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LETTE

W

H

O N

fcL 19 .1533

Spiritual Sub*^*8^

AND

Divers Occasions;

SENT TO

RELATIONS and FRIENDS.

By One who has tafted that the LORD is
Gracious.

tf

^1

rs

L O N D O N:
Printed; and Sold by Jo h^ Oswald, at the
-Rfl^ and Crown in the Poultry y near the /Wrf/*-
fion-boufe ; and Ebenezer Gardner, at
Milton's Head in Grace-chur ch-jlrcei . 17 40.

f Price Bound One Shilling and Sixpence.]

THE

Author's Epistle

T O

The Perions to whom the follow-
ing Letters were wrote.

My dear Friends,

yjS many of you have t eft iff d your hind
-"■ Acceptance qfthefe Tokens of my Loir,
when they were wrote to you, and that the
Lord was pleas' d to make them of life to
your Souls ; fo 1 doubt not your Acceptance
of them, now they are pre fen ted to yoifiu
Print. Ejpecial/y fmce, together with tl-o/e
which were wrote to any One of you in par-
ticular, there are fever al more which were
wrote to oiler Friends, which are here ire-
fented to your View, which otherwife you
might not have feen.

And as to thoje of my Friends, to whom I
have wrote Letters, which are -not injected
in this little TracJ ; 1 hit re at that they ;
not take it as a Mark of Difre/hecf th'dt
their Letters were not piacd among the reft'.
For, of many of the Letters which I have
wrote, I kept ?w Copies ; and thoje Copies
which I did preferve, which are Hill in my
Hands, were too many to he injected in this

Book.

(4)

Book, if it had been twice as large as it is :
So that as to them, God only knows whether
they 71 ever fee pnblick Light.

Perhaps fome may think , that if any of my
Letters were Printed, it woiid have been
more proper to have had them done after my
Deceafe , and of this Mind I had ns'd to be
myfelf But as others have thought, that
if they were publiflod now, they might be of
prefent Vfe, and have therefore defer d the
fame, unto which I have confented -y I hope
none will be offended, that they are done while
1 am living \ fence, for that reafon, I have
entirely concealed my Name. And I well
know, that all that is valuable in them, is
from the Lord ; and that all the ImperfecJi-
on that is in them, is mine. But if God
will ordain Strength to any of his Children,
by the Li [pings of Jo weak a Babe ; as it
will be my Joy, fo He fhall have all the
Praife.

And therefore, as to thefe Letters which
are now extant , if God hereby may be
glorify' d, and his People reap any Advan-
tage > Ifhall have my End in their Publi-
cation. And for this, I hit re at you all,
that are my Friends, to help, by your Prayers,
your Friend that kves you in the Bowels of
[esus Christ.

LET-

(s)

LETTERS

O N

Spiritual Subje£h9 &c.

LETTER I.
To Mr. W. and E. C.

Dear Brother and Sifter \

MAY the Peace of God that paffcth
all Underftanding> keep. your Heart
and Mind thro' Chrift Jefus !

I am exceeding glad that you are helpt
to bear your Lofs patiently -y believing that
the Lord will do you good by it. Our
dear Father, never takes any good Thing
from us, but in order to give fome thing
better. He has taken away your Pebbles,
to give you Pearls \ Empty'd you of
Riches in Shew, to fill you with True
Riches, and Never-failing Subftance. Blefs
him therefore, for Taking as well as Giving.
His Love caft the Lot this Way ; Believe
it, and you'll like it well. A little Grace
is better than much Gold. You will be
A 3 great

( 6 )

great Gainers by your Lofs, if the Lord
give you fubmiffion to his fovereign Dif-
poie under it, Acquiefcence with his good
Pleafure in it, and a further Acquaintance
with Himfelf, as your everlafting ALL by
it. Mr. Rutherford calls the World,
1 c The Clay-portion of Baftards ; not the
" Inheritance of Children. " 'Tisagreat
Thing for a Saint that is rich in this
World, to be throughly fenfible of its
Nothingnefs; and to live befide his out-
ward Enjoyments, upon that Infinite, In-
exhauftible Fullnefs. he has in God. The
Creatures ftand as a Blind between us
and Him. And God loves' his Children
fo, that he calls for our Hearts $ and ra-
ther than want 'em, he'll ftrike the Crea-
tures dead, that Himfelf, the Life of all
our Joys, might be exceedingly endear'd
to us. He'll dry up the Streams of Crea-
ture-comforts, that our thirfty Souls may
learn to drink their Fill at the Fountain-
Head. And fo great is his Grace, that it
pleafeth him well, to fee his Children
come to his Bofom for all they want,
when ftarv'dout of Creature-Supplies ! Oh
what Fools are we to catch at Shadows,
and let go the Subftance, the Sum and
Quinteflence of all our Blifs ! Oh how
bappv mould we be, if infinite Sweetnek

did

(7)

did always ravifh our Souls, and unheart
us from all the Creatures ! Oh, the Cryftal
Streams, which proceed out of the Throne
of God, and of the Lamb, how fweet are
they at the Weil-Head ! What a pure
River of Water of Life fhould we fwim
in if we always liv'd in God ! This will
be our Life in Heaven, to the utmoft Per-
fection > and happy they, who are afpir-
ing after the riling Glory, and higheft De-
gre e of it here on Earth !

The Father of Mercies, and God of all
Comfort, fill you with all Joy and Peace
in Believing !

1 am Yours in Chrijl for ever, &c.

LETTER II.
To Mr. W. and E. C.

Dear Brother and Sifter ',

AS to my Health, BlefTedbe God, I
am not worfe than I was when
Brother was here. I dwell in a crafy Taber-
nacle, which I think, fometimes, is near
its DhTolution. But I rejoice in that
Houfe, that Building of God, Eternal in the
Heavens, which I know, thro' Grace, is
prepar'd for me. I in this Tabernacle
A 4 groiln3

(8)

groan, being burdened, by reafon of that Sin-
fulnefs, and Weaknefs which attends, and
renders me incapable either to know or
ferve the Lord as I would, and as perfect
Spirits do : and this makes me long for the
Time when Mortality Jhall befwallowed up
of Life, We have no reafon to be afraid
of a feparate State ; for Blejfed are the
Dead which die in the Lord, Rev. xiv. 1 3 .
Nor yet fhould the Saints be afraid to die ;
as if they fhould be forfaken, and left to
go thro' the kit Trial alone. No, our
God will be with us when we come to the
River Death 5 he will divide the Water
before us,and fo marvellouily appear in car-
rying us thro' it,that we fhall take thence a
Memorial of his Infinite Grace and Faith-
ful nefs -, as the Children of Ijrael did when
they paffed thro' the literal Jordan, Jofru
iv. 7. We mould come up from the
Wildernefs, even to the laft Step of ir,
leaning upon our Beloved ; who hath
faid, I will never leave thee, nor for fake
thee, Heb. xiii. 5. This Word, Never
Leave thee, reacheth thro* our whole Lives,
even unto Death ; yea, into Death, thro'
Death, above and beyond Death, even to
an endleis Eternity. And unlefs ever-
lafling Arms could wax weary, unchange-
able Love alter, and Infinite Faithfulnefs

fail,

(9)

fail, we have no reaibn to be afraid ; No,
not in the Valley of the Shadow of Death,
Pfa. xxiii. 4. Our God will be our Rfuge
and Strength, a very prefent Help in that
Time of Trouble, Pfa.xlvi. 1. And as he
will be the Strength of our Heart, when
Heart and Fie fib fail us, fo, our Portion
for ever, or our eternal Lot. And oh,
who can count up a thouiandth part of
thofe vaft Trea Cures of Glory we have in
his immenfe B E I N G, as he has made over
his Great SELF to us in Chrift ! Why
fhould we then, that are the Kings Sons,
be lean from Day to Day ? The Lord
grant us true Greatnefs of Mind, that with
a Princely Spirit, we may behave as Heirs
of Glory under all our prefent Trials !

Wifiiing all Profperity, and begging a
Share in your Prayers, I commit you to
IfraeN Keeper, and reft,

With dear Love, Tours in the Lord, &c.

LETTER III.

To Mr. W. and E. C.

Dear Brother and Sijler,

Race and Peace from God our Father,
and from Jefus Chrift our Lord, be
multiply'd unto you.

A 5 I am

( ro )

I am perfuaded, that the Lord is doing
you great Good by the great Exercifes you
meet with. As many as the Lord loves y
he rebukes and chajiens. The Lord help
you to believe, that all your Trials are fo
many freili Tokens of that boundlefs Love,
which is in his Heart towards you ; and to
receive them from his Hand accordingly,
with Submiilion,Patience,Cheerfulneis and
Thankfulnefs ! Your light Afjliulion, which
is but for a Moment, worketh for you afar
more exceeding and eternal Weight of Glory ;
while you look not at the Things which are
feen, which are temporal, hut at the Things
which are ?iot feen, which are eternal. Pa-
tience is a perfecting Grace : and we are
exhorted to let Patience have its perfeft
Work, that we may be perfect and entire,
wanting nothing, Jam. i. 4. When the
Saints, (as one well fays) have learn'd to
bear a Crofs, they fhall wear a Crown.
Our dear Lord Jefus, tbo' he were a Son,
(inch a Sen !) yet he learned Obedie?ice by
the Things which he Juffered* And the
Members muft be conform'd to their Head,
in Sufferings, as well as in Glory,tomeeten
'em for their Inheritance, and prepare 'em
for their Crown. Let us reckon then, that
all our Time-Trials, (as they flow from
God's Love, thro' the Blood of Chrifl, and

are

( M )

are under the fan&ifying Influences of the
Holy Ghofl) to be greater Riches than the
Treafures of Egypt, or this dark World.

And now, That you both may be

ftrengthned with all Might, according to

God's glorious Power, unto all Patience, and

Long-fuffcring with joyfulnejs, is the earneft

Defire of

Tours, &c,

LETTER IV.

To Mr. H. T.

Dear Sir,

My beloved Brother in Chriji,

IT is upon my Heart to write a few
Lines to you, to befeech you, in the
Bowels of Jefus Chrift, and by all that
Love and Grace which has been difplay'd
in your Salvation, that you walk worthy
of the Vocation wherewith you are called.
Oh, remember, That in Time paft, you was
a Gentile in the Flejh. And at that Time,
you was a Stranger to God, and an- Enemy
in your Mind^ by reafon of wicked Works.
That then, being under the Government
of the Prince of Darknefs, you had your
Converiation among the Children of Dfobe-
A 6 dience,

( 12 )

dience, walking according to the Courfe of
this World, fulfilling the De fires of the Flefo
and of the Mind , and was by Nature a
Child of Wrath, even as others. And, oh,
what did Free- Grace, and boundlefs Mercy
do for you in that Day ! When the Lord
paiVd by you, and law you polluted in your
own Bloody dead in Sins, and faid unto
you, Live ! Surely, your Time, That Time,,
was a Time of LOVE ! What Sins did
Free-Grace forgive ! What Provocations did
it pals by ! How throughly did .it Warn,
Purify, and Beautify your Soul ! What a
glorious Robe of Bight eoujhefs did it caft
over you ! How richly did it anoint you
with th$ Oil of GladnefSy the Spirir of
Grace, as a Sanclifier and Comforter ! And
in a Word, what a rich Crown of Loving
Kindnefs did it fet upon your Head! So
that you was exceeding- beautiful, and did
prof per into a Kingdom \ being made by
Jefus Chrift, a King, and a Prieft unto
God and His Father !

And now, what think you do you
owe to Free-Grace ! Is it not worthy to
be glorify'd by your whole Spirit, Soul
and Eody ? When you was fifft efpoufed
to Chrift, did you not give him your whole
Self ? Did you not count him worthy of
all Love, Duty, and Glory ? Did you not

Then

< '3 )

Then like his Kmgly, as well as his Priejlly
Office ? and count Obedience to his Scepter
your high Privilege, as well as Forgive-
nefs of Sins thro' his Blood ? And is your
Mind altered now ? Do you think Jefus
Chrift is lefs worthy of your Love, Duty,
and Glory now, than he was Then ? Is he
leis excellent in Himfelf? or in any of his
Glorious Offices ? Or is all his Excellency
Love and Grace to you, of little worth ?
of no Force to conftrain you to live to
Him ? Oh, my dear Brother, what an
abominable, hateful Thing is Sin ! What
a Difhonour doth it caft upon, and how
contrary is it to God, Father, Son, and
Spirit ! How doth it flight and thwart the
Defign of the Father's Love, which was to
make us perfectly holy ! How doth it con-
temn the Grace of Chrift, and contradict
the End of his Death, which was to purify
unto Himfelf a peculiar People, zealous of
good Works ! And how doth it flight and
thwart the gracious Defign of the Holy
Spirit, who has taken Pofleffion of our
Souls, to work us up into a full Conformity
to Chrift, our holy Head ! and how, by
Sin, do we grieve him ! Depart from usy
we defire not the Knowledge of fky ff^ays, is
the Language of every Sin to each of the
Three Perfons in the glorious Godhead

By

( H)

By every Act of Sin, we do as it were, re-
nounce our Allegiance to God in Chrift,
and to Him, as Sions King • and, as far as
in us lies, put ourielves afrefh under the
Dominion of Satan ; preferring the Prince
of Darknefs, and his hellifh Dictates, before
the Pfince of Light, and the glorious Teach-
ings of his Word and Spirit ! Oh, hor-
rid !

And as for ourfelves, Oh, what a Soul-
deftroying Thing is Sin ! Every Sin is a
Step taken back towards Egypt's Land -y
towards that Nature-Darknefs, and Bon-
dage, from which Free- Grace, boundlefs
Mercy, and Almighty Power fet us free.
'Tis making ^Captain to return into Egypt ;
lothing the heavenly Manna\ and longing
after the F/eJb-pots, the Onions and Garlicky
the abominable Fare we once fed on, while
in the Kingdom of Satan, when we drank
Iniquity like Water. It brings Death upon
our Comforts, Fruitfulnefs, and Ufefulneis
in the World : for if we live after the
F/eJJ:, we Jhall die. By Sin, we lofe our
Opportunities of glorifying God upon the
Earth ; and fb, that Praiie, Honour, and
Glory we mould otherwife receive in the
Day of Chrift. Yea, as by Sin we dis-
honour God, and abide not in Chrift j io
we mall be afliamed before Him at his

coming*

( »s)

coming. If we fliould be fav'd at laft ;
yet how fad will it be to lofe all our Works ?
For that fiery Day will try all the Works
of God's dear Children. If any Man's
Work abide, he Jloall receive a Reward :
If any Man's Work be burnt ;, he fiall fiiffer
Lofs : But he himfelf (upon the bottom
of Sovereign Grace) jhallbe faved>yet Jo as
by Fire ; or as a Perfon juft efcapes, with
his Life, the Violence of the Flames, and
has all his Goods confumed. i Cor. iii. 13,
&c. This is our Seeds-time, and every
Thought, Word and A&ion, may fitly be
compar'd to /owing of Seed. And he that
jbweth to his Fk/h3 flail of the FleJJ: reap
Corruption ; but he that foweth to the Spi-
rit\ Jloall of the Spirit reap Life Everlaft-
ing ; or that incorruptible Crown of Glory,
for which the Apoffle fays, He, and the
Saints ran their Chriftian-Race, Gal. vi. 8.
1 Cor. ix. 25.

Upon the whole, my dear Brother,
have you been joined to Idols ? Oh fay,
What have I to do any more with them ?
Have you turned away from the Lord ?
Oh return unto Him again ! For he is
Merciful and Gracious , and will not cauje
his Anger to Jail upon you. He'll have
Mercy upon you, and abundantly pardon.
If we confejs our Sins, (over thcHead of the

great

( r6)

great Sacrifice, looking by Faith afrefh
upon Chrift, who once bare them in his
own Body on the Tree) he is faithful and jufl
to forgive us our Sins, a?id to cieanfe us from
all Unrighteoufnefs.

And as a Means to make you hate Sin,
and ftrengthen you againft it, look upon it
oft thro' the Glafs of a crucify 'd Jefus.
Bring it, by Faith, to the Crofs of Chrift*
and fee if there is not Virtue enough in
the Blood of your crucified Saviour, to
crucify the Flefi with the JiffeBions and
Lifts. And whenever you find your Heart
enclined to any Evil, think thus; What
did my dear Lord once bear for my Sin ?
Can I love that, which was fo hateful, and
lothibm unto Him ? Can I take Pleafure
in That, which fill his bitter Cup ? Can I
take Sin by the Hand, and thereby take up
a Sword as it were to wound and pierce
my Lord afrefh ? Have I not pierc'd him
enough already ? Can I not be contented
without plucking the Crown from his
Head, who dy'd to crown me ? I intreat
you to think thus j yea, I charge you in
the Name of the Lord, to put thefe Qjefii-
ons to your Soul, in an Hour of Temptati-
on. And if they will not move you ; you
may be fure, that your Soul is in fad Cale,
and greatly harden d thro' the Deceitfuhejs

of

'( *7)

of Sin. And every frefh Act of Sin will
harden your Heart more and more, and
make you lefs capable to refiftTemptations -7
until, perhaps, you provoke the Lord to
give you up to thePowerof Sin and Satan, in
fuch a Manner, as at prefeutyou little think
of -y and alio to bring a fevere Rod upon
you by his own Hand. Believe it, that
iinning againft God. will be Bitiernejs in
the End. And Sins againft Light and Love
are the moil prefumptuous, and of the
deepeft Dye. Again, as a Means to keep
your Hearc in a holy Bent againft Sin, be
frequent in fecret Prayer, ejaculatory, at
leaft • ask Help of God • try this Weapon
of All-Prayer. And read and meditate
on God's Word. If we were diligent in
the Ufe of Means, to keep our Hearts in
an holy Frame, we mould not be fo apt
to fall in with Temptations as we are. If
we were fill'd with the Spirit of Grace, the
Life and Sap of our holy Root, we mould
be like green Wood, not apt to take Fire.
But it is our Drynefs, becaufe we abide not
in Chrift by Faith, that ruins us. Once
more, another Means I intreat you to
make Ufe of, is, Watchfulnefs. Watch
the firft Motions of Sin, and kill 'em in the
Bud. Beware likewiie, that you go not to
the String's- End, as it were ; that you go

not

( '8 )

not to the utmoft of that Liberty you think
you may have, and yet keep from the A<5fc
of Sin. Dallying with Temptations, is en-
tering into them. Converfe with Satan is
the ready Way to be overcome. If we
wou'd not yield to any Act of Sin ; let's
beware that we yield not to a pleafmg
Thought about it.

And now, That the Grace of Chrift may
be fufficient for you, and his Strength made
perfect in your Weaknefs, is the earneft
Defire of,

Sir, Tours in the Lord, &c.

LETTER V.
To R.K.

Dear Sifter in our Precious Je/ns,
EST you mould queftion my Love,

_j tho' in Hafte, I wou'd write a few
Lines. We have had many fweet Feafta
with our Beloved in the Wildernefs : But
the richeft Provifions, and the beft Wine
are referved till the laft -, and the Marriage-
Supper haftens. The Lord grant ^ou may
grow in Grace, and in the Knowledge of
Chrift ! Oh, how little have we fctn of
his tranfcendent Beauty ! We have beheld
fo much of his Glory, as to make him
the chief eft of Ten Tboujandixi our Efteem :

But

L

( »9 )

But there is enough in him to fill Men
and Angels with new Wonder to all Eter-
nity ! Chrift's Riches, are abfolutely un-
fearchable ; a Mine that we can never
bottom to Eternity ! We fhall fee more
and more of hisGlory3as we pafs on towards
Perfection ; and Oh, the wonderful Gcace
that is to be brought unto us at our Lord's
next Appearing, which, in a Way of Emi-
nence, will be The Revelation of J ejus
Chrift ! The Views of his Glory, which we
have had here, tho' true and real, yet are
fo fmall, that if compar'd with what we
(hall have then, it will be as if we had never
fcen him -, and as if he was but then re-
veal'd to us. We fhall be fo ravifh'd with
the Views of his Glory, that we fhall never
be able to look off his bright Face for
ever.

I am Tours in Chri/l, &c.

LETTER VI.
To Mrs. E. B.

Much honour *d and beloved Sifter,

C*1 Race and Peace be multiply'd unto
]f you, thro' the Knowledge of God,
and of Jefus our Li>rd.

Yours

(20)

Yours I received, and return you abun-
dant Thanks for your great Kindnefs fhewn
towards us, and unto me, who am the
moft unworthy, and lefs than the leaft of all
Chrift's. And none of your Kindnefs
fhewn towards my dear Lord, in the
weakeft of his Members, mall be unre-
warded at his next Appearing.

If you fmelt any Fragrancy on us,it was
Chrift's Sweetnefs caft upon us that de-
lighted your fpiritual Senfe. And if Unfti-
on from the holy One, a Drop of that holy
Oil caft upon a Creature, be fo fragrant ;
what mud the immeafurable Fulnefs of
the Lord's Anointed, the Chrift of God>
be ! For God giveth not the Spirit by Mea-
jure unto Him. Oh the tranifcendent Fra-
grancy of our Beloved ! The Smell of His
Garments delight the Saints, both in the,
upper and lower Worlds. There are little
Sparks of Beauty and Excellency fcatter'd
up and down in the Creatures ; efpecially
among the Saints, the Excellent of the Earth ,
as new Creatures : but all Beauties, in their
flaming Glories, are furnmed up, and ra-
diantly mine in the Perfon of Chrift, as
God- Man! There is in Chrift, not only
the Beauty of the whole Creation, but even
uncreated Beauty itfelf. What's all the
Beauty of the Creaturesa of Men and Ap-

gels,

(21 )

gels, in both Worlds, if compar'd to his ;
in whom the Fulnefs of the Godhead dwell-
eth Bodily ! None in the Heavens can be
compared unto the LORD, none among
the Sons of theMighty can be likened unto
the LORD; the LORD, the Mediator.
No , the Heavens praKe him as God's
WONDER! Pfal. hcxxik. 5, 6. The
glorious Hofts of Saints and Angels above,
under the furprizing and increafing Dis-
plays of his Glory, eternally adore that un-
created Beauty and Brightnefs which fhines
forth in our exalted Jefus ! The crowned
Saints cajl down their Crowns before his
Throne,and fhrink to nothing, as it were, in
themfelves, before the Difplays of his infinite
Majefty, Love, and Grace ! Rev. iv.20. The
whole Hoft ofSerapbims,Angeh, and Arch-
angels, w// their Faces, and cover their Feet, ad
unworthy to ftand in his Prefence, or to
look on the refulgent Brightnefs of his un-
fearchable Glory -, as the Train of divine
Perfections Jills the Temple of his glorified
human Nature ! I/a. vi. 1,2. And as for
the Saints below, when favour'd with the
leaft Glimpfe of his Glory, he is the
chief eft oj ten Thoufand in their Efteem, and
altogether lovely ! They have none in Heaven
but him, nor upon the Earth that they
defire befides him, or in companion with
Jhim. Song v. 10, 16. Pfa. lxxv. 25. Oh

how

(22)

how happy, are thofe Souls who have an
Intereft in this great Lord Jefus ! and are
bleft with the transforming Shine of his in-
conceivable Glory ! Oh, what Folly are we
guilty of, when we forfake this Fountain of
living Waters, and hew out to ourfelves
broken Cijierns that can hold no Water I
Jer. ii. 13. When we forfake the infinite
Fulnefs of Chrift, and feek Contentment in
Creatures, and Creature-Excellencies ! The
Way of Life is above to the Wije : Pro v. xy.
24. The Way of Faith, by which Life is
pofleft and enjoy 'd, is, to live out of our-
felves, upon the Chrift of God, in all his
infinite Fulnefs and Fitnefs to fave Sinners,
from the Depths of Mifery, to the Height
of Glory.

Dear Sifter, you fay, " That I will not
<c allow you to put Ifs, concerning your
Intereft in the Lord Jefus/* But if I
would not y it is not for Want of Bowels
towards you, nor Sympathy with you in
all your Soul-Diftrefifes. No, I can fay,
thro' Grace, that, in the Bowels of my
dear Lord Jefus, I have a companionate
Tendernefs towards all his fuftering Mem-
bers ; and, in an efpecial Manner, an in-
ward Fellow-feeling with the Lambs of his
Flock, under all their Harafiings by the
roaring Lion : and glad, exceeding glad

ihould

( 23 )

fliould I be, if by any Means, I might be
made helpful to 'em in the Combat. But
having feen fomewhat of that Difhonour
Unbelief brings unto God, and found what
Difcomfort it has brought to my own Soul ;
I would exhort my dear Brethren and
Sifters, to take Goa at his Word, as to their
eternal Salvation, in looking unto Jefus ;
and to hold fail the Confidence of their
eternal Security, in the Face of ten Thou-
fand Difficulties, and feeming Contrarieties,
merely upon the Word and Oath of a God
that cannot lie : who has laid himfelf un-
der fuch Engagements, on purpofe that
the Heirs of Promife might have ftrong Con-
futation, who have fed for Refuge to lay hold
upon the Hope jet before 'em. Heb. vi. 18.
The Lord, would not only have us to be
fafe, but to know our Safety, in fleeing to
his dear Son for Life. And when the Saints
exhort one another to hold jafl the Begin-
ning of their Confidence ft edf a ft unto the Endi
their Defign herein, is, that God might
have the Glory, and they the Comfort of
of this great Salvation. Nor are fuch Ex-
hortations in vain : The Lord often bleffeth
them, as a Means, to encourage his dear
Children in the good Fight of Faith. And
I am perfwaded, that God's fearful -hearted
Ones would not fo often fpeak the Lan-
guage

(24)

guage of Unbelief, if they did confider,
what great Diilionour it carts upon God,
in each of the three glorious Perfons, as they
have been, and are jointly engag'd in the
Work of our Salvation ; and likewife, how
much they weaken their own Hands
thereby. A few Thoughts, and Words of
Faith, in a Time of Darknefs, brings more
Honour unto God, and Comfort to the
Soul, than we are aware of. A Believer,
by every Ad of Faith, doth as it were
afrefli fet to his Seal that God is true -, and
likewife enters into Reft. Johniii. 33. Heb.
Iv. 3. Every Ad: of Faith brings prefent
Honour to God, and Reft to the Soul.
And, as Ads ftrengthen Habits ; fo every
Ad of Faith ftrengthens the Habit of
Faith, and tends to weaken and fubdue the
Power of Unbelief. Whereas, by yielding
to Unbelief, we give God the Lie, and
weaken our own Hands : We thereby
render ourfelves more uncapable to right it
out in Faith, againft the Powers of Dark-
nefs. We are exhorted to take unto us
the whole Armour of God, that fo we may
be able to *withjla?id in the evil Day, antf
having done all to Jland. Eph. vi. 13.
'Tis always an evil Day with God's Chil-
dren, when they are affaulted about their
intereft in the Lord Jefus : And if we

have

( M )
have not then this Piece of Armour, the
Helmet , on our Heads , the Hope of
Salvation, (the objective Hope of Salva-
tion, or the Ground we have of Hope of
Salvation) the Enemy will wo and us ex^
ceedingly.

As to the variousTemptations,Darknefs,
and the Power of Unbelief, you are exer-
cis'd with ; the fame Afflictions are accom-
pliftid in yoar Brethren that are in the
World. The Children of God are all try'd
in thefe refpects, more or leis. And 'tis
well for us, that we have a fympathizing
high Prieft , who can have Compafiion
according to the Meafure of our Diflrefs-
who has been tempted in all Points like unto
^,that from an experimental Feeling of the
Power of Temptation, he might know how,
in the tendereit Bowels,to fuccour us when
tempted. Not a Sorrow pierceth our
Hearts, but our dear companionate Head
feels it : And he lives in Heaven, on pur-
pofe to fave us out of all our Diflreifes, by
his Advocacy and Interceiiion with His
and Our Father, in the Virtue of his Great
Sacririce, and in the Intereit of his Great
Perfon. So that we are exceeding fafe,
who have trufted our Souls in the Hands
of this Jefus, with whom the Father is well
pleafed, and in whom his Soul dclighteth ;

( 26 )

fo that he can deny him nothing that he asks.
Yea, it mali certainly be well with us ;
fince the Father himfelf loveth us ; and
from thence called his own Son to this
Office of High-Prieft for us upon the
Throne, on purpofe that the glorious Fruits
of his Love, in our complete Salvation,
might be communicated to us, in a Way
.of Honour to all the divine Perfections.
,And as we are fafe, and it is, and mall be
well with us, fo we have great reafon to be
exceeding joyful in all our Tribulations ->
while we Jill up that which is behind of the
Afflictions of Chrift in our Flefh. Col. i. 24.
For even now, while wre are Combatants,
we are more than Conquerors, thro' him that
hath loved us, Rom.viii. 37. And if we
fuffer with him, we fiall alfo be glorified to-
gether* Ver. xvii. Our glorious Captain
will cover our Heads in the Day of Battle ;
and as he has overcome For us, fo he will
certainly overcome In, and By us : He'll
give the Victory on our Side, either actively,
cr pafiively. For tho', like Gad, a Troop
may overcome us, yet we Jhall overcome at
the la/t. If Sin and Satan mould give us
a. Foil, then our dear Lord Jefus will lead
us afrefh to his Death; and fo we fhall
©vercome, paffively, by the Blood of the
JLamb. And then, having renewed Peace,
n undec

under the Sprinklings of the Blood of
Jefus , our Faith mall be rais'd up a-
gain, to bear a frefh Teftimany for God,
againft the Prince of Darknefs, and all the
Powers of Sin ; and fo we (hall overcome
Actively. Rev.xii.n. All the Weaknefs
and Sin that attend us in the Conflict, for-
giving Love will bury in the Depths of the
Sea 5 and every Act of our tried Graces,
Jkall be found unto Praife, Honour, and
Glory at the Appearing of Jefus Chrift.
And when once we get to the City of Habi-
tation, the Reft that remains for us, we
(hall blefs God for all his Dealings with us,
and admire the Conduct of wife Love, in
all the Way it led us thro1 the Wildernefs •
while we fee every weary Step wifely over-
ruled to make our Reft fo much the more
glorious. We mall then fee, that we
could not have been without any, the leaft
of all our Trials, whatfoever they be ; but
God would have had lefs Glory, and we
lefs Happinefs. If we are in Heavinefs
thro manifold Temptations, there's an abfo-
lute Need of it ; that God might have his
manifeftative Glory, in our Deliverance, in
all thofe various Rays which infinite Wif-
dom crdain'd • and that We might have
that full and comprehensive Salvation, unto
which we were appointed. Our fuffering
B 2 State

( *8 )
State will be quickly over j our reigning
State haftens. And mean while, our
light Affliction, which is but for a Moment,
worketh for us a far more exceeding and
eternal Weight of Glory. Let us then be
Followers oftbem, who thro' Faith and Pati-
ence, do now inherit the Promijcs; reckon-
ing the Sufferings of this prejent Ti??ie not
worthy to be compared with the Glory that
frail be revealed in Wy 2 Cor. iv. J 7. Heb.
vi. 12. Rom. viii. 18.

I am glad, my dear Sifter, that at Times,
you are favour'd with Soul-amazing Pro-
ipecls of your near and high Relation unto
God in Chrift ; which humbles you in th@
Duft, before the Majefty of that Grace
which fhines forth herein. This is no left
than Heaven begun in your Soul, a Sweet
Fore-tafte of that inconceivable Glory, you
ihall e're long have the full Pofleffion of.
A Clufter of Canaan $ Grapes is brought
you in the Wildernefs ; that fo you might
know, by fpiritual Senfe, as well as by
Faith, that the Land whither you are go-
ing, is an exceeding good Land. And
what tho', at other Seafons, thro' the Power
of Unbelief, you may be kept low in your
Soul ; yet this makes no Change in your
High Relation to God in Chrift, nor in
thole high Privileges you have in Him.

( 19 )

If we believe %ot3 and fo want the Joy of
Gbd'g Salvation ; yet He abideth faithful^
and cannot deny Him felf \ in the unalterable
Word and Oath which is gone out of his
Mouth concerning it ; and fo the Salvati-
on itfelf is eternally fecur'd to us. When
Darknefs covers us ; The Darknejs an J
the Light are both alike to Him : and at
fuch Times, we are efpecially calFd to live
by Faith; to truft in the LORD, and
ft ay ourfe/ves upon our God, I/iiA. 10. He
is Our God full, even when we have no
Light of inward Comfort to walk by ; and
are ready to be driven away with Tempta-
tions : and it is the Excellency of Faith, to
truft in Jehovah, and ftay itfelf upon him,
as its own God, at fuch Seafons.

You can with Comfort remember the
Time paft,when you was enabled to crowd
thro' all your own Uhworthinefs, and in-
ward Corruptions, to Touch the Hem of
ChrifVs Garment -, which you found to be
HeaVuig to your Soul. And as you have
received' Chrift J ejus the Lord, fo walk in
him, Col. ii. 6. As we came to Chrift at
firft, as undone Sinners in ourfelves, to re-
ceive that free and full Salvation of God,
prepar'd for us in Him -y even fo let us
come unto him all our Days under a deep,
and increafing Senfe of our own Emptinefs,
B i to

( 30)

to be continually fupply'dout of his inex-
hauftible Fulnefs. Faith is a Grace or-
dain'd of God, to take poffeffion of Chrift,
and of Eternal Life in him : And let us be
affured of our Eternal Safety, having run
into Chrift, the City of Refuge. How
much Sin foever there may be in fuch a
Soul, there is no Condemnation to it. No,
bleffed be God, our State in Chrift, alters
not a jot, with our Frames. The Difcove-
ries of God's Favour towards us in his Son,
may vary ; but his Love, in itfelf, is as
unchangeable as his Being. 'Tis an ever-
lafting Round, that glorioufly enclofeth us
from Eternity to Eternity. We are en-
dos'd in Grace by Father, Son, and Spirit ;
•fet in Grace in our Enclofings, as the pre-
vious Stones in Aaron % Breaft-plate were,
fet in pure Gold, Exod. xxviii. 20. So we
are fet, and have an eternal Fixation, an
unchangeable Standing in Grace, Rom. v.
2. God's Love, like the Sun in the Fir-
mament, always keeps a fteady Courfe,
whether we behold it, or Clouds hide its
Glory from our View. And fo various are
its Emanations, that our Sight is much too
weak to take in the full Glory of its Rays.
Love walks in fuch various Ways, fuch
unthought-of Paths, that we are often at a
lofs to trace its wondrods Steps in the mighty

Race

( p )

Race it runs. It will take up Eternity to ad-
mire its myfterious Circuits, in all its rich*
Aboundings according to the manifold \Vii-
dom of God.

Grace be with you. Amen.

I am Tours m Chrift, &c.

LETTER. VII.

To Mrs. M.

Dear Sifter, who?}} Hove and honoitr
in the Lord,

I Rejoice with you, for the exceeding
Riches of boundlefs Grace extended'
towards you, not only in the Salvation of
your Soul -y but alfo in that AfTurance of
Faith you are favour'd with : and likewile,
that your longing Soul, under the ripening
Influences of the Sun of Right eoujhefs, hath
a Deftre to depart , and to be with Chrijii
which is far better, i

But yet, my dear. Siller, I befeech you,
fufferthat Word of 'Exhortation, jam. i. 4:
Let Patience have her perfecf Work, that ye
may be perfetl and entire, wanting nothing.
Be willing to ftay the Lord's Time ; and
fear not your loAng any tiling thereby.
Chrift comes into his Garden to gather Li-
lieSj as foon as ever they are fully ripe for
B 4 his

( 3? )

his own Boibm. He will gather you in,
as a Shock of Corn in its Sea/on -y and not
let you flay in the Field too long, to your
Damage. No, your flay in the World
is to prepare you for Glory ; that Glory,
which is laid up for you, and fhall fhortly
be put upon you.

But it may be, you will fay, c If I faw
c that Work go on, I fliould be willing to
'■ flay ; but inftead of being more prepared
* for Glory, I think, I am more unmeet/

But as to this, God is the beft Judge of
our Meetnefs for Glory ; as alfo, of the
Ways, Means, and Time to meeten us.
Perhaps, you may not feel fuch a vehement
Flame of Love, Joy, and Zeal as you was
wont y and yet your Faith, Humility, and
Patience may be greater. There's a Vari-
ety of Graces, in the Souls of the Saints -y
and each muft have its Exercife, and pro-
per Time of Trial.

