I  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY,  | 
 J  Princeton,  N.  J.  % 
 
 BX  5199   .N55  A33  1835 
 Newton,  John,  1725-1807 
 Cardiphonia 
 
\ 
 
CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 UTTERANCE  OF  THE  HEART 
 
 JN  THE  COURSE  OK 
 
 A  REAL  CORRESPONDENCE, 
 
 BY  THE  REVEREND  JOHN  NEWTON. 
 
 RECTOR  OF  ST  MARY,  WOOLNOTH,  LONDON. 
 
 WITH  AN  INTRODUCTORY  ESSAY, 
 
 BY  DAVID  RUSSELL,  D.D.,  DUNDEE. 
 
 EDINBURGH: 
 
 PRINTED  FOR  WAUGH  AND  INNES; 
 
 W.  CURRY,  JUN.  AND  CO.,  DUBLIN; 
 -VND  JAMES  NISBET  AND  CO.,  AND  WHITTAKER  AND  CO.,  LONDON. 
 
 MDCCCXXXV. 
 
EDI.NIil  RGH  PPINTl.VO  COMF 
 'Shahspeare  Square. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Page. 
 
 Introductory  Essay      .         ....  5 
 
 Twenty-six  Letters  to  a  Nobleman          -            -  37 
 
 Eight  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr  S          -          -          -  141 
 
 Eleven  Letters  to  Mr  B  ,  &c.            -           -  192 
 
 Four  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr  R           -          .          -  214 
 
 A  Letter  to  the  Rev.  Mr  O            -        -           -  224 
 
 Seven  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr  P          ...  228 
 
 Three  Letters  to  Mrs  G                -        -           .  242 
 
 Two  Letters  to  Miss  F            ....  254 
 
 Two  Letters  to  Mr  A  B          -        -           -  259 
 
 Four  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Dr.             ...  267 
 
 Seven  Letters  to  Mrs                    .        -           .  273 
 
 Four  Letters  to  ^!rs  T            ....  297 
 
 Five  Letters  to  Mr               ...           .  308 
 
 Eight  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr              ...  322 
 
 Four  Letters  to  ^'rs  P          ...           .  339 
 
 Six  Letters  to  tli  ■  Rev.  Xi  B              ...  350 
 
 Nine  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr  R                .           .  3C6 
 
 Three  Letters  to  Miss  Th                  ....  334 
 
 Seven  Letters  to               ...           .  399 
 
 Five  Letters  to  Mr  C              -          -          .          .  401 
 
 Eight  Letters  to  Mrs           ...           .  414 
 
 Five  Letters  to  ''iss  D            -          -          .          .  444 
 
 Three  Letters  t"  Mrs  H                .                    .  455 
 
 Two  Letters  to  >;iss  P            -          -          -          .  463 
 
 Fourteen  Lettei  ?  to  the  Rev.  Mr  B          -           -  468 
 
Digitized  by  the  Internet  Arcliive 
 in  2015 
 
 https://archive.org/details/cardiphoniaoruttOOnewt 
 
INTRODUCTORY 
 
 ESSAY. 
 
 The  Letters  of  John  Newton  have  been  long  and 
 justly  esteemed.  His  chief  excellence  as  a  writer  seems 
 to  lie  in  the  easy  and  natural  style  of  his  epistolary  cor- 
 respondence. His  Cardiphonia  he  esteemed  the  most 
 useful  of  his  writings.  It  consists  of  letters  which  were 
 actually  wTitten  to  his  friends,  and  returned  to  him  that 
 they  miglit  be  printed.  They  were  confidential  letters, 
 and  are  indeed  "  the  utterance  of  the  heart."  They 
 breathe  a  tone  of  seriousness,  affiection,  and  tenderness, 
 ■w  hich  commends  itself  to  the  conscience,  while  it  gains 
 the  confidence  of  the  reader.  You  cannot  fail  to  perceive 
 that  he  speaks  the  language  of  firm  persuasion,  and  of 
 deep  personal  experience.  There  is  nothing  of  cold  theo- 
 retical speculation.  You  feel  that  you  are  listening  to  a 
 man  who  is  telling  you  what  he  has  himself  seen,  and 
 felt,  and  tasted,  of  the  goodness  of  that  God,  whose  word 
 and  service  he  commends.  His  heart  goes  along  with  all 
 liis  instructions,  for  "  he  speaks  because  he  believes;" 
 it  is  seen  in  all  his  exhortations,  for  he  evidently  takes 
 them  home  to  himself;  and  it  breaks  forth  in  all  his  con- 
 solatory addresses,  for  he  is  but  telling  what  God  has 
 done  for  his  own  soul;  and,  happy  himself  in  fellowshij) 
 with  God,  and  sympathising  with  others  in  their  sorrows 
 and  their  wants,  he  is  commending  to  them  those  springs 
 of  consolation  which  have  calmed  and  purified  his  con- 
 science, and  which  continue  to  cheer  and  gladden  his 
 heart.  His  social  affections  were  remarkably  warm ;  and 
 when  hallowed  by  the  grace  of  God,  the  result  was  a 
 tenderness  of  feeling,  an  expansion  of  heait,  and  an  out- 
 flow of  affection,  admirably  calculated  to  exhibit  the 
 amiableness  of  genuine  religion,  to  overcome  prejudice, 
 
 A 
 
vi 
 
 INTRODUCTORY  ESS.VY. 
 
 and  to  win  over  men  to  the  truth.  He  spoke  from  tlie 
 heart  to  the  heart ;  and  powerfully  indeed  have  his  writ- 
 ings interested  the  hearts  of  all  classes  of  his  readers. 
 
 The  narrative  which  Mr  Newton  published  of  his 
 early  years  serves  to  throw  consitlerable  light  on  many 
 important  subjects  in  religion;  and  that  eventful  portion 
 of  his  history  accounts  for  nuich  of  what  continued  to 
 distinguish  him  in  his  after-life.  His  mother  was  a  pious 
 woman ;  and  though  she  died  before  he  was  seven  years 
 of  age.  he  derived  considerable  benefit  from  her  instruc- 
 tions. She  stored  his  mind  with  passages  of  scripture, 
 and  with  religious  catechisms  and  hymns,  and  often  com- 
 mended him  with  many  tears  and  prayers  unto  God. 
 After  her  death,  however,  he  was  permitted  to  mingle 
 with  careless  and  profane  children,  and  he  soon  learned 
 their  ways.  The  instructions  of  his  mother,  however, 
 could  not  always  be  forgotten,  and  he  was  often  disturb- 
 ed with  convictions.  And  from  this  let  parents  learn  to 
 be  assiduous  in  instructing  their  children.  It  is  no  small 
 matter  to  make  the  path  of  guilt  unpleasant.  Should  no 
 fruit  appear  at  the  time,  should  tlie  young  even  plunge 
 into  profligacy,  yet  the  instructions  of  a  father  or  a  mo- 
 ther will  at  times  rise  before  them  like  departed  ghosts, 
 will  imbitter  the  ways  of  transgression,  and  make  convic- 
 tion to  flash  upon  tlie  conscience,  in  spite  of  all  their 
 efforts  against  it,  and  may  ultimately  be  the  means  of  re- 
 claiming them. 
 
 The  convictions  which  disturbed  Mr  Newton,  coupled 
 with  a  natural  fondness  for  reading,  led  him  to  peruse 
 some  religious  books;  and,  from  a  wish  to  obtain  peace 
 to  his  mind,  he  began  to  pray,  to  read  the  scriptures, 
 and  to  keep  a  diary.  He  then  thought  himself  religious. 
 But  alas !  this  seeming  goodness  had  no  solid  foundation. 
 He  soon  became  weary  of  it,  he  gave  it  up  entirely,  -and 
 even  became  worse  than  before.  Several  alarming  and 
 affecting  providences  produced  successively  a  temporary 
 effect.  He  took  up  and  laid  aside  a  religious  profession 
 three  or  four  different  times  before  he  was  sixteen  years 
 of  age.  His  last  reformation  of  this  kind  was  indeed 
 very  remarkable.    It  continued  for  more  than  two  years. 
 
INTRODUCTORY  ESSAY. 
 
 VII 
 
 He  then  spent  the  greater  part  of  the  clay  in  reading  the 
 scriptures,  and  in  meditation  and  prayer.  He  fasted 
 often ;  he  bemoaned  his  former  evils,  and  he  was  careful, 
 not  only  of  liis  external  conduct,  but  of  every  word  of 
 his  tongue,  and  of  tiie  workings  of  his  heart.  But,  after 
 all  this,  he  sunk  into  iiifid(>lity  and  profligacy. 
 
 How  true  is  it,  that  when  the  heart  of  a  sinner  is  pe- 
 netrated with  convictions  of  guilt,  if  he  does  not  believe 
 in  the  work  of  the  Saviour,  and  thus  obtain  rest  to  his 
 soul,  he  will  either  sink  into  despair  and  give  himself 
 up  to  melancholy,  or  he  M  ill  engage  in  a  course  of  for- 
 mal and  self-righteous  obedience  and  devotion.  If  the 
 former,  then,  finding  the  burden  of  distress  intolerable, 
 he  will  seek  peace  to  his  soul  in  stifling  conviction,  and 
 in  endeavouring  to  persuade  himself  tliat  religion  is  all 
 a  dream.  And  if  the  latter,  then,  finding  no  enjoyment 
 in  devotion,  having  no  regard  to  religion  but  as  a  means 
 of  escaping  hell ;  being  still  under  the  power  of  his  cor- 
 rupt propensities;  feeling  his  religion,  such  as  it  is,  to  be 
 nothing  but  a  system  of  restraints ;  in  a  word,  being  un- 
 able to  get  solid  peace  to  his  conscience,  and  being  still 
 haunted  by  dismal  apprehensions,  he  will  be  prepared  to 
 embrace  any  system  of  error  which  will  serve  to  set  his 
 mind  at  rest  in  the  indulgence  of  iniquity.  He  becomes, 
 as  Mr  Newton  did,  gloomy  and  stupid,  unsociable  and 
 useless.  He  indulges  in  fruitless,  inactive,  and  slothful 
 wishes;  "  for  the  soul  of  the  sluggard  desireth,  and  hath 
 nothing,"  Prov.  xiii.  4.  In  times  of  trouble  he  sinks 
 into  sullen  and  proud  resentment  against  the  fancied  au- 
 thors of  calamity,  for  he  is  destitute  of  inward  support. 
 "  The  wicked,  through  the  pride  of  his  countenance,  will 
 not  seek  God,"  Psalm  x.  4.  "  They  cry  out  because  of 
 the  arm  of  the  mighty,  but  none  saith.  Where  is  God  my 
 maker,  who  givetli  songs  in  the  night?"  Job  xxxv.  [), 
 10.  The  man  has  just  as  much  religion  as  makes  him 
 miserable;  and  not  being  happy  in  it,  he  easily  gives  it 
 up.  He  knows  not  the  blessedness  of  tlie  man  who  is 
 resting  his  hope  for  eternity  on  the  work  of  the  Saviour, 
 and  who  has  found  rest  to  his  soul  where  the  justice  of 
 heaven  found  it,  but  is  going  about  to  establish  his  own 
 
vm 
 
 INTRODUCTORY  ESSAY. 
 
 righteousness.  When  the  force  of  conviction  obliges  to 
 abandon  beloved  ways,  they  are  given  up  with  reluctance, 
 and  witli  some  secret  reserve.  Though  a  struggle  is 
 maintained  with  the  evil  workings  of  the  heart,  there  is 
 still  an  aversion  to  true  spirituality  of  mind.  He  is  kept 
 from  open  pollution,  and  may  even  be  attentive  to  the 
 secret  services  of  piety ;  knowing  tliat  a  Christian  should 
 be  heavenly-minded,  he  may  endeavour  to  work  up  his 
 heart  to  a  heavenly  frame;  but  there  being  no  proper 
 root  in  him,  he  soon  becomes  weary  of  this  heavy  con- 
 straint; or,  fancying  that  he  has  obtained  the  victory 
 over  sin,  he  has  a  gleam  of  joy,  arising  from  the  notion 
 that  now  God  has  accepted  him:  but  his  hopes  are  soon 
 darkened,  for  there  being  no  abiding  principle  within 
 him,  his  goodness  is  "  like  the  morning  cloud  and  like 
 the  early  dew,  whicli  soon  pass  awaj'."  He  has  recourse 
 to  vows  and  resolutions  of  amendment,  but  they  are 
 weakness  itself  before  the  power  of  temptation. 
 
 Now,  in  this  state  of  mind,  a  man  is  prepared  to  say, 
 "  It  is  vain  to  serve  God:  and  what  profit  is  it  that  I 
 have  kept  his  ordinances,  and  that  I  have  walked  mourn- 
 fidly  before  him?"  Being  forced  to  seek  shelter  flora  an 
 accusing  conscience,  and  being  quite  disappointed  by  all 
 the  means  whicli  he  has  tried,  the  poison  of  error  and  in- 
 fidelity finds  him  a  proper  subject  for  its  influence.  And 
 if  books  or  companions  of  such  a  character  come  in  his 
 waj^  their  principles  are  readily  imbibed.  He  believes 
 the  fatal  lie;  and  now,  being  free  from  restraint,  he 
 plunges  into  all  manner  of  excess.  Such,  in  substance, 
 was  the  case  with  Mr  Newton. 
 
 What  more  clear  than  that  convictions  of  guilt  Avill 
 not  of  themselves  turn  a  sinner  to  God  ?  Every  believer 
 of  the  gospel  must  have  such  convictions  in  a  greater  or 
 less  degree.  For  where  there  is  no  sense  of  guilt,  there 
 can  be  no  sense  of  the  need  of  forgiveness,  and  of  course 
 the  import  and  glory  of  the  gospel  cannot  be  discerned. 
 But  man}'  are  the  subjects  of  convictions  of  sin,  who 
 never  come  to  the  Saviour.  The  question  then  is,  have 
 they  excited  us  to  flee  for  refuge  to  the  cross,  and  to  the 
 wondi'ous  work  which  was  finished  there  in  behalf  of  th^ 
 
INTKODUCTOKY  ESSAY. 
 
 ungodly?  Have  we  come  to  this  Saviour,  guilty  aii(! 
 unwortliy  as  we  see  ourselves  to  be,  and  do  we  rest  all 
 our  hope  for  eternity  on  that  one  perfect  righteousness, 
 through  which  God  appears  at  once  "the  just  God  and 
 the  Saviour?" 
 
 Mr  Newton's  case  is  at  variance  with  the  notion  that 
 it  is  absolutely  necessary  for  sinners  to  be  the  subjects  of 
 a  long  and  an  exceedingly  awful  process  of  deep  convic- 
 tion of  sin  previously  to  their  receiving  the  gospel.  Sucli 
 a  notion  perplexes  the  minds  of  many  anxious  inquirers. 
 It  leads  them  to  imagine  that  the  process  in  question 
 forms  a  kind  of  warrant  to  come  to  the  Saviour,  and  a 
 sort  of  recommendation  to  his  mercy,  or  a  qualificatiou 
 for  obtaining  the  benefit  of  his  work.  But  there  is  a 
 wide  difference  between  what  excites  a  siimer  to  flee  to 
 the  Redeemer,  and  that  which  is  his  wai'rant  to  do  so  in 
 the  confidence  of  obtaining  mercy.  Many  indeed  have 
 been  the  subjects  of  severe  convictions,  and  of  great 
 alarm  and  deep  distress  of  mind,  before  they  found  peace 
 in  the  cross.  But  others  have  been  drawn  in  a  more 
 gentle  way.  The  Lord,  in  his  first  call,  and  his  follow- 
 ing dispensations,  has  respect  to  the  situation,  temper, 
 and  talents  of  each  of  his  people,  and  to  the  particular 
 services  or  trials  he  has  appointed  them  for.  Why  then 
 make  the  case  of  some  a  standard  to  all  ?  Must  not  this 
 lead  the  sinner  to  busy  himself  with  the  inquiry,  whether 
 he  has  sufficiently  long,  or  sufficiently  in  measure,  been 
 the  subject  of  the  process  in  question,  and  so  turn  his 
 mind  from  the  saving  truth  ? 
 
 It  is  enough,  then,  that  such  a  conviction  of  guilt  be 
 produced,  as  shall  by  the  grace  of  the  divine  Spirit  ex- 
 cite the  sinner  to  come  to  Christ,  that  he  may  have  life. 
 God  ought  not  to  be  limited;  and  accordingly  experience 
 decidedly  shows  that  neither  the  same  degree  nor  length 
 of  alarm  is  by  any  means  always  employed,  even  with 
 the  same  class  of  characters. 
 
 Speaking  of  himself,  Mr  Newton  says,  "  Few,  very 
 few,  have  been  recovered  from  such  a  dreadful  state;  and 
 the  few  that  have  been  thus  favoured  have  generally 
 passed  tlirough  the  most  severe  convictions;  and  after 
 
INTRODUCTORY  ESSAY. 
 
 thp  Lord  has  given  thorn  peace,  their  future  lives  have 
 been  usually  more  zealous,  bright,  and  exemplary,  than 
 common.  Now  as,  on  the  one  hand,  my  convictions  were 
 very  moderate,  and  far  below  ^^■hat  might  have  been  ex- 
 pected fi'om  the  dreadful  review  I  had  to  make,  so,  on  the 
 other,  my  first  beginnings  in  a  religious  course  were  as 
 faint  as  can  be  well  imagined." 
 
 The  humility  and  modesty  of  our  author  are  here  ap- 
 parent ;  but  all  who  are  acquainted  with  his  history  will 
 acknowledge,  that  his  life  was  as  zealous,  bright,  and  ex- 
 emplary, as  that  of  many  who  were  led  to  God  in  the  way 
 he  describes. 
 
 In  the  gracious  providence  of  God,  Mr  Newton  was 
 brought,  by  means  of  certain  circnmstances  of  danger,  to 
 think  of  his  former  religions  professions — of  the  extraor- 
 dinary turns  of  his  life — the  calls,  warnings,  and  deliver- 
 ances with  which  he  had  met — the  licentious  course  of 
 his  conversation — and  his  effrontery  in  making  the  gos- 
 pel history  the  subject  of  his  ridicule,  when  he  could  not 
 be  sure  that  it  was  false.  Being  delivered  from  the  pre- 
 sent danger,  he  thought  he  saw  in  this  the  gracious  hand 
 of  the  Almighty,  and  conscious  of  misery,  he  attempted 
 to  praj'.  He  very  properly  compares  his  prayer  to  "  the 
 cry  of  the  ravens."  And  certainly  there  is  a  wide  differ- 
 ence between  the  formal,  hj'jiocritical,  and  self-righteous 
 prayers  which  the  scriptures  condemn,  and  which  they 
 declare  that  God  will  not  hear,  and  the  cries  of  vTetched 
 creatures  for  relief.  The  former  must  be  sinful,  but  the 
 latter  are  in  themselves  neither  morally  good  nor  morally 
 evil,  for  they  but  express  the  instinctive  feelings  of  every 
 precipient  being  when  in  circumstances  of  pain.  They 
 contain  nothing  spiritually  good,  and  therefore  cannot  be 
 the  object  of  complacency,  but  neither  can  they  be  the 
 object  of  blame.  And  that  God  who  pities  the  irrational 
 animals  in  distress,  and  is  represented  as  hearing  their 
 cry,  is  also  represented  as  looking  down  from  his  throne 
 in  heaven  to  hear  the  groaning  of  the  prisoner;  to  loose 
 those  that  are  appointed  to  death.  Now  in  such  a  si- 
 tuation was  Mr  N.  at  this  time.  His  distress  was  em- 
 ployed as  a  means  in  the  hand  of  Heaven  to  lead  him  to 
 
INTRODUCTORY  ESSAY. 
 
 xi 
 
 the  proper  remedy.  He  felt  himself  vnretched,  but  kiiew 
 not  how  to  get  relief,  and  he  looked  up  to  God  and  im- 
 plored deliverance.  While  he  did  this  he  applied  him- 
 self to  the  scriptures,  and  he  did  so,  simply  to  discover 
 what  they  taught.  He  was  particularly  struck  with  the 
 parable  of  the  prodigal — he  saw  it  in  his  very  case — he 
 dwelt  on  the  goodness  of  the  Father  in  receiving,  nay, 
 in  running  to  meet  such  a  son — and  he  saw  in  this  a  de- 
 signed representation  of  the  goodness  of  God  to  return- 
 ing sinners.  And  indistinct  as  his  views  were  of  the 
 gospel  of  peace,  there  was  a  marked  difference  between 
 his  present  views  of  the  divine  mercy  and  grace,  and 
 the  self-righteous  notions  which  predominated,  when,  as 
 he  said  himself  in  the  language  of  the  apostle,  "  after  the 
 strictest  sect  of  our  religion  I  lived  a  Pharisee."  God 
 was  drawing  him  with  the  cords  of  a  man,  and  with  bands 
 of  love.  The  apprehension  he  now  had  of  the  goodness 
 of  God  encouraged  him  to  cast  himself  upon  him  in  the 
 exercise  of  prayer  for  relief.  That  relief  came — and  how? 
 He  was  made  to  see  the  exact  suitableness  of  the  gospel 
 to  answer  all  his  wants.  He  saw  how  God  might  de- 
 clare not  his  mercy  only,  but  his  justice  also,  in  the  par- 
 don of  sin,  on  account  of  tlie  obedience  and  sufferings  of 
 Christ.  His  judgment,  he  says,  "  embraced  the  sublime 
 doctrine  of  God  manifest  in  the  flesh,  reconciling  tlie 
 world  unto  himself."  But  his  views  of  this  precious  truth, 
 and  of  others  connected  with  it,  were  very  imperfect. 
 Through  unwatchf'ulness  and  temptation  he  greatly  de- 
 clined for  a  season.  But  by  means  of  affliction,  he  was 
 again  awakened  to  a  sense  of  his  condition.  Conscious 
 of  his  weakness,  he  durst  make  no  more  resolves,  but  com- 
 mitted himself  to  the  Lord.  Divine  goodness  directed 
 him  to  the  cross  of  tiie  Saviour.  After  this,  the  burden 
 was  removed  from  his  conscience;  and  not  only  his  peace 
 but  his  health  was  restored,  and  though  subject,  as  all  are, 
 to  the  effects  and  conflicts  of  indwelling  sin,  yet  he  was 
 ever  after  delivered  from  its  power  and  dominion.  Thus 
 did  he  soon  experience  the  freeness  and  the  suitableness 
 of  the  gospel  to  a  sinner,  when  unable  to  view  himself  in 
 any  other  ligjit  than  that  of  an  ungodly  character. 
 
xn 
 
 INTRODUCTORY  ESSAY. 
 
 Mr  N.  did  not  consider  himself  to  have  been  a  believer 
 in  the  full  sense  of  the  word  until  now ;  but  certainly  at 
 the  period  formerly  mentioned,  he  had  embraced  the  sub- 
 stance of  the  saving  truth.  His  views  of  the  atonement 
 of  Jesus  were  much  clearer  than  were  those  of  the  dis- 
 ciples in  the  days  of  our  Lord,  who  did  not  clearly  un- 
 derstand the  design  of  his  death,  till  after  he  was  risen 
 from  the  dead ;  and  who  j'et  were  believers  of  the  blessed 
 truth,  that  in  the  goodness  of  God  a  way  should  be  pro- 
 vided by  which  the  exercise  of  mercy  would  be  rendered 
 compatible  with  the  claims  of  justice.  And  the  faith  of 
 many  under  the  ancient  economy  certainly  went  no  far- 
 ther than  this.  Mistakes  on  this  subject  sometimes  arise 
 from  dwelling  too  much  on  faith,  as  an  exercise  apart 
 from  its  object,  and  also  from  dwelling  almost  exclusive- 
 ly on  one  particular  vehicle  of  truth,  to  the  neglect  of 
 the  substance  of  the  truth  conveyed  It  is  not  for  us  to 
 say  how  small  a  portion  of  truth  may  in  certain  circum- 
 stances become  the  seed  of  genuine  religion.  So  far  as 
 it  goes,  it  does  lead  to  a  measure  of  confidence  in  the 
 mercy  of  God;  and  it  cherishes  that  humility  and  con- 
 trition of  mind,  which  are  opposed  to  the  self-righteous 
 hope  of  unbelievers.  The  new  perceptions  of  such  a  cha- 
 racter are  indeed  feeble  and  indistinct,  compared  with 
 those  of  the  man  who  is  taught  "  the  way  of  God  more 
 perfectly;"  and  they  are  even  in  particular  danger  of 
 being  overborne  and  swallowed  up,  as  they  were  in  our 
 author,  in  the  tumult  of  natural  passions,  and  in  the  con- 
 flict with  natural  slothfulness,  and  carnal  propensities; 
 but  they  constitute  a  leaven  which  will  gradually  diffuse 
 its  influence  till  the  whole  soul  be  leavened.  The  great 
 defect  in  his  views  was,  that  while  he  acknowledged  the 
 divine  mercj'  in  the  forgiveness  of  his  past  transgressions, 
 he  trusted  chiefly  in  his  own  resolutions  as  to  future  obe- 
 dience; not  understanding  that  all  our  strength  as  well 
 as  our  justifying  righteousness  must  be  sought  in  the 
 I  Saviour.  He  had  not  the  advantage  of  Christian  fellow- 
 ship, nor  of  hearing  the  gospel  preached;  and  the  few 
 books  which  came  in  his  way  were  not  of  the  best  kind; 
 ■while  he  was  in  the  midst  of  the  same  course  of  evil  com- 
 
INTRODUCTORY  ESSAY. 
 
 xiii 
 
 pany,  and  of  bad  examples  as  before.  He,  however, 
 came  gradually  to  learn  more  of  the  trutli ;  and  it  becomes 
 those  who  were  brought  to  serious  reflection  in  the  midst 
 of  the  means  of  grace,  and  surrounded  by  every  external 
 advantage  and  encouragement,  not  to  despise  such  a  day 
 of  small  things  as  this,  but  to  remember  that  their  attain- 
 ments, when  compared  with  his,  were  perhaps  far  from 
 being  in  proportion  to  their  superior  advantages.  What 
 a  mercy  that  we  ha.\e  a  Shepherd  who  gathers  the  lambs 
 in  his  arm  and  carries  them  in  his  bosom,  and  gently 
 leads  those  that  are  with  young! 
 
 The  declension  into  which  Mr  N.  unhappily  fell,  was 
 overruled  for  the  cure  of  his  self-confidence,  the  deepen- 
 ing of  his  humility,  and  the  enlargement  of  his  views  of 
 the  glory  of  divine  grace.  The  good  Shepherd  restored 
 his  soul.  "  He  gave  him  a  distinct  and  a  clear  view  of 
 the  way  of  forgiveness."  The  character  of  God,  as  just, 
 and  yet  the  justifier  of  the  ungodly,  captivated  his  heart. 
 The  light  of  divine  truth  dissipated  the  darkness  which 
 had  covered  his  mind,  and  put  to  flight  the  temptations 
 which  had  formerly  betrayed  him.  It  calmed  and  com- 
 posed his  heart — it  sweetly  drew  him  to  the  Saviour  as 
 his  only  hope — and  it  satisfied  his  soul  with  unspeakable 
 bliss.  From  that  day  forward,  he  lived  in  the  firm  per- 
 suasion of  the  gospel.  He  walked  humbly  with  God. 
 He  felt  that  he  had  neither  wisdom  nor  strength  in  him- 
 self, but  he  also  felt  that  at  the  same  time  he  was  con- 
 nected with  him  who  is  infinitely  wise  and  infinitely 
 powerful.  Often  does  he  enlarge,  in  the  following  work, 
 on  the  wisdom  and  tlie  goodness  displayed  in  the  neces- 
 sity under  which  believers  are  laid,  of  coming  daily  to 
 the  Saviour,  as  they  came  at  first.  They  have  no  such 
 tiling  as  a  stock  of  sutticiency  imparted  at  once.  Even 
 on  the  most  common  occasions  they  are  constrained,  by 
 a  sense  of  indigence,  to  have  recourse  to  his  fulness. 
 He  illustrates  this  by  the  life  of  the  Israelites  on  their 
 way  to  the  promised  country.  They  were  fed  with 
 manna  that  they  might  be  humbled.  Not  that  this  cir- 
 cumstance itself  could  humble  them,  but  that  as  the 
 manna  could  not  be  preserved,  they  were  kept  in  a  con- 
 
 .1 
 
XIV 
 
 INTRODUCTORY  ESSAY. 
 
 dition  of  constant  absolute  dependence  from  day  to  day, 
 and  'vvere  thus  made  to  feel  their  littleness.  Boasting 
 was  thus  excluded,  while  gratitude  ought  to  have  been 
 excited  for  the  goodness  manifested  in  the  unwearied 
 care,  and  the  constant  communications  of  Heaven.  Thej' 
 Avere  naturally  averse  to  this  mode  of  life,  and  believers 
 still  manifest  the  folly  and  perverseness  of  the  natural 
 heart,  by  an  unwillingness  to  be  kept  constantly  in  a 
 state  of  dependence,  and  to  be  necessitated  to  the  very 
 last  to  come  to  the  Saviour  as  they  came  to  him  at  first. 
 Daily  are  we  offending,  and  daily  do  we  need  to  apply 
 to  the  God  of  all  grace.  This  is  indeed  humbling.  But 
 luibelief,  though  it  steals  upon  us  under  the  semblance  of 
 humility,  is  the  very  essence  of  pride,  when  it  keeps  us 
 from  immediately  applying  to  the  only  physician  of  the 
 soul.  There  is  indeed  such  a  thing  as  a  cold  use  of  the 
 l)recious  promise  of  forgiveness,  but  this  is  not  the  spirit 
 of  genuine  repentance.  One  of  the  greatest  attainments 
 in  the  life  of  godliness  is,  to  be  coming  daily  to  tlie  foun- 
 tain which  is  opened  for  sin  and  uncleanness,  and  yet  be 
 so  far  from  counting  it  a  common  thing,  that  every  fresh 
 instance  of  divine  forgiveness  yet  more  humbles  and 
 softens  the  heart,  and  increases  our  sense  of  the  evil  and 
 demerit  of  sin:  and  of  this  spiritual  attainment  the  Car- 
 diphonia  discovers  a  very  high  degree. 
 
 Happy  is  that  man  who  is  in  such  a  case.  It  was  a 
 life  of  close  walking  by  the  faith  of  the  Son  of  God, 
 which  maintained  that  settled  peace  and  heavenly  enjoy- 
 ment which  Mr  N.  so  signally  experienced.  He  of^en 
 speaks  of  the  joy  of  the  Lord  as  his  strength.  He  felt 
 and  saw  the  evils  of  his  heart,  but  though  abased  he  did 
 not  suffer  a  spurious  humility  to  mingle  itself  with  the 
 genuine,  and  to  keep  him  from  going  afresh  to  the  blood 
 of  sprinkling.  He  dwelt  upon  the  dignity  and  righteous- 
 ness, the  faithfulness  and  mercy,  of  his  great  High  Priest, 
 and  he  committed  his  all  to  his  care.  And  he  found  that 
 the  gospel  is  indeed  a  glorious  provision  for  the  happi- 
 ness of  man.  While  it  proclaims  forgiveness,  it  heals 
 the  diseases  of  the  soul,  and  commimicates  the  purest 
 eiyoyment.    In  a  sense  of  the  favour  and  the  love  of 
 
INTRODUCTORY  ESSAY. 
 
 XV 
 
 God,  in  fellowship  with  the  Redeemer,  and  in  the  love 
 and  the  peace  connected  with  the  contemplation  of  un- 
 seen and  eternal  things,  there  is  a  high  anticipation  of 
 the  bliss  of  heaven.  We  were  formed  for  fellowship  witli 
 the  Father  of  spirits;  and  no  other  object,  nor  all  otlier 
 objects  taken  together,  can  fully  occupy  our  powers,  or 
 satisfy  our  desires.  The  benevolent  language  of  the 
 gospel  is,  "Ho!  every  one  that  thirsteth  for  happiness, 
 come  to  the  fountain  of  enjoyment."  Why  continue  to 
 pursue  tliat  wliich  never  can  satisfy?  In  the  most  pa- 
 thetic manner  does  the  God  of  all  grace  express  his  re- 
 gret, not  only  l^ecause  of  the  rebellion,  but  also  because 
 of  the  misery  of  men.  He  feelingly  complains  that  they 
 have  left  Him  who  is  the  fountain  of  life,  for  cisterns, 
 yea  even  for  broken  cisterns  which  can  hold  no  water. 
 It  is  as  if  he  had  said,  "  If,  in  leaving  me,  ye  iiad  gone 
 to  a  better,  or  even  to  an  equal  fountain  of  blessedness, 
 I  should  not  have  complained.  If  ye  will  leave  me, 
 choose,  if  you  can,  an  object  wliich  will  make  you  hap- 
 py, for  your  happiness  is  the  desire  of  my  heart.  But 
 why  forsake  a  fountain  for  a  cistern,  and  even  for  a 
 broken  cistern,  which  can  yield  you  neitlier  relief  nor 
 enjoyment?  This  is  conduct  not  only  deeply  criminal,  but 
 most  foolish  and  irrational ;  it  is  most  dishonourable  to 
 me  and  fearfully  ruinous  to  yourselves." 
 
 In  a  similar  way  does  he  reason  with  Israel  in  Psalm 
 Ixxxi.  "  Hear,  O  Israel,  if  you  will  take  my  counsel, 
 there  shall  no  strange  God  be  among  you.  Do  not  ques- 
 tion my  kindness,  for  I  am  thy  best  and  thy  tried  friend; 
 I  am  he  who  brought  you  from  the  land  of  liondage,  and 
 tlierefore  you  may  well  give  me  your  confidence.  Do 
 not  act  as  if  another  God  could  do  more  for  you  than  I 
 can,  for  all  your  wants  I  can  and  will  fully  supplj'.  Open 
 thy  mouth  wide  and  I  will  fill  it." 
 
 Such  is  the  spirit  breathed  in  the  gospel.  And  what 
 has  not  God  done,  that  he  might  gain  our  hearts?  When 
 we  were  sunk  in  guilt  and  pollution,  he  commended  his 
 love  towards  us,  in  delivering  up  his  own  Son  for  the 
 ungodly  and  rebellious;  and  through  him  lie  proclaims 
 forgiveness,  peace,  and  eternal  life,  as  the  gifts  of  divine 
 
xvi 
 
 INTRODUCTORY  ESSAY. 
 
 grace  to  all  who  believe.  And  why  does  he  ask  our 
 hearts,  but  that  he  may  fill  them  with  pure,  steady,  and 
 permanent  bliss? 
 
 Mr  Newton  has  occasionally  employed  language,  in 
 relation  to  faith  and  sense,  which  some  who  are  unfriend- 
 ly to  the  truth,  have  construed  to  mean  that  Cliristian 
 comfort  is  an  unaccountable  feeling,  and  quite  independ- 
 ent of  any  rational  ground  in  the  object  of  belief.  No- 
 thing could  be  farther  from  his  intention  than  such  a 
 notion  as  this.  It  is  only  one  of  those  inadvertencies  of 
 language  into  which  the  most  correct  thinkers  will  at 
 times  fall,  through  adopting  the  phraseology  of  others 
 without  proper  reflection.  All  positive  comfort  is  sen- 
 sible; for  without  some  comfortable  sensations,  there  can 
 be  no  enjoyment.  But  so  far  from  being  opposed  to  faith, 
 it  is  the  fnait  of  it.  It  is  not  merely  a  feeling — it  is  ra- 
 tional joy.  The  Christian  can  "give  a  reason  for  the  hope 
 that  is  in  him."  Such  indeed  is  the  structure  of  the  human 
 mind,  that  there  may  be  insensible  communications  of  an 
 influence  from  above,  which  have  the  effect  of  preventing 
 trouble  or  distress  from  rising  to  a  height  to  which  it 
 would  otherwise  reach ;  but  this  is  a  different  thing  from 
 positive  comfort.  Throughout  the  letters  of  Ne\vton, 
 and  in  the  narrative  of  his  life,  the  most  satisfactory 
 reasons  are  given  for  his  feelings  of  comfort  and  joy. 
 His  accounts  of  himself  are  not  like  those  biographical 
 Avritings  which  dwell  almost  entirely  on  the  feelings  of 
 their  subjects,  to  the  exclusion  of  the  causes  which  made 
 them  to  feel.  What  is  it  to  us,  that  an  individual  felt  now 
 in  this  way,  and  then  in  that,  if  we  are  not  told  what 
 produced  his  varying  sensations?  How  different  are 
 such  writings  from  the  scriptures.  When  we  read  there 
 of  the  hopes  and  the  fears,  of  the  joys  and  the  sorrows 
 of  such  as  feared  God,  we  read  also  of  those  truths  or 
 causes  which  produced  them.  Who,  for  instance,  can 
 read  the  Psalms  of  David,  the  Songs  of  Isaiah  and  Ze- 
 chariah,  of  Simeon  and  Mary,  or  the  Apostles'  Epistles, 
 without  at  once  perceiving  the  spring  and  foundation  of 
 their  feelings  and  exercises?  How  beautifully  has  Paul 
 combined  a  clear  view  of  the  state  of  the  workings  of 
 
INTRODUCTORY  ESSAY. 
 
 XVU 
 
 his  heart,  with  the  fullest  displays  of  the  glories  of  the 
 gospel.  We  see  a  man  who  feels  most  deeply  the  power 
 of  the  truth,  and  who  is  sensibly  alive  to  the  varied 
 events  of  the  providence  of  heaven;  and  we  are  at  no 
 loss  to  understand  the  views  and  the  motives  which  in- 
 fluence him.  And  when  biography  is  written  on  this 
 plan,  it  is  of  great  utility.  But  when  otherwise,  it  is 
 calculated  greatly  to  mislead  an  inquirer,  and  to  cherish 
 a  sort  of  sentimental  sickly  piety. 
 
 The  expression,  sensible  comfort,  is  sometimes  em- 
 ployed to  signify  that  enjoyment  which  a  Christian  has 
 in  a  consciousness  of  the  healing  influence  of  the  gospel, 
 and  from  the  assurance  of  hope,  as  distinguished  from 
 the  state  of  a  man's  mind,  who,  when  viewing  himself  as 
 a  stranger  to  piety,  goes  to  the  Saviour,  on  the  ground 
 of  the  broad  testimony  and  the  unfettered  invitations  of 
 mercy  which  are  addressed  to  sinners  indiscriminately. 
 But  it  is  incorrect  to  say  that  the  former  is  walking  by 
 sense,  and  the  latter  by  faith.  Of  what  is  the  healing 
 influence  of  the  gospel  the  fruit  and  the  evidence,  but  of 
 faith,  in  tlie  very  same  testimony  and  unfettered  invita- 
 tions, which  are  the  encouragement  of  the  sinner  when 
 he  first  comes  to  the  Redeemer,  and  of  the  backslider 
 when  he  returns  to  him?  And  what  is  the  peace  which 
 the  latter  obtains  when  ho  thus  comes,  but  the  fruit  of 
 confidence  in  the  testimony  and  promise  of  Heaven  ?  It 
 is  not  an  unfounded  persuasion,  that  he  is  a  child  of  God; 
 but  it  is  that  peace  which  arises  from  a  pi'oper  view  of 
 the  sufficiency  of  the  work  of  Christ,  to  justify  him, 
 gililty  as  he  is;  and  from  a  persuasion,  founded  on  the 
 promise,  that  through  resting  his  eternity  on  tliat  work, 
 he  shall  obtain  the  blessings  of  salvation.  He  has  not 
 the  same  degree  of  enjoyment  as  the  former;  but  let  this 
 be  stated  in  plain  language,  and  not  in  words  which  ai'e 
 apt  to  mislead.  The  language  in  question  is  also  used 
 to  denote  that  flow  of  the  spirits,  which  in  certain  con- 
 stitutions and  circumstances  accompanies  the  gladdening 
 influence  of  the  truth ;  but  this  is  in  itself  distinct  from 
 religious  comfort.  Tlie  latter  may  exist  where,  owing 
 to  constitutional  causes,  there  is  but  little  of  the  former. 
 
xviii 
 
 INTRODUCTORY  ESSAY. 
 
 There  may  also  be  certain  parts  of  tlio  truth  believed, 
 which  have  the  effect  of  producing  a  degree  of  confidence 
 in  the  goodness  of  God,  a  persuasion  tliat  liis  favour  is 
 life,  and  a  renunciation  of  false  grounds  of  hope,  while 
 yet  there  is  no  joy;  because  other  parts  of  the  truth  are 
 not  properly  discerned.  Such  at  one  time  was  the  case 
 with  Mr  Newton;  but  even  then  there  was  a  sensible 
 eliange  produced  on  his  mind. 
 
 Having  introduced  this  subject,  it  may  be  proper  to 
 add,  that  some  have  employed  language,  in  relation  to 
 the  confidence  of  faith,  which  would  seem  to  imply  that 
 it  is  the  duty  of  Christians  to  maintain  the  persuasion 
 that  they  are  such,  even  when  they  have  not  the  least 
 reason  to  conclude  that  they  are  living  in  the  exercise  of 
 any  Christhm  principle;  and  that  to  question  this  is  the 
 sin  of  unbelief.  But  unbelief  is  calling  in  question  what 
 God  has  said.  The  fact  of  our  being  believers,  granting 
 lis  to  be  such,  is  not  the  object  of  faith.  Our  persuasion 
 of  this  fact  is  not  properly  faith— it  is  rather  a  knowledge 
 of  the  fact  arising  from  our  own  immediate  conscious- 
 ness of  believing. 
 
 In  support  of  the  notion  in  question,  it  has  been  ar- 
 gued that  Christians  are  said  to  "  walk,  hy  faith  and  not 
 by  sight."  But  the  meaning  of  this  ol)viously  is,  that 
 while  they  are  in  this  world,  they  have  not  the  advan- 
 tage of  the  actual  and  immediate  vision  of  the  Saviour, 
 and  of  the  glories  with  which  he  is  surrounded;  but  de- 
 rive all  their  knowletlge  of  Him  and  of  them  from  testi- 
 mony. It  is  only  when  "  absent  from  the  body,  that  we 
 shall  be  present  with  the  Lord,"  2  Cor.  v.  1-9.  The 
 encomium  pronounced  on  Abraham,  that  "  against  hope 
 he  believed  in  hope,"  has  also  been  so  employed,  as  if, 
 be  our  state  what  it  may,  we  should  maintain  an  unshaken 
 confidence  that  all  is  well;  Avhereas  the  meaning  simply 
 is,  that  in  opposition  to  every  ordinary  ground  of  expec- 
 tation, he  believed  that  the  promise  of  God  would  be 
 accomplished,  Rom.  iv.  18-21.  In  a  similar  way,  the 
 address  in  Isaiah  i.  10,  has  been  interpreted.  But  it  is 
 clear,  that  in  the  preceding  verses  the  Redeemer  is  speak- 
 ing of  his  sufferings  and  of  his  confidence  in  God,  that 
 
INTRODUCTORY  ESSAY. 
 
 xix 
 
 he  should  not  be  overcome,  but  should  finally  triumpli. 
 And  then,  as  if  he  had  just  entered  into  liis  glory,  he 
 calls,  as  it  were  from  his  throne  to  his  afflicted  people 
 upon  earth,  not  to  be  discouraged  by  the  darkness  of 
 calamitous  providences,  but  to  imitate  him  in  his  trust 
 in  the  divine  character  and  promises,  and  to  rest  as- 
 sured that  all  events  were  working  together  for  their 
 good.  Even  those  who  are  living  by  the  faith  of  the 
 Son  of  God,  or  who,  in  the  language  of  this  passage,  are 
 fearing  the  Lord  and  obeying  the  voice  of  his  servant, 
 may  at  times  be  greatly  perplexed,  and  in  heaviness 
 through  manifold  trials.  And  then  is  the  time  which 
 tries  our  confidence  in  God.  This  Paul  felt,  when  he 
 was  pressed  out  of  measure  above  strength,  and  had  the 
 sentence  of  death  in  himself,  that  he  should  not  trust  in 
 himself,  but  in  God,  who  raiseth  the  dead,  2  Cor.  i.  8,  9- 
 The  same  spirit  of  faith  which  dwelt  in  the  Saviour  dwelt 
 also  in  him,  in  accordance  with  the  view  now  given  of 
 the  passage  in  question,  2  Cor.  iv.  13,  14. 
 
 The  Cardiphonia  is  full  of  comfort  to  tlie  afflicted  and 
 the  tempted.  Mr  Newton  was  indeed  "  a  son  of  conso- 
 lation." He  had  a  peculiar  talent  for  entering  into  the 
 feelings  and  the  views  of  the  distressed.  Much  of  the 
 word  of  God  is  applicable  to  a  state  of  trouble,  and  can 
 only  be  understood  in  circumstances  of  trial.  The  gos- 
 pel of  Christ  throws  light  on  the  most  mysterious  events 
 of  time.  He  who  so  loved  us  as  to  give  himself  a  sacri- 
 fice for  our  sins,  when  we  were  sunk  in  rebellion,  can 
 never  cease  to  care  for  us.  In  the  midst  of  all  the  trials 
 and  conflicts  of  the  wilderness,  he  is  showing  us  the  utter 
 emptiness  and  vanity  of  the  present  world,  and  the  in- 
 sufficiency of  the  soul  to  its  own  happiness,  that  he  may 
 draw  us  to  himself,  and  lead  us  to  repose  on  him  as  our 
 ultimate  rest  and  satisfying  portion.  And  what  blessings 
 are  the  most  painful  and  complicated  troubles,  if  the 
 heart  is  thereby  weaned  from  the  transitory  objects  of 
 sense,  and  if  every  stroke  of  affliction  impels  the  soul 
 more  powerfully  towards  him  who  is  the  inexhaustible 
 fountain  of  all  genuine  enjoyment.  It  is  thus  that  we 
 profit  by  the  heaviest  pressures  which  imbitter  this  state 
 
XX 
 
 INTRODUCTORY  ES5A\. 
 
 of  tribulation.  Such  views  of  the  wise  and  gracious,  but 
 often  mysterious  providences  of  God,  in  connexion  witli 
 the  gospel  of  peace,  serve  to  dissolve  many  of  those 
 clouds  of  perplexity  and  error  which  mislead  and  de- 
 press the  heart ;  and  they  free  from  that  painful  imcer- 
 tainty  which,  by  its  distressful  agitations,  greatly  injures 
 at  once  the  holiness  and  the  peace  of  the  soul.  They 
 serve  to  infuse  courage  and  to  impart  consolation  when 
 all  human  help  is  unavailing;  when  in  the  last  hours  of 
 weakness,  languor,  and  pain,  flesh  and  heart  fail;  and 
 even  in  the  dark  vale  of  death,  when  nothing  else  could 
 yield  to  the  departing  spirit,  light  and  life,  animation 
 and  joy.  Whatever  changes  there  may  be  in  our  lot, 
 whatever  afflictions  we  may  be  called  to  bear,  if  Ave  live 
 in  fellowship  with  the  friend  and  the  Saviour  of  sinners, 
 our  rejoicing  will  be  that  he  ever  liveth;  and  that  beyond 
 this  transitory  scene,  and  the  many  clouds  which  now 
 intervene,  tliere  is  an  unchanging  paradise  and  an  incor- 
 ruptible inheritance,  where  "  our  sun  shall  no  more  go 
 down,  where  the  Lord  shall  be  our  everlasting  light,  our 
 God,  our  glory,-  and  where  the  days  of  our  mourning  shall 
 be  ended !" 
 
 The  wisdom  of  God  appears  in  the  production,  if  we 
 may  so  speak,  of  the  greatest  power  at  the  least  possible 
 expense  of  means.  By  a  few  strokes  of  affliction  on  a 
 single  individual,  he  paves  the  way  for  the  advancement 
 of  his  holiness  and  joy,  and  thus  fits  him  for  extensive 
 \isefulness.  "  While  he  muses,  his  heart  burns;"  he 
 liears  of  the  afflictions  of  others;  his  own  sorrows  are  re- 
 lieved in  giving  vent  to  his  feelings;  he  rejoices  in  sooth- 
 ing the  anguisli  of  the  bleeding  heart;  the  comforted 
 again  seek  the  benefit  of  more;  they  request  him  to  cast 
 his  gift  into  the  public  treasury  for  the  general  benefit 
 and  as  he  does  so,  he  says,  with  the  blended  feelings  oi 
 pious  gratitude  and  benevolent  joy,  "  Blessed,  be  God, 
 even  the  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  tbe  Father  oi 
 mercies,  and  the  God  of  all  comfort,  who  comforteth  us 
 in  all  our  tribulation,  that  we  may  be  able  to  comfort 
 them  which  are  in  any  trouble  by  the  comfort  where- 
 with we  ourselves  are  comforted  of  God."    Such  were 
 
INTRODUCTORY  ESSAV. 
 
 xxi 
 
 the  feelings  of  the  aposth'^  of  the  Gentiles,  and  such,  in 
 a  measure,  was  the  happiness  of  the  author  of  the  Car- 
 diphonia. 
 
 The  letters  of  Newton  abound  with  references  to  a 
 particular  providence.  Without  any  admixture  of  su- 
 perstition, he  habitually  recognised  in  every  thing  the 
 overruling  hand  of  the  Almighty.  He  indeed  walked 
 with  God,  for  in  every  object  and  event  he  traced  his 
 operations,  and  "  in  all  his  ways  he  acknowledged  him," 
 His  faith  in  the  providence  and  grace  of  his  God  main- 
 tained that  composure  and  cheerfulness  of  mind  for  which 
 he  was  distinguished  in  circumstances  of  the  most  gloomy 
 and  discouraging  kind.  The  remarkable  incidents  in  his 
 own  life  tended  to  lead  him  to  act  at  all  times  "  as  seeing 
 him  who  is  invisible."  And  it  is  edifying  indeed  to  read 
 his  reflections  on  the  superintending  care  of  that  God 
 "  who  fainteth  not,  neither  is  Aveary,"  who  is  "  a  present 
 help  in  trouble,"  and  "  without  whom  not  even  a  sparrow 
 can  fall  to  the  ground." 
 
 It  seems  strange  that  men  should  admit  a  general,  and 
 deny  a  particular  providence.  They  speak  as  if  the  Al- 
 mighty were  too  great  to  concern  liimself  with  the  petty 
 affairs  of  individuals,  though  in  extraordinary  cases  he 
 may  interfere  in  what  relates  to  the  interests  of  nations. 
 They  even  speak  as  if,  amid  the  greatness  and  the  mul- 
 tiplicity of  the  affairs  of  his  government,  he  could  not 
 bend  to  the  interests  of  individuals  so  mean  and  insigni- 
 ficant. But  what  strange  ideas  of  greatness  are  these. 
 Do  they  not  degrade  the  Almighty,  and  lower  our  con- 
 ceptions of  his  grandevu"?  Whatever  it  was  worthy  of 
 his  power  to  create,  it  cannot  be  unworthy  of  his  great- 
 ness to  preserve  and  to  superintend.  Does  not  true 
 greatness  consist  in  a  capacity  of  lending  the  most  par- 
 ticular attention  to  the  minute,  whilst  it  embracers  tlie 
 vast?  It  is  tliis  capacity  surely,  wiiich  presents  the  most 
 overwhelming  view  of  the  onmiscience,  omnipresence, 
 and  omnipotence  of  (Jod.  How  delightfully  are  great- 
 ness and  goodness  blendcid  together,  when  we  ai'e  told 
 that  he  who  counts  the  numlier  of  the  stars,  and  calls 
 them  all  by  their  names,  is  the  same  who  bindeth  up  the 
 
 A  2 
 
xxii 
 
 INTRODUCTORY  ESSAY. 
 
 broken  in  lieart,  and  healeth  the  wounded  in  spirit! 
 Psalm  cxlvii.  2,  3,  4.  While  his  eye  and  his  arm  are 
 abroad  ii])on  all  worlds,  he  watches  the  solitary  steps  of 
 the  wanderer,  pities  the  bereaved  mourner,  visits  the 
 lonely  cottage  of  affliction,  and  makes  all  the  bed  of  the 
 afflicted  sufferer.  Soothing  indeed  is  the  reflection  that 
 we  are  not  overlooked  in  the  crowd,  but  that  our  indivi- 
 dual concerns  are  as  much  regarded  as  though  we  were 
 the  only  care  of  the  Almighty  Jehovah.  "  He  knoweth 
 the  way  that  we  take;"  he  is  privy  to  every  feeling  of  the 
 heart,  and  he  enters  into  our  every  trial;  for  "the  very 
 hairs  of  our  head  are  numbered."  And  why  should  men 
 presume  to  mai'k  out  what  is  great  and  what  is  little? 
 Are  not  the  most  important  events  suspended  on  matters 
 apparently  trivial?  Witness  the  histories  of  Joseph  and 
 Mordecai.  And  unquestionably  the  same  providence 
 which  regidates  the  greater  must  necessarily  regulate  the 
 smaller. 
 
 This  is  a  doctrine  fraught  with  the  richest  consolation, 
 when  connected  with  the  infinite  wisdom,  the  inviolable 
 faithfulness,  and  the  immutable  love  of  "  the  God  and 
 Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  How  sweet  the  re- 
 pose of  that  heart  which  rests  in  the  Lord!  We  are  not 
 left  to  be  the  sport  of  blind  chance  in  a  fatherless  world ; 
 we  are  the  objects  of  the  care  of  him  who  is  every  where 
 present,  who  orders  the  movements,  and  satisfies  the 
 wants  of  his  innumerable  offspring.  This  truth  is  in  per- 
 fect harmony  with  the  personal  exertion  which  is  requi- 
 site to  our  obtaining  the  end  we  have  in  view.  The 
 Almighty  acts  by  natural  means.  We  are  not  warranted 
 to  expect  miraculous  interferences.  Such  expectations 
 cherish  a  M  ild  enthusiasm,  and  give  unbelievers  occasion 
 to  ridicule  the  doctrine  of  a  special  providence  as  the 
 fruit  of  credulity.  Extraordinary  visible  deliverances, 
 or  benefits,  serve  to  manifest  the  reality  of  such  a  pro- 
 vidence ;  but  it  is  not  less  real  when,  by  the  silent  ope- 
 rations of  nature,  the  Almighty  accomplishes  his  will. 
 
 In  the  writings  of  Mr  Newton  the  harmony  of  divine 
 truth  is  uniformly  maintained.  It  was  his  object  to  be 
 influenced  and  governed  by  the  whole  of  the  docaines 
 
INTRODUCTORY  ESSAY. 
 
 xxiii 
 
 and  precepts,  the  promises  and  warnings  of  Scripture  in 
 their  proper  place,  and  for  their  several  uses.  He  keeps 
 clear,  on  the  one  hand,  of  the  error  of  those  who,  confin- 
 ing their  attention  to  the  character  of  man  as  an  account- 
 able agent,  dwell  almost  exclusively  on  the  economy  of 
 heaven  as  a  system  of  moral  government,  and  exhort  to 
 the  discharge  of  duty,  without  properly  considering  his 
 capacity  to  be  the  subject  of  a  heavenly  influence;  and 
 on  the  other,  he  avoids  the  error  of  those  who  so  repre- 
 sent the  nature  of  the  impotence  of  man  and  the  nature 
 of  heavenly  grace,  as  to  set  aside  the  commandment  of 
 God  to  believe  in  the  Saviour,  and  to  lull  the  sinner  into 
 a  state  of  careless  indifference.  "  A  man's  cannot"  he 
 says,  "  is  not  a  natural  but  a  moral  inability;  not  an  im- 
 possibility in  the  nature  of  things,  as  it  is  for  me  to  walk 
 in  the  water,  or  to  fly  in  the  air,  but  such  an  inability  as, 
 instead  of  extenuating,  does  exceedingly  enhance  and 
 aggravate  his  guilt.  He  is  so  blinded  by  Satan,  so  alien- 
 ated from  God  by  nature  and  wicked  works,  so  given 
 up  to  sin,  so  averse  from  that  way  of  salvation  which  is 
 contrary  to  his  pride  and  natural  wisdom,  that  he  will 
 not  emljrace  or  seek  after  it ;  and,  therefore,  he  cannot, 
 till  the  grace  of  God  powerfully  enlightens  his  mind,  and 
 overcomes  his  obstacles." 
 
 He  invariably  exhibits  the  practical  design  and  ten- 
 dency of  the  truth,  while  he  never  withholds  the  most 
 free  and  unfettered  declarations  of  mercy.  He  does  not 
 attack  antinomianism  in  a  controversial  manner,  but  he 
 states  those  principles  which  subvert  its  foundation.  There 
 are  times  and  circumstances,  however,  in  which  error  must 
 be  directly  opposed,  that  the  simple  may  be  put  upon 
 their  guard,  and  that  the  nature  and  glory  of  the  truth 
 may  be  displayed.  Witness  the  tenor  of  the  epistles  to 
 the  Galatians  and  Corinthians.  Tiie  foundation  of  anti- 
 nomianism is  in  the  depravity  of  the  heart;  and  when  it 
 shows  itself  as  it  is  doing  in  the  present  day,  it  should 
 be  decidedly  and  openly  met,  that  men  may  be  warned 
 of  their  danger,  and  the  attempts  of  the  enemy  be  de- 
 feated. 
 
 It  seems  strange  that  any  who  profess  to  believe  tlip. 
 
XXIV 
 
 INTRODICTORV  ES.=  AV. 
 
 Lwpfl,  should  question  the  obligation  of  Gu-istians  to 
 oliserve  the  precepts  of  the  law.  The  law  of  heaven  is 
 of  essential  service  to  believers.  It  shews  them  what  is 
 contrary  to  the  will  of  God ;  it  serves  to  deepen  their 
 sense  of  their  innate  depravity;  it  makes  them  cling  to 
 the  work  of  Christ  as  their  only  refuge;  it  excites  their 
 admiration  of  the  grace  of  God,  and  thus  serves  to  cherish 
 the  love  of  him  as  the  God  of  salvation ;  it  tells  how  to 
 express  this  love;  it  ascertains  the  progress  Mhich  they 
 are  making  in  religion;  it  Avarns  them  of  their  errors 
 and  their  danger  when  they  wander  from  him;  and  it 
 •  deepens  tlieir  conviction  of  the  necessity  of  abiding  in 
 Christ,  as  at  once  their  Saviour  from  guilt,  and  the  spring 
 of  their  sanctification.  So  far  from  being  set  aside  by 
 the  gospel,  it  is  thereby  established,  Rom.  iii.  31.  While 
 the  law  shows  the  necessity  of  such  a  salvation  as  the 
 gospel  exhibits,  the  latter,  on  the  other  hand,  strikingly 
 illustrates  the  requirements  of  the  former,  as  they  regard 
 both  our  temper  towards  God  and  our  disposition  to- 
 wards man,  while  it  enforces  obedience  to  its  precepts  by 
 the  principles,  at  once  aM'fid  and  delightful,  which  are  re- 
 vealed in  the  cross. 
 
 By  the  law  of  God  in  any  given  ease,  must  certainly 
 be  understood  that  system  of  laws  which  is  established 
 for  the  time  being.  Each  dispensation  under  which  the 
 creatures  of  God  are  placed,  has  peculiai'  instituticms  and 
 laws  adapted  to  its  special  nature  and  design.  Thus  the 
 Mosaic  economy  had  many  peculiar  institutions  adapted 
 to  a  typical  dispensation,  and  to  the  peculiar  character 
 of  Israel.  All  or  them,  however,  were  of  use,  and  all  of 
 them  had  for  their  object  some  mora!  end.  But  there  are 
 certain  moral  ])rinciples  which  remain  unalterably  the 
 same  under  everj'  economy  of  heaven,  and  out  of  those 
 principles  certain  moral  precepts  necessai'ily  arise  under 
 every  dispensation  Mith  which  mankind  in  the  present 
 state  can  at  all  be  connected.  The  abrogation  of  the 
 Mosaic  economy  as  such,  could  not  therefore  set  aside 
 those  moral  injunctions  which  arise  out  of  the  indissolu- 
 ble relation  between  God  and  man.  We  never  find  that 
 God  left  any  of  mankind  to  whom  he  revealed  himself. 
 
I 
 
 INTRODl'CTORY  ESSAY. 
 
 XXV 
 
 withotit  a  rule  for  the  guidance  of  their  love  to  him.  He 
 instructed  Adam,  even  when  in  innocence,  how  he  v  as 
 to  conduct  himself ;  he  instructed  him  after  the  revela- 
 tion of  mercy  to  him  as  a  sinner;  he  instructed  Noah,  tlie 
 founder  of  a  new  world;  and  so  did  he  Abraham,  the 
 root  of  the  Jewish  people.  To  that  people  he,  in  a  spe- 
 cial manner,  delivered  his  law;  and  to  the  church  of 
 Christ,  of  which  that  nation  was  a  figure,  he  hath  given 
 )!iany  commandments  of  a  moral  nature,  and  institutions 
 adapted  to  the  state  of  a  people  called  out  of  tlie  world 
 into  holy  fellowship  witli  the  Father,  and  witli  his  Son, 
 Jesus  Christ.  But  all  his  positive  appointments  are  de- 
 signed to  answer  a  moral  purpose;  they  are  but  means 
 to  an  end,  namely,  the  promotion  of  love  to  God  and  to 
 man,  which  is  the  sum  of  the  divine  law.  None  of  them, 
 therefore,  ought  to  be  despised.  And,  indeed,  none  of 
 them  can  be  so  without  injuring  ourselves,  for  there  is, 
 in  all  of  them,  an  admirable  fitness  to  promote  our  hap- 
 piness. 
 
 And  not  only  does  the  Saviour  appeal  to  our  love,  he 
 also  interposes  his  authority.  "  Ye  are  my  friends" 
 says  he,  "  if  ye  do  whatsoever  I  command  you,"  John 
 XV.  14.  It  is  clear  then,  that  while  we  are  treated,  not 
 merely  as  servants,  but  as  friends,  we  are  enjoined  obe- 
 dience by  authority.  Hence  such  expressions  as  the  fol- 
 lowing:— "Ye  know  what  commandments  we  give  you 
 by  the  Lord  Jesus,"  1  Thess.  iv.  2.  "  Now  them  that  are 
 such  we  cnmmand  and  exliort  l)y  om*  Lord  Jesus  Christ,"' 
 2  Thess.  iii.  12.  "  Tliese  things  comma iid  and  teach,"  1 
 Tim.  iv.  11.  "  C/iarr/e  them  that  are  rich  in  this  world, 
 that  they  do  good,  that  they  be  rich  in  good  works, 
 ready  to  distribute,  willing  to  communicate,"  1  Tim.  vi. 
 1 7,  1 B.  Now  here  a  being  ready  and  willing  to  do  \\  hat 
 is  riglit  is  represented  as  matter  of  charge  or  connnand, 
 because,  along  with  the  cliarge,  suitable  and  sufficient 
 motives  to  obedience  are  suggested.  Why  tlien  oppose 
 the  one  to  the  other?  The  authority  of  God  is  not  only 
 blended  with  kindness,  it  is  in  fact  itself  a  display  of  kind- 
 ness, for  it  is  employed  the  more  effectually  to  preserve  us 
 from  that  which  is  our  ruin. 
 
xxvi 
 
 INTRODUCTORY  ESSAY. 
 
 To  dispense  with  obedience,  were  to  dispense  with 
 our  happiness;  for  in  holy  lilveness  to  God  lies  the  true 
 blessedness  of  man.  When  Christ  is  called  Jesus,  "  be- 
 cause he  is  to  save  his  people  from  tlieir  sins,'"  it  is  implied, 
 that  deliverance  from  that  which  is  "  a  transgression  of 
 the  law,"  is  the  principal  part  of  his  salvation.  He  is 
 "  sent  to  bless  us,  in  turning  every  one  of  us  away  from 
 his  iniquities."  If  we  confine  the  gospel  to  the  procla- 
 mation of  pardon,  we  rob  it  of  its  principal  glory.  Pre- 
 cious as  pardon  is,  it  is  not  to  be  viewed  as  an  insulated 
 blessing — it  is  a  means  to  the  moral  end  of  our  sanctifi- 
 cation ;  and  to  the  latter,  it  is  subordinate.  When  Jesus 
 said,  "  The  kingdom,"  that  is,  "  the  reign  or  government 
 of  heaven  is  at  hand;  repent  ye,  and  believe  the  glad 
 tidings,"  Mark  i.  15,  his  language  evidently  implies, 
 that  one  great  design  of  his  coming  was  to  subject  men 
 to  his  dominion,  and  that  this  was  a  part  of  the  good  news 
 which  he  had  to  announce  to  the  M'orld.  No  doubt  he 
 referred  to  the  speedy  accomplishment  of  that  sacrifice 
 on  which  his  kingdom  is  founded,  and  to  his  investiture 
 with  supreme  authoritj-,  as  the  great  evidence  of  its  ac- 
 ceptance, and  the  great  security  of  all  who  should  put 
 their  trust  in  it ;  but  he  evidently  includes  the  establish- 
 ment of  his  kingdom  in  the  heart,  and  the  exercise  of  his 
 authority  over  a  holy  nation  and  a  royal  priesthood.  And 
 as  the  whole  economy  takes  its  name  from  this,  it  is  evi- 
 dent that  its  great  and  ultimate  object  is  to  restore  us  to 
 the  image  of  God.  "  The  reign  of  heaven"  could  not 
 be  the  appropriate  designation  of  an  economy,  the  only, 
 or  even  the  principal  design  of  which  was,  the  mercy 
 which  appears  in  forgiveness.  On  no  other  principle 
 could  Christ  be  denominated  a  king,  than  on  that  of  his 
 exercising  authorit}^,  and  ruling  by  means  of  laws.  Ob- 
 jections to  the  idea  of  authority,  as  if  it  were  associated 
 Avith  something  stern  and  forbidding,  betray  the  most 
 unworthy  notions  of  the  law  of  God,  and  of  the  nature 
 and  design  of  obedience.  The  revelation  of  pardoning 
 mercy  is  the  foundation  of  other  blessings.  It  is,  in 
 particular,  the  moral  means  by  which  we  are  delivered 
 from  the  dominion  of  sin.   A  sense  of  unpardoned  guilt, 
 
INTRODUCTORY  ESSAY. 
 
 xxvii 
 
 and  tlic  dread  of  vengeance,  foster  the  enmity  of  the 
 heart  against  God.  Not  that  it  ouglit  to  be  so,  or  that 
 this  result  is  without  blame ;  for  this  were  to  say,  that  a 
 sinner,  when  condemned,  has  an  excuse  for  his  disaffec- 
 tion to  God.  Independently  of  the  revelation  of  mercy, 
 it  is  the  duty  of  the  sinner  to  obey  the  divine  law;  for, 
 otherwise,  no  sin  could  have  been  committed  after  the 
 first;  whereas,  men  are  represented  as  daily  multiplying 
 their  transgressions,  and  their  redemption  is  entirely 
 ascribed  to  grace.  The  question,  then,  wholly  respects 
 Sifact.  And  as  it  is  a  fact,  that  while  the  fear  which 
 hath  torment  prevails,  the  sinner  does  not  return  to  God, 
 it  is  a  striking  proof  of  his  abundant  goodness,  that  he 
 not  only  has  given  his  Son  to  be  a  propitiation  for  sin, 
 but  that  while  he  makes  use  of  his  law  to  give  the  know- 
 ledge of  sin,  he  employs  the  revelation  of  his  mercy  and 
 his  grace  to  subdue  the  enmity  of  the  heart;  and  thus 
 condescends,  as  it  were,  to  meet  the  feelings  and  situa- 
 tion of  the  guilty  and  rebellious. 
 
 Now,  if  such  be  the  previous  obligation  of  the  sinner, 
 it  is  utterly  inconsistent  with  the  nature  of  nujral  go- 
 vernment, and  with  the  gi'eat  design  of  mercy,  that 
 Christians  should  be  freed  from  obligation  to  keep  tliat 
 law,  the  sum  of  which  is  love  to  God  and  to  our  neigli- 
 bour.  The  requirement  of  love  is  founded  in  the  nature 
 of  the  relation  between  God  and  a  rational  creatiu'e. 
 And  the  gospel  of  Christ,  while  it  exhibits  him  as  a  Sa- 
 viour, does  so,  by  showing  how  he  magnified  and  made 
 honourable  the  law  of  heaven,  by  suffering  its  penalty 
 and  obeying  its  precepts.  His  salvation  consists  in  bring- 
 ing the  redeemed  to  be  of  one  mind  with  himself;  and 
 since  the  law  was  written  in  his  heart,  it  must  also  be 
 written  in  theirs.  The  great  object  of  heaven  in  the  for- 
 giveness of  sin,  is  to  impart  and  to  cherish  that  filial 
 temper  which  esteems  duty  a  privilege,  and  whicli  iden- 
 tifies obedience  with  happiness.  When  believers  are  said 
 to  be  free  from  the  law,  the  reference  is  to  the  abolition 
 of  the  Mosaic  economy,  which  has  been  superseded  by 
 the  death  of  Christ,  or  to  that  deliverance  from  the  con- 
 demning sentence  of  the  unchangeable  law  of  righteous- 
 
XXVUl 
 
 INTRODUCTORY  ESSAY 
 
 ness,  wliich  is  obtained  through  forgiveness.  But  lor 
 this  very  reason,  they  are  under  increased  obligations  to 
 obey  its  precepts.  Accordingly,  though  freed  from  the 
 Mosaic  yoke,  and  from  the  law  in  general,  as  the  rule  or 
 procuring  cause  of  acceptance  with  God,  "  they  are  un- 
 der the  law  to  Christ,"  1  Cor.  ix.  21. 
 
 It  is  vain  to  deny  the  obligation  of  the  law,  by  repre- 
 senting the  gospel  as  the  rule  of  obedience;  for  the  gos- 
 pel is  not  a  rule  of  conduct,  but  a  message  of  peace  and 
 of  reconciliation.  It  is  true,  that  it  gives  such  transcend- 
 ent discoveries  of  the  character  of  God,  as  to  call  for 
 higher  degrees  of  love  than  could  have  been  required 
 before;  but  let  it  be  remembered,  that  the  divine  law 
 must  ever  require  that  Jehovah  be  loved  according  to 
 the  revelation  given  of  his  character  at  the  time:  so  that 
 perfect  conformity  to  the  law  consists  now  in  loving  him 
 as  he  is  revealed  in  Christ. 
 
 It  is  also  vain  to  say  that  the  Spirit,  and  not  the  law, 
 is  our  rule;  for  that  which  excites  to  obedience,  as  does 
 the  influence  of  the  Spirit,  is  quite  a  distinct  thing  from 
 the  rule  of  obedience.  The  promise  is,  that  the  law  of 
 God  shall  be  written  in  the  hearts  of  the  subjects  of  the 
 covenant  of  peace ;  and  this  is  effected  "  by  the  Spirit 
 of  the  living  God,"  2  Cor.  iii.  3;  but  this  supposes  the 
 previous  existence  and  constant  obligation  of  that  very 
 law. 
 
 It  has  been  said  that  Christians  are  ruled  by  love,  and 
 not  by  the  law.  And  it  is  true  that  they  do  not  obey 
 from  a  principle  of  slavish  fear;  but  they  are  not  so 
 ruled  by  love,  as  to  exclude  the  ideas  of  obligation  ou 
 their  part,  and  of  authority  on  that  of  God.  What  in- 
 deed is  conformity  to  the  law,  but  the  exercise  of  love? 
 for  there  is  not  an  act  of  obedience  that  is  not  compre- 
 hended in  the  general  precept  of  love.  So  far  fi'om  love 
 to  God  being  incompatible  with  subjection  to  authority, 
 it  is  itself  the  subject  of  an  express  commandment.  The 
 precept  which  requires  it,  is  denominated  the  first  and 
 great  commandment  of  the  law.  And  this,  so  far  from 
 converting  obedience  into  a  task,  is  a  powerful  means  of 
 cherishing  the  warmest  affection ;  for  why  does  God  ask 
 
INTUODUCTORY  ESSAY. 
 
 xxix 
 
 the  supreme  love  of  our  hearts,  but  because  he  liimself 
 loves  us,  and  in  this  way  seeks  our  highest  blessedness 
 and  glory? 
 
 If  it  be  said  that  the  prevalence  of  love  renders  a  law 
 unnecessary,  it  is  sufficient  to  say  in  reply,  that  the 
 Scriptures  expressly  declare,  that  "this  is  the  love  of 
 God,  that  we  keep  his  commandments,"  1  John  v.  3; 
 and  that  those  only  are  the  friends  of  the  Saviour,  who 
 do  whatsoever  he  commands  them,  John  xv.  14.  Love 
 is  indeed  the  great  principle  of  Christian  obedience ;  but 
 it  cannot  be  also  the  regulator.  Love  in  creatures  such 
 as  we  are,  is  often  like  a  ship  with  full  sails,  l)ut  without 
 a  pilot  at  the  helm.  The  love  which  is  required,  is  love 
 to  God  with  all  our  understanding,  as  well  as  with  all 
 the  heart;  and  this  certainly  implies  not  only  that  our 
 love  shoidd  rest  on  just  perceptions  of  his  character  as 
 revealed  to  us,  but  that  it  should  also  be  exercised  in 
 conformity  to  the  revelation  of  his  will,  Mark  xii.  33. 
 Even  the  angels  in  heaven,  whose  hearts  certainly  glow 
 with  love,  are  represented  as  doing  his  commandments, 
 and  hearkening  to  tlie  voice  of  his  word,  that  they  may 
 know  his  will  and  do  it  M'ith  alacrity.  Psalm  ciii.  20,  21. 
 And,  with  reverence  be  it  said,  when  the  Saviour  him- 
 self appeared  in  the  form  of  a  servant,  his  love  to  tlie 
 Father  was,  in  certain  respects,  regidated  in  its  exercise 
 by  the  divine  commandment.  And  why  then  speak  as 
 if  love  were  in  itself  incompatible  with  subjection  to  a 
 when  Jesus  himself  M'as  "made  under  the  law?" 
 He  was  so,  indeed,  that  he  might  redeem  from  its  curse; 
 but  he  could  not  be  so  to  free  from  its  claims  of  obe- 
 dience; for  in  the  keeping  of  God's  connnandments  lies 
 the  happiness  of  man. 
 
 Love,  indeed,  will  not  require  an  explicit  precept  for 
 every  thing;  but  still  it  will  be  guided  l)y  the  spirit  of 
 the  law;  and  it  is  the  expressed  regard  for  the  ivill  of 
 God,  which  is  contained  in  the  services  of  his  creatures, 
 that  renders  them  acceptable.  Love  will,  no  doubt,  to 
 a  certain  extent,  dictate  itself  what  is  fit  to  be  done;  but 
 then,  what  it  thus  dictates  to  be  right,  has  as  really  the 
 force  of  a  law,  as  though  it  had  been,  in  express  words, 
 
XXX 
 
 INTRODUCTORY  KSsSAY. 
 
 commanded.  The  common  judgment  of  mankind,  and, 
 of  course,  tliat  of  Christians,  so  far  informs  them  what  is 
 right  and  what  is  wrong;  but  what  riglit  reason  dictates, 
 has  the  autliority  of  a  law,  and  is  in  fact  at  bottom  but 
 the  application  of  a  rule.  We  read  of  some,  who,  though 
 destitute  of  a  written  revelation,  were  a  law  to  them- 
 selves. They  were  not  "  without  law"  in  everj'  sense ; 
 for  their  thoughts  accused  and  excused  them,  so  that 
 they  must  still  have  had  a  standard  to  judge  by,  though 
 not  a  written  one,  Rom.  ii.  14,  15. 
 
 But  though  love,  in  connection  with  the  judgment, 
 will,  to  a  certain  extent,  dictate  what  is  riglit  to  be  done, 
 it  cannot  do  so  in  every  case.  There  are  many  circum- 
 stances and  dispensations,  in  which  the  path  of  duty  can- 
 not be  ascertained,  without  an  explicit  revelation.  Hence 
 the  necessity  and  the  advantage  of  those  particular  rules, 
 which  are  laid  down  for  our  guidance  in  tlie  various  re- 
 lations and  conditions  of  life.  And  in  regard  to  things, 
 about  which  we  have  only  general  principles  and  rules 
 to  walk  by,  t!ie  prevalence  of  holy  tempers  and  disposi- 
 tions will  lead  to  a  proper  decision.  Love,  in  a  word, 
 will  prompt  us  to  do  whatever  is  pleasing  to  God.  Yet 
 we  must,  by  some  means  or  other,  know  what  is  pleasing 
 to  him,  before  we  can  thus  properly  express  our  affection, 
 1  Thess.  iv.  1.  No  matter  in  what  way  the  will  of  God 
 be  made  known ;  for  in  whatever  way  it  is  revealed,  its 
 obligation  is  the  same,  so  far  as  the  revelation  extends. 
 And  the  appeals  which  are  made  to  love,  are  made  to  it 
 as  the  exciting  principle  to  action,  rather  than  its  rule. 
 
 The  laws  givert  to  sinful  creatures  must  certainly  differ 
 from  those  given  to  perfectly  holy  beings;  but  still  a  rule 
 is  given  even  to  the  latter;  for  the  holiness  of  angels  is 
 a  doing  of  the  will  of  our  P'atlier  who  is  in  heaven. 
 Angels,  as  well  as  mankind,  must  be  bound  by  the  eter- 
 nal law  of  love;  but  the  special  manner  in  which  they 
 are  called  to  express  their  affection,  must,  of  course, 
 correspond  at  once  with  their  particular  nature  as  crea- 
 tures, and  with  the  condition  in  which  they  exist.  The 
 particular  proliibitions  which  have  been  given  to  man- 
 kind, are  proofs  of  their  being  considered  as  depraved 
 
INTRODUCTORY  E5SAV. 
 
 xxxi 
 
 creatures;  and  hence  the  apostle  has  said  that  the  law 
 (meaning,  of  course,  the  law  as  it  stands)  is  not  made 
 for  a  righteous  man,  1  Tim.  i.  9.  Such  proiiibitions,  as 
 he  proceeds  to  mention,  are  very  different  from  the  ori- 
 ginal prohibition  delivered  to  Adam,  and  would  not  have 
 been  issued,  had  man  been  in  a  state  of  innocence.  But 
 who  would  infer  from  this,  that  Adam  was  not  under  a 
 law?  And  is  it  not  a  display  of  wisdom  and  of  great  kind- 
 ness, that  the  law  given  to  mankind  in  their  present  state, 
 so  distinctly  warns  them  of  their  danger,  by  prohibitions 
 which  suppose  the  existence  of  corruptions  which,  if  not 
 restrained  or  mortified,  will  prove  the  death  of  all  iiap- 
 piness? 
 
 Nothing  can  be  more  plain,  than  that  the  particular 
 laws  given  by  God  for  the  regulation  of  his  creatures, 
 must  correspond  with  their  circumstances.  The  ques- 
 tion then  must  be,  are  the  precepts  of  the  law  of  God 
 suitable  or  unsuitable  to  the  present  circumstances  of 
 believers  in  Christ?  And  tliat  they  are  really  suited  to 
 their  circumstances,  is  evident  from  the  fact,  that  even 
 the  select  disciples  of  the  Saviour  were  addressed  by  him 
 as  not  beyond  the  danger  of  falling  into  the  most  heinous 
 offences,  and  are  accordingly  solemnly  anri  affectionat(']\- 
 warned  against  them,  Luke  xii.  41-46.  And  tliat  these 
 admonitions  were  designed,  not  for  them  onlj',  but  for 
 all  his  disciples  in  after  ages,  is  clear  from  the  conside- 
 ration, that  the  primitive  Christians  were  frequently  ad- 
 monished against  similar  evils,  and  even  against  crimes 
 still  more  abominable,  Rom.  xiii.  13,  14;  1  Cor.  v. 9,  10, 
 and  X.  6-14;  Ephes.  iv.  17-32;  Col.  iii.  5-11.  It  is 
 clear,  then,  that  in  the  present  state  the  renovation  of 
 believers  is  imperfect,  and  does  not  supersede  the  neces- 
 sity of  the  law  of  God,  as  it  presently  stands,  for  their 
 guidance.  In  the  passages  now  referred  to,  an  appeal  is 
 made  to  their  fears,  as  well  as  to  their  gratitude  and  love. 
 In  our  present  imperfect  state,  our  obedience  is  not 
 wholly  left  to  the  more  generous  influence  of  the  latter 
 principles.  It  merits  our  attention,  too,  that  when  cer- 
 tain duties  are  enforced,  there  is  an  express  recognition 
 of  the  authority  of  the  law.    As  for  instance,  the  duties 
 
XXXll 
 
 INTRODUCTORY  ESSAY. 
 
 of  children  to  their  parents,  -which  are  enforced  by  an 
 express  repetition  of  the  fifth  commandment,  Ephes.  vi. 
 1,  2,  3.  And  when  certain  evils  are  condemned,  the 
 very  form  of  the  commandments  is  employed,  as  in  James 
 il.  8-13,  v.here  a  number  of  offences  are  enumerated  in 
 the  express  lans^uage  of  the  law,  and  where  the  evil  of 
 respecting  persons  is  declared  to  be  a  sin  against  the 
 laic,  and  a  solemn  warning  is  given,  that  he  shall  have 
 judgment  without  mercy,  who  hath  sliowed  no  mercy. 
 Hence  such  expressions  as  the  following: — "  He  that 
 loveth  another,  hath  fulfilled  tlie  law"  Rom.  xiii.  8. 
 "  Whosoever  committeth  sin,  transgresseth  also  the  law; 
 for  sin  is  the  trangression  of  the  laic"  1  John  iii.  4.  Now, 
 if  there  be  no  sin  that  is  not  "  a  transgression  of  the  law," 
 it  follows  that  tiiere  can  be  no  rule  tliat  is  not  compre- 
 hended in  the  law.  In  a  word,  let  tiie  commandments 
 of  the  law  be  considered,  and  the  conscience  of  every 
 Christian  will  say,  that  there  is  not  one  of  them  which 
 he  can  break  without  blame,  or  obedience  to  which  is  not 
 connected  with  his  happiness. 
 
 Christ  declared  that  he  had  not  come  to  destroy  the 
 law  or  the  propliets,  but  to  fulfil  them;  and  having  said 
 this,  he  proceeded  to  explain  the  moral  precepts  of  the 
 law  in  their  spirituality  and  extent,  as  reaching  to  the 
 thoughts  and  the  desires  of  the  heart;  and  to  enforce 
 them  on  the  consciences  of  his  disciples.  Matt.  v.  17-32. 
 He  taught  that  all  the  law  and  the  prophets  hang  on  the 
 two  great  commandments  of  love  to  God  and  love  to  our 
 neighbour,  thereby  declaring  that  the  moral  injunctions 
 of  the  law  of  Moses  and  also  of  the  prophets  continue  to 
 be  binding.  Matt.  xxii.  37—40.  And  after  enjoining  the 
 nniversal  law  of  equity,  that  we  do  to  others  as  we  would 
 that  they  should  do  to  us,  he  enforces  it  by  saying,  "  For 
 this  is  the  law  and  the  propliets,"  Matt.  vii.  12.  Now, 
 since  instead  of  representing  himself  as  teaching  and  en- 
 joining what  is  altogether  new,  he  enforces  the  duties  of 
 piety  and  humanity,  by  referring  to  the  law  and  the  pro- 
 phets, he  obviously  teaches,  that  the  moral  injunctions 
 of  the  latter  constitute  the  law  of  his  kingdom.  There 
 is  no  necessity  for  confining  the  moral  part  of  the  divine 
 
INTRODUCTORY  ESSAY. 
 
 xxxiii 
 
 law  to  the  ten  commandments;  for  granting  that  every 
 niora!  precept  may  be  deduced  from  them,  yet  there  were 
 many  such  precepts  delivered  by  Moses  and  the  prophets 
 besides  them.  It  was  of  importance  that  the  people 
 should  not  be  left  to  ascertain  their  duty  by  mere  infe- 
 rential reasoning,  however  solid.  And  on  this  principle 
 our  Lord  and  his  apostles  have  given  many  broad,  pal- 
 pable, and  express  commandments,  in  relation  to  moral 
 con(hict,  without  always  marking  their  connection  with 
 the  Decalogue,  even  where  such  connection  cannot  be 
 ([uestioned.  It  is  the  whole  of  the  divine  precepts  col- 
 lectively, which  constitute  the  law  of  God.  And  though 
 the  fundamental  principles  of  his  law  must  ever  be  the 
 same,  yet  those  principles  are  applied  according  to  the 
 nature  of  the  special  dispensation  under  which  his  crea- 
 tures are  placed.  Attention  to  this  is  of  importance  in 
 reflecting  on  tiie  law  of  heaven.  And  Mr  Newton,  in  a 
 letter  on  the  right  use  of  the  law,  has  justly  observed, 
 that  "  clearly  to  understand  the  distinction,  connection, 
 and  harmony  between  the  law  and  the  gospel,  and  their 
 mutual  subserviency  to  illustrate  and  establish  each  other, 
 is  a  singular  privilege,  and  a  happy  means  of  preserving 
 the  soul  from  being  entangled  by  errors  on  the  right  hand 
 or  the  left." 
 
 In  a  word,  the  law  of  God,  though  it  be  the  language 
 of  authority,  is  also  the  voice  of  friendship.  It  is  autho- 
 rity which  is  exercised  for  the  more  eifectnally  influenc- 
 ing us  to  keep  the  only  path  which  can  lead  to  blessed- 
 ness. And  the  man,  who  in  the  faith  of  the  gospel  walks 
 humbly  and  obediently  with  God,  finds  the  truest  liberty, 
 and  his  greatest  happiness,  in  serving  his  gracious  leather 
 and  his  rightful  Sovereign. 
 
 DAVID  RUSSELL. 
 
 Dundee,  23l/i  Sept.  1824. 
 
ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 The  deference  due  to  the  Public  seems  to  require  an 
 apology  for  committing  letters  of  private  correspondence 
 to  the  Press,  Avhile  the  writer  is  yet  living.  He  is  sen- 
 sible that  sending  them  abroad  without  his  name  pre- 
 fixed, will  not  of  itself  be  sufficient  to  obviate  the  charge 
 of  egotism.  The  manner  of  expression  and  thinking, 
 where  an  author  has  been  repeatedly  in  print,  will  mark 
 him  out  to  good  judges  when  they  see  him  again,  so  as 
 to  render  any  farther  description  unnecessary. 
 
 The  solicitation  of  friends,  though  a  trite,  is  not  al- 
 ways an  improper  plea,  and  would  probably  in  the  pre- 
 sent case  be  admitted,  if  he  had  not  determined  to  conceal 
 the  names  of  his  correspondents  likewise,  and  to  suppress, 
 as  far  as  possible,  every  circumstance  which  might  lead 
 to  discover  them.  For  they  certainly  did  recommend 
 the  publication,  and  return  him  their  letters  purposely 
 that  a  selection  might  be  made.  But  as  he  does  not 
 think  himself  at  liberty  to  declare  them,  he  must  forego 
 the  advantage  of  screening  himself  under  the  sanction  of 
 their  judgment. 
 
 Posthumous  Letters  are  usually  published  to  a  disad- 
 vantage. If  it  be  supposed  that  the  Author  has  friends, 
 whose  regard  to  his  memory  will  make  them  willing  to 
 purchase  what  appears  under  his  name,  that  circum- 
 stance has  sometimes  given  occasion  to  an  indiscriminate 
 and  injudicious  publication  of  Letters  collected  from  all 
 quarters,  in  which  more  attention  is  paid  to  the  bulk  than 
 the  value.  For  amongst  a  number  of  letters  written  to 
 intimate  friends,  some  will  be  too  trivial  to  deserve  no- 
 tice, and  others  may  be  so  intermingled  with  details  of 
 private  or  domestic  concerns,  as  perhaps  to  give  pain  to 
 those  who  are  interested  in  them,  when  they  see  them  in 
 print.  The  writer  of  the  following  Letters  thought  him- 
 self more  competent  to  decide  at  present,  which  and  how 
 
xxxvi 
 
 ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 much  of  the  papers  before  him  might  be  not  utterly  un- 
 worthy of  being  preserved,  than  a  stranger  could  be  after 
 his  decease. 
 
 Farther,  he  finds,  that  between  an  increase  of  engage- 
 ments on  the  one  h.aiid,  and  the  imavoidable  effects  of 
 advancing  years  on  the  other,  he  can  expect  but  little 
 leisure  or  ability  for  writing  letters  in  future,  except 
 upon  necessary  business.  By  tliis  method  of  sending  to 
 each  of  liis  correspondents  many  letters  at  once,  he  takes 
 leave  of  them  with  the  less  regret,  persuaded  that  he 
 thus  communicates  the  substance  of  all  he  could  offer,  if 
 he  was  aljle  to  write  to  thera  severally  as  often  and  as 
 much  at  large  as  in  times  past. 
 
 Though  some  attention  has  been  paid  to  variety,  it 
 was  not  practicable  wholl}^  to  avoid  ^vlmt  may  be  thought 
 repetition,  without  destroying  the  texture  and  connection 
 of  many  Letters;  particularly  in  tliose  which  treat  of 
 affliction.  But  where  the  same  subject  recurs,  it  is  usually 
 placed  in  something  of  a  diff"erent  point  of  view,  or  il- 
 lustrated in  a  different  manner. 
 
 Thus  much  to  bespeak  the  reader's  favourable  and 
 candid  perusal  of  what  is  now  put  into  l!is  hands.  But 
 tiie  writer  stands  before  a  higher  tribunal ;  and  would  be 
 much  to  be  pitied  if  he  were  not  conscious,  that  in  this 
 publication  he  has  no  allowed  aims,  but  to  be  subservient 
 to  the  gracious  designs  of  God  by  the  Gospel,  and  to 
 promote  the  good  of  his  fellow-creatures. 
 
 Kovember  29,  1780. 
 
CARDIPIIONIA. 
 
 TWENTY-SIX  LETTERS  TO  A  NOBLEMAN. 
 
 LETTER  L 
 
 My  Lord,  March,  1765. 
 
 I  REMEMBER,  wlien  I  once  had  the  pleasure  of  waiting 
 on  you,  you  were  pleased  to  begin  an  interesting  con- 
 versation, wliich,  to  my  concern,  was  soon  interrupted. 
 The  subject  was  concerning  the  causes,  nature,  and  marks 
 of  a  decline  in  grace;  how  it  happens  that  we  lose  that 
 warm  impression  of  divine  tilings,  wliich  in  some  favoured 
 moments  we  think  it  almost  impossible  to  forget;  how 
 far  this  change  of  frame  is  consistent  with  a  spiritual 
 growth  in  other  respects;  how  to  form  a  comparative 
 judgment  of  our  proficiency  upon  the  whole;  and  by 
 what  steps  the  losses  we  sustain  from  our  necessary  con- 
 nection with  a  sinful  nature  and  a  sinful  world  may  be 
 retrieved  from  time  to  time.  I  beg  your  Lordship's  per- 
 mission to  fill  up  the  paper  with  a  view  to  these  in- 
 quiries. I  do  not  mean  to  offer  a  laboured  essay  upon 
 them,  but  such  thoughts  as  shall  occur  while  the  pen  is 
 in  my  hand. 
 
 The  awakened  soul  (especially  when,  after  a  season 
 of  distress  and  terror,  it  begins  to  taste  that  the  Lord  is 
 gracious)  finds  itself  as  in  a  new  world.  No  change  in 
 outward  life  can  be  so  sensible,  so  affecting.  No  wonder 
 then  that  at  such  a  time  little  else  can  be  thought  of. 
 The  transition  from  darkness  to  light,  from  a  sense  of 
 wrath  to  a  hope  of  glory,  is  the  greatest  that  can  be  ima- 
 gined, and  is  oftentimes  as  sudden  as  wonderful.  Hence 
 
 B 
 
38 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 the  general  characteristics  of  young  converts  are  zeal  and 
 love.  Like  Israel  at  the  Red  Sea,  they  have  just  seen 
 the  wonderful  works  of  the  Lord,  and  they  cannot  but 
 sing  his  praise ;  they  are  deeply  affected  with  the  danger 
 they  have  lately  escaped,  and  with  tlie  case  of  multitudes 
 around  them,  who  are  secure  and  careless  in  the  same 
 alarming  situation;  and  a  sense  of  their  own  mercies, 
 and  a  compassion  for  the  souls  of  others,  is  so  transport- 
 ing, that  they  can  hardly  forbear  preaching  to  every  one 
 they  meet. 
 
 This  emotion  is  highly  just  and  reasonable,  with  re- 
 spect to  the  causes  from  whence  it  springs;  and  it  is 
 doubtless  a  proof,  not  only  of  the  imperfection,  but  the 
 depravity  of  our  nature,  that  we  are  not  always  thus  af- 
 fected; yet  it  is  not  entirely  genuine.  If  we  examine 
 this  character  closely,  which  seems  at  first  sight  a  pat- 
 tern and  a  reproof  to  Christians  of  longer  standing,  Ave 
 shall  for  the  most  part  find  it  attended  with  considerable 
 defects. 
 
 L  Such  persons  are  very  weak  in  faith.  Their  con- 
 fidence arises  rather  from  the  lively  impressions  of  joy 
 within,  than  from  a  distinct  and  clear  apprehension  of 
 the  work  of  God  in  Christ.  The  comforts  which  are  in- 
 tended as  cordials  to  animate  them  against  the  opposi- 
 tion of  an  unbelieving  world,  they  mistake  and  rest  in  as 
 the  proper  evidences  of  their  hope.  And  hence  it  comes 
 to  pass,  that  when  the  Lord  varies  his  dispensations,  and 
 hides  his  face,  they  are  soon  troubled,  and  at  their  wits 
 end. 
 
 2.  They  who  are  in  this  state  of  their  first  love,  are 
 seldom  free  from  something  of  a  censorious  spirit.  They 
 have  not  yet  felt  all  the  deceitfulness  of  their  own  hearts ; 
 they  are  not  well  acquainted  witli  the  devices  or  temp- 
 tations of  Satan ;  and  therefore  know  not  how  to  sympa- 
 thise or  make  allowances,  where  allowances  are  necessary 
 and  due,  and  can  hardly  bear  with  any  who  do  not  dis- 
 cover the  same  earnestness  as  themselves. 
 
 3.  They  are  likewise  more  or  less  under  the  influence 
 of  self-righteousness  and  self-will.  They  mean  well ;  but 
 not  being  as  yet  well  acquainted  with  tlie  spiritual  mean- 
 
LETTERS  TO  A  NOBLEMAN. 
 
 39 
 
 mg  and  proper  use  of  the  law,  nor  established  in  the  life 
 of  faith,  a  part  (oftentirues  a  very  considerable  part)  of 
 their  zeal  spends  itself  in  externals  and  non-essentials, 
 prompts  them  to  practise  what  is  not  commanded,  to  re- 
 frain from  what  is  lawful,  and  to  observe  various  and 
 needless  austerities  and  singularities,  as  their  tempers  and 
 circumstances  differ. 
 
 However,  with  all  their  faults,  methinks  there  is  some- 
 thing very  beautiful  and  engaging  in  the  honest  vehe- 
 mence of  a  young  convert.  Some  cold  and  rigid  judges 
 are  ready  to  reject  these  promising  appearances  on  ac- 
 coimt  of  incidental  blemishes.  But  would  a  gardener 
 throw  away  a  fine  nectarine,  because  it  is  green  and  has 
 not  yet  attained  all  that  beauty  and  flavour  which  a  few 
 more  showers  and  suns  will  impart?  Perhaps  it  will  hold 
 for  the  most  part  in  grace  as  in  nature,  (some  exceptions 
 there  are,)  if  there  is  not  some  jire  in  youth,  we  can 
 hardly  expect  a  proper  warmth  in  old  age. 
 
 But  the  great  and  good  Husbandman  watches  over 
 what  his  own  hand  has  planted,  and  carries  on  his  work 
 by  a  variety  of  different  and  even  contrary  dispensations. 
 While  their  mountain  stands  thus  strong,  tliey  think  thev 
 shall  never  be  moved ;  but  at  length  they  find  a  change. 
 Sometimes  it  comes  on  by  insensible  degrees.  That  part 
 of  their  affection  which  was  purely  natural,  will  abate,  of 
 course,  when  the  power  of  novelty  ceases ;  they  will  be- 
 gin, in  some  instances,  to  perceive  their  own  indiscretions; 
 and  an  endeavour  to  correct  the  excesses  of  imprudent 
 zeal  will  often  draw  them  towards  the  contrary  extreme 
 of  remissness:  the  evils  of  their  hearts,  which,  though 
 overpowered,  were  not  eradicated,  will  revive  again;  tlie 
 enemy  will  watch  his  occasions  to  meet  them  with  suit- 
 able temptations;  and,  as  it  is  the  Lord's  design  that  they 
 should  experimentally  learn  and  feel  their  om  u  weakness, 
 he  will,  in  some  instances,  be  permitted  to  proceed. 
 W  hen  guilt  is  thus  brought  upon  the  conscience,  the  heart 
 grows  hard,  the  hands  feeble,  and  the  knees  weak ;  then 
 confidence  is  shaken,  the  spirit  of  prayer  interrupted,  the 
 armour  gone;  and  thus  things  grow  worse  and  worse,  till 
 the  Lord  is  pleased  to  interpose.    For  though  Ave  can 
 
40 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 fall  of  ourselves,  we  cannot  rise  without  his  help.  Indeed 
 every  sin,  in  its  own  nature,  has  a  tendency  towards  a 
 final  apostacy;  but  there  is  a  provision  in  tlie  covenant 
 of  grace,  and  the  Lord,  in  his  own  time,  returns  to  con- 
 vince, humble,  pai'don,  comfort,  and  renew  the  soul.  He 
 touches  the  rock,  and  the  waters  flow.  By  repeated  ex- 
 periments and  exercises  of  this  sort  (for  this  wisdom  is 
 seldom  acquired  by  one  or  a  few  lessons),  we  begin  at 
 length  to  learn  that  we  are  nothing,  have  nothing,  can  do 
 nothing  but  sin.  And  thus  we  are  gradually  prepared  to 
 live  more  out  of  ourselves,  and  to  derive  all  our  suffici- 
 ency of  every  kind  from  Jesus,  the  fountain  of  grace.  We 
 learn  to  tread  more  warily,  to  trust  less  to  our  own 
 strength,  to  have  lower  thoughts  of  ourselves,  and  higher 
 thoughts  of  him;  in  wiiich  two  last  particulars  I  appre- 
 hend what  the  scripture  means  by  a  growth  in  grace  does 
 properly  consist.  Both  are  increasing  in  the  lively  Clu"is- 
 tian;  every  day  shows  him  more  of  his  own  heart,  and 
 more  of  the  power,  sufficiency,  compassion,  and  grace  of 
 his  adorable  Redeemer ;  but  neither  will  be  complete  till 
 we  get  to  heaven. 
 
 I  apprehend,  therefore,  that  though  we  find  an  abate- 
 ment of  that  sensible  warmth  of  affection  which  we  felt 
 at  first  setting  out;  yet,  if  our  views  are  more  evangeli- 
 cal, our  judgment  more  ripened,  our  hearts  more  habi- 
 tually humbled  under  a  sense  of  inward  depravity,  our 
 tempers  more  softened  into  sympathy  and  tenderness,  if 
 our  prevailing  desires  are  spiritual,  and  we  practically 
 esteem  the  precepts,  ordinances,  and  people  of  God,  we 
 may  warrantably  conclude,  that  his  good  work  of  grace 
 in  us  is,  upon  the  whole,  on  an  increase. 
 
 But  still  it  is  to  be  lamented,  that  an  increase  of  know- 
 ledge and  experience  should  be  so  generally  attended 
 with  a  decline  of  fervour.  If  it  was  not  for  what  has 
 passed  in  my  own  heart,  I  should  be  ready  to  think  it 
 impossible.  But  this  very  circumstance  gives  me  a  still 
 more  emphatical  conviction  of  my  own  vileness  and  de- 
 pravity. The  want  of  humiliation  humbles  me,  and  my 
 very  indifference  rouses  and  awakens  me  to  earnestness. 
 There  are,  however,  seasons  of  refreshment,  ineffable 
 
LETTERS  TO  A  NOBLEMAN. 
 
 41 
 
 glances  of  light  and  power  upon  the  soul,  which,  as  they 
 are  derived  from  clearer  displays  of  divine  grace,  if  not 
 so  tumultuous  as  the  first  joys,  are  more  penetrating, 
 transforming,  and  animating.  A  glance  of  these,  Avhen 
 compared  with  our  sluggish  stupidity  when  they  are 
 withheld,  weans  the  heart  ifrom  this  wretched  state  of  sin 
 and  temptation,  and  makes  the  thoughts  of  death  and 
 eternity  desirable.  Then  tiiis  conflict  shall  cease.  I  shall 
 sin  and  wander  no  more,  see  him  as  he  is,  and  be  like 
 him  for  ever. 
 
 If  the  question  is.  How  are  these  bright  moments  to 
 be  prolonged,  renewed,  or  retrieved?  We  are  directed 
 to  faith  and  diligence.  A  careful  use  of  the  appointed 
 means  of  grace,  a  watchful  endeavour  to  avoid  the  oc- 
 casions and  appearances  of  evil,  and  especially  assiduity 
 in  secret  prayer,  will  bring  as  much  of  them  as  the  Lord 
 sees  good  for  us.  He  knows  best  why  we  are  not  to  be 
 trusted  with  them  continually.  Here  we  are  to  walk  by 
 faith,  to  be  exercised  and  tried;  by  and  by  we  shall  be 
 crowned,  and  the  desires  he  has  given  shall  be  abundantly 
 satisfied.    I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  IL 
 
 My  Lord,  April,  1766 
 
 I  SHALL  embrace  your  permission  to  fill  my  paper.  As 
 to  subject,  that  which  has  been  a  frequent  theme  of 
 my  heart  of  late,  I  shall  venture  to  lay  before  your 
 Lordship — I  mean  the  remarkable  and  humbling  differ- 
 ence which  I  suppose  all  who  know  themselves  may  ob- 
 serve, between  their  acquired  and  their  experimental 
 knowledge,  or,  in  other  words,  between  their  judgment 
 and  their  practice.  To  hear  a  believer  speak  his  appre- 
 hensions of  the  evil  of  sin,  the  vanity  of  the  world,  the 
 love  of  Christ,  the  beauty  of  holiness,  or  the  importance 
 of  eternity,  who  would  not  suppose  him  proof  against 
 
42 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 temptation?    To  hear  with  what  strong  arguments  he 
 
 can  recommend  watchfulness,  prayer,  forbearance,  and 
 submission,  when  he  is  teaching  or  advising  others,  who 
 would  not  suppose  but  he  could  also  teach  himself,  and 
 influence  his  own  conduct?  Yet  alas!  Quam  dispar  sibi! 
 The  person  who  rose  from  his  knees  before  he  left  his 
 chamber,  a  poor,  indigent,  fallible,  dependent  creature, 
 who  saw  and  acknowledged  that  he  was  unworthy  to 
 breathe  the  air  or  to  see  the  light,  may  meet  with  many 
 occasions  before  the  day  is  closed,  to  discover  the  cor- 
 ruptions of  his  heart,  and  to  show  how  weak  and  faint 
 his  best  principles  and  clearest  convictions  are  in  their 
 actual  exercise.  And  in  this  view,  how  vain  is  man! 
 what  a  contradiction  is  a  believer  to  himself!  He  is 
 called  a  believer  emphatically,  because  he  cordially  as- 
 sents to  the  word  of  God ;  but,  alas!  how  often  unworthy 
 of  the  name!  If  I  were  to  describe  him  from  the  Scrip- 
 ture-character, I  should  say,  he  is  one  whose  heart  is 
 athirst  for  God,  for  his  glory,  his  image,  his  presence; 
 his  affections  are  fixed  upon  an  unseen  Saviour ;  his  trea- 
 sures, and  consequently  his  thoughts,  are  on  high,  beyond 
 the  bounds  of  sense.  Having  experienced  much  forgive- 
 ness, he  is  fidl  of  bowels  of  mercy  to  all  around;  and, 
 having  been  often  deceived  by  his  own  heart,  he  dares 
 trust  it  no  more,  but  lives  by  faith  in  the  Son  of  God, 
 for  wisdom,  righteousness,  and  sanctification,  and  derives 
 from  him  grace  for  grace;  sensible  that,  without  him,  he 
 has  not  suHiciency  even  to  think  a  good  thought.  In 
 short,  he  is  dead  to  the  world,  to  sin,  to  self;  but  alive 
 to  God,  and  lively  in  his  service.  Prayer  is  his  breath, 
 Ihe  word  of  God  liis  food,  and  the  ordinances  more  pre- 
 cious to  him  than  the  liglit  of  the  sun.  Such  is  a  be- 
 liever, in  his  judgment  and  prevailing  desires. 
 
 But  were  I  to  describe  him  from  experience,  especi- 
 ally at  some  times,  how  different  would  the  picture  be. 
 Though  he  knows  that  communion  with  God  is  his 
 highest  privilege,  he  too  seldom  finds  it  so;  on  the  con- 
 trary, if  duty,  conscience,  and  necessity,  did  not  compel, 
 he  would  leave  the  throne  of  grace  unvisited  from  day 
 to  day.    He  takes  up  the  Bible,  conscious  that  it  is  the 
 
LETTERS  TO  A  NOBLEMAN. 
 
 43 
 
 fountain  of  life  and  true  comfort ;  yet  perhaps  while  he 
 is  making  the  reflection,  he  feels  a  secret  distaste,  which 
 prompts  him  to  lay  it  down,  and  give  his  preference  to  a 
 newspaper.  He  needs  not  to  be  told  of  the  vanity  and 
 uncertainty  of  all  beneatli  the  sun ;  and  yet  is  almost  as 
 much  elated  or  cast  down  by  a  trifle,  as  those  who  have 
 their  portion  in  this  world.  He  believes  that  all  things 
 shall  work  together  for  his  good,  and  that  the  most  high 
 God  appoints,  adjusts,  and  over-rules  all  his  concerns ; 
 yet  he  feels  the  risings  of  fear,  anxiety,  and  displeasure, 
 as  though  the  contrary  was  true.  He  owns  himself  ig- 
 norant, and  liable  to  be  deceived  by  a  thousand  fallacies; 
 yet  is  easily  betrayed  into  positiveness  and  self-conceit. 
 He  feels  himself  an  unprofitable,  unfaithful,  unthankful 
 servant,  and  therefore  bluslies  to  harbour  a  thought  of 
 desiring  the  esteem  and  commendations  of  men,  yet  he 
 cannot  suppress  it.  Finally  (for  I  must  observe  some 
 bounds),  on  account  of  these  and  many  other  inconsisten- 
 cies, he  is  struck  dumb  before  the  Lord,  stripped  of  every 
 hope  and  plea,  but  what  is  provided  in  the  free  grace  of 
 God,  and  yet  his  heart  is  continually  leaning  and  return- 
 ing to  a  covenant  of  works. 
 
 Two  questions  naturally  arise  from  such  a  view  of 
 ourselves.  First, — How  can  these  tilings  be,  or  why  are 
 they  permitted?  Since  the  Lord  hates  sin,  teaches  his 
 people  to  hate  it  and  cry  against  it,  and  has  promised  to 
 hear  their  prayers,  how  is  it  that  they  go  tlius  burdened? 
 Surely  if  he  could  not  or  would  over-rule  evil  for  good, 
 he  would  not  permit  it  to  continue.  By  these  exercises 
 he  teaches  us  more  truly  to  know  and  feel  the  utter  de- 
 pravity and  corruption  of  our  whole  nature,  that  we  are 
 indeed  defiled  in  every  part.  His  method  of  salvation 
 is  likewise  hereby  exceedingly  endeared  to  us;  we  see 
 that  it  is  and  must  be  of  grace,  wholly  of  grace;  and 
 that  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  his  perfect  righteousness, 
 is  and  must  be  our  all  in  all.  His  power,  likewise,  in 
 maintaining  his  own  work,  notwithstanding  our  infirmi- 
 ties, temptations,  and  enemies,  is  hereby  displayed  in  the 
 clearest  light — his  strength  is  manifested  in  our  weak- 
 ness.   Satan,  likewise,  is  more  remarkably  disappointed 
 
44 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 and  put  to  shame,  when  he  finds  bounds  set  to  his  rage 
 
 and  policy,  beyond  which  he  cannot  pass;  and  that  those 
 in  whom  he  finds  so  much  to  work  upon,  and  over  whom 
 he  so  often  prevails  for  a  season,  escape  at  last  out  of  his 
 hands.  He  casts  them  down,  but  they  are  raised  again ; 
 he  wounds  them,  but  they  are  healed;  he  obtains  his  de- 
 sire to  sift  them  as  wheat,  but  the  prayer  of  their  great 
 Advocate  prevails  for  the  maintenance  of  their  faith. 
 Farther,  by  what  believers  feel  in  themselves  they  Iccirn 
 by  degrees  how  to  warn,  pity,  and  bear  with  others.  A 
 soft,  patient,  and  compassionate  spirit,  and  a  readiness 
 and  skill  in  comforting  those  who  are  cast  down,  is  not 
 perhaps  attainable  in  any  other  way.  And  lastly,  I  be- 
 lieve nothing  more  habitually  reconciles  a  child  of  God 
 to  the  thought  of  death,  than  the  wearisomeness  of  this 
 warfare.  Death  is  unwelcome  to  nature;  but  then,  and 
 not  till  then,  the  conflict  will  cease.  Then  we  shall  sin 
 no  more.  The  flesh,  with  all  its  attendant  evils,  will  be 
 laid  in  the  grave — then  the  soul,  which  has  been  partaker 
 of  a  new  and  heavenly  birth,  shall  be  freed  from  every 
 incumbrance,  and  stand  perfect  in  the  Redeemer's  right- 
 eousness before  God  in  glory. 
 
 But  though  these  evils  cannot  be  wholly  removed,  it  is 
 worth  while  to  inquire,  secondly,  how  they  may  be  mi- 
 tigated. This  we  are  encouraged  to  hope  for.  The 
 word  of  God  directs  and  animates  to  a  growth  in  grace. 
 And  though  Ave  can  do  nothing  spiritually  of  ourselves, 
 yet  there  is  a  part  assigned  us.  We  cannot  conquer  the 
 obstacles  in  our  way  by  our  own  strength;  yet  we  can 
 give  way  to  them;  and  if  we  do,  it  is  our  sin,  and  will 
 be  our  sorrow.  The  disputes  concerning  inherent  power 
 in  the  creature  have  been  carried  to  inconvenient  lengths ; 
 for  my  own  part,  I  think  it  safe  to  use  scriptural  language. 
 The  apostles  exhort  us,  to  give  all  diligence  to  resist  the 
 devil,  to  purge  ourselves  from  all  filthiness  of  flesh  and 
 spirit,  to  give  oui-selves  to  reading,  meditation,  and 
 prayer,  to  watch,  to  put  on  the  Avhole  armour  of  God, 
 and  to  abstain  from  all  appearance  of  evil.  Faithfulness 
 to  light  received,  and  a  sincere  endeavour  to  conform  to 
 the  means  prescribed  in  the  word  of  God,  m  ith  an  humble 
 
LETTERS  TO  A  NOBLEMAN. 
 
 45 
 
 application  to  the  blood  of  sprinkling,  and  the  promised 
 Spirit,  will  undoubtedly  be  ansM  ered  by  incre.'.sing  mea- 
 sures of  light,  faith,  strength,  and  comfort;  and  we  shall 
 know,  if  we  follow  on  to  know  the  Lord. 
 
 I  need  not  tell  your  Lordship  that  I  am  an  extempore 
 writer.  I  dropt  the  consideration  of  whom  I  was  ad- 
 dressing from  the  first  paragraph;  but  I  now  return, 
 and  subscribe  myself,  with  the  greatest  deference,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  in. 
 
 Mv  Lord,  April,  1770. 
 
 I  HAVE  a  desire  to  fill  the  paper,  and  must  therefore  be- 
 take myself  to  the  expedient  I  lately  mentioned.  Glo- 
 rious things  are  spoken  of  the  city  of  (iod,  or  (as  I  suppose) 
 the  state  of  glory,  in  Rev.  xxi.  from  verse  10,  ad Jinem. 
 The  description  is  doubtless  mj'stical,  and  perhaps  no- 
 thing short  of  a  happy  experience  and  participation  will 
 furnish  an  adequate  exposition.  One  expression,  in  par- 
 ticular, has,  I  believe,  puzzled  wiser  heads  than  mine  to 
 explain.  The  street  o  f  the  city  was  pure  gold,  as  it  were 
 transparent  glass.  The  construction,  likewise,  in  the 
 Greek  is  difficult.  Some  render  it  pure  gjld,  frafispa- 
 rentas glass:  this  is  the  sense,  but  then  it  should  be  neu- 
 ter, oix(pci'ji;,  to  agree  with  xQvtwj.  If  our  reading  is 
 right,  we  must  understand  it  either  of  gold  pure,  bright, 
 and  perspicuous  as  the  finest  transparent  glass  (for  all 
 glass  is  not  transparent),  or  else,  as  two  distinct  compa- 
 risons, splendid  and  durable  as  the  purest  gold,  clear  and 
 transparent  as  the  finest  glass.  In  that  happy  world  the 
 beauties  and  advantages,  which  here  are  divided  and  in- 
 compatible, will  unite  and  agree.  Our  glass  is  clear  but 
 brittle;  our  gold  is  shining  and  solid,  but  it  is  opaque, 
 and  discovers  only  a  surface.  And  thus  it  is  with  our 
 minds.  The  powers  of  the  imagination  are  lively  and 
 extensive,  but  transient  and  uncertain.    The  powers  of 
 
46 
 
 CAROIPHONIA. 
 
 the  understanding  are  more  solid  and  regular,  but  at  the 
 same  time  more  slow  and  limited,  and  confined  to  the 
 outside  properties  of  the  few  objects  around  us.  But 
 when  we  arrive  within  the  vail,  the  perfections  of  the 
 glass  and  the  gold  will  be  combined,  and  the  imperfec- 
 tions of  each  will  entirely  cease.  Then  we  shall  Imow 
 more  tlian  we  can  now  imagine.  The  glass  will  be  all 
 gold.  And  then  we  shall  apprehend  truth  in  its  relations 
 and  consequences;  not  (as  at  present)  by  that  tedious 
 and  fallible  process  which  we  call  reasoning,  but  by  a 
 single  glance  of  tliought,  as  tlie  sight  pierces  in  an  in- 
 stant through  the  largest  transparent  body.  Tlie  gold 
 icill  be  all  glass. 
 
 I  do  not  offer  this  as  the  sense  of  the  passage,  but  as 
 a  thought  which  once  occurred  to  me  while  reading  it. 
 I  daily  groan  under  a  desultory  ungovernable  imagina- 
 tion, and  a  palpable  darkness  of  understanding,  which 
 greatly  impede  me  in  my  attempts  to  contemplate  the 
 truths  of  God.  Perhaps  these  complaints,  in  a  greater 
 or  less  degree,  are  common  to  all  our  fallen  race,  and  ex- 
 hibit mournful  proofs  that  our  nature  is  essentially  de- 
 praved. The  grace  of  God  affords  some  assistance  for 
 correcting  the  wildness  of  the  fancy,  and  enlarging  the 
 capacity  of  the  mind;  yet  the  cure  at  present  is  but  pal- 
 liative; but  ere  long  it  shall  be  perfect,  and  our  com- 
 plaints sliall  cease  for  ever.  Now  it  costs  us  much  pains 
 to  acquire  a  pittance  of  solid  and  useful  knowledge ;  and 
 the  ideas  we  have  collected  are  far  from  being  at  tlie 
 disposal  of  judgment,  and,  like  men  in  a  crowd,  are  per- 
 petually clashing  and  interfering  with  each  other.  But 
 it  will  not  be  so,  when  we  are  completely  freed  from  the 
 effects  of  sin.  Confusion  and  darkness  will  not  follow 
 us  into  the  world  where  light  and  order  reign.  Then, 
 and  not  till  then,  our  knowledge  will  be  pei'ffect,  and  our 
 possession  of  it  uninterrupted  and  secure. 
 
 Since  the  radical  powers  of  the  soul  are  thus  enfeebled 
 and  disordered,  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at,  that  the  best 
 of  men,  and  under  their  highest  attainments,  liave  found 
 cause  to  make  the  acknowledgment  of  the  apostle, 
 "  When  I  would  do  good,  evil  is  present  with  me."  But, 
 
LETTERS  TO  A  NOBLEMAN. 
 
 47 
 
 blessed  be  God,  though  we  must  feel  hourly  cause  for 
 shame  and  humiliation  for  wliat  we  are  in  ourselves,  we 
 have  cause  to  rejoice  continually  in  Christ  Jesus,  who, 
 as  he  is  revealed  unto  us  under  the  various  names,  cha- 
 racter, relations,  and  offices,  which  he  bears  in  the  scrip- 
 ture, holds  out  to  our  faith  a  balm  for  every  wound,  a 
 cordial  for  every  discouragement,  and  a  sufficient  answer 
 to  every  objection  which  sin  or  Satan  can  suggest  against 
 our  peace.  If  we  are  guilty,  he  is  our  Righteousness ; 
 if  we  are  sick,  he  is  our  infallible  Physician;  if  we  are 
 weak,  helpless,  and  defenceless,  he  is  the  compassionate 
 and  faithful  Sheplierd  who  has  taken  charge  of  us,  and 
 wUl  not  suffer  any  thing  to  disappoint  our  hopes,  or  to 
 separate  us  from  his  love.  He  knows  our  fi-ame,  he  re- 
 members that  we  are  but  dust,  and  has  engaged  to  guide 
 as  by  his  counsel,  support  us  by  his  power,  and  at  length 
 to  receive  us  to  his  glory,  that  we  may  be  with  him  for 
 ever. 
 
 I  am,  with  the  greatest  deference,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  IV. 
 
 My  Lord,  February,  1772. 
 
 I  HAVE  been  sitting  perhaps  a  quarter  of  an  hour  with 
 my  pen  in  my  hand,  and  my  finger  upon  my  upper  lip, 
 contriving  how  1  should  begin  my  letter.  A  detail  of 
 the  confused,  incoherent  thoughts  which  have  success- 
 ively passed  through  my  mind,  would  have  more  than 
 filled  the  sheet;  but  your  Lordship's  patience,  and  even 
 your  charity  for  the  writer,  would  have  been  tried  to  the 
 uttermost  if  I  could  have  penned  them  all  down.  At 
 length  my  suspense  reminded  me  of  the  apostle's  words, 
 Gal.  V.  17,  "  Ye  cannot  do  the  things  that  ye  would." 
 This  is  an  humbling  but  a  just  account  of  a  Christian's 
 attainments  in  the  present  life,  and  is  equally  apjjlicable 
 to  the  strongest  and  to  the  weakest.   The  weakest  need 
 
48 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 not  say  less — the  strongest  will  hardly  venture  to  say 
 more.  The  Lord  has  given  his  people  a  desire  and  will 
 aiming  at  great  things ;  without  this  they  w  ould  be  un- 
 worthy of  the  name  of  Christians ;  but  they  cannot  do 
 as  they  would:  their  best  desires  are  weak  and  ineft'ee- 
 tual,  not  absolutely  so  (for  he  who  works  in  tliem  to  will, 
 enables  them  in  a  measure  to  do  likewise),  but  in  com- 
 parison with  the  mark  at  which  tliey  aim.  So  that  while 
 they  have  great  cause  to  be  thankful  for  the  desire  he 
 has  given  them,  and  for  the  degree  in  which  it  is  answer- 
 ed, they  have  equal  reason  to  be  ashamed  and  abased 
 under  a  sense  of  their  continual  defects,  and  the  evil 
 mixtures  which  taint  and  debase  their  best  endeavours. 
 It  would  be  easy  to  make  out  a  long  list  of  particulars 
 which  a  believer  would  do  if  he  could,  but  in  which, 
 from  first  to  last,  he  finds  a  mortifying  inability.  Per- 
 mit me  to  mention  a  few,  w  hich  I  need  not  transcribe 
 from  books,  for  they  are  always  pi'esent  to  my  mind. 
 
 He  would  willingly  enjoy  God  in  prayer — he  knows 
 that  prayer  is  his  duty;  but,  in  his  judgment,  he  consi- 
 ders it  likewise  as  his  greatest  honour  and  privilege.  In 
 this  light  he  can  recommend  it  to  others,  and  can  tell 
 them  of  the  wonderful  condescension  of  the  great  God, 
 who  luimbles  himself  to  behold  the  things  that  are  in 
 heaven,  that  he  should  stoop  so  much  lower,  to  afford 
 his  gracious  eai'  to  the  supplications  of  sinful  worms 
 upon  earth.  He  can  bid  them  expect  a  pleasure  in  wait- 
 ing upon  the  Lord,  different  in  kind  and  greater  in  de- 
 gree than  all  that  the  world  can  aff'ord.  By  prayer  he 
 can  say.  You  have  liberty  to  cast  all  your  cai'es  upon 
 him  that  careth  for  you.  By  one  hour's  intimate  access 
 to  the  throne  of  grace,  where  the  Lord  causes  his  glory 
 to  pass  before  the  soul  that  seeks  him,  you  may  acquire 
 more  true  spiritual  knowledge  and  comfort,  than  by  a 
 day  or  a  week's  converse  with  the  best  of  men,  or  the 
 most  studious  perusal  of  many  folios.  And  in  this  light 
 he  would  consider  it,  and  improve  it  for  liimself.  But, 
 alas !  how  seldom  can  he  do  as  he  would.  How  often 
 does  he  find  this  privilege  a  mere  task,  which  he  would 
 be  glad  of  a  just  excuse  to  omit;  and  the  chief  pleasure 
 
LETTERS  TO  A  NOBLEMAN. 
 
 49 
 
 he  derives  from  the  performance  is  to  think  tliat  his  task 
 is  finished:  he  has  been  drawing  near  to  God  witli  his 
 lips,  while  his  heart  was  far  from  him.  Surely  this  is 
 not  doing  as  lie  would,  when  (to  borrow  the  expression 
 of  an  old  woman  here)  he  is  dragged  before  God  like  a 
 slave,  and  comes  away  like  a  thief. 
 
 The  like  may  be  said  of  reading  the  scripture.  He  be- 
 lieves it  to  be  the  word  of  God:  he  admires  the  wisdom 
 and  grace  of  the  doctrines,  the  beauty  of  the  precepts, 
 the  richness  and  suitableness  of  the  promises;  and  there- 
 fore, with  David,  he  accounts  it  preferable  to  thousands 
 of  gold  and  silver,  and  sweeter  than  honey  or  the  honey- 
 comb. Yet  while  he  thus  thinks  of  it,  and  desires  that 
 it  may  dwell  in  him  richly,  and  be  his  meditation  night 
 and  day,  he  cannot  do  as  he  would.  It  will  require  some 
 resolution  to  persist  in  reading  a  portion  of  it  every  day; 
 and  even  then  his  heart  is  often  less  engaged  than  when 
 reading  a  pamplilet.  Here  again  his  privilege  frequently 
 dwindles  into  a  task.  His  appetite  is  vitiated,  so  that  he 
 has  but  little  relish  for  the  food  of  his  soul. 
 
 He  would  willingly  have  abiding,  admiring  thoughts 
 of  the  person  and  love  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Glad 
 he  is,  indeed,  of  those  occasions  which  recall  the  Saviour 
 to  his  mind;  and  with  this  view,  notwithstanding  all 
 discouragements,  he  perseveres  in  attempting  to  pray  and 
 read,  and  waits  upon  the  ordinances.  Yet  lie  cannot  do 
 as  he  would.  Whatever  claims  he  may  have  to  the  ex- 
 ercise of  gratitude  and  sensibility  towards  his  fellow- 
 creatures,  he  must  confess  himself  mournfully  ungrateful 
 and  insensible  towards  his  best  Friend  and  Benefactor. 
 Ah!  what  trifles  are  capable  of  shutting  him  out  of  our 
 thoughts,  of  whom  we  say.  He  is  the  Beloved  of  our 
 souls,  who  loved  us,  and  gave  himself  for  us,  and  whom 
 we  have  deliberately  chosen  as  our  chief  good  and  por- 
 tion. What  can  make  us  amends  for  the  loss  we  suffer 
 here  ?  Yet  surely  if  we  could,  we  would  set  him  always 
 before  us;  his  love  should  be  the  delightful  theme  of  our 
 hearts 
 
 From  morn  to  noon,  from  noon  to  dewy  eve.  - 
 
 But  though  we  aim  at  this  good,  evU  is  present  with  us; 
 
50 
 
 CAnD!PHO>MA. 
 
 we  find  we  are  renewed  but  in  part,  and  have  still  cause 
 to  plead  the  Lord's  promise,  to  take  away  the  heart  of 
 stone,  and  <jive  us  a  heart  of  flesh. 
 
 He  would  willingly  acquiesce  in  all  the  dispensations 
 of  divine  Providence.  He  believes  that  all  events  are 
 under  the  direction  of  infinite  wisdom  and  goodness,  and 
 shall  surely  issue  in  the  glory  of  God,  and  the  good  of 
 tliose  who  fear  him.  He  doubts  not  but  tlie  hairs  of  his 
 head  are  all  numbered,  that  the  blessings  of  every  kind 
 which  he  possesses  were  bestowed  upon  him,  and  are  pre- 
 served to  him,  bj^  the  bounty  and  special  favour  of  the 
 Lord  whom  he  serves ; — that  afflictions  spring  not  out  of 
 the  ground,  but  are  fruits  and  tokens  of  divine  love,  no 
 less  than  his  comforts; — that  there  is  a  need-be,  when- 
 ever for  a  season  he  is  in  heaviness.  Of  these  principles 
 he  can  no  more  doubt,  than  of  what  he  sees  with  his 
 eyes;  and  there  are  seasons  when  he  thinks  they  will 
 prove  sufficient  to  reconcile  him  to  the  sharpest  trials. 
 But  often  when  he  aims  to  apply  them  in  an  hour  of  pre- 
 sent distress,  he  cannot  do  what  he  would.  He  feels  a 
 law  in  his  members  warring  against  the  law  in  his  mind; 
 so  that,  in  defiance  of  the  cleai'est  convictions,  seeing  as 
 though  he  perceived  not,  he  is  ready  to  complain,  mur- 
 mur, and  despond.  Alas!  how  vain  is  man  in  his  best 
 estate !  How  much  weakness  and  inconsistency,  even  in 
 those  whose  hearts  are  right  with  the  Lord!  and  what 
 reason  have  we  to  confess  that  we  are  unworthy,  unprofit- 
 able servants! 
 
 It  were  easy  to  enlarge  in  this  waj-,  would  paper  and 
 time  permit.  But,  blessed  be  God,  we  are  not  under  the 
 law,  but  under  grace.  And  even  these  distressing  effects 
 of  the  reumants  of  indwelling  sin  are  overruled  for 
 good.  By  these  experiences  the  believer  is  weaned  more 
 from  self,  and  taught  more  highly  to  prize  and  more  ab- 
 solutely to  I'ely  on  him,  who  is  appointed  to  us  of  God, 
 Wisdom,  Righteousness,  Sanctification,  and  Redemption. 
 The  more  vile  we  are  in  our  own  eyes,  the  more  pre- 
 cious he  Avill  be  to  us ;  and  a  deep  repeated  sense  of  the 
 evil  of  our  hearts  is  necessary  to  preclude  all  boasting, 
 and  to  make  us  willing  to  give  the  whole  glory  of  our 
 
LETTERS  TO  A  NOBLEMAN. 
 
 51 
 
 salvation  where  it  is  due.  Again,  a  sense  of  these  evils 
 M'ill  (when  hardl}'  any  thing  else  can  do  it)  reconcile  us 
 to  the  thoughts  of  death ;  yea  make  us  desirous  to  de- 
 part, that  we  may  sin  no  more,  since  we  find  depravity 
 so  deep  rooted  in  our  nature,  that  (like  the  leprous  house) 
 the  whole  fabric  must  be  taken  down  before  we  can  be 
 freed  from  its  defilement.  Then,  and  not  till  then,  we 
 shall  be  able  to  do  the  thing  that  we  would :  when  we 
 see  Jesus,  we  shall  be  transformed  into  his  image,  and 
 have  done  with  sin  and  sorrow  for  ever. 
 I  am,  with  great  deference,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  V. 
 
 My  Lord,  March,  1112. 
 
 I  THINK  my  last  letter  turned  upon  the  apostle's  thought, 
 Gal.  v.  17,  "Ye  cannot  do  the  things  that  ye  would." 
 In  the  parallel  place,  Rom.  vii.  19,  there  is  another  clause 
 subjoined,  "  The  evil  which  I  would  not,  that  I  do." 
 This,  added  to  the  former,  would  complete  the  dark  side 
 of  my  experience.  Permit  me  to  tell  your  Lordship  a 
 little  part  (for  some  things  must  not,  cannot  be  told), 
 not  of  what  I  have  read,  but  of  what  I  have  felt,  in  illus- 
 tration of  this  passage. 
 
 I  would  not  be  the  sport  and  prey  of  wild,  vain,  fool- 
 ish, and  worse  imaginations;  but  this  evil  is  present 
 with  me ;  my  heart  is  like  a  highway,  like  a  city  with- 
 out walls  or  gates.  Nothing  so  false,  so  frivolous,  so 
 absurd,  so  impossible,  or  so  horrid,  but  it  can  obtain  ac- 
 cess, and  that  at  any  time,  or  in  any  place:  neither  the 
 study,  the  pulpit,  nor  even  the  Lord's  table,  exempt  me 
 from  their  intrusion.  I  sometimes  compare  my  words 
 to  the  treble  of  an  instrument,  which  my  thou/jhts  accom- 
 pany with  a  kind  of  bass,  or  rather  anti-bass,  in  which 
 every  rule  or  harmony  is  broken,  every  possible  combi- 
 nation of  discord  and  confusion  is  introduced,  utterly 
 
52 
 
 CAIlDiraONIA. 
 
 inconsistent  with,  and  contradictory  to,  the  intended 
 melody.  Ah !  what  music  would  my  praying  and  preach- 
 ing often  make  in  the  ears  of  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  if  he 
 listened  to  them  as  they  are  mine  only!  By  men,  the 
 upper  part  only  (if  I  may  so  speak)  is  heard ;  and  small 
 cause  there  is  for  self-congratulation,  if  they  showXA  hap- 
 pen to  commend,  when  conscience  tells  me  they  would 
 be  struck  with  astonishment  and  abhorrence  could  they 
 hear  the  whole. 
 
 But  if  this  awful  effect  of  heart-depravity  cannot  be 
 wholly  avoided  in  the  present  state  of  human  nature,  yet 
 at  least  I  would  not  allow  and  indulge  it;  yet  this  I  find 
 I  do.  In  defiance  of  my  best  judgment  and  best  wishes, 
 I  find  something  within  me,  which  cherishes  and  cleaves 
 to  those  evils,  from  which  I  ought  to  start  and  flee,  as  I 
 should  if  a  toad  or  a  serpent  was  put  in  my  food  or  in 
 ray  bed.  Ah!  how  vile  must  the  heart  (at  least  my 
 heart)  be,  that  can  hold  a  parley  with  such  abominations, 
 when  I  so  well  know  their  nature  and  their  tendency. 
 Surely  he  who  finds  himself  capable  of  this,  may,  without 
 the  least  affectation  of  humility  (however  fair  his  outward 
 conduct  appears),  subscribe  himself  less  than  the  least  of 
 all  saints,  and  of  sinners  the  very  chief. 
 
 I  would  not  be  influenced  by  a  principle  of  self  on  any 
 occasion;  yet  this  evil  I  often  do.  I  see  the  baseness 
 and  absurdity  of  such  a  conduct  as  clearly  as  I  see  the 
 light  of  the  day.  I  do  not  affect  to  be  thought  ten  feet 
 high,  and  I  know  that  a  desire  of  being  thought  wise  or 
 good  is  equally  contrary  to  reason  and  truth.  I  should 
 be  grieved  or  angry  if  my  fellow-creatures  supposed  I 
 had  such  a  desire;  and,  therefore,  I  fear  the  very  princi- 
 ple of  self,  of  which  I  complain,  has  a  considerable  share 
 in  prompting  my  desires  to  conceal  it.  The  pride  of 
 others  often  offends  me,  and  makes  me  studious  to  hide 
 my  own ;  because  their  good  opinion  of  me  depends  much 
 upon  their  not  perceiving  it.  But  the  Lord  knows  how 
 this  dead  fly  taints  and  spoils  my  best  services,  and  makes 
 them  no  better  than  specious  sins. 
 
 I  would  not  indulge  vain  reasonings  concerning  the 
 counsels,  ways,  and  providences  of  God;  yet  I  am  prone 
 
LETTERS  TO  A  NOBLEMAN. 
 
 53 
 
 to  do  it.  That  the  Judge  of  all  the  earth  will  do  right, 
 is  to  me  as  evident  and  necessary  as  that  two  and  two 
 make  four.  I  believe  that  he  has  a  sovereign  right  to 
 do  what  he  will  with  his  own,  and  that  this  sovereignty 
 is  but  another  name  for  the  unlimited  exercise  of  wisdom 
 and  goodness.  But  my  reasonings  are  often  such,  as  if 
 I  had  never  heai'd  of  these  principles,  or  had  formerly  re- 
 nounced thf-m.  I  feel  the  workings  of  a  presumptuous 
 spirit,  that  would  account  for  every  thing,  and  venture 
 to  dispute  whatever  it  cannot  comprehend.  What  an 
 evil  is  this,  for  a  potsherd  of  the  earth  to  contend  with 
 its  Maker!  I  do  not  act  tiius  towards  my  feiiow-crea- 
 tures;  I  do  not  find  fault  with  the  decisions  of  a  judge, 
 or  the  dispositions  of  a  general,  because,  though  I  laiow 
 they  are  fallible,  yet  I  suppose  they  are  wiser  in  their  re- 
 spective departments  than  myself.  But  I  am  often  ready 
 to  take  this  liberty  when  it  is  most  um'easonable  and  in- 
 excusable. 
 
 I  would  not  cleave  to  a  covenant  of  works:  it  should 
 seem  from  the  foregoing  particulars,  and  many  others 
 which  I  could  mention,  that  I  have  reasons  enough  to 
 deter  me  from  this.  Yet  even  this  I  do.  Not  but  that 
 I  say,  and  I  hope  from  my  heart,  Enter  not  into  judg- 
 ment with  thy  servant,  O  Lord ;  I  embrace  it  as  a  faith- 
 ftd  saying,  and  worthy  of  all  acceptation,  that  Jesus 
 Christ  came  into  the  world  to  save  sinners;  and  it  is  the 
 main  pleasure  and  business  of  my  life,  to  set  forth  the 
 necessity  and  all-sufficiency  of  the  Mediator  between  God 
 and  man,  and  to  make  mention  of  his  righteousness,  even 
 of  his  only.  But  here,  as  in  every  thing  else,  I  find  a  vast 
 difference  between  my  judgment  and  my  experience.  I 
 am  invited  to  take  the  water  of  life  freelij,  yet  often  dis- 
 couraged, because  I  have  nothing  wherewith  to  pay  for 
 it.  If  I  am  at  times  favoured  with  some  liberty  from 
 the  above-mentioned  evils,  it  rather  gives  me  a  more  fa- 
 vourable opinion  of  myself,  than  increases  my  admira- 
 tion of  the  Lord's  goodness  to  so  unworthy  a  creature ; 
 and  when  the  returning  tide  of  my  corruptions  convinces 
 me  that  /  am  still  the  same^  an  unbelieving  legal  spirit 
 would  urge  me  to  conclude  that  the  Lord  is  changed: 
 
54 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 at  least  I  feel  a  weariness  of  being  beholden  to  him  for 
 such  continued  multiplied  forgiveness;  and  I  fear  that 
 some  part  of  my  striving  against  sin,  and  my  desires  after 
 an  increase  of  sanctification,  arises  from  a  secret  wish 
 that  I  might  not  be  so  absolutely  and  entirely  indebted 
 to  him. 
 
 This,  my  Lord,  is  only  a  faint  sketch  of  my  heart ;  but 
 it  is  taken  from  the  life ;  it  would  require  a  volume  rather 
 than  a  letter  to  fill  up  the  outlines.  But  I  believe  you 
 will  not  regret  that  I  choose  to  say  no  more  upon  such 
 a  subject.  But  though  my  disease  is  grievous,  it  is  not 
 desperate;  I  have  a  gracious  and  infallible  Physician. 
 I  shall  not  die,  but  live,  and  declare  the  works  of  the 
 Lord. 
 
 I  remain,  my  Lord,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  VL 
 
 My  Lord,  April,  1772. 
 
 My  two  last  letters  turned  upon  a  mournful  subject,  the 
 depravity  of  the  heart,  which  impedes  us  when  we  would 
 do  good,  and  pollutes  our  best  intended  services  with 
 evil.  We  have  cause,  upon  this  account,  to  go  softly  all 
 our  days;  yet  we  need  not  sorrow  as  they  who  have  no 
 hope.  The  Lord  has  provided  his  people  relief  under 
 those  complaints,  and  teaches  us  to  draw  improvement 
 from  them.  If  the  evils  we  feel  were  not  capable  of  be- 
 ing over-ruled  for  good,  he  would  not  permit  them  to 
 remain  in  us.  This  we  may  infer  from  his  hatred  to  sin, 
 and  the  love  which  he  bears  to  his  people. 
 
 As  to  the  remedy,  neither  our  state  nor  his  honour 
 are  affected  by  the  workings  of  indwelling  sin,  in  the 
 hearts  of  those  whom  he  has  taught  to  wrestle,  strive, 
 and  mourn,  on  account  of  what  they  feel.  Though  sin 
 wars,  it  shall  not  reign ;  and  though  it  breaks  our  peace, 
 it  cannot  separate  from  his  love.    Nor  is  it  inconsistent 
 
LETTERS  TO  A  NOBLEMAN. 
 
 55 
 
 with  his  holiness  and  perfection  to  manifest  his  favour  to 
 such  poor  defiled  creatures,  or  to  admit  them  to  commu- 
 nion with  himself;  for  they  are  not  considered  as  in 
 themselves,  but  as  one  with  Jesus,  to  whom  they  have 
 fled  for  refuge,  and  by  whom  they  live  a  life  of  faith. 
 They  are  accepted  in  the  Beloved,  they  have  an  advo- 
 cate with  the  Father,  who  once  made  an  atonement  foi' 
 their  sins,  and  ever  lives  to  make  intercession  for  their 
 persons.  Though  they  cannot  fulfil  the  law,  he  has  ful- 
 filled it  for  them;  though  the  obedience  of  the  members 
 is  defiled  and  imperfect,  the  obedience  of  the  head  is  spot- 
 less and  complete;  and  though  there  is  much  evil  in  them, 
 there  is  something  good,  the  fruit  of  his  own  gracious 
 Spirit.  They  act  from  a  principle  of  love,  they  aim  at 
 no  less  than  his  glory,  and  their  habitual  desires  are  su- 
 premely fixed  upon  himself.  There  is  a  difference  in 
 kind  betwiv^u  the  feeblest  efforts  of  faith  in  a  real  be- 
 liever, while  he  is  covered  with  shame  at  the  thoughts  of 
 his  miscarriages,  and  the  highest  and  most  specious  at- 
 tainments of  those  who  are  wise  in  their  own  eyes,  and 
 prudent  in  their  own  sight.  Nor  shall  this  conflict  re- 
 main long,  or  the  enemy  finally  prevail  over  them.  They 
 are  supported  by  almighty  power,  and  led  on  to  certain 
 victory.  They  shall  not  always  be  a.s  they  are  now; 
 yet  a  little  while,  and  they  shall  be  freed  from  this  vile 
 body,  which,  like  the  leprous  house,  is  incurably  conta- 
 minated, and  nmst  be  entirely  taken  down.  Then  they 
 shall  see  Jesus  as  he  is,  and  be  like  him,  and  with  him 
 for  ever. 
 
 The  gracious  purposes  to  which  the  Lord  makes  the 
 sense  and  feeling  of  our  depravity  subservient,  are  ma- 
 nifold. Hereby  his  own  power,  wisdom,  faithfulness, 
 and  love,  are  more  signally  displayed:  his  power  in 
 maintaining  his  own  work  in  the  midst  of  so  much  op- 
 position, like  a  spark  burning  in  the  water,  or  a  busli 
 unconsumed  in  the  flames:  his  wisdom  in  defeating  and 
 controlling  all  the  devices  which  Satan,  from  his  know- 
 ledge of  the  evil  of  our  nature,  is  encouraged  to  practise 
 against  us.  He  has  overthrown  many  a  fair  professor, 
 and,  like  Goliath,  he  challenges  the  whole  army  of  Is- 
 
56 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 raeJ;  yet  he  finds  there  are  some  against  whom,  though 
 lie  thrusts  sorely,  he  cannot  prevail;  notwithstanding 
 any  seeming  advantage  he  gains  at  some  seasons,  they 
 are  still  delivered,  for  the  Lord  is  on  their  side.  The 
 uncliangeableness  of  the  Lord's  love,  and  the  riches  of 
 his  mercy,  are  likewise  more  illustrated  by  the  multi- 
 plied pardons  he  bestows  upon  his  people,  than  if  they 
 needed  no  forgiveness  at  all. 
 
 Hereby  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  more  endeared  to  the 
 soul ;  all  boasting  is  effectually  excluded,  and  the  glory 
 of  a  full  and  free  salvation  is  ascribed  to  him  alone.  If 
 a  mariner  is  surprised  by  a  storm,  and  after  one  night 
 spent  in  jeopardy  is  presently  safe  brought  into  port, 
 though  he  may  rejoice  in  his  deliverance,  it  will  not  af- 
 fect him  so  sensibly,  as  if,  after  being  tempest-tossed  for 
 a  long  season,  and  experiencing  a  great  number  and  va- 
 riety of  hair-breadth  escapes,  he  at  last  gains  the  desired 
 haven.  The  righteous  are  said  to  be  scarcely  saved,  not 
 with  respect  to  the  certainty  of  the  event,  for  the  pur- 
 pose of  God  in  their  favour  cannot  be  disappointed,  but 
 in  respect  of  their  own  apprehensions,  and  the  great 
 difficulties  they  are  brought  through.  But  when,  after 
 a  long  experience  of  their  own  deceitful  hearts,  after  re- 
 peated proofs  of  their  weakness,  wilfulness,  ingratitude, 
 and  insensibility,  they  find  that  none  of  these  things  can 
 •separate  them  from  the  love  of  God  in  Christ,  Jesus  be- 
 comes more  and  more  precious  to  their  souls.  They 
 love  much,  because  much  has  been  forgiven  them. 
 They  dare  not,  they  will  not  ascribe  any  thing  to  them- 
 selves, but  are  glad  to  acknowledge  that  they  must  have 
 perished  (if  possible)  a  thousand  times  over,  if  .Jesus 
 had  not  been  their  Saviour,  their  Shepherd,  and  their 
 shield.  When  they  were  wandering,  he  brought  them 
 back ;  when  fallen,  he  raised  them ;  when  wounded,  he 
 liealed  them;  when  fainting,  he  revived  them.  By  him 
 out  of  weakness  they  have  been  made  strong;  he  has 
 taught  their  hands  to  war,  and  covered  their  heads  in  the 
 day  of  battle.  In  a  word,  some  of  the  cleai'est  proofs 
 they  have  had  of  his  excellence,  have  been  occasioned 
 by  the  mortifying  pi'oofs  they  have  had  of  their  ov,  n  vile- 
 
LETTERS  TO  A  NOBLEMAN. 
 
 57 
 
 np><s.  They  would  not  have  known  so  much  of  him,  if 
 they  had  not  iinown  so  much  of  themselves. 
 
 Farther,  a  spirit  of  humiliation,  which  is  both  the  de- 
 cus  et  tutamen,  the  strength  and  beauty  of  our  profession, 
 is  greatly  promoted  by  our  feeling,  as  well  as  reading, 
 that  when  we  would  do  good,  evil  is  present  with  us- 
 A  broken  and  contrite  spirit  is  pleasing  to  the  Lord — he 
 has  promised  to  dwell  with  those  who  have  it;  and  ex- 
 perience shows  that  the  exercise  of  all  our  graces  is  in 
 proportion  to  the  humbling  sense  we  have  of  the  depra- 
 vity of  our  nature.  But  that  we  are  so  totally  depraved, 
 is  a  truth  which  no  one  ever  truly  learned  by  being  only 
 told  it.  Indeed  if  we  could  receive,  and  habitually  main- 
 tain a  right  judgment  of  ourselves,  by  what  is  plainly 
 declared  in  Scripture,  it  would  probably  save  us  many  a 
 mournful  hour ;  but  experience  is  the  Lord's  school,  and 
 they  who  are  taught  by  him  usually  learn,  that  they  have 
 no  wisdom  by  the  mistakes  they  make,  and  that  they 
 have  no  strength  by  the  slips  and  falls  they  meet  with. 
 Every  day  draws  forth  some  new  corruption  which  be- 
 fore was  little  observed,  or  at  least  discovers  it  in  a 
 stronger  light  than  before.  Thus  by  degrees  they  are 
 weaned  from  leaning  to  any  supposed  wisdom,  power,  or 
 goodness  in  themselves;  they  feel  the  truth  of  our  Lord's 
 words,  "  Without  me  ye  can  do  nothing;"  and  the  ne- 
 cessity of  crying  with  David,  "  O  lead  me  and  guide 
 me  for  thy  name's  sake."  It  is  chiefly  by  this  frame  of 
 mind  that  one  Christian  is  differenced  from  another;  for 
 though  it  is  an  inward  feeling,  it  has  very  observable  out- 
 ward effects,  which  are  expressively  intimated,  Ezek.  xvi. 
 63,  "  Thou  shaft  be  dumb  and  not  open  thy  mouth,  in 
 the  day  when  I  am  pacified  towards  thee,  saith  the  Lord 
 God."  The  knowledge  of  thy  full  and  free  forgiveness, 
 of  thy  innumerable  backslidings  and  transgressions,  shall 
 make  thee  ashamed,  and  silence  the  unruly  workings  of 
 thine  heart.  Thou  slialt  open  thy  mouth  in  praise;  but 
 thou  shalt  no  more  boast  in  thyself,  or  censure  others,  or 
 repine  at  my  dispensations.  In  these  respects  we  are 
 exceedingly  prone  to  speak  unadvisedly  with  our  lips. 
 But  a  sense  of  great  unworthiness  and  much  forgive- 
 
58 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 iiess  checks  these  evils.  Whoever  is  truly  humbled  will 
 not  be  easily  angry,  will  not  be  positive  and  rash,  will 
 be  compassionate  and  tender  to  the  infirmities  of  his  fel- 
 low-sinners, knowing  that  if  there  be  a  difference,  it  is 
 grace  that  has  made  it,  and  that  he  has  the  seeds  of  every 
 evil  in  his  own  heart.  And  under  all  trials  and  afflic- 
 tions, he  will  look  to  the  hand  of  the  Lord,  and  lay  his 
 mouth  in  the  dust,  acknowledging  that  he  suffers  much 
 less  than  his  iniquities  have  deserved.  These  are  some 
 of  the  advantages  and  good  fruits  which  the  Lord  enables 
 us  to  obtain  from  that  bitter  root,  indwelling  sin. 
 I  am,  with  great  deference,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  VIL 
 
 My  Lord,  September,  1772. 
 
 Weak,  unskilful,  and  unfaithful  as  I  am  in  practice,  the 
 Lord  has  been  pleased  to  give  me  some  idea  of  what  a 
 Christian  ought  to  be,  and  of  what  is  actually  attainable 
 in  the  present  life,  by  those  whom  he  enables  earnestly 
 to  aspire  towards  the  prize  of  their  high  calling.  They 
 who  are  versed  in  mechanics  can,  from  a  knowledge  of 
 tlie  combined  powers  of  a  complicated  machine,  make  an 
 exact  calculation  of  what  it  is  able  to  perform,  and  what 
 resistance  it  can  counteract;  but  who  can  compute  the 
 ])ossible  effects  of  that  combination  of  principles  and  mo- 
 tives revealed  in  the  gospel,  upon  a  heart  duly  impressed 
 with  a  sense  of  their  importance  and  glory?  When  I 
 was  lately  at  Mr  Cox's  museum,  while  I  was  fixing  my 
 attention  upon  some  curious  movements,  imagining  that 
 1  saw  the  whole  of  the  artist's  design,  the  person  who 
 showed  it  touched  a  little  spring,  and  suddenly  a  thou- 
 sand new  and  unexpected  motions  took  place,  and  the 
 whole  piece  seemed  animated  from  the  top  to  the  bottom- 
 I  should  have  formed  but  a  very  imperfect  judgment  of 
 it,  had  I  seen  no  more  than  what  I  saw  at  first.  I 
 
LETTERS  TO  A  NOBLEMAN. 
 
 59 
 
 thought  it  might  in  some  measure  illustrate  the  vast  dif- 
 ference that  is  observable  amongst  professors,  even 
 amongst  those  who  are,  it  is  to  be  hoped,  sincere.  There 
 are  persons  who  appear  to  have  a  true  knowledge  (in 
 part)  of  the  nature  of  the  gospel  religion,  but  seem  not 
 to  bo  apprised  of  its  properties,  in  their  comprehension 
 and  extent.  If  they  have  attained  to  some  hope  of  their 
 acceptance,  if  they  find  at  seasons  some  communion  with 
 God  in  the  means  of  grace,  if  they  are  in  a  measure  de- 
 livered from  the  prevailing  and  corrupt  customs  of  the 
 world,  they  seem  to  be  satisfied,  as  if  they  were  possess- 
 ed of  all.  These  are  indeed  great  things ;  sed  meliora 
 latent.  The  profession  of  too  many,  whose  sincerity 
 charity  would  be  unwilling  to  impeach,  is  greatly  blemish- 
 ed, notwithstanding  their  hopes  and  their  occasional  com- 
 forts, by  the  breakings  forth  of  unsanctitied  tempers,  and 
 the  indulgence  of  vain  hopes,  anxious  cares,  and  selfish 
 pursuits.  Far,  very  far,  am  I  from  that  unscriptural  sen- 
 timent of  sinless  perfection  in  fallen  man.  To  those  who 
 have  a  due  sense  of  the  spirituality  and  ground  of  the 
 divine  precepts,  and  of  what  passes  in  their  own  hearts, 
 there  will  never  be  wanting  causes  of  humiliation  and 
 self-abasement  on  the  account  of  sin ;  yet  still  there  is  a 
 liberty  and  privilege  attainable  by  the  gospel,  bej'ond 
 what  is  ordinarily  thought  of.  Permit  me  to  mention 
 two  or  three  particulars,  in  which  those  who  have  a  holy 
 ambition  of  aspiring  to  them  shall  not  be  altogether  dis- 
 appointed. 
 
 A  delight  in  the  Lord's  all-sufficiency.  To  be  satis- 
 fied in  him  as  our  present  and  eternal  portion.  This,  in 
 the  sense  in  which  I  understand  it,  is  not  the  effect  of  a 
 present  warm  frame,  but  of  a  deeply-rooted  and  abiding 
 principle ;  the  habitual  exercise  of  which  is  to  be  esti- 
 mated by  the  comparative  indifference  with  which  other 
 things  are  regarded.  The  soul  thus  principled  is  not  at 
 leisure  to  take  or  to  seek  satisfaction  in  any  thing  but 
 what  has  a  known  subserviency  to  this  leading  taste. 
 Either  the  Lord  is  present,  and  then  he  is  to  be  rejoiced 
 in;  or  else  he  is  absent,  and  then  he  is  to  be  sought  and 
 waited  for.    They  are  to  be  pitied,  who,  if  they  are  at 
 
60 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 some  times  happy  in  the  Lord,  can  at  other  times  be 
 happy  without  him,  and  rejoice  in  broken  cisterns,  when 
 their  spirits  are  at  a  distance  from  tiie  fountain  of  living 
 waters.  I  do  not  plead  for  an  absolute  indifference  to 
 temporal  blessings;  he  gives  us  all  things  richly  to  enjoy; 
 and  a  capacity  of  relishing  them  is  his  gift  likewise ;  but 
 then  the  consideration  of  his  love  in  bestowing  should  ex- 
 ceedingly enhance  the  value,  and  a  regard  to  his  will 
 should  regulate  their  use.  Nor  can  they  all  supply  the 
 want  of  that  which  we  can  only  receive  immediately  from 
 himself.  This  principle  likewise  moderates  that  inordi- 
 nate fear  and  sorrow  to  which  we  are  liable  upon  the 
 prospect  or  the  occurrence  of  great  trials,  for  which  there 
 is  a  sure  support  and  resource  provided  in  the  all-suffi- 
 ciency of  infinite  goodness  and  grace.  What  a  privilege 
 is  this,  to  possess  God  in  all  things  while  we  have  them, 
 and  all  things  in  God  when  they  are  taken  from  us! 
 
 An  acquiescence  in  the  Lord's  will,  founded  in  a  per- 
 suasion of  his  wisdom,  holiness,  sovereignty,  and  good- 
 ness. This  is  one  of  the  greatest  privileges  and  brightest 
 ornaments  of  our  profession.  So  far  as  we  attain  to  this, 
 we  are  secure  from  disappointment.  Our  own  limited 
 views  and  short-sighted  purposes  and  desires  may  be,  and 
 will  be,  often  overruled;  but  then  our  main  and  leading 
 desire,  that  the  will  of  the  Lord  may  be  done,  must  be 
 accomplished.  How  highly  does  it  become  us,  both  as 
 creatures  and  as  sinners,  to  submit  to  the  appointments 
 of  our  Maker,  and  how  necessary  is  it  to  our  peace! 
 This  great  attainment  is  too  often  unthought  of,  and 
 overlooked  ;  we  are  prone  to  fix  our  attention  upon  the 
 second  causes  and  immediate  instruments  of  events ;  for- 
 getting that  Avhatever  befals  us  is  according  to  his  pur- 
 pose, and  therefore  must  be  right  and  seasonable  in  itself, 
 and  shall  in  the  issue  be  productive  of  good.  From  hence 
 arise  impatience,  resentment,  and  secret  repinings,  which 
 are  not  only  sinful  but  tormenting:  whereas,  if  all  things 
 are  in  his  hand,  if  the  very  hairs  of  our  head  are  num- 
 bered; if  every  event,  great  and  small,  is  under  the  di- 
 rection of  his  providence  and  purpose ;  and  if  he  has  a 
 wise,  holy,  and  gracious  end  in  view,  to  which  every 
 
LETTERS  TO  A  NOBLEMAN. 
 
 61 
 
 thing  that  happens  is  subordinate  and  subservient; — then 
 we  have  nothing  to  do,  but  with  patience  and  humility 
 to  follow  as  he  leads,  and  cheerfully  to  expect  a  happy 
 issue.  The  path  of  present  duty  is  marked  out,  and  the 
 concerns  of  the  next  and  every  succeeding  hour  are  in 
 his  hands.  How  happy  are  they  who  can  resign  all  to 
 him,  see  his  hand  in  every  dispensation,  and  believe  that 
 he  chooses  better  for  them  than  they  possibly  could  for 
 themselves ! 
 
 0  blessed  man !  that  thus  fears  the  Lord,  that  delights 
 in  his  word,  and  derives  his  principles,  motives,  maxims, 
 and  consolations,  from  that  unfailing  source  of  light  and 
 strength !  He  shall  be  like  a  tree  planted  by  the  rivers 
 of  water,  whose  leaf  is  always  green,  and  fruit  abundant. 
 The  wisdom  that  is  above  shall  direct  his  plans,  inspire 
 his  counsels;  and  the  power  of  God  shall  guard  him  on 
 every  side,  and  prepare  his  way  through  every  difficulty ; 
 he  shall  see  mountains  sink  into  plains,  and  streams 
 spring  up  in  the  dry  wilderness.  The  Lord's  enemies 
 will  be  his;  and  they  may  be  permitted  to  fight  against 
 him,  but  they  shall  not  prevail,  for  the  Lord  is  with  him 
 to  deliver  him.  The  conduct  of  such  a  one,  though  in 
 a  narrow  and  retired  sphere  of  life,  is  of  more  real  excel- 
 lence and  importance,  than  the  most  splendid  actions  of 
 kings  and  conquerors,  which  fill  the  annals  of  history, 
 Prov.  xvi.  32.  And  if  the  God  whom  he  serves  is  pleased 
 to  place  him  in  a  more  public  light,  his  labours  and  cares 
 will  be  amply  compensated,  by  the  superior  opportunities 
 afforded  him,  of  manifesting  the  power  and  reality  of  true 
 religion,  and  promoting  the  good  of  mankind. 
 
