me by his own Spirit, that I may not be deceived in this matter, and take the work of Satan for the work of the Spirit of God; for I must tell you I have not light to fee the place from whence I did fall; and I know it is only God that can discover this to me. This is a confufed jumble, I am almost ashamed to fend it to you; but hope you bear with me and pardon me; for I am so dark, and feel my mind fo confused, that I am not able to express my own feelings. Accept my thanks for all your kind favours beftowed on one fo unworthy; and, if God fhould give you any thing to fend me, I fhall be exceeding glad to receive it, and likewise to hear how your health is at prefent; and believe me to remain

THINE epiftle came fafe to hand, favouring fweetly of a fecond benefit. Refrefhings from the prefence of the Lord attended it. It was a rich perfume. His name, like an ointment poured forth, came with it. Our unbelief fhall never make the faith of God without effect; for, if we believe not, he ftill abideth faithful; he cannot deny himself. Moreover, God will honour his own miniftering fervants, whom he knows honour him; nor will he let their word fall to the ground; for he will confirm the word of his fervants, and perform the counsel of his messengers. The work of God on the fouls of his people fhall abide for ever. He will carry on the good work begun; he will perfect that which concerns us, and never forfake the work of his own hands. And now, as God has hitherto fulfilled all that I have predicted to thee, and hath made me manifeft in thy confcience, and hath given thee a place in my heart to live and die with thee, which joining and knitting together is the work of God's Spirit alone, and is always attended with the bands

of

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 itself in love; it is from this work that Wisdom receives her revenue; all his tributes of praise and thanksgiving (pring 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 Witnefs 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 somewhat 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 fpiritual 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

4

Spirit

Spirit makes us feel the impreffion, and afterwards fhines gradually upon the word, that we may fee that the internal impreffion 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 Christ Jefus fhall be built up for ever, and, in the glorification of our fouls and bodies, "truth 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 promife, that the offering of us up may be acceptable, we being fanctified by the Holy Ghoft. Now for a few hints upon those 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 punifh the men that are fettled on their lees." In allufion to this our Lord called the apoftles the light of the world; and asks whether candles were lighted up to be put under a bufhel; and tells them to let

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 manifest is light." And, when the elect of God among that people were fearched into, fearched out, and looked up, he then punished the reft that were fettled upon their lees of felfrighteoufnefs. 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 fet 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 chafing 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 separates 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 witness, as you read: " And I will

come