if my poor Spark added any thing to your flame but especially I am pleased with what you write in the Commendation of our loving Saviour I would be grieved when any Blaspheme that worthy Name but methinks it sounds something like Heaven when any are celebrating the Praises of the Lamb indeed I have both seen and heard that of him lately that would not have left me so Tongue ty'd in this Matter as I am was not my Heart so bad as it is O the Love of Christ methinks it should be the burthèn of all our Songs methinks I would fain be saying something I know not how to cull out a more excellent Heart affecting Subject to write to you on but I am afraid to meddle almost because my low and ill Management will be but a disparagement of his matchless Love O that I knew but what to think or write that might affect my own Heart and Your's But what a strange Heart have I to deal with What can affect me if this do not O thou Stone or harder if harder can be May your Heart be more affected in reading then mine is in writing and when it is so O then remember poor me O how should our Hearts be affected when we consider the Person loving the Manner how he hath loved us the rich Benefits his Love hath put him upon procuring for us or we our selves the Persons beloved That he the only begotten Son of God who was his Father's delight from all Eternity ever rejoycing in his Presence that he should have such a gracious Respect to us such poor sorry contemptible vile and sinful Wretches as we are that he should Love us and that at such a rate as he hath done even to die for us and this when he knew before hand how disingeniously we should carry it towards him even returning him Hatred for his Love O this is the most prodigious stupendious Act of condesending Love imaginable And then O think his Love is eternal Love though he was not actually our Saviour from Eternity yet he was so appointed in God's eternal Purpose and Decree O that the ever blessed God should have such eternal projects of Love for such worms as we And his Love is to Eternity for whom he thus loves once he loves to the end and should not this stir our Hearts if we have any Life in us to think that the Son of God should have such a special Eye upon us in his Death procuring the effectual Application of that Redemption he was then working out to our Souls in whom there was nothing antecedently to move him to such distinguishing Love O what shall we think of those invaluable Benefits he hath procured for us as reconciliation justification sanctification and eternal Glory O that I could get my Heart more affected with this astonishing Love Lord I cannot comprehend I cannot reach it no wonder it passeth Knowledge its Love in a Mystery but I do and will admire it and look and long for a sight of thee in Heaven where I shall know thee better with all the Heart affecting Circumstances of thy Love being ever under the warm and melting Influences thereof Hath Christ so loved us what follows but that we hate Sin more and love the World less but Him more and express our love in obedience to the things he commands us and in a willingness and readiness to deny our Selves in any thing dear to us for his Sake well I hope you will pick something out of these confused hints But my Paper begin to tell me I forget my self I am Your's I. B. LETTER VI. To S. E. October 31. 1684. Dear S. YOUR'S I receiv'd and to your request that we may hence forward live a Life of Thankfulness unto and in the joyful Praises of God and our dear Redeemer I heartily desire to say Amen I looked upon it as a great Mercy that the Lord was pleased to give us to see the Faces one of another once more with Comfort but a greater still that he was pleased to indulge us with another opportunity of joyning in that precious Ordinance of sitting down together once more at his Table O what cause we have to love exalt and bless the Name of our dear Redeemer who hath I hope brought us into a special spiritual relation to himself and one to another O how should we love him our Head and one another as fellow members of his body I thought I had loved you as well as I could before but now methinks I feel a fresh and stronger Obligation then that which is purely Natural shall we be fed and feasted together by our dear Lord and shall we be hereafter glorisied together by and with him and shall we not dearly love him and one another Alass but am I one of those blessed and happy Souls am I What do I more then others more then a meer painted Hypocrite may do What have I to prove my interest in Christ my title to his precious Benefits Alass my Evidences are most to seek when I think what a difference there is between Heaven and Hell and so between their Inhabitants O what fears arise in my Soul Ah Sister these eternal Concerns of ours are not things to be left at such uncertainty by us who are so near them we must not be satissfied with a may be O let us go upon sure grounds for Eternity Yet I find which doth sometimes a little revive my Heart the Lord hath said he taketh pleasure in them that hope in his Mercy and I do hope so far as I know my Heart that I have indeed chosen him in Christ for my Portion and Felicity and that I do in the main sincerely desire and endeavour to live to him as my ultimate End But much ado I have to make this out many times Methinks I can plainly see a pious Principle acting you O that I was but as sure of my own Sincerity as I am well satisfied concerning Your's See if you can pray a little more peace into my sinful and sometimes sad and now I fear declining Soul see what you can do your Father and I would say my Father hears of you daily by me whom am Yours I. B. LETTER VII To S. E. November 18. 