II 
 
 . '- vision ^^ C^ /o 
 
^ 
 
 L E T T E 
 
 O N 
 
 Spiritual Subje 
 
 AND 
 
 Divers Occasions ; 
 
 s E N T T o 
 
 Relations and Friends. 
 
 By One who has tafted that the Lord is 
 
 G K A C I O U S. 
 
 Wherefore comfort yourfelves together, and edify one 
 another, even as alfo ye do, i Thef. v. 1 1. 
 
 Vol. VIII. 
 
 L O N p N: 
 
 Printed by J. Hart, in Popping' s Court, Fket-Street : And 
 foldby J.Lewis, in P^/^r-«2/?^ri?m J and G. Keith, 
 at Mercers-Chapel, Cheapftde. 1750. 
 
 [Price ftitch'd One Shilling and Three-Pence.] 
 
 ■mm 
 
(3) 
 
 '-n 
 
 LETTERS 
 
 O N 
 
 Spiritual Subjeflis, &c. 
 
 LETTER I. To Mr. W. 
 
 Ever Dear and tlonour^d Father^ 
 
 WITH abundant Thanks for all your Kind- 
 nefs^ I fend a Line to tell you, That the 
 Lord is infinitely Good to me^ tven Jlilly a 
 Sea of Goodnefs^ that flows out upon me in rich 
 Streams of Loving Kindnefs continually ! Oh how 
 full is my Jesus! and how free in the Diftribution of 
 all his Grace to me! — And this Jesus, \syour Jesus, 
 my dear Father! This Lord, \syour Lot^ your Part^ 
 your GoDj your Guide even unto Deaths the Strength 
 of your Hearty and your Portion for Ever!'^Y>/hsit 
 then can you want ? Oh live continually upon, and 
 Uy your own Lord Jesus! Labour after a growing 
 Acquaintance with, and Conformity to Him, until 
 that which is Perfe^ fhall come. Oh how rich are 
 you in Christ ! In Him, in whom all the unfearch- 
 able Riches, and Glories of the Godhead dwell! 
 You have never yet feen a ^houfandth Part of the Ex- 
 cellency of your Beloved I There is an unfearchable 
 
 A 2 Depth, 
 
(4) 
 
 Depth, an infinite Height, a boundlefs Breadth an^ 
 an eternal Length of Glory in Him / _ But what fhaH 
 
 ^ln^^T°^txf''-i' "'!'■' •' '""^'^ anlmmenfity of 
 Qlory W.W/ NeKher the Tongues of Men, nor of 
 Angels, can fully r.//, no, little can they rk were 
 tbey^mploy d to an eternal Space, fFhat yvur Beloved 
 \- ,'m T^^H'= '^' His Name is, I am that 
 I AM ! No Knowledge, but that of H« /«/?«,/^ Under- 
 Jtmdmg ,s a Line long enough, to found this .,im- 
 menfe Ocean of Glory! Or to Tell what your Be- 
 loved ts / — But what He w. He is for Tou i All his 
 immenfe Glories, are a Sea of Blifs, for r^^a to fwim in 
 to live in, and to delight yourfelf with, thro' Time* 
 and to Eternity! — Wherefore, Follow on to Know 
 //«», and let not Trifles divert you from Him, or 
 difturb your Reft in his Bofom. Poflefs Christ 
 daily by Faith 5 and in Him' you will be io- full, that 
 you can want Nolhing, altho' you were furroonded 
 with a noufand Wants I And fo ibafpy, that you will 
 Iret at Notkng, altho' you were encompafs'd with a 
 »tf«>»^ Provocations ! We can never want Happi- 
 nefs, nor be pinch'd thro' with Miferies, unlefs we go 
 out of ourGon! When we forfake cm Refi, all is 
 Trouble. When we return again to the Bofom of 
 OoD, and fo long as we abide there, all h Peace. 
 Oh Happy is that Man, that delights himfelf in the 
 Lord: For He (hall give him the Defires of his 
 Heart ! — Wilhing all Peace and Profperityi 1 re- 
 queft your Prayers : and am. 
 
 Ever r«ttrs, at all Obedience, 
 
 L E T- 
 
LETTER II. To Mr. W, 
 
 Ever Dear and Honour' d Father^ 
 
 YOUR kind Letter I received, and return 
 abundant Thanks. ■ May the Lord blefs 
 you abundantly, in Soul, Body, and Circumflancel 
 May you live from Him^ and to Him^ and rejoice in 
 Hofe of that happy Day when you fliall live with 
 Him ! Yet a little while^ and we (hall fee Jesus, be 
 perfedly like him, and for ever with Hini! The great 
 Thing noWy is to ferve Him, This little Inch of 
 Time, is all the Opportunity we fhall ever have to 
 Glorify Him before Men. Oh who would not work 
 for fuch a Dear, Glorious Master, as Christ is! 
 He will make all his Servants that work for Him 
 now^ fit down to Meat erelong^ and He Himfelf will 
 come forth SLud ferve tbem ! Joy and Reft, Crowns and 
 Thrones, of an eternal Duration, await the Servants 
 of the Prince of Peace! Our Lives are juft drawing 
 to a Clofe. Oh let us labour to do fomething for 
 Christ, before we enter into our eternal Reft ! And 
 when we can't honour Him in Doings let us labour to 
 glorify Him in Suffering : in patient, humble, thanks 
 ful SubmifTion, to all the Strokes of his kind Hand : 
 That Christ may be magnify' d in our Bodies^ whe- 
 ther it he by Life^ or by Death, Williing all Proi- 
 
 perity, and requefting your Prayers j I remain, with 
 the greateft Love and Duty, 
 
 Tour obedient Child^ 
 
 It. LET 
 
( 6) 
 
 LET T E R III. To Mr. I. 
 
 Bear and Honoured Brother ^ 
 
 YO U R S I received, and return hearty Thanks 
 for it. Oh dear Sir, how bleft are you^ that 
 you can fay, *' I know I am a poor vile Sinner l^* 
 That you have any Degree of Feeling of your lapfed 
 degenerate State ; fuch a Feeling of it, that makes 
 you fenfible of your Need of the Saviour ! This is a 
 blefied EfFedt of the Grace of the new Covenant ; and 
 an Evidence that you are under it. We are all of us, 
 even the whole Race of Mankind, while in a State of 
 Nature, Children of Wrath. We are under the De- 
 claration of Wrath in the Sentence of the Law, and 
 filled with Wrath and Enmity againft God. We are 
 Enemies in our Minds by wicked Works. And be- 
 ing thus eftranged from God, we have neither Will, 
 Skill nor Power, to return unto him by Jefus Chrift ; 
 and are cover'd over with a deep Infenjibility of our 
 extreme Mifery \ or in a Word, Dead in Sin. — But 
 when the Time of Calling Love comes on, wherein 
 the Chofen of God are to find Mercy, and to be 
 brought under the Dominion of Grace-, the Loro 
 pafTeth by, fees them polluted in their own Blood, 
 and in the Infinity of his Love, faith unto them. Live, 
 And by that Life-producing Voice, takes away 
 the Jlony Heart out of their Flefh^ and gives them 
 an Heart of Flefh. A new Heart, capable of a 
 quick Senfation of their deep and extenfive Mifc- 
 jy ; that hereby they may be prepared to receive that 
 glorious Remedy, which was prepar'd for them, in 
 God's Counfels and Covenant about the JIain Lamh^ 
 before the World's Foundations were laid. Oh this 
 eternal Lfive! This free, this preventing Love! This 
 
 Life- 
 
(7) 
 
 Life-giving, faving Love ; which began our Salvation 
 in an infinite Depth oi Mercy, and W\\\fini/h it, unto 
 unknown Heights of endlefs Glory / — Rejoice and be 
 thankful then, my dear Brother, for that Knowledge 
 which is given you, of your being a poor vile Sinner. 
 And be afTur'd, that you fhall ftill increafe in it, un- 
 der the Teachings of the Holy Spirit, who is given to 
 dwell in you for this blefTed End, To convince you of 
 
 Again, How happy are you, in that you " know 
 « that Godfo loved the World, that He gave his only- 
 « begotten Son, to die for poor, vile, unworthy Sin- 
 « ners!" Oh, This keeps you from finking m deep 
 Waters ! From perifhing in the miry Pit, the amazing 
 Gulph of your own Vilenefs and Unworthinefs •, Here's 
 th^Rock, the ftrong, the eternal Rock, /^^ i^^^^ d/ 
 Jges beneath you ! And can you ftnk, think you, 
 
 when fo mightily Vnder-propfd! 1 compaffionatc 
 
 you, my dear Brother, in that you can feldom fay, 
 " That the Son of God was given for Tou in parti- 
 
 ^c cular." Why do you doubt it ? Is it becaufe of 
 
 your gvGzt Unworthinefs? The Saviour was given 
 for the moft utkoorthy. No Money, no Price, is re- 
 quired, to partake of Christ, and all tht Salvation 
 that is in Him. Do you doubt his being given for 
 you in particular, becaufe of that horrid Mafs of 
 Iniquity which is in your vile Nature, which too often 
 works and prevails, in Thought, Word and Deed ? 
 The Saviour was given for the Chief of Sinners. 
 And who is a God like unto our God, that pardonetb 
 Iniquity, that paffeth by the Tranfgreffton of the Remnant 
 ef his Heritage ? That multiplies to pardon, our mul- 
 tiply'd Provocations, according to thelmmenfity, and 
 ]£ternity of his own Grace! — But if you doubt whe- 
 ther the Son gf God was given for you in particular ; 
 
 cont 
 
'(8) 
 
 confider. That He was given to ht believed in : That 
 whofoever believeth in Him, fhould not perijh^ hut bavt 
 everlafting Life^ John 3. 16. This Word, whofoever^ 
 as it ftands connc<5led with what follows, is a glorious 
 Call to yoUy to me, to every poor Sinner, and efpcci- 
 ally to fuch that fee their Need of che Saviour, to 
 believe on the Son of God: And a glorious Defcription 
 of the Perfon, and Perfons that fliall be Jm)ed, in 
 Confequence of the Saviour's being given for every 
 of them in particular, even for every of them that 
 believe in his Name. — And if you doubt the Truth of 
 your Faith in the given Saviour ;. confioer what 
 Faith is. It is an hearty ^^/)r(?^^/y^» of Christ, as 
 the Proje^ of infinite Wtfdom, and the Provifion of 
 infinite Grace, for the Salvation of loft Sinners. It is 
 fuch an Approbation of the given Saviour, that at- 
 traifls the Soul after Him as Altogether lovely -, and 
 enables it to look to, and reftr upcjn Christ aloney 
 for its own Salvation, as held forth to poor dinners, 
 in the indefinite Promifes of the glorious Gofpei. In 
 a Word, It is ih^SouVs Perfuafion that Christ is 
 the alone Saviour; and it^ Embracing of Him as 
 fuch. 
 
 Now then, my dear Brother, How is it with you^ 
 in thofe happy Moments when you are bleft with fome 
 Profpeds of the Glory (?/ Christ ? Do you like Him? 
 Is He amiable in your Eye ? Is He All Deftres to you ? 
 Doth your Heart cleave to^ and clafp about Him, as 
 precious in Himfelf, and as precious unto you ? ■ 
 If fo, you are one of them ihzt truly believe on the 
 Son of God, And for Tou, for tou in particular, the 
 great Saviour was given. And as He was given 
 for ycw.1. He is given to you ; and in and with Him, 
 all Salvation, is and fhall be given you freely. You 
 Jhall mt ferijhy bui have everkfting Life. God has 
 - V. given 
 
(9) , . r. 
 given unto you eternal Life ^ in and wltfi.his Son\ 
 by the free, irrevcrfi'bif Grants the fre^, unchangtig 
 Ptomife of the bleffed GofpeL The Word\i gone nut 
 of his Mouth in Faithfulnefs ; He' will ^n9U ■ Qann&t 
 lie^ wor tv a repent of what He haj:h f?id.rr-Qh./^,l 
 /<9 ya«;^ 5^(3/; *D^^2'/ Got) 7J true\.2in^ doubt your Inte* 
 reft in Christ, his beit;g giyen -for you, and to 
 you, no- more I Your Beloved 'is' yours^ ■ an4. you are 
 His. You are married unto the Lord. And your 
 Marriage Uriion, and hisRelation-Lpve tojy^^/, whicb 
 fecures yours to Him^ fhall nt ver^^ never be broken^ 
 But your eommunion with Him, ip, Grace and (jlory'^ 
 fhall from henceforth increafi^^x^io^'ime and. to £/^;^- 
 
 I am glad you ihinl^ meanly of yourfelf. The meaner) 
 we think of ourfdves^ ■chf ,mnr,e wul our Lord bq glo- 
 rify* dm us. We are notfaved, to be fometbmg irtf 
 ourfehesybm to ht yill in (Christ.' Oh how doth.\ 
 our aecurfed Pride, rob our Lord of his Crown ! .- — 7., 
 What you know of tb' Things of God^ \^2l\\ of Grace y 
 and more arid more will ihe Spirit of Grac^'t^^ich you.- 
 — Doubr nor your Call ro rh^ Mmfiry^ beraufe you 
 hajs't 1i\.\d\full.<:jfurance of FaitK as Jome others have. 
 For our Lord i.i'th, L.et him tf.at Eeareth (rhat hath 
 feme good JVIecJure of Knowledge .n the Dodiner of 
 Grace, and fpirituar Gilts for the Mlmiby) fay Come^ 
 Rev. 22. 17. It is as if oar Lord" fhoulc; fay, 'Let 
 ^ fuch Souls, that have, heard of rcw Ghries^ under 
 
 * the Teachings of my Spirit^ invite poor Sinners^ to 
 
 * come to Me the fe.nt Saviour ; Iti 'em tell di^m 
 
 * of my Fitnefs, Fulnefs and Freenels to fave to: the' 
 
 * uttermoft. Altho' they han't fuch a full Terfuafion 
 
 * of their /w/^re/^ in me, as v^-^ Bride hath 5 ^s fuch.. 
 
 * Souls that havfe been more indulged with my Bo- 
 
 * fom-Embraces \ who out of the Exuberance of 
 
 B * their 
 
( lo ) 
 
 * their Joy and Love, mod freely and naturally, fay, 
 
 * Come.' — And tho' you mayn't yet have arriv'd at 
 fuch a Degree of Knowledge in the Myfleries of Grace^ 
 as fome olber of your Brethren in the Miniftry : Yet 
 obferve what our Lord' faith in this Word, Le( him 
 $bal heareth fay Come. " Not only him that haib 
 
 * heard, but him that heareth^ that is dill learning 
 
 * my Mind ; let Him preach Me, fo far as He knows 
 
 * me. And be ■dfFilnefs of the Things which he hath 
 
 * feen^ and aifo of thofe Things in which I will yet 
 
 * appear unto him.' — And as the Lord favours you 
 with his Prefence in Preachings and has given you 
 fome Seals of your Minifiry ; He has in thefe Re- 
 fpeds, indulged you with Lumps of Senfe^ to en- 
 courage your Obedience of Faith therein. Your 
 
 Compaflionate Master, fees, yea, feds the Prejfures 
 you Jabour under ; and will fuitably fiipport you. 
 What tho* you are like a hruifed Reed ; He will not 
 h'e^k you. Tho' like fmoking Flax -, He will not 
 quench you: But bind up^ a,nd ft rengt hen your Fa\th ^nd 
 Love, and bring forth for you, Judgment unto Victory, 
 
 That all Grace may abound towards you^ is the 
 
 hearty Defire of. Sir, 
 
 Tour JffeSiionate Friend /« Jesus, 
 and Servant for his Sake^ 
 
 LETTER IV. "to Mr. T. 
 
 My very Dear and Honoured Brother y 
 
 YOURS I received, And who know^, my 
 dear Brother, but Tou may be the Man whom 
 the Lord hath made Choice cf^ by whofe Mouth fome 
 
 of 
 
( XI ) 
 
 oF thefe poor SohIs (hall hear the Word of the Go/pel^ 
 and believe ? Oh ! come and fee, if our Dear, our 
 Great Shepherd hath not fome of his loft Sheep to bring 
 Home by Tou, Who knows but you may have fome 
 given you here^ that (hall be your Joy^ and Crown of 
 Rejoicing in the Day of the Lord Jefus ? Oh my 
 dear Brother, It is precious Work to Preach Jesus, 
 that Altogether Lovely One ! Arid Oh what a Privi- 
 lege is it to be made a Fijher of Men I If the Savi- 
 our hath Work for you to do here, my Brother, 
 you mufi do it; as our Lord mtifl needs go thro* Sama^ 
 ria. Come, my Brother, it's worth while to take a 
 little Pains, to weary yourfelf ioferve Jesus, your 
 Beloved^ the Lord that hath bought you with his 
 Bloody and will crown you with his Glory! Come, 
 come a Wooing for Christ, Come Tell of all his 
 Glory^ how highly his Father hath advanced him, and 
 how willing he is to receive Sinners into his own Em- 
 braces. Andy^^ if there be any here, that are willing 
 to be Married to the Son of God^ to the Heir of all! 
 And [tho' you fhould be weary and fatigu'd in your 
 Journey; remember, Christ was fo, and fat thus 
 on Samaria's Well. And yet He came with infinite 
 Delight to do tht Will of his Father ^ when there He 
 was to bring Home that poor Woman^ loved and 
 chofen of Old, and other Veffels of Mercy ^ to Him- 
 self, the Well of Life y to fill them with Glory for 
 Ever, Come, my dear Brother, tho' you come 
 thro' Storms ; Christ will Recount all the weary Steps^ 
 you ever took in his Service ; and richly will He re- 
 ward your prefent Labour^ with eternal Refi^ with a 
 
 Crown of Glory that fadeth not away ! Praying 
 
 that the Good Will of Him that Dwelt in the Bufb 
 may be with you, and that you may be brought 
 
 B 2 amongft 
 
( ,12 ) 
 
 amongfl: US, in t\^,Fuhefs of the Bleffmg of the Gofpel 
 cf CnKxST ',\ remaio. 
 Dear Sir^ 
 
 X^urs ifnoft Affe^ionately in the Lord, 
 
 L E T T E R V. ro Mrs. M. 
 
 My Dear Sijler in Chrift^ 
 If Hope you are ftill help'd to rejoice in the Lord, 
 j^ your 'own God, who v/ill never ^ never leave^ nor 
 for Jake you. All our Way thro' the Wildernefs, was 
 'laid out for us by infinite Wifdom and Grace. All 
 t5ur Croiles and Comforts, were of old appointed, 
 pre wifely mixed, and fhall be gracioufly and power-" 
 ful'y Over lulVd, for the Gloiy of God, and our pre- 
 fenr'.and eternal Advantage. Oh my dear Sifter, all 
 ^Thi'igs are well ordered for us, in God's everlafiing 
 Covenant. Wherein he hnth faid, / will he unto ibem 
 a God, and i hey fhall be itnto me a People : and their 
 Sins and their Iniquities will I remember no more. And' 
 where RemifTion of thefe is, all Things muft needs go 
 \yt\\. For, hlefj'cd is the Man unto whom the Lord 
 imfut^eth not Sin. Bl^iM is he in all Conditions: 
 Every ThiV.g comes to him as a Blejfing. — And fhall 
 wt be afraid of our Bleffings ^ We have God, our 
 own God in all, in" every Crols, and in every Comfort. 
 And is not He enough to make the out full, and the 
 pth.tj fweet F We need not fear, tho' the Earth were 
 'removed, and tho* the Mountains were carried into the 
 Midfl of the Sea : %h6' the IVaiers thereof rore ami be 
 troubled, tho" the Mountains fhake with the Swelling 
 thereof : (Tao' ail be in Confufion ^ound about us) 
 
 fince 
 
( 13 ) 
 
 fince God // our Refuge and Strength^ a very prefent 
 Help iniroubk: And fince, There is a River^ the 
 Streams whereof JhaU make us g'ad^ in the moil for- 
 rowfu) CircuiJ.llances. Oh was it not for Unbeliefs 
 wfc fi-iould neytr be difquieted with any Thing that 
 paileth over us. We may ]ye at Anchor, by Faith 
 ar.d Hope, in the rougheft Sea. The Bofom of God, 
 is a quiet Harbour, where we may delightfully reft, 
 when all is temprftuous round about us. Had we 
 more Faith in God, and Love to Him, we fliculd ne- 
 ver ftir out of his Bofom, into Difquietude, to his 
 Diflionour, and our own Grief, in the moft trying 
 Circurnftances, Oh what Fools are we for fo doing ! 
 Jf God cares for us -, what need we be anxioufly care- 
 ful dhowt our f elves ? If He has ordered all Things 
 w^// for us, Jo well that nothing could be better than 
 it is ; what Room is there for Difquietude .? Surely 
 every Man dijqjiieteth himfelf in vain. If we were 07te 
 in Will with Cjod, in every Thing, how happy fhould 
 weibe? What, forourfelves could hurt us, what could 
 grieve us, as we had no peremptory Will to any Thing, 
 but what is the Will of God concerning us ? And in 
 the Vvill of God, towards us in Chrift, we have fuch 
 a Fuinefs of BUfs, fuch an All of Bleffmgs^ that we 
 need not go out of it, to defire any Thing more. Oh 
 had we more Faith, we fhould lie down and refi^ and 
 folace ourfelves continually with infinite Fuinefs. T'hou 
 wilt keep him in perfe5i Peace^ faith the Pfalmift, 
 whofe Mind isjiaid on Jhee. Yv^henever therefore we 
 are tempted to go out from the Bofom of God, and 
 drawn off from Him, let us inftantly fay, with Da- 
 vid, Return unto thy Refi, O my Soul: for the Lord 
 hath dealt bountifully with thee, Pf. ii6. 7. May the 
 Peace of God which paffeth all Vnderfianding^ keep 
 
 your 
 
( H ) 
 
 your Heart and Mind thro" Chrid Jefus ! Requefting 
 your Prayers j I remain, my dear Sifter, 
 
 Ever Tours in Christ, 
 
 L E T T E R VI. To Mrs. T. 
 
 My Dear and Honour'* d Sifter in Chrift^ 
 
 MOST heartily I thank you for your kind Let- 
 ter. The Lord made it iweet and favoury to 
 my ^oul. I rejoice in the great Things which the 
 Lord hath done for Tou ; and sdore his free, infinite, 
 condefcending Grace, in blefling my poor Labours 
 for your Encouragement and Comfort. Never was 
 any poor Sinner, fo unworthy of fo high a Favour, 
 as vile me! But the Lord will be gracious^ unto whom 
 He will he gracious. And therefore it is, that un- 
 worthy 7, have found Grace in his Sight. The 
 Lord hath 4hofen me^ and not caft me away. Not for 
 my Fore-feen Goodnefsy did He chufe me ; for I had 
 none. Nor yet for my Foreview'd Badnefs^ did He 
 caft me away, tho' He faw what a vile, ungrateful, 
 God-provoking Creature I Jhould he. But from the 
 ibvei*eign good Pleafure of his own Willy He chofc 
 me in Chrift unto eternal Life, and unto feme Degree 
 of Service to his better Children. That He might 
 thereby commend his \n?in\it Love y and the exceeding 
 Riches of his Grace to the Chief of Sinners , to the e- 
 ternal Glory of his great Name. — Help me then, my 
 dear Sifter, to praife this Grace, which cafts on me 
 its refplendent Rays, with fuch an amazing Brightnefs! 
 Oh, I muft join with you, and fay, " I am aftiam- 
 ed that I have made fo iittle Progrefs, fince my firft 
 
 fetting 
 
( 15 ) 
 
 fettmg out in the Ways of God.'* Oh that /, that 
 have been fo greatly beloved^ fhould love fo Utile ! 
 
 You fay, my dear Sifter, " That it is no fmall Joy 
 to you, tho' you do fo little for your Dear Lord, that 
 He enables mc to do much.*' This is an Evidence 
 that you love Jesus. Indeed I am afham'd of my 
 little Doings ; and more of my little Love, If our 
 kind Lord, enables me to do more for Him one PFay^ 
 He may enable you to do more another. And if you 
 think you can't do fo much for Him as He enables 
 me to do, you may love Him more. And that takes 
 Chrift^s Heart exceedingly. Our Jesus is a Lover -^ 
 and in infinite Condefcenfion, He delights in our Love, 
 lou may bring more Glory to Him, in lovitjg Him^ 
 and more delight his Heart, than poor, ungrateful /, 
 
 with all my little Doings, But why do I talk of 
 
 my Doings? What 1 have done for Christ, is his 
 Work, rather than mine, 'Tis He that works in me, 
 both to will and to do, or J could do nothing. 
 And when I look upon all the Vs^ork that Christ 
 hath done by me, it appears greats a wondrous Flow 
 of infinite Love to me! For which I owe Him my/elf , 
 and Ten Thoufand Times more Prai/eSy than I 
 can ^ive, Bu: when I look on what I have done^ thro* 
 his Afliftance, it appears little^ very little^ when com- 
 par'd with what my Lord is worthy of^ and with what 
 my poor Soul wou'd gladly do for Him, if I could. 
 And oh the JmperfeBion of my poor, little Doings ! 
 If my Lord's Grace was not Infiniis! He would never 
 caft a favourable Eye^ upon any Thing I ever did for 
 Him. — Oh, I mull even drop my Doings. Christ's 
 Doings for me^ doth as it vttvQ fwallow them up. His 
 enabling me to do any Thing, and every Thing I do 
 for Him, His pardoning the Sin of my Doings \ His 
 wa/hing my defiled Services in his own Blood ; His 
 accepiing SLtid j^re/enting them in his own Perfedions ; 
 
 And 
 
( i6 ) 
 
 ' And his bound lefs Grace, in hUffing my poor Labours 
 to the Souls of his Children ; are Ibch Wonders of in- 
 finite Love'^ fuch Works of my glorious Lover^ that 
 fcem to fw^llow up al! my httltf Doings, as a Drop is 
 fwallowed Up of a vz.?t Ocean! — And yet I know,- 
 the Prince of Grace, in the unfearchable D-pt:h of his 
 Love, will lofe Nothing///? has wrought- by me, but 
 call it My Service •, and fay, 1 was hungry^ and ye fed 
 mey &c. — Oh who wauJd not love fuch a Saviour! 
 Who would not ferve fuch a Master I. 
 
 Come then, my dear Sifter, the Grace of Christ 
 is SiWyours! Your Beloved h yours, and you avs His !■ 
 Go chearfully on with the Work He calls you to. It 
 is tht Generation-Work, which hislnfinite Wiidom and 
 Grace allotted ^ovyow, and that whereby He will ac- 
 count }^\m{t\i glorijY d in you. If / am call'd lo one 
 Service, and yotc to another •, we are both employ'd in 
 the Service of the fame Lord, As enabled then-, let 
 us give Him our Hearts, m what He calls us to -, and 
 fo fhall we walk before Him, as his dear Servants^ 
 as his dear Children, as his dear Bride, unto ali 
 Pleajing, 
 
 Be diligent, my dear Sifber, in the Ufe of all ap- 
 pointed Means, for your Growth in Grace: Becaufe 
 God works by Means. And thus, in the Way of 
 your Duty, caft all the Care of your Soul's Profperity 
 upon Him, who is the Author and Finifher of your 
 Faith, It was the Lord alone, that began the good 
 Work in your Soul •, and He will finish it. Christ 
 has the Pattern of ali your Glory, given Him of the 
 Father-, and He will go on to polilh and brighten 
 you, until He has brought you up to your deftgned 
 Perfe5lion. Until he hath made you a perfe5i Beauty, 
 brimful of Grace, Glorious in Holinefs, without a 
 Sfot^ QX Wrinkle, or any fuch 7i^i«^: And as fuch 
 
 pjefents 
 
pfefenlisyou to Himfelfy and to his Father^ an 6bje(5i 
 of God's Delight! A meet Subjecl of his Commu- 
 nion Love, unto Joy and Glory, endlefs and un- 
 known ! 
 
 . Yield not, my dear Sifter, to fbch Fears, " That 
 you han't believ'd aright \ becanfe you fee fuch Vile- 
 ncfs in your own Heart." For none but thofe that 
 have true Faith ^ have a painful Knowledge^ of the 
 Plague of their own Hearts. Such a Knowledge there- 
 of, that makes them cry out. Wo is me^ for I am un- 
 done., becaufe of my Uncleannefs\ That mak«s them 
 Heart fick of their Difeafe^ and fick of Love-Defires 
 after Christ, the glorious Phyftcian, 
 
 jBiit; my d€ar Sifter^ fhall you fear your Intereft in 
 Christ, that have had fuch affuring Feftimonies of 
 his Love and Grace ? What if you have ioll the 
 Comfort of thofe fealing Tinnes -, you han't loft the 
 Salvation that was then leal'd to you. Goo's Tea and 
 Amen^ are upon all the Prhmifes of his Grace to- 
 wards Tou in Christ. And He cannot change. 
 He is hot d Man^that he fhould lie^ nor the Son of 
 Man,- that He fhould repent. Once hath He fworn 
 by Himself : And He will not alter the Thing that 
 is gone out of his Mouth. He hath given his un- 
 changeable Wordy his inviolable Oath for your Salva- 
 Hon., in fleeing to his Dear Son for Refuge -, that your 
 Conjolation might htftrong. Oh receive it, and hold 
 it faft, let neither Sm nor Satan wreft it out of your 
 Hands. If you believe not-. He ahideth faithful: 
 He cannot deny Himself. Your Dear Lord JefuSy 
 and God., even your Father^ in Him, pities you when 
 weak in Faith, pardons all th^ Workings of your Un- 
 belief, and calls you to take '^im at His Word, to 
 count Him both able 2iV\d faithful that huh promifed, 
 to do what He hath fpoken to you of. And thus to 
 
 C give 
 
( |8 ) 
 
 glv^Him Glory, in the Face of a Thpgfand ImprcK 
 BabiJities, which may appear in your own Heart. God 
 has given his Word, his Oath, That believing on 
 his Son, youjhall not perijh^ but have everlafting Life: 
 Th^U you fhali be laved from all Sin and.Mifery, 
 tirjto all Grace and Glory. And /i^^/'j enough, Thour 
 fands of Oppofitions fhali flee before it, as the Dark-. 
 nefs^ before his All-creating Word, when He faid. 
 Let there be Light •, and there was Light, God's Love 
 towards Tou^ is free, and independent on any of your 
 Goodnefs', infinite, and All-furmounting, over all your 
 Badnefs y and his Truth and Faithfulnefs, are as per-^ 
 manent as his Being, who is. The Everlafting I Am \ 
 Chhist is y.our Lights your Life, your All : And 
 in Him you are completSy who is Tefierday^ "to-Daf^ 
 and for Ever the Samt, And as fure as you are now 
 cprnplete in Qhrift^ you (hall be fo thro^ Him, Be- 
 caufe He lives ^ you fhali live ^^. — Wherefore be 
 Jirong^ and fland fafi in the Lordy my dear Sifter. 
 I am, .rd^iHO n -■ 
 
 T(m:s mofi Jffe^ionatd^ in. om Dear hordy 
 
 LETTER VII. 79 itfA.L. 
 
 My very Bear Brother^ 
 
 I Kindly thank you for your laft Letter. I rejoyce 
 to fee the Lord^s Work carried on, in your Soul \ 
 and that you are help'd to commit the whole Manage- 
 ment thereof unto Himr whofe Hands haye laid ther 
 Foundation, and will bring forth the Head-Stone^ the, 
 finifhing Part, the Coronii of all, with Shoutings of 
 Grace, Grace unto it ! It was Fre^ GrAne^ that chofe us 
 
 in 
 
(19) 
 
 in Chriji^ before the World began. It was Free Grace^ 
 that redeemed us by the Lamb^s Blood, It was Free 
 Grace., that caWd its out of Darknefs into God's mar- 
 vellous Light, It was Free Grace, that hath held 
 our Souls in Life hitherto, amidft a Thoufand Deaths 
 and Bangers. And Fr^^ Gr^ff, in its own everlaft- 
 ing Arnns, will ftill bear and carry us, thro' various 
 Deaths, unto further Increafes of Life^ until we are 
 ripened for, and brought into Glory, Free Grace, 
 laid the Foundation of our Salvation, doth effeflually 
 manage it, and will gloriqufly /«//^ //. — Alas, we 
 can't live one Moment, without frefh Supplies from 
 Chrift \ nor do the leaft Thing in his Service, fpiri- 
 tually, without renewed Strength from Him conti- 
 nually. — And yet, oh v;retchcd Creatures that we 
 are ! when our Lord fills us, how prone are we, thro* 
 that accurfed Pride which remains in us, to rob Him 
 of his Glory, as if ive were fomething ? And when we 
 have thus provok'd our Lord, our Life, our All, to 
 withdraw from us, as it were for a Moment, and leave 
 us to ourfelves, to fhew us we are Nothing •, then, oh 
 then, thro' wretched Unbelief, how prone are we to 
 think, we (hall never fee, or do Good more?. — But 
 well our Dear Lord knows how to pardon, and pity 
 us, to humble, and exalt us, to empty, and fill us ; 
 and by all, to bring us further out of ourfelves, into 
 Himfelf, and caufe us to grow up into Him in all 
 Things^ as our Head, — And, oh, what an unfpeak- 
 able Privilege is it, that we have fuch a Head! Such 
 a Head of Government ! Such a Head of Influence! 
 The Father gave Him to be Head over all things to 
 the Church, which is his Body, the Fulnejs of Him who 
 filleth all in all ! Oh, were we Jingle Creatures, were 
 we not in Union to Chfift, we could not ftand, were 
 we ever fo perfeSf, — The Angels^ thofe Stars of 
 
 C 2 Light, 
 
< ao ) 
 
 Light, that were not fecur'd by EleBing Grace^ and 
 gaiher'd under Chrift^ as an Head ; feil from their 
 Ihining Orbs, and beczmt black Devils,'^ Jdam^ that 
 happy, that perfedl Man, who came out of his 
 Maker's Hand in a Fulnefs of Creation- Purity an(J 
 Nature Blifs, (landing upon his own Bottom, foon Iqfi 
 it, and became a miferable, guiity, filthy, abominable 
 Creature. — How then Should we ft and, who have fo 
 little Grace, and fo much Sin in us ? And fo many 
 ^Temptations round about us ? Whofe Grace, is but 
 as it were a Spark, amidft an Ocean of Corruption, 
 agitated by fierce ^/Wj of Temptation, which threatens 
 its Deftru6l:on every Moment ! — Oh here Jies the 
 Myftery, the Glory, the Security of a Believer^ his 
 Life is hid with Christ in God ! A Believer'' $ 
 Life, is in Union to Christ, in an indiflblubJe 
 Union, to an inexhauftibie Fuiuers of endlefs Life, in 
 the Son of God \ A Believer'* s Life, is the Life of 
 Christ in him. He lives; yet not he, feperate 
 froni Chrift, bat Christ lives in him. And be^ 
 caufe Christ lives, and fo long as Christ lives, a 
 Believer ftjall live alfo. The weakeft Member of the 
 Body of CI) rift, is in Union to fuch a mighty Head, 
 that he can never /"^//. That is, from h\^ new Life^ 
 into the Deiith of Unregeneracy, No; Christ, in 
 whom ^7/ the Fultnefs of the Godhead 4'^ells, conti- 
 nuallv holdelh his Soul in Life. — And not only in his 
 Uxh m^inain''d ', but it Ihall alhht increased. The 
 Life of Christ, in the Soul o^ 2l Believer, \% m 
 increafing,,''^ a^ Sin killing, an All-conquering Life, 
 Christ, his living Head, will live and reign in him, 
 until all D^^ifi',oif eyery Kind and Degree, is fwal- 
 Jow''j up i'i VipGfyi Until all the Powers of his Soul, 
 'ar;d ail the Members of his Body, are filled brimful^ 
 of perfect Life, and endlefs Glory I 
 Then, Hiy dear Brother, let us blefsGojy for Jesus 
 
 ' ChrisTj 
 
( 21 ) 
 
 Christ; for th\s^s unfpeakaMe Gift \ Let us re- 
 joyce in the L(^rd our Life always, notwithflanding 
 all that Sin and Dealb which works in us. For te;^ 
 are^ and fhall be «^2d?f^ than Conquerors thro' Him />&<?/ 
 i'^/z^ loved us. And in the Way of our Duty, Jet us 
 leave our Lord^s Work^ in his own Almighty Hands ^ 
 and follow on to know Him, the Fellow/hip of bis 
 Sufferings^ and the Power of his RefurreSlion^ that we 
 may apprehend that^ for which alfi we are apprehended 
 of Christ Jesus.: — The dear Lord Jesus be with 
 you! lam, my dear Brother, 
 
 Mo(i Affemonately l^ours /V; Him, 
 
 LETTER VIIL ^o Mrs. M. 
 
 My Dear Sifter in Chrifi^ 
 
 IRejoyce to hear of the Lord's Goodnefs towards 
 you, in upholding, and providing for you. I truft 
 you {tt\ the fweet Supports of the everlajiing JrmSy 
 under all the PrefTures you daily meet with. Every 
 Child, my dear Sifter, hath its Lot and Portion of 
 Trials, each of us have our own Trials, which were 
 appointed for «j, by our Father's wife Love. And 
 with our appointed Trials, a Sufficiency of Grace is 
 provided for us, in God's everlajiing Covejtant, to car- 
 ry us fafely, profitably, and joyfully thro' them. No- 
 thing comes to us by Hap or Chance. But every 
 Thing we meet with, is the Fruit of God*s Counfel^ 
 the Counfel of his IVilk the good Pleafure of his Good- 
 nefs towards us in Chrifi. The Lord reigtis for ever 
 even our God. And therefore the Children of Z\on^ 
 inay he Joyful in their King, For all Things muft 
 needs go well, for his Glory, and our Advantage, 
 fince all are in his Hand -, are under the fupreme Dif- 
 
 pofc 
 
(z^ ) 
 
 pofe of infinite Wlfdom, Power and Grace; Sa^ to 
 the righteous^ It Jhail go weil with him. It goes ^etl 
 with the rit^hteous, in evil Times. The Lord hides 
 them from Evily and under his Feathers are they fe- 
 cwr'd from all Harm. Let Tempiefts rtfe. Winds 
 blow, and Billows rore ; thofe that are Ark^d m 
 Christ, are fafe^ and may have Refi and Joy in 
 troublous Times. Oh what can hurt that Soul, that 
 dwells in Christ by Faith! If we abode in Him, 
 l^othing could hurt us. It is our going out of Christ, 
 our departing from Him our Refting-place, by Unbe- 
 lief ^ that wounds and grieves us. Alas! when we go 
 out of the Bofom of Christ, we go from all Peace^ 
 into all Trouble. Oh Fools that we are, and flow of 
 Heart to believe! The ksiii Burden, is much too heavy 
 for our Shoulders, Why then, don't we caft all our 
 Burdens upon the Lord, whofe mighty Shoulder is 
 well able to bear us, and all our Weights ? Why 
 don't we cajl: all our Care upon Him that cdreth for 
 us ? Can we by taking Thought, add one Cubit to our 
 Stature ? Why then are we fo fooliflj, to go out one 
 Moment from the Bofom of Christ? When fhall 
 we underftand the Wifdom of Faith, to make Christ 
 cur All, to look to Him for all, and quietly and 
 thankfully, to leave all Things, in his All- wife. All- 
 gracious, and Almighty Hands ? Oh could we do fo, 
 all Things would be welL Our Lord would be Alt to 
 us, fupply all our Wants, and order all Things /<?r us-, 
 every Way like his great, his glorious Self! Oh, a 
 Life of Faith on the Son of God^ ought to be the con- 
 ftant Life of a Chrifiian. It is a God-honouring, a 
 Heart-cheering, a Soul enriching Life. Happy are 
 they, who make the Glory of God, under every Trial, 
 their greateft Concern, that have no PFill but His, and 
 that as having Nothings poffefs all Things in Him, 
 
 wha 
 
(23 > 
 
 whoisthieir AliJ WChrist i'j All, and our All, 
 if He has All in Himfelf^ and will be All to us^ what 
 can we want more f What need we go out of our 
 Dear Lord^ one Moment, for any Advantage or De- 
 light ? What Gbod can we find out of Him, that is 
 not to be enjoy'd in Him^ tranfcendently, infinitely and 
 eternally ? Are Shadows l^etter than Subftance ? Ar© 
 BcsLhisieiter thart the Body of the Sun ? Are Streams 
 hUer than that broad River, that Ocean of Delights,^ 
 which we have in the Son of God ? What mean 
 we, to catch at Shadows ? To prefer I'rijles ? To fet 
 aur Eyes upon Things which are no( P Oh our Folly 
 and bafe Ingratitude ! Oh ^ the infinite Grace of out 
 forgiving God 1 Oh the All-conquering, the All-fup. 
 plying Love^ of our unchangeable Lord! Great Neerf 
 have we to fay, with the Difciplesi Lord, ihcreafe our 
 Faith! That {ofhe Ndme of our Lord maf be glorify^ d 
 in us^ and we in- Him, according to ihe'Graeepfour 
 God, and the Lord Jefm Ghrifi; — Wifhih-g a!J Supplies 
 out of Ghrift's Fulnefs, and requefting your Prayers 
 for me •, I r^*Rairi, my dear Siftery ' 
 
 ' - Ever Tours 4n our own- lib ± d Ji: sus. 
 
 V V u 
 
 T^ 
 
 Ii^ very l^ari^nd much Homur*d Brother, 
 
 I /Long to hear from you. I forget yca-not in my 
 > Pray-ers. Lhope the Lord will recover your Heahh, 
 aad fpare yoii-as a Bl^fling to his Church. L know- 
 you judge it far^^/^^ to be diffolved, and iohtwhk 
 CwrRisT. But fui^ly- we have Need of ydur Abode^ 
 m^ th« PUJk a while longer. Sometimes I think; « You 
 
 lipen. 
 
( 24 ) 
 
 ripen (o fafr^ that our Lord wiil gather you ibori.* 
 GJad am I, that under the rich Influences of Free 
 Grace, you have been fo mightily fpirited for God, 
 and borne upon the Wing in his Service. A rich, 
 a weighty Crown of Glory, awaits you at Chrift's Ap- 
 pearing. Oh dear Sir, go on ilill, to love and ferve 
 Jesus, to do and fuffer for him, till Time is dune, 
 and bieft Eternity comes on. And then you fhall 
 ferve Him perfedly and for Ever, without Interrup- 
 tion, or Ceafation, among the flaming Ghries of the 
 upper World! — And oh, my dear Brother, remem- 
 ber me^ a mourning Sinner, , that longs to love Jesus, 
 Oh pray that our Lord will; ^^/)//z^ me with Fire I I 
 am afhamed and confounded at my little Love to 
 Qbrifl, I am humbled, my Heart breaks, when L 
 think how much there has been forgiven me, how 
 muth Favour beftow'd on me, how long I haVe been 
 acquainted with the Prince of Grace, and yet that I 
 lov« Him/tf little ! Oh wretched Sinner that / am! L 
 am no more worthy to be put among the Chi idren^) 
 And yet Free Grace, has given me ihOi^Relationof-sii 
 Child, tho* I deferve not a.iV^w^iamong the leafl: and 
 laft of my Father's Houfe. I am glad my Heavenly 
 Father, my Elder Brother, my San6tifier and Com- 
 forter, from an Infinity of Grace, knows how to bear' 
 with, and cure me -, to heal alj my .Difeafes, and to 
 beautify me with all thofe- Graces, - wiiicH I fee' 'upon 
 others of the Family. Oh, if Jehovah's Grace was 
 not Free, infinitely, unchangeably arid- eternally Freey ' 
 the lead Ray of it, had never Hione upon vile^ wretch! 
 ed me ! But if the Lord wil( he gracious to the; Chief 
 of Sinners -, who or what (hall hirtder Him ? I am ful- 
 ly pcrfuaded, that tht Grace of GfidyM infinitely y^/^ 
 ficient for me. And I ^ejoyce,' t exceedingly rejoyce 
 in this Grace. I caft my Sgul^ my needy Soul, upon 
 
 this 
 
this Grace. I knaw it will work Wonders \ and I wak 
 for its giorious Influences, to change me more and 
 more, into the Love-Image of Jesus, the glorious 
 Firft-bom of Family. But oh I I am pained with 
 my preient Unlikemfs ; my bafe Heart, my ungrate- 
 ful Carnage grieves me. ---Oh my Brother, if you 
 love me, pray for me, that my Lord will hade, to 
 make me like Him^ to make me love Him, That I 
 mayn't always have fuch a contradled Soul, and fo 
 Jittle in me, to dejip^ht and honour, my glorious Lord 1 
 'my glorious Lover ! -— Great Grace he with^ and upon 
 you comtinqally ! I remain. Pear Sir, 
 
 Tours moli Jffe^ionately, in our own 
 Dear Lord Jesus, 
 
 L E'^ T E R X. To Mr. S. 
 
 My Bear and Honoured Brother ^ 
 
 YOURS I received, and return you hearty 
 Thanks for it. 1 rejoice to hear, what God 
 hath done for your Soul, in pewing you your loft, 
 miferable State by Nature^ in revealing his Dear Son 
 in yoUy and his own infinite, free, everlafting Love 
 towards you. Calling Grace, my Brother, is a Time-* 
 Fruit of God's Eternal Love. If you had not had an 
 everlafting Standing in God's old Love, in the Grace 
 of eternal Ele5lion^ you had not been thus drawn with 
 Loving-kindnefs in Time. And what was it, think 
 you, that mov''d the Love of God towards you, that 
 mov'd Him to Chufe Tou^ and to refolve to be Gra- 
 ciogs unto i1?«, when he pafs'd by Tboufands? Was 
 it your forefeen Goodnefs f Was you better than thofe 
 
 D that 
 
( 26 ) 
 
 that perijh f iVb, you'll fay, in no wife. No, m^ 
 Brother, we that are Vejfels of Merty^ on whom God 
 will make known the Riches of his Gloryy of his gto- 
 rious Grace^ were of the fame Lump with thofe who 
 are Veffels of Wrath, fitted to Beftrumon. *Twas no- 
 thing made us to differ from others, but the free, fo- 
 vereign Pleafure of the great Lord of Heaven and 
 Earth, We were no better by Nature, than thofc 
 who are now in Hell. And tho' Grace has made a 
 Q-^^^^inus, has form*d Chrift's Image in our Souls, 
 and bleft us with a begun Conformity to God's Firft- 
 born ; yet is Nature, corrupt Nature, even in us that 
 are call'd by Grace, no better yet. In u^, that is in 
 our Flejh, dwelleth no good Thing. Nothing that is 
 good, nothing but what is bad, even an Hell of Ini^ 
 quity, abides (till in our vile Hearts. 
 
 What then fhall comfort us in our Conflicts with 
 the Powers of Darknefs? Oh it is Goo's Fr^^ Love! 
 His Sovereign Love, * his Unchangeable, Everlafting 
 Love, his Covenant-engaged Li?i;^ / It is This, this 
 alone, can give lis Jlrong Confolation. It was the good 
 Pleafure of our Father's Will, to love us in Chriflr, 
 with a Love that was and is, altogether independent on 
 our Goodnefs. This free Love of God towards us, 
 fought none of our Goodnefs, as a Motive of its 
 Fixation upon us, nor doth it fpeak it as a Motive of 
 its Continuation to us. No, the Lord loved us^ 
 not becaufe wc were better than others ; but becaufe it 
 pleafed the Lord to love us. So Free, fo infinitely 
 Free was the Love of God, that He refolv'd to love 
 us without our forefeen Goodnefs, notwithfianding all 
 our fore-view'd Badnefs, to heftow all Goodnefs upon 
 us, to maintain all Goodnefs in us, and in the End to 
 fill us with all Goodnefs, with every Kind and Degree 
 of Goodnefs^ to the utter Exclu^on of ail our Badnefs : 
 
 Or, 
 
( 27 ) 
 
 Or, in a Word, to make us Holy^ and without Blame 
 before Him in Love^ and to keep us fo, to the Days 
 of Eternity ! 
 
 And when Free Love has brought us up to our 
 defigned Perfedlion in Grace^ we fhall give it all the 
 Glory \ and wonder out £/^r»//y, atdiftinguifhingLox;^, 
 while we each one for ourfelves, warble out its Praifes, 
 with a Why me^ Lord! Why me! Why (hould / be 
 tlius rais'd by Grace to eternal Glory, while a Thou* 
 fand Sinners, no worfe than I, fell at my Side^ and 
 Ten Tboufand at my Right Hand! And all the in- 
 numerable Multitude Qf the faved Ones, fhall jointly 
 and together cry, Not unto us^ not unto us^ Lord, 
 but unto thy Name^ unto thy Free Grace, in the whole 
 of our Salvation^ be the whole and eternal Glory ! 
 
 And oh what Grace is it, my dear Brother, that 
 mean Time, Heaven ihould come down to meet us^ 
 in this low Land ! That now and then, under bright 
 Difplays of infinite Favour, we Ihould be fill'd with 
 heavenly Wonder and Joy, and thus begin the Work 
 ofPraife and Adoration, even while on this Earth | 
 They are all Heirs of God, and have the Earneft of 
 the Spirit given them, that are blefl: with thefe fweet 
 Foretafbes of Glory ^ of the Enjoyment and Employment 
 of the upper PVorld, 
 
 And having this Hope, thro' God's Free Love, of 
 feeing Jesus as He is, of being made like Him, and 
 of being for ever with Him •, what remains for us to 
 do in the prefent State ? Verily it is only this. To pu- 
 rify ourfelves^ even as He is pure. The Gofpel of 
 God's Free Grace in Chrift, brings all Salvation to us : 
 And, only^ fays the Apoftle, let your Converfation be as 
 becometh the Gofpel, Oh what great, what high Obli- 
 gations, doth God's Free, Eternal Love, lay us un- 
 der to live to its Praife in the prefent Time ! And 
 
 D z the 
 
the 'mijit the Lbve bt '<5od re {Hfed abroad in oat 
 H^rts, the moire holy, ha^pyChriftiahs, fhbold we, 
 Ihall we be. None are fo Free, fo glorioiifly Free, 
 as thofe whom God*s Ffe^ Love, binds mod (Irong- 
 ly Onto all holy Obedience. Bind us^ O Lord, for 
 ever^ bind us with Free Love! Then fhall we be Free 
 'indeed! ^/""^/^ 
 
 Glad am I, my (SfeaVTBTother, that you are helpt 
 to fettle upon God's everlafting Covanant^ his Cove- 
 "nant of Free Grace in Christ, which is ordered in all 
 '^hings^ and fure. This is a folid Foundation for our 
 Faith and Hope, an immoveable Refting-place, amidfl 
 a thoufand Shakings, from within and without. Our 
 Frames continually vary^ and various arc the Dif- 
 penfations which pafs over us : But the Covenant of our 
 God, doth not alter ; becaufe the God of it don't 
 change ; and the Head of it, in whom all the Bleflings of 
 it are fecur'd, is Tefterday^ 1'o-Day^ and for Ever the 
 fame. Well then may this be our Support, both in 
 'Life and in Death. ¥ox tho* our Flefh and our Heart 
 fail us ^ God, our New- Covenant God, is the Strength 
 of our Hearts^ and our Portion for^ Ever, ^ho'* the 
 Mountains and Hills /hall depart^ the mod lading Parts 
 of this lower Creation be difTolved, and Time itfelf 
 put to. a Period ; God's Kindnefs towards us in 
 Christ, (hall noty depart, but run on in its own 
 everlafting Rounds thro' his Covenant of Peaciy which 
 fhall not he removed^ unto our Joy and Glory, Full 
 
 and Eternal, Wifhing a rich Increafe of all Grace^ 
 
 unto a weighty Crown of Glory \ and requefting your 
 ^Prayers for me : I remain. Dear Sir, 
 ^ Tour Affe^ionate humble Servant ^ 
 
 In the Lord the_ Lamb, 
 
 L E t; 
 
t ^9 y 
 
 : •' %^ >E T T E R XL "To Mrs. T. 
 
 My very Dear Sifter in Chrijly 
 
 YOURS I reeeiv'd, I return you hearty Thanks. 
 I rejoyce that yau can fay, concerning your late 
 Trial, and your y^t not ended Afflidlion, Good is the 
 
 -Word of /i?^ Lord, which He hath fpoken. And that 
 there was a ISeed-be^ for your Exercife in thefe Re- 
 gards. — Go on, my dear Sifter, to believe the Love^ 
 and adore the Wifdom of your Heavenly Father here- 
 in. And to wait for the bleficd Fruit of this his k'trd 
 
 /Chaftifemenr. Be in Suhjc£!ion unto the Ftithcr of Spi- 
 fits : And 'Life^ in the Increafe of your Graces, in 
 this World, and of your Crown of Glory in that to 
 come, (hall be the EfFed of it. — And lo, God will 
 be ;g-/(7r{^V in you, by this Trial, if you behave undar 
 it, like your Lord^ and learn Obedience by the Things 
 which you fuffer. The State ^ of God's People^ and 
 efpecially of his F^i;^«r//<?j, in this World, is z State 
 of Suffering. Whoever is at Eafe^ God's dear Chil- 
 dren^ his beloved Ones^ (hall not. They fhall be emp* 
 iyd from Veffel toVeffel, remov'd from Trial to Trials 
 to refine them the more. God will fet the Bufh He 
 loves ^ on Fire^ all on a Flame. But for the Good 
 Will of Him that dwells in the Bujh^ it fhall not be 
 confumed by the fiery Trial -^ but preferved green znd 
 
 flourifhing under it : To the Glory of infinite Power^ 
 and boundlefs Grace^ and to the Wonder and Praife 
 of Men and Angels, thro' Time and to Eternity, Oh 
 
 ■it's worth while, to turn ajide, to fee this great Sight: 
 A Bujh on Fire and not confumed! A weak Child of 
 Gody amidft fiery Trials, uninkindled by the Flame! 
 Yea, full of Sap and Moijlure, growing, and increaf- 
 
 ing 
 
(30) 
 
 ing thereby ! In fuch a Cafe, we are made a SpeSiacU 
 vntq Godf unto Angels^ and tQ Man: God looks on 
 us with infinite Pleafurey fees his own Glories dif- 
 play'd, and our Graces exercis'd, and fays concerning 
 us, as of his Servant Joh^ Still he holdeth faft his In* 
 tegrity. And, / have chofen thee in the Furnace of 
 'j^i6lion. Good Angels rejoice^ to fee the Favourites 
 of Heaven behave under fiery Trials, as becomes 
 their high Relation to God, and the Greatnefs of that 
 Love and Duty which they owe to Him. And with 
 Joy they wing the Way, to carry the Tidings up to 
 the Throne and Court above. Evil Angels, are con- 
 founded at fuch a Sight. Good Men behold with 
 Wonder, Joy and Praife, this glorious Sight, A 
 flourifhing Saint, amidft fiery Trials. The World of 
 unconverted Men, (land Agaft, The Confciences of 
 fome are ftruck with Fear. The Souls of others al- 
 lured to love and ferve that God, who is fo good to his 
 fufFering Servants, and works fuch Wonders for them. 
 •—How joyful then, my dear Sifter, Ihould we he in 
 tribulation ? And how careful of our Behaviour un- 
 der it, to anlwer the great Ends of it, while we are 
 thus made a Spe5facle unto all I ^^ And lo. The Lord 
 that is with us in Trouble, will deliver us out of it ; 
 to his great Glory, and our great Advantage — Let 
 us then, my dear Sifter, take the Prophets and Saints 
 of old, and our Brethren the Saints now, who behave 
 under Trials as they ought, for an Example of fuffer- 
 ing Affii5lion, and of Patience. Since we have heard 
 of the Patience of Job, and have feen the End of 
 the Lord : that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender 
 Mercy. And that the Lord blejfed the latter End of 
 Job more than his Beginning, And let us, with the 
 Primitive Saints, count themhappy which engine. — And 
 fee you not, my dear Sifter, that the Lord has rather 
 
 fhaken 
 
t 30 
 
 fliaken his Rod at you, than laid it upon you ? And 
 that He has begun to deliver you ? Wait a while, and 
 Weeping will be over. The Wght is far fpent^ a 
 joyous Morning haftens. And the Lord grant You, 
 and your dear Yokefellow, with the Saints he may 
 minifter to, a brighter Day o^Gofpel-Glory^ than ever! 
 — "The Grace of our Lord Jefus Cbrifl, be with your 
 Spirit t-^ln Him, my dear Sifter, I am. 
 
 Tours mofl AffeBionately^ ' ' 
 
 LETTER XII. To 
 
 My *very Dear and much Honoured Brother^ 
 
 IWifh your Increafe in Grace and Gifts, The Lx)rd 
 make you a bright ^/<3r, in t\iQ Church Heaven! 
 Clothe you with his Gtory^ and hold you in his tiand^ 
 unto abundant Ufefulnefs in the prefent State / And 
 grant you a lluminous Sphere^ among the ftarry Glo^ 
 ries of the fir ft Refurre^ion! Believe on Chrift, Bro- 
 ther, for your every Day's Fitnefs for the great W^ork 
 of the Minijiry. Bring your empty Sacks^ your re- 
 peated Wants^ unto Jesus your Brother: Of his FuU 
 nefs you fhall receive^ and Grace for Grace, The Re* 
 ftdue of the Spirit is with Him, He can fill you with 
 the Holy Ghoji : And let that be the Top of your 
 Ambition. Had you all the Learning in the Univerfe^ 
 ' without the Holy Ghoft^ you wou'd be a faplefs, fa- 
 vourlefs Minifter of the glorious Gofpel But Jill*d 
 with the Spirit ; your Learning (hall be fanSiify*d^ and 
 made fubfervient to your Lord's Grace^ unto his and 
 your Glory, He can give you 2l learned Tongue^ fpi- 
 .'ritually fo, to fpeak a Word in Seafon unto him that is . 
 
 weary^ 
 
( 32 ) 
 
 weary' 'y make you wife to win Souls ; and fuccefsful to 
 turn many ta Righteoufnefs : Who fliali be your Joy 
 and Crown in the Day of Chrift, — His Grace he mitb 
 your Spirit! la Him, with the moft affeftionate Efteeni, 
 I am, Dear Sir, 
 
 Tour fmcere Friend and humble Servant^ 
 
 LETTER XIII. To Mr. D. 
 
 My Dear Love, * '^ 
 
 WE have aim'd at ih^ Glary 6f Gox>\ and may 
 quietly leave ourfehes, and All, in his Hand. 
 J f he fay ^ He has no Delight in us\ I truft our Souls, 
 humbled in the Duft at his Feet» (hall reply, Here w£ 
 are, let the Lord do with us, as feemeth good unto Him. 
 It has been fome Refrelliment to me, that whatever 
 the Lord doth with me. He will get Himfelf Glory, 
 If He caft me to the Dunghil, if there I may but 
 have Grace to love and adore, to blefs and magnify 
 Him, and to found forth his Praifes -, methinks I can 
 humbly /«^7;/V to his Holy fVill, and fweetly acquiefce 
 with his good Pleafure. I had a pleafant Thought, 
 ' That if I was to lofe all my hop'd-for Ufefulnefs, as 
 
 * God would be ^/<?r(/5''^ thereby •, I would rejoice in 
 
 • his Glory as my Gain, and take that for my Heritage* 
 No Reafon have we to be diftreft, when Things feem 
 to make moft againft us. Becaufe, as we are brought 
 to God by the Lamb's Blood, we are brought into 
 a Communion of Inter efts. And if we had more Faith 
 and Love, we (hould delight in God's Glory, as our 
 Gain, whatever He doth with us. If we were not 
 finfully felfijh, owr own Advantage, would not give us 
 
 a higher 
 
( 33 ) 
 a higher Joy, than God's Glory ; but be iri a due Sub* 
 ordination to it, and afford us the greateft Joy froni 
 it. We Ihogid rejoice in the Glory of God, for its 
 own^Sakev and in our Advantage, firft and princi- 
 pally, as God is glorify* d thereby, and in a fecondary 
 Way, as we are .happy ^ under the bright Difplay of 
 God^s Glory ;. And. ia Thasnks and Praife, return the 
 Glory of all to Him, which in Blifs and Joy, we re- 
 ceive from Him. If we fink into Dejefiion of Spirit^ 
 as if we had nothing to rejoice in^ tho' ail Things are 
 always for x^^Qlory ofGod\ it is an EviJence of in- 
 ordinate •SVi/' Lw^. As on the other Hand, if we re- 
 joice in the Lord and his Honour^ when ourfelves are 
 abafeds it is an Evidence, fo far as we are enabled to 
 do it, uf true Love to God in the Heart. — But furely 
 we talk hke Children^ when we fay. Things make 
 againfi US'^ we fpeak the Language o( Senfe^ and not 
 oJ ffith. For lo, all Things make for us, they to- 
 gether work for our Good. If they make againft us 
 in the Particulars which we defire, they make for us 
 in the Generals that we wifli, and ferve to bring about 
 every Jot and Tittle of that general and particular 
 Goody which our Ail wife, and All-gracious God hath 
 allotted for us. It is not good for us always to be ex^ 
 alted'y 'tis very profitable for us in the pre fent State, 
 to be fometimes in the Valley of Humiliation. Chrift'3 
 Lillies in the Valley, with their Heads how*d, in Faith 
 and Love, to his holy Will, ripen apace for Glory ^ look 
 very beautiful, and caft forth ^fragrant Smell. " In 
 the Valley of Humiliation, as Mr. Bunyan obferves, 
 theioriof tht Pilgrims, delighted much to be.'* And 
 (hall we be unwilling to follow Our Mafler, if Ht call 
 us into it ; fince thro' his chearing Prefence, and gra- 
 cious Influence, we fhall/»g- there, and be brought 
 thence ^ with Advantage ? If IVinds of Profperity bear 
 
 E us 
 
< 34 ) 
 
 US akft^ left we ihould be eaalied ahve Meafure^ but* 
 Wife and Gracious God, will make Adverfity a 
 Weight for them. And left we ftiould be too much 
 deprtft. He weigbetb the WaUrs of Affliftion ly 
 Meafure, 
 
 Have wc not then the higheft Reafon, humbly, 
 cheerfully and thankfully, to commit ourfelves to Di- 
 vine Condud? The Lord will never leave his own^ 
 in the moft ^/^r^«^ Circumftances ; nor iiiffer any 
 Diftrefs to light upon them, but what ftiall iffue in 
 their eternal Joy and Glory. What Faith and Lbve, 
 what Joy and Thanks, do we then owe to the God of 
 Truth and Grace ? Our Happimfs lies, in fdnfiifying 
 the Lord God in our Hearts^ in every of his Difpen- 
 Jations towards us. In keeping clofe to God, in dwel- 
 ling in Him, in walking with Him, and in cafting 
 all our Care continually, upon Him that careth for 
 us. Our Life here, is one perpetual Scene of various 
 Changes : All which, as wifely and gracioully Over- 
 ruled, by the Sovereign Lord of all, (hall eftedlually 
 prepare us for our unchangeable and endlefs Glory here- 
 after. The manifeftative Glory of God, in every Thing 
 ^at pafleth over us, and our prefent and eternal Jd- 
 vantage, are inleperably conne5led with each other» 
 Infinite Love, join'd them both together; infinite 
 Faithfulnefs, fecures the Links from breaking \ and 
 infinite Power, draws the unbroken Chain, thro* a 
 continued Series of divers Events in Time, to the Glo- 
 ry of God, and ours with Him, to Eternity. And 
 when the Whole of his Providential Difpenfations to- 
 wards us zx^finijh*d, and all that Glory brought tp his 
 great Nam^ by every Thing that was deftgn^d *, and all 
 that Good brought to us, by all Things, which was 
 purposed : The Lor d Jhall rejoice in bis Works : And 
 pron<;>uncc. concerning them, to the eternal Reft of 
 
 his 
 
(35) 
 
 his Soul, fhey are all very good. And when the Vail 
 is tak^n off, and we fee ^th one View, all the Works 
 of God towards us, in their Variety, Harmony and 
 Unity, exadly anfwering all the glorious Ends de- 
 fign'd ; we fliall rejoice with Him : And to the eternal 
 Glory of his Name, and Reft of our Hearts, fhall 
 fay. He haib done all Things well ! --^ A^^ the more 
 we fee, and fay thus now, the more of Heaven* s Biffin 
 we enjoy on Earth, Shall not we that are reconcil'd 
 to God by the Lamk's Bloody be one in Willy he one in 
 Jnier eft with Him. If we are noty it makes «^ that 
 are the Friends of Gody look like Enemies to Him, Oh 
 kt not God and uSy be twain y fmce Jefus dy'd, to 
 make us one in Him/elf ^ T^o whom be Glory and Do- 
 winiony for ever and ever. Amen, — The Dear Lord 
 Jefus be with thee ! 1 remain, 
 
 ny mofl Affe^ionate Spoufey 
 
 •"?-*" 
 
 LETTER XIV. to Mr. L. 
 
 i>ear Sir, 
 
 HAving heard, that you are under much Concern 
 about your Soul, and diftrelTed with Fear that 
 you ihall be Lofl : I was willing to write a Line to 
 you. To tell you that Jefus Chrifi came into the 
 World to fave loft Sinners. For this you have his own 
 Word : For the Son of Man is come to feek and to favi 
 that which was Lofty Luke 19, lo. 
 