If you have not now fuch Manifeflati-
ons of Divine Favour, to the inflaming of
your Love 3 yet it may be you may glo-
rify God more, by believing in the Dark,
by trufling in him when he feems to
flay you, by cleaving to him when he feems to
caft you off; as counting him both able and
faithful, that hath promis'd, even in the

Face

( 33 )
Face of ten thoufand Deaths and Difficul-
ties, with which you are furrounded.

If, thro' the Lord's withdrawing his
fenfible Prefence, and an increafing Sight
of your own Corruptions, you do not moot
upwards in Spiritual Joy, as you was wont ;
yet you may grow more downwards in
Humility, and Self-abafement.

And tho' your Zeal, in a way of active
Obedience, may want that vehement Flame
it once had 3 yet your Patience in paflive
Obedience, or your Fitnefs to endure a
Variety of Trials, may by greater. And
fo you are (till upon the Increafe, even
when you feem to decline.

And as to thofe very Graces, which feem
to wither -, there may not be fuch a De-
cay in them as you think of. They may
decay in foine Refpefts, and yet increafe
in others. For tho' the Edge of your fpi-
ritual Affections, may not be fo keen ; yet
your Love may be more folid, and keep a
more fteady Courfe in all the Paths of
Obedience ; even in the Want of thofe
fweet Allurements, which firft inticed you
into the Wildernefs. Your Joy may be
more pure 5 more in the Lord, and in what
you are in him ; tho' lefs in Self, and fpi-
ritual Enjoyments from him. And your
Zeal Iikcwiie may abound more and more

b 5 &

(3.4)
in Knowledge, and in all Judgment ; the/
the firft Flafhes of it may be over, which,
ordinarily, are not fo well regulated. And
thus your perfonal Meetnefs or Preparation,
for Glory increafeth continually, even at
thofe very Times, and by thofe very Means
which feem to leflen it.

Therefore, let Patience have its perfect
Work, that ye may he perfect and entire y
wanting nothing. If you was to he taken to
Glory 3before you had pafs'd thro' the whole:
Courfe of Trials appointed for you, there
would be fomething wanting in your Pre-
paration for it,. The Meafure of your
Stature in Chrijl, as a Member of his Body^
and. of that proportionable Glory which
Urall be put upon you, is appointed by God
the Father :. And the Holy Ghoft, keep-
ing this Pattern in his Eye, is now work-
ing you \\f into that Conformity to Chrift,,
to which you was predeflinated, by all the
Changes and Trials which pafs over you,
both inward and outward , in order to
bring you up to that full Glory referved
for you. Every Act of our tried Graces
Jl:all he found unto Prai/e, Honour, and
Glory at the Appearing of Jcfus Cnrifi,
i Pet. i. 7. And were they to have no..
TriaJ, how could they have an Opportuni-
ty of acting ?

And

( 35- r

And* as 'the Holy Ghoil has taken Pof~
feffion of us, to Work us up into a full
Conformity to Chrif t, both in Holinefs- •
and Glory * fo in carrying it on , he oft
works, as it were, under-ground, out of
our Sight : For in infinite Depths of Wif--
dom, we are curioufly wrought in fecret;<
fo that our spiritual Growth3and increafing ;
Meetnefs for Glory, are rather to be judg'd
of in general,- by Faith, taking in the De-
claration of God in the Promiie, Pfal.XQ\\a-
12, &c, than by Scni&r or the prefent
felt Exercife of this or that fingle Grace, •

And fince our Lord firft fuffer'd, and
then entred into his Glcrv , let us be
willing to follow his Steps ,and run* iviw
"Ratience the Race that is Jet before us 3
looking unto that Eternal Weight of Glory,
which our light Affliction now iwrketh jo-r
us. And in all our Sufferings according
to the Will of God, let us commit the- keep-
ing of our Souls to him in Well-doings as unto
a Faithful Creator^, who will per fed' what
concerns us-, and not forfake the Work of
his own Hands. Yea, let us value Life,
with all its Trials, while it is continued, as
a great Bleffing ; and labour to improve its
as an Opportunity put into our Hands to
glorify God on the Earth : And when all
.the Work is done upon us, and by- us, that
B 6 was

(36)

was defign'd, and we, in all refpefls, fully
meetned for Glory, we fhall not flay here
a Moment longer, but be immediately
loved home unto Chrift, to be glorified
with him for ever.

And now, that you may be ftrengthned
with all Might, according to his glorious
Tower, unto all Patience, and Long- Suffering
with 'joyfulnefs, until you are fully made
meet for, and taken up into the Pofleffion
of your Inheritance with the. Saints in
Light, is the earneft Delire of

Yours in the Lord, &c.

LETTER VIII;

To a little handful of Chrift Lambs at
C-~n E— d.

Race and Peace be multiplied unto
you, from God our Father, and our
Lprdjefus Chrift2by the Blefled Comforter.
Dear Friends, I long after you all in the
Bowels cf Jefus Chrift, that your Hearts
r^ight be comforted, your Hope increafed,
AfKi vcur Faith eftablim'd upon Him, the
Rock of Ages, And having but little Time
^.fbeak with you Face to. Face, when I

was

(37)
was laft with you, I was defirous to have &
little Converfe with you by Writing. I
find Sin is your great Burden, which fills
you with Fears, left you mould one Day
perifli. But as to this, remember that Sin,
all the Sins of all that mall be faved, were
once laid by God the Father upon his own
dear Son. All we, like Sheep, have gone
a/tray : we have turned every one to his own
Way, and the LORD hath laid on him the
Iniquity of us all, Ifa. liii. 6. And as
God the Father made all our iniquities at
once to meet upon Him, the fpotlefs
Lamb of his own providing, and wounded
Him for our Tranfgreffions ; fo Chriil
bare our Sim in his own Body on the Tree>7
and gave uphimfelfa Sacrifice, in our Room
and Stead -, by which he has put away Sin,
and for ever made an End of it, i Pet. ii.
24. Heb. ix. 26. And' as he has deftroy'd
Sin in himfelf, and given- us a compleat
Viclory over it in Him -, fo he will e'er long
deftroy it in us perfectly, by the Power of
his Holy Spirit, in the Virtue of his God-
like Blood. Our Old Man was crucified
with Chrift, that the Body of Sin might be
aejiroyd, Rom. vi. 6. Sin is condemnM
to die, by the dying of the Lord Jefus,
and therefore mall never condemn us. No ->
tho' Sin, Original . and Actual, has a-

bounded

C J8 )

Bounded in fuch an amazing Manner, in
it Guilt, Filth and Power -, yet, bleffed be
God, where Sin abounded, Grace did much
more abound \ That as Sin has reigned unto
Death, even Jo Grace might reign thro'
Right eoufaefs unto Eternal Life, by J ejus
Chrift our Lord, Rom. v. 20, 21.

How did Sin [abound,] even our Sin,
in jddam's-faft. Tranfgreffion ? How has it
abounded in that univerfal Corruption of
Nature, which has overfpread the Elect of
God, as well as others, as Defcendants from
fallen Adam? And how has it abounded
in all thofe filthy Streams which this filthy
Fountain has been fending forth in all Ages,
in Thoughts, Words, and Ways, even in
the Chofen of God themfelves ? How far
are the x^boundings of Sin, in thofe refpects,
beyond the Gomprehenfion of any Crea-
ture !

And yet, Where Sin abounded, Grace did
[much more] abound : When the LORD,
the Father, took our Sins, the Sins of the
whole Elect, and bundled 'em up, as it
were, into one Iniquity, which he laid
upon his dear Son ; who being an infinite
Perfon, was well able to bear all that in-
conceivable Wrath, which a Sin-revenging
God pour'd out upon him,, as the due
Defert thereof. By which he made a full

Satisfaction ^

(39)\

Satisfaction to injur'd Juftice, and an eveiv-
lafting Peace between God and us -> recon-
ciling all the Divine Perfections, which
glorioufly harmonize in the Salvation of
Sinners by the Blood of his Crofs ; and re-
conciling us too, in the Body of his Flefh.
thro' Death, when he gave himfelf a Sacri-
fice in our Stead. Whereupon God, as the
God of Peace, did bring him again from the
Dead, or raife him up from under all that.
Guilt, Curfe, Wrath and Death he bore
for us ; and thereby, at once,. did openly
acquit and difcharge him, as a publick
Perfon in our room ; and alfo freely, fully,,
and eternally forgive us all our Tfefpaffes,
and raife us up to endlefs Life and Glory
in him, our great Reprefentative. Thus
Grace did much more abound. Grace was
not only a Match for Sin, and fo could not
be overcome by it ; but it was ftrono-er
infinitely ftronger than Sin, and fo overcame,
it, even to a compleat and eternal Victory..
Yea, Grace did much more abound, not
only to an utter Deftruclion of Sin, in its
Reign unto Death y but further alfo, in,
bellowing upon us fuch Life and Glory in
Chrift, as the Fruit of bis Death, which is
far fuperior unto that, we had in Adam:
Oh, the Super-aboundings of Grace ! This

[much

(40)
[much. more] who can fearch the Dimen-
sions of it !

And Grace [did] much more abound': 7Tis
put in the paft Scnfe, to ftiew both the
Earlinefs of it, and alio the Foundation of
its After-difplay in Chrift, and glorious
Reign thro' him. Oh the Earlinefs of this
Grace ! How did it fuper-abound in the
everlafting Purpofes, Counfels, and Cove-
nant of the Three- One God, over all the
Aboundings of Sin, fore-view'd even before
Time commcnc'd ! And this was the
Foundation of that bright Difplay whiqB
was made of it in the Death and Refur-
re&ion of Jefus Chrift. And how did
Grace, the Grace of all the Three Perfons
in God, fuper-abound, when jefus died for
our Sins, and was rais'd again for our J uni-
fication, and fet down at God's right Hand,
as our Reprefentative and Forerunner ! For
Father, Son, and Spirit, had an equal
Hand in thefe Wonders of fuper-abound-
ing Grace. The Father laid Sin upon his
own Son, and poar'd out upon him all his
Wrath -, the Son bare and endur'd the
fame ; and the Holy Spirit, by his Al-
mighty Influence, enabled Chrift, as Man,
to endure the Crojs, and dejpije the Shame ,
for the Joy he Jet before him. And all the
Three, in boundlefs Grace to us, were

jointly

(4i >
jointly concerned in Chrlft's Refurrection,.
and Afcenfion to Glory, as our Head and
Reprefentative. And thus Grace [ did ]
much more abound, [in] Chrift, as the
Foundation of its glorious Reign by him.

Grace did much more abound '; that as Si?z
has reigned unto Deaths even Jo Grace
[might] reign thro' Right eoufnefs unto eter-
nal Life, by fefus Chrift our Lord. Sin
has reigned in its Guilt, Filth and Power :
It has reigned unto Death, unto bodily
Death, unto Soul-Death, unto Time-
Death, and Eternal Death, which, as the.
Wages' of Sin, is the due Defert of every.
Sinner. But Grace reigns unto [Life],,
thro' [Righteoufnefs] ; the Righteoufnefs
of Chrift, or his compleat Obedience, both
active and pafiive -, and fo, according to
the Righteoufnefs of Jehovah's pure Nature,,
and his holy Law: And it reigns [by] Jefus
Chrift, the Anointed Saviour, as our Lord,.
Thus Grace reigns unto Life ; Life of
Juftification, Sandirication, Confolation,
and Glorification, and in all, unto Eternal
Life ; partial and initial in this World,
and compleat and total in the World to
come.

Well then, dear Souls, what's become
of Sin ? Oh, look to Chrift, once cru-
cify'd, and there fee Sin compleatly fi-

nidi'd.

(42)
nlfh'd in him, with all its w'oful Effecfe,
and for ever made an end of. Yea, fee in
a rifen and glorified Jefus, what full,
tranfcendent, unchangeable and eternal Life
and Glory, God's fuper-abounding Grace
has beftow'd upon you in him ! Here's a
Foundation laid, that is every way large
enough to bear all that vaft Superftruclure
of our perfonal Salvation, from all Mifery,
unto all Glory, which one Day mall be
laid upon it, when the whole Elect, being-
compleatly fav'd, both myftically and per-
fonally, in, and thro' Chrifl:, fhall for ever,
-withShoutings, cry, Grace, Grace unto it! Lift
up -your Heads therefore, and be not afraid
©f the Condemnation of Sin : It once reign-
ed unto Death in Chrifl: for you, when he
died in your Stead ; and even fo, Grace
mail reign, by him, unto Eternal Life, in
your compleat Salvation. Sin, in its Guilty
fhall not deftroy you :for there is no Con-
demnation to them that are in Chrift J ejus y
Rom. viii. I. Sin,, in its Filth, ihall not*
make you lothfome in the Sight of God:-
for the Blood of Jefus Chrift his Son, cleanf
eth us from all Sin, i John i. 7. Sin, in
its Power, fl:all not have Dominion over you y
for you re not under the Law, but under
Grace, Rom. vi. 14. And Sin, in its Be-
ing, fhall not always abide in you nei-
ther j

(43 )
ther ; your Heaven-born Souls fhall not
be always vext with the Being of this
hateful Thing, Sin : For your Spirits, at
the Moment of Death, fhall be made per-
fect in Holinefs, Heb. xii. 23. And there
fhall be no Defilement, no unclean Thing,
either in your Bodies or Souls, when
you enter into the new Jerufalem, Rev.
xxi. 27. You fhall then be unblameable
in Holinefs, before God in Lovey Eph. i. 4.
Thus gloriouily will Grace reign unto
[Life], over all that Sin and Death that
works in you. And be not cafl down,
becaufe you have no Worthinefs :. For it is
[Grace] that reigns, free Grace, that feeks-
none of the Creature's Goodnefs to be a
Motive of its Reign. Be not difcouraged
by the Strength of your Soul- Enemies y
for it is [reigning] Grace, all-conquering
Grace, that is infinitely able to fubdue all
the Oppolition it meets with. And let not
your own Unrighteoufhefs hinder your
Faith and Joy in this Grace : For" it reigns
thro' the Righteoufnefs of another ; thro'
thrift's [Righteoufnefs], not your own..
And tho' you have no Strength of your-
felves to do any thing for your own De-
fence and Safety, or for God's Glory -, yet
this Grace will do all for you, as it reigns
by JcfusChrift our Lord. By [ChriiVJ,

not

( 44 >

not yourfelves : The whole of your Salva-
tion is committed into ChrifTs Hand,
not your own. And Grace reigns by
Chrift, as [Jefus], a Saviour, that is in-
finitely able to fave to the uttermofl ; and
by him alfo, as [Chrift], the Anointed of
the Father, a Saviour in Office, that is
authoriz'd and appointed of God to work
out all that Salvation for his People, which
Free-Grace beftows. And it reigns alfo
by Jefus Chrift, as [LORD] over all
Creatures,, and Things in Heaven, Earth
and Hell -, and by him alfo, as [Our] Lord,
our Head, our Husband ; one in the nearefl
Relation to us : Whole Love engageth his
Power, as well as his Faithfulnefs -y who
exercifeth his Kingly Authority over all
Things, in an efpecial manner for the Good
of his Church; breaking his Enemies with
his Rod of Iron ; and defending, and go-
verning his People by the fvveet and power-
ful Scepter of his Grace, whereby he is
able to fubdue even all Things unto him/elf.
What are all our Enemies ? Men, Sin, Sa-
tan> Death and the Grave ? Tho' like
mighty Mountains, before our Zerubbabel
they mail become a Plain : And he Jhall'
bring forth the Head-Stone of our Salvation,
by the fame Free-Grace that laid its
Foundation, to the endlefs Wonder of Men

and'

I 45 )
and Angels, and the eternal Glory of the
Three-one God ; the exceeding Riches of
whofe Grace will fliine forth herein, to the
innumerable Ages of a glorious Eternity !

But after all, it may he, you will fay,
c Thefe are glorious Privileges for thofe
c who are interefted in 'em ; but how
c (hall we know that they belong to us I

In anfwer to this, confider, that the Per-
fons, over whom Sin mall not have Domi-
nion, either in its Guilt, Filth, Power, or
Being, are inch, all fuch, and none but
fuch, that are, not under the Law, but
under Grace. All that ever (hall be faved,
have been, are, or mall be brought from
under the Law, to fubmit to the Reign of
Grace.

And thofe Perfons are under the Law,
(in the Senfe I here intend it) who like
and approve of the Old Covenant, as it
makes Doing the Condition of Life; and
.accordingly, they cleave to the Works of
their own Hands, and endeavour to e-
ftablifh their own Righteoufnefs, as the
Matter of their Juftitication before God.
Tell fuch Souls of Jefus Chrift, his Blood
and Righteoufnefs, and Free-Grace in him,
is the alone Way of Salvation ; and that
Faith in him, is the Means appointed of
God for a poor Sinner's Enjoyment of all

that

(46)

that Life and Glory which is beftow'd by
God's Free-Grace, without the leaft Work,
Worth, or Worthinefs in the Creature ;
and it is very uniavory to them. They
don't like to hear of ChriiYs Righteoufnefs,
and God's Free-Grace in him, in the Point
of Juftificatlon, to the utter Exclufion of
their own Works. No, they feek Life, as
it were, by the Works of the Law : They
can't think, that what Chrift has done and
fuffer'd, is fufficient to fave them, without
they do fomething themfelves, to add unto
it, or rather to be found in without it. For
they like not the Obedience of the Son of
God : They fee no Beauty in this glorious
Robe, and fo reject it -> and feek to drefs
themfelves up in the jilthy Rags of their
own Righteoufnefs. And as they fee no
Need of ChrifVs Righteoufnefs, fo, nor of
his Strength neither -y they think, that
they have Power in themfelves, to do
what God requires, whenever they pleafe
to exert it ; and fo they like not, but reject
Chrift as a Root of Influence ; and bring
forth all their wild Fruit, from, in, and to
themfelves, under the Influence, and for
the End of the Old Covenant. Thus, re-
jecting the Saviour of God's providing,
they would fain, in the Pride of their
Hearts, lave themfelves. And as for God's

free

r 47 )

free Sovereign Grace in Chrifr, by which
he faves a Sinner, without any of his own
Works, their Hearts rife againft it : They
will not be beholding to Free- Grace for
Salvation ; but feek to earn it by the Works
of their own Hands. And the Souls which
thus cleave to the Law, (living and dying
in fuch a State) mall be found under it at
the awful Day of Judgment ; and mull
then hear what it fpeaks unto them, in all
the amazing Curfes of it, and bear the
Weight of that inconceivable Wrath, which
is the due Defert of every TranfgrefTor
while Sin, Death, and Hell have an eternal
Dominion over them. This then is the
Condition, and will be the End of all thofe
who live and die under the Lav/. For by
the Deeds of the Law /hall no Flejh be jujli-
Jied in the Sight of God, Rom. iii. 20.
For as many as are 0/ the Works of the Lam,
are under the Cur/e, Gal. iii. jo. And what
things Jbever the Law faith, it faith to
them who are under the Law, Rom. iii. 1 9.
But then, who are they that are under
Grace ?

The Perfons under Grace (in the Senfe
I here intend) are fuch that are convinc'd
of their own Infufficiency to fave them-
felves, and of Ch rift's All-fufficiency to
fave even the very Chief of Sinners 3 which

draws

(4§)

draws out their Souls into earneft Defires af-
ter Life and Salvation, by God's Free-Grace
in him. Thefe like and approve of the
New Covenant, in which the Salvation of
Sinners ftands alone upon abfolute Grace.
Thefe have had a Difcovery of God's Holy
Law, as it requires perfect and perpetual
Obedience, in Heart, Lip, and Life ; and
upon every Failure, curfeth the Tranf-
greflor : And m the Light the Holy Ghoit
fets up in fuch a Soul, it fees its Contrariety
to God, and his Holy Law, in Heart as
well as Life ; it fees its own Inability to do
any Duty in that perfect manner the Law
of God requires -, it fees, that when it
would do Good, Evil is prefent with it ;
and that if God was to deal with it accord-
ing to his righteous Law, it muft perifh
for ever. And now the Soul begins to die
unto the Law, or to all Hopes of Life by
the Works of its own Hands. And fur-
ther, to make the Soul dmd indeed to the
Law, (as a Covenant of Works) the Lord
goes on to reveal his Son, in fuch a Soul,
as having been made under the Law, to
fulfil all its Requirements, and fuffer all its
Penalties for all that mall be faved ; where-
by he becomes the End of the Law for
Right eou/hefs to every one that believeth,
Gal. iv. 4. Rom. vii. 4, and x. 4. And

pro-

(49)

proportionable to the Revelation of Chrift
made to the Soul, it fees a Soul-attracting,
Heart-ravifhing Beauty and Excellency in
him, and his Salvation ; which draws it out
into earneft Defires to have him for its Por-
tion, to be walh'd in his Blood, to be fup-
ply'd from his Fulnefs, and found in his
Righteoufnefs before God. Now the Soul
fees, that if ever it is laved, it muft be by
God's Free-Grace in Chrift 5 and proftrates
itfelf at the Throne of Grace, intreating
Divine Mercy to be extended to it, as a
miferable undone Sinner. And it is like-
wife convinced of the Neceffity of Faith ia
Chrift, that it muft believe, or perifh -y and
accordingly, it locks unto him alone for
Salvation ; it attempts to come to him, and
reft its Soul upon him ; and under a felt
Senfe of its own Weaknefs, it cries out,
Lord, I believe ; help thou mine Unbeliefs
Mar. ix. 24.. Thus it fees a Need of Chrift's
Strength, as well as his Righteoufnefs ; and
is glad that the Salvation of a Sinner, from
fir ft to laft, is all of one pure Piece of Grace,
And tho' the Soul mayn't have full Affu-
rance of its own Salvation, by God's Free-
Grace inChrift,and fo not full Joy in it • yet
it likes this Way of Salvation, and defires,
above all things, to have an Intereft in it.
And a Glixnpfe of it now and then, which
C it

( 5° )

it gets in a Promife, or an Ordinance, be-
gets in it a fecret Hope, and glads its Heart
more than if the whole World was given
it. For, when once the Soul is remov'd
from an Old Covenant-bottom,, if its Hope
was not fixt on New Covenant-Grace in
Chrjft, it would utterly fink into Pefpair.
And there is fuch an Agreeablenefs between
the Principle of Grace in a new-born Soul,
and thcDoctrine of Grace reveal'd in theGof-
pel ^ that the Soul would not part with that
little Hope it has of eternal Life in ChrifJ,
for all the Treafures of the Univerfe. And
the Souls which thus cleave to Grace, are
undoubtedly under it now, and fhall be
found fo in the Day of Chriit, to their un-
ipeakable Joy and Glory.

Well then, dear Hearts, if you have not
a full Aflurance of your Jntereft in Chrift,
and his Salvation -, yet, if you defire him
above all things^ and that Free- Grace would
do all for you in the Matter of Salvation,
you are certainly under the Dominion of
Grace. For the Defires of your Souls,
cleaving to Grace, are their fubmitting
unto its Reign. And this Grace that has
begun to reign oyer you, will reign on, not-
withitanding all the Oppofition it meets
with in you, even unto eternal Life :, or

your

(5* )

your complete Salvation from Sin and
Death, to endlefs Life and Glory.

Grace be with yon. Amen.

I am Tours in Chri/l, 5cc*

LETTER IX.
To Mrs. L:

Dear Friend,

I Am far from thinking it any Trouble to
anfwer your Requeft, in giving you my
Thoughts concerning thofe Scriptures which
your Mind has been exercis'd about: For
if I could be any way helpful to thy Soul,
I mould rejoice, and be exceeding glad.
Take therefore the following Hints briefly.

John xii. 47. And if a??y Man hear my
Words , and believe not, I judge him not : jor
Icame ?iot to judge the World, but to fave
the World. Our Lord in thefe Words de-
clares, That if any Man hear his Words , i. e.
the Do&rine which Chrift, his Apoftles and
Miniflers preach, with a natural or exter-
nal Hearing only, and fo believe not in a
faving manner, that he judgeth him not 3
that is, it was not Chrift's immediate Work
C 2 in

\ 52)

in the Days of his Flefh, nor is yet, while
the Gofpel is preach'd, to judge and con-
demn Unbelievers. For 1 came not to judge
the World, (fays he) but to fave the World.
Our Lord's firft Coming was not to Judg-
ment, but to publifh, and work out Salva-
tion. And while the Gofpel is preach'd, it
is the Time of Chrift's hong-fuffer'uig,
wherein he waits to be gracious to poor
Sinners : But when he fhall appear the fe-
cond Time, he'll come to Judgment ; and
then all thofe who mall be found to have
liv'd and died in Unbelief, as Defpifers and
Rejecters of Chrift, and his Salvation, fhall
be judged and condemned by him, with a
Depart ye Cur fed, into everlajfling Fire, pre-
pared for the Devil and his Angels.

And now, methinks, this Text mould
be matter of Encouragement to thee, in thy
prefent Cafe. Doft thou fee thyfelf to be
a poor Sinner ? And art thou afraid to draw
nigh to God, or lift up thine Eyes to Hea-
ven, becaufe thou art fo vile ? Yea, doft thou
fear that thou art yet in a State of Un-
belief, that thou haft never yet put forth
one AcT: of Faith upon Chrift ? Why, he
did not come to condemn thee, to deal
with thee according to thy Sins, and fend
thee to Hell prefently. No, he came to
fave Sinners, even the very Chief of them :

And

( 53 )
And he has wrought out a full and com-*
plete Salvation, that is every way iufficient
for thee ; that is large enough to deliver
thee from all thy Fears, to fupply all thy
Wants, and to fatisfy all thy Defires : And
this Salvation is proclaimed in the glorious
Gofpel, as infinitely free for the mod Un-
deferving. If diou haft no Worthineis,
nothing to bring to God, thou may ft have
Salvation freely, I/d.lv. i. Yea, if thou
haft a longing Defire after it, thou art the
Soul that Chrift invites to take thy Fill
freely : If any Man thirft, (fays he) let him
come unto me, and drink, Johnvii. 37. And
let him that is a thirft, come : And whofoever
<witt7 let him take the Water of Life freely,
Rev. xxii. 17. There is an infinite Fulneli
of Life and Salvation in the Lord Jefus
Chrift, for the worft of Sinners > and there
is Salvation in no other : And therefore, if
the Cry of thy Soul is, What mujl I do to
be faved ? Thou art commanded, even
Thou in particular, to believe on the Lord
Jefus Chrift -, and in fo doing, thou haft
the faithful Promife of a God that cannot
lie, that thou fbalt be faved, Acts xvi. 3 1 .
And Believing is looking unto Chrift alone
for Salvation, I/a. xlv. 22. Asking it of
him, John iv. 10. Coming to him for it,
Mat. xi. 18. Trufting in his Name, Mat.
C 7 xii.

(54)

xii. 2 1 . and committing thy Soul into
his Hands, 2 Tim A. 12. And wouldft
thou Believe ? Why, venture, in the fcce
often thoufand Sins, Fears, and Difcourage-
ments, to call: thyfelf down at Jefus Feet,
and fay, with the poor Leper, Lord, if thou
wiltytbou canjl make me clean ,Luke v. i 2. and
with the Publican, God he merciful to me a
Sinner, Luke xviii. 13. and thou (halt
find Grace in his Sight , his Mercy will bicF
thee live ; thou fhalt pafs from Death to Life y
and?xver come intoGondetmiation, John v. 2 4.
Philemon xv. For perhaps he therefore
departed j or aSeafon, that thoujloouldjl receive
him for ever. The Apoftle Paul, in thefe
Words, puts Philemon in mind of the won-
derful Grace and Providence of God, in
over-ruling the Departure of One/imus, for
a Sea/on from him his Matter, as a Means
of his Converfion to Chrift, that fo he
might receive him for ever : Not merely
now as a Servant, but as a Brother in
Chrift, which is a Relation that can never
be diffolved. Onefimus was Servant to Phi-
lemon , he wrong'd his Mafter, ran away,,
and was brought b y fome means or other)
into the Prifon where St. Paul was : Up-
on which the Apoftle preaches Chrift, and
the Word of his Grace to this poor Sinner 5
and the Power of God accompaning the

Word

( 55 )
Word of the Gofpel, gave it Entrance in'fo'
bis Soul, form'd the New Creature there,
and enabled him to believe in Jefus :
Upon v/hich the Apoftle rejoice th, and
acquaints Philemon with this wonderful
Grace,exhorting him to itc&w£Grie$musyt:&t
now as a Servant, but as a Brother beloved in
the Lord, with the fame Kindnefs and Joy
he had us'd to fhew unto the Apoirle
himfelf, who lov'd him as his own Saul.

And was there fuch Grace in the Heart
of God towards Onefwms ? What En-
couragement may this be to thee ? The
Lord is as full of Love and Bowels now as
ever, and extends the fame Free-Grace,
and boundlefs CompaiTion to Sinners now,
as then. And did mighty Grace lay hold
upon Onefimus, when he was in the Height
of his Rebellion ; when he had juft added'
Theft to all his other Sins, and ran away
from God, as well as from his Mafler ?
then fure, nothing is too hard for reigning
Grace ; it can conquer the mod rebellious'
Creature , and pardon the greateft Sins,
None of all thy Sins, tho' great as Moun-
tains, and numberlefs as the Stars, can
hinder thy Salvation, if the Lord refolve to
be gracious unto thee : No, where Sin a-
bounds, Grace much more abounds. None of
thy Sins are too great for reigning Grace
C 4 to

( 56 )

to pardon, for omnipotent Grace to fubdue.
Grace will reign glorioufly, difplaying its
Riches upon a Veffel of Mercy, in its com-
plete Salvation, notwithstanding all its Un-
worthinefs, and Provocations, its 111 Defer-
vings, and Hell-defervings -, no Qppofition
fhall ftand before it: If God fay, I will be
gracious to this or that Soul, neither Sin
within, nor Men and Devils without, fhall
hinder its Salvation. Hope therefore in this
Grace : For the Lord takes Pleafure in them
that feqr him, (that call upon his Name) in
them that hope in his Mercy, Pfa. cxlvii. 11.
And never was any Soul afhamed of its Hope
and Confidence in God : No, BleJJed is the
Man ivhofe Hope the LORD is, jer.xvii. 7.
Put thy Truft therefore in the Shadow of
his Wings, in the Mercy of God in Chriit,
;".'d thou (hajt never be afhamed nor con-
founded, World without End, Pfa. xxxvi.
7. Ija, xlv. 17. Again, did God, in his
{ill -wife Providence, who works all Things af-
ter the Counjel of his own Will, over- rule the
Departure of Onejimns, to bring him under
the Apoftle's Preaching, which was the
Means of his Convcriion ? Then 'tis plain,
that there is an appointed Time to bring
Souls home to Chriit ; a Day of Power ^ in
which they (hall be made willing, Pfa. ex.
3. And what if I mould fay, I hope this

Time

(57)
Time of Love is come unto thee, and this
Work of Power begun upon thee. Once
more, did God over-rule the Departure of
One/imus from his Matter for a Seafon, that
fo he might receive him for ever, and that
with Advantage? Even fo, let me fay, did
God over-rule his Peoples Departure from
him in the Fall, and in this Time-State, to
commend his Love the more in bringing
them again to himfelf, to receive them for
ever, in an higher Relation, and Glory,
than they had when they were with him
in their firO Father, Adam. And what if
the Lord, in his Thoughts of Love towards
thee, did fuffer thee to depart from him
for a Seafon, that fo he might bring thee
again to himfelf, and receive thee forever !
He tells thee in his Word, that thou hail
departed from him by Si/?, Ezek. vi. 9. he
bids thee return again, and fays, thou Jhafc
find Mercy \ Ifa. lv. 7. and has promis'd to
receive thee, 2 Cor. vi. 17. And thofe
whom Clirift receives, he receives forever.
Mis Arms ftand wide open to embrace
thee \ and if thou art helpt to return to
him, he fays, he will in no wife caft thcs
oat, John vi. 37. he will receive thee to the
tr/ory of Cod, Rom. xv. 7. he will keep thee
i hit Power thro1 Faith unto Salvation ',
1 Peter i, 5. and fuffer neither Sin, Men,
C 5 nor

(5$)

ror Devils to pluck thee out of bis Hands,
John x. 28.