 1  hope  I  may  say,  that  I  desire  to  be  thus  entirely 
 given  up  to  the  Lord;  I  am  sure  I  must  say,  that  what 
 I  ha\e  written  is  far  from  being  my  actual  experience. 
 Alas!  I  might  be  condemned  out  of  my  own  mouth,  were 
 the  Lord  strict  to  mark  what  is  amiss.  But,  O  the  com- 
 fort! we  are  not  undt-r  tlie  law,  but  under  grace.  The 
 gospel  is  a  dispensation  for  sinners,  and  we  have  an  ad- 
 vocate with  the  Father.  There  is  the  imshaken  ground 
 of  hope:  a  reconciled  Father,  a  prevailing  Advocate,  a 
 powerful  Shepherd,  a  compassionate  Friend,  a  Saviour, 
 
62 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 w!io  is  able  and  willing  to  save  to  the  uttermost.  He 
 knows  our  frame;  he  remembers  that  we  are  but  dust; 
 and  has  opened  for  us  a  new  and  blood-besprinkled  way 
 of  access  to  the  throne  of  grace,  that  we  may  obtain 
 mercy,  and  find  grace  to  help  in  every  time  of  need. 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  Vlir. 
 
 My  Lord,  April,  1773. 
 
 For  five  or  six  weeks  past  I  have  been  a  good  deal  in- 
 disposed. The  ground  of  my  complaint  was  a  cold,  at- 
 tended with  a  slight  fever,  and  for  some  time  with  a 
 cough,  which  made  me  feel  some  inconvenience  in  preach- 
 ing; to  this  succeeded  a  deafness  so  great  as  to  cut  me 
 off  from  conversation ;  for  I  could  not  hear  the  sound  of 
 a  voice,  unless  it  was  spoke  loud  in  my  ear.  But  the 
 Lord  has  mercifully  removed  the  fever  and  cough,  open- 
 ed my  ears,  and  I  am  now  neai'ly  as  well  as  usual.  I  had 
 cause  to  be  thankful,  especially  for  two  things  under  this 
 dispensation:  First,  that  I  was  enabled,  though  some- 
 times with  a  little  difficulty,  to  go  on  with  my  public 
 work.  It  is  a  singular  favour  I  have  to  acknowledge, 
 that  for  the  space  of  almost  nine  years  since  I  have  been 
 in  the  ministry,  our  Sabbath  and  weekly  opportunities 
 have  not  been  once  suspended;  whereas  I  have  seen 
 many  of  the  Lord's  servants  laid  by  for  a  considerable 
 space  within  that  time.  My  other  great  mercy  was,  that 
 the  Lord  was  pleased  to  preserve  me  in  a  peaceful  re- 
 signed frame :  so  that  when  I  was  deaf,  and  could  not  be 
 certain  that  I  should  recover  my  hearing  any  more,  I  was 
 in  general  as  cheerful  and  easy  as  at  other  times.  This 
 was  the  effect  of  his  goodness :  for  though  I  know  enough 
 of  his  sovereignty,  wisdom,  and  faithfulness,  of  his  right 
 to  do  what  he  pleases,  and  the  certainty  that  he  does  all 
 things  well,  to  furnish  me  with  arguments  enough  to  prove 
 
LETTEKS  TO  A  NOBLEMAN. 
 
 63 
 
 that  submission  to  his  will  is  our  absolute  duty ;  yet  I  am 
 sensible,  that  when  the  trial  actually  comes,  notwith- 
 standing all  the  advice  I  may  have  offered  to  others,  I 
 should  myself  toss  like  a  wild  bull  in  a  net;  rebel  and  re- 
 pine; forget  that  I  am  a  sinner,  and  that  he  is  sovereign: 
 this  I  say  would  always  and  invariably  be  the  case,  un- 
 less he  was  graciously  pleased  to  fulfil  his  word,  that 
 strength  shall  be  according  to  the  day.  I  hope  my  deaf- 
 ness has  been  instructive  to  me.  The  exercise  of  our 
 senses  is  so  easily  and  constantly  performed,  that  it  seems 
 a  thing  of  course;  but  I  was  then  reminded  how  precari- 
 ous the  tenure  is  by  which  we  hold  those  blessings  which 
 seem  most  our  own,  and  which  are  most  immediately  ne- 
 cessary to  the  comfortable  enjoyment  of  life.  Outward 
 senses,  mental  faculties,  health  of  body,  and  peace  of 
 mind,  are  extremely  valuable;  but  the  continuance  of 
 them  for  a  single  moment  depends  upon  him,  who,  if  he 
 opens,  none  can  shut,  and  when  he  shuts  none  can  open. 
 A  minute  is  more  than  sufficient  to  deprive  us  of  what  we 
 hold  most  dear,  or  to  prevent  us  from  deriving  the  least 
 comfort  from  it  if  it  is  not  taken  away.  I  am  not  pre- 
 suming to  give  your  Lordship  information';  but  only 
 mentioning  the  thoughts  that  were  much  upon  my  mind 
 while  I  was  incapable  of  conversation.  These  are  indeed 
 plain  and  obvious  truths,  which  I  have  long  acknowledg- 
 ed as  indisputable;  but  I  have  reason  to  be  thankful 
 when  the  Lord  impresses  them  with  fresh  power  upon  my 
 heart,  even  though  he  sees  fit  to  do  it  by  the  medium  of 
 afflictions.  I  have  seen  of  late  something  of  the  weight 
 and  importance  of  that  admonition,  Jer.  ix.  23,  24 — a 
 passage  which,  though  addressed  to  the  wise,  the  mightj', 
 and  the  rich,  is  of  universal  application ; — for  self,  unless 
 corrected  and  mortified  by  grace,  will  find  something 
 whereof  to  glory,  in  the  meanest  characters  and  the 
 lowest  situation.  And  indeed,  when  things  come  to  be 
 weighed  in  the  balance  of  the  sanctuary,  the  lunatics  in 
 Bedlam,  some  of  whom  glory  in  their  straw  or  their 
 chains,  as  marks  of  splendour,  or  ensigns  of  royalty,  have 
 as  much  reason  on  their  side,  as  any  persons  upon  earth 
 ■who  glory  in  themselves.  This  alone  is  the  proper  ground 
 
64 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 of  giory  and  joy,  if  w  e  know  the  Lord.  Then  all  is  safe 
 at  present,  and  all  will  be  happy  for  ever.  Then,  what- 
 ever changes  maj"^  affect  our  temporal  concernments,  our 
 best  interests  and  hopes  are  secured  beyond  the  reach  of 
 change ;  and  whatever  we  may  lose  or  suffer  during  tins 
 little  span  of  time,  will  be  abundantly  compensated  in 
 that  glorious  state  of  eternity  which  is  just  at  hand. 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  IX; 
 
 My  Lord,  December,  1772. 
 
 I  LATELY  employed  some  of  my  leisure  hours  (which, 
 when  I  am  not  indolent,  are  but  few),  in  reading  the 
 Memoirs  of  the  Duke  of  Sully,  which  occasionally  cams 
 in  my  way.  It  afforded  me  matter  for  variety  of  reflec- 
 tions. I  pity  the  Duke  of  Sully,  whose  attachment  to 
 the  name  of  a  Protestant  seems  to  have  been  little  more 
 than  a  point  of  honour,  who  drew  all  his  resources  from 
 himself,  and  whose  chief  aim  seems  to  have  been  to  ap- 
 prove himself  faithful  to  an  earthly  master.  He  acted  as 
 well  as  could  be  expected  from  natural  principles;  and 
 the  Lord,  who  employed  him  as  an  instrument  of  his 
 providence,  rewarded  his  fidelity  with  success,  honour, 
 and  riches :  a  reward  which,  though  in  itself  a  poor  one, 
 is  suited  to  the  desires  of  men  who  place  their  happi- 
 ness in  worldly  things,  and  is  so  far  a  compensation  of 
 their  services.  It  is  given  to  your  Lordship  to  act  from 
 nobler  principles,  and  with  more  enlarged  views.  You 
 serve  a  Master  of  whose  favour,  protection,  and  assist- 
 ance, you  cannot  be  deprived,  who  will  not  overlook  or 
 misconstrue  the  smallest  service  you  attempt  for  him, 
 who  will  listen  to  no  insinuations  against  you,  who  is  al- 
 wnys  near  to  comfort,  direct,  and  strengthen  you,  and 
 Vt  ho  is  preparing  for  you  such  honours  and  blessings  as 
 lie  oidy  can  give,  an  inheritance  (the  reverse  of  all  earthly 
 
LETTERS  TO  A  NOBLEMAN. 
 
 65 
 
 good)  ot(pdct.^roy  Kxi  ufiix'jroi/  ko-i  ufia.i>a.'jrou.*  Tlius  ani- 
 mated and  thus  supported,  assisted  likewise  by  the  pray- 
 ers of  tliousauds,  may  we  not  warrantably  hope  that  your 
 Lordship  will  be  an  instrument  of  great  good,  and  that 
 both  church  and  state  will  be  benefited  by  your  example, 
 counsels,  and  care? 
 
 In  another  view,  the  Duke  of  Sully's  history  exhibits 
 a  comment  upon  the  Psalmist's  words,  "  Surely  man  in 
 his  best  estate  is  altogether  vanity."  View  him  in  one 
 light,  he  seenis  to  have  possessed  all  that  the  most  aspir- 
 ing mind  could  aim  at — the  favour  and  confidence  of  his 
 prince,  accumulated  wealth,  great  honours,  and  such 
 power  by  his  offices  and  influence  with  the  king,  that  he 
 could  almost  do  what  he  pleased.  Yet  he  had  so  much 
 to  suffer  from  the  fatigues  and  difficulties  of  his  station, 
 and  the  cabals  and  malice  of  his  enemies,  that  in  the 
 midst  of  all  his  grandeur  a  dispassionate  mind  would 
 rather  pity  than  envy  him.  And  how  suddenly  were  his 
 schemes  broken  by  the  death  of  the  king.  Then  he  lost 
 his  friend,  his  protector,  his  influence.  The  remainder 
 of  his  days  were  imbittered  by  many  inquietudes;  he 
 lived  indeed  (if  that  could  afford  any  consolation)  in 
 much  state  and  pageantry  afterwards;  but  after  having 
 toiled  through  more  than  fourscore  years,  died  at  last 
 almost  of  a  broken  heart  from  domestic  uneasiness.  And 
 is  this  all  that  the  world  can  do  for  those  who  are  ac- 
 counted most  successful!  Alas! 
 
 Too  low  they  build  who  build  below  the  skies. 
 
 And  what  a  picture  of  the  instability  of  human  things 
 have  we  in  his  master,  Henry!  Admired,  beloved, 
 dreaded,  full  of  vast  designs,  fondly  supposing  himself 
 born  to  be  the  arbiter  of  Europe,  in  an  awful  moment, 
 and  in  the  midst  of  his  friends,  suddenly  struck  from  the 
 height  of  his  grandeur,  and  snatched  into  the  invisible, 
 unchangeable  world.  In  that  moment  all  his  thoughts 
 perished. 
 
 How  unspeakably  awful  such  a  transition!  How  re- 
 markable were  his  own  forebodings  of  the  approaching 
 hour!    O  Lord,  how  dost  tlioti  pour  contempt  upon 
 
 *  Incorruptible  undefiled,  unfading. 
 
66 
 
 CAHDIPHONIA. 
 
 princes,  and  teach  us  that  the  great  and  the  mean  are 
 equally  in  thy  hands,  and  at  thy  disposal,  as  clay  in  the 
 hands  of  the  potter!  Poor  king!  while  he  expected 
 obedience  to  his  own  commands,  he  lived  in  habitual 
 defiance  of  the  commands  of  God.  Men  may  respect 
 his  memory  for  his  sincerity,  benevolence,  and  other 
 amiable  qualities;  but  besides  that  he  was  engrossed  by 
 a  round  of  sensual  pleasures  (when  business  of  state  did 
 not  interfere),  his  life  was  stained  with  adultery.  Happy, 
 if  in  the  hours  he  spent  in  retirement,  when  the  pre-in- 
 timation  of  his  death  hung  heavy  upon  his  mind,  the 
 Lord  humbled  and  softened  his  heart,  and  gave  him  re- 
 pentance unto  life!  I  wish  the  history  afforded  a  proof 
 of  this.  However,  in  his  death,  we  see  an  affecting 
 proof  that  no  human  dignity  or  power  can  wai'd  off  the 
 stroke  of  the  Almighty,  who,  by  such  sudden  and  unex- 
 pected dispensations,  often  shows  himself  terrible  to  the 
 princes  and  great  men  of  the  earth.  O  that  they  could 
 see  his  hand,  and  wisely  consider  his  doing  in  them! 
 
 But  happy  is  the  man  who  fears  the  Lord,  and  de- 
 lights in  his  commandments;  who  sets  God  always  be- 
 fore him,  and  acts  under  the  constraining  influence  of 
 redeeming  love.  He  is  the  real  friend  and  the  best 
 champion  of  his  country,  who  makes  not  the  vague  no- 
 tions of  human  wisdom  and  honour,  but  the  precepts 
 and  example  of  the  blessed  Jesus,  the  model  and  the 
 motive  of  his  conduct.  He  inculcates  (as  occasion  of- 
 fers) the  great  truths  of  religion  in  his  conversation,  and 
 demonstrates  them  by  his  practice;  yet  the  best  part  of 
 his  life  is  known  only  to  God  and  himself.  His  time  is 
 divided  between  serving  his  country  in  public,  and  wrest- 
 ling for  it  in  private.  Nor  shall  his  labours  or  his  pray- 
 ers be  lost.  Either  he  shall  have  the  desire  of  his  heart, 
 and  shall  see  the  religion  and  the  liberty  he  so  highly 
 values  transmitted  to  posterity;  or,  if  he  should  live 
 when  wrath  is  decreed,  and  there  is  no  remedy,  the  pro- 
 mise and  the  providence  of  God  shall  seal  him  as  the 
 peculiar  charge  of  angels,  in  the  midst  of  public  cala- 
 mity. And  when  all  things  are  involved  in  confusion, 
 when  the  heai'ts  of  the  wicked  shall  shake  like  the  leaves 
 
LETTERS  TO  A  NOBLEMAN.  (j7 
 
 of  the  forest,  he  shall  be  kept  in  perfect  peace,  trusting 
 in  the  Lord. 
 
 I  am,  with  the  greatest  deference,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  X. 
 
 My  Lord,  March,  1773. 
 
 Usually  for  some  days  before  I  purpose  writing  to 
 your  Lordship,  my  thoughts  are  upon  the  stretch  for  a 
 subject ;  I  do  not  mean  all  day  long,  but  it  is  so  more  or 
 less :  but  I  might  as  well  spare  my  inquiries,  I  can  come 
 to  no  determination,  and  for  the  most  part  begin  to  write 
 at  an  absolute  uncertainty  how  I  am  to  proceed.  Since 
 I  cannot  premeditate,  my  heart  prays  that  it  may  be  given 
 me  in  the  same  hour  what  I  shall  offer.  A  simple  de- 
 pendence upon  the  teaching  and  influence  of  the  good 
 Spirit  of  God,  so  as  not  to  supersede  the  use  of  appointed 
 means,  would,  if  it  could  be  uniformly  maintained,  make 
 every  part  of  duty  easy  and  successful.  It  would  free 
 us  from  much  solicitude,  and  prevent  many  mistakes. 
 Methinks  I  have  a  subject  in  view  already,  a  subject  of 
 great  importance  to  myself,  and  which,  perhaps,  will  not 
 be  displeasing  to  your  Lordship :  how  to  walk  with  God 
 in  the  daily  occurrences  of  life,  so  as  to  do  every  thing 
 for  his  sake  and  by  his  strength. 
 
 When  we  are  justified  by  faith  and  accepted  in  the 
 Beloved,  we  become  heirs  of  everlasting  life:  but  we 
 cannot  know  the  full  value  of  our  privileges  till  we  enter 
 upon  the  state  of  glory.  For  this,  most  who  are  con- 
 verted have  to  wait  some  time  after  they  are  partakers 
 of  grace.  Though  the  Lord  loves  them,  hates  sin,  and 
 teaches  them  to  hate  it,  he  appoints  them  to  remain  a 
 while  in  a  sinful  world,  and  to  groan  under  the  burden 
 of  a  depraved  nature.  He  could  put  them  in  immediate 
 possession  of  the  heaven  for  which  he  has  given  them  a 
 meetness,  but  he  does  not.    He  has  a  service  for  them 
 
68 
 
 CAUDIPHONIA. 
 
 here,  an  honour  which  is  worth  all  they  can  suffer,  and 
 for  which  eternity  will  not  afford  an  opportunity,  namely, 
 to  be  instruments  of  promoting  his  designs,  and  mani- 
 festing his  grace  in  the  world.  Strictly  speaking,  this  is 
 the  whole  of  our  business  here,  the  only  reason  why  life 
 is  prolonged,  or  for  which  it  is  truly  desirable,  that  we 
 may  fill  up  our  connexions  and  situations,  improve  our 
 comforts  and  our  crosses,  in  such  a  manner  as  that  God 
 may  be  glorified  in  us  and  by  us.  As  he  is  a  bountiful 
 Master  and  a  kind  Father,  he  is  pleased  to  afford  a  va- 
 riety of  temporal  blessings,  which  sweeten  our  service, 
 and,  as  coming  from  his  hand,  are  very  valuable,  but  are 
 by  no  means  worth  living  for,  considered  in  themselves, 
 as  they  can  neither  satisfy  our  desires,  preserve  us  from 
 trouble,  nor  support  us  vmder  it.  That  light  of  God's 
 countenance  which  can  pervade  the  walls  and  dissipate  the 
 gloom  of  a  dungeon,  is  unspeakably  preferable  to  all  that 
 can  be  enjoyed  in  a  palace  without  it.  The  true  end  of 
 life  is  to  live  not  to  ourselves,  but  to  him  who  died  for 
 us;  and  while  we  devote  ourselves  to  his  service  upon 
 earth,  to  rejoice  in  the  prospect  of  being  happy  with  him 
 for  ever  in  heaven.  These  things  are  generally  known 
 and  acknowledged  by  professors ;  but  they  are  a  favoured 
 Jew  who  act  consistently  with  their  avowed  principles; 
 who  honestly,  diligently,  and  without  reserve,  endeavour 
 to  make  the  most  of  their  talents  and  strength  in  pro- 
 moting the  Lord's  service,  and  allow  themselves  in  no 
 vicAvs  or  designs  but  what  are  plainly  subordinate  and 
 subservient  to  it.  Yea,  I  believe  the  best  of  the  Lord's 
 servants  see  cause  enough  to  confess,  that  they  are  not 
 only  unprofitable  in  comparison  of  what  they  wish  to  be, 
 but,  in  many  instances,  unfaithful  likewise.  They  find 
 so  many  snares,  hindrances,  and  temptations,  arising  from 
 without,  and  so  much  embarrassment  from  sin  which 
 dwells  within,  that  they  have  more  cause  for  humiliation 
 than  self-complacence,  when  they  seem  most  earnest  and 
 most  useful.  However,  we  have  no  Scriptural  evidence 
 that  we  serve  the  Lord  at  all,  any  farther  than  we  find  an 
 habitual  desire  and  aim  to  serve  him  wholly.  He  is  gra- 
 cious to  our  imperfections  and  weakness ;  yet  he  requires 
 
LETTERS  TO  A  NOP.LEMAN. 
 
 69 
 
 all  the  heart,  and  will  not  be  served  by  halves,  nor  ac- 
 cept what  is  performed  by  a  divided  spirit.  I  lately  met 
 with  some  profane  scoffs  of  Voltaire  upon  the  sentiment 
 of  doin<;  all  to  the  glory  of  God  (such  as  might  be  ex- 
 pected from  such  a  man);  however,  this  is  the  true  al- 
 chymy  which  turns  every  thing  to  gold,  and  ennobles 
 the  common  actions  of  life  into  acts  of  religion,  1  Cor. 
 X.  31.  Nor  is  there  a  grain  of  real  goodness  in  the  most 
 specious  actions  which  are  performed  without  a  reference 
 to  Goil's  glory.  This  the  world  cannot  understand ;  but 
 it  will  appear  highly  reasonable  to  those  wlio  take  their 
 ideas  of  God  from  the  Scripture,  and  who  have  felt  the 
 necessity,  and  found  the  benefits  of  redemption.  We 
 are  debtors  many  ways.  The  Lord  has  a  right  to  us  by 
 creation,  by  redemption,  by  conquest,  when  he  freed  us 
 from  Satan's  power,  and  took  possession  of  our  hearts  by 
 his  grace;  and,  lastly,  by  our  own  voluntary  surrender 
 in  the  day  when  he  enabled  us  to  fix  our  choice  on  him- 
 self, as  our  Lord  and  our  portion.  Then  we  felt  the  force 
 of  our  obligations,  we  saw  the  beauty  and  honour  of  his 
 service,  and  that  nothing  was  worthy  to  stand  in  the 
 least  degree  of  competition  with  it.  This  is  always 
 equally  true,  though  our  perceptions  of  it  are  not  always 
 equally  strong.  But  where  it  has  been  once  really  known, 
 it  cannot  be  wholly  forgotten,  or  cease  to  be  the  govern- 
 ing principle  of  life;  and  the  Lord  has  promised  to  re- 
 vive the  impression  in  those  who  wait  upon  him,  and 
 thereby  to  renew  their  strength.  For,  in  proportion  as 
 we  feel  by  what  ties  we  are  his,  we  shall  embrace  his 
 service  as  perfect  freedom. 
 
 Again,  when  the  eye  is  thus  single,  the  whole  body 
 will  be  full  of  light.  The  principle  of  acting  simply  for 
 God,  will,  in  general,  make  the  path  of  duty  plain,  solve 
 a  thousand  otherwise  dubious  questions,  lead  to  the  most 
 proper  and  obvious  means,  and  preclude  that  painful 
 anxiety  about  events,  which  upon  no  other  plan  can  be 
 avoided.  The  love  of  God  is  the  best  casuist;  espe- 
 cially as  it  leads  us  to  a  careful  attendance  to  his  pre- 
 cepts, a  reliance  on  his  promises,  and  a  submission  to  his 
 will.    Most  of  our  pci'plexities  arise  from  an  undue 
 
 c 
 
70 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 though  perhaps  unperceived,  attachment  to  self.  Either 
 
 we  have  some  scheme  of  our  own  too  closely  connected 
 with  om'  general  view  of  serving  the  Lord,  or  lay  some 
 stress  upon  our  own  management,  which,  though  we 
 suspect  it  may  possibly  fail  us,  we  cannot  entirely 
 help  trusting  to.  In  these  respects  the  Lord  permits 
 his  servants  occasionally  to  feel  their  own  weakness; 
 but  if  they  are  sincerely  devoted  to  him,  he  will  teach 
 them  to  profit  by  it,  and  bring  them  by  degrees  to  a  sim- 
 plicity of  dependence,  as  mcII  as  of  intention.  Then 
 all  things  are  easy.  Acting  from  love,  and  walking  by 
 faith,  they  can  neither  be  disappointed  nor  discouraged. 
 Duty  is  their  part,  care  is  his;  and  they  are  enabled  to 
 cast  it  upon  him.  They  know  that,  when  their  expedi- 
 ents seem  to  fail,  he  is  still  all-sufficient.  They  kjiow 
 that,  being  engaged  in  his  cause,  they  cannot  miscarry; 
 and  that,  though,  in  some  things,  thej'  may  seem  to  fall 
 short  of  success,  they  are  sure  of  meeting  acceptance, 
 and  that  he  will  estimate  their  services,  not  by  their  ac- 
 tual effects,  but  according  to  the  gracious  principle  and 
 desire  he  has  put  into  their  hearts,  2  Chron.  vi..  7>  8. 
 
 I  am,  with  the  greatest  respect,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  XI. 
 
 My  Lord,  June,  1773. 
 
 My  old  cast-off  acquaintance,  Horace,  occasionally  came 
 in  my  way  this  morning.  I  opened  it  upon  lib.  iii.  od. 
 29.  Did  I  not  know  the  proposal  to  be  utterly  imprac- 
 ticable, how  gladly  should  I  imitate  it,  and  send  your 
 Lordship,  in  honest  prose,  if  not  in  elegant  verse,  an  in- 
 vitation. But  I  must  content  myself  with  the  idea  of 
 the  pleasure  it  would  give  me  to  sit  with  you  half  a  day 
 under  my  favourite  great  tree,  and  converse  with  you, 
 not  concerning  the  comparatively  potty  affairs  of  human 
 governments,  but  of  the  things  pertaining  to  the  kingdom 
 
LETTERS  TO  A  NOBLEMAM. 
 
 71 
 
 of  God.  How  many  delightful  subjects  would  suggest 
 themselves  in  a  free  and  retired  conversation!  The  ex- 
 cellency of  our  King,  the  permanency  and  glory  of  his 
 kingdom,  the  beauty  of  his  administration,  the  privileges 
 of  his  subjects,  the  review  of  what  he  has  done  for  us, 
 and  the  prospect  of  what  he  has  prepared  for  us  in  fu- 
 ture:— and  if,  while  we  were  conversing,  he  should  be 
 pleased  to  join  us  (as  he  did  the  disciples  when  walking 
 to  Emmaus),  how  would  our  hearts  burn  within  us!  In- 
 deed, wliether  we  are  alone  or  in  company,  the  most  in- 
 teresting topics  strike  us  but  faintly,  unless  he  is  pleased 
 to  afford  his  gi-acious  influence;  but  when  he  is  present, 
 light,  love,  liberty,  and  joy,  spring  up  in  the  hearts  that 
 know  him.  This  reminds  me  (as  I  have  mentioned 
 Horace)  to  restore  some  beautiful  lines  to  their  proper 
 application.  They  are  impious  and  idolatrous  as  he  uses 
 them,  but  have  an  expressive  propriety  in  the  mouth  of 
 a  believer: — 
 
 Jjficem  redde  turn,  dux  hone,  patrice: 
 Instar  veris  ejnm  vultus  ubi  tuus 
 AffuUit  populo,  gratirr  it  dies 
 Et  soles  melius  nitciit. 
 
 But  we  cannot  meet.  All  that  is  left  for  me  is  to  use 
 the  liberty  you  allow  me  of  offering  a  few  hints  upon 
 these  subjects  by  letter,  not  because  you  know  them  not, 
 but  because  you  love  them.  The  hour  is  coming  when 
 all  impediments  shall  be  removed.  All  distinctions  shall 
 cease  that  are  founded  upon  sublunary  things,  and  the 
 earth  and  all  its  works  shall  be  burnt  up.  Glorious  day! 
 May  our  souls  be  filled  M'ith  the  thought,  and  learn  to  esti- 
 mate all  things  around  us  noir,  by  the  view  in  which  they 
 will  appear  to  us  then!  Tlien  it  will  be  of  small  moment 
 who  was  the  prince,  and  who  was  the  beggar,  in  this  life; 
 but  who  in  their  several  situations  sought,  and  loved,  and 
 feared,  and  honoured  the  Lord.  Alas !  how  many  of  the 
 kings  of  the  earth,  and  the  rich  men,  and  the  chief  cap- 
 tains, and  the  mighty  men,  will  then  say  (in  vain)  to  the 
 mountains  and  the  rocks,  fall  on  us,  and  hide  us!  In  this 
 world  they  are  for  the  most  part  too  busy  to  regard  the 
 commands  of  God,  or  too  liappy  to  seek  his  favour;  they 
 
72 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 have  their  good  things  here;  they  please  themselves  for 
 a  while,  and  in  a  moment  they  go  down  to  the  grave:  in 
 that  moment  their  thoughts  perish,  their  schemes  are  left 
 imtinished,  they  are  torn  from  their  possessions,  and  enter 
 upon  a  new,  an  untried,  an  unchangeable,  a  never-ending 
 state  of  existence.  Alas !  is  this  all  the  world  can  afford ! 
 I  congratulate  you,  my  Lord,  not  because  God  has  appoint- 
 ed you  to  appear  in  an  elevated  rank  (this,  abstracted  from 
 the  opportunity  it  affords  you  of  greater  usefulness,  would 
 perhaps  be  a  more  proper  subject  of  condolence);  but 
 tliat  he  has  admitted  you  to  those  honours  and  privileges 
 which  come  from  him  oiily,  and  which  so  few,  in  the  su- 
 perior ranks  of  life,  think  worthy  of  their  attention.  I 
 doubt  not  but  you  are  often  affected  with  a  sense  of  this 
 distinguishing  mercy.  But  though  we  know  that  we  are 
 debtors,  great  debtors  to  the  grace  of  God,  which  alone  has 
 made  us  to  differ,  we  know  it  but  imperfectly  at  present. 
 It  doth  not  yet  appear  what  we  shall  be,  nor  can  we  form  a 
 just  conception  of  the  misery  from  which  we  are  redeem- 
 ed, much  less  of  the  price  paid  for  our  redemption.  How 
 little  do  we  know  of  the  Redeemer's  dignity,  and  of  the 
 unutterable  distress  he  endured  when  his  soul  was  made 
 an  offering  for  sin,  and  it  pleased  the  Father  to  bruise 
 him,  that  by  his  stripes  we  might  be  healed.  'These 
 things  Avill  strike  us  quite  in  another  manner  when  we 
 view  them  in  the  light  of  eternity.  Then — to  retiu-n  to 
 the  thought  from  which  I  have  rambled — then  and  there 
 I  trust  we  sliall  meet  to  the  highest  advantage,  and  spend 
 an  everlasting  day  together  in  happiness  and  praise. 
 With  this  thought  I  endeavour  to  comfort  myself  under 
 the  regret  I  sometimes  feel  that  I  can  have  so  little  in- 
 tercourse with  you  in  this  life. 
 
 May  the  cheering  contemplation  of  the  hope  set  be- 
 fore us  support  and  animate  us  to  improve  the  interval, 
 and  fill  us  with  an  holy  ambition  of  shining  as  lights  in 
 the  world,  to  the  praise  and  glory  of  his  grace,  who  has 
 called  us  out  of  darkness!  Encompassed  as  we  are  with 
 snares,  temptations,  and  infirmities,  it  is  possible  (by  his 
 promised  assistance)  to  live  in  some  good  measure  above 
 the  world  while  we  are  in  it;  above  the  influence  of 
 
LETTERS  TO  A  NOBLEMAN. 
 
 73 
 
 its  cares,  its  smiles,  or  its  fro\vns.  Our  conversation, 
 r^oXn-vfio.,  our  citizenship,  is  in  heaven.  We  are  not  at 
 home,  but  only  resident  here  for  a  season,  to  fulfil  an 
 appointed  service;  and  the  Lord,  whom  we  serve,  has 
 encouraged  us  to  hope  that  he  will  guide  us  by  his  wis- 
 dom, strengthen  us  by  his  power,  and  comfort  us  with 
 the  light  of  his  countenance,  which  is  better  than  life. 
 Every  blessing  we  receive  from  him  is  a  token  of  his  fa- 
 vour, and  a  pledge  of  that  far  more  exceeding  and  eter- 
 nal weight  of  glory  which  he  has  reserved  for  us,  O! 
 to  hear  him  say  at  last,  "  Well  done  good  and  faith- 
 ful servant,  enter  thou  into  the  joy  of  the  Lord!"  will 
 be  a  rich  amends  for  all  that  we  can  lose,  suffer,  or  for- 
 bear, for  his  sake. 
 
 I  subscribe  mj'^self,  with  great  sincerity,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  XIL 
 
 My  Lord,  Februanj,  1774. 
 
 The  first  line  of  Horace's  epistle  to  Augustus,  when 
 righty  applied,  suggests  a  grand  and  cheering  idea.  As 
 addressed  by  the  poet,  nothing  can  be  more  blasphemous, 
 idolatrous,  and  absurd ;  but  with  what  comfort  and  pro- 
 priety may  a  Christian  look  up  to  him  to  whom  all  power 
 is  committed  in  heaven  and  earth,  and  say.  Cum  tot  sus- 
 tineas  et  tanta  negotia  Solus!  Surely  a  more  weighty 
 and  comprehensive  sentence  never  dropped  from  an  un- 
 inspired pen.  And  how  beautifully  and  expressively  is 
 it  closed  by  the  word  Solus!  The  government  is  upon 
 his  shoulders:  and  though  he  is  concealed  by  a  veil  of 
 second  causes  from  common  eyes,  so  that  they  can  per- 
 ceive only  the  means,  instruments,  and  contingencies  by 
 which  he  works,  and  therefore  think  he  does  nothing; 
 yet,  in  reality,  he  does  all,  according  to  his  own  counsel 
 and  pleasure,  in  the  armies  of  heaven,  and  among  the 
 inhabitants  of  the  earth. 
 
74 
 
 CASPIPHONIA. 
 
 \V\\o  can  enumerate  the  tot  et  tanta  negotia,  wliich 
 are  incessantly  before  his  eye,  a.fljusted  by  liis  wisdom, 
 dependent  on  his  will,  and  regulated  by  his  power,  in 
 his  kingdoms  of  providence  and  grace?  If  we  consider 
 the  heavens,  the  work  of  his  fingers,  the  moon  and  the 
 stai's  which  he  has  ordained;  if  we  call  in  the  assistance 
 of  astronomers  and  glasses,  to  lielp  us  in  forming  a  con- 
 ception of  the  number,  distances,  magnitude,  and  mo- 
 tions of  the  heavenly  bodies;  the  more  we  search,  the 
 more  we  shall  be  confirmed,  that  these  are  but  a  portion 
 of  his  ways.  But  he  calls  them  all  by  their  names,  up- 
 holds them  by  his  power,  and  without  his  continual  energy 
 they  would  rush  into  confusion,  or  sink  into  nothing.  If 
 we  speak  of  intelligences,  he  is  the  life,  the  joy,  the  sun 
 of  all  tliat  are  capable  of  happiness.  Whatever  may  be 
 signified  by  the  thrones,  principalities,  and  powers  in  the 
 world  of  liglit,  they  are  all  dependent  upon  his  power, 
 and  obedient  to  his  command;  it  is  equally  true  of  angels 
 as  of  men,  that  without  him  they  can  do  nothing.  The 
 powers  of  darkness  are  likewise  under  his  subjection  and 
 control.  Though  but  little  is  said  of  them  in  scripture, 
 we  read  enough  to  assure  us  that  their  number  must  be 
 immensely  great,  and  that  their  strength,  subtlety,  and 
 malice,  are  such  as  we  may  tremble  to  think  of  them  as 
 our  enemies,  and  probably  should,  but  for  our  strange 
 insensibility  to  whatever  does  not  fall  under  tlie  cogni- 
 zance of  our  outward  senses.  But  he  holds  them  all  in 
 a  chain,  so  that  they  can  do  or  attempt  nothing  but  by 
 his  permission;  and  whatever  he  permits  them  to  do 
 (though  they  mean  nothing  less),  has  its  appointed  sub- 
 serviency in  accomplishing  his  designs. 
 
 But  to  come  nearer  home,  and  to  speak  of  what  seems 
 more  suited  to  our  scanty  apprehensions — still  we  may 
 be  lost  in  wonder.  Before  this  blessed  and  only  Poten- 
 tate, all  the  nations  of  the  earth  are  but  as  the  dust  upon 
 the  balance,  and  the  small  drop  of  a  bucket,  and  might 
 be  thought  (if  compared  w  ith  the  immensity  of  his  works) 
 scarcely  worthy  of  his  notice :  yet  here  he  presides,  per- 
 vades, provides,  protects,  and  rules.  In  him  his  creature& 
 live,  move,  and  have  their  being :  from  him  is  their  food  and 
 
LETTERS  TO  A  NOBLEMAN. 
 
 75 
 
 preservation.  The  eyes  of  all  are  upon  him :  what  he  gives 
 they  gatlier,  and  can  gather  no  more ;  and  at  his  word  they 
 sink  into  the  dust.  There  is  not  a  worm  that  crawls  upon 
 the  ground,  or  a  flower  that  grows  in  the  patliless  wilder- 
 ness, or  a  shell  upon  the  sea-shore,  but  bears  the  impress  of 
 his  wisdom,  power,  and  goodness.  With  respect  to  men, 
 he  reigns  with  uncontrolled  dominion  over  every  king- 
 dom, family,  and  individual.  Here  we  may  be  astonished 
 at  his  wisdom,  in  employing  free  agents,  the  greater  part 
 of  whom  are  his  enemies,  to  accomplish  his  purposes. 
 But,  however  reluctant,  they  all  serve  him.  His  pa- 
 tience, likewise,  is  wonderful.  Multitudes,  yea,  nearly 
 our  whole  species,  spend  the  life  and  strength  which  he 
 affords  them,  and  abuse  all  the  bounties  he  heaps  upon 
 them,  in  the  ways  of  sin.  His  commands  are  disregarded, 
 his  name  blasphemed,  his  mercy  disdained,  his  power  de- 
 fied; yet  still  he  spares.  It  is  an  eminent  part  of  his 
 government  to  restrain  the  depravity  of  human  nature, 
 and  in  various  ways  to  check  its  effects,  which,  if  left  to 
 itself,  without  his  pr(.videnlial  control,  would  presently 
 make  earth  the  very  image  of  hell.  For  the  vilest  of 
 men  are  not  suffered  to  perpetrate  a  thousandth  part  of 
 the  evil  which  their  hearts  would  prompt  thein  to.  The 
 earth,  though  lying  in  the  wicked  one,  is  filled  with  the 
 goodness  of  the  Lord.  He  preserveth  man  and  beast, 
 sustains  the  young  lion  in  the  forest,  feeds  the  birds  of 
 the  air,  Avhicli  have  neither  store-house  nor  barn,  and 
 adorns  the  insects  and  the  flowers  of  the  field  with  a 
 beauty  and  elegance  beyond  all  that  can  be  found  in  the 
 courts  of  kings. 
 
 Still  more  wonderful  is  his  administration  in  his  king- 
 dom of  grace.  He  is  present  with  all  his  creatures,  but 
 in  a  peculiar  manner  with  his  own  people.  Each  of  these 
 are  monuments  of  a  more  illustrious  display  of  power, 
 than  that  which  spread  abroad  the  heavens  like  a  curtain 
 and  laid  the  foundations  of  the  earth;  for  he  finds  them 
 all  in  a  state  of  rebellion  and  enmity,  and  makes  them  a 
 willing  people;  and  from  the  moment  he  reveals  his  love 
 to  them,  he  espouses  their  cause,  and  takes  all  their  con- 
 cerns into  his  own  hands.    He  is  near  and  attentive  to 
 
76 
 
 CAHDIPHONIA. 
 
 every  one  of  them,  as  if  there  was  only  that  one.  This 
 high  and  lofty  One,  who  inhabits  eternity,  before  whom 
 the  angels  veil  their  faces,  condescends  to  hold  commu- 
 nion with  those  wliom  men  despise.  He  sees  not  as  man 
 seeth — rides  on  a  cloud  disdainful  by  a  sultan  or  a  czar, 
 to  manifest  himself  to  an  humble  soul  in  a  mud-walled 
 cottage.  He  comforts  tliem  when  in  trouble,  strengthens 
 them  when  weak,  makes  their  beds  in  sickness,  revives 
 them  when  fainting,  upholds  them  when  falling,  and  so 
 seasonably  and  effectually  manages  for  them,  that,  though 
 they  are  persecuted  and  tempted,  though  tlieir  enemies 
 are  many  and  mighty,  nothing  that  they  feel  or  fear  is 
 able  to  separate  them  from  his  love. 
 
 And  all  this  he  does  sohts.  All  the  abilities,  powers, 
 and  instincts,  that  are  found  amongst  creatures,  are  ema- 
 nations from  his  fulness.  All  changes,  successes,  disap- 
 pointments— all  that  is  memorable  in  the  annals  of  his- 
 tory, all  the  risings  and  fills  of  empires,  all  the  turns  in 
 human  life,  take  place  according  to  his  plan.  In  vain 
 men  contrive  and  combine  to  accomplish  their  own  coun- 
 sels, imless  they  are  parts  of  his  counsel  likewise ;  the 
 efforts  of  their  utmost  strength  and  wisdom  are  crossed 
 and  reversed  by  the  feeblest  and  most  unthought-of  cir- 
 cumstances. But  when  he  has  a  work  to  accomplish, 
 and  his  time  is  come,  however  inadequate  and  weak  the 
 means  he  employs  may  seem  to  a  carnal  eye,  the  success 
 is  infallibly  secured;  for  all  things  serve  him,  and  are  in 
 his  hands  as  clay  in  the  hands  of  the  potter.  Great  and 
 marvellous  are  thy  works.  Lord  God  Almighty!  just  and 
 true  are  thy  ways,  thou  King  of  saints! 
 
 This  is  the  God  whom  we  adore.  This  is  he  who  in- 
 vites us  to  lean  upon  his  almighty  arm,  and  promises  to 
 guide  us  Avith  his  unerring  eye.  He  says  to  you,  my 
 Lord,  and  even  to  me,  Fear  not,  I  am  with  thee ;  be  not 
 dismayed,  I  am  thy  God;  I  will  strengthen  thee,  yea,  I 
 will  help  thee,  yea  I  will  upheld  thee  with  the  right  hand 
 of  ray  righteousness.  Therefore,  while  in  the  path  of 
 duty,  and  following  his  call,  we  may  cheerfully  pass  on, 
 regardless  of  apparent  difticulties;  for  the  Lord,  whose 
 we  are,  and  who  has  taught  us  to  make  his  glory  our 
 
LETTERS  TO  A  NOBLEMAN. 
 
 77 
 
 highest  end,  will  go  before  us,  and  at  his  word  crooked 
 things  become  straight,  light  shines  out  of  darkness,  and 
 mountains  sink  into  plains.  Faith  may  and  must  be  ex- 
 ercised, experience  must  and  will  confirm  what  his  word 
 declares,  that  the  heart  is  deceitful,  and  that  man  in  his 
 best  estate  is  vanity.  But  his  promises  to  them  tliat  fear 
 him  shall  be  confirmed  likewise,  and  they  shall  find  him, 
 in  all  situations,  a  sun,  a  shield,  and  an  exceeding  great 
 reward. 
 
 I  have  lost  another  of  my  people ;  a  mother  in  our 
 Israel ;  a  person  of  much  experience,  eminent  grace,  wis- 
 dom, and  usefulness.  She  walked  with  God  forty  years; 
 she  was  one  of  the  Lord's  poor;  but  her  poverty  w^as 
 decent,  sanctified,  and  honourable;  she  lived  respected, 
 and  her  death  is  considered  as  a  public  loss.  It  is  a 
 great  loss  to  me;  I  shall  miss  her  advice  and  example, 
 by  which  I  have  been  often  edified  and  animated.  But 
 Jesus  still  lives.  Almost  her  last  Avords  were,  The  Lord 
 is  my  portion,  saith  my  soul. 
 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  XIII. 
 
 My  Lord,  March  10,  1774. 
 
 For  about  six  weeks  past  I  have  had  occasion  to  spend 
 several  hours  of  almost  every  day  with  the  sick  and  the 
 dying.  These  scenes  are  to  a  minister  like  walking  the 
 hospitals  to  a  j'oung  surgeon.  The  various  cases  which 
 occur,  exemplify,  illustrate,  and  explain,  with  a  com- 
 manding energy,  many  tniths,  which  may  be  learned  in- 
 deed at  home,  but  cannot  be  so  well  understood,  or  their 
 force  so  sensibly  felt,  without  the  advantage  of  experi- 
 ence and  observation.  As  physicians,  besides  that  com- 
 petent general  knowledge  of  their  profession  which  should 
 be  common  to  them  all,  have  usually  their  several  favour- 
 ite branches  of  study,  some  applying  themselves  more 
 
CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 to  botany,  others  to  chemistry,  others  to  anatomy;  so 
 ministers,  as  tlieir  inclinations  and  gifts  differ,  are  led 
 more  closely  to  consider  some  pai'ticular  branch  of  the 
 system  of  divine  truth.  Some  are  directed  to  state  and 
 defend  the  doctrines  of  the  gospel ;  some  have  a  talent 
 for  elucidating  difficult  texts  of  Scripture;  some  have  a 
 turn  for  explaining  the  prophetical  parts,  and  so  of  the 
 rest.  For  myself,  if  it  be  lawful  to  speak  of  myself, 
 and  so  far  as  1  can  judge,  anatomy  is  my  favourite  branch ; 
 I  mean  the  study  of  the  human  heart,  with  its  workings 
 and  counterworking?,  as  it  is  differently  affected  in  a 
 state  of  nature  or  of  grace,  in  the  different  seasons  of 
 prosperity,  adversity,  conviction,  temptation,  sickness, 
 and  the  approach  of  death.  Tlie  Lord,  by  sending  me 
 hither,  provided  me  a  good  school  for  these  purposes.  I 
 know  not  where  I  could  have  had  a  better,  or  affording 
 a  greater  variety  of  characters,  in  proportion  to  the  num- 
 ber of  people;  and  as  they  are  mostly  a  poor  people,  and 
 strangers  to  that  address  which  is  the  result  of  education 
 and  converse  with  the  world,  there  is  a  simplicity  in 
 what  they  say  or  do,  which  gives  me  a  peculiar  advan- 
 tage in  judging  of  their  cases. 
 
 But  I  was  about  to  speak  of  death.  Though  the  grand 
 evidence  of  those  truths  upon  M  hich  our  hopes  are  built 
 ai'ises  from  the  authority  of  God  speaking  them  in  his 
 ■n  ord,  and  revealing  tliem  by  his  Spirit,  to  the  awakened 
 heart  (for  till  the  heart  is  avrakened  it  is  incapable  of  re- 
 ceiving this  evidence);  yet  some  of  tiiese  truths  are  so 
 mysterious,  so  utterly  repugnant  to  the  judgment  of  de- 
 praved nature,  that,  through  tlie  remaining  influence  of 
 unbelief  and  vain  reasoning,  the  temptations  of  Satan, 
 and  the  subtle  arguments  with  which  some  men  reputed 
 whe  attack  the  foundations  of  our  faith,  the  minds  even 
 of  believers  are  sometimes  capable  of  being  shaken.  I 
 know  no  better  corroborating  evidence  for  the  relief  of 
 the  mind  under  such  assaults  than  the  testimony  of  dj  ing 
 persons,  especially  of  such  as  have  lived  out  of  the  noise 
 of  controversy,  and  who  perhaps  never  heard  a  syllable 
 of  what  has  been  started  in  these  evil  days  against  the 
 Deity  of  Clirist,  his  atonement,  and  other  important  ar- 
 
■LETTEUS  TO  A  NOBLEMAN. 
 
 79 
 
 tides.  Permit  me,  my  Lord,  to  relate,  upon  this  occa- 
 sion, some  tilings  which  exceedingly  struck  me  in  the 
 conversation  I  had  with  a  young  woman  whom  I  visited 
 in  her  last  illness  about  two  yeai's  ago.  She  was  a  sober, 
 prudent  person,  of  plain  sense,  could  read  her  Bible,  but 
 had  read  little  beside:  her  knowledge  of  the  world  was 
 nearly  confined  to  the  parisli ;  for  I  suppose  she  was  sel- 
 dom, if  ever,  twelve  miles  from  home  in  her  life.  She 
 had  known  the  gospel  about  seven  years  before  the  Lord 
 visited  her  w  ith  a  lingering  consumption,  which  at  length 
 removed  her  to  a  better  world.  A  few  days  before  her 
 death,  1  had  been  praying  by  her  bed-side,  and  in  my 
 prayer  I  thanked  the  Lord,  that  he  gave  her  now  to 
 see  that  she  had  not  followed  cunningly-devised  fables. 
 When  I  had  finished,  she  repeated  that  word,  "  No,"  she 
 said,  "  not  cunningly-devised  fables ;  these  are  realities 
 indeed ;  I  feel  their  truth,  I  feel  their  comfort.  O  tell  my 
 friends,  tell  my  acquaintance,  tell  inquiring  souls,  tell  poor 
 sinners,  tell  all  the  daughters  of  Jerusalem  (alluding  to 
 Solomon's  Song,  v.  16,  from  which  she  had  just  before  de- 
 sired me  to  preach  at  her  funeral),  what  Jesus  has  done 
 for  my  soul.  Tell  them,  that  now  in  the  time  of  need  I 
 find  him  my  beloved  and  my  friend,  and  as  such  I  com- 
 mend him  to  them."  She  then  fixed  her  eyes  stedfastly 
 upon  me,  and  proceeded  as  well  as  I  can  recollect,  as 
 follows: — "  Sir,  you  are  highly  favoured  in  being  called 
 to  preach  the  gospel.  I  have  often  heard  you  with  plea- 
 sure; but  give  me  leave  to  tell  you,  that  I  now  see  all 
 you  have  said,  or  can  say,  is  comparatively  but  little. 
 Nor,  till  you  come  into  my  situation,  and  have  death  and 
 eternity  full  in  your  view,  will  it  be  possible  for  you  to 
 conceive  the  vast  weight  and  importance  of  the  truths 
 you  declare.  O,  Sir,  it  is  a  serious  thing  to  die;  no 
 words  can  express  what  is  needful  to  support  the  soul  in 
 the  solemnity  of  a  dying  hour." 
 
 I  believe  it  was  the  next  day  when  I  visited  her  again. 
 After  some  discourse  as  usual,  she  said,  with  a  remark- 
 able vehemence  of  speech,  "  Are  you  sure  I  cannot  be 
 mistaken?"  I  answered  without  hesitation,  "  Yes,  I  am 
 sure ;  I  am  not  afraid  to  say,  my  soul  for  yours  that  you 
 
80 
 
 CARDITIIONIA. 
 
 are  right."  Slie  paused  a  little,  and  then  replied,  "  You 
 ray  true ;  I  know  I  am  right.  I  feel  that  my  hope  is 
 fixed  upon  the  Rock  of  Ages;  I  know  in  whom  I  have  be- 
 lieved. Yet  if  3'ou  could  sec  with  my  eyes  you  would 
 not  wonder  at  mj^  question.  But  the  approach  of  death 
 presents  a  prospect,  wliich  is  till  tlien  hidden  from  us,  and 
 which  cannot  be  described."  She  said  much  more  to  the 
 same  purpose ;  and  in  all  she  spoke  there  was  a  dignity, 
 weight,  and  evidence,  which  I  suppose  few  professors  of 
 divinitj',  when  lecturing  from  the  chair,  have  at  any  time 
 equalled.  We  may  well  say  with  Elihu,  Who  teacheth 
 like  him?  Many  instances  of  the  like  kind  I  have  met  with 
 here.  I  have  a  poor  girl  near  me  who  looks  like  an  idiot, 
 and  her  natural  capacity  is  indeed  very  small;  but  the 
 Lord  has  been  pleased  to  make  her  acquainted  alter- 
 nately with  great  temptations,  and  proportionably  great 
 discoveries  of  his  love  and  truth.  Sometimes,  when  her 
 heart  is  enlai'ged,  I  listen  to  her  with  astonishment  I 
 think  no  books  or  ministers  I  ever  met  with  have  given 
 uie  such  an  impression  and  understanding  of  what  the 
 apostle  styles  Ta  /3«^>j  roy  Qtov,  as  I  have  upon  some  oc- 
 casions received  from  her  conversation. 
 
 But  I  am  rambling  again.  My  attendance  upon  the 
 sick  is  not  always  equally  comfortable ;  but  could  I  learn 
 ai'ight,  it  may  be  equally  instructive.  Some  confirm 
 the  preciousness  of  a  Saviour  to  me,  by  the  cheerfulness 
 with  which,  through  faith  in  his  name,  they  meet  the 
 king  of  terrors.  Others  no  less  confirm  it  by  the  terror 
 and  reluctance  they  discover  when  they  find  they  must 
 die;  for  though  there  are  too  many  who  sadly  slight  the 
 blessed  gospel  while  they  are  in  health,  yet  in  this  place 
 most  are  too  far  enlightened  to  be  quite  thoughtless  about 
 their  souls,  if  they  retain  their  senses  in  their  last  illness. 
 Then,  like  the  foolish  virgins,  they  say.  Give  us  of  your 
 oil:  then  they  are  willing  that  ministers  and  professors 
 should  pray  with  them,  and  speak  to  them.  Through 
 the  Lord's  goodness,  several  whom  I  have  visited  in  these 
 circumstances  have  aff"orded  me  good  hope;  they  have 
 been  savingly  changed  by  his  blessing  upon  what  has 
 passed  at  the  eleventh  hour.    I  have  seen  a  marvellous 
 
LETTERS  TO  A  NOBLEMAN. 
 
 81 
 
 and  blessed  change  take  place  in  their  language,  views, 
 and  tempers,  in  a  few  days.  I  now  visit  a  young  per- 
 son, who  is  cut  short  in  her  nineteenth  year  by  a  con- 
 sumption, and  I  think  cannot  live  many  da)'s.  I  found 
 her  very  ignorant  and  insensible,  and  she  remained  so  a 
 good  while;  but  of  late  I  hope  her  heart  is  touched. 
 She  feels  her  lost  state,  she  seems  to  have  some  right  de- 
 sires, she  begins  to  pray,  and  in  such  a  manner  as  I  can- 
 not but  hope  the  Lord  is  teaching  her,  and  will  reveal 
 himself  to  her  before  she  departs.  But  it  is  sometimes 
 otherwise.  I  saw  a  young  woman  die  last  week ;  I  had 
 been  often  with  her;  but  the  night  she  was  removed  she 
 could  only  say.  Oh!  I  cannot  live,  I  cannot  live!  She 
 repeated  this  mournful  complaint  as  long  as  she  could 
 speak;  for  as  the  vital  powers  were  more  oppressed,  her 
 voice  was  changed  into  groans;  her  groans  grew  fainter 
 and  fainter,  and  in  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour  after  she  had 
 done  speaking,  she  expired.  Poor  thing,  I  thought,  as  I 
 stood  by  her  bed-side,  if  you  were  a  duchess  in  this  situ- 
 ation, what  could  the  world  do  for  you  now!  I  thought 
 likewise  how  many  things  are  there  that  now  give  us 
 pleasm-e  or  pain,  and  assume  a  mighty  importance  in  our 
 view,  which,  in  a  dying  hour,  will  be  no  more  to  us  than 
 the  clouds  which  fly  unnoticed  over  our  heads.  Then 
 the  truth  of  our  Lord's  aphorism  will  be  seen,  felt,  and 
 acknowledged,  "  One  thing  is  needful;"  and  we  shall 
 be  ready  to  apply  Grotius's  dying  confession  to  (alas!) 
 a  great  part  of  our  lives,  Ah  vitam perdidi,  nihil  agendo 
 laboriose. 
 
 Your  Lordship  allows  me  to  send  unpremeditated  let- 
 ters.   I  need  not  assure  you  that  is  one. 
 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
82 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 LETTER  XIV. 
 
 My  Lord,  3Iarch  24,  1774. 
 
 What  a  mercy  is  it  to  be  separated  in  spirit,  conversa- 
 tion, and  interest,  from  the  Avorld  that  knows  not  God, 
 wliere  all  are  alike  by  nature!    Grace  makes  a  happy 
 and  unspeakable  difference.    Believers  were  once  under 
 t!ie  same  influence  of  that 'spirit  who  still  worketh  in  the 
 "liildren  of  disobedience,  pursuing  different  paths,  but  all 
 equally  remote  from  truth  and  peace;  some  hatching 
 cockatrice  eggs,  others  weaving  spiders'  webs.  These 
 two  general  heads  of  mischief  and  vanity  include  all  the 
 schemes,  aims,  and  achievements  of  which  man  is  capa- 
 ble, till  God  is  pleased  to  visit  the  heart  with,  his  grace. 
 The  busy  part  of  mankind  are  employed  in  multiplying 
 evils  and  miseries;  the  more  retired,  speculative,  and 
 curious,  are  amusing  themselves  with  what  will  hereafter 
 appear  a^i  imsubstantial,  unstable,  and  useless  as  a  cob- 
 web.   Death  will  soon  sweep  away  all  that  the  philoso- 
 phers, the  virtuosi,  the  mathematicians,  the  antiquarians, 
 and  other  learned  triflers,  are  now  weaving  with  so  much 
 self-applanded  address.    Nor  will  the  fine-spun  dresses 
 in  which  the  moralist  and  the  self-righteous  clothe  them- 
 selves, be  of  more  advantage  to  them,  either  for  orna- 
 ment or  defence,  than  the  produce  of  a  spider.    But  it  is 
 given  to  a  few  to  know  their  present  state  and  future  desti- 
 nation. Those  build  upon  the  immovable  Rock  of  Ages 
 for  eternity.  These  are  trees  springing  from  a  living  root, 
 and  bear  the  fruits  of  righteousness,  which  are  by  Jesus 
 Christ  to  the  glory  and  praise  of  God.    These  only  are 
 awake,  while  the  rest  of  the  world  are  in  a  sleep,  indulg- 
 ing in  vain  dreams,  from  which,  likewise,  they  will  shortly 
 awake;  but,  oh,  with  what  consternation,  when  they  shall 
 find  themselves  irrecoverably  divorced  from  all  their  de- 
 lusive attachments,  and  compelled  to  appear  before  that 
 God  to  vlioni  they  have  lived  strangers,  and  to  whom 
 they  must  give  an  account!    O  for  a  thousand  tongues 
 to  iiroclaim  in  the  ears  of  thoughtless  mortals  that  iin- 
 
LETTERS  TO  A  NOBLEMAN. 
 
 83 
 
 portant  aphorism  of  our  Lord,  "  One  thing  is  needful.'' 
 Yet  a  thousand  tongues  would  be,  and  are  employed  in 
 vain,  unless  so  far  as  the  Lord  is  pleased  to  send  the 
 watchman's  warning,  by  the  power  and  agency  of  his 
 own  Spirit.  I  think  the  poet  tells  us  that  Cassandra  had 
 the  gift  of  truly  foretelling  future  events;  but  she  was 
 afterwai'ds  laid  under  a  painful  embarrassment,  that  no- 
 body should  believe  her  words.  Such,  with  respect  to 
 the  bulk  of  their  auditories,  is  the  lot  of  gospel  ministers; 
 they  are  enlightened  to  see,  and  sent  forth  to  declare,  the 
 awful  consequences  of  sin;  but  alas!  how  few  believe 
 their  report!  To  illustrate  our  grief  and  disappoint- 
 ment, I  sometimes  suppose  there  was  a  dangerous  water 
 in  the  way  of  travellers,  over  which  there  is  a  bridge, 
 which  those  who  can  be  prevailed  upon  may  pass  with 
 safet}^  By  the  side  of  this  bridge  watchmen  are  placed, 
 to  warn  passengers  of  the  danger  of  the  waters;  to  as- 
 sure them,  that  all  who  attempt  to  go  through  them  in- 
 evitably perish ;  to  invite,  entreat,  and  beseech  them,  if 
 they  value  their  lives,  to  cross  the  bridge.  Methinks 
 this  should  be  an  easy  task.  Yet,  if  we  should  see  in 
 fact  the  greater  part  stopping  their  ears  to  the  friendly 
 importunity;  many  so  much  offended  by  it,  as  to  account 
 the  watchman's  care  impertinent,  and  only  deserving  of 
 scorn  and  ill  treatment;  hardly  one  in  fifty  betaking 
 themselves  to  the  friendly  bridge,  the  rest  eagerly  plung- 
 ing into  the  waters,  from  which  none  return,  as  if  they 
 were  determined  to  try  who  should  be  drowned  first: 
 this  spectacle  would  be  no  unfit  emblem  of  the  reception 
 the  gospel  meets  with  from  a  blinded  world.  The  mi- 
 nisters are  rejected,  opposed,  vilified;  they  are  accounted 
 troublers  of  the  world,  because  they  dare  not,  cannot 
 stand  silent,  while  sinners  are  perishing  before  their  eyes ; 
 and  if,  in  the  course  of  many  sermons,  they  can  prevail  but 
 on  one  soul  to  take  timely  warning,  and  to  seek  to  Jesus, 
 who  is  the  way,  the  truth,  and  the  life,  they  may  account 
 it  a  mercy  and  an  honour,  sufficient  to  overbalance  all 
 the  labour  and  reproaches  they  are  called  to  endure. 
 From  the  most  they  must  expect  no  better  reception 
 
S4 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 than  the  Jews  gave  to  Jeremiah,  who  told  the  prophet 
 to  his  face,  "  As  to  the  word  thou  hast  spoken  to  us  in 
 tlie  name  of  the  Lord,  we  will  not  hearken  to  thee  at  all, 
 but  we  will  certainly  do  whatsoever  thing  goeth  forth 
 out  of  our  own  mouth."  Surely,  if  the  Lord  has  given  us 
 any  sense  of  the  worth  of  our  souls,  any  compassion 
 towards  them,  this  must  be  a  painful  exercise;  and  ex- 
 perience must  teach  us  something  of  the  meanmg  of  Je- 
 remiah's pathetic  exclamation,  "  O  that  my  head  were 
 waters,  and  mine  eyes  fountains  of  tears,  that  I  might 
 weep  day  and  night  for  the  slain  of  the  daughters  of 
 my  people!"    It  is  our  dufi/  to  be  thus  affected.  Our 
 relief  lies  in  the  wisdom  and  sovereignty  of  God.    He  re- 
 veals his  salvation  to  whom  he  pleases,  for  the  most  part 
 to  babes ;  from  the  bulk  of  tlie  wise  and  the  prudent  it 
 is  hidden.    Thus  it  hath  pleased  him,  and  therefore  it 
 must  be  right.    Yea,  he  will  one  day  condescend  to  jus- 
 tify the  propriety  and  equity  of  his  proceedings  to  his 
 creatures:  then  every  mouth  will  be  stopped,  and  none 
 will  be  able  to  reply  against  their  Judge.    Light  is  come 
 into  the  world,  but  men  prefer  darkness.    They  hate  the 
 light,  resist  it,  and  rebel  against  it.    It  is  true,  all  do  so; 
 and  therefore,  if  all  were  to  perish  under  the  condemna- 
 tion, their  ruin  would  be  their  own  act.    It  is  of  grace 
 that  any  are  saved,  and  in  the  distribution  of  that  grace 
 he  does  v.hat  he  Avill  with  his  own:  a  right  which  mos. 
 are  ready  enough  to  claim  in  their  own  concerns,  though 
 they  are  so  unwilling  to  allow  it  to  the  Lord  of  all.  Many 
 perplexing  and  acrimonious  disputes  have  been  started 
 upon  this  subject;  but  tlie  redeemed  of  the  Lord  are 
 called,  not  to  dispute,  but  to  admire  and  rejoice;  to  love, 
 adore,  and  obey.    To  know  that  he  loved  us,  and  gave 
 himself  for  us,  is  the  constraining  argument  and  motive 
 to  love  him,  and  surrender  ourselves  to  him;  to  consider 
 ourselves  as  no  longer  our  own,  but  to  devote  ourselves, 
 with  every  faculty,  power,  and  talent,  to  his  service  and 
 glory.    He  deserves  our  all;  for  he  parted  with  all  for 
 us.    He  made  himself  poor — he  endured  shame,  torture, 
 death,  and  the  curse  for  us,  that  we,  through  him,  might 
 
LETTERS  TO  A  NOBLEMAN. 
 
 85 
 
 inherit  everlasting  life.  Ah!  the  hardness  of  my  heart, 
 that  I  am  no  mor(>  affected,  astonished,  overpowered  with 
 this  thought. 
 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  XV. 
 
 My  Lord,  April  20,  1774. 
 
 I  HAVE  been  pondering  a  good  while  for  a  subject,  and 
 at  last  I  begin  without  one,  hoping  that  (as  it  has  often 
 happened)  while  I  am  writing  one  line,  something  will 
 occur  to  fill  up  another.  Indeed  I  have  an  inexhausti- 
 ble fund  at  hand;  but  it  is  to  me  often  like  a  prize  in 
 the  hand  of  a  fool,  I  want  skill  to  improve  it.  O  for  a 
 warm,  a  suitable,  a  seasonable  train  of  thought,  that 
 might  enliven  my  own  heart,  and  not  be  unworthy  your 
 Lordship's  perusal!  Methinks  the  poets  can  have  but 
 cold  comfort,  when  they  invocate  a  fabled  muse;  but  we 
 have  a  warrant,  a  right  to  look  up  for  tlie  influence  of 
 the  Holy  Spirit,  wlio  ordains  strength  for  us,  and  has 
 promised  to  work  in  us.  What  a  comfort,  what  an  hon- 
 our is  this,  that  worms  have  liberty  to  look  up  to  God! 
 and  that  He,  the  higli  and  holy  One  who  inhabiteth 
 eternity,  is  pleased  to  look  down  upon  us,  to  maintain 
 our  peace,  to  supply  our  wants,  to  guide  us  with  his  eye, 
 and  to  inspire  us  with  wisrlom  and  grace  suitable  to  our 
 occasions!  They  who  profess  to  know  something  of  this 
 intercourse,  and  to  depend  upon  it,  are  by  the  world  ac- 
 counted enthusiasts,  who  know  not  wliat  they  mean,  or 
 perhaps  hypocrites,  who  pretend  to  what  they  have  not, 
 in  order  to  cover  some  biise  designs.  But  we  have  rea- 
 son to  bear  their  reproaches  with  patience.  Could  the 
 miser  say, 
 
  Poptilus  me  Hbilat,  at  mihi  plando 
 
 Ipse  dome,  simul  ac  nummos  contemphr  in  area. 
 
 Well  then  may  the  believer  say,  let  them  laugh,  let  them 
 
 c  2 
 
86 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 ■age,  let  them,  if  they  please,  point  at  me  for  a  fool  as  I 
 walk  the  streets ;  if  I  do  but  take  up  the  Bible,  or  run  over 
 in  my  mind  the  inventory  of  the  blessings  with  which  the 
 I^ord  has  enriched  me,  I  have  sufficient  amends.  Jesus 
 is  mine ;  in  him  I  have  wisdom,  righteousness,  sanctifi- 
 cation,  and  redemption,  an  interest  in  all  the  promises 
 and  in  all  the  perfections  of  God;  he  will  guide  me  hy 
 his  counsel,  support  me  by  his  power,  comfort  me  with 
 his  presence,  while  I  am  here;  and  afterwards,  when 
 flesh  and  heart  fail,  he  will  receive  me  to  his  glory. 
 
 Let  them  say  M  hat  they  will,  thej^  shall  not  dispute  or 
 laugh  us  out  of  our  spiritual  senses.  If  all  the  blind 
 men  in  the  kingdom  should  endeavour  to  bear  me  down, 
 that  the  sun  is  not  bright,  or  that  the  rainbow  has  no  co- 
 lours, I  would  still  believe  my  own  eyes.  I  have  seen 
 them  both,  they  have  not.  I  cannot  prove  to  their  satis- 
 faction what  I  assert,  because  they  are  destitute  of  sight, 
 the  necessary  medium;  yet  their  exceptions  produce  no 
 uncertainty  in  my  mind;  they  would  not — they  could 
 not,  hesitate  a  moment,  if  they  were  not  blind.  Just  so, 
 tliey  who  have  been  taught  of  God,  who  have  tasted  that 
 tlie  Lord  is  gracious,  have  an  experimental  perception  of 
 the  truth,  whicli  renders  them  proof  against  all  the  so- 
 phistry of  infidels.  I  am  persuaded  we  have  many  plain 
 people  here,  who,  if  a  wise  man  of  the  world  was  to 
 suggest  that  the  Bible  is  a  human  invention,  would  be 
 quite  at  a  loss  how  to  answer  iiim  by  arguments  drawn 
 from  external  evidences;  yet  they  have  found  such  ef- 
 fects from  this  blessed  book,  that  they  would  be  no  more 
 moved  by  the  insinuation,  than  if  they  were  tohl,  that  a 
 cunning  man,  or  set  of  men,  invented  the  sun,  and  placed 
 it  in  the  firmament.  So,  if  a  wise  Socinian  was  to  tell 
 them  that  the  Saviour  Mas  only  a  man  like  themselves, 
 they  would  conceive  just  such  an  opinion  of  his  skill  in 
 di\  inity,  as  a  philosopher  would  do  of  a  clown's  skill  in 
 astronomy,  who  should  affirm  that  the  sun  m  as  no  bigger 
 than  a  cart-wheel. 
 
 It  remains  therefore  a  truth,  in  defiance  of  all  the 
 cavils  of  the  ignorant,  that  the  Holy  Spirit  does  influ- 
 ence the  hearts  of  all  the  children  of  God,  or,  in  other 
 
LETTERS  TO  A  NOBLEMAN. 
 
 87 
 
 Tords,  they  are  inspired,  not  with  new  revelations,  but 
 ,vith  grace  and  wisdom  to  understand,  apply,  and  feed 
 upon  the  great  things  already  revealed  in  tlie  scriptures, 
 without  which  the  scriptures  are  as  useless  as  spectacles 
 to  the  blind.  Were  it  not  so,  when  we  become  ac- 
 quainted with  the  poverty,  ignorance,  and  wickedness  of 
 our  hearts,  we  must  sit  down  in  utter  despair  of  being 
 ever  able  to  think  a  good  thought,  to  offer  a  single  peti- 
 tion aright  in  prayer,  or  to  take  one  safe  step  in  the  path 
 of  life.  But  now  we  may  be  content  with  our  proper 
 weakness,  since  the  power  and  spirit  of  Christ  are  engaged 
 to  rest  upon  us ;  and  while  we  are  preserved  in  a  simple 
 dependence  upon  this  help,  though  unable  of  ourselves  to 
 do  any  tiling,  we  shall  find  an  ability  to  do  every  thing 
 that  our  circumstances  and  duty  call  for.  What  is  weaker 
 than  a  worm  ?  Yet  the  Lord's  worms  shall,  in  his  strength, 
 thresh  tlie  mountains,  and  make  the  hills  as  chalF.  But 
 this  life  of  faith — this  living  and  acting  by  a  power  above 
 our  own,  is  an  inexplicable  mystery,  till  experience  makes 
 it  plain.  I  have  often  wondered  that  St  Paul  has  ob- 
 tained so  much  quarter  at  the  hands  of  some  people,  as 
 to  pass  with  them  for  a  man  of  sense;  for  surely  the 
 greatest  part  of  iiis  writings  must  be  to  the  last  degree  ab- 
 surd and  unintelligi))le  upon  their  principles.  How  many 
 ontradictions  must  they  find,  for  instance,  if  they  give 
 tny  attention  to  what  they  read,  in  that  one  passage,  Gal. 
 ii.  20,  "  I  am  crucified  with  Christ:  nevertheless  I  live; 
 yet  not  I,  but  Christ  liveth  in  me:  and  the  life  which  I 
 now  live  in  the  flesh  I  live  by  faith  in  the  Son  of  God, 
 who  loved  me,  and  gave  himself  for  me." 
 
 And  as  believers  are  thus  inspired  by  the  Holy  Spirit, 
 who  furnishes  them  with  desires,  motives,  and  al)ilities, 
 to  perform  what  is  agreeable  to  his  will;  so  I  apprehend, 
 that  they  who  live  without  God  in  the  world,  whom  the 
 apostle  styles  sensual,  not  having  the  spirit,  are  in  a 
 greater  or  less  degree,  ad  captam  rccipientis,  under  what 
 I  may  call  a  hlack  inspirati  m.  After  making  the  best 
 allowances  I  can,  both  for  tlie  extent  of  human  genius 
 and  the  deplorable  evil  of  the  human  heart,  I  cannot  sup- 
 pose that  one  half  of  the  wicked  wit,  of  which  some  per- 
 
83 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 sons  are  so  proud,  is  properly  their  own.  Perhaps  such 
 a  one  as  Voltaire  would  neither  have  written,  nor  have 
 been  read  or  admired  so  much,  if  he  had  not  been  the 
 amanuensis  of  an  aliler  iiand  in  his  own  way.  Satan  is 
 always  near  when  the  heart  is  disposed  to  receive  him; 
 and  the  Lord  withdraws  his  restraints,  to  heighten  the 
 sinners  ability  of  sinning  with  an  eclat,  and  assisting 
 him  with  such  strokes  of  blasphemy,  malice,  and  false- 
 hood, as  perhaps  he  could  not  otherwise  have  attained. 
 Therefore,  I  do  not  wonder  tliat  they  are  clever  and  smart, 
 that  they  raise  a  laugli,  and  are  received  with  applause 
 among  those  who  are  like  minded  with  themselves.  But 
 imless  the  Lord  is  pleased  to  grant  them  repentance 
 (though  it  is  rather  to  be  feared  some  of  them  are  given 
 up  to  judicial  ha.  dness  of  heart),  how  much  better  would 
 it  have  been  for  them  had  they  been  born  idiots  or  lu- 
 natics, than  to  be  distinguished  as  the  willing,  industri- 
 ous, and  successful  instruments  of  the  powers  of  darkness, 
 in  beguiling,  perverting,  and  ruining  the  souls  of  men! 
 Alas,  what  are  parts  and  talents,  or  any  distinctions 
 which  give  pre-eminence  in  life,  unless  they  are  sancti- 
 fied by  the  grace  of  God,  and  directed  to  the  accomplish- 
 ment of  his  will  and  glory!  From  the  expression.  Bind 
 them  in  bundles,  and  burn  them,  I  have  been  led  to  think 
 that  the  deceivers  and  the  deceived,  they  who  have  pros- 
 tituted their  gifts  or  influence  to  encourage  others  in  sin, 
 and  they  who  have  perished  by  their  means,  may  in  an- 
 other world  have  some  peculiar  and  insepai'able  con- 
 nection, and  spend  an  eternity  in  fruitless  lamentations, 
 that  ever  they  were  connected  here. 
 
 Youi-  Lordship,  I  doubt  not,  feels  the  force  of  that 
 line, 
 
 O  to  grace  how  great  a  debtor!  
 
 Had  not  the  Lord  separated  you  for  himself,  your 
 rank,  your  abilities,  your  influence,  which  now  you  chiefly 
 value  as  enlarging  your  opportunities  of  usefulness,  might, 
 nay  certainly  would,  have  been  diverted  into  the  opposite 
 channel. 
 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
LETTERS  TO  A  NOBLEMAN. 
 
 89 
 
 LETTER  XVI. 
 
 My  Lord,  November  b,  177-i. 
 
 I  HAVE  not  very  lately  liad  recourse  to  the  expedient  of 
 descantinjj  upon  a  text,  but  I  believe  it  the  best  method 
 I  can  take  to  avoid  ringing  changes  upon  a  few  obvious 
 topics,  which  I  suppose  uniformly  prest-nt  themselves  to 
 my  niin<l  when  I  am  about  to  write  to  j'our  Lordship. 
 Just  now  that  sweet  expression  of  David  occurred  to  my 
 thoughts,  llie  Lord  is  my  Shepherd!  Permit  me,  witli- 
 out  plan  or  premeditation,  to  make  a  few  observations 
 upon  it ;  and  may  your  Lordship  feel  the  peace,  the  con- 
 fidence, the  blessedness,  which  a  believing  application  of 
 the  words  is  suited  to  inspire. 
 
 The  Socinians  and  otliers,  in  their  unhappy  laboured 
 attempts  to  darken  the  principal  glory  and  foundation- 
 comfort  of  the  gospel,  employ  tiieir  critical  sophistry 
 against  those  texts  which  expressly  and  doctrinally  de- 
 clare the  Redeemer's  character;  and  affect  to  triumph,  if 
 in  any  manuscript  or  ancient  version  they  can  find  a  va- 
 riation from  tlie  received  copies  which  seems  to  favour 
 their  cause.  But  we  may  venture  to  waive  the  authority 
 of  every  disputed  or  disputable  text,  and  maintain  the 
 trutli  against  their  cavils,  from  the  current  language  and 
 tenor  of  the  whole  scripture.  David's  words  in  Psal. 
 xxiii.  are  alone  a  decisive  proof  that  Jesus  is  Jehovah,  if 
 they  will  but  allow  two  things,  which  I  think  they  can- 
 not deny; — 1.  That  our  Saviour  assumes  to  himself  the 
 character  of  the  Shepherd  of  his  people ; — and  2.  That 
 he  did  not  come  into  the  world  to  abridge  those  advan- 
 tages which  the  servants  of  God  enjoyed  before  his  incar- 
 nation. Upon  these  premises,  which  cannot  be  gainsaid 
 without  setting  aside  the  whole  New  Testament,  the 
 conclusion  is  undeniable:  for  if  Jehovah  was  David's 
 Shepherd,  unless  Jesus  be  Jehovah,  we  who  live  under 
 the  gospel  have  an  unspeakable  advantage,  in  being  in- 
 trusted to  the  care  of  one  who,  according  to  the  Socinians, 
 is  a  mere  man;  and,  upon  the  Arian  scheme,  is  at  the 
 
90 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 most  a  creature,  and  infinitely  short  of  possessing  those 
 perfections  which  David  contemplated  in  his  Shepherd. 
 He  had  a  Shepherd  whose  wisdom  and  power  were  in- 
 finite, and  might  therefore  warrantably  conclude  he 
 should  not  want,  and  need  not  fear.  And  we  also  may 
 conclude  the  same,  if  our  Shepherd  be  the  Lord  or  Je- 
 hovah, but  not  otherwise.  Besides,  the  very  nature  of 
 the  Shepherd's  office  respecting  the  state  of  such  frail 
 creatures  as  we  are,  requires  those  attributes  for  the  due 
 discharge  of  it  which  are  incommunicably  divine.  He 
 must  intimately  know  every  individual  of  the  flock.  His 
 eye  must  be  upon  them  every  one,  and  his  ear  open  to 
 tlieir  prayers,  and  his  arm  stretched  out  for  their  relief, 
 in  all  places  and  in  all  ages.  Every  thought  of  every 
 heart  must  be  open  to  his  view,  and  his  wisdom  must  pe- 
 netrate, and  his  arm  control  and  overrule,  all  the  hidden 
 and  complicated  machinations  of  the  powers  of  darkness. 
 He  must  have  the  administration  of  universal  provi- 
 dence over  all  the  nations,  families,  and  persons  upon 
 earth,  or  he  cotdd  not  effectually  manage  for  those  who 
 put  their  trust  in  him,  in  that  immense  variety  of  cases 
 and  circumstances  in  which  they  are  found.  Reason,  as 
 well  as  scripture,  may  convince  us,  that  he  who  gathereth 
 the  outcasts  of  Israel,  who  healeth  the  broken  in  heart, 
 who  upholdeth  all  that  fall,  raiseth  up  all  that  are  bowed 
 down,  and  upon  whom  the  eyes  of  all  wait  for  their  sup- 
 port, can  be  no  other  than  he  who  telleth  the  number  of 
 the  stars,  and  calleth  them  all  by  their  names,  who  is 
 great  in  power,  and  whose  understanding  is  infinite.  To 
 this  purpose  likewise  the  prophet  Isaiah  describes  this 
 mighty  Shepherd,  chap.  xl.  9-17,  both  as  to  his  person 
 and  office. 
 
 But  is  not  this  indeed  the  great  mystery  of  godliness! 
 How  just  is  the  apostle's  observation,  that  no  man  can 
 say  Jesus  Christ  is  Lord,  but  by  the  Holy  Ghost!  How 
 astonishing  the  thouglit,  that  the  maker  of  heaven  and 
 earth,  the  Holy  One  of  Israel,  before  whose  presence  the 
 earth  shook,  the  heavens  dropped,  when  he  displayed  a 
 faint  emblem  of  his  majesty  upon  Sinai,  should  afterwards 
 appear  in  the  form  of  a  servant,  and  hang  upon  a  cross, 
 
LETTERS  TO  A  NOBLEMAN. 
 
 91 
 
 the  sport  and  scorn  of  wicked  men!  I  cannot  wonder 
 that  to  the  wise  men  of  the  world  this  appears  absurd, 
 unreasonable,  and  impossible;  yet  to  right  reason,  to  rea- 
 son enlightened  and  sanctified,  however  amazing  the  pro- 
 position be,  yet  it  appears  true  and  necessary,  upon  a 
 supposition,  that  a  holy  God  is  pleased  to  pardon  sinners 
 in  a  way  suited  to  display  the  awful  glories  of  his  justice. 
 The  same  arguments  which  prove  the  blood  of  bulls  and 
 goats  insutRcient  to  take  away  sin,  will  conclude  against 
 the  utmost  doings  or  sufferings  of  men  or  angels.  The 
 Redeemer  of  sinners  must  be  mighty;  he  must  have  a 
 personal  dignity  to  stamp  such  a  value  upon  his  under- 
 takings, as  that  thereby  God  may  appear  just,  as  well  as 
 merciful,  in  justifying  the  ungodly  for  his  sake:  and  he 
 must  be  all-sufficient  to  bless,  and  almighty  to  protect, 
 those  who  come  unto  him  for  safety  and  life. 
 
 Such  a  one  is  our  Shepherd.  This  is  he  of  whom  we, 
 through  grace,  are  enabled  to  say,  we  are  his  people  and 
 the  sheep  of  his  pasture.  We  are  his  by  every  tie  and 
 right ;  he  made  us,  he  redeemed  us,  he  reclaimed  us  from 
 the  hand  of  our  enemies,  and  we  are  his  by  our  own  vo- 
 luntary surrender  of  ourselves;  for  though  we  once  slight- 
 ed, despised,  and  opposed  him,  he  made  us  willing  in  the 
 day  of  his  power;  he  knocked  at  the  door  of  our  hearts; 
 but  we  (at  least  I)  barred  and  fastened  it  against  him  as 
 much  and  as  long  as  possible.  But  when  he  revealed  his 
 love,  we  could  stand  out  no  longer.  Like  sheep,  we  are 
 weak,  destitute,  defenceless,  prone  to  wander,  unable  to 
 return,  and  always  surrounded  with  wolves.  But  all  is 
 made  up  in  the  fulness,  ability,  wisdom,  compassion,  care, 
 and  faithfulness  of  our  great  Shepherd.  He  guides,  pro- 
 tects, feeds,  heals,  and  restores,  and  will  be  our  guide  and 
 our  God  even  until  death.  Then  he  will  meet  us,  re- 
 ceive us,  and  present  us  unto  himself,  and  we  shall  be 
 near  him,  and  like  him,  and  with  him  for  ever. 
 
 Ah!  my  Lord,  what  a  subject  is  this!  I  trust  it  is 
 the  joy  of  your  heart.  Placed  as  you  are  by  his  hand 
 in  a  superior  rank,  you  see  and  feel  that  the  highest 
 honours,  and  the  most  important  concernments  that  ter- 
 minate with  the  present  life,  are  trivial  as  the  sports  of 
 
92 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 children,  in  comparison  -H  ith  the  views  and  tlie  privileges 
 you  derive  from  the  glorious  gospel;  and  your  situation 
 in  life  renders  the  grace  Itestoued  upon  you  the  more 
 conspicuous  and  distinguisliing.  I  have  somewhere  met 
 with  a  similar  reflection  of  Henry  the  Fourth  of  France, 
 to  this  purpose,  that  though  many  came  into  the  world 
 the  same  day  with  him,  he  was  probably  the  only  one 
 among  them  that  was  born  to  be  a  king.  Your  Lord- 
 ship is  acquainted  with  many  who,  if  not  born  on  the 
 same  day  with  you,  were  born  to  titles,  estates,  and  hon- 
 ours; but  how  few  of  tliem  were  born  to  the  honour  of 
 making  a  public  and  consistent  profession  of  tlie  glorious 
 gospel!  The  hour  is  coming  when  all  honours  and  pos- 
 sessions, but  this  which  cometh  from  God  only,  M-ill  be 
 eclipsed  and  vanish;  and,  like  the  baseless  fabric  of  a 
 vision,  leave  not  a  wreck  behind.  How  miserable  will 
 they  then  be  who  must  leave  their  all!  What  a  morti- 
 fying thought  does  Horace  put  in  the  way  of  those  who 
 disdain  to  read  the  scripture: — 
 
 hinquenda  tell'Js,  et  dnmus,  et  placets 
 Vrar:  neqtte  hnnim,  guas  colh,  arborum 
 Te,  prater  invUas  cupressoa, 
 Vila  brevcm  duminum  sequetur. 
 
 But  grace  and  faith  can  make  the  lowest  state  of  life 
 supportable,  and  make  a  dismission  from  the  higliest  de- 
 sirable. Of  the  former  I  have  many  living  proofs  and 
 witnesses  around  me.  Your  Lordship,  I  trust,  will  have 
 sweet  experience  of  the  latter,  when,  after  having  fulfilled 
 the  will  of  God  in  your  generation,  you  shall  be  called 
 (I  hope  in  some  yet  distant  day)  to  enter  into  your  Mas- 
 ter's joy.  In  the  mean  time,  how  valuable  are  life,  ta- 
 lents, influence,  and  opportunities  of  every  kind,  if  we  are 
 enabled  to  improve  and  lay  out  all  for  him  who  has  thus 
 loved  us — thus  provided  for  us.  As  to  myself,  I  would 
 hope  there  are  few  wlio  have  so  clear  a  sense  of  their 
 obligations  to  him,  who  make  such  unsuitable  and  lan- 
 guid returns  as  I  do.  I  tiiink  I  have  a  desire  to  serve 
 him  better;  but  alas!  evil  is  present  with  me.  Surely  1 
 shall  feel  something  like  shame  and  regret  for  my  cold- 
 ness, even  in  heaven: — for  I  find  I  am  never  happier 
 
LETTERS  TO  A  NOBLEMAN.  93 
 
 than  when  I  am  most  ashamed  of  myself  upon  this  ac- 
 count here. 
 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  XVII. 
 
 IMy  Lord,  Decembers,  1774. 
 
 How  wonderful  is  the  patience  of  God  towards  sinful 
 men!  In  him  they  live,  and  move,  and  have  their  be- 
 ing; and  if  he  were  to  witlidraw  his  support  for  a  single 
 moment,  tliey  must  perish.  He  maintains  their  lives, 
 guards  their  persons,  supplies  their  wants,  while  they 
 employ  tlie  powers  and  faculties  they  receive  from  him 
 in  a  settled  course  of  opposition  to  his  will.  They 
 trample  upon  his  laws,  affront  his  government,  and  de- 
 spise his  grace;  yet  still  he  spares.  To  silence  all  his 
 adversaries  in  a  moment,  would  require  no  extraordinary 
 exertion  of  his  power;  but  his  forbearance  towards  them 
 manifests  his  glory,  and  gives  us  cause  to  say,  \Vlio  is  a 
 God  like  imto  thee? 
 
 Snmftimes,  however,  there  are  striking  instances  of  his 
 displensure  against  sin.  When  such  events  take  place, 
 immediately  upon  a  pul)lic  and  premetlitated  contempt 
 offered  to  Him  that  sitteth  in  the  heavens,  I  own  they 
 remind  me  of  the  danger  of  standing,  if  I  may  so  speak, 
 in  the  Lord's  way:  for  though  his  long-suffering  is 
 astonisliing,  and  many  dare  him  to  his  face  daily  with 
 seeming  impunity,  yet  he  sometimes  strikes  an  awful 
 and  unexpected  blow,  and  gives  an  illustration  of  that 
 solemn  word,  "  Who  ever  hardened  himself  against  the 
 Lord  and  prospered?"  But  who  am  I  to  make  this  ob- 
 servation? I  ought  to  do  it  with  the  deepest  humilia- 
 tion, remembering  that  I  once  stood  (according  to  my 
 years  and  ability)  in  the  foremost  rank  of  liis  avowed 
 opposers;  and,  with  a  determined  and  unwearied  enmity, 
 renounced,  defied,  and  blasphemed  him.    "  But  he  will 
 
94 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 have  mercy  on  whom  he  Mill  have  mercy;"  and  there- 
 fore I  M  as  spared,  and  reserved  to  speak  of  his  good- 
 ness. 
 
 Josephus,  Avhen  speaking  of  the  death  of  Herod  Agrip- 
 pa,  ascribes  it  to  a  natural  cause,  and  says  he  was  seized 
 with  excruciating  pains  in  his  bowels.  But  Luke  informs 
 us  of  the  true  cause:  an  angel  of  the  Lord  smote  him. 
 Had  we  a  modern  history,  written  by  an  inspired  pen, 
 we  should  probably  often  be  reminded  of  such  an  inter- 
 position where  we  are  not  ordinarily  aware  of  it.  For 
 though  the  springs  of  actions  and  events  are  concealed 
 from  us  for  the  most  part,  and  vain  men  carry  on  their 
 schemes  with  confidence,  as  though  the  Lord  had  for- 
 saken the  earth;  yet  they  are  under  his  eye  and  control; 
 and  faith,  in  some  measure,  instructed  by  the  specimens 
 of  his  government  recorded  in  the  scripture,  can  trace 
 and  admire  his  hand,  and  can  see  how  he  takes  the  wise 
 in  their  own  craftiness,  stains  the  pride  of  human  glory; 
 and  that  when  sinners  speak  proudly,  he  is  above  them, 
 and  makes  every  thing  bend  or  break  before  him. 
 
 While  we  lament  the  growth  and  pernicious  effects  of 
 infidelity,  and  see  how  wicked  men  and  seducers  wax 
 worse  and  worse,  deceiving,  and  being  deceived;  what 
 gratitude  should  fill  our  hearts  to  him  who  has  been 
 pleased  to  call  us  out  of  the  horrid  darkness  in  which 
 multitudes  are  bewildered  and  lost,  into  the  glorious  light 
 of  his  gospel?  Faint  are  our  warmest  conceptions  of  this 
 mercy.  In  order  to  understand  it  fully,  we  should  have 
 a  full  and  adequate  sense  of  the  evil  from  which  we  are 
 delivered;  the  glory  to  which  we  are  called;  and  espe- 
 cially of  the  astonishing  means  to  which  we  owe  our  life 
 and  hope,  the  humiliation,  sufferings,  and  death  of  the 
 Son  of  God.  But  our  views  of  these  points,  while  in 
 our  present  state,  ai'e  and  must  be  exceedingly  weak  and 
 disproportionate.  We  know  them  but  in  part,  we  see 
 them  B/'  iaoTTT^av,  hy  reflection,  rather  the  images  than  the 
 things  themselves ;  and  though  they  are  faithfully  repre- 
 sented in  the  mirror  of  God's  word,  to  us  they  appear 
 indistinct,  because  we  see  them  through  a  gross  medium 
 of  ignorance  and  unbelief.    Hereafter  every  veil  shall 
 
LETTERS  TO  A  NOBLEMAN. 
 
 be  removed;  we  shall  know,  in  another  manner  than  wa 
 do  now,  the  unspeakable  evil  of  sin,  and  the  insupport- 
 able dreadfubiess  of  God's  displeasure  against  it,  when 
 we  see  the  world  in  flames,  and  hear  the  final  sentence 
 denounced  upon  the  ungodly.  We  shall  have  far  other 
 thoughts  of  Jesus  when  we  see  him  as  he  is;  and  shall 
 then  be  able  to  make  a  more  affecting  estimate  of  the 
 love  which  moved  him  to  be  made  a  substitute  and  a 
 curse  for  us;  and  we  shall  then  know  what  great  things 
 God  has  prepared  for  them  that  love  him.  Then  with 
 transport  we  shall  adopt  the  queen  of  Sheba's  language. 
 It  was  a  true  report  we  heard  in  yonder  dark  world;  but 
 behold  the  half,  the  thousandth  part,  was  not  told  us !  In 
 the  meantime,  may  such  conceptions  as  we  are  enabled 
 to  form  of  these  great  truths,  fill  our  hearts,  and  be 
 mingled  with  all  our  thoughts,  and  all  our  concerns: 
 may  the  Lord,  by  faith,  give  us  an  abiding  evidence  of 
 the  reality  and  importance  of  the  things  which  cannot 
 yet  be  seen:  so  shall  we  be  enabled  to  live  above  the 
 world  while  we  are  in  it,  uninfluenced  either  by  its  blan- 
 dishments or  its  frowns;  and,  with  a  noble  siniplicity 
 and  singularity,  avow  and  maintain  the  cause  of  God 
 in  truth,  in  the  midst  of  a  crooked  and  perverse  gene- 
 ration. He  whom  we  serve  is  able  to  support  and  pro- 
 tect us;  and  he  well  deserves  at  our  hands,  that  we  should 
 be  willing  to  endure,  for  his  sake,  much  more  than  he  will 
 ever  permit  us  to  be  exercised  with.  The  believer's  call, 
 dutj',  and  privilege,  is  beautifully  and  forcibly  set  forth  in 
 Milton's  character  of  Abdiel,  at  the  end  of  the  fifth  book: 
 
 Faithful  found 
 Among  the  faithless,  faithful  only  he: 
 Among  innumerable  false,  unmov'd. 
 Unshaken,  unseduc'd,  unterrify'd. 
 His  loyalty  he  kept,  his  love,  his  zeal: 
 Nor  number,  nor  example,  with  him  wrought 
 To  swerve  from  truth,  or  change  his  constant  mind 
 Though  single. 
 
 Methinks  your  Lordship's  situation  particularly  re- 
 sembles that  in  which  the  Poet  has  placed  Abdiel.  You 
 are  not  indeed  called  to  serve  God  quite  alone;  but 
 amongst  those  of  your  own  rank,  and  with  whom  tlio 
 
96 
 
 CARDIfHONIA. 
 
 station  in  wliicli  he  lias  placed  you  necessitates  you  to 
 converse,  how  few  are  there  who  can  understand,  second, 
 or  approve,  the  principles  upon  wliich  you  act,  or  easily 
 bear  a  conduct  wliich  must  impress  conviction  or  reflect 
 dishonour  upon  tliemselves!  But  you  are  not  alone;  the 
 Lord's  people  (many  of  whom  you  will  not  kno\\'  till  you 
 meet  them  in  glory)  are  helping  you  here  with  tlieir 
 prayers ;  his  angels  are  commissioned  to  guard  and  guide 
 your  steps;  yea  the  Lord  himself  fixes  his  eye  of  mercy 
 upon  your  private  and  your  public  path,  and  is  near  you 
 at  your  right  hand,  that  you  may  not  be  moved!  That  he 
 may  comfort  you  with  the  light  of  his  countenance,  and 
 uphold  you  M'ith  the  arm  of  his  power,  is  my  frequent 
 prayer. 
 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  XVIIL 
 
 My  Lord,  January  20,  1775. 
 
 We  have  entered  upon  another  year!  So  have  thou- 
 sands, perhaps  millions,  who  will  not  see  it  close!  An 
 alarming  thought  to  the  M  orldiiig!  at  least  it  should  be 
 so.  I  have  an  imperfect  remembrance  of  an  account  I 
 read  when  I  -w  as  a  boy,  of  an  ice-palace,  built  one  win- 
 ter at  Petersbiirgli.  The  walls,  the  roof,  the  floors,  the 
 furniture,  were  all  of  ice,  but  finished  with  taste;  and 
 every  thing  that  might  be  expected  in  a  royal  palace  was 
 to  be  found  tlierc;  the  ice,  while  in  the  state  of  water, 
 being  previously  coloured,  so  that  t(;  the  ej'e  all  seemed 
 formed  of  proper  materials;  but  all  was  cold,  useless,  and 
 transient.  Had  the  frost  continued  till  now,  the  palace 
 might  have  been  standing;  but  with  the  returning  spring 
 it  melted  away,  like  the  baseless  fabric  of  a  vision.  Me- 
 thinks  there  sliould  have  been  one  stone  in  the  building,  to 
 have  retained  the  inscription,  Sic  tramit  gloria  mimdi! 
 for  no  contrivance  could  exhibit  a  fitter  illustration  of  the 
 
LETTERS  TO  A  NOBLEMAN. 
 
 97 
 
 vanity  of  Imman  life.  Men  build  and  plan  as  if  their 
 work,  were  to  endure  for  ever;  but  the  wind  passes  over 
 them,  and  they  are  gone.  In  the  midst  of  all  their  pre- 
 parations, or  at  farthest,  when  they  think  tliey  have  just 
 completed  their  designs,  their  breath  goeth  fortli,  they 
 return  to  their  earth;  in  that  very  day  their  thoughts 
 perish. 
 
 How  many  sleep  who  kept  the  world  awake! 
 
 Yet  this  ice-house  had  something  of  a  leisurely  dissolu- 
 tion, though,  when  it  began  to  decay,  all  the  art  of  man 
 was  unable  to  prop  it ;  but  often  death  comes  hastily, 
 and,  like  the  springing  of  a  mine,  destroys  to  the  very 
 foundations  without  previous  notice.  Then  all  we  have 
 been  concerned  in  here  (all  but  the  consequences  of  our 
 conduct,  which  will  abide  to  eternity)  will  be  no  more 
 to  us  than  the  remembrance  of  a  dream.  This  truth  is 
 too  plain  to  be  denied;  but  the  greater  part  of  mankind 
 act  as  if  they  were  convinced  it  was  false:  they  spend 
 their  days  in  vanity,  and  in  a  moment  they  go  down  to 
 the  grave.  What  cause  of  thankfulness  have  they  who 
 are  delivered  from  this  delusion,  and  who,  by  the  know- 
 ledge of  the  glorious  gospel,  have  learned  their  true  state 
 and  end,  are  saved  from  the  love  of  the  present  world, 
 from  the  heart-distressing  fear  of  death ;  and  know,  that 
 if  their  earthly  house  were  diss  .hed,  like  the  ice-palace, 
 they  have  a  house  not  made  with  hands,  eternal  in  the 
 heavens. 
 
 Yet  even  these  are  much  concerned  to  realize  the 
 brevity  and  uncertainty  of  their  present  state,  tliat  they 
 may  be  stimulated  to  make  the  most  and  the  best  of  it; 
 to  redeem  their  time,  and  manage  their  precarious  op- 
 portunities, so  as  may  most  tend  to  the  praise  and  glory 
 of  him  who  has  called  them  out  of  darkness  into  marvel- 
 lous light.  Why  should  any  that  have  tasted  tliat  the 
 Lord  is  gracious  wish  to  live  another  day,  but  that  they 
 may  have  the  honour  to  be  fellow-workers  with  him,  in- 
 strumental in  promoting  his  designs,  and  of  laying  them- 
 selves out  to  the  utmost  of  their  abilities  and  intluence 
 in  his  service!  To  enjoy  a  sense  of  his  loving-kindness, 
 and  to  have  the  light  of  his  countenance  lifted  up  upon 
 
98 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 our  souls,  is  indeed,  respecting  ourselves,  the  best  part 
 of  life,  yea,  better  than  life  itself ;  but  this  we  shall  have 
 to  unspeakably  greater  advantage,  when  we  have  finished 
 our  course,  and  shall  be  wholly  freed  from  the  body  of 
 sin.  And  therefore  the  great  desirable  while  here  seems 
 to  be  graee,  that  we  may  serve  him  and  suffer  for  him  in 
 the  world.  Though  our  first  wish  immediately  upon  our 
 own  accounts  might  be,  to  depart  and  be  with  Jesus, 
 "ivhich  is  -TToKKu  f^KXho'j  k^huhov,  yet  a  lively  thought  of 
 our  immense  obligations  to  his  redeeming  love  may  re- 
 concile us  to  a  much  longer  continuance  liere,  if  we  may 
 l)y  any  means  be  subervient  to  diffuse  the  glory  of  his 
 name,  and  the  blessings  of  his  salvation,  which  is  God's 
 great  and  principal  end  in  preserving  the  world  itself. 
 When  historians  and  politicians  descant  upon  the  rise 
 and  fall  of  empires,  with  all  their  professed  sagacity  in 
 tracing  the  connection  between  causes  and  effects,  they 
 are  totally  imacquainted  with  the  great  master-wheel 
 which  manages  the  whole  mo\'ement,  that  is,  the  Lord's 
 design  in  favour  of  his  church  and  kingdom.  To  this 
 every  event  is  subordinate;  to  this  every  interfering  in- 
 terest must  stoop.  How  easily  might  this  position  be 
 proved,  by  reviewing  the  history  of  the  period  about  the 
 Reformation.  Whether  Dr  Robertson  considers  tilings 
 in  this  liglit,  in  his  history  of  Charles  V.,  I  know  not, 
 as  I  have  not  seen  his  book;  but  if  not,  however  elabo- 
 rate his  performance  may  be  in  other  respects,  I  must 
 venture  to  say,  it  is  essentially  defective,  and  cannot  give 
 that  light  and  pleasure  to  a  spiritual  reader  of  which  the 
 subject  is  capable.  And  I  doubt  not  but  some  who  are 
 yet  unborn  will  hereafter  clearly  see  and  remark,  that  the 
 present  unhappy  disputes  between  Great  Britain  and 
 America,  with  their  consequences,  whatever  they  may 
 be,  are  part  of  a  series  of  events,  of  which  the  extension 
 and  interests  of  the  church  of  Christ  were  the  principal 
 final  causes.  In  a  word,  that  Jesus  may  be  known, 
 trusted,  and  adored,  and  sinners,  by  the  power  of  his 
 gospel,  be  rescued  from  sin  and  Satan,  is  comparatively 
 the  To  iu — the  one  great  business,  for  the  sake  of  which 
 the  succession  of  day  and  night,  summer  and  winter,  is 
 
TETTERS  TO  A  NOBLEMAN. 
 
 99 
 
 still  maintalnpd;  and  when  the  plan  of  redemption  is 
 consummated,  sin,  wliich  now  almost  fills  the  earth,  will 
 then  set  it  on  fire;  and  the  united  interest  of  all  the  rest 
 of  mankind,  when  detached  from  that  of  the  people  ot 
 God,  will  not  plead  for  its  preservation  a  single  day. 
 In  this  view,  I  congratulate  your  Lordship,  that  how- 
 ever your  best  endeavours  to  serve  the  temporal  interests 
 of  the  nation  may  fall  short  of  your  wishes ;  yet,  so  far 
 as  your  situation  gives  you  opportunity  of  supporting 
 the  gospel-cause,  and  facilitating  its  progress,  you  have 
 a  prospect  both  of  a  more  certain  and  more  important 
 success.  For  instance,  it  was,  under  God,  your  Lord- 
 ship's favour  and  influence  that  brought  me  into  the  mi- 
 nistry. And  though  I  be  nothing,  yet  he  who  put  it 
 into  your  heart  to  patronise  me,  has  been  pleased  not  to 
 suffer  wliat  you  then  did  for  his  sake  to  be  wholly  in 
 vain.  He  has  been  pleased,  in  a  course  of  years,  by  so 
 unworthy  an  instrument  as  I  am,  to  awaken  a  number  of 
 persons,  who  were  at  that  time  dead  in  trespasses  and 
 sins;  but  now  some  of  them  are  pressing  on  to  the  prize 
 of  their  high  calling  in  Christ  Jesus;  and  some  of  them 
 are  already  before  the  throne.  Should  I  suggest  in  some 
 companies,  that  the  conversion  of  a  hundred  sinners 
 (more  or  less)  to  God  is  an  event  of  more  real  import- 
 ance than  the  tcmpnrrd  prosperity  of  the  greatest  nation 
 upon  earth,  I  should  be  charged  with  ignorance  and  ar- 
 rogance; but  your  Lordship  is  skilled  in  scriptural  arith- 
 metic, which  alone  can  teach  us  to  estimate  the  value  of 
 ^ouls,  and  will  agree  with  me,  that  one  soul  is  worth  more 
 than  the  whole  world,  on  account  of  its  redemption-price, 
 its  vast  capacities,  and  its  duration.  Should  we  suppose 
 a  nation  to  consist  of  forty  millions,  the  whole  and  each 
 individual  to  enjoy  as  much  good  as  this  life  can  afford, 
 Avithout  abatement,  for  a  term  of  fifty  years  each — all 
 this  good,  or  an  equal  quantity,  might  be  exhausted  by 
 a  single  person  in  two  thousand  millions  of  years,  which 
 would  be  but  a  moment  in  comparison  of  the  eternity 
 ■which  would  still  follow.  And  if  this  good  were  merely 
 temporal  good,  the  whole  aggregate  of  it  would  be  evil 
 and  misery,  if  compared  with  that  happiness  in  God,  of 
 
100 
 
 CAKDIPHONIA. 
 
 which  only  they  m  Iio  are  made  partakers  of  a  divine  life 
 are  capable.  On  the  otiier  hand,  were  a  whole  nation 
 to  be  destroyed  by  such  accumulated  miseries  as  at- 
 tended tlie  siege  of  Jerusalem,  the  sum  total  of  these 
 calamities  would  be  1)ut  trifling,  if  set  in  competition 
 with  wliat  e\  ery  single  person  tiiat  dies  in  sin  lias  to  ex- 
 pect, when  the  sentence  of  everlasting  destruction  from 
 the  presence  of  the  Lord,  and  the  glory  of  his  power, 
 shall  be  executed. 
 
 What  an  unexpected  round  have  my  thoughts  taken 
 since  I  set  out  from  the  ice-palace.  It  is  time  to  relieve 
 your  Lordship,  and  to  subscribe  myself,  iic. 
 
 LETTER  XIX. 
 
 My  Lord,  February  23,  1775. 
 
 I  ASSENT  to  our  Lord's  declaration,  "  Without  me  ye  can 
 do  nothing ;"  not  only  upon  the  authority  of  the  speaker, 
 but  from  the  same  irresistible  and  experimental  evidence, 
 as  if  he  had  told  me,  that  I  cannot  make  the  sun  to  sliine, 
 or  change  tlie  course  of  the  seasons.  Though  my  pen 
 and  my  tongue  sometimes  move  freely,  yet  the  total  in- 
 capacity and  stagnation  of  thought  I  labour  under  at 
 other  times,  convinces  me,  that  in  myself  I  have  not  suf- 
 ficiency to  think  a  good  thouglit;  and  I  believe  the  ca-*e 
 would  be  the  same  if  that  little  measure  of  knowledge 
 and  abilities,  which  I  am  too  prone  to  look  upon  as  my 
 own,  were  a  thousand  times  greater  than  it  is.  For  every 
 new  service  I  stand  in  need  of  a  new  supply,  and  can 
 bring  forth  nothing  of  my  supposed  store  into  actual  ex- 
 ercise, but  by  his  immediate  assistance.  His  gracious 
 influence  is  that  to  tliose  Avho  are  best  furnished  with 
 gifts  wiiat  tlie  water  is  to  tlie  mill,  or  the  wind  to  the 
 ship,  M'ithout  which  the  whole  appcU'atus  is  motionless  and 
 useless.  I  apprehend  that  we  lose  much  of  the  comfort 
 which  might  arise  from  a  sense  of  our  continual  depen- 
 
LETTERS  TO  A  NOBLEMAN. 
 
 101 
 
 dence  upon  liiin,  and  of  course  fall  short  of  acknowledg- 
 ing, as  we  ought,  what  v/e  receive  from  him,  by  mistaking 
 the  manner  of  his  operation.  Perhaps  we  take  it  too 
 much  for  granted,  that  communications  from  himself  must 
 bear  some  kind  of  sensible  impression  that  they  are  his, 
 and  therefore  are  ready  to  give  our  own  industry  or  in- 
 genuity credit  for  those  performances  in  which  we  can 
 perceive  no  such  impression :  yet  it  is  very  possible  that 
 we  maybe  under  his  influence  when  we  are  least  aware: 
 and  though  what  we  say,  or  write,  or  do,  may  seem  no 
 way  extraordinary,  yet  that  we  should  be  led  to  such  a 
 particular  turn  of  thought  at  one  time  rather  than  at  an- 
 other, has,  in  my  own  concerns,  often  appeared  to  me 
 remarkable,  from  the  circumstances  which  have  attended, 
 or  the  consequences  which  have  followed.  How  often, 
 in  the  choice  of  a  text,  or  in  the  course  of  a  sermon,  or 
 in  a  letter  to  a  friend,  have  1  been  led  to  speak  a  word 
 in  season!  and  what  1  have  expressed  at  large,  and  in 
 general,  has  been  so  exactly  suited  to  some  case  v.  hich  I 
 was  utterly  unacquainted  with,  that  1  could  hardly  have 
 hit  it  so  well,  had  I  been  previously  informed  of  it.  Some 
 instances  of  this  kind  have  been  so  striking,  as  hardly  to 
 admit  a  doubt  of  superior  agency.  And  indeed,  if  be- 
 lievers in  Jesus,  however  unworthy  in  themselves,  are  the 
 temples  of  the  Holy  Ghost;  if  the  Lord  lives,  dwells,  and 
 walks  in  them;  if  he  is  their  life  and  their  light ;  if  he 
 has  promised  to  guide  them  with  his  eye,  and  to  work  in 
 them  to  will  and  to  do  of  his  own  good  pleasure;  me- 
 thinks  what  I  have  mentioned,  and  more,  may  be  reason- 
 ably expected.    That  line  in  the  hymn. 
 
 Help  I  e\ery  moment  need, 
 
 is  not  a  hj^ierbolical  expression,  but  strictly  and  literally 
 true,  not  only  in  great  emergencies,  but  in  our  smoother 
 hours,  and  most  familiar  paths.  This  gracious  assistance 
 is  afforded  in  a  way  imperceptible  to  ourselves,  to  hide 
 pride  from  us,  and  to  prevent  us  from  being  indolent  and 
 careless  with  respect  to  the  use  of  appointed  means;  and 
 it  would  be  likewise  more  abundantly,  and  perhaps  more 
 sensibly  afforded,  were  our  spirits  more  simple  in  wait- 
 ing upon  the  Lord.  But,  alas!  a  divided  heart,  an  undue 
 
 D 
 
102 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 attachment,  to  some  temporal  object,  sadly  deadens  our 
 spirits  (I  speak  for  myself),  and  grieves  the  Lord's  spi- 
 rit; so  that  we  walk  in  darkness  and  at  a  distance,  and 
 though  called  to  great  privileges,  live  far  below  them. 
 But  methinks  the  thought  of  him  who  is  always  near,  and 
 upon  whom  we  do  and  must  incessantly  depend,  should 
 suggest  a  powerful  motive  for  the  clossest  attention  to 
 his  revealed  will,  and  the  most  punctual  compliance  with 
 it;  for  so  far  as  the  Lord  withdraws  we  become  as  blind 
 men,  and  with  the  clearest  light,  and  upon  the  plainest 
 ground,  we  ai'e  liable,  or  rather  sure,  to  stumble  at  every 
 step. 
 
 Though  there  is  a  principle  of  consciousness,  and  a 
 determination  of  the  will  sufficient  to  denominate  our 
 thoughts  and  performances  our  own,  yet  I  believe  man- 
 kind in  general  are  more  under  an  invisible  agency  than 
 they  apprehend.  The  Lord,  immediately  from  himself, 
 and  perhaps  by  the  ministry  of  his  holy  angels,  guides, 
 prompts,  restrains,  or  warns  his  people.  So  there  un- 
 doubtedly is  what  I  may  call  a  black  inspiration,  the  in- 
 fluence of  the  evil  spirits  who  work  in  the  hearts  of  the 
 disobedient,  and  not  only  excite  their  wills,  but  assist 
 their  faculties,  and  qualify  as  well  as  incline  them  to  be 
 more  assiduously  wicked,  and  more  extensively  mischie- 
 vous, than  they  could  be  of  themselves.  I  consider  Vol- 
 taire, for  instance,  and  many  writers  of  the  same  stamp, 
 to  be  little  more  than  secretaries  and  amanuenses  of  one 
 who  has  unspeakably  more  wit  and  adroitness  in  promot- 
 ing infidelity  and  immorality,  than  they  of  themselves 
 can  justly  pretend  to.  They  have,  for  a  while,  the  credit 
 (if  I  may  so  call  it)  of  the  fiind  from  whence  they  draw ; 
 but  the  world  little  imagines  who  is  the  real  and  original 
 author  of  that  pliilosophy  and  poetry,  of  those  tine  turns 
 and  sprightly  inventions,  which  are  so  generally  admir- 
 ed. Perhaps  many  now  applauded  for  tlieir  genius  would 
 have  been  comparatively  dolts,  had  they  not  been  en- 
 gaged in  a  cause  which  Satan  has  so  much  interest  in 
 supporting. 
 
 But  to  return  to  the  more  pleasing  subject.  How 
 great  and  honourable  is  the  privilege  of  a  true  believer! 
 
LETTERS  TO  A  NOBLEMAN. 
 
 103 
 
 That  he  has  neither  wisidom  nor  strength  in  himself  is 
 no  disadvantage;  for  he  is  connected  with  infinite  wisdom 
 and  almighty  power.  Though  weak  as  a  worm,  his  arms 
 are  strengthened  by  the  mighty  God  of  Jacob,  and  all 
 things  become  possible,  yea  easy  to  him,  that  occur  with- 
 in the  compass  of  his  proper  duty  and  calling.  The 
 Lord,  whom  he  serves,  engages  to  proportion  bis  strength 
 to  his  day,  whether  it  be  a  day  of  service  or  of  suffering ; 
 and  though  he  be  fallible  and  short-sighted,  exceeding 
 liable  to  mistake  and  imposition,  yet,  while  he  retains  a 
 sense  that  he  is  so,  and  with  the  simplicity  of  a  child  asks 
 counsel  and  direction  of  the  Lord,  he  seldom  takes  a 
 wrong  step,  at  least  not  in  matters  of  consequence;  and 
 even  his  inadvertencies  are  overruled  for  good.  If  he 
 forgets  his  true  state,  and  thinks  himself  to  be  something, 
 he  presently  finds  he  is  indeed  nothing;  but  if  he  is  con- 
 tent to  be  nothing,  and  to  have  nothing,  he  is  sure  to  find 
 a  seasonable  and  abundant  communication  of  all  that  he 
 M'ants.  Thus  he  lives,  like  Israel  in  the  wilderness,  upon 
 mere  bounty;  but  then  it  is  a  bounty  unchangeable,  un- 
 wearied, inexhaustible,  and  all-sufficient.  Moses,  when 
 speaking  of  the  methods  the  Lord  took  to  humble  Israel, 
 mentions  his  feeding  them  with  manna,  as  one  method. 
 I  could  not  understand  this  for  a  time.  I  thought  they 
 were  rather  in  danger  of  being  proud,  when  they  saw 
 themselves  provided  for  in  such  an  extraordinary  way. 
 — But  the  manna  would  not  keep,  they  could  not  hoard 
 it  up ;  and  were  therefore  in  a  state  of  absolute  depend- 
 ence from  day  to  day:  this  appointment  was  Avell  suited 
 to  humble  them.  Thus  it  is  with  us  in  spirituals.  We 
 should  be  better  pleased,  perhaps,  to  be  set  up  with  a 
 stock  or  sufficiency  at  once — such  an  inherent  portion 
 of  wisdom  and  power,  as  we  might  depend  upon,  at  least 
 for  common  occasions,  without  being  constrained,  by  a 
 sense  of  indigence,  to  have  continual  recourse  to  the  Lord 
 for  every  thing  we  v.-ant.  But  his  way  is  best.  His 
 own  glory  is  most  displayed,  and  our  safety  best  secured, 
 by  keeping  us  quite  poor  and  empty  in  ourselves,  and 
 supplying  us  from  one  minute  to  another,  according  to 
 our  need.   This,  if  any  thing,  will  prevent  boasting,  and 
 
104 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 keep  a  sense  of  gratitude  awake  in  our  hearts.  This  is 
 well  adapted  to  quicken  us  to  prayer,  and  furnishes  us 
 with  a  thousand  occasions  for  praise,  which  would  other- 
 wise escape  our  notice. 
 
 But  who  or  what  are  we,  that  the  Most  High  should 
 thus  notice  us !  should  visit  us  every  morning,  and  water 
 us  every  moment!  It  is  an  astonishing  thought,  that 
 God  should  thus  dwell  with  men!  That  he,  before  whom 
 the  mightiest  earthly  potentates  are  less  than  notliing  and 
 vanity,  should  thus  stoop  and  accommodate  himself  to 
 the  situation,  wants,  and  capacities  of  the  weakest,  mean- 
 est, and  poorest  of  his  children!  But  so  it  hath  pleased 
 him.  He  seetli  not  as  man  seeth. 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  XX. 
 
 My  Lord,  August,  1775. 
 
 I  HAVE  no  apt  preface  or  introduction  at  hand,  and  as 
 I  have  made  it  almost  a  rule  not  to  study  for  what  I 
 should  offer  your  Lordship,  I  therefore  beg  leave  to  be- 
 gin abruptly.  It  is  the  future  promised  privilege  of  be- 
 lievers in  Jesus,  that  they  shall  be  as  the  angels;  and 
 there  is  a  sense  in  which  we  should  endeavour  to  be  as 
 the  angels  now.  This  is  intimated  to  us  where  we  are 
 taught  to  pray.  Thy  will  be  done  on  earth,  as  it  is  in 
 heaven.  I  have  sometimes  amused  myself  with  suppos- 
 ing an  angel  should  be  appointed  to  reside  a  while  upon 
 earth  in  a  human  body;  not  in  sinful  flesh,  like  ours,  but 
 in  a  body  free  from  infirmity,  and  still  preserving  an  un- 
 abated sense  of  liis  own  happiness  in  the  favour  of  God, 
 and  of  his  unspeakable  obligation  to  his  goodness; — and 
 then  I  have  tried  to  judge,  as  well  as  I  could,  how  such 
 an  angel  would  comport  liimself  in  sucli  a  situation.  I 
 know  not  that  I  ever  enlarged  upon  tlie  thought,  either 
 
LETTERS  TO  A  NOBLEMAN. 
 
 105 
 
 in  preaching  or  writing.  Permit  me  to  follow  it  a  littU 
 in  this  paper. 
 
 Were  I  acquainted  with  this  heavenly  visitant,  I  am 
 willing  to  hope  I  should  greatly  reverence  him ;  and  if 
 permitted,  be  glad  in  some  cases  to  consult  him.  In  some, 
 but  not  in  all ;  for  I  think  my  fear  would  be  equal  to  my 
 love.  Methinks  I  could  never  venture  to  open  my  heart 
 freely  to  him,  and  unfold  to  him  my  numberless  com- 
 plaints and  infirmities;  for,  as  he  could  have  no  expe- 
 rience of  the  like  things  himself,  I  should  suppose  he 
 would  not  know  how  fully  to  pity  me,  indeed  hardly 
 how  to  bear  with  me,  if  I  told  him  all.  Alas!  what  a 
 preposterous,  strange,  vile  creature  should  I  appear  to 
 an  angel  if  he  knew  me  as  I  am !  It  is  well  for  me  that 
 Jesus  was  made  lower  than  the  angels,  and  that  the  hu- 
 man nature  he  assumed  was  not  distinct  from  the  com- 
 mon nature  of  mankind,  though  secured  from  the  com- 
 mon depravity;  and  because  he  submitted  to  be  under 
 the  law  in  our  name  and  stead,  though  he  was  free  from 
 sin  himself,  yet  sin  and  its  consequences,  being  (for  our 
 sakes)  charged  upon  him,  he  acquired,  in  the  days  of  his 
 humiliation,  an  experimental  sympathy  with  his  poor 
 people.  He  knows  the  effects  of  sin  and  temptation 
 upon  us,  by  that  knowledge  whereby  he  knows  all 
 things;  but  he  knows  them  likewise  in  a  way  more  suit- 
 able for  our  comfort  and  relief,  by  the  sufferings  and 
 exercises  he  passed  through  for  us.  Hence  arises  en- 
 couragement. We  have  not  a  high  priest  who  cannot 
 be  touched  with  a  feeling  of  our  infirmities,  but  was  in 
 all  points  tempted  even  as  we  are.  When  I  add  to  this, 
 the  consideration  of  his  power,  promises,  and  grace,  and 
 that  he  is  exalted  on  purpose  to  pity,  relieve,  and  save, 
 I  gather  courage.  With  him  I  dare  be  free,  and  am 
 not  sorry,  but  glad,  that  he  knows  me  perfectly,  that 
 not  a  thought  of  my  heart  is  hidden  from  him.  For 
 without  this  infinite  and  exact  knowledge  of  my  disease, 
 how  could  he  effectually  administer  to  my  cure?  But 
 whither  am  I  rambling?  I  seem  to  have  lost  sight  of  the 
 angel  already.  I  am  now  coming  back,  that  he  cannot 
 effectually  pity  me,  he  may  at  least  animate  and  teach  me. 
 
106 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 In  the  first  place,  I  take  it  for  granted  this  angel  woulfl 
 think  himself  a  stranger  and  pilgrim  upon  earth.  He 
 would  not  forget  that  his  nto'hnivi^a.  was  in  heaven. 
 Surely  he  would  look  upon  all  the  bustle  of  human  life 
 (farther  than  the  design  of  his  mission  might  connect 
 him  with  it)  with  more  indifference  than  we  look  upon 
 the  sports  of  children,  or  the  amusements  of  idiots  and 
 lunatics,  which  give  us  an  uneasiness,  rather  than  excite 
 a  desire  of  joining  in  them.  He  would  judge  of  every 
 thing  around  him,  by  the  reference  and  tendency  it  had 
 to  promote  the  will  of  him  that  sent  him:  and  the  most 
 specious  or  splendid  appearances,  considered  in  any  other 
 view,  would  make  no  impression  upon  him. 
 
 Consequently,  as  to  his  own  concernment,  all  his  aim 
 and  desire  would  be  to  fulfil  the  will  of  God.  All  situ- 
 ations would  be  alike  to  him;  whether  he  was  com- 
 manded, as  in  the  case  of  Sennacherib,  to  destroy  a 
 mighty  army  with  a  stroke;  or,  as  in  the  case  of  Hagar, 
 to  attend  upon  a  woman,  a  servant,  a  slave:  both  ser- 
 vices would  be  to  him  equally  honourable  and  important, 
 because  he  was  in  both  equally  pleasing  his  Lord ;  which 
 would  be  his  element  and  his  joy,  whether  he  Avas  appoint- 
 ed to  guide  the  reins  of  empire,  or  to  sweep  the  streets. 
 
 Again,  the  angel  would  doubtless  exhibit  a  striking 
 example  of  benevolence ;  for,  being  free  from  selfish  bias, 
 filled  with  a  sense  of  the  love  of  God,  and  a  knowledge 
 of  his  adorable  perfection,  his  whole  heart  and  soul  and 
 strength  would  be  engaged  and  exerted,  both  from  duty 
 and  inclination,  to  relieve  the  miseries,  and  advance  the 
 happiness  of  all  around  him ;  and  in  this  he  would  follow 
 the  pattern  of  Him  who  doth  good  to  all,  commanding  his 
 sun  to  rise,  and  his  rain  to  fall,  upon  the  just  and  the 
 unjust;  though  from  the  same  pattern,  he  would  show 
 an  especial  regard  to  the  household  of  faith.  An  angel 
 would  take  but  little  part  in  the  controversies,  conten- 
 tions, and  broils,  which  might  happen  in  the  time  of  his 
 sojourning  here,  but  would  be  a  friend  to  all,  so  far  as 
 consistent  with  the  general  good. 
 
 The  will  and  glory  of  God  being  the  angel's  great 
 view,  and  having  a  more  lively  sense  of  the  realities  of 
 
LETTERS  TO  A  NOBLEMAN. 
 
 107 
 
 an  unseen  world  than  we  can  at  present  conceive,  he 
 would  certainly,  in  the  first  and  chief  place,  have  the 
 success  and  spread  of  the  glorious  gospel  at  heart.  An- 
 gels, though  not  redeemed  with  blood,  yet  feel  them- 
 selves nearly  concerned  in  the  woric  of  redemption. 
 They  admire  its  mysteries.  We  may  suppose  them  well 
 informed  in  the  works  of  creation  and  providence.  But 
 (unlike  too  many  men,  who  are  satisfied  with  the  know- 
 ledge of  astronomy,  mathematics,  or  history)  they  search 
 and  pry  into  the  counsels  of  redeeming  love,  rejoice  at 
 the  conversion  of  a  sinner,  and  think  themselves  well  em- 
 ployed to  be  ministering  spirits,  to  minister  to  the  heirs 
 of  salvation.  It  would  therefore  be  his  chief  delight  to 
 espouse  and  promote  their  cause,  and  to  employ  all  his 
 talents  and  influence  in  spreading  the  savour  and  know- 
 ledge of  the  name  of  Jesus,  which  is  the  only  and  effec- 
 tual means  of  bringing  sinners  out  of  bondage  and  dark- 
 ness into  the  glorious  liberty  of  the  sons  of  God. 
 
 Lastly,  though  his  zeal  for  the  glory  of  his  Lord  would 
 make  him  willing  to  continue  here  till  he  had  finished  the 
 work  given  him  to  do,  he  would,  I  am  persuaded,  look 
 forward  with  desire  to  the  appointed  moment  of  his  re- 
 call, that  he  might  be  freed  from  beholding  and  mixing 
 with  the  sin  and  vanity  of  those  who  know  not  God, 
 render  his  account  with  joy,  and  be  welcomed  to  heaven 
 with  a  "  Well  done,  good  and  faithful  servant."  Surely 
 he  would  long  for  this,  as  a  labourer  for  the  setting  sun; 
 and  would  not  form  any  connection  with  the  things  of 
 time,  which  should  prompt  him  to  wish  his  removal  pro- 
 tracted for  a  single  hour  beyond  the  period  of  his  pre- 
 scribed service. 
 
 Alas,  why  am  I  not  more  like  an  angel !  My  views 
 in  my  better  judgment  are  the  same.  My  motives  and 
 obligations  are  even  stronger;  an  angel  is  not  so  deeply 
 indebted  to  the  grace  of  God,  as  a  believing  sinner,  who 
 was  once  upon  the  brink  of  destruction,  has  been  redeem- 
 ed with  blood,  and  might  justly  have  been,  before  now, 
 shut  up  with  the  powers  of  darkness,  without  hope !  Yet 
 the  merest  trifles  are  sufficient  to  debase  my  views, 
 damp  my  activity  and  impede  mv  endeavours  in  the 
 
108 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 Lord's  service,  though  I  profess  to  have  no  other  end  or 
 desire  which  can  make  a  continuance  in  life  worthy  my 
 wish. 
 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  XXI. 
 
 My  Lord,  November,  1775. 
 
 Dum  loquimur,  tempus  fugit.  In  the  midst  of  tlie  hur- 
 ries and  changes  of  this  unsettled  state,  we  glide  along 
 swiftly  towards  an  unchangeable  world,  and  shaU  soon 
 have  as  little  connection  with  the  scenes  we  are  now 
 passing  through,  as  we  have  with  what  happened  before 
 the  flood.  All  that  appears  great  and  interesting  in  the 
 present  life,  abstracted  from  its  influence  upon  our  in- 
 ternal character,  and  our  everlasting  allotment,  will  soon 
 be  as  unreal  as  the  visions  of  the  night.  This  we  know 
 and  confess;  but  though  our  judgments  are  convinced, 
 it  is  seldom  our  hearts  are  duly  affected  by  the  thought. 
 And  while  I  find  it  easy  to  wc'ite  in  this  moralizing  strain, 
 I  feel  myself  disposed  to  be  seriously  engaged  about 
 trifles,  and  trifling  in  the  most  serious  concerns,  as  if  I 
 believed  the  very  contrary.  It  is  with  good  reason  the 
 Lord  challenges,  as  his  own  prerogative,  the  full  know- 
 ledge of  the  deceitfulness,  desperate  wickedness,  and 
 latent  depths  of  the  human  heart,  which  is  capable  of 
 making  even  his  own  people  so  shamefully  inconsistent 
 with  themselves,  and  with  their  acknowledged  princi- 
 ples. 
 
 I  find  that  when  I  have  something  agreeable  in  expec- 
 tation (suppose,  for  instance,  it  were  a  few  hours'  conver- 
 sation with  your  Lordship),  my  imagination  paints  and 
 prepares  the  scene  beforehand ;  hurries  me  over  the  in- 
 tervening space  of  time,  as  though  it  were  a  useless  blank, 
 and  anticipates  the  pleasure  I  propose.  Many  of  my 
 thoughts  of  this  kind  are  mere  waking  dreams;  for,  per- 
 
LETTERS  TO  A  NOBLEMAN. 
 
 109 
 
 haps,  the  opportunity  I  am  eagerly  waiting  for  never 
 happens,  but  is  swallowed  up  by  some  unforeseen  disap- 
 pointment; or  if  not,  something  from  within  or  without 
 prevents  its  answering  the  idea  I  had  formed  of  it.  Nor 
 does  my  fancy  confine  itself  within  the  narrow  limits  of 
 probabilities;  it  can  busy  itself  as  eagerly  in  ranging 
 after  chimeras  and  impossibilities,  and  engage  my  atten- 
 tion to  the  ideal  pursuit  of  things  which  are  never  likely 
 to  happen.  In  these  respects  my  imagination  travels 
 with  wings;  so  that  if  the  wildness,  the  multiplicity,  the 
 variety  of  the  phantoms  which  pass  through  my  mind 
 in  the  space  of  a  winter's  day  were  known  to  my  fellow- 
 creatures,  they  would  probably  deem  me,  as  I  am  often 
 ready  to  deem  myself,  but  a  more  sober  and  harmless 
 kind  of  lunatic.  But  if  I  endeavour  to  put  this  active 
 roving  power  in  a  right  track,  and  to  represent  to  myself 
 those  scenes  which,  though  not  yet  present,  I  know  will 
 soon  be  realised,  and  have  a  greatness  which  the  most 
 enlarged  exercise  of  my  pov/ers  cannot  comprehend — if 
 I  would  fix  my  tlioughts  upon  the  hour  of  death,  the  end 
 of  the  world,  the  coming  of  the  Judge,  or  similar  sub- 
 jects; then  my  imagination  is  presently  tame,  cold,  and 
 jaded,  travels  very  slowly,  and  is  soon  wearied  in  the 
 road  of  truth;  though  in  tlie  fairy  fields  of  uncertainty 
 and  foHy  it  can  skip  from  mountain  to  mountain.  Mr 
 Addison  supposes  that  the  imagination  alone,  as  it  can 
 be  differently  affected,  is  capable  of  making  us  either  in- 
 conceivably happy  or  miserable.  I  am  sure  it  is  capable 
 of  making  us  miserable,  though  I  believe  it  seldom  gives 
 us  much  pleasure,  but  such  as  is  to  be  found  in  a  fool's 
 paradise.  But  I  am  sure,  were  my  outward  life  and  con- 
 duct perfectly  free  from  blame,  the  disorders  and  defile- 
 ment of  my  imagination  are  sufficient  to  constitute  me  a 
 chief  sinner  in  the  sight  of  him  to  whom  the  thoughts 
 and  intents  of  the  heart  are  continually  open,  and  who 
 is  of  purer  eyes  than  to  behold  iniquity. 
 
 Upon  this  head  I  cannot  but  lament  how  universally, 
 almost,  education  is  suited,  and  as  it  were  designed,  to 
 add  to  the  stimulus  of  depraved  nature.  A  cultivated 
 imagination  is  commended  and  sought  afler  as  a  very  de- 
 
110 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 sirable  talent,  though  it  seldom  means  more  than  the 
 possession  of  a  large  stock  of  other  people's  dreams  and 
 fables,  with  a  certain  quickness  in  compounding  them, 
 enlarging  upon  them,  and  exceeding  them  by  inventions 
 of  our  own.  Poets,  painters,  and  even  historians,  are 
 employed  to  assist  us  from  our  early  years,  in  forming 
 an  habitual  relish  for  shadows  and  colourings,  which  both 
 indispose  for  the  search  of  truth,  and  even  unfit  us  for  its 
 reception,  unless  proposed  just  in  our  own  way.  The 
 best  effect  of  the  Belles  Lettres  upon  the  imagination 
 seems  generally  expressed  by  the  word  Taste.  And  what 
 is  this  taste  but  a  certain  disposition  which  loves  to  be 
 humoured,  soothed,  and  flattered,  and  which  can  hardly 
 receive  or  bear  the  most  important  truths  if  they  be  not 
 decorated  and  set  off  with  such  a  delicacy  and  address 
 as  taste  requires?  I  ^ay  the  most  important  truths;  be- 
 cause truths  of  a  secular  importance  strike  so  closely 
 upon  the  senses,  that  the  decision  of  taste,  perhaps,  is 
 not  waited  for.  Thus,  if  a  man  be  informed  of  the  birth 
 of  his  child,  or  that  his  house  is  on  fire,  the  message 
 takes  up  his  thoughts,  and  he  is  seldom  much  disgusted 
 with  the  manner  in  which  it  is  delivered.  But  what  an 
 insuperable  bar  is  the  refined  taste  of  many  to  their  pro- 
 fiting by  the  preaching  of  the  gospel,  or  even  to  their 
 hearing  it.  Though  the  subject  of  a  discourse  be  weighty, 
 and  some  just  representation  given  of  the  evil  of  sin,  the 
 worth  of  the  soul,  and  the  love  of  Christ ;  yet  if  there  be 
 something  amiss  in  the  elocution,  language,  or  manner  of 
 the  preacher,  people  of  taste  must  be  possessed,  in  a  good 
 measure,  of  grace  likewise,  if  they  can  hear  him  with  to- 
 lerable patience.  And,  perhaps,  three-fourths  of  those 
 who  are  accounted  the  most  sensible  and  judicious  in 
 the  auditory,  will  remember  little  about  the  sermon,  but 
 the  tone  of  the  voice,  the  awkMardness  of  the  attitude, 
 the  obsolete  expressions,  and  the  like;  while  the  poor 
 and  simple,  not  being  encumbered  with  this  hurtful  ac- 
 complishment, receive  the  messenger  as  the  Lord's  ser- 
 vant, and  the  truth  as  the  Lord's  word,  and  are  comforted 
 and  edified.  But  I  stop.  Some  people  would  say  that 
 I  must  suppose  your  Lordship  to  have  but  little  taste,  or 
 
LETTERS  TO  A  NOBLEMAN. 
 
 Ill 
 
 'else  much  grace,  or  I  should  not  venture  to  trouble  you 
 with  such  letters  as  mine. 
 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  XXII. 
 
 My  Lord, 
 
 The  apostle  speaks  of  a  blessedness  whicli  it  is  the  de- 
 sign of  the  gospel  to  impart  to  those  who  receive  it. 
 The  Galatians  once  had  it,  and  spoke  of  it.  The  apostle 
 reminds  them  of  their  loss,  which  is  left  upon  record  as 
 a  warning  to  us.  His  expression  has  led  me  sometimes 
 to  consider  wherein  a  Christian's  present  blessedness  con- 
 sists— I  mean  that  which  is  attainable  in  this  state  of  trial, 
 and  the  sense  and  exercise  of  which  may  be,  and  too  often 
 is,  suspended  and  taken  from  us.  It  is  a  blessedness  which, 
 if  we  speak  of  man  in  a  natural  state,  his  eye  hath  not 
 seen,  nor  his  ear  heard  so  as  to  understand  it,  nor  can 
 the  idea  of  it  arise  in  his  heart.  It  is  no  way  depend- 
 ent upon  outward  circumstances.  Prosperity  cannot 
 impart  it,  preserve  or  supply  the  want  of  it;  nor  can 
 adversity  put  it  out  of  our  reach.  The  wise  cannot  ac- 
 quire it  by  dint  of  superior  abilities;  nor  shall  the  simple 
 miss  it  for  want  of  capacity. 
 
 The  state  of  true  believers,  compared  with  that  of 
 others,  is  always  blessed.  If  they  are  born  from  above, 
 and  united  to  Jesus,  they  are  delivered  from  condemna- 
 tion, and  are  heirs  of  eternal  life,  and  may  therefore  well 
 be  accounted  happy.  But  I  consider  now,  not  their  har- 
 vest, but  their  first-fruits;  not  their  portion  in  reversion, 
 but  the  earnest  attainable  in  this  life ;  not  what  they  shall 
 be  in  heaven,  but  what,  in  an  humble  attendance  upon 
 the  Lord,  they  mai/  be  while  upon  earth.  There  is  even 
 at  present  a  prize  of  our  high  calling  set  before  us.  It 
 is  umch  to  be  desired  that  we  had  such  a  sense  of  its 
 value  as  might  prompt  us  so  to  run  that  we  might  ob- 
 
112 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 tain.  I  have  thought  this  blessedness  may  be  comprised 
 in  five  particulars,  though,  in  order  to  take  a  succinct 
 view  of  the  subject,  some  of  these  might  be  branched 
 out  into  several  others;  but  I  would  not,  by  too  many 
 subdivisions,  give  my  letter  the  air  of  a  sermon. 
 
 In  the  first  place,  a  clear,  well-grounded,  habitual  per- 
 suasion of  our  acceptance  in  the  Beloved  is  attainable; 
 and  though  we  may  be  safe,  we  cannot  be  said  to  enjoy 
 blessedness  without  it.  To  be  in  a  state  of  suspense  and 
 uncertainty  in  a  point  of  so  great  importance  is  painful ; 
 and  the  Lord  has  accordingly  provided,  that  his  people 
 may  have  strong  consolation  on  this  head.  They  are 
 blessed,  therefore,  who  have  such  views  of  the  power, 
 grace,  and  suitableness  of  Jesus,  and  the  certainty  and 
 security  of  redemption  in  him,  together  with  such  a  con- 
 sciousness that  they  have  anchored  their  hopes,  and  ven- 
 tured their  all  upon  his  person,  woric,  and  promise,  as 
 furnishes  them  with  a  ready  answer  to  all  the  cavils  of 
 unbelief  and  Satan,  in  the  apostle's  manner,  Rom.  viii. 
 31-37.  That  Paul  could  thus  challenge  and  triumph 
 over  all  charges  and  enemies,  was  not  an  appendage  of 
 his  office  as  an  apostle,  but  a  part  of  his  experience  as  a 
 believer;  and  it  lies  equally  open  to  us;  for  we  have  the 
 same  gospel  and  the  same  promises  as  he  had ;  nor  is  the 
 efficacy  of  the  Holy  Spirit's  teaching  a  wliit  weakened  by 
 length  of  time.  But  many  stop  short  of  this.  They  have 
 a  hope,  but  it  rather  springs  from  their  frames  and  feel- 
 ings, than  from  a  spiritual  apprehension  of  the  Redeem- 
 er's engagements  and  fulness,  and  therefore  fluctuates  and 
 changes  like  the  weather.  Could  they  be  persuaded  to 
 pray  with  earnestness  and  importunity,  as  the  apostle 
 prays  for  them,  Eph.  i.  17-lB,  and  iii.  16-19>  they  would 
 find  a  blessedness  which  they  have  not  yet  known ;  for 
 it  is  said,  "  Ask,  and  ye  shall  receive." — And  it  is  said 
 likewise,  "  Ye  receive  not,  because  ye  ask  not." 
 
 Could  this  privilege  be  enjoyed  singly,  the  natural 
 man  would  have  no  objection  to  it.  He  would  (as  he 
 thinks)  be  pleased  to  know  he  should  be  saved  at  last, 
 provided  that  while  here  he  might  live  in  his  sins.  But 
 the  believer  will  not,  cannot  think  himself  blessed,  unless 
 
LETTERS  TO  A  NOBLEMAN. 
 
 113 
 
 he  has  likewise  a  conscience  void  of  offence.  This  was 
 the  apostle's  daily  exercise,  though  no  one  was  faither 
 from  a  legal  spirit,  or  more  dependent  upon  Jesus  for  ac- 
 ceptance. But  if  we  live  in  any  known  sin,  or  allow 
 ourselves  in  the  customary  omission  of  any  known  duty, 
 supposing  it  possible,  in  such  a  case,  to  preserve  a  sense 
 of  our  acceptance  (which  can  hardly  be  supposed,  for  if 
 the  Spirit  be  grieved,  our  evidences  d(-'cline  of  course), 
 yet  we  could  not  be  easy.  If  a  traveller  was  absolutely 
 sure  of  reaching  his  journey's  end  in  safety,  yet  if  he 
 walked  with  a  thorn  in  his  foot,  he  must  take  every  step 
 in  pain.  Such  a  thorn  will  be  felt  in  tlie  conscience,  till 
 we  are  favoured  with  a  simplicity  of  heart,  and  made 
 willing  in  all  things,  great  or  small,  to  yield  obedience  to 
 the  authority  of  the  Lord's  precepts,  and  make  them  the 
 standing  rule  of  our  conduct,  without  wilfully  admitting 
 a  single  exception.  At  the  best,  we  shall  be  conscious 
 of  innumerable  short-comings  and  shameful  defilement; 
 but  these  things  will  not  break  our  peace,  if  our  hearts 
 are  upright.  But  if  we  trifle  with  light,  and  connive  at 
 what  we  know  to  be  wrong,  we  shall  be  weak,  restless, 
 and  uncomfortable.  How  many,  who  we  would  hope 
 ai'e  the  children  of  the  King,  are  lean  from  day  to  day, 
 because  some  right-hand  or  right-eye  evil,  which  they 
 cannot  persuade  themselves  to  part  with,  keeps  them 
 hailing  between  two  opinions;  and  they  are  as  distant 
 from  happiness  as  they  are  from  the  possibilty  of  recon- 
 ciling the  incompatible  services  of  God  and  the  world. 
 But  happy,  indeed,  is  he  who  condemneth  not  himself  in 
 that  thing  which  he  alloweth. 
 
 Real  communion  with  the  Lord  in  his  appointed  means 
 of  grace,  is  likewise  an  important  branch  of  this  blessed- 
 ness. They  were  instituted  for  this  end,  and  are  suffi- 
 cient, by  virtue  of  his  power  and  Spirit,  to  answer  it.  I 
 do  not  believe  this  enjoyment  will  be  always  equal;  but 
 I  believe  a  comfortable  sense  of  it,  in  some  measure,  is 
 generally  attainable.  To  read  the  scripture,  not  as  an 
 attorney  may  read  a  will,  merely  to  know  the  sense,  but 
 as  the  heir  reads  it,  as  a  description  and  proof  of  his  in- 
 terest ;  to  hear  the  gospel  as  the  voice  of  our  Beloved 
 
114 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 SO  as  to  have  little  leisure  either  for  admiring  the  abili- 
 ties, or  censuring  the  defects  of  the  preacher;  and,  in 
 prayer,  to  feel  a  liberty  of  pouring  out  our  hearts  before 
 the  Lord,  to  behold  some  glances  of  his  goodness  passing 
 before  us,  and  to  breathe  forth  before  liim  the  tempers  of 
 a  child,  the  spirit  of  adoption;  and  thus,  by  beholding 
 his  glory,  to  be  conformed  more  and  more  to  his  image, 
 and  to  renew  our  strength,  by  drawing  water  out  of  the 
 wells  of  salvation:  herein  is  blessedness.  They  who 
 have  tasted  it  can  say,  it  is  good  for  me  to  draw  nigh 
 to  God.  The  soul,  thus  refreshed  by  the  water  of  life, 
 is  preserved  from  thirsting  after  the  vanities  of  the  world; 
 thus  instructed  in  tha  sanctuary,  comes  down  from  the 
 mount  filled  with  heavenly  wisdom,  anointed  with  a  holy 
 unction,  and  thereby  qualified  to  judge,  speak,  and  act 
 in  character,  in  all  the  relations  and  occasions  of  secular 
 life.  Li  this  way,  besides  the  pleasure,  a  spiritual  taste 
 is  acquired,  something  analogous  to  the  meaning  of  the 
 word  taste  when  applied  to  music  or  good  breeding,  by 
 which  discords  and  improprieties  are  observed  and  avoid- 
 ed, as  it  were  by  instinct,  and  what  is  right  is  felt  and 
 followed,  not  so  much  by  the  force  of  rules,  as  by  a 
 habit  insensibly  acquired,  and  in  which  the  substance  of 
 all  necessary  rules  are,  if  I  may  so  say,  digested.  O 
 that  I  knew  more  of  this  blessedness,  and  more  of  its 
 effects ! 
 
 Another  branch  of  blessedness  is  a  power  of  reposing 
 ourselves  and  our  concerns  upon  the  Lord's  faithfulness 
 and  care;  and  may  be  considered  in  two  respects:  a  re- 
 liance upon  him  that  he  will  surely  provide  for  us,  guide 
 us,  protect  us,  be  our  help  in  trouble,  our  shield  in  danger; 
 so  that  however  poor,  weak,  and  defenceless  in  ourselves, 
 we  may  rejoice  in  his  all-sufficiency  as  our  own — and, 
 farther,  in  consequence  of  this,  a  peaceful,  humble  sub- 
 mission to  his  will,  under  all  events,  which,  upon  their 
 first  impression,  are  contrary  to  our  own  views  and  de- 
 sires. Surely,  in  a  world  like  this,  where  every  thing  is 
 uncertain,  where  we  are  exposed  to  trials  on  every  hand, 
 and  know  not  but  a  single  hour  may  bring  forth  some- 
 thins^  painful,  yea  dreadful  to  our  natural  sensations, 
 
LETTERS  TO  A  NOBLEMAN. 
 
 115 
 
 there  can  be  no  blessedness,  but  so  far  as  we  are  thus 
 enabled  to  entrust  and  I'esign  all  to  the  direction  and 
 faithfulness  of  the  Lord  our  Shepherd.  For  want  or 
 more  of  this  spirit,  multitudes  of  professing  Christians 
 perplex  and  wound  themselves,  and  dishonour  their  high 
 calling,  by  cor.tinuai  anxieties,  alarms,  and  complaints. 
 They  think  nothing  safe  under  the  Lord's  keeping,  un- 
 less their  own  eye  is  likewise  upon  it;  and  are  seldom 
 satisfied  with  any  of  his  dispensations:  for  though  he 
 gratify  their  desires  in  nine  instances,  a  refusal  in  the 
 tenth  spoils  the  relish  of  all,  and  they  show  the  truths  of 
 the  gospel  can  afford  them  little  comPort,  if  self  is  crossed. 
 But  blessed  is  the  man  who  trusteth  in  tlie  Lord,  and 
 whose  hope  tlio  Lord  is.  He  shall  not  be  afraid  of  evil 
 tidings:  he  shall  be  kept  in  perfect  peace,  though  the 
 earth  be  moved,  and  the  mountains  cast  into  the  midst  of 
 the  sea. 
 
 The  paper  admonishes  me  it  is  time  to  relieve  your 
 Lordship.  And  I  have  not  room  to  detain  you  long 
 upon  the  fifth  particular.  It  belongs  to  a  believer's 
 blessedness  to  feel  his  spirit  cheerful  and  active  for  the 
 Lord's  service  in  the  world.  For  to  what  other  end 
 should  he  wish  to  live  ?  If  he  thought  of  himself  only, 
 it  would  be  better  to  depart  and  be  with  Jesus  imme- 
 diately. But  he  is  a  debtor  to  his  grace  and  love ;  and 
 though  strictly  he  can  make  no  returns,  yet  he  longs  to 
 show  his  thankfulness:  and  if  the  Lord  give  him  a  heart 
 to  redeem  his  time,  to  devote  his  strength  and  influence, 
 and  lay  himself  out  for  his  service — that  he  may  be  in- 
 strumental in  promoting  his  cause,  in  comforting  his 
 people — or  enable  him  to  let  his  light  shine  before  men, 
 that  his  God  and  Father  may  be  honoured — he  will  ac- 
 count it  blessedness.  This  is  indeed  the  great  end  of 
 life,  and  he  knows  it  will  evidencly  appear  so  at  the  ap- 
 proacli  of  death;  and,  therefore,  while  others  are  cum- 
 bered about  many  things,  he  esteems  this  the  one  thing 
 needful. 
 
 I  remain,  my  Lord,  &c. 
 
116 
 
 CAHDII'HONIA. 
 
 LET  TER  XX  IT. 
 
 My  Lord,  July,  1776. 
 
 That  I  may  not  weary  you  by  a  preamble,  I  oblige  mj'- 
 self  to  take  the  turn  of  ray  letter  from  some  passage  of 
 scripture ;  and  I  fix  upon  that  which  just  now  occurred 
 to  my  thoughts,  a  clause  in  that  pattern  of  prayer  v/hich 
 he  who  best  knows  our  state  has  been  pleased  to  leave 
 for  the  instruction  of  his  people,  in  their  great  concern 
 of  waiting  at  his  throne  of  grace,  Matth.  vi.  13,  "And 
 lead  us  not  into  temptation."  This  petition  is  season- 
 able at  all  times,  and  to  all  persons  who  have  any  right 
 knowledge  of  themselves  or  their  spiritual  calling. 
 
 The  word  temptation,  taken  at  large,  includes  every 
 kind  of  trial.  To  tempt,  is  to  try  or  prove.  In  this 
 sense,  it  is  said,  the  Lord  tempted  Abraham,  that  is,  he 
 tried  him ;  for  God  cannot  tempt  to  evil.  He  proposed 
 such  an  act  of  obedience  to  him,  as  was  a  test  of  his 
 faith,  love,  dependence,  and  integrity.  Thus,  all  our  af- 
 flictions, under  his  gracious  management,  are  appointed 
 to  prove,  manifest,  exercise,  and  purify  the  graces  of  his 
 children.  And  not  afflictions  only;  prosperity  likewise 
 is  a  state  of  temptation:  and  many  who  have  endured 
 sharp  sufferings,  and  came  off  honourably,  have  been 
 afterwards  greatlj'  hurt  and  ensnared  by  prospei  ity.  To 
 this  purpose  the  histories  of  David  and  Hezekiah  are  in 
 point.  But  by  temptation  we  more  frequently  under- 
 stand the  wiles  and  (brce  which  Satan  employs  in  assault- 
 ing our  peace,  or  spi'eading  snares  for  our  feet.  He  is 
 always  practising  against  us,  either  directly  and  from 
 himself,  by  the  access  he  has  to  our  hearts,  or  mediately, 
 Dy  the  influence  he  has  over  the  men  and  the  things  of 
 this  world.  The  words  which  follow  confirra  this  sense 
 — "Lead  us  not  into  temptation;  but  deliver  us  from 
 evil,"  cf!^"  rov  'TTovYinov,  from  the  evil  one,  as  it  might  be 
 properly  rendered  here,  and  in  1  John  v.  19.  The  sub- 
 tlety and  power  of  this  adversary  are  very  great:  he  is 
 
LETTERS  TO  A  NOBLEMAN. 
 
 in 
 
 an  overmatch  for  ns;  and  we  have  no  hope  of  safety  but 
 ih  the  Lord's  protection.  Satan's  action  upon  the  heart 
 may  be  illustrated  by  the  action  of  the  wind  upon  the 
 sea.  The  sea  sometimes  appears  smooth ;  but  it  is  al- 
 ways disposed  to  swell  and  rage,  and  to  obey  the  im- 
 pulse of  every  storm.  Thus  the  heart  may  be  sometimes 
 quiet ;  but  the  wind  of  temptation  will  awaken  and  rouse 
 it  in  a  moment:  for  it  is  essential  to  our  depraved  nature 
 to  be  unstable  and  yielding  as  the  water;  and  when  it  is 
 under  the  impression  of  the  enemy,  its  violence  can  only 
 be  controlled  by  him  who  says  to  the  raging  sea,  "  Be 
 still,  and  here  shall  thy  proud  waves  be  stayed."  The 
 branches  of  temptation  are  almost  innumerable ;  but  the 
 principal  may  be  reduced  to  the  several  faculties  of  the 
 soul  (as  we  commonly  speak)  to  which  they  are  more  di- 
 rectly suited. 
 
 He  has  temptations  for  the  understanding.  He  can 
 blind  the  mind  with  prejudices  and  false  reasonings,  and 
 ply  it  with  arguments  for  infidelity,  till  the  most  obvious 
 truths  become  questionable.  Even  where  tlie  gospel  has 
 been  received,  he  can  insinuate  error,  which,  for  the  sud- 
 denness and  malignity  of  its  effects,  may  be  properly  com- 
 pared to  poison.  A  healthy  man  may  be  poisoned  in  a  mo- 
 ment ;  and  if  he  be,  the  baneful  drug  is  usually  mixed  with 
 his  food.  Many,  who  for  a  while  seemed  to  be  sound  in 
 the  faith,  iiave  had  their  judgments  strongly  and  strange- 
 ly perverted,  and  prevailed  upon  to  renounce  and  oppose 
 the  truths  they  once  prized  and  defended.  Such  instances 
 are  striking  proofs  of  human  weakness,  and  loud  calls  to 
 watchfulness  and  dependence,  and  to  beware  of  leaning 
 to  our  oAvn  understandings.  For  these  purposes  he  em- 
 ploys both  preachers  and  authors,  who,  by  fine  words  and 
 fair  speeches,  beguile  the  hearts  of  the  unwary.  And, 
 by  his  immediate  influence  upon  the  mind,  he  is  able  (if 
 the  Lord  permits  him)  to  entangle  those  who  are  provi- 
 dentially placed  out  of  the  reach  of  corrupt  and  design- 
 ing men. 
 
 He  tempts  the  conscience.  By  working  upon  the  un- 
 belief of  our  hearts,  and  darkening  the  glory  of  the  gos- 
 pel, he  can  hold  down  the  soul  to  the  number,  weight, 
 
 D  2 
 
118 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 and  aggravation  of  its  sins,  so  that  it  shall  not  be  able  to 
 look  up  to  Jesus,  nor  draw  any  comfort  from  his  blood, 
 promises,  and  grace.  How  many  go  burdened  in  this 
 manner,  seeking  relief  from  duties,  and  perhaps  spending 
 their  strength  in  things  not  commanded,  though  they  hear 
 and,  perhaps,  acknowledge  the  gospel?  Nor  are  the 
 wisest  and  most  established  able  to  withstand  his  assaults, 
 if  the  Lord  Avithdraw,  and  give  him  leave  to  employ  his 
 power  and  subtlety  unrestrained.  The  gospel  affords 
 sufficient  ground  for  an  abiding  assurance  of  hope:  nor 
 should  we  rest  satisfied  without  it.  However,  the  pos- 
 session and  preservation  of  this  privilege  depends  upon 
 the  Lord's  presence  with  the  soul,  and  his  shielding  us 
 from  Satan's  attacks;  for  I  am  persuaded  he  is  able  to 
 sift  and  shake  the  strongest  believer  upon  earth. 
 
 He  has  likewise  temptations  suited  to  the  will.  Jesus 
 makes  his  people  willing  in  the  day  of  his  power;  yet 
 there  is  a  contrary  principle  remaining  within  them,  of 
 which  Satan  knows  how  to  avail  himself.  There  are 
 occasions  in  which  he  almost  prevails  to  set  self  again 
 upon  the  throne,  as  Dagon  was  raised  after  he  had  fallen 
 before  the  ark.  How  else  should  any  who  have  tasted 
 that  the  Lord  is  gracious,  give  way  to  a  repining  spirit, 
 account  his  dispensations  hard,  or  his  precepts  too  strict, 
 so  as  to  shrink  from  their  observance  through  the  fear  of 
 men,  or  a  regard  to  their  worldly  interest? 
 
 Farther,  he  has  snares  for  the  affections.  In  mana- 
 ging these,  he  gains  a  great  advantage  from  our  situation 
 in  a  world  that  knows  not  God.  The  scripture  gives 
 Satan  the  title  of  god  of  this  world ;  and  belicn  ers  learn, 
 by  painful  experience,  how  great  his  power  is  in  and  over 
 the  persons  and  things  of  it.  So  thai:  to  be  stedfast  in 
 wisdom's  ways  requires  unremitted  efforts,  like  pressing 
 through  a  crowd,  or  swimming  against  a  stream.  How 
 hard  is  it  to  live  in  the  midst  of  pitch  and  not  be  defiled. 
 The  air  of  the  world  is  infectious.  Our  business  and 
 unavoidable  connections  are  so  interwoven  with  occa- 
 sions of  sin,  and  there  is  so  much  in  our  hearts  suited  to 
 them,  that  unless  we  are  incessantly  upheld  by  almighty 
 strength,  we  cannot  stand  a  day  or  an  hour.    Past  vie- 
 
LETTERS  TO  A  NOBLEMAN. 
 
 119 
 
 tories  afford  us  no  greater  security  than  they  did  Sainson, 
 who  was  shamefully  surprised  by  enemies  whom  he  had 
 formerly  conquered.  Nor  are  we  only  tempted  by  com- 
 pliances that  are  evil  in  themselves.  With  respect  to 
 these,  perhaps,  conscience  may  be  awake,  and  we  stand 
 upon  our  guard ;  but  we  are  still  upon  Satan's  ground ; 
 and  while  he  may  seem  to  allow  himself  defeated,  he  can 
 dexterously  change  his  method,  and  come  upon  us  where 
 we  do  not  suspect  him.  For  Perimufs  in  licitis.  Per- 
 haps our  greatest  danger  arises  from  things  in  themselves 
 lawful.  He  can  tempt  us  by  our  nearest  and  dearest 
 friends,  and  pervert  every  blessing  of  a  kind  Providence 
 into  an  occasion  of  drawing  our  hearts  from  the  Giver; 
 yea,  spiritual  blessings,  gifts,  comforts,  and  even  graces, 
 are  sometimes  the  engines  by  which  he  practices  against 
 us,  to  fill  us  witli  vain  confidence  and  self-sufficiency,  or 
 to  lull  us  into  formality  and  indolence. 
 