 We are all by Nature Sinners : guilty and filthy wc 
 were in our firft Father Adamy by his firft Sin ; and 
 have received a guilty, filthy 'Nature from him. And 
 thus were lorn Sinners, and have gone aftray from 
 
 E 2 God, 
 
( 36 ) 
 
 dod, even from the Womhy And by every Sin,' 
 while we abide in a natural State; we go farther and 
 farther off from God •, and have neither Will, Skill, 
 nor Power to return to him. And having forfaken 
 our God, we have loft all tx\^e Happinefs for our poor 
 Souls which is only to be enjoy'd in Him, Having 
 departed from our true and proper Center^ we wander 
 about continually, and can never find Refi. — And 
 for our Sins, the righteous Law of God^ purfues us 
 with its Curfes, and thunders our Wrath and Death 
 againft every Soul of Man that doth Evil. And thus, 
 having//?/? ^ar God, we have loft ourfelves -, loH all 
 true Happinefs, and brought upon us ail Miferies in 
 the Defert of them, and in the Beginnings of them 
 too, in our Souls and Bodies, and are in apparent Dan- 
 ger of eternal Perdition. And by our Sin againft 
 God, Satan has got the Dominion over us, blindeth 
 our Minds, hardens our Hearts, and leads us on in 
 the Ways of Sin, down toward the Chambers of end- 
 lefs Death. -—Thus all Mankind were 7^/ i^y Sin •, and 
 might juftly have been loft for ever, in the Abyfs of 
 Eternal Mifery, 
 
 But lo. The Son of Man is come to feek and to fave 
 that which was loft ! God fent forth his Son made of a 
 Woman, made under the Law, To redeem them fhat 
 were under the Law, The bound lefs Grace of.GodV 
 provided a Redeemer for loft Sinners. And this was; 
 ho other than his own Son, who thought it not Rob- 
 lery to he Equal with God. God fo loved loft Sin- 
 ners, that He gave his only begotten Son : To take 
 pur Nature into Union with his Divine Perfon, to j^e-'- 
 come the Son of Man, That fo He,^ who Was the 
 Son of God, and the Son of Man, that^ had both 'the 
 Divine and Human Natures, in his one Perf6n,' might; 
 become our Jesus. That He in the fame ISfature 
 
 ;hat 
 
( 37 ) 
 
 that finned, might deftroy the DeviJ and 'all his 
 Works, "and fave his People from their' Srns, from 
 that miferable loft State, which they had plung'd 
 themfelves into. And this He did by fuftaining our 
 Pcrfons, takings our Law-place, bearing our Sin, and 
 Obeying, and Dying in our Stead.-— By which in his 
 own Perfon, He has wrought out a com pleat Righte- 
 6ufnef$' to cover naked Sinners*, fatisfy'd Divine 
 Juftice to the Full for our Sins ; deftroy'd all our 
 Enemies, and attain'' d Eternal Redemption for us, — 
 And having finifht the Work, God as the God of 
 Peace^ tr ought him again from the Dead thro* the Bkod 
 of the' ev&lajling Covenant^ rais'd him from the Grave,* 
 as a tfiumphant Conqueror over Sin, Death and Hell ; 
 and txalted him to his own Right Hand, to fave' 
 Sinners to the uttermoft. That fame Jesus, which 
 fav'd Sinners cbmpleatly by the Price of his Bloody 
 when He dy'd for them upon the Crofs ; now lives 
 for ever upon the Throne, to fave them by the P^re'^ 
 of his Arm: This good Sbep^herd, that gave his Life 
 for th^ Sheep^ will not fuffer any one of them to be 
 eternally Lofl. But He will go after that which is lofi^ 
 until He find it -, and when He hath found it^ He will 
 lay it upon his Shoulder^ and bring it home to the Fold, 
 to his Chut-eh below, and to his Church above, both 
 in Grace, and in Glory, rejoycing. 
 
 Then Sir, Are you loft? Jefus Chrift can feeh ani 
 fave yo^ to the uttermo^. He came on purpofe to fave 
 left Souls ; and in this Work He exceedingly delights. 
 He fhed his precious Blood for loft Sinners, that in the 
 Virtue thereof, He ^ might employ his infinite Power 
 toTave the¥n. Are j>'^« wounded by Sin? Christ's 
 Blood can heat you. fVith his Stripes ^ we are healed, 
 yi^wt'you no Righteoiifnefs to appear in before God, 
 ;hat \Vill bear the Teft of his holy Law, and ftrid: 
 ^' ' '' Juftice? 
 
( 3S ) 
 
 ^uftice ? Christ has wrought out a Robe of Rlghteouf- 
 nefs, to array nalied Sinners, and make the nti appear 
 Glorious in the Eyes of flaming Purity : His Name is. 
 The Lord our Righteousness Have yOi4 no 
 Strength to get the Vi<51oTy over Sin, Satan and the 
 Worfl ? Or to get. out of the pr'^fent Drefs which you 
 are in ? Christ has an Arm like God, the ^m of 
 God : In this Lord the Saviour, there is Strength 
 for the wcakeft Sinner : He can fubdue your Iniquities, 
 and bind all your fpiritual Enemies : Bring you out of 
 Darknefs and the Shadow of Death, and break your 
 Bands infunder. Are you fhut up as in Prifon, under 
 the Guilt and Power of Sin, and terrible Fears of Di- 
 vine Vengeance? That Jesus who dy'd for Sinners, 
 and bore the Wrath of God, to dehver us from the 
 Wrath which is to come, is Authorized by the Father, 
 and Anointed with the Holy Ghoft, to proclaim Liber- 
 ty to the Captives^ and the opening of the Prifon to them 
 that are bound: To fay to the Prtfoners^ Go for thy, to 
 them that are in Darknefs ^ Shew yourfelves. Do you 
 find that you have no Power to believe and repent? 
 Faith and Repentance art the Saviour's Gifts : He is 
 exalted at God*s Right Hand to beftow them upon poor 
 unbelieving, impenitent Sinners: 'I^o give Repentance 
 and Remiffion of Sins ^ thro* F^ith in his Blood, And 
 he has promis'd to pour th^ Spirit of G^ace and of Sup' 
 plications, upon Souls that want Grace, and Can't pray ; 
 that they may Look upon Him whom they have pierced, 
 ^nd mourn, and be in Bitternefs for Him,, Oh, Sir, 
 Christ can give you a believing Heart, a broken 
 Heart, a praying. Heart, in an Inftant. For He is 
 Mighty to favel a God working fFonders ! Yea, Won- 
 ders of Lifecf9r the Dead ! In ^ Woj[d then, ^^ym in 
 a miry Pit> ,» Pitof Noife, where there is no Standing, 
 Where .your ^^oul is terrify^ exceedfingly, and from^ 
 
 whence 
 
. ( 39 ) 
 
 whfcnce you can m no wife deliver yourieir ? jE^xfs 
 
 Can Mng you up from the miry Clay, out of this horriile 
 Pity and fet your Feet upon Himfelf the Rock of Jges ; 
 and' put a new' Song into your Mouthy even Praife unto 
 our God, for a tuiland everlafting Salvation, which of 
 his boundlels Grace, He always beftows freely. You 
 are not funk too low, for Everlafting Arms to reach you, 
 Therefor<i wait patiently upon the Lord,, 
 
 And now, Sir, as I have h^-oted Something, tho' I 
 han't told you a Thoufandth Part;, oi the Excellency of 
 Christ as a Saviour : What, do you think of Him ^ 
 Do you fee any Suitableneis in this mighty Saviour, 
 to your Cafe as a perifhing Sinner ? Do you fee any Beau- 
 ty in Him, whereby you defire Him ? Are the Breath- 
 ings of your Soul after Christ, as the Defires of Dtf- 
 vid ahtr the Water, when reacJy to die for Thirfl", he 
 faid, 01? that one would give me pf the Water of the Well 
 e?/ Beth-iehem to drink ! -Are^xbefe the Longings of 
 your Heart, ". Oh that Christ would give me Him- 
 " ielf, and all that Life and Salvation that is in Him ; 
 " that my thirfty, perifhirig Sou) might drink itsFilJ^ 
 ", apd live for ever 1" — If 'io,, then hear what he fays 
 if:^,yo\jL,i' I willgive unt^oMm that is athirfi, of the Foun- 
 thin^fiheiyaterofj^if^ 6. See: Not 
 
 a Soul that IS ^/toy^ , for Christ, fhall perifh and die 
 for Want of Him ! CHRisT,'ind all his Grace, is pre- 
 pared on purpofe for fuch Souls ; and (hill be bellowed 
 upon them freely : VS^ithout Money, and without Price, 
 without anj^ Worth or Worthinefs in tnem. They 
 ffiall drink, and drink abundantly, thro' Time and to 
 Eternity, of that pure River of Water of Life^ the 
 Streams whereof make g^ad the Ctiy of God, — Oh, Sir, if 
 you apprehend yourleif at prefent to be in a perifhing 
 Condition, you (hall not bt eternally loft^ if you look unto 
 Jesus. Caft your Eye therefore unto Him^ as God's 
 
 Salvation 
 
( 4'= ) 
 
 Salvation to the Ends of the Earth. He bids you 
 Lock unto Him for Life ; and has faid to every Looker, 
 Beyefaved, He has granted Salvation to the worft, 
 the chiefeft of Sinners, that look to Him for it. And 
 he will never, never repent what He has faid, or be 
 worfe than his Word. He has i2A^^1h€y fhall come 
 that were ready to perifh. Come then, dear Sir, cafl: 
 your perifhing Soul at the Saviour*^ Feet^ and you 
 fhall live for ever. There is Salvation in Him j and 
 there is none in any other. They muft all perijh^ that 
 do not look, that do not come to Christ : But not a 
 Soul fhall be lojl^ that comes at his Call, and calls itfelt 
 in all its Mifery, at the Feet of his Mercy. If you are 
 afraid that you ih^iW perifh^ come to Jesus. And if 
 you fear that He will not receive you^ come and try. 
 You can but perilh : Oh call yourfelf at the Saviour's 
 Feety and refolve. That if ypu do perifh, you will pe- 
 rifh T'here, But Oh, be aflur'd, that T'his isnoperijb- 
 ing Ground. For Christ Himfelf fays to you, Nim 
 that cometh unto Me, I' will in no wife cafl out, Joh. vi. 
 37. — And it is no Sign that you fhall be eternally /<2//, 
 becaufe you now fee your perilhing State. For when 
 Christ feeks and faves lofi Souls, He always fhews 
 them their lojl Condition -, that To they may be -willing 
 to b^ found of Him, and fav^d by Him from'ail Mifery, 
 unto all Glory. WiQiing this Salvation, lam. Sir,' ; 
 
 Tour AffeSiionatt Friend and Servant in the Lor d^- 
 
 ' .' *; ^■ .ij. !uv/ 
 
 — — ^ _ H ■ ' I ' 1., 
 
 I \\z 
 
 A^^'J^.^^ 
 
(4i) 
 
 L E T T E R XV. ro Mr. C. 
 
 ,: Reverend and very dear Brother, 
 
 I Sympathize with you in your great Afflidlion, by 
 the Withdraw ot the Divine Prefence, as to the 
 warming, comforting, enlarging Influences of God's 
 free Favour. Oh how fad is our Cafe, when our 5^- 
 /^wi is thus withdrawn from us! When Christ -our 
 Light, our Life, our Joy, fleps afide for a W^hile, then 
 Darknefs, Death and Sorrow cover us. The Beads of 
 Prey roar againft us, with ai ' Where is now your God ? 
 ,* He'll be favourable no more j your Strength and 
 '* your Hope, your Life, your Joy, your Ufefuinefs 
 * in the prefent State, are periflied from the Lord. 
 *■ You looked for Light-, but behold, Darknefs, la 
 ^ vain you cry for Help; for the Lord fliutteth out 
 ' your Prayers,' &c, — And happy is that Soul, who at 
 fuch Seafons, is eftablifll'd in the Faith of his Intereft 
 in God's everiafting Favour. An unfpeakabie Support 
 is This, under greateft PrefTures. Such a Man is arai'd 
 againd'the Powers of Darknefs. They can't pierce 
 him to the Heart, as they do others of God's Chil- 
 dren, with the Terror of an everlading Separation 
 from Him. Such a Soul, when (Iript of the Joys of 
 fpiritual Scnfe, tan fay in Faith, with the Church, Re- 
 joice not againft me, O mine Enemy, when 1 fall, 1 JJoall 
 arife -, %vhcn I Jit in Darknefs, the Lor d fJ^all be a Light 
 unto me. I will bear the Indignation of the L:.rd, be- 
 (aufe I have finned againft Him^ until He plead my Caufi^ 
 and-exe-cute Judgment for me : Fie will bring me forth to 
 the Light, and Ffrjall behold his Righteoufief, Mic. vii. 
 8, 9.---And glad am I, my dear Brother, that this is 
 your happy Lot, By Believing in the Dark, you will 
 give Glory unto God, in his infinite Grace, Power and 
 
 F Fairhfulnefsi 
 
(42 ) 
 
 Faithfulnefs ; and hereby you will enjoy fweet Peace, 
 in the Midft of Trouble.— I hope, my Brother, that 
 our dear Lord is return'd unto you again with Mercies, 
 before this Time. But if not • go on to truft in Him, 
 tho' He fhould feem to flay you, to hope in his Mer- 
 cy, tho' He fliould follow yoU with Rebuke, apd to 
 feek his Return, tho' He fhould feem to go further 
 from you. And be of good Chear •, for all Things 
 fhall ilTue well, fhall iogtihtx work for your Good^ and 
 turn to your Salvation, — Do you groan under Deadnefs, 
 Darknefs, Bondage ? Oh bappy Sou! I 'T'ls an Evidence 
 of your new Life, that, you are 2i Child of Light . and 
 have formerly walk'd in the glorious Liberty of the 
 Sons of God. Elfe you would not know what the Want 
 of thefe Things is. Do you groan., becaufe your Beloved : 
 has withdrawn Himfelf .? 'T is an Evidence, that Chrifi 
 andjy^//, have heretofore had fweet Lellowfhip with each 
 other. — And lo, Thofe whom Chrift loves. He loves 
 unto the End. He will not, cannot hide Plimfelf long 
 from fuch Souls. His Withdraw, is but for a Mo- 
 ment, to fet of^' the Glory of his Return, and further to 
 difplay the Immenfity, and Eternity of his Kindnefs, 
 Thofe whom Chrift quickens, fliall never die ; fhall 
 never lofe their new Life, nor fuffer any Decays there- 
 of, hut in order to their further Increafes therein. 
 Thofe whom Chrift enlightens with tht Light of Life, 
 fiiall not walk in Darknefs-, in total, in abiding Dark- 
 nefs, nor in any />^r//W I3arknefs, that fhall not end in 
 Light, and ferve as a Foil to illuftrate its Glory, And 
 thofe whom the Son makes free, fliall no more return 
 to Bondage \ to a State of Bondage, nor fliall any Bon- 
 dage-Frame fcife them, but iliall be over-rul'd for their 
 further Freedom, their more glorious Liberty. — Ln Pa- 
 tience then, my dear Brother, poffefs your Soul, and 
 wait for your own God , and you fhall not be afhamed, 
 
 Kis 
 
' (43) 
 His Love, as it was free in its Fixation upon you, fo 
 it is and will be free, immenfely free, in its Continua- 
 tion to you, and in all its Emanations upon you. God*s 
 Love is like Himself, Great, Sovereign, Unchange- 
 able and Eternal. And it is fecur'd to you^ in Itfelf, 
 and in all its glorious Fruits, unto your full and eternal 
 Salvation^ by the infinite Faithfulnefs of the ftrong, 
 the immutable Jehovah, in his everlafting, his well- 
 order'd Covenant, Infinite Wifdom, for the further 
 Difplay of infinite Love, fees it meet, my Brother, 
 that now for a Seafon, youjhould be in Heavinefs thro* 
 manifold i'emptations^ ihat the Trial of your Faith be- 
 ing much more precious than of Gold that perifheth^ tho* 
 it be try' d with Fire^ anight be found unto Praife^ and 
 Honour^ and Glory at the Appearing of Jefus Chriji. By 
 the Darknefs that now covers you, the Lord is pre- 
 paring you for Light. By Deadnefs for Life ; by Bon- 
 dage for Freedom \ and by Shame for Glory : Both 
 prefent and eternal. For your Shame ^ you fhall have 
 double^ double Glory •, and for Confufion^ you jhall re- 
 joice in your Portion. The Evening and the Morning,, 
 you know, were the firfi Bay: &c. Your prefent 
 Darknefs, is but the Forerunner of 'Light. Another 
 Bay,, of further Glory,, awaits you. The Lord haften 
 its happy Bawn, and make its Meridian- Brightnefs 
 greats in your dear Soul, in your Family, and in the 
 Church of God ! So prays, 
 
 Bear Sir^ 
 
 Tours mojl Jffe5lionately in Christ, 
 
 F 2 L E T- 
 
( 44 y^ 
 
 LETTER XVI. To Mr. L. 
 
 A'ly Dear Brother in Chrift^ 
 
 T Heartilythank you for your laft. By che'Contents 
 -*- of it, larn made to admire the Riches of fovertiga 
 Grace, \n your^ m my Salvation.^ Christ, as the on- 
 ly Way of Salvation, is a Path^ that the Vulture's Eye, 
 that no unrc-gcnerate Man, tho' of the mod piercing 
 natural Wifdom, hath/^^;/. 'Twas the fame free, rich^ 
 infinite Grace, which provided Christ /<?^«J,, that 
 Teveal'd Him in us. Ah, when.AW^r/? has dene its 
 lumoft, to judge of Salvation by Grace ; it will ftili be 
 an impenetrable Myjlery to the natural Man. ihe 
 "Things of the Spirit of God., of the Father's, and of the 
 Son'j Love, in the Provifion and Exhibition of the 
 Saviour, and in the Application of 6W'y^/z^« to the 
 faved Ones., which the Holy Ghoft reveals, are not re- 
 ceived by the natural Mar* •, hecaufe they are FooUfJonefs 
 unto Uim,\ neither can he know themy hecaufe they are, 
 fpiritually difcerned. So great is the Power of Dark- 
 nefs, of tiie Soul- killing Influence of Sin and Satan, that 
 it fills the Mind, and blinds the Underftanding of the 
 ftatnral Man -, and will hold him faft, as in a deep 
 Dungeon, under the Bondage of the Law, without the 
 leaft Bt^am of Gofpel-Light ; unlefs the omnipotent 
 Power of Divine Grace, of the God and Father of our 
 Lord Jefus Chriif, deliver him from the Power of 
 Dcrknefs., and tranfiate him into the Kingdom of his 
 dear Son. .Unlefs. the Holy Ghoft, fent from the Fa- 
 ther and the Soi^, makes him x'fpiritual Man^ creates 
 a Principle ot fpiritual Light and Life, in his dead, 
 fjark IiCtirt ; and thereby makes him meet to be a Par- 
 'aker of the Inheritance of the Saints in Light. With- 
 out the Light of Grace, without an inward gracious 
 
 Principle 
 
( 45 ) 
 
 Principle of fpirltual Light, which dlfcerns and cleaves 
 to the Light of Grace, to the Z^^^^r/;/^ of Grace, in the 
 outward Revelation ; no Man fhall ever fee the Light 
 of Glory. And nothing lefs than the omnipotent Pow- 
 er of the Loud alone, can create, or produce this 
 Light in any one Soul. — What Reafon then, have-K;*? 
 to admire that Grac€, that y^'yifi us thro' Faith, and 
 gives us Faith^ to receive Salvation alone by Grace I 
 Oh^Noi of Giirf elves ^ indeed, is GofpeKFaith ; it is the 
 Gift of God. A free Gift of his fovereign Grace, to 
 thofe who v^^Yt ordained to eternal Life. The Lord 
 the Father, hath done more for us, in giving us Faithy 
 to fee the Glory ,of the Lord the Mediator, and the 
 Excellency of God the Saviour, in his Perfon and 
 Work i than if He had given us Milliojts of Worlds I 
 Oh what were they all worth, without, or in Compa- 
 rifon with his Son I Without the Knowledge of Christ,- 
 and of God in Him, whom to know., is Life eternal! 
 Or in Comparifon with that Knowledge ! — Oh how evi- 
 dent is it, that the wife and learned VVorld, with all 
 their Learning and Wifdom, are awful Strangers to 
 God^ to the Lord Jefus Chrift., and to the blefied Ope-' 
 rations of the Holy Ghoft I Alas ! the World's wife and 
 prudent Ones, knov/ not the Myflery of Faith ^ nor the; 
 Power ofGodlinefs I The Kingdom of God, of his Grace, 
 is not within them-. Hence they oppofe and reproachj 
 the Things which they underfland not. LTnto us,) 
 Babes., it is given to k?ww the Myfleries of the Kingdom ^ 
 hut unto them that are without^ even to the Maflers in- 
 Ijraej, all thefe Things are in Parables. Even fo., Fa a 
 ther\ forfoitfeemedgood in 'thy Sight I — Let us adore 
 the Grace.,, my Brother, that opened pur Eyes -, and 
 pray tliat the Eyes of the BlinJ^ of God's Chofen that 
 are yet in Biindncfs, may fee out ofObjciiriiy ; and that 
 our Lord's Kingdom may come, over all the Oppo- 
 
 iitioD 
 
( 46 ) 
 
 iinon that (lands in its Way ; and rife and (hine thro* 
 all the Mlds and Fogs, which are rais'd to obfcure itS 
 G!o^\ Grace he with you! lam, 
 
 2''6ursmoft affctJionately in thejlain Lamb, 
 
 LETTER XVIL TJ> Mr. B. 
 
 Bear Sir, 
 
 TH E SanElification of a Sinner^ by Faiih in the 
 Saviour, is indeed a glonous Gofpel My fiery, 
 A Myftery, Hid hom the natural Mati -, and that, even 
 by Jpiritiial Mcn^ is not well known, that is, pradi- 
 cally underllood. And yet a Myftery it is, of the 
 greateft Concernment, -'both with refpe6t to the Glory 
 of God, and the Good of his People. Without fome 
 Degree of real Acquaintance with it, a Man cannot be 
 a Cbrifiiatii And the more fully and fenfibly he is ac- 
 quainted therewith, the more holy^ the more happy 
 Chriftian is he. And the more is the God of all Grace 
 in Chriil, glorify'd thereby. Oh, z Life of Faith on 
 the Son of God^ is the every Day's JVork of a Behever. 
 "Without it, we fliall foon be Backfltders in Heart and 
 Ways. — And oh the infinite Love, the boundlefs 
 Grace of God, that tho' we are bent to Backfliding from 
 Him, and are every Day guilty of it more or iefs *, 
 He will \\\\\ call us. His /People^ and according to his 
 Proniire. will Hc;^! our BackflidingSy and love us freely^ 
 Aye, ivcciy indeed ! or He had ntver loved us. Us, 
 that Uy Narare, were a Sea of Vilenefsl A Hell of 
 Iniq-iuy 1 A Mafs of black and horrid Contraii.ty to his 
 intinTte.Puxiry ! U?., that by Practice, were I'ranrgi'eiTois 
 Uo\v> the. Womb; Aad v/jiich is moil amazing! Us, 
 1 that 
 
( 47 ) 
 
 that fince the . Difplay of his infinite/all-attrac^ing 
 Grace, in the Forgivenefs of our Sins, in the Sandlifi- 
 cation of our Nature, and in the Admiflion of our 
 Perfons, into all the Royalties and Privileges of the 
 Sons of God •, have neverthelefs, flighted his Love, de- 
 fpis'd his Commandments, forfaken the Lord, and 
 gone afrer other Lovers! And yet, oh yet, God loveth 
 us ! Us, who are guilty of fuch Ingratitude, that is 
 not to be found among the Damned! And this not- 
 withllanding He knew beforehand, how treacberoujly 
 we fnould deal with Him, how rebellious, how abo- 
 minable we (hould be ! Oh this was Free Love indeed 1 
 Free in its Fixation -, and free in its Continuation, or 
 it would not have held towards us till now! We have 
 iry^d U, by innumerable Provocations, by mod aggra- 
 vated TranTgrefTions : Every of our Sins, who are fo 
 greatly beloved, fo highly favour'd, being of a deep 
 Dye, an extenfive Guilt, a bloody Colour. And yer, 
 all Glory to infinite, unchanging Love, thro' infinite, 
 all-atoning Blood! our Jehovah, confumcs not the Sons 
 ,^/ Jacob, hm loves them freely ftfll! — And tho' the 
 Lord, to bring his backfliding Children to a Senfe of 
 their Backflidings, puts them in Mind of their Folly 
 and Ingratitude ; yet fuch is his infinite Grace, that 
 He calls upon them to return unto Him. For fafs 
 over the IJles of Chittim, and fee •, (faith the L, ore I ) and 
 fend unto Kedar, and confidcr diligently^ and fee if there ^ 
 he fuch a Thing. (Look, as if the Lord fhould fay, O 
 my People, whether there be fuch an Infiance of Folly 
 and Ingratitude, to be found in the ungodly IVcrld^ as 
 is to be feen in you]) Hath a Nation changed their 
 Gods^ which yet are no Gods ? But my People have 
 changed their Glory ^their God who is their Glory) for 
 that which doth net profit. — For of old Time 1 hcv^ 
 hroken thy Toke^ and hurfi thy Bands ^ and thou faidjl^ 
 
 1 zv/(l 
 
( 48 ) 
 
 I will not trunfgrefs : When upon every high Hill-, attd 
 under every green 'Tree thou wandreft^ playing the Har- 
 lot^ Jer. ii. ip,;:ai,, 20. And yet, fakh the Lord, 
 Chap. iii. i. They' fay ^ If a Man put away his Wife ^ 
 andpe go from him^ and become another Man^s^ fhall 
 he return unto her again? Shall not that Land be greatly 
 polluted ? But thou haft played the Harlot with many Lo- 
 "pers •, yet return again unto Me, faith the Lord. — ' Oh 
 ' Free, Invincible, Everlafting Love! Overcome us, melt 
 
 * us, draw us! Then returning, under thy healing iQr 
 
 * fluence, we will fay repeatedly, after all our Fleart, 
 
 * Lip, and Life-BackQidings, Behold^ we come unic 
 ' Thee ^ for 'Thou art the. Lord our God.' — -Oh my 
 dear Brother, what an unfpeakable Privilege is it, that 
 fuch poor backfliding Children as we, have fuch a 
 merciful Father, that will not caufe his Anger to fall 
 upon us, tho' we have , done as evil Things as we 
 could ' And how fbould this ipfluenc^ pur :Spi4s, mt«) 
 Childlike Ingenuity to our Heavenly Father ? and 
 Spoufeiike Loyalty to our Royal Bridegroom-?— Surely 
 it is our VVifdom &s Believers^ to come to the Saviour 
 daily, as being in ourfelves, poor Simmers ; and to, abide 
 in Him continually by Faith, to receive of his Fu In efs^ 
 and Grace for Grace. Even all Supplies of Grace, for 
 mukiply'd Pardon, abundant Peace, full Joy, renewr 
 eci Strength, and increafing Holinefs. So fliall we be 
 jilkd ivith all the Fruits of Right eon fiefs here, which 
 are by Jefus Chrijl^ unto the Glory and Praife of God. 
 And Qiail have an abundant Entrance hereafter, ;;;/'«/- 
 
 ftred unto us into the everlafting Kingdom of our Lord and 
 Saviour. J^fus Chnjt, To zvhom be Glory and Domi- 
 nion for ever and ever. Amen. W idling ail Frofpe- 
 nty : 1 lemain, dear Sir, 
 
 Tour obliged Friend and Servant., 
 in our Glorious Lord, 
 
 LET 
 
( 49 ) 
 L E T T E <R KVIII. To— -^ 
 Honoured Sir, 
 
 i>amts {bill fee Eye ia £yet When we fhall 
 know, and bve and fcrve the Lord perfeaiyTwhe. 
 
 Llns OnrA 'i"^'"^^^^^"^'! That ineffable Blifs. 
 haltuis : Our Z.r</«ffl., j^v^/^/ l,, ^^ ^y the Defires 
 of our SouJs, and in the Ufe of ali appoint dMans 
 
 • Work" or^rTf '" ?"^' -d Fruitkine": tlrd 
 Works prefs forward unto that Da/s Glory I Yet a 
 
 can 1/1 T' *"<^>^^V'r ^^^V^ Bm! And who 
 can /./^ what Joys, what Glories, the S,.ht of our 
 
 .a°ndTHr:i LeHstiott:''' > ^-"^ i-> 
 •■ Our prefenr and eternal Alt " A 7 ^°"^'^"^ ^'^^ ' 
 
 rofeagaini ""'"mm, viho died for us and 
 
 « Ihe mil of God been M f , ^ ^'^O^S''^ O* ^•^/«1 
 
 --, ^d a ioyful^cuieS ; "S^'^j^.^^T^f^ 
 
 yeld .0 any unmeet HeavinefSerTnpV " T 
 
 wc rather.., than /n., co the^S .^^ tEStt 
 
 ^ This 
 
(so) 
 
 1 his, this, of Living to the Will of God, is the daily 
 IFork of a Chrijiian.. To live to the Will of his Pro- 
 mife by Faith^ to the Will of his Precep in Love, and 
 thro' both to live to the Will of his Providence, whe- 
 ther joyous or grievous, by a complacent Flow into 
 GccC s good Plcafure, and an humble, thankful yf^^r^- 
 Hon of Him, in all the various Dilpenfations, of his 
 invariable Love towards us. — Delightfully yw^^/ is this 
 our Work in itfelf, and thus to our abundant Joy is 
 experienced, when the Power of Chrift refts upon us for 
 \is Performance : And ineffably ^r^^/ will be our Re- 
 'ward, when, of the freed Gr^ff, we are called to enter 
 into iht Refl,A.\\tJoy, the Glory of our great Lord! 
 It becomes us. Sir, to mourn that we can live no more 
 to Him, who liv'd and dy'd, who rofe and lives for 
 ever for us ! That we who are bought with a Price, can 
 glorify God no more, in our Body, and in our Spirit, 
 
 /which are God's! nis, as the Cafe ftands with us, 
 (who being y2>/i under Sin, oft experience, that when 
 to will is prejent with us, hoiv to perform we find not, 
 
 J thisj is part of our Work and Labour of Love. Which 
 our loving Lord, in the Infinity of his Grace, will call 
 our Kindnefs, and in Love unknown, will accept and 
 account as our Service, as if we had done, in fome Sort, 
 all that Work for Him, which we fain would have 
 done: And reward us he will, according to his own 
 Heart, and every Way like his Great Self ! O what 
 a glorious Mafter is Jefus Chrift ! None is like Him in 
 Grace! May we always abound in his Work, to his pre- 
 fent and endlefs Praife ! — That the Love of God our 
 Father, the Grace of our Lord Jefus Chrift, and the 
 Communion of the Holy Ghoft may be with you: is the 
 hearty Defirc of. Honoured Sir, 
 
 Tour mcft obliged Humble Servant, 
 
 LET. 
 
( 51 ) 
 LETTER XIX. 7i Mrs. H. 
 
 My very Bear Sifter in Chrift, 
 
 AS the Lord hath fixed the Bounds of our Hahila- 
 Hon^ and the Times before appointed \ we may 
 be well affured, that for us his dear Children, He hath 
 done all Things in relation thereto, fo zvell, that nothing 
 could have been better than it is. His JVill^ in this 
 Regard, being founded upon his Counfel^ and his a- 
 bounding Wifdom and Prudence., towards us, being ac- 
 cording to the exceeding Riches of his Grace, Whence 
 we (hould be induced to give Glory.., to our all- wife, 
 and all-gracious God. And as the Places and Times 
 of our Abode were appointed ; fo like wife, our Work 
 therein ordained. Our Work for God and his People., 
 in relation to the Building, Beauty and Glory of the 
 Church., tht City of the great King. Thus God's Peo- 
 ple of old, repaired the iVall <?/ Jerufalem, every one 
 over-againft his Houfe., Neh. iii. 28. And thus we in 
 particular, are efpecially call'd in^Love to the Houfe of 
 our God, and for our Brethren, our Companions SakeSy 
 to feek the Good of Jerufalem, the Prosperity of Sion^ 
 by Faith aad Prayer, in the Places where we live, or 
 over againft the Houfes where our Lot is caft. And as 
 the Lord hsis chofen our Work for us, and the Places 
 of our Refidence in order to it; we Ihould chufe the 
 latter, as fubfervient to the forjner. — Glad fhould I 
 have been, my dear Sifter, if your Lot had been caft 
 here -, but as Providence at prefent fixes your Jbode in 
 the Place where you rejde-, believe that this is moft 
 for God's Glory and your Advantage. Such is the infi- 
 nite Condefcenfion of your Lord's Grace, that he will 
 fay, He hath Need of you, and of your Faith and Pray- 
 
 G 2 er. 
 
( 5^ > 
 
 er, for the Advancement of his Caufe and Interefr, the 
 Succefs of his Gofpel, and the Good of' his= People in 
 
 N 7?. And you fhall receive your own Reward^ 
 
 according to your own Lahour^. both in the prefentand 
 future World. You ferve a Maji'ef^ that is ah infinite 
 Lover I' Who{t Grace is boundlefs, changel^fsj end- 
 ]efs ! And who delights to fheW its exceeding Riches^y 
 in the Fulnefs of your Time-Joy, and in the Greatnefs 
 of your eternal Glory 1 Wherefore, go on to fcrve 
 him to the urmoft ; and with the Enjoyment of Him, 
 you fhall be richly bled. For His Servants fljall cat^ 
 when others 2LXt hungry ; His Servants Jhall drink^ whfn 
 others are ihirjly ; His Servants Jhall Jing for Joy of 
 Hearty when others howl for Vexation cf Spirit. 
 
 1 beg the Help of your Prayers, for the Advance- 
 ment of our Redeemer's Interelt in thisPiace. I hope 
 the Lord will vifitus with his Salvation, to revive hisi 
 W^ork in theMidft of the Years of Trialj that thi& little' 
 'Tribe be not cut off in Ifrael. It is now a' Time of 
 Diftrefs, with mod of the Churches of Ghrift, by the' 
 fad, felt Withdraw of Divine Influence. ButatZw;?-^ 
 ing^ime^ it Jhall he light. W^hen our Hope is cut off,* 
 as it wer^, and Death and Dirkntk feared : Then is"" 
 the Lord's fime to work Salvation, and to arife upon:' 
 tjs with the Light of Life, to our joyful Surprize, and* 
 his cndlefs Praife. How good is it then, to wait for 
 Him, who waiteth to he gracious? For the Needy 
 fhant he alway forgotten, nor the Expectation of the 
 Poor, per ifh for ever. And' fince the LoRt) is: z Re^ * 
 fuge for the Oppreffed, a Refuge in- Times of TroubUA 
 Let us that know his Name, put our Trufi in Hin^ 
 Let us do it for his Honour and Pleasure, anitd fot our: 
 Salvation and Glory. For, The Lord taketh Pleafure'i 
 in them that fear him, in them that hope in Bis Mercf^^ 
 Arid they that know his Name^ by Way of Trujl, 2i^ 
 
 being 
 
C 53 I ■ , 
 
 bemg^ honoured by them,' He will deliver and honour^ 
 with long Life will He fathfy them, andjhew them his- 
 SakaPion.-^Great Grace be' with you I With affedio- 
 nate Eiteem^ I am, my dear Sifter, 
 
 Tours in the Lord for ever^ 
 
 L E T T E R XX. To ^ ^ 
 
 Reverend and- d-car Sir, 
 
 OUR glorious Loj'd, is a gibrldus Lover! A 
 liiS^itl^kk- Lover ! And v/hiie fbi* our'felvt^ vVe" 
 know, hh Krtowitrdge-pafilng Love ; O how fweetly.^ 
 how ft-rong!y doth it confifaiit us, to love Him^ \n keep- 
 ing Bh Commmdmentsl A'rtd'this Command. of his iri- 
 parncular, '* That we Ib'v^dnfe another, (in' oOl* litr'lr 
 MeafureJ as He in his (immeafurable Grace) hath 
 loved us fGoipelObedienee, the Obedience of Faith 
 a<^-d-Love, to the excellent and endearing Laws, of the 
 Lord our Saviour-King, has its Reward in Jtfelf Our 
 very Work, is our Wages : Or, our Employment, 
 Enjoyment* And yety in- the Exuberance of our 
 Lord's Grace, there is a Reward of Glory to come, 
 which in Greatnefs doth far furpafs, all our- prefenc 
 Thought ! How blejfed then, are thofe happy Souls^ 
 A^ho, fiedfajl, unmoveahle, sre always abounding in thi 
 Work of the Lord : Forafmuch as their Labour is not in 
 vain in the Lord! This, Sir^ is a Blifs common to all 
 the Saints, in t lie Work allotted them in common as 
 
 J^eh. 
 
 ^ But O what fupetior B^ork, or rather, what a fupe-" 
 rior Kindo^ the Lord's Work, rs the Minifiry of the 
 Go/pel! And- what pecdiur^ JR^«;^;-ij, 2,ttGofpel Mini- 
 
 fiers 
 
C 54 ) 
 
 fters bleft with, in the prefent and future State ! How 
 great is the Reward of their prefent Work! How great 
 the Grace, that caft it on them as a Service of Gift ! 
 How great is the Reward of its prefent Fruity in the 
 Converfion of Sinners, and Edification of Saints : To 
 the Glory of God by Chrift, the Salvation of Souls, 
 and their own unfpeakable Joy ! And how great will 
 be the Reward of thofe that turn many to Right eoufnefs, 
 in the Day of Chrifi I They fhallfhine (in Glory) as the 
 Stars for ever and ever \ — And is this, Honoured Sir, 
 your delightful Work, your happy Lot : How greatly 
 hath the Lord loved you [ Of the Grace of Chrifi^ to- 
 wards a Minifler of his^ well may Men and Angels fay. 
 Behold how He loved him /—I wi(h you abundant J^j)', 
 Sir, in feeding, and guiding the Flock of God, which 
 He hath pur chafed with his own Bloody and a weighty 
 Crown of Glory, when iht chief Shepherd fhall appear : 
 And humbly requeft your Prayers for. 
 Reverend Sir^ 
 
 Tour mofl obliged humble Servant, 
 
 LETTER XXI. To Mr. F. 
 
 Dear Sir, 
 
 I AM glad that the rich, free, diftinguiflVing Grace 
 of God to his Own, and towards yourfelf, as you 
 hope you are one of that happy Number, affe(3:s your 
 Heart, humbles you in the Duft before the Lord, and 
 raifeth your Wonder and Praife. Free Grace^ reigning 
 thro"* Right eoufnefs, unto eternal Life, by Jefus Chrift 
 our Lord -, is a glorious Th^me, the Song of Saints and 
 Angels, in the upper and lower Worlds, and will fweet- 
 
( 55) 
 
 Jy ftrike our Strings, unto increafing Melody, thro* 
 the endlefs Ages of a bleft Eternity, O for an in- 
 creafing Difplay of its immenfe Glory in the prefent 
 ^ime! That under the fweet Conftraints of diftinguifli- 
 ing, unchangeable, eternal Grace, we may be dedica- 
 ted unto God, our Three-One God, in all Manner of 
 holy Converfation I 
 
 It is indeed, Sir, the laft "Time, the Signs of our Lord's 
 Coming are upon us. Happy will it be for thofe Ser- 
 vants of his, who fhafl be found watching. Awful 
 Warnings of impending Judgments, have been given 
 to this God-provoking Nation, and the Two late Shocks 
 of Earthquakes felt in London^ slvq eminently fuch. By 
 them the Lord's Voice is to the City, " Repent, or 
 " I will come unto thee quickly : And eafe me of mine 
 *' Adverfaries, and avenge me of mine Enemies/* 
 But O, who hears it ! How few tremble at it ! How 
 many, what Multitudes, are fecure, and go on (till in 
 their Iniquity I Tho' the Lord's Hand is lifted up^ the 
 Wicked will not fee. But \\t fhall fee : (faith the Pro- 
 phet) and fee (hortly, to his everlafting Deftruiflion ; 
 if he will not fee fpeedily, to a thorough Reformation, 
 to a faving Turn unto God by Chriit. Who as the 
 great Saviour, is the only hiding Place for a poor Sin- 
 ner, where he may be fafe, from both natural, and 
 moral Storms: When God arifeth out of his Place, to 
 fhake terribly the Earth, and to fhake the Impenitent 
 and Unbelieving down to Hell. 
 
 As to yourfelf. Sir, having fled unto Chrift for Re- 
 fuge from the Wrath to come, be not afraid with a 
 difmaying Fear, of God's awful Judgments in the pre- 
 fent Time. But, Seek Right eoufne/s, feek Meeknefs ; 
 it may be you maybe hid in the Day of the Lord's Anger, 
 His Voice to his Own is, Come^ my People, enter thou 
 into thy Chambers^ andfhut thy Di/ors about thee : Hide 
 
 thyfelf 
 
. ( 56 ~) 
 
 ihyfilf as itwere for a little Mommt^ until the Jn^ignor- 
 Jion^is overpaft. And happy, thrice happy are ;hey^, 
 tthat hide themfelves in Chrifl^ and under the Shadow 
 of Jehovah's Wings ; they fhail be fafely preferved by 
 .Grace from all penal Storms, amidft the greatefl: 
 Shakings, and Overturnings in Nature. God hach re- 
 markable Deliverances in Store forthefp, xh^tji^h.and 
 ,m&urn^ for all the Jlwmmations in th^-midft pfjtbiem, 
 and that are committed by the Ungodly where they 
 dwell : When the Earth (as \Yas foretold) Jhall r-sel tjo 
 and fro like a 'Drunkard^ and he moved exceedingly^ the 
 Tranjgreffion thereof (of thofe that dwell therein) being 
 heavy upon it. And if any of fhe Lord's People fhould 
 ■fall in a common Calamity ; that fore Judgment whic/i 
 will fink the Wicked into Damnation, Qiall raifc a Saint 
 to complete Salvation, and be to him, the very InUt 
 unto Joy and Blifs, ineffable and eternal ! Therefore 
 .come what will, to thofe that are in Chrift, Say ye to 
 the Righteous y that it fhalihe well with him, 
 
 Tou deli re my Thoughts, Sir, "Whether the Day 
 " of Grace may be pafl, with fome poor Souls, befor.e 
 '' t-heir.Life is at an End.'* Pleafe to take them thus : 
 
 ^he Bay of Grace^ I humbly think, may be confi- 
 dered in a Three-fold Refped:. As i. The Day of the 
 Gofpel. 2. The Bay of more than ordinary Strivings 
 of the Holy Spirit with Men^ in common ConviBions. 
 And 3. The I)4y of Ch rift's Power^ the^PjOvver <5f his 
 fpecial Grace, on the Plearts of his FeopUt v; -;■-■',- 
 
 Firll. The Bay of the Go/pel msLy be ftiled The Day 
 of Grace. In that it is in itleif glad Tidings, the Pro- 
 mulgation of the Grace of God, thro' Jefus Chrift, to 
 Sinners indefiniiely : Or, to the very Chief of Sinners, 
 without Exception of this or that Man ; while its ge- 
 neral Call is to all, Come, for all Things are now ready \ 
 viz. God has provided a full and free Salvation for pe- 
 
 rifliing 
 
(57) 
 fifhing Sinners, thro* the crucify'd Saviour, and cal'a 
 the very Chief of them to Faith in Chrift, and Repen- 
 tance toward God, to come in and partake of Golpel- 
 Provifions, to their everlaftirig Salvation. 
 
 Tiie Day of Gracei in this Rerpe(5t,' may be over 
 with (ome Souls, before their L,ife is at an End As 
 is evident by the Lord's Deahrtg with the unbelievina 
 Jews: TheGofpel was taken from thdm, and fent to 
 the Gentile^ Aft. xiii. 46. And whoever among the 
 Genttles, obey not theCofpel, but makeExcufes! Hke 
 thej^w^ have juft Caufe td fear, left the Mafter of 
 the Houfe, the Lord of his Church, being angry, (hould 
 refolve concerning them. That they /5^// »,/ tajle of 
 hu Supper, Luk. xiv. 24. That the Gofpel llial] be 
 taken from them, or theyfrom //. ' And this is fome- 
 times done, by God's removing the Gofpel from the 
 Place where. fuch Perfons live, or by his removing them 
 to another Place, where the Light of the Gofpel doth 
 not fhine. And if the Gofpel is not taken from the 
 Place where fuch Perfons live, nor they from it God 
 in Judgment, may juftly give up thofe that depfe the 
 Gofpe,J^^tchukjrefent, btioK eternainings, to an 
 awfgl Negleaoi this great Salvation. So thatthey may 
 have noMmd to «//^«^ the Gofpel, but while the 
 Ltgkt fliines uipm others, bt content thimfehes, to lit 
 tnDarknefs, And \ntht Shadow of Death 
 
 Secondly. The Dayy Grace, may be'taken for the 
 Day of more than ordinary Strivingi of the Holy Spirit 
 withAfe, m common Convimons. As, doubtlefs the 
 Jf' %lChrift. in the Miniftry oil^h^'^ 
 t^jld World And theff Strivings of the Spiri', p o- 
 ceed from the Goodnefs of God, and natively tend to 
 kad Men to Repentance, thatthey faJInotLoPcr" 
 
 ^^ But 
 
f 5? ) 
 
 But when tbefe are rejeded, God is provoked, and 
 fays of irreclaiin^ble Sinners now, as he faid of thofe 
 before th( Flood, My Spirit Jhall not always ftrive with 
 Many Gen. vi. 3. There are Times whem Sinners un-* 
 der the Gofpel, have more than ordinary Convidions 
 of Sin, and Iropr^llions upon their Hearts to feek * 
 God : And when thefe arenotattendied to, but flighted 
 and defpifed ; God may give up fuch poor Souls to 
 the Hardnt is of their Hearts, ard the Blindnels of 
 their Mind, and utterly withdraw from them tbole In^*^ 
 fluences of the Holy Spirit, with whichf before they were 
 favoured. Thus we are told of fome, wko being paft 
 Feeiinj^y have given themf elves aver to Lafctviotifnefs^io 
 work all Vncteannefs with Greedinefsy Eph. iv. i^, \t 
 doubtlefs becomes not us lo^Uf^ who hath^ or whcv 
 hath not^ provoked God fo far, as utterly to withdraw^ 
 the Influence of his Holy Spirit from them. Becaufo 
 we don't know, how far fome Souls may be left to fm 
 away Convidions^ and yet afterwards be recovered. 
 But if flrong Conviftions a^d ImprefTions, that are but 
 of a common Kind^ (and fuch arealj tbofc, that doti*t 
 Ihew the Soul the Plague of its own Heart, unbottonv 
 it from Self -Righteoufnefs, and ajlure it unto Jefos, as^ 
 a complete Saviour, for its own Salvatioa) ; if thefe* 
 ate finned away, and a Perfon iCan work Wickedrie^ 
 without Remorfe ; dQub^tlt^i fcch a Man^ is in a very^ 
 dangerous Cafe. — -And perAaps^ tjhe Day of Grace, in 
 both thefe Refpefts, may be included in what our 
 Lord faid, to Jerufalem^ if thou hadji known, even thou-^ 
 at leaft in this ifyDi^y the Things ivhich helottg to^ii^ 
 peace ! hutno'w they are hid from thine Eyss^llviki xix^ 
 i^2. — But the Day of Grace may refped^ ' ' 
 
 thirdly. The Dqy oi ChvWs Power y the Power of 
 his fpecial Grace^ on the Hearts of his People, 
 
 And 
 
(59) 
 
 , And this car^t be over, but fhall certainly be expe- 
 rienced by every one of che Lord's People, before their 
 Life is ended. This being the Covenant Promife of 
 the Father, unto Chrifl his Son, ^hy People Jhall he 
 willing in the Day of thy Power ^ Pf. ex. 3. This is a 
 Day of Grace indeed! The Day of Grace in other Re- 
 foe<5ts, may be refifted, may be di;er ; but this Day of 
 Grace, is a Day 6^Power^ of efficacious, i'rrefiftible 
 Love-Power^ that effedually takes the Hearty and 
 brings all adverfe Power into Captivity^ unto the Ohe- 
 dience ofJefusChrift, Thy People^ ^-^f^ith the Father, to 
 the Son, /. e. thdlfe whom /have lov'd and chofe of 
 fofd unto eternal Life ^ and given to Thee^ to he redeem- 
 ed from all Mifery, unto all Glory ; they /hall he wU" 
 ling. — Almighty Love, Almighty Power engages fol* 
 it. They fhall bt willing, ^--^ot faved again ft their 
 fFill ; but made willing to be laved in God's fVay, By 
 his Free Grace, without the Deeds of the Law, thro* 
 the Blood and Righteoufnefs of Jefus Chrift ; and tO 
 be faved unto Hohnefs here, as well as unto Happinefe 
 hereafter. And made willing they are, not by any 
 Force put upon their Will, contrary to its Inclination ; 
 but by a moft ftrong, and fweet Allurement^ whereby 
 the Will moves freely y in chuling th^Lt fupremely^ which 
 the Underftanding^ from a fupernatural Light fhining 
 upon it, fees clearly^ to be the greatefty chief eft Good. 
 And when thus made willing, fo far as their Will is 
 renewed^ they are willing in the higheft Degree ; Wil- 
 lingne/s, in the Abftracl, WillingneffeSy in the Plural. 
 And for their being thus willing, there is a Day^ a fee 
 Time prefixed, that was Foreappointed in God's eter- 
 nal Pur pofe. And that T>^y fhall come, and when 
 come. Power comes along with it •, Satan- binding. Sin- 
 killing, Soul-quickning, Soul-faving Power, The 
 Lord, its infinite Lover, paiEfeth by, fees it polluted in 
 
 H 2 its 
 
( 6P) 
 
 its own Bloody call out into the open Fields a miferable, 
 wretched, helplefs Creature, and by his All-gracious, 
 and AlI-efHcacious Voice, fays unto it. Live, Yea, when 
 it is in its Bloody He iaich unto it. Live, By which He 
 communicates, and declares. Life fpiritualy that fhall 
 by the fame Alniighty Power and Grace, be maintained 
 and increafed, unto Life eternal. And to (hew thp 
 Source of this wondrous Change, He adds. And thy 
 Time, this Day of Grace to thee, was the Time of 
 Love. Of free, infinite, all-conquering, unchange- 
 able and eternal Love! Ezek. xvi. 6, 8. 
 
 Thus, Sir, in this Three- fold Refpedl, I humbly 
 think, the Day of Grace may be taken. And you 
 will cafily fee, that tho* the Day of Grace, in the two 
 former Senfes, is fufficient to leave thofe who perifti 
 from under it, without Excufe •, yet it is the Day of 
 Grace in the latter Senfe only, that is or can be, the 
 Day of Salvation-Power, unto any one Soul -, and that 
 this Day of Grace, fhall certainly be founto every Soul, 
 that was oridained unto eternal Life^ wherein he (hall 
 be effedlually called by fpecial Grace, unto that immorr 
 ial Glory, — Froni the two firft, we may learn, 
 
 I. That it is the great Duty of all Men under the 
 Gofpel, to comply with the Calls of it. And that if 
 they negle5i and reje£l that great Salvation which the 
 Gofpel proclaims, even while it is called To-day, God 
 may take the Gofpel from them, or they from it, be- 
 fore they are aware, and deprive them of thofe Op- 
 portunities which they have flighted, which had a na- 
 tive Tendency to their Salvation, and which, defpifed, 
 will aggravate their Damnation, when our Lord fhall 
 fe revealed from Heaven with his mighty Angels, infla^ 
 tning Fire, taking Vengeance on them that kmw not God, 
 end that obey not the Gofpel of Jefus Chrifl : Who fhall 
 he punifhed with everlafiing Defiru^ion^ from the Pre- 
 
 fence 
 
( 6i ) 
 
 fence of the Lord, and from the Glory of his Power ^ i 
 Thef. i. 7, 8, 9. 
 
 2. That every Soul ought to beware of driving againfl 
 thofe Convidtions and ImprefTions, which tend to their 
 Reformation and Salvation. Inafmuch as they are the 
 Voice cfGoDy which ought to be obey'd^ and which to 
 rebel againft. is a very great Sin ; and will greatly in- 
 creafe their lorment^ if God fhould withdraw from them 
 the Influence of his Spirit, account them fuch that have 
 judged themfehes unworthy of everlafting Life^ and leave 
 them to perilh in eternal Death, Ji^. xiii. 46. — From 
 the Day of Grace in the laft Senfe we may learn, 
 
 1. That thofe who feel ConviSfions, fhould rejoice in 
 Hope, that they may end in a faving Converfwn, And 
 let them know, that the Day of Grace is notpaji with 
 any one^ that feels the gracious Power of God working 
 upon his Heart, And tho* the Soul may have finned 
 away Convidions Time afttr Time, and increas'd its 
 Hardnefs of Heart and Blindnefs of Mind ; yet now^ 
 mw^ if it has a Deftre to return unto God by Chrift, 
 the Door of Mercy is open\ and To-day^ Sikerfo long a 
 TimCy the Lord calls it as a peridiing Sinner^ to flee to 
 Jesus, the great Saviour, as the only Refuge and Hope 
 fet before it in the Gofpel. And not a Soul that comes 
 in at the Gofpel- Call, will our Lord cajl out^ but receive 
 him to the Glory of God, to fave him from endlefs 
 Death, unto eternal Life, Joh, vi. 37. 
 
 2. Th^t as there is fuch a Day of Grace, that is and 
 fhall be a Day of Salvation- Power, unto all the Lord's 
 People ; This may encourage all thofe, who have a 
 painful Feeling within themlelves, of much Oppofttion 
 to their own Salvation, Not a Soul that is willing to 
 be fav'd alone by God's Free Grace, thro* Jefus Chrifl, 
 from all Sin and Mifery, unto all Holinefs and Glory ; 
 but 15, one of the Lord'i People j but hath fdt the Day 
 
 of 
 
( 62 ) 
 
 of his Power already upon its HearL And that fame 
 omnipotent Grace, which hath l^egun its new Life, will 
 fnaintain and increafe it unto Life eternal •, will vanquijh 
 all Oppofition, and compUat its Salvation . The Lord 
 its Saviour y will be its King^ to fave it from DeflruSfion^ 
 and with an everlafting Salvation, Mountains of Oppo- 
 fition, before our Zernbhahel^ fhall become a Plain : 
 His Hands which have laid the Foundation^ even his 
 Hands fliall jini/h it^ and He fhall bring forth the 
 Head' Stone , thereof with Shoutings, crying, Grace^ 
 Grace unto it 1 Zech. iv. 7. And hence, 
 
 3. Let thofe who have been made willing in theD^y 
 of Chrift's Power, learn xo admire and fraife^ the rich, 
 free, diftinguilhing Grace of God unto them, O ho^ 
 often have we^ the Saved of the Lord^ flighted the 
 Calls of the Golpel, made Excufes, and went ourWayl 
 Strove againft Convidlions, and repeated our Tranf- 
 greflions ! And how juftly might the Lord have fatd 
 concerning us, as he hath done, and will do concern- 
 ing others, Becaufe 1 have called^ and ye refufed^ I have 
 fir etched out my Hand ^ and no Man regarded: But ye 
 bavefet at Nought all my Counfel, and would none ofm$ 
 Reproof : I aljo will laugh at your Calamity, and mock 
 when your Fear cometh, Prov. i. 24, («fc. And yet> 
 O yet, would not the Lord take us at our PTord^ and 
 appoint us unto thu fVrath, which our Sins had deierv* 
 cd ; but compel U3 to come in, that his Houfe might be 
 filled! Compel us to come in to Chriji, unto our eternal 
 Life by Jesus! What fhall we fay of^ what fhall we 
 render to^ this difcriminating Grace, this infinite Pa- 
 tience, this All overflowing Mercy, and All overco- 
 ming Kindnefs ! In all Manner of holy Converfation and 
 Godlinefs, let us, as the Lord's peculiar People, faved 
 by Grace, in thfc Day of his Power, y^^w /of /i> the 
 Praifes of Him who hath called us <^ut of Darknefi^ into 
 
 his 
 
( 63 ) 
 
 his marvellous Light ! i Pet. ii. g.-^^T'h Grace of our 
 Lord Jefus Chrift be with your Spirit ! In Him, I am, 
 dear Sir, 
 
 • ' • V Tourjinc^re Friend'^and Ser-vant^ 
 
 ,. . 't . ^\'iVH} '.. i •■';.> '' • ' '' ' ..I ' ■ ' ' -I . ■ I 11-1 
 
 i^£fr T E R XXJI. Ti — — 
 
 l^v^fdeardroihir^^^ ^j:,^,. , ■ 
 
 "J F this is- a falT? Reppr't ij 'bewar'e.of every Thing that 
 J^ tpay give, any Occaifipri of Sufpicion or Refitc^iion. 
 But if ^\beVtVueV O Te;^^r^^ / What are you db- 
 
 ipg ! Have yoy forgotten that, vaft Obligation which 
 thd ' tiove of CH rift, that pafTe t h Know ledge, ' lays you. 
 Under, to live untpiJrJiM, y^\)p -die'd foryoyi^ and rofe^ 
 again / tJaveyQiV, forgot* "|he grea^WorJcOi^ jour Call-* 
 in'^,' 'Which IS, /to, ht^ztiHoly the Cord, or^ 
 
 djedicaie iwto Him^ ' i^^^air-^d-kn^r. pf hoty^ Conner jation^ 
 arid G^dUneJlf \%xi'.'^Q^ bought with thC; 
 
 Redejs^mer^s Blood ^^l^ou^ht unto Him ? And will you 
 deny the Lord of Us S,i^l?t:P Qf your little Seif^ who 
 ^kve his great Self for.'yoti,f^ of fuch In- 
 
 ju{hce^,];of fiic|(ri^ra^^^^ be feen in, 
 
 bi'h^afS.oi yoUy^ '^ht^Redemed^qf \hQ Lojid ! O why 
 do you thus forget J^i'm,'' wji^rrav'd' your Soul from 
 the lowejl Hell ! — Forget him^ idjd I Jay ? - That's not 
 all, you woundy you per cehiml Was it not enough, 
 that tte Heart and Soul of Chrid, we^e, pierced,. once, 
 for y6u^/>vhen his tfzc;;^JV^fear^ in \i\f owft::^^ 
 
 Body m^ihe Tree 'j but wiirybu pierce 1iim7?ii/,/-,'WilL 
 ybudd that repeatedly and dell^htfuJly, , under the\ 
 SorrqWs of which He groaned inexprefllbly !.0 think, 
 when-'you take an intoxicating Cugmtb you^ ^and. 
 with Preafure, * This, this was //,' that Wd. my Lord's' 
 
 * hitter 
 
( 64) 
 
 «. hitler Cup, that Cup of tVratby which made his Soul 
 
 * exceeding forrpwyul^ even unto Death! Shall / drink 
 
 * that with Pleafure, which was to Him fo exceeding 
 « bitter ! Shall / feek any Life of Delight in Sin^ in 
 
 * that^ Sin, which caus'd his agonizing Griefs and ac- 
 
 * curfed Death I Shall / thus, open all his Wounds t 
 
 * And yield to that abominable Sin^ even in the Sighf 
 
 * of my Lord, (whofe Eye is ever upon me) which 
 ^ adually caus'd, and inftantly brings to his Mind, 
 
 * His exquifue Sufferings ! Is any Pleafure I can now 
 
 * take in Sin, worth that Grief and Difpleafure, which I 
 
 * fhall hereby give to my Lord afrefhV Yea, thinlkj 
 < How fhall I do that ahominahle Tubing which my Lord, 
 
 * hatethy and thus lay his Honour in the Duft ! De*' 
 *■ throne Him, who dy'd to crown me ! How (hall I 
 *Ahus Jiumhle and grieve the Saints, ^nd harden Sinners 
 
 * in their Wickednefs ! And how ihall I thus, by Sin*, 
 
 * ing agaifift Christ, wrong my own Soul! Rob it of 
 *'that Life and Joy, which is to be had in Commu- 
 
 * nion with God, and Conformity to Him here, 2ind 
 
 * of thofe additional Glories, which of the freed Grace, 
 
 * fhall be the Reward of good Works hereafter P — 
 Thus, my dear Brother, thus think and reafon. vy^ith 
 yourfelf, whenever tempted to fm againfl the Lord, r^ 
 
 And examine how it is with ypu^ after you, fiav^el 
 fallen into Sin. Do you look upon U as ^iittle, lights 
 Thing, and make i6',vf«/^i for it ? Are you but little 
 concerned, but little /)^/»^J about it ? And confequently, . 
 but little humified bdor^ God for it ?-^If it*s thus witli^* 
 you, your Soul is in a fitiahle Cafe, God" is withdrawn^^ 
 from your Spirit, you have left your fir fl L^ye^ and^ 
 your fpiritual Life is under' aii awful Decay. V^Ahd dr.. 
 larmed you had need be, and ftirred up 'to fiuty /»«. 
 Ifantly, Icfl you be hardned thro* the Deceitfulnefs 
 of Sin fuddenl^. For tho* Sin h^rd^ns infenfibly. 
 
