and to wind, John iii. 8; Song iv. 16. Of all which no image can be formed, either human or brutal. Chrift hath been evidently fet forth crucified among us, and we can conceive of him as a man of forrows and acquainted with grief, and in all his fuffering circumstances, which is food for faith; but though we have known Chrift after the flesh, yet henceforth know we him fo no more; for Chrift now appears in a spiritual body, in his glorified humanity, in which he is feparate from finners, and made higher than the heavens; in this appearance he prefented himself to John. Read Rev. i. 13-17. So he appeared to Ezekiel. Ezek. i. 26-28. Dan. vii. 9-11. Of this glorious and glorified appearance no image of filver, gold, or wood, can be made without degrading the Saviour, and committing rank idolatry. Solomon's temple was not an object of worship, though the Lord which dwelt between the cherubims was; nor is the temple of Chrift's human body, ftrictly speaking and abstractedly confidered, an object of worship, though the fulness of the godhead, which dwells bodily in it, really is. Of Infinity and Immenfity no likeness can be formed; nor is it poffible for the fhallow conceptions of the human mind ever to circumfcribe or retain a Being who is omniprefent and incomprehenfible. 1 he first view that ever I had, was a believing view of Chrift crucified; this was in open vifion, and in the Lord's own light, while infinite Divinity above the light, or brightness of a thou

3

· fand

fand funs, fhone into my foul. After many months this vifion of him on the crofs gradually withdrew, vanished, and went in a measure out of fight; but the divine, co-equal, co-effential, and co-eternal beam of ineffable light, ftill remains with me, as the true light which now fhineth. I now view my Saviour as the fountain of light, life, and love; as God to all intents and purposes; and in all the fulness, glory, and majefty, of felf-exiftent and independent divinity; and in every sense and meaning of that great and terrible name, JEHOVAH. It remains then, that I ftill worship the fulness of the Godhead in Chrift's glorified humanity, and God, the Father, as fhining in his face: and fo it is written, God, that caused the light to fhine out of darknefs, hath shined into our hearts, to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jefus Chrift, who is the brightness of the Father's glory, and the exprefs image of his perfon; and he that thus hath the Son, hath the Father alfo.

As to your fitting at the Lord's table with a blind guide, I must leave to your confcience; for my part I could not: we are not to feek the living among the dead. I am no ftranger, dear Sir, to the diftreffing impreffions of the adversary on the imagination; he can mingle his very rebellion, defperation, madness, and enmity to God, even with our very fouls, when he is fuffered to buffet, vex, and diftrefs us, under the workings of unbelief; but as

the

the light fhines in, he will be difcovered; ana the entrance of joy and peace he will skulk off.

If any thing in this fcribble fuits you, blefs God for it; and when it is well with you, forget not to pray for

Faddington:

W. H. S.S.

LETTER

'LETTER III.

To the Rev. Mr. HUNTINGTON,

I HAVE longed to hear from my dear friend ever fince he has left us, and he, perhaps, has expected to hear from me before this time; and he would, if I had not been so flow of heart to every thing that is good. This is my cafe, and this is the reason I did not write fooner. I do not know how you now do, nor what your thoughts are respecting your last vifit to us; but I believe it was the most profitable, in general, that ever you paid L; and I think I can fay fo with respect to myself in particular. My views have fince been more brightened, widened, and extended; and fome very sweet and comfortable seasons I have found, both in private and public; and I find, that when we are diligent and earneft with him in the clofet, that he will reward us openly. I had begged the Saviour to communicate fome gift to me by your coming, and my prayer was not in vain; I was refreshed and strengthened, and I feel the effects ftill abiding with me, and I am fure it was of him. But what a compofition of light and darkness, faith and infidelity, I feel myself to

be!

be! Sometimes (as I think) all light, and can difcover deep things out of darkness; and then again all darkness and confufion, and feel for fome one to lead me by the hand. At times ftand fo ftrong, that I am ready to conclude nothing can throw me down any more; but, by and by, I am at the gates of death, and can hardly believe that there is a God in heaven, but that every thing I have felt, feen, or heard of, is a delufion. Some feasons of fweet melting and weeping in private, then I am comfortable; but it is not long before I meet fomething that throws me into a paffion, or the sweetness will begin to wear off, then I am trying to catch it and keep it, and if I cannot I begin to fret, then it is all over. After a few feafons of enlargement in the pulpit, I begin to think that I am going to be moved into a new climate, that I fhall get no more into the dreary regions of darkness, bondage, and bitterness, again; but oh! how I am disappointed! and then conclude it was nothing but froth. But that which flaggers and diftreffes me moft of all, is the attacks which the filthy corruptions of my heart make when they come all of a fudden into my thoughts, just as if the devil had been mustering them up; when I have no inclination for them they force themselves. Thefe are chiefly the fins that I ufed to be a flave to, and they often now get into my thoughts, and there is fomething that is for indulging them, which makes me fear that grace does not reign; for if it did, it would not be fo. This

throws