rity to his children, springs from his grace. The most affectionate parent will frown at, rebuke, and chastise his child. God frowns in love, rebukes in love, strikes in love: "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten." This is the Lord's encouraging declaration." Be zealous therefore, and repent," this is his wise and kind command. Some, like clay, are hardened by the furnace; others, like stubble, are consumed by it; but when we “are tried," may we, “come forth as gold." In self-wil! is self-torment, under every blessing and every cross; but when the mind is "reconciled to God," and wishes to be found only in his will, it is a sure sign, that it is well, and will be well, with such a soul. Be not anxious when naturt sinks; the God of nature is the same; and I assure you, that when my "flesh has failed," it has been a consideration very consolatory to my mind, that the God in whom I trust, reigns. Yes Jehovah reigns over life and health, disease and death. But (more cheering truth!) Grace reigns, over the most complicated and repeated offences of the soul, the sinful soul, that confides only, and wholly upon the grace of God, displayed in Christ Jesus. What a mercy to be stripped of fleshly and self-righteous robes— to feel deeply and painfully our insufficiency in strength and worth; and to be constrained by self-emptying, and soul-proving dispens tions, to rest in God, only in God, as helpless creatures, and selfcondemned sinners. In moments of health and sickness, God has been your hope and help. Courage! my dear friend, courageHe is still "the God of hope." Cast the anchor of your hope in a Saviour's atonement, and rest in that plea for "forgiveness of sins. Fix your confidence in his perfect righteousness, and plead that for your entire justification. I trust this Saviour's compassion, and power, to support body and mind. Jesus is the source in his love, merit and ability, through all the changes of your frail body and "feeble mind." "Is any afflicted, let him pray," says the God of mercy. This shows that gracious souls may be afflicted, that God encourages. not their despondency, but their prayers, and that this encourage. ment is extensive" is any afflicted?" Would he so exhort, if he were inattentive to the prayers of his afflicted ones? No, surely! but he knows, that in affliction it is often hard to believe our prayers acceptable, and, therefore, he says "is any afflicted, let him pray." Pray for me; and in return, I hope to remember you in my poor requests, and our prayers will not be the less acceptable for our trials. With tender and affectionate wishes for you and Mr. Searle, I am, affectionately your's, J. COOKE. Dear Sir, LETTER XXVII.-To A MINISTER. On Liberality of Sentiment. THE Occasion of the conversation to which you refer, was Mr. J's asking me, if I had any objections to preach for him? To which I answered-not one. He added, that on preaching for an Arminian, he was blamed for not speaking against their tenets. This led me to remark, that I had no objection to preach for a papistthat I would not willingly offend him, but preach my own sentiments freely, as in any other pulpit; without any indecent personal attack on his peculiarities. I added, that I had been blamed and wondered at, for preaching at Chosely that day; but I hated bigotry in all parties, and would never be in bondage to any man, or to any party. Your name was then mentioned by a brother, and nearly all present united in one sentiment, of what you would do in an Arian pulpit, &c., according to your views of faithfulness. All thought that although you would not acknowledge Luther or Calvin, Whitfield or Westley, Fuller or Baxter, for your oracle, yet you actually did this in reference to Dr. Gill, whose name brother H— happily omitted in his sermon! It does appear to all ministers who mention your name, and most private Christians, that your soul is contracted by your system; and, I confess, I think so. But most of them dislike your company, and tell each other so, because they think you narrow and bigotted, and violent in propagating your own ideas, and in opposing those of other good men. For this reason, Mr. M—, Mr. G, and other ministers have never associated with you; and the hearers of ministers have imbibed the same thoughts and feelings. Now I am really sorry, because it shuts you out from amiable brethren, and them from the benefit of communion with you. All the ministers in the garden said that you could not maintain your ground, but few perhaps would tell you so. Your saying "blindness in part is happened to Israel," is a truth which both parties may apply to each other; but such an assertion is not reasoning, but assuming. I know your ground, for I have walked over it: to me, its influence was like frost; and I am thankful for that light and liberty, which I allow you to think darkness and bondage. You are, my dear brother, really an unfair reasoner. You break your friend's sentences, oppose detached parts of his arguments, an are too much agitated and concerned for victory, to prevent you from interrupting your antagonist. And I think, when you are pushed hard, and fairly disarmed, you will not candidly allow the force of a brother's argument, although you evidently feel it, and show it by your countenance, your silence, or your evasions. In the place of an argument you put the charge of Baxterianism, or Fullerism; but this is not stronger as an argument on your side, than the retort of Gillism on their