 That  wonderful  power  which  we  call  the  imagination, 
 is,  I  suppose,  rather  the  medium  of  the  soul's  perceptions 
 during  its  present  state  of  union  with  the  body,  than  a 
 spiritual  faculty,  strictly  speaking;  but  it  partakes  largely 
 of  that  depravity  which  sin  has  brought  upon  our  whole 
 frame,  and  affords  Satan  an  avenue  for  assaulting  us  with 
 the  most  terrifying,  if  not  the  most  dangerous  of  his 
 temptations.  At  the  best,  we  have  but  an  indifferent 
 command  over  it.  We  cannot,  by  an  act  of  our  own 
 will,  exclude  a  thousand  painful,  wild,  inconsistent,  and 
 hurtful  ideas,  which  are  ever  ready  to  obtrude  themselves 
 upon  our  minds:  and  a  slight  altei'ation  in  the  animal  sys- 
 tem, in  the  motion  of  the  blood  or  nervous  spirits,  is  suf- 
 ficient to  withdraw  it  wholly  from  our  dominion,  and  to 
 leave  us  like  a  city  without  walls  or  gates,  exposed  to 
 the  incursion  of  our  enemy.  We  are  fearfully  and  won- 
 derfully made;  and,  with  all  our  boasted  knowledge  of 
 other  things,  can  form  no  conception  of  what  is  so  vastly 
 interesting  to  us — the  mysterious  connection  betv/een  soul 
 and  body,  and  the  manner  in  which  they  are  mutually 
 affected  by  each  other.  The  effects  we  too  sensibly  feel. 
 The  wisest  of  men  would  be  accounted  fools  or  mad, 
 were  they  to  express  in  words  a  small  part  of  what  passes 
 
120 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 Avithln  them;  and  it  would  appear  that  much  of  the  so- 
 berest life  is  little  better  than  a  waking  dream:  but  how 
 dreadful  are  the  consequences  when  the  Lord  permits 
 some  hidden  pin  in  the  human  machine  to  be  altered! 
 Immediately  a  door  flies  open,  which  no  hand  but  his  can 
 shut,  and  tlie  enemy  pours  in,  like  a  flood,  falsehood  and 
 horror,  and  the  blackness  of  darkness;  the  judgment  is 
 borne  down  and  disabled,  and  the  most  distressing  illu- 
 sions seize  us  with  all  the  apparent  force  of  evidence  and 
 demonstration.  When  this  is  the  case  in  a  certain  de- 
 gree, we  call  it  distraction;  but  there  are  various  de- 
 grees of  it,  which  leave  a  person  in  the  possession  of  his 
 senses  as  to  the  things  of  common  life,  and  yet  are  suf- 
 ficient, with  respect  to  his  spiritual  concerns,  to  shake 
 the  very  foundations  of  his  hope,  and  deprive  him  of  all 
 peace  and  comfort,  and  make  him  a  terror  to  himself. 
 All  the  Lord's  people  are  not  called  to  navigate  in  these 
 deep  waters  of  soul  distress;  but  all  are  liable.  Ah!  if 
 we  knew  what  some  suffer,  the  horribilia  de  Deo,  et  ter- 
 ribilia  de  fide,  which  excruciate  the  minds  of  those  over 
 whom  Satan  is  permitted  to  ty  rannize  in  this  way,  surely 
 we  should  be  more  earnest  and  frequent  in  praying, 
 "  Lead  us  not  into  temptation."  From  some  little  sense 
 I  have  of  the  malice  and  subtlety  of  our  spiritual  ene- 
 mies, and  the  weakness  of  those  barriers  which  we  have 
 to  prevent  their  assaults,  I  am  fully  persuaded  that  no- 
 thing less  than  the  continual  exertion  of  that  almightj' 
 power  which  preserves  the  stais  in  their  orbits,  can  main- 
 tain our  peace  of  mind  for  an  hour  or  a  minute.  In  this 
 view,  all  comparative  difference  in  external  situations 
 seems  to  be  annihilated;  for  as  the  Lord's  presence  can 
 make  his  people  happy  in  a  dungeon,  so  there  are  tempt- 
 ations which,  if  we  felt  them,  would  instantly  render  us 
 incapable  of  receiving  a  moment's  satisfaction  from  an 
 assemblage  of  all  earthly  blessings,  and  make  the  com- 
 pany of  our  dearest  fi'iends  tasteless,  if  not  insupportable. 
 
 A.h !  how  little  do  the  gay  and  the  busy  think  of  these 
 tilings!  How  little  indeed  do  they  think  of  them  who 
 profess  to  believ  e  them!  How  faint  is  the  sense  of  our 
 obligations  to  him,  who  freely  submitted  to  the  fiercest 
 
1.ETTEBS  TO  A  NOBLEMAN. 
 
 121 
 
 onsets  of  the  powers  of  darkness,  to  free  us  from  the 
 punishment  due  to  our  sins;  otherwise  we  must  have  been 
 for  ever  shut  up  witli  those  miserable  and  merciless  spirits, 
 who  delight  in  our  torment,  and  who,  even  in  the  pre- 
 sent state,  if  they  get  access  to  our  minds,  can  make  our 
 existence  a  burden! 
 
 But  our  Lord,  who  knows  and  considers  our  weak- 
 ness, of  which  we  are  so  little  aware,  allows  and  directs 
 us  to  pray,  "  Lead  us  not  into  temptation."  We  are  not 
 to  expect  an  absolute  freedom  from  temptation ;  we  are 
 called  to  be  soldiers,  and  must  sometimes  meet  with  ene- 
 mies, and  perhaps  with  wounds;  yet  considering  this 
 prayer  as  provided  by  him  who  knows  what  we  are,  and 
 where  we  are,  it  may  afford  us  both  instruction  and  con- 
 solation. 
 
 It  calls  to  a  constant  reflection  upon  our  own  weak- 
 ness. Believers,  especially  young  ones,  are  prone  to 
 rest  too  much  in  grace  received.  They  feel  their  hearts 
 warm;  and,  like  Peter,  are  ready  to  please  themselves 
 with  thinking  how  they  would  act  in  such  or  such  a 
 state  of  trial.  It  is  as  if  the  Lord  had  said,  Poor  worms, 
 be  not  high-minded,  but  fear  and  pray,  that,  if  it  may 
 be,  you  may  be  kept  from  learning,  by  bitter  experience, 
 how  weak  your  supposed  strength  is  It  sweetly  inti- 
 mates, that  all  our  ways,  and  all  our  enemies,  are  in  the 
 hands  of  our  great  Shepherd.  He  knows  our  path.  We 
 are  short-sighted,  and  cannot  tell  what  an  hour  may  bring 
 forth :  but  we  are  under  his  protection :  and  if  we  depend 
 upon  him,  we  need  not  be  anxiously  afraid.  He  will  be 
 faithful  to  the  trust  we  repose  in  him,  and  will  suffer  no 
 temptation  to  overtake  us,  but  what  he  will  support  us 
 under  and  bring  us  through.  But  it  becomes  us  to  be- 
 ware of  security  and  presumption,  to  keep  our  eyes  upon 
 him,  and  not  to  think  ourselves  safe  a  moment  longer 
 than  our  spirits  feel  and  breathe  the  meaning  of  this  pe- 
 tition. 
 
 It  implies,  likewise,  the  duty  of  watchfulness  on  our 
 part,  as  our  Lord  joins  them  elsewhere,  "  Watch  and 
 pray."  If  we  desire  not  to  be  led  into  temptation,  surely 
 we  are  not  to  run  into  it.    If  we  wish  to  be  preserved 
 
122 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 from  error  we  are  to  guard  against  a  curious  and  reascu- 
 ing  spirit.  If  yve  would  preserve  peace  of  conscience, 
 M'e  must  beware  of  trifling  with  the  light  and  motions  of 
 the  Holy  Spirit,  for  without  his  assistance  we  cannot 
 maintain  faith  in  exercise.  If  we  would  not  be  ensnared 
 by  the  men  of  the  world,  we  are  to  keep  at  a  proper  dis- 
 tance from  them.  The  less  we  have  to  do  with  them 
 the  bettei',  excepting  so  far  as  the  providence  of  God 
 makes  it  our  duty,  in  the  discharge  of  our  callings  and 
 relations,  and  taking  opportunities  of  doing  them  good. 
 And  though  we  cannot  wholly  shut  Satan  out  of  our  ima- 
 ginations, we  should  be  cautious  that  we  do  not  wilfully 
 provide  fuel  for  his  flame;  but  entreat  the  Lord  to  set 
 a  watch  upon  our  eyes  and  our  ears,  and  to  teach  us  to 
 reject  the  first  motions  and  the  smallest  appearances  of 
 evil. 
 
 I  have  been  so  intent  upon  my  subject,  tliat  I  have 
 once  and  again  forgot  I  was  writing  to  your  Lordship, 
 otherwise  I  should  not  have  let  my  lucubration  run  to 
 so  great  a  length,  which  I  certainly  did  not  intend  when 
 I  began.  I  shall  not  add  to  this  fault,  by  making  an 
 apology.  I  have  touched  upon  a  topic  of  great  import- 
 ance to  myself.  I  am  one  among  many  who  have  suf- 
 fered greatlj'  for  want  of  paying  more  attention  to  my 
 need  of  this  prayer.  O  that  I  could  be  wiser  hereafter, 
 and  always  act  and  speak  as  knowing  that  I  am  always 
 upon  a  field  of  battle,  and  Ijeset  by  legions! 
 I  am,  with  great  respect,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  XXIV. 
 
 i.lY  Loud,  September,  1776. 
 
 Without  any  preamble,  I  purpose  now  to  wait  on  your 
 Lordship,  v.  ith  a  few  thoughts  on  the  meaning  of  that 
 name  which  first  obtained  at  Antioch,  in  other  words, 
 wliat  it  is  to  be  a  Christian.    What  are  tlie  effects  which 
 
LETTERS  TO  A  NOBLEMAN. 
 
 123 
 
 (making  allowance  for  the  unavoidable  infirmities  attend- 
 ing upon  the  present  state  of  mortality)  may  be  expected 
 J5fom  a  real  experimental  knowledge  of  the  gospel  ?  I 
 would  not  insinuate  that  none  are  Christians  who  do  not 
 come  up  to  the  character  I  would  describe ;  for  then  I 
 fear  I  should  unchristian  myself :  but  only  to  consider 
 what  the  scripture  encourages  us  to  aim  at  as  the  prize 
 of  our  high  calling  in  this  life.  It  is  generally  allowed  and 
 lamented,  that  we  are  too  apt  to  live  below  our  privileges, 
 and  to  stop  short  of  what  the  spirit  and  the  promises  of 
 the  gospel  point  out  to  us  as  attainable. 
 
 ~\It  Pope's  admired  line,  "  An  honest  man's  the  noblest 
 work  of  God,"  may  be  admitted  as  a  truth  when  rightly 
 explained.  A  Christian  is  the  noblest  work  of  God  in 
 this  visible  world,  and  bears  a  much  brighter  impression 
 of  his  glory  and  goodness  than  the  sun  in  the  firmament; 
 and  none  but  a  Christian  can  be  strictly  and  properly 
 honest ;  all  others  are  too  much  under  the  power  of  self, 
 to  do  universally  to  others  as  they  would  others  should 
 do  unto  them;  and  nothing  but  an  uniform  conduct  upon 
 tliis  principle  deserves  the  name  of  honesty. 
 
 The  Christian  is  a  new  creature,  born  and  taught  from 
 above.  He  has  been  convinced  of  his  guilt  and  misery 
 as  a  sinner,  has  fled  for  refuge  to  the  hope  set  before  him, 
 has  seen  the  Son  and  believed  on  him;  his  natural  pre- 
 judices against  the  glory  and  grace  of  God's  salvation 
 have  been  subdued  and  silenced  by  almighty  power;  he 
 has  accepted  the  Beloved,  and  is  made  acceptable  in 
 him:  he  now  knows  the  Lord;  has  renounced  the  con- 
 fused, distant,  uncomfortable  notions  he  once  formed  of 
 God ;  and  beholds  him  in  Christ,  who  is  the  way,  the 
 truth,  and  the  life,  the  only  door  by  which  we  can  enter 
 to  any  true  satisfying  Icnowledge  of  God,  or  communion 
 with  him.  But  he  sees  God  in  Christ  reconciled,  a 
 Father,  a  Saviour,  and  a  Friend,  who  has  freely  forgiven 
 him  all  his  sins,  and  given  him  the  spirit  of  adoption:  he 
 is  now  no  longer  a  servant,  much  less  a  stranger,  but  a 
 son;  and  because  a  son,  an  heir  already  interested  in  all 
 the  promises,  admitted  to  the  throne  of  grace,  and  an  as- 
 sured expectant  of  eternal  glory.    The  gospel  is  designed 
 
124 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 to  give  us  not  only  a  peradventure  or  a  probability,  but 
 a  certainty  both  of  our  acceptance  and  our  perseverance, 
 till  death  shall  be  swallowed  up  in  life.  And  though 
 many  arc  sadly  fluctuating  and  perplexed  upon  this  head, 
 and  perhaps  all  are  so  for  a  season,  yet  there  are  those 
 who  can  say,  we  know  that  we  are  of  God ;  and  therefore 
 they  are  stedfast  and  unmovable  in  his  way;  because 
 they  are  confident  that  their  labour  shall  not  be  in  vain, 
 but  that  when  they  shall  be  absent  from  the  body,  they 
 shall  be  present  with  the  Lord.  This  is  the  state  of  the 
 advanced  experienced  Christian,  who  being  enabled  to 
 make  his  profession  the  chief  business  of  his  life,  is  strong 
 in  the  Lord  and  in  the  power  of  his  might.  Every  one 
 who  has  this  hope  in  Christ,  purifieth  himself  even  as  he 
 is  pure.  I  would  now  attempt  a  sketch  of  the  Christian's 
 temper,  formed  upon  these  principles  and  hopes,  under 
 the  leading  branches  of  its  exercise,  respecting  God,  him- 
 self, and  his  fellow-creatures. 
 
 The  Christian's  temper  Godward  is  evidenced  by  hu- 
 mility.  He  has  received  from  Gethsemane  and  Golgo- 
 tha such  a  sense  of  the  evil  of  sin,  and  of  the  holiness 
 of  God,  combined  with  his  matchless  love  to  sinners,  as 
 has  deeply  penetrated  his  heart ;  he  has  an  affecting  re- 
 membrance of  the  state  of  rebellion  and  enmity  in  which 
 he  once  lived  against  this  holy  and  good  God:  and  he 
 has  a  quick  perception  of  the  defilements  and  defects 
 which  still  debase  his  best  services.  His  mouth  is  there- 
 fore stopped  as  to  boasting;  he  is  vile  in  his  own  eyes, 
 and  is  filled  with  wonder  that  the  Lord  should  visit  such 
 a  sinner  with  such  a  salvation.  He  sees  so  vast  a  dis- 
 proportion between  the  obligations  he  is  under  to  grace, 
 and  the  returns  lie  makes,  that  he  is  disposed,  yea,  con- 
 strained, to  adopt  the  apostle's  words  without  affectation, 
 and  to  account  himself  less  than  the  least  of  all  saints; 
 and  knowing  his  own  heart  while  he  sees  only  the  out- 
 side of  others,  he  is  not  easily  persuaded  there  can  be  a 
 believer  upon  earth  so  faint,  so  unfruitful,  so  unworthy  as 
 himself.  Yet,  though  abased,  he  is  not  discouraged,  for 
 he  enjoj's /jecfce.  The  dignity,  offices,  blood,  righteous- 
 ness, faithfulness,  and  compassion  of  the  Redeemer,  iu 
 
LETTERS  TO  A  NOBLEMAN. 
 
 125 
 
 whom  he  rests,  trusts,  and  lives,  for  wisdom,  righteous- 
 ness, sanctification,  and  redemption,  are  adequate  to  all 
 his  wants  and  wishes,  provide  him  with  an  answer  to 
 every  objection,  and  give  him  no  less  confidence  in  God, 
 than  if  he  were  sinless  as  an  angel:  for  he  sees,  that 
 though  sin  has  abounded  in  him,  grace  has  much  more 
 abounded  in  Jesus.  With  respect  to  the  past,  all  things 
 are  become  new ;  with  respect  to  the  present  and  future, 
 he  leans  upon  an  almighty  arm,  and  relies  upon  the  word 
 and  power  which  made  and  upholds  the  heavens  and  the 
 earth.  Though  he  feels  himself  unworthy  of  the  small- 
 est mercies,  he  claims  and  expects  the  greatest  blessings 
 that  God  can  bestow;  and  being  rooted  and  grounded  in 
 the  knowledge  and  love  of  Christ,  his  peace  abides,  and 
 is  not  greatly  affected,  either  by  the  variation  of  his  own 
 frames,  or  the  changes  of  God's  dispensations  towards  him 
 while  here.  With  such  a  sense  of  himself,  such  a  heart- 
 ffelt  peace  and  heavenlj'^  hope,  how  can  his  spirit  but 
 breathe  love  to  his  God  and  Saviour?  It  is  indeed  the 
 perfection  of  his  character  and  happiness,  that  his  soul 
 is  united  by  love  to  the  chief  good.  The  love  of  Christ 
 is  the  joy  of  his  heart,  and  the  spring  of  his  obedience. 
 With  his  Saviour's  presence,  he  finds  a  heaven  begun 
 upon  earth;  and  without  it,  all  the  other  glories  of  the 
 heavenly  state  would  not  content  him.  The  excellence 
 of  Christ,  his  love  to  sinners,  especially  his  dying  love; 
 his  love  to  himself  in  seeking  and  saving  him  when  lost, 
 saving  him  to  the  uttermost — but  I  must  stop.  Your 
 Lordship  can  better  conceive  than  I  can  describe,  how 
 and  why  Jesus  is  dear  to  the  heart  that  knows  him. 
 That  part  of  the  Christian's  life  which  is  not  employed 
 in  the  active  service  of  his  Lord,  is  chiefly  spent  in  seek- 
 ing and  maintaining  communion  with  him.  For  this  he 
 plies  the  throne,  and  studies  the  word  of  grace,  and  fre- 
 quents the  ordinances,  where  the  Lord  has  promised  to 
 meet  with  his  people.  These  are  his  golden  hours;  and 
 when  thus  employed,  how  poor  and  trivial  does  all  that 
 the  world  calls  great  and  important  appear  in  his  eyes! 
 Yea,  he  is  solicitous  to  keep  up  an  intercourse  of  heart 
 with  his  Beloved  in  his  busiest  scenes;  and  so  far  a.s  he 
 
126 
 
 CARDIPIIONIA 
 
 can  succeed,  it  alleviates  all  his  labours,  and  sweetens  all 
 his  troubles.  And  when  he  is  neither  communing  with 
 his  Lord,  nor  acting  for  him,  he  accounts  his  time  lost, 
 and  is  ashamed  and  grieved.  The  truth  of  his  love  is 
 manifested  by  submission.  This  is  twofold,  and  absolute, 
 and  without  reserve  in  each.  He  submits  to  his  revealed 
 will,  as  made  known  to  him  by  precept,  and  by  his  own 
 example.  He  aims  to  tread  in  his  Saviour's  footsteps, 
 and  makes  conscience  of  all  his  commandments,  without 
 exception  and  without  hesitation.  Again,  he  submits  to 
 his  providential  will:  he  yields  to  his  sovereignty,  ac- 
 quiesces in  his  wisdom;  he  knows  he  has  no  right  to 
 complain  of  any  thing,  because  he  is  a  sinner;  and  he 
 has  no  reason,  because  he  is  sure  the  Lord  does  all  things 
 well.  Therefore  his  submission  is  not  forced,  but  is  an 
 act  of  trust.  He  knows  he  is  not  more  unworthy  than 
 he  is  unable  to  choose  for  himself,  and  therefoi'e  rejoices 
 that  the  Lord  has  imdertaken  to  manage  for  him ;  and 
 were  he  compelled  to  make  his  own  choice,  he  could  only 
 choose  that  all  his  concerns  should  remain  in  that  hand 
 to  which  he  has  already  committed  them.  And  thus  he 
 judges  of  public  as  well  as  of  his  personal  affairs.  He 
 cannot  be  an  unaffected  spectator  of  national  sins,  nor 
 without  apprehension  of  their  deserved  consequences; 
 he  feels,  and  almost  trembles  for  others;  but  he  himself 
 dwells  under  the  shadow  of  the  Almighty,  in  a  sanctuary 
 that  cannot  be  forced;  and,  therefore,  should  he  see  the 
 earth  shaken,  and  the  mountains  cast  into  the  midst  of 
 the  sea,  his  heart  would  not  be  greatly  moved,  for  God 
 is  his  refuge.  The  Lord  reigns.  He  sees  his  Saviour's 
 hands  directing  every  dark  appearance,  and  overruling 
 all  to  the  accomplishment  of  his  own  great  purposes: 
 this  satisfies  him ;  and  though  the  winds  and  waves  should 
 be  high,  he  can  venture  his  own  little  bark  in  the  storm, 
 for  he  has  an  infallible  and  almighty  pilot  on  board  with 
 him.  And  indeed,  why  should  he  fear  v/hen  he  has  no- 
 thing to  lose?  His  best  concerns  are  safe;  and  other 
 things  he  holds  as  gifts  from  his  Lord,  to  whose  call  he 
 is  ready  to  resign  them  in  whatever  way  he  pleases ;  well 
 knowing  that  creatures  and  instruments  cannot  of  them- 
 
LETTERS  TO  A  NOBLEMAN. 
 
 127 
 
 selves  touch  a  hair  of  his  head  without  the  Lord's  per- 
 mission, and  that  if  he  does  permit  them,  it  must  be  for 
 the  host. 
 
 I  might  enlarge  farther;  but  I  shall  proceed  to  con- 
 sider the  Christian's  temper  respecting  himself.  He  lives 
 godly  and  sobcrli/.  By  sobriety  we  mean  more  than  that 
 he  is  not  a  drunkard;  his  tempers  toward  God  of  course 
 form  him  to  a  moderation  in  all  temporal  things.  He  is 
 not  scrupulous  or  superstitious;  he  understands  the  li- 
 berty of  the  gospel,  that  every  creature  of  God  is  good 
 if  it  be  received  with  thanksgiving:  he  does  not  aim  at 
 being  needlessly  singular,  nor  practise  self-devised  aus- 
 terities. The  Christian  is  neither  a  Stoic  nor  a  Cynic; 
 yet  he  finds  daily  cause  for  watchfulness  and  restraint. 
 Satan  will  not  often  tempt  a  believer  to  gross  crimes: 
 our  greatest  snares  and  sorest  confliets  are  usually  found 
 in  things  lawful  in  themselves,  but  hurtful  to  us  by  their 
 abuse,  engrossing  too  much  of  our  time,  or  of  our  hearts, 
 or  somehow  indisposing  us  for  communion  with  the  Lord. 
 The  Christian  will  be  jealous  of  any  thing  that  might 
 entangle  his  affections,  damp  his  zeal,  or  straiten  him  in 
 his  opportunities  of  serving  his  Saviour.  He  is  likewise 
 content  with  his  situation,  because  the  Lord  chooses  it 
 for  him ;  his  spirit  is  not  eager  for  additions  and  altera- 
 tions in  his  circumstances.  If  divine  Providence  points 
 out  and  leads  to  a  change,  he  is  ready  to  follow,  though 
 it  should  be  what  the  world  would  call  from  a  better  to 
 a  worse;  for  he  is  a  pilgrim  and  a  stranger  here,  and  a 
 citizen  of  heaven.  As  people  of  fortune  sometimes,  in 
 travelling,  submit  cheerfully  to  inconvenient  accommoda- 
 tions, very  different  from  their  homes,  and  comfort  them- 
 seves  with  thinking  they  are  not  always  to  live  so,  so 
 the  Christian  is  not  greatly  solicitous  about  externals. 
 If  he  has  them,  he  will  use  them  moderately.  If  he  has 
 but  little  of  them,  he  can  make  a  good  shift  without 
 them;  he  is  but  upon  a  journey,  and  will  soon  be  at 
 home.  If  he  be  rich,  experience  confirms  our  Lord's 
 words,  Luke  xii.  15,  and  satisfies  him,  that  a  large  room, 
 a  crowd  of  servants,  and  twenty  dishes  upoii  his  table, 
 add  nothing  to  the  real  happiness"  of  life.    Therefore  he 
 
128 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 will  not  have  his  hear*:  set  upon  such  things.  If  he  be 
 in  a  humbler  state,  he  is  more  disposed  to  pity  than  to 
 envy  those  above  him;  for  he  judges  they  must  have 
 many  incumbrances  from  which  he  is  freed.  However, 
 the  will  of  God,  and  the  light  of  his  countenance,  are  the 
 chief  things  the  Christian,  whether  rich  or  poor,  re- 
 gards ;  and  therefore  his  moderation  is  made  known  unto 
 all  men. 
 
 A  third  branch  of  the  Christian's  temper  respects  his 
 fellow-creatures.  And  here,  methinks,  if  I  had  not  filled 
 a  sheet  already,  I  could  enlarge  with  pleasure.  We  have 
 in  this  degenerate  day,  among  those  who  claim,  and  are 
 allowed  the  name  of  Christian,  too  many  of  a  narrow, 
 selfish,  mercenary  spirit;  but  in  the  beginning  it  was  not 
 so.  The  gospel  is  designed  to  cure  such  a  spirit,  but 
 gives  no  indulgence  to  it.  A  Christian  has  the  mind  of 
 Christ  who  went  about  doing  good,  who  makes  his  sun 
 to  shine  upon  the  good  and  the  evil,  and  sendeth  rain 
 on  the  just  and  the  unjust.  His  Lord's  example  forms 
 him  to  the  habit  of  diffusive  benevolence  ;  he  breathes 
 a  spirit  of  good-will  to  mankind,  and  rejoices  in  every 
 opportunity  of  being  useful  to  the  souls  and  bodies  of 
 others,  without  respect  to  parties  or  interests.  He  com- 
 miserates, and  would,  if  possible,  alleviate,  the  miseries 
 of  all  around  him;  and  if  his  actual  services  are  re- 
 strained by  want  of  ability,  yet  all  share  in  his  sympathy 
 and  prayers.  Acting  in  the  spirit  of  his  Master,  he  fre- 
 quently meets  with  a  measure  of  the  like  treatment;  but 
 if  his  good  is  requited  with  evil,  he  labours  to  overcome 
 evil  with  good.  He  feels  himself  a  sinner,  and  needs 
 much  forgiveness:  this  makes  him  ready  to  forgive.  He 
 is  not  haughty,  captious,  easily  offended,  or  hard  to  be 
 reconciled ;  for  at  the  feet  of  Jesus  he  has  learned  meek- 
 ness; and  when  he  meets  with  unkindness  or  injustice, 
 he  considers,  that  though  he  has  not  deserved  such  things 
 J  from  men,  they  are  instruments  employed  by  his  heavenly 
 Father  (from  wliom  he  has  deserved  to  suffer  much  more) 
 for  his  humiliation  and  chastisement;  and  is  therefore 
 more  concerned  for  their  sins  than  for  his  own  sufferings, 
 and  prays,  after  the  pattern  of  his  Saviour,  "  Father,  for- 
 
LETTERS  TO  A  NOBLEMAN 
 
 129 
 
 give  them,  for  they  know  not  what  they  do."  He  knows 
 he  is  fallible;  therefore  cannot  be  positive.  He  knows 
 he  is  frail ;  and  therefore  dares  not  be  censorious.  As  a 
 member  of  society,  he  is  just,  punctual  in  the  discharge 
 of  every  relative  duty,  faithful  to  his  engagements  and 
 promises,  rendering  to  all  their  dues,  obedient  to  lawful 
 authority,  and  acting  to  all  men  according  to  the  golden 
 rule  of  doing  as  he  would  be  done  by.  His  conduct  is 
 simple,  devoid  of  artifice,  and  consistent,  attending  to 
 every  branch  of  duty ;  and,  in  the  closet,  the  family,  the 
 church,  and  in  the  transactions  of  common  life,  he  is  the 
 same  man ;  for  in  every  circumstance  he  serves  the 
 Lord,  and  aims  to  maintain  a  conscience  void  of  offence 
 in  his  sight.  No  small  part  of  the  beauty  of  his  profes- 
 sion, in  the  sight  of  men,  consists  in  the  due  government 
 of  his  tongue.  The  law  of  truth,  and  kindness,  and  pu- 
 rity, is  upon  his  lips.  He  abhors  lying;  and  is  so  far 
 from  inventing  a  slander,  that  he  will  not  repeat  a  report 
 to  the  disadvantage  of  his  neighbour,  however  true,  with- 
 out a  proper  call.  His  converse  is  cheerful,  but  inoffen- 
 sive; and  he  will  no  more  wound  another  with  his  wit 
 (if  he  has  a  talent  that  way)  than  with  a  knife.  His 
 speech  is  with  grace,  seasoned  with  salt,  anH  suited  to 
 promote  the  peace  and  edification  of  all  around  him. 
 
 Such  is  the  Christian  in  civil  life;  but  though  he  loves 
 all  mankind,  he  stands  in  a  nearer  relation,  and  bears  an 
 especial  brotherly  love  to  all  who  are  partakers  of  the 
 faith  and  hope  of  the  gospel.  This  regard  is  not  con- 
 fined within  the  pale  of  a  denomination,  but  extended 
 to  all  who  love  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  sincerity.  He 
 calls  no  man  master  himself;  nor  does  he  wish  to  im- 
 pose a  Shibboleth  of  his  own  upon  others.  He  rejoices 
 in  the  image  of  God,  wherever  he  sees  it,  and  in  the 
 work  of  God  wherever  it  is  carried  on.  Though  tena- 
 cious of  the  truths  which  the  Lord  has  taught  him,  his 
 heart  is  open  to  tiiose  who  differ  from  him  in  less  essen- 
 tial points,  and  allows  to  others  that  right  of  private 
 judgment  which  he  claims  for  himself,  and  is  disposed 
 to  hold  communion  in  love  with  all  who  hold  the  Head. 
 He  cannot  indeed  countenance  those  who  set  aside  the 
 
130 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 one  foundation  which  God  has  laid  in  Zion,  and  main- 
 tain errors  derogatory  to  the  honour  of  his  Saviour,  or 
 subversive  of  the  faith  and  experience  of  his  people ;  yet 
 he  wishes  weW  to  their  persons,  pities  and  prays  for  them, 
 and  is  ready  in  meekness  to  instruct  tliem  that  oppose: 
 but  there  is  no  bitterness  in  his  zeal,  being  sensible  that 
 raillery  and  invective  are  dishonourable  to  the  cause  of 
 truth,  and  quite  unsuitable  in  the  mouth  of  a  sinner,  who 
 owes  all  that  distinguishes  him  from  the  vilest  of  men  to 
 the  free  grace  of  God.  In  a  word,  he  is  influenced  by  the 
 wisdom  from  above,  which,  as  it  is  pure,  is  likewise  peace- 
 able, gentle,  and  easy  to  be  entreated,  full  of  mercy  and 
 good  works,  without  partiality,  and  without  hypocrisy. 
 
 I  must  just  recur  to  ray  first  head,  and  observe,  thr.t 
 with  this  spirit  and  deportment,  the  Christian,  while  he 
 is  enabled  to  maintain  a  conscience  void  of  offence  to- 
 wards God  and  man,  is  still  sensible  and  mindful  of  in- 
 dwelling sin:  he  has  his  eye  more  upon  his  rule  than 
 upon  his  attainments ;  and  therefore  finds  and  confesses, 
 that  in  every  thing  he  comes  exceedingly  short,  and  that 
 his  best  services  are  not  only  defective,  but  defiled;  he 
 accounts  himself  an  unprofitable  servant,  is  abased  in  his 
 own  eyes,  and  derives  all  his  hope  and  comfort,  as  well 
 as  his  strength,  from  Jesus,  whom  he  has  known,  received 
 and  trusted,  to  whom  he  has  committed  his  soul,  in  whom 
 he  rejoices,  and  worships  God  in  the  spirit,  renoimcing 
 all  confidence  in  the  flesh,  and  esteeming  all  things  as 
 loss,  for  the  excellency  of  the  knowledge  of  Christ  Jesus 
 his  Lord. 
 
 If  I  have  lately  been  rather  tardy  in  making  my  pay- 
 ments to  j^our  Lordship,  I  have  j)roportionably  increased 
 the  quantity.  It  is  high  time  I  sliould  now  relieve  your 
 patience.  1  hope  I  long  to  be  a  Christian  indeed ;  and 
 I  hope  this  hasty  exemplification  of  my  wishes  will  an- 
 swer to  your  Lordship's  experience  better  than  I  fear  it 
 does  to  my  own.  May  I  beg  a  remembrance  in  your 
 prayers,  that  He  who  has  given  me  to  will  and  desire, 
 may  Avork  in  me  to  be  and  to  do  according  to  his  own 
 good  pleasure. 
 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
LETTERS  TO  A  NOBLEMAN. 
 
 131 
 
 LETTER  XXV. 
 
 My  Lord,  November,  1776. 
 
 My  London  journey,  which  prevented  my  writing  in 
 October,  made  me  amends  by  an  opportunity  of"  waiting 
 upon  your  Lordship  in  person.  Such  seasons  are  not 
 only  pleasant  at  the  time,  but  afford  me  pleasure  in  the 
 review.  I  could  have  wished  the  half-hour  we  were  to- 
 gether by  ourselves  prolonged  to  half  a  day.  The  sub- 
 ject your  Lordship  was  pleased  to  suggest  has  been  often 
 upon  my  mind;  and  glad  should  I  be,  were  I  able  to 
 offer  you  any  thing  satisfactory  upon  it.  There  is  no 
 doubt  but  first  religious  impressions  are  usually  mingled 
 with  much  of  a  legal  spirit;  and  that  conscience  at  such 
 a  time  is  not  only  tender,  but  misinformed  and  scrupu- 
 lous: and  I  believe,  as  your  Lordship  intimated,  that 
 when  the  mind  is  more  enlightened,  and  we  feel  a  li- 
 berty from  many  fetters  we  had  imposed  upon  ourselves, 
 we  are  in  danger  of  verging  too  far  towards  the  other 
 extreme.  It  seems  to  me  that  no  one  person  can  adjust 
 the  medium,  and  draw  the  line  exactly  for  another. 
 There  are  so  many  particulars  in  every  situation,  of 
 which  a  stranger  cannot  be  a  competent  judge,  and  the 
 best  human  advices  and  models  are  mixed  with  such 
 defects,  that  it  is  not  right  to  expect  others  to  be  abso- 
 lutely guided  by  our  rules,  nor  is  it  sa  fe  for  us  implicitly 
 to  adopt  the  decisions  or  practices  of  others.  But  the 
 scripture  undoubtedly  furnishes  sufficient  and  infallible 
 rules  for  every  person,  however  circumstanced  ;  and  the 
 throne  of  grace  is  appointed  for  us  to  wait  upon  the  Lord 
 for  the  best  exposition  of  his  precepts.  Thus  David 
 often  prays  to  be  led  in  the  right  way,  in  the  path  of 
 judgment.  By  frequent  prayer,  and  close  acquaintance 
 with  the  scripture,  and  an  habitual  attention  to  the  fame 
 of  our  hearts,  there  is  a  certain  delicacy  of  spiritual  taste 
 and  discernment  to  be  acquired,  which  renders  a  nice 
 disquisition  concerning  the  nature  and  limits  of  the 
 
132 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 Adiaphora,  as  they  are  called,  or  liow  near  we  may  go 
 to  the  utmost  bounds  of  what  is  right,  witliout  being 
 wrong,  quite  unnecessary.  Love  is  the  clearest  and  most 
 persuasive  casuist;  and  when  our  love  to  the  Lord  is  in 
 lively  exercise,  and  the  rule  of  his  word  is  in  our  eye,  we 
 seldom  make  great  mistakes.  And  I  believe  the  over- 
 doings  of  a  young  convert,  proceeding  from  an  honest 
 simplicity  of  heart,  and  a  desire  of  pleasing  the  Lord, 
 are  more  acceptable  in  his  sight  than  a  certain  coolness 
 of  conduct  which  frequently  takes  place  afterward,  when 
 we  are  apt  to  look  back  with  pity  upon  our  former  weak- 
 ness, and  secretly  to  applaud  ourselves  for  our  present 
 greater  attainments  in  knowledge,  though  perhaps  (alas, 
 that  it  should  ever  be  so !)  we  may  have  lost  as  much  in 
 warmth  as  we  have  gained  in  light. 
 
 From  the  time  we  know  the  Lord,  and  are  bound  to 
 him  by  the  cords  of  love  and  gratitude,  the  two  chief 
 points  we  should  have  in  our  view,  I  apprehend,  are  to 
 maintain  communion  with  him  in  our  own  souls,  and  to 
 glorify  him  in  the  sight  of  men.  Agreeably  to  these 
 views,  though  the  scripture  does  not  enumerate  or  de- 
 cide, totidem  verbis,  for  or  against  many  things  which 
 some  plead  for,  and  others  condemn;  yet  it  furnishes  us 
 with  some  general  canons,  which,  if  rightly  applied,  will 
 perhaps  go  a  good  way  towards  settling  the  debate,  at  least 
 to  the  satisfaction  of  those  who  would  rather  please  God 
 than  man.  Some  of  these  canons  I  will  just  remark  to 
 vour  Lordship;  Rom.  xii.  1,  2;  1  Cor.  viii.  13,  and  x. 
 31;  2  Cor.  vi.  17;  Ephes.  iv.  30,  and  v.  11,  15,  16;  1 
 Thess.  V.  22;  Ephes.  vi.  18;  to  which  I  may  add,  as 
 suitable  to  the  present  times,  Isa.  xxii.  12;  Luke  xxi.  34. 
 I  apprehend  the  spirit  of  these  and  similar  passages  of 
 scripture  (for  it  would  be  easy  to  adduce  a  larger  num- 
 ber) will  bring  a  Christian  under  such  restrictions  as 
 follow. 
 
 To  avoid  and  forbear,  for  his  own  sake,  whatever  has 
 a  tendency  to  damp  and  indispose  his  spirit  in  attendance 
 upon  the  means  of  grace ;  for  such  things,  if  they  be  not 
 condemned  as  sinful  per  se,  if  they  be  not  absolutely  un- 
 lawful, yea  though  they  be,  when  duly  regulated,  lawful 
 
LETTERS  TO  A  NOBLEMAN. 
 
 133 
 
 and  right  (foi*  often  our  chief  snares  are  entwined  with 
 our  blessings) ;  yet  if  they  have  a  repeated  and  evident 
 tendency  to  deaden  our  hearts  to  divine  things,  of  which 
 each  person's  experience  must  determine,  there  must  be 
 something  in  them,  either  in  season,  measure,  or  circum- 
 stance, wrong  to  us;  and  let  them  promise  what  thejr 
 will,  they  do  but  rob  us  of  our  gold  to  pay  us  with  coun- 
 ters. For  the  light  of  God's  countenance,  and  an  open 
 cheerfulness  of  spirit  in  walking  with  him  in  private,  is 
 our  chief  joy;  and  we  must  be  already  greatly  hurt,  if 
 any  thing  can  be  pursued,  allowed,  or  rested  in,  as  a 
 tolerable  substitute  for  it. 
 
 For  the  sake  of  the  church,  and  the  influence  example 
 may  have  upon  his  fellow  Christians,  the  law  of  charity 
 and  prudence  will  often  require  a  believer  to  abstain  from 
 some  things,  not  because  they  are  unlawful,  but  inexpe- 
 dient. Thus  the  apostle,  though  strenuous  for  the  right 
 of  his  Cliristian  liberty,  would  have  abridged  himself  of 
 the  rwe,  so  as  to  eat  no  meat,  rather  than  ofl'end  a  weak 
 brother,  rather  than  mislead  him  to  act  against  tlie  pre- 
 sent light  of  his  conscience.  Upon  tliis  principle,  if  I 
 could,  without  imrt  to  myself,  attsnd  some  public  amuse- 
 ments, as  a  concert  or  oratorio,  and  return  from  thence 
 with  a  warm  heart  to  my  closet  (the  possiljility  of  which 
 in  my  own  case  I  greatly  question),  yet  I  should  think 
 it  my  duty  to  forbear,  lest  some  weaker  than  myself 
 should  be  encouraged  by  me  to  make  the  like  experi- 
 ment, though  in  their  own  minds  they  might  fear  it  was 
 wrong,  and  have  no  other  reason  to  think  it  lawful  but 
 because  I  did  it:  in  which  case  I  should  suspect,  that 
 though  I  received  no  liarm,  they  would.  And  I  have 
 known  and  conversed  with  some  who,  I  fear,  have  made 
 shipwreck  of  their  profession,  who  have  dated  their  first 
 decline  from  imitating  others,  whom  they  thought  wiser 
 and  better  than  themselves,  in  sucli  kind  of  compliances. 
 And  it  seems  that  an  ol)ligation  to  this  sort  of  self-de- 
 nial rises  and  is  strengtliened  in  proportion  to  tlie  weight 
 and  influence  of  our  characters.  Were  I  in  private  life,  I 
 do  not  know  tliat  I  sliould  think  it  sinful  to  kill  a  par- 
 tridge or  a  hare;  but,  as  a  minister,  I  no  more  dare  do  it 
 
134 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 than  I  dar6  join  in  a  drunken  frolic,  because  I  know  it 
 would  give  oftence  to  some,  and  be  pleaded  for  as  a 
 licence  by  others. 
 
 There  is  a  duty  and  a  charity  likewise,  which  we  owe 
 to  the  world  at  large,  as  well  as  a  faithfulness  to  God  and 
 his  grace,  in  our  necessary  converse  among  them.  Tiiis 
 seems  to  require,  that  thougli  we  should  not  be  need- 
 lessly singular,  yet,  for  their  instruction,  and  for  the 
 honour  of  our  Lord  and  Master,  we  should  keep  up  a 
 certain  kind  of  singularity,  and  show  ourselves  called  to 
 be  a  separate  people:  that  though  the  providence  of  God 
 has  given  us  callings  and  relations  to  fill  up  (in  which  we 
 cannot  be  too  exact),  yet  we  are  not  of  the  world,  but 
 belong  to  another  community,  and  act  from  other  prin- 
 ciples, by  otlier  rules,  and  to  other  ends,  than  the  gene- 
 rality of  those  about  us.  I  have  observed  that  the  world 
 will  often  leave  professors  in  quiet  possession  of  their  no- 
 tions and  sentiments,  and  places  of  worship,  provided  they 
 will  not  be  too  stiff  in  the  matter  of  conformity  with  their 
 more  general  customs  and  amusements.  But  I  fear  many 
 of  them  have  Iiad  their  prejudices  strengthened  against 
 our  holy  religion  by  such  compliances,  and  have  thought, 
 that  if  there  were  such  joy  and  comfort  to  be  found  in 
 the  ways  of  God  as  they  hear  from  our  pulpits,  profes- 
 sors would  not,  in  such  numbers,  and  so  often,  run  amongst 
 them,  to  beg  a  relief  from  the  burden  of  time  hanging 
 upon  their  hands.  As  our  Lord  Jesus  is  the  great  re- 
 presentative of  his  people  in  heaven,  he  does  them  the 
 honour  to  continue  a  succession  of  them  as  his  represen- 
 tatives upon  earth.  Happy  are  they  who  are  favoured 
 with  most  of  the  holy  unction,  and  best  enabled  to  ma- 
 nifest to  all  around  them,  by  their  spirit,  tempers,  and 
 conversation,  what  is  the  proper  design  and  genuine  ef- 
 fect of  his  gospel  upon  the  hearts  of  sinners. 
 
 In  our  way  of  little  life  in  the  country,  serious  people 
 often  complain  of  the  snares  they  meet  with  from  worldly 
 people,  and  yet  they  must  mix  with  them  to  get  a  liveli- 
 hood. I  advise  them,  if  they  can,  to  do  their  business 
 with  the  world  as  they  do  it  in  the  rain.  If  their  business 
 calls  them  abroad,  they  will  not  leave  it  undone  for  fear  of 
 
LETTERS  TO  A  NOBLEMAN. 
 
 135 
 
 being  a  little  wet ;  but  then,  when  it  is  done,  they  presently 
 seek  shelter,  and  will  not  stand  in  the  rain  for  pleasure. 
 So  providential  and  necessary  calls  of  duty,  that  lead  us 
 into  the  world,  will  not  hurt  us,  if  we  find  the  spirit  of 
 the  world  uni)l(>asant,  and  are  gkd  to  retire  from  it,  and 
 keep  out  of  it  as  much  as  our  relative  duties  will  permit 
 That  which  is  our  cross  is  not  so  likely  to  be  our  snare; 
 but  if  that  spirit,  which  we  sliould  always  watch  and  pray 
 against,  infects  and  assimilates  our  minds  to  itself,  then 
 we  are  sure  to  suffer  loss,  and  act  below  the  dignity  of 
 our  profession. 
 
 The  value  of  time  is  likewise  to  be  taken  into  the  account. 
 It  is  a  precious  talent,  and  our  Christian  profession  opens 
 a  wide  field  for  the  due  improvement  of  it.  Much  of  it 
 has  been  already  lost,  and  therefore  we  are  exhorted  to 
 redeem  it.  I  think  many  things  wiiich  custom  pleads 
 for  will  be  excluded  from  a  suitableness  to  a  Christian, 
 for  this  one  reason,  that  they  are  not  consistent  with  the 
 simplest  notion  of  the  redemption  of  time.  It  is  gene- 
 rally said  we  need  relaxation;  I  allow  it  in  a  sense;  the 
 Lord  himself  has  provided  it;  and  because  our  spirits 
 are  too  weak  to  be  always  upon  the  wing  in  meditation 
 and  prayer,  he  has  appointed  to  all  men,  from  the  king 
 downwards,  something  to  do  in  a  secular  way.  The  poor 
 are  to  labour,  the  rich  are  not  exempted  from  something 
 equivalent.  And  when  every  thing  of  this  sort  in  each 
 person's  situation  is  properly  attended  to,  I  apprehend, 
 if  the  heart  be  alive  and  in  a  right  state,  spiritual  con- 
 cernmentswill  present  themselves, as aff'ording  the  noblest, 
 sweetest,  and  most  interesting  relaxation  from  the  cares 
 and  business  of  life ;  as,  on  the  other  hand,  that  business 
 will  be  the  best  relaxation,  and  unbending  of  the  mind 
 from  religious  exercises;  and  between  the  two,  perhaps 
 there  ought  to  be  but  little  mere  leisure-time.  A  life, 
 in  (his  sense,  divided  between  God  and  the  world,  is 
 desirable;  when  one  part  of  it  is  spent  in  retirement, 
 .seeking  after  and  conversing  with  him  wliom  our  souls 
 love;  and  the  other  part  of  it  employed  in  active  ser- 
 vices for  the  good  of  our  family,  friends,  the  church,  and 
 society,  for  his  sake.    Every  liour  which  does  not  fall 
 
136 
 
 CARDTPHOMA. 
 
 in  with  one  or  other  of  these  vie-\vs,  I  apprehend  is  lost 
 time. 
 
 The  (lay  in  -which  we  live  seems  likewise  to  call  for 
 sometliing  of  a  peculiar  spirit  in  the  Lord's  people.  It 
 is  a  day  of  abounding  sin,  and  I  fear  a  day  of  impend- 
 ing judgment.  The  world,  as  it  was  in  the  daj-s  of  Noah 
 and  Lot,  is  secure.  We  are  soon  to  have  a  day  of  ap- 
 parent humiliation;  but  the  just  causes  for  it  are  not 
 confined  to  one  day,  but  will  subsist  and  too  probably 
 increase  everj'  day.  If  I  am  not  mistaken  in  the  signs 
 of  the  times,  there  never  was,  within  the  annals  of  the 
 English  history,  a  period  in  whicli  the  spirit  and  employ- 
 ment described  Ezek.  ix.  4,  could  be  more  suitable  than 
 the  present.  Tiie  Lord  calls  for  mourning  and  weeping, 
 but  the  words  of  many  are  stout  against  him ;  new  species 
 of  dissipation  are  invented  almost  daily,  and  the  language 
 of  those  who  bear  the  greatest  sway  in  what  is  called  tile 
 polite  circle,  I  mean  tiie  interpretative  language  of  their 
 hearts,  is  like  that  of  the  rebellious  Jews,  Jer.  xliv.  16, 
 17,  S:c.  As  for  the  word  which  thou  hast  spoken,  we 
 will  not  hearken  unto  thee  at  all.  In  short,  things  are 
 coming  to  a  point,  and  it  seems  to  be  almost  putting  to 
 the  vote  whether  the  Lord  or  Baal  be  God.  In  this  state 
 of  afiairs,  motliinks,  we  cannot  be  too  explicit  in  avow- 
 ing our  attaciiment  to  the  Lord,  nor  too  careful  in  avoid- 
 ing an  improper  correspondence  with  those  who  are  in 
 confederacy  against  him.  We  know  not  how  soon  we 
 maj'  greatly  need  that  mark  of  providential  protection 
 which  is  restrained  to  those  who  sigh  and  cry  for  our 
 abominations.  Upon  tlie  whole,  it  appears  to  me,  that 
 it  is  more  honourable,  comfortable,  and  safe  (if  we  can- 
 not exactly  hit  the  golden  mean),  to  be  thought  by  some 
 too  scrupulo»is  and  precise,  than  actually  to  be  found 
 too  compliant  with  those  things  which,  if  not  absolutely 
 contrary  to  a  divine  commandment,  are  hardly  compati- 
 ble with  the  genius  of  the  gospel,  or  conformable  to  the 
 mind  that  was  in  Clirist  Jesus,  which  ought  also  to  be  in 
 his  people.  The  places  and  amusements  which  the  world 
 frequent  and  admii'c,  where  occasions  and  temptations  to 
 sin  are  cultivated,  where  tlie  law  of  what  is  called  good- 
 
LETTERS  TO  A  NOBLEMAN. 
 
 breodint^  is  the  only  law  wliicli  may  not  be  violated  witli 
 impunity,  where  sinful  passions  are  provoked  and  in- 
 dulged, when;  the  fear  of  God  is  so  little  known  or  re- 
 garded, that  those  who  do  fear  him  must  hold  their 
 tongues  though  they  should  hear  his  name  ))lasj)!iemed, 
 can  hardly  be  a  Christian's  \  oluntary  chosen  ground.  Yet 
 I  fear  these  characters  will  apply  to  every  kind  of  polite 
 amusement  or  assembly  in  the  kingdom. 
 
 As  to  family  connections,  I  cannot  think  we  are  bound 
 to  break  or  slight  tiiem.  But  as  believers  and  their  friends 
 often  live  as  it  were  in  two  elements,  there  is  a  mutual 
 awkwardness,  which  makes  their  interviews  rather  dry 
 and  tedious.  But  upon  that  account  they  are  less  fre- 
 quent than  they  v  oidd  otherwise  be,  which  seems  an  ad- 
 vantage. Both  sides  keep  up  returns  of  civility  and 
 affection;  but  as  they  cannot  unite  in  sentiment  and 
 leading  inclination,  they  will  not  contrive  to  be  very 
 often  together,  except  there  is  something  considerable 
 given  up  by  one  or  the  other;  and  I  think  Christians 
 ought  to  be  very  cautious  what  concession  they  make 
 upon  this  account.  But  as  I  said  at  the  beginning,  no 
 general  positive  rules  can  be  laid  down. 
 
 I  have  simply  given  your  Lordship  such  thoughts  as 
 have  occurred  to  me  while  writing,  without  study,  and 
 without  coherence.  I  dare  not  be  dogmatical;  but  I 
 think  what  I  have  Avritten  is  agreeable  both  to  particu- 
 lar texts  and  to  the  general  tenor  of  scripture.  I  submit 
 it  to  your  judgment. 
 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  XXVL 
 
 My  Lord,  July,  1777. 
 
 I  OWE  your  Lordship  a  quire  of  letters  for  the  favour 
 and  pleasure  of  your  late  visit;  and  therefore  I  must 
 begin  and  write  away. 
 
138 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 I  have  lately  read  Robertson's  History  of  Charles  V^* 
 which,  like  most  other  histories,  I  consider  as  a  comment 
 upon  those  passages  of  scripture  which  teach  us  the  de- 
 pravity of  man,  the  deceitf'ulness  of  the  heart,  the  ruin- 
 ous effects  of  sin,  and  the  powerful,  though  secret  rule 
 of  Divine  Providence,  moving,  directing,  controlling,  the 
 designs  and  actions  of  men,  with  an  unerring  hand,  to 
 the  accomplishment  of  his  own  purposes,  both  of  mercy 
 and  judgment.  Without  the  clue  and  the  light  which 
 the  word  of  God  affords,  the  history  of  mankind,  of  any, 
 of  every  age,  only  presents  to  view  a  labyrinth  and  a 
 chaos;  a  detail  of  wickedness  and  misery  to  make  us 
 tremble,  and  a  confused  jumble  of  interfering  incidents, 
 as  destitute  of  stability,  connexion,  or  order,  as  the  clouds 
 which  fly  over  our  heads.  In  this  view,  Deliranl  reges, 
 plectuntur  Achivi,  may  serve  as  a  motto  to  all  the  his- 
 tories I  have  seen.  But  with  the  scripture  key,  all  is 
 plain,  all  is  instructive.  Then  I  see,  verilj'  there  is  a 
 God  who  governs  the  earth,  who  pours  contempt  upon 
 princes,  takes  the  wise  in  their  own  craftiness,  overrules 
 the  wTath  and  pride  of  man,  to  bring  his  own  designs  to 
 pass,  and  restrains  all  that  is  not  necessary  to  that  end; 
 blasting  the  best  concerted  enterprises  at  one  time,  by 
 means  apparently  slight,  and  altogether  unexpected,  and 
 at  other  times  producing  the  most  important  events,  from 
 instruments  and  circumstances  which  are  at  first  thought 
 too  feeble  and  trivial  to  deserve  notice.  I  should  like  to 
 see  a  writer  of  Dr  Robertson's  abilities  give  us  a  history 
 upon  this  plan;  but  I  think  his  reflections  of  this  sort  are 
 too  general,  too  cold,  and  too  few.  What  an  empty 
 phantom  do  the  great  men  of  the  world  pursue,  while 
 they  wage  war  with  the  peace  of  mankind,  and  butcher 
 (in  the  course  of  their  lives)  perhaps  hundreds  of  thou- 
 sands, to  maintain  the  shadow  of  authority  over  distant 
 nations,  whom  they  can  re.vh  with  no  other  influence 
 than  that  of  oppression  and  devastation!  But  when  we 
 consider  those  who  are  sacrificed  to  their  ambition,  as 
 justly  suffering  for  their  sins,  then  heroes  and  conquerors 
 appear  in  tlieir  proper  light,  and  worthy  to  be  classed 
 with  earthquakes  and  pestilences,  as  instruments  of  di- 
 
LETTERS  TO  A.  NOBLEMAN. 
 
 139 
 
 vine  vengeance.  So  many  care?,  so  much  pains,  so  many 
 mischiefs,  merely  to  support  the  idea  a  worm  has  formed 
 of  his  own  grandeur,  is  a  proof  that  man  by  nature  is  not 
 only  depraved,  but  infatuated.  Permit  me  to  present 
 my  thoughts  to  more  advantage  in  the  words  of  M. 
 Nicole: — 
 
 "  Un  Grand  dans  son  idee  n'est  pas  un  seul  horame ; 
 c'est  un  homme  environne  de  tous  ceux  qui  sont  a  lui,  et 
 qui  s'imagiue  avoir  autant  de  bras  qu'ils  en  ont  tous  en- 
 semble, parce  qu'il  en  dispose  et  qu'il  les  remue.  Un 
 General  d'ai'mee  se  represente  toujours  a  lui-meme  au 
 milieu  de  tous  ses  soldats.  Ainsi  chacun  tache  d'occuper 
 le  plus  de  place  qu'il  pent  dans  son  imagination,  et  Ton 
 ne  se  pousse,  et  ne  s'agrandit  dans  le  monde,  que  pour 
 augmentir  I'idt'e  que  chacun  se  forme  de  soimeme.  Voila 
 le  but  de  tous  les  desseins  ambitieux  des  hommes!  Alex- 
 andre et  Cesar  n'ont  point  eu  d'aulre  vue  dans  toutes 
 leurs  batailles  que  celle-la.  Et  si  Ton  demande  pourquoi 
 le  Grand  Seigneur  a  fait  depuis  peu  perir  cent  mille 
 hommes  devant  Candie,  on  peut  repondre  surement,  que 
 ce  n'est  que  pour  attacher  encore  a  cette  image  interieure 
 qu'il  a  de  lui-meme  le  titre  de  Conquerant."  * 
 
 How  awful  is  the  case  of  those  who  live  and  die  in 
 such  a  spirit,  and  who  have  multiplied  miseries  upop 
 their  fellow-creatures  in  order  to  support  and  feed  it! 
 Perhaps  they  may,  upon  their  entrance  on  another  state, 
 be  accosted  by  multitudes,  to  the  purport  of  that  sarcas- 
 tical  language  in  the  prophet's  sublime  ode  of  triumph 
 over  the  king  of  Babylon,  Isa.  xiv.  5-17- 
 
 Hie  est,  quern  fu^a,  quern  pavor 
 Prfgressit^  ?tic,  quern  terricolis gravem 
 Sitraf!Ca  ieeutti  est,  vastitasquef  hie 
 
 Attoniti  spoliatur  orbiaf 
 
 But  though  the  effects  of  this  principle  of  self  are  more 
 extensive  and  calamitous,  in  proportion  as  those  who  are 
 governed  by  it  are  more  elevated,  the  principle  itself  is 
 deep-rooted  in  every  heart,  and  is  the  spring  of  every 
 action,  till  grace  infuses  a  new  principle,  and  self,  like 
 Dagon,  falls  before  the  Lord  of  hosts.    Great  and  small 
 
 *  Essais  de  Morale,  vol.  i. 
 
CARDIPIIONIA. 
 
 are  but  relative  terms;  and  the  passions  of  discontent, 
 pride,  and  envy,  which,  in  the  breast  of  a  potentate,  are 
 severely  felt  by  one  half  of  Europe,  exert  themselves  with 
 equal  strength  in  the  heart  of  a  peasant,  though  for  want 
 of  materials  and  opportunities,  their  operations  are  con- 
 fined within  narrow  bounds.  We  are  fallen  into  a  state 
 of  gross  idolatry,  and  self  is  the  idol  we  worship. 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
EIGHT  LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR  S 
 
 LETTER  I. 
 
 Dear  Sir,  June  23,  1775. 
 
 I  HAVE  met  with  interruptions  till  now,  or  you  would 
 have  heard  from  me  sooner.  My  thoughts  have  run  much 
 upon  the  subject  of  your  last,  because  1  perceive  it  has 
 a  near  connection  witli  your  peace.  Your  integrity 
 greatly  pleases  nie ;  far  be  it  from  me  to  shake  the  prin- 
 ciple of  your  conduct.  Yet,  in  the  application,  I  think 
 there  is  a  possibility  of  carrying  your  exceptions  too  far. 
 
 From  the  account  you  give  me  of  your  sentiments,  I 
 cannot  but  wonder  you  tind  it  so  difficult  to  accede  to 
 the  Athanasian  Creed,  when  it  seems  to  me  you  believe 
 and  avow  what  that  creed  chiefly  sets  forth.  TJie  Doc- 
 trine (f  the  Trinitif,  some  explication  of  the  terms  being 
 subjoined,  is  the  Catholic  Faith,  without  the  belief  of 
 whicli  a  man  cannot  be  saved.  This  damnatory  clause 
 seems  to  me  proved  by  Mark  xvi.  16,  "He  that  be- 
 lieveth  shall  be  saved,"  &c.  The  object  of  faith  must  be 
 truth.  The  doctrine  of  the  Deity  of  Christ  and  of  the 
 Holy  Spirit  in  union  with  the  Fatiier,  so  that  they  are 
 not  three  Gods,  but  one  God,  is  not  merely  a  proposition 
 expressed  in  words,  to  whicli  our  assent  is  required,  but 
 is  absolutely  necessary  to  be  known;  since  without  it  no 
 one  truth  respecting  salvation  can  be  rightly  understood, 
 no  one  promise  duly  believed,  no  one  duty  spiritually 
 performed.  I  take  it  for  granted,  that  this  doctrine  must 
 appear  irrational  and  absurd  in  the  eye  of  reason,  if  by 
 reason  we  mean  the  reason  of  man  in  his  fallen  state, 
 
142 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 before  it  is  corrected  and  enlightened  by  a  heavenly 
 Teacher.  No  man  can  say  Jesus  is  Lord,  but  by  the 
 Holy  Ghost.  I  believe  with  you,  that  a  man  may  be 
 saved  who  never  heard  of  the  creed,  who  never  read  any 
 book  but  the  New  Testament,  or  perhaps  a  single  Evan- 
 gelist ;  but  he  must  be  taught  of  God  the  things  that  ac- 
 company salvation,  or  I  do  not  think  he  can  be  saved. 
 The  mercies  of  God  in  Christ  will  not  save  any  (as  I 
 apprehend),  but  according  to  the  method  revealed  in  his 
 word,  that  is,  those  who  are  truly  partakers  of  faith  and 
 holiness.  For  as  the  religion  of  the  New  Testament  as- 
 cribes all  power  to  God,  and  considers  all  goodness  in  us 
 as  the  effect  of  his  communication,  we  being  by  nature 
 destitute  of  spiritual  life  or  light ;  so  those  whom  God 
 himself  is  pleased  to  teach,  will  infallibly  pttain  the  know- 
 ledge of  all  that  they  are  concerned  to  know.  This  teach- 
 ing you  are  waiting  for,  and  it  shall  be  given  you;  yea, 
 the  Lord,  I  trust,  has  begun  to  teach  you  already;  but 
 if  you  consider  yourself  as  a  learner,  and  that  it  is  pos- 
 sible, under  the  Spirit's  increasing  illumination,  you  may 
 hereafter  adopt  some  things  which  at  present  you  cannot 
 approve,  I  should  think  it  too  early  as  yet  to  prescribe 
 to  yourself  rules  and  determinations  for  the  government 
 of  your  future  life.  Should  the  will  of  God  appoint  you 
 a  new  path  for  service,  he  may,  sooner  than  you  are 
 aware,  quiet  your  mind,  and  enable  you  to  subscribe  with 
 as  full  a  persuasion  of  mind  as  you  now  object  to  sub- 
 scription. If  it  depended  upon  me,  I  could  be  content 
 that  the  creed  should  rest  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  rather 
 than  embarrass  a  single  person  of  your  disposition.  Nor 
 am  I  a  warm  stickler  for  subscription  in  itself;  but  some- 
 thing of  this  kind  seems  necessary',  upon  the  supposition 
 of  an  establishment. 
 
 When  I  think  of  an  enclosure,  some  hedge,  wall,  bank, 
 ditch,  &c.  is  of  course  included  in  my  idea;  for  who  can 
 conceive  of  an  enclosure  without  a  boundary?  So,  in 
 a  national  church,  there  must  be,  I  apprehend,  something 
 marked  out,  the  approbation  or  refusal  of  which  will  de- 
 termine who  do  or  do  not  belong  to  it.  And  for  tliis 
 purpose  articles  of  epme  kind  seem  not  improper.  You 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR  S.   143 
 
 think  it  would  be  better  to  have  these  articles  in  scrip- 
 tural expressions.  But  if  it  be  lawful  to  endeavour  to 
 exclude  from  our  pulpits  men  who  hold  sentiments  the 
 most  repugnant  to  the  truth,  I  wish  you  to  consider, 
 whether  this  can  be  in  any  measure  secured  by  articles 
 in  which  the  scripture  doctrines  are  not  explained  and 
 stated,  as  well  as  expressed.  This  proposal  is  strenu- 
 ously pleaded  for  by  many  in  our  day,  upon  views  very 
 different  from  yours.  The  Socinians,  for  instance,  Avould 
 readily  subscribe  a  scriptural  declaration  of  the  high 
 priesthood,  atonement,  and  intercession  of  Christ  (while 
 they  are  allowed  to  put  their  own  sense  upon  the  terms); 
 though  the  sense  they  maintain  be  utterly  inconsistent 
 with  what  those  who  are  enlightened  by  the  Holy  Spirit 
 learn  from  the  same  expressions. 
 
 I  acknowledge,  indeed,  that  the  end  is  not  answered 
 by  the  present  method ;  since  tliere  are  too  many  like  the 
 person  you  mention,  who  would  easily  subscribe  900  ar- 
 ticles rather  than  balk  his  preferment;  yet  tiie  profligacy 
 of  some  seems  to  be  no  just  reason  why  the  church,  why 
 any  church,  should  not  be  at  liberty  to  define  the  terms 
 upon  which  they  will  accept  members  or  teachers,  or 
 why  conscientious  persons  should  object  to  these  terms 
 (if  they  think  them  agreeable  to  the  truth),  merely  be- 
 cause they  are  not  expressed  in  the  precise  M'ords  of 
 Scripture.  If  allowance  may  be  made  for  human  infir- 
 mity in  the  Liturgi/,  I  see  not  why  the  Articles  may  not 
 be  entitled  to  the  same  privilege.  For  it  seems  requisite 
 that  we  should  be  as  well  satisfied  with  the  expressions 
 we  use  with  our  lips,  in  frequent  solemn  prayer  to  God, 
 as  in  what  we  subscribe  with  our  hands.  1  am  persuaded 
 that  the  leaders  of  the  Association  at  the  Feathers  Tavern, 
 some  of  them  at  least,  though  they  begin  with  the  affair 
 of  subscription,  would  not  (if  they  migiit  have  their  wish) 
 stop  there,  but  would  go  on  with  their  projected  reform, 
 till  they  had  overturned  the  Liturgy  also,  or  at  least 
 weeded  from  it  every  expression  that  bears  testimony  to 
 the  Deity  of  the  Saviour,  and  the  efficacious  influence 
 of  the  Holy  Spirit.  I  bless  God  that  you  are  far  other- 
 wise minded. 
 
144 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 I  hope,  however,  though  you  shouhl  not  think  your- 
 self at  liberty  to  repeat  your  subscription,  the  Lord  will 
 make  you  comfortable  and  useful  in  your  present  rank 
 as  a  curate.  Preferment  is  not  necessary,  either  to  our 
 peace  or  usefulness.  We  may  li'^^e  and  die  contentedly, 
 without  the  honours  and  emoluments  which  aspiring  men 
 thirst  after,  if  he  be  pleased  to  honour  us  w  ith  a  dispen- 
 sation to  preach  his  gospel,  and  to  crown  our  endeavours 
 with  a  blessing.  He  that  winncth  souls  is  wise;  wise  in 
 the  choice  of  the  highest  end  he  can  propose  to  himself 
 in  this  life;  wise  in  the  improvement  of  the  only  means 
 by  which  this  desirable  end  can  be  attained.  Wherever 
 we  cast  our  eyes,  the  bulk  of  the  people  are  ignorant, 
 immoral,  careless.  Thejdive  without  God  in  the  world; 
 they  are  neither  awed  by  his  authority,  nor  affected  by 
 his  goodness,  nor  enabled  to  trust  to  his  promises,  nor 
 disposed  to  aim  at  his  glorj'.  If,  perhaps,  they  have  a 
 serious  interval,  or  some  comparative  sobriety  of  charac- 
 ter, they  ground  their  hopes  upon  tlieir  own  doings,  en- 
 deavours, or  purposes;  and  treat  the  inexpressible  love 
 of  God  revealed  in  Christ,  and  the  gospel  method  of  sal- 
 vation by  faith  in  his  name,  with  neglect,  often  with  con- 
 tempt. They  have  preacliers  whom,  perhaps,  they  hear 
 witii  some  pleasure,  because  they  neither  alarm  their  con- 
 sciences by  insisting  on  the  spirituality  and  sanction  of 
 the  divine  law,  nor  offend  their  pride  by  publisliing  the 
 humiliating  doctrines  of  that  gospel,  wiiich  is  the  power 
 of  God  through  faith  unto  salvation.  Tlierefore  what  they 
 do  speak  they  speak  in  vain;  the  world  grows  worse  and 
 worse  under  their  instructions;  infidelity  and  profligacy 
 abound  more  and  more;  for  God  will  own  no  other  doc- 
 trine but  what  the  apostle  calls  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus ; 
 that  doctrine  which  drives  the  sinner  from  all  his  vain 
 pleas,  and  points  out  the  Lord  .Jesus  Christ  as  the  only 
 ground  of  hope,  the  supreme  object  of  desire,  as  ap- 
 pointed of  God  to  be  wisdom,  righteousness,  sanctifica- 
 tion,  and  redemption,  to  all  who  believe  in  his  name. 
 When  ministers  themselves  are  convinced  of  sin,  and  feel 
 the  necessity  of  an  almighty  Saviour,  they  presently  ac- 
 count their  former  gain  but  loss,  and  determine,  with  the 
 
LETTESS  TO  THE  REV.  MR  S- 
 
 145 
 
 apostle,  to  know  nothing  but  Jesus  Christ  and  him  cru- 
 cified. In  proportion  as  tliey  do  this,  they  are  sure  to  be 
 wondered  at,  lauglied  at,  and  railed  at,  if  the  providence 
 of  God  and  the  constitution  of  their  country  secure  them 
 from  severer  treatment.  Bat  tliey  have  this  invaluable 
 compensation,  that  they  no  longer  speak  without  effect. 
 In  a  greater  or  less  degree  a  change  takes  place  in  their 
 auditories:  the  blind  rc-ceive  their  sight,  the  deaf  hear, 
 the  lepers  ai'e  cleansed — sinners  are  turned  from  dark- 
 ness to  light,  and  from  the  power  of  Satan  to  God — sin- 
 ful practices  are  forsaken;  and  a  new  course  of  life  in 
 the  converts,  evidences  that  they  have  not  followed  cun- 
 ningly-devised fables,  or  taken  up  with  uncertain  notions; 
 but  that  God  has  indeed  quickened  them  by  his  Spirit, 
 and  given  them  an  understanding  to  know  him  that  is 
 true.  The  preachers,  likewise,  while  they  attempt  to 
 teach  others,  are  tauglit  themselves ;  a  blessing  descends 
 upon  tlieir  studies  and  labours,  upon  their  perusal  of  the 
 scripture,  upon  their  attention  to  what  passes  within  them 
 and  around  tiiem.  The  events  of  every  day  contribute 
 to  throw  light  upon  the  word  of  God ;  their  views  of  di=' 
 vine  truth  grow  more  enhirgod,  connected,  and  comprf*- 
 hensive ;  many  ditflculties  which  perplexed  them  at  their 
 first  setting  out,  trouljle  them  no  more;  the  God  whom 
 they  serve,  and  on  whom  they  wait,  reveals  to  them  tliose 
 great  things,  wliich,  though  plainly  expressed  in  the  let- 
 ter of  the  scripture,  cannot  be  understood  and  realized 
 witliout  divine  teaching,  1  Cor.  ii.  9-15.  Thus  they  go 
 on  from  strength  to  strength;  hard  things  become  easy, 
 and  a  divine  light  shines  upon  their  paths.  Opposition 
 from  men  perhaps  may  increase;  they  may  expect  to  be 
 represented  as  those  who  turn  the  world  upside  down; 
 the  cry  y,-.yoLKn  -a  Xn-nyA^*  will  be  raised  against  them;  the 
 gates  of  the  temple  of  proferment  will  be  seldom  open  to 
 them ;  but  they  will  have  the  unspeakable  consolation  of 
 applying  to  tiiemselves  those  lively  words  of  tiie  apostle, 
 <ii?  'hvTrovi/.ii/ot,  otit  0£  xctinoun^'  o;  tttw/^oi,  ■TraXKav;  OS  ■ttT^ovti- 
 
 It  is  the  strain  of  evident  sincerity  which  runs  through 
 
 »  Great  is  Diana.  t  2  Cor.  vi.  10. 
 
146 
 
 CAKDIPHONIA. 
 
 your  letters,  that  gives  me  a  pleasing  confidence  the  Lord 
 is  with  you.  A  disinterested  desire  of  knowing  the  truth, 
 with  a  willingness  to  follow  it  through  all  disadvantages, 
 is  a  preparation  of  the  heart  which  only  God  can  give. 
 He  has  directed  you  to  the  right  method,  searching  the 
 scripture  with  prayer.  Go  on,  and  may  his  blessing  at- 
 tend you.  You  may  see  from  what  I  have  written  above 
 what  is  the  desire  of  my  heart  for  you.  But  I  am  not 
 impatient.  Follow  your  heavenly  leader,  and  in  his  own 
 time  and  manner  he  will  make  your  way  plain.  I  have 
 travelled  the  waj'  before  you ;  I  see  what  you  yet  want ; 
 I  cannot  impart  it  to  you,  but  he  can,  and  I  trust  he  will. 
 It  will  rejoice  my  soul  to  be  any  way  assistant  to  you; 
 but  I  am  afraid  I  should  not  afford  you  much,  either  pro- 
 fit or  satisfaction,  by  entering  upon  a  dry  defence  of  creeds 
 and  articles. 
 
 The  truths  of  scripture  are  not  like  mathematical  theo- 
 rems, which  present  exactly  the  same  ideas  to  every 
 person  who  understands  the  terms.  The  word  of  God 
 is  compared  to  a  mirror,  2  Cor.  iii.  18;  but  it  is  a  mir- 
 •or  in  which  the  longer  we  look  the  more  we  see:  the 
 view  will  be  still  growing  upon  us;  and  still  we  shall  see 
 but  in  part  while  on  this  side  eternity.  When  our  Lord 
 pronounced  Peter  blessed,  declaring  he  had  learnt  that 
 which  flesh  and  blood  could  not  have  taught  him,  yet 
 Peter  was  at  that  time  much  in  the  dark.  The  suffer- 
 ings and  death  of  Jesus,  though  the  only  and  necessary 
 means  of  his  salvation,  were  an  off'once  to  him;  but  he 
 1' ved  to  glory  in  what  he  once  could  not  bear  to  hear  of. 
 Peter  had  received  grace  to  love  the  Lord  Jesus,  to  fol- 
 low him,  to  venture  all,  and  to  forsake  all  for  him:  these 
 first  good  dispositions  were  of  God,  and  they  led  to 
 further  advances.  So  it  is  still.  By  nature,  self  rules 
 in  the  heart ;  when  this  idol  is  brought  low,  and  we  are 
 truly  willing  to  be  the  Lord's,  and  to  apply  to  him  for 
 strength  and  direction  that  we  may  serve  him,  the  good 
 work  is  begun;  for  it  is  a  truth  that  holds  universally 
 and  without  exception,  a  man  can  receive  nothing  ex- 
 cept it  be  given  him  from  heaven.  The  Lord  first  finds 
 us  when  we  are  thinking  of  something  else,  Isaiah  Ixv.  1 ; 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR  S  1-17 
 
 and  then  we  begin  to  seek  him  in  good  earnest,  and  he 
 has  promised  to  he  found  of  us.  People  may,  by  industry 
 and  natural  abilities,  make  themselves  masters  of  the  ex- 
 ternal evidences  of  Christianity,  and  have  much  to  say 
 for  and  against  different  schemes  and  systems  of  senti- 
 ments; but  all  this  while  the  heart  remains  untouched. 
 True  religion  is  not  a  science  of  the  head,  so  much  as 
 an  inward  and  heartfelt  perception,  which  casts  down 
 imaginations,  and  every  ii-^ui/,a.  that  exalteth  itself  in  the 
 mind,  and  brings  every  thought  into  a  sweet  and  willing 
 subjection  to  Christ  hy  faith.  Here  the  learned  have  no 
 real  advantage  above  the  ignorant;  both  see  when  the 
 eyes  of  the  understanding  are  enlightened ;  till  then  both 
 are  equally  blind.  And  the  first  lesson  in  the  school  of 
 Christ  is  to  become  a  little  child,  sitting  simply  at  his  feet, 
 that  we  may  be  made  wise  unto  salvation. 
 
 I  was  not  only  prevented  beginning  my  letter  so  soon 
 as  I  wished,  but  have  been  unusually  interrupted  since  I 
 began  it.    Often,  as  soon  as  I  could  well  take  the  pen 
 in  hand,  I  have  been  called  away  to  attend  company  and 
 intervening  business.    Though  I  persuade  myself,  after 
 what  I  have  formerly  said,  you  will  put  a  favourable  con- 
 struction upon  my  delay,  yet  it  has  given  me  some  pain. 
 I  set  a  great  value  upon  your  offer  of  friendship,  which  I 
 trust  will  not  be  interrupted  on  either  side,  by  the  free- 
 dom with  which  we  mutually  express  our  difference  of 
 sentiments  when  we  are  constrained  to  differ.   You  please 
 me  with  intrusting  me  with  the  first  rough  draught  of 
 your  thoughts;  and  you  may  easily  perceive,  by  my 
 manner  of  writing,  that  I  place  equal  confidence  in  your 
 candour.    I  shall  be  glad  to  exchange  letters  as  often  as 
 it  suits  us,  without  constraint,  ceremony,  or  apology;  and 
 may  he  who  is  alwaj^s  present  with  our  hearts  make  our 
 correspondence  useful.    I  pray  God  to  be  your  sun  and 
 shield,  your  light  and  strength,  to  guide  you  with  his  eye, 
 to  comfort  you  with  his  gracious  presence  in  your  own 
 Boul,  and  to  make  you  a  happy  instrument  of  comforting 
 many. 
 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
148 
 
 CAUDIPHONIA. 
 
 LETTER  II. 
 
 My  Dear  Friend,  July  14,  1775. 
 
 I  GLADLY  adopt  your  address,  and  can  assure  you  that 
 tlie  interchange  of  every  letter  unites  my  heart  more 
 closely  to  you  I  am  glad  to  find  that  your  views  of 
 articles  and  creeds  are  not  likely  to  liinder  you  from 
 going  forward  in  your  present  situation ;  and  if,  without 
 contracting  your  usefulness,  they  only  prove  a  bar  to 
 your  preferment,  I  am  sure  it  will  be  no  grief  of  mind 
 to  you  at  the  hour  of  death,  or  the  day  of  judgment, 
 that  you  Avere  enabled  to  follow  the  dictates  of  con- 
 science in  opposition  to  all  the  pleas  of  custom  or  inte- 
 rest. Since,  therefore,  I  have  no  desire  of  shaking  your 
 resolves,  may  we  iiot  drop  this  subject  entirely?  For, 
 indeed,  I  act  but  an  awkward  part  in  it,  being  by  no 
 means  myself  an  admirer  of  articles  and  creeds,  or  dis- 
 posed to  be  a  warm  advocate  for  church  power.  The 
 I)ropriety  of  our  national  establishment,  or  of  any  other, 
 is  what  I  have  not  much  to  do  with;  I  found  it  as  it  is, 
 nor  have  I  influence  to  alter  it  were  I  willing.  The 
 question  in  which  I  was  concerned  was  simply,  \\'liether 
 I,  rchus  sic  stantihtis,  could  submit  to  it,  so  as  conscien- 
 tiously to  take  a  designation  to  the  ministry  under  it  ? 
 I  tliought  I  could;  I  accordingly  did,  and  I  am  thankful 
 that  I  never  have  seen  cause  to  repent  it. 
 
 You  seem  gently  to  charge  me  with  a  want  of  can- 
 dour in  what  I  observed  or  apprehended  concerning 
 the  gentlemen  of  the  Feathers  Tavern.  If  I  mistake 
 not  (for  I  retain  no  copies  of  my  letters),  I  expressed 
 myself  with  a  double  restriction,  by  first  saying  the 
 leaders  of  that  society,  and  tlien  adding,  or  some  nf 
 them  at  least.  I  apprehend  your  candour  will  liardly 
 lead  you  to  suppose,  that  there  are  none  amongst 
 them  who  would  pull  down  the  whole  fabric  (that  is,  I 
 mean  so  far  as  it  cros-es  the  Socinian  scheme),  if  it  was 
 left  to  their  choice.    I  apprehend  I  may,  without  the 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR  S  .  149 
 
 least  breach  of  candour,  suppose  that  the  exceptions 
 which  Mr  Lindsay  has  made  to  the  Liturgy  are  not  pe- 
 culiar to  himself.  It  seems  plain  in  his  case,  and  from 
 his  own  writings,  that  the  mere  removal  of  subscriptions, 
 which  is  the  immediate  and  ostensible  object  of  the  cle- 
 rical petition,  could  not  have  satisfied  him;  and  it  is 
 past  a  doubt  with  me,  that  there  are  others  of  the  clergy 
 like-minded  with  him.  Indeed  I  could  wish  to  be  thought 
 candid  by  you :  though  I  confess  I  am  not  a  friend  to  that 
 lukewarmness  and  indifference  for  truth,  which  bears  the 
 name  of  candour  among  many  in  the  present  day.  I 
 desire  to  maintain  a  spirit  of  candour  and  benevolence 
 to  all  men,  to  wish  them  well,  to  do  them  every  good 
 office  in  my  power,  and  to  commend  what  appears  to  me 
 commendable  in  a  Socinian,  as  readily  as  in  a  Calvinist. 
 But  with  some  people  I  can  only  go  usque  ad  aras.  I 
 must  judge  of  principles  by  the  word  of  God,  and  of  the 
 tree  by  its  fruit.  I  meddle  with  no  man's  final  state; 
 because  I  know  that  he  who  is  exalted  to  give  repentance 
 and  remission  of  sins,  can  do  it  whenever  and  to  whom- 
 soever he  is  pleased.  Yet  I  firmly  believe,  and  I  make 
 no  scruple  of  proclaiming  it,  that  swearers,  drunkards, 
 adulterers,  continuing  such,  cannot  inherit  tlie  kingdom 
 of  God:  and  I  look  with  no  less  compassion  upon  some 
 persons,  whose  characters  in  common  life  may  be  respect- 
 able, when  I  see  them  unhappily  blinded  by  their  own 
 wisdom;  and  while  they  account  themselves,  and  are  ac- 
 counted by  many  others,  master-builders  in  Zion,  reject- 
 ing the  only  foundation  upon  which  a  sinner's  hope  can 
 be  safely  built. 
 
 I  am  far  fi-om  thinking  the  Socinians  all  hypocrites, 
 but  I  think  they  are  all  in  a  most  dangerous  error;  nor 
 do  their  principles  exhibit  to  my  view  a  whit  more  of 
 the  genuine  fruits  of  Christianity  than  Deism  itself. 
 You  say,  "  If  they  be  sincere,  and  fail  not  for  want  of 
 diligence  in  searching,  I  cannot  help  thinking  that  God 
 will  not  condemn  them  for  an  inevitable  defect  in  their 
 understandings."  Indeed,  my  friend,  I  have  such  a  low 
 opinion  of  man  in  his  depraved  state,  that  I  believe  no 
 one  has  real  sincerity  in  religious  matters  till  God  be- 
 
 2  E 
 
150 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 stows  it:  and  when  he  makes  a  person  sincere  in  his 
 desires  after  truth,  he  will  assuredly  guide  him  to  the 
 possession  of  it  in  due  time,  as  our  Lord  speaks,  John  vi. 
 44,  45.  To  suppose  that  any  persons  can  sincerely  seek 
 the  way  of  salvation,  and  yet  miss  it  through  an  inevit- 
 able defect  of  their  understandings,  would  contradict  the 
 plain  promises  of  the  gospel,  such  as  Matth.  vii.  7,  8; 
 John  vii.  16,  17;  but  to  suppose  that  nothing  is  neces- 
 sary to  be  known,  which  some  persons  who  profess  sin- 
 cerity cannot  receive,  would  be  in  eifect  to  make  the 
 scripture  a  nose  of  wax,  and  open  a  wide  door  for  scep- 
 ticism. I  am  not  a  judge  of  the  heart;  but  I  may  be 
 sure,  that  whoever  makes  the  foundation  stone  a  rock  of 
 offence,  cannot  be  sincere  in  his  inquiries.  He  may 
 study  the  scripture  accurately,  but  he  brings  his  own 
 preconceived  sentiments  with  him,  and  instead  of  sub- 
 mitting them  to  the  touchstone  of  truth,  he  makes  them 
 a  rule  by  which  he  interprets.  That  they  who  lean  to 
 their  own  understandings  should  stumble  and  miscarry,  I 
 cannot  wonder ;  for  the  same  God  who  has  promised  to  fill 
 the  hungry  with  good  things,  has  threatened  to  send  the 
 rich  empty  away;  so  Matth.  xi.  25.  It  is  not  through 
 defect  of  understanding,  but  a  want  of  simplicity  and 
 humility,  that  so  many  stumble  like  the  blind  at  noon- 
 day, and  can  see  nothing  of  those  great  truths  which  are 
 written  in  the  gospel  as  with  a  sunbeam. 
 
 You  wish  me  to  explain  myself  concerning  the  doc- 
 trine of  the  Trinity.  I  will  try;  yet  I  know  I  cannot, 
 any  farther  than  as  he  who  taught  me  shall  be  pleased  to 
 bear  witness  in  your  heart  to  what  I  say.  My  first  prin- 
 ciple in  religion  is  what  the  scripture  teaches  me  of  the 
 utter  depravity  of  human  nature,  in  connexion  with  the 
 spirituality  and  sanction  of  the  lav/  of  God.  I  believe 
 we  are  by  nature  sinners,  by  practice  universally  trans- 
 gressors; that  we  are  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins;  and 
 that  the  bent  of  our  natural  spirit  is  enmity  against  the 
 holiness,  government,  and  grace  of  God.  Upon  this 
 ground,  I  see,  feel,  and  acknowledge  the  necessity  of 
 such  a  salvation  as  the  gospel  proposes,  which  at  the 
 same  time  that  it  precludes  boasting,  and  stains  the  pride 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR  S  
 
 151 
 
 of  all  human  glory,  affords  encouragement  to  those  who 
 may  be  thought,  or  who  may  think  themselves,  the 
 weakest  or  the  vilest  of  mankind.    I  believe,  that  what- 
 ever notions  a  person  may  take  up  from  education  or 
 system,  no  one  ever  did,  or  ever  will,  feel  himself  and 
 own  himself  to  be  such  a  lost,  miserable,  hateful  sinner, 
 unless  he  be  powerfully  and  supernaturally  convinced  by 
 he  Spirit  of  God.    There  is,  when  God  pleases,  a  cer- 
 tain light  thrown  into  the  soul,  which  differs  not  merely 
 in  degree,  but  in  kind,  tnto  genere,  from  any  thing  that 
 can  be  effected,  or  produced  by  moral  suasion  or  argu- 
 ment.   But  (to  take  in  another  of  your  queries)  the 
 Holy  Spirit  teaches  or  reveals  no  new  truths,  either  of 
 doctrine  or  precept,  but  only  enables  us  to  understand 
 what  is  already  revealed  in  the  scripture.  Here  a  change 
 takes  place,  tlie  person  that  was  spiritually  blind  begins 
 to  see.    The  sinner's  character,  as  described  in  the  word 
 of  God,  he  finds  to  be  a  description  of  himself;  that  he 
 is  afar  off,  a  stranger,  a  rebel ;  that  he  has  hitherto  lived 
 in  vain.    Now  he  begins  to  see  the  necessity  of  an  atone- 
 ment, an  advocate,  a  shepherd,  a  comforter ;  he  can  no 
 more  trust  to  his  own  wisdom,  strength,  and  goodness; 
 but,  accounting  all  his  former  gain  but  loss,  for  the  ex- 
 cellency of  the  knowledge  of  Christ,  he  renounces  every 
 other  refuge,  and  ventures  his  all  upon  the  person,  work, 
 and  promise  of  the  Redeemer.    In  this  way,  I  say,  he 
 will  find  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity  not  only  a  proposi- 
 tion, but  a  principle ;  that  is,  from  his  own  wants  and 
 situation  he  will  have  an  abiding  conviction,  that  the 
 Son  and  Holy  Spirit  are  God,  and  must  be  possessed  of 
 the  attributes  and  powers  of  Deity,  to  support  the  offices 
 the  scriptures  assign  them,  and  to  deserve  the  confidence 
 and  worship  the  scriptures  require  to  be  placed  in  them, 
 and  paid  to  them.   Without  this  awakened  state  of  mind, 
 a  divine  reputed  orthodox  will  blunder  wretchedly  even 
 in  defending  his  own  opinions.    I  have  seen  laboured 
 defences  of  the  Trinity,  which  have  given  me  not  much 
 more  satisfaction  than  I  should  probably  receive  from  a 
 dissertation  upon  the  rainbow  composed  by  a  man  blind 
 from  his  birth.    In  effect,  the  knowledge  of  God  caimot 
 
152 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 be  attained  by  studious  discussion  on  our  parts;  it  must 
 be  by  a  revelation  on  his  part,  Matt.  xi.  27,  and  ch.  xvi. 
 17;  a  revelation  not  objectively  of  new  truth,  but  sub- 
 jectively of  new  light  in  us.  Then  he  that  runs  may 
 read.  Perhaps  you  may  not  quite  understand  my  mean- 
 ing, or  not  accede  to  my  sentiment  at  present;  I  have 
 little  doubt,  however,  but  the  time  is  coming  when  you 
 will.  I  believe  the  Lord  God  has  given  you  that  since- 
 rity which  he  never  disappoints. 
 
 Far  be  it  from  me  to  arrogate  infallibility  to  myself, 
 or  to  any  writer  of  preacher :  yet,  blessed  be  God,  I  am 
 not  left  to  float  up  and  down  the  uncertain  tide  of  opi- 
 nion, in  those  points  wherein  the  peace  of  my  soul  is 
 nearly  concerned.  I  know,  yea  I  infallibly  know,  whom 
 I  have  believed.  I  am  under  no  more  doubt  about  the 
 way  of  salvation  than  of  the  way  to  London.  I  cannot 
 be  deceived,  because  the  word  of  God  cannot  deceive 
 rae.  It  is  impossible,  however,  for  me  to  give  you  or 
 any  person  full  satisfaction  concerning  my  evidence, 
 because  it  is  of  an  experimental  nature.  Rev.  ii.  17.  In 
 general,  it  arises  from  the  views  I  have  received  of  the 
 power,  compassion,  and  grace  of  Jesus,  and  a  conscious- 
 ness that  I,  from  a  conviction  of  my  sin  and  misery,  have 
 fled  to  him  for  refuge,  intrusted  and  devoted  myself  and 
 my  all  to  bim.  Since  my  mind  has  been  enlightened, 
 every  thing  within  me,  and  every  thing  around  me,  con- 
 firms and  explains  to  me  what  I  read  in  scripture;  and 
 though  I  have  reason  enough  to  distrust  my  own  judg- 
 ment every  hour,  yet  I  have  no  reason  to  question  the 
 great  essentials,  which  the  Lord  himself  hath  taiight  me. 
 
 Besides  a  long  letter,  I  send  you  a  great  book.  A  part 
 of  it  (for  I  do  not  ask  you  to  read  the  whole)  may  per- 
 haps explain  my  meaning  better  than  I  have  leisure  to 
 do  myself.  I  set  a  high  value  upon  this  book  of  Mr 
 Halyburton's ;  so  that  unless  I  could  replace  it  with  an- 
 other, I  know  not  if  I  would  part  with  it  for  its  weight 
 in  gold.  The  first  and  longest  treatise  is,  in  my  judg- 
 ment, a  masterpiece;  but  I  would  chiefly  wish  you  to 
 peruse  the  Essay  concerning  Faith,  towards  the  close  of 
 the  book.    I  need  not  beg  you  to  read  it  carefully,  and 
 
tETTERS  TO  THE  KEV.  MR  S- 
 
 153 
 
 to  read  it  all.  The  importance  of  the  subject,  its  imme- 
 diate connexion  -with  your  inquiries,  and  the  accuracy  of 
 tlie  reasoning,  will  render  the  motive  of  nii/  request  un- 
 necessary. 1  cannot  style  him  a  very  elegant  writer;  and 
 being  a  Scotsman,  he  abounds  with  the  Scottish  idiom. 
 But  you  will  prefer  truth  to  ornament.  I  long  to  hear 
 your  opinion  of  it.  It  seems  to  me  so  adapted  to  some 
 things  that  have  passed  between  us  as  if  written  on  pur- 
 pose. 
 
 The  Inquiry  concerning  Regeneration  and  Justifica- 
 tion, which  stands  last  in  the  book,  I  do  not  desire  or 
 even  wish  you  to  read;  but  if  you  should,  and  then  think 
 that  you  have  read  a  speculation  more  curious  than  use- 
 ful, I  shall  not  contradict  you.  I  think  it  must  appear 
 to  you  in  that  light ;  but  it  was  bound  up  with  the  rest, 
 and  therefore  could  not  stay  behind  j  but  I  hope  the  Essay 
 on  Faith  will  please  you. 
 
 I  take  great  pleasure  in  your  correspondence,  still  more 
 in  the  thought  of  your  friendship,  which  I  hope  to  culti- 
 vate to  the  utmost,  and  to  approve  myself  sincerely  and 
 affectionately  yours. 
 
 LETTER  III. 
 
 My  Dear  Friend,  August \\,  111^. 
 
 Next  week  I  go  to  London,  where  I  purpose  (if  nothing 
 unforeseen  prevents)  to  stay  a  month.  Many  things, 
 which  must  necessarily  be  attended  to  before  my  depar- 
 ture, abridge  me  of  that  leisure  which  I  could  wish  to 
 employ  in  answering  your  last.  However,  I  will  spare 
 you  what  I  can.  1  thank  you  for  yours.  Your  objec- 
 tions neither  displease  nor  weary  me.  While  truth  is  tlie 
 object  of  j'our  enquiry,  the  more  freedom  you  use  with 
 me  the  better.  Nor  do  they  surprise  me;  for  I  have  for- 
 merly made  the  like  objections  myself.  I  have  stood 
 upon  your  ground,  and  I  continue  to  hope  you  will  one 
 
154 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 day  stand  upon  mine.  As  I  have  told  you  more  than 
 once,  I  do  not  mean  to  dictate  to  you,  or  to  wish  you  to 
 receive  anj'  tiling  upon  my  ipse  dixit;  but,  in  the  sim- 
 plicity of  friendship,  I  will  give  you  my  thoughts  from 
 time  to  time  upon  the  points  you  propose,  and  leave  the 
 event  to  the  divine  blessing. 
 
 I  am  glad  you  do  not  account  the  Socinians  master- 
 builders.  However,  they  esteem  themselves  so,  and  are 
 so  esteemed,  not  only  by  a  few  (as  you  think),  but  by 
 many.  I  fear  Socinianism  spreads  rapidly  amongst  us, 
 and  bids  fair  to  be  the  prevailing  scheme  in  this  land, 
 especially  with  those  who  profess  to  be  the  thinking  part. 
 The  term  Arminiatt,  as  at  present  applied,  is  very  indis- 
 criminate, and  takes  in  a  great  variety  of  persons  and 
 sentiments,  amongst  whom,  I  believe,  there  are  many  who 
 hold  the  fundamental  truths  of  the  gospel,  and  live  a  life 
 of  faith  in  the  Son  of  God.  I  am  far  from  supposing  that 
 God  will  guide  every  sincere  person  exactly  to  adopt  all 
 my  sentiments.  But  there  are  some  sentiments  which  I 
 believe  essential  to  the  very  state  and  character  of  a  true 
 Christian.  And  these  make  him  a  Christian,  not  merely 
 by  being  his  acknowledged  sentiments,  but  by  a  certain 
 peculiar  manner  in  which  he  possesses  them.  There  is 
 a  certain  important  change  takes  place  in  the  heart,  by 
 the  operation  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  before  the  soundest 
 and  most  orthodox  sentiments  can  have  their  proper  in- 
 fluence upon  us.  This  work,  or  change,  the  scripture 
 describes  by  various  names,  each  of  which  is  designed  to 
 teach  us  the  marvellous  effects  it  produces,  and  the  al- 
 mighty power  by  which  it  is  produced.  It  is  sometimes 
 called  a  new  birth,  John  iii.  3;  sometimes  a  new  crea- 
 ture or  new  creation,  as  Cor.  v.  1 7 ;  sometimes  the  caus- 
 ing light  to  shine  out  of  darkness,  2  Cor.  iv.  6 ;  sometimes 
 the  opening  the  eyes  of  the  blind.  Acts  xxvi.  18;  some- 
 times the  raising  the  dead  to  life,  Ephes.  ii.  5.  Till  a 
 person  has  experienced  this  change,  he  will  be  at  a  loss 
 to  form  a  right  conception  of  it;  but  it  means  not  being 
 proselyted  to  an  opinion,  but  receiving  a  principle  of  di- 
 vine life  and  light  in  the  soul.  And  till  this  is  received, 
 the  things  of  God,  the  truths  of  the  gospel,  cannot  be 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR  S- 
 
 155 
 
 rightlj'  discerned  or  understood,  by  the  utmost  powers  of 
 fallen  man,  who,  with  all  his  wisdom,  reason,  and  talents, 
 is  still  but  what  the  apostle  calls  the  natural  man,  till  the 
 power  of  God  visits  his  heart,  1  Cor.  ii.  14.  This  work 
 is  sometimes  wrought  suddenly,  as  in  the  case  of  Lydia, 
 Acts  xvi.  14;  at  other  times  very  gradually.  A  person 
 who  before  was  a  stranger  even  to  the  form  of  godliness, 
 or  at  best  content  with  a  mere  form,  finds  new  thoughts 
 arising  in  his  mind,  feels  some  concern  about  his  sins, 
 some  desire  to  please  God,  some  suspicions  that  all  is 
 not  right.  He  examines  his  views  of  religion,  hopes  the 
 best  of  them,  and  yet  cannot  rest  satisfied  in  them.  To- 
 day, perhaps,  he  thinks  himself  fixed;  to-morrow  he 
 will  be  all  uncertainty.  Pie  inquires  of  others,  weighs, 
 measures,  considers,  meets  with  sentiments  wliich  he  had 
 not  attended  to,  thinks  them  plausible;  but  is  present- 
 ly shocked  with  objections,  or  supposed  consequences, 
 which  he  finds  himself  unable  to  remove.  As  he  goes 
 on  in  his  inquiry,  his  difficulties  increase.  New  doubts 
 arise  in  his  mind;  even  the  scriptures  perplex  him,  and 
 appear  to  assert  contrary  things.  He  would  sound  the 
 depths  of  truth  by  the  plummet  of  his  reason ;  but  he  finds 
 his  line  is  too  short.  Yet  even  now  the  man  is  under  a 
 guidance  which  will  at  length  lead  him  right.  The  im- 
 portance of  the  subject  takes  up  his  tlioughts,  and  takes 
 off  the  relish  he  once  had  for  the  things  of  the  world. 
 He  reads,  he  pra3's,  he  strives,  he  resolves;  sometimes 
 inward  embarrassments  and  outward  temptations  bring 
 hira  to  his  wits  end.  He  almost  wishes  to  stand  where 
 he  is,  and  inquire  no  more;  but  he  cannr)t  stop.  At 
 length  he  begins  to  feel  the  inward  depravity  which  he 
 had  before  owned  as  an  opinion ;  a  sense  of  sin  and  guilt 
 cut  him  out  new  work.  Here  reasoning  will  stand  him 
 in  no  stead.  This  is  a  painful  change  of  minfl;  but  it 
 prepares  the  way  for  a  blessing.  It  silences  some  objec- 
 tions better  than  a  thousand  arguments,  it  cuts  the  comb 
 of  his  own  wisdom  and  attainments,  it  makes  him  weary 
 of  working  for  life,  and  teaches  him,  in  God's  due  time, 
 the  meaning  of  that  text,  "  To  him  that  worketh  not, 
 but  believeth  in  him  who  justifieth  the  ungodly,  his  faith 
 
156 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 is  counted  for  righteousness."  Then  he  learns,  that 
 scriptural  faith  is  a  very  different  thing  from  a  rational 
 assent  to  the  gospel — that  it  is  the  immediate  gift  of 
 God,  Ephes.  ii.  8;  the  operation  of  God,  Col.  ii.  12;  that 
 Christ  is  not  only  the  object,  but  the  author  and  finisher 
 of  faith,  Heb.  xii.  2;  and  that  faith  is  not  so  properly  a 
 part  of  that  obedience  we  oive  to  God,  as  an  inestimable 
 benefit  we  receive  from  him,  for  Christ's  sake,  Phil.  i.  29; 
 which  is  the  medium  of  our  justification,  Rom.  v.  1 ;  and 
 the  principle  by  whicli  we  are  united  to  Christ  (as  the 
 branch  to  the  vine),  John  xvii.  21.  I  am  well  aware  of 
 the  pains  taken  to  put  a  different  sense  upon  these  and 
 other  seemingly  mysterious  passages  of  scripture;  but 
 thus  far  we  speak  that  which  we  know,  and  testify  that 
 which  we  have  seen.  I  have  described  a  path  in  which 
 I  have  known  many  led,  and  in  which  I  have  walked 
 myself. 
 
 The  gospel,  my  dear  sir,  is  a  salvation  appointed  for 
 those  who  are  ready  to  perish,  and  is  not  designed  to  put 
 them  in  a  way  to  save  themselves  by  their  own  works. 
 It  speaks  to  us  as  condemned  already,  and  calls  upon  us 
 to  believe  in  a  crucified  Saviour,  that  we  may  receive 
 redemption  through  his  blood,  even  the  forgiveness  of  our 
 sins.  And  the  Spirit  of  God,  by  the  gospel,  first  con- 
 vinces us  of  unbelief,  sin,  and  misery;  and  then,  by  re- 
 vealing the  things  of  Jesus  to  our  minds,  enables  us,  as 
 helpless  sinners,  to  come  to  Christ,  to  receive  him,  to 
 behold  him,  or,  in  other  words,  to  believe  in  him;  and 
 expect  pardon,  life,  and  grace  from  him ;  renouncing  every 
 hope  and  aim  in  which  we  once  rested,  "  and  accounting 
 all  things  loss  and  dung  for  the  excellency  of  the  know- 
 ledge of  Clu'ist;"  John  vi.  35;  Is.  xlv.  22;  with  John 
 vi.  40;  Col.  ii.  6.  In  some  of  Omicron's  letters  you  will 
 find  my  thoughts  more  at  large  upon  tliese  subjects  than 
 I  have  now  time  to  write  them.  For  a  farther  illustra- 
 tion, I  refer  you  to  the  MSS.  sent  herewith.  The  first 
 part,  witten  in  short-hand,  does  not  so  immediately  con- 
 cern our  present  point  as  the  second,  which  you  may 
 read  without  a  key.  It  relates  a  matter  of  indisputable 
 fact,  concerning  a  person  with  whom  (as  you  will  per- 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR  S- 
 
 157 
 
 ceivc)  I  was  well  acquainted.  You  may  depend  upon 
 the  truth  of  every  tittle.  I  intrust  it  to  you  in  the  con- 
 fidence of  friendship,  and  beg  that  it  may  not  go  out  of 
 your  hands,  and  that  when  you  have  perused  it,  you 
 yould  return  it,  sealed  up,  by  a  safe  conveyance  to  my 
 house.  You  will  see  in  it  the  sentiments  of  a  man  of 
 great  learning,  sound  reasoning,  an  amiable  and  irre- 
 proachable character,  and  how  little  he  accounted  of  all 
 these  advantages,  when  the  Lord  was  pleased  to  enlighten 
 his  mind. 
 
 Though  we  have  not  exactly  the  same  view  of  human 
 depravity,  yet  as  we  both  agree  to  take  our  measure  of 
 it  from  the  word  of  God,  I  trust  we  shall  not  always 
 differ  about  it.  Adam  was  created  in  the  image  of  God, 
 in  righteousness  and  true  holiness,  Ephes.  iv.  24.  This 
 moral  image,  I  believe,  was  totally  lost  by  sin.  In  that 
 sense  he  died  the  day,  the  moment,  he  ate  the  forbidden 
 fruit.  God  was  no  longer  his  joy  and  delight;  he  was 
 averse  from  the  thoughts  of  his  presence,  and  would  (if 
 possible)  have  hid  himself  from  him.  His  natural 
 powers,  though  doubtless  impaired,  were  not  destroyed. 
 Man  by  nature  is  still  capable  of  great  things.  His  under- 
 standing, reason,  memory,  imagination,  &c.  sufficiently 
 proclaim  that  the  hand  that  made  him  is  divine.  He  is, 
 as  Milton  says  of  Beelzebub,  majestic  though  in  ruins. 
 He  can  reason,  invent,  and  by  application  attain  a  con- 
 siderable knowledge  in  natural  things.  The  exertions 
 of  human  genius,  as  specified  in  the  characters  of  some 
 philosophers,  poets,  orators,  &c.  are  wonderful.  But 
 man  cannot  know,  love,  trust,  or  serve  his  Maker, 
 unless  he  be  renewed  in  the  spirit  of  his  mind.  God 
 has  preserved  in  him  likewise  some  feelings  of  benevo- 
 lence, pity — some  sense  of  natural  justice  and  truth,  &c. 
 without  which  there  could  be  no  society;  but  tliese,  I 
 apprehend,  are  little  more  than  instincts,  by  which  the 
 world  is  kept  in  some  small  degree  of  order;  but  being 
 under  the  direction  of  pride  and  self,  do  not  deserve  the 
 name  of  virtue  and  goodness;  because  the  exercise  of 
 them  does  not  spring  from  a  principle  of  love  to  God, 
 nor  is  directed  to  his  glory,  or  regulated  by  the  rule  of 
 
158 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 his  word,  till  a  principle  of  grace  is  superadded.  You 
 think,  I  will  not  say,  "  that  God,  judicially,  in  punish- 
 ment of  one  man's  sin,  added  these  corruptions  to  all 
 his  posterity."  Let  us  suppose  that  the  punishment  an- 
 nexed to  eating  the  forbidden  fruit  had  been  the  loss  of 
 Adam's  rational  powers,  and  that  he  should  be  degraded 
 to  the  state  and  capacity  of  a  brute.  In  this  condition, 
 had  he  begotten  children  after  the  fall  in  his  own  like- 
 ness, his  nature  being  previously  changed,  they  must 
 have  been  of  course  brutes  like  himself;  for  he  could 
 not  convey  to  them  those  original  powers  which  he  had 
 lost.  Will  this  illustrate  my  meaning?  Sin  did  not  de- 
 prive him  of  rationality,  but  of  spirituality.  His  nature 
 became  earthly,  sensual,  yea  devilish ;  and  this  fallen  na- 
 ture, this  carnal  mind,  which  is  enmity  against  God, 
 Avhich  is  not  subject  to  his  law,  neither  indeed  can  be, 
 Rom.  viii.  7,  we  universally  derive  from  him.  Look 
 upon  children;  they  presently  show  themselves  averse 
 from  good,  but  exceedingly  propense  to  evil.  This  they 
 can  learn  even  without  a  master;  but  ten  thousand  in- 
 structors and  instructions  cannot  instil  good  into  them, 
 so  as  to  teach  them  to  love  their  Creator,  unless  a  divine 
 power  co-operates.  Just  as  it  is  with  the  earth,  which 
 produces  weeds  spontaneously ;  but  if  you  only  see  a 
 cabbage  or  an  apple-tree,  you  are  siu-e  it  was  planted  or 
 sown  there,  and  did  not  spring  from  the  soil.  I  know 
 many  hard  questions  may  be  started  upon  this  subject; 
 but  the  Lord  in  due  time  will  clear  his  own  cause,  and 
 vindicate  his  own  ways.  I  leave  all  difficulties  with  him. 
 It  is  sufficient  for  me  that  scripture  asserts,  and  expe- 
 rience proves,  that  it  is  thus  in  fact,  Rom.  iii.  9—21 ; 
 Job  xiv.  4.  Thus  we  have  not  only  forfeited  our  hap- 
 piness by  transgression,  but  are,  by  our  depravity,  inca- 
 pable of  it,  and  have  no  more  desire  or  taste  for  such  a 
 state  as  the  scripture  describes  heaven  to  be,  than  a  man 
 born  deaf  can  have  for  a  concert  of  music.  And  there- 
 fore our  Lord  declares,  that  except  a  man  be  born  again 
 he  not  only  shall  not,  but  cannot  see  the  kingdom  of 
 God.  Hence  a  twofold  necessity  of  a  Saviour — his  blood 
 for  the  pardon  of  our  eins — his  life,  spiritj  apd  grace  to 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR  S  .  159 
 
 quicken  our  souls,  and  form  us  anew  for  himself,  that  we 
 may  feel  his  love,  and  show  forth  his  praise. 
 
 St  Paul,  before  his  conversion,  was  not  sincere,  in  the 
 sense  I  hope  you  to  be :  he  tliought  himself  in  the  right, 
 without  doubt,  as  many  have  done  when  they  killed  God's 
 servants,  John  xvi.  2.  He  was  blindly  and  obstinately 
 zealous:  I  think  he  did  not  enter  into  the  merits  of  the 
 cause,  or  inquire  into  facts  with  that  attention  which  sin- 
 cerity would  have  put  him  upon.  You  think  that  his 
 sincerity  and  zeal  were  the  very  things  that  made  him  a 
 chosen  instrument;  he  himself  speaks  of  them  as  the 
 very  things  that  made  him  peculiarly  unworthy  of  that 
 honour,  1  Cor.  xv.  9;  and  he  tells  us  that  he  was  set 
 forth  as  a  pattern  of  the  Lord's  long-suffering  and  mercy, 
 that  the  very  chief  of  sinners  might  be  encouraged,  1 
 Tim.  i.  15,  16.  Had  he  been  sincerely  desirous  to  know 
 whether  Jesus  was  the  Messiah,  there  was  enough  in  his 
 character,  doctrines,  miracles,  and  the  prophecies  con- 
 cerning him,  to  have  cleared  up  the  point;  but  he  took 
 it  for  granted  he  was  right  in  his  opinion,  and  hurried 
 blindlj'  on,  and  was  (as  he  said  himself)  exceedingly 
 mad  against  them.  Such  a  kind  of  sincerity  is  common 
 enough.  People  believe  themselves  right,  and  therefore 
 treat  others  with  scorn  or  rage;  appeal  to  the  scriptures, 
 but  first  lay  down  their  own  pre-conceived  sentiments 
 for  truths,  and  then  examine  what  scriptures  they  can 
 find  to  countenance  them.  Surely  a  person's  thinking 
 himself  right,  will  not  give  a  sanction  to  all  that  he  does 
 under  that  persuasion. 
 
 Ignorance  and  obstinacy  are  in  themselves  sinful,  and 
 no  plea  of  sincerity  will  exempt  from  the  danger  of  be- 
 ing under  their  influence,  Isaiah  xxvii.  1 1 ;  Luke  vi.  .39- 
 It  appears  to  me,  that  though  you  will  not  follow  any  man 
 implicitly,  you  are  desirous  of  discovering  your  mistakes, 
 supposing  you  are  mistaken  in  any  point  of  importance. 
 You  read  and  examine  the  word  of  God,  not  to  find 
 arms  wherewith  to  defend  your  sentiments  at  all  events, 
 but  to  know  whether  they  are  defensible  or  not.  You 
 pray  for  God's  light  and  teaching,  and  in  this  search 
 you  are  willing  to  risk  what  men  are  commonly  much 
 
160 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 afraid  of  hazarding — character,  interest,  preferment,  fa- 
 vour, &c.  A  sincerity  of  this  kind  I  too  seldom  meet 
 with;  when  I  do,  I  account  it  a  token  for  good,  and  am 
 ready  to  say  so,  "  No  man  can  do  this,  except  God  be 
 with  him."  However,  sincerity  is  not  conversion ;  but  I 
 believe  it  is  always  a  forerunner  of  it. 
 
 I  would  not  be  uncharitable  and  censorious,  hasty  and 
 peremptory  in  judging  my  fellow-creatures.  But  if  I 
 acknowledge  the  word  of  God,  I  cannot  avoid  forming 
 my  judgment  upon  it.  It  is  true,  I  cannot  look  into 
 people's  hearts;  but  hearts  and  principles  are  delineated 
 to  my  hand  in  the  scripture.  I  read,  that  no  murderer 
 has  eternal  life  in  him;  I  read,  likewise,  "If  any  man 
 love  not  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  let  him  be  anathema;" 
 and  therefore  I  conclude,  that  there  are  speculative  er- 
 rors, as  heinous  in  their  guilt,  as  destructive  in  their  ef- 
 fects, as  murder;  and  that  the  most  moral  regular  man, 
 as  to  social  life,  if  he  loves  not  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  is, 
 in  the  sight  of  God  the  Judge  of  all,  as  displeasing  as  a 
 murderer.  It  has  pleased  God,  for  the  peace  and  sup- 
 port of  society,  to  put  a  black  mark  upon  those  sins 
 which  affect  the  peace  and  welfare  of  our  neighbour,  such 
 as  adultery  and  murder.  But  undoubtedly  the  sins  com- 
 mitted immediately  against  himself,  must  be  more  hein- 
 ous than  any  which  offend  our  fellow-creatures.  The  se- 
 cond commandment.  Matt.  xxii.  39,  is  like  the  first;  but 
 it  depends  upon  it,  and  is  therefore  inferior  to  it.  Men  or- 
 dinarily judge  otherwise.  To  live  regardless  of  God  and 
 the  gospel,  is  looked  upon  as  a  peccadillo,  in  comparison 
 with  offences  against  society.  But  sooner  or  later  it  will 
 appear  otherwise  to  all.  A  parcel  of  robbers  may  pique 
 themselves  upon  the  justice,  honour,  and  truth  they  ob- 
 serve towards  one  another;  but  because  they  set  up  a 
 petty  interest,  which  is  inconsistent  with  the  public  good, 
 they  are  deservedly  accounted  villains,  and  treated  as 
 such,  notwithstanding  their  petty  morality  among  them- 
 selves. Now,  such  a  company  of  robbers  bears  a  much 
 greater  proportion  to  a  whole  nation,  than  a  nation,  or 
 all  the  nations  of  the  earth,  bears  to  the  great  God.  Our 
 dependence  upon  him  is  absolute,  our  obligations  to  him 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR  S  . 
 
 161 
 
 infinite.  In  vain  shall  men  plead  their  moral  discharge  of 
 relative  duties  to  each  other,  if  they  fail  in  the  unspeak- 
 ably greater  relation  under  which  they  stand  to  God :  and 
 therefore,  when  I  see  people  living  without  God  in  the 
 world,  as  all  do  till  they  are  converted,  I  cannot  but  judge 
 them  in  a  dangerous  state — not  because  I  take  pleasure 
 in  censuring,  or  think  myself  authorized  to  pass  sentence 
 upon  my  fellow-creature,  but  because  the  scripture  de- 
 cides expressly  on  the  case,  and  I  am  bound  to  take  my 
 sentiments  from  thence. 
 
 The  jailor  was  certainly  a  Christian  when  baptized,  as 
 you  observe.  He  trembled ;  he  cried  out,  "  What  must 
 I  do  to  be  saved?"  Paul  did  not  bid  him  amend  his  life, 
 but  believe  in  the  Lord  Jesus.  He  believed  and  rejoiced. 
 But  the  Lord  blessed  the  apostle's  words,  to  produce  in 
 him  that  saving  faith,  which  filled  him  with  joy  and 
 peace.  It  was,  as  I  observed  before,  something  more 
 than  an  assent  to  the  proposition  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ; 
 a  resting  in  him  for  forgiveness  and  acceptance,  and  a 
 cleaving  to  him  in  love.  No  other  faith  will  purify  the 
 heart,  work  by  love,  and  overcome  the  world. 
 
 I  need  not  have  pleaded  want  of  leisure  as  an  excuse 
 for  a  short  letter,  for  I  have  written  a  long  one.  I  feel 
 myself  much  interested  in  your  concerns; — and  your  un- 
 expected frank  application  to  me  (though  you  well  know 
 the  light  in  which  I  appear  to  some  people),  I  consider 
 as  a  providential  call,  which  binds  me  to  your  service.  I 
 hope  our  correspondence  will  be  productive  of  happy  ef- 
 fects, and  that  we  shall  both  one  day  rejoice  in  it. 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  IV. 
 
 My  Dear  Friend,  September  Q,  1775.  - 
 
 I  BEGIN  to  fear  I  shall  fall  under  a  suspicion  of  unkind- 
 ness  and  forgetfulness  towards  you — and  therefore  1  am 
 
162 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 ■willing  to  write  a  line  by  way  of  prevention,  though  I 
 have  not  leisure  to  attempt  any  thing  like  an  answer  to 
 the  letter  you  put  into  my  hand  the  evening  before  I  left 
 
 O  .    I  nuist  therefore  content  myself  with  a  tender 
 
 of  affection  and  respect,  and  an  inquiry  after  your  wel- 
 fai-e. 
 
 Your  letter  will  give  me  an  opportunity  of  saying 
 something  farther  when  time  shall  admit ;  but  an  endea- 
 vour to  answer  all  the  objections  that  may  be  started  be- 
 tween us,  in  a  way  of  reasoning,  would  require  a  volume, 
 and  would  likewise  interfere  with  the  leading  principle 
 upon  v/liich  my  hope  of  giving  you  satisfaction  in  due 
 time  is  grcunri.'d.  You  seem  to  expect  that  I  should 
 remove  your  difficulties;  but  it  is  my  part  only  to  throw 
 in  a  word  occasionally,  as  a  witness  of  what  the  Lord 
 has  been  pleased  to  teach  me  from  the  scriptures,  and  to 
 wait  for  the  rest,  till  he  (who  alone  is  able)  shall  be 
 pleased  to  communicate  the  same  views  to  you.  For 
 till  we  see  and  judge  by  the  same  medium,  and  are 
 agreed  in  the  fundamental  point,  that  faith  is  not  the 
 effect  of  reasoning,  but  a  special  gift  of  God,  which  he 
 bestows  when  and  to  whom  he  pleases,  it  will  not  be 
 possible  for  me  to  convince  you  by  dint  of  argument. 
 I  believe,  as  I  have  observed  before,  that  he  has  already 
 given  you  a  desire  to  know  his  will ;  and  therefore  I  trust 
 he  will  not  disappoint  your  search.  At  present  I  think 
 you  want  one  thing,  which  it  is  not  in  my  power  to  im- 
 part. I  mean,  such  a  sense  of  the  depravity  of  human 
 nature,  and  the  state  of  all  mankind,  considered  as  sin- 
 ners, as  may  make  j-ou  feel  the  utter  impossibility  of  at- 
 taining to  the  peace  and  hope  of  the  gospel  in  any  other 
 way,  than  by  renouncing  all  hope  of  succeeding  by  any 
 endeavours  of  your  own,  farther  than  by  humbly  waiting 
 at  the  throne  of  grace,  for  power  to  cast  yourself,  with- 
 out terms  and  conditions,  upon  him  who  is  able  to  save  to 
 the  uttermost.  We  must  feel  ourselves  sick,  before  we 
 can  duly  prize  the  Great  Physician,  and  feel  a  sentence 
 of  death  in  ourselves,  before  we  can  effectually  trust  in 
 God,  who  raiseth  the  dead. 
 
 I  have  not  brought  your  sermons  with  me;  for  I 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MB  &  »  l63 
 
 thought  I  should  not  have  time  to  read  them  attentively, 
 while  in  this  hurrying  place.   I  purpose  to  consider  them 
 with  care,  and  to  give  you  my  thoughts  with  frankness, 
 when  I  return.    However,  if  they  are  upon  the  plan  in- 
 timated in  your  letter,  I  will  venture  to  say  one  thing 
 beforehand,  that  they  will  not  answer  your  desired  end. 
 I  am  persuaded  you  wish  to  be  useful — to  reclaim  sin- 
 ners from  their  evil  ways,  to  inspire  them  with  a  love  to 
 God,  and  a  sincere  aim  to  walk  in  obedience  to  his  will. 
 May  I  not  venture  to  appeal  to  yourself,  that  you  meet 
 with  little  success ;  that  the  people  to  whom  you  preach, 
 though  they  perhaps  give  you  a  patient  hearing,  yet  re- 
 main as  they  were,  unchanged  and  unholy  ?    It  must  be 
 so; — there  is  but  one  sort  of  preaching  which  God  blesses 
 to  these  purposes — that  which  makes  all  the  world  guilty 
 before  God,  and  sets  forth  Jesus  Christ  (as  the  brazen 
 serpent  was  proposed  by  Moses),  that  guilty  and  con- 
 demned sinners,  by  looking  to  him,  and  believing  on  his 
 name,  may  be  healed  and  saved.    The  most  pressing 
 exhortations  to  repentance  and  amendment  of  life,  unless 
 they  are  enforced  in  a  certain  way,  which  only  God  can 
 teach,  will  leave  our  hearers  much  as  they  find  them. 
 When  we  meet,  or  when  I  have  leisure  to  write  from 
 home,  I  will  trouble  you  with  my  thoughts  more  at  large. 
 Till  then,  permit  me  to  assure  you  of  my  sincere  regard 
 and  best  wishes,  and  that  I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  V. 
 
 My  Dear  Friend,  October  21,  1775. 
 
 The  calls  and  engagements  which  1  told  you  engrossed 
 and  anticipated  my  time  when  I  wrote  last,  have  con- 
 tinued without  any  intermission  hitherto,  and  I  am  still 
 far  behindhand  with  my  business.  I  am  willing  to  hope, 
 that  the  case  has  been  much  the  same  with  you,  and  that 
 want  of  leisure  has  been  the  only  cause  of  my  not  hav- 
 
164 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 ing  been  pleasured  with  so  much  as  a  note  from  you 
 since  my  return  from  London. 
 
 I  am  loath,  for  my  own  sake,  to  charge  your  silence 
 to  any  unwillingness  of  continuing  that  intercourse  which 
 I  have  been,  and  still  find  myself,  desirous  to  improve 
 on  my  part.  For  though  we  are  not  agreed  in  our  views, 
 yet  while  our  preliminary  agreement,  to  allow  nuitual 
 freedom,  and  to  exercise  mutual  candour,  in  expressing 
 our  sentiments,  subsists,  we  may,  and  I  hope  shall,  be 
 glad  to  hear  from  each  other.  It  may  seem  to  intimate 
 I  have  a  better  opinion  of  myself  than  of  you,  that  while 
 I  seem  confident  your  freedom  will  not  offend  me,  I  feel 
 now  and  then  a  fear,  lest  mine  should  prove  displeasing 
 to  you.  But  friendship  is  a  little  suspicious  when  exer- 
 cised with  long  silence,  and  a  plain  declaration  of  my 
 sentiments  has  more  than  once  put  amiable  and  respect- 
 able persons  to  the  full  trial  of  their  patience. 
 
 I  now  return  your  sermons :  I  thank  you  for  the  per- 
 usal; I  see  much  in  them  that  I  approve,  and  nothing  in 
 them  but  what  I  formerly  espoused.  But  in  a  course  of 
 years,  a  considerable  alteration  has  taken  place  in  my 
 judgment  and  experience — I  hope,  yea  I  may  boldly  say, 
 I  am  sure,  not  for  the  worse.  Then  I  was  seeking,  and 
 now  through  mercy  I  have  found,  the  pearl  of  great  price. 
 It  is  both  the  prayer  and  the  hope  of  my  heart,  that  a 
 day  is  coming  when  you  shall  make  the  same  acknow- 
 ledgment. From  your  letters  and  sermons,  I  am  en- 
 couraged to  address  you  in  our  Lord's  words,  "  Thou 
 art  not  far  from  the  kingdom  of  God."  I  am  persuaded 
 the  views  you  have  received  will  not  suffer  you  to  re- 
 main where  you  are.  But  fidelity  obliges  me  to  add, 
 "  Yet  one  thing  thou  lackest."  "  That  one  thing"  I  trust 
 the  Lord  will  both  show  you,  and  bestow  upon  you,  in 
 his  due  time.  You  speak  somewhere  of  "atoning  for 
 disobedience  by  repentance."  Ah !  my  dear  sir,  when  we 
 are  brought  to  estimate  our  disobedience,  by  comparing 
 it  with  such  a  sense  of  the  majesty,  holiness,  and  autho- 
 rity of  God,  and  the  spirituality,  extent  and  sanction  of 
 his  holy  law,  as  he,  and  he  only,  can  impress  upon  the 
 heart  of  a  sinner,  we  shall  be  convinced  that  nothing  but 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR  S- 
 
 165 
 
 the  blood  of  the  Son  of  God  can  atone  for  the  smallest 
 instance  of  disobedience. 
 
 I  intimated,  in  my  letter  from  London,  one  defect  of 
 your  scheme,  which  will  probably  be  the  first  to  engage 
 your  notice.  I  am  sure  you  have  a  desire  to  be  useful 
 to  the  souls  of  men,  to  be  an  instrument  of  reclaiming 
 them  from  that  course  of  open  wickedness,  or  lifeless  for- 
 mality, in  which  you  see  them  enslaved ;  and,  in  a  word, 
 to  prevail  with  them  to  live  soberly,  righteously,  and 
 godly,  according  to  the  just  and  comprehensive  sense 
 you  have  given  of  those  words,  in  your  sermon  on  Tit. 
 ii.  11-12.  Now,  inward  experience,  and  a  pretty  exten- 
 sive observation  of  what  passes  abroad,  have  so  perfectly 
 convinced  me  there  is  but  one  mode  of  preaching  which 
 the  Holy  Spirit  owns  to  the  producing  these  effects,  that 
 I  am  not  afi-aid  to  pronounce  confidently,  you  will  not 
 have  the  desires  of  your  heart  gratified  upon  your  pre- 
 sent plan :  the  people  will  give  you  a  hearing,  and  remain 
 just  as  they  are,  till  the  Lord  leads  you  to  speak  to  them 
 as  criminals  condemned  already,  and  whose  first  essential 
 step  it  is,  to  seek  forgiveness  by  the  blood  of  Jesus,  and 
 a  change  of  heart  and  state  by  his  grace,  before  they  can 
 bring  forth  any  fruit  acceptable  to  God. 
 
 As  I  have  little  time  for  writing,  and  little  hope  of  suc- 
 ceeding in  a  way  of  argumentation,  I  have  substituted, 
 instead  of  a  longer  letter,  the  heads  of  some  sermons  I 
 preached  nine  or  ten  years  ago,  on  our  Lord's  discourse 
 with  Nicodemus.  However,  when  I  have  heard  that  you 
 are  well,  and  that  you  are  still  disposed  to  correspond 
 with  me,  I  shall  be  ready  to  give  a  more  particular  an- 
 swer to  the  subjects  you  pointed  out  to  me  in  the  letter 
 you  favoured  me  with  the  day  before  I  left  London.  I 
 pray  God  to  bless  you  in  all  your  ways,  and  beg  you  to 
 believe  that  I  am,  with  sincerity,  &c. 
 
 V 
 
1  O" 
 
 CARDIPHONIA 
 
 LETTER  VI. 
 
 My  Dear  Friend,  October  28. 
 
 It  never  entered  my  pericranium,  that  you  expected  1 
 should  fully  and  directly  answer  your  letter  while  I  was 
 in  London ;  and  yet  you  reasonably  might,  as  you  knew 
 nothing  of  my  engagements:  but  indeed  it  was  imprac- 
 ticable; I  could  only  send  you  a  hasty  line,  as  a  token 
 that  I  remembered  you.  I  informed  you,  when  I  return- 
 ed, that  I  was  just  going  out  again.  Since  I  came  home 
 the  second  time,  I  have  been  engrossed  by  things  that 
 would  admit  of  no  delay;  and  at  length,  not  having  so 
 much  as  a  note  from  you,  I  thought  I  would  wait  till  I 
 heard  farther.  But  from  first  to  last  it  was  my  intention, 
 and  I  think  my  promise,  to  answer  in  the  manner  you 
 proposed,  as  soon  as  I  could.  And  even  now  I  must  beg 
 a  little  longer  time.  Believe  me,  that  as  the  wise  and 
 good  providence  of  God  brought  us  together,  without 
 any  expectation  of  mine,  I  will  do  all  in  my  power  to 
 preserve  the  connexion,  and  particularly  by  giving  my 
 thoughts  on  such  questions  as  you  propose.  And  though 
 to  consider  your  questions  in  the  manner  you  wish,  and 
 to  point  out  the  agreement  of  detached  texts  (as  they 
 occur)  with  my  views,  seems  in  prospect  to  require  a 
 volume  rather  than  a  sheet,  yet  I  am  not  discouraged; 
 only  I  beg  you  to  make  allowances  for  other  things,  and 
 to  be  assured,  that  before  I  had  the  pleasure  of  corres- 
 ponding with  you,  I  had  very  little  spare  time.  Expect 
 then  the  best  satisfaction  I  am  able  to  give  you,  as  soon 
 as  possible.  To  prepare  the  way,  I  will  try  hard  for  a 
 little  leisure,  to  give  you  a  few  thoughts  upon  yours, 
 which  came  last  night. 
 
 You  complain  that  1  have  hitherto  disappointed  your 
 expectations.  If  you  have  preserved  my  first  papers,  I 
 believe  you  will  find  that  I  apprised  j  ou  this  might  pro- 
 bably be  the  event,  and  certainly  must,  unless  it  should 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR  S 
 
 167 
 
 please  God  to  make  what  I  should  write  a  means  of  giv- 
 ing you  the  same  views  with  myself.  I  only  proposed,  as 
 a  witness,  to  bear  a  simple  testimony  to  wiiat  I  had  seen 
 and  known.  So  far  as  you  believed  me  sincere  and  unwil- 
 ling to  impose  upon  you,  I  thought  you  miglit  admit  there 
 was  perhaps  some  weight  in  what  I  advanced,  though  for 
 the  present  you  could  not  see  things  in  the  same  light. 
 And  if  you  allowed  a  possibility,  that  my  changing  the 
 sentiments  which  I  once  held  in  common  with  yourself, 
 might  be  upon  sufficient  grounds,  you  would,  as  I  trust 
 you  do,  wait  upon  the  Great  Teacher  for  his  instruction; 
 otherwise  I  did  not  expect  to  convince  you,  nor  do  I  yet, 
 only  I  am  glad  to  put  myself  in  his  hands  as  an  instru- 
 ment. 
 
 You  quite  misunderstood  what  I  spoke  of  the  light 
 and  influence  of  the  Spirit  of  God.  He  reveals  to  me 
 no  new  truths,  but  has  only  shown  me  the  meaning  of 
 his  own  written  word;  nor  is  this  light  a  particular  re- 
 velation, it  is  common  to  all  who  are  born  again.  And 
 thus  though  you  and  I  cannot  fully  agree  about  it,  yet  I 
 almost  daily  meet  with  persons  from  the  east,  west, 
 north,  and  south,  whom,  though  I  never  saw  them  before, 
 I  find  we  understand  each  other  at  once.  This  (as  you 
 bid  me  be  explicit)  is  the  one  thing  which  I  think  you 
 at  present  lack.  And  I  limited  my  expression  to  one 
 thinr/,  because  it  is  our  Lord's  expression,  and  because 
 that  07ie  thing  includes  many.  As  I  said  before,  I  can- 
 not give  it  you ;  but  the  Lord  can ;  and  from  the  desire 
 he  has  raised  in  your  heart,  I  have  a  warm  hope  that  he 
 will.  You  place  the  whole  stress  of  your  inquiries  upon 
 reason;  1  am  far  from  discarding  reason,  when  it  is  en- 
 lightened and  sanctified;  but  spiritual  things  must  be 
 spiritually  discerned,  and  can  be  received  and  discerned 
 no  other  way ;  for  to  our  natural  reason  they  are  foolish- 
 ness, 1  Cor.  ii.  14,  15;  Matt.  xi.  25.  This  certain  some- 
 thing I  can  no  more  describe  to  those  who  have  not  ex- 
 perienced it,  than  I  could  describe  the  taste  of  a  pine 
 apple  to  a  person  who  had  never  seen  one.  But  scrip- 
 tural proofs  might  be  adduced  in  abundance,  yet  not  so 
 as  to  give  a  solid  conviction  of  it,  till  we  actually  expe- 
 
168 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 rience  it.    Thus  it  was  with  my  friend — whose  case  I 
 sent  you.    When  God  gave  him  the  key  (as  he  express- 
 ed it),  then  the  scriptures  were  unlocked.    His  wishing 
 himself  a  Deist  some  time  before,  was  not  from  any  li- 
 bertine exceptions  he  made  to  the  precepts  of  the  gospel, 
 but  from  the  perplexing  embarrassments  he  had  found, 
 by  endeavouring  to  understand  the  doctrines  by  dint  of 
 reason,  though  reason  in  him  was  as  strong  and  pene- 
 trating as  in  most  men  I  ever  met  with.    Upon  your 
 present  plan,  how  can  I  hope  to  satisfy  you,  though  even 
 St  Paul  asserts  it,  that  the  carnal  mind  is  enmity  against 
 God!    You  will  readily  agree  with  me  to  the  proposi- 
 tion as  it  stands  in  St  Paul's  words,  but  I  think  will  not 
 so  readily  assent  to  what  I  have  no  more  doubt  than  of 
 my  own  existence,  is  the  sense  of  it: — that  the  heart  of 
 man,  of  any  man,  every  man,  however  apparently  ami- 
 able in  his  outward  conduct,  however  benevolent  to  his 
 fellow-creatures,  however  abundant  and  zealous  in  his 
 devotions,  is  by  nature  enmity  against  God:  not  indeed 
 against  the  idea  he  himself  forms  of  God,  but  against  the 
 character  which  God  has  revealed  of  himself  in  the  scrip- 
 ture.   Man  is  an  enemy  to  the  justice,  sovereignty,  and 
 law  of  God,  and  to  the  alone  method  of  salvation  he 
 has  appointed  in  the  gospel  by  faith  only;  by  such  a 
 faith,  as  it  is  no  more  in  his  power  to  contribute  to  the 
 production  of  in  himself,  than  he  can  contribute  to  rais- 
 ing the  dead,  or  making  a  world.    Whatever  is  of  the 
 flesh  is  flesh,  and  can  rise  no  higher  than  its  principle; 
 but  the  Lord  could  convince  you  of  this  by  a  glance  of 
 thought. 
 
 But  I  must  break  off,  for  want  both  of  room  and  time. 
 Let  me  remind  you  of  our  agreement,  to  use  and  to 
 allow  the  greatest  freedom,  and  not  to  be  offended  with 
 what  is  meant  well  on  either  side.  Something  in  your 
 last  letter  made  me  apprehensive  you  were  a  little  dis- 
 pleased with  me.  He  that  knows  my  heai't,  knows  that 
 I  wish  you  well  as  my  own  soul. 
 
 The  expression,  of  atoning  for  disobedience  by  repent- 
 ance, was  in  one  of  your  sermons.  I  considered  it  as 
 unguarded;  but  on  my  view  of  things,  it  were  in  a  man- 
 
I^TTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR  S  
 
 169 
 
 ner  impossible  I  could  use  that  expression,  though  per- 
 haps too  often  unguarded  myself. 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  VII. 
 
 My  Dear  Friend,  November  11,  1115. 
 
 At  length  I  take  up  your  favour  of  August  14,  with 
 design  to  give  a  more  explicit  answer.  My  delaying 
 hitherto  has  been  unavoidable.  I  am  sorry  to  have  your 
 patience  put  to  so  long  a  trial,  and  should  be  more  sorry, 
 but  that  I  consider  that  in  my  former  papers,  sermons, 
 Omicron's  letters,  &c.  you  already  possess  the  whole  (in 
 substance)  of  what  I  have  to  olfer.  My  present  part 
 is  but  actum  agere,  to  repeat  what  I  have  elsewhere  ex- 
 pressed, only  with  some  variety  and  enlargement.  You 
 yourself  well  state  the  situation  of  our  debate,  when  you 
 sajs  "  Nor  in  truth  do  you  offer  any  arguments  to  con- 
 vince me,  nor  does  it  seem  very  consistent  on  your  grounds 
 so  to  do.  And  if  this  important  change  is  to  be  brought 
 about  by  the  intervention  of  some  extraordinary  impulse 
 of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  cannot  be  brought  about  without 
 it,  I  do  not  see  any  thing  farther  that  I  have  to  do,  than 
 to  keep  my  mind  as  much  unbiassed  as  I  can,  and  to 
 wait  and  pray  for  it."  I  think  my  letter  fi'om  London 
 was  to  the  purport  of  these  your  own  words,  though  you 
 seemed  dissatisfied  with  it.  While  we  see  through  a  dif- 
 ferent medium,  it  will  be  easy  for  you  to  answer  every 
 text  I  might  adduce  in  support  of  my  sentiments,  as  you 
 have  those  I  have  already  brought,  "  That  you  under- 
 stand them  otherwise."  In  order  to  support  my  sense  of 
 one  text,  I  should  perhaps  quote  and  argue  from  twenty 
 more,  and  still  "  you  would  understand  them  otherwise." 
 The  life  of  man,  yea  of  Methuselah,  would  hardly  suffice  to 
 prove,  object,  and  defend  all  that  might  be  alleged  on  both 
 sides  in  this  way;  and  at  last  we  should  leave  off  as  we 
 
170 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 began,  more  fully  confirmed  in  our  own  opinions,  unless 
 the  Lord,  by  his  Holy  Spirit,  should  be  pleased  to  show 
 the  person  who  maintained  the  wrong  side  of  the  argu- 
 ment where  his  mistake  lay.  However,  I  mean  to  take 
 some  notice  of  your  queries  as  they  offer  themselves. 
 
 The  first  which  occurs  is  complicated.  The  substance 
 I  think  is,  whether  such  belief  and  aims  as  you  possess, 
 will  stand  you  in  no  stead  unless  you  likewise  believe 
 grace  irresistible,  predestination  absolute,  faith  in  super- 
 natural impulses?  &c.  You  may  have  observed,  I  have 
 several  times  waved  speaking  about  predestination  or 
 election,  not  that  I  am  ashamed  of  the  doctrine;  because 
 if  it  be  indeed  absurd,  shocking,  and  unjust,  the  blame 
 will  not  deservedly  fall  upon  me,  for  I  did  not  invent  it; 
 but  upon  the  scriptures,  where  I  am  sure  it  is  laid  down 
 in  as  plain  terms,  as  that  God  created  the  heavens  and 
 the  earth.  I  own  I  cannot  but  wonder,  that  persons  pro- 
 fessing any  reverence  for  the  Bible  should  so  openly  and 
 strongly  declare  their  abhorrence  of  what  the  Bible  so 
 expressly  teaches ;  namely,  that  there  is  a  discrimination 
 of  persons  by  the  grace  and  good  pleasure  of  God,  where 
 by  nature  there  is  no  difference;  and  that  all  things  re- 
 specting the  salvation  of  these  persons  is  infallibly  se- 
 cured by  a  divine  predestination. 
 
 I  do  not  offer  this  as  a  rational  doctrine  (though  it  be 
 highly  so  to  me),  but  it  is  scriptural,  or  else  the  scrip- 
 ture is  a  mere  nose  of  wax,  and  without  a  determinate 
 meaning.  What  ingenuity  is  needful  to  interpret  many 
 passages  in  a  sense  more  favourable  to  our  natural  pre- 
 judice against  God's  sovereignty!  Matt.  xi.  25,  26,  and 
 xiii.  10-17;  Mark  xiii.  20-22 ;  John  xv'u. passim ;  John 
 X.  26;  Rom.  viii.  28-30,  and  ix.  13-24,  and  xi.  7;  Eph. 
 i.  4,  5 ;  1  Pet.  i.  2.  Were  I  fond  of  disputing,  as  I  am 
 not,  I  think  I  could  put  a  close  reasoner  hard  to  it,  to 
 maintain  the  truth  of  scripture  prophecies,  or  the  belief 
 of  a  particular  providence,  unless  he  would  admit  a  di- 
 vine predestination  of  causes  and  events  as  the  ground 
 of  his  arguments.  However,  as  I  said,  I  have  chosen  to 
 wave  the  point;  because,  however  true  and  necessary  in 
 itself,  the  knowledge  and  comprehension  of  it  is  not  ne- 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR  S 
 
 171 
 
 cessary  to  the  being  of  a  true  Christian,  though  I  can 
 hardly  conceive  he  can  be  an  established  consistent  be- 
 liever without  it.  This  doctrine  is  not  the  turning  point 
 between  you  and  me;  the  nature  of  justification,  and  the 
 method  of  a  sinner's  acceptance  with  God,  are  of  much 
 more  immediate  importance;  and,  therefore,  if  I  am  to 
 speak  plainly,  I  must  say,  that  I  look  upon  your  present 
 sentiments,  attainments,  and  advances,  as  you  describe 
 them,  to  constitute  that  kind  of  gain  the  apostle  speaks 
 of,  and  concerning  which  I  hope  you  will  one  day  be  of 
 his  mind,  and  be  glad  to  account  it  all  loss,  that  you  n;ay 
 win  Christ,  and  be  found  in  him,  "  not  having  your  own 
 righteousness  which  is  of  the  law,  but  the  righteousness 
 which  is  of  God  by  faith,"  Phil.  iii.  4,  7-10.  For,  as  you 
 tell  me,  you  never  remember  a  time  when  you  were  not 
 conscious,  before  God,  of  great  unworthiness,  and  inter- 
 vals of  earnest  endeavours  to  serve  him,  though  not  with 
 the  same  success,  yet  something  in  the  same  way  as  at 
 present :  this  is  but  saying  in  other  words,  you  never  re- 
 member a  time  when  old  things  passed  away,  and  all 
 things  became  new;  and  yet  the  apostle  insists  much 
 upon  this,  2  Cor.  iv.  6,  and  v.  17.  The  convictions  of 
 natural  conscience,  and  those  which  are  wrought  in  the 
 heart  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  are  different,  not  only  in  de- 
 gree, but  in  kind;  the  light  of  a  glowworm  and  of  the 
 sun  do  not  more  essentially  differ.  The  former  are  par- 
 tial and  superficial,  leave  us  in  possession  of  a  supposed 
 power  of  our  own,  are  pacified  by  some  appearances  of 
 an  outward  change,  and  make  us  no  further  sensible  of 
 the  necessity  of  a  Saviour,  than  to  make  our  doings  and 
 duties  (if  I  may  so  express  myself)  full  weight,  which  per- 
 haps might  otherwise  be  a  little  deficient  when  brought 
 to  the  balances  of  the  sanctuary.  But  tru/i/  spiritual 
 convictions  give  us  far  other  views  of  sin ;  they  lead  us 
 to  a  deep  and  awful  consideration  of  the  roof,  our  total 
 absolute  depravity,  and  our  utter  apostacy  from  God, 
 by  which  we  are  incapable  of  doing  good,  as  a  dead  man 
 is  of  performing  the  functions  of  life.  They  lead  us  to 
 the  rule  and  standard,  the  strict,  holy,  inflexible  law  of 
 God,  which  reaches  to  the  thoughts  and  intents  of  the 
 
172 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 heart;  requires  perfect,  universal,  persevering  obedience; 
 denounces  a  curse  upon  every  failure  (Gal.  iii.  10),  and 
 affords  neither  place  nor  strength  for  repentance.  Thus 
 they  sweep  awaj'  everj'  hope  and  refuge  we  had  before, 
 and  fix  upon  us  a  sense  of  guilt  and  condemnation,  from 
 which  there  is  no  relief,  till  we  can  look  to  Jesus,  as  the 
 wounded  Israelites  did  to  the  brazen  serpent ;  which  was 
 not  to  give  efficacy  to  medicines  and  plasters  of  their 
 own  application,  but  to  heal  them  completely  of  itself 
 by  looking  at  it,  John  iii.  14,  15,  andvi.  40;  Isaiah  xliii. 
 22. 
 
 You  wish  me  to  explain  my  distinction  between  faith 
 and  rational  assent ;  and  though  I  know  no  two  things 
 in  the  world  more  clearly  distinct  in  themselves,  or  more 
 expressly  distinguished  in  scripture,  yet  I  fear  I  may  not 
 easily  make  it  appear  to  j'ou.  You  allow  faith,  in  your 
 sense,  to  be  the  gift  of  God;  but  in  my  sense,  it  is  like- 
 wise wrought  by  the  operation  of  God,  Col.  ii.  12.  To 
 i/TTi^tuXXov  //.iyido;  m;  ivjufiiu;  uvtov — Kara  rnu  ei/soysixu 
 Tou  K^eiTov;  Tn;  tax'vot;  uvrov;'  that  same  energy  of  the 
 power  of  his  strength,  by  which  the  dead  body  of  Jesus 
 was  raised  from  the  dead :  can  these  strong  expressions 
 intend  no  more  than  a  rational  assent,  such  as  we  give 
 to  a  proposition  in  Euclid?  I  believe  fallen  reason  is, 
 of  itself,  utterly  incapable  even  of  assenting  to  the  great 
 truths  of  revelation ;  it  may  assent  to  the  terms  in  which 
 they  are  proposed,  but  it  must  put  its  own  interpretation 
 upon  them,  or  it  would  despise  them.  The  natural  man 
 can  neither  receive  nor  discern  the  things  of  God:  and' 
 if  any  one  would  be  wise,  the  apostle's  first  advice  to  him; 
 is.  Let  him  become  a  fool,  that  he  may  be  wise ;  for  the 
 wisdom  of  the  world  is  foolishness  with  God. 
 
 Indeed,  when  the  heart  is  changed,  and  the  mind  en-, 
 lightened,  then  reason  is  sanctified,  and,  if  I  may  so  say, 
 baptized,  renounces  its  curious  disquisitions,  and  is  con- 
 tent humbly  to  tread  in  the  path  of  revelation.  This  is 
 one  difference;  assent  may  be  the  act  of  our  natural  rea- 
 son; faith  is  the  effect  of  immediate  almighty  pow^r. 
 Another  difference  is,  faith  is  always  efficacious,  "  it 
 
 «  Ephes.  i.  19. 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR  S  
 
 173 
 
 worketh  by  love;"  whereas  assent  is  often  given  where 
 it  has  little  or  no  influence  upon  the  conduct.  Thus, 
 for  instance,  every  one  will  assent  to  this  truth,  all  men 
 are  mortal.    Yet  the  greatest  part  of  mankind,  though 
 they  readily  assent  to  the  proposition — and  it  would  be 
 highly  irrational  to  do  otherwise — yet  live  as  they  might 
 do  if  the  reverse  were  true.    But  they  who  have  divine 
 ,  I   faith,  feel,  as  well  as  say,  they  are  pilgrims  and  sojourners 
 I     upon  the  earth.   Again,  faith  gives  peace  of  conscience, 
 I     access  to  God,  and  a  sure  evidence  and  subsistence  ot 
 things  not  seen,  Rom.  v.  1,  2;  Heb.  xi.  1;  whereas  a 
 calm,  dispassionate  reasoner  may  be  compelled  to  assent 
 to  the  external  arguments  in  favour  of  Christianity,  and 
 yet  remain  a  total  stranger  to  that  communion  with  God, 
 '    that  spirit  of  adoption,  that  foretaste  of  glory,  which  is 
 the  privilege  and  portion  of  believers.    So,  likewise,  faith 
 overcomes  the  world,  v.'hich  rational  assent  will  not  do. 
 Witness  the  lives  and  tempers  of  thousands  who  yet 
 would  be  affronted  if  their  assent  to  the  gospel  should 
 be  questioned.    To  sum  up  all  in  a  word,  "  He  that  be- 
 lieves shall  be  saved."    But  surely  many  who  give  a  ra- 
 tional assent  to  the  gospel  live  and  die  in  those  sins  which 
 exclude  from  the  kingdom  of  God,  Gal.  v.  19-21.  Faith 
 is  the  effect  of  a  principle  of  new  life  implanted  in  the 
 soul,  that  was  before  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins:  and  it 
 qualifies  not  only  for  obeying  the  Saviour's  precepts,  but 
 chiefly  and  primarily  for  receiving  from  anjl  rejoicing  in 
 his  fulness,  admiring  his  love,  his  work,  his  person,  his 
 glory,  his  advocacy.   It  makes  Christ  precious,  enthrones 
 him  in  the  heart,  presents  him  as  the  most  delightful  ob- 
 ject to  our  meditations;  as  our  wisdom,  righteousness, 
 sanctification,  and  strength ;  our  root,  head,  life,  shepherd, 
 and  husband.    These  are  all  scriptural  expressions  and 
 images,  setting  forth,  so  far  as  words  can  declare,  what 
 Jesus  is  in  himself  and  to  his  believing  people.    But  how 
 cold  is  the  comment  which  rational  assent  puts  upon  very 
 many  passages,  wherein  the  apostle  Paul  endeavours  (but 
 in  vain)  to  express  the  fulness  of  his  heart  upon  this  sub- 
 ject.   A  most  valued  friend  of  mine,  a  clergyman  now 
 living,  had  for  many  years  given  a  rational  assent  to  the 
 
174 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 gospel.  He  laboured  with  much  earnestness  upon  your 
 plan,  was  very  exemplary  in  his  whole  conduct,  preached 
 almost  incessantly  (two  or  three  times  every  day  in  the 
 week  for  years),  having  a  parish  in  the  remote  parts  of 
 Yorkshire,  of  great  extent,  and  containing  five  or  six 
 different  hamlets  at  some  distance  from  each  other.  He 
 succeeded  likewise  with  his  people,  so  far  as  to  break 
 them  off  from  outward  irregularities;  and  was  mentioned 
 in  a  letter  to  the  society  for  propagating  the  gospel  (which 
 1  have  seen  in  print)  as  the  most  perfect  example  of  a 
 parish  priest  which  this  nation,  or  perhaps  this  age,  has 
 produced.  Thus  he  went  on  for  many  years,  teaching 
 his  people  what  he  knew,  for  he  could  teach  them  no 
 more.  He  lived  in  such  retirement  and  recess,  that  he 
 was  unacquainted  with  the  persons  and  principles  of  any 
 who  are  now  branded  as  enthusiasts  and  methodists. 
 One  day  reading  Ephes.  iii.  in  his  Greek  Testament,  his 
 thoughts  were  stopped  by  the  word  xuAxfiocarov  in  verse 
 8.  He  was  struck,  and  led  to  think  with  himself  to  this 
 purpose:  "  The  apostle,  when  speaking  of  the  love  and 
 riches  of  Christ,  uses  remarkable  expressions;  he  speaks 
 of  heights,  depths,  and  lengths,  and  breadths,  and  un- 
 searchables,  where  I  seem  to  find  every  thing  plain,  easy, 
 and  rational.  He  finds  mysteries  where  I  can  perceive 
 none.  Surely,  though  I  use  the  words,  gospel,  faith, 
 and  grace  with  him,  my  ideas  of  them  must  be  different 
 from  his."  This  led  him  to  a  close  examination  of  all 
 his  epistles,  and,  by  the  blessing  of  God,  brought  on  a 
 total  change  in  his  views  and  preaching.  He  no  longer 
 set  his  people  to  keep  a  law  of  faith,  to  trust  in  their 
 sincerity  and  endeavours,  upon  some  general  hope  that 
 Christ  would  help  them  out  where  they  came  short;  but 
 he  preached  Christ  himself,  as  the  end  of  the  law  for 
 righteousness  to  every  one  that  believeth.  He  felt  him- 
 self, and  laboured  to  convince  others,  that  there  is  no 
 hope  for  a  sinner,  but  merely  in  the  blood  of  Jesus,  and 
 no  possibility  of  his  doing  any  works  acceptable  to  God, 
 till  he  himself  be  first  made  accepted  in  the  Beloved. 
 Nor  did  he  labour  in  vain.  Now  his  preaching  effected 
 not  only  an  outward  reformation,  but  a  real  change  of 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR  S 
 
 175 
 
 lieart  in  very  many  of  his  hearers.  Tlie  word  was  re- 
 ceived, as  Paid  expresses  it,  not  witli  a  rational  assent 
 only,  but  witli  demonstration  and  power  in  the  Holy 
 Gliost,  and  in  much  assurance;  and  their  endeavours  to 
 observe  the  gospel  precepts  were  abundantly  more  ex- 
 tensive, uniform,  and  successful,  when  they  were  ))raught 
 to  say,  witii  tiie  apostle,  "  I  am  crucified  with  Christ : 
 nevertheless  I  live,  yet  not  I,  but  Christ  liveth  in  me; 
 and  tiie  life  I  live  in  the  flesh,  I  live  by  faith  in  the  Sou 
 of  God." 
 
 Such  a  change  of  views  and  sentiments  I  pray  God  my 
 friend  may  experience.  Tiiese  things  may  appear  un- 
 couth to  you  at  present,  as  they  have  done  to  many,  who 
 now  bless  God  for  showing  them  what  their  reason  could 
 never  have  taught  them.  My  divinity  is  unfashionable 
 enough  at  present,  but  it  was  not  so  always;  you  will 
 find  few  books  written  from  tlie  ^Era  of  the  Reformation 
 till  a  little  before  Laud's  time,  that  set  forth  any  other. 
 There  were  few  pulpits  till  after  the  Restoration  from 
 which  any  other  was  heard.  A  lamentable  change  has 
 indeed  since  taken  place;  but  God  has  not  left  himself 
 without  witnesses.  You  think,  thougli  I  disclaim  infal- 
 libility, I  arrogate  too  much  in  speaking  with  so  much 
 certainty.  I  am  fallible  indeed;  but  I  am  sure  of  the 
 main  points  of  doctrine  I  hold.  I  am  not  in  the  least 
 doubt,  whether  salvation  be  of  faith  or  of  works;  whether 
 feith  be  of  our  own  power  or  of  God's  operation ;  whether 
 Christ's  obedience,  or  our  own,  be  the  just  ground  of  our 
 hope ;  whether  a  man  can  tridy  call  Jesus  Lord,  but  by 
 the  teaching  of  tiie  Holy  Giiost.  I  have  no  more  hesi- 
 tation about  these  points  tlian  I  should  have,  were  I 
 asked.  Whether  it  was  God  or  man  wiio  created  the 
 heavens  and  the  earth?  Besides,  as  I  have  more  tlian 
 once  observed,  your  sentiments  were  once  my  own ;  so 
 that  I,  who  have  travelled  both  roads,  may  have  perhaps 
 some  stronger  reasons  to  determine  me  which  is  the  right, 
 than  you  can  have  who  have  only  travelled  one. 
 
 Your  two  sheets  may  lead  me  to  write  as  many  quires, 
 if  I  do  not  check  myself.  I  now  come  to  the  two  que- 
 ries you  propose,  the  solution  of  which  you  think  will 
 
176 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 clearly  mark  the  difference  of  our  sentiments.  The  sub- 
 stance of  them  is,  1*^,  Whether  I  think  any  sinner  ever 
 perished  in  his  sins  (to  whom  the  gospel  has  been  preach- 
 ed), because  God  refused  to  supply  him  with  such  a  pro- 
 portion of  his  assistance  as  was  absolutely  necessary  to 
 his  believing  and  repenting,  or  without  his  having  pre- 
 viously rejected  the  incitements  of  his  Holy  Spirit?  A 
 full  answer  to  this  would  require  a  sheet.  But  briefly,  I 
 believe,  that  all  mankind  being  corrupt  and  guilty  before 
 God,  he  might,  without  impeachment  to  his  justice,  have 
 left  them  all  to  perish,  as  we  are  assured  he  did  the  fallen 
 angels.  But  he  has  pleased  to  show  mercy,  and  mercy 
 must  be  free.  If  the  sinner  has  any  claim  to  it,  so  far  it 
 is  justice,  not  mercy.  He  who  is  to  be  our  Judge,  as- 
 sures us,  that  few  find  the  gate  that  leadeth  to  life,  while 
 many  throng  the  road  to  destruction.  Your  question 
 seems  to  imply,  that  you  think  God  either  did  make  sal- 
 vation equally  open  to  all,  or  that  it  would  have  been 
 more  becoming  his  goodness  to  have  done  so. 
 
 But  he  is  the  potter,  we  are  the  clay;  his  ways  and 
 thoughts  are  above  ours,  as  the  heavens  are  higher  than 
 the  earth.  The  Judge  of  all  the  earth  will  do  right. 
 He  has  appointed  a  day,  when  he  will  manifest,  to  the 
 conviction  of  all,  that  He  has  done  right.  Till  then,  I 
 hold  it  best  to  take  things  upon  his  word,  and  not  too 
 harshly  determine  what  it  becomes  Jehovah  to  do.  In- 
 stead of  saying  what  /  think,  let  it  suffice  to  remind  you 
 of  what  St  Paul  thought,  Rom.  ix.  15-21.  But  farther, 
 I  say,  that  unless  mercy  were  afforded  to  those  who  are 
 saved,  in  a  way  peculiar  to  themselves,  and  what  is  not 
 afforded  to  those  who  perish,  I  believe  no  one  soul  could 
 be  saved.  For  I  believe  fallen  man,  universally  considered 
 as  such,  is  as  incapable  of  doing  the  least  thing  towards 
 his  salvation,  till  prevented  by  the  grace  of  God  (as  our 
 article  speaks),  as  a  dead  body  is  of  restoring  itself  to 
 life.  Whatever  difference  takes  place  between  men  in 
 this  respect  is  of  Grace,  that  is  of  God,  undeserved. 
 Yea,  his  first  approaches  to  our  hearts  are  undcsired 
 too;  for,  till  he  seeks  us,  we  cannot,  we  will  not  seek 
 him,  Psalm  ex.  3.   It  is  in  the  day  of  his  power,  and  not 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR  S   177 
 
 before,  his  people  are  made  willing.  But  I  believe  where 
 the  gospel  is  preached,  they  who  do  perish,  do  wilfully 
 resist  the  light,  and  choose  and  cleave  to  darkness,  and 
 stifle  the  convictions  which  the  truths  of  God,  when  his 
 true  gospel  is  indeed  preached,  will,  in  one  degree  or 
 other,  force  upon  their  minds.  The  cares  of  tiiis  world, 
 the  deceitfulness  of  riches,  the  love  of  other  things,  the 
 violence  of  sinful  appetites,  their  prejudices,  pride,  and 
 self-righteousness,  either  prevent  the  reception,  or  choke 
 the  growth  of  the  good  seed:  thus  their  own  sin  and  ob- 
 stinacy is  the  proper  cause  of  their  destruction;  they 
 will  not  come  to  Christ  that  they  may  have  life.  At  the 
 same  time,  it  is  true  that  they  cannot,  unless  they  are 
 supernaturally  drawn  of  God,  John  V.  40;  vi.  44.  They 
 will  not,  and  they  cannot  come.  Both  are  equally  true, 
 and  they  are  consistent.  For  a  man's  cann-.t  is  not  a  natu- 
 ral but  a  moral  inability:  not  an  impossibility  in  the  na- 
 ture of  things,  as  it  is  for  me  to  walk  upon  the  water,  or  to 
 fly  in  the  air;  but  such  an  inability,  as,  instead  of  extenu- 
 ating, does  exceedingly  enhance  and  aggravate  his  guilt. 
 He  is  so  blinded  by  Satan,  so  alienated  from  God  by  na- 
 ture and  wicked  works,  so  given  up  to  sin,  so  averse  from 
 that  way  of  salvation,  whicli  is  contrary  to  his  pride  and 
 natural  wisdom,  that  he  will  not  embrace  it  or  seek  after 
 it;  and  therefore  he  cannot,  till  the  grace  of  God  power- 
 ,  fully  enlightens  his  mind,  and  overcomes  his  obstacles. 
 But  this  brings  me  to  j'our  second  qtiery. 
 
