est assurance of confidence for the best success in all our concerns, since our dependance is on him who will never fail us. As we never expose ourselves to greater dangers or run greater risks, than when we confide in ourselves, and look no higher for direction or assistance than to our own strength and wisdom; so on the other side, we are never in a happier, safer, or more comfortable way, than when we place our whole confidence and dependance on God in every thing; and therefore it is said "Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord."

4. This has a powerful tendency to excite our love and gratitude to God. Whom shall we regard and honour, whom shall we love and praise, and speak well of to others, but him. upon whom is all our dependance, and by whom we have been all along preserved and provided for, supported and guided all the past time of our lives?

5. This will also engage us to walk carefully, constantly and conscientiously in the way of the Lord for the future time of life. For if we walk in the way of the world, and in the ways of our own hearts, and contrary to God, how then can we depend upon him for our support and guidance? Let us walk in his way and study his will, and we may depend upon him for every thing.

LXIV.

Bigotry.

BATH, 1737, MARCH 26.--You, dear Madam, know my temper and sentiments so well, that you will easily guess that I cannot but be very sorry to understand, that the spirit of bigotry is still alive in London; for the more

bigotry appears anywhere, so much the less charity; and, I fear, the less humility and sincerity. I wish the God of love and grace may forgive this, and prevent the mischievous consequences of it. It is much to be desired that religious men may be impartial in their love, and judicious in their zeal, and by spiritual understanding and wisdom, learn to lay out the fervour of their zeal in a due and just proportion to the weight of such religious things as they are in anywise concerned with. It was the great Apostle's particular prayer for the Christians at Philippi, that "They might abound more and more in love; and also in knowledge and in all judgment, that they might approve the things that were excellent;" that is, that they might discern or distinguish well and judge aright about things which differ in their worth and nature; whereof some are more or less excellent; some exceedingly excellent, indispensable and weighty; and others but indifferent, or perhaps insignificant, though christened by men with a religious name. I have always thought we are in great danger of misplacing our hope, misemploying our zeal, and also of entertaining erroneous opinions, and perhaps of falling into some degrees of idolatry, if we do not carefully distinguish between the fundamentals and the circumstantials of religion, between the essentials and rituals or ceremonies of it, as also between what is of divine institution and what is of human appointment, and between the greater and lesser things of the law.

There was a certain nation (you know whom I mean) who made a great figure with their zeal and religious professions, and were full of self-confidence, and also severe enough in their

opinion of others, at the very time that they were ripening for ruin; because they had received corrupt human traditions so much into their practices and principles, and embraced them almost, if not altogether, in the same manner as the instructions delivered to them by Divine Inspiration in holy writ. Of this the

Priests, Scribes and Pharisees were notoriously guilty; and there is not a more dreadful woe in the whole scriptures than what our dear Re-. deemer and Ĵudge of the world pronounces against this unhappy people. He upbraids them with worshipping God in vain, because they not only drew nigh to God with their mouth and honoured him with their lips, while their hearts were far from him; but also because they "Taught for doctrines the commandments of men." One of the most wretched consequences of this mistaken devotion is, that it breeds so obstinate a confidence, in the minds of men, of their being in the best and safest way; so that they not only think hard of such as differ in opinion from them, but can seldom, without a miracle, be prevailed on to change their own, although it be the most pernicious. Therefore it was that but few devotees among the Jews were converted to the truth, and those few were wrought upon, and received their convictions, by virtue of miraculous grace and power; for of this people our Saviour says, that Publicans and sinners would enter into the kingdom of heaven before them.

Christ Jesus is the head, the husband, the king, and the only complete lawgiver of his church, and was not wanting in giving his people a full and most perfect law, to teach them every thing, concerning their belief and practice, that was necessary, or in anywise

helpful towards their salvation. Should we therefore lean too much or lay any stress, in points of faith and practice, on any thing merely human, I very much fear it would be virtually impeaching our most blessed Saviour of insufficiency or defectiveness, in his instructions to us, and be looked upon by the great God as a presumptuous addition of our own to his holy word; which by Moses in the Old Testament, and at the close of the New, is declared to be a most dangerous thing, and threatened to be punished with a dreadful curse or judgment.

I had almost forgot to tell you, that a distinction ought to be made (among other things that ought to be distinguished) between legal and evangelical obedience; so that our duties may be such only as Christ prescribes, and such as proceed from faith in him. We ought not to confide in, nor lay any stress on, trivial things, nor devise any new rules of our own, nor make esteem of them when directed by others. These things, I find, want to be inculcated here, and perhaps everywhere else.

I must now acknowledge I have troubled you with more of my thoughts in this matter, than was either necessary or intended by me at first; for I am far from supposing any religious professors, except Papists, upon a parallel, or in the like dangerous condition, with those among the Jews that I have mentioned. But -you may perhaps remember several persons of my acquaintance in the country, and those of various denominations, that incline too much this way, which occasions me to think of it, and what I think of I cannot sometimes help mentioning, although it be entirely needless to the friends I write or speak to.

I begin to enlarge my religious acquaintance here. There are three ingenuous and pious gentlemen from London, in whose esteem and conversation I am very happy. The letter to Lady Cox has been delivered, and I intended according to her Ladyship's appointment, to wait on her this afternoon, but being shortbreathed, and low-spirited, I could not conveniently go, but sent my best compliments, and she expects the visit on Monday.

LXV.

The study of the Scriptures most useful.

BATH, 1737, APRIL, 2.-You obliged me much, good Madam, by favouring me with an account of particulars; and the account of Messrs. Bone and Parker is very pleasing. I am in great hopes the exceptions you made to the discourse in the Society, will work by degrees and produce at length a most desirable effect. None that zealously concern themselves about the weighty affair of eternal life with their prudentials about them, but will be awakened by it to consider well of what is said to them, and compare or bring it to the test of the holy scriptures.

I am much pleased that you continue to signify your dissent to the methods of the Society. I wish most ardently the leaders you mention would think proper to discourse of subjects more necessary and edifying; pressing arguments to study the sacred scriptures would be much more useful, with the help of such commentators as Henry and Burkitt: for they who are most acquainted with God's holy will, and the operations of his Holy Spirit in their inward man, disposing them to believe what