( 65 ) 
 
 by increafing Degrees, yet every Degree of Sin, har- 
 dens fuddenly, and prepares the Heart for greater Sin, 
 and greater Hardnefs. — And dreadful will the Confe- 
 quents be, of bold Sinning^ with faint Concern^ unto 
 every one who has tafted that the Lord is gracious. 
 Such Backfliders are in Danger of provoking the Lord 
 to give them up to the Power of Sin and Satan, to the 
 Hidings of his Face, and the Rebukes of his Provi- 
 dence, to Soul-Darknefs in this World, and to the 
 Lofs of that Praife, and Honour, and GJory, which 
 otherwife they would have had in the World to come : 
 And thus to caft them among the Number of thofe 
 y/ho Jhall be faved, (ozs by Fire: That lofe all their 
 Works, the Reward of an holy Life, which others 
 fliall receive in the Day of Chrifl. 
 
 But if the former is not your Cafe : If after any Fall 
 into Sin, your Confcience being yet tender^ you are 
 deeply pierced with a Senfe of God*s Dijhonour thereby, 
 and of your great Provocation^ and vile Ingratitude 
 therein : If on Account thereof you are deeply humbled 
 before the Lord^ and He^ in the Infinity of his Grace, 
 fpcaks Peace to your troubled Heart, and thereby 
 melts you into Go/pel- Mourning for Sin, and raifeth in 
 you holy Refolutions againft it \ if this is your Cafe : 
 There is Hope of Deliverance^ that God will break your 
 BandSy and give you the Fi^ory over that Sin, which 
 now ufurps with Tyranny. And for this Salvation, feek 
 moft earneflly. — And beware, that after Pc2Lce fpo- 
 ken, you turn not again unto Folly. For Sins of this 
 Kind, are of the deepeft Dye^ of exceeding great Guilt : 
 They ^i^onowx God greatly, and wound the Soul deep- 
 ly. — Wherefore be fiber, be vigilant, watch againft 
 Temptations to Sin, and lift up your Heart to God for 
 Strength to fland in the evil Day ; for your Adverfary 
 tbc Devil goeth about like a roaring Lion^ feeking whom 
 
 I ht 
 
( 66 ) 
 
 he may devour. — Tim the God of Peace may hruife Sa- 
 tan under your Feetjhortly, fan^ify you wholly^ preferve 
 you hiamekfs, and prefent you faultlefi, before the Pre- 
 fence of his Glory with exceeding Joy: is the hearty De- 
 iire and Prayer of, my dear Brother, 
 
 Tours m,ofi affe^ionately^. 
 
 LETTER XXIII. To 
 
 My dear Brother^ 
 
 TJEALTH of Soul, is the greateft Bleffing, 
 Xl SoLiI-Profperity, the richeft Mercy. l^ear to 
 God^ and beneath his Smiles, vjt live \ hut far from 
 hirn^ and frown'd away from his manifeftative Favour, 
 we die. Decay in the vigorous Exercifes of our Gra- 
 ces, in our Fruitfulnefs and Ufefulnefs, to God's Dif- 
 honour, and our own and ' others Grief. How is it 
 yN\i\\you^ my dear Brother, are you bleft with Fellow- 
 fhip with God, and thence enabled to walk in the Light, 
 as He is in the Light, to purify yourfelf, even as 
 Chrift is pure ? Or are you left to the Power of Sin, 
 and under the awful Rebuke of Diftance from God ? 
 God and Sin, Light and Darknefs^ Chrift, and Belial^ 
 can have no Fellowfhip with each other. If Sin is in- 
 dulged, God is difpleafed, his Holy Spirit is grieved, 
 the Soul is wounded, and forfaken in Part and for a 
 Time of its beft Friend, and given up into the Hand 
 of its Enemies. O, v^htn Ifraelchok new Gods, then 
 War was in the Gates. And to aggravate the Sin and 
 Folly of God's People in their own Sight, the Lord 
 faith, Pafs over to the Jftes of Chittim, and~ fee -, and 
 fend unto Kedar, and confider diligently, and fee if there 
 be fuch a Thing. Hath a Nation changed their Gods^ 
 
 which 
 
which yet are no Gods ? ' But my People have changed 
 their Gkry^ for that which doth not profit^ Jer. ii. lo, 
 II. God is the Glory of his People ; and yet iofooUjh 
 are his backlliding Children, that they change their 
 Glory, for that which doth not profit. " Do ye get 
 any Thing, as if the Lord fliould fay, by departing 
 from Me ?" O no •, fo far are v/e from gaining by 
 Sin, that by every Ad of it, we fuftain the greateft 
 Lofs. We change our Glory, for that v/hich is inglo- 
 rious^ yea, for that which is moft vile and Abominable ^ 
 and is and ought to be the Matter of our Shame. And 
 hereby v/e become guilty of thefe two Evils, of for- 
 faking the Lor d, the Fountain of living Waters^ and of 
 hewing to ourfelves Cifterns, broken Cijieras^ that can 
 hold no Water. Upon which the Lord faith. Be afto- 
 nijhed, O ye Heavens^ at this., Ver. 12, 13. And thus, 
 from the Infenfibility of his backfliding People, He 
 addrefleth the inanimate Creatures^ Hear., Heavens^ 
 and give Ear^ O Earth : for the Lord hath fpoken, I 
 have noUrifh&d and bro'*t up Children^ and they have re^ 
 helled again ji me., Ifa. i. 2. And to fhew their prodi- 
 gious Stupidity, He adds, 'ihe Ox knoweth his Owner ^ 
 and the Ajs his Mafter s Crib : but Ifrael doth not knoWy 
 my People doth not conjider^ Yer. 3. And to argue his 
 People out of their bafe Ingratitude, He faith. Have 
 J been a Wildernefs to Ifrael ? a "Land of Darknefs? 
 Wherefore fay my People., We are Lords., we will come 
 no more unto thee? Can a Maid forget her Ornaments^ 
 or a Bride her Attire ? Tet my People have forgotten M e 
 T)crys without Number, Jer. ii. 31, 32. There is cer- 
 tainly no fuch Thing as Stupidity in t\\Q fenfitive Crea- 
 tures, when compir'd with that which is to be found 
 in Believers, when departing from ih^tLord, we let up 
 ■ for ourfelves : Our own Will, infiead of God's, for our 
 Law^ and the Gratification of our finful Inclinations, 
 
 I 2 infuiid 
 
< 68 ) 
 
 inftead of walking worthy of God^ in all holy ConFor- 
 mity and filial Duty, unto all Pleafmg. And as to /«• 
 gratitude^ there is no fuch Thing to be found among 
 the rational Creatures^ towards their Fellow-CreatureSy 
 as appears in the Children of God^ when Jejhuruny wax- 
 en/^/, kickethl When nourijhed by infinite Kindnefs, 
 and indulg'd as the Favourites of Heaven^ we defpife 
 the Commandments of the Lordy and rife up in Rebellion 
 againft Him, as if we were his Enemies! Nor can 
 there be any fuch Ingratitude in the rational Creatures, 
 towards God their Creator^ who are Partakers of his 
 tender Mercies in a Way of common Bounty ^ and yet are 
 regardlefs of Duty % as is to be feen in Believers^ when 
 tho' the Objeds of God*s fpecial Favour^ we caft it be- 
 hind our Backs, and by Sin trample it under our Feet^ 
 as if it was not worth a Thought I As if the Mercies of 
 God, his fpecial, Soul-faving Mercy, was not Motive 
 fufficient to filial Duty, to engage us to offer up our- 
 felves as a living Sacrifice to his Glory, holy and accept- 
 able by Jefus Chrifi ! O my dear Brother, our Sins are 
 of a crimfon, and fcarlct Dye, We can't fm at a cheap 
 Rate, Every of our Sins, that believe in Jefus, that 
 are under Forgiving- Love, are of a more aggravated 
 Guilt by far^ than the Sins of thofe, who do not know 
 the Lord, And deeper /^r, they pierc'd our dear, dy- 
 ing Jesus, than thofe we were guilty of, before we were 
 called out of Darknefs, into Go£s marvellous Light, — 
 It is well for us, who are the chief of Sinners, that 
 there is an Infinity of Merit in the Blood of the Son of 
 God I Elfe, it could not cleanfe us from all Sin ! But, 
 Glory be to God, Salvation by Grace, thro* the Blood 
 of Chrift, is infinitely /«// and free! — But, let us not 
 /«, becaufe Grace abounds. It there is any Spark of 
 Inc^enuity in our Souls, let us that love the Lord, hate 
 x.\m Evilf and with the utmoft Abhorrence of it fay. 
 
 Cod 
 
( 69 ) 
 
 ^od forbid i Let the Grace of God which hringith Sal- 
 njation^ teach us^ that denying Ungodlinefs and worldly 
 Lufis^ we fhould live foberly^ righteoujly^ and godly in 
 this prefent World. — I commit you as one of Chrift's 
 Sheepi loved, and bought with his Bloody to his tender 
 Care^ and faving Power, as the Lord our great, and 
 good Shepherd : And am. 
 
 Tours very affe^ionately. 
 
 LETTER XXIV. 7i 
 
 My very dear Brother^ 
 
 I A M diftreflfed to hear of the lamentable State of 
 your dear Soul. — Is the Grief you caufe to your 
 dear Brethren, and efpecially to your dear and honour- 
 ed Pajior, whofe tender Heart is ready to break with 
 your BackQidings ; Nothing unto you ? Is the Reproach 
 you bring to the Name, Ways and People of God 5 a 
 light Thing with you ? Is the Difpleafure and Grief you 
 give to the Lord that loveth you ; unworthy of your 
 Notice? What, redeemed-, and not account yourfelf 
 the Redeemer's Right ! Bought with a Price \ and not 
 glorify God with your Body and with your Spirit, which 
 are God's! Have you forgotten the Obligations which 
 boundlefs Love, reigning Grace, and pardoning Mer- 
 cy lay you under f Have you forgotten your own En- 
 gagements to be the Lord\ ? What hath Chrift done to 
 you, my Brother, that you diflike your Majler^ and for- 
 fake his Service? Is Satan the beft Mailer, and Sin the 
 , beft Work, in your Eftcem ? What, make a Captain to 
 return to Egypt I What Fruit had you in thofe Things, 
 whereof you was once a/hamed? In thofe Evilsy where- 
 of 
 
( 7° ) 
 
 6f you ought now to be ajhamed ? Is ndt the End of 
 rhofe Things, Death? Yt^^ my Brother, as truly as 
 the Lord iivetby the Word is gone out of his Mouth 
 in Fakhfulnefs, it iliall not return void : Jf ye live af- 
 ter the Flejh^ ye jhall die. The Life of your Graces, 
 the Life of your Glory, muft and wili^^, by the Sa- 
 tlsfa6lion of your Lull. Not the Jeaft Sin you com- 
 mit, but will affedt your ffirltual Life^ and detraft 
 from your Crown of Life, Will you let another take 
 your Crown ? No, rather, So run^ that you may obtain, 
 'The Lord is at Hand, The Judge Jiandeth before the 
 Door, Know you not, that if any Servant of Chrift, 
 becomes fo evil^ as to fay in his Heart, My Lord de^ 
 layeth his Comings and to eat and drink with the Drun- 
 ken : the Lord of that Servant will come at an Hour 
 when he looketh not for him^ and will appoint him his 
 Portion with the Unbelievers ? Your Time is jufl: gone ; 
 a vail Eternity haftens ! Would you wilh to enter the 
 dark Valley of the Shadow of Deaths with all thatDark- 
 nefs of Guilty which fuch open TranfgrefTions muft 
 bring upon your Confcience, if you are not awfully 
 hardned thro' the Deceitfulnefs of Sin? If you don't 
 fee Sin in its Vilenefs and Blacknefs noWy you will fee 
 it in its horrid Colours, in its Guilt and Aggravacipns, 
 when you come to lie upon a dying Bed. 
 
 ** Death puts on Things another Face, 
 
 '' Than we in Life do fee : 
 *^ Sin, Satan, Hell, Heaven^ Life and Grace, 
 » " Then great and v/eightf^be." 
 
 My dear Brother, if you go on in Sin, you may juftly 
 be left under the Hidings of God's'Face, the Terrois 
 of Conlcience, and the fierce AfTauks of the Enemy 
 of Souls, fo that you may endure a Kind of fiW7 in 
 your Spirit •, and not know but your Fortion may be 
 
 with 
 
(70 
 
 M^ith UnheUevers^ in the eternal World, when you are 
 juftenteringtiponan endlefs Slate. — For the Lord's Sake 
 then, for his People's Sake, and for your Soul's Sake, 
 eiwake out of Sleep, and venture not a Step further, in 
 the Paths df the Bejiroyer, . Let me intreat you with- 
 put Delay, or Hindrance by any. Bufinefs whatfoever, 
 to fet apart a Day of folemn Fading and Prayer, to 
 humble yourfelf before God for your Tranfgreflions, 
 and to intreat his forgiving Mercy and renewing Grace, 
 for your fpecdy ReUoration. Led the Lord fliould 
 fay of you, as of his People of old, Ifrael would none 
 of Me : So I gave them up to their own Hearths Luft^ 
 and they walked in their own Counfels, Which brings 
 prefent Mifery, inexpredible. And the Lofs of that 
 Praife, Honour and Glory, which otherwife you fhould 
 receive in Life eternal. — O that the Father of Mercies, 
 the God of CompafTions, would pluck you as a Brand 
 out of the Burning! I commit you to his tender Mer-* 
 cy : and am, with great Concern, 
 
 Tours moji affectionately. 
 
 LETTER XXV. To ~ _ 
 
 My very dear Brother, 
 
 I Received your laft kind Letter with great Joy, to 
 hear of the Lord's Loving-kindnefs in rejloring your 
 dear Soul. Who is a God like unto Him, that pardon^ 
 eth Iniquity, and paffeth by the Tranfgreffton of the Rem- 
 nant of his Heritage ! He retaineth not his Anger for 
 ever, becaufe he delight eth in Mercy. He will turn again, 
 he will have Compaffton, he will fuh due our Iniquities^ 
 (ind caft all cur Sins into the Depths of the Sea. O who 
 
 woul4 
 
(72) 
 
 S^ouli not love tLnd fear him! How fad is it, th^twe 
 the Redeemed, the Saved, the Reftored of the Lord, 
 fhould Jin againft him ! And yet thus, wretched we^ 
 the Lord's People, are hni So Backfliding from him I 
 Are you redeemed^ Brother, bought with a Price ? Glo- 
 rify God in your Body^ and in your Spirit^ which are 
 his. Are you faveJP Let the Love of your Saviour, 
 conftrain you to live unto Him who died foryou^ and 
 rofe again. Are you refiored ? Dread returning again 
 unto Folly. Hath God the Lord Ihe^^'ed you Light? 
 Bind the Sacrifice (your whole Spirit, Soul and Body) 
 with Cords (of his infinite Kindnefs) to the Horns of 
 the Altar: To the efficacious P^«;^r of Chrift*s Media- 
 tion ; who prefents us, and all our Services, accept- 
 able to God, to his and our Father, Commit the 
 Keeping of your Soul daily into Chrift's Hands. He 
 would have his Children truft him with their Time- 
 Prefervation, as well as with their eternal Salvation. We 
 litde think what we lofe for want of abiding by Faith in 
 our dear Lord Jefus^ in his immenfe Fulnefs, which 
 only can be a fufficient Supply, for ourextenfive Emp- 
 tinefs. We, alas, too often go into a World of Snares, 
 with a Sort of Self-Dependence^ as if our inherent Grace, 
 was fufficient to keep us ; and fo our Feet are caught 
 in an evil Net, before we are aware. Whereas, if 
 diftrufting our own Ability to keep ourfelves, we went 
 out trufting in the Lord our Strength ; we Ihould be 
 fafey by him directed, and upheld. — We have now, 
 my dear Brother, but a little, a very little 7'ime left, 
 to glorify God in upon the Earth. O let us watch and 
 pray, that it may be all devoted to his Honour. What 
 can be too much, what enough, to do or fufFer, for 
 the Praife of that Grace which hath faved us ! The 
 Love of God our Father^ the Grace of our Lord Jefus 
 Chrifii and the Communion of the Holy Ghoji ; call for 
 
 our 
 
( 73 ) 
 
 our whole Selves continually, as a holy, living Sacri- 
 fice^ to be offered up to the Lord's Glory, . But O 
 how little do we, can we pay^ of that Debt of Xove 
 we owe ! Let us cafl up our Accounts daily, fefled 
 upon our every Day's Condudl ; confefs and bewail 
 our Deficiencies, and fleeing for Pardon to infinite 
 Grace, thro' all atoning Blood, let usintreatrelloring, 
 ftrengthning, Soul-enriciiing Mercies. That taught 
 'by efficacious Grace, we may deny Ungodlinefs and 
 Worldly Lufts^ and Xwtfoherly^ righteoujly and godly\ in 
 this prefent World: Hafting apace by abounding 
 Thankfgiving, in pradlical Time-Praifes, to the'peife(5t 
 Praifes, and loudeft Hallelujahs, of a bleft Eterniry. — - 
 To the tender Compaffwn, and gracious Prote^ion, of 
 the Lord our Shepherd, I commit you : His Grace he 
 with your Spirit I In him, with the deareft Love, 1 
 am. 
 
 Tours for ever. 
 
 LETTER XXVI. To Mr. W. 
 
 Dear Sir, 
 
 YOU fee what a Trial, my dear Yokefellow*s 
 Death would be to me at this Time \ and will 
 eafijy think, that I mull be under fome Prejfure of Spi- 
 rit, upon the leafl Sufpicion of it.— But I feel Everlafl- 
 ing Arms underneath me. Cares, like a wiki Deluge, 
 wou'd break in upon me : But I wou'd cafl all my Care, 
 upon Him that careth for me, I think it a moll im- 
 reafonable Thing, for a Creature, and efpecialiy fi^r a 
 Believer, to take the Government of the World, Lipcn 
 his own Shoulders, by anxious Thought for the Morrcvj: 
 
f 74) 
 
 Which of uSy hy taking Thought^ can add oneCuhit to 
 our Stature ? The Government of all Things, rielating 
 to the World, the Church, to Families, and particular 
 Perfons, even to the moft minute Circumflance belong- 
 ing to each ; is devolved by the Father ^ upon the 
 'm\g\\\iy Shoulder o^ o\^r.At2iX Lordjefus. And there 
 Itliticeji, I Vikt it well, Jesus is my ^ King : I knoy/ 
 ^he vf\\\'fave me ; and bring Salvation to rny poor Sou), 
 even by fuch Providences, which feem to cany jD<?- 
 firu^icn In the very Face of them. All Things in 
 Providence, are wrought according to the Counfd of 
 Jehovah's Will \ for the Glory of God, and the Good 
 of his dear Children. He is wonderful in Counjel^ and 
 excellent in Working! I fee Him by Faith; 1 adore 
 Him by Love ; I wait for Him by Patience of Hope; 
 even when his Footfteps are in fuch deep Waters, that 
 Setife, neither natural, nor fpiritual, can trace them. 
 When I fuppofe the Worft, Sir, I think thus : * What 
 ^ if this Trial (hould be attended with a Complication 
 ' of Griefs ? Who made it for me ? It was my God ! 
 ' It was appointed for me, laid out for me of Old, by 
 
 * an Infinity of Wifdom and Grace, for the Glory of 
 
 * God, and my Advantage. And what if God is to 
 
 * be glorify" d in me by this Trial?' — And then my 
 Heart flows complacently into the Will of God, and 
 fays, ' Lord, give me but Grace to glorify thee: And 
 
 * Father, work thy Will.' — Oh, dear Sir, God is my 
 All! God in Christ is my Portion I I would live 
 upon Him z.^ fuch \ and in Comforts and CrofTes, in 
 Life and Death,, be wholly dedicated to his Glory. I 
 would have no Willy but God's ; no'Interefl^ but His j 
 no Care, but zo glorify Him. I think it a great Shame, 
 for a Soul bled with Fellowihip with God, to have a 
 contrary Will, a contrary Intereft to His. — And yet, 
 alas, 1 am a feeble Woxniy crufied before the Moth! 
 
 Oh 
 
( 75 ) 
 
 Oh that the Power of Christ may reft upon me^ and 
 his Strength he made perfe^ in my Weaknefs : That In 
 this Trial, I may walk worthy ^/God, unto all Pleaf- 
 ingi — For this, help mc, dear Sir, by your Prayers. 
 — And your Lord and mine, will richly reward your 
 Kindnefs, like his Great Self ! I amperfuaded, dear 
 Sir, it wou'd rejoice your Heart, to ferve Christ, in 
 ferving the lead of His. And never was fuch a Ma- 
 ster, as our Jesus! Himfelf will y^r-y^ his Servants! 
 He will make them fit down to Meat^ gird Him f elf ^ and 
 come forth and ferve them. Oh wondrous Grace ! What, 
 the Lord of Glory, ferve his Creature- Worms ! The 
 Worms He lov^d and wafh'd in his own Bloody to make 
 them Kings and Priefts^ unto God and his Father! — 
 ' Oh our Beloved^ draw us with the Cords of thy 
 / Love, bind us to be free in thy Service, tocaflour- 
 * felves, our Time, and All, in all the little Love our 
 ' Souls are capable of, as a Drop of Duty, into thy 
 ' boundlefs Love, that Ocean of Glory !' — ^he Grace 
 of Chrift be with your Spirit ! — I beg Leave to fub- 
 fcribe, dear Sir, 
 
 Tour mofl obliged humble Servant^ 
 
 LETTER XXVII. To 
 
 My very dear and Honour"* d Brother y 
 
 MUCH I compafTionate your.dear Soul, in your 
 prefent Diftrefs ; and am grieved that the Ene- 
 my hath got an Advantage againft you in this great 
 Trial, to make you think, or at lead, apt to think, 
 that God herein is your Enemy ; and is not faithful 
 to his Promife given ycu; or elfe to doubt, if you 
 
 K 2 know 
 
( 76 ) 
 
 know any Thin^ of the Mind of God In his Word.— 
 Being in the Furnace, your Drofs comes up, and with 
 Jonah, you arc ready co fay,' / do well to be angry, — 
 But'p, my,Brorher, will you be angry with ioiinite 
 Lovi? This Affli(5tion, is a fpecial Fruit of God's 
 cVcilafting,-L6vci to you. Thefe bitter Waters, come 
 flreaming iiown to you, from the Heart of God, thro* 
 the Blood of thrift, wejl fweetned with infinite Kind- 
 refs. Nor the lead Dram of Wrath^ is put xvao your 
 Cup\ nor the lead Ingredient in it, howevttr bitter to 
 your Tafte, but was put there by hove'z A)l-gracious 
 Hand. " Infinite Love, guided by unerring Wifdom, 
 (as one well faid) determines the Kind and proportions 
 the Degree, of the Afflidlions of every Child." Not 
 the lead Grain, Brother, in this wifely mixed Potion 
 which is given you, which is fo diftafteful to you, 
 could have been wanting, but God would have had 
 lefs Glory in your Salvation, and you lefs Happinefsj 
 as the Saved of the Lord. Have you forgot what is 
 faid, Prov xvi. 4. ^he Lord bath made all Things for 
 Himfelf? i. e. for his own Glory, And what the Apoftle 
 faith, Jam. v. 11. Behold^ we count them happy which 
 endure? If there was nothing more. Brother, concern- 
 ed in this Afflidlion, than the Glory of God, it is worth 
 while to endure it for ^^^/, even thsLt alone. But io, 
 your prefent Happinefs^ and endlefs Blifs, are concern- 
 ed therein. Ajid wou'd you have been without this 
 AfBiiSlion upon this Condition, That God fhould have 
 had lefs Glory given Him by you on the Earth? ^ Or, 
 That you fliould have had lefs Grace given you in the 
 prefent Time, oi lefs Glory in youx eternal Crown? 
 If you would not; attempt your Duty, to fay inflantly 
 in Faith and Love, fhe Cup which my Father giveth me 
 to drink, fhall I not drink it ? l.^t your Will, fiow com- 
 placently into the Will of God, and fay with a fweet 
 
 Ac- 
 
(77) 
 
 Acquiefcence, Father, glorify thy Name ! Do what thou 
 wilt with me in the prefent Time ; make but thy own 
 Glory out of me, and I have enough : Not my fViJh, 
 hut thine he done. — If you fhould fay, Brother, 
 
 Alas, I 6nd no Addition of Grace by this Trial;' I 
 bring no Glory to God by it: Of what Advantage 
 then can it be unto me ? — I anfwer, 
 
 If hitherto you have been as a Bullock unaccuftomed 
 to the Yoke, God for Chrift^s Sake forgiveth you : And 
 your prefent Sin, by over-ruling Gmr^, (hall be the 
 Matter of your future Humiliation ; of that Humility^ 
 which precedes Glory, and will be your Preparation^ 
 for eternal Exaltation. — I do not fay. That your Sin 
 will do you Good, Such an Aflertion would be abo- 
 minable in itfelf', and I believe, abhorred by you. 
 Shall we fin that Grace may abound? God forbid! — -But 
 this I fay, Unto us who are under Grace, where Sin 
 hath abounded, Grace doth much more abound : And ef- 
 feds its great Defigns, to the endlefs Praife of its own 
 Glory, by over-ruling into a Subferviency thereto, the 
 greateft Contraries, even thofe very Things, which have 
 z native "Tendency to dethrone Grace, and defpoil it of 
 its Glory, and to plunge its Subjeds into the deepeft 
 Mifery. — This as to what hath already been. — But, 
 O let the Time pafl fuffice I Say, Once have I fpoken^ 
 yea twice •, hut I will proceed no farther, I have heard 
 of thee by the Hearing of the Ear -, hut now mine Eye 
 feeth thee -, Wherefore I abhormyfeif, and repent in Dufl 
 and Afhes. — It will be no Offence^ Brother, nor Grief 
 of Heart to you, when you come to Heaven, that you 
 was called to glorify God, by this Trial on the Earth \ 
 nor that your Grace was increased thereby, unto eter- 
 nal Glory ', but both will be the Matter of your endlefs 
 Joy, And will you grieve noiv, for that ^\\\c\\ floor tly 
 and perpetually will be your Heart's Delight ? O dry 
 
 your 
 
(78 ) ^^ 
 
 Tears, ceafe Weeping, begin Rejoicing, anticipate by 
 Faith, the Glories of Sight. — Come, my dear Bro- 
 ther, you are under Grace^ that forgives your Sins, that 
 will fubdue your Iniquities, that wiH ftrengthen your 
 Graces, and out of Weaknefs make you ftrong. Ever^ 
 lafiing. Arms are underneath. And fink you jhall not^ in 
 deep Waters. Your Shoes fhuU he Iron and Brafs \ and 
 as your Days., your Strength. Say then in Faith, tho* 
 foil'd by the Adverfary ; Rejoice not againft me., mine 
 Enemy ; when 1 fall., 1 jhall arife : JVhen I fit in Dark- 
 nejs^ the L.okt> Jhall be a Light unto me. I will' hear 
 the Indignation of the Lord, hecaufe I have finned againft 
 him^ until Ha plead my Caufe^ and execute Judgment for 
 me:.. He will hring me forth to the Light., and Ifhall he^ 
 hold his Right eoitfnefs. For, Jhe ^rial of your Faith 
 worketh Patience^ and Patience Experience^ &c. 
 
 Your former Trial, Brother, made your late Hap- 
 pinefs more fenfibiy fweet and Heart-endearing. — And 
 eafily you m-ight Aide, as it were infenfibly, into an 
 Extreme of Creature-Love. Which might provoke 
 the jealous Eyes of the Lord your Lover, to ftripyou 
 of a Creature, that dole your Heart from him the 
 Creator : To his Difhonour and Difpleafure, and to 
 your Difadvantage, prefent and eternal. And evident 
 it is, that we h^vQ exceeded in Love to a Creature, if 
 when the Lord takes what he gave, it mufl: be rent from 
 u>. If we don't freely rejign the Creature or Thing 
 He calls far ', we lov'd tht hm(^ inordinately. — How 
 kind then, and endearing was the Hand, that took 
 kiway your blooming Joy, which robb'd Him of his 
 Crown of Glory ^ of that Glory due fi'om y^^, to Him 
 yoyr great Loral And that rook away that Honey ^ 
 V; hereof you was like to furfeit I O my Brother, your 
 l^jrd*s Love is kind. 'Tis a Love-Stroke that is given 
 you. . And his Voice herein to you is, ' Come, thou 
 
 ' dear 
 
( 79 ) 
 
 f rdear ObjecSt of my infinite Love, take up thy De- 
 ffr lights in Me. I have took away the Defire of thine 
 "* Eyes with a Stroke ; that / might have thy Heart ; 
 ^?; that /, who am All Befires^ might be to thee, All 
 fv-'Delights : To my prefent and endlefs Praife, and to 
 *«j thy prefent and endlefs Blifs. Come, tafte how in- 
 3*i;effably fweet, the uncreated eternal Fountain is, now 
 •fr-the Creature-Stream, that tranfient Flow, is dry'd 
 ' up and gone. PFhy is thine Heart grieved ? and why 
 
 * eatefi thou not F am not I better to thee than ten Sons f 
 And is this your Beloved* s Voice^ my Brother : Will 
 you not fay, returning Love^ 
 
 ' O my Lord^ thou Altogether lovely One, thou 
 
 * hover of my Soul, 'l^hou^ ,even Thou alone^ art more 
 ' excellent to me^ than Mountains of Prey I Than all 
 
 * the Creatures, amafs'd in One ! Script of that which 
 
 * is not ; on which I fet mine Eyes -, I'll henceforth, 
 
 * by thy Grace affifting, clothe myfejf with Thee, 
 
 * whofe Name fj, I A M ! And .bathe rny Soul in 
 
 * Pleafures, in Thee, thou boundlefs, bottomlefs, 
 
 * endlefs Ocean' of all Delights! Forgetting my Father^ s 
 ' (Adam'^s) Houfe^ the Creatures and Relations of this 
 
 * prefent Time, I'll henceforth fix the Intention of my 
 
 * Soul on Thee, my eternal Lord, my Hufband- 
 
 * Lover, and in thine eternal Homage, will find my 
 *. eternal Joy !' — If thus your dear Soul is bro't near- 
 er to Chrijl in Love^ by the Separation of a Creature 
 from you, that us*d to divert youvHeart ; your Gain 
 will be ineffable^ by that Lofs ! — This, Brother, as to 
 what has happen'd. — And next, to reconcile Promile' 
 twith Providence: Confider, 
 
 The fudden Lofs of your dear Companion, is no 
 •Argument againft. the Promifes you had to dire(St and 
 encourage you in the Choice of her. As the Lord gave 
 her to you, and made you happy in her : The Event 
 
 fhews. 
 
( 8o ) 
 
 ihews, that you had the Mind of God in efpouring 
 her. — And as to that Promife you particularly men- 
 tion. In bkffing I will hlefs thee \ and in multiplying I 
 will multiply thee: The Lord doubtlels fignify'd ther^, 
 by. That you had and fliould have his Heart in that 
 Mercy, as the Infide of the Bleffing. And like.wife. 
 That in giving her to you. H^ would eminently hlefs 
 you. The former, you may be well aiTur'd of froni 
 God's Word, That you had liis Heart, in that Gift of 
 his Hand •, that he did you Good thereby, with his 
 whole Hearty and with his whole Soul. And the latter 
 appears from the Lord's Work : In that he made her 
 fuch an eminent Bleffing to you, while you had the En- 
 joyment of her. — But nrK)ft furely, the Lord did not 
 fay, by that Promife, That he would give her to you 
 for a long Continuance of T^ime. And therefore his 
 taking her away fo foon \ is no Argument againft the 
 Truth of God's Protnife^ nor againft the Truth of its 
 ^application to you by the Holy Ghojl. — Your conclu- 
 ding from what the Lord faid. That you fhould enjoy 
 her long : Was certainly a Mifiake. Which you eafily 
 made, by drawing out Ways in your own Mind, and 
 according to your Wi(hes, for God to fulfil his Pro- 
 mife to you in. 
 
 As Eve, when the Lord gave the firft Promife, The 
 Seed of the Woman Jhall bruife the Serpent^ s Head : Mi- 
 ftook the Mind of God therein, from her eager Defire 
 of its immediate Accomplifliment ; and tho't it muft 
 needs be her ne:<t and immediate Seed. Whence fhe 
 faid upon the Biith of Cain, 1 have gotten a Man the 
 Lord, Gen. iv. i. Or, the Meff.ah : ' As fome render 
 the Text, without the Word from, which is in our 
 Tranflation. And 1 doubt not, when Eve faw her 
 Miftake, fhe was as much try'd about it, as my dear 
 Brother can be about his. And yet her Miftake, as 
 
 yours, 
 
( 8i ) 
 
 yours, was not totals but only partial She was not 
 miftaken, as to the Suhftance of the Promife ; but as to 
 the particular Wa^ and Time of its AccompliOimenr. 
 She having drawn out thofe which fhe thought befi • 
 and the Lord, in his Wifdom and Goodnefs^ having 
 defign'd thofe which were better ; more for his Glory, 
 for the Good of his People, and for Eve^^ Joy at lad* 
 however trying the prefent Difappointment was. 
 
 Thus the Prophet Jeremiah^ was forely tried, and 
 knew not how to reconcile the Promife of God, That 
 I^ieUs (hould be bought and pofTefTed in Jerufalem^ 
 vf'nh Wis Providence, in that the City was given into 
 the Hand of the Chaldeans, Jer. xxxii. 15, ^c. Whence 
 he poured out his Soul before the Lord, and pleads 
 with him, Ver. 24. Behold the Mounts, they are come 
 unto the City to take it, and the City is given into the 
 Hand of the Chaldeans, which fight againft it, — And 
 then follows, what he could not tell how to reconcile, 
 And thou haft faid unto me, O Lord God, Buy thee the 
 Field for Money, md take Witneffes, Ver. 25 The 
 Promife, That Houfes, Fields and Vineyards,* fhould 
 be again polTeffed in that Land 5 as Ver. 25. puzzled 
 him exceedingly. He knew not how it could be ful- 
 filled, as Providence feem'd diredly to contradia ir 
 and what the Lord had faid, of the City's being given 
 into the Hand of the Cb^/i^^;/^, was r^;«^/£7^^/} He 
 therefore bro't this difficult Cafe before the Lord And 
 thou. Lord, (faith \it) feeft it. It is as if he ihou/d fay 
 ' Lord, how can thefe Contraries agree, with thy 
 * Truth and Faithfulnefs in both V His Diflrefs feem- 
 ed to arife from his own private Tho'ts, in fixing a 
 Time too foon^ for the Fulfilment of the PromHe • 
 Which much perplex'd him, and put Him on think^ 
 ing that It could not ht fulfilled, as it was then fo con- 
 tradi^ed in Providence. — Upon which the Lord, in 
 
 con^ 
 
( 82 ) 
 
 condefcending Grace to his diftreffi^d Servant, firft affert 
 his infinite All-.jufficiency to fulfil \hs Promt fe^ Behold^ I 
 am the Lor d, the God of all Flejh : Is there any ^hifig 
 too hard for Me ? Ver. 27, And next informs him of 
 the Titne of it, that it was not to be fulfill' d inftantl)^ 
 but after their Return from Captivity. And thus he 
 fix'eetly reconciled the Promife, with the piefent Pro- 
 vidence : As Ver. 28, ^<r. 
 
 And divers fuch partial MiJiakeSy oiir Lord's Dif- 
 ciples made, concerning what he faid unto them^ aftd 
 his Promifes given them. And thence, hoW greatly 
 were they tried, when their Lord was crucified? We 
 trujled (fay they) that it had been He which JhouU 
 have redeemed Ifrael, Luker^yiw. 21. They were fo 
 Ihock'd with the prefent Providence^ which was fo di- 
 redly contrary to what they apprehended in the Pro- 
 ini/e, that they feemed juft ready to give up their Faith 
 in Chrift^ as the Redeemer of Ifrael. -— Thus, fome of 
 the Prophets of old, before the Incarnation of our Sa- 
 viour, did make fome partial Mijiakes\ (as i Sam^%w\* 
 6. I Chron. xvii. 2. Jer, kxx\u 15, ^c.) and fome of 
 the Jpojiles of Chrifl, when their Mafter was prefent 
 with them. As infpired Men, were not always under 
 the Spirit of Infpiration, but fometimes tho't and 
 fpoke of the Things of God, from their human Judg- 
 ment. - t (10' they never did fo, in any Part of Divine 
 Reveladon, given either in the Old Teftament, or the 
 New, but for that, \Verc always under immediate In- 
 fpiration. -m?.:jri 
 
 And if thofe great Men of God, were fubjefl td 
 fome partial Miftakes, about the Ways and Times of 
 the Lord's fulfilling his Word : O how eafy is it for 
 fuch little, weak Worms as we to be miftaken, as to 
 fome Particulars relating to the Promifes He gives us ! 
 Let us not think it ftrange, Brother s or that the Pro- 
 mife 
 
( 83 ) 
 
 miCefails^ In the Sttbflance of it, when vire miflake as 
 to fome Cir/:umllan<:e5 attending it. But in Faith an4 
 Patience let us poffefs our Souls, and wait the Lord's^ 
 Way and Time to fulfil his Word : For not a Jot nor 
 Tittle of it fhall fall to the Ground^ or fafs away mfuU 
 filled. 
 
 And wife "and gracious are the Ends of our great 
 GoDj who is great in Counfel and mighty inPVork, in 
 p^ermi.tting our little Miftakes. As i . The Honour of 
 his Po.wer and Goodnefs, in fupporting us under our 
 Weights of Trouble, occafion'd thereby. 2. That He 
 might (hew his Grace, by miniftring (uitable Relief 19 
 us /«Diftrefs ; and working glorious Deliverance fpr 
 us out of it. 5. That thereby He might fliew us our 
 own Weakness. 4. That by the Trial He might ex- 
 crcife and increafe our Graces. 5. That He might 
 thereby// us for his Service -, to fympathize with^ and 
 fpeak a Word in Seafon untOy our weary Brethren, in 
 whom the fame Afflidipns are accomplifhed. And 
 6. That He might thus prepare us/<7r, and confer up- 
 on us^ 2L more weighty Crown of Glory. — And in all 
 thefe Refpeds, my Brother, the Lord can fulfil his 
 Promife to you, In bkffmg to hlefs you^ and in multiply- 
 ing to multiply you, even by this very Providence, which 
 tp you appears to thwart it, and is fo contrary to your 
 Expeftation. 
 
 Think not then. That your Work for Him, is entirely 
 d^ne. For, out ofWeaknefs, you fhall be made Jlrong : 
 And by thefe Afflidions, prepar'd to adminilter Confo- 
 lations, to comfort others, by the fame Comfort where- 
 with you yourfelf are comforted of God. :^ ;r ' , 1 
 And Aovithe weary of the World, Brother. ^Ho^i^g 
 to be with Chrift, which is far better \ you may and 
 ought. And if this Providence is bleft to wean you 
 uwrc from prefent Things, it is your Mercy. But be 
 ^- L 2 wiiling 
 
(84) 
 
 Willing to flay the.L(?r^'j ^ime^ till \i\^ 'iJbhole tVill \& 
 done upon, in and by you : As his Glory and your 
 Bllfs, prefentand eternal, are.concern'd therein. God*s 
 dear Servants, under Pre flu res, may have immoderate 
 Defires to be diflblved, and be at Reft. Which may 
 proceed from fome Degree of Impatience, or Unwil- 
 Jingnefs to endure thofe Trials, which muft precede, 
 and prepare for, their future Crown, As Jon. jv. g. 
 Therefore now^ O Lord, take, I hefeech thee, my Life 
 from me \ for it is better for me to die^ than to live, — 
 You fay. Brother, 
 
 " My Cafe is not \\kp Abraham^ when call'd to 
 *'. offer up Ifaac f, He received him again. Nor like 
 ^^'JacoFs, v^hen ,he faid^yi?/^/y?? is not, diVid Simeon h 
 ^•^ not { all thefi Ti)i?igs are againfi me: For he had 
 '^ them both again. God fometimes writes Death 
 " upon the Promife for a while, to try the Faith and 
 '* Patience of his Children ; and then fulfils it. But 
 " He has writ Death abfolutely upon mine, and laid 
 " my Glory in the Dull. I krjow , lh.e ^ caapQX return 
 *' unto me.",— i reply, jr oi-.-// ^<}xx\ b ,ivs ^<>: 
 
 It is your Miftake, Brother, That God has writ 
 Z)(?^/^ abfolutely upon his Promife. ' This killing Dif- 
 penfation, fo crofs to your Expectation, doth not 
 touch the. Grace of the Promife, nor in .theleaft infringe 
 the Truth of it ; but is and (hall be the Means of its 
 farther Accompliniment. What if Gop's Defign, in 
 giving you a fade of Creature- Sweetnefs, and taking 
 it away unto great Bitternefs : Was to fhew you more 
 of Creature- Ewptinefsy that fo He might fill you more 
 abundantly with his infinite Fulnefs ?_ Will not this be a 
 farther Exienfion of the Promis'd Grace, In hleffing to 
 blefs^ and in multiplying to multiply yau? — And what 
 if GoD intended by the Pfomife, not only to blefs you 
 in your late Relative, but aifo in that Relation, by 
 
 giving 
 
( 85 ) 
 
 giving you another Bofom Friend, infleaid of thai which 
 you have loft ? You can't receive Her again, in Per* 
 fon. But you may in Value, Is not God able to give 
 you another that fliall be as greatly^ and more abun- 
 dantly bleft for your Comfort, while taught by the Va- 
 nity 'and Uncertainty of the Creature you have loft^ 
 you enjoy God in another, and in ///»/ a Permanency 
 of Blifs, that fhall never be taken from you? — But if 
 God fhould not give you another Bojom-Companion 5 
 if in the Want thereof, He gives you more of Himfelf ; 
 won't that be better ? Tho' you can't have the Joy of 
 your deceafed Relative again, m Her peffonally ; 
 may'nt you have the fame Comfort in God tranfcen- 
 dantly ? What are Creatures, the whole Hoft of them 
 univerfally ? Is there any Comfort to be had in them, 
 that is fuited to the Nature of an immortal, Heaven- 
 born Soul, that is not to be enjoy 'd in the Creator fub- 
 ftantially and eternally ? — Wherefore, Set not your 
 Eyes mth Grief upon that which is not, upon the loll 
 Stream j but look with Joy on Him which is, and is 
 {oT you, an Ocean of Blifs, Tefierday, To-day, and for 
 ever the Same ! 
 
 I fhould have given a Hint to your Miflake, " When 
 looking on the Parts and Experience of your deceafed 
 Friend, you tho't that God had defigned her for pe- 
 culiar Service, in the Place He had fet her." That 
 this ThoU, being formed from thtvijible Appearance of 
 Things \ was juft fuch as Samuel*s was, when looking 
 on E/iab's Stature, He faid. Surely the Lor d'j Anointed 
 is before him, 1 Sam. xvi. 6. And the Difappoint- 
 ment you met with, fhould not be your Diflrefs, as 
 His was none to Him. 
 
 . Once more, Tho' your Heart was enlarged to pray 
 for your dear Yokefellow's Deliverance ; which the 
 Lord did not pleafe to grant, He can and will an- 
 
 fwer 
 
{ 86 ) 
 
 fweryour Prayer, in fo«i€ ifiber and IfClUr Way, An4 
 jnoft gracioufly will jtjie Lord acoept and reward youf 
 i^^/V^, in your Attempt of Duty, Not to ftagger at th^ 
 Promife ^/Goo thro^ Unbelief, And fome glorious 
 Fruit oiVmK you fb^ll certainly receive, Tho* you 
 had it not io the IVay you wifh'd, and had devis'd in 
 your cwn Heart ; you ihall find it in a better^ contri^ 
 ved and prepared for you of God : Which you'll foon 
 foe, was more for his Glory, and your tranfoendant 
 Bliis.^— Wherefore, Let the Government of all Things 
 reft upon your ~Lord^^ Almighty shoulder ; where the 
 whole Weight of it is devolved by the Father ; and ait 
 Things (hall end well^ to your endlefs Joy^ Wonder and 
 praife : And what you know not now \ you (hall thus 
 know hereafter. — That the Peace of God which paffetb 
 all IJnderftanding^ may keep your Heart and Mind thra* 
 Chrift Jefus : And His Grace be with your Spirit : is the 
 hearty Defire and Prayer of, dear Sir, 
 
 Tour mpft a^eSlionate Friend and Servant^ 
 
 LETTER XXVIIL To ikfn. C. 
 
 My dear Sifter , 
 
 WE may fee what Vanity and Vexation are in 
 every Thing here \ what Thorns and Briarg 
 run thro' all the Ground ; and what little Dependance 
 is to be had on all the Creatures. Happy are the Souls 
 that have God for their All, that Fountain of Sweet* 
 nefs, that Ocean of Delights ! Who will caufe thofe . 
 that love Him, to inherit Suhftance^ and never fail, 
 nor forfakc the Souls that truft in Him, thro' Time^ 
 nor to Eternity ! A true Chriftian, in the Exercife of 
 
 Faith^ 
 
Faith, hath enough in God, to fatisfy all his Dtf- 
 fires, and need not, doth hot, go out of Him, for 
 any Delight. Whenever we depart from the Lord 
 our Reft, it is by an evil Heart of Unbelief. And oh 
 what Fools are we, ever to ftir out of the Bofotn 
 of God ! All is Joy and Peace there ; and no- 
 thing but Sorrow and Difquietude eVery where elfe. 
 How fad is it, that thofe happy Souls, who have the 
 Lord for their Pertion^ fhould not always live upon 
 Him, and rejoice in Him 2ks>fuch ! How do the Things 
 of Time and Senfe, thro' the Influence of Sin and Sa- 
 tan, divert us with their pleafing Shews, from real 
 Pleafure; or diftraft us with their pinching Cares, to 
 bur real GHef ? And by both rob us of that Fulnefs of 
 felifs, which is to be enjoy'd in God ! God will be our 
 jill in All in Heaven ; and the more we efteem Him 
 fo on Earth, and pra(5lically live upon Him zsfuch^ the 
 more are we prepar'd for the Heavenly State. What 
 would fuch a Soul do in Heaven, that can't make a 
 Life out of God ? And tho' there, God will be all to 
 us in Himself, without the Creatures ♦, He is here to 
 be enjoyed as fuch in them, by every Heaven-born 
 Soul. In Comforts, in Crolfes, in Gains, in LofTes, 
 Gob is to be enjoy'd by a Believer. Which fpreads 
 fuch a Glory, and Sweetnefs thro' all, that Strangers 
 to God, neither fee nor tafte. Nothing in Profperity, 
 can make us happy, but what brings us to God, and 
 Enables us to ferve Him ; nor any Thing in Adverfity 
 make us miferable, but what feparates us from God, 
 and unfits us for his Service. God in Christ, is fo 
 full, fo great, fo fubftantial a Good, that if He is not 
 enjoy'd in Profperity, it will prove but an empty Name, 
 or rather, a Soul-infnaring Thing : And if God is en- 
 joy'd in Adverfity, it will be full of Sweetnefs, and 
 much for our Souls Advantage. Wc fhould put an 
 
 Eftimatc 
 
(M) 
 
 Eflimate on both, as true BleffmgSy juft fo far as God 
 is brought to «J, and we to Him by either. And as to 
 efijoy^ fo to glorify Him in both, Ihould be our greateft 
 Concern. The Glory of God in all, (hould be our 
 chief Care, ourconftant Work ; fincc to do us Good 
 by all, is God's Delight. If we refer all Things to 
 God i God will order all Things for «/, as fhall be 
 moft for his Glory, and our Advantage. 
 
 " Fear God, ye Saints, and you will then 
 
 " Have nothing elfe to fear : 
 «' Make you his Service, your Delight ; 
 
 " Your Wants (hall be his Care.'* 
 
 Widiing all true Happinefs in this World, and great 
 Glory in that to come -, and requefting your Prayers 
 and Thankfgivings for us : I remain, my dear Sifter, 
 Tours affe5lionatelyy in the Lord, 
 
 LETTER XXIX. Ti 
 
 My 'very Dear and Honoured Brother ^ 
 
 BLEST be our dear Lord, that hath brought a 
 little Eafe to your pained Heart, by that In- 
 Itance of his " accepting, and rewarding David's De- 
 fire to build him an Houfe, tho' not He, but Solo- 
 won was the chofen Inftrument for that Service." I 
 give Thanks likewife, that any Refrefhment was 
 given you, in what the Lord fent you by me. 
 
 Far wou'd 1 be, my dear Brother, from pofitively 
 charging you. with inordinate Love to your deceafed 
 Relative. Tho' I humbly tho't, you might poflibly 
 exceed. I know by fad Experience, that we are apt to 
 exceed in Love to Creatures and 1 hings, given us 
 
 thro* 
 
( ^9 ) 
 
 thro* Prayer, and by the Promife, and which we enjoy 
 God in, and blefs him for. And tho' we mayn't fee 
 our Excefs in the Enjoyment of Mercies, yet manifeft 
 it is in the Lofs of them, if when the Lord calls for 
 what he gave, we don't freely re/ign to his Will^ and 
 blefs him for 'Takings as well as Giving. If we have 
 any particular Solace in any Creature or Thing the Lord 
 gives, that we can't* find in God^ fubflantially and tran- 
 fcendently, when it is taken from us \ we certainly 
 lov'd that Creature or Thing inordinately^ or gave it 
 that Jffe^lion^ that Attachment, which is due unto G^i 
 alohe. We lov'd not that Creature or Thing fo purely 
 as we ought, in God^ and for Him, but as a feparate 
 Good, or fomethtng heftdes Him, that gave us Plea- 
 fure. For if we lov'd the Lord as we ought, as the 
 Summum Bonum, the Chiefeft Good^ the All of our 
 Blifs ; whence are thefe Lowings and Bleating's of our 
 Souls, after Creatures? Doth not all Fulnefs dw^ell in 
 Chrift ? Is there not in Him a Fulnefs of ail Relations I 
 And of the choiceft and moft delightful Difpofitions ? 
 And is he with us, ever with us, and all that He hath, 
 ours : And yet if a Creature is taken froni us, our 
 Hearts can get no Rejt ? O, if this is the Cafe ; that 
 Creature, ■ W€ in fome Sort, m fome Degree, made our 
 God. And good, good it -is, that we fhould be frript 
 of fuch Creatures,- to fliew us our Folly, mforfaking 
 the Lord, x^q Fountain of living Water, and' %ewing 
 /d? our fe Ives Cifterns,- broken Cifierns, that can hold no 
 Water. That thence, thro' trying Providences, and 
 the efficacious Teachings of Divine Grace, we may 
 learn more Wifdom : To drink at the Fountain- Head, 
 when the Stream of Brooks fails us ; and take our Fill 
 more purely and abundantly from that River of Wa- 
 ter of Life, clear as Cryftal, which prcceedeth out of the 
 Throne of God and of the Lamb. — Be all Obedience^ 
 
 M Brother ; 
 
( 90 ) 
 
 Brother ; to delight your Lord's Heart, Refigning 
 Abraham, in his cheerful offering up his IJaac^ was 
 called The Friend of God, Is there any Joy like this. 
 To give your Lord Pleafure ? Is not the Lamb^ that 
 bought you with his Blood, worthy ? Worthy of your- 
 felf, and of the Whole of your Service, Love and Joy ? 
 And to pleafe and delight him, and alfo to honour 
 him, won't you give him Leave to give and ^^^^with 
 you ? To do any Thing and every Thing, He pleafeth 
 with you ? Will you contend with him for taking his 
 own ? Wiil you fay, ' It was mine^ Lord V No ; ra- 
 ther fay, ' Lord, 1 am thine •, and all thou gaveft, 
 
 * giveft, or fhalt give me, entirely at thy Dijpofe, \ 
 
 * will call nothing /wy own, but thy Greai Self! And 
 ' delight that Thou, (houldft be the fole Proprietor of 
 
 * me and mine.^ — And fuch a Frame of Spirit, Brother, 
 will be for your prefent Joy, and future Glory. 
 
 I am glad that you have a Dejire, to have the Will 
 frefent, tho' how to perform, you find not. That youx 
 gracious Lord accepts, and records, sls your Kindnefs'^ 
 and commend and reward it He will, before Men and 
 Angels, at his appearing. — I much compaffionate youf 
 dear Soul, under your prefent Darknefs, Grief and 
 Trouble of Mind. — Be of good Comfort : T'o the Up- 
 right there arifeth Light in Darknefs : Out of Dark- 
 nels : Darknefs dijfipating Light. — You have not an 
 High Prieft that cannot be touched with a Feeling of 
 your Infrmi ties. And foon your Lord will fee you a* 
 gain, and your Heart fhall rejoices andyour Joy fhall no 
 Man take from you, — To the Grace of Chrijl, I com- 
 mit you : In his fweet Arms, I leave you. And with 
 a Heart full of Love and Sympathy, I am, dear Sir, 
 Xours in the Lord for ever^ 
 
 LET. 
 
(91) 
 
 LETTER XXX. To Mr. and Mrs. Vf. 
 My Dear and Honour' d Parents, 
 
 GLADLY I received your laft, and return 
 moft humble Thanks for all the Inftances of 
 your paternal K.ndnefs The Lor d is exceeding kin] 
 to ev,l and unthankful me. Oh for a Heart to love 
 and ferve Hmi ! My Afflidion has been a Trial to 
 me as thereby I have been in fome Meafure hindred 
 from ferving the Lord as I would. But I have been 
 
 Him tor all his Dealings with me. I rejoice and 
 
 Eifclill'n^ ''" -y good God, hasprXg'dr^y 
 Life till now, g.ven me fuch a Meafure of Health 
 hitherto, and enabled me to do ^«y f7^,«. for nfm 
 And furely I would love and bleff Himf when He 
 takes me off from that Manner of fervTng H,m in 
 
 Sod rthfo^S^''"''-. ' ^-"'^ 3w^h my 
 Ood, tn the Obedience of Faith and Love thro* 
 
 kS' un il He's""' J°^ ^"'^ '°'^°- in r'prSt 
 
 Care, hut to glorify God, and to anfwer ^^Hohmi 
 m every Change of Providence. I feel my owff* 
 
{ 92 ) 
 
 I was delighted, my Honour'd Fathef, fome Time 
 ago, with the diftinguifning Love of God towards 
 you and me. In taking you and yours^ to make us 
 Monuments of his Free-Grace^ when fome of our 
 Anccftors^ as we have Reafon to fear, were left among 
 the Strangers to God^ and unacquainted with hhfpecial 
 Favour. Oh why were we taken, when others were 
 left ! Not becaufe we were I^etter than they : But becaufe 
 the Lord loved us! Wherever ElecSling Love ran, 
 before the Foundation of the World, there Calling 
 Grace, flows, in Time. And whom the Lord calleth^ 
 them He jufi^fes, and them He will alfo ^/^r//5'. Glo- 
 ry, my dear Father, will be the End ot Grace. That 
 Grace which has begun to fave us, will fave us into 
 Glory ! May we always rejoice in the Grace which fav- 
 ed us^ and have the Joy to fee Salvation brought to 
 our neareft Relatives ! Oh that the Children of my 
 dear Brother^ might be reach'd by efficacious Grace^ 
 and they alio appear to belong to the Line of Ele^ion ! 
 That we together as the faved of the Lord, may 
 fhout Salvation unto God^ and to the Lamb for Ever I 
 — May the Bleffings of the everlafting Hills ^ richly de- 
 fcend upon you, and the fenfible Prelence of the Lord 
 your own God, be with you ! I requeft your Prayers 
 for me ; and am with the greateft AfFedlion, my Ho- 
 nour'd Parents, 
 
 Tour mojl Obedient Childy 
 
 LETTER 
 
(93 ) 
 
 LETTER XXXI. To Mr. T. 
 
 My dear and honoured Brother in the Lord^ 
 
 1 Thank you for your kind Letter. I rejoice in the 
 Kindnefs of our God, in making his own Truths, 
 hinted in my Letters to Mr. /F". ddightfuj to yoiir 
 Soul. A fpiritual Jppetite^ to relifii fpiritual Things, 
 is a dijiinguijhing Favour^ beftow'd upon none hut 
 thofe that are Chrifi* s own. The natural Man receiv- 
 eth not the Ihings of the Spirit of God : for they are 
 Foolifhnefs unto him% neither can he know them^ he- 
 caufe they are fpiritually difcerned. And fpiritual Men^ 
 that have z.Vi Appetite^ z Capacity to relifh fpiritual 
 Things, can have no aJ^ual Relifh ' thertof^ without 
 the a^ual Prefence, the immediate Influences of the 
 -Eoly Ghofi. 'Tis He that Takes of the Things of Chrifl^ 
 and of the Father^ and fhews them unto us. Oh did 
 we know how much there is done for us by all the 
 Three Perfons in Godwin every Degree of Soul-Comforc 
 and fpiritual Pleafure that is given us, we fhould not 
 count the Confolations of God fmall. It is the Spirit of 
 Truths in his fpecial Operations as the Comforter^ that, 
 according to our Lord's Promife, guides his People 
 into all Truths John 1 6. i^. It is ^d-, that enlight- 
 ning our Minds, guides us into the Dodrinal Know- 
 ledge of every Truth ; and enkindling our Souls 
 with the Truths known, that gives us Heart-Fellow- 
 fhip therewith. A Guide., you know, that conduds 
 another, muft be aSiually prefent with him, or he 
 can't be affillant to him as fuch. So, without the 
 a6iual Prefence of the Holy Gkofl^ going before us in- 
 to any Truth, and giving us Accefs^ Manudu5tion in- 
 to it 5 not the leaft fpiritual 'Iruth can we know, nor 
 the leaft Degree of fpiritual Knowledge thereof, can 
 
 we 
 
( 94 ) 
 
 we attain. Oh, it is the a5lual Prefence of the Holy 
 Gbofi as our Comforter^ that, by his Light and Heat, 
 irradiates our Mind, and enfliames our Souls with the 
 Knowledge of Divine Truth. Let the Truth (hine 
 ever fo brightly, or warmly round about us ; unlefs the 
 Holy Spirit fliines into our Minds^ unto the Know- 
 ledge of the T^ruth in its Glory and Efficacy •, we nei- 
 ther y^^ its Light, nor feel its Heat.— What need then 
 have we to ajk for the Holy Spirit? And how much 
 are we Debtors to Him, as our Guide into all Truth, 
 for every Degree of our Knowledge thereofy and Fel- 
 lowfhip therewith ! Oh the infinite Grace of the Holy 
 Ghoft! how much doth He do for us, in every Kind, 
 and Degree of fpiritual Joy, which He gives us! 
 And lo, He doth not /peak of Himfelf : but whatfoever 
 He fhall Hear^ faith our Lord, that fhall he fpeak, 
 As the Holy Ghoft, in infinite Condefcenfion to us, 
 has accepted the OfHce of Comforter ; So in his Dif- 
 charge thereof. He doth not fpeak to us in any Truth, 
 nor in any Part of it, of Himjelf. That is, of Him- 
 felf merely, and abftraSlly from the Father and the 
 Son. But flridlly regards his Mijfton from them, To 
 fhew us their Perfons, their Ads and Works, their 
 Thoughts and Words, their Glones and their Grace, 
 Thus the Holy Ghod hears what the Father, and the 
 Son fay, for and about our Confolation ; Takes all the 
 Particulars, and receives all the Grace, to bring it 
 down to us. He fhall receive of Mine, faith our Lord, 
 and fhall ftjew it unto you. All Things that the Father 
 hath are mine : therefore faid I, that He fhall take of 
 mine, and foall fhew it unto you, ver. 14, 15. Oh 
 this Receiving, this Taking of Chrift's, and of the 
 Father's Things, by the Holy Ghoii, to fhew them 
 unto us\ doth imply in it, The boundlefs Lovco^ the 
 Father^ and of the Son towards us, their infinite Care 
 
 of 
 
(95) 
 
 of us, and the gracious Regard which They have for 
 our Confolation, As the Holy Ghoft Receives thefe 
 Things of the Father and the Son, He receives them 
 as given from both for us. And He being God 
 equal with both, in the fame boundlefs Love towards 
 us, infinite Care of us, and gracious Regard for our 
 Confolation^ He takes them as given. And having 
 voluntarily accepted the Office of Comforter, to ap- 
 ply all that Grace and Salvation to us, which was given 
 us in the eternal Counfels and Covenant of the Three- 
 One God, and which in the Difpenfation of the Ful- 
 nefs of Times, is to be given out to us : Down He 
 flies on the Wings of Love, as fent from the Father 
 and the Son, and from the good Pleafure of his own 
 Will, He brings the fame to us. 
 
 You fee then, my dear Brother, That our fpiritual 
 Knowledge of God and \{\^Truths^ our Delight in, and 
 Fellowjhip with them ; are no cafual Things^ that fall 
 out by Hap or Chance, that might be^ or not be : 
 But are Matters of Appointment^ and of great M?- 
 ment^ in which Father^ Son and Spirit^ in boundlefs 
 Grace to us, are concerned. And let us hence learn. 
 To put a high Value upon, to be very thankful for, 
 and to have a due Regard to, the Comforts of the Ho- 
 ly Ghoft^ and to every Degree of his Confolation. 
 Since there is not the lead, but fprings from fo great 
 Grace ! And let all the Comforts of the Holy Ghoft, 
 as fo many Cords^ bind our Souls, in Love and Duty 
 to the Comforter. Oh let us beware of Sin^ that we 
 don't grieve Him. Let us credit his Teftimony, 
 mnd his Motions, and obey his Didates. And in all 
 Manner of holy Converfation and Godlinefs, behave 
 as fuch, that are fo highly favoured with the in-dwell- 
 ing Prefence of the Comforter^ and with the Confola- 
 tions of God ! 
 
