influence as a ridiculous fancy. Do you, beloved, take encouragement to work out your own falvation with fear and trembling, knowing that he is GOD, who worketh in you to will and do, according to his good pleasure. Little do they realize the unnatural diforder which fin has introduced into the moral world, who object to any immediate interpofition of God, for the converfion and fanctification of a finner, and refuse to admit of any fuperior agency in the production of holinefs, to that of a general law of nature. Surely this effect would be as vainly expected from the mere courfe of nature, as the laft refurrection; and Paul intimates no lefs in the language he addressed to the converts at Ephesus. Eph. i. 19, 20. ii. 1-5. While, therefore, you ever acknowledge the finfulness of deadnefs towards God, whether partial, or total, be you ever ready to confefs that the Spirit who quickened you, is God who raifeth the dead; and implore an increase of his quickening influence, that you may, through him, mortify the deeds of the body, and live more abundantly, not to yourselves, but to him who died, and rose again. S. C. LETTERS ON GOSPEL PREACHING, AND THE- DEAR SIR, TH LETTER I. On preaching the Gospel. HE Chriftian religion, to preach which the providence of Göd, I truft, is bringing you forward, is the religion of finful men. If a preacher's difcourfe, therefore, be not adapted to render finful men truly religious, what purpose doth it ferve, but to mislead and impofe on the hearers? I could mention many fermons which might have been useful, had they been addreffed to men who were not polluted and guilty before God; men who had no evil heart of unbelief, no hard and ftony heart, deceitful above all things, and defperately wicked; men who were not, nor had been, under under the law which is the ftrength of fin; men who had little or no need of Chrift as a justifying and quickening head, or of his fpirit of grace, fupplication, and comfort. But, alas! to us finful men, thofe fermons are forgers of lies, and phyficians of no value. They reprefent our cafe falfely, and prescribe remedies which are altogether improper. The Son of God, who knows human nature infinitely better than any modern preacher can pretend, commanded his apoftles to preach the Gospel, as glad tidings to every creature, to every finful man. In this manner an angel preached that to finful men was born a Saviour, Chrift the Lord. The apostle of the Gentiles determined neither to know, nor to make known any thing, among his hearers, fave Jefus Chrift and him crucified. He declares the faithful faying, worthy of all acceptation, to be, that Chrift Jefus came unto the world to fave finners, even the chief. He repeatedly fays of the man who fhall dare to preach another Gofpel than that which he had preached, "let him be ac curfed." The other infpired apoftles, filled with the Holy Ghost, preached it on this wife, that God having raised up his Son Jefus Chrift, fent him to bless them who had murdered him, in turning them from their iniquities, giving them repentance and forgiveness of fin. Not only an apoftle, but the fixfold witness of heaven and earth (1 John, v. 7. 8.) affures us, that this is the record, that God hath given to us finful men eternal life, and this life is in his Son; and that he who believeth not this record, hath made God a liar. Thefe, and many fuch things, in the oracles of God, plainly fhew, that if divine truths be not exhibited in their true connection with Jehovah's free, fovereign, redeeming grace, and with the perfon and righteoufnefs of Chrift, as their grand centre, the fermon is but an ignorant or wicked attempt to pervert the Gofpel of Chrift. Nothing is more common, eafy, or agreeable to corrupt nature, than to preach a multitude of the precious truths of Chrift in a broken and disjointed manner, without ever preaching the Gospel of Chrift. If a preacher defcant on the perfections of God, but do not reprefent him as in Chrift, well-pleafed for his righteoufnefs fake; as reconciling the world to himself, in giving to men his Son as their all-fufficient Saviour, and himfelf in him as their God; merciful and gracious, abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thoufands, forgiving iniquity, tranfgreffion, and fin; VOL. V. X there there is no Gofpel, no glad tidings to a guilty finner. Asz guilty man, I can only confider his fplendid harangue on uncreated and unbounded excellencies, as a tormenting celebration of what I cannot enjoy, nay, as a celebration of the power and peerlefs majefty of him who is angry with me every day; and fo it cannot fail to work enmity against him in my carnal heart. How cruel in a preacher to attempt to entertain me, a poor guilty finner, with a reprefentation of the glories of heaven, if it be not held forth as the better country, to which Jefus, the Saviour from fin, is the fole, the new, the living, the open way; as a poffeffron purchased by his blood, and given in his gracious promife to finful men; and as happiness which confifteth in the everlasting beholding of his glory, and the enjoyment of God in him as my all in all. To difcourfe to me, who richly deferve the wrath of God, and, as a finner, am already under his curfe, of the tremendous nature, the juftice, and the perpetual duration of hell fire, without reminding me how Jefus Chrift, God in my nature, as the Redeemer of finful men, was made fin, made a curfe for us, bore our griefs, and carried our forrows, that he might' redeem us from the curfe of the law, fave us from the wrath to come, and obtain eternal redemption for us,—is but to torment me before the time. A That