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ever inftrumental of converting another foul to God I cannot tell, but I can well remember how the Lord wrought upon my mind by his miniftry, and I fhall never forget it while I have the power of recollection. An entire change of mind took place under one fermon. My foul was caft into a new mould. My defires, defigns, and purfuits were wholly altered, and have continued fo ever fince. Though I have moved flowly in the divine way, yet having obtained help of God, I continue to this day a monument of grace. I have sometimes thought my cafe a little fingular. I have but feldom met with any Chriftian who came fo foon to know fomething of the truth after fuch great ignorance of the gofpel way of falvation. The rays of heavenly light foon fhone into my mind after I was convinced of my ruined ftate, and I was in fome meafure enabled to embrace the truth, But I have never knewn any thing of to remarkable a deliverance, or fuch great tranfports of mind as fome others have. My acquaintance with my own heart and the truth as it is in Chrift, have in a good degree kept pace with each other. My path has been like that of the juft, that fhines more and more to the perfect day. I have had an encreafing conviction of my own great depravity, my diftance from God as a fallen finner, and my utter inability to help myself. But at the fame time, the great work of redemption through God's incarnate Son has opened for me a door of hope. I am daily looking for falvation through his blood, and endeavouring to live a life of communion with God on earth, that I may be meet for the fruition of him in glory. But ah! the mournful distance of my mind tom God! What an heart have I thus to depart from the chief good. I fee and am perfuaded that nothing but the fovereign grace of God can fubdue it to himfelf, and on that grace may I ever be enabled to depend. The best evidence I ever had of the change I have undergone, being of a fav ing nature, is the fincerity of my heart in the reception of Chrift as the Lord my righteoufnefs and ftrength; connected with defires and endeavours to walk before God, and the world, in all good confcience that his great and holy name may be glorified."

In this way Mr. G. bears teftimony to the operations of grace on his heart in the early part of his life. Thus it was that God was pleased to fit him for the propagation of the fame work on the fouls of others in his future miniftry, of his introduction to which, and his exercife therein, he gives the following account. "It is now about thirty-two years

fince I left my father's houfe to commence my studies for the miniftry. I was then about twenty-fix years of age, and knew but very little of the doctrines of the Gofpel, though I believe I had the root of the matter in me, if ever I poffeffed it at all; and I dare not deny it, left I fhould grieve the good Spirit of God, or be charged with unthankfulness in not owning what he has done for me. How it came into my mind to defire to be a minifter of the New Teftament I cannot conceive, unless it were immediately from the Lord; for no one ever fuggefted the thought to me, nor was there any hope of my defires being gratified. This defire, however unaccountable, was nearly coeval with my concern about the falvation of my foul. And even after I had fome profpect of being introduced to the academy, fome circumftances happened which had nearly fruftrated my hopes, and I felt in fome measure refigned to the will of God. But my inclination ftill remained, and an unexpected door was opened for me in the Lord's due time. When I was brought into the academy I was amazed to find the other students fo far fuperior to me, both in gifts and grace. It was at this time more especially that I began to be more acquainted with myself, and to have more enlarged views of the gospel of Chrift. I remained four years under the care of the Rev. James Scott, of Heckmondwike, and ftill look back on that part of my life with peculiar pleasure. My progrefs in learning was not very great, yet I believe I never acquired fo great a flock of useful knowledge in any other four years of my life, as I did during my ftay in that houfe. I have always confidered myfelf flenderly qualified for the work of them iniftry, in comparison with fome others of my brethren, but I fhould have been much worfe if I had not received thefe advantages."

"When my time at the academy expired, I fupplied for a few months at Horton, in Craven, without any defe or defign to fettle there. The winter following I had an invitation to Warwick, where I was kindly treated, but the con¬ gregation was fo fmall, and no profpect of increase, that I left it in lefs than two years. My next places (for I now became a pluralift) were Moor-Green, and Ilkifton, in the neighbourhood of Nottingham. Here I laboured with fome fuccefs for more than feven years; but being at that time much afflicted with the gravel, I could not bear to go the distance of four miles betwixt the two places; and therefore judged it to be my duty to remove. Providence then brought me to the fituation in which I now am, and where

I am

I am likely to continue to the end of my days. Here I met with new and unexpected difficulties. The intereft had but lately been raised. The congregation was very unfettled, and fome of them none of the beft of characters. Like many other places the chapel was in debt, and there was no great thing to fupport a family. But I always felt a fecure hope that in time things would take a more favourable turn, and my hope has not been disappointed. Though I have not been one of the most successful minifters in turning finners to God, yet I have not laboured altogether in vain. If our beginning was small, our latter end has been confiderably encreased. We are now well attended, and there are many ferious godly people among us, walking together in the spirit of love, and striving for the faith of the gospel.".

(To be concluded in our next.)

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LETTER III.

ON THE DIVINITY OF CHRIST.

MY DEAR FRIEND,

TH

HOUGH I have not heard from you fince my last of the 14th inftant; yet love to the truth, and fincere concern for the good of your foul, induce me again to addrefs you; and I defire to do it with brotherly kindnefs, in the fear of God, earnestly imploring the direction and affiftance of the Eternal Spirit.