 II.  Do  I  think  that  God,  in  tlie  ordinary  course  of  his 
 providence,  grants  this  assistance  in  an  irresistible  man- 
 ner, or  affects  faith  and  conversion  without  the  sinner's 
 own  hearty  consent  and  concurrence?  I  rather  chose  to 
 term  grace  invincible  than  irresistible.  For  it  is  too  often 
 resisted  even  by  those  who  believe;  but,  because  it  is  in- 
 vincible, it  triumphs  over  all  resistance  when  he  is  pleased 
 to  bestow  it.  For  the  rest,  I  believe  no  sinner  is  con- 
 verted without  his  own  hearty  will  and  concurrence. 
 But  he  is  not  willing  till  he  is  made  so.  Why  does  he 
 at  all  refuse?  Because  he  is  insensible  of  his  state;  be- 
 cause he  knows  not  the  evil  of  sin,  the  strictness  of  the 
 law,  the  majesty  of  God  whom  he  has  offended,  nor  the 
 
178 
 
 CABDIPHONIA. 
 
 total  apostacy  of  his  heart;  because  he  is  blind  to  eter- 
 nity, and  ignorant  of  the  excellency  of  Christ;  because 
 he  is  comparatively  whole,  and  sees  not  his  need  of  this 
 great  Physician;  because  he  relies  upon  his  own  wisdom, 
 power,  and  supposed  righteousuess.  Now  in  tliis  state 
 of  things,  when  God  comes  with  a  purpose  of  mercy,  he 
 begins  by  convincing  the  person  of  sin.  Judgment,  and 
 righteousness,  causes  him  to  feel  and  iinow  that  he  is  a 
 lost,  condemned,  helpless  creature,  and  then  discovers  to 
 him  the  necessity,  sufficiency,  and  willingness  of  Christ 
 to  save  them  that  are  ready  to  perish,  without  money  or 
 price,  without  doings  or  deservings.  Then  he  sees  faith 
 to  be  very  different  from  a  rational  assent,  finds  that  no- 
 thing but  the  power  of  God  can  produce  a  well-grounded 
 hope  in  tlie  heart  of  a  convinced  sinner;  therefore  looks 
 to  Jesus,  who  is  tiie  author  and  finisher  of  faith,  to  enable 
 him  to  believe.  For  this  he  waits  on  what  we  call  the 
 means  of  grace;  he  prajs,  he  reads  the  word,  he  thirsts 
 for  God,  as  the  hai't  pants  for  the  water  brooks;  and 
 thougii  perhaps  for  a  while  he  is  distressed  with  many 
 doubts  and  fears,  he  is  encouraged  to  wait  on,  because 
 Jesus  has  said,  "  Him  that  cometh  unto  me,  I  will  in  no 
 wise  cast  out."  The  obstinacy  of  the  will  remains  while 
 the  understanding  is  dark,  and  ceases  when  that  is  en- 
 lightened. Suppose  a  man  walking  in  the  dark,  where 
 there  are  pits  and  precipices  of  which  he  is  not  aware: 
 You  are  sensible  of  his  danger,  and  call  after  him ;  but 
 he  thinks  he  knows  better  than  you,  refuses  your  advice, 
 and  is  perhaps  angry  ^vith  you  for  your  importunity.  He 
 sees  no  danger,  therefore  M  ill  not  be  persuaded  there  is 
 any;  but  if  you  go  with  a  light,  get  before  him,  and 
 show  him  plainly,  that  if  he  takes  another  step  he  falls 
 beyond  the  power  of  recovery ; — then  he  will  stop  of  his 
 own  accord,  blame  himself  for  not  minding  you  before, 
 and  be  ready  to  complj'  with  your  farther  directions.  In 
 either  case  man's  will  acts  with  equal  freedom;  the  dif- 
 ference of  his  conduct  arises  from  conviction.  Some- 
 thing like  this  is  the  case  of  our  spiritual  concerns.  Sin- 
 ners are  called  and  warned  by  the  word ;  but  they  arc  wise 
 in  their  own  eyes,  and  take  but  little  notice  till  the  Lord 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR  S 
 
 179 
 
 gives  them  light,  which  he  is  not  bound  to  give  to  any, 
 and  therefore  cannot  be  bound  to  give  to  all.  They  who 
 have  it  have  reason  to  be  thankful,  and  subscribe  to  the 
 apostle's  words,  "  By  grace  are  ye  saved,  through  faith ; 
 and  that  not  of  yourselves,  it  is  the  gill  of  God." 
 
 I  have  not  yet  half  done  with  the  first  sheet:  shall 
 consider  the  rest  at  leisure,  but  send  this  as  a  specimen 
 of  my  willingness  to  clear  my  sentiments  to  you  as  far  as 
 I  can.  Unless  it  should  please  God  to  make  what  I  offer 
 satisfactory,  I  well  know  beforehand  wliat  objections  and 
 answers  will  occur  to  you;  for  these  points  have  been 
 oflen  debated;  and,  after  a  course  of  twenty-seven  years, 
 in  which  religion  has  been  the  chief  object  of  ray  thoughts 
 and  inquiries,  I  am  not  entirely  a  stranger  to  what  can 
 be  offered  on  either  side.  What  I  write,  I  wTite  simply 
 and  in  love;  beseeching  Him,  who  alone  can  set  a  seal 
 to  his  own  truth,  to  guide  you  and  bless  you.  This 
 letter  has  been  more  than  a  week  in  hand;  I  Iiave  been 
 called  from  it  I  suppose  ten  times,  frequently  in  the  middle 
 of  a  period  or  a  line.  My  leisure,  whichJbefore  was  small, 
 is  now  reduced  almost  to  a  nothing.  But  I  am  desirous 
 to  keep  up  my  correspondence  with  you,  because  I  feel 
 an  affectionate  interest  in  you,  and  because  it  pleased 
 God  to  put  it  into  your  heart  to  apply  to  me.  You  can- 
 not think  how  your  first  letter  struck  me ;  it  was  so  un- 
 expected, and  seemed  so  improbable  that  you  should  open 
 your  mind  to  me,  I  immediately  conceived  a  hope  that 
 it  would  prove  for  good.    Nor  am  I  yet  discouraged. 
 
 When  you  have  leisure  and  inclination,  wTite ;  I  shall 
 be  always  glad  to  hear  from  you,  and  I  will  proceed  in 
 answering  what  I  have  already  by  me,  as  fast  as  I  can. 
 But  I  have  many  letters  now  waiting  for  answers,  which 
 must  be  attended  to. 
 
 I  recommend  you  to  the  blessing  and  care  of  the  Great 
 Shepherd;  and  remain,  &c. 
 
180 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 LETTER  VIII. 
 
 My  Dear  Friend,  December  8,  1775. 
 
 Are  you  willing  I  should  still  call  you  so,  or  are  you 
 quite  weary  of  me?  Your  silence  makes  me  suspect  the 
 latter.  However,  it  is  my  part  to  fulfil  my  promise,  and 
 then  leave  the  event  to  God.  As  I  have  but  an  imper- 
 fect remembrance  of  what  I  have  already  written,  I  may 
 be  liable  to  some  repetitions.  I  cannot  stay  to  comment 
 upon  every  line  in  your  letter,  but  I  proceed  to  notice 
 such  passages  as  seem  most  to  affect  the  subject  in  de- 
 bate. When  you  speak  of  the  scripture's  maintaining 
 one  consistent  sense,  which,  if  the  word  of  God,  it  cer- 
 tainly must  do,  you  say  you  read  and  understand  it  in 
 this  one  consistent  sense;  nay,  you  cannot  remember  the 
 time  when  you  did  not.  It  is  otherwise  with  me  and 
 with  multitudes;  we  remember  when  it  Avas  a  sealed 
 book,  and  we  are  sure  it  would  have  been  so  still,  had 
 not  the  Holy  Spirit  opened  our  understandings.  But 
 when  you  add,  though  I  pretend  not  to  understand  the 
 whole,  yet  what  I  do  understand  appears  perfectly  con- 
 sistent, I  know  not  how  far  this  exception  may  extend, 
 for  perhaps  the  reason  why  you  allow  you  do  not  under- 
 stand some  parts,  is  because  you  cannot  make  them  con- 
 sistent with  the  sense  you  put  upon  other  parts.  You 
 quote  my  words,  "  That  when  we  are  conscious  of  our 
 depravity,  reasoning  stands  us  in  no  stead."  Undoubt- 
 edly reason  always  will  stand  rational  creatures  in  some 
 stead;  but  my  meaning  is,  that  when  we  are  deeply  con- 
 vinced of  sin,  all  our  former  reasonings  upon  the  ways 
 of  God,  while  we  made  our  conceptions  the  standard  by 
 which  we  judge  what  is  befitting  him  to  do,  as  if  he  were 
 altogether  such  an  one  as  ourselves — all  those  cobweb 
 reasonings  are  swept  away,  and  we  submit  to  his  ctvToe 
 £<f)yi  without  reasoning,  though  not  without  reason.  For 
 we  have  the  strongest  reason  imaginable  to  acknow- 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR  S  .  181 
 
 ledge  ourselves  vile  and  lost,  without  righteousness  and 
 strength,  when  we  actually  feel  ourselves  to  be  so.  You 
 speak  of  the  gospel  terms  of  justification.  This  term  is 
 faith,  Mark  xvi.  16;  Acts  xiii.  39-  The  gospel  pro- 
 pounds— admits  no  other  term.  But  this  faith,  as  I  en- 
 deavoured to  show  in  my  former  letter,  is  very  different 
 from  rational  assent.  You  speak  likewise  of  the  law  of 
 faith,  by  which,  if  you  mean  what  some  call  the  reme- 
 dial law,  which  we  are  to  obey  as  well  as  we  can,  and 
 such  obedience,  together  with  our  faith,  will  entitle  us  to 
 acceptance  with  God,  I  am  persuaded  the  scripture  speaks 
 of  no  such  thing.  Grace  and  works  of  any  kind,  in  the 
 point  of  acceptance  with  God,  are  mentioned  by  the 
 apostle,  not  only  as  opposites  or  contraries,  but  as  abso- 
 lutely contradictory  to  each  other,  like  fire  and  water, 
 light  and  darkness;  so  that  the  affirmation  of  one  is  the 
 denial  of  the  other,  Rom.  iv.  5,  and  xi.  6.  God  justifies 
 freely — justifies  the  ungodly,  and  him  that  worketh  not. 
 Though  justifying  faith  be  indeed  an  active  principle, 
 it  worketh  by  lore,  yet  not  for  acceptance.  Those  whom 
 the  apostle  exhorts  "  to  work  out  their  own  salvation 
 with  fear  and  trembling,"  he  considers  as  justified  al- 
 ready; for  he  considers  them  as  believers,  in  whom  he 
 supposed  God  had  already  begun  a  good  work;  and  if 
 so,  was  confident  he  would  accomplish  it,  Phil.  i.  6.  To 
 them,  the  consideration  that  God  (who  dwells  in  the 
 hearts  of  believers)  Avrought  in  them  to  will  and  to  do, 
 was  a  powerful  motive  and  encouragement  to  them  to 
 work,  that  is,  to  giv^e  all  diligence  in  his  appointed 
 means,  as  a  right  sense  of  the  sin  that  dwelleth  in  us, 
 and  the  snares  and  temptations  around  us,  will  teach  us 
 still  to  work  with  fear  and  trembling.  You  suppose  a 
 difference  between  Christians  (so  called)  who  are  devoted 
 to  God  in  baptism,  and  those  who,  in  the  first  ages,  were 
 converted  from  abominable  superstitions  and  idolatrous 
 vices.  It  is  true,  in  Christian  countries  we  do  not  wor- 
 ship heathen  divinities  co  nomine.  And  this  is  the  prin- 
 cipal difference  I  can  find.  Neither  reason  nor  observa- 
 tion will  allow  me  to  think  that  human  nature  is  a  whit 
 better  now  than  it  Avas  in  the  apostle's  time.    I  know  no 
 
 F  2 
 
182 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 kinds  or  degrees  of  wickedness  which  prevailed  among 
 heathens,  which  are  not  prevalent  among  nominal  Chris- 
 tians, who  have  perhaps  been  baptized  in  their  infancy; 
 and,  therefore,  as  the  streams  in  the  life  are  equally 
 worldly,  sensual,  devilish,  I  doubt  not  but  the  fountain 
 in  the  heart  is  equally  polluted  and  poisonous;  and  that 
 it  is  as  true  as  in  the  days  of  Christ  and  his  apostles,  that 
 unless  a  man  be  born  again,  he  cannot  see  the  kingdom 
 of  God.  You  sent  me  a  sermon  upon  the  new  birth,  or 
 regeneration,  and  you  have  several  of  mine  on  the  same 
 subject.  I  wish  you  to  compare  them  with  each  other, 
 and  with  the  scripture;  and  I  pray  God  to  show  you 
 wherein  the  difference  consists,  and  on  which  side  the 
 truth  lies. 
 
 When  you  desire  me  to  reconcile  God's  being  the 
 author  of  sin  with  his  justice,  you  show  that  you  misun- 
 derstand the  whole  strain  of  my  sentiments:  for  I  am 
 persuaded  you  would  not  misrepresent  them.  It  is  easy 
 to  charge  harsh  consequences,  which  I  neither  allow,  nor 
 indeed  do  they  follow  from  my  sentiments.  God  can- 
 not be  the  author  of  sin  in  that  sense  you  would  fix  up- 
 on me ;  but  is  it  possible  that,  upon  your  plan,  you  find 
 no  difficulty  in  what  the  scripture  teaches  us  upon  this 
 subject?  I  conceive  that  those  who  were  concerned  in 
 the  death  of  Christ  were  very  great  sinners;  and  that, 
 in  nailing  him  to  the  cross,  they  committed  atrocious 
 wickedness.  Yet,  if  the  apostle  may  be  believed,  all 
 this  was  according  to  the  determinate  counsel  and  fore- 
 knowledge of  God,  Acts  ii.  23;  and  they  did  no  more 
 than  what  his  hand  and  purpose  had  determined  should 
 be  done,  chap.  iv.  28.  And  you  will  observe  that  this 
 wicked  act  (wicked  with  respect  to  the  perpetrators)  was 
 not  only  permitted,  but  fore-ordained  in  the  strongest 
 and  most  absolute  sense  of  the  word:  the  glory  of  God 
 and  the  salvation  of  men  depended  upon  its  being  done, 
 and  just  in  that  manner,  and  with  all  those  circumstances 
 Avhich  actually  took  place ;  and  yet  Judas  and  the  rest 
 acted  freely,  and  their  wickedness  was  properly  their 
 own.  Now,  my  friend,  the  arguments  which  satisfy  you, 
 that  the  scripture  does  not  represent  God  as  the  author 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR  S- 
 
 183 
 
 uf  this  sin,  in  this  appointment,  will  plead  for  me  at  the 
 same  time ;  and  when  you  think  you  easily  overcome  me 
 by  asking,  "  Can  God  be  the  author  of  sin?"  your  impu- 
 tation falls  as  directly  upon  the  word  of  God  himself. 
 God  is  no  more  the  author  of  sin  than  the  sun  is  the 
 cause  of  ice;  but  it  is  in  the  nature  of  water  to  congeal 
 into  ice  when  the  sun's  influence  is  suspended  to  a  cer- 
 tain degree.  So  there  is  sin  enough  in  the  hearts  of  men 
 to  make  the  earth  the  very  image  of  hell,  and  to  prove 
 that  men  are  no  better  than  incarnate  devils,  were  he  to 
 suspend  his  influence  and  restraint.  Sometimes,  and  in 
 some  instances,  he  is  pleased  to  suspend  it  considerably; 
 and  so  far  as  he  does,  human  nature  quickly  appears  in 
 its  trae  colours.  Objections  of  this  kind  have  been  re- 
 peated and  refuted  before  either  you  or  I  were  born; 
 and  the  apostle  evidently  supposes  they  would  be  urged 
 against  his  doctrine,  when  he  obviates  the  question. 
 Why  doth  he  yet  find  fault?  who  hath  resisted  his  will? 
 To  which  he  gives  no  other  answer  than  by  referring  it 
 to  God's  sovereignty,  and  the  power  which  a  potter  has 
 over  the  clay.  I  think  I  have,  in  a  former  letter,  made 
 some  reply  to  the  charge  of  positiveness  in  my  own  opi- 
 nion. I  acknowledge  that  I  am  fallible;  yet  I  must 
 again  lay  claim  to  a  certainty  about  the  way  of  salva- 
 tion. I  am  as  sure  of  some  things  as  of  my  own  exist- 
 ence; I  should  be  so  if  there  Mas  no  human  creature 
 upon  earth  but  myself.  However,  my  sentiments  are 
 confirmed  by  the  suffrages  of  thousands  who  have  lived 
 before  me,  of  many  with  whom  I  have  personally  con- 
 versed in  different  places  and  circumstances,  unknown 
 to  each  other ;  yet  all  have  received  the  same  views,  be- 
 cause taught  by  the  same  Spirit.  And  I  have  likewise 
 been  greatly  confirmed  by  the  testimony  of  many  with 
 whom  I  have  conversed  in  their  dying  hours.  I  have 
 seen  them  rejoicing  in  the  prospect  of  death,  free  from 
 fears,  breathing  the  air  of  immortality ;  heartily  disclaim- 
 ing their  duties  and  performances;  acknowledging  that 
 their  best  actions  were  attended  with  evil  sufficient  to 
 condemn  them;  renouncing  every  shadow  of  hope  but 
 what  they  derived  from  the  blood  of  Christ,  as  the  sole 
 
184 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 cause  of  their  acceptance;  yet  triumphing  in  him  over 
 everj'  enemy  and  fear,  and  as  sure  of  heaven  as  if  tliey 
 were  already  there.  And  such  were  the  apostle's  hopes, 
 wholly  founded  on  knowing  whom  he  had  believed,  and 
 his  persuasion  of  his  ability  to  keep  that  which  he  had 
 committed  unto  him.  This  is  faith,  a  renouncing  of 
 every  thing  we  are  apt  to  call  our  own,  and  relying 
 wholly  upon  the  blood,  righteousness  and  intercession  of 
 Jesus.  However,  I  cannot  communicate  this,  my  cer- 
 tainty, to  you;  I  only  tell  you  there  is  such  a  thing,  in 
 hopes,  if  you  do  not  think  I  wilfully  lie  both  to  God 
 and  man,  you  will  be  earnest  to  seek  it  from  him,  who 
 bestowed  it  on  me,  and  who  will  bestow  it  upon  all  who 
 will  sincerely  apply  to  him,  and  patiently  wait  upon  him 
 for  it. 
 
 I  cannot  but  w  onder  that,  while  you  profess  to  believe 
 the  depravity  of  human  nature,  you  should  speak  of  good 
 qualities  inherent  in  it.  The  word  of  God  describes  it 
 as  evil,  only  evil,  and  that  continually.  That  there  are 
 such  qualities  as  Stoics  and  infidels  call  virtue,  I  allow. 
 God  has  not  left  man  destitute  of  such  dispositions  as  are 
 necessary  to  the  peace  of  society;  but  I  deny  there  is 
 any  moral  goodness  in  them,  unless  they  are  founded  in 
 a  supreme  love  to  God,  have  his  glory  for  their  aim,  and 
 are  produced  by  faith  in  Jesus  Christ.  A  man  may  give 
 all  his  goods  to  feed  the  poor,  and  his  body  to  be  burned, 
 in  zeal  for  the  truth,  and  yet  be  a  mere  nothing,  a  tink- 
 ling cymbal,  in  the  sight  of  him  who  seeth  not  as  man 
 seeth,  but  judgeth  the  heart.  Many  infidels  and  avowed 
 enemies  to  the  grace  and  gospel  of  Christ,  have  made  a 
 fair  show  of  what  the  world  call  virtue;  but  Christian 
 virtue  is  grace,  the  effect  of  a  new  nature  and  new  life; 
 and  works  thus  wrought  in  God  are  as  different  from  the 
 faint  partial  imitations  of  them  which  fallen  nature  is 
 capable  of  producing  as  a  living  man  is  from  a  statue.  A 
 statue  may  express  the  features  and  lineaments  of  the  per- 
 son whom  it  represents,  but  there  is  no  life. 
 
 Your  comment  on  the  seventh  to  the  Romans,  latter 
 part,  contradicts  my  feelings.  You  are  either  of  a  dif- 
 ferent make  and  nature  from  me,  or  else  you  are  not 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR  S- 
 
 185 
 
 rightly  apprized  of  your  own  state,  if  you  do  not  find 
 the  apostle's  complaints  very  suitable  to  yourself.  I  be- 
 lieve it  applicable  to  the  most  holy  Christian  upon  earth. 
 But  controversies  of  this  kind  are  worn  threadbare. 
 When  you  speak  of  the  spiritual  part  of  a  natural  man, 
 it  sounds  to  me  like  the  living  part  of  a  dead  man,  or 
 the  seeing  part  of  a  blind  man.  Paul  tells  me  that  the 
 natural  man  (whatever  his  spiritual  part  may  be)  can 
 neither  receive  nor  discern  the  things  of  God.  What 
 the  apostle  speaks  of  himself,  Rom.  vii.,  is  no  more,  when 
 rightly  understood,  than  what  he  affirms  of  all  who  are 
 partakers  of  a  spiritual  life,  or  who  are  true  believers, 
 Gal.  V.  17.  The  carnal  natural  mind  is  enmity  against 
 God,  not  subject  to  the  law  of  God.  neither  indeed  can 
 be.  When  you  subjoin,  "  Till  it  be  set  at  liberty  from 
 the  law  of  sin,"  you  do  not  comment  upon  the  text,  but 
 make  an  addition  of  your  own,  which  the  text  will  by 
 I  no  means  bear.  The  carnal  mind  is  enmity.  An  ene- 
 my may  be  reconciled;  but  enmity  itself  is  incurable. 
 This  carnal  mind,  natural  man,  old  man,  flesh — for  the 
 expressions  are  all  equivalent,  and  denote  and  include 
 the  heart  of  man  as  he  is  by  nature — may  be  crucified, 
 must  he  mortified,  but  cannot  be  sanctified.  All  that  is 
 good  or  gracious  is  the  effect  of  a  new  creation,  a  super- 
 natural principle,  wrought  in  the  heart  by  the  gospel  of 
 Christ,  and  the  agency  of  his  Spirit;  and  till  that  is  ef- 
 fected, the  TO  vxpnMv,  the  highest  attainment,  the  finest 
 qualifications  in  man,  however  they  may  exalt  him  in  his 
 own  eyes,  or  recommend  him  to  the  notice  of  his  fellow- 
 worms,  are  but  abomination  in  the  sight  of  God,  Luke 
 xvi.  15.  The  gospel  is  calculated  and  designed  to  stain 
 the  pride  of  human  glory.  It  is  provided,  not  for  the 
 wise  and  the  righteous,  for  those  who  think  they  have 
 good  dispositions  and  good  works  to  plead,  but  for  the 
 guilty,  the  helpless,  the  wretched,  for  those  who  are  ready 
 to  perish;  it  fills  the  hungry  with  good  things,  but  it  sends 
 the  rich  empty  away;  see  Rev.  iii.  17,  18. 
 
 You  ask.  If  man  can  do  nothing  without  an  extraor- 
 clinary  impulse  from  on  high,  is  he  to  sit  still  and  care- 
 less?   By  no  means:  I  am  far  from  saying  man  can  do 
 
186 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 nothing,  though  I  believe  he  cannot  open  his  own  eyes, 
 or  give  himself  faith.  I  wish  every  man  to  abstain  care- 
 fully from  sinful  company,  and  sinful  actions,  to  read  the 
 Bible,  to  pray  to  God  for  his  heavenly  teaching.  For 
 this  waiting  upon  God  he  has  a  moral  ability;  and  if  he 
 persevere  thus  in  seeking,  the  promise  is  sure,  that  he 
 shall  not  seek  in  vain.  But  I  would  not  have  him  mis- 
 take the  means  for  the  end;  think  himself  good  because 
 he  is  preserved  from  gross  vices  and  follies,  or  trust  to 
 his  religious  course  of  duties  for  acceptance,  nor  be  sa- 
 tisfied till  Christ  be  revealed  in  him,  formed  within  him, 
 dwell  in  his  heart  by  faith,  and  till  he  can  say  upon  good 
 grounds,  "I  am  crucified  with  Christ:  nevertheless  I 
 live;  yet  not  I,  but  Christ  liveth  in  me."  I  need  not  tell 
 you  these  are  scriptural  expressions;  I  am  persuaded,  if 
 they  were  not,  they  would  be  exploded  by  many  as  un- 
 intelligible jargon.  True  faith,  my  dear  Sir,  unites  the 
 soul  to  Christ,  and  thereby  gives  access  to  God,  and  fills 
 it  with  a  peace  passing  understanding,  a  hope,  a  joy  un- 
 speakable and  full  of  glory;  teaches  us  that  we  are  weak 
 in  ourselves,  but  enables  us  to  be  strong  in  the  Lord,  and 
 in  the  power  of  his  might.  To  those  who  thus  believe, 
 Christ  is  precious,  their  beloved;  they  hear  and  know 
 his  voice;  the  very  sound  of  his  name  gladdens  their 
 hearts,  and  he  manifests  himself  to  them  as  he  does  not 
 to  the  world.  Thus  the  scriptures  speak — thus  the  first 
 Christians  experienced ;  and  this  is  precisely  the  language 
 which,  in  our  days,  is  despised  as  enthusiasm  and  folly. 
 For  it  is  now  as  it  was  then,  though  these  things  are  re- 
 vealed to  babes,  and  they  are  as  sure  of  them  as  that  they 
 see  the  noon-day  sun,  they  are  hidden  from  the  wise  and 
 prudent,  till  the  Lord  makes  them  willing  to  renounce 
 their  own  wisdom,  and  to  become  fools,  that  they  may 
 be  truly  wise,  1  Cor.  i.  18,  19;  iii.  8;  viii.  2.  Attention 
 to  the  education  of  children  is  an  undoubted  duty;  and 
 it  is  a  mercy  when  it  so  far  succeeds  as  to  preserve  them 
 from  gross  wickedness;  but  it  will  not  change  the  heart. 
 They  who  receive  Christ  are  born,  not  of  blood,  nor  of 
 the  will  of  the  flesh,  nor  of  the  will  of  man,  but  of  God, 
 John  i.  13. 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR  S  , 
 
 187 
 
 If  a  man  professes  to  love  the  Lord  Jesus,  I  am  will- 
 ing to  believe  him,  if  he  does  not  give  me  proof  to  the 
 contrary;  but  I  am  sure,  at  the  same  time,  no  one  can 
 love  him  in  the  scriptural  sense  who  does  not  know  the 
 need  and  the  worth  of  a  Saviour;  in  other  words,  who 
 is  not  brought,  as  a  ruined  helpless  sinner,  to  live  upon 
 him  for  wisdom,  righteousness,  sanctification,  and  redemp- 
 tion. They  who  love  him  thus  will  speak  highly  of  him, 
 and  acknowledge  that  he  is  their  all  in  all.  And  they 
 who  thus  love  him,  and  speak  of  him,  will  get  little  thanks 
 for  their  pains  in  such  a  world  as  this: — "All  that  live 
 godly  in  Christ  Jesus  must  suffer  persecution ;  the  world 
 that  hated  him,  will  hate  them."  And  though  it  is  pos- 
 sible by  his  grace  to  put  to  silence,  in  some  measure,  the 
 ignorance  of  foolish  men;  and  though  his  providence  can 
 protect  his  people,  so  that  not  a  hair  of  their  heads  can 
 be  hurt  without  his  permission ;  yet  the  world  will  show 
 their  teeth,  if  they  are  not  suffered  to  hite.  The  apostles 
 were  accounted  babblers,  «j  'Tri^ix.a.da.^iAa.Toi,  rou  Koafiou  kxi 
 ■jexurav  TreQi^ysfix.  I  need  not  point  out  to  you  the  force 
 of  these  expressions.  We  are  no  better  than  the  apostles ; 
 nor  have  we  reason  to  expect  much  better  treatment,  so 
 far  as  we  walk  in  their  steps.  On  the  other  hand,  there 
 is  a  sober  decent  way  of  speaking  of  God,  and  goodness, 
 and  benevolence,  and  sobriety,  which  the  world  will  bear 
 well  enough; — nay,  we  may  say  a  little  about  Jesus 
 Christ,  as  ready  to  make  up  the  deficiencies  of  our 
 honest  and  good  endeavours,  and  this  will  not  displease 
 them.  But  if  we  preach  him  as  the  only  foundation, 
 lay  open  the  horrid  evils  of  the  human  heart,  tell  our 
 hearers  that  they  are  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins,  and 
 have  no  better  ground  of  hope  in  themselves  than  the 
 vilest  malefactors,  in  order  to  exalt  the  glory  of  Jesus, 
 as  saving  those  who  are  saved  wholly  and  freely  for  his 
 own  name's  sake;  if  we  tell  the  virtuous  and  decent,  as 
 well  as  the  projligate,  that  unless  they  are  born  again, 
 and  ma^de  partakers  of  living  faith,  and  count  all  things 
 loss  for  the  excellency  of  the  knowledge  of  Christ,  they 
 cannot  be  saved :  this  the  world  cannot  bear.  We  shall 
 be  called  knaves  or  fools,  uncharitable  bigots,  and  twenty 
 
188 
 
 CABDIPHONIA. 
 
 hard  names.  If  you  have  met  with  nothing  like  this,  I 
 wish  it  may  lead  you  to  suspect  whether  you  have  yet 
 received  the  right  key  to  the  doctrines  of  Christ;  for 
 depend  upon  it,  the  offence  of  the  cross  is  not  ceased. 
 
 I  am  grieved  and  surprised  that  you  seem  to  take 
 little  notice  of  any  thing  in  the  account  of  my  deceased 
 friend,  but  his  wishing  himself  to  be  a  Deist,  and  his 
 having  play -books  about  him  in  his  illness.  As  to  the 
 plays,  they  were  Shakspeare^s,  which,  as  a  man  of  taste, 
 it  is  no  great  wonder  he  should  sometimes  look  in.  Your 
 remark  on  the  other  point  shows  that  you  are  not  much 
 acquainted  with  the  exercises  of  the  human  mind  under 
 certain  circumstances.  I  believe  I  observed  formerly, 
 that  it  was  not  a  libertine  wish.  Had  you  known  him, 
 you  would  have  known  one  of  the  most  amiable  and  un- 
 blemished characters.  Few  were  more  beloved  and  ad- 
 mired for  an  uniform  course  of  integrity,  moderation^ 
 and  benevolence;  but  he  was  discouraged.  He  studied 
 the  Bible,  believed  it  in  general  to  be  the  word  of  God; 
 but  his  wisdom,  his  strong  turn  for  reasoning,  stood  so 
 in  his  way,  that  he  could  get  no  solid  comfort  from  it. 
 He  felt  the  vanity  of  the  schemes  proposed  by  many 
 men  admired  in  the  world  as  teachers  of  divinity;  and 
 he  felt  the  vanity  likewise  of  his  own.  He  was  also  a 
 minister,  and  had  a  sincere  design  of  doing  good.  He 
 wished  to  reform  the  profligate,  and  comfort  the  afflicted 
 by  his  preaching;  but  as  he  was  not  acquainted  with 
 that  one  kind  of  preaching  which  God  owns  to  the  edi- 
 fication of  the  hearers,  he  found  he  could  do  neitlier.  A 
 sense  of  disappointments  of  this  kind  distressed  him. 
 Finding  in  himself  none  of  that  peace  which  the  scrip- 
 ture speaks  of,  and  none  of  the  influence  he  hoped  for 
 attending  his  ministry,  he  was  led  sometimes  to  ques- 
 tion the  truth  of  the  scripture.  We  have  a  spiritual 
 enemy  always  near,  to  press  upon  a  mind  in  this  de- 
 sponding situation;  nor  am  I  surprised  that  he  should 
 then  wish  himself  a  Deist:  since  if  there  were  any  hope 
 for  a  sinner  but  by  faith  in  the  blood  of  Jesus,  he  had  as 
 much  of  his  own  goodness  to  depend  upon  as  most  I 
 have  known.    As  for  the  rest,  if  you  could  see  nothing 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR  S- 
 
 189 
 
 admirable  and  wonderful  in  the  clearness,  the  dignity, 
 the  spirituality  of  his  expressions,  after  the  Lord  revealed 
 tlie  gospel  to  him,  I  can  only  say  I  am  sorry  for  it.  This 
 I  know,  that  some  persons  of  sense,  taste,  learning,  and 
 reason,  and  far  enough  from  my  sentiments,  have  been 
 greatly  struck  with  them.  You  say,  a  death-bed  repent- 
 ance is  what  you  would  be  sorry  to  give  any  hope  of. 
 My  dear  friend,  it  is  well  for  poor  sinners  that  God's 
 thoughts  and  ways  are  as  much  above  men's  as  the  hea- 
 vens are  higher  than  the  earth.  We  agreed  to  commu- 
 nicate our  sentiments  freely,  and  promised  not  to  be 
 offended  with  each  other's  freedom,  if  we  could  help  it. 
 I  am  afraid  of  oifending  you  by  a  thought  just  now  upon 
 my  mind,  and  yet  I  dare  not  in  conscience  suppress  it ; 
 I  must  therefore  venture  to  say,  that  I  hope  they  who 
 depend  upon  such  a  repentance  as  your  scheme  points 
 out,  will  repent  of  their  repentance  itself  upon  their 
 death-bed  at  least,  if  not  sooner.  You  and  I  perhaps 
 should  have  encouraged  the  fair-spoken  young  man,  who 
 said  he  had  kept  all  the  commandments  from  his  youth, 
 and  rather  have  left  the  thief  upon  the  cross  to  perish 
 like  a  villain  as  he  lived.  But  Jesus  thought  differentlj*. 
 I  do  not  encourage  sinners  to  defer  their  repentance  to 
 their  death-beds;  I  press  the  necessity  of  a  repentance 
 this  moment.  But  then  I  take  care  to  tell  them,  that 
 repentance  is  the  gift  of  God;  that  Jesus  is  exalted  to 
 bestow  it;  and  that  all  their  endeavours  that  way,  unless 
 they  seek  to  him  for  grace,  will  be  vain  as  washing  a 
 Blackmoor,  and  transient  as  washing  a  swine,  which  will 
 soon  return  to  the  mire  again.  I  know  the  evil  heart  will 
 abuse  the  grace  of  God;  the  apostle  knew  this  likewise, 
 Rom.  iii.  8,  and  vi.  3.  But  this  did  not  tempt  him  to 
 suppress  the  glorious  grace  of  the  gospel,  the  power  of 
 Jesus  to  save  to  the  uttermost,  and  his  merciful  promise, 
 that  whosoever  cometh  unto  him,  he  will  in  no  wise  cast 
 out.  The  repentance  of  a  natural  heart,  proceeding 
 wholly  from  fear,  like  that  of  some  malefactors,  who  are 
 sorry,  not  that  they  have  committed  robbery  or  murder, 
 but  that  they  must  be  hanged  for  it ;  this  undoubtedly  is 
 nothing  worth,  whether  in  time  of  health  or  in  a  dying 
 
190 
 
 CARDIPHOMA. 
 
 hoiir.  But  that  tiirctvoia.,  that  gracious  change  of  heart, 
 views,  and  dispositions,  which  always  takes  place  when 
 Jesus  is  made  known  to  the  soul  as  having  died  that  the 
 sinner  might  live,  and  been  wounded  that  he  might  be 
 healed;  this,  at  whatever  period  God  is  pleased  to  afford 
 and  effect  it  by  his  Spirit,  brings  a  sure  and  everlasting 
 salvation  with  it. 
 
 Still  I  find  I  have  not  done:  you  ask  my  exposition 
 of  the  parables  of  the  talents  and  pounds;  but  at  present 
 I  can  write  no  more.  I  have  only  just  time  to  tell  you, 
 that  when  I  begged  your  acceptance  of  Omicron,  nothing 
 was  farther  from  my  expectation  than  a  correspondence 
 with  j  ou.  The  frank  and  kind  manner  in  which  you 
 ^vrote  presently  won  upon  my  heart.  In  the  course  of 
 our  letters  upon  Subscription,  I  observed  an  integrity 
 and  disinterestedness  in  you  which  endeared  you  to  me 
 still  more.  Since  that  our  debates  have  taken  a  much  more 
 interesting  turn;  I  have  considered  it  as  a  call,  and  an 
 opportunity  put  in  my  hand,  by  the  especial  providence 
 of  him  who  ruleth  over  all.  I  have  embraced  the  occa- 
 sion to  lay  before  you  simply,  and  rather  in  a  way  of  tes- 
 timony than  argumentation,  what  (in  the  main)  I  am  sure 
 is  truth.  I  have  done  enough  to  discharge  my  conscience, 
 but  shall  never  think  I  do  enough  to  answer  the  affection 
 I  bear  you.  I  have  done  enough,  likewise,  to  make  you 
 weary  of  my  correspondence,  unless  it  should  please  God 
 to  fix  the  subject  deeply  upon  your  mind,  and  make  you 
 attentive  to  the  possibility  and  vast  importance  of  a  mis- 
 take in  matters  of  everlasting  concernment.  I  pray  that 
 the  good  Spirit  of  God  may  guide  you  into  all  truths. 
 He  only  is  the  effectual  teacher.  I  still  retain  a  cheer- 
 ful hope  that  some  things  you  cannot  at  present  receive 
 will  hereafter  be  the  joj-  and  comfort  of  your  heart;  but 
 I  know  it  cannot  be  till  the  Lord's  o^  n  time.  I  cannot 
 promise  to  give  such  long  answers  as  your  letters  require, 
 to  clear  up  every  text  that  may  be  proposed,  and  to  an- 
 swer every  objection  that  may  be  started;  yet  I  shall  be 
 glad  to  change  a  letter  now  and  then.  At  present  it  re- 
 mains with  you  whether  our  correspondence  continues  or 
 not,  as  this  is  the  third  letter  I  have  written  since  I  heard 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR  S- 
 
 191 
 
 fi'om  you,  and  therefore  must  be  the  last  till  I  do.  I 
 sliould  think  what  remains  might  be  better  settled  viva 
 voce;  for  which  purpose  I  shall  be  glad  to  see  you,  or 
 ready  to  wait  on  j-ou  when  leisure  will  permit,  and  when 
 I  know  it  will  be  agreeable :  but  if  (as  life  and  all  its  af- 
 fairs are  precarious)  we  should  never  meet  in  this  world, 
 I  pray  God  we  may  meet  at  the  right  hand  of  Jesus,  in 
 the  great  day  when  he  shall  come  to  gather  up  his  jewels, 
 and  to  judge  the  world.  There  is  an  endless  diversity 
 of  opinions  in  matters  of  religion;  which  of  them  are 
 right  and  safe,  and  will  lead  to  eternal  glory,  dies  iste 
 indicabit.  I  am  still  in  a  manner  lost  amidst  more  en- 
 gagements than  I  have  time  to  comply  with;  but  I  feel 
 and  know  that  I  am,  &c. 
 
ELEVEN  LETTERS  TO  MR  B  ,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  L 
 
 My  Dearest  Sir,  September  28,  1 774. 
 
 I  SEE  the  necessity  of  having,  if  possible,  my  principles 
 at  my  finger  ends,  that  I  may  apply  them  as  occasions 
 arise  every  hour.    Certainly  if  my  ability  was  equal  to 
 my  inclination,  I  would  remove  your  tumour  with  a  word 
 or  a  touch ;  I  would  exempt  you  instantly  and  constantly 
 from  every  inconvenience  and  pain;  but  you  are  in  the 
 hands  of  one  who  could  do  all  this  and  more,  and  who 
 loves  you  infinitely  better  than  I  can  do,  and  yet  he  is 
 pleased  to  permit  you  to  suffer.   What  is  the  plain  infer- 
 ence?   Certainly,  that  at  the  present  jiuicture,  he  to 
 whom  all  the  concatenations  and  consequences  of  events 
 are  present  in  one  view,  sees  it  better  for  you  to  have 
 this  tumour  than  to  be  without  it;  for  I  have  no  more 
 idea  of  a  tumour  arising  (or  any  other  incidental  trial 
 befalling  you),  without  a  cause,  without  a  need-be,  with- 
 out a  designed  advantage  to  result  from  it,  than  I  have 
 of  a  mountain  or  pyramid  rising  up  of  its  own  accord 
 in  the  middle  of  Salisbury  Plain.    The  promise  is  ex- 
 press, and  literally  true,  that  all  things  universally,  and 
 without  exception,  shall  work  together  for  good  to  them 
 that  love  God.    But  they  work  together — the  smallest 
 as  well  as  the  greatest  events  have  their  place  and  use; 
 like  the  several  stones  in  the  arch  of  a  bridge,  where  no 
 one  would  singly  be  useful,  but  every  one  in  its  place  is 
 necessary  to  the  structure  and  support  of  the  arch;  or 
 rather  like  the  movement  of  a  watch,  where,  though  there 
 
LETTERS  TO  MR  B 
 
 1931 
 
 is  an  evident  subordination  of  parts,  and  some  pieces 
 have  a  greater  comparative  importance  than  others,  yet 
 the  smallest  pieces  have  their  place  and  use,  and  are  so 
 far  equally  important,  that  the  whole  design  of  the  ma- 
 chine would  be  obstructed  for  want  of  them.  Some  dis- 
 pensations and  turns  of  Divine  Providence  may  be  com- 
 pared to  the  main  spring  or  capital  wheels  which  have  a 
 more  visible,  sensible,  and  determining  influence  upon 
 the  whole  tenor  of  our  lives;  but  the  more  ordinary 
 occurrences  of  every  day  are  at  least  pins  and  pivots, 
 adjusted,  timed,  and  suited  with  equal  accuracy,  by  the 
 hand  of  the  same  great  Artist  who  planned  and  executes 
 the  whole ;  and  we  are  sometimes  surprised  to  see  how 
 nmch  more  depends  and  turns  upon  them  than  we  are 
 aware  of.  Then  we  admire  his  skill,  and  say  he  has  done 
 all  things  well.  Indeed,  with  respect  to  his  works  of 
 providence,  as  well  as  of  creation,  he  well  deserves  the 
 title  of  Maximus  in  minimis.  Such  thoughts  as  these, 
 when  I  am  enabled  to  realise  them,  in  some  measure  re- 
 concile me  to  what  he  allots  for  myself  or  my  friends, 
 and  convince  me  of  the  propriety  of  that  expostulation, 
 which  speaks  the  language  of  love  as  well  as  authority, 
 "  Be  still,  and  know  that  I  am  God."  I  sympathize  with 
 you  in  your  trial,  and  pray  and  trast  that  your  Shepherd 
 will  be  your  Physician,  will  superintend  and  bless  the  use 
 of  means,  will  give  you,  in  his  good  time,  health  and 
 cure,  and  at  all  times  reveal  unto  you  abundance  of 
 I>eace.  His  promises  and  power  are  necessary  for  our 
 preservation  in  the  smoother  scenes  he  has  allotted  for 
 us,  and  they  are  likewise  sufficient  for  the  roughest.  We 
 are  always  equally  in  danger  in  ourselves,  and  always 
 equally  safe  under  the  shadow  of  his  wings.  No  storms, 
 assaults,  sieges,  or  pestilences,  can  hurt  us,  till  we  have 
 filled  up  his  appointed  mea.sure  of  service;  and  when 
 our  work  is  done,  and  he  has  ripened  us  for  glory,  it  is 
 no  great  matter  by  what  means  he  is  pleased  to  call  us 
 home  to  himself. 
 
 1  have  only  room  to  present  our  joint  and  sincerest  re- 
 spects.   The  Lord  bless  you  all. 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
194 
 
 CARDIPHONU. 
 
 LETTER  II. 
 
 My  Dearest  Sir,  October  15,  1774. 
 
 I  THINK  the  greatness  of  trials  is  to  be  estimated,  rather 
 by  the  impression  they  make  upon  our  spirits,  than  by 
 their  outward  appearance.  The  smallest  will  be  too 
 heavy  for  us  if  we  are  left  to  grapple  with  it  in  our  own 
 strength,  or  rather  weakness;  and  if  the  Lord  is  pleased 
 to  put  forth  his  power  in  us,  he  can  make  the  heaviest 
 light.  A  lively  impression  of  his  love,  or  of  his  suffer- 
 ings for  us,  or  of  the  glories  within  the  vail,  accompa- 
 nied with  a  due  sense  of  the  misery  from  which  M-e  are 
 redeemed;  these  thoughts  will  enable  us  to  be  not  only 
 submissive,  but  even  joyful  in  tribulations.  When  faith 
 is  in  exercise,  though  the  flesh  will  have  its  feelings,  the 
 spirit  will  triumph  over  them.  But  it  is  needful  we 
 should  know  that  we  have  no  sufficiency  in  ourselves, 
 and  in  order  to  know  it  we  must  feel  it;  and,  therefore, 
 the  Lord  sometimes  withdraws  his  sensible  influence,  and 
 then  the  buzzing  of  a  fly  will  be  an  overmatch  for  our 
 patience:  at  other  times  he  will  show  us  what  he  can  do 
 in  us  and  for  us:  then  we  can  adopt  the  apostle's  words, 
 and  say,  I  can  do  or  suffer  all  things  through  Christ 
 strengthening  me.  He  has  said.  My  grace  is  sufficient 
 for  thee.  It  is  observable,  that  the  children  of  God  sel- 
 dom disappoint  our  expectations  under  great  trials;  if 
 they  show  a  wrongness  of  spirit,  it  is  usually  in  such 
 little  incidents  that  we  are  ready  to  wonder  at  them. 
 For  which  two  reasons  may  be  principally  assigned. 
 When  great  trials  are  in  view,  we  run  simply  and  imme- 
 diately to  our  all-sufficient  friend,  feel  our  dependence, 
 and  cry  in  good  earnest  for  help;  but  if  the  occasion 
 seems  small,  we  are  too  apt  secretly  to  lean  to  our  own 
 M'isdom  and  strength,  as  if,  in  such  slight  matters,  we 
 could  make  shift  without  him.  Therefore,  in  these  we 
 often  fail.  Again  the  Lord  deals  with  us  as  we  some- 
 times see  mothers  with  their  children.    When  a  child 
 
LETTERS  TO  MR  B- 
 
 195 
 
 begins  to  walk  he  is  often  very  self-important ;  he  thinks 
 he  needs  no  help,  and  can  hardly  bear  to  be  supported 
 by  the  finger  of  another.  Now,  in  such  a  case,  if  tliere 
 is  no  danger  or  harm  from  a  fall,  as  if  he  is  on  a  plain 
 carpet,  the  mother  will  let  him  alone  to  try  how  he  can 
 walk.  He  is  pleased  at  first,  but  presently  down  he 
 comes;  and  a  few  experiments  of  this  kind  convince  him 
 he  is  not  so  strong  and  able  as  he  thought,  and  make 
 him  willing  to  be  led.  But  was  he  upon  the  brink  of  a 
 river  or  a  precipice,  from  whence  a  fall  might  be  fatal, 
 the  tender  mother  would  not  trust  him  to  himself,  no  not 
 for  a  moment.  I  have  not  room  to  make  the  application, 
 nor  is  it  needful.  It  requires  the  same  grace  to  bear  with 
 a  right  spirit  a  cross  word  as  a  cross  injury ;  or  the  break- 
 ing of  a  china  plate,  as  the  death  of  an  only  son. 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  III. 
 
 My  Dear  Sir,  November  23,  1774. 
 
 I  HOPE  to  be  informed  in  due  time,  that  the  Lord  has 
 given  you  full  health  and  cure.  He  has  preserved  me 
 hitherto  from  the  hands  of  surgeons ;  but  I  feel  as  if  my 
 flesh  would  prove,  as  you  say,  a  very  coward,  were  it 
 needful  to  submit  to  a  painful  operation.  Yet  I  observe, 
 when  such  operations  are  necessary,  if  people  are  satisfied 
 of  a  surgeon's  skill  and  prudence,  they  will  not  only  yield 
 to  be  cut  at  his  pleasure,  without  pretending  to  direct 
 him  where,  or  how  long  he  shall  make  the  incision,  but 
 will  thank  and  pay  him  for  putting  them  to  pain,  because 
 they  believe  it  for  their  advantage.  I  wish  I  could  be 
 more  like  them  in  my  concerns.  My  body,  as  I  said,  is, 
 through  mercy,  free  from  considerable  ailments,  but  I 
 have  a  soul  that  requires  surgeon's  work  continually; — 
 there  is  some  tumour  to  be  discussed  or  laid  open,  some 
 dislocation  to  be  reduced,  some  fractm-e  to  be  healed 
 
196  ' 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 almost  daily.  It  is  my  great  mercy,  that  one  who  is  in- 
 fallible in  skill,  who  exercises  incessant  care  and  boundless 
 compassion  towards  all  his  patients,  has  undertaken  my 
 case;  and,  complicated  as  it  is,  I  dare  not  doubt  his 
 making  a  perfect  cure.  Yet,  alas!  I  too  often  discover 
 such  impatience,  distrust,  and  complaining,  when  under 
 his  hand — am  so  apt  to  find  fault  with  the  instruments  he 
 is  pleased  to  make  use  of — so  ready  to  think  the  salutary 
 wounds  he  makes  unnecessarj-,  or  too  large;  in  a  word,  I 
 show  such  a  promptness  to  control,  were  I  able,  or  to  di- 
 rect his  operations,  that,  were  not  his  patience  beyond 
 expression,  he  would,  before  now,  have  given  me  up.  I 
 am  persuaded,  no  money  would  induce  Mr   to  at- 
 tend upon  a  patient  who  should  act  towards  him  as  I 
 have  towards  my  best  Physician.  Sometimes  I  indulge 
 a  hope  that  I  am  growing  wiser,  and  think  surely,  after 
 such  innumerable  proofs  as  I  have  had  that  he  does  all 
 things  well,  I  shall  now  be  satisfied  to  leave  myself  quiet- 
 ly and  without  reserve  to  his  disposal.  A  thousand  such 
 surrenders  I  have  made,  and  a  thousand  times  I  have  in- 
 terpretatively  retracted  them.  Yet  still  he  is  gracious. 
 O,  how  shall  I  praise  him  at  last! 
 
 I  thank  you  for  your  letter;  I  never  receive  one  from 
 you  without  pleasure,  and  I  believe  seldom  without  pro- 
 fit, at  least  for  the  time.  I  believe  with  you,  that  there 
 is  much  of  the  proper  and  designed  efficacj'  of  the  gos- 
 pel mystery  which  I  have  not  yet  experienced.  And  I 
 suppose  they  who  are  advanced  far  bej'ond  me  in  the 
 divine  life,  judge  the  same  of  their  utmost  present  attain- 
 ments. Yet  I  have  no  idea  of  any  permanent  state  in 
 this  life,  that  shall  make  my  experience  cease  to  be  a 
 state  of  warfare  and  humiliation.  At  my  first  setting 
 out,  indeed,  I  thought  to  be  better,  and  to  feel  myself 
 better  from  year  to  year;  I  expected  by  degrees  to  at- 
 tain every  thing  which  I  then  comprised  in  my  idea  of  a 
 saint.  I  thought  my  grain  of  grace,  by  much  diligence 
 and  careful  improvement,  would,  in  time,  amount  to  a 
 pound,  that  pound  in  a  farther  space  of  time  to  a  talent, 
 and  then  I  hoped  to  increase  from  one  talent  to  many; 
 so  that,  supposing  the  Lord  should  spare  me  a  compe- 
 
LETTERS  TO  MR  B- 
 
 197 
 
 tent  number  of  years,  I  pleased  myself  with  the  thouglit 
 of  dying  rich.  But  alas!  these  my  golden  expectations 
 have  been  like  South  Sea  dreams ;  I  have  lived  hitherto 
 a  poor  sinner,  and  I  believe  I  shall  die  one.  Have  I 
 then  gained  nothing  by  waiting  upon  the  Lord?  Yes, 
 I  have  gained  that,  which  I  once  would  rather  have  been 
 without, — sucli  accumulated  proofs  of  the  deceitfulness 
 and  desperate  wickedness  of  my  heart,  as  I  hope,  by  the 
 Lord's  blessing,  has  in  some  measure  taught  me  to  know 
 what  I  mean  when  I  say.  Behold  I  am  vile!  And  in 
 connexion  with  this,  I  have  gained  such  experience  of  the 
 wisdom,  power,  and  compassion  of  my  Redeemer,  the 
 need,  the  worth  of  his  blood,  righteousness,  attention, 
 and  intercession,  the  glory  that  he  displays  in  pardoning 
 iniquity  and  sin,  and  passing  by  the  transgression  of  the 
 remnant  of  his  heritage,  that  my  soul  cannot  but  cry  out, 
 Who  is  a  God  like  unto  thee!  Thus,  if  I  have  any  meaner 
 thoughts  of  myself,  Ezek.  xvi.  63,  and  any  higher  thoughts 
 of  him  than  I  had  twenty  years  ago,  I  have  reason  to  be 
 thankful;  every  grain  of  this  experience  is  worth  moun- 
 tains of  gold.  And  if,  by  his  mercy,  I  shall  yet  sink 
 more  in  my  own  esteem,  and  he  will  be  pleased  to  rise 
 still  more  glorious  to  my  ej'cs,  and  more  precious  to  my 
 heart,  I  expect  it  will  be  much  in  the  same  way.  I  v/as 
 ashamed  when  I  began  to  seek  him ;  I  am  more  ashamed 
 now;  and  I  expect  to  be  most  of  all  ashamed  when  he 
 shall  appear  to  destroy  my  last  enem3\  But  O !  I  may 
 rejoice  in  him,  to  think  that  he  will  not  be  ashamed  of 
 me. 
 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  IV. 
 
 My  Dear  Sir,  May  19,  1775. 
 
 I  HOPE  you  will  find  the  Lord  present  at  all  times,  and 
 in  all  places.  When  it  is  so,  we  are  at  home  everywhere ; 
 
 G 
 
198 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 when  it  is  otherwise,  home  is  a  prison,  and  abroad  a  wil- 
 derness. I  know  what  I  ought  to  desire,  and  what  I  do 
 desire.  I  point  him  out  to  others  as  the  all  in  all;  I 
 esteem  him  as  such  in  my  own  judgment ;  but,  alas!  my 
 experience  abounds  with  complaints.  He  is  my  sun;  but 
 clouds,  and  sometimes  walls,  intercept  him  from  my  view. 
 He  is  my  strength;  yet  I  am  prone  to  lean  upon  reeds. 
 He  is  my  friend;  but  on  my  part  there  is  such  coldness 
 and  ingratitude,  as  no  other  friend  could  bear.  But  still 
 he  is  gracious,  and  shames  me  with  his  repeated  multi- 
 plied goodness.  O  for  a  warmer  heart,  a  more  simple 
 dependence,  a  more  active  zeal,  a  more  sensible  deliver- 
 ance from  tlie  effects  of  this  body  of  sin  and  death !  He 
 helps  me  in  my  endeavours  to  keep  the  vineyards  of 
 others;  but,  alas!  my  own  does  not  seem  to  flourish  as 
 some  do  around  me.  However,  though  I  cannot  say  I 
 labour  more  abundantly  than  they  all,  I  have  reason  to  say 
 with  thankfulness.  By  the  grace  of  God  I  am  what  I  am. 
 My  poor  story  would  soon  be  much  worse,  did  not  he 
 support,  restrain,  and  watch  over  me  every  minute.  Let 
 me  entreat  your  praises  and  prayers  on  the  behalf  of  me 
 and  mine ;  and  may  the  Lord  bless  you  and  yours  with 
 an  increase  in  every  good. 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  V. 
 
 My  Dear  Sir,  September  2,  1776. 
 
 The  young  woman  I  spoke  of  is  still  living,  and  not 
 much  weaker  than  when  I  left  lier.  The  Lord  was  pleas- 
 ed to  relieve  her  on  Tuesday  evening,  and  she  was  com- 
 fortable the  remainder  of  the  week.  But  yesterday  her 
 conflicts  returned  and  she  was  in  great  distress.  The 
 enemy,  who  always  figlits  against  the  peace  of  the  Lord's 
 children,  finds  great  advantage  against  them  when  their 
 spirits  are  weakened  and  worn  down  by  long  illness,  and 
 
LETTERS  TO  MR  B  . 
 
 199 
 
 is  often  permitted  to  assault  them.  The  reasons  are  hid- 
 den from  us,  but  they  are  doubtless  worthy  of  his  wis- 
 dom and  love,  and  they  terminate  in  victory,  to  the  praise 
 of  his  glorious  grace,  which  is  more  signally  manifested 
 by  his  leading  them  safely  through  fire  and  water  than 
 if  their  path  was  always  smooth.  He  is  sovereign  in  his 
 dispensations,  and  appoints  some  of  his  people  to  trials 
 and  exercises,  to  wliich  others,  perhaps,  are  strangers  all 
 their  days.  Believers  are  soldiers;  all  soldiers,  by  their 
 profession,  are  engaged  to  fight  if  called  upon;  but  who 
 shall  be  called  to  sustain  the  hottest  service,  and  be  most 
 frequently  exposed  upon  the  field  of  battle,  depends  upon 
 the  will  of  the  general  or  king.  Some  of  our  soldiers  are 
 now  upon  hard  service  in  America,  while  others  are  sta- 
 tioned round  the  palace,  see  the  king's  face  daily,  and 
 have  no  dangers  or  hardshij)sto  encounter.  These,  how- 
 ever, are  as  liable  to  a  call  as  the  others ;  but,  if  not  call- 
 ed upon,  they  may  enjoy  with  thankfulness  the  more  easy 
 post  assigned  them.  Thus,  the  Captain  of  our  Salvation 
 allots  to  his  soldiers  such  stations  as  he  thinks  proper. 
 He  has  a  right  to  employ  whom  he  will,  and  where  he 
 will.  Some  are  comparatively  at  ease ;  they  are  not  ex- 
 posed to  the  fiercest  onsets,  but  live  near  his  presence; 
 others  are,  to  appearance,  pressed  above  measure,  beyond 
 strength,  so  that  they  despair  even  of  life;  yet  they  are 
 supported,  and  in  the  end  made  more  tlian  conquerors 
 through  him  who  hath  loved  them.  Long  observation 
 convinces  me,  that  the  temptations  which  some  endure 
 are  not  chastisements  brought  upon  them  by  unfaithful- 
 ness, or  for  any  thing  remarkably  wrong  in  their  spirit 
 or  walk;  I  often  rather  consider  that,  in  Iiis  warfare,  as 
 in  worldly  wars,  the  post  of  danger  and  difficulty  is  the 
 post  of  honour,  and  as  such,  assigned  to  those  whom  he 
 has  favoured  witli  a  peculiar  measure  of  his  grace.  This 
 young  woman,  in  particular,  was  always,  from  her  first 
 awakening,  remarkably  humble  and  spiritual,  and  pos- 
 sessed of  a  broken  and  contrite  spirit.  I  never  saw  her 
 in  a  wrong  spirit,  or  heard  her  speak  an  unadvised  word. 
 Yet  I  believe  it  is  impossible  to  express  the  agonies  she 
 has  endured.    The  effect  of  them  is  visible.    Her  ani- 
 
200 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 mal  frame  was  unable  to  sustain  the  burden.  I  believe 
 they  were  the  immediate  cause  of  that  illness  which  is 
 now  bringing  her  down  to  the  grave.  I  doubt  not  but 
 these  cases  depend  in  a  great  measure  upon  constitution ; 
 but  then  the  temperament  of  our  bodies  depends  upon  his 
 pleasure ;  for  if  the  very  hairs  of  our  head  are  numbered, 
 it  is  impossible  that  those  circumstances  of  our  frame, 
 which,  by  the  near  connexion  between  body  and  soul, 
 have  a  powerful  influence  upon  the  state  of  our  minds, 
 can  escape  his  notice.  He  could  cure  such  bodily  dis- 
 orders as  affect  the  peace  of  his  people  in  a  moment ;  yet 
 he  does  not,  though  he  loves  them.  There  must  be  there- 
 fore wise  reasons  why  he  does  not;  and  though  we  know 
 them  not  now,  we  shall  know  them  hereafter.  Possibly 
 some  suffer  for  the  instruction  of  the  rest,  that  we  may 
 learn  to  be  more  thankful  to  him  for  the  peace  we  enjoy, 
 and  to  be  more  humbly  dependent  upon  him  for  the  con- 
 tinuance of  it.  The  Lord's  way  is  in  the  deep,  and  his 
 path  in  the  great  waters,  untraceable  by  our  feeble  rea- 
 sonings; but  faith  brings  in  a  good  report.  We  need 
 not  doubt  but  he  does  all  things  well,  and  in  due  time 
 we  shall  see  it.  In  the  meanwhile  he  checks  our  vain 
 inquiries,  and  calls  upon  us  to  be  still,  and  know  that  he 
 is  God. 
 
 I  brought  home  with  me  a  thankful  sense  of  the  kind- 
 ness and  friendship  I  am  favoured  with  from  you  and  all 
 yours.  I  account  this  connexion  one  of  the  great  com- 
 forts of  my  life;  and  I  hope  it  has  been,  and  will  be,  not 
 only  pleasant  but  profitable  to  me.  Though  I  am  but  an 
 unapt  scholar,  I  hope  I  am  not  unwilling  to  learn;  and 
 the  Lord,  in  his  merciful  providence,  a])points  me  many 
 teachers.  There  is  little  praise  due  to  us,  if  we  either 
 comnumicate  or  receive  benefit  in  our  intercourse  with 
 our  fellow-disciples.  In  both  we  are  but  instruments 
 luider  the  influence  of  a  higher  hand.  Were  Christians 
 to  meet  together  without  their  Lord,  they  would  either 
 trifle  or  quarrel  their  time  away.  But  as  he  has  said, 
 \\  here  two  or  three  are  met,  there  am  I  in  the  midst  of 
 them,  we  may  well  be  glad  of  opportunities  of  coming 
 together.    And  though,  for  my  own  part,  I  am  so  poor 
 
LETTERS  TO  MR  B- 
 
 201 
 
 an  improver  of  such  seasons,  that  the  recollection  of  them, 
 when  past,  is  generally  accompanied  with  shame  and  re- 
 gret ;  yet  he  is  gracious  and  merciful,  and  seldom  leaves 
 me  to  complain  that  they  were  wholly  in  vain. 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  VI. 
 
 My  Dear  Sir,  July  22,  1777- 
 
 »*****»*«**» 
 »»*     #•     *     *     ****     **  « 
 
 The  complaints  you  make  of  what  passes  within,  en- 
 courage me  under  what  I  feel  myself.  Indeed,  if  those 
 whom  I  have  reason  to  believe  are  more  spiritual  and 
 humble  than  I  am,  did  not  give  some  testimony  that  they 
 find  their  hearts  made  of  the  same  materials  as  mine  is,  I 
 should  be  sometimes  hard  put  to  it  to  believe  that  I  have 
 any  part  or  lot  in  the  matter,  or  any  real  knowledge  of 
 the  life  of  faith.  But  this  concurrent  testimony  of  many 
 witnesses  confirms  me  in  what  I  think  the  scripture  plain- 
 ly teaches,  that  the  soil  of  human  nature,  though  many 
 spots  are  certainly  better  weeded,  planted,  and  manured 
 than  others,  is  everywhere  the  same,  universally  bad;  so 
 bad  that  it  cannot  be  worse,  and  of  itself  is  only  capable 
 of  producing  noxious  weeds,  and  nourishing  venomous 
 creatures.  We  often  see  the  effects  of  culture,  skill,  and 
 expense  will  make  a  garden  where  all  was  desert  before. 
 When  Jesus,  the  good  husbandman,  incloses  a  soil,  and 
 separates  it  from  the  waste  of  the  world,  to  make  it  a  re- 
 sidence for  himself,  a  change  presentlj'  takes  place;  it  is 
 planted  and  watered  from  above,  and  visited  with  beams 
 infinitely  more  cheering  and  fertilizing  than  those  of  the 
 material  sun.  But  its  natural  propensity  to  briog  forth 
 weeds  still  continues,  and  one  half  of  his  dispensations 
 may  be  compared  to  a  company  of  weeders,  whom  he 
 sends  forth  into  his  garden  to  pluck  up  all  which  he  has  ] 
 
202 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 not  planted  with  his  own  hand,  and  which,  if  left  to  grow, 
 would  quickly  overpower  and  overtop  the  rest.  But, 
 alas!  the  ground  is  so  impregnated  with  evil  seeds,  and 
 they  shoot  in  such  quick  succession,  that  if  this  weeding 
 work  were  not  constantly  repeated,  all  former  labour 
 would  be  lost.  Hinc  illcc  lacrymcB.  Hence  arises  the 
 necessity  of  daily  crosses  and  disappointments,  daily 
 changes  of  frame,  and  such  multiplied  convictions,  that 
 we  are  nothing,  and  can  do  nothing  of  ourselves;  all 
 are  needful,  and  barely  sufficient  to  prevent  our  hearts 
 from  being  over-run  with  pride,  self-dependence,  and 
 security. 
 
 Yours,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  VII. 
 
 My  Dear  Sir,  November  6,  1777- 
 
 You  say  you  are  more  disposed  to  cry  miserere  than 
 Jiallelujah.  Why  not  both  together?  When  the  treble 
 is  praise,  and  heart-humiliation  for  the  bass,  the  melody 
 is  pleasant,  and  the  harmony  is  good.  However,  if  not 
 both  together,  we  must  have  them  alternately;  not  all 
 singing,  not  all  sighing,  but  an  interchange  and  balance, 
 that  we  may  be  neither  lifted  too  high,  nor  cast  down  too 
 low,  which  would  be  the  case  if  we  were  very  comfort- 
 able or  very  sorrowful  for  a  long  continuance.  But 
 though  we  change,  the  Saviour  changes  not.  All  our 
 concerns  are  in  his  hands,  and  therefore  safe.  His  path 
 is  in  the  deep  waters,  his  thoughts  and  methods  of  con- 
 duct are  as  high  above  ours,  as  the  heavens  are  high 
 above  the  earth ;  and  he  often  takes  a  course  for  accom- 
 plishing his  purposes  directly  contrary  to  what  our  nar- 
 row views  would  prescribe.  He  wounds  in  order  to  heal, 
 kills  that  he  may  make  alive,  casts  down  when  he  designs 
 to  raise,  brings  a  death  upon  our  feelings,  wishes,  and  pros- 
 pects, when  he  is  about  to  give  us  the  desire  of  our  hearts. 
 
LETTERS  TO  MR  B 
 
 203 
 
 These  things  he  does  to  prove  us;  but  he  himself  knows, 
 and  has  determined  beforehand,  what  he  will  do.  The 
 proof  indeed  usually  turns  out  to  our  shame.  Impatience 
 and  unbelief  show  their  heads,  and  prompt  us  to  suppose 
 this  and  the  other  thing,  yea  perhaps  all  things  are  against 
 us,  to  question  whether  he  be  with  us  and  for  us,  or  not. 
 But  it  issues  likewise  in  the  praise  of  his  goodness,  when 
 we  find  that,  maugre  all  our  unkind  complaints  and  sus- 
 picions, he  is  still  working  wonderfully  for  us,  causing 
 light  to  shine  out  of  darkuess,  and  doing  us  good  in  de- 
 fiance of  ourselves. 
 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  VIII. 
 To  Mr  B  ,  junior. 
 
 Dear  Sir,  August  24,  1774. 
 
 The  lowness  of  your  voice,  and  a  blameable  absence  of 
 mind  on  my  part,  prevented  me  from  understanding 
 what  you  said  when  you  took  your  leave  of  me ;  nor  did 
 I  just  at  that  instant  recollect  that  you  were  so  soon 
 going  away.  I  could  not  otherwise  have  parted  with  you, 
 without  a  particular  expression  of  my  warmest  wishes 
 for  your  welfare,  and  commending  you  with  an  emotion 
 which  my  heart  always  feels  for  you,  to  our  God,  and  the 
 word  of  his  grace.  Permit  me,  therefore,  by  writing  to 
 assure  you,  so  far  as  I  can  answer  for  myself,  that  the  re- 
 quest you  were  pleased  to  make  for  my  remembrance  will 
 not  be  forgotten  by  me. 
 
 You  are  going  abroad;  you  will  carry  with  you,  I 
 doubt  not,  the  best  advice,  strengthened  by  the  autlio- 
 rity  and  affection  of  parents  whom  you  greatly  love  and 
 greatly  reverence.  This  may  seem  to  make  any  thing  a 
 stranger  can  offer  unnecessary,  if  not  impertinent;  yet, 
 confiding  in  your  candour,  and  in  your  good  opinion  of 
 
204 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 my  intention,  I  shall  venture  to  let  my  pen  run  on  a  little 
 longer.  Not  only  my  wishes,  but  my  hopes  are  strong 
 in  your  behalf.  Perhaps  there  is  hardly  a  young  man  in 
 the  kingdom,  born  to  a  fortune,  who  is  setting  out  in  life 
 upon  equal  advantages  with  yourself.  How  many,  at 
 your  years,  who  have  been  brought  up  in  affluence,  are 
 unprincipled,  uninstructed,  and  have  already  entered 
 upon  a  course  of  dissipation  and  folly,  in  which  it  is  im- 
 possible they  themselves  can  find  satisfaction,  and  which 
 (unless  they  are  reclaimed  from  it  by  an  almighty  arm) 
 will  infallibly  preclude  them  from  usefulness  or  esteem! 
 whereas,  your  early  ye;irs  have  baen  successfully  em- 
 ployed in  the  pursuit  of  knowledg( ,  and  j'our  education 
 formed  under  the  most  animating  and  endearing  influ- 
 ence; and  the  Lord  has  furnished  you  with  every  natu- 
 ral ability  of  body  and  mind,  which  may  qualify  you  to 
 serve  him  in  that  situation  of  life  which  his  providence 
 has  allotted  you. 
 
 What  may  I  not  then  further  hope  from  these  begin- 
 nings, especially,  as  it  is  easy  to  observe,  that  he  has  given 
 you  an  amiable  and  promising  disposition  of  spirit,  and 
 has  not  only  preserved  you  from  being  hurried  down  the 
 stream  of  a  giddy  world,  but  enabled  you  to  account  the 
 tender  restraint  under  which  you  have  been  educated, 
 not  a  yoke,  but  a  privilege? 
 
 I  sympathize  with  you  at  what  you  will  feel  when  you 
 are  first  separated  from  your  happy  family.  But  the 
 Lord  God,  who  is  the  sun  and  shield  of  those  who  fear 
 him,  will  be  always  near  you.  His  favour  is  the  one 
 thing  needful,  which  no  outward  advantages  can  com- 
 pensate the  want  of;  and  the  right  knowledge  of  him  is 
 the  one  thing  needful,  wliich  no  human  teaching  can  com- 
 municate. 
 
 Were  I  more  intimate  with  you,  I  could  have  asked 
 the  question,  and  perhaps  received  the  satisfaction  to 
 know,  that  you  have  already  begun  to  consider  him  in 
 this  light ;  that  you  feel  a  vanity  in  science,  an  empti- 
 ness in  creatures,  and  find  that  you  have  desires,  which 
 only  He  who  gave  them  can  satisfy.  I  trust  it  either  is 
 or  will  be  thus.  As  to  learning,  though  it  is  useful  whea 
 
LETTERS  TO  MR  B- 
 
 205 
 
 vre  know  how  to  make  a  right  use  of  it,  yet  considered 
 as  in  our  own  power,  and  to  those  who  trust  to  it,  M'ith- 
 out  seeking  a  superior  guidance,  it  is  usually  the  source 
 of  perplexity,  strife,  scepticism,  and  infidelity.  It  is  in- 
 deed like  a  sword  in  a  madman's  hands,  which  gives  him 
 the  more  opportunity  of  hurting  himself  and  others.  As 
 to  what  the  world  calls  pleasure,  there  is  so  little  in  it, 
 that  even  tlie  pliilosophers  of  old,  or  many  of  them,  though 
 they  had  little  of  value  to  substitute  in  its  room,  could 
 despise  it.  You  will  perhaps  meet  with  some,  who  will 
 talk  another  language,  who  will  pretend  to  be  too  wise 
 to  submit  to  the  Bible,  and  too  happy  in  wordly  things, 
 to  expect  or  desire  any  happiness  beside;  but  I  trust  you 
 have  seen  enough  to  enable  you  to  treat  such  persons  with 
 the  pit}',  and  such  pretensions  with  the  contempt  they 
 deserve. 
 
 Should  we  set  our  concerns  with  an  eternal  world  aside 
 for  a  moment,  it  would  be  easy  to  demonstrate  that  reli- 
 gion is  necessary,  in  order  to  make  the  most  of  this  life, 
 and  to  enjoy  temporal  good  with  the  highest  relish.  In 
 such  a  world  as  this,  where  we  are  every  moment  liable 
 to  so  many  unforeseen  and  unavoidable  contingencies,  a 
 man  without  religion  may  be  compared  to  a  ship  in  a 
 storm,  witiiout  either  rudder,  anchor,  or  pilot.  But  then, 
 the  religion  which  onli/  deserves  the  name,  must  come 
 from  above;  it  must  be  suited  to  the  state  and  wants  of 
 a  sinner,  it  must  be  capable  of  comforting  the  heart,  it 
 umst  take  away  the  sting  and  dread  of  death,  and  fix  our 
 confidence  upon  one  who  is  always  able  to  help  us.  Such 
 is  the  religion  of  Jesus,  such  are  its  effects,  and  such  are 
 the  criteria  whereby  we  are  to  judge  of  the  various  forms 
 and  schemes  under  which  it  is  proposed  to  us.  But  I 
 forbear;  I  am  only  reminding  you  of  what  you  know, 
 and  what  you  have  known  to  be  verified  by  living  and 
 dying  examples.  This  happiness,  my  dear  Sir,  is  open 
 to  you — to  all  who  seek.  He  is  enthroned  in  heaven,  but 
 prayer  will  bring  him  down  to  the  heart.  Indeed  he  is 
 always  beforehand  with  us;  and  if  we  feel  one  desire 
 towards  liim,  we  may  accept  it  as  a  token  that  he  gave 
 it  us  to  encourage  us  to  ask  for  more.  v 
 
206 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 May  he  be  your  guide  and  guard,  be  with  you  at  all 
 times,  and  in  all  places,  and  bring  you  back  to  your  father's 
 house  in  peace.  Should  I  live  to  see  that  day,  you  have 
 few  friends  whose  congratulations  would  be  warmer  or 
 more  sincere  than  mine;  and  if,  when  you  are  settled 
 and  at  leisure,  you  will  afford  me  a  letter,  it  will  be  both 
 a  pleasure  and  a  favour  to,  dear  Sir, 
 Yours,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  TX. 
 To  Miss  M  B  
 
 My  Dear  Miss  i\I  ,       T^ovember  11, 1775. 
 
 Our  late  visit  to   was  very  pleasant  to  myself;  if 
 
 any  thing  that  passed  was  of  service  to  you,  we  know  to 
 whom  the  thanks  are  due ;  for  we  can  neither  communi- 
 cate nor  receive  any  thing  but  so  far  as  he  is  pleased  to 
 enable  us.  One  reason  why  he  often  disappoints  us  is, 
 that  we  may  learn  to  depend  on  him  alone.  We  are 
 prone,  as  you  observe,  to  rest  too  much  upon  sensible 
 comforts,  yet  they  are  very  desirable;  only  as  to  the 
 measure  and  seasons,  it  is  well  to  be  submissive  to  his 
 ■will,  to  be  thankful  for  them  when  we  have  them,  and 
 humbly  waiting  for  them  when  we  have  them  not.  They 
 are  not,  however,  the  proper  ground  of  our  hope ;  a  good 
 hope  springs  from  such  a  sense  of  our  wants,  and  such  a 
 persuasion  of  his  power  and  grace,  as  engages  the  heart 
 to  venture,  upon  the  warrant  of  his  promises,  to  trust  in 
 him  for  salvation.  In  a  sense,  we  are  often  hindering 
 him  by  our  impatience  and  unbelief;  but  stricth'  speak- 
 ing, when  he  really  begins  the  good  work,  and  gives  us 
 a  desire  which  will  be  satisfied  with  nothing  short  of  him- 
 self, he  uill  not  be  hindered  from  carrying  it  on;  for  he 
 has  said,  I  will  work,  and  none  shall  let  it.    Ah!  had  it 
 
LETTERS  TO  MISS  M   B   207 
 
 depended  upon  myself,  upon  my  wisdom  or  faithfulness, 
 I  should  have  hindered  him  to  purpose,  and  ruined  my- 
 self long  ago.  How  often  have  I  grieved  and  resisted 
 his  Spirit!  But  hereby  I  have  learned  more  of  his  pa- 
 tience and  tenderness  than  I  could  otherwise  have  known. 
 He  knows  our  frame,  and  wliat  effects  our  evil  nature, 
 fomented  by  the  artifices  of  Satan,  will  have;  he  sees  us 
 from  first  to  last.  A  thousand  evils  arise  in  our  hearts, 
 a  thousand  wrongnesses  in  our  conduct,  which,  as  they 
 do  arise,  are  new  to  ourselves,  and  perhaps  at  some  times 
 we  were  ready  to  think  we  were  capable  of  such  things; 
 but  none  of  them  are  new  to  him  to  whcm  past,  present, 
 and  future  are  the  same.  The  foresight  of  them  did  not 
 prevent  his  calling  us  by  his  grace.  Though  he  knew 
 we  were  vile,  and  should  prove  ungrateful  and  unfaithful, 
 yet  he  would  be  found  of  us;  he  would  knock  at  the  door 
 of  our  hearts,  and  gain  himself  an  entrance.  Nor  shall 
 they  prevent  his  accomplishing  his  gracious  purpose.  It 
 is  our  part  to  be  abased  before  him,  and  quietly  to  hope 
 and  wait  for  his  salvation  in  the  use  of  his  appointed 
 means.  The  power,  success,  and  blessing  are  wholly 
 from  himself.  To  make  us  more  sensible  of  this,  he  often 
 withdraws  from  our  perceptions:  and  as,  in  the  absence 
 of  the  sun,  the  wild  beasts  of  the  forest  roam  abroad ;  so, 
 when  Jesus  hides  himself,  we  presently  perceive  wliat  is 
 in  our  hearts,  and  what  a  poor  shift  we  can  make  without 
 him;  when  he  returns,  his  light  chases  the  evils  away, 
 and  we  are  well  again.  However,  they  are  not  dead 
 when  most  controlled  by  his  presence. 
 
 It  is  your  great  and  singular  mercy,  my  dear  Miss, 
 that  he  has  taught  you  to  ?eek  him  so  early  in  life.  You 
 are  entered  in  the  way  of  salvation,  but  you  must  not 
 expect  all  at  once.  The  work  of  grace  is  compared  to 
 the  corn,  and  to  a  building;  the  growth  of  tlie  one,  and 
 the  carrying  forward  of  the  other,  are  gradual.  In  a 
 building,  for  instance,  if  it  be  large,  there  is  much  to  be 
 done  in  preparing  and  laying  the  foundation,  before  the 
 walls  appear  above  ground;  much  is  doing  within,  when 
 the  work  does  not  seem  perhaps  to  advance  without ;  and 
 when  it  is  considerably  forward,  yet  being  encumbered 
 
208 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 with  scaffolds  and  rubbish,  a  bystander  sees  it  at  a  groat 
 disadvantage,  and  can  form  but  an  imperfect  judgment 
 of  it.  But  all  this  while  the  architect  himself,  even  from 
 the  laying  of  the  first  stone,  conceives  of  it  according  to 
 the  plan  and  design  he  has  formed;  he  prepares  and  ad- 
 justs the  materials,  disposing  each  in  its  proper  time  and 
 place,  and  views  it  in  idea  as  already  finished.  In  due 
 season  it  is  completed,  but  not  in  a  day.  The  top-stone 
 is  fixed,  and  then  the  scaffolds  and  rubbish  being  removed, 
 it  appears  to  others  as  he  intended  it  should  be.  Men 
 indeed  often  plan  what,  for  want  of  skill  or  ability,  or 
 from  unforeseen  disappointments,  they  are  unable  to  exe- 
 cute. But  nothing  can  disappoint  tiie  heavenly  Builder; 
 nor  will  he  ever  be  reproached  with  forsaking  the  work 
 of  his  own  hands,  or  beginning  that  which  he  could  not 
 or  would  not  accomplish,  Phil.  i.  6.  het  us  therefore  be 
 thankful  for  beginnings,  and  patiently  wait  the  event.  His 
 enemies  strive  to  retard  the  work,  as  they  did  when  the 
 Jews,  by  his  order,  set  about  rebuilding  the  temple.  Yet 
 it  was  finished  in  defiance  of  them  all. 
 
 Believe  me  to  be,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  X. 
 
 My  Dear  Miss  M  ,  April  29,  1776. 
 
 I  THANK  you  for  your  last;  and  I  rejoice  in  the  Lord's 
 goodness  to  you.  To  be  drawn  by  love,  exempted  from 
 those  distressing  terrors  and  temptations  which  some 
 are  beset  with;  to  be  favoured  with  the  ordinances  and 
 means  of  grace,  and  connected  with  those,  and  with  those 
 only,  who  are  disposed  and  qualified  to  assist  and  encour- 
 age you  in  seeking  the  Saviour;  these  are  peculiar  pri- 
 vileges, which  all  concur  in  your  case:  he  loves  you,  he 
 deals  gently  with  you,  he  provides  well  for  you,  and  ac- 
 companies every  outward  privilege  with  his  special  bless- 
 ing; and  I  trust  he  will  lead  you  on  from  strength  to 
 
LETTERS  TO  MISS  M- 
 
 B 
 
 209 
 
 strength,  and  show  you  still  greater  things  than  j^ou  have 
 yet  seen.  They  whom  he  teaches  are  alwaj^s  increasing 
 in  knowledge  both  of  themselves  and  of"  him.  The 
 heart  is  deep,  and,  like  Ezekiel's  vision,  presents  so  many 
 chambers  of  imagery,  one  within  another,  that  it  requires 
 time  to  get  a  considerable  acquaintance  with  it,  and  we 
 shall  never  know  it  thoroughly.  It  is  now  more  tlian 
 twenty-eight  years  since  the  Lord  began  to  open  mine 
 to  my  own  view;  and  from  that  time  to  this,  almost  every 
 day  has  discovered  to  me  something  which  till  then  was 
 unobserved ;  and  the  farther  I  go,  the  more  I  seem  con- 
 vinced that  I  have  entered  but  a  little  way.  A  person 
 that  travels  in  some  parts  of  Derbyshire  may  easily  be 
 satisfied  that  the  country  is  cavernous;  but  how  large, 
 how  deep,  how  immerous  the  caverns  may  be,  which  are 
 hidden  from  us  by  the  surface  of  the  ground,  and  what 
 is  contained  in  them,  ai'e  questions  which  our  nicest  in- 
 quirers cannot  fully  answer.  Thus  I  judge  of  my  heart, 
 tiiat  it  is  very  deep  and  dark,  and  full  of  evil;  but  as  to 
 particulars,  I  know  not  one  of  a  thousand. 
 
 And  if  our  own  hearts  are  beyond  our  comprehension, 
 how  nmch  more  incomprehensible  is  the  heart  of  Jesus! 
 If  sin  abounds  in  us,  grace  and  love  superabound  in  him : 
 his  ways  and  thoughts  are  higher  than  ours,  as  the  hea- 
 vens are  higher  than  the  earth ;  his  love  has  a  height, 
 and  depth,  and  length,  and  breadth  that  passeth  all  know- 
 ledge; and  liis  riches  of  grace  are  unsearchable  riches, 
 Eph.  iii.  8,  18,  19.  AH  that  we  have  received  or  can 
 receive  from  him,  or  know  of  him  in  this  light,  compared 
 with  what  he  is  in  himself,  or  v/hat  he  has  for  us,  is  but 
 as  the  drop  of  a  bucket  compared  with  the  ocean,  or  a 
 single  ray  of  light  in  respect  to  the  sun.  The  waters  of 
 the  sanctuary  flow  to  us  at  first  almost  upon  a  level, 
 ankle  deep,  so  graciously  does  the  Lord  condescend  to 
 our  weakness;  but  they  rise  as  we  advance,  and  constrain 
 lis  to  cry  out  with  the  apostle,  O  the  depth!  We  find 
 before  us,  as  Dr  Watts  !)eautifully  expresses  it, 
 
 A  sea  of  love  and  grace  unknown. 
 Without  a  bottom  or  a  shore. 
 
 ,0  the  excellency  of  the  knowledge  of  Christ!    Itwill  be 
 
210 
 
 CARDIPHONIA 
 
 growing  upon  us  through  time,  yea,  I  believe  through 
 eternity.  What  an  astonishing  and  what  a  cheering 
 thought,  that  this  high  and  lofty  One  should  unite  him- 
 self to  our  nature,  that  so,  in  a  way  worthy  of  his  ador- 
 able perfections,  he  might,  by  his  Spirit,  unite  us  to  him- 
 self! Could  such  a  thought  have  arisen  in  our  hearts, 
 without  the  warrant  of  his  word  (but  it  is  a  thought 
 which  no  created  mind  was  capable  of  conceiving  till  he 
 revealed  it),  it  would  have  been  presumption  and  blas- 
 phemy ;  but  now  he  has  made  it  known,  it  is  the  founda- 
 tion of  our  hope,  and  an  inexhaustible  spring  of  life  and 
 joy.  Well  may  we  say,  Lord,  what  is  man,  that  thou 
 shouldst  thus  visit  him? 
 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  XI, 
 
 My  Dear  Miss  M  ,        September  3,  1776. 
 
 We  saw  no  danger  upon  the  road  homeward;  but  my 
 judgment  tells  me  we  are  always  upon  the  brink  of  dan- 
 ger, though  we  see  it  not;  and  that,  without  the  imme- 
 diate protection  and  care  of  him  who  preserveth  the 
 stars  in  their  courses,  there  could  be  no  travelling  safely 
 a  few  miles,  nor  even  sitting  in  safety  by  the  fireside. 
 But  with  him  we  are  safe  in  all  places  and  circumstances, 
 till  our  race  is  done,  and  his  gracious  purposes  concern- 
 ing us,  in  the  present  life,  are  completely  answered; — 
 then  he  will  call  us  home,  that  we  may  see  his  face,  and 
 be  with  him  for  ever,  and  then  it  will  not  much  signify 
 what  messenger  he  shall  be  pleased  to  send  for  us.  i 
 I  While  he  took  care  of  us  abroad,  he  watched  over  our 
 concerns  at  home  likewise;  so  that  we  found  all  well 
 upon  our  return,  and  met  with  nothing  to  grieve  us. 
 Many  go  out  and  return  home  no  more,  and  many  find 
 distressing  things  have  happened  in  their  absence;  but 
 we  have  to  set  up  our  Ebenezer,  and  to  say,  Hitherto  he 
 
LETTERS  TO  MISS  M   B- 
 
 211 
 
 has  helped  us.    Assist  me  to  praise  him.    The  Lord  is 
 leading  you  in  the  good  old  way,  in  which  you  may  per- 
 ceive the  footsteps  of  his  flock  who  have  gone  before  you. 
 They  had  in  their  day  the  same  difficulties,  fears,  and 
 complaints  as  we  have,  and  through  mercy  we  partake 
 of  the  same  consolation  which  supported  and  refreshed 
 them;  and  the  promises  which  they  trusted  and  found 
 faithful,  are  equally  sure  to  us.   It  is  still  true,  that  they 
 who  believe  shall  never  be  confounded.    If  left  to  our- 
 selves, we  should  have  built  upon  sand ;  but  he  has  pro- 
 vided and  revealed  a  sure  foundation,  removed  our  na- 
 tural prejudices  against  it;  and  now,  though  rains  and 
 floods  and  storms  assault  our  building,  it  cannot  fall,  for 
 it  is  founded  upon  a  rock.    The  suspicions  and  fears 
 which  arise  in  an  awakened  mind,  proceed,  in  a  good 
 measure,  from  remaining  unbelief ;  but  not  wholly  so ;  for 
 there  is  a  jealousy  and  diffidence  of  ourselves,  a  wariness, 
 owing  to  a  sense  of  the  deceitfulness  of  our  hearts,  which 
 is  a  grace  and  a  gift  of  the  Lord.    Some  people  who 
 have  much  zeal,  but  are  destitute  of  this  jealous  fear,  may 
 be  compared  to  a  ship  that  spreads  a  great  deal  of  sail, 
 but  is  not  properly  ballasted,  and  is  therefore  in  danger 
 of  being  overset  whenever  a  storm  comes.    A  sincere 
 person  has  many  reasons  for  distrusting  his  own  judg- 
 ment ;  is  sensible  of  the  vast  importance  of  the  case,  and 
 afraid  of  too  hastily  concluding  in  his  own  favour,  and 
 therefore  not  easily  satisfied.  However,  this  fear,  though 
 useful,  especially  to  young  beginners,  is  not  comfortable ; 
 and  they  who  simply  wait  upon  Jesus  are  gradually 
 freed  from  it,  in  proportion  as  their  knowledge  of  him 
 and  their  experience  of  his  goodness  increases.    He  has 
 a  time  for  settling  and  establishing  them  in  himself,  and 
 his  time  is  best.    We  are  hasty,  and  would  be  satisfied 
 at  once,  but  his  word  is,  Tarry  thou  the  Lord's  leisure. 
 The  work  of  grace  is  not  like  Jonah's  gourd,  which 
 sprang  up  and  flourished  in  a  night,  and  as  quickly 
 withered,  but  rather  like  the  oak,  which,  from  a  little 
 acorn  and  a  tender  plant,  advances  with  an  almost  im- 
 perceptible growth  from  year  to  year,  till  it  becomes  a 
 broad,  spreading,  and  deep-rooted  tree,  and  then  it  stands 
 
212 
 
 CARDlPHONtA. 
 
 for  ages.  The  Christian  oak  shall  grow  and  flourish  for 
 ever.  Wlien  I  see  any  soon  after  they  appear  to  be 
 awakened,  making  a  speedy  profession  of  great  joy, 
 before  the}'  have  a  due  actpiaintance  with  their  own 
 hearts,  I  am  in  pain  for  them.  I  am  not  sorry  to  hear 
 them  afterwards  complain  that  their  joys  are  gone,  and 
 they  are  almost  at  their  wits  end ;  for  without  some  such 
 check,  to  make  thera  feel  their  weakness  and  dependence, 
 I  seldom  find  them  turn  out  well ;  either  their  fervour 
 insensibly  abates,  till  they  become  quite  cold,  and  sink 
 into  the  world  again  (of  which  I  have  seen  many  in- 
 stances), or,  if  they  do  not  give  up  all,  tlieir  walk  is  un- 
 even, and  their  spirit  has  not  that  savour  of  brokenness 
 and  true  humility  which  is  a  chief  ornament  of  our  holy 
 profession.  If  they  do  not  feel  the  plague  of  their  hearts 
 at  first,  they  find  it  out  afterwards,  and  too  often  mani- 
 fest it  to  others.  Therefore,  though  I  know  the  Spirit 
 of  the  Lord  is  free,  and  will  not  be  confined  to  our  rules, 
 and  there  may  be  excepted  cases;  yet,  in  general,  I  be- 
 lieve the  old  proverb,  "  Soft  and  fair  goes  far,"  will  hold 
 good  in  Cliristian  experience.  Let  us  be  thankful  for 
 the  beginnings  of  grace,  and  wait  upon  our  Saviour 
 patiently  for  the  increase.  And  as  we  have  chosen  him 
 for  our  phj'sician,  let  us  commit  ourselves  to  his  manage- 
 ment, and  not  prescribe  to  liim  what  he  shall  prescribe 
 lor  us.  He  knows  us,  and  he  loves  us  better  than  we  do 
 ourselves,  and  will  do  all  things  well. 
 
 You  say,  "  It  never  came  with  power  and  life  to  mj' 
 soul,  that  he  died  for  me."  If  you  mean,  you  never  had 
 uny  extraordinary  sudden  manifestation,  something  like 
 a  vision  or  a  voice  from  heaven,  confirming  it  to  you,  I 
 can  say  the  same.  But  I  know  he  died  for  sinners;  I 
 know  I  am  a  sinner:  I  know  he  invites  them  that  are 
 ready  to  perish ;  I  am  such  a  one :  I  know,  upon  his  own 
 invitation,  I  have  committed mj'self  to  him;  and  I  know, 
 by  the  effects,  that  he  has  been  witli  me  hitherto,  other- 
 wise I  should  have  been  an  apostate  long  ago:  and  there- 
 fore I  know  that  he  died  for  me ;  for  had  he  been  pleased 
 to  kill  me  (as  he  justly  might  liave  done),  he  would  not 
 have  shown  me  such  things  as  these. 
 
LETTERS  TO  MISS  M- 
 
 213 
 
 If  I  must  perish,  would  the  Lord 
 Have  taught  my  tieart  to  love  his  word? 
 Would  he  have  giv'n  me  eyes  to  see 
 My  danger  and  my  remedy  ? 
 Reveal'd  his  name,  and  bid  me  pray, 
 Had  he  lesolv'd  to  lay  me  nay? 
 
 I  know  tliat  I  am  a  child,  because  he  teaches  me  to 
 say,  Abba,  Father,  I  know  that  I  am  his,  because  he 
 has  enabled  me  to  choose  him  for  mine ;  for  such  a 
 choice  and  desire  could  never  have  taken  place  in  my 
 heart,  if  he  had  not  placed  it  there  himself.  By  nature 
 I  was  too  blind  to  know  him,  too  proud  to  trust  him, 
 too  obstinate  to  serve  him,  too  base-minded  to  love  him. 
 The  enmity  I  was  filled  with  against  his  government, 
 righteousness,  and  grace,  was  too  strong  to  be  subdued 
 by  any  power  but  his  own.  The  love  I  bear  him  is  but 
 a  faint  and  feeble  spark,  but  it  is  an  emanation  from  him- 
 self: he  kindled  it,  and  he  keeps  it  alive;  and  because 
 it  is  his  work,  I  trust  many  waters  shall  not  quench  it. 
 
 I  have  only  room  to  assure  you,  that  I  am,  &c. 
 
 G  2 
 
FOUR  LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR  R. 
 
 LETTER  L 
 
 My  Dear  Sir,  April  15, 1776. 
 
 ■»**»**♦* 
 
 I  OFTEN  rejoice  in  your  behalf.  Your  call  out  of  the 
 •world  was  a  singular  comfortable  instance  of  the  power 
 of  grace.  And  when  I  consider  the  difficulties  and  snares 
 of  your  situation,  and  tliat  you  have  been  kept  in  the 
 middle  path,  preserved  from  undue  compliances  on  the 
 one  hand,  and  unnecessary  singularities  on  the  other,  I 
 cannot  doubt  but  the  Lord  has  hitherto  helped  and  guided 
 you.  Indeed  you  have  need  of  his  guidance.  At  your 
 years,  and  with  your  expectations  in  life,  your  health 
 firm,  and  your  natural  spirits  lively,  you  are  exposed  to 
 many  snares :  yet  if  the  Lord  keeps  you  sensible  of  your 
 danger,  and  dependent  upon  him,  you  will  walk  safely. 
 Your  security,  success,  and  comfort  depend  upon  him; 
 and  in  the  way  of  means,  chiefly  upon  your  being  pre- 
 served in  an  humble  sense  of  your  own  weakness.  It  is 
 written,  "  Fear  not,  I  am  with  thee."  It  is  written  again, 
 "  Blessed  is  the  man  who  feareth  always."  There  is  a 
 perfect  harmony  in  those  seemingly  different  texts.  May 
 the  wisdom  that  cometh  from  above  teach  you  and  me 
 to  keep  them  both  united  in  our  view.  If  the  Lord  be 
 with  us,  we  have  no  cause  of  fear.  His  eye  is  upon  us, 
 his  arm  over  us,  his  ear  open  to  our  prayer;  his  grace 
 sufficient,  his  promise  unchangeable.  Under  his  protec- 
 tion, though  the  path  of  duty  should  lie  through  fire  and 
 water,  M'e  may  cheerfuUy  and  confidently  pursue  it.  On 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR  R 
 
 215 
 
 the  other  hand,  our  hearts  are  so  deceitful,  fallible,  and 
 frail;  our  spiritual  enemies  so  subtle,  watchful,  and  power- 
 ful; and  they  derive  so  many  advantages  from  the  occa- 
 sions of  every  day,  in  which  we  are  unavoidably  and 
 unexpectedly  concerned;  there  is  so  much  combustible 
 within,  and  so  many  temptations  arising  from  without, 
 capable  of  setting  all  in  a  flame,  that  we  cannot  be  too 
 jealous  of  ourselves  and  our  circumstances.    The  Duke 
 of  Devonshire's  motto  (if  I  mistake  not)  well  suits  the 
 Christian,  Carendo  tutus.    When  we  can  say,  in  the 
 Psalmist's  spirit.  Hold  thou  me  up,  we  may  warrantably 
 draw  his  conclusion,  and  I  shall  be  safe;  but  the  mo- 
 ment we  lean  to  our  own  understanding,  we  are  in  immi- 
 nent danger  of  falling.    The  enemy  who  wars  against 
 our  souls  is  a  consummate  master  in  his  way,  fertile  in 
 stratagems,  and  equally  skilful  in  carrying  on  his  assaults 
 by  sap  or  by  storm.    He  studies  us,  if  I  may  so  say,  all 
 round,  to  discover  our  weak  sides,  and  he  is  a  very  Pro- 
 teus for  changing  his  appearances,  and  can  appear  as  a 
 sly  serpent,  a  roaring  lion,  or  an  angel  of  light,  as  best 
 suits  his  purpose.    It  is  a  great  mercy  to  be  in  some 
 measure  acquainted  with  his  devices,  and  aware  of  them. 
 They  who  wait  humbly  upon  the  Lord,  and  consult  care- 
 fully at  his  word  and  tlu'one  of  grace,  are  made  wiser  than 
 their  enemy,  and  enabled  to  escape  and  withstand  his  wiles. 
 I  know  you  will  not  expect  me  to  apologize  for  putting 
 you  in  mind  of  these  things,  though  you  know  them.  I 
 have  a  double  warrant;  the  love  I  bear  you,  and  the 
 Lord's  command,  Heb.  iii.  1 3.   Use  the  like  freedom  with 
 me;  I  need  it,  and  hope  to  be  thankful  for  it#  and  accept 
 it  as  one  of  the  best  proofs  of  friendsliip. 
 
 The  Lord  bless  and  keep  you.  Pray  for  us,  and  be- 
 lieve me  to  be  sincerely  yours. 
 
216 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 LETTER  11. 
 
 My  Dear  Sir,  July  13,  1776; 
 
 The  Lord,  who  merclfiilly  called  you  out  of  a  state  of 
 thoughtless  dissipation,  and  lias  hitherto  been  with  you, 
 will,  I  trust,  sweeten  all  your  trials,  and  cause  his  light 
 to  shine  upon  your  paths.  It  seems  probable,  that  if  j'ou 
 pay  a  just  regard  to  your  father's  negative,  which  I  really 
 think  he  has  a  right  to  expect  from  you,  and  at  the  same 
 time  make  a  steady  and  conscientious  use  of  that  nega- 
 tive, which  he  generously  allows  you  to  put  upon  his 
 proposals,  to  M'hich  I  think  you  have  an  equal  right;  I 
 say,  while  things  remain  in  this  situation,  and  you  con- 
 tinue to  think  differently,  it  seems  probable  that  the  hour 
 of  your  exchanging  a  single  for  the  marriage  state,  is  yet 
 at  some  distance.  But  let  not  this  grieve  you.  The  Lord 
 is  all-sufficient.  A  lively  sense  of  his  love,  a  deep  im- 
 pression of  eternity,  a  heart  filled  with  zeal  for  his  cause, 
 and  a  thirst  for  the  good  of  souls,  will,  I  hope,  enable 
 you  to  make  a  cheerful  sacrifice  of  whatever  has  no  ne- 
 cessary connection  with  your  peace  and  his  service.  And 
 you  may  rest  assured,  that  whenever  he,  who  loves  you 
 better  than  j'ou  do  yourself,  sees  it  best  for  you  upon  the 
 whole  to  change  j-our  condition,  he  will  bring  it  about, 
 he  will  point  out  the  person,  prepare  the  means,  and  se- 
 cure the  success  by  his  providence,  and  the  power  he 
 lias  over  every  heart.  And  you  sliall  see  that  all  pre- 
 vious difficulties  were  either  gi-acious  preventions,  which 
 he  threw  in  the  way  to  prevent  j  our  taking  a  wrong  step, 
 or  temporary  bars,  which,  by  his  removing  them  after- 
 wards, should  gi\'e  you  opportunity  of  more  clearly  per- 
 ceiving his  care  and  interposition  in  j-our  favour.  In 
 the  mean  time  remember  your  high  calling.  You  are  a 
 minister  and  ambassador  of  Christ;  you  are  intrusted 
 with  the  most  honourable  and  important  employment 
 that  can  engage  and  animate  the  heart  of  man.  Tat/ra 
 [/,-'/. ira,  i'j  rcivroi;  laOi,  iTrifism  nvroi;.* 
 *  I  Tim.  iv.  13. 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR  K- 
 
 217 
 
 Filled  and  fired  with  a  constraining  sense  of  the  love 
 of  Jesus  and  the  worth  of  souls;  impressed  with  an 
 ardour  to  carry  war  into  Satan's  kingdom,  to  storm  his 
 strongholds,  and  rescue  his  captives;  you  will  have  little 
 leisure  to  think  of  any  thing  else.  How  does  the  love 
 of  glory  stimulate  the  soldier,  make  him  forget  and  fore- 
 go a  thousand  personal  tendernesses,  and  prompt  him  to 
 cross  oceans,  to  traverse  deserts,  to  scale  mountains, 
 and  plunge  into  the  greatest  hardships  and  the  thickest 
 dangers!  They  do  it  for  a  corruptible  crown,  a  puff  of 
 breath,  an  empty  flame;  their  highest  prospect  is  the 
 applause  and  favour  of  their  prince.  We  likewise  are 
 soldiers,  we  have  a  Prince  and  Captain  who  deserves 
 our  all.  They  who  know  him,  and  have  hearts  to  con- 
 ceive of  his  excellence,  and  to  feel  tiieir  obligations  to 
 him,  cannot  indeed  seek  their  own  glory,  Init  his  glory 
 is  dearer  to  them  than  a  thousand  lives.  They  owe  liiin 
 their  souls,  for  he  redeemed  them  \vit!i  blood,  his  ow  n 
 blood ;  and  by  his  grace  he  subdued  and  pai'doned  them 
 when  they  were  rebels,  and  in  arms  against  him.  There- 
 fore they  are  not  their  own,  they  would  not  be  their  own. 
 When  his  standard  is  raised,  when  his  enemies  are  in 
 motion,  when  his  people  are  to  be  rescued,  they  go  forth 
 clothed  with  his  panoply,  they  fight  under  his  eye, 
 they  are  sure  of  his  support,  and  he  shows  them  the 
 conqueror's  crown.  O  when  they  think  of  that  oov'a- 
 uyah,*  with  which  he  has  promised  to  welcome  them 
 home,  when  the  campaign  is  over,  hard  things  seem  easy, 
 and  bitter  things  sweet;  they  count  nothing,  not  even 
 their  own  lives  dear,  so  that  they  may  finish  their  course 
 with  joy.  May  the  Lord  make  us  tlms  minded;  give  us 
 a  hearty  concern  for  his  business,  and  he  has  engaged  to 
 take  care  of  ours;  and  nothing  that  can  conduce  to  our 
 real  comfort  and  usefulness  shall  be  withheld. 
 Believe  me  to  be  sincerely  yours. 
 
 *  Well  done,  good  servant. 
 
213 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 LETTER  III. 
 
 My  Dear  Friend,  December  21,  1776. 
 
 Your  letter  brought  me  tidings  of  joy,  and  then  furnished 
 me  with  materials  for  a  bonfire  upon  the  occasion.  It 
 was  an  act  of  passive  obedience  to  burn  it,  but  I  did  obey. 
 I  congratulate  you  upon  the  happy  issue  to  which  the 
 Lord  has  brought  your  affairs.  I  see  that  his  good  Spirit 
 and  good  providence  have  been  and  are  with  you.  I 
 
 doubt  not  but  your  union  with  Miss  will  be  a 
 
 mutual  blessing,  and,  on  your  part,  heightened  by  being 
 connected  with  such  a  family.  I  could  enlarge  upon 
 this  head,  if  my  letter  likewise  was  to  be  burnt  as  soon  as 
 you  have  read  it.  I  look  upon  the  friendship  the  Lord 
 has  given  me  there,  as  one  of  my  prime  privileges;  and 
 I  hope  I  shall  always  be  tliankful  that  it  proved  a  means 
 of  introducing  you  into  it. 
 
 I  congratulate  you,  likewise,  upon  your  accession  to 
 
  ,  not  because  it  is  a  good  living,  in  a  genteel 
 
 neighbourhood,  and  a  fine  country;  but  because  I  be- 
 lieve the  Lord  sends  you  there  for  fulfilling  the  desires 
 he  has  given  you,  of  being  useful  to  souls.  Church  pre- 
 ferment, in  any  other  view,  is  dreadful;  and  I  would  as 
 soon  congratulate  a  man  upon  seeing  a  millstone  tied 
 about  his  neck,  to  sink  him  into  the  depths  of  the  sea, 
 as  upon  his  obtaining  what  is  called  a  good  living,  ex- 
 cept I  thought  him  determined  to  spend  and  be  spent  in 
 the  cause  of  the  gospel.  A  parish  is  an  awful  millstone 
 indeed  to  those  who  see  nothing  valuable  in  the  flock  but 
 the  fleece.  But  the  Lord  has  impressed  your  heart  with 
 a  sense  of  the  glory  and  importance  of  his  truth,  and  the 
 worth  of  souls,  and  animated  your  zeal  by  the  most  power- 
 ful motive,  the  knowledge  of  his  constraining  love.  Your 
 case  is  extraordinary.  Perhaps,  when  you  review  in  your 
 mind  the  circle  of  j'our  former  gay  acquaintance,  you 
 m.aj'  say,  with  Job's  servant,  "  I  only  am  escaped  alive." 
 The  rest  are  either  removed  into  an  eternal  state,  or  are 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR  R  . 
 
 219 
 
 still  hurrying  down  the  stream  of  dissipation,  and  living 
 without  God  in  the  world.  Yet  there  was  a  time  when 
 there  seemed  no  more  probability  on  your  side  than  on 
 theirs,  that  you  should  obtain  mercy,  and  be  called  to 
 the  honour  of  preaching  the  glorious  gospel.  You  are 
 setting  out  with  every  possible  advantage — in  early  life, 
 with  a  cheerful  flow  of  spirits,  affluent  circumstances, 
 and  now,  to  crown  all,  the  Lord  gives  you  the  very 
 choice  of  your  heart  in  a  partner;  one  who,  besides  de- 
 serving and  meeting  your  affection,  will,  I  am  persuaded, 
 be  a  real  help-meet  to  you  in  your  spiritual  walk.  How 
 much  is  here  to  be  thankful  for ! 
 
 I  trust  the  Lord  has  given  you,  and  will  maintain  in 
 you  a  right  spirit,  so  as  not  to  rest  in  his  gifts,  but  to 
 hold  them  in  connexion  with  the  love  and  favour  of  the 
 giver.  It  is  a  low  time  with  us,  when  the  greatest  as- 
 semblage of  earthly  blessings  can  seem  to  satisfy  us  with- 
 out a  real  communion  with  him.  His  grace  is  sufficient 
 for  you ;  but  undoubtedly  such  a  scene  of  prosperity  as 
 seems  to  lie  before  you,  is  full  of  snares,  and  calls  for  a 
 double  effort  of  watchfulness  and  prayer.  Your  situa- 
 tion will  fix  many  eyes  upon  you,  and  Satan  will  doubt- 
 less watch  you,  and  examine  every  corner  of  the  hedge 
 around  you,  to  see  if  he  can  find  a  gap  by  which  to  en- 
 ter. We  have  but  few  rich  gospel  ministers;  but  it  is 
 too  evident  that  he  has  found  a  M'ay  to  damp  the  zeal 
 and  hurt  the  spirits  of  some  of  those  few,  who  for  a  time 
 acted  nobly,  and  seemed  to  walk  out  of  the  reach  of  the 
 allurements  of  the  world.  I  am  not  jealous  of  you;  I 
 feel  a  comfortable  persuasion  that  the  Lord  has  taken  a 
 fast  hold  of  your  heart,  and  given  you  a  fast  hold  of  his 
 almighty  arm.  Yet  I  believe  you  will  not  be  displeased 
 with  me  for  dropping  a  hint  of  this  kind,  and  at  this 
 time. 
 
 You  have  heard  of  the  trial  with  which  the  Lord  has 
 been  pleased  to  visit  us:  it  still  continues,  though  consi- 
 derably alleviated.  It  is  tempered  with  many  mercies, 
 and  I  hope  he  disposes  us  in  a  measure  to  submission. 
 I  trust  it  will  be  for  good.  My  dear  friend,  you  are  now 
 coming  into  my  school,  where  you  will  learn,  as  occasions 
 
220 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 offer,  to  feel  more  in  the  person  of  another  than  in  j-our 
 own.  But  be  not  discouraged;  the  Lord  only  afflicts  for 
 our  good.  It  is  necessary  that  our  sharpest  trials  should 
 sometimes  spring  from  our  dearest  comforts,  else  we  should 
 be  in  danger  of  forgetting  ourselves,  and  setting  up  our 
 rest  here.  In  such  a  world,  and  with  such  hearts  as  we 
 have,  we  shall  often  need  something  to  prevent  our  cleav- 
 ing to  the  dust,  to  quicken  us  to  prayer,  and  to  make  us 
 feel  that  our  dependence  for  one  hour's  peace  is  upon  the 
 Lord  alone.  I  am  ready  to  think  I  have  known  as  much 
 of  the  good  and  happiness  which  this  world  can  afford, 
 as  most  people  who  live  in  it.  I  never  saw  the  person 
 with  whom  I  wished  to  exchange  in  temporals.  And  for 
 many  years  past  I  have  thought  my  trials  have  been  light 
 and  few,  compared  with  what  many,  or  most  of  the  Lord's 
 people  have  endured.  And  yet,  though  in  the  main  pos- 
 sessed of  my  own  wishes,  when  I  look  back  upon  the 
 twenty-seven  years  past,  I  am  ready  to  style  them,  with 
 Jacob,  few  and  evil;  and  to  give  the  sum  total  of  their 
 contents,  in  Solomon's  words — all  is  vanity.  If  I  take 
 these  years  to  pieces,  I  see  a  great  part  of  them  was 
 filled  up  with  sins,  sorrows,  and  inquietudes.  The  plea- 
 sures too  are  gone,  and  have  no  more  real  existence 
 than  the  baseless  fabric  of  a  dream.  The  shadows  of 
 the  evening  will  soon  begin  to  come  over  us;  and  if  our 
 lives  are  prolonged,  a  thousand  pains  and  infirmities, 
 from  which  the  Lord  has  in  a  remarkable  measure  ex- 
 empted us  hitherto,  will  probably  overtake  us;  and  at 
 last  we  must  feel  the  parting  pang.  Sic  transit  gloria 
 mundi.  Sin  has  so  envenomed  the  soil  of  this  earth,  that 
 the  amaranth  will  not  grow  upon  it.  But  we  are  hasting 
 to  a  better  world,  and  bright  unclouded  skies,  where  our 
 sun  will  go  down  no  more,  and  all  tears  shall  be  wiped 
 from  our  eyes. 
 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
LETTi:a.S  TO  THE  REV.  MR  R- 
 
 221 
 
 LETTER  IV 
 
 My  Dear  Friend,  September  27,  1777- 
 
 Mr   called  on  us  Thursday  evening,  and  from 
 
 that  hour  my  thoughts,  when  awake,  have  seldom  been 
 
 absent  from  .    Few  people  are  better  qualified 
 
 to  feel  for  you,  yourself  and  the  family  excepted;  per- 
 haps there  is  no  person  living  more  nearly  interested  in 
 
 Mhat  concerns  Mrs   than  myself.    I  could  not 
 
 therefore,  at  such  a  time  as  this,  refrain  from  writing ; 
 and  glad  should  I  be,  if  the  Lord  may  help  me  to  drop 
 a  suitable  word,  and  accompany  it  with  a  blessing  to  you 
 in  the  reading. 
 
 I  am  glad  to  be  assured  (though  I  expected  no  less) 
 
 that  Mrs  happily  feels  herself  safe  in  the  Lord's 
 
 hand,  and  under  the  care  of  the  good  Shepherd  and  Sa- 
 viour, to  whom  she  has  often  committed  herself ;  and 
 finds  him  faithful  to  his  promise,  giving  her  strength  in 
 her  soul  according  to  her  day,  and  enabling  her  quietly 
 to  submit  to  his  holy,  M'ise,  and  gracious  will.  And  it 
 is  my  prayer,  that  he  may  strengthen  you  likewise,  and 
 reveal  his  own  all-sufficiency  so  clearly  and  powerfully 
 to  your  heart,  that  you  may  not  be  afraid  of  any  event, 
 but  cheerfully  rely  upon  him,  to  be  all  that  to  you,  in 
 every  circumstance  and  change,  which  his  promise  war- 
 rants you  to  expect. 
 
 I  am  willing  to  hope  that  this  is  but  a  short  season  of 
 anxiety,  appointed  for  the  exercise  of  your  faith  and  pa- 
 tience, and  to  give  you,  in  his  good  time,  a  signal  proof 
 of  his  power  and  goodness  in  answering  prayer.  He 
 sometimes  brings  us  into  such  a  situation,  that  the  help 
 of  creatures  is  utterly  unavailing,  that  we  may  afterwards 
 be  more  clearly  sensible  of  his  interposition.  Then  we 
 experimentally  learn  the  vanity  of  all  things  here  below, 
 and  are  brought  to  a  more  immediate  and  absolute  de- 
 pendence upon  himself.  We  have  need  of  having  these 
 lessons  frequently  inculcated  upon  us ;  but  when  his  end 
 
222 
 
 CARDIPIIONIA. 
 
 is  ansM-ered,  how  often,  after  he  has  caused  grief,  does 
 he  show  his  great  compassions,  and  save  us  fi-om  our 
 fears  by  an  outstretclied  arm,  and  such  a  seasonable  and 
 almost  unexpected  relief,  as  constrains  us  to  cry  out, 
 What  has  God  wrought?  and  who  is  a  God  like  unto 
 thee?    Such,  I  hope,  will  be  the  issue  of  your  present 
 trial;  and  that  he  who  gave  her  to  you  at  first,  will  re- 
 store her  to  you  again.    I  see  you  in  the  furnace;  but 
 the  Lord  is  sitting  by  it  as  a  refiner  of  silver,  to  mode- 
 rate the  fire,  and  manage  the  process,  so  that  you  shall 
 lose  nothing  but  dross,  and  be  brought  forth  as  refined 
 gold,  to  praise  his  name.    Apparent  diflSculties,  how- 
 ever great,  are  nothing  to  him.    If  he  speaks,  it  is 
 done ;  for  to  God  the  Lord  belong  the  issues  from  death. 
 Should  his  pleasure  be  otherwise,  and  should  he  call 
 your  dear  partner  to  a  state  of  glory  before  you,  still  I 
 know  he  is  able  to  support  you.    What  he  does,  how- 
 ever painful  to  the  flesh,  must  be  right,  because  he  does 
 it.    Having  bought  us  with  his  blood,  and  saved  our 
 souls  from  hell,  he  has  every  kind  of  riglit  to  dispose  of 
 us  and  ours  as  he  pleases;  and  this  we  are  sure  of,  he 
 will  not  lay  so  much  upon  us  as  he  freely  endured  for 
 us;  and  he  can  make  us  amends  for  all  we  suffer,  and 
 for  all  we  lose,  by  the  light  of  his  countenance.    A  few 
 years  will  set  all  to  rights;  and  they  who  love  him  and 
 are  beloved  of  him,  though  they  may  suffer  as  others, 
 shall  not  sorrow  as  others,  for  the  Lord  will  be  with  them 
 here,  and  he  will  soon  have  them  with  him:  there  all 
 tears  shall  be  wiped  from  their  eyes. 
 
 Perhaps  I  know  as  well  how  to  calculate  the  pain  of 
 such  a  separation,  as  any  one  who  has  not  actually  ex- 
 perienced it.  Many  a  time  the  desire  of  my  eyes  has 
 been  threatened,  many  a  time  my  heart  has  been  brougiit 
 low;  but  from  what  I  have  known  at  such  seasons,  I 
 have  reason  to  hope,  that  had  it  been  his  pU^asure  to 
 bring  upon  me  the  thing  that  I  feared,  his  everlasting 
 arm  would  have  upheld  me  from  sinking  under  the  stroke. 
 As  ministers,  we  are  called  to  comfort  the  Lord's  afflicted 
 people,  and  to  tell  them  the  knowledge  of  his  love  is  a 
 cordial  able  to  ieep  tlie  soul  alive  under  the  sharpest 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR  R 
 
 223 
 
 trials.  We  must  not  wonder  that  he  sometimes  puts  us 
 in  a  way  of  showing  that  we  do  not  deal  in  unfelt  truths, 
 but  that  we  find  ourselves  that  solid  consolation  in  the 
 gospel  which  we  encourage  others  to  expect  from  it. 
 You  have  now  such  an  occasion  of  glorifying  the  Lord; 
 I  pray  he  may  enable  you  to  improve  it,  and  that  all 
 around  you  may  see  that  he  is  with  j^ou,  and  that  his 
 good  word  is  the  support  and  anchor  of  your  soul.  Then 
 I  am  sure,  if  it  upon  tlie  whole  is  best  for  you,  he  will 
 give  you  the  desire  of  your  heart,  and  you  shall  yet  live 
 to  praise  him  together. 
 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
A  LETTER  TO  THE  REV.  MR  O- 
 
 LETTER. 
 
 Dear  Sir,  April  3, 
 
 You  see  I  have  prevented  you  in  your  promise  of  writ- 
 ing first;  and  having  found  a  pretext  for  troubling  Mr 
 
  ,  I  was  willing  to  venture  upon  j'ou  without  any, 
 
 unless  j'ou  will  let  me  plead  a  desire  of  showing  j^ou  how 
 welcome  your  correspondence  would  be  to  me.    I  know 
 not  if  my  heart  was  ever  more  united  to  any  person,  in 
 so  short  a  space  of  time,  than  to  you ;  and  what  engaged 
 me  so  much  was,  the  spirit  of  meekness  and  of  love  (that 
 peculiar  and  inimitable  mark  of  true  Christianity)  which 
 I  observed  in  you.    I  mean  it  not  to  your  praise.  May 
 all  the  praise  be  to  Him,  from  whom  every  good  and  per- 
 fect gift  Cometh,  who  alone  maketh  the  best  to  differ  from 
 the  worst.    But  I  think  I  may  well  mention,  to  your  en- 
 couragement, that  all  who  conversed  with  you  greatly 
 regret  your  speedy  departure;  and  I  am  persuaded  the 
 same  temper,  the  same  candour,  will  make  you  accept- 
 able, honourable,  and  useful,  wherever  you  go.  Blessed 
 are  the  poor  in  spirit,  the  meek,  the  merciful,  £md  the 
 peace-makers ;  they  shall  obtain  the  mercy  they  want, 
 and  possess  the  peace  they  love     They  shall  inherit  the 
 earth.    The  earth,  sinful  and  miserable  as  it  is,  shall  be 
 worthy  to  be  called  an  inheritance  to  them,  for  they  shall 
 enjoy  a  comparative  heaven  in  it.    They  shall  be  called 
 the  children  of  God,  though  dignified  with  no  title  among 
 men.   Alas!  how  much  are  these  things  overlooked,  even 
 by  many  who,  I  would  hope,  are  real  believers.  Me- 
 thinks  a  very  different  spirit  from  that  of  the  chvirch  of 
 
LETTER  TO  THE  REV.  MR  0 
 
 225 
 
 Laodicea  is  to  be  seen  amongst  us,  though  perhaps  it  is 
 not  easy  to  say  which  is  tlie  best  of  the  two.  That  was 
 neither  cold  nor  hot,  this  {mirabile  dictii)  is  botli  cold 
 and  hot  at  once,  and  both  to  the  extreme.  Hot,  hasty, 
 and  arbitrary  in  those  few  things  where  mediocrity  is  a 
 virtue;  but  cool  and  remiss  in  those  great  points,  where 
 the  application  of  the  whole  heart  and  soul  and  mind 
 and  strength  is  so  al)solutely  necessary,  and  so  positive- 
 ly enjoined.  Surely  there  is  too  much  room  for  this 
 observation,  and  1  perhaps  stand  self-condemned  in 
 making  it. 
 
 I  hope  you  will  take  opportunity  to  improve  your  in- 
 terest in  Mr  by  letter.  He  expressed  much  sa- 
 tisfaction in  the  hour  lie  spent  with  you  before  you  sailed, 
 and  a  great  regard  for  you;  therefore  would,  I  doubt 
 not,  give  you  a  fair  liearing;  and  the  phrase  litem  scripta 
 manet  is  true  in  more  senses  than  one.  He  makes  such 
 large  concessions  sometimes,  that  I  am  apt  to  think  he  is 
 conscious  of  the  weakness  of  his  own  argument ;  and  then 
 he  is  as  soon  angry  with  himself  for  complying  so  far, 
 and  flies  off  to  the  other  extreme.  Yet  for  the  most 
 part,  when  he  speaks  plain,  and  is  not  restrained  by 
 complaisance  for  particular  persons,  he  appears  not  only 
 a  stranger  to  experimental  religion,  but  averse  to  the 
 notion,  and  generally  inclined  to  treat  it  with  levity.  His 
 obstacles  are  very  many  and  very  great ;  his  reputation 
 as  a  learned  man,  his  years,  his  regular  life,  and  perhaps 
 above  all,  his  performances  in  print,  especially  his  last 
 book,  are  so  many  barriers  that  must  be  broke  through 
 before  conviction  can  reach  him.  But  the  grace  of  God 
 can  do  all  this  and  more;  and  indeed  when  I  think 
 of  the  many  truly  valuable  parts  of  his  character,  and 
 the  indefatigable  pains  he  has  taken  in  his  researches 
 after  truth,  I  am  willing  to  hope  that  the  Lord  will  at 
 length  teach  him  the  true  wisdom,  and  enable  him  (how- 
 ever hard  it  may  seem)  to  give  up  his  own  attainments, 
 and  sit  down  like  a  little  child  at  the  feet  of  Jesns. 
 
 I  hope  to  hear  soon  and  often  from  you.  I  number 
 my  Christian  coiTespondents  among  ray  principal  bless- 
 ings— a  few  judicious,  pious  fii'iends,  to  whom,  when  I 
 
226 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 can  get  leisure  to  write,  I  send  my  heart  by  turns.  I  can 
 trust  them  with  my  inmost  sentiments,  and  can  write 
 with  no  more  disguise  than  I  think.  I  shall  rejoice  to 
 add  you  to  the  number,  if  you  can  agree  to  take  me  as 
 I  am  (as  I  think  you  will),  and  suffer  me  to  commit  my 
 whole  self  to  paper,  without  respect  to  names,  parties, 
 and  sentiments.  I  endeavour  to  observe  my  Lord's 
 commands,  to  call  no  man  master  upon  earth;  yet  I 
 desire  to  own  and  honour  the  image  of  God  wherever  I 
 find  it.  I  dare  not  say  I  have  no  bigotry,  for  I  know 
 not  myself ;  and  remember  to  ray  shame,  that  formerly, 
 when  I  ignorantly  professed  myself  free  from  it,  I  was 
 indeed  overrun  with  it;  but  this  I  can  say,  I  allow  it 
 not;  I  strive  and  pray  against  it;  and  thus  far,  by  the 
 grace  of  God  I  have  attained,  that  I  find  my  heart  as 
 much  united  to  many  who  differ  from  me  in  some  points, 
 as  to  any  who  agree  with  me  in  all.  I  set  no  value  upon 
 any  doctrinal  truth,  farther  than  it  has  a  tendency  to 
 promote  practical  holiness.  If  others  should  think  those 
 things  hindrances,  which  I  judge  to  be  helps  in  this  re- 
 spect, I  am  content  they  should  go  on  in  their  own  way, 
 according  to  the  light  God  has  given  them,  provided 
 they  will  agree  with  me  ra  'ETrxua.yKs;.  If  it  should 
 be  asked.  Which  are  the  necessary  things  ?  I  answer, 
 Those  in  which  the  spiritual  worshippers  of  all  ages  and 
 countries  have  been  agreed.  Those,  on  the  contrary, 
 are  mere  subordinate  matters,  in  which  the  best  of  men, 
 those  who  have  been  the  most  eminent  for  faith,  prayer, 
 humility,  and  nearness  to  God,  always  have  been,  and 
 still  are,  divided  in  their  judgments.  Upon  this  plan,  I 
 should  think  it  no  hard  matter  to  draw  up  a  form  of 
 sound  words  (whether  dignified  with  the  name  of  a  creed 
 or  no,  I  care  not),  to  which  true  believers  of  all  sorts 
 and  sizes  would  unanimously  subscribe.  Suppose  it  ran 
 something  in  the  following  manner:  I  believe  that  sin  is 
 the  most  hateful  thing  in  the  world;  that  I  and  all  men 
 are  by  nature  in  a  state  of  wrath  and  depravity,  utterly 
 unable  to  sustain  the  penalty,  or  to  fulfil  the  commands 
 of  God's  holy  law;  and  that  we  have  no  sufficiency  of 
 ourselves  to  think  a  good  thought.    I  believe  that  Jesus 
 
LETTER  TO  THE  REV.  MR  O- 
 
 227 
 
 Christ  is  the  chief  among  ten  thousands;  tliat  he  came 
 into  the  world  to  save  the  chief  of  sinners,  by  making  a 
 propitiation  for  sin  by  his  death,  by  paying  a  perfect 
 obedience  to  the  law,  in  our  behalf ;  and  that  he  is  now 
 exalted  on  high,  to  give  repentance  and  remission  of  sins 
 to  all  that  believe;  and  that  he  ever  liveth  to  make  in- 
 tercession for  us.  I  believe  that  the  Holy  Spirit  (the 
 gift  of  God  through  Jesus  Christ)  is  the  sure  and  only 
 guide  into  all  truth,  and  the  common  privilege  of  all  be- 
 lievers; and  under  his  influence,  I  believe  the  holy  scrip- 
 tures are  able  to  make  us  wise  unto  salvation,  and  to 
 furnish  us  thoroughly  for  every  good  work.  I  believe 
 that  love  to  God,  and  to  man  for  God's  sake,  is  the 
 essence  of  religion,  and  the  fulfilling  of  tlie  law;  that 
 without  holiness  no  man  shall  see  the  Lord;  that  those 
 who,  by  a  patient  course  in  well-doing,  seek  glory,  ho- 
 nour, and  immortality,  shall  receive  eternal  life,  and  I 
 believe  that  this  reward  is  not  of  debt  but  of  grace,  even , 
 to  the  praise  and  glory  of  that  grace,  whereby  he  has 
 made  us  accepted  in  the  Beloved.  Amen. 
 
 I  pretend  not  to  accuracy  in  this  hasty  draught ;  they 
 are  only  outlines,  which  if  you  please  to  retouch,  and  fill 
 up  at  your  leisure,  I  hope  you  will  favour  me  with  a 
 sight  of  it.  I  fear  I  have  tired  you.  Shall  only  add  my 
 prayers,  that  the  Lord  may  be  with  you,  and  crown  your 
 labours  of  love  with  success,  that  you  may  hereafter  shine 
 among  those  who  have  been  instrumental  in  turning  many 
 to  righteousness. 
 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
SEVEN  LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR  P. 
 
 LETTER  I. 
 
 Dear  Sir, 
 
 The  account  which  I  received  by  Mr  C  ,  and  by 
 
 the  letter  which  he  brought  from  you,  of  your  welfare 
 and  the  welfare  of  your  people,  was  very  pleasing,  though 
 indeed  no  more  than  I  expected.    I  believed,  from  the 
 
 first  of  your  going  to  S  ,  that  you  would  like  the 
 
 people,  and  I  believed  the  Lord  had  given  you  that  frame 
 of  spirit  which  he  has  promised  to  bless.  What  reason 
 have  we  to  praise  him  for  the  knowledge  of  his  gospel, 
 and  for  the  honour  of  being  called  to  preach  it  to  others ; 
 and  likewise  that  he  has  been  pleased  to  cast  j'our  lot 
 and  mine  amongst  a  people  who  value  it,  and  to  crown 
 our  poor  labours  witli  some  measure  of  acceptance  and 
 usefulness.  How  little  did  we  think,  in  the  unawakened 
 part  of  our  life,  to  what  it  was  his  good  pleasure  to  re- 
 serve us! 
 
 The  Lord  is  pleased,  in  a  measure,  to  show  me  the 
 suitableness  and  necessity  of  an  humble  dependent  frame 
 of  heart,  a  ceasing  from  self,  and  a  reliance  upon  him  in 
 the  due  use  of  appointed  means;  I  am  far  from  having 
 attained,  but  I  hope  I  am  pressing,  at  least  seeking  after 
 it.  I  wish  to  speak  the  word  simply  and  experimentally, 
 and  to  be  so  engaged  with  the  importance  of  the  subject, 
 the  worth  of  souls,  and  the  thought  that  I  am  speaking  in 
 the  name  and  presence  of  the  Most  High  God,  as  that  I 
 might,  if  possible,  forget  everj'  thing  else.  This  would 
 be  an  attainment  indeed!  More  good  might  be  expected 
 from  a  broken  discourse,  delivered  in  such  a  fi-ame,  than 
 
from  the  most  advantageous  display  of  knowledge  and 
 gifts  without  it.  Not  that  I  would  undervalue  propriety 
 L  and  pertinence  of  expression:  it  is  our  duty  to  study  to 
 r  find  out  acceptable  words,  and  to  endeavour  to  appear 
 as  workmen  that  need  not  be  ashamed;  but  those  who 
 have  most  ability  in  this  way,  have  need  of  a  double 
 guard  of  grace  and  wisdom,  lest  they  be  tempted  to 
 trust  in  it,  or  to  value  themselves  upon  it.  They  that 
 trust  in  the  Lord  shall  never  be  moved;  and  they  that 
 abase  themselves  before  him,  he  will  exalt.  I  am  well 
 persuaded  that  your  conduct  and  views  have  been  agree- 
 '  able  to  these  sentiments ;  and  therefore  the  Lord  has  sup- 
 ported, encouraged,  and  owned  you ;  and  I  trust  he  will 
 still  bless  you,  and  make  you  a  blessing  to  many.  He 
 that  walketh  humbly  walketh  surely. 
 
 Believe  me  to  be,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  IL 
 
 My  Dear  Sir,  August  14,  1770. 
 
 Your  letter  did  me  good  when  I  received  it,  at  least 
 gave  me  much  pleasure ;  and  I  think  it  has  given  me  a 
 lift  while  I  have  been  just  now  reading  it.  I  know  not 
 that  I  ever  had  those  awful  views  of  sin  which  you  speak 
 of;  and  though  I  believe  I  should  be  better  for  them,  I 
 dare  not  seriously  wish  for  them.  There  is  a  petition 
 which  I  have  heard  in  public  prayer.  Lord  show  us  the 
 evil  of  our  heai'ts.  To  this  petition  I  cannot  venture  to 
 set  my  Amen,  at  least  not  without  a  qualification.  Show 
 me  enough  of  thyself  to  balance  the  view,  and  then  show 
 me  what  thou  pleasest.  I  think  I  have  a  very  clear  and 
 strong  conviction  in  my  judgment,  that  I  am  vile  and 
 worthless,  that  my  heart  is  full  of  evil,  only  evil,  and  that 
 continually.  I  know  something  of  it  too  experiment- 
 ally; and,  therefore,  judging  of  the  whole  by  the  sample, 
 though  I  am  not  suitably  affected  with  what  I  do  see,  I 
 
 H 
 
230 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 tremble  at  the  thought  of  seeing  more.  A  man  may  look 
 with  some  pleasure  upon  the  sea  in  a  storm,  provided  he 
 stands  safe  upon  the  land  himself;  but  to  be  xipon  the  sea 
 in  a  storm,  is  quite  another  thing.  And  yet  surely  the 
 coldness,  worldliness,  pride,  and  twenty  other  evils  under 
 which  I  groan,  owe  much  of  their  strength  to  the  want 
 of  that  feeling  sense  of  my  own  abominations  with  which 
 you  have  been  favoured ; — I  say  favoured ;  for  I  doubt 
 not  but  the  Lord  gave  it  you  in  mercy,  and  that  it  has 
 proved  and  will  prove  a  mercy  to  you,  to  make  you  more 
 humble,  spiritual,  and  dependent,  as  well  as  to  increase 
 your  ability  for  preaching  the  gospel  of  his  grace.  Upon 
 these  accounts,  I  can  assure  you,  that,  upon  a  first  read- 
 ing, and  till  I  stopped  a  moment  to  count  the  cost,  I  was 
 ready  to  envy  you  all  that  you  had  felt.  I  often  seem 
 to  know  what  the  scripture  teaches  both  of  sin  and  grace, 
 as  if  I  knew  them  not ;  so  faint  and  languid  are  my  per- 
 ceptions. I  often  seem  to  think  and  talk  of  sin  without 
 any  sorrow,  and  of  grace  without  any  joy. 
 
 I  have  had  some  people  awakened  by  dreams,  as  you 
 had  by  streamers:  but,  for  aught  I  know,  we  are  no  less 
 instrumental  to  the  good  of  these,  than  to  any  other  per- 
 son, upon  whom,  when  we  look,  our  hearts  are  ready  to 
 exult,  and  say,  See  what  the  Lord  has  done  by  me!  I 
 do  not  think  that,  strictly  speaking,  all  the  streamers  of 
 the  north  are  able  to  awaken  a  dead  soul.  I  suppose 
 people  may  be  terrified  by  them,  and  made  thoughtful, 
 but  awakened  only  by  the  word.  The  streamers  either 
 sent  them  to  hear  the  gospel,  or  roused  tiiem  to  attend  to 
 it;  but  it  was  the  knowledge  of  the  trutli  brought  home 
 to  the  heart  that  did  the  business.  Perhaps  the  stream- 
 ers reminded  them  of  what  they  had  heard  from  you 
 before.  Two  persons  here,  who  lived  like  heathens,  and 
 never  came  to  church,  were  alarmod  h\  some  terrifyini; 
 dreams,  and  came  out  to  hearing  forthwith.  There  the 
 Lord  was  pleased  to  meet  with  them.  One  of  them  dieil 
 triumphing;  the  other,  I  hope,  will  do  so  when  her  time 
 comes.  Whatever  means,  instruments,  or  occasions  he  is 
 pleased  to  employ,  the  work  is  all  his  own ;  and  I  trust 
 you  and  I  are  made  willing  to  give  him  all  the  glory,  and 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR  P- 
 
 231 
 
 to  sink  into  the  dust  at  the  thouglit  that  he  should  ever 
 permit  us  to  take  his  holy  name  upon  our  polluted  lips. 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  III. 
 
 Mv  Dear  Sir,  June  13,  1772. 
 
 You  say  that  your  experience  agrees  with  mine.  It  must 
 be  so,  because  our  hearts  are  alike.  The  heart  is  deceit- 
 ful and  desperately  wicked,  destitute  of  good,  and  prone 
 to  evil.  This  is  the  character  of  mankind  universally, 
 and  those  who  are  made  partakers  of  grace  are  renewed 
 but  in  part ;  the  evil  nature  still  cleaves  to  them,  and  the 
 root  of  sin,  though  mortified,  is  far  from  being  dead. 
 While  the  cause  remains  it  will  have  effects,  and  while 
 we  are  burdened  with  the  body  of  this  death,  we  must 
 groan  under  it.  But  we  need  not  be  swallowed  up  with 
 overmuch  sorrow,  since  we  have  in  Jesus  a  Saviour,  a 
 Righteousness,  an  Advocate,  a  Sheplierd.  He  knows  our 
 frame,  and  remembers  that  we  are  but  dust.  If  sin  abounds 
 in  us,  grace  abounds  much  more  in  him ;  nor  would  he 
 suffer  sin  to  remain  in  his  people,  if  he  did  not  know  how 
 to  overrule  it,  and  make  it  an  occasion  of  endearing  his 
 love  and  grace  so  much  the  more  to  our  souls.  The 
 Lord  forbid  that  we  should  plead  his  goodness  as  an  en- 
 couragement to  sloth  and  indifference.  Humiliation, 
 godly  sorrow,  and  self-abasement  become  us ;  but  at  the 
 same  time  we  may  rejoice  in  the  Lord.  Though  sin  re- 
 mains it  shall  not  have  dominion  over  us.  Though  it 
 wars  in  us  it  shall  not  prevail  against  us.  We  have  a 
 mercy-seat  sprinkled  with  blood,  we  have  an  advocate 
 with  the  Father,  we  are  called  to  his  warfare,  and  Ave 
 tight  under  the  eye  of  the  Captain  of  our  Salvation,  who 
 is  always  near  to  renew  our  strength,  to  heal  our  wounds, 
 and  to  cover  our  heads  in  the  heat  of  battle.  As  mini- 
 sters, we  preach  to  those  who  have  like  passions  and  in- 
 
232 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 firmities  with  ourselves,  and  by  our  own  feelings,  fears, 
 and  clianges,  we  learn  to  speak  a  word  in  season  to  them 
 tliat  are  weary,  to  warn  those  who  stand,  and  to  stretch 
 out  a  hand  of  compassion  towards  them  that  are  fallen ; 
 and  to  commend  it  to  others,  from  our  own  experience, 
 as  a  faithful  saying,  that  Jesus  came  to  save  the  chief  of 
 sinners.  Besides,  if  the  Lord  is  pleased  to  give  us  some 
 liberty,  acceptance,  and  success  in  preaching  the  gospel, 
 we  should  be  in  great  danger  of  running  mad  with  spiri- 
 tual pride,  if  the  Lord  did  not  permit  us  to  feel  the  de- 
 pravity and  vileness  of  our  hearts,  and  thereby  keep  us 
 from  forgetting  ^cliat  we  are  in  ourselves. 
 
 With  regard  to  your  young  people,  you  must  expect  to 
 meet  with  some  disappointment.  Perhaps  not  every  one 
 of  whom  you  have  conceived  hopes  will  stand,  and  some 
 who  do  belong  to  the  Lord  are  permitted  to  make  sad 
 mistakes  for  their  future  humiliation.  It  is  our  part  to 
 watch,  warn,  and  admonish,  and  we  ought  likewise  to  be 
 concerned  for  those  slips  and  miscarriages  which  we  can- 
 not prevent.  A  minister,  if  faithful,  and  of  a  right  spirit, 
 can  have  no  greater  joy  than  to  see  his  people  walking 
 honourably  and  steadily  in  the  truth;  and  hardly  any 
 thing  will  give  him  more  sensible  grief,  than  to  see  any 
 of  them  taken  in  Satan's  wiles.  Yet  still  the  gospel  brings 
 relief  here.  He  is  wiser  than  we  are,  and  knows  how  to 
 make  those  things  subservient  to  promote  his  work,  which 
 we  ought  to  guard  against  as  evils  and  hinderances.  We 
 are  to  use  the  means.  He  is  to  rule  the  whole.  If  the 
 faults  of  some  are  made  warnings  to  others,  and  prove  in 
 the  end  occasions  of  illustrating  the  riches  of  divine  gi-ace, 
 this  should  reconcile  us  to  what  we  cannot  help,  though 
 such  considerations  should  not  slacken  our  diligence  in 
 sounding  an  alarm,  and  reminding  our  hearers  of  their 
 continual  danger. 
 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR  P  , 
 
 233 
 
 LETTER  IV. 
 
 Dear  Sir,  JanvAiry1%,  1775. 
 
 I  LATELY  read  a  sermon  of  Mr  Baxter's  (in  the  fifth 
 volume  of  the  Morning  Exercises)  on  Matthew  v.  16. 
 My  mind  is  something  impressed  with  the  subject,  and 
 with  his  manner  of  treating  it.  Some  of  Mr  Baxter's 
 sentiments  in  divinity  are  rather  cloudy,  and  he  some- 
 times upon  that  account  met  with  but  poor  quarter  from 
 the  staunch  Calvinists  of  his  day.  But  by  what  I  have 
 read  of  him,  where  he  is  quiet  and  not  ruffled  by  contro- 
 versy, he  appears  to  me,  notwithstanding  some  mistakes, 
 to  have  been  one  of  the  greatest  men  of  his  age,  and  per- 
 haps in  fervour,  spirituality,  and  success,  more  than  equal, 
 both  as  a  minister  and  a  Christian,  to  some  twenty  taken 
 together,  of  those  who  affect  to  undervalue  him  in  his 
 present  day.  There  is  a  spirit  in  some  passages  of  his 
 Saint's  Rest,  his  Dying  Thoughts,  and  other  of  his  prac- 
 tical treatises,  compared  with  which,  many  modern  com- 
 positions, though  well  wTitten  and  well  meant,  appear  to 
 me  to  a  great  disadvantage.  But  I  was  speaking  of  his  ser- 
 mon. He  points  out  the  way  at  which  we  should  aim  to 
 let  our  light  shine  in  the  world,  for  the  glory  of  God  and 
 the  conviction  and  edification  of  men.  I  have  mentioned 
 where  it  is  to  be  found,  that,  if  you  have  the  Morning  Ex- 
 ercises, or  they  should  come  in  your  way,  you  may  look  at 
 it.  I  think  you  would  like  it.  The  perusal  suggested  to 
 me  some  instruction,  and  much  reproof.  Alas!  my  friend, 
 are  we  not  too  often  chargeable  with  a  sad,  shameful  sel- 
 fishness and  narrowness  of  spirit,  far,  very  far  different 
 from  that  activitj^  enlargement,  and  generosity  of  soul, 
 which  such  a  gospel  as  we  have  received  might  be  ex- 
 pected to  produce?  For  myself,  I  must  plead  guilty. 
 It  seems  as  if  my  heart  was  always  awake,  and  keenly 
 sensible  to  my  own  concernments,  while  those  of  my 
 Lord  and  Master  affect  me  much  less  forcibly,  at  least 
 only  by  intervals.    Were  a  stranger  to  judge  of  me  by 
 
234 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 what  I  sometimes  say  in  the  pulpit,  he  might  think  that, 
 like  the  angels,  I  had  but  two  things  in  view,  to  do  the 
 will  of  God,  and  to  beliold  his  face.   But  alas!  would  he 
 
 not  be  almost  as  much  mistaken,  as  if,  seeing  ^Ir  G  
 
 in  the  character  of  a  tragedy  hero,  he  should  suppose  him 
 to  be  the  very  person  whom  he  only  represents.  I  hope 
 Satan  will  never  be  able  to  persuade  me  that  I  am  a  mere 
 hypocrite  and  stage-plaj/er ;  but  sure  I  am,  that  there  is 
 so  much  hj-pocrisj^  in  rae,  so  many  littlenesses  and  self- 
 seekings  insinuating  into  my  plan  of  conduct,  that  I  have 
 humbling  cause  to  count  myself  unworthy  and  unprofit- 
 able, and  to  say.  Enter  not  into  j  udgment  with  thy  ser- 
 vant, O  Lord.  I  have  some  tolerable  idea  of  what  a 
 Christian  ought  to  be,  and  it  is,  I  hope,  what  I  desire  to 
 be.  A  Christian  should  be  conformable  to  Christ  in  his 
 spirit  and  in  his  practice;  that  is,  he  should  be  spiritually 
 minded,  dead  to  the  world,  filled  with  zeal  for  the  glory 
 of  God,  the  spread  of  the  gospel,  and  the  good  of  souls 
 He  should  be  humble,  patient,  meek,  cheerful,  thankful 
 under  all  events  and  changes.  He  should  account  it  the 
 business  and  honour  of  his  life  to  imitate  him  who  pleas- 
 ed not  himself,  who  went  about  doing  good,  and  has  ex- 
 pressed to  us  the  very  feelings  of  his  heart,  in  that  divine 
 aphorism,  which  surpasses  all  the  fine  admired  sayings  of 
 the  philosophers,  as  much  as  the  sun  outshines  a  candle, 
 "  It  is  more  blessed  to  give  than  to  receive."  The  whole 
 deportment  of  a  Clu-istian  should  show  that  a  knowledge 
 of  Jesus,  which  he  has  received  from  the  gospel,  affords 
 him  all  he  could  expect  from  it ; — a  balm  for  every  grief, 
 an  amends  for  every  loss,  a  motive  for  every  duty,  a  re- 
 straint from  every  evil,  a  pattern  for  every  thing  which 
 he  is  called  to  do  or  suffer,  and  a  principle  suflScient  to 
 constitute  the  actions  of  every  daj',  even  in  common  life, 
 acts  of  religion.  He  should  (as  the  children  of  this  world 
 are  wise  to  do  in  their  generation)  make  every  occur- 
 rence through  which  he  passes  subservient  and  subordi- 
 nate to  his  main  design.  Gold  is  the  worldly  man's  god, 
 and  his  worship  and  service  are  uniform  and  consistent, 
 not  by  fits  and  starts,  but  from  morning  to  night,  from 
 the  beginning  to  the  end  of  the  year,  he  is  the  same  man. 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR  I' 
 
 235' 
 
 He  will  not  slip  an  opportunit}'  of  adding  to  his  pelf 
 to-day,  because  he  may  have  another  to-niorrow,  but  he 
 heartily  and  eagerly  embraces  both ;  and  so  far  as  he  car- 
 ries his  point,  though  his  perseverance  may  expose  him 
 to  the  ridicule  or  reproach  of  his  neighbours,  he  thinks 
 himself  well  paid,  and  says, 
 
 Populus  me  sibilat ;  at  mihi  plaudo 
 Ipse  domii  simul  ac  nummos  contsmplor  in  area, 
 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  V. 
 
 Dear  Sir,  January  —  1776. 
 
 I  MAY  learn  (only  I  am  a  sad  dunce)  by  small  and  com- 
 mon incidents,  as  well  as  by  some  more  striking  and  im- 
 portant turns  in  life,  that  it  is  not  in  man  that  walketh  to 
 direct  his  steps.  It  is  not  for  me  to  say,  to-day  or  to- 
 morrow I  will  do  this  or  that.  I  cannot  write  a  letter  to 
 a  friend  without  leave  or  without  help,  for  neither  oppor- 
 tunity nor  ability  are  at  my  own  disposal.  It  is  not  need- 
 ful that  the  Lord  should  raise  a  mountain  in  my  way,  to 
 stop  my  purpose;  if  he  only  withdraw  a  certain  kind  of 
 imperceptible  support,  which  in  general  I  have,  and  use 
 without  duly  considering  whose  it  is;  then,  in  a  moment, 
 I  feel  myself  unstrung  and  disabled,  like  a  ship  that  has 
 lost  her  masts,  and  cannot  proceed  till  he  is  pleased  to 
 refit  me  and  renew  my  strength.  My  pride  and  propen- 
 sity to  self-dependence  render  frequent  changes  of  this 
 kind  necessary  to  me,  or  I  should  soon  forget  what  I  am, 
 and  sacrifice  to  my  own  drag.  Therefore,  upon  the 
 whole,  I  am  satisfied,  and  see  it  best,  that  1  should  be 
 absolutely  poor  and  pennyless  in  myself,  and  force;l  to 
 depend  upon  the  Lord  for  the  smallest  things  as  well  as 
 the  greatest.  And  if,  by  his  blessing,  my  experience 
 should  at  length  tally  with  my  judgment  in  this  point, 
 that  without  him  I  can  do  nothing;  then  I  know  I  shall 
 
236 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 find  it  easy,  through  him,  to  do  all  things;  for  the  door 
 of  his  mercy  is  always  open,  and  it  is  but  ask  and  have. 
 But,  alas!  a  secret  persuasion  (though  contrary  to  re- 
 peated convictions)  that  I  have  something  at  home,  too 
 often  prevents  me  going  to  him  for  it,  and  then  no  won- 
 der I  am  disappointed.  The  life  of  faith  seems  so  simple 
 and  easy  in  theory,  that  I  can  point  it  out  to  others  in 
 few  words ;  but  in  practice  it  is  very  difficult,  and  my 
 advances  are  so  slow,  that  I  hardly  dare  say  I  get  for- 
 ward at  all.  It  is  a  great  thing  indeed  to  have  the  spirit 
 of  a  little  child,  so  as  to  be  habitually  afraid  of  taking  a 
 single  step  without  leading. 
 
 I  have  heard  of  you  more  than  once  since  I  heard  from 
 you,  and  am  glad  to  know  the  Lord  is  still  with  you:  I 
 trust  he  has  not  withdrawn  wholly  from  us.  We  have 
 much  call  for  thankfulness,  and  much  for  humiliation. 
 Some  have  been  removed,  some  are  evidently  ripening 
 for  glory,  and  now  and  then  we  have  a  new  inquirer.  But 
 the  progress  of  wickedness  amongst  the  unconverted  here 
 is  awful.  Convictions  repeatedly  stifled  in  many,  have 
 issued  in  a  hardness  and  boldness  in  sinning,  which  I  be- 
 lieve is  seldom  found  but  in  those  places  where  the  light 
 of  the  gospel  has  been  long  resisted  and  abused.  If  my 
 eyes  suitably  affected  my  heart,  I  should  weep  day  and 
 night  upon  this  account;  but,  alas!  I  am  too  indifferent. 
 I  feel  a  woful  defect  in  my  zeal  for  God  and  compassion 
 for  souls ;  and  when  Satan  and  conscience  charge  me  with 
 cowardice,  treachery,  and  stupidity,  I  know  not  M'hat  to 
 reply.  I  am  generally  carried  through  my  public  work 
 with  some  liberty;  and  because  I  am  not  put  to  shame 
 before  the  people,  I  seem  content  and  satisfied.  I  wish 
 to  be  more  thankful  for  wliat  the  Lord  is  pleased  to  do 
 amongst  us;  but,  at  the  same  time,  to  be  more  earnest 
 with  him  for  a  farther  outpouring  of  his  Spirit.  Assist 
 me  herein  with  your  prayers. 
 
 As  to  my  own  private  experience,  the  enemy  is  not 
 suffered  to  toucli  the  foundation  of  my  faith  and  hope; 
 thus  far  I  have  peace;  but  my  conflicts  and  exercises, 
 with  the  effects  of  indwelling  sin,  are  very  distressing.  1 
 cannot  doubt  of  my  state  and  acceptance;  and  yet  it 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV  MK  P- 
 
 237 
 
 seems  no  one  can  have  more  cause  for  doubts  and  fears 
 than  myself,  if  such  doublings  were  at  all  encouraged  by 
 the  gospel :  but  I  see  they  are  not.  I  see  that  what  I 
 want  and  hope  for,  the  Lord  promises  to  do,  for  his  own 
 name's  sake,  and  witli  a  non  obstante  to  all  my  vileness 
 and  perverseness ;  and  I  cannot  question  but  he  has  given 
 me  (for  how  else  could  I  have  it?)  a  thirst  for  that  com- 
 munion with  him  in  love  and  conformity  to  his  image,  of 
 which,  as  yet,  I  have  experienced  but  very  faint  and  im- 
 perfect beginnings.  But  if  he  has  begun,  I  venture,  upon 
 his  word,  that  he  will  not  forsake  the  work  of  his  own 
 hands. 
 
 On  public  affairs  I  say  but  little — Many  are  censuring 
 men  and  measures:  but  I  would  lay  all  the  blame  upon 
 sin.  It  appears  plain  to  me,  that  the  Lord  has  a  contro- 
 versy with  us ;  and  therefore  I  fear  what  we  have  yet 
 seen  is  but  the  beginning  of  sorrows.  I  am  ready  to 
 dread  the  event  of  this  summer;  but  I  remember  the 
 Lord  reigns.  He  has  his  own  glory  and  the  good  of  his 
 church  in  view,  and  will  not  be  disappointed.  He  knows 
 how  likewise  to  take  of  those  who  fear  him.  I  wish  there 
 were  more  sighing  and  mourning  amongst  professors  for 
 the  sins  of  the  nation  and  the  churches.  But  I  must  con- 
 clude, and  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  VL 
 
 Dear  Sir, 
 
 No  very  considerable  alteration  has  taken  place  since  I 
 
 wrote,  except  the  death  of  Mrs  L  ,  who  was  removed 
 
 to  a  better  world  in  September  last.  The  latter  part  o 
 her  course  was  very  painful;  but  the  Lord  made  her  more 
 than  conqueror,  and  she  had  good  cause  to  apply  the 
 apostle's  words,  2  Tim.  iv.  7,  8.  Slie  repeated  that  pass- 
 age in  her  last  illness,  and  chose  it  for  her  funeral  text. 
 She  was  a  Christian  indeed.  Her  faith  was  great,  and  so 
 
238 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 were  her  trials.  Now  she  is  above  them  all,  now  she  ia 
 before  the  throne.  The  good  Lord  help  us  to  be  fol- 
 lowers of  those  who  through  faith  and  patience  have  at- 
 tained to  the  hope  set  before  them. 
 
 The  number  of  professors  still  increases  with  us,  and  a 
 greater  num.ber  of  persons  affords  a  greater  variety  of 
 cases,  and  gives  greater  scope  to  observe  the  workings  of 
 the  heart  and  Satan.  For  seven  years  I  had  to  say,  that 
 I  had  not  seen  a  person  of  whom  I  had  conceived  a  good 
 hope  go  back,  but  I  have  met  with  a  few  disappointments 
 since.  However,  upon  the  whole,  I  trust  the  Lord  is 
 still  with  us.  The  enemy  tries  to  disturb  and  defile  us, 
 and  if  the  Lord  did  not  keep  the  city,  the  poor  watch- 
 man would  wake  in  vain.  But  the  eye  that  never  slum- 
 bereth  nor  sleepeth  has  been  upon  us  for  good;  and 
 though  we  have  cause  of  humiliation  and  complaint,  we 
 have  likewise  much  cause  of  thankfulness.  My  health 
 is  still  preserved;  and  I  hope  that  the  Lord  does  not 
 suffer  my  desires  of  personal  communion  with  him,  and 
 of  usefulness  in  the  ministry,  to  decline.  He  supplies  me 
 with  fresh  strength  and  matter  in  my  public  work:  I 
 hear  now  and  then  of  one  brought  to  inquire  the  way; 
 and  his  presence  is  at  times  made  known  to  many  in  the 
 ordinances. 
 
 To  combine  zeal  with  prudence  is  indeed  difficult. 
 There  is  often  too  much  self  in  our  zeal,  and  too  much 
 of  the  fear  of  man  in  our  prudence.  However,  what  we 
 cannot  attain  by  any  skill  or  resolution  of  our  own,  we 
 may  hope  in  measure  to  receive  from  him  who  giveth 
 liberally  to  those  who  seek  him,  and  desire  to  serve  him. 
 Prudence  is  a  word  much  abused;  but  there  is  a  heaven- 
 ly wisdom,  which  the  Lord  has  promised  to  give  to  those 
 who  humbly  wait  upon  him  for  it.  It  does  not  consist  in 
 forming  a  bundle  of  rules  and  maxims,  but  in  a  spiritual 
 taste  and  discernment,  derived  from  an  experimental 
 knowledge  of  the  truth,  and  of  the  heart  of  man  as  de- 
 scribed in  the  word  of  God;  and  its  exercise  consists 
 much  in  a  simple  dependence  upon  the  Lord,  to  guide 
 and  prompt  us  in  every  action.  We  seldom  act  wrong, 
 when  we  truly  depend  upon  him,  and  can  cease  from 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR  P 
 
 239 
 
 leaning  to  our  own  undpi'standing.  When  the  heart  is 
 thus  in  a  right  tune  and  frame,  and  his  word  dwells  rich- 
 ly  in  us,  there  is  a  kind  of  immediate  perception  of  what 
 is  proper  for  us  to  do  in  present  circumstances,  without 
 much  painful  inquiry;  a  light  shines  before  us  upon  the 
 path  of  duty;  and  if  he  permits  us  in  such  a  spirit  to 
 make  some  mistakes,  he  will  likewise  teach  us  to  profit 
 by  them;  and  our  reflections  upon  what  was  wrong  one 
 day,  will  make  us  to  act  more  wisely  the  next.  At  the 
 best,  we  must  always  expect  to  meet  with  new  proofs  of  our 
 own  weakness  and  insuthciency ;  otherwise,  how  should 
 we  be  kept  humble,  or  know  how  to  prize  the  liberty  he 
 allows  us  of  coming  to  the  throne  of  grace  for  fresh  for- 
 giveness and  direction  every  day?  But  if  lie  enables  us 
 to  walk  before  him  with  a  single  eye,  he  will  graciously 
 accept  our  desire  of  serving  him  better  if  we  could,  and 
 his  blessing  will  make  our  feeble  endeavours  in  some  de- 
 gree successful,  at  the  same  time  that  we  see  defects  and 
 evils  attending  our  best  services,  sufficient  to  make  us 
 ashamed  of  them. 
 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  Vlf. 
 
