of all finners I am the very chief, and the very laft that ever could have expected falvation; and that it is by the free, fovereign, unmerited, unlooked for, undeserved, and unexpected grace of God, that I am what I am; and that by the fame grace it is that I have been enabled to continue unto this very day; and the fame almighty power that began the work at first, and that turned my heart from the love of fin to the love of God, hath kept me hitherto; and I am fully perfuaded that he will keep me, through faith in Chrift Jefus, ftill on in the way, until at laft I receive the end of my faith, even the everlasting falvation of my foul, when faith fhall be turned into fight, and hope into full enjoy

ment.

Old things are paffed away with me, and behold all things are become new, for the very works, ways, and pursuits, that I delighted in, practised, and followed, I do now flee from, abhor, and detest. Jefus Chrift is all in all in my heart, and I can appeal to him, as the felf-existent Jehovah, and the omniscient God, with Peter of old, and fay, Lord, thou knoweft all things; thou knoweft that I love thee, and that above every other object. And again, I am fure I can come up to John's ftandard, We know that we are paffed from death unto life, because we loved the brethren; for I do, in my heart, fincere ly love all them that love our Lord Jefus Chrift in fincerity and in truth, and do efteem them the only excellent of the earth. Other lords have had do

minion over me, and reigned and ruled in me, and would have reigned until this day had I been left to myself; but now I defire no other king but Jefus to reign and rule in my heart, and to make mention of his righteousness, and of his only. I do think that there is no heart fo pestered with unbelief as mine; I daily have abundant reason to say, with the difciples of old, Lord, increafe my faith. The promife is, Grace shall reign, fin fhall not have dominion; and, to the honour of the Lord's bleffed name, I can fay this has hitherto been fulfilled in me; for though fin hath reigned and exceedingly abounded in me, yet free grace hath much more abounded. I find the old man and the new principle working in me, and warring a continual warfare; but the promife is, The elder fhall ferve the younger; and I believe it ever shall be, according to the word of the Lord.

My reafons for writing these are principally two: the one is that of the apostle's, Let him that is taught in the ward communicate unto him that teacbeth in all good things. The other is this-I have long had a defire to become one amongst you externally, though internally I have been in union with you for years, but being a very timorous person, I have deferred letting my defire be made known until now; and being afraid that, through the deceitfulness of my unbelieving heart, and the corruption of my nature, I fhould one day fall, I thought I had better fall alone, than bring any fcandal upon the people of

God.

God. But having had many comfortable vifits lately, and many tokens for good, my defire is increased, so that I cannot help making it known, as I would wish to wait upon Christ in all the means of his appointment, with full purpofe of heart, neglecting none, expecting to find his promised prefence in them, and to receive the promised bleffings by them. I know that all means in themselves are dry, barren, and empty things, except the Lord is pleased to communicate grace to his people by them, and to bless them to our edification and comfort, working every faving grace in us, and applying truth effential to falvation with power to our every hearts through his appointed means: and, as he ha's been "pleased to circumcife my heart to love him, his people, and his way, and to clofe in with Jefus Chrift, and him crucified, as my Saviour; fo it is the defire of my foul to live to his glory and his praife, to keep preffing forward, refting in no present attainment, but pursuing the good old way, in company with that part of his army, over which he has made you under captain and leader, towards that great and glorious recompenfe of reward, eternal rest and glory, which he has promised to give to all his chofen people.

I would defire to blefs God for ever, for bringing me under your miniftry, for opening my blind eyes to fee how I had been led on by blind watchmen, and for enlightening me into, and bringing me in any measure to the knowledge of the truth as

it

it is in Jefus, and for opening my heart fo as to receive the truth in the love of it; and, above all, for not fuffering me to ftumble at the divinity of Jefus Chrift, as it is upon this refts the efficacy of every doctrine of the gospel: destroy this, and make him no more than a creature, or any thing lefs than the self-exiftent, omniscient, omniprefent, and omnipotent Jehovah, and the one fupreme God, with the Father and the Spirit, and then I am fure there can be no falvation, all must perish and be loft; and I will infift upon this as long as I live in this world, that was he not in my heart and affections, as very and truly a divine and felf-exiftent perfon, and poffeffed of every attribute and perfection of deity, no one could preach any gofpel, no one could publish any good news, no one could proclaim any glad tidings, or bring any joyful meffage to my foul. For, fuppofe him a man, as he truly was, and to be perfectly holy, even as holy as the law; and fuppofe him to keep it in all points, fo as never, in thought, word, or deed, to deviate therefrom, yet what is that to me? Nothing at all. A man's righteousness may profit himself, but then there is nothing for me, his poor neighbour; he has nothing to boast of, he has done that which was commanded him to do, and no more; as our dear Saviour beautifully fets it forth in Luke xvii, by the master and the servant, and then applies it to his difciples, faying, So likewife ye, when ye shall have done all these things which are commanded you, fay, We

are

are unprofitable fervants; we have done that which was our duty to do. Woe then to that person whose faith and hope of everlasting life, and blessedness in heaven, are not built upon Immanuel, God with us. As man, he obeyed and suffered; as God, he merited; and as God-man, two perfect natures in the unity of the one person of Chrift, he wrought out and brought in an everlasting righteoufnefs, which is the one, only, and alone righteousness that can justify a finner from all things, and present him faultlefs before the throne in the day of judgment; he was made fin for us who knew no fin, that we might be made the righteoufnefs of God in him: but destroy this union of the two natures in the person of Christ, and then none can appear righteous; no, not one. O! that you may ever continue to defend this fure foundation of the Chriftian religion, and infift upon the need and neceffity of being firmly fixed and established in the faith of it, in order to our being faved. The Lord was pleased to cause you to dwell much upon it fome time back, and, bleffed be his precious name, I received great benefit and establishment from it; take away this, and nothing left worth

you take away all, there is having, all must die in their fins; For, if ye believe not that I am (fays the Saviour), ye shall die in your fins; and then the confequence must be certain destruction, because the unrighteous fhall not enter the kingdom of God, and by the law there is none righteous, no, not one. I have, through rich

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grace,