  visit ;  and  therefore  I  must 
begin  and  w  rite  away. 

I  have  lately  read  Robertson's  History  of  Charles  V. 
which,  like  most  other  histories,  I  consider  as  a  com- 
ment upon  those  passages  of  Scripture  which  teach  us 
the  depravity  of  man,  the  deceitfulness  of  the  heart,  the 
ruinous  effects  of  sin,  and  the  powerful,  though  secret, 
rule  of  Divine  Providence,  moving,  directing,  conti'ol- 
linti  the  designs  and  actions  of  men,  with  an  unerrinii 
hand,  to  the  accomplishment  of  his  own  purposes,  both 
of  mercy  and  judgment.  Without  the  clue  and  the 
light  which  the  word  of  God  affords,  the  history  of 
mankind,  of  any,  of  every  age,  only  presents  to  view  a 
labyrinth  and  a  chaos  ;  a  detail  of  wickedness  and 
misery  to  make  us  tremble,  and  a  confused  jumble  of 
interfering  incidents,  as  destitute  of  stability,  connex- 


Let.  26.  Letters  to  a  Nobleman.  515 

ion,  or  order,  as  the  clouds  which  fly  over  our  heads. 
In  this  view,  Ddlrant  reges,  plectuntur  Ac/nii,  may 
serve  as  a  motto  to  all  the  histories  I  have  seen.  Lut 
with  the  Scripture  key,  all  is  plain,  all  is  instructive. 
Then  I  see,  verily  there  is  a  God,  who  governs  the 
earth,  who  pours  contempt  upon  princes,  takes  the 
wise  in  their  own  craftiness,  over-rules  the  Mrath  and 
pride  of  man,  to  bring  his  own  designs  to  pass,  and  re- 
strains all  that  is  not  necessary  to  that  end ;  blasting 
the  best  concerted  enterprises  at  one  time,  by  means 
apparently  slight,  and  altogether  unexpected,  and  at 
other  times  j)roducing  the  most  important  events,  from 
instruments  and  circumstances  which  are  at  lirst 
thoufrht  too  feeble  and  trivial  to  deserve  notice.  I 
should  like  to  see  a  writer  of  Dr.  Robertson's  abilities 
give  us  a  history  upon  this  plan  ;  but  I  think  his  reflec- 
tions of  this  sort  are  too  general,  too  cold,  and  too  iew. 
What  an  empty  phantom  do  the  great  men  of  the  world 
pursue,  while  they  wage  war  with  the  peace  of  man- 
kind, and  butcher,  (in  the  course  of  their  lives,)  per- 
haps hundreds  of  thousands,  to  maintain  the  shadow  of 
authority  over  distant  nations,  whom  they  can  reach 
with  no  other  influence  than  that  of  oppression  and  de- 
vastation !  But  when  we  consider  those  who  are  sacri- 
ficed to  their  ambition,  as  justly  suffering  for  their  sins, 
then  heroes  and  conquerors  appear  in  their  proper 
light,  and  worthy  to  be  classed  with  earthquakes  and 
pestilences,  as  instruments  of  divine  vengeance.  So 
many  cares,  so  much  pains,  so  many  mischiefs,  merely 
to  support  the  idea  a  worm  has  formed  of  his  own  gran- 
deur, is  a  proof  that  man,  by  nature,  is  not  only  de- 
praved, but  infatuated.  Permit  me  to  present  my 
thoughts  to  more  advantage,  in  t!ie  words  of  M. 
Nicole  : — ■ 


5iG  *  Letters  to  a  Nobleviau.  Let  2G. 

''  Un  grand  dans  son  idee  n'est  pas  un  seul  homme  ; 
"  c'est  un  homme  environn6  de  tous  ceux  qui  sonta 
^'  lui,  et  qui  s'imagine  avoir  autant  de  bras  qu'ils  en  ont 
"  tous  ensemble,  parce  qu'il  en  dispose  et  qu'il  les  re- 
"  mue.  Un  general  d'arm6e  se  represente  toujours  a 
"  lui-meme,  au  milieu  de  tous  ses  soldats.  Ainsi 
"  chacun  tache  d'occuper  le  plus  de  place  quil  pent 
"  dans  son  imagination,  et  I'on  nc  se  poussc,  et  ne 
"  s'agrandit  dans  le  monde,  que  pour  augmentir  I'idee 
"  que  chacun  se  forme  de  soi-m^me.  Voila  le  but  de 
"  tous  les  desseins  ambitieux  des  hommes  !  Alexandre 
"  et  Cassar  n'ont  point  eu  d'autre  vue  dans  toutcs  leurs 
"  batailles  que  celle-la.  Et  si  Ton  demande  pourquoi 
"  le  grand  seigneur  a  fait  depuis  pen  perir  cent  mille 
"  hommes  devant  Candle,  on  pent  repondre  surement, 
"  que  ce  n'est  que  pour  attacher  encore  a  cette  image 
"  interieure  qu'il  a  de  lui-meme,  le  titre  de  conque- 
"  rant*." 

How  awful  is  the  case  of  those  who  live  and  die  in 
such  a  spirit,  and  who  have  multiplied  miseries  upon 
their  fellow-creatures,  in  order  to  support  and  feed  it ! 
Perhaps  they  may,  upon  their  entrance  on  another 
state,  be  accosted  by  multitudes,  to  the  purport  of  that 
sarcastical  language  in  the  prophet's  sublime  ode  of 
triumph  over  the  king  of  Babylon,  Isa.  xiv.  5 — 17. 

Hlc  cs/,  (jiiemfiiga,  quern  flavor 
Pracessit  ?  Iiicy  cjucm  tcrricolis  gravem 
Strages  secula  est,  vastilasque  P  hie 

Attoniti  spoliator  orbis  ? 

But  though  the  effects  of  this  principle  of  self  are 
more  extensive  and  calamitous,  in  proportion  as  tliosc 

*  Essais  De  Morale,  Vol.  I. 


Let.  20.  Letters  to  a  Noblemcm.  517 

nbo  are  governed  by  it  are  more  elevated,  the  principle 
itself  is  deep-rooted  in  every  heart,  and  is  the  spring  of 
everv  action,  till  grace  infuses  a  new  principle,  and  self, 
like  Dagon,  falls  before  the  Lord  of  hosts.  Great  and 
small  are  but  relative  terms  ;  and  the  passions  of  dis- 
content, pride,  and  envy,  which,  in  the  breast  of  a  po- 
tentate, are  severely  felt  by  one  half  of  Europe,  exert 
themselves  with  equal  strength  in  the  heart  of  a  peasant, 
though,  for  want  of  materials  and  opportunities,  their 
operations  are  confined  v,  ithin  narrow  bounds.  Vv'e 
are  fallen  into  a  state  of  gross  idolatry,  and  self  is  the 
>f!ol  Me  worship. 

I  am,  o:c. 


MISCELLANEOUS 


€OFvRESPONID>EN€E» 


Vol.  I.  3  X 


I 


EIGHT  LETTERS 

TO    THE 

Rev.    Mr.    S****. 

LETTER  I. 

Dear  Sir,  June  23,  1775. 


HAVE  met  with  interruptions  till  now,  or  you  would 
have  heard  from  me  sooner.  ]\Iy  thoughts  have  run 
much  upon  the  subject  of  your  last,  because  I  perceive 
it  has  a  near  connexion  with  your  peace.  Your  inte- 
grity greatly  pleases  me ;  far  be  it  from  me  to  shake  the 
principle  of  your  conduct ;  yet,  in  the  application,  I 
think  there  is  a  possibility  of  carrying  your  exceptions 
too  far. 

From  the  account  you  give  me  of  your  sentiments,  I 
cannot  but  wonder  you  find  it  so  difficult  to  accede  to 
the  Athanasian  Creed,  when  it  seems  to  me  you  believe 
and  avow  what  that  creed  chiefly  sets  forth.  The  doc- 
trine of  the  Trinity,  some  explication  of  the  terms  beincp 
subjoined,  is  the  Catholic  Faith  ;  without  the  belief  of 
which  a  man  cannot  be  saved.  This  damnatory  clause 
seems  to  me  proved  by  Mark  xvi.  \6.  "  He  that  be- 
"  lieveth  shall  be  saved,"  &c.  The  object  of  faith  must 
be  truth.  The  doctrine  of  the  Deity  of  Christ,  and  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  in  union  with  the  Father,  so  that  they 
are  not  three  Gods,  but  one  God,  is  not  merely  a  pro- 
position expressed  in  words,  to  which  our  assent  is  re- 
quired, but  is  absolutely  necessary  to  be  known;  since 
without  it  no  one  truth  respecting  salvation  can  be 
rightly  understood,  no  one  promise  duly  believed,  no 
one  duty  spiritually  performed.  I  take  it  for  granted, 
that  this  doctrine  must  appear  irrational  and  absurd  in 
the  63^6  of  reason,  if  by  reason  we  mean  the  reason  of 


522  Letters  to  the  Rev,  Mr.  S  ****.  Let.  1. 

man  in  his  fallen  state,  before  it  is  corrected  and  en- 
lightened by  a  heavenly  teacher.  No  man  can  say 
Jesus  is  Lord,  but  by  the  Holy  Ghost.  I  believe  with 
you,  that  a  man  may  be  saved  who  never  heard  of  the 
creed,  who  never  read  any  book  but  the  New  Testa- 
ment, or  perhaps  a  single  evangelist ;  but  he  must  be 
taught  of  God  the  things  that  accompany  salvation,  or  I 
do  not  think  he  can  be  saved.  The  mercies  of  God  in 
Christ  will  not  save  any,  (as  I  apprehend,)  but  accord- 
ing to  the  method  revealed  in  his  word,  that  is,  those 
who  are  truly  partakers  of  faith  and  holiness.  For  as 
the  religion  of  the  New  Testament  ascribes  all  power  to 
God,  and  considers  all  goodness  in  us  as  the  effect  of 
his  communication,  we  being  by  nature  destitute  of 
spiritual  life  or  light ;  so  those  whom  God  himself  is 
pleased  to  teach,  will  infallibly  attain  the  knowledge  of 
all  that  they  are  concerned  to  know.  This  teaching 
you  are  waiting  for,  and  it  shall  be  given  you  ;  yea,  the 
Lord,  I  trust,  has  begun  to  teach  you  already:  but  if 
you  consider  yourself  as  a  learner,  and  that  it  is  possi- 
ble, under  the  Spirit's  increasing  illumination,  you  may 
hereafter  adopt  some  things  which  at  present  you  can- 
not approve,  I  should  think  it  too  early  as  yet  to  pre- 
scribe to  yourself  rules  and  determinations  for  the  go- 
vernment of  your  future  life.  Should  the  will  of  God 
appoint  you  a  new  path  for  service,  he  may,  sooner  than 
you  are  aware,  quiet  your  mind,  and  enable  you  to  sub- 
scribe with  as  full  a  persuasion  of  mind,  as  you  now 
object  to  subscription.  If  it  depended  upon  me,  I  could 
be  content  that  the  creed  should  rest  at  the  bottom  of 
the  sea,  rather  than  embarrass  a  single  person  oi your 
disposition.  Nor  am  I  a  warm  stickler  for  subscription 
in  itself;  but  something  of  this  kind  seems  necessary 
npon  the  supposition  of  an  establishment. 


Let.  i.  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  5****.  623 

When  I  think  of  an  inclosure,  some  hedge^  wall,  bank, 
ditch,  &;c.  is  of  course  included  in  my  idea ;  for  who 
can  conceive  of  an  inclosure  without  a  boundary  ?  So, 
in  a  national  church,  there  must  be,  I  apprehend,  some- 
thing marked  out,  the  approbation  or  refusal  of  which 
will  determine  w^ho  do  or  do  not  belong  to  it :  and  fov 
this  purpose  articles  of  some  kind  seem  not  improper. 
You  think  it  would  be  better  to  have  these  articles  in 
Scriptural  expressions.  13ut  if  it  be  lawful  to  endea- 
vour to  exclude  from  our  pulpits  men  who  hold  senti- 
ments the  most  repugnant  to  the  truth,  I  wish  you  to 
consider,  whether  this  can  be  in  any  measure  secured 
by  articles  in  which  the  Scripture-doctrines  are  not  ex- 
plained and  stated,  as  well  as  expressed.  This  pro- 
posal is  strenuously  pleaded  for  by  many  in  our  da}^, 
upon  views  very  different  from  yours.  The  Socinians, 
for  instance,  would  readily  subscribe  a  Scriptural  de- 
claration of  the  high  priesthood,  atonement,  and  inter- 
cession of  Christ,  (while  they  are  allowed  to  put  their 
own  sense  upon  the  terms ;)  though  the  sense  they  main- 
tain be  utterly  inconsistent  with  what  those  who  are  en- 
lightened by  the  Holy  Spirit  learn  from  the  same  ex- 
pressions. 

I  acknowledge,  indeed,  that  the  end  is  not  answered 
by  the  present  method ;  since  there  are  too  many,  like 
the  person  you  mention,  who  would  easily  subscribe 
nine  hundred  articles,  rather  than  balk  his  preferment  : 
yet  the  profligacy  of  some  seems  to  be  no  just  reason 
why  the  church,  why  any  church,  should  not  be  at 
liberty  to  define  the  terms  upon  which  they  will  accept 
members  or  teachers,  or  why  conscientious  persons 
should  object  to  these  terms,  (if  they  think  them  agree- 
able to  the  truth,)  merely  because  they  are  not  expressed 
in  the  precise  words  of  Scripture.     If  allowance  may  be 


5:^i  Letters  to  the  Bev.  Mr.  5****.  Let.  I . 

made  for  human  infirmity  in  the  Liturgy,  I  see  not  why 
the  Articles  may  not  be  entitled  to  the  same  privilege. 
For  it  seems  requisite  that  we  should  be  as  well  satisfied 
with  the  expressions  we  use  with  our  lips,  in  frequent 
solemn  prayer  to  God,  as  in  what  we  subscribe  with 
our  hands.  I  am  persuaded  that  the  leaders  of  the  As- 
sociation at  the  Feathers  Tavern,  some  of  them  at  least, 
though  they  begin  with  the  affair  of  subscription,  would 
not,  (if  they  might  have  their  wish,)  stop  there,  but  would 
go  on  with  their  projected  reform,  till  they  had  over- 
turned the  Liturgy  also,  or  at  least  weeded  it  from  every 
expression  that  bears  testimony  to  the  Deity  of  the  Sa- 
viour, and  the  efficacious  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
I  bless  God  that  you  are  far  otherwise  minded. 

I  hope,  however,  though  you  should  not  think  your- 
bclf  at  liberty  to  repeat  your  subscription,  the  Lord  will 
make  you  comfortable  and  useful  in  your  present  rank 
as  a  curate.  Preferment  is  not  necessary,  either  to  our 
peace  or  usefulness.  We  may  live  and  die  contentedly, 
without  the  honours  and  emoluments  which  aspiring 
men  thirst  after,  if  he  be  pleased  to  honour  us  with  a 
dispensation  to  preach  his  Gospel,  and  to  crown  our 
endeavours  with  a  blessintj.  He  that  winncth  souls  is 
■wise;  wise  in  the  choice  of  the  highest  end  he  can  pro- 
pose to  himself  in  this  life;  wise  in  the  improvement  of 
the  only  means  by  which  this  desirable  end  can  be  at- 
tained. Wherever  we  cast  our  eyes,  the  bulk  of  the 
])eople  are  ignorant,  immoral,  careless.  They  live  with- 
out God  in  the  world  ;  they  are  neither  awed  by  his  au- 
thority, nor  affected  by  his  goodness,  nor  enabled  to  trust 
to  his  promises,  nor  disposed  to  aim  at  his  glory.  If, 
perhaps,  they  have  a  serious  interval,  or  some  compa- 
rative sobriety  of  character,  they  ground  their  hopes 
upon  their  own  doings,  endeavours,  or  purposes ;  and 


Let.  1.  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  5***#,  535 

treat  the  inexpressible  love  of  God  revealed  in  Christ, 
and  the  Gospel-method  of  salvation  by  faith  in  his 
name,  with  neglect,  often  with  contempt.  They  have 
preachers,  whom  perhaps  they  hear  with  some  pleasure, 
because  they  neither  alarm  their  consciences  by  insist- 
ing on  the  spirituality  and  sanction  of  the  divine  law, 
nor  offend  their  pride  by  publishing  the  humiliating  doc- 
trines of  that  Gospel,  which  is  the  power  of  God  through 
faith  unto  salvation.  Therefore  what  they  do  speak, 
they  speak  in  vain ;  the  world  grows  worse  and  worse 
under  their  instructions ;  infidelity  and  profligacy  abound 
more  and  more ;  for  God  will  own  no  other  doctrine 
but  what  the  apostle  calls  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus  ; 
that  doctrine  which  drives  the  sinner  from  all  his  vain 
pleas,  and  points  out  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  as  the  only 
ground  of  hope,  the  supreme  object  of  desire,  as  ap- 
pointed of  God  to  be  wisdom,  righteousness,  sanctifica- 
tion,  and  redemption,  to  all  who  believe  in  his  name. 
When  ministers  themselves  are  convinced  of  sin,  and 
feel  the  necessity  of  an  Almighty  Saviour,  they  presently 
account  their  former  gain  but  loss,  and  determine,  with 
the  apostle,  to  know  nothing  but  Jesus  Christ,  and  him 
crucified.  In  proportion  as  they  do  this,  they  are  sure 
to  be  wondered  at,  laughed  at,  and  railed  at,  if  the  pro- 
vidence of  God,  and  the  constitution  of  their  countr}', 
secure  them  from  severer  treatment. — But  they  have 
this  invaluable  compensation,  that  they  no  longer  speak 
without  effect.  In  a  greater  or  less  degree  a  change 
takes  place  in  their  auditories  : — the  blind  receive  their 
sight,  the  deaf  hear,  the  lepers  are  cleansed  ; — sinners 
are  turned  from  darkness  to  light,  and  from  the  power 
of  Satan  to  God  ; — sinful  practices  are  forsaken  ;  and  a 
new  course  of  life  in  the  converts,  evidences  that  they 
have  not  followed  cunningly  devised  fables,  nor  taken  up 


525  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  5****.  Let.  1. 

with  uncertain  notions ;  but  that  God  has  indeed  quick- 
ened them  by  his  Spirit,  and  given  them  an  understand- 
ing to  know  him  that  is  true.  The  preachers,  likewise, 
while  they  attempt  to  teach  others,  are  taught  them- 
selves :  a  blessing  descends  upon  their  studies  and  la- 
bours, upon  their  perusal  of  the  Scripture,  upon  their 
attention  to  what  passes  within  them  and  around  them : 
the  events  of  every  day  contribute  to  throw  light  upon 
the  word  of  God ;  their  views  of  divine  truth  grow  more 
enlarged,  connected,  and  comprehensive ;  many  diffi- 
culties which  perplexed  them  at  their  first  setting  out, 
trouble  them  no  more ;  the  God  whom  they  serve,  and 
on  whom  they  wait,  reveals  to  them  those  great  things, 
which,  though  plainly  expressed  in  the  letter  oi  the 
Scripture,  cannot  be  understood  and  realized  without 
divine  teaching,  1  Cor.  ii.  9 — 15.  Thus  they  go  on 
from  strength  to  strength,  hard  things  become  easy,  and 
a  divine  light  shines  upon  their  paths.  Opposition  from 
men  perhaps  may  increase  :  they  may  expect  to  be  re- 
presented as  those  who  turn  the  world  upside  down  ; 
the  cry  i^iy»\-n «  a§t£/^k*  will  be  raised  against  them,  the 
gates  of  the  temple  of  preferment  will  be  seldom  open 
to  them ;  but  they  will  have  the  unspeakable  consola- 
tion of  applying  to  themselves  those  lively  words  of  the 

apostle,     wj  AvTry/xEvoj,  a,u  ^i  jj^atfovTEj*  wj  ■s'Twp^oi,  voXXtn;  ^i  vXan^ovTii'' 

It  is  the  strain  of  evident  sincerity  which  runs  through 
your  letters,  that  gives  me  a  pleasing  confidence  the  Lord 
is  with  you.  A  disinterested  desire  of  knowing  the 
truth,  with  a  willingness  to  follow  it  through  all  disad- 
vantages, is  a  preparation  of  the  heart  which  only  God 
can  give.  He  has  directed  you  to  the  right  method, 
searching  the  Scripture,  with  prayer.    Go  on,  and  may 

*  Gi-cat  is  Duina.  t  2  Cor.  vi.  !"• 


Let.  1.  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  <S****.  527 

his  blessing  attend  you.  You  may  see  from  what  I 
have  written  above,  what  is  the  desire  of  ray  heart  for 
you.  But  I  am  not  impatient.  FoIIoav  your  heavenly 
leader,  and  in  his  own  time  and  manner  he  will  make 
your  way  plain.  I  have  travelled  the  path  before  you, 
I  see  what  you  yet  want;  I  cannot  impart  it  to  you, 
but  he  can,  and  I  trust  he  will.  It  will  rejoice  my  soul 
to  be  any  way  assistant  to  you  ;  but  I  am  afraid  I  should 
not  atford  you  much,  either  profit  or  satisfaction,  by  en- 
tering upon  a  dry  defence  of  creeds  and  articles. 

The  truths  of  Scripture  are  not  like  mathematical  the- 
orems, which  present  exactly  the  same  ideas  to  every 
person  who  understands  the  terms.  The  word  of  God 
is  compared  to  a  mirror,  2  Cor,  iii.  18.;  but  it  is  a 
mirror  in  which  the  longer  we  look,  the  more  we  see ; 
the  view  will  be  still  growing  upon  us  ;  and  still  we 
shall  see  but  in  part  while  on  this  side  eternity.  When 
our  Lord  pronounced  Peter  blessed,  declaring  he  had 
learnt  that  which  flesh  and  blood  could  not  have  taught 
him,  yet  Peter  was  at  that  time  much  in  the  dark.  The 
sufferings  and  death  of  Jesus,  though  the  only  and  ne- 
cessary means  of  his  salvation,  were  an  offence  to  him. 
But  he  lived  to  glory  in  what  he  once  could  not  bear  to 
hear  of.  Peter  had  received  grace  to  love  the  Lord 
Jesus,  to  follow  him,  to  venture  all,  and  to  forsake  all 
for  him  :  these  first  good  dispositions  were  of  God,  and 
they  led  to  further  advances.  So  it  is  still.  By  na- 
ture, self  rules  in  the  heart ;  when  this  idol  is  brought 
low,  and  we  are  truly  willing  to  be  the  Lord's,  and  to 
apply  to  him  for  strength  and  direction,  that  \^e  may 
serve  him,  the  good  work  is  begun ;  for  it  is  a  truth 
that  holds  universally  and  without  exception,  a  man  can 
receive  nothing  except  it  be  given  him  from  heaven. 
The  Lord  first  finds  us  when  we  are  thinking  of  some- 
Vol.  L        "  3  Y 


538  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  5****.  Let.  1. 

thing  else,  Isaiah  Ixv.  1.  and  then  we  begin  to  seek 
him  in  good  earnest,  and  he  has  promised  to  hQ  found 
of  us.  People  may,  by  industry  and  natural  abilities, 
make  themselves  masters  of  the  external  evidences  of 
Christianity,  and  have  much  to  say  for  and  against  dif- 
ferent schemes  and  systems  of  sentiments ;  but  all  this 
Avhile  the  heart  remains  untouched.  True  rclimon  is  not 
a  science  of  the  head,  so  much  as  an  inward  and  heart- 
felt perception,  which  casts  down  imaginations,  and 
every  v-^^u^a.  that  exalteth  itself  in  the  mind,  and  brings 
every  thought  into  a  sweet  and  willing  subjection  to 
Christ  by  faith.  Here  the  learned  have  no  real  ad- 
vantage above  the  ignorant ;  both  see  when  the  eyes  of 
the  understanding  are  enlightened  ;  till  then  both  are 
equally  blind.  And  the  first  lesson  in  the  school  of 
Christ  is  to  become  a  little  child,  sitting  simply  at  his 
feet,  that  we  may  be  made  wise  unto  salvation. 

I  y\'as  not  only  prevented  beginning  my  letter  so  soon 
as  I  wished,  but  have  been  unusually  interrupted  since 
I  began  it.  Often,  as  soon  as  I  could  well  take  the  pen 
in  hand,  I  have  been  called  away  to  attend  company 
and  intervening  business.  Though  I  persuade  myself, 
after  what  I  have  formerly  said,  you  will  put  a  favour- 
able construction  upon  my  delay,  yet  it  has  given  me 
some  pain.  I  set  a  great  value  upon  your  offer  of 
friendship,  which  I  trust  will  not  be  interrupted  on 
either  side,  by  the  freedom  with  which  we  mutually  ex- 
press our  difference  of  sentiments,  when  we  are  con- 
strained to  differ.  You  please  me  with  intrusting  me 
with  the  first  rough  draught  of  your  thoughts ;  and  you 
may  easily  perceive  by  my  manner  of  writing,  that  I 
place  equal  confidence  in  your  candour.  .1  shall  be 
glad  to  exchange  letters  as  often  as  it  suits  us,  without 
constraint,  ceremony,  or  apology ;  and  may  he  who  is 


Let.  2.  Letters  to  tJie  Rev.  Mr.  6'****.  529 

always  present  with  our  hearts,  make  our  correspond- 
ence useful.  I  pray  God  to  be  your  sun  and  shield, 
your  light  and  strength,  to  guide  you  with  his  eye,  to 
comfort  you  with  his  gracious  presence  in  your  own 
soul,  and  to  make  you  a  happy  instrument  of  comfort- 
ing many. 


I 


LETTER  II. 

My  Dear  Friend,  July  14,  1775. 


GLADLY  adopt  your  address,  and  can  assure  you 
that  the  interchange  of  every  letter  unites  my  heart  more 
closely  to  you.     I  am  glad  to  find  that  your  views  of 
articles  and  creeds  are  not  likely  to  hinder  you  from 
going  forward  in  your  present  situation  :  and  if,  without 
contracting  your  usefulness,   they  only  prove  a  bar  to 
your  preferment,  I  am  sure  it  will  be  no  grief  of  mind 
to  you  at  the  hour  of  death,  or  the  day  of  judgment, 
that  you  were  enabled  to  follow  the  dictates  of  conscience, 
in  opposition  to  all  the  pleas  of  custom  or  interest. — 
Since,  therefore,   I  have  no  desire  of  shaking  your  re- 
solves, may  we  not  drop  this  subject  entirely?  For  in- 
deed I  act  but  an  awkward  part  in  it,  being  by  no  means 
m3^self  an  admirer  of  articles  and  creeds,  or  disposed  to 
be  a  warm  advocate  for  church  power.     The  propriety 
of  our  national  establishment,  or  of  any  other,  is  what  I 
have  not  much  to  do  with  ;  I  found  it  as  it  is,  nor  have  I 
influence  to  alter  it  were  I  willing.  The  question  in  which 
I  was  concerned  was  simply,  Whether  I,  rchus  sic  stan- 
tibus, could  submit  to  it,  so  as  conscientiously  to  take  a 
designation  to  the  ministry  under  it  ?  I  thought  I  could  ; 
I  accordingly  did,  and  I  am  thankful  that  I  never  have 
seen  cause  to  repent  it. 


530  Letters  to  the  Rev,  Mr.  ,S****.  Let.  2. 

You  seem  gently  to  charge  me  with  a  want  of  candour 
in  what  I  observed  or  apprehended  concerning  the  gen- 
tleman of  the  Feathers  Tavern.  If  I  mistake  not,  (for  I 
retain  no  copies  of  my  letters,)  I  expressed  myself  with 
a  double  restriction,  by  first  saying  the  leaders  of  that 
society,  and  then  adding,  or  some  of'  tliem  at  least.  I 
apprehend  your  candour  will  hardly  lead  you  to  suppose, 
that  there  are  none  amongst  them  who  would  pull  down 
the  whole  fabric,  (that  is,  I  mean  so  far  as  it  crosses  the 
Socinian  scheme,)  if  it  was  left  to  their  choice.  I  ap- 
prehend I  may,  w  ithout  the  least  breach  of  candour,  sup- 
pose that  the  exceptions  which  I\Ir.  Lindsay  has  made 
to  the  Liturgy  are  not  peculiar  to  himself  It  seems 
plain  in  his  case,  and  from  his  own  writings,  that  the 
mere  removal  of  subscriptions,  which  is  the  immediate 
and  ostensible  object  of  the  clerical  petition,  could  not 
have  satisfied  him  ;  and  it  is  past  a  doubt  with  me,  that 
there  are  others  of  the  clergy  like-minded  with  him. 
Indeed  I  could  wish  to  be  thought  candid  by  you  ; 
though,  I  confess,  I  am  not  a  friend  to  that  lukewarmness 
and  indifterence  for  truth,  which  bears  the  name  of  can- 
dour among  many  in  the  present  day.  I  desire  to  main- 
tain a  spirit  of  candour  and  benevolence  to  all  men,  to 
wish  them  well,  to  do  them  every  good  office  in  my 
power,  and  commend  what  appears  to  me  conimend- 
able  in  a  Socinian,  as  readily  as  in  a  Calvinist.  But 
with  some  people  I  can  only  go  usque  ad  aras.  I  must 
judge  of  principles  by  the  word  of  God,  and  of  the  tree 
by  its  fruit.  I  meddle  with  no  man's  final  state ;  be- 
cause I  know  that  he  who  is  exalted  to  give  repentance 
and  remission  of  sins,  can  do  it  whenever,  and  to  u  hum- 
soever,  he  is  pleased  :  yet  I  finnly  believe,  and  I  make 
no  scrupie  of  pi'oclaiming  it,  tiiat  sv\earcrs,  drunkards, 
adulterers,  continuing  such,  cannot  inherit  the  kingdom 


Let.  2.  Litters  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  5****.  531 

of  God  :  and  I  look  with  no  less  compassion  upon  some 
persons  whose  characters  in  common  life  may  be  re- 
spectable, when  1  see  them  unhappily  blinded  by  their 
own  wisdom ;  and  while  they  account  themselves,  and 
are  accounted  by  many  others,  master-builders  in  Zion, 
rejecting  the  only  foundation  upon  w  hich  a  sinner's 
hope  can  be  safely  built. 

I  am  far  from  thinking  the  Socinians  all  hypocrites, 
but  I  think  they  are  all  in  a  most  dangerous  error ;  nor 
do  their  principles  exhibit  to  my  view  a  whit  more  of 
the  genuine  fruits  of  Christianity  than  deism  itself.  You 
say,  "  If  they  be  sincere,  and  fail  not  for  want  of  dili- 
"  gence  in  searching,  I  cannot  help  thinking  that  God 
"  will  not  condemn  them  for  an  inevitable  defect  in  their 
"■  understandings."  Indeed,  my  friend,  I  have  such  a 
low  opinion  of  man  in  his  depraved  state,  that  I  believe 
no  one  has  real  sincerity  in  religious  matters  till  God 
bestows  it ;  and  when  he  makes  a  person  sincere  in  his 
desires  after  truth,  he  will  assuredly  guide  him  to  the 
possession  of  it  in  due  time,  as  our  Lord  speaks,  John 
vi.  44,  45.  To  suppose  that  any  persons  can  sincerely 
seek  the  way  of  salvation,  and  yet  miss  it  through  an  ine- 
vitable defect  of  their  understandings,  would  contradict 
the  plain  promises  of  the  Gospel,  such  as.  Matt.  vii.  7, 8. 
John  vii.  16,  17. ;  but  to  suppose  that  nothing  is  neces- 
sary to  be  known,  which  some  persons  who  profess  sin- 
cerity cannot  receive,  would  be  in  effect  to  make  the 
Scripture  a  nose  of  wax,  and  open  a  wide  door  for  scep- 
ticism. I  am  not  a  judge  of  the  heart ;  but  I  may  be 
sure  that  whoever  makes  the  foundation-stone  a  rock  of 
offence  cannot  be  sincere  in  his  inquiries.  He  may 
study  the  Scripture  accurately,  but  he  brings  his  own 
preconceived  sentiments  with  him,  and  instead  of  sub- 
mitting them  to  the  touchstone  of  truth,  he  makes  them 


532  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  5***=^^.  Let.  2. 

a  rule  by  which  he  interprets.  That  they  who  lean  to 
their  own  understandings  should  stumble  and  miscarry, 
I  cannot  wonder ;  for  the  same  God  who  has  promised 
to  fill  the  hungry  -with  good  things,  has  threatened  to 
send  the  rich  empty  away.  So  ]\Iatth.  xi.  25.  It  is 
not  through  defect  of  understanding,  but  a  want  of  sim- 
plicity and  humility,  that  so  many  stumble  like  the  blind 
at  noon- day,  and  can  sec  nothing  of  those  great  truths 
which  are  written  in  the  Gospel  as  with  a  sun-beam. 

You  wish  me  to  explain  myself  concerning  the  doc- 
trine of  the  Trinity.  I  will  try;  yet  I  know  I  cannot,  any 
further  than  as  he  who  taught  me  shall  be  pleased  to 
bear  witness  in  your  heart  to  what  I  say.  My  first 
principle  in  religion  is  what  the  Scripture  teaches  me  of 
the  utter  depravity  of  human  nature,  in  connexion  with 
the  spirituality  and  sanction  of  the  law  of  God.  I  be- 
lieve we  are  by  nature  sinners,  by  practice  universally 
transgressors  ;  that  we  are  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins ; 
and  that  the  bent  of  our  natural  spirit  is  enmity  against 
the  holiness,  government,  and  grace  of  God.  Upon 
this  ground,  I  see,  feel,  and  acknowledge  the  necessity 
of  such  a  salvation  as  the  Gospel  proposes;  which,  at 
the  same  time  that  it  precludes  boasting,  and  stains  the 
pride  of  all  human  glory,  aflbrds  encouragement  to  those 
who  may  be  thought,  or  who  may  think  themselves,  the 
weakest  or  the  vilest  of  mankind.  I  believe,  that  what- 
ever notions  a  person  may  take  up  from  education  or 
system,  no  one  ever  did,  or  ever  will,  feel  himself  and 
own  himself  to  be  such  a  lost,  miserable,  hateful  sinner, 
unless  he  be  powerfully  and  supernaturall^y'  convinced 
by  the  Spirit  of  God. — There  is,  when  God  pleases,  a 
certain  light  thrown  into  the  soul,  which  differs  not  merely 
in  degree,  but  in  kind,  toto  genox,  from  any  thing  that 
can  be  effected  or  ])roduced  by  moral  suasion  or  argu- 


Let.  2.  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  5****.  533 

inent.  But,  (to  take  in  another  of  your  queries,)  the 
Holy  Spirit  teaches  or  reveals  no  new  truths,  either  of 
doctrine  or  precept,  but  only  enables  us  to  understand 
what  is  already  revealed  in  the  Scripture.  Here  a  change 
takes  place,  the  person  that  was  spiritually  blind,  begins 
to  see.  The  sinner's  character,  as  described  in  the  word 
of  God,  he  finds  to  be  a  description  of  himself;  that  he 
is  afar  off,  a  stranger,  a  rebel  ;  that  he  has  hitherto  lived 
in  vain.  Now  he  begins  to  see  tlie  necessity  of  an 
atonement,  an  advocate,  a  sheplierd,  a  comforter :  he 
can  no  more  trust  to  his  own  wisdom,  strength,  and  good- 
ness ;  but,  accounting  all  his  former  gain  but  loss,  for 
the  excellency  of  the  knowledge  of  Christ,  he  renounces 
every  other  refuge,  and  ventures  his  all  upon  the  person, 
work,  and  promise  of  the  Redeemer.  In  this  way,  I- 
sav,  he  will  find  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity  not  only  a 
proposition,  but  a  principle;  that  is,  from  his  own  wants 
and  situation,  he  will  have  an  abiding  conviction,  that 
the  Son  and  Holy  Spirit  are  God,  and  must  be  pos-- 
sessed  of  the  attributes  and  powers  of  Deity,  to  sup- 
port the  offices  the  Scriptures  assign  them,  and  to  de- 
serve the  confidence  and  worship  the  Scriptures  require 
to  be  placed  in  them,  and  paid  to  them.  Without  this 
awakened  state  of  mind,  a  divine,  reputed  orthodox, 
will  blunder  wretchedly,  even  in  defending  his  own  opi- 
nions. I  have  seen  laboured  defences  of  the  Trinity, 
which  have  given  me  not  much  more  satisfaction  than  1 
should  probably  receive  from  a  dissertation  upon  the 
rainbow,  composed  by  a  man  blind  from  his  birth.  In 
effect,  the  knowledge  of  God  cannot  be  attained  by 
studious  discussion  on  our  parts  ;  it  must  be  by  a  reve- 
lation on  his  part,  Alatth.  xi.  27.  and  xvi.  17.  ;  a  reve- 
lation, not  objectively  of  new  truth,  but  subjectively  of 
new  li2;ht  in  us.     Then  he  that  runs  may  read.     Per- 


534  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  3'^***.  Let.  % 

haps  you  may  not  quite  understand  my  meaning,  or  not 
accede  to  my  sentiment  at  present ;  I  have  little  doubt, 
however,  but  the  time  is  coming  when  you  will.  I  be- 
lieve the  Lord  God  has  given  you  that  sincerity,  which 
he  never  disappoints. 

Far  be  it  from  me  to  arrogate  infallibility  to  myself, 
or  to  any  writer  or  preacher ;  yet,  olessed  be  God,  I 
am  not  left  to  float  up  and  down  the  uncertain  tide  ol 
opinion,  in  those  points  wherein  the  peace  of  my  soul 
is  nearly  concerned.  I  know,  yea,  I  infallibly  know, 
"whom  I  have  believed.  I  am  under  no  more  doubt 
about  the  way  of  salvation  than  of  the  way  to  London. 
I  cannot  be  deceivexi,  because  the  word  of  God  cannot 
deceive  me.  It  is  impossible,  however,  for  me  to  give 
you  or  any  person  full  satisfaction  concerning  my  evi- 
dence, because  it  is  of  an  experimental  nature ;  Rev.  ii, 
]  7.  In  general,  it  arises  from  the  views  I  have  received 
of  the  power,  compassion,  and  grace  of  Jesus,  and  a 
consciousness,  that  I,  from  a  conviction  of  my  sin  and 
misery,  have  fled  to  him  for  refuge,  intrusted  and  de- 
voted myself  and  my  all  to  him.  Since  my  mind  has 
been  enlightened,  every  thing  within  me,  and  every 
thing  around  me,  confirms  and  explains  to  me  what  I 
read  in  Scripture ;  and  though  I  have  reason  enough  to 
distrust  my  own  judgment  every  hour,  yet  I  have  no 
reason  to  question  the  great  essentials,  \vhich  the  Lord 
himself  hath  tauffht  me. 

Besides  a  long  letter,  I  send  you  a  great  book.  A  part 
of  it,  (for  I  do  not  ask  you  to  read  the  whole,)  may  per- 
haps explain  my  meaning  better  than  I  have  leisure  to 
do  myself  I  set  a  high  value  upon  this  book  of  Mr. 
Halyburton's ;  so  that,  unless  I  could  replace  it  with 
another,  I  know  not  if  I  would  part  with  it  for  its  weight 
in  gold.     The  first  and  loni^est  treatise  is,  in  my  judg- 


Let.  3.  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  6'****.  535 

ment,  a  master-piece  ;  but  I  would  chiefly  wish  you  to 
peruse  the  Essay  concerning  Faith,  towards  the  close 
of  the  book.  I  need  not  beg  you  to  read  it  carefully, 
and  to  read  it  all.  The  importance  of  the  subject,  its 
immediate  connexion  with  your  inquiries,  and  the  ac- 
curacy of  the  reasoning,  will  render  the  motive  of  my 
request  unnecessary.  I  connot  style  him  a  very  elegant 
writer;  and,  being  a  Scotsman,  he  abounds  with  the 
Scottish  idiom.  But  you  will  prefer  truth  to  ornament. 
I  long  to  hear  your  opinion  of  it.  It  seems  to  me  so 
adapted  to  some  things  that  have  passed  between  us, 
as  if  written  on  purpose. 

The  Inquiry  concerning  Regeneration  and  Justifica- 
tion, which  stands  last  in  the  book,  I  do  not  desire  or 
even  wish  you  to  read  ;  but  if  you  should,  and  then 
think  that  you  have  read  a  speculation  more  curious 
than  useful,  I  shall  not  contradict  you.  I  think  it  must 
appear  to  you  in  that  light ;  but  it  was  bound  up  with 
the  rest,  and  therefore  could  not  stay  behind ;  but  I 
hope  the  Essay  on  Faith  will  please  you. 

