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in all his operations; and yet, we secretly repine, or openly mur mur, as if we had discovered a defect in the divine plan. Facts prove, that man may be happy or miserable, in any outward cirSome are rich, healthy, and unhappy: others are poor, or sick, and yet happy in the favour of God. It is not the outward condition; but the disposition of the mind, on which, under God, our peace depends. You sustained a loss of five or six hundred pounds, in one winter, by the death of your horses :-through the folly of an uncle, I lost between two and three thousands a year; but it becomes us to acknowledge GoD in this dispensation, and to believe, that our loss is our gain. Humanly speaking, had I possessed all earthly good, to which I was entitled, I had never heard the gospel! "Blessed be the name of the Lord."

Observation teaches us, that unsanctified prosperity is a curse; by cherishing proud independence, self-will, covetousness, evil passions, and neglect of God: and that sanctified trials prove blessings, by weaning us from the world, and leading us to seek our happiness in the substantial blessings of the gospel. Were we as wise for eternal life, as worldly men are for temporal things; and as diligent in the means of obtaining the one, as they are for the other, our souls would prosper, we should enjoy God, ourselves, and our temporal blessings. Then, if the fields should yield no grass or corn, the cattle should fail, trade become dull, and all worldly prospects clouded, we should "rejoice in the Lord, and triumph. in the God of our salvation." Faith in the grace and promises of God in Christ, and prayer for the enjoyment of spiritual blessings, is "the secret of the Lord," made known to " those that fear him. Wishing myself, and you, and your's, that happiness,

I remain,

Your faithful and affectionate Friend,
JOHN COOKE.

LETTER LV.-To A MINISTER.

(On the Condemnation of Sinners.)

My dear Brother,

Maidenhead, Sept. 1813.

Surely

In one part of our last conversation, you appeared to me to thak, that there was no condemnation against sinners, but for the breach of the moral law. I said, that" making light of Christ," neglecting the great salvation, unbelief, self-righteous pride, prevailing love of sin under the gospel, exposed the sinner to greater misery. nothing but a partial, rigid system, could oppose this truth. You allow the sinner is condemned for transgressing the moral law, but not that he is condemned to greater misery, if he rejects the gospel. Why? Because he will not, and cannot believe the gospel. But if this inability be not criminal, his inability to keep the law is not so, for he cannot love God and man. Why? Not because he cannot love, but because he cannot love a holy God; not his will, his heart being enmity itself against his will. You allow the latter to be criminal, and is not enmity to the gospel crima! Why does not the sinner receive it? Because the doctrines of grace are too humbling for his pride, and the injunctions of the gospel too pure for his inclinations. Are not pride and the love of sin ciminal? And does not sin expose to fewer or more stripes, according to its aggravations?

I know of no sin against the moral law which is unpardonable; but there is such a thing as sinning against the grace and confirmed truth of the gospel, for which there is no forgiveness, Matt. x 31, 32. There is no sin against the moral law, which my brothe may commit, but I am allowed to pray for the forgiveness of it; bu there is a sin against the revealed remedy, for the forgiveness of which I am forbidden to pray, 1 John, v. 16. There is no kind of sin against the moral law, which the blood of Christ will not expiate, but there is a sin against the gospel, which the blood of Christ was not shed to expiate, Heb. x. 26. There is no sin against the moral law which has not been repented of, but there is a sin against the gospel never repented of; Heb. vi. 6. If a man hears the gospel, attended by conviction, profession, and external privileges, and

"turns the grace of God into lasciviousness," is not this a crime against the gospel, for which he is exposed to greater punishment, than those will suffer, who are only under the guilt of violating the moral law? See Jude.

Inability to keep the law and receive the gospel, is proportionable to the degree of our criminality, and the measure of our guilt. The pillow of inability, is the rest of unconverted sinners under the gospel. It is the secret and constant plea for themselves," I pray thee have me excused," for I am unable to keep the law, or believe the gospel. Those who hear the gospel, and prefer the reign of sin to the reign of grace in their salvation, are charged with the crime, and punished for it, Luke xix. 27.

The odour of rich aromatics revives some; they are life unto life. Such is the gospel believed. But if unbelief, self-righteousness, and the love of sin, reign, finally, under the gospel, there is not only for the sinner death by the law, but " death unto death." The sinner is dead in sin, and dead by sin," the soul that sinneth, it shall die." A remedy is provided and proclaimed to him; and if he TRAMPLES under foot the "BLOOD OF THE SON OF GOD," does he not increase his crimes, and augment his misery? Or does his love of sin, which is his inability, exeuse him for sinning against the proclaimed grace of Christ, the love of the Father, and the Spirit of Grace?

