or actions obftruct that communion and harmony, which a union with the Spirit of Chrift requireth. The fruits of this bleffed union, the apoftle tells us, are love, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost, A fense of our pardon and reconciliation thro' Chrift felt in the foul by the operations of his bleffed Spirit, filling it with love unspeakable and full of glory, draws it to delight it self in its beloved, and it gladly ftrives to be moulded more and more into his likeness, to be holy as he is holy in all the faculties and powers of foul and body. From this union of Spirits with Chrift's we more clearly difcern his glorious perfections revealed in his word, and our natural bafeness and mifery; as alfo his boundless love and condefcention in calling us to a ftate of falvation, thro' the facrifice and oblation of his precious blood; for not by any works of righteousness that we have done (or can do) but from his fovereign free grace and favour, he calleth us to this glorious liberty of heirship with himself of eternal glory, altho', in the judgment of our confciences, we juftly deferve damnation. From these confiderations, and feeling the rays of divine light and love in the foul, the foul is tranfported into extafies of joy and thankfulness, loft in wonder, love, and praife; our heaven is begun on earth, by faith we have it in poffeffion, and by thofe manifeftations of divine light and love to our fouls, we taste the fweetness of that bread of life, that heavenly manna of our fouls, our compaffionate Jefus, and

folace

folace our felves in his love. O ftupendous love! Who can feel it, and not be lifted up into raptures to eccho forth his boundlefs praife? But alas how can we fufficiently commiferate their deplorable folly and blindness, who, being ignorant of those rays from the fun of righteousness fhining on the foul, efteem our inward feeling of the fpirit, and joy in the Holy Ghoft, to be a religious frenzy raised by the ftrength of heated imagination, or fome diforder of the body. Vain man! ignorant of the compofition, frame, and texture of the most minute infect, thou wilt prefume to deny the effential truths of God reveal'd in his word, and the operations of his infinite Spirit, because not to be comprehended within the reach of thy weak, finite understanding! Let us ever adore and praife our good God, who has inclined our hearts to believe and receive his truths, and has not left us to the power and malice of the tempter and deftroyer of fouls, Dear Sifter, I am telling you that which, (I hope) you know better than my felf, but you will excufe me, confider what I write as a token to remind you of your great obligations not to neglect the gift of God in you, but zealously to perfevere in whatsoever may tend to his glory, the good of others, and your eternal comfort. I long to fee you; I could long ago have told you (without flattery) that I loved you as a kind Sister, but now much more, beloved of my Lord Jefus. I find a union of fouls with all who are united

if

you

to

to him; we are all one in him, feparate members, but yet of the fame body, and joint heirs together of his fulness; therefore as our distance from each other will not admit of frequent converfation together, let us correspond by writing, let us fympathize with each other in forrow or joy, and provoke unto love, and to good works. My love waits on Brother TBrother and Sifter S-, Sifter B, and all friends. Mrs. B- falutes you with love. May our Lord Jefus Chrift himfelf and God, even our Father, who hath loved us, and given us everlasting confolation, and good hope thro grace, comfort your hearts, and keep you blameless and harmless without rebuke, in the midft af a crooked and perverse generation, among whom may you shine as lights in the world! That you may be fruitful in every good word and work to the glory of his free grace, is the prayer of,

Your affectionate Brother,

Dear Sifter,

H. B.

Pray for me that my faith may be ftrong in the Lord.

NUM B. VI.

A letter from Mr. Hugh Bryan, to Major J—

B

Dear Sir,

IN

Nov. 27th, 1740.

Nclofed is a letter, which if put into our Weekly Gazette might probably have some good effect. Our God has fuffered long with us, and I fear left the late fire may be followed with more fevere ftrokes of his difpleafure. Certainly we ftand in need of having our hearts humbled by fcourgings, fince the fatherly difpenfations of divine bounty and favour have only been abused to fecurity. Surely never could there be more need for mourners in Zion than at this day among us, because that light is come into the world, and men choose darkness rather than light, and have trampled on the blood of the everlasting covenant, defpifing the riches of God's free grace in Jefus Chrift, whom they fet at nought, and even among those who profefs to love Chrift, and bow before him as his people, too many do in works deny him refting in the outfide fhell of religion: they reserve their hearts (tho' the only acceptable facrifice in his fight) for the joys and vanities of worldy good, and the fervice of his enemy the devil. Surely this is refting on a fpider's webb, and if fuch fouls are not rous'd from their fecurity, they will drop thro' into hell. God will not ac

cept of less than the whole heart. All the fa

culties

culties and powers of our fouls and bodies are to be entirely given up and devoted to his service, (tho’ all are too little, too mean to make a due return of love and praife,) otherwise how should the gate be ftraight and the way narrow that leads to life? How fhould it be as eafy for a Camel to go thro' a needle's eye, as for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven? Here lies the difficulty in refigning the whole heart, in renouncing the world, the profits and pleasures thereof, and giving up all in affection for Chrift's fake. This made the young rich man go away forrowful, tho' he thought he had kept the other commandments, and had rested himfelf there. Too many in our days follow his example, and are so deluded as to imagine that Christ's precepts to his followers, not to lay up for themselves treasures on earth, to be crucified unto the world, to take up their cross daily and follow him, &c. have not that fignification in them which they plainly import. O deluded fouls! has he told us that thro' much tribulation we must enter into the kingdom of heaven, and shall we seek that heavenly inheritance in the ways of worldly indulgences and ease? Did he with patience and humility go the thorny way, by reproaches, mockings, fcourgings, buffettings, and exquifite fufferings; why then fhould we expect to follow him on beds of down? Can we give him all the affections of our fouls, heartily defiring that his will may be done in and by us, in all things that may advance his glory and intereft, whether by our poverty, reproaches,

E 2