I  take  great  pleasure  in  your  correspondence,  still 
more  in  the  thought  of  your  friendship,  which  I  hope 
to  cultivate  to  the  utmost,  and  to  approve  myself,  sin- 
cerely and  affectionately  yours. 


LETTER  III. 

My  Dear  Friend,  August  11,  1775. 

-i-^  EXT  week  I  go  to  London,  where  I  purpose,  (if  no- 
thing unforeseen  prevents,)  to  stay  a  month.  Many 
things,  which  must  necessarily  be  attended  to  before  my 
departure,  abridge  me  of  that  leisure  which  I  could 
wish  to  employ  in  answering  your  last.  However,  I 
Vol.  I,       '  3  Z 


536  Letters  to  tlie  Rev.  Mr.  S^*^^.  Let.  3. 

will  spare  you  what  I  can.  I  thank  you  for  yours. 
Your  objections  neither  displease  nor  weary  me. — 
While  truth  is  the  object  of  your  inquiry,  the  more  free- 
dom you  use  with  me  the  better.  Nor  do  they  surprise 
me  ;  for  I  have  formerly  made  the  like  objections  my- 
self. I  have  stood  upon  your  ground,  and  I  continue 
to  hope  you  will  One  day  stand  upon  mine.  As  I  have 
told  you  more  than  once,  I  do  not  mean  to  dictate  to 
you,  or  to  wish  you  to  receive  any  thing  upon  my  ipse 
dlrit ;  but,  in  the  simplicity  of  friendship,  I  will  give  you 
my  thoughts  from  time  to  time  upon  the  points  you 
propose,  and  leave  the  event  to  the  divine  blessing. 

I  am  glad  you  do  not  account  the  Socinians  master- 
builders.  However,  they  esteem  themselves  so,  and 
are  so  esteemed,  not  only  by  a  i^w,  (as  you  think,)  but 
by  many.  I  fear  Socinianism  spreads  rapidly  amongst 
us,  and  bids  fair  to  be  the  prevailing  scheme  in  this  land, 
especially  with  those  who  profess  to  be  the  thinking 
part.  The  term  Armunan,  as  at  present  applied,  is 
very  indiscriminate,  and  takes  in  a  great  variety  of  per- 
sons and  sentiments,  amongst  whom,  I  believe,  there 
are  many  who  hold  the  fundamental  truths  of  the  Gos- 
pel, and  live  a  life  of  faith  in  the  Son  of  God.  I  am 
far  from  supposing  that  God  will  guide  every  sincerx 
person  exactly  to  adopt  all  my  sentiments.  But  there 
are  some  sentiments  which  I  believe  essential  to  the  very 
state  and  character  of  a  true  Christian. — And  these 
make  him  a  Christian  ;  not  merely  by  being  his  acknow- 
ledged sentiments,  but  by  a  certain  peculiar  manner  in 
which  he  possesses  them.  There  is  a  certain  important 
change  takes  }>lace  in  the  heart,  by  the  operation  of  the 
Spirit  of  God,  before  the  soundest  and  most  orthodox 
sentiments  can  have  their  proper  influence  upon  us. 
This  work,  or  change,  the  Scripture  describes  by  vari- 


Let.  3.  Utters  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  5**^*.  537 

ous  names,  each  of  which  is  designed  to  teach  us  the 
marvellous  effects  it  produces,  and  the  almighty  power 
by  which  it  is  produced.  It  is  sometimes  called  a  new- 
birth,  John  iii.  3. ;  sometimes  a  new  creature  or  new 
creation,  as  2  Cor.  v.  17.;  soaietimes  the  causing  light 
to  shine  out  of  darkness,  2  Cor.  iv.  6. ;  sometimes  the 
opening  the  eyes  of  the  blind.  Acts  xxvi.  18. ;  some- 
times the  raising  the  dead  to  life,  Ephes.  ii.  5.  Till  a 
person  has  experienced  this  change,  he  will  be  at  a  loss 
to  form  a  right  conception  of  it :  but  it  means,  not  being 
proselyted  to  an  opinion,  but  receiving  a  principle  of 
divine  life  and  light  in  the  soul.  And  till  this  is  re- 
ceived, the  things  of  God,  the  truths  of  the  Gospel, 
cannot  be  rightly  discerned  or  understood,  by  the  ut- 
most powers  of  fallen  man,  who,  with  all  his  wisdom, 
reason,  and  talents,  is  still  but  what  the  apostle  calls 
the  natural  man,  till  the  power  of  God  visits  his  heart, 
1  Cor.  ii.  14.  This  work  is  sometimes  wrought  sud 
denl}^  as  in  the  case  of  Lydia,  Acts  xvi.  14.;  at  other 
limes  very  gradually.  A  person  who  before  was  a 
stranger  even  to  the  form  of  godliness,  or  at  best  con- 
tent with  a  mere  form — finds  new  thoughts  arising  in 
his  mind,  feels  some  concern  about  his  sins,  some  de- 
sire to  please  God,  some  suspicions  that  all  is  not  right. 
— He  examines  his  views  of  religion,  hopes  the  best  of 
them,  and  yet  cannot  rest  satisfied  in  them.  To-day, 
perhaps,  he  thinks  himself  fixed  ;  to-morrow  he  will  be 
all  uncertainty.  He  inquires  of  others,  weighs,  mea- 
sures, considers,  meets  with  sentiments  which  he  had 
not  attended  to,  thinks  them  plausible  ;  but  is  presently 
shocked  with  objections  or  supposed  consequences, 
which  he  finds  himself  unable  to  remove.  As  he  goes 
on  in  his  inquiry,  his  difficulties  increase.  New  doubts 
arise  in  his  mind;  even  the  Scriptures  perplex  him,  and 


538  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  ^S****.  Let.  3, 

appear  to  assert  contrary  things.  He  would  sound  the 
depths  of  truth  by  the  plummet  of  his  reason  ;  but  he 
finds  his  line  is  too  short.  Yet  even  now  the  man  is 
under  a  guidance,  which  will  at  length  lead  him  right. 
The  importance  of  the  subject  takes  up  his  thoughts, 
and  takes  off  the  relish  he  once  had  for  the  things  of  the 
world.  He  reads,  he  prays,  he  strives,  he  resolves  ; 
sometimes  inward  embarrassments  and  outward  temp- 
tations bring  him  to  his  wit's  end.  He  almost  wishes  to 
stand  where  he  is,  and  inquire  no  more  :  but  he  cannot 
stop. — At  length  he  begins  iofeelihe  inward  depravity, 
which  he  had  before  owned  as  an  opinion  ;  a  sense  of 
sin  and  guilt  cut  him  out  new  work.  Here  reasoning 
will  stand  him  in  no  stead.  This  is  a  painful  change  of 
mind ;  but  it  prepares  the  way  for  a  blessing.  It 
silences  some  objections  better  than  a  thousand  argu- 
ments, it  cuts  the  comb  of  his  own  wisdom  and  attain- 
ments, it  makes  him  weary  of  working  for  life,  and 
teaches  him,  in  God's  due  time,  the  meaning  of  that 
text,  "  To  him  that  worketh  not,  but  believeth  in  him 
"  who  justifieth  the  ungodly,  his  faith  is  counted  for 
^^  righteousness."  Then  he  learns,  that  Scriptural  faith 
is  a  very  different  thing  from  a  rational  assent  to  the 
Gospel, — that  it  is  the  immediate  gift  of  God,  Ephes. 
ii.  8. ;  the  operation  of  God,  Col.  ii.  12. ;  that  Christ  is 
not  only  the  object,  but  the  author  and  finisher  of  faith, 
Heb.  xii.  2. ;  and  that  faith  is  not  so  properly  a  part  of 
that  obedience  we  oxve  to  God,  as  an  inestimable  benefit 
we  receive  from  him  for  Christ's  sake,  Phil.  i.  29-  which 
is  the  medium  of  our  justification,  Rom.  v.  1.  and  the 
principle  by  which  we  are  united  to  Christ,  (as  the 
branch  to  the  vine,)  John  xvii.  21.  I  am  well  aware 
of  the  pains  taken  to  put  a  different  sense  upon  these 
and  other  seemingly  mysterious  passages  of  Scripture ; 


Let.  3.  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  6'****.  539 

but  thus  far  we  speak  that  which  we  know,  and  testify 
that  which  we  have  seen.  I  have  described  a  path  in 
which  I  have  knoAvn  many  led,  and  in  which  I  have 
walked  myself 

The  Gospel,  my  dear  sir,  is  a  salvation  appointed  for 
those  who  are  ready  to  perish,  and  is  not  designed  to 
put  them  in  a  way  to  save  themselves  by  their  own 
works.  It  speaks  to  us  as  condemned  already,  and  calls 
upon  us  to  believe  in  a  crucified  Saviour,  that  we  may 
receive  redemption  through  his  blood,  even  the  forgive- 
ness of  our  sins.  And  the  Spirit  ot  God,  by  the  Gos- 
pel, first  convinces  us  of  unbelief,  sin,  and  misery  ;  and 
then,  by  revealing  the  things  of  Jesus  to  our  minds,  en- 
ables us,  as  helpless  sinners,  to  come  to  Christ,  to  receive 
him,  to  behold  him ;  or,  in  other  words,  to  believe  in 
him,  and  expect  pardon,  life,  and  grace  from  him ;  re- 
nouncing every  hope  and  aim  in  which  we  once  rested, 
"  and  accountino;  all  things  loss  and  duns  for  the  excel- 
"lency  of  the  knowledge  of  Christ,"  John  vi.  S5.  Isa. 
xlv,  22.  with  John  vi.  40.  Col.  ii.  6.  In  some  of 
Omicron's  letters  you  will  find  my  thoughts  more  at 
large  upon  these  subjects  than  I  have  now  time  to  write 
them.  For  a  further  illustration  I  refer  you  to  the  MSS. 
sent  herewith.  The  first  part  written  in  short-hand,  does 
not  so  immediately  concern  our  present  point  as  the  se- 
cond, which  you  may  read  without  a  key.  It  relates  to 
a  matter  of  indisputable  fact,  concerning  a  person  with 
whom,  (as  you  will  perceive,)  I  was  well  acquainted. 
You  may  depend  upon  the  truth  of  every  tittle.  I  in- 
trust it  to  you  in  the  confidence  of  friendship,  and  beg 
that  it  may  not  go  out  of  your  hands,  and  that  when  you 
have  perused  it,  you  would  return  it,  sealed  up,  by  a 
safe  conveyance  to  my  house.  You  will  see  in  it  the 
sentiments  of  a  man  of  great  learning,  sound  reasoning, 


540  Letters  to  the  Rev,  Mr.  <S^***.  Let.  3. 

an  amiable  and  irreproachable  character,  and  how  little 
he  accounted  of  all  these  advantages,  when  the  Lord  was 
pleased  to  enlighten  his  mind. 

Though  we  have  not  exactly  the  same  view  of  human 
depravity,  yet,  as  we  both  agree  to  take  our  measure  of 
it  from  the  word  of  God,  I  trust,  we  shall  not  always 
differ  about  it.  Adam  was  created  in  the  imajie  of 
God,  in  righteousness  and  true  holiness,  Ephes.  iv.  24. 
This  moral  image,  I  believe,  was  totally  lost  by  sin.  In 
that  sense  he  died  the  day,  the  moment  he  ate  the  for- 
bidden fruit.  God  was  no  longer  his  joy  and  delight; 
he  was  averse  from  the  thoughts  of  his  presence,  and 
would,  (if  possible,)  have  hid  himself  from  him.  His 
natural  powers,  though  doubtless  impaired,  were  not 
destroyed.  Man  by  nature  is  still  capable  of  great 
things.  His  understanding,  reason,  memory,  imagina- 
tion, &c.  sufficiently  proclaim  that  the  Hand  that  made 
him  is  divine.  He  is,  as  Milton  says  of  Beelzebub, 
majestic  though  in  ruins.  He  can  reason,  invent, 
and  by  application  attain  a  considerable  knowledge  in 
natural  things.  The  exertions  of  human  genius,  as 
specified  in  the  characters  of  some  philosophers,  poets, 
orators,  &c  are  wonderful.  But  man  cannot  know,  love, 
trust,  or  serve  his  iVIaker,  unless  he  be  renewed  in  the 
spirit  of  his  mind.  God  has  preserved  in  him  likewise 
some  feelings  of  benevolence,  pity,  some  sense  of  natural 
justice  and  truth,  &:c.  without  which  there  could  be  no 
society  :  but  these,  I  apprehend,  are  little  more  than  in- 
stincts, by  which  the  world  is  kept  in  some  small  degree 
of  order;  but,  being  under  the  direction  of  pride  and 
self,  do  not  deserve  the  name  of  virtue  and  goodness,  be- 
cause the  exercise  of  them  does  not  spring  from  a  prin- 
ciple of  love  to  God,  nor  is  directed  to  his  glory,  or  re- 
gulated by  the  rule  of  his  word,  till  a  principle  of  grace 


Let.  3.  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr,  5**^*.  541 

is  superadded.  You  think,  I  will  not  say,  "  that  God, 
"  judicially  in  punishment  of  one  man's  sin,  added  these 
"  corruptions  to  all  his  posterity."  Let  us  suppose,  that 
the  punishment  annexed  to  eating  theforhidden  fruit,  had 
been  the  loss  of  Adam's  rational  powers,  and  that  he 
should  be  degraded  to  the  state  and  capacity  of  a  brute. 
In  this  condition,  had  he  begotten  children  after  the  fall 
in  his  own  likeness,  his  nature  being  previously  changed, 
they  must  have  been,  of  course,  brutes  like  himself;  for 
he  could  not  convey  to  themt^iose  original  powers  which 
he  had  lost.     Will  this  illustrate  my  meaning  ?  Sin  did 
not  deprive  him  of  rationality,  but  spirituality.     His 
nature  became  earthly,  sensual,  yea,  develish  :  and  this 
fallen  nature,  this  carnal  mind,  which  is  enmity  against 
God,  which  is  not  subject  to  his  law,  neither  indeed  can 
be,  Rom.  viii.  7.  we  universally  derive  from  him.  Look 
upon  children ;  they  presently  show  themselves  averse 
from  good,  but  exceedingly  propense  to  evil.  This  they 
can  learn  even  w  ithout  a  master ;  but  ten  thousand  in- 
structors and  instructions  cannot  instil  good  into  them, 
so  as  to  teach  them  to  love  their  Creator,  unless  a  di- 
vine power  co-operates.     Just  as  it  is  with  the  earth, 
which  produces  weeds  spontaneously ;  but  if  you  only 
seeacabbage,  oran  apple  tree,  you  are  sure  it  was  planted 
or  sown  there,  and  did  not  spring  from  the  soil.  I  know 
many  hard  questions  may  be  started  upon  this  subject ; 
but  the  Lord  in  due  time  will  clear  his  own  cause,  and 
vindicate  his  own  ways.     I   leave  all  difficulties  with 
him.  It  is  sufficient  for  me,  that  Scripture   asserts,  and 
experience  proves,  that  it  is  thus  in  fact,  Rom.  iii.  9 — 
2 1 .  Job  xiv.  4.     Thus,  we  have  not  only  forfeited  our 
happiness  by  transgression,  but  are,  by  our  depravity,  in- 
capable of  it,  and  have  no  more  desire  or  taste  for  such 
a  state  as  the  Scripture  describes  heaven  to  be,  than  a 


542  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  5****.  Let.  3. 

man  born  deaf  can  have  for  a  concert  of  music.  And 
therefore  our  Lord  declares,  that  except  a  man  be 
born  again,  he  not  only  shall  not,  but  cannot  see  the 
kingdom  of  God.  Hence  a  twofold  necessity  of  a 
Saviour,  his  blood  for  the  pardon  of  our  sins — his  life, 
spirit,  and  grace,  to  quicken  our  souls,  and  form  us 
anew  for  himself,  that  we  may  feel  his  love,  and  show 
forth  his  praise. 

St.  Paul,  before  his  conversion,  was  not  sincere  in 
the  sense  I  hope  you  to  be  :  he  thought  himself  in  the 
right,  without  doubt,  as  many  have  done  when  they 
killed  God's  servants,  John  xvi.  2.  He  was  blindly 
and  obstinately  zealous  :  I  think  he  did  not  enter  into 
the  merits  of  the  cause,  or  inquire  into  facts  with  that 
attention  which  sincerity  would  have  put  him  upon. 
You  think  that  his  sincerity  and  zeal  were  the  very 
things  that  made  him  a  chosen  instrument ;  he  himself 
speaks  of  them  as  the  very  things  that  made  him  pecu- 
liarly unworthy  of  that  honour,  1  Cor.  xv.  9-  and  he 
tells  us,  that  he  was  set  forth  as  a  pattern  of  the  Lord's 
long  suffering  and  mercy,  that  the  very  chief  of  siimers 
might  be  encouraged,  1  Tim.  i.  15,  16'.  Had  he  been 
sincerely  desirous  to  know  whether  Jesus  was  the  Mes- 
siah, there  was  enough  in  his  character,  doctrines, 
miracles,  and  the  prophecies  concerning  him,  to  have 
cleared  up  the  point ;  but  he  took  it  for  granted  he  was 
right  in  his  opinion,  and  hurried  blindly  on,  and  was, 
(as  he  said  himself,)  exceedingly  mad  against  them. — 
Such  a  kind  of  sincerity  is  common  enough.  People 
believe  themselves  right,  and  therefore  treat  others 
^v■ith  scorn  or  rage ;  appeal  to  the  Scriptures,  but  iirst 
lay  down  their  own  preconceived  sentiments  for  truths, 
and  then  examine  what  Scriptures  they  can  find  to 
countenance  them.     Surely  a  person's  thinking  himself 


Let.  3.  Letters  to  the  liev.  Mr.  S«***.  54-3 

right,  will  not  dve  a  sanction  to  all  that  he  does  under 
that  persuasion. 

Ignorance  and  obstinacy  are  in  themselves  sinful, 
and  no  plea  of  sincerity  wiirexempt  from  the  danger  of 
being  under  their  influence.  Isa.  xxvii,  II.  Luke 
vi.  39.  It  appears  to  me,  that  though  you  will  not  fol- 
low any  man  implicitly,  you  are  desirous  of  discovering 
your  mistakes,  supposing  you  are  mistaken  in  any  point 
of  importance.  You  read  and  examine  the  word  of 
God,  not  to  find  arms  wherewith  to  defend  your  senti- 
ments at  all  events,  but  to  know  whether  they  are  de- 
fensible or  not.  You  pray  for  God's  light  and  teach- 
ins;,  and  in  this  search  you  are  willinn;  to  risk  what  men 
are  commonly  much  afraid  of  hazarding — character,  in- 
terest, preferment,  favour,  Sec.  A  sincerity  of  this  kind 
1  too  seldom  meet  with ;  when  I  do,  I  account  it  a  token 
for  good,  and  am  ready  to  say,  "  No  man  can  do  this, 
"  except  God  be  with  him."  However,  sincerity  is 
not  conversion  ;  but  I  believe  it  is  always  a  forerunner 
of  it. 

I  would  not  be  uncharitable  and  censorious,  hasty  and 
peremptory,  in  judging  my  fellow-creatures.  But  if  I 
acknowledge  the  word  of  God,  I  cannot  avoid  forming 
my  judgment  upon  it.  It  is  true,  I  cannot  look  into 
people's  hearts ;  but  hearts  and  principles  are  deline- 
ated to  my  hand  in  the  Scripture.  I  read  that  no  mur- 
derer has  cternai  life  in  hiai ;  I  read  likewise,  "  If  any 
"  man  love  not  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  let  him  be  anathe- 
"  ma ;"  and  therefore  I  conclude,  that  there  m'e speculative- 
errors^  as  heinous  in  their  guilt,  as  destructive  in  their 
effects,  as  murder ;  and  that  the  most  moral,  regular 
man,  as  to  social  life,  if  he  loves  not  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  is,  in  the  sight  of  God,  the  Judge  of  all,  as  dis- 
pleasing as  a  murderer.     It  has  pleased  God,  for  the 

VoL.I.  -i  A 


544  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  5**^'^.  Let.  3, 

peace  and  support  of  society,  to  put  a  black  mark  upon 
those  sins  which  affect  the  peace  and  vveltare  of  our 
neighbour,  such  as  adultery  and  murder.  But  un- 
doubtedly the  sins  committed  immediately  against  him- 
self must  be  more  heinous  than  any  which  offend  our 
fellow-creatures.  The  second  commandment,  Matth. 
xxii.  39.  is  like  the  first ;  but  it  depends  upon  it,  and 
is  therefore  inferior  to  it.  Men  ordinarily  judge  other- 
wise. To  live  regardless  of  God  and  the  Gospel,  is 
looked  upon  as  a  peccadillo,  in  comparison  with  of- 
fences against  society.  But  sooner  or  later  it  will  ap- 
pear otherwise  to  all.  A  parcel  of  robbers  may  pique 
themselves  upon  the  justice,  honour,  and  truth  they 
observe  towards  one  another ;  but  because  they  set  up 
a  petty  interest,  which  is  inconsistent  with  the  public 
good,  they  are  deservedly  accounted  villains,  and 
treated  as  such,  notwithstanding  their  petty  morality 
among  themselves.  Now,  such  a  company  of  robbers 
bears  a  much  greater  proportion  to  a  whole  nation, 
than  a  nation,  or  all  the  nations  of  the  earth,  bears  to 
the  great  God.  Our  dependence  upon  him  is  abso- 
lute; our  obligations  to  him  infmitc.  In  vain  shall  men 
plead  their  moral  discharge  of  relative  duties  to  each 
other,  if  they  fail  in  the  unspeakably  greater  relation 
under  which  they  stand  to  God ;  and  therefore,  when 
I  see  people  living  without  God  in  the  world,  as  all  do 
till  they  are  converted,  I  cannot  but  judge  them  in  a 
dangerous  state ;  not  because  I  take  pleasure  in  cen- 
suring, or  think  myself  authorized  to  pass  sentence 
upon  my  fellow-creatures,  but  because  the  Scripture  de- 
cides expressly  on  the  case,  and  I  am  bound  to  take 
ray  sentiments  from  thence. 

The  jailer  \\  as  certainly  a  Christian  when  baptized, 
as  you  observe.     He  trembled ;  he  cried  out,  "  M'hat 


Let.  4,  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  5^*^*. 

"  must  I  do  to  be  saved?"  Paul  did  not  bid  him  amend 
his  lite,  but  believe  in  the  Lord  Jesus.  He  believed, 
and  rejoiced.  But  the  Lord  blessed  the  apostle's 
words,  to  produce  in  him  that  saving  taith,  vhich  filled 
him  with  joy  and  peace.  It  was,  as  I  observed  before, 
something  more  than  an  assent  to  the  proposition,  that 
Jesus  is  the  Christ ;  a  resting  in  him  for  forgiveness  and 
acceptance,  and  a  cleaving  to  him  in  love.  No  other 
faith  will  purify  the  heart,  work  by  love,  and  overcome 
the  world. 

I  need  not  have  pleaded  want  of  leisure  as  an  excuse 
for  a  short  letter,  for  I  have  written  a  long  one.  I  feel 
myself  much  interested  in  your  concerns ;  and  your 
unexpected  frank  application  to  me,  (though  you  well 
know  the  light  in  which  I  appear  to  some  people,)  I 
consider  as  a  providential  call,  which  binds  me  to  your 
service.  I  hope  our  correspondence  will  be  productive 
of  happy  effects,  and  that  we  shall  both  one  day  re- 
joice in  it. 

I  am,  &c. 


LETTER  IV. 
My  Dear  Friend,  Septeinber  6,  1775. 

BEGIN  to  fear  that  I  shall  fall  under  a  suspicion 
of  unkindness  and  forgetfulness  towards  you ;  and 
therefore  I  am  willing  to  write  a  line  by  way  of  pre- 
vention, though  I  have  not  leisure  to  attenipt  any 
thing  like  an  answer  to  the  letter  you  put  into  my  hand 
the  evenining  before  I  left  Q****;  must  therefore  con- 
tent myself  with  a  tender  of  affection  and  respect,  and 
an  inquiry  after  your  welfare. 

Your  letter  will  give  me  an  opportunity  of  saying 


546  Letters  to  the  llev.  Mr.  6'****.  Let.  4. 

something  further  when  time  shall  admit ;  but  an  en- 
deavour to  answer  all  the  objections  that  may  be 
started  between  us,  in  a  way  of  reasoning,  would  re- 
quire a  volume,  and  would  likewise  interfere  with  the 
leading  principle  upon  which  my  hope  of  giving  you 
satisfaction  in  due  time  is  grounded.  You  seem  to 
expect  that  /  should  remove  your  difficulties  ;  but  it  is 
my  part  only  to  throw  in  a  word  occasionally,  as  a  wit- 
ness of  what  the  Lord  has  been  pleased  to  teach  me 
from  the  Scriptures,  and  to  wait  for  the  rest,  till  he, 
(who  alone  is  able,)  shall  be  pleased  to  communicate  the 
same  views  to  you  :  for  till  we  see  and  judge  by  the 
same  medium,  and  are  agreed  in  the  fundamental 
jx)int,  that  faith  is  not  the  effect  of  reasoning,  but  a 
special  gift  of  God,  which  he  bestows  when  and  to 
whom  he  pleases,  it  will  not  be  possible  for  me  to  con- 
vince you  by  dint  of  argument.  I  believe,  as  I  have 
observed  before,  that  he  has  already  given  you  a  desire 
to  know  his  will ;  and  therefore  I  trust  he  will  not  dis- 
appoint 3-our  search.  At  present  I  think  you  want  one 
thing,  which  it  is  not  in  my  power  to  impart ;  I  mean 
such  a  sense  of  the  depravity  of  human  nature,  and 
the  state  of  all  mankind  considered  as  sinners,  as  may 
make  you  feel  the  utter  impossibility  of  attaining  to 
the  peace  and  hope  of  the  Gospel  in  any  other  wa}', 
than  by  renouncing  all  hope  of  succeeding  by  any  en- 
deavours of  your  own,  further  than  by  humbly  waiting 
at  the  throne  of  grace,  for  power  to  cast  yourself,  with- 
out terms  and  conditions,  upon  him  who  is  able  to 
save  to  the  uttermost.  Vv^e  must  feel  ourselves  sick, 
before  we  can  duly  prize  the  great  Physician  :  and  feel  a 
sentence  of  death  in  ourselves,  before  we  can  effectual- 
ly trust  in  God  who  raiseth  the  dead. 

I  have  not  brought  your  sermons  with  me ;  for  I 


Let.  4.  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  6'*^**.  547 

thought  I  should  not  have  time  to  read  them  attentive- 
ly, Avhile  in  this  hurrying  place.  I  purpose  to  consider 
them  with  care,  and  to  give  you  my  thoughts  with 
frankness,  when  I  return.  However,  if  they  are  upon 
the  plan  intimated  in  your  letter,  I  will  venture  to  say 
one  thing  hefore-hand,  that  they  will  not  answer  your 
desired  end.  I  am  persuaded  you  wish  to  be  useful 
— to  reclaim  sinners  from  their  evil  ways,  to  inspire 
them  with  a  love  to  God,  and  a  sincere  aim  to  walk  in 
obedience  to  his  will.  May  I  not  venture  to  appeal  to 
yourself,  that  3^ou  meet  with  little  success ;  that  the 
people  to  whom  you  preach,  though  they  perhaps  give 
you  a  patient  hearing,  yet  remain  as  they  were,  un- 
changed and  unholy  .^  It  must  be  so :  there  is  but 
one  sort  of  preaching  which  God  blesses  to  these  pur- 
poses— that  which  makes  all  the  world  guilty  before 
God,  and  sets  forth  Jesus  Christ,  (as  the  brazen  serpent 
was  proposed  by  Moses,)  that  guilty  and  condemned 
sinners,  by  looking  to  him,  and  believing  on  his  name, 
may  be  healed  and  saved.  The  most  pressing  exhor- 
tations to  repentance  and  amendment  of  life,  unless 
they  are  enforced  in  a  certain  way,  which  only  God 
can  teach,  will  leave  our  hearers  much  as  they  find 
them.  When  we  meet,  or  when  I  have  leisure  to  write 
from  home,  I  will  trouble  you  with  my  thoughts  more 
at  large.  Till  then,  permit  me  to  assure  you  of  my 
.sincere  regard  and  best  wishes,  and  that  I  am,  cS:c, 


548  tetters  to  the  Rev.  Mr,  .$#*#*.  Let.  5. 

LETTER  V. 

My  Dear  Friend,  October  21,  1775. 

X  HE  calls  and  engagements  \vhich  I  told  you  en- 
grossed and  anticipated  my  time  when  I  wrote  last, 
have  continued  without  any  intermission  hitherto,  and 
I  am  still  far  behind-hand  with  my  business.  I  am 
willing  to  hope,  that  the  case  has  been  much  the  same 
■with  you,  and  that  want  of  leisure  has  been  the  only 
cause  of  my  not  having  been  pleasured  with  so  much 
as  a  note  from  you  since  my  return  from  London. 

I  am  loath,  for  my  own  sake,  to  charge  your  silence 
to  any  unwillingness  of  continuing  that  intercourse 
which  I  have  been,  and  still  find  myself,  desirous  to 
improve  on  my  part.  For  though  we  are  not  agreed  in 
our  views,  yet,  while  our  preliminary  agreement,  to  allow 
mutual  freedom,  and  to  exercise  mutual  candour,  in  ex- 
pressing our  sentiments,  subsists,  we  may,  and  I  hope 
shall,  be  glad  to  hear  from  each  other.  It  may  seem  to 
intimate  I  have  a  better  opinion  of  myself  than  of 
you,  that  while  I  seem  confident  your  freedom  will  not 
offend  me,  I  feel  now  and  then  a  fear,  lest  mine  should 
prove  displeasing  to  you.  But  friendship  is  a  little 
suspicious  when  exercised  with  long  silence;  and  a  plain 
declaration  of  my  sentiments  has.  more  than  once,  put 
amiable  and  respectable  persons  to  the  full  trial  of  their 
patience. 

I  now  return  your  sermons  :  I  thank  you  for  the 
perusal.  I  see  much  in  them  that  I  approve,  and  no- 
thing in  them  but  w  hat  I  formerly  espoused.  But  in  a 
course  of  years,  a  considerable  alteration  has  taken 
place  in  my  judgment  and  experience.     I  hope,  yea. 


Let.  '5.  Letters  io  the  Rev.  Mf.  6'****.  649 

I  may  boldly  say,  I  am  sure,  not  for  the  worse.  Then 
I  was  seeking,  and  now  through  mercy  I  have  found, 
the  pearl  of  great  price.  It  is  both  the  prayer  and  the 
hope  of  my  heart,  that  a  day  is  coming  when  you  sliall 
make  the  same  acknowledgment.  From  your  Letters 
and  Sermons,  I  am  encouraged  to  address  you  in  our 
Lord's  words,  "  Thou  art  not  far  from  the  kingdom 
"  of  God."  I  am  persuaded  the  views  you  have  re- 
ceived will  not  suffer  you  to  remain  where  you  are. 
But  fidelity  obliges  me  to  add,  "  Yet  one  thing  thou 
"  lackest."  That  "  one  thing '  1  trust  the  Lord  will  both 
show  you,  and  bestow  upon  you,  in  his  due  time.  You 
speak  somewhere  of  "  atoning  for  disobedience  by  re- 
"  pentance." — Ah  !  my  dear  sir,  when  we  are  brought 
to  estimate  our  disobedience  by  comparing  it  with 
such  a  sense  of  the  majesty,  holiness,  and  authority  of 
God,  and  the  spirituality,  extent,  and  sanction  of 
his  holy  law,  as  he,  and  he  only,  can  impress  upon  the 
heart  of  a  sinner,  we  shall  be  convinced  that  nothing 
but  the  blood  of  the  Son  of  God  can  atone  for  the 
smallest  instance  of  disobedience. 

I  intimated,  in  my  letter  from  London,  one  defect  of 
your  scheme,  which  will  probably  be  the  first  to  engage 
your  notice.  I  am  sure  you  have  a  desire  to  be  useful 
to  the  souls  of  men,  to  be  an  instrument  of  reclaiming 
them  from  that  course  of  open  wickedness,  or  lifeless 
formality,  in  which  you  see  them  enslaved ;  and,  in  a 
■word,  to  prevail  with  them  to  live  soberly,  righteously, 
and  godl}^,  according  to  the  just  and  couiprehensive 
sense  you  have  given  of  those  words,  in  your  sermon 
on  Tit.  ii.  11,  12.  Now  inward  experience,  and  a  pretty 
extensive  observation  of  Avhat  passes  abroad,  have  so 
perfectly  convinced  me  there  is  but  one  mode  of  preach- 
ing which  the  Holy  Spirit  owns  to  the  producing  these 
effects,  that  I  am  not  afraid  to  pronounce  confidently 


550  LetteYs  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  6'*^*^.  Let.  6. 

you  will  not  have  the  desires  of  your  heart  gratified 
upon  your  present  plan  :  the  people  will  give  you  a 
hearing,  and  remain  just  as  they  are,  till  the  Lord  leads 
you  to  speak  to  them  as  criminals  condemned  already, 
and  whose  first  essential  step  it  is,  to  seek  forgiveness 
by  the  blood  of  Jesus,  and  a  change  of  heart  and  state 
by  his  grace,  before  they  can  bring  forth  any  fruit  ac- 
ceptable to  God. 

As  I  have  little  time  for  writing,  and  little  hope  of 
Succeeding  in  a  way  of  argumentation,  I  have  substi- 
tuted, instead  of  a  longer  letter,  the  heads  of  some  ser- 
mons I  preached  nine  or  ten  years  ago,  on  our  Lord's 
discourse  with  Nicodemus.  However,  when  I  have  heard 
that  you  are  well,  and  that  you  still  are  disposed  to 
correspond  with  me,  I  shall  be  ready  to  give  a  more  par- 
ticular answer  to  the  subjects  you  pointed  out  to  me 
in  the  letter  you  favoured  me  with  the  day  before  I 
left  London.  I  pray  God  to  bless  you  in  all  your  ways, 
and  beg  you  to  believe,  that  I  am,  with  sincerity,  &c. 

LETTER  VL 

My  Dear  Friend,  October  28. 

J-T  never  entered  my  pericranium  that  you  expected  I 
should  fully  and  directly  answer  your  letter  while  I  was 
in  London  ;  and  yet  you  reasonably  might,  as  you  knew 
nothing  of  my  engagements  :  but  indeed  it  was  imprac- 
ticable ;  I  could  only  send  you  a  hasty  line,  as  a  token 
that  I  remembered  you.  I  informed  you,  when  I  re- 
turned, that  I  was  just  going  out  again.  Since  I  came 
home  the  second  time,  I  have  been  engrossed  by  tilings 
that  would  admit  of  no  delay;  and  at  length,  not  having 
so  much  as  a  note  from  you,  I  thought  1  would  wait  till 
I  heard  further.     But  from  first  to  last  it  was  my  inten- 


Let,  G.  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  .?****.  551 

tion,  and  I  think  my  promise  to  answer,  in  the  manner 
you  proposed,  as  soon  as  I  could.  And  even  now  I 
must  beg  a  little  longer  time.  Believe  me,  that  as  the 
wise  and  (lood  providence  of  God  brought  us  together, 
without  any  expectation  of  mine,  I  will  do  all  in  my 
power  to  preserve  the  connexion,  and  particularly  by 
giving  my  thoughts  on  such  questions  as  you  propose. 
And  though,  to  consider  your  questions  in  the  manner 
you  wish,  and  to  point  out  the  agreement  of  detached 
texts,  (as  they  occur,)  with  my  views,  seems  in  prospect 
to  require  a  volume  rather  than  a  sheet,  yet  I  am  not 
discouraged ;  only  I  beg  you  to  make  allowances  for 
other  things,  and  to  be  assured,  that,  before  I  had  the 
pleasure  of  corresponding  "with  you,  I  had  very  little 
spare  time.  Expect  then  the  best  satisfaction  1  am 
able  to  give  you,  as  soon  as  possible.  To  prepare  the 
•way,  I  will  try  hard  for  a  little  leisure,  to  give  you  a 
few  thoughts  upon  yours,  which  came  last  night. 

You  complain  that  I  have  hitherto  disappointed  your 
expectations. — If  you  have  preserved  my  first  pa- 
pers, I  believe  you  will  find,  that  I  apprised  you  this 
might  probably  be  the  event,  and  certainly  must,  un- 
less it  should  please  God  to  make  what  I  should  write 
a  means  of  giving  you  the  same  views  with  my- 
self. I  only  proposed,  as  a  witness,  to  bear  a  simple 
testimony  to  what  I  had  seen  and  known.  So  far  as 
you  believed  me  sincere  and  unwilling  to  impose  upon 
you,  I  thought  you  might  admit,  there  was  perhaps 
some  weight  in  what  I  advanced,  though  for  the  pre- 
sent you  could  not  see  things  in  the  same  light.  And 
if  you  allowed  a  possibility,  that  my  changing  the  sen- 
timents which  I  once  held  in  common  with  yourself 
might  be  upon  sufficient  grounds,  you  would,  as  I  trust 
you  do,  wait  upon  the  great  Teacher  for  his  instruc' 

Vol.  I.  4  B 


55$  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  5****.  Let.  G. 

tion ;  otherwise  I  did  not  expect  to  convince  you,  nor 
do  I  yet,  only  I  am  glad  to  put  myself  in  his  hands  as 
an  instrument. 

You  quite  misunderstood  what  I  spoke  of  the  light 
and  influence  of  the  Spirit  of  God.  He  reveals  to 
me  no  new  truths,  but  has  only  shown  me  the  mean- 
ing of  his  own  written  word ;  nor  is  this  light  a  parti- 
cular revelation  ;  it  is  common  to  all  who  are  born 
again.  And  thus,  though  you  and  I  cannot  fully  agree 
aJDOut  it,  yet  I  almost  daily  meet  with  persons  from  the 
east,  west,  north,  and  south,  whom,  though  I  never  saw 
them  before,  I  find  we  understand  each  other  at  once. 
This,  (as  you  bid  me  be  explicit,)  is  the  one  thing 
•which  you  at  present  lack.  And  I  limited  my  expres- 
sion to  one  thing,  because  it  is  our  Lord's  expression, 
and  because  that  one  thing  includes  many.  As  I  said 
before,  I  cannot  give  it  you  ;  but  the  Lord  can  ;  and 
from  the  desire  he  has  raised  in  your  heart,  I  have  a 
warm  hope  that  he  will.  You  place  the  whole  stress 
of  your  inquiries  upon  reason  :  I  am  far  from  discard- 
ing reason,  when  it  is  enlightened  and  sanctified  ;  but 
spiritual  things  must  be  spirit uali^  discerned,  and  can 
be  received  and  discerned  no  other  way ;  for  to  our  na- 
tural reason  they  are  foolishness,  1  Cor.  ii.  14,  15. 
Matth.  xi.  25.  This  certain  something  I  can  no  more  de- 
scribe to  those  who  have  not  experienced  it,  than  I  could 
describe  the  taste  ot  a  pine  apple  to  a  person  who  had 
never  seen  one.  But  Scriptural  proofs  might  be  ad- 
duced in  abundance,  yet  not  so  as  to  give  a  solid  con- 
viction of  it,  till  we  actually  experience  it.  Thus  it 
was  with  my  friend,  whose  case  I  sent  you.  When 
God  gave  him  the  key,  (as  he  expressed  it,)  then  the 
Scriptures  were  unlocked.  His  wishing  himself  a 
Deist  some  time  before,  was  not  from  any  libertine  ex- 


Let.  6.  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  5****.  553 

ceptions  he  made  to  the  precepts  of  the  Gospel,  but 
from  the  perplexing  embarrassments  he  had  found  by 
endeavouring  to  understand  the  doctrines  by  dint  of 
reason,  though  reason  in  him  was  as  strong  and  pene- 
trating as  in  most  men  I  ever  met  with.  Upon  your 
present  plan,  how  can  I  hope  to  satisfy  you,  though 
even  St.  Paul  asserts  it,  That  the  carnal  mind  is  en- 
mity against  God  ?  You  will  readily  agree  with  me  to 
the  proposition  as  it  stands  in  St.  Paul's  words,  but  I 
think  will  not  so  readily  assent  to  what  I  have  no  more 
doubt  than  of  my  own  existence,  is  the  sense  of  it.  That 
the  heart  of  man,  of  any  man,  every  man,  however  ap- 
parently amiable  in  his  outward  conduct,  however  bene- 
volent to  his  fellow-creatures,  however  abundant  and 
zealous  in  his  devotions,  is,  by  nature,  enmity  against 
God  ;  not  indeed  against  the  idea  he  himself  forms  of 
God,  but  against  the  character  which  God  has  re- 
vealed of  himself  in  the  Scripture.  Man  is  an  enemy 
to  the  justice,  sovereignty,  and  law  of  God,  and  to  the 
alone  method  of  salvation  he  has  appointed  in  the  Gos- 
pel by  faith  only  ;  by  such  a  faith,  as  it  is  no  more  in 
his  power  to  contribute  to  the  productionof  in  himself, 
than  he  can  contribute  to  raising  the  dead,  or  making  a 
world.  Whatever  is  of  the  flesh  is  flesh,  and  can  rise 
no  higher  than  its  principle ;  but  the  Lord  could  con- 
vince you  of  this  by  a  glance  of  thought. 