 Dear  Sir,  January  11,  1777. 
 
 We  all  need,  and  at  the  seasons  the  Lord  sees  best,  we 
 all  receive  chastisement.  I  hope  you  likewise  have  rea- 
 son to  praise  him,  for  supporting,  sanctifying,  and  de- 
 livering mercy.  The  coward  flesh  presently  sinks  under 
 the  rod,  but  faith  need  not  fear  it,  for  it  is  in  the  hand  of 
 one  who  loves  us  better  than  we  do  ourselves,  and  who 
 knows  our  frame,  that  we  are  but  dust,  and  therefore  will 
 not  suffer  us  to  be  overdone  and  overwhelmed. 
 
 I  feel  as  a  friend  should  feel  for  Mr  B  ;  were  I 
 
 able,  I  would  soon  send  him  health.  If  the  Lord,  who 
 is  able  to  remove  his  illness  in  a  minute,  permits  it  to 
 
240 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 continue,  we  may  be  sure,  upon  the  whole,  it  will  be 
 better  for  him.  It  is,  however,  very  lawful  to  pray  that 
 his  health  may  be  restored,  and  his  usefulness  prolonged. 
 I  beg  you  to  give  my  love  to  him,  and  tell  him  that  my 
 heart  bears  him  an  affectionate  remembrance ;  and  I  know 
 the  God  whom  he  serves  will  make  every  dispensation 
 supportable  and  profitable  to  him. 
 
 If,  as  you  observe,  the  Song  of  Solomon  describes  the 
 experience  of  his  church,  it  shows  the  dark  as  well  as  the 
 bright  side.  No  one  part  of  it  is  the  experience  of  every 
 individual  at  any  particular  time.  Some  are  in  his  ban- 
 queting-house,  others  upon  their  beds.  Some  sit  under 
 his  banner,  supported  by  his  arm ;  while  others  have  a 
 faint  perception  of  him  at  a  distance,  with  many  a  hill 
 and  mountain  between.  In  one  thing,  however,  they  all 
 agree,  that  he  is  the  leading  object  of  their  desires, 
 and  that  they  have  had  such  a  discovery  of  his  person, 
 work,  and  love,  as  makes  him  precious  to  their  hearts. 
 Their  judgment  of  him  is  always  the  same,  but  their 
 sensibility  varies.  The  love  they  bear  him,  though 
 rooted  and  grounded  in  their  hearts,  is  not  always 
 equally  in  exercise,  nor  can  it  be  so.  We  are  like 
 trees,  which,  though  alive,  cannot  put  forth  their  leaves 
 and  fruit  without  the  influence  of  the  sun.  They  are 
 alive  in  winter  as  well  as  in  sununer;  but  how  differ- 
 ent is  their  appearance  in  these  different  seasons!  Were 
 we  always  alike,  could  we  always  believe,  love,  and  re- 
 joice, we  should  think  the  power  inherent  and  our  own ; 
 but  it  is  more  for  the  Lord's  glory,  and  more  suited  to 
 form  us  to  a  temper  becoming  the  gospel,  that  we  should 
 be  made  deeply  sensible  of  our  own  inability  and  depen- 
 dence, than  that  we  should  be  always  in  a  lively  frame. 
 I  am  persuaded  a  broken  and  a  contrite  spirit,  a  convic- 
 tion of  our  vileness  and  nothingn'?ss,  connected  with  a 
 cordial  acceptance  of  Jesus  as  revealed  in  the  gospel,  is 
 the  highest  attainment  we  can  reach  in  this  life.  Sen- 
 sible comforts  are  desirable,  and  we  must  be  sadly  de- 
 clined when  they  do  not  appear  so  to  us;  but  I  believe 
 there  may  be  a  real  exercise  of  faith  and  growth  in  grace, 
 when  our  sensible  feelings  are  faint  and  low.    A  soul 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR  P- 
 
 241 
 
 ma}-  be  in  as  thriving  a  state  when  thirsting,  seeking  and 
 mourning  after  the  Lord,  as  when  actually  rejoicing  in 
 him — as  much  in  earnest  when  fighting  in  the  valley,  as 
 when  singing  upon  the  mount;  nay,  dark  seasons  afford 
 the  surest  and  strongest  manifestations  of  the  power  of 
 faith  To  hold  fast  the  word  of  promise,  to  maintain  a 
 hatred  of  sin,  to  go  on  stedfastly  in  the  path  of  duty,  in 
 defiance  both  of  the  frowns  and  smiles  of  the  world,  when 
 we  have  but  little  comfort,  is  a  more  certain  evidence  of 
 grace,  than  a  thousand  things  which  we  may  do  or  for- 
 bear when  our  spirits  are  warm  and  lively.  I  have  seen 
 many  who  have  been  upon  the  whole  but  uneven  walkers, 
 though  at  times  they  have  seemed  to  enjoy,  at  least  have 
 talked  of  great  comforts.  I  liave  seen  others  for  the 
 most  part  complain  of  much  darkness  and  coldness,  who 
 have  been  remarkably  humble,  tender,  and  exemplary  in 
 their  spirit  and  conduct.  Surely  were  I  to  choose  my 
 lot,  it  should  be  with  the  latter. 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
THREE  LETTERS  TO  MRS  G- 
 
 LETTER  I. 
 
 Madam,  June  20,  1776. 
 
 It  M  ould  be  both  unkind  and  ungrateful  in  me,  to  avail 
 myself  of  any  plea  of  business,  for  delaying  the  acknow- 
 ledgment I  owe  j'ou  for  your  acceptable  favour  from  , 
 
 wiiich  though  dated  the  Stli  instant,  I  did  not  receive  till 
 the  10th. 
 
 Could  I  have  known  in  time  that  you  was  at  Mr  's, 
 
 I  should  have  endeavoured  to  have  called  upon  you  while 
 there ;  and  very  glad  sliould  I  have  been  to  have  seen 
 you  with  us.  But  they  who  feai-  the  Lord  may  be  sure, 
 that  whatever  is  not  practicable  is  not  necessary.  He 
 could  have  overruled  every  difficulty  in  your  way,  had 
 he  seen  it  expedient ;  but  he  is  pleased  to  show  you,  that 
 you  depend  not  upon  men,  but  upon  himself ;  and  that, 
 notwithstanding  j^our  connexions  may  exclude  you  from 
 some  advantages  in  point  of  outward  means,  he  who  has 
 begun  a  good  work  in  you,  is  able  to  carry  it  on,  in  de- 
 fiance of  all  seeming  hinderances,  and  make  all  tilings 
 (even  those  which  have  the  most  unfavourable  appear- 
 ances) work  together  for  your  good. 
 
 A  sure  effect  of  his  grace,  is  a  desire  and  longing  for 
 gospel  ordinances ;  and  when  they  are  afforded,  they 
 cannot  be  neglected  without  loss.  But  the  Lord  sees 
 many  souls  who  are  dear  to  him,  and  whom  he  is  train- 
 ing up  in  a  growing  meetness  for  his  kingdom,  wiio  are 
 by  his  providence  so  situated,  that  it  is  not  in  their 
 power  to  attend  upon  gospel  preaching ;  and  perhaps 
 they  have  seldom  either  Christian  minister  or  Christian 
 
LETTERS  TO  MRS  G 
 
 243 
 
 friend  to  assist  or  comfort  them.  Such  a  situation  is  a 
 state  of  trial ;  but  Jesus  is  all-sufficient,  and  lie  is  always 
 near.  They  cannot  be  debarred  from  his  word  of  grace, 
 which  is  everywhere  at  hand,  nor  from  his  throne  of 
 grace;  for  they  who  feel  their  need  of  him,  and  whose 
 hearts  are  drawn  towards  him,  are  always  at  the  foot  of 
 it.  Every  room  in  the  house,  yea,  every  spot  they  stand 
 on,  fields,  lanes,  and  hedge-rows,  all  is  holy  ground  to 
 them;  for  the  Lord  is  there.  The  chief  difference  be- 
 tween us,  and  the  disciples  when  our  Saviour  was  upon 
 earth,  is  in  this: — They  then  walked  by  sight,  and  we 
 are  called  to  walk  by  faith.  They  could  see  him  with 
 their  bodily  eyes,  we  cannot;  but  he  said  before  he  left 
 them,  "  It  is  expedient  for  you  that  I  go  away."  How 
 could  this  be,  unless  that  spiritual  communion  which  he 
 promised  to  maintain  with  his  people  after  his  ascen- 
 sion, were  preferable  to  that  intercourse  he  allowed  them 
 whilst  he  was  visibly  with  them?  But  we  are  sure  it  is 
 preferable,  and  they  who  had  tried  both  were  well  satis- 
 fied he  had  made  good  his  promise;  so  that  though  they 
 had  known  him  after  the  flesh,  they  were  content  not  to 
 know  him  so  any  more.  Yes,  Madam,  though  we  can- 
 not see  him,  he  sees  us,  he  is  nearer  to  us  than  we  are  to 
 ourselves.  In  a  natural  state,  we  have  very  dark,  and 
 indeed  dishonourable  thoughts  of  God;  we  conceive  of 
 him  as  at  a  distance.  But  when  the  heart  is  awakened, 
 we  begin  to  make  Jacob's  reflection,  "  Surely  the  Lord 
 is  in  this  place,  and  I  knew  it  not."  And  when  we  re- 
 ceive faith,  we  begin  to  know  tliat  this  ever-present  God 
 is  in  Christ;  that  the  government  of  heaven  and  earth, 
 the  dispensations  of  the  kingdom  of  nature,  providence, 
 and  grace,  are  in  the  hands  of  Jesus;  that  it  is  he  with 
 whom  we  have  to  do,  who  once  suffered  agony  and  death 
 for  our  redemption,  and  whose  compassion  and  tender- 
 ness are  the  same;  now  he  reigns  over  all  blessed  for 
 ever,  as  when  he  conversed  amongst  men  in  the  days  of 
 liis  humiliation.  Thus  God  is  made  known  to  us  by  the 
 gospel,  in  the  endearing  views  of  a  Saviour,  a  Shepherd, 
 a  Husband,  a  Friend;  and  a  way  of  access  is  opened  for 
 us  through  the  vail,  that  is,  the  human  nature  of  our  Re- 
 
24-i 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 deemer,  to  enter,  with  humble  confidence,  into  the  holiest 
 of  all,  and  to  repose  all  our  cares  and  concerns  upon  the 
 strength  of  that  everlasting  arm  which  upholds  heaven 
 and  earth,  and  upon  that  infinite  love  which  submitted 
 to  the  shame,  pain,  and  death  of  the  cross,  to  redeem 
 sinners  from  wTath  and  misery. 
 
 Though  there  is  a  height,  a  breadth,  a  length,  and  a 
 depth,  in  this  mystery  of  redeeming  love,  exceeding  the 
 comprehension  of  all  finite  minds;  yet  the  great  and 
 leading  principles  which  are  necessary  for  the  support 
 and  comfort  of  our  souls,  may  be  summed  up  in  a  very 
 few  words.  Such  a  summary  we  are  favoured  with  in 
 Titus  ii.  11-14,  where  the  whole  of  salvation,  all  that  is 
 needful  to  be  known,  experienced,  practised,  and  hoped 
 for,  is  comprised  within  the  compass  of  four  verses.  If 
 many  books,  much  study,  and  great  discernment  were 
 necessary  in  order  to  be  happy,  what  must  the  poor  and 
 simple  do?  Yet  for  them  especially  is  the  gospel  de- 
 signed; and  few  but  such  as  these  attain  the  knowledge 
 and  comfort  of  it.  The  Bible  is  a  sealed  book  till  the 
 heart  be  awakened,  and  then  he  that  runs  may  read. 
 The  propositions  are  few:  I  am  a  sinner,  therefore  I 
 need  a  Saviour,  one  who  is  able  and  willing  to  save  to 
 the  uttermost :  such  a  one  is  Jesus ;  he  is  all  that  I  want, 
 wisdom,  righteousness,  sanctification,  and  redemption. 
 But  will  he  receive  me?  Can  I  answer  a  previous  ques- 
 tion? Am  I  willing  to  receive  him?  If  so,  and  if  his 
 word  may  be  taken,  if  he  meant  what  he  said,  and  pro- 
 mised no  more  than  he  can  perform,  I  may  be  sure  of  a 
 welcome:  he  knew,  long  before,  the  doubts,  fears,  and 
 suspicions,  which  would  arise  in  my  mind  when  I  should 
 come  to  know  what  I  am,  what  I  have  done,  and  what 
 I  have  deserved ;  and  therefore  he  declared,  before  he 
 left  the  earth,  "  Him  that  cometh  to  mo  I  will  in  no  wise 
 cast  out.''  I  have  no  money  or  price  in  my  hand,  no 
 worthiness  to  recommend  me;  and  I  need  none,  for  he 
 saveth  freely  for  his  own  name's  sake.  I  have  only  to 
 be  thankful  for  what  he  has  already  sho^^^l  me,  and  to 
 wait  upon  him  for  more.  It  is  my  part  to  commit  mj'- 
 self  to  him  as  the  physician  of  sin-sick  souls,  not  to  pre- 
 
LETTERS  TO  MRS.  G- 
 
 245 
 
 scribe  to  him  how  he  shall  treat  nie.  To  begin,  carry 
 on,  and  perfect  the  cure,  is  his  part. 
 
 The  doubts  and  fears  you  speak  of,  are,  in  a  greater 
 or  less  degree,  the  common  experience  of  all  the  Lord's 
 people,  at  least  for  a  time.  Whilst  any  unbelief  remains 
 in  the  heart,  and  Satan  is  permitted  to  tempt,  we  shall 
 feel  these  things.  In  themselves  they  are  groundless 
 and  evil;  yet  the  Lord  permits  and  overrules  them  for 
 good.  They  tend  to  make  us  know  more  of  the  plague 
 of  our  own  hearts,  and  feel  more  sensibly  the  need  of  a 
 Saviour,  and  make  his  rest  (when  we  attain  it)  doubly 
 sweet  and  sure.  And  they  likewise  qualify  us  for  pitying 
 and  comforting  others.  Fear  not;  only  believe,  wait,  and 
 pray.  Expect  not  all  at  once.  A  Christian  is  not  of 
 hasty  growth,  like  a  mushroom,  but  rather  like  the  oak, 
 the  progress  of  which  is  hardly  perceptible,  but  in  time 
 becomes  a  great  deep-rooted  tree.  If  my  writings  have 
 been  useful  to  you,  may  the  Lord  have  the  praise.  To 
 administer  any  comfort  to  his  children  is  the  greatest 
 honour  and  pleasure  I  can  receive  in  this  life.  I  caimot 
 promise  to  be  a  very  punctual  correspondent,  having  many 
 engagements;  but  I  hope  to  do  all  in  my  power  toshoAV 
 myself,  Madam, 
 
 Yours,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  n. 
 
 Madam,  August  20,  llld. 
 
 Though  in  general  I  think  myself  tolerably  punctual 
 when  I  can  answer  a  letter  in  six  or  seven  weeks  after 
 receipt,  yet  I  feel  some  pain  for  not  having  acknow- 
 ledged your's  sooner.  A  case  like  tliat  which  you  have 
 favoured  me  witli  an  account  of,  deserved  an  immediate 
 attention,  and  when  I  read  it,  I  proposed  writing  within 
 a  post  or  two,  and  I  can  hardly  allow  any  plea  of  busi- 
 ness to  be  sufficient  excuse  for  delaying  it  so  long ;  but 
 
 H  2 
 
246 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 our  times  are  in  the  Lord's  hands :  may  he  now  enable 
 me  to  send  you  what  may  prove  a  word  in  season. 
 
 Your  exercises  have  been  by  no  means  singular,  tliough 
 they  may  appear  so  to  yourself ;  because,  in  your  retired 
 situation,  you  have  not  (as  you  observe)  had  much  op- 
 portunity of  knowing  the  experience  of  other  Christians; 
 nor  has  the  guilt  with  which  your  mind  ha?  been  so 
 greatly  burdened  been  properly  your  own.  It  was  a 
 temptation  forced  upon  you  by  the  enemy,  ?.jd  ho  shall 
 answer  for  it.  Undoubtedly  it  is  a  mournful  proof  of 
 the  depravity  of  our  nature,  that  there  is  that  within  us 
 which  renders  us  so  easily  susceptive  of  his  suggestions ; 
 a  proof  of  our  extreme  v/eakness,  that  after  the  clearest 
 and  most  satisfying  evidances  of  the  truth,  we  are  not 
 able  to  hold  fast  our  ccnii  .cr.ce,  if  the  Lord  permits 
 Satan  to  sift  and  shake  us.  But  I  can  assure  you  these 
 changes  are  not  uncommon,  i  lir.ve  'rnown  persons,  who, 
 after  walking  with  God  comfort"':! 7 ;.  the  main  for  forty 
 years,  have  been  at  their  wits  end  from  such  assaults  as 
 you  mention,  and  been  brought  to  doubt,  not  only  of  the 
 reality  of  their  own  hopes,  but  of  the  very  ground  and 
 foundation  upon  which  their  hopes  were  built.  Had  you 
 remained,  as  it  seems  you  once  were,  attached  to  the 
 vanities  of  a  gay  and  dissipated  life,  or  could  you  have 
 been  content  with  a  form  of  godliness,  destitute  of  the 
 power,  it  is  probable  you  would  have  remained  a  stranger 
 to  these  troubles.  Satan  would  have  empioj'ed  his  arts 
 in  a  different  and  less  perceptible  way,  to  have  soothed 
 you  into  a  false  peace,  and  prevented  auy  thought  or 
 suspicion  of  danger  from  arising  in  your  mind.  Bu: 
 when  he  could  no  longer  detain  you  in  his  bondage,  or 
 seduce  you  back  again  into  the  world,  then  of  course  he 
 would  change  his  method,  and  declare  open  war  against 
 you.  A  specimen  of  his  power  and  malice  you  have 
 experienced;  and  the  Lord  whom  you  loved,  because 
 he  first  loved  you,  permitted  it  not  to  gratify  Satan,  but 
 for  your  benefit — to  humble  and  prove  you,  to  show  you 
 what  is  in  your  heart,  and  to  do  you  good  in  the  issue. 
 These  things,  for  the  present,  are  not  joyous  but  griev- 
 ous; yet  in  the  end  they  yield  the  peaceable  fruits  of 
 
LETTERS  TO  MRS  G  
 
 247 
 
 righteousness.  In  the  mean  time  his  eye  is  upon  j'ou; 
 he  has  appointed  bounds  both  to  the  degree  and  the  du- 
 •ation  of  the  trial ;  and  he  does  and  will  afford  you  such 
 -upports,  that  you  shall  not  be  tried  beyond  what  you 
 ^re  enabled  to  bear.  I  doubt  not  but  your  conflict  and 
 sorrows  will  in  due  time  terminate  in  praise  and  vic- 
 tory, and  be  sanctified  to  your  fuller  establishment  in  the 
 truth. 
 
 I  greatly  rejoice  in  the  Lord's  goodness  to  your  dying 
 parent.  How  wisely  timed,  and  hc.v  exactly  suited,  was 
 that  affecting  dispensation,  to  break  the  force  of  those 
 suggestions  with  which  the  enemy  was  aiming  to  over- 
 whelm your  spirit !  He  could  not  stand  against  such  an 
 illustrious  demonstrative  attestation,  that  the  doctrines 
 you  had  embraced  were  not  cunningly  devised  fables. 
 He  could  proceed  no  farther  in  that  way;  but  lie  is  fruit- 
 ful in  resources.  His  next  attempt,  of  course,  was  to  fix 
 guilt  upon  your  conscience,  as  if  you  had  yourself  formed 
 and  willingly  entertained  those  thoughts,  which,  indeed, 
 you  suffered  with  extreme  reluctance  and  pain.  Here, 
 likewise,  I  find  he  succeeded  for  a  time;  but  he  who 
 broke  the  former  snare,  will  deliver  you  from  this  like- 
 wise. 
 
 The  dark  and  dishonourable  thoughts  of  God,  which 
 1  hinted  at  as  belonging  to  a  natural  state,  are  very  dif- 
 ferent from  the  thoughts  of  your  heart  concerning  him. 
 You  do  not  conceive  of  him  as  a  hard  master,  or  think 
 you  could  be  more  happy  in  the  breach  than  in  the  ob- 
 servance of  his  precepts.  You  do  not  prefer  the  world 
 to  his  favour,  or  think  you  can  please  him,  and  make 
 amends  for  your  sins,  hy  an  obedience  of  your  own. 
 These,  and  such  as  these,  are  the  thoughts  of  the  natu- 
 ral heart — the  very  reverse  of  yours.  One  thought, 
 however,  I  confess  you  have  indulged,  which  is  no  less 
 dishonourable  to  the  Lord  than  uncomfortable  to  your- 
 self. You  say,  "  I  dare  not  believe  that  God  will  not 
 impute  to  me  as  sin,  the  admission  of  thoughts  which 
 my  soul  ever  abhorred,  and  to  which  my  will  never  con- 
 sented." Nay,  you  fear  lest  they  should  not  only  be 
 imputed  but  unpardonable.    But  how  can  this  be  pos- 
 
248 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 sible?    Indeed  I  will  not  call  it  your  thought,  it  is  your 
 temptation.   You  tell  me  you  have  children.    Then  you 
 will  easily  feel  a  plain  illustration,  which  just  now  occurs 
 to  me.   Let  me  suppose  a  case  which  has  sometimes  hap- 
 pened: a  child,  three  or  four  years  of  age  we  will  say, 
 while  playing  incautiously  at  a  little  distance  from  home, 
 should  be  suddenly  seized  and  carried  away  by  a  gipsy. 
 Poor  thing!  how  terrified,  how  distressed  must  it  be! 
 Methinks  I  hear  its  cries.    The  sight  and  violence  of 
 the  stranger,  the  recollection  of  its  dear  parents,  the  loss 
 of  its  pleasing  home,  the  dread  and  uncertainty  of  what 
 is  yet  to  befal  it.  Is  it  not  a  wonder  that  it  does  not  die 
 in  agonies?    But  see,  help  is  at  hand!  the  gipsy  is  pur- 
 sued, and  the  child  recovered.    Now,  my  dear  Madam, 
 permit  me  to  ask  you,  if  this  were  your  child,  how  would 
 you  receive  it?    Perhaps,  when  the  first  transports  of 
 your  joy  for  its  safety  would  permit  you,  you  might 
 gently  chide  it  for  leaving  your  door.    But  would  you 
 disinherit  it?  Would  you  disown  it?  Would  you  de- 
 liver it  up  again  to  the  gipsy  with  your  own  hands,  be- 
 cause it  had  suffered  a  violence  which  it  could  not 
 withstand,  which  it  abhorred,  and  to  ichich  its  will 
 never  consented?   And  yet  what  is  the  tenderness  of  a 
 mother,  of  ten  thousand  mothei*s,  to  that  which  our  com- 
 passionate Saviour  bears  to  every  poor  soul  that  has  been 
 enabled  to  flee  to  him  for  salvation !   Let  us  be  far  from 
 charging  that  to  him,  of  which  we  think  we  are  utterly 
 incapable  ourselves.    Take  courage.  Madam  ;  resist  the 
 devil  and  he  will  flee  from  you.    If  he  were  to  tempt 
 you  to  any  thing  criminal,  you  would  start  at  the  thought, 
 and  renounce  it  with  abhorrence.    Do  the  same  when  he 
 tempts  you  to  question  the  Lord's  compassion  and  good- 
 ness.   But  there  he  imposes  upon  us  with  a  show  of 
 humility,  and  persuades  us  that  we  do  well  to  oppose  our 
 unworthiness  as  sufficient  exception  to  the  many  express 
 promises  of  the  word.    It  is  said,  the  blood  of  Jesus 
 cleanseth  from  all  sin;  that  all  manner  of  sin  shall  be 
 forgiven  for  his  sake ;  that  whoever  cometh  he  will  in  no 
 wise  cast  out;  and  that  he  is  able  to  save  to  the  utter- 
 most.  Believe  his  word,  and  Satan  shall  be  found  a  liar. 
 
LETTERS  TO  MRS  G  . 
 
 249 
 
 If  the  child  had  deliberately  gone  away  with  the  gipsy, 
 had  preferred  tliat  wretched  way  of  life,  had  refused  to 
 return,  though  frequently  and  tenderly  invited  home; 
 perhaps  a  parent's  love  might,  in  time,  be  too  weak 
 to  plead  for  the  pardon  of  such  continued  obstinacy. 
 But,  indeed,  in  this  manner  we  have  all  dealt  with  the 
 Lord;  and  yet  whenever  we  are  willing  to  return,  he  is 
 willing  to  receive  us  with  open  arms,  and  without  an  up- 
 braiding word,  Luke  xv.  20-22.  Though  our  sins  have 
 been  deep  dyed  like  scarlet  and  crimson,  enormous  as 
 mountains,  and  countless  as  the  sands,  the  sum  total  is, 
 sin  has  abounded;  but  where  sin  hath  abounded,  grace 
 hath  much  more  abounded.  After  all,  I  know  the  Lord 
 keeps  the  key  of  comfort  in  his  own  hands,  yet  he  has 
 commanded  us  to  attempt  comforting  one  another.  I 
 should  rejoice  to  be  his  instrument  of  administering  com- 
 fort to  you.  I  shall  hope  to  hear  from  you  soon;  and 
 that  you  will  then  be  able  to  inform  me  he  has  restored 
 to  you  the  joys  of  his  salvation.  But  if  not  yet,  wait  for 
 him,  and  you  shall  not  wait  in  vain. 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  III. 
 
 My  Dear  Madam,  June  —  1777- 
 
 Temptations  may  be  compared  to  the  wind,  whicli, 
 when  it  has  ceased  raging  from  one  point,  after  a  short 
 calm,  frequently  renews  its  violence  from  another  quar- 
 ter. The  Lord  silenced  Satan's  former  assaults  against 
 you,  but  he  is  permitted  to  try  you  again  another  way. 
 Be  of  good  courage.  Madam;  wait  upon  tlie  Lord,  and 
 the  present  storm  shall  likewise  subside  in  good  time. 
 You  have  an  infallible  pilot,  and  are  embarked  in  a  bot- 
 tom against  which  the  winds  and  waves  cannot  prevail. 
 You  may  be  tossed  about,  and  think  yourself  in  appa- 
 rent jeopardy ;  but  sink  you  shall  not,  except  the  pro- 
 
250  CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 1 
 
 itiises  and  faithfulness  of  God  can  fall.  Upon  an  atten- 
 tive consideration  of  your  complaint,  it  seems  to  me  to 
 amount  only  to  this,  that  though  the  Lord  has  done  great 
 things  for  you,  he  has  not  yet  brought  you  to  a  state  of 
 independence  on  himself,  nor  released  you  from  that  im- 
 possibility which  all  his  people  feel,  of  doing  any  thing 
 without  him.  And  is  this  indeed  a  matter  of  complaint? 
 Is  it  not  every  way  better,  more  for  his  glory,  and  more 
 suited  to  keep  us  mindful  of  our  obligations  to  him,  and 
 in  the  event  more  for  our  safety,  that  we  should  be  re- 
 duced to  a  happy  necessity  of  receiving  daily  out  of  his 
 fulness  (as  the  Israelites  received  the  manna),  than  to  be 
 set  up  with  something  of  a  stock  of  wisdom,  power,  and 
 goodness  of  our  own?  Adam  was  thus  furnished  at  the 
 beginning  with  strength  to  stand;  yet,  mutability  being 
 essential  to  a  creature,  he  quickly  fell  and  lost  all.  We, 
 who  are  by  nature  sinners,  are  not  left  to  so  hazardous 
 an  experiment.  He  has  himself  engaged  to  keep  us,  and 
 treasured  up  all  fulness  of  grace  for  our  support,  in  a 
 Head  who  cannot  fail.  Our  gracious  Saviour  will  com- 
 municate all  needful  supplies  to  his  members,  yet  in. 
 such  a  manner  that  they  shall  feci  their  need  and  weak- 
 ness, and  have  nothing  to  boast  of  from  first  to  last,  but 
 his  wisdom,  compassion,  and  care.  We  are  in  no  worse 
 circumstances  than  the  apostle  Paul,  who,  though  emi- 
 nent and  exemplary  in  the  Christian  life,  found,  and 
 freely  confessed,  that  he  had  no  sufficiency  in  himself  to 
 think  a  good  thought.  Nor  did  he  wish  it  otherwise; 
 he  even  gloried  in  his  infirmities,  that  the  power  of  Christ 
 might  rest  upon  him.  Unbelief  and  a  thousand  evils  are 
 still  in  our  hearts:  though  their  reign  and  dominion  is  at  an 
 end,  they  are  not  slain  or  eradicated;  their  effects  will  be 
 felt  more  or  less  sensibly,  as  the  Lord  is  pleased  more  or 
 less  to  afford  or  abate  his  gracious  influence.  When  they 
 are  kept  down,  we  are  no  better  in  ourselves,  for  they 
 are  not  kept  down  by  us;  but  we  are  very  prone  to  think 
 better  of  ourselves  at  such  a  time,  and  therefore  he  is 
 pleased  to  permit  us  at  seasons  to  feel  a  difference,  that 
 we  may  never  forget  how  weak  and  how  vile  we  are. 
 W^e  cannot  absolutely  conquer  these  evils,  but  it  becomes 
 
LETTERS  TO  MRS  G- 
 
 251 
 
 us  to  be  humbled  for  them;  and  we  are  to  fight,  and 
 strive,  and  pray  against  them.  Our  great  duty  is  to  be 
 at  his  footstool,  and  to  cry  to  him  who  has  promised  to 
 perform  all  things  for  us.  Why  are  we  called  soldiers, 
 but  because  we  are  called  to  a  warfare  ?  And  how  could 
 we  fight,  if  there  were  no  enemies  to  resist?  The  Lord's 
 soldiers  are  not  merely  for  show,  to  make  an  empty  pa- 
 rade in  a  uniform,  and  to  brandish  their  arms  when  none 
 but  friends  and  spectators  are  around  them.  No,  we 
 must  stand  upon  the  field  of  battle ;  we  must  face  the  fiery 
 darts;  we  must  wrestle  (which  is  the  closest  and  most 
 arduous  kind  of  fighting)  with  our  foes;  nor  can  we  well 
 expect  wholly  to  escape  wounds;  but  the  leaves  of  the 
 tree  of  life  are  provided  for  their  healing.  The  Captain 
 of  our  Salvation  is  at  hand,  and  leads  us  on  with  an  assu- 
 rance, which  might  make  even  a  coward  bold — that  in 
 the  end  we  shall  be  more  than  conquerors  through  him 
 who  has  loved  us. 
 
 I  am  ready  to  think,  that  some  of  the  sentiments  in 
 your  letters  are  not  properly  yours,  such  as  you  yourself 
 have  derived  from  the  scriptures,  but  rather  borrowed 
 from  authors  or  preachers,  whose  judgment  your  humi- 
 lity has  led  you  to  prefer  to  your  own.  At  least,  1  am 
 sure  the  scripture  does  not  authorize  the  conclusion  which 
 distresses  you,  that  if  you  were  a  child  of  God  you  should 
 not  feel  such  changes  and  oppositions.  Were  I  to  define 
 a  Christian,  or  rather  to  describe  him  at  large,  I  know 
 no  text  I  would  choose  sooner,  as  a  ground  for  the  sub- 
 ject, than  Gal.  v.  17.  A  Christian  has  noble  aims,  which 
 distinguish  him  from  the  bulk  of  mankind.  His  lead- 
 ing principles,  motives,  and  desires,  arc  all  supernatural 
 and  divine.  Could  he  do  as  he  would,  there  is  not  a 
 spirit  before  the  throne  should  excel  him  in  holiness, 
 love,  and  obedience.  He  would  tread  in  the  very  foot- 
 steps of  his  Saviour,  fill  up  every  moment  in  his  service, 
 and  employ  every  breath  in  his  praise.  This  he  would 
 do,  but  alas!  he  cannot.  Against  this  desire  of  the 
 spirit,  there  is  a  contrary  desire  and  working  of  a  cor- 
 rupt nature,  which  meets  him  at  every  turn.  He  has  a 
 beautiful  copy  set  before  him;  he  is  enamoured  with  it, 
 
252 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 and  though  he  does  not  expect  to  equal  it,  he  writes  care- 
 fully after  it,  and  longs  to  attain  to  the  nearest  possible 
 imitation.  But  indwelling  sin  and  Satan  continually  jog 
 his  hand,  and  spoil  his  strokes.  You  cannot,  Madam, 
 form  a  right  judgment  of  yourself,  except  you  make  due 
 allowance  for  those  things  which  are  not  peculiar  to  your- 
 self, but  common  to  all  who  have  spiritual  perception, 
 and  are  indeed  the  inseparable  appendages  of  this  mortal 
 state.  If  it  were  not  so,  why  should  the  most  spiritual 
 and  gracious  people  be  so  ready  to  confess  themselves 
 vile  and  worthless?  One  eminent  branch  of  our  holi- 
 ness, is  a  sense  of  shame  and  humiliation  for  those  evils 
 which  are  only  known  to  ourselves,  and  to  him  who 
 searches  our  hearts,  joined  with  an  acquiescence  in  Jesus, 
 who  is  appointed  of  God,  wisdom,  righteousness,  sancti- 
 fication,  and  redemption.  I  will  venture  to  assure  you, 
 that  though  you  will  possess  a  more  stable  peace,  in 
 proportion  as  the  Lord  enables  you  to  live  more  simply 
 upon  the  blood,  righteousness,  and  grace  of  the  Media- 
 tor, you  will  never  grow  into  a  better  opinion  of  your- 
 self than  you  have  at  present.  The  nearer  you  are 
 brought  to  him,  the  quicker  sense  you  will  have  of  your 
 continual  need  of  him,  and  thereby  your  admiration  of 
 his  power,  love,  and  compassion,  will  increase  likewise 
 from  year  to  year. 
 
 I  would  observe,  farther,  that  our  spiritual  exercises 
 are  not  a  little  influenced  by  our  constitutional  tempera- 
 ment. As  you  are  only  an  ideal  correspondent,  I  can 
 but  conjecture  about  you  upon  tiiis  head.  If  your  frame 
 is  delicate,  and  your  nervous  system  very  sensible  and 
 tender,  I  should  probably  ascribe  some  of  your  appre- 
 hensions to  this  cause.  It  is  an  abstruse  subject,  and  I 
 will  not  enter  into  it;  but  according  to  the  observations 
 I  have  made,  persons  of  this  habit  seem  to  live  more 
 upon  the  confines  of  the  visible  world,  if  1  may  so  speak, 
 and  to  be  more  susceptive  of  impressions  from  it  than 
 others.  That  complaint,  which,  for  want  of  a  better 
 name,  we  call  lowness  of  spirits,  may  probably  atlbrd  the 
 enemy  some  peculiar  advantages  and  occasions  of  dis- 
 tressing you.  The  mind  then  perceives  obj  ects  as  throu gi i 
 
LETTERS  TO  MRS  G- 
 
 253 
 
 a  tinctured  medium,  vvhicli  gives  them  a  dark  and  dis- 
 couraging appearance;  and  I  believe  Satan  has  more 
 influence  and  address  than  we  are  aware  of  in  managing 
 the  glass.  And  when  this  is  not  the  case  at  all  times,  it 
 may  be  so  occasionally,  from  sickness  or  other  circum- 
 stances. You  tell  me  that  you  have  lately  been  ill, 
 which,  together  with  your  present  situation,  and  the 
 prospect  of  your  approaching  hour,  may  probably  have 
 such  an  effect  as  I  have  hinted.  You  may  be  charging 
 yourself  with  guilt,  for  what  springs  from  indisposition, 
 in  which  you  are  merely  passive,  and  which  may  be  no 
 more  properly  sinful,  than  the  headach,  or  any  of  the 
 thousand  natural  shocks  the  flesh  is  heir  to.  The  enemy 
 can  take  no  advantage  but  what  the  Lord  permits  him; 
 and  he  will  permit  him  none  but  what  he  designs  to  over- 
 rule for  your  greater  advantage  in  the  end.  He  delights 
 in  your  prosperity ;  and  you  should  not  be  in  heaviness 
 for  an  hour,  were  there  not  a  need-be  for  it.  Notwith- 
 standing your  fears,  I  have  a  good  hope  that  he  who 
 you  say  has  helped  you  in  six  troubles,  will  appear  for 
 you  in  the  seventh,  and  you  will  not  die,  but  live,  and 
 declare  the  works  of  the  Lord,  and  come  forth  to  testify 
 to  his  praise,  that  he  has  turned  your  mourning  into  joy. 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
TWO  LETTERS  TO  MISS  F- 
 
 LETTER  L 
 
 Dear  Madam,  October  3,  1778. 
 
 You  would  have  me  tell  you  what  are  the  best  means  to 
 be  used  by  a  young  person,  to  prevent  the  world,  with 
 all  its  opening  and  ensnaring  scenes,  from  drawing  the 
 heart  aside  from  God.  It  is  an  important  question :  but 
 I  apprehend  your  own  heart  will  tell  you,  that  you  are 
 already  possessed  of  all  the  information  concerning  it 
 which  you  can  well  expect  from  me.  I  could  only  at- 
 tempt to  answer  it  from  the  Bible,  which  lies  open  to 
 you  likewise.  If  your  heart  is  like  mine,  it  must  confess, 
 that  when  it  turns  aside  from  God,  it  is  seldom  througli 
 ignorance  of  the  proper  means  or  motives  which  should 
 have  kept  us  near  him,  but  rather  from  an  evil  principle 
 within,  which  prevails  against  our  better  judgment,  and 
 renders  us  unfaithful  to  light  already  received. 
 
 I  could  offer  you  rules,  cautions,  and  advices  in  abun- 
 dance ;  for  I  find  it  comparatively  easy  to  preach  to 
 others.  But  if  you  should  farther  ask  me,  how  you  shall 
 effectually  reduce  them  to  practice?  I  feel  that  I  am  so 
 deficient,  and  so  much  at  a  loss  in  this  matter  myself, 
 that  I  know  not  well  what  to  say  to  yoxi.  Yet  something 
 must  be  said. 
 
 In  the  first  place,  then,  I  would  observe,  that  though 
 it  be  our  bounden  duty,  and  the  highest  privilege  we  can 
 propose  to  ourselves,  to  have  our  hearts  kept  close  to  the 
 Lord,  yet  we  must  not  expect  it  absolutely  or  perfectly, 
 much  less  all  at  once:  we  shall  keep  close  to  him,  in  pro- 
 portion as  we  are  solidly  convinced  of  the  infinite  dis- 
 
LETTERS  TO  MISS  F  
 
 255 
 
 parity  between  him  and  the  things  which  would  presume 
 to  stand  in  competition  with  him,  and  the  folly,  as  well  as 
 ingratitude,  of  departing  from  him.  But  these  points  are 
 only  to  be  learned  by  experience,  and  by  smarting  under 
 a  series  of  painful  disappointments  in  our  expectations 
 from  creatures.  Our  judgments  may  be  quickly  satisfied 
 that  his  favour  is  better  than  life,  while  yet  it  is  in  the 
 power  of  a  mere  trifle  to  turn  us  aside.  The  Lord  per- 
 mits us  to  feel  our  weakness,  that  we  may  be  sensible  of 
 it ;  for  though  we  are  ready  in  words  to  confess  that  we 
 are  weak,  we  do  not  so  properly  know  it,  till  that  se- 
 cret, though  unallowed  dependence  we  have  upon  some 
 strength  in  ourselves,  is  brought  to  the  trial,  and  fails  us. 
 To  be  humble,  and  like  a  little  child,  afraid  of  taking  a 
 step  alone,  and  so  conscious  of  snares  and  dangers  around 
 us,  as  to  cry  to  him  continually  to  hold  us  up  that  we 
 may  be  safe,  is  the  sure,  the  infallible,  the  only  secret  of 
 walking  closely  with  him. 
 
 But  how  shall  we  attain  this  humble  frame  of  spirit? 
 It  must  be,  as  I  said,  from  a  real  and  sensible  conviction 
 of  our  weakness  and  vileness,  which  we  cannot  learn  (at 
 least  I  have  not  been  able  to  learn  it)  merely  from  books 
 or  preachers.  The  providence  of  God  concurs  with  his 
 Holy  Spirit  in  his  merciful  design  of  making  us  acquainted 
 with  ourselves.  It  is  indeed  a  great  mercy  to  be  preserv- 
 ed from  such  declensions  as  might  fall  under  the  notice 
 of  our  fellow-creatures ;  but  when  thei/  can  observe  no- 
 thing of  consequence  to  object  to  us,  things  may  be  far 
 from  right  with  us  in  the  sight  of  him  who  judges  not 
 only  actions,  but  the  thoughts  and  first  motions  of  the 
 heart.  And  indeed  could  we  for  a  season  so  cleave  to 
 God  as  to  find  little  or  nothing  in  ourselves  to  be  asham- 
 ed of,  we  are  such  poor  creatures,  that  we  should  pre- 
 sently grow  vain  and  self-sufficient,  and  expose  ourselves 
 to  the  greatest  danger  of  falling. 
 
 There  are,  however,  means  to  be  observed  on  our 
 part;  and  though  you  know  them,  I  will  repeat  the  prin- 
 cipal, because  you  desire  me.  The  first  is  prayer;  and 
 here,  above  all  things,  we  should  pray  for  humility.  It 
 may  be  called  both  the  guard  of  all  other  graces,  and 
 
256 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 the  soil  in  which  they  grow.  The  second,  attention  to 
 the  scripture.  Your  question  is  directly  answered  in 
 Psalm  cxix.  9-  The  precepts  are  our  rule  and  delight, 
 the  promises  our  strength  and  encouragement ;  the  good 
 recorded  of  the  saints  is  proposed  for  our  encourage- 
 ment; their  miscarriages  are  as  landmarks  set  up  to 
 warn  us  of  the  rocks  and  shoals  which  lie  in  the  way  of 
 our  passage.  The  study  of  the  whole  scheme  of  gospel 
 salvation,  respecting  the  person,  life,  doctrine,  death,  and 
 glory  of  our  Redeemer,  is  appointed  to  form  our  souls  to 
 a  spiritual  and  divine  taste;  and  so  far  as  this  prevails 
 and  grows  in  us,  the  trifles  that  would  draw  us  from  the 
 Lord  will  lose  their  influence,  and  appear,  divested  of 
 the  glare  with  which  they  strike  the  senses,  mere  vanity 
 and  nothing.  The  third  grand  means  is,  consideration 
 or  recollection;  a  careful  regard  to  those  temptations 
 and  snares,  to  which,  from  our  tempers,  situations,  or 
 connexions,  we  are  more  immediately  exposed,  and  by 
 which  we  have  been  formerly  hindered.  It  may  be  well 
 in  the  morning,  ere  we  leave  our  chambers,  to  forecast, 
 as  far  as  we  are  able,  the  probable  circumstances  of  the 
 day  before  us.  Yet  the  observance  of  this,  as  well  as  of 
 every  rule  that  can  be  offered,  may  dwindle  into  a  mere 
 form.  However,  I  trust  the  Lord,  who  has  given  you  a 
 desire  to  live  to  him,  will  be  your  guard  and  teacher. 
 There  is  none  teacheth  like  him. 
 I  am,  &c 
 
 LETTER  II. 
 
 Dear  Madam,  March — 177y. 
 
 Our  experrences  pretty  much  tally ;  they  may  be  drawn 
 out  into  sheets  and  quires,  but  the  sum  total  may  be 
 comprised  in  a  short  sentence,  "  Our  life  is  a  war- 
 fare." For  our  encouragement  the  apostle  calls  it  Rffood 
 warfare.    We  are  engaged  in  a  good  cause,  fight  under 
 
LETTERS  TO  MISS  F  
 
 257 
 
 a  good  Captain,  the  victory  is  sure  beforeliand,  and  the 
 prize  is  a  crown,  a  crown  of  life.  Such  considerations 
 might  make  even  a  coward  bold.  But  then  we  must  be 
 content  to  fight:  and  considering  the  nature,  number, 
 situation,  and  subtilty  of  our  enemies,  we  may  expect 
 sometimes  to  receive  a  wound:  but  there  is  a  medicinal 
 tree,  the  leaves  of  which  are  always  at  hand  to  heal  us. 
 We  cannot  be  too  attentive  to  the  evil  which  is  always 
 working  in  us,  or  to  the  stratagems  which  are  employed 
 against  us ;  yet  our  attention  should  not  be  wholly  con- 
 fined to  these  things.  We  are  to  look  upwards  like- 
 wise to  him,  who  is  our  head,  our  life,  our  strength. 
 One  glance  of  Jesus  will  convey  more  effectual  assist- 
 ance than  poring  upon  our  own  hearts  for  a  month.  The 
 one  is  to  be  done,  but  the  other  should  upon  no  account 
 be  omitted.  It  was  not  by  counting  their  wounds,  but  by 
 beholding  the  brazen  serpent,  the  Lord's  instituted  means 
 of  cure,  that  the  Israelites  were  healed.  That  was  an 
 emblem  of  our  instruction.  One  great  cause  of  our  fre- 
 quent conflicts  is,  that  we  have  a  secret  desire  to  be  rich, 
 and  it  is  the  Lord's  design  to  make  us  poor.  We  want 
 to  gain  an  ability  of  doing  something;  and  he  suits  his 
 dispensations,  to  convince  us  that  we  can  do  nothing. 
 We  want  a  stock  in  ourselves,  and  he  would  have  us 
 absolutely  dependent  upon  him.  So  far  as  we  are  con- 
 tent to  be  weak,  that  his  power  may  be  magnified  in  us, 
 so  far  we  shall  make  our  enemies  know  that  we  are 
 strong,  though  we  ourselves  shall  never  be  directly 
 sensible  that  we  are  so ;  only  by  comparing  what  we  are, 
 with  the  opposition  we  stand  against,  we  may  come  to  a 
 comfortable  conclusion,  that  the  Lord  worketh  mightily 
 in  us,  Psal.  xli.  11. 
 
 If  our  views  are  simple,  and  our  desires  towards  the 
 Lord,  it  may  be  of  use  to  consider  some  of  your  faults 
 and  mine,  not  as  the  faults  of  you  and  me  in  particular, 
 but  as  the  fault  of  that  depraved  nature,  which  is  com- 
 mon to  us  with  all  the  Lord's  people,  and  which  made 
 Paul  groan  as  feelingly  and  as  heartily  as  we  can  do. 
 But  this  consideration,  though  true  and  scriptural,  can 
 only  be  safely  applied  when  the  mind  is  sincerely  and  in 
 
258 
 
 CAUDIPIIC  NIA. 
 
 good  earnest  devoted  to  the  Lord.  There  are  too  many 
 unsound  and  half  professors,  m  Iio  eagerly  catch  at  it,  as 
 an  excuse  for  those  evils  they  are  unwilling  to  part  with. 
 But  I  trust  I  may  safely  recommend  it  to  you.  This 
 evil  nature,  this  indwelling  sin,  is  a  living  principle,  an 
 active,  powerful  cause;  and  a  cause  that  is  active  will 
 necessarily  produce  an  effect.  Sin  is  the  same  thing  in 
 believers  as  in  the  unregenerate ;  they  have  indeed  a 
 contrary  principle  of  grace,  which  counteracts  and  re- 
 sists it,  which  can  prevent  its  outbreakings,  but  will  not 
 suppress  its  risings.  As  grace  resists  sin,  so  sin  resists 
 grace,  Gal.  v.  17.  The  proper  tendency  of  each  is  mu- 
 tually weakened  on  both  sides;  and  between  the  two, 
 the  poor  believer,  however  blameless  and  exemplary  in 
 the  sight  of  men,  appeal's  in  his  own  view  the  most  in- 
 consistent character  under  the  sun.  He  can  hardly 
 think  it  is  so  with  others,  and  judging  of  them  by  what 
 he  sees,  and  of  himself  by  what  he  feels,  in  lowliness  ol 
 heart,  he  esteems  others  better  than  himself.  This  proves 
 him  to  be  right;  for  it  is  the  will  of  God  concerning  him, 
 Phil.  ii.  3.  This  is  the  warfare.  But  it  shall  not  always 
 be  so.  Grace  shall  prevail.  The  evil  nature  is  already 
 enervated,  and  ere  long  it  shall  die  the  death.  Jesus  will 
 make  us  more  than  conquerors. 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
TWO  LETTERS  TO  MR  A   B 
 
 LETTER  I. 
 
 Dear  Sir,  1758. 
 
 I  SUPPOSE  you  will  receive  many  congratulations  on  your 
 recovery  fro  ill  your  late  dangerous  illness;  most  of  them 
 perhaps  more  spriglitly  and  better  turned,  but  none,  I 
 persuade  raj^self,  more  sincere  and  affectionate  than  mine. 
 I  beg  you  would  prepare  yourself  by  this  good  opinion 
 of  me,  before  you  read  further ;  and  let  the  reality  of  my 
 regard  excuse  what  you  may  dislike  in  my  manner  of 
 expressing  it. 
 
 Wlien  a  person  has  retui'ned  from  a  doubtful  distant 
 voyage,  we  are  naturally  led  to  inquire  into  the  incidents 
 he  has  met  with,  and  the  discoveries  he  has  made.  In- 
 dulge me  in  a  curiosity  of  this  kind,  especially  as  my 
 affection  gives  me  an  interest  and  concern  in  the  event. 
 You  have  been,  my  friend,  upon  the  brink,  the  very  edge 
 of  an  eternal  state ;  but  God  has  restored  you  back  to  the 
 world  again.  Did  you  meet  with,  or  have  you  brought 
 back  nothing  new?  Did  nothing  occur  to  stop  or  turn 
 your  usual  train  of  thought?  Were  your  apprehensions 
 of  invisible  things  exactly  the  same  in  the  height  of  your 
 disorder,  when  you  were  cut  off'  from  the  world  and  all 
 its  engagements,  as  when  you  were  in  perfect  health,  and 
 in  the  highest  enjoyment  of  your  own  inclinations?  If 
 you  answer  me,  "  Yes,  all  things  are  just  the  same  as 
 formerly,  the  difference  between  sickness  and  health  only 
 excepted,"  I  am  at  a  loss  how  to  reply.  I  can  only  sigh 
 and  wonder;  sight  that  it  should  be  thus  with  any,  that 
 
260 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 it  should  be  thus  with  you,  whom  I  dearly  love;  and 
 wonder,  since  this  unhappy  case,  strange  as  it  seems  in 
 one  view,  is  yet  so  fi-equent,  why  it  was  not  always  thus 
 with  myself:  for  long  and  often  it  was  just  so.  Many  a 
 time,  when  sickness  had  brought  me,  as  we  say,  to  death's 
 door,  I  was  as  easy  and  insensible  as  the  sailor,  who,  in 
 the  height  of  a  storm,  should  presume  to  sleep  upon  the 
 top  of  the  mast,  quite  regardless  that  the  next  tossing 
 wave  might  plunge  him  into  the  raging  ocean,  beyond 
 all  possibility  of  relief.  But  at  length  a  day  came,  which, 
 though  the  most  terrible  day  I  ever  saw,  I  can  now  look 
 back  upon  with  thankfulness  and  pleasure :  I  say  the  time 
 came,  when  in  such  a  helpless  extremity,  and  under  the 
 expectation  of  immediate  death,  it  pleased  God  to  com- 
 mand the  veil  from  my  eyes,  and  I  saw  things  in  some 
 measure  as  they  really  were.  Imagine  with  yourself,  a 
 person  trembling  upon  the  point  of  a  dreadful  precipice, 
 a  powerful  and  inexorable  enemy  eager  to  push  him  down, 
 and  an  assemblage  of  all  that  is  horrible,  waiting  at  the 
 bottom  for  his  fall;  even  this  will  give  you  but  a  faint 
 representation  of  the  state  of  mj'  mind  at  that  time.  Be- 
 lieve me,  it  was  not  a  whim  or  a  dream  which  changed 
 my  sentiments  and  conduct,  but  a  powerful  conviction, 
 which  will  not  admit  the  least  doubt;  an  evidence 
 which,  like  that  I  have  of  my  own  existence,  I  cannot 
 call  in  question  without  contradicting  all  my  senses.  And 
 thougli  my  case  was  in  some  respects  uncommon,  yet 
 something  like  it  is  known  by  one  and  another  every 
 day;  and  I  have  myself  conversed  with  many  who,  after 
 a  course  of  years  spent  in  defending  deistical  principles, 
 or  indulging  libertine  practices,  when  they  have  thought 
 themselves  confirmed  in  tlieir  scheme?^  by  the  cool  assent 
 of  what  they  then  deemed  Impai'tial  Reason,  have  been, 
 like  me,  brought  to  glory  in  the  cross  of  Christ,  and  to 
 live  bj'  that  faith  which  they  had  before  slighted  and  op- 
 posed. By  these  instances,  I  know  that  nothing  is  too 
 hard  for  the  Almighty.  The  same  power  which  humbled 
 me,  can  undoubtedly  bring  down  the  most  haughtj^  infidel 
 upon  earth ;  and  as  I  likewise  know,  that,  to  show  his 
 power,  he  is  often  pleased  to  make  use  of  weak  instru- 
 
LETTERS  TO  MR  A   B  . 
 
 261 
 
 ments,  I  am  encouraged,  notwithstanding  the  apparent 
 difficulty  of  succeeding,  to  warn  those  over  whom  friend- 
 ship or  affection  gives  me  any  influence,  of  the  evil  and 
 the  danger  of  a  course  of  life  formed  upon  the  prevail- 
 ing maxims  of  the  world.  So  far  as  I  neglect  this,  I  am 
 imfaithful  in  my  professions  both  to  God  and  man. 
 
 I  shall  not  at  present  trouble  you  in  an  argumentative 
 way.  If,  by  dint  of  reasoning,  I  could  effect  some  change 
 in  your  notions,  my  arguments,  unless  applied  by  a  su- 
 perior power,  would  still  leave  your  heart  unchanged 
 and  untouched.  A  man  may  give  his  assent  to  the  gos- 
 pel, and  be  able  to  defend  it  against  others,  and  yet  not 
 have  his  own  spirit  truly  influenced  by  it.  This  thought 
 I  shall  leave  with  you,  that  if  your  scheme  be  not  true 
 to  a  demonstration,  it  must  necessarily  be  false;  for  the 
 issue  is  too  important  to  make  a  doubt  on  the  dangerous 
 side  tolerable.  If  the  Christian  could  possibly  be  mis- 
 taken, he  is  still  upon  equal  terms  with  those  who  pro- 
 nounce him  to  be  so;  but  if  the  Deist  be  wrong  (that  is, 
 if  we  are  in  the  right),  the  consequence  to  him  must  be 
 unavoidable  and  intolerable.  This,  you  will  say,  is  a  trite 
 argument:  I  own  it;  but,  beaten  as  it  is,  it  will  never  be 
 worn  out  or  answered. 
 
 Permit  me  to  remind  you  that  the  points  in  debate 
 between  us  are  already  settled  in  themselves,  and  that 
 our  talking  cannot  alter  or  affect  the  nature  of  things; 
 for  they  will  be  as  they  are,  whatever  apprehensions  we 
 may  form  of  them:  and  remember,  likewise,  that  we 
 must  all,  each  one  for  himself,  experience  on  which  side 
 the  truth  lies.  I  used  a  wrong  word  when  I  spoke  of  your 
 recovery:  my  dear  friend,  look  upon  it  only  as  a  reprieve ; 
 for  you  carry  tiie  sentence  of  death  about  with  you 
 still;  and  unless  j-ou  should  be  cnt  off  (which  God  of  his 
 mercy  forbid!)  by  a  sudden  stroke,  you  will  as  surely  lie 
 upon  a  death-bed  as  you  have  been  now  raised  from  a 
 bed  of  sickness.  And  remember,  likewise  (how  can  I 
 bear  to  write!)  that,  should  you  neglect  my  admonitions, 
 they  will  notwithstanding  have  an  effect  upon  you,  though 
 not  such  an  effect  as  I  could  wish:  they  will  render  you 
 more  inexcusable.    I  have  delivered  my  own  soul  by 
 
262 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 faithfully  warning  you:  but  if  you  will  not  examine  the 
 matter  with  that  seriousness  it  calls  for;  if  you  will  not 
 look  up  to  God,  the  former  of  your  body,  and  the  pre- 
 server of  your  spirit,  for  direction  and  assistance  how  to 
 please  him ;  if  you  will  have  your  reading  and  conversa- 
 tion only  on  one  side  of  the  question;  if  you  determine 
 to  let  afflictions  and  dangers,  mercies  and  deliverances, 
 all  pass  without  reflection  and  improvement;  if  you  will 
 spend  j'our  life  as  though  you  thought  you  were  sent 
 into  the  world  only  to  eat,  sleep,  and  play,  and,  after  a 
 course  of  years,  be  extinguished  like  the  snuff  of  a  candle 
 — why  then  you  must  abide  the  consequences.  But  as- 
 suredly, sooner  or  later,  God  will  meet  j'ou.  My  hearty 
 daily  prayer  is,  tliat  it  may  be  in  a  way  of  mercy,  and 
 that  you  may  be  added  to  the  number  of  the  trophies  of 
 his  invincible  grace. 
 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  II. 
 
 Dear  Sir,  1760. 
 
 Though  I  truly  love  you,  and  have  no  reason  to  doubt 
 of  the  reality  of  your  friendship  to  me,  yet  I  cannot  but 
 apprehend  that,  notwithstanding  our  mutual  regard,  and 
 my  frequent  attempts  to  be  witty  (if  I  could)  for  your  di- 
 version, there  is  sometliing  in  most  of  my  letters  (which  I 
 cannot,  dare  not,  wholly  suppress)  that  disgusts  and  wearies 
 j'ou,  and  makes  you  less  inclined  to  keep  up  a  frequent 
 intercourse  than  you  would  otherwise  be.  Kather  than 
 lose  you  quite,  I  will  in  general  spare  you  as  much  as  I  can; 
 but  at  present  you  must  bear  with  me,  and  allow  me  full 
 scope.  You  have  given  me  a  challenge  which  I  know 
 not  how  to  pass  over;  and  since  you  so  far  justify  my 
 preaching,  as  to  condescend  to  preach  (in  your  way) 
 yourself,  permit  me  for  this  time  to  preach  again,  and  to 
 take  some  passages  in  yoiu"  letter  for  my  text. 
 
LETTERS  TO  MR  A   B- 
 
 263 
 
 In  the  present  debate  I  will  accept  your  compliment, 
 and  suppose  myself  to  be,  as  you  say,  a  man  of  sense. 
 You  allow  then,  that  all  the  sense  is  not  on  your  side. 
 This  indeed  you  cannot  deny:  for  whatever  becomes  of 
 me,  it  is  needless  to  tell  you,  that  Hale,  Boyle,  and  other 
 great  names  I  could  mention,  were  men  of  as  great  pe- 
 netration and  judgment,  had  as  good  opportunities,  and 
 took  as  much  pains  to  be  informed  of  the  truth,  as  any 
 of  the  advocates  for  infidelity  can  pretend  to.  And  you 
 cannot,  with  any  modesty  or  consistence,  absolutely  de- 
 termine, that  they  had  not  as  good  grounds  for  thinking 
 themselves  right  as  you  can  have  for  concluding  they 
 were  wrong. 
 
 But  declining  the  advantage  of  human  authority,  I  am 
 content  the  point  shall  rest  between  you  and  me.  And 
 here  I  beg  you  to  observe,  that  I  have  one  evident  ad- 
 vantage over  you  in  judging,  namely,  that  I  have  expe- 
 rienced the  good  and  evil  on  hoth  sides,  and  you  only 
 on  one.  If  you  were  to  send  me  an  inventory  of  your 
 pleasures,  how  charmingly  your  time  runs  on,  and  how 
 dexterously  it  is  divided  between  the  coffee-houses,  play- 
 house, the  card-table,  and  tavern,  with  intervals  of  balls, 
 concerts,  &c.,  I  could  answer,  that  most  of  these  I  have 
 tried  and  tried  again,  and  know  the  utmost  they  can 
 yield,  and  have  seen  enough  of  the  rest,  most  heartily 
 to  despise  them  all.  Setting  religion  entirely  out  of  the 
 question,  I  profess  I  had  rather  be  a  worm  to  crawl  upon 
 the  ground,  than  to  bear  the  name  of  man  upon  the  poor 
 terms  of  whiling  away  my  life  in  an  insipid  round  of  such 
 insignificant  and  unmanly  trifles.  I  will  return  your  own 
 expression — I  believe  you  to  be  a  person  of  sense;  but, 
 alas!  how  do  you  prostitute  your  talents  and  capacity, 
 how  far  do  you  act  below  yourself,  if  you  know  no 
 higher  purpose  of  life  than  these  childish  dissipations, 
 together  with  the  more  serious  business  of  rising  early 
 and  sitting  up  late,  to  amass  money,  that  you  may  be 
 able  to  enlarge  your  expenses!  I  am  sure  while  I  lived 
 in  these  things  I  found  them  unsatisfying  and  empty  to 
 the  last  degree;  and  the  only  advantage  they  afforded 
 (miserable  are  they  who  are  forced  to  deem  it  an  advan- 
 
264 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 tage)  was,  that  they  often  relieved  me  from  the  trouble 
 and  burden  of  thinking.  If  you  have  any  other  plea- 
 sures than  these,  they  are  such  as  must  be  evil  and  in- 
 convenient even  upon  your  own  plan;  and,  therefore,  my 
 friendship  will  not  allow  me  to  bring  them  into  the  ac- 
 count. I  am  willing  to  hope  you  do  not  stoop  still  lower 
 in  pursuit  of  satisfaction.  Thus  far  we  stand  upon  even 
 ground.  You  know  all  that  a  life  of  pleasure  can  give, 
 and  I  know  it  likewise. 
 
 On  the  other  hand,  if  I  should  attempt  to  explain  to 
 you  the  source  and  streams  of  my  best  pleasures,  such 
 as  a  comfortable  assurance  of  the  pardon  of  my  sins,  and 
 habitual  communion  with  the  God  who  made  heaven  and 
 earth,  a  calm  reliance  on  the  Divine  Providence,  the 
 cheering  prospect  of  a  better  life  in  a  better  world, 
 with  the  pleasing  foretastes  of  heaven  in  my  own  soul; 
 should  I,  or  could  I,  tell  you  the  pleasure  I  often  find  in 
 reading  the  scriptiue,  in  the  exercise  of  prayer,  and  in 
 that  sort  of  preaching  and  conversation  which  you  de- 
 spise, I  doubt  not  but  you  would  think  as  meanly  of 
 my  happiness  as  I  do  of  yours.  But  here  lies  the  differ- 
 ence, my  dear  friend;  you  condemn  that  which  you  have 
 never  tried.  You  know  no  more  of  these  things  than  a 
 blind  man  does  of  colours ;  and  notwithstanding  all  your 
 flourishes,  I  defy  you  to  be  at  all  times  able  to  satisfy 
 yourself,  that  things  may  not  possibly  be  as  I  have  re- 
 presented them. 
 
 Besides,  vrhat  do  I  lose,  upon  my  plan,  that  should 
 make  me  so  worthy  of  your  pity?  Have  you  a  quicker 
 relish  in  the  prudent  use  of  temporal  comforts?  Do 
 you  think  I  do  not  eat  my  food  with  as  much  pleasure 
 as  you  can  do,  though  perhaps  with  less  cost  and  va- 
 riety? Is  your  sleep  sounder  than  mine?  Have  not  I 
 as  much  satisfaction  in  social  life?  It  is  true,  to  join 
 much  with  the  gay  fluttering  tribe,  who  spend  their  days 
 in  laugh  and  sing-song,  is  equally  contrary  to  my  duty 
 and  inclination.  But  I  have  friends  and  acquaintances  as 
 well  as  you.  Among  the  many  who  favour  me  with  their 
 esteem  and  friendship,  there  are  some  who  are  persons 
 of  sense,  learning,  wit,  and  (what  perhaps  may  weigh  as 
 
LETTERS  TO  MR  A   B  
 
 265 
 
 much  with  you)  of  fortune  and  distinction.  And  if  yoii 
 should  say,  "  Ay,  but  they  are  all  enthusiasts  like  yoiu'- 
 self,"  you  would  say  nothing  to  the  purpose,  since,  upon 
 your  maxim,  that  "  happiness  is  according  to  opinion," 
 it  cannot  be  an  objection,  but  the  contrary,  to  have  my 
 acquaintance  to  my  own  taste.  Thus  much  for  the 
 brighter  side  of  your  situation;  or  let  me  add  one  thing 
 more:  I  know  you  have  thoughts  of  marriage:  do  you 
 think,  if  you  should  enter  into  this  relation,  your  princi- 
 ples are  calculated  to  make  you  more  happy  in  it  than  I 
 am?  You  are  well  acquainted  with  our  family  life:  do 
 you  propose  to  know  more  of  the  peace  and  heart-felt 
 joy  of  domestic  union  than  I  have  known,  and  continue 
 to  know  to  this  hour?  I  wish  you  may  equal  us;  and  if 
 you  do,  we  shall  still  be,  as  before,  but  upon  even  ground. 
 I  need  not  turn  Deist,  to  enjoy  the  best  and  the  most  that 
 this  life  can  afford. 
 
 But  I  need  not  tell  you  that  the  present  life  is  not  made 
 up  of  pleasurable  incidents  only.  Pain,  sickness,  losses, 
 disappointments,  injuries,  and  affronts,  will  more  or  less, 
 at  one  time  or  other,  be  our  lot.  And  can  you  bear  these 
 trials  better  than  I?  You  will  not  pretend  to  it.  Let 
 me  appeal  to  yourself:  how  often  do  you  toss  and  dis- 
 quiet yourself,  like  a  wild  bull  in  a  net,  when  things  cross 
 your  expectations?  As  your  thoughts  are  more  engrossed 
 by  what  you  see,  you  must  be  more  keenly  sensible  of 
 what  you  feel.  You  cannot  view  these  trials  as  appointed 
 by  a  wise  and  heavenly  Father,  in  subservience  to  your 
 good;  you  cannot  taste  the  sweetness  of  his  promises, 
 nor  feel  the  secret  supports  of  his  strength,  in  an  hour 
 of  affliction;  you  cannot  so  cast  your  burden  and  care 
 upon  him,  as  to  find  a  sensible  relief  to  your  spirit  there- 
 by, nor  can  you  see  his  hand  engaged  and  employed  in 
 effecting  your  deliverance.  Of  these  things  you  know 
 no  more  than  of  the  art  of  flying;  but  I  seriously  assure 
 you,  and  I  believe  my  testimonj'  will  go  farther  with  you 
 than  my  judgment,  that  they  ai'e  realities,  and  that  I  have 
 found  them  to  be  so.  When  my  worldly  concerns  have 
 been  most  thorny  and  discouraging,  I  have  once  and 
 again  felt  the  most  of  that  peace  which  the  world  can 
 
266 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 neither  give  nor  take  away.  However,  I  may  state  the 
 case  still  lower.  You  do  pretty  well  among  your  friends ; 
 but  how  do  you  like  being  alone?  Would  you  not 
 give  something  for  that  liaj^py  secret,  which  could  en- 
 able you  to  pass  a  rainy  day  pleasantly  without  the. 
 assistance  of  business,  companjr,  or  amusement?  Would 
 it  not  mortify  you  greatly  to  travel  for  a  week  in  an  un  - 
 frequented  road,  where  you  should  meet  with  no  lively 
 incidents  to  recruit  and  raise  your  spirits?  Alas!  what 
 a  poor  scheme  of  pleasure  is  yours,  that  will  not  support 
 an  interval  of  reflection! 
 
 Wliat  you  have  heard  is  true ;  I  have  a  few  friends 
 who  meet  at  my  house  once  a  fortnight,  and  we  spend  an 
 hour  or  two  in  worshipping  the  God  who  made  us.  And 
 can  this  move  your  indignation,  or  your  compassion? 
 Does  it  show  a  much  nobler  spirit,  a  more  refined  way 
 of  thinking,  to  live  altogether  without  God  in  the  world? 
 If  I  kept  a  card-assembly  at  those  times,  it  would  not 
 displease  you.  How  can  j-ou,  as  a  person  of  sense,  avoid 
 being  shocked  at  your  own  unhappy  prejudice?  But  I 
 remember  how  it  was  once  with  myself,  and  forbear  to 
 wonder.  May  he  who  has  opened  my  eyes  open  yours. 
 He  only  can  do  it.  I  do  not  expect  to  convince  you  by 
 any  thing  I  can  say  as  of  myself ;  but  if  he  be  pleased 
 to  make  use  of  me  as  his  instrument,  then  you  will  be 
 convinced.  How  should  I  then  rejoice!  I  should  re- 
 joice to  be  useful  to  any  one;  but  especially  to  you, 
 M'hom  I  dearh'  love.  May  God  show  you  your  true 
 self,  and  your  true  state ;  then  you  will  attentively  listen 
 to  what  j'ou  now  disdain  to  hear  of — his  goodness  in 
 providing  redemption  and  pardon  for  the  chief  of  sin- 
 ners, through  him  who  died  upon  the  cross  for  sins  not 
 his  own.  Keep  this  letter  by  you  at  my  request;  £ind 
 when  you  write,  tell  me  that  j'Ou  receive  it  in  good  part, 
 and  that  you  still  believe  me  to  be 
 
 Your  sincere  and  affectionate  friend. 
 
FOUR  LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  DR 
 
 LETTER  L 
 
 Dear  Sir,  April  17,  1776. 
 
 By  this  time  I  hope  you  are  both  returned  in  peace,  and 
 happy  together  in  your  stated  favoured  tract:  rejoicing 
 in  the  name  of  Jesus  yourselves,  and  rejoicing  to  see  the 
 savour  of  it  spreading  liice  a  precious  perfume  among 
 the  people.  Every  day  I  hope  you  find  prejudices  wear- 
 ing off,  and  more  disposed  to  hear  the  words  of  life.  The 
 Lord  has  given  you  a  fine  first-fruits,  which  I  trust  will 
 prove  the  earnest  of  a  plentiful  harvest.  In  the  mean 
 time  he  will  enable  you  to  sow  the  seed  in  patience, 
 leaving  the  event  in  his  hands.  Though  it  does  not 
 spring  up  visibly  at  once,  it  will  not  be  lost.  I  think 
 he  would  not  have  sent  you  if  he  had  not  a  people  there 
 to  call;  but  they  can  only  come  forth  to  view  as  lie  is 
 pleased  to  bring  them.  Satan  will  try  to  hinder  and 
 disturb  you,  but  he  is  in  a  chain  which  he  cannot  break, 
 nor  go  a  step  farther  than  he  is  permitted.  And  if  you 
 have  been  instrumental  to  the  conversion  of  but  a  few,  in 
 those  few  you  have  an  ample  reward  already  for  all  the  dif- 
 ficulties you  have  or  can  meet  with.  It  is  more  honourable 
 and  important  to  be  an  instrument  of  saving  one  soul,  than 
 to  rescue  a  whole  kingdom  from  temporal  ruin.  Let  us 
 therefore,  while  we  earnestly  desire  to  be  more  useful, 
 not  forget  to  be  thankful  for  what  the  Lord  has  been 
 pleased  already  to  do  for  us :  and  let  us  expect,  knowing 
 whose  servants  we  are,  and  what  a  gospel  we  preach,  to 
 see  some  new  miracles  wrought  from  day  to  day :  for  in- 
 deed every  real  conversion  may  be  accounted  miracu- 
 
268 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 lous,  being  no  less  than  an  immediate  exertion  of  that 
 power  wiiich  made  tiie  heavens,  and  commanded  the 
 light  to  sliine  out  of  darkness.  Your  little  telescope  is 
 safe.  I  wish  I  had  more  of  that  clear  air  and  sunshine 
 you  speak  of,  that  with  you  I  might  have  more  distinct 
 views  of  the  land  of  promise.  I  cannot  say  my  prospect 
 is  greatly  clouded  by  doubts  of  my  reaching  it  at  last; 
 but  then  there  is  such  a  languor  and  deadness  hangs  upon 
 my  mind,  that  it  is  almost  amazing  to  me  how  I  can  en- 
 tertain any  hopes  at  all.  It  seems,  if  doubting  could 
 ever  be  reasonable,  there  is  no  one  who  has  greater  rea- 
 son for  doubting  than  myself.  But  I  know  not  how  to 
 doubt,  when  I  consider  the  faithfulness,  grace,  and  com- 
 passion of  him  who  has  promised.  If  it  could  be  proved 
 that  Christ  has  not  died,  or  that  he  did  not  speak  the 
 words  which  are  ascribed  to  him  in  the  gospel,  or  that 
 he  is  not  able  to  make  them  good,  or  that  his  word  can- 
 not safely  be  taken ;  in  any  of  these  cases  I  should  doubt 
 to  purpose,  and  lie  down  in  despair. 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  11. 
 
 My  Dear  Sir,  July  15,  1777- 
 
 I  BEGIN  with  congratulations  first  to  you  and  Mrs  , 
 
 on  your  safe  journey  and  good  passage  over  the  formi- 
 dable Humber.  Mrs  has  another  river  to  cross  (may 
 
 it  be  many  years  before  she  approaches  the  bank),  over 
 which  there  is  no  bridge.  Perhaps  at  seasons  she  may 
 think  of  it  with  that  reluctance  which  she  felt  before  she 
 saw  the  Humber;  but  as  her  fears  wer<)  then  agreeably 
 disappointed,  and  she  found  the  experiment,  Aviien  called 
 to  make  it,  neither  terrifying  nor  dangerous,  so  I  trust 
 she  will  find  it  in  the  other  case.  Did  not  she  think.  The 
 Lord  knows  where  I  shall  be,  and  he  will  meet  me  there 
 with  a  storm,  because  I  am  such  a  sinner?    Then  how 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  DR 
 
 269 
 
 the  billows  will  foam  and  rage  at  ine,  and  what  a  long 
 passage  I  shall  have,  and  perhaps  I  shall  sink  in  the 
 middle,  and  never  set  my  Coot  in  Hull.  It  is  true,  I  am 
 not  so  much  afraid  of  the  journey  I  go  by  land,  though 
 I  knmv  that  every  step  of  the  way  the  horses  or  the 
 chaise  may  foil,  and  I  be  killed ;  but  how  do  I  know  but 
 he  may  preserve  me  on  the  road  on  purpose  to  drown 
 me  in  the  river?  But  behold,  when  she  came  to  it,  all 
 was  calm:  or,  what  was  better,  a  gentle,  fair  breeze,  to 
 waft  her  pleasantly  over  before  she  was  aware.  Thus 
 we  are  apt  perversely  to  reason:  he  guides  and  guards 
 me  through  life;  he  gives  me  new  mercies,  and  new 
 proofs  of  his  power  and  care  every  day;  and  therefore 
 when  I  come  to  die  lie  will  forsake  me,  and  let  me  be 
 the  sport  of  winds  and  waves.  Indeed  the  Lord  does 
 not  deserve  such  hard  thoughts  at  our  hands  as  we  are 
 prone  to  form  of  him.  But  notwithstanding  we  make 
 such  returns,  he  is  and  will  be  gracious,  and  shame  us 
 out  of  our  unkind,  ungrateful,  unbelieving  fears  at  last. 
 If,  after  my  repeated  kind  reception  at  your  house,  I 
 
 should  always  be  teasing  Mrs   with  suspicions  of 
 
 her  good-will,  and  should  tell  every  body  I  saw,  that  I 
 verily  believed  the  next  time  I  went  to  see  her  she  would 
 shut  the  door  in  my  face  and  refuse  me  admittance,  would 
 she  not  be  grieved,  offended,  and  affronted?  Would  she 
 not  tliink.  What  reason  can  he  assign  for  this  treatment? 
 He  knows  I  did  every  thing  in  my  power  to  assure  him 
 of  a  welcome,  and  told  him  so  over  and  over  again.  Does 
 he  count  me  a  deceiver?  Yes,  he  does:  I  see  his  friend- 
 ship is  not  worth  preserving;  so  farewell.  I  will  seek 
 friends  among  such  as  believe  my  words  and  actions. 
 W^ell,  my  dear  Madam,  I  am  clear  I  always  believed 
 you;  I  make  no  doubt  but  you  will  treat  me  kindly 
 next  time,  as  you  did  tlie  last.  But  pray  is  not  the  Lord 
 as  worthy  of  being  trusted  as  yourself;  and  are  not  liis 
 invitations  and  promises  as  liearty  and  as  honest  as 
 yours?  Let  us  therefore  beware  of  giving  way  to  such 
 thoughts  of  him  as  we  could  hardly  forgive  in  our  dearest 
 friends,  if  they  should  harbour  the  like  of  us. 
 
 I  have  heard  nothing  of  Mr  P  yet,  but  that  he  is 
 
273 
 
 CARDIPH0N5A, 
 
 in  town,  very  busy  about  that  precious  piece  of  furni- 
 ture called  a  wife.  May  the  Lord  direct  and  bless  his 
 choice.  In  Captain  Cook's  voyage  to  the  South  Sea, 
 some  fish  were  caught  which  looked  as  well  as  others, 
 but  those  who  ate  of  them  were  poisoned;  alas!  for  the 
 poor  man  who  catches  a  poisonous  wife !  There  are  such 
 to  be  met  with  in  the  matrimonial  seas,  that  look  passing 
 ■well  to  the  eye,  but  a  connexion  with  them  proves  bane- 
 ful to  domestic  peace,  and  hurtful  to  the  life  of  grace.  I 
 know  two  or  three  people,  perhaps  a  few  more,  who  have 
 great  reason  to  be  thankful  to  him  who  sent  the  fish,  with 
 the  money  in  its  mouth,  to  Peter's  hook.  He  secretly 
 instructed  and  guided  us  where  to  angle ;  and  if  we  have 
 caught  prizes,  we  owe  it  not  to  our  own  skill,  much  less 
 to  our  deserts,  but  to  his  goodness. 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  III. 
 
 Sib,  Julj/1,\in. 
 
 I  HAVE  had  a  letter  from  your  minister  since  his  arrival 
 
 at  .    I  hope  he  will  be  restored  to  you  again  before 
 
 long,  and  that  he  and  many  of  j  our  place  will  rejoice 
 long  in  each  other.  Those  are  favoured  places  which 
 are  blessed  with  a  sound  and  faithful  gospel  ministry,  if 
 the  people  know  and  consider  the  value  of  their  privi- 
 leges, and  are  really  desirous  of  profiting  by  them:  but 
 the  kingdom  of  God  is  not  in  word,  but  in  power.  I 
 hope  those  who  profess  the  gospel  \vith  you  will  wrestle 
 in  prayer  for  grace  to  walk  worthy  of  it.  A  minister's 
 hands  are  strengthened,  Avhen  he  can  point  to  his  people, 
 as  so  many  living  proofs,  that  the  doctrines  he  preaches 
 are  doctrines  according  to  godliness;  when  they  walk  in 
 mutual  love;  when  each  one,  in  their  several  places,  ma- 
 nifests an  humble,  spiritual,  upright  conduct ;  when  they 
 are  Christians,  not  only  at  church,  but  in  the  family,  the 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  DR 
 
 271 
 
 shop,  and  the  field;  when  they  fill  up  their  relations  in 
 life,  as  husbands  or  wives,  masters  or  servants,  parents 
 or  children,  according  to  the  rule  of  the  word;  when  they 
 axe  evidently  a  people  separated  from  the  world  while 
 conversant  in  it,  and  are  careful  to  let  their  light  shine 
 before  men,  not  only  by  talking,  but  by  acting  as  the 
 disciples  of  Christ:  when  they  go  on  steadily,  not  by 
 fits  and  starts,  prizing  the  means  of  grace  without  rest- 
 ing in  them:  when  it  is  thus,  we  can  say.  Now  we  live, 
 if  you  stand  fast  in  the  Lord.  Then  we  come  forth  with 
 pleasure,  and  our  service  is  our  delight,  and  we  are  en- 
 couraged to  hope  for  an  increasing  blessing.  But  if  the 
 people  in  whom  we  have  rejoiced  sink  into  formality  or 
 a  worldly  spirit ;  if  they  have  dissensions  and  jealousies 
 among  themselves ;  if  they  act  improperly,  and  give  the 
 enemies  occasion  to  say,  there,  there,  so  w  ould  we  have 
 it;  then  our  hearts  are  wounded  and  our  zeal  damped, 
 and  we  know  not  how  to  speak  with  liberty.  It  is  my 
 heart's  desire  and  prayer  for  j'ou,  that  whether  I  see  you, 
 or  else  be  absent  from  you,  I  may  know  that  you  stand 
 fast  in  one  spirit  and  one  mind,  striving  together  for  the 
 faith  of  the  gospel. 
 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  IV. 
 
 My  Dear  Sir,  September  4,  1777. 
 
  Poor  little  boy!  it  is  mercy  indeed  that  he 
 
 recovered  from  such  a  formidable  hurt.  The  Lord 
 wounded,  and  the  Lord  healed.  I  ascribe,  with  you, 
 what  tlie  world  calls  accident  to  him,  and  believe,  that 
 without  his  permission,  for  wise  and  good  ends,  a  child 
 can  no  more  pull  a  bowl  of  l)oiling  water  on  itself,  than 
 it  could  pull  the  moon  out  of  its  orbit.  And  why  does 
 he  permit  such  things  ?  One  reason  or  two  is  sufficient 
 for  us:  it  is  to  remind  us  of  the  uncertainty  of  life  and 
 
272 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 all  creature-comforts:  to  make  us  afraid  of  cleaving  too 
 close  to  pretty  toys,  which  are  so  precarious,  that  often 
 while  we  look  at  them  they  vanish,  and  to  lead  us  to  a 
 more  entire  dependence  upon  himself ;  that  we  might 
 never  judge  ourselves  or  our  concernr.  safe,  from  out- 
 ward appearances  only,  but  that  the  Lord  is  our  keeper, 
 and  were  not  his  eye  upon  us,  a  thousand  dangers  and 
 painful  changes,  which  we  can  neither  foresee  nor  pre- 
 vent, are  lurking  about  us  every  step,  ready  to  break  in 
 upon  us  every  hour.  Men  are  but  children  of  a  larger 
 growth.  How  many  are  labouring  and  planning  in  the 
 pursuit  of  things,  the  event  of  whicli,  if  they  obtain  them, 
 will  be  but  like  pulling  scalding  water  upon  their  own 
 heads !  They  must  have  the  bowl  by  all  means,  but  they 
 are  not  awai'e  what  is  in  it  till  they  feel  it. 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
SEVEN  LETTERS  TO  MRS 
 
 LETTER  L 
 
 My  Dear  Madam,  November —  1775. 
 
 Too  much  of  that  impatience  which  you  speak  of  to- 
 wards those  who  differ  from  us  in  some  religious  senti- 
 ments, is  observable  on  all  sides.  I  do  not  consider  it 
 as  the  fault  of  a  few  individuals,  or  of  this  or  that  party, 
 so  much  as  the  effect  of  that  inherent  imperfection  which 
 is  common  to  our  whole  race.  Anger  and  scorn  are 
 equally  unbecoming  in  those  who  profess  to  be  followers 
 of  the  meek  and  lowly  Jesus,  and  who  acknowledge 
 themselves  to  be  both  sinful  and  fallible;  but  too  often 
 something  of  this  leaven  will  be  found  cleaving  to  the 
 best  characters,  and  mixed  with  honest  endeavours  to 
 serve  the  best  cause.  But  thus  it  was  from  the  begin- 
 ning; and  we  have  reason  to  confess  that  we  are  no  bet- 
 ter than  the  apostles  were,  who,  though  they  meant  well, 
 manift'sted  once  and  again  a  wrong  spirit  in  tlieir  zeal, 
 Luke  ix.  54.  Observation  and  experience  contribute, 
 by  the  grace  of  God,  gradually  to  soften  and  sv/eeteu 
 our  spirits;  but  then  there  will  always  be  ground  for  mu- 
 tual forbearance  and  mutual  forgiveness  on  tiiis  head. 
 However,  so  far  as  I  may  judge  of  myself,  I  tliink  this 
 hastiness  is  not  my  most  easy  besetting  sin.  I  am  not 
 indeed  an  advocate  for  that  indifference  and  lukewarra- 
 ness  to  the  truths  of  God,  which  seem  to  constitute  the 
 candour  many  plead  for  in  the  present  day.  But  while 
 I  desire  to  hold  fast  the  sound  doctrines  of  the  gospel 
 towards  the  person  of  my  fellow-creatures,  I  wish  to  ex- 
 ercise all  moderation  and  benevolence:  Protestants  or 
 
274 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 Papists,  Socinians,  or  Deists,  Jews,  Samaritans,  or  Ma- 
 hometans, all  are  my  neighbours,  they  have  all  a  claim 
 upon  me  for  the  common  offices  of  humanity.    As  to 
 religion,  they  cannot  all  be  right;  nor  may  I  compli- 
 ment them  by  allowing  the  differences  between  us  are 
 but  trivial,  when  I  believe  and  know  they  are  important; 
 but  I  am  not  to  expect  them  to  see  with  my  eyes.  I  am 
 deeply  convinced  of  the  truth  of  John  Baptist's  aphorism, 
 John  iii.  27.    "  A  man  can  receive  nothing  except  it  be 
 given  him  from  heaven."    I  well  know,  that  the  little 
 measure  of  knowledge  1  have  obtained  in  the  things  of 
 God,  has  not  been  owing  to  my  own  wisdom  and  doci- 
 lity, but  to  his  goodness.    Nor  did  I  get  it  all  at  once: 
 he  has  been  pleased  to  exercise  much  patience  and  long- 
 suffering  towards  me,  for  about  twenty-seven  years  past, 
 since  he  first  gave  me  a  desire  of  learning  from  himself. 
 He  has  graciously  accommodated  himself  to  my  weak- 
 ness, borne  with  my  mistakes,  and  helped  me  through 
 innumerable  prejudices,  which,  but  for  his  mercy,  would 
 have  been  insuperable  hinderances:  I  have  therefore  no 
 right  to  be  angry,  impatient,  or  censorious,  especially  as 
 I  have  still  much  to  learn,  and  am  so  poorly  influenced 
 by  what  I  seem  to  know.    I  am  weary  of  controversies 
 and  disputes,  and  desire  to  choose  for  myself,  and  to 
 point  out  to  others  Mary's  part,  to  sit  at  Jesus'  feet,  and 
 to  hear  his  words.    And,  blessed  be  his  name!  so  far  as 
 I  have  learned  from  him,  I  am  favoured  with  a  comfort- 
 able certainty,  I  know  whom  I  have  believed,  and  am  no 
 longer  tossed  about  by  the  various  winds  and  tides  of 
 opinions,  by  which  I  see  many  are  dashed  one  against 
 the  other.    But  I  cannot,  I  must  not,  I  dare  not  contend; 
 only,  as  a  witness  for  God,  I  am  ready  to  bear  my  sim- 
 ple testimony  to  what  I  have  known  of  his  truth  when- 
 ever 1  am  properly  called  to  it. 
 
 I  agree  with  you,  that  some  accounted  evangelical 
 teachers  have  too  much  confined  themselves  to  a  few 
 leading  and  favourite  topics.  I  think  this  a  fault;  and 
 believe,  when  it  is  constantly  so,  the  auditories  are  de- 
 prived of  much  edification  and  pleasure,  which  they 
 might  receive  from  a  more  judicious  and  comprehensive 
 
LETTERS  TO  MRS 
 
 275 
 
 plan.  The  whole  scripture,  as  it  consists  of  histories, 
 propliecies,  doctrines,  precepts,  promises,  exhortations, 
 admonitions,  encouragements,  and  reproofs,  is  the  proper 
 subject  of  the  gospel  ministry;  and  every  part  should  in 
 its  place  and  course  be  attended  to;  yet  so  as  that,  in 
 every  compartment  we  exhibit,  Jesus  should  be  the  capi- 
 tal figure,  in  whom  the  prophecies  are  fulfilled,  the  pro- 
 mises established ;  to  whom,  in  a  way  of  type  and  em- 
 blem, the  most  important  parts  of  scripture  history  have 
 an  express  reference;  and  from  whom  alone  we  can  re- 
 ceive that  life,  strength,  and  encouragement,  which  are 
 necessary  to  make  obedience  either  pleasing  or  practi- 
 cable. And  where  there  is  trxie  spiritual faith  in  the  heart 
 and  in  exercise,  I  believe  a  person  will  not  so  much  need 
 a  detail  of  what  he  is  to  practise,  as  to  be  often  greatly 
 at  a  loss  without  it.  Our  Saviour's  commandments  are 
 plain  and  clear  in  themselves ;  and  that  love  which  springs 
 from  faith  is  the  best  casuist  and  commentator  to  apply 
 and  enforce  them. 
 
 You  are  pleased  to  say,  "  Forgive  me  if  I  transgress : 
 I  know  the  place  whereon  I  stand  is  holy  ground." 
 Permit  me  to  assure  you,  my  dear  Madam,  that  were  I, 
 which  I  am  not,  a  person  of  some  importance,  you  would 
 run  no  hazard  of  off"ending  me  by  controverting  any  of 
 my  sentiments:  I  hold  none  (knowingly)  which  I  am  not 
 willing  to  submit  to  examination;  nor  am  I  afraid  of  of- 
 fending you  by  speaking  freely,  when  you  point  out  my 
 way.  I  should  wrong  you  if  I  thought  to  please  you  by 
 palliating  or  disguising  the  sentiments  of  my  heart;  and 
 if  I  attempted  to  do  so,  you  would  see  through  the  de- 
 sign, and  despise  it.  There  may  perhaps  be  an  impro- 
 per manner  of  chiming  upon  the  name  of  Jesus,  and  I  am 
 not  for  vindicating  any  impropriety;  yet  could  I  feel 
 what  I  ought  to  mean  when  I  pronounce  that  name,  I 
 should  not  fear  mentioning  it  too  often.  I  am  afraid  of 
 no  excess  in  thinking  higiily  of  it,  because  I  read  it  is 
 the  will  of  God,  that  all  men  should  honour  the  Son  as 
 they  honour  the  Father.  Laboured  explications  of  the 
 Trinity  I  always  avoid.  I  am  afraid  of  darkening  coun- 
 sel by  words  without  knowledge.     Scripture,  and  even 
 
276 
 
 "CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 reason,  assures  me,  there  is  but  one  God,  whose  name 
 alone  is  Jehovah.  Scripture  likewise  assures  me,  that 
 Christ  is  God,  that  Jesus  is  Jehovah.  I  cannot  say  that 
 reason  assents  with  equal  readiness  to  this  proposition 
 as  to  the  former.  But  admitting  what  the  scripture 
 teaches  concerning  the  evil  of  sin,  the  depravity  of  human 
 nature,  the  method  of  salvation,  and  the  offices  of  the  Sa- 
 viour; admitting  that  God  has  purposed  to  glorify,  not 
 his  mercy  only,  but  his  justice,  in  the  work  of  redemp- 
 tion; that  the  blood  shed  upon  the  cross,  is  a  proper, 
 adequate  satisfaction  for  sin ;  and  that  the  Redeemer  is 
 at  present  the  Shepherd  of  those  who  believe  in  him,  and 
 will  hereafter  be  the  Judge  of  the  world;  that,  in  order 
 to  give  the  effectual  help  which  we  need,  it  is  necessary 
 that  he  be  always  intimately  with  those  who  depend 
 upon  him,  in  every  age,  in  every  place  ;  must  know  the 
 thoughts  and  intents  of  every  heart ;  must  have  his  eye 
 always  upon  them,  his  ear  always  open  to  them  ;  his  arm 
 ever  stretched  out  for  their  relief;  that  they  can  receive 
 nothing  but  what  he  bestows,  can  do  notiiing  but  as  he 
 enables  them,  nor  stand  a  moment  but  as  he  upholds 
 them;^ — admitting  these  and  the  like  promises,  with  which 
 the  word  of  God  abounds,  reason  must  allow,  whatever 
 difficulties  may  attend  the  thought,  that  only  he  who  is 
 God  over  all,  blessed  for  ever,  is  able  or  worthy  to  exe- 
 cute this  complicated  plan,  every  part  of  which  requires 
 the  exertion  of  infinite  wisdom  and  almighty  power ;  nor 
 am  I  able  to  form  any  clear,  satisfactory,  comfortable 
 thoughts  of  God,  suited  to  awaken  my  love  or  engage 
 my  trust,  but  as  he  has  been  pleased  to  reveal  himself  in 
 the  person  of  Jesus  Christ.  I  believe,  with  the  apostle, 
 that  God  was  once  manifested  in  the  flesh  upon  earth ; 
 and  that  he  is  now  manifested  in  the  flesh  in  heaven ; 
 and  that  the  worship,  not  only  of  redeemed  sinners,  but 
 of  the  holy  angels,  is  addressed  to  the  Lamb  that  was 
 slain,  and  who,  in  that  nature  in  which  he  suffered,  now 
 exercises  universal  dominion,  and  has  the  government 
 of  heaven,  earth,  and  hell  upon  his  shoulders.  This 
 truth  is  the  foundation  upon  which  my  hope  is  built, 
 the  fountain  from  whence  I  derive  all  my  strength  and 
 
LETTERS  TO  MRS   . 
 
 277 
 
 consolation,  and  my  only  encouragement  for  venturing  to 
 the  throne  of  grace,  for  grace  to  help  in  time  of  nee^. 
 
 Till  God  in  human  flesh  I  see, 
 
 My  thoughts  no  comfort  find: 
 The  holy,  just,  and  sacred  Three 
 
 Are  terrors  to  my  mind. 
 But  if  ImmanuelS  face  appear. 
 
 My  hope,  my  joy  begins: 
 His  name  forbids  my  slavish  fear. 
 
 His  grace  lemoves  my  sins. 
 
 I  am,  however,  free  to  confess  to  you,  that,  through 
 the  pride  and  unbelief  remaining  in  my  heart,  and  the 
 power  of  Satan's  temptations,  there  are  seasons  when  I 
 find  no  small  perplexity  and  evil  reasonings  upon  this 
 high  point;  but  it  is  so  absolutely  essential  to  my  peace 
 that  I  cannot  part  with  it;  for  I  cannot  give  it  up,  with- 
 out giving  up  all  hope  of  salvation  on  the  one  hand,  and 
 giving  up  the  Bible,  as  an  unmeaning,  contradictory 
 fable,  on  the  other ;  and  through  mercj',  for  the  most 
 part,  when  I  am  in  my  right  mind,  I  am  as  fully  per- 
 suaded of  this  truth  as  I  am  of  my  own  existence ;  but 
 from  the  exercises  I  have  had  about  it,  I  have  learned 
 to  subscribe  to  the  apostle's  declaration,  that  "  no  man 
 can  say  that  Jesus  Christ  is  Lord,  but  by  the  Holy 
 Ghost."  I  am  well  satisfied,  it  will  not  be  a  burden  to 
 me  at  the  hour  of  death,  nor  be  laid  to  my  charge  at  the 
 day  of  judgment,  that  I  have  thought  too  liighly  of  Jesus, 
 expected  too  much  from  him  myself,  or  laboured  too 
 much  in  commending  and  setting  him  f;)rth  to  others,  as 
 the  Alpha  and  Omega,  the  true  God  and  eternal  life.  On 
 the  contrary,  alas!  alas!  my  guilt  and  grief  are,  that  my 
 thoughts  of  him  are  so  faint,  so  infretjuent,  and  my  com- 
 mendations of  him  so  lamentably  cold  and  disproportion- 
 ate to  what  they  ought  to  be. 
 
 I  know  not  whose  letters  are  rapturous,  but  I  -wish 
 mine  were  more  so;  not  that  I  am  a  friend  to  unground- 
 ed sallies  of  imagination,  fliglits  of  animal  passions,  or 
 heat  without  light.  But  it  would  be  amazing  to  me,  were 
 I  not  aware  of  human  depravity  (of  which  I  consider 
 this  as  one  of  the  most  striking  proofs),  that  they  who 
 have  any  good  hope  of  an  interest  in  the  gospel  salva- 
 
 I  2 
 
278 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 tion  do  not  find  tlieir  hearts  (as  Dr  Watts  expresses  it) 
 all  on  fire ;  and  that  their  very  looks  do  not  express  a 
 transport  of  admiration,  gratitude  and  love,  when  they 
 consider  from  what  misery  they  are  redeemed,  to  what 
 happiness  they  are  called,  and  what  a  price  was  paid  for 
 their  souls.    I  wish  to  be  more  like  the  apostle  Paul  in 
 this  respect,  who,  though  he  often  forms  and  compounds 
 new  words,  seems  at  a  loss  for  any  that  could  suitably 
 describe  the  emotions  of  his  heart.    But  I  am  persuaded 
 you  would  not  object  to  the  just  fervour  of  scriptural  de- 
 votion: but  tliis  holy  flame  can  seldom  be  found  unsul- 
 lied in  the  present  life.    The  temper,  constitution,  and 
 infirmities  of  individuals,  will  mix  more  or  less  with  what 
 they  say  or  do.    Allowances  must  be  made  for  such 
 things  in  the  present  state  of  infirmity;  for  who  can  hope 
 to  be  perfectly  free  from  them?    If  the  heart  is  right 
 with  God,  and  sincerely  affected  with  the  wonders  of 
 redeeming  love,  our  gracious  High  Priest,  who  knows 
 our  weakness,  pities  and  pardons  what  is  amiss,  accepts 
 our  poor  efforts,  and  gradually  teaches  us  to  discern  and 
 avoid  what  is  blameable.    The  work  of  grace,  in  its  first 
 stages,  I  sometimes  compare  to  the  lighting  of  a  fire, 
 where  for  a  while  there  is  abundance  of  smoke,  but  it 
 burns  clearer  and  clearer.   There  is  often,  both  in  letters 
 and  books,  what  might  be  very  well  omitted ;  but  if  a 
 love  to  God  and  souls  be  the  leading  principle,  I  pass  as 
 gentle  censure  upon  the  rest  as  I  can,  and  apply  to  some 
 eccentric  expressions,  what  Mr  Prior  somewhere  says  of 
 our  civil  dissensions  in  this  land  of  liberty, 
 
 A  bad  effect,  but  from  a  noble  cause. 
 I  am,  &C. 
 
 LETTER  II. 
 
 My  Dear  Madam,  February  16,  1776. 
 
 It  gave  me  great  comfort  to  find  that  what  I  wrote  con- 
 cerning the  divine  character  of  Jesus  as  God  manifest  in 
 
LETTERS  TO  MRS 
 
 279 
 
 the  flesh,  met  with  your  approbation.  This  doctrine  is, 
 in  my  view,  the  great  foundation-stone  upon  which  all 
 true  religion  is  built:  but,  alas!  in  the  present  day,  it  is 
 the  stumbling-stone  and  rock  of  offence,  upon  which  too 
 many,  fondly  presuming  upon  their  own  wisdom,  fall  and 
 are  broken.  I  am  so  far  from  wondering  that  any  should 
 doubt  of  it,  that  I  am  firmly  persuaded  none  can  truly 
 believe  it,  however  plainly  set  forth  in  scripture,  unless 
 it  be  revealed  to  them  from  heaven;  or,  in  the  apostle's 
 words,  that  "  no  one  can  call  Jesus  Christ  Lord,  but  by 
 the  Holy  Ghost."  I  believe  there  are  many  who  think 
 they  believe  it,  because  they  have  taken  it  for  granted, 
 and  never  attentively  considered  the  difficulties  with 
 which  it  is  attended  in  the  eye  of  fallen  reason.  Judg- 
 ing by  natural  light,  it  seems  impossible  to  believe  tiiat 
 the  title  of  the  true  God  and  eternal  life  should  properly 
 belong  to  that  despised  man  who  hung  dead  upon  the 
 cross,  exposed  to  tiie  insults  of  his  cruel  enemies.  I 
 know  nothing  that  can  obviate  the  objections  the  rea- 
 soning mind  is  ready  to  form  against  it,  but  a  real  con- 
 viction of  the  sinfulness  of  sin,  and  the  state  of  a  sinner 
 as  exposed  to  the  curse  of  the  holy  law,  and  destitute  of 
 every  plea  and  hope  in  himself.  Then  the  necessity  of 
 a  Redeemer,  and  the  necessity  of  this  Redeemer's  being 
 almighty,  is  seen  and  felt,  with  an  evidence  which  bears 
 down  all  opposition ;  for  neither  the  efficacy  of  his  atone- 
 ment and  intercession,  nor  his  sufficiency  to  guide,  save, 
 protect,  and  feed  those  who  trust  in  him,  can  be  con- 
 ceived of  without  it.  When  the  eyes  of  the  understand- 
 ing are  opened,  the  soul  made  acquainted  with  and 
 attentive  to  its  own  state  and  wants,  he  that  runs  may 
 read  this  truth,  not  in  a  few  detached  texts  of  a  dubious 
 import,  and  liable  to  be  twisted  and  tortured  by  the  arts 
 of  criticism,  but  as  interwoven  in  the  very  frame  and 
 texture  of  the  Bible,  and  written,  as  with  a  sun-beam, 
 throughout  the  principal  parts  both  of  the  Old  and  New 
 Testament.  If  Christ  be  the  shepherd  and  the  husband 
 of  his  people  under  the  gospel,  and  if  his  coming  into 
 the  world  did  not  abridge  those  who  feared  God  of  the 
 privileges  they  were  entitled  to  before  his  appearance,  it 
 
280 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 follows  by  undeniable  consequence,  "  that  he  is  God  over 
 all,  blessed  for  ever."  For  David  tells  us  that  his  shep- 
 herd was  Jehovah;  and  the  husband  of  the  Old  Testa- 
 ment church  was  the  Maker  and  God  of  the  whole  earth, 
 the  Holy  One  of  Israel,  whose  name  is  the  Lord  of  Hosts, 
 Psal.  xxiii.  1 ;  Is.  liv.  8,  with  xlvii.  4.  I  agree  with  j'ou, 
 Jladam,  that  among  the  many  attempts  which  have  been 
 made  to  prove  and  illustrate  the  scripture  doctrine,  that 
 the  Father,  the  Word,  and  the  Holy  Spirit,  are  one  God, 
 there  have  been  many  injudicious,  unwarrantable  things 
 advanced,  which  have  perplexed  instead  of  instructing, 
 and  of  which  the  enemies  of  the  truth  have  known  how 
 to  make  their  advantage.  However,  there  have  been 
 tracts  upon  these  sublime  subjects,  which  have  been  writ- 
 ten with  judgment  and  an  unction,  and  I  believe  attend- 
 ed with  a  blessing.  I  seem  to  prefer  Mr  Jones's  book  on 
 the  Trinity  to  any  I  have  seen,  because  he  does  little 
 more  than  state  some  of  the  scripture  e\  idence  for  it, 
 and  draws  his  inferences  briefly  and  plainly;  though 
 even  he  has  admitted  a  few  texts,  which  may  perhaps  be 
 thought  not  quite  full  to  the  point ;  and  he  has  certainly 
 omitted  several  of  the  most  express  and  strongest  testi- 
 monies. The  best  and  happiest  proof  of  all,  that  this 
 doctrine  is  true  in  itself  and  true  to  us,  is  the  experience 
 of  its  effects  They  who  know  his  name  will  put  their 
 trust  in  him:  they  who  are  riglitly  impressed  with  his 
 astonishing  condescension  and  love,  in  emptying  himself, 
 and  submitting  to  the  death  of  the  cross  for  our  sakes, 
 will  find  themselves  under  a  sweet  constraint  to  love  him 
 again,  and  will  feel  a  little  of  that  emotion  of  heart  which 
 the  apostle  expresses  in  that  lively  passage,  Gal.  vi.  14. 
 The  knowledge  of  Christ  crucified  (like  Ithuriel's  spear) 
 removes  the  false  appearances  by  which  we  have  been 
 too  long  cheated,  and  shows  us  the  men  and  the  things, 
 the  spirit,  customs,  and  maxims  of  the  world,  in  their 
 just  light.  Were  I  perfectly  master  of  myself  and  my 
 subject,  I  would  never  adduce  any  text  in  proof  of  a 
 doctrine  or  assertion  from  the  pulpit,  which  was  not  di- 
 rect and  conclusive;  because  if  a  text  is  pressed  into  an 
 ai'gumcut  to  which  it  has  no  proper  relation,  it  rather 
 
LETTERS  TO  MRS 
 
 281 
 
 encumbers  tlian  supports  it,  and  raises  a  suspicion  tliat 
 tiie  cause  is  weak,  and  better  testimonies  in  its  favour 
 cannot  be  obtained.  Some  misapplications  of  this  kind 
 have  been  so  long  in  iise,  that  they  pass  pretty  current, 
 though,  if  brouglit  to  the  assay,  they  would  be  found  not 
 quite  sterling:  but  I  endeavour  to  avoid  them  to  the  best 
 of  my  judgment.  Thus,  for  instance,  I  have  often  heard, 
 Rom.  xiv.  23,  "Whatsoever  is  not  of  faith  is  sin,"  quoted 
 to  prove,  that  without  a  principle  of  saving  faith  we  can 
 perform  nothing  acceptable  to  God:  whereas  it  seems 
 clear  from  the  context,  that  faith  is  there  used  in  another 
 sense,  and  signifies  a  firm  persuasion  of  mind  respecting 
 the  lawfulness  of  the  action.  However,  I  doubt  not  but 
 the  proposition  in  itself  is  strictly  true  in  the  other  sense, 
 if  considered  detached  from  the  connexion  in  which  it 
 stands;  but  I  should  rather  choose  to  prove  it  from  other 
 passages,  where  it  is  directly  affirmed,  as  Heb.  xi.  6; 
 Matt.  xii.  33.  In  such  cases,  I  think  hearers  should  be 
 careful  not  to  be  prejudiced  against  a  doctrine,  merely 
 because  it  is  not  well  supported;  for  perhaps  it  is  capa- 
 ble of  solid  proof,  though  the  preacher  was  not  so  happy 
 as  to  hit  upon  that  which  was  most  suitable;  and  extem- 
 pore preachers  may  sometimes  hope  for  a  little  allowance 
 upon  this  head,  from  the  more  candid  part  of  their  au- 
 ditory, and  not  be  made  offenders  for  an  inadvertence, 
 which  they  cannot  perhaps  always  avoid  in  the  hurry  of 
 speaking.  With  respect  to  the  application  of  some  pass- 
 ages in  the  Old  Testament  to  our  Lord  and  Saviour,  I 
 hold  it  safest  to  keep  close  to  the  specimens  the  apostles 
 have  given  us,  and  I  would  venture  with  caution  if  I  go 
 beyond  their  line ;  yet  it  is  probable  they  have  only  given 
 us  a  specimen,  and  that  there  are  a  great  number  of 
 passages  which  have  a  direct  reference  to  gospel  truths, 
 though  we  may  run  some  hazard  in  making  out  the  allu- 
 sion. If  St  Paul  had  not  gone  before  me,  I  should  have 
 hesitated  to  assert  that  the  prohibition,  "  Thou  shalt  not 
 muzzle  the  ox  that  treadeth  out  the  corn,''  was  given  not 
 upon  the  account  of  oxen,  but  altogether  for  our  sakes: 
 nor  should  I,  witliout  his  assistance,  have  found  out  that 
 the  history  of  Sarah  and  Hagar  was  a  designed  allegory, 
 
282 
 
 CARDIPIIOMA. 
 
 to  set  forth  the  difference  between  the  law  and  gospel 
 covenants.  Therefore,  when  I  hear  ministers  tracing 
 some  other  alUisions,  I  cannot  be  always  sure  that  they 
 push  them  too  fai-,  though  perhaps  tliey  are  not  quite 
 satisfactory  to  judgment;  for  it  may  be,  tlieyhave  a 
 farther  insight  into  the  meaning  of  the  places  than  nij'- 
 self  And  I  think  scriptures  may  be  sometimes  used  to 
 advantage,  by  way  of  accommodation  in  popular  dis- 
 courses, and  in  something  of  a  different  sense  from  what 
 they  bear  in  the  place  m  here  they  stand,  provided  they 
 are  not  alleged  as  proofs,  but  onlj'  to  illustrate  a  truth  al- 
 ready proved  or  acknowledged.  Tiiough  Job's  fi-iends 
 and  Job  himself  M  ere  mistaken,  there  are  many  great 
 truths  in  their  speeches,  which,  as  such,  maj^,  I  think, 
 stand  as  the  foundation  of  a  discourse.  Nay,  I  either 
 have,  or  have  often  intended  to  borrow  a  truth  from  the 
 mouth  even  of  Satan,  "  Hast  thou  set  a  hedge  about 
 him?"  such  a  confession,  extorted  from  our  grand  adver- 
 sary', placing  the  safety  of  the  Lord's  people,  under  his 
 providential  care,  in  a  very  striking  liglit. 
 
 I  perfectly  agree  with  you.  Madam,  that  our  religious 
 sensations  and  exercises  are  much  influenced  and  tinc- 
 tured by  natural  constitution ;  and  that  therefore  tears  and 
 warm  emotions  on  the  one  hand,  or  a  comparative  dry- 
 ness on  the  other,  are  no  sure  indications  of  the  real  state 
 of  the  heart.  Appearances  may  agree  in  different  per- 
 sons, or  vary  in  the  same  person  from  causes  merely 
 natural:  even  a  change  of  weather  may  have  some  in- 
 fluence in  raising  or  depressing  the  spirits,  where  the 
 nerves  are  very  delicate;  and  I  tliink  such  persons  are 
 more  susceptive  of  impressions  from  the  agency  of  in- 
 visible powers,  both  good  and  evil ;  an  agency  which, 
 though  we  cannot  explain,  experience  Avill  not  permit  us 
 to  deny.  However,  though  circumstantials  rise  and  fall, 
 the  real  difference  between  nature  and  grace  remains  un- 
 alterable. That  work  of  God  upon  the  heart,  wliich  is 
 sometimes  called  a  new  birth,  at  others  a  new  creation, 
 is  as  distant  from  the  highest  effects  of  natural  principles, 
 or  the  most  specious  imitations  which  education  or  reso- 
 lutions can  produce,  as  light  is  from  darkness,  or  life  from 
 
LETTERS  TO  MRS  
 
 283 
 
 death.  Only  he  wlio  made  the  vorld  can  either  make  a 
 Christian,  or  support  and  carry  on  liis  own  work.  A 
 thirst  after  God  as  our  portion;  a  delight  in  Jesus,  as 
 the  only  way  and  door;  a  renunciation  of  self  and  of  the 
 world,  so  far  as  it  is  opposite  to  the  spirit  of  the  gospel : 
 these,  and  the  like  fruits  of  that  grace  which  bringeth 
 salvation,  are  not  only  beyond  the  power  of  our  fallen  na- 
 ture, but  contrary  to  its  tendency;  so  that  we  can  have  no 
 desires  of  this  kind  till  they  are  given  us  from  above,  and 
 can  for  a  season  hardly  bear  to  hear  them  spoken  of,  either 
 as  excellent  or  necessary. 
 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  III. 
 
 My  Deak  Madam,  Septetnber  11 ,  1/76. 
 
 We  are  much  indebted  to  you  for  your  kind  thoughts 
 of  us.  Hitherto  I  feel  no  uneasiness  about  what  is  be- 
 fore me;  but  I  am  afraid  my  tranquillity  does  not  wholly 
 spring  from  trust  in  the  Lord,  and  submission  to  his  will, 
 but  that  a  part  of  it  at  least  is  derived  from  the  assu- 
 rances Mr  W.  gave  me,  that  the  operation  would  be 
 neither  difficult  nor  dangerous.  I  have  not  much  of  the 
 hero  in  my  constitution;  if  in  great  pains  or  sharp  trials 
 I  should  ever  show  a  becoming  fortitude,  it  must  be 
 given  me  from  above.  I  desire  to  leave  all  with  him, 
 in  whose  hands  my  ways  are,  and  who  has  promised  me 
 strength  according  to  my  day. 
 
 I  rejoice  that  the  Lord  has  not  only  made  you  desir- 
 ous of  being  useful  to  others  in  their  spiritual  concerns, 
 but  has  given  you  in  some  instances  to  see,  that  your 
 desires  and  attempts  have  not  been  in  vain.  I  shaU 
 thankfully  accept  of  the  commission  you  are  pleased  to 
 offer  me,  and  take  a  pleasure  in  perusing  any  papers  you 
 may  think  proper  to  put  into  my  hands,  and  offer  you 
 my  sentiments  with  that  simplicity  which  I  am  persuaded 
 will  be  much  more  agreeable  to  you  than  compliments. 
 
284 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 Though  I  know  there  is  in  general  a  delicacy  and  diffi- 
 culty ill  services  of  this  kind,  yet  with  respect  to  your- 
 self I  seem  to  have  nothing  to  fear. 
 
 I  have  often  wished  we  had  more  female  pens  employ- 
 ed in  tlie  service  of  tiie  sanctuary.  Tliougli  few  ladies 
 encumber  themselves  witli  the  apparatus  of  Latin  or 
 Greek,  or  engage  in  voluminous  performances,  yet,  in 
 the  article  of  essay-\vriting,  I  think  many  are  qualified 
 to  succeed  better  than  most  men,  having  a  peculiar  easi- 
 ness of  style,  which  few  of  us  can  imitate.  I  remember 
 you  once  showed  me  a  paper,  togetiier  with  the  correc- 
 tions and  alterations  proposed  by  a  gentleman  whose 
 opinion  you  had  asked.  I  thouglit  his  corrections  had 
 injured  it,  and  given  it  an  air  of  stiffness,  which  is  often 
 observable  when  leai'ned  men  write  in  English.  Gram- 
 matical rules,  as  tliey  are  called,  are  wholly  derived  from 
 the  mode  of  speaking  or  writing  which  obtains  amongst 
 those  who  best  understand  the  language;  for  the  lan- 
 guage must  be  supposed  established  before  any  grammar 
 can  be  made  for  it ;  and  therefore  women  who,  from  the 
 course  of  their  education  and  life,  have  had  an  opportu- 
 nity of  reading  the  best  written  books,  and  conversing 
 witii  those  who  speak  well,  though  they  do  not  burden 
 themselves  with  the  formality  of  grammar,  have  often 
 more  skill  in  the  English  language  than  the  men  who  can 
 call  every  figure  of  speech  by  a  Latin  or  Greek  name. 
 You  may  be  sure,  Madam,  I  shall  not  wisli  your  papers 
 suppressed,  merelj'  because  they  were  not  written  hy  a 
 learned  man.  Language  and  style,  however,  are  but 
 the  dress.  Trifles,  however  adorned,  are  trifles  still.  A 
 person  of  spiritual  discernment  would  rather  be  the  au- 
 thor of  one  page  written  in  the  humble  garb  of  Bunyan, 
 upon  a  serious  subject,  than  to  be  able  to  rival  the  spright- 
 liness  and  elegance  of  Lady  M.  W.  Montague,  unless  it 
 could  be  with  a  view  to  edification.  The  subjects  you 
 propose  are  important;  and  with  respect  to  sacramental 
 meditations,  and  all  devotional  exercises  so  called,  I  per- 
 fectly agree  with  you,  that  to  be  affecting  and  useful,  they 
 must  be  dictated  rather  by  the  heart  than  by  tlie  head ; 
 and  are  most  likely  to  influence  others,  when  they  are 
 
LETTERS  TO  MKS 
 
 285 
 
 tlie  fruits  and  transcripts  of  our  own  experience.  So  far 
 as  I  know,  we  are  but  scantily  providctl  willi  specimens 
 of  this  sort  in  print,  and  therefore,  I  siiall  be  glad  to  see 
 an  accession  to  the  public  stock.  Your  other  thought 
 of  helps  to  recollection  on  Saturday  evenings  is,  I  think, 
 an  attempt  in  whicli  none  have  been  beforehand  M'ith 
 you.  So  that,  according  to  the  general  appearance,  I 
 feel  myself  disposed  to  encourage  you  to  do  as  you  have 
 purposed.  On  the  other  hand,  if  I  meet  with  anything, 
 on  the  perusal  of  the  papers,  w^hich  in  my  view  may 
 seem  to  need  alteration,  I  will  freely  and  faithfully  point 
 it  out. 
 
 I  can  almost  smile  noic,  to  think  you  once  classed  me 
 among  the  Stoics.  If  I  dare  speak  with  confidence  of 
 myself  in  any  t.hing,  I  think  I  may  lay  claim  to  a  little 
 of  that  pleasing,  painful  thing,  sensibility.  I  need  not 
 boast  of  it,  for  it  has  too  often  been  my  snare,  my  sin, 
 and  my  punishment.  Yet  I  would  be  thankful  for  a 
 spice  of  it,  as  the  Lord's  gift,  and,  when  rightly  exer- 
 cised, it  is  valuable;  and  I  think  I  sliould  make  but  an 
 awkward  minister  without  it,  especially  here.  Where 
 there  is  this  sensibility  in  the  natural  temper,  it  will  give 
 a  tincture  or  cast  to  our  religious  expression.  Indeed  I 
 often  find  this  sensibility  weakest  where  it  should  be 
 strongest,  and  have  reason  to  reproach  myself  that  I  am 
 not  more  affected  by  the  character,  love,  and  sufferings 
 of  my  Lord  and  Saviour,  and  my  own  peculiar  personal 
 obligations  to  him.  However,  my  views  of  religion 
 have  been  such  for  many  years,  as  I  supposed,  more 
 likely  to  make  me  deemed  an  enthusiast  than  a  Stoic. 
 A  moonlight  head-knowledge,  derived  from  a  system  of 
 sentiments,  however  true  in  themselves,  is,  in  my  judg- 
 ment, a  poor  thing;  nor,  on  the  other  hand,  am  I  an  ad- 
 mirer of  those  rapturous  sallies,  which  are  more  owing 
 to  a  warm  imagination,  than  to  a  just  perception  of  the 
 power  and  importance  of  gospel  truth.  The  gospel  ad- 
 dresses both  head  and  heart ;  and  where  it  has  its  proper 
 effect,  where  it  is  received  as  the  word  of  God,  and  is 
 clothed  with  the  authority  and  energy  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
 the  understanding  is  enlightened,  the  aflfections  awaken- 
 
286 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 ed  and  engaged,  the  will  brought  into  subjection,  and  the 
 whole  soul  delivered  to  its  impression,  as  wax  to  the  seal. 
 When  this  is  the  case — when  the  affections  do  not  take 
 the  lead,  and  push  forward  with  a  blind  impulse,  but  arise 
 from  the  principles  of  scripture,  and  are  governed  by 
 them,  the  more  warmth  the  better.  Yet  in  this  state 
 of  infirmity  nothing  is  perfect;  and  our  natural  tempera- 
 ment and  disposition  will  have  more  influence  upon  our 
 religious  sensations  than  we  are  ordinarily  aware.  It  is 
 well  to  know  how  to  make  proper  allowances  and  abate- 
 ments upon  this  head,  in  the  judgment  we  form  both  of 
 ourselves  and  of  others.  Many  good  people  are  dis- 
 tressed and  alternately  elated  by  frames  and  feelings, 
 which  perhaps  are  more  constitutional  than  properly  re- 
 ligious experiences.  I  dare  not  tell  you.  Madam,  what 
 I  am,  but  I  can  tell  you  what  I  wish  to  be.  The  love  of 
 God,  as  manifested  in  Jesus  Christ,  is  what  I  would  wish 
 to  be  the  abiding  object  of  my  contemplation;  not  merely 
 to  speculate  upon  it  as  a  doctrine,  but  so  to  feel  it,  and 
 my  own  interest  in  it,  as  to  have  my  heart  filled  with  its 
 effects,  and  transformed  into  its  resemblance;  that  witl 
 this  glorious  exemplar  in  my  view,  I  may  be  animatet 
 to  a  spirit  of  benevolence,  love,  and  compassion,  to  aii 
 around  me;  that  my  love  may  be  primarilj'  fixed  upon 
 him  who  has  so  loved  me,  and  then,  for  his  sake,  diffused 
 to  all  his  children,  and  to  all  his  creatures.  Then,  know- 
 ing that  much  is  forgiven  to  me,  I  should  be  prompted 
 to  the  ready  exercise  of  forgiveness,  if  I  have  aught 
 against  any.  Then  1  should  be  humble,  patient,  and 
 submissive  under  all  his  dispensations ;  meek,  gentle, 
 forbearing,  and  kind  to  my  fellow-worms.  Then  I 
 should  be  active  and  diligent  in  improving  all  my  ta- 
 lents and  powers  in  his  service,  and  for  his  glory ;  and 
 live  not  to  myself,  but  to  him  who  loved  me,  and  gave 
 himself  for  me. 
 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
LETTERS  TO  MRS 
 
 287 
 
 LETTER  IV. 
 
 My  Dear  Madam,  Nov.  29,  1776. 
 
 I  AM  persuaded  you  need  not  be  told,  that  though  there 
 are  perhaps  supposable  extremities,  in  which  self  would 
 prevail  over  all  considerations,  yet  in  general  it  is  more 
 easy  to  suffer  in  our  own  persons,  than  in  the  persons  of 
 those  whom  we  dearly  love ;  for  through  such  a  medium 
 our  apprehensions  possibly  receive  the  idea  of  the  trouble 
 enlarged  beyond  its  just  dimensions;  and  it  would  sit 
 lighter  upon  us,  if  it  were  properly  our  own  case,  for 
 then  we  should  feel  it  all,  and  there  would  be  no  room 
 for  imagination  to  exaggerate. 
 
 But  though  I  feel  grief,  I  trust  the  Lord  has  merci- 
 fully preserved  me  from  impatience  and  murmuring, 
 and  that  in  the  midst  of  all  the  pleadings  of  flesh  and 
 blood,  there  is  a  something  within  me  that  aims  to  say, 
 without  reserve  or  exception,  "  Not  my  will  but  thine 
 be  done." 
 
 It  is  a  comfortable  consideration,  that  he  with  whom 
 we  have  to  do,  our  great  High  Priest,  who  once  put 
 away  our  sins  by  the  sacrifice  of  himself,  and  now  for 
 ever  appears  in  the  presence  of  God  for  us,  is  not  only 
 possessed  of  sovereign  authority  and  infinite  power,  but 
 wears  our  very  nature,  and  feels  and  exercises  in  the 
 highest  degree  those  tendernesses  and  commiserations, 
 which  I  conceive  are  essential  to  humanity  in  its  perfect 
 state.  The  whole  history  of  this  wonderful  life  is  full 
 of  inimitable  instances  of  this  kind.  His  bowels  were 
 moved  before  his  arm  was  exerted;  he  condescended  to 
 mingle  tears  Avith  mourners,  and  wept  over  distresses 
 which  he  intended  to  relieve.  He  is  still  the  same  in 
 his  exalted  state;  compassions  dwell  in  his  heart.  In  a 
 way  inconceivable  to  us,  but  consistent  witli  his  supreme 
 dignity  and  perfection  of  hai)piness  and  glory,  he  still 
 feels  for  his  people.  When  Saul  persecuted  tlie  mem- 
 bers upon  earth,  the  Head  complained  from  heaven ;  and 
 
288 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 sooner  shall  the  most  tender  mother  sit  insensible  and 
 inattentive  to  the  cries  and  wants  of  her  infant,  than  the 
 Lord  Jesus  be  an  unconcerned  spectator  of  his  suffering 
 children.    No — with  the  eye  and  the  ear  and  the  heart 
 of  a  friend,  he  attends  to  their  sorrows;  he  counts  their 
 sighs,  puts  their  tears  in  his  bottle;  and  when  our  spirits 
 are  overwhelmed  within  us,  he  knows  our  path,  and  ad- 
 justs the  time,  the  measure  of  our  trials,  and  every  thing 
 that  is  necessary  for  our  present  support  and  seasonable 
 deliverance,  with  the  same  unerring  wisdom  and  accuracy 
 as  he  weighed  the  mountains  in  scales,  and  hills  in  a 
 balance,  and  meted  out  the  heavens  with  a  span.  Still 
 more,  besides  his  benevolent,  he  has  an  experimental 
 sympathy.    He  knows  our  sorrows,  not  merely  as  he 
 knows  all  things,  but  as  one  who  has  been  in  our  situa- 
 tion, and  who,  though  without  sin  himself,  endured, 
 when  upon  earth,  inexpressibly  more  for  us,  than  he  will 
 ever  lay  upon  us.    He  has  sanctified  poverty,  pain,  dis- 
 grace, temptation,  and  death,  by  passing  through  these 
 states;  and  in  whatever  states  his  people  are,  they  may 
 by  faith  have  fellowship  with  him  in  their  sufferings,  and 
 he  will,  by  sympathy  and  love,  have  fellowship  and  in- 
 terest with  them  in  theirs     What,  then,  shall  we  fear, 
 or  of  what  shall  we  complain?  when  all  our  concerns 
 are  written  upon  his  heart,  and  their  management,  to 
 the  very  hairs  of  our  head,  are  under  his  care  and  pro- 
 vidence; when  he  pities  us  more  than  we  can  do  our- 
 selves, and  has  engaged  his  almighty  power  to  sustain 
 and  relieve  us.    However,  as  he  is  tender,  he  is  wise  also ; 
 he  loves  us,  but  especially  with  regard  to  our  best  inte- 
 rests.   If  there  were  not  something  in  our  hearts  and 
 our  situation  that  required  discipline  and  medicine,  he  so 
 delights  in  our  prosperity,  that  we  should  never  be  in 
 heaviness.    The  innumerable  comforts  and  mercies  with 
 which  he  enriches  even  those  we  call  our  darker  days, 
 are  sufficient  proofs  that  he  does  not  willingly  grieve  us ; 
 but  when  he  sees  a  need-be  for  chastisement,  he  will  not 
 withhold  it,  because  he  loves  us ;  on  the  contrary,  that 
 is  the  very  reason  why  he  afflicts.    He  will  put  his  sil- 
 ver into  the  fire  to  purify  it ;  but  he  sits  by  the  furnace 
 
LETTERS  TO  MRS 
 
 289 
 
 as  a  refiner,  to  direct  the  process,  and  to  secure  the  end 
 he  has  in  view,  that  we  neither  suffer  too  much,  nor  suf- 
 fer in  vain. 
 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  V. 
 
 My  Deak  Madam,  Dec   1776. 
 
 I  HAVE  often  preached  to  others  of  the  benefit  of  afflic- 
 tion ;  but  my  own  path  for  many  years  has  been  so  smooth, 
 and  my  trials,  though  I  have  not  been  without  trials, 
 comparatively  so  light  and  few,  that  I  hav^e  seemed  to 
 myself  to  speak  by  rote  upon  a  subject  of  which  I  had 
 not  a  proper  feeling.  Yet  the  many  exercises  of  my 
 poor  afflicted  people,  and  the  sympathy  the  Lord  has 
 given  me  with  them  in  their  troubles,  has  made  this  a 
 fVequent  and  favourite  topic  of  my  ministry  among  them. 
 The  advantages  of  afflictions,  when  the  Lord  is  pleased 
 to  employ  them  for  the  good  of  his  people,  are  many  and 
 great.  Permit  me  to  mention  a  few  of  them ;  and  the 
 \jOtA  grant  that  we  may  all  find  those  blessed  ends  an- 
 swered to  ourselves,  by  the  trials  he  is  pleased  to  ap- 
 point us. 
 
 Afflictions  quicken  us  to  prayer.  It  is  a  pity  it  should 
 be  so;  but  experience  testifies,  that  a  long  course  of  ease 
 and  prosperity,  without  painful  changes,  has  an  unhappy 
 tendency  to  make  us  cold  and  formal  in  our  secret  wor- 
 ship; but  troubles  rouse  our  spirits,  and  constrain  us  to 
 call  upon  the  Lord  in  good  earnest,  when  we  feel  a  need 
 of  that  help  which  we  only  can  have  from  him. 
 
 They  ai"e  useful,  and  in  a  degree  necessarj^,  to  keep 
 alive  in  us  a  conviction  of  the  vanity  and  unsatisfying 
 nature  of  the  present  world,  and  all  its  enjoyments ; 
 to  remind  us  that  this  is  not  our  rest,  and  to  call  our 
 tlioughts  upwards,  where  our  true  treasure  is,  and  where 
 our  converss-tion  ought  to  be.   When  things  go  on  much 
 
 I 
 
290 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 to  our  wish,  our  hearts  are  too  prone  to  say,  It  is  good 
 to  be  here.  It  is  probable,  that  had  Moses,  when  he  came 
 to  invite  Israel  to  Canaan,  found  them  in  prosperity,  as 
 in  the  days  of  Joseph,  they  would  have  been  very  un- 
 willing to  remove;  but  the  afflictions  they  were  previ- 
 ously brought  into  made  his  message  welcome.  Thus 
 the  Lord,  by  pain,  sickness,  and  disappointments,  bj' 
 breaking  our  cisterns,  and  withering  our  gourds,  weakens 
 our  attachment  to  this  world,  and  makes  the  thought  of 
 quitting  it  more  familiar  and  more  desirable. 
 
 A  child  of  God  cannot  but  greatly  desire  a  more  en- 
 larged and  experimental  acquaintance  with  his  holy  word; 
 and  this  attainment  is  greatly  promoted  by  our  trials.  The 
 far  greater  part  of  the  promises  in  scripture  are  made 
 and  suited  to  a  state  of  affliction ;  and  though  we  may 
 believe  they  are  true,  we  cannot  so  well  know  their 
 sweetness,  power,  and  suitableness,  unless  we  ourselves 
 are  in  a  state  to  which  they  refer.  The  Lord  says, 
 "  Call  upon  me  in  the  day  of  trouble,  and  I  will  deliver." 
 Now,  till  the  day  of  trouble  comes,  such  a  promise  is 
 like  a  city  of  refuge  to  an  Israelite,  who,  not  having 
 slain  a  man,  was  in  no  danger  of  the  avenger  of  blood. 
 He  had  a  privilege  near  him,  of  which  he  knew  not  the 
 use  and  value,  because  he  was  not  in  the  case  for  which 
 it  was  provided.  But  some  can  say,  I  not  only  believe 
 this  promise  upon  the  authority  of  the  speaker,  but  I  can 
 set  my  seal  to  it;  I  have  been  in  trouble;  I  took  this 
 course  for  relief,  and  I  m  as  not  disappointed.  The  Lord 
 verily  heard  and  delivered  me.  Thus  afflictions  likewise 
 give  occasion  of  our  knowing  and  noticing  more  of  the 
 Lord's  wisdom,  power,  and  goodness,  in  supporting  and 
 relieving,  than  we  should  otherwise  have  known. 
 
 I  have  not  time  to  take  another  sheet;  must  therefore 
 contract  my  homily.  Afflictions  evidence  to  ourselves, 
 and  manifest  to  others,  the  reality  of  grace.  And  when 
 we  suffer  as  Christians,  exercise  some  measure  of  that 
 patience  and  submission,  and  receive  some  measure  of 
 these  supports  and  supplies,  which  the  gospel  requires 
 and  promises  to  believers,  we  are  more  confirmed  that 
 we  have  not  taken  up  with  mere  notions ;  and  others  may 
 
LETTEUS  TO  MRS 
 
 291 
 
 be  convinced,  that  we  do  not  follow  cunningly  devised 
 fables.  They  likewise  strengthen  by  exercise  our  graces : 
 as  our  limbs  and  natural  powers  would  be  feeble  if  not 
 called  to  daily  exertion,  so  the  graces  of  the  Spirit  would 
 languish,  without  something  was  provided  to  draw  them 
 out  to  use.  And,  to  say  no  more,  they  are  honourable, 
 as  they  advance  our  conformity  to  Jesus  our  Lord,  who 
 was  a  man  of  sorrows  for  our  sake.  Methinks,  if  we 
 might  go  to  heaven  without  suffering,  we  should  be  un- 
 willing to  desire  it.  Why  should  we  ever  wish  to  go  by 
 any  other  path  than  that  which  he  has  consecrated  and 
 endeared  by  his  own  example?  especially  as  his  people's 
 sufferings  are  not  penal ;  there  is  no  wrath  in  them ;  the 
 cup  he  puts  in  their  hands  is  veiy  different  from  that 
 which  he  drank  for  their  sakes,  and  is  only  medicinal  to 
 promote  their  chief  good.  Here  I  must  stop;  but  the 
 subject  is  fruitful,  and  might  be  pursued  through  a  quire 
 of  paper. 
 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  VI. 
 
 My  Dear  Madam,  August  —  1776. 
 
 Your  obliging  favour  of  the  22d  from  B  ,  which  I 
 
 received  last  night,  demands  an  immediate  acknowledg- 
 ment. Many  things  wliich  would  have  offered  by  way  of 
 answer,  must  for  the  present  be  postponed;  for  the  same 
 post  brought  an  information  which  turns  my  thoughts  to 
 one  subject.  What  shall  I  say?  Topics  of  consolation 
 are  at  hand  in  abundance;  they  are  familiar  to  your 
 mind ;  and  was  I  to  fill  the  sheet  with  them,  I  could  sug- 
 gest nothing  but  wliat  j'ou  already  know.  Then  are  tiiey 
 consolatory  indeed,  when  the  Lord  himself  is  pleased  to 
 apply  them  to  the  heart.  This  he  has  promised,  and 
 therefore  we  are  encouraged  to  expect  it.  This  is  my 
 prayer  for  you:  I  sincerely  sympathise  with  you:  I  can- 
 
292 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 not  comfort  you;  but  he  can;  and  I  trust  he  will.  How 
 impertinent  would  it  be  to  advise  you  to  forget  or  sus- 
 pend the  feelings  which  such  a  stroke  must  excite!  who 
 can  help  feeling!  nor  is  sensibility  in  itself  sinful.  Chris- 
 tian resignation  is  very  different  from  that  stoical  stubborn- 
 ness, which  is  most  easily  practised  by  those  unamiable 
 characters  whose  regards  centre  wholly  in  self;  nor  could 
 we  in  a  proper  manner  exercise  submission  to  the  will  of 
 God  under  our  trials,  if  we  did  not  feel  them.  He  who 
 knows  our  frame  is  pleased  to  allow  that  afflictions  for 
 the  present  are  not  joyous,  but  grievous.  But  to  them 
 that  fear  him  he  is  near  at  hand,  to  support  their  spirits, 
 to  moderate  their  grief,  and  in  the  issue  to  sanctify  it;  so 
 that  they  shall  come  out  of  the  furnace  refined,  more 
 humble,  and  more  spiritual.  There  is,  however,  a  part 
 assigned  us;  we  are  to  pray  for  the  help  in  need;  and  we 
 are  not  wilfully  to  give  way  to  the  impression  of  over- 
 whelming sorrow.  We  are  to  endeavour  to  turn  our 
 thoughts  to  such  considerations  as  are  suited  to  alleviate 
 it;  our  deserts  as  sinners,  the  many  mercies  we  are  still 
 indulged  with,  the  still  greater  afilictions  which  many  of 
 our  fellow-creatures  endure,  and,  above  all,  the  sufferings 
 of  Jesus,  that  man  of  sorrows,  who  made  himself  inti- 
 mately acquainted  with  grief  for  our  sakcs. 
 
 When  the  will  of  the  Lord  is  manifested  to  us  by  the 
 event,  vve  are  to  look  to  him  for  grace  and  strength,  and 
 be  still  to  know  that  he  is  God,  that  he  lias  a  right  tc 
 tiispose  of  us  and  ours  as  he  pleases,  and  that  in  the  ex- 
 ercise of  this  right  he  is  most  certainly  good  and  wise. 
 We  often  complain  of  losses;  but  the  expression  is  ra- 
 ther improper.  Strictly  speaking,  we  can  lose  nothing, 
 because  we  have  no  real  property  in  any  thing.  Our 
 earthly  comforts  are  lent  us  ;  and  when  recalled,  we  ought 
 to  return  and  resign  them  with  thankfulness  to  him  uho 
 has  let  them  remain  so  long  in  our  hands.  But,  as  I 
 said  above,  I  do  not  mean  to  enlarge  in  this  strain:  I 
 hope  the  Lord,  the  only  comforter,  will  bring  such 
 thoughts  with  warmth  and  efficacy  upon  your  mind. 
 Your  wound,  while  fresh,  is  painful;  but  faith,  prayer, 
 and  time,  will,  1.  trust,  gradually  render  it  tolerable. 
 
LETTERS  TO  MRS 
 
 293 
 
 There  is  something  fascinating  in  grief;  painful  as  it  is, 
 we  are  prone  to  indulge  it,  and  to  brood  over  the  thoughts 
 and  circumstances  which  are  suited  (like  fuel  to  fire)  to 
 heighten  and  prolong  it.  When  the  Lord  afflicts,  it  is 
 liis  design  that  we  should  grieve:  but  in  this,  as  in  all 
 other  things,  there  is  a  certain  moderation  which  becomes 
 a  Christian,  and  which  only  grace  can  teach;  and  grace 
 teaches  us,  not  by  books  or  by  hearsay,  but  by  experi- 
 mental lessons:  all  beyond  this  should  be  avoided  and 
 guarded  against  as  sinful  and  hurtful.  Grief,  when  in- 
 dulged and  excessive,  preys  upon  tiie  spirits,  injures 
 health,  indisposes  us  for  duty,  and  causes  us  to  shed  tears 
 which  deserve  more  tears.  This  is  a  weeping  world. 
 Sin  has  filled  it  with  thorns  and  briers,  with  crosses  and 
 calamities.  It  is  a  great  hospital,  resounding  with  groans 
 in  every  quarter.  It  is  a  field  of  battle,  where  many  are 
 falling  around  us  continually:  and  it  is  more  wonderful 
 that  we  escape  so  well,  than  that  we  are  sometimes 
 wounded.  We  must  have  some  share;  it  is  the  unavoid- 
 able lot  of  our  nature  and  state;  it  is  likewise  needful  in 
 point  of  discipline.  The  Lord  will  certainly  chasten 
 those  whom  he  loves,  though  others  may  seem  to  pass 
 for  a  time  with  impunity.  That  is  a  sweet,  instructive, 
 and  important  passage,  Heb.  xii.  5-11.  It  is  so  plain, 
 that  it  needs  no  comment;  so  full,  that  a  comment  would 
 but  weaken  it.  May  the  Lord  inscribe  it  upon  your 
 heart,  my  dear  Madam,  and  upon  mine. 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  VH. 
 
 My  Dear  Madam,  November,  1778. 
 
 Your  obliging  favour  raised  in  me  a  variety  of  emotions 
 when  I  first  received  it,  and  has  revived  them  this  morn- 
 ing while  perusing  it  again.  1  have  mourned  and  re- 
 joiced with  you,  and  felt  pain  and  pleasure  in  succession, 
 
 K 
 
294 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 as  you  diversified  the  subject.  However,  the  weight  of 
 your  grief  I  was  willing  to  consider  as  a  thing  that  is 
 past ;  and  the  thought  that  you  had  been  mercifully  sup- 
 ported under  it,  and  brought  through  it,  that  you  were 
 restored  home  in  safety,  and  that  at  the  time  of  writing 
 you  were  tolerably  well  and  composed,  made  joy  upon 
 the  whole  preponderate ;  and  I  am  more  disposed  to  con- 
 gratulate you,  and  join  you  in  praising  the  Lord  for  the 
 mercies  you  enumerate,  than  to  prolong  my  condolence 
 upon  the  mournful  parts  of  your  letter.  Repeated  trying 
 occasions  have  made  me  well  acquainted  with  the  anxious 
 inquiries  with  which  the  busy  poring  mind  is  apt  to  pur- 
 sue departed  friends:  it  can  hardly  be  otherwise  under 
 some  circumstances.  I  have  found  prayer  the  best  re- 
 lief. I  have  thought  it  very  allowable  to  avail  mj'self 
 to  the  utmost  of  every  favourable  consideration;  but  I 
 have  had  the  most  comfort,  when  I  have  been  enabled 
 to  resign  the  whole  concern  into  his  hands,  whose  thoughts 
 and  ways,  whose  power  and  goodness,  are  infinitely  supe- 
 rior to  our  conceptions.  I  consider,  in  such  cases,  that 
 the  great  Redeemer  can  save  to  the  uttermost,  and  the 
 great  Teacher  can  communicate  light,  and  impress  truth, 
 when  and  how  he  pleases.  I  trust  the  power  of  his  grace 
 and  compassion  will  hereafter  triumphantly  appear,  in 
 many  instances,  of  persons  who,  on  their  dying  beds, 
 and  in  their  last  moments,  have  been,  by  his  mercy, 
 constrained  to  feel  the  importance  and  reality  of  truths, 
 which  they  did  not  properly  understand  and  attend  to  in 
 the  hour  of  health  and  prosperity.  Such  a  salutary  change 
 I  have  frequently,  or  at  least  more  than  once,  twice,  or 
 thrice,  been  an  eye-witness  to,  accompanied  with  such 
 evidence  as,  I  think,  has  been  quite  satisfactory.  And 
 who  can  say  such  a  change  may  not  often  take  place  wlien 
 the  person  who  is  the  subject  of  it  is  too  much  enfeebled 
 to  give  an  account  to  by-standers  of  what  is  transacting 
 in  his  mind!  Thus  I  have  encouraged  my  hope.  But 
 the  best  satisfaction  of  all  is,  to  be  duly  impressed  with 
 the  voice  that  says,  "  Be  still,  and  know  that  I  am  God." 
 These  words  direct  us,  not  only  to  his  sovereignty,  his 
 undoubted  right  to  do  what  he  will  with  his  own,  but  to 
 
LETTERS  TO  MRS 
 
 295 
 
 all  his  adorable  and  amiable  perfections,  by  which  he  has 
 manifested  himself  to  us  in  the  Son  of  his  love. 
 
 As  I  am  not  a  Sadducee,  the  account  you  give  of  the 
 music  which  entertained  you  on  the  road  does  not  put 
 my  dependence  either  upon  your  veracity  or  your  judg- 
 ment to  any  trial.  We  live  upon  the  confines  of  the  in- 
 visible world,  or  rather  perhajjs  in  the  midst  of  it.  That 
 unseen  agents  have  a  power  of  operating  upon  our  minds, 
 at  least  upon  that  mysterious  faculty  we  call  the  imagi- 
 nation, is  witli  me  not  merely  a  point  of  opinion,  or  even 
 of  faith,  but  of  experience.  That  evil  spirits  can,  when 
 permitted,  disturb,  distress,  and  defile  us,  I  know  as  well 
 as  I  know  that  the  fire  can  burn  me:  and  though  their 
 interposition  is  perhaps  more  easily  and  certainly  distin- 
 guishable, 3'et  from  analogj'  I  conclude  that  good  spirits 
 are  equally  willing,  and  equally  able,  to  employ  their 
 kind  offices  for  our  relief  and  comfort.  I  have  formed 
 in  my  mind  a  kind  of  system  upon  this  subject,  -which, 
 for  tlic  most  part,  I  keep  pretty  much  to  myself;  but  I 
 can  intrust  my  thoughts  to  j^ou  as  they  occasionally  oft'er. 
 I  apprehend  that  some  persons  (those  particularly  who 
 rank  under  the  class  of  nervous)  are  more  open  and  ac- 
 (MDssible  to  these  impressions  than  others,  and  probably 
 the  same  person  more  so  at  some  times  than  at  others. 
 And  though  we  frequently  distinguish  between  imagi- 
 nary and  real  (which  is  one  reason  why  nervous  people 
 are  so  seldom  pitied),  yet  an  impression  upon  the  ima- 
 gination may,  as  to  the  agent  that  produces  it,  and  to 
 the  person  that  receives  it,  be  as  much  a  reality  as  any 
 of  the  sensible  objects  ai-ound  him;  though  a  b3'stander, 
 not  being  able  to  share  in  the  perception,  may  account 
 it  a  mere  whim,  and  suppose  it  might  be  avoided  or  re- 
 moved by  an  act  of  the  will.  Nor  have  anv  a  right  to 
 withhold  their  assent  to  what  the  scriptures  teach,  and 
 many  sober  persons  declare,  'of  this  invisible  agency, 
 merely  because  we  cannot  answer  the  questions.  How? 
 or  Why?  The  thing  may  be  certain,  though  we  cannot 
 easily  explain  it;  and  there  may  be  just  and  important 
 reasons  for  it,  though  we  should  not  be  able  to  assign 
 them.   If  what  j'ou  heard,  or  (which  in  my  view  is  much 
 
296 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 the  same)  what  you  thought  you  heard,  had  a  tendency 
 to  compose  j'our  spirit  and  to  encourage  your  application 
 to  the  Lord  for  help,  at  the  time  when  you  were  about 
 to  stand  in  need  of  especial  assistance,  then  there  is  a 
 sufficient  and  suitable  reason  assigned  for  it  at  once, 
 without  looking  farther.  It  would  be  dangerous  to  make 
 impressions  a  rule  of  dutj';  but  if  they  strengthen  us, 
 and  assist  us  in  the  performance  of  Avhat  we  know  to  be 
 our  duty,  we  may  be  thankful  for  them. 
 
 You  have  taken  leave  of  your  favourite  trees,  and  tlie 
 scenes  of  j^our  younger  life,  but  a  few  j'ears  sooner  than 
 you  must  have  done,  if  the  late  dispensation  had  not 
 taken  place.  All  must  be  left  soon;  fof"  all  below  ia 
 polluted,  and  in  its  best  state  is  too  scanty  to  afford  us 
 happiness.  If  we  are  believers  in  Jesus,  all  we  can  quit 
 is  a  mere  nothing  compared  with  what  we  shall  obtain. 
 To  exchange  a  dungeon  for  a  palace,  earth  for  heaven, 
 will  call  for  no  self-denial  when  we  stand  upon  the 
 threshold  of  eternity,  and  shall  have  a  clearer  view  than 
 we  have  now  of  the  vanity  of  what  is  passing  from  us, 
 and  the  gloi'y  of  what  is  before  us.  The  partial  changes 
 we  meet  with  in  our  way  through  life  are  designed  to  re- 
 mind us  of,  and  prepare  us  for,  the  great  change  which 
 awaits  us  at  the  end  of  it.  The  Lord  grant  that  we  may 
 find  mercy  of  the  Lord  in  that  solemn  hour. 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 \ 
 
FOUR  LETTERS  TO  MRS  T- 
 
 LETTER  I. 
 
 My  Dear  Madam,  March  12,  1774. 
 
 My  heart  is  full,  yet  I  must  restrain  it.  Many  thoughts 
 which  crowd  on  my  mind,  and  would  have  vent  were 
 I  writing  to  another  person,  would  to  you  be  unseason- 
 able. I  write  not  to  remind  you  of  what  you  have  lost, 
 but  of  what  you  have,  which  you  cannot  lose.  May  the 
 Lord  put  a  word  in  my  heart  that  may  be  acceptable ; 
 and  may  his  good  Spirit  accompany  the  perusal,  and  en- 
 able you  to  say  with  the  apostle,  that  as  sufferings  abound, 
 consolations  also  abound  by  Jesus  Christ.  Indeed  I  can 
 sympathize  with  you.  1  remember  too  the  delicacy  of 
 your  frame,  and  the  tenderness  of  your  natural  spirits; 
 so  that  were  you  not  interested  in  the  exceeding  great 
 and  precious  promises  of  the  gospel,  I  should  be  ready 
 to  fear  you  must  sink  under  your  trial.  But  I  have  some 
 faint  conceptions  of  the  all-sufficiency  and  faithfulness 
 of  the  Lord,  and  may  address  you  in  the  King's  words 
 tO'  Daniel,  "  Thy  God  whom  thou  servest  continually, 
 he  will  deliver  thee."  Motives  for  resignation  to  his  will 
 abound  in  his  word;  but  it  is  an  additional  and  crown- 
 ing mercy  that  he  has  promised  to  apply  and  enforce 
 them  in  time  of  need.  He  has  said,  "  My  grace  shall 
 be  sufficient  for  thee:  and  as  thy  day  is,  so  shall  thy 
 strength  be."  This  I  trust  you  have  already  experienced. 
 The  Lord  is  so  rich  and  so  good  that  he  can  by  a  glance 
 of  thought  compensate  his  children  for  whatever  his  wis- 
 dom sees  fit  to  deprive  them  of.  If  he  gives  them  a  live- 
 
298 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 ly  sense  of  what  lie  has  delivered  them  from,  and  prepared 
 for  them,  or  of  what  he  himself  submitted  to  endure  for 
 their  sakes,  they  find  at  once  light  springing  up  out  of 
 dai'kness,  hard  things  become  easy,  and  bitter  sweet.  I 
 remember  to  have  I'ead  of  a  good  man  in  the  last  cen- 
 tury (probably  you  have  met  with  tlie  story),  who,  when 
 his  beloved  and  only  son  lay  ill,  was  for  some  time  greatly 
 anxious  about  the  event.  One  morning  he  staid  longer 
 than  usual  in  his  closet ;  while  he  was  there  his  son  died. 
 When  he  came  out,  his  family  were  afraid  to  tell  him, 
 but,  like  David,  he  perceived  it  by  their  looks ;  and  when 
 upon  inquiry  they  said  it  was  so,  he  received  the  news 
 with  a  composure  that  surprised  them.  But  he  soon  ex- 
 plained the  reason,  by  telling  them  that  for  such  dis- 
 coveries of  the  Lord's  goodness  as  he  had  been  favoured 
 with  that  morning,  he  could  be  content  to  lose  a  son  every 
 day.  Yes,  Madam,  though  every  stream  must  fail,  the 
 fountain  is  still  full  and  still  flowing.  All  the  comfort 
 you  ever  received  in  your  dear  friend  was  from  the  Lord, 
 who  is  abundantly  able  to  comfort  you  still;  and  he  is 
 gone  but  a  little  before  you.  May  your  faith  anticipate 
 the  joyful  and  glorious  meeting  j'ou  have  in  a  better 
 world.  Then  your  worship  and  converse  together  will 
 be  to  unspeakable  advantage,  without  imperfection,  in- 
 terruption, abatement,  or  end.  Then  all  tears  shall  be 
 wiped  away,  and  every  cloud  removed;  and  then  you 
 will  see  that  all  j'our  concernments  here  below  (the  late 
 afflicting  dispensation  not  excepted),  were  appointed  and 
 adjusted  by  infinite  wisdom  and  infinite  love. 
 
 The  Lord,  who  knows  our  frame,  does  not  expect  or 
 require  that  we  should  aim  at  a  stoical  indifference  under 
 his  visitations.  He  allows  that  afflictions  are  at  present 
 not  joj'ous,  but  grievous;  yea,  he  was  pleased  when 
 upon  earth  to  weep  with  his  mourning  friends  when  La- 
 zarus died.  But  he  has  graciously  provided  for  the  pre- 
 vention of  that  anguish  and  bitterness  of  sorrow,  wliich 
 is,  upon  such  occasions,  the  portion  of  such  as  live  with- 
 out God  in  the  world;  and  has  engaged  that  all  shall 
 work  together  for  good,  and  yield  the  peaceable  fruits  of 
 righteousness.    May  he  bless  you  with  a  sweet  serenity' 
 
LETTEHS  TO  MKS  T 
 
 299 
 
 of  spirit,  and  a  cheerful  hope  of  tlio  glory  that  shall 
 shortly  be  revealed. 
 
 I  intimated  that  I  would  not  trouble  you  with  my  own 
 sense  and  share  of  this  loss.  If  5'ou  remember  the  great 
 kindness  I  always  received  from  Mr  T   and  your- 
 self, as  often  as  opportunity  afforded,  and  if  you  will 
 believe  me  possessed  of  any  sensibility  or  gratitude,  you 
 will  conclude  that  my  concern  is  not  small.  I  feel  like- 
 wise for  the  {)ubUc.  Will  it  be  a  consolation  to  you, 
 Madam,  to  know  that  you  do  not  mourn  alone  ?  A  cha- 
 racter so  exemplary  as  a  friend,  a  counsellor,  a  Christian, 
 and  a  minister,  will  be  long  and  deeply  regretted;  and 
 many  will  join  with  me  in  praying  tliat  you,  who  are 
 most  nearly  interested,  may  be  signally  supported,  and 
 feel  the  propriety  of  Mrs  Rowe's  acknowledgment, 
 
 Thou  dost  but  take  the  dying  lamp  away. 
 To  bless  me  with  thine  own  unclouded  day. 
 
 We  join  in  most  affectionate  respects  and  condolence. 
 May  the  Lord  bless  you  and  keep  you,  lift  up  the  light 
 of  his  countenance  upon  you,  and  give  you  peace. 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  II. 
 
 My  Dear  Madam,  April  Q,  111 
 
 I  have  long  and  often  purposed  waiting  upon  you  with 
 a  second  letter,  thougli  one  thing  or  other  still  caused 
 delay;  for  though  I  could  not  but  wish  to  hear  from  you, 
 I  was  far  from  making  that  a  condition  of  my  Avi'iting. 
 If  you  have  leisure  and  spirits  to  favour  me  with  a  line 
 now  and  then,  it  will  give  us  much  pleasure ;  but  if  not 
 it  will  be  a  sufficient  inducement  with  me  to  write,  to 
 know  that  you  give  me  liberty,  and  that  you  will  receive 
 my  letters  in  good  part.  At  the  same  time  I  must  add, 
 that  my  various  engagements  will  not  permit  me  to  break 
 in  upon  you  so  often  as  my  sincere  affection  would  other- 
 wise prompt  me  to  do. 
 
300 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 I  heartily  thank  you  for  yours,  and  hope  my  soul  de- 
 sires to  praise  the  Lord  on  your  behalf.  I  am  persuaded 
 that  his  goodness  to  you  in  supporting  you  under  a  trial 
 so  sharp  in  itself,  and  in  the  circumstances  that  attended 
 it,  has  been  an  encouragement  and  comfort  to  many.  It 
 is  in  such  apparently  severe  times  that  the  all-sufficiency 
 and  faithfulness  of  the  Lord,  and  the  power  and  proper 
 effects  of  his  precious  gospel,  are  most  eminently  dis- 
 played. I  would  hope,  and  I  do  believe,  that  the  know- 
 ledge of  your  case  has  animated  some  of  the  Lord's  peo- 
 ple against  those  anxious  fears  which  they  sometimes  feel 
 when  they  look  upon  their  earthly  comforts  with  too 
 careful  an  eye,  and  their  hearts  are  ready  to  sink  at  the 
 thought,  What  should  I  do,  and  how  should  I  behave, 
 were  the  Lord  pleased  to  take  away  my  desire  with  a 
 stroke?  But  we  see  he  can  supply  their  absence,  and 
 afford  us  superior  comforts  without  them.  The  gospel 
 reveals  one  thing  needful,  the  pearl  of  great  price;  and 
 supposes  that  they  who  possess  this  are  provided  for 
 against  all  events,  and  have  ground  of  unshaken  hope 
 and  a  source  of  never-failing  consolation  undti  every 
 change  they  can  meet  with  during  their  pilgrimage  state. 
 When  his  people  are  enabled  to  set  their  seal  to  this, 
 not  only  in  theory,  when  all  things  go  smooth,  but  prac- 
 tically, when  called  upon  to  pass  through  the  fire  and 
 "water,  then  his  grace  is  glorified  in  them,  and  by  them ; 
 then  it  appears  both  to  themselves  and  to  others,  that 
 they  have  neither  followed  cunningly  devised  fables,  nor 
 amused  themselves  with  empty  notions:  then  they  know 
 in  themselves,  and  it  is  evidenced  to  others,  that  God  is 
 with  them  of  a  truth.  In  this  view  a  believer,  when  in 
 some  good  measure  divested  from  that  narrow  selfish 
 disposition  which  cleaves  so  close  to  us  by  nature,  will 
 not  only  submit  to  trials,  but  rejoice  in  them,  notwith- 
 standing the  feelings  and  reluctance  of  the  flesh.  For 
 if  I  am  redeemed  from  misery  by  the  blood  of  Jesus,  and 
 if  he  is  now  preparing  me  a  mansion  near  himself,  that  I 
 may  drink  of  the  rivers  of  pleasure  at  his  right  hand  for 
 evermore ;  the  question  is  not  (at  least  ought  not  to  be), 
 How  may  I  pass  through  life  with  the  least  inconvenience  ? 
 
