come near to you to judgment, and I will be a fwift witness against forcerers, against false swearers, and against those that opprefs the hireling in his wages, and turn afide the stranger from his right, and that fear not me, faith the Lord." The law is fent home to confcience, and we are fummoned to appear at the bar of equity. "Come," faith God," and let us reafon together;" for that is all we are capable of while, in the glafs of the law, our fins appear as scarlet and crinson, which fets forth their deep ftain and dreadful dye. And here he holds us under this fiery trial till our mouths are stopped, our fouls humbled, and we become altogether guilty before God. And, when he has ftripped us of all our false coverings, he makes us willing, in the day of his power, to be faved in his own way. And here we stand willing enough to be faved, and put our mouth in the duft, if fo be there may be hope. But "hope deferred maketh the heart fick." Nevertheless, under all this fharp exercife God fupports us; which is called inftructing us with a ftrong hand, that we may dare to be fingular, and not fay, "A confederacy" to any enemy of the truth, or stranger to the power of it. When God hath thus chaftened us, and taught us out of his law, he then gives us reft from the days of adverfity, by leading us to the foundation that he hath laid in Zion, which is called the rock higher than we. Hence the Saviour's affertion, " It is written, And they

fhall

fhall be all taught of God. Every one, therefore, that hath heard and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me; and he that cometh I will in no wife caft out." This is God the Father's teaching, and is always attended with God's bleffing; as it is written, "Bleffed is the man whom thou chafteneft, and teacheft him out of thy law." But to proceed. God having made us willing in the day of his power, he then prefents his dear Son to our view, as the only hope and refuge that is left; and all our defires are made to centre there; and now he works in us to do, as well as to will. He then makes bare his arm, and we believe his report. This is fulfilling the good pleasure of his will, and the work of faith with power; and to this faith the Spirit bears witnefs. This is another branch of God's work, as faith the Saviour, " This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath fent." This faith gives Chrift a refidence in our hearts, who comes with all his faving benefits. And this Paul speaks of when he says, "It pleafed God to reveal his Son in me." At the reception of Chrift the compaffion of God flows in, and evangelical repentance flows out, attended with felf-loathing, and with wonder and admiration at the long-suffering mercy, and aftonishing condefcenfion, of God: and this is called God's granting us repentance unto life. O how the foul now loves and adores the Almighty, who engroffes the whole of our affections,

I

affections, and crucifies us to this world. And this is fulfilling his ancient promife: "And the Lord thy God will circumcise thy heart, that thou mayest love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy foul, that thou mayeft live." Thus we are taught of God, and then led to his dear Son, and transplanted into him, in whom we find righteousness and ftrength, which conftitutes us trees of righteoufnefs, the right-hand planting of God, that he may be glorified. This, my fifter, is the good work of God upon the foul. To a lively hope he begets us; and from the piercing fting of death, from under the miniftration of death, and from bondage to the fear of death, he brings his own children; for fo it is written, "He that is our God is the God of falvation; and unto God the Lord belong the iffues from death." Pfalm lxviii. 20. From death in the law to life in Chrift do they pass by faith; and upon Chrift, as upon a nail faftened in a fure place, do all the offspring and iffue hang their hopes, their expectations, their hearts, with all their burdens, for time and eternity. Read Ifaiah xxii. 24. The next thing is, "As one whom his mother comforteth, fo will I comfort you." And now what remains? That every branch in Chrift his heavenly Father purges, that it may bring forth more fruit. And under this purging operation thou waft when my former letter found thee. And thus have I pursued thee, and I have overtaken

thee.

thee. And now, feeing this is God's work and way, humbly fubmit thyfelf under his hand, and attend to these things a little more, and vifit less; and thou fhalt reap the benefit of it. Compare thy state with this account, and comfort thyself with these things; for my God will never leave thee, nor forfake thee. My kind love to your fpoufe. God preserve and bless both. Amen and amen, fays

you

Thy ready fervitor,

The Desert.

NOCTUA AURITA.

LETTER XXIV.

T. NOCTUA AURITA, in the Defert.

I CAN no longer be filent in acknowledging your laft kind favour, and telling you that it came not to me empty. O the goodnefs of my God to me, fuch a wretched, unworthy creature! Well might the apostle fay, "What manner of love is this that is bestowed upon us, that we should be called the children of God!"

But I must begin and tell you where your letter found me; though I confess it will make my letter appear more like a journal than a letter. I was contending with the Almighty to his face, and telling him, it was in vain to wait on him, or look to him for that which I was feeking for; and that he knew he had killed me to all but himself, on purpose to aggravate my mifery. I likewise called his prophets liars, and faid they had prophefied only what they wished might come to pafs; but he knew he never put fuch things in their mouths. Many times did I read your letters, and God wrought by his Spirit with them, fo that I felt my hard heart melt, in fome degree, under the power and light that attended the contents to my foul, and contrition and godly forrow began to operate, and I had a view of the goodness of the Lord to me in keeping me from getting from under his hand, and going where thofe fled you mentioned. This made my very foul to melt within me. This was the language of my heart, “O Lord, keep me under thy chastening hand as long as thou feeft beft for me; choose my path for me; help me to put my mouth in the duft, and to bear thy indignation, because I have finned against thee. Only let me never find any foul fatisfaction in any thing but in the enjoyment of his bleffed prefence." Thus I was Friday and Saturday. On fabbath morning I found my mind cloudy and dark. I faw where his excellency was;

for,