But  I  must  break  ofl",  for  want  both  of  room  and 
time.  Let  me  remind  you  of  our  agreement,  to  use  and 
allow  the  greatest  fi'eedom,  and  not  to  be  offended 
with  what  is  meant  well  on  either  side.  Somethinsin 
your  last  letter  made  me  apprehensive  you  were  a 
little  displeased  with  me.  He  that  knows  my  heart, 
knows  that  I  wish  you  well  as  my  own  soul. 

The  expression,  of  atoning  for  disobedience  by  re- 


554  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  5****.  Let.  7. 

pentance,  was  in  one  of  your  sermons.  I  considered  it 
as  -unguarded ;  but  on  my  view  ot  things,  it  were  in  a 
manner  impossible  I  could  use  that  ea:presiiion.,  though 
perhaps  too  often  unguarded  myself. 

I  am,  &c. 


A' 


LETTER  VII. 

My  Dear  Friend,  November  17,  1775. 


-T  length  I  take  up  your  favour  of  August  14,  with 
design  to  give  a  more  explicit  answer.  My  delaying 
hitherto  has  been  unavoidable  ;  I  am  sorry  to  have  vour 
patience  put  to  so  long  a  trial,  and  should  be  more  sorry, 
but  that  I  consider,  that  in  my  former  papers,  sermonSj 
Omicron's  letters,  &c.  you  already  possess  the  whole, 
(in  substance,)  of  what  I  have  to  offer.  My  present 
part  is  but  actum  agere,  to  repeat  what  I  have  else- 
where expressed,  only  with  some  variety  and  enlarge- 
jnent.  You  yourself  well  state  the  situation  of  our 
debate,  when  you  sa3%  "  Nor  in  truth  do  you  offer  any 
''  arguments  to  convince  me,  nor  does  it  seem  *very  con- 
"  sistent  on  your  grounds  so  to  do.  And  if  this  impor- 
"  tant  change  is  to  be  brought  about  by  the  intervention 
*'  of  some  extraordinary  impulse  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
*"  and  cannot  be  brought  about  without  it ;  I  do  not 
"  see  any  thing  further  that  1  have  to  do,  than  to  keep 
"  my  mind  as  much  unbiassed  as  I  can,  and  to  wait 
"  and  pray  for  it."  I  think  my  letter  from  London 
was  to  the  purport  of  these  your  own  words,  though 
you  seemed  dissatisfied  with  it.  While  we  see  through 
a  different  medium,  it  will  be  easy  for  you  to  answer 
every  text  I  might  adduce  in  support  of  my  sentiments, 
as  you  have  those  1  have  already  brought,  "  That  you 


Let.  7.  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  5****.  d$$ 

"  understand  them  otherwise."  In  order  to  support 
my  sense  of  one  text,  1  should  perhaps  quote  and  argue 
from  twenty  more,  and  still  "  You  would  understand 
"  them  otherwise."  The  life  of  man,  yea,  of  Methuse- 
lah, would  hardly  suffice  to  prove,  object,  and  defend 
all  that  might  be  alleged  on  both  sides  in  their  way ;  and 
at  last  we  should  leave  off  as  we  began,  more  fully  con- 
firmed in  our  own  opinions,  unless  the  Lord,  by  his 
Holy  Spirit,  should  be  pleased  to  show  the  person  who 
maintained  the  wrong  side  of  the  argument  where  his 
mistake  lay.  However,  I  mean  to  take  some  notice  of 
your  queries  as  they  offer  themselves. 

The  first  which  occurs  is  complicated.  The  sub- 
stance I  think  is,  whether  such  belief  and  aims  as 
you  possess,  will  stand  you  in  no  stead  unless  you  like- 
wise believe  grace  irresistible,  predestination  absolute, 
faith  in  supernatural  impulses,  &c.  ?  You  may  have 
observed,  I  have  several  times  waved  speaking  about 
predestination  or  election,  not  that  I  am  ashamed  of 
the  doctrine  ;  because  if  it  be  indeed  absurd,  shocking, 
and  unjust,  the  blame  will  not  deservedly  fall  upon  me, 
for  I  did  not  invent  it,  but  upon  the  Scriptures,  where  I 
am  sure  it  is  laid  down  in  as  plain  terms,  as  that  God 
created  the  heavens  and  the  earth.  I  own  I  cannot 
but  wonder  that  persons  professing  any  reverence  for 
the  Bible  should  so  openly  and  strongly  declare  their 
abhorrence  of  what  the  Bible  so  expressly  teaches ; 
namely,  that  there  is  a  discrimination  of  persons  by 
the  grace  and  good  pleasure  of  God,  where  by  nature 
there  is  no  difference  ;  and  that  all  things  respecting  the 
salvation  of  these  persons  is  infallibly  secured  by  a  di- 
vine predestination. 

I  do  not  offer  this  as  a  rational  doctrine,  (though  it 
be  highly  so  to  me,)  but  it  is  Scriptural,  or  else  the 


550  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  6'****.  Let.  7. 

Scripture  is  a  mere  nose  of  wax,  and  without  a  deter- 
minate meaning.  What  ingenuity  is  needful  to  inter- 
pret many  passages  in  a  sense  more  favourable  to  our 
natural  prejudices  against  God's  sovereignty  !  IMatth. 
xi.  2d,  26.  and  xiii.  10—17.  Mark  xiii.  20 — 22. 
John  xvii.  passim.  John  x.  26.  Rom.  viii.  28 — 30. 
and  ix.  13 — 24.  and  xi.  7.  Eph.  i.  4,  5.  1  Pet  i.  2 
Were  I  fond  of  disputing,  as  1  am  not,  I  think  I  could 
put  a  close  reasoner  hard  to  it,  to  maintain  the  truth 
of  Scripture  prophecies,  or  the  belief  of  a  particular 
providence,  unless  he  would  admit  a  divine  predestina- 
tion of  causes  and  events  as  the  ground  of  his  argu- 
Hients.  However,  as  I  said,  I  have  chosen  to  wave 
the  point ;  because,  however  true  and  necessary  in  it- 
self, the  knowledge  and  comprehension  of  it  is  not 
necessary  to  the  being  of  a  true  Christian,  though  I  can 
hardlv  conceive  he  can  be  an  established,  consistent 
believer  without  it.  This  doctrine  is  not  the  turning 
point  between  you  and  me;  the  nature  of  justification, 
and  the  method  of  a  sinner's  acceptance  with  God, 
are  of  much  more  immediate  importance  :  and  there- 
fore, if  I  am  to  speak  plainly,  I  must  say,  that  I  look 
upon  your  present  sentiments,  attainments,  and  ad- 
vances, as  you  describe  them,  to  constitute  that  kind 
of  gain  the  apostle  speaks  of,  and  concerning  which  I 
hope  you  will  one  day  be  of  his  mind,  and  be  glad  to 
account  it  all  loss,  that  you  may  win  Christ  and  be 
found  in  him,  "  not  having  your  own  righteousness, 
*'  which  is  of  the  law,  but  the  riditeousness  which  is  of 
"  God  by  faith,"  Phil.  iii.  4.  7 — 10.  For  as  you  tell 
me,  you  never  remember  a  time  when  you  were  not 
conscious  before  God  of  great  unworthiness,  and  in- 
tervals of  earnest  endeavours  to  serve  him,  thougli  not 
w'ith  the  same  success,  yet  something  in  the  same  way 


Let.  7.  Letters  to  the  Bev.  Mr,  .S****.  55.7 

as  at  present ;  this  is  but  saying,  in  other  words,  you 
never  remember  a  time  when  old  things  passed  away, 
and  all  things  became  new  ;  and  yet  the  apostle  insists 
much  upon  this,  2  Cor.  iv.  6.  and  v.  17.  The  con- 
victions of  natural  conscience,  and  those  which  are 
wrought  in  tlie  heart  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  are  different 
not  only  in  degree,  but  in  kind  ;  the  light  of  a  glow- 
w'orm  and  of  the  sun  do  not  more  essentially  differ. 
The  former  are  partial  and  superficial ;  leave  us  in  pos- 
session of  a  supposed  power  of  our  own  ;  are  pacified 
by  some  appearances  of  an  outward  change ;  and  make 
us  no  further  sensible  of  the  necessity  of  a  Saviour, 
than  to  make  our  doings  and  duties,  (if  I  may  so  ex- 
press myself,)  full  weight,  which  perhaps  might  other- 
wise be  a  little  deficient  when  brought  to  the  balances 
of  the  sanctuary.  But  tnily  spiritual  convictions  give 
us  far  other  views  of  sin ;  they  lead  us  to  a  deep  and 
awful  consideration  of  the  i^oot,  our  total,  absolute  de- 
pravity, and  our  utter  apostasy  from  God,  by  which  we 
are  incapable  of  doing  good,  as  a  dead  man  is  of  per- 
forming the  functions  of  life.  They  lead  us  to  the  rule 
and  standard,  the  strict,  holy,  inflexible  law  of  God, 
which  reaches  to  the  thoughts  and  intents  of  the  heart; 
requires  perfect,  universal,  persevering  obedience  ;  de- 
nounces a  curse  upon  every  failure.  Gal.  iii.  10.  ;  and 
affords  neither  place  nor  strength  for  repentance.  Thus 
they  sweep  away  every  hope  and  refuge  we  had  before, 
and  fix  upon  us  a  sense  of  guilt  and  condenmation, 
from  w  hich  there  is  no  relief,  till  we  can  look  to  Je- 
sus, as  the  wounded  Israelites  did  to  the  brazen  ser- 
pent ;  which  was  not  to  give  efiicacy  to  medicines  and 
plasters  of  their  own  application,  but  to  heal  them 
completely  of  itself  by  looking  at  it.  John  iii.  14,  15. 
and  vi.  40.  Isaiah  xliii.  22. 


558  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  5****.  Let.  7: 

You  wish  me  to  explain  my  distinction  between 
faith  and  rational  assent ;  and  though  I  know  no  two 
things  in  the  world  more  clearly  distinct  in  themselves, 
or  more  expressly  distinguished  in  Scripture,  yet  I  fear 
I  may  not  easily  make  it  appear  to  you.  You  allow 
faith,  in  your  sense,  to  be  the  gift  of  God ;  but,  in  my 
sense,  it  is  likewise  wrought  by  the  operation  of  God, 

CvOl.  11.    1  2.  TO  vTri^^oiXXov  jusysSo?   t»i;  tfuva/xEwj  avrov—icotTOt  t>?v  £»ef- 

ynuv  Tov  xjarou;  thj  icrxvo;  aurou* ;  that  the  samc  energy  of  the 
power  of  his  strength,  by  which  the  dead  body  of  Jesus 
was  raised  from  the  dead :  can  these  strong  expressions 
intend  no  more  than  a  rational  assent,  such  as  we  give 
to  a  proposition  in  Euclid  ?  I  believe  fallen  reason  is, 
of  itself,  utterly  incapable  even  of  assenting  to  the 
great  truths  of  revelation ;  it  may  assent  to  the  terms 
in  which  they  are  proposed,  but  it  must  put  its  own  in- 
erpretation  upon  them,  or  it  would  despise  them. 
The  natural  man  can  neither  receive  nor  discern  the 
things  of  God  :  and  if  any  one  would  be  wise,  the  apos- 
tle's first  advice  to  him  is,  Let  him  become  a  fool,  that 
he  may  be  wise ;  for  the  wisdom  of  the  world  is  fool- 
ishness with  God. 

Indeed,  when  the  heart  is  changed,  and  the  mind  en- 
lightened, then  reason  is  sanctified,  and,  if  I  may  so  say, 
baptized ;  renounces  its  curious  disquisitions,  and  is  con- 
tent humbly  to  tread  in  the  path  of  revelation.  This 
is  one  difference,  assent  may  be  the  act  of  our  natural 
reason ;  faith  is  the  effect  of  immediate  almighty 
power.  Another  difference  is,  faith  is  always  effica- 
cious, "  it  worketh  by  love ;"  whereas  assent  is  often 
given  where  it  has  little  or  no  influence  upon  the  conduct. 
Thus,  for  instance,  every  one  will  assent  to  this  truth, 

*  Ephes.  i.  19. 


Let.  7.  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  5*^'^*. 

All  men  are  mortal.  Yet  the  greatest  part  of  mankind, 
though  they  readily  assent  to  the  proposition,  and  it 
would  be  highly  irrational  to  do  otherwise,  yet  live  as 
they  might  do  if  the  reverse  were  true.  But  they  who 
have  divine  faith,  feel,  as  well  as  say,  they  are  pilgrims 
and  sojourners  upon  earth.  Again,  faith  gives  peace  of 
conscience,  access  to  God,  and  a  sure  evidence  and 
subsistence  of  things  not  seen,  Rom.  v.  1,  2.  Heb. 
xi.  1. — whereas  a  calm,  dispassionate  reasoner  may  be 
compelled  to  assent  to  the  external  arguments  in  favour 
of  Christianity,  and  yet  remain  a  total  stranger  to  that 
communion  with  God,  that  spirit  of  adoption,  that 
foretaste  of  glory,  which  is  the  privilege  and  portion  of 
believers.  So  likewise  faith  overcomes  the  world, 
which  rational  assent  will  not  do.  Witness  the  lives 
and  tempers  of  thousands,  who  yet  would  be  affronted 
if  their  assent  to  the  Gospel  should  be  questioned.  To 
sum  up  all  in  a  word,  "  He  that  believes  shall  be 
"saved."  But  surely  many  who  give  a  rcltional  assent 
to  the  Gospel,  live  and  die  in  those  sins  which  exclude 
from  the  kingdom  of  God,  Gal.  v.  19 — 21.  Faith  is 
the  effect  of  a  principle  of  new  life  implanted  in  the 
soul,  that  was  before  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins ;  and 
it  qualifies,  not  only  for  obeying  the  Saviour's  precepts, 
but  chiefly  and  primarily  for  receiving  from  and  re- 
joicing in  his  fulness,  admiring  his  love,  his  work,  his 
person,  his  glory,  his  advocacy.  It  makes  Christ  pre- 
cious, enthrones  him  in  the  heart,  presents  him  as  the 
most  delightful  object  to  our  meditations  ;  as  our  wis- 
dom, righteousness,  sanctification,  and  strength ;  our 
root,  head,  life,  shepherd,  and  husband.  These  are  all 
Scriptural  expressions  and  images,  setting  forth,  so  far 
as  words  can  declare,  what  Jesus  is  in  himself  and  to 
his  believing  people.  But  how  cold  is  the  comment 
Vol.  I.  4  C 


560  Letters  to  the  Kev.  Mr.  5'****.  Let.  7. 

which  rational  assent  puts  upon  very  many  passages, 
wherein  the  apostle  Paul  endeavours,  (but  in  vain,)  to 
express  the  fuhiess  of  his  heart  upon  this  subject.  A 
most  valued  friend  of  mine,  a  clergyman  now  living, 
had  for  many  years  given  a  rational  assent  to  the  Gospel. 
He  laboured  with  much  earnestness  upon  your  plan, 
was  very  exemplary  in  his  whole  conduct,  preached 
almost  incessantly,  (two  or  three  times  every  day  in  the 
iveek  for  years,)  having  a  parish  in  the  remote  parts  of 
Yorkshij'e,  of  great  extent,  and  containing  five  or  six 
diiferent  hamlets  at  some  distance  from  each  other. 
He  succeeded  likewise  with  his  people,  so  far  as  to 
break  them  off  from  outward  irregularities  ;  and  was 
mentioned  in  a  letter  to  the  Society  for  propagatino-  the 
Gospel,  (which  I  have  seen  in  print,)  as  the  most  per- 
fect example  of  a  parish-priest  w  hich  this  nation,  or 
perhaps  this  age,  has  produced.  Thus  he  went  on  for 
many  years,  teaching  his  people  what  he  knew,  for  he 
could  teach  them  no  more.  He  lived  in  such  retire- 
ment and  recess,  that  he  was  unacquainted  with  the 
persons  and  principles  of  any  who  are  now  branded  as 
enthusiasms  and  methodists.  One  day  reading  Ephes. 
iii.  in  his  Greek  Testament,  his  thoughts  were  stopped 
by  the  word  av£|txv»ao-TM,  in  verse  8.  He  was  struck, 
and  led  to  think  with  himself  to  this  purpose :  The 
apostle,  when  speaking  of  the  love  and  riches  of  Christ, 
uses  remarkable  expressions  ;  he  speaks  of  heights, 
depths,  and  lengths,  and  breadths,  and  unsearchables, 
where  I  seem  to  find  every  thing  plain,  easy,  and  ra- 
tional. He  finds  mysteries  where  I  can  perceive  none. 
Surely  thougli  I  use  the  words  Gospel,  faith,  and  grace, 
with  him,  my  ideas  of  them  must  be  different  from  his. 
This  led  him  to  a  close  examination  of  all  his  epistles, 
and,  by  the  blessing  of  God,  brought  on  a  total  change 


Let.  7.  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  .S***-*.  501 

in  his  views  and  preaching.  He  no  longer  set  his  peo- 
ple to  keep  a  law  of  faith,  to  trust  in  their  sincerity  and 
endeavours,  upon  some  general  hope  that  Christ  would 
help  tliem  out  where  they  came  short ;  but  he  preached 
Christ  himself,  as  the  end  of  the  law  for  righteousness 
to  every  one  that  believeth.  He  felt  himself,  and  la- 
boured to  convince  others,  that  there  is  no  hope  for  a 
sinner,  but  merely  in  the  blood  of  Jesus,  and  no  pos- 
sibility of  his  doing  any  works  acceptable  to  God,  till 
he  himself  be  first  made  accepted  in  the  Beloved.  Nor 
did  he  labour  in  vain.  Now  his  preaching  effected  not 
only  an  outward  reformation,  but  a  real  change  of 
heart  in  very  many  of  his  hearers.  The  word  was  re- 
ceived, as  Paul  expresses  it,  not  Mith  a  rational  assent 
only,  but  with  demonstration  and  power,  in  the  Holy 
Ghost,  and  in  much  assurance  ;  and  their  endeavours 
to  observe  the  Gospel-precepts  were  abundantly  more 
extensive,  uniform,  and  successful,  when  they  were 
brought  to  say  with  the  apostle,  "  I  am  crucified  with 
"  Christ :  nevertheless  I  live,  yet  not  I,  but  Christ 
'^  liveth  In  me  ;  and  the  life  I  live  in  the  flesh,  I  live  by 
"  faith  in  the  Son  of  God." 

Such  a  change  of  views  and  sentiments  I  pray  God 
my  friend  may  experience.  These  things  may  appear 
uncouth  to  you  at  present,  as  they  have  done  to  many, 
who  now  bless  God  for  showing  them  what  their  rea- 
son  could  never  have  taught  them.  ]\fy  divinity  is  un- 
fashionable enough  at  present,  but  it  was  not  so  al- 
ways ;  you  will  find  few  books  written  from  the  aera  of 
the  Reformation,  till  a  little  before  Laud's  tiuie,  that 
set  forth  any  other.  There  were  few  pulpits  till  after 
the  Restoration  from  which  any  other  was  heard.  A 
lamentable  change  has  indeed  since  taken  place ;  but 
God   has  not  left  himself  without  witnesses.      You 


562  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  5****.  Let.  7. 

think,  though  I  disclaim  infallibility,  I  arrogate  too 
much  in  speaking  with  so  much  certainty.  I  am  falli- 
ble indeed  ;  b.ut  I  am  sure  of  the  main  points  of  doc- 
trine I  hold.  I  am  not  in  the  least  doubt,  whether 
salvation  be  of  faith  or  of  works  ;  whether  faith  be  of 
our  own  power  or  of  God's  operation  ;  whether  Christ's 
obedience,  or  our  own,  be  the  just  ground  of  our  hope  ; 
wbether  a  man  can  truly  call  Jesus  Lord,  but  by  the 
teaching  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  1  have  no  more  hesita- 
tion about  these  points,  than  I  should  have  were  I 
asked  whether  it  was  God  or  man  who  created  the 
heavens  and  the  earth.  Besides,  as  I  have  more  than 
once  observed,  your  sentiments  were  once  my  own,  so 
that  I,  who  have  travelled  both  roads,  may  have  per- 
haps some  stronger  reasons  to  determine  me  which  is 
the  right,  than  you  can  have,  who  have  only  travelled 
one. 

Your  two  sheets  may  lead  me  to  write  as  many 
quires,  if  I  do  not  check  myself.  I  now  come  to  the 
two  queries  you  propose,  the  solution  of  which  you 
think  will  clearly  mark  the  difference  of  our  sentiments. 
The  substance  of  them  is,  1st,  Whether  I  think  any  sin- 
ner ever  perished  in  his  sins,  (to  whom  the  Gospel  has 
been  preached,)  because  God  refused  to  supply  him 
with  such  a  proportion  of  his  assistance  as  was  abso- 
lutely necessary  to  his  believing  and  repenting,  or  with- 
out his  having  previously  rejected  the  incitements  of  his 
Holy  Spirit?  A  full  answer  to  this  would  require  a 
sheet.  But  briefly,  1  believe  that  all  mankind,  being 
corrupt  and  guilty  before  God,  he  might,  without  im- 
peachment to  his  justice,  have  left  them  all  to  perish, 
as  we  are  assured  he  did  the  fallen  angels.  But  he  has 
pleased  to  show  mercy,  and  mercy  must  be  iree.  If 
the  sinner  has  any  claim  to  it,  so  far  it  is  justice,  not 


Let.  7.  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  5****.  563 

mercy.  HE,  who  is  to  be  our  Judge,  assures  us,  that 
fezv  find  the  gate  that  leadeth  to  life,  while  many  throng 
the  road  to  destruction.  Your  question  seems  to  \m- 
ply,  that  you  think  God  either  did  make  salvation 
equally  open  to  all,  or  that  it  would  have  been  more 
becoming  his  goodness  to  have  done  so. 

But  he  is  the  potter,  we  are  the  clay ;  his  ways  and 
thoughts  are  above  ours,  as  the  heavens  are  higher 
than  the  earth.  The  judge  of  all  the  earth  will  do 
right.  He  has  appointed  a  day,  when  he  will  manifest, 
to  the  conviction  of  all,  that  He  has  done  right.  Till 
then,  I  hold  it  best  to  take  things  upon  his  word,  and 
not  too  harshly  determine  what  it  becomes  Jehovah  to 
do.  Instead  of  saying  what  /  think,  let  it  suffice  to  re- 
mind you  of  what  St.  Paul  thought,  Rom.  ix.  1.5 — 21. 
But  further,  I  say,  that  unless  mercy  were  afforded  to 
those  who  are  saved,  in  a  way  peculiar  to  themselves, 
and  which  is  not  afforded  to  those  who  perish,  I  be- 
lieve no  one  soul  could  be  saved.  For  I  believe  fallen 
man,  universally  considered  as  such,  is  as  incapable  of 
doing  the  least  thing  towards  his  salvation,  till  pre- 
vented by  the  grace  of  God,  (as  our  Article  speaks,)  as 
a  dead  body  is  of  restoring  itself  to  life.  Whatever  dif- 
ference takes  place  between  men  in  this  respect,  is  of' 
grace^  that  is,  of  God,  undeserved.  Yea,  his  first  ap- 
proaches to  our  hearts  are  undesired  too  ;  for,  till  he 
seeks  us,  we  cannot,  we  will  not  seek  him,  Psalm  ex.  3. 
It  is  in  the  day  of  his  power,  and  not  before,  his  people 
are  made  willing.  But  I  believe  where  the  Gospel 
is  preached,  they  who  do  perish,  do  wilfully  resist  the 
light,  and  choose  and  cleave  to  darkness,  and  stifle  the 
convictions  which  the  truths  of  God,  when  his  tr^ue 
Gospel  is  indeed  preached,  will,  in  one  degree  or  other, 
force  upon  their  minds.     The  cares  of  this  world,  the 


564  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr,  5^****.  Let.  1. 

deceitfuiness  of  riches,  the  love  of  other  things,  the  vio- 
lence of  sinful  appetites,  their  prejudices,  pride,  and  self- 
righteousness,  either  prevent  the  reception,  or  choke 
tlie  growth  of  the  good  seed ;  thus  their  own  sin  and 
obstinacy  is  the  proper  cause  of  their  destruction  ;  they 
ivill  not  come  to  Christ  that  they  may  have  lite.  At 
the  same  time,  it  is  true  that  they  cannot,  unless  they 
are  supernaturaliy  drawn  of  God  ;  John  v.  40.  vi.  44. 
They  will  not,  and  they  cannot  come.  Both  are  equally 
true,  and  they  are  consistent.  For  a  man's  cannot  is 
not  a  natural,  but  a  moral  inability:  not  an  impossibility 
in  the  nature  of  things,  as  it  is  for  me  to  walk  upon  the 
•water,  or  to  fly  in  the  air ;  but  such  an  inability  as,  in- 
stead of  extenuating,  does  exceedingly  enhance  and 
aggravate  his  guilt.  He  is  so  blinded  by  Satan,  so  alien- 
ated from  God  by  nature  and  wicked  works,  so  given 
up  to  sin,  so  averse  from  that  way  of  salvation  which 
is  contrary  to  his  pride  and  natural  ^visdom,  that  he  will 
not  embrace  it  or  seek  after  it ;  and  therefore  he  cannot, 
till  the  grace  of  God  powerfully  enlightens  his  mind, 
and  overcomes  his  obstacles. — But  this  brings  me  to 
your  second  query. 

II.  Do  I  think  that  God,  in  the  ordinary  course  of  his 
providence,  grants  this  assistance  in  an  irresistible  man- 
ner, or  effects  faith  and  conversion  without  the  sinner's 
own  hearty  consent  and  concurrence  r  I  rather  choose 
to  term  grace  inrincibk,  than  irresistible :  for  it  is  too 
often  resisted  even  by  those  who  believe  ;  but,  because 
it  is  invincible,  it  triumphs  over  all  resistance,  when  he 
is  pleased  to  bestow  it.  For  the  rest,  I  believe  no  sin- 
ner is  converted  without  his  own  hearty  will  and  con- 
currence. But  he  is  not  willing  till  he  is  made  so. 
Why  does  he  at  all  refuse  r  Because  he  is  insensible  of 
his  state ;  because  he  knows  not  the  evil  of  sin,  the 


Let.  7.  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  5'****.  565 

strictness  of  the  law,  the  majesty  of  God  whom  he  has 
offended,  nor  the  total  apostasy  of  his  heart ;  because 
he  is  blind  to  eternity,  and  ignorant  of  the  excellency  of 
Christ;  because  he  is  comparatively  whole,  and  sees  not 
his  need  of  this  great  Physician  ;  because  he  relies  upon 
his  own  wisdom,  power,  and  supposed  righteousness. 
Now  in  this  state  of  things,  when  God  comes  with  a 
purpose  of  mercy,  he  begins  by  convincing  the  person 
of  sin,  judgment,  and  righteousness,  causes  him  to  feel 
and  know  that  he  is  a  lost,  condemned,  helpless  crea- 
ture, and  then  discovers  to  him  the  necessity,  sufficiency, 
and  willingness  of  Christ  to  save  them  that  are  ready  to 
perish,  without  money  or   price,  without  doings  or  de- 
servings. — Then  he  sees  faith  to  be  very  different  from 
a  rational  assent,  finds  that  nothing  but  the  power  of 
God  can  produce  a  well-grounded  hope  in  the  heart  of 
a  convinced  sinner ;  therefore  looks  to  Jesus,  who  is  the 
author  and  finisher  of  faith,  to  enable  him  to  believe. 
For  this  he  waits  in  what  we  call  the  means  of  grace ; 
he  prays,  he  reads  the  word,  he  thirsts  for  God,  as  the 
hart  pants  for  the  water-brooks ;  and  though  perhaps 
for  a  while  he  is  distressed  with  many  doubts  and  fears, 
he  is  encouraged  to  wait  on,  because  Jesus   has  said, 
"  Him  that  cometh  unto  me,  I  will  in  nowise  cast  out." 
The  obstinacy  of  the  will  remains  while  the  understand- 
ing is  dark,  and  ceases  when  that  is  enlightened.     Sup- 
pose a  man  walking  in  the  dark,  where  there  are  pits 
and  precipices  of  which  he  is  not  aware  :  you  are  sensi- 
ble of  his  danger,  and  call  after  him  :  but  he  thinks  he 
knows  better  than  you,  refuses  your  advice,  and  is  per- 
haps angry  with  you  for  your  importunity.     lie- sees  no 
danger,  therefore  will  not  be  persuaded  there  is  any ; 
but  if  you  go  with  a  light,  get  before  him,  and  show 
him  plainly,  that  if  he  takes  another  step  he  falls  beyond 


566  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  5****.  Let.  7. 

the  power  of  recovery, — then  he  will  stop  of  his  own 
accord,  blame  himself  for  not  minding  you  before,  and 
be  ready  to  comply  with  your  further  directions.  In 
either  case,  man's  will  acts  with  equal  freedom  ;  the  dif- 
ference of  his  conduct  arises  from  conviction.  Some- 
thing like  this  is  the  case  of  our  spiritual  concerns.  Sin- 
ners are  called  and  warned  by  the  word  ;  but  they  are 
wise  in  their  own  eyes,  and  take  but  little  notice  till  the 
Lord  gives  them  light,  which  he  is  not  bound  to  give  to 
a7iy,  and  therefore  cannot  be  bound  to  give  to  all.  They 
who  have  it,  have  reason  to  be  thankful,  and  subscribe 
to  the  apostle's  words :  "  By  grace  are  ye  saved,  through 
"  faith ;  and  that  not  of  yourselves,  it  is  the  gift  of 
"  God." 

I  have  not  yet  half  done  with  the  first  sheet :  shall 
consider  the  rest  at  leisure,  but  send  this  as  a  specimen 
of  my  willingness  to  clear  my  sentiments  to  you  as  far 
as  I  can.  Unless  it  should  please  God  to  make  what  I 
offer  satisfactory,  I  well  know  before-hand  what  objec- 
tions and  answers  will  occur  to  you  ;  for  these  points 
have  been  often  debated  :  and  after  a  course  of  twenty- 
seven  years,  in  which  religion  has  been  the  chief  object 
of  my  thoughts  and  inquiries,  I  am  not  entirely  a  stranger 
to  what  can  be  offered  on  either  side.  What  I  write,  I 
write  simply  and  in  love ;  beseeching  him,  who  alone 
can  set  a  seal  to  his  own  truth,  to  guide  you  and  bless 
you.  This  letter  has  been  more  than  a  week  in  hand ; 
I  have  been  called  from  it  I  suppose  ten  times,  fre- 
quently in  the  middle  of  a  period  or  a  line.  My  leisure, 
which  before  was  small,  is  now  reduced  almost  to  a 
nothing.  But  I  am  desirous  to  keep  up  my  correspond- 
ence with  you,  because  I  feel  an  affectionate  interest  in 
you,  and  because  it  pleased  God  to  put  it  into  your 
heart  to  apply  to  me.    You  cannot  think  how  your  first 


Let.  8.  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  S**^*.  567 

letter  struck  me  :  it  was  so  unexpected,  and  seemed  so 
improbable,  that  you  should  open  your  mind  to  me,  I 
immediately  conceived  a  hope  that  it  would  prove  for 
good.     Nor  am  1  yet  discouraged. 

When  you  have  leisure  and  inclination,  write ;  I  shall 
always  be  glad  to  hear  trom  you,  and  I  will  proceed  in 
answering  what  I  have  already  by  me,  as  fast  as  I  can. 
But  I  have  many  letters  now  waiting  for  an^iwers,  whicj^ 
must  be  attended  to. 

I  recommend  you  to  the   blessing  and  care  of  the 
great  Shepherd ;  and  remain,  &c. 


LETTER  VIII. 
My  Dear  Friend,  December  8,  1775. 

-ZjlRE  you  willing  I  should  still  call  you  so,  or  are  you 
quite  weary  of  me  r  Your  silence  makes  me  suspect  the 
latter.  However,  it  is  my  part  to  fulfil  my  promise, 
and  then  leave  the  event  to  God.  As  I  have  but  an 
imperfect  remembrance  of  what  I  have  already  written, 
I  may  be  liable  to  some  repetitions.  I  cannot  stay  to 
comment  upon  every  line  in  your  letter,  but  I  proceed 
to  notice  such  passages  as  seem  most  to  affect  the  sub- 
ject in  debate.  When  you  speak  of  the  Scripture's 
maintaining  one  consistent  sense,  which,  if  the  word  of 
God,  it  certainly  must  do,  you  say  you  read  and  under- 
stand it  in  this  one  consistent  sense ;  nay,  you  cannot 
remember  the  time  when  you  did  not.  It  is  otherwise 
with  me,  and  Avith  multitudes;  we  remember  when  it 
was  a  sealed  book,  and  we  are  sure  it  would  have  been 
so  still,  had  not  the  Holy  Spirit  opened  our  understand- 
ings. But  when  you  add,  "  Though  I  pretend  not  to  un- 
"  derstand  the  whole,  yet  what  I  do  understand  appears 
Vol.  I.  •  4  D 


568  Letters  to  the  Rev,  Mr.  5"****.  Let.  8. 

*' perfectly  consistent;"  I  know  not  how  far  this  exception 
may  extend,  for  perhaps  the  reason  why  you  allow  you 
do  not  understand  some  parts,  is  because  you  cannot 
make  them  consistent  with  the  sense  you  put  upon  other 
parts.     You   quote  my  words,   "  That  when  we  are 
"  conscious  of  our  depravity,  reasoning  stands  us  in  no 
"  stead."     Undoubtedly  reason  always  will  stand  ra- 
tional creatures  in  some  stead  ;  but  my  meaning  is,  that 
when  we  are  deeply  convinced  of  sin,  all  our  former 
reasonings  upon  the  ways  of  God,  while  we  made  our 
conceptions  the  standard  by  which  we  judge  what  is 
befitting  him  to  do,  as  if  he  were  altogether  such  an  one 
as  ourselves — all  those  cobweb  reasonings  are  swept 
away,  and  we  submit  to  his  ccvro^  i(pn  without  reasonings 
though  not  without  reason.     For  we  have  the  strongest 
reason  imaginable  to  acknowledge  ourselves  vile  and 
lost,  without  righteousness  and  strength,  when  we  ac- 
tually feel  ourselves  to  be  so. — You  speak  of  the  Gos- 
pel terms  of  justification. — This  term  is  faith,  Mark 
xvi.  \6.     Acts.  xiii.  39.     The  Gospel  propounds,  ad- 
mits, no  other  term.     But  this  J'ait/i,  as  I  endeavoured 
to  show  in  my  former  letter,  is  very  different  from  ra- 
tional assent.     You  speak  likewise  of  the  law  oij'aith  ; 
by  which,  if  you  mean  what  some  call  the  remedial  law, 
which  we  are  to  obey  as  well  as  we  can,  and  such  obe- 
dience, together  with  our  faith,  ^\\\\  entitle  us  to  accept- 
ance with  God,  Lam  persuaded  the  Scripture  speaks  of 
no  such  thing.     Grace  and  works  of  any  kind,   in  the 
point  of  acceptance  with  God,   are  mentioned  by  the 
apostle  not  only  as  opposites  or  contraries,  but  as  ab- 
solutely contradictory  to  each  other,  like  fire  and  water, 
light  and  darkness ;  so  that  the  affirmation  of  one  is  the 
denial  of  the  other ;  Rom.  iv.  5.  and  xi.  6.     God  jus- 
tifies freely,  justifies  the  ungodly,  and  him  that  worketh 


Let.  8.  Letters  to  the  Rev,  Mr.  5'**=*=*.  569 

not.  Though  justifying  faith  be  indeed  an  active  prin- 
ciple, it  worketh  by  love,  yet  not  for  acceptance.  Those 
whom  the  apostle  exhorts  "  to  work  out  their  own  sal- 
"  vation  \\\ih  fear  and  trembling,''  he  considers  as  jus- 
tified already ;  for  he  considers  them  as  believers,  in 
whom  he  supposed  God  had  already  begun  a  good 
work;  and  if  so,  Avas  confident  he  would  accomplish  it; 
Phil.  i.  6.  To  them,  the  consideration,  that  God,  (who 
dwells  in  the  hearts  of  believers,)  wrought  in  them  to 
will  and  to  do,  was  a  powerful  motive  and  encourage- 
ment to  them  to  work  ;  that  is,  to  give  all  diligence  in 
his  appointed  means ;  as  a  right  sense  of  the  sin  that 
dwelletli  in  us,  and  the  snares  and  temptations  around 
us,  will  teach  us  still  to  work  with  fear  and  trembling. 
You  suppose  a  difference  between  Christians,  (so  called,) 
who  are  devoted  to  God  in  baptism,  and  those  who  in 
the  first  ages  were  converted  from  abonjinable  supersti- 
tions and  idolatrous  vices. — It  is  true,  in  Christian 
countries  we  do  not  worship  Heathen  divinities  eo  no- 
muie.  And  this  is  the  principal  difl^erence  I  can  find. 
Neither  reason  nor  observation  will  allow  me  to  think, 
that  human  nature  is  a  whit  better  now  than  it  was  in 
the  apostle's  time.  I  know  no  kinds  or  degrees  of 
wickedness  which  prevailed  among  Heathens,  w  hich  are 
not  prevalent  among  nominal  Christians,  who  have  per- 
haps been  baptized  in  their  infancy  ;  and  therefore,  as 
the  streams  in  the  life  are  equally  worldly,  sensual, 
devilish,  I  doubt  not  but  the  fountain  in  the  heart  is 
equally  polluted  and  poisonous  ;  and  that  it  is  as  true, 
as  in  the  days  of  Christ  and  his  apostles,  that  unless  a 
man  be  born  again,  he  cannot  see  the  kingdom  of  God. 
You  sent  me  a  sermon  upon  the  new  birth,  or  ret^ene- 
ration,  and  you  have  several  of  mine  on  the  same  sub- 
ject.    I  wish  you  to  compare  them  with  each  other. 


57@  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  ,S****.  Let.  8. 

and  with  the  Scripture  ;  and  I  pray  God  to  show  you 
wherein  the  difference  consists,  and  on  which  side  the 
truth  lies. 

