I Thank you for the letter of your correfpondent. What he fays about luminous joy, may fometimes be the cafe in fome of God's dear children; but I apprehend, that God's defign in withholding from them thofe gracious influences, which work upon and melt the fenfitive, affectionate part in the foul, is to put us more upon ufing the nobler powers, the understanding and the will. These are always more in the reach of a child of God, while the other greatly depend upon the texture of the animal frame; and if they are not ftirred in a natural way, the Spirit of God can alone, without our concurrence in general, excite them. Do you believe, love, take up your cross, and run after Jesus. You must let friends and foes talk about your dress, while you mind only Jefus, his word, and your own confcience. You talk of hearing me foon-I dare never invite any one to hear me, though I am glad to fee my friends: but now I can invite you with pleasure to come and hear a preacher, who, under God, will make you amends for the trouble of a journey to Madeley. His name is. M; he may possibly stay a Sunday or two more with me; but Jefus has promifed to be always with his poor followers: To his merciful hands I commend both you and your unworthy friend, I. F. Madeley, Mifs Hatton. Madeley, Aug. 8th, 1765. MR. M and I have confidered your objections to our little confeffion of faith: be pleafed to take the following fhort anfwers. (I.) We do not forget, that God works all good in all men: this is clearly implied in our firft article; but we do not believe, that his working is generally irrefiftible, or that it fuperfedes our being workers together with him. (II.) Can any one work out his falvation, by a faith productive of fanctification, and yet neglect good works? Impoffible! (III.) Obdurate finners, if their day of grace is not over, have always power to believe fome legal truths at leaft, and to renounce fome abominations in confequence of that belief: if they refift the Spirit here, what wonder that he does not proceed any farther! Convictions of fin, as well as of righteoufnefs, are not always fo ftrong as to carry all before them. As the dew falls more frequently on the earth than hard fhowers, fo more gentle, lefs obfervable, and more gradual droppings of grace defcend upon earthly hearts, more frequently than driving storms of fear, or strong transports of love: their effects may be as gracious, tho' lefs forcible, and God hath all the glory of the one, as well as of the other. (IV.) found of the gospel believe with the heart &c?" Through the power of God, always more or lefs "Can convinced finners under the prefent, prefent, they can believe with the heart those truths, which are fuited to their wants, and properly propofed to them. If they cannot, why does God call upon them to believe, and fend them word, they ihall be damned if they do not? As to your query "Does not God fometimes delay to confer the power to believe, for a trial of the grace of conviction?" We anfwer, that we fee no fuch thing in the new teftament, and that the affertion feems to be a piece of human wifdom. Why were not the convictions of the harlot, of the 3000, the 5000, the jailer, and others, tried by a refufal of the gift of faith? If, therefore, perfons truly convinced of fin, do not believe to the comfort of their fouls, we apprehend the reafon to be, their being kept in the dark as to the gofpel way of falvation, their confounding faith and its fruits, their difregarding the one talent, and defping the little leaven, and the faith which is fmall as a grain of mustard feed: in thort, their rejecting an inward Christ, becaufe he does not make his appearance, at firft, as a mighty, glorious conqueror, but as a weak, naked, crying babe, who wants both milk and fwaddling clothes for his prefent fuftenance. 66 "It is granted, that convinced people fhould "be preft to make an effort to believe, not doubting of the Lord's concurrence with their "attempt. Here, we apprehend, you grant us what we contend for; it being abfurd to make any attempt towards what is totally impoffible. If fuch people ought to attempt to believe now,-and not to doubt of the Lord's concurrence with their attempt, it follows, that either you prefs *Mark xvi. and 16. them them not to doubt of a lie, or that the Lord now helps them to believe, if they will accept his help in the manner and way it is offered. We cannot conceive what ingredient more you would require to make faith, than on the one fide, the promise of God and the gracious help of his Spirit, and on the other, genuine conviction and an humble attempt to caft ourfelves on the fidelity, mercy, and power of the Lord. Indeed you infinuate, that God's concurrence may not be granted now" perhaps, not now," are your words; but not thofe of Ananias, who faid to convinced Saul, Arife, why tarrieft thou? wash away thy fins, calling, or believing, on the name of the Lord. If God does not concur now to help convinced finners to believe, we ftill affirm that they cannot, without great cruelty, be called upon now to attempt an utter impoffibility, or, if we may ufe your expreffion, "to touch heaven with their hand." This provifo of yours, this 66 perhaps, not now," feems the common way of clogging and mangling the gofpel. We fee nothing of it in holy writ; there we read, believe, and thou shalt be, faved-fear not, only believe &c. We never read, believe, but perhaps, not now-only believe, but first wait God's time, he does not, perhaps, chuse thou should't believe now. There is the quinteffence of the poifon of the old Serpent, in the fuppofition that God commands now, but is not, perhaps, willing that we fhould obey him not. Believe-perhaps, not now: Repent, be chafte, be honeft, be fober, be charitable-perhaps, not now. Good God! What room will this not now leave for prefent infidelity, unclean nefs, nefs, drunkenness, injuftice &c, and every imaginable abomination! Upon fecond thoughts, we would hope, that your perhaps, not now, does not regard our believing, but God's bringing forth the top-ftone, while we fhout Grace unto it: and in this fenfe, we find faith and hope are often tried, yea to the uttermoft. Ifaac was not born immediately on God's making the promise, or Abraham's believing it. A joy unfpeakable and full of glory does not always, immediately accompany the belief of the promife of forgiveness of fin, and of deliverance from its dominion:-Have ye received the Holy Ghost fince ye believed? After that ye believed, ye were fealed with the Holy Spirit of promifeNow the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing &c. This was the language of St. Paul, and we dare not confound what he diftinguishes, namely, believing and tafting all the rich fruits of faith. Concerning fome of these, which faith does not, in general, immediately produce, we allow you to fay, perhaps, not now; but though they tarry, yet wait for them, for they will furely come. 66 Reftlefs, refigned, for these I wait, For thefe my vehement foul ftands ftill." But obferve (1) that this earneft, patient waiting is one of the bleffed fruits of faith, and not fomething previous to it, as you feem to imagine. (2) That we do not fuppofe it neceffary. for thofe, who are truly convinced of fin, and defire to be justified freely by the grace of God, through that redemption that is in Chrift, to wait at all before they believe, that he is made unto them |
