The reader cannot possibly, I think, rise from the perusal of this series of letters without being struck with the piety, zeal, faithfulness, wisdom, and affection, which so eminently distinguish them. One is struck also with the freshness of impression with which they exhibit fundamental doctrines, and with the vividness of their description of the earlier stages of Christian experience. In short, they strikingly illustrate the character of the writer's religion. They are remote, indeed, from "that wretched. quality, by which the sacred name of charity is now so generally and so falsely usurped, and which is no other than indifference; which against the plainest evidence, or at least when there is strong ground of apprehension, is easily contented to believe that all goes on well, because it has no anxieties to allay, no fears to repress:" but they abound with that "true charity" which is "wakeful, fervent, full of solicitude, full of good offices, not so easily satisfied, not so ready to believe that every thing is going on well as a matter of course; but jealous of mischief, apt to suspect danger, and prompt to extend relief.""*-They are equally remote also from that indiscriminate religion, whose first object seems to be, to inspire consolation rather than to produce safety; and which, unscripturally confounding faith with personal assurance of salvation, seems at least, to press upon every one a confidence of his own good state, and acts as if no evil were so prevalent, or so much to be deprecated, as doubting of our own present acceptance with God. The writer of these letters hesitates not to address our fears, as well as our hopes, and brings every scriptural principle and consideration, and not one only, to bear upon us, each in its proper place and direction. We may apply in this connexion, his own observation made many years after, in speaking of Mr. Hart's Hymns: "To doubt the truth of God's word, or the power and willingness of Christ to save all that truly come to him, is direct unbelief: but to doubt whether I come aright, and am a true believer, when many things in my experience and conduct seem inconsistent with the life of faith and grace, is the grand preservative against delusion, and incitement to watchfulness, self-examination, and circumspection. And the same is the case with respect to fear."*

* Wilberforce's Pract. View, e. vii, § 1. + See Letter in Life, p. 233.

3

LETTERS TO THE SISTERS OF THE-PRECEDING

CORRESPONDENT.

1783-1784.

To Mrs. R., described in the Author's Life as his "Friend in Northumberland."*

"DEAR COUSIN,

"Olney, April 15, 1783.

"WHEN your letter came to hand, I was in Lincolnshire, whence I returned on the 19th of last month: and, the very day I arrived at home, it pleased the Lord to begin to afflict me with my very common asthmatical complaint, which I had very bad, and with several relapses; so that, though I was never quite laid by, so as not to preach on the Lord's day, yet I was brought low, and am scarcely recovered yet. This is the only reason of long delaying to answer your letter.

my so

"I had a very comfortable journey, found my friends more cordial, and more disposed to give me a patient hearing than I expected, and some of them treading the ways of the Lord; others somewhat hopeful. I had a door of utterance opened unto me beyond expectation, and returned home full of sanguine hopes that some good would be done by my journey. This, it seems, was more than my poor foolish heart could bear: there needed some bitter to qualify and counteract all this sweet; some physic after so much feasting. Therefore my wise and kind Physician, (having in mercy brought me home first,) immediately discerning the danger, applied the remedy, and I am very base if I do not heartily thank him for it. (2 Cor. xii, 1-10.)

"This you will find in your experience continually (supposing, as I verily believe, that you are the Lord's, and

* A small part of this Letter has appeared in the Life, p. 118,

longing after nearness and conformity to him,) either in a way of providence, by outward things, or in his dealings with your soul in respect to inward exercises. When he sees that, by needful chastisements, disappointments, temptations, and humbling experimental discoveries of the badness of our hearts, we are drooping, and beginning to yield to discouragement; our hands to hang down, and our knees to wax feeble; our minds to be heartless in duty, and dispirited about means, as if praying, reading, hearing availed nothing; then he will give us some cordial, something to encourage our hopes, to cheer and strengthen us, and enable us to run and not be weary, to walk and not faint; yea to sing in the ways of the Lord. But, when our gracious Lord sees that, by having our desires in outward things, a freedom from trials and temptations, and much liberty and comfort in religion, our silly hearts begin to be lifted up; that we grow prone to self-confidence, and self-preference, and to shine in our own eyes, as something better and more excellent than others, as persons of some eminence or importance; or, when he sees us cleaving to earthly things, idolizing them, or growing unwatchful; he will soon in his love, and care, and wisdom, send us some salutary affliction, temptation, or bitter humbling experience; and it is a mercy if we are not left, as Hezekiah was, by some outward sin to learn the depth of the depravity of our hearts. Now, I suppose, by your letter, that you are learning these lessons in your experience, and that I am only telling you what you knew before; but with this advantage, that I state it before you as the Lord's dealing with those he loves; and endeavor to point out to you that there is unspeakable wisdom and grace in this his manage. ment, to keep us at once humble and thankful, and in good measure joyful; that you may take the comfort of it, and give him the praise. You have nothing to do but to keep close to the means, especially reading the word, and prayer; to avoid sin and temptation as much as you can, and to follow after holiness as the grand blessing in time and eternity; seeking it from Christ by faith and prayer, as the purchase of his blood, and the fruit of his intercession: and in this way, which is your part, leave all the rest to the Lord, and give him credit for it that he will manage all for you well and wisely, faithfully and graciously. And, if in this way your experience teaches you to think more and more highly of the Lord, and more and more meanly