LETTEnS  TO  MRS  T- 
 
 301 
 
 but,  How  may  my  little  span  of  life  be  made  most  subser- 
 vient to  the  praise  and  glory  of  him  who  loved  me,  and 
 gave  himself  for  me?  Where  the  Lord  gives  this  desire, 
 he  will  gratify  it;  and  as  afflictions  for  the  most  part  af- 
 ford the  fairest  opportunities  of  this  kind,  therefore  it  is, 
 that  those  whom  he  is  pleased  eminently  to  honour  are 
 usually  called,  at  one  time  or  another,  to  the  heaviest 
 trials;  not  because  he  loves  to  grieve  them,  but  because 
 he  hears  their  prayers,  and  accepts  their  desires  of  doing 
 him  service  in  the  world.  The  post  of  honour  in  war  is 
 so  called,  because  attended  with  difficulties  and  dangers 
 which  but  few  are  supposed  equal  to;  yet  generals  usu- 
 ally allot  these  hard  services  to  tlieir  favourites  and 
 friends,  who  on  their  parts  eagerly  accept  them  as  tokens 
 of  favour  and  marks  of  confidence.  Should  we,  therefore, 
 not  account  it  an  honour  and  a  privilege,  when  the  Cap- 
 tain of  our  salvation  assigns  us  a  difficult  post?  since  he 
 can  and  does  (which  no  earthly  commander  can)  inspire 
 his  soldiers  with  wisdom,  courage,  and  strength,  suitable 
 to  their  situation,  2  Cor.  xii.  9,  10.  I  am  acquainted 
 with  a  few  who  have  been  led  thus  into  the  fore  front  of 
 the  battle;  they  suffered  much;  but  I  have  never  heard 
 them  say  tiiey  suffered  too  much ;  for  the  Lord  stood  by 
 them  and  strengthened  them.  Go  on,  my  dear  Madam: 
 yet  a  little  while,  Jesus  will  wipe  away  all  tears  from  your 
 eyes ;  you  will  see  your  beloved  friend  again,  and  he  and 
 you  will  rejoice  together  for  ever. 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  in. 
 
 My  Dear  Madam,  October  24,  1775. 
 
 The  manner  in  which  you  mention  Omicron's  letters,  I 
 hope,  will  rather  humble  me  than  puff  me  up.  Your  favour- 
 able acceptance  of  them,  if  alone,  migiit  have  the  latter 
 effect;  but,  alas!  I  feel  myself  so  very  defective  in  those 
 
302 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 things,  the  importance  of  \^■hich  I  endeavoured  to  point 
 out  to  others,  that  I  ahnost  appear  to  myself  to  be  one 
 of  those  who  say,  but  do  not.  I  find  it  much  easier  to 
 speak  to  the  hearts  of  others  than  to  my  own.  Yet  I 
 have  cause  bej'ond  many  to  bless  God,  that  he  has  given 
 rae  some  idea  of  what  a  Christian  ought  to  be,  and  I  hope 
 a  real  desire  of  being  one  myself ;  but  verily  I  have 
 attained  but  a  very  little  way.  A  friend  hinted  to  me, 
 that  the  character  I  have  given  of  C.  or  Grace  in  the  full 
 ear,  must  be  from  my  own  experience,  or  I  could  not  have 
 written  it.  To  myself,  however,  it  appears  otherwise; 
 but  I  am  well  convinced,  that  the  state  of  C.  is  attain- 
 able, and  more  to  be  desired  than  mountains  of  gold 
 and  silver.  But  I  find  you  complain  likewise;  though 
 it  appears  to  me,  and  I  believe  to  all  who  know  you,  that 
 the  Lord  has  been  peculiarly  gracious  to  you,  in  giving 
 you  much  of  the  spirit  in  which  he  delights,  and  by 
 which  his  name  and  the  power  of  his  gospel  are  glorified. 
 It  seems,  therefore,  that  we  are  not  competent  judges 
 either  of  ourselves  or  of  others.  I  take  it  for  granted, 
 that  thej^  are  the  most  excellent  Christians  who  are  most 
 abased  in  their  own  ej  es;  but  lest  you  should  think  upon 
 this  ground,  that  I  am  something,  because  I  can  say  so 
 many  humiliating  things  of  myself,  I  must  prevent  your 
 overrating  me,  hy  assuring  you,  that  my  confessions 
 rather  express  what  I  know  I  ought  to  think  of  myself, 
 than  what  I  actually  do.  Naturalists  suppose,  that  if 
 the  matter  of  which  the  eai'th  is  formed  were  condensed 
 as  much  as  it  is  capable  of,  it  would  occupy  but  a  very 
 small  space;  in  proof  of  which  they  observe,  that  a  cu- 
 bical pane  of  glass,  which  appears  smooth  and  impervi- 
 ous to  us,  must  be  exceedingly  porous  in  itself ;  since  in 
 every  assignable  point  it  receives  and  transmits  the  rays 
 of  light ;  and  yet  gold,  which  is  the  most  solid  substance 
 we  are  acquainted  with,  is  but  about  eight  times  heavier 
 than  glass,  which  is  made  up  (if  I  may  say  so)  of  nothing 
 but  pores.  In  like  manner,  I  conceive,  that  inherent 
 grace,  when  it  is  dilated,  and  appears  to  the  greatest 
 advantage  in  a  sinner,  would  be  found  to  be  very  small 
 and  inconsiderable,  if  it  was  condensed,  and  absolutely 
 
LETTERS  TO  MRS  T  . 
 
 303 
 
 separated  from  every  mixture.  The  highest  attainments 
 in  this  life  are  very  inconsiderable,  compared  with  what 
 should  properly  result  from  our  relation  and  obligations 
 to  a  God  of  infinite  holiness.  The  nearer  we  approach 
 to  him,  the  more  we  are  sensible  of  this.  While  we  only 
 hear  of  God  as  it  were  by  the  ear,  we  seem  to  be  some- 
 thing; but  when,  as  in  the  case  of  Job,  he  discovers  him- 
 self more  sensibly  to  us.  Job's  language  becomes  ours,  and 
 the  height  of  our  attainment  is,  to  abhor  ourselves  in 
 dust  and  ashes. 
 
 1  hope  I  do  not  write  too  late  to  meet  you  at  Bath. 
 I  pray  that  your  health  may  be  benefited  by  the  waters, 
 and  your  soul  comforted  by  the  Lord's  blessing  upon  the 
 ordinances,  and  the  converse  of  his  children.  If  any  of 
 the  friends  you  expected  to  see  are  still  there,  to  whom 
 we  are  known,  and  my  name  should  be  mentioned,  I  beg 
 you  to  say,  we  desire  to  be  respectfully  remembered  to 
 them.  Had  I  wings,  I  would  fly  to  Bath  Avhile  you  are 
 there.  As  it  is,  1  endeavour  to  be  with  you  in  spirit. 
 There  certainly  is  a  real,  though  secret,  a  sweet,  though 
 mysterious  communion  of  saints,  by  virtue  of  their  com- 
 mon union  with  Jesus.  Feeding  upon  tlie  same  bread, 
 drinking  of  the  same  fountain,  waiting  at  the  same  mercy- 
 seat,  and  aiming  at  the  same  ends,  they  have  fellowship 
 one  with  another,  though  at  a  distance.  Who  can  tell 
 how  often  the  Holy  Spirit,  who  is  equally  present  with 
 them  all,  touches  the  hearts  of  two  or  more  of  his  chil- 
 dren at  the  same  instant,  so  as  to  excite  a  sympathj'  of 
 pleasure,  prayer,  or  praise,  on  each  other's  account?  It 
 revives  me  sometimes  in  a  dull  and  dark  hour  to  reflect, 
 that  the  Lord  has  in  mercy  given  me  a  place  in  the  hearts 
 of  many  of  his  people;  and  perhaps  some  of  them  may 
 be  speaking  to  him  on  my  behalf,  when  I  have  hardly 
 power  to  utter  a  word  for  myself.  For  kind  services  of 
 this  sort  I  persuade  myself  I  am  often  indebted  to  j'ou. 
 O  that  I  were  enabled  more  fervently  to  repay  you  in 
 the  same  way!  I  can  say  that  I  attempt  it:  I  love  and 
 honour  you  greatlj^,  and  your  concernments  are  often 
 upon  my  mind. 
 
 We  spent  most  of  a  week  with  Mr  B          since  we 
 
304 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 returned  from  London,  and  he  has  been  once  here.  We 
 have  reason  to  be  very  thankful  for  his  connexion ;  I  find 
 but  few  like-minded  with  him,  and  his  family  is  filled  with 
 the  grace  and  peace  of  the  gospel.  I  never  visit  them, 
 but  I  meet  with  something  to  humble,  quicken,  and  edify 
 me.  O!  what  will  heaven  be,  where  there  shall  be  all 
 who  love  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  they  only;  where  all  im- 
 perfection, and  whatever  now  abates  or  interrupts  their 
 joy  in  their  Lord  and  in  each  other,  shall  cease  for  ever! 
 There  at  least  I  hope  to  meet  you,  and  spend  an  eternity 
 with  you,  in  admiring  the  riches  and  glory  of  redeeming 
 love. 
 
 We  join  in  a  tender  of  the  most  affectionate  respects. 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  IV. 
 
 My  Dear  Madam,  October  1%,  1777. 
 
 What  can  I  say  for  myself,  to  let  your  obliging  letter 
 remain  so  long  unanswered,  when  your  kind  solicitude 
 for  us  induced  you  to  write?  I  am  ashamed  of  the  de- 
 lay. You  would  have  heard  from  me  immediately,  had 
 I  been  at  home.  But  I  have  reason  to  be  thankful  that 
 we  were  providentially  called  to  London  a  few  days  be- 
 fore the  fire ;  so  that  Mrs  was  mercifully  preserved 
 
 from  the  alarm  and  shock  she  must  have  felt  had  she 
 been  upon  the  spot.  Your  letter  followed  me  hither,  and 
 was  in  my  possession  more  than  a  week  before  my  return. 
 I  proposed  writing  every  day,  but  indeed  I  was  much 
 hurried  and  engaged.  Yet  I  am  not  excused ;  I  ought 
 to  have  saved  time  from  my  meals  or  my  sleep,  rather 
 than  appear  negligent  or  ungrateful.  I  now  seize  the 
 first  post  I  could  write  by  since  I  came  home.  The  fire 
 devoured  twelve  houses ;  and  it  was  a  mercy,  and  almost 
 a  miracle,  that  the  whole  town  was  not  destroyed ;  which 
 must,  humanly  speaking,  have  been  the  case,  had  not  the 
 night  been  calm,  as  two-thirds  of  the  buildings  were 
 
LETTERS  TO  MRS  T- 
 
 305 
 
 thatched.  No  lives  were  lost,  no  person  considerably 
 hurt;  and  I  believe  the  contributions  of  the  benevolent 
 will  prevent  the  loss  from  being  greatly  felt.  It  was  at 
 the  distance  of  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  my  house. 
 
 Your  command  limits  my  attention,  at  present,  to  u 
 part  of  your  letter,  and  points  me  out  a  subject.  Yet, 
 at  the  same  time,  you  lay  me  under  a  difficulty.  I 
 M'ould  not  willingly  offend  you,  and  I  hope  the  Lord  has 
 taught  me  not  to  aim  at  saying  handsome  things.  I 
 deal  not  in  compliments,  and  religious  compliments  are 
 the  most  unseemly  of  any.  But  why  might  I  not  .ex- 
 press my  sense  of  the  grace  of  God,  manifested  in  you 
 as  well  as  in  another?  I  believe  our  hearts  are  all  alike 
 destitute  of  every  good,  and  prone  to  every  evil.  Like 
 money  from  the  same  mint,  they  bear  the  same  impres- 
 sion of  total  depravity;  but  grace  makes  a  difference, 
 and  grace  deserves  the  praise.  Perhaps  it  ought  not 
 greatly  to  displease  you,  that  others  do,  and  must,  and 
 will  think  better  of  you  than  you  do  of  yourself.  If  I 
 do,  how  can  I  help  it,  when  I  form  my  judgment  entirely 
 from  what  you  say  and  write?  I  cannot  consent  that 
 you  should  seriously  appoint  me  to  examine  and  judge 
 of  your  state.  I  thought  you  knew,  beyond  the  shadow 
 of  a  doubt,  what  your  views  and  desires  are;  yea,  you 
 express  them  in  your  letter,  in  full  agreement  with  what 
 the  scripture  declares  of  the  principles,  desires,  and  feel- 
 ings of  a  Christian.  It  is  true  that  you  feel  contrary 
 principles,  that  you  are  conscious  of  defects  and  defile- 
 ments; but  it  is  equally  true  that  you  could  not  be  right 
 if  you  did  not  feel  these  things.  To  be  conscious  of 
 them,  and  humbled  for  them,  is  one  of  the  surest  marks 
 of  grace;  and  to  be  more  deeply  sensible  of  them  than 
 formerly,  is  the  best  evidence  of  growth  in  grace.  But 
 when  the  enemy  would  tempt  us  to  doubt  and  distrust, 
 because  we  are  not  perfect,  then  he  fights  not  only  against 
 our  peace,  but  against  the  honour  and  faithfulness  of  our 
 dear  Lord.  Our  righteousness  is  in  him,  and  our  hope 
 depends,  not  upon  the  exercise  of  grace  in  us,  but  upon 
 the  fulness  of  grace  and  love  in  him,  and  upon  his  obe- 
 dience unto  death. 
 
306 
 
 CAKDIPHONIA. 
 
 There  is,  my  dear  Madam,  a  difference  between  the 
 holiness  of  a  sinner  and  tliat  of  an  angel.  Tiie  angels 
 have  never  sinned,  nor  have  they  tasted  of  redeeming 
 love;  they  have  no  inward  conflicts,  no  law  of  sin  war- 
 ring in  their  members;  their  obedience  is  perfect;  their 
 happiness  is  complete.  Yet  if  I  be  found  among  re- 
 deemed sinners,  I  need  not  wish  to  be  an  angel.  Perhaps 
 God  is  not  less  glorified  by  your  obedience,  and,  not  to 
 shock  you,  I  will  add,  by  mine,  than  by  Gabriel's.  It  is 
 a  mighty  manifestation  of  his  grace  indeed,  when  it  can 
 live,  and  act,  and  conquer,  in  such  hearts  as  ours — when, 
 in  defiance  of  an  evil  nature  and  an  evil  world,  and  all 
 the  force  and  subtility  of  Satan,  a  weak  worm  is  still  up- 
 held, and  enabled  not  only  to  climb,  but  to  thrash  the 
 mountains — when  a  small  spark  is  preserved  through 
 storms  and  floods.  In  these  circumstances,  the  work  of 
 grace  is  to  be  estimated,  not  merely  from  its  imperfect 
 appearance,  but  from  the  difficulties  it  has  to  struggle 
 with  and  overcome ;  and  therefore  our  holiness  does  not 
 consist  in  great  attainments,  but  in  spiritual  desires,  in 
 hungerings,  thirstings,  and  mournings;  in  humiliation  of 
 heart,  poverty  of  spirit,  submission,  meekness;  in  cordial 
 admiring  thoughts  of  Jesus,  and  dependence  on  him  alone 
 for  all  we  want.  Indeed  these  may  be  said  to  be  great 
 attainments;  but  they  who  have  most  of  tliem  are  most 
 sensible  that  they,  in  and  of  themselves,  are  nothing,  have 
 nothing,  can  do  nothing,  and  see  daily  cause  for  abhor- 
 ring themselves,  and  repenting  in  dust  and  ashes. 
 
 Our  view  of  death  will  not  always  be  alike,  but  in 
 proportion  to  the  degree  in  which  the  Holy  Spirit  is 
 pleased  to  communicate  his  sensible  influence.  We  may 
 anticipate  the  moment  of  dissolution  with  pleasure  and 
 desire  in  the  morning,  and  be  ready  to  shrink  from  the 
 thought  of  it  before  night.  But  though  our  frames  and 
 perceptions  vary,  the  report  of  faith  concerning  it  is  the 
 same.  The  Lord  usually  reserves  dying  strength  for  a 
 dying  hour.  When  Israel  was  to  pass  Jordan,  the  ark 
 was  in  the  river;  and  though  the  rear  of  the  host  could 
 not  see  it,  yet  as  they  successively  came  forward  and  ap- 
 proached the  banks,  they  all  beheld  the  ark,  and  all  went 
 
LETTERS  TO  MRS  T  
 
 307 
 
 safely  over.  As  you  are  not  weary  of  living,  if  it  be  the 
 Lord's  pleasure,  so  I  hope,  for  the  sake  of  your  friends, 
 and  the  people  whom  you  love,  he  will  spare  you  amongst 
 us  a  little  longer;  but  when  the  time  shall  arrive  which 
 he  has  appointed  for  your  dismission,  I  make  no  doubt 
 but  he  will  overpower  all  your  fears,  silence  all  your  ene- 
 mies, and  give  you  a  comfortable,  triumphant  entrance 
 into  his  kingdom.  You  having  nothing  to  fear  from 
 death;  for  Jesus,  by  dying,  has  disarmed  it  of  its  sting, 
 has  perfumed  the  grave,  and  opened  the  gates  of  glory 
 for  his  believing  people.  Satan,  so  far  as  he  is  permit- 
 ted, will  assault  our  peace,  but  he  is  a  vanquished  ene- 
 my; our  Lord  holds  him  in  a  chain,  and  sets  him  bounds 
 which  he  cannot  pass.  He  provides  for  us  likewise  the 
 whole  armour  of  God,  and  has  promised  to  cover  our 
 heads  himself  in  the  day  of  battle,  to  bring  us  honour- 
 ably through  every  skirmish,  and  to  make  us  more  than 
 conquerors  at  last.    If  you  think  my  short  unexpected 
 
 interview  with  Mr  C   may  justify  my  wisliing  he 
 
 should  know  that  I  respect  his  character,  love  his  per- 
 son, and  rejoice  in  what  the  Lord  has  done  and  is  doing 
 for  him  and  by  him,  I  beg  you  to  tell  him  so;  but  I  leave 
 it  entirely  to  you. 
 
 We  join  in  most  affectionate  respects. 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
FIVE  LETTERS  TO  MR 
 
 LETTER  I. 
 
 Dear  Sir,  March  1,  1765. 
 
 Your  favour  of  the  19th  February  came  to  my  hand 
 yesterday.  I  have  read  it  with  attention,  and  very  will- 
 ingly sit  down  to  offer  you  my  thouglits.  Your  case 
 reminds  me  of  my  own :  my  first  desires  towards  the 
 ministry  were  attended  with  great  uncertainties  and 
 difficulties,  and  the  perplexitj^  of  my  own  mind  was 
 heightened  by  the  various  and  opposite  judgments  of 
 my  friends.  The  advice  I  have  to  offer  is  the  result  of 
 painful  experience  and  exercise,  and  for  this  reason  per- 
 haps may  not  be  unacceptable  to  you.  I  pi'ay  our  gra- 
 cious Lord  to  make  it  useful. 
 
 I  was  long  distressed,  as  you  are,  about  what  was  or 
 was  not  a  proper  call  to  the  ministry;  it  now  seems  to 
 me  an  easy  point  to  solve,  but  perhaps  will  not  be  so  to 
 you,  till  the  Lord  shall  make  it  clear  to  yourself  in  your 
 own  case.  I  have  not  room  to  say  so  much  as  I  could: 
 in  brief,  I  think  it  principally  includes  three  things: 
 
 1.  A  warm  and  earnest  desire  to  be  employed  in  this 
 service.  I  apprehend,  the  man  who  is  once  moved  by 
 the  Spirit  of  God  to  this  work,  will  prefer  it,  if  attainable, 
 to  thousands  of  gold  and  silver;  so  that  though  he  is  at 
 times  intimidated  by  a  sense  of  its  importance  and  dif- 
 ficulty, compared  witli  his  own  great  insufficiency  (for 
 it  is  to  be  presumed  a  call  of  this  sort,  if  indeed  from 
 God,  will  be  accompanied  with  humility  and  self-abase- 
 ment), yet  he  cannot  give  it  up.    I  hold  it  a  good  rule 
 
LETTERS  TO  MR 
 
 309 
 
 to  inquire  in  this  point,  whether  the  desire  to  preach  is 
 most  fervent  in  our  most  lively  and  spiritual  frames,  and 
 when  we  arc  most  laid  in  the  dust  before  the  Lord?  If 
 so,  it  is  a  good  sign.  But  if,  as  is  sometimes  the  case, 
 a  person  is  very  earnest  to  be  a  preacher  to  others,  when 
 he  finds  but  little  hungerings  and  thirstings  after  grace 
 in  his  own  soul,  it  is  then  to  be  feared  his  zeal  springs 
 rather  from  a  selfish  principle  than  from  the  Spirit  of 
 God. 
 
 2.  Besides  this  affectionate  desire  and  readiness  to 
 preach,  there  must  in  due  season  appear  some  competent 
 sufficiency  as  to  gifts,  knowledge,  and  utterance.  Surelj^, 
 if  the  Lord  sends  a  man  to  teach  others,  he  will  furnish 
 him  with  the  means.  I  believe  many  have  intended  well 
 in  setting  up  for  preachers,  who  yet  went  beyond  or  be- 
 fore their  call  in  so  doing.  The  main  difference  between 
 a  minister  and  a  private  Christian  seems  to  consist  in 
 these  ministerial  gifts,  which  are  imparted  to  him,  not  for 
 his  own  sake  but  for  the  edification  of  others.  But  then 
 I  say,  these  are  to  appear  in  due  season;  they  are  not 
 to  be  expected  instantaneously,  but  gradually,  in  the  use 
 of  proper  means;  they  are  necessary  for  the  discharge  of 
 the  ministry,  but  not  necessary  as  prerequisites  to  war- 
 rant our  desires  after  it.  In  j'our  case,  you  are  young, 
 and  have  time  before  you;  therefore  I  think  you  need 
 not  as  yet  perplex  yourself  with  inquiring  if  you  have 
 these  gifts  already:  it  is  sufficient  if  your  desire  is  fixed, 
 and  you  are  willing,  in  the  way  of  prayer  and  diligence, 
 to  wait  upon  the  Lord  for  them :  as  yet  you  need  them 
 not. 
 
 3.  That  which  finally  evidences  a  proper  call,  is  a  cor- 
 respondent opening  in  providence,  by  a  gradual  train  of 
 circumstances,  pointing  out  the  means,  the  time,  the  place, 
 of  actually  entering  upon  the  work.  And  till  this  coin- 
 cidence arrives,  you  must  not  expect  to  be  always  clear 
 from  hesitation  in  your  own  mind.  The  principal  cau- 
 tion on  this  head  is,  not  to  be  too  hasty  in  catching  at  first 
 appearances.  If  it  be  the  Lord's  will  to  bring  you  into 
 his  ministry,  he  has  already  appointed  your  place  and 
 service;  and  though  you  know  it  not  at  present,  you 
 
 k2 
 
310 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 shall  at  a  proper  time.  If  you  had  the  talents  of  an 
 angel,  you  could  do  no  good  with  them  till  his  hour  is 
 come,  and  till  he  leads  you  to  the  people  whom  he  has 
 determined  to  bless  by  your  means.  It  is  very  difficult 
 to  restrain  ourselves  within  the  bounds  of  prudence  here ; 
 when  our  zeal  is  warm,  a  sense  of  the  love  of  Christ  upon 
 our  hearts,  and  a  tender  compassion  for  poor  sinners,  is 
 ready  to  prompt  us  to  break  out  too  soon — but  he  that 
 believeth  shall  not  make  haste.  I  was  about  five  years 
 under  this  constraint:  sometimes  Ithoughtl  must  preach, 
 though  it  was  in  the  streets.  I  listened  to  every  thing 
 that  seemed  plausible,  and  to  many  things  that  were  not 
 so.  But  the  Lord  graciously,  and  as  it  were  insensibly, 
 hedged  up  my  way  with  thorns;  otherwise,  if  I  had  been 
 left  to  my  own  spirit,  I  should  have  put  it  quite  out  of 
 my  power  to  have  been  brought  into  such  a  sphere  of 
 usefulness,  as  he  in  his  good  time  has  been  pleased  to 
 lead  me  to.  And  I  can  now  see  clearly,  that  at  the  time 
 I  would  first  have  gone  out,  though  my  intention  was,  I 
 hope,  good  in  the  main,  yet  I  overrated  myself,  and  had 
 not  that  spiritual  judgment  and  experience  which  are 
 requisite  for  so  great  a  service.  I  wish  you  therefore  to 
 take  time;  and  if  you  have  a  desire  to  enter  into  the 
 Established  Church,  endeavour  to  keep  your  zeal  within 
 moderate  bounds,  and  avoid  every  thing  that  might 
 unnecessarily  clog  your  admission  with  difficulties.  I 
 would  not  have  you  hide  your  profession,  or  be  back- 
 ward to  speak  for  God;  but  avoid  what  looks  like 
 preaching,  and  be  content  with  being  a  learner  in  the 
 school  of  Christ  for  some  years.  The  delay  will  not  be 
 lost  in  time;  you  will  be  so  much  the  more  acquainted 
 with  the  gospel,  with  your  own  heart,  and  with  human 
 nature:  the  last  is  a  necessary  branch  of  a  minister's 
 knowledge,  and  can  only  be  acquired  by  comparing 
 Avhat  passes  within  us,  and  airound  us,  with  what  we  read 
 in  the  word  of  God. 
 
 I  am  glad  to  find  you  have  a  distaste  both  for  Armi- 
 nian  and  Antinomian  doctrines;  but  let  not  the  mistakes 
 of  others  sit  too  heavy  upon  you.  Be  thankful  for  the 
 grace  that  has  made  you  to  differ;  be  ready  to  give  a. 
 
LETTERS  TO  MR  — , 
 
 311 
 
 reason  for  the  hope  that  is  in  you  with  meekness  and 
 fear;  but  beware  of  engaging  in  disputes,  without  evi- 
 dent necessity,  and  some  probable  hopes  of  usefulness. 
 They  tend  to  eat  out  the  life  and  savour  of  religion,  and 
 to  make  the  soul  lean  and  dry.  Where  God  has  begun 
 a  real  work  of  grace,  incidental  mistakes  will  be  lessened 
 by  time  and  experience;  where  he  has  not,  it  is  of  little 
 signification  what  sentiments  people  hold,  or  whether 
 they  call  themselves  Arminians  or  Calvinists. 
 
 I  agree  with  you,  it  is  time  enough  for  you  to  think 
 of  Oxford  yet ;  and  that  if  your  purpose  is  fixed,  and  all 
 circumstances  render  it  prudent  and  proper  to  devote 
 yourself  to  the  ministry,  you  will  do  well  to  spend  a  year 
 or  two  in  private  studies.  It  would  be  further  helpful, 
 in  this  view,  to  place  yourself  where  there  is  gospel 
 preaching,  and  a  lively  people.  If  your  favourable  opi- 
 nion of  this  place  should  induce  you  to  come  here,  I 
 shall  be  very  ready  to  give  you  every  assistance  in  my 
 power.  As  I  have  trod  exactly  the  path  you  seem  to 
 be  setting  out  in,  I  might  so  far  perhaps  be  more  service- 
 able than  those  who  are,  in  other  respects,  much  better 
 qualified  to  assist  you.  I  doubt  not  but  in  this,  and 
 every  other  step,  you  will  entreat  the  Lord's  direction; 
 and  I  hope  you  will  not  forget  to  pray  for, 
 Sir,  your  affectionate  friend,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  II. 
 
 Dear  Sir,  January  7,  1767- 
 
 I  MUST  beg  you  (once  for  all)  to  release  me  from  any 
 constraint  about  the  length  or  frequency  of  my  letters. 
 Believe  that  I  think  of  you,  and  pray  for  you,  when  you 
 do  not  hear  from  me.  Your  correspondence  is  not  quite  so 
 large  as  mine,  therefore  you  may -HTite  the  oftener:  your 
 letters  will  be  always  welcome;  and  I  will  write  to  you 
 when  I  find  a  leisure  hour,  and  have  any  thing  upon  my 
 mind  to  offer. 
 
312 
 
 CARDIPHO'NU. 
 
 You  seem  sensible  where  your  most  observable  fail- 
 ing lies,  and  to  take  reproof  and  admonition  concerning 
 it  in  good  part ;  I  therefore  hope  and  believe  the  Lord 
 will  give  you  a  growing  victory  over  it.  You  must  not 
 expect  habits  and  tempers  will  be  eradicated  instantane- 
 ously; but  by  perseverance  in  prayer,  and  observation 
 upon  the  experiences  of  every  day,  much  may  be  done 
 in  time.  Now  and  then  you  will  (as  is  usual  in  the  course 
 of  war)  lose  a  battle ;  but  be  not  discouraged,  but  rally 
 your  forces,  and  return  to  the  fight.  There  is  a  com- 
 fortable word,  a  leaf  of  the  tree  of  life,  for  healing  the 
 wounds  we  receive,  in  1  John  ii.  1.  If  the  enemy  sur- 
 prises you,  and  your  heart  smites  you,  do  not  stand  as- 
 tonished as  if  there  was  no  help,  nor  give  way  to  sorrow, 
 as  if  there  was  no  hope,  nor  attempt  to  heal  yourself ; 
 but  away  immediately  to  the  throne  of  grace,  to  the  great 
 Physician,  to  the  compassionate  High  Priest,  and  tell 
 liim  all.  Satan  knows,  that  if  he  can  keep  us  from  con- 
 fession, our  wounds  will  rankle;  but  do  you  profit  by 
 David's  experience,  Psalm,  xxxii.  3-5.  When  we  are 
 simple  and  open-hearted  in  abasing  ourselves  before  the 
 Lord,  though  we  have  acted  foolishly  and  ungratefullj-, 
 he  will  seldom  let  us  remain  long  without  affording  us  a 
 sense  of  his  compassion ;  for  he  is  gracious ;  he  knows 
 our  frame,  and  how  to  bear  with  us,  though  we  can 
 hardly  bear  with  ourselves,  or  with  one  another. 
 
 The  main  thing  is  to  have  tlie  heart  right  with  God: 
 this  will  bring  us  in  the  end  safely  through  many  mis- 
 takes and  blunders:  but  a  double  mind,  a  selfish  spirit, 
 that  \vould  halve  things  between  God  and  the  world,  the 
 Lord  abhors.  Though  I  have  not  yet  had  many  oppor- 
 tunities of  commending  your  prudence,  I  have  always 
 had  a  good  opinion  of  your  sincerity  and  integrity :  if  I 
 am  not  mistaken  in  this,  I  make  no  doubt  of  your  doing 
 well.  If  the  Lord  is  pleased  to  bless  you,  he  will  un- 
 doubtedly make  you  humble ;  for  you  cannot  be  either 
 happy  or  safe,  or  have  any  probable  hope  of  abiding  use- 
 fulness, without  it.  I  do  not  know  that  I  have  had  any 
 thing  so  much  at  heart  in  my  connections  with  you,  as 
 to  impress  you  with  a  sense  of  the  necessity  and  advan- 
 
LETTERS  TO  MR  
 
 313 
 
 tages  of  an  humble  frame  of  spirit:  I  hope  it  has  not 
 been  in  vain.  O!  to  be  little  in  our  own  eyes!  This  is 
 the  ground-work  of  every  grace;  this  leads  to  a  con- 
 tinual dependence  upon  the  Lord  Jesus ;  this  is  the  spirit 
 which  he  has  promised  to  bless;  this  conciliates  us  good- 
 will and  acceptance  amongst  men;  for  he  that  abaseth 
 himself  is  sure  to  be  honoured.  And  that  this  temper  is 
 so  hard  to  attain  and  preserve,  is  a  striking  proof  of  our 
 depravity.  For  are  we  not  sinners?  Were  we  not  re- 
 bels and  enemies  before  we  knew  the  gospel?  and  have 
 we  not  been  unfaithful,  backsliding,  and  unprofitable 
 ever  since?  Are  we  not  redeemed  by  the  blood  of  Jesus; 
 and  can  we  stand  a  single  moment  except  he  upholds  us? 
 Have  we  any  thing  which  we  liave  not  received?  or  have 
 ■we  received  any  thing  which  we  have  not  abused?  Why 
 then  is  dust  and  ashes  proud? 
 
 I  am  glad  you  have  found  some  spiritual  acquaintance 
 in  your  barren  land.  I  hope  you  will  be  helpful  to  them, 
 and  they  to  you.  You  do  well  to  guard  against  every 
 appearance  of  evil.  If  you  are  heartily  for  Jesus,  Satan 
 owes  you  a  grudge.  One  way  or  other  he  will  try  to  cut 
 you  out  work,  and  the  Lord  may  suffer  him  to  go  to  the 
 length  of  his  chain.  But  though  you  are  to  keep  your 
 eye  upon  him,  and  expect  to  hear  from  him  at  every 
 step,  you  need  not  be  slavishly  afraid  of  him;  for  Jesus 
 is  stronger  and  wiser  than  he,  and  there  is  a  complete 
 suit  of  armour  provided  for  all  who  are  engaged  on  the 
 Lord's  side. 
 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  III. 
 
 Dear  Sir,  October  20,  ]  767.. 
 
 A  CONCERN  for  the  perplexity  you  have  met  with,  from 
 objections  which  have  been  made  against  some  expres- 
 sions in  my  printed  sermons,  and  in  general  against  ex- 
 
314 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 horting  sinners  to  believe  in  Jesus,  engages  me  to  write 
 immediately;  otherwise  I  should  have  waited  a  little 
 longer;  fur  we  are  now  upon  the  point  of  removing  to 
 the  vicarage,  and  I  believe  this  will  be  the  last  letter  I 
 shall  write  from  the  old  house.  I  shall  chiefly  confine 
 myself  at  present  to  the  subject  you  propose. 
 
 In  the  first  place,  I  beg  you  to  be  upon  your  guard 
 against  a  reasoning  spirit.  Search  the  scriptures;  and 
 where  you  can  find  a  plain  rule  or  warrant  for  any  prac- 
 tice, go  boldly  on ;  and  be  not  discouraged  because  you 
 may  not  be  clearly  able  to  answer  or  reconcile  every  dif- 
 ficulty that  may  either  occur  to  your  own  mind,  or  be 
 put  in  your  way  by  others.  Our  hearts  are  very  dark 
 and  narrow,  and  the  very  root  of  all  apostacy  is  a  proud 
 disposition  to  question  the  necessity  or  proprietj^  of  di- 
 vine appointments.  But  the  child-like  simplicity  of  faith 
 is  to  follow  God  without  reasoning;  taking  it  for  granted 
 a  thing  must  be  right  if  he  directs  it,  and  charging  all 
 seeming  inconsistencies  to  the  account  of  our  own  igno- 
 rance. 
 
 I  suppose  the  people  that  trouble  you  upon  this  head 
 are  of  two  sorts:  1st,  Those  who  preach  upon  Arminian 
 principles,  and  suppose  a  free  will  in  man,  in  a  greater 
 or  less  degree,  to  turn  to  God  when  the  gospel  is  pro- 
 posed. These,  if  you  speak  to  sinners  at  large,  though 
 they  will  approve  of  your  doing  so,  will  take  occasion 
 perhaps  to  charge  you  with  acting  in  contradiction  to 
 
 your  own  principles.    So  it  seems  Mr  has  said. 
 
 I  love  and  honour  that  man  greatly,  and  1  beg  you  will 
 tell  him  so  from  me;  and  tell  him  farther,  that  the  rea- 
 son why  he  is  not  a  Calvinist,  is  because  he  misappre- 
 hends our  principle?.  If  I  had  a  proper  call,  I  would 
 imdertake  to  prove  the  direct  contrary ;  namely,  that  to 
 exhort  and  deal  plainly  with  sinners,  to  stir  them  up  to 
 flee  from  the  wrath  to  come,  and  to  lay  hold  of  eternal 
 life,  is  an  attempt  not  reconcilable  to  sober  reason  upon 
 any  other  grounds  than  those  doctrines  which  we  are 
 called  Calvinists  for  holding;  and  that  all  the  absurdi- 
 ties which  are  charged  upon  us,  as  consequences  of  what 
 we  teach,  are  indeed  truly  chargeable  upon  those  who 
 
LETTERS  TO  MR  
 
 315 
 
 differ  from  us  in  these  points.  I  think  this  unanswer- 
 ably proved  by  Mr  Edwards,  in  his  discourse  on  the 
 freedom  of  the  will;  though  the  chain  of  reasoning  is  so 
 close,  that  few  will  give  attention  and  pains  to  pursue  it. 
 As  to  myself,  if  I  was  not  a  Calvinist,  I  think  I  should 
 have  no  more  hope  of  success  in  preaching  to  men  than 
 to  horses  or  cows. 
 
 But  these  objections  are  more  frequently  urged  by 
 Calvinists  themselves;  many  of  them,  I  doubt  not,  good 
 men,  but  betrayed  into  a  curiosity  of  spirit,  which  often 
 makes  their  ministry  (if  ministers)  dry  and  inefficacious, 
 and  their  conversation  sour  and  unsavoury.  Such  a 
 spirit  is  too  prevalent  in  many  professors,  that  if  a  man 
 discovers  a  warm  zeal  for  the  glory  of  God,  and  is  en- 
 abled to  bear  a  faithful  testimony  to  the  gospel  truths ; 
 yea,  though  the  Lord  evidently  blesses  him,  they  over- 
 look all,  and  v/ill  undervalue  a  sermon,  which,  upon  the 
 whole,  they  cannot  but  acknowledge  to  be  scriptural,  if 
 they  meet  with  a  single  sentence  contrary  to  the  opinion 
 they  have  taken  up.  I  am  sorry  to  see  such  a  spirit  pre- 
 vailing. But  this  I  observe,  that  the  ministers  who  give 
 into  this  way,  though  good  men  and  good  preachers  in 
 other  respects,  are  seldom  very  useful  or  very  zealous; 
 ajid  those  who  are  in  private  life,  are  more  ready  for 
 dry  points  of  disputation,  at  least  harping  upon  a  string 
 of  doctrines,  than  for  experimental  and  heart-searching 
 converse,  whereby  one  may  warm  and  edify  another. 
 Blessed  be  God,  who  has  kept  me  and  my  people  from 
 this  turn:  if  it  should  ever  creep  in  or  spread  among 
 us,  I  should  be  ready  to  write  Ichabod  upon  our  assem- 
 blies. 
 
 I  advise  you,  therefore,  to  keep  close  to  the  Bible  and 
 prayer:  bring  your  difficulties  to  the  Lord,  and  entreat 
 him  to  give  you,  and  maintain  in  you,  a  simple  spirit. 
 Search  the  scripture.  How  did  Peter  deal  with  Simon 
 Magus?  We  have  no  right  to  think  worse  of  any  who 
 can  hear  us,  than  the  apostle  did  of  him.  He  seemed 
 almost  to  think  his  case  desperate,  and  yet  he  advised 
 him  to  repentance  and  prayer.  Examine  the  same 
 apostle's  discourse,  Acts  iii.,  and  the  close  of  St  Paul's 
 
316 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 sermon,  Acts  xiii.  The  power  is  all  of  God;  the  means 
 are  likewise  of  his  appointment ;  and  he  always  is  pleased 
 to  work  by  such  means  as  may  show  that  the  power  is 
 hi*.  What  was  IMoses's  rod  in  itself,  or  the  trumpets  that 
 threw  down  Jericho?  What  influence  could  the  pool  of 
 Siloam  have,  that  the  eyes  of  the  blind  man,  by  wash- 
 ing in  it,  should  be  opened?  or  what  could  Ezekiel's 
 feeble  breath  contribute  to  the  making  dry  bones  live? 
 All  these  means  were  exceedingly  disproportionate  to  the 
 effect;  but  he  who  ordered  them  to  be  used  accompa- 
 nied them  with  his  power.  Yet  if  Moses  had  gone  with- 
 out his  rod,  if  Joshua  had  slighted  the  rams'  horns,  if  the 
 prophet  had  thought  it  foolishness  to  speak  to  dry  bones, 
 or  the  blind  man  refused  to  wash  his  eyes,  nothing  could 
 have  been  done.  The  same  holds  good  in  the  present 
 subject:  I  do  not  reason,  expostulate,  and  persuade  sin- 
 ners, because  I  think  I  can  prevail  with  them,  but  be- 
 cause the  Lord  has  commanded  it.  He  directs  me  to 
 address  them  as  reasonable  creatures;  to  take  them  by 
 every  handle;  to  speak  to  their  consciences;  to  tell  them 
 of  the  terrors  of  the  Lord,  and  of  his  tender  mercies;  to 
 argue  with  them  what  good  they  find  in  sin;  whether 
 they  do  not  need  a  Saviour;  to  put  them  in  mind  of 
 death,  judgment,  and  eternity,  &c.  When  I  have  done 
 all,  I  know  it  is  to  little  purpose,  except  the  Lord  speaks 
 to  their  hearts;  and  this  to  his  own,  and  at  his  own  time, 
 I  am  sure  he  will,  because  he  has  promised  it — See  Isaiah 
 Iv.  10,  11;  Matth.  xxviii.  20.  Indeed  I  have  heard  ex- 
 pressions in  the  warmth  of  delivery,  which  I  could  not 
 wholly  approve,  and  therefore  do  not  imitate.  But,  in 
 general,  I  see  no  preaching  made  very  useful  for  the 
 gathering  of  souls,  where  poor  sinners  are  shut  out  of 
 the  discourse.  I  think  one  of  the  closest  and  most 
 moving  addresses  to  sinners  I  ever  met  with,  is  in  Dr 
 Owen's  Exposition  of  the  130th  Psalm  (in  my  edition, 
 from  p.  243  to  276).  If  you  get  it  and  examine  it,  I 
 think  you  will  find  it  all  agreeable  to  scripture;  and  he 
 was  a  steady,  deep-sighted  Calvinist.  I  wish  you  to 
 study  it  well,  and  make  it  your  pattern.  He  handles 
 the  same  point  likewise  in  other  places,  and  shows  the 
 
LETTERS  TO  MR 
 
 317 
 
 weakness  of  the  exceptions  taken  somewhere  at  large, 
 but  I  cannot  just  now  find  the  passage.  Many  think 
 themselves  quite  right,  because  they  have  not  had  their 
 thoughts  exercised  at  large,  but  have  confined  them- 
 selves to  one  track.  There  are  extremes  in  every  thing. 
 I  pray  God  to  show  you  the  golden  mean. 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  IV. 
 
 Dear  Sib,  August  30,  1770. 
 
 I  WOULD  steal  a  few  minutes  here  to  write,  lest  I  should 
 not  have  leisure  at  home.  I  have  not  your  letter  with 
 me,  and  therefore  can  only  answer  so  far  as  I  retain  a 
 general  remembrance  of  the  contents. 
 
 You  will  doubtless  find  rather  perplexity  than  advan- 
 tage from  the  multiplicity  of  advice  you  may  receive,  if 
 you  endeavour  to  reconcile  and  adopt  the  very  different 
 sentiments  of  your  friends.  I  think  it  will  be  best  to 
 make  use  of  them  in  a  full  latitude,  that  is,  to  correct  and 
 qualify  them  one  by  another,  and  to  borrow  a  little  from 
 each,  without  confining  yourself  entirely  to  any.  You 
 will  probably  be  advised  to  different  extremes,  it  will  then 
 be  impossible  to  follow  both;  but  it  may  be  practicable 
 to  find  a  middle  path  between  them ;  and  I  believe  this 
 will  generally  prove  the  best  and  safest  method.  Only 
 consult  your  own  temper,  and  endeavour  to  incline  rather 
 to  that  side  to  which  you  are  the  least  disposed,  by  tlie 
 ordinary  strain  of  your  own  inclination,  for  on  that  side 
 you  will  be  in  the  least  danger  of  erring.  Warm  and 
 hasty  dispositions  will  seldom  move  too  slow,  and  those 
 who  are  naturally  languid  and  cool  are  as  little  liable  to 
 overact  their  part. 
 
 With  respect  to  the  particulars  you  instance,  I  have 
 generally  tliought  you  warm  and  enterprising  enough, 
 and  therefore  thought  it  best  to  restrain  you :  but  I  meant 
 
318 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 only  to  hold  you  in,  till  you  had  acquired  some  farther 
 knowledge  and  observation  both  of  yourself  and  of 
 others.  I  have  the  pleasure  to  hope  (especially  of  late) 
 that  you  are  become  more  self-diffident  and  wary  than 
 you  v/as  some  time  ago.  And  therefore,  as  your  years 
 and  time  are  advancing,  and  you  have  been  for  a  toler- 
 able space  under  a  probation  of  silence,  I  can  make  no 
 objection  to  your  attempting  sometimes  to  speak  in  se- 
 lect societies ;  but  let  your  attempts  be  confined  to  such— 
 I  mean  where  you  are  acquainted  with  the  people,  or  the 
 leading  part  of  them — and  be  upon  your  guard  against 
 opening  yourself  too  much  among  strangers ;  and  again, 
 I  earnestly  desire  you  would  not  attempt  any  thing  of 
 this  sort  in  a  very  public  way,  which  may  perhaps  bring 
 you  under  inconveniences,  and  will  be  inconsistent  with 
 the  part  you  ought  to  act  (in  my  judgment)  from  the 
 time  you  receive  episcopal  ordination.  You  may  re- 
 member .a  simile  I  have  sometimes  used  of  green  fruit : 
 children  are  impatient  to  have  it  while  it  is  green,  but 
 persons  of  more  judgment  will  wait  till  it  is  ripe.  There- 
 fore I  would  wish  your  exhortations  to  be  brief,  private, 
 and  not  very  frequent.  Rather  give  yourself  to  reading, 
 meditation,  and  prayer. 
 
 As  to  speaking  without  notes,  in  order  to  do  it  suc- 
 cessfully, a  fund  of  knowledge  should  be  first  possessed. 
 Indeed,  in  such  societies  as  I  hope  you  will  confine  your 
 attempts  to,  it  would  not  be  practicable  to  use  notes ; 
 but  I  mean,  that  if  you  design  to  come  out  as  a  preach- 
 er without  notes  from  the  first,  you  must  use  double 
 diligence  in  study:  your  reading  must  not  be  confined  to 
 the  scriptures;  you  should  be  acquainted  with  church 
 history,  have  a  general  view  of  divinity  as  a  system, 
 know  something  of  the  state  of  controversies  in  past  times 
 and  at  present,  and  indeed  of  the  general  history  of  man- 
 kind. I  do  not  mean  that  you  should  enter  deeply  into 
 these  things;  but  you  will  need  to  have  your  mind  en- 
 larged, your  ideas  increased,  your  style  and  manner 
 formed ;  you  should  read,  think,  write,  compose,  and  use 
 all  diligence  to  exercise  and  strengthen  your  faculties.  If 
 you  would  speak  extempore  as  a  clergyman,  you  must 
 
LETTERS  TO  MR  
 
 319 
 
 be  able  to  come  off  roundly,  and  to  fill  up  j'our  hour 
 with  various  matter,  in  tolerable  coherence,  or  else  j-ou 
 will  not  be  able  to  overcome  the  prejudice  which  usually 
 prevails  amongst  the  people.  Perhaps  it  may  be  as  well 
 to  use  some  little  scheme  in  the  note  waj^  especially  at 
 the  beginning ;  but  a  little  trial  will  best  inform  you  what 
 is  most  expedient. 
 
 Let  your  backwardness  to  prayer  and  reading  the 
 scripture  be  ever  so  great,  you  must  strive  against  it. 
 This  backwardness,  with  the  doubts  you  speak  of,  are 
 partly  from  your  own  evil  heart,  but  perhaps  chiefly 
 temptations  of  Satan :  he  knows,  if  he  can  keep  you  from 
 drawing  water  out  of  the  wells  of  salvation,  he  will  have 
 much  advantage.  My  soul  goes  often  mourning  under 
 the  same  complaints,  but  at  times  the  Lord  gives  me  a 
 little  victory,  I  hope  he  will  overrule  aU  our  trials,  to 
 make  us  more  humble,  dependent,  and  to  give  us  tender- 
 ness of  spirit  towards  the  distressed.  The  exercised  and 
 experienced  Christian,  by  the  knowledge  he  has  gained 
 of  his  own  heart,  and  the  many  difficulties  he  has  had  to 
 struggle  with,  acquires  a  skill  and  compassion  in  dealing 
 with  others ;  and  without  such  exercise,  all  our  study, 
 diligence,  and  gifts  in  other  ways,  would  leave  us  much 
 at  a  loss  in  some  of  the  most  important  parts  of  our  call- 
 ing. 
 
 You  have  given  yourself  to  the  Lord  for  the  minis- 
 try; his  providence  has  thus  far  favoured  your  views; 
 therefore  harbour  not  a  thought  of  flinching  from  the 
 battle  because  the  enemy  appears  in  view,  but  resolve 
 to  endure  hardship  as  a  good  soldier  of  Jesus  Christ. 
 Lift  up  your  banner  in  his  name ;  trust  in  him,  and  he 
 will  support  you ;  but  above  all  things,  be  sure  not  to  be 
 either  enticed  or  terrified  from  the  privilege  of  a  throne 
 of  grace. 
 
 Who  your  enemies  are,  or  what  they  say,  I  know  not ; 
 for  I  never  conversed  with  them.  Your  friends  here 
 have  thought  you  at  times  harsh  and  hasty  in  your 
 manner,  and  rather  inclining  to  self-confidence.  These 
 things  I  have  often  reminded  you  of;  but  I  considered 
 them  as  blemishes  usually  attendant  upon  youth,  and 
 
320 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 which  experience,  temptation,  and  prayer  would  cor- 
 rect. I  hope  and  believe  you  will  do  well.  You  will 
 have  a  shai-e  in  my  prayers  and  best  advice ;  and  when 
 I  see  occasion  to  offer  a  word  of  reproof,  I  shall  not  use 
 any  reserve. 
 
 Yours,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  V. 
 
 Dear  Sir,  July  25,  1772. 
 
 I  AM  glad  to  hear  you  are  accommodated  at  D  , 
 
 where  I  hope  your  best  endeavours  will  not  be  wanting 
 to  make  yourself  agreeable,  by  an  humble,  inoffensive,  and 
 circumspect  behaviour. 
 
 I  greatly  approve  of  your  speaking  from  one  of  the 
 lessons  in  the  afternoon ;  you  will  find  it  a  great  help  to 
 bring  you  graduallj'  to  that  habit  and  readiness  of  ex- 
 pression which  you  desire;  and  you  will  perhaps  find  it 
 make  more  impression  upon  your  hearers  than  what  you 
 read  to  them  from  the  pulpit.  However,  I  would  not  dis- 
 courage or  dissuade  you  from  reading  your  sermons  for 
 a  time.  The  chief  inconvenience  respecting  yourself  is 
 that  which  you  mention.  A  written  sermon  is  some- 
 thing to  lean  upon;  but  it  is  best  for  a  preacher  to  lean 
 wholl}'  upon  the  Lord.  But  set  off  gradually;  the  Lord 
 will  not  despise  the  daj'  of  small  things:  praj'  heartily 
 that  your  spirit  may  be  right  with  him,  and  then  all  the 
 rest  will  be  well.  And  keep  on  writing:  if  you  compose 
 one  sermon,  and  should  find  your  heart  enlarged  to  preach 
 another,  still  your  labour  of  writing  will  not  be  lost.  If 
 your  conscience  bears  you  witness  that  you  desire  to  serve 
 the  Lord,  his  promise  (now  he  has  brought  you  into  the 
 ministry)  of  a  sufficiency  and  ability  for  the  work,  be- 
 longs to  you  as  much  as  to  another.  Your  borrowing 
 help  from  others  may  arise  from  a  diffidence  of  yourself, 
 which  is  not  blameable;  but  it  may  arise  in  part  likewise 
 
LETTERS  TO  MR 
 
 321 
 
 from  a  diffidence  of  the  Lord,  which  is  hurtful.  I  wish 
 you  may  get  encouragement  from  that  word,  Exodus 
 iv.  11,  12;  it  was  great  encouragement  to  me.  While 
 I  would  press  you  to  diligence  in  every  rational  means 
 for  the  improvement  of  your  stocic  in  knowledge,  and 
 j'our  ability  of  utterance,  I  would  have  you  remember, 
 that  preaching  is  a  gift.  It  cannot  be  learned  by  indus- 
 try and  imitation  only,  as  a  man  may  learn  to  make  a 
 chair  or  a  table :  it  comes  from  above ;  and  if  you  pa- 
 tiently wait  upon  God,  he  will  bestow  this  gift  upon  you, 
 and  increase  it  in  you.  It  will  grow  by  exercise.  To 
 him  that  hath  shall  be  given,  and  he  shall  have  more 
 abundantly.  And  be  chiefly  solicitous  to  obtain  an  unc- 
 tion upon  what  you  do  say.  Perhaps  those  sermons  in 
 wliich  you  feel  yourself  most  deficient  maj'  be  made 
 most  useful  to  others.  I  hope  you  will  endeavour  like- 
 wise to  be  plain  and  familiar  in  your  language  and  man- 
 ner (though  not  low  or  vulgar),  so  as  to  suit  yourself  as 
 much  as  possible  to  the  apprehensions  of  the  most  ignor- 
 ant people.  There  are  in  all  congregations  some  per- 
 sons exceedingly  ignorant ;  yet  they  have  precious  souls, 
 and  the  Lord  often  calls  such.  I  pray  the  Lord  to  make 
 you  wise  to  win  souls.  I  hope  he  will.  You  cannot  be 
 too  jealous  of  your  own  heart;  but  let  not  such  instances 
 
 as  Mr  discourage  you.    Cry  to  him  who  is  able  to 
 
 hold  you  up,  that  you  may  be  safe,  and  you  shall  not  cry 
 in  vain.  It  is  indeed  an  alarming  thouglit,  that  a  man 
 may  praj^  and  preach,  be  useful  and  acceptaljle  for  a  time, 
 and  yet  be  nothing.  But  still  the  foundation  of  God 
 standeth  sure.  I  have  a  good  hope,  that  I  shall  never 
 have  cause  to  repent  the  part  I  have  taken  in  your  con- 
 cerns. While  you  keep  in  the  path  of  duty,  you  will 
 find  it  the  path  of  safety.  Be  punctual  in  waiting  upon 
 God  in  secret.  This  is  the  life  of  every  thing,  the  only 
 way,  and  the  sure  way,  of  maintaining  and  renewing 
 your  strength. 
 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
EIGHT  LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR 
 
 LETTER  I. 
 
 Dear  Sir,  June  29,  1757. 
 
 I  ENDEAVOUR  to  be  inindful  of  you  in  my  prayers,  that 
 you  may  find  both  satisfaction  and  success,  and  that  the 
 Lord  himself  may  be  your  light,  to  discover  to  you  every 
 part  of  your  duty.  I  would  earnestly  press  you  and  my- 
 self to  be  followers  of  those  who  have  been  followers  of 
 Christ;  to  aim  at  a  life  of  self-denial;  to  renounce  self- 
 will,  and  to  guard  against  self-wisdom.  The  less  we 
 have  to  do  with  the  world  the  better;  and,  even  in  con- 
 versing with  our  brethren,  we  have  been,  and  unless  we 
 watch  and  pray  shall  often  be,  ensnared.  Time  is  pre- 
 cious, and  opportunities  once  gone  are  gone  for  ever. 
 Even  by  reading,  and  what  we  call  studying,  we  may  be 
 comparatively  losers.  The  shorter  way  is  to  be  closely 
 waiting  upon  God  in  humble,  secret,  fervent  prayer. 
 The  treasures  of  wisdom  and  knowledge  are  in  his 
 hands;  and  he  gives  bountifully,  without  upbraiding. 
 On  the  other  hand,  whatever  we  may  undertake  with  a 
 sincere  desire  to  promote  his  glory,  we  may  comfortably 
 pursue:  nothing  is  trivial  that  is  done  for  him.  In  this 
 view,  I  would  have  j'ou,  at  proper  intervals,  pursue  your 
 studies,  especially  at  those  times  when  yoH  are  unfit  for 
 better  work.  Pray  for  me  that  I  may  be  enabled  to 
 break  through  the  snares  of  vanity  that  lie  in  my  waj- ; 
 that  I  may  be  crucified  with  Christ,  and  live  a  hidden 
 life  by  faith  in  him  who  loved  me  and  gave  himself  for 
 me. 
 
 Adieu. 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR  
 
 323 
 
 LETTER  II. 
 
 Dear  Sir,  August  31,  1757- 
 
 I  WISH  you  much  of  that  spirit  which  was  in  the  apostle, 
 which  made  him  content  to  become  all  tilings  to  all  men, 
 that  he  might  gain  some.    I  am  persuaded  that  love  and 
 humility  are  the  highest  attainments  in  the  school  of 
 Christ,  and  the  brightest  evidences  that  he  is  indeed  our 
 master.    If  any  should  seem  inclined  to  treat  you  with 
 less  regard,  because  you  are,  or  have  been,  a  Methodist 
 teacher,  you  will  find  forbearance,  meekness,  and  long- 
 suffering,  the  most  prevailing  means  to  conquer  their 
 prejudices.    Our  Lord  has  not  only  taught  us  to  expect 
 persecution  from  the  world,  though  this  alone  is  a  trial 
 too  hard  for  flesh  and  blood;  but  we  must  look  for  what 
 is  much  more  grievous  to  a  renewed  mind,  to  be  in  some 
 respects  slighted,  censured,  and  misunderstood,  even  by 
 our  Christian  bretliren,  and  that  perhaps  in  cases  where 
 we  are  really  striving  to  promote  the  glory  of  God,  and 
 the  good  of  souls,  and  cannot,  without  the  reproach  of 
 our  consciences,  alter  our  conduct,  hovvever  glad  we 
 should  be  to  have  their  approbation.    Therefore  we  are 
 required,  not  only  to  resist  the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the 
 devil,  but  likewise  to  bear  one  another's  burdens :  which 
 plainly  intimates  there  will  be  something  to  be  borne 
 with  on  all  hands;  and  happy  indeed  is  he  that  is  not 
 off'ended.    You  may  observe  what  unjust  reports  and 
 surmises  were  received,  even  at  Jerusalem,  concerning 
 the  apostle  Paul ;  and  it  seems  he  was  condemned  un- 
 heard, and  that  by  many  thousands  too,  Acts  xxi.  20, 
 21 ;  but  we  do  not  find  he  was  at  all  ruffled,  or  that  he 
 sought  to  retort  any  thing  upon  them,  though  doubtless, 
 had  he  been  so  disposed,  he  might  have  found  something 
 to  have  charged  them  with  in  his  turn;  but  he  calmly 
 and  willingly  complied  with  every  thing  in  his  power  to 
 soften  and  convince  them.    Let  us  be  followers  of  this 
 pattern,  so  far  as  he  was  a  follower  of  Christ;  for  even 
 
324 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 Christ  pleased  not  himself.  How  did  he  bear  with  the 
 mistakes,  weakness,  intemperate  zeal,  and  imprudent  pro- 
 posals of  his  disciples  while  on  earth;  and  how  does  he 
 bear  with  the  same  things  from  you  and  me,  and  every 
 one  of  his  followers  now?  and  do  we,  can  we,  think  much 
 to  bear  with  each  other  for  his  sake?  Have  we  all  a 
 full  remission  of  ten  thousand  talents,  which  we  owed 
 him,  and  were  utterly  unable  to  pay,  and  do  we  wrangle 
 amongst  ourselves  for  a  few  pence?    God  forbid! 
 
 If  you  should  be  numbered  among  the  regular  Inde- 
 pendents, I  advise  you  not  to  offend  any  of  them  by  un- 
 necessary singularities.  I  wish  you  not  to  part  with  any 
 truth,  or  with  any  thing  really  expedient;  but  if  the 
 omitting  any  thing  of  an  indifferent  nature  will  obviate 
 prejudices,  and  increase  a  mutual  confidence,  why  should 
 not  so  easy  a  sacrifice  be  made?  Above  all,  my  dear 
 friend,  let  us  keep  close  to  the  Lord  in  a  way  of  prayer: 
 he  giveth  wisdom  that  is  profitable  to  direct ;  he  is  the 
 Wonderful  Counsellor;  there  is  no  teacher  like  him. 
 Why  do  the  living  seek  to  the  dead?  why  do  we  weary 
 our  friends  and  ourselves,  in  running  up  and  down,  and 
 turning  over  books  for  advice?  If  we  shut  our  ej'es  upon 
 the  world  and  worldly  things,  and  raise  our  thoughts 
 upwards  in  humility  and  silence,  should  we  not  often 
 hear  the  secret  voice  of  the  spirit  of  God  whispering  to 
 our  hearts,  and  pointing  out  to  us  the  way  of  truth  and 
 peace?  Have  we  not  often  gone  astraj',  and  hurt  either 
 ourselves  or  our  brethren,  for  want  of  attending  to  this 
 divine  instruction?  Have  we  not  sometimes  mocked 
 God,  by  pretending  to  ask  direction  from  him,  when  we 
 had  fixed  our  determination  beforeiiand  ?  It  is  a  great 
 blessing  to  know  that  we  are  sincere ;  and  next  to  this, 
 to  be  convinced  of  our  insincerity,  and  to  pray  against 
 it. 
 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  UEV.  MR   . 
 
 326 
 
 LETTER  III. 
 
 Dear  Sir,  Noveniber  21,  1757. 
 
 Can  you  forgive  so  negligent  a  correspondent?  I  am 
 indeed  ashamed;  but  (if  that  is  any  good  excuse)  I  use 
 j'ou  no  worse  than  my  other  friends  Whenever  I 
 write,  I  am  obliged  to  begin  with  an  apology;  for,  what 
 with  business  and  the  incidental  duties  of  every  day,  my 
 tin)e  is  alwaj's  mortgaged  before  it  comes  into  my  hands, 
 especially  as  I  have  so  little  skill  in  redeeming  and  im- 
 proving it.  I  long  to  hear  from  you,  and  I  long  to 
 see  you ;  and  indeed,  from  the  terms  of  yours,  I  expect- 
 ed you  here  before  this;  which  has  been  partly  a  cause 
 of  niy  delay.  I  have  mislaid  your  letter,  and  cannot  re- 
 member the  particulars;  in  general,  I  remember  you 
 were  well,  and  going  on  comfortably  in  your  work, 
 which  was  matter  of  joy  to  me;  and  my  poor  prayers 
 are  for  you,  that  the  Lord  may  own  and  prosper  you 
 more  and  more.  The  two  great  points  we  are  called  to 
 pursue  in  this  sinful  divided  world,  are  peace  and  holi- 
 ness: I  hope  you  are  much  in  the  study  of  them.  These 
 are  the  peculiar  characteristics  of  a  disciple  of  Jesus; 
 they  are  the  richest  part  of  tlie  enjoyments  of  heaven; 
 and  so  far  as  they  are  received  into  the  heart,  they  bring 
 do^vn  heaven  upon  earth;  and  they  are  more  inseparably 
 connected  between  themselves  than  some  of  us  are  aware 
 of.  The  longer  I  live,  the  more  I  see  of  the  vanity  and 
 the  sinfulness  of  our  unchristian  disputes:  they  eat  up 
 t!ie  very  vitals  of  religion.  I  grieve  to  think  how  often 
 I  iiave  lost  my  time  and  my  temper  that  way,  in  pre- 
 .suming  to  regulate  the  vineyards  of  others,  when  1  have 
 neglected  my  own;  when  the  beam  in  my  own  eye  has 
 so  contracted  my  sight,  that  I  could  discern  nothing  but 
 the  mote  in  my  neighbour's.  I  am  now  desirous  to 
 choose  a  better  part.  Could  I  speak  the  publican's  words 
 with  a  proper  feeling;  I  wish  not  for  the  tongue  of  men 
 or  angels  to  fight  about  notions  and  sentiments.   I  allow 
 
 L 
 
326 
 
 CAKDIPHONIA. 
 
 that  every  branch  of  gospel  truth  is  precious,  that  errors 
 are  abounding,  and  that  it  is  our  duty  to  bear  an  honest 
 testimony  to  what  the  Lord  has  enabled  us  to  find  com- 
 fort in,  and  to  instruct  with  meekness  such  as  are  willing 
 to  be  instructed ;  but  I  cannot  see  it  my  duty,  nay,  I  be- 
 lieve it  would  be  my  sin,  to  attempt  to  beat  my  notions 
 into  other  people's  heads.  Too  often  I  have  attempted  it  in 
 time  past ;  but  now  I  judge,  that  both  my  zeal  and  my 
 weapons  were  carnal.  When  our  dear  Lord  questioned 
 Peter,  after  his  fall  and  recovery,  he  said  not,  Art  thou 
 Avise,  learned,  and  eloquent?  nay,  he  said  not.  Art  thou 
 clear  and  sound,  and  orthodox?  But  this  only,  "Lovest 
 thou  me?"  An  answer  to  this  was  sufficient  then,  why 
 not  now?  Any  other  answer,  we  may  believe,  would  have 
 been  insufficient  then.  If  Peter  had  made  the  most 
 pompous  confession  of  his  faith  and  sentiments,  still  the 
 first  question  would  have  recurred,  "  Lovest  thou  me?" 
 This  is  a  scripture  precedent.  Happy  the  preacher, 
 whoever  he  be,  my  heart  and  my  prayers  are  with  him, 
 v/ho  can  honestly  and  steadily  appropriate  Peter's  an- 
 swer. Such  a  man,  I  say,  I  am  ready  to  hear,  though 
 he  should  be  as  much  mistaken  in  some  points  as  Peter 
 afterwards  appears  to  liave  been  in  others.  What  a  pity 
 it  is,  that  Christians  in  succeeding  ages  should  think  the 
 constraining  force  of  the  love  of  Christ  too  weak,  and 
 suppose  the  end  better  answered  by  forms,  subscriptions, 
 and  questions  of  their  own  devising.  I  cannot  acquit 
 even  those  churches  who  judge  themselves  nearest  the 
 primitive  rule  in  this  respect:  alas!  will-worship  and 
 presumption  may  creep  into  the  best  external  forms.  But 
 the  misfortune  both  in  churches  and  private  Christians 
 is,  that  we  are  too  prone  rather  to  compare  ourselves 
 with  others,  than  to  judge  by  the  scriptures;  and  while 
 each  can  see  that  they  give  not  into  the  errors  and  mis- 
 takes of  the  opposite  party,  both  are  ready  to  conclude 
 that  they  are  riglit ;  and  thus  it  happens,  that  an  attach- 
 ment to  a  supposed  gospel  order  will  recommend  a  man 
 sooner  and  farther  to  some  churches,  than  an  eminency 
 of  gospel  practice.  I  hope  you  will  beware  of  such  a 
 spirit,  whenever  you  publicly  assume  the  Independent 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR   .  327 
 
 character:  this,  like  a  worm  at  the  root,  has  nipt  the 
 graces,  and  hindered  the  usefulness  of  many  a  valuable 
 man;  and  those  who  change  sides  and  opinions  are  the 
 most  liable  to  it.  For  the  pride  of  our  heart  insensibly 
 prompts  us  to  cast  about  far  and  near  for  arguments  to 
 justify  our  own  behaviour,  and  makes  us  too  ready  to 
 hold  the  opinions  we  have  taken  up  to  the  very  extreme, 
 that  those  amongst  whom  we  are  newly  come  may  not 
 suspect  our  sincerity.  In  a  word,  let  us  endeavour  to 
 keep  close  to  God,  to  be  much  in  prayer,  to  watch  care- 
 fully over  our  hearts,  and  leave  the  busy,  warm  spirits 
 to  make  the  best  of  their  work.  The  secret  of  the  Lord 
 is  with  them  that  fear  him,  and  that  wait  on  him  con- 
 tinually;  to  these  he  will  show  his  covenant,  not  notion- 
 ally,  but  experimentally.  A  few  minutes  of  the  Spirit's 
 teaching  will  furnish  us  with  more  real  useful  knowledge 
 than  toiling  through  whole  folios  of  commentators  and 
 expositors:  they  are  useful  in  their  places,  and  are  not 
 to  be  undervalued  by  those  who  can  perhaps  in  general 
 do  better  without  them;  but  it  will  be  our  wisdom  to 
 deal  less  with  the  streams,  and  be  more  close  in  applying 
 to  the  fountain-head.  The  scripture  itself,  and  the  Spirit 
 of  God,  are  the  best  and  the  only  sufficient  expositors  of 
 scripture.  Whatever  men  have  valuable  in  their  writings, 
 thej  got  it  from  hence ;  and  the  way  is  as  open  to  us  as 
 to  any  of  them.  There  is  nothing  required  but  a  teach- 
 able, humble  spirit;  and  learning,  as  it  is  commonly 
 called,  is  not  necessary  in  order  to  this.  I  commend  you 
 to  the  grace  of  God,  and  remain, 
 Yours,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  IV. 
 
 Dear  Sir,  Januari/ 10,  n 60. 
 
 I  HAVE  procured  Cennick's  sermons: — they  are  in  my 
 judgment  sound  and  sweet.  O  that  you  and  I  had  a 
 double  portion  of  that  spirit  and  unction  which  is  in  them! 
 
328 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 Come,  let  us  not  despair;  the  fountain  is  as  full  and  as 
 free  as  ever; — precious  fountain,  ever  flowing  with  blood 
 and  water,  milk  and  wine.  This  is  the  stream  that  heals 
 the  wounded,  refreshes  the  wearj-,  satisfies  the  hungry, 
 strengthens  the  weak,  and  confirms  the  strong;  it  opens 
 the  ej'es  of  the  blind,  softens  the  heart  of  stone,  teaches 
 the  dumb  to  sing,  and  enables  the  lame  and  paralytic  to 
 walk,  to  leap,  to  run,  to  fly,  to  mount  up  with  eagles' 
 wings;  a  taste  of  this  stream  raises  ear;h  to  heaven,  and 
 brings  down  heaven  upon  earth.  Nor  is  it  a  fountain 
 only ;  it  is  a  universal  blessing,  and  assumes  a  variety  of 
 shapes  to  suit  itself  to  our  wants.  It  is  a  sun,  a  shield, 
 a  garment,  a  shade,  a  banner,  a  refuge;  it  is  bread,  the 
 true  bread,  the  very  stafi"  of  life;  it  is  life  itself,  immortal, 
 eternal  life! 
 
 The  cross  of  Jesus  Christ  my  Lord, 
 Is  food  and  raed'cine,  shield  and  sword. 
 
 Take  that  for  your  motto;  weai'  it  in  your  heart;  keep 
 it  in  your  eye;  have  it  often  in  your  mouth,  till  you  can 
 find  something  better.  The  cross  of  Christ  is  the  tree  of 
 life  and  the  tree  of  knowledge  combined.  Blessed  be 
 God,  there  is  neither  prohibition  nor  flaming  sword  to 
 keep  us  back,  but  it  stands  like  a  tree  by  the  highway 
 side,  which  aff'ords  its  shade  to  every  passenger  without 
 distinction.  Watch  and  pray.  We  live  in  a  sifting 
 time;  error  gains  ground  every  day.  May  the  name 
 and  love  of  our  Saviour  Jesus  keep  us  and  all  his  people^ 
 Either  write  or  come  very  soon  to, 
 Yours,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  V. 
 
 Dear  Sir,  November  15,  1760. 
 
 If  your  visit  should  be  delayed,  let  me  have  a  letter.  I 
 want  either  good  news  or  good  advice ;  to  hear  that  your 
 soul  prospers,  or  to  receive  something  that  may  quicken 
 mij  own.    The  apostle  says,  "  Ye  know  the  grace  of  our 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR 
 
 329 
 
 Lord  Jesus  Christ:"  alas!  v,e  know  how  to  say  some- 
 thing about  it,  but  how  faint  and  feeble  are  our  real  per- 
 ceptions of  it!  Our  love  to  him  is  the  proof  and  mea- 
 sure of  what  we  know  of  his  love  to  us.  Surely,  then, 
 we  are  mere  children  in  this  kind  of  knowledge,  and 
 every  other  kind  is  vain.  What  should  we  think  of  a 
 man  who  should  neglect  his  business,  family,  and  all  the 
 comforts  of  life,  that  he  might  study  the  Chinese  lan- 
 guage; though  he  knows  beforehand  he  should  never  be 
 able  to  attain  it,  nor  ever  find  occasion  or  opportunity  to 
 use  it?  The  pursuit  of  every  branch  of  knowledge  that 
 is  not  closely  connected  with  the  one  thing  needful,  is  no 
 less  ridiculous. 
 
 You  know  something  of  our  friend  Mrs  B  She 
 
 has  been  more  than  a  month  confined  to  her  bed,  and  I 
 believe  her  next  remove  will  be  to  her  coffin.  The  Lord 
 has  done  great  things  for  her.  Though  she  has  been  a 
 serious  exemplary  person  all  her  life,  when  the  prospect 
 of  death  presented,  she  began  to  cry  out  earnestly, 
 "What  shall  I  do  to  be  saved?"  But  her  solicitude  is 
 at  an  end:  she  has  seen  the  salvation  of  God,  and  now 
 for  the  most  part  rejoices  in  something  more  than  hope. 
 This  you  will  account  good  news,  I  am  sure.  Let  it  be 
 your  encouragement  and  mine.  The  Lord's  arm  is  not 
 shortened,  nor  is  his  presence  removed;  he  is  near  us 
 still,  though  we  perceive  him  not.  May  he  guide  you 
 with  his  eye  in  all  your  public  and  private  concerns,  and 
 may  he  in  particular  bless  our  communications  to  our 
 mutual  advantage. 
 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  VL 
 
 Dear  Sir,  Jul//  29,  1761. 
 
 Are  the  quarrels  made  up?  Tell  those  who  know  what 
 communion  with  Jesus  is  worth,  that  the3^  will  never  be 
 
330 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 able  to  maintain  it,  if  they  give  way  to  the  workings  of 
 pride,  jealousy,  and  anger.  This  will  provoke  the  Lord, 
 to  leave  them  dry,  to  command  the  clouds  of  his  grace 
 that  they  rain  no  rain  upon  them.  These  things  are  sure 
 signs  of  a  low  frame,  and  a  sure  way  to  keep  it  so.  Could 
 they  be  prevailed  upon,  from  a  sense  of  the  pardoning 
 love  of  God  to  their  own  souls,  to  forgive  each  other  as 
 the  Lord  forgives  us,  freely,  fully,  without  condition  and 
 without  reserve,  they  would  find  this  like  breaking  down 
 a  stone  wall,  which  has  hitherto  shut  up  their  prayers 
 from  the  Lord's  ears,  and  shut  out  his  blessing  from 
 filling  their  hearts.  Tell  them  I  hope  to  hear  that  all 
 animosities,  little  and  big,  are  buried  by  mutual  consent 
 in  the  Redeemer's  grave.  Alas!  the  people  of  God  have 
 enemies  enough:  why,  then,  will  they  weaken  their  own 
 hands?  "Why  will  they  help  their  enemies  to  pull  down 
 the  Lord's  work?  Why  will  they  grieve  those  who  wish 
 them  well,  cause  the  weak  to  stumble,  the  wicked  to  re- 
 joice, and  bring  a  reproach  upon  their  holy  profession? 
 Indeed  this  is  no  light  matter;  I  wish  it  may  not  lead 
 them  to  something  worse;  I  wish  they  may  be  wise  in 
 time,  lest  Satan  gains  further  advantage  over  them,  and 
 draw  them  to  something  that  shall  make  them  (as  David 
 did)  roar  under  the  pains  of  broken  bones.  But  I  must 
 break  off.  May  God  give  you  wisdom,  faithfulness,  and 
 patience:  take  care  that  you  do  not  catch  an  angry  spirit 
 yourself,  while  you  aim  to  suppress  it  in  others:  this  will 
 spoil  all,  and  you  will  exhort,  advise,  and  weep  in  vain. 
 May  you  rather  be  an  example  and  pattern  to  the  flock ; 
 and  in  this  view,  be  not  surprised  if  you  yourself  meet 
 some  hard  usage;  rather  rejoice  that  you  will  thereby 
 have  an  opportunity  to  exem.plify  your  own  rules,  and  to 
 convince  your  people,  that  what  you  recommend  to  them 
 you  do  not  speak  by  rote,  but  from  the  experience  of 
 your  heart.  One  end  why  our  Lord  was  tempted,  was 
 for  the  encouragement  of  his  poor  followers,  that  they 
 might  know  him  to  be  a  High  Priest  suited  to  them, 
 having  had  a  fellow-feeling  in  their  distresses.  For  the 
 like  reason  he  appoints  his  ministers  to  be  sorely  exer- 
 cised, both  from  without  and  within,  that  they  may  syra- 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR 
 
 331 
 
 pathize  vvith  their  flock,  and  know  in  tlieir  own  hearts 
 tlie  deceitfulness  of  sin,  the  infirmities  of  the  flesh,  and 
 the  way  in  which  the  Lord  supports  and  bears  with  all 
 that  trust  liim.  Therefore  be  not  discouraged;  useful- 
 ness and  trials,  comforts  and  crosses,  strength  and  exer- 
 cise go  together.  But  remember  he  has  said,  "  I  will 
 never  leave  thee,  nor  forsake  thee ;  be  thou  faithful 
 unto  death,  and  I  will  give  thee  a  crown  of  life." 
 When  you  get  to  heaven,  you  will  not  complain  of  the 
 way  by  which  the  Lord  brought  you.  Farewell.  Pray 
 for  us. 
 
 Yours,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  VII. 
 
 Dear  Sir,  December  14,  17G1. 
 
 I  PRAY  the  Lord  to  accompany  you;  but  cannot  help 
 fearing  you  go  on  too  fast.  If  you  have  not  (as  I  am 
 sure  yon  ought  not)  made  an  absolute  promise,  but  only 
 conditional,  you  need  not  be  so  solicitous;  depend  upon 
 it,  when  the  Lord  is  pleased  to  remove  j  ou,  he  will  send 
 one  to  supply  your  place.  I  am  grieved  that  your  mind 
 is  so  set  upon  a  step  which,  I  fear,  will  occasion  many 
 inconveniences  to  a  people  who  have  deserved  your  best 
 regard.  Others  may  speak  you  fairer,  but  none  wishes 
 you  better  than  myself;  therefore  I  hope  you  allow  me 
 to  speak  ray  mind  plainly,  and  believe  that  it  is  no  plea- 
 sure to  me  to  oppose  your  inclinations.  As  to  your  say- 
 ing they  will  take  no  denial,  it  has  no  weight  with  me. 
 Had  they  asked  what  you  were  exceedingly  averse  to, 
 you  would  soon  have  expressed  yourself  so  as  to  con- 
 vince them  it  was  to  no  purpose  to  urge  you;  but  they 
 saw  something  in  your  manner  or  language  that  encou- 
 raged them;  they  saw  the  proposal  was  agreeable  to  you, 
 that  you  were  not  at  all  unwilling  to  exchange  your  old 
 friends  for  new  ones ;  and  this  is  the  reason  they  would 
 
332 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 take  no  denial.  If  you  should  live  to  see  those  who  are 
 most  forward  in  pressing  you  become  the  first  to  discou- 
 rage you,  you  will  think  seriously  of  my  words. 
 
 If  I  thought  my  advice  would  prevail,  it  should  be 
 this:  Call  the  people  together,  and  desire  them  (if  pos- 
 sible) to  forget  you  ever  intended  to  depart  from  them; 
 and  promise  not  to  think  of  a  removal,  till  the  Lord  shall 
 make  j'our  way  so  clear,  that  even  they  shall  have  no- 
 thing reasonable  to  object  against  it.  You  may  keep 
 your  word  with  your  other  friends  too;  for  when  a  pro- 
 per person  shall  offer,  as  likely  to  please  and  satisfy  the 
 people  as  yourself,  I  will  give  my  hearty  consent  to  your 
 removal. 
 
 Consider  what  it  is  you  would  have  in  your  office,  but 
 maintenance,  acceptance,  and  ^success.  Have  you  not 
 those  where  you  are?  Are  you  sure  of  having  them 
 where  you  are  going  ?  Are  you.  sure  the  Spirit  of 
 God  (without  which  you  will  do  nothing)  will  be  with 
 you  there,  as  he  has  been  with  you  hitherto?  Per- 
 haps, if  you  act  in  your  own  spirit,  you  may  find  as 
 great  a  change  as  Samson.  I  am  ready  to  weep  when 
 I  think  Avhat  difficulties  were  surmounted  to  accomplish 
 your  ordination ;  and  now,  when  the  people  thought 
 themselves  fixed,  that  you  should  so  soon  disappoint 
 them. 
 
 Yours,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  VIIL 
 
 Dear  Sif,  February  15,  1762. 
 
 I  HAVE  been  often  thinking  of  you  since  your  removal, 
 and  was  glad  to  receive  your  letter  to-day.  I  hope  you 
 will  still  go  on  to  find  more  and  more  encouragement  to 
 believe  that  the  Lord  has  disposed  and  led  you  to  the 
 step  you  have  taken.  For  though  I  wrote  with  the 
 greatest  plainness  and  earnestness,  and  would,  if  in  my 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  RBV.  MR 
 
 333 
 
 power,  have  prevented  it  while  under  deliberation,  yet, 
 now  it  is  done  and  past  recall,  I  would  rather  help  than 
 dishearten  you.  Indeed,  I  cannot  say  that  my  view  of 
 the  affair  is  yet  altered.  The  best  way  not  to  be  cast 
 down  hereafter,  is  not  to  be  too  sanguine  at  first.  You 
 know  there  is  something  pleasing  in  novelty;  as  yet  you 
 are  new  to  them,  and  they  to  you:  I  pray  God  that  you 
 may  find  as  cordial  a  regard  from  them  as  at  present, 
 when  you  have  been  with  them  as  many  years  as  in  the 
 place  you  came  from.  And  if  you  have  grace  to  be 
 watchful  and  praj'erfut,  all  will  be  well;  for  we  serve  a 
 gracious  Master,  who  knows  how  to  overrule  even  our 
 mistakes  to  his  glory  and  our  own  advantage.  Yet  I 
 observe,  that  when  we  do  wrong,  sooner  or  later  we 
 smart  for  our  indiscretion;  perhaps  many  years  after- 
 wards. After  we  have  seen  and  confessed  our  fault,  and 
 received  repeated  proofs  of  pardoning  love,  as  to  the 
 guilt,  yet  chastisement,  to  remind  us  more  sensibly  of 
 our  having  done  amiss,  will  generally  find  us  out.  So 
 it  was  with  David  in  the  matter  of  Uriah ;  the  Lord  put 
 away  his  sin,  healed  his  broken  bones,  and  restored  unto 
 him  the  liglit  of  his  countenance;  yet  many  troubles,  in 
 consequence  of  this  affair,  followed  one  upon  another, 
 till  at  length  (many  years  afterwards)  he  was  driven 
 from  Jerusalem  by  his  own  son.  So  it  was  with  Jacob: 
 he  dealt  deceitfully  with  his  brother  Esau ;  notwithstand- 
 ing this  the  Lord  appeared  to  him  and  blessed  him,  gave 
 him  comfortable  promises,  and  revealed  himself  to  him 
 from  time  to  time;  yet  after  an  interval  of  twenty  years 
 his  fault  was  brought  afresh  to  his  remembrance,  and 
 his  heart  trembled  within  him  when  he  heard  his 
 brother  was  coming  with  armed  men  to  meet  him. 
 And  thus  I  have  found  it  in  my  own  experience:  things 
 which  I  had  forgotten  a  long  while  have  been  brought 
 to  my  mind  by  providential  dispensations  which  I  little 
 expected,  but  the  first  rise  of  which  I  have  been  able 
 to  trace  far  back,  and  forced  to  confess  that  the  Lord  is 
 indeed  He  that  judgeth  the  heart  and  trieth  the  reins. 
 I  hint  this  for  your  caution :  you  know  best  upon  what 
 grounds  you  have  proceeded;  but  if  (though  I  do  not 
 
334 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 affirm  it,  I  hope  otherwise),  I  say,  if  you  have  acted  too 
 much  in  your  own  spirit,  been  too  hasty  and  precipitate;, 
 if  j'ou  have  not  been  sufficiently  tender  of  your  people, 
 nor  thoughtful  of  the  consequences  which  your  depar- 
 ture M  ill  probably  involve  them  in ;  if  you  were  impa- 
 tient under  the  Lord's  hand,  and  instead  of  waiting  his 
 time  and  way  of  removing  the  trials  and  difficulties  you 
 found,  you  have  ventured  upon  an  attempt  to  free  and 
 mend  yourself — I  say,  if  any  of  these  things  have  mixed 
 with  your  determinations,  something  will  fall  out  to  show 
 you  your  fault:  either  you  will  not  find  the  success  you 
 hope  for,  or  friends  will  grow  cold,  or  enemies  and  diffi- 
 culties you  dream  not  of  will  present  themselves,  or  your 
 own  mind  will  alter  so  as  what  seems  now  most  pleasant 
 will  afford  you  little  pleasure.  Yet  though  I  write  thus, 
 I  do  not  mean  (as  I  said  before)  to  discourage  you,  but  that 
 you  may  be  forewarned,  humble,  and  watchful.  If  you 
 should  at  any  time  have  a  different  view  of  things,  you 
 may  take  comfort  from  the  instances  I  have  mentioned. 
 The  trials  of  David  and  Jacob  were  sharp,  but  they  were 
 short,  and  they  proved  to  their  advantage,  put  them  upon 
 acts  of  humiliation  and  prayer,  and  ended  in  a  double 
 blessing.  Nothing  can  harm  us  that  quickens  our  ear- 
 nestness and  frequency  in  applying  to  a  throne  of  grace: 
 only  trust  the  Lord,  and  keep  close  to  him,  and  all  that 
 befalls  you  shall  be  for  good.  Temptations  end  in  vic- 
 tory ;  troubles  prove  an  increase  of  consolation ;  yea,  our 
 very  falls  and  failings  tend  to  increase  our  spiritual  wis- 
 dom, to  give  us  a  greater  knowledge  of  Satan's  devices, 
 and  make  us  more  habitually  upon  our  guard  against 
 them.  Happy  case  of  the  believer  in  Jesus:  when  bit- 
 ten by  the  iiery  serpent  he  needs  not  go  far  for  a  re- 
 medy ;  he  has  only  to  look  to  a  bleeding  Saviour  and  be 
 healed. 
 
 I  think  one  great  advantage  that  attends  a  removal 
 into  a  new  place  is,  that  it  gives  an  easy  opportunity  of 
 forming  a  new  plan,  and  breaking  off  any  little  habits 
 which  we  have  found  inconvenient,  and  yet  perhaps 
 could  not  so  readily  lay  aside,  where  our  customs  and 
 acquaintance  had  been  long  formed.    1  earnestly  recom- 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR 
 
 335 
 
 mend  to  you  to  reflect,  if  you  cannot  recollect  some 
 things  which  you  have  hitherto  omitted,  which  may  pro- 
 perly be  now  taken  up;  some  things  formerly  allowed 
 which  may  now  with  ease  and  convenience  be  laid  aside. 
 I  only  give  the  hint  in  general;  for  I  have  nothing  in 
 particular  to  charge  you  with.  I  recommend  to  you  to 
 be  very  choice  of  your  time,  especially  the  fore  part  of 
 the  day;  let  your  morning  hours  be  devoted  to  prayer, 
 reading,  and  study:  and  suffer  not  the  importunity  of 
 friends  to  rob  you  of  the  hours  before  noon,  without  a 
 just  necessity;  and  if  you  accustom  yourself  to  rise  early 
 in  the  morning,  you  will  find  a  great  advantage.  Be 
 careful  to  avoid  losing  your  thoughts,  whether  in  books 
 or  otherwise,  upon  any  subjects  which  are  not  of  a  direct 
 subserviency  to  your  great  design,  till  towards  dinner- 
 time: the  afternoon  is  not  so  favourable  to  study;  this 
 is  a  proper  time  for  paying  and  receiving  visits,  convers- 
 ing among  your  friends,  or  unbending  with  a  book  of 
 instructive  entertainment,  such  as  history,  &c.,  which 
 may  increase  your  general  knowledge,  without  a  great 
 confinement  of  your  attention ;  but  let  the  morning  hours 
 be  sacred.  I  think  you  would  likewise  find  advantage 
 in  using  your  pen  more:  write  short  notes  upon  the 
 scriptures  you  read,  or  transcribe  the  labours  of  others; 
 make  extracts  from  your  favourite  authors,  especially 
 those  who,  besides  a  fund  of  spiritual  and  evangelical 
 matter,  have  a  happy  talent  of  expressing  their  thoughts 
 in  a  clear  and  lively,  or  pathetic  manner:  you  would 
 find  a  continued  exercise  in  this  way  would  be  greatly 
 useful  to  form  your  own  style,  and  help  your  delivery 
 and  memory;  you  would  become  insensibly  master  of 
 their  thoughts,  and  find  it  more  easy  to  express  yourself 
 justly  and  clearly:  what  we  only  read  we  easily  lose,  but 
 what  we  commit  to  paper  is  not  so  soon  forgot.  Espe- 
 cially remember  (what  you  well  know,  but  we  cannot 
 too  often  remind  each  other),  that  frequent  secret  prayer 
 is  the  life  of  all  we  do.  If  any  man  lack  wisdom,  let 
 him  ask  of  God,  and  it  shall  be  given;  but  all  our  di- 
 ligence will  fail,  if  we  are  remiss  in  this  particular.  I 
 am  glad  it  is  not  thought  necessary  for  you  to  go  to 
 
336 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 London  on  this  occasion.  I  hope  you  will  not  think  it 
 necessary  upon  any  other  account.  Rather  keep  close 
 to  the  work  you  have  undertaken,  and  endeavour  to 
 avoid  any  thing  that  looks  like  ostentation,  or  a  desire 
 to  be  taken  notice  of.  You  see  I  advise  you  with  the 
 freedom  of  a  friend  who  loves  you  and  longs  to  see 
 your  work  and  your  soul  prosper. 
 
 You  will,  I  doubt  not,  endeavour  to  promote  the  prac- 
 tice of  frequent  prayer  in  the  houses  that  receive  you.  I 
 look  upon  prayer  meetings  as  the  most  profitable  exer- 
 cises (excepting  the  public  preaching)  in  which  Chris- 
 tians can  engage:  they  have  a  direct  tendency  to  kill  a 
 worldly,  trifling  spirit,  to  draw  down  a  divine  blessing 
 upon  all  our  concerns,  compose  differences,  and  enkindle 
 (at  least  to  maintain)  the  flame  of  divine  love  amongst 
 brethren.  But  I  need  not  tell  you  the  advantages;  you 
 know  them:  I  only  would  exhort  you;  and  the  rather, 
 as  1  find  in  my  own  case  the  principal  cause  of  my  lean- 
 ness and  unfruitfulness  is  owing  to  an  unaccountable 
 backwardness  to  pray.  I  can  write,  or  read,  or  con- 
 verse, or  hear,  with  a  ready  will;  but  prayer  is  more 
 spiritual  and  inward  than  any  of  these;  and  the  more 
 spiritual  any  duty  is,  the  more  my  carnal  heart  is  apt  to 
 start  from  it.  May  the  Lord  pour  forth  his  precious 
 bpirit  of  prayer  and  supplication  in  both  our  hearts. 
 
 I  am  not  well  pleased  with  the  account  you  give  of  so 
 many  dry  bones.  It  increases  my  wonder  that  you  could 
 io  readily  exchange  so  much  plump  flesh  and  blood  as 
 you  had  about  you  for  a  parcel  of  skeletons.  I  wish 
 /hey  may  not  haunt  you  and  disturb  your  peace.  I  wish 
 these  same  dry  bones  do  not  prove  thorns  in  your  sides 
 and  in  your  eyes.  You  say,  now  you  have  to  pray,  and 
 prophecy,  and  wait  for  the  four  winds  to  come  and  put 
 life  into  these  bones.  God  grant  that  your  prayers  may 
 be  answered;  but  if  I  knew  a  man  who  possessed  a  field 
 in  a  tolerable  soil,  which  had  afltbrded  him  some  increase 
 every  year;  and  if  this  man,  after  having  bestowed  seven 
 years'  labour  in  cultivating,  weeding,  manuring,  fencing, 
 &c.,  just  when  he  has  brought  his  ground  (in  his  neigh- 
 bour's judgment)  into  good  order,  and  might  reasonably 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR 
 
 337 
 
 hope  for  larger  crops  than  he  had  ever  yet  seen,  should 
 suddenly  forego  all  hi;;  advantages,  leave  his  good  seed 
 for  the  Ijirds  to  eat,  pull  up  the  young  fences  wliich  cost 
 him  so  much  pains  to  plant,  and  all  this  for  the  sake  of 
 making  a  new  experiment  upon  the  top  of  a  mountain; 
 though  I  might  heartily  wish  lijm  great  success,  I  could 
 not  honestly  give  him  great  encouragement.  You  have 
 parted  with  that  for  a  trifle,  which  in  my  eyes  seems  an 
 inestimable  jewel ;  I  mean  the  hearts  and  affections  of 
 an  enlightened  people.  This  appears  to  me  one  of  the 
 greatest  honours  and  greatest  pleasures  a  faithful  minis- 
 ter can  possess,  and  which  many  faithful  and  eminent 
 ministers  have  never  been  able  to  obtain.  This  gave  you 
 a  vast  advantage;  your  gift  was  more  acceptable  there 
 than  that  of  any  other  person,  and  more  than  you  will 
 probably  find  elsewhere.  For  I  cannot  make  a  compa- 
 rison between  the  hasty  approbation  of  a  few,  whose  eyes 
 are  beginning  to  open,  and  their  affections  and  passions 
 warm,  so  that  tliey  must,  if  possible,  have  the  man  that 
 first  catches  their  attention;  I  say,  I  cannot  think  this 
 worthy  to  be  compared  to  the  regard  of  a  people  who 
 understood  the  gospel,  wore  able  to  judge  of  men  and 
 doctrines,  and  had  trial  of  you  for  so  many  years.  It 
 is,  indeed,  much  to  your  honour  (it  proves  that  you  were 
 faithful,  diligent,  and  exemplary),  that  the  people  proved 
 so  attached  to  you ;  but  that  you  should  force  yourself 
 from  them,  when  they  so  dearly  loved  you,  and  so  much 
 needed  you,  this  has  made  all  your  friends  in  these  parts 
 to  wonder,  and  your  enemies  to  rejoice;  and  I,  alas! 
 know  not  what  to  answer  in  your  behalf  to  either.  Say 
 not,  "  I  hate  tliis  Micaiah,  for  he  propliecies  not  good  of 
 me,  but  evil;"  but  allow  me  the  privilege  of  a  friend. 
 My  heart  is  full  wlien  I  think  of  what  has  happened,  and 
 what  will  probably  be  the  consequence.  In  few  words, 
 I  am  strongly  persuaded  you  have  taken  an  unadvised 
 step,  and  would  therefore  prepare  you  for  the  inconve- 
 nience and  uneasiness  you  may  probably  meet  with.  And 
 if  I  am  (as  I  desire  I  may  prove)  mistaken,  my  advice 
 will  do  no  harm;  you  will  want  something  to  balance 
 the  caresses  and  success  you  meet  with. 
 
338 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 We  should  be  very  glad  to  see  you,  and  hope  you  will 
 take  your  measures,  when  you  do  come,  to  lengthen  your 
 usual  stay,  in  proportion  to  the  difference  of  the  dis- 
 tance.   Pray  for  us. 
 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
FOUR  LETTERS  TO  MRS  P 
 
 LETTER  L 
 
 My  Dear  Madam,  May —  1774. 
 
 I  HAVE  had  sudden  notice  that  I  may  send  you  a  hasty 
 line,  to  express  our  satisfaction  in  hearing  that  you  had 
 ■a  safe  though  perilous  journey.  I  hope  I  shall  be  al- 
 ways mindful  to  pray,  that  the  Lord  may  guide,  bless, 
 and  comfort  you,  and  give  you  such  a  manifestation  of 
 his  person,  power,  and  grace,  as  may  set  you  at  liberty 
 from  all  fear,  and  fill  you  with  abiding  peace  and  joy  in 
 believing.  Remember  that  Jesus  has  all  power,  the  ful- 
 ness of  compassion,  and  embraces  with  open  arms  all  that 
 come  to  him  for  life  and  salvation. 
 
 I  know  not  whether  Mrs  's  illness  was  before  or 
 
 since  my  last.  Through  mercy  she  is  better  again;  and 
 I  remain  so,  though  death  and  illness  are  still  walking 
 about  the  town.  O  for  grace  to  take  warning  by  the 
 sufferings  of  others,  and  set  loose  to  the  world,  and  so 
 number  our  days  as  to  incline  our  hearts  to  the  one  thing 
 needful!  Indeed,  that  one  thing  includes  many  things, 
 sufficient  to  engage  the  best  of  our  thoughts  and  the  most 
 of  our  time,  if  we  were  duly  sensible  of  their  importance ; 
 but  I  may  adopt  the  Psalmist's  expression,  "  My  soul 
 cleaveth  to  the  dust."  How  is  it  that  the  truths  of  which 
 J  have  the  most  undoubted  conviction,  and  which  are  of 
 all  others  the  most  weighty,  should  make  so  little  impres- 
 sion upon  rae?  01  know  the  cause!  It  is  deeply  mooted. 
 An  evil  nature  cleaves  to  me;  so  that  when  I  would  do 
 
340 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 good,  evil  is  present  with  me.  It  is,  however,  a  mercy 
 to  be  made  sensible  of  it,  and  in  any  measure  humbled 
 for  it.  Ere  long  it  will  be  dropped  in  the  grave,  then 
 all  complaints  shall  cease :  that  thought  gives  relief.  I 
 shall  not  always  live  this  poor  dying  life:  I  hope  one 
 day  to  be  all  ear,  all  heart,  all  tongue;  when  I  shall  see 
 the  Redeemer  as  he  is — I  shall  be  like  him.  This  will 
 be  a  heaven  indeed,  to  behold  his  glory  without  a  veiU  to 
 rejoice  in  his  love  without  a  cloud,  and  to  sing  his  praises 
 without  one  jarring  or  wandering  note,  for  ever.  In  the 
 mean  time,  may  he  enable  us  to  serve  him  with  our  best. 
 O  that  every  power,  faculty,  and  talent,  were  devoted  to 
 }iim!  He  deserves  all  we  have,  and  ten  thousand  times 
 more  if  we  had  it;  for  he  has  loved  us,  and  washed  us 
 from  our  sins  in  his  own  blood.  He  gave  himself  for  us. 
 In  one  sense  we  are  well  suited  to  answer  his  purpose; 
 for  if  we  were  not  vile  and  worthless  beyond  expression, 
 the  exceeding  riches  of  his  grace  would  not  have  been 
 so  gloriously  displayed.  His  glory  shines  more  in  re- 
 deeming one  sinner,  than  in  preserving  a  thousand  an- 
 gels.   Poor  Mr  M  is  still  in  the  dark  valley,  but 
 
 we  trust  prayer  shall  yet  bring  him  out.  Mighty  things 
 have  been  done  in  answer  to  prayer,  and  the  Lord's  arm 
 is  not  shortened,  neither  is  his  ear  heavy.  It  is  our  part 
 to  wait  till  we  have  an  answer.  One  of  his  own  hymns 
 says, 
 
 Tlie  promise  may  be  long  deferi'd. 
 But  never  comes  too  late. 
 
 I  suppose  you  have  heard  of  the  death  of  Mr  T  
 
 of  R  This  is  apparentlj'  a  heavy  blow.    He  was 
 
 an  amiable,  judicious,  candid  man,  and  an  excellent 
 preacher  in  a  great  sj^here  of  usefulness;  and  his  age 
 and  constitution  gave  hopes  that  he  might  have  been 
 eminently  serviceable  for  many  years.  How  often  does 
 the  Lord  write  "  Vanity"  upon  all  our  expectations  from 
 men!  He  visited  a  person  iil  of  a  putrid  fever,  and  car- 
 ried the  seeds  of  infection  with  him  to  London,  where  he 
 
 died.    Mrs  is  a  very  excellent  and  accomplished 
 
 woman,  but  exceedingly  delicate  in  her  frame  and  spirits. 
 How  can  she  bear  so  sudden  and  severe  a  stroke!  But 
 
LETTERS  TO  MRS  P  .  •  341 
 
 yet  I  hope  she  will  afford  a  proof  of  the  Lord's  all-suffi- 
 ciency and  faithfulness.  O  Madam,  the  Lord  our  God 
 is  a  great  God!  If  he  frowns,  the  smiles  of  the  whole 
 creation  can  afford  no  comfort;  and  if  he  is  pleased  to 
 smile,  he  can  enable  the  soul  under  the  darkest  dispen- 
 sations to  say.  All  is  well.  Yet  the  flesh  will  feel,  and  it 
 ought;  otherwise  the  exercise  of  faith,  patience,  and  re- 
 signation, would  be  impracticable.  I  have  lost  in  hira 
 one  of  my  most  valued  and  valuable  friends ;  but  what  is 
 my  loss  to  that  of  his  people! 
 
 The  Lord  bless  you  and  keep  you.  The  Lord  in- 
 crease you  more  and  more,  you  and  your  children.  The 
 Lord  lift  up  the  light  of  his  countenance  upon  you,  and 
 give  you  his  peace.  I  thank  him  for  leading  you  to  us, 
 but  especially  for  making  your  visit  there  in  any  measure 
 agreeable  and  profitable  to  yourself.  If  I  have  been  an 
 instrument  in  his  hand  for  your  comfort,  I  have  reason 
 to  remember  it  among  the  greatest  favours  he  has  con- 
 ferred upon  me.  And  now,  dear  Madam,  once  more, 
 farewell.  If  the  Lord  spares  our  lives,  I  hope  we  shall 
 see  each  other  again  upon  earth.  But  above  all,  let  us 
 rejoice  in  the  blessed  gospel,  by  which  immortality  is 
 brought  to  light,  and  a  glorious  prospect  opened  beyond 
 the  grave. 
 
 There  sils  our  Saviour  thron'd  in  light, 
 ClothM  with  a  body  hke  our  own, 
 
 Tliere  at  least,  after  all  the  changes  and  trials  of  this 
 state,  we  shall  meet  to  part  no  more. 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  II. 
 
 Mv  Dear  Madam,  1775. 
 
 J  SHOULD  have  been  more  uneasy  at  being  prevented 
 writing  immediately,  had  I  any  reason  to  apprehend  my 
 advice  necessary  upon  the  point  you  propose,  which  by 
 
 L  2 
 
342 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 this  time  I  suppose  is  settled,  as  it  should  be,  without 
 me.  I  smiled  at  Miss  M  's  disappointment.  How- 
 ever, if  the  Lord  favours  her  with  a  taste  for  the  library 
 of  my  proposing,  she  will  be  like  the  merchantman  seek- 
 ing goodly  pearls,  and  will  count  all  other  books  but 
 pebbles  in  comparison  of  those  four  volumes,  which  pre- 
 sent us  with  something  new  and  important  whenever  we 
 look  into  tliem.  I  shall  be  much  obliged  to  her  if  she 
 will  commit  the  third  chapter  of  Proverbs  to  her  me- 
 mory, and  I  shall  pray  the  Lord  to  write  in  her  heart. 
 
 You  surprise  me  when  you  tell  me,  that  the  incident 
 of  my  birth-day  was  noticed  by  those  I  never  saw.  Be 
 so  good  as  to  return  my  thanks  to  my  unknown  friends, 
 and  tell  them,  that  I  pray  our  common  Lord  and  Saviour 
 to  bless  them  abundantly.  His  people  while  here  are 
 scattered  abroad,  separated  by  hills  and  rivers,  and  too 
 often  by  names  and  prejudices;  but  by  and  by  we  shall 
 all  meet,  where  we  shall  all  know  and  acknowledge  each 
 other,  and  rejoice  together  for  evermore.  I  have  lately 
 read  witli  much  pleasure,  and  I  hope  with  some  profit, 
 the  history  of  the  Greenland  Mission.  Upon  the  whole, 
 it  is  a  glorious  work.  None  who  love  tlie  Lord  v»'ill  re- 
 fuse to  say,  it  is  the  finger  of  God  indeed.  For  my  own 
 part,  my  soul  rejoices  in  it;  and  I  honour  the  instru- 
 ments, as  men  who  have  hazarded  their  lives  in  an  ex- 
 traordinary manner  for  the  sake  of  the  Lord  Jesus. 
 Sure  I  am  tliat  none  could  have  sustained  such  dis- 
 couragements at  first,  or  have  obtained  such  success  after- 
 wards, unless  the  Lord  had  sent,  supported,  and  owned 
 them. 
 
 I  hope  we  shall  have  an  interest  in  your  prayers;  I 
 trust  the  Lord  is  yet  with  us.  We  have  some  ripe  for 
 the  sickle,  and  some  just  springing  rp;  some  tokens  of 
 his  gracious  presence  amongst  us;  but  sin  and  Satan  cut 
 vis  out  abundance  of  work  as  individuals,  though,  through 
 mercy,  as  a  society  we  walk  in  peace. 
 
 The  toad  and  spider  is  an  exhibition  of  my  daily  ex- 
 perience. I  am  often  wounded,  but  the  Lord  is  my  health. 
 Still  I  am  a  living  monument  of  mercy  ;  and  I  trust  that 
 word,  "  Because  I  live,  you  shall  live  also,"  will  carry  me 
 
LETTERS  TO  MRS  P  . 
 
 343 
 
 to  the  end.  I  am  poor,  weak,  and  foolish,  but  Jesus  is 
 wise,  strong,  and  abounding  in  grace.  He  has  given  me 
 a  desire  to  trust  my  all  in  his  hands,  and  he  will  not  dis- 
 appoint the  expectation  which  he  himself  has  raised.  At 
 present  I  have  but  little  to  say,  and  but  little  time  to  say 
 it  in.  When  you  think  of  this  place,  I  hope  you  will 
 think  and  believe,  that  yon  have  friends  here  most  cor- 
 dially interested  in  your  welfare,  and  often  remembering 
 you  in  prayer.  May  the  Lord  be  your  guide  and  shield, 
 and  give  you  the  best  desires  of  your  heart.  I  pray  him 
 to  establish  and  settle  you  in  the  great  truths  of  liis  word. 
 I  trust  he  will.  We  learn  more,  and  more  effectuallj^ 
 by  one  minute's  communication  with  him  through  the 
 medium  of  his  written  word,  than  we  could  from  an  as- 
 sembly of  divines,  or  a  library  of  books. 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  in. 
 
 My  Dear  Madam,  August  —  1775. 
 
 It  is  not  owing  to  forgetfulncss  that  your  letter  has  been 
 thus  long  unanswered.  It  has  lain  within  my  view  this 
 fortnight,  demanding  my  first  leisure  hour;  but  affairs 
 of  daily  occurrence  have  becTi  so  many  and  so  pressing, 
 that  I  have  been  constrained  to  put  it  off  till  now.  I 
 trust  the  Lord,  by  liis  Spirit  and  providence,  will  direct 
 and  prosper  the  settlement  of  your  children.    I  desire 
 
 my  love  to  Miss  M  .  My  idea  of  her  enlarges.  Me- 
 
 thinks  I  see  her  aspiring  to  be  as  tall  as  her  mamma.  I 
 hope  likewise  that  she  increases  in  grace  and  M'isdom  as 
 in  years  and  stature;  and  that  hearing  our  Lord's  flock 
 is  a  little  flock,  she  feels  an  earnest  thirst  to  be  one  of  the 
 happy  number  which  constitutes  his  fold. 
 
 There  the  Lnrd  dwells  amongst  Ihetn  upon  his  own  hill, 
 With  tlie  flocks  all  around  him,  awaiting  his  will. 
 
 If  she  has  such  a  desire,  I  can  tell  who  gave  it  her,  for  I 
 
344 
 
 CaRDIPHONIA. 
 
 am  persuaded  it  was  not  born  with  her;  and  where  the 
 good  hnsbandman  sows,  there  will  he  also  reap.  There- 
 fore, dear  Miss  M  ,  press  forward:  knock,  and  it 
 
 shall  be  opened  unto  you,  for  yet  there  is  room.  O  what 
 a  fold!  O  what  a  pasture!  O  what  a  shepherd!  Let  us 
 love,  and  sing,  and  wonder. 
 
 I  hope  the  good  people  at  Bristol,  and  everywhere 
 else,  are  praying  for  our  sinful,  distracted  land,  in  this 
 dark  day.  The  Lord  is  angry,  the  sword  is  drawn,  and 
 I  am  afraid  nothing  but  the  spirit  of  Avrestling  prayer 
 can  prevail  for  the  returning  it  into  the  scabbard.  Could 
 things  have  proceeded  to  these  extremities,  except  the 
 Lord  had  withdrawn  his  salutary  blessing  from  both 
 sides?  It  is  a  time  of  prayer.  We  see  the  beginning 
 of  trouble,  but  who  can  foresee  the  possible  consequen- 
 ces? The  tire  is  kindled,  but  how  far  it  may  spread, 
 those  Avho  are  above  may  perhaps  know  better  than  we. 
 I  meddle  not  with  the  disputes  of  party,  nor  concern  my- 
 self with  any  political  maxims,  but  such  as  are  laid  down 
 in  scripture.  There  I  read,  that  righteousness  exalteth 
 a  nation,  and  that  sin  is  the  reproach,  and,  if  persisted  in, 
 the  ruin  of  any  people.  Some  people  are  startled  at  the 
 enormous  sum  of  our  national  debt:  they  who  under- 
 stand spiritual  arithmetic,  may  be  well  startled  if  they 
 sit  down  and  compute  the  debt  of  national  sin.  Impri- 
 mus.  Infidelity:  item,  Contempt  of  the  gospel:  item,  The 
 profligacy  of  manners:  item,  Perjurj':  item,  The  cry  of 
 blood,  the  blood  of  thousands,  perhaps  millions,  from  the 
 East  Indies.  It  would  take  sheets,  yea  quires,  to  draw- 
 out  the  particulars  under  each  of  these  heads,  and  then 
 nmch  would  remain  imtold.  What  can  we  answer, 
 when  the  Lord  saith,  "  Shall  not  I  visit  for  these  things? 
 Shall  not  my  soul  be  avenged  on  such  a  nation  as  this?" 
 Since  we  received  the  news  of  the  first  hostilities  in 
 America,  we  have  had  an  additional  prayer-meeting. 
 Could  I  hear  that  professors  in  general,  instead  of  wast- 
 ing their  breath  in  censuring  men  and  measures.  M  ere 
 plying  the  throne  of  grace,  I  should  still  hope  for  a  re- 
 spite. Poor  New  England!  once  the  glory  of  the  earth, 
 now  likely  to  be  visited  with  fire  and  sword.  They 
 
LETTERS  TO  MRS  P  
 
 345 
 
 have  left  their  first  love,  and  the  Lord  is  sorely  con- 
 tending with  them.  Yet  surely  their  sin  as  a  people 
 are  not  to  be  compared  with  ours.  I  am  just  so  much 
 affected  with  these  things,  as  to  know  that  I  am  not 
 affected  enough.  Oh!  my  spirit  is  sadly  cold  and  in- 
 sensible, or  I  should  lay  them  to  heart  in  a  different 
 manner:  yet  1  endeavour  to  give  them  the  alarm  as  far 
 as  I  can.  There  is  one  political  maxim  which  comforts 
 me,  "  The  Lord  reigns."  His  hand  guides  the  storm ; 
 and  he  knows  them  that  are  his,  how  to  protect,  support, 
 and  deliver  them.  He  will  take  care  of  his  own  cause, 
 yea,  he  will  extend  his  kingdom,  even  by  these  formi- 
 dable methods.  Men  have  one  thing  in  view,  he  has  an- 
 other, and  his  counsel  shall  stand. 
 
 The  chief  piece  of  news  since  my  last  is  concerning 
 B.  A.  She  has  finished  her  course,  and  is  now  with  the 
 great  multitude  who  have  overcome  by  the  blood  of  the 
 Lamb,  and  by  the  word  of  his  testimony.  Tuesday,  the 
 1st  of  February,  she  was  in  our  assembly,  was  taken  ill 
 the  next  day,  and  died  while  we  were  assembled  the 
 Tuesday  following.  She  had  an  easy  dissolution,  re- 
 tained her  senses  and  her  speech  till  the  last  minute,  and 
 went  without  a  struggle  or  a  sigh.  She  was  not  in  rap- 
 tures during  her  illness,  but  was  composed,  and  main- 
 tained a  strong  and  lively  faith.  She  Iiad  a  numerous 
 levee  about  her  bed  daily,  who  were  all  witnesses  to  the 
 power  of  faith,  and  to  the  faithfulness  of  the  Lord,  en- 
 abling her  to  triumph  over  tlie  approaches  of  death ;  for 
 she  was  well  known  and  well  respected.  She  will  be 
 much  missed;  but  I  hope  he  will  answer  the  many  pray- 
 ers she  put  up  for  us,  and  raise  up  others  in  her  room. 
 "  Blessed  are  the  dead  who  die  in  the  Lord."  Blessed 
 are  they  who  know  whom  they  have  believed,  and  when 
 death  comes,  can  cheerfully  rest  their  hopes  on  him  who 
 died  that  we  may  live.  B  had  been  long  a  pre- 
 cious and  honourable  woman  ;  but  her  hope  in  the  trying 
 hour  rested  not  on  what  she  had  for  the  Lord,  but  upon 
 what  he  had  done  for  her;  not  upon  the  change  his  grace 
 had  wrought  in  her,  but  upon  the  righteousness  he  had 
 wrought  out  for  her  by  his  obedience  unto  death.  This 
 
346 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 supported  her,  for  she  saw  nothing  in  herself  but  what 
 she  was  ashamed  of.  She  saw  reason  to  renounce  her 
 own  goodness,  as  well  as  her  own  sins,  as  to  the  point 
 of  acceptance  with  God,  and  died,  as  St  Paul  lived,  "de- 
 termined to  know  nothing  but  Jesus  Christ  and  him 
 crucified." 
 
 The  time  when  Mr  and  Mrs  C   remove  to  Scot- 
 land drawing  near,  Mrs  is  gone  to  spend  a  week  or 
 
 two  with  them,  and  take  her  leave.  She  feels  something 
 at  parting  with  a  sister,  who  is  indeed  a  valuable  person; 
 and  from  children  they  have  alwajs  lived  in  the  most 
 tender  intimacy  and  uninterrupted  friendship.  But  all  be- 
 neath the  moon  (like  the  moon  itself)  is  subject  to  inces- 
 sant change.  Alterations  and  separations  are  graciously 
 appointed  of  the  Lord,  to  remind  us  that  this  is  not  our 
 rest,  and  to  prepare  our  thoughts  for  that  approaching 
 change  which  shall  fix  us  for  ever  in  an  unchangeable 
 state.  O,  Jladam!  ^vhat  shall  we  poor  worms  render  to 
 him  who  has  brought  life  and  immortality  to  liglit  by  the 
 gospel,  taken  away  the  sting  of  death,  revealed  a  glori- 
 ous prospect  beyond  the  grave,  and  given  us  eyes  to  see 
 it?  Now  the  reflection  that  we  nmst  ere  long  take  a 
 final  farewell  of  what  is  most  capable  of  pleasing  us  upon 
 earth,  is  not  only  tolerable,  but  pleasant.  For  we  know 
 we  cannot  fully  possess  our  best  friend,  our  chief  trea- 
 sure, till  we  have  done  with  all  below;  nay,  we  cannot 
 till  then  properly  see  each  other.  We  are  cased  up  in 
 vehicles  of  clay,  and  converse  together  as  if  we  were  in 
 different  coaches  wiih  the  blinds  close  drawn  round.  We 
 see  the  carriage,  and  the  voice  tells  us  that  we  have  a 
 fi'iend  within;  but  we  shall  know  eacli  other  better, 
 when  death  shall  open  the  coach-doors,  and  hand  out 
 the  company  successively,  and  lead  tliem  into  the  glori- 
 ous apartments  which  the  Lord  has  appointed  to  be  the 
 common  residence  of  them  that  love  him.  What  an  as- 
 sembly will  there  be!  What  a  constellation  of  glory, 
 when  each  individual  shall  shine  like  tlie  sun  in  the  king- 
 dom of  tlieir  Father!  No  sins,  sorrows,  temptations;  no 
 veils,  clouds,  or  prejudices,  shall  interrupt  us  then.  All 
 names  of  idle  distinction  (the  fruits  of  present  remaining 
 
LETTERS  TO  MRS  P- 
 
 347 
 
 darkness:,  tlie  channels  of  bigotry,  and  the  stumbling- 
 block  of  the  world),  will  be  at  an  end. 
 
 The  description  you  gave  of  your  present  residence 
 pleases  me  much,  and  chiefly  because  it  describes  and 
 manifests  to  me  something  still  more  interesting — I  mean 
 the  peaceful  situation  of  your  mind.  Had  he  placed 
 you  in  an  Eden  some  months  ago,  it  would  hardly  have 
 awakened  your  descriptive  talent.  But  he  whom  the 
 winds  and  seas  obey,  has  calmed  your  mind,  and  I  trust 
 will  go  on  to  fill  you  with  all  joy  and  peace  in  believ- 
 ing. It  is  no  great  matter  where  we  are,  provided  we 
 see  that  the  Lord  has  placed  us  there,  and  that  he  is 
 with  us. 
 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  IV. 
 
 1776. 
 
 So,  my  dear  ]\Iadam,  I  hope  we  have  found  you  out,  and 
 that  this  letter  will  reach  you  in  good  time  to  welcome 
 you  in  our  names  to  London.  We  are  ready  to  take  it 
 for  granted  that  you  will  now  most  certainly  make  us  a 
 visit.  Do  come  as  soon,  and  stay  as  long,  as  you  pos- 
 sibly can.  Methinks  you  will  be  glad  to  get  out  of  the 
 smell  and  noise  as  soon  as  possible.  If  we  did  not  go 
 to  London  now  and  then,  we  should  perhaps  forget  how 
 people  live  there.  Especially  I  pity  professors;  they  are 
 exposed  to  as  many  dangers  as  people  who  live  in  mines; 
 chilling  damps,  scorcliing  blasts,  epidemical  disorders, 
 owing  to  the  impure  air.  Such  are  the  winds  of  false 
 doctrines,  the  explosions  of  controversy,  the  blights  of 
 worldly  conversation,  the  contagion  of  evil  custom.  In 
 short,  a  person  had  need  have  a  good  constitution  of 
 grace,  and  likewise  to  be  well  supplied  with  antidotes, 
 to  preserve  a  tolerable  share  of  spiritual  health  in  such  a 
 situation. 
 
348 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 And  now,  how  shall  I  fill  up  the  rest  of  the  paper? 
 It  is  a  shame  for  a  Christian  and  a  minister  to  say  he 
 has  no  subject  at  hand,  wiien  the  inexhaustible  theme  of 
 redeeming  love  is  ever  pressing  upon  our  attention.  I 
 will  tell  you,  then,  though  you  know  it,  that  the  Lord 
 reigns.  He  who  once  bore  our  sins,  and  carried  our  sor- 
 rows, is  seated  upon  a  throne  of  glory,  and  exercises  all 
 power  in  heaven  and  on  earth.  Thrones,  principalities, 
 and  powers,  bow  before  him.  Every  event  in  the  king- 
 doms of  providence  and  of  grace  are  under  his  rule.  His 
 providence  pervades  and  manages  the  whole,  and  is  as 
 minutely  attentive  to  every  part,  as  if  there  were  only 
 that  single  object  in  his  view.  From  the  tallest  arch- 
 angel to  tiie  meanest  ant  or  fly,  all  depend  on  him  for 
 their  being,  their  preservation,  and  their  powers.  He 
 directs  the  sparrows  where  to  build  their  nests,  and  to 
 find  their  food.  He  overrules  the  rise  and  fall  of  na- 
 tions, and  bends,  with  an  invincible  energy  and  unerring 
 wisdom,  all  events;  so  that,  while  many  intend  nothing 
 less,  in  the  issue,  their  designs  all  concur  and  coincide  in 
 the  accomplishment  of  his  holy  will.  He  restrains  with 
 a  miglity  hand  the  still  more  formidable  efforts  of  the 
 powers  of  darkness;  and  Satan,  with  all  his  hosts,  can- 
 not exert  their  malice  a  hair's  breadth  beyond  tlie  limits 
 of  his  permission.  This  is  he  who  is  the  head  and  hus- 
 band of  his  believing  people.  How  happy  are  they  whom 
 it  is  his  good  pleasure  to  bless!  How  safe  are  they 
 whom  he  has  engaged  to  protect!  How  honoured  and 
 privileged  are  tliey  to  whom  he  is  pleased  to  manifest 
 himself,  and  whom  he  enables  and  warrants  to  claim  him 
 as  their  friend  and  their  portion!  Having  redeemed 
 them  by  his  own  blood,  he  sets  a  high  value  upon  them; 
 he  esteems  them  his  treasure,  his  jewels,  and  keeps  them 
 as  the  pupil  of  his  eye.  They  shall  not  want;  they  need 
 not  fear;  his  eye  is  upon  them  in  every  situation,  his  ear 
 is  open  to  their  prayers,  and  his  everlasting  arms  are 
 under  them  for  their  sure  support.  On  earth  he  guides 
 their  steps,  controls  their  enemies,  and  directs  all  his  dis- 
 pensations for  their  good;  while  in  heaven,  he  is  plead- 
 ing their  cause,  preparing  them  a  place,  and  communi- 
 
LETTERS  TO  MRS  P  . 
 
 349 
 
 rating  down  to  them  reviving  foretastes  of  the  glory  that 
 shall  be  shortly  revealed.  O  how  is  this  mystery  hidden 
 from  an  unbelieving  world!  Who  can  believe  it,  till  it 
 is  made  known  by  experience,  what  an  intercourse  is 
 maintained  in  this  land  of  shadows  between  the  Lord  of 
 glory  and  sinful  worms!  How  should  we  praise  him 
 that  he  has  visited  us;  for  we  were  once  blind  to  his 
 beauty,  and  insensible  to  his  love,  and  should  have  re- 
 mained so  to  the  last,  had  he  not  prevented  us  with  his 
 goodness,  and  been  found  of  us  when  we  sought  him 
 not. 
 
 Mrs  presents  her  love.    The  bite  of  the  leech 
 
 which  I  mentioned  to  you  has  confined  her  to  the  house 
 ever  since;  but  I  hope  she  will  be  able  to  go  out  to- 
 morrow. We  were  for  a  while  apprehensive  of  worse 
 consequences;  but  the  Lord  is  gracious;  he  shows  us  in 
 a  variety  of  instances  what  dependent  creatures  we  are, 
 how  blind  to  events,  and  how  easily  the  methods  which 
 we  take  to  relieve  ourselves  from  a  small  inconvenience 
 may  plunge  us  into  a  greater.  Thus  we  learn  (happy 
 indeed  if  we  can  effectually  learn  it)  that  there  is  no 
 safety  but  in  his  protection,  and  that  nothing  can  do  us 
 good  but  by  his  blessing.  As  for  myself,  I  see  so  many 
 reasons  why  he  might  contend  with  me,  that  I  am  amazed 
 he  affords  me  and  mine  so  much  peace,  and  appoints  us 
 so  few  trials.  We  live  as  upon  a  field  of  battle;  many 
 are  hourly  suffering  and  falling  around  us,  and  I  can 
 give  no  reason  why  we  are  preserved,  but  that  he  is 
 God,  and  not  man.  What  a  mercy  that  we  are  only 
 truly  known  to  him  who  is  alone  able  to  bear  us! 
 
 May  the  Lord  bless  you  and  yours ;  may  he  comfort 
 you,  guide  you,  and  guard  you.    Come  quickly  to, 
 Yours,  &c. 
 
SIX  LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR  B. 
 
 LETTER  I. 
 
 Rev.  and  Dear  Sir,         September  14,  1765. 
 
 When  I  was  at  London  in  June  last,  your  name  first 
 reached  me,  and  from  that  time  I  have  been  desirous  of 
 wishing  you  success  in  the  name  of  the  Lord.    A  few 
 
 weeks  ago  I  received  a  further  account  from  Mrs  , 
 
 with  a  volume  of  your  sermons:  she  likewise  gave  me  a 
 direction  where  to  write,  and  an  encouragement  that  a 
 letter  would  not  be  unacceptable.  The  latter,  indeed,  I 
 did  not  much  need  when  I  had  read  your  book.  Though 
 we  have  no  acquaintance,  we  are  already  united  in  the 
 strictest  ties  of  friendship,  partakers  of  the  same  hope, 
 servants  of  the  same  Lord,  and  in  the  same  part  of  his 
 vineyard:  I  tlierefore  hold  all  apologies  needless.  I 
 rejoice  in  the  Lord's  goodness  to  you;  I  pray  for  his 
 abundant  blessing  upon  your  labours;  I  need  an  inte- 
 rest in  your  prayers;  I  liave  an  affectionate  desire  to 
 know  more  concerning  you:  these  are  my  motives  for 
 writing. 
 
 Mrs  tells  me  that  you  have  read  my  narrative ; 
 
 I  need  not  tell  you,  therefore,  that  I  am  one  of  the  most 
 astonishing  instances  of  the  forbearance  and  mercy  of 
 God  upon  the  face  of  the  earth.  In  the  close  of  it  I 
 mention  a  warm  desire  1  had  to  the  ministry;  this  the 
 Lord  was  pleased  to  keep  alive  for  several  years,  through 
 a  succession  of  views  and  disappointments.  At  length 
 his  hour  came,  and  my  way  was  made  easy.  I  have  been 
 here  about  fifteen  months.  The  Lord  has  led  me,  by  a 
 way  that  I  little  cxpectedj  to  a  pleasant  lot,  where  the 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR  B- 
 
 351 
 
 gospel  has  been  many  years  known,  and  is  highly  valued 
 by  many.  We  have  a  large  cliurch  and  congregation, 
 and  a  considerable  number  of  lively  thriving  believers, 
 and  in  general  go  on  with  great  comfort  and  harmony. 
 I  meet  with  less  opposition  from  the  world  than  is  usual 
 where  the  gospel  is  preached.    This  burden  was  borne 
 
 by  Mr  B  for  ten  years,  and  in  that  course  of  time 
 
 some  of  the  fiercest  opposers  were  removed,  some  wearied, 
 and  some  softened ;  so  that  we  are  now  remarkably  quiet 
 in  that  respect.  May  the  Lord  teach  us  to  improve  the 
 privilege,  and  preserve  us  from  indifference.  How  im- 
 speakable  are  our  obligations  to  the  grace  of  God !  What 
 a  privilege  is  it  to  be  a  believer!  They  are  compara- 
 tively few,  and  we  by  nature  were  no  nearer  than  others; 
 it  was  grace,  free  grace,  that  made  the  difference.  What 
 an  honour  to  be  a  minister  of  the  everlasting  gospel! 
 These  upon  comparison  are  perhaps  fewer  still.  How 
 wonderful  that  one  of  these  few  should  be  sought  for 
 among  the  wilds  of  Africa,  reclaimed  from  the  lowest 
 state  of  impiety  and  misery,  and  brought  to  assure  other 
 sinners,  from  his  own  experience,  that  "  there  is,  there  is 
 forgiveness  with  him,  that  he  may  be  feared."  And  you. 
 Sir,  though  not  left  to  give  such  flagrant  proofs  of  the 
 wickedness  of  the  heart  and  the  power  of  Satan,  yet  owe 
 your  present  views  to  the  same  almighty  grace.  If  the 
 Lord  had  not  distinguished  you  from  your  brethren,  you 
 would  have  been  now  in  the  character  of  a  minister  mis- 
 leading the  people,  and  opposing  those  precious  truths 
 you  are  now  labouring  to  establish.  Not  unto  us,  O 
 Lord!  but  unto  thy  name  be  the  glory.  I  shall  be  thank- 
 ful to  hear  from  you  at  your  leisure.  Be  pleased  to  in- 
 form me,  whether  you  received  the  knowledge  of  the  truth 
 before  or  since  you  were  in  orders;  how  long  you  have 
 preached  the  joyful  sound  of  salvation  by  Jesus,  and  what 
 is  the  state  of  things  in  your  parts. 
 
 We  are  called  to  an  honourable  service,  but  it  is  ar- 
 duous. What  wisdom  does  it  require  to  keep  the  middle 
 path  in  doctrines,  avoiding  the  equally  dangerous  errors 
 on  the  right  hand  and  the  left !  What  steadiness,  to  speak 
 the  truth  boldly  and  faitlifully  in  the  midst  of  a  gainsay- 
 
352 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 ing  world!  What  humility  to  stand  against  the  tide  of 
 popularity!  What  meekness,  to  endure  all  things  for  the 
 elect's  sake,  that  tliey  maybe  saved!  "Who  is  sufficient 
 for  these  things?"  We  are  not  in  ourselves,  but  there  is 
 an  all-suiliciency  in  Jesus.  Our  enemy  watches  us  close: 
 he  challenges  and  desires  to  have  us,  that  he  may  sift  us 
 as  wheat ;  he  knows  he  can  easily  shake  us  if  we  are  left 
 to  ourselves;  but  we  have  a  Shepherd,  a  Keeper,  who 
 never  slumbers  nor  sleeps.  If  he  permits  us  to  be  exer- 
 cised, it  is  for  our  good;  he  is  at  hand  to  direct,  mode- 
 rate, and  sanctify  every  dispensation;  he  has  prayed  for 
 us  that  our  faith  may  not  fail,  and  he  has  promised  to 
 maintain  his  fear  in  our  hearts,  that  we  may  not  depart 
 from  him.  When  we  are  prone  to  wander,  he  calls  us 
 back ;  when  we  say,  My  feet  slip,  his  mercy  holds  us  up ; 
 when  we  are  wounded,  he  heals;  when  we  are  ready  to 
 faint,  he  revives.  The  people  of  God  are  sure  to  meet' 
 with  enemies,  but  especially  the  ministers:  Satan  bears 
 them  a  double  grudge:  the  world  watches  for  their  halt- 
 ing, and  the  Lord  will  suffer  them  to  be  afflicted,  that 
 they  may  be  kept  humble,  that  they  may  acquire  a  sym- 
 pathy with  the  sufferings  of  others,  that  they  may  be  ex- 
 perimentally qualified  to  advise  and  help  them,  and  to 
 comfort  them  with  the  comforts  with  which  they  them- 
 selves have  been  comforted  of  God.  But  the  Captain 
 of  our  salvation  is  with  us;  his  eye  is  upon  us,  his  ever- 
 lasting arm  beneath  us ;  in  his  name,  therefore,  may  we 
 go  on,  lift  up  our  banners,  and  say,  "  If  God  be  for  us, 
 who  can  be  against  us?  Nay,  in  all  these  things  we  are 
 more  than  conquerors,  through  him  that  has  loved  us." 
 The  time  is  short:  yet  a  little  while,  and  he  will  wipe  all 
 tears  from  our  eyes,  and  put  a  crown  of  life  upon  our 
 heads  with  his  own  gracious  hand.  In  this  sense,  how 
 beautiful  are  those  lines: 
 
 Temporis  illius 
 
 Me  consolar  imagine 
 Festis  quum  populxts  me  reducem  choria, 
 Faustisque  eicipiet  vocibus,  et  Dei 
 Pompa  cum  Celebris  me  comitabitur, 
 
 Augusta  ad  yenetraiia. 
 
 Buch.  in  Ps.  42. 
 
TETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR  B  
 
 353 
 
 If  any  occasions  should  call  you  into  these  parts,  my 
 house  and  pulpit  will  be  glad  to  receive  you.    Pray  for 
 us,  dear  Sir,  and  believe  me  to  be, 
 Yours,  &c 
 
 LETTER  II. 
 
 Very  dear  Sir,  November  2,  1765. 
 
 Your  letter  of  the  4th  ult.  gave  me  great  pleasure.  I  thank 
 you  for  the  particular  account  you  have  favoured  me 
 with.  I  rejoice  with  you,  sympathize  with  you,  and  find 
 my  heart  opened  to  correspond  with  unreserved  freedom. 
 May  the  Lord  direct  our  pens  and  help  us  to  help  each  other. 
 The  work  j'ou  are  engaged  in  is  great,  and  your  difficulties 
 many ;  but  faithful  is  he  that  hath  called  you,  who  also  will 
 do  it.  The  weapons  which  he  has  now  put  into  your  hands 
 are  not  carnal,  but  mighty  through  God  to  the  pulling 
 down  of  strong  holds.  Men  may  fight,  but  they  shall  not 
 prevail  against  us,  if  we  are  but  enabled  to  put  our  cause 
 simply  in  the  Lord's  liands,  and  keep  steadily  on  in  the 
 path  of  duty.  He  will  plead  our  cause,  and  fight  our 
 battles;  he  will  pardon  our  mistakes,  and  teach  us  to  do 
 better.  My  experience  as  a  minister  is  but  small,  hav- 
 ing been  but  eighteen  months  in  the  vineyard;  but  for 
 about  twelve  years  I  have  been  favoured  with  an  increas- 
 ing acquaintance  among  the  people  of  God,  of  various 
 ranks  and  denominations,  which,  together  with  the  pain- 
 ful exercises  of  my  own  heart,  gave  me  opportunity  of 
 making  observations  which  were  of  great  use  to  me  when 
 I  entered  upon  the  work  myself:  and  ever  since,  I  have 
 found  the  Lord  graciously  supplying  new  lights  and  new 
 strength,  as  new  occurrences  arise.  So  I  trust  I  will  be 
 with  you.  J  endeavour  to  avail  myself  of  the  examples, 
 advice,  and  sentiments  of  my  bretliren,  yet  at  the  same 
 time  to  guard  against  calling  any  man  master.  This  is 
 the  peculiar  of  Christ.    The  best  are  but  men ;  the 
 
354 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 wisest  may  be  mistaken ;  and  that  which  may  be  riglit 
 in  another  might  be  wrong  in  me,  througli  a  difference 
 of  circumstances.  The  Spirit  of  God  distributes  va- 
 riously, both  in  gifts  and  dispensations;  and  I  would  no 
 more  be  tied  to  act  strictly  by  others'  rules,  than  to  walk 
 in  shoes  of  the  same  size.  My  shoes  must  lit  my  own 
 feet. 
 
 I  endeavour  to  guard  against  extremes :  our  nature  is 
 prone  to  them :  and  we  are  liable  likewise,  when  we  have 
 found  the  inconvenience  of  one  extreme,  to  revert  insen- 
 sibly (sometimes  to  fly  suddenly')  to  the  other.  I  pray 
 to  be  led  in  the  midst  of  the  path.  I  am  what  they  call 
 a  Calvinist;  yet  there  are  flights,  niceties,  and  hard  say- 
 ings, to  be  found  among  some  of  that  system,  which  I 
 do  not  choose  to  imitate.  I  dislike  those  sentiments 
 against  which  you  have  borne  your  testimony  in  the 
 note  at  the  end  of  your  preface;  but  having  known  many 
 precious  souls  in  that  party,  I  have  been  taught,  that  the 
 kingdom  of  God  is  not  in  names  and  sentiments,  but  in 
 righteousness,  faitli,  love,  peace,  and  joy  in  the  Holy 
 Ghost.  I  should,  however,  upon  some  occasions,  oppose 
 those  tenets,  if  they  had  any  prevalence  in  my  neighbour- 
 hood: but  they  have  not;  and  in  general,  I  believe,  the 
 surest  way  to  refute  or  prevent  error,  is  to  preach  the 
 truth.  I  am  glad  to  find  you  are  aware  of  that  spirit  of 
 enthusiasm  which  has  so  often  broken  loose  and  blemish- 
 ed hopeful  beginnings,  and  that  the  foundation  you  build 
 upon  is  solid  and  scriptural:  this  will,  I  hope,  save  you 
 much  trouble,  and  prevent  many  offences.  Let  us  en- 
 deavour to  make  our  people  acquainted  with  the  scrip- 
 ture, and  to  impress  them  with  a  high  sense  of  its 
 authority,  excellence,  and  sufficiency.  Satan  seldom 
 remarkably  imposes  on  ministers  or  people,  except  where 
 the  word  of  God  is  too  little  consulted  or  regarded. 
 Another  point  in  which  I  aim  at  a  medium  is  in  what  is 
 called  prudence.  There  is  certainly  such  a  thing  as 
 Christian  prudence,  and  a  remarkable  deficiency  of  it  is 
 liighly  inconvenient.  But  caution  too  often  degenerates 
 into  cowardice;  and  if  the  fear  of  man,  under  the  name 
 of  prudence,  gets  within  our  guard,  like  a  chilling  frost, 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR  B- 
 
 355 
 
 it  nips  every  thing  in  the  bud.  Those  who  trust  the 
 Lord,  and  act  openly  with  an  honest  freedom  and  con- 
 sistence, I  observe  he  generally  bears  them  out,  smooths 
 their  way,  and  makes  their  enemies  their  friends,  or  at 
 least  resti'ains  their  rage;  while  such  as  halve  things, 
 temporise,  and  aim  to  please  God  and  man  together, 
 meet  with  double  disappointment,  and  are  neither  useful 
 nor  respected.  If  we  trust  to  hiro,  he  will  stand  by  us; 
 if  we  regard  men,  he  will  leave  us  to  make  the  best  v/e 
 can  of  them. 
 
 I  have  set  down  hastily  what  occurred  to  nij^  pen,  not 
 to  dictate  to  j'ou,  but  to  tell  you  how  1  have  been  led, 
 and  because  some  expressions  in  your  letter  seemed  to 
 imply  that  you  would  not  be  displeased  with  me  for  so 
 doing.  As  to  books,  I  think  there  is  a  medium  here 
 likewise.  I  have  read  too  much  in  time  past;  yet  I  do 
 not  wholly  join  with  some  of  our  brethren,  who  would 
 restrain  us  entirely  to  the  word  of  God.  Undoubtedly 
 this  is  the  fountain;  here  we  should  dwell;  but  a  mode- 
 rate and  judicious  perusal  of  other  authors  may  have  its 
 use;  and  I  am  glad  to  be  beholden  to  such  helps,  either 
 to  explain  what  1  do  not  understand,  or  to  confirm  me 
 in  what  I  do.  Of  these  the  writings  of  the  last  age  af- 
 ford an  immense  variety. 
 
 But,  above  all,  may  we,  dear  Sir,  live  and  feed  upon 
 the  precious  promises,  John  xiv.  16,  17-26,  and  xvi. 
 13-15.  There  is  no  teacher  like  Jesus,  who  by  his  Holy 
 Spirit  reveals  himself  in  his  word  to  the  imderstanding 
 and  affections  of  his  children.  When  we  thus  behold 
 his  glory  in  the  gospel-glass,  we  are  changed  into  the 
 same  image.  Then  our  hearts  melt,  our  eyes  flow,  our 
 .stammering  tongues  are  unloosed.  That  this  may  be 
 your  increasing  experience,  is  the  prayer  of,  dear  Sir, 
 Yours,  &c. 
 
356 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 LETTER  111. 
 
 Dear  Sir,  January  2\,  1766. 
 
 Your  letters  give  me  the  sincerest  pleasure.  Let  us  be- 
 lieve that  we  are  daily  thinking  of  and  praying  for  each 
 other,  and  write  when  opportunity  offers  without  apolo- 
 gies. I  praise  the  Lord  that  he  has  led  you  so  soon 
 to  a  settled  judgment  in  the  leading  truths  of  the  gospel. 
 For  want  of  this,  many  have  been  necessitated  with  their 
 own  hands  to  pull  down  what,  in  the  first  warm  emo- 
 tions of  their  zeal,  they  had  laboured  hard  to  build.  It 
 is  a  raercy,  likewise,  to  be  enabled  to  acknowledge  what 
 is  excellent  in  the  writings  or  conduct  of  others,  without 
 adopting  their  singularities,  or  discarding  the  whole  on 
 account  of  a  few  blemishes.  We  should  be  glad  to  re- 
 ceive instruction  from  all,  and  avoid  being  led  by  the 
 ipse  dixit  of  any.  NuUius  jurarc  in  verbum,  is  a  fit 
 motto  for  those  who  have  one  master,  even  Christ.  We 
 may  grow  wise  apace  in  opinions,  by  books  and  men ; 
 but  vital,  experimental  knowledge  can  only  be  received 
 from  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  great  instructor  and  comforter 
 of  his  people.  And  there  are  two  things  observable  in 
 his  teaching:  1.  That  he  honours  the  means  of  his  own 
 appointment,  so  that  we  cannot  expect  to  make  any  great 
 progress  without  diligence  on  our  parts.  2.  That  he  does 
 not  teach  all  at  once,  but  by  degrees.  Experience  is  his 
 school;  and  by  this  I  mean  the  observation  and  improve- 
 ment of  what  passes  within  us  and  around  us  in  the  course 
 of  every  day.  The  word  of  God  affords  a  history  in 
 miniature  of  the  heart  of  man,  the  devices  of  Satan,  the 
 state  of  the  world,  and  tlic  method  of  grace.  And  the 
 most  instructing  and  affecting  commentary  on  it  to  an 
 enlightened  mind,  may  be  gathered  from  what  we  see, 
 feel,  and  hear,  from  day  to  day.  lies,  cetas,  usus,  sem- 
 per aliquid  apportcnt  novi:  and  no  knowledge  in  spirit- 
 ual things  but  what  we  acquire  in  this  way  is  properly 
 our  own,  or  will  abide  the  time  of  trial.    This  is  not 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  M"R 
 
 357 
 
 always  sufficiently  considered:  we  are  ready  to  expect 
 that  others  should  receive  upon  our  word,  in  half  an 
 hour's  time,  those  views  of  things  which  have  cost  us 
 years  to  attain.  But  none  can  be  brought  forward  faster 
 than  the  Lord  is  pleased  to  communicate  inward  light. 
 Upon  tMs  ground  controversies  have  been  multiplied 
 among  Ciiristians  to  little  purpose,  for  plants  of  different 
 standings  will  be  (cceteris  paribus)  in  different  degrees 
 of  forwardness.  A  j^oung  Christian  is  like  a  green  fruit; 
 it  has  perhaps  a  disagreeable  austerity,  which  cannot  be 
 corrected  out  of  its  proper  course:  it  wants  time  and 
 growth ;  wait  a  while,  and  by  the  nourishment  it  receives 
 from  the  root,  together  with  the  action  of  the  sun,  wind, 
 and  rain,  in  succession  from  without,  it  will  insensibly 
 acquire  that  flavour  and  maturity,  for  the  want  of  which 
 an  unskilful  judge  would  be  ready  to  reject  it  as  nothing 
 worth.  We  are  favoured  with  many  excellent  books  in 
 our  tongue;  but  I,  with  you,  agree  in  assigning  one  of 
 the  first  places  (as  a  teacher)  to  Dr  Owen.  I  have  just 
 finished  his  Discourse  on  the  Holy  Spirit,  which  is  an 
 epitome,  if  not  the  master-piece,  of  his  MTitings.  I  should 
 be  glad  to  see  the  republication  you  speak  of;  but  I  ques- 
 tion if  the  booksellers  will  venture  upon  it.  I  shall  per- 
 haps mention  it  to  my  London  friends.  As  to  Arch- 
 bishop Leighton,  besides  his  select  works,  there  are  two 
 octavo  volumes  published  at  Edinburgli,  in  the  year 
 1748,  and  since  reprinted  at  London.  They  contain  a 
 valuable  Commentary  on  St  Peter's  First  Epistle,  and 
 Lectures  on  Isa.  vi.,  Psal.  xxxix.  cxxx.  iv.,  and  a  part  of 
 Rom.  xii.  I  have  likewise  a  small  quarto  in  Latin  of 
 liis  Divinity  Lectures,  when  professor  at  Edinburgh: 
 the  short  title  is  Prcelectiones  Theologim.  Mine  was 
 printed  in  London,  l'i98.  I  believe  this  book  is  scarce; 
 I  set  the  highest  value  upon  it.  He  has  wonderfully 
 united  tlie  simplicity  of  the  gospel  with  all  the  captivat- 
 ing beauties  of  style  and  language.  Bishop  Burnet  says, 
 he  was  the  greatest  master  of  the  Latin  tongue  he  ever 
 knew,  of  which,  together  with  his  compass  of  learning, 
 he  has  given  proof  in  his  lectures;  yet  in  this  gayer 
 dress,  his  eminent  humility  and  spirituality  appear  to  no 
 
 M 
 
358 
 
 CARDIPHONIA, 
 
 less  advantage  than  when  clad  in  plain  English.  I  think 
 it  may  be  said  to  be  a  diamond  set  in  gold.  I  could 
 wish  it  translated,  if  it  was  possible  (which  I  almost  ques- 
 tion) to  preserve  the  beauty  and  spirit  of  the  original. 
 
 Edwards  on  Free  Will  I  have  read  with  pleasure,  as 
 a  good  answer  to  the  proud  reasoners  in  their  own  way ; 
 but  a  book  of  that  sort  cannot  be  generally  read :  where 
 the  subject-matter  is  unpleasing,  and  the  method  of 
 treating  it  requires  more  attention  than  the  Athenian 
 spirit  of  the  times  will  bear,  I  wonder  not  if  it  is  uncall- 
 ed for;  and  am  afraid  we  shall  not  see  him  upon  Origi- 
 nal Sin,  if  it  depends  upon  the  sale  of  the  other.  This 
 answer  to  Dr  Taylor,  whicli  you  speak  of,  is  not  a  MS., 
 but  has  been  already  printed  at  Boston. 
 
 You  send  us  good  news  indeed,  that  two  more  of  your 
 brethren  are  declaring  on  the  gospel  side.    The  Lord 
 confirm  and  strengthen  them,  add  yet  to  j-our  numbers, 
 and  make  you  helps  and  comforts  to  each  other.  Surely 
 he  is  about  to  spread  his  M  ork.    Happy  those  whom  he 
 honours  to  be  fellow-workers  with  him.    Let  us  account 
 the  disgrace  we  suffer  for  his  name's  sake  to  be  our  great 
 honour.    Many  will  be  against  us ;  but  there  are  more 
 for  us.    All  the  praying  souls  on  earth,  all  the  glorified 
 saints  in  heaven,  all  the  angels  of  God,  yea,  the  God  of 
 angels  himself,  are  all  on  our  side.    Satan  may  rage,  but 
 he  is  a  chained  enemy.    Men  may  contradict  and  fight, 
 but  they  cannot  prevail.   Two  things  we  shall  especially 
 need,  courage  and  patience,  that  we  neither  faint  before 
 them,  nor  upon  any  provocation  act  in  their  spirit.  If 
 we  can  pity  and  pray  for  them,  return  good  for  evil, 
 make  them  sensible  that  we  bear  them  a  hearty  good- 
 will, and  act  as  the  disciples  of  him  who  wept  for  his 
 enemies,  and  prayed  for  his  murderers;  in  this  way  we 
 shall  find  the  Lord  will  plead  our  cause,  soften  opposers, 
 and  by  degrees  give  us  a  measure  of  outward  peace. 
 Warmth  and  imprudence  have  often  added  to  the  neces- 
 sary burden  of  the  cross;  I  rejoice  that  the  Lord  has  led 
 you  in  a  diflferent  way:  and  I  hope  your  doctrine  and 
 example  will  make  your  path  smoother  every  day:  you 
 find  it  so  in  part  already.    As  the  Lord  brings  you  out 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR   . 
 
 359 
 
 a  people  witnesses  for  you  to  the  truth  of  his  word,  you 
 will  find  advantage  in  bringing  them  often  together. 
 The  interval  from  Sabbath  to  Sabbath  is  a  good  while, 
 and  affords  time  for  the  world  and  Satan  to  creep  in. 
 Intermediate  meetings  for  prayer,  &c.,  when  properly 
 conducted,  are  greatly  useful.  I  could  wish  for  larger 
 sheets  and  longer  leisure;  but  I  am  constrained  to  say 
 adieu,  in  our  dear  Lord  and  Saviour. 
 Yours,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  IV, 
 
 Dear  Sir,  Dec.  12,  17G7. 
 
 This  is  not  intended  as  an  answer  to  your  last  accept- 
 able letter,  but  an  occasional  line,  in  consequence  of  the 
 
 account  Mr  T  has  given  me  of  your  late  illness.  I 
 
 trust  this  dispensation  will  be  useful  to  you;  and  I  wish 
 the  knowledge  of  it  may  be  so  to  me.  I  am  favoured 
 with  an  unusual  share  of  health,  and  an  equal  flow  of 
 spirits.  If  the  blow  you  have  received  should  be  a 
 warning  to  me,  I  shall  have  cause  to  be  thankful.  I  am 
 glad  to  hear  you  are  better;  I  hope  the  Lord  has  no  de- 
 sign to  disable  you  from  service,  but  rather  (as  he  did 
 Jacob)  to  strengthen  you  by  wounding  you;  to  maintain 
 and  increase  in  you  that  conviction  whicli,  through 
 grace,  you  have  received,  of  the  vanity  and  uncertainty 
 of  every  thing  below;  to  give  you  a  lively  sense  of  the 
 value  of  health  and  opportunities,  and  to  add  to  the  trea- 
 sury of  your  experience  new  proofs  of  his  power  and 
 goodness,  in  supporting,  comforting,  and  liealing  you; 
 and  likewise  to  quicken  the  prayers  of  your  people  for 
 you,  and  to  stir  them  up  to  use  double  diligence  in  the 
 present  improvement  of  the  means  of  grace,  while  by  this 
 late  instance  they  see  how  soon  and  suddenly  you  might 
 have  been  removed  from  them. 
 
 I  understand  you  did  not  feel  that  lively  exercise  of 
 
360 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 faith  and  joy  which  you  would  have  hoped  to  have  found 
 
 at  such  a  season:  but  let  not  this  discourage  you  from  a 
 firm  confidence,  that  when  the  hour  of  dismission  shall 
 come,  the  Lord  will  be  faithful  to  his  gracious  promise, 
 and  give  you  strength  sufficient  to  encounter  and  van- 
 quish your  last  enemy.  You  had  not  this  strength  late- 
 ly, because  you  needed  it  not:  for  though  you  might 
 think  yourself  near  to  death,  the  Lord  intended  to  re- 
 store you;  and  he  permitted  you  to  feel  weakness  that 
 you  might  know  your  strength  does  not  consist  in  grace 
 received,  but  in  his  fulness,  and  his  promise  to  commu- 
 nicate from  himself  as  your  occasions  require.  O  it  is  a 
 great  thing  to  be  strong  in  the  grace  that  is  in  Christ 
 Jesus!  but  it  is  a  hard  lesson;  it  is  not  easy  to  under- 
 stand it  in  theory;  but  when  the  Lord  has  taught  us  so 
 far,  it  is  still  more  difficult  to  reduce  our  knowledge  to 
 practice.  But  this  is  one  end  he  has  in  view,  in  permit- 
 ting us  to  pass  through  such  a  variety  of  inward  and 
 outward  exercises,  that  we  may  cease  from  trusting  in 
 ourselves,  or  in  any  creature,  or  frame,  or  experiences, 
 and  be  brought  to  a  state  of  submission  and  dependence 
 upon  him  alone.  I  was  once  visited  something  in  the 
 same  way,  seized  with  a  fit  of  the  apoplectic  kind,  which 
 held  me  near  an  hour,  and  left  a  disorder  in  my  head, 
 which  quite  broke  the  scheme  of  life  I  was  then  in,  and 
 was  consequently  one  of  the  means  the  Lord  appointed 
 to  bring  me  into  the  ministry;  but  I  soon  perfectly  re- 
 covered.   From  the  remembrance  Mrs  has  of  what 
 
 she  then  suffered,  she  knows  how  to  sympathise  with 
 
 Mrs  B  in  her  share  of  your  trial.    And  I  think  dear 
 
 Mr  some  years  since  had  a  sudden  stroke  on  a 
 
 Christmas  day,  which  disabled  him  from  duty  for  a  time. 
 To  him  and  to  me  these  turns  were  onh'  like  the  caution 
 which  Pliilip  of  Macedon  ordered  to  be  repeated  to  him 
 every  morning,  "  Remember  thou  art  a  man."  I  hope  it 
 will  be  no  more  to  you,  but  that  you  shall  live  to  praise 
 him,  and  to  give  many  cause  to  praise  him  on  your  be- 
 half Blessed  be  God,  we  are  in  safe  hands:  the  Lord 
 himself  is  our  keeper:  nothing  befalls  us  but  what  is  ad- 
 justed by  his  wisdom  and  love.    Health  is  his  gift,;  and 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR  B 
 
 361 
 
 sickness,  when  sanctified,  is  a  token  of  love  likewise. 
 Here  we  may  meet  witli  many  things  which  are  not 
 joyous,  but  grievous  to  the  flesh;  but  he  will  in  one  way 
 or  other  sweeten  every  bitter  cup,  and  ere  long  he  will 
 wipe  away  all  tears  from  our  eyes.  O  that  joy,  that 
 crown,  that  glory,  wliich  awaits  the  believer!  Let  us  keep 
 the  prize  of  our  high  calling  in  view,  and  press  forward 
 in  the  name  of  Jesus  the  Redeemer,  and  he  will  not  dis- 
 appoint our  hopes. 
 
 I  am  but  just  come  off  from  a  journey,  and  weary,  and 
 it  grows  late;  must  therefore  break  off.  When  you  have 
 leisure  and  strength  to  write,  oblige  me  with  a  confirma- 
 tion of  your  recovery,  for  I  shall  be  something  anxious 
 about  you. 
 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  V. 
 
 My  Dear  Friend,  March  14,  1775. 
 
 I  THOUGHT  you  long  in  writing,  but  am  afraid  I  have 
 been  longer.  A  heavy  family  affliction  called  me  from 
 home  in  December,  which  put  me  out  of  my  usual  course, 
 and  threw  me  behind-hand  in  my  correspondence;  yet 
 I  did  not  suspect  the  date  of  your  last  letter  was  so 
 old  by  two  months  as  I  find  it.  Whether  I  write  more 
 frequently,  or  more  seldom,  the  love  of  my  heart  to  you 
 is  the  same,  and  I  shall  believe  the  like  of  you;  yet  if 
 it  can  be  helped,  I  hope  the  interval  will  not  be  so  long 
 again  on  either  side.  I  am  glad  that  the  Lord's  work 
 still  flourishes  in  your  parts,  and  that  you  have  a  more 
 comfortable  prospect  at  home  than  formerly ;  and  I  was 
 
 pleased  with  the  acceptance  you  found  at  S  ;  which 
 
 I  hope  will  be  an  earnest  of  greater  things.  I  think 
 afTairs  in  general,  with  respect  to  this  land,  have  a  dark 
 appearance;  but  it  is  comfortable  to  observe,  that  amidst 
 the  aboiuadings  of  iniquity,  the  Lord  is  spreading  his 
 
362 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 gospel ;  and  that,  though  many  oppose,  yet  in  most  places 
 whither  the  word  is  sent,  great  numbers  seem  disposed 
 to  hear.  I  am  going  (if  the  Lord  please)  into  Leicester- 
 shire on  Friday.  This  was  lately  such  a  dark  place  as 
 you  describe  your  country  to  be,  and  much  of  it  is  so 
 still;  but  the  Lord  has  visited  three  of  the  principal 
 towns  with  gospel-light.  I  have  a  desire  of  visiting  these 
 brethren  in  the  vineyard,  to  bear  my  poor  testimony  to 
 the  truths  they  preach,  and  to  catch,  if  I  may,  a  little 
 fire  and  fervour  among  them.  I  do  not  often  go  abroad ; 
 but  I  have  found  a  little  excursion  now  and  then  (when 
 the  way  is  made  plain)  has  its  advantages,  to  quicken 
 the  spirits,  and  enlarge  the  sphere  of  observation.  On 
 
 these  accounts,  the  recollection  of  my  N  journey 
 
 gives  me  pleasure  to  this  day;  and  very  glad  should  I 
 be  to  repeat  it :  but  the  distance  is  so  great,  that  I  con- 
 sider it  rather  as  desirable  than  practicable. 
 
 My  experiences  vary  as  well  as  yours:  but  possibly 
 your  sensations,  both  of  the  sweet  and  of  the  bitter,  may 
 be  stronger  than  mine.  The  enemy  assaults  me  more 
 by  sap  than  storm;  and  I  am  ready  to  think  I  suffer 
 more  by  languor  than  some  of  my  friends  do  by  the 
 sharper  conflicts  to  which  they  are  called.  So  likewise 
 in  these  seasons,  which  comparatively  1  call  my  best 
 hours,  my  sensible  comforts  are  far  from  lively.  But  I 
 am  in  general  enabled  to  hold  fast  \ny  confidence,  and 
 to  venture  myself  upon  the  power,  faithfulness,  and  com- 
 passion of  that  adorable  Saviour  to  whom  my  soul  has 
 been  directed  and  encouraged  to  flee  for  refuge.  I  am 
 a  poor,  changeable,  inconsistent  creature :  but  he  deals 
 graciously  with  me ;  he  does  not  leave  me  wholly  to  my- 
 self; but  I  have  such  daily  proofs  of  the  malignity  and 
 efficacy  of  the  sin  that  dwelleth  in  me,  as  ought  to  cover 
 me  with  shame  and  confusion  of  face,  and  make  me 
 thankful  if  I  am  permitted  to  rank  with  the  meanest  of 
 those  who  sit  at  his  feet.  That  I  was  ever  called  to  the 
 knowledge  of  his  salvation,  M-as  a  singular  instance  of  his 
 sovereign  grace;  and  that  I  am  still  preserved  in  the 
 way,  in  defiance  of  all  that  has  arisen  from  within  and 
 from  without  to  turn  me  aside,  must  be  wholly  ascribed 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR  B  . 
 