AVhen  you  desire  me  to  reconcile  God's  beino-  the  au- 
thor of  sin  with  his  Justice,  you  show  that  you  misunder- 
stand the  whole  strain  of  my  sentiments;  for  1  am  per- 
suaded you  would  not  misrepresent  them.  It  is  easy  to 
charge  harsh  consequences,  which  I  neither  allow,  nor 
indeed  do  they  follow  from  my  sentiments.  God  can- 
not be  the  author  of  sin  in  that  sense  you  would  fix  upon 
me  ;  but  is  it  possible  that  upon  your  plan  you  find 
no  difficulty  in  what  the  Scripture  teaches  us  upon  this 
subject?  I  conceive,  that  those  who  were  concerned 
in  the  death  of  Christ  were  very  great  sinners  ;  and  that 
in  nailing  him  to  the  cross  they  committed  atrocious 
wickedness.  Yet,  if  the  apostle  may  be  believed,  all  this 
was  according  to  the  determinate  council  and  fore  know- 
ledge of  God,  Acts  ii.  23. ;  and  they  did  no  more  than 
what  his  hand  and  purpose  had  determined  should  be 
done,  chap.  iv.  28.  And  you  will  observe,  that  this 
wicked  act, (wicked  with respecttothe perpetrators,) Mas 
not  only  permitted,  but  fore-ordained  in  the  strongest 
and  most  absolute  sense  of  the  word.  The  glory  of  God 
and  the  salvation  of  men  depended  upon  its  being  done, 
and  just  in  that  manner,  and  M'ith  all  those  circum- 
stances which  actually  took  place ;  and  yet  Judas  and 
the  rest  acted  freely,  and  the  m  ickedness  was  properly 
their  own.  Now,  my  friend,  the  arguments  which  sa- 
tisfy you,  that  the  Scripture  does  not  represent  God 
as  the  author  of  this  sin  in  this  appointment,  will  plead 
for  me  at  the  same  time  ;  and  when  you  think  you  easily 
overcome  me  by  asking,  "  Can  God  be  the  author  of 
sin  ?"  your  imputation  falls  as  directly  upon  the  M'ord  of 
God  himself.     G  od  is  no  more  the  author  of  sin,  than 


Let.  8.  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  5****.  S7% 

the  sun  is  the  cause  of  ice ;  but  it  is  in  the  nature  of 
water  to  congeal  into  ice  when  the  sun's  influence  is  sus- 
pended to  a  certain  degree.  So  there  is  sin  enough  in 
the  hearts  of  men  to  make  the  earth  the  very  image  of 
hell,  and  to  prove  that  men  are  no  better  than  incarnate 
devils,  were  he  to  suspend  his  influence  and  restraint. 
Sometimes,  and  in  some  instances,  he  is  pleased  to  sus- 
pend it  considerably  ;  and  so  far  as  he  does,  human  na- 
ture quickly  appears  in  its  true  colours.  Objections  of 
this  kind  have  been  repeated  and  refuted  before  either 
you  or  I  were  born  ;  and  the  apostle  evidently  supposes 
they  would  be  urged  against  his  doctrine,  when  he  ob- 
viates the  question,  "  VV^hy  doth  he  yet  find  fault?  who 
"  hath  resisted  his  will  r"  To  which  he  gives  no  other  an- 
swer than  by  referring  it  to  God's  sovereignty,  and  the 
power  which  a  potter  has  over  the  clay.  I  think  I  have 
in  a  former  letter  made  some  reply  to  the  charge  of  po- 
sitiveness  in  my  own  opinion.  I  acknowledge  that  I 
am  fallible ;  yet  I  must  again  lay  claim  to  a  certainty 
about  the  way  of  salvation.  I  am  as  sure  of  some  things 
as  of  my  own  existence  :  I  should  be  so  if  there  was  no 
human  creature  uponeaith  but  myself  However,  my 
sentiments  are  contirmed  by  the  suffrages  of  thousands 
who  have  lived  before  me,  of  many  with  whom  1  have 
personally  conversed  in  diflerent  places  and  circum- 
stances, unknown  to  each  other ;  yet  all  have  received 
the  same  views,  because  taught  by  the  same  Spirit.  And  I 
have  likewise  been  greatly  confirmed  by  the  testimony  of 
many  with  whom  I  have  conversed  in  their  dying  hours. 
I  have  seen  them  rejoicing  in  the  prospect  of  death,  free 
from  fears,  breathing  the  air  of  immortality ;  heartily  dis- 
claiming their  duties  and  performances  ;  acknowledging 
that  their  best  actions  were  attended  with  evil  sufficient 
to  condemn  them  ;  renouncing  every  shadow  of  hope, 


S72  Letters  to  the  Rev,  Mr.  5*^**.  Let.  8. 

but  what  they  derived  from  the  blood  of  Christ,  as  the 
sole  cause  of  their  acceptance ;  yet  triumphing  in  him 
over  every  enemy  and  fear,  and  as  sure  of  heaven  as  if 
they  were  already  there.  And  such  were  the  apostle's 
hopes,  wholly  founded  on  knowing  whom  he  had  be- 
lieved, and  his  persuasion  of  his  ability  to  keep  that 
which  he  had  committed  unto  him.  This  is  faith,  a  re- 
nouncing of  every  thing  we  are  apt  to  call  our  own,  and 
relying  wholly  upon  the  blood,  righteousness,  and  inter- 
cession of  Jesus.  However,  I  cannot  communicate  this 
my  certainty  to  you  ;  I  only  tell  you  there  is  such  a 
thing,  in  hopes,  if  you  do  not  think  I  wilfully  lie  both 
to  God  and  man,  you  will  be  earnest  to  seek  it  from 
him  who  bestowed  it  on  me,  and  who  will  bestow  it 
upon  all  who  will  sincerely  apply  to  him,  and  patient- 
ly wait  upon  him  for  it. 

I  cannot  but  wonder,  that  while  you  profess  to  be- 
lieve the  depravity  of  human  nature,  you  should  speak 
of  good  qualities  inherent  in  it.  The  word  of  God  de- 
scribes it  as  evil,  only  evil,  and  that  continually.  That 
there  are  such  qualities  as  Stoics  and  infidels  call  virtue, 
I  allow.  God  has  not  left  man  destitute  of  such  dis- 
positions as  are  necessary  to  the  peace  of  society ;  but 
I  deny  there  is  any  moral  goodness  in  them,  unless  they 
are  founded  in  a  supreme  love  to  God,  have  his  glory 
for  their  aim,  and  are  produced  by  faith  in  Jesus  Christ. 
A  man  may  give  all  his  goods  to  feed  the  poor,  and  his 
body  to  be  burned,  in  zeal  for  the  truth,  and  yet  be  a 
mere  nothing,  a  tinkling  symbal,  in  the  sight  of  him  who 
seeth  not  as  man  seeth,  but  judgeth  the  heart.  INIany 
infidels  and  avowed  enemies  to  the  grace  and  Gospel  of 
Christ,  have  made  a  fair  show  of  what  the  world  call 
virtue ;  but  Christian  virtue  is  grace,  the  eifect  of  a  new- 
nature  and  new  life ;  and  works  thus  wrought  in  God 


Let.  8.  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  5****.  573 

are  as  different  from  the  faint,  partial  imitations  of  them 
which  fallen  nature  is  capable  of  producing,  as  a  living 
man  is  from  a  statue.  A  statue  may  express  the  fea- 
tures and  lineaments  of  the  person  whom  it  represents, 
but  there  is  no  life. 

Your  comment  on  the  seventh  to  the  Romans,  latter 
part,  contradicts  my  feelings.  You  are  either  of  a  dif- 
ferent make  and  nature  from  me,  or  else  you  are  not 
rightly  apprised  of  your  own  state,  if  30U  do  not  find 
the  apostle's  complaints  very  suitable  to  yourself  I  be- 
lieve it  applicable  to  the  most  holy  Christian  upon  earth. 
But  controversies  of  this  kind  are  worn  thread-bare. 
When  you  speak  cf  the  spiritual  part  of  a  natural  man, 
it  sounds  to  me  like  the  living  part  of  a  dead  man,  or 
the  seeing  part  of  a  blind  man.  Paul  tells  me,  that  the 
natural  man,  (whatever  his  spiritual  part  may  be,)  can 
neither  receive  nor  discern  the  things  of  God.  What 
the  apostle  speaks  of  himself,  Rom.  vii.  is  no  more, 
when  rightly  understood,  than  what  he  affirms  of  all  who 
are  partakers  of  a  spiritual  life,  or  who  are  true  be- 
lievers, Gal.  v.  17.  The  carnal,  natural  mind,  is  en- 
mity against  God,  not  subject  to  the  law  of  God,  nei- 
ther indeed  can  be. — V\'hen  you  subjoin,  "  Till  it  be 
"  set  at  liberty  from  the  law  of  sin,'"  you  do  not  com- 
ment upon  the  text,  but  make  an  addition  of  your  own, 
which  the  text  will  b}'  no  means  bear.  The  carnal  mind 
is  enmity.  An  enemy  may  be  reconciled  ;  but  enmity 
itself  is  incurable.  This  carnal  mind,  natural  man,  old 
man,  flesh,  for  the  expressions  are  all  equivalent,  and 
denote  and  include  the  heart  of  man  as  he  is  by  nature, 
may  be  crucijied,  must  be  mortified^  but  cannot  be  sane- 
t'ljitd.  All  that  is  good  or  gracious,  is  the  effect  of  a 
new  creation^  a  supernatural  principle,  w  rought  in  the 
heart  by  the  Gospel  of  Christ,  and  the  agencv  of  his 


574  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  5***-*.  Let.  8. 

Spirit ;  and  till  that  is  effected,  the  to  C-^tMv,  the  highest 
attainment,  the  finest  qualifications  in  man,  however 
they  may  exalt  him  in  his  own  eyes,  or  recommend  him 
to  the  notice  of  his  fellow  worms,  are  but  abomination 
in  the  sight  of  God  ;  Luke  xvi.  15.  The  gospel  is  cal- 
culated and  designed  to  stain  the  pride  of  human  glory. 
It  is  provided,  not  for  the  wise  and  the  righteous,  for 
those  who  think  they  have  good  dispositions  and  good 
works  to  plead,  but  for  the  guilty,  the  helpless,  the 
wretched  ;  tor  those  who  are  ready  to  perish  :  it  fills  the 
hungry  with  good  things,  but  it  sends  the  rich  empty 
away.     See  Rev,  iii.  17,  18. 

You  ask.  If  man  can  do  nothing  without  an  extraor- 
dinary impulse  from  on  high,  is  he  to  sit  still  and  care- 
less? By  no  means. — I  am  far  from  saying  man  can 
do  nothing,  though  1  believe  he  cannot  open  his  own 
eyes,  or  give  himself  taith. — I  wish  every  man  to  ab- 
stain carefully  from  sinful  company,  and  sinful  actions, 
to  read  the  Bible,  to  pray  to  God  for  his  heavenly  teach- 
ing. For  this  waiting  upon  God  he  has  a  moral  ability  ; 
and  if  he  persevere  thus  in  seeking,  the  promise  is  sure, 
that  he  shall  not  seek  in  vain.  But  I  would  not  have 
him  mistake  the  means  for  the  end  ;  think  himself  good 
because  he  is  preserved  from  gross  vices  and  follies,  or 
trust  to  his  religious  course  of  duties  for  acceptance,  nor 
be  satisfied  till  Christ  be  revealed  in  him,  formed  within 
him,  dwell  in  his  heart  by  faith,  and  till  he  can  say  upon 
good  grounds,  "  I  am  crucified  with  Christ ;  neverthe- 
*'  less,  I  live ;  yet  not  I,  but  Christ  liveth  in  niC."  I 
need  not  tell  you  these  are  Scriptural  expressions ;  I 
am  persuaded,  if  they  were  not,  they  would  be  exploded 
by  many  as  unintelligible  jargon.  True  taiih,  my  dear 
Sir,  unites  the  soul  to  Chrst,  and  thereby  gives  access 
to  God,  and  fills  it  with  a  peace  passing  understanding. 


Let.  8.  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  ,S****.  675 

a  hope,  a  joy  unspeakable  and  full  of  glory ;  teaches 
us  that  we  are  weak  in  ourselves,  but  enables  us  to  be 
strong  in  the  Lord,  and  in  the  power  of  his  might.  To 
those  who  thus  believe,  Christ  is  precious,  their  be- 
loved ;  they  hear  and  know  his  voice  ;  the  very  sound 
of  his  name  gladdens  their  hearts ;  and  he  manifests 
himself  to  them  as  Jie  does  not  to  tlie  xvorld.  Thus  the 
Scriptures  speak,  thus  the  first  Christians  exi)erienced ; 
and  this  is  precisely  the  language  which  in  our  days  is 
despised  as  enthusiasm  and  folly.  For  it  is  now  as  it 
was  then,  though  these  things  are  revealed  to  babes, 
and  they  are  as  sure  of  them  as  that  they  see  the  noon- 
day sun,  they  are  hidden  from  the  wise  and  prudent, 
till  the  Lord  makes  them  willing  to  renounce  their  own 
wisdom,  and  to  become  fools,  that  they  may  be  truly 
wise,  ]  Cor.  i.  18,  19.  iii-  8.  viii.  2.  Attention  to  the 
education  of  children  is  an  undoubted  duty;  and  it  is 
a  mercy  when  it  so  far  succeeds  as  to  preserve  them 
from  gross  wickedness  ;  but  it  will  not  change  the  heart. 
They  who  receive  Christ  are  born,  not  of  blood,  nor 
of  the  will  of  the  flesh,  nor  of  the  will  of  man,  but  of 
God  ;  John  i.  \Z. 

If  a  man  professes  to  love  the  Lord  Jesus,  I  am  wil- 
ling to  believe  him,  if  he  does  not  give  me  proof  to  the 
contrary  ;  but  I  am  sure,  at  the  same  time,  no  one  can 
love  him  in  the  Scriptural  sense,  who  does  not  know  the 
need  and  the  worth  of  a  Saviour ;  in  other  words,  who 
is  not  brought,  as  a  ruined,  helpless  sinner,  to  live  upon 
him  for  wisdom,  righteousness,  sanctitication,  and  re- 
demption. They  who  love  him  thus  will  speak  highly 
of  him,  and  acknowledge  that  he  is  their  all  in  all.  And 
they  who  thus  love  him,  and  speak  of  him,  will  get  little 
thanks  for  their  pains  in  such  a  world  as  this  : — "  All 
"  that  live  godly  in  Christ  Jesus  must  suffer  persecu- 

VoL.  L  4  E 


bU  ZcUers  to  the  Rev.  3Ir.  S**^^.  Let.  8, 

*'  tion ;  the  world  that  hated  him,  will  hate  them." 
And  though  it  is  possible  by  his  grace  to  put  to  silence, 
in  some  measure,  the  ignorance  of  foolish  men ;  and 
though  his  providence  can  protect  his  people,  so  that 
not  a  hair  of  their  heads  can  be  hurt  without  his  per- 
mission, yet  the  world  will  shozv  their  teeth,  if  they  are 
not  suffered  to  bite.  The  apostles  were  accounted  bab- 
blers, wj  ■jriftx.a.Qxpy.ocTci,  rov  Koa^ixov,  kva  TavTWv  ffspj-J/n/AiX.    1  UCCd  nOt 

point  out  to  you  the  force  of  these  expressions.  We 
are  no  better  than  the  apostles ;  nor  have  we  reason  to 
expect  much  better  treatment,  so  far  as  we  walk  in  their 
steps.  On  the  other  hand,  there  is  a  sober,  decent  way 
of  speaking  of  God,  and  goodness,  and  benevolence, 
and  sobriety,  which  the  world  will  bear  well  enough ; 
nay,  we  may  say  a  little  about  Jesus  Christ,  as  ready  to 
make  up  the  deficiencies  of  our  honest  and  good  en- 
deavours, and  this  will  not  displease  them.  But  if  we 
preach  him  as  the  only  foundation  ;  lay  open  the  horrid 
evils  of  the  human  heart ;  tell  our  hearers  that  they  are 
dead  in  trespasses  and  sins,  and  have  no  better  ground 
of  hope  in  themselves  than  the  vilest  malefactors,  in 
order  to  exalt  the  glory  of  Jesus,  as  saving  those  who 
are  saved  wholly  and  freely  for  his  own  name's  sake ;  if 
we  tell  the  mi^tuous  and  decent,  as  well  as  the,  profligate , 
that  unless  they  are  born  again,  and  made  partakers  of 
living  faith,  and  count  all  things  loss  for  the  excellency 
of  the  knoxcledge  of  Christ,  they  cannot  be  saved;  this 
the  world  cannot  bear.  We  shall  be  called  knaves  or 
fools,  uncharitable  bigots,  and  twenty  hard  names.  If 
you  have  met  with  nothing  like  this,  I  wish  it  may  lead 
you  to  suspect  whether  you  have  yet  received  the  right 
key  to  the  doctrines  of  Christ;  for,  depend  upon  it,  the 
offence  of  the  cross  is  not  ceased. 

I  am  grieved  and  surprised,  that  you  seem  to  take 


Let.  .8.  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  5'**^=*.  577 

little  notice  of  any  thing  in  the  account  of  my  deceased 
friend,  but  his  wishing  himself  to  be  a  Deist,  and  his 
having  play  books  about  him  in  his  iUness.  As  to  the 
plays,  they  were  Shakspcare's,  which,  as  a  man  of  taste, 
it  is  no  great  wonder  he  should  sometimes  look  in. 
Your  remark  on  the  other  point  shows,  that  you  arc  not 
much  acquainted  with  the  exercises  of  the  human  mind 
under  certain  circumstances.  I  believe  I  observed  for- 
merly, that  it  was  not  a  libertine  wish.  Had  you  known 
him,  you  would  have  known  one  of  the  most  amiable 
and  unblemished  characters.  Few  were  more  beloved 
and  admired  for  an  uniform  course  of  integrity,  modera- 
tion, and  benevolence ;  but  he  was  discouraged.  He 
studied  the  Bible,  believed  it  in  general  to  be  the  word 
of  God  ;  but  his  wisdom,  his  strong  turn  for  reasoning, 
stood  so  in  his  way,  that  he  could  get  no  solid  comfort 
from  it.  He  felt  the  vanity  of  the  schemes  proposed  by 
many  men  admired  in  the  world  as  teachers  of  divinity ; 
and  he  felt  the  vanity  likewise  of  his  own.  He  was  also 
a  minister,  and  had  a  sincere  design  of  doino;  good. 
He  wished  to  reform  the  profligate,  and  comfort  the 
afflicted,  by  his  preaching;  but  as  he  was  not  acquainted 
w  ith  that  one  kind  of  preaching  which  God  owns  to  the 
edification  of  the  hearers,  he  found  he  could  do  neither. 
A  sense  of  disappointments  of  this  kind,  distressed  him. 
Finding  in  himself  none  of  that  peace  which  the  Scrip- 
ture speaks  of,  and  none  of  the  influence  he  hoped  for 
attending  his  ministry,  he  was  led  sometimes  to  question 
the  truth  of  the  Scripture.  We  have  a  spiritual  enemy 
always  near,  to  press  upon  a  mind  in  this  desponding 
situation  :  nor  am  I  surprised  that  he  should  then  wish 
himself  a  Deist ;  since,  if  there  were  any  hope  for  a 
sinner,  but  by  faith  in  the  blood  of  Jesus,  he  had  as 
much  of  his  own  goodness  to  depend  upon  as  most  I 


§78  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  5****'.  Let.  8, 

have  known.  As  for  the  rest,  if  you  could  see  nothing 
admirable  and  wonderful  in  the  clearness,  the  dignity, 
the  spirituality  of  his  expressions,  after  the  Lord  re- 
vealed the  gospel  to  him,  I  can  only  say,  I  am  sorry 
for  it.  This  I  know,  that  some  persons  of  sense,  taste, 
learning,  and  reason,  and  far  enough  from  my  sentiment s, 
have  been  greatly  struck  with  them.  You  say,  a  death- 
bed repentance  is  what  you  would  be  sorry  to  give  any 
hope  of.  My  dear  friend,  it  is  Avell  for  poor  sinners 
that  God's  thoughts  and  ways  are  as  much  above  men's, 
as  the  heavens  are  higher  than  the  earth.  We  agreed 
to  communicate  our  sentiments  freely,  and  promised  not 
to  be  offended  with  each  others  freedom,  if  we  could 
help  it.  I  am  afraid  of  offending  you  by  a  thought  just 
now  upon  my  mind,  and  yet  I  dare  not  in  conscience 
suppress  it :  I  must  therefore  venture  to  sa}^,  that  I 
hope  they  who  depend  upon  such  a  repentance  as  30ur 
scheme  points  out,  will  repent  of  their  repentance  itself 
upon  their  deathbed  at  least,  if  not  sooner.  You  and 
I,  perhaps,  should  have  encouraged  the  fair  spoken 
young  man,  who  said  he  had  kept  all  the  command- 
ments from  his  youth,  and  rather  have  left  the  thief  upon 
the  cross  to  perish  like  a  villain,  as  he  lived.  But  Jesus 
thought  differently.  I  do  not  encourage  sinners  to  defer 
their  repentance  to  their  deathbeds — I  press  the  neces- 
sity of  a  repentance  this  moment.  But  then  I  take  care 
to  tell  them,  that  repentance  is  the  gift  of  God ;  that 
Jesus  is  exalted  to  bestow  it ;  and  that  all  their  endea- 
v^ours  that  way,  unless  they  seek  to  him  for  grace,  will 
be  vain  as  washing  a  Blackmoor,  and  transient  as  wash- 
ins  a  swine,  which  will  soon  return  to  the  mire  a2;ain. 
I  know  the  evil  heart  will  abuse  the  snice  of  God  ;  the 
apostle  knew  this  likewise,  Rom.  iii.  8.  and  vi,  3.  But 
this  did  not  tempt  him  to  suppress  the  glorious  grace  of 


Let.  8.  Letters  to  tlve  Rev,  Mr.  5*^**.  579 

the  Gospel,  the  power  of  Jesus  to  save  to  the  uttermost, 
and  his  merciful  promise,  that  whosoever  cometh  unto 
him,  he  will  in  nowise  cast  out,  1  he  repentance  of  a 
natural  heart,  proceeding  wholly  from  fear,  like  that  of 
some  malefactors,  who  are  sorry,  not  that  they  have 
committed  robbery  or  murder,  but  that  they  must  be 
hanged  for  it:  this,  undoubtedly,  is  nothing  worth,  whe- 
ther in  time  of  health,  or  in  a  dying  hour.  But  that 
fji'.rccvoKx.,  that  gracious  change  of  heart,  views,  and  dis- 
positions, which  always  takes  place  when  Jesus  is  made 
known  to  the  soul  as  having;  died  that  the  sinner  might 
live,  and  been  wounded  that  he  might  be  healed  ;  this, 
at  whatever  period  God  is  pleased  to  afford  and  effect 
it  by  his  Spirit,  brings  a  sure  and  everlasting  salvation 
%vith  it. 

Still  I  find  I  have  not  done  :  you  ask  my  exposition 
of  the  parables  of  the  talents  and  pounds  ;  but  at  pre- 
sent I  can  write  no  more.  I  have  only  just  time  to  tell 
you,  that  when  I  begged  your  acceptance  of  Omicron, 
nothing  was  further  from  my  expectation  than  a  corre- 
spondence with  you.  The  frank  and  kind  manner  in 
which  you  wrote,  presently  won  upon  my  heart.  In 
the  course  of  our  letters  upon  Subscription,  I  observed 
an  integrity  and  disinterestedness  in  you,  which  eU' 
deared  you  to  me  stiil  more.  Since  that  our  debates 
have  taken  a  much  more  interestincr  turn  ;  I  have  con- 
sidered it  as  a  call,  and  an  opportunity  put  in  my  hand, 
by  the  especial  providence  ol  Him  vvlio  ruleth  over  all. 
I  have  embraced  the  occasion  to  lay  before  you  simpl}-, 
and  rather  in  a  way  of  testimony  than  argumentation, 
what,  (in  the  main,)  I  am  sure  is  truth,  I  have  done 
enough  todischariie  my  conscience  but  shall  never  think 
I  do  enough  to  ansuer  the  affection  I  bear  you.  I 
have  done  enough  likewise  to  make  vou  weary  of  my 


S80  Letters  to  the  B,€v,  Mr,  6'*=-^^**.  Let.  g. 

correspondence,  unless  it  should  please  God  to  fix  the 
subject  deeply  upon  your  mind,  and  make  you  atten- 
tive to  the  possibility  and  vast  importance  ol  a  mistake 
in  matters  of  everlasting  concernment.  I  pray  that  the 
good  Spirit  of  God  may  guide  you  into  all  truths.  He 
only  is  the  effectual  teacher.  I  still  retain  a  cheerful 
hope,  that  some  things  you  cannot  at  present  receive, 
will  be  hereafter  the  joy  and  comfort  of  your  heart;  but 
I  know  it  cannot  be  till  the  Lord's  own  time.  I  cannot 
promise  to  give  such  long  answers  as  your  letters  re- 
quire, to  clear  up  every  text  that  may  be  proposed,  and 
to  answer  every  objection  that  may  be  started;  yet  I 
shall  be  glad  to  change  a  letter  now  and  then.  At  pre- 
sent it  remains  with  you,  whether  our  correspondence 
continues  or  not,  as  this  is  the  third  letter  I  have  written 
since  I  heard  from  you,  and  therefore  must  be  the  last 
till  I  do.  I  should  think  what  remains  might  be  better 
settled  vwa  "voce  ;  for  which  purpose  I  shall  be  glad  to 
see  you,  or  ready  to  wait  on  you  when  leisure  will  per- 
mit, and  when  I  know  it  will  be  agreeable  :  but  if,  (as 
life  and  all  its  affairs  are  precarious,)  we  should  never 
meet  in  this  world,  I  pray  God  we  may  meet  at  the 
right  hand  of  Jesus,  in  the  great  day,  when  he  shall 
come  to  gather  up  his  jewels,  and  to  judge  the  world. 
There  is  an  endless  diversity  of  opinions  in  matters  of 
religion  ;  which  of  them  are  right  and  safe,  and  will  lead 
to  eternal  glory,  Dies  iste  indicabit.  I  am  still  in  a 
manner  lost  amidst  more  engagements  than  I  have  time 
to  comply  with ;  but  I  feel  and  know  that  I  am,  &c. 


ELEVEN  LETTERS 

TO 

Mr.  B****,  &c. 

LETTER  I. 

My  Dearest  Sir,  September  28,  1774. 

J.  SEE  the  necessity  of  having,  if  possible,  my  prin- 
ciples at  my  finger's  ends,  that  I  may  apply  them  as  oc- 
casions arise  every  hour.  Certainly,  if  my  ability  was 
equal  to  my  incliiiation,  I  would  remove  your  tumour 
with  a  word  or  a  touch  ;  I  would  exempt  you  instantly 
and  constantly  from  every  inconvenience  and  pain  :  bat 
you  are  in  the  hands  of  one  who  could  do  all  this  and 
more,  and  who  loves  you  infinitely  better  than  I  can 
do,  and  yet  he  is  pleased  to  permit  you  to  suffer.  What 
is  the  plain  inference?  Certainly,  that  at  the  pre- 
sent juncture,  he  to  whom  all  the  concatenations  and 
consequences  of  events  are  present  in  one  view,  sees  it 
better  for  you  to  have  this  tumour  than  to  be  without 
it ;  for  I  have  no  more  idea  of  a  tumour  rising,  (or  any 
other  incidental  trial  befalling  you,)  without  a  cause, 
without  a  need-be,  without  a  designed  advantage  to  re- 
sult from  it,  than  I  have  of  a  mountain  or  a  pyramid 
rising  up  of  its  own  accord  in  the  middle  of  Salisbury 
Plain.  The  promise  is  express,  and  literally  true,  that 
all  things,  universally  and  without  exception,  shall  work 
together  for  good  to  them  that  love  God.  But  they 
work  together :    the  smallest  as  vrell  as  the  greatest 


582  Letters  to  Mr.  5*=»^**.  Let.  1. 

events  have  their  place  and  use,  like  several  stones  in 
the  arch  of  a  bridge,  where  no  one  would  singly  be  use- 
ful, but  every  one  in  its  place  is  necessary  to  the  struc- 
ture and  support  of  the  arch  ;  or,  rather,  like  the  move- 
ment of  a  watch,  where,  though  there  is  an  evident  sub- 
ordination of  parts,  and  some  pieces  have  a  greatercom- 
parative  importance  than  others,  yet  the  smallest  pieces 
have  their  place  and  use,  and  are  so  far  equally  impor- 
,  tant,  that  the  whole  design  of  the  machine  would  be 
obstructed  for  want  of  them.     Some  dispensations  and 
turns  of  Divine  providence  may  be  compared  to  the 
main  spring  or  capital  wheels,  which  have  a  more  visi- 
ble, sensible,  and  determining  influence  upon  the  whole 
tenour  of  our  lives  :  but  the  more  ordinary  occurrences 
of  every   day  are  at  least  pins   and   pivots,    adjusted, 
timed,  and  suited  with  equal  accuracy,  by  the  hand  of 
the  same  great  Artist   who  planned   and  executes  the 
whole ;  and   we  are   sometimes  surprised  to  see  how 
much  more  depends    and  turns  upon  them   than  we 
were  aware  of     Then  we  admire  his  skill,  and  say  he 
has  done  all  things  well.     Indeed,   with  respect  to  his 
works  of  providence,   as  well  as  of  creation,   he  well 
deserves  the  title  of — Ma.ihnus  hi   minimis.      Such 
thoughts  as  these,  when  I  am  enabled  to  realize  them, 
in  some   measure  reconcile  me  to  what   he  allots   for 
myself  or  my  friends,  and  convince  me  of  the  propriety 
of  that  expostulation,   which  speaks   the  language  of 
love  as  well  as  authority,    "  Be  still,  and  know  that  I 
"  am  God."    I  sympathize  with  you  in  your  trial,  and 
pray  and  trust  that  your  Shepherd  will  be  your  Physi- 
cian ;  will  superintend   and   bless  the  use  of  means ; 
will  give  you  in  his  good  time  health  and  cure,  and  at 
all  times   reveal  unto  you  abundance  of  peace.     His 
promises  and  power  are  necessary  for  our  preservation 


Let.  2,  Letters  to  Mr.  5****=.  583 

in  the  smoother  scenes  he  has  allotted  for  us,  and  they 
are  likewise  sufficient  for  the  roughest.  We  are  alwaj/s 
equally  in  danger  in  ourselves,  and  always  equally  safe 
under  the  shadow  of  his  wings.  No  storms,  assaults, 
sieges,  or  pestilences,  can  hurt  us,  till  we  have  filled  up 
his  appointed  measure  of  service ;  and  when  our  work 
is  done,  and  he  has  ripened  us  for  glory,  it  is  no  great 
matter  by  what  means  he  is  pleased  to  call  us  home  to 
himself 

I  have  only  room  to  present  our  joint  and  sincerest 
respects.     The  Lord  bless  you  all. 

I  am,  &c. 


LETTER  II. 

My  Dearest  Sir,  October  15,  1774. 

X  THINK  the  greatness  of  trials  is  to  be  estimated 
rather  by  the  impression  they  make  upon  our  spirits, 
than  by  their  outward  appearance.  The  smallest  will 
be  too  heavy  for  us  if  we  are  left  to  grapple  with  it  in 
our  own  strength,  or  rather  weakness  ;  and  if  the  Lord 
is  pleased  to  put  forth  his  power  in  us,  he  can  make 
the  heaviest  light.  A  lively  impression  of  his  love,  or 
of  his  sufferings  for  us,  or  of  the  glories  within  the 
vail,  accompaniea  with  a  due  sense  of  the  misery  from 
which  we  are  redeemed ;  these  thoughts  will  enable  us 
to  be  not  only  submissive,  but  even  joyful,  in  tribula- 
tions. When  faith  is  in  exercise,  though  the  flesh  will 
have  its  feelings,  the  spirit  will  triumph  over  them.  But 
it  is  needful  we  should  know  that  we  have  no  sufficiency 
in  ourselves,  and  in  order  to  know  it  we  must  feel  it  ; 

and  therefore  the  Lord  sometimes  withdraws  his  sen- 
VoL.  L  4  F 


584  Letters  to  Mr.  i3#***.  Let.  2. 

sible  influence,  and  then  the  buzzing  of  a  fly  will  be  an 
overmatch  for  our  patience :  at  other  times  he  will 
show  us  what  he  can  do  in  us  and  for  us;  then  wq  can 
adopt  the  apostle's  words,  and  say,  I  can  do  and  suffer 
all  things  through  Christ  strengthening  me.  He  has 
said.  My  grace  is  sufiicient  for  thee.  It  is  observable, 
that  the  children  of  God  seldom  disappoint  our  expecta- 
tions under  great  trials  ;  if  they  show  a  wrongness  of 
spirit,  it  is  usually  in  such  little  incidents  that  we  are 
ready  to  wonder  at  them.  For  which,  two  reasons 
may  be  principally  assigned.  When  great  trials  are  in 
view,  we  run  simpl}'^  and  immediately  to  our  all-suf- 
ficient Friend,  feel  our  dependence,  and  cry  in  good 
earnest  for  help ;  but  if  the  occasion  seems  small,  we 
are  too  apt  secretly  to  lean  to  our  own  wisdom  and 
strength,  as  if  in  such  slight  matters  we  could  make 
shift  without  him.  Therefore  in  these  we  often  fail. 
Again,  the  Lord  deals  with  us  as  we  sometimes  see 
mothers  with  their  children.  When  a  child  begins  to 
walk,  he  is  often  very  self-important :  he  thinks  he 
needs  no  help,  and  can  hardly  bear  to  be  supported  by 
the  finser  of  another.  Now  in  such  a  case,  if  there  is 
no  danger  of  harm  from  a  fall,  as  if  he  is  on  a  plain 
carpet,  the  mother  will  let  him  alone  to  try  how  he  can 
walk.  He  is  pleased  at  first,  but  presently  down  he 
comes ;  and  a  few  experiments  of  this  kind  convince 
him  he  is  not  so  strong  and  able  as  he  thought,  and  make 
him  willing  to  be  led.  But  was  he  upon  the  brink  of  a 
river  or  a  precipice,  from  whence  a  fall  might  be  fatal, 
the  tender  mother  would  not  trust  him  to  himself;  no, 
not  for  a  moment.  I  have  not  room  to  make  the  ap- 
plication, nor  is  it  needful.  It  requires  the  same  grace 
to  bear  with  a  right  spirit  a  cross  word,  as  a  cross  in- 


Lei.  3.  Letters  to   Mr.  Z?****.  53$ 

jury ;  or  the  breaking  of  a  china- plate,  as  the  death  of 
an  only  son. 

I  am,  he. 


LETTER  III. 
My  Dear  Sir,  November  23,  1774. 


I 


HOPE  to  be  informed  in  due  time,  that  the  Lord 
has  given  you  full  health  and  cure.  He  has  preserved 
me  hitherto  from  the  hands  of  surgeons ;  but  I  feel  as 
if  my  flesh  would  prove,  as  you  say,  a  very  coward, 
were  it  needful  to  submit  to  a  painful  operation.  Yet 
I  observe,  when  such  operations  are  necessary,  if  peo- 
ple are  satisfied  of  a  surgeon's  skill  and  prudence,  they 
will  not  only  yield  to  be  cut  at  his  pleasure,  without 
pretending  to  direct  him  where,  or  how  long,  he  shall 
make  the  incision,  but  will  thank  and  pay  him  for  put- 
ting them  to  pain,  because  they  believe  it  for  their  ad" 
vantage.  I  wish  I  could  be  more  like  them  in  my  con- 
cerns. My  body,  as  I  said,  is,  through  mercy,  free 
from  considerable  ailments,  but  I  have  a  soul  that  re- 
quires surgeon's  w^ork  continually :  there  is  some  tumour 
to  be  discussed  or  laid  open,  some  dislocation  to  be 
reduced,  some  fracture  to  be  healed  almost  daily.  It 
is  my  great  mercy,  that  One  who  is  infallible  in  skill, 
who  exercises  incessant  care  and  boundless  compassion 
towards  all  his  patients,  has  undertaken  my  case;  and 
complicated  as  it  is,  I  dare  not  doubt  his  making  a 
perfect  cure.  Yet,  alas  !  I  too  often  discover  such  im- 
patience, distrust,  and  complaining,  when  under  his 
hand ;  am  so  apt  to  find  fault  with  the  instruments  he 
is  pleased  to  make  use  of,  so  ready  to  think  the  salu- 
tary wounds  he  makes  unnecessary,  or  too  large  ;  iii  a 


586  Letters  to  Mr.  5****.  Let.  3. 

word,  I  show  such  a  promptness  to  control,  were  I 
able,  or  to  direct  his  operations,  that,  were  not  his  pa- 
tience beyond  expression,  he  would  before  now  have 
given  me  up.  I  am  persuaded,  no  money  would  in- 
duce Mr.  ****  to  attend  upon  a  patient  who  should 
act  towards  him  as  I  have  towards  my  best  Physician. 
Sometimes  I  indulge  a  hope  that  I  am  growing  wiser, 
and  think  surely,  after  such  innumerable  proofs  as  I 
have  had,  that  he  does  all  things  well,  I  shall  now  be 
satisfied  to  leave  myself,  quietly  and  without  reserve, 
to  his  disposal.  A  thousand  such  surrenders  I  have 
made,  and  a  thousand  times  I  have  interpretatively  re- 
tracted them.  Yet  still  he  is  gracious.  O,  how  shall 
I  praise  him  at  last ! 

I  thank  you  for  your  letter  ;  I  never  receive  one  from 
you  without  pleasure,  and,  I  believe,  seldom  without 
profit,  at  least  for  the  time.  I  believe,  with  you,  that 
there  is  much  of  the  proper  and  designed  efficacy  of 
the  Gospel  mystery  which  I  have  not  yet  experienced  : 
and  I  suppose  they  who  are  advanced  far  beyond  me  in 
the  divine  life,  judge  the  same  of  their  utmost  present 
attainments.  Yet  I  have  no  idea  of  any  permanent 
state  in  this  life,  that  shall  make  my  experience  cease 
to  be  a  state  of  warfare  and  humiliation.  At  my  first 
setting  out,  indeed,  I  thought  to  be  better,  and  to  feel 
myself  better,  from  year  to  year;  I  expected  by  degrees 
to  attain  every  thing  which  I  then  comprised  in  my  idea 
of  a  saint.  I  thought  my  grain  of  grace,  by  much  dili- 
gence and  careful  improvement,  would,  in  time,  amount 
to  a  pound  ;  that  pound,  in  a  further  space  of  time,  to 
a  talent;  and  then  I  hoped  to  increase  from  one  talent 
to  many :  so  that,  supposing  the  Lord  should  spare  mc 
a  competent  number  of  years,  I  pleased  myself  with 
the  thought  of  dying  rich. — But,  alas!  these  my  golden 


Let.  3,  Letters  to  Mr.  5^***.  587 

expectations  have  been  like  South  Sea  dreams  :  I  have 
lived  hitherto  a  poor  sinner,  and  I  believe  I  shall  die 
one.  Have  I  then  gained  nothing  by  waiting  upon 
the  Lord  ?  Yes,  I  have  gained  that,  m  hich  I  once 
would  rather  have  been  without,  such  accumulated 
proofs  of  the  deceitfulness  and  desperate  wickedness 
of  my  heart,  as  I  hope,  by  the  Lord's  blessing,  has 
in  some  measure,  taught  me  to  know  what  I  mean, 
when  I  say,  Behold,  I  am  vile  !  And  in  connexion 
with  this,  I  have  gained  such  experience  of  the  wisdom, 
power,  and  compassion  of  my  Redeemer,  the  need,  the 
worth,  of  his  blood,  righteousness,  attention,  and  inter- 
cession— the  glory  that  he  displays  in  pardoning  ini- 
quity and  sin,  and  passing  by  the  transgression  of  the 
remnant  of  his  heritage,  that  my  soul  cannot  but  cry 
out,  Who  is  a  God  like  unto  thee  !  Thus,  if  I  have 
any  meaner  thoughts  of  myself,  Ezek.  xvi.  63.  and  any 
higher  thoughts  of  him  than  I  had  twenty  years  ago, 
I  have  reason  to  be  thankful ;  every  grain  of  this  ex- 
perience is  worth  mountains  of  gold.  And  if,  by  his 
mercy,  I  shall  yet  sink  more  in  my  own  esteem,  and  he 
will  be  pleased  to  rise  still  more  glorious  to  my  eyes, 
and  more  precious  to  my  heart,  I  expect  it  will  be 
much  in  the  same  w  av.  I  was  ashamed  when  I  besan 
to  seek  him,  I  am  more  ashamed  now ;  and  I  expect 
to  be  most  of  all  ashamed  when  he  shall  appear  to  de- 
stroy my  last  enemy.  But,  O  !  I  may  rejoice  in  him, 
to  think  that  he  will  not  be  ashamed  of  me. 

I  am,  t^c. 


588  Letters  to  Mr.  B****.  Let.  4. 

LETTER  IV. 

My  Dear  Sir,  May  19,  1775. 

X  HOPE  you  will  find  the  Lord  present  at  all  times, 
and  in  all  places.  When  it  is  so,  we  are  at  home  every 
where ;  when  it  is  otherwise,  ko7?ie  is  a  prison,  and 
abroad  a  wilderness.  I  know  what  I  ought  to  desire, 
and  what  I  do  desire.  I  point  him  out  to  others  as 
the  all  in  all;  I  esteem  him  as  such  in  my  own  judg- 
ment ;  but,  alas  !  my  experience  abounds  with  com- 
plaints. He  is  my  sun  ;  but  clouds,  and  sometimes 
walls,  intercept  him  from  my  view.  He  is  my  strength  ; 
yet  I  am  prone  to  lean  upon  reeds.  He  is  my  friend ; 
but  on  my  part  there  is  such  coldness  and  ingratitude 
as  no  other  friend  could  bear.  But  still  he  is  gracious, 
and  shames  me  with  repeated  multiplied  goodness.  O 
for  a  warmer  heart,  a  more  simple  dependence,  a  more 
active  zeal,  a  more  sensible  deliverance  from  the  effects 
of  this  body  of  sin  and  death  !  He  helps  me  in  my 
endeavours  to  keep  the  vineyards  of  others ;  but,  alas  I 
my  own  does  not  seem  to  flourish  as  some  do  around 
me.  However,  though  I  cannot  say  I  labour  more 
abundantly  than  they  all,  I  have  reason  to  say  with 
thankfulness,  by  the  grace  of  God,  I  am  what  I  am. 
My  poor  story  would  soon  be  much  worse,  did  not  he 
support,  restrain,  and  watch  over  me  every  minute. 
Let  me  entreat  your  praises  and  prayers,  on  the  behalf 
of  me  and  mine;  and  may  the  Lord  bless  you  and  yours 
with  an  increase  in  every  good. 