2 Cor. iv. 3. But if our Gofpel be hidy,
it is hid unto them that are lojl. The A-
poftle Paid, in thefe Words, fpeaking in-
his own Name, and in the Name of the o-
ther Apoftles,calls the Gofpel of Chrift,0«r
Gofpel '; becaufe it was the Miniftry which
they had received of the Lord Jefus, the Mef-
fage they were fent to publi(h,and the glad
Tidings which they preach'd. And as they,
preach'd the Gofpel of Chrift with the
greateft Evidence, and cleareft Demonftra-
tion , fo the Holy Spirit attended their
Miniftry, and made it the Power of Godr
unto the Salvation of Multitudes , who
receiv'd the Truth in the Love of it, upon
the fullefl Conviction, and with the higheft
Afllirance. Upon which the Apoftle utters
thefe Words , but if our Gofpel be hid, it is
hid unto them that are loft. As if he mould
lay, ' We have pre. ^hed the Gofpel of a
** a Crucified, Rifen, and Aicended Savi-
1 our, fo plainly, convincingly, and power-
*■ fully , that if it be hid unto any Souls,
* they are certainly in a loft Condition*.
That is, they are at prefent Dead in Sins,
they are not New Creatures ; and fo have
no Spiritual Eye to fee the Glory of Chrift
which brightly mines in his blefted Gofpel ;

they

(59)
they are under the Government of Satan,
who blindeth their Minds ; they are (till in
the State wherein they were born,- going
affray from God, and not yet returned to
the Shepherd and Bifiop of Souls: Again,
if the Gofpel be always hid unto any Soul?,
they are fuch which are irrecoverably loft ;
if after all the preaching of Salvation byjefus
Chrift, there be any that live and die ignorant
of, and in enmity to the glorious Gofpel,
they are certainly fuch who perifhfor ever,
And now, if thou fhouldft be afraid,
that thou art at prefent in a loft Condition ;
yet, were it fo, thou art not in a hopelefs
Condition. For all the Chofen of God, who
are now found by the great Shepherd, and
called to be Saints, were once in a loft State
byNature,as well as thee. AUChrift's Sheep,
which his Father gave him, went aftray by
Sin ; and turning every one to his own Way,
they loft and deftroy'd themfelves ; or brought
themfelves into fuch a miferable Condition,
that they were utterly undone : And had
neither Will, Skill, nor Power .to deliver
themfelves from that perifhing State in
which they were involved. Bat fuch was
the infinite Grace of God the Father, that
he laid their Sins upon his own Son -y and
uich- the boundlefs Grace of Ghrift, that
C 6 he-

< 6o )

died for them, in their ftead, to bring
them again to God \ and fucSi is the a-
ftonilhing Grace of the Holy Spirit, that
he quickens 'em when dead in Sins, gives
them to fee their own Mif'ery, and Chrift's
Excellency, and brings them home to him,
their great Shepherd. Art thou loft ? it
was Such Chrift came to Jeek a?id fave,
Luke xix. 10. And hegoeth after that which
is loft until he findeth it, and when he hath
found it he layeth it on his Shoulders, and bring-
eth it home rejoicing ; faying to his Friends
ana Neighbours, the Saints and Angels,r*/0/££
with me, for I have found my Sheep which
was loft. Luke xv. 4, 5, 6. Chrift took
fuch Pleafure in faving loft Sinners, that he
died for them, that fo he might accomplish
it ; yea, he now lives in Heaven to inter-
cede for them ; and when, as a Fruit there-
of, they are brought home to Ids Fold, he
rejoiceth over 'em to fave them to the
uttermo/i. Therefore be not difcourag'd,
for if thou art loft, Chrift can find thee,
and if thou haft no Power to return, he can
lay thee on his Shoulders, and bring thee
Home , yea, if thy Cafe was fo miferable,
that thou- hadft no Will to return, Chrift
can make thee willing in a Moment ; for
he is in all refpecls, mighty to fave. But if
lie has given thee a Will, a Deiire to re-
turn

( 6i )

tarn unto God in Chrift, he has already
found thee out, and laid hold on thy Heart
by his Almighty Power, and he'll bring
thee home to God, both herein Grace, and
hereafter in Glory, preferring thee with
exceeding Joy. If he has given thee a Sight
of thy own Mifery, and a Glimpfe of his
Beauty, fo as to beget a Defire in thy Soul
after him, the Gofpel of Chrift has already
begun to fhine into thy Heart, and it
mall (hine more and more until the perfect
Day ; and it fhall never be hid unto thee,
as it is unto them that are loft.

i Cor. xv. 2. By which alfo ye are
Javed, if ye keep in memoryivhat I preached
unto you, unlefs you have believed in vain.
The Apoftle Paul, having preach'd the
Gofpel of Chrift unto the Corinthians], and
particularly the great and comfortable Do-
ctrine of the Refurrcction ; he here exhorts
them to a conftant Remembrance thereof,
it being of fo great Importance. There
were, at that Time, fome in the Church at
Corinth ^ who were fo far fallen away from
the Doctrine of the Gofpel, as to deny the
Refurrection of the Dead ; for which
Reafon the Apoftle infifts largely upon that
Article in this Chapter. In the "fir) 'i Vc-
he profefleth to declare afrefh the -Gofpel
that he had formerly preach'd to ihem,

which

f6z)

which they had receiv'd, and wherein theyr
profeffedly, did ftand. By which, fays he,
in this Jecond Verfe, ye are faved, if ye keep
in Memory what I preached unto you, unlej's
ye hav& believed in vain. It feems to me,-
thatthe Time-Salvation of the Saints, from-
Errors, Herefies, and Soul-Dinreffes, is what
the Apoftle here intends ; which is clofely
connected with a believing Remembrance
of the Dodtrines of the Gofpel, and parti-
cularly this of the Refurredtion. In like
manner as he fays, We are faved by Hope.
Rom.viii. 24. Which is evidently in-
tended of our Time-Salvation : for in no
other Senfe can we be faid to be faved by
Hope ; for when once we come to the
Enjoyment of that Salvation hoped for, the
Exercife of that Grace ceafeth •,. as he there
argues, for Hope that is feen, is not Hope.
And then in the lad Claufe, unlefs ye have
believed in vain, he fweetly puts them in
mind how they did at firft receive the
Gofpel, and this Dodlrine of the Refur-
re6tion ; how they once law a Glory in
the Refurrection of Chrift from the Dead,
todifcharge them from Sin, and raife their
Souls to Life here, and theirBodies untoLiie
eternal, at the Morning of the Refurredtion.
And, as if he mould further fay, can you
now eafilypart with, what you once hVdin

the

( 63 )
the Faith of ? Have you believed in vain ?
Is the Faith you once had of thefe great
Things, become a light Matter, an empty
Thing ? Or can you let your doctrinal
Faith of the Gofpel lie by in your Judg-
ments as a ufelefs Thing ? Have you not
a continual Need of exereifmg Faith there-
in, when without its you can neither live
fafely from Herefies, fruitfully unto God,
nor joyfully to your own Souls ? This your
Time- Salvation, as your Privilege, being
clofely connected with your Duty,. in a be-
lieving Remembrance of the Doctrines of
the Gofpel, which you did receive : This,
in brief, I take to be the Meaning of the
Words. For there are none that believe
in Jefus for eternal Life, that can believe
in vain, in this .refpect ; No, they are pajjed
from Death unto Life, a?id Jhall never conve
into Condemnation, Their eternal Salvati-
on is not uncertain, but abfokite ; It ftands
immovcably fixt upon Chrifl, the unchange-
able Rock of Ages, by the immutable Word
and Oath of a God that cannot lie.. John
v, 24. Mat.vii. 24,25. Heb. vi. i8.Tit.i. 2.
Well then, if as a periftiing Sinner, thou
fizeftjor Refuge to lay hold on Chrift, the
Hope jet before thee,, thou (halt be eternally
laved : Upon thy. firft Act of Faith, as
foon as ever thou art got into the City of

Re-

( 64 ) «
Refuge, thou wilt be eternally idfc, for ever
out of all Danger of everlailing Mifery ;
and as an Inhabitant of the Rock, thou
mayft fing, beginning the Work of Praife
here, which will be thy eternal Employ-
ment in Heaven. And if it is the Duty
of Believers to keep up a quick and con-^
it ant Remembrance of the glorious Gofpel
which they have receh/d, in order to their
Time-Safety, Fruitfulnefs and Comfort -,
then do thou alfo labour to think and me-
ditate upon every Truth of the Gofpel, e-
very Beam of Light that fprings into thv
Mind, under the preaching or reading of
the Words of this Life : For this will be an
effectual Means to prefervethee from Soul-
Diitrefs in an Hour of Temptation, to
ifrengthen thy weak Hope, and encreafe
thy Joy.

i Cor. xiv. 38. But if any Man be igno-
rant\ let him be ignorant. It feems, by the
Coherence of thefe Words, trr,t there
were fome in this Church of Corinth, who
wrere greatly puff *d up with Pride, and a
vain Conceit of their being fpiritual, even
to a fighting or defpiiing the Dictates of
the Apofde, under the immediate Infpira-
tion of the Holy Spirit : And there having
been fuch abundant Evidence of his A-

poftle-

( H)

pofflefhip, and that it was the Truth of
Chriji which he preach'd and wrote ; if
after all, there were any who would wil-
fully fhut their Eyes againft the Light,
and pretend Ignorance -y he, in thefe Words,
refolves to leave them, and take no further
Pains for their Conviction. If any Man
be ignorant , let him be ignorant, 'Tis as if
he mould fay, c "If after, all the Signs of
' an Apoftle, which have been (hewn in
c me, and that abundant Demonftration of
c the Spirit with which I preach and writ
c the Goipel of Chrift. j any Man who
1 thinks himfelf fpiritual, will not behold
c my Million from Chrifl, nor acknow-
1 ledge my infalible- Guidance into all
c Truth by the Divine Spirit ; let him re-
i main juit were he is, let him be ignorant

< m ■<

But there is no Reafon for thee to be
difcourag'd fl'om this Text : If thou feed
thyfelf to be an ignorant Creature, and
groans under it, this is no Threatning to
thee, that thou {halt abide in thy Ignorance
frill. No, • the Lord J ejus Chrift is made
of God JVifdom, unto tucli that have none
at all. i Cor. i. 30. His Father has calfd
him to the Office of Prophet, on purpofe
to teach the Ignorant, to open their blind

Eyes ;

(66)

Eyes : Ifa. xlii. 7. And he has promis'd
to bring the Blind by a Way that they knew
not, to lead them in Paths which they have
not known, to make Darknefs Light before
them, and crooked Things ftraight. Thefe
things, fays he, will I do unto 'em, and not
forjake them, Ifa. xlvi. 16. He can have
Compafifion on the Ignorant, and them that
are out of the Way, Heb.-v. 2. If the
High-Prieft under the Law could have-
Compaffion, much more can Chrift, whofeJ
Bowels are infinite. Waft thou the moft*
ignorant Creature in the World, Chrift cair
teach thee efficacioufly, or teach thee to*
profit ; that is, he can remove thy Igno-
rance, and give thee the Knowledge of
hhnfelf, and of the Father in him ; whom'
tv know is- Life eternal, John xvii. 3 . If
Chrift teach thee to profit, he will do it as'
the LORD thy God by a creating Power,
Ifa. xlviii. 17. If Chrift will fhine into thy
Heart, to give thee the Light of the Know-
ledge of the Glory of Gody. as the God of
all Grace in him, thy Darknefs fhall flee
before it. If he fay but the Word, Let-
there be Light , as he did in the firft
Creation, immediately the Light appears,
and the darkeft Soul is made Light in the
Lord. Be enccurag'd therefore, to come
unto him under all thy apprehended Dark-

nefs5.

(67)

nels, and can: thyfelf down at his Feet,1
and lay, What I know not, teach thou me>
Job xxxiv. 32. For he is infinitely able
to fave thee, in this refpect, to the utter-
moji. In him are hid all the Treafures of
Wifdom and Knowledge : His Wifdom is
infinite, his Power Almighty, and his Com-
panions boundlefs. And this mighty Sa-
viour, is a Saviour in Office, it is his
Office to teach poor Sinners that are igno-
rant $ and he is good and upright,, and he
will do it, P/al. xxv. 8. He will teach
Sinners, becaufe of the infinite Goodnefs of
"his Nature, and becaufe he is upright alfo,
or faithful to him that appointed him,
and to his own Engagements alfo, by
Covenant and Pronvife : And never, did
any Soul periffi for want of Knowledge,
that waited upon him for teaching ; no,
he'll make the Way of Life fo plain, that
a way-faring Man, thd. a Fool, Jhall not err
therein, Ifa. xxxv. 8.

The Grace of Chrift be with thy Spirit.

I am Thine in Him, &c.

E T-

( 63 )

LETTER X.

To Mrs. S.

Dear Friend,

Aving heard how the Tempter made
ufe of that Word, Hap. ii. 4. to
iiflrefs thy Soul, it was on my Heart to
write a few Lines to acquaint thee with
what I take to be the Meaning thereof.
Behold, his Soul which is lifted up, is not
upright in him. The Intent of the Holy
Ghoft in thefe Words, is, to fet forth the
perlfhing State of an Unbeliever : And
here is, 1. A Defcription given of him,
that he is fuch an one whofe Soul is lifted
up. And, 2. Here is a Declaration made
concerning him, that his Soul is not up*
right in him.

The Perfon that is here faid to be lifted
up, is fuch an one that is lifted up in Pride,
or a vain Conceit of the Sufficiency of his
own Righteoufnefs to ftand in before God,
and to fcreen him from his vindictive
Wrath. It is fuch an one that, Pharifee
like, exalteth himfelf, commends his own
Righteoufnefs, and dares to plead it before
God, as*the Caufe why his Wrath mould

turn

(69 )

turn away from him. Thus there were
fome among God's profeffing People of
old, who, being lifted up in a Conceit of '
their own Righteoufnefs, pleaded their In-
nocence, as the Caufe why his Anger fhould
turn from them. But this their Confidence
in their own Righteoufnefs, and of their
Deliverance upon that Bottom, the Lord
tells them that he rejected, and that he
would plead with them, becanfe they [aid
'they had not finned \ Jer. ii. 35, 37. Thus
an Unbeliever is here defcrib'd, as one who,
in this Senfe, is lifted up. And then we
have

The Declaration that is made concerning
him -y Behold^ fays the Lord, look upon
the Man that is thus lifted up, his Soul is
not upright in him. It is a legal Upright-
nefs that is here intended : And it is as if
the Lord fhould fay, c In vain doth that
c Soul plead his own Righteoufnefs for De-
' liverance from my avenging Juftice, who
c cleaves to the Works of the Law, as the
' Matter of his Ju unification before me :

• For fuch is the Purity of my holy Law,

* that it will find innumerable Faults with
c his pretended Obedience 5 the Crooked-
c nefs thereof will abundantly appear, when
c compar'd with the Straightnefs of that
c perfect Rule. And fuch is the Striclnefs

■ of

( 7° )

f of my Juftice, that to vindicate my own

* Honour, I muft pour out my Wrath,

* according to all the Curfes of my righte-
1 ous Law, upon that Soul who dares to

* truft in his own imperfed: Obedience, in.

* thejilthy Rags of his own Righteoufnefs :

* his Soul is not upright in him; and
c therefore his external Obedience can't be
f fo. My Law requires Soul-Uprightnefs,

* or perfect Conformity in Heart, Lip, and

* Life, in that Perfon who will be juftified
c thereby : And fince his Soul is not up-
f right, it will Condemn him, and he mufl
1 die the Death, who will dare to ftand at

* the Bar of my Juftice, to be try'd by my

* holy Law \ And that this is the De-
claration the Lord here makes concerning
an Unbeliever, or the Soul that is lifted up,
is plain from the oppofite, or what ftands
oppos'd to this, in the latter Part of the
Verfe ; But the Juftfiall live by his Faith :
Efpecially, if we look upon this Text, as
quoted by the Apoftle, to prove, that the
Juftification of a Sinner before God, ftands
alone in his Free-Grace, thro' the imputed
Righteoufnefs of Chrift, to the utter Ex-
clusion of the Works of the Law in that
Point, Gal. iii. 1 1 . But that no Man is
justified by the Law in the Sight of Cod, it

u

(7i ) '
h evident : For, The Juft flail live by his
Faith.

The Juft]. There is no Way for a
'Sinner to be juft with God, but by the
Blood and Righteoufnefs of Chrift. And
in this Way, God can be Juft, and yet the
fuftifier of him which believes in jfefits^
that defires to be found in him, and looks
for Salvation from him alone, Rom. Hi. 26*

Shall live]. The eternal Life, or Sal-
vation of a Sinner, ftands alone in God's
Free-Grace, thro* the Blood and Righte-
oufnefs of Chrift, Eph. i. 7. In whom we
have Redemption thro' his Bloody the For-
givenefs of Sins, according to the Riches of
his Grace. Rom. v. 1.9, 20, 21. For as
■by one Man's Dijobedience, many were made
Sinners ; Jo by the Obedience of one JJiall
many be made righteous. Moreover, the
Law enter d, that the Offence might abound:
But where Sin abounded, Grace did much
more abound : that as Sin hath reigned unto
Death, even Jo Grace might reign throy
Righteoufnefs, unto eternal Lije, by Jejus
Chrift our Lord.

By his Faith], Or that which his Faith
lays hold of. For when the Lord is about
to make any Soul a Partaker of this Salva-
tion, he fhews it its own Sinfulnefs and
Mifery, and that it is utterly jmpoffible

for

( 72 )

for it to be faved by the Works of the
Law, or by its own Obedience to the Law ;
becaufe it can do nothing iii that perfect
Manner which the Law of God requires ;
and therefore inevitably comes under the
Curfe for every Failure : upon which the
Soul dies unto all Hope of Life by the
Works of the Law : And then he opens to
it a Way of Life, that in all refpeds fuits an
undone Sinner, by his Free-Grace, thro* a
cruciiied and rifen Jefus -, and begets Faith
in the Soul, or a fecret Perfuafion that
there is enough in Chrift, and what he has
done, to fave it. Whereupon, the Soul
ventures into Chrift, tho' it fees itfelf over-
fpread with Sin, as with a Leprofy, and
fays, Lord, if thou ivilt^ thou canft make me
clean. And the Lord, to /hew his infinite
Grace, as well as his Ability to fave, im-
mediately fays, I will, be thou clean, Luke
v. 12, 13. By which he conveys a full
and everlafting Salvation to that Soul. And
thus the fujt frail live by his Faith. For
unto him that worketh not> that brings none
cf his ownWorks to juflify him beforeGod;
but believeth on him that jujiifieth the Un-
godly ; that draws nigh1 to God upon his
Throne of Grace, and pleads the Extenfion
of his Mercy and Grace thro* his own Son ;
his Faith is counted for Right eoujnefs, or

that

( 73 )
that which his Faith lays hold on, the
Blood and Righteoufnefs of Chrift, God
the Father imputes or reckons unto him,
as the Matter of his Juftificaticn, and de-
clares his Acceptance of him, and Well-
pleafednefs with him in his dear Son, Rom.
iv. 5. Thus the Jujl pall live by his Faith,
in refpect of Justification : For that Soul
that looks for all its Acceptance with God,
by his Free-Grace, thro' his dear Son,
ilia 11 never die j but is pa fed from Death
unto Life, John v. 24. And the juftified
Soul, having an indefeafible Right to all
that immeafurable Fulnefs of Life in Chrift,
it is its Duty and Privilege to live by Faith
in refpect of Expectation ; looking for a
continual Communication of Life out of
Chrift's Fulnefs, for the full Supply of all
his Wants, thro' Time, and to Eternity:
And in this refpect, it is to live by Faith,
until Faith is lwallow'd up in Vifion. In
thefe Words then, we have two Sorts of
Peribns fpoken of, Believers, and Unber
lievers ; the one lifted up In a Conceit of
their own Righteoufnefs ; the other juft,
or juftified in Chrift's ; and the End of the
One, which is Death, imply'd, in that he
is not upright, and fo under the Law's
Curfe; and of the other, which is Life,
declar'd, Behold, his Soul which is lifted up,
D is

(74)

is not upright in him •> But the Juft J7:a/l
live by his Faith.

And now, dear Soul, it is evident, that
it was the Father of Lies who apply'd thefe
Words unto thee, to afflict and diftrefs thy
Heart : He apply'd 'em to the wrong Per-
fon ; fince thou waft not lifted up in a
Conceit of thy own Righteoufnefs, but in
the Hope of God's free Mercy, thro* the
Blood and Righteoufnefs of his Son. And
in this thou needeft not fear being lifted up
too high. No, poor Soul, haft thou been
humbled in the Duft, under a Senfe of thy
own Vilenefs ? Thou art then that Valley
which the Lord has promis'd to exalt.
xl. 4. Haft thou no Righteoufnefs of thy
own, and fo art low in thy own Eyes ?
Thou mail be exalted in Chrift's, Pfal
Ixxxix. 16. And as thy Perfon is exaited
in this, far out of the Reach of all thy
Soul- Enemies ; fo, in the Lord's time, thy
Faith alfo mall be exalted, and thou malt
rejoice in his Name all the Day-long. Go
on therefore in the Strength of the Lord,
?naking mention of his Right eoiifnefs, even of
his only : And fear none of thy Enemies,
Sin, Men, nor Devils : For none of them
ihall be able to condemn thy Soul, to pluck
thee out of ChriiVs Hands, or feparate thee
from his Love ; which is better than Life

natural^

(75 )

natural, and in which there is Life for thee,
both fpiritual, and eternal. And whoever,
or whatever would difcourage thee, Chrift
bids thee to rejoice in him, and that always,
Phil. iv. 4. Chrift got the Victory over all
thy Soul-Enemies, by the Strength of his
mighty Arm ; and he gives it unto thee,
Col. ii. 14, 15. Pfal. xcviii. 1. 1 Cor. xv.
57. Rejoice therefore in his mighty Con-
queft ; for thou divideft the Spoil.

And fear none of thofe Things which
thou may'ft fuffer from the Malice of
Satan in any of his wicked Inftruments :
For if thou fhouldft have Tribulation ten
Days, during the Time appointed of the
Lord -, as he bounds their Rage, fo he'll
over-rule thy Sufferings for his own Glory,
and thy Good • while thy light AffliBion
which is but for a Moment, worketb for
thee a far more exceeding and eternal Weight
of Glory, 2 Cor. iv. 17. Reckon therefore,
that the Sufferings of this prejent Time, are
not worthy to be compard with the Glory
which Jhall be revealed in thee. Rom. viii.
18. Rejoice that thou art counted worthy
to fuffer Shame for his Name : For if we
Juffer with him, we Jljall affo be glorified to-
gether. Be faithful therefore unto Death ;
and Chrift will give thee a Crown of Life,
Rev. ii. 10.

D 2 Into

(76 )

, }Into Chrift's Arms I commit thee, to
fupport, defend, and embrace thee, while
parting thro* a World of Trials, until he
bring thee home unto himfelf, to be for-
ever with him to behold his Glory \ and reft,
with dear Love,

Thine hi Him, &c.

LETTER XI.
To Mrs. G.

Dear "Friend,

HAving heard of thy Soul-Diftrefs, and
thy Fear left the Promifes of God
do not belong te thee, I was willing to
write a few Lines unto thee. And if thou
haft feen thy loft Condition by Sin, that
thou art forever undone without an In-
tereft in Chrift, and haft a Delire to be
faved by him alone ; there is a full and
e rerlafting Salvation in Chrift prepar'd for
thee, which thou art call'd to receive free-
ly. This is a faithful Saying, and worthy
of all Acceptation, that J ejus Chrift came
into the World to fave Sinners, (fays the
Apoftle) of whom I am chief \ i Tim. i. i£.
If thou feeft thy felf to be a chief Sinner,

it

< 77 )

it was fuch Chrift came to fave. If thou
labour under, and art heavy laden with Sin ;
it is thee, in particular, that Chrift calls to
come unto him, and has promised to give
thee Reft, Mat. xi. 28. * Aye, fayft thou,
* if I had an intereit in the Promifes, I
c fhould think myfelf happy \ Whys
poor Soul, all that Life and Salvation for
Sinners, which is declared in the Promifes,
is fummed up in Chrift. Lay hold there*
fore upon him by Faith, who is the Hope
Jet before thee in the Gofpel, as infinitely
free for the worft of Sinners 5 and thou
may ft lay claim to all the Promifes, For all
the Promifes of God are in him ; yea, and
in him, Amen. 2 Cor. u 20.

They are all of them fin] him. And
that Soul that looks unto Chrift alone for
Salvation, believeth in him, is entred into
him as its City of Refuge, its Place of De-
fence, and Soul-Reft. And there it is well
provided for, exceeding fafe, and eternally
iecure : For,

[All] the Promifes of God are in him,
yea. Perhaps thou feeft a Glory in a parti-
cular Promife, and think'ft, Oh how glad
mould I be if this Promife was mine !
Why, if thou haft a Defire to be found in
Chrift, thou art in him ; and fo all the
Promifes are thine : not oae, two, or three
D 3 only,

only, but all the Promifes of God : Not
a Promife in the Bible, but belongs to that
Soul, who commits kfelf into the Hands of
Chrift to be faved by him. Haft thou
done fo ? thou art rich enough : Thou
haft all that thou canft defire > yea, and
infinitely more. For Eye hath not feen,
nor Ear heard, the glorious things which
God hath prepared tot that Soul, who runs,
as a perifhing Sinner, into the Name of
Chrift as the mighty Saviour, to fhelter it-
felf in him, who is an Hiding-place from
the Wind, and a Covert from the Storm
of divine Vengeance. If thou haft ever
put forth one Act of Faith upon Jefus, or
caft one Look unto him for Life \ thou
haft Chrift, and eternal Life in him ; all
the Promifes of God are thine ; and thy
Riches, in that one great Promife of the
new Covenant, 2 Cor, vi. 16. I will be their
God, are infinitely greater than Man or
Angels can reckon up.

And as all the Promifes of God meet in
Chrift, fo they arc in him [yea] : They all
agree, as with one united Voice, to grant
that full and comprehenilve Salvation,
which is in Chrift, to every believing Soul,
with one Tea. They are not Tea and Nay;
fome of them Tea, and others Nay ; but
in him they are all Tea, And as they are

all

( 79 )
all Tea in Chrift, fo in him they are always'
Tea -, not lea at one time, and Nay at an-
other ; but a fixed, eternal Tea.

And as all the Promifes of God are in
Chrift, Yea, as they are all, and always of
one Mind in the Grant of Salvation unto
every one that believeth in Jefus ; fo like-
wife they are all of them in him, Amen.
They all ftand in him confirmed, with
God's So let it be, or So it (hall be ; which
efficacioufly produceth all the Salvation
granted. And fince all the Promifes of
God, are in Chrift, Amen ; there is an ab-
folute, infallible Certainty of the Perform-
ance of all the good Things which the
Lord hath fpoken. Then furely the Heirs
of Promife may have Jlrong Confolation.

But it may be, thou wilt fay, c I fear
* I am not one of the Heirs of Promife \
Well,doft thou fee thyfelf to be a perifhing
Sinner ? Doft thou know that there is Sal-
vation in Chrift ? And haft thou a Defire
after it ? Why, then ask him for it ; and
he will in no wife fend thee away empty.
If thou knew eft the Gift of God, ffaid our
Lord to the Samaritan Woman) and who it is
that faith nnto thee, Give me to Drink, thou
woiddft have asked, and he would have given
thee living Water, John iv. 10. Then open
D 4 thy

(8a)

thy Mouth wide ; for he has promised to
Jill it > Pfal.lxxxiv. 10. Thou needeft not
be afraid of asking more Grace than Chrift
has to beftow, or is willing to give to the
moil Unworthy, the very Chief of Sinners.
And never did any Soul ask Chrift for the
Water of Life, Grace here, and Glory here-
after, but he gave it its Fill freely. Ask
therefore, and thou (halt receive-, feeky
and thou (halt find ; knock , and it fbalt
he ope?i'd unto thee, Mat. vii. 7. For
Chrift lives in Heaven on purpofe to fave
them to the uttermoft, who come unto God
by him, Heb. vii. 25.

And now, that you may be enabled
to flee for Refuge to lay hold on Chrift, the
Hope Jet before you, and as an Heir of
Prcmtje have ftrong Conflation in him, in
whom all the Promijes of God are Tea and
Amen, to the Glory of God by us, is the ear-
ned Delire of

Tour loving Friend in the Lordy &c„

L ET-

(8r)

LETTER. XII.

To Mr. L,

Dear Siry

GRace, Mercy and Peace be multipli-
ed unto you, from God the Fa-
ther, and from Jefus Chrift, by the blefled
Spirit.

You told me, to the Joy of my Heart,
that you hop'd Chrift was precious to your
Soul. And if thou haft ieen thy own
Mifery by Sin, that thou art for ever un-
done without him -, and haft alfo had a
Glimpfe of his Glory , Excellency , and
Suitablenefs as the alone Saviour, he is
precious indeed unto thee, the Chicfejt r>/'
ten tkoufand in thy Efteem. Whatever Ga-
thers think of Chrift, thou haft high and
honourable Thoughts of him,, and of what
he has done and iuffer'd for the Salvation
of Sinners, and of what he is now doing
for them in Heaven, where he ever lives
as an Interceflbr, to fave them to the ut-
termoft who come unto God by him. Yea,
has not thy Soul fell down, and ador'd him,
in thofe happy Moments wherein thou haft
beheld his Glorv ? And has not a Sight of
D 5 hh

( 3z)
his Beauty wrought in thee Soul-endear-
ing Thoughts of this lovely Jefus ? And
tho' ; perhaps, thou couldft not fay, this
is my Beloved, and this is my Friend -y with
a full Perfualion that he was thy Saviour -y
yet, has not a Glimpfe of his Excellency
attracted and drawn out thy Soul into
earned Longings, Pantings, and Breathings
dfter him, and an Intereft in him, as the
Sum of all that Happinefs thy Soul could
crave, both in this World and in that
which is to come ? I know, it is fo with
thofe Souls that fee Jefus, juft in thofe
Moments in which his Glory is prefented to
their Eye. And has it been thus with
thee ? Haft thou ever had fuch a Glimpfe
of Chrift, that drew thy Soul after him,
and made thee cry, c Lord, give me Chrift,

* whatever thou denieft me of: Let me

* have him for my Portion ; and as to other

* things, deal with me as thou pleafeft : A

* World, without Chrift, will not fatisfy
( me : Give me Chrift, and I have enough ! *
If thefe are the Breathings of thy Heart,
thou art a Believer, whether thou know'ft
it, or not. And Chrift is thine, everlaftingly
thine ; and neither Sin, Death, nor Hell
mail feparate thee from his Love. Thou
art exceeding fafe, and mayft be very joy-
ful : For in having Chrift, thou haft Life ;

Life

( §3 )
Life of Grace, and Life of Glory. All
Things are thine : Thou flialt have all that
Happinefs, both for Soul and Body, which
God fees beft for thee in this World, and
a boundlefs Ocean of Joy and Glory be-
yond it, to a never-ending Eternity. Haft
thou committed thy Soul into ChrifVs
Hands ? Thou art his Care : Thou art
ChrifVs, not thy own : He has taken the
Charge of thee ; and as fuch, he'll keep
thee fafe, defend thee from all Dangers,
irrengthen thy Grace, and meeten thee for
Glory. He will preferve thee from fallings
and prefent thee fault lefs before the Pre fence
of his Father s Glory with exceeding Joy.

Then cleave to the Lord with full Pur-
pofe of Heart : Go on venturing thy Soul
in the Hands of Jefus, trufling in him when
he feems to flay thee, and waiting for him
when he hides his Face from thee : And
thus follow the Lamb whitherfoever he
goeth, iri all the Ordinances of his own
Appointment here, and thou {halt certainly
be found among the Lamb's Company,
who (hall lit down with him on hisThrone,
and be crown'd as Overcomers, at his next
Appearing. Make hafte, and don't delay
to keep his Commandments : Do not let
Satan and Unbelief hinder thee any longer
from giving up thyfelf to the Lord, and
D 6 his

(84)

his Service : For thy Working time for
God will be foon over. Oh ! haft thou
not been thy own long enough already ?
Wilt thou not from this Time give up thy-
felf to the Lord ? Wilt thou not, fays he,
from this Time cry unto me, My Father, thou
art the Guide of my Touth '? Jcr. iii. 4.

* How long will it be, as if the Lord

* mould fay, e're thou own me for thy
1 Father, and follow me as a Child , truft-

* ing in me for Strength and Guidance to
' conduct thee fafe thro' a World of Trials,

* into my own Bofom ? Wilt thou not
€ from this time cleave tome?' So would
I fay unto thee t Wilt thou not from this
time be the Lord's ? Remember, the Day
is far [pent , and what thou doit for God,s
thou muft do quickly ; Boaft not of to-
morrow ; for thou knoweji not what a Day
?nay bring forth, Pro. xxvii. 1. Therefore
whatjbever thy HanJfndeth to dor do it with
thy Might, Ecclef. ix. 10.. Waft thou to
live to the Age of Methufelah, thy God is
worthy to have all thy Love, and all thy
Obedience, to. have all thy Time fpent in
his Service : But alas ! thou haft but an
Inch of Time left, a fhort Space , Death
and Eternity haften upon thee ; and then
thou'lt not repent that thou gaveft up thy-
felf to the Lord fo foon,. or begans't to

ferve

( 8S)

ferve him (o early ; but rather,, that thoii
didft not begin fooner, and haft done fo
little for God. It will be to the Honour
of thofe Souls, in the Day of Chrift, who
have trufted in the Lord, and followed him
in the Face of ten thoufand difficulties from
within, and from without. Their Faith
and Obedience fhall then be own'd and
crown'd, by Free-Grace, in the Sight of
Men and Angels : Whereas thofe of the
Saints, who, thro' Satan and Unbelief, have-
been hindred from following Chrift in this
World, according to his Appointments, will
be afhanVd before him at his Coming..
Their IVorks foall be burnt up j and they'll
fuffer lo/s, tho' they themfelves fhall be
favedy yet fo, as by Fire, Therefore let us
that have believ'd in Jefus, prize our prefent
Moments,, and labour to improve 'em, as
an Opportunity put into our Hands to glo-
rify him that hath lov'd us^by fhewing our
Love to him in keeping his Command-
ments. His Servants fhall eat when others
are hungry , they fhall drink, when others
are thirfty 3 they fhall rejoice, when others
are afhamed ; they fhall fing for Joy of
Heart, when others {hall howl for Vexati-
on of Spirit, I fa. lxv. 13, 14. If any Man
ferve me, fays our Lord,, let him follow me -y
and where I am, there Jhall my Servant be :

if

( 86)

if any Man Jerve me, him rcill my Father
honour, John xii. 26. And what canft thou
defire more ? Oh happy, thrice happy
Souls, who are in fuch a Cafe ! Who is
like unto 'em, a People Javed of the
LORD!

The Grace of Chrifl be with thy Spirit,
Amen.

/ am, rivith all due Re [peer,
Yours in him, &c.

LETTER XIII.

To the Ladv PI.

My dear Chrijiian Lady,

I Beg you'll pleafe to pardon my Boldnefi,
in giving you theTrouble of this; which
I mould not have prefum'd to do, if I was
not comfortably perfuaded that you ore
an elect Lady, that love the Lord Jefus,
his Caufe, and People, even the very
meaneft of them ; and therefore Will pati-
ently attend to the Chatterings of a Child
that cannot fpeak.

The Apoftie James exhorts the Saints
he wrote to, to rejoice in the Lord, in thofe
various Stations in which the divine Provi-
dence had plac'd 'em in this Life, Jam.

i.9>

( 87)

i. 9, 10. Let the Brother of low Degree
rejoice in that he is exalted -, But the rich,
in that he is made low. Oh what difthwiim-
ing Grace is it to you, my dear Lady, that
has made you low in your own Eyes!
Since not many wife, not many mighty, not
many noble are called, %s> i Cor. i. 26. What
Grace is it, that you mould be one of thofe
few ! an Object of electing Love, and a
Sub j eel: of calling Grace, when thoufands
of your Rank and Quality are paffed by !
Oh, how many of the great Men of this
World have their good things, their Porti-
on in this Life? while the LORD is your
Portion, your Time-Lot, and your eternal
All ! He did not think thefe things good
enough for you 5 no, he fet his great Love
upon you from everlafting, and gave you
a Portion that is every way anfwerable to
the infinite Love of his Heart, which is no
lefs than his Great SELF! And having
bleft you with this Portion before Time,
in his everlafting Covenant with his Son ;
fo, when the appointed Moment of Calling-
Love came on, he fent his Holy Spirit
down into your Heart, to (hew you the
Vanity and Emptinefs of all worldly Glory,
and to raviih your Heart with infinite
Sweetnefs, uncreated Excellency, that fo
you might feek for, and find a Soul-fatisfy-

ing

(88 )

ing Reft in GOD : pofTefllng your vaft
INHERITANCE in him, by Faitk
which is in Chrift Jefus. The Riches,
Honours and Pleafures of this vain World,
(which Mr. Rutherford calls, " The Clay-
" Portion of Baftards") had never loft
their Beauty in your Eye, if the Spirit of
the LORD had not blown upon the Glory
of his lower Creation, and made it wither
like the mown Grafs in your Sight, I/a.

xi.7.

What innumerable Multitudes are there
of the World's great, wife, mighty and noble
Men, who continually dote upon its gilded
Toys, and dmpty Nothings 5 as if there
was a Happinefs in 'em agreeable to the
Nature of an immortal Soul ? And You
had never found them to be unfatisfying
Hujksy if you had not been one of God's
Children, for whom the Bread of Life is
prepared in your Father s Houje.

Again, what Multitudes are there, that
dote upon their own Excellencies , their
natural Endowments, and moral Perform-
ances ; as if they were fome of the moft
beautiful Creatures in the World ? And
even dare go about to efiablifh their own
Right eoufnefs, as their juftifying Drefs be-
fore God ? And you likewife had been of
this miferable Number, if the Spirit of the

LORD

( 89)
LORD had not blown upon created Glo-
ry, in this refpedt alfo. Your natural Ex-
cellencies and Performances had never loft
their Brightnefs in your Eye, if the Spirit
of the LORD had not given you a Sight
of the tranfcendent Glory, and infinite Ex-
cellency of the Perfon and Righteoufnefs of
Jefus Chrift ; to attract your Soul after him,.
as the chiefeft often thoufand, the faireft
in both Worlds, the Sum of all your Hap-
pinefs, and Center of your Defires ! 'Tis
the Soul-ravifhing Beauty, the adorable Ex-
cellency of Chrift, the Glory-Sun, darted
by the Spirit upon the Eye of your Faith,,
which has put out the Light of Creature-
Beauties, and extinguifh'd them out of your
Sight ; fo as to make you fay, with the
P/almiJly Pfa. lxxiii. 25. Whom have I in
Heaven but thee ? and there is none upon the
Earth that I dejire be fides thee. And with
the Apoftle Pauly Phil. iii. 7, 8, 9. But
what Things were Gain to me, thofe I counted
Lofs for Chriji. Tea, doubtle/s, and I count
all Things but Lofs y for the Excellency of the
Knowledge of Chriji fe/us my Lord: for
whom I have fufferdthe Lofs of all Things ,
and do count them but Dung, that I may win
Chrift, and be found in him , not having my
own Righteoufnefs, which is of the Law, but
that which is thro! the Faith of Chrift y the

Righ-r

( 90)

Right couf ae fs which is of God by Faith. Oh
what a ipecial Privilege is this, to be made
fo low, as to be beholding to Chrift for all 1
For all Happinefs, Life and Glory, in this
World, and that to come ! Well may the
Brother \ or Sifter, of high Degree rejoice, in
that they are made thus low : Forafmuch,
as the Lord, by this Work of his Grace, is
preparing that Perfon for a Life and Glory
that is far fuperior to all earthly Enjoy-
ments ; yea, no lefs than the high and
eternal Exaltation of the heavenly State !

