cellent than others, as persons of some eminence or importance; or, when he sees us cleaving to earthly things, idolizing them, or growing unwatchful; he will soon in his love, and care, and wisdom, send us some salutary affliction, temptation, or bitter humbling experience; and it is a mercy if we are not left, as Hezekiah was, by some outward sin to learn the depth of the depravity of our hearts. Now I suppose, by your letter, that you are learning these lessons in your experience, and that I am only telling you what you knew before; but with this advantage, that I state it before you as the Lord's dealing with those he loves; and endeavour to point out to you that there is unspeakable wisdom and grace in this his management, to keep us at once humble and thankful, and in good measure joyful; that you may take the comfort of it, and give him the praise. You have nothing to do but to keep close to the means, especially reading the word, and prayer; to avoid sin and temptation as much as you can, and to follow after holiness as the grand blessing in time and eternity; seeking it from Christ by faith and prayer, as the purchase of his blood, and the fruit of his intercession: and in this way, which is your part, leave all the rest to the Lord, and give him credit for it that he will manage all for you well and wisely, faithfully and graciously. And, if in this way your experience teaches you to think more and more highly of the Lord, and more and more meanly of yourself, and of all your attainments, this is all right, for it is according to the truth: for He is infinitely great and good, glorious and lovely, and we are much

meaner and viler than can be expressed, or than we any of us in this world think ourselves to be. This also will make us more and more humble and self-denied; more full of reverence of his majesty, love of his excellency, delight in his sufficiency, gratitude for his mercies, zeal for his glory, submission to his will, confidence in his love, and devotedness to his service; which is the very temper of a child, the spirit of adoption, whereby the Spirit witnesseth with our spirit that we are the children of God."

To another Sister.

ON THE KNOWLEDGE OF PARDON-AND THE

WITNESS OF THE SPIRIT.

"Olney, May 22, 1783.

"YOUR sister, having had my letters blessed of God to her soul, has an opinion that they would be attended with the same blessing to you. She has therefore begged me to write to you. Whether the Lord will be pleased to own the feeble attempt or not, I cannot tell: but both my general regard to all who love the Lord, and my particular attachment to your family, and my being a debtor to all to do them all the good in my power, incline me to make the trial, and to give you my thoughts on the subjects proposed. And may the Lord teach me to speak a word in season, which may both relieve and profit your soul, and teach you how to be helpful to others in like perplexities !

"The two main things that your sister mentions are these: 1. Others know the time when, and the place where, the Lord spake peace to their souls; but you do not. 2. Others have the witness of the Spirit; but you do not know any thing of it.

"Now, in our day, there is a vast outcry among the ungodly against enthusiasm, and every thing in diligent religion is branded with that name. Would to God care were taken among ministers and Christians to guard against the thing itself, while they treat with neglect unjust censures about it!-Believe me, there is a great deal of enthusiastical delusion in this matter: and those things which you are desirous of, and troubled at wanting, are, in their sense of them, unscriptural; and give Satan an occasion of deluding some, and distressing others. By setting up false evidences of conversion, and overlooking the true ones, many think they are converted, who are only stonyground hearers: they have these false evidences, and are more confident than conscientious. Others that are humble, and tender in conscience, but paying an undue regard to these false evidences, distress themselves because they want them. Now, though true Christians sometimes have them, yet hypocrites are much more likely to have them; they being such as Satan can counterfeit, and doth counterfeit to deceive and lull asleep persons under some convictions, but not converted:-as, for example, words brought to the mind, wondrous sights to the imagination, pleasing feelings in the soul.

66

Now, though, in some cases, persons may

know the time and the place, both when they were awakened, and when they were comforted; yea, when they were brought to submit to God's righteousness in their condemnation, notwithstanding all their endeavours, and to cast themselves on his free mercy through the blood of Jesus, and to see his whole character and conduct lovely, and Christ precious, and his salvation glorious, and holiness beautiful, and his service perfect freedom: yet it is not generally thus. At first, knowledge is usually scanty, experiences are indistinct, and views of divine things are confused, and mixed with inconsistency. Then shall ye know, if ye follow on to know the Lord: his going forth is prepared as the morning. Now in the morning the day dawns, a glimmering beam diffuses itself; but it is dusk still, and objects are indistinctly perceived: but gradually it grows lighter. Thus it commonly is with true Christians.-In time they find that these effects are produced: and, if they are certainly produced, it matters not whether we know when or where. If God hath shewn you the strictness and goodness of the law, and your obligations as his creature to love and obey him according to it, so as to convince you that, by nature and practice, you are an inexcusable sinner, deserving of his wrath; that none of your doings can make him your debtor, or give you any claim upon his justice, or make it unjust in him to condemn you: if you see your best deeds to be sinful, and to need forgiveness; and, seeing this, take the blame to yourself, cast yourself on free mercy, as a justly condemned sinner; see a suitableness in God's way of saving sinners, through the infinitely

valuable obedience and atonement of Emmanuel, honouring the law, and satisfying justice in our stead, that he might be just, and the justifier of the ungodly if you have thus learned to see God's whole character lovely,-that one so great and glorious, so holy and just, should be so compassionate, merciful, and loving: if, in this way, you have learned to hate sin, to love holiness, and follow after it, and to be humbled, ashamed, and grieved that you are no more holy; to feel a spirit of cordial love to God's character, government, and gospel, gratitude to him for his mercies, zeal for his glory; wanting others to know, love, serve, and enjoy his favour; considering his cause as your's; being grieved when his name is dishonoured, and rejoicing in the prosperity of religion; praying from your heart the beginning of the Lord's prayer:-if this has taught you to desire to be patient in trouble, to be contented in your station, to depend on his providence, to adorn his gospel, and live to his glory; you then have the substantial evidences of conversion, such as they who have the most of the others have in general little of. This filial spirit toward God is the spirit of adoption; the seal of the Spirit, which the devil can neither break nor counterfeit; the earnest of the Spirit, a part of heaven brought down into the soul as a pledge of the whole. And, when the Holy Ghost brings these implanted graces into lively vigorous exercise, then he witnesses with our spirits that we are God's children; and not by any words brought to the mind, as many are deluded to believe. The latter, Satan can counter