 363 
 
 to  the  same  sovereignty ;  and  if,  as  I  trust,  he  shall  bf 
 pleased  to  make  me  a  conqueror  at  last,  I  shall  have  pe- 
 culiar reason  to  say.  Not  unto  me,  not  unto  me,  but  un- 
 to thy  name,  O  Lord,  be  the  glory  and  the  praise ! 
 
 How  oft  have  sin  and  Satan  strove 
 To  rend  my  soul  from  thee,  my  God  1 
 But  everlasting  is  thy  love, 
 And  Jesus  seals  it  with  bis  blood. 
 
 The  Lord  leads  me  in  the  course  of  my  preaching  to 
 insist  much  on  a  life  of  communion  with  himself,  and  of 
 the  great  design  of  the  gospel  to  render  us  conformable 
 to  him  in  love;  and  as  by  his  mercy  nothing  appears  in 
 my  outward  conduct  remarkably  to  contradict  what  I 
 say,  many  who  only  can  judge  by  what  they  see,  suppose 
 I  live  a  very  happy  life.  But,  alas!  if  they  knew  what 
 -passes  in  my  heart,  how  dull  my  spirit  is  in  secret,  and 
 how  little  I  am  myself  affected  by  the  glorious  truths  I 
 propose  to  others,  they  would  form  a  different  judgment. 
 Could  I  be  myself  what  I  recommend  to  them,  I  should 
 be  happy  indeed.  Pray  for  me,  my  dear  friend,  that  now 
 the  Lord  is  bringing  forward  the  pleasing  spring,  he  may 
 favour  me  with  a  spring  season  in  my  soul ;  for  indeed  I 
 mourn  imder  a  long  winter. 
 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  VI. 
 
 My  Dear  Friend,  April  16,  1772. 
 
 I  hope  the  Lord  has  contracted  my  desires  and  aims 
 almost  to  the  one  point  of  study,  the  knowledge  of  his 
 truth.  All  other  acquisitions  are  transient,  and  compa- 
 ratively vain.  And  yet,  alas!  I  am  a  slow  scholar;  nor 
 can  I  see  in  what  respect  I  get  forward,  unless  that  every 
 day  I  am  more  confirmed  in  the  conviction  of  my  own 
 emptiness  and  inability  to  all  spiritual  good.  And  as, 
 notwithstanding  this,  I  am  still  enabled  to  stand  my 
 
364 
 
 CARDIPHONIA 
 
 grounrl,  I  would  hope,  since  no  effect  can  be  without  an 
 adequate  cause,  that  I  have  made  some  advance,  though 
 in  a  manner  imperceptible  to  myself,  towards  a  more 
 simple  dependence  upon  Jesus  as  my  all  in  all.    It  is 
 given  me  to  thirst  and  to  taste,  if  it  is  not  given  me  to 
 drink  abundantly ;  and  I  would  be  thankful  for  the  de- 
 sire.   I  see  and  approve  the  wisdom,  grace,  suitableness, 
 and  sufficiency  of  the  gospel  salvation;  and  since  it  is 
 for  sinners,  and  I  am  a  sinner,  and  the  promises  are  open, 
 I  do  not  hesitate  to  call  it  mine.    I  am  a  weary,  laden 
 soul;  Jesus  has  invited  me  to  come,  and  has  enabled  me 
 to  put  my  trust  in  him.   I  seldom  have  an  uneasy  doubt, 
 at  least  not  of  any  contiiuiance,  respecting  my  pardou, 
 acceptance,  and  interest  in  all  the  blessings  of  the  New 
 Testament.     And,  amidst  a  thousand  infirmities  and 
 evils  under  which  I  groan,  I  have  the  testimony  of  my 
 conscience  when  under  the  trial  of  his  word,  that  my  de- 
 sire is  sincerely  towards  him,  that  I  choose  no  other 
 portion,  that  I  allowedly  serve  no  other  master.  When 
 1  told  our  friend  lately  to  this  purpose,  he  wonder- 
 ed, and  asked,  "  How  is  it  possible  that  if  you  can  see 
 these  things,  you  should  not  be  always  rejoicing?"  Un- 
 doubtedly I  derive  from  the  gospel  a  peace  at  bottom 
 which  is  worth  more  than  a  thousand  worlds:  but  so  it 
 is,  I  can  only  speak  for  myself,  though  I  rest  and  live 
 upon  the  truths  of  the  gospel,  they  seldom  impress  me 
 with  a  warm  and  lively  joy.    In  public,  indeed,  I  some- 
 times seem  in  earnest  and  much  affected,  but  even  then 
 it  appears  to  me  rather  as  a  part  of  the  gift  entrusted  to 
 me  for  the  edification  of  others,  than  as  a  sensation  which 
 is  properly  my  own.    For  when  I  am  in  private,  I  am 
 usually  dull  and  stupid  to  a  strange  degree,  or  the  prey 
 to  a  wild  and  ungoverned  imagination;  so  that  I  may 
 truly  say,  when  I  would  do  good,  evil,  horrid  evil,  is 
 present  with  nie.    Ah!  how  different  is  this  from  sensi- 
 ble comfort!  and  if  I  was  to  compare  myself  to  others, 
 to  make  their  experience  my  standard,  and  was  not 
 helped  to  retreat  to  the  sure  word  of  God  as  my  refuge, 
 how  hard  should  I  find  it  to  maintain  a  hope  that  I  had 
 either  part  or  lot  in  the  matter !    "What  I  call  my  good 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR  B  .  365 
 
 times  are,  when  I  can  find  my  attention  in  some  little 
 measure  fixed  to  wliat  1  am  about,  which  indeed  is  not 
 always  nor  frequently  my  case  in  prayer,  and  still  seldom- 
 er  in  reading  the  scripture.  My  judgment  embraces 
 these  means  as  blessed  privileges,  and  Satan  has  not  pre- 
 vailed to  drive  me  from  them;  but  in  the  performance,  I 
 too  often  find  them  tasks,  feel  a  reluctance  when  the  sea- 
 sons return,  and  ana  glad  wlien  they  are  finished.  O 
 what  a  mystery  is  the  heart  of  man!  What  a  warfare  is 
 the  life  of  faith !  (at  least  in  the  path  the  Lord  is  pleased 
 to  lead  me.)  What  reason  have  I  to  lie  in  tlie  dust  as 
 the  chief  of  sinners!  and  what  cause  for  thankfulness 
 that  salvation  is  wiiolly  of  grace!  Notwithstanding  all 
 my  complaints,  it  is  still  true  that  Jesus  died  and  rose 
 again,  that  he  ever  liveth  to  make  intercession,  and  is 
 able  to  save  to  the  uttermost.  But,  on  the  other  hand, 
 to  think  of  that  joy  of  heart  in  which  some  of  his  people 
 live,  and  to  compare  it  witli  tliat  apparent  deadness  and 
 want  of  spirituality  which  I  feel,  this  makes  me  mourn. 
 However,  I  think  there  is  a  scriptural  distinction  between 
 tkith  and  feeling,  grace  and  comfort;  they  are  not  inse- 
 parable, and  perhaps  when  together,  the  degree  of  the 
 one  is  not  often  the  just  measure  of  the  other.  But 
 though  I  pray  that  I  may  be  ever  longing  and  panting 
 for  the  light  of  his  countenance,  yet  I  would  be  so  far 
 satisfied,  as  to  believe  the  Lord  has  wise  and  merciful 
 reasons  for  keeping  me  so  short  of  the  comforts  whicli  he 
 has  taught  me  to  desire  and  value  more  than  the  light  of 
 the  sun. 
 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
NINE  LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR  K- 
 
 LETTER  L 
 
 Dear  Sir,  January  16,  1772. 
 
 It  is  true  I  was  apprehensive,  from  your  silence,  that  I 
 had  offended  you;  but  when  your  letter  came,  it  made 
 me  full  amends:  and  now  I  am  glad  I  wrote  as  I  did, 
 though  I  am  persuaded  I  shall  never  write  to  you  again 
 in  the  same  strain.  I  am  pleased  with  the  spirit  you 
 discover ;  and  your  bearing  so  well  to  be  told  of  the  mis- 
 takes I  pointed  out  to  you,  endears  you  more  to  me  than 
 if  you  had  not  made  them.  Henceforward  I  can  con- 
 verse freely  with  you,  and  shall  be  glad  when  I  have  the 
 opportunitj% 
 
 As  to  your  view  of  justification,  I  did  not  oppose  it; 
 I  judge  for  mj'self,  and  I  am  willing  others  should  have 
 the  same  liberty.  If  we  hold  the  head,  and  love  the 
 Lord,  we  agree  in  him,  and  I  should  think  my  time  ill 
 employed  in  disputing  the  point  with  you.  I  only  meant 
 to  except  against  the  positive  manner  in  which  you  had 
 expressed  yourself.  My  end  is  answered  and  I  am  sa- 
 tisfied. Indeed  I  believe  the  difference  between  a  judi- 
 cious Supra-lapsarian,  and  a  sound  Sub-lapsarian,  lies 
 more  in  a  different  way  of  expressing  their  sentiments 
 than  is  generally  thought.  At  the  close  of  Halyburton's 
 Insufficiency  of  Natural  Religion,  he  has  an  Inquiry  into 
 the  Nature  of  Regeneration  and  Justification,  wherein 
 he  proposes  a  scheme,  in  which,  if  I  mistake  not,  the 
 moderate  of  both  parties  might  safely  unite.  I  have 
 used  the  epithets  judicious  and  soimd,  because,  as  I  ac- 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR  R- 
 
 367 
 
 knowledge  some  of  the  one  side  are  not  quite  sound,  so 
 I  think  some  on  the  other  side  are  not  so  judiciovs  as  I 
 could  wish;  that  is,  I  think  they  do  not  sufficiently  ad- 
 vert to  the  present  state  of  human  nature,  and  the  danger 
 which  may  arise  from  leading  those  who  are  weak  in 
 faith  and  judgment,  into  enquiries  and  distinctions  evi- 
 dently beyond  the  line  of  their  experience,  and  which 
 may  be  hurtful ;  because,  admitting  them  to  be  true  when 
 properly  explained,  they  are  very  liable  to  be  misunder- 
 stood. To  say  nothing  of  Mr  Hussey  (in  whose  provi- 
 sions I  have  frequently  found  more  bones  than  meat,  and 
 seasoned  with  much  of  an  angry  and  self-important 
 spirit),  I  have  observed  passages  in  other  writers,  for 
 whom  I  have  a  higher  esteem,  which,  to  say  the  least, 
 appear  to  me  paradoxical,  and  hard  to  be  understood; 
 though  perhaps  I  can  give  my  consent  to  them,  if  I  had 
 such  restrictions  and  limitations  as  the  authors  would  not 
 refuse.  But  plain  people  are  easily  puzzled.  And  though 
 I  know  several  in  the  Supra-lapsarian  scheme,  at  whose 
 feet  I  am  willing  to  sit  and  learn,  and  have  found  their 
 preaching  and  conversation  savoury  and  edifying,  yet  I 
 must  say  I  have  met  with  many  who  have  appeared  to 
 be  rather  wise  than  warm,  rather  positive  than  humble, 
 rather  captious  than  lively,  and  more  disposed  to  talk  of 
 speculations  than  experience.  However,  let  us  give  our- 
 selves to  the  study  of  the  word,  and  to  prayer;  and  may 
 the  great  Teacher  make  every  scriptural  truth  food  to 
 our  souls.  I  desire  to  grow  in  knowledge,  but  I  want 
 nothing  which  bears  that  name,  that  has  not  a  direct 
 tendency  to  make  sin  more  hateful,  Jesus  more  precious 
 to  my  soul;  and  at  the  same  time  to  animate  me  to  a 
 diligent  use  of  every  appointed  means,  and  an  unre- 
 served regard  to  every  branch  of  duty.  I  think  the  Lord 
 has  shown  me  in  a  measure,  there  is  a  consistent  sense 
 running  through  the  whole  scripture,  and  I  desire  to  be 
 governed  and  influenced  by  it  all :  doctrines,  precepts, 
 promises,  warnings,  all  have  their  proper  place  and  use: 
 and  I  think  many  of  the  inconveniences  which  obtain  in 
 the  present  day  spring  from  separating  those  things 
 which  God  hath  joined  together,  and  insisting  on  some 
 
368 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 parts  of  the  word  of  God,  almost  to  the  exclusion  of  the 
 rest. 
 
 I  have  filled  my  paper  -with  what  I  did  not  intend  to 
 say  a  word  of  when  I  began,  and  I  must  leave  other 
 things  which  were  more  upon  my  mind  for  another  sea- 
 son. I  thank  you  for  saying  you  pray  for  me.  Continue 
 that  kindness;  I  both  need  it  and  prize  it. 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  II. 
 
 Dear  Sir,  July  31,  1773. 
 
 I  RECEIVED  your  sorrowful  epistle  j'esterdaj',  and  in  order 
 to  encourage  yo\x  to  write,  I  answer  it  to-day. 
 
 The  ship  was  safe  when  Christ  was  in  her,  though  he 
 was  really  asleep.  At  present  I  can  tell  you  good  news, 
 though  you  know  it;  he  is  wide  awake,  and  his  eyes  are 
 in  every  place.  You  and  I,  if  we  could  be  pounded  to- 
 gether, might  perhaps  make  two  tolerable  ones.  You 
 are  too  anxious,  and  I  am  too  easy  in  some  respects. 
 Indeed  I  cannot  be  too  easy,  when  I  have  a  right  thought 
 that  all  is  safe  in  his  hands ;  but  if  j'our  anxiety  makes 
 you  pray,  and  my  composure  makes  me  careless,  you 
 have  certainly  the  best  of  it.  However,  the  ark  is  fixed 
 upon  an  immoveable  foundation ;  and  if  we  think  we  see 
 it  totter,  it  is  owing  to  a  swimming  in  our  heads.  Se- 
 riously, the  times  look  dark  and  stormy,  and  call  for 
 much  circumspection  and  prayer;  but  let  us  not  forget 
 tliat  we  have  an  infallible  pilot,  and  that  the  power,  and 
 wisdom,  and  honour  of  God,  are  embarked  with  us.  At 
 Venice  they  have  a  fine  vessel,  called  the  Bucentaur,  in 
 which,  on  a  certain  day  of  the  year,  the  Doge  and  nobles 
 embark,  and  go  a  little  way  to  sea,  to  repeat  the  foolish 
 ceremony  of  marriage  between  the  Republic  and  the 
 Adriatic  (in  consequence  of  some  lying,  antiquated 
 Pope's  bull,  by  which  the  banns  of  matrimony  between 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR  R- 
 
 369 
 
 Venice  and  the  Gulf  were  published  in  the  dark  ages), 
 when  they  say  a  gold  ring  is  very  gravely  thrown  over- 
 board. Upon  this  occasion,  I  have  been  told,  when  the 
 honour  and  government  of  Venice  are  shipped  on  board 
 the  Bucentaur,  the  pilot  is  obliged  by  his  office  to  take 
 an  oath  that  he  will  bring  the  vessel  safely  back  again, 
 in  defiance  of  wind  and  tceather.  Vain  mortals!  If 
 this  be  true,  what  an  instance  of  God's  long-suffering  is. 
 it,  that  they  have  never  yet  sunk  as  lead  in  the  mighty 
 waters!  But  my  story  will  probably  remind  you  that 
 Jesus  has  actually  entered  into  such  an  engagement  in 
 behalf  of  his  church.  And  well  he  may,  for  both  wind 
 and  weather  are  at  his  command ;  and  he  can  turn  the 
 storm  into  a  calm  in  a  moment.  We  may  therefore  safely 
 and  confidently  leave  the  government  upon  his  shoulders. 
 Duty  is  our  part,  the  care  is  his. 
 
 A  revival  is  wanted  with  us  as  well  as  with  you,  and 
 I  trust  some  of  us  are  longing  for  it.  We  are  praying 
 and  singing  for  one ;  and  I  send  you,  on  the  other  side, 
 a  hymn,  that  you  (if  you  like  it)  may  sing  with  us.  Let 
 us  take  courage;  though  it  may  seem  marvellous  in  our 
 eyes,  it  is  not  so  in  the  Lord's.  He  changed  the  desert 
 into  a  fruitful  field,  and  bid  dry  bones  live.  And  if  he 
 prepare  our  heart  to  pray,  he  will  surely  incline  his  ear 
 to  hear. 
 
 The  miscarriages  of  professors  are  giievous;  yet  such 
 things  must  be;  how  else  could  the  scriptures  be  fulfill- 
 ed? But  there  is  one  who  is  able  to  keep  us  from  fall- 
 ing. Some  who  have  distressed  us,  perhaps  never  were 
 truly  changed;  how  then  could  they  stand?  We  see 
 only  the  outside.  Others  who  arc  sincere  are  permitted 
 to  fall  for  our  instruction,  that  we  may  not  be  high- 
 minded,  but  fear.  However,  he  that  walketh  humbly 
 walketh  surely. 
 
 Believe  me,  &c. 
 
370 
 
 CARDIPHONU. 
 
 LETTER  III. 
 
 Dear  Sir,  February  22,  1774. 
 
 Your  letter  by  last  post  surprised  and  grieved  me.  We 
 knew  notliing  of  the  subject,  though  Mrs  remem- 
 bers when  was  here,  a  hint  or  two  were  dropped 
 
 which  she  did  not  understand;  but  no  name  was  men- 
 tioned. 
 
 This  instance  shows  the  danger  of"  leaning  to  impres- 
 sions. Texts  of  scripture,  brought  powerfully  to  the 
 heart,  are  very  desirable  and  pleasant,  if  their  tendency 
 is  to  humble  us,  to  give  us  a  more  feeling  sense  of  the 
 preciousness  of  Christ,  or  of  the  doctrines  of  grace;  if 
 they  make  sin  more  hateful,  enliven  our  regard  to  the 
 means,  or  increase  our  confidence  in  the  power  and  faith- 
 fulness of  God.  But  if  they  are  understood  as  intimat- 
 ing our  path  of  duty  in  particular  circumstances,  or 
 confirming  us  in  purposes  we  may  have  already  formed, 
 not  otherwise  clearly  warranted  by  the  general  strain  of 
 the  word,  or  by  the  leadings  of  Providence,  they  are  for 
 the  most  part  ensnaring,  and  always  to  be  suspected. 
 Nor  does  their  coming  into  the  mind  at  the  time  of 
 prayer  give  them  more  authority  in  this  respect.  When 
 the  mind  is  intent  upon  any  subject,  the  imagination  is 
 often  watchful  to  catch  at  any  thing  which  may  seem  to 
 countenance  the  favourite  pursuit.  It  is  too  common  to 
 ask  counsel  of  the  Lord  when  we  have  already  secretly 
 determined  for  ourselves;  and  in  this  disposition  we  may 
 easily  be  deceived  by  the  sound  of  a  text  of  scripture, 
 which,  detached  from  the  passage  in  which  it  stands, 
 may  seem  remarkably  to  tally  with  our  wishes.  Many 
 have  been  deceived  this  way;  and  sometimes,  when  the 
 event  has  shown  them  they  were  mistaken,  it  has  opened 
 a  door  for  great  distress,  and  Satan  has  found  occasion 
 to  make  them  doubt  even  of  their  most  solid  experi- 
 ences. 
 
 I  ha\  e  sometimes  talked  to  upon  this  subject, 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR  R- 
 
 371 
 
 though  without  the  least  suspicion  of  any  thing  like  what 
 has  happened.  As  to  the  present  case,  it  may  remind  us 
 all  of  our  weakness.  I  would  recommend  prayer,  patience, 
 much  tenderness  towards  her,  joined  with  frnthful  expos- 
 tulation. Wait  a  little  while,  and  I  trust  the  Lord  who 
 loves  her  will  break  the  snare.  I  am  persuaded,  in  her 
 better  judgment,  she  would  dread  the  thoughts  of  doing 
 wrong;  and  I  hope  and  believe  the  good  Shepherd,  to 
 whom  she  has  often  committed  her  soul  and  her  ways, 
 will  interpose  to  restore  and  set  her  to  rights.       *  * 
 
 sorry  you  think  any  of  whom  you  have  hoped  well  are 
 going  back;  but  be  not  discouraged.  I  say  again,  pray 
 and  wait,  and  hope  the  best.  It  is  common  for  young 
 professors  to  have  a  slack  time;  it  is  almost  necessary, 
 that  they  may  be  more  sensible  of  the  weakness  and  de- 
 ceitfulness  of  their  hearts,  and  be  more  humbled  in  fu- 
 ture, when  the  Lord  shall  have  healed  their  breaches,  and 
 restored  their  souls.  We  join  in  love  to  you  and  yours. 
 Pray  for  us. 
 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  IV. 
 
 Dear  Sir,  February  3,  1775. 
 
 It  would  be  \vrong  to  make  you  wait  long  for  an  answer 
 to  the  point  you  propose  in  your  last.  It  is  an  impor- 
 tant one.  I  am  not  a  casuist  by  profession,  but  I  will  do 
 my  best.  Suppose  I  imitate  your  laconic  manner  of  stat- 
 ing the  question  and  circumstances. 
 
 I  doubt  not  but  it  is  very  lawful  at  your  age  to  think 
 of  marriage,  and,  in  the  situation  you  describe,  to  think 
 of  money  likewise.  I  am  glad  you  have  no  person,  as 
 you  say,  fixedly  in  view;  in  that  case  advice  comes  a 
 post  or  two  too  late.    But  your  expression  seems  to  in- 
 
372 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 timate  that  there  is  one  transiently  in  view.  If  it  be  so, 
 since  you  have  no  settlement,  if  she  has  no  money,  I 
 cannot  but  wish  she  may  pass  on  till  she  is  out  of  sight 
 and  out  of  mind.  I  see  this  will  not  do;  I  must  get  into 
 my  own  grave  way  about  this  grave  business.  I  take  it 
 for  granted,  that  niy  friend  is  free  from  the  love  of  filthy 
 lucre;  and  that  money  will  never  be  the  turning  point 
 with  you  in  the  choice  of  a  wife.  Methinks  I  hear  j'ou 
 say,  if  I  wanted  money,  I  would  either  dig  or  beg  for 
 it;  but  to  preach  or  marry  for  money,  that  be  far  from 
 me.  I  commend  you.  However,  though  the  love  of 
 money  be  a  great  evil,  money  itself,  obtained  in  a  fair 
 and  honourable  way,  is  desirable  upon  many  accounts, 
 though  not  for  its  own  sake.  Meat,  clothes,  fire,  and 
 books,  cannot  easily  be  had  without  it;  therefore,  if  these 
 be  necessary,  money,  which  procures  them,  must  be  a 
 necessary  likewise.  If  things  were  otherwise  than  you 
 represent  them,  if  you  were  able  to  provide  for  a  wife 
 yourself,  then  I  would  say,  Find  a  gracious  girl  (if  she 
 be  not  found  already),  whose  person  you  like,  whose 
 temper,  you  think,  will  suit;  and  then,  M'ith  your  father 
 and  mother's  consent  (without  which  I  think  you  would 
 be  unwilling  to  move),  thank  the  Lord  for  her,  marry 
 her,  and  account  her  a  valuable  portion,  though  she 
 should  not  have  a  shilling.  But,  while  you  are  without 
 income  or  settlement,  if  you  have  thoughts  of  marriage, 
 I  hope  they  will  be  regulated  by  a  due  regard  to  con- 
 sequences. They  who  set  the  least  value  upon  money, 
 have  in  some  respects  the  most  need  of  it.  A  generous 
 mind  will  feel  a  thousand  pangs  in  strait  circumstances, 
 which  some  unfeeling  hearts  would  not  be  sensible  of. 
 You  coidd  perhaps  endure  hardships  alone,  yet  it  might 
 pinch  you  to  the  very  bone  to  see  the  person  you  love 
 exposed  to  them.  Besides,  you  might  have  a  John,  a 
 Thomas,  and  a  William,  and  half  a  dozen  more  to  feed  (for 
 they  must  all  eat) ;  and  how  this  could  be  done  without 
 a  competency  on  one  side  or  the  other,  or  so  much  on 
 both  sides  as  will  make  a  competency  when  united,  I  see 
 not.  Besides,  you  would  be  grieved  not  to  find  an  oc- 
 casional shilling  in  your  pocket  to  bestow  upon  one  or 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR  R  .  373 
 
 other  of  the  Lord's  poor,  thougli  you  should  be  able  to 
 make  some  sort  of"  a  shift  for  those  of  your  ovvn  house. 
 
 But  is  it  not  written,  "  The  Lord  will  provide?"  It 
 is:  but  it  is  written  again,  "  Thou  shalt  not  tempt  the 
 Lord  thy  God."  Hastily  to  plunge  ourselves  into  dif- 
 ficulties, upon  a  persuasion  that  he  will  find  some  way 
 to  extricate  us,  seems  to  me  a  species  of  tempting  him. 
 
 Therefore  I  judge.  It  is  so  Jar  lairful  for  you  to  have 
 a  regard  to  money  in  looking  out  for  a  wife,  that  it  would 
 be  wrong,  that  is,  in  other  words,  iinlauful,  for  you  to 
 omit  it,  supposing  you  have  a  purpose  of  marrying  in 
 your  present  situation. 
 
 Many  serious  young  women  have  a  predilection  in  fa- 
 vour of  a  minister  of  the  gospel;  and  I  believe  among 
 such  one  or  more  may  be  found  as  spiritual,  as  amiable, 
 as  suitable  to  make  you  a  good  wife,  with  a  tolerable 
 fortune  to  boot,  as  another  who  has  not  a  penny.  If 
 you  are  not  willing  to  trust  your  own  judgment  in  the 
 search,  entreat  the  Lord  to  find  her  for  you.  He  chose 
 well  for  Isaac  and  Jacob:  and  you,  as  a  believer,  have 
 warrant  to  commit  your  way  to  him,  and  many  more 
 express  promises  than  they  had  for  your  encouragement. 
 He  knows  your  state,  your  wants,  what  you  are  at  pre- 
 sent, and  what  use  he  designs  to  make  of  you.  Trust  in 
 him,  and  wait  for  him:  prayer,  and  faith,  and  patience, 
 are  never  disappointed.  I  commend  you  to  his  blessing 
 and  guidance.  Remember  us  to  all  in  your  house. 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  V. 
 
 Dear  Sir,  May  28,  1775. 
 
 »**»*»*** 
 
 *  *  *  *  You  must  not  expect  a  long  let- 
 ter this  morning;  we  are  just  going  to  court,  in  hopes  of 
 seeing  the  King,  for  he  has  promised  to  meet  us.  We 
 
 M  2 
 
374 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 can  say  he  is  mindful  of  his  promise;  and  yet  is  it  not 
 strange,  that  though  we  are  all  in  the  same  place,  and  the 
 King  in  the  midst  of  us,  it  is  but  here  and  there  one  (even 
 of  those  who  love  him)  can  see  him  at  once !  However,  in 
 our  turns  we  are  all  favoured  with  a  glimpse  of  him,  and 
 have  had  cause  to  say,  How  great  is  his  goodness!  How 
 great  is  his  beaut j'!  We  have  the  advantage  of  the 
 Queen  of  Sheba,  a  more  glorious  object  to  behold,  and 
 not  so  far  to  go  for  the  sight  of  it.  If  a  transient  glance 
 exceeds  all  that  the  world  can  afford  for  a  long  continu- 
 ance, what  must  it  be  to  dwell  with  liim!  If  a  day  in 
 his  courts  be  better  than  a  tiiousand,  what  will  eternity 
 be  in  his  presence!  I  hope  the  more  you  see,  the  more 
 you  love;  the  more  you  drinli,  the  more  j-ou  thirst;  the 
 more  you  do  for  him,  the  more  you  are  ashamed  you  can 
 do  so  little;  and  that  the  nearer  you  approach  to  your 
 journey's  end,  the  more  your  pace  is  quickened.  Surely, 
 the  power  of  spiritual  attraction  sliould  increase  as  the 
 distance  lessens.  O  that  heavenly  loadstone!  may  it  so 
 draw  us,  that  we  may  not  creep,  but  run  In  common 
 travelling,  the  strongest  become  weary  if  the  journey  be 
 very  long;  but  in  the  spiritual  journey,  we  ai'e  encou- 
 raged with  a  hope  of  going  on  from  strength  to  strength. 
 Instaurabit  iter  vires,  as  Jolinson  expresses  it.  No  road 
 but  the  road  to  heaven  can  thus  communicate  refresh- 
 ment to  those  who  walk  in  it,  and  make  them  more  fresh 
 and  lively  when  they  are  just  finishing  their  course  than 
 when  they  first  set  out. 
 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  Vr. 
 
 Dear  Sir,  April  18,  1776. 
 
 Are  you  sick,  or  lame  of  your  right  hand,  or  are  you 
 busy  in  preparing  a  folio  for  the  press,  that  I  hear  no- 
 thing from  you?    You  see  by  the  excuses  I  would  con- 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR  R- 
 
 375 
 
 trive  I  am  not  willing  to  suppose  you  have  forgotten  me, 
 but  that  your  silence  is  rather  owing  to  a  cannot  than  a 
 1^727/  not. 
 
 I  hope  your  soul  prospers.  I  do  not  ask  you,  if  you 
 are  always  filled  with  sensible  comfort:  but  do  you  find 
 your  spirit  more  bowed  down  to  the  feet  and  will  of 
 Jesus,  so  as  to  be  willing  to  serve  him  for  the  sake  of 
 serving  him,  and  to  follow  him,  as  we  say,  through  thick 
 and  thin ;  to  be  willing  to  be  any  thing  or  nothing,  so  that 
 he  may  be  glorified?  I  could  give  you  plenty  of  good 
 advice  upon  this  head ;  but  I  am  ashamed  to  do  it  be- 
 cause I  so  poorly  follow  it  myself.  I  want  to  live  with 
 him  by  the  day,  to  do  all  for  him,  to  receive  all  from 
 him,  to  possess  all  in  him,  to  leave  all  to  him,  to  make 
 him  my  hiding-place  and  my  resting  place.  I  want  to 
 deliver  up  that  rebel  self  to  him  in  chains;  but  the  rogue, 
 like  Proteus,  puts  on  so  many  forms,  that  he  slips 
 through  my  fingers:  but  I  think  I  know  what  I  would 
 do  if  I  could  fairly  catch  him. 
 
 My  soul  is  like  a  besieged  city:  a  legion  of  enemies 
 without  the  gates,  and  a  nest  of  restless  traitors  within, 
 that  hold  a  correspondence  with  them  without ;  so  that  I 
 am  deceived  and  counteracted  continually.  It  is  a  mercy 
 that  I  have  not  been  surprised  and  overwhelmed  long 
 ago:  without  help  from  on  high,  it  would  soon  be  over 
 with  me.  How  often  have  I  been  forced  to  cry  out,  O 
 God!  the  heathen  are  got  into  thine  inheritance:  thy 
 holy  temple  have  they  defiled,  and  defaced  all  thy  work! 
 Indeed  it  is  a  miracle  that  I  still  hold  out.  I  trust,  how- 
 ever, I  shall  be  supported  to  the  end,  and  that  my  Lord 
 will  at  length  raise  the  siege,  and  cause  me  to  shout  de- 
 liverance and  victory. 
 
 Pray  for  me,  that  my  walls  may  be  strengthened,  and 
 wounds  healed.  We  are  all  pretty  well  as  to  the  outward 
 man,  and  join  in  love  to  all  friends. 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
376 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 LETTER  VII. 
 
 Dear  Sir,  July  6,  1776. 
 
 I  WAS  abroad  when  your  letter  came,  but  employ  the  first 
 post  to  thank  you  for  your  confidence.  My  prayers 
 (when  I  can  pray)  you  may  be  sure  of:  as  to  advice,  I 
 see  not  that  the  case  requires  much.  Only  be  a  quiet 
 child,  and  lie  patiently  at  the  Lord's  feet.  He  is  the 
 best  friend  and  manager  in  these  matters,  for  he  has  a 
 key  to  open  every  heart.  ***** 
 
 ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^ 
 
 *        *        *         I  should  not  have  taken  Mr  Z  's 
 
 letter  for  a  denial,  as  it  seems  you  did.  Considering  the 
 years  of  the  parties,  and  other  circumstances,  a  prudent 
 parent  could  hardly  say  more,  if  he  were  inclined  to  fa- 
 vour j'our  views.  To  me  you  seem  to  be  in  a  tolerable 
 fair  way :  but  I  know,  in  affairs  of  this  kind,  Mr  Self 
 does  not  like  suspense,  but  would  willingly  come  to  the 
 point  at  once:  but  Mr  Faith  (when  he  gets  liberty  to 
 hold  up  his  head)  will  own,  that  in  order  to  make  our 
 temporal  mercies  wear  well,  and  to  give  us  a  clearer  sense 
 of  the  liand  that  bestows  them,  a  waiting  and  a  praying 
 time  are  very  seasonable.  Worldly  people  expect  their 
 schemes  to  run  upon  all-fours,  as  we  say,  and  the  objects 
 of  their  wishes  to  drop  into  their  mouths  without  diffi- 
 culty; and  if  they  succeed,  they  of  course  burn  incense 
 to  tlieir  own  drag,  and  say.  This  was  my  doing:  but  be- 
 lievers meet  with  rubs  and  disappointments,  which  con- 
 vince them,  that  if  they  obtain  any  thing,  it  is  the  Lord 
 nuist  do  it  for  them.  For  this  reason  1  observe  that  he 
 usually  brings  a  death  upon  our  prospects,  even  when  it 
 is  his  purpose  to  give  us  success  in  the  issue.  Thus  we 
 become  move  assured  that  we  did  not  act  in  our  own 
 spirits,  and  have  a  more  satisfactory  view  that  his  provi- 
 dence has  been  concerned  in  filling  up  the  rivers  and  re- 
 moving the  mountains  that  were  in  our  way.  Then, 
 when  he  has  given  us  our  desire,  how  pleasant  is  it  to 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR  R   377 
 
 look  at  it,  and  say,  This  I  got  not  by  my  own  sword,  and 
 my  own  bow,  bul  I  wrestled  for  it  in  prayer,  I  waited 
 for  it  in  faith,  I  put  it  into  the  Lord's  hand,  and  from  his 
 hand  I  received  it. 
 
 You  have  met  with  the  story  of  one  of  our  kings  (if 
 I  mistake  not)  who  wanted  to  send  a  nobleman  abroad 
 as  his  ambassador,  and  he  desired  to  be  excused  on  ac- 
 count of  some  affairs  which  required  his  presence  at 
 home:  the  king  answered,  "  Do  you  take  care  of  my 
 business,  and  I  will  take  care  of  yours."  I  would  have 
 you  think  the  Lord  says  thus  to  you.  You  were  sent 
 into  the  Morld  for  a  nobler  end  than  to  be  pinned  to  a 
 girl's  apron-string;  and  j"et,  if  the  Lord  sees  it  not  good 
 for  you  to  be  alone,  he  will  provide  you  a  help  meet.  I 
 say,  if  he  sees  the  marriage  state  best  for  you,  he  has  the 
 proper  person  already  in  his  eye,  and  though  she  were 
 in  Peru  or  Nova  Zembla,  he  knows  how  to  bring  you 
 together.  In  the  mean  time,  go  thou  and  preach  the  gos- 
 pel. Watch  in  all  things;  endure  afHictions;  do  the 
 work  of  an  Evangelist;  make  full  proof  of  your  ministry : 
 and  when  other  thoughts  rise  in  your  mind  (for  you  have 
 no  door  to  shut  them  quite  out),  run  with  them  to  the 
 throne  of  grace,  and  commit  them  to  the  Lord.  Satan 
 will  perhaps  try  to  force  them  upon  you  unseasonably 
 and  inordinately;  but  if  he  sees  they  drive  you  to  prayer, 
 he  will  probably  desist,  rather  than  be  the  occasion  of 
 doing  you  so  much  good.  Believe,  likewise,  that  as  the 
 Lord  has  the  appointment  of  the  person,  so  he  fixes  the 
 time.  His  time  is  like  the  time  of  the  tide:  all  the  art 
 and  power  of  man  can  neither  hasten  or  retard  it  a  mo- 
 ment: it  must  be  waited  for:  nothing  can  be  done  with- 
 out it,  and  when  it  comes,  nothing  can  resist  it.  It  is 
 unbelief  that  talks  of  delays:  faith  knows  that  properly 
 there  can  be  no  such  thing.  Tlie  only  reason  why  the 
 Lord  seems  to  delay  what  he  afterwards  grants,  is,  that 
 the  best  hour  is  not  yet  come.  I  know  you  Jiave  been  en- 
 abled to  commit  and  resign  your  all  to  his  disposal.  You 
 did  well.  May  he  help  you  to  stand  to  the  surrender. 
 Sometimes  he  will  put  us  to  the  trial,  whether  we  mean 
 what  we  say.    He  takes  his  course  in  a  way  we  did  not 
 
378  CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 I 
 
 expect;  and  then,  alas!  how  often  does  the  trial  put  us 
 to  shame!  Presently  there  is  an  outcry  raised  in  the 
 soul  against  his  management:  this  is  wrong,  that  unne- 
 cessary, the  other  has  spoiled  the  whole  plan:  in  short, 
 all  these  things  are  against  us.  And  then  we  go  into 
 the  pulpit,  and  gravely  tell  the  people  how  wise  and 
 how  good  he  is,  and  preach  submission  to  his  will,  not 
 only  as  a  duty,  but  a  privilege!  Alas!  how  deceitful  is 
 the  heart!  Yet,  since  it  is,  and  will  be  so,  it  is  neces- 
 sary we  should  know  it  by  experience.  We  have  rea- 
 son, however,  to  say.  He  is  good  and  wise;  for  he  bears 
 with  our  perverseness,  and  in  the  event  shows  us,  that  if 
 he  had  listened  to  our  murmurings,  and  taken  the  me- 
 thods we  would  have  prescribed  to  him,  we  should  have 
 been  ruined  indeed,  and  that  he  has  been  all  the  while 
 doing  us  good  in  spite  of  ourselves. 
 
 If  I  judge  right,  you  will  find  your  way  providentially 
 opened  more  and  more:  and  yet  it  is  possible,  that  when 
 you  begin  to  think  yourself  sure,  something  may  happen 
 to  put  you  in  a  panic  again.  But  a  believer,  like  a  sailor, 
 is  not  to  be  surprised  if  the  wind  changes,  but  to  learn 
 the  art  of  suiting  himself  to  all  winds  for  the  time:  and 
 though  many  a  poor  sailor  is  shipwrecked,  the  poor  be- 
 liever shall  gain  his  port.  O  it  is  good  sailing  with  an 
 infallible  pilot  at  the  helm,  who  has  the  wind  and  weather 
 at  his  command ! 
 
 I  have  been  much  abroad,  which,  of  course,  puts  things 
 at  sixes  and  sevens  at  home.  If  I  did  not  love  you  well, 
 I  could  not  have  spared  so  much  of  the  only  day  I  have 
 had  to  mj'self  for  this  fortnight  past.  But  I  was  willing 
 you  should  know  that  I  think  of  you,  and  feel  for  you,  if 
 I  cannot  help  you. 
 
 I  have  read  Mr  's  book.    Some  things  I  think 
 
 strongly  argued:  in  some  he  has  laid  himself  open  to  a 
 blow,  and  I  doubt  not  but  he  will  have  it.  I  expect  an- 
 swers, replies,  rejoinders,  &c.  &c.,  and  say,  with  Leah, 
 Gad,  a  trocrp  cometh.  How  the  wolf  will  grin  to  see 
 the  sheep  and  the  shepherds  biting  and  worrying  one 
 another!  and  well  he  may.  He  knows  that  contentions 
 axe  a  surer  way  to  weaken  the  spirit  of  love,  and  stop 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR   379 
 
 the  progress  of  the  gospel,  than  his  old  stale  method  of 
 fire  and  sword.  Weil,  I  trust  we  shall  be  of  one  heart 
 and  one  mind  when  we  get  to  heaven  at  least. 
 
 Let  who  will  fight,  I  trust  neither  water  nor  fire  shall 
 set  you  and  me  at  variance.    We  unite  in  love  to  you. 
 The  Lord  is  gracious  to  us,  &c. 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  VIIL 
 
 Dear  Sir,    1776. 
 
 I  DO  not  often  serve  your  letters  so,  but  this  last  I  burnt, 
 believing  you  would  like  to  have  it  out  of  danger  of  fall- 
 ing into  improper  hands.  When  I  saw  how  eagerly  the 
 fiames  devoured  the  paper,  how  quickly  and  entirely 
 every  trace  of  the  writing  was  consumed,  I  wished  that 
 the  fire  of  the  love  of  Jesus  might  as  completely  oblite- 
 rate from  your  heart  every  uneasy  impression  which  your 
 disappointment  has  given  you. 
 
 ******* 
 *  ****** 
 
 Surely  when  he  crosses  our  wishes,  it  is  always  in  mercy, 
 and  because  we  short-sighted  creatures  often  know  not 
 what  we  ask,  nor  what  would  be  the  consequences  if  our 
 desires  were  granted. 
 
 Your  pride,  it  seems,  has  received  a  fall,  by  meeting 
 a  repulse.  I  know  Self  does  not  like  to  be  mortified  in 
 these  affairs;  but  if  you  are  made  successful  in  wooing 
 souls  for  Christ,  I  hope  that  will  console  you  for  meeting 
 a  rebuff'  when  only  wooing  for  yourself.  Besides,  I 
 ■would  have  you  pluck  up  your  spirits.  I  have  two  good 
 old  proverbs  at  your  service:  "  There  is  as  good  fish  in 
 the  sea  as  any  that  are  brought  out  of  it ;"  and,  "  If  one 
 won't,  another  will,  or  whei'efore  serves  the  market?" 
 Perhaps  all  your  difficulties  have  arisen  from  this, 
 that  you  have  not  yet  seen  the  right  person;  if  so, 
 you  have  reason  to  be  thankful  that  the  Lord  would 
 
380 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 not  let  you  take  the  wrong,  though  you  unwittingly 
 would  have  done  it  if  you  could.  Where  the  right  one 
 lies  hid  I  know  not,  but  upon  a  supposition  that  it  will 
 be  good  for  you  to  marry,  I  may  venture  to  sav, 
 
 U6i,  ubi  estf  din  celuri  tion  potest. 
 
 The  Lord  iu  his  providence  will  disclose  her,  put  her  in 
 your  way,  and  give  you  to  understand,  This  is  she.  Then 
 you  will  fiud  your  business  go  forward  with  wheels  and 
 wings,  and  have  cause  to  say,  His  choice  and  time  were 
 better  than  your  own. 
 
 Did  I  not  tell  you  formerly,  that  if  you  would  take 
 care  of  his  business,  he  will  take  care  of  yours?  I  am  of 
 the  same  mind  still.  He  will  not  suffer  them  who  fear 
 him  and  depend  upon  him  to  want  any  thing  that  is  truly 
 good  for  them.  In  the  meanwhile,  I  advise  you  to  take 
 a  lodging  as  near  as  you  can  to  Gethsemane,  and  to  walk 
 daily  to  mount  Golgotha,  and  borrow  (which  may  be  had 
 for  askirig)  that  tclescojie  which  gives  a  prospect  into 
 the  unseen  world.  A  view  of  what  is  passing  within  the 
 vail  has  a  marvellous  effect  to  compose  our  spirits,  with 
 regard  to  the  little  things  that  are  daily  passing  here. 
 Praise  the  Lord,  who  has  enabled  you  to  fix  your  su- 
 preme affection  upon  him,  who  is  alone  the  proper  and 
 suitable  object  of  it,  and  from  whom  you  cannot  meet  a 
 denial,  or  fear  a  change.  He  loved  you  first,  and  he 
 will  love  you  for  ever;  and  if  he  be  pleased  to  arise  and 
 smile  upon  you,  you  are  in  no  more  necessity  of  beg- 
 ging for  happiness  to  the  prettiest  creature  upon  eartb, 
 than  of  the  light  of  a  candle  on  midsummer  noon. 
 
 Upon  the  whole,  I  pray  and  hope  the  Lord  will  sweeten 
 your  cross,  and  either  in  kind  or  in  kindness  make  you 
 good  amends.  Wait,  pray,  and  believe,  and  all  shall  be 
 well.  A  cross  we  must  have  somewhere;  and  they  who 
 are  favoured  with  health,  plenty,  peace,  and  a  conscience 
 sprinkled  with  the  blood  of  Jesus,  must  have  more  causes 
 for  thankfulness  than  grief.  Look  around  you,  and  take 
 notice  of  the  very  severe  afflictions  which  many  of  the 
 Lord's  own  people  are  groaning  under,  and  your  trials 
 will  appear  comparatively  light.  Our  love  to  all  friends. 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR 
 
 381 
 
 LETTER  IX. 
 
 Dear  Sir,  June  3,  1777. 
 
 It  seems  I  must  write  something  about  the  small-pox, 
 but  I  know  not  well  what:  having  had  it  myself,  I  can- 
 not judge  how  I  sliould  feel  if  I  were  actually  exposed  to 
 it.  I  am  not  a  professed  advocate  for  innoculation;  but 
 if  a  person  who  fears  the  Lord  should  tell  me,  "  I  think 
 I  can  do  it  in  faith,  looking  upon  it  as  a  salutary  expe- 
 dient, which  he  in  his  providence  has  discovered,  and 
 Mhich,  therefore,  appears  my  duty  to  have  recourse  to, 
 so  that  my  mind  does  not  hesitate  with  regard  to  the 
 lawfulness,  nor  am  I  anxious  about  the  event,  being  sa- 
 tisfied that,  whether  I  live  or  die,  I  am  in  that  path  in 
 which  I  can  cheerfully  expect  his  blessing;"  I  do  not  know 
 that  I  could  offer  a  word  by  way  of  dissuasion. 
 
 If  another  person  should  say,  "  My  times  are  in  the 
 Lord's  hands;  I  am  now  in  health,  and  am  not  willing 
 to  bring  upon  myself  a  disorder,  the  consequences  of 
 which  I  cannot  possibly  foresee:  if  I  am  to  have  the 
 small-pox,  I  believe  he  is  the  best  judge  of  the  season 
 and  manner  in  which  I  shall  be  visited,  so  as  may  be 
 most  for  his  glory  and  my  own  good;  and  therefore  I 
 choose  to  wait  his  appointment,  and  not  to  rush  upon 
 even  the  possibility  of  danger  without  a  call.  If  the 
 very  hairs  of  my  head  are  numbered,  I  have  no  reason 
 to  fear,  that,  supposing  I  receive  the  small-pox  in  a  na- 
 tural way,  I  shall  have  a  single  pimple  more  than  he  sees 
 expedient;  and  why  should  I  wish  to  have  one  less? 
 Nay,  admitting,  which  however  is  not  always  the  case, 
 that  innoculation  might  exempt  me  from  some  pain  and 
 inconvenience,  and  lessen  the  apparent  danger,  miglit  it 
 not  likewise,  upon  that  very  account,  prevent  my  receiv- 
 ing some  of  those  sweet  consolations,  which  I  humbly 
 hope  my  gracious  Lord  v/ould  afford  me,  if  it  were  his 
 pleasure  to  call  me  to  a  sharp  trial?  Perhaps  the  chief 
 design  of  this  trying  hour,  if  it  comes,  may  be  to  show 
 
382 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 me  more  of  liis  wisdom,  power,  and  love,  than  I  have 
 ever  yet  experienced.  If  I  could  devise  a  mean  to  avoid 
 the  trouble,  I  know  not  how  great  a  loser  I  may  be  in 
 point  of  grace  and  comfort.  Nor  am  I  afraid  of  my  face ; 
 it  is  now  as  the  Lord  has  made  it,  and  it  will  be  so  after 
 the  small-pox.  If  it  pleases  him,  I  hope  it  will  please 
 me.  In  short,  though  I  do  not  censure  others,  yet  as  to 
 myself,  innoculation  is  what  I  dare  not  venture  upon. 
 If  I  did  venture,  and  the  issue  should  not  be  favourable, 
 I  should  blame  myself  for  having  attempted  to  take  the 
 management  out  of  the  Lord's  hand  into  my  own,  which 
 I  never  did  yet  in  other  matters,  without  finding  I  am 
 no  more  able  than  I  am  worthy  to  choose  for  myself. 
 Besides,  at  the  best,  innoculation  M'ould  only  secure  me 
 from  one  of  the  innumerable  natural  evils  the  flesh  is  heir 
 to;  I  should  still  be  as  liable  as  I  am  at  present  to  a  pu- 
 trid fever,  a  bilious  cholic,  an  inflammation  in  the  bowels 
 or  in  the  brain,  and  a  thousand  formidable  diseases  which 
 are  hovering  round  me,  and  only  wait  his  permission  to 
 cut  me  off  in  a  few  days  or  hours:  and  therefore  I  am 
 determined,  by  his  grace,  to  resign  myself  to  his  disposal. 
 Let  me  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  Lord  (for  his  mercies 
 are  great),  and  not  into  the  hands  of  men." 
 
 If  a  person  should  talk  to  me  in  this  strain,  most  cer- 
 tainly I  could  not  say.  Notwithstanding  all  this,  your 
 safest  way  is  to  be  innoculated. 
 
 We  preach  and  liear,  and  I  hope  we  know  something 
 of  faith,  as  enabling  us  to  intrust  the  Lord  with  our  souls: 
 I  wish  we  had  all  more  faith  to  intrust  him  with  our  bodies, 
 our  health,  our  provision,  and  our  temporal  comforts  like- 
 wise. The  former  should  seem  to  require  the  strongest 
 faith  of  the  two.  How  strange  is  it,  that  when  we  think 
 we  can  do  the  greater,  we  should  be  so  awkward  and 
 xmskilful  when  we  aim  at  the  less!  Give  my  love  to 
 your  friend.  I  dtu'e  not  advise:  but  if  she  can  quietly 
 return  at  the  usual  time,  and  neither  run  intentionally 
 into  the  Avay  of  the  small-pox,  nor  run  out  of  the  way, 
 but  leave  it  simply  with  the  Lord,  I  shall  not  blame  her. 
 And  if  you  will  mind  your  praying  and  preaching,  and 
 believe  "that  the  Lord  can  take  care  of  her  M  itliout  any 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MB 
 
 383 
 
 of  your  contrivances,  I  shall  not  blame  you :  nay,  I  sliall 
 praise  hira  for  you  both.  My  prescription  is,  to  read 
 Dr  Watt's  Psalm  cxxi.  every  morning  before  breakfast, 
 and  pray  it  over  till  the  cure  is  effected.  Probatum 
 est. 
 
 Hast  thou  not  given  thy  word. 
 
 To  save  my  soul  from  death  ? 
 And  1  can  trust  my  Lord 
 To  keep  my  mortal  breath. 
 
 I'll  go  and  come. 
 Nor  fear  to  die. 
 Till  from  on  high 
 
 Thou  call  me  home. 
 
 Adieu.    Pray  for  yours. 
 
THREE  LETTERS  TO  MISS  TH. 
 
 LETTER  I. 
 
 My  Dear  Madam, 
 
 Let  what  has  been  said  on  the  subject  of  acquaintance, 
 &c.  suffice.  It  M  as  well  meant  on  my  side,  and  well 
 taken  on  yours.  You  may  perhaps  see  that  my  hints 
 were  not  wholly  unnecessary,  and  1  ought  to  be  satis- 
 fied with  your  apology,  and  am  so.  The  circumstance 
 of  your  being  seen  at  the  play-house  has  nothing  at  all 
 mysterious  in  it;  as  you  say  you  have  not  been  there 
 these  six  or  seven  j'ears,  it  was  neither  more  nor  less 
 than  a  mistake.  I  heard  you  had  been  there  within 
 these  two  j'cars:  I  am  glad  to  find  I  was  misinformed. 
 I  think  tliere  is  no  harm  in  your  supposing,  that  of  the 
 many  thousands  who  frequent  public  diversions,  some 
 may  in  other  respects  be  better  than  yourself;  but  I  hope 
 your  humble  and  charitable  construction  of  their  mis- 
 take will  not  lead  you  to  extenuate  the  evil  of  those  di- 
 versions in  themselves.  For  though  I  am  persuaded, 
 that  a  few,  who  know  better  M'hat  to  do  with  themselves, 
 are,  for  want  of  consideration,  drawn  in  to  expose  them- 
 selves in  such  places;  yet  I  am  well  satisfied,  that,  if 
 there  is  any  practice  in  this  land  sinful,  attendance  on 
 the  play-house  is  properly  and  eminently  so.  The  thea- 
 tres are  fountains  and  means  of  vice;  I  had  almost  said, 
 in  the  same  manner  and  degree  as  the  ordinances  of  the 
 gospel  are  the  means  of  grace:  and  I  can  hardly  think 
 there  is  a  Cliristian  upon  earth  who  would  dare  to  be 
 
LETTERS  TO  MISS  TH  . 
 
 385 
 
 seen  there,  if  the  nature  and  effects  of  the  theatre  were 
 properly  set  before  them.  Dr  Witherspoon  of  Scotland 
 has  written  an  excellent  piece  upon  the  stage,  or  rather 
 against  it,  which  I  wish  every  person,  who  makes  the 
 least  pretence  to  fear  God,  had  an  opportunity  of  per- 
 using. I  cannot  judge  much  more  favourably  of  Ra- 
 nelagh,  Vauxhall,  and  all  the  innumerable  train  of  dissi- 
 pations, by  which  the  god  of  this  world  blinds  the  eyes 
 of  multitudes,  lest  the  light  of  the  glorious  gospel  should 
 shine  in  upon  them.  What  an  awfid  aspect  upon  the 
 present  times  have  such  texts  as  Isaiah  xxii.  12-14,  iii. 
 12,  Amos  vi.  3-6,  James  iv.  4!  I  wish  you  therefore 
 not  to  plead  for  any  of  them,  but  use  all  your  influence 
 to  make  them  shunned  as  pest-houses,  and  dangerous 
 nuisances  to  precious  souls;  especially  if  you  know  any 
 who  you  hope,  in  the  main,  are  seriously  disposed,  who 
 yet  venture  themselves  in  tliose  purlieus  of  Satan,  endea- 
 vour earnestly  and  faithfully  to  undeceive  them. 
 
 The  time  is  short;  eternity  at  the  door:  was  there  no 
 evil  in  these  vain  amusements  than  the  loss  of  precious 
 time  (but  alas!  their  name  is  legion),  we  have  not  leisure 
 in  our  circumstances  to  regard  them.  And,  blessed  be 
 God!  we  need  them  not.  The  gospel  opens  a  source  of 
 purer,  sweeter,  and  more  substantial  pleasures:  we  are 
 invited  to  communion  with  God:  we  are  called  to  share 
 in  the  theme  of  angels,  the  songs  of  heaven,  and  the  won- 
 ders of  redeeming  love  are  laid  open  to  our  view.  The 
 Lord  himself  is  w  aiting  to  be  gracious,  waiting  with  pro- 
 mises and  pardons  in  his  hands.  Well  then  may  we  bid 
 adieu  to  the  perishing  pleasures  of  sin;  well  may  we  pity 
 those  who  can  find  pleasure  in  those  places  and  parties 
 where  he  is  shut  out;  where  his  name  is  only  mentioned 
 to  be  profaned ;  where  his  commandments  are  not  only 
 broken,  but  insulted;  where  sinners  proclaim  tlieir  shame, 
 as  in  Sodom,  and  attempt  not  to  hide  it;  where  at  best 
 wickedness  is  v.'rapt  up  in  a  disguise  of  delicacy,  to  make 
 it  more  insinuating;  and  nothing  is  offensive  that  is  not 
 grossly  and  unpolitely  indecent. 
 
 I  sympathise  with  all  your  complaints ;  but  if  the 
 Lord  13  pleased  to  make  them  subservient  to  the  in- 
 
386 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 crease  of  your  satisfaction,  to  wean  you  more  and  more 
 from  this  world,  and  to  draw  you  nearer  himself,  you 
 will  one  day  see  cause  to  be  thankful  for  them,  and  to 
 number  them  amongst  your  choicest  mercies.  A  hun- 
 dred years  hence  it  will  signify  little  to  you  whether  you 
 were  sick  or  well  the  day  I  wrote  this  letter. 
 
 We  thank  you  for  j'our  kind  condolence.  There  is  a 
 pleasure  in  the  pity  of  a  friend;  but  the  Lord  alone  can 
 give  true  comfort.    I  hope  he  will  sanctify  the  breach, 
 
 and  do  us  good.     Mrs  exchanges  forgiveness 
 
 with  you  about  your  not  meeting  in  London ;  that  is,  you 
 forgave  her  not  coming  to  you,  and  she  forgives  your 
 entertaining  a  suspicious  thought  of  her  friendship 
 (though  but  for  a  minute)  on  account  of  what  she  was 
 really  unable  to  do. 
 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  IL 
 
 My  Dear  Madam,  September  1,  1767. 
 
 I  shall  not  study  for  expressions  to  tell  my  dear  friend 
 how  much  we  were  affected  by  the  news  that  came  last 
 post.  We  had,  however,  the  pleasure  to  hear  that  your 
 family  was  safe.  I  hope  this  will  find  you  recovered 
 from  the  hurry  of  spirits  you  must  have  been  throM  n  in- 
 to, and  that  both  you  and  your  papa  are  composed  under 
 the  appointment  of  him  who  has  a  right  to  dispose  of  his 
 own  as  he  pleases;  for  we  know,  that  whatever  may  be 
 the  second  causes  and  occasions,  nothing  can  happen  to 
 us  but  according  to  the  will  of  our  heavenly  Father. 
 Since  what  is  past  cannot  be  recalled,  my  part  is  now  to 
 pray,  that  this  and  every  other  dispensation  you  meet 
 with  may  be  sanctified  to  your  soul's  good;  that  you 
 may  be  more  devoted  to  the  God  of  your  life,  and  have 
 a  clearer  sense  of  your  interest  in  that  kingdom  which 
 cannot  be  shaken,  that  treasure  which  neither  thieves  nor 
 
LETTKRS  TO  MISS  TH. 
 
 387 
 
 flames  can  touch,  that  better  and  more  enduring  sub- 
 stance which  is  laid  up  for  believers,  where  Jesus  their 
 Head  and  Saviour  is.  With  this  view,  you  may  take 
 joyfully  the  spoiling  of  your  goods. 
 
 I  think  I  can  feel  for  my  friends;  but  for  such  as  I 
 hope  have  a  right  to  that  promise,  that  all  things  shall 
 work  together  for  their  good,  I  soon  cheek  my  solicitude, 
 and  ask  myself,  Do  I  love  them  better,  or  could  I  man- 
 age more  wisely  for  them,  than  the  Lord  does?  Can  I 
 wish  them  to  be  in  safer  or  more  compassionate  hands 
 than  in  his?  Will  he  who  delights  in  the  prosperity  of 
 his  servants,  afflict  them  with  sickness,  losses,  and  alarms, 
 except  he  sees  there  is  need  of  these  things?  Such 
 thoughts  calm  the  emotions  of  my  mind.  I  sincerely 
 condole  with  you;  but  the  command  is,  to  rejoice  always 
 in  the  Lord.  The  visitation  was  accompanied  witli 
 mercy.  Not  such  a  case  as  that  of  the  late  Lady  IVIoles- 
 worth's,  which  made  every  one's  ear  to  tingle  that  heard 
 it.  Nor  is  yours  such  a  case  as  of  some,  who  in  almost 
 every  great  fire  lose  their  all,  and  perhaps  have  no  know- 
 ledge of  God  to  support  them. 
 
 Though  our  first  apprehensions  Avere  for  you,  we  al- 
 most forgot  you  for  a  moment,  when  we  thought  of  your 
 next-door  neighbour,  and  the  circumstance  she  was  in, 
 so  unfit  to  bear  either  a  fright  or  a  removal.  We  shall 
 be  in  much  suspense  till  we  hear  from  you.  God  grant 
 that  you  may  be  able  to  send  us  good  news,  that  you 
 are  well,  at  least  as  well  as  can  be  expected  after  such 
 a  distressing  scene.  If  what  has  happened  should  give 
 you  more  leisure,  or  more  inclination,  to  spend  a  little 
 time  with  us,  I  think  I  need  not  say  we  shall  rejoice  to 
 receive  you. 
 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
388 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 LETTER  III. 
 
 My  Dear  Madam,  September  3,  1707. 
 
 The  vanity  of  all  things  below  is  confirmed  to  us  by 
 daily  experience.  Amongst  other  proofs,  one  is,  the  pre- 
 cariousness  of  our  intimacies,  and  what  little  things,  or 
 rather  what  nothings,  will  sometimes  produce  a  coolness, 
 or  at  least  a  strangeness,  between  the  dearest  friends. 
 How  is  it  that  our  correspondence  has  been  dropt,  and 
 that,  after  having  written  two  letters  since  the  fire,  which 
 removed  you  from  your  former  residence,  I  should  be 
 still  disappointed  in  my  hopes  of  an  answer?  On  our 
 parts  I  hope  there  has  been  no  abatement  of  regard;  nor 
 can  I  charge  you  with  any  thing  but  remissness.  There- 
 fore, waving  the  past,  and  all  apologies  on  either  side, 
 let  me  beg  you  to  write  soon,  to  tell  us  how  it  is  with 
 you,  and  how  you  have  been  supported  imder  the  vari- 
 ous changes  you  have  met  with  since  we  saw  you  last. 
 1  doubt  not  but  you  have  met  with  many  exercises.  I 
 pray  that  they  may  have  been  sanctified  to  lead  you 
 nearer  to  the  Lord,  the  fountain  of  all  consolation,  who 
 is  the  only  refuge  in  time  of  troubles,  and  whose  graci- 
 ous presence  is  abundantly  able  to  make  up  every  defi- 
 ciency and  every  loss.  Perhaps  the  reading  of  this  may 
 rroall  to  your  mind  our  past  conversations,  and  the  sub- 
 jects of  the  many  letters  we  have  exchanged.  I  know 
 not  in  what  manner  to  write  after  so  long  an  interval. 
 I  would  hope  your  silence  to  us  has  not  been  owing  to 
 any  change  of  sentiments,  which  might  make  such  let- 
 ters as  mine  less  M-plcome  to  you.  Yet  when  you  had  a 
 friend,  who  I  think  you  believed  very  nearly  interested 
 himself  in  your  welfare,  it  seems  strange,  that  in  a  course 
 of  two  years  you  should  have  nothing  to  communicate. 
 I  cannot  suppose  you  have  foi'gotten  me;  I  am  sure  I 
 have  not  forgotten  you;  and  therefore  I  long  to  hear  from 
 you  soon,  tliat  I  may  know  how  to  write;  and  should 
 this  likev.  ise  pass  unanswered,  I  must  sit  down  and  mourn 
 over  my  loss. 
 
LETTERS  TO  MISS  TH  . 
 
 389 
 
 As  to  our  affairs,  I  can  tell  j'ou  the  Lord  has  been  and 
 is  exceedingly  gracious  to  us:  our  lives  are  preserved, 
 our  healths  continued,  an  abundance  of  mercies  and  bless- 
 ings on  every  side;  but  especially  we  have  to  praise  him 
 that  he  is  pleased  to  crown  the  means  and  ordinances  of 
 his  grace  with  tokens  of  his  presence.  It  is  my  happi- 
 ness to  be  fixed  amongst  an  affectionate  people,  who 
 make  an  open  profession  of  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus, 
 and  are  enabled,  in  some  measure,  to  show  forth  its  power 
 in  their  lives  and  conversation.  We  Malk  in  peace  and 
 harmony.  I  have  reason  to  say,  the  Lord  Jesus  is  a 
 good  master,  and  that  tlie  doctrine  of  free  salvation,  by 
 faith  in  his  name,  is  a  doctrine  according  to  godliness; 
 for  through  mercy  I  find  it  daily  effectual  to  the  breaking 
 down  the  strongliolds  of  sin,  and  turning  the  hearts  of 
 siViners  from  dead  works  to  serve  the  living  God.  May 
 the  Lord  give  my  dear  friend  to  live  in  the  power  and 
 consolation  of  his  precious  truth. 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 N 
 
SEVEN  LETTERS  TO 
 
 LETTER  I. 
 
 3Iarch  18,  1767. 
 
 I  CAN  truly  say,  that  I  bear  you  upon  my  heart,  and  in 
 niy  prayers.  I  have  rejoiced  to  see  the  beginning  of  a 
 good  and  gracious  work,  in  you;  and  I  have  confidence 
 in  tlie  Lord  Jesus,  that  he  will  carry  it  on  and  complete 
 it;  and  that  you  will  be  amongst  the  number  of  those 
 who  shall  sing  redeeming  love  to  eternity.  Therefore 
 fear  none  of  the  things  appointed  for  you  to  sutfer  by 
 the  way;  but  gird  up  the  loins  of  your  mind,  and  hope 
 to  the  end.  Be  not  impatient,  but  wait  humbly  upon 
 t!ie  Lord.  You  have  one  hard  lesson  to  learn,  that  is, 
 the  evil  of  your  own  heart:  you  know  something  of  it, 
 but  it  is  needful  that  you  should  know  more;  for  the 
 more  we  know  of  ourselves,  the  more  we  shall  prize  and 
 love  Jesus  and  his  salvation.  I  hope  what  you  find  in 
 yourself  by  daily  experience,  will  humble  you,  but  not 
 discourage  you:  humble  you  it  should,  and  I  believe  it 
 does.  Are  you  not  amazed  sometimes  that  you  should 
 have  so  much  as  a  hope,  that,  poor  and  needy  as  3'ou 
 are,  the  Lord  thinketh  of  j'ou?  But  let  not  all  j'ou  feel 
 discourage  you;  for  if  our  Physician  is  all-mighty,  our 
 disease  cannot  be  desperate;  and  if  he  casts  none  out 
 tliat  come  to  hiui,  why  should  you  fear?  Our  sins  are 
 many,  but  his  mercies  are  more:  our  sins  are  great,  but 
 his  righteousness  is  greater:  we  are  weak,  but  he  is 
 power.  Most  of  our  complaints  are  owing  to  unbelief, 
 and  the  remainder  of  a  legal  spirit ;  and  these  evils  are 
 
LETTERS  TO 
 
 391 
 
 not  removed  in  a  day.  Wait  on  the  Lord,  and  he  will 
 enable  j'ou  to  see  more  and  more  of  the  power  and  grace 
 of  our  High  Priest.  The  more  you  know  him,  the  better 
 you  will  trust  him;  the  more  you  trust  him,  the  better 
 you  will  love  him ;  tlie  more  you  love  him,  the  better 
 you  will  serve  him.  Tliis  is  God's  way:  you  are  not 
 called  to  buy,  but  to  beg;  not  to  be  strong  in  yourself, 
 but  in  the  grace  that  is  in  Christ  Jesus.  He  is  teaching 
 you  these  things,  and  1  trust  he  will  teach  you  to  the 
 end.  Eemember  the  growth  of  a  believer  is  not  like  a 
 mushroom,  but  like  an  oak,  which  increases  slowly  in- 
 deed, but  surely.  Many  suns,  showers,  and  frosts,  pass 
 upon  it  before  it  comes  to  perfection;  and  in  winter, 
 when  it  seems  dead,  it  is  gathering  strength  at  the  root. 
 Be  humble,  watchful,  and  diligent  in  the  means,  and 
 endeavour  to  look  tlirough  all,  and  fix  your  eye  upon 
 Jesus,  and  all  shall  be  well.  I  commend  you  to  the  cai'e 
 of  the  good  Shepherd,  and  remain,  for  his  sake, 
 Yours,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  II. 
 
 May  31,  17G9. 
 
 I  WAS  sorry  I  did  not  write  as  you  expected,  but  I  hope 
 it  will  do  now.  Indeed  I  have  not  forgotten  you:  you 
 are  often  in  my  thoughts,  and  seldom  omitted  in  my 
 prayers.  I  liope  the  Lord  will  make  what  you  see  and  hear 
 while  abroad  profitable  to  you,  to  increase  yowv  know- 
 ledge, to  strengthen  your  faith,  and  to  make  you  from 
 henceforth  well  satisfied  with  your  situation.  If  I  am 
 not  mistaken,  you  will  be  sensible,  tliat,  though  there  are 
 some  desirable  things  to  be  met  with  in  London  prefer- 
 able to  any  other  place,  yet,  upon  the  whole,  a  quiet 
 situation  in  the  country,  under  one  stated  ministry,  and 
 in  connexion  with  one  people,  has  the  advantage.  It  is 
 pleasant  now  and  then  to  have  opportunity  of  heai'ing  a 
 
392 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 variety  of  preachers,  but  the  best  and  greatest  of  them 
 are  no  more  than  instruments:  some  can  please  the  ear 
 better  than  others,  but  none  can  reach  the  heart  any 
 farther  than  the  Lord  is  pleased  to  open  it.  This  he 
 showed  you  upon  your  first  going  up,  and  I  doubt  not  but 
 your  disappointment  did  you  more  good  than  if  you  had 
 heard  with  all  the  pleasure  you  expected. 
 
 Tiie  Lord  was  pleased  to  visit  me  with  a  slight  illness 
 in  my  late  journey.  I  was  far  from  well  on  the  Tues- 
 day, but  supposed  it  owing  to  the  fatigue  of  riding,  and 
 the  heat  of  the  weather;  but  the  next  day  I  was  taken 
 with  a  shivering,  to  which  a  fever  succeeded.  I  was 
 then  near  sixty  miles  from  home.  The  Lord  gave  me 
 much  peace  in  my  soul,  and  I  was  enabled  to  hope  he 
 would  bring  me  safe  home,  in  M'hich  I  was  not  dis- 
 appointed; and  though  I  had  the  fever  most  part  of 
 the  way,  my  journey  was  not  unpleasant.  He  likewise 
 strengthened  me  to  preach  twice  on  Sunday;  and  at 
 night  I  found  myself  well,  only  very  wear}',  and  I  have 
 continued  well  ever  since.  I  have  reason  to  speak  much 
 of  his  goodness,  and  to  kiss  the  rod,  for  it  was  sweetened 
 with  abundant  mercies.  I  thought  that,  had  it  been  his 
 pleasure  I  should  have  continueci  sick  at  Oxford,  or  even 
 have  died  there,  I  had  no  obj.  ction.  Though  1  had 
 not  that  joy  and  sensible  comfort  which  some  are  favour- 
 ed with,  yet  I  was  quite  free  from  pain,  fear,  and  care, 
 and  felt  myself  sweetly  composed  to  his  will,  whatever  it 
 might  be.  Thus  he  fulfills  his  promise  in  making  our 
 strength  equal  to  our  day;  and  every  new  trial  gives  us 
 a  new  proor'  how  happy  it  is  to  be  enabled  to  put  our 
 trust  in  him. 
 
 I  hope,  in  the  midst  of  all  your  engagements,  you  find 
 a  little  time  to  read  his  good  word,  and  to  wait  at  his 
 mercy-seat.  It  is  good  for  us  to  draw  nigh  to  him.  It 
 is  an  honour  that  he  permits  us  to  pray;  and  we  shall 
 surely  find  he  is  a  God  hearing  prayer.  Endeavour  to 
 be  diligent  in  the  means;  yet  watch  and  strive  against  a 
 legal  spirit,  which  is  always  aiming  to  represent  him  as 
 a  hard  master,  watching  as  it  were  to  take  advantage  of 
 us.  But  it  is  far  otherwise.  His  name  is  Love ;  he  looks 
 
LETTERS  TO 
 
 393 
 
 upon  us  with  compassion :  lie  knows  our  frame,  and  re- 
 members that  we  are  hnt  dnst;  and  when  our  infirmities 
 prevail,  he  does  not  bid  us  despond,  but  reminds  us  that 
 we  have  an  Advocate  witii  the  Father,  wlio  is  able  to 
 pity,  to  pardon,  and  to  save  to  the  uttermost.  Think  oi" 
 the  names  and  relations  lie  bears.  Does  he  not  call  him- 
 self a  Saviour,  a  Shepherd,  a  Friend,  and  a  Husband? 
 Has  he  not  made -known  unto  us  his  love,  his  blood,  his 
 righteousness,  his  promises,  his  power,  and  his  grace, 
 and  all  for  our  encouragement?  Awaj',  then,  with  all 
 doubting,  unbelieving  thoughts:  they  will  not  only  dis- 
 tress your  heart,  but  weaken  your  hands.  Take  it  for 
 granted,  upon  the  warrant  of  his  word,  that  you  are  his, 
 and  he  is  yours;  that  he  has  loved  you  with  an  everlast- 
 ing love,  and  therefore  in  loving-kindness  has  drawn  you 
 to  himself;  that  he  will  surely  accomplish  that  which  he 
 has  begun,  and  that  nothing  which  can  be  named  or 
 thought  of  shall  ever  be  able  to  separate  you  from  him. 
 Tills  persuasion  will  give  you  strength  for  the  battle; 
 this  is  the  shield  which  will  quench  the  fiery  darts  of 
 Satan;  this  is  the  helmet  which  the  enemy  cannot  pierce. 
 Whereas,  if  we  go  forth  doubting  and  fearing,  and  are 
 afraid  to  trust  any  farther  than  we  can  feel,  we  are  weak 
 as  water,  and  easily  overcome.  Be  strong,  therefore,  not 
 in  yourself,  but  in  the  grace  that  is  in  Christ  Jesus.  Pray 
 for  me,  and  believe  me  to  be, 
 Yours,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  III. 
 
 March  14. 
 
 I  THINK  you  would  hardly  expect  me  to  write  if  you 
 knew  how  I  am  forced  to  live  at  London.  However,  I 
 would  have  you  believe  I  am  as  willing  to  write  to  you 
 as  you  are  to  receive  my  letters.  As  a  proof,  I  try  to 
 send  you  a  few  lines  now,  though  I  am  writing  to  you, 
 
394 
 
 CARDIPHONU. 
 
 and  talking  to  Mrs  ,  both  at  once!  and  this  is  the 
 
 only  season  I  can  have  to  change  a  few  words  with  her. 
 She  is  a  woman  of  a  sorrowfnl  spirit ;  she  talks  and  weeps. 
 I  believe  she  would  think  herself  happy  to  be  situated  as 
 you  are,  notwithstanding  the  many  advantages  slie  has 
 at  London.  I  see  daily,  and  I  hope  you  have  likewise 
 learnt,  that  places  and  outward  circumstances  cannot  of 
 themselves  either  hinder  or  help  us  in  walking  with  God. 
 So  far  as  he  is  pleased  to  be  witii  us,  and  to  teach  us  by 
 his  Spirit,  wherever  we  are  we  shall  get  forward;  and  if 
 lie  does  not  bless  us  and  water  us  every  moment,  tiie 
 more  we  have  of  our  wishes  and  wills,  the  more  uneasy 
 ■we  shall  make  om-selves. 
 
 One  thing  is  needful ;  an  htmible,  dependent  spirit,  to 
 renounce  our  own  wills,  and  give  up  ourselves  to  his  dis- 
 posal without  reserve.  This  is  the  path  of  peace;  and 
 it  is  the  path  of  safety :  for  he  has  said,  the  meek  he  will 
 teach  his  way,  and  those  who  yield  up  themselves  to  him 
 he  will  guide  with  his  eye.  I  hope  you  will  fight  and 
 pray  against  every  rising  of  a  murmuring  spirit,  and  be 
 thankful  for  the  great  things  which  he  has  already  done 
 for  you.  It  is  good  to  be  humbled  for  sin,  but  not  to  be 
 discouraged;  for  though  we  are  poor  creatures,  Jesus  is 
 a  complete  Saviour;  and  we  bring  more  honour  to  God, 
 by  believing  on  his  name,  and  trusting  his  word  of  pro- 
 mise, than  we  could  do  by  a  thousand  outward  works. 
 
 I  pray  the  Lord  to  shine  upon  your  soul,  and  to  fill 
 you  with  all  joy  and  peace  in  believing.  Remember  to 
 pray  for  us,  that  we  may  be  brought  home  to  you  in 
 peace. 
 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  IV. 
 
 London,  Aug.  19,  1775. 
 
 Yor  see  I  am  mindful  of  my  promise,  and  glad  should  I 
 be  to  write  something  that  the  Lord  may  be  pleased  to 
 
LETTERS  TO 
 
 395 
 
 make  a  word  in  season.  I  went  yesterday  Into  the  pul- 
 pit very  dry  and  iieartless.  I  seemed  to  have  fixed  upon 
 a  text,  but  wlien  I  came  to  the  pinch,  it  was  so  shut  up 
 that  I  coukl  not  preacli  from  it.  I  had  hardly  a  minute 
 to  choose,  and  therefore  was  forced  to  snatch  at  that 
 which  came  first  upon  my  mind,  which  proved  2  Tim.  i. 
 12.  Thus  I  set  off  at  a  venture,  having  no  resource  but 
 in  the  Lord's  mercy  and  faithfulness;  and,  indeed,  what 
 other  can  we  wish  for?  Presently  my  subject  open- 
 ed; and  I  know  not  when  I  have  been  favoured  with 
 more  liberty.  Why  do  I  tell  you  this?  Only  as  an  in- 
 stance of  his  goodness,  to  encourage  j'ou  to  put  your 
 strength  in  him,  and  not  to  be  afraid,  even  when  you  feel 
 your  own  weakness  and  insufficiency  most  sensibly.  We 
 are  never  more  safe,  never  have  more  reason  to  expect 
 the  Lord's  help,  than  when  we  are  most  sensible  that  we 
 can  do  nothing  without  him.  This  was  the  lesson  Paul 
 learnt,  to  rejoice  in  his  own  poverty  and  emptiness,  that 
 the  power  of  Ciirist  might  rest  upon  him.  Could  Paul 
 have  done  any  thing,  Jesus  would  not  have  Iiad  the  hon- 
 our of  doing  all.  This  way  of  being  saved  entirely  by 
 grace,  from  first  to  last,  is  contrary  to  our  natural  wills; 
 it  mortifies  self,  leaving  it  nothing  to  boast  of,  and  througli 
 the  remains  of  an  unbelieving,  legal  spirit,  it  often  seems 
 discouraging.  When  we  think  ourselves  so  utterly  help- 
 less and  worthless,  we  are  too  ready  to  fear  that  the 
 Lord  will  therefore  rtyect  us;  whereas,  in  truth,  sucli  a 
 poverty  of  spirit  is  the  best  mark  we  can  have  of  an  in- 
 terest in  his  promises  and  care. 
 
 How  often  have  I  longed  to  be  an  instrument  of  esta- 
 blishing you  in  the  peace  and  hope  of  the  gospel!  and  I 
 have  but  one  way  of  attempting  it,  by  telling  you  over 
 and  over  of  the  power  and  grace  of  Jesus.  You  want 
 nothing  to  make  you  happy,  but  to  have  the  eyes  of  your 
 understanding  more  fixed  upon  the  Redeemer,  and  more 
 enlightened  l)y  the  Holy  Spirit  to  behold  his  glory.  O! 
 he  is  a  suitable  Saviour!  he  has  power,  authority,  and 
 compassion,  to  save  to  the  uttermost.  He  has  given  his 
 word  of  i)ronijse  to  engage  our  confidence,  and  he  is  able 
 and  faithful  to  make  good  the  expectations  and  desires  ho 
 
396 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 has  raised  in  us.  Put  your  trust  in  him;  believe  (as  we 
 say)  through  thick  and  thin,  in  defiance  of  all  objections 
 from  within  and  without.  For  this,  Abraham  is  recom- 
 mended as  a  pattern  to  us.  He  overlooked  all  difficul- 
 ties; he  ventured  and  hoped  even  against  hope,  in  a  case 
 which  to  appearance  was  desperate,  because  he  knew 
 that  he  who  had  promised  was  also  able  to  perform. 
 
 Your  sister  is  much  upon  my  mind.  Her  illness  grieves 
 me;  were  it  in  my  power,  I  would  quickly  remove  it. 
 The  Lord  can,  and  I  hope  will,  when  he  has  answered 
 the  end  for  which  he  sent  it.  I  trust  he  has  brought  her 
 to  us  for  good,  and  that  she  is  chastised  by  him  that  she 
 may  not  be  condemned  with  the  world.  I  hope,  though 
 she  says  little,  she  lifts  up  her  heart  to  him  for  a  bless- 
 ing. I  wish  you  may  be  enabled  to  leave  her  and  your- 
 self, and  all  your  concerns,  in  his  hands.  He  has  a  sove- 
 reign right  to  do  with  us  as  he  pleases,  and  if  we  con- 
 sider what  we  are,  surely  we  shall  confess  we  have  no 
 reason  to  complain;  and  to  those  who  seek  him,  his  so- 
 vereignty is  exercised  in  a  way  of  grace.  All  shall  work 
 together  for  good;  every  thing  is  needful  that  he  sends; 
 nothing  can  be  needful  that  he  withholds.  Be  content 
 to  bear  the  cross;  others  have  borne  it  before  you.  You 
 have  need  of  patience;  and  if  you  ask,  the  Lord  will 
 give  it ;  but  there  can  be  no  settled  peace  till  our  will  is 
 in  a  measure  subdued.  Hide  yourself  under  the  shadow 
 of  his  wings;  rely  upon  his  care  and  power;  look  upon 
 him  as  a  physician  who  has  graciously  undertaken  to 
 heal  your  soul  of  the  worst  of  sickness,  sin.  Yield  to  his 
 prescriptions,  and  fight  against  every  thought  that  would 
 represent  it  as  desirable  to  be  permitted  to  choose  for 
 yourself.  When  you  cannot  see  your  way,  be  satisfied 
 that  he  is  your  leader.  When  your  spirit  is  overwhelmed 
 within  you,  he  knows  your  path ;  he  will  not  leave  you 
 to  sink.  He  has  appointed  seasons  of  refreshment,  and 
 you  shall  find  he  does  not  forget  you.  Above  all,  keep 
 close  to  the  throne  of  grace.  If  we  seem  to  get  no  good 
 by  attempting  to  draw  near  him,  we  may  be  sure  we 
 shall  get  none  by  keeping  away  from  him. 
 I  am,  &c* 
 
LETTERS  TO   , 
 
 39? 
 
 LETTER  V. 
 
 I  PROMISED  you  another  letter,  and  now  for  the  perform- 
 ance. If  I  had  said,  it  may  be,  or  perhaps  I  will,  you 
 will  be  in  suspense;  but  if  I  promise,  then  you  expect 
 that  I  will  not  disappoint  you,  unless  something  should 
 render  it  impossible  for  uie  to  make  my  word  good.  I 
 thank  you  for  your  good  opinion  of  me,  and  fortliinking 
 I  mean  wliat  I  say;  and  I  pray  that  you  may  be  enabled 
 more  and  more  to  honour  the  Lord,  by  believing  his  pro- 
 mise; for  he  is  not  like  a  man  that  should  fail  or  change, 
 or  be  prevented  by  any  thing  unforeseen  from  doing  what 
 he  has  said.  And  yet  we  find  it  easier  to  trust  to  worms 
 than  to  the  God  of  truth.  Is  it  not  so  with  you?  And 
 I  can  assure  you  it  is  often  so  with  me.  But  here  is  the 
 mercy,  tliat  iiis  ways  are  above  ours,  as  the  heavens  are 
 higher  than  the  earth.  Though  we  are  foolish  and  un- 
 believing, he  remains  faithful;  he  will  not  deny  himself. 
 I  recommend  to  you  especially  that  promise  of  God, 
 which  is  so  comprehensive  that  it  takes  in  all  our  con- 
 cernments— I  mean,  that  all  things  shall  work  together 
 for  good.  How  hard  is  it  to  believe,  that  not  only  those 
 things  which  are  grievous  to  the  flesli,  but  even  those 
 things  which  draw  forth  our  corruptions,  and  discover 
 to  us  what  is  in  our  hearts,  and  fill  us  witli  guilt  and 
 shame,  should  in  the  issue  work  for  our  good!  Yet  the 
 Lord  has  said  it.  All  your  pains  and  trials,  all  that  be- 
 falls you  in  your  own  person,  or  that  affects  you  upon 
 the  account  of  others,  shall  in  the  end  prove  to  your  ad- 
 vantage. And  your  peace  does  not  depend  upon  any 
 change  of  circumstances  which  may  appear  desirable, 
 but  in  having  your  will  bowed  to  the  Lord's  will,  and 
 made  willing  to  submit  all  to  his  disposal  and  manage- 
 ment. Pray  for  this,  and  wait  patiently  for  him,  and  he 
 will  do  it.  Be  not  surprised  to  find  yourself  poor,  help- 
 less, and  vile;  all  whom  he  favours  and  teaches  will  find 
 themselves  so.  The  more  grace  increases,  the  more  we 
 shall  see  to  abase  us  in  our  own  eyes ;  and  this  will  make 
 
398 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 the  Saviour  and  his  salvation  more  precious  to  us.  He 
 takes  his  own  wise  methods  to  humble  you,  and  to  prove 
 you,  and  I  am  sure  he  will  do  you  good  in  the  end. 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  VI. 
 
 September  \6,  m 5. 
 
 When  you  receive  this,  I  hope  it  will  give  you  pleasure 
 to  think,  that  if  the  Lord  be  pleased  to  favour  us  with 
 health,  Ave  shall  all  meet  again  in  a  few  days.  I  have 
 met  with  much  kindness  at  London,  and  many  comforts 
 and  mercies;  howevei',  I  shall  be  glad  to  return  liome. 
 There  my  heart  lives,  let  my  body  be  where  it  Mill.  I 
 long  to  see  all  my  dear  people,  and  I  shall  be  glad  to 
 see  you.  I  steal  a  little  time  to  write  anotlier  line  or 
 two,  more  to  satisfy  you  than  for  any  thing  particular 
 I  have  to  say.  I  thank  you  for  your  letter.  I  doubt 
 not  but  the  Lord  is  bringing  you  forward,  and  that  you 
 have  a  good  right  to  say  to  your  soul.  Why  art  thou  cast 
 down  and  disquieted?  Hope  thou  in  God;  for  I  shall 
 yet  praise  him.  An  evil  heart,  an  evil  temper,  and  the 
 many  crosses  we  meet  Avith  in  passing  through  an  evil 
 •world,  will  cut  us  out  trouble;  but  the  Lord  has  provided 
 a  balm  for  every  wound,  a  cordial  for  every  care;  the 
 fruit  of  all  is  to  take  away  sin,  and  the  end  of  all  will  be 
 .eternal  life  in  glory.  Think  of  these  words;  put  them 
 in  the  balance  of  the  sanctuary;  and  then  throw  all  your 
 trials  into  the  opposite  scale,  and  you  will  find  there  is 
 no  proportion  between  them.  Say  then,  "  Though  he 
 slay  me,  I  will  trust  him ;"  for  when  he  has  fully  tried 
 me,  I  shall  come  forth  like  gold.  You  would  have  liked 
 to  have  been  with  me  last  Wednesday.  I  preached  at 
 Westminster  Bridewell.  It  is  a  prison  and  house  of 
 correction.  The  bulk  of  my  congregation  were  house- 
 breakers, highwaymen,  pickpockets,  and  poor  unhappy 
 
LETTERS  TO 
 
 300 
 
 women,  such  as  infest  the  streets  of  this  city,  sunk  in  sin, 
 and  lost  to  shame.  I  had  a  iiundred  or  more  of  tliese 
 before  me.  I  preached  from  1  Tim.  i.  1.5,  and  began 
 with  telling  them  my  own  story:  this  gained  their  at- 
 tention more  than  I  expected.  I  spoke  to  them  near  an 
 hour  and  a  half.  I  shed  many  tears  myself,  and  saw 
 some  of  them  shed  tears  likewise.  Ah!  had  you  seen 
 their  present  condition,  and  could  you  hear  the  history 
 of  some  of  them,  it  would  make  you  sing,  "  O  to  grace 
 how  great  a  debtor!"  By  nature  they  were  no  worse 
 than  the  most  sober  and  modest  people.  And  there  was 
 doubtless  a  time  when  many  of  them  little  thought  what 
 they  should  live  to  do  and  suffer.  1  might  have  been, 
 like  them,  in  cliains,  and  one  of  tiiera  have  come  to  preach 
 to  me,  had  the  Lord  so  pleased. 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  YII. 
 
 October  10,  1777. 
 
 I  AM  just  come  from  seeing  A  N  .    The  people 
 
 told  me  she  is  much  better  than  she  was,  but  she  is  far 
 from  being  well.  She  was  brought  to  me  into  a  parlour, 
 which  saved  me  the  painful  task  of  going  to  inquire  and 
 seek  for  her  among  the  patients.  My  spirits  always  sink 
 when  I  am  within  those  mournful  walls,  and  I  think  no 
 money  could  prevail  on  me  to  spend  an  hour  there  every 
 day.  Yet  surely  no  sight  upon  earth  is  more  suited  to 
 teach  one  thankfulness  and  resignation.  Surely  I  have 
 reason,  in  my  worst  times,  to  be  thankful  that  I  am  out 
 of  hell,  out  of  Bedlam,  out  of  Newgate.  If  my  eyes 
 were  as  bad  as  yours,  and  my  back  worse,  still  I  hope  I 
 should  set  a  great  value  upon  his  mercy,  that  my  senses 
 are  preserved.  I  hope  you  will  think  so  too.  The 
 Lord  attticts  us  at  times ;  but  it  is  always  a  thousand 
 times  less  than  we  deserve,  and  much  less  than  many  of 
 
400 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 oui"  fellow-creatures  are  suffering  around  us.  Let  us 
 therefore  pray  for  grace  to  be  humble,  thankful  and 
 patient. 
 
 This  day  twelvemonth  I  Mas  under  Mr  W  's  knife; 
 
 there  is  another  cause  for  thankfulness,  that  the  Lord 
 inclined  me  to  submit  to  the  operation,  and  brought  me 
 happily  through  it.  In  short,  I  have  so  many  reasons 
 for  thankfulness,  that  I  cannot  count  them.  I  may  truly 
 say  they  are  more  in  number  than  the  hairs  of  my  head. 
 And  yet,  alas!  how  cold,  insensible,  and  ungrateful!  I 
 could  make  as  many  complaints  as  you;  but  I  find  no 
 good  by  complaining,  except  to  him  who  is  able  to  help 
 me.  It  is  better  for  you  and  me  to  be  admiring  the  com- 
 passion and  fulness  of  grace  that  is  in  our  Saviour,  than 
 to  dwell  and  pore  too  much  upon  our  own  poverty  and 
 vileness.  He  is  able  to  help  and  save  to  the  uttermost; 
 there  I  desire  to  cast  anchor,  and  wish  you  to  do  so  like- 
 wise. Hope  in  God,  for  you  shall  yet  praise  him. 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
FIVE  LETTERS  TO  MR  C 
 
 LETTER  L 
 
 Dear  Sir,  January  16,  1775. 
 
 The  death  of  a  near  relative  called  me  from  home  in 
 December,  and  a  fortnight's  absence  throw  me  so  far  be- 
 hind-hand in  my  course,  that  I  deferred  acknowledging 
 your  letter  much  longer  than  I  intended.  I  now  thank 
 you  for  it.  I  can  sympathise  with  you  in  your  troubles; 
 yet  knowing  tlie  nature  of  our  calling,  that  by  an  unal- 
 terable appointment,  the  way  to  the  kingdom  lies  through 
 many  tribulations,  1  ought  to  rejoice  rather  than  other- 
 wise, that  to  you  it  is  given,  not  only  to  believe,  but  also 
 to  suffer.  If  you  escaped  these  things,  whereof  all  the 
 Lord's  children  are  partakers,  might  you  not  question  your 
 adoption  into  his  family?  How  could  the  power  of  grace 
 be  manifest,  either  to  you,  in  you,  or  by  you,  without 
 afflictions?  How  could  the  corruptions  and  devasta- 
 tions of  the  heart  be  checked  without  a  cross?  How 
 could  you  acquire  a  tenderness  and  skill  in  speaking  to 
 them  that  are  weary,  without  a  taste  of  such  trials  as 
 they  also  meet  with?  You  could  only  be  a  hearsay 
 witness  to  the  truth,  power,  and  sweetness  of  the  pre- 
 cious pi'omises,  unless  you  have  been  in  such  a  situation 
 as  to  need  them,  and  to  find  their  suitableness  and  suffi- 
 ciency. The  Lord  has  given  you  a  good  desire  to  serve 
 him  in  the  gospel,  and  he  is  now  training  you  for  that 
 service.  Many  things,  yea,  the  most  important  things, 
 belonging  to  the  gospel  ministry,  are  not  to  be  learned 
 by  books  and  study,  but  by  painful  experience.  You 
 
402 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 must  expect  a  variety  of  exercises ;  but  two  things  he 
 has  promised  you,  that  you  shall  not  be  tried  above  what 
 he  will  enable  you  to  bear,  and  that  all  shall  work  to- 
 gether for  your  good.  We  read  somewhere  of  a  con- 
 ceited orator,  who  declaimed  upon  the  management  of 
 war  in  the  presence  of  Hannibal,  and  of  the  contempt 
 ■with  which  Hannibal  treated  his  performance.  He  de- 
 served it;  for  how  should  a  man  who  had  never  seen  a 
 field  of  battle  be  a  competent  judge  of  such  a  subject  ? 
 Just  so,  were  we  to  acquire  no  other  knowledge  of  the 
 Christian  warfare  than  w  hat  we  could  derive  from  cool 
 and  undisturbed  study,  instead  of  coming  forth  as  able 
 ministers  of  the  New  Testament,  and  competently  ac- 
 quainted with  the  Tac  von,u'xrx,  with  the  devices,  the  deep- 
 laid  counsels  and  stratagems  of  Satan,  we  should  prove 
 but  mere  declaimers.  Eut  the  Lord  will  take  better  care 
 of  those  whom  he  loves  and  designs  to  honour.  He  will 
 try,  and  permit  them  to  be  tried  in  various  ways.  He 
 will  make  them  feel  much  in  themselves,  that  they  may 
 know  how  to  feel  much  for  others ;  according  to  that 
 beautiful  and  expressive  line. 
 
 Hand  ignara  viali,  miseris  succurrere  disco. 
 
 And  as  this  previous  discipline  is  necessary  to  enable 
 us  to  take  the  field  in  a  public  capacity  with  courage, 
 wisdom,  and  success,  that  we  may  lead  and  animate 
 otiiers  in  the  fight,  it  is  equal]\^  necessary,  for  our  own 
 sakes,  that  we  may  obtain  and  preserve  the  grace  of  hu- 
 mility, which  I  perceive  with  pleasure  he  has  taught  you 
 to  set  a  high  value  upon.  Indeed,  we  cannot  value  it 
 too  highly;  for  we  can  be  neither  comfortable,  safe,  nor 
 habitually  useful,  without  it.  The  root  of  pride  lies  deep 
 in  our  fallen  nature,  and  where  the  Lord  has  given  na- 
 tural and  acquired  abilities,  it  would  grow  apace,  if  he 
 did  not  mercifully  watch  wcr  us,  and  suit  his  dispensa- 
 tions to  keep  it  down.  Therefore  I  trust  he  will  make 
 you  willing  to  endure  hardships,  as  a  good  soldier  of 
 Jesus  Christ.  May  he  enable  you  to  behold  him  with 
 faith  holding  out  the  prize,  and  saying  to  j'ou.  Fear  none 
 ,of  these  things  that  thou  shalt  suffer:  be  thou  faithful 
 luito  death,  aud  I  will  give  thee  a  crown  of  life. 
 
LETTERS  TO  MR  C 
 
 403 
 
 We  sail  upon  a  turbulent  and  tumultuous  sea ;  but  we 
 are  embarked  on  a  good  bottom,  and  in  a  good  cause, 
 and  we  have  an  infallible  and  almighty  pilot,  who  has 
 the  winds  and  weather  at  his  command,  and  can  silence 
 the  storm  into  a  calm  with  a  word  whenever  he  pleases. 
 We  may  be  persecuted,  but  we  shall  not  be  forsaken ;  we 
 may  be  cast  down,  but  we  cannot  be  destroyed.  Many 
 will  thrust  sore  at  us  that  we  may  fall,  but  the  Lord  will 
 be  our  stay. 
 
 I  am  sorry  to  find  you  are  quite  alone  at  Cambridge, 
 for  I  hoped  there  would  be  a  succession  of  serious  stu- 
 dents to  supply  the  place  of  those  who  are  transplanted  to 
 shine  as  lights  in  the  world.  Yet  you  are  not  alone,  for 
 the  Lord  is  with  you,  the  best  counsellor  and  the  best 
 friend.  There  is  a  strange  backwardness  in  us  (at  least 
 in  me)  fully  to  improve  that  gracious  intimacy  to  which 
 lie  invites  us.  Alas!  that  we  so  easily  wander  from  the 
 fountain  of  life  to  hew  out  cisterns  for  ourselves,  and 
 that  we  seem  more  attached  to  a  few  drops  of  his  grace 
 in  our  fellow-creatures,  than  to  the  fulness  of  grace  that 
 is  in  himself.  I  think  nothing  gives  me  a  more  striking 
 sense  of  my  depravity  than  my  perverseness  and  folly  in 
 this  respect;  yet  he  bears  with  me,  and  ''oes  o-  -  J 
 continuallv. 
 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  II. 
 
 Dear  Sir,  3Iarch  1776- 
 
 I  KNOW  not  tlie  length  of  your  college  terms,  but  hope 
 this  may  come  time  enough  to  find  you  still  resident.  I 
 shall  not  apologize  for  writing  no  sooner,  because  I  leave 
 other  letters  of  much  longer  date  unanswered,  that  I 
 may  write  so  soon.  It  gave  me  particular  pleasure  to 
 hear  tliat  the  Lord  helped  you  through  your  difficulties, 
 and  succeeded  your  desires.    And  I  have  sympathised 
 
404 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 with  'you  in  the  complaints  you  make  of  a  dark  and 
 mournful  frame  of  spirits  afterwards.  But  is  not  this 
 upon  the  whole  right  and  salutary,  that  if  the  Lord  is 
 pleased  at  one  time  to  strengthen  us  remarkably  in  an- 
 swer to  prayer,  he  should  leave  us  at  another  time,  so  far 
 as  to  give  us  a  real  sensibility  that  we  were  supported 
 by  his  power,  and  not  our  own?  Besides,  as  you  feel  a 
 danger  of  being  elated  by  the  respect  paid  you,  was  it 
 not  a  merciful  and  seasonable  dispensation  that  made  you 
 feel  your  own  weakness,  to  prevent  your  being  exalted 
 above  measure  ?  The  Lord,  by  withdrawing  his  smiles 
 from  you,  reminded  you  that  the  smiles  of  men  are  of 
 little  value,  otherwise  perhaps  you  might  have  esteem- 
 ed them  too  higlll}^  Indeed,  you  scholars  that  know 
 the  Lord  are  singular  instances  of  the  power  of  his 
 grace;  for  (like  the  young  men  in  Dan.  iii.)  you  live  iu 
 the  very  midst  of  the  fire.  Mathematical  studies  iu  par- 
 ticular have  such  a  tendencj'  to  engross  and  fix  the  mind 
 to  the  contemplation  of  cold  and  uninteresting  truth,  and 
 you  are  surrounded  with  so  much  intoxicating  applause 
 if  you  succeed  in  your  researches,  that  for  a  soul  to  be 
 kept  huml)le  and  alive  in  such  a  situation,  is  such  a  proof 
 of  the  Lord's  presence  and  power,  as  Moses  had  when 
 he  saw  the  bush  unconsumed  in  the  midst  of  the  dames. 
 I  believe  I  had  naturally  a  turn  for  the  mathematics  my- 
 self, and  dabbled  in  them  a  little  way;  and  though  I  did 
 not  go  far,  my  head,  sleeping  and  waking,  was  stuffed 
 with  diagrams  and  calculations.  Every  thing  I  looked 
 at,  that  exhibited  either  a  right  line,  or  a  curve,  set  my 
 wits  a  wool-gathering.  What,  then,  must  have  been  the 
 case,  had  I  proceeded  to  the  interior  aicana  of  specula- 
 tive geometrj'  ?  I  bought  my  namesake's  Principia,  but 
 I  have  reason  to  be  thankful  that  I  left  it  as  I  found  it,  a 
 sealed  book,  and  that  the  bent  of  my  mind  was  drawn  to 
 something  of  more  real  importance  before  I  understood 
 it.  I  say  not  this  to  discourage  you  in  your  pursuits : 
 they  lie  in  your  line  and  path  of  duty,  in  mine  they  did 
 not.  As  to  our  academies,  I  am  glad  that  the  Lord  en- 
 ables you  to  show  those  among  whom  you  live,  that  the 
 knowledge  of  his  gospel  does  not  despoil  you  either  of 
 
LETTERS  TO  MR  C 
 
 405 
 
 diligence  or  acumen.  However,  as  I  said,  you  need  a 
 double  guard  of  grace,  to  preserve  you  from  being  either 
 puffed  up  or  deadened  by  those  things,  which,  consider- 
 ed in  any  other  view  than  quoad  hoc,  to  preserve  your 
 rank  and  character  in  the  university  while  you  remain 
 there,  are,  if  taken  in  the  aggregate,  little  better  than  a 
 
 splendidum  nihil.    If  my  poor  people  at   could 
 
 form  the  least  conception  of  what  the  learned  at  Cam- 
 bridge ciiiefly  admire  in  each  other,  and  what  is  the  i-n- 
 trinsic  reward  of  all  their  toil,  t\\ey  would  sny  (supposing 
 tliey  could  speak  Latin),  Quam  suave  istis  suavitatibus 
 carere!  How  gladly  would  some  of  them,  if  such  ma- 
 thematical and  metaphysical  lumber  could  by  any  means 
 get  into  their  beads — how  gladly  would  they  drink  at 
 Lethe's  stream  to  get  it  out  again!  How  many  perplexi- 
 ties are  they  freed  from  by  their  happy  ignorance,  which 
 often  pester  those  to  their  lives'  end  who  have  had  their 
 natural  proneness  to  vain  reasoning  sharpened  by  acade- 
 mical studies. 
 
 LETTER  in. 
 
 Dear  Sir,  3Iay  18,  I77G. 
 
 Though  I  wished  to  hear  from  you  sooner,  I  put  a 
 candid  interpretation  upon  your  silence,  was  something 
 apprehensive  for  your  health,  but  felt  no  disposition  to 
 anger.  Let  your  correspondence  be  free  from  fetters. 
 Write  when  you  please,  and  when  you  can:  I  will  do 
 the  like.  Apologies  maj'  be  spared  on  both  sides.  I 
 am  not  a  very  punctual  correspondent  myself.  Laving  so 
 riiany  letters  to  write,  and  therefore  have  no  right  to 
 stand  upon  punctilios  with  you. 
 
 I  sympathise  with  you  in  your  sorrow  for  your  friend's 
 death.  Such  cases  are  very  distressing!  But  such  a  case 
 might  have  been  our  own.  Let  us  j)ray  for  grace  to  be 
 thankful  for  ourselves,  and  submit  everv  thing  in  humble 
 
 N  2 
 
'406 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 silence  to  the  sovereign  Lord,  who  has  a  right  to  do  as 
 lie  pleases  with  his  own  We  feel  what  happens  in  our 
 own  little  connexions;  but  O  the  dreadful  mischief  of 
 sin!  Instances  of  this  kind  are  as  frequent  as  the  hours, 
 the  minutes,  perhaps  the  moments,  of  every  day:  and 
 though  we  know  but  one  in  a  million,  the  souls  of  others 
 have  an  equal  capacity  for  endless  happiness  or  misery. 
 In  this  situation  the  Lord  has  honoured  us  with  a  call 
 to  warn  our  fellow-sinners  of  their  danger,  and  to  set 
 before  them  his  free  and  sure  salvation;  and  if  he  is 
 pleased  to  make  us  instrumental  of  snatching  but  one  as 
 a  brand  out  of  the  fire,  it  is  a  service  of  more  importance 
 than  to  be  the  means  of  preserving  a  whole  nation  from 
 temporal  ruin.  I  congratulate  you  upon  your  admission 
 into  the  ministry,  and  pray  him  to  favour  you  with  a 
 single  eye  to  his  glory,  and  a  fresh  anointing  of  his  Holy 
 Spirit,  that  you  may  come  forth  as  a  scribe  well  in- 
 structed in  the  mysteries  of  his  kingdom,  and  that  his 
 word  in  your  mouth  may  abundantly  prosper. 
 
 I  truly  pity  those  who  rise  early  and  take  late  rest, 
 and  eat  the  bread  of  carefulness,  with  no  liiglier  prize 
 and  prospect  in  view  than  the  obtaining  of  academical 
 honours.  Such  pursuits  will  ere  long  appear  (as  they 
 really  are)  vain  as  the  sports  of  children.  May  the  Lord 
 impress  them  with  a  noble  ambition  of  living  to  and  for 
 him.  If  these  adventurers,  who  are  labouring  for  pebbles 
 under  the  semblance  of  goodly  pearls,  had  a  discovery  of 
 tlie  pearl  of  great  price,  how  quickly  and  gladly  would 
 they  lay  down  their  admired  attainments,  and  become 
 fools  that  they  might  be  truly  wise!  What  a  snare  have 
 you  escaped!  You  would  have  been  poorly  content 
 with  the  name  of  a  mathematician  or  a  poet,  and  looked 
 no  farther,  had  he  not  visited  your  heart,  and  enlightened 
 you  by  his  grace.  Now  I  trust  you  account  your  for- 
 mer gain  but  loss,  for  the  excellency  of  the  knowledge 
 of  Jesus  Christ  the  Lord.  What  you  have  attained  in  a 
 way  of  literature  will  be  useful  to  you  if  sanctified,  and 
 chiefly  so  by  the  knowledge  you  have  of  its  insufficiency 
 to  any  valuable  purpose,  in  the  great  concerns  of  walk- 
 ing with  God,  and  winning  souls. 
 
LETTERS  TO  MR  C 
 
 407 
 
 I  am  pleased  with  your  fears  lest  you  should  not  be 
 understood  in  your  preaching.  Indeed,  there  is  a  danger 
 of  it.  It  is  not  easy  for  persons  of  quick  parts  duly  to 
 conceive  how  amazingly  ignorant  and  slow  of  apprehen- 
 sion the  bulk  of  our  congregations  generally  are.  When 
 our  own  ideas  are  clear,  and  our  expressions  proper,  we 
 arc  ready  to  think  we  have  sufficiently  explained  our- 
 selves; and  yet,  perhaps,  nine  out  of  ten  (especially  of 
 those  who  are  destitute  of  spiritual  light)  know  little 
 more  of  what  we  say  than  if  we  were  speaking  Greek. 
 A  degree  of  tliis  inconvenience  is  always  inseparable 
 from  written  discourses.  Tliey  cast  our  thoughts  into  a 
 style  which,  though  familiar  to  ourselves,  is  too  remote 
 from  common  conversation  to  be  comprehended  by  nar- 
 row capacities;  which  is  one  chief  reason  of  the  prefer- 
 ence I  give,  cceteris  paribus,  to  extempore  preaching. 
 When  we  read  to  the  people,  they  think  themselves  le^s 
 concerned  in  what  is  offered,  than  wlien  we  speak  to  thena 
 point-blank.  It  seems  a  good  ride,  which  I  have  met 
 with  somewhere,  and  whicli  perhiips  I  have  mentioned 
 to  you,  to  fix  our  eyes  upon  some  one  of  tlie  auditory 
 Avhom  we  judge  of  the  least  capacity;  if  we  can  make 
 Jlim  understand,  we  may  hope  to  be  understood  by  the 
 rest.  Let  those  who  seek  to  be  admired  for  the  exact- 
 ness of  their  compositions,  enjoy  tlie  poor  reward  they 
 aim  at.  It  is  best  for  gospel-preachers  to  speak  plain 
 language.  If  we  tluis  singly  aim  at  the  glory  of  our 
 Master  and  the  good  of  souls,  we  may  hope  for  the  ac- 
 companying power  of  liis  Spirit,  which  will  give  our  dis- 
 courses a  wciglit  and  energy  that  Demosthenes  had  no 
 conception  of. 
 
 I  can  give  you  no  information  of  a  curacy  in  a  better 
 situation.  But  either  the  Lord  will  provide  you  one,  or 
 I  trust  he  will  give  you  usefulness  and  a  comi)etency  of 
 iiealth  and  spirits  where  you  are.  He  who  caused  Daniel 
 to  thrive  upon  pulse,  can  make  you  strong  and  cheerful 
 even  in  the  Fens,  if  he  sees  that  best  for  you.  All  things 
 obey  him,  and  you  need  not  fear  but  he  will  enable  you 
 for  whatever  service  he  has  appointed  you  to  perform. 
 
 This  letter  has  been  a  week  in  hand:  many  interrup- 
 
408 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 tions  from  without,  and  indispositions  within.  I  seem  to 
 while  away  my  lil'e,  and  shall  be  glad  to  be  saved,  upon  the 
 footing  of  the  thief  upon  the  cross,  without  any  hope  or 
 plea,  but  the  grace  of  Jesus,  who  has  said,  "  I  will  in  no 
 wise  cast  out."  Adieu. 
 
 Pray  for  yours,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  IV. 
 
 Dear  Sir,  September  10,  1777. 
 
 I  WAS  glad  to  hear  from  you  at  last,  not  being  willing  to 
 think,  myself  forgotten.  I  supposed  you  were  ill.  It 
 seems,  by  your  account,  that  you  are  far  from  well;  but 
 I  hope  you  are  as  well  as  you  ought  to  be,  that  is,  as  well 
 as  the  Lord  sees  it  good  for  you  to  be.  I  sa}'  I  hope  so; 
 for  I  am  not  sure  that  the  length  and  vehemence  of  j'our 
 sermons,  whicli  you  tell  me  astonish  many  people,  may 
 not  be  rather  improper  and  imprudent,  considering  the 
 weakness  of  your  constitution;  at  least  if  this  expression 
 of  yours  be  justly  expounded  by  a  report  which  has 
 reached  me,  that  the  length  of  your  sermons  is  frequently 
 two  hours,  and  tlie  vehemence  of  your  voice  so  great, 
 tliat  you  may  be  lieard  far  beyond  the  church  walls. 
 Unwilling  should  1  be  to  damp  your  zeal;  but  I  feel  un- 
 M  llling  likewise,  that  by  excessive  unnecessary  exertions, 
 you  shoidd  wear  away  at  once,  and  preclude  your  om  n 
 u^(  t■ulness.  This  concern  is  so  much  upon  niy  mind, 
 tl'.at  I  begin  with  it,  though  it  makes  me  skip  over  the 
 former  part  of  your  letter ;  but  when  I  have  reliev  ed 
 myself  upon  this  point,  I  can  easily  skip  back  again.  I 
 aiii  j)erliaps  the  more  ready  to  credit  the  report,  because 
 I  know  the  spirits  of  you  nervous  people  are  highly 
 volatile.  I  consider  you  as  mounted  upon  a  fiery  steed ; 
 and,  provided  you  use  due  management  and  circumspec- 
 tion, you  travel  more  pleasantly  than  we  plodding  folks 
 upon  our  sober  phlegmatic  nags;  but  then,  if  instead  of 
 
LETTERS  TO  MR  C 
 
 409 
 
 jKiHing  tho  rein,  you  plunge  in  the  spurs,  and  add  wings 
 to  the  wind,  I  cannot  but  be  in  pain  for  the  consequences. 
 Permit  me  to  remind  j'ou  of'tiie  Terentian  adage,  JVe  quid 
 nimis.  The  end  of  speaking  is  to  be  iic.ard,  and  if  the 
 person  farthest  from  the  preacher  can  hear,  he  speaks 
 loud  enough.  Upon  some  occasions,  a  few  sentences  of 
 a  discourse  may  be  enforced  witli  a  voice  still  more  ele- 
 vated; iMit  to  be  uncommonly  loud  from  beginning  to 
 end,  is  hurtful  to  tiie  speaker,  and,  I  apprehend,  no  way 
 useful  to  the  heai'er.  It  is  a  faidt  which  many  inadver- 
 tently give  into  at  first,  and  wliicli  many  liave  repented 
 of  too  late:  wlien  practice  has  rendered  it  habitual,  it  is 
 not  easily  cori'ected.  I  knowsouie  think,  that  preaching 
 very  loudly,  and  preaching  witli  power,  are  synonvnu)U3 
 expressions,  l)ut  yoiu'  judgment  is  too  good  to  fall  in  with 
 that  prejudice.  If  I  was  a  good  Clrecian,  I  would  send 
 you  a  quotation  from  Homer,  where  he  describes  the 
 eloquence  of  Nestor,  and  compares  it,  if  I  remember 
 right,  not  to  a  tlivcnder-storm  or  a  hurricane,  but  to  a 
 fall  of  snow,  wliicii,  tliough  pressing,  insinuating,  and 
 penetrating,  is  soft  and  gentle.  You  know  the  passage: 
 I  think  the  simile  is  beautiful  and  expressive. 
 
 Secondly  (as  we  say),  as  to  long  preaching.  There  is 
 still  in  being  an  old-fashioned  instrument  called  an  hor.r- 
 glass,  wliich,  in  da3's  of  yore,  before  clocks  and  watches 
 abounded,  used  to  be  the  measure  of  many  a  good  ser  - 
 mon, and  I  think  it  a  tolerable  stint.  I  cannot  wind  up 
 my  ends  to  my  own  satisfiction  in  a  much  shorter  time, 
 nor  am  I  pleased  with  myself  if  I  greatly  exceed  it.  If 
 an  angel  was  to  preach  for  two  hours,  unless  his  liearers 
 were  angels  likewise,  I  believe  the  greater  part  of  them 
 would  wish  he  had  done.  It  is  a  shame  it  should  be  so; 
 but  so  it  is,  partly  tlirougli  tlie  weakness,  and  partly 
 tiirough  the  wickedness  of  the  flesli,  we  can  seldo'.ii 
 stretch  our  attention  to  spii'itual  tilings  for  two  hours 
 togetiier  without  cracking  it,  and  hurting  its  spring; 
 and  when  weariness  begins,  edification  ends.  Perhaps 
 it  is  better  to  feed  our  people  like  chickens,  a  little  and 
 often,  than  to  cram  them  like  turkeys,  till  thej'  cannot 
 hold  one  gobbet  more.   Besides,  overlong  sermons  break 
 
410 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 in  upon  family  concerns,  and  often  call  off  thoughts  from 
 the  sermon  to  the  pudding  at  home,  which  is  in  danger 
 of  being  overboiled.  Tliey  leave  likewise  but  little 
 time  for  secret  or  family  religion,  which  are  both  very 
 good  in  their  place,  and  are  entitled  to  a  share  in  the 
 Lord's  day.  Upon  the  preacher  they  must  have  a  bad 
 effect,  and  tend  to  wear  liim  down  before  his  time:  and 
 I  have  known  some,  by  overacting  at  first,  have  been 
 constrained  to  sit  still  and  do  little  or  nothing  for  months 
 or  years  afterwards.  I  rather  recommend  to  you  the 
 advice  of  your  brother  Cantab,  Hobson  the  carrier,  so 
 to  set  out  that  you  may  hold  out  to  your  journey's  end. 
 
 Now,  if  Fame,  M'ith  her  hundred  mouths,  has  brought 
 me  a  false  report  of  you,  and  you  are  not  guilty  of  preach- 
 ing either  too  long  or  too  loud,  still  I  am  not  willing  my 
 remonstrance  may  stand  for  nothing.  I  desire  you  will 
 accept  it,  and  thank  me  for  it,  as  a  proof  of  my  love  to 
 you,  and  likewise  of  tlie  sincerity  of  my  friendship;  for 
 if  I  had  wished  to  flatter  you,  I  could  easily  have  called 
 another  subject. 
 
 I  have  one  more  report  to  trouble  you  with,  because 
 it  troubles  me;  and  therefore  you  must  boar  a  part  of 
 my  burden.  Assure  me  it  is  false,  and  I  will  send  you 
 one  of  the  handsomest  letters  I  can  devise  by  way  of 
 tlianks.  It  is  reported  then  (but  I  will  not  believe  it 
 till  you  say  I  must),  that  you  stand  upon  your  tiptoes, 
 upon  the  point  of  being  wliirled  out  of  our  vortex,  and 
 Inn-ried  away,  comet-like,  into  the  regions  of  eccentrici- 
 ty; in  plain  English,  that  you  have  a  hankering  to  be 
 an  itinerant.  If  this  be  true,  I  will  not  be  the  first  to 
 tell  it  in  St  John's  College,  or  to  publish  it  on  the  banks 
 of  Cam,  lest  the  mathematicians  rejoice,  and  the  poets 
 triumph.  But  to  be  serious,  for  it  is  a  serious  subject, 
 let  me  beg  you  to  deliberate  well,  and  to  pray  earnestly 
 before  you  take  this  step.  Be  afraid  of  acting  in  your 
 own  spirit,  or  under  a  wrong  impression ;  hoAvever 
 honestly  you  mean,  you  may  be  mistaken.  The  Lord 
 has  given  you  a  little  charge;  be  faithful  in  it,  and  in 
 his  good  time  he  will  advance  you  to  a  greater:  but  let 
 his  providence  evidently  open  the  door  for  you,  and  be 
 
LETTERS  TO  MR  C 
 
 411 
 
 afraid  of  moving  one  step  before  the  cloud  and  pillar.  I 
 have  had  my  warm  fits  and  desires  of  this  sort  in  my 
 time;  but  I  have  reason  to  be  thankful  that  I  was  held 
 in  with  a  strong  hand.  I  wish  there  were  more  itine- 
 rant preacliers.  If  a  man  has  grace  and  zeal,  and  but 
 little  fund,  let  him  go  and  diffuse  the  substance  of  a 
 dozen  sermons  over  as  many  coimties ;  but  you  have 
 natural  and  acquired  abilities,  which  qualify  you  for  the 
 more  difticult,  and,  in  my  judgment,  not  less  important, 
 station  of  a  parochial  minister.  I  wish  you  to  be  a 
 burning,  shining,  steady  light.  You  may  perhaps  have 
 less  popularity,  that  is,  you  will  be  less  exposed  to  the 
 workings  of  self  and  the  snares  of  Satan,  if  you  stay 
 with  us;  but  I  think  you  may  live  in  the  full  exercise  of 
 your  gifts  and  graces,  be  more  consistent  with  your  vo- 
 luntary engagements,  and  have  more  peace  of  mind,  and 
 Inimble  intercourse  with  God,  in  M  atching  over  a  flock 
 which  he  has  committed  to  you,  than,  by  forsaking  them, 
 to  wander  up  and  down  the  earth  without  a  determined 
 scope. 
 
 Thus  far  I  have  been  more  attentive  to  the  utile  than 
 the  dulce.  I  should  now  return  to  join  you  in  celebrat- 
 ing the  praises  of  poetry,  and  the  other  subjects  of  your 
 letter;  but  time  and  paper  foil  together.  Let  me  hear 
 from  you  soon,  or  I  shall  fear  I  have  displeased  you, 
 which,  fond  as  I  am  of  poctr3',  would  give  me  more  pain 
 than  I  ever  found  pleasure  in  reading  Alexander's  feast. 
 Indeed,  I  love  you:  I  often  measure  o\ev  the  walks  we 
 have  taken  together;  and  when  I  come  to  a  favourite 
 stile,  or  such  a  favourite  spot  upon  the  hill-top,  I  am  re- 
 minded of  something  that  passed,  and  say,  or  at  least 
 
 think,  Hie  stetit  C  
 
 Yours,  &c. 
 
412 
 
 CARDTrHONIA. 
 
 LETTER  V. 
 
 Dear  Sir, 
 
 By  your  flying  letter  from  London,  as  well  as  by  your 
 more  particular  answer  to  my  last,  I  judge  that  whr.t  I 
 formerly  wrote  will  answer  no  otlier  end  than  to  be  a 
 testimony  of  my  fidelity  and  friendship.  I  am  ready  to 
 think  you  were  so  far  determined  before  you  applied  to 
 the  Bishop,  as  to  be  rather  pleased  than  disappointed  by 
 a  refusal,  which  seemed  to  afford  you  libertj'  to  preach 
 at  large.  As  your  Ustimoiiiuin  was  not  countersigned, 
 the  consequence  was  no  other  tlian  might  have  been  ex- 
 pected :  yet  I  iiave  been  told  (liow  true  I  know  not),  that 
 the  Bisliop  would  have  passed  over  the  informality,  if 
 you  had  not,  unasked  by  him,  avowed  yourself  a  Metho- 
 dist. I  tiiink,  if  you  had  been  unwilling  to  throw  liin- 
 derances  in  your  own  way,  the  most  perfect  simplicity 
 would  have  required  no  more  of  you  than  to  have  given 
 a  plain  and  honest  answer  to  such  questions  as  he  might 
 think  proper  to  propose.    You  might  have  assisted  Mr 
 
  for  a  season  without  being  in  full  orders;  and  you 
 
 may  still,  if  you  are  not  resolved  at  all  events  to  push  out. 
 He  wrote  to  me  about  you,  and  you  may  easily  judge 
 what  answer  I  gave.  I  have  heard  from  him  a  second 
 time,  and  he  laments  that  he  cannot  have  you.  I  like- 
 wise lament  that  you  cannot  be  with  him.  I  think  j'ou 
 would  have  loved  him;  and  I  hoped  his  acquaintance 
 might  not  iiave  proved  unusefid  to  you. 
 
 If  you  have  not  actually  passed  tiie  Rubicon,  if  there 
 be  yet  room  for  deliberation,  I  once  more  entreat  you  to 
 pause  and  consider.  In  many  respects  I  ought  to  be 
 willing  to  learn  from  you;  but  in  one  point  I  have  a 
 little  advantage  of  you :  I  am  some  years  older,  both  in 
 life  and  in  profession;  and  in  this  difference  of  time  per- 
 haps I  have  learned  something  more  of  the  heart,  the 
 world,  and  the  devices  of  Satan,  than  you  have  had  op- 
 portunity for.    I  hope  I  would  not  damp  your  zeal,  but 
 
I.r.TTERS  TO  Mil  C 
 
 413 
 
 I  will  pray  the  Lord  to  direct  it  into  tlie  best  channel 
 for  permanent  usefulness.  I  say  permanent ;  I  doubt  not 
 that  you  would  be  useful  in  the  itinerant  way;  but  I 
 more  and  more  observe  great  inconveniences  follow  in 
 that  way.  Where  you  make  a  gathering  of  people,  others 
 will  follow  you;  and  if  they  all  possessed  your  spirit,  and 
 liad  your  disinterested  views,  it  might  be  well.  But  gen- 
 erally an  able  preacher  only  so  far  awakens  people  to  a 
 desire  to  hear,  as  exposes  them  to  the  incursions  of  va- 
 rious winds  of  doctrine,  and  the  attempts  of  injudicious 
 pretenders,  who  will  resemble  you  in  nothing  but  your 
 eagerness  to  post  from  place  to  place.  From  such  mea- 
 sures in  time  proceed  errors,  parties,  contentions,  of- 
 fences, enthusiasms,  spiritual  pride,  and  a  noisy  osten- 
 tatious form  of  godliness,  but  little  of  that  power  and 
 life  of  faith  which  sliows  itself  by  humility,  meekness,  and 
 love. 
 
 A  parochial  minister,  who  lives  among  his  people,  who 
 sees  and  converses  with  them  frequently,  and  exemplifies 
 his  doctrine  in  their  view  by  his  practice,  having  know- 
 ledge of  their  states,  trials,  growth,  and  dangers,  suits 
 himself  to  their  various  occasions,  and,  by  the  blessing 
 of  God,  builds  them  up,  and  brings  them  fonvard  in  faith 
 and  holiness.  He  is  instrumental  in  forming  their  expe- 
 rience: he  leads  them  to  a  solid,  orderly,  scriptural  know- 
 ledge of  divine  things.  If  his  name  is  not  in  so  many 
 mouths  as  that  of  the  itinerant,  it  is  upon  the  hearts  of 
 the  people  of  his  charge.  He  lives  with  them  as  a  father 
 with  his  children.  His  steady  consistent  behaviour  si- 
 lences in  some  measure  the  clamours  of  his  enemies;  and 
 the  Lord  opens  Iiim  doors  of  occasional  usefulness  in 
 many  places,  without  provoking  our  superiors  to  dis- 
 countenance other  young  men  who  are  seeking  orders. 
 
 I  now  wish  I  had  taken  larger  paper,  for  1  have  not 
 room  for  all  I  would  say.  I  have  no  end  to  serve.  I  am 
 of  no  party.  I  wish  well  to  irregulars  and  itinerants, 
 who  love  and  preach  the  gospel.  I  am  content  tliat  they 
 should  labour  that  way,  who  have  not  talents  nor  fund 
 to  support  the  character,  and  fill  up  the  office  of  a  pa- 
 rochial minister.  But  I  think  you  are  qualified  for  more 
 
414 
 
 CARDIPIIONIA. 
 
 important  service.  If  you  had  patient  faith  to  wait  a 
 while  for  the  Lord's  opening,  I  doubt  not  but  you  miglit 
 yet  obtain  priest's  orders.  We  are  hasty  like  children ; 
 but  God  often  appoints  us  a  waiting  time.  Perliaps  it 
 requires  as  much  or  more  grace  to  wait  than  to  be  ac- 
 tive; for  it  is  more  trying  to  self.  After  all,  whatever 
 course  j-ou  take,  I  shall  love  you,  pray  for  you,  and  be 
 glad  to  see  you. 
 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
EIGHT  LETTERS  TO  MRS 
 
 LETTER  L 
 
 My  Dear  Madam,  July  —  1764. 
 
 The  complaints  you  make  are  inseparable  from  a  spirit- 
 ual acquaintance  with  our  own  hearts;  I  would  not  wish 
 you  to  be  less  affected  with  a  sense  of  indwelling  sin.  It 
 becomes  us  to  be  humbled  into  the  dust;  yet  our  grief, 
 though  it  cannot  be  too  great,  may  be  under  a  wrong  di- 
 rection ;  and  if  it  leads  us  to  impatience  or  distrust,  it 
 certainly  is  so. 
 
 Sin  is  the  sickness  of  the  soul,  in  itself  mortal  and  in- 
 curable, as  to  any  power  in  heaven  or  earth  but  that 
 of  the  Lord  Jesus  only.  But  he  is  the  great,  the  infalli- 
 ble Phj'sician.  Have  we  the  privilege  to  know  his  name? 
 Have  we  been  enabled  to  put  ourselves  into  his  hand? 
 We  have  then  no  more  to  do  but  to  attend  his  prescrip- 
 tions, to  be  satisfied  with  his  methods,  and  to  wait  his 
 time.  It  is  lawful  to  wisii  we  were  well;  it  is  natural  to 
 groan,  being  burdened;  but  still  he  must  and  will  take 
 his  own  course  with  us;  and  however  dissatisfied  with 
 ourselves,  we  ought  still  to  be  thankful  that  he  has  be- 
 gun his  work  in  us,  and  to  believe  that  he  will  also  make 
 an  end.  Therefore,  while  we  mourn,  we  should  likewise 
 rejoice;  we  should  encourage  ourselves  to  expect  all  that 
 he  has  promised  ;  and  we  sliould  limit  our  expectations 
 by  his  promises.  We  are  sure,  that  when  the  Lord  de- 
 livers us  from  the  guilt  and  dominion  of  sin,  he  could 
 with  equal  ease  free  us  entirely  from  sin  if  he  pleased. 
 The  doctrine  of  sinless  perfection  is  not  to  be  rejected, 
 
416 
 
 CARDIPHOMA. 
 
 as  though  it  were  a  thing  simply  impossible?  in  itself,  Tor 
 nothing  is  too  hard  for  the  Lord,  but  because  it  is  con- 
 trary to  that  method  which  lie  has  chosen  to  proceed  b^-. 
 He  has  appointed  that  sanctification  should  be  efi'ected, 
 and  sin  mortified,  not  at  once  completeh-,  but  by  little 
 a.nd  little;  and  doubtless  he  has  wise  reasons  for  it.  There- 
 fore, though  we  are  to  desire  a  growth  in  grace,  we 
 should  at  the  same  time  acquiesce  in  his  appointment,  and 
 not  to  be  discouraged  or  despond,  because  we  feel  that 
 conflict  which  his  word  informs  us  will  only  terminate 
 with  our  lives. 
 
 Again,  some  of  the  first  prayers  which  the  Spirit  of 
 God  teaches  us  to  put  up,  are  for  a  clearer  sense  of  the 
 sinfulness  of  sin,  and  our  vileness  on  account  of  it.  Now, 
 if  the  Lord  is  pleased  to  answer  your  prayers  in  this  re- 
 spect, though  it  will  afford  you  cause  enougli  for  humili- 
 ation, yet  it  should  be  received  likewise  witli  thankful- 
 ness, as  a  token  for  good.  Your  heart  is  not  worse  than 
 it  was  formerly,  only  your  spiritual  knowledge  is  in- 
 creased; and  this  is  no  small  part  of  the  growth  in  grace 
 which  you  are  thirsting  after,  to  be  truly  humbled,  and 
 emptied,  and  made  little  in  your  own  eyes. 
 
 Farther,  the  examples  of  the  saints  recorded  in  scrip- 
 ture prove  (and  indeed  of  the  saints  in  general),  that  the 
 greater  meaisure  anj'  person  has  of  the  grace  of  God  in 
 truth,  the  more  conscientious  and  lively  they  liave  been; 
 and  the  more  they  have  been  favoured  with  assurances 
 of  the  divine  favour,  so  much  the  more  deep  and  sensi- 
 ble their  perception  of  indwelling  sin  and  infirmity  lias 
 always  been ;  so  it  was  Avith  Job,  Isaiah,  Daniel,  and 
 Paul.  It  is  likewise  common  to  overcharge  ourselves. 
 Indeed,  Me  cannot  think  ourselves  worse  than  we  really 
 are;  j'et  some  things  which  abate  the  comfort  and  alacri- 
 ty of  our  Christian  profession  are  rattier  impediments 
 than  properlj'  sinful,  and  will  not  be  imputed  to  us  by 
 him  who  knows  our  frame,  and  remembers  that  we  are 
 but  dust.  Thus,  to  have  an  infirm  memory,  to  be  sub- 
 ject to  disordered,  irregular,  or  low  spirits,  are  faults  of 
 the  constitution,  in  which  the  will  has  no  share,  though 
 they  ai^e  all  burdensome  and  oppressive,  and  sometimes 
 
LETTERS  TO  MRS 
 
 417 
 
 needlessly  so,  by  our  cliarginj^  ourselves  with  guilt  on 
 their  account.  The  same  may  be  observed  of  the  un- 
 speakable and  fierce  suggestions  of  Satan,  with  which 
 some  persons  are  pestered,  but  wliich  shall  be  laid  to  him 
 from  wliom  they  proceed,  and  not  to  them  who  are 
 troubled  and  terrified,  because  they  are  forced  to  feel 
 them.  LastJji,  it  is  by  the  experience  of  these  evils 
 within  ourselves,  and  by  feeling  our  Titter  insufiicienc}', 
 either  to  perform  duty  to,  or  withstand  our  enemies,  that 
 the  Lord  takes  occasion  to  show  us  the  suitableness,  the 
 sufficiency,  the  freencss,  tlie  unchaiigeableness  of  his 
 power  and  grace.  This  is  the  inference  St  Paul  draws 
 from  his  complaints,  Rom.  vii.  25,  and  lie  learnt  it  upon 
 a  trying  occasion  from  the  Lord's  own  mouth,  2  Cor. 
 xii.  8,  9. 
 
 Let  us  then,  dear  Madam,  be  thankful  and  cheerful, 
 and,  while  we  take  shame  to  ourselves,  let  us  glorify 
 God  by  giving  Jesus  the  honour  due  to  his  name. 
 Though  we  are  poor,  he  is  rich  ;  though  we  are  weak, 
 he  is  strong;  though  we  have  nothing,  he  possesses  all 
 things.  He  suffered  for  us;  he  calls  us  to  be  conformed 
 to  him  in  sufferings.  He  conquered  in  his  own  person, 
 and  he  will  make  each  of  his  members  more  than  con- 
 (pierors  in  due  season.  It  is  good  to  iiave  one  eye  upon 
 ourselves,  but  the  otiier  sliould  ever  be  fixed  on  him  who 
 stands  in  the  relation  of  Saviour,  Husband,  Head,  and 
 Shepherd.  In  him  we  have  righteousness,  peace,  and 
 pdMci':  he  can  control  all  that  we  fear:  so  that,  if  our 
 pntli  sliould  be  througli  the  fire  or  througli  the  water, 
 neither  the  flood  shall  drown  us,  nor  the  fianie  kindle 
 upon  us  and  ere  long  he  will  cut  sliort  our  conflicts,  and 
 say,  Come  up  hitlier.  "  Then  shall  our  grateful  songs 
 ub:>utid,  and  every  tear  Ije  wiped  awaj'."  Having  such 
 promises  and  assurances,  let  us  lift  up  our  banner  in  his 
 name,  and  press  on  througli  every  discouragement. 
 
 With  regard  to  com]>any  that  have  not  a  savour  of 
 the  best  things,  as  it  is  not  your  choice,  I  would  advise 
 you  (wlien  necessary)  to  bear  it  as  a  cross;  we  cannot 
 suffer  by  being  where  we  ought  to  be,  except  through 
 our  own  impatience;  and  I  have  an  idea,  that  when  we 
 
418 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 are  prov  identially  called  amongst  such  (for  something  is 
 due  to  friends  and  relations,  whether  they  walk  with  us 
 or  no),  that  the  hours  need  not  be  wholly  lost;  nothing 
 can  pass  but  may  be  improved;  the  most  trivial  conver- 
 sation may  afford  us  new  views  of  the  heart,  new  confir- 
 mation of  scripture,  and  renew  a  sense  of  our  obligations 
 to  distinguish  in  grace,  w  hich  has  made  us  in  any  degree 
 to  differ.  I  would  wish,  wlien  you  go  amongst  j'our 
 friends,  that  you  do  not  confine  your  views  to  getting 
 safe  away  from  them  without  loss,  but  entertain  a  hope 
 that  you  may  be  sent  to  do  some  of  them  good.  You 
 cannot  tell  what  effect  a  word  or  a  look  may  have,  if  the 
 Lord  is  pleased  to  bless  it.  I  think  we  may  humbly 
 hope  that,  while  we  sincerely  desire  to  please  the  Lord, 
 and  to  be  guided  by  him  in  all  things,  he  will  not  suffer 
 us  to  take  a  journey,  or  hardly  to  make  a  short  visit, 
 which  shall  not  answer  some  good  purpose  to  ourselves 
 or  others,  or  both.  While  your  gay  friends  affect  an  air 
 of  raillery,  the  Lord  may  give  you  a  secret  witness  in 
 their  consciences;  and  something  they  observe  in  you, 
 or  hear  from  you,  may  set  them  on  thinking,  perhaps 
 after  you  are  gone,  or  after  the  first  occasion  has  entirely 
 slipped  your  memory.  Eccles.  xi.  1.  For  my  own  part, 
 when  I  consider  the  power,  the  freedom  of  divine  grace, 
 and  how  sovereign  the  Lord  is  in  the  choice  of  the  in- 
 struments and  means  by  which  he  is  pleased  to  work,  I 
 live  in  hopes  from  day  to  day  of  hearing  of  wonders  of 
 this  sort.  I  despair  of  nobody;  and  if  I  sometimes  am 
 ready  to  think  such  or  such  a  person  seems  more  unlike- 
 ly than  others  to  be  brought  in,  I  relieve  myself  by  a 
 possibility  that  that  very  person,  and  for  that  very  rea- 
 son, may  be  the  first  instance.  The  Lord's  thoughts 
 are  not  like  ours;  in  his  love  and  in  his  ways  there  are 
 heights  which  we  cannot  reach,  deptlis  w  hich  we  cannot 
 fathom,  lengths  and  breadths  beyond  the  ken  of  our 
 feeble  sight.  Let  us  then,  simply  depend  upon  him,  and 
 do  our  little  best,  leaving  the  event  in  his  hand. 
 
 I  cannot  tell  if  you  know-  any  thing  of  Mrs.  .  In 
 
 a  letter  I  received  yesterday,  she  writes  thus: — "  I  am 
 at  present  very  ill  with  some  disorder  in  my  throat, 
 
LETTERS  TO  MRS   , 
 
 419 
 
 which  seems  to  threaten  my  life ;  but  death  or  life,  things 
 present  or  things  to  come,  all  thinp,s  are  mine,  and  I  am 
 Christ's,  and  Christ  is  God's.  O  glorious  privilege; 
 precious  fountain  of  a  soul  rest  and  peace,  when  all  things 
 about  us  are  most  troublous!  Soon  we  shall  be  at  home 
 with  Christ,  where  sin,  sorrow,  and  death,  have  no  place ; 
 and,  in  the  meantime,  our  Beloved  will  lead  us  through 
 the  wilderness.  How  safe,  how  joyous  are  we,  may  we 
 be,  in  the  most  evil  case! — If  these  should  be  some  of 
 the  last  notes  of  this  swan,  I  think  them  worth  preserv- 
 ing. May  we  not  with  good  reason  say,  Who  would  not 
 be  a  Christian?  The  Lord  grant  that  you  and  I,  Ma- 
 dam, and  yours  and  mine,  may  be  happy  in  the  same 
 assurance,  when  we  shall  have  death  and  eternity  near  in 
 view. 
 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  II., 
 
 My  Dear  Madam,  September,  1764. 
 
 Your  welfare  I  rejoice  in;  your  warfare  I  understand 
 something  of.  St  Paul  describes  his  own  case  in  few 
 words,  "  Without  were  fightings,  within  were  fears." 
 Does  not  this  comprehend  all  you  would  say?  And 
 how  are  you  to  know  experimentally  either  your  own 
 weakness,  or  the  power,  wisdom,  and  grace  of  God,  sea- 
 sonably and  sufficiently  afforded,  but  by  frequent  and 
 various  trials?  How  are  the  graces  of  patience,  resig- 
 nation, meekness,  and  faith,  to  be  discovered  and  in- 
 creased, but  by  exercise?  The  Lord  has  chosen,  called, 
 and  armed  us  for  the  fight;  and  shall  we  wish  to  be  ex- 
 cused? Shall  we  not  rather  rejoice  that  we  have  the 
 honour  to  appear  in  such  a  cause,  under  such  a  Captain, 
 such  a  banner,  and  in  such  company?  A  complete  suit 
 of  armour  is  provided,  weapons  not  to  be  resisted,  and 
 precious  balm  to  heal  us  if  haply  we  receive  a  wound, 
 
420 
 
 CAnOIPHONIA. 
 
 and  precious  ointment  to  revive  us  wlien  we  are  in  dan- 
 ger of  fainting.  Further,  we  are  HL^sured  of  the  victory 
 beforehand  ;  and  oh!  wiiat  a  crown  is  prepared  for  every 
 conqueror,  which  Jesus,  tlie  righteous  Judge,  the  gra- 
 cious Saviour,  shall  place  upon  every  faithful  head  with 
 his  own  hand!  Then  let  us  not  be  weary  and  faint,  for 
 in  due  season  we  shall  reap.  The  time  is  short;  yet  a 
 little  while,  and  the  struggle  of  indwelling  sin,  and  the 
 contradiction  of  surrounding  sinners,  shall  be  known  no 
 more.  You  are  blessed,  because  you  hunger  and  thirst 
 after  righteousness;  he  whose  name  is  Amen  has  said 
 you  shall  be  filled.  To  claim  the  promise,  is  to  make  it 
 our  own:  yet  it  is  becoming  us  to  practise  siibmission 
 and  patience,  not  in  temporals  only,  but  also  in  spiritu- 
 als. We  should  be  ashamed  and  grieved  at  our  slow 
 progress,  so  far  as  it  is  properly  chargeable  to  our  re- 
 missness and  miscarriage;  yet  we  nuist  not  expect  to 
 receive  every  thing  at  once,  but  wait  for  a  gradual  in- 
 crease; nor  should  we  forget  to  be  thankful  for  what  we 
 may  account  a  little,  in  comparison  of  the  much  we  sup- 
 pose others  have  received.  A  little  grace,  a  spark  of 
 true  love  to  God,  a  grain  of  living  faith,  though  small 
 as  mustard  seed,  is  worth  a  thousand  worlds.  One 
 draught  of  the  Vi'ater  of  life  gives  interest  in  and  earnest 
 of  the  whole  fountain.  It  becometli  the  Lord's  people 
 to  be  thankful ;  and  to  acknowledge  his  goodness  in 
 what  we  have  received,  is  the  surest  as  well  as  the  plea- 
 santest  method  of  obtaining  more.  Nor  sliould  the  grief, 
 arising  from  what  we  know  and  feel  of  our  own  hearts, 
 rob  us  of  the  honour,  comfort,  and  joy,  which  the  word  of 
 God  designs  us,  in  what  is  there  recorrled  of  the  per- 
 son, otfices,  and  grace  of  Jesus,  and  the  relations  he  is 
 pleased  to  stand  in  to  his  people,  Psal.  xxii.  1,  Isa.  liv.  5, 
 Cant.  V.  16,  John  xv.  15,  1  John  ii.,  1  John  xv.  1,  Jer. 
 xxiii.  5,  1  Cor.  i.  30,  Matt.  i.  21-23.  Give  me  leave  to  re- 
 commend to  your  consideration  Psalm  Ixxxix.  15-18. 
 These  verses  may  be  called  the  Believer's  Triimiph: 
 though  they  are  nothing  in  themselves,  yet  having  all  in 
 Jesus,  they  may  rejoice  in  his  name  all  the  day.  The 
 Lord  enable  us  so  to  do!    The  joy  of  the  Lord  is  the 
 
LETTERS  TO  MRS 
 
 421 
 
 strength  of  his  people;  whereas  unbelief  makes  our  hands 
 hang  down,  and  our  knees  feeble,  dispirits  ourselves,  and 
 discourages  others ;  and  though  it  steals  upon  us  under  a 
 semblance  of  humility,  it  is  indeed  the  very  essence  of  pride. 
 Bv  inward  and  outward  exercises  the  Lord  is  promoting 
 the  best  desire  of  your  heart,  and  answering  your  daily 
 prayers.  Would  you  have  assurance?  The  true  solid 
 assurance  is  to  be  obtained  no  other  way.  When  j'oung 
 Christians  are  greatly  comforted  with  the  Lord's  love  and 
 presence,  their  doubts  and  fears  are  for  that  season  at  an 
 end.  But  this  is  not  assurance;  so  soon  as  the  I^ord 
 hides  his  face,  they  are  troubled,  and  ready  to  question 
 the  very  foundation  of  hope.  Assurance  grows  by  re- 
 peated conflict,  by  our  repeated  experimental  proof  of 
 the  Lord's  power  and  goodness  to  save;  when  we  have 
 been  brought  very  low  and  helped,  sorely  wounded  and 
 healed,  cast  down  and  raised  again,  have  given  up  all  hope, 
 and  been  suddenly  snatched  from  danger,  and  placed  in 
 safety;  and  when  these  things  have  been  repeated  to  us 
 and  in  us  a  thousand  times  over,  we  begin  to  learn  to 
 trust  simply  to  the  word  and  power  of  God,  beyond  and 
 against  appearances;  and  this  trust,  when  habitual  and 
 strong,  bears  the  name  of  assurance;  for  even  assurance 
 has  degrees. 
 
 You  have  good  reason,  Madam,  to  suppose  that  the 
 love  of  the  best  Christians  to  an  unseen  Saviour  is  far 
 short  of  what  it  ought  to  be.  If  your  heart  be  like  mine, 
 and  you  examine  your  love  to  Christ  by  the  warmth  and 
 frequency  of  your  emotions  towards  him,  you  will  be  in 
 a  sad  suspense,  whether  or  no  you  love  him  at  all.  The 
 best  mark  to  judge,  and  which  he  has  given  us  for  that 
 purpose,  is  to  inquire  if  his  word  and  will  have  a  pre- 
 vailing, governing  influence  upon  our  lives  and  temper. 
 If  we  love  him,  we  do  endeavour  to  keep  his  command- 
 ments; and  it  will  hold  the  other  way;  if  we  have  a 
 desire  to  please  him,  we  undoubtedly  love  him.  Obe- 
 dience is  the  best  test;  and  when,  amidst  all  our  imper- 
 fections, we  can  humbly  appeal  concerning  the  sincerity 
 of  our  views,  this  is  a  mercy  for  which  we  ought  to  be 
 greatly  thankful.    He  that  has  brought  us  to  will,  will 
 
 o 
 
422 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 likewise  enable  us  to  do  according  to  his  good  pleasure. 
 I  doubt  not  but  the  Lord  whom  you  love,  and  on  whom 
 you  depend,  will  lead  you  in  a  sure  way,  and  establish, 
 and  strengthen,  and  settle  you  in  his  love  and  grace. 
 Indeed  he  has  done  great  things  for  you  already.  The 
 Lord  is  your  Shepherd; — a  comprehensive  word.  The 
 sheep  can  do  nothing  for  themselves;  the  shepherd  must 
 guide,  guard,  feed,  heal,  recover.  Well  for  us  that  our 
 Shepherd  is  the  Lord  Almighty.  If  his  power,  care, 
 compassion,  fulness,  were  not  infinite,  the  poor  sheep 
 would  be  forsaken,  starved,  and  worried.  But  we  have 
 a  Shepherd  full  of  care,  full  of  kindness,  full  of  power, 
 who  has  said,  I  will  seek  that  which  was  lost,  and  bind 
 up  that  which  was  broken,  and  bring  again  that  which 
 was  driven  away,  and  will  strengtiien  that  which  was 
 sick.  How  tender  are  these  expressions,  and  how  well 
 fulfilled!  His  sheep  feed  in  tlie  midst  of  wolves,  yet 
 are  preserved  safe;  for  though  they  see  him  not,  his  eye 
 and  his  heart  are  upon  them.  Do  we  wonder  that  Daniel 
 was  preserved  in  the  lion's  den!  Why,  it  is  a  common 
 case.  Which  of  God's  children  have  not  cause  to  say, 
 "  My  soul  is  among  lions?"  But  the  angel  of  the  cove- 
 nant stops  their  mouths,  or  only  permits  them  to  gape 
 and  roar,  to  show  their  teeth,  and  what  they  would  do 
 if  they  might;  but  they  may  not,  they  shall  not  bite  and 
 tear  us  at  their  own  will.  Let  us  trust  him,  and  all  shall 
 be  well. 
 
 As  to  daily  occurrences,  it  is  best  to  believe  that  a 
 daily  portion  of  comforts  and  crosses,  each  one  the  most 
 suitable  to  our  case,  is  adjusted  and  appointed  by  the 
 hand  which  was  once  nailed  to  the  cross  for  us;  that 
 where  the  path  of  duty  and  prudence  leads,  there  is  the 
 best  situation  we  could  possibly  be  in  at  that  juncture. 
 We  are  not  required  to  afflict  ourselves  immoderately 
 for  what  is  not  in  our  power  to  prevent,  nor  should  any 
 thing  tliat  affords  occasions  for  mortifying  the  spirit  of 
 self  be  accounted  luinecessary. 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
LETTERS  TO  MRS 
 
 423 
 
 LETTER  III. 
 
 1768. 
 
 I  HAVE  been  some  time  hoping  to  hear  from  you,  but  Mr 
 
  ■  was  here  last  Saturday,  and  informed  me  that  you 
 
 were  ill,  or  had  been  so  very  lately.  TL's  intelligence 
 prompted  me  to  write  as  soon  as  I  could  find  leisure.  I 
 think,  the  Lord  has  seen  fit  to  visit  you  with  much  indis- 
 position of  late;  I  say  he  lias  seen  fit,  for  all  our  trials 
 are  under  his  immediate  direction,  and  we  are  never  in 
 heaviness  without  a  need  be.  I  trust  he  does  and  will 
 give  you  strength  equal  to  j^our  day,  and  sweeten  what 
 would  be  otherwise  bitter  with  the  essence  of  his  pre- 
 cious love.  I  hope  soon  to  hear  that  you  are  restored  to 
 health,  and  that  you  have  found  cause  to  praise  him  for 
 the  rod. 
 
 How  happy  is  the  state  of  a  believer,  to  have  a  sure 
 promise  that  all  shall  work  together  for  good  in  the  end, 
 and  in  the  meantime  a  sure  refuge  where  to  find  present 
 relief,  support,  and  protection!  How  comfortable  is  it, 
 when  trouble  is  near,  to  know  that  the  Lord  is  near  like- 
 wise, and  to  commit  oui'selves  and  all  our  cares  simply 
 to  him,  believing  that  his  eye  is  upon  us,  and  his  ear 
 open  to  our  prayers.  Under  the  conduct  of  such  a  Shep- 
 herd we  need  not  fear;  though  we  are  called  to  pass 
 through  fire  and  water,  through  the  valley  of  the  shadow 
 of  death,  he  will  be  witli  us,  and  will  show  himself  mighty 
 on  our  behalf.  It  seems  almost  needless  to  saj-,  that  we 
 were  very  happy  in  tlie  companj^  of  :  the  only  in- 
 convenience was,  that  it  renewed  the  pain  it  alwaj's  gives 
 nic  to  part  with  them.  Though  the  visit  was  full  as  long 
 as  I  could  possibly  expect,  it  seemed  very  short.  This 
 nnist  be  the  case  while  we  are  here:  our  pleasures  are 
 short,  interrupted,  and  mixed  with  troubles:  this  is  not, 
 caimot  be  our  rest.  But  it  will  not  be  always  the  case; 
 M  c  are  travelling  to  a  better  world,  where  every  evil  and 
 i  in  perfection  shall  cease;  then  we  shall  be  for  ever  with 
 
424 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 the  Lord,  and  with  each  other.  May  the  prospect  of  this 
 blessed  hope  set  before  us  revive  our  fainting  spirits,  and 
 make  us  willing  to  endure  hardships  as  good  soldiers  of 
 Jesus  Christ.  Here  we  must  often  sow  in  tears,  but 
 there  we  shall  reap  in  joy,  and  all  tears  shall  be  wiped 
 from  our  eyes  for  ever.  I  hope  the  conversation  of  friends 
 whom  1  so  greatly  love  and  honour  afforded  me  not  only 
 pleasure  but  profit;  it  lefc  a  savour  upon  my  mind,  and 
 stirred  up  my  languid  desires  after  the  Lord.  I  wish  I 
 could  say  the  good  effect  has  remained  with  me  to  this 
 hour;  but,  alas!  I  am  a  poor  creature,  and  have  had 
 many  causes  of  humiliation  since.  But,  blessed  be  God! 
 amidst  all  my  changes,  I  find  the  foundation  stands  sure, 
 and  I  am  seldom  or  never  left  to  doubt  either  of  the 
 Lord's  love  to  me,  or  the  reality  of  the  desires  he  has 
 given  me  towards  himself;  though,  when  I  measure  my 
 love  by  the  degree  of  its  exercise,  or  the  fruits  it  pro- 
 duceth,  I  have  reason  to  sit  down  ashamed,  as  the  chief 
 of  sinners  and  the  least  of  all  saints.  But  in  him  I  have 
 righteousness  and  peace,  and  in  him  I  must  and  will  re- 
 joice. 
 
 I  would  willingly  fill  up  my  sheet,  but  feel  a  straitness 
 in  my  spirit,  and  know  not  what  further  to  say.  O  for 
 a  ray  of  divine  light  to  set  me  at  liberty,  that  I  might 
 write  a  few  lines  worth  reading,  something  that  might 
 warm  my  heart  and  comfort  yours.  Then  the  subject 
 must  be  Jesus;  but  of  him  what  can  I  say  that  you  do 
 not  know?  Well,  though  you  know  him,  you  are  glad 
 to  hear  of  him  again  and  again.  Come  then,  magnify 
 the  Lord  with  me,  and  let  us  exalt  his  name  together. 
 Let  us  adore  him  for  his  love,  that  love  wliich  has  a 
 height,  and  depth,  and  length,  and  breadth,  beyond  the 
 grasp  of  our  poor  conceptions;  a  love  that  moved  him 
 to  empty  himself,  to  take  on  him  the  form  of  a  servant, 
 and  to  be  obedient  unto  death,  even  the  death  of  the 
 cross;  a  love  that  pitied  us  in  our  lost  estate,  that  found 
 us  when  we  sought  him  not,  that  spoke  peace  to  our 
 souls  in  the  day  of  our  distress ;  a  love  that  bears  with 
 all  our  present  weakness,  mistakes,  backslidings,  and 
 shortcomings;  a  love  that  is  alM'ays  watchful,  always 
 
LETTERS  TO  MRS 
 
 425 
 
 ready  to  guide,  to  comfort,  and  to  heal;  a  love  that  will 
 not  be  wearied,  cannot  be  conquered,  and  is  incapable  of 
 changes;  a  love  that  will  in  the  end  prevail  over  all  op- 
 position, will  perfect  that  which  concerns  us,  and  will  not 
 leave  us  till  it  has  brought  us  perfect  in  holiness  and 
 happiness  to  rtyoice  in  his  presence  in  glory.  The  love 
 of  Christ!  it  is  the  wonder,  the  joy,  the  song  of  angels, 
 and  the  sense  of  it  shed  abroad  in  our  hearts  makes  life 
 pleasant,  and  death  welcome.  Alas!  what  a  heart  I  have 
 that  I  love  him  no  better!  But  I  hope  he  has  given  me 
 a  desire  to  make  him  my  all  in  all,  and  to  account  every 
 thing  loss  and  dross  that  dares  to  stand  in  competition 
 with  him. 
 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  IV. 
 
 1769. 
 
 I  FOUND  this  morning  among  my  unanswered  letters  one 
 from  you,  but  hope  I  left  it  among  them  by  mistake.  I 
 am  willing,  however,  to  be  on  the  sure  side,  and  would 
 rather  write  twice  than  be  too  long  silent.  I  heard  of 
 your  being  laid  on  the  bed  of  affliction,  and  of  the  Lord's 
 goodness  to  you  there,  and  of  his  raising  you  up  again. 
 Blessed  be  his  name!  he  is  all-sufficient  and  faithful; 
 and  though  he  cause  grief,  he  is  sure  to  show  compas- 
 sion in  supporting  and  delivering.  Ah!  the  evil  of  our 
 nature  is  deeply  rooted  and  very  powerful,  or  such  re- 
 peated continual  corrections  and  chastisements  would 
 not  be  necessary ;  and,  were  they  not  necessary,  we 
 should  not  have  them.  But  such  we  are,  and  therefore 
 such  must  be  our  treatment ;  for  though  the  Lord  loves 
 us  with  a  tenderness  beyond  what  the  mother  feels  for 
 her  sucking  child,  yet  it  is  a  tenderness  directed  by  in- 
 finite wisdom,  and  very  different  from  that  weak  indul- 
 gence which  in  parents  we  call  fondness,  which  leads 
 
426 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 them  to  comply  with  their  children's  desires  and  inclina- 
 tions, rather  than  to  act  with  a  steady  view  to  their  true 
 welfare.  The  Lord  loves  his  children,  and  is  very  in- 
 dulgent to  them  so  far  as  they  can  safely  bear  it,  but  he 
 will  not  spoil  them.  Their  sin-sickness  requires  medi- 
 cines, some  of  which  are  very  unpalatable;  but  when  the 
 case  calls  for  such,  no  short-sighted  entreaties  of  ours  can 
 excuse  us  from  taking  what  he  prepares  for  our  good. 
 But  every  dose  is  prepared  by  his  own  hand,  and  not 
 one  is  administered  in  vain,  nor  is  it  repeated  any  of- 
 tener  than  is  needful  to  answer  the  purposed  end.  Till 
 then,  no  other  hand  can  remove  what  he  lays  upon  us; 
 but  when  his  merciful  design  is  answered,  he  \vill  relieve 
 us  himself,  and  in  the  meantime  he  will  so  moderate  the 
 operation,  or  increase  our  ability  to  bear,  that  we  shall 
 not  be  overpowered.  It  is  true,  without  a  single  excep- 
 tion, that  all  his  paths  are  mercy  and  truth  to  them  that 
 fear  him.  His  love  is  the  same  when  he  wounds  as  when 
 he  heals,  when  he  fakes  away  as  when  he  gives:  we  have 
 reason  to  thank  him  for  all,  but  most  for  the  severe. 
 
 I  received  a  letter  from  you,  which  mentions  dear  Mrs 
 
  's  case,  a  very  trying  one;  but  in  this  likewise  we 
 
 see  the  Lord's  faithfulness.  Our  own  experience,  and  all 
 that  we  observe  of  his  dealings  with  others,  may  con- 
 vince us  that  we  need  not  be  afraid  to  intrust  ourselves 
 and  our  dearest  concerns  in  his  hands;  for  he  can  and 
 will  make  every  thing  work  for  good. 
 
