our sins. And will he consign those to damnation, for whom he endured the agonies of crucifixion? If he has given himself for us, will he not with this gift freely give us all things? give us pardon at that awful day? give us the crown of glory, which fadeth not away? Heb. ix. 14. 26.

Farther, to confirm your faith, and establish your hope, it will be proper to consider what you have to plead. The proud Pharisee made his abstaining from gross iniquities, and his punctuality in some external performances, his plea. The blinded Jews went about to establish their own righteousness, and depended on this broken reed for acceptance. But we have a surer foundation whereon to build our comfortable expectations.

If arraigned on the foot of guilt-great guilt—manifold guilt-aggravated guilt-long contracted guilt; we have an atonement to plead, a sacrifice of unknown value, a propitiation glorious and divine. We have the blood of the Lamb to plead; blood that taketh away not one sin, or a few sins, or a multitude of sins only; but (O delightful truth!) taketh away all, all, all sins. Yes, it taketh away all sins from the believer, be they ever so numerous; all sins, be they ever so heinous; 1 John i. 7. Rev. i. 5.

Should the law take us by the throat, and make that severe demand, Pay me that thou owest: It is paid, we reply, by our divine Surety. An incarnate God has been obedient in our stead. In the Lord, the Lord Redeemer, have we righteousness. And can the law insist on a more excellent satisfaction? Does not this magnify the law, and make it honourable?" By the obedience of one (that is, Christ) shall many be made righteous;" Isa. xlv. 24. Rom. v. 19.

Should it further be urged, Without holiness no man shall see the Lord: Is not holiness the thing that we have longed for? It is true, we have not attained to holiness, spotless and undefiled holiness; neither could we in the regions of temptation, and in

a body of corruption. But has not our guilt been our sorrow, and our indwelling sin our heaviest cross? Have we not groaned under our remaining iniquities, and been burdened with a sense of our failings? And are not these groanings the first fruits of the Spirit? Are not these the work of thy own grace, blessed Lord! and wilt thou not consummate in heaven what thou hast thus begun upon earth? Do we not desire heaven, chiefly because in those blessed mansions we shall sin no more; we shall offend our God no more; be no more forgetful of a dying Saviour; no more disobedient to the motions of a sanctifying Spirit? And shall we be disappointed of this hope? It cannot, it cannot be. They that hunger and thirst after righteousness, are not filled while they abide in the flesh; therefore there remaineth the accomplishment of this promise-they will assuredly awake up after the likeness of their Lord at the great resurrection day, and in another world be fully, everlastingly satisfied with it.

I must now come to a conclusion: But I cannot conclude without wishing you all joy and peace in believing. Though your flesh and your heart fail, may God be the strength of your heart, and your portion for ever! I daily, I frequently make mention of you in my prayers; and, what is better than all, the dearly beloved of the Father remembers you now he is in his kingdom. I am your very affectionate friend, &c.

LETTER LXXXIII.

[The following letter was sent to the preacher by a cottager in a country village; and is here printed, to shew how thankfully the poor receive the preaching of the gospel, and to preserve so remarkable and useful a letter from perishing.]

REVEREND SIR,-I HUMBLY beg your pardon for presuming to write to you. Being one of your hearers, I was very much affected with your good sermons, having known and experienced the

truth of them, viz. That persons must be convinced of their undone state by NATURE, and brought into a state of concern, or self-condemnation, before they will seek and earnestly desire the knowledge of Christ. crucified. To one who feels the condemning power of the LAW, Christ is precious. Such have tasted the bitterness of sin; for till then they are alive without the law, as St Paul saith, Rom. vii. 9. not seeing that the LAW requires perfect obedience, and that THEIRS at the best is very imperfect. Hence the best of us in our carnal state are striving to be justified by our own works; yea, though we cannot but know that we often break the laws of God, Rom. iii. 20. 28.