Has it been thus with you, my dear
Lady ? Has the Lord ftript you naked of
created Excellencies ? 'Tis iii order to fill,
fatisfy, and clothe you with his own im-
menfe Glories I What reafon then have
you to rejoice in the Lord, both now, and
for evermore ? And believe it, that your
high Station in the World (what Thorns
and Briars foever attend it) was appointed for
you, by the fame infinite Love that ordain'd:
your eternal Salvation : Like it therefore,
as the Choice of infinite Wifdom, the Way
laid out for you to a City of Habitation ;
and labour to improve it to the Honour of
that Grace which has fav'd you. The
Lord may have intended three Things,
principally, hereby ; i. To commend or
let off the Glory of diftinguifhing Grace

the

( 9i )

the more in your eternal Salvation. 2. To
give you an Opportunity to glorify God the
more on the Earth. And, 3. By this, as
a Means, to enhance your future Crown.

How will diftingu idling Grace {bine in
your Salvation, when you fhall be plac'd at
Chriffs Right Hand, openly acquitted., dii-
charg'd and bleft -, and as fuch, cali'd to
inherit the Kingdom, that Kingdom of Glo-
ry, prepard for you from the Foundation of
the World-, while Thoufands of illuflrious
Souls, the Great, Rich, Mighty, and No-
ble of the World, {hall tremble at the
Lamb's Wrath, and call to the Rocks and
Mountains to fall on them, and hide them
from the Face of him that Jits on the Throney
and from the Wrath of the Lamb, when thai
great Day of his Wrath is come, wherein
none of ihcmjhall be able tojlandl Matth.
xxv. 34. Rev. vi. 15, 16, ly. And how
will it raife your Notes of Praife high,
when, with the redeemed Company, you
join to fing the Lamb's new Song, fayingy
Worthy is the Lamb who was fain, and ha %
redeemed its unto God with his own Blood,
out of ever Kindred, Tongue, People, and
Nation , and has made us Kings and Priefts
unto our God I Rev. v. 9. Oh ! to fee your-
felf redeem'd by the Lamb's Blood, from
all Mifery, unto all Glory, out of the great

and

and mighty People of the Earth > while
they are left to perifh in their Sins, and
fsnt away from Chrtft into eternal Tor-
ments ! how will this raife your Wonder
at diftinguifhing Grace, and advance your
Hallelujahs I

Again, What if God, by your high Stati-
on in the World, puts an Opportunity into
your Hands to- glorify him the more oa
the Earth ? The LORD rais'd Mojes to
that high Pitch of Honour in Pbaroatis
Court, that fo he might have an Opportu-
nity to glorify God, and to exercife his
Graces in denying himfelf, taking up his-
Crofs, and following Chrtft: For which
his Faith is fo commended, Heb. xi. 24,
25, 26, By Faith Mofes, when he was
come to years , refufed to be called the Son of
Pharoafrs Daughter ; chujing rather to fitf-
fer Affliction with the People of God, than
to enjoy the Pleajhres of Sin for a Seafon ;
ejieeming the Reproach of Chri/'t greater
Riches than the Trea/ures in Egypt : For he
had refpeSl unto the Recompenje of the Re-
ward: IfMo/es had not had fo much to lofe,
how could his Faith and Love, in. his Self-
Denial, forfaking all for God, have fhone fo
confpicuoufTy ? Of what an excellent Kind
did his Faith appear to be, when, at once,
he left the Pleasures, Honours, and Trea-

fures

( 93 •)

fures of the Court, and the Crown of Egypt
too, which in all Liklihood he might have
enjoy'd ; refufing to be call'd the Son of
PharoaVs Daughter ; and chufing rather
to fuffer Affliction with the People of God ?
He ftepp'd down at once from all his
Court-royalty, not for any of the Grati-
fications of Senfe, but to fuffer Affliction :
Inftead of being a Prince,he becomes a Ser-
vant, a mean Shepherd, and earns his Bread
by keeping of Sheep ; and this he did of
mere Choke ; he was not conftrain'd there-
to, and fo fubmitted to it, but he chofe it,
-Oh, ftrange Choice, in a Worldling's Eye !
None but them that have the fame Faith
which Mo/es had, will make fuch a Choice.
But however ftrange this Choice might
feem to Pharoatis Courtiers then, or to Un-
believers now, it was not an irrational one :
No, Mo/es had the higheft Reafon for what
he did -, he a&ed herein very confiftently
with fpiritual Reafon, or the Principles of
Reafon fanctify'd. And therefore the Holy
Ghoft gives us the Caufe of this wonder-
ful Effecl : For he had Refpecl unto the Re-
compen/e of the Reward. The Eye of his
Faith look'd beyond the Things of Time
and Senfe, to that tranfcendent and eternal
Glory, which is to be reveal'd in the Saints.
He had Soul-ravifhing Views of the Infinite

Glory

(94)
Glory of that GOD, who had faid to Abra-
ham, and in him to all his Seed, Fear not, for
Ia?n tfjy Shield, and thy exceeding great RE- '
WARD, Gen. xv. i. And he look'd to
the Glory of that happy Day, when a
Crown of Righteoufnefs mall be fet upon the
Head of every Overcomer -, which drew on
his Soul to run in that Way which led to
fo glorious an End. So that he did not
choofe to fuffer Affliction merely for its
own fake, but as it was the Way ap-
pointed of God for his People to pafs thro'
unto the Heavenly Kingdom. He chofe
to fuffer Affliction with the People of God,
to caft in his Lot among them, to fare as
they did, for prefent and future, for Time
and for Eternity. And this becaufe they
had JEHOVAH for their God ; fuch a
GOD, that made them the only HAPPY
People, in all Conditions, in all Times, and
unto all Eternity. And this glorify'd God
exceedingly, in that he preferr'd him above
all 5 above all thofe high Enjoyments he
had in Pharoah's Court : Yea, he faw fuch
a tranfcendent Glory in this GOD, as he is
to be enjoy'd in and thro1 Chrijl, that made
him efteem even the very Reproaches he
ihould fuffer for his Sake, to be greater
Riches than the Treafures in Egypt. And
thus it was apparent that he made God

his

(95)
his chief End, in that he forfook all, and
follow'd him, thro' thick and thin, better
and worfe ; that fo he might have the pre-
fent and eternal Enjoyment of him, as his
chief Good, and Soul-fatisfying ALL!
And tho' the pooreft Believer in the World
has obtain d like precious Faith with Mofes y
which produceth anfwerable EfFe&s in his
proper Sphere, yet Mofes had a greater Op-
portunity to glorify God, in this RefpecT:,
in forfaking Abundance for him, becaufe
of his high Station in the World. And
tho' your Ladyfhip is not call'd, as Mofes
was, to a perianal forfaking of your high
Station, yet you are call'd to a cleaving
unto Chrifl in it ; which can't be done
without leaving the Pleafures, Riches, and
Honours af it in Heart ; chufing rather to
fuffer Affliction with the People of God,
than to enjoy the Pleafures of Sin for a
Seafon 5 efteeming the Reproach of Chrift^
greater Riches than the Treafures of the
Univerfe. And if your Ladyfhip's Station
was not fo high, you could not have fuch
an Opportunity to glorify God, by forfak-
ing fo much for him, which his Omnipo-
tent Grace enables you to do,under the Soul-
attracting Kfplays of his infinite Sweet-
nefs, and tranfeendent Glory. And there-
fore,

Once

(96)

Once more the Deiign of God, in your
high Station, is, to prepare you hereby for
your future Crown. It is indeed a thorny
Place, where you, as one of Chrift Lilies,
grow ; and no wonder if they often fcratch
and tear you. If you was tf the World, the
World would love its own 3 but becaufe Chrift
has chofen you out of the World \ therefore the
World hateth you. But remember, it hated
Chrift before it hated you. And I doubt not
your Willingnefs to fear in the World, as
Chrift did, to flay for your Glory, till the
whole Courfe of your Sufferings are ful-
fil I'd ; as knowing that if you fuffer with
himy you fhall alfb be glorify d together : The
Way to the Kingdom lies thro' much Tribu-
lation : But your dear Lord Jefus will be a
Companion with you in it. Not a Sorrow
pierceth your Heart, butChrift feels it -, yea,
takes it as done to himfelf : He is privy
to all your Diftreffes, and in dear, iympa-
thizing Love, will fupport you under 'em.,
fancftify you by 'em, and deliver you from
them. When you have no Chriftian Friend
or Brother by, to tell your Cafe to, Chrift
is with you then, who is a Friend that
fticketh clofer than a Brother -, a Friend
that loves at all times, a Brother born for
Adverfty ; on Purpofe to know Adveriity,
that he might fympathize with you in it,

and

( 97 )

and fave you from it -y unto whom you
may freely open all your Heart, in the
Faith of his infinite Bowels to pity you,
and Power to help you. For he'll not only
companionate you in all your Griefs, but
in infinite Grace and Faithfulnefs, bell rich-
ly fupply all your Wants. And when you
ha'n't Opportunity to converfe with Chri-
flian Friends, labour to improve that Sea-
fon, by acquainting yourfelf more intimate-
ly with the Lord Jefus : Drink at the
Well-head, the Fountain is infinitely fweet-
cr than the Streams -, and you fhall never
come to his Bofom, and be fent away
empty. Go on therefore, right noble La-
dy, to cleave unto Chrift, by Faith, and
every Grace, taking up his profs daily, and
following the Lamb whitherfoever he go-
eth ; reckoning, that the Sufferings of this
pre fent Time are not worthy to be compared
with the Glory which fhall be revealed in you.
Take Pleafure in denying yourfelf, in all
Refpecls, for Chrift : Be glad that you
have any thing to part with for him that
has lov'd you. Chrift took Pleafure in
denying himfelf, his Great SELF, for
you. And Oh ! what did he deny him-
felf of, when, in infinite Love, he left his
Glory in Heaven ,became a Man of Sorrows,
and dy'd on the Crofs for you, to redeem
E you

( 9§ )

you from Sin and Death, to endlefs Life and
Glory ! And what can be too dear to part
with for your dear Lord Jefus ? I'm fore,
nothing that he calls for, while your Eye
is fixt upon his boundlefs Love, and your
Soul chang'd into the fame Image, Rejoice
therefore that you are counted worthy to [uf-
fer Shame for his Name -, and efteem the
Reproaches of Chrifl, your great and fub-
ftantial Riches. For all the Flouts and
Frowns you meet with for cleaving to
Chrift, his Caufe, People, Word and Ordi-
nances in this World, will be as fo many
Jewels to enrich your Crown in the World
to come. Oh, what a rich, marly, em-
bclifh'd Crown, will Chrift let upon the
Heads of thofe Saints, who have left all,
and follow'd him amidft ten thoufand
Reproaches ! Te, (faith our Lord) which have
follow d me, in the Regeneration, when the
Son of Man JJ: all fit on the Throne of his
Glory , ye alfofkall fit upon twelve Thrones ,
judging the twelve Tribes of Ifrael. And eve-
ry one that hathforfaken Houfes,or Brethren,
or Sifters, or Father, or Mother, or Wife,
or Children, or Lands for my Name's fake,
pall receive an Hnndred-foldi (even in this
prefent Time) and fall inherit ever I a ft in g
Life, Mat. xix. 28,29. Chrift has Thrones
for his i offering Saints, which are far fupe-

rior

( 99 )

rior to all thofe petty Glories, of which
the Princes and Potentates of this World
boaft. And as for Crowns, Chrift has a
Crown of Life, a Crown of Right eoufnefs, a
Crown of Glory , which he'll give to every
Overcomer, at his glorious Appearing and
Kingdom, Rev. ii. io. 2 Tim. iv. 8.
1 Peter v. 4. when, of the freeft Grace,
he'll give Rewards unto his Servants, and to
his Saints, and to all that fear his Name
both Jhiall and great, Rev. xi. 18. And
then the railed Saints, thofe ftarry Glories
of the firfVRefurrection, being marfhaird
into Order, fhall mine forth in their diffe-
rent Orbs, with an heavenly Luftre, and a
World-confounding Splendor : And thofe
fhall fhine the brighteft in that Day, who
have been enabled to do and fuffer moft
for Chrift in this. For every of their Ser-
vices, even the meanefr, fhall then receive a
full and proportionable Reward. 1 Cor.
xv. 41, 42. Matt.v. 11, 12. and chap,
x. 41, 42. Blejfed then is the Man that
endureth Temptation ; for when he is tried,
he fiall receive the Crown of Life, which the
Lord hath promised to them that love him,
Jam. i. 12.

I am, with the greate/l Refpec~l, Tour
Ladyjhips, at all Obedience in the Lord, Sec.

E 2 To

( ioo )

LETTER XIV.

To Mrs. S.

Dear Friend,

Grace unto you, and Peace be multiply 'd,

OUR Lord, John, ill 3. afferts the
Neceffity of the New-Birth , and
ver. 5. declares what kind of Birth he
intends, viz. Of Water and of the Spirit ;
i e. of the Word and Spirit of God ; with-
out which no Man can feef\\2X is, enjoy, or
enter into the Kingdom of God. The Rea-
fon of it is this , becaufe, in order to all
kind of Enjoyment, there muft be an A-
greeablenefs in the Perfon or Thing en-
joying, with the Perfon or Thing enjoyed.
"This the Apoftle declares, 1 Co**, ii. 14.
But the natural Man receiveth not the Things
of the Spirit of God : becaufe they are Foolijh-
nefs unto him , neither can he know themy
becaufe they are fpiritually difecrned. He
receives them not, becaufe they are Foolifh-
nefs unto him ; and they are fo, becaufe
he cannot know them 5 and the Reafon of
this, is, becaufe they are fpiritually dif-
cerned > and he being but a natural Man,

has

( 10! )

has no fpiritual Eye, no Organ fuited to
behold a Glory in fpiritual Things, which
can only be fpiritually difcerned.

Thus, in the Works of Nature, the All-
wife Creator form'd all his Creatures with
a Capacity fuited to live, acl, or be in that
proper Element, Sphere, or Place which he
had defign'd for them ; as Birds in the Air,
Fifhes in the Water, &c. And as for
Pvlan, the Top-piece of the Creation, in
whom the whole was, as it were, epito-
miz'd, or fummed up ; how curioufly wag
he wrought, when he came out of his
Maker's Hand ? How excellently was he
fitted to enjoy all that great Happinefs
which was prepared for him ! His Soul,
as it came out of his Creator's Hand, was
excellently fitted to enjoy Communion with
God, as the God of Nature, difplaying his
Glory in the Creatures ; and his Body, how
wonderfully was that fram'd to enjoy the
Creatures in this World ? How excellently
were all his Senfes fitted to their proper
Objects ? His Eye to behold the Glory of
the Sun, the Variety of Creatures, and the
Beauty of Colours ? His Ear to converfe
with Sounds ? His Palate to tafte Meats ?
His Smell to take in Scents ? And his Feel-
ing to judge of folid Bodies, perceptible by
that Senfe ? And as it was in the Formati-
E 3 on

( 102 )

on of Man, fo, in fome meafure, it is in his
Generation : For, when a Child is born into
the World, it is, in thefe refpects, fuited to,
and has a Defire after the Perfons and
Things which are therein ; and without
this, it could have no Enjoyment of the
good Things of Life.

And as it is in the Works of Nature,fo in
the Works of Grace : For, as this World
is prepar'd for the Child's Enjoy menu, and
then that is generated, and born in order to
enjoy it ; fo there's a Kingdom prepar'd
for the Children of God -, and the Soul
muil be regenerated, new-born, or born a-
gain, before it can fee it. There being the
lame Neceffity that the Soul be born into'
the World of Grace, before it can enjoy
that \ as there is that a Man fhould be
born into the World of Nature, before he
can enjoy this.

And now, methinks, I hear thee fayr
c All this I am convinc'd of -, but I great-
c ly want to know whether I am one of
c thofe who are new-born \ If this be
thy Cafe, then ask the Lord to tell thee,
and he'll give thee an Anfwer of Peace in
his own Time. There are two Ways
whereby a Soul comes to know that it is
new- born : The firft is, by the Revelation
of the Spirit, bearing witnefs to the Soul,

in

( ">3 )

in fome Word or other, where this Truth
is declar'd. The iecond is, by his enabling
the Soul to difcern its own Acts in divine
Light y and to draw Conclufions from its
dilcerned Acts of Grace, that it has the
Principle. And in both thefe Ways, the
Lord can give thee Satisfaction in an in-
flant, if it pleafeth him. But generally
fpeaking, it is fome Time ere a Child of
God can draw fteady Conclufions of its
being new-born, from its own Acts of the
new Life. And therefore thou may ft b~
new-born, tho' thou doft not know it !

A living Infant, you know, when firft
born into the World, hath Life > but it
doth not know it. It had a fecret Life
from its firft quickning in the Womb ; and
from thence a fecret Motion : but as fbon
as it is born, it begins to live vifibly to o-.
thers : but yet the Child itfelf knows
nothing of the Matter. It crys, defires the
Breaft, taftes the Milk, and is fatisfy'd;
fees the Light, and feels the Heat with
Pleafure ; all which are vifible Demonftra-
tions of its Life to By-ftanders •, but the
Child knows nothing of it, becaufe it is
not capable of Self- reflection. And thus
it is with a new-born Soul : There's a fe-
cret Work of God upon all the Heart, a
Principle of Life given -, and from thence
E 4 fome

( io4 )
fome fecret Motions and faint Stirrings
now and then,, under begun Convictions,
before it is brought forth into the vifible
Life of Grace ; which difcovers itfelf,
as foon as ever the Soul is born again,
in the Breath or Cry of the new Crea-
ture, its Defiles, its Difcernings, and its
Enjoyments : Which, when communicat-
ed to grown Chriftians, they know fuch
a Soul is one of ChrifVs new-born
Babes ; altho' this Child itfelf is not yet
capable fo to reflect upon its own A6ts>
as to conclude its Life from thence.

And if this be thy Cafe, that thou
canft not pafs a Judgment from what thou
haft experienced, that thou haft the Life of
Grace, or art new-born ; then tell me, as
a rational Creature, how it is with thee ?
For as fuch, thou canft tell what the
Acts of thy Soul have been ; altho', as a
new Creature, thou mayft not yet be
come to fuch an Exercife of thy fpiritual
Senfes, as to know thofe Acts to be Acts of
Grace, and a certain Demonftration of thy
being born again.

Well, a living Child fees : What haft
thou feen ? Haft thou feen thyfelf to be
a Sinner by Nature, as well as by Practice ?
in Heart/as well as Life ? and that thou

art

( W5 )

art utterly undone, and muft perifh for
ever, without an Intereft in Jefus Chrift ;
as being utterly unable to do any thing to
deliver thyfelf from the Wrath to come ?
Haft thou feen thy own Righteoufnefs to
be but Filthy Rags ? and thy own Strength,
to do any good, but Weaknefs ? Again,
haft thou feen an Excellency in Chrift, as
a complete Saviour, that is exceeding fui ta-
ble to thy Cafe as a loft Sinner ? And haft
thou any Difcernings of the Glory of God's-
Free -Grace and Mercy in Chrift? Thou
haft then the new Creature's Eye, dis-
cerning Faith, even the Faith of God's E-

And, from thefe Difcernings, haft thou
been made to cry unto the Lord, to la-
ment thy Sinfulnefs before him, and to-
fupplicate his Throne for Mercy, praying.
him to give thee Chrift, whatever he de-
nies thee of ? Thou haft then the new
Creature s Breath, which flows from pone
but thofe that have the new Creature's
Life.

Again, what are thy Defires ? Are the
Longings of thy Soul after the Free-Qrace
and Mercy of God in Chrift, as held forth
in the Promifes, thofe Breafts ofConfolati-
w ? Thou haft then the new .Creature's
E 5 Ap-

( io6 )

Appetite, and art certainly born of the
Word and Spirit of God.

Once more, what are thy Enjoyments ?
What fatisfies and pleafeth thy Soul beft ?
Has the Free-Grace of God, and of the
Lord Jefus Chrift, been fweet and favoury
to thee in a Promife, or in an Ordinance
to the refrefhing and fatisfying of thy Soul
for fome Moments ; juft fo long as thou
haft the Breaft in thy Mouth, the Grace
of the Promife milk'd out to thee ? Then
thou haft tafted that the Lord is gracious ',
and art one of ChrifVs new-born Babes.
And haft thou ever felt any refrefhing
Warmth and Comfort in the Love of God,
which, like Fire, has warm'd and heated
thy cold Soul ? Thou haft then that Sen-
fation which is proper to a new Creature :
and it is evident, in all thefe refpecls, that
thou art certainly born again. And as fuch,
, thou fhalt fee, that is, enjoy the Kingdom
of God, as a Kingdom of Grace here,
which is a Kingdom of Power, Righteouf-
nefs, Peace, and Joy in the Holy . Ghojt ;
and thou fhalt enter into the Kingdom of
Glory hereafter, as being made meet to
be a Partaker of the Inheritance of the
Saints in Light, For he that is thy God
hath prepardfor thee a City, and wrought
thy Soul for this Jelf fame thing. There

being

( i°7 )
being never a Soul in the World that is
thus wrought upon, but is a Vefjel of
Mercy prepared unto Glory, by a laving
Work of the Holy Ghoft upon it, as
well as in the Purpofes of God concerning
it.

Go on therefore, as a new-born Babe, to
defire the fincere Milk of the Word, the
unmixed Grace of the Gofpel ; and fear
not to receive it, that thou may ft grow
thereby. For it is on purpofe for thee, to
maintain and increafe the begun Life of
Grace in thy Soul, until it is perfected in
the Life of Glory. Rejoice then, thou
Lamb of Chrift, for thou art exceeding
iafe under thy kind Shepherd's Care : he'll
gather thee with his Arm, and carry thee
in his Bofom ; he'll lead thee into green
Paftures, beftde the /till Waters, and make
thee to lye down Jafely.

I am, with dear Love,

Tours in him, &c.

E 6 LET-

( io8 )

LETTER XVT
To Mrs. G

Dear Sifter,

I Greet you in the Lord ; wifhing Peace,,
from the God of Peace, to be extended
towards you like a River.

I ihould have wrote to you before now,
but I have been hundred, partly thro' the
Affliction thathas attended my Yoke-fellow,
and my own perfonal Weaknefs, under
which I. often groan, becaufe I can do fo
little for my dear Lord Jefus. Oh, how
am I prevented from ferving Chrift as I
would, by reaibn of the Body of Sin that
dwelleth in me, and the Weaknefs of my
natural Frame ! But yet,, in Faith, I look
forward to the Day of my Rede?nption, and
rejoice in Hope of the Glory of God, when I
.thall have done with all natural and fin-
fbl Weaknefs too, and be for ever fuTd
with Strength to know, love, and glorify
God perfectly. Here we have Weakneis
attending our Souls, as well as bodily Weak-
nefs, to conflict with. What qualms, fick,
and fainting Fits come over our Spirits

now,

( io9 )
now, at Times, while the Body of Sin
and Death works in us ? But in Heaven,
Mortality flail be fivallawed up of Life.
'The Inhabitant of that City flail fay na
more, I amfick • for Sin, with all its EfFedls^
fhall be for ever deftroy'd. God will root
the Being of Sin out of our Nature, at
Death \ and perfect Conformity to Chrift
fhall take the Plate that Sin once had m
our Souls : And he'll deliver our Bodies
too from the Dominion of Death, at the
Refurre&ion-morn , falTiioning them like
unto the glorious Body of Chrift. And then
Sin and Death will, apparently, be fwal-
low'd up in the Vi&ory of everlafting Life.
Oh the Glory of that State, when we fhall
never have a vain Thought more ! an un-
believing Thought more ! a heartlefs, lift-
lefs Thought for Gcd more ! But (hall
have our whole Souls intenfely fixt upon
him, beholding his bright Face, fir'd with:
love to him, and fill'd with Zeal for his
Glory, afcending like a perpetual Flame5
in eternal Hallelujahs ! Then we fhall be
fitted for Glory indeed, both in its Enjoy-
ment and Employment. We fhall fee
the Lamb's Face, and the Face of God in
him, and cafl down our Crowns before the
Throne^ while we afcribe Salvation, Glory
and Honour unto God and the Lamb for

ever.

( no)

ever. We mall then be able to bear that
Weight of Glory, which is now prepared
for us -y which, was it to be let out upon
us here, would crufh our weak Nature,
and break down our feeble Frame, under
the majeftick Greatnefs thereof. This new
Wine of Glory would burjl our old Bottles,
the old Frame of our Nature. And there-
fore the Vejjels of Mercy muft be prepard
for, before they are filPd with Glory -,
and when we are prepar'd for it, we mall
cverlaftingly be fill'd with it. God the Fa-
ther prepard us for Glory, in his Eternal
Choice of us in his Son, fore-appointing us
to that great End. God the Son prepar'd
us for Glory, when, in Love to the Church,
he gave himfelf for it, that he might fan-
clify and cleanfe it with the Wafhing of
Water by the Word, that he might prefent it
unto himfelf a glorious Church, not having
Spot or Wrinkle or any fuch thing. And
God the Holy Ghoft prepares us for
Glory, by that good Work of Conformity
to Chrifr, which he hath begun in its, and
will perfetl upon us, both in Soul and
Body. And when,from the Love of God,in
his three glorious Perfbns,we are fully made
meet for our Inheritance, we fhall enjoy it :
As foon as ever we are come to Age, we
fhall enter upon the full Pofleffion of that

incon-

C ». )

inconceiveable Glory, and endlefs Life we
have in the LORD, as our Portion !

Lift up thy Head therefore, my dear
Sifter, under all the Trials thou meetft
with in this prefent Time ; for the Lord,
by thefe, is preparing thee for endlefs Glory,
The ever/a/ling Arms are underneath, to
fupport thee ; they are round about, to em-
brace and defend thee ; and they are al-
ways at Work upon thee, to polifh and
prepare thee for Glory, by every Stroke
that toucheth thee. And tho' Trials may
be grieving to thy frail Flefh; yet thy God
will exercife thy Faith, and every Grace by
'em, and make them to yield thee the peace*
able Fruit of Righteoujhefs, in that Crown
of Life, which the Lord has promisd to
them that love him, when they are fully
try'd. Therefore endure Temptation, look-
ing to the Glory which (hall be reveal'd ;
for there is a peculiar BlefTednefs attending
it. When a new Trial comes, think thus
with thyfelf ; c Now my God is about to

* make me more like Chrifl ; 'tis the

* boundlels Love of my Father's Hearty

* that gives me this Crofs to bear ; that fo
1 I might be conformable unto Chrifl: in
1 Sufferings : Looking therefore unto my
K Lord, who endur'dius Crofs for the Joy

* fit

( «* )

' Jet before him, and leaning upon his
€ Strength, I'll take up mine, and bear it
c after him, until I reach Glory with him\
Gold muft be refin'd from its Drofs, be-
fore it can fhine forth in its native Glory.
So muft the Saints, in the Furnace of
Affliction, before they fhine forth in that
Glory which (hall follow. Therefore prize
your Trials, and be thankful for 'em ; for
they all work together for your Good, un-
der the efficacious Influence of eternal Love,
infinite Wifdom, and almighty Power.
And fince our light Affliction which is but
for a Moment, worketh for us a far 7nore
exceeding and eternal Weight of Glory ;
what Caufe have we to rejoice in Chrift
now ? and to comfort one another with thefe
Words, that we Jhall^xt long, be for ever
with him I

Fare ye well in the Lord. In him> with

dear Love y lam yours for ever, &c.

L E T~

( ^3)

LETTER XVI.
To Mr. C

Honour* d Brother y

CI Race and Peace from God our Fa-
"J" ther, and from Jefus Chrifl our
Lord.

Your God is the God of Peace ; and
your Jefus, the Lord of Peace, the King
of Peace ; that made Peace for all his Sub-
jects, and gives it to 'em by the bleffed Spi-
rit, as the Comforter. Having therefore
your Feet food with the Preparation of the
Go/pel of Peace, go on cheerfully thro* a
World of Trials, and fear none of the rug-
ged Way you meet with. For having
Peace with God, thro' Jefus Chrijl> and
your Faith cloth'd herewith, you may fafe-
ly tread your roughed Way, as being well
fenc'd and fecur'd from all harm.. Re-
member, if your Trials are great, and your
Way thorny, your Shoes (hall be Iron and
Bra/s, and as your Days, your Strength :
You (hall have Strength proportionable un-
to every Day of Trial. What tho' you have
no Strength of your own, to endure the

leaft

( U4)

leafl Affliction, to the Glory of God ; yet
you have Strength enough in your Head :
Say therefore, in Faith, as it was long ago
foretold, Lithe LORD have I Strength,
Iia. xlv. 24. For unlefs the everlafting
Strength of JEHOVAH could fail, you
fhall not want frefli Supplies when you are
juft ready to faint. No, he giveth Power to
the Faint, a?id to them that have no Might he
incveafeth Strength. And they that wait upon
the LORD,JJjall renew their Strength, they
fiall run and not be weary, and walk and not
faint : And if they meet with Trials,which
are like mighty Mountains in their Way,
they fhall mount up with Wings as Eagles,
and fly over them, Ija. xl. 29, 31. There-
fore fear none of your Trials : For infinite
Wifdom ordain'd 'em, infinite Love be-
ftows 'em, and almighty Power over-rules
them for the Glory of God, and your Ad-
vantage. Grieve you they may -, but de-
stroy you they cannot. And learn, my
dear Brother, to look for your Peace where
it is, even in the Bofom of Chrift : In me,
fays he, ye Jhall have Peace. He has told
you, that in the World ye fhall have Tribula-
tion : therefore think it no Jlrange Thing.
For all God's Children have their Trials,
thofe very Trials which were appointed for
them. Therefore fay, with Job, He per-
formed

( "5)

formeth the Thing that is appointed for mey
Chap, xxiii. 14. Thofe very Trials you
meet with were fore-appointed for you, as
a Means to try and exercife your Graces.
Your kind Father defigns to make you a
Partaker of his Holincfs, by every Chaftife-
ment that paffeth over you. He defigns
your Profit herein, to brighten and increafe
your Graces, and thereby to prepare you
for your future Crown.

And if you find your Afflictions to be a
Means of fending you oftner to the Throne,
and exercifing your Graces -, if you learn
Obedience by the Things you fuifer ;
you have great Reafon to blefs God for
them, and for a fanctify'd Ufe of 'em.
And don't let Satan rob God of the Glory,
nor you of the Comfort, of his Kindnefs to
you herein. For Afflictions could work no
Good in thy Heart or Life, if God did not
work by 'em. And that God that works
by 'em, could as well work without 'em,
was it his Pleafure. He could fill our Hearts
brimful of Grace, without Trials as a
Means, was it his Will. But fince infinite
Wifdom faw it meet, that thro' much Tribu-
lation we fliould enter the Kingdom^ let us
fubmit with Thankfulnefs, and like the
Way that leads to fo glorious an End. God
did not appoint Affliction merely for its

own

( »6 )

own fake, but as a Means to purify his
Children. By this, fays the Lord, Jhall the
Iniquity of Jacob be purged, and this is all
the Fruit to take away his Sin, Ifa. xxvii.
9. Fiery Trials are to brighten our Graces,
and confume our Drofs, Rejoice therefore,
as knowing that tribulation worketh Pati-
ence^ (It works it, becaufe God having ap-
pointed it as a Means, works by it unto
this End) and Patience ', Experience-, and
Experience, Hope, Rom. v. 3,4. And
as our God deiigns to increafe our Graces
by Affliction ; fo to prevent us from Sin
thereby. And 'tis wondrous Grace to be
either prevented or reftor'd from Sin, by
any Trial we meet with. The Lord
knoweth that our Hearts are bent to Back-
Jliding from him ; and therefore, in infinite
Grace, he fays, I will hedge up thy Way
with Thorns, and make a Wall, that jhe jhalt
not find herPaths. And fie Jhall follow after
her Lovers, but fie Jhall not overtake them ;
and fie Jhall 'Jeek them, but Jhall not jindyemy
Hof. ii. 6, 7.

Here's preventing Mercy flopping up
our Way of finful Delight in the Creatures.
But what would all this do upon our Spirits,
if God was not to work upon our Hearts in
thefe thorny Difpenfations ? Why , juft
nothing at all that is good : We mould not

get

( "7)

get a jot nearer the Bofom of God-- thereby,
but rather, like the Wicked, fret under his
Hand, and blafpheme his Name. But be-
hold, that fame Grace that hedgeth up our
Way with Thorns, and thereby prevents
us from taking up our Reft in the Crea-
tures, doth abiblutely engage to work ef-
fkacioufly upon our Souls, in turning them
to God by thefe thorny Providences ; as it
follows,

Then Jhalljhe fay, 1 will go and return to
Vtyfirft Husband, for then it was better with
me than now, [Then] jhallfoefay : When ?
why, when her Way is hedg'd up, when
all the Creatures me feeks to delight her-
felf in, fcratch and wound her. Aye, and
then fhe [mall] fay, (it is not faid, me will
fay ; but (he fhall fay) Efficacious Grace
will make her fay : And what mall me fay ?
Why; I will go and return unto myfirjl
Husband \ for then was it better with me
than now. Here's God's (loall, before her,
/ will : Efficacious Grace fecures her Will
and fweetiy allures her into the Bofom of
God, under frefh Difcoveries of his Relati-
on to her, as her Husband ; giving her a
quick Remembrance of that infinite Sweet-
nefs fhe once tafted in him, and a delight-
ful Profpecl of thofe tranfcendent Privileges,
which are only to be enjoy'd in Communi-
on

( n8)

on with him. I will go and return to my

firjl Husband ; for then was it better with

me than now. 'Tis as if fhe fhould fay,

* The Creatures grieve me, and I do but
4 wound my felf, in feeking Delight in 'em :

* Til go therefore unto Chrift, my firjl Hus-

* band, who is all Love, as well as Loveli-
c nefs, and will therefore readily receive

* me again -,for it was better with me when

* I lived in his Bofom, than it is now I have
f forfaken him : I'll therefore return again
1 unto him, as my complacent Reft, my
< Soul-fatisfying All/

And, Oh, happy Souls, who are thus
wrought upon under Trials, and brought to
the Bofom of God by Afflictions ! Has this
been thy Cafe, my dear Brother ? It is the
Lords doing, and let it be marvellous in thy
Eyes. If he brings thee to himfelf, what
matter how ? And be affur'd, that none of
thy Afflictions, whether from within or
from without, could, of themfelves, bring
thee to the Bofom of God under any Trial.
No, 'tis he himfelf that brings thee, when-
ever thou art brought. Praife his Name
therefore, in that he deals with thee as a
Child, bleffing his Rod, to make thee holy.
The Ungodly never have one fan&ify'd
Affliction in their whole Courfe : But unto
us that believe in Jefus, Afflictions are Fin-
ing-Pots, to make us bright and glorious.

They

( »9)

They are all Mercies to us : They flow
from Mercy, they are manag'd by Mercy,
and they end in Mercy : For God cannot
be diiappointed of his Defign therein -y to
wit, his own Glory,andour fpecial Advan-
tage. There is fome thing to be done upon
us in all the Changes which pafs over us :
One Providence lias one Thing to do upon
us ; another, another ; and God, in and by
all, is working us up into Conformity to
Chrift in Holinefs, in order to our being
conformed unto him in Glory. And what-
ever he does with us, he is ftill carrying on
our Salvation, in that Way which infinite
Wifdom fees beft for us. Therefore cajl thy
Care upon him that careth for thee -, and
follow thy Lord in all his Ordinances, and
in all his Providences : For thy dear Lord
Jefus will be thy Guide and fweet Com-
panion thro' the Wildernefs, until he bring
thee home to Glory, and let thee before his
Father's Face, in whofe Prefence is Fulnefs
of Joy, and Rivers of Pleafure for ever-
more. Say with David, 2 Sam. xxiii. 5.
AIM my Houfe be not jo with God -, yet he
hath made with me an everlafting Covenant ,
order d in all things and Jure : For this is
all my Salvation, and all my Defire, alt ho* he
he make it not to grow. I am,

with dear Love, yours in the Lord, &c;

LET-

( 120 )

mmmmm — — — — — — — — mmmm mm — — — wmmm — — — — ■

LETTER XVII.

5ft Mr*. B.

Dear and Honour 9d Sifter,

y^l Race unto you, and Peace be multi-
VJT ply'd from God our Father, and
from Jefus Chrift our Lord.