 You 
 
( 96 ) 
 
 You fay, my dear Brother, " That you expe6l Be- 
 nefit from my Correfpondence ; but I muft expeft 
 none from yours." I hope you exped nothing from 
 me^ feperate from Chnjl % from 2i Branchy -{t^txzt^ 
 from the Root ;, from a Beam^ feperate from the Body 
 of the Sun. It is a great Thing, to be throughly 
 ft-nfible of the Nothingnefs of the Creature^ -both with 
 refpedl to ourfelves and others. That the Creature is 
 I^othingy lefs than Nothings and Vanity^ and the Lord 
 All, and in All. That all the Excellency, Com- 
 fort and Ufefulnefs of the Creature, is wholly derived 
 from, and dependant upon its Creator. And if thus, 
 niy dear Brother, you expe6l Benefit from Me^ look- 
 ing fingly to the Lord for it-, I am perfuaded you 
 will not be difappointed. For none of them that trufi 
 in Him, fhall he defolate. God can fupply you with 
 all the Good you. want or defire, either mediately, or 
 immediately, which Way foever He pleafeth. And 
 as for M'e^ mean and worthlefs as I am, glad fhall I 
 be, if the Lord will make Me a Pipe^ to convey the 
 Waters of Life, from Him the living F.9//«/^/«, into 
 your Soul. And this, my Brother, is all you could 
 exped from Me^ was I the moft excellent of Creatures. 
 And tho' I am the leajl of Saints^ and the chief of 
 Sinners-, yet, tvtn This., the God ot ali Grace, is 
 able to do for Tou, by Me. God can ufe whom He 
 ivilly to do what Service He pleafe. — And why then 
 mayn't I expecl Benefit from Tou^ that is, from God 
 by Ton? Is the Spirit of the Lord fir aitned ? Are any 
 of the Members of Chrift's Body uleiefs? Verily, The 
 Head hath appointed to every one its Place and Ufe ; 
 effedually worketh in every Pare, unto the Edification 
 of the other, and in the Infinity of his Grace, fays 
 concerning all, even the mod feeble^ That they are 
 nicejjlirj^ — 1 fliall be glad to know the Frame of 
 
 your 
 
(97) 
 
 your Soul, to hear from you when you have Leifure, 
 and to have an Intereft in your Prayers. — I am, dear 
 Sir, 
 
 Tours Jffe5fionately /« Jesus, 
 
 LETTER XXXII. To Mr. R. 
 
 My dear and honour d Brother in Chrift^ 
 A S by that dear Servant of Chrift, the Rev. Mr. 
 /^ IV. and our dear Friend Mr. T. I am in- 
 ^rm'd that you defire a Line from me ; I embrace 
 th'e firft Opportunity to write. — And now, my dear 
 Brother, What fhali I fay ? I rejoice with you, and 
 all the Lord's People, for the glorious Things which 
 God is doing in Scotland, Surely the Lord calls upon 
 us hereby. To arife and trim our Lamps^ to go forth 
 to meet the Bridegroom, 
 
 Dear Sir, as to the prefent Frame of your Soul, I 
 am entirely ignorant of it. But from the Account 
 given me of your Stat^^ I feel a (pringing Love to 
 yoUy and Brother T, and fhali rejoice to have a little 
 Talk with you on the Road, in our Way to Heaven. 
 Oh that our Jesus would join Himfelf to us, and 
 make our Hearts burn within us^ while H^ talketh with 
 us by the Way ! And as God's Free-Grace, hath made 
 Us, poor Strangers, that were once afar off, Nigh by 
 the Blood of Chrift ; I would fay unto I'^ou, as our 
 Lord once did unto his Difciples, Children, have you any 
 Meat ? — Come and Dine. 
 
 Come, feaft upon the Lamb of God. The Fat4ier 
 hath given his Son, and our Lord hath given Himft if, 
 £0 die for us, that we might live I Oh, Love, faffing 
 
 N KnoW" 
 
( 98 ) 
 
 Knowledge! A crucifyM Jesus, is our Life! What do 
 you wani, my Brother ? Here's All in Christ ; who 
 was once dead, and now lives for you, that you can 
 poffibly need or crave ! Life of all Kinds, is in Him, 
 Life in its higheft Perfedion, and Life of an endlefs 
 Duration! And thro* the Death of your glorious Lo- 
 ver, all his Life is m^de yours ! Come by Faith daily^ 
 into the Wounds of Christ ; and there take in all the 
 Grace and L/ife your Soul wants. For all the Grace 
 and Life of the New Covenant, of the God of the Co- 
 venant, is beftow'd upon you, and irreyerfibly con- 
 firmed to you in the Lamb's Blood! Here's a Fulnefs^ 
 that you may be free with ! A Fulnefs, that you can 
 neither exbauft, nor wafle! A Well of Life, that is 
 full, deep, and endlefs I A Sea of Glory, that has neither 
 Bottom, nor Bound! Oh my Brother, If all that is in 
 God, the AJI fufficient, and Eternal God, is enough 
 to fill you •, you ftoall be filed with all Grace thro* 
 Time, and with all Glory to Eternity I For God in 
 Christ, \s yours! and Jb« are His ! You are loved, 
 into an entire Interefi in Him, and indilToluble Union 
 to Him, and an eternal Communion with Him! God 
 the Father lov'dy»u, and gave you all this Glory in 
 Chrijl, before the Foundation of the World ! Lov^dyou, 
 and gave his Son in the Fulnels of Time, to die for 
 you ; to procure all this Glory for you, and to fecure 
 it to you ! God the Son lev' d you, and gave.Himfelf 
 to Death, for your Life, to bring you to Glofy ! And 
 God the Holy Ghofi has loifd you, and given you the 
 Beginnings of all this Glory in your own Soul! He 
 Himfelf is become the Earneft of this your vaft Inheri- 
 tance ♦, and by his Joys, has given you the Firft fruits 
 of the good Land ! And He that has begun the good 
 Work in 2'ou, will perform ity until Grace is perfeded 
 )n Glory, and Mortality fw allowed up af Life! Of Glo- 
 ry-Life^ 
 
( 99 ) 
 
 ry-Life, in the immediate Vifion and Fruition of God^ 
 ijnto Ages without End ! -— Oh what a firm Foundation 
 then, hath your Faith to reft on ! What Encouragement 
 have you to Duty, fince ail the Fulnefs of Christ is 
 Tours I And what Obligations are Tou^ am /, and all 
 the Heirs of Grace under, to give it all the Glory^ in a 
 IValk worthy tf/GoD, in Heart, Lip and Life ! — The 
 Grace of Chrift be with your Spirit, Pray for. Dear 
 
 Sir, 
 
 Tours in the ho kd^ 
 
 LETTER XXXIIL To Mrs. G. 
 
 My Dear Sifter in the Lord, 
 
 I Am glad, that as one of Chrift's Z^^;?/^/, you are 
 under the Care of our great Shepherd. Verily, He 
 will not fuffer you to want any good Thing. He 
 lov'dyou, and gave his Life for you, when in his Fore- 
 view, Ungodly 1 Lov'dyou, and ^ickned you, wheri 
 dead in Sin I Lov^d you^ and took you up, in ail your 
 Weaknefs and Wants, into his own Bofom, his own 
 Arms 5 into his own Fulnefs of Grace and Power, to 
 faveyou to the uttermoji I He loves you, and will never 
 repent what He has done for you ; never cad you ofF^ 
 nor forget you, leave, nor forfake you ; but follow you 
 with his Grace, until He has brought you to Himfeif 
 m Glory I Oh did you know the infinite Tendernefs of 
 Chriil's Heart towards you ; you would run into his 
 Bofom, in all your Times of Diftrefs. ChriO: loves 
 you as a Member of his own Body, as his own Flejh, 
 And from an infinite Fulnefs of Sympathy'with you, 
 and Power to help you, will nouriih and chetifh you, 
 fuccour.and fave you, in and from all your Griefs, 
 
 N 2 and 
 
( 100 ) 
 and unto the uttermoft of all yourDefires! Yea, He 
 will do for you, exceeding abundantly above all you can 
 ajk or think! Oh, our tender Sbepberd, takes a* peculiar 
 Care of his Lambs I His Bowels yern towards them, in 
 alJ their Weaknefs and Wandrings ; and with his Jrm 
 will He gather them, and in his Bofom will He carry 
 them : To fccure them from all Deaths, and Dangers, 
 to nourifh and preferve them unto Life Eternal! 
 Chrift will be fure to lofe none of his Weaklings ; but 
 ^lefe in a fpecial Manner, fliall be the Objeds of his 
 Care, of his infinite Tendernels ! Chrift hath a tender 
 tieart towards the Weak and Difeafed of his Flock, a 
 tender Eye to look upon their Griefs, and a tender 
 Hand to bind up their Wounds and relieve their Souls, 
 His Power to help and fave us, is Infinite! And his 
 CompalTions never fail! HisFulnefs we can never fpend, 
 with all our innumerable Wants! Nor will He ever wax 
 weary of fupplying us, but rejoice over us to do us Good^ 
 with his uhole Hearty and with his whole Soul ! Oh 
 there is none like Chrift ! He is the Chief of ten Thoufand^ 
 and Altogether Lovely! And "this^ my dear Sifter, is 
 your Beloved! and nis is your Friend! Wherefore,, 
 Truft you in the Lord for ever\ and. Rejoice in Him 
 always : for nothing paft, prefent, or to come, ftiall 
 ever feperate you from his Love ! — Unto hia Grace I 
 commit you : And am, 
 
 21?//rj mojl Tenderly, in the 
 Bowels of Jesvs Christ, 
 
 LETTER XXXIV. To Mrs. A. 
 
 I Could not help fending, you a Line, to tell you^ 
 That Jesus loves you: and that /love you for his- 
 Sake. Oh Dear Soul, wl'ift great Things has the Lok d- 
 
 done 
 
( loi ) 
 
 done for you! How fweetly has He opened your Heart 
 by his Grace, and made you Willing in the Day of his 
 Power, to be faved alone by Jefus Chrift, to have 
 Him for your Time-Portion, siud your elernal All I 
 Chrift was firft willing to marry Tou, to betroth you 
 to Himfelf for ever •, or you had never been made wil- 
 ling to give up yourfelf to Him, Chrift fr^ dejir'd you^ 
 or you had never dejir'^d Him, It was his lirft Love to 
 you, that laid Hold oi your hard Htarr, and drew your 
 Soul to love Him. You had never feen Christ's 
 Beauty, and been fick of Love for Him, the faireft of 
 all Fairs, the Chiefefi of ten^Thoufand-, if He had not 
 reveal'd himfelf unto you, as He doth not unto the 
 tVorld: In order to allure your Soul after Him, and to 
 fatisfy and folace you with Himfelf for ever. Be of 
 good Cheer, then: For Christ and Ton are one! 
 Christ has given Himfelf to ha yours, and taken you 
 to be His, in a Marriage-CoyeDiant. And neither 
 Time nor Sin, Death nor Hell, ihall part- you. For 
 Ever, the Lord hath betrothed you to Himfelf-, for 
 Ever, will He love you as his Bride ; and for Ever Hiali 
 you h^ve ihG Enjoyment of Him, as your Glorious 
 Bridegroom / —r-Into his Arms I commit you, and am, 
 '/. , / • ^ ^''ours in Hi m. 
 
 LE'T^'T'E R XXX7. roMrs.W. 
 
 My T}earStfiet<ih CJirift, ^' - 't^^ ^o> m:H oj 
 
 IWas mqch i;rout)^^d ,jto Hear/oryouf^^anid/oi/r ji(s, 
 in the De^^h.bf j^our dear Father. ' But,^ my ^eat 
 Si(ler;'be .not overmuch caft down ^ becaufe joii have 
 a Father, that' can„ never -die. Your de.ar tgrd Jefus, 
 
( ^01 ) 
 
 ever lives, and IWes for lou. And, Becaufe He Ihes, 
 7'ou jball live alfo. So long as Chrift lives, you fliall 
 never be left to go thro' the World alone, as an Or- 
 phan, Fatherlefs and Comfortlefs 5 without One, to 
 care for, comfort, guide and defend you. Creatures 
 die, and leave you-, but the Lord will never forfake 
 you. Death, breaks all natural Relations : But Chrift\ 
 Relations to you, can never be broken. And no-w your 
 Father and your Mother have forfakenyou ; the Lord^ 
 fn an eminent Manner, will take you up. You are, 
 and (hall be Christ's Care. All that is in Him, is 
 engag'd [or you. His Love, Grace, Mercy, Wifdomj 
 Power and Faithfulnefs, are all engag'd to iupport you 
 under your Diftrefles, to fupply all your Wants, to 
 lead you forth by a right Way, thro* a World of 
 Trials, and to bring you fafely and triumphantly Home 
 to Himfelf in Glory, to that eternal Reft which re- 
 mains for you. Call, therefore, your Burthen upon the 
 Lord -, and He will fuftain you. ^ Oh, run into 
 Christ's Bofom, flee into his Arms. They (land 
 wide open, to receive and embrace you. Come, my 
 dear Sifter, Put Christ for a Well, while you arcf 
 paffmg thro this Valley of Baca, this -Vale of Tears^ 
 And you will find Him to be fuch a Well of L(/r, 
 foch an overflowing, and ever-flowing Spring of all 
 Supply, that you fhall want no good Thing. There 
 is enough in Christ, to fupply, folace" and fatisfy 
 you, thro* Time, and to Eternity. ; And fucb is his 
 Grace^ that it delights Him greatly, to fee you come 
 to Him for all you want, inthi^i your^fime pi l^eed. 
 Yea, He will county Himfelf Homuf^d,^^ \{ ^now- yow 
 will make Him your All. And verily^' tie will not 
 ftnd you empty away. The §trength^of his Bowels, 
 will bind Him to fupply all your Wants,. He can no 
 more deny 21?« any Thing that He fees beft for you, 
 
 (han 
 
( I03 ) 
 
 than He can deny Himfelf, Becaufe He has made you 
 one^ infeperably and eternally one with Him^ and loves 
 you as Himfelf. 
 
 And as for your deceafed Relative, confider, Tour 
 Lofs^ is his Gain. He has now done with all the fcratch- 
 ing Thorns, and grieving Briers of the Wildernefs, 
 and is got into the Land of Reft. He is now, where 
 He would be^ even with Christ, which is far^ far 
 better. Make hade to follow him. Difpatch your 
 Bufinefs, do all you may for Christ, while it is Day. 
 And in the diligent Ufe of all the Means of Grace, See 
 that you alfo be ready. For the Lord Jefiis will come 
 quickly^ and take you alfo Home to Himfelf: And fo 
 /hall you be for Ever with the Lord. In HiPvi, with 
 dear Love, I am, 
 
 Tours for Ever, 
 
 L fe T T E R XXXVI. To 
 
 SIR, 
 
 IT gives me Joy to hear, that you have To much of 
 the Fear of God before your Eyes, that you will 
 not profane the holy Sabbath, by felling any Thing on 
 the hordes Bay, O that God may keep this Thing ever 
 in your Mind, and enable you to be ftedfaft in this 
 your good Refolution ! For, Wh at fo ever good Thing any 
 Man doth, the fame /hall he receive of the Lord, whether 
 he be bond or free. Morality, Sir, is an excellent, 
 lovely Thing. It is excellent and lovely in the Sight 
 of God, and of all good Men, and being full of M?- 
 jefty, it ftrikes a Terror upon the Confciences of wick- 
 pd Men. And there is no Part of moral Virtue extr- 
 
 cis'd, 
 
( 104 ) 
 
 cis'd by any Man, but ihall in this Life, in temporal 
 BlelTings, receive from God its full Reward* If you 
 will lofe any Thing for God, Sir, He will make up 
 that Lofs, and blefs you with double Gain, — The 
 Town, Sir, is a mod wicked Place. Ungodlinefs 
 runs down the Streets thereof like a mighty Torrent ; 
 and i-K)ne, alas ! none there is to flem the Tide of it. 
 Profane Curfing and Swearing, vile and beaftly Drunk^ 
 cnnefs. Scoffing and Scorning of thofe who run not 
 with others to the fame Excefs of Riot, with horrid 
 Profanation of the Lord's Day, abound in the wretched 
 Place. — You muft therefore expe<5b, Sir, that your 
 Temptations to Sin, will be many. But if God helps 
 you to withftand, your Honour and Happinefs will be 
 the greater. Satan will tempt you. Sinners will entice 
 you ; and you have no Strength to keep yourfelf. Flee 
 therefore, Dear Sir, to the Strong for Strength : Make 
 your Refuge under the Shadow of JehovaFs Wings : 
 Say with the Pfalmift, Hold thou me up^ and I (hall be 
 fafe! God can flrengthen you to refift a tempting De- 
 vil, to Non-compliance with enticing Si^nners, and 
 enable you to kt your Face hke a Flint, in his Service. 
 — And what an Honour will it be, if God fhould 
 have brought you to the Town, to be a Blefllng to it 1 
 A Means of its Reformation, if it is but in this one fin- 
 gle Point, as I trufl: you will be, if you ftand faft tp 
 your Refolution, Not to fell on the Lord's Day! — And 
 to this, add, a (tridl Watch, lay a Reftraint on your- 
 felf, that you admit not vain Company^ nor vain Dif- 
 courfe^ on God's holy Day -^ but fpend the Whole of 
 it in the publick and private JVorJbip of God, Give 
 yourfelf to Reading and Prayer.; Efteem the fVord of 
 God given for your Perufal, and Liberty to approach 
 his Throne, as Privileges unfpeakable ; and the Sabbath^ 
 a choice Means of your Soul's Advantage, prefentand 
 
 eternal : 
 
eternal : For fuch it is in the natural Tendency of It,' 
 Let others know by your ftri(fl Obfervance of the Sab- 
 hatb^ that you prize the Gift of it^ and your happy 
 Lot^ that you was born in England, who might have 
 been born in India, where the Light of the GofpeJ, 
 and a Day of facred RelV, fhines not.— Thus, Sir, en- 
 deavour to reform others by your Example. And you 
 fhall be bled in the prcfent Time, and the Favourite of 
 Divine Providence. And as to approaching Eternity, 
 as a good Man once faid, " If I thought I fhould be 
 " fent to Hell hereafter, I would beware of finning 
 *' againft God here: Becaufe that Sin, which Man 
 ** doth not commit, God will not punifh." 
 
 Perhaps, Sir, you will think this laft, but a very 
 inconfiderable Motive to Obedience. Neverthelefs, it 
 is great in Itfelf ; if we confider the Greatnefs of that 
 eternal Torment, which is the due Defert of every 
 Sin, and which will be the certain Confequent thereof, 
 unto all that die out of Chrift. "The Wages of Sin is 
 Death, Death eternal, as well as Death fpiritual and 
 temporal. The Ungodly by Sin, treafure up Wrathy 
 againft the Bay of Wrath, and the Revelation of the 
 righteous Judgment of God. And the more Sin they 
 commit, the greater Wrath will be juftly infli6led upon 
 them. Every Sin, is no other than Heaping up frefh 
 Fuel, to feed the quenchlefs Flame of everlafting Burn- 
 ings. Hence, Thofe who have committed lefs Sin, 
 and under lefs Aggravation, fhall find it more tolerable 
 for them in the Day of Judgment, than thofe will find 
 it whofc Sins have been increafed, and by Gofpel 
 Light aggravated. And if the leaft Drop of Wrath 
 for Sin, will be inexprefTibly terrible and abfolutely 
 eternal to a Chriftlefs Soul: O who, with prefumptuous 
 Sinners, would fin prefumptuoufly, and thus provoke 
 the heavieft Shower of Divine Vengeance and fiery In- 
 
 O dignation. 
 
( io6 ) 
 
 dignation, to h\\ on Kis guiUy Head! -^ So thTiti toal> 
 {tain from Sin, that a Sinner if he perilh, may endure 
 the lefs Wrath ; is a Piece of Wifdom, and a confide- 
 rable Motive it may be, to excite him to legal Perform- 
 ances : Tho' it be but the Negative of Happinefs, or 
 the Not-fuffering of fo much Mifery, as otherwife he 
 fliould do. 
 
 As to Eternal Life^ that is the G/// of Gody thro* 
 Jejus Cbrift our Lord\ and is only to be enjoy*d by 
 Faith /« Jesus. And in order to this, we ought to 
 hear the Lord's Voice in the glorious Gofpel, even 
 while it is call'd ^o day ; that we harden not our Hearts, 
 and provoke him to /ware in his Wrath^ That vit/hall 
 not enter into his Reft. For to the Ungodly He faith. 
 Let the Wicked forfake his Way^ and the unrighteous 
 Man his thoughts \ and let him return unto the Lord, 
 and He will have Mercy on him^ and unto our Gody for 
 He will abundantly pardon. 
 
 But then. Sir, confider, Tho' Duty is ours. Power 
 for it is God's. Attempt our Duty we fhould, and 
 great Encouragement for it we have : In that when 
 we draw nigh to God^ He hath promis'd to draw nigh 
 to us. And thofe that diligently ufe the Means of 
 Grace, may happily find the Grace of the Means dc- 
 fcend upon them. Not becaufe their Performances are 
 worthy \ but becaufe of God's free Mercy \ which in- 
 vites Sinners to approach him in his Son^ and makes it 
 their bounden Duty, For when we have done all we 
 can, in religious Performances, we mull flill fay. We 
 are unprofitable Servants \ and hot have the leaft De- 
 pendence on our own Doings, for Acceptance with 
 God. Becaufe fuch is the infinite Purity oijehovah'^ 
 'Nature, that in Point of juftifying Righteoufnefs, He 
 cannot accept of any Thing lefs than perfedl Obedience 
 to his holy Law •, which we Sinners, cannot perform. 
 
 We 
 
( 102 ) 
 
 We are therefore call'd to Relieve in Chrift for Right e" 
 oufnefs ; who hath obey'd the Law perfedly, in every 
 of its Commands, and fully endur'd its Penalty, even 
 all that Curfe and Wrath which our Sins deferved ; who 
 are or (hall be enabled to flee by Faith unto Him for 
 Refuge : For the free Forgivenefs of our Sins, thro* 
 his All-attoning Blood, and for the Juftification of our 
 Perfons, in his perfeft Righteoufnefs. — Thus Chriji the 
 Saviour^ in his a6live and pafTive Obedience, is the 
 only Way to the Father. For thro' Him alone it is, 
 that we Sinners,^ can find Mercy with God, unto Life 
 eternal. 
 
 And tho' we are call'd to believe in Jesus, by this 
 great Command, and with this great Promife, He that 
 helieveth — fldall be faved : and warned of the Danger of 
 Unbelief, by this awful Threatning, He that helieveth 
 not, /hail be damned: Yet is not this Faith of ourfelves\ 
 but the Gift of God, to the happy Souls that experience 
 it. For where God from the Beginning hath thofen 
 any Man to Salvation -, He calls him by his fpecial 
 Grace, at the appointed Time : Gives him his holy 
 Spirit to dwell in his Heart, to work this faving Faith, 
 and every Grace in his Soul. By which He gives him 
 a new, a fpiritual Nature •, new Difcernings, Defires, 
 Enjoyments, and Employments. Such Difcernings of 
 his Mifery as an undone Sinner, and of the tranfcendenc 
 Excellency of Chrift, as the only Saviour, as he never 
 had before. Such Defires after an Intereft in. Com- 
 munion with, and Conformity to, the altogether- 
 lovely Jesus, as before he was unacquainted with. 
 Such Enjoyments of Chrift, and of God in Him, as 
 before he was not bleft with. And fuch Employments 
 in holy and heavenly Service, for the Glory of God in 
 Chrift, as before were not delightful, but irkfome and 
 tedious to him. — Thus the happy Man, in whofc 
 
 O 2 Heari 
 
( io8 ) 
 
 Heart God works Faith, flees out of Self, and Self- 
 Dependence, unto Chrifl:, and his Righteoufneft, fhel- 
 ters himfelf in this great City of Refuge y where he's fafe 
 from the Wrath to come-. Enjoys the Lord as his own 
 Saviour ; And ferves him in Love^ as a Ckiid doth his 
 Father: Or, in a Word, is thus paffed from Death un- 
 to Life^ is bleft with the Begun- Enjoyment of God in 
 Grace ^ and a growing Meetnefs for the heavenly Glory. 
 — And without this new Nature, this new Birth, our 
 Lord affures us, That we cannot fee the Kingdom of 
 God, Without this Faith of the Operation of God^ 
 which works by Love to him, we cannot ple(ife God. 
 And without being found in Chrifi, as having fhelter'd 
 ourfelves under the Covert of the Redeemer's Righte- 
 oufnefs, we cannot fland with Acceptance before the 
 Frefence of the Father's Glory. — And as our Deftrudlion 
 by Sin, is wholly of ourfelves, and our Salvation by 
 Grace, is wholly of God : How earneftly (hould we 
 feek the Lord while he may be found, and call upon 
 him while he is near : That we may be of that happy 
 Number, who are faved by Grace, unto eternal Glory I 
 Moft heartily I wilh you this ineffable Blifs : and atp, 
 Sir, 
 
 Tour Jlnc ere Friend and humble Servant ^ 
 
 LETTER XXXVIL To Mr. T. 
 
 My Dear Brother in Chrijt, 
 
 1 Thank you for your kind Letter. Bleffed be eur 
 Dear Lord, that you can fay, " You have felt 
 ♦' that the Holy Ghoft has taken of ChrilVs Things, 
 " and fhewn them unto you." A precious Fruit is 
 
 ThiSy 
 
( 109 ) 
 
 71&/V, oF the rich, free, diftinguiihing Love of God. 
 An Evidence, that Chrifl^ and all his Fulnefs is yours. 
 And He that lias begun to manifeft Hin^felf unto j/jy, 
 as He doth not unto the JVorld^ will go on to ihew 
 you more and more of his Glory ^ till that which isjp^r- 
 fe^ihzW come, and you (hall fee Him Face to Face^ and 
 know as you are known. 
 
 The great Myftery of Religion^ indeed lies in know- 
 ing all the Parts^ which Father^ Son^ and Spirit^ have 
 adled, and do a6t, in our Salvation. In fuch a Know- 
 ledge thereof^ as gives the Soul Fellowjhip with the My- 
 ftery, Communion with the Things known. Oh ! it is 
 fweet, and the peculiar Privilege of the Lord's People^ 
 to have fuch a Knowledge of the Love of God the Fa- 
 ther^ of the Love of his Heart, and of all its glorious 
 Fruits, that works up the Soul into filial Difpofitions, 
 and a Childlike Carriage towards Him. To have fucK 
 a Knowledge of the Redeemer^ Grace, and of all the 
 glorious Fruits of his infinite Love, that binds the Soul 
 to the Redeemer, and conjirains it to walk as the Re^ 
 deemed of the Lord. And to have fuch a Knowledge 
 of the Love of the Eternal Spirit^ as an Indweller, 
 Sandlifier and Comforter, and of all the glorious Fruits 
 of it, in his inward, fandtifying, and comforting Ope- 
 rations, that endears the Soul to the Comforter, and 
 makes it obedient to all his Dictates, fearful of Sin, 
 that it may'ni grieve Him, and careful about Duty, 
 that it may pleafe Him. To have fuch a Knowledge of 
 the A(5ts and Works of Father, Son and Spirit, as 
 each hath a particular, and all have a joint Hand, in 
 our Salvation, that brings the Soul into Fellowjhip with 
 the Three-One God, changeth it into his Image, and 
 engageth it to dedicate itfelf to Him : This, my 
 dear Brother, is true and real Religion. A Myftery in 
 the Chriftian Religion, which is bid from all that are 
 
 Chrijflefs : 
 
( "o ) 
 
 Chrililefs : Whether fuch that are bh'nd HeathenSy or 
 fuel) liiat are only nominal Chrifttans, And known it 
 is to none but Heaven-horn Souls ^ who are defign'd for, 
 and growing up into, the Glory of the Heavenly 
 State, 
 
 By this we may know whether we are real Chriftians, 
 and how much of true Chriftianity we have in our 
 Souls. — To make a Chriftian^ that is fo indeed^ it is 
 neceflary that the Gofpel of Grace reach our Ears; 
 that the Knowleds^e of Chrift and of God in Him, be 
 given Bo^lfinally to our Minds ; that this be experien* 
 ced Influentially upon our Hearts, and appear Pra5fi^ 
 cally in our Lives. — As to Degrees^ there is a vaft deal 
 of Difference, between the Do6lrinal Knowledge of 
 the Things of Chrift, which one Chriftian hath, and 
 that which another hath 5 between the Heart-Influence 
 thereof, which one Chriftian feels, and that which ano- 
 ther experience th ; and between the pradical EfFeds of 
 known, influential Truths, which appear in the Life 
 of one Chrifl:ian, and in another* s. According to that 
 Parable of our Lord concerning the good Ground, 
 ^hofe who received Seed, the Word of the Gofpel, into 
 good and honeft Hearts : In all, it was produflive of 
 Fruit : But Some brought forth Thirty, fome Sixty, and 
 Jome an Hundred-fold, According to the different 
 Mtafures of Grace and Gifts befl:ow'd on them, and 
 to their different Ages, as Babes, young Men, and 
 Fathers in Chrift. — And as it is a vain Thing for a «<?- 
 tninal Ghriftian, to think He is a Chriftian indeed^ 
 from a Knowledge of Gofpel-Truths in his Head, 
 without a gracious Experience of the Power thereof 
 upon his Heart, and a fuitable Effedl in his Life: 
 ^Since to ali that are real Chriftians, the Word of the 
 Gofpel comes not in Word only, but in Tower, and 
 brings forth Fruit in Holinefs, unto Life Eternal) So 
 
 likewife 
 
(ni) 
 
 likewife is it a great Fault in a real Chrlftlan, that coiri^ 
 paratively hath but a weak Knowledge of the Dodnnes 
 of Faith, but little inward Experience, and outward 
 Obedience; to think He is not a Chriflian indeed, be- 
 caufe he hath not attained to thofe Meajures cf Faith, 
 Love and Holinefs, which he hears others fpeak of, 
 and fees to be in them. For there is not a Soul in the 
 World, that hath had the leaft Beam of the Knowledge 
 of God in Chrifl, fhined into his Mind thro' the ^ord 
 and Spirit of JefuSy which has had any Influence on the 
 Hearty to attract the Soul after Chrifi^ and engage it 
 to cleave to Him, inwardly^ in the Moments ot Dif- 
 covery, and outwardly^ in feme Proportion therewith ; 
 but is a true Chriftian^ and really partakes of the Spirit 
 of Chrift : Altho' he may be far, far behind many of 
 his Brethren. — And fo much of the Knowledge of the 
 Things of God, which a Chriftian hath, fo much of 
 the inward Influence thereof as he feels, and fo much of 
 outward Obedience that is excited thereby ; even juft 
 fo much of true Chrift ianity is in Him. 
 
 How neceflary then is it, my dear Brother, that we, 
 ChriflianSy Ihould labour after an Increafe in true Chri^ 
 ftianity ? To grow in Grace^ and in the Knowledge of 
 Chrift daily, to increafe in Conformity to God's Firft- 
 born, and in an obediential Walk before God our Fa- 
 ther, as his dear Children, to abound more and more 
 unto ail Pleafing ? Religion in Truthy is a Soul- en light- 
 ning, a Heart-renewing, and a Life- reforming Thing. 
 Oh what excellent Chriftians are fh^y^ of what an ex- 
 cellent Spirit y that canrlot refi in prefent Meafures of 
 Knowledge, of Influence, and Pradlice! Nor yet in 
 advancing L;^/>/, without increafing ft^^Z, anda^r^iy- 
 ing Purity ! Oh how much would it be for our Lord's 
 Honour, and for our Advantage, how much would ic 
 tend to the Increafe of our Holinefs here, and of our 
 Crown of Glory hereafter, if we gave all Diligence, to 
 
 have 
 
(112) 
 
 have our Hearts duly affe^ed with every known Truths 
 and with every Degree of our Knowledge thereof; 
 and to have our Lives continually regulated thereby I 
 Oh how Happy (hould we be, if we minded This^ 
 our every Day^s Work / And fo, forgetting the Things 
 that are behind^ pre/i forward towards the Mark for 
 the Prize of the high Calling of God in Chrift Jefus : 
 Even a perfedt Knowledge of Him, Communion 
 with Him, and Holinefs to Him, * ■ ^he Grace of 
 
 Chrifi be with your Spirit. Pray for me^ who am, 
 
 dear Sir, 
 
 Tours in the Lord for ever. 
 
 LETTER XXXVIII. to Mr. B. 
 
 Dear Sir^ 
 
 HO W it is with you as to your prefent Frame, I 
 know not. But mod furely, tho* in a World 
 oi Sorrows, you have Caufe to rejoice in the hoRD 
 alway. In Him who is, and has all Things in Him- 
 felf^ and for you ; to make you truly happy here, and 
 perfedly glorious hereafter. Creatures and Things 
 may fail us, a Thoufand Difappointments in thefe at- 
 tend us, and our own Heart and Fiefh, in Times of 
 Trial, and at the Time of Death, may, and will fail 
 us. But the Lord the evcrlafting God, will never 
 fail us, nor forfake us. And in Him we have All, 
 tho' we were ftript of every 'Thing, As having No- 
 thing, in Creatures, thofe Bits of Dependance, thofe 
 Pieces of Self-Infufficiency ; in our Self-exiflent, and 
 All-fufficient Jehovah, we may pofTefs all 'Things. 
 When Wants are all around us, we may folace our- 
 felves in infinite Fulnefs, lie dov\^n and reft in the Bo- 
 
 fom 
 
( "3 ) 
 
 fom of God in Christ ; in thofe fat, green PaJlureSy 
 by thofe deep, ftill Waters^ which in our Jesus, have 
 an ever-fpringing, an ever-flowing';; Glory, and will 
 yield us a full Supply, and prefent, and everlaft- 
 ing Delight. O how hlejfed is the Man that truft^ 
 etb in the Lord, and whofe Hope the Lord is I He 
 Jhall he as a Tree planted by the Waters^ and that 
 fpreadeth out her Roots by the River ^ and Jhall not 
 fee lOheh Heat cometh, but her Leaf JJoall be green^ 
 andfJjdll not be careful in the Tear of Droughty neither 
 Jhall ceafe from yielding Fruit, — Lord^ increafe our 
 Faith! What do we want, my Brother, but more 
 Faith, to live continually, to live joyfully, upon, and 
 to, our own God in Christ ? And Faith is his Gift, 
 Let us afk the Spirit of Faith, the Holy Spirit, for 
 freely of his immenfe Goodnefs, our heavenly Father 
 will give Him to us, as his dear Children, Thus we 
 fhall be enabled to walk with God, in the Obedience 
 of Faith and Love ; and to us that fear Him^ there 
 fhall be no Want, 
 
 What think you of your Portion, Brother, of the 
 Lord your Portion 1 Is it not a goodly Heritage? 
 Are not the Lines fallen unto you in pleafant Places ? 
 Since all the Perfe6lions of Jehovah's Being, are 
 made over unto you in Chriji, for your Salvation and 
 Blifs, prefent and eternal, by Grace immeafurable, in 
 Wifdom unfearchable! — O fay not in Unbelief, as 
 God's People of old, Wherein hajl Thou loved us ? 
 Wherein haft Thou loved me? But mark the Anfwer 
 the Lord gave, and gives, to them, and. you, Was 
 not Efau Jacob's Brother, faith the Lord : 2'^et I loved 
 Jacob, and I hated Efau. O this diftinguifhing Love ! 
 Which was from Everlajling in Commencement, 
 which chofe and bled you in Chrifl before the Foun- 
 dation of the W^orld j which is tv Everlajling in Du- 
 
 P ration ; 
 
( U4 ) 
 
 ration ; and which, by Calling Grace, and the Fruits 
 of it, brightly glanceth upon you in the Limits of 
 TimCy as it paflTeth by in its eternal Round! O my 
 Brother, God hath not fo loved all Men. No, Ja- 
 cob was loved ^ when Efau was hated. Will yog not 
 fay, How is it Lord^ that Thou wilt ?nanifejt Thyfelf 
 unto me, and not unto the World I God might have 
 made you one of the Rich^ the Great, the Ho- 
 nourable of the Earth, yea, one of iht Monarchs^ the 
 Potentates of this World, and have fent you away 
 from Himfelf forever. And had He dealt thus with 
 you, the Riches of his common Goc^dnefs, in your 
 Time-State, had been brightly difplay'd. But oh, 
 behold, Thefe Things he thought not good enough 
 for you ; Thefe were not great enough to anfwer his 
 Heart's Love to you-. The Inheritance, Himself in 
 CxHRisT, He hath refer veid for j(?«, as a Child of 
 Promife, .''''' 
 
 And hath God thus lov'd and bleft you, with his 
 whole Hearty and with his whole Soul : O love and 
 blefs the Lord, give Him your Heart, your Life, your 
 All : And follow on to know Him, until you are 
 lov'd by Him, into a perfect Conformity to Him, and 
 the full and eternal Enjoyment of Him, in Life and 
 Glory, ineffable and unknown ! — Live joyfully. Bro- 
 ther, 2LS an Heir of God, and labour to walk worthy 
 of Him, unto all P leafing.— -The Grace of our Lord 
 Jefus Chrijl be with your Spirit! In Him with much 
 AfFedion, and hearty Thanks for all Favours, I am. 
 Dear Sir, 
 
 Tour obliged Friend and Servant^ 
 
 LETTER 
 
LETTER XXXIX. To Mn. K. 
 
 Y 
 
 My Bear Sifter in Chrifi^ 
 
 OURS I receiv'd, and return you Thanks. I 
 
 rejoyce that the Lord is carrying on his good 
 Work in your dear Soul. . And fince Jefus fays to 
 you, Be not faithlefs, hut believing: Will you not 
 obey his Voice? Juft when you hear it^ and according 
 to that Degree of Power with which it is attended 
 on your Hearty I know you will. But, what, Truft 
 your Lordy no further than you can fee him ! Credit 
 his IFord, no longer than juft while you hear him 
 Jpeak ! O the Bafenefs of Unbelief ! O the Pi^w^r of 
 this great Sin^ this eafily-befetting Sin, in the Hearts 
 cf Believers ! And yet our All-gracious Lord, pardons 
 and pities us, under the Workings and Prevalence of 
 this great Evil •, and giveth more Grace, frefh In- 
 creafes of Faith, when we are borne down by the 
 Power of Unbelief. O his infinite Patience, and 
 Long-fuffering towards us ! Who is a God like unto 
 Him, that pardoneth Iniquity^ that pajfeth by the T'ranf- 
 greffton of the Remnant of his Heritage, hecaufe He de- 
 lighteth in Mercy I Doth Jefus hint to your Spirit, 
 my dear Sifter, " The Bleffednefs of believing with- 
 " out Sight :" And will you not believe^ except you 
 fee as others have done ? ' Have you feen Jesus, the 
 ' All fufficient Saviour, held out by the Gofpel to 
 ' your Faith, as a periftiing Sinner •, ventured to caft 
 ' your Soul into the Arms of his Mercy \ and heard 
 
 * the pleafant Whifpers of his infinite Favour thro' 
 ' the free Promife ; unto fome fweet Perfuafion of 
 
 * Intereft, and Soul-ftay upon Divine Faithfulnefs ?* 
 'Tis enough, my Sifter, if you had no more, for you 
 
 P 2 to 
 
. ( ii6 ) 
 
 to believe your Intereft in Chrift upon, from hence- 
 forth, for Time's Ever ; until you (liall live by Sight, 
 in the Glory of endlefs Vifion. I fay, fuch an Ex- 
 perience is enough^ for ChrilVs Honour and your 
 Sours Joy, for you to believe your Intereft upon : 
 Not that hereby I would deter you from feeking moft 
 earneftly for further and hvxghiQV Difplays of the in- 
 finite Love of your own Lord Jefus, No ; Open youir 
 Mouth wide, after growing Communion with Chrift 
 in Love ; for He will fill it. It is a little Heaven to 
 long for Chrift, fa great Heaven, or rather, a Fore- 
 tafte of great Heaven) to enjoy Him, in our low and 
 little State on this Earth, until the fuperior Glory of 
 the Heavenly State comes on. But in all your Breath- 
 ings after Communion with Chrift, my Sifter, feek 
 for more glorious Shines of his manifeftative Favour^ 
 as beheving your Intereft in the eternal Love of his 
 Heart, This I fay, as pointing out your Duty ♦, but 
 if you can't come at it, vent your Defires after Chrift 
 as you can. If you can't come to him as a Believer^ 
 come as a Sinner^ and fay, ' Lord Jefus, thou great 
 
 * Saviour, let not a Sinner perifti for want of thy Sal- 
 
 * vation, that longs for an eternal Intereft in it ; fa- 
 
 * mifh and die for Thirft, that pants after Commu- 
 
 * nion with Thee in Love !' And you fhall find to 
 your unfpeakable Joy, that the Saviour is full of 
 Bowels^ that He will not, cannot hide Himfelf long^- 
 from a Love-fick Soul^ that follows hard after him. 
 
 And mean Time, my dear Sifter, O that the Lord 
 by me, would perfuade you, that if you are not 
 dandled on the Knee, and borne on the Side, kifs'd 
 and embrap'd as others \ yet, that you are put among 
 the Childrin^ and for ever interefted in God your Fa- 
 therms Love! Aye, in the y^;;?^ Love, in which your 
 Brethren ftand. The Love of God's Heart towards 
 
 us 
 
( U7 ) 
 
 US in Chrift, unto one and all, is the very fame. An 
 
 infinite Variety there is in the Bifpldys of God's Love, 
 
 caft upon various Souls •, but an infinite Samenefs in 
 
 the Love of his H^art^ in his Love as confider'd in 
 
 itfelf^ towards all the innumerable Multitude of the 
 
 Jhved Ones. Our Lord may fay to you, my Sifter, 
 
 Ajnder Difcouragement, while feme of your Brethren 
 
 as to manifeftative Love are more highly favour'd, 
 
 as the Father to the elder Brother., in aSort difpleafed, 
 
 when, the Prodigal was feafted •, Son (Child) thou art 
 
 ever with me., and all that I have is thine. And 
 
 han't He fpoken thus to your Soul : ' Come., my 
 
 ' Child, be not caft down, that thy Brethren are 
 
 ' feafted ; all my Grace is thine, all Things for Thee 
 
 ' are ready : Come, fit down to Meat, and feaft on 
 
 * all my Dainties prepar'd for thee, as thy own ?' And 
 
 further, my dear Sifter, by this Word apply'd to your 
 
 Heart, our Lord might hint, that tho' you had not 
 
 been lo richly feajied as others, yet all Things for you 
 
 were ready, prepar'd for your more abundant Delight 
 
 here, and for your everlafting Feaft hereafter. And 
 
 will you not then come by Faith, and feaft upon the 
 
 delicious Sweets of the Paffover-Lamh., facrificed for 
 
 you., and drink of the iVine of his Love., which flows 
 
 in his Blood, for your Life -, when our Lord Himfelf 
 
 invites you to Table, to ^fit and feaft with him here^ 
 
 as an Earneft of that richer Feaft which awaits you at 
 
 the Marriage- Supper of the Lamb, which you fliall 
 
 enjoy with Him hereafter? The Lord perfwade your 
 
 Heart of his Love, and draw you by his own Hand ! 
 
 and then you will come freely. 
 
 Go on boldly, my dear Sifter, in the Lord's Name 
 and Strength, to venture your Soul in the dnrke/l Sea^ 
 fins, upon Chrifi., tht foundation laid \nSicn\ and 
 fear noit finking into Perdition^ fo long as the Reck of 
 
 Ages 
 
C ns ) 
 
 Jges endures for your Salvation, And be aflured, 
 that it is no Prefumptioriy for a perifhing Sinner^ to 
 reft his Soul on the mighty Saviour^ and to look for 
 that eternal Life thro' Him, which a God that can- 
 not lie hath promifed : But that true Faitb in the Re- 
 deemer, which by the Redeemer's Gofpel is required. 
 It is Satan and Unbelief, my Sifter, which fuggeft to 
 your Mind, That your Faith is Prefumption : To rob 
 God of the Glory ^ and you of the Joy of its repeated 
 A^s. And whenever fuch a Thought darts into 
 your Mind, inftead of being difcourag'd by the Ene- 
 my's Voice, let it excite your gracious Refolution the 
 more to fay, / will go in unto the King : and if I pe- 
 rifhy I perifh. So will your Lord be glorify 'd, your 
 Joy full, and the Enemy baffled. 
 
 As to that Text, T^he Harveft is paft^ the Summer 
 is ended, and we are not faved: It need ftrike no 
 Terror upon jK<?/.', v;ho thro' the Grace of the Gofpel, 
 are faved unto Faith in Jefus. It only rerpe6ts Thofe, 
 who while they hear of the Saviour, and live under 
 the Light of the Gofpel, negle5f that great Salvation 
 which is proclaim'd thereby, prefer iTnj/^^j, and lofe 
 their Souls : Or, that Ihall at laft be found among 
 Thofe who are not faved, after all the Opportunities 
 of ikving Grace are over. But there is not one Soul, 
 that is gather'd unto Chriji by Faith, here in Grace^ 
 but /hall hereafter be gather'd unto Him in Glory; 
 and found among that happy Number who were faved 
 of the Lord, while the Summer of the Goipel lajied-y 
 and fhall enjoy to a hh^ Eternity, all that great Sal- 
 vation, for which they were happily prepar'd in Time, 
 That your Faith and Hope in Chrift may be llrength- 
 ned, and your Joy and Peace thro* Him be more 
 abundant •, to a rich Increafe of Holinefs in Heart 
 
 and 
 
( U9 ) 
 
 and Life-: is the fipcere Defire of, my dear Sifter, 
 tour tender Friend^ and Servant in tbeLo^o^ 
 
 ^C\ >j^ 
 
 
 LETTER XL. To Mrs. A/ and M.W. 
 
 My dear CouJInSy 
 
 SEEK Jesus, in your early Bays ! Exceeding 
 great and precious, is that Declaration and Pro- 
 mi fe of his Grace, / love them that love Me^ and thofe 
 that feek Me early ^ Jhall find Me^ Pro v. 8. 17. Ob, 
 Ci?r?/?'jL^i;^, his Heart- Love, his manifeftative Love, 
 is better than Life! And wondrous is that Rrfcrve of 
 Favour, He hath in Store for them t;hat feek Hini 
 betimes. Thofe that are drawn by Chrift, to give 
 Him their Hearts^ their firft Love^ their choiceft Lovei 
 in boundlefs Grace, fha II be loved of Him^ and of his 
 Father^ with peculiar Difplays of infinite and everlaft- 
 ing Kindnefs, Oh my dear Children, feek Jesus. 
 Seek Him, and you fhall find Him. Find Him, and 
 in Him you will find Life^ of the higiieft Perf-dion, 
 of the largeft Extenfion, and of endlels Duration.— 
 We have all finned in our firft Father Adam, were 
 born Sinners, and have gone aftray from the Womb. 
 Sin has entred^ and Death by Sin : Sin hath abounded^ 
 Sin reigns unto Death. Unto Death in the Sentence, 
 unto Death in the Execution. Unto Death fpintual, 
 unto temporal Death as a Curfe, and unto Death 
 eternal, or that curfcd State of an endlefs Banifhment 
 from the blifsful Prefence of God, to fuffer the Ven- 
 geance of eternal Fire^ with the Devil and his Angels, 
 And all muft die^ muft thus die, but thofe that find 
 the Saviour, who is the Sinner's Life, And none 
 
 find 
 
( 126 ) 
 
 find Him, but thofe that feek Him now. Now^ miv', 
 while Gofpel-Grace is proclaimed, with a Whofoever 
 will, l^i ^^^ ^^^^ ^^^^ Water of Life freely. Oh take 
 Chrift, as a free Gift, every one for yourfelves. The 
 Saviour holds forth Himfelf to the Hand of your 
 Faith. Stretch it out, receive, embrace Hirr| ; and 
 He is yours for ever. — Are you willing to be marri- 
 ed to the Son of God ? Are you fick of Love^ for this 
 altogether Lovely Lord? Is He unto you, in your 
 Efteem, The Chiefeft among ten Thoufand? Then will 
 the Lord yom Maker, your Redeemer, be your Huf 
 hand. Oh give upyourfelves to Him, to be entirely 
 His ', and you fliall be of that happy Number, who 
 are th^ Bride, the Lame* sfFife.--^ — -Fear not the 
 Lamb's Love -, He loves a Sinner well, that comes to 
 Him, to be faved by Him,' to be married to Him in 
 an everlafting Covenant. And whoever, or whatever 
 thQ Sinner be, that thus approaches the Saviour's 
 Prefence, He will in 7io wife cafl him out. Not a Soul 
 fhall t//>, that is willing to accept of Chrijl, upon the 
 Bottom of Free Grace. Chrift was/r/? willing to em- 
 brace that Soul \ or the Soul had not been made will- 
 ing to embrace Chrift. And He that has loved fuch 
 a One into a Sight of his own Beauty, and a Dejire 
 after Union and Communion with Him; will ftrengthen 
 the Soul in Faith, and draw it out in Love, to give 
 up itfelf to the Lord's. While He, in Grace un- 
 known, in Love that paiTeth Knowledge, receives the 
 Soul into his own Embraces, to make it happy in 
 Him, yea, to be his Love, his Dove, his Delight 
 for ever •, and makes over Himfelf to the Soul, to be 
 entirely its own, in an inviolable Marriage Covenant, 
 that Ihall never, never be broken. — But oh the Hap- 
 pinefs of that Soul, who is thus the Lord's, who 
 hath thus the Lord for his Portion! Neither Men, 
 
 nor 
 
M2I ) 
 
 nor Angels can fet it forth. It is far better expe- 
 rienc'd, than exurefs'd, enjoy'd, than delineated. 
 And in the mod (weet Enjoyment of new Delights, 
 fhall the faved Ones increafingly know^ how great, 
 how ineffably great, their eternal Happinefs in God the 
 Saviour is ! 
 
 And unto you then, my dear Coufin Elizabeth^ 
 unto you in an efpecial Manner, who have lofl your 
 earthly Hufband, let me fay, Comey^^ what aHufband 
 Jefus Chrift is ! He ever lives ^ He ever loves ^ the 
 Souls efpoufed unto Him. Oh little, little do you 
 think, what a glorious Hujl>and the Saviour is, to 
 miferable Sinners I What Beauties and Glories, what 
 Grace and Love, what Wifdom and Power, what 
 Riches and Honours, of an endlefs Duration, are in 
 and with Him! Are in and with Him for his Bride, 
 to make Her truly happy in this World, and perfe6lly 
 glorious. World without End ! O come, T'ajle and fee 
 how Good the Lo rd is ! 
 
 And may you all, my dear Coufins, moft happily 
 prove, how far the Lord our Maker, this heavenly 
 Hufoand, this heavenly Lover, in his infinite Excel- 
 lency, exceeds the befl of earthly Hufbands, of earth- 
 ly Lovers ; to your prefent Joy, and endlefs Ghry I 
 So prays 
 
 Tours Affectionately, 
 
 LETTER XLL "To Mr. N. 
 
 Dear Sir, 
 
 IT is well for you, that Chrijl if precious, defi table 
 above all 7'hings, \.o your Soul. Not the leaft Ray 
 of the infinite Beauty and Glory of Chrift, as the only 
 
 Q^ Savi- 
 
( 122 ^ 
 
 Saviour^ hath llilned into the Heart of an Unhelievef* 
 No ; the Soul that fees the Glory of the Lord, the 
 Mediator, and the Excellency of our God, the Savi- 
 our j So as to approve of Him, as God's Way of 
 Salvation, and to cleave unto Him as fuch 5 hath 
 true, precious Faith, ^he Faith of the Operation of 
 God. Is paffed from Death to Life^ and /hall not come 
 into Condemnation. The leaft Look of Faith to Chrifl-, 
 is Saving. Look unto Me, all ye Ends of the Earth : 
 — is the Command. And, Be ye faved : — is the 
 faithful Promife, the Royal Grant, that proceeding 
 from the Heart of the Prince of Grace, is gone out 
 of his Mouth, is a God that cannot lie, nor repent. — 
 What think yoti of it, my dear Friend } Do you look 
 to Chrift for Life ? And (hall you indeed be faved by 
 him ? Do you experience the one, and believe the 
 other ? Or are you at a Lofs about both ? If you are 
 at a Lofs ; what is the Caufe of it ? Do you doubt the 
 Truth of your Faith, or the Truth of Chrifi's Pro- 
 mife ? I eafily think it is the former, if you doubt the 
 latter as to yourfelf, as to your own Intereft in, and 
 Salvation by the Promife. But confider. If as con- 
 vinc'd of your Sin-ruin'd and loft State by Nature, 
 and your Utter Inability to help or fave yourfelf., by 
 any Thing thn you can do ; You look to Chrift as the 
 only and All {[}ffickr)t Saviour, for all Salvation, from 
 Sin and Mifery, unto Holinefs and Glory : This is 
 the Faith of God's Ele£l, Of fuch, and of none but 
 fuch, that were from the Beginning chofen in Chrift 
 unto Salvation ; and that are prepar'd by the Work 
 of the Holy Ghoft upon them in Time, for that 
 Glory which was prepar'd for them before Time be- 
 gan. This is that Faith in Jefus, that Looking unto 
 Him •, unto v/hich the Promije of Life and Salvation in 
 and by him, is infeperably annexed. Believe it then, my 
 
 dear 
 
( 1^3 ) 
 
 dear Friend, that unto you, as a Looker unto Chrifi for 
 Life, this Promife, this Grant of Salvation, ^^ ye 
 faved: is made. It is your Promife, the Grant made 
 to you, by the Prince of Life and Love, even to you 
 in particular, as much as if your very Name was af- 
 fix'd to it. And lo, One and All the Promi/es of God, 
 ^Yc yours in Chrift, are now and. always. Tea and Amen 
 in Chrift unto you : To the Glory of God by you, in 
 the prefent and future World ! — Go on therefore, as 
 a Believer in Jefus, by repeated, and flronger A6ls of 
 Faith, to Believe on the Name of the Son of God conti- 
 nually. And live joyfully as an Heir of Promife, For 
 lo, God's Promife of Life in Chrift, made to you, is 
 a free Promife ! That fought none of your Worth!- 
 nefs, for its Foundation ; nor will fail towards you, 
 becaufe of your Un worth inefs ! It is a full Promife : 
 That hath all Supplies in it, for your every Want ! 
 It is a mighty Promife : That is well able to bear the 
 Weight of the Whole of your Salvation, from Depths 
 ofMifery, unto Heights of Glory! And lo. It is an 
 irreverjible, unchangeable, eternal Promife ! It is not 
 only that which cannot be reverfed, which cannot be 
 alter'd, which cannot end, as being made by a God 
 of infinite Faithfulnefs, whofe Honour obligeth him 
 to be as good as his Word : But it is alfo, that which 
 God will not reverfe, alter, or put an End to, as be* 
 ing made by a God of infinite Love, who is of one 
 eternal Mind, to be thus gracious unto you! He lov'd 
 you of old. He loves you ftill, He will love you For- 
 ever! His Love towards you is free, great, unchange- 
 able and eternal ! The Promife is the Expreffion of 
 God's Heart, And for the eternal Glory of his Grace^ 
 and for his Heart's Delight^ in your eternal Salvation, 
 as an Objedl of his eternal Love, He will fulfil with 
 his Hand, what his Mouth hath fpkenl — Fall down 
 
 Q 2 there- 
 
( 124 ) 
 
 therefore, my dear Brother, before the Majefty of the 
 God of Grace, of the God ofPromife! And believ- 
 ing in him, pour out your little Soul in Love^ to that 
 great Him, who firft hved you! And fliew your 
 Love, in having Rejpe5f unto all his Commandments.--^ 
 So fhall the Name of Chrift be glorify'd in you^ and 
 your Joy and Peace in Him be abundant here ; and 
 your Glory with Him great hereafter. — Gr^^^ be with 
 you ! I am, Dear Sir, 
 
 Tour /iffe5!ionate Friend and Servant., 
 
 In our moft Precious Jesus, 
 
 LETTER XLIL To Mr. W. 
 
 My dear Brother^ 
 
 YO U R S I receiv'd, and rejoyce to hear of your 
 Soul's Profperity. I fhould have wrote before, 
 but thro' much Weaknefs of Body have been hindred. 
 Oh my dear Brother, work while it is Day : The 
 ISIight of AfBidlion and Death cometh^ wherein you 
 can do no more to glorify Him that hath loved you, 
 on this Earth. I blefs the Lord, for enabling me, fo 
 weak, fo vile a Worm, to do any Thing for Chrift, 
 while fome Meafure of Health and Strength was given 
 rne. I long now, to glorify my Lord, in the Weak- 
 nefs and Afflidion I have long labour'd under: By 
 ftihnitting to his holy Willy by kiffmg the Rod., and by 
 loving and blejjing Him for every Stroke. I believe all 
 my Lord's Dealings with Me, are in infinite Love, 
 and lb all be over-rul'd for his Glory, and my Ad- 
 vantage, prefent and eternal. Oh how great is our 
 Privilege, that the Lord our 6'i'^/>i?^r^, our L^i;^, our 
 /.//>, is and will be zvith us^ when we pais thro' the 
 
( 125) 
 
 Valley of the Shadow of T>eath ! The hitter Waters of 
 AfHittion and Death, are miditfweet, fo that we can 
 comfortably drink of them, when our Jesus, that 
 Tree of Life ^ thatMafs of Sweetnefs^ is cad into them. 
 Since Christ is ours^ all Things are ours: Whether 
 Life^ or Deaths Things prefenty or Things io come, 
 "We have All^ all Things as fo many BleJJings, in 
 Him who bore the Curfe^ in Him who is our All, 
 Our vaft and endlefs Store of all Bleffings, Joys and 
 Glories, for Time and Eternity. What can that Soul 
 want, that hath Christ the Lord for his Portion? 
 Oh, No good Thing! Richly replenilh'd is He, v/itfi 
 the Bleffings of Life, of Life for Evermore, in the 
 Lord his Life-, beyond the Conception of a Mortal's 
 Thought, or the Expreffion of an Angel's Tongue [ 
 The wondring Angtls, may fay of fuch a Man, O 
 Man greatly beloved ! But can never caft up, or tell 
 out, the Riches of that Love, v/herewith fuch a Man 
 is bleft ! No, the Riches of Jehovah's Z^i;^, of 
 Himself in Love, made ours in Christ, are un> 
 fearchahle ! 
 
 How happy then is an Heir of God \ a Joint- Heit 
 with Christ ! And how joyful may he be, fhould he 
 be, in his State by Grace, in every Change of Provi^ 
 dence ; all of which prepare him for the approaching 
 State of his unchangeable and eternal Glory ! — I re- 
 joyce to think,' we Ihall fliortly meet in Heaven. To 
 enjoy an everlafting Fellowfhip with each other, with 
 all the Saints and Angels ; and to be bleft with the 
 glorious and immediare Vifion, of God and the 
 Lamb : Where there is Fulnefs of Joy^ and Rivers of 
 Pleafures for Evermore ! -^ Great Grace he with you! 
 Tours for Ever, moft /lffc5lionately. 
 
 In our fweet Lord Jesus, 
 
 — >»— Ill m I II — »^»^ 
 
 LET- 
 
( 126 ) 
 LETTER XLIII. "To Mr. L. 
 
 My dear, dear Brother, 
 
 WHAT, fend a Letter, and Nothing in it ! It 
 grieves me to ferve you To ; but I han't Time 
 now to write. Jesus your Lord, will not fend you 
 hlank Papers, . The Letters of his Love to your Soul, 
 in the Promifes and Declarations of Grace, apply'd 
 to your Hearty have been, and fhall be, all full 
 znd glorious. Oh how much doth Cn^isr fpeak to 
 us in a Little I Oh how Sweet, how exceeding Sweet is 
 his Mouth ! His Lip are like Lilies, dropping fweet' 
 [melling Myrrhe ! 
 
 ** His Mouth is moft exceeding fweet, 
 
 ** All Sweetnefs, like an Hive. 
 " One Word of His, like Honey is : 
 " Oh how it doth revive!" 
 
 Go your Way, walk on in the High Road to Hea- 
 ven, Thro^ much Trjbulation, rejoycing in Hope of the 
 Glory of God \ ]esvs loves you. Thu's enough. Your 
 Life is in his Love, prefent and eternal ! Unto the 
 tender Care, of your own dear, loving Lord, I com- 
 mit you. And with a Heart that loves you much in 
 Him, I remain, dear Sir, 
 
 Tours in the fweetefi Bonds, 
 
 LET. 
 
( 127 ) 
 
 LETTER XLIV. ^o Mr. M. 
 
 Dear Sir, 
 
 I Hope that your Soul profpers, altho', like the 
 Palm-Tree, it fhould be under prejjing TVeights. 
 We muft have Frejfures, of one Kind or other, to 
 exercife our F^ilb in Cbrift, and Love to Him. To 
 fhew us our own Infufficiency, and the All-fufficiency of 
 Chrift : While his Strength^ in fupporting us under 
 them, is made perfedl in our Weaknefs, Which Way 
 foever the Lord leads us, it is ftill right, a right Way^ 
 to the City of Habitation. Whatever He doth with 
 us, He is always doing us Good. He is always lov- 
 ing us, in all his Difpenfations towards us. Tho' He 
 don't always fmile -, yet He always loves. He loves 
 in Frowns, as well as in Smiles. His Kindnefs flows 
 in Rebukes^ as well as in Embraces. Our God, is al- 
 ways (hewing forth, The exceeding Riches of his Grace^ 
 in Kindnefs towards us thro" Chrift Jefus, in all the 
 Difpenfations of his Providence. Altho' his Kindnefs 
 therein, is not always vifible to our Sight. But what 
 we know not now \ we (hall know hereafter. — And 
 mean Time, we are called to believe, when' we can't 
 fee: To adore, what we can't comprehend, of the 
 deep, the glorious, the unfearchable^^jj (?//i>^ Lord, 
 in his Mercy and Truth towards us. And good it is 
 for us, both to hope^ and quietly wait for the Salvation 
 of God. For if He fliould cover us with thick Dark- 
 nefs ; He will again bring us forth to the Light, and we 
 Jhall behold his Righteotifnefs, — Wifhing all Grace 
 may abound towards you, and the dear Saints with you.* 
 I am, dear Sir, 
 
 l^our obliged afe5lionate Friend and 
 Servant, in our precious Lord, 
 
 LET- 
 
( 1^8 ) 
 
 LETTER XLV. To Mrs. C. 
 
