fuch a perfon is, "What ;-Mercy for me? For me, a proud wretch, an unclean wretch, an enemy to God, a vile apoftate, an impious rebel; I deferve nothing but Hell; I have affronted the Majefty of the great God, and will he beflow Chrift upon me! That holy Being who turned the angels into Hell for one tranfgreflion; will he have mercy upon me, who have committed more fins in number than the fands on the fea-fhore ?" In this manner, too many awakened fouls continue mourning and finning; they fuffer Satan to blind their eyes fo artfully, that they perceive it not. It is the fin of unbelief that they are committing every day, and every hour, and yet they will not own it. And when the Enemy has tormented them perhaps, a long time in this manner, then he turns accufer; he infinuates, You have refufed Chrift fo long, that it is now too late. To all your former tranfgreffions you have added this, the putting off Chrift and falvation, when freely tendered to you.' And even when the bleffed Spirit draws them with encouraging promifes, ftill they are fearful. The very fear of being deceived, proves to them a moil dreadful deception. They will not believe that Chrift is really difpofed to fave them. By these unjuft jealoufies and hard thoughts of Chrift, you provoke him not a little. You are ready to cry out, "This is too good news to be true." What is this, but to fay in effect, The Gofpel is falfe; it is not a true and faithful Word to be received with all acceptation, "That Jefus Chrift came into the world to fave the chief of finners!" This is that great fin which caufed our bleffed Redeemer to shed many forrowful tears. You feldom find him weeping over Sodom and Gomorrah, or the idolators of the world; but when Jerufalem refufes Chrift, this makes him weep rivers of tears! O Jerufalein, Jerufalem! if thou hadst known, even thou, at leaft in this thy day, the things that belong to thy peace!" It troubles Chrift to fee what labour you take, to make God a Liar; This fin of Unbelief is most unkind and cruel! You pretend you cannot come to Christ in faith; but the real truth is, you will not ;-you do not five; you do not agonize to enter in at the ftrait gate of Faith. For the fake of him who bled to death for you, wipe away this reproach; venture your fouls upon his word;-let all your powers unite in this one work of faith;-by one noble effort, tear open the door of your heart, and admit Jefus Chrift, as your Wifdom, Righteoufnefs, Sanctification, and Redemption. And when you have received the Lord in all his Offices; when he is your Prophet, Prieft, and King; continue to abide in him; walk in the Light, as he is in the Light; keep company with your heavenly Guide, and then you thall not walk in Darknefs, but enjoy perpetually the Light of Life. John Will. 12. Letter Letter from Mr. E. C. to Mr. B. Rhodes. Dear Sir, A Feb. 5, 1792. Day or two after you left my houfe, I was encouraged once more to fet out again in the purfuit of holiness. My foul preffed hard to attain it. The inward flame was rekindled, which I have found in fecking it for fome years; except for a few months laft part, in which I was ready to faint, and began to doubt of ever being cleanfed from all fin. But a few words which you spoke concerning holiness revived me again; and gave me encouragement to believe that the Lord would hear my cry, and give me the defire of my heart. On the firft of this month, in the evening, I fhut myself up in my chamber; my foul was full of ftrong defire and vehement pantings after the whole Image of God. All within me funk at the feet of Jefus. I felt nothing, but what bowed to him. I had only one defire, one prayer, "Lord make me holy. My heart was fixed upon it; and upon him who alone could give it:Not upon eafe, peace, joy, happiness: no; nor upon heaven! But that I might love God with all the powers of my foul. At the fame time I was stripped of all merit: and O what a divine confolation I felt in this unfeigned poverty, having nothing to bring; and that if even I fhould be cleanfed from all fin, and made holy, it would be entirely for the fake of HIM, after whom my foul panted. The patience, refignation, and felf-abafement I felt at the fame time, cannot be described. 66 While I was thus wrestling in mighty prayer, the Lord anfwered for himself. The room feemed filled with his glory, d my heart overflowed with his love. Never did I feel the e before. At the fame time, it feemed, as if the Lord fpoke me and faid, "From all thy Idols will I cleanse thee: a "new heart, will I give thee; and thou fhalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy mind, with all "thy foul, and with all thy ftrength." His cheering prefence, and the light of his countenance have fhone bright upon me ever fince; nor has one cloud interpofed. It now appears natural to me to watch in all things, that no idle, or unneceffary word may proceed out of my mouth. Yet I fear to affirm that the Lord hath given me a "Clean heart," left I fhould lofe what I now enjoy; altho' I have felt no evil arise fince that time; but fuch a perpetual fenfe of the love of God as cannot be expreffed; and I am fo carried out with defire for the welfare and falvation of others, that the flame is almoft, at times, too powerful for nature. A few days ago, while I was in my clofet, I had fuch views of Jefus, and was fo filled with his love, that my powers. Teemed feemed too fcanty to contain it; and yet fweetly longing to love him more! I faw his worthinefs fo infinitely great, that it appeared to me, if my heart was as large as the whole world, and all its expanded powers filled with love to him, that it all feemed as no more than a drop to the ocean, or even as nothing, compared to the debt of love I owed to my Lord. groan under the burden I feel for the unconverted. My defres, my prayers on their behalf, can only be known to God. And what I feel daily for the caufe of God, and his people, will not be made known on this fide the world of Spirits. I daily long to be diffolved, and to be with Chrift, that I may behold his glory. Yet my foul calmly waits in pleafing hope, and perfect refignation; the continual language of my heart is "Thy will be done." I am much drawn out in prayer for the Preachers, that they may be of