that is the devil; for this translates us out of the kingdom of Satan into the kingdom of God's dear Son. "That, as sin had reigned unto death, even so might grace reign, through righteousness, unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord," Rom. v. 21.

7th. That the love of God, shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Ghost, is called God's circumcising our heart, to love him that we may live, and that this life of love casts out even the fear of death, when we are made perfect in love.

8th. That God's writing the law of faith in the mind, and putting the law of love into the heart, makes the mind heavenly; and "To be spiritually minded is life and peace." This delivers us from the reigning carnality of the mind, which carries death in it, for, "To be carnally minded is death."

9th. And, as for death temporal, that is turned into a sleep; for, "He that believes shall never die." And thus this change of heart turns the king of terrors into the gift of heaven. " All things are yours, whether life or death." And this is what I understand by abolishing death, and bringing life and immortality to light through the gospel. But I must think of dropping the subject, having spent six whole days, early and late, at this work. Indeed, I do believe that God sent this cold and hoarseness upon me that I might have time to publish my thoughts upon this pleasing and important subject. It is to the

last degree incumbent upon every sincere seeker of Christ to attend to this very thing above every thing else; namely, whether they have life; for comfort may be fetched from this matter, in the worst afflictions. "This is my comfort in my affliction, for thy word hath quickened me," Psalm cxix. 50. "I shall not die but live, and declare the works of the Lord. The Lord hath chastened me sore, but he hath not given me over unto death." Where this divine principle is, there the leaf of profession must and shall be green; they shall not, cannot wither, nor shall they ever cease from yielding fruit, for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. But wherever there is a profession, or even a ministry, without divine life in the heart, the leaf of that profession shall wither, their unripe fruit shall be shaken off, all external appearances, reformation, gifts, and abilities, shall be taken away, and they shall be taken away from Christ, from the communion of saints, and be cast out of the prayers and affections of God's children, and out of all their profession too; and, if they continue until death, even then their hope shall perish, it being not a lively hope, but the hope of the hypocrite; "And the hope of unjust men perisheth," Prov. xi. 7. The faithfulness and truth of God himself stand bound to strip the lifeless professor, and minister of the letter, from all their empty and barren profession, and from all their presumptuous claims upon God.

Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he

taketh away;" and they are burned, for there can be no fruit where there is no life: and how few are there that find this strait gate, and narrow way, that leads to life!

This life appears wonderfully in times of trouble, when temptation and persecution come on because of the word; at which times the lifeless professor takes offence, withers, and falls away. It is often seen that the quickened soul waxes more bold, takes courage, increases in spiritual might, and, knowing his God, becomes strong, and doth exploits, Dan. xi. 32. As his days, so shall his strength be, for God is a very present help in time of trouble; and they that know his covenant name will put their trust in him. He is never more earnest, never more devout, never more fervent, never more above himself, never more instant in prayer or prevalent with God, than when he is opposed, oppressed, or in the furnace of affliction. He then musters even them which

up all his evidences, and hugs he thought but little of before. When God has planted his heavenly crop of divine grace, by his Spirit in the soul, it is his intention that the believer shall make use of them; and, in order to this, he puts him into the furnace, and brings him into such straits, that he shall either engage and prevail, or turn his back, in the day of battle. He shall either pray, or relinquish all claim upon God, believe or flee, hope or despond, dispute his ground, or give up all for lost; as may be seen in

Moses at the Red Sea, in Samson in the house of Dagon, Jonah in the whale's belly, and Hezekiah in his affliction, who found his life where he expected nothing but death. "O Lord, by these things men live, and in all these things is the life of my spirit. So wilt thou recover me, and make me to live."

It is in these straits that the believer is obliged to exercise all his arms and armour, and at such times it is that the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. Here it is that the King is held in the galleries. The spouse holds him, and will not let him go. In such like straits Jacob obtained his victory. He must wrestle, and prevail too, or else see the death of his whole house, according to all human appearance. So it appears also in the Lord's answer to him. "As a prince hast thou power with God and with man, and hast prevailed." He prevailed over Esau and his banditti as well as over the angel. "I will," says God, "bring the third part through the fire, and I will refine them as silver is refined, and try them as gold is tried. They shall call upon my name, and I will hear them, and I will say, It is my people; and they shall say, The Lord is my God," Zech. xiii. 9. And what is this third part which is to be brought through the fire? Why, the elect-of God, and no other. "And it shall come to pass that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die, but the third part

shall be left therein."

And this third part are to

be acknowledged for the Lord's people, and they are to claim him for their God.

Divine life will stand the furnace.

Neither

the world, the flesh, the devil, sin, nor heretics, shall ever be able to wither or kill those trees of righteousness which God waters every moment, and which he keeps night and day. Nor doth God communicate his grace by any minister of the letter: such ministers may alarm the natural consciences of men; and Satan, having possession of their hearts, may work with their natural convictions, and toss them about with wild, violent, and strange horrors and terrors; and, by the assistance of the devil transformed, he may beget them to a bold, daring, presumptuous confidence, which may at times be attended with natural meekness, fleshly pity, and even transient joys may spring up; but, as sure as the God of heaven liveth, so sure will all this crop wither, either in the furnace or in death. I have long watched this, and have never been disappointed yet; nor do I believe I ever shall be. God communicates his Spirit by the ministers of the Spirit. Grace is communicated by the instrumentality of the good stewards of the manifold grace of God, and by no other. The righteousness of Christ goes from faith to faith, not from hypocrites to infidels. God gives testimony to the word of his grace, not to the letter. Ministers of the letter can minister nothing but death. "The letter