 My dear Sifter^ 
 
 IDefire to leave all Things in the Hands of my infi- 
 nitely Wife, and Gracious God. He cares for 
 Me: What need I anxioufly care ^ox Myfelf ? Why 
 fbould a Soul, that is interefted in God, be perplex'd 
 with Fear about any Events? Not a Hair of our Heads 
 can fall to the Ground, without our Father. All Things 
 in Providence, are wrought exadtly correfpondent to 
 the Counfel of Jehovah^ IVill. And done in fuch an 
 Infinity of Wifdom and Goodnefs, that Nothing could 
 be better than it is •, either for the Glory of God, or 
 the Advantage of his People ! What a Shame is it then, 
 for thofe happy Souls, for whole Good^ all TMngs work 
 together ; to quarrel with the glorious Worker? Or find 
 Fault with his glorious Work? As we always do, when 
 we are anxioufly careful about, or difpleaied with, any 
 Events. If the Lord brings us thro" Fire., and thro" 
 Water^ He will bring us thence into a wealthy Place, 
 Out of the Furnace.^ we fhall come, as Gold that is Se- 
 'ven Times refined. So that there is no Room for us to 
 be uneafy at any Providence, with refpedl to our own 
 Good. And if we regard the Glory of God in all •, I am 
 fure we have the higheft Reafon for a joyful Acquief- 
 cence with his All- wife Difpofe. Oh, Who fhould love 
 and adore, think and fpeak well of God, in every 
 Thing, i^ his Friends do not ^ Oh that the Lord, would 
 fill my little Soul brimful of Love to Him! Oh that He 
 would grant me Grace, to glorify Him! And then. 
 Let Him do with Me, as He pleafeih. Surely I wou'd 
 hi;ve no fFill, but God's : No Intcrefl, but His : No 
 
 Care, 
 
( 129 ) 
 
 Care^ but to advance his Honour. Oh my dear Siften 
 I long to love God. If you love me, pray, that my 
 Love to God, may be a keen, folid, lading Flame I 
 That may nimbly run thro* all Oppofition, lick up the 
 Waters of Afflidtion, and afcending to Him from 
 whence it came, join, like a Tongue of Fire, with His 
 infinite Flame I We fhall never be fully happy, till we 
 are perfedly One, in and with God. In Him, by a 
 Soulfatisfying Enjoyment of. his infinite Glories, And 
 with Him, by a perpetual and complacent Flow, of all 
 the Powers of our Souls, into His Will, Honour, and 
 Intereft, The Perfe5fion of this glorious Blifs^ is re- 
 fer ved for the Life to come. But, blelTed be God, it 
 is begun Here, And the happy Increafe of it, (hould 
 be earneftly fought for, by the Favourites of Heaven, 
 
 the Friends of God, continually. That the Love of 
 
 God, may ht fhed abroad in your Heart, more and more, 
 by the Holy Ghojl -, and your Soul drawn thereby, to 
 love him, who firji loved you, is the fincere Defire of, 
 my Dear Sifter, 
 
 Tours in the Lord for Ever^ 
 
 LETTER XLVL To Mrs. A. and Mrs. G. 
 
 My Dear Sifters in Chrijl, 
 
 JESUS loves you : Believe it -, and your Hearts will 
 be full of Joy. Go on to reft your Souls, and the 
 whole Weight of your Salvation, upon Christ, the 
 Chief Corner-Stone, the Foundation zvhich God has laid 
 in Sion : And fear not. For you floall never perifh^ 
 but have everlafting Life, The Rock of Ages, cannot 
 fink beneath you. And unlefs Christ could /^a//, Tou 
 
 R * that 
 
that re'ff on Him, cannot fink' into, Pero I don. Becaufe 
 Chrift lives ^ youJJjall live alfo. Oh,' doubt it not. You 
 cannot Vv'ound "the Heart of Chrifl: more^ than by XJn- 
 belief. It is the Joy of his Soul, to fee poor, needy, 
 Hell-deferving Sinners, truft in Him, the M.ighty Sa- 
 :viGUR, and not be afraid. Oh ftir not out of Christ, 
 and the IFord of bis Grace, which he has given" for 
 your Salvation. — I am afFe^flionately, 
 
 Tours in the Lord, \ 
 
 LETTER XLVII. To ^ 
 
 My Dear and Honour'* d Brother in Chrift^ 
 T^^ I S enough, Dear Sir, that your Beloved is 
 
 J[ yours, and that jy^z/ are ii//j. That the L^rJ^ 
 all, is your God. Your Maker, your Hufhand -, and 
 that Tou are His, in an inviolable, everlafting Covenant. 
 Will you not ceafe your excefiive Grief for the Lofs of 
 a Creature ; which cafts fuch Difhonour upon the Lord 
 ^om Creator, upon G(?i, yom Saviour <i as if He, even 
 Himself, in his vail Infinity, was not enough tofa- 
 tisfy and folace, your little, fcanty Soul! Be a.fhamed, 
 pradically to fay. That Chrili, with all his Fulnefs, is 
 not ior you, a Soul fatisfying Good! l{ Chrifl was dead-, 
 you might grieve on, and refufe to be comforted. 
 Your Life, your Joy, your All were gone! But, 
 doth Jesus live, and live as your Life : And yet your 
 Spirit finks into Scrrow and Death / How incongruous 
 a Thing is this! How un-worihy of him, how unkind 
 to him, as iht Lord your G-od I Lovers, among finite 
 Souls, find their greaceft Pieafure, in being ardently 
 loved again. And Ih all the L^?'^, your infinite Z.w<?r, 
 who in infinite Condefcenfion, to make you bappy^ 
 
 calls 
 
t^Ws for, your Heaicl ; want the Joy,' to fee your So ut 
 all-enflamed with Love^^ to his glorious, blirsful Self \ 
 O let the; Time pajl fuffice. Your Beloved is yours, 
 LookupoD his^fair Face, till you are enamour'd with 
 his ineffable Beauty! See Him in his tranfcendent 
 Fairnt^fs, as the Chriftof Godj in his -exceeding Fit* 
 nefs to your every Cafe ; in his unfearchable Riches, 
 hrs inexhaudible Fulnefs, .fdn the rich Supply of your 
 every Want ; and fee this altogether lovely Lord, in 
 this endearing Relatipn,..as>'^«r ^^/<?xj^ J, a§, entirely and 
 eternally;j^//rj; ^And, .thp^ fay, .with Wonder, Love 
 and' Joy, M^Lbrdy.and^myGod-J Thou, Lord, art 
 fully arid fore veV ;i2i«^ / And '/, beloved of^Thee, and 
 refigning to Thee, am entirely and ctcmsMy Thine I 
 You have Chrijl^s Heart, ^ Brother, you are his Love^, 
 hi'^ Dove, his fair One. Will you not give hini your 
 Hearts, arid fay of Him, that matchlefs Him, who is 
 the Wonder, Love and Joy of Heaven and Earth.! 
 what iri the Infinity of his Grace He fpeaks to you. 
 How fair, and how pleafant art Thou, O Love, for Der 
 lights I "^Q content with your P^r//^;?, Brother, your 
 wondrous Lot, in the Chrifi of God ! Let Him be your 
 exceeding Joy ! Your Ever living and exuberant y^jy / 
 Your Sorrpw-abrorping Joy I And give your Lord the 
 Pieafure, to fee you His Portion, by way of Reftgnation^ 
 and to fay of you, nielted down into Subrniflion and 
 Acquiefcence, into all Love and Obedience, The Lines 
 are fallen unto Me in pie af ant Places -, yea, I have a 
 goodly Heritage, — I know. Brother, Influence for this, 
 mufl come from ^l^ove. If we want Wifdom and Grace^ 
 let us ajk of God, who giveth liberally^ and upbraideth 
 not. Duty \s> ours -, Supply of Grace for it, God's, 
 Exhort one another to, and attempt our Duty, we 
 fhould. And God therein and thereby, doth often 
 fpeak to mir Hearts^ ?indi firengthen our weak Hands. — 
 
 R 2 T'he 
 
( n^ ) 
 
 fhe Grace of our Ldfd Jefus Chrift he with you^ Spirit t 
 In Him, with affedionate Efteem, I am. Dear Sir, 
 Tourfincere Friend and Servant ^ 
 
 LETTER XLVIII. To Mr.2.nA Mrs.W. 
 
 Ever Bear and Honoured Parents^ 
 
 I Long to have my Love to God^ a jpure, keen,' lb- 
 lid, lading Flame: That in Spirit, Soul and Dody 
 I might be one continual living Sacrifice to his Glory, 
 But oh, my little Grace, is fo prefs'd and annoy'd with 
 tht Body of Sin, with the Body of this Death, that I 
 groan being burdened. I rejoice in Hope of perfe<5l 
 Holinefs, of immortal Glory. This was very fwcet 
 to me of late : That God has predeflinnted me to he 
 conformed to the Image of his Son ; that the Work is 
 His-, that He has begun^ and will p erf e 51 it. This 
 Glory, my Faith fees afar off j my Loves hades to 
 meet it ; and my Hope patiently waits for it. — And 
 the mean Time, what long I, what wait I for ? Sure- 
 ty it is This: An incrcsiCmg Knowledge of Christ , 
 Conformity to him, and Service of him. Oh pray, that 
 I may love my Dear Lord greatly, in every lit tie Thing 
 I aim to do for Him. And efpccially, now Lhave lo 
 little Time and Strength left me to ferve Him in. An 
 Eternity of Glory, in the Enjoyment of his glorious 
 Self, awaits me. But oh, that I have lov'd and 
 ferv'd him fo little, in the Days of the Years of my 
 Life, which He hath given me •, this grieves me. 
 I know my Lord, pardons all my Unkindnefs. — Oh 
 that his forgiving Love, may bind me to greater In- 
 genuity and Duty ! 
 
 My 
 
( U3 ) 
 
 My dear and honour'd Parents^ you are dear to 
 God, and hono't^r'd by Hirti. Oh may liis Love, con- 
 tinually delight your Souls ; and his Honour lie near 
 your Hearts! He that has been your God from your 
 Youth lip \ -will be the Stay and Staff oi your Old Age : 
 J^rid t tmft, wili'itiafe Yoer Tstt and flourrfhrng, ey^n 
 unto boar Hairs, Ydxi hafq a God, whofe L3v/7^ 
 don't decay, whofe Mcfcy^ 'never fails\ whofe 'Faith- 
 fulnefs^ is like the great Mountains •, yea, firmer than 
 the lalling Hills, For the Mountains fhall depart^ and 
 the Hills be removed: But God's Kindnefs towards j-<7//, 
 fhall 'Hot depart^ nor the Coverrant of his Peace he remo- 
 ved^ faith the Lord, that hath Mercy oh you. Oh reft 
 your dear Souls, your weary Heads, in the fwcct Bo- 
 fpm^ in the kind Arms ^ of the Lord' your ^-ze^;; God. 
 There you'll find Eafein Pain, Peace in Trouble, Se- 
 curity in Danger, Fulnels in Wan't, and Life in Death. 
 Thro' Life, with all its Trials, " and Death, with all its 
 Sorrows, will ttie Lo^)i yoiir Life, y6ur Joy, your 
 'All be wfih you. V^hat ^then can you want? Oh, 
 no good^hing! Nothing but what is to be found in 
 God, even your <?U';^ God ! Delight your f elves therefore 
 in the Lord : And He fhall give you the Defires of 
 
 your Heart. 7he Good-Will of Him that dwelt in 
 
 the Bufh^ be with you, I remain, frty Dear and Ho- 
 noui'd Parents, ' 
 
 Yours with all Affcdion and Duty, 
 
 L E T. 
 
f 134) 
 
 LETTER XLIX. To Mrs F. 
 
 Bear Madam ^ 
 
 YOU rejoice with me^ for the Lord's Loving- 
 kindnefs towards me. An Evidence this, That 
 Ton alfo are one of the Beloved of the Lord. We know 
 that we are pajjed from Death unto Life^ hecaiife we love 
 the Brethren. Not a Soul that rejoiceth m the Gladnefs 
 of God's JSationy but is one, that is remembered wU^h 
 that Favour, .\v.)^kh Ht haretf. to His 0W.^ft^^Pl{l\^,^^ 
 vifited mih, his Salvation. )^ v^:,^- ."rr \^\'^^,.-\ x, 
 
 it gives xne Joy, lyladam, that you. can fay, 
 " Whereas I v/as once "biind, I now' fee : My loft 
 "State by Nature, and my.,Reconciliatian thro' the 
 *' Merits and Interceflion, ^qf Chrift." , Amazing 
 Channel .Amazing Gr^c^,,^ thai wrought it \ :Alive from 
 the Deadi Madam: Endle/) pi/e \% yours I Ri fen with 
 Chrijh It. is to die no more! Tour pew, y.vj; fpiritual 
 Life, fliall never die. The Spirit, of lyif- fiorn God, 
 having quickned your dear Soul, abidech in you, as a 
 Life-giving Flow, from Chrift your hvjpg Head, 
 to maintain, increafe and perfecjt, ,hi^'B'rgun-V''vork, 
 till fpringin.^ up, it rife" to Life "eternai, To a full 
 Terfeciion\ of Purity, Joy and 'Glory, in the Prefcnce 
 o^ God and of the Z^wi* ; To 3.n cndkfs Duration'-, a 
 bk^ Eternity ! O Happy Soul! How vaft is'thine In- 
 heritance ! How rich art thou in Hopr, as an Heir of 
 God! And ^ Joint- Heir with Christ! So great a 
 Portion, and fo great a Security of its Pojpfflon: What 
 a Gtcatnefs of Joy doth it befpeak, fhouid it create, in 
 every Expetlant^ of ihzi ineffable Blifsl O dear Ma- 
 dam, This Portion is yours! This Portion is inine ! 
 
 As 
 
iu5) 
 
 As feeing the Son^ and believing on Him ; we have eter- 
 nal Life, . We have it \ Jet Satan and Unbelief fay 
 what they will to the contrary. They can never undo^ 
 what our Lord hath done. They can never, by their 
 Gainfayings, make null and void^ what the All-produ- 
 cing Word, of a God that cannot lie^ hach fpoken. 
 And efpecially, as for our Jlrong Confolation, His invi- 
 olable Oath, who hath fworn by his great Self, is 
 added to his great Word. Let us then as Heirs of 
 Promife, as fuch that h^LV^ fie d for Refuge, to lay Hold 
 on Chrift^ the Hope fet before us ; receive the ftrong 
 "Confolation given us, the full and great Security, of 
 our everlafting Salvation by Jesus. For, Becauje He 
 lives ; we fhall live alfo, Becaufe He ever liveth, as 
 our Interceflbr, with his and our Father ; we fliall be 
 faved to the uttermoft. He that believeth on the Son of 
 God, hath Life. And this Life is in his Son, We 
 'have Chrift, my dear Sifter, and Life in Him, who is 
 our Life. Had we Life in its Fulnefs, by Way of 
 Grant, and had we its Perfedion, in Enjoyment: If 
 we had it in our own ftngle Selves, feperate and apart 
 from Chrift, we might, we fhould loie it. Perfedl 
 Adam, ftanding upon his own Bottom, {oon fell from 
 his primitive Excellency, into unknown Depths of 
 Mifery. The glorious Angels, that ftood alone, foon 
 reeled out of Heaven to Hell : Top heavy with their 
 Glory, down they funk from their firil Eftate, into 
 Depths of Woe, ineffably great and endlefs. But re- 
 deemed Sinners, unto Life by Jesus, being new created 
 after his Image \ can never loje their Right to Life in 
 its Completion •, nor the Begun Enjoyment of it given, 
 as to the Principle of Life in their Souls, Becaufe they 
 have Life in Chrift \ in Him who ever livcth, to per- 
 fect and perpetuate. Life in them. To fwallow up 
 Deaths in perfed, endkfs Life. To bear them up, 
 
 to 
 
to the Ufe of Glory \ and to fuftain, or be^r up, tliQir 
 G lory ' Life y to a vaft Eternity ! 
 
 Come then, my dear Sifter, Lie down and reft by 
 Failhy in your own Lord Jefus. For, your Beloved is 
 yourSy V or tvtv yours. And you ^yq His, in an indifiTo- 
 Juble Union, in an everlafting Covenant, that fhall ne- 
 ver be broken. And in Him you have Life, of the 
 higheft Perfedlion, Z//V, of an endlefs Duration. You 
 have it, by an irreverfible Grant in the Right of it; 
 You have it in Reverfwn\ You have it in ihtFirft-Fruiis 
 and Earnefi thereof-, And you ftiordy fhall have it in 
 full Pojfejion, You have Life in Chrift •, A Life tl^^t 
 cannot be loji. A Fulnefs, a Redundancy, a Tran- 
 Icendency of Life. And alfo a Permanency, an Im- 
 mortality of Life. For Life and Immortality, are thus 
 brought to Light by the G of pel. Your Jesus, is Tefler- 
 day. To day, and Forever the fafne. His Love, his 
 Life, fixt on you, provided for you ; know no Change^ 
 vary not with your Frames. Blefs your Lord then, 
 when he fmiles •, for He is yours in Love. Truft in 
 Him when he frowns -, for He is always yours, and al- 
 ways loves. Follow hard after him, v/hen he hides 
 and chides ; He delights to fee you feek him^ forrowing^ 
 as the Dove that has lof, its Mate. And foon He will 
 fee you again, turn your Sorrow into Joy, and your Joy 
 Ihall no Alan take from you. — I commit you to the in- 
 linite Love -^ind Care, of the Lord your Life : To be Bo- 
 fom*d and Arm'd along by .Him, thro' this weary 
 Wildernefs, into the Land of Reft : Where, bleft with 
 the endlcls Vifion oihis, and of his Father's Face, you 
 will join in Joy v/ith iht general JJJemb/y of'Saints and 
 Angels, to give him the eternal G7(?r>' of all his Grace. 
 VViihlng the bcft of Blemngs: I ruhrcnbe. Dear Madara, 
 2"our <j2oft obliged bumble Servants 
 In c-ur .Precious Lord 
 
( ^27 ) 
 L E T T E R L. 5^? Mr. — — 
 
 My very dear Brother in the Lordy 
 
 HAVE you loft that Comfort and Sweetnefs^ you 
 once enjoy'd in Chrift ? You have not loft your 
 Jesus ; you have /i//?;? ftill, an entire and eternal /«- 
 tere^ in his great and glorious Self. And ftiortly 
 your Beloved ^\\\ turn again^ and blefs you with the 
 Vifion of his Face. He will be like a Roe^ or a 
 young Hart upon the Mountains of Bether^ of Divi- 
 Jion, How great and many foever the Mountains of 
 your Sins and Provocations may be, your Beloved^ in 
 the infinite Strength of his Love^ will come leaping 
 and Jkipping over them all, to bring renewed Salva- 
 tion unto you. O my Brother, you are too near and 
 dear to Chrift, too nearly related to him, and too 
 dearly bought, and afFeded by him, for Him to kave^ 
 or for fake you, to difregard^ or fuffer you to be lojl. 
 Your kind, tender, faithful Shepherd^ in bound lefs 
 Compaflion, will gather you with his Arm^ and carry 
 you in his Bofom. Chrift has an Arm for you ftill, 
 the omnipotent Arm of his faving Strength^ which 
 well fuits your greztfFeaknefs, by which he will gather 
 you from all your Strayings. Are you like a lofi 
 Sheep F Your Shepherd will go after you, my Brother. 
 He will as it were leave the Ninety and Nine, and go 
 after jy(?« -, He will feek till he has found you. And 
 when he hath found you. He will lay you on his 
 Shoulder, and bring you Home rejoycing: As if He had 
 got fome goodly Thing. For lo, He efteems you 
 as his Portion ; and fays concerning you, The Line5 
 are fallen unto Me in pleafant Places, yea, I have a 
 goodly Heritage, Strange! That God our Saviour^ 
 
 S Ihouid 
 
( 138 .) 
 
 Hiould rejoyce over us Sinners^ to fave us from our 
 SinSyOm repeated,' aggravated ^///j, againlt his fav- 
 ing Love^ notwithftanding all our Unworthinefs and 
 Provocations! But thus it is, bccaufe He is the Lord 
 that changetb not ': Becaufe his Grace towards us, ,hath 
 the Infinity, and Strength of the Godhead m \i\ And 
 thence, you tender Lawi? of Chrill's Fold, your 
 Shepherd hath a Bofom for you Rill. An Immenfity 
 and Eternity of unchanging Lgvs^ into which He will 
 take you, manifeftatlvely, and in which he will 
 carry you fweetly, to your Soul's Refrefhment, Life 
 and Growth, ^he Lord your God m the Midfi of 
 you is Yiiighly\ He will fave^ He will rejoyce over you 
 'bvith .Joy •, He will reft in his Love^ He will joy over 
 you with Singing, The Lord your Lover, is in the 
 mdft of you (till. He hath creeled his ^Throne in your 
 Hearty and there He will dwell/i^r ever-, for He hath 
 defired it. He is mighty. Mighty to fave •, to bear 
 all the Affronts you have given him, and the Indigni- 
 ties done to him •, and to fave you from the Guilt and 
 Filth, Power and Being of all your Sins, and unto 
 frefh Increafes of Life fpirirual, which lliail fpring 
 and rife into Life eternal. Yea, He will fave. He 
 will reft in his Love. He will never feek another 
 Ohjeufy inftead of you^ nor caft you off, or out of f^is 
 infinite Complacence, {o^ all that you have done. Fie 
 will rejoyce over you with Joy^ with exceeding great 
 Joy ; yea, with Singing. Such is the Infinity of his 
 Heart's Delight in you! He will be fdent becaufe of 
 his Love, He will lay none of your Sins to your 
 Charge, He dy^d to fet you free. And were there 
 Need, He would die again^ rather than leave you un- 
 der the Power of o/>/, to be loft in endkfs Death. — 
 Come then, my Brother, proftrate your guilty, 
 liUhy, difeafed Soul, before the Lord your Lover. 
 J.k will nut condemn you, but fpeak Peace and Par- 
 don 
 
( '39 ) , ,^,,. 
 don to you, and thereby put Strength into you, and 
 moft gracioufly will He receive you as his own. ney 
 fay. If a Man put away his Wife, and fhe go from him 
 and become another Man* s, fhall he return unto her 
 again? Shall not that Land be greatly polluted? But 
 thou haft played the Harlot with many Lovers, yet re- 
 turn again unto Me, faith the Lord^ — / will not 
 caife mine Anger to fall upon you, for I am merciful^ 
 faith the Lord. O my Brother, you are, you fhall 
 be, undtv forgiving Love. Grace and Peace from God 
 our Father, and the Lord Jefus Chrift, by the Holy 
 Ghoft the Comforter, for your renewed Joy and increa- 
 fing Holinefs, unto perfe(5b. Purity and endlefs Glory, 
 are and fliall be multiply' d unto you. And this be- 
 caufe you ftand in Grace, have an unchangeable and 
 eternal Fixation in Grace: Which in the Exuberance 
 of its infinite Fulnefs and Freenefs, will flow out upon 
 you to your full and endlefs Joy, thro' Time and to 
 Eternity. 
 
 And doubt not your State in Grace, becaufe you 
 fee not your Increafe in Grace, yea, tho' you fee but 
 little Grace in you. Know you not that fruitful Trees, 
 young, thriving, growing Plants, have their Autumn, 
 and Winter Times, as well as their Spring, and Sum- 
 mer Seafons : Wherein they are difrobed of their 
 Fruit, yea, fl'ripp'd of their very Leaves ? And yet, 
 even at fuch Times, they are living, fruitful, grow- 
 ing Trees, tho' ftripp'd of the Glory of their Fruir, 
 and of their leafy Greennefs. Even fo are you, my 
 Brother, tho' now it's Autumn, and Winter with you, 
 a ^ree of Right eoufnefs, a* fruitful, growing Tree, the 
 Planting of the Lord by Grace, that He might be 
 glorify* d. And the Sun-like Face of your gloilous 
 Lord, in the next Spring of his infinite Favour, will 
 look you again into a frefh Beauty and Glory, wifl 
 
 S 2 clothe 
 
( 14^ ) 
 
 clothe you afrefli with an increafing Greennefs, and 
 more abundant Fruitfulnefs. And when you don't 
 grow upwards^ you grow downwards^ take deeper 
 Root by Faith into Chrift, and are more grounded in 
 Humility, by the Experience you have of Self- 
 Nothingnefs and Wretchednefs. And by the conden- 
 fing Cold of Winter- Difpenfations, the Lord prepares 
 you for a greater Flow of Sap, when He makes his 
 next Approach as your Summer-Sun, with Healing in 
 his IVings, with his warm and quickning Rays, to ex- 
 hale your Graces into precious Fruits, to your more 
 abundant Joy in Him, and to his more abundant 
 Praife by you. 
 
 My kind Lord fweetly fupports and comforts me, 
 and enables me to glorify him under this great Trial, 
 of the Lofs of my dear Toke- fellow. BleiTed for ever 
 be his great, dear Name, He hath done all Things 
 well ', fo well, that nothing could be hlter than it is! 
 He is mine in this Jffli^ion, and I fee and receive it 
 as a Gift of his infinite Love. And I am His in it, I 
 Jove, ado're and blefs him, and as it were forget my 
 Pain^ in the Pleafure^ while I count his Glory., my 
 chief Joy. < — The Grace of Chrijl he with your Spirit I 
 In his Bowels, my dear Brother, I am. 
 
 Tours mojl Tenderly, 
 
 L E T T E R LL To 
 
 My very dear and much honour' d Brother, 
 
 WHEN we parted, " Upon your fpeaking of 
 the Lord's Dealing, in taking deareft Rela- 
 tives /r^w, whofe Lives are bound up in, each other ; 
 while thofe whofe Love to one another hath not thofe 
 
'Ardours'^ are permitted to live together:'' I tho*t of 
 what Dr. Goodwin fays, " The Lord delights to try 
 us in our Jfaacs," Elfe, Brother, He would not have 
 a Proof of our choiceft Love, O how did it delight 
 the Heart of Gody to fee Abraham (o chearfully refign 
 his Ifaac I New (fays he) / know that thou fear eft God j 
 feeing thou hafl not with held thy Scn^ thine only Son^ 
 from Me. And \wh2it BieJJings came down upon Aha- 
 ham^ as a Reward of this Part of Obedience ! By My- 
 fe If have I fworn, faith the Lord : That in Bleffing I 
 will blefs thee •, and in Multiplying I will multiply thee, 
 — Our Lordy is an immenfe Lover^ and intenfely de- 
 lights in our Love^ weak as it is, when we give him 
 cheerfully^ our deareft Enjoyments at his Bidding. — 
 Hence, Brother, whenever your late Trial returns up- 
 on } our Spirit, leaning on the Strength of Jefus by 
 Faith, attempt your Duty to him in Love : To make 
 renewed Rejignations^ with increafing Cheerfulnefs, of 
 what his dearUand^ call'd for {xov[\ yours. It will de- 
 light your Lord's Hearty and blefs you he will, like 
 Himself. Give him your Pence •, He will give you 
 Pounds, Blefs him that he hath given you an Opportu- 
 nity., to give him any Thin^ fo dear unto you ; and 
 thus to fhew your Love to the Lord your matchlefs 
 Lover I For, To glorify ^ and enjoy Him : is the chief 
 End of your Being: In Nature, and in Grace, will be 
 to your endlefs Glory I — That the Joy of the Lord 
 may be your Strength -, and your Feet, made like the 
 Feet of Hinds ; in doing and fuffering the Will of God, 
 until you inherit the Promifes : is the hearty Defire and 
 Prayer of, dear Sir, 
 
 Tour moft affectionate and obliged 
 
 Friend and Servant in the Lord. 
 
 LET. 
 
( H2 ) 
 
 LETTER LII. To Mr, F. 
 
 Bear Sir^ 
 
 I Heartily thank you for your lad kind Letter. The 
 Lord by it refrefh'd my Soul, made me glad in 
 Himfelf, and excited my Heart to praife him. O 
 what Grace \s> this to me^ that my poor Books fhould 
 be made oi Ufe to you^ and to other Souls ! To the 
 Lord alone, be the whole Glory! Glad am I, Brother, 
 that you will help a weak Worm, to ferve the Lord I 
 love, by your Prayers ^ov a BlefTing on me, and on 
 tnyweak Attempts to feed the tender Lambs, of the 
 Lord our great Shepherd. The Lord hear your 
 Prayers for me^ and return ther/i an Hundred-fold, into 
 your own Bo font ! Well, O how well is it for us, that 
 J-Esus our Shepherd^ hath us all, in his own Almighty 
 and All gracious Z/^;?^/ — You write. Brother, of the 
 Lion of Hell^ who goeth about, feektng whom he may 
 devour ; and fwectly blefs God, 4hat there is a Rem^ 
 nant according to the EieBion of Grace, that are put 
 forever out of \\\'=, Reach, out of the Reach o{ final 
 Jpoftafy, under the Influence of that wicked apofiate 
 Spirit.— knd is thisj^^^^r happy Lot! And is it mine I 
 G let us adore the Grace that h?^th faved us J The rich," 
 free, diftinguiOiing Grace, that hath made us the Sub- 
 jeds of its glorious Reign, unto eternal Lf/>, while 
 'Thoufands round about us, are left under the Reign of 
 Sin and Satan, to perifh in endlefs Death\ In Heart, 
 in Lip, in Life, let us praife the Grace of Ranfom / 
 I'he Grace of Tcf/J://^/ How great, how unfearchabld 
 are its Wonders! Wou'd the God and Father of our 
 Lord Jefus Chrift, difplay the exceeding Riches of to 
 Grace, in giving his only-begotten Son, to obey and 
 
 die 
 
( H3 ^ 
 
 die for us Sinners, the Chief of Sinners, to fave lis 
 from all Mrfery, and unto all Glory ! Wou'd the eter- 
 nal Son of God, to fhew his boundlefs, matchlefs 
 Grace^ condefcend to take our low Nature, and in it 
 floop, to take our Law-place, to bear our Sin, to b6 
 made our Curfe, and to die the Death of the Crofs, in 
 our Room and Stead, to exalt us, unto his Throne 
 of Glory! And wou'd the eternal Spirit, the Lord 
 the Holy Ghoft, in to unbounded Gr^^^, comedown 
 into fuch Hearts as ours, take Pollefllon of them for 
 Chrift, eredt his Throne there, cad out Satan, and 
 fubdue Sin ; and thus by his Almighty Energy, begin 
 and refolve to perfedb, our Deliverance from Hellifh 
 Slavery, and unto Heavenly Liberty, tht glorious Li^ 
 herty of the Sons of God! Praife to the Father^ to the 
 Son^ to the Holy Ghoft^ to the Three-One God, the 
 God of all Grace^ who hath thus ranfonCd^ who hath 
 thus refcu^^ ih^Veffels of Mercy ^ even us who are caWd 
 hy Grace unto eternal Glory! 
 
 I was much pleas'dwith what you hinted of Mr. 
 ^.'s Difcourfe from Pf 23. 4. " That the Valley of 
 " the Shadow of Death, is the lad Walk of a Be- 
 " liever. That he doth not day, much lefs dwell 
 '^ there. And that this Walk leads a Believer linro 
 " the Prefence-Chamber, the upper Court of King Je- 
 " fus : To dwell for ever with the Lord •, where the 
 " Wicked ceafe from troubling, and the Weary are 
 " at Red. — And as a dear Servant of Chrid, lately 
 faid, (preaching from Gen, 46. 4. 1 will go down with 
 thee into Egypt, and Jofeph fljall put his Hand upon 
 thine Eyes) " That the Lord will go down with his 
 " People, into the dark Valley of the Shadow of 
 " Death :" Vv hy then fhould we fear to enter upon this 
 our lad W^alk ? Since the Lord our Lights is and will 
 be with us , the dark Valley fnall be made fafe and 
 
 plea- 
 
( H4 ) 
 
 pleafant to us. In this lonely Walk, we (hail have 
 the choicefl: Company. When Chriflian Friends muft 
 leave us, or we rather, take Leave of them •, Chrift, 
 our beft Friend, will inftantly and furpafTingly take 
 their Place. And by his Lights how fafely, how joy- 
 fully, fhall we walk thro'' Barknefs ! The Rays of his 
 Grace, the Shines of his Face, will make the Dark- 
 nefs^ Light about us. And O I to have the Lord our 
 Life^ with us in Death, to fw allow up Death in Vi5Io- 
 ry : How great muft be a Believer's Triumph in, and 
 over Death! And beyond it, how great his Glory! — 
 Let us come up therefore from the iVildernefs, even to 
 the laft Step of it, leaning upon our Beloved. And 
 the very worft to Nature, fhall be beft of all to Grace, 
 and bring us to the immediate, blifsful^ endlefs Vi- 
 fion of our Redeemer's Face! To fee him as he is^ to 
 iehold, to enjoy his Glory, to a bleft Eternity ! — I 
 rejoice in your Soul's Profperity, for that Savour and 
 Relifh of the Things of God, and I truft. Growth in 
 the Knowledge of Chrift, (Tor which I have pray'd, andj 
 with which you are favoured. And, That the God of 
 cur Lord Jefus Chrift^ the Father of Glory, may give 
 unto you (ftill greater Meafures of) the Spirit of Wij- 
 dom and Revelation in the Knowledge of Him : To 
 your growing Joy, and increafmg Conformity, until 
 you are bleft with immortal Glory •, is the hearty De- 
 fire of, dear Sir, 
 
 Tour affc5lionate Friend and Servant^ 
 
 LET. 
 
( H5 ) 
 LETTER LIII. To Mr. A. 
 
 My very dear Brother in our precious Lordy 
 
 1 Thank you for your Sympathy with me in my pre- 
 fent Afflidlion, and take it moft kindly. Indeed 
 my Lofs^ by the Death of my dear Toke-fdlow^ is ve- 
 ry great. But fince I have not Joft my Jefus^ fince 
 God hath given me his Son^ my Spirit is fweetly re- 
 concile to t\iQ Divine JVill \ and delighted I am in 
 my Lord^ as my prefent and eternal All. He bears 
 me^ and my Burden too : And being well fupported^ I 
 Jink not. Being well fupply'd with fpirituous Cordials^ 
 my Heart faints not. At Times, under prefling 
 Weights, the Archers that hate me, Jhoot at me^ and 
 forely grieve me : But my Bow abides in Strength^ and 
 the Arms of my Hands are made Jirong by the Hands of 
 the mighty God of Jacob. My weak Soul hath been 
 enabled in fome Meafure, to glorify the Lord in the 
 Fires : To efteem his Glory^ my chief Joy -, and my 
 Trial, a happy Mean, to that bleffed End. 1 call my 
 Trial a happy Mean ; not that it is not grieving and 
 affliSiing in Itfelf : But the hitter Waters of Afflidlon, 
 being well fweetned by my Lord, the Tree of Life, 
 who is call therein, I can freely drink them. While 
 I view the prefent Trial, given me by infinite Wif- 
 dom and Grace, as an Opportunity to give Glory to 
 God, fuch a Glory, as I could not otherwife have 
 given him ; methinks the Bitter of it, is loft in the 
 Sweet, and well it is relijh'd by my fpiritual Palate : 
 Thus kindly my dear Lord deals with me, his poor, 
 vile, ungrateful Worm I Help me to praife him, and 
 remember me in your Prayers. ,[ 
 
 T I 
 
( 146 ) 
 
 I rejoice with you, my dear Brother, for the bright 
 Difplays of ChriiVs Love, with which you are hjahly 
 favoured, and its All attracting Influence, of ' which 
 you have the fweet Experience. An invaluable BleiTing 
 13 the Love of Chrift in ItfeJf ; and the Manifeftation 
 thereof an unfpeakable Privilege. And bled be the 
 Lord our Lover, our cold, dull Hearts, fhan't be al- 
 ways in this dead, Jifelefs Frame. But enkindled with 
 .his infinite Love, and chang'd in our Creature-Mea- 
 fure into its Image, our whole Souls fhall afcend a^ a 
 pure Flame in fervent Praifes, to his endlefs Glory. 
 How^miftrable fliould we be, tho' the Objeds of 
 Chrifi's Love, if we were not by Him to be loved into 
 Love? K\^%^ om carnal Mind, which is £?/;;?//y againft 
 Htm, finks us into Beaih, And nothing lefs than the 
 Love ofChnft, difplay'd and apply'd, by the irradia- 
 ting, comforting Influence of the HolyGhcft, can make 
 m Jpmtuai, can raile our Hearts to love the Lord, 
 which ,15. the Ufe of our Souls. But as our Life, was 
 the End of ChrijVs Death, the glorious End which his 
 Love had in Vtew, in giving Himfelf for us -, So this 
 IS an^ fliall be the blefled EffeSl, of that great Caufe. 
 Uur dear Lord loved us, and gave Himfelf for us, " that 
 we tn Love might give ourfehes to Him ; that we might 
 iive and love, love and hve forever. And fince an in- 
 hnite Price hath been paid, and an infinite Power is 
 engag d for our complete Redemption, from all Mi- 
 lery to all Glory ; we fliall fliortly, love Chrifi as we 
 would: With all our Powers, in perfed Service, unto 
 cnoiefs Ages. O the Glory, of that State, when Chrifi 
 and we fiiall be one in Love! When there fliall be no 
 l>i%inion of Hearts, nor Want of Communion be- 
 tween us ! Chri/i's Heart, is never difunited from us 
 fiow ', but Ohowofcen are ours from Him! How little 
 » Part hath Cbnfi of our Hearts? And that little Part 
 
 which 
 
( H7 ) 
 
 which he hath, how oft is it interrupted in its Flows of 
 Love to Him, the Sum of all Perfections and DelightSg 
 while our Souls are diverted by mere Shadows of Joys, 
 into real Sorrows ? Thus it is with us in this State of 
 Diftance and Imperfeftion. But when we are made 
 perfect in Love, and at Home with Chrifl, no Dif- 
 union, nor Want of Communion fhall be between us. 
 We Ihall be fitted for the highelt Communications 
 from Chrift, and abide for ever in his immediate Pre- 
 fence. Our Lord will not then bide Himfelf from his 
 own Flejh^ nor fhall we wander after other Lovers, But 
 under the ceafelefs Flows^ and endlefs Shine of infinite 
 Love^ we, to the utmoft of our finite Capacity, fliall 
 love again •, with our whole Hearty Soul and Strength^ 
 or we^ with all our Powers and Faculties, fhall hafte as 
 a fwift Streamy into Love's Ocean^ and unite as a bright 
 Beam with the Body of the Sun. The Lord God and the 
 Lamh^ fhall be our Light and !//>, our Joy and Glory^ 
 to a bleft Eternity. 
 
 And for this happy State, my dear Brother, the 
 Lord is now preparing you. Thofe vaft Deftres^ 
 which are wrought in your Heart, after increafmg and 
 perfedt Love to Chrift, under the g\onons Shine of 
 his infinite Love % are your Preparation by Grace ^ for 
 that ineffable Glory -, and the very Bud of that open» 
 unfadable Flower, The Lord incfeafe you more and 
 more, in Love to Him and His, and towards all Men : 
 To the End He may ftablijh your Heart unblameable in 
 Holinefs^ at the Coming of our Lord Jefus Chrift with all 
 his Saints! So prays, my Dear Brother, 
 
 Tours moft affe^ionately in our Lord the Lamb, 
 
 T 2 LET 
 
( 148 ) 
 LETTER LIV. To 
 
 My very Bear Sifter in Chrifly 
 
 1 Heartily thank you for your kind Letter. Bleft 
 ' be our dear Lord, for his great Kindnefs to you, 
 and to unworthy me, that flilJ, ftill, Goodnefs and 
 Mercy follow us ; and follow us they (hall, till wafted 
 into the Ocean of Joy and Glory : To know, and love, 
 and ferve the Lord, in the Heights of Blifs, to a bleft 
 Eternity ! What manner of Love is it, that while we 
 are in the Wildernefs, our Lord cares for us! Forgives 
 our Sins, heals our Difeafes, and fupplies all our 
 Wants ! Feeds us with heavenly Manna, follows us 
 with the Water of Life, clothes us with the Everlafting 
 Robe, fuftains us under prefling Weights, and out of 
 Weaknefs, makes us ftrong ! So that from bleft Expe- 
 rience we can fay. We know that all Things work toge- 
 ther for Good^ to them that love God, to them that are 
 the Callea according to his Purpofe, — You fay, my dear 
 Sifter, " There is that in Affliction, that makes the 
 *' Heart rejoice." This fame That^ which you fpeak 
 of, is God. It is God that makes A ffli(5tion joyful to 
 his People. If God is with us fenfibly in Affliction, 
 fuftains us under it, and enables us to glorify Him by 
 it ; our Hearts are exceeding joyful, when com- 
 pais'd about with Sorrows. But if God withdraws, 
 our Spirits fmk, fail and die inftantly. — - And the rich- 
 eft En joy merits, are not fufficient to hold our Souls in 
 Lite i if our Beloved withdraws^ ere we aware^ we fall 
 ajlecp. As is clear by the Verfe preceding thofe, on 
 which you defire my Thoughts, as it ftands connected 
 with them, viz. 
 
 Song 
 
( 149") 
 
 Song V. I, 2, 3, 4. 1 am come into my GardeH^ my 
 Sifter^ my Spouje •, / have gathered my Myrrh with my 
 SpicCy I have eaten my Honeycomb with my Honey ^ 1 
 have drunk my Wine with my Milk : EcJ^ O FriendSy 
 drink^ yea^ drink abundantly^ Beloved. 
 
 I fleep^ hut my Heart waketh : it is the Voice of trty 
 Beloved that knocketh^ J^y^-^S-^ Open to me^ my Sifter^ 
 my Lovey my Dove, my Undefiled : for my Head is filled 
 with Dew, and my Locks with the Drops of the Night. 
 
 I have put off my Coat, how fhall 1 put it on ? Ihave 
 wafhed my Feet, how j}:>all 1 defile them ? 
 
 My Beloved put in his Hand by the Hole of the Dcor^ 
 and my Bowels were moved for him. 
 
 Various are the Senles, that thefe Words may bear, 
 and the Times and Cafes, in which they are applicable 
 to the People of God, the Spoufe of Jefus. From the 
 firfl of thefe Verfes, with the Beginning of the fecond, 
 we fee what I have hinted. That tht richell Enjoy- 
 ments, are not fufficient to hold our Souls in Life, or 
 lively for God. Tho' the Spoufe^s Beloved in anfwer 
 to her Requeft, was come into his Garden, had gathered 
 his Myrrh with his Spice, had eaten his Honey- comb 
 with his Honey, had drank his Wine with his Milk, and 
 made a Feaft for his Favourites, faying, Eat, O 
 Friends, drink, yea, drink abundantly, O Behved ; Yet 
 the very next we hear from Her is, I fleep. Which 
 Ihews what Danger we are in of carnal Securicy, afte^r 
 we have been favoured highly : And that norhing lels 
 than renewed, and continual Influence from Chrift our 
 Life, can keep us alive for God. 
 
 PafTing the various Senfes, and divers Cafes in 
 which the Words you would have me write of, may 
 be apply'd to us, I fhall give a Hint only concerning 
 One, which has iately been of Ufe to me. 
 
 And 
 
C ip ) 
 
 And thus ihtfirft of thefe Verfes, with the gracious 
 Declarations and Invitations therein, which appears to 
 be an Anfwer of Prayer : May refpe6b thofe bright 
 Difplays of Divine Favour, which our Lord makes to 
 his People thro' the Promifes^ in anfwer to their Re- 
 quefis for dejired Mercies. lamcome^ 8zc, Which may 
 denote, i. The £;v///^;?f^ of pc^y'd-for Mercies in the 
 Promife. As, / am returned to Jerufalem with Mer- 
 cies : feems to be much the fame wich, My Houfe fhall 
 he built in it^ Zech. i. 16. And 2. The real Prefence 
 of promised Mercies to Faith, As, Faith is the Sub- 
 ftance of things hoped for^ and the Evidence of Things 
 not feen^ Heb. xi. i. — Again, Our Lord's Feafting 
 upon the Fruits of his Garden^ may refpecSt that De- 
 light which He takes in the vigorous Exercife of his 
 Peoples Graces^ while they leek him under the quick- 
 ning Influences of the Spirit of Grace and of Supplica^ 
 tions. Which in one Senfe may be fignify'd by thofe 
 Words, Song iv. 6. U?ttil the Bay breaks and the Sha- 
 dows flee away^ I will get me to the Mountain of 
 Myrrh, and to the Hiil of Frankincenfe : i, e. To 
 Mount Sion, the Church, where Prayers and Praifes are 
 offered, which are moft fweet^ and refrejhing unto 
 Me. It is as if our Lord fhould fay, ' Until I and 
 
 * my Spoufe meet, in the Joys of Glory'' s Day •, I will 
 
 * dwell wich her, in her gracious State, and delight 
 ' myfe/f with the Fruits of my Spirit in her Heart and 
 
 * Life.' — i\.nd th.e Feajl^ that our Lord makes for 
 his Favourites, faying, Eat, O Friends, &c. may re- 
 fpedl that Fulnefs of Gofpel-Provifions , which is in 
 Himfelf, and which he invites them to partake of, 
 while He fhews Himfelf to his Church, and to parti- 
 cular Believers, in the immenfe Glories of his Perfon, 
 and in the delightful Wonders of his Atchievements, 
 or what He hath done, doth, and will do for his Peo- 
 ple, 
 
( 15' ) 
 
 pie, according to the Declarations and Pfomifes of his 
 Grace concerning them. As Ifa. xxv. 6, ^c. And in 
 this Mountain will /^^Lord of Hoft make unto all Peo- 
 ple a Feafl: of fat nings, a Feaft of Wines on the Lees ^ 
 of fat things full of Marrow^ of Wines on the Lees well 
 refined. And he^ &c. And O what a marrowy F^^^y 
 what a delightful Banquet^ doth a Believer fometimes 
 enjoy thro' an applied Promife^ of a prayed for Mercy ! 
 — But by and by. Providence frowns, the Soul Jinks 
 into Difcouragement I and then, with the Spoufe, 
 fays, 
 
 IJleep : — That is. The Vigour of my Graces, Faith, 
 Hope and Joy, is abated. It is as if the Spoufe (hould 
 fay, ' I am like a Perfon half dead : my fpiritual Sen- 
 
 * fes, are bound up, and reftrained.' In this fad Cafe, 
 Unbelief prevails ; which inclines the Soul to depart 
 from God, to grow dull in its Expectations of him, 
 ^nd Quggifh in its Supplications to him. — But yet at 
 Eafe, the Soul is not, cannot be, without the fought- 
 for, promised Mercy. My Heart waketh : — i. e. 
 fome Defires are maintained and reviv'd in me, by the 
 frefli Intimations thereof which the Lord gives me. 
 // is the Voice of my Beloved that knocketh, faying. Open 
 to Me, my Sifter, my Love, my Dove, my Undefiled : — 
 As if fhe fhould fay, ' I know my Beloved*s Voice, He 
 ' fpeaks like Himfelf, with his endearing Language, 
 ' He calls me to come forth by Faith, and Jet him in, 
 
 * that He may have a little Communion with me about 
 ' his promis'd Grace.' " For, (He fays) my Head is 
 " filled with Dew, and my Locks with the Drops of the 
 " Nightr That is, ' By thy Unbelief, thou re- 
 
 * proacheft my Government, as if I took no Notice of 
 ' the Petitions of my Suhje^s -, and thus thou caftcft in- 
 
 * clement, grieving Drops of Shame, upon my kind 
 
 * Thoughts^ my faithful Promifes, according to my 
 
 * gracious 
 
( 152 ) 
 
 * gracious Purpofes concerning thee ; In this Nighl^ 
 
 * while my Face in ProvidencCy doth not fhine upon 
 
 * thee, but thick Darknefs covers thee.' Doth 
 
 all this prevail with the Spoiifs to apen to her Beloved? 
 Ah 1 vo.. She replies, 
 
 I have put off my Coat^ how [hall I put it on ? I have 
 wafljed my Feet^ how Jhall I defile them? q. d. ' I am 
 
 * indifpoi'd to Ads ot Faith, and fmk in Difcourage- 
 
 * ment. If I was my hordes Favourdte \ would Things he 
 
 * thus with me ? How Ihali 1 again fet my Feet in the 
 
 * Way of Faith y wherein I meet with fo muc!^ I^iffi' 
 
 * culty?' Oh, ungrat ful Anfwer, fhe gave to her 
 Lord's kind Call ! — But" doth He leave her in this fad 
 Cafe ? Noy no. She fays, 
 
 My Beloved put in his Hand hy the Hole of the Door^ 
 'and my Bowels were moved for him, — ™ Hr touch'd 
 her Heart afrefh, by the Power of his Holy Spiril^ 
 thro' the Word of his Grace : And .her Bowels were 
 moved for him. She was grieved with her Unbelief 
 and Hardnefs of Htart, whereby She had Aiew'd fuch 
 Unkindnefs to her dear Lord, and call fuch Difbonour 
 upon him. And quickned She was to an holy Refolu- 
 tion^ to rile up in Faith, to open to her Beloved^ what- 
 ever Difficulties She might meet with in Providence^ 
 before She enjoy 'd the bleiTrd Fruit of the Promifi. -— 
 But did She meet him injlanily ? Ah! no. As, 
 
 Ver. 5, 6. I rofe up to open to my Beloved] and my 
 Hands dropped with Myrrh ^ and my Fingers with fweet- 
 fmelling Msrrh^ upon the Handles of the Lock, I opened 
 to my Beloved^ but my Beloved had withdrawn Himfelf^ 
 and was gone : My Soul failed ivhen he fpake-: I fought 
 him, but I could not find him \ I called him,^ but He gave 
 me no Anfwer. — Mere, Her Beloved had puur'd fo 
 much of the Oil of his Spirit and Grace upon her un- 
 btiieving Heart, thro' fome Promife or oLher fweetly 
 
 appl/d. 
 
( H^) 
 
 apply'd, that her Hands of Fakh dropped with Myrrh^ 
 3ind her Fingers with Jweet fmelling Myfrh^ which He 
 had left upon the Handles of the Lock ; and which ex- 
 ceedingly delighted hc^r fpl ritual Sen fe. — r-But wheri 
 She opened to her Belove^d, and thought to let Him in^ 
 his Prcmife and the Fulfilment of it together :• (For whea 
 our Faith is reviv'd in the Pronfiife, we are apr ftraight- 
 wav to expe6l the Accomplifliment of it.) Alas ! Her 
 Beloved had withdrawn Himfelf and was gone! She 
 could not have that Communion with him in promised 
 Grace:, that She had Jlighted^ nor fee him in the Per* 
 formance of the Promife^ as She wijhed. Her Sot^l 
 failed when He [pake: In the Remembrance of his kind 
 Words ^ of his gracious Call^ She was grieved in the 
 very Inward of her S<?«/, for her Unktndnefs towards 
 him, and the Dijbonour She had done him by her Un- 
 belief, and ready u^ fail under his Withdraw^ as a juft 
 Rebuke. She fought him^ but She could not find him^ 
 She called him^ but he gave her no Anfwer. -- — - This^ 
 Ah ! Ihis^ is the Fruit of our Unbelief. Our Lord 
 did not many mighty Works there ^ (it is faid) hecaufe of 
 their Unbelief, Mat. xiii. 58. — But Mercy it was to 
 the Spoufe, that She was thus quickned a.nd Jlrengthned 
 in Faith, to open to her Beloved, to feek^ and call after 
 him ; tho' as a Rebuke for her Unbelief and a further 
 Trial of her Faith, He was not inflantly/<?^Wof her. 
 He gave her no Anfwer, — But what becomes of this 
 forfaken Spoufe ? Has her Beloved /<?r^<?//^» to be gra* 
 cious? Is his Mercy clean gone? Will be be favourable 
 no more ? Doth his Promife fail for Evermore ? No, no : 
 See the Outbreakings of his \v\hmiQ Love^ ihtTriumpbs 
 of his Grace, Truth and Fait hfulnefs. 
 
 Chap. vi. 4, &c. Thou art beautiful, O my Love, as 
 Tiizah, f^w^/y ^i Jerulalem, terrible as an Army, with 
 Banners, Turn away thine Eyes from me, for they have 
 
 U overr 
 
r 154; 
 
 overcome me: Sec, — O ftrange! Is this the Voice of 
 the Church's Beloved, to his ungrateful Spoufe^ who 
 had forc'd him from her, by her Unbelief I O unpa- 
 rallfl'd Grace! Knowledge-paffing Love! Who is a 
 JlroUg Lord like unto Him, and to his Faithfulnefs 
 round about him ! What, was She his Love ftill, the 
 Objed of his ineffable Delight ! And thro' his own 
 Beauties imputed and imparted, was She ftill efteemed 
 and declared, to be beautiful in his Eye 1 What, beau- 
 tiful as Tirzah, comely as Jerufalem, acceptable, and 
 defireabie as a Royal City^ the City of Peace^ for the 
 King of Glory to dwell in! And tho' She had been fo 
 weak in Faith, yet declar'd to be of fuch majeftick 
 Mighty as to be terrible funto all his, and her Ene- 
 mies,) as an Army with Banners! And tho' She had 
 look'd upon her altogether-lovely Lord^ with fuch Cold- 
 nefs and Difregard, could He, did He fay to her ftill, 
 Turn away thine Eyes from Me, for they have overcome 
 Me! Sec. Whac, delighted, captivated, overcome by 
 a Look from Her, who but little before, by her unkind 
 Looks, had oblig'd him to forfake her! Did He not 
 remember her ungrateful Treatment, and deal with 
 her according to herDeferts? No-, In ftridt Juftice, 
 in vindictive Wrath, He remember d her Sins no more! 
 And even his Bridegroom-Difpieafure, endured but for 
 a Moment ! She was too near and dear to Him, to be 
 forfaken^ or forgotten. He faw her upon the Search 
 for her Beloved, as quickned by his own Love •, and in- 
 ftantly gives l^ent to the Grace of his Heart, to an Im- 
 menfity ot unchanging Love, that was to run an end- 
 kh Rounds to a boundkis Eternity -, and fatisfies the 
 Defires of her Heart, in blefting her afrefh with the Vi- 
 7?^« of his Face, the Raptures of his Voice, and the 
 Wonders wrought by his gracious Prefence, and bright 
 Appearance: Till full wkh Blefling, Shi: exults in his 
 
 Praife, 
 
r 155; 
 
 Praife, / am my Beloved's, and his Defire is towards 
 me : I am a Wall, and my Breafts like Towers : Then 
 was I in his Eyes as one that found Favour 1 Ch. vii. lo. 
 and viii. lo. 
 
 Hence then, my dear Siftf r, let us learn : 
 
 1. That whenever we are favour'd with applied Pro- 
 mifes^ of pray^d-for Mercies^ and blcft with the Life- 
 giving Prefence of our Beloved therein ; we ought to 
 beware of being lifted up with our own Livelinejs^ and 
 dependent upon inherent Grace : Left fuddenly by fad 
 Experience we are oblig'd to fay, Ifleep I 
 
 2. Whenever our Lord gives us Promifes of defired 
 Mercies \ let us beware of Limiting Him^ as to IVays 
 and Times of their Performance : As when we draw out. 
 thefe for ourfelves, and the Wifdom of Providence 
 crojfeth our Expc<ftations ; we are thence eafily befet 
 with Unbeliefs as to the Performance of the Promife, 
 
 g. When in fuch a Cafe, our dear Beloved gives us 
 frejh Promifes^ and calls us to open unto Him by Faith, 
 that He may blefs us with fweet Communion withiiim 
 in his promis'd Grace ; O let us beware of making Ex- 
 €ufes^ of yielding to unhoXitwrn^ Indolence : Whereby 
 we give (uch Dtfpleafure co our great Lord, and caft^ 
 fuch Dijhonour upon him, yea, -and even ,pro.voke him 
 to withdraw his comforting Influence froip ps^ apji; 
 fufpend his wonderful Appearances for us. • { ... 
 
 4. When we have thus ^r/>i;V and diJJjonour^d our 
 beft Friend ^ let us grieve for his Diflionour by our 
 Unbelief, and rife up in Faith, to open to our Bekved^- 
 by an hearty Belief oi his Promife^ a firm Expe5}ation of 
 its Performance^ and an entire Refignation of the /F^j? 
 and Time of it, to his infinite Wifdom and Goodnefs.^ 
 And 
 
 5. If our Beloved for a While ^ fhould be withdrawn^ 
 and gons from us \ let us not fink into Difcoyr^gementy; 
 
as if He would ho more appear to us, nor for us^ but 
 meekly kifs the Rod, arid patiently and earneftiy w«// 
 bts Return ; For ^ He will fee us again^ and our Hearts 
 Jhall rejoyce^ and our Joy no Man Jhall take from us , 
 
 Wifhing you the Joys' of your Bridegroom's Fa- 
 vour, the ful) Joys that are in his Prefence, the Btau- 
 ties, in the Duties, of Holinefs to Him your Lord ; 
 and th^ Glories of his wonderful Appearances for you 
 in Providence, according to his exceeding great and 
 precious Promifes : Till the Joy of Vifion takes place 
 of Faith, and you (hall fee, arid lay, Tbere hath not 
 failed ought ^ of any of the good Words which the Lord 
 bathfpoken: To your ineffable Blifs, and his endiefs 
 Praifc: I am, my DearSider, 
 
 Tours moft affe^ionately in our Welbeloved^ 
 
 ^'' L E T T E R LV. To Mrs. K. 
 
 My Dear Friend^ 
 
 TH E Death of your HonourM Father, is doubt- 
 lefs to you, a very great Lofs •, your own defo- 
 Idte Cafe, an additional Diftrefs •, and the great AfHiC'.; 
 tion which abides one of your near Relatives \ v;ith the 
 Concern of all, that affecfbs another: makes your pre* 
 fent Condition a State of Trouble. But Jesus lives^ 
 to fave them to the uttermoft^ that come unto God by 
 Him. It hath pleafed the Father that in Him fhould all 
 FuJnefs dwell. Hark ! All FxAn^is dwells in Christ : 
 abides in Him, for the full Supply of all His^ thro' 
 Time arkd to Eternity. When Cifterns of Creature- 
 Comforts are broken^ and fail our thirfty Souls ; the 
 Lord, the Creator of all our Blifs, who is our Blifs, 
 
 as 
 
( ^57 ) 
 
 as the Fountain of living Waters^ is as full, free, and 
 overflowing as ever: To fadsfy and folace us, in all 
 our Defirfs and Griefs. Come, my dear Friend, put 
 Christ for a Welly while pafling thro' Baca\ Vale : 
 And you fhall not want any good Thing. How can 
 you want any Thing ; if you have Him who hath all 
 Things^ who is all Things, and who is and will be All 
 unto you? Delight thyfelf in the Lord : and He Jhall 
 give thee the Defires of thine Heart, In Christ there 
 is a Fulnefs of all Relation^ and a Fulnefs for all Salva- 
 tion-^ to give us all Joy Sy and to deliver us ivom all 
 Griefs. The Lord hath his Way (in Mercy to his 
 own) in the Storm ^ and in the Whirlwind \ and the 
 Clouds are the Buji of his Feet : The Forerunners and 
 Tokens of his approaching Prefence, for his People's 
 Deliverance. For when He hath tried us^ we (hall 
 come forth as Gold, Our Trials are needful^ to purge 
 away our Drofs^ to brighten our Graces, and to pre- 
 pare us for future Glory, They are given us as fub* 
 fervient Means, to thofe bleffed Ends. And that fame 
 infinite Grace, which heftows them, effedtually over- 
 rules them, into a Subferviency to its glorious Defigns : 
 For its endlefs Praife, and our immortal Joys. And 
 the Lord that gives us Trouble, gives Himfelf in it, 
 with it, to his People ; and thereby, abundant, P^j^e, 
 in much Tribulation. In the World, (our Lord fays) 
 ye fhall have Tribulation : in Me Peace: Be o^ good 
 Cheer, I have overcome the World. Our dear Lord, 
 hath gone thro' Troubles bejore us, to overcome them 
 for us, to take away the Curfe, and make them Blef- 
 (ings to us. And He goes thro' Troubles with us^ 
 and doth and will overcome them in and by us : Or^ 
 make us more than Conquerors , thro* Him that loved us^ 
 Thro' much Tribulation : is the High Road to the King- 
 dom, But having fuch a Companion in Trouble, as the 
 
 Lord 
 
Lord onr Lover^ the Lord our Saviour^ a Friend that 
 hveth at ^// 'Times, a Brother born for Adverftty ; Yea,' 
 a Friend, in infinite Grace, that fticketh ^/^y?r than a 
 Brother, in Nature ; who is given of God our Father; 
 to be our glorious Leader : Let us not fear a fafe and 
 joyful Pajfage, thro' the mod dangerous, thorny Way, 
 nor a bliisful £f?^, of the mofl: rugged Path, Afflic- 
 tions are not the Saints Abiding- Places -, but blelTcd 
 Pathways, to their prepared Manfions of eternal 
 Glory. ' ' ^ . 
 
 Thus our dear Fria.d and your honour'd Father, 
 was fweetly conduced by the Captain of his Salvation, 
 thro' his late appointed Troubles, to his everJafting 
 Reft. The Son hath made ViWVi free : and He is free 
 indeed] From Sin and Sorrow, of every Kind and !>€- 
 gree : and is entered into Purity, Joy and Glory, full 
 and eternal i^ — And can you grieve for his Salvation? 
 No, my dear Friend, this mufl be Matter of your Re- 
 joycing. And let not his lad: Trials, bt your lad- 
 ing Griefs, For now, He remembers no more the 
 Sorrow, for the J^ .• ^And vfoxvt you rejoyce with 
 iiim ?) That his light Affiitlion which was but for a 
 Momen-t ', CKVwork for him .('as God thereby prepared 
 him for) a far more exceeding and eternal Weight of Glo^ 
 ry1> — And grieve not, tho' your neareft and dearefl 
 Relatives have forfaken you : For now you. are defo- 
 kte: The Lord will take y-ou up. Call therefore, all 
 your C^re upon Him : for He careth for you. Your 
 ferfonaf Care, yoiir relative Care, your every Concern^ 
 that burdens your Mind, the Lord calls for, to be caft 
 .Opoh- Hii^ ; and has gracioufly promised to fuftain 
 you. 'To fupporfyou z/f?d/(?r, and deliver you out, of 
 all your DiftniTes. Wherefore, Trufl in the Lord 
 forever: tor in the Lord Jlhovah is everlafting 
 •Slre^igjb. And you (lull fee hi-m for you, a God 
 " working 
 
r 159 ) 
 
 working JVonders ! The Grace of Chrtft he wiih your 
 Spirit! In Him, I am. 
 
 Tour affe5lionate Friend and Servant^ 
 
 LETTER LVI. ^o Mr. F, 
 
 INDEED the Lord hath highly favoured, and 
 wrought Marvels for unwortiiy me. But ah, I 
 have not rendred to the Lord, according to the great 
 Things which He hath done forme! I mourn, I la- 
 ment, that by reafon of natural and finfui We-aknefs, 
 I cannot Jove and ferve the Lord as I would. Never 
 did I do any good Thing of my felf, but He wrought 
 in me, both to will and to do, of his good Pleafure. 
 Never did I do any Thing that was good, but 1 forae 
 way or other, marr'd it by Sin. Never did 1 do any 
 Thing worthy of my Lord's Notice. And with in- 
 ward Grief and humble Shame, I freely confe/s, Thac 
 all my heft Right eoufnejfes are hut filthy Rags. — And 
 will my great Lord, pafs by and pardon all my Tranf- 
 grefTions, and Imperfections in his Service, and ac- 
 cept and reward all my littk ElTays, my weak At- 
 tempts to ferve him, as if I had done Something for 
 him ; yea, welcome me, as you fay, into encil^fs Joy 
 and Glory ! O PFho is a God like unto Him, in Grace ! 
 Grace, Grace! is now, and ever will be'*' my CVy, 
 to the Whole of my Salvation, from Foundation to 
 fop Stone. O the Sovereignty, thelmmenfity and E- 
 ternity of my Lord's Grace ! Of his Incxhaudible, Ail- 
 overflowing Grace: Which follows .me in various, co- 
 pious Streams, to waft me into boundlcis Blifs % to his 
 eternal G/^rj / O how well is it for^;?^^, Broiher, for 
 
 ycu^ 
 
( i6o ; 
 
 you, and for every poor Sinner^ that flees by Faiih to 
 the great Saviour, That Grace reigns thro'' Righteouf- 
 nefs to eternal Life, by Jefus Chrift our Lord I And un- 
 to- free, rich, reigning Grace, which alone makes the 
 Difference bttween thcfj that are /^X/V<^, and them that 
 pei^ijh, bt the prefenrand endicfs Praife. 
 