preacher acts only the part of an heathen moralift, who acquaints me with the multitude, the pollution, the abfurdity of my vices and indwelling lufts; or with the charms, the profits, the pleasures, the honours, the duty of virtue, or my obligation to it, and who calls me off from the one to the other; without fetting before me Jefus Christ, as fent by God to fave men from fin, and to fanctify them with his own blood-Jefus Chrift, as having finished tranfgreffion, made an end of fin, and brought in everlasting righteoufnefs, through which, imputed to us, we become dead to, and delivered from, the broken covenant of works, which is the ftrength of fin, and have our inward enmity against God flain by his bleeding love and almighty Spirit; that, being married to Christ, and created anew in him, and having him dwelling in our hearts by faith, we in his ftrength may bring forth fruit unto God, and walk in. newnefs of life; and, that having the promifes, fecuring our everlafting relation to, and enjoyment of God, we may cleanfe ourselves from all filthinefs of the flesh and spirit,, perfecting holinefs in the fear of God. That That preacher acts but the part of a blafpheming Quaker, who harangues concerning the new birth, in its nature, neceffity, and excellence; or concerning the indwelling of the Holy Ghoft in men's hearts; or concerning the mortification of fin, repentance towards God, or fellowship with him; without reprefenting them as purchased by the furety-righteoufnefs of Chrift, as the abfolutely free and promifed gift of God to us, and as the neceffary fruits of our union to Jefus Chrift, the Lord our righteousness and ftrength. Without, this quickening prophecy over the graves, how can my dead bones live? Without this hearing of faith, how can I receive the Spirit of God? Without an application of God's redeeming love, how can I, who am by nature enmity against him, forfake, or crucify my lufts, or turn to him as my mafter and joy? How can I walk with him, unlefs we be agreed through the blood of his Son, and have him for my way? The man preaches but like a Jefuit, who addreffes me on the fufferings and merits of Jefus Chrift, and on my duty to believe in him, without inftructing me how this Jefus, God in my nature, was divinely made under the law, made fin for us, had our fins charged and punished on him, died for the ungodly, fuffered the juft for the unjuft, that he might bring us finners unto God, and make us the righteousness of God in him; or without exhibiting the record of God, that, in his crucified and now exalted Son, there is eternal life for the very chief of finners among men; and that as my all-fufficient and my only Saviour, my gracious husband, my everlasting righteoufnefs, unfailing ftrength, and fatisfying portion, he is in the Gofpel, promife, and oath of God given to me as a finner, ftout-hearted, and far from righteoutnefs. Such a preacher only tells me that Chrift merited life for me, if I, who cannot cease from fin, do, by my own fincere intentions or good works, recommend myfelf to his favour; or that Chrift merited, that I might merit for myfelf. The faith which he inculcates is but an airy fancy, having no foundation; a wandering into the wildernefs, in which there is no way: Nay, it is a prefumptuous robbing of God, in attempting to take poffeffion of the bleffings of his covenant, without regarding his giving promife and offer as my warrant. I am affectionately your's. X 2 THE THE FEARFUL AND DOUBTING SAINT DISTINGUISHED FROM THE FEARFUL AND UNBELIEVING SINNER. I SOME THOUGHTS ON REV. XXI. 8. In a Letter from to MY DEAR RECEIVED your letter, and have to thank you for your kind attention. I am a poor, weak, disjointed mortal, fometimes up and fometimes down, but devoutly grateful that I am what I am; able, upon the whole, to keep my head above water, and to unfold the unfearchable riches of Chrift to my people, which is my daily ftudy and highest pleafure; but lamenting, as I fhall to my grave, that the beit of my ftrength and the vigour of my faculties were not more directed to that glorious object, and myself more active and useful in the world. And now, having fpoken fo freely of myfelf, let me alfo fpeak freely of you, and tell you, that you indulge yourself too much in dwelling on the dark fide of things. This is owing, I know, partly to your natural conftitution and the weakness of your bodily frame, and partly to your jealous and fcrupulous ideas of a ftate of grace; fo that the cause is pardonable, but then its effect is not convenient; for it makes you take to yourself, with too much force, every thing that seems against you, while it makes you backward to explain, as a matter of comfort, what really makes for you. The text you mention is a clear proof of this. I am pofitive you have no concern with it in the way you mean"But the fearful and unbelieving, &c." Rev. xxi. 8. All the characters in that lift, obferve, come to one and the fame end, and we are therefore to conclude that they are, in fome fenfe, all of one kind. The fearful and the unbeliev ing then (thofe characters which you would apply to yourfelf) muft mean perfons in whom the worst fort of fear, and the worst fort of unbelief are to be found. The fearful, fuch as dare not own Chrift, or, for fear of fuffering on his account, have difowned him, and apoftatized from him. And can you apply this to yourself? No; the thought is fhocking to you. Well, "but you are afraid that in the view of difficulties," &c.; and fo you ought. A holy diffidence and jealoufy well become fuch creatures as we are, and is our beft fecurity. But while you know what is your prefent |