I  am,  &c. 


Let.  o.  Letters  to  Mr.  B**^^.  589 

LETTER  V. 

My  Dear  Sir,  September  2,  1776. 

JL  he  young  woman  I  spoke  of  is  still  living,  and  not 
much  weaker  than  when  I  left  her.  The  Lord  Avas 
pleased  to  relieve  her  on  Titesday  evening,  and  she  was 
comfortable  the  remainder  of  the  week.  But  yester- 
day her  conflicts  returned,  and  she  was  in  great  dis- 
tress. The  enemy,  who  always  fights  against  the  peace 
of  the  Lord's  children,  finds  great  advantage  against 
them  when  their  spirits  are  weakened  and  worn  down 
by  long  illness,  and  is  often  permitted  to  assault  them. 
The  reasons  are  hidden  from  us,  but  they  are  doubtless 
worthy  of  his  wisdom  and  love,  and  they  terminate  in 
victory,  to  the  praise  of  his  glorious  grace,  which  is 
more  signally  manifested  by  his  leading  them  safely 
through  fire  and  water,  than  if  their  path  was  always 
smooth.  He  is  sovereign  in  his  dispensations,  and  ap- 
points some  of  his  people  to  trials  and  exercises,  to 
which  others,  perhaps,  are  strangers  all  their  days.  Be- 
lievers are  soldiers  ;  all  soldiers  by  their  profession  are 
engaged  to  fight,  if  called  upon ;  but  who  shall  be 
called  to  sustain  the  hottest  service,  and  be  most  fre- 
quently exposed  upon  the  field  of  battle,  depends  upon 
the  will  of  the  general  or  king.  Some  of  our  soldiers 
are  now  upon  hard  service  in  America,  while  others 
are  stationed  round  the  palace,  see  the  king's  face 
dail}^,  and  have  no  dangers  or  hardships  to  encounter. 
These,  however,  are  as  liable  to  a  call  as  the  others ; 
but,  if  not  called  upon,  they  may  enjoy  with  thankful- 
ness the  more  easy  post  assigned  them.  Thus,  the 
Captain  of  our  salvation  allots  to  his  soldiers  such  sta- 


590  Letters  to  Mr.  i5****.  Let.  5. 

tions  as  he  thinks  proper.  He  has  a  right  to  employ 
whom  he  will,  and  where  he  will.  Some  are  com- 
paratively at  ease  ;  they  are  not  exposed  to  the  fiercest 
onsets,  but  live  near  his  presence  :  others  are,  to  ap- 
pearance, pressed  above  measure,  beyond  strength,  so 
that  they  despair  even  of  life ;  yet  they  are  supported, 
and  in  the  end  made  more  than  conquerors  through 
him  who  hath  loved  them.  Long  observation  con- 
vinces me  that  the  temptations  which  some  endure,  are 
not  chastisements  brought  upon  them  by  unfaithful- 
ness, or  for  any  thing  remarkably  wrong  in  their  spirit 
or  walk ;  I  often  rather  consider  that  in  his  warfare, 
as  in  worldly  wars,  the  post  of  danger  and  difficulty  is 
the  post  of  honour,  and  as  such,  assigned  to  those  whom 
he  has  favoured  with  a  peculiar  measure  of  his  grace. 
This  young  woman,  in  particular,  was  always  from  her 
first  awakening  remarkably  humble  and  spiritual,  and 
possessed  of  a  broken  and  contrite  spirit.  I  never  saw 
her  in  a  wrong  spirit,  or  heard  her  speak  an  unadvised 
•word.  Yet  I  believe  it  is  impossible  to  express  the 
agonies  she  has  endured.  The  effect  of  them  is  visi- 
ble.  Her  animal  frame  was  unable  to  sustain  the  bur- 
den. I  believe  they  were  the  immediate  cause  of  that 
illness  wliich  is  now  bringing  her  down  to  the  grave. 
I  doubt  not  but  these  cases  depend  in  a  great  measure 
upon  constitution ;  but  then  the  temperament  of  our 
bodies  depends  upon  his  pleasure  ;  for  if  the  very  hairs 
of  our  head  are  numbered,  it  is  impossible  that  those 
circumstances  of  our  frame,  which,  by  the  the  near  con- 
nexion between  body  and  soul,  have  a  powerful  in- 
fluence upon  the  state  of  our  minds,  can  escape  his 
notice.  He  could  cure  such  bodily  disorders  as  affect 
the  peace  of  his  people  in  a  moment ;  yet  he  does  not, 
though  he  loves  them.     There  must  be,  therefore,  wise 


Let.  5.  Letters  to  Mr.  ^#***.  5.91 

reasons  why  he  does  not ;  and  though  we  know  them 
not  now,  we  shall  know  them  hereafter.  Possibly 
some  suffer  for  the  instruction  of  the  rest,  that  we  may 
learn  to  be  more  thankful  to  him  for  the  peace  we  en- 
joy, and  to  be  more  humbly  dependent  upon  him  for 
the  continuance  of  it.  The  Lord's  way  is  in  the  deep, 
and  his  patli  in  the  great  waters,  untraceable  by  our 
feeble  reasonings  ;  but  faith  brings  in  a  good  report. 
We  need  not  doubt  but  he  does  all  things  well,  and  in 
due  time  we  shall  see  it.  In  the  mean  while  he  checks 
our  vain  inquiries,  and  calls  upon  us  to  be  still,  and 
know  that  he  is  God. 

I  brought  home  with  me  a  thankful  sense  of  the  kind- 
ness and  friendship  I  am  favoured  with  from  you  and 
all  yours.  I  account  this  connexion  one  of  the  great 
comforts  of  my  life ;  and  I  hope  it  has  been,  and  will 
be,  not  only  pleasant  but  profitable  to  me.  Though 
I  am  but  an  unapt  scholar,  I  hope  I  am  not  unwilling 
to  learn  ;  and  the  Lord,  in  his  merciful  providence,  ap- 
points me  many  teachers.  There  is  little  praise  due 
to  us,  if  we  either  communicate  or  receive  benefit  in 
our  intercourse  with  our  fellow-disciples.  In  both  we 
are  but  instruments  under  the  influence  of  a  higher 
hand.  Were  Christians  to  meet  together  without  their 
Lord,  they  would  either  trifle  or  quarrel  their  time 
away.  But  as  he  has  said,  Where  two  or  three  are  met, 
there  am  I  in  the  midst  of  them,  we  may  well  be  glad  of 
opportunities  of  coming  together.  And  though,  for  my 
own  part,  I  am  so  poor  an  improver  of  such  seasons, 
that  the  recollection  of  them,  when  past,  is  generally 
accompanied  with  shame  and  regret ;  yet  he  is  gracious 
and  merciful,  and  seldom  leaves  me  to  complain  that 
they  were  wholly  in  vain. 

I  am,  &c. 

Vol.  L  4  G 


5&3.  Letters  to  Mr.  5*^**.  Let.  0. 


LETTER  VL 
My  Dear  Sir,  July  22,  177?. 

Tiie  complaints  you  make  of  what  passes  uitJiin,  en- 
courage me  under  what  I  feel  myself.  Indeed,  if  those 
who,  I  have  reason  to  believe,  are  more  spiritual  and 
humble  than  I  am,  did  not  give  some  testimony  that 
they  find  their  hearts  made  of  the  same  materials  as 
mine  is,  1  should  be  sometimes  hard  put  to  it  to  be- 
lieve that  I  have  any  part  or  lot  in  the  matter,  or  any 
real  knowledge  of  the  life  of  faith.  But  this  concur- 
rent testimony  of  many  witnesses,  confirms  me  in  what 
I  think  the  Scripture  plainly  teaches,  that  the  soil  of 
human  nature,  though  many  spots  are  certainly  better 
weeded,  planted,  and  manured  than  others,  is  every 
where  the  same,  universally  bad ;  so  bad  that  it  cannot 
be  worse,  and  of  itself  is  only  capable  of  producing 
noxious  weeds,  and  nourishing  venomous  creatures.  We 
olten  see  the  effects  of  culture,  skill,  and  expense,  will 
make  a  garden  where  all  was  desert  before.  When 
Jesus,  the  good  husbandman,  encloses  a  soil,  and  sepa- 
rates it  from  the  waste  of  the  world,  to  make  it  a  resi- 
dence for  himself,  a  change  presently  takes  place  ;  it  is 
planted  and  watered  from  above,  and  visited  -with 
beams  infinitely  more  cheering  and  fertilizing  than  those 
of  the  material  sun.  But  its  natural  propensity  to  bring 
forth  weeds  still  continues,  and  one  half  of  his  dispen- 
sations may  be  compared  to  a  company  of  weeders, 
whom  he  sends  forth  into  his  garden  to  pluck  up  all 
which  he  has   not   planted  with   his  own   hand,  and 


Lc{.  7.  Letters  to  Mr.  5****,  Jun.  593 

which,  if  left  to  grow,  would  quickly  overpower  and 
overtop  the  rest.  But,  alas  !  the  ground  is  so  impreg- 
nated with  evil  seeds,  and  they  shoot  in  such  quick  suc- 
cession, that  if  this  weeding  work  were  not  constantly 
repeated,  all  former  labour  would  be  lost.  Hi?ic  illce 
lachrymcE.  Hence  arises  the  necessity  of  daily  crosses 
and  disappointments,  daily  changes  of  frame,  and  such 
multiplied  convictions  that  we  are  nothing,  and  can  do 
nothing,  of  ourselves  ;  all  are  needful  and  barely  suf- 
ficient to  prevent  our  hearts  from  being  over-run  with 
pride,  self-dependence,  and  security. 

Yours,  &c. 


LETTER  VII. 
My  Dear  Sir,  November  6,  1777 


Y< 


OU  say  you  are  more  disposed  to  cry  miserere  than 
hallelujah.  Why  not  both  together  ?  When  the  treble 
is  praise,  and  heart-humiliation  for  the  base,  the  me- 
lody is  pleasant,  and  the  harmony  good.  However, 
if  not  both  together,  we  must  have  them  alternately : 
not  all  singing,  not  all  sighing,  but  an  interchange  and 
balance,  that  we  may  be  neither  lifted  too  high,  nor  cast 
down  too  low,  which  would  be  the  case  if  we  were  very 
comfortable  or  very  sorrowful  for  a  long  continuance. 
But  though  we  change,  the  Saviour  changes  not.  All 
our  concerns  are  in  his  hands,  and  therefore  safe. 
His  path  is  in  the  deep  waters,  his  thoughts  and  me- 
thods of  conduct  are  as  high  above  ours,  as  the  heavens 
are  high  above  the  earth  ;  and  he  often  takes  a  course 
for  accomplishing  his  purposes  directly  contrary  to  what 
our  narrow  views  would   prescribe.     He  wounds  in 


594  Letter  to  Mr,  B*^-^*,Jun.  Let.  8. 

order  to  heal,  kills  that  he  may  make  alive,  casts  down 
when  he  designs  to  raise,  brings  a  death  upon  our  feel- 
ings, wishes,  and  prospects,  uhen  he  is  about  to  givetis 
the  desire  of  our  hearts.  These  things  he  does  to 
prove  us  ;  but  he  himself  knows,  and  has  determined 
before-hand,  what  he  will  do.  The  proof  indeed  usually 
turns  out  to  our  shame.  Impatience  and  unbelief  show 
their  heads,  and  prompt  us  to  suppose  this  and  the 
other  thing ;  yea,  perhaps,  all  things  are  against  us,  to 
question  whether  he  be  with  us  and  for  us,  or  not.  But 
it  issues  likewise  in  the  praise  of  his  goodness,  when  we 
find  that,  maugre  all  our  unkind  complaints  and  sus- 
picions, he  is  still  working  wonderfully  for  us,  causing 
light  to  shine  out  of  darkness,  and  doing  us  good  in  de- 
fiance of  ourselves. 

I  am,  &c. 


LETTER  VIII. 
To  Mr.  i?****.  Jun, 
Dear  Sir,  August  24,  1774. 

X  HE  lowness  of  your  voice,  and  a  blameable  absence 
of  mind  on  my  part,  prevented  me  from  understanding 
M'hat  you  said  when  you  took  your  leave  of  me ;  nor 
did  I  just  at  that  instant  recollect  that  you  were  so 
soon  going  away.  I  could  not  otherwise  have  parted 
with  you,  without  a  particular  expression  of  my  warm- 
est wishes  for  your  welfare,  and  commending  you,  with 
an  emotion  Avhich  my  heart  always  feels  for  you,  to 
our  God,  and  the  word  of  his  grace.  Permit  me, 
therefore,  by  writing,  to  assure  you,  so  far  as  I  can 


Let.  8.  Letter  to  Mr.  £****,  Jwi.  595 

answer  for  myself,  that  the  request  you  were  pleased 
to  make  for  my  remembrance,  will  not  be  forgotten 
by  me. 

You  are  going  abroad  ;  you  will  carry  with  you,  I 
doubt  not,  the  best  advice,  strengthened  by  the  autho- 
rity and  aiFection  of  parents,  whom  you  greatly  love 
and  greatly  reverence.  This  may  seem  to  make  any 
thing  a  stranger  can  offer  unnecessary,  if  not  imperti- 
nent ;  yet,  confiding  in  your  candour,  and  in  your  good 
opinion  of  my  intention,  I  shall  venture  to  let  my  pen 
run  on  a  little  longer.  Not  only  my  wishes,  but 
my  hopes,  are  strong  in  your  behalf.  Perhaps  there  is 
hardly  a  young  man  in  the  kingdom,  born  to  a  fortune, 
who  is  setting  out  in  life  upon  equal  advantages  with 
yourself.  How  many  at  your  years,  who  have  been 
brought  up  in  affluence,  are  unprincipled,  uninstructed, 
and  have  already  entered  upon  a  course  of  dissipation 
and  folly,  in  which  it  is  impossible  they  themselves  can 
find  satisfaction,  and  which,  (unless  they  are  reclaimed 
from  it  by  an  Almighty  arm,)  will  infallibly  preclude 
them  from  usefulness  or  esteem  !  whereas,  your  early 
years  have  been  successfully  employed  in  the  pursuit  of 
knowledge,  and  your  education  formed  under  the  most 
animating  and  endearing  influence ;  and  the  Lord  has 
furnished  you  with  every  natural  ability  of  body  and 
mind,  which  may  qualify  you  to  serve  him  in  that  situ- 
ation of  life  which  his  providence  has  allotted  you. 

What  may  I  not  then  further  hope  from  these  begin- 
nings, especially  as  it  is  easy  to  observe,  that  he  has 
given  you  an  amiable  and  promising  disposition  of  spirit, 
and  has  not  only  preserved  you  from  being  hurried  down 
the  stream  of  a  giddy  world,  but  enabled  you  to  account 
the  tender  restraint  under  which  you  have  been  edu- 
cated, not  a  yoke,  but  a  privilege. 


596  Letter  to  Mr.  J5****,  Jw.  Let.  8. 

I  sympathize  with  you  at  what  you  will  feel  when 
you  are  first  separated  from  your  happy  family.  But 
the  Lord  God,  who  is  the  sun  and  shield  of  those  who 
fear  him,  vvill  be  always  near  you  !  His  favour  is  the 
one  thing  needful,  which  no  outward  advantages  can 
compensate  the  want  of;  and  the  right  knowledge  of 
him  is  the  one  thing  needful,  which  no  human  teaching 
can  communicate. 

Were  I  more  intimate  with  you,  I  could  have  asked 
the  question,  and  perhaps  received  the  satisfaction  to 
know,  that  3'ou  have  already  begun  to  consider  him  in 
this  light ;  that  you  feel  a  vanity  in  science,  an  empti- 
ness in  creatures,  and  find  that  you  have  desires  which 
only  He  who  gave  them  can  satisfy.  I  trust  it  either 
is,  or  will  be  thus.  As  to  learning,  though  it  is  use- 
ful when  we  know  how  to  make  a  right  use  of  it,  yet 
considered  as  in  our  own  power,  and  to  those  who 
trust  to  it,  without  seeking  a  superior  guidance,  it  \s> 
usually  the  source  of  perplexity,  strife,  scepticism,  and 
infidelity.  It  is,  indeed,  like  a  sword  in  a  madman's 
hands,  which  gives  him  the  more  opportunity  of  hurt- 
ing himself  and  others.  As  to  what  the  world  calls 
pleasure,  there  is  so  little  in  it,  that  even  the  philoso- 
phers of  old,  or  many  of  them,  though  they  had  little 
of  value  to  substitute  in  its  room,  could  despise  it. 
You  will  perhaps  meet  with  some,  who  will  talk  an- 
other language,  who  will  pretend  to  be  too  wise  to  sub- 
mit to  the  Bible,  and  too  happy  in  worldly  things,  to 
expect  or  desire  any  happiness  beside ;  but  I  trust  you 
have  seen  enough  to  enable  you  to  treat  such  persons 
with  the  pity,  and  such  pretensions  with  the  contempt, 
tiiey  deserve. 

Should  we  set  our  concerns  with  an  eternal  'ncorlil 
aside  for  a  moment,  it  would  be  easy  to  demonstrate 


Let.  S.  Letter  to  Mr.  £#^^ *,  j^n.  597 

that  religion  is  necessary,  in  order  to  make  the  most 
of  this  life,  and  to  enjoy  temporal  good  with  the  highest 
relish.  In  such  a  world  as  this,  where  we  are  every 
moment  liable  to  so  many  unforeseen  and  unavoidable 
contingencies,  a  man  without  religion  may  be  compared 
to  a  ship  in  a  storm,  without  either  rudder,  anchor,  or 
pilot.  But  then,  the  religion  which  only  deserves  the 
name,  must  come  from  above ;  it  must  be  suited  to 
the  state  and  wants  of  a  sinner ;  it  must  be  capable  of 
comforting  the  heart ;  it  must  take  away  the  sting  and 
dread  of  death,  and  fix  our  confidence  upon  one  who  is 
always  able  to  help  us.  Such  is  the  religion  of  Jesus, 
such  are  its  effects,  and  such  are  the  criteria  whereby 
we  are  to  iud^e  of  the  various  forms  and  schemes  un- 
der  which  it  is  proposed  to  us.  But  I  forbear;  I  am 
only  reminding  you  of  what  you  know,  and  what  you 
have  known  to  be  verified  by  living  and  dtjing  example::. 
This  happiness,  my  dear  sir,  is  open  to  you,  to  all  who 
seek.  He  is  enthroned  in  heaven,  but  prayer  will  bring 
him  down  to  the  heart.  Indeed  he  is  always  before- 
hand with  us ;  and  if  we  feel  one  desire  towards  him, 
we  may  accept  it  as  a  token,  that  he  gave  it  us  to  en- 
couracre  us  to  ask  for  more. 

O 

May  he  be  your  guide  and  guard,  be  with  you  at  all 
times,  and  in  all  places,  and  bring  you  back  to  your  fa- 
ther's house  in  peace.  Should  I  live  to  see  that  day, 
you  have  few  friends  whose  congratulations  would  be 
warmer  or  more  sincere  than  mine ;  and  if,  w  hen  you 
are  settled  and  at  leisure,  you  will  afford  me  a  letter,  it 
will  .be  both  a  pleasure  and  a  favour  to,  dear  sir, 

YOLUS.  &c. 


598  Letters  to  Miss  M.  B^^^^.  Let.  1). 


LETTER  IX. 

To  MissM.B**"^*. 

My  Dear  INiiss  M****,  November  11,  1775. 

UR  last  visit  to  ****  was  very  pleasant  to  myself; 
if  any  thing  that  passed  was  of  service  to  you,  we  know 
to  whom  the  thanks  are  due;  for  we  can  neither  com- 
municate nor  receive  any  thing,  but  so  far  as  he  i^ 
pleased  to  enable  us.  One  reason  why  he  often  dis- 
appoints us  is,  that  we  may  learn  to  depend  on  him 
alone.  We  are  prone,  as  you  observe,  to  rest  too 
much  upon  sensible  comforts,  yet  they  are  very  desir- 
able ;  only  as  to  the  measure  and  seasons,  it  is  well  to 
be  submissive  to  his  will,  to  be  thankful  for  them  when 
we  have  them,  and  humbly  waiting  for  them  when  we 
have  them  not.  They  are  not,  however,  the  proper 
ground  of  our  hope ;  a  good  hope  springs  from  such  a 
sense  of  our  wants,  and  such  a  persuasion  of  his  power 
and  grace,  as  engages  the  heart  to  venture,  upon  the 
warrant  of  his  promises,  to  trust  in  him  for  salvation. 
In  a  sense,  we  are  often  hindering  him  by  our  impa- 
tience and  unbelief;  but,  strictly  speaking,  when  he 
really  begins  the  good  work,  and  gives  us  a  desire 
which  will  be  satisfied  with  nothing  short  of  himself,  he 
will  not  be  hindered  from  carrying  it  on  ;  for  he  has 
said,  I  will  work,  and  none  shall  let  it.  Ah  I  had  it 
depended  upon  myself,  upon  my  wisdom  or  faithful- 
ness, 1  should  have  hindered  him  to  purpose,  and  ruined 
myself  long  ago !  How  often  have  I  grieved  and  re- 
sisted  his  Spirit !   but  hereby   I  have  learned  more  of 


Let.  9.  Letters  to  Miss  M.  ^#***.  599 

liis  patience  and  tenderness,  than  I  could  otherwise 
have  known.  He  knows  our  frame,  and  w  hat  etfects 
our  evil  nature,  fomented  by  the  artifices  of  Satan,  will 
have ;  he  sees  us  from  first  to  last.  A  thousand  evils 
arise  in  our  hearts,  a  thousand  wrongnesses  in  our  con- 
duct, which,  as  they  do  arise,  are  new  to  ourselves,  and 
perhaps  at  some  times  we  were  ready  to  think  we  were 
incapable  of  such  things  ;  but  none  of  them  are  new  to 
him,  to  whom  past,  present,  and  future,  are  the  same. 
The  foresight  of  them  did  not  prevent  his  calling  us  b)^ 
his  grace.  Though  he  knew  we  were  vile,  and  should 
prove  ungrateful  and  unfaithful,  yet  he  would  be  found 
of  us  ;  he  would  knock  at  the  door  of  our  hearts,  and 
gain  himself  an  entrance.  Nor  shall  they  prevent  his 
accomplishing  his  gracious  purpose.  It  is  our  part  to 
be  abased  before  him,  and  quietly  to  hope  and  wait  for 
his  salvation  in  the  use  of  his  appointed  means.  The 
power,  success,  and  blessing,  are  wholly  from  himself 
To  make  us  more  sensible  of  this,  he  often  withdraws 
from  our  perceptions  :  and  as,  in  the  absence  of  the 
sun,  the  wild  beasts  of  the  forest  roam  abroad  ;  so, 
when  Jesus  hides  himself,  we  presently  perceive  what 
is  in  our  hearts,  and  what  a  poor  shift  we  can  make 
without  him ;  when  he  returns,  his  light  chases  the 
evils  away,  and  we  are  well  again.  However,  they  are 
not  dead  when  most  controlled  by  his  presence. 

It  is  your  great  and  singular  mercy,  my  dear  miss, 
that  he  has  taught  you  to  seek  him  so  early  in  life. 
You  are  entered  in  the  way  of  salvation,  but  you  must 
not  expect  all  at  once.  The  work  of  grace  is  com- 
pared to  the  corn,  and  to  a  building ;  the  growth  of  the 
one,  and  the  carrying  forward  of  the  other,  are  gradual. 
In  a  building,  for  instance,  if  it  be  large,  there  is  much 

Vol.  I.  4  H 


600  Letters  to  Miss  31.  5****.  Let.  9. 

to  be  done  in  preparing  and  laying  the  foundation,  be- 
fore the  walls  appear  above  ground  ;  much  is  doing 
within,  when  the  work  does  not  seem  perhaps  to  ad- 
vance without ;  and  when  it  is  considerably  forward, 
yet  being  encumbered  with  scaffolds  and  rubbish,  a 
by-stander  sees  it  at  a  great  disadvantage,  and  can 
form  but  an  imperfect  judgment  of  it.  But  all  this 
while  the  architect  himself,  even  from  the  laying  of 
the  first  stone,  conceives  of  it  according  to  the  plan 
and  design  he  has  formed  ;  he  prepares  and  adjusts 
the  materials,  disposing  each  in  its  proper  time  and 
place,  and  views  it,  in  idea,  as  already  finished.  In 
due  season  it  is  completed,  but  not  in  a  day.  The 
top-stone  is  fixed,  and  then  the  scaffolds  and  rubbish 
being  removed,  it  appears  to  others  as  he  intended  it 
should  be.  Men,  indeed,  often  plan  what,  for  want  of 
skill  or  ability,  or  from  unforeseen  disappointments, 
they  are  unable  to  execute.  But  nothing  can  disap- 
point the  heavenly  Builder ;  nor  will  he  ever  be  re- 
proached with  forsaking  the  work  of  his  own  hands,  or 
beginning  that  which  he  could  not  or  would  not  accom- 
plish; Phil.  1.  6.  Let  us  therefore  be  thankful  for  be- 
ginnings, and  patiently  wait  the  event.  His  enemies 
strive  to  retard  the  work,  as  they  did  when  the  Jev>'s,  by 
his  order,  set  about  rebuilding  the  temple.  Yet  it  was 
finished  in  defiance  of  them  all. 

Believe  me  to  be,  &c. 


Let.  10.  Letters  to  Miss  M.  £****.  601 


I 


LETTER  X. 

My  Dear  Miss  M****,  April  29,  1776. 


THANKyouforyour  last;  and  I  rejoice  in  the  Lord's 
goodness  to  you.  To  be  drawn  by  love,  exempted  from 
those  distressing  terrors  and  temptations  which  some 
are  beset  with;  to  be  favoured  with  the  ordinances  and 
means  of  grace,  and  connected  with  those,  and  with 
those  only,  who  are  disposed  and  qualified  to  assist  and 
encourage  you  in  seeking  the  Saviour  ;  these  are  pecu- 
liar privileges,  which  all  concur  in  your  case  :  he  loves 
you,  he  deals  gently  with  you,  he  provides  m  ell  for  you, 
and  accompanies  every  outward  privilege  with  his  special 
blessing;  and  I  trust  he  will  lead  you  on  from  strength  to 
strength,  and  show  you  still  greater  things  than  you  have 
yet  seen.  They  whom  he  teaches  are  always  increasing 
in  knowledge,  both  of  themselves  and  of  him.  The  heart 
is  deep,  and  like  Ezekiel'  s  vision,  presents  so  many 
chambers  of  imagery,  one  within  another,  that  it  requires 
time  to  get  a  considerable  acquaintance  with  it,  and  we 
shall  never  know  it  thoroughly.  It  is  now  more  than 
twenty-eight  years  since  the  Lord  began  to  open  mine 
to  my  own  view;  and  from  that  time  to  tfiis,  almost  every 
day  has  discovered  to  me  something  which  till  then  was 
unobserved ;  and  the  further  I  go,  the  more  I  seem  con- 
vinced that  I  have  entered  but  a  little  way.  A  person 
that  travels  in  some  parts  of  Derbyshire  may  easily  be 
satisfied  that  the  country  is  cavernous;  but  how  large, 
how  deep,  how  numerous  the  caverns  may  be,  which  are 
hidden  from  us  by  the  surface  of  the  ground,  and  what  is 
contained  in  them,  are  questions  which  our  nicest  in- 
quirers cannot  fully  answer.    Thus  I  judge  of  my  heart, 


Letters  to  Miss  M.  2?****.  Let.  10. 

that  it  is  very  deep  and  dark,  and  full  of  evil ;  but  as  to 
particulars,  I  know  not  one  of  a  thousand. 

And  if  our  own  hearts  are  beyond  our  comprehension, 
how  much  more  incomprehensible  is  the  heart  of  Jesus! 
If  sin  abounds  in  us,  grace  and  love  superabound  in  him ; 
his  ways  and  thoughts  are  higher  than  ours,  as  the 
heavens  are  higher  than  the  earth,  his  love  has  a  height, 
and  depth,  and  length,  and  breadth,  that  passeth  all 
knowledge ;  and  his  riches  of  grace  are  unsearchable 
riches,  Ephes.  iii.  8.  18,  19-  All  that  we  have  received 
or  can  receive  from  him,  or  know  of  him  in  this  life, 
compared  with  what  he  is  in  himself,  or  what  he  has  for 
us,  is  but  as  the  drop  of  a  bucket  compared  ^vith  the 
ocean,  or  a  single  ray  of  light  in  respect  of  the  sun. — 
The  waters  of  the  sanctuary  flow  to  us  at  first  almost 
upon  a  level,  ankle  deep ;  so  graciously  does  the  Lord 
condescend  to  our  weakness  ;  but  tiiey  rise  as  we  ad- 
vance, and  constrain  us  to  cry  out  with  the  apostle,  O 
the  depth  !  We  find  before  us,  as  Dr.  Watts  beautiful- 
ly expresses  it, 

A  sea  of  love  and  grace  unknown, 
Without  a  bottom  or  a  shore. 

O  the  excellency  of  the  knowledge  of  Christ !  It  will 
be  growing  upon  us  through  time,  yea,  I  believe  through 
eternity.  What  an  astonishing  and  what  a  cheering 
thoucrht,  that  this  hiirh  and  loftv  one  should  unite  himself 
to  our  nature,  that  so,  in  a  way  worthy  of  his  adorable 
perfections,  he  might  by  his  Spirit  unite  us  to  himself! 
Could  such  a  thought  have  arisen  in  our  hearts,  without 
the  warrant  of  his  word,  (but  it  is  a  thought  which  no  cre- 
ated mind  was  capable  of  conceiving  till  he  revealed  it,) 
it  would  have  been  presumption  and  blasphemy;  but 
now  he  has  made  it  known,  it  is  the  foundation  of  ou'. 


Let.  11.  Letters  to  Miss  31.  5****.  G03 

hope,  and  an  inexhaustible  spring  of  life  and  joy.  Well 
may  we  say,  Lord,  what  is  man,  that  thou  shouldst  thus 
visit  him  ! 

I  am,  &c. 


W, 


LETTER  XL 
My  Dear  Miss  M***,  September  3,  1776. 


E  saw  no  danger  upon  the  road  homeward ;  but  my 
judgment  tells  me  we  are  always  upon  the  brink  of  dan- 
ger, though  we  see  it  not ;  and  that,  without  the  imme- 
diate protection  and  care  of  Him  who  preserveth  the 
stars  in  their  courses,  there  could  be  no  travelling  safely 
a  few  miles,  noreven  sittingin  safety  by  the  fire-side.  But 
with  him  we  are  safe  in  all  places  and  circumstances,  till 
our  race  is  done,  and  his  gracious  purposes  concerning 
us,  in  the  present  life,  are  completely  answered ; — 
then  he  will  call  us  home,  that  we  may  see  his  face, 
and  be  with  him  for  ever ;  and  then  it  will  not  much 
signify  what  messenger  he  shall  be  pleased  to  send  for 
us. 

While  he  took  care  of  us  abroad,  he  watched  over 
our  concerns  at  home  likewise;  so  that  we  found  all  well 
upon  our  return,  and  met  with  nothing  to  grieve  us. 
Many  go  out  and  return  home  no  more,  and  many  find 
distressing  things  have  happened  in  their  absence ; 
but  we  have  to  set  up  our  Ebenezer,  and  to  say,  Hi- 
therto he  has  helped  us.  Assist  me  to  praise  him. 
The  Lord  is  leading  you  in  the  good  old  way,  in  which 
vou  may  perceive  the  footstepts  of  his  flock  who  have 
gone  before  you.  They  had  in  their  day  the  same  difficul- 
ties, fears,  and  complaints  as  we  have,  and  through  mercy 
\ye  partake  of  the  same  consolation  which  supported  and 
refreshed  them ;  and  the  promises  which  they  trusted  and 


604  Letters  to  Miss  M.  B***^.  Let.  11. 

found  faithful,  are  equally  sure  to  us.  It  is  still  true, 
that  they  who  believe  shall  never  be  confounded.  If  left 
to  ourselves,  we  should  have  built  upon  sand  :  but  he 
has  provided  and  revealed  a  sure  foundation,  removed 
our  natural  prejudices  against  it ;  and  now,  though  rains, 
and  floods,  and  storms,  assault  our  building,  it  cannot 
fall,  for  it  is  founded  upon  a  rock.  The  suspicions  and 
fears  which  arise  in  an  awakened  mind,  proceed,  in  a 
good  measure,  from  remaining  unbelief;  but  not  wholly 
so,  for  there  is  a  jealousy  and  diffidence  of  ourselves,  a 
w'ariness,  owing  to  a  sense  of  the  deceitfulness  of  our 
hearts,  which  is  a  grace,  and  a  gift  of  the  Lord.  Some 
people  who  have  much  zeal,  but  are  destitute  of  this 
jealous  fear,  may  be  compared  to  a  ship  that  spreads  a 
great  deal  of  sail,  but  is  not  properly  ballasted,  and  is 
therefore  in  danger  of  being  overset  whenever  a  storm 
comes.  A  sincere  person  has  many  reasons  for  distrust- 
ing his  own  judgment ;  is  sensible  of  the  vast  import- 
ance of  the  case,  and  afraid  of  too  hastily  concluding  in 
his  own  favour,  and  therefore  not  easily  satisfied.  How- 
ever, this  fear,  though  useful,  especiall}''  to  young  begin- 
ners, is  not  comfortable;  and  they  who  simply  wait  upon 
Jesus,  are  gradually  freed  from  it,  in  proportion  as  their 
knowledge  of  him,  and  their  experience  of  his  goodness, 
increases.  He  has  a  time  for  settling  and  establishing 
them  in  himself,  and  his  time  is  best.  We  are  hasty,  and 
would  be  satisfied  at  once,  but  his  word  is,  "  Tarry 
''  thou  the  Lord's  leisure."  The  work  of  grace  is  not 
like  Jonah's  Gourd,  w  hich  sprang  up  and  flourished  in  a 
night,  and  as  quickly  withered  ;  but  rather  like  the  oak, 
which,  from  a  little  acorn  and  a  tender  plant,  advances 
with  an  almost  imperceptible  growth  from  year  to  year, 
till  it  becomes  a  broad,  spreading,  and  deep-rooted  tree, 
and  then  it  stands  for  ages.  The  Christian  oak  shall  grow 


Let.  11.  Letters  to  Miss  M.  ii****.  G05 

and  flourish  for  ever.  When  I  see  any,  soon  after  they 
appear  to  be  awakened,  making  a  speedy  profession  of 
great  joy,  before  they  have  a  due  acquaintance  with 
their  own  hearts,  I  am  in  pain  for  them.  I  am  not 
sorry  to  hear  them  afterwards  complain  that  their  joys 
are  gone,  and  they  are  ahnost  at  their  wit's  end ;  for  with- 
out some  such  check,  to  make  them  feel  their  weakness 
and  dependence,  I  seldom  find  them  turn  out  well ;  ei- 
ther their  fervour  insensibly  abates,  till  they  becomequite 
cold,  and  sink  into  the  world  again,  (of  which  I  have 
seen  many  instances,)  or,  if  they  do  not  give  up  all,  their 
walk  is  uneven,  and  their  spirit  has  not  that  savour  of 
brokenness  and  true  humility,  which  is  a  chief  ornament 
of  our  holy  profession.  If  they  do  not  feel  the  plague 
of  their  hearts  at  first,  they  frnd  it  out  afterwards,  and 
too  often  manifest  it  to  others.  Therefore,  though  I 
know  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  free,  and  will  not  be  con- 
fined to  our  rules,  and  there  may  be  excepted  cases  ; 
yet,  in  general,  I  believe  the  old  proverb,  "  Soft  and 
"  fair  goes  far,"  will  hold  good  in  Christian  experience. 
Let  us  be  thankful  for  the  beginnings  of  grace,  and  wait 
upon  our  Saviour  patiently  for  the  increase.  And  as 
we  have  chosen  him  for  our  physician,  let  us  commit 
ourselves  to  his  management,  and  not  prescribe  to  him 
what  he  shall  prescribe  for  us.  He  knows  us,  and  he 
loves  us  better  than  we  do  ourselves,  and  will  do  all 
things  well. 

You  sa}',  "  It  never  came  with  powder  and  life  to  my 
"  soul,  that  he  died  for  me."  If  you  mean,  you  never 
had  any  extraordinary  sudden  manifestation,  something 
like  a  vision  or  a  voice  from  heaven,  confirming  it  to 
you,  I  can  say  the  same.  But  I  know  he  died  for 
sinners  ;  I  know  I  am  a  sinner  :  I  know  he  invites  them 
that^re  ready  to  perish  ;  I  am  such  a  one :  I  know, 


606  Letters  to  Miss  M.  B^^^^,  Let.  11. 

upon  his  own  invitation,  I  have  committed  myself  to 
him ;  and  I  know,  by  the  effects,  that  he  has  been  with 
me  hitherto,  otherwise  I  should  have  been  an  apostate 
long  ago ;  and  therefore  I  know  that  he  died  for  me ; 
for  had  he  been  pleased  to  kill  me,  (as  he  justly  might 
have  done,)  he  would  not  have  shown  me  such  things 
as  these. 

If  I  must  perish,  would  the  Lord 
Have  taught  my  heart  to  love  his  word  l 
Would  he  have  given  me  eyes  to  see 
My  danger  and  my  remedy  ? 
Reveal'd  his  name,  and  bid  me  pray, 
Had  he  resolv'd  to  say  me  nay  ? 

I  know  that  I  am  a  child,  because  he  teaches  me  to 
say,  Abba,  Father.  I  know  that  I  am  his,  because  he 
has  enabled  me  to  choose  him  for  mine.  For  such  a 
choice  and  desire  could  never  have  taken  place  in  my 
heart,  if  he  had  not  placed  it  there  himself.  By  nature 
I  was  too  blind  to  know  him,  too  proud  to  trust  him, 
too  obstinate  to  serve  him,  too  base-minded  to  love 
him.  The  enmity  I  was  filled  with  against  his  govern- 
ment, righteousness  and  grace,  was  too  strong  to  be 
subdued  by  any  power  but  his  own.  The  love  I  bear 
him  is  but  a  faint  and  feeble  spark,  but  it  is  an  emana- 
tion from  himself :  he  kindled  it,  and  he  keeps  it  alive  ; 
and  because  it  is  his  work,  I  trust  many  waters  shall 
not  quench  it. 

I  have  only  room  to  assure  you,  that  I  am,  &c. 


FOUR  LETTERS 

TO    THE 

Rev.  Mr.  R****. 

LETTER  I. 
My  Dear  Sir,  April  15,  1776. 

