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ceive the wedding garment, as the gift of God. The way to God, by faith in Chrift, Paul calls the new and living way, to fhew that the other is both dead and old; and indeed, it is a way that none but the Saviour ever went to God in.

The flaming fword has cut off all that ever attempted to touch the tree of life in that way. By the deeds of the law shall no flesh living be justibrother that my fied. Therefore the middle way fpeaks of, is a way that was never caft up by any of the fervants of God. The law fays to all that are under the law, there is, none righteous, no not God will never meet any finner (as a reconciled God) in that way: He meeteth none but those that rejoice, and work righteousness, and those that remember him in his way. Ifaiah Ixiv. 5.

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Never attempt an entrance where God has never opened a door; the end of fuch, according to Peter, will be worfe than their beginning; for,, as he fays, it had been better for them not to have known the right way at all. The Father dwelleth in me, and I in him, fays Chrift; and Christ crucified is the only way to the Father. I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh to the Father, but by me.

The prophets and apoftles laboured hard to clear and caft up this highway; and those that God guides into it, are to fay, Caft ye up, caft ye up, prepare the way, take up the stumbling blocks out of the way of my people. Ifaiah lvii. 14. lxii. 10.

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As thou haft received Chrift Jefus the Lord, fo walk ye in him, and never aim at a middle path. God complains of this, and fays, My people barve forgotten me; they have burned incenfe to vanity; and they have caufed them to ftumble in their ways from the ancient paths, to walk in paths in a way not caft up. Jer. xviii. 15.

Abimaaz. You feem to be quite an original; that is, you are for the pure old apoftolic religion, and for a perseverance in fpiritual worship, in the naked fimplicity and truth of the gofpel; which is certainly right, and I believe that the main current of scripture runs in your channel. Those who watch the Spirit's teaching, and compare it with the word of God, and who find the approbation of God with them, and the teftimony of a good confcience, certainly walk the fafeft, and will find the most sensible support from the Almighty in a trying hour.

Your converfation is very fpiritual, and very entertaining to me. It brings a deal of my past experience fresh to my mind; and, for my part, I know not when I have met with fo agreeable a companion, nor when I have fpent fo comfortable an hour.

Cufbi. It is to be lamented that there appears fo little fpiritual converfation among profeffing people. Heavenly converfation, cheerfully delivered, keeps the word of God alive in one's heart. It caufes it to dwell richly there, in all

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utterance, in all knowledge, and fpiritual understanding. It ftirs up the gift of God that is in a man; and the more fuch an one fcattereth the truth, the more he increaseth his ftock. Prov. xi. 24. So that the speaker is edified, as well as the hearer; for, as Solomon fays, be that watereth, fhall be watered alfo himself. Prov. xi. 25.

Abimaaz. True, my brother; but all the children of God have not that experience and judgment that you feem to be favoured with. There are many hoping fouls that cannot find words to express a reason of their hope. They are bafhful, timorous, and perplexed with many doubts and fears; and they are fearful of speaking wrong, or laying a prefumptuous claim to that which they have no right to, as the tempter often fuggefts.

Befides, there are many profeffors who have more head-knowledge than heart-felt experience, and thefe often criticife and contradict the fimple lifpings of a babe in grace; and when they have been ferved fo a few times, they are like parrots, you cannot make them talk again.

Cufbi. That is what I never liked. I have often heard ftrange muddy language from a young Chriftian; but I never chose to stop his mouth if I found but the leaft favour with it; for although the great I is brought in at every sentence, as the chief agent, yet after they have had a few falls, I have observed that the great pronoun has been left quite out of the queftion, except it has appeared

peared in its proper place, in declaring what evil they have done, or what free grace has done for them. In this God fulfils his promife, by turning to the people a pure language. Zeph. iii. 9. Poor Peter loft the great I in Satan's fieve, and fo do others; but as for criticifing their words, and contradicting of them, it is very wrong. When weak believers have been ferved fo, they will act with their tongue as a young child does with its feet; after they have deceived it once or twice, it will hang about the mother, and you cannot make it venture upon them again.

For my part, I am very fond of having a weak believer in company. He, and the poor fenfible finner, the diligent feeker, and the earnest inquirer, are the people that the old Chriftian finds the greatest liberty with, as may be feen in Ezekiel's ministry. He ftands dumb before a carnal multitude of lifeless profeffors, without a word to fay. I will make thy tongue cleave to the roof of thy mouth, that thou shalt be dumb, and shalt not be to them a reprover. Ezek. iii. 26.

But to the young believer, who had fled to the God of Ifrael for refuge, his tongue was loofed. In that day fhall thy mouth be opened to him which is efcaped, and thou shalt speak and be no more dumb.→ Ezek. xxiv. 27.

Our great apostle boasted of this. O ye Corinthians, our mouth is opened unto you-our heart is enlarged. 2 Cor. vi. 11. But in Rome he found

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his fpirit chained, and his tongue fettered; and therefore he folicits an interest in the Ephefians' prayers for him, that utterance might be given himen that he might open his mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which he was an ambassadar in bonds, that therein he might speak boldly as he ought to fpeak. Eph. vi. 19, 20.

Abimaaz. It is true, my brother; we generally find young believers the most thirsty after divine knowledge; and the most attentive to the lips of wisdom; and, as the prophet fays, the priests' lips fhould preferve knowledge, that inquiring fouls may seek the law at his mouth. Malachi ii. 7.-Yet you know they are not capable of holding up an argument, or carrying on spiritual converfation, which is the point that you are infifting upon.

Cufbi. I would fooner be in company with a young and a wife child, than with an old and foolish king, who will no more be admonished. Eccl. iv. 13. Our Saviour's company confifted altogether of fuch weaklings; and one half of the parables left upon record, were drawn from the mouth of the Saviour by fimple inquiry. By their afking him questions, they drew water with joy out of that well of falvation. Ifa. xii. 3.

And I wish there was a little more of this in practice in our days. Many young Chriftians would be useful to old ones, by ftirring up the well-fpring of life in them; and would, at the fame time, find

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