Having heard of thy Diftrefs, by reafon
of the Lofs of near Relatives, it was on my
Heart to write a few Lines unto thee. And
I would fay unto you, as our dear Lord to
his Difciples, let not your Heart be troubled^
neither let it be afraid, John xiv.27. Be not
troubled for the Lofs of your dear Relati-
ons : For it is the Lord's Hand that took
them away -, and he has done all things
well ; well, for his own Glory, and well,
for your Soul's Advantage : He has done
all fo well, that nothing could be better
than it is. You know he has a fovereign
Right to give Mercies to his Creatures, or
take them away as he pleafes -, but he ex-
ercifeth this Sovereignty towards his Chil-
dren, in a way of fpecial Love and Grace.
And if you cou'd believe ftedfaftly the
Love of your Father's Heart, in thefe fmart

Strokes

( 121 )

Strokes of his Hand ; you would fee
no Caufe to be angry, like Jonah, for the
Lofs of his Gourd, Chap. iv. 9. but ra-
ther, to fay, with Eli, It is the LOR D :
let him do what jeemeth him good, 1 Sam. ni.
18. And with Job, the LORD gave, and
the LORD hath taken away y bleffedbe the
Name of the LORD, Chap. i. 21. Hit,,
my dear Sifter, I truft you are not angry
at what the Lord has done, but only
troubled for your Lofs.

But as to this confider, you have not loft
your God ; you have Him ftill ; and in
having Him you have all3even in the Want
of all , and therefore need not be much
troubled. Let them be at their Wits End,
and break their Hearts for the Lofs of
Creatures, who have no Intereft in God :
But as for us, that have the LORD for
our Portion, we are fo rich, that we can
never be made poor 5 and fo happy, that
we have always Caufe of rejoicing , and it
well becomes us, when we have nothing
of the Creature to rejoice in, to polfefs all
Things in GOD, and glory in Him as our
ALL ! May not Chrift fay to thee, my
dear Sifter, as Elkanah to Hannah^ JVhv
weepeji thou ? and why eateji thou not ? and
why is thy Heart grieved? Am not I better
to thee than ten Sons f 1 Sam. i. 8. Is not
F Chdft

( 122 )

Chrift better than ten Sons ? Infinitely bet-
ter than all the Creatures, both in the up-
per and lower Worlds ? And haft thou
him, and yet troubled ! Oh wipe thy
Eyes, and weep no more for the Lofs of the
Creature, when thou haft the Creator ! for
the Shadow, when thou haft the Subftance !
for a Beam, when thou haft the Body of
the Sun ! for the Stream, when thou haft
theFountain ! and for a Drop,when thou haft
the Ocean ! If there is not enough in Chrift
to fill thy Heart with Gladnefs, then go on
to mourn -y but if there is, pafs off from
the Creatures, run to his Bofom, and folace
thyfelf with his infinite Sweetnefs, his
boundlefs Excellencies, and his incompre-
henfible Glory ! Are the Creatures gone ?
Thou haft not loft much -, nay, nothing
of that full and comprehenfive Happinefs,
which God has prepar'd for thee in his Son.
Hadft thou once fome Sweetnefs in the
Creatures, and doft thou now want it ?
Care not much for it -, fince Chrift ftands
in all Relations to thee, and will fill them
up with his own infinite Sweetnefs, thro'
Time, and to Eternity. There are no
Comforts in the Creatures, but what God
puts into 'em-; and none to be enjoy 'd in
them , but what are mixt with Croffes.
jBut in Chrift, there's Joy without Sorrow,
Light without Darknefs, Sweet without

Bitter,

( I23 )

Bitter, and Life without an End ! Thy
Husband, Chrift, ever lives, and ever loves ;
and becaufe he lives, thou thou Jhalt live
alfo-y thy Life is fecur'd in his. Think
but, in Faith, what Chrift is to thee, has
done, and will do for thee ; and I dare fay
thou'lt want none but him, to make thy
Happinefs complete. He has infinite Bowels
to companionate and fuccour thee in all
thy Diftreffes ; infinite Wifdom,to order all
Things for the beft for thee -> infinite Pati-
ence, to pafs by all thy Provocations ; infi-
nite Mercy, to forgive all thy innumerable
TranfgrefTions ; infinite Fulnefs, to fupply
all thy Wants ; infinite Power, to defend
thee from all Harms, and fave thee from
all Mifery unto all Glory; and in infinite
Faithfulnefs, he will never leave ', nor for fake
thee ! Others may leave thee, but Chrift
will never fail thee. Friends may ft and a-
loof from thy Sore ; but Chrift will know
thy Soul in Adverjity. Yea, faith he, the
Mountains JJjall depart, and the Hills be re-
moved ; but my Kindnefs fall not depart
fro?n thee, nor the Covenant of my Peace be
removed, faith the LORD, that hath Mercy
on thee, Iia. liv. 10. And what can ft thou
want more? Oh, nothing but Enjoyment
of Chrift, to make thee perfectly happy !
Labour therefore, to live upon him, as thy
F 2 Timer-

( iH)

Time-Portion, as well as thy eternal ALL:
For this will be for his Glory, and thy
Comfort. It will be fof the Glory of thy
Lord, if thou put him for a Well, a never-
failing Well of Confolation, while thou
art paffing thro' the Valley of Baca, this
World of Trials $ and in acquainting thy-
felf with him, thou fhalt have Peace 5 fuch
Peace that the World can neither give, nor
take, fuch jfoy that a Stranger intermed-
dleth not with,

c Aye, fay ft thou, but this is my Mifery,
c I am fo chain 'd down to Senfe, and fen-
1 fible Enjoyments, that my Soul is oft in

* Prijbn, and I cannot come forth into the

* Liberty and Sweetnefs of my Lord's
< Bofom \ Well, if this be thy Cafe,
Chrift can come to thee, when thou canft
not come to him : He can come leaping on
the Mountains, Jkipping in the Hills -, thofe
Hills of Difficulty, which are too great for
thee to climb over to get to him -, and fuch
his Grace, that he will come. I will not
leave you comfortlefs, fays he, I will come
unto you, John xiv. 18. And if Chriji
comes unto us, he brings all Salvation
with him : He brings Life, Light, Liberty,
Joy, Glory, all that our Souls can want.
He can, with a Word of his Mouth, break
our Bands afunder, knock off our Fetters,

ftrengthen

ftrengthen our weak Faith, and give us
Acceis, in an Inftant, into the glorious Li-
berty of the Sons of God. So mighty is
our Beloved, that he can do it $ fo gracious,
and fo faithful, that he will do it. Thy
Maker, thy Husband, will have companion
upon thee in all thy Soul-Diftreffes, as well
as in all thy outward Troubles ; and he'll
comfort thee in all thy Tribulation. Thy
dear Lord Jefus will be thy Companion .
all the Way thro' the Wildernefs : Do
not think that thou art left to go thro' the
World alone : No, thou haft thy Beloved
with thee,to conduct, fupport, comfort, and
proted: thee in thy Paffage home to Glory.
And when thou doft not fee his Face, be-
lieve it, his Heart is the fame towards thee
as ever -, and thou art then cail'd to live
by Faith, rejoicing in Hope of the Glory
of God : For tho': for a [mall Moment he.
mayforfake thee, as to his fenfiblc Prefence,
yet, (as he'll never forfake thee as to his
real, gracious Prefence, fo) with everlafting
Kindnefs he will have Mercy upon thee : And
he'll quickly take thee up to Glory, where
thou malt fee his Face, without the lean:
Cloud to interpofe for ever. And then he'll
wipe all Tears from thy Eyes, and open the
Myftery of his Providences, which here
thou haft been try'd with, as having been
F 3 all

( 126 )

all confident with his everlafting KindneS
towards thee, and fubfervient to thy eter-
nal Salvation. Therefore lift up thy Head ;
for what thou knoweft ?tot now, thou fialt
know hereafter.

The Grace of our Lord Jefus Chrift be
with thy Spirit. Amen. I am,

with dear Love, yours in him, &c.

LETTER XV1IL

To Mrs. L,

Dear Friend,

NOT having Ability of Body to give
you a Viiit, I was willing to write
a Line to you under your prefent Concern.
And I would fay unto thee, as Paul and
Si fas to the Jaylor, A5ls xvi. 3 1. Believe
en the Lord J ejus Chrift, and ikon jhait be
Javed. God the Father, from his great
Love to poor Sinners, even when they were
dead in Sins, did give his own Son to be
their Saviour -, he call'd him to this work,
and anointed him for it ; and when he lent
him forth into the World, he gave this-
Commandment to loft Sinners, that they
Jhould believe on the Name tf his Son Jefus

Chrift,

( I27 >
Chrifl, i John iii. 23. And this is the Wilt
of him that fent me, faith our Lord, that
every one that jeeth the Son, and believeth
on him, may have everlajting Life,. John vi.
40. And this Lord Jefus is infinitely
able to fave thern to the titter mo ft , who come
unto God by him, Hcb. vii. 25. And to
(hew that he is as willing as he is able, he
jays, Come unto me, all ye that labour, and
are heavy laden, and I will give you Refl,
Matt. xi. 28. And he has given the high-
eft Afiurance of Happinefs unto that Soul
which believes in him : Johnvi. 46. Verily,
verily, 1 fay unto you, he that believeth on
me, hath everlajting Life. And believing
on Chrift is, looking unto him for Salvation :
IJa. xlv. 22. Committing the Soul into his
Hands, to be kept from eternal Mifery,
and brought unto eternal Glory, 1 Tim. u
12. 'Tis trufting in his Name, Matt. xii.
2 1 . and re '/ting upon him, as the Foundation
God has laid in Sion; or 'tis the Soul's laying
the whole Weight and Strefs of its Salva-
tion, building all its Hope of Life upon
Chrift alone, from a difcerning of his Pre-
cioufnefs, as that Rock againjt which the
Gates of Hell Jhall not prevail, &c. 1 Cor. iii.
11. 1 Peter ii. 7. Matt. xvi. 18.

Well then, doft thou fee thyfelf to be

utterly undone by reafon of Sin ? Here's a

F 4 Saviour

( i*8 )

Saviour provided, and a great One: Look
unto him, and thou ihalt live for ever.
However great thy Sins are in themfelves,
or appear to be in thy View, they are
not too great to be pardon'd ; Chrijt is in-
finitely greater, as a Saviour, than thou
canft be as a Sinner. He is mighty to fave ;
yea, almighty. He fays, Look unto me, and
be ye faved , all the Ends of the Earth, Ifa.
xlv. 22. He commands Sinners at the
greatefi Diftance, to look unto him the
great Saviour ; and unto every Soul that
looks, he fays, 5^ ye faved : He is fo mighty
to fave, that he faves with a Word of his
Mouth. And that becaufe he is God ; as
it follows there -,for I ant Gcd, and there is
none elfe. So that his Almightinefs, as God,
is engag'd to fave every Soul that looks unto
him for Life. Yea, all the Perfections of
his Nature are engag'd for the Salvation of
that Soui ; his infinite Love, Mercy, Wif-
dom, Truth, Faithfulnefs, &c. And is
not here enough to lave thee ? Look to him
therefore, and thou (halt be faved. Thou
fhalt be faved, whoever fays nay : If Satan
fays nay, or if thy unbelieving Heart fays
nay, it matters not -, ChriiVs Word ihall
ftand, and bring all Salvation to thee, not-
withftanding all the Oppoiition that can be
made againft it. He would have thee look

to

( ™9 )

to him as God ; and that will anfwer all thy
Objections. What are all thy Crimfon
and Scarlet-dyyd Sins, before the infinite
Merit of his Blood, that cleanfeth from all
Sin ! Ifa. i. 18. i John i. 7. What's all
the Power of thy fpiritual Enemies, before
the omnipotent Strength of the LORD
thy Saviour ! who travels in the Greatnefs
of his Strength to fave Sinners, and tread
down their Enemies ! Ifa. lxii. 1. What
is all thy Unworthinefs and Sinfulnefs, be-
fore free, reigning Grace, and boundlefs
Mercy, in its glorious Superaboundings !
Rom. v. 21. 1 Tim. i. 14. If the Lord
will be gracious to thee, and will fliew
Mercy on thee ; who, or what fhall hinder
it ? Remember, he will be gracious to thee
as GOD3 and if thou wanted all the Mer-
cy and Grace that is in him to fave thee,
thou {halt have it, if thou looked, as a
perifhing Sinner, unto Chrijl alone for Sal-
vation. When Chrift faves a Sinner, he
does it with his whole Heart, ami his whole
Soul, Jer. xxxii. 40, 41. Every one he
faves is as much interefbd in all the Grace
of the Saviour for his Salvation, as if Chrift
had never another in the World to fave,
befides him. And what thinkeft thou now ?
Is all the Grace that is in- Chrift, enough to
F 5 iave

( i3° )
fave thee ? Believeft thou that he is able
to do this ? Aye, foyft thou, if I was one
of his ; but that I am afraid of.

Well, if thou canft not come to him as
a Child > come, as the Woman of Canaan y
who thought herfelf to be as unworthy as
a Dog, and plead for the Crumbs which fall
from the Childrens Table ; and Chriji will
fay unto thee, as he did unto her, O Wo-
man, great is thy Faith, be it unto thee even,
as thou wilt, Matt. xv. 27, 28. Come
therefore, come as thou canft, with all thy
Mifery, and caft thyfelf down at Jefus
Feet, and thou {halt find Mercy. For ht
that believeth onhimjhati never be confounded*
1 Peter ii. 6. Seek the LORD therefore,
while he may be found, and call upon him
while he is near. For he hath faid, Let the
Wicked for fake his Way, and the unrighteous
Man his Thoughts -, and let him return unto
the LORD, and he will have Mercy upon
him, and to our God, for he will abundantly
pardon, Ifa. lv. 6, 7. Come therefore,
come, and try what infinite Mercy will, do
for thee: For there never was any poor,
needy Soul that -came to the Throne of
Grace to find Mercy, however great his Sins
and his Wants were, that was fen t away
empty, nor fhall be, unto the \Vor.ld!s
End 5 iince Chnft ever liveth to fave them

to

( i3« )

to the uttermofty who come unto God by him,
Heb. vii. 25.

Wifhing Grace, Mercy, and Peace may
be multiply'd unto thee, in the Manifefta-
tion of free Pardon, to the rilling of thy
Heart with Joy unfpeakable, and full of
Glory, lam,

with dear Love, thine in the Lord, &c.

LETTER XIX.

To Mr. W. G.

Dear Brother, whom I love, and honour
in the Lord,

\ T^OUR Labour of Love, which you
have fhewed towards his Name,
Gofpel, and Caufe in B— s, fhall be abun-
dantly own'd, and crown'd in the Day of
Chrift ; when you fhall find, to your un-
fpeakable Joy and Glory, that none of
your Labour has been in vain in the Lord.
Wherefore be ftedfaft, unmoveable, always
abounding therein. I rejoice that the Lord
has given you a large Heart, and aa open
Hand for him, who gave himfelf, his great
Self for you. Surely I can fay, with De-
F 6 borahy

In* )

borah, My Heart is toward the Governors
c/^Ifrael, that offer d themfehes willingly to
the Help of the Lord, Judg. v. 9, 23. I
am glad that the Love of Chrift conftrains
you to give up yourfelf and your all unto
him. And, believe it, my dear Brother,
you mail lofe nothing by it. Our Lord has
told us, that a Cup oj cold Water given to a
Difciple, in the Name of a Difciple, or be-
caufe he belongs to Chrift, Jhall in no wife
lofe its Reward. And when he appears the
fecond Time, without Sin, unto Salvation,
he comes to give Rewards unto his Ser-
vants, and to all that fear him, both Jmall
and great, according to their Works. And
oh, how brightly (hall the Saints then fhine
in the Kingdom of their Father, with a pro-
portionable Glory, unto all their various
Services which they have been enabled to
do for God in this prefent State !

'Tis true we owe ourfelves, and our all,
had we ten thoufand times more than we
have, to our dear LORD; whom we
can never, no not to Eternity, fufficient-
ly love, ferve, and honour, for what
he is in himfelf, unto us, and has done for
us : So that our utmoft Service is our
Duty ; and could we do all that is com-
manded, we mould ftill be but unprofitable
Servants : For who hath given himy (in a

Way

( *33 )

Way of Defert or Merit) and it flail be
recompenfed to him again ? No, all Flejh
here muft be filent before the L O R D of
GLORY ! And the Saints have fuch a
Sight of the Lamb's Worthinefs, and of
their own Unworthinefs,that their Mouths,
of all other, are flopped 3 they'll never open
their Mouth before him , and fay, we have
done many mighty Works in thy Name,
which deferve thy Notice : No, the Re-
membrance of their own Shame, together
with the Soul-ravifhing Profpecis of his
Glory,, will make them fhrink to nothing
before his infinite Majefty, Love and Grace,
in the Review of their beft Services ; faying,
Lor d, when Jaw we thee an hungredy and
Jed thee ? &c. Ezek. xvi. 63. Matt. xxv.

37-

But yet, fuch is the boundlefs Grace of

our Lord and Matter, our Friend and Bro-
ther, our Head and Husband, that none of
our Services, no not the lean: that we are
enabled to do for him, (hall go unrewarded.
He'll call the Performance of our Dutv,
Kindnefs ; the Acls of our Service, Friend-
{hip ; Jer. ii. 2. Jam. ii. 21, 23. And
infinite Love will reward 'em, according to
the E ft i mate it puts upon them. Ye are
they, faith our Lord, wl :ch have continued
with me in my Temptations. And I appoint

u ■

*34 )
unto you a Kingdom, as my Father hath ap-
pointed unto ??ie : That you may eat and dr ink
at my Table in my Kingdom, and fit on
Thrones, judging the twelve Tribes of Ifrael,
Luke xxii. 2v;, 29, 30. Oh, infinite Grace !
How will our Lord honour his Servants !
He calls us Friends ; and then advanceth
us as fuch. He works all pur Works in us
and by us, and then calls 'em ours. He en-
ables us to overcome, and then crowns us
as Overcomers -y granting us to ft with
him in his Throne, as he overcame, and is
fet down with his Father in his Throyie.
And herein he ads like himfelf, as the God
of all Grace! while every Saint (hall receive
his own Reward, according to his own
Labour, Rev. iii. 21. 1 Cor. iii. 8. Blefled
then are thofe Servants, which can do moft
for Chrift in this Day ; fince, in that Day
of his Kingdom, he'll gird himfelf, make
them ft don.on to Meat, and come forth and
ferve them, Luke xii. 37. A Phrafe that
has more Grace in it, than we can take in !
Wherefore, my beloved Brother, Stand faft
in the LORD, abounding in his Work ; as
having refpeci unto the Recompenfe of the
REWARD!

Wifhing you may have the Joy, a*s a
Friend of the Bridegroom, to fee him have

the

( 135)
the Bride, (in the Succefs of the Gofpel,
in the Converfion of many in B— s)

I am, with dear Love, and due Refpe£ty

Tours in the Lord, &c.

LETTER XX.

To Mrs. S.

Dear and honour* d Sifter r

GRace unto ybu, and Peace be mul-
tiplied.
it is the Pleafure of the Lord, your Fa-
ther, to lay his chaftning Hand upon your
Body ; but fince this very Chaitifement
flows from the boundlefs Love of his Heart,
and was determin'd by his infinite Wifdom,
for his own Glory and your Advantage,
receive it with Thankfulnefs. You'il blels
God for it, when you come to Heaven -f
and fee how needful it was for you to pafs
this Way, thro' this AfiMion, to Glory :
Therefore begin the Work of Praife now.
The Lord's Defign herein, is not to deftroy,
but to refine you 5 to make you more con-
formable unto Chrift, your glorious Head,
in Suffering : And as Chriil firit suffered,

and

( 136)

and then entrcd into his Glory, fo muft
you. There's a Glory to follow the Suffer-
ings of Chrift myftical, as there was of
Chrift perfonal. The Members muft have
Fellowship with their Head, firft in Suffer-
ings, and then in Glory : For if we fuffer
with himy we /kail aljo be glorify' d together,
Rom. viii. 17. We mould look upon the
Sufferings of Chrift with a double View.

Fir fly As he fuffered in our ftead, to
fatisfy Juftice, and bring us to God, 1 Peter
iii. 18. And fo, we don't fuffer with him.
No, bleffed be God, of the People there was
none with him, in this refpecl, Ifa. lxiii. 3.
Our mighty Mediator, on whom the Fa-
ther laid Help, ftood alone, in the Great-
nefs of his Strength, as God-Man, under
the inexprefTible Weight of our Sins, and
his Father's Wrath, pour'd out upon him
thro' the Curies of a broken Law , iffuing
in that overflowing Deluge of Afflictions
which he endur'd, when for us he became
the Man of Sorrows > when be was wounded
for our TranfgreJJionSy and bruifed for our
Iniquities. And hereby he has for ever
fatisfy'd Law and Juftice, and fully taken
away the Curfe out of all our Afflictions :
For having drank up the Wrath-Cup, he
left not one Drop for us. So that in this
refpeft, we don't fuffer with him : No,

fuch

( 137 )

fuch was the boundlefs Grace of God to-
wards us, that he fuffer'd, and we go free !
But then,,

Secondly. Chrift alfo fujfer d for us, leav-
ing us an Example, that we Jhould follow his
Steps, i Peter ii. 21. It became him of
whom are all things, and by whom are all
things ,in the bringing many Sons unto Glory,
to make the Captain of their Salvation per-
fect thro' Sufferings, Heb. ii. 1 o. It was
a Defign becoming the infinite Wifdom of
Jehovah, to make his own Son, as the
Captain of their Salvation, the great Leader
of his People, perfetl thro' Sufferings. God
ordain'dhis own Son, in his aifumed Man-
Nature, firft to Juffer, and then to enter
into his Glory 3 firft to pafs thro' all Suffer-
ings, and therein to exercife all Graces, and
at the End of his Race to be crown'd with
all Glory -y that io he might become the
great Pattern of Obedience unto all his
junior Brethren, and the Exemplar of that
Glory, which they (hall arrive unto, when
their fuffering State is ended, as 1 Peter ii.
11, 12, 13. with Heb. xii. 2. And as
ChrifVs Sufferings are propos'd as an Ex-
ample of our Obedience, and we enabled to
tread in his Steps -, fo the Head and Mem-
bers have a Community in Sufferings. Or,
we may be laid to fuffer wilji him, as I

humbly

( '38)

humbly conceive, in thefe four Refpeds : r.
In that the Origin, Source, Spring- head, or
firft Rife of Sufferings, both to Chrift and
us, is the Father's Love. 2. In that we
bear Affli&ions, under the Influences of the
fame Spirit, in our Meafure, as Chrift did.
3 . In that we have thelameEnd in View, in our
patientenduring Affliction, to wit, the Glory
of God, as Chrift had. And, 4. In that our
Sufferings fetve as a Foil to fet off the
Glory which fhall fucceed 'em, as ChrifVs
did. Suffering, both to Chrift and us,
while by the fame Spirit we learn Obe-
dience under it, is but a Preparation for
Glory : As the dark Ground, the Limner lays,
is in order to commend and fet off the fair
and beautiful Colours which he defigns to
draw upon it. And Oh, how glorious will
Chrift, whole Chrift, Head and Members
be, when all that Glory is laid upon 'em,
which was ordain'd to follow their Suffer-
ings ! Oh thou Afflicted, toffed with Tempeft,
and not co?nforted, Behold, faith the Lord,
I will lay thy Stones with fair Colours, &c.
I/a. lxiv. ii, 12. And Oh, how glorious
will the Church appear, in the New Jeru-
falem State, when this Promife fhall have
its full Accomplifhment, when the fair
Colours of Glory are laid upon her Stones,
which before were carv'd, and prepaid by

Affliction

( !39 )

Affliction to receive it ! Affliction, to God's,
People, under the Management of infinite
Wifdom and Grace, is like the Carving of
Letters in Stone, in order to overlay 'em
with Gold.

Well, my dear Sifter, fince you fufFer
with Chrift, you need not be very forrow-
ful under it ; you have a fweet Companion
in all your Tribulation. Your dear Lord
Jefus interefts himfelf in all your Sorrows ;
I was Jick, &c. fays lie, Matt. xxv. 36.
And, fays Paul, 1 fill up that which is be-
hind of the Afflictions of Chrift in my Flefo%
Col. i. 24. Since this Affliction in your
Flefh is ChrifVs, fear not a glorious IfTue.
You are one of thofe Sons that are to be
brought to Glory ; and in Conformity to
the Firft-born of the Family, you are to be
lov'd home, thro* Affliction. Chrift has
gone before us, thro* Affliction and Death?
up to Glory ; and taken the Curfe and
Bitternefs out of our Pains, and the Sting
out of our Death ; and now 'tis fweet fol-
lowing our Fore-runner, who is for us en*
tred into the Prcfence of his and our Fa-
ther. I fay, following of him 5 becaufe
our Faith is to eye Chrift as gone before us
into Glory. But let us not think that he
is fo gone, as to leave us alone in a World
of Trials. No, no 5 we have our Beloved

with

( HP )

with us, h " :r. on, and his Bofom

to reft in, a y we come up from

the Wildernefs, laid, I will never

leave thee, not thee, Heb. xiii. 5,

And the G Faithfulneis of this

Promife fecare his defence with us, thro*
Life, thro' Death, and to Eternity. And
if the Lord 1 with us, who, or what need
we fear ? S. we may boldly fay ,7 'he

Lord is my Helper, F will not fear what any
Creature \ or thing, can do unto me. For
neither Death y nor Life, nor Angels, nor
Principalities, nor Powers, nor Things pre-
Jent, nor Things to come, nor Height , nor
Depth, nor any other Creature, Jhall be able
to J e par ate us ft om the Love of God which
is in Chrift Jefus our Lordy Rom. via.

38> 39-

And now, that you may be ftrengthned

with all Might, unto all Patience, and Long-

fuffering with Joyfulnefs, is the earneft De-

fire of,

Tour humble Servant in the Lord} &c.

LET-

( Hi )

< .■ i ' ' ' " i ■ ■

LETTER XXI.
To Mrs. K.

Dear friend, and honour d Sifter,

I Beg leave to return humble and hearty
Thanks to you and Mr. K. for all
that great Kindnefs you have fhewn to the
Caufe of Chriit here, in its low Eftate ;
and unto us the leaft in our Father's Houfe.
And be aflur'd, that none of your Labour
Love (hall in any wife lofe its Reward.
The Lord abundantly inrich your Souls
with his Grace, and caufe you to inherit
Subftance, the true Riches, where neither
Moth nor Rujt can corrupt. nor Thieves break
thro" to ftcai. All thirtgsjiere are Shadows,
that have nothing in them iuited to the
Nature of an immortal 3oui : The beft of
worldly Enjoyments are empty, and paf-
fing away -, but the Riches of Chrifl, are
both durable and unfearchable ! And oh
that the Lord, the Spirit, may give unto
you a Si^ht of your Intereft in thofe im-
menfe Treasures ! if we have Chrifl, we
have all -, all for Time, and ai! for Eternity !
Oh the exceeding Precioufnefs of Chriit. !

and

(( 142.)

arid the Happinefs of that Soul who is in-
terefted in him ! Neither Men nor Angels
can tell it out. The whole World, with
all the Variety of Creatures and Things in
it, can't fill the Heart of one Man. But
One Chrift can fill the largeft Soul, yea,
Millions of them, both in the upper and
lower Worlds, at once : Becaufe his Ful-
nefs is infinite ! Oh, what a goodly Heritage
have they, that have Chrift for their Por-
tion ! And how happy are they who love
him moft, and ferve him bell: ! Oh, what
a glorious Mailer is Jefus Chrift ! who
makes all his Servants Kings! who has
Thrones and Crowns for every one of them ;
who pardons all their Sins, accepts all their
weak Services, and in infinite Grace rewards
them ! Yea, that gives them no lefs than
his great SELF! and the eternal Enjoy-
ment of him, as their exceeding Great
REWARD ! What a Thraldom is the
Service of Sin, and how doth it debafe and
ruin the Soul ! But the Service of Chrift
is perfect Freedom, and the higheft Ho-
nour ! The whole Hofts of Angels and
Arch-angels, with the Spirits of jnft Men,
now made perfect in Heaven, think it both
their Flonour and Happinefs to ferve and
glorify Jefus Chrift. What an Honour

then

( 143 )

then is it for a mortal, finful Worm, to be
admitted into the Service of this Great
LORD ! and a kind of Fellowfhip with
the glorious Family above ! Oh, little
doth the World think., what an Honour
and Happinefs it is to ferve (Thrift Here !
nor yet what Glory he hath in referve for
his Servants hereafter ! ChrifVs Servants
wear Royal Apparel, and are feafled as fo
many Princes, even here ; but the World
don't fee their Glory, nor know their En-
joy men ts, becaufe they are of an heavenly
Nature ; and fo too bright and high to be
difcern'd by the natural Eye, or for the na-
tural Man to conceive of ! Oh the amazing
Difference Chrift puts between his Ser-
vants, and the Sen ants of Sin and Satan,
even in this World ! Behold, fays he, my
Servants Jhall eat, but ye fall be hungry ;
behold, ?ny Serva?its jhall drink, but ye fall
be thirjiy ; behold, my Servants jhall rejoice \
but ye fall be ajhamed : Behold, my Servants
fallfing for Joy of Heart, but ye flail cry
for Sorrow of Heart, and fall howl for
Vexation of Spirit , Ifa. lxv. 13, 14. ChrifVs
S rvants have heavenly Manna to eat, a
pire River of Water of Life to drink of,
the Streams whereof fill them with Joy
an J Gkidnefs, and make them break forth
into finging, even in this World -, while

the

( H4 )
the Servants of Sin have juft the Reverfe.
Bat oh, when Chrift comes again, in his
Father s Glory, in his own Glory, and in the
Glory of his hcly Angels, what a Differ-
ence will he put between 'em then ! When
they that fear the LORD mail mine
forth with an heavenly Splendor, as Jewels
made up ; and have fuch an aftonifhing
Glory put upon them, that the Ungodly,
to their utmoft Shame, and everlafting
Confufion, (hall difcern between the Righte-
ous and the Wicked, between him that Jerv-
eth God, and hint thatferveth him not ! Mai.
iii. 17, 18.

Wifhing Grace and Peace from God
our Father, and the Lord Jefus Chrift,
by the blefled Comforter 5 / am,

with dear Love and Service to your whole

Self, yours in the Lord for ever, §cc*

LET-

( H5 )

LETTER XXII.
To Mrs. D.

Dear Sifter >

C^l Race unto you, and Peace be multi-
5" plied.

Having heard, that you are much can:
down in your Soul, under a Senfe of your
own Unworthinefs, and afraid, on that
account, that you are none of the Lord's ;
I was willing, according to your Defire, to
write a few Lines unto you. And this I
would fay to thee, that among all the in-
numerable Multitude of God's People,
there never was, nor will be one that was
faved, becaufe they were worthy of God's
Love, or of any its glorious Fruits. No;
Salvation, from Foundation to Top-Stone,
is all of one pure Piece of Grace. Free-
Grace is the Chariot that conveys all God's
Chofen home to Glory. If Salvation was
of Works, and to be beftow'd upon con-
dition of the Creature's Obedience and in-
herent Goodnefs, then you might be dis-
couraged, if you faw the want of thefe
things in yourielfj and conclude that there
was no Salvation for you. But fmce Salva-
tion is of Grace, free, abfolute, unchangea-
G ble

( H6 )

ble and infinite Grace, why mayn't it be
for thee ? Thy Unworthinefs can't hinder :
Becaufe Free- Grace delights to glorify its
Riches, in faving to the uttermoft, thofe
that are moft unworthy. God has conclud-
ed his Chofen, all in Unbelief] that he might
have mercy upon all. And where Sin has
abounded, Grace doth much more abound \
Rom. xii. 31, and v. 20. How unreafona-
ble then is it for thee to conclude that
thou art not the Lord's, becaufe thou art
unworthy > when all his are fuch ? Yea, let
me fay, there are none but his, that fee
themfelves to be fuch.

As God's Delign, from everlafting, was
to glorify his Grace to the utmoft, in fay-
ing a Remnant of poor Sinners, whom he
had fet his Heart upon, and chofen to
Life Eternal -, fo, in the Fufoefs of 'Tinie^
he lent his Son to die for 'em ; and at the
appointed Moment, when their perfonal
Salvation is to begin, he fends forth his Spi-
rit into their Hearts, to convince them of
their Mifery by Sin,and to (hew them their
great Unworthinefs of any Favour, in or-
der to make them willing to be beholding
to his rich Mercy and Free-Grace for the
whole of their Salvation.

For by Nature, all Adam's Poflerity are
under the Covenant of Works, and feek
Life by the Deeds of the Law. And fo

blind

( H7)

blind is proud Man, and fo deceived by
Satan, that he thinks there is fome Good-
nefs in his Heart or Life, which renders
bim worthy of divine Mercy and Favour ;
which he dares to plead before God, as the
Phari/ee, God, I thank thee, I am not as o-
ther Men -, or, if this is not the Language
of his Mouth, how often doth he blefs him-
J elf in his Heart \ in his fuppofed Goodnefs ?
Andfo long as the Soul refts upon this Bot-
tom, it is impoffible for it to enjoy Salva-
tion ; God's Way of faving Sinners, and
the Way fuch a Soul would be faved in,
being fo diametrically oppofite. c I have
* done this and that, and the other, faith
1 fuch a Soul, Lord, fave me \ There's
no Salvation, faith the Lord, by the Deeds
of the Law ; I lave none but miierable
Sinners, that can do nothing to help them-
felves, but are utterly undone ; my Defign
is to glorify my Grace in faving fuch ; and
no Soul (hall perim, that is willing to be
faved this Way ? But alas, an unregene-
rate Man don't like this Way of Salvation :
No, he chufes to cleave to the Works of
the Law ; and living and dying in that
State, being under the Curfe, he mull
perifh for ever.

But when God is about to apply Salva-
tion to an elect VefTel, he empties fuch a
G 2 Soul

( H8 )

Soul of all its conceited Goodnefs, and gives
it to fee its own Ill-defer vings, and Hell-
defervings ; he mews it its Mifery, and re-
veals the Remedy ; in order to make it
willing to be faved in his own Way, and
to fill it with Mercy, Grace, and Glory in
this World, and that which is to come.
God be merciful to me a Sinner ', is the Plea of
fach a Soul. I will be merciful to thy Unrigh-
teou/he/s, and t by Sim and thy Iniquities Iwill
remember no more, is the glorious Anfwer that
it receives from theLord. Salvation byGrace,
the Soul- pleads for : This is according to
God's Heart, and the eternal Defigns of his
Kindnefs ; and Salvation by Grace, he be-
flows upon that Soul.

And is it thus with thee, my dear Sifter ?
Doit thou fee thy own Vilenefs and Un-
worthinefs, and derire to be faved alone by
Grace : Be of good Comfort, for thou art
a VeiTel of Mercy ; prepared unto Glory.
God's free, full, and everlafdng Salvation
was pre par 'd for thee ; and thy Heart, by
the Work of the Spirit, is prepar'd to re-
ceive it : And what then mail hinder thy
Enjoyment of it ? Thou art certainly one
of the Lord's ; or elfe thou hadft never
been made willing to be faved in God's
Way. Art thou willing to be faved by
Jcfus Chrift ? 'Twas in the Day of his
Poiffer;thzt thy ftubborn Will was fubdu'd,

and

( *49 )

and fvveetly drawn into Subjection to him-
felf, as the alone Saviour. Thy Salvation
is already begun j and fear not the fall
Accomplishment of it. Chrift has faved
thee, to Willingnefs -, and will give thee
all that Salvation thy willing Soul deli res.
And what tho' thou art vile, and wretched
in rhyfelf ; there's Grace enough for thee
in the Heart of God , and Salvation c-
nough in the Perfon of Chrift, which
thou art calPd to receive freely. Come
therefore, boldly to the Throne of Grace ,
for thou (halt find Mercy, and Grace to
help in Time of Need, Heb. iv. 16. Open
thy Mouth wide, faith the Lord, the De-
fires of thy Soul, for all the Grace and
Salvation thou needeft, and 1 will Jill ity
Pfal. lxxxi. 10. Thy Sins, tho' an huge
Mafs, yet, were they ten thoufand times
more and greater than they are,are no more,
when caft into the infinite Grace of God,
and the infinite Merit of Chrift's Blood,
than a fmall Stone to the immenfe Ocean ;
which is no fooner caft therein, but it is
cover'd, and fwallow'd up of its unfathoma-
ble Depths ! Honour therefore the God
of all Grace, by believing his Grace fuffi-
cient to fave thee, by cafting thyfelf into
the Arms of his Mercy, and by crediting
his infinite Faithfulnefs, as a God that can-
G 7 not

( i5o )

not lie ; who has faid, they that trufi in the
LORD, frail be as Mount Zion, that /hall
never be removed : They frail never be a-
foamed nor confounded, World without E?id>
Pfal. cxxv. i. Ifa. xlv. 17.