^  tP  ^  ^  -5^  ^  -W  ^ 

I  often  rejoice  on  your  behalf.  Your  call  out  of 
the  world  was  a  singular,  comfortable  instance  of  the 
power  of  grace.  And  when  I  consider  the  difficulties 
and  snares  of  your  situation,  and  that  you  have  been 
kept  in  the  middle  path,  preserved  from  undue  com- 
pliances on  the  one  hand,  and  unnecessary  singularities 
on  the  other,  I  cannot  doubt  but  the  Lord  has  hitherto 
helped  and  guided  you.  Indeed  you  have  need  of  his 
guidance.  At  your  years,  and  with  your  expectations 
in  life,  your  health  firm,  and  your  natural  spirits  lively, 
you  are  exposed  to  many  snares  :  yet  if  the  Lord  keeps 
you  sensible  of  your  danger,  and  dependent  upon  him, 
3'ou  will  walk  safely.  Your  security,  success,  and  com- 
fort, depend  upon  him  :  and,  in  the  way  of  means, 
chiefly  upon  your  being  preserved  in  an  humble  senses 
of  your  own  weakness.  It  is  written,  "  Fear  not,  I 
"  am  with  thee."  It  is  written  again,  "  Blessed  is  th^ 
"  man  w  ho  feareth  always."  There  is  a  perfect  har- 
mony in  those  seemingly  different  texts.  IMay  the  wis- 
dom that  Cometh  from  above,  teach  you  and  me  to  keep 
them  both  united  in  our  view.  If  the  Lord  be  with  us, 
we  have  no  cause  of  fear.     His  eye  is  upon  uS;  his  arm 

Vol.  L  4  1 


668  Letters  to  theliev.  Mr.  i2*#**.  Let.  L 

over  us,  his  ear  open  to  our  prayer ;  his  grace  sufficient, 
his  promise  unchangeable.  Under  his  protection,  though 
the  path  of  duty  should  lie  through  fire  and  water,  we 
may  cheerfully  and  confidently  pursue  it.  On  the  other 
hand,  our  hearts  are  so  deceitful,  fallible,  and  frail ;  our 
spiritual  enemies  so  subtle,  vvatchful,  and  powerful;  and 
they  derive  so  many  advantages  from  the  occasions  of 
every  day,  in  which  we  are  unavoidably  and  unexpect- 
edly concerned ;  there  is  so  much  combustible  within, 
and  so  many  temptations  arising  from  without,  capable 
of  setting  all  in  a  flame  ;  that  we  cannot  be  too  jealous 
of  ourselves  and  our  circumstances.  The  duke  of  De- 
vonshire's motto,  (if  I  mistake  not,)  well  suits  the  Chris- 
tian, Caverido  tutus.  When  we  can  say  in  the  Psalmists 
spirit,  Hold  thou  me  up,  we  may  warrantably  draw  his 
conclusion,  and  I  shall  be  safe  ;  but  the  moment  "sve 
lean  to  our  own  understanding,  we  are  in  imminent 
danger  of  falling.  The  enemy  who  wars  against  our 
souls,  is  a  consummate  master  in  his  way,  fertile  in 
stratagems,  and  equally  skilful  in  carrying  on  his  assaults 
by  sap  or  by  storm.  He  studies  us,  if  I  may  so  say, 
all  round,  to  discover  our  weak  sides  ;  and  he  is  a  very 
Proteus  for  changing  his  appearances,  and  can  appear 
as  a  sly  serpent,  a  roaring  lion,  or  an  angel  of  light,  as 
best  suits  his  purpose.  It  is  a  great  mercy  to  be  in 
some  measure  acquainted  with  his  devices,  and  aware 
of  them.  They  who  wait  humbly  upon  the  Lord,  and 
consult  carefully  at  his  word  and  throne  of  grace,  are 
made  wiser  than  their  enemy,  and  enabled  to  escape 
and  withstand  his  wiles.  I  know  you  will  not  expect 
me  to  apologize  for  putting  you  in  mind  of  these  things, 
though  you  know  them,  I  have  a  double  warrant;  the 
love  I  bear  you,  and  the  Lord's  command,  Heb.  iii.  13. 
Use  the  like  freedom  with  me ;  I  need  it,  and  hope  to 


Let.  2.  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  i?****.  C09 

be  thankful  for  it,  and  accept  it  as  one  of  the  best  proofs 
of  friendship. 

The  Lord  bless  and  keep  you.     Pray  for  us,  and  be- 
lieve me  to  be,  sincerely  yours. 


LETTER  II. 

My  Dear  Sir,  July  13,1776. 

-1  HE  Lord,  who  mercifully  called  you  out  of  a  state 
of  thoughtless  dissipation,  and  has  hitherto  been  with 
you,  will,  I  trust,  sweeten  all  your  trials,  and  cause  his 
light  to  shine  upon  your  paths.  It  seems  probable,  that 
if  you  pay  a  just  regard  to  your  father's  negative,  which 
I  really  think  he  has  a  right  to  expect  from  you,  and  at 
the  same  time  make  a  steady  and  conscientious  use  of 
that  negative  which  he  generously  allows  you  to  put 
upon  his  proposals,  to  which  I  think  you  have  an  equal 
right ;  I  say,  while  things  remain  in  this  situation,  and 
you  continue  to  think  differently,  it  seems  probable, 
that  the  hour  of  your  exchanging  a  single  for  the  mar- 
riage state,  is  yet  at  some  distance.  But  let  not  this 
grieve  you.  The  Lord  is  all-sufficient.  A  lively  sense 
of  his  love,  a  deep  impression  of  eternity,  a  heart  filled 
with  zeal  for  his  cause,  and  a  thirst  for  the  good  of  souls, 
\\\\\,  I  hope,  enable  you  to  make  a  cheerful  sacrifice  of 
whatever  has  no  necessary  connexion  with  your  peace 
and  his  service.  And  you  may  rest  assured,  that  when- 
ever he,  who  loves  you  better  than  you  do  yourself,  sees 
it  best  for  you  upon  the  whole  to  change  your  condi- 
tion, he  will  bring  it  about;  he  will  point  out  the  person, 
prepare  the  means,  and  secure  the  success,  by  his  pro- 
vidence, and  the  power  he  has  over  every  heart.  And 
you  shall  see  that  all  previous  difficulties  were  either 


610  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  i?#^**.  Let.  2, 

gracious  preventions,  which  he  threw  in  the  way,  to  pre* 
vent  your  taking  a  wrong  step,  or  temporary  bars,  which, 
by  his  removing  them  afterwards,  should  give  you  op- 
portunity of  more  clearly  perceiving  his  care  and  inter- 
position in  your  favour.  In  the  mean  time  remember 
your  high  calling. — You  are  a  minister  and  ambassador 
of  Christ ;  you  are  intrusted  with  the  most  honourable 
and  important  employment  that  can  engage  and  animate 

tne  neart  OI    man.    TaSra  p.?XETa,  h  thtoi?  iO-Si,  iiriy-ivt  al-voic* . 

Filled  and  fired  with  a  constraifiins;  sense  of  the  love 
of  Jesus,  and  the  worth  of  souls,  impressed  \\\\h.  an  ar- 
dour to  carry  war  into  Satan's  kingdom,  to  storm  his 
strong  holds,  and  rescue  his  captives ;  you  will  have 
little  leisure  to  think  of  any  thing  else.  How  does  the 
love  of  glory  stimulate  the  soldier,  make  him  forget  and 
forego  a  thousand  personal  tendernesses,  and  prompt 
him  to  cross  oceans,  to  traverse  deserts,  to  scale  moun- 
tains, and  plunge  into  the  greatest  hardships  and  the 
thickest  dangers  !  They  do  it  for  a  corruptible  crown, 
a  puff  of  breath,  an  empty  fame ;  their  highest  pro- 
spect is  the  applause  and  favour  of  their  prince.  We 
likewise  are  soldiers,  we  have  a  Prince  and  Captain 
who  deserves  our  all.  They  who  know  him,  and  have 
hearts  to  conceive  of  his  excellence,  and  to  feel  their 
obligations  to  him,  cannot,  indeed,  seek  their  own  glory; 
but  his  glory  is  dearer  to  them  than  a  thousand  lives. 
They  owe  him  their  souls,  for  he  redeemed  them  with 
blood,  his  own  blood  ;  and  by  his  grace  he  subdued  and 
pardoned  them  when  they  were  rebels,  and  in  arms 
against  him.  Therefore  they  are  not  their  own,  they 
would  not  be  their  own.  When  his  standard  is  raised, 
when  his  enemies  are  in  motion,  when  his  people  are  to 

*  !  Tim.  iv.  15. 


Let.  3.  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  i2*#**.  611 

be  rescued  ;  they  go  forth  clothed  with  his  panoply, 
they  fight  under  his  eye,  they  are  sure  of  his  support, 
and  he  shows  them  the  conqueror's  crown.  O  when 
they  think  of  that  Ey,  ^hm  ayaQs*,  with  which  he  has  pro- 
mised to  welcome  them  home  when  the  campaign  is 
over,  hard  things  seem  easy,  and  bitter  things  sweet; 
they  count  nothing,  not  even  their  own  lives  dear,  so 
that  they  may  finish  their  course  with  joy.  May  the 
Lord  make  us  thus  minded ;  give  us  a  hearty  concern 
for  his  business,  and  he  has  engaged  to  take  care  of 
ours  ;  and  nothing  that  can  conduce  to  our  real  com- 
fort and  usefulness  shall  be  with-held. 

Believe  me  to  be  sincerely  yours. 


LETTER  in. 

My  Dear  Friend,  December  21,  1 776. 


Y( 


OUR  letter  brought  me  tidings  of  joy,  and  then  fur- 
nished me  with  materials  for  a  bonfire  upon  the  occa- 
sion. It  Mas  an  act  of  passive  obedience  to  burn  it, 
but  I  did  obey.  I  congratulate  you  upon  the  happy 
issue  to  which  the  Lord  has  brought  your  affairs.  I 
see  that  his  good  Spirit  and  good  providence  have  been 
and  are  with  you.  I  doubt  not  but  your  union  with 
]\Iiss  ****'  will  be  a  mutual  blessing,  and,  on  your  part, 
heightened  by  being  connected  with  such  a  family.  I 
could  enlarge  upon  this  head,  if  viy  letter  likewise  was 
to  be  burnt  as  soon  as  you  have  read  it.  1  look  upon 
the  friendship  the  Lord  has  given  me  there,  as  one  of 
my  prime  privileges ;  and   I  hope  I  shall  always  be 

*  Well  done,  good  servaijt. 


G12  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  i?****.  Let.  3. 

thankful  that  it  proved  a  means  of  introducing  you  in- 
to it. 

I  congratulate  you  likewise  upon  your  accession  to 
******,  not  because  it  is  a  good  living,  in  a  genteel 
neighbourhood,  and  a  fine  country ;  but  because  I  be- 
lieve the  Lord  sends  you  there  for  fulfilling  the  desires 
he  has  given  you,  of  being  useful  to  souls.  Church- 
preferment,  in  any  other  view,  is  dreadful ;  and  I  would 
as  soon  congratulate  a  man  upon  seeing  a  millstone 
tied  about  his  neck,  to  sink  him  into  the  depths  of  the 
sea,  as  upon  his  obtaining  what  is  called  a  good  living, 
except  I  thought  him  determined  to  spend  and  be  spent 
in  the  cause  of  the  Gospel.  A  parish  is  an  awful  mill- 
stone indeed  to  those  who  see  nothing  valuable  in  the 
flock  but  the  fleece  :  but  the  Lord  has  impressed  your 
heart  with  a  sense  of  the  glory  and  importance  of  his 
truth,  and  the  worth  of  souls ;  and  animated  your  zeal 
by  the  most  powerful  motive,  the  knowledge  of  his  con- 
straining love.  Your  case  is  extraordinary.  Perhaps, 
when  you  review  in  your  mind  the  circle  of  your  former 
gay  acquaintance,  you  may  say  with  Job's  servant,  "  I 
*'  only  am  escaped  alive :" — The  rest  are  either  re- 
moved into  an  eternal  state,  or  are  still  hurrying  down 
the  stream  of  dissipation,  and  living  w  ithout  God  in  the 
world.  Yet  there  was  a  time  when  there  seemed  no 
more  probability  on  your  side  than  on  theirs,  that  you 
should  obtain  mercy,  and  be  called  to  the  honour  of 
preaching  the  glorious  Gospel.  You  are  setting  out 
with  every  possible  advantage.  In  early  life,  with  a 
cheerful  flow  ot  spirits,  affluent  circumstances,  and  now, 
to  crown  all,  the  Lord  gives  you  the  very  choice  of  your 
heart  in  a  partner  ;  one  w  ho,  besides  deserving  and 
meeting  your  affection,  will,  I  am  persuaded,  be  a  real 


Let.  3.  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  i?****.  613 

helpmeet  to  you  in  your  spiritual  walk.     How  much  is 
here  to  be  thankful  tor  ! 

I  trust  the  Lord  has  given  you,  and  will  maintain  in 
you,  a  right  spirit,  so  as  not  to  rest  in  his  gifts,  but  to 
hold  thein  in  connexion  with  the  love  and  favour  of  the 
giver.  It  is  a  low  time  v,  ith  us,  when  the  greatest  as- 
semblage  of  earthly  blessings  can  seem  to  satisfy  us 
without  a  real  communion  with  him.  His  grace  is  suf- 
ficient for  you  ;  but  undoubtedly  such  a  scene  of  pros- 
perity as  seems  to  lie  before  you,  is  full  of  snares,  and 
calls  for  a  double  effort  of  \\  atchfulness  and  prayer. — ' 
Your  situation  will  fix  many  eyes  upon  you,  and  Satan 
will  doubtless  watch  you,  and  examine  every  corner  of 
the  hed2;e  around  you,  to  see  if  he  can  find  a  gap  by 
which  to  enter.  Vie  have  but  few  rich  Gospel-mini- 
sters; but  it  is  too  evident  that  he  has  found  a  way  to 
damp  the  zeal  and  hurt  the  spirits  of  some  of  those  few, 
who  for  a  time  acted  nobly,  and  seemed  to  walk  out  of 
the  reach  of  the  allurements  of  the  v.orld.  I  am  not 
jealous  of  you  ;  I  feel  a  comfortable  persuasion,  that 
the  Lord  has  taken  a  fast  hold  of  your  heart,  and  given 
you  a  fast  hold  of  his  almighty  arm  :  yet  I  believe  you 
will  not  be  displeased  with  me  tor  dropping  a  hint  of 
this  kind,  and  at  this  time. 

You  have  heard  of  the  tpial  with  which  the  Lord  has 
been  pleased  to  visit  us  ;  it  still  continues,  though  con- 
siderably alleviated.  It  is  tempered  with  many  mercies, 
and  I  hope  he  disposes  us  in  a  measure  to  submission. 
I  trust  it  will  be  for  good.  Tvly  dear  friend,  you  are 
coming  into  my  school,  w  here  you  w  ill  learn,  as  occa- 
sions offer,  to  feel  more  in  the  person  of  another  than 
in  your  own.  But  be  not  discouraged  ;  the  Lord  only 
afflicts  for  our  good.  It  is  necessary  that  our  sharpest 
trials  should  sometimes  spring  from  our  dearest  com- 


614  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  jR****.  Let.  3. 

forts,  else  ^ve  should  be  in  danger  of  forgetting  ourselves, 
and  setting  up  our  rest  here.  In  such  a  world,  and 
with  such  hearts  as  we  have,  we  shall  often  need  some- 
thing to  prevent  our  cleaving  to  the  dust,  to  quicken  us 
to  prayer,  and  to  make  us  feel  that  our  dependence  for 
one  hour's  peace  is  upon  the  Lord  alone.  I  am  ready 
to  think  I  have  known  as  much  of  the  good  and  happi- 
ness which  this  world  can  afford,  as  most  people  who 
live  in  it.  I  never  saw  the  person  with  whom  I  wished 
to  exchange  in  temporals.  And  for  many  years  past  I 
have  thought  my  trials  have  been  light  and  few,  com- 
pared with  what  many,  or  most  of  the  Lord's  people 
have  endured.  And  yet,  though  in  the  main  possessed 
of  my  own  wishes,  when  I  look  back  upon  the  twenty- 
seven  years  past,  I  am  ready  to  style  them,  with  Jacob, 
"  few  and  evil;"  and  to  give  the  sum-total  of  their  con- 
tents in  Solomon's  words — "  all  is  vanity."  If  I  take 
these  years  to  pieces,  I  see  a  great  part  of  them  was 
filled  up  with  sins,  sorrows,  and  inquietudes.  The 
pleasures,  too,  are  gone,  and  have  no  more  real  exist- 
ence than  the  baseless  fabric  of  a  dream.  The  shadows 
of  the  evening  will  soon  begin  to  come  over  us ;  and  if 
our  lives  are  prolonged,  a  thousand  pains  and  infirmi- 
ties, from  which  the  Lord  has  in  a  remarkable  measure 
exempted  us  hitherto,  will  probably  overtake  us  ;  and 
at  last  we  must  feel  the  parting  pang.  Sic  transit  gloria 
onimdi.  Sin  has  so  envenomed  the  soil  of  this  earth, 
that  the  amaranth  will  not  grow  upon  it.  But  we  are 
hastening  to  a  better  world,  and  bright  unclouded  skies, 
where  our  sun  will  go  down  no  more,  and  all  tears  shall 
be  wiped  from  our  eyes. 

I  am,  &c. 


Let.  4.  Lttters  to  the  Rev.  Mr,  22#***.  615 

LETTER  IV. 
My  Dear  Friend,  September  27,  1777. 


Ml 


.R.  ****  called  on  us  on  Thursday  evening,  and  from 
that  hour  my  thoughts,  when  awake,  have  seldom  been 

absent  from .     Few-  people  are  better  qualified 

to  feel  for  you,  yourself  and  the  family  excepted  ;  per- 
haps there  is  no  person  living  more  nearly  interested  in 
what  concerns  Mrs.  ****  than  myself.  I  could  not, 
therefore,  at  such  a  time  as  this,  refrain  from  writing ; 
and  glad  should  I  be,  if  the  Lord  may  help  me  to  drop 
a  suitable  word,  and  accompany  it  with  a  blessing  to 
you  in  the  reading. 

I  am  glad  to  be  assured,  (though  I  expected  no  less,) 
that  Mrs.  ****  happily  feels  herself  safe  in  the  Lord's 
hand,  and  under  the  care  of  the  good  Shepherd  and 
Saviour,  to  whom  she  has  often  committed  herself;  and 
finds  him  faithful  to  his  promise,  giving  her  strength  in 
her  soul  according  to  her  day,  and  enabling  her  quietly 
to  submit  to  his  holy,  wise,  and  gracious  will.  And  it 
is  my  prayer,  that  he  may  strengthen  you  likewise,  and 
reveal  his  own  all  sufliciency  so  clearly  and  powerfully 
to  your  heart,  that  you  may  not  be  afraid  of  any  event, 
but  cheerfully  rely  upon  him,  to  be  all  that  to  you,  in 
every  circumstance  and  change,  which  his  promise  waN 
rants  you  to  expect. 

I  am  willing  to  hope,  that  this  is  but  a  short  season 
of  anxiety,  appointed  for  the  exercise  of  your  fiiith  and 
patience,  and  to  give  you,  in  his  good  time,  a  signal 
proof  of  his  power  and  goodness  in  answering  prayer. 
He  sometimes  brings  us  into  such  a  situation  that  the 

Vol.  I.  4  K 


G16  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  JS****.  Let.  4, 

help  of  creatures  is  utterly  unavailing,  that  we  may  af- 
terwards be  more  clearly  sensible  of  his  interposition^ 
Then  we  experimentally  learn  the  vanity  of  all  things 
here  below,  and  are  brought  to  a  more  immediate  and 
absolute  dependence  upon  himself.  We  have  need  of 
having  these  lessons  frequently  inculcated  upon  us;  but- 
when  his  end  is  answered,  how  often,  after  he  has  caused 
grief,  does  he  show  his  great  compassions,  and  save  us 
from  our  fears  by  an  outstretched  arm,  and  such  a  sea- 
sonable and  almost  unexpected  relief,  as  constrains  us 
to  cry  out,  "  What  has  God  wrought  ?"  and,  "  Who  is  a 
''  God  like  unto  thee?"  Such,  I  hope,  will  be  the  issue 
of  your  present  trial,  and  that  he  who  gave  her  to  you 
at  first,  will  restore  her  to  you  again.  I  see  you  in  the 
furnace ;  but  the  Lord  is  sitting  by  it  as  a  refiner  of 
silver,  to  moderate  the  lire,  and  manage  the  process,  so 
that  you  shall  lose  nothing  but  dross,  and  be  brought 
forth  refined  as  gold,  to  praise  his  name.  Apparent 
difficulties,  however  great,  are  nothing  to  him.  If  he 
speaks,  it  is  done ;  for  to  God  the  Lord  belong  the 
issues  from  death.  Should  his  pleasure  be  otherwise, 
and  should  he  call  your  dear  partner  to  a  state  of  glory 
before  you,  still  I  know  he  is  able  to  support  you.  What 
he  does,  however  painful  to  the  flesh,  must  be  right,  be- 
cause he  does  it.  Having  bought  us  with  his  blood, 
and  saved  our  souls  from  hell,  he  has  every  kind  of 
right  to  dispose  of  us  and  ours  as  he  pleases ;  and  this 
we  are  sure  of,  he  will  not  lay  so  much  upon  us  as  he 
freely  endured  for  us ;  and  he  can  make  us  amends  for 
all  we  suffer,  and  for  all  we  lose,  by  the  light  of  his 
countenance.  A  few  years  will  set  all  to  rights ;  and 
they  who  love  him  and  are  beloved  by  him^  though 
they  may  suffer  as  others,  shall  not  sorrow  as  others ; 


Let.  4.  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  i2*#**.  617 

for  the  Lord  will  be  with  them  here,  and  he  will  soon 
liave  them  with  him  :  there  all  tears  shall  be  wiped 
from  their  eyes. 

Perhaps  I  know  as  well  how  to  calculate  the  pain  of 
such  a  separation,  as  any  one  who  has  not  actually  ex- 
perienced it.  Many  a  time  the  desire  of  my  eyes  has 
been  threatened,  many  a  time  my  heart  has  been  brought 
low  ;  but  from  what  I  have  known  at  such  seasons,  I 
have  reason  to  hope,  that  had  it  been  his  pleasure  to 
bring  upon  me  the  thing  that  I  feared,  his  everlasting 
arm  would  have  upheld  me  from  sinking  under  the 
stroke.  As  ministers,  we  are  called  to  comfort  the 
Lord's  afflicted  people,  and  to  tell  them  the  knowledge 
of  his  love  is  a  cordial  able  to  keep  the  soul  alive  under 
the  sharpest  trials.  We  must  not  wonder  that  he  some- 
times puts  us  in  a  way  of  showing  that  we  do  not  deal 
in  unfelt  truths,  but  that  we  find  ourselves  that  solid 
consolation  in  the  Gospel,  which  we  encourage  others 
to  expect  from  it.  You  have  now  such  an  occasion  of 
glorifying  the  Lord  ;  I  pray  he  may  enable  you  to  im- 
prove it,  and  that  all  around  you  may  see  that  he  is 
with  you,  and  that  his  good  word  is  the  support  and 
anchor  of  your  soul.  Then  I  am  sure,  if  it  upon  the 
whole  is  best  for  you,  he  will  give  you  the  desire  of  your 
heart,  and  you  shall  yet  live  to  praise  him  together. 

I  ajn.  &c. 


A  LETTER 

TO  THE 

Rev.  IVIr.  O****. 

Dear  Sir,  April  3,  1759. 

JL  OU  see  I  have  prevented  you  in  3'our  promise  of 
writing  first;  and  having  found  a  pretext  for  troubling 

]\lr.  ■ ,  I  was  willing  to  venture  upon  you  without 

any,  unless  you  will  let  me  plead  a  desire  of  showing 
you  how  welcome  your  correspondence  would  be  to  me. 
I  know  not  if  my  heart  w  as  ever  more  united  to  any  per- 
son in  so  short  a  space  of  time,  than  to  you ;  and  whaten- 
gaged  me  so  much  was  the  spirit  of  meekness  and  of  love 
(that  peculiar  and  inimitable  mark  of  true  Christianity,) 
which  I  observed  in  you.  I  mean  it  not  to  your  praise. 
May  all  the  praise  be  to  him,  from  whom  every  good 
and  perfect  gift  cometh,  who  alone  maketh  the  best  to 
differ  from  the  worst :  but  I  think  I  may  well  mention, 
to  your  encouragement,  that  all  who  conversed  with  you, 
greatly  regret  your  speedy  departure  ;  and  I  am  per- 
suaded, the  same  temper,  the  same  candour,  wdll  make 
you  acceptable,  honourable,  and  useful,  wherever  you 
go.  Blessed  are  the  poor  in  spirit,  the  meek,  the  mer- 
ciful, and  the  peace-makers ;  they  shall  obtain  the  mercy 
they  want,  and  possess  the  peace  they  love.  They  shall 
inherit  the  earth.  The  earth,  sinful  and  miserable  as 
it  is,  shall  be  worthy  to  be  called  an  inheritance  to  them, 
for  they  shall  enjoy  a  comparative  heaven  in  it.  They  shall 


Letter  to  the  Rev,  Mr.  0****.  619 

be  called  the  children  of  God,  though  dignified  with  no  ti- 
tle among  men.  Alas !  how  much  are  these  things  over- 
looked, even  by  many  wlio,  I  would  hope,  are  real  be- 
lievers. JMethinks  a  very  different  spirit  from  that  of 
the  church  of  Laodicea,  is  to  be  seen  amongst  us;  though 
perhaps  it  is  not  easy  to  say  which  is  the  best  of  the  two. 
That  was  neither  cold  nor  hot,  this,  (mirabile  dictu,)  is 
both  cold  and  hot  at  once,  and  both  to  the  extreme. 
Hot,  hasty,  and  arbitrary,  in  those  few  things  where 
mediocrity  is  a  virtue;  but  cool  and  remiss  in  those  great 
points,  where  the  application  of  the  whole  heart,  and 
soul,  and  mind,  and  strength,  is  so  absolutely  neces- 
sary, and  so  positively  enjoined.  Surely  there  is  too 
much  room  for  this  observation,  and  I  perhaps  stand 
self-condemned  in  making  it. 

I  hope  you  will  take  opportunity  to  improve  your  in- 
terest in  JNlr.****  by  letter.  He  expressed  much  satis- 
faction in  the  hour  he  spent  with  you  before  you  sailed, 
and  a  great  regard  for  you  ;  therefore  would,  I  doubt 
not,  give  you  a  fair  hearing,  and  the  phrase  UteraScripta 
manet  is  true  in  more  senses  than  one.  He  makes  such 
large  concessions  sometimes,  that  I  am  apt  to  think  be  is 
conscious  of  the  weakness  of  his  own  argument;  and  then 
he  is  as  soon  angry  with  himself  for  complying  so  far, 
and  flies  off  to  the  other  extreme.  Yet  for  the  most  parf 
when  he  speaks  plain,  and  is  not  restrained  by  conv 
plaisance  for  particular  persons,  he  appears  not  only  a 
stranger  to  experimental  religion,  but  averse  to  the  notion, 
and  generally  inclined  to  treat  it  with  levity.  His  obsta- 
cles are  very  many  and  very  great ;  his  reputation  as  a 
learned  man,  his  years,  his  regular  life,  and  perhaps 
above  all,  his  performances  in  print,  especially  liis  last 
book,  are  so  many  barriers  that  must  be  broke  through 
before  conviction  can  reach  him.     But  the  grace  of  God 


G20  Letter  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  0****. 

can  do  all  this  and  more ;  and  indeed  when  I  think  of 
the  many  truly  valuable  parts  of  his  character,  and  the 
indefatigable  pains  he  has  taken  in  his  researches  after 
truth,  I  am  willing  to  hope,  that  the  Lord  will  at  length 
teach  him  the  true  wisdom,  and  enable  him,  (however  hard 
it  may  seem,)  to  give  up  his  own  attainments,  and  sit 
down  like  a  little  child  at  the  feet  of  Jesus. 

I  hope  to  hear  soon  and  often  from  you.  I  number 
my  Christian  correspondents  among  my  principal  bless- 
ings ;  a  few  judicious  pious  friends,  to  whom,  when  I  can 
get  leisure  to  write,  I  send  my  heart  by  turns.  I  can 
trust  them  with  my  inmost  sentiments,  and  can  write 
with  no  more  disguise  than  I  think.  I  shall  rejoice  to 
add  you  to  the  number,  if  you  can  agree  to  take  me  as 
I  am,  (as  I  think  you  will,)  and  suffer  me  to  commit  my 
whole  self  to  paper,  without  respect  to  names,  parties, 
and  sentiments.  I  endeavour  to  observe  my  Lord's  com- 
mands, to  call  no  man  master  upon  earth ;  yet  I  desire 
to  own  and  honour  the  image  of  God  wherever  I  find  it. 
I  dare  not  say  I  have  no  bigotry,  for  I  know  not  myself; 
and  remember  to  my  shame,  that  formerly,  when  I  igno- 
rantly  professed  myself  free  from  it,  I  was  indeed  over- 
run with  it;  but  this  I  can  say,  I  allow  it  not;  I  strive  and 
pray  against  it;  and  thus  far,  by  the  grace  of  God,  I  have 
attained,  that  I  find  my  heart  as  much  united  to  many 
who  differ  from  me  in  some  points,  as  to  any  who  agree 
with  me  in  all.  I  set  no  value  upon  any  doctrinal  truth, 
further  than  it  has  a  tendency  to  promote  practical  holi- 
ness. If  others  should  think  those  things  hindrances 
which  I  judge  to  be  helps  in  this  respect,  I  am  content 
they  should  go  on  in  their  own  way,  according  to  the 
light  God  has  given  them,  provided  they  will  agree  with 
me  £»  rf  EwKvayxE?.  If  it  should  be  asked,  Which  are 
the  necessary  things  ?  I  answer,   Those   in  which  the 


Letter  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  0****.  C21 

spiritual  worshippers  of  all  ages  and  countries  have 
been  agreed ;  those  on  the  contrary  are  mere  subordinate 
matters,  in  which  the  best  men,  those  who  have  been 
the  most  eminent  for  faith,  prayer,  humility,  and  nearness 
to  God,  always  have  been,  and  still  are,  divided  in  their 
judgments.  Upon  this  plan,  I  should  think  it  no  hard 
matter  to  draw  up  a  form  of  sound  w'ords,  (whether  dif- 
nified  with  the  name  of  a  creed  or  no,  I  care  not,)  to 
which  true  believers  of  all  sorts  and  sizes  would  unani- 
mously subscribe,  Soppose  it  ran  something  in  the  fol- 
lowing manner  :  I  believe  that  sin  is  the  most  hateful 
thing  in  the  world  :  that  I  and  all  men  are  by  nature  in 
a  state  of  wrath  and  depravity,  utterly  unable  to  sustain 
the  penalty,  or  to  fulfil  the  commands  of  God's  holy  law; 
and  that  we  have  no  sufficiency  of  ourselves  to  think  a 
good  thought.  I  believe  that  Jesus  Christ  is  the  chief 
among  ten  thousands ;  that  he  came  into  the  world  to 
save  the  chief  of  sinners,  by  making  a  propitiation  for  sin 
by  his  death,  by  paying  a  perfect  obedience  to  the  law 
in  our  behalf;  and  that  he  is  now  exalted  on  high,  to  give 
repentance  and  remission  of  sins  to  all  that  believe ;  and 
that  he  ever  liveth  to  make  intercession  for  us.  I  be- 
lieve that  the  Holy  Spirit,  (the  gift  of  God  through 
Jesus  Christ,)  is  the  sure  and  only  guide  into  all  truth, 
and  the  common  privilege  of  all  believers ;  and  under 
his  influence,  I  believe  the  Holy  Scriptures  are  able  to 
make  us  wise  unto  salvation,  and  to  furnish  us  tho- 
roughly for  every  good  work.  I  believe  that  love  to 
God,  and  to  man  for  God's  sake,  is  the  essence  of  re- 
ligion, and  the  fulfilling  of  the  law  ;  that  without  holi- 
ness no  man  shall  see  the  Lord ;  that  those  who  by  a 
patient  course  in  well-doing,  seek  glor\',  honour,  and 
immortality,  shall  receive  eternal  life ;  and  I  believe 
that  this  reward  is  not  of  debt  but  of  grace,  even  to  the 


623  Letter  to  the  Hev,  Mr.  0**^*. 

praise  and  glory  of  that  grace,  whereby  he  has  made  us 
accepted  in  the  Beloved.     Amen. 

I  pretend  not  to  accuracy  in  this  hasty  draught ;  they 
are  only  outlines,  which,  if  you  please  to  retouch,  and 
fill  up  at  your  leisure,  I  hope  you  will  favour  me  with 
a  sight  of  it.  I  fear  I  have  tired  you.  Shall  only  add  my 
prayers,  that  the  Lord  may  be  with  you,  ajid  crown 
your  labours  of  love  with  success,  that  you  may  herer 
after  shine  among  those  who  have  been  instrumental 
in  turning  many  to  righteousness. 

I  am,  &c. 


SEYEM  LETTERS 

TO    THE 

Rev.  Mr.  P****. 

LETTER  I. 
Dear  Sir, 

HE  account  which  I  received  by  Mr.  C****,  and  by 
the  letter  which  he  brought  from  you,  of  your  welfare, 
and  the  welfare  of  your  people,  was  very  pleasing, 
though  indeed  no  more  than  I  expected.  I  believed, 
from  the  first  of  your  going  to  S****,  that  you  would 
like  the  people,  and  I  believed  the  Lord  had  given  you 
that  frame  of  spirit  which  he  has  promised  to  bless; 
What  reason  have  we  to  praise  him  for  the  knowledge 
of  his  Gospel,  and  for  the  honour  of  being  called  to 
preach  it  to  others  !  and  likewise  that  he  has  been 
pleased  to  cast  your  lot  and  mine  amongst  a  people 
who  value  it,  and  to  crown  our  poor  labours  with  some 
measure  of  acceptance  and  usefulness.  How  little  did 
we  think,  in  the  unawakened  part  of  our  life,  to  what 
it  was  his  good  pleasure  to  reserve  us  ! 

The  Lord  is  pleased,  in  a  measure,  to  show  me  the 
suitableness  and  necessity  of  an  humble  dependent 
frame  of  heart,  a  ceasing  from  self,  and  a  reliance  upon 
him  in  the  due  use  of  appointed  means  ;  I  am  far  from 
having  attained,  but  I  hope  I  am  pressing,  at  least 
seeking  after  it.  I  v^ish  to  speak  the  word  simply  and 
experimentally,  and  to  be  so  engaged  with  the  import- 
ance of  the  subject,  fhe  worth  of  souls,  and  thethoucrht 

Vol.  T.  4  L 


624  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  P****.  Let.  2. 

that  I  am  speaking  in  tlie  name  and  presence  of  the 
Most  High  God,  as  that  I  might,  if  possible,  forget 
every  thing  else.  This  would  be  an  attainment  in- 
deed !  More  good  might  be  expected  from  a  broken 
discourse,  delivered  in  such  a  frame,  than  from  the 
most  advantageous  display  of  knowledge  and  gifts  with- 
out it.  Not  that  I  would  undervalue  propriety  and 
pertinence  of  expression  :  it  is  our  duty  to  study  to  find 
out  acceptable  words,  and  to  endeavour  to  appear  as 
workmen  that  need  not  be  ashamed ;  but  those  who 
have  most  ability  in  this  way,  have  need  of  a  double 
guard  of  grace  and  wisdom,  lest  they  be  tempted  to 
trust  in  it,  or  to  value  themselves  upon  it.  They  that 
trust  in  the  Lord  shall  never  be  moved  ;  and  them  that 
abase  themselves  before  him,  he  will  exalt.  I  am  well 
persuaded  that  your  conduct  and  views  have  been 
agreeable  to  these  sentiments ;  and  therefore  the  Lord 
has  supported,  encouraged,  and  owned  you  ;  and  I 
trust  he  will  still  bless  you,  and  make  you  a  blessing  to 
ixiany.     He  that  walketh  humbly  walketh  surely. 

Believe  me  to  be,  &c. 


Y« 


LETTER  II. 
My  Dear  Sir,  August  14,  IZfO, 


OUR  letter  did  me  good  when  I  received  it,  at  least 
gave  me  much  pleasure  ;  and  I  think  it  has  given  me  a 
lift  while  I  have  been  just  now  reading  it  I  know  not 
that  I  ever  had  those  awful  views  of  sin  which  you 
speak  of;  and  though  I  believe  1  should  be  better  for 
them,  I  dare  not  seriously  wish  for  them.  There  is  a 
petition  which  I  have  heard  in  public  prayer,  Lord 
show  us  the  evil  of  our  hearts.     To  this  petition  I  can- 


Let  2.  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  J»**^*.  625 

not  venture  to  set  my  Amen,  at  least  not  without  a  qua- 
lification. Show  me  enough  of  thyself  to  balance  the 
view,  and  then  show  me  what  thou  pleasest.  I  think 
I  have  a  very  clear  and  strong  conviction  in  my  judg- 
ment, that  I  am  vile  and  worthless,  that  my  heart  is  full 
of  evil,  only  evil,  and  that  continually.  I  know  some- 
thing of  it  too  experimentally;  and  therefore,  judging 
of  the  whole  by  the  sample,  though  I  am  not  suitably 
affected  with  what  I  do  see,  I  tremble  at  the  thought 
of  seeing  more.  A  man  may  look  with  some  pleasure 
upon  the  sea  in  a  storm,  provided  he  stands  safe  upon 
the  land  himself;  but  to  be  upon  the  sea  in  a  storm, 
is  quite  another  thing.  And  yet  surely  the  coldness, 
worldliness,  pride,  and  twenty  other  evils  under  which 
I  groan,  owe  much  of  their  strength  to  the  want  of  that 
feeling  sense  of  my  own  abominations  with  which  you 
have  been  favoured :  I  say  favoured,  for  I  doubt  not 
but  the  Lord  gave  it  you  in  mercy,  and  that  it  has 
proved,  and  will  prove  a  mercy  to  you,  to  make  you 
more  humble,  spiritual,  and  dependent,  as  well  as  to 
increase  your  ability  for  preaching  the  Gospel  of  his 
grace.  Upon  these  accounts,  I  can  assure  you,  that 
upon  a  first  reading,  and  till  I  stopped  a  moment  to 
count  the  cost,  I  was  ready  to  envy  you  all  that  you 
had  felt.  I  often  seem  to  know  what  the  Scripture 
teaches  both  of  sin  and  grace,  as  if  I  knew  them  not ; 
so  faint  and  languid  are  my  perceptions,  I  often  seem 
to  think  and  talk  of  sin  without  any  sorrow,  and  of 
grace  without  any  joy. 

I  have  had  some  people  awakened  by  dreams,  as 
you  had  by  streamers ;  but  for  aught  I  know,  we  are 
no  less  instrumental  to  the  good  of  these,  than  to  any 
other  person,  upon  whom  w  hen  we  look,  our  hearts  are 
ready  to  exult  and  say,  See  what  the  Lord  has  done  by 


626  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  P***=5^.  Let.  g. 

me.  I  do  not  think  that,  strictly  speaking,  all  the 
streamers  of  the  north  are  able  to  awaken  a  dead  soul. 
I  suppose  people  may  be  terrified  by  them,  and  made 
thoughtful,  but  awakened  only  by  the  word.  The 
streamers  either  sent  them  to  hear  the  Gospel,  or 
roused  them  to  attend  to  it ;  but  it  was  the  knowledge  of 
the  truth  brought  home  to  the  heart,  that  did  the  busi- 
ness. Perhaps  the  streamers  reminded  them  of  what 
they  had  heard  from  you  before.  Two  persons  here,  who 
lived  like  Heathens,  and  never  came  to  church,  were 
alarmed  by  some  terrifying  dreams,  and  came  out  to 
hearing  forthwith.  There  the  Lord  was  pleased  to 
meet  with  them.  One  of  them  died  triumphing ;  the 
other,  I  hope,  will  do  so  when  her  time  comes.  What- 
ever means,  instruments,  or  occasions  he  is  pleased  to 
employ,  the  work  is  all  his  own  ;  and  I  trust  you  and 
I  are  made  willing  to  give  him  all  the  glory,  and  to  sink 
into  the  dust  at  the  thought  that  he  should  ever  permit 
us  to  take  his  holy  name  upon  our  polluted  lips. 

I  am,  &c. 

LETTER  IIL 
My  Dear  Sir,  June  13,  1772. 

JL  OU  say  that  your  experience  agrees  with  mine.  It 
must  be  so,  because  our  hearts  are  alike.  The  heart 
is  deceitful  and  desperately  wicked,  destitute  of  good, 
and  prone  to  evil.  This  is  the  character  of  mankind 
universally,  and  those  who  are  made  partakers  of  grace, 
are  renewed  but  in  part ;  the  evil  nature  still  cleaves  to 
them,  and  the  root  of  sin,  though  mortified,  is  far 
from  being  dead.  While  the  cause  remains,  it  will 
have  efifects ;  and  while  we  are  burdened  with  the  body 
of  this  death,  we  must  groan  under  it.     But  we  need 


Let.  3.  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  P***#.  627 

not  be  swallowed  up  with  over-much  sorrow,  since  we 
have  in  Jesus,  a  Saviour,  a  Righteousness,  an  Advocate, 
a  Shepherd.  "  He  knows  our  frame,  and  remembers 
"  that  we  are  but  dust."  If  sin  abounds  in  us,  grace 
abounds  much  more  in  him ;  nor  would  he  suffer  sin  to 
remain  in  his  people,  if  he  did  not  know  how  to  over- 
rule it,  and  make  it  an  occasion  of  endearing  his  love 
and  grace  so  much  the  more  to  their  souls.  The  Lord 
forbid  that  we  should  plead  his  goodness  as  an  en- 
couragement to  sloth  and  indifference.  Humiliation, 
godly  sorrow,  and  self-abasement  become  us ;  but,  at 
the  same  time,  we  may  rejoice  in  the  Lord.  Though  sin 
remains,  it  shall  not  have  dominion  over  us  ;  though  it 
wars  in  us,  it  shall  not  prevail  against  us.  We  have  a 
mercy-seat  sprinkled  with  blood,  we  have  an  advocate 
■with  the  Father,  we  are  called  to  this  warfare,  and  we 
fight  under  the  eye  of  the  Captain  of  our  salvation, 
who  is  always  near  to  renew  our  strength,  to  heal  our 
wounds,  and  to  cover  our  heads  in  the  heat  of  battle. 
As  ministers,  vve  preach  to  those  who  have  like  pas- 
sions and  infirmities  with  ourselves  ;  and  by  our  own 
feelings,  fears,  and  changes,  we  learn  to  speak  a  word 
in  season  to  them  that  are  weary,  to  warn  those  who 
stand,  and  to  stretch  out  a  hand  of  compassion  towards 
them  that  are  fallen ;  and  to  commend  it  to  others, 
from  our  own  experience,  as  a  faithful  saying,  "  That 
"Jesus  came  to  save  the  chief  of  sinners."  Besides,  if 
the  Lord  is  pleased  to  give  us  some  liberty,  acceptance, 
and  success  in  preaching  the  Gospel,  we  should  be  in 
great  danger  of  running  mad  with  spiritual  pride,  if  the 
Lord  did  not  permit  us  to  feel  the  depravity  and  vileness 
of  our  hearts,  and  thereby  keep  us  from  forgetting  what 
we  are  in  oursel'ves. 