Before I mention what I have further to add in support of the dignity of Jefus Chrift, I will endeavour to remove a difficulty or two, which you have mentioned. You appear ftrongly to object to fome lines in one of Dr. Watts's Hymns, which you fay I mentioned when you was at our place, and which have often been very precious to my soul.

O! the fweet wonders of that cross,

• Where God the Saviour lov'd and dy'd!
Her nobleft life my fpirit draws

From his dear wounds, and bleeding fide.'

Surely, my friend, you can hardly be ferious when you fpeak as though you thought, either Dr. Watts or myfelf, fuppofed that Deity could die, and afk the following queftions: "If God died, how was it that all his creatures did not die with him?" adding "this must be the cafe if Chrift be God." We should be careful not to pervert the words of any man; a good caufe does not need it, and by it a bad

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one will not eventually be afhifted. I confider that the adorable Saviour is really a Divine Perfon; but manifeft in the flesh, and hence called, Immanuel, i. e. God with us. He poffeffed a true body, and a reasonable foul; he is faid, therefore, to be made like unto his brethren; yea, to be flesh of our flesh, and bone of our bone. In this nature, thus united with the Eternal Word, or Son of God, he was capable of obeying, and by his obedience, of magnifying the holy law of God, and of making a complete atonement, for the fins of his chofen people, which were all imputed to him, when his foul was made an offering for fin. Upon the ground of this amazing and myfterious union, I remark the language of the infpired penmen. When Paul gave a most folemn and affectionate charge to the elders of the church at Ephefus, he addreffed them thus: "Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghoft hath made you overfeers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchafed with his own blood."* Again, when the apostle John would promote brotherly love among believers, he says, Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren."+ Now though these favoured fervants of the Redeemer, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, expreffed themfelves in fuch terms, yet I am perfuaded they never intended to convey an idea that Divinity could expire on a cross; yet when we confider that he who was crucified, was alfo "the Lord of Glory," it greatly enhances the riches of Divine Love.

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Again, you feem to think that I difhonour the Divine Father by pleading for the dignity of Chrift. Far from it; I defire with holy reverence, and with devout affections to adore him. But when our Lord was fpeaking of himself under the awful character of a judge, he faid "The Father judgeth no man; but hath committed all judgment unto the Son that all men fhould honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son, honoureth not the Father that hath fent him."t I conclude therefore, that in adoring the Son, we glorify the Divine Father.

In vindication of the grand point under confideration, I would farther obferve, that there are works peculiar to Deity, and divine honours, which are to be given to none, but Jehovah the God of Ifrael; yet those works appear to

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be performed by, and these honours are given to the Son of God. Is not the name Jehovah peculiar to the living God? and is not the work of creation infinitely above the power of the most exalted creature? In proof of the former, confider the words of the Pfalmift, that men may know that thou, whose name alone is Jehovah, art the moft high over all the earth.* To demonftrate the latter attend to the language of the prophet. "Thus faith the Lord thy Redeemer, I am the Lord that maketh all things, that stretcheth forth the heavens alone, and spreadeth abroad the earth by myself."+ Yet it appears to me that this fublime name is given to the Son of God by Ifaiah, when he fays "Sanctify Jehovah of Hofts himfelf, and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. He fhall be for a fanctuary; but for a ftone of ftumbling, and a rock of offence, to both the houfes of Ifrael." I afk who is a fanctuary, or refuge for the children of God? Is not the blessed Jesus ?-Who was a ftumbling block to the Jews? Was not the fame glorious perfon? They ftumbled at that ftumbling ftone, as it is written, behold I lay in Zion a stumbling ftone, and rock of offence."§

Again it is faid by the fame Evangelical Prophet, "Thy Maker is thine husband, the Lord of Hofts is his name; and thy Redeemer the holy one of Ifrael, the God of the whole earth fhall he be called." Is not the Son of God the bridegroom of his church? Surely the words of the apostle convey this idea," have espoused you to one husband, that I may prefent you as a chafte virgin to Chrift." The fame Jefus is reprefented as our Maker or Creator, "For by him were all things created that are in heaven, and that are in the earth, vifible and invifible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers, all things were created by him, and for him, and he is before all things, and by him all things confift.¶"

As to the Divine honours it is faid, "Thou fhalt worfhip the Lord thy God, and him only fhalt thou ferve.”** Yet the Son of God was worshipped on earth, "They that were in the fhip came and worshipped him; faying, of a truth thou art the Son of God."++ Of his difciples, it is faid, They worshipped him, and returned to Jerufalem with great joy." Yea, he is adored by all the heavenly host,

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* Pf. lxxxiii. 18.

§ Rom. ix. 33. * Math. iv. 10.

+ Ifa. xliv. 24.
■ Isa. liv. 5.
++ Math. xiv. 33.

Ifa. viii. 13, 14. ¶ Col. i. 16, 17. ‡‡ Luke, xxiv. 52.

unto

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