And now, that the God of Peace may
fill thee with all Joy and Peace thro' Be-
lieving, is the earneft Defire of

Thy Loving Friend in the Lord> &c.

LETTER XXIII.

To Mrs. B.

My very dear Sifter,

MY Soul is troubled at the prefent
Diftrefs you are under. If one
Member /uffer, all the reft fympathize.
But oh, the infinite Tendernefs of your
Head in Heaven ! Not a Sorrow pierceth
your Heart, but he has an inward Feeling
of it. And his Bowels yern towards you,
even now there is ilich a Cloud upon his
Face, and he feems to fpeak againft you :
He yet earneflly remembers you ft ill. Aye
frill, notwithstanding all the Contrarieties
you fee and feel in yourfelf. What tho'

you

( 15' )

you have an Hell of Iniquity in your Na-
ture, as much, in your Apprehenfion, as
there can be even in the Devils themfelves ;
yet this alters not (Thrift's Heart towards
you one jot. God has refolv'd that Sin
ihall never out-do his Grace ; but that
where Sin has abounded, Grace (hall much
more abound. What tho' the Sin of your
Nature appears, in your Sight, like a migh-
ty Ocean, that would fwallow you up ;
yet 'tis no more than a Drop, if compar'd
with the infinite Ocean of Chrift's Love,
and the Merit of his Blood, which has
fwallow' d up all your Sin. Your Heart
can't be worfe than what the Lord fpeaks
of the Hearts of Men in general, Gen. vi. 5.
And God Jaw that the Wickednefs of Man
was great in the Earth, and that every Ima-
gination of the Thoughts of his Heart was
only evil, and that continually. And yet this
did not alter God's Heart to a Remnant in
his Son, that were as bad as the reft. Your
being as bad as them that perith, don't put
you into a perilling State with them. And
when God would fet off the Greatnefs of
his Love to his own People, he does it by
putting them in mind of their being as bad
by Nature as the reft, Mai. i. 2, 3. Was ?iot
Efau Jacob'i Brother ? Saith the Lord : let
T loved Jacob. So that there is no reaibn
G 4 for

( ^52 )
for you to conclude, that you are not the
Lord's, becaufe you fee yourfelf to be as bad
as others.

But it may be, you'll fay, <c tho' God's
c< People are as bad as others by Nature ■,
" yet Grace makes a Difference".

'Tis true, there is a new Nature given ;
but yet the old Nature remains in all its
Parts and Branches. And if you had not a
new Nature, you could not fee that Mafs
of Iniquity in your old.

The Apofde, in the feventh of the Ro~
mansy cries out as a wretched Man> by rea-
fon of that Body of Sin and Death that
dwelt in him. He complains not of this
or that Member only, but of a Body of
Deaths in all its Parts and Members -, a
complete Body of Sin dwelling in him.
And yet, in the Triumph of Faith, could
blefs God for a complete Victory in
Chrift, over Sin and Death at the fame
Time.

But it may. be, you will fay, lc that the
" Carriage of your Soul towards God has
cc been fo froward and rebellious, that it
<c can't agree with the Nature of a
« Child".

With the new nature of a Child, bleffed
be God, it cannot : For there is a Principle
of Love in your Soul, that will make you

lothe

(W 1

to the yonrfelf in your own Sight l, fir all your
Abominations-, when God breaks out upon
your Spirit again, with fhining Difcoveries
of abundant Pardon, and gives you to fee
that lie is pacify d towards you for all that yon
have done.

But that Frowardnefs and Rebellion
may and doth agree with the ©Id Nature
that dwells in God's Children; fee, Ifa.
xlviii. 4. Becaufe I knew that thou art ob-
flinate, and that thy Neck is an Iron Sinew,
and thy Brow Bra fs, And ver. S.yea, thou
heardefi not \ yea, thoukneweft not, ye a, from
that time that thine Ear was not opend : For
1 knew that thou wouldjt deal very treache-
roufy, and waft call d a ^Iranfgreffor from
the PFomb. And yet notwithstanding all this
fee the Grace that breaks forth in the next
three Verfes : For my Name's fake will laefer
mine Anger, and for my Prai/e will 1 refrain
or thee, that lent thee not off. Behold I have

j

refined thee, but not with Silver ; I have
chofen thee in the Furnace of Afflielion. For
mine own Jake, even for mine own fake will
I do it ; for how JJjould my Name be polluted ?'
and 1 will not give my Glory unto another*
Who could have thought, that everfuch an
obit in ate, ftiff- necked, treacherous dealing
one, that was a T^ranjgrefjor from the Womb,
fhould be called God's Chofen ? And that
G 5 he

( i54)
he fhould refolve to refine fuch an one in the
Furnace of Affliction, for his own Name's
fake ; taking all his Motives from within
himfelf, from his own Heart, when he
could find none but the contrary in the
Creature's Nature and Carriage ?

See alfo another Inftance of God's Kind-
nefs to a froward Child, If a. lvii. 17. For
the Iniquity of his Covetoufnefs was I wroth y
and f note him : I hid me \ and was wroth \
md he went on frowardly in the Way of his
Heart, What could one now think that
the Lord fhould fay concerning fuch an
ene, but 111 deftroy him ? But oh ! Behold
die Grace that firaightway breaks forth to-
wards this rebellious Creature ; I have feen
Bis Ways, and will heal Mm : I will lead him
afoy and re [tore Comforts unto him, and to his
Mourners I Ver. 18. I have feen his Ways :
(what Ways ?) " Not his holy Ways ; for
s< as if the Lord fhould fay, he has pro-
tc voked me by his Iniquity to fmite him.
<£ Not bis believing, fubmifiive Ways 5 for
<c inflead of learning Obedience by the
1C things he fuffers, he's worfe and worfe,
" more froward and rebellious under my
tc chaftning Hand. Nor yet his repenting.
" Ways -, for inflead of bemoaning himfelf
" under his Peevifhnefs, and turning to

" me

<{ me with all his Heart, he goes on fro-
<c wardly, as in a Courfe of Fretf ulnefs and
" Rebellion ; in the Ways of his own
1 c Heart, not in the Ways of my Precepts.
" And yet for all this, I will heal him :
<c Tho' I might deftroy him, if I was to
" deal with him after his Carriage towards
<c me. I might fay, go on in my own
" Ways, to thy own Deftruction ; and
cc bring upon thyfelf deferved Ruin. But,
cc in the Super-aboundings of my Grace, /
* c wiU heal him. He has wounded himfelf,
<c and is ready to die of his Wounds ; but
<; I'll bind up his wounded Spirit. Dark-
<c nefs covers him, fb that he can't fee the
" Way of Faith, nor has he Strength to
ct fet one Foot forward therein > but I will
<c lead him a/Jo. I'll take him by the Arms,
" and fupport him under his prefent Weak-
<c nefs > and alfo teach him to go again in
" my Ways, notwithstanding his prefent
c< Ignorance. And tho' he has loft the
tc Joys of my Favour, which had wont
<e to be the Strength of his Spirit j and
<{ thinks I am become his Enemy, becaufe
" he finds Co much Enmity in his carnal
Mind again ft me : Yet my everlafting
Kindnefs fhall break forth upon him a-
gain, like the Sun from under an Eclipfe,
and fill his Heart brim- full of Joy, even
Go " to

<c

Zl

( 156)

£C to runnings; over : For I will, not onlv

" rejlore Comforts to him, but to his Mour-

<c tiers, who (hall rejoice for his Confola-

cc tion".

What think you, my dear Sifter, of this
Grace ? It is fufiicient to fave you j yea,
let me fay, it is more than enough. Had
you ten thoufand times more Sins than you
have, you could never fpend the exceeding
Riches of Grace ; the Treafures of which,
laid up in Chrift for you, are inexhauftible.
Grace is a Spring that can never be drawn
dry ! 'Twill rife higher than your Sins, let
them be ever fo much exalted -, 'twill Jpring
up, even into everlafling Life. Grace has
Depths, infinitely deeper than the greateft
Depths of your Sins and Miferies ! Heights,
infinitely higher than the Heights of your
Provocations ! Breadths, infinitely more ex-
tenfive than the Aboundings of your Ini-
quities ! And Lengths, infinitely longer than
your Sins, either in Commencement, or
Duration ! Grace laid the Foundation of
your Glory in Chrift, before Time or Sin
entred^ is now managing theSuperftrudlure,
by all the Changes which pafs over you ;
and will lay the Top-Stone, when Sin and
Time {hall be no more, out-living them to
an endlefs Eternity ! I might multiply In-
ftances of Grace -, but the Time would fail

me.

(157 )
me. The whole Gofpel, both in the oli
and new Teftament, is one entire Declara-
tion of the Wonders of Grace, and the
Depths of Mercy to unworthy Creatures,
and miferable Sinners !

But it may be, in the Depth of your
Diftrefs, you'll refufe to be co?7iforted, and
fay, " All this is not for me ".

But remember God's own dear Chil-
dren have faid fo in times of Darknefs, as '
you, who yet have been made to fay the
quite contrary, when the Light has broke
out upon tkcm again. When Heman was
brought forth into the Light, and could call
God, the God cf his Salvation, read what
an Account he gave of the Darknefs he had
been in, and what he faid while it lafted.
That he was counted with them that go
down to the Pit, free among the Dead, &c9
Pfal. Ixxxviii. And the Church, Lam. iii.
1 8. did fay, inUnbelief, My Strength and my
Hope is periled from the LORD. And
yet, when God broke out upon her Spirit
afrefli, fhe could fay, the LORD is my Por-
tion : therefore will I hope in him. And
from her own Experience, encourage others
to hope, and quietly wait for the Salvation of
the LORD; telling them, that the LORD
is Good to the Soul that feeketh him ; that he
will not cajl off for ever j but tho' he caufe

Grief,,

( 153 )
Grief, he will have Companion according to
the Multitude of his Mercies ; as Ver. 24,
&c. Sion faid, the LORD had for fa ken
her, and forgotten her ; when yet fhe was
graven upon the Palms of his Handstand her
Walls were continually b~for? him, I/a. xlix.
14, 16. ■ David, the Man after God's own
Hearty when in fore Trials, and all things
feem'd to go contrary to what had been
told him, in tile Name of the Lord, laid, in
his unbelieving Hqfte, All Men are Liars,
Pfa. cxvi. 11. He was fo far from believing
God's Kindnefs and Faithfulnefs towards
him in his Troubles, that he faid, he mould
perifh ; and that they that fpoke otherwife,
told him Lies. And yet, after all this, he
wras made to fing glorioufly of God's Mercy
and Faithfulnefs in his well order d Covenant \
and to die in the Faith of its being all his
Salvation, 2 Sam. xxiii. 5. And tho* you
can't at prefent believe, yet he abideth faith-
ful, he cannot deny himfelf 2 Tim. ii. 13.
Nor can your Unbelief make the Faithfulnefs
oj God of 7ione Effec7, Rom. iii. 3. Your
Unbelief can't rob you of yaur Intereft,
tho' it does of your Comfort.

And if you not only cannot believe,
thro' Weaknefs, but will not believe, thror
Obftinacy > yet Chrifl has had fuch among

his

( 159)
his dear Children. Thomas feid, 1 will not
believe \ John xx. 25. And yet the Grace
of Chrift conquer'd his flout Heart, and
fweetly drew him again, in the Exercife of
Faith, to fay, My Lord, and my God, Ver„
28. And thus, thro' Gr - itfhall be with
you.

Chrift cannot part with you, if you
could with him. He has refolv'd that none
fhall pluck you out tf/'his Hands, John x. 28.
None of all the numerous Sins of your Na-
ture,let them be ever fo ftrong; no, nor all
the Legions of Devils in Hell, or wicked
Men on Earth, fhoukl they be all com-
bined together again ft you, fhall be able
to move you one Hair's-breadth from
that Security you have in Chrift's Hands.
The Father gave you to him ; and the
Love of his Heart engageth his Power to^
hold you faft. Yea, tho' in Unbelief you
would throw yourfelf out of his Arms; yet
he will never let go his Love-hold of you.
For thus the Lord, the God of Ifrael faith,
He hat eth putting away, MaL ii. 16.

And tho' the Lions roar upon you in this
dark Night, yet they fhall not devour you ;
becaufe the Lion of the Tribe of J udah is
ftronger than they. He has them in Chains,
and fets Bounds to their Rage. And he wilt

ere

f 160 )

ere long arife for your Help ; the Morning
Light will ere long break out upon your
Soul ; and then thefe fierce Bea/is of Prey
will hafte to their Dens, Pfal civ. 22. And
the new Glory of the Light, breaking forth
out of thick Darknefs, will be amazingly
glorious, and exceeding pleafant to behold.
This is one Reafon why the Lord fuffers
Darknefs to feize the Spirits of his Children ;
that fo, when the Light of his Face fhines
upon them again, it may be exceeding pre-
cious in their Efteem.

And while the Darknefs lafts, I would
beg of you to beware of making hafty Con-
clusions, either of yourfelf, or of God's
Thoughts and Ways towards you. Be-
caufe you can't make a right Judgment of
thcfe Things now. And hereby you'll dis-
honour God's Grace, and grieve the Spirit ;,
by which you have been featd in times
pail:, as well as pierce yourfelf thro' with
many Sorrows.

Again, I would intreat you, not to for*
fake ajjembling yourfelf with the Saints.
There the Lord has commanded the Blefjing^
even Life for evermore. Where can you
go ? Chrifl has the Words of eternal Life?
John vi. 68.

Bur

( *6.i )

But it may be you will fay, " I fhall
" perifh ; and to what End fhould I wait
" upon God"?

But oh, that you could refolve with
yourfelf, That if you do, it fhall be at
Jefus' Feet -, following him, tho' he fhould
go from you ; and trifling in him, tho* he
fhould flay you. This would glorify God
exceedingly, as well as confound the Ene-
my. And remember how the Woman of
Canaan fped, when fhe would take no De-
nial, Matth. xv. 28.

I commit you to the God of Peace,

who fhall bruife Satan under your Feet

Jhortly -, and after you have Juffered a while,

jtablijh, ftrengthen, and fettle you, 2 Peter

v. 10. Longing for the Day-break of your

Deliverance,

I reft, with Sympathizing Love,

Tours in the Lord, &c0

L E T-

( 162 )

LETTER XXIV.
To Mrs. E. D.

Dear Sifter,

GRace and Peace be multiplied unto
you, thro* the Knowledge of God,
and of Jefus our Lord.

You told me, at parting, that you fhould
be glad to hear from me, if I had any Word
from the Throne concerning you. And
having defired of the Lord, that he would
give me one, if it was his Pleafure ; in the
Night, when I was thinking of you and
your Trials, that Word was brought to my
Mind to write unto you, lfa. liv. j. For thy
Maker is thy Husband, the LORD of Ho/Is
is his Name : And oh, that the Lord the
Spirit, would pleafe to lead you into that
near, fweet, infe parable Relation, Chrift and
you ftand in to each other ; while, with this
Text, as with a Finger, he points the Eye
of your Faith to look up©n the bright Glo-
ries thereof !

Fear not, (faith the Lord, in the preced-
ing Verfe) for thou Jbalt not beafhamed: nei-
ther be thou confounded, for thoujhak not be

put

( '63 )

put to Shame: for thou jhalt forget the Shame
of thy Tout by and /halt not remember the Re-
proach of thy Widowhood any more. And the
Reaibn of thefe Privileges promifed, both
here, and in the Day of Chrift, is given in
the following Verfe ; For thy Maker is thy
Husband, the LORD of Ho/is is bis Name,
&c. Oh, think upon this wonderful De-
claration of Grace made in thefe Words !

Think a while upon the Perfon here
fpoken of j thy [ Maker] whofe Name
is the Lord of Hofts ! This is no lefs than
Immanuely God with us, God in our
Nature, the eternal Son of the eternal
Father, who did affume our Nature into
perfonal Union with himfelf. He is a di-
vine Perfon, that has all the effential Glory
of the Godhead in him , and therefore faid
to be the [LORD], JEHOVAH, which is
a Name proper to God, and incommuni-
cable to any Creature : And this LORD, as
Mediator, islikewifetobe confidered as Man ;
for his human Nature is neceffarily included
in thefe Characters which are given of his
Perfon y to wit, a Husband, and a Re-
deemer.

Well, this is the Perfon fpoken of : But
look upon him now in his divine Nature,
as thy Maker , the LORD of Hofts , who
has an infinite Fulneh of Life and Being, in

and

C '64)

and of himfelf ; and has given Life and Be-
ing to all Creatures and Things. 'Tis HE
that is adored and worfhiped by the angelick
Hoft above -, Angels and Archangels ^//their
Faces before him, as unworthy to look upon
his infinite Glory, and cover their Feet^s un-^
worthy to ftand in his Prefence ! It is H E
that is adored and praifed by the general
Affembly and Church of the Firjt-bom, the
Saints now in Heaven. And 'tis HE, that
is greatly/^ ared^ i. e. worfhiped and obey'd,
in the AJj'emblies of the Saints on Earth ;
while he's had in Reverence of all that are
round about him in the Church below !
Yea, 'tis HE that has all Creatures and-
Things at his Command : Before him the
Devils tremble, and under his Feet the
Wicked of the Earth mail be trodden down !
But Oh ! who can fet forth a thoufandth
Part of his infinite Glory ! 'Tis far beyond
the Capacity of Men or Angels, in the up-
per or lower Worlds, fully to take it in, or
tell it out. Oh how far is the Line of
created Underftanding, in its greater! Per-
fection, from fathoming this infinite, un-
fearchable Depth ! What then can a Babe
fay ? Only this. Look upon his fair Face,
who is the Chiejejl often tboufandl and oh,
that the Lord the Spirit would give thee an
amazing Proiqect of the Glory of thy Be-
loved ! Well,

( i65 )

WeM, this glorious Perfon, who is the
Wonder of Saints and Angels, the Terror
of wicked Men and Devils ; who can make
Worlds at his Pleafure, and dam his Ene-
mies into eternal Perdition with a Word of
his Mouth; this is HE, that in infinite condef-
cending Grace, has (looped down to take thy
Nature, to efpoufe thy Perfon, to become thy
[Husband.] Oh amazing ! Thy Maker, who
has a fir greater Right to difpofe of his
Creatures as he pleafes, than the Potter has
to made one, VeJJel unto Honour, and another
unto Dtftonour, he has fet his Heart upon
thee, and given himfelf to thee as thy Hus-
band ! Oh, afbniming ! What, God love
Creatures ! JEHOVAH fet his Heart
upon the Work of his Hands ! And that
he mould do it in fuch a diftinguimine
Way, take one, and leave another, choofe
one, and refufe another : How rich and
fovereign is this Grace ! And how fweet is
this Word [Thy] ! that he mould give him-
felf to thee, to be thy Husband, and betroth
thee unto himfelf for ever, while thoufands
are paffed by ! He has indeed given himfelf
to thee in all Relations ; as Father, Brother,
Friend, &c. in all which his Love mines
glorioufly : But oh, the fweet Relation of
an Husband ! What, has he given himfelf,
his great Self, to be one with thee for ever !

Oh,

( 166 )

Oh, the Height, Depth, Breadth and Length
of this Grace !

Again, confide r, this Relation is no emp-
ty Name, no unfruitful Thing : Wondrous
are the Effects of that Love which entredinto
thisRelation,and flow thro' it. And this fhin-
eth forth in the Word [For], For thy Maker
is thy Huskmdy&CCAS it ftands connected with
the glorious Privileges promis'd in the pre-
cedent Verfe. All thy prefent and future
Happinefs is fecured in this Relation, as
the Effect in its Caufe. But this is a Field
too large for me to enter far into. All that
I can do is only to point thine Eye to it,
and leave thy Faith to trace its wondrous
Paths, by the Leadings of the Word and
Spirit of God.

Look therefore upon the Love of thy
Husband : And all the glorious Fruits of
it, which flow thro' this Relation he ftands
into thee. Other Husbands may enter
into this Relation, and want the Love of it,
or their burning- hot Love may foon grow
cold. But as Chrift's Heart was in a Flame
of Love towards thee, when he gave him-
felf to thee to be thy Husband ; fo it abides,
yefterday , to day, and jor ever the fame.
He rejts in his hove, and will never caft thee
off, or feek another Object inftead of thee.
No, he has faid concerning thee, that thou

art

( i67)

art his Reft, the Reft of his Heart^r ever ;
and he is the LOR D that changeth not ;
as not in his Nature, fo nor in his Love :
Therefore this Relation is no empty Name.
Nor yet will it appear to be an unfruitful
Thing, if thou confider what the Love of
thy Husband has done, and will do for thee.
For as he gave himfelf to thee, to be thy
Husband ; fo he has glorioufly, tranfcen-
dently, above and beyond all the Creatures,
acted the Husband's Part. He has interefted
thee in all his Riches : The Glory, fays he,
which thou gaveft me, I have given them,
John xvii. 22. So that what Chrift has is
thine, as thou art one with him. Yea, the
Love of this thy Husband, engaged him to
become thy Saviour, thy Surety, to redeem
thee from all Mifery, unto all Glory ; when
thy Fall in the firft Adam was fore-view'd
in all its woful Effects. Thus his Love
work'd before Time. Look upon it alio
in its glorious Fruits in Time : 'Twas a
mighty Stoop of his Love, to take thy Na-
ture, to ftand in thy Room, to obey the
Law for thee, to bear thy Sins, to pay
thy Debts, by giving up himfelf a Sacrifice
in thy {lead, when thou waft a Tranfgref-
for, and hadft treacheroufly departed from
him. And as his Love went thro* Death
for thee, fo in Love he rofe for thee, entred

into

( i68 )

into Glory for thee, and ever fits at the
right Hand of the Father, making Inter-
ceffion for thee, until thou art faved to the
iittermoft. And as a Fruit of this thy Hus-
band's Love, the Holy Spirit was fent down
into thy Heart, to quicken thee when dead
in Sin, to (hew thee thy own Mifery, and
his Excellency, to enable thee to flee unto
him for Refuge, whole Heart and Arms
ftand open wide to embrace thee, and to
caufe thee to fall in Love with him, who
long fince had fet his Heart upon thee.
Look alfo on the Fruits of -thy Husband's
Love, in clothing thee with his Righteouf-
nefs, in fupplying thee out of his Fulnefs, in
giving thee his Flefh and Blood to eat and
drink,thatthoumayft live for ever-, and in all
that glorious Care which he exercifeth to-
wards thee in all the Way he leads thee thro*
a World of Trials. Once more, think what
his Love will yet do for thee in time to
come. He'll never leave thee in the Wil-
dernefs, he'll over-rule all things for thy
good, he'll defend thee from all Enemies,
he'll perfect thy Grace in Glory, he'll take
thy Soul into his Bofom at Death; and thy
whole Perfonat theRefurrection-MormAnd
then, for ever folded up in his fweetEm braces,
thou, with the reft of his redeemed Ones,
fhalt admire, adore, and enjoy his Love,

and

( i69 )

and fing the new Song ; Unto him that
loved us, and wafted us from our Sins in his
own Blood, and hath made us Kings and
Priejls unto God and his Father ; to him be
Glory and Dominion for ever and ever.
Amen.

I dm Tours in Chri/l, Sec.

LETTER XXV.

To Mrs. S. C.

Dear Sifter,

C*i Race and Peace be multiplied unto
"JT you, from God our Father, and Je-
fus Chrift our Lord.

When I had concluded to write unto
Sifter Z). my Heart began to yearn towards
you, and I denYd the Lord, if he had any
thing to fend unto you by me, that he would
give me a Word -, and prcfently, Matt.
xxviii. 20. was brought to my Mind. And
loy lam with you alway, even unto the End
of the World. Amen. This Promife was
given to the Apoftles, and in them to all
Chrift's Minifters, to encourage them in
their Lord's Work, thro' all the fucceffive
H Ages

( J7° )
Ages of Time ; and it like wife contains in
it, a gracious Declaration of ChrifVs Pre-
ience with all his Children, according to
their feveral Stations and Employments,
even unto the World's End ; and fo it is
matter of Encouragement to every Believer,
to follow Chrift in all his Appointments,
and to give up themfelves to him, in all
manner of Obedience.

This Promiie is ulhered in with a Note
of Attention, [Lo] and calls upon you, my
dear Sifter, to behold, to look upon the
Grace of your Beloved, which (lanes forth
herein. Caft your Eye therefore upon the
Perfon promifing, [I] 5 I am with you, &c.
And fee his perfonal Perfections, and Bride-
groom-Com paffions, as your Head and
Saviour ; view him in his Love, Grace,
Mercy, Power, Faithfnlnefs, &c. for it is
no lefs than himfelf, his great Self, in all
his immenfe Perfections, who has engaged
to be with you !

Liftenalfo unto the Voice of your Beloved,
or unto what he declares unto you herein.
/ am with you, &c. [With] you 5 oh amaz-
ing ! This is a Promife of his fpecial, graci-
ous Prefence with you in the Church, and
in the World ; in the Houfe of God, and
in your own Houfe. With [You], in
dirfinftion from the World. He'll ma-

nifeji

( *7* )

nifeft himfelf unto you, but not unto the
World: No, they fee him not, but you
fhall fee him : For having fet his Heart
upon you, he'll dwell with you, and dif-
play his Grace, and all his glorious Perfecti-
ons, every way anfwerable to the Greatnefs
of his Perfon, and the Nearnefs of that Re-
lation you ftand in to him. And tho' you
mayn't always have his fenfible Prefence,
yet even then, you have his real Prefence
with you. I [Am] with you , fays he, real-
ly, for your Advantage, even when you
want the Senfe of it, for your Comfort.
And how long will Chrift be with you ?
why, not now and then for a Fit, and be
gone, but [Alway], in all Times, Places,
and Cafes whatfoever -, even unto the [End]
of the World ; that is, as it refpects thee
in particular, unto the End of thy Being in
the World .; and as it refpects his People in
general, unto the very End of the World
itfelf. And this our Lord confirms, with,
[Amen], This is Chrift's Amen, or So be it>
who with a Word could make Worlds, and
with a Word can fpeak into Being all that
vaft Happinefs which he has prepar'd for his
People. In this Word therefore,by this Amen,
heatoncegrants,andirreveriibly confirms this
wonderful Promife of his Pretence with his
People, even unto the End of the World.
H 2 Well

( i72 )
Well then, my dear Sifter, fince Chrift
is, and will be with you ; what canft thou
defire more ? He has all Power in his Hand
to help thee, and he has all Grace in his
Heart to do it -, and he is the Lord that is
faithful, who will be as good as his Word.
Thou haft Chrift, and thou haft all ! Thou
haft him in all Relations, thou haft him
in all Conditions, thou haft him unto all
that Salvation and Glory thy longing Soul
can defire ! Live upon him therefore as thy
all ! Creatures may fail thee, Relations and
Friends may defert thee ; but Chrift will
never leave, nor for fake thee. Thou haft
his Arm to lean on, and his Bofom to reft
in, all the Way thou comeft up from the
Wildernefs. Is Chrift with thee ? thou
canft want nothing, either for Soul or
Body : Since he has infinite Fulnefs to
fupply thee, and infinite Love to nourijh
and cherifo thee, even as his own Flejh.
He that has all, can no more let thee want
any thing which he fees good for thee, than
he can deny him/elf: Becaufe he loves thee
as himfelf. Submit to his Wifdom there-
fore, in all the Way he leads thee thro' the
Wildernefs : For he'll bring thee by a right
Way to the City of Habitation, And what
tho' he mould lead thee thro' much Tri-
bulation 5

( m )

filiation -, fince Chrift is thy Companion,
thou needft fear nothing. If he furfer thee

o

to be can: into a burning fiery Furnace,
himfelf will be with thee there, and thou
fhalt walk at Liberty am id ft fiery Trials, and
{halt not be confumed. He'll go before thee
to lead thee in the Way thou fhouldft go,and
be with thee every Step of it to keep theq.
Company, and he'll be behind thee too, as
thy Rere-ward, to defend thee, He'll be
a Wall of Fire round about thee, and the
Glory in themidji 0/thee. Then furely thou
may ft ling in Sorrow, fince Chrift is with
thee in all thy Diftreifes 5 to defend thee
from ail Dangers, to fympathize with thee
in all thy Griefs, to bear the heavieft End
of thy Burdens, to fupport thee under 'em,
to fanctify thee by 'em, to pardon all thy
Weaknefs in bearing 'em, and compleatly
to deliver thee from them, in his own Way
and Time, which will be moft glorious !
Thy dear Lord Jefus will be with thee even
until Death • unto Death, in Death, and
thro' Death ; and then he'll wipe all Tears
from thine Eyes, and take thee up to be
with himfelf forever, to enjoy a bleft Eter-
nity in the Virion of his, and his Father's
Face, in that Life and Glory which is yet
unknown !

II 3 That

( 174)

That the Peace of God which pajjeth all
Understandings may keep thy Heart and
Mind thro Cbriji fe/us, is the earneft De-
fire of

Tours in Him, &c.

LETTER XXVI.

To Mr, K M.

Dear Brother,

Grace and Peace be multiplied.

WHEN I had a Word from the Lord
for Sifter C. I was loth to leave
you out ; and therefore defired that he
would fend fomething unto you alfo. And
that Word was brought, Gal v. i. Stand
faft therefore in the Liberty wherewith Chrift
has made us free.

We were by Nature, under the Law,
and as Tranfgreflbrs, under the Curfe, un-
der the Dominion of Sin, and the Govern-
ment of Satan, and (as in ourfelves confi-
dered) obnoxious to divine Vengeance, both
here and hereafter : from all which, Chrift
hath made us free. And this Freedom is
a complete and everlafting Liberty, in

which

( m )

which it is both our Duty and Privilege to
ftand faft.

We were indeed under the Law ; but
[Chrift], God-Man, the Anointed of the
Father, our God, our Kinfman- Redeemer,
was made under the Law, to redeem us from
wider it, as a Covenant of Works, by ful-
filling all its righteous Commands in our
ftead j and to redeem us from its Curie
like wife, by being made a Curfe for us.

'We, in all refpects, were under the Do-
minion of Sin ; but Chrift was made Sin
for us, to redeem us from it, and for ever
make an end of it.

We, by Sin, had put ourfclves under the
Dominion of Satan, that Prince of Dark-
nefs , but Chrift, by being ??iade Sin for
ti$y and dying a Sacrifice in our ftead, has
deftroyed him that had the Power of Death y
and delivered us from that dreadful Bon-
dage in which we were held.

We, by Nature, were Children of Wrath
even as others 5 but Chrift has bore all that
divine Vengeance that was the due Defert of
our Tranfgreffions ; by which he has for
ever delivered us from vindictive Wrath,,
both in this World, and that to come.

And as he has delivered us from the

worft of Slavery, fo he has like wife brought

us into the moft glorious Liberty : He has

H 4 made

( i?6)
made us Free Indeed ! For in giving him-
felf a Ranfom for us, he redeemed us, not
only from all Mifery, but unto all Glory.
He has given us a Right unto all the Pri-
vileges of the Sons of God, both here in
Grace, and hereafter in Glory. Thus the
Son has made us [Free]. And this Free-
dom is complete, and everlafting, in him-
felf, for his whole myilical Body. And as
we are now made free in him, fo we mail
ere long enjoy a complete and everlafting
Freedom in our own Perfons, by and thro'
him. Mean while we fhould live by Faith,
or [Stand] faft in that complete Freedom,
that eternal Perfection we have in him.

Well then, my dear Brother, has the
Holy Spirit of God been fent down into thy
Heart, to quicken thee when dead in Sin,
to mew thee the Mifery of thy natural
State, and to enable thee tojlee unto Chrift
for Refuge ? And has he at times, bore wit-
rw/s with thy Spirit^ that thou art a Child
of God, and enabled thee to cry unto him,
Ablay Father ? Why, thou art one of them
that Chrift hath made free. He hath made
thee free perfectly, and eternally in himfelf,
as I hinted before j and he has alfo, in fome
Senfe, made thee free in thy own Perfon
too. He has delivered thee from the Law,
from the Dominion of Sin and Satan, and

from

( l77 )
from the Wrath to come ; and he has
given thee, as a Believer in him, a viable
Right unto all the Privileges of the Sons of
God, both here, and hereafter : And he'll
complete thy perfonal Freedom by the fame
Grace that begun it. Therefore ft and f aft
in that [Liberty] wherewith Chrift hath
?nade thee free.

Stand faft : Thi3 Word implies Oppo-
fition. Satan, and Unbelief will oppofe thy
{landing where free Grace hath fet thee -,
and that legal Spirit that remains, even in
God's free Children themfelves, will oppofe
their ftanding faft in this Liberty. Satan
feeks to draw God's free Children into
Bondage- Frames ; becaufe he knows how
much Difhonour it carts upon their Re-
deemer, and that glorious Liberty where-
with he has made them free ; and alfo be-
caufe he knows how much it will entangle,
and perplex their Souls, and hinder their
Peace, Joy, and Ufefulnefs. Oh ! he hates
to fee us iland [Fad:} in this glorious Li-
berty 3 he envies Chrift the Honour, and
us the Comfort of this great Salvation.
Watch therefore againft all the Allauks of
the Enemy, from what Quarter foever they
come ; and endeavour to keep thy Ground,
and to ftand it out bravely in Faith ; hav-
ing on the Br ea ft -plate of Righteoufnefs ,
H 5 (Chiiil's

( »73 )
(ChrifVs Righteoufnefs) thy Loins girt a-
bout with Truth, (the Truth of God in the
Promife, and the Truth of Chrift's Salvati-
on) thy Feet f:od with the Preparation of
the Go/pel of Peace, for an Helmet, the
Hope of Salvation, and praying akcavs with
all Prayer and Supplication in the Spirit \
watching thereunto with all Perjeverance :
For this will tend to thy Redeemer's Ho-
nour, and to thy Comfort. And remem-
ber, that whatever Enemy attacks thy Faith
hates thy Lord, and his Glory ; and hates
thee too,, thy prefent Joy, and future Crown,
Therefore be ftrong, and play the Man ;
and know, that if the Enemies mould pre-
vail at times, to bring thee into Bondage-
Frames, yet they mall never bring thee into
a Bondage-State. No, for thou art re-
deemed out of the Houfe of Servants ; Thou
art no. more a Servant, but a Son ; and if a
Son,, then an Heir of God thro' Chrift.
Wherefore, my Beloved Brother, So jiand
fa/tin the LORD!

In him J am Tours, &c.

LET-

( m )

LETTER XXVII.
To Mr. P. N.

Dcdr Friend,

C^l Race be with you, Mercy, and Peace
~f from God the Father, and the Lord
Jefus Chrift.

When I was determined to write to our
dear Brother, and Sifters, you being, I trull,
a longing Soul, I found a Deiire to have
lbmewhat to fend unto you. And that
Word was brought to my Mind, Rev. xxii.
1 7. And the Spirit and the Bride Jay, Come.
And let him that heareih fay, come. And
let him that is a thir/t come. And whojo-
ever will, let him take the Water of Life
freely. This Scripture will doubtlefs have
its full Accomplishment in the New fe-
rufalem State of the Church -, but yet there
is a Voice in it now, a Sound of Abundance
of Grace unto every poor Soul that is let a
longing for Chrift, and his Salvation.