You remarked, there was not any occasion for the condemnation of a sinner, beyond the moral law. But surely the moral law is not the only book to be opened at the judgment seat. Those who have lived under the gospel, will be judged by it. "THE WORD THAT I

HAVE SPOKEN, the same shall judge him in the last day," John, xii. 47. On whom will vengeance fall? On them that obey not the gospel of Christ, 2 Thess. i. 8, 9. If disobedience to the law of Moses was punished with a just recompence of reward, how shall we escape, if we NEGLECT THE GREAT SALVATION?

On other subjects, you call Christ the sole Legislator under the Christian dispensation. And can he be "the Lord, the King of Zion," without law? And has that law no sanctions? Or is disobedience to the authority and will of Christ, in the gospel, no sin? Is the command to all men, every where to repent, a command of the law? No, of the gospel! What is the sanction of this command? What its motives? Repent, the kingdom of heaven is at

hand. "Except ye repent, ye shall perish." What is the command of Christ, under the gospel, to sinners? Repent ye, and believe the gospel. The sinners in Sodom, under the law, were condemned; but it shall be more tolerable for the sinners in Sodom, in the day of judgment, who did not repent, than for sinners under the gospel. Why? because they were under the law? No; because they were under the gospel, and " because they repented not!" To break the law, is to sin against the authority, the holiness, justice, and power of God. But sin under the gospel is also against the mercy, grace, and love of God,-against the blood of Christ, and the Spirit of Grace. The law admitted an atonement; the gos;d reveals it. But that atonement trampled on, there remains no other sacrifice for sin. What is the threatening against this sin under the gospel? A much sorer punishment.

The inability of the covetous, the dishonest, the malignant, the fornicator, the single and double adulterer, and the self-righteous is proportionable to his love of sin. If they believe not," they have no cloke for their sin."

And shall ministers of Christ find them a cloke, in their criminal inability? If they repent not, they shall perish. If they beneve not, they shall be damned. If they love not Christ, they shall be accursed.

And if any preacher shall assure them, that impenitence, unbelief, and want of love to Christ, will be excused by their inabuty, and that they will be condemned for breaking the law only, let that minister be prepared to answer it, at the judgment seat of Christ, before the great white throne. When, as St. Paul declares, "God shall judge the secrets of men, according to my gospel." Is it no additional crime in a transgressor of the law, that be afterwards slights the proclamation of MERCY? If guilty, he ma and often does, justify himself, extenuate his crimes, complain of the strictness of the law and the severity of justice. Is not his proud contempt of offered mercy a crime? But perhaps he cannot repent and confess his sins. Is his impenitency an excuse?

If I appeal to experience, there is not a member of the church, who has not been more deeply affected, with his sin against CHRIST, the GRACE of God-the SPIRIT of grace, than against the moral law; because he knew the reason, or cause of his not receiving Christ, was his love of sin! He did not so much fear

damnation for breaking the moral law, as for not believing in "Christ, who is the end of the law, to every one that believeth."

Hence the fears of thousands, not that they shall perish, because they have broken the law; but that they have committed the unpardonable sin, which is a sin against the gospel!

I have seen persons sensible of condemnation by the law, instantly relieved, by opening the gospel to them; but souls who have felt the guilt of slighting the LOVE-the BLOOD-the GRACE of a Saviour, have sweat all but drops of blood, under the guilt of neglecting, slighting, abusing redeeming mercy.

What was the sin which overwhelmed the soul of "the chief of sinners?" Sin, not merely against the moral law, (that came afterwards) but I was a persecutor of Jesus-a blasphemer of Jesus-injurious, to Jesus-his cause and his saints!—sin against the gospel!

To break the law without repentance, is to "die,—without mercy;" as you observed, the law speaks not a syllable of mercy. This is a sore punishment, to "die without mercy," for breaking the law: but of how much sorer punishment, shall he be thought worthy (appealing to your reason and conscience), who has trampled under foot, the blood of the Son of God?

Is this not a crime, in addition to breaking the moral law? And has "the law of grace," no sanctions? If your hearers live after the flesh, they shall die," though hearers of the gospel. May you be " pure from their blood !"

Pardon the freedom of your affectionate brother,
JOHN COOKE.

LETTER LVI.-To A YOUNG MAN DESIRING THE MISSIONARY

WORK.

My dear Sir,

Maidenhead, May 29, 1821.

I SHALL be ready to receive any communications on the subject of your letter, any time after to-morrow, and shall leave the season to your own choice. If you would write the occasion, progress, and present motives of your desire to become a Missionary; what

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