of peace and love; by ftrengthening of which bands the Lord is pleafed to communicate nourifhment to fupply every joint, that the whole. body may increase, and edify itfelf in love; it is from this work that Wisdom receives her revenue; all his tributes of praise and thanksgiving spring from hence. He reaps no harvest but from what he fows; no fruits but from his own plantation. With this work he is particularly and more immediately concerned; for, in carrying on this, all his attributes are engaged; and by the faithful and true Witness it will be performed and perfected, that God may difplay the riches of his grace in glory by Chrift Jefus. Now, that thou mayeft know what the various branches of this good work are, and not be wholly ignorant of it, and that thou mayeft have fomewhat to answer any person who fhall appear to glory, but not in heart; I will drop thee a few hints about it, and leave thee to confider the matter, and to compare notes. I mean to compare spiritual things with fpiritual; that is, fpiritual works within with fpiritual words in the book. And, if we take heed to these things, and cleanse our way according to his word, we fhall come to a point; for whatsoever the Spirit of God wrote on the hearts of his apofiles and prophets, he, by thofe inftruments, wrote the fame in the Bible; and an exact copy of it is written on the fleshly tables of all believing hearts; and, when this is done, the quickening

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Spirit

Spirit makes us feel the impreffion, and afterwards fhines gradually upon the word, that we may fee that the internal impreflion exactly agrees with the external revelation. And, when the contents on the paper tally with the impreffion on the heart, then we are the pillars and ground of the truth, and may fafely conclude that the mercy of God in Chrift Jefus fhall be built up for ever, and, in the glorification of our fouls and bodics, fhall be fettled in heaven." The unction on our fouls is two-fold: love and joy are the effects of the anointing within; and the anointing our eyes with eye-falve is done that we may fee, in the word, what he has done on the heart; and that anointing" teacheth us all things, and is true, and is no lie." And, as he hath taught us, we fhall abide in him; that is, we fhall ever abide in the favour, and under the operations, of the holy Spirit of promise, that the offering of us up may acceptable, we being fanctified by the Holy Ghost. Now for a few hints upon thofe things which God calls his own work. He fays, "I am the Lord which fearch the hearts and try the reins of the children of men." And this work you have an account of by the prophets. "I will fearch Jerufalem as with candles, and will punish the men that are fettled on their lees." In allufion to this our Lord called the apoftles the light of the world; and afks whether candles were lighted up to be put under a bufhel; and tells them to let

be

their light fhine before men. And by these he fearched Jerufalem, as you fee in Peter's audience, who, when cut to the heart, cried out, " Brethren, what shall we do?" The things for the which they were reproved were made manifeft by the light which did appear; for "whatsoever doth make manifeft is light." And, when the elect of God among that people were fcarched into, fearched out, and looked up, he then punifhed the reft that were fettled upon their lees of felfrighteousness. Another branch of this work of the Lord is, to give us a fight, as well as a feeling fenfe, of the exceeding finfulness of fin; for fo he fays, "I will reprove thee, and set thy fins in order before thee. Now, confider this, ye that forget God." This is done to make us the more fenfible of our pardon when it comes, after we have been fufficiently humbled and brought down. The purging of our guilt and filth is called removing the burden; and chasing our fin from before the eyes of our mind, is termed a blotting out our tranfgreffions as a cloud; for, as it is fin that feparates from God, purging them is making us nigh by the blood of Chrift; and fo it follows, "I have blotted out thy tranfgreffions as a cloud; return unto me, for I have redeemed thee." But to return. Under this convincing and convicting work a kind of legal procefs is carried on between God and the finner, in which God appears both judge and witnefs, as you read: " And I will

come

come near to you to judgment, and I will be a fwift witness against forcerers, against false swearers, and against those that oppress 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 reason together;" for that is all we are capable of while, in the glass of the law, our fins appear as fcarlet and crimson, 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 falfe 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 sharp exercife God fupports us; which is called inftructing us with a strong hand, that we may dare to be fingular, and not fay, "A confederacy" to any enemy of the truth, or ftranger 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. Hencé 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 chaftenest, 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 Christ 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-fuffering 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,

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