 I am glad. Dear Sir, that your Heart is reconcil'd 
 to the Sovereignly of- God, in the predcftinating Adls 
 of h]s tFiil, refpetSling the t^ejfels of IVrath, fitted to 
 Deflru5fion^ and the Vejfels of Mercy, which He had 
 afore prepared unto Glory : And that with pleafing 
 Wonder and humble Adoration^ at fovereign Mercy, 
 ^nd righteous Severity, yoju jullify God in both. — 
 You lament, as we ought, '' That any of the Creatures 
 of God, fhould tax b^iM with Cruelty arid Injuftice, 
 in predeflinating any Man to Damnation.'* For fuch 
 is the infinite Righteoufnefs and Goodnefs oi Jebovab^s 
 Nature, that He cannot do any Thing that is unjuft, 
 or be unjuftly cruel to his Creature. -—.And however 
 finful Men, may now cavil againfb God's Decree, as if 
 that was the Caufe of their Dedrudion : God will 
 make it evident before all, at the awful Day of Judg- 
 ment, that He is clear from the Blood of all Men, 
 that thofe wWxch perijh^ \\2iVt deftrof d themfelves, that 
 their owr Sin, and not his Decree, was the procuring 
 Caufe of their Damnation. For every Mouth fhall then 
 h^ flopped, and all the fVorld become guilty (and felf-con- 
 demned) before God. — And one would think, it was 
 enough to lilence any poor Sinner now, if he did but 
 duly confider : 
 
 That God's appointing any Man to Wrath, was on- 
 ly on Account of his Sin Fore-view' d. That to this 
 Sin of his, he was not rnforced by God's Decree, but 
 finned y><^r/r; As all Men did \\\ Adam \ and as ail his 
 Dciccfidants do, from the mere Motion of their own 
 
 Will 
 
Will That God dejlroys nonc^ nor decreed to deflroy 
 any^ from under tlie Gofpel- Revelation of the Saviour ^ 
 but thofe who abide mpenitent and unbelieving^ that 
 ^0 on Jim in their Trcfpajfes^ and obftinately rf/^/^- the 
 Calls of the Gofpel, unto Fniib in Chrift^ and Repent- 
 ance towards God. That with thefe Yeffels of Wrath, 
 God from the Riches of his Goodnefs, endures with 
 much Long fufferlng. That He never inflids Punljhnent 
 upon Men^ till they by i\\t\v Obftlnacy in Sin, make the 
 Execution of Judice abfolutely neceffary. That God 
 delights not in the Death of a Sinner^ as it is the De- 
 (lru6tion of his Creature. And that, tho' the in&nite 
 Purity of God's Nature, obligeth him to hate Sin in- 
 finitely, and the Exadnefs of his I'ruth and Judice, 
 to punifh, it feverely, He exceeds 'not the Bounds of 
 Righteoufnejs \ He lays not on Man more than is meet ; 
 not a Grain Weight of Punifiment., more than the Sin 
 of an obftinate Offender hath deferved : Yea, no more 
 than is confiftent with, and even required by, the in- 
 finite Goodnefs of his Nature. For, Is it not a Piece of 
 Goodnefs, in any juft Leglflator^ to punifh a capital, and 
 irreclaimable O^^w^^r? And Jhall not the Judge of all 
 the Earth, do Right ? Yes verily, it is one Part of 
 God's Goodnefs, which he caus'd to pafs befci'e Mofes, 
 That He will by no Means clear the Guilty, Exod. 
 xxxiv. 7. He will appear to be a Gqd glorious in Ho- 
 linefs, in the Execution of \mfiri£l Juflice \ and for ic 
 as fuch, by Saints and Angels, He will be forever ^/d?- 
 rifyd. 
 
 And why {hould any be offended. That God for 
 Sin, fhould appoint Some unto Wrath \ when all Men, 
 as Sinners, had deferved to die the Death ? And when 
 God would have been glorious in the Execution of his 
 ftricl Juftice, and forever glorify'd for it by his holy 
 Angels, had he fcnt all Mankind for Sin, dov/n to 
 
 X Hell, 
 
f i62 ) 
 
 Hell^ to be punilhed with everlafting Deflru5lion^ as he 
 did the Angels that finned? Had all perijhed% it would 
 have been an awful Difplay of glorious Jujlice, Are 
 anyfaved\ how bright is the Difplay o\ free Mercy ^ 
 and fovereign Grace I And mayn't the fovereign Lord 
 of all, do what He will with his own ? Be gracious unto 
 whom He will be gracious^ zx\di /hew Mercy on whom 
 hie will fliew Mercy: While in the Execution of his 
 Wrath for Sin^ He doth not the leaft Wrongs unto any 
 Man? O what a fiiencing Word ought that to be, to 
 all proud, unbelieving, cavilling Sinners, The Wages 
 of Sin is Death ! And what a Heart-cheering Word 
 fhould that be, to all humble, believing Sinners, The 
 Gift of God is Eternal Life^ thro' Jefus Chrift our 
 Lord! Rom. vi. 23. Deaths eternal Death, is the 
 due Defert of vile, hateful Sin, But Life^ eternal 
 Life^ is the free G;//, of infinite Grace, thro' a cruci- 
 fy'd Jesus I 
 
 And fmce the Gofpel of Salvation is proclaimed to 
 /?//, and the chief of Sinners invited to r^w^ to Chrift 
 for Life, yta, and aifured by him. That none that come 
 unto him, fhall be cafl out : Why fhould any poor Soul 
 rtand difp'Jting about, and cavilling againft God's fe- 
 cretWill? Rather let him liften to, and comply with, 
 God's revealed Wills for none (hall perlfh from under 
 the Gofpel, but thofe that difobey the Gofpel. 
 
 And let us, who have happily experienced the Gofpel 
 cf Chrifi, to bf the Power of God unto our Salvation -, 
 adore the Grace of our Saviour, and in all Manner of 
 holy CoJiverfation , fay, Thanks be unto God for 
 (Ihrist; his unfpeakable Gift! And in Bowels of 
 Mercy, and in every Path of Duty, let us do our ut- 
 moti to win poor Sinners unto Faith in Chrift ^ that they 
 with us, deliver'd from endkfi Mifery^ may inherit 
 
 eternal 
 
( 163 ) 
 
 eternal Glory ! ^e Grace of Chrift be with your Spirit f 
 In Him, I am. Dear Sir, 
 
 Tour JffeSfionate Friend and Servant^ 
 
 LETTER LVII. To Mrs. Q, 
 
 * 
 
 My very Dear Sifter in Chrift ^ 
 
 IT was good News to me to hear of your Soul's Pro- 
 fperity, of the Lord's loving Kindnefs towards you, 
 in blelTing you with Iweet Communion and daily Pel- 
 lowfhip with Himfelf^ as your Royal Bridegroom : And 
 that now you can lay Claim unto Him, and all his 
 Fulnefs -, tho' in Times pad you was apt to douk your 
 Intereft. And even fo, Stand faft in the Lord, my 
 dear Sifter : Receiving the Holy Spirit's JVitnefs, borne 
 unto your Spirit by his Word, that you are a Child of 
 God: And ihm fet to your Seal, that He is true. As 
 this will be much for God's Honour, and for your ex- 
 ceeding Joy. To be bleft with the Knowledge of Inte- 
 reft in Chrift, is a Privilege unfpeakable. And with 
 joyful Communion with Htm in Love, a choice, addi- 
 tional Favour. — No Wonder that fuch a Soul defires 
 to depart^ and to be with Chrift, which is far better. 
 The fweet Clufters of Canaan*s Grapes, brought us in 
 the Wildernefs, whet our Appetite after the Heavenly 
 Country, that exceeding good Land. Where we with all 
 the Saints, at Home with Chrift, fhall feaft upon 
 Him the Tree of Life, in the Variety and Perpetuity 
 of his new and abundant Fruits, unto growing Joys, 
 and endlefs Days. Then, O then, God /hall wipe 
 away all Tears from our Eyes : And there jhall be no 
 more Death, neither Sorrow, nor Crying, neither fhall 
 
 X 2 there 
 
( i64 ) 
 
 there he any more Pain ; (inward or outward) for th? 
 former things fliall be paffed away I Let us then, as 
 Heirs of God ^ and Joini-Hcirs wiib Christ^ rejoyce 
 now, in Hope of approaching Glory. Of that Giory, 
 which await5 our PetTons, which awaits our dear Fel- 
 low Members in. Chrifu, our Brethren of the Church 
 militanr, who with us fhall Hioitly join the Church 
 Triumphant. Our hordes Joy^ as the Head of the 
 Church, will not be /////, till He fees all his SeedbroU 
 in : Converted by Grace, and rais'd unto Glory. When 
 |-ie thus fees us, the whole Eledion of Grace, and all 
 our ineflable Blifs, as the Fruit cf the Travel of his 
 Soul; He iTiaH bey^//j/>'''^' His Heart contented, and 
 delighted for ever. Such is the boundlefs Grace, of 
 our altogether-lovely, and infinitely loving Lord! And 
 Complttenefs of Joy^ it will add to the Saints now in 
 Glcry, to fee all their Brethren brought in •, to (hare 
 with them the fame FeHcity, to a blelf Eternity. And 
 as lor us^ the Beloved of the Lord, appointed to Sal- 
 vation [.7 Jefus Chriil, when we are prefented Faultlefs 
 before the Prefence of his Glory ; it will be with exceeding 
 Joy. Tlie Joy of Glory ^ to God, the Father^ Son and 
 Spirit^ and to Saints and Angels., will be an exceeding 
 Joy. A Joy far exceeding all our prefent Conception 
 and ExprefTion. So great is the Hope laid up for us 
 jn Heaven I And how great then fhould be our prefent 
 Joy, in Hope of future Glory ! 
 
 But, my dear Sifter, with Patience let us wait our 
 appointed Time, till bled Eternity comes on. Shan't 
 ice, fo highly favour'd, to know that for us there re- 
 maineth an erornal Rejt ; be free to endure all the 
 ^roubles appointed for us in this prefent Time : Since 
 the Glory of God and our Advantage, are jointly con- 
 cern'd in our behaving well, under thefe light and mo- 
 mentary AfTlidlions? Not a Trouble paflcth over us, 
 but we are call'd thercjby io glorify God^ in doing and 
 
 fuffering 
 
( i65) 
 
 fufFering his Will 9 and thus to h^ Followers of them 
 
 who ihro" Faith and Patience inherit the Promi/ej. 
 
 If, like ouf Lord, we do the fVork which the Father 
 hath given us to do, and being meek and lowly in 
 Heart, we leant Obedience by the Things which we fuf- 
 fer ; we fhall thereby ferve our Generation according to 
 the Will of God, and glorify prim upon the Plarth. 
 And doubtlefs, our Labour, is nor, {"hall not be in vain 
 in the Lord: And our light Affli^ion which is but jor 
 a Moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eter- 
 nal Weight of Glory. Then, let us not be weary of 
 Well' doing ; for in due Scajon we fhall reap, if we faint 
 not. Shall we defire to go to Heaven, before we have 
 done all the Work appointed us to do for the Glory of 
 God upon the Earth ? Shall we defire to fhun any 
 Crofs, which is to prepare us for, and to advance our 
 Crown ? No •, rather let us afk Wifdom of God, wife- 
 ly to improve our every Day's Exercife, for the Glory 
 of Him that hath loved us •, which fliall be unto our 
 Glory, when Chrift appears. Thus, rejoycing in, 
 waiting for, and haftening unto, the Coming of the 
 Day of God -, let us fpend the little Time that remains 
 unto us : And foon our Race will be run, the Prize 
 won, and we fhall enter into the Joy of our Lord, to 
 live with Him, and reign in Life by Him, to a Never- 
 ending Eternity. — That all Grace may abound towards 
 you, and you increafe with all the Increafes of God •, 
 till that which is in Part, fhall be done away, by the 
 Coming of that which is Perfect : is the fincere Defire 
 of, my Dear Silhr, 
 
 Tours mojl affe5fionately in our dear Lord, 
 
 L E T«- 
 
( i66 ) 
 
 LETTER LVIII. To Mrs H. 
 
 My Bear Sifter in the Lord, 
 
 HAPPY are You, in that the Lord hath wrought 
 fuch earneft Defires in your Heart, after the 
 Building and Beanrv of Sinn. When the Lord gives 
 iht spirit of Suppluafion^ it is the Forerunner of ap- 
 proaching Sahaiion. And wonder not at the Darknefs 
 which n».'W covers you ; as knowing tint it is darkeft^ 
 juft brfore Break of Day. Hope in God\ goon to 
 feek him \ and you fha!l yet praije hrm. — The Scrip- 
 tures which the Lord apply'd to you- Heart, ought to 
 be the Ground of Faith and Prayer, And that which 
 you laft mention,, from v/hich you havi a Hint, that 
 you mud be brought yet lower, before Deliverance 
 came : Should excite you to a patienc Waiting for 
 God, until He arife and have Mercy upon Sion^ the 
 ict Time to favour her, being come. For, In the 
 Mount of the LoKY)., it /hall be feen. When QiflreiTes 
 are greateft^ Deliverance is neareft. And therefore, 
 by that Word, as apply'd unfo you, 5f in Fain., and 
 labour to bring forth ^ &c. the Lord migl.t iiitend, not 
 only the Diftnffes which arc now upo:» you, but might 
 alfo point you thereby to your prefent Duty, under 
 your prefTing Griefs. That you ought paticnrty to en- 
 dure Pain, like a travailing Woman, in Hope of Deli- 
 verance, B-caufe Sion's God, harh faid of Sion's Glo- 
 ry.^ Shall I bring to the Birth, and not caufe to bring 
 torth? (aith //^^i? Lord : The Selr exiifent, Ail-fuffi- 
 cient, and Wonder- working Jehovah. ^ And farther. 
 That you fnould by Faith and Love wreftie with hini 
 in Prayer •, and thereby labour to bring forth : The 
 promib'd, iong'd-for Glory of Sions King, upon Sion's 
 
 Hill : 
 
( i67 ) 
 
 Hill: Unto whom the firfi Dominion fiall come. For, 
 Tour Heart Jhall live, that feek God. God Jhall help 
 you, and that right early — And that the Lord may 
 grant you a great and fpeedy Deliverance^ and do for 
 you more exceeding abundantly than you can ajk or think \ 
 to your full Joy, and his endlel^i Glory : is the hearty 
 Dcfire and Prayer of. Dear Sifter, 
 
 Tours in Chrifi for Ever^ 
 
 LETTER LIX. To Mrs. H. 
 
 My very Dear Sifter in Chrifl^ 
 
 IT is your unfpeakable Privilege, that your Lord 
 loves you. That in his Love^ you have Himfeif^ 
 and all his Fulnefs^ in the Right thereof : And thence 
 fhall have the Enjoyment of Him, and of all the Trea- 
 fures of his Grace and Glory^ for the full Supply of all 
 your Need^ thro' Time and to Eternity. If the Fulnefs 
 of Chrift could decay, if the Love of his Heart could 
 change, or if your Relation to Him could be dijfolved ; 
 you were undone I Your innumerable Wants, would 
 exhaufl his Stores ; your great Provocations, alter his 
 Mind; and the Mif-improvemenr of your Bridal Rela- 
 tion, would fnap in /under your Marriage Union. — 
 But O ! married to the Son of God: In Him you have 
 an infinite Fulnefs, that cannot be funk, unto endlefs 
 Ages ! In Him you have a Love great enough, to bear 
 your whole Weight, the Weight of your Unworthinefs, 
 the Weight of your Provocations, without the lead 
 Warp, or Turn, to the Days of Eternity ! And in Him 
 you have a Hufband, that Aye fufiains, and will For- 
 ever ^/, his Marriage-Relation to you, > And that 
 
 holds. 
 
( 168 ) 
 
 holds, that draws, that kcuvesYovi to Him/elf Forever! 
 Having loved you as his Ow7i, as his own Flejh, into 
 the neareft Relation, the clofeft Conjundlion, He will 
 love you as His, unio the End! Unto PerfeSfion^ thro' 
 an immeafurable Space, of an in^nht Duralion ! 
 
 Come then, Rejoyce in your Portion. Bofom your- 
 felf, in your great Beloved! Solace your Soul, in his 
 irrimenfe, unchangeable, and eternal Glories! In his 
 bottomlefs, boundlefs, endlefs Fulnefs I For lo, Chrifi;, 
 and his unfearchable Riches, art yours, forty er yours ! 
 Your Beloved is yours, and you are His, Come up 
 from the JVildernefs leaning, on his Bofom, leaning on 
 his Arm. Plead Relation,;' your Lord will own it. 
 Afk an increafing Difplay of his infinite Favour •, your 
 Lord will beftow it. Bring your empty VefTels, your 
 unnumber'd Wants, to Salvation's Well ; your Lord 
 will grant you an exuberant Fill -, and will do for you, 
 more exceeding abundantly than you can ajk or think! 
 From Love unknown ! From Love invariable ! Unto 
 Blifs ineffable and eternal I — O Happy Soul ! Beloved of 
 the Lord I Love and ferve him increafingly, until thefe 
 thou flialt do perfedly, incefiantly and eternally ! The 
 Grace of our Lord Jefus Chriji be with your Spirit ! In 
 Him, with tender Love, I am. 
 
 Tour fine ere Friend and Servant, 
 
 L E T T E R LX. To Mrs. S. 
 
 My dear Sifter in ChriJl, 
 
 TH E Lofs of your dear Relative, muft nearly 
 touch you. But tho' the Joy that you and 
 others had in her, and her Ulefulnefs in the Church of 
 God below, is ceafcd -, you have Cuufe oi fuperior 
 
 Joy, 
 
r ■1.69 V 
 
 Joy, in that fhe isi advanced to fee the Face of (J^i and 
 of the Laml^, and to ferve him in a "higher ^ph'^fe^ 
 among thQ Saints and Seraphs round the Throne. ■'} '. ^ 
 
 • As to the Fears which feizfd you about yoiir SlaUy 
 from aTho't^" That if you lov'd Chrift- fuperlativ^-^ 
 ** Jy,fyQU would not be fo unwilling To part witK{ 
 ** Creature- Comforts, nor fo. much cad down at the? 
 ^^-lofsofihem:'^ Gonfider:i.r.i() b.03 jliw:;^::! bi.d.t)ii 
 
 i. That Souls who love Chrift fuperlaiiveJ)\ aYe not 
 always in the Exercife o{ that Love\: At leaft, in th^^- 
 I^fgKee p^'ity ;W,hic:h e.xcludcs immoderate Sorr'ow, fof 
 ^^e'j^ofs of d^Jimkk-%bmgs'm tjie pnefent Time.'-^The'^- 
 Difcipks of Chrift^ lov*d \-\\s^tx{onftiperlatively^'ZS>'t\\ft\^ 
 I^ord aa4 Saviour':..: Bwtmourn'd excefwely^ [op- the 
 Lofs or bh Bodily Pre fence, and the fweet Enjoyments' 
 they :l?!ad/' thereby, in itW.p^rfonal MmZ/^ry, when he 
 told them;.-f/<s^;^^.^«?-im?^/.,. . This was:fuch heavy Ti- 
 dings tOLthfciT),;th^t from; a EocerThbught of parting 
 wkhthpj^ l^oY^y Sorrow filled their Hearts^ J oh. xvi. 6.' 
 And that this was Vw^w^G^er^/^, is evident^' in that our 
 Lord faid unto "them, Jf ye loved Me, ye w^uld rejoice ^^ 
 hecaufe, I Jaidy J:go/,iin\a thetFathfr : for my Father is- 
 greater than rl, tCh^p. ^i^. M^-l 'Their Sorrow,'^ rnuft^ 
 m^^^'ht ex^ceji'ue^) a$r;it feWr^r.thar Jay, ^ which- Vhey^ 
 iho,qld haye rlTiad; jovtheir Ltjri's' Advancement.- Thby> 
 lov'd their own Enjoymnhy. Ul^at Timely 2i:bov^ their 
 Lord's Gipry^ \\\% perfon'al Gloryr^ fimpjyiand 'alone con-^ 
 fidet'd. And thence, their Sorrow for the Lofs of the 
 foi^^er^- ,hinj^ef/d; ^\mt pt^kntij«iy in the-iatiej^^o-A^id 
 y^,tc^hey iqv'4 their Lord's ^Perfonahd Q\orffup^r^ 
 lativdy v,4:l>9V^l?S:f^Were:not theniathe B)aercife'Q('th^t 
 Love vF^J^^fti^ that I)<?^r^^of:it, -which would have- 
 exokjcicdj immoderate Sorrow ^Sqx xhe^ix Lofs^ in their 
 Lcr^'j Departure. Our Lord by. faying, ./^ ye loved 
 U^, ^je-ixiffuld rejaks.' ^E)icfc not ia the Jkait intimafe, 
 
 • v.^vr . Y That 
 
That rher« wag w irtu Love to Bim in thtir Heaf'f/^ 
 ryor y^t, ./>j!|y fuperlative Love to his (5/<5yy : But only 
 fjgnify*d thereby, that they were n<il then in ihcEser-^ 
 d^ of '4ha,t £,ov.e, and thence excited them to their 
 I)uty,€Q;Jovje ,H)rti and his Glory, more fingly aftd' 
 pureiy, and to flow into the Will of God in hisE)epar- 
 tare /fow'therx), more fully and compiaeently. Which 
 he had likewife told them -was fo neceffary, that if He 
 *^'€ffi not away^ the Cpni farter nQould not come ; and fo 
 much for their Advantage, that \i He departed^ He 
 ^^Qu\d:find.Hm\ pray ibt Father^ and He jhMd givi^ 
 tht',\ -aa^&^Ai" ^ Qamforfex'^ji whq i^cyuld^ ahide with them 
 for,(v$r,^r :'. >;.^ --^-Oii-^'-: ei^l '^'v •: ?-;,!'y,i iSvV^S. 
 -.'iH^nce then, my dear Sifter, whenever the Lord 
 tries us^ by taking away any Creature or Thing, ht" 
 low. t}i«jft]f, or by .taking Jrom us the Enjoy-ment of' 
 liiinf^f^ i[l:this3iDr that particular' Way' :^Let \\i iie^* 
 war?;"iof exceiTive Grie£; Jecusihrnrible burfelves^befor^ 
 God on 4c((opnt <5fiit^fo i^i!!il^s:3itJp?€v^ils^S' fet tl? in- 
 tf.eat the fref^; Supplies gftiis Grace, to draw -out out; 
 fupcrlati^^?, liove . i6 Ihe Lord a^d his Glory ; 'in Sfuch- 
 ^ ,fMpi?rlatiy.e Degrjce,'. thar-T*iay • tjft^tida im.r^oder^te 
 Sprr:QWvvfer:.0ur ovvih Lofs, m^ -excite ^ur Joy fbft 
 Qod'sQloxy^^aqcoundn^^ t^^^ ^ur- G;4ihy ^s iri' itfelf 
 Gpofij^crei. 5j rtiKir!Cafl;iplad€rttl^ ' iflci wirtg into the Will^ 
 of Gpcl, lee u^ believe' tha aUfhiffg^ do and fhall wor^ 
 t^it'km\fQnMar^:Gaedy pgtP^pJrdfetic.'and eternal Advan^ 
 l^ge^o cl.:J orb lot v:c;"\^-il vw^ ^-ymiiij r;iA^ Jj'vaja 
 ^ft fl-iovijd .give!a Hi^ttoithei Td^t^ \^oia;m^ritidwr7^ 
 XH4iv.\^f..::9.ri^ 2:G0rriM;iib.V V^ixi shfeoVd^s Voifc&'M 
 >9(^ift)y\^i&fi^v Jhqiiam\um4^felfHd^h/h'lhii aft'd'^^ 
 ^^P:<t^^^;c-^i'^^^v.<^fi?^''y^W/::^W?^ -^^^/d? tbee:- h' this*^ 
 StCftuA? /lav*, itihr^ii ds-ar, €h\l^ of^ my infinite -Love,^ 
 V pp\v thyvt^eart i^ troubled for the Lofs of a pleafant 
 ^^-.^^d ft]<t'hAhk- Qreali&e^i d^rrie to^the Bofotn of thy 
 
^tli^f'tumn^itf afid Eteprrky'of my LtSVeii^d BnTrieft^' 
 ^- acquaint f by/elf mw withMty^-WUb ih aH W^iin^^ 
 * bdlimie'd irid iHichafn^ing GUries.-tkn^ tn'ttr^/'¥ha 
 •^ €ternalfy /y^'/V^. Ty&<^% G^^?^ lhm''m^\irHo^hhih'^- 
 'Thence thoil fh&It fihd- iA-M^,'a'-Ajpfen>^^ Bllfs^'^ 
 ^ ifhat- w>Wch tHoa ha(i loft in the ^ijftm^tyMk\^^0 
 *■ tfty itf/fv under my over-rulrngGy^^^,- to be fof t:hy 
 ' pFefeiit-^d eternal G^m.'— And by th-e oth^r T^xf^^ 
 W^ff-ayfou in Chrift^s SPead^ he ye reconciled tv "Ghd : 
 The Lord calls you to be reconciled unto Him, in rh'e' 
 pt'^Jhri^'Ppbvidmce, to fk)W Tweet ly into \^Mr^W\i^ 
 iri ibifhijpenfation, vfhb huhrecoficited^yoU MTrH^if^* 
 f€l/h~reni6-€mft, an^ is ii> all Thk3g^i'ti>'^61i'HndW 
 tiSi^^n^Qed^of-i^ace^^^^-^'^^^^^'^^ [^ ^"^ f^^ \^'<-f ^ 
 i M^/e^iHg (he Son tli^n, ^^M' 'feliMng^y^^':!^ 
 kme .-eiemal tife, irf the Right, a^dBeg^-fi-njdy.i^etft 
 tff jt hW :- Prefs ^m^Tf^^¥d:\i\\iu^lM^^njbii^t 
 M^ff^pe^'dph^.&hr^ cf G\yB,0'^Faini m, ^btiVhmW» 
 J^ trM^oednefs <^f t-be'^lA^^^ %7y?)f«*'Z{^t^-b/'^/5H^-2Jft^^|: 
 Aft«dvfooHP;5^<'th^ (^\uiG(kmj5\ td'IWeff^Fi^^S/^i; 
 \^ eUyha^ Ltfe.-^t cv'm^iii ym to Him oii^htm j^iru-h'aW 
 believed: GteufGrai^e 'h wiS you i And'a^^yiVhiiifid^ 
 Af&afef^ '^^^^ '.''-'- -i5b;;oW -iii.oU ri:.// ,t^xnq 
 
 ^ 
 
 LETTER LXI. To Mr. F. 
 
 Dear Sir, 
 
 BEcaufe Jesus /fwj, you Jball live a-fo. Rejoice in 
 your Portion •, live upon, and to the Lord, in 
 every Thing, You will foon live with Him y and glad 
 • i ^ ui y 2 will 
 
vyjjl )^Otf,b^i \«fhen yourT^V?^^ is gQne», and; bled S^^-' 
 ;;/4y coi;nes pn, of tvery Word and Work, : yQa-i^id pr» 
 
 i.Ud fox Cbrifi^ while Time and Strength was afforded,* 
 Work now, for the Glory of Him that hath loved you •,> 
 you , will; quickly '.ef)ter inpp ^^, . '^nd give -Him thff* 
 ^^aife of ^//J&//^,^r^7^^,'T^i;am 'glad you -fee theNecef- 
 r|ty;:of t^^Q.N^ji^Mipk. , for-y%mthoia Holinefsy of He^rD 
 a^d J^ife, •%, tt^e rrCgei^^ri^^ing-Wofi^i^^rif) fandi Tying* 
 Influences of the H,ofy Ghoft,»(? Man Jhall fee the Lord,-' 
 Wq.po^t^Q^iy.Aigft pot,, but.f^;//?^/ enjoy God,,/\f o^K^, 
 Souls iare.m\c transformed Jr>to, his Image, \ LikeThingri 
 bQ(o»i,f% ^\ Qo^^rfnies n2imd\\y,^?it^^ o- 
 
 ^f{^l^ ^^^my .joyVikewif^, that you -r^/^Che iich>j' 
 
 ^^^^\^^^}b^'^^^^^,^'^^^ ■'■■ AnJKvidcnce.thj?;^^ 
 
 that 7i?« are' one of the New-born^ Forfjpncbut'fuc^'ji^ 
 i^^ th^^ib^ L&i-d'isgr^chus. --A'nd this they do with 
 iqeffabi^ Piea^^^^ with a lively Hope, and, 
 
 firx|i,|JecfLiaf^pnj 9f^^heifjOv^4^ IjiiAr.eJly in that fpvereign. 
 Q^%^M\^ii'> ,*V^'9^ . onJyjs^n; >nd fuWy-'^oth, brings 
 Sal^^tkn^{o^^.^vtk\^ ^elieve-M Jefu^^^ 'asibeipg of, 
 oM;, ^-^(ip^^ :?^/(>, itef}nai Life;, Tf- Th ep,, [B roth?r , 6 wh,e ji ' 
 Cr^f^ iiati;vbroiight\ijs to G/^ry»> we'll .lllout^ics^Pr<^(/^4i 
 If) a bleO: Eur^uy : x^nd each, ftruckwitli^ fweet Sur^ 
 prize, with adoring Wonder drive,' who IhaH fing. 
 loudell, Lw!^^y^'3^^^«;^i' r.^/^ ^;^?^j c^while Tboufands, 
 Zhsufimis ir^lp^sd by \ Even fo. Father -, for fo it 
 feemed good in thy Sight! Farewel in the Lord. Dear 
 
 7'our affeSlionaie Friend in Chrifi^ 
 
 al ,WA 3(b Q5\ bnr. ^t^.t'<v^ pvil : 5t^'s^•^•iH way CJL 
 bB\-% boB i w\'ft ^Uw 3V!! aocillir uqY .^r.f'nT'v^-Y^ 
 
 IKat V y l e t- 
 
( 173") 
 
 -u 
 
 I 
 
 ■ I^^ETTEll^LXII. To 
 
 N- liQve tb your Soul, f Wite a Line, to warn you 
 f of the Danger of finning againft Light : As I hear 
 '»' That !you are perfwaded you do wrong ; that you 
 "i ought to forfake all, and follow the Lanmb, even 
 ;*^: whitherfoever He goeth ; and to come out from 
 *' the World of unconverted Men, and the Worfliip 
 *A which they cleave to, left , you he .a Partaker of 
 ," their; Sins^ . and fo of their Plagues '^-^ I muft fay;. 
 That:yopr Galfe, has appeared to me very awful, and 
 what I could not v/ell account for. — But it gives me 
 frefli Hope concerning you, as the Spirit of God han't 
 done^ftriving with you, but convinceth your Mind that 
 yoM.hayeforiakenr the Lord, and inclineth your Heart 
 :C0 : retUrr^. --rJt befeech you therefore for the Lord's 
 Sake,, and for lyour Soul's Sake, that you regard the 
 Dictates of the Holy Ghoft toiyour Mind, and com^ 
 •pty.with^lvsM,otijQns;upon your Heart. For, To him 
 ^thatVno'Ntxh to do Good, and doth it not, to him it is 
 ^n(i' Ag^ay^t^d^SinrSin by Way of Eminence. 
 iiAf\6i)He that^ krtowejch) His Mailer's Will, and dath it 
 ■nofy.ifliaU/h hat^mfwit^ many Stripes. What yotir 
 .^t^te is towards God, the Searcher of Hearr^ knoweth : 
 'JButrthi^.I thiak is certain, that neither you yourfelf, 
 -nor any pth^rChriftian, can have an Evidence at pre- 
 ■(erst,. fth^t ^oxxiove Chrijl Juprekiely, And he that lovds 
 ;hirn ,n9t^^^^'y^;<?//^ loves him not at all^' as he ought 
 rt0:do, or in Sincerity. And you well know that aw- 
 .ful Text, If any Man love not ths Lord Jefiis Chrift^ 
 M him^e AmthQmsk Maran-aiha, i Cor, 72 vi. 2,2. Or, 
 
Cm)) 
 
 let him be accurfed when the Lord cometh. And what 
 Evidence, my dear Friend, have you^ that you do 
 love the Lord above aiJ, when you ^<»wd/ fof fake all 
 for hinri f You know what oor Lord haJ taught his 
 Difcipies, as the firft LefTon they are to learn,. Z.«/^(f 
 xiv. 26, 27. If any Man come to M€, and "tiut t^x his 
 ,Fajbtr, and Mother, andtWife^ t^fvd Chiidren.^AndB^- 
 thrtn^ and-&iflers', yea^ andhv&owk^ Lift affi^ h (taniibt 
 be -my Difciple, j^^dwhi7faeverd(>tkr)Qib^^\^&Crof^^ 
 find come after Me, Cannot be my Djfdple.'^ T^^sHa"- 
 tred here fpoken of, which refpcdh ow tf^refli .arfd 
 deareft Relatives, is mot tff ber umsterftooid ©f. arr abfo- 
 htQ Hatred of their Perfcns,v-ii<5r-thefo% tkel^z!^ 
 of God wc are obfi^ to iove) but: otf theivMW'M^yfy 
 •when they would hinder os fxam fofewrng Chrfff. 
 -And tiif^n^ we ar€ to carry it tow^cjfe'tlteai: a5 if w^ 
 Elated di^m: That is, we are^ nor to foBowthfelr Did- 
 tates, when they wodd drarr us off frmrTrCfaiift,' .nm- 
 to fear their Threatnings, m cksvmg mMkni' But CO 
 fravean Abhorrence of both as^^evi^L AAd-riife KiitJd<(5f 
 H^Ored of Relations, yea, ajidoif rtar oww Uife, .w*wi 
 the L^ve of it would hinder our JayEng it^ xJ»OWt ftfr 
 Chri^ft-'s Sake, if he calls for it^ hiitcfi^ttd^^ md n^a- 
 laily It flaws trom a fupcrUtive Lo«^e fo £hf ift: in^^j^fe 
 HeartL And ^^^^wr it, artd f© ,^ 1^i^m^m4le Gr^k 
 •any, -artd every Cmfs, omriJLord calig ili&Oto^fie^V'^ 
 M^^^^/«/;/ ^^ hts Bifcipkz M\^ym^sex]^^'i^i»wtJ^ef 
 Hm, when He appears, 'if yao^^^'t: e^^^^^^^^^ 
 i ruth of the Gofpel, fo fe as-we kiwx^ ^. iii^^Be 
 ^ace of a Thoufaxid Difficultnesv R^proatth^S^ ^fid O15- 
 pofiiions; we/^y/ theTriyja, vs^.^^cfe«:Tftith,.ijft^ 
 Have noEvidejice,. if we^continuc fo t»3 do, «haP wfe 
 ^re of the Truth.. We ought to follow rphrLord^ih 
 every 1 ath of Duty he is pleas'd c© fhew ua. • AiTM 
 Uie Apoflie, Phil, iii. 16. i^ifer«/e» mehav^^akeady at- 
 tained. 
 
C'tys) 
 
 tained, /<?/ us walk ky the fame RuJe, let us mind the 
 fame Ttung. And thus we arc to prefs forward in otir 
 Chrtfitan Rarfy looking to that immortal Crown of 
 <jk/yy vfhich of tht freefi Gface^ Uiail be givea xi^ 
 OverchJterii -'A^^ ^^^^'^^ U.Cw \'r.V.^ -.X u ^i-;^;?.!' ,sK.t( r^i 
 ■ Aks^ my Fri«n3,' you Si run well, but yoo 
 have htmhindred. And what Fruit have you, of 
 your forfaking the Lord ? Terror of Confcience now. 
 And liow much more of that Kind of bitter Fruit you 
 fnay have when Death approaches, you know not* 
 God may make you a Terror to yourfelfy and to all ai 
 bout you. And How poor 2in Excufe will it be, wfien 
 you appear before the Judgment Seat of Chrift, and muft 
 give Account of the Things done in the Body, whether 
 good or evil, to fay, ' Lord, I would have followed 
 ^ thee according to the Tiuthof thy Word, and th^ 
 
 * liight G^^y Confcience 5 if myneareft Relative had 
 
 * not 'rnadefucl^ great Oppofitioh.* Alas, my dear 
 Friend,- thihk what ah awful Reply, our Lord would 
 make to fijch a Speech. Would yoa lofe a far more 
 exc^eeding' and eternal Weight of Glory, for a little 
 tehiporat Eafe, and Freedom^ fisDm Jffli^ion? The 
 Fc^pt&JofOddi^otPehee^ith'Man ? No furely. ' Hear- 
 ken -thk tcr' ;f he '^Lord's NoKt, What foe'ver thy Ban^ 
 findeth io do,'^dS it^ith thy Might, for ther-e is no fVif-^ 
 dom nor Devite in the Grave^ whither thou goejl, A nd, 
 Boafi not thyje^f- of To- morrow r for thou knowefi not 
 wha(ar^^D^ mafi?ring for^ih? ^;';- i-'o^ il) rV>^ii i.A \ui 
 
 'G^rLoi^^'Callsyo to-fo¥fake'S'l,'^ih l4eatf| 
 
 artd to foilow^ li^m. — But then renlcmber, He ^ath^ 
 pfonhifedi That ^ 'Hi ■ will' nevei^ leave; norforfakeyok: 
 That youT^Shoes ihall be Iron and Brafs, and as your 
 Days, your Strength, He doth hot call you to go a 
 Warfare otrjaurown Charges, to conflidt with Trou- 
 bles in your own Strength j but hath faid His Grace is 
 ■')■ ^' .1 fufficient 
 
v/ 176;; 
 
 Sufficient for _)'<?«, and Uis To:Jojr,^\refi upjinyou. 
 And inviting you to take, his Yoke upon you. He 
 /iays» My Tcke'u eafy, and my Burden is li^ht. Mat. xi, 
 ego. J And again, ^e thus affures. you, Verily I fay un- 
 to you^ 'There is no Man that hath left Houfe^ or Brey 
 ibren^ or Sifiers^ or Father^ -or JS/Lother^ or Wife y or 
 Children^ or Lands ^ for m-^ Sake ^ and the GofpeVsy hut 
 he fhall receive an Hundredfold now in this Time, Hon- 
 feSy and Brethren^ and,§ifters, and Mothers.^ and Chil* 
 dren, ,md:Landsy (in'^<?fe^, t ho', not xnj^ind: .He fhall 
 rjeceive the C?>;^/3r/^ of all\thefe in ^ GW, even to an 
 Hundred fold ^^ withPerficut^im^ i (# a fweet Crofsy to 
 prepare hiiti for a glorious Crown) and .inJbe World to 
 come^ Eternal Life^ , Mark, x. xg\ 3 Q-. .> ^ *!•.,.. . 
 
 You fee then, my dear Friend ,,Thatr it isimpoffible 
 for any ohe to' bciarl^^ij^rb^nfo^wingfihri/i, ; T|iQ 
 more \y^ kfe iJGx, fiipif \hQ. greater \i gut Gaijt.j Tho 
 greater, ;are oljr Tm^J, : the girater and brighter will b« 
 pur Croruun.' — And, rbcliev^-e. it, -if yos\ follow the Lor4 
 pilly,, H^ s^\\\ appear for you greatly. He _ will not fuf'^ 
 feryQu to be, tempted above that you ^r^ able to bear *, but, 
 witi) the fjP^jn p ta tis>n, 4 "dAll^fri^-e-a Wc^ ta^ ef^^pe.,; _ H 5) 
 b^chlall H^arjs^'m his.H,an4<>i .^nA ^^^^^J^^ ^^^^cx ^s the --Si:^ 
 tiers, ofiWat^i^, wJiiclx^W^^y ]ci^vtv he pleafeik, - He faith; 
 to the Wrath.!o.^Ma^/a^,^tQ{the raging .Sea, Hitherta, 
 fhalt thoucoYiie^ ^nd^no further^; and here (hall thy proud ' 
 W^yes be j0-e^d. ,Thevt^Qrc,-J^ear not them that can 
 kill the Body^ (if you was cali'd to fuffer^ evqn.^ un;a 
 Bmh^: fpr'ChAiftwouy give- ypu z, Crown of JUife) 
 hutjea-r H i m^ who aft^r He, hathlilled^ , ha^h Powento^ 
 cajiinto //f/Z.-r-i-That the -L^rd may make you:>vi/e un-v 
 to Salvaiion,: is .tl^e hearty Defire of, my dear Friendv 
 - ( II: 'J T<^H^^ affe^ionately^ / ,^.t^01 
 
 -uuii jjiv/ -Jbifino:,> 03. tn^ii!.0 ;^-^; S ' hJ)^ l. ^j ' ^v \\^'<X 
 
 x;n\%\ L* E t- 
 
( ^77 ) 
 
 LETTER LXIII. To Mr, A. 
 
 My very dear Broth£r in Chrift^ 
 
 YOUR lail kind Letter I received, and give 
 Thanks to God, that He was pleas'd to make 
 my poor Books of life to many dear Souls with you ; 
 and thankful I am to you, Brother, that you told me 
 of the Lord's Kindnefs therein : To Him the Glory is 
 due. — I rejoice, Brother, that your Faith of Intereft: 
 in Chrift is ftrengthened, and abides firm, amidft all 
 Shakings, by the Variation of your Frames. And that: 
 when opprefled by your fpiritual Enemies, you flee 
 to Chrift for Help againft them : For your Cleanfing 
 from all Sin in his precious Blood, and for the fubdu- 
 ing of all your Iniquities by his Almighty Arm. 
 
 You groan^ my Brother, being burdened^ with the 
 Body of Sin^ of Beath^ that dwelieth in you : And be- 
 caufe of that Diftance from God, which by the fepa- 
 rating Things of this World, is occafioned to you. In 
 both you have the Sympathy of your great High Prie/i 
 in Heaven^ the infinite Sympathy of your Beloved* s 
 Heart, And lo, He lives at God*s Right Hand, He 
 ever liveth, to fave you to the uttermoju To fuccour 
 you in your Confli£ls with the Powers of Sin and Hell : 
 To fubdue your fpiritual Enemies, and utterly defiroy 
 them, at his appointed, and your approaching. Time 
 of Deliverance : And to bring you into as full Confor- 
 mity to God, and as near Communion with Him, as 
 your Soul can wifh, unto endlefs Ages! Ar\d freed 
 from Sin, and broU to God, my Brother,, even into 
 his immediate Pr^y^«r^, andTet, Holy and without Blame 
 before Him in Love : What can you defire more ? 
 
 No, you'll fay, this is the All of my D'.fireF, the 
 Ultimate of my hop'd-for, long'd for, and expt^cled 
 
 Z * Blifi, 
 
BUfs, But O! while I abide in this Tabernacle, I 
 groan^ being burdened^ with Sin in my Soul^ and Z)i- 
 l^ance from God. 
 
 But my Brother, fince your Lord's Name is called 
 Jesus, becaufe He fhall fave his People from their 
 Sins, and bring them unto God : Let your future Sal- 
 vation, he your prefent Joy: And iprck forward to- 
 wards the Afark, for this Prize of the High Calling of 
 God in Chrifi, Follow on to know, and love and ferve 
 the Lord, increafingly in this World -, and in thefeRe- 
 fpedts you fhall know Him. Br aw nigh to God, in all 
 appointed Means of Grace ; and He will draw nigh to 
 you, in the Difplays of his Glory. Come up from the 
 Wilder7iefs, march towards Canaan^ % Land, leaning up- 
 en your Beloved. His faving^r;;/, his cheering ^^yc?;;;, 
 are your Joint Privilege, your free, great Privilege^ 
 of diftinguifhing Favour, bellowed on you, as the Be^ 
 loved of the Lord. And while you reft on your Mighty 
 Lover, your Almighty Saviour, and truft your Salva- 
 tion in his Hajids, who hath laid the Foundation, and 
 will bring forth the Head Stone thereof with Shoutings, 
 crying, Grace, Grace unto it : Rejoice you in Hope of 
 the Glory of God. For now is your Salvation nearer 
 than when you (^firft) believed. — The Sorrows and Suf- 
 ferings of this Life pafs away, yea, are but for a Mo- 
 ment, if comparM with that Eternity of Blifs, which 
 awaits us in the Life to come. And while the God of 
 all Grace works gracioufly upon us by thefe : Our light 
 Affii^ion, which is but for a Moment, worketh for us a 
 far ynore exceeding and eternal Weight of Glory ! Our 
 groaning Souls, under prefcnt Mifery, and after future 
 Glory, are to be deliver'd from the one, and bleft with 
 the other fpeedily. And our Groans after Immortality, 
 that Mortality might be fw allowed up of Life, are our. 
 Preparation by Grace., for owx prepared Glory: The Ap^ 
 
 petite 
 
{ '79 ) 
 
 ptstite given us, for that eternal Feafl which awaits us : 
 And are alfo a prefent Evidence of our future Blifs.^ or 
 that God hath wrought us for the felf-fame Thing, 
 
 You long to be diffolved. Brother, and to be with 
 Chrifly which is far better. And foon your De fires 
 lliall be granted. But, be free to abide in the Flejh^ 
 your appointed Time, for the Lord*s Glory in and by 
 y^Uy and for your Glory, in and with Him^ prefent 
 a-nd eternal. — The Canaanites were left in the Land, 
 to prove IfraeL And Sin is left in our Souls, and va- 
 rious Sorrows muft attend our Lives, to give us Op- 
 portunities to glorify our Lord, and fhew the Valour 
 of our Graces, as good Soldiers of Jefus Chrijl^ by watch- 
 ing againft, and making War upon, all the Enemies 
 of our Lord the King. Little do you think. Brother, 
 how much you glorify Chrift, and delight his Heart, 
 when you are efficacioufly taught by the Grace that 
 bringeth Salvation^ to deny Uttgodlinefs and worldly 
 Lufls, and to live fiber ly^ righteoufly^ and godly in this 
 •prefent (evil) IVorld : Nor yet, how much your good 
 Converfation in Chrift, will be to his eternal Honour and 
 Pleafure. Our Lord's Glory and Joy in his People, 
 exprefs'd before his Father, / am glorify* d in them : 
 Nor will, nor can, know any Decay, As our Obe- 
 dience glorifies his Name^ and cheers his Heart in the 
 frefc.it 1ime\ fo the Honour and Pleafure which will 
 aiife unto Him thereby^ in the Remembrance thereof^ 
 will be eternal. And mod furely, every Thing that 
 we are enabled to do or fufFer for Chrift now^ will be 
 the Matter of our endlefs Joy •, and alJ our Doings and 
 Sufferings for Him in this prefent Time, thro' out 
 Lord's infinite Gra^e^ fhall ferve as fo many Jewels^ 
 to enrich our Crown of eternal Glory. — And who then, 
 l\\2ii loves Chrift y 'his Honour and Pleafure^ prefent and 
 ettrnal; and h^s a due Regard to \\\% own Happinefs in 
 
 Z 2 tliis 
 
( i8o ) 
 this World, and in that which is to come ; would not 
 be heartily willing to fuffer^ and earneftly defirous to do^ 
 the zvhole Will of God, for thefe bleffed Ends ! 
 
 And the' ourGofpcl Obedience, to our great Grief, 
 is very imperfect ; yet, let this be our great Joy, That 
 our Salvation, from Sin^ fhall be to God's eternal Ho- 
 nour. The Forgivenefs of all our Sins, to the end- 
 lefs Honour, of the exceeding Riches of the Father'' s 
 Grace : The Cleanfing of our Souls, from all our Un- 
 cleannefs and deep-dy*d Sins, from the Guilt and Filth 
 of all our TranfgrCiTions, to the endlefs Honour, of 
 the boundlefs Grace of the dying Saviour, and the in- 
 finite Merit and EfRcacy of his precious Blood: And 
 the fubduing of our Iniquity, and the Sandlification of 
 our Nature, to the endlefs Flonour, of the Almighty 
 Pow^r.and Grace of the Holy Ghofi, our Sanclifier, — 
 This, my dear Brother, may be a Relief to our Spi- 
 rits, under the heavy Burden of our daily Infirmities. 
 
 But as Sin is the greatell o^ Evils in itfelf j as it is 
 the abominable ning which God hates\ as it cafts the 
 greatcft .D//Z;^;/^//r upon the Lord, Father., Son, and 
 Spirit', and as it brings the greateft Mifery upon uSy 
 and others : O let us in the Strength of Chriil, in all 
 Things watch, and Jlrive againji Sin! And in all 
 Things labour, for God's Honour, and our own and 
 others Advantage, to be Holiness to the Lord, 
 more than ever ! — The Grace of Chrifi he with your 
 Spirit! With affedionate Efteem, I am, my dear 
 Brother, 
 
 Tours in the Lord for ever^ 
 
 LET 
 

 LETTER LXIV. To . 
 
 My dear Sifter in Chrift^ 
 
 I Am grieved with you, for your Lofs. — But it be- 
 comes us to fubmit to God's holy Will. May the 
 Lord rand:ify it to you and yours, and to every of us, 
 to whom this awful Stroke gives a loud Call, Be ye al- 
 fo ready : for at fuch an Hour as you tbink noi, the 
 Son of Man comethl You fee how fuddenly, how un- 
 expedtedly, Death cometh •, and after Death the Judg- 
 ment i The awful Judgment, that decides our State, 
 for a vaft Eternity I Let this put you on a more earneft 
 Concern, to be actually ready for your Lord's Coming. 
 — And be not content to go to Heaven alone. Now 
 you have but one of your neareft Relatives left, and 
 know not how foon you may lofe Him : ffor when 
 Death comes into a Family, it often ftrikes more than 
 One, in a little Time.) O do your utmoft, while his 
 Health and Strength lafts, to fhew him the Vanity of 
 this World, and to perfwade him to feek a better Coun- 
 try^ a City that hath Foundations^ of Blifs ineffable and 
 eternal, whofe Builder and Maker is God ! Pray for 
 him mod earneftly and inceffantly. Tell him his loft 
 and miferable State by Nature, thro' original and 
 adlual Sin. That he muft be born again, or can never 
 fee the Kingdom of GoT>. And that this little Inch of 
 Time, the prefent Time, is all he hath, to prepare for 
 a bleft Eternity. That if this is mifpent, and the great 
 Salvation proclaim'd in theGofpel negkoled-, his Soulk 
 loft forever f Better far would it have been for him, if 
 he had never been born! Tell him likewife, That God 
 hath taken away his dear Relative y to warn him, in a 
 
 very 
 
( ^8^ )• 
 
 very particular Manner. That he is call'd hereby, to 
 turn unto God fpeedily ; and that the Lord waits io 
 
 fee^ if his fparing Goodnefs^ will lead him to Repentance. 
 Set before him the great and precious Promifes of the 
 Gofpel: T\\m\\(){(^^\\QfeektheLordtruly^t\\^t{Qtk him- 
 early^ {hzW find Him ^ unto Life eternal ! dzc. And who 
 kp^ows but God may incline his Heart to receive In^ 
 llrudlion? — Have you been fo tender and careful of 
 his Body^ from the firft Moment of his Birth, until 
 now, tho' you know it mufl: foon peri/b, and turn to 
 its original Du/l: And can you difr^gard his Soul, his 
 immortal Soul, that is far more precious than the wbok 
 JVorldl As oar Lord faith, What /hall it profit a Man 
 if he gain the whole World, and lofe his own Soul? O 
 
 . the Lofs of the Soul, is an irreparable Lofs ! All is 
 gene, if the Soul is lofl I What if a Man could gain the 
 Treafjres, Pleafurcs, and Honours of the Univerfe^ 
 call Earth and Sea, Sun, Moon and Stars, all his 
 Own: If Ch^list, and God in Hixn, were not his 
 prtfent and everlafting Portion : Alas for him, his Soul 
 yf/tvQ lojl, he were for ever undone! And all t^efe his 
 momentary Enjoyments, which only fervcd toincreafe 
 his Sins, would prove as fo many Aggravations of his 
 cndlefs Torments ! Son, remember, that thou in thy 
 IJfe-time hadtl thy good Things : Will caufe a fierce 
 RefleSIion, that will make the Furnace ^^le;, and ferve 
 ns ke(h IJMel to feed the quenchlefs Flame l-^O then, 
 my dear Silier, what Care and Labour can be too much, 
 what enough, to take with your beloved Relative to' 
 prevent his coming into that Place of Torment I Should 
 Sicknefs feize him, and Death approach ; you would 
 tear to fpeak to him then, left penfive Thoughts, 
 fiiould increafe his Difeafe. Therefore now, now he 
 \^ in Health, if ever you do or fay any Thing for his 
 ^imtTs Advantage-, Set about it inflantly^ and moft ear- 
 
 nefily. 
 
( '83 ) 
 
 neflly. Don't let Trifles divert you, nor n1ake him think^. 
 That Eternal Thitrgs, are of fmall Moment^ and not 
 worth feeking for, mod ardently ! — And lo far as you 
 know the Mejfed Go/pel^ which has been your Salvation ; 
 and are fatisty'd that you hear it clearly f reach" d : O do 
 your utmoft to bring Him, under the fan-^e joyful 
 Sound ! Who can ttl! but he may have the Blejjednefs 
 to know it for himjelf, unto his Joy unfpeakablc here, 
 
 and to his eternal Glory hereafter : But perhaps 
 
 you will fay, 
 
 I fhould be glad to have my Relative attend the 
 WorQiip of God with me, and to wait in the Way 
 where Jesus paiTeth by. But the DifTenting Intereft is 
 fo low and fmall, and there are fo many that oppofe 
 and deride it *, and reproach thofe that look towards ic; 
 I think, for the Shame and Fear of Men, he will re- 
 fufe Compliance with my Requeft, tho' other wife he 
 might be fo inclined. — I anfwer: 
 
 If upon attempting your Duty in this Regard, you 
 find that this is really the Cafe with him : O compajfionau 
 his Soul, under thofe Chains of Darknefs, in which he 
 is held: And looking up to God for a Bleffing, be 
 you faithful, and tell him plainly. That the Friendfloip 
 of this World, is Enmity with God : That Whofoever 
 is afhamed of Christ, his Words, and Ways, his Gof- 
 pel and Ordinances, before Men \ Of him, our Lord 
 will be afhamed, when He cometh in his own Glory, in 
 ihe Glory of his Father, and with all his holy Angels, 
 And that Whofoever will come after Chri/f, up to Hea- 
 ven, muft deny Himfelf, and take up his Crofs, and fol- 
 low him : Or he camtot be his Difciple, and will not be 
 accounted worthy of Him : Whom to know, to poOels 
 and enjoy, is Life eternal I — And afl<: him, Which he 
 thinks is bell that a Man fliould chufe. Whether to 
 fuffer a momentary Shame for Chrifl's Sake, Irom ev 
 
 Ml 
 
( iS4 ) 
 
 Men here : Or to be raifed up unto Shame and ever ^ 
 lofting Contempt hereafter? Or, to be put to an open 
 Shame, before all the glorify'd Saints and holy Jngels^ 
 yea, to h^vtChriJl Himfelf ajhamed to own him, when 
 He appears, when an Intereft in the Son of God, will 
 be apparently of mort Worth, of infinitely more Value, 
 than innumerable Worlds — And who can tell, God, 
 by Tou, may perfwade Japheth, and He may dwell in 
 the Te?its of Shem. And may fay, to your Heart's 
 Rejoycing, as Ruth to Naomi, Thy People fhall be my 
 People, and thy God my God : Nought hut Death fhall 
 part thee and mc. 
 
 As to your deceafed Relative, I am glad you had 
 Hope concerning him. That, may alleviate your 
 Grief ^Qx his Death, and excite you to a more compla- 
 cent Acquiefcence with the Will of God. There is one 
 Inflame recorded in Scripture, that a dying Sinner, 
 found Mercy ; T^he Thief upon the Crofs : That none 
 fhould defpair, if God is pleafed to call them at the 
 eleventh flour. And there is but One-, That none 
 fhould prefume, to truft to a Death- Bed Repentance, 
 and put off the vafl: Concerns of Eternity, to that un- 
 certain and affli'fting Moment of Time, which is fo very 
 unfit for Things of the great ejl Importance, — Wilhing 
 all Grace and Peace may abound towards you, to your 
 abundant Grov;th and Fruitfulnefs in this World, and 
 a weighty Crown of Glory in the World to come :' I re- 
 main, 
 
 Tour affe^lionate Friend and Servant, 
 
 LET 
 
r 185 ; 
 
 LETTER LXV. To Mn F. 
 
 X>ear Sir^ 
 
 I Thank you for your kind Letter. It gives me 
 Joy, that my laft, with the Books fent, were ac- 
 ceptable and ufeful unto you and others. I (hould not 
 have wrote To foon, but that you complain of Dark- 
 nefs and Deadnejs of Spirit^ which fometimes feife you, 
 and lament your Heart wandrings from the altogether- 
 lovely Jesus, after other Objcofs. Whence I was in- 
 duced from Sympathy with you in your Soul-Trouble, 
 to write a Line on this Head ; and efpccially, as while 
 I was lifting up my Heart .to God for your renewed 
 Quickning, the following Words dropt on my Mind, 
 which I was willing to acquaint you with : Viz. 
 
 Hof. 14. 7, 8. They that dwell under his Shadow 
 Jhall return^ they Jhall revive as the Corn^ and grow as the 
 Vine : the Scent thereof Jhall he as the Wine of Lebanon. 
 
 Ephraim fhall fay^ V/hat have I to do any more with 
 Idols ? I have heard him and ohferv^d him : I am like a 
 green Fir-tree^ from Me is thy Fruit found. 
 
 Here, Dear Sir, are reviving Cordials, to raife your 
 fainting Spirit, if the Holy Ghoft your Comforter with 
 his own Hand is pleas'd to give them. — From the 7th 
 Verfe we may obferve, i. The Defcription here given 
 of the People of God : They are flich that Dwell un^ 
 der his Shadow, And 2. The Privileges of thofe that 
 abide under the Shadow of the Almighty : Which are 
 I, Reftoration from all iheir BackQidings, from all 
 their Wand rings : They Jhall return. 2. Renewed 
 Quicknings, after awful Decays : They fhall revive as 
 the Corn. 3. Abundant Growth and Fruit, in their 
 Spring and Summer-Seafons : And grow as the Vine, 
 And 4. The Acceptablenefs of their Perfons, Graces 
 
 A a and 
 
CM-) 
 
 and Services, to the Lord, and thofe that are His : 
 Tbe Scent thereof fij all be as the Wine of Lebanon* 
 
 I pafs, Dear Sir, from the Hints here given of the 
 People of God, and their Privilege in general, unto 
 You in particular. And is it your bled Experience, 
 That you dwell under Chrift^s Shadow ? O how happy 
 is your Situation, how great your Security, both for 
 Time and Eternity ! O the delightful Shade ^ that Gop 
 the Saviour^ as a great Rock, affords to us poor Sinners, 
 that flee by Faith to liim^ in this weary Land! When 
 weary with the Guilt of Sin, our dear Lord Jefus, 
 our all-attoning Sacrifice, is a refreihing Shade to u?, 
 from the fcorching Heat of avenging Juftice, and fie- 
 ry Indignation. When weary with Sin's Defilemenr, 
 the cleanfing Fountain of his Blood, fbades us fron:i 
 that Difplealure which infinite Purity, mud otherwife 
 iliew at our Depravity. When weary with the Power 
 of Sin, the Shade of our Lord's promis'd Grace, the 
 Strength of his faving Arm, engaged for us, delivers 
 us from the Grief we feel, and the Hurt v/e fear, from 
 this our killing Foe. And when our Heaven-born 
 Souls are weary with the Inbeing of Hellifh, Sin, O 
 what a rcfreiliing Shade, doth our Lord's inherent Pu- 
 rity, with that full Conformity thereto, we are to have 
 in Glory, give to our Pilgrim-Souls, while fceking a 
 better Country ! Again, From Men and Devils, from 
 the World with all its Snares, from Hell withall'its 
 Wiles and Powers, from all our Cares and Fears, our 
 Griefs and Burthens, O what a delightful Red, what 
 a refrcl}iii:g Shade, doth the Lord our Mighty Con- 
 queror, our great Saviour, afix>rd to us that come to 
 Him, as weary, and licavy-laden Sinners !^ — And un- 
 der his Shadow, Sir, you dwells in Chrijl^ the fecret- 
 Place of the mojj Iligh^ and fhall abide under the Sha^ 
 dow of the Almighty. — But perhaps you will; fay, 
 
 If i dwell under Chrift's Shadow, how is ic that 
 
 Pead- 
 
r 1S7 ; 
 
 Deadnefs and Inactivity for God, that bitter Fruit of 
 the Power of Sin, fo often afflicts me ? I anlwer : 
 
 There is a Two fold Dwelling under the Shadow of 
 Chritl, which refpevfls Bf He vers. As i, Habitual. 
 And 2. A£fiial. All Believers dwell under the Shadow 
 of Chrift Habitual'y^ in that as they commit the Keep- 
 ing of their Souls unto Him in Well-doing; So they 
 are under his Care, and the Habit of Faith in their 
 Hearts, is and fhall be maintain'd by his gracious In- 
 fluence, in Spite of al! Oppofuion, from within and 
 without. And all Believers like wife, do dwell under 
 the Shadow of Chrill Atiualh^ in that they a6lually flee 
 repeatedly unto Him by Fa^th, as their Refuse, Shel- 
 ter and Deliverer, from all their Foes, Griefs and Dan- 
 gers whatfoever-. And fo are bled with his kind Pro- 
 tedion, gracious Influence, and great Salvation. But 
 then, in this latter Senfe, they don't always abide in 
 Him^ or cleave unto Him^ in the actual Excrcife of a 
 lively Faith: And fo they lofe the Sweets of thofe 
 blefled Privileges, which they once ^;^'^jyV. *— Unbe- 
 lief too often prevails, which inclines us to depart from 
 the Living God, from God our Saviour, by Heart- 
 wandrlngs after other Lovers. Trifles divert our 
 Thoughts, we lofe Sight of our Beloved, and Sin get- 
 ting the Afcendant of Grace, we purfue pleafing Sha- 
 dows, delufive Shadows, and let go the Sum and Sub- 
 ftance of all ourBhfs: We for fake the Lord, our 
 Lights our Life^ our All, and depart into empty 
 Nothings^ vexing Vanities^ into Soul Barkucfs and 
 "Death. — And never fhould we return unto the Lord ■ 
 morey if He did not go after us^ feck our loft Sotds^ 
 lay us on his Shoulder^ and bring us Home rejoycing, — 
 But O the infinite Grace of God our Sc^vionr., towards 
 u^ t\\t Heirs of his Salvation : He fees ui in all our 
 Mifery, and in the unfearchable Depths of his Nevcr- 
 
 A a 2 failing 
 
( m ) 
 
 failing Mercy, He fays concerning us, * Theyjhall re- 
 ' turn: They are Mine ftill, tho' rebelJious, beloved 
 
 * of Me, tho' ungrateful to Me : They dwell under 
 
 * my Shadow^ they have committed the Keeping of 
 ' their Souls unto Me, and as I engag'd for them in 
 
 * Covenant from Everlafting, when given me of my 
 ' Father, and to them by my faithful Promife, when 
 
 * they refign'd themfelsres unto my Care, at the Time 
 
 * of their Efpoufals unto Me by Faith : I will not lofe 
 
 * them ; None of their potent Enemies^ neither Men 
 
 * nor Devils, no, nor their own Sins neither, (hall 
 ' pluck them out of my All-gracious and Almighty 
 ' Hands, I will be merciful to their Unrighteoujnefs^ 
 
 * and remember their Sins no more. I will fubdue their 
 
 * Iniquites^ revive and increafe their Graces^ allure 
 
 * their Hearts unto Me, and open to them my Heart 
 
 * and Arms afrejh^ to receive their returning Souls,* 
 Thus, Sir, You fee how Deadnefs and Inadivity 
 
 for God, at Times feifeth you, tho' as a Believer, 
 you dwell under the Shadow of Christ : It is for 
 want of a conftant Abiding in Him by Faith. You fee 
 likewife, That tho' fad is your Cafe, when you depart 
 from the Lord ; yet fo great is his Grace^ that He will 
 reftore your Soul : So great is your Privilege by Pro- 
 mife, That you fljall return ! Dwelling under his Sha- 
 dow Habitually \ You fhall again dwell under his Sha- 
 dow Actually : and return'd from the Death of your 
 Backflidings, you (hall again increafe in Life, by re* 
 newed Quicknings. — For lo, your Privilege beneath 
 the Saviour's Shade, is not only a Return, to the for- 
 mer Vigour and Strength of your Graces, but alfo to 
 a more glorious Life, and abundant Fruit and Fragrancy^ 
 Returning, you ihall revive as the Corn : Which after 
 it dies, and loieth its Beauty -, as a fmgle Grain, in the 
 Earth, is quickned to the Glory of a Ipringing Green- 
 .* nefs> 
 
r 189 > 
 
 nefs, and of numerous Grains in one full Ear. You fhall 
 grow as the Vine: Which after a piercing cold Winter, 
 by the reviving Summer-Sun fpeedily cads abroad its 
 Branches, and with its tender Grapes^ gives a good 
 Smell, Yea, fo fragrant fliall you be in your full 
 Fruits of Rightcoufnefs, which are by Jefus Chrift, to 
 the Glory and Praife of God, that your Scent Jhall he 
 as the Wine of Lebanon : Refrediing to the Heart of 
 
 God and Man I But a Hint or two I wou'd give 
 
 toVer, 8. 
 