 How  little  does  the  world  know  of  that  intercourse 
 which  is  carried  on  between  iicaven  and  earth!  what  pe- 
 titions are  daily  presented,  and  what  answers  are  received 
 at  a  throne  of  grace!  O  the  blessed  privilege  of  prayer! 
 O  the  wonderful  love,  care,  attention,  and  power  of  our 
 great  Shepherd!  His  eye  is  always  upon  us;  when  our 
 spirits  are  almost  overwhelmed  within  us,  he  knoweth 
 our  path.  His  ear  is  always  open  to  us;  let  who  will 
 overlook  and  disappoint  us,  he  will  not.  When  means 
 and  hope  fail,  when  every  thing  looks  dark  upon  us, 
 when  we  seem  shut  up  on  every  side,  when  we  are 
 brought  to  the  lowest  ebb,  still  our  help  is  in  the  name 
 of  the  Lord  who  made  heaven  and  earth.    To  him  all 
 
LETTERS  TO  MRS 
 
 427 
 
 things  are  possible;  and  before  the  exertion  of  his  power, 
 when  lie  is  pleased  to  ai'ise  and  work,  all  hinderances 
 give  way  and  vanish  like  a  mist  before  the  sun.  And 
 he  can  so  manifest  himself  to  the  soul,  and  cause  his 
 goodness  to  pass  before  it,  that  the  hour  of  afHiction  shall 
 be  the  golden  hour  of  the  greatest  consolation.  He  is 
 the  fountain  of  life,  strength,  grace,  and  comfort,  and  of 
 his  fulness  his  children  receive  according  to  their  occa- 
 sions :  but  this  is  all  hidden  from  the  world ;  they  have 
 no  guide  in  prosperity,  but  hurry  on  as  they  are  insti- 
 gated by  their  blinded  passions,  and  are  perpetually  mul- 
 tiplying mischiefs  and  miseries  to  themselves;  and  in 
 adversity  they  have  no  resource,  but  must  feel  all  the 
 evil  of  affliction,  without  inward  support,  and  without 
 deriving  any  advantage  from  it.  We  have  therefore 
 cause  for  continual  praise.  The  Lord  has  given  us  to 
 know  his  name,  as  a  resting-place,  and  a  hiding-place,  a 
 sun,  and  a  shield.  Circumstances  and  creatures  may 
 change;  but  he  will  be  an  unchangeable  friend.  The 
 way  is  rough,  but  he  trod  it  before  us,  and  is  now  with 
 us  in  every  step  we  take;  and  every  step  brings  us  near- 
 er to  our  heavenly  home.  Our  inheritance  is  surely  re- 
 served for  us,  and  we  shall  be  kept  for  it  by  his  power 
 through  faith.  Our  present  strength  is  small,  and  witli- 
 out  a  fresh  supply  would  be  quickly  exhausted;  but  lie 
 has  engaged  to  renew  it  from  day  to  day;  and  he  will 
 soon  appear  to  wipe  all  tears  from  our  eyes;  and  then  we 
 shall  appear  with  him  in  glory. 
 
 I  am  very  sorry  if  our  friend  Mr  appears  to  be 
 
 aiming  to  reconcile  things  that  are  incompatible.  I  am, 
 indeed,  afraid  that  he  has  been  for  some  time  under  a 
 decline;  and,  as  you  justly  observe,  we  meet  with  too 
 many  instances  to  teach  us,  tliat  they  who  express  the 
 warmest  zeal  at  their  first  setting  out,  do  not  always 
 prove  the  most  steady  and  thriving  afterwards;  yet  I 
 am  willing  to  hope  in  this  case,  that  he  will  revive  and 
 flourish  again.  Sometimes  the  Lord  permits  those  whom 
 he  loves  to  wander  from  him  for  a  season ;  and  when  his 
 time  comes  to  heal  their  backslidings,  they  walk  more 
 humbly,  thankfully,  and  fruitfully  afterwards,  from  a  sense 
 
428 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 of  his  abounding  mercy,  and  the  knov/ledge  they  have 
 by  experience  acquired  of  the  deceitfulness  and  ingrati- 
 tude of  their  hearts.  I  hope  and  pray  it  will  be  so  with 
 him.  However,  these  things  for  the  present  are  grievous; 
 and  usually  before  the  Lord  heals  such  breaches,  he  makes 
 his  people  sensible,  that  it  is  an  evil  and  bitter  thing  to 
 forsake  him  when  he  led  them  by  the  way. 
 
 Indeed,  London  is  a  dangerous  and  ensnaring  place  to 
 professors.  I  account  myself  happy  that  my  lot  is  cast 
 at  a  distance  from  it.  It  appears  to  me  like  a  sea, 
 wherein  most  are  tossed  by  storms,  and  many  suffer 
 shipwreck.  In  this  retired  situation,  I  seem  to  stand 
 upon  a  cliff;  and  while  I  pity  those  whom  I  cannot 
 help,  I  hug  myself  in  the  thoughts  of  being  safe  upon 
 the  shore.  Not  that  we  are  without  our  trials  here;  the 
 evil  of  our  own  hearts,  and  the  devices  of  Satan,  cut  us 
 out  work  enough;  but  we  are  happilj'  screened  from 
 many  things  which  must  be  eitiier  burdensome  or  hurt- 
 ful to  those  who  live  in  the  way  of  them;  such  as,  po- 
 litical disputes,  winds  of  doctrine,  scandals  of  false  pro- 
 fessors, parties  for  and  against  particular  ministers,  and 
 fashionable  amusements,  in  some  measure  countenanced 
 by  the  presence  of  persons  in  other  respects  exemplary. 
 In  this  view,  I  often  think  of  our  dear  friend's  expres- 
 sion, upon  a  certain  occasion,  of  the  difference  between 
 London  and  country  grace.  I  hold  it  in  a  twofold  sense. 
 By  London  grace,  when  genuine,  I  understand  grace  in 
 a  very  advanced  degree.  The  favoured  few  who  are 
 kept  alive  to  God,  simple-hearted,  and  spiritually-minded 
 (I  mean  especially  in  genteel  life),  in  the  midst  of  such 
 snares  and  temptations,  appear  to  me  to  be  the  first-rate 
 Christians  of  the  land:  I  adore  the  power  of  the  Lord 
 in  them,  and  compare  them  to  the  young  men  who 
 walked  unhurt  in  the  midst  of  the  fire.  In  another 
 sense,  the  phrase  London  grace  convej's  no  great  idea 
 to  me.  I  tliink  there  is  no  place  in  the  kingdom  where 
 a  person  may  set  up  for  a  professor  on  a  smaller  stock. 
 If  people  can  abstain  from  open  immoralities,  if  they 
 will  fly  to  all  parts  of  tlie  town  to  hear  sermons,  if  they 
 can  talk  about  the  doctrines  of  the  gospel,  if  they  have 
 
LETTERS  TO  MRS   . 
 
 429 
 
 something  to  say  upon  that  useless  question,  Who  is  the 
 best  preacher?  if  thej'  can  attain  to  a  speaking  acquaint- 
 ance with  some  of  an  acknowledged  character,  then 
 tlrey  expect  to  pass  muster.  I  am  afraid  there  are  many 
 who,  upon  no  better  evidences  than  these,  deceive  both 
 themselves  and  others  for  a  course  of  years.  Though  I 
 feel  not  in  a  writing  cue  to-day,  I  have  almost  filled  the 
 sheet  somehow;  and  if  a  line  or  a  word  maybe  a  means 
 of  suggesting  a  seasonable  and  comfortable  thought  to 
 you,  1  have  my  end.  Through  mercy  we  are  all  pretty 
 well.  My  soul  is  kept  alive,  as  it  were,  by  miracle.  I 
 feel  much  inward  warfare;  the  enemy  thrusts  sore  at  me, 
 that  I  may  fall ;  and  I  have  abundant  experience  of  the 
 evil  and  deceitfulness  of  my  heart;  but  the  Lord  is  gra- 
 cious, and,  in  the  midst  of  all  conflicts,  I  have  a  peace 
 springing  from  the  knowledge  of  his  power  and  grace, 
 and  a  consideration  that  I  have  been  helped  to  commit 
 myself  to  him. 
 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  V. 
 
 1769. 
 
 We  are  much  obliged  to  j'ou  for  your  late  visit ;  and  I 
 am  glad  to  find  that  the  Lord  is  pleased  to  give  you 
 some  tokens  of  his  presence  when  you  are  with  us,  be- 
 cause I  hope  it  will  encourage  you  to  come  again.  I 
 ought  to  be  very  thankful  that  our  Christian  friends  in 
 general  are  not  wholly  disappointed  of  a  blessing  when 
 they  visit  us. 
 
 I  hope  the  Lord  will  give  me  an  humble  sense  of  what 
 I  am,  and  that  broken  and  contrite  frame  of  heart  in  which 
 he  delights.  This  is  to  me  the  chief  thing.  I  had  rather 
 liave  more  of  the  mind  that  was  in  Christ,  more  of  a  meek, 
 quiet,  resigned,  peaceful  and  loving  disposition,  than  to 
 enjoy  the  greatest  measure  of  sensible  comforts,  if  the 
 
430 
 
 CAKDIPHONIA. 
 
 consequence  should  be  (as  perhaps  it  would)  spiritual 
 pride,  self-sufficiency,  and  a  want  of  that  tenderness  to 
 others  which  becomes  one  who  has  reason  to  style  him- 
 self the  chief  of  sinners.  I  know,  indeed,  that  the  pro- 
 per tendency  of  sensible  consolations  is  to  humble;  but 
 I  can  see,  that,  through  the  depravity  of  human  nature, 
 they  have  not  always  that  effect.  And  I  have  been  some- 
 times disgusted  with  an  apparent  want  of  humility,  an 
 air  of  self-will  and  self-importance,  in  persons  of  whose 
 sincerity  I  could  not  at  all  doubt.  It  has  kept  me  from 
 envying  them  those  pleasant  frames  with  which  they 
 have  sometimes  been  favoured;  for  I  believe  Satan  is 
 never  nearer  us  than  at  some  times  when  we  think  our- 
 selves nearest  the  Lord. 
 
 What  reason  have  we  to  charge  our  souls  in  David  s 
 words,  "  My  soul,  wait  thou  only  upon  God."  A  great 
 stress  should  be  laid  upon  that  word  only.  We  dare  not 
 entirely  shut  liim  out  of  our  regards,  but  we  are  too  apt 
 to  suiter  something  to  share  with  him.  This  evil  dispo- 
 sition is  deeply  fixed  in  our  hearts;  and  the  Lord  orders 
 all  his  dispensations  towards  us  with  a  view  to  rooting  it 
 out;  that,  being  wearied  with  repeated  disappointments, 
 we  may  at  length  be  compelled  to  betake  ourselves  to 
 him  alone.  Why  else  do  we  experience  so  many  changes 
 and  crosses?  why  are  we  so  often  in  heaviness?  We 
 know  that  he  delights  in  the  pleasure  and  prosperity  of 
 his  servants;  that  he  does  not  willingly  afflict  or  grieve 
 his  children;  but  there  is  a  necessity  on  our  parts,  in 
 order  to  teach  us  that  we  have  no  stability  in  ourselves, 
 and  that  no  creature  can  do  us  good  but  by  his  appoint- 
 ment. While  the  people  of  Israel  depended  upon  him 
 for  food,  they  gathered  up  the  manna  every  morning  in 
 the  field;  but  when  they  would  hoiu-d  it  up  in  their 
 houses,  that  they  might  have  a  stock  within  themselves, 
 they  had  it  without  liis  blessing,  and  it  proved  good  for 
 nothing;  it  soon  bred  worms,  and  grew  oftensive.  We 
 may  often  observe  something  like  this  occur  both  in  our 
 temporal  and  spiritual  concerns.  The  Lord  gives  lis  a 
 dear  friend  to  our  comfort ;  but  ere  long  we  forget  that 
 the  frieud  is  only  the  channel  of  conveyance,  and  that 
 
LETTERS  TO  MRS   . 
 
 431 
 
 all  the  comfort  is  from  himself.    To  remind  us  of  this, 
 the  stream  is  dried  up,  the  friend  torn  away  by  death,  or 
 removed  far  from  us,  or  perhaps  the  friendship  ceases, 
 and  a  coolness  insensibly  takes  place,  we  know  not  hoiv 
 or  why;  the  true  reason  is,  that  when  we  rejoiced  amiss 
 in  our  gourd,  the  Lord,  for  our  good,  sent  a  worm  to  the 
 root  of  it.    Instances  of  this  kind  are  innumerable;  and 
 the  great  inference  from  them  all,  Cease  from  man,  cease 
 from  creatures,  for  wherein  are  they  to  be  accounted  for? 
 My  soul,  wait  thou  ow/y,  onb/  upon  the  Lord,  who  is 
 (according  to  the  expressive  plirase,  Heb.  iv.  13),  he 
 with  whom  we  have  to  do  for  soul  and  body,  for  time  and 
 eternity.    What  thanks  do  we  owe,  that  though  we  have 
 not  yet  attained  perfectly  this  great  lesson,  yet  we  are 
 admitted  into  that  school  where  alone  it  can  be  learnt! 
 and  though  we  are  poor,  slow  scholars,  the  great  and  ef- 
 fectual Teacher  to  whom  we  have  been  encouraged  and 
 enabled  to  apply,  can  and  will  bring  us  forward!  He 
 communicates  not  only  instructions,  but  capacities  and 
 powers;  there  is  none  like  him;  lie  can  make  the  blind 
 to  see,  the  deaf  to  hear,  and  tlie  dumb  to  speak:  and  how 
 great  is  his  condescension  and  patience!  how  does  he  ac- 
 commodate himself  to  our  weakness,  and  teach  us  as  we 
 are  able  to  bear!    Though  all  are  very  dunces  when  he 
 first  receives  them,  not  one  was  ever  turned  out  as  inca- 
 pable, for  he  makes  them  what  ho  would  have  them  to 
 be.    O  that  we  may  set  him  always  before  us,  and  con- 
 sider every  dispensation,  person,  thing,  we  meet  in  the 
 course  of  every  day,  as  messengers  from  him,  each  bring- 
 ing us  some  line  of  instruction  for  us  to  copy  into  that 
 day's  experience.    Whatever  passes  within  us  or  around 
 us  may  be  improved  (when  he  teaches  us  how)  as  a  per- 
 petual commentary  upon  his  good  word.  If  we  converse 
 and  observe  witii  this  view,  we  may  learn  something 
 every  moment,  wherever  the  path  of  duty  leads  us,  in  tlie 
 streets  as  well  as  in  the  closet,  and  from  tlie  conversation 
 of  those  who  know  not  God  (when  we  cannot  avoid  being 
 present  at  it),  as  well  as  froin  those  who  do. 
 
 Separation  of  dear  friends  is,  as  j'ou  observed,  hard  to 
 flesh  and  blood ;  but  grace  can  make  it  tolerable.  I  have 
 
CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 in  abiding  persuasion,  that  the  Lord  can  easily  give 
 inore  than  ever  he  will  take  away.  Which  part  of  the 
 alternative  must  be  my  lot,  or  when,  he  only  knows; 
 but  in  general  I  can  rely  on  him  to  appoint  the  time,  the 
 manner;  and  1  trust  his  promise  of  strength  suited  to  the 
 day  shall  be  made  good.  Therefore  I  can  for  tlie  most 
 part  rejoice,  that  all  things  are  in  the  hand  and  under 
 the  direction  of  him  who  knows  our  frame,  and  has  him- 
 self borne  our  griefs  s,nd  carried  our  sorrows  in  his  own 
 body.  A  time  of  weeping  must  come,  but  the  morning 
 of  joy  will  make  amends  for  all.  Who  can  expound  the 
 meaning  of  that  one  expression,  "an  exceeding  and  eter- 
 nal weight  of  glory?"  The  case  of  unconverted  friends 
 is  still  more  burdensome  to  think  of;  but  we  have  en- 
 couragement and  warrant  to  pray  and  to  hope.  He  who 
 called  us  can  easily  call  others:  and  he  seldom  lays  a 
 desire  of  this  sort  very  closely  and  warmly  upon  the 
 hearts  of  his  people,  but  when  it  is  his  gracious  design 
 sooner  or  later  to  give  an  answer  of  peace.  However, 
 it  becomes  us  to  be  thankful  for  ourselves,  and  to  bow 
 our  anxieties  and  reasonings  before  his  sovereign  will, 
 who  doth  as  he  pleases  with  his  own. 
 
 Methinks  winter  is  your  summer.  You  have  been  like 
 the  bee,  collecting  from  many  flowers;  I  hope  you  will 
 carry  good  store  of  honey  home  with  you.  May  you 
 find  the  Lord  there,  and  he  can  easilj'  supply  the  failure 
 of  means  and  creatures.  We  cannot  be  in  any  place  to 
 so  nmch  advantage  as  where  the  call  of  duty  leads. 
 What  we  cannot  avoid,  may  we  cheerfully  submit  to,  and 
 not  indulge  a  vain  thought,  that  we  could  choose  a  better 
 situation  for  ourselves  (all  things  considered)  than  he 
 has  chosen  for  us. 
 
 When  we  have  opportunity  of  enjoying  many  ordi- 
 nances, it  is  a  mercy  to  be  able  to  prize  and  improve 
 them;  but  when  he  cuts  us  short  for  a  season,  if  we  wait 
 upon  him,  we  shall  do  well  without  them.  Secret  prayer, 
 and  the  good  word,  are  the  chief  wells  from  whence  we 
 draw  the  water  of  salvation.  These  will  keep  the  soul 
 alive  when  creature  streams  are  cut  off;  but  the  richest 
 variety  of  public  means,  and  the  closest  attendance  upon 
 
LETTERS  TO  MRS 
 
 433 
 
 them,  will  leave  us  lean  and  pining  in  the  mmst  of  plenty, 
 if  we  are  remiss  and  formal  in  the  other  two.  I  think 
 David  never  appears  in  a  more  lively  frame  of  mind  than 
 when  he  wrote  the  42d,  63d,  and  84th  Psalms,  which  were 
 all  penned  in  a  dry  land,  and  at  a  distance  from  the  pub- 
 lic ordinances. 
 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  VI. 
 
 1772. 
 
 1  HAD  been  wishing  to  hear  from  you,  that  I  might  know 
 where  to  write.  I  hope  I  can  assure  you  of  a  friendly 
 sympathy  with  you  in  your  trials.  I  can,  in  some  mea- 
 sure, guess  at  what  you  feel,  from  what  I  have  seen  and 
 felt  myself  in  cases  where  I  have  been  nearly  concerned. 
 But  my  compassion,  though  sincere,  is  ineffectual:  if  I 
 can  pity,  I  cannot  relieve.  All  I  can  do  is,  as  the  Lord 
 enables  me,  to  remember  you  both  before  him.  But 
 there  is  one  whose  compassion  is  infinite.  The  love 
 and  tenderness  of  ten  thousand  earthly  friends,  of  ten 
 thousand  mothers  towards  their  sucklings,  if  compared 
 with  his,  are  less  than  a  drop'of  water  to  the  ocean:  and 
 his  power  is  infinite  too.  Why,  then,  do  our  sufferings 
 continue,  when  he  is  so  compassionate,  and  could  remove 
 them  with  a  v/ord?  Surely,  if  we  cannot  give  the  par- 
 ticular reasons  (which  yet  he  will  acquaint  us  with  here- 
 after, John  xiii.  7),  the  general  reason  is  at  hand;  he 
 afflicts  not  for  his  own  pleasure,  but  for  our  profit;  to 
 make  us  partakers  of  his  holiness,  and  because  ho  loves 
 us. 
 
 Jud^e  not  the  Lord  by  feeble  sense, 
 
 Dut  trust  him  for  his  grace; 
 Behind  a  frowning  providence 
 
 He  hides  a  smihng  face. 
 
 I  wish  you  much  comfort  from  David's  thought,  Psal. 
 cxlii.  3,  "  Whon  my  spirit  was  overwhelmed  within  me, 
 
431 
 
 CAUDIPHONIA. 
 
 tliou  knewest  my  patli."    The  Lord  is  not  withdrawn  to 
 
 a  groat  distance,  but  his  eye  is  upon  j'ou,  and  he  sees 
 you  not  V  ith  the  indifference  of  a  mere  spectator,  but 
 he  observes  with  attention;  he  knows,  lie  considers  your 
 patli ;  yea,  he  appoints  it,  and  every  circumstance  about 
 it  is  under  his  direction.  Your  trouble  began  at  the 
 hour  he  saw  best;  it  could  not  come  before,  and  he  has 
 marked  the  degree  of  it  to  a  hair's  breadth,  and  the  du- 
 ration to  a  minute.  He  knows  likewise  how  your  spirit 
 is  affected ;  and  such  supplies  of  grace  and  strength,  and 
 in  such  seasons  as  he  sees  needful,  he  will  afford.  So 
 that  when  things  appear  darkest,  you  shall  still  be  able 
 to  say,  Though  cliastened,  not  killed.  Therefore  hope  in 
 God,  for  yon  shall  yet  praise  him. 
 
 I  shall  pray  that  the  Bath  waters  may  be  beneficial; 
 and  that  the  waters  of  the  sanctuary  there  may  be  heal- 
 ing and  enlivening  to  you  all.  Our  all-sufficient  God 
 can  give  seasons  of  refreshment  in  the  darkest  hours, 
 and  break  through  the  thickest  clouds  of  outward  afflic- 
 tion or  distress.  To  you  it  is  given,  not  only  to  believe 
 in  Jesus,  but  to  suffer  for  his  sake;  for  so  we  do,  not 
 only  when  we  are  called  to  follow  him  to  imprisonment 
 or  death,  but  when  he  enables  us  to  bear  afflictive  dis- 
 pensations with  due  submission  and  patience.  Then  he 
 is  glorified ;  then  his  grace  and  power  are  manifested  in 
 us.  The  world,  so  far  as  they  know  our  case,  have  a 
 proof  before  them,  that  our  religion  is  not  merely  no- 
 tional, but  that  there  is  a  power  and  reality  in  it.  And 
 the  Lord's  people  are  encouraged  by  what  they  see  of 
 his  faithfulness  to  ourselves.  And  there  are  more  eyes 
 upon  us  still.  We  ai-e  a  spectacle  to  the  universe,  to 
 angels  as  well  as  to  men.  Cheer  up:  the  Lord  has  put 
 you  in  your  present  trying  situation,  that  you  may  have 
 the  fairer  opportunity  of  adorning  your  profession  of  the 
 gospel;  and  though  you  suffer  much,  he  is  able  to  make 
 you  abundant  amends.  Nor  need  I  remind  you,  that  he 
 has  suffered  unspeakably  more  for  you:  he  drank  for 
 your  sake  a  cup  of  unmixed  wrath,  and  only  puts  into 
 your  hand  a  cup  of  affliction  mixed  with  many  mercies. 
 
 The  account  you  gave  of  the  poor  man  detained  in 
 
LETTERS  TO  MRS 
 
 435 
 
 the  inn  was  very  affecting.  Such  scenes  are  or  should 
 be  instructive,  to  teach  us  resignation  under  the  trials 
 we  must  meet  with  every  day.  For  not  only  are  we 
 visited  less  than  our  iniquities  have  deserved,  but  much 
 less  than  many  of  our  fellow-creatures  daily  meet  with. 
 We  need  not  look  about  far  or  long  to  find  others  in  a 
 worse  situation  than  ourselves.  If  a  fit  of  the  gout  or 
 cholic  is  so  grievous  and  so  hard  to  bear,  what  do  we 
 owe  to  him  wlio  delivered  us  from  that  place  of  unutter- 
 able torment,  whei'e  there  is  weeping,  wailing,  and  gnash- 
 ing of  teeth  for  ever  without  hope  or  respite?  atul  if  we 
 cannot  help  interesting  ourselves  in  the  groans  of  a  stran- 
 ger, how  ought  the  groans  of  Jesus  to  be,  as  it  were,  con- 
 tinually sounding  in  our  ears?  What  are  all  other  suf- 
 ferings compared  to  his?  And  yet  he  endured  them 
 freely.  He  needed  not  to  have  borne  tliem,  if  he  would 
 have  left  us  to  perish;  but  such  was  his  love,  he  died 
 that  we  might  live,  and  endured  the  fiercest  agonies,  that 
 he  might  open  to  us  t!ie  gate  of  everlasting  peace  and 
 happiness.  How  amazingly  perverse  is  my  heart,  that  I 
 can  be  more  affected  by  a  melancholy  stor}'  in  a  news- 
 paper concerning  persons  I  never  saw,  than  with  all  that 
 I  read  ot  his  bitter  passion  in  the  garden  and  on  the 
 cross,  though  I  profess  to  believe  he  endured  it  all  for 
 me.  O!  if  we  could  always  behold  him  by  faith  as  evi- 
 dently crucified  before  our  eyes,  how  would  it  compose 
 our  spirits  as  to  all  the  sweets  and  bitters  of  tiiis  poor 
 life!  What  a  banner  would  it  prove  against  all  the 
 snares  and  temptations  whereby  Satan  woidd  draw  us 
 into  evil;  and  what  a  firm  ground  of  confidence  would 
 it  afford  us  amidst  the  conflicts  m'c  sustain  from  the 
 working  of  unbelief  and  indwelling  sin!  I  long  for  more 
 of  that  faith  which  is  the  substance  of  things  hoped  for, 
 and  the  evidence  of  things  not  seen,  that  I  may  be  pre- 
 served himible,  thankful,  M  atchful,  and  dependent.  To 
 behold  the  glory  and  tlie  love  of  Jesus,  is  tiie  only  effec- 
 tual way  to  participate  of  his  image. 
 
 We  are  to  set  out  to-night  from  the  Interpreter's  house, 
 towards  the  hill  dijfficulti/,  and  hope  to  be  favoured  with 
 a  sight  of  the  cross  by  the  way.    To  stand  at  the  foot 
 
433 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 of  it,  with  a  softened  heart  and  melting  eyes ;  to  forget 
 our  sins,  sorrows,  and  burdens,  while  we  are  wholly 
 swallowed  up  in  the  contemplation  of  him  who  bore  our 
 sins  in  his  own  body  upon  the  tree,  is  certainly  the  most 
 desirable  situation  on  this  side  the  grave.  To  speak  of 
 it,  and  to  see  it  by  the  light  of  the  Spirit,  are  widely  dif- 
 ferent things;  and  though  we  cannot  always  enjoy  this 
 view,  yet  the  remembrance  of  what  we  have  seen  is  an 
 excellent  means  of  encouragement  to  mount  the  hill,  and 
 to  face  the  lions. 
 
 I  believe  I  shall  hardly  find  leisure  to  fill  my  paper 
 this  time.  It  is  now  Saturday  evening,  and  growinp 
 late.  I  am  just  returned  from  a  serious  walk,  which  if 
 my  usual  manner  of  closing  the  week,  when  the  weather 
 is  fine.  I  en(lea^■our  to  join  in  iieart  with  the  Lord's 
 ministers  and  people,  who  are  seeking  a  blessing  on  to- 
 morrow's ordinances.  At  such  times  I  especially  remem- 
 ber those  friends  with  whom  I  have  gone  to  the  house 
 of  the  Lord  in  company,  consequently  j'ou  are  not  for- 
 got. I  can  venture  to  assure  you,  tiiat  if  you  have  a 
 value  for  our  prayers,  you  have  a  frequent  sliare  in  them, 
 yea,  are  loved  and  remembered  by  many  here;  but  a.-' 
 we  are  forgetful  creatures,  I  hope  you  will  always  refresl. 
 our  memory,  and  quicken  our  prayers,  by  a  yearly  visit. 
 In  the  morning  I  shall  think  of  you  again.  What  a 
 multitude  of  eyes  and  hearts  will  be  directed  to  our  Re- 
 deemer to-morrow!  He  has  a  numerous  and  necessitous 
 family,  but  he  is  rich  enough  to  supply  them  all,  and  his 
 tender  compassions  extend  to  the  meanest  and  most  un- 
 worthy. Like  the  sun  he  can  cheer  and  enlighten  thou- 
 sands and  millions  at  once,  and  give  to  each  as  bounti- 
 fully as  if  there  were  no  more  to  partake  of  his  favour. 
 His  best  blessings  are  not  diminished  by  being  shared 
 among  many.  The  greatest  earthly  monarch  would 
 soon  be  poor  if  he  was  to  give  a  little  (though  but  a 
 little)  to  all  his  subjects;  but  Jesus  has  unsearchable,  in- 
 exhaustible riclies  of  grace  to  bestow.  The  innumerable 
 assembly  before  the  throne  have  been  all  supplied  from 
 his  fulness,  and  yet  there  is  enough  and  to  spare  for  us 
 also,  and  for  all  that  shall  come  after  us.    May  he  give 
 
LETTERS  TO  MRS 
 
 437 
 
 us  an  eagei"  appetite,  an  hunger  and  thirst  that  will  not 
 be  pat  off  with  any  thing  short  of  the  bread  of  life;  and 
 then  we  may  confidently  open  our  mouths  wide,  for  he 
 has  promised  to  fill  them. 
 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  VII. 
 
 1773. 
 
 Since  I  wrote  last,  the  Lord  has  been  gracious  to  us 
 here.  He  crowned  the  last  year  with  his  goodness,  and 
 renews  his  benefits  to  us  every  day.  He  has  been  pleased 
 to  bless  the  preaching  of  his  gospel  amongst  us,  both  to 
 consolation  and  conviction ;  and  several  are,  I  hope,  ear- 
 nestly seeking  him,  who  were  lately  dead  in  trespasses 
 and  sins.  Dear  Mr  was  released  from  all  his  com- 
 plaints the  25th  of  November.  A  few  days  before  his 
 death  he  was  enabled  to  speak  more  intelligibly  than 
 usual  for  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  and  expressed  a 
 comfortable  hope,  which  was  a  great  satisfaction  to  us ;  for 
 though  we  had  not  the  least  doubt  of  his  being  built  upon 
 the  rock,  it  was  to  us  an  answer  to  prayer  that  he  could 
 again  speak  the  language  of  faith;  and  much  prayer  had 
 been  made  on  this  account,  especially  that  very  evening. 
 After  that  night  he  spoke  little,  and  hardly  took  any  no- 
 tice, but  continued  chiefly  tlrowsy  till  he  died.  I  preached 
 
 his  funeral  sermon,  from  Lam.  iii.  31-33.    Mrs  L  's 
 
 complaint  grows  worse  and  worse:  she  suffers  much  in 
 her  body,  and  has  much  more  perhaps  to  suffer;  but  her 
 consolations  in  the  Lord  abound.  He  enables  her  to 
 maintain  faith,  patience,  and  submission,  in  an  exem- 
 plary manner,  and  shows  us  in  his  dealings  with  her,  that 
 he  is  all-sufficient  and  faithful  to  those  who  put  their 
 trust  in  him.  I  am  glad  to  hear  that  you  had  comfort- 
 able seasons  while  at  Bath.  It  is  indeed  a  great  mercy 
 that  God's  ordinances  are  established  in  that  place  of 
 
 0  2 
 
438 
 
 CAUDIHHONIA. 
 
 dissipation ;  and  I  hope  many  who  go  there  witli  no 
 higher  view  than  to  drink  the  Bath  waters,  will  be 
 brought  to  draw  with  joy  t!ie  waters  of  11  Ce  from  those 
 ■wells  of  salvation.  He  does  nothing  in  vain,  and  when 
 he  affords  the  means,  we  may  confidently  liope  he  will 
 bestow  tlie  blessing.  The  dissipation  of  spirit  you  com- 
 plain of  when  you  are  in  a  strange  place  is,  I  suppose, 
 felt  by  most,  if  not  by  all,  who  can  be  satisfied  in  no 
 place  witliout  some  token  of  the  Lord's  presence.  I  con- 
 sider it  rather  as  an  infirmity  than  a  sin,  strictly  speak- 
 ing; though  all  our  infirmities  are  sinful,  being  the  effects 
 of  a  depraved  nature.  In  our  present  circumstances  new 
 things  excite  new  ideas,  and  when  our  usual  course  of  life 
 is  broken  in  upon,  it  disjoints  and  unsettles  our  thoughts. 
 It  is  a  proof  of  our  weakness;  it  may  and  ougiit  to  be 
 lamented;  but  1  believe  we  shall  not  get  the  better  of 
 it,  till  we  leave  the  mortal  body  to  moulder  into  dust. 
 Perhaps  few  suffer  more  inconvenience  from  this  article 
 than  myself,  wliicli  is  one  reason  why  I  love  home,  and 
 seldom  leave  it  without  some  reluctance;  and  it  is  one 
 reason  why  we  should  love  heaven,  and  long  Ibr  the  hour 
 when,  at  liberty  from  all  incumbrance,  we  shall  see  the 
 Lord  without  a  vail,  and  serve  him  without  distraction. 
 The  Lord,  by  his  providence,  seconds  and  confirms  the 
 declarations  of  his  word  and  ministry.  Much  we  read 
 and  much  we  hear  concerning  the  emptiness,  vanity,  and 
 uncertainty  of  the  present  siate.  When  our  minds  are 
 enlightened  by  his  Kolj'  Spirit,  we  receive  and  acknow- 
 ledge wiiat  his  word  declares  to  be  truth;  yet  if  we  re- 
 main long  witliout  changes  and  our  path  is  verj' smooth, 
 we  are  for  the  most  part  but  faintly  affected  with  what 
 we  profess  to  believe.  But  when  some  of  our  dearest 
 friends  are  taken  from  ns,  the  lives  of  others  threatened, 
 and  we  ourselves  are  brought  low  with  pain  and  sick- 
 ness, then  we  not  only  sai/,  hnt  feel,  tiiat  this  nuist  not, 
 cannot  be  f)ur  rest.  You  have  had  several  exercises  of 
 this  kind  of  late  in  your  family,  and  I  trust  you  will  be 
 able  to  set  your  seal  to  that  gracious  word,  That  though 
 afBictions  in  themselves  are  not  joyous,  but  <;riev()us,  yet 
 iu  due  season  they  yield  the  peaceful  fruits  of  righteous- 
 
LETTERS  TO  MRS 
 
 439 
 
 cess.  Various  and  lilessod  are  the  frul's  tliey  produce. 
 By  affliction  prayer  is  quickened,  for  our  prayers  are 
 very  apt  to  grow  languid  and  formal  in  a  time  of  ease. 
 Affliction  greatly  hrlps  us  to  understand  the  scriptures, 
 especially  the  promises,  most  of  which  being  made  to 
 times  of  trouble,  we  cannot  so  well  know  their  fulness, 
 sweetness,  and  certainty,  as  when  we  have  been  in  the 
 situation  to  which  they  are  suited,  have  been  enabled  to 
 trust  and  plead  them,  and  found  them  fulfilled  in  our 
 own  case.  V/e  are  usually  indebted  to  affliction  as  the 
 means  or  occasion  of  the  most  signal  discoveries  we  are 
 favoured  with  of  the  wisdom,  power,  and  faithfulness  of 
 the  Lord.  These  are  best  observed  by  the  evident  proofs 
 we  have  that  he  is  near  to  support  us  under  trouble,  and 
 that  he  can  and  does  deliver  us  out  of  it.  Israel  would 
 not  have  seen  so  much  of  the  Lord's  arm  outstretched 
 in  their  behalf,  had  not  Pharaoh  oppressed,  opposed,  and 
 pursued  them.  Afflictions  are  designed  likewise  for  the 
 manifestation  of  our  sincerity  to  ourselves  and  to  others. 
 "When  faith  endures  the  fire,  we  know  it  to  be  of  the 
 right  kind  ;  and  others,  who  see  we  are  brought  safe 
 out,  and  lose  nothing  but  the  dross,  will  confess  that 
 God  is  with  us  of  a  truth,  Dan.  iii.  27,  28.  Surely  this 
 thought  should  reconcile  us  to  suffer,  not  only  with  pa- 
 tience, but  with  cheerfulness,  if  God  may  be  glorified  iu 
 us.  This  mads  the  apostle  rejoice  in  tribulation,  that  the 
 power  of  Christ  might  be  noticed,  as  resting  upon  him, 
 and  workijig  njightiiy  in  him.  Many  of  our  graces,  like- 
 wise, cannot  thrive  or"  show  themselves  to  advantage 
 without  trials,  such  ss  resignation,  patience,  meekness, 
 long-sufFcring,  I  deserve  some  of  the  London  porters  do 
 not  appear  to  be  very  strong  men;  yet  tliey  v. ill  trudge 
 along  under  a  burden  v/hich  some  stouter  prople  could 
 not  carry  so  well ;  the  reason  is,  they  are  a<-customed 
 to  carry  burdens,  and  by  continual  exercise  their  shoul- 
 ders acquire  a  strength  suited  to  their  work.  It  is  so  in 
 the  Christian  life;  activity  and  strength  of  grr.ce  is  not 
 ordinarily  acquired  by  those  who  sit  still  and  li\  e  at  ease, 
 but  by  those  who  frequently  meet  with  something  which 
 requires  a  full  exertion  of  what  power  the  Lord  has  given 
 
440 
 
 CARDIPKONIA. 
 
 them.  So  again,  it  is  by  our  own  sufferings  we  learn  to 
 pity  and  sympathise  with  others  in  their  sufferings ;  such  a 
 compassionate  disposition,  which  excites  our  feelings  for 
 the  afflicted,  is  an  eminent  branch  of  the  mind  which 
 was  in  Christ.  But  these  feelings  would  be  very  faint, 
 if  we  did  not  in  our  own  experience  know  what  sorrows 
 and  temptations  mean.  Afflictions  do  us  good  likewise, 
 as  they  make  us  more  acquainted  with  what  is  in  our 
 own  hearts,  and  thereby  promote  humiliation  and  self- 
 abasement.  There  are  abominations  which,  like  nests 
 of  vipers,  I'e  so  quietly  within,  that  we  hardly  suspect 
 they  are  there  till  the  rod  of  affliction  rouses  them ;  then 
 they  hiss  and  show  their  venom.  This  discovery  is  in- 
 deed very  distressing;  yet,  till  it  is  made,  we  are  prone 
 to  think  ourselves  much  less  vile  than  we  really  are,  and 
 cannot  so  heartily  abhor  ourselves,  and  repent  in  dust 
 and  ashes. 
 
 But  I  must  write  a  sermon  rather  than  a  letter,  if  I 
 would  enumerate  all  the  good  fruits  which,  by  the  power 
 of  sanctifying  grace,  are  produced  from  this  bitter  tree. 
 May  we,  under  our  several  trials,  find  them  all  revealed 
 in  ourselves,  that  we  may  not  complain  of  having  suf- 
 fered in  vain.  V/hile  we  have  such  a  depraved  nature, 
 and  live  in  such  a  polluted  world ;  while  the  roots  of 
 pride,  vanity,  self-dependence,  self-seeking,  are  so  strong 
 within  us,  we  need  a  variety  of  sharp  dispensations  to 
 keep  us  from  forgetting  ourselves,  and  from  cleaving  to 
 the  dust. 
 
 I  am,  &c.] 
 
 LETTER  VIII. 
 
 1774. 
 
 The  very  painful  illness  which  Mrs  so  long  en- 
 dured, had  doubtless  not  only  prepared  you  to  expect 
 the  news  of  her  dismission,  but  made  you  mora 
 willing  to  resign  her.    You  are  bereaved  of  a  valuable 
 
LETTERS  TO  MRS 
 
 441 
 
 friend;  but  life,  in  her  circumstances,  was  burdensome; 
 and  who  can  be  sorry  to  consider  her  now  as  freed  from 
 all  suffering,  and  possessed  of  all  iiappiness?  But,  be- 
 sides this,  I  trust  the  Lord  has  favoured  you  with  an 
 habitual  sense  of  the  wisdom  and  propriety  of  all  his 
 appointments;  so  that,  when  his  will  is  manifested  by 
 the  event,  you  are  enabled  to  say,  "  All  is  well."  "  I 
 was  dumb  and  opened  not  my  mouth,  because  thou  didst 
 it."  She  is  gone  a  little  before  you ;  and  after  a  few 
 more  changes,  you  will  meet  her  again  to  unspeakable 
 advantage,  and  rejoice  together  before  llie  throne  for 
 ever.  Tiiere  every  tear  will  be  wiped  awaj',  and  you 
 shall  weep  no  more.  The  Lord  could  have  prevented 
 the  cause  of  her  great  sufferings;  but  I  doubt  not  he  af- 
 flicted her  in  wisdom  and  mercy:  he  could  easily  have 
 restored  her  to  health ;  but  the  time  was  hastening  wh^ii 
 he  proposed  to  have  her  with  him  where  he  is,  that  slie 
 might  behold  his  glory,  and  have  all  the  desires  he  put 
 into  her  heart  abundantly  satisfied.  Precious  in  his  sight 
 is  the  death  of  his  saints,  and  every  circumstance  under 
 the  direction  of  infinite  wisdom.  His  sovereignty  for- 
 bids us  to  say.  Why  hast  thou  done  this?  And  his  love 
 assures  that  he  does  all  things  well.  I  have  lost  a  friend 
 likewise:  I  believe  I  may  say  few  persons,  not  imme- 
 diately related  to  her,  could  value  her  more  highly  tlian 
 myself;  and  though  of  late  years  I  could  not  have  the 
 pleasure  of  her  company,  it  was  a  constant  satisfaction 
 to  me  to  know  I  had  such  a  friend. 
 
 Mr  T  's  sickness  and  death  followed  immediately 
 
 upon  this  stroke.  I  doubt  not  hut  you  have  been  mucli 
 affected  with  this  dif-pensation  likev/ise.  But  here  again 
 we  have  the  same  stronghohl  to  retreat  to:  The  Lord 
 has  done  it.  What  a  pleasing  prospect  of  increasing  use- 
 fulness is  now  interrupted!  How  many  will  mourn  his 
 loss!  Yet  we  are  sure  the  work  whicli  the  Lord  had  ap- 
 pointed him  was  finished.  They  who  loved  his  ministry 
 and  were  profited  by  it,  are  left  apparently  destitute;  but 
 Jesus,  the  good  Shepherd,  is  able  to  take  care  of  his  own, 
 and  will  fulfil  his  promise  to  them  all.  He  has  said. 
 Verily  they  shall  be  fed. 
 
442 
 
 CAP.DIPIIONIA. 
 
 We  have  had  trying  and  dying  times  here;  half  my 
 time  ahnost  has  been  taken  up  with  visiting  the  siclc.  I 
 liave  seen  death  in  a  variety  of"  forms,  and  have  had  fre- 
 quent occasion  of  observing  iiowinsigniticant  many  things, 
 which  are  now  capalile  of  giving  iis  pain  or  pleasure, 
 will  appear,  when  the  soul  is  brought  near  to  the  borders 
 of  eternity.  All  the  concerns  wliich  relate  solely  to  ihis 
 life,  will  then  be  found  as  trivial  as  the  trac(!s  of  a  dream 
 from  which  we  are  awakened.  Nothing  will  then  com- 
 fort us  but  the  knowledge  oi' Jesus  and  his  love,  nothing 
 grieve  us  but  tiie  remembrance  of  our  unfaithful  carriage 
 to  him,  and  what  {)oor  retur  ns  we  made  to  his  abundant 
 goodness.  The  Lord  forbiil  that  this  thougiit  should 
 Ijreak  our  peace!  No,  faiili  in  his  name  may  forbid  our 
 fear,  though  we  shall  see  and  confess  we  have  been  un- 
 profitable servants.  There  shall  be  no  condemnation  to 
 them  that  are  in  him;  but  surely  shame  and  hmniliation 
 will  accompany  us  to  the  very  tliresijold  of  lieaven,  and 
 ought  to  do  so.  I  surely  shall  then  be  more  affected 
 than  I  am  now  with  the  coldness  of  my  love,  the  faint- 
 ness  of  my  zeal,  the  vanity  of  my  lieart,  and  my  undue 
 attachment  to  the  things  of  time.  O  these  clogs,  fetters, 
 vales,  and  mountams,  which  obstruct  my  course,  darken 
 my  views,  slacken  my  pace,  and  disable  me  in  service! 
 Well  it  is  for  me  that  I  am  not  under  the  law,  but  under 
 grace. 
 
 To-morrow  is  the  Sabbath.  I  am  usually  glad  when 
 it  returns,  though  it  seldom  finds  me  in  that  frame  of 
 mind  which  I  would  desire.  But  it  is  my  happiness  to 
 live  amongst  many  who  count  the  hours  from  one  ordi- 
 nance to  another.  I  know  they  pray  that  I  may  be  a 
 messenger  of  peace,  and  an  instrument  of  good  to  their 
 S(mls;  and  I  liave  cause  to  iiope  their  prayers  are  in  a 
 measure  answered.  For  their  sakes  as  niucli  as  my  own, 
 I  am  glad  to  go  up  to  the  house  of  the  Lord.  O  that 
 in  watering  others,  I  may  be  also  watered  myself!  I 
 have  been  praying  that  to-morrow  may  be  a  day  of 
 power  with  you  and  with  us,  and  with  all  that  love  Jesus 
 in  sincerity;  tliat  we  may  see  his  glory,  and  taste  his 
 love  in  the  sanctuary.  When  it  is  thus,  the  Sabbath  is  a 
 
LETTEKS  TO  MRS 
 
 443 
 
 blessed  day  indeed,  an  earnest  of  heaven.  There  they 
 keep  an  everlasting  Sabbatli,  and  cease  not  night  or  day 
 admiring  the  riches  of  redeeming  love,  and  adoring  him 
 who  washed  his  people  from  their  sins  in  his  own  blood. 
 To  have  such  imperfect  communion  with  them  as  is  in 
 this  state  attainable  in  tiiis  pleasing  exercise,  is  what 
 alone  can  make  life  worth  the  name.  For  this  I  sigh 
 and  long,  and  cr}'  to  the  Lord  to  rend  the  vail  of  unbe- 
 lief, scatter  the  clouds  of  ignorance,  and  break  down  the 
 walls  which  sin  is  daily  building  up  to  hide  him  from  my 
 eyes.  I  hope  I  can  say  my  soul  is  atiiirst  for  God,  and 
 nothing  less  tlian  tlie  liglit  of  his  countenance  can  satisfy 
 me.  Blessed  be  his  name  for  the  desire;  it  is  his  owu 
 gift,  and  he  ne\er  gives  in  vain.  He  will  afford  us  a 
 taste  of  t!ie  water  of  life  by  the  way;  and  ere  long  we 
 shall  drink  abundantly  at  the  fountain-head,  and  have 
 done  with  complaint  for  ever.  May  we  be  thankful  for 
 M'hat  we  receive,  and  still  earnestly  desirous  of  more. 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
FIVE  LETTERS  TO  MISS  D. 
 
 LETTER  L 
 
 My  Dear  Miss,  Aug   1772. 
 
 The  Lord  brought  us  home  in  j)eace.     My  visit  to 
 
  was  agret^able,  and  I  sliall  often  think  of  it  with 
 
 pleasure;  thoiigii  tiie  deadness  and  dryness  of  niy  own 
 spirit,  a  good  i)art  of  the  time  I  was  there  proved  a  con- 
 siderable abatement.  I  am  eager  enough  to  converse 
 Avith  the  Lord's  people,  when  at  the  same  time  I  am 
 backward  and  indisposed  to  comnmnion  with  the  Lord 
 himself.  Tlie  two  evils  ciiarged  uj)on  Israel  of  old,  a 
 proneness  to  forsake  the  fountain  of  living  waters,  and  to 
 trust  to  broken  cisterns  (which  can  do  me  no  good  un- 
 less he  supplies  them),  run  through  the  whole  of  my  ex- 
 perience abroad  and  at  home.  A  few  drops  of  grace  in 
 my  fellow-worms  endear  them  to  me  exceedingly.  If  I 
 expect  to  see  any  christian  friends,  I  count  tlie  hours  till 
 we  meet;  I  promise  mj'self  great  benefit;  but  if  the  Lord 
 withdraws  his  influence,  the  best  of  tlieiii  prove  to  me 
 but  clouds  witliout  water.  It  was  not,  however,  wholly 
 so  with  me  all  the  time  I  staid  witli  my  friends;  but  I 
 suffer  much  in  learning  to  depend  upon  the  Lord  alone: 
 I  have  been  at  this  lesson  many  a  long  year;  but  am  so 
 poor  and  dull  a  scliolar,  that  1  have  not  yet  made  any  to- 
 lerable progress  in  it.  1  tiiink  I  receiveci  some  instruction 
 and  advantage  where  I  little  expected  it ;  1  mean  at  Mr 
 
LKTTERS  TO  MISS  D- 
 
 445 
 
 0»x*s  Museum.  Tlie  efforts  of  liis  ingenuity  amazed  me, 
 while  at  tlu;  same  time  1  was  struck  with  tlieir  insignifi- 
 cance. His  fine  things  were  curious  beyond  all  I  had  any 
 idea  of;  ami  yet,  what  are  they  better  than  toys  and 
 amusements,  suited  to  tiie  taste  of  children!  And  not- 
 withstanding the  vai'iety  of  their  motions,  they  were  all 
 destitute  of  lile.  There  is  un5})eakably  more  wisdom  and 
 contrivance  in  the  mechanism  of  a  butterfly  or  a  bee, 
 that  flies  unnoticed  in  the  fields,  than  in  all  his  appara- 
 tus put  togetlier.  But  the  works  of  God  are  disregarded, 
 while  the  fei^ble  imitations  of  them  which  men  can  pro- 
 duce gain  universal  applause. 
 
 If  you  and  I  could  make  self-moving  dragons  and  ele- 
 iihants,  what  would  it  profit  us?  Blessed  be  God,  that 
 he  has  given  us  some  glimpses  of  his  wisdom  and  love! 
 by  which  our  Iiearts,  more  i)ard  and  lifeless  by  nature 
 than  the  stones  in  the  street,  are  constrained  and  enabled 
 to  move  upwards,  and  to  seek  after  the  Lord.  He  has 
 given  us  in  his  word  a  greater  treasure  than  all  tliat  we 
 ever  beheld  with  our  eyes,  and  a  liopc  which  shall  flourish 
 when  the  eartli  and  all  its  works  siiall  be  burnt  up.  What 
 will  all  tlie  fine  things  of  men's  device  be  wortii  in  that 
 day. 
 
 I  think  the  passage  you  refer  to  in  Mr  .justly 
 
 exceptionable.  His  intention  is  good,  and  the  mistake 
 he  would  cer:sure  very  dangerous;  but  he  might  have 
 explained  himself  more  clearly.  I  appreiiend  he  and  you 
 do  not  mean  tlie  same  thing  by  being  in  the  dr.rk.  It  is 
 not  an  uncomfortable,  but  a  careless  frame  which  he 
 would  censure.  They  who  walk  in  darkness  and  see  no 
 light,  and  yet  are  exhorted  to  stay  themselves  upon  God, 
 Isa.  1.  10,  are  said  to  hearken  to  the  voice  of  his  servant. 
 Though  they  cannot  see  the  Lord,  they  are  seeking  and 
 mourning  after  him,  and  waiting  in  the  use  of  means, 
 
 and  warring  against  sin.    Mr  had  another  set  of 
 
 people  in  view,  who  trust  in  the  notions  of  gospel  truth, 
 or  soiue  past  convictions  and  comforts;  tiiougii  at  pre- 
 sent they  give  no  evidence  of  spiritual  desires,  but  are 
 wordly  in  their  spirit  and  conversation;  talk  of  trusting 
 ill  the  Lord;  account  it  a  weakness  to  doubt  of  their 
 
446 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 state,  and  think  all  is  well,  because  they  profess  to  be- 
 lieve the  doctrines  of  grace.  In  a  word,  it  is  the  dark- 
 ness of  sin  and  sloth,  not  the  occasional  darkness  of  an 
 exercised  soul,  against  which  his  observation  is  pointed. 
 Or  if,  indeed,  he  meant  more  than  this,  we  are  not 
 obliged  to  believe  him.  Remember  your  privilege;  you 
 have  the  Bible  in  j'our  hands,  and  are  not  bound  to  fol- 
 low books  or  preachers  any  farther  than  what  they  deliver 
 agrees  with  the  oracles  of  truth.  We  have  great  reason 
 to  be  thankful  for  the  instructions  and  writings  of  spirit- 
 ual men,  but  they  are  all  fallible  even  as  ourselves.  One 
 is  our  master,  even  Christ;  what  he  says  we  are  to  re- 
 ceive implicitly;  but  we  do  not  owe  implicit  subjection 
 to  the  best  of  our  fellow-creatures.  The  Bereans  were 
 commended  that  they  would  not  take  even  the  apostle 
 Paid  upon  trust,  but  searched  the  scriptures  to  see  whe- 
 ther these  things  were  so.  May  the  Lord  give  us  a  spirit 
 of  humility  and  discernment  in  all  things. 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  IL 
 
 May  4,  1773. 
 
 Methinks  it  is  high  time  to  ask  you  how  you  do,  to 
 thank  you  for  your  last  letter,  and  to  let  you  know,  that 
 though  necessity  makes  me  slack  in  writing,  yet  I  can 
 and  do  often  think  of  you.  My  silence  has  been  some- 
 times owing  to  want  of  leisure;  and  sometimes,  when  I 
 could  have  found  leisure,  my  harp  has  been  out  of  tune, 
 and  I  had  no  heai't  to  write.  Perhaps  you  are  ready  to 
 infer,  by  my  sitting  down  to  write  at  last,  that  my  harp 
 is  now  well  tuned,  and  1  have  something  extraordinary 
 to  offer:  beware  of  thinking  so,  lest  you  should  be  sadly 
 disappointed.  Should  I  make  myself  the  subject,  I  could 
 give  3'ou  at  present  but  a  mournful  ditty.  I  suppose  you 
 have  heard  I  have  been  ill:  through  mercy  1  am  now 
 
LETTEUS  TO  MISS  D 
 
 447 
 
 well.  But  indeed  I  must  farther  tell  you,  that  when  I 
 was  sick  I  was  well;  and  since  the  Lord  has  removed 
 my  illness  I  have  been  nuich  worse.  My  illness  was  far 
 from  violent  in  itself,  and  was  greatly  sweetened  by  a 
 (.■aim  submissive  frame  the  Lord  gave  me  under  it.  My 
 heart  seemed  more  alive  to  him  then  than  it  has  done 
 since  my  cough,  fever,  and  deafness  have  been  removed. 
 Shall  I  give  you  another  bit  of  a  riddle,  that,  notwith- 
 standing the  many  changes  I  pass  through,  I  am  always 
 the  same?  This  is  the  very  truth  :  "  In  me,  that  is,  in 
 my  flesh,  dwelleth  no  good  tiling;"  so  that,  if  sometimes 
 my  spirit  is  in  a  measure  humble,  lively,  and  dependent, 
 it  is  not  I  am  grown  better  than  I  was,  but  the  Lord  is 
 pleased  to  put  forth  his  gracious  power  in  my  weakness: 
 and  when  my  heart  is  dry  and  stupid,  when  I  can  find 
 no  j)leasure  in  waiting  upon  God,  it  is  not  because  I  am 
 worse  than  I  was  before,  but  only  the  Lord  sees  it  best 
 that  I  should  feel  as  well  as  say  what  a  poor  creatiu'e  I 
 am.  My  heart  was  once  like  a  dungeon,  out  of  the  reach 
 of  day,  and  alvvaj's  dark:  the  Lord,  by  his  grace,  has 
 been  pleased  to  make  tiiis  dungeon  a  room,  by  ptitting 
 windows  in  it;  but  I  need  not  tell  you,  that  though  win- 
 dows will  transmit  the  day-light  into  a  room,  they  can- 
 not supply  the  want  of  it.  When  the  day  is  gone,  win- 
 dows are  of  little  use;  when  the  day  returns,  the  room  is 
 enlightened  by  them  again.  Tims,  unless  the  Lord 
 shines,  I  cannot  retain  to-day  the  light  I  had  yesterday; 
 and  though  his  presence  makes  a  deliglitful  difference, 
 I  have  no  more  to  boast  of  in  myself  at  one  time  than 
 another;  yet  when  it  is  dark,  I  am  warranted  to  expect 
 the  return  of  light  again.  When  he  is  with  me,  all  goes 
 on  pleasantly ;  when  he  withdraws,  I  find  I  can  do  no- 
 thing without  him.  I  need  not  wonder  tliat  I  find  it  so, 
 for  it  must  be  so  of  course,  if  I  am  what  I  confess  my- 
 self to  be,  a  poor,  helpless,  sinful  creature  in  myself.  Nor 
 need  I  be  overmuch  discouraged,  since  the  Lord  has 
 })roiui>ed  to  help  those  who  can  do  nothing  without  him, 
 not  those  who  can  make  a  tolerable  shift  to  help  them- 
 selves. Through  mercy  he  does  not  so  totally  withdraw, 
 as  to  leave  me  without  any  power  or  will  to  cry  for  his 
 
448 
 
 CABDIPHONIA. 
 
 return.  I  hope  he  maintains  in  me  at  all  times  a  desire 
 of  his  presence;  yet  it  becomes  me  to  wait  for  him  with 
 patience,  and  to  live  upon  his  faithfulness,  when  I  can 
 feel  nothing  but  evil  in  myself. 
 
 In  your  letter,  after  having  complained  of  your  inabi" 
 lity,  you  say,  you  converse  with  many  who  find  it  other- 
 wise, who  can  go  whenever  tiiey  will  to  the  Father  of 
 mercies  with  a  child- like  confidence,  and  never  return 
 without  an  answer,  an  answer  of  peace.  If  they  only 
 mean  that  they  are  favoured  witli  an  established  faith, 
 and  can  see  that  the  Lord  is  always  the  same,  and  that 
 their  right  to  the  blessings  of  the  covenant  is  not  at  all 
 affected  by  their  unworthiness,  I  wish  you  and  I  had 
 more  experience  of  the  same  privilege.  In  general,  the 
 Lord  helps  ine  to  aim  at  it,  though  I  find  it  sometimes 
 difficult  to  hold  fast  my  confidence.  But  if  they  speak 
 absolutely  with  respect  to  their  frames,  that  tiiey  not 
 only  have  something  to  support  them  under  their  ciianges, 
 but  meet  with  no  changes  that  require  sucii  support,  I 
 must  say  it  is  well  that  they  do  not  live  here;  if"  they 
 did,  they  would  not  know  how  to  pity  us,  and  we  should 
 not  know  how  to  understand  tlieui.    We  have  an  enemy 
 
 at  that  fights  against  our  peace,  and  I  know  not 
 
 one  amongst  us  but  often  groans  under  the  warfare.  I 
 advise  you  not  to  be  troubled  by  what  you  hear  of  other 
 folks  experience,  but  keep  close  to  the  written  word, 
 where  you  will  meet  witii  much  to  encourage  you,  though 
 you  often  feel  yourself  weary  and  heavy  laden.  ¥or  my 
 own  part,  I  like  that  j3ath  best  which  is  well  beaten  by 
 the  footsteps  of  the  flock,  though  it  is  not  always  plea- 
 sant and  strewed  with  flowers.  In  ou?-  way  we  find  some 
 hills,  from  whence  we  can  cheerfully  look  about  us;  but 
 we  meet  with  deep  valleys  likewise,  and  seldom  travel 
 long  upon  even  ground. 
 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
LETTERS  TO  MISS  D  , 
 
 449 
 
 LETTER  III. 
 
 1775.  I 
 
 I  AM  satisfied  with  your  answer  to  my  question:  we  are 
 not  proper  judges  of  each  other's  circumstances,  and  I  am 
 in  some  measure  weaned  from  judging  fiastilj',  that  what 
 would  not  be  convenient  I'or  me  must  therefore  necessari-  ' 
 Ij'  be  wrong  for  another.  However,  my  solicitude  for  your 
 ■welfare  made  me  venture  to  drop  a  hint,  as  I  was  per- 
 suaded you  would  take  it  in  good  part.  Indeed,  all  situa- 
 tions and  circumstances  (supposing  them  not  sinful  in 
 tliemselves,  and  that  we  are  lawfully  placed  in  them)  are 
 nearly  alike.  In  London  /  am  in  a  crowd,  in  the  country 
 I  am  sure  there  is  a  croud  in  me.  To  what  purpose  do 
 I  boast  of  retirement,  when  I  am  pestered  by  a  legion  in 
 every  place?  How  often,  when  I  am  what  I  call  alone, 
 may  my  mind  be  compared  to  a  puppet-sliow,  a  fair,  a 
 Newgate,  or  any  of  those  scenes  where  folly,  noise,  and 
 wickedness  most  abound  ?  On  the  contrary,  sometimes 
 I  have  enjoyed  sweet  recollection  and  composure  where 
 I  could  have  hardly  expected  it.  But  still,  though  the 
 power  be  all  of  the  Lord,  and  we  of  ourselves  can  do  no- 
 thing, it  is  both  our  duty  and  our  wisdom  to  be  attentive 
 to  the  use  of  appointed  means  on  the  one  hand,  and  on 
 the  other,  watchful  against  those  things  which  we  find 
 by  experience  have  a  tendency'  to  damp  our  fervour,  or 
 to  dissipate  our  spirits.  A  comfortable  intimacy  with  a 
 fellow-worm  cannot  be  maintained  without  a  certain  de- 
 licacy and  circumspection,  a  studiousness  in  improving 
 opportunities  of  pleasing,  and  in  avoiding  what  is  known 
 to  be  offensive;  for  thougli  love  will  make  large  allow- 
 ances for  involuntary  mistaken,  it  cannot  easily  brook  a 
 slight.  We  act  thus  as  it  were  by  instinct  towards  those 
 whom  we  dearly  love,  and  to  wliom  we  feel  ourselves  great- 
 ly obliged:  and  hapj)}'  arc  tiicy  who  are  most  influenced 
 by  this  sentiment  in  their  walk  before  the  Lord.  But, 
 alas!  here  we  are  chargeable  with  such  inconsistencies 
 
450 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 as  we  should  be  greatly  ashamed  oF  in  coiniTion  life. 
 And  well  it  is  for  us  that  the  Lord's  thoughts  and  ways 
 are  above  ours,  and  that  he  is  infinite  in  mercy  as  well 
 as  in  power;  for  surely  our  dearest  friends  would  have 
 been  weary  of  us,  and  have  renounced  us  long  ago,  had 
 we  behaved  to  tliem  as  we  have  too  often  done  to  him. 
 He  is  God,  and  not  man,  and  tlierefore  he  still  waits  to 
 be  gracious,  though  we  have  so  often  trifled  with  him. 
 Surely  we  may  well  say  wit'i  the  prophet,  "  Wlio  is  a 
 God  like  unto  thee,  that  pardoneth  iniquity?"  His  ten- 
 derness and  forbearance  towards  his  own  people  (whose 
 sins,  being  committed  against  love,  and  ligiit,  and  ex- 
 perience, are  more  aggravated  than  others),  is  astonish- 
 ing indeed.  But,  oh!  may  tlie  times  past  suffice  to  have 
 grieved  his  Spirit,  and  may  we  be  enabled  from  heiice- 
 forth  to  serve  him  witli  a  single  eye  and  a  simple  heart, 
 to  be  fiiitlifid  to  every  intiniaiion  of  his  will,  and  to  make 
 him  our  all  in  all! 
 
 Mr  has  been  hero,  and  I  have  been  with  liira 
 
 at  since  his  return.  We  seem  glad  to  be  toge- 
 ther when  we  can.  Wlien  I  am  with  him,  I  foel  quite  at 
 home  and  at  ease,  and  can  tell  him  (so  far  as  I  dare  tell 
 a  creature)  all  that  is  in  my  heart:  a  plain  proof,  that 
 union  of  spirit  depends  no  more  upon  an  exact  uniformi- 
 ty  of  sentiment  than  on  a  uniformity  of  prayers;  for  in 
 some  points  of  doctrine  we  differ  considerably ;  but  I 
 trust  I  agree  with  him  in  the  views  I  have  of  the  excel- 
 lency, suitableness,  and  sutriciency  of  the  Saviour,  and 
 of  his  right  to  reign  without  a  rival  in  the  hearts  of  his 
 redeemed  people.  An  experimental  knowledge  of  Jesus, 
 as  the  deliverer  from  sin  and  icrafh,  and  the  autlior  of 
 eternal  life  and  salvation  to  all  who  are  enabled  to  be- 
 lieve, is  a  sufiiclent  ground  for  union  of  heart:  in  this 
 point,  all  who  are  tauglit  of  God  are  of  one  mind.  liut 
 an  eager  fighting  for  or  against  those  points  which  are 
 usually  made  tlie  subjects  of  controversy,  tends  to  nourish 
 pride  and  evil  tempers  in  ourselves,  and  to  alienate  our 
 hearts  from  those  we  hope  to  spend  an  eternity  with.  In 
 heaven  we  shall  neither  be  Dissenters,  Moravians,  nor 
 Methodists;  neitlier  Calvinists  nor  Arminians ;  but  fol- 
 
LETTERS  TO  MISS  D 
 
 451 
 
 lowers  of  the  Lamb,  and  children  of  the  kingdom.  There 
 we  shall  hear  the  voic:e  of  war  no  more. 
 
 We  are  still  favoured  with  healt'.i  and  many  temporal 
 blessings.  My  spiritual  walk  is  not  so  smooth  as  my 
 outward  path;  in  public  lam  mercifully  supported,  in 
 secret  I  most  sensibly  feel  my  own  vileness  and  weakness; 
 but  through  all  the  Lord  is  gracious. 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  IV. 
 
 January  10,  1775. 
 
 There  is  hardly  any  thing  in  which  the  Lord  permits 
 me  to  meet  with  more  disappointment,  than  in  the  ad- 
 vantage I  am  ready  to  promise  myself  from  creature  con- 
 verse. When  I  expect  to  meet  any  of  my  Christian 
 friends,  my  thoughts  usually  travel  much  faster  than  my 
 body;  I  anticipate  the  hour  of  meeting,  and  my  imagi- 
 nation is  warmed  with  expectation  of  what  I  shall  say 
 and  what  I  shall  hear:  and  sometimes  I  have  had  seasons 
 for  which  I  ought  to  be  more  thankful  than  I  am.  It  is 
 pleasant  indeed  when  the  Lord  favours  us  with  a  happy 
 hour,  and  is  pleased  to  cause  our  hearts  to  burn  within 
 us  while  we  are  speaking  of  his  goodness.  But  often  it 
 is  far  otiierwise  with  me:  I  carry  with  me  a  dissipation 
 of  spirit,  and  find  that  I  can  neither  impart  nor  receive. 
 Something  from  within  or  from  without  crosses  my 
 schemes;  and  when  I  retire,  I  seem  to  have  gained  no- 
 thing but  a  fresh  conviction,  that  v/e  can  neither  help 
 nor  be  helped,  unless  the  Lord  himself  is  jjleased  to  help 
 us.  W^ith  his  presence  in  our  hearts,  we  might  be  com- 
 fortable and  happy  if  shut  up  in  one  of  the  cells  of  New- 
 gate: without  it,  ti;e  m.ost  select  company,  the  most  de- 
 sirable opportunities,  prove  but  clouds  without  water. 
 1  have  sometimes  thought  of  asking  you  whether  you 
 
452 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 find  that  difference  between  being  abroad  and  at  home 
 that  I  do?  But  I  take  it  for  granted  that  you  do  not; 
 your  connexions  are,  I  believe,  chiefly  with  those  who 
 are  liighly  favoured  of  the  Lord,  and  if  you  can  break 
 through  or  be  upon  your  guard  against  the  inconveni- 
 encies  which  attend  frequent  changes  and  much  com.- 
 pany,  you  uuist  be  very  happy  in  tiieni.  But,  I  believe, 
 considering  my  weakness,  tiie  Lord  has  chosen  wisely 
 and  well  for  me,  in  placing  me  in  a  state  of  retirement, 
 and  not  putting  it  in  my  power,  were  it  ever  so  much  my 
 inclination,  to  be  often  abroad.  As  I  stir  so  seldom,  I 
 believe  when  I  do  it  is  not  upon  the  whole  to  my  disad- 
 vantage; for  I  meet  with  more  or  less  upon  which  my 
 reflections  afterwards  may,  by  his  blessing,  be  useful  to 
 me,  tiiough  at  the  time  my  visits  most  frequently  con- 
 vince me  how  little  wisdom  or  skill  I  have  in  improving 
 time  and  opportunities.  But  were  I  to  live  in  London, 
 I  know  not  what  might  be  the  consequence.  Indeed,  I 
 need  not  puzzle  myself  about  it,  as  my  call  does  not  lie 
 there;  but  I  pity  and  pray  for  those  who  do  live  there, 
 and  I  admire  such  of  them  as,  in  those  circumstances 
 which  aj)pear  so  formidable  to  me,  are  enabled  to  walk 
 simply,  humbly,  and  closely  with  the  Lord.  They  re- 
 mind me  of  Daniel,  luihurt  in  the  midst  of  lions,  or  of  the 
 bush  which  Moses  saw,  surrounded  with  flames,  yet  not 
 consumed,  because  tiie  Lord  was  there.  Some  such  I 
 do  know,  and  I  hope  you  are  one  of  tiie  number. 
 
 This  is  certain,  that  if  the  light  of  God's  countenance, 
 and  communion  with  him  in  love,  afford  the  greatest  hap- 
 piness we  are  capable  of,  then  whatever  tends  to  indis- 
 pose us  for  tills  pursuit,  or  to  draw  a  vail  between  him 
 and  our  souls,  must  be  our  great  loss.  If  we  walk  with 
 him,  it  must  be  in  the  path  of  duty,  which  lies  plain  be- 
 fore us  when  our  eye  is  single,  and  we  are  waiting  with 
 attention  upon  his  word,  Spirit,  and  providence.  Now, 
 wherever  the  path  of  duty  leads  we  are  safe;  and  it  often 
 does  lead  and  place  us  in  such  circumstances  as  no  other 
 consideration  would  make  us  choose.  We  are  not  de- 
 signed to  be  mere  recluses,  but  have  all  a  part  to  act  in 
 life.    Now,  if  I  find  myself  in  the  midst  of  things  dis- 
 
LETTERS  TO  MISS  D  . 
 
 453 
 
 agreeable  enough  in  themselves  to  the  spiritual  life;  3'et 
 if,  when  the  question  occurs,  Wliat  dost  thou  here?  my 
 heart  can  answer,  I  am  here  by  the  will  of  God;  I  be- 
 lieve it  to  be,  all  things  considered,  my  duty  to  be  here 
 at  this  time  rather  than  elsewhere.  If  I  say  I  am  toler- 
 ably satisfied  of  this,  then  I  would  not  burden  and  grieve 
 myself  about  what  I  cannot  avoid  or  alter,  but  endea- 
 vour to  take  all  such  things  up  with  cheerfulness,  as  a 
 part  of  my  daily  cross ;  since  I  am  called,  not  only  to  do 
 the  will  of  God,  but  to  suffer  it:  but  if  I  am  doing  my 
 own  will  rather  than  his,  then  I  have  reason  to  fear  lest 
 I  should  meet  with  either  a  snare  or  a  sting  at  every 
 step.  May  the  Lord  Jesus  be  with  you! 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  V. 
 
 Dear  Madam,  April  13,  1776. 
 
 I  AM  rather  of  the  latest  to  present  my  congratulations 
 
 to  you  and  Mr  on  your  marriage,  but  1  have  not 
 
 been  unmindful  of  you.  My  heart  has  repeatedly  wished 
 you  all  that  my  pen  can  express,  that  the  new  relation 
 in  which  the  providence  of  God  has  placed  you  may  be 
 blessed  to  you  in  every  respect,  may  afford  you  much 
 temporal  comfort,  promote  your  spiritual  progress,  and 
 enlarge  your  sphere  of  usefulness  in  the  world  and  in  the 
 church. 
 
 By  this  time  I  suppose  visits  and  ceremonies  are  pretty 
 well  over,  and  you  are  beginning  to  be  settled  in  your 
 new  situation.  What  an  important  period  is  a  wedding- 
 day!  What  an  entire  change  of  circumstances  does  it 
 produce!  What  an  influence  it  has  upon  every  day  of 
 future  life!  How  many  cares,  inquietudes,  and  trials, 
 does  it  expose  us  to,  which  we  might  otherwise  have 
 avoided!  But  they  who  love  the  Lord,  and  are  guided 
 by  his  word  and  providence,  have  nothing  to  fear:  for 
 
454 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 in  every  state,  relation,  and  circumstance  in  life,  he  will 
 be  with  them,  and  will  surely  do  them  good.  His  grace, 
 which  is  needful  in  a  single,  is  sufficient  for  a  married 
 
 life.    I  sincerely  wish  Mr  and  you  much  happiness 
 
 together;  tliat  you  may  be  mutually  helpmeets,  and  assist 
 each  other  in  walking  as  fellow-heirs  of  the  hope  of  eter- 
 nal life.  Your  cares  and  trials,  I  know,  must  be  increas- 
 ed ;  may  your  comforts  be  increased  proportionally ! 
 They  will  be  so,  if  you  are  enabled  heartily  and  simply 
 to  intreat  the  Lord  to  keep  your  heart  fixed  near  to 
 himself.  All  the  temporal  blessings  and  accommodations 
 he  provides  to  sweeten  life,  and  make  our  passage  through 
 this  wilderness  more  agreeable,  will  fail  and  disappoint 
 us,  and  produce  us  more  thorns  than  roses,  unless  we 
 can  keep  sight  of  his  hand  in  bestowing  them,  and  hold 
 and  use  the  gifts  in  some  due  subserviency  to  what  vve 
 owe  to  the  Giver.  But,  alas!  we  are  poor  creatures, 
 prone  to  wander,  prone  to  admire  our  gourds,  cleave  to 
 our  cisterns,  and  think  of  building  tabernacles,  and  tak- 
 ing our  rest  in  this  polluted  world.  Hence  the  Lord 
 often  sees  it  necessary,  in  mercy  to  his  children,  to  em- 
 bitter their  sweets,  to  break  their  cisterns,  send  a  worm 
 to  their  gourds,  and  draw  a  dark  cloud  over  their  pleas- 
 ing prospects.  His  word  tells  us  that  all  here  is  vanity, 
 compared  with  the  light  of  his  countenance;  and  if  we 
 cannot  or  will  not  believe  it  upon  the  authority  of  his 
 word,  we  must  learn  it  by  experience.  May  he  enable 
 you  to  settle  it  in  your  hearts,  that  creature  comforts  are 
 precarious,  insufficient,  and  insnaring;  that  all  good 
 comes  from  his  hands,  and  that  nothing  can  do  us  good, 
 but  so  far  as  he  is  pleased  to  make  it  the  instrument  of 
 communicating,  as  a  stream,  that  goodness  which  is  in 
 him  as  a  fountain.  Even  the  bread  which  we  eat  with- 
 out the  influence  of  his  promise  and  blessing,  would  no 
 more  support  us  than  a  stone;  but  his  blessing  makes 
 everything  good,  gives  a  tenfold  value  to  our  comforts, 
 and  greatly  diminishes  the  weight  of  every  cross. 
 
 The  ring  upon  your  finger  is  of  some  value  as  gold, 
 but  this  is  not  much:  M'hat  makes  it  chiefly  valuable  to 
 you  is,  that  you  consider  it  as  a  pledge  and  token  of  the 
 
LETTERS  TO  MISS  D  
 
 455 
 
 relation  you  bear  to  him  who  gave  it  you.  I  know  no 
 fitter  emblem  of  the  light  in  which  we  should  consider 
 all  those  good  things  which  the  Lord  gives  us  richly  to 
 enjoy.  When  every  thing  we  receive  from  him  is  re- 
 ceived and  prized  as  a  fruit  and  pledge  of  his  covenant- 
 love,  then  his  bounties,  instend  of  being  set  upas  rivals, 
 and  idols  to  draw  our  hearts  from  him,  awaken  us  to  fresh 
 exercises  of  gratitude,  and  furnish  us  with  fresh  motives 
 of  cheerful  obedience  every  hour. 
 
 Time  is  short,  and  we  live  in  a  dark  and  cloudy  day. 
 When  iniquity  abounds,  the  love  of  many  waxes  cold ; 
 and  we  have  reason  to  fear  the  Lord's  hand  is  lifted  up 
 in  displeasure  at  our  provocations.  May  he  help  us  to 
 set  loose  to  all  below,  and  to  be  found  watching  unto 
 prayer  for  grace  to  keep  our  garments  undefiled,  and  to 
 be  faithful  witnesses  for  him  in  our  places!  O!  it  is  my 
 desire  for  myself  and  for  all  my  dear  friends,  that  whilst 
 too  many  seem  content  with  a  half  profession,  a  name  to 
 live,  an  outward  attachment  to  ordinances,  and  sentiments, 
 and  parties,  we  may  be  ambitious  to  experience  what  the 
 glorious  gospel  is  capable  of  effecting,  both  as  to  sancti- 
 fication  and  consolation,  in  this  state  of  infirmity;  that 
 we  may  have  our  loins  girded  up,  our  lamps  burning, 
 and  by  our  simplicity  and  spirituality  constrain  those 
 who  know  us  to  acknowledge  that  we  have  been  with 
 Jesus,  have  sat  at  his  feet,  and  drunk  of  his  Spirit. 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
THREE  LETTERS  TO  MRS  H- 
 
 LETTER  I. 
 
 Long  and  often  I  have  thought  of  writing  to  you:  now 
 the  time  is  come.  May  the  Lord  help  me  to  send  a 
 word  in  season!  I  know  not  how  it  may  be  with  you, 
 but  he  does,  and  to  him  I  look  to  direct  my  thoughts 
 accordingly.  I  suppose  you  are  still  in  the  school  of  the 
 cross,  learning  the  happy  art  of  extracting  real  good  out 
 of  seeming  evil,  and  to  grow  tall  by  stooping.  The  Jlesk 
 is  a  sad  untoward  dunce  in  this  school;  but  grace  makes 
 the  spirit  willing  to  learn  by  suffering;  yea,  it  cares  not 
 what  it  endures,  so  sin  may  be  mortified,  and  a  confor- 
 mity to  the  image  of  Jesus  be  increased.  Surely  when 
 we  see  the  most  and  the  best  of  the  Lord's  children  so 
 often  in  heaviness,  and  when  we  consider  how  much  he 
 loves  them,  and  what  he  has  done  and  prepared  for  them, 
 we  may  take  it  for  granted  that  there  is  a  need-be  for 
 their  sufferings.  For  it  would  be  easy  to  his  power,  and 
 not  a  thousandth  part  of  what  his  love  intends  to  do  for 
 them,  should  he  make  their  whole  life  here,  from  the 
 hour  of  their  conversion  to  their  death,  a  continued 
 course  of  satisfaction  and  comfort,  without  any  thing  to 
 distress  them  from  within  and  v  ithout.  But  were  it  so, 
 should  we  not  miss  many  advantages?  In  the  first  place, 
 we  should  not  then  be  very  conformable  to  our  Head, 
 nor  be  able  to  say.  As  he  was,  so  are  we  in  this  world. 
 Methinks  a  believer  would  be  ashamed  to  be  so  utterly 
 
LETTERS  TO  MRS  H- 
 
 457 
 
 unlike  his  Lord.  What!  the  Master  alwai/s  Si  man  of 
 sorrow  and  acquainted  with  grief,  and  the  servant  always 
 happy  and  full  of  comfort !  Jesus  despised,  reproached, 
 neglected,  opposed,  and  betrayed,  and  his  people  admired 
 and  caressed;  he  living  in  the  want  of  all  things,  and 
 <Ae_y  filled  with  abundance;  he  sweating  blood  for  an- 
 guish, and  they  strangers  to  distress;  how  unsuitable 
 would  these  things  be!  How  much  better  to  be  called 
 to  the  honour  of  filling  up  the  measure  of  his  sufferings! 
 A  cup  was  put  into  his  hand  on  our  account,  and  his 
 love  engaged  him  to  drink  it  for  vis.  The  wrath  which 
 it  contained  he  drank  wholly  himself,  but  he  left  us  a 
 little  affliction  to  taste,  that  we  might  pledge  him,  and 
 remember  how  he  loved  us,  and  how  much  more  he  en- 
 dured for  us  than  he  will  ever  call  us  to  endure  for  him. 
 Again,  how  could  we,  without  sufferings,  manifest  the 
 nature  and  truth  of  gospel-grace?  Wliat  place  should 
 we  then  have  for  patience,  submission,  meekness,  for- 
 bearance, and  a  readiness  to  forgive,  if  we  had  nothing 
 to  try  us  either  from  the  hand  of  the  Lord,  or  from  the 
 hand  of  men.  A  Christian  without  trials  would  be  like 
 a  mill  without  wind  or  water:  the  contrivance  and  de- 
 sign of  the  wheel-work  within  side  would  be  unnoticed 
 and  unknown,  without  something  to  put  it  in  motion 
 from  without.  Nor  would  our  graces  grow,  unless  they 
 were  called  out  to  exercise ;  the  difficulties  we  meet  with 
 not  only  prove  but  strengthen  the  graces  of  the  Spirit. 
 If  a  person  was  always  to  sit  still,  without  making  use 
 of  legs  or  arms,  he  would  probably  wholly  lose  the  power 
 of  moving  his  limbs  at  last;  but  by  walking  and  working 
 he  becomes  strong  and  active.  So,  in  a  long  course  of 
 ease,  the  powers  of  the  new  man  would  certainly  lan- 
 guish ;  the  soul  would  grow  soft,  indolent,  cowardly,  and 
 faint ;  and  therefore  the  Lord  appoints  his  children  such 
 dispensations  as  make  them  strive  and  struggle,  and 
 pant;  they  must  press  through  a  crowd,  swim  against  a 
 stream,  endure  hardships,  run,  wrestle,  and  fight,  and 
 their  strength  grows  in  the  using. 
 
 By  these  things,  likewise,  they  are  made  more  willing 
 .to  leave  the  present  world,  to  which  we  are  prone  to 
 
458 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 cleave  too  closely  in  our  hearts  when  our  path  is  smooth. 
 Had  Israel  enjoyed  their  former  peace  and  prosperity  in 
 Egypt,  when  Moses  came  to  invite  them  to  Canaan,  I  think 
 they  would  hardly  have  listened  to  him.  But  the  Lord 
 suffered  them  to  be  brought  into  great  trouble  and  bond- 
 age, and  then  the  news  of  deliverance  was  more  wel- 
 come; yet  still  they  were  but  half  willing,  and  they 
 carried  a  love  to  the  flesh-pots  of  Egypt  with  them  into 
 the  wilderness.  We  are  like  them ;  though  we  say  this 
 world  is  vain  and  sinful,  we  are  too  fond  of  it;  and 
 though  we  hope  for  true  happiness  only  in  heaven,  we 
 are  often  well  content  to  stay  longer  here.  But  the  Lord 
 sends  afflictions  one  after  another  to  quicken  our  desires, 
 and  to  convince  us  that  this  cannot  be  our  rest.  Some- 
 times, if  you  drive  a  bird  from  one  branch  of  a  tree,  he 
 will  hop  to  another,  a  little  higher,  and  from  thence  to  a 
 third:  but  if  you  continue  to  disturb  him,  he  will  at  last 
 take  wing  and  fly  quite  away.  Thus  we,  when  forced 
 from  one  creature  comfort,  perch  upon  another,  and  so 
 on;  but  the  Lord  mercifully  follows  us  with  trials,  and 
 will  not  let  us  rest  upon  any;  by  degrees  our  desires 
 take  a  nobler  flight,  and  can  be  satisfied  with  nothing 
 short  of  himself ;  and  we  say,  "  To  depart  and  be  with 
 Jesus  is  best  of  all." 
 
 I  trust  you  find  the  name  and  grace  of  Jesus  more  and 
 more  precious  to  you ;  his  promises  more  sweet,  and 
 your  hope  in  them  more  abiding;  your  sense  of  your 
 own  weakness  and  unworthiness  daily  increasing;  your 
 persuasion  of  his  all-sufficiency  to  guide,  support,  and 
 comfort  you,  more  confirmed.  You  owe  your  growth 
 in  these  respects  in  a  great  measure  to  his  blessing  upon 
 those  afflictions  which  he  has  prepared  for  you,  and  sanc- 
 tified to  you.  May  you  praise  him  for  all  that  is  past, 
 and  trust  him  for  all  that  is  to  come. 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
LETTERS  TO  MRS  H  
 
 459 
 
 LETTER  II. 
 
 Though  I  have  the  pleasure  of  hearing  of  you,  and  send- 
 ing a  remembrance  from  time  to  time,  I  am  willing,  by 
 this  opportunity,  to  direct  a  few  lines  to  you,  as  a  more 
 express  testimony  of  my  sincere  regard. 
 
 I  think  your  experience  is  generally  of  the  fearful, 
 doubting  cast.  Such  souls,  however,  the  Lord  has  given 
 particular  charge  to  his  ministers  to  comfort.  He  knows 
 our  infirmities,  and  what  temptations  mean,  and,  as  a 
 good  Shepherd,  he  expresses  a  peculiar  care  and  tender- 
 ness for  the  weak  of  the  flock,  Isa.  xl.  4.  But  how  must 
 I  attempt  your  comfort?  Surely  not  by  strengthening 
 a  mistake,  to  which  we  are  all  too  liable,  by  leading  you 
 to  look  into  your  own  heart  for  (what  you  will  never  find 
 there)  something  in  yourself  whereon  to  ground  your 
 hopes,  if  not  wholly,  yet  at  least  in  part.  Rather  let 
 me  endeavour  to  lead  you  out  of  yourself ;  let  me  invite 
 you  to  look  unto  Jesus.  Should  we  look  for  light  in  our 
 own  eyes,  or  in  the  sun?  Is  it  indwelling  sin  distresses 
 you?  Then  I  can  tell  you  (though  you  know  it)  that 
 Jesus  died  for  sin  and  sinners.  I  can  tell  you,  that  his 
 blood  and  righteousness  are  of  infinite  value;  that  his 
 arm  is  almighty,  and  his  compassions  infinite;  yea,  you 
 yourself  read  his  promises  every  day,  and  why  should 
 you  doubt  their  being  fulfilled?  If  you  say  you  do  not 
 question  their  truth,  or  that  they  are  accomplished  to 
 many,  but  that  you  can  hardly  believe  they  belong  to 
 you;  I  would  ask,  what  evidence  you  would  require? 
 A  voice  or  an  angel  from  heaven  you  do  not  expect. 
 Consider,  if  many  of  the  promises  are  not  expressly  di- 
 rected to  those  to  whom  they  belong.  When  you  read 
 your  name  on  the  superscription  of  this  letter,  you  make 
 no  scruple  in  opening  it:  why,  then,  do  you  hesitate  at 
 embracing  the  promises  of  the  gospel;  where  you  read 
 they  are  addressed  to  those  who  mourn,  who  hunger  and 
 thirst  after  righteousness,  who  are  poor  in  spirit,  &c.  and 
 
460 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 cannot  but  be  sensible  that  a  gracious  God  has  begun  to 
 work  these  dispositions  in  your  heart?  If  you  say  that 
 though  you  do  at  times  mourn,  hunger,  &c.  you  are  afraid 
 you  do  it  not  enough,  or  not  aright ;  consider,  that  this 
 sort  of  reasoning  is  very  far  from  tlie  spirit  and  language 
 of  the  gospel:  for  it  is  grounded  on  a  secret  supposition, 
 that  in  the  forgiveness  of  sin  God  has  a  respect  to  some- 
 thing more  than  the  atonement  and  mediation  of  Jesus; 
 namely,  to  some  previous  good  qualifications  in  a  sinner's 
 heart,  which  are  to  share  with  the  blood  of  Christ  in  the 
 honour  of  salvation.  The  enemy  deceives  us  in  this 
 matter  the  more  easily,  because  a  propensity  to  the  co- 
 venant of  works  is  a  part  of  our  natural  depravity.  De- 
 pend upon  it,  you  never  will  have  a  suitable  and  sufficient 
 sense  of  the  evil  of  sin,  and  of  your  share  in  it,  so  long 
 as  you  have  any  sin  remaining  in  you.  We  must  see 
 Jesus  as  he  is,  before  our  apprehensions  of  any  spiritual 
 truth  will  be  complete.  But  if  we  know  that  we  must 
 perish  without  Christ,  and  that  he  is  able  to  save  to  the 
 uttermost,  we  know  enough  to  warrant  us  to  cast  our 
 souls  upon  him,  and  we  dishonour  him  by  fearing  that 
 Avhen  we  do  so  he  will  disappoint  our  hope.  But  if  you 
 are  still  perplexed  about  the  high  points  of  election,  &c. 
 I  would  advise  you  to  leave  the  disposal  of  others  to  the 
 great  judge;  and  as  to  j^ourself,  I  think  I  need  not  say 
 much  to  persuade  you,  that  if  ever  you  are  saved  at  all, 
 it  must  be  in  a  way  of  free  and  absolute  grace.  Leave 
 disputes  to  others:  wait  upon  the  Lord,  and  he  will  teach 
 you  all  things,  in  such  degree  and  time  as  he  sees  best. 
 Perhaps  you  have  suffered  for  taking  things  too  much 
 upon  trust  from  men.  Cease  from  man,  whose  breath  is 
 in  his  nostrils.  One  is  your  master,  even  Christ.  Study 
 and  pray  over  the  Bible;  and  you  may  take  it  as  a  sure 
 rule,  that  whatever  sentiment  makes  any  part  of  the  word 
 of  God  u!iwelcome  to  you  is  justly  to  be  suspected.  Aim 
 at  a  cheerful  spirit.  The  more  you  trust  God,  the  better 
 you  will  serve  him.  While  you  indulge  unbelief  and 
 suspicion,  you  weaken  your  own  hands,  and  discourage 
 others.  Be  thankful  for  what  he  has  shown  you,  and 
 wait  upon  him  for  more;  you  shall  find  he  has  not  said, 
 
LETTERS  TO  MRS  H   461 
 
 "  Seek  ye  my  face  in  vain."  I  heartily  commend  you  to 
 bis  grace  and  care. 
 
 And  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  III. 
 
 At  length,  and  without  farther  apology  for  my  silence, 
 I  sit  down  to  ask  you  how  you  fare.  Afflictions  I  hear 
 have  been  your  lot;  and  if  I  had  not  heard  so,  I  should 
 have  taken  it  for  granted;  for  I  believe  the  Lord  loves 
 you ;  and  as  many  as  he  loves  he  chastens.  I  think  you 
 can  sa}',  afflictions  have  been  good  for  you,  and  I  doubt 
 not  but  you  have  found  strength  according  to  your  day; 
 so  tiiat  tliough  you  may  have  been  sharply  tried,  you 
 have  not  been  overpowered.  For  the  Lord  has  engaged 
 his  faithfulness  for  this  to  all  his  children,  that  he  will 
 support  them  in  all  their  trials  ;  so  that  the  fire  shall  not 
 consume  them,  nor  the  floods  drown  them,  1  Cor.  x.  13, 
 Isa.  xliii.  2. 
 
 If  you  can  say  thus  much,  cannot  you  go  a  little  fur- 
 ther, and  add,  in  the  apostle's  words,  "  None  of  these 
 things  move  me,  neither  count  I  my  life  dear.  I  rather 
 glory  in  my  infirmities,  that  the  power  of  Christ  may 
 rest  upon  me;  yea,  doubtless,  I  count  all  things  loss  and 
 of  no  regard,  for  the  excellency  of  the  knowledge  of 
 Christ  Jesus  my  Lord;  for  when  I  am  weak,  then  I  am 
 strong."  Methinks  I  hear  you  say,  "  God,  wiio  com- 
 forteth  those  wlio  are  cast  down,  has  comforted  my  soul ; 
 and  as  my  troubles  have  abounded,  my  consolations  in 
 Christ  have  abounded  also.  He  has  delivered,  he  does 
 deliver,  and  in  him  I  trust  that  he  will  yet  deliver  me." 
 Surely  you  can  set  your  seal  to  these  words.  The  Lord 
 help  you,  then,  to  live  more  and  more  a  life  of  faith,  to 
 feed  upon  the  promises,  and  to  rejoice  in  tlie  assurance 
 that  all  things  are  yours,  and  shall  surely  work  for  your 
 good. 
 
462 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 If  I  guess  right  at  what  passes  in  your  heart,  tlie  name 
 of  Jesus  is  precious  to  you ;  and  this  is  a  sure  token  of 
 salvation,  and  that  of  God.  You  could  not  have  loved 
 him,  if  he  had  not  loved  you  first.  He  spoke  to  yo%i, 
 and  said,  "  Seek  my  face,"  before  your  heart  cried  to 
 him,  "  Thy  face,  O  Lord,  will  I  seek."  But  you  com- 
 plain, "  Alas!  I  love  him  so  little."  That  very  complaint 
 proves  that  you  love  him  a  great  deal ;  for  if  you  loved 
 him  but  a  little,  you  would  think  you  loved  him  enough. 
 A  mother  loves  her  child  a  great  deal,  yet  does  not  com- 
 plain for  not  loving  it  more;  nay,  perhaps  she  hardly 
 thinks  it  possible.  But  such  an  infinite  object  is  Jesus, 
 that  they  who  love  him  better  than  parents  or  child,  or 
 any  earthly  relation  or  comfort,  will  still  think  they 
 hardly  love  him  at  all ;  because  they  see  such  a  vast 
 disproportion  between  the  utmost  they  can  give  him, 
 and  what  in  himself  he  deserves  from  them.  But  I  can 
 give  you  good  advice  and  good  news;  love  him  as  well 
 as  you  can  now,  and  ere  long  you  shall  love  him  better. 
 O!  when  you  see  him  as  he  is,  then  I  am  sure  you  will 
 love  him  indeed!  If  you  want  to  love  him  better  now 
 while  you  are  here,  I  believe  I  can  tell  you  the  secret 
 how  this  is  to  be  attained:  Trust  him.  The  more  j'ou 
 trust  him  the  better  you  will  love  him.  If  you  ask  far- 
 ther. How  shall  I  do  to  trust  him?  I  answer.  Try  him: 
 the  more  you  make  trial  of  him,  the  more  your  trust  in 
 him  will  be  strengthened.  Venture  upon  his  promises; 
 cany  them  to  him,  and  see  if  he  will  not  be  as  good  as 
 '  his  word.  But,  alas!  Satan  and  unbelief  work  the  con- 
 trary way.  We  are  unwilling  to  try  him,  and  therefore 
 unable  to  trust  him;  and  what  wonder,  then,  that  our 
 love  is  faint,  for  who  can  love  at  uncertainties? 
 
 If  you  are  in  some  measure  thankful  for  what  you  have 
 received,  and  hungering  and  thirsting  for  more,  you  are 
 in  the  frame  I  would  wish  for  myself ;  and  I  desire  to 
 praise  the  Lord  on  your  behalf.  Pray  for  us.  We  join 
 in  love  to  you. 
 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
TWO  LETTERS  TO  MISS  P. 
 
 LETTER  I. 
 
 Aug.  17,  1776. 
 
 It  is  indeed  natural  to  us  to  wish  and  to  plan,  and 
 it  is  merciful  in  the  Lord  to  disappoint  our  plans,  and 
 to  cross  our  wishes.  For  we  cannot  be  safe,  much  less 
 happy,  but  in  proportion  as  we  are  weaned  from  our 
 own  wills,  and  made  simply  desirous  of  being  directed 
 by  his  guidance.  This  truth  (when  we  are  enlightened 
 by  his  word)  is  sufficiently  familiar  to  the  judgment ;  but 
 we  seldom  learn  to  reduce  it  into  practice,  without  being 
 trained  a  while  in  the  school  of  disappointment.  The 
 schemes  we  form  look  so  plausible  and  convenient,  that 
 when  they  are  broken  we  are  ready  to  say,  What  a  pity ! 
 We  try  again,  and  with  no  better  success ;  we  are  grieved, 
 and  perhaps  angry,  and  plan  another,  and  so  on ;  at  length, 
 in  a  course  of  time,  experience  and  observation  begin  to 
 convince  us,  that  we  are  not  more  able  than  we  are 
 worthy  to  choose  aright  for  ourselves.  Then  the  Lord's 
 invitation  to  cast  our  cares  upon  him,  and  his  promise 
 to  take  care  of  us,  appear  valuable ;  and  when  we  have 
 done  planning,  his  plan  in  our  favour  gradually  opens, 
 and  he  does  more  and  better  for  us  than  we  could  either 
 ask  or  think.  I  can  hardly  recollect  a  single  plan  of 
 mine,  of  which  I  have  not  since  seen  reason  to  be  satis- 
 fied, that  had  it  taken  place  in  season  and  circumstance 
 just  as  I  proposed,  it  would,  humanly  speaking,  have 
 proved  my  ruin;  or  at  least  it  would  have  deprived  me 
 
464 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 of  the  greater  good  the  Lord  had  designed  for  nie.  We 
 judge  of  things  by  their  present  appearances,  but  the 
 Lord  sees  them  in  tlieir  consequences;  if  we  could  do 
 so  likewise,  we  should  be  perfectly  of  his  mind;  but  as 
 we  cannot,  it  is  an  unspeakable  mercy  that  he  will  ma- 
 nage for  us,  whether  we  are  pleased  with  his  manage- 
 ment or  not;  and  it  is  spoken  of  as  one  of  his  heaviest 
 judgments,  when  he  gives  any  person  or  people  up  to 
 the  way  of  their  own  hearts,  and  to  walk  after  their  own 
 counsels. 
 
 Indeed,  we  may  admire  his  patience  towards  us.  If 
 we  were  blind,  and  reduced  to  desire  a  person  to  lead 
 us,  and  should  yet  pretend  to  dispute  with  him,  and  di- 
 rect him  at  every  step,  we  would  probably  soon  \veary 
 liim,  and  provoke  him  to  lead  us  to  find  the  Vv'ay  by  our- 
 selves if  we  could.  But  our  gracious  Lord  is  long-suf- 
 fering and  full  of  compassion;  he  bears  with  our  fro- 
 wardness,  yet  he  will  take  methods  both  to  shame  and  to 
 humble  us,  and  to  bring  us  to  a  confession  that  he  is 
 wiser  than  we.  The  great  and  unexpected  benefit  he 
 intends  us,  by  all  the  discipline  we  meet  with,  is  to  tread 
 down  our  wills,  and  bring  them  into  subjection  to  his. 
 So  far  as  we  attain  to  this,  we  are  out  of  the  reach  of 
 disappointment ;  for  when  the  will  of  God  can  please  us, 
 we  shall  be  pleased  every  day,  and  from  morning  to 
 night :  I  mean  with  respect  to  his  dispensations.  O  the 
 happiness  of  such  a  life!  I  have  an  idea  of  it;  I  hope  I 
 am  aiming  at  it,  but  surely  I  have  not  attained  it.  Self 
 is  active  in  my  heart,  if  it  does  not  absolutely  reign  there. 
 I  profess  to  believe  that  one  thing  is  needful  and  suffi- 
 cient, and  yet  my  thoughts  are  prone  to  wander  after  a 
 hundred  more.  If  it  be  true,  that  the  light  of  his  coun- 
 tenance is  better  than  life,  why  am  I  solicitous  about  any 
 thing  else  ?  If  he  be  all-sufficient,  and  gives  me  liberty 
 to  call  him  mine,  why  do  I  go  a-begging  to  creatures  for 
 help?  If  he  be  about  my  path  and  bed;  if  the  smallest 
 as  well  as  the  greatest  events  in  which  I  am  concerned, 
 are  under  his  immediate  direction;  if  the  very  hairs  of 
 my  head  were  numbered ;  then  my  care  (any  farther 
 than  a  care  to  walk  in  the  paths  of  his  precepts,  and  to 
 
LETTERS  TO  MISS  P- 
 
 465 
 
 follow  the  openings  of  his  providence)  must  be  useless  and 
 needless,  yea  indeed  sinful  and  heathenish,  burdensome  to 
 myself,  and  dishonourable  to  my  profession.  Let  us  cast 
 down  the  load  we  are  unable  to  carry,  and,  if  the  Lord 
 be  our  shepherd,  refer  all  and  trust  all  to  him.  Let  us 
 endeavour  to  live  to  him  and  for  him  to-day,  and  be 
 glad  that  to-morrow,  with  all  that  is  behind  it,  is  in  his 
 hands. 
 
 It  is  storied  of  Pompey,  that  when  his  friends  would 
 have  dissuaded  him  from  putting  to  sea  in  a  storm,  he 
 answered,  "  it  is  necessary  for  me  to  sail,  but  it  is  not 
 necessary  for  me  to  live."  O  pompous  speech,  in  Pom- 
 pey's  sense!  He  was  full  of  the  idea  of  his  own  import- 
 ance, and  would  rather  have  died  than  have  taken  a  step 
 beneath  his  supposed  dignity.  But  it  may  be  accom- 
 modated with  propriety  to  a  believer's  case.  It  becomes 
 us  to  say,  it  is  not  necessary  for  me  to  be  rich,  or  what 
 the  world  accounts  wise ;  to  be  healthy,  or  admired  by 
 my  fellow- worms ;  to  pass  through  life  in  a  state  of  pro- 
 sperity and  outward  comfort ; — these  things  may  be,  or 
 they  may  be  otherwise,  as  the  Lord  in  his  wisdom  shall 
 appoint ; — but  it  is  necessary  for  me  to  be  humble  and 
 spiritual,  to  seek  communion  with  God,  to  adorn  my 
 profession  of  the  gospel,  and  to  yield  submissively  to  his 
 disposal,  in  whatever  way,  whether  of  service  or  sutfer- 
 ing,  he  shall  be  pleased  to  call  me  to  glorify  him  in  the 
 world.  It  is  not  necessary  for  me  to  live  long,  but  high- 
 ly expedient  that  whilst  I  do  live  I  should  live  to  him. 
 Here,  then,  I  would  bound  ray  desires;  and  here,  having 
 his  word  both  for  my  rule  and  my  warrant,  I  am  secured 
 from  asking  amiss.  Let  me  have  his  presence  and  his 
 Spirit,  wisdom  to  know  my  calling,  and  opportunities  and 
 faithfulness  to  improve  them;  and  as  to  the  rest,  Lord 
 help  me  to  say,  What  thou  wilt,  when  thou  wilt,  and  how 
 tliou  wilt. 
 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
466 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 LETTER  II. 
 
 Dear  Madam, 
 
 What  a  poor,  uncertain  dying  world  is  this!  What  a 
 wilderness  in  itself!  How  dark,  how  desolate,  without 
 the  light  of  the  gospel  and  the  knowledge  of  Jesus!  It 
 does  not  appear  so  to  us  in  a  state  of  nature,  because  we 
 are  then  in  a  state  of  enchantment,  the  magical  lantern 
 binding  us  with  a  splendid  delusion. 
 
 Thus  in  the  desert's  dreary  waste. 
 By  magic  power  produc'd  in  haste. 
 
 As  old  romances  say, 
 Castles  and  groves,  and  music  sweet. 
 The  senses  of  the  trav'ller  cheat* 
 
 And  stop  him  in  his  way. 
 
 But  while  he  gazes  with  surprise, 
 The  charm  dissolves,  the  vision  dies, 
 
 'Twas  but  enchanted  ground: 
 Thus,  if  the  Lord  our  spirit  touch. 
 The  world,  which  promis'd  us  so  much, 
 
 A  wilderness  is  found. 
 
 It  is  a  great  mercy  to  be  undeceived  in  time;  and 
 though  our  gay  dreams  are  at  an  end,  and  we  awake  to 
 every  thing  that  is  disgustful  and  dismaying,  yet  we  see 
 a  highway  through  the  wilderness,  a  powerful  guard,  an 
 infallible  guide  at  hand  to  conduct  us  through ;  and  we 
 can  discern  beyond  the  limits  of  the  wilderness  a  better 
 land,  where  we  shall  be  at  rest  and  at  home.  What  will 
 the  difficulties  we  meet  by  the  way  then  signify?  The 
 remembrance  of  them  will  only  remain  to  lieighten  our 
 sense  of  the  love,  care,  and  power  of  our  Saviour  and 
 leader.  O  how  shall  we  then  admire,  adore,  and  praise 
 him,  when  he  shall  condescend  to  unfold  to  us  his  beau- 
 ty, propriety,  and  harmony  of  the  whole  train  of  liis  dis- 
 pensations towards  us,  and  give  us  a  clear  retrospect  of 
 all  the  way,  and  all  the  turns  of  our  pilgrimage! 
 
 In  the  mean  while,  tlie  best  method  of  adorning  our 
 profession,  and  of  enjoying  peace  in  our  souls,  is  simply 
 
LETTERS  TO  MISS  P  
 
 467 
 
 to  trust  him,  and  absolutely  to  commit  ourselves  and  our 
 all  to  his  management.  By  casting  our  burdens  upon 
 him,  our  spirits  become  light  and  cheerful;  we  are  freed 
 from  a  thousand  anxieties  and  inquietudes,  which  are 
 wearisome  to  our  minds,  and  which,  with  respect  to 
 events,  are  needless  for  us,  yea,  useless.  But  though  it 
 may  be  easy  to  speak  of  this  trust,  and  it  appears  to  our 
 judgment  perfectly  right  and  reasonable,  the  actual  at- 
 tainment is  a  great  thing ;  and  especially  so  to  trust  the 
 Lord,  not  by  fits  and  starts,  surrendering  one  day  and 
 retracting  the  next,  but  to  abide  by  our  surrender,  and 
 go  habitually  trusting  through  all  the  changes  we  meet, 
 knowing  that  his  love,  purpose,  and  promise,  are  un- 
 changeable. Some  little  fainting  perhaps  none  are  freed 
 from ;  but  I  believe  a  power  of  trusting  the  Lord  in  good 
 measure  at  all  times,  and  living  quietly  under  the  shadow 
 of  iiis  wing,  is  what  the  promise  warrants  us  to  expect, 
 if  we  seek  it  by  diligent  prayer;  if  not  all  at  once,  yet 
 by  a  gradual  increase.  May  it  be  your  experience  and 
 mine. 
 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
FOURTEEN  LETTERS  TO  THE  REV. 
 MR  R  
 
 LETTER  I. 
 
 Dear  and  Rev.  Sir,  Jan.  27,  1778. 
 
 I  CALL  you  dear  because  I  love  you,  and  I  shall  continue 
 to  style  you  Reverend  as  long  as  you  dignify  me  with 
 that  title.  It  is  indeed  a  pretty  sounding  epithet,  and 
 forms  a  striking  contrast  in  the  usual  application.  The 
 inhabitants  of  the  moon  (if  there  be  any)  have  perhaps  no 
 idea  how  many  reverend,  right  reverend,  and  most  reve- 
 rend sinners  we  have  in  Europe.  And  yet  you  are  re- 
 verend, and  I  revere  you,  because  I  believe  the  Lord 
 liveth  in  you,  and  has  chosen  you  to  be  a  temple  in  his 
 presence,  and  an  instrument  of  his  grace. 
 
 I  hope  the  two  sermons  you  preached  in  London  were 
 made  useful  to  others,  and  the  medicines  you  took  there 
 were  useful  to  yourself.  I  am  glad  to  hear  you  are  safe 
 at  home,  and  something  better.  Cheerful  spring  is  ap- 
 proaching, then  I  hope  the  barometer  of  your  spirits  will 
 rise.  But  the  presence  of  the  Lord  can  bring  a  plea- 
 santer  spring  than  April,  and  even  in  the  depth  of  win- 
 ter. 
 
 At  present  it  is  January  with  me,  both  within  and  with- 
 out. The  outw  ard  sun  shines  and  looks  pleasant,  but 
 his  beams  are  faint,  and  too  feeble  to  dissolve  the  frost. 
 So  it  is  in  mj'  heart;  I  have  many  bright  and  pleasant 
 beams  of  truth  in  my  view,  but  cold  predominates  in  my 
 
LLfTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR  B- 
 
 469 
 
 frost-bound  spirit,  and  they  have  but  little  power  to  warm 
 me.  I  could  tell  a  stranger  something  about  Jesus  that 
 would  perhaps  astonish  him:  such  a  glorious  person!  such 
 wonderful  love!  such  humiliation!  such  a  death!  and  then 
 what  he  is  now  in  himself,  and  what  he  is  to  his  people! 
 What  a  sun!  what  a  shield!  what  a  root!  what  a  life! 
 what  a  friend!  My  tongue  can  run  on  upon  these  sub- 
 jects sometimes;  and  could  my  heart  keep  pace  with  it, 
 I  should  be  the  happiest  fellow  in  the  country.  Stupid 
 creature!  to  know  these  things  so  well,  and  yet  be  no 
 more  affected  with  them!  Indeed  I  have  reason  to  be 
 upon  ill  terms  with  myself!  It  is  strange  that  pride 
 should  ever  find  any  thing  in  my  experience  to  feed 
 upon ;  but  this  completes  my  character  for  folly,  vileness, 
 and  inconsistence,  that  I  am  not  only  poor,  but  proud; 
 and  though  I  am  convinced  I  am  a  very  wretch,  a  no- 
 thing before  the  Lord,  I  am  prone  to  go  forth  among  my 
 fellow-creatures  as  though  I  were  wise  and  good. 
 
 You  wonder  what  I  am  doing,  and  well  you  may;  I 
 am  sure  you  would  if  you  lived  with  me.  Too  much  of 
 my  time  passes  in  busy  idleness,  too  much  in  waking 
 dreams.  I  aim  at  something;  but  hinderances from  with- 
 in and  without  make  it  difficult  for  me  to  accomplish  any 
 tiling.  I  dare  not  say  I  am  absolutely  idle,  or  that  I  wil- 
 fully waste  much  of  my  time.  I  have  seldom  one  hour 
 free  from  interruption.  Letters  come  that  must  be  an- 
 swered, visitants  that  must  be  received,  business  that 
 must  be  attended  to.  I  have  a  good  many  sheep  and 
 lambs  to  look  after,  sick  and  afflicted  souls,  dear  to  the 
 Lord;  and  therefore  whatever  stands  still,  these  must  not 
 be  neglected.  Amongst  these  various  avocations,  night 
 comes  before  I  am  ready  for  noon ;  and  the  week  closes, 
 when,  according  to  the  state  of  my  business,  it  should 
 not  be  more  than  Tuesday.  O  precious,  irrecoverable 
 time!  O  that  I  had  more  wisdom  in  redeeming  and  im- 
 proving thee!  Pray  for  me,  that  the  Lord  may  teach 
 me  to  serve  him  better. 
 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 p  2 
 
470 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 LETTER  II. 
 
 Dear  Sir,  April  28,  1778. 
 
 I  WAS  not  much  disappointed  at  not  meeting  you  at 
 
 home.  I  knew  how  difficult  it  is  to  get  away  from  
 
 if  you  are  seen  in  tlie  street  after  breakfast.  The  horse- 
 leech has  three  daughters,  saying.  Give  give:  the  cry 
 there  is.  Preach,  preach.  When  you  have  told  them  all, 
 you  must  tell  them  more,  or  tell  it  them  over  again. 
 Whoever  will  find  tongue,  they  will  engage  to  find  ears. 
 Yet  I  do  not  blame  this  importunity;  1  wish  you  were 
 teased  more  ^^ith  it  in  your  own  town;  for  though,  un- 
 doubtedly, there  are  too  many,  both  at  N  and  here, 
 
 whose  religion  lies  too  mucli  in  hearing,  yet  in  many  it 
 proceeds  from  a  love  to  the  truth,  and  to  the  ministers 
 who  dispense  it.  And  I  generally  observe,  that  they 
 who  are  not  willing  to  hear  a  stranger  (if  his  character 
 is  known),  are  inditierent  enough  about  hearing  their 
 own  minister. 
 
 I  beg  you  to  pray  for  me.  I  am  a  poor  creature,  full 
 of  wants.  I  seem  to  need  the  w  isdom  of  Solomon,  the 
 meekness  of  Moses,  and  the  zeal  of  Paul,  to  enable  me 
 to  make  full  proof  of  my  ministry.  But  alas!  you  may 
 guess  the  rest. 
 
 Send  me  the  way  to  Christ.  I  am  willing  to  be  a 
 debtor  to  the  wise  and  unwise,  to  doctors  and  shoe- 
 makers, if  I  can  get  a  hint,  or  a  Nota  Bene,  from  any 
 one,  without  respect  to  parties.  When  a  house  is  on 
 fire,  Cliurchraen,  Dissenters,  Methodists,  Papists,  Mora- 
 vians, and  Mystics,  are  all  welcome  to  bring  water.  At 
 such  times,  nobody  asks,  Pray  friend,  whom  do  you  hear? 
 or.  What  do  you  think  of  the  five  points?  &c.  &c. 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR  B  .  471 
 
 LETTER  III. 
 
 My  Dear  Friend,  July  17,  1778. 
 
 I  KNOW  not  tliat  I  have  any  thing  to  say  worth  postage, 
 though  perliaps,  had  I  seen  you  before  you  set  off,  some- 
 thing might  liave  occurred  whicli  will  not  be  found  in 
 my  letter.  Yet  I  write  a  line,  because  j'ou  bid  me,  and 
 are  now  in  a  far  foreign  country.    You  will  find  Mr 
 
  a  man  to  your  tooth,  but  he  is  in  Mr  W  's 
 
 connexion.  So  I  remember  venerable  Bede,  after  giv- 
 ing a  high  character  of  some  cotemporary,  kicks  his  full 
 pail  of  milk  down,  and  reduces  him  almost  to  nothing, 
 by  adding,  in  the  close,  to  this  purpose:  "  But,  unhappy 
 man,  he  did  not  keep  Easter  our  way!"  A  fig  for  all 
 connections,  say  I,  and  say  you,  but  that  which  is  formed 
 by  the  bands,  joints,  and  ligaments,  the  apostle  speaks 
 of,  Eph.  iv.  16,  et  alibi.    Therefore  I  venture  to  repeat 
 
 it,  that  Mr   ,  though  he  often  sees  and  hears  Mr 
 
 W  ,  and  I  believe  loves  him  well,  is  a  good  man; 
 
 and  you  will  see  the  invisible  mark  upon  his  forehead,  if 
 you  examine  him  with  your  spiritual  spectacles. 
 
 Now,  methinks  I  do  pity  you:  I  see  you  melted  with 
 heat,  stifled  with  smoke,  stunned  with  noise.  Ah!  what 
 a  change  from  the  brooks  and  bushes,  and  birds  and  green 
 fields,  to  which  you  had  lately  access.  Of  old  they  used 
 to  retire  into  the  deserts  for  mortification.  If  I  was  to 
 set  myself  a  moderate  penance,  it  might  be  to  spend  a 
 fortnight  in  London  in  the  height  of  summer.  But  I 
 forget  myself:  I  hope  the  Lord  is  with  you,  and  then  all 
 places  are  alike.  He  makes  the  dungeon  and  the  stocks 
 comfortable.  Acts  xvi.,  yea,  a  fiery  furnace  and  a  lion's 
 den.  A  child  of  God  in  London  seems  to  be  in  all  these 
 trying  situations;  but  Jesus  can  preserve  his  own.  I 
 honour  the  grace  of  God  in  those  few  (comparatively 
 few,  I  fear),  who  preserve  their  garments  undefiled  in 
 that  Sardis.  The  air  is  filled  with  infection,  and  it  is 
 by  special  power  and  miraculous  preservation  they  en- 
 
472 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 joy  spiritual  health,  when  so  many  sicken  and  fall  around 
 them  on  the  right  hand  and  on  the  left.  May  tiie  Lord 
 preserve  you  from  the  various  epidemical  soul-diseases 
 which  abound  where  you  are,  and  be  your  comfort  and 
 defence  from  day  to  day. 
 
 Last  week  we  had  a  lion  in  town.  I  went  to  see  him. 
 He  was  wonderfully  tame;  as  familiar  with  his  keeper, 
 as  docile  and  obedient,  as  a  spaniel.  Yet  the  man  told 
 me  he  had  his  surly  fits,  when  they  durst  not  touch  him. 
 No  looking-glass  could  express  my  face  more  justly  than 
 this  lion  did  my  heart.  I  could  trace  every  feature:  as 
 wild  and  fierce  by  nature;  yea  much  more  so:  but  grace 
 has  in  some  measure  tamed  me.  I  know  and  love  my 
 Keeper,  and  sometimes  watch  his  looks  that  I  may  learti 
 his  will.  But,  oh  !  I  have  my  surly  fits  too  ;  seasons 
 when  I  relapse  into  the  savage  again,  as  though  I  had 
 forgotten  all. 
 
 I  am,  &c- 
 
 LETTER  IV. 
 
 My  Dear  Friend,  July  13,  1778. 
 
 As  we  are  so  soon  to  meet,  as  I  have  nothing  very  import- 
 ant to  communicate,  and  many  things  occur  which  might 
 demand  my  time,  I  have  no  other  plea  to  offer,  either  to 
 you  or  myself,  for  writing  again,  but  because  I  love  you. 
 
 I  pity  the  unknown  considerable  minister,  with  whom 
 you  smoked  your  morning  pipe.  But  we  must  take 
 men  and  tilings  as  we  find  them:  and  when  we  fall  in 
 company  with  those  from  whom  we  can  get  little  other 
 good,  it  is  likely  we  sliall  at  least  find  occasion  for  the 
 exercise  of  patience  and  charity  towards  them,  and  of 
 thankfulness  to  Him  who  hath  made  us  to  differ.  And 
 these  are  good  things,  tliough  perhaps  the  occasion  may 
 not  be  pleasant.  Indeed  a  Christian,  if  in  aright  spirit,  is 
 always  in  his  Lord's  school,  and  may  learn  either  a  new 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR  B- 
 
 473 
 
 lesson,  or  how  to  practise  an  old  one,  by  every  tiling  he 
 sees  or  hears,  provided  he  does  not  wilfully  tread  upon 
 forbidden  ground.  If  he  were  constrained  to  spend  a 
 day  with  the  poor  creatures  in  the  common  side  of  New- 
 gate, thougii  he  could  not  talk  with  them  of  what  God 
 has  done  for  his  soul,  he  might  be  more  sensible  of  his 
 mercy  by  the  contrast  he  would  observe  around  him. 
 He  might  rejoice  for  iiimself,  and  mourn  over  them,  and 
 thus  perhaps  get  as  much  benefit  as  from  the  best  sermon 
 he  ever  heard. 
 
 It  is  necessarj',  all  things  taken  together,  to  have  con- 
 nection more  or  less  with  narrow-minded  people.  If 
 they  are,  notwithstanding  their  prejudices,  civil  to  us, 
 they  have  a  right  to  some  civility  from  us.  We  may 
 love  them,  though  we  cannot  admire  them,  and  pick 
 something  good  from  them,  notwithstanding  we  see  much 
 to  blame.  It  is  perhaps  the  highest  triumph  we  can  ob- 
 tain over  bigotry,  when  we  are  able  to  bear  with  bigots 
 themselves.  For  tliey  are  a  set  of  troublesome  folks, 
 whom  Mr  Self  is  often  very  forward  to  exclude  from  the 
 comprehensive  candour  and  tenderness  which  he  professes 
 to  exercise  towards  those  who  differ  from  liim. 
 
 I  am  glad  your  present  home  (a  believer  should  be  al- 
 ways at  home)  is  pleasant;  the  rooms  large  and  airy; 
 yo\ir  host  and  iiostess  kind  and  spiritual ;  and,  upon  the 
 whole,  all  things  as  well  as  you  could  expect  to  find 
 them,  considering  where  you  are.  I  could  give  you 
 much  such  account  of  my  usual  head  quarters  in  the  city ; 
 but  still  London  is  London.  I  do  not  wish  you  to  live 
 there,  for  my  own  sake  as  well  as  yours  ;  but  if  the  Lord 
 should  so  appoint,  I  believe  he  can  make  you  easy  there, 
 and  enable  me  to  make  a  tolerable  shift  without  you. 
 Yet  I  certainly  should  miss  you;  for  I  liave  no  person 
 in  this  neighbourhood  witli  whom  my  heart  so  thoroughly 
 unites  in  spirituals,  though  there  are  many  whom  I  love. 
 But  conversation  with  most  Christians  is  something  like 
 going  to  court;  where,  except  you  are  dressed  exactly 
 according  to  a  prescribed  standard,  you  will  either  not  be 
 admitted,  or  must  expect  to  be  heartily  stared  at.  But 
 you  and  I  can  meet  and  converse,  sans  contrainte,  in  an 
 
474 
 
 CARDIPHONIA, 
 
 undress,  without  fear  of  offending,  or  being  accounted 
 offenders,  for  a  word  out  of  place,  and  not  exactly  in  the 
 pink  of  the  mode. 
 
 I  know  not  how  it  is:  I  think  ray  sentiments  and  ex- 
 perience are  as  orthodox  and  Calvinistical  as  need  be  ; 
 and  yet  I  am  a  sort  of  speckled  bird  among  my  Calvin- 
 ist  brethren.  I  am  a  miglity  good  churchman,  but  pass 
 amongst  such  as  a  Dissenter  in  prunella.  On  the  other 
 liand,  the  Dissenters  (many  of  them  I  mean)  think  me 
 defective,  either  in  understanding  or  in  conscience,  for 
 staying  where  I  am.  Well,  there  is  a  middle  party,  called 
 Methodists,  but  neither  do  my  dimensions  exactly  fit 
 witli  them.  I  am  somehow  disqualified  for  claiming  a 
 full  brotherhood  with  any  party.  But  there  are  a  few 
 among  all  parties  who  bear  with  me  and  love  me,  and 
 with  this  I  must  be  content  at  present.  But  so  far  as 
 they  love  the  Lord  Jesus,  I  desire,  and  by  his  grace  I 
 determine  (with  or  without  their  leave)  to  love  them  all. 
 Partj'-walls,  though  stronger  than  the  walls  of  Babylon, 
 must  come  down  in  the  general  ruin,  when  the  earth  and 
 all  its  works  shall  be  burnt  up,  if  no  sooner. 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  V. 
 
 My  Dear  Sir,  July,  1778. 
 
 I  WAS  glad  to  hear  that  you  were  again  within  a  few 
 miles  of  me ;  and  I  would  praise  the  Lord ;  who  led  you 
 out  and  brought  you  home  in  safety,  and  preserved  all 
 in  peace  while  you  were  abroad,  so  that  you  found  no- 
 thing very  painful  to  embitter  your  return.  Many  go 
 abroad  well,  but  return  no  more.  The  affectionate  wife, 
 the  prattling  children,  listen  for  the  well-known  sound 
 of  papa's  foot  at  tlie  door;  but  they  listen  in  vain:  a  fall 
 or  a  fever  has  intercepted  him,  and  he  is  gone  far,  far 
 away.    Some  leave  all  well  wlien  they  go  from  home; 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR  B- 
 
 but  how  changed,  how  trying  the  scene,  when  they  come 
 back !  In  their  absence  the  Lord  has  taken  away  the 
 desire  of  their  eyes  with  a  stroke;  or  perhaps  ruffians 
 have  phindered  and  murdered  their  family  in  the  dead 
 of  the  night,  or  the  fire  devoured  their  habitation. 
 
 Ah!  how  large  and  various  is  the  list  of  evils  and  ca- 
 lamities with  wliich  sin  has  filled  the  world!  You  and 
 I  and  ours  escape  them :  we  stand,  though  in  a  field  of 
 battle,  where  thousands  fall  around  us,  because  the  Lord 
 is  pleased  to  keep  us.  May  he  have  the  praise,  and  may 
 we  only  live  to  love  and  serve  him. 
 
 Mrs  has  been  very  ill,  and  my  heart  often  mucli 
 
 pained  while  you  liave  been  absent.  But  the  Lord  has 
 removed  his  hand;  she  is  much  better,  and  I  hope  she 
 will  be  seen  in  his  house  to-morrow.  I  have  few  trials 
 in  my  own  person;  but  when  the  Lord  afHicts  her,  I  feel 
 it.  It  is  a  mercy  that  he  has  made  us  o?ie ;  but  it  ex- 
 poses us  to  many  a  pain,  which  we  might  have  missed  if 
 we  cared  but  little  for  eacli  other.  Alas!  there  is  usually 
 an  ounce  of  tiie  golden  calf,  of  idolatry  and  dependence, 
 in  all  the  warm  regard  we  bear  to  creatures.  Hinc  illce 
 laojri/mce!  for  this  reason  our  sharpest  trials  usually 
 spring  from  our  most  valued  comforts. 
 
 I  cannot  come  to  you,  therefore  you  must  come  hither 
 
 speedily    Be  sure  to  bring  Mr  B  with  you.  I 
 
 sii:ill  be  very  glad  to  see  hini,  and  I  long  to  thank  him 
 for  clothing  my  book.  It  looks  well  on  the  outside,  and 
 I  hope  to  find  it  sound  and  savoury.  I  love  the  author, 
 and  tliat  is  a  step  towards  liking  the  book.  For  where 
 we  love,  we  are  generally  tender,  and  favourably  take 
 every  thing  by  the  best  handle,  and  are  vastly  full  of 
 candour  :  but  if  we  are  prejudiced  against  the  man,  the 
 poor  book  is  half  condemned  before  we  open  it.  It  had 
 need  be  written  well,  for  it  will  be  read  with  a  suspi- 
 cious eye,  as  if  we  wished  to  find  reason  in  every  page. 
 I  am  glad  I  diverted  and  profited  yon  by  calling  you  a 
 speckled  bird.  I  can  tell  you,  sucli  a  bird  in  this  day, 
 that  wears  the  full  colour  of  no  sect  or  party,  is  rara  avis; 
 if  not  quite  so  scarce  as  tlie  phcEuix,  yet  to  be  met  with 
 but  here  and  there.    It  is  impossible  I  should  be  all  of  a 
 
476 
 
 CABDIPHONIA. 
 
 colour,  when  I  have  been  a  debtor  to  all  sorts,  and,  like 
 the  jay  in  the  fable,  have  been  beholden  to  most  of  the 
 birds  in  the  air  for  a  feather  or  two.  Church  and  Meet- 
 ing, Methodist  and  Moravian,  may  all  perceive  something 
 in  my  coat  taken  from  them.  None  of  them  are  angry 
 with  me  for  borrowing  from  them;  but  then,  why  could 
 I  not  be  content  with  their  colour,  without  going 
 amongst  otlier  flocks  and  coveys,  to  make  myself  such 
 a  nujtiey  figure?  Let  them  be  angry;  if  I  have  culled 
 the  best  feathers  from  all,  then  surely  1  am  finer  than 
 any. 
 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  VI. 
 
 Dear  Sir,  Aug.  1778. 
 
 If  the  Lord  affords  health;  if  the  weather  be  tolerable; 
 if  no  unforeseen  change  takes  place;  if  no  company  comes 
 in  upon  me  to-night  (wliich  sometimes  unexpectedly  hap- 
 pens); with  these  provisos,  Mr  S  and  I  have  engaged 
 
 to  travel  to  on  Monday  next,  and  hope  to  be  with 
 
 you  by  or  before  eleven  o'clock. 
 
 In  such  a  precarious  world,  it  is  needful  to  form  our 
 plans  at  two  days'  distance,  with  precaution  and  excep- 
 tions, James  iv.  13.  However,  if  It  be  the  Lord's  will 
 to  bring  us  together,  and  if  the  purposed  interview  be 
 for  his  glory  and  our  good,  then  I  am  sure  nothing  shall 
 prevent  it.  And  who  in  his  right  wits  would  wish  eit'ier 
 to  visit  or  to  be  visited  upon  any  other  terms?  O  if  >ve 
 could  but  be  pleased  with  his  will,  we  might  be  pleased 
 from  morning  to  night,  and  every  day  in  the  year. 
 
 Pray  for  a  blessing  upon  our  coming  together.  It 
 would  be  a  pity  to  walk  ten  miles  to  pick  straws,  or  to 
 come  with  our  empty  vessels  upon  our  heads,  sayiog, 
 "  We  have  found  no  water." 
 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR  B. 
 
 477 
 
 LETTER  VII. 
 
 My  Dear  Friend,  October  1778. 
 
 Your  letters  are  always  welcome;  the  last  doubly  so, 
 for  being  unexpected.  If  you  never  heard  before  of  a 
 line  of  yours  being  useful,  I  will  tell  you  for  once,  that  I 
 get  some  pleasure  and  instruction  whenever  you  write 
 to  me.  And  I  see  not  but  your  call  to  letter-writing  is 
 as  clear  as  mine,  at  least  when  you  are  able  to  put  pen 
 to  paper. 
 
 I  nuist  say  something  to  your  queries  about  2  Sam. 
 xiv.  I  do  not  approve  of  the  scholastic  distinctions  about 
 inspiration,  which  seem  to  have  a  tendency  to  explain 
 away  the  authority  and  certainty  of  one-half  of  the  Bible 
 at  least.  Though  the  penmen  of  scripture  were  ever  so 
 well  informed  of  some  facts,  they  would,  as  you  observe, 
 need  express,  full,  and  infallible  inspiration,  to  teach  them 
 which  the  Lord  would  have  selected  and  recorded  for 
 tiie  use  of  tlie  church,  amongst  many  others  which  to 
 themselves  might  appear  equally  important. 
 
 However,  with  respect  to  historical  passages,  I  dare 
 not  pronounce  positively  that  any  of  them  are,  even  in 
 the  literal  sense,  unworthy  of  the  wisdom  of  the  Holy 
 <^host,  and  tlie  dignity  of  inspiration.  Some,  yea  many 
 of  tlicni,  have  often  appeared  trivial  to  me;  but  I  check 
 the  thought,  and  charge  it  to  my  own  ignorance  and  te-  , 
 merity.  It  must  have  some  importance,  because  I  read  - 
 it  in  God's  book  On  the  other  hand,  though  I  will  not  . 
 deny  that  they  may  all  have  a  spiritual  and  mystical 
 sense  (for  I  am  no  more  qualified  to  judge  of  the  deep 
 things  of  tiie  Spirit,  than  to  tell  you  what  is  passing  this 
 morning  at  tlie  bottom  of  the  sea),  yet  if,  with  my  pre- 
 sent modicum  of  light,  I  should  undertake  to  expound 
 many  passages  in  a  mystical  sense,  I  fear  such  a  judge 
 as  you  would  think  my  interpretations  fanciful  and  not 
 well  supported.  I  suppose  I  should  have  thought  the 
 Bible  complete,  though  it  had  not  informed  me  of  the  death 
 
478 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 of  Rebekah's  nurse,  or  where  she  was  buried.  But  some 
 tell  me  that  Deborah  is  the  law,  and  that  by  the  oak  I 
 am  to  understand  the  cross  of  Christ:  and  I  remember 
 to  have  heard  of  a  preacher  who  discovered  a  type  of 
 Christ  crucified  in  Absalom  hanging  by  the  hair  on  an- 
 other oak.  I  am  quite  a  mole  when  compared  with 
 these  eagle-eyed  divines;  and  must  often  content  my- 
 self with  plodding  upon  the  lower  ground  of  accommo- 
 dation and  albisioji,  except  when  the  New  Testament 
 writers  assure  me  what  tlie  mind  of  the  Holy  Ghost  was. 
 I  can  iind  the  gospel  with  more  confidence  in  the  history 
 of  Sarah  and  Hagar,  than  in  that  of  Leah  and  Rachel ; 
 though,  without  Paul's  help,  I  should  have  considered 
 them  both  as  family-squabbles,  recorded  chiefly  to  illus- 
 trate the  general  truth,  that  vanity  and  vexation  of  spirit 
 are  incident  to  the  best  men,  in  the  most  favoured  situa- 
 tions. And  I  think  there  is  no  part  of  Old  Testament 
 history  from  which  I  could  not  (tlie  Lord  helping  me) 
 draw  observations,  that  miglit  be  suitable  to  the  pulpit, 
 and  profitable  to  his  people:  so  I  might  perhaps  from 
 Livy  or  Tacitus.  But  then,  with  the  Bible  in  my  hands, 
 I  go  upon  sure  grounds:  I  am  certain  of  the  facts  I  speak 
 from,  that  they  really  did  happen.  I  may  likewise  de- 
 pend upon  the  springs  and  motives  of  actions,  and  not 
 amuse  myself  and  my  hearers  with  speeches  which  were 
 never  spoken,  and  motives  wliich  were  never  thought 
 of,  till  the  historian  rummaged  his  pericranium  for  some- 
 thing to  embellish  his  work.  I  doubt  not  but  were  you 
 to  consider  Joab's  courtlj'  conduct  only  in  a  literal  sense, 
 how  it  tallied  with  David's  desire,  and  how  gravely  and 
 graciously  he  granted  himself  a  favour,  while  he  professed 
 to  oblige  Joab — I  say,  in  this  view,  you  would  be  able  to 
 illustrate  many  important  scriptural  doctrines,  and  to 
 show  that  the  passage  is  important  to  those  who  are 
 engaged  in  studying  the  anatomy  of  the  human  heart. 
 
 I  am,  &c.  , 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR  B 
 
 479 
 
 LETTER  VIII. 
 
 Mv  Dear  Sir,  October  27,  1778. 
 
 I  HAVE  been  witness  to  a  great  and  important  revolution 
 this  morning,  which  took  place  wiiile  the  greatest  part 
 of  the  world  was  asleep.  Like  many  state  revolutions, 
 its  first  beginnings  were  almost  undiscernable;  but  the 
 progress,  though  gradual,  was  steadj',  and  the  event 
 decisive.  A  wiiile  ago  darkness  reigned.  Had  a  man 
 then  dropped,  for  the  first  time,  into  our  world,  he  might 
 have  thought  liimself  banished  into  a  liopeless  dungeon. 
 How  could  iie  expect  light  to  rise  out  of  sucli  a  state  ? 
 And  when  he  saw  the  first  glimmering  of  dawn  in  the 
 east,  how  could  he  promise  himself  tliat  it  was  the  fore- 
 runner of  sucli  a  glorious  sun  as  has  since  risen!  With 
 what  wonder  would  such  a  new-comer  observe  the  bounds 
 of  his  view  enlarging,  and  the  distinctness  of  ol)iects  in- 
 creasing from  one  minute  to  another;  and  how  well  con- 
 tent would  lie  be  to  part  with  the  twinklings  of  tlie  stars, 
 when  he  had  the  broad  day  all  around  him  in  exchange.  I 
 cannot  say  this  revolution  is  extraordinary,  because  it  hap- 
 pens every  morning ;  but  surely  it  is  astonishing,  or  rather 
 it  would  be  so,  if  man  was  not  astonishingly  stupid. 
 
 Such  strangers  once  were  we.  Darkness,  gross  dark- 
 ness, covered  us.  How  confined  were  our  views!  And 
 even  the  things  which  were  within  our  reach  we  could 
 not  distinguish.  Little  did  we  then  think  what  a  glori- 
 ous day  we  were  appointed  to  see;  what  an  unbounded 
 prospect  would  ere  long  o])en  before  us !  We  knew  not 
 that  there  was  a  Sun  of  Righteousness,  and  that  he  would 
 dawn,  and  rise,  and  shine  upon  our  hearts.  And  as  the 
 idea  of  what  we  see  now  was  then  hidden  from  us,  so  at 
 present  we  are  almost  equally  at  a  loss  how  to  form  any 
 conception  of  the  stronger  light  and  brighter  prospects 
 wiiicli  we  wait  and  hope  for.  Comparatively  we  are  in 
 the  dark  still ;  at  the  most,  we  have  but  a  dim  twilight, 
 
480 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 and  see  nothing  clearly;  but  it  is  the  dawn  of  immor- 
 tality, and  a  sure  presage  and  earnest  of  glory. 
 
 Thus  at  times,  it  seems,  a  darkness  that  may  be  felt 
 broods  over  your  natural  spirits;  but  when  the  daj'-star 
 rises  upon  your  heart,  you  see  and  rejoice  in  his  light. 
 You  have  days  as  well  as  nights ;  and  after  a  few  more 
 vicissitudes,  you  will  take  your  flight  to  the  regions  of 
 everlasting  light,  where  your  sun  will  go  down  no  more. 
 Happy  you,  and  happy  I,  if  I  shall  meet  you  there,  as  I 
 trust  I  shall.  How  shall  we  love,  and  sing,  and  wonder, 
 and  praise  the  Saviour's  name! 
 
 Last  Sunday  a  young  man  died  here  of  extreme  old 
 age,  at  twenty-five.  He  laboured  hard  to  ruin  a  good 
 constitution,  and  unhappily  succeeded  ;  yet  amused  him- 
 self with  the  hopes  of  recovery  almost  to  the  last.  We  have 
 a  sad  knot  of  such  poor  creatures  in  this  place,  who  labour 
 to  stifle  each  other's  convictions,  and  to  ruin  themselves 
 and  associates,  soul  and  body.  How  industriously  is 
 Satan  served!  I  was  formerly  one  of  his  most  active 
 under-tempters.  Not  content  witii  running  the  broad 
 way  myself,  I  was  indefatigable  in  enticing  others;  and 
 had  my  influence  been  equal  to  my  wishes,  I  would  have 
 carried  all  the  human  race  with  me.  And  doubtless  some 
 have  perished,  to  whose  destruction  I  was  greatly  instru- 
 mental, by  tempting  them  to  sin,  and  by  poisoning  and 
 hardening  them  with  principles  of  infidelity;  and  yet  I 
 was  spared.  When  I  think  of  the  most  with  whom  I 
 spent  my  unhappy  days  of  ignorance,  I  am  ready  to  say, 
 I  only  am  escaped  alive  to  tell  thee.  Surely  I  have 
 not  half  the  activity  and  zeal  in  the  service  of  Him  who 
 snatched  me  as  a  brand  out  of  the  burning,  as  I  had  in 
 the  service  of  his  enemj\  Then  the  whole  stream  of  my 
 endeavours  and  affections  went  one  way;  now  my  best 
 desires  are  continually  crossed,  counteracted,  and  spoiled, 
 by  the  sin  which  dwelleth  in  me;  then  the  tide  of  a  cor- 
 rupt nature  bore  me  along,  now  I  have  to  strive  and 
 swim  against  it.  The  Lord  cut  me  short  of  opportuni- 
 ties, and  placed  me  where  I  could  do  but  little  mischief ; 
 but  had  my  abilities  and  occasions  been  equal  to  my 
 lieart,  I  should  have  been  a  Voltaire  and  a  Tiberius  in 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR  B 
 
 481 
 
 one  character,  a  monster  of  profaneness  and  licentious- 
 ness. O  to  grace  how  great  a  debtor!  A  common 
 drunicard  or  profligate  is  a  petty  sinner  to  what  I  was. 
 I  had  the  ambition  of  a  Caesar  or  an  Alexander,  and 
 wanted  to  rank  in  wickedness  among  the  foremost  of 
 the  human  race.  When  yon  have  read  this,  praise  the 
 Lord  for  his  mercy  to  the  chief  of  sinners,  and  pray  that 
 I  may  have  grace  to  be  faithful.  But  I  have  ram- 
 bled. I  meant  to  tell  you,  that  on  Sunday  afternoon  I 
 preached  from  Why  will  ye  die?  Ezek.  xxxiii.  10,  11.  I 
 endeavoured  to  show  poor  sinners,  that  if  they  died,  it 
 it  was  because  they  would;  and  if  they  would  they  must. 
 I  was  much  affected  for  a  time:  I  could  hardly  speak  for 
 weeping,  and  some  wept  with  me.  From  some,  alas!  I 
 can  no  more  draw  a  tear,  or  a  relenting  thought,  than 
 fi'om  a  mill-stone. 
 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  IX. 
 
 My  Dear  Friend,  Nov.  27,  1778. 
 
 You  are  a  better  expositor  of  scripture  than  of  my  speech- 
 es, if  you  really  inferred  from  my  last  that  I  tliink  you 
 shall  die  soon.  I  cannot  say  positively  you  will  not  die 
 soon,  because  life  at  all  times  is  uncertain;  however,  ac- 
 cording to  the  doctrine  of  probabilities,  I  think,  and  al- 
 ways thought,  you  bid  fair  enough  to  outlive  me.  The 
 gloomy  tinge  of  your  weak  spirits  led  you  to  consider 
 yourself  much  worse  in  point  of  health  than  you  appear 
 to  me  to  be. 
 
 In  the  other  point  I  dare  be  more  positive,  that,  die 
 when  you  will,  you  will  die  in  the  Lord.  Of  this  I  have 
 not  the  least  doubt ;  and  I  believe  you  doubt  of  it  less, 
 if  possible,  than  I,  except  in  those  darker  moments  when 
 the  atrabilious  humour  prevails. 
 
 I  heartily  sympathise  with  you  in  your  complaints ; 
 
482 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 but  I  see  you  in  safe  hands.  The  Lord  loves  you,  and 
 will  take  care  of  you.  He  who  raises  the  dead,  can  re- 
 vive your  spirits  when  you  are  cast  down.  He  who  sets 
 bounds  to  the  sea,  and  says,  "  Hitherto  shalt  thou  come, 
 and  no  further,"  can  limit  and  moderate  that  gloom  which 
 sometimes  distresses  you.  He  knows  why  he  permits 
 you  to  be  thus  exercised.  I  cannot  assign  the  reasons, 
 but  I  am  sure  they  are  worthy  of  his  wisdom  and  love, 
 and  that  you  will  hereafter  see,  and  say.  He  has  done  all 
 things  well.  If  I  was  as  wise  as  your  philosopher,  I 
 might  say  a  great  deal  about  a  melancholy  complexion; 
 but  I  love  not  to  puzzle  myself  with  second  causes,  while 
 the  first  cause  is  at  hand,  which  sufficiently  accounts  for 
 every  phenomenon  in  a  believer's  experience.  Your 
 constitution,  your  situation,  your  temper,  your  distempr 
 er,  all  that  is  either  comfortable  or  painful  in  your  lot,  is 
 of  his  appointment.  The  hairs  of  your  head  are  all 
 numbered:  the  same  power  which  produced  the  planet 
 Jupiter  is  necessary  to  the  production  of  a  single  hair, 
 nor  can  one  of  them  fall  to  the  ground  without  his  notice, 
 any  more  than  the  stars  can  fall  from  their  orbits.  In 
 providence,  no  less  than  in  creation,  he  is  Maximus  in 
 minimus.  Therefore  fear  not;  only  believe.  Our  sea 
 may  sometimes  be  stormy,  but  we  have  an  infallible  pilot, 
 and  shall  infallibly  gain  our  port. 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  X. 
 
 My  Dear  Friend,  Feb.  23,  1779- 
 
 On  Saturday,  and  not  before,  I  heard  you  had  been  ill. 
 Had  the  news  reached  me  sooner,  I  should  have  sent  you 
 a  line  sooner.  I  hope  you  will  be  able  to  inform  me  that 
 you  are  now  better,  and  that  tlie  Lord  continues  to  do 
 you  good  by  every  dispensation  he  allots  you.  Healing 
 and  wounding  are  equally  from  his  hand,  and  equally 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR  B 
 
 483 
 
 tokens  of  his  love  and  care  over  us.  I  have  but  little 
 affliction  in  my  own  person,  but  I  have  been  often  chas- 
 tened of  late  by  proxy.  The  Lord,  for  his  people's  sake, 
 is  still  pleased  to  give  me  health  and  strength  for  public 
 service;  but  when  I  need  the  rod,  he  lays  it  upon  Mrs 
 
  In  this  way  I  have  felt  much,  without  being 
 
 disabled  and  laid  aside.  But  he  has  heard  prayer  for 
 her  likewise,  and  for  more  than  a  fortnight  past  slie  has 
 been  comfortably  well.  I  lay  at  least  one-half  of  her 
 sickness  to  ray  own  account.  She  suffers  for  me,  and  I 
 through  her.  It  is,  indeed,  touching  me  in  a  tender  part. 
 Perhaps  if  I  could  be  more  wise,  watchful,  and  humble, 
 it  might  contribute  more  to  the  re-establishment  of  her 
 health,  than  all  the  medicines  she  takes. 
 
 I  somehow  neglected  to  confer  with  you  about  the 
 business  of  the  fast-day.  The  last  of  my  three  sermons, 
 when  I  had,  as  I  expected,  the  largest  congregation,  was 
 a  sort  of  historical  discourse,  from  Deut.  xxxii.  15,  in 
 which,  running  over  the  leading  national  events  from  the 
 time  of  WicklifFe,  I  endeavoured  to  trace  the  steps  and 
 turns  by  which  the  Lord  has  made  us  a  fat  and  thriving 
 people,  and  in  the  event  blessed  us  beyond  his  favourite 
 Jeshurun  of  old,  with  civil  and  religious  liberty,  peace, 
 honour,  and  prosperity,  and  gospel  privileges.  How  fat 
 we  were  when  the  war  terminated  in  the  year  1763,  and 
 how  we  have  kicked,  and  forsaken  the  Rock  of  our  Sal- 
 vation of  late  years.  Then  followed  a  sketch  of  our 
 present  state  and  spirit  as  a  people,  both  in  a  religious 
 and  political  view.  I  started  at  the  picture  while  I  drew 
 it,  though  it  was  a  very  inadequate  representation.  We 
 seemed  willing  to  afflict  our  souls  for  one  day,  as  Dr 
 Lowth  reads  Isaiah  Iviii.  5.  But  the  next  day  things  re- 
 turned into  their  former  channel:  the  fast  and  the  occa- 
 sion seemed  presently  forgotten,  except  by  a  few  simple 
 souls,  who  are  despised  and  hated  by  the  rest  for  their 
 preciseness,  because  they  think  sin  ought  to  be  lamented 
 every  day  in  the  year. 
 
 Who  would  envy  Cassandra  her  gift  of  prophecy  up- 
 on the  terms  she  had  it,  that  her  declarations,  however 
 true,  should  meet  with  no  belief  or  regard?    It  is  the 
 
484 
 
 CARDIPHONIA. 
 
 lot  of  gospel  ministers,  with  respect  to  the  bulk  of  their 
 hearers.  But  blessed  be  the  grace  which  makes  a  few 
 exceptions!  Here  and  there  one  will  hear,  believe,  and 
 be  saved.  Every  one  of  these  is  worth  a  world;  and 
 our  success  with  a  few  should  console  us  for  ail  our 
 trials. 
 
 Come  and  see  us  as  soon  as  you  can,  only  not  to-mor- 
 row, for  I  am  then  to  go  to  T  My  Lord,  the  Great 
 
 Shepherd,  has  one  sheep  there,  related  to  the  fold  under 
 my  care.  I  can  seldom  see  her,  and  she  is  very  ill.  I 
 expect  she  will  be  soon  removed  to  the  pasture  above. 
 
 Our  love  to  Mrs  B  . 
 
 Believe  me  yours,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  XI. 
 
 My  Dear  Friend,  April  23,  1779. 
 
 May  I  not  style  myself  a  friend,  when  I  remember  you 
 after  the  interval  of  several  weeks  since  I  saw  you,  and 
 through  a  distance  of  threescore  miles?  But  the  truth 
 is,  you  have  been  neither  absent  nor  distant  from  my 
 heart  a  day.  Your  idea  has  travelled  with  me :  you 
 are  a  kind  of  familiar,  very  often  before  the  eye  of  my 
 mind.  This,  I  hope,  may  be  admitted  as  a  proof  of 
 friendship. 
 
 I  know  the  Lord  loves  you,  and  you  know  it  likewise : 
 every  affliction  affords  you  a  fresii  proof  of  it.  How  wise 
 his  management  in  our  trials!  How  wisely  adjusted  in 
 season,  weight,  continuance,  to  answer  his  gracious  pur- 
 poses in  sending  them!  How  imspeakably  better  to  be 
 at  his  disposal  than  at  our  own!  So  you  say;  so  you 
 think;  so  you  find.  You  trust  in  him,  and  shall  not  be 
 disappointed.  Help  me  with  your  prayers,  that  I  may 
 trust  him  too,  and  be  at  length  enabled  to  say  without 
 reserve.  What  thou  wilt,  when  thou  Avilt,  how  thou  wilt. 
 I  had  rather  speak  these  three  sentences  from  my  heart, 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MR  B   435 
 
 in  my  mother-tongue,  than  be  master  of  all  the  hiiigaages 
 iu  Europe. 
 
 I  am  j'ours,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  XII. 
 
 My  Dear  Friend,  Aug.  19,  1779. 
 
 Among  the  rest  of  temporal  mercies,  I  would  be  thank- 
 ful for  pen,  ink,  and  paper,  and  the  convenience  of  tlie 
 post,  by  which  means  we  can  waft  a  thought  to  a  friend 
 when  we  cannot  get  at  him.  My  will  has  been  good  to 
 see  you ;  i)ut  you  must  accept  the  will  for  the  deed.  The 
 Lorrl  isas  not  permitted  me. 
 
 I  have  been  troubled  of  late  with  the  rheumatism  in 
 my  left  arm.  Mine  is  a  sinful,  vile  body,  and  it  is  a 
 mercy  that  any  part  of  it  is  free  from  pain.  It  is  virtu- 
 ally the  seat  and  subject  of  all  diseases;  but  the  Lord 
 holds  them  like  wild  beasts  in  a  chain,  under  a  strong 
 restraint:  was  that  restraint  taken  off,  they  would  rush 
 upon  their  prey  from  every  quarter,  and  seize  upon  every 
 limb,  member,  joint,  and  nerve  at  once.  Yet,  though  I 
 am  a  sinner,  and  tliough  my  whole  texture  is  so  frail  and 
 exposed,  I  iiave  enjoyed  for  a  number  of  years  an  almost 
 j')erfect  exemption  both  from  pain  and  sickness.  This  is 
 wonderful  indeed,  even  in  my  own  eyes. 
 
 But  my  soul  is  far  from  being  in  a  healthy  state. 
 There  I  iiave  laboured,  and  still  labour,  under  a  compli- 
 cation of  diseases;  and  but  for  the  care  and  skill  of  an 
 infallible  Physician,  I  must  have  died  the  death  long  ago. 
 At  this  very  moment  my  soul  is  feverish,  dropsical,  para- 
 lytic. I  feel  a  loss  of  appetite,  a  disinclination  l)oth  to 
 food  and  to  medicine;  so  that  I  am  alive  by  miracle: 
 yet  I  trust  I  shall  not  die,  but  live  and  declare  the  works 
 of  the  Lord.  When  I  faint,  he  revives  me  again.  I  am 
 sure  he  is  able,  and  I  trust  lie  has  promised  to  heal  me; 
 
4SS 
 
 CARDIPHOMA. 
 
 but  how  inveterate  must  my  disease  be,  that  is  not  yet 
 subdued,  even  under  his  management. 
 
 V/eil,  my  f;  lend,  there  is  a  land  where  the  inhabitants 
 sliall  no  more  say,  "  I  am  sick."  Then  my  eyes  v.  ill  not 
 be  dim,  nor  my  ear  heavy,  nor  my  heart  hard. 
 
 One  sight  of  Jesus  as  he  is, 
 VVUl  strike  all  sin  for  ever  dead. 
 
 Blessed  be  his  name  for  tliis  gloriotis  hope!  May  it 
 cheer  us  under  all  our  present  uneasy  feelings,  and  re- 
 concile us  to  every  cross.  The  way  must  be  right,  how- 
 ever rough,  that  leads  to  such  a  glorious  end. 
 
 O  for  more  of  that  gracious  influence,  which  in  a  mo- 
 ment can  make  the  wilderness-soul  rejoice  and  blossom 
 like  the  rose!  I  want  something  which  neither  critics  nor 
 commentators  can  help  me  to.  The  scripture  itself, 
 whether  I  read  it  in  Hebrew,  Greek,  French,  or  English,  • 
 is  a  sealed  book  in  all  languages,  unless  the  Spirit  of  the 
 I^ord  is  present  to  expound  and  apply.  Praj'  for  me. 
 No  prayer  seems  more  suitable  to  me  than  that  of  the 
 Psalmist:  "  Bring  my  soul  out  of  prison,  that  I  may 
 praise  thy  name." 
 
 I  am,  &c. 
 
 LETTER  XIII. 
 
 My  Dear  Fuiend,  Avg.  28,  J 7 79- 
 
 I  WANT  to  hear  how  you  are.  I  hope  your  complaint  is  not 
 worse  than  when  I  saw  you.  I  hope  you  are  easier,  and 
 will  soon  find  yourself  able  to  move  about  again.  I  should 
 be  sorry,  if,  to  the  symptoms  of  the  stone,  you  should 
 have  the  gout  superadded  in  your  right  hand ;  for  then 
 you  will  not  be  able  to  write  to  me. 
 
 We  go  on  much  as  usual ;  sometimes  very  poorly, 
 sometimes  a  little  better;  the  latter  is  the  case  to  day. 
 My  rheumatism  continues ;  but  it  is  very  moderate  and 
 
LETTERS  TO  THE  REV.  MK  B 
 
 487 
 
 tolerable.  The  Lord  deals  gently  with  us,  and  gives  iis 
 m.my  proofs  that  he  does  not  afflict  willingly. 
 
 The  days  speed  awaj'  apace ;  eacli  one  bears  away  its 
 own  burden  with  it,  to  return  no  more.  Botli  pleasures 
 and  pains  that  are  past  are  gone  for  ever.  What  is  yet 
 fiitin-e  will  likewise  be  soon  past.  The  end  is  coming. 
 O  to  realize  the  thought,  and  to  judge  of  things  now  in 
 some  measure  suitable  to  the  judgment  we  shall  form  ot 
 them,  when  we  are  about  to  leave  them  all !  Many  things 
 which  now  either  elate  or  depress  us,  will  then  appear  to 
 be  trifles  light  as  air. 
 
 One  thing  is  needful:  to  have  our  hearts  united  to  the 
 Lord  in  humble  faith;  to  sot  him  always  before  us;  to 
 rejoice  in  him  as  our  Shepherd  and  our  portion;  to  sub- 
 mit to  all  his  appointments,  not  of  necessity,  because  he 
 is  stronger  than  we,  but  with  a  cheerful  acquiescence, 
 because  he  is  v/ise  and  good,  and  loves  us  better  than  we 
 do  ourselves;  to  feed  upon  his  truth;  to  have  our  under- 
 standings, wills,  affections,  imaginations,  memory,  all 
 filled  and  impressed  with  the  great  mysteries  of  redeem- 
 ing love;  to  do  all  for  him,  to  receive  all  from  him,  to 
 find  all  in  him.  I  have  mentioned  many  things,  but  they 
 are  ail  comprised  in  one,  a  life  of  faith  in  the  Son  ot 
 God.  We  are  empty  vessels  in  ourselves,  but  we  can- 
 not remain  empty.  Except  Jesus  dwells  in  oiu*  hearts, 
 and  fills  them  with  his  power  and  presence,  they  will  be 
 filled  with  folly,  vanity,  and  vexation. 
 I  arn,  &c. 
 
 J^ETTER  XIV 
 
 My  Dear  Friend,  Oct.  28,  1779. 
 
 Being  to  go  out  of  town  to-day,  I  started  up  before  light 
 to  write  to  you,  and  hoped  to  have  sent  you  a  long  letter; 
 when,  behold!  I  could  not  get  at  any  paper.  I  am  no\r 
 waiting  for  a  peep  at  Mr  B  at  his  lodgings,  who  came 
 
488 
 
 CARDIPHONIA^  ' 
 
 to  town  last  night;  and  I  shall  write  as  fast  as  I  can  till 
 I  see  him. 
 
 I  feel  for  you  a  little  in  the  same  way  as  I  feel  for 
 yourself.    I  bear  a  friendly  sympathy  in  your  late  sharp 
 and  sudden  trial.    I  mourn  with  that  part  of  you  which 
 mourns;  but  at  the  same  time,  I  rejoice  in  the  proof  j'ou 
 have,  and  which  you  give,  that  the  Lord  is  with  you  of 
 a  truth.    I  rejoice  on  your  account,  to  see  you  supported 
 and  comforted,  and  enabled  to  say.  He  has  done  all  things 
 well.    I  rejoice  on  my  own  account.    Such  instances  of 
 his  faithfulness  and  all-sufficienc}'  are  very  encouraging. 
 We  must  all  expect  hours  of  trouble  in  our  turn.  We 
 must  all  feel  in  our  concernments  the  vanit}-  and  un- 
 certainty of  creature  comforts.    What  a  mercy  is  it  to 
 know  from  our  own  past  experience,  and  to  have  it  con- 
 firmed to  us  by  the  experience  of  others,  that  the  Lord 
 is  good,  a  strong-hold  in  the  day  of  trouble,  and  that  he 
 knoweth  tliem  that  trust  in  him.     Creatures  are  like 
 candles,  they  waste  while  they  afford  us  a  little  light, 
 and  we  see  them  extinguislied  in  their  sockets  one  after 
 another.    But  the  light  of  the  sun  makes  amend  for  them 
 all.    The  Lord  is  so  rich  that  he  easily  can,  so  good  that 
 he  certainly  will,  give  his  children  more  than  he  ever 
 will  take  away.    When  his  gracious  voice  reaches  the 
 heart,  "  It  is  I,  be  not  afraid:  Be  still,  and  know  that  I 
 am  God:"  when  he  gives  us  an  impression  of  his  M'is- 
 dom,  power,  love,  and  care,  then  the  storm  which  at- 
 tempts to  rise  in  our  natural  passions  is  huslied  into  a 
 calm;  the  flesh  continues  to  feel,  but  tlie  spirit  is  made 
 willing.    And  something  more  tlian  submission  takes 
 place — a  sweet  resignation  and  acquiescence,  and  even  a 
 joy  that  we  have  any  thing  which  we  \  alne,  to  surrender 
 to  his  call. 
 
 Yours,  &c. 
 
 FINIS. 
 
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 HIGHSMITH  #45115