With  regard  to  your  young  people,  you  must  expect 


62S  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  P^*^.  Let.  4. 

to  meet  with  some  disappointment.  Perhaps  not  every 
one  of  whom  you  have  conceived  hopes  will  stand  ;  and 
some  who  do  belong  to  the  Lord  are  permitted  to  make 
sad  mistakes  for  their  future  humiliation.  It  is  our  part 
to  watch,  warn,  and  admonish;  and  we  ought  likewise  to 
be  concerned  for  those  slips  and  miscarriages  which 
we  cannot  prevent.  A  minister,  if  faithful,  and  of  a 
right  spirit,  can  have  no  greater  joy  than  to  see  his  peo- 
ple walking  honourably  and  steadily  in  the  truth  ;  and 
hardly  any  thing  will  give  him  more  sensible  grief,  than 
to  see  any  of  them  taken  in  Satan's  wiles.  Yet  still 
the  Gospel  brings  relief  here.  He  is  wiser  than  we 
are,  and  knows  how  to  make  those  things  subservient 
to  promote  iiis  work  which  we  ought  to  guard  against 
as  evils  and  hindrances.  We  are  to  use  the  means : 
he  is  to  rule  the  whole.  If  the  faults  of  some  are 
made  warnings  to  others,  and  prove  in  the  end  occa- 
sions of  illustrating  the  riches  of  divine  grace,  this 
should  reconcile  us  to  what  we  cannot  help,  though  such 
considerations  should  not  slacken  our  diligence  in  sound- 
ing an  alarm,  and  reminding  our  hearers  of  their  con- 
tinual danger. 

I  am,  &c. 


LETTER  IV. 

Dear  Sir,  January  26,  1775. 

X  LATELY  read  a  volume  of  Mr.  Baxter's,  (in  the 
fifth  volume  of  the  Morning  Exercises,)  on  IMatth. 
V.  16.  IVIy  mind  is  something  impressed  with  the  sub- 
ject, and  with  his  manner  of  treating  it.  Some  of  Mr. 
Baxter's  sentiments  in  divinity  are  rather  cloudy,  and  he 
sometimes  upon  that  account  met  with  but  poor  quar- 


Let.  4.  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  P****.  629 

ter  from  the  staunch  Calvinists  of  his  day.  But,  by 
what  I  have  read  of  him,  where  he  is  quiet,  and  not 
ruffled  by  controversy,  he  appears  tome,  notwithstand- 
ing some  mistakes,  to  have  been  one  of  the  greatest 
men  of  his  age,  and  perhaps  in  fervour,  spirituality, 
and  success,  more  than  equal,  both  as  a  minister  and  a 
Christian,  to  some  twenty,  taken  together,  of  those  M-ho 
affect  to  undervalue  him  in  this  present  day.  There  is 
a  spirit  in  some  passages  of  his  Saint's  Rest,  his  Dying 
Thoughts,  and  other  of  his  practical  treatises,  compared 
with  which,  many  modern  compositions,  though  well 
written  and  well  meant,  appear  to  me  to  a  great  dis- 
advantage. But  I  was  speaking  of  his  sermon.  He 
points  out  the  way  at  which  we  should  aim  to  let  our 
light  shine  in  the  world,  for  the  glory  of  God,  and  the 
conviction  and  edification  of  men.  I  have  mentioned 
where  it  is  to  be  found,  that,  if  you  have  the  Morning 
Exercises,  or  they  should  come  in  your  way,  you  may 
look  at  it.  I  think  you  would  like  it.  The  perusal 
suggested  to  me  some  instruction,  and  much  reproof. 
Alas  !  my  friend,  are  we  not  too  often  chargeable  with 
a  sad,  shameful  selfishness  and  narrowness  of  spirit, 
far,  very  far  different  from  that  activity,  enlargement, 
and  generosity  of  soul,  which  such  a  Gospel  as  we  have 
received  might  be  expected  to  produce  ?  For  myselfj 
I  must  plead  guilty.  It  seems  as  if  my  heart  was  al- 
ways awake,  and  keenly  sensible  to  my  own  concern- 
ments, while  those  of  my  Lord  and  IMaster  affect  me 
much  less  forcibly,  at  least  only  by  intervals.  Were 
a  stranger  to  judge  of  me  by  what  I  sometimes  say  in 
the  pulpit,  he  might  think  that,  like  the  angels,  I  had 
but  two  things  in  view,  to  do  the  will  of  God,  and  to 
behold  his  face.  But,  alas  !  would  he  not  be  almost 
as  much  mistaken,  as  if,  seeing  iVIr.  G****  in  the  cha- 


630  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  P#***.  Let.  4. 

racter  of  a  tragedy-hero,  he  should  suppose  him  to  be 
the  very  person  M'hom  he  only  represents.  I  hope 
Satan  will  never  be  able  to  persuade  me  that  I  am  a 
onere  hypocrite  and  stage-player  ;  but  sure  I  am,  that 
there  is  so  much  hypocrisy  in  me,  so  many  littlenesses 
and  self-seekings  insinuating  into  my  plan  of  conduct, 
that  I  have  humbling  cause  to  account  myself  unwor- 
thy and  unprofitable,  and  to  say,  "  Enter  not  into 
''  judgment  with  thy  servant,  O  Lord."  I  have  some 
tolerable  idea  of  what  a  Christian  ought  to  be,  and  it 
is,  I  hope,  what  I  desire  to  be.  A  Christian  should  be 
conformable  to  Christ  in  his  spirit  and  in  his  practice ; 
that  is,  he  should  be  spiritually  minded,  dead  to  the 
world,  filled  with  zeal  for  the  glory  of  God,  the  spread 
of  the  Gospel,  and  the  good  of  souls.  He  should 
be  humble,  patient,  meek,  cheerful,  thankful  under  all 
events  and  changes.  He  should  account  it  the  busi- 
ness and  honour  of  his  life  to  imitate  Him,  who  pleased 
not  himself,  M'ho  went  about  doing  good,  and  has  ex- 
pressed to  us  the  very  feelings  of  his  heart,  in  that  di- 
vine aphorism,  which  surpasses  all  the  fine  admired 
sayings  of  the  philosophers,  as  much  as  the  sun  out- 
shines a  candle,  "  It  is  more  blessed  to  give  than  to 
*'  receive."  The  whole  deportment  of  a  Christian 
should  show  that  the  knowledge  of  Jesus,  which  he  has 
received  from  the  Gospel,  affords  him  all  he  could  ex- 
pect from  it ;  a  balm  for  every  grief,  an  amends  for 
every  loss,  a  motive  for  every  duty,  a  restraint  from 
every  evil,  a  pattern  for  every  thing  which  he  is  called 
to  do  or  suffer,  and  a  principle  sufficient  to  constitute 
the  actions  of  every  day,  even  in  common  life,  acts  of 
religion.  He  should,  (as  the  children  of  this  world  are 
wise  to  do  in  their  generation,)  make  every  occurrence 
through  which  he  passes  subservient  and  subordinate 


Let.  5.  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  P****.  631 

to  his  main  design.  Gold  is  the  worldly  man's  god, 
and  his  worship  and  service  are  uniform  and  consistent, 
not  by  fits  and  starts,  but,  from  morning  to  night,  from 
the  beginning  to  the  end  of  the  year,  he  is  the  same 
man.  He  will  not  slip  an  opportunity  of  adding  to 
his  pelf  to-day,  because  he  may  have  another  to- 
morrow, but  he  heartily  and  eagerly  embraces  both ; 
and  so  far  as  he  carries  his  point,  though  his  perse- 
verance may  expose  him  to  the  ridicule  or  reproach  of 
his  neighbours,  he  thinks  himself  well  paid,  and  says, 

Pojiulus  me  sibilat ;  at  mihi  filaudo 

Jfise  domi^  simid  niimmos  contcmplor  in  area. 

I  am,  &c. 


LETTER  V. 
Dear  Sir,  January — 1776. 

X.  MAY  learn,  (only  I  am  a  sad  dunce,)  by  small  and 
common  incidents,  as  well  as  by  some  more  striking 
and  important  turns  in  life,  that  it  is  not  in  man  that 
walketh  to  direct  his  steps.  It  is  not  for  me  to  say, 
To-day  or  to-morrow  I  will  do  this  or  that.  I  cannot 
write  aletter  to  a  friend  without  leave  or  without  help,  for 
neither  opportunity  nor  ability  are  at  my  own  disposal. 
It  is  not  needful  that  the  Lord  should  raise  a  moun- 
tain in  my  way,  to  stop  my  purpose ;  if  he  only  with- 
draw a  certain  kind  of  imperceptible  support,  which  in 
general  I  have,  and  use  without  duly  considering  whose 
it  is  ;  then,  in  a  moment,  I  feel  myself  unstrung  and 
disabled,  like  a  ship  that  has  lost  her  masts,  and  can- 
VoL.  I.  4  U 


632  Letters  to  thellev.  Mr.  P****.  Let.  5. 

not  proceed  till  he  is  pleased  to  refit  me  and  renew  my 
strength.  My  pride  and  prosperity  to  self-dependence 
render  frequent  changes  of  this  kind  necessary  to  me, 
or  I  should  soon  forget  what  I  am,  and  sacrifice  to  my 
own  drag.  Therefore,  upon  the  whole,  I  am  satisfied, 
and  see  it  best  that  I  should  be  absolutely  poor  and 
penniless  in  myself,  and  forced  to  depend  upon  the 
Lord  for  the  smallest  things  as  well  as  the  greatest. — 
And  if,  by  this  blessing,  my  experience  should  at  length 
tally  with  my  judgment  in  this  point,  that  without  him 
I  can  do  nothing ;  then  I  know  I  shall  find  it  easy, 
through  him,  to  do  all  things  ;  for  the  door  of  his  mercy 
is  always  open,  and  it  is  but  ask  and  have.  But,  alas  ! 
a  secret  persuasion,  (though  contrary  to  repeated  con- 
victions,) that  I  have  something  at  home,  too  often  pre- 
vents me  going  to  him  for  it,  and  then  no  wonder  1  am 
disappointed.  The  life  of  faith  seems  so  simple  and 
easy  in  theory,  that  I  can  point  it  out  to  others  in  few 
words ;  but  in  practice  it  is  very  difficult,  and  my  ad- 
vances are  so  slow,  that  I  hardly  dare  say  I  get  for- 
ward at  all.  It  is  a  great  thing  indeed  to  have  the  spirit 
of  a  little  child,  so  as  to  be  habitually  afraid  of  taking 
a  single  step  without  leading. 

I  have  heard  of  you  more  than  once  since  I  heard 
from  you,  and  am  glad  to  know  the  Lord  is  still  with 
you ;  I  trust  he  has  not  withdrawn  wholly  from  us. — 
We  have  much  call  for  thankfulness,  and  much  for  hu- 
miliation. Some  have  been  removed,  some  are  evi- 
dently ripening  for  glory,  and  now  and  then  we  have  a 
new  inquirer.  But  the  progress  of  wickedness  amongst 
the  unconverted  here  is  awful.  Convictions  repeatedly 
stified  in  many,  have  issued  in  a  hardness  and  boldness 
in  sinning,  which  I  believe  is  seldom  found  but  in  those 
places  where  the  light  of  the  Gospel  has  been  long  re- 


Let.  5.  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  P****.  C33 

sisted  and  abused.  If  my  eyes  suitably  affected  my 
heart,  I  should  weep  day  and  night  upon  this  account ; 
but,  alas  !  I  am  too  indifferent.  I  feel  a  woful  defect 
in  my  zeal  for  God  and  compassion  for  souls  ;  and 
when  Satan  and  conscience  charge  me  with  cow ardice, 
treachery,  and  stupidity,  I  know  not  what  to  reply.  { 
am  generally  carried  through  my  public  work  with 
some  liberty,  and  because  I  am  not  put  to  shame  be- 
fore the  people,  I  seem  content  and  satisfied.  I  wish 
to  be  more  thankful  for  what  the  Lord  is  pleased  to  do 
amongst  us,  but,  at  the  same  time,  to  be  more  earnest 
with  him,  for  a  further  out-pouring  of  his  Spirit.  As- 
sist me  herein  with  your  prayers. 

As  to  my  own  private  experience,  the  enemy  is  not 
suffered  to  touch  the  foundation  of  my  faith  and  hope ; 
thus  far  I  have  peace.  But  my  conflicts  and  exercises, 
with  the  effects  of  indwelling  sin,  are  very  distiessing. 
I  cannot  doubt  of  my  state  and  acceptance  ;  and  yet  it 
seems  no  one  can  have  more  cause  for  doubts  and  fears 
than  myself,  if  such  doubtings  were  at  all  encouraged 
by  the  Gospel;  but  I  see  they  are  not;  I  see  that 
what  I  want  and  hope  for,  the  Lord  promises  to  do  for 
his  own  name's  sake,  and  with  a  jwn  obstante  to  all  my 
vileness  and  perverseness  ;  and  I  cannot  question  but 
he  has  given  me,  (for  how  else  could  I  have  it?)  a  thirst 
for  that  communion  with  him  in  love  and  conformity  to 
his  image,  of  which,  as  yet,  I  have  experienced  but  very 
faint  and  imperfect  beginnings.  But  if  he  has  begun,  I 
venture,  upon  his  word,  that  he  will  not  forsake  the  work 
of  his  own  hands. 

On  public  affairs  I  say  but  little.  Many  are  cen- 
suring men  and  measures  ;  but  I  would  lay  all  the 
blame  upon  sin.  It  appears  plain  to  me  that  the  Lord 
has  a  controversy  with  us ;  and  therefore  I  fear  what 


634!  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  P*=^=**.  Let.  6* 

we  have  yet  seen  is  but  the  beginning  of  sorrows.  I 
am  ready  to  dread  the  event  of  this  summer ;  but  I 
remember  the  Lord  reigns.  He  has  his  o\su  glory  and 
the  good  of  his  church  in  view,  and  will  not  be  dis- 
appointed. He  knows  how  likewise  to  take  care  of 
those  who  fear  him.  I  wish  there  was  more  sighing 
and  mourning  amongst  professors,  for  the  sins  of  the 
nation  and  the  churches.  But  I  must  conclude,  and 
am,  &ic. 


N< 


LETTER  VI. 
Dear  Sir, 


O  very  considerable  alteration  has  taken  place  since 
I  wrote,  except  the  death  of  Mrs.  L**''**',  who  was  re- 
moved to  a  better  world  in  September  last.  The  latter 
part  of  her  course  was  very  painful ;  but  the  Lord  made 
her  more  than  conqueror,  and  she  had  good  cause  to 
apply  the  apostle's  words,  2  Tim.  iv.  7,  8.  She  re- 
peated that  passage  in  her  last  illness,  and  chose  it  for 
her  funeral  text.  She  was  a  Christian  indeed.  Her 
faith  was  great,  and  so  were  her  trials.  Now  she  is 
above  them  all,  now  she  is  before  the  throne.  The 
good  Lord  help  us  to  be  followers  of  those  who  through 
faith  and  patience  have  attained  to  the  hope  set  before 
them. 

The  number  of  professors  still  increases  with  us,  and 
a  greater  number  of  persons  affords  a  greater  variety 
of  cases,  and  gives  greater  scope  to  observe  the  work- 
ings of  the  heart  and  Satan.  For  seven  years  I  had 
to  say,  that  I  had  not  seen  a  person  of  Mhom  I  had 
conceived  a  good  hope,  go  back ;  but  I  have  met  with  a 
few  disappointments  since.     However,  upon  the  whole, 


Let.  G  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  P****.  635 

I  trust  the  Lord  is  still  with  us.  The  enemy  tries  to 
disturb  and  defile  us,  and  if  the  Lord  did  not  keep  the 
city,  the  poor  watchman  would  wake  in  vain.  But  the 
eye  that  never  slumbereth  nor  sleepeth  has  been  upon 
us  for  good  ;  and  though  we  have  cause  of  humiliation 
and  complaint,  we  have  likewise  much  cause  of  thank- 
fulness. My  health  is  still  preserved;  and  I  hope  that 
the  Lord  does  not  suffer  my  desires  of  personal  com- 
munion with  him,  and  of  usefulness  in  the  ministry,  to 
decline.  He  supplies  me  with  fresh  strength  and  mat- 
ter in  my  public  work  :  I  hear  now  and  then  of  one 
brought  to  inquire  the  way;  and  his  presence  is  at  times 
made  known  to  many  in  the  ordinances. 

To  combine  zeal  with  prudence  is  indeed  difficult. 
There  is  often  too  much  self  in  our  zeal,  and  too  much 
of  the  fear  of  man  in  our  prudence.  However,  what 
we  cannot  attain  by  any  skill  or  resolution  of  our  own, 
we  may  hope  in  measure  to  receive  from  him  who  givetii 
liberally  to  those  who  seek  him,  and  desire  to  serve 
him.  Prudence  is  a  word  much  abused  ;  but  there  is 
a  heavenly  wisdom,  which  the  Lord  has  promised  to 
give  to  those  who  humbly  wait  upon  him  for  it.  It 
does  not  consist  in  forming  a  bundle  of  rules  and 
maxims,  but  in  a  spiritual  taste  and  discernment  de- 
rived from  an  experimental  knowledge  of  the  truth,  and 
of  the  heart  of  man^  as  described  in  the  word  of  God  ; 
and  its  exercise  consists  much  in  a  simple  dependence 
upon  the  Lord,  to  guide  and  prompt  us  in  every 
action.  We  seldom  act  wrong,  when  we  truly  depend 
upon  him,  and  can  cease  from  leaning  to  our  own 
understandino;.  When  the  heart  is  thus  in  a  right  tune 
and  frame,  and  his  word  dwells  richly  in  us,  there  is  a 
kind  of  immediate  perception  of  what  is  proper  for  us 
to  do  in  present  circumstances,  without  much  painful 


63G  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  P*#**.  Let.  7. 

inquiry;  a  light  shines  before  us  upon  the  path  of  duty; 
and  if  he  permits  us  in  such  a  spirit  to  make  some  mis- 
takes, he  will  likewise  teach  us  to  profit  by  them ;  and 
our  reflections  upon  what  was  wrong  one  day,  will 
make  uS  to  act  more  wisely  the  next.  At  the  best,  we 
must  always  expect  to  meet  with  new  proofs  of  our 
own  weakness  and  insufficiency;  otherwise,  how  should 
"we  be  kept  humble,  or  know  how  to  prize  the  liberty- 
he  allows  us  of  coming  to  the  throne  of  grace,  for  fresh 
forgiveness  and  direction  every  day  ?  But  if  he  enables 
us  to  walk  before  him  with  a  single  eye,  he  will  gra- 
ciously accept  our  desire  of  serving  him  better  if  we 
could,  and  his  blessing  will  make  our  feeble  endeavours 
in  some  degree  successful,  at  the  same  time  that  we  see 
defects  and  evils  attending  our  best  services  sufficient  to 
make  us  ashamed  of  them. 

I  am,  &c. 


LETTER  VII. 

Dear  Sir,  January  11,  1777; 

VV  E  all  need,  and  at  the  seasons  the  Lord  sees  best 
we  all  receive,  chastisement.  I  hope  you  likewise  have 
reason  to  praise  him,  for  supporting,  sanctifying,  and 
delivering  mercy.  The  coward  flesh  presently  shrinks  un- 
der the  rod,  but  faith  need  not  fear  it;  for  it  is  in  the  hand 
of  one  who  loves  us  better  than  we  do  ourselves,  and 
who  knows  our  frame  that  wc  are  but  dust,  and  there- 
fore will  not  suffer  us  to  be  overdone  and  overwhelmed. 
I  feel  as  a  friend  should  feel  for  Mr.  B****  ;  were 
I  able,  I  would  soon  send  him  health.  If  the  Lord, 
who  is  able  to  remove  his  illness  in  a  minute,  permits 
it  to  continue,  wq  may  be  sure,  upon  the  whole,  it  will 


Let.  7.  Letters  to  tlie  Rev.  Mr.  P****.  637 

be  better  for  him.  It  is,  however,  very  lawful  to  pray 
that  his  health  may  be  restored,  and  his  usefulness  pro- 
longed. I  beg  you  to  give  my  love  to  him,  and  tell  him 
that  my  heart  bears  him  an  affectionate  remembrance"; 
and  I  know  the  God  whom  he  serves  will  make  every 
dispensation  supportable  and  profitable  to  him. 

If,  as  you  observe,  the  Song  of  Solomon  describes 
the  experience  of  his  church,  it  shows  the  dark  as  well 
as  the  bright  side.  No  one  part  of  it  is  the  experience 
of  every  individual  at  any  particular  time.  Some  are  in 
his  banqueting-house,  others  upon  their  beds.  Some  sit 
under  his  banner,  supported  by  his  arm ;  while  others 
have  a  faint  perception  of  him  at  a  distance,  with  many 
a  hill  and  mountain  between.  In  one  thing,  however, 
they  all  agree,  that  he  is  the  leading  object  of  their  de- 
sires, and  that  they  have  had  such  a  discovery  of  his 
person,  work,  and  love,  as  makes  him  precious  to  their 
hearts.  Their  judgment  of  him  is  always  the  same, 
but  their  sensibility  varies.  The  love  they  bear  him, 
though  rooted  and  grounded  in  their  hearts,  is  not  al- 
ways equally  in  exercise,  nor  can  it  be  so.  We  are 
like  trees,  which  though  alive,  cannot  put  forth  their 
leaves  and  fruit  without  the  influence  of  the  sun.  They 
are  alive  in  winter  as  well  as  in  summer;  but  how  differ- 
ent is  their  appearance  in  these  different  seasons !  Were 
■we  always  alike,  could  we  always  believe,  love,  and  re- 
joice, we  should  think  the  power  inherent,  and  our  own  ; 
but  it  is  more  for  the  Lord's  glory,  and  more  suited  to 
form  us  to  a  temper  becoming  the  Gospel,  that  we  should 
]3e  made  deeply  sensible  of  our  own  inability  and  de- 
pendence, than  that  we  should  be  always  m  a  lively 
frame.  I  am  persuaded  a  broken  and  a  contrite  spirit, 
a  conviction  of  our  vileness  and  nothingness,  connected 
with  a  cordial  acceptance  of  Jesus  as  revealed  in  the 


638  Letters  to  the  Rev.  i^Tr.  P****.  Let.  7. 

Gospel,  is  the  highest  attainment  we  can  reach  in  this 
life.  Sensible  comforts  are  desirable,  and  we  must  be 
sadly  declined  when  they  do  not  appear  so  to  us  ;  but  I 
believe  there  may  be  a  real  exercise  of  faith  and  growth 
in  grace,  when  our  sensible  feelings  are  faint  and  low. 
A  soul  may  be  in  as  thriving  a  state  w  hen  thirsting, 
seeking,  and  mourning  after  the  Lord,  as  when  actually 
rejoicing  in  him,  as  much  in  earnest  when  fighting  ia 
the  valley,  as  when  singing  upon  the  mount ;  nay,  dark 
seasons  afford  the  surest  and  strongest  manifestations  of 
the  power  of  faith.  To  hold  fast  the  word  of  promise, 
to  maintain  a  hatred  of  sin,  to  go  on  steadfastly  in  the 
path  of  duty,  in  defiance  both  of  the  frowns  and  the 
smiles  of  the  world,  when  we  have  but  little  comfort, 
is  a  more  certain  evidence  of  grace,  than  a  thousand 
things  which  we  ma}'  do  or  forbear  when  our  spirits  are 
warm  and  lively.  I  have  seen  many  who  have  been, 
upon  the  whole,  but  uneven  walkers,  though  at  times  they 
have  seemed  to  enjoy,  at  least  have  talked  of  great  com- 
forts. I  have  seen  others,  for  the  most  part,  complain 
of  much  darkness  and  coldness,  who  have  been  remark- 
ably humble,  tender,  and  exemplary  in  their  spirit  and 
conduct.  Surely,  were  I  to  choose  my  lot,  it  should  be 
with  the  latter. 

I  am,  &c. 


TIIFvEE  LETTERS 

TO 

Mrs.  G****. 

LETTER  I. 
Madam,  June  20,  1776'. 

It  would  be  both  unkind  and  ungrateful  in  me,  to  avail 

myself  on  any  plea  of  business,  for  delayingthe  acknow- 
ledgment I  owe  you  for  your  acceptable  favour  from 
****,  which,  though  dated  the  6th  instant,  I  did  not 
receive  till  the  10th. 

Could  I  have  known  in  time  that  you  was  at  Mr., 
****'s,  I  should  have  endeavoured  to  have  called  upon, 
you  while  there  ;  and  very  glad  should  I  have  been  to 
have  seen  you  with  us.  But  they  who  fear  the  Lord 
may  be  sure,  that  whatever  is  not  practicable  is  not  ne- 
cessary. He  could  have  over-ruled  every  difficulty  in 
your  way,  had  he  seen  it  expedient;  but  he  is  pleased 
to  show  you,  that  you  depend  not  upon  men,  but  upon 
himself;  and  that,  notvvithstandino;  your  connexions 
may  exclude  you  from  some  advantages  in  point  of 
outward  means,  he  who  has  begun  a  good  work  in 
you,  is  able  to  carry  it  on,  in  defiance  of  all  seeming 
hindrances,  and  make  all  things,  (even  those  which  have 
the  most  unfavourable  appearances,)  work  together  for 
your  good. 

A  sure  effect  of  hi§  grace,  is  a  desire  and  Ionising  for 
Vol.  I.  4  N 


640  Letters  to  Mrs.  G^****.  Let.  1 

Gospel-ordinances ;  and  when  they  are  afforded,  they 
cannot  be  neo;lected  without  loss.      But  the  Lord  sees 
many  souls  who  are  dear  to  him,  and  whom  he  is  train- 
ing up  in  a  <jrowing  meetness  for  his  kingdom,  who  are 
by  his  providence  so   situated,   that  it  is  not  in  their 
power  to  attend  upon  Gospel  preaching;  and  perhaps 
they  have  seldom  either  Christian  minister  or  Christian 
friend  to  assist  or  comfort  them.        Such  a  situation  is 
a  state  of  trial ;  but  Jesus  is  all-sufficient,  and   he  is 
always  near.     They  connot  be  debarred  from  his  word 
of  grace  ;  which  is  every  where  at  hand,   nor  from  his 
throne  of  grace,   for  they  who  feel  their  need  of  him, 
and  whose  hearts  are  drawn   towards  him,    are  always 
at  the  foot  of  it.     Every  room  in  the  house,  yea,  every 
spot  they  stand  on,   fields,   lanes,   and  hedge-rows,  all 
is  holy  ground  to  them ;  for  the  Lord  is  there.     The 
chief  difference  between  us  and  the  disciples,  when  our 
Saviour  was  upon  earth,  is  in  this :  they  then  walked. 
by  sight,  and  we  are  called  to  walk  by  faith.     They 
could  see  him  with  their  bodily  eyes,  we  cannot ;  but 
he  said  before  he  left  them,   "  It  is  expedient  for  you 
"  that  I  go  away."     How  could  this  be,   unless  that 
spiritual  communion   which  he  promised  to  maintain 
with  his  people  after  his  ascension,  were  preferable  to 
that  intercourse  he  allowed  them  whilst  he  was  visibly 
with  them  ?  But  we  are  sure  it  is  preferable,  and  they 
who  had  tried  both  were  well  satisfied  he  had  made 
good  his  promise ;  so  that,  though  they  had  known  him 
after  the  flesh,  they  were   content  not  to  know  him  so 
any  more.     Yes,   madam,  though  we  cannot  see  him, 
he  sees  us,  he  is  nearer  to  us  than  we  are  to  ourselves. 
In  a  natural  state,  we  have  very  dark,  and  indeed  dis- 
honourable thoughts  of  God;  wc  ccnceive  of  him  as 


Let.  1.  Letters  to  Mrs.  6'****.  641 

at  a  distance.  But  when  the  heart  is  awakened,  we 
begin  to  make  Jacob's  reflection,  "  Surely,  the  Lord  is 
"  in  this  place,  and  I  knew  it  not."  And  when  we 
receive  faith,  we  begin  to  know  that  this  ever-present 
God  is  in  Christ ;  that  the  government  of  heaven  and 
earth,  the  dispensations  of  the  kingdom  of  nature,  pro- 
vidence, and  grace,  are  in  the  hands  of  Jesus ;  that  it 
is  he  with  whom  v*e  have  to  do,  who  once  suflfered 
agony  and  death  for  our  redemption,  and  whose  com- 
passion and  tenderness  arc  the  same,  now  he  reigns 
over  all  blessed  for  ever,  as  when  he  conversed  amongst 
men  in  the  days  of  his  humiliation.  Thus  God  is  made 
known  to  us  by  the  Gospel,  in  the  endearing  views  of 
a  Saviour,  a  Shepherd,  a  Husband,  a  Friend  ;  and  a 
way  of  access  is  opened  for  us  through  the  veil,  that 
is,  the  human  nature  of  our  Redeemer,  to  enter,  with 
humble  confidence,  into  the  holiest  of  all,  and  to  re- 
pose all  our  cares  and  concerns  upon  the  strength  of 
that  everlasting  arm  which  upholds  heaven  and  earth, 
and  upon  that  infinite  love  which  submitted  to  the 
shame,  pain,  and  death  of  the  cross,  to  redeem  sinners 
from  wrath  and  miser3^ 

Though  there  is  a  height,  a  breadth,  a  length,  and  a 
depth,  in  this  mystery  of  redeeming  love,  exceeding  the 
comprehension  of  all  finite  minds  ;  yet  the  great  and 
leading  principles  which  are  necessary  for  the  support 
and  comfort  of  our  souls,  may  be  summed  up  in  a  very 
few  words.  Such  a  summary  we -are  favoured  with  in 
Titus  ii.  11 — 14.  where  the  whole  of  salvation,  all  that 
is  needful  to  be  known,  experienced,  practised,  and 
hoped  for,  is  comprised  within  the  compass  of  four 
verses.  If  many  books,  much  study,  and  great  dis- 
cernment, were  necessary  in  order  to  be  happy,  what 


(Ha  Letters  to  Mrs.  C****.  Let.  1, 

must  the  poor  and  simple  do  ?  Yet  for  them  espe- 
cially is  the  Gospel  designed;  and  few  but  such  as 
these  attain  the  knowledge  and  comfort  of  it.  The 
Bible  is  a  sealed  book  till  the  heart  be  awakened,  and 
then  he  that  runs  may  read.  The  propositions  are 
few  ;  I  am  a  sinner,  therefore  I  need  a  Saviour,  one 
ivho  is  able  and  willino;  to  save  to  the  uttermost ;  such 
a  one  is  Jesus ;  he  is  ail  that  I  want,  wisdom,  righ- 
teousness, sanctification,  and  redemption.  But  will 
he  receive  me?  Can  I  answer  a  previous  question? 
Am  I  willing  to  receive  him  ?  If  so,  and  if  his  word 
may  be  taken,  if  he  meant  what  he  said,  and  promised 
no  more  than  he  can  perform,  I  may  be  sure  of  a  wel- 
come :  he  knew  long  before,  the  doubts,  fears,  and  sus- 
picions which  would  arise  in  my  mind  when  I  should 
come  to  know  what  I  am,  what  I  have  done,  and  what 
I  have  deserved  ;  and  therefore  he  declared,  before  he 
left  the  earth,  ''  Him  that  cometh  to  me,  I  will  in  no- 
*'  wise  cast  out."  I  have  no  money  or  price  in  my 
hand,  no  worthiness  to  recommend  me ;  and  I  need 
none,  for  he  saveth  freely  for  his  own  name's  sake.  I 
have  only  to  be  thankful  for  w  hat  he  has  already  shown 
me,  and  to  wait  upon  him  for  more.  It  is  my  part  to 
commit  myself  to  him  as  the  physician  of  sin-sick 
souls,  not  to  prescribe  to  him  how  he  shall  treat  me. 
To  begin,  carry  on,  and  perfect  the  cure,  is  his  part. 

The  doubts  and  fears  you  speak  of,  are  in  a  greater 
or  less  degree,  the  common  experience  of  all  the  Lord's 
people,  at  least  for  a  time  ;  whilst  any  unbelief  remains 
in  the  heart,  and  Satan  is  permitted  to  tempt,  we  shall 
feel  these  things.  In  themselves  they  are  groundless 
and  evil ;  yet  the  Lord  permits  and  over-rules  them 
for  good.     They  tend  to  make  us  know  more  of  the 


Let.  2.  Letters  to  Mrs.  (?****'.  64(3 

plague  of  our  own  hearts,  and  feel  more  sensibly  the 
need  of  a  Saviour,  and  make  his  rest,  (when  we  attaia 
it,)  doubly  sweet  and  sure.  And  they  likewise  qualify 
us  for  pitying  and  comforting  others.  Fear  not ;  only 
believe,  wait,  and  pray.  Expect  not  all  at  once.  A 
Christian  is  not  of  hasty  growth,  like  a  mushroom,  but 
rather  like  the  oak,  the  progress  of  which  is  hardly 
perceptible,  but  in  time  becomes  a  great  deep-rooted 
tree.  If  my  writings  have  been  useful  to  you,  may  the 
Lord  have  the  praise.  To  administer  any  comfort  to 
his  children  is  the  greatest  honour  and  pleasure  1  can 
receive  in  this  life.  I  cannot  promise  to  be  a  very 
punctual  correspondent,  having  many  engagements ; 
but  I  hope  to  do  all  in  my  power  to  show  myself 
madam. 

Yours,  &c. 


LETTER  II. 

Madam,  August  20,  1776. 


T] 


HOUGH  in  general  I  think  myself  tolerably  punc- 
tual when  I  can  answer  a  letter  in  six  or  seven  weeks 
after  the  receipt,  yet  I  feel  some  pain  for  not  having 
acknowledged  yours  sooner.  A  case  like  that  which 
you  have  favour<3d  me  with  an  account  of,  deserved  an 
'immediate  attention,  and  when  I  read  it,  I  proposed 
writing  within  a  post  or  two,  and  I  can  hardly  allow 
any  plea  of  business  to  be  sufficient  excuse  for  delay- 
ing it  so  long ;  but  our  times  are  in  the  Lord's  hands  : 
may  he  now  enable  me  to  send  you  what  may  prove  a 
word  in  season. 


644  Letters  to  Mrs.  G^^*^.  Let.  S. 

Your  exercises  have  been  by  no  means  singular, 
though  they  may  appear  so  to  yourself;  because,  in 
your  retired  situation,  you  have  not,  (as  you  observe,) 
had  much  opportunity  of  knowing  the  experience  of 
other  Christians ;  nor  has  the  guilt  with  which  your 
mind  has  been  so  greatly  burdened  been  properly  your 
own.  It  was  a  temptation  forced  upon  you  by  the 
enemy,  and  he  shall  answer  for  it.  Undoubtedly  it  is 
a  mournful  proof  of  the  depravity  of  our  nature,  that 
there  is  that  within  us  which  renders  us  so  easily  suscep- 
tive of  his  suggestions  ;  a  proof  of  our  extreme  weak- 
ness, that  after  the  clearest  and  most  satisfying  evidences 
of  the  truth,  we  are  not  able  to  hold  fast  our  confi- 
dence, if  the  Lord  permits  Satan  to  sift  and  shake  us. 
But  I  can  assure  you  these  changes  are  not  uncommon. 
I  have  known  persons,  who,  after  walking  M-ith  God 
comfortably  in  the  main  for  forty  years,  have  been  at 
their  wit's  end  from  such  assaults  as  you  mention,  and 
been  brought  to  doubt,  not  only  of  the  reality  of  their 
own  hopes,  but  of  the  very  ground  and  foundation 
upon  which  their  hopes  ^vere  built.  Had  you  re- 
mained, as  it  seems  you  once  were,  attached  to  the 
vanities  of  a  gay  and  dissipated  life,  or  could  you  have 
been  content  with  a  form  of  godliness,  destitute  of  the 
power,  it  is  probable  you  would  have  remained  a 
stranger  to  these  troubles.  Satan  would  have  em- 
ployed his  arts  in  a  different  and  less  perceptible  way, 
to  have  soothed  you  into  a  false  peace,  and  prevented 
any  thought  or  suspicion  of  danger  from  arising  in  your 
mind.  But  when  he  could  no  longer  detain  you  in  his 
bondage,  or  seduce  you  back  again  into  the  world,  then 
of  course  he  w  ould  clianue  his  method,  and  declare 
open  war  agaiubt  you.     A  specimen  of  his  power  and 


Let.  2.  letters  to  Mrs.  6^****.  G45 

malice  you  have  experienced;  and  the  Lord,  whom  you 
loved,  because  he  first  loved  you,  permitted  it,  not  to 
gratify  Satan,  but  for  your  benefit — to  humble  and 
prove  vou,  to  show  you  m  hat  is  in  your  heart,  and  to 
do  you  good  in  the  issue.  These  things,  for  the  pre- 
sent, are  not  joyous,  but  grievous ;  yet  in  the  end  they 
yield  the  peaceable  fruits  of  righteousness.  In  the 
mean  time  his  eye  is  upon  you ;  he  has  appointed 
bounds  both  to  the  degree  and  the  duration  of  the 
trial ;  and  he  does  and  will  afford  you  such  supports, 
that  you  shall  not  be  tried  beyond  what  you  are  en- 
abled to  bear.  I  doubt  not  but  your  conflicts  and 
sorrows  will  in  due  time  terminate  in  praise  and  vic- 
tory, and  be  sanctified  io  your  fuller  establishment  in 
the  truth. 

I  greatlv  rejoice  in  the  Lord's  goodness  to  your 
dying  parent.  How  wisely  timed,  and  how  exactly 
suited,  was  that  affecting  dispensation,  to  break  the 
force  of  those  sugsestions  with  which  the  enemv  was 
aiming  to  overwhelm  your  spirit !  He  could  not  stand 
against  such  an  illustrious  demonstrative  attestation, 
that  the  doctrines  you  had  embraced  were  not  cun- 
ningly devised  fables.  He  could  proceed  no  further  in 
that  way;  but  he  is  fruitful  in  resources.  His  next 
attempt,  of  course,  was  to  fix  guilt  upon  your  con- 
science, as  if  you  had  3'ourself  formed  and  willingly  en- 
tertained those  thoughts,  which,  indeed  you  suffered 
with  extreme  reluctance  and  pain.  Here  likewise  I 
find  he  succeeded  for  a  time ;  but  he  who  broke  the 
former  snare,  will  deliver  you  from  this  likewise. 