of yourself, and of all your attainments, this is all right, for ́it is according to the truth: for He is infinitely great and good, glorious and lovely, and we are much meaner and viler than can be expressed, or than we any of us in this world think ourselves to be. This also will make us more and more humble and self-denied; more full of reverence of his majesty, love of his excellency, delight in his sufficiency, gratitude for his mercies, zeal for his glory, submission to his will, confidence in his love, and devotedness to his service; which is the very temper of a child, the spirit of adoption, whereby the Spirit witnesseth with our spirit that we are the children of God."

To another Sister.

ON THE KNOWLEDGE OF PARDON-AND THE WITNESS OF THE SPIRIT.

Olney, May 22, 1783.

"YOUR sister, having had my letters blessed of God to her soul, has an opinion that they would be attended with the same blessing to you. She has, therefore, begged me to write to you. Whether the Lord will be pleased to own the feeble attempt or not, I cannot tell: but both my general regard to all who love the Lord, and my particu lar attachment to your family, and my being a debtor to all to do them all the good in my power, incline me to make the trial, and to give you my thoughts on the subjects proposed. And may the Lord teach me to speak a word in season, which may both relieve and profit your soul, and teach you how to be helpful to others in like perplexities!

"The two main things that your sister mentions are these: 1. Others know the time when, and the place where, the Lord spake peace to their souls; but you do not. 2. Others have the witness of the Spirit; but you do not know any thing of it.

"Now, in our day, there is a vast outcry among the ungodly against enthusiasm, and every thing in diligent religion is branded with that name. Would to God care

were taken among ministers and Christians to guard against the thing itself, while they treat with neglect unjust censures about it!-Believe me, there is a great deal of enthusiastical delusion in this matter: and those things which

you are desirous of, and troubled at wanting, are, in their sense of them, unscriptural; and give Satan an occasion of deluding some, and distressing others. By setting up false evidences of conversion, and overlooking the true ones, many think they are converted, who are only stony-ground hearers: they have these false evidences, and are more confident than conscientious. Others that are humble, and tender in conscience, but paying an undue regard to these false evidences, distress themselves because they want them. Now, though true Christians sometimes have them, yet hypocrites are much more likely to have them; they being such as Satan can counterfeit, and doth counterfeit to deceive and lull asleep persons under some convictions, but not converted:-as, for example, words brought to the mind, wondrous sights to the imagination, pleasing feelings in the soul.

"Now, though, in some cases, persons may know the time and the place, both when they were awakened, and when they were comforted; yea, when they were brought to submit to God's righteousness in their condemnation, notwithstanding all their endeavors, and to cast themselves on his free mercy through the blood of Jesus, and to see his whole character and conduct lovely, and Christ precious, and his salvation glorious, and holiness beautiful, and his service perfect freedom: yet it is not generally thus. At first, knowledge is usually scanty, experiences are indistinct, and views of divine things are confused, and mixed with inconsistency. Then shall ye know, if ye follow on to know the Lord: his going forth is prepared as the morning. Now in the morning the day dawns, a glimmering beam diffuses itself; but it is dusk still, and objects are indistinctly perceived: but gradually it grows lighter. Thus it commonly is with true Christians.-In time they find that these effects are produced: and, if they are certainly produced, it matters not whether we know when or where. If God hath shewn you the strictness and goodness of the law, and your obligations as his creature to love and obey him according to it, so as to convince you that, by nature and practice, you are an inexcusable sinner, deserving of his wrath; that none of your doings can make him your debtor, or give you any claim upon his justice, or make it unjust in him to condemn you: if you see your best deeds to be sinful, and to need forgiveness; and, seeing this, take the blame to yourself, cast yourself on free mercy, as