LETTER II.

Lambeth, Jan. 18, 1763.

MY DEAR FRIEND,

I OFTEN remember you in the best place, and

for the best purposes: But cannot bring myself to love the writing of letters; yet I have again taken up my pen to wish you every spiritual blessing purchased by the life and death of our incarnate God; and that will make you as happy as you can be on this side of heaven. In this new year, may you grow in the knowledge of the excellency of his most adorable person, of his completely finished salvation, and of your own particular interest in it: and, having these believing views, may you glorify him by living happily upon his fulness! I know a little of these matters, and but little; yet I am sitting, abashed at my ignorance, at my master's feet. He has made me willing to hear his words, and I find his lips so full of grace, that I cannot spare a moment for my Homer or Virgil, my favourite Tully or Demosthenes. Adieu, for ever, to all the classics. I see a heavenly life, as well as a matchless beauty in my Lord's words

and though I am a dull scholar, yet he is a blessed master, He keeps me waiting upon him, day by day, trusting nothing to my own understanding, but listening continually to his instruction: so he gets all the glory of making me wise unto salvation. To this great prophet may you repair for instruction, all this year! He teaches, as never man taught. His doctrine is with power and demonstration of the Spirit. He can so humble your pride, that you shall be as dependant on him as a new-born babe; and then, having emptied you of your own carnal reason, and false wisdom, he will enlighten you, by his Word and Spirit, with saving truth. Here the humblest scholar learns the most: indeed he has learned the most; for our highest lesson is to learn, how to live upon him, who was made of God unto us wisdom; and he, who relies most upon him for that wisdom, will certainly be the wisest. If the whole world was mine, and I could purchase what I would with it, I would give it all to be a scholar made poor in spirit at Christ's féet: and what then can I wish, my dear friend, better, than to be one of his little children, whom he teaches his mind and will? Only I could wish you more humbled, that you may more perfectly learn the two blessed truths, which he is exalted to teach his people; namely, to believe in his blood and righteousness, and to live upon his grace and power.

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His prophetical office is to teach us, how to be al ways safe, by believing in him, and always happy, by living upon him. He has the residue of the Spirit with him, and he sends him into the believer's heart, to be always preaching this most comfortable doctrine, that whatever he wants for his acceptance at the bar of justice, it is perfectly to be had, and freely in the fulness of the Lord Christ. Sins as red as scarlet, sins as th merous as the stars, or as the sand t upon the seashore innumerable, and nature as black as hell, a heart as wicked as the devil, the divine and eternally precious blood of Jesus, can so cleanse and purify, that not one spot shall remain: for he is Almighty. He has all power in heaven and earth to pardon sin. If I had been guilty of all the sins of Adam and Eve, and of all their descendants to this day, yet, believing in him, I should be safes because his blood cleanseth from all sin. And, in Christ, the believer has a better righteousness than that of the angels; theirs is finite, his is infinitea better righteousness than that of our first parents in paradise, theirs was the righteousness of a creature, and they lost it; this is the righteousness of God, and it is an everlasting righteousness, never to be lost. It is the righteousness' in which the saints stand before God, for ever and ever. When the holy spirit takes of these things of Christ, and

preaches them to the heart, oh, what a sweet peace follows! For the believer then finds himself saved from all the miseries of sin, and entitled to all the blessings of etenal glory. And being thus persuaded of his safety, by believing in the atoning blood of our great high priest, then the holy spirit teaches him how to live upon Christ, and how to make use of Christ's fulness. On our learning this lesson depends our comfortable walk heaven-wards: for Christ does not give us a stock of grace, and expect us to improve it by being faithful to grace given. No, no; that is not his way. Our souls must depend upon him, as our bodies do upon the elements of this world. Every moment we must live by faith upon his fulness, and be every moment receiving out of it grace for grace. And this is our happiness; to have all in Christ. A beggar in myself, but rich with unsearchable eternal riches in him. Ignorant still in myself, but led and taught by his unerring wisdom. A sinner still, but believing in his blood and righteousness. Weak and helpless still, but kept by his almighty love. Nothing but sorrow in myself, nothing but joy in him. Oh! this is a blessed life. No tongue can tell what a heaven it is, thus to live by faith upon the Son of God. Thanks be to him, I know a little of it, and I

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cannot but heartily pray that you may know more of it this year than you ever did. Surely I could not have thought some years ago, that there was such an heaven upon earth as I now find-blessings for ever on the Lamb! May you find it more and more! Sweet Jesus! keep you my dear friend.

Yours,

W. R

LETTER III.

Lambeth, March 26, 1763.

THANKS to my dear friend for her kind let

ter this morning! The subject enquired after is what I have been long exercised about, both in my own soul and in my ministry. And for the sake of weak believers, and to save myself great trouble in continually conversing with these persons, I resolved to write a little treatise upon the subject. I trust my time and strength, what I have and am, is now the Lord's. I wish he may use