But then we think, It is true I am a sinner, and there is none without sin. Thus we do presume upon our seeming obedience, not considering how great a CHANGE must be wrought upon our soul by repentance; and that we must be united to Christ by faith, and partake of his likeness, without which Christ, as to us, is dead in vain, Gal. ii. 21. And when the Holy Spirit has convinced us of our misery by sin, (John xvi. 8.) and need of Christ, then, usually, we are thinking To Do Something to purchase an interest in him; not considering we must be humble supplicants at his feet, waiting for every thing we want at the throne of grace-repentance, pardon, sanctification, redemption-as purchased by Him: Eternal life is the gift of God, Rom. vi. 23.

It is the humbled person who will accept of Christ in all his offices; not only as a priest to atone for sin, but also as a prophet to teach, and a king to rule over him, and subdue all his sins. The covenant of grace answers all our wants: there is not only mercy to pardon, but also grace to sanctify, and renew our nature. It is the humbled believer who can sincerely say, "Christ is the power of God unto salvation,"

Rom. i. 16.

And now I think nothing more needful than for clergymen to preach as you do; for though Chris

tianity is generally professed among us, yet many seem as unconcerned about these things as if there were no such truths in the gospel. This is the way of preaching which has ever been most effectual to the converting of sinners; and may the blessed Spirit attend the word preached, "purifying the hearts of your hearers by faith," Acts xv. 9. That the righteousness of Christ, accepted and applied to themselves by a lively faith, may entitle them to heaven, Rom. v. 19.; and that their sincere, though imperfect obedience, may evidence their title to be true and real, is the hearty desire of, reverend sir, your most humble servant.

To true believers the Law is set forth as a rule of manners, not as a law of condemnation, for there is no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus, Rom. viii. 1. 6.; or, in other words, those who love Christ, love his commandments, as kind rules of life, not obeying (like legal people) with reluctance, and out of fear of being punished. There is not, perhaps, a greater or more important truth, than that in proportion as our faith in the Redeemer, evidenced by our works, increases, so our fear of death proportionably decreases.

LETTER LXXXIV.

DEAR You need make no excuse for recommending Mr in his distressed condition. I am pleased to see you so tenderly concerned for a brother's welfare; and I am glad you have used the freedom of applying to me; seeing divine providence has put it in my power to help a disciple, a child, a member of Christ. I purposed to have given him and to have lent him three; nor should I have been very rigorous in exacting the debt, provided there was but little ability to repay. But lest the fear of not being able to repay should create anxiety in an honest heart, and lessen the

comfort of a seasonable supply, I make him a present of the whole; heartily wishing that the same gracious God who inclined a stranger's heart to bestow it, may also prosper his endeavours to improve it. And if he often calls to remembrance that Almighty power and goodness which made a few drops of oil at the bottom of a cruse, and a little handful of meal that was the gleaning of the barrel, a lasting support to the prophet, and to the poor widow and her son, I doubt not but that he will be enabled to fix his dependence upon the same everlasting Father, for needful success in trading: so that, by God's blessing, I hope this little stock, frugally managed, may, through his kind Providence, put him in a way of procuring necessaries in this wilderness, till he comes to the fulness of the heavenly Canaan.

I think every instance of kindness shewn to us, or exercised by us, should enlarge our apprehensions of the divine benevolence. What is a grain of dust to the whole earth? what is a drop of water to the great ocean? or what are a few days to the countless ages of eternity? Less, unspeakably less is all created kindness, compared with the boundless goodness of God in Christ Jesus. For by him we have access to the Father, being reconciled by his blood shed on the cross. We are adopted and received into the church, whereof Christ is the head. Being thus in the favour of God, he delighteth in hearing the prayer of faith, which those who believe in Christ daily put up to the throne of grace. O how great is his lovingkindness and tender mercy! He is exalted, that he may have mercy upon all that call upon him in sincerity and truth. He waiteth to be gracious. He giveth liberally, and upbraideth not, for past ingratitude and great unworthiness. O how great are these blessings which he giveth! Blessings, in comparison of which silver is as clay, and gold as the mire of the streets. He giveth grace and glory, and no good thing will be withhold from them who live a godly life; from them who are accepted in the