It is these things, my fon, that make a minister, and they make a minister a workman that needs not to be ashamed; thou wilt preach the things that thou haft feen and felt, and not be like the false prophets who speak a vision out of their own hearts, when they have feen nothing. Jer. xxiii. 16. Ezek. xiii. 3. Thou wilt fhine in thy Mafter's rays, burn in his love, stand in his ftrength, perfonate his majesty, and speak a vifion out of his mouth; thou wilt not depend on the barren prop of a treacherous memory for matter, but on the Fountain of life, and the fpringing well within, will furnish thee better than ten thousand volumes of the ancient fathers. The words of the Lord are pure words, as gold purified seven times; and when these flow with power from the bowl to the golden pipe, every branch in the candlestick will share in the light and heat, which keeps the virgins with their loins girt and their lamps burning; bleffed is fuch an ambaffador, and bleffed is that hill of Zion that has fuch a watch

man upon its walls; for he cannot hold his peace, he must preach by day and pray by night.

Satan, rebellion, and unbelief, are already mastered and destroyed. Satan, the prince of this world, is both caft down and caft out; and our old man, with all his members, is crucified with Chrift; nor muft my fon expect to get rid of all the old inhabitants of the land, some must be left to prove Ifrael. When we are clothed upon with our house that is from above, then this faying fhall be brought to pass that is writ

ten; and there shall be no more the Canaanite in the boufe of the Lord of hosts. Zech. xiv. 21. Furthermore, these are left to keep us from confidence in the flesh, and from trufting in our own hearts; to keep us looking to Jefus; to exercife us and our grace as foldiers; to make us watch; to furnish us with errands and petitions to the throne of grace; to make us loath felf, and deny it; to make us long to be unclothed; to remind us of our past folly, and to humble us under it; to teach us that this is not our reft; to make us cleave clofe to Chrift, and to depend upon him for fresh fupplies; to fhew us the need of a Saviour, and of momentary fupport from him; to fhew the power of grace over corruption; to give Satan an opportunity of filling up his meafure, by refifting the will of God, and haraffing the objects of his choice. Moreover, the difference between the two covenants is wonderfully feen herein, and the different foundations, the Rock and the fand. Adam could not ftand on the footing of works, when there was no Canaanite in Eden, nor corruption in his heart; but we ftand firm upon the bafes of grace, encompaffed with a legion of foes without, and poffeffed by a million of corruptions within. And in this is wonderfully displayed the riches of God's grace; for it is here that his grace is feen to be fufficient for us, and herein is his ftrength made perfect in weakness. That Adam should stand in jeopardy when in a state of innocence, and we be made to ftand and most gladly to rejoice in

our

our infirmities, is a wonderful mystery; and it may truly be faid of Jacob and of Ifrael, What hath God wrought? Numb. xxiii. 23. Why he has wrought fo, as that there is no inchantment against Jacob, nor divination against Ifrael, notwithstanding all the accufations, temptations, fiery darts, and terrors of Satan; the devils are still fubject to us through his name; and we fhall, by and by, put our feet upon the necks of these lords that have formerly had dominion over us.

Be diligent, ftruggle hard, continue inftant in prayer; plead the atonement, the promises, the invitations, the covenant, and the man at God's right hand made strong for himfelf; plead guilty, and petition for the balm and the hyffop; give him no reft until he establish, and until he and a bleffing in the earth. Lord Jefus Chrift be with thee.

make thee a praise The grace of our Amen.

LETTER XXIII.

To the Rev. Mr. HUNTINGTON.

REV. AND DEAR SIR,

As I called upon you when I was finking in the horrible pit, I thought it but meet and right, now the Lord hath proclaimed my enlargement, to inform you of it; and as I am perfuaded you love to hear of the works of the Lord, and of the power and glory of his kingdom, I am encouraged to write the following account.

I was born of diffenting parents, who brought me up (as it is commonly called) in a religious way, therefore I kept clofe to my meeting from my youth up. When I came to the age of eighteen, I began to be very defirous of understanding the doctrines I had formerly heard preached when I was in the country and being now an apprentice in London, I had an opportunity of hearing various preachers, and generally went to hear thofe that were called found Calvinists, believing fuch to be the minifters of Chrift; but I was often confufed in my judgment by some who were not clear, for I could fee no harmony in their doctrines.

About

About three years ago, by the good providence of God, I was brought under you, where I foon got clear views of the doctrines of the gospel: but I found your preaching to be very contrary to flesh and blood; however, as it was agreeable to divine revelation, I knew it was right.

About this time it pleafed God to impress my mind with a full perfuafion that I must be born again, and that if I died in my present state I could not be faved; this caused me to seek much to God in prayer, that he would bring about this good work. I was convinced of the vanity of my natural religion, and made fenfible of my blindness and ignorance, and that all my knowledge of the doctrines of the gospel, without the power, was vain. wished to be a weary and heavy laden finner; for then, I thought, there might be great hopes of my falvation: but vainly thought that I had not been wicked enough ever to be loaded with guilt and bondage as some are.

I

I understood, by your preaching, that I must pass under the rod before I could be brought into the bond of the covenant; from hence I expected to have some great affliction of body, and likewife to see myself loft, and then God would reveal his Son in me, and all would be well; and thus I attended your ministry for a long time, earnestly begging the Lord to apply his word with power. And when you held forth encouragement to seeking fouls, I

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found