LETTER XX. To the Rev. J. JENKINS, at the new Vicarage, To my dearly beloved Son, greeting; wishing that grace and peace may be multiplied to him through our Lord Jefus Chrift. I RECEIVED yours, and am thankful for the good tidings. Go on; God fhall endow us with a good dowry, by adding to us many more fons ; thefe are a kind of firft-fruits of God's creatures, and thefe fruits shall remain. But I fhall proceed with my delightful fubject, which is to fhew 18. That the Holy Spirit in the gofpel must be obeyed; for, according to the obedience of man is the reward to be given, whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness.-Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man foweth, that Shall be alfo reap. For be that foweth to his fefh fhall of the flefb reap corruption: but be that foweth to the Spirit fhall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well-doing: for in due feafon we fball reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them them who are of the household of faith. Gal. vi. 7-10 To fow to the Spirit is to obey him and to be led by him. Our Lord calls himself a fower, and the word of life which he fowed he calls feed; and in fowing the good feed of the word he was obedient to him that appointed him.-My Father gave me a commandment what I fhould fay and what I should Speak, and I know that his commandment is life everlafting: whatsoever I speak, therefore, even as the Father faid unto me, so I speak. John xii. 49, 50. Now there is a twofold fowing to the Spirit: internal and external. Internal when we obferve his operations, and are obedient to his motions and dictates; for instance, when he applies the word with power, and reproves us with the word, convincing us of our fins by it; then to speak evil of the preacher by whom the Spirit fpeaks, to rail against him and the truth, is hating the light, and rebelling against it and against our own convictions of the truth of it; and this rebellion is against the Holy Ghost himself. It is faid of Ifrael, in the wilderness, that they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit; so that he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them. Ifaiah lxiii. 10. Mofes and Aaron were God's mouth to the people; the Holy Spirit fpake in them to the children of Ifrael: but they envied Mofes in the camp, and Aaron the faint of the Lord. Pfalm cvi. 16. And by their rebelling against these men they rebelled against the Holy Spirit which influenced them and fpoke by them.-They angered him alfo at the waters of ftrife, fo that it went ill with Mofes for their fakes Because they provoked his fpirit, fo that be fpake unadvifedly with his lips. Pfalm cvi. 32, 33. Sinners, reproved and convinced by the Holy Spirit, fhould not only come to the light and be diligent in their attendance on the word; but God calls for confeffions to be made to him, and for submission to his will; which is called humbling ourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt us in due time. There is fuch a thing as accepting the punishment of our iniquity, choosing the chaftenings of God before our own will and our own way; faying, as others have done, Search me and try me, and fee if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. And again, I will bear the indignation of the Lord because I have finned against bim, until be plead my cause and execute judgment for me; he will bring me forth to the light, and I fall behold bis righteousness. Coming to the light that our deeds may be made manifeft; expofing our confcience to the force and power of his word, however sharp and piercing; confeffing all our crimes, which the light of the word difcovers and reproves us for; is accepting our punishment, and preferring the chastisements of God before carnal ease and the pleasures of fin, and is yielding obedience to the Holy Spirit; and it fhews that the heart is made honeft. 2. The Spirit is a fpirit of fupplication. He fets the elect of God to crying day and night, until God God avenge them of their adverfaries. Call upon me in the time of trouble (fays God); I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me. And again, I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as filver is refined, and try them as gold is tried; they fhall call upon my name, and I will bear them; and I will say, It is my people; and they shall fay, The Lord is my God. This fhould be carefully and diligently attended to when the Holy Spirit is illuminating, quickening, reproving, and convincing the finner; and if it is neglected the Spirit refents it, and makes confcience accufe the finner for this his neglect, and he is often covered with fhame and confusion of face when he goes to the throne of grace again. Nor is it feldom that fome difafter or other befalls the fenfible finner, under this fin of omiffion, when prayer has been neglected; and oftentimes the finner is informed of this when he comes to examine himself. Prayer, in the times of the gofpel, was typified by the offering of incenfe under the law, which was perpetual morning and evening; and prayer goes by the fame name under the gospel. For from the rifing of the fun even unto the going down of the fame my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incenfe shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name fhall be great among the heathen, faith the Lord of bofis. Mal. i. 11. -- Moreover, God requires of us thank-offerings for favours received. I will make her wilderness -- like Eden, and her defart like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness fhall be found therein, thanksgiving and the voice of melody. The fouls of God's faints are often filled with joy and gladness, that thankf giving and the voice of melody may redound to the glory of God, by humble acknowledgments of his mercies, and by finging his praises. Furthermore, we should celebrate thofe perfections of God which fhine fo bright in his appointment of Christ Jefus to be the Saviour of mankind; which is done by speaking good, or by making honourable mention, of his holy name; and by proclaiming the glorious perfections of his nature, making them. famous and illuftrious among mankind; praifing and commending the holy properties of his nature; and enurnerating and extolling them, by speaking of his manifold and wonderful works, and of the innumerable mercies and bleffings of his providence and grace towards us in Chrift Jefus. The fcriptures abound with fuch afcriptions, acclamations, and celebrations, in the faints' holy triumphs. David is famous for this; there is scarce a revealed attribute of God but he makes honourable mention of. As holiness. God hath fworn by his holiness, I will rejoice. Power.-Sing unto the Lord a new song, for his own right hand and stretched-out arm bath gotten bimfelf the victory. His might and reign, his glory and majesty.Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatnefs R |