 , 'E^\\x2L\m Jhall fay ^ What han)e I to do any more with 
 Idols ? 1 have heard him and ohferv'd him : I am like a 
 green Fir-Tree^ from Me is thy Fruit found, — In this 
 wc may obferve, i. That God's Shall, precedes E- 
 phraim's I will : Ephraim fh all fay. What have I to 
 do any more with Idols ? I will have no more to do with 
 Idols. 2. The acflual Prefence of what was future in 
 Itfelf, to i\\t Divine Mind: I have heard him and ob- 
 fervid him : Or, I now hear, and fee with Plcafure, 
 what Ephraim fhail fay and b^ hereafter. And 3, The 
 Spring and Caufe of Ephrair,i\ BJifs, in Chriji, his Head 
 of Grace : I am like a green Fir-Tree, from Me is thy 
 Fruit found : As if the Lord fliould fay, ' 1 am always 
 
 * green and flourifhing, to reprefent, and refrefh thee, 
 
 * when thou thro' Decay haft loft thy Beauty, and arc 
 
 * weary. From Me, from mine immeofe Fulnefs of 
 
 * communicable Grace, is thy Fruit found : Both the 
 ' Fruit of my Love, on v^hich thou Hialt feaft with 
 
 * Joy, in my renewed Appearances for thee-, and the 
 
 * Fruit of thy Faith, which thou fhalt yield to my 
 ' Praife, under the efficacious Influence of my All- 
 
 * lufficient Grace : Secured to Thee^ they both are in 
 ' Me.' 
 
 Hence, Sir, If your poor Soul is in a lifelefs, in- 
 different Frame God-ward, if to your Grief you have 
 
 for- 
 
forfaken the Lord, and gone after other Lovers, and 
 if hereby you are fo wcakned and wounded, that you. 
 have neither Skill nor Strength to return unto your 
 Refl: : O don't think you HjaTl be left in a State of Df- 
 ftance. The Lord your mighty Saviour, will again 
 bring you nigh. The Virtue of his Bloody and the 
 Power of h\s> Arm^ mo^ fweetly and flrongly fecure 
 youx Return. Behold, your Deliverance, your Refto- 
 ration, unto full Salvation, is already engaged-for, by 
 infinite Grace and Faithfulncfs : The Word is" gone 
 out of his Mouth, and he will not alter it, Epbrawiy 
 revolting Epbraim, fhall fay, JVbat have T to do any 
 more, I will have to do no more with Idols, Already 
 the Lord hears and ohferves you ; He fees and hears 
 with Pleafure, what youjhalifay and he, under the re- 
 newed Influences of his Grace-Power, And Ip, when 
 under fad Decays, the Lord^ your Head and L//V, is 
 then U)r you, a green Fir-tree^ an Evergreen, and 
 flourifhing Beauty, to reprefenr, and reflore you ; and 
 from Him, from his incxhauftible Fulnefs of Grace, 
 ycur Fruit is and fhall ht found : To your unfpenkable 
 Joy in ///;;;, and to his prefent, and endlefs Praife by 
 you ! 
 
 Having thcfe Promifes then, to encourage your Faith 
 and Llope in God,VVhencv:r you feel Deadnefs to- 
 wards him, r»nd DiLlance from him, attempt your D«- 
 ty in returning to him. For tho' the Lord mul]: draw us^ 
 before we can run to him: Yet as God works by 
 Means, and meets his People in boundlefs Mercy; 
 while they wait for Him in the Paths of Duty ; O ftir 
 up yourfelf to feek God. 6"^^/: and you lhall/?zi ; 
 knock and it fhall be opened unto you. Give the Lord 
 no Reft, until He arife and have Mercy on you. He 
 hath promifed to increafe his People : (Their Life and 
 Joy, after Death and Sorrow:) But yet for this He 
 
 will 
 
r I90 
 
 will be enquired of by the Houfe of Jfrael, to Jo it for 
 them : And as the Anfwer of their Prayer, Ke will ful- 
 fil his own Promlfe. Hark then, my dear Brother, 
 what the Lord fays to his People, and to you, when- 
 ever you feel Deadnefs towards him, and Diftance from 
 him: O Ifrael, return unto the \..okv> thy Gcd\ for 
 thou haft fallen by thine Iniquity. 'Take with you Words ^ 
 and turn to the Lord, fay unlo Him^ Take away nil 
 Iniquity^ and receive usgraciov.Jly : fo wUlwe render the 
 Calves of our Lips. Adiur fbal I not fave us, we will 
 not ride upon. Horfcs, neither will we fay any more to the 
 Work of our Hands., T'e are- our.gods : for in thee the 
 Fatherlefs'fmdeth Mercy^N\:x, i, 2, 3. Confefs be- 
 fore the Lord, and bewail your Iniquity : Intreat his 
 Mercy, to take it all away -, and a gracious Reception, 
 upon your Return. That fo you may give him Praife, 
 for^ike Idols, and cleave unto Him alone, in whom as 
 Fatherlefs., Friendlefs and Helplefs, from all the Crea- 
 tures, you ^i\2i\\ find Alercy, And lo, unto you, with 
 his returning People, He will fay, I will heal their Back- 
 flidings, I will Icve them freely : for mine Anger is turned 
 away from Him. I will he as the Dew unto IfraeJ, ^c, 
 Ver. 4, 5, 6. — That the Grace of Chrifl may thus be 
 with your Spirit •, to n:iake you grow and flourifh in the 
 Ways of God: is the hearty Dcfire of, dear Sir, 
 Tour affc^ionate Friend and Servant, 
 
 LETTER LXVL 7o 
 
 My very dear Si/ler in our precious Lord, 
 
 GOD will help you, and that right early. The 
 Night is far fpenty the Lay is at Hand, Wait 
 
 buc 
 
rr92 ; 
 
 but a little while longer, and your Sorrow (hall be iurn- 
 ed into Joy. You wanted to have — and fo did I, and 
 took a deal of Pieafure in hoping it would be fo. Buc 
 -what if the Lord defigns to deliver you in a better 
 Way, and unto greater Blifs, and alfo unto his greater 
 Praife ? Won't you rejoice in that ? The Government 
 is upon Cbrifi's Shoulder .* And mod furcly our dear 
 Lord hath done, and will do all Things fo welly that 
 we cannot wifli to have any Thing better^ than it is, 
 and fhall be. Why Ihould we, filly Children^ be our 
 €wn Chufers ? Our own Carvers ? Shou'd we not 
 thereby leflen our Portion ? And wound ourfelves ? 
 Since we have a Father^ that is infinitely wife and ten- 
 der, careful and faithful, whofe Goodnefs knows no 
 Bounds, and whofe Provifions made for us, are ac- 
 cording to his State y and worthy of his Great Self ; 
 let us fay in Faith and Love, in the greateft filial Du- 
 ty, with an holy Cheerfulnefs, for his Honour and our 
 own Joy : Choofe Thou our Inheritance for us. — That 
 all Grace may abound towards you^ until you are filled 
 with all Glory : is the fincere Defire of, my dear 
 
 Sifter, 
 
 2''ours mofi affeSiionately, 
 
 FINIS. 
 
 ERRATA. 
 
 PAGE 13, Line 21, for as ^ read if. p. 26, 1. 27, after o»/y, 
 for /», r. is. p. 24, 1. 25, for ino--wst r. knoiv. p, 26, L 26, 
 ior/peak^ x.feek. p. 38, 1. 6, for Drcfs^ r. Diftrefs. p. 59, 1. 12, 
 iw cbo/e^ r.cho/en. p. 82, 1. i, {oxafferty r.ajferts., p, 120, 1, 27, 
 nfter to, r. he. p. 141, 1, 26, after Grace, r. and. 
 
S E R M 
 
 Occafioned by the Sudd 
 
 D E A T 
 
 O F 
 
 The Reverend and Learned 
 
 ZEPHANIAH MARRTAT, D.D. 
 
 PREACHED 
 
 In SOUmWARK, September the 2 2d. 
 
 By THOMAS HALL. 
 
 To" which: is added. 
 
 The FUNERAL ORATION 
 
 at his Interment, 
 
 By T H O MA S Y IV L E, 
 
 Both Publillied at the People's Requeil. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 Printed for J. Buckland, in Pater-noftir-Row; T. 
 Field, mCheap/tde; E. Dilly, in the Pou/try-y and 
 A. Mason, in Fore-Street. M dcc liv. 
 
 (Price Eight-Pence.) 
 
Luke xii. 43. 
 
 Blejfed is that Servant^ whom his Lord^ 
 when he comethj Jhall find fo doing. 
 
 TH E mournful Appearance of this Af- 
 fembly fhews it to be needlefs for me, 
 to declare what melancholy Provi- 
 dence has given Occafion for my difcourfing 
 Upon thefe Words at this Time. It is m-ore 
 neceffary I fhould remind you of the Privilege 
 of Believers, in that they may find fomething 
 in the Word of God, wonderfully adapted for 
 their Support under the mod grieving Event 
 that can befal them : For it is therein written, 
 that all Things work together for Good^ to them 
 that love GOD, to them who are the Called ac* 
 cording to his Purpofe (a), 
 
 Frefli Inftances of our Mortality daily occur; 
 yet in general we are little affeded with them. 
 But by the Death of ferious ufeful Chrijlians^ 
 and of eminently laborious and ferviceable Mi- 
 nijlers of our Acquaintance, a very fenfible 
 Conviction is frequently renewed, that all FleJJj 
 is as Grafs (b) 3 that our Fathers have no Abi- 
 ding {c) ; and that the Prophets do not live for 
 ever (d). 
 
 A 2 How-^ 
 
 {a) Rom. viii. 28. (^) i Pet, i. 24; (0 » Cliro% 
 
 xxk. 15. (d) Zech. i. 5. 
 
4 yi VuneraL ISermon on 
 
 However, tinder thefe afflidive Difpenfati- 
 ons, we have various Arguments to comfort us. 
 One is, an Affurance that the Word of the Lord 
 abidcth for ever {e) ; and particularly, that 
 Christ, the effcntial Word, is always the 
 fame (f) ; that He walketh in the Midft of the 
 golden Candlefcicks (g)^ to obierve the State and 
 fupply the Wants of his Churches : And when 
 one Angel is called away. He can quickly fend 
 another^ that the Word of the Gofpel may be 
 continually preached through a Succeffion of 
 faithful Miniflers. 
 
 But though what I have now mentioned be 
 the grand Support of a Believer, yet there is 
 another very mollifying and quieting Confider- 
 ation, which upon the prefent Occafion may 
 very juftly, and with a "remarkable Propriety, 
 be urged to alleviate the Sorrow of the furviving 
 Chriitian Friends and dear Relatives of the De- 
 ceafed. And this is taken from the Bkfjednefs 
 of them that die in the Lord^ who re/t from 
 their ^ Labours (h)^ and to whom an Entrance 
 is miniftrcd abundantly into the e-cerlafting King- 
 dom of cur Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift (/). 
 
 And where have we knovv^n In (lances of 
 any among cur own Acquaintance, whether in 
 a private or pablick Cnarader, who, when 
 they departed, have left us a plainer Teftimony 
 of their dyi?ig in the Lord, than what was given 
 by that Servant of Chrift whofe Death we are 
 now lamenting ? For the Deceafed, under the 
 
 mofl 
 
 [e] I Pet i. 2;. (f) Heb. xiii. 8. (g) Rev. ii. l, 
 
 [h] Rev. XIV. 13. [i) zPet. i. u. 
 
ihe Reverend Dr. Marryat. 5 
 
 moft fenfible and folemn Views of the near 
 Approach of Death, often exprcffcd a full Af- 
 furance that he was going to Heaven : Yea, he 
 was fo ready and dcfirous to be gone, that he 
 fometimes fignified, he (hould have been un- 
 mfj to be detaified, but for his dutiful Submifli- 
 on to the Will of his Heavenly Father, and 
 the Profped and Hope that by his longer A- 
 bode, and patient Continuance in his Mafter's 
 Work here, he mi^t through the Divine Blef- 
 fing be a happy Inftrument of engaging others 
 to go with him^ or of exciting them to prepare 
 to come quickly after him. 
 
 With refped then to Thofe, who have been 
 fet as Seals to the Divine Truths which he 
 preached, and vi^ho through Grace were either 
 converted^ or after Converiion were greatly edi' 
 fied and comforted under his evangelical Mi- 
 niftry, though they cannot but deeply lament 
 their own heavy Lofs, yet they mufl: allow, 
 they have Reafcn to rejoice in his unfpeakable 
 
 Gain, Efpecially when they confider, that 
 
 in the very Manner of his Removal he was fa- 
 voured with a fpecial and remarkable Anfwer 
 tc his own Prayers, Por he had often exprefl'cd 
 a great Deli re, that if it plea fed God his Life 
 might not be lengthened beyond his Capacity for 
 fome Ufefulnefs. And this Requeft, it has been 
 obferved, he prefented at the Fooiftool of the 
 Throne of Grace, more frequently, and with 
 
 greater Importunity of late than ever. His 
 
 Petition herein was granted. For after he had 
 been employed on the Morning of the laft Sab- 
 bath 
 
6 A Funeral Sermon oH 
 
 bath in preaching Chrift publickly and with 
 great Vivacity upon Earth, he was before Night 
 called hence to praife Htm with the moft raifed 
 Affeaion in Heaven. And who can conceive 
 the Triumph and Joy, which muft attend fuch 
 a delightful Change, when Judden Death is 
 
 fudden Glory ! ^ -, , 
 
 Our prcfent Duty is to confider, what 
 fuitable Improvement we (liould make of this 
 awful Stroke. It rnuft be acknowledged to be 
 a Matter of the greateft Importance, that we 
 be ready alfo ; as there can otherwife be no 
 Room for an Expectation, that we fhall (hare 
 in that Homury which the Parable declares 
 (hall at lad be the Ble[fednefs of every good 
 Steward, but not of any elfe. ^ 
 
 Here perhaps the like ^lefcion with that which 
 Peter put to Chrift (k), may be ftarted by fome 
 to this Purpofe, viz. '' Does what is here laid 
 « concerning the Honour of the faithful Stew- 
 ** ard, relate to Minifters only, or even unto 
 
 " others?'* 
 
 By a careful Attention to the Context, I 
 humbly conceive, it will appear, that the Ad- 
 vancement here foretold belongs to all GOD's 
 faithful Servants, whatever be their prefent Sta- 
 tion in the Church, whether as Minifters, or 
 
 People. 
 
 Yet becaufe the Minifters of the Gofpel are 
 in a particular and cmphatical Manner termed 
 Stewards of the Myftenes of GOD, and it pe- 
 culiarly or eminently belongs to their Office to 
 
 feed 
 
 [k] Ver. 41. 
 
the Reverend Dr. Marry at. 7 
 
 feed the People with Knowledge and Under/land- 
 jng, hence fome may be ready to think, that 
 the' Cafe in the Parable is applicable to MintJ- 
 
 ters only. , -r ■ 
 
 But we may obferve, that Chrtft is here 
 fpeaking paraboUcally, and thus teaching what 
 Dignity and Honow: fliall at laft be conferred 
 upon the faithful Steward ; of whom it is de- 
 clared, that though he be not now, yet here- 
 after he fliall be made Ruler over his Lord's 
 Houfiold, to give them their Portion of Meat 
 in due Senfon (I). And in this figurative Lan- 
 guage, we have a beautiful but general Defcrip- 
 tion of the Advancement and Glory, which the 
 faithful Difciples of Chrift (hall receive in the 
 
 future State. . 
 
 This, I apprehend, is the juft Light, in which 
 this Paffage ftiould be viewed. And thus it 
 fets forth a Reward that \sfit:<re, without ha- 
 ving any dired or immediate Reference to the 
 particular Work or fpecial Bufinefs itfelf, about 
 which the faithful Steward is at prefent em- 
 
 ^ The Defign of the Parable then is to inftruft 
 us that every Cbriftian, whether in a pubhck 
 or' private Station, who now ferves the Lord 
 with Diligence and Faithfulnefs, fliall be richly 
 rewarded in the World above, and be there 
 raifed to fome very honourable and fagnal 1 le- 
 ferment. As when fcffh was advanced he 
 was fet over Pharaoh's Houfe, and over all the 
 Land of Egypt (m): In like Manner^,^ m.^ 
 
 (/)Ver.4«. (») Gcn.xU.40.4'- 
 
8 A Funeral Sermon on 
 
 Servant of GOD who now faithfully employs 
 the Talents committed to him, whether they 
 be many or few, fha]l at lafl: be made Ruler 
 over many^ Things fn) ; yea, in the P^erfe after 
 the Text it is faid, His Lord will make him 
 Ruler over all that He hath. 
 
 And thus a ftrong Aflur^-ce is given us of 
 the Bleffednefs of all Thofe, ^ho upon the ftrift- 
 eft Search at their Lord's Coming fliall be 
 found to have adted an upright, confcientious, 
 2iV\6jditljful Part in the Matters of their GOD. 
 
 From the Words thus opened, as they ftand 
 in a Connedion with the Context, I might jufi:- 
 ]y enlarge upon many Heads : But by Reafon 
 of the Limits of the prefent Difcourfe, I can 
 only touch upon thefe Four. 
 
 ^ I. That every Man has fome Talent given 
 him by the Great God, to be employed to the 
 Divine Glory.— This is fuppofed in the Parable 
 where the Text lies, and is clearly taught by 
 cur Lord in another (o). 
 
 II. That by the Grace of God fome are 
 made faitloful Servants. Thefe arc the blef 
 
 ftd Perfons here intended in the Text itfelfe 
 
 III. That prefent Faithfulnefs to God is a 
 
 fure Predige oi future Blefednefs. —For every 
 
 faithful Servant is here pronounced infallibly 
 blejfed. ^ ^ 
 
 IV. That 
 {») Mat. XXV. 21, 23. {0) Mat, xxv. 14, ^/e^. 
 
the Reverend Dr. Marr 
 
 YAT, 
 
 IV. That it is a fpecial Privilege, when any 
 Servant of the Lord is favoured with a Ca-^ 
 paa'ty of attending upon pi^blhk Worjhip, and 
 engaging in the Work 2.vid. Service oj the Lord, 
 
 until the Day of his Death. Blejfed is that 
 
 Servant, whom his Lord^ when he cometh, JJsall 
 Jindfo doing. 
 
 ^ Thefe are weighty Subjedls, fit for the Pul- 
 pit at any Time ; but are peculiarly feafonable 
 upon this very folemn and awful Occafion. Let 
 us confider then the Points that have been offer- 
 ed^ and obferve, 
 
 L That every Man h^sfome Talent given him 
 by the great God, to be employed to the 
 Divine Glory. 
 
 There is indeed a vafl: Variety, as to the Kind, 
 Meafure, and Number oi the Talents^ with which 
 
 different Perfons are intruded.- But here I 
 
 muft obferve, what is generally too little regard- 
 ed, (viz,) That at the firfl: Creation of Man, 
 many precious and invaluable Talents were com- 
 mitted to us in common, and lodged with Adam, 
 as the federal Head, as the conftitnted and pub- 
 lick Reprefentative of all his Pofterity : But by 
 Reafon of our Relation to him, through his At>of' 
 tacy ourhappiefl Privileges, even the Reditude 
 of our Nature, with its Capacity to worflup God 
 aright, and to hold a friendly, holy, :ind de- 
 lightful Communion with him, were utterly kjl 
 
 B beyond 
 
lo A Funeral Sermon on 
 
 beyond all Recovery by the beft Endeavours of 
 any meer Creature. Yea, a Forfeiture was in- 
 curred of the Bleffing of every Privilege^ which, 
 through the Divine Forbearance, upon any Con- 
 fideration, was ftill continued to us. So that 
 with Regard to any holy and proper Ufe, that 
 in our prcknt fallen State we can make of any of 
 the Talents originally given to our Nature, the 
 Guilt of their having been fqaandered away and 
 embezzled is juftly chargeable upon every Man^ 
 that was comprehended and included in the Co- 
 venant made with Mam ; as all his Progeny 
 
 ^vere. And it is a very melancholly Evidence 
 
 of a fad DefeBion from the Truths of Divine 
 Revelation, and the good old Protejiant Faith^ 
 that there are now many in the Land, who pre- 
 tend that we are not concerned in, and cannot 
 therefore be culpable for^ the wicked Embezzle- 
 ment of our firfi Father^ and common Parent. 
 Thus it is in fome other Cafes : For the Children 
 of Traitors feldom care to acknowledge, or hear 
 of, the Taint of their Blood. 
 
 The Vanity of fuch is manifeft from the Af- 
 furance which the Scripture gives us, that by one 
 Mans {tMt\\Adam\)Difohedience and Unfaithful- 
 nefs» others, yea many others, even all his Off- 
 fpring, were made Sinners (p). And were it fo, 
 that we had to account for the Mi/improvement of 
 no other Talents, but thofe which we finned away 
 in Adam, yet, without an Intereft in Chrifty we 
 Ihould be condemned ^i the Judgment of the great 
 Day i and muft ihtn fuffer the Punijlment which 
 
 the 
 
 (;>) Rom.v. 19^ 
 
the Reverend Dr. Marry at. i i 
 
 the righteous Sanftion of the Law requires to be 
 inflidted upon a Steward^ in the Balance of vvhofc 
 Accounts there is an utter Deficiency^ occafioned 
 by the bafeft Injuftice and vilcfl Iniquity com- 
 mitted againft his heavenly Lord and Mafter, the 
 great Proprietor, and Supreme Governor of all, 
 Happy they, who by the Spirit of God 
 are deeply convinced of the fe Things inzhnrnhXing 
 Manner, according to the Inftrudtions of his 
 Word 1 And happy fure are they, who are en- 
 abled to lay to Heart this original Unfaithfulnefs 
 of our Nature, fo as gladly to jiee to Chrift^ to 
 hide them from the Guilt and Imputation 
 of it! 
 
 But however too many, through the Blind- 
 nefs, Pride, and Hardnels of their Hearts, dare 
 to difpuie or deny the Scripture-Uodrlne oi the 
 Fall of Man ; yet it muft be allowed by all, 
 that every Individual^ who is fpared till he can 
 dijcern betuixt his Right- Ha?id and his Lejty does 
 perfonally x^ctwt fome Talents^ for which he is 
 accountable to his Maker. — And as to ourfehes, 
 whatever our Extradl or Education has been, we 
 mud acknowledge, that many are the Talent i 
 which we receive at the Hand of God: Though 
 thefe are given to every Man accoratng to his fe» 
 veral Ability (q)y as the Lord fees fit. 
 
 I may here point you, to Life itfelf, to our na^ 
 tural Capacities y and to our Opportunity of learn- 
 ing the Knowledge and Fear of the Lord ; yea, 
 though it were only from the Books of Creation 
 ^nd Providence, 
 
 B 2 For 
 
 (^) Mat. XXV. 15. 
 
12 A Funeral Sermon on 
 
 For if any were trained up, whether at Home 
 or Abroad, in fuch an ignorant and dark Way, 
 that they had not the Knowledge of GO Us Law 
 as ^^'ricten in the Bible ; yet they had the Work 
 of the Law fo far written in their Hearts^ and 
 by Reafon of their very Formation and daily Pro- 
 tedtion they were fo much a Law unto them^ 
 fehes (r)^ as rendered all their Difobt^dience, 
 Vv'ickedr.;fs, and Rebellion againft God, ut- 
 terb,' tnexCLijable, 
 
 But I prefume the moft, if not all here pre- 
 fent, wcm born in a Chrijtian Land, and edu- 
 cated in \bc Chriftian Faith, Many therefore 
 are the precious Talents, with when we have 
 
 been intru!kd. Such, for Inftance, were 
 
 the early hiftruBions given us by our religious 
 Parents^ or pious Majiers^ in our younger Days : 
 And fuch have been our many Years Enjoyment 
 of peaceable Sabbaths ; our Liberty of ftatedly at- 
 tending the Worjhip of GOD, and the pure Ad- 
 miniftration of Golpel- Ordinances, in the pub^ 
 lick Ajjemblies of his People ; and the Liberty 
 likewife, of joining in jocial Worjhip in the Fa^ 
 mily, as well as of performing the J eeret Duties 
 of Religion in the Clcfet^ or Places of Retire- 
 ment. jc;aoiiJi jjiii ^qt.|iiB 
 
 Thefe are the valuable T^zM/i,"' which hsrVc 
 been put into the Hands of thofe, whofe merci^ 
 Jul Lot it has been, to dwell in religious Fami^ 
 lies. And has not this been the Privilege of ma- 
 ny of us, ever fince we can remember ? 
 
 Farther, 
 
 {r) Rom, ii. 14, 15. 
 
the Reverend Dr. Mar r y at. 13 
 
 Farther, among our talents muft be reckon- 
 ed, all the Advantages which attend our temporal 
 Condition^ or outward Circumftances in Life ; 
 Our Health and Strength, the free Exercife of 
 our intelledual Powers, the Peace and Plenty, 
 the Safety and Comforts which we enjoy ; and 
 all the various Relations in Life in which Provi- 
 dence has placed us, together with all the Op- 
 portunities that arife from them, either of re- 
 ceiving or doing Good. 
 
 Yea, of this Number we mud alfo reckon all 
 the j^ttainments and Abilities^ which may help 
 to make us a Bleffing to the Church, ufeful to 
 Civil Societies, or any way ferviceable to our 
 pelloiJD- Creatures. All thefe Advantages, Gifts, 
 or Allor.ments of Providence, are placed to our 
 Account by the great God, the Author and 
 Donor of them all, as Taletits with which we 
 are hound to honour Him. 
 
 And the fame muft be faid of all ajP.iBive 
 JDif pen fat ions, defigned and fuited to purge away 
 our Tin and Drofs (i), and to make us abc'-:nd 
 in the peaceable Fruits of Right eoufnejs. 
 
 But who can pretend to reckon up all his par- 
 ticular Receipts from the Father of Mercies ? -— 
 Happy the Peribns, who with their nnmy Ta-- 
 lents do receive the Spirit of Grace, that they 
 may be enabled to profit by all ! For if any Man 
 have not the Spirit of Chrift, he is none of His {t) ; 
 nor can he be that faithful and wife Steward^ 
 who fliall meet with his Lord's Approbation at his 
 
 Coming. 
 
 (i) Ifai. i. 25. (0 Rom. viii. 9. 
 
14- ^ Funeral Sermon on 
 
 O'tning. This will be fliewn particularly unde^ 
 the next Head, in which it was obferved, 
 
 II. Thatbv the Grace of God fome are made 
 faithful Servants. 
 
 That all who are called GOUs Servants are 
 not faithful^ 1 might inftance in Nebuchadnez- 
 zar yu), x:A foiiie others : Bdc the Parable fup- 
 pofes, that there 2iXt fome to whom this Charadter 
 bf^longF ; yet it intimo^e.% that their Number is 
 but fmall. The ^terrogatory Mode of Expref- 
 fion which our Lord ufes in the Verfe before the 
 Texty directs us to look upon the faithful Stew- 
 ard, as one diftinguiftied from others, or as one 
 iiTdiJrared GOD above many (w) : And when 
 Chrift fays in the Text, BleJJed is that Servant^ 
 thisfliews him to be a Man greatly beloved, high- 
 ly favoured^ and blefled of God. And thus 
 it is fuggefted, that it was to be afcribed en- 
 tirely to the Grace and Favour of GOD ^ that he 
 \itc'^n\t faithful. 
 
 Under this Head I (hall attempt two Things. 
 
 1. I fhall open the CharaSfer of the Servant 
 that is faithful Xo his God. And then, 
 
 2. Shew, that it is by the Grace of GOD that 
 any Man is enabled to anfwer this Cha- 
 radter, 
 
 By 
 
 («) Jer. XXV. 9. xxvii, 6, xliii, lo. 
 (•w) Neh. vii. z. 
 
the Reverend Dr. Marryat. 15 
 
 By thefe It will appear, who is the faithful 
 Servant^ and how it is that he becomes fo, 
 
 I. I fhall open the Cbaradler of the Servant 
 that is faithful to God. 
 
 Here I think it may be fome Help, to confi- 
 der in general the CharaBer of a Servant^ that is 
 
 XQckontd faithful to an earthly Mafter, He 
 
 is one, that is itridly juft and honeft:, that will 
 neither wrong his Mafter himfeff, nor agree or 
 confent that he fhould be wronged by others. 
 He is one, who in all Things fincerely ain^s 
 to be true to his Truft, and who, to the belt of 
 hisUnderftanding, and the utmoft ot hib Ability, 
 carefully purfues his Mafter's Interefl, and duely 
 
 feeks his Credit and Reputation. He keepa 
 
 clofe to his Inftrudlions, and makes lus Mafter's 
 Will the Rule and Meafure of his Condu(fl:, in 
 
 the Management of his Bufinefs. He refo- 
 
 lutely (huns what his Matter forbids, and in all 
 Things lawful chearfully complies with what 
 his Mafler requires. 
 
 Now thefe Hints may fitly be applied to the 
 Temper and Carriage required in the Servant ^ 
 that is to be accounted faithful to his heavenly 
 Mafter. And they (hew us, — that he is one, 
 who is humbly, fincerely, and entirely devoted 
 to th fVorJhip and Fear of G o d (x) : — — 
 One, ih it ferves Him with a perfe^l Hearty and 
 
 imth a 'L^illing Mind (y) : One, that ftudies 
 
 to 
 
 {x) Pfal. cxix. 38. (j) 1 Chron. xxviii. 9. 
 
l6 A Funeral Sermon on 
 
 ^o know His holy Will and Pleafure ; and to thi§ 
 End bears, reads, and meditates upon His 
 Wordy praying daily for an enlightened Mind, 
 
 and a renewed Underftanding. .He is one, 
 
 that will not defignedly, or knowingly, do any 
 Iniquity ^ but has a conftant RefpeB unto all 
 God's CommandmetitSy that he may keep his Pre» 
 cepts diligently (z)\ aiming in all Things to 
 do that which is right and welUpleajing in His 
 Sight y from Gofpel-Principlesand to holy Ends; 
 and making it his Care, that whatfoever he does 
 in Word or Deed^ he do all in the Name of the 
 Lord Jefus, to the Praife and Glory of God 
 by Him (a). 
 
 He then is the faithful and wife Servant, who 
 makes a right Ule of the Gofpel-Revelation^ 
 and who, according to the Inflrudion and Com- 
 mand thereof, receives Chrift Jefus the Lord (b)y 
 holding Him to be his Head of Right eoufnefs^ his 
 Head of Government^ and Head of Influence ; 
 and ftedfaftly adheres to Plim in all his mediato- 
 rial CharaBers, as the Great Prophet, Priejiy 
 and Kifig of the Church. 
 
 Agreeably hereunto, the CharaBer 0^2. faith- 
 fulServant may be more particularly viewed un- 
 der Three Articles. He renounces the G«/- 
 
 dance of all human Wifdom in Matters of Religi- 
 on : He relinquiihes all Expecftation and 
 
 Hope of Salvation by his own perfonal Obedience : 
 
 And, He is conOantly afraid of holding the 
 
 Truth in JJnrighteouJnefs (c). 
 
 (i.)He 
 
 (7) P^al. cxlx.4,6. [a] Col. iii. 17. 
 
 [b) Col.ii. 6. [c) Rom. i. 1 8. 
 
'the Reverend Dr. Marry at. 17 
 
 (i.) He renounces the Guidance of all human 
 Wijdom in the Matters of Religion. 
 
 He would have all the carnal Reafonings and 
 vain Imaginatiom oiy\tw c aft down ^ with every 
 high Thing that exalteth itfelf againji the Know- 
 ledge of GOD ; and would have every Thought 
 brought into Captivity to the Obedience ojChrift [d). 
 Upon Him he waits for Light, Counfel, and 
 Inftrudlion, and for the gracious Anointing and 
 Teaching of His Spirit, to guide him into the 
 Knowledge and Pradice of all heavenly and 
 faving Truth (e) ; and would receive every Di- 
 vine Truth upon the fole Authority of his hea- 
 venly Mader. As he will not lean to his own 
 Under ft anding (f)^ fo neither will he call any 
 Man upon Earth Rabbi, or Father (g), Ht 
 cannot allow hinifelf to pay any Regard to the 
 Authority of Synods^ Councils, or Fathers, in 
 any Point of Faith, Worlhip, or Obedience, 
 when they Jpeak not according to the Divine 
 Law and Teflimony (h) : But having given the 
 V/ord of Chriji a Place in his Heart, he [peaks 
 the Truth in Love (i), and earneftly contends for 
 the Faith, which was once delivered to the Saints {k) 
 by the i\po(lles and Prophets of old, and 
 through the wonderful Goodnefs of the Lord is 
 
 C to 
 
 (^) 2 Cor. X. 5. {e) John xvi. 13. 
 
 f/J Prov. iii. 5. {g) Mat. xxiii. 9. 
 
 (h) Ifai. viii. 20. (/) Eph.iv. 15. 
 (i) Jude, I'^r. 3. 
 
1 8 A Funeral Sermon on 
 
 to this Day handed down to us in the Scrif'^ 
 
 tures^ 
 
 (2.) He relinquiflies afl Expeflation and 
 Hope of Salvation by his own perfonal Obe- 
 dience. 
 
 He defires, and endeavours, to become dead to 
 the Law as a Covenant for Life, and would 
 gladly be married to another^ even to Chrijl who 
 was raifedfrom the Dead (I) : For he has learnt, 
 that without a conjugal and vital Union with 
 HiWy no Man can bring forth any Fruit unto 
 GOD, that would be acceptable ; fince without 
 Faith it is impofftble topleafe Him (m). 
 
 He is convinced of the Truth and Righteouf- 
 nefs of that Divine Sentence^ which pronounceth, 
 Curfedis every one who continueth not in all Things 
 which are written in the Book of the Law^ to do 
 them (n). And being confcious that he has 
 been a Tranfgreffor^ he dares not now truft to any 
 Works or Righteoufncfs of his own, for his Jufti- 
 fication or Acceptance at the Bar of God : No, 
 not to his Faith or Love, to his Repentance or 
 new Obedience ; nor to any inherent Righteouf- 
 ncfs, of which he himfelf can be the Subjed:, 
 even after he has been renewed or born again. 
 Yea, though his Graces be truly fin cere, and 
 his Works really evangelical, fpiritual, and holy, 
 yet he dare no more trujl to thefe^ than to any 
 
 externa! 
 
 (/) Rom.vii.4. (ot) Heb. xi. 6. 
 
 («) Gal. iii. 10. 
 
l^e Reverend Dr^ Marry at. 19 
 
 external legal Righteoujnefs^ whether it be Cere- 
 monial or Moral. 
 
 He knows, that how diligently or exadlly fo- 
 ever the Z>f^//>J oi Religion mav be performed, 
 or how far foever a Man's Works of Jiiftice and 
 Virtue, of univerfal Benevolence and Charity, 
 may be extended, they can avail nothing to the 
 Juftification of his Pstrfon before God : That 
 though he Jljould beftow all his Goods to feed the 
 Poory and though for vhe genera! Good of his 
 Country, or fome fignal Service a j Advantage 
 to his Chriftian Brethren, be jlould give his Body 
 to be burned (0)^ yet without Love to Chriji^ 
 and an entire Trujl in Him^ as the End oj the 
 Law for Right eoufnefs (p)^ all his Doing and 
 Suffering would profit him Nothing. For he is 
 fully affured, that after his utmoft Endeavours^ 
 and the moft powerfal JJjifiance which in the 
 prefent State can be expeded from above ^ ftill 
 after all bis own perfonal Obedience neither will 
 nor can come up to the abfolute PerfeBion which 
 the Law requires. 
 
 Nay farther, were it poffible for him, from 
 the Day of his Converfion or the Change of his 
 State, to perform an Obedience that is completely 
 ferfedi^ and to do all that is commanded^ notwith- 
 ftanding all this he would be an unprofitable Ser^ 
 vanty who had done that only which was his Du-^ 
 ty to do(q): And his After- Obedience could 
 never juftify him from the Sins he had commit- 
 C 2 ted, 
 
 («7) I Cor. xiii. 3. (>) Romi.X.4, - 
 
 (f) Luk. xvii, 10. ' ^^^ *^ 
 
 ., » ~ 
 
20 A Funeral Sermon on 
 
 ted, or the Guilt he had contrafled, before hi§ 
 Converfion. 
 
 Nor can any Man juftly be accounted afakh^ 
 Jul Steward^ who has not made fuch an Im- 
 provement of the fupernatural Revelation which 
 God has gracioufly fent us, as to renounce all 
 Ho/>^i of Salvation by his oiion Obedience-^ ac- 
 knowledging, that it is in the Lord Jesus 
 Christ, the incarnate So n of G o d, and 
 in HIM alone ^ that the Believer can find that 
 abfolutely perfed and infinitely meritoriotisRight- 
 coiifnefs^ in which all Jfrael fiall be jnftijied^ and 
 Jhall glory (rjy while be thai believeth not, Jhall 
 4? damned> (s). 
 
 But I muft farther remark concerning the 
 faithful Servant y that as I laid before, 
 
 (3.) He is conftantly afraid of holding the 
 ^ruth in JJnrighteoufnefs, 
 
 He dreads this above all Things : He dreads it 
 at his very Heart, He efteems no Condition 
 of any Perfon upon Earth to be nvorfe, than 
 that of the Man who is left to commit this Abo-- 
 mination. He fees it to be fuch a notorious 
 Wickednefs, that the TVrath oj GOD from 
 Heaven is particularly and moft exprefsly reveal' 
 ed againjl it (t). And for this Reafon, the Ser- 
 vant that is faithful does peremptorily renounce 
 the hidden Things of Difkonefiy (u) \ and folemn- 
 ly revoking and fincerely repenting of his former 
 
 Agree- 
 
 (r) Ifai. xlv. 24, 25. (j) Mark xvi. 16. 
 
 (/) Rom. i. lii. («) 2 Cor. iv. 2. 
 
the Reverend Dr. Marryat. 21 
 
 Agreement with Sin and Hell, lie now cleaves 
 to the Lord his God with Jull Purpofe of 
 Heart (wj, and will not allow afiy other Lords 
 to have Dominiojt ever him (x). He cannot 
 confent, that Sin (hould reign in his mortal Bo ^ 
 dyy that he Jhould obey it in the Lufls thereof: 
 But being made free from Sin^ and become a Ser- 
 vant to GOD, he endeavours to have his Fruit 
 e.mto Holinefs (y)^ that God may be glorified. 
 And with this View, btfeeksnot his own Things^ 
 but the Things which are Jefiis Ch riffs (z). 
 
 He openly, and from his Heart, avows 
 Christ to be the file Ki?ig of the Church, and 
 would gladly be fubdued to Him entirely 5 refolv- 
 ing in His Strength to obferve ell Things whatfi- 
 ever He has commanded (a), and being defirous 
 to honour Him even as he honours the Father (b). 
 Accordingly he conrcientioufiy endeavours to 
 keep pure and entire all fuch religious IVorJhip 
 and Ordinances^ as He hath appointed in His 
 Gofpel. He pradically renounces all the Blafi 
 fbemies which are committed by the avowed E- 
 nemies of Christ, both Jews2.Ti^ Mahometans^ 
 a:nd. ail the Idolatries pradifed even in Popifh as 
 well as Pagan Countries, with all the Abomina* 
 //owj, Super Rition, and Corruptions, countenanced 
 
 hy the M^'hore of Babylon. Nor dare he fob- 
 
 mit to any National Eftablijlment^ which he 
 does not find authorized or warranted by the 
 Word of God ; And in his Judgment it is an 
 
 inconteflablQ 
 
 {wo) Adlsxi. 23. {x) Ifai. xxvi. 13. 
 
 (y) Rom. vi. 12,22. (») Phil. ii. 21. 
 
 \a) Mat, xxvrn, 20. \h) John v. 23. 
 
2 2 A Funeral' Sermon on 
 
 inconteflable Principle, that it cannot be right in 
 the Sight of GOD, to hearken unto Men, more 
 than unto GOD (c). 
 
 Now by a ferious Refledion upon what has 
 been delivered under the Three preceeding Re- 
 marks, does it not fufficiently appear, that a 
 Man cannot jaftly be reckoned a Faithful and 
 Wife Servant, unlefs he be a faithful Difciple of 
 Jesus Christ? 
 
 Having thus opened the Character of ^ faith" 
 ful Servant, I (hall now, 
 
 2. Shew, that it is by the Grace of GOD ^l- 
 lone, that any Man can be able to anfwer 
 this Character . 
 
 If he that is a faithful Servant muft anfwer 
 the Chara5ier which has now been given, as the 
 Scriptures plainly evince, the ^eftion then is, 
 " Where fhall a faithful Servant be found ?" 
 
 Had your excellent DoBor been the Perfon 
 to have given the Anfwer to this Qneftion, I am 
 ready to think, that in his familiar, but ftriking 
 and pungent Way of Speaking, he would at 
 once, as juftly he might, have told you plain- 
 ly, *^ That by Reafon of the Fall we are become 
 *' fuch a Company of vile wicked Wretches, 
 *^ that there is not a good Servant to ht found." 
 No, among all the Sons and Daughters of Adam 
 in their apoftate Condition, there is not one to be 
 found, thatis fit for the Service of God, or who 
 ^'ill be faithful to our heavenly Mafter ; not 
 
 om^ 
 
 (f) Afts iv. ig. 
 
the Reverend Dr. Marryat. 23 
 
 cne^ who naturally cares for His Worfhip, or 
 that chufes to fear and ferve the Lord. For 
 there is none that iinderjtandethy there is none that 
 feekeib after GOD : Ihey are all gone out of the 
 Wajy they are together become unprofitable^ there 
 is none that doth Good^ no not one (d). 
 
 This is the Account, which by the Diredlion 
 of God Paul quotes in his Epiftle to the Romans^ 
 from a Pjdlm that was wrote by the immediate 
 Infpiration of the Spirit of God. And under 
 the fame infallible Teaching the Apoftle proceeds 
 ftill farther, and affures us in the fame Epiftle^ 
 that Men are naturally fo far from being inclined 
 or difpofed to ferve the Lord in Sincerity and 
 Truths in Righteoufnefs and Uprightnefs, as Da- 
 vid did, that their carnal Mind is Enmity agaiift 
 GOD (e). 
 
 And from this Enmity againft GOD fo ftrong- 
 ly aflerted, we may juftly and very pertinently 
 to our prefent Purpofe infer, that a Man cannot 
 be his faithful Servant, unlefs he be made a Par^ 
 taker of a neu\ divine, and holy Nature. Now 
 there cannot be a new Nature, without a new 
 Creation ; and there is no new Creation^ but by 
 the Grace of GOD m Christ Jesus. 
 
 Thus then it appears from this Scriptural 
 Way of Reafoning, that it is by the Grace of 
 GOD any are made faithful And as a far- 
 ther Confirmation of this important Truth, I 
 cannot forbear turning you to that remarkable 
 PaiTage in Kev. xvii. 14. where we have a De- 
 fcription of thofe tpaf are with the Lamb , who 
 
 are 
 
 (<0 Rom, iii. 11,12. {e) Rom. viii. 7. 
 
24 ^ Funeral Sermon oii 
 
 are diftinguiflied by T^hree Appellatiom peculiar 
 to themfeives, being declared to be Perfons, who 
 are called^ and chcfen, aiid faithful. Upon 
 which Words I humbly conceive it is juft and 
 proper to obferve diftindly, 
 
 That none will openly and boldly, or fted- 
 faftly and heartily, ftand on the Side oitbe Lamb^ 
 pleading for the Purity of the Faith, Worfhip, 
 and Obedience of the Gofpel, againft the Super- 
 ftition. Corruption, and Errors of the Wicked, 
 but His true Difciplesandy<^/V/6/j// Followers. 
 
 Again, we may obferve, that none can 2,Ct 
 this faithful Part, but they who have httn effec- 
 tually called by the fpecial, fupernatural, and ef- 
 ficacious Grace of the infinitely bleffed and holy 
 Spirit. 
 
 And farther, that none are at any Time thus 
 called, but they who from Eternity have been 
 chofen in Cbriji^ and were the Objeds of the Fa- 
 ther' ^ rich, free, difcriminating and unchangeable 
 Love in Him. 
 
 From this inftrudtive Defcription of thofe 
 with the Lamb, we may learn, that whoever are 
 found faithful to their heavenly Lord, their 
 Faithfulnefs fprings originally from the ek^ling 
 Love of the Father^ and is the proper and im- 
 mediate EiFedl of the Spirit's Work upon the 
 Heart.— When we confider therefore the ori- 
 ginal Spring and Fountain, with the proper im- 
 mediate and efficient Caufe, of the Faithfulnefi 
 of Believers, we mu ft acknowledge, that it is 
 by the Grace of GOD thatt ,ap^ Man becomes 
 
 T ' fuch 
 
the Reverend Dr. Marry at. 25 
 
 fuch ^faithful and wife Servant as the Text re- 
 fers to. 
 
 To conclude this Head, I (hall only add, that'^ 
 as it muft be allowed, that none can h^ faithful 
 bur thofe who are holy, \o none can be holy who 
 fail of the Grace of GOD. 
 
 I now pafs on to the next general Head, un- 
 der which I am to^ihew, 
 
 III. That prefent Faithfulnefs is a fure Prefage 
 oi future Blejfednefs, 
 
 The Parable teaches us, that cv try faithful'^ 
 and wife Steward (hall be made Ruler over his 
 Lord's Houjhold, This denotes the great Digni^ 
 ty and Honour^ which in the future State Chri/l 
 will confer upon all his faithful Servants^ both 
 Minifters and People. And the Text \ii:\i pro- 
 nounces that Servant hleffed^ who is io\ind faith* 
 ful at his Lord's Coming. 
 
 We may jaflly conclude therefore, that Grace 
 never makes 2iny faithful, but with a Deiign to 
 crown them with Glory. Such as God foreknew, 
 and loved with an everlaj^i?7g Love^ He did pre- 
 deflinate to be conformed to the Image of his 
 Son (f). And there are Two Things in parti- 
 cular, wherein all the Saints fhall in their Mea- 
 fure bear a Conformity to the Son of GOD : Thefe 
 are His Faithjulnefs, and His Glory, 
 
 Upon the Account ofChri/l's Faithfulnefs^ He 
 is termed God's righteous Servant (g). And 
 fuch is the Redeemer's Care over all whom He 
 
 D has 
 
 (f) Rpm. viii. 29. [g] Ifai. liii. ii. 
 
26 A Funeral Sermon on 
 
 has ranfomed, that notwithftanding their natu^ 
 ral Enmity againft God, their manifold Difli- 
 cuhies, and innumerable Defedts and Imperfedi- 
 ons, He does fo efFedually and thoroughly renew 
 them, as to render them faithful ^ whatever be 
 the Service in vv^hich He employs them : As He 
 did PW, when He put him into the TAiniJlry (h). 
 And they that are now cofformedlo the Image 
 of Chrift in Faithfulnfs, fo far as their Capaci- 
 ties will admit of it, are certainly affured, they 
 fhail hereafter be conjormed to it likewife in 
 Glory, For as He overcame^ and is fet down 
 'with His Father in His Throne^ fo to all who 
 through Grace are enabled to overcome the 
 Temptations J that are any v^'ay offered to make 
 them unfaithfal, will Chrift grant to fit with 
 Him in His Throne (i) ; where they (hall be 
 crowned with all the Glory and Honour, and 
 receive all ihe Felicity and Blejfednejl, that can 
 refuk from their having Chrijt Hinff to be 
 their GOD^ or from their being treated by Him, 
 not as Servants, hut as His Sons : And He being 
 GOD over all Blejfedfor ever (k), He will affu- 
 rediy make all his Sons to inherit all Things (l)^ 
 even all that can be defired to confummate their 
 Happinefs, and make it every Way abfolutely 
 compleat and full. Our Lord then having ex* 
 fftihly fromifed this^ the Certainty and Infalli- 
 bility of His Promife does inviolably eftahlilli an 
 jnltparable Connexion between frefent FaithfuU 
 nejs d^^A future Blejfednefs. 
 
 I fhall 
 
 {h) I Tim. i. 12. (/) Rev. Hi. 21. 
 
 (i) Rom. is., ^, {/) Rev.xxi. 7. 
 
the Reverend Dr. Marryat. 27 
 
 I (hall now confider the laft general Head 
 propoied, viz. 
 
 IV. That it is a fpdciial Privilege, when any 
 
 Servant of the Lord is favoured with a Capacity 
 
 of attending upon />tt/^//V<4 Worjhip, and engaging 
 
 in the IVork and Service of the Lord^ until the 
 
 ■:jDay of bis Death. 
 
 V Here we may take Notice, that Feeding the 
 Houjhold is a Work of a pubiick Nature, and giv- 
 ing them their Portion of Meat in due Seafon is an 
 Inftance of Faithfulnefs. The Reddicion there- 
 fore in the Text [/i doiftgl may juftly be taken as 
 fignifying, that there is a Blejjednefs in the Ser- 
 vant's being found in like Manntr faithfully and 
 adively engaged in feme pubiick Service at the 
 
 Time oi his Lord's Coming. And fince one 
 
 remarkable Inftance of Cbrtft's Coming to his 
 People in all Ages before the End of the World, 
 will be at their Death ^ we may warrantably take 
 the Senfe of the Words to be, Blejed is that 
 faithful Servant^ who (hall be found adtively 
 and feafonably engaged in the {{ated pubiick fVor^ 
 fnp of God until the Day of his Death, 
 Y This Conftrudion of the T^ext is very agree- 
 able to fome other Paffages of Scripture : Par- 
 ticularly to David's Requcft, that he might dwell 
 in the Houfe of the Lord all the Days of his 
 Life (m) ; which implied a Defire, that he 
 might to the laft be favoured with an Opportu- 
 nity and a Capacity for pubiick Worjlnp.^ — And 
 
 D 2 his 
 
 \m) Pfal. xxvii. 4* 
 
28 A Funeral Sermon on 
 
 his holy Thirft after Communion with GoD^ 
 and his fervent Zeal for the Divine Honour, 
 made him regret the Lofs of {uch Opportunities; 
 as appears from his lamenting it, that while the 
 People were gathered together to ferve the Lordy 
 his Strength was weakened in the Way (n). 
 
 We may conclude then, that there is a Blef- 
 
 fednefs in a Servant*s being favoured with a Ca^ 
 
 pacity for attending upon puhlick Worjhip ^ and 
 
 a Blejfednefs in being found faithfully and aftu- 
 
 ally engaged in it until the Day of his Deceafe, 
 
 But yet we are by no Means to imagine, that 
 this Bkfjednefs is abfolutely necejfary to the Ser- 
 vant's future Happinefs. Such a Suppofition 
 would be a fore Difcouragement to many of 
 Chriff 5 faitlful Minifters, and many of God's 
 dear Children^ who niay be laid ajide from the 
 publick Service and JVorfl:ip of God, not for a 
 few Sabbaths only, but perhaps for feveral 
 
 Months or Years, before their Death. In 
 
 fuch a Cafe, it is our Duty to be c hear fully r^- 
 figned to the Difpofal of our heavenly Lord, 
 who will have fome to be His waiting Servants^ 
 while others are His working Servants. And if 
 . we are fo happy as to be made accepted in the- Be- 
 loved (o)^ and received into the Family of GOD, 
 there can be no Reafon for any Complaint or 
 Murmuring, though according to his holy and 
 fovereign Pleafure He fhould ttation us among 
 His waiting Servants^ for what Time his infinite 
 Wifdom fliall judge moft proper for our Good 
 to his own Glory. For we may be equally 
 
 faitlful 
 
 [n] Pr^. cii, 24,25, \o) Eph. i. 6. 
 
the Reverend Dr. Marryat. 29 
 
 faithful 2it\i. accepted infufferingy as in Joi?!glils 
 Will. ■ ■ And whatfoever be the Tribulation, 
 rwhich for any Space may unavoidably lay u5 
 under a neceffary Reftraint from publick Wor- 
 Jhipy God can abundantly make up the Lofs of 
 this Privilege fome other Way. And it is enough 
 /or our Encouragement, when in a lively Exer- 
 -scife of Faith we remember our Lord's Promife, 
 nihat He will freely and certainly give a Crown 
 of Life to thofe, who carefully improve the Op- 
 portunities of publick Worship He affords them, 
 and are faithful unto Death (p). 
 
 Having premifed thefe Hints, I may now very 
 
 juftly and fafely declare it to be a blefjed Pri- 
 
 ivilege, f<5r a Believer to have the Ability of at- 
 
 > lending the Worjhip of GOD in ih^ publick Con^ 
 
 gregation coutmxx^A until i\\Q Day of his Death. 
 
 This Favour, it is plain, has been granted to 
 fever al of ihc Servants of GOD. I may in par- 
 ticular mention Aaron, the Saint of the Lord^ 
 who no doubt was in a Capacity of performing 
 the Fundlions of his Office in the Houfe of God, 
 upon the Day in which it was ordered, he (hould 
 go up into the Mount ^ a ad h^ ft ripped of his Gar ^ 
 
 ments, arid die there (q), And of Mofes 
 
 alfo we read, that when he had made an End of 
 pronouncing the BleJJing upon all Ifrael in the pub- 
 lick Audience of the People, on that feiffame 
 Day the Lordfpake unto him, faying^ Get thee up 
 unto Mount Nebo, and there die^ and be gathered 
 unto thy People (rj. 
 
 S 5d v^m, 3V>; And 
 
 (p) Rev. ii. 10. {q) Numb. xx. 26, 38. 
 
 M Deut. xxxii. 48, —50. 
 
JO A Funeral Sermon on 
 
 ?v And even in our own Times fome of the noted 
 JDifciples ofCbnfthdiVC been thus juddenly re- 
 moved^ at the Command^ and as it were by the 
 iaimediate Hand of GOD, without fo much as 
 one Dafs Confinement from publick WorJJdip im- 
 mediately before their Death. — —-A very frefh 
 and remarkable Inftance of this you have had, 
 in th^fudden Removal of your honoured Paftor^ 
 who had the Privilege of attending publick Wor- 
 Jhip on the very Day oj his Death. 
 
 Now the Blejfednefs of this Privilege may be 
 confidered diftindly in Two Branches. 
 
 1, There is a Pleafure in a Believer's being 
 continued in a Capacity of joining in the 
 publick Worjlip of God till the laft Part of 
 his Life. 
 
 2, There is an Advantage to be expeded in 
 his being r^-T^^i;^^ immediately after he has 
 httv\ faithfully engaged therein. 
 
 Thefe Confiderations will fufBciently difplay 
 the Blejj'ednefs of this Privilege. 
 
 \^rvl^m, There is a Pleafure in a Believer's being 
 continued in a Capacity of joining in the 
 publick Worfip of GoD till the very loft 
 Part cf his Lfe. 
 
 This Privilege is, indeed a moft valuable BleJJ'-- 
 ingy not merely with Regard to forne tempo^ 
 ral Confiderations, relating to the bodily Health 
 and £^ which may be fuppofed to attend it, 
 
 but 
 
 e 
 
the Reverend Dr. Marry at. 31 
 
 but upon mzny fpiritual Accounts of the greateft 
 Importance. And the Chriftian\ high Regard 
 topubUck Worjhip ever makes him to efteem it as 
 a Pleafure to attend upon it. For he knows, 
 that tho' GoD*s gracious Prefence is not confined 
 to the Ordinances of his Houfe, yet the Lord 
 hveth the Gates of Zio?2y more than all the DwelU 
 ings ofjacob (s). Every Gofpel-Church is a 
 ZioHy the City of God \ and the Name which he 
 has appointed to be given it, is Jehovah- 
 SHAMMAH, the LORD is there (t), And thro' 
 the Divine Prefence of the Lord the Spirit 
 in His mighty Power and Grace, many Souls 
 have been there regenerated to a fpiritual and 
 divine Life, have been there fed with the fin- 
 cere Milk cf the Word (u)y yea, have there learnt 
 the Certainty of the Words cf Truths and been 
 taught mo(t excellent Things (w). And from the 
 Benefit which they have received, they are en- 
 couraged to hope from Time to Time, that they 
 {hail there fee more ^ithe Beauty of the Lord{x\ 
 and oi the unfearchable Riches of Chr [ft ()') ;. and- 
 fhall there meet with fuch fweet and powerful 
 Ccmmunicatiofis of His Gn7f^,as iliall increafe their 
 Faith, quicken their evangelical Repentance ^ con- 
 firm \ht\x Hope^ and inflame their L(5^v to God, 
 and all the Duties of pradical- Religion end true 
 Holinefs. And there they expect to receive 
 ihofe InfiriiofiofiSy and thofe Imprejjions, which 
 (ball be ufeful and effedual to wean them from 
 the prejent evil World^ to fit them for Deaih 
 
 and 
 
 (s) Pfal. Ixxxvii. 2. (t) Ezek^ xlvili. 35. (u) I Pet. ii. 2. 
 (iK}) ?rov. xxii. 20, 21. (x) Pfal, xxvii. 4. (y) Eph. iii. 8, 
 
32 A Funeral Sermo7t on 
 
 and Judgment y and to prepare them for the hea-- 
 venly Glory, 
 
 Now as Citizens and Merchants think it a Pri- 
 vilege, to be continued in thofe Circumftances 
 oi Health which will admit of their frequenting 
 the Exchange, and other public k Places, where 
 their worldly Bufinefs is to be tranfadled 5 thus the 
 Believer cannot but efteem it a fmgular Favour^ 
 to be fpared in a State of fuch ABivity and Vi- 
 gour, that to the laft Period of Life he may be 
 able with Pleafure ftatedly to attend thofe pub- 
 lick religious Ajfemblies, in which he hopes to 
 enjoy the moft profitable and delightful Inter-' 
 courfe with Heaven. 
 
 Befides, he efteems it a blefled Privilege, to 
 have the Opportunity of tejlifying by an Attend- 
 ance upon tht publick Worjhip which the Gofpel 
 requires, his humble Gratitude for the great Sal- 
 vation which the Gofpel reveals. He delights 
 by fuch Attendances to exalt his Redeemer s Name^ 
 and to pay an open, a dutiful, and manifeft Re- 
 gard to his Lord's Authority, in obferving the 
 Ordinances of His Appointment ; and in the pub- 
 lick life thereof, according to His Command, to 
 join in perpetuating the Memory of his Saviour's 
 Incarnation, of His Obedience unto Death, and 
 of His Refurre^ion ; that all around him may 
 know, to whom he is, and to whom alone they 
 (hould be looking for Salvation, even to Jefus the 
 Author and Fini/her of our Faith (z), who has 
 tnagmfied the Law, and made it honourable {a^. 
 Thus the Believer finds a Pleafure in his attend- 
 ing 
 
 (z) Heb. xii. 2. (a) Ifai. xlii. 21. 
 
the Revermd Dr. Nf arry at. 33 
 
 ing upon puhlick Ordinances : So that in this re- 
 fpedl, Bleffed is that Servant ^ whom his Lord^ 
 when he comethy pall find fo doing:. \0 8Ji woVI 
 
 And in particular, Th^ fait hf id Mhiiflcr, wha 
 delights in his Matter's Work, cannot but e(ieem 
 it a fignal Blefjing to be indulged to the very End 
 of Life with an Ability q{ appearing publickl\\ ac- 
 cording to his Commiffioh, in the chief Place of 
 Concourfe^ in the opening cf the Gates, and in the 
 City {b)y to utter the Word of the Lord ; that 
 thro' the Divine BlefTing he may be the happy 
 Inflrument of converting Sinners, and of eflablirfi-i 
 ing and comforting the Saints. And remarkably 
 blefjed is that faithful Servant, whom his Lord^ 
 when he cometh^ Jl:}all find fo doing. But again, 
 
 . 2,. There is alfo fome Acivaniage the Believer 
 .\^,. may expedt, in his being removed imtne- 
 
 diately after he has been faithfully engaging 
 
 in publick Worfloip. 
 