Thefe are the Words of the Lord Jefus

Chrift, who fent his Angel unto his Servant

John, to tejtify thefe Things in the Churches,

v&Ver. 16. In this- 17 Verfe he continues

H 6 hi3

( i8o)

his Speech, and tells us who they are whicfi
proclaim the Grace of the Gofpel to poor
Sinners, and invite them to partake of it.
And,

Firft, Here is the [Spirit], the Holy
Ghoft, who was given upon Chrift's Afcen-
iion, to glorify him in the Churches, and in
the Hearts of all God's Chofen. The Spirit
faith , Come. He that fearcheth the Depths
of God, the Depth of his Counfels, Cove-
nant and Promifes, that knows what vaft
Provisions of Grace are made for poor Sin-
ners, and what infinite Love towards 'em,
and Readinefs to receive 'em, there is in the
Heart of God the Father, and in the Heart
of Jefus Chrilt, He fays,Gw/^ This Word
[Come], notes out that Fulneis of Grace
^nd Glory, which is provided for the Sup-
ply of poor Sinners in the Lord Jefus Chrilr,
that Readinefs there is to receive 'em, and
gracious Invitation which he gives unto
them. ■ Come, as if he mould lay, For all

* things are now ready -, all Grace and Glory
1 your needy Souls can want, for Time or

* Eternity. C&me, .Chrift's and his Father's
1 Heart and Arms ftand open wide to em-
' brace you. Come, the Lord invites you
f to come, and partake of all freely ; you
4 are welcome to all his Grace ; it is his

* Will that you fhould come, it is his De-

1 fire

i 181)

c fire that you fhould come ; therefore
c come away fpeedily \ Thus the Spirit
faith, Come. And he faith fo, as a Com-
forter in Office, as fent from the Father
and the Son to draw poor Sinners unto Je-
fus Chrift ; which Work of his, he glori-
oufly and efficacioufly performs> when
he fpeaks unto the Heart ; and thereby, at
once, fweetly allures and conftrains the
Soul to come. Oh the efficacious Drawing
of the Holy Ghoft ! Never had any Soul
feen Chrift's Beauty, been fick of Love for
him, or have come unto him for Life,, if
the Holy Ghoft had not allured it by in-
finite Sweetnefs, and drawn it by Almighty
Power ! The Spirit faith. Come ; and there-
by he draws poor Souls into conjugal A$-
fedtions to the Lord Jefus Chrift, a vifible
conjugal Relation to him, and Communion
with him. And upon this, Chrift hath a
Bride, a vifible Church on Earth. And
therefore,

Secondly, The Bride faith, Come. The
[Bride] ; Believers congregated in Gofpel-
Order, gather'd into a Church-relation, by -
folemn Covenant, giving up themfelves unto
Chrift as their Head and Husband, and
profeffing Subjection to him. And this
Church, the Bride, is filled the City of God,

Pfalv

( t& )

Pfal.xlvi.4. where the Cryftal Streams of the
River of Water of Life run. And fhe,having
had fuch rich Experience of that Fulnefs of
Life and Grace that dwells in, and flows
thro' her Beloved, to the fatiating of her
longing Appetite; and alfo fuch rich Dis-
coveries, that there is in him, not only in-
finitely enough for her, but alfo for all the
Chofen of God, even unto the World's End :
{he, from her own Experience, and at the
Command of her Lord and Husband, pro-
claims, by her Miniflers, thefe glad Tidings 3
and invites poor Sinners unto Chrift, the
Fountain of Life, to drink, yea, drink abun-
dantly. c Come, fays the Bride, (unto poor
1 awakened Souls) I was once as miferable
1 as you, as poor and thirfiy as you ; but
•■ when the Spirit faid, Come, I ventur'd in
4 to my Lord and Husband, as God's Sai-

* vation for the Chief of Sinners ; when I<

* was almoft' famifhed with Thirft, and
1 ready to faint away with Longings after
« Jefus Chrift, and Fears that I fhould not

* find him ; when I was juft ready to-

* perifh, under the apprehended Wrath of

* God, the Temptations of Satan, and the

* Corruptions of my own Heart and Ways (i

* and I found in him- my Saviour, a pure
' River of Water of L//^, which is infinitely
4 enough to fatisfy and folace me thro'

c Time,

( i83 )

1 Time, and to Eternity 5 yea, I found in
c Chrift, not only an infinite Fulnefs of
E> Life, but alio an infinite Freenefs to
1 communicate the fame, notwithstanding
1 all my Unworthinefs. And as I found
8 enough in Chrift for me, fo in him I fee
c an inexhauftible Fulnefs for you, an in--
4 finite Store, that can never be drawn dry !
4 And this my Lord and Head bids me to

* proclaim unto you, and invite you to
4 come. Come therefore, you, my Com-
4 panionSy that hearken to my Voice y you

* longing Souls, that are fet athirji for the
4 Water of Life 5 venture in to Chrift, and
c take your Fill of all his Grace ; For it is
c- a River of Life, that is full, free, and
4 everlafting ! Thus the Bride faith, Come.
^ But in the next place,

Thirdly y Chrift commands him that
heareth to fay, Come. And let him that
\ heareth]y<3>', Come. This may denote par-
ticular Believers, who have Ears to hear
what the Spirit faith to the Churches , and.
likewise what the Bride fays to poor Sin-
ners in her Beloved's Name : And thefe,
tho' not join'd to Chrift's vifible Church,
(and lb diftinguifhed from the Bride) from
their own Experience of his Grace, and
from thofe Difcernings they have had of
what the Spirit and the Bride fay, are com-

m anded

( 1 84 )

9 manded to fay, Come. 'Tis as if Cbrift
1 fhouldfay, you my Children, that are afraid

* to follow me in theOrdinancesofmyHoufe,

* who have not yet arrived to that Strength
€ of Faith, and vifible Love- Communion

* with me as my Bride hath, don't you be

* filent ; do you fay, Come : Tell poor Sin-
c ners what you have feen and heard of
■ me, and invite em to come ; concern

* yourfelves in that glorious Work in which
c the -Spirit and the Bride are employ 'd,
1 and in which my Heart is fo deeply en-
c gaged \ And Chrift, by this Command,
not only binds them to this Duty, but like-
wife gives them Strength for the Perform-
ance of it ; he hereby fpeaks into Being
what he calls for ; as he did, when he faid^
Let there be Light, and there was Light.
And fo it carries in it a prophetic Defcripti-
on of what fuch Souls do, and mall fay :
But it is put in the Form of a Command,
to excite their Obedience ; becaufe of the
Backwardnefs of fuch Souls to proclaim
Chrift and his Grace to others, who are
under prevailing Fears themfelves, or at
kail: not fo openly favoured with Com-
munion with Jefus Chrift as his Bride is.
Let him that heareth Jay, Come. And
then,

Fourthly^

( i8j )

Fourthly, The Lord Jefus Chrift him-
felf comes in and fays, And let him that is
athirft Come : And whofo'ever will, let him
take the Water of Life freely. Thefe arc
the Words of Chrift, who once died, and
now lives to fave Sinners -, in which he de-
clares his infinite All- Sufficiency to fave
them to the uttermofl, his Readinefs to re-
ceive 'em, and the kind Invitation he gives
'em to partake of all his Grace ; and to an-
fwer all the Objections which are apt to
rife in the Hearts of fuch that are athirft
for the Water of Life, he makes this royal
Proclamation from his Throne : Andwbo-
Joeverwill, let him take the Water of Life
freely.

And now, my dear Friend, how is it
with thee ? Haft thou feen thy Sin and
Mifery by Nature, that thou art utterly
undone without Chrift ? Haft thou had
any Difcernings of his Beauty, and All-
Sufficiency to five, even the Chief of Sin-
ners ? And haft thou been fet a longing,
a thirfting after an Intereft in him, and his
Salvation ? Why, thou art the Perfon thus
invited to come. The Spirit, the Bride ,
and he that heareth jay, Come. And left,
after all, thou fhouldft be afraid that Chrift's
Heart is not towards thee, He fays Come ;
and what wouldft thou have more ? Oh !

grie<i

( i86 )

grieve nof the Holy Spirit, by flighting his
Call, do not flight the Bride's Voice in her
Minifters, nor yet the Voice of him that
heareth, nor fniit thine Ear to the Call of
Chrift himfelf ! Thou art call'd, and call'd
again. Art thou cthirft ? Thou art the
Man that Chrift calls to come unto him
and drink. But it may be thou wilt fay,
' I am athirft for Life and Salvation by
1 Jefus Chriit ; but I am afraid I am not
■ one of them that it is defigned for ; and
* I am fo unworthy, I am afraid it will
c never be beftowed upon me \ Thefe
thy Fears Chrift forefaw, and provided a
Cordial for thee beforehand. Liften there-
fore, and receive in Faith, the Life-giving
Words of his Mouth, in this royal Procla-
mation from his Throne :• Aid ivhofoever
will, let him take the JVater of Life freely.
He fays, Wbofcever [Will] : Haft thou \
Will ? Thou art the Man he fpeaks to, as
much as if there was never another in the
World in thy Cafe. Aye, fay ft thou, c I
c have a Will, but I have no Worthinefs;
c my Heart hangs back, I am afraid to
c venture \ Hark then, what he favs unto
this. Let hi?n take the Water of Life freely.
[Let] him, &c\ This is ChrifVs Grant of
Life and Salvation unto thee. Oh ! Open
the. Mouth of Faith, and take thy Fill.

Chrift

( *87 )

Chrift bids thee take the Water of Life
freely. [Freely] ! This will reach thy Cafe,
if thou waft the moil unworthy Creature
under Heaven : For here's no Condition,
nothing to be done by thee to procure or
earn this Water of Life. No, it is fet
abroach freely, for thy thirfty Soul to take
its Fill both here and hereafter. Again
[Freely] ! Tis as if Chrift mould fay,
Drink, yeay drink abundantly : Thou needft
not fear drinking the River of Life dry :
There's fuch an infinite Abundance of
Grace and Life in me, that thou mayft
take thy Fill, however large thy Defires
are -, and when thou haft it, there will be
never the lefs in me. There's an infinite
Fulnefs of Grace and Life in Chrift,. for
every thirfty Souh And this mines forth
in the World [The], Let him take the
Water of Life ; not [Of] the Water of
Life y as if one was call'd to take one Part,
and another another, juft as much as they
needed. No, Chrift calls every thirfty Soul
that has a Will, a Defire to be faved by
him, to take up and pofTefs by Faith, all
that infinite Fulnefs of endlefs Life and
Glory that is in him. To take it all up at
once, and live upon it as its own, in the
Right of it, as well as to derive thence a
prefent and fucceffive Supply of all its

Wants

( i88 )
Wants thro* Time, and to Eternity. So;
that here is Grace enough for thee ; 'tis as
full as it is free ; and in both refpec?cs it is i
infinite ! Come therefore, at ChrifVs Call,
and venture thro* ten thoufand Difficulties,
to take the Water of Life freely. Come as
thou canft,take in as much as thou canfl: ; at-
tempt thy Duty -y Chrift will ftrengthen thy
Faith ere thou art aware. And if thou canfl
take but now and then a Sip of the Water of
Life, know, for thy Comfort, that the
whole River of it is thine.

One more, does Chrift fay, Come, Let him
take, &c. Thefe Words have in 'em, not
only the fweeteft Invitation, but alfo, an
efficacious Voice of thy Saviour, as thy
King 3 which, in his own Time, will ripen
thy Faith into that Motion he now calls
for ;. and command off thine Enemies,
which now hinder thy coming, and taking
the Water of Life freely.

Grace be with thy Spirit.

lam Tours in Chrift % &c.

L E T-

( *89)

LETTER XXVIII.
To Afr.E.S.

Dear Brother,

CI Race and Peace be multiplied unto
J you, from God our Father, and our
Lord Jefus Chrift, by God the Comforter.

When I had concluded to write to the
reft of our dear Friends, I was defirous to
fend a Line unto you, as a Token of my
Love ; and that Word dropt on my Heart
for you, PfaL xlv. 2. Thou art fairer
than the Children of Men.

I know that you have fccn much of
ChrijTs Beauty, Excellency, and Glory al-
ready, to the attracting your Soul after
him, to the transforming you into his Like-
nefs, and to the filling of you with Joy un-
fpeakable, and glorious : But there is yet
more, infinitely more to be beheld in your
Beloved, who is the Chief eft often thoufand,
and altogether lovely !

You

( J9° )

You have feen much of the Beauty of
the Saints, which has drawn out your
Love, and knit your Soul to 'em, as your
own Company, as the 'Excellent of the Earth,
in whom is all your Delight. They are
indeed Jewels in Chrijl's Efteem, and have
a fparkling Glory on them; but remember,
'tis his Sun-like Face that cafls their Luftre;
they mine forth in the Glory of his Rays.
Theirs is but a derived Beauty from his in-
comparable Fairnefs ! and is no more, if
compar'd wTith his, than the fmalleft Atome
to the whole Mafs of Earth, a Drop to the
Ocean, or a Beam to the Sun ! No, nor fo
much neither : For Chri/t is fairer, infinite-
ly fairer than thefe, who are the faireft of
the Sons of Men. Some of the Saints
mine forth more eminently in one Grace,
and fome in another ; and a Difference
will be feen among the Harry Glories of the
firft Refurredtion : But all Excellencies
meet in Chri/ty as the Circumference-Lines
in their Center, as the fcatter'd Beams in
the Body of the Sun. So that look upon
the faireft of the Children of Men, in their
faireft Condition, in this World or that to
come, and Chrift far exceeds them all.
But oh, my weak Eye ! How little can I
take in of the Glory of this bright Ob-
ject!

( W )

jeft ! Oh, how little have Ifeen ! And
how little can I lay of his Soul-ravifhing
Beauty ! of his adorable Excellency !
I would only point you to him, my
Brother, and fay, as John the Baptiji,
Behold the Lamb of God !

Behold the Chrift of God ! Look up-
on him in his tranfcendent Fairnefs ; he's
fairer than the Children of Men : Fairer,
in his Relations, as Head, Husband, Bro-
ther, Friend, &c. fairer in his Love,
Mercy, Grace, Wifdom, Power, Faith-
fulnefs, &c. Fairer, in his Covenant-En-
gagements -y fairer, in his Conception and
Birth ; fairer, in the Performances of his
Life; fairer, in the wonderful Atchieve-
ments of his Death ; fairer, in his great
Refurrection ; fairer, in his glorious Af-
ceniion ; fairer, in his Exaltation now
in Heaven : And as he now is, (by Co-
venant-Settlement) fo he will ere long

appea

fairer than the Children of Men

in his Glory-Reign y and fairer alfo in
his laft great Judgment of Men and De-
vils, at the End of Time : And then
among the innumerable Company of glo-
rified Saints and Angels, he'll fhine forth
for ever, as infinitely fairer than the
Children of Men ! while himfelf, their

eternal

( «9* )

eternal Sun, darts forth upon them all
their bright and endlefs Glory ! But
oh, the unfearchable Riches of Cbri/t's
Fairnefs ! Neither Men nor Angels can
fully know, or fet it forth !

That the God of our Lord Jefus Chrift,
the Father of Glory, may grant unto you
the Spirit of Wifdom and Revelation in the
Knowledge of him, who is infinitely fairer
than the Children of Men , to the changing
you into the fame Image from Glory to Glory >
to the preparing you for abundant Ufe-
fulnefs in this prefent Time, and a weigh-
ty Crown at Chriffs Appearing, is the ear-
neft Defire of

Tours, in our own Lord Jefus, &c.

LETTER XXIX.

To Mrs. E. G.

Dear Friend in the Lord,

C*1 Race unto you, and Peace from
~J God our Father, and from Jefus
Chrift our Lord.

Having heard of your prefent Diftrefs,

by reafon of atheijtical Thoughts, I was

2 willing

( 193 )

willing to write fome what unto you. And
I would advife, as the Lord fhall enable
you, to three Things. As,

i . Be not over-much caft down by rea-
fon of your prefent Exercife. For the fame
Afflictions are accompliJJS d in your Brethren
which are in the World. Think not your
Cafe Angular : For many of God's Chil-
dren have been engag'd with the Powers
of Darknefsy in the fame Combat that you
.now are ; and thro* the Captain of their
Salvation, have got a triumphant Victory
over them.

2. When thefe vile Thoughts prefs in
upon your Mind, endeavour to caft them
out with as much Lothing, and as little
Diftrefs as you can. This was Mr. J erne-
ways Advice to a Friend of his, troubled
with blafphemous Thoughts, " They are,
<c fays he, the Morfels which Satan would
" have you fwallow down ". And there-
fore caft them out with Lothing $ but be
not diftreffed : For they are not your Sins,
any further than confented to, " They
" are, fay he, Satan's Strivings to ravifh the
u Spoufe of Jefus ; for which he fhall pay
u dear one Day ". And fo far as they are
a Burden, an Affliction to the Soul, fo far
as it crys out againft them, fo far they are a
I Force

( *94 )
Force put upon it. And the Cafe is the
lame with that of the betrothed Dam/el,
under the Law, who was not to die, if a
Man met her in the Field, and forc'd her ;
becaufe (he cried out, and there was none
to deliver her, Dent. xxii. 25, 26,27. But
iuppofe the worft that can be, that thy
Heart joins with Satan herein, and fo thou
becomeft guilty, and filthy hereby : (And
how far our wicked Hearts join Iflue with
Satan in his vile Suggeftions, God only
knows; I am apt to think, we feldom, if
ever, come off without fome Meafure of
Guilt and Defilement). Yet thou haft no
Reafon to be diftreffed with a defponding
Fear, as if there was no Help for thee in
God. For were thy Sins ten thoufand
times more and greater than they are, the
Multitude of God's great Mercies infinite-
ly exceed them. And if he refolve to be
gracious to thee, and to fhew Mercy on
thee, down they muft fall before pardoning
Grace, and overflowing Mercy, as the
Egyptians did, in the Red-Sea, and rife no
more to condemn thee. Were thy Sins as
ScarktyVtd like Crimjbn, the Blood of Chri/i
can make thee white as Snow. And there-
fore,

3. Whenever Sin and Satan affault you,
labour, upon the firft Onfet, to flee for Re-
fuge

( '95 )

fuge to the Hope jet before you ; to hafte
away to Chrijl, that Man who is an Hiding-
Place from the Wittd, a Covert from the
Tempejl, as Rivers of Water in a dry Place \
and the Shadow of a great Rock in a weary
Land, Ifa. xxxii. 2.

Doth the Wind of Temptation blow
hard upon thee ? Chrijl is an Hiding-Place
from the Wind. Not only from the Wind,
the great Whirlwind of God's Wrath,
which fhall drive away all that are found
out of Chrifi, like Chaff] into everlafting
Burnings -, but he is alio an Hiding- Place
from the Wind of Satan's Temptations,
where thou mayft be exceeding fafe from
all Harm, in the moft evil Day that can
befal thee. The Name of the Lord, the
Lord Jefus the great Saviour, is a jirojig
Tower for a poor Sinner ; Oh ! run into
it; and thou (halt be fafe, Prov. xviii. 10.
Do, as the Pfalmiji laid he would, PfaL
lvii. 1 . Under the Shadow of thy Wings will
I make my Refuge, until the fe Calamities are
overpaft. Doft thou fee thy Sinfulnefs and
Mifery by Nature, doth the Enemy purfue
thy Soul ? Hath he fmitten thy Life down
to the Ground, doft thou feel the Pain of
his fiery Darts, and can ft thou not do any
thing to fave or deliver thyfelf from the
Wrath to come, from that inexpreilible
I 2 1 and

( i96 )

and eternal Mifery which is the due Defert
of every Tranfgreflion ? Why, Chrift calls
thee to look unto him, as once made Sin
and a Curfe for poor Sinners, by whole
Stripes we are healed. He fays, Look unto
me, and be ye faved, all the Ends of the
Earth, Ifa. xlv. 22. Oh, caftup thine Eye
therefore unto a once crucified Jefus ; fee
him, bearing Sin, and the Wrath of God,
and making a full Satisfaction to divine
Juftice for fucn poor Souls that fee they
have not a Mite to pay ; fee him, con-
flicting with the Powers of Darknefs, and
gaining a complete Victory over them, that
we might be deliver'd from Satan, who
had the Power of Death. Yea, caft up thine
Eye toarifen Jefus j fee him, difcharg'd
from Sin, having for ever made an End of
its fee him, jbffify'd in the Name and
Room of poor Sinners, who have no Righte-
oufnefs of their own, to ftand in before God ;
fee him, afcending up on high, leading
Captivity captive, that we might be fet
free ; fee him, enthron'd at God's right
Hand, exalted as a Prince and a Saviour,
to give Repentance unto Ifrael and Remijjion
of Sins 5 and as a companionate High-
Priefr, that knows how to fuccour the
Tempted, having once fuffer'd himfelf,
being tempted in all Points like as we are,

that

( *97 )
that he might fympathize with us under
Temptations,fhiekl and fupport us in thern,
and deliver us from them : View him as
he ever liveth to make Interceffion, and as
fiich, able to feme to the utter mo ft, all them
that come unto God by kirn. Thus look
unto Chrift the great Saviour, as an undone
Sinner in thyfelf, for thy own Salvation $
caft thy Soul into his Arms, at the Feet
of his Mercy, and reft upon His faithful
Promife : He fays, Thou jhalt be faved.
He bids thy weary, heavy laden Soul, to
come unto him ; and he has promis'd to
give thee Re/t, Matt. xi. 28. His Arms
Itand wide open to embrace thee ; and he's
infinitely more willing to receive thee, than
thou can ft be to commit thy Soul into
his Hands. Then venture, with innume-
rable Sins, innumerable Fears, and thro'
innumerable Oppositions, to caft thyfelf
upon Chrift ;, the mighty Saviour, and thou
(halt be laved to the uttermoft. Thou
muff believe, or die 5 reft upon Chrift, and
run into him, or perifh : Therefore itand
not to heiitate whether he will fave thee,
or not ; but venture in unto him, and fay,
with Efther, I will go in unto the King, and
if Iperijh, IperiJJ: ; and the royal Scepter
of his Grace (hall be holden out, for thee
to touch, and live. Doth Satan alTault
I 3 thee

( i98 )

thee with the Wind of Temptation, to
drive thee away from Chrift ? Oh, run
the fafter to him, and he'll hide thee from
all Evil, and fcreen thee from all Danger :
For never did any Soul perifh, or want Suc-
cour, that fed unto Chrift for Refuge,
He will cover thy Head in the Day of
Battle, and fend thee fuitable Grace and
Strength,accordingto thy Day of Trial. Chrift
has all the Legio?is of Devils in his Power,
and gathers the Wind of Temptation in his
Fifty as well as he doth the natural Wind.
And in Meafure when it fhooteth forth, he
will debate with it. He'll not fuffer you to
be tempted above that you are able, but will
with the Temptation make a Way to efcape,
that you may be able to bear it, I fa. xxvii. 8.
i Cor. x. 13. He'll not let it blow too
hard upon thee while it lafts ; nor will he
let it blow upon thee always neither. For
he is full of Companion, and will not always
chide. He knoweth cur Frame -, and re-
membreth that we are Duft, Pfal. ciii. 14.
He knows the Power of Temptations, the
Pain of Satan's fiery Darts ; having once
felt them in the Days of his Flefh : And
therefore from his own Experience, he'll
not only fympathize with thee in them, but
graciouily deliver thee from them. He'll
rebuke the Tempter, and caufe the Wind

of

( *99 )
of Temptation to ceafe, and create a Calm
in thy toffed, troubled Soul, by a Word of
his Power, when the appointed Moment
of thy Deliverance is come ; as he rebak'd
the natural Wind, and it obey'd him,
Mar. iv. 39. Therefore run to Chrift for
Shelter; and refifithe Devil, and he'll flee
jrom you, Jam. iv. 7. When he fees that
thofe very Temptations, by which he de-
fign'd to drive you away from Chrift, are
a Means of your fleeing the fafter to
him.

Again, do the Waves of inward Cor-
ruption, agitated by Satan, beat vehement-
ly againft thy Soul, like a mighty Tempeft,
which threatens to fwallow thee up ? Chrift
is a Covert from this Tempeft : Run unto
him therefore, as once made Sin, and now
exalted to fave Sinners, and thou malt be
fecure from all Harm. Sin mall never con-
demn that Soul, that flees unto Chrift for
Salvation. No, Chriffs Death will be the
Death of Sin, and the Life of that Soul,
that flees unto him for Safety. Chrift
crucify'd, is fuch a Covert from the Tem-
peft, to the Soul that runs into him, that
not a Drop of divine Wrath mail ever light
upon it. Chrift has fo born Sin, Curfe, and
the Wrath of God, that he hath for ever
born it away from that Soul : And God as
I 4 the

( 200 )

the God of Peace, freely, fully, and eternal"
ly forgives all its Iniquities, even ail man-
ner of Sin and Blaiphemy whatever, where-
by it has tranfgreffed againft him. And as
Chrift is a Covert from the Tempeft of Sin,
in its condemning Power j fo alfo from its
tyranizing Power, unto every Soul that flees
unto Him for Relief. He will fubdue our
Iniquities for us, as well as cajl all our Sins
into the Depths of the Sea, Mic. vii. 1 8 . Chrift
can keep thee from fainting in the Combate,
and enable thee to hold out in the Storm 4,
until the Jet Time to favour thee, in a peace-
ful Calm, come. And then, with one
Word of his Mouth, hell jilence the Bil-
lows of Corruption ; as, in the Days of his
Flefh, he commanded the Sea. and it obevd
him -, as well as the Wind, and it ceajed. For
he ruleth the raging of the Sea of Corruption,
when the Waves thereof ari/e, he flilleth
them -, as he doth the Raging of the Wa-
ters in the natural Sea, when it is moft tem-
peftuous ; faying, Hitherto fait thou come,
and no further -, and Here Jhall thy proud.
Waves be fayed, Pfal. lxxxix. 9. Job. xxxviii.
1 1 . How bleiTed then are thofe Souls who
take Sanctuary under the Shadow of his
Wings ! That harbour in him, who is a'
Covert from the Tempeft !

Further,

( «« )

Further, is thy thirfty Soul almoft
parch'd up with the Heat of Temptations?
Is the World a dry Place to thee, that car/ ft
not afford thee one Drop of spiritual Re-
frefhment, or Soul-Confolation ? In this
Cafe, Chrift is as Rivers of Water in a dry
Place. As cold Waters to a thirfiy Tra-
veller, that's ready to famifli for Third,
under the parching Beams of the Sun ;
fo, and much more is Chrift, unto the Soul
that panteth after him. Oh, the reviving
Efficacy j the tranfeendent Sweetnefs, the
abundant Fulnefs of Chrift y as the Foun-
tain of Grace, unto that Soul that is ready
to per if j for Want of it -} when once it is led
by the Spirit, to lay the Mouth of its Faith
to this Fountain of living Water ! Here it
may Drink its Fill, and bathe itfelf in.
Pleafures, with Joy unfpeakabie and full,
of Glory ! Nor is he only as Waters in a
dry Place, when Chrift and the Soul firft
meet, for its prefent Refreshment; but he is
alio, as Rivers of Water, for its conftant
Supply. Chrift is not like a failing Brooky
which in the Summer's Drought deceives
the thirfty Traveller ; which, perhaps, was
once full for his Refrefliment, but now
empty, and can afford him none : But
Chrift is as a River, a broad River with
Streams. For fo this Glorious LORD will

I 5 be

( 202 )

be unto us, Ifa. xxxiii. 21. while pafiing
thro* this Land of Drought, this Wilder-
nefs -World, unto the Heavenly Canaan.
He'll be a River of Life, for Fulnefs, to
fupply our Wants, however great our Ne-
ceffities be ; a River, for Freenefs, how-
ever unworthy we are ; and a River, for
Duration, to fupply us continually ; yea, as
Rivers of Water in a dry Place : There is in
Chrifty not only a full, free, and perpetual
Supply of Grace ; but of all kinds of
Grace : There is in him a glorious Variety,
that is every way fufficient to anfwer all
our Wants, to fatisfy all our Defires, and
to fill us with all kinds of heavenly Plea-
fures and new Delights, thro' Time, and to
Eternity ! He'll be as Rivers of Water of
Life unto us here in Grace, and hereafter
m Glory ! Then hafte away to this living
Supply !

Once more, Is thy Soul weary, and al-
moft tired out, by reafon of the continual
Perfecution of the Enemy, which, like the
Sun upon Travellers in hot Countries,
beats upon thy Head, and makes thee ready
to faint and die for want of a little re-
freshing Shade ? Why, Chrift is alfo as the
Shadmv of a great Rock in a weary Land,
in this weary Wildernefs. Come, fit down
tinder his Shadow, and thou fhalt find great
2 Delight,

( "3 )
Delight. His cooling Shade will refiefh
and comfort thy weary Soul. He is as
the Shadow of a Rock, which none of
the penetrating Beams of the San can pierce
thro', to moleft or annoy thee ; of a great
Rock, that is large enough to cover thee
all over. Here thou mayft fit, and take an
holy Eafe : For this Rock will defend thee
from all Harm and Danger : Aye, and
which is more, this Rock will fupply thee
with all heavenly Necefiaries. For here-
in, CJjrift tranfcends all natural Rocks.

A weary Traveller may be glad to em-
brace the Rock for a Shelter, and fit down
under its Shade for a while, to refrefh him
from the fcorching Sun : But if he fit there
long, he may ftarve and die for want of
Suitenance : For nothing; of that Nature
can the flinty Rock afford him. But 'tis
not fo with that Soul who fits down un-
der the Rock, Chrijt. No, wherever Chrijt
is a Rock for Defence, he is alio a Fountain,
a Store-houfe for Supply. To that Soul that
has the Munition cj Rocks for its Defence,
Bread, the Bread of Life, {hall be given,
and its Waters, of Confolation, fhall be
fure, Ifa. xxxii. 16. Thus the Spoufe,
fpeaking of Chrijt under the Metaphor of
an Apple -Tree, I fat down, fays me, under
his Shade with great Delight, and his
I 6 Fruit

( 2°4 )

Fruit was fweet unto my Tafte, Cant. ii.
3. There is in Chrift, all kinds of re-
freshing Shade, and all kinds of nourifhing
Supply. And, in a Word, there's enough
for thee in him, to fave thee from all
Mifery, unto all Glory, thro' all Times,
and unto all Eternity ! But what fhall I
fay ? There's more in Chrift than Words
can exprefs, than the Tongue of Men and
Angels can tell out, or their Hearts con-
ceive, to an endlefs Eternity ! Oh, Come
and fee ! Come, and tafte, that the Lord
is Good! and bleffedare allthofe who put their
truft in him, Pfal. xxiv. 8.

And now that you may be drawn by the
Cords of Love into the fwifteft Motion after
Chrift, and the neareft Communion with
him, to your full Joy, and complete De-
liverance, is the earneft Defire of,

Tour AffeEiionate Friend, and humble
Servant in the Lord, &c.

LET-

( 205 )

LETTER XXX.

To Mrs. E. B.

Dear and honour d Siller,

C^l Race unto you, and Peace be multi-
~J plied, from God our Father, and our
Lord Jefus Chrift, by the blefiecl Com-
forter.

I am given to underftand by Sifter J--n,
That you are exercis'd, both with Afflicti-
on of Body, and Darknefs of Soul ; and I
fympathize with you herein. But think it
not Jlrange, my dear Sifter, concerning the
fiery Trials you meet with, as if fofne
jlrange Thing had happen d unto you. Re-
member, the LORD hath his Fire in
Zion, and his Furnace in Jerufalem. I fa.
xxxi. 9. to refine, not to deftroy his
People. God fends Afflictions upon his
Children for their good : Sin and Satan,
indeed aim at our Deftruction herein ; but
God bounds their Rage, and over-rules their
Malice, to iffue in his own Glory, and our
Salvation. The Defign of Sin and Satan,
is, the Deftruclion of our Graces, as well
as of our Perfons i and therefore they blow

up

( 206 )

up the Fire of Affliction to the utmoft,
and would continue it until we are con-

* fumed. But, c Hold, fays the Lord, my
c Children are my Gold, precious in my

* Efteem ; and they mull pafs thro* the
c Fire to be refined, but not lie there till
c they fuffer Lofs \ And therefore when
we are in the Furnace, our God fits by, to
fee that the Fire be not too hot, nor con-
tinued too long upon us -y as the Refiner
watcheth his Gold, manages it while in the
Furnace, and takes it out thence, when it
is fully purify'd, Mai, iii. 3.

Well then, my dear Sifter, fince you are
one of them who are precious in the Sight
of the Lord, you muft pafs thro' the Fire of
Afflictions But fince it is the LORD'S
Fire, which he has appointed, which he
manageth, and which he'll reftrain at his
Pleafure, truft thyfelf in the Hands of thy
infinitely wife and gracious Refiner, and
thou [halt come out of it, both with prefent
and eternal Advantage. This Affliction,
as an Inftrument in the Hand of God, the
Almighty Agent, is at Work upon thee,
and for thee, to exercife and increafe thy
Graces here, and to prepare thee for thy
future Crown. Therefore endure the Trial:
For blejjed is the Man that endureth Temp-
tation:

( 207 )

tdtion : For when he is tried, he Jhall re-
ceive the Crown of Life, which the Lord
has promised to them that love him, Jam. i.

12.

But it may be, you will fay, Aye, if
I was fure that I was one that lov'd God,
I mould patiently wait for, and expect an
happy Iflue : But I am afraid left I mould
deceive myfelf, deceive others, and at laft
come fhort of that Reft which remains
for the People of God.

As to thefe thy Fears, and ten Thoufand
more of a like Nature, which may arife in
thy Heart in a Time of Darknefs, they are
altogether groundlefs ; and tho' they may
rob thee of thy Comfort, they cannot rob
thee of thy Safety in Chrift, nor of that
Inheritance which is referved for thee in
Heaven. No, Hefted be God, you are
ftill juft where Free-Grace fet you : God
has fixt you in his Son, and laid you, by
Faith, upon Him the Rock of Ages -, and
now, your Salvation (lands as immoveable
as the Rock on which it is founded. The
Rain may defend, the Floods come, and the
Winds blow, all kind of Afflictions and
Temptations together, may beat vehement-
ly againft your Faith of Safety in Chrift,
but your Security in him fhall never fall ;

becaufe

( 2Cf8 )

becaufe founded upon a Rock, that is able to
bear the greateft Weights which are laid
upon it, and to fecure the Building from aU-
Danger, in the greater!: Strefs of Weather
which can poffibly befal it. The Rock of
Immutability is ftill beneath you ; and un-
lefs Chrift could fink, your Soul, the Sal-
vation of it, I mean, that leans upon him,
can never fall. You may fall as to your
Frames, but can never fuftain one Shake as
to your State. No ; The Foundation God
has laid in Sion, is a Stone, a trfd Stone,
a precious Corner-flone, a fare Foundation ->
and he that believeth on him, pall not be con-
JbundedJ&L.xxvm. 16. i Peter ii.6. And now,
let all the Obje&ions be brought out, that
all the Legions of Devils, and Armies of
Corruptions combin'd, can raife againft the
Salvation of that Sinner that looks unto
Chrift for Life, and down they muft fall
before the Grace of this Promife : God's
Word fhall ftand, to the eternal Salvation
of that Soul, and the Confufion of all its
Enemies.

The Lord well knew, what mighty Af-
faults would be made upon the Faith and
Comfort of his Children, and therefore
added his Oath to his Great Word ; That
by two immmutable Things y in which it was

impof-

( 2°9 )
irnpojjible for God to lie, we might have a
ftrong Con [elation, rjoho have fled for Refuge
to lay hold upon the Hope that is fet before
us, Heb. vi. 18. And have not you, my dear
Siiter, in Times pari, fled unto Chrift for
Refuge ? Yea, don't you even now ? Dare
you flee unto any other than the Name of
the LORD, the great Saviour, as your
Jlrong Tower, for Safety ? And if you dare
not, why mould you queftion your Safety 5
fince God's Word affures you of it ? God
fays, The Soul that runneth into the Name
of the LORD, i§SAFE, Prov. xviii. 10.
Satan and Unbelief fay, Nay 9 and pro-
duce tQ\\ thoufand Evidences againft iuch
a Soul, in its own Heart and Life. And
thus there is a Strife : Well, God adds his
Oath 5 he comes in on the Side of his
Child, whofe Life feems to hang in Suf-
penfe ; and becaufe he can fwear by no great-
er, he fwears by H I MS E S F : That is,
he engages all the Perfections of his Great
BEING, for the Salvation of that poor
Sinner, who flees to Jefus, the fent Saviour :
and accordingly, as the infinitely Wife,
True, and Faithful God, gives Teftimony
of the fame ; which, with Reverence be
it fpoken, is the higheft ASSURANCE the
GODHEAD is capable of giving ! And if

the

( 210 )

the Witnefs of faithful Men is to be re-
ceive, the Witnefs of God is greater,
i John v. 9. And if an Oath among Men
is to them an End of all Strife ; what a Con-
firmation muft the Oath of JEHOVAH
be!