side, would be against you. I think I could have pushed you hard with that text, "and thou Solomon, my son, know thou the God of thy fathers, &c." On my own plan, I feel no difficulty in using it; but it does not accord with your system. And I cannot forbear thinking, that your system has blinded your mind relative to the state of Simon Magus. I did not wonder that Dr. W., for a reward, should have exdeavoured to torture the original to prove it; but you go mus farther, in supposing (if you really think so) that our translation proves it! The clause on which you rest your argument will not bear it, much less the word also. "And Simon himself believed also." "The devils also believe and tremble." "Simon believed"-a man so ignorant of the Gospel as to attempt to purchase the Spirit of God with a sum of money---so awfully criminal as to induce the Apostle Peter to address him in so singular a manner, as if he were not sure his sin was pardonable" If, perhaps, it may be forgiven;”—A man whose heart was not right, sincere, in the sight of God; a man who, from his whole history, appears to have been under the dominion of pride, ambition, covetousness, and hypocrisy; and who showed no sign of real repentance, even after the awful warning of the Apostle-but only appears anxious to escape punishment-makes no confession of sin-put not up a prayer for himself—was even inferior to Pharoah, in the apparent signs of repentance. That such a man, a monster, should be called a Christian a believer! a converted man! shocks my reason, my feelings, and all my sentiments of God, of Christ, and of his truth; and appears to me most dangerous in its tendency on our hearers. But believe me, if I did not think your heart was better than a system which requires such a perversion of Scripture, I should think myself happy in proportion to my distance from you. But I throw the blame of such violence to God's word, not on your heart but on your system; a system (pity my blindness) which I would not be under, (and I know its influence) for all the wealth of the Indies; a system attended with six or seven evil consequences. It leads you to make God's secret will, which does not belong to you, the rule of your preaching, instead of his revealed will. It leaves sinners an excuse for their sins, as you say it is not their duty to repent, because they are unregenerate characters. It impeaches the sincerity of God, in his invitations, promises and threatenings. It greatly lessens the number of useful arguments in addressing saints and sinners. It is opposite to a system which God has most extensively patronized in the conversion and edification of soulsand it renders some passages of God's word totally inexplicable. As one instance, I ask you to explain the following passage-" Who will have all men to be saved, and come to the knowlege of the truth." Now I consider myself, for distinction's sake, to be a Calvinist : yet not Calvin, but Christ is my master and your's. I will not name other passages. I do not wish for controversy—but I despair of seeing a consistent sense of the above passage on your present principles, to name no other. change render you Admit that be Let every past Your's, &c. J. COOKE. LETTER XXVIII.-TO AN UNCONVERTED PERSON IN AFFLICTION. Dear Sir, GOD grants you space to repent and flee for refuge to Jesus Christ, the hope set before you. There is no other name given under heaven among men, whereby we can be saved. To slight this Saviour, is to reject the only remedy. To neglect his great salvation, is the greatest of all sins-a sin which neither Pagans, nor fallen angels, can commit. It will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for such a soul. The plan of saving lost souls through the atonement of the Redeemer, is the result of infinite wisdom and love. The unparalleled agonies of the Saviour, when he sweat great drops of blood, falling to the ground,-when he suffered the awful curse due to sin,-illustrates, demonstrates, and glorifies the holiness and justice of God,— proves the awful condition and worth of the soul, to require such a ransom, and the infinite malignity of sin, to require such an atonement. Here also the divine grace and mercy shine, in pardoning freely, fully, and finally, the sinner that rests his hope on this truth, of deliverance from the guilt, the reign, and punishment of sin. The great enemy of souls seeks your ruin, by flattering you with false hopes, or by tempting you to despair. He may suggest false notions of God to your mind, as if he were too kind to punish the impenitent, so kind as to accept a feigned repentance, or too holand just to pardon a penitent and believing sinner. He will attemp to ruin you, by diverting you from "the things which belong to your peace," by trifling amusements, the cares of business, the flatteries of friends, the frivolous conversation of visitors, or the delusive promises of future days you may never see, and future exertions you may never make. He tempts us to be ashamed of Christ, and to fear the cross in following him Now---it is too soon, then---too late, to surrender our souls to the teaching, the saving power, and gracious government of him, who is able to save to the uttermost. But he who is the wonderful counsellor, and "mighty to save,"-can expose and defeat his stratagems, arm you with wisdom and strength to escape, to conquer his temptations, and settle your soul in a calm, immoveable and delightful confidence on his mercy, faithfulness and power. |