The  dark  and  dishonourable  thoughts  of  God,  which 
I  hinted  at  as  belonging  to  a  natural  state,  are  very  dif- 
ferent from  the  thoughts  of  your  heart  concerning  him. 
You   do  not  conceive  of  him  as  a  hard  master,  or 


646  Letters  to  Mrs.  G^*#*#.  Let.  g, 

think  you  could  be  more  happy  in  the  breach  than  in 
the  observance  of  his  precepts.  You  do  not  prefer  the 
world  to  his  favour,  or  think  you  can  please  him,  and 
make  amends  for  your  sins  by  an  obedience  of  your 
Own.  These,  and  such  as  these,  are  the  thoughts  of 
the  natural  heart ;  the  very  reverse  of  yours.  One 
thought,  however,  I  confess  you  have  indulged,  which 
is  no  less  dishonourable  to  the  Lord  than  uncomfort- 
able to  yourself.  You  sa}^,  "  I  dare  not  believe  that 
"  God  will  not  impute  to  me  as  sin,  the  admission  of 
*'  thoughts  which  my  soul  ever  abhorred,  and  to  which 
*'  my  will  never  consented."  Nay,  you  fear  lest  they 
should  not  only  be  imputed,  but  unpardonable.  But 
how  can  this  be  possible  ?  Indeed  I  will  not  call  it 
your  thought^  it  is  your  temptation.  You  tell  me  you 
have  children.  Then  you  will  easily  feel  a  plain  illus- 
tration, which  just  noM"  occurs  to  me.  Let  me  sup- 
pose a  case  which  has  sometimes  happened  :  a  child, 
three  or  fours  years  of  age  we  will  say,  while  playing 
incautiously  at  a  little  distance  from  home,  should  be 
suddenly  seized  and  carried  away  by  a  gipsy.  Poor 
thincT !  how  terrified,  how  distressed  must  it  be  !  ]\Ie- 
thinks  I  hear  its  cries.  The  sight  and  violence  of  the 
stranger,  the  recollection  of  its  dear  parents,  the  loss 
of  its  pleasing  home,  the  dread  and  uncertainty  of 
-what  is  yet  to  befall  it ;  is  it  not  a  wonder  that  it 
does  not  die  in  agonies  r  But  see,  help  is  at  hand  ; 
the  gipsy  is  pursued,  and  the  child  recovered.  Now, 
my  dear  madam,  permit  me  to  ask  you,  if  this  were  your 
child,  how  would  you  receive  it?  Perhaps,  when  the 
first  transports  of  your  joy  for  its  safety  would  permit 
you,  you  might  gently  chide  it  for  leaving  your  door ; 
but  would  you  disinherit  it  ?  Would  you  disown  it .' 
Would  you  deliver  it  up  again  to  the  gipsy  with  your 


Let.  2.  Letters  to  Mrs.  G^****.  647 

own  hands,  because  it  had  suffered  a  violence  which 
it  could  not  withstand,  xvh'ich  it  abhorred,  and  to  which 
its  will  never  consented?  And  yet  what  is  the  tender- 
ness of  a  mother,  of  ten  thousand  mothers,  to  that 
which  our  compassionate  Saviour  bears  to  every  poor 
soul  that  has  been  enabled  to  flee  to  him  for  salvation .! 
Let  us  be  far  from  charging  that  to  him,  of  which  we 
think  we  are  utterly  incapable  ourselves.  Take  cour- 
age, madam,  resist  the  devil,  and  he  will  flee  from  you. 
If  he  were  to  tempt  you  to,  any  thing  criminal,  you 
\vould  start  at  the  thought,  and  renounce  it  with  ab- 
horrence. Do  the  same  when  he  tempts  you  to  ques- 
tion the  Lord's  compassion  and  goodness.  But  there 
he  imposes  upon  us  with  a  show  of  humility,  and  per- 
suades us  that  we  do  well  to  oppose  our  unworthiness 
as  a  sufficient  exception  to  tlie  many  express  promises 
of  the  word.  It  is  said,  the  blood  of  Jesus  cleanseth 
from  all  sin :  that  all  manner  of  sin  shall  be  forgiven 
for  his  sake ;  that  whoever  cometh  he  will  in  nowise 
cast  out ;  and  that  he  is  able  to  save  to  the  uttermost. 
Believe  his  word,  and  Satan  shall  be  found  a  liar.  If 
the  child  had  deliberately  gone  away  with  the  gipsy  ; 
had  preferred  that  wretched  way  of  life;  had  refused  to 
return,  though  frequently  and  tenderly  invited  home, 
perhaps  a  parent's  love  miglit,  in  time,  be  too  weak  to 
plead  for  the  pardon  of  such  continued  obstinacy. 
But,  indeed,  in  this  manner  we  have  all  dealt  with  the 
Lord ;  and  yet,  whenever  we  are  willing  to  return,  he 
is  willing  to  receive  us  with  open  arms,  and  without 
an  upbraiding  word  ;  Luke  xv.  20 — 22.  Though  our 
sins  have  been  deep-dyed,  like  scarlet  and  crimson, 
enormous  as  mountains,  and  countless  as  the  sands,  the 
sum  total  is,  but.  Sin  has  abounded ;  but  where  sin  hath 
Vol.  T,  4  O 


Letters  to  Mrs.  6=**-**.  Let.  3. 

abounded,  grace  has  much  more  abounded.  After  all, 
I  know  the  Lord  keeps  the  key  of  comfort  in  his  o\mi 
hands,  yet  he  has  commanded  us  to  attempt  comfort- 
ing one  another.  I  should  rejoice  to  be  his  instrument 
of  administering  comfort  to  you.  I  shall  hope  to  hear 
from  you  soon ;  and  that  you  will  then  be  able  to  in- 
form me  he  has  restored  to  you  the  joys  of  his  salva- 
tion. But  if  not  yet,  wait  for  him,  and  you  shall  not 
wait  in  vain. 

I  am,  &c. 


LETTER  III. 
My  Dear  Madam,  June-— 1777- 

Jl  EMPTATIONS  may  be  compared  to  the  wind,  which 
when  it  has  ceased  raging  from  one  point,  after  a  short 
calm,  frequently  renews  its  violence  from  another  quar- 
ter. The  Lord  silenced  Satan's  former  assaults  against 
you,  but  he  is  permitted  to  try  you  again  in  another 
way.  Be  of  good  courage,  madam,  wait  upon  the 
Lord,  and  the  present  storm  shall  likewise  subside  in 
good  time.  You  have  an  infallible  Pilot,  and  are  em- 
barked in  a  bottom  against  which  the  winds  and  waves 
cannot  prevail.  You  may  be  tossed  about,  and  think 
yourself  in  apparent  jeopardy,  but  sink  3'ou  shall  not, 
except  the  promises  and  faithfulness  of  God  can  fail. 
Upon  an  attentive  consideration  of  your  complaint,  it 
seems  to  me  to  amount  only  to  this,  that  though  the 
Lord  has  done  great  things  for  you,  he  has  not  yet 
brought  you  to  a  state  of  independence  on  himself,  nor 
released  you  from  that  impossibility  which  all  his  peo- 


Let.  3.  Letters  to  Mrs,  G^****.  64§ 

pie  feel,  of  doing  any  thing  without  him.  And  is  this, 
indeed,  a  matterof  complaint  ?  Is  it  not  every  way 
better,  more  for  his  glory,  and  more  suited  to  keep  us 
mindful  of  our  obligations  to  him,  and,  in  the  event, 
more  for  our  safety,  that  we  should  be  reduced  to  a 
happy  necessity  of  receiving  daily  out  of  his  fulness, 
(as  the  Israelites  received  the  manna,)  than  to  be  set 
up  w  ith  something  of  a  stock  of  wisdom,  pow  er,  and 
goodness  of  our  own  ?  Adam  was  thus  furnished  at 
the  beginning  with  strength  to  stand ;  yet  mutability 
being  essential  to  a  creature,  he  quickly  fell  and  lost, 
all.  We  v»ho  are  by  nature  sinners,  are  not  left  to  so 
hazardous  an  experiment.  He  has  himself  engaged  to 
keep  us,  and  treasured  up  all  fulness  of  grace  for  our 
support,  in  a  head  who  cannot  fail.  Our  gracious  Sa- 
viour will  communicate  all  needful  supplies  to  his  mem- 
bers, yet  in  such  a  manner  that  they  sliall  feel  their 
need  and  weakness,  and  have  nothing  to  boast  of  from 
first  to  last  but  his  wisdom,  compassion,  and  care. 
We  are  in  no  worse  circumstances  than  the  apostle 
Paul,  who,  though  eminent  and  exemplary  in  the 
Christian  life,  found  and  freely  confessed  that  he  had 
no  sufficiency  in  himself  to  think  a  good  thought. 
Nor  did  he  wish  it  otherwise ;  he  even  gloried  in  his 
infirmities,  that  the  power  of  Christ  might  rest  upon 
him.  Unbelief,  and  a  thousand  evils,  are  still  in  our 
hearts  ;  though  their  reign  and  dominion  is  at  an  end, 
they  are  not  slain  nor  eradicated  ;  their  effects  will  be 
felt  more  or  less  sensibly,  as  the  Lord  is  pleased  more 
or  less  to  afford  or  abate  his  gracious  influence.  When 
they  are  kept  down  we  are  no  better  in  ourselves,  for 
they  are  not  kept  down  by  us ;  but  we  are  very  prone 
to  think  better  of  ourselves  at  such  a  time,  and  there- 


650  Letters  to  Mrs.  G*****.  Let.  S. 

fore  he  is  pleased  to  permit  us  at  seasons  to  feel  a  dif- 
ference, that  we  may  never  forget  how  weak  and  how 
vile  we  are.  We  cannot  absolutely  conquer  these 
evils,  but  it  becomes  us  to  be  humbled  for  them ;  and 
we  are  to  fight,  and  strive,  and  pray  against  them. 
Our  great  duty  is  to  be  at  his  footstool,  and  cry  to 
him  who  has  promised  to  perform  all  things  for  us. 
Why  are  we  called  soldiers,  but  because  we  are  called 
to  a  warfare  ?  And  how  could  we  fight,  if  there  were  no 
enemies  to  resist  r  The  Lord's  soldiers  are  not  merely 
for  show,  to  make  an  empty  parade  in  an  uniform,  and 
to  brandish  their  arms  when  none  but  friends  and  spec- 
tators are  around  them.  No,  we  must  stand  upon  the 
field  of  battle;  we  must  face  the  fiery  darts;  we  must 
wrestle,  (which  is  the  closest  and  most  arduous  kind  of 
fighting,)  with  our  foes;  nor  can  we  well  expect  wholly 
to  escape  wounds  ;  but  the  leaves  of  the  tree  of  life 
are  provided  for  their  healing.  The  Captain  of  our 
salvation  is  at  hand,  and  leads  us  on  with  an  assurance 
which  might  make  even  a  coward  bold — that,  in  the  end, 
we  shall  be  more  than  conquerors  through  him  who 
has  loved  us. 

I  am  ready  to  think  that  some  of  the  sentiments  in 
your  letters  are  not  properly  yours,  such  as  you 
yourself  have  derived  from  the  Scriptures,  but  rather 
borrowed  irom  authors  or  preachers,  whose  judg- 
ment your  humility  has  led  you  to  prefer  to  your 
own.  At  least,  1  am  sure  the  Scripture  does  not  au- 
thorize the  conclusion  which  distresses  you  ;  that  if  you 
were  a  child  of  God  you  should  not  feel  such  changes 
and  oppositions.  Were  I  to  define  a  Christian,  or 
rather  to  describe  him  at  large,  I  know  no  text  I  would 
choose  sooner  as  a  ground  for  the  subject,  than  GaL 


Let.  3.  Letters  to  Mrs.  G*'^-*-^.  561 

V.  17.  A  Christian  has  noble  aims,  which  distinguish 
him  from  the  bulk  of  mankind.  His  leading  principles, 
motives,  and  desires,  are  all  supernatural  and  divine. 
Could  he  do  as  he  would,  there  is  not  a  spirit  before 
the  throne  should  excel  him  in  holiness,  love,  and  obe- 
dience. He  would  tread  in  the  very  footsteps  of  his 
Saviour,  fill  up  every  moment  in  his  service,  and  em- 
ploy every  breath  in  his  praise.  Thi^  he  would  do, 
but,  alas  !  he  cannot.  Against  this  desire  of  the  spirit, 
there  is  a  contrary  desire  and  w-orking  of  a  corrupt  na- 
ture, which  meets  him  at  every  turn.  He  has  a  beau- 
tiful copy  set  before  him  ;  he  is  enamoured  with  it, 
and  though  he  does  not  expect  to  equal  it,  he  writes 
carefully  after  it,  and  longs  to  attain  to  the  nearest 
possible  imitation.  But  indwelling  sin  and  Satan  con- 
tinually jog  his  hand,  and  spoil  his  strokes.  You  can- 
not, Madam,  form  a  right  judgment  of  yourself,  ex- 
cept you  make  due  allowance  for  those  things  which 
are  not  peculiar  to  yourself,  but  common  to  all  who 
have  spiritual  perception,  and  are  indeed  the  insepara- 
ble appendages  of  this  mortal  state.  If  it  were  not 
so,  why  should  the  most  spiritual  and  gracious  people 
be  so  ready  to  confess  themselves  vile  and  worthless  ? 
One  eminent  branch  of  our  holiness,  is  a  sense  of 
shame  and  humiliation  for  those  evils  which  are  only 
known  to  ourselves,  and  to  him  who  searches  our 
hearts,  joined  with  an  acquiescence  in  Jesus,  who  is 
appointed  of  God,  wisdom,  righteousness,  sanctifica- 
tion,  and  redemption.  I  will  venture  to  assure  you, 
that  though  you  will  possess  a  more  stable  peace,  in 
proportion  as  the  Lord  enables  you  to  live  more  simply 
upon  the  blood,  righteousness,  and  grace  of  the  IMedia- 
tor,  you  will  never  grow  into  a  better  opinion  of  your ' 


6oS  Letters  to  Mrs.  G****.  Let.  o. 

self  than  you  have  at  present.  The  nearer  you  are 
brought  to  him,  the  quicker  sense  you  will  have  of  your 
continual  need  of  him,  and  thereby  your  admiration  of 
his  power,  love,  and  compassion,  will  increase  likewise 
from  year  to  year. 

I  would  observe  further,  that  our  spiritual  exercises 
are  not  a  little  influenced  by  our  constitutional  tem- 
perament. As  you  are  only  an  ideal  correspondent, 
I  can  but  conjecture  about  you  upon  this  head.  If 
your  frame  is  delicate,  and  your  nervous  system  very 
sensible  and  tender,  I  should  probably  ascribe  some 
of  your  apprehensions  to  this  cause.  It  is  an  abstruse 
subject,  and  I  will  not  enter  into  it;  but,  according  to 
the  observations  I  have  made,  persons  of  this  habit, 
seem  to  live  more  upon  the  confines  of  the  invisible 
world,  if  I  may  so  speak,  and  to  be  more  suspective 
of  impressions  from  it,  than  others.  That  complaint 
which,  for  want  of  a  better  name,  we  call  lowness  of 
spirits,  may  probably  afford  the  enemy  some  peculiar 
advantages  and  occasions  of  distressing  you.  The 
mind  then  perceives  objects  as  through  a  tinctured  me- 
dium, which  gives  them  a  dark  and  discouraging  ap- 
pearance ;  and  I  believe  Satan  has  more  influence  and 
address,  than  we  are  aware  of,  in  managing  the  glass. 

And  when  this  is  not  the  case  at  all  times,  it  may  be 
so  occnsionally,  from  sickness  or  other  circumstances. 
Vou  tell  mc  that  you  have  lately  been  ill,  which,  to- 
gether v.'ith  your  present  situation,  and  the  prospect  of 
your  approaching  hour,  may  probably  have  such  an 
effect  as  I  have  hinted.  You  may  be  charging  your- 
self with  guilt,  for  what  springs  from  indisposition,  in 
which  you  are  merely  passive,  and  which  may  be  no 
more  properly  sinful^   than  the  bead-ache,  or  any  of 


Let.  3.  Letters  to  Mrs.  G^****.  65S 

the  thousand  natural  shocks  the  flesh  is  heir  to.  The 
enemy  can  take  no  advantage  but  what  the  Lord  per- 
mits him  ;  and  he  will  permit  him  none  but  w  hat  he 
designs  to  over-nde  for  your  greater  advantage  in  the 
end.  He  delis^hts  in  your  prosperity  ;  and  you  should 
not  be  in  heaviness  fur  an  hour,  were  there  not  a  need- 
be  for  it.  Notwithstanding  your  fears,  I  have  a  good 
hope,  that  he  who  }ou  say  has  lielped  you  in  six  trou- 
bles, will  appear  for  you  in  the  seventh ;  that  you  will 
not  die,  but  live,  and  declare  the  works  of  the  Lord, 
and  come  forth  to  testify  to  his  praise  that  he  has  turn- 
ed vour  niournin*;  into  jov. 

I  am.  Sec. 


TWO  LETTERS 

TO 

Miss  F****. 

LETTER  I. 
Dear  Madam,  October  3,  1778. 

X  OU  would  have  me  tell  you  what  are  the  best  means 
to  be  used  by  a  young  person,  to  prevent  the  world, 
•with  all  its  opening  and  ensnaring  scenes,  from  drawinc^ 
the  heart  aside  from  God.  It  is  an  important  ques- 
tion ;  but  I  apprehend  your  own  heart  will  tell  you, 
that  you  are  already  possessed  of  all  the  information 
concerning  it  which  you  can  well  expect  from  me.  I 
could  only  attempt  to  answer  it  from  the  Bible,  which 
lies  open  to  you  likewise.  If  3'our  heart  is  like  mine, 
it  must  confess,  that  when  it  turns  aside  from  God,  it  is 
seldom  through  ignorance  of  the  proper  means  or  mo- 
tives which  should  have  kept  us  near  him,  but  rather 
from  an  evil  principle  within,  which  prevails  against  our 
better  judgment,  and  renders  us  unfaithful  to  light  al- 
ready received. 

I  could  offer  you  rules,  cautions,  and  advices  in 
abundance;  for  I  find  it  comparatively  easy  to  preach 
to  others.  But  if  you  should  further  ask  me.  How  you 
shall  effectually  reduce  them  to  practice  ?  I  feel  that 
I  am  so  deficient,  and  so  much  at  a  loss  in  this  matter 
myse/f,  that  I  know  not  well  what  to  say  to  2/011.  Yet 
something  must  be  said. 

In  the  first  place,  then,  I  would  observe,  that  though 


Let.  1.  Letters  to  Miss  F**^^.  655 

it  be  our  bounden  duty,  and  the  highest  privilege  we 
can  propose  to  ourselves,  to  have  our  hearts  kept  close 
to  the  Lord  ;  yet  we  must  not  expect  it  absolutely  or 
perfectly,  much  less  all  at  once  :  we  shall  keep  close 
to  him,  in  proportion  as  we  are  solidly  convinced  of  the 
infinite  disparity  between  him  and  the  things  which 
would  presume  to  stand  in  competition  with  him,  and 
the  folly,  as  well  as  ingratitude,  of  departing  from  him. 
But  these  points  are  only  to  be  learned  by  experience, 
and  by  smarting  under  a  series  of  painful  disappoint- 
ments in  our  expectations  from  creatures.  Our  judg- 
ments may  l)e  quickly  satisfied  that  his  favour  is  better 
than  life,  while  yet  it  is  in  the  power  of  a  mere  trifle  to 
turn  us  aside.  The  Lord  permits  us  to  feel  our  weak- 
ness, that  we  may  be  sensible  of  it ;  for  though  we  are 
ready  in  words  to  confess  that  we  are  weak,  we  do  not 
so  properly  know  it,  till  that  secret,  though  unallowed, 
dependeix;e  we  have  upon  some  strength  in  ourselves, 
is  brought  to  the  trial,  and  fails  us.  To  be  humble,  and 
like  a  little  child,  afraid  of  taking  a  step  alone,  and  so 
conscious  of  snares  and  dangers  around  us,  as  to  cry  to 
him  continually  to  hold  us  up  that  we  may  be  safe,  is 
the  sure,  the  infallible,  the  only  secret  of  walking  close- 
ly with  him. 

But  how  shall  we  attain  this  humble  frame  of  spirit? 
It  must  be,  as  I  said,  from  a  real  and  sensible  convic- 
tion of  our  weakness  and  vileness,  which  we  cannot 
learn,  (at  least  I  have  not  been  able  to  learn  it,)  merely 
from  books  or  preachers.  The  providence  of  God 
concurs  with  his  Holy  Spirit  in  his  merciful  design  of 
making  us  acquainted  with  ourselves.  It  is  indeed  a 
great  mercy  to  he  preserved  from  such  declensions  as 
might  fall  under  the  notice  of  our  fellow-creatures  ;  but 
when  thei/  can  observe  nothing  of  consequence  to  ob- 

Vol.  I.  4  P 


65G  Lctttrs  to  Miss  F****,  X<et.   1. 

ject  to  us,  things  may  be  far  from  right  with  us  in  the 
sight  of  him  who  judgels  not  only  actions,  but  the 
thoughts  and  first  motions  of  the  heart.  And  indeed 
could  we  for  a  season  so  cleave  to  God  as  to  find  little 
or  nothing  in  ourselves  to  be  ashamed  of,  we  are  such 
poor  creatures,  that  we  should  presently  grow  vain  and 
self-sufilicient,  and  expose  ourselves  to  the  greatest 
danger  of  falling. 

There  are,  however,  means  to  be  observed  on  our 
part ;  and   though  you  know  them,  I   will  repeat  the 
principal,  because  you  desire  me.    The  first  is  Prayer ; 
and  here,  above  all  things,  we  should  pray  for  humility. 
It  may  be  called  both  the  guard  of  all  other  graces,  and 
the  soil  in  which  they  grow.     The  second,  Attention  to 
the  Scripture.     Your  question  is  directly  answered  in 
psalm  cxix.  9-     The  precepts  are  our  rule  and  delight, 
the  promises   our  strength    and    encouragement :  the 
good  recorded  of  the   saints  is  proposed  for  our  en- 
couragement ;  their  miscarriages  are  as  land-marks  set 
up  to  warn  us  of  the  rocks  and  shoals  which  lie  in  the 
way  of  our  passage.     The  study  of  the  whole  scheme 
of  Gospel-salvation,  respecting   the  person,   life,  doc- 
trine, death,  and  glory  of  our  Redeemer,  is  appointed 
to  form  our  souls  to  a  spiritual  and  divine  taste  ;  and  so 
far   as  this   prevails  and  grows  in  us,   the  trifles  that 
would  draw  us  from  the  Lord,  Avill  lose  their  influence, 
and  appear,  divested  of  the  glare  with  which  they  strike 
the  senses,  mere  vanity  and  nothing.     The  third  grand 
means  is,  Consideration  or  Recollection  ;  a  careful  re- 
gard to  those  temptations  and  snares,  to  which,   from 
our  tempers,  situations,  or   connexions,   we  are  more 
iuimediately  exposed,  and  by  which  we  have  been  for- 
merly hindered.     It  may  be  well  in  the  morning,  ere 
Vvc  leave  our  chambers,  to  forecast,  as  far  as  we  arc 


Let.  2.  Letters  toMhs  F^^'^^.  657 

able,  the  probable  circumstances  of  the  day  before  us. 
Yet  the  observance  of  this,  as  well  as  of  every  rule  that 
can  be  offered,  may  dwindle  into  a  mere  form.  How- 
ever, I  trust  the  Lord,  who  has  given  you  a  desire  to 
live  to  him,  w  ill  be  your  guard  and  teacher.  There  is 
none  teacheth  like  him. 

I  am,  &c. 


O 


LETTER  11. 

Dear  Madan>,  March — 1779. 


UR  experiences  pretty  much  tally ;  they  may  be 
drawn  out  into  sheets  and  quires,  but  the  sum  total  may 
be  comprised  in  a  short  sentence,  "  Our  life  is  a  war- 
"  fare."  For  our  encouragement,  the  apostle  calls  it  a 
good  warfare.  We  are  engaged  in  a  good  cause,  fight 
under  a  good  Captain,  the  victory  is  sure  beforehand, 
and  the  prize  is  a  crown,  a  crown  of  life.  Such  con- 
siderations might  make  even  a  coward  bold.  But  then 
we  must  be  content  to  fight ;  and,  considering  the  na- 
ture, number,  situation,  and  subtilty  of  our  enemies,  we 
may  expert  sometimes  to  receive  a  wound  :  but  there 
is  a  medicinal  tree,  the  leaves  of  which  are  always  at 
hand  to  heal  us.  We  cannot  be  too  attentive  to  the 
evil  which  is  ahvays  working  in  us,  or  to  the  stratagems 
which  are  employed  against  us;  yet  our  attention  should 
not  be  wholly  confined  to  these  things.  We  are  to  look 
upwards  likewise  to  him,  who  is  our  head,  our  life,  our 
strength.  One  glance  of  Jesus  will  convey  more  efFecn 
tual  assistance,  than  poring  upon  our  own  hearts  for  a 
month.  The  one  is  to  be  done,  but  the  other  should, 
upon  no  account,  be  omitted.  It  was  not  by  counting 
their  wounds,  but  by  beholding  the  brazen  serpent,  the 


658  Letters  to  Miss  F*^**.  Let.  2. 

Lord's  instituted  means  of  cui^,  that  the  Israelites  were 
healed.  That  was  an  emblem  for  our  instruction. 
One  great  cause  of  our  frequent  conflicts  is,  that  we 
have  a  secret  desire  to  be  rich,  and  it  is  the  Lord's  de- 
sign to  make  us  poor  :  we  want  to  gain  an  ability  of 
doing  something  ;  and  he  suits  his  dispensations,  to  con- 
vince us  that  we  can  do  notiiing  :  we  want  a  stock  in 
ourselves,  and  he  would  have  us  absolutely  dependent 
upon  him.  So  far  as  we  are  content  to  be  weak,  that 
his  power  may  be  magnified  in  us,  so  far  we  shall  make 
our  enemies  know  that  Ave  are  strong,  though  we  our- 
selves shall  never  be  directly  sensible  that  we  are  so; 
only  by  comparing  what  we  are,  with  the  opposition  we 
stand  against,  we  may  come  to  a  comfortable  conclu- 
sion, that  the  Lord  worketh  mightily  in  us.  Psalm 
xli.  11. 

If  our  views  are  simple,  and  our  desires  towards  the 
Lord,  it  may  be  of  use  to  consider  some  of  your  faults 
and  mine,  not  as  the  faults  of  you  and  me  in  particular, 
but  as  the  fault  of  that  depraved  nature,  which  is  com- 
mon with  us  to  all  the  Lord's  people,  and  which  made 
Paul  groan  as  feelingly  and  as  heartily  as  we  can  do. 
But  this  consideration,  though  true  and  Scriptural,  can 
only  be  safely  applied  when  the  mind  is  sincerely  and 
in  good  earnest  devoted  to  the  Lord.  There  are  too 
many  unsound  and  half  professors,  who  ea-erly  catch 
at  it,  as  an  excuse  for  those  evils  they  are  unwilling  to 
part  with.  But  I  trust  I  may  safely  recommend  it  to 
you.  This  evil  nature,  this  indwelling  sin,  is  a  living 
principle,  an  active,  powerful  cause  ;  and  a  cause  that 
is  active,  Mill  necessarily  produce  an  effect.  Sin  is  the 
same  thing  in  believers,  as  in  the  unregenerate ;  they 
have,  indeed,  a  contrary  principle  of  grace,  which  coun- 
teracts and  resists  it,  which  can  prevent  its  outbreak- 


#- 


Let.  2  Letters  to  Miss  F****.  C59 

ings,  but  will  not  suppress  its  risings.  As  grace  resists 
sin,  so  sin  resists  grace,  Gal.  v.  17.  The  proper  ten- 
dency of  each  is  mutually  weakened  on  both  sides  ;  and 
between  the  two,  the  poor  believer,  however  blameless 
and  exemplary  in  the  sight  of  men,  appears  in  his  own 
view  the  most  inconsistent  character  under  the  sun. 
He  can  hardly  think  it  is  so  with  others,  and  judging  of 
them  by  what  he  sees,  and  of  himself  by  what  hejeels, 
in  lowliness  of  heart  he  esteems  others  better  than  him- 
self. This  proves  him  to  be  right ;  for  it  is  the  will  of 
God  concerning  him,  Phil.  ii.  3.  This  is  the  warfare. 
But  it  shall  not  be  always  so.  Grace  shall  prevail. 
The  evil  nature  is  already  enervated,  and  ere  long  it 
shall  die  the  death.  Jesus  will  make  us  more  than 
conquerors. 

I  am,  &c. 


'FOUR  LETTERS 


TO    THE 


Rev.  Dr.  ****. 

LETTER  I. 

Dear  Sir,  April  17,  1776. 

^Y  this  time  I  hope  you  are  both  returned  in  peace, 
and  happy  together  in  your  stated  favoured  tract;  rejoic- 
ing in  the  name  of  Jesus  yourselves,  and  rejoicing  to  see 
the  savour  of  it  spreading  Hke  a  precious  perfume  among 
the  people.  Every  day  I  hope  you  find  prejudices  wear- 
ing off,  and  more  disposed  to  hear  the  words  of  life. 
The  Lord  has  given  you  a  fine  first-fruits,  which  I  trust 
will  prove  the  earnest  of  a  plentiful  harvest.  In  the  mean 
time  he  will  enable  you  to  sow  the  seed  in  patience,  leav- 
ing the  event  in  his  hands.  Though  it  does  not  spring  up 
visibly  at  once,  it  will  not  be  lost.  I  think  he  would  not 
have  sent  you  if  he  had  not  a  people  there  to  call ;  but 
they  can  only  come  forth  to  view  as  he  is  pleased  to  bring 
them.  Satan  will  try  to  hinder  and  disturb  you  ;  but  he 
is  in  a  chain  which  he  cannot  break,  nor  go  a  step  further 
than  he  is  permitted.  And  if  you  have  been  instrumental 
to  the  conversion  of  but  a  few,  in  those  few  you  have  an 
ample  reward  already  for  all  the  difficulties  you  have  or 
can  meet  with.  It  is  more  honourable  and  important  to 
be  an  instrument  of  saving  one  soul,  than  to  rescue  a  whole 
kingdom  fivm  temporal  ruin.  Let  us,  therefore,  while 
we  earnestly  desire  to  be  more  useful,  not  forget  to  be 
thankful  for  what  the  Lord  has  been  pleased  already  to 


Let.  2.  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Dr.  ****.  661 

do  for  us  ;  and  let  us  expect,  knowing  whose  servants 
we  are,  and  what  a  Gospel  we  preach,  to  see  some  new 
miracles  wrought  from  day  to  day :  for  indeed  every  real 
conversion  may  be  accounted  miraculous,  being  no  less 
than  an  immediate  exertion  of  that  power  which  made 
the  heavens,  and  commanded  the  light  to  shine  out  of 
darkness.  Your  little  telescope  is  safe.  I  wish  I  had 
more  of  that  clear  air  and  sunshine  you  speak  of,  that 
with  you  I  might  have  more  distinct  views  of  the  land  of 
promise.  I  cannot  say  my  prospect  is  greatly  clouded 
by  doubts  of  my  reaching  it  at  last ;  but  then  there  is 
such  a  languor  and  deadness  hangs  upon  my  mind,  that 
it  is  almost  amazing  to  me  how  I  can  entertain  any  hopes 
at  all.  It  seems,  if  doubting  could  ever  be  reasonable, 
there  is  no  one  who  has  greater  reason  for  doubting  than 
myself.  But  I  know  not  how  to  doubt,  when  I  consider 
the  faithfulness,  grace,  and  compassion  of  him  who 
has  promised.  If  it  could  be  proved  that  Christ  had 
not  died,  or  that  he  did  not  speak  the  words  which  are 
ascribed  to  him  in  the  Gospel,  or  that  he  is  not  able  to 
make  them  good,  or  that  his  word  cannot  safely  be  ta- 
ken ;  in  any  of  these  cases  I  should  doubt  to  purpose, 
and  lie  down  in  despair, 

I  am,  &c. 


I 


LETTER  n. 
My  Dear  Sir,  July  15,  177/ 


BEGIN  with  congratulations  first  to  you  and  Mrs. 
****,  on  your  safe  journey  and  good  passage  over  the 
formidable  Humber.  Mrs.  ****  has  another  river  to 
cross,  (may  it  be  many  years  before  she  approaches  the 
bank,)  over  which  there  is  no  bridge.  Perhaps  at  seasons 


605  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Dr.  ****.  Let.  2. 

she  may  think  of  it  with  that  reluctance  which  she  felt 
before  she  saw  the  Humber;  but  as  her  fears  were  then 
agreeably  disappointed,  and  she  found  the  experiment, 
when  called  to  make  it,  neither  terrifying  nor  dangerous, 
so  I  trust  she  will  find  it  in  the  other  case.  Did  not 
she  think,  The  Lord  knows  where  I  shall  be,  and  he  will 
meet  me  there  with  a  storm,  because  I  am  such  a  sinner? 
Then  how  the  billows  will  foam  and  rage  at  me,  and 
what  a  long  passage  I  shall  have,  and  perhaps  I  shall 
sink  in  the  middle,  and  never  set  my  foot  in  Hull.  It 
is  true,  I  am  not  so  much  afraid  of  the  journey  I  go  by 
land,  though  I  know  that  every  step  of  the  way  the  horses 
or  the  chaise  may  fall,  and  I  be  killed ;  but  how  do  I 
know  but  he  may  preserve  me  on  the  road  on  purpose 
to  drown  me  in  the  river  ?  But  behold,  when  she  came 
to  it,  all  was  calm  ;  or  what  was  better,  a  gentle,  fair 
breeze,  to  waft  her  pleasantly  over  before  she  was  aware. 
Thus  we  are  apt  perversely  to  reason :  he  guides  and 
guards  me  through  life ;  he  gives  me  new  mercies, 
and  new  proofs  of  his  power  and  care  every  day ;  and 
therefore  when  I  come  to  die  he  will  forsake  me,  and  let 
me  be  the  sport  of  winds  and  waves.  Indeed,  the  Lord 
does  not  deserve  such  hard  thoughts  at  our  hands  as  we 
are  prone  to  form  of  him.  But  notwithstanding  we 
make  such  returns,  he  is  and  will  be  gracious,  and  shame 
us  out  of  our  unkind,  ungrateful,  unbelieving  fears  at 
last.  If,  after  my  repeated  kind  reception  at  your  house, 
I  should  always  be  teasing  Mrs,  ****  with  suspicions  of 
her  good-will,  and  should  tell  every  body  I  saw,  that  I 
verily  believed  the  next  time  I  went  to  see  her  she  would 
shut  the  door  in  my  face  and  refuse  me  admittance,  would 
she  not  be  grieved,  offended,  and  affronted  ?  Would  she 
not  think.  What  reason  can  he  assign  for  this  treatment? 
He  knows  I  did  every  thing  in  my  power  to  assure  him 


Let.  2.  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Dr,  ****.  663 

of  a  welcome,  and  told  y.;,,!  so  over  and  over  again. 
Does  he  count  me  a  deceiver:  Yes,  he  does  :  I  see  his 
friendship  is  not  worth  preserving ,  so  farewell :  I  will 
seek  friends  among  such  as  believe  my  vvorrig  and  actions. 
Well,  mydear  Madam,  I  am  clear  I  always  beVvoyed  you: 
I  make  no  doubt  but  you  will  treat  me  kindly  nexitime^ 
as  you  did  the  last.  But  pray  is  not  the  Lord  as  wor- 
thy of  being  trusted  as  yourself?  and  are  not  his  invita- 
tions and  promises  as  hearty  and  as  honest  as  yours? 
Let  us,  therefore,  beware  of  giving  way  to  such  thoughts 
of  him  as  we  could  hardly  for^rive  in  our  dearest  friends, 
if  they  should  harbour  the  like  of  us. 

I  have  heard  nothing  of  Mr.  P****  yet,  but  that  he  is  in 
town,  very  busy  about  that  precious  piece  of  furniture 
called  a  wife.  May  the  Lord  direct  and  bless  his  choice. 
In  Captain  Cooks  voyage  to  the  South  Sea,  some  fish 
were  caught  which  looked  as  well  as  others,  but  those 
who  eat  of  them  were  poisoned :  alas  I  for  the  poor  man 
who  catches  a  poisonous  wife !  There  are  such  to  be  met 
with  in  the  matrimonial  seas,  that  look  passing  well  to 
the  eye ;  but  a  connexion  with  them  proves  baneful  to 
domestic  peace,  and  hurtful  to  the  life  of  grace.  I  know 
tAO  or  three  people,  perhaps  a  tew  more,  who  have  great 
reason  to  be  thankful  to  him  who  sent  the  fish,  with  the 
money  in  its  mouth,  to  Peter's  hook.  He  secretly  in- 
structed and  guided  us  where  to  angle  ;  and  if  we  have 
caught  prizes,  we  owe  it  not  to  our  own  skill,  much  les-^ 
to  our  deserts,  but  to  his  goodness. 

I  am,  &c 


Vol.  L  4  Q 


664  Letters  to  the  Rev,  Dr.  ****.  Let.  3. 

LE^'TER  III. 

My  Dear  %\vy  '  July  4,  1777. 

****  pp^  little  boy !  it  is  mercy  indeed  that  he  re- 
cover©<rn-oin  such  a  formidable  hurt.  The  Lord  wound- 
ed, and  the  Lord  healed.  I  ascribe,  with  you,  what  the 
world  calls  accident  to  him,  and  believe,  that  without  his 
permission,  for  wise  and  good  ends,  a  child  can  no  m  re 
pull  a  bowl  of  boiling  water  on  itself  than  it  could  pull 
the  moon  out  of  its  orbit.  And  why  does  he  permit 
such  things  ?  One  reason  or  two  is  sufficient  for  us  : 
it  is  to  remind  us  of  the  uncertainty  of  life  and  all  crea- 
ture-comforts ;  to  make  us  afraid  of  cleaving  too  close 
to  pretty  toys,  which  are  so  precarious,  that  often  while 
we  look  at  them  they  vanish,  and  to  lead  us  to  a  more 
entire  dependence  upon  himself;  that  we  might  never 
judge  ourselves  or  our  concerns  safe  from  outward  ap- 
pearances only,  but  that  the  Lord  is  our  keeper,  and 
were  not  his  eye  upon  us,  a  thousand  dangers  and  pain- 
ful changes,  which  we  can  neither  foresee  nor  prevent, 
are  lurking  about  us  every  step,  ready  to  break  in  upon 
us  every  hour.  Men  are  but  children  of  a  larger  growth. 
How  many  are  labouring  and  planning  in  the  pursuit  of 
things,  the  event  of  which,  if  they  obtain  them,  will  be 
but  like  pulling  scalding  water  upon  their  own  heads. 
They  must  have  the  bowl  by  all  means,  but  they  ar0 
not  aware  what  is  in  it  till  they  feel  it. 

I  am,  &c. 


Lfet.  4.  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Dr.  ****.  G05 

LETTER  IV. 

Sir,  September?,  1777. 

A  HAVE  had  a  letter  from  your  minister  since  his  ar- 
rival at  ****,  I  hope  he  will  be  restored  to  you  aga^a 
before  long  and  that  he  and  many  of  your  place  will 
rejoice  long  in  each  other.  Those  are  favoured  places 
which  are  blessed  with  a  sound  and  faithful  Gospel 
ministry,  if  the  people  know  and  consider  the  value  of 
their  privileges,  and  are  really  desirous  of  profiting  by 
them  :  but  the  kingdom  of  God  is  not  in  word,  but  in 
power.  I  hope  those  who  profess  the  Gospel  with  you 
will  wrestle  in  prayer  for  grace  to  walk  worthy  of  it, 
A  minister's  hands  are  strengthened  when  he  can  point 
to  his  people  as  so  many  living  proofs  that  the  doc- 
trines he  preaches  are  doctrines  according  to  godliness; 
when  they  walk  in  mutual  love  ;  when  each  one,  in  their 
several  places,  manifests  an  humble,  spiritual,  upright 
conduct ;  when  they  are  Christians,  not  only  at  church 
but  in  the  family,  the  shop,  and  the  field  ;  when  they 
fill  up  their  relations  in  life,  as  husbands  or  wives,  mas- 
ters or  servants,  parents  or  children,  according  to  the 
rule  of  the  word  ;  when  they  are  evidently  a  people  se- 
parated from  the  world  while  conversant  in  it,  and  are 
careful  to  let  their  light  shine  before  men,  not  only  by 
talking,  but  by  acting  as  the  disciples  of  Christ :  when 
they  go  on  steadily,  not  by  fits  and  starts,  prizing  the 
means  of  grace  without  resting  in  them :  when  it  is  thus, 
we  can  say.  Now  we  live,  if  you  stand  fast  in  the  Lord. 
Then  we  come  forth  with  pleasure,  and  our  service  is 
our  delight,  and  we  are  encouraged  to  hope  for  an  in- 
creasing blessing.     But  if  the  people  in  whom  w-e  have 


666  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Dr.  ****'.  Let.  4. 

rejoiced  sink  into  formality  or  a  worldly  spirit ;  if  they 
have  dissentions  and  jealousies  among  themselves ;  if 
they  act  improperly,  and  give  the  enemies  occasion  to 
say,  There,  there,  so  would  we  have  it ;  then  our  hearts 
are  woundetJ  and  our  zeal  damped,  and  we  know  not 
how  to  4)eak  with  liberty.  It  is  my  heart's  desire  and 
prayer  for  you,  that  whether  I  see  you,  or  else  be  ab- 
sent from  you,  I  may  know  that  you  stand  fast  in  one 
spirit  and  one  mind,  striving  together  for  the  faith  of 
the  Gospel. 

I  am,  &c. 


EXD    OF    THE    FIRST    VOLUME. 


\    n    I 


"5*     *^