one heart and one mind;-Still devoted to God and his caufe, until the whole world be filled with his glory! And I trust that you, dear Sir, will continue a faithful follower of the Lord. Your word has often been truly profitable to me and I am doubly boid to pray that the Lord may daily multiply bleflings on you. Your reproof and inftructions, will ever be efteemed as a peculiar favour by your affectionate Servant, E. C. I hope the preceding Letter will be acceptable to all who are fincerely feeking full conformity to the Mind of Christ. Some months ago, I received another letter from my pious Friend, wherein he acquaints me, that after various temptations and trials, he experienced a greater eftablishment in that perfect love which cafteth out fear. Plymouth Dock, Nov. 16, 1793. B. RHODE LETTER from Mrs. M. H. to Mifs D. My dear Friend, TH HIS evening I received your affectionate letter, and feel my more my mind more difpofed to fympathize with you, than to offer my advice; as too many of your complaints may juftly be taken up by me. But I beg leave to tranfcribe the following paragraph from a Letter which I received laft week from a kind correfpondent: It proved a word in feafon to my own foul, and I hope through the divine bleffing, it will be useful to you, efpecially if you will refolutely follow the whole fome and profitable advice it contains :-" I find (fhe fays) the more VOL. XVII. June 1791 Tt I make I make Jefus my Counsellor, and the quicker my foul comes forward. And I advise you, my dear friend, to turn to himg continually, as to your Strong Hold. I can give you no better direction for attaining conftant recollection than this;-Get the tree made good, and then the fruit will be good alfo. Let your first purfuit be inward Holinefs; that change from all fin, to all love; and then you will find it eafy to think always of him, whom you love with your whole heart. It is certain you want more than you now find, and that your evil heart works you much pain. Well then, come to Jefus juft as you are: Forget him the leaft you poffibly can; and take him alone as your bofom friend and continual guide. I believe one great hindrance to your foul's profperity is, that you live too outward. There is in you much of my own natural difpofition, which was always fearching after freih help, and turning to every creature that came in my way. And altho' I did this from a good defign, yet the fruit did not anfwer my expectation; for my mind was distracted and toffed to and fro. However, the Lord in great mercy, fhewed me the reafon why I did not excel, viz. because I was unstable; continually feeking to be informed, but neglecting to do what I already knew to be his Will. But when I came first, and chiefly to GOD, and clave to him with my whole heart, then I enjoyed a Peace which paffeth all understanding. For you will learn more, in one half hour's calm attention on the teachings of GOD's Spirit, and in denying every thought and word which would grieve that bleffed Spirit, than you will by converfation and reafoning in five years.' The reproof was a juft one to me; and the advice feasonable. O my friend, how much do we lofe by our negligence. The diligent hand maketh rich, in spiritual concerns, as well as in temporal; and were we always afking, we should be always receiving. Let us up and be doing, and the Lord will be with us. Let us befiege the Throne of Grace with the importunity of beggars that feel their want of an alms, and the Lord will avenge us of our adverfaries, and that speedily. I require a fpur continually to quicken my pace, and frequent ly ftand in need of an alarm being founded in my ears, left I fhould tarry in the plain, inftead of efcaping for my life to the City of Refuge. O may I be fript from every hope and every plea, but Jefus, the Friend of Sinners. May I lay afide every weight and the fin which most easily befeis me; and fo run, that I may obtain the prize, and enter into that reft which remains for the people of God on this fide the grave. What I with for myself, I humbly in reat the Lord to give unto my friend, that the may find Jefus fo living and reigning in her heart by faith, as to be able to look upon all fublunary en joyments joyments as dung and drofs, in comparison of the favour and image of God. When we have told our melancholy complaints to all we converse with, the matter is ftill undecided; indeed, it is an affair that can only be tranfacted between God and our own fouls. Let us therefore make the firft ftep, what too frequently we make the laft, turn unto God, who waits to be gracious, and bids us take of the Water of Life freely: It is by his light that we see our inbred enemies; and it must be through his almighty power operating on our hearts, that they can be deftroyed. He has promifed to cleanfe us from all our filthiness. Let us firmly believe, humbly pray, and refolutely watch, and we shall foon be witneffes of his great Salvation. I remain your's in the best of bonds, LETTER from Mrs. H. to Mrs. S. My dear Friend, M. H. A receipt of your letter by Mr. H. I find it very difficult, Variety of bufinefs has prevented my acknowledging the in fuch a fituation, to have the hands full of employment, and the heart fixed upon GOD all the day long. Surely this is not the cafe with all the LORD's people; many, I believe, who are as much exercised in the world as I am, and yet they pass through it with calm ferenity of mind, and uninterrupted union with Gon. To be careful, without anxious care, is an important leffon, which I want to learn perfectly. I greatly long for that happy day, when all the powers of my foul, from real experience and enjoyinent, cry out Lo! I come with joy to do The Mafter's blefled Will, I congratulate you on leaving off bufinefs. Who would fit at the receipt of cuftom, that could do otherwife? What advantages may you now gain by trading with Heaven! How many hours in the day for fecret prayer, and devout contem plations on the Love of Chrift, and joyful breathings after that fulness of Grace, which the faithful receive here upon earth, and the sweet and delightful affurance of the fulness of Glory ? How much time will you now have to employ in this profitable commerce? May we use the ability which God has given |