Well then, my dear Sifter, fince the
faithful God ftands for thy Salvation, on
the one Side, and the Powers of Darknefs
ftand againft it, on the other : I would fay
unto thee, as the Apoftles, in another Cafe,
Whether it be right in the Sight of God, to
hearken unto you (for thee to hearken unto
Sin and Satan) more than unto God, judge
ye. Attempt thy Duty then, oh thou
fearful-hearted one, by a frefh Aft of Faith,
as one of God's Witnefies, to fet to thy
Seal that He /jTRUE : To ftand thy
Ground, in the Liberty wherewith Chrifi
has made thee free -, even in the very Face
of the Enemy : (and well thou mayft,
fince the LORD ftands with thee) and thy
Soul fhall tread down Strength, and put to
Flight the Armies of the Aliens, Armies of
unbelieving Thoughts, mufter'd up by
Satan the Prince of Darknefs. And if
thou canft not fay, with Thomas, My Lord,
and my God-, yet indulge not that Monfter
Uhbelief, that dares, in the Face of fo much

Aflurance,

( sir )

Aflurance, to give the faithful God the
Lie ! But wherever the Enemy bears hard
upon thee, that thou (halt perifh ; endeavour
to flee to Chrift, as a helplefs, perifhing
Sinner, in thyfelf, and commit thy Soul
afrefh into his Hands, to be kept till the
Day of Redemption. And in fo doing, thou
wilt honour God, thy Soul will find Reft,
and Satan will be forc'd to flee. For when
he fees that thofe fiery Darts he moots at
thee, to drive thee off from Chrift, are a
Means to haften thy Flight to him, he'll
retire. Therefore learn the Art of War,
and ftand to thy Arms, as a valiant Soldier
of Jefus Chrift ; oppofing the Enemy wkh
the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word
of God; holding up Chrift by Faith, on
every Side, to refift the fiery Darts he
moots at thee, from what Quarter foever
they come. And if at any time he gives
thee a Foil, then run to thy Rock, and
hide thee, into the Name of the LORD,
thy Jlrong Tower, where thou (halt be
fafe, and fet aloft out of the Reach of thy
Enemies.

But it may be, thou wilt fay, c Alas,
I am fo confufed and dark, fo weak and
wounded, that I can neither ftand my
Ground for Chrift, nor run to him \

If

( 212 ) ,

If this be thy Cafe, then know for thy
Comfort, that the Captain of thy Salvation
ftands for thee, and will come to thee, when
thou canfl not come to him. Thy com-
panionate High Prieft has Bowels for thee,
every way proportionable to the Meafure.
of thy Diftrefs. He's a Man of Bowels,
Yea, the God of Bowels : The Companions
of our Gofpel High Prieft are infinite ! And
having himfelf Jitfferd, being tempted hi
all Points like unto us, he is able aifo, -from
an inward, experimental Feeling of the
Power of Temptations, to fuccour us when
tempted, And as he has an Ability of
Bowels to pity us, and an Ability of Strength
to help us j fo he has alfo Authority from
Iiis Father, the broad Seal of Heaven, to be
our Phyfician to heal us -, and he's faith-
ful to him that appointed him. So that our
Jefus is juft fuch a Saviour as we . need.
The Spirit of the Lord GOD, fays he, is
upon me, becanfe he hath anointed me to
preach good Tidings to the Meek -, he hath
fent me to bind up the Broken-hearted, to pro-
claim Liberty to the Captives, and the
Opening of the Prifon to them that are
bound -, To proclaim the acceptable Tear of our
LORD, and the Day of Vengeance of are
God, to comfort all that mourn ; To appoint

unto

( 2>3 )

unto them that mourn in Zion, to give them
Beauty for Aflies, the Oil of Joy for
Moumhig, the Garment of PraiJ'e for the
Spirit ofHeavinefs, that they might be called
Trees of Righteou/hefs, the Planting of the.
LORD, that he might be glorify d, Ifa, Ixi,
j, 2, 3. This was the Work the God of
all Grace fent him about • and oh, with
what amazing Tendernefs doth he perform
it ! He healeth the Broken in Heart , and
bindeth up their Wounds , PfaL cxlvii. 3.
He fays to the Prijoners, Go forth $ to
them that are in Darknefs, Shew your/elves $
and then again they feed in the Ways, and
their Pa/lures are in all high Places, They
/hall not hunger nor thir/l, neither jhall
the Heat nor Sun /mite them : For he that
hath Mercy on them Jhall lead them j even
by the Springs of Water jhall he guide
them, Ifa. xlix, 9, 10, And thus the Lord
Jefus will deal with you, my dear Sifter $
therefore be ftrong, fear not : Behold your
God Jhall come with Vengeance, (to deftroy
all thy Enemies, who fhall be found Liars
unto thee) even God with a Recompen/e%
(for all thy waiting for him) he pall coim
and Jave you, Ifa. xxxv, 3.

Into his Arms I commit you $ earneft-

ly defmng that happy Morning of divino

2 Fa*

( 214 ) .

Favour, which fhall arife upon your Soul,
when the fhort Night of your prefent
Weeping is over : Chrift will fee you a-
gain, and your Heart fiall rejoice, and
your Joy Jhall no Man take from you.
And, mean while, tho' Clouds and Dark-
nefs cover thee, Commotions and Tem-
pefts fhake thy Mind ; yet all is clear,
as to thy State, in the upper Region of
Chrift's Love !

In Him, with dear Love,
1 reft Tours, &c.

LETTER XXXI.

ToMr.W.andE.C.

Dear Brother and Sifter,

I Beg leave to return you hearty Thanks
for all your Favours. lam very forry to
hear of your Troubles -, andfhould rejoice to
hear of the Kindnefs of the Lord, in granting
you a fan&ify'd Ufe of 'em, and an happy
Deliverance from them. Let us not think
I it

( aij )

it ftrange, that in the World we have tffibu-
lation ; but rather rejoice, that in Chrift wc
have Peace, amidft all the fhaking Storms
and furging Waves that pafs over us. Va-
nity and Vexation are wrote upon all the
Creatures : No Satisfaction or Reft for our
Souls, but in the Bofom of God. Riches
make them/elves Wings, and jiee away -, but
they that have Chrifl for their Portion in-
herit a Subftance, that can never be loft or
leffen'd. God in Chrift is Subftance ; all
Things elfe are Shadows. If we feek Hap-
pinefs in Creatures -, they'll all fay, eventual-
ly, 'Tis not in me. But fo far as God hath
our Hearts, fo far we are at reft. Becaufe
the infinite Fulnefs of his perfect and im-
menfe Being is a fatisfying Good, to the
moil enlarged Defires of the Heaven- bom
Soul. All Things below God are fubjedt
to change, are parting from us, and we from
them } but Jehovah, our Portion, changeth
not ; nothing can feparate him from us, nor
us from him. Oh, blefled is the Man whofe
Godis JEHOVAH! WhentheLord
empties us of Creatures, the Language of
his Grace and Providence is, Come, my Peo-
ple, enter into your Chambers, and hide your-
felves ; Come into my Bofom, take up your
Delights in me ; I will be all unto you,
when every thing elfe is gone : Hide your-

felves

( 2x6 ;

feives under the Shadow of my Wings, un-
til thefe Calamities are overpaft. And oh,
happy Soul, that is fill'd with God, when
empty 'd of the Creature ! Oh bleffed Ex-
change ! Yea, may we not fay, oh happy
Trial, oh bleffed Affliction, that has drawn
me off from the Circumference-Lines of
Creatures-perfeftions, to reft in GOD, the
Center of all my Bleffednefs !

The God of Peace fandify wholly and
meeten you daily for the Inheritance of the
Saints in Lights which is incorruptible ^ un°»
defiled, and fadeth not away I Begging your
Prayers, I reft,

Tours in Chrift for ever, &c.

LETTER XXXII, i
To Mr, H.

Dear Sir, my honoured and beloved Bro~
ther in Chrift \

IT was with Concern that I heard Mr,
0— read a Letter of yours, wherein you
gave fome Account of your inward and out-
ward Trials ; And therefore I was defirous
to write a Line, in hopes it might be con-
vey'd to you, And, be of good Comfort,

my

( 217 )

my Brother, you have one Friend, that you
may have Communion with at all times,
and it is not in the Power of any Creature
to intercept it. Jefus Chrift can fend from
Heaven unto you by his Holy Spirit, and
give you to know his Mind ; and you, by
the Affiftance of the fame Spirit, may fully
open your Heart unto him : And no Crea-
ture can hinder it. Oh, prize your Friend
in Heaven, and labour after a more intimate
Communion, and greater Familiarity with
him, now your Converfe with Friends on
Earth is in a great meafure cut off. This,
indeed, is hard Treatment from the Crea-
ture : But remember/ tis a kind of Perfec-
tion that you fuffer for Jefus' Sake ; and,
like your Lord, learn Obedience by the
Things you fuffer, and endure the Crofs for
the Joy fet before you. For this (hall turn
to your Salvation, and Glory in the Day of
Chrift. It may be, the Lord may have de-
fign'd, (for look unto him in it, thro* and
above the Creature) by cutting off the
Streams, to bring you to drink more im-
mediately at the Fountain-Head. And that
is infinitely better. Certain it is, that the
Voice of your Beloved's Grace, in this Pro-
vidence is, O, my Dove, that art in the
Clefts of the Rock, in the fecret Places of
the Stairs, let me hear thy Voice, let me fee
K th

( 218 )

thy Countenance -, for ,fweet is thy Voice y
and thy Countenance is comely. Your dear
Lord Jefus hath defired a more free and
intimate Communion with you. Indeed,
he loves you : He loves you dearly, he loves
you (Ironply, he loves you unchangeably,
ag| e you eternally. Oh, Come and

fee C t, and prove his Grace ! Come,
and fee how good the LORD is ! How
much better he will be to you than ten Sons,
than all the Creatures ! Acquaint now thy-
felf with him, and be at Peace : Thereby
Good fhall come unto thee. Perhaps, by
this Providence, well improv'd, you may
have a greater Experience of the S weetnefs,
Fitnefs, Fulnefs, Excellency and Glory of
Chrift's Friendihip than ever. And from
hence, with the greateft Solace and Admira-
tion, commend him unto others, with a
This is my Beloved ! and This is my Friend !
And have you finn'd againft your Friend ?
Have you griev'd your Friend ? Oh, grieve
with him ! but do not think that he will
forfake you : For thus the LORD the God
of Ifrael faith, he hateth Putting away.
If the LORD your Friend, had not had
Love enough in his Heart to pardon all your
innumerable Tranfgreffions, and to pafs by
all your great Provocations, he would ne-
ver have begun to love you 5 he would not

have

i 219 )

have fet his Heart upon you in Chrift, in

the Beginning of his Way, before his Works
of old y nor yet would he have begun to
manifefr. his Love, by calling you out of
Darknefs, into his marvellous Light. For
God's Love begun, mull run on to all the
happy Objects thereof in one eternal Round,
unto Ages without End. And that it might
do fo, infinite Wifdom divided a Water-
courfe, thro' a crucify *d Jefus, for Love's
overflowing Waters, that fo reigning Grace
might iuperabound over all our abounding
Sinfulnefs, to the Llonour of all the divine
Perfections. Your God, my Brother, fore-
vie w'd all your Iniquities, in all their Aggra-
vations, and yet, in the Greatnefs of his
Love, he refolved to be gracious unto you,
and to have Mercy upon yon, in the free,
and full Forgivenefs of them all. He knew
that your Neck was an Iron-Sinew, and
your Brow, Brafs , and that you would deal
very treacheroufly , and yet he refolved, that
nothing, none of all your Unkindnefs and
Ingratitude mould ever feparate you from
his Love. Oh, Behold this Love, and a-
dore it ! Behold it, and let your Heart melt
into Gofpel -Repentance before it ! Behold
it, until you feel an attracting Efficacy in
it, and are changed into its Likencfs !'
What, will not the Lord caft you off for
K 2 aU

( 220 )

all that you have done ! Will he not deal
with you after your Sins, nor reward you
according to your Iniquities ! Altho' they
are more highly aggravated, and in ibme
Senfe greater, as you are one of his Fa-
vourites, for whom he has done fuch great
Things, than theirs can be,who are thePeo-
ple of his Wrath,againft whom he hath In-
dignation for ever ! Will he not turn you
into Hell, with the Nations that forget God !
Oh, Let this fet your Heart againft Sin !
Let this Love engage you to give a Bill of
Devorce to it ! and to fay, with Ephraim,
What have I to any more with Idols ?
Oh, my Brother, The Lord expecls you
fhould return unto him again. Shall he
turn away, fays he, and not return ? And,
go, fays, he, proclaim thefe Words towards
the North, (to my Children, who by Sin
have loft the fweet Beams of my feniible
Favour, that like the South-Wind,had us'd
to blow upon their Souls with its refrefhing
Gales ; and are got into the cold Point, hav-
ing loft their firft Lore, and their Hearts al-
jnoft frozen againft me,and are apt to think
that my Love towards them, is as cold as
theirs towards me) and fay unto them,
Return thou backfliding Ifrael, faith the
LORD, and I will not caufe mine Anger to
fall upon you ; for 1 am merciful, faith the

*WRD,

( 221 )

LORD, and I will not keep Anger for ev-ef.
Only acknowledge thine Iniquity, that thou
baft tranfgreffed againfl the LORD thy Gody
and baft fatter d thy Ways to the Strangers
under every green Tree, and ye have not
obeyed my Voice, faith the LORD. Tumy
O Backfliding Children, faith the LORD,
for I am married unto you, Sec. You fee,
my dear Brother, how the LORD calls
upon you to return. Turn not therefore
away from him ; for the LORD will not
forfake his People for his great Name's fake,
becaufe it hath pleafed the LORD to make
them his People. I am glad that you have
been helpt to plead his Promife with him ;
that he will never leave you, nor forfake
you : It is a Token of his never-failing
Kindnefs, and of the frefli Vifits thereof
towards you. Go on to put the Promife
in Suit : For the God of all Grace, will not,
cannot deny himfelf. Confider like wife,
what Encouragement you have to approach
the Throne of Grace, to find Mercy, and
Grace to help in Time of Need 5 fince you
have a Jefus, that is entred into Heaven
for you with his own Blood, and there
lives for you, as your Advocate and Inter-
ceffor, to fave you to the uttermo ft. And
caft not away your Confidence, wh ich hath
great Recompenfe of Reward. It is, as
K 3 Dr.

( 222 )

Dr. Goodwin obferves, one great End of
Satan, in tempting us to Sin, to weaken
our Faith. Let us therefore beware of
this Device. And when we have fallen,
let us not yield to unbelieving Fears about
our Intereft in God, or our being in a State
of Grace; but rather, in the Faith of our
Relation to him, let us return, and fay with
the Prodigal, Father, I have fumed dgainfl
Heaven, and in thy Sight, and am no more
worthy to be call' d thy Son. For if we con-
fe/s our Sins, he is faithful and } aft to for •-
give us our Sins, and to clean fe us from all
Un right eou (he fs .

With a Word or two of Caution and
Exhortation, I'll conclude. And beware,
my dear Brother, of yielding to any Sin.
: hereby you will greatly difhonbur
God, grieve the Comforter, weaken your
own Graces, ftrengthen your Corruptions,
and unfit yourfelf for the Lord's Service.
And in order to avoid finful Acts, watch
inil finful Thoughts, keep your Heart
with all Diligence. Oh5 let it not ileal out
from God, the Sum of all Perfection and
Blifs, to feek Delight in the Creature, or
any bafe Lull. Abide in Chriil by Faith,
and he will abide in you by his Spirit : and
fo you {hall mortify the Deeds of the Body.
Live in a conftant Dependence on Chriit,

and

( 223 )

and Independence on yourfelf. For In-
herent Grace, as you well obferve, is not
able, to keep us in a Time of Temptation,
without frefh Influence from above. Be
diligent in the Ufe of Means : Read God's
Word, and meditate therein Day and
Night. Be frequent in fecret Prayer : and
neglect not publick Ordinances. Let the
Saints be your own Company : Delight in
them who are the Excellent of the Earth.
Flee youthful Lufts. Your Age, and the
Place you live in, calls for great Watchful-
nefs. Your Temptations are ftrong : Oh,
be you ftrong, to refift them, in the Grace
that is in Chrift jefus ! Remember, he has
Crowns and Thrones for every Overcomer.
If you feek the Lord early, and follow him
fully in your prefent youthful Day, as it
will be greatly to his Honour, fo to your
own exceeding Joy, and unfpeakable Glo-
ry. You are cali'd to wreftle with the
Powers of Darknefs, both within and with-
out : and had therefore need to have on
the whole Armour of God, that you may
be able to withftand in the evil Day, and
having done all, to ftand. You are cali'd
to run your Chriftian Race, for an incor-
ruptible Crown : Keep it in fight, to ani-
mate you in your Courfe : That you may
K 4 fo

( 224 )

fo run, as to obtain the invaluable Prize of
eternal Glory !

Grace be with you, Amen.

lam, Sir, yours in the Lord, &c.

LETTER XXXIII.
To J.M.

Dear Sifter,

GRace and Peace be multiplied unto
r you thro' the Knowledge of God, and
of Jefus our Lord,

Having heard that you are yet on this
fide Glory, travelling thro' the Wildernefs,
it is en my Heart to have a little Talk with
you by the Way. But by reafon of Di-
stance, Paper - con verfe is all that can be at-
tain'd. *Tis the Pleaiure of our dear Fa-
ther, to exercife thee in a very particular
Manner, and to continue it long upon thee :
But be not caft down hereat, as if fome
ft range Thing had happened : For as ma-
ny as the Lord loves, he rebukes and cha-
ftens. But it may be you'll fay,

" My

( 225 )

<c My Affliction is very uncommon, has
<c lafted a great while, and it is like to en-
*c dure fo long as I'm in this World ".

Well, be it fo : Yet remember that God's
fpecial Love to you ordain'd this particu-
lar Trial ; and his everlafting Kindnefs keeps
it (till upon you. This was the Means in-
finite Wifdom pitch'd on, for the Difplay
of boundlefs Love to you. By this, you
are to be made conformable to Chriit in
Sufferings, and meetned for a Conformity
to him in Glory. Since Free-Grace has
faved you, give it leave to carry on your
Salvation in its own Way. What tho' you
pais thro' much Tribulation, the King-
dom's at the End. I doubt not, but the
Lord, at times, has opened much of his
Love to your Soul in the prefent Aflli^ions:
But the brighter!: Difcoveries are behind.
The great Opening of God's Heart, in the
Gift of every Trial, is referved for us till
we get over Jordan, on the other fide
Death, into the Land of Promile.. Then
we (hall remember all the Way the Lord
led us thro' the Wildernefs, and fee it was
a right Way to a City of Habitation. Then
the Myfteries of Divine Providence (hall be
■unfolded, the Cloud taken from off every
dark Difpenfation, and the Vail from our
Underftandings, There, the fecret Springs
K 5 of

( 226 )

of boundlefs Love, Infinite Wifdom, and
Almighty Power, which ordain'd, managed,
and over-ruled every Scene of Providence,
for the Glory of God, and our Advantage,
fhall at once be laid open : For we mall fee
as we are fctn. We fhall blefs God, when
we come to Heaven, for every, even the
bitterer!, fharpeft, longed Affliction, that
attended our mortal Life ; becaufe we mall
fee how the Lord uninterruptedly carried
on the Defigns of his own Glory and our
Salvation, by every Change that pafs'd over
us. Meanwhile, we muft live by Faith,,
and labour after an encreafing Submiffion
to the Divine Will, under the foreft Re-
bukes, and a Bleffing of God for every
Stroke, till Grace is fwallowed up in Glory :.
When our Wills, with the higheft Com-
placence, fhall everlaftingly flow into the
Will of God. And even now, we have
reafon, not only to be patient, but alio to
rejoice, and glory in Tribulation, And
was the Eye of our Faith ftrpng enough to
pierce the Cloud of afflictive Providences,
and difcern the Love of our Father's Heart,
which, as an infinite Deep, coucheth be-
neath, and is the Spring of every Difpenfa-
tion, we mould fing in v, take Plea-

fure in Diiviel'ies, and glorify God in the
Fires, Our light AffHtfion, faith the Apoftle,

which

( 227 )
which is but for a Moment, worketh for us
a far more exceeding and eternal Weight of
Gloryx 2 Cor. iv. 1 7. There are three
Things comprized in thefe Words, which
I defire you may be enabled, frequently, to
meditate upon. Firjl, The Lightnefs of
the Saints Affliction. Secondly, The Short-
nefs of it. And Thirdly, The Advantage
of all their prefent Trials.

Firfy The Lightnefs of the Saints
Afflidion ! Our Light Affliction. It's not
faid, the Afflictions of the World are
light : But our Affliction is light. And
it is fo, if compared with what we have
deferv'd, and the Damned in Hell endure.
Light, if compared with what Chrift once
bore, when for us he was, the Man of
Sorrows, and acquainted with Grief. Light,
becaufe by virtue of Chrift's Suffering for
us in our room and (lead, the Curie is taken
out of all our Afflictions. Again, they're
light, becaufe omnipotent Strength is en-

ed to fupport us under 'em : Underneath
are. the everlafting Arms. We have not,
are nor. mail not be left to go thro' any
Trial alone. The God of Jacob is our

uge and Strength, a very prefent Help

in Trouble. The Lord Jefus is our fv/eet

Companion in Tribulation. He is with us,

to (ympathize with us in our Sorrows, to

K 6 fuftain

( 228 )

fuftain us under our Burdens, to pardon all
our Unbelief and Impatience, when in the
Furnace ; and at laft comple.i tly and glori-
oufiy to deliver us, and bring us forth as
Gold fcvcn times refined. No Affliction,
indeed, for the prefent is joyous, but grievous
to our frail Flefh. It is fo in itfelf, but
much more fo to us ; becaufe we live fo
much by Senfe, and fo little by Faith.
Every Trial that parTeth over uf;} hath a
light as well as a dark Side : And we mould
look upon every Affliction with a double
View : As 'tis oppreffing and grieving to
weak Nature, it is, in itfelf, Evil ; and calls
for Submiffion to the Divine Will. But
then, as the fame Affliction is view'd, as
flowing from God's Love, and effectually
managed for his Glory, and our Advantage ;
fo 'tis good : and ought to be matter of our
Joy and Thankfgiving.

Let's leave it then to them that have no
Intereft in the God of all Grace, to think
Afflictions heavy : For wo to them that
are alone. But as for us, that are interefted
in God, (in all his Perfons, and in all his
Perfections, as engaged in Covenant for our
good) let's go on rejoicing in Tribulation ;
efteeming all our Afflictions, as indeed they
are, light.

Secondly,

( 2*9 )

Secondly, The Shortnefs of the Saints
Affliction, is matter of great Confolation:
'tis but for a Moment. A Moment is but
a mort Space, the fmalleft Divifion of
Time. And unto this of a Moment, are
our longeft Afflictions compared. Suppofe
they mould laft as long as we are in this
World : Yet, even our whole Life, if
compared with a vaft Eternity, is but like
a Moment. And, as Mr. Dod well fays,
<c What can be great to him that counts
<c the World nothing ? Or long, to him
cc that counts his Life but a Span " ? Oh !
were we more frequent in our Converfe
with Eternity, it would make the Afflicti-
ons of this prefent Time appear {hort. Did
we live more in the Views of approaching
Glory, we mould remember our Afflictions
as Waters that/ pais away -, that are here
one Moment, and gone the next. But
alas ! fuch is our Folly, that we are taking
Thought for a great while to come : And
fo make our apprehended, future Trials,
prefent DiftreiTes. Whereas, were we un-
der the moft preflrng Weights, and did take
Thought for no more than the Dry \ (and
fujjicient to it, is the Evil thereof) living by
Faith on the Borders of Glory, as juft en-
tering into the Mai i irons of Reft, ; it would
alleviate our Sorrows, and make the longeft

Trial

(230 )
Trial appear fhprt. Could we thus reafon
with ourfelves every Day, ' Well, I'm got

* one Day nearer home ; the Afflictions of
c the pail Day I (hall never go thro' any

* more : And perhaps, before I fee another
c Day in thisWorld,! may feeGlory's Day ;
c a Morning that will have no Clouds nor

* Evening to fucceed it : No Sorrow, Sin,
c nor Death to darken its luftre '. Oh,
what a Means would this be to increafe
our Patience, and make us of an enduring
Spirit ! And what matter of Comfort is it,
that while our fhort-lived Afflictions la ft,
Chrift will be with us in 'em? He's with us
when we pafs thro' the Waters, that the
Rivers don't overflow us ; that the fuelling
Waves or Afiii&ion don't overwhelm us :
And when we walk thro' the Fires, that
the Flames kindle not upon us, that fiery
Trials don't confume us. The Priefts
Feet were to ftand in "Jordan^ till all Ijrael
was clean palled over. So our dear Lord
Jefus will ftand amidft our DiftrelTes, di-
viding the Waters before us, till all his
Children are clean palled thro' 'em. His
Prefence with us in Affliction, will make it
right ; and his delivering Kindnefs out of
it, will make it fiiort. But,

Thirdly, The Advantage of the Saints
Affliction, is alfo an Encouragement to

Faith

( 23* )
Faith and Patience : It worketh for us.
But what doth it work ? Why, no lefs than
Glory ! And it works Glory for us, as it pre-
pares us for it. Glory was prepared for us, and
fettled upon us, in God's everlafting Cove-
nant with his Son, before the World was.
And Affliction is a Means, infinite Wifdom,
Power, and Grace makes ufe of, to prepare
us for Glory : That Glory which was got
ready for us before Time, and will laft to
an eternal Space beyond it. And who
would think much to endure Affliction,
that fees it is but for the Trial, and per-
fecting of his Graces ; and that the Exer-
cife of each might be found unto Praife,
Honour, and Glory at Chad's Appear-
ing ?

Now then, let's brin^Things to theBallance
of the Sanctuary, and learn to judge of 'em
aright. Let's amafs together all the Afflicti-
ons of a Believer's Life, and put 'em in one
Scale, and Glory in the other -y and fee if
that don't infinitely outweigh them !
efpecially, if we call in the additional
Weights that are on Glory's Side: Here's
Affliction on the one Side ; but Glory on
theother; Light ! n, for a Moment ;

but a Weight of Glory ; yea, an exc
afar more exceeding and eternal Weight of
Glory ! Well might the Apoftle fay, iw I

reckon,

C 232 )

reckon, that the Sufferings of this prefent
Time, are not worthy to be compared with
the Glory which fiall be revealed in usy Rom.
viii. 17.

Dear Sifter, you ere ftraitned in me, a
poor, contracted, narrow- mouth'd VeiTel,
that can take in, or let out but lie tie : But
you're not ftraitned in Chrift. The Lord
enlarge your Capacity, to take in Abun-
dance of himielf in the glorious Promfes !
And open unto you fuch Views of the In-
heritance of the Saints in Light ; which
may caufe you to go comfortably thro*
your prefent Trials : And at laft give you a
triumphant Paflage thro' the Valley of the
the Shadow of Death, under the bright
Shines of his Face, beheld by Faith ; until
Faith is fwallowed up in Virion !

So prays, yours in the Lord, &c.

LETTER XXXIV.
To E. H.

My dear Sifter in Chrift,

Greet you : wifhing Grace and Peace
JL may be multiply 'd unto you, thro' the
Knowledge of Go;l, and of Jefus cur
Lord, Yours

( 233 )

Yours I receiv'd, and rejoice to hear
how our gracious God is carrying on his
Work in your Soul. It is our unfpeakable
Privilege, that our Lord's Fulnefs cannot
decay. 'Tis hence we have receiv'd all our
Supplies hitherto. And tho' we are ftill as
needy Creatures as ever, yet the Fulnefs
of Chrift abides unchangeably the lame.
As it is an overflowing, ib aft ever- flowing
Fountain 5 which fills the Saints in both
Worlds. "lis hence the Saints have, do,
and fhall receive thro' all the Ages of Time:
and this will fill us to an endleis Eternity,
without the leaft Wafte. Let all the Saints
in Heaven and Earth drink, yea, drink
abundantly, drink their Fill out of the Ful-
nefs of Chrift ; yet can they not link this
Fountain one Hair's Breadth. Becaufj our
Maker is our Husband : The LORD of
Hofrs is his Name. The Grace of Chrift,
as the Church's Beloved, is not the Grace
of a mere Creature : then it would be foon
dry'd up and gone : But it is the boundlefs,
infinite, inexhauftible Grace of JEHOVAH,
the Rock of Ages, who changeth not ! Oh
the tranfcendent Fairnefs of our Beloved, as
he is our GO D, as well as our Goel, or
Kinfman-Redeemer ! What fweet Fellow-
ship may we have with the infinite Grace
of the boundlefs Deity dwelling in our own

Nature!

( 234 )
Nature ! Here, divine Terror fhall not
make us afraid -y becaufe infinite Majefty is
cloth'd with our Flefh. We may well
hold fail our Confidence, lince we have
fuch a great High-Prieft, Jefus the Son of
God, palled into the Heavens for us. Jefus,
born of the Virgin, to be a Saviour ; and
yet the Son of God in our Nature ! The
Bowels of Chrift, our Gofpel High-Pridr,
are truly human, and yet infinite : Eecaufe
of the Union of the Divine and Human
Nature in the wonderful Perfon of our Be-
loved. What Encouragement is this to our
Faith? We may come daily with our emp-
ty Souls to our full Jefus. Our Wants
are innumerable ; but there's enough in
Chrift to fill us : Yea, there's a Redundan-
cy, more than enough. The Veflels of
Mercy are and lhall be caft into this
Ocean of Glory, contained in it, and lill'd
with it ; but they can never contain that,
which contains them ; becaufe the mod
enlarged Capacities, even of glorify'd Saints,
are (till but finite : and the Glory of God,
into which they are caft, is infinite ; an
immenfe Sea, without either Shore, or Bot-
tom !

The Lord help you, my dear Sifter, to
abide in Chrift by Faith, and to come to
him daily with all yourWants : His Power,

Grace,

(235 )

Grace, and Faithfulnefs are all engag'd ta
grant you a rich Supply. To live by Faith
on the Son of God, is the every Day's Work
of a Believer. And when you can't come
to Chrift, in the Views of your Marriage-
relation to his Perfon, and Intereft in his
Fulnefs, you may come as a poor perifhing
Sinner in yourfelf, unto him the exalted
Saviour, who is mighty to fave, whofe"
Office it is to fave the chief of Sinners ;
even all them that come unto God by him.
And fuch is his Grace, that in no wife he
will call out any poor Soul that comes to
him. No, tho' it be ever fo unworthy,
vile, wretched and miferable ; there's
Strength enough in his Arm, and Grace
enough in his. Heart, to fave to the uttermoft.
It matters not how great our Wants be,
when we come an infinite Fountain. It is
no more for Chrift, to nil the vafteft De-
fires of the moft needy Creature that ever
came to him, than for the Sea to fill a
Cockle- fhell. Nay, 'tis not fo much : For
tho' there is a fort if Immenlity in that vaft
Confluence of Waters; yet they maybe
leifened. But the Fulnefs of Chrift, is pro-
perly infinite, and therefore not fubje<ft to
the lea ft Diminution.

But I miift conclude, defiring that the
God of our Lord Jefus Chrift, the Father

of

( 236 )

of Glory, may grant unto you a more abun-
dant Meafure of the Spirit of Wifdom and
Revelation in the Knowledge of Him,
"Avhom to know, is Life eternal. With
dear Love to yourfelfand all Friends,

Irejl Tours in Chrift for ever, &c.

LETTER XXXV.
To P. W.

My dear Sifter,

I Rejoice to hear of your Health, and
wifh your Soul may profper exceeding-
ly. Dear Child, work while it is Day.
Improve all the Time the Lord gives you
for his Glory : For this will be for his
Honour, and your own Joy, both now and
in the Day of Chrift:. Oh, be diligent, that
you may be found of him in Peace, without
Spot, and blamelefs ! Chrift will never
leave thee, nor forfake thee : His Grace
will be fufficient for thee : Therefore lay
out thyfelf for him, all manner of Ways,
at all Times, and in all Places. Keep the
Crown in View, to quicken and encourage
you to run with Patience the Race that is

fit

( 237 )
fet before you. Who would not work for
Chriit, that glorious Lover ! That glorious
Matter ! Who HIMSELF will be our ex-
ceeding great REWARD! But ah, Wretch-
ed me ! how ungrateful, difingenuous,
rebellious, and flothful have I been ! 'Tis
well for me that Free-Grace reigns, reigns
thro' Righteoufnefs, a better Righteoufnefs
than mine,unto eternal Life; and that where
Sin has abounded fir ace doth much more abound.
Was it not fo, I mould never be faved. But,
blefied beGod,lfee, to my unfpeakablejoy,
the whole of my Salvation, founded in, and
fecur'd by free, reigning Grace ! But then,
what a Debt of Love,in all holy Obedience,
doth a faved Soul owe unto its Saviour !
Oh here, I fall fhort, vaftly fhort of what
is my Duty ; and fo of that Glory I ought
to give him . Oh Wretch that I am, doth
Chrifi: delight to glorify me : and (hall I
dare,by my Negligence in hisService,toflight
his Honour ! And yet chus evilly have I done
innumerable Times. Oh, cc I muft go into
" Heaven, (as Mr. Rutherford fays) Free-
" Grace's Divour". And, " Surely I
<c (hall die, minting and aiming to be a
<c Chriftian ", But then, oh, then, I {hall
be a Chriftian indeed! As full of Chrift, as
like him, and as able to ferve him, as now
my Soul longs to be ! Oh, pray for me,

that

(238)
that while I abide on this fide Jordan, I
may be bleft with a growing Communion
with Chrift, an increaiing Conformity to
him, and a more abundant Service of
him 1 And the Lord grant you thefe three

Bleffings

/ reft Tours, &c.

LETTER XXXVI.
To T. W.

Dear Brother,

IBlefs God for Chrift : And becaufe he
lives, I live alfo. Oh, my Brother,
what Grace is it to us, that our Union to
Chrift, our Life, cannot be broken ! And,
oh that our Faith of Intereft in him, in
his Perfon and Fulnefs, may daily engage
us to live to him, who died for us, and
rofe again ! Oh that we might not be con-
tented to live at the poor, low, carnal Rate
at which the molt of Profeflbrs and
Church- Members live at this Day ! Our
Lord has his Fan in his Hand ; and he will
throughly purge his Floor. Oh, when the
Lord mail fearch jferujalem with Candles,
who may abide the Day of his Coming ?

Let

( 239 )

Let lis therefore watch, and keep our
Garments. And whatever others do, let
us labour to improve all our prefent Mo-
ments, fome way or other to glorify God,
that fo when our Lord appears, we may
be found of him in Peace: And have his
well dene, as good andjaithful Servants . Oh,
how blefTed a Thing it is, to fay with the
Apoftle, for me to live is Chrifi ! 'Tis fweet
to live for Chrift here, as well as to live
with him hereafter. Oh what a glorious
Mafter is Jefus Chrift ! How glorious is
his Service ! And what a glorious Reward
will he beftow upon his Servants, when he
bids them enter into the Joy of their
Lord!

Wifhing a rich Increafe of all Grace,
unto all Glory -, and defiring your Prayers
for us3

1 rejly Tours, &c.

FINIS.

ERRATA.

PAge 26. Line 1 1 . after //, read an. p. 36. I. 1 5.
for Cbrift, read Cbrifts. p. 38. 1. 2. for ;7,
read ///. J. 18. after **, read theje. p. 40. I. 44
after pajf, read 7>«/c-. p. 45. 1. 28. for is, read as.
p. 74. 1. 18. for Jbafl, read fja/t. p. 96. 1. 11. for
fear, read fare. p. 103. 1. 29. blot out <*.'/. p. 123.
1. 28. after but, read the. p. 124. 1. 20. for />,
read on. p 141. 1. 10. read of p. 165. 1. 28.
for /£<?, read /if/., p. 174. 1. 16. for us, read you.
p. 175. 1. 5. for God f read Gcip/. p. 201. !• 3. for
canft not, read cannot, p. 21 1. I. 2. for where ever,
read whenever, p. 212. 1. 27. for o/zr, read /£<?.
1. 29. for are, read our. p. 216. 1. 8. TtaxLCreaturti*
Perftclions. p. 235= 1. i£t after tfj»*j' read /#«
I.24. for if, read *£

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