DEAR HENRY, DCXI. Grace and peace be with thee through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Ir is the promise of God, that the name of his dear Son shall be great among the Gentiles, from the rising of the sun to the going down of the same, and that all generations shall be blessed in him. An interest in his favour, in his sacrifice, his salvation and the fulness of his grace, is the one thing needful; for this secures our souls from wrath and ruin, and makes heaven and eternal glory our own. It secures the blessing of peace and hope in our own hearts, and the blessing of God upon all that we have in this world. Christ, who is the Son of God, and who joined our nature to his own, is the heir of all things-King of grace and King of glory; and in him God hath given us all things pertaining to this life and the next; and therefore all the world without this is no gain, but loss. He promises most faithfully to be loving, tender, and pitiful Father in Christ Jesus. He will soon raise thee to hope; and hope secures salvation, "For we are saved by hope.". And the deeper you sink in trouble, the higher will you rise in joy; and when love comes, then you will know what it is to be born again. Shun the world and its vanities, and seek Christ by confession and prayer, by reading and meditating. My kind love to granny. I never forget you in my poor prayers. Love to mother, Becky, William, &c. Ever yours to serve in Jesus, W. H. S.S. DEAR HENRY, DCXI. Grace and peace be with thee through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. It is the promise of God, that the name of his dear Son shall be great among the Gentiles, from the rising of the sun to the going down of the same, and that all generations shall be blessed in him. An interest in his favour, in his sacrifice, his salvation and the fulness of his grace, is the one thing needful; for this secures our souls from wrath and ruin, and makes heaven and eternal glory our own. It secures the blessing of peace and hope in our own hearts, and the blessing of God upon all that we have in this world. Christ, who is the Son of God, and who joined our nature to his own, is the heir of all things-King of grace and King of glory; and in him God hath given us all things pertaining to this life and the next; and therefore all the world without this is no gain, but loss. He promises most faithfully to be will manifest himself to them so, as that they shall know him for themselves. Satan is a sworn enemy to the Saviour, and so is our carnal mind-enmity itself, which Satan corrupted by the seduction of Adam; and from this sore springs all our opposition and discouragements in seeking the Lord. But the work of Christ is to destroy all this; he bore our sins on the tree, and our sentence also, and thus redeemed us. His death is our ransom, his resurrection our discharge, his obedience our righteousness, and his Spirit our holiness; and he promises (and will perform it) that his Spirit shall set up an empire of grace in our hearts, which shall reign over sin. His fear shall counteract presumption, faith shall overcome unbelief, hope shall prevail against despair, righteousness over condemnation, meekness over hardness of heart; humility shall reign over pride, patience over peevishness, love over enmity, peace over misery, joy over sorrow, life over death, grace over sin, and saints shall reign over devils. And let my dear Henry watch and observe these things; one sort of which are the fruits of the flesh, or the sin and corruption of our nature; the other are the graces or fruits of the Spirit; at times. "That which is born of the flesh is flesh (saith the Saviour) and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.' I am poorly and at home with a bad cough and cold, and so I am troubling every body now with my scribble. I have sent your mother a scrap to day, directed to Downham. A coal-heaving doctor is better than an apothecary, when conscience is sick. Farewell. Ever yours, W. H. S.S. |