promise, brought home with power to the foul by the Holy Ghost, fixes the heart for ever. If you know the pardon of your fin, the liberty of God's Spirit, and enjoy union and communion with Christ, you are wife to falvation, though you never read any book but the Bible; and he that is a stranger to heart-work is but a novice, though his head be ftored with ten thousand comments.-Grace be with thee.

Ever thine,

W. H.

LETTER

N

LETTER VIIL

Winchefter-Row.

I

Dear Brother in Chrift,

WISH thee abundant fuccefs in thy labours; and approve much of thy proceedings. It was the holy refolution of the apostle Paul, not to build on another man's foundation, or rejoice (as fome in our days do) in another man's line of things, made ready to their hands. Paul's holy ambition led him to strive to preach where Christ Jefus had not been named, that he might fee the Spirit communicated, and truth established by his own inftrumentality, He was for plowing as well as fowing; and as a wife mafter builder, he was fond of laying the foundation; and others were as fond of building hay, ftraw, and stubble thereon; but that work was done at their peril, Aim more at being a father, than a nurse; Paul fays, though ye have ten thousand inftructors in Chrift, yet have ye not many fathers; I bave begotten you, 1 Cor. iv. 15.

I have observed fome who are very fond of breaking through all bounds into another man's labours; and with a party fpirit, and a fiery zeal, will draw a wonderful train after them, both bad and good; and if they can chain them up in a bi

gotted fpirit, and get them to hate the poor paftor that at first begat them, then they say, we have established a church. This Paul calis zealously affecting them, but not well, Gal. iv. 17; and if the father of this runaway flock exclaims against those thievish measures, as Paul did, (when he called them deceitful workers) then these scattering gentlemen call it being perfecuted for righteoufnefs' fake. However, Peter is of another way of thinking; he calls it, being buffeted for their faults; and tells them to take it patiently; hinting thereby, that they justly deferve it. I have often thought, that if fuch minifters were to go into a barren foil, and cultivate their own land, they would cut a very poor figure in the miniftry. However, they rather chufe to get amongst a fimple flock with warm hearts, as they think fuch are easily deceived by a falfe zeal; and he that is fo fond of warming his hands at another man's fire, gives one room to fufpect he is one of Solomon's fluggards, who will not plough up a barren foil, by reason of the cold; therefore he shall beg in barveft, and have nothing— nothing but other men's labours to boast of. I have watched fome poor fimple fouls, who have been thus led away; and all their work appeared to be condemning thofe as diforderly who were more righteous than themselves; boasting of their order, prejudiced against others, bitter against those who stood faft in liberty, and enjoyed the love of Chrift; yea, fome whom God hath called by me, who were as dear to me as my own life, I have be

held

held with many tears, being grieved to fee the Saviour's blessed image fo defaced on them; indeed they seemed to have no more features than an oyfter. This taught me to understand Paul's meaning by the following paffage:-But I-fear left by any means, (mark any means) as the ferpent beguiled Eve through his fubtilty, fo your minds fhould be corrupted from the fimplicity that is in Christ, 2 Cor. xi. 3. Indeed poor fouls, thus led into prejudice, ftripped of fimplicity, taught the art of fcorning, and prohibited hearing and communing with the warmhearted found minifters of Chrift, are as much priest-ridden, as a deluded Papist going pilgrimage, or walking bare-footed, doing penance. Christ's yoke is eafy, and his burden light; but all other yokes are made of iron :--however, the yoke of priest-craft, as well as others, will be destroyed by fuch as enjoy God's anointing, Ifai, x. 27. If God's grace reign and rule in the heart, there will be good order in the affections, and fuch cannot walk disorderly before men; but if the heart be not changed by grace, let them appear in as much order as they will, or talk ever fo much about it, they are but refined pharifees at beft; and fuch are faid to dwell nigher the gates of hell than either publicans or harlots.

As to their doubting of your being fent of God, it is nothing; if God has fent thee, he will blefs thee; and let his hand be known toward thee, and his indignation toward them that hate thee for his fake. Diffenting churches have fent out many

into God's vineyard, whom God never owned, but hath discovered them, and sent them back into the world again from whence they came.

If God gives you clearly to fee your intereft in the everlasting covenant, and gives you a door of utterance to speak foundly and boldly, and goes before you in providence to open a door for you, fends many finners to hear you, and opens their heart to receive the glad tidings, and you can see finners renewed in mind, and reformed in life by your miniftry, these are full proofs of your being sent of God; and you may fay, as Paul did, I am a preacher not of man, nor by man. I have chofen you, and ordained you, fays the Saviour; and as a free agent, he often fhews his abfolute prerogative now-a-days, in the fame way: but such as God fends are often ftigmatized with the name of irregulars, as if the God of all order dealt in nothing but irregularities. However, it is better to be a minister of the Spirit under that name, than to be a regular minifter-deftitute of grace and divine commiffion. Do nothing without confulting Chrift; wear no yoke but his; have no master but him; covet earnestly his approbation, rejoice in no teftimony but his, watch his hand all the day long; if God appears on thy fide, thou haft no cause to fear; what can flesh and blood do unto thee? Stand faft in Chrift Jefus, and you will be as an iron pillar, and a brazen wall; but if you are looking for man's teftimony only, you will be nothing but a reed fhaken with the wind. I can truly fympa

thize