Page images
PDF
EPUB

LETTERS

ON

MINISTERIAL QUALIFICATIONS.

LETTER I.

Winchester-Row.

Dear Brother and Fellow Labourer,

GRACE and peace be multiplied unto you, and to the winnowed flock at B. whom I love in the truth, and for the truth's fake. Having received no answer to my last letter, I fufpected fomething was the matter : howbeit, I fhall pray for them, for they need my prayers more than I need an anfwer to my letter. Your letter has grieved me in part, and caufed my foul to weep in fecret before GOD, in behalf of those few sheep left in that part of the wilderness.

Mr. N. is a man that I love in the bowels of Christ, but he is unstable as water; in judgment he fhall not excel. I had a very hot contention with him during my stay the last time I was there, about a very capital error. He is a fimple man,

[blocks in formation]

and fuch generally fall a prey to those who lie in wait to deceive. He only dropped a word, which I caught hold of, and closely withstood him, and foiled him, till he could not get out with truth on his fide; and by that word I fufpected there was a troop in ambush, but he would not marshal them before me; and to engage on suspicion, is to beat the air.

But, though I love him as my own foul, I will withstand him in his error, if he comes to contend; I hope never to facrifice a grain of truth to his delufion, nor give ground to the devil. I muft tell you that I think this man is fent as a scourge to you; I faw many little failings in you which I was forry for. Your little ones feemed very diforderly, and you make yourself too cheap to bring any honour to your office; you alfo feemed at eafe, and not ftudious enough. A man who preaches in our day fhould have his head, eyes, and heart, in the Bible day and night: it is while men fleep the enemy fows tares, and goes his way: I had fome room alfo to fufpect you had not been faithful among them; and, indeed, a man who makes himself too cheap, and is in the leaft uncircumfpect, cannot be faithful, without condemning himself; but he had better condemn himself, than deal deceitfully in the covenant; because it is injurious to the honour of God and to the fouls of men.

But this cry of false fire, I hope, will alarm the watchman, and awake him out of his lethargy.

You

You must afcend your watch-tower now, and stand in your ward whole nights; I hope God will work by you yet; when the branch is purged, it brings forth fruit; the flock will now fee truth from error; the heart of the wife is a wellspring of life, and thofe of understanding will draw it out. I thought your ministry was too much straitened; but now you will found an alarm, and declare the whole counsel of God. God often reveals the true faith in the midst of contention, and rides upon the ftorm, in order to ftay the rough wind, in the day of the east wind. This is a wind from the high place of spiritual wickednefs; and, I hope, under grace, both to fan and cleanse. A veffel of mercy may be blown to and fro, but eternal election will not allow him to shoot the gulf.

While many are blown to and fro with this wind of doctrine, you must prophefy to the wind alfo, and pray for a gale from the everlasting hills—pray for fupporting grace, divine fortitude, and a difcerning eye-wait patiently, watch the hand of God, and you fhall fee his wonders in the deep. As for the chapel, the flock, the deceiver, and the deceived, are the Lord's. Truth will cut her way and defend you; therefore ftand in the truth, and truth fhall be thy fhield and buckler. Does he preach up faith? then you must preach up the fpirit of it, 2 Cor. iv. 13. Does he tell them what faith is then you must tell them what faith does. Examine all its feats in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews; fuch as the rife of faith, the progrefs of

[blocks in formation]

faith, the difficult work of faith, the fight of faith, the victory of faith, its holy triumph and its purifying efficacy. Shew the difcerning eye of faith, the promises it obtains, the union it brings about, the anfwers it gets to prayer (1 John v. 14), and the fweet love it works by.

in

Does he enforce an affent to the truth in the judgment? then you must infift on faith in the heart unto righteousness, or to the justification of the foul before God. Does he preach up reliance on the written word? then you must preach up the neceffity of the word dwelling in the heart richly, and being written there by the Spirit of the living God-the kingdom of God is not in word, but power. I charge you to demand of him a reason of the hope that is in him; and remember it is experience that worketh hope. But here let me caution thee, for many have been deceived in this point by rotten hypocrites: It is not the experience of law terrors, (mark me) I mean if they work alone, fuch as Cain, Efau, Saul, Judas, Ahab, and Pharaoh had, for their experience wrought despair: nor is it the experience of church trials, fuch as oppofition, perfecution, flander, and abuse: I mean fuch as Alexander, who was once ftoned for preaching, yet afterwards withstood the truth; this experience is common to rotten-hearted preachers as well as found; and it often worketh apoftacy inftead of hope. This is not being perfecuted for the fake of righteoufnefs, already obtained by faith,

but

but rather to obtain one; as you fee by Alexander's revolt.

Nor is it the experience of providential bleffings on the body; fuch as feeding the Ifraelites with manna, the multitude with loaves and fishes, who followed Christ for nothing elfe; and fuch as the two lepers in the famine of Samaria had: these experiences in graceless fouls often work excefs and ingratitude, instead of gofpel hope. Nor is it the experience of bodily afflictions, or family trials, fuch as those had who never ate with pleasure, Job xxi. 25; these, in graceless fouls, often work rebellion, instead of hope. All the above trials are curses to ungodly finners; but bleffings, when fanctified, to the righteous. Hope fprings from the application of the promises, Whatfoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience, and comfort of the fcriptures, might have hope. Rom. xv. 4. Hence hope is joined with comfort, you read of everlasting confolation, and good hope through grace. 2 Thefs. ii. 16. This brings about a deliverance from darkness to light, from guilt to peace, from a sense of wrath to the enjoyment of love; from bondage to liberty; from the dreadful finking curfe of God, to the bleffing of eternal life. It is the experience of this change that worketh a joyful and lively hope of the glory of God. The Spirit teftifying of Chrift to us, and enabling us by faith to receive him, with pardon, righteousness, peace, love, life, and liberty, is Chrift formed in the beart the hope of glory.

« PreviousContinue »