 
 The moft happy Advantages for Eternity, re- 
 fult from Communion with GOD : And there is 
 no vt'here any greater Nearnefs of Accefs unto 
 Him to be expedted upon Earth, than in the Or-- 
 di nances of His Iloufe, and a faithful Attendance 
 upon His publick IVorfiip, For when this is per- 
 formed in a fpiritual manner, according to the 
 GofpeURule, the Believer there makes an 
 humble Acknov/ledgment of the Apojiacy of our 
 Nature, with the confequent Guilt and Polluti- 
 on which do univerfally attfend it. There be 
 
 E makes 
 
 (h) Prov. i. 21. 
 
34 ^ Funeral Sermon on 
 
 makes a penitential Confeffion of the Plague of 
 his own Heart (^), and of the innumerable aggra- 
 vated Tranfgreffions and fad Omiffions of his 
 Life. There he hears the wonderful Settlements 
 of the everlojling Covenant opened and unfolded, 
 and thereupon repeats his Application by Faith 
 to the Blood Oj Chrijl', and v/ith an humble and 
 holy Confidence he there afrefh lays hold of the 
 exceeding great and precious Promifes [d] which 
 his God has given him^ and on which He hath 
 caufed hiin to hope. There he renews his folemn 
 Self-dedication to God, and his flncere Renun- 
 ciation of all Fricndlhip with the Enemies of his 
 Lord. There he gets a frefli Tafte of the Di- 
 vine Love^ and a freih Sight of the heavenly G lo- 
 ry ^ with a fweet Confirmation oihkHope^ that 
 through the Right eoifnefs and Grace of his Re-- 
 deemerht (liall quickly be m.ade a Partaker of it: 
 And this Hope, in Proportion to its high Degree, 
 begets in him a vehement Dcfire to depart (<?), 
 that he may be with Chrift in the Manfions above. 
 — Now tbefe are remarkable Advajitages^ which 
 happily prepare and difpofe the Soul to meet 
 Death ivith a Smile. 
 
 But befides thefe, there 2iXt further Advanta- 
 ges^ which in a peculiar Manner arife from a 
 faithful Attendance upon publick JVorfip, and 
 v/hich cannot immediately flow from the near- 
 eft Coimr.uni on with God in Jeer et. It is true 
 
 infecret V/Gr(}:ip every Believer, under the gra- 
 cious and powerful Impreffions of the Holy Ghojl^ 
 does by the outward Expreffions of his Mouth, 
 
 as 
 
 (c) I Kings viii. 38. (d) 2 Pet. i.'4. (e) Phil. i. 23. 
 
the Reverend Dr. Marry at. 35 
 
 as well as in the inward Language of his Heart, 
 declare unto Jehovah, Father, Son, ajid Spirit y 
 the Holy Oncoflfrael^ that upon the moft iivature 
 Deliberation, renouncing all Idols, he cordially 
 and fixedly chufcs Him to be his Covenant- GOD 
 a?2d Father^ the only Obje<5t of his religious 
 Worlliip and Adoration, and the Portion of his 
 
 Soul for ever. The Believer, 1 jay, humbly 
 
 and fincerely declares this infecret to the Lord 
 Himfelf: But by Va% publicklVorfijip performed 
 according to the Rule of the Word, he openly 
 declares this before all who are the Witnefles of 
 his religious Attendances. Thus he bears a noble 
 Teftimony to the Reality, Excellence, and Glo- 
 ry of the Go/pel- Salvation^ and to the Suitable- 
 nefs and Divine Authority of a GcfpelWorjlnp^ 
 and a Gofpel Walk. By every frefli Adl of Wor- 
 fmp in the Houfe of God, he gives a fre(h Evi- 
 dence, that he accounts the W^ays cj IVijdom to 
 be IVays cf Pleafcmtnefs, and that all her Paths 
 are Peace (f). And it his Life be free from thofe 
 Irregularities, wliich would contradiB his Pro- 
 feffion ox Jlur his Chriliian Charader, he then 
 by the Obedience of his Worjhip pradiically con- 
 demns the World, as Noah did (^ j, for all their 
 Profanenefs and Irreligion, their wretched Stu- 
 .pidity and carnal Security, for the Worldlinefs 
 of their Temper, the impenitence, Unbelief, 
 and Hardnefs of their Hearts. 
 
 And is not a Conjcioiifmjs of his having been 
 
 excited, notwithftanding all OppoCtion from the 
 
 Devi!, the V/orld, and the Flefli, to a perfcver- 
 
 E 2 ing 
 
 (f) Prov. iii. 17. (g) Hcb. xi. 7. 
 
36 A Funeral Sermon on 
 
 ing Conftancy in fuch a religious Con diift as this, 
 an encouraging Evidence to his own Scul, that 
 his God knows him by Name, and that he has 
 found Grace in his Sight (h) ? Efpecially, when 
 * with the Tcftimony of his own Confcience he has 
 the fecret Atteftation of the Spirit of Adoption, 
 that the Worjlnp which he performs in the Houfe 
 of God, neither fprings from ahy felfifh or 
 worldly Motive, nor is direded by flcjy.y JVif-^ 
 dom to any bafe finifter End, but that all is done 
 by the Grace of GOD in a holy Simplicity and 
 godly Sincerity (i),W\\.h a Defign, that by keeping 
 up the Wor-pdip of the SanBuary he might not 
 only honour God himfelf but invite, encourage, 
 and afiifl: others, to avouch the Lord to be their 
 GOD (k), to love and fear Him, to obey His 
 Voice, and cleave to Him, as the only felicitat-- 
 ing Objedt of their Souls, in the full Enjoyment^ 
 of whom alone they can have eternal Life. - 
 
 And when a faithful Servant has thus the 
 Comfort of knowing, that after the Example of 
 Caleb and Jojhua, he has followed the hordfuU ' 
 ly (I), Is he not then in a fit Condition to meet 
 the Ki?ig of Terrors, whatever ihall be the Sea^^ 
 fon or Manner of his Approach ? 
 
 Or if the Chrifiian, juft after he has been in 
 thcr Mount with GOD, even before he comes 
 down into the Vale of Temptation again, (hould 
 at once be difcbarged from a State of Warfare, 
 and ordered to take his final Farewel of the 
 Cburcb-Militant, that while he is in fuch a hea- 
 
 venly 
 
 fh) Exod. xxxiiJ. 12, 17. (i) 2 Cor. i. 12. (k) Deut. 
 3fxvi, 17. (J)^ 2\umb. xiv, 34. ., _: 
 
the Reverend Dr. Marryat. 37 
 
 venly and comfortable Frame he may immedi- 
 ately go and join the CbiLrch-lriumphant, with 
 what powerful Succours and wonderful Advan- 
 tages ^oc^ he then meet Death ? If fuch a happy 
 and Judden Change may not ftridly be termed 
 a l^ranjlatioriy yet it muft be very near a- kin. 
 For though the dying Believer drcpi bis Body, as 
 Elijah did his Mantle (m), ftill in a happy Senfe 
 it may truly be faid of him, as it was oi Enoch ^ 
 that He walked with GOD, and was fiot^ for 
 GOD took him (n). 
 
 But that none of the Saints may be difcouraged^ 
 though it (hould be their Lot to have a li?jgrif7g^ 
 Death, let it be remembered, that the Summit 
 of the Servant's Blefednefs arifes not from the 
 Manner of his Difmiliion from his Work, but 
 from his receiving that tranfporting Eiilogium^ 
 when Christ Himfelf ihall fay to him, IVell 
 done, thou good and faithful Servant, enter thou 
 into the Joy of thy Lord (0), How painful or 
 wafting therefore, or of how long a Continuance 
 foever, were the Difeafes of his Body, which 
 prepared the Way, and by flow Degrees brought 
 on his Diflolotion, Blejfed notwithftanding Jhall 
 that Servant be, at his Lord's Coming, 
 
 Having thus confidered the Heads at firft pro- 
 pofed, 1 lliall now draw to a Conclufion of 
 this Difcourfe, by (hewing what fpecial 
 Improvement we (hould make of them, ia 
 a Way of Pcrfonal JPP LIGATION. 
 
 The 
 
 (m) 2 Kings ii. 13. (a) Geo. v. 24. (0) Mat. xxv. 21. 
 
38 
 
 A Fwieral Sermon oft 
 
 The important Truths I have delivered point 
 • out various Duties and Exercifes cf Grace ^ iova^ 
 whereof I (hall biiefiy urge in the ibllovving 
 Order. 
 
 I. We are called to a ferious Enquiry into 
 our own Cafe, and a clofe Self -Exami- 
 nation. 
 
 It is our Duty to enquire, njohat Talents we 
 have received, bow they have been employed, and 
 whether we are prepared to give an Account of our 
 Stewardfiip with Comfort. 
 
 Let me folemnly addrefs myfelf to Tou cf this 
 Congregation. You have been highly Ja'voured 
 . with a rich Enjoyment of the Means of Grace. 
 It is near Fifty Tears fince fome of this Church 
 Jir/i enjoyed tliQ minilkrial Labours of the Deceaf- 
 ed at Zoar Street : And none that fate under his 
 Miniftry, whether there, or in the frefent Place 
 of your folemn Meetings, but muft acknow- 
 ledge, you have been intrufted with many pre- 
 cious lalents. 
 
 Think, Sirs, while ^w/r Pajior has been flat- 
 ed!y and diligenJy officiating amoncr you one 
 Sabbath after another for Years paff, Was not 
 tcvery Ordinance a Talent ? every Sermon a Ta- 
 lent? yea, and-every Sentence which.<ir^/'/yr(?;w 
 the Lips oionQ. lahofe Mouth the Lord had touch- 
 edy a valuable Talent committed to thofe that 
 heard him ? 
 
 i How 
 
the Reverend Dr. Ma r r y a t . 39 
 
 How vaft then is the Sum of your Talents ? 
 and how awful mud be the Account which 
 yoii are to give ? You cannot but know, that 
 a Day of Reckoning is coming, and you mu(l 
 fhorUy be called to an Account by the Supreme 
 'Judge "who fear cheth the Hearty for all the Con* 
 viQiom about fpiritual and eternal Things, that 
 have at any Time been raifed in your Minds 
 
 under his faithful Mini ft ry,^ -You muft give 
 
 an Account y what Ufe you have made of all the 
 folemn Warnings^ and awakening Expo ftulat ions ^ 
 which he has opened to you out of the Scrips 
 tures', of all the kind, authoritative, and melt- 
 ing Invitations^ which in the Name of the Lord 
 he*has given you ; and of all the attrading De-^ 
 clarations of Salvation by Christ for humble 
 Penitents and true Believers, which he has pub- 
 lifhed agreeable to his Commifiion.-- — "And fur- 
 ther, you muft alfo^/i;d' an Account, what Re- 
 turn you have made, with Regard to the many 
 pr effing Calls to a humble holy Walking before 
 God, with which his judicious Miniftry did a- 
 bound, while he was tftifying the Gojpcl of the 
 Grace of GOD among you. 
 
 Let me befcech you therefore to confider, that 
 every one of this Congregation in particular, wha 
 vduks io Mieve in Chrift^ and JolhuKHim, will 
 at laft be condemned in the moft dreadful Man- 
 ner, as an unjuft St::ward, as a mod fothful 
 and wicked Servant. Again, 
 
 2. We are diredled what Method we (hould 
 take, that we may be made faithful. 
 
 Special 
 
40 A Funeral Sermon on 
 
 Special and efficacious Grace ^ we have heard, 
 IS abfolutely necejfary to Piake us faithful. And 
 none can warrantably expecl: to be Partakers of 
 this Grace^ who do not humbly a/k sindfeek it 
 at the Door of Mercy. This plainly teaches us 
 our Duty, and direds us to fee k the Lord ^ mohile 
 hemay be founds and to call upon Him^ while he 
 is near (p). He has declared, that He will 
 give the Holy Spirit unto them that afk him {q) : 
 And it is certain, that if any Man have not the 
 Spirit of Chrifty he is none of His frj, none of 
 liis fotrhful Servants. Wait therefore for the 
 Prot72ife of the Father, and make it your Re- 
 queft, that He would quicken you by His Spirit. 
 
 Be fully affured, my Friends, that the Per- 
 
 fon who has not the Spirit, is fenjual (s), and 
 cajinot be faithful: And the Man that is prayer- 
 lefs at his Lord*s Coming, cannot be found doing 
 as his Lord required. None of you can pre- 
 tend, that in this Point vom know not the Will of 
 your Lord : If therefore you negleB what He 
 has given you in Charge, and wid not prepare ta 
 meet Him, you muft fuffer the foreft Punifli- 
 ment, for you Poallbe beaten "with many Stripes {t). 
 Let us then daily prny^ that our God would 
 pour upon us the Spirit of Grace and Supplicati- 
 on (u)y or we cannot be faithful But fur- 
 ther, 
 
 3. We are ftrongly obliged to make all poffi- 
 ble Returns of Gratitude md Pratfe for re- 
 deeming Love, Were 
 
 {p) Ifai. Iv. 6. [q] Luk. xi. 1 3. (/•) Rom. viii. 9. 
 {s) Jude, 'ver, 19. {t) Luk. xii. 47. («} Zech.xii. lo. 
 
the Reverend Dr. Marry at. 41 
 
 Were all the valuable Talents given to our Na- 
 ture at its Creation, em^ezzeled znd loft through 
 the Unjaithfulnefs of our common Parent and pub- 
 lick Reprefentative, the Fv'^fi Adam, How thank- 
 y«/then (hould we be for Jesus Christ, the 
 Second Adam-, who is the Lord from Heaven (w) ? 
 He is the infinitely glorious Redeemer, wno 
 through his amazing Condefcenfion, in Love to 
 his People, rejiored that which he took 7iot 
 away (xj. He has wrought out, and brought in 
 an everlajling Righteoufnefs fy), which ja/iifies 
 every Believer itova all his Iniquities and Unfaith- 
 
 fulnefs; both from the original Unfaithful-^ 
 
 nefs, which according to the righteous Conftitu- 
 tion of the Jir/i Covenant is juftly imputed to owz 
 Nature, and is equally charged upon every one 
 of the human Race, while he remains in a State 
 
 of Impenitence and Unbelief; and likevife 
 
 from all thofe particular Inflances of adiuaJ Un- 
 faithfulnefs^ of which the Believer is convinced 
 he has been guilty in his own individual Perfon, 
 and which he knows are more than can be num* 
 bered. 
 
 Now mufi: we not all agree, that we can ne- 
 ver be thankful ^x^oxs^ for this glorious Redeem-' 
 ery and His pcrfe^ Righteoufnefs: Efpecially, 
 when we coniider, that though every unjufl 
 Steward will be condemned for his Vnfaithfuhufs 
 and Sin ; yet among all the Sons oi fallen Adam 
 there is not any on^ faithful Servant^ that can 
 
 F be 
 
 (n») I Cor. XV. 47. (x) Pfal l^x. 4» (;) Pan. '^.' 2^. 
 
42 A Funeral Sermon on 
 
 htjuftifed at the Bar of God by his own Works t 
 No, whatever be the ExaBnefs and Faith- 
 fuinefs with which he performs them. So that 
 every real Chrifttan is undoubtedly of the like 
 Sentiments with Job^ and will be ever ready to 
 adopt his Language, faying, If I be wicked^ Wo 
 unto me ; and if I be righteous^ yet will I not lift 
 up my Head (z), '\r ,^"^%uWl^ 
 
 . All true Believers then hold Themfel\^es eternal- 
 ly bound to offer the higheft Praifes to the Sa- 
 cred Three : To the Father, who fentHis 
 Son to be the Propitiation for our Sins : To the 
 SoN,who by His Obedience untoDeath has made a 
 real and compleat Atonement : And to the infi- 
 nitely bleffed Spirit, whoenables us by Faith 
 to receive the Atonement (a) ; and to rely upon 
 it, and plead it, as the only Foundation of our 
 Hope of Acceptance with God. 
 
 And this leads me to add, that by the Doc- 
 trines we have now heard, 
 
 '' 4. We are excited to an humble Admiration 
 of the rich Grace which God beftows. 
 on \i\sjaithful Servants, 
 
 '^^^It has been already fhewn ffom the Scriptures, 
 that/fe Grace cfCOD is the proper, efficient, 
 and immediate Caufe of all the Faitbfulnefs found 
 in any cf His Servants. And it is very natural 
 and juft froai hence to infer, that Believers are 
 boa-nd to /?^^;?V^ ajrid adore that Grace ^ which 
 makes themfekes or others faithful. 
 
 Here 
 
 [z] Job X. 15. {a) Rom. V. II. 
 
the Reverend Dr. Marry at, 43 
 
 Here I am perfuaded, the Hint is no fooner 
 given with Regard to our admiring the Grate 
 which makes others faithful^ but You oi this Con- 
 gregation will be prefently faying within your- 
 felves, There was in Truth great Reafon to ad- 
 mire the Gr^C"^ beflowed upon your Fa/lor; whom 
 God raifed up, fitted for his Work, put into the 
 Minifiry^ and made for you^ as Epaphras was 
 for the Colojians (bj^ a Jaithjul Minijler of 
 Chrifi. 
 
 It is not for me, I confefs, to launch out in 
 Praife of the Deceafed, Such a Piadice in fu- 
 neral Difcourfes^ I have been afllired from fome 
 of his own Family, was his Averfion. And yet; 
 I cannot think, that any Re/iridlion I am under 
 fhould wholly prevent xny taking Notice of fome 
 remarkable and uncommon Injiances ofFaithfuU 
 nefs^ both in his private Lije^ and publick Mi- 
 nifiry : Efpecially, fjnce the jufi Relation of thefe 
 Things may greatly redound to the Praife of the 
 Glory of the Grace of God. Nor will it 1 pre- 
 fume be thought culpable in me, to relate in 
 this publick M^iuntx fome Pafages^ which upon 
 certain Occafions for very weighty Reafons he 
 has modeftly dropped concerning himfelf in a free 
 Converfation with intimate Friends, or in the 
 Preience oi young Students, for their Diredion, 
 Quickening, or Encouragement. 
 
 And fmce I fpeak upon good Grounds, I ap- 
 prehend I may now juftly take the Liberty to 
 fay, that after he was fomewhat advanced in 
 F 2 youth, 
 
 (h) Col. i. 7. 
 
44 A Funeral Sermon on 
 
 'Youth, he faw himfelf obliged to make a right 
 Ufe of the Talents which God had given him : 
 And being endued with a very ftrofig Memory^ 
 he thought it his Duty to make it afecret Repo- 
 fitory of the Words of Divine Revelation. 
 ■' Accordingly he trcaiured up a largt!r Portion 
 \bf the Scriptures, than perhaps any one befides, 
 whorri ■ we have known, ever did. For there 
 are fome who can affure us, they had the Ac- 
 count immediately from himfelf, that he bad 
 committed to Memory not a few whole Books^ both 
 of the Old Tejlament, and the New *. When 
 he mentioned this, he named diflindly Jcb^ 
 PfalmSy Proverbs, Ecchjiaftes, IJaiahy and Je% 
 remiah, with all the nnnor Prophets ; and every 
 'one of the EpijUes like wife in the New Tejla- 
 ment, with the Book of the Revelation, And 
 that he might carefully retain the whole of what 
 he had thus learnt, he declared, it was his Prac- 
 tice to repeat them memoriter once a Year. 
 
 The fpecial R'^afon or Motive, which he affign- 
 ed for his entering upon this Method, deferves a 
 particular Notice. He began it in the younger 
 Part of Life, when being under a deep Senfeof 
 the EvilofSin^ and his Mind fadly ignorant of 
 God's IFay of Salvation by the Rightmfncjs of 
 the glorious Mifjiah, or being in the Dark as to 
 ^liis own perfonal Interejiinit^ he was forely dif- 
 
 treiied with Fears, tbat Hell mull be bis Porti- 
 
 fl £ n nrht^cndl :• ■. yllei^ qjj^ 
 
 '•' The Accouitt Jnfefte^d^ii'/;?'// Paragraph was not mentioned 
 when the Sermon was preached, as I had not then received the 
 particular and certain Information, or at leaft not the full and 
 iktistafiory Evidence of the Truth of it, which fmce I have. 
 
the Reverend Dr. Marryat. 45 
 
 en. At that Time it was put into his Heart, that 
 if he muft go to Hell^ he would endeavour to 
 carry with him as much oi the Word of GOD as 
 
 pofiibly he could. And it feems to me to have 
 
 been afecret latent Principle of the Fear and 
 Love of God, that eftablifhed him in this Pur- 
 pofe. For it looks as if he dcfircd to have a Sup- 
 ply of Scripture Materials for his Mind to work 
 upon, chufing it (hould ever be employed in re- 
 coUedting and rtfleding upon thofe Records^ that 
 thereby if poffible it might be kept from hlajphem" 
 ing GOD^ like the reft of the Spirits in the infer- 
 nal Piifon. ^Mithe Grace which thus enga- 
 ged him to ftore up the holy Scriptures^ at length 
 bltfled them to be the means of making him 
 wtfe to Salvation^ through Faith which is in Chrift 
 Jefuu 
 
 Be fides a (Irong Memory, the DoBor was fa- 
 voured with very pregnant Natural Parts, and 
 good IntelleSfual Jhilities, He was indulged 
 likewife, though not with a very robiift, yet 
 with a pretty firm and healthful Conjtitution of 
 Body. Thefc Privileges difpofed and enabled 
 him to be diligent in his Application to Learnings 
 in a Manner and to a Degree very uncommon. 
 For upon different Occafions I have heard him 
 more than once or twice fay, *' That in the vi- 
 *^ gorous Part of Life it was his Cuftom for fome 
 " Space, to fit z//>. frequently whole Nights^ ge- 
 ** nerally two, and fometimes three in a Week 
 " the Year round." Part of the Night he fpent 
 in religious Exercifes, and the reft of it (as Duty 
 and Occafion required,) in Divine, Philofophi- 
 
 cal^ 
 
46 A Funeral Sermon on 
 
 cal, Polemical, and other learned Studies^ which 
 he thought might be helpful to him in the Work 
 of the Minijiry, 
 
 After this Account of himfelf, we need not 
 be furprized to i^ear, that one of his Capacity, 
 Learning, and Application, (hould at length be 
 able to fay, as he did, *^ that there were very 
 " few, if any of the Books, wrote by the an- 
 ** tient Greeks, and handed down to our Times, 
 ** but what he had recid in their own Language." 
 Hereby he acquired great Skill, and a happy 
 Dexterity, in taking Spoils from the HeathenSy 
 and bringing them into the Service of the Sanctu- 
 ary. The Greek being the Language in which 
 the New Teji anient was originally written, he 
 was peculiarly careful to be more Majler of that ^ 
 thaa of any other Tongue of the Gentiles what- 
 ever. And the Lord helped him to make a wife 
 end faithful life of all his critical Knowledge in 
 that, or any other of the learned Languages. 
 
 In his Account of Things, Time was a moft 
 .precious Talent, This he improved by great 
 Diligence in his Study, and by a chearful unwea- 
 ried Attendance upon ih^ pub lick and ftated, as 
 well as private and occafional FunBions of his 
 Pajloral Office, He took the Pains to read over 
 the Works, both of the Gr<'ek and Latin Fa^ 
 then ; and patiently fubmitred to the tedious 
 Drudgery of getting a pretty fall Knowledge of 
 the artful and corrupt Writings of the jidverfa- 
 ries of the Truth, whether of former or later 
 Times ; particularly thofe of Bellarmin, of Tho-- 
 mas Aquinas^ and others of chief Note in the" 
 
 Church 
 
the Reverend Dr. Marry at. 47 
 
 Church of Rome, Hence he was able to fet the 
 State of the Controverfy between the Protc/lants 
 and the Papt/h^ in a clear Light : And when he 
 had prcffed the nrioll fpecious Arguments and 
 Objections againft ihtProteJiant Religion^ with all 
 the Weight the Aiiverjaries thewfelves could urge 
 them, he was io richly furnilhed with the Doc~ 
 trines of Scripture^ and the great Things which 
 GOD has written to us in his Law, that by the 
 Hammer and Spirit of the JVord he could, un- 
 der the Divine Authority, with great Judgment 
 and a very forcible Way of Reafoning, utterly 
 demoUJh the whole Fabrick treacheroufly e reded 
 by the Antickrijlian Builders, 
 
 His Z: al for the Proteftant DoBrines of the 
 Reformatio}!^ and his Care in his Preaching to 
 lay low the Haughtinefs of Men ^ to exalt the 
 Riches of Free Grace, and to guard againft all 
 Antincmian, as well as Arminian and Arian 
 Errors, were well known to You who had the 
 Privilege of hi^ ftated Miniftry^ and clearly ma- 
 nifefted in the Part he bore in the Merchant's 
 antient LeBure at Pinners-Hall, and in the 
 Lord's Dav EvemngCatechetical Exercifes, which 
 for {owe Years were carried on in Lime-Street^ 
 
 and of late at Little St. Helens. His uniforoi 
 
 Zeal was difcovered alfo in his private LcBures 
 in Divinity to the Students in the Acadetny at 
 
 Plaifterers-HalL And I cannot but fuppofe, 
 
 that many of you are acquainted with the ex- 
 cellent little Piece upon the Godhead oi Christ, 
 entitled, 'The Exalted Saviour ; which he wrote 
 
 at 
 
4-8 A Funeral Sermon on 
 
 at a Time, when Arianifm was coming in like a 
 Flood, even among the Dijfenters. 
 ■y^l {hall only add concerning him, that they 
 who were moft intimately acquainted with him, 
 efteemed him to be a good Pattern of real and 
 univerfal Benevolence to Mankind, efpecially to 
 the Souls of xMen ; of true G of pel-Charity^ or un- 
 feigned Love to the Brotherhood, and of Chrif- 
 tian Forbearance towards all that needed it :' 
 While at the fame Time he was in a very hum- 
 ble, becoming, and exemplary Manner valiant 
 for the Truth, flanding up in the faithful Publi- 
 cation and Defence of it to the End of his Days. 
 And You, with All that knew him, mufl allow, 
 that he has everaded agreeable to the Profefli- 
 on he made, above Thirty Years ago, in bis 
 Dedication to this Churchy of that excellent and 
 judicious Piece of his before mentioned : In 
 which he fays exprefsly, " I have never been 
 *' fhy, orfhunned to difclo/e the Counfels of 
 *' God ; nor do 1 feek to ihelte'r ai^d cloak my 
 ** Opinions in ambiguous Phrafes, and anktts- 
 ** factory Expreflions : But, after painful Stu- 
 ** dy, and diligent Difquifition, what unquef- 
 ** tionably to me appears to be the Mind and 
 " Meaning of God, with all Franknefs I readily 
 " reprefent unto you, in the propereft and plain- 
 " eft Words I can choofe auil clearly to re- 
 ** veal, and moft determinately to diftinguifli 
 " my Senfe," A noble Pattern! Highly wor- 
 thy of the Imitation of -4// the Mini/lers of 
 Jesus Christ. And you that heard his hea- 
 venly Difcourfe, delivered to this Church but 
 
 a very 
 
the Reverend Dr. M a rr y a t . 49 
 
 a very few Hours before his Death, upon thofe 
 Words in i Pet, v. 7. Cafting all your Care upon 
 Him, for He carethfor you (in which, as it now 
 appears, Providence had allotted he fliould give 
 his ioXcmn parting Advice to the Congregation :) 
 You, 1 am perfwaded, can think no other, but 
 theit'when his Lord came. He found him fi 
 
 doing. 
 
 Thefe Things I have mentioned, not to ex^ 
 tol the Name or Memory of the DeceqfeJ, but 
 to exalt the rich md free Grace of God ; to 
 the bumble Admiration whereof, you know, 
 your faithful Paprhoth by his Inftrudlions, and 
 his Example, did condantly invite you. For 
 be was forward to acknowledge exprefsly, as the 
 ApoHle did, with Regard to all his abundant 
 Labours, Tet not I, but the Grace of GOD which 
 
 was with me (c). a j .l j. 
 
 And if any of us have feen and tajtedtbaf 
 the Lord is gracious (d), we cannot but own 
 with the like holy Admiration, that it is w* 
 Grace indeed, which God beftows upon all Hts 
 faithful Servants. It is Grace and Favour that 
 gives them all their Talents, and all their Inch- 
 nation or Opportunity of improvuig them. It 
 is free Grace, which firft makes them fatthjul, 
 and then keeps themfo ; which ftrengthens them 
 in all their Duty, Work, and Service, and m 
 all their Attempts to honour God : Surely then 
 it muft be rich Grace, which through the Re^ 
 demption that is in Jefus Chriji ,^^f^fy ^' 
 ctpts and highly promotes the faithful Ser^^^^^ 
 
 {c) I Cor. XV. i». (^> > Pe*"' 5' 
 
50 A Funeral Sermon on 
 
 who at beft was but unprofitable^ and whofe 
 Language to Eternity will be anfwerable to that 
 of the royal Prophet^ when he faid to the Lord, 
 All Things come of Hhee^ and of thine own have 
 we given 'Thee (e). This will for ever be the 
 Declaration, which all the Saints will humbly 
 make before God, *' We never had any Thing 
 *^ but what was thine own, wherewith to ferve 
 " or honour Thee." And when Glory iliall at 
 laft be conferred upon that blejfed Servant^ whom 
 Grace alone had rendered faithful^ what can be 
 faid, but tbatfuch is the marvellous Loving Kind- 
 nefs, and fuch the boundlefs Mercy of God to 
 his Servants, that they receive Grace for GracCy 
 that is, a gracious Reward 2Sttv 2^ Faithfulnefs in 
 His Service, which His Grace alone could pro- 
 duce. And as it will to Eternity^ fo let it now 
 be the joyful Shout oixk^^ Saints, Grace^ Grace (f): 
 For as Grace laid the Foundation^ fo Grace muft 
 lay the Head- Stone ^ in the great Work of Man's 
 Salvation. But to conclude, 
 
 5. Laftl% By what we have heard we are 
 bound to h^ faithful in All Things, 
 
 It is our Duty to be jaithful^ in every Situ- 
 ation and Circumftance in Life -^faithful to GOD^ 
 2iX\^ faithful to Man. Here remember, though 
 iione can be faithful to GODy unlefs it be their 
 daily Study, Care, and Pradtice to be faithful 
 unto Men; yet Perfons may he faithful unto Men^ 
 fo far as human Laws are concerned, and not 
 
 be 
 
 (c). I Chron. xxix, 14, (f) Zech. iv. 7^ 
 
the Reverend Dr. Mar* y at. 51 
 
 be faithful unto GOD : But if wc would be 
 GOD's ServaiJtSy and be counted faitlful^ v/e 
 niuft be upright in All Things ; fee king fir ft the 
 Kingdom of GOD y aijd His Right eoufnefs (g) ; do^ 
 ing every thing heartily, as unto the Lord (h) ; 
 living y not unto ourfelveSy hut unto Him who died 
 for us (i) 'y and endeavouring to make the heft- 
 Improvement of our Health and Strength, and 
 all our Talents. 
 
 Particularly, both the Word and Provide?tce of 
 God do unitedly call upon us, to redeem cur 
 7ime (k) ; and not to be Jlottful in the important 
 Concerns of God's Glory and our own Salvati- 
 on, but to be fervent in Spirit^ Jerving the 
 Lord (I) with the utmoft Diligence; for the 
 Night comethy wherein no Man can work (m) : 
 
 And we fee, it may come very fuddenh, • 
 
 Lamenting therefore pad Unfaitbfulnefs, let us 
 endeavour to make a better life than ever of the 
 Lord's Day, and of thofe Hours in every Day, 
 which ought to be facred to the Worfhip of 
 GoD^ and the Exercifes of Religion. Be care- 
 ful to glorijy GOD in your Body^ and in your 
 Spirit (n), to ho?20ur Him with ycur Sub- 
 ftance (oj, and with all your Talents, and to 
 walk in the Fear of the Lord at all Times. And 
 as thofe who wait for his Coming, gird up the 
 Loins of your Mind, be fiber, and hope to the 
 End, for the Grace that is to be brought unto 
 every Believer at the Revelation of Jefus 
 Chrift (p). Finally, 
 
 (g) Mat, vi. 33. (h) Col. iii. 23. (n 2 Cor. v. ij. 
 (k) Eph. V. 16. (I) Rom. xii. 11. (m) John ix. 4. 
 (n) I Cor, vi. 2C. (0) Prov. iii. 9. (p) i Pet. i. 1 3, 
 
52 A Fumml Sermo?^ he. 
 
 Finally, my Brethren, ftand fajt in the 
 Ijord(q)^ holding Faith and a good Confcience (r ). 
 And *' as Your Watchman thought it his Du- 
 ty in Faithfulnefs, (as he himfelf told You in his 
 Dedication^) te forecaft for your Safety, and up- 
 on Apprehenfion of approaching Evils to blow 
 the Trumpet in Zwn : So do You think it yours 
 to take the Alarm, and carefully guard againft 
 all threatning Dangers which arife from infedi- 
 ous Principles, as well as thofe that for ever ac- 
 company irreligious Pradices." And let me be- 
 feech You, in the Words of the Apoftle, that 
 Yo-u Jbrfake not the aJTemhltng oj yoiirfehes toge- 
 ther^ hut provoke one another unto Love and good 
 Works (s). Watch againft all Diffenfions and 
 Divlfions, and endeavour to keep the Unity of the 
 Spirit; in the Bond of Peace (t). Be not Chil- 
 dren, to fed to and jro "with every Wind of Doc^ 
 frinc (u)^ but let your Heart be eft ablijhed with 
 Grace (w). Let every one that has fate under 
 the Dolors Miniftry, and every one of us now 
 before the Lord, ever dread to compafs GOD 
 (iboiLt with hies and Deceit (x) : But let us plead 
 for Grace, to make us faithful with the Saints i 
 and being found fo at our Lord's Coming, we 
 (hall affuredly be eternally hlefjed, and (hall re- 
 €eive a Crown oj Life, Amen. 
 
 (q) Phil. iv. I. (r) 1 Tim. i. 19. (s) Heb. %. 24, 2^. 
 {t) Eph. iv. 3. (u) Eph, ivo 14. (^v) Heb. xiii. 9, 
 \x) Hof. xi. 12. 
 
 FINIS, 
 
Funeral Oration, 
 
 Spoken over the 
 
 GRAVE 
 
 Of the Reverend 
 
 Dr. ZEPHANIAH MARRYAT, 
 
 By T H MJ S TO fV L E. 
 
 HA D another, an elder or a fitter Perfon 
 been appointed for this Service it would 
 have been pleafing to me and I am per- 
 fuaded much more advantageous to you : But as 
 my Regard for him at whofe Grave we nowftand, 
 with the repeated Requejt of hi^ ReliB and Fami- 
 ly brought me hither, I prefume no one will 
 put an unfavourable Conftrudion on my appear- 
 ing on thisOccafion, though I amfomuchte 
 'Junior, and was not many Years ago hisPupiL 
 Time would fail me was I to enter minutely 
 into the Charader of this truly great and excel- 
 lent Man, nay in fo doing I Qiould ad incofjl- 
 ent with his mn Difpofition, fmce he neither 
 jj deiired 
 
54 A Funeral Oration on 
 
 defir'd nor efteem'd the Applaufes of Meri; 
 However I am of Opinion that his peculiarly 
 publick Station in Lije, and the many Obligati- 
 om I am under to him would render my entire 
 Silence upon this Head very unreafonable, very 
 criminal. oi^vu^.. 
 
 He was favoured by Heaven v^^ith uncdltimon- 
 ly excellent natural Abilities. For a quiqk Ap- 
 prehenfion, a fruitful Imagination, a folid Judg- 
 ment,- a retentive Memory, w^ith a peculiarly 
 lively and nervous Elocution, he had (I think I 
 do not exprefs myfelf too ftrongly when I fay) 
 not many Equals^ hardly any Superiors. Such 
 Parts as thefe are indeed often a Snare tempting 
 thofe who are diftinguifhed with them to Sloth 
 and Indolence, but thus they were no Snares 
 or Teinptations to him ; for he was not only a 
 Man of great Abilities, but of fo uncommon Ap- 
 plication^ that be has been frequently heard to 
 fay, that in the younger Part of Life it was ufu-f 
 al with himtoftudy/^jf/z;<?, {ovciZt\Ti\z% fourteen^ 
 nay fixteen Hours every Day. From thefe Abi- 
 lities, and from this Application, great Things 
 (by the Bleffing of God) might well be expect- 
 ed. Accordingly he did attain to a very large 
 Extent of Kno%vledge both humane and divine^ to 
 fo great a Share of it, that (if my Information 
 be right, and I have the utmoft Reafon to think 
 it is) he has been fpoken of as an uncommon 
 Scholar by feme v/ho are even to this Day among 
 the brighteft Ornaments of the learned World. 
 
 T^hefe Abilities, and thefe Acquirements were 
 happily fan^ified. The God of Nature and 
 
 Providence 
 
the Reverend Dr. Marryat. 55 
 
 Providence beftow*d them, and as the GOD of 
 Grate gave them a fpiritual and religious Turn. 
 This being the Mercy of our deccajed Friend^ 
 he (though he might, and without doubt would 
 have appeared in the other learned ProfeJJions with 
 great Advantage) chofe rather the more difficult 
 and arduous Charader of a Diiine^ preferring 
 the too much defpifed though very honourable 
 Name of Mi?ji/ter of the Gofpel ofjejm Chrift, 
 to that of the able Lawyer^ or the skilful Phy- 
 fician. 
 
 For many Years he fuflain'd this Charader 
 in great Obfcurity, but even then he difcharg'd 
 his Duty in fuch a manner as gained him an high 
 Place in the Efteem of thofe who knew his Per- 
 fon and attended bis Labours. Nor during that 
 Period of Retirement was his Worth confin'd to 
 his own Congregation y fo far from it, that he 
 gave the World a Specimen of his Abilities as a 
 Diiine^ by publi(hing, in Defence of one of the 
 moft important Articles of our holy Religion* 
 the proper Divinity of our bleffed Siiviour^ at a 
 Time when it met with peculiar Contempt and 
 Oppofition *. 
 
 At length it pleas'd God to call him from thatRe 
 tirementy in which he would willingly have fpent 
 the Remainder of his Days : Nor was this at all to 
 his Difcredit J for he approved himfelf^i aPreach- 
 er to many of the moft judicious and experi- 
 H 2 enc'd 
 
 * In the above Paragraph I refer to that little Piece which 
 the Doftor publiihed in the Year 1 719, and which was very juil- 
 \Y entitled, The exalted Saviour i for therein our divine Mediator 
 was exalted indeed. 
 
56 A Funeral Oration on 
 
 enc'd Chriftians in the neighbouring Metropolis ^. 
 And truly I cannot help taking this Opportunity 
 of faying, that notwithftanding the Difadvantage 
 with which the Manner of his Delivery was attend- 
 ed\ it was fcarcely poffible (fuch were the Spright- 
 linefs of his Thoughts, the Propriety of his Ideas, 
 the Aptnefs of his Figures, and the Energy of his 
 Expreffions) for any one who heard him with Se- 
 rioufnefs and Attention, to go away without Im- 
 provement, And this was the lefs to be wonder'd 
 at, as his Heart was very deeply imprefs'd with a 
 Senfe of the Excellency and Importance of his 
 Work, fo imprefs'd with it, that he dreaded the 
 Thought of being laid afide from miniflerial Ser- 
 vice. And it pleafed the Sovereign Difpofer of 
 Life and Death to gratify hisServant, by continu- 
 ing him employed and adive to the very laji ; for 
 as to him Preaching and Dying were at the Dif- 
 flance of only a few Hours from each other. 
 
 But the Charader of a Minifter was not the 
 only one for which Providence had furnilh'd or 
 defign'd him. Accordingly on the Deceafe of a 
 very learned and excellent Perfon "f-, who had 
 direfted the Studies of young Men educating 
 for the Miniftry, (being urged by the repeated 
 Sollicitaticns of thofe who then had the Diredi- 
 on of fuch publick Concerns) he confented to. 
 become DiviftityProfeJfor. And as to his Beha- 
 viour in that important and difficult Station^ I 
 (hall only fay, that he fo,conduded himfelf as 
 that he gain'd the AfFedions of all who ftudied 
 under him, and became (by the Bleffing of God) 
 
 happily 
 
 * This Oration was delivered at the Burial Ground belonging 
 to the Doclor's Meeting-Place in Soutk-ivark. 
 t I'he late Reverend Mr. John Hubbard, 
 
the Reverend Dr. Marryat. 57 
 
 liappily fuccefsful for fending into the Miniftry 
 feveral able and ufeful Minijters of the New 
 J eft amen f. 
 
 His Temper was naturally inclined to Chear- 
 fulnefs and Pleafantry, and this indeed exposed 
 him to the Cenfures of //:?^ Sour and lll-naturd^ 
 but gain'd him the Eftcem oi thinking Perfons ; 
 as well it might, fince his Pleafantry and Chear- 
 fulnefs plainly fliew*d that he was tree from 
 thofe unreafonable and odious, Defigns which 
 are often conceaVd under an auftere Look and 
 demure Behaviour. 
 
 ;,/.-In civil Life he behav'd with an amiable and 
 enp^aging Propriety, approving himfelf to all who 
 took Notice of his Condud:, the indulgent Huf- 
 band', the tender Parent, the good Mafler, and 
 the faithful Friend. 
 .. When he came to the Clofe of Life, be was 
 re/igfid, nay chearfuL He was fo far freed 
 from the Fear of Death, that he fpoke of it 
 in Terms of the utmoft Familiarity, and even 
 when that Blow was given which ended in the 
 DilTolution of his mortal Frame, he fiill retained 
 the fame Compofure and Chearfulnefs of Spi- 
 rit, faying, ** That he was going to Ueaxc7i •/* 
 and (with a Smile upon his Countenance) asking 
 a Friend who flood near him '* If he would ac- 
 " company him thither;" thus fuggefting how 
 largely he partook of the Serenity and Benevo- 
 lence of that happy Region. 
 
 Such was the excellent Man to whofe Inter- 
 ment we are now Witneffes. And what remains? 
 but that adoring the Sovereignty of that great 
 
 Being 
 
58 
 
 A Funeral Oration on 
 
 Being iioho takes away whom^ when^ and as be 
 pleafes, we endeavour to colledl from his Removal 
 all thofe Hints which fo ftriking and alarming -a 
 Providence is fuited to fugged. 
 
 You, my dear Friend, who had the Honour 
 of {landing in the Relation o^ a Son to this excel- 
 lent Perfon, will, I am periuaded, permit me 
 to take this Opportunity of reminding you that 
 you (hould account it an ineftlmable Mercy to 
 have defcended from fuch a Parent^ and that > 
 you fhould be thankful to God who continued-^ 
 him with you till your Arrival at Manhood, and 
 Settlement in Life ; but then you will allow me 
 to fuggeft alfo, that theje Favours (if you mi {im- 
 prove them) will be attended with unfpeakably 
 alarming and dreadful Confequences. Let it then 
 be your Concern to be a Follower 0/ your deceaf- 
 Qd Father, as far as he was a Follower of 
 Chrljly for no farther, I am firmly perfuaded, 
 would he have advisd^ or wiJlSd you to follow 
 
 >As I fee many of his Church and Congregation . 
 come to attend their deceafed Minifter to his long 
 Home^xt furely would be inexcufable (hould I ne- 
 gledl faying, that his Removal loudly, very loud- 
 ly addreffes them. Do you ask me, my Chriftian 
 Frie^nds, what are the Leffons you (hould learn 
 frora it? The Anfwer is obvious. You^ (liould 
 be quicken'd in Thankfulnefs to God who, 
 fettled fo excellent a Man among you, continued 
 him with you, even notwithftanding he had Of- 
 fers in a fecular Way much more advantageous, 
 
 and 
 
the Rzverend Df\ MarRyat. 51) 
 
 and made his Miniftrations of any Advantage to 
 your Souls. You (hould be awiken'd to an £;z- 
 ^2^/ry, whether there have not been thofc Sins 
 found among you which have hafl'ned his 
 Removal? You (hould be excited to lament 
 every particular in which you have flighted 
 or mifimproved his valuable Labours. And 
 now he is gone, and tJoe Places which knew him 
 floall know him no more^ you (hould be quick- 
 en'd to a6: in juft fuch a Manner as it is rea- 
 fonable to (uppofe he would advife you to de- 
 ♦mean yourfelves, was he now to rife from his 
 Grave and fpeak to you. Particularly you (hould 
 be ftirr'd up to adhere ftedfaftly to thofe facred 
 Principles of evangelical Truths whicii he tho- 
 roughly believed, and zealoufly defended, to 
 continue together without dividing^ and without 
 difperfing', to exercife a fteady Faith in that Je- 
 fus, who (though under Shepherds die) lives the 
 great Shepherd of his Church ftill; and to feefe''. 
 to him that he would introduce and fettle among 
 you a Workman that needeth not to be afkam'd^ 
 rightly dividing the Word of Trutl\ leaving the 
 Time and Way of doing it to his own infinite"^ 
 Wifdom and Grace. ''1 
 
 Since maiiy of you who were under his Care with^ 
 a View to the Miniftry are, I obferve, colleded ovi : 
 this mournful Occafion, I cannot help making 
 thus publickly, an honourable Mention of that 
 (^utiful, and affedionate Manner in which I 
 have c^ften heard him with Pleafure fay you be- 
 hav'd towards him while he was among you ; 
 and I think it my Duty to remind you alfo, that 
 
 It 
 
6o A Funeral Oration on 
 
 it is now incumbent on you, to give Evidence 
 that your AfFedion for him has not died with 
 him, by endeavouring to imitate him in every 
 Thing amiable and praife- worthy, efpecially in 
 that clofe j^ppUcation to Study for which he wa^ 
 eminent, and from whence alone, under God, 
 you can form a reafonable Hope of bei77g and 
 doing what lie ^wai^ and what he did. And 
 while I would have you improve the prefent Pro- 
 vidence, I would have my own Soul fo far im- 
 prove it, as to be quicken'd by the Removal of 
 one whom I fo dearly lov'd, to greater Diligence 
 and Zeal in working while it is Day^ as not 
 knowing how foon the Night may come upon 
 me-, that Night in which no Man can work* 
 Surely what is now beheld fuggefts many in- 
 ftruftive and important Leflbns to all prefent. 
 It fliould lead us all to hate Si?2, to which it is 
 owing that Death is known in our World. It 
 fhould excite us to love the Lord JefuS:, who 
 has aboUjhed Death, and brought "Life and Im-^ 
 mortality to Light by his GofpeL It fliould a- 
 waken us to endeavour the befl Improvement 
 of the Labours of our Minifters while we en- 
 joy them, fince the Inftance before us plainly 
 ihows, that the very ahleft Preachers are equally 
 mortal with thofe who hear them. It (hould ex- 
 cite to condant Prayer^ that He who has the 
 Stores of Omnipotence at his Difpofal, would 
 pour out a double Portion cf his Spirit on fur- 
 viving Minifters, and on thofe who are training 
 tip to fuftain that important and honourable 
 Charafler. And it fliould enliven us to be earned 
 
 in 
 
the Reverend Dr. Marryat. 5i 
 
 in our Addreffes at the Throne of Grace, that we 
 may be prepard to meet Death at what "Time^ or 
 in what IFay foever it comes to us. And let thofe 
 ofui who have good Ground to hope that we are in 
 fome meafure prepard for that great Alteration 
 which we fee daily pafling; on our Fellow-Crea- 
 tures, learn from what we fee to conclude, that 
 the Troubles of this mortal Life (ball not laft al- 
 ways, but that as certainly as our deceafed 
 Friend i&^j, we yS^// have our DiTmiflion from 
 the prefent State of Sin and Changes : Our 
 Souls, like his, (hall wing their Way to the 
 World of Glory, and our Bodies (hare in the 
 Triumphs of that blelTed Morning when /A/i 
 breathlefs Corps^ over which we now ftand, and 
 when the Bodies of alt Believers iliall be raifed, 
 by the Almighty Power of their returning 5^- 
 'viour, from the Duft of Death, glorious and 
 immortal. Seeing then that we look for fuch 
 Things^ let us be diligent, that we may be found 
 of him in Peace ^ without Spot, andblamelefs ; and 
 till the Arrival of that bleffed Period, let us, my 
 beloved Brethren, beftedfaft, immoveable, always 
 abounding in the Work of the Lord, as knowing that 
 then it will appear with Honour to God, and 
 Tranfport to ourlelves, that our feeble and unde* 
 ferving Labours have not been in vain. 
 
 FINIS. 
 
BOOKS, &c. printed f or ^ and fold by George 
 Keith, at the Bible and Crown in Grace- 
 church-ftreet, London. 
 
 ACHERLY's Britannic Conftitution ; or the Fundamental Form of 
 Government in Britain: Demonftrating the Original Contraft 
 entered into by King and People, according to the primary Infti- 
 tution thereof 'in this Nation; and exhibiting many important 
 orieinal Powers and Privileges of both Houfes of Parliament, loi. bd. 
 AfTembly's Catechifm, Englifh and French, for the Ufe of Schools, 
 
 (>d. or CJ. per Dozen. . 
 
 Ainfworth, Cole, and Littleton's Latm D.a.onanes. 
 
 Buchanan's Hiftory of Scotland, in twenty Books, with Copper- 
 
 ^^Sw?General Treatife of Huftandry and Gardening, for all the 
 Months in the Year, illuftrated with feventeen Copper Plates, 2 vol. 101. 
 
 Botanical Diftionary, a vol. %j. .,,,-•, r r> 
 
 Method of Drawing in Water Colours j with Variety of Draw- 
 ing Books, Colours and Pencils. 
 
 ^ Method of Drawing in Perfpec^ive. 
 
 Bellamy's Youth's Scripture-Remembrancer j or Scr .pturc-Dialogues, 
 
 " B:::iU;'s\t' Sermons on the Divinity of Chrift, u. 
 Baddelley's Twelve Sermons on Praftical Suhjcrts, 3,. 
 Bailey and Dyche's Englifh Di^ionanes. 
 ^^^^\^hr4fanS:;rcr thel'vo^Uon of the Clofet, . vol. ,. 
 
 ""slr'Ri'chard Blackmore". AccompUH.ed Preacher: Or, an Effay o, 
 'Tok? "Oifcou^fe ';,; t'htsccreignty of Cod. in Eleaion, Redemption. 
 
 tfteftual Calling, &c. 2> 6</. n-ceffary for Perfoas of all 
 
 A Compend^^ous Ubrary of the Uw neeeff / ^ containing, the 
 
 Degree, and ^'f^^^^^^lJ^Z L d^rds and Tenant,, to the 
 Laws Mlatmg to Pariih """"' „ . , , ^jce's C erks, and » 
 
 Game, to J-«' J;^ rFoTc^ T^^^^^^^^^ Ind diforderiy Perfon,, 
 
 Summary of the La^vs in ^^ntainin. the Forms of Bonds, 
 
 Rogues, Vagrants, &c. ^*"/^; J; A,ticlf^ of Apprenticefliip, Lea- 
 Obfisations Condi.ons Ag„e-n. Artcl.^^^^^^^^^ 
 
 fes, Compofinons, AffiS"™"" °' ' Charter Party, &c. 3.. 
 
 Deeds of Bargain and Sale, °°"°'^_ ',. j- .funded upon the Holy 
 Chauncy'sDoftrine, =«- ^V^^f ".f ^^f loftrinal Part of the 
 Scriptures of Truth, ''^^ lfPT^^fr^J\o which is annexed, . 
 ^TI::^tiT^:^loT^^^^ Go,pel, according to the 
 
 '^Sr ■'= c:'|:eat Concc^d^nce .0 ^e BiMe ■ SJ- ^ ^„„ , 
 
(2) 
 
 Courtiers, Citizens, Merchants, Tradelmcn, and almofl all Profeilions 
 of Life, 15 6d. 
 
 Cleora: or the Fair Tnconftant. A Hiftory of the Life and Adven- 
 tures of a celebrated Lady of Diftindlion, lately very eminent in high 
 Life, 3 J. 
 
 Cicero's fele<St Orations, in Latin and Englilh, with Notes of varjous 
 Authors, 6^. 
 
 The Worlcs cf Horace, done in the fame. Manner, 2 vol. los. 
 Ovid's Metamorphofis and EpiftJes, done in the f^nie Manner, 2 vol' 
 los. 
 
 Phaedrus's Fables^ done in the fame Manner, 35. 
 •Terence, done in the fame Manner, 2 vol. 95. 
 N. B. The above Clafiicks are tranflated into Engliili Profe, as near 
 the Original "as the dii^-'erent Idioms of the Latin and Engii/h Languages 
 will allow, with the Latin Text and Order of Conftrudlion on the fame 
 Pare , and critical, hifVorical, geographical and clafiical Notes in 
 Engliih from the bei.. CommAitators, both ancient and modern j 
 befides a very great Number of Notes entirely new, done by eminent 
 Hands, for the Ufe of Schools, as' well as of private Gentlemen, with 
 good Allowance to Schoo.hnailers and others, who take a Number. 
 
 The Triumphant Chriftian: Or, Faith's Vidtory over Death and the 
 Grave, exemplified in the lull Experiences and dying Words of an 
 eminent Gentleman, CJor i;;^ per Dozen. 
 
 The Rights of the Cluiilian Church alferted againft the Romifh and 
 all other Priefts, who claim an independent Power over it, 2 vol. 6s. 
 
 Divine Breathings: Or a pious Soul thirlting after Chrift, in one hun- 
 dred Meditations, 11. or gs. per Dozen. 
 
 Divine Eneray : Or the efficacious Operations of the Spirit of God on 
 the Soul of Man in his effeftual Calling and Converfion rtated, proved 
 and vindicated ; wherein the real We-aknefs and Infufficiency of Moral 
 Suafion, without the Superaddition of the exceeding Greatnefg of God's 
 Power, for Faith and Converfion to God are fully evinced. Being an 
 Antidote againft the Pelagian Error. By John Skepp, late Minifter 
 ^f the Gofpel in London j with a recommendatory Preface by John Gill, 
 D. D. 2^. 
 
 Dorney's Divine Contemplations, with his Life and Letters, 35. 
 Mrs. Dutton's Spiritual Letters, Poems, Sec. 
 
 Expofitory Notes, with practical Obfervations on the New Teftament, 
 l.y \ViJIiam Burkir, M. A. with 79 Copper-nlates finely engraved, 
 i/ii^6t/. Without Cuts I /4J. 
 
 yEfop's Fables, with inftruftive Morals and Reflexions, abftradled 
 from all Party Confiderations, adapted to all Capacities, and defigned to 
 promote Religion, Morality and univerfal Benevolence, containing two 
 hundred and Vorty Fables, with a Copper Cut to each Fable, and the 
 Life of /Efop prefixed, zs 6J. 
 
 Sir John Floyer's Treatifc of the Afthma, in Four Parts, 35. 
 Penning'^ Young Algebraift's Companion : or a new and eafy Guide 
 to Al?,ebra ; defigned for the Ufe of Schools, and fuch, who by their 
 ev/n Appplication only, would become acquainted with this noble 
 Science. Illuftrated by numerical and literal Examples, and attempted 
 in natural and familiar Dialogues, in Order to render the Work more 
 eafy and diverting to thofo that are unacquainted with Frafticns, and the 
 Analytic Art. A new Edition. To which is added, an Appendix on 
 tbf^ Rudiment of Quadratic Equations, S6<:. Reccminendcd by feveral 
 fn-'incnt Mafters, y. 
 
 Fairc-iiild'* Citv Gavuener. 
 
 Dr. 
 
( 3) 
 
 Dr. Gill's Expofition of the New Teftament, 3 vol. 4/ loj. 
 
 Expofition of the Song of Solomon, loj dd, 
 
 — — on the Prophecies of the Old Teftament, 2i 6(/. 
 
 on the Dodirine of the Trinity, ^s. 
 
 on Baptifm, and Apoftolic Tradition, n, 
 
 — — on Prayer and Singing of Pfainis^ i)d. 
 
 on the Duftrine of Juftificatioji, is. 
 
 on the Doftrine of the Refurreclion, is. 
 
 — — on the Doctrine of God's everJading Love, is. 
 — — on the Doftiine of Predeftination, 6//, 
 
 on the Do£lrine of Perfeverance, 6d. 
 
 — — Defence of the Doctrine of Grace from tht CInrge of Licen- 
 tioufnefs, (>d. 
 
 on the Supralapfarian Scheme, is. 
 
 on the five Points againft Dr. Whitby and others, 4 vol. izs. 
 
 Watchman's Anfwer to the Qneftion, What of the Night ? and 
 
 practical Improvement thereof. In two Sermons, is. 
 
 GH the Glory of the Church in the latter Day, dd. 
 
 Funeral Sermons for the Rev. Mr. Samuel Wilfon, and others. 
 
 An Hiftorical Account of the Life and Reign ©f David, King of 
 Ifrael j interfperfed with various Conjeftures, Digre/Tions and Difj..!:!- 
 tions, in which, among many other Things, Mr. Bayle's Criticifms on 
 the Condudl and Charafter of that Prince are fully conuacred. By the 
 Author of Revelation examined with Candour, 2 vol. los. 
 
 A new general Hiilory of Birds, including the Methods of Breeding, 
 Managing and Teaching Song' Birds ; containing proper Obfervations 
 upon the different Species and Kinds of Birds throughout the k.iovvn 
 World. Ext!r'.(ftcd from the moft curious Naturalills, Virtuofo's and 
 Travellers both ancient and modern, llluftrated with almoft four hun- 
 dred Figures copied from the Originals, 2 vol. ^s. or Part 1. Single is. 
 
 Dr. Hales's Statical Effays on Vegetables, Statics, and Hasmaftatics, 
 &c. with Copper-plates, 2 vol, i2i. 
 
 The Hofpital Surgeon : Or a new, gentle and eafy Way to cure 
 all Sorts of Wounds, and other Difeafes belonging to Surge.-y. By Mr. 
 Bellofle, Surgeon Major to the Hofpitals of t'lC I'rench King's Army. 
 To which is added, Mr. Verduc's Treatifc of Bandages, 3^. 
 
 Hudfon's new Eng. Introduftion to the Latin Tonc-ue, lior 9.? per Doz. 
 
 New mathematical Projection: Shewing plainly by Infpedlion, 
 
 exa£l Rules for the true forming every Letter in the Alphabet, with 
 their Proportion and Dependance on one another, neatly engraved on a 
 Copper Plate, uith an Explanation of the Scheme, 6d. 
 
 Hickeringiil's Works, containing the Hiflory of Prieftcraft ; the 
 Black Non-conformilt j the Ceremony-Monger j with his Satyrs, and all 
 the reft of his fcarce and valuable Pieces, 3 vol. 9J. 
 
 Hervey's Meditations and Contemplation?, with Reflexions on the 
 Flower Garden. A Winter-piece, &c. 2 vol. 6j, 
 Juvenal in Ufum Dwlphini, 5^. 
 
 Lord Chancellor King on the Conftitution and Worfliip of the primi- 
 tive Church, 3i. 
 
 Dr. Lommius of Fevers with his medicinal Obfei-vation?, 5?. 
 Dr. Leland's Defence of the Divine Authority of the Old and New 
 Teftament, with a particuLu- Vindication of the Characlers of Mofes and 
 the Prophets, our Saviour Jefus Chrift, and his Apoftles, againft thr: 
 unjuft Afperfions, and foUe Xeafoning of a Book, entitled. The Moral 
 Philofopher, 5.', 
 
 The 
 
(4) 
 
 The London New Method of Arithmetick, by John Halliday, M. A. 
 with an Appendix, containing a Defcription of the Aiding Rule, adapted 
 to the feveral Rules of Arithmetick, and applyed to Meafuring, Roofing, 
 Tyling, Thatching, Paving, &c. very neceffary for all Artificers, 31. 
 N. B. The Defcription of the Aiding Rule maybe had alone, at 4^. 
 Dr. Linden's Letters on the Improvement of Mining and Smelting, 
 with other Subjefts, u 6d. 
 
 Contemplations and Meditations ; to which are added, divine 
 Poems, &c. By a ybung Lady, proper to bind up with Mrs. Rowre's 
 devout Exercifes of the Heart, is. dd. 
 
 The Life and Letters ot Mr. Samuel Pomfret, a</.or i^. 6d.^er Dozen. 
 
 The Mirror of Architefture : Or the Ground Rules of the Art of 
 
 Building exaftly laid down by Vincent Scamozzi, Mafter Builder of 
 
 Venice, with very large Additions by John Brown and Wjlliam Leybourn, 
 
 lUuftrated by a great Number of Copper-plates, 45. 
 
 Six Pocket Maps, viz. of the World, Europe, Afia, Africa, North 
 America, and South America, accurately drawn from the lateil Ob- 
 fervations, by the King's Geographer. Curioufly engraved and neat- 
 ly coloured, 2*. 
 
 A Set of Pocket Maps of all the Counties of Scotland, y. 
 Alfo Maps of all Sorts and Sixes, Metzotintos, and Engraving of 
 Heads, Views, Laadfcapes, &c. of different Sizes. 
 
 La Plume Volante : Or the Art of Short-hand improved. Being the 
 •noft fwift, regular and eafy Method of Short-hand Writing yet extant. 
 Cempofed after Fifty Years' Praftice and Improvement of the faid 
 Art, by the Obfepvation of other Methods j a new Edition, 
 with the Addition of the Terms of the Law ; and a regular and ea- 
 fy Table of natural Contractions, by the Perfons, Moods and Ten- 
 fes. By William Mafon, Zi. 6d. 
 ■ Dr. Nichols's Effay on the Contempt of the World, n dd. 
 
 Overley'i young Ganger's Inftruftor : Being the moft plain and ea- 
 fy Introduftion to that Art 5 wherein are contained the Dodlrine of 
 Decimal Arithmetick; the Method of cxtrafting the Roots of all 
 Powers, in a new, eafy, and more expeditious Method than hitherto 
 publiflied J the Method of Gauging all Kinds of Veffels : A new, eafy, 
 and fliortWay of Gauging Cafks by the Pen: The Defcription, Con- 
 ftruftion and Ufe of the Sliding-Rule, with feveral neceffary Amend- 
 jBCnts J as alfo feveral ufeful Tables and Problems never before pub- 
 lifhed J with an Appendix on the Gauging of irregular Bodies, where- 
 in feveral Errors of former Writers on this Subjeft, are demonftrated 
 Mid corrected, 4*. 
 
 Rowc's Tranflation of Saluft, with the Author's Life and Cha- 
 rafter, a*. 
 
 Strahlent>erg*s hiftorical and geographical Defcription of Ruffia, 
 Siberia, and Great Tartary, both in their antient and modern State, 
 with Maps and Cuts, loi. 
 Terentius in Ufum Delphini, 51. 
 
 The Church of England turned Diflenter at laft, and other Trafts. 
 By Mr. Jonathan Warne. 
 
 Wilfon's Sermons on various Subjefts and Occafions. 
 
 Wallin's Sermons, Hymns, and other Trafts. 
 
 Dr. Watts on a feparate State of S«uls after Death, \s, 
 
 — Advice to Youth at their Entrance on the Worl4, 
 
 %i. or If. 6</, per Dozen. 
 
 e»...«.MMM», Pfalms, Hymns, and other Works. 
 
s-