1684. Dear S. I Receiv'd an account of your Illness last Saturday by a Letter from my F. and to let you see I am not unmindful of you I here visit you with a few Lines though I cannot at present in Person and O that the Lord who many times makes use of poor unlikely means yet that when he pleaseth can do his Work without them would hereby encrease your Spiritual liveliness I remember I receiv'd a Letter from you not long since wherein you complain much of a dead and dull Frame which I did not answer Will a word or two now be acceptable Methought when I read your Letter it should have been my own only for this difference that you seem to
your Thoughts be frequently working upon such Truths as these the Lord hath a most supream unquestionable and manifold Right and Propriety in us and in all that we call our's and so this little Babe it was not so much yours as his his it was by the right of Creation Redemption and by your own free and voluntary Dedication and now may not the Lord do what he will with his own the Lord is righteous in all his ways Righteousness and Judgment are the habitation of his throne even when clouds and darkness are round about him however at any time he doth Afflict he never doth or can wrong us the Lord is a God of Judgment and doth every thing wisely both as to what he deth and as to the time way and manner of his doing it Our God is love that is his Name that is his Nature and however his Dispensations towards His may alter sometimes yet he changeth not He doth dearly love his Children even when he lasheth and strikes them as well as when he strokes and takes them into his Lap The Lord sees that Afflictions are needful for-us here we cannot but acknowledge that yes but we would choose our own Crosses No no we are Fools in that for he knows better then we what Vein to strike the Lord is gracious in mittigating our Affliction He is a most merciful Physician and will not over dose his poor Patients think with your self though the Branch be smitten the Root is yet spared this and all other Afflictions come within the compass of that sweet comprehensive Promise all things shall work together for Good consider the Lord is in himself and all-sufficient Good and will be so for ever to all his chosen ones He is better then ten Children yea then ten Worlds did I say Ten yea then ten Thousand come my Friend let the Lord see and let the World see it too that we have learnt to make a Portion of him These and such like Considerations you would do well to work upon your Heart I will add but a few Words more you have good ground to be satisfied as to the Condition of your Child that it is safely lodged in that blessed Bosome where I trust we desire and hope to be shortly our selves what sweetnefs may you fetch out of that Root of promises I will be thy God and the God of thy seed And what Marrow and Fatness in that although my House be not so with God yet he hath made with me an everlasting Covenant ordered in all things and sure which is all my Salvation and all my Desire although he make it that is my House not to grow As concerning your little Babe I do believe it that it now knows more of the great Mysteries of Salvation then all the great Doctors in the World and I do believe it now enjoyes more of God in one Minute then you and I have done since we were born O my Friend now you have an opportunity for laying in for your future Comfort a right carriage under this Affliction how pleasing and refreshing it would be to you hereafter in the review I have but a word or two more by way of Caution and I will take leave Take heed my Friend you do not listen to the Tempter if he should attempt to bely and slander our good G. to you we are not ignorant of his Devises of which this is usually one in a time of Affliction is this the G. that loves thee Is this the G. that heareth Prayer O beware of him We would not the Lord should believe him when he falsly accuseth us and why should we believe him when he dealeth thus with God O endeavour to keep up good Thoughts of God! Lord do this do that do what thou wilt with me I am resolved to Love thee still And then take heed you be not too bold in giving way to your Affections and imposing upon your Affliction in doing any thing that may give your Passions an advantage to get above you I durst not venture my self so far as to see my Sisters when they were Dead those that know their own weakness should be wary but its time I should think of a Conclusion the time is short we should therefore rejoyce as though we rejoyced not and weep as though we wept not O how soon it will be said of you and me they are gone Hold out Faith and Patience we have not long to suffer Death will perfectly kill Sin and then farewel to all Sorrow for ever be patient therefore my Friend for the coming of the Lord draws nigh methinks he standeth at the Door comfort thy self with these Words I have much ado to break off thought I confess I have been tedious but you will pardon it as an Errour of Love the good lord be your support and stay On him be sure you lean and rest I am your simpathizing Friend I. B. LETTER XXIX To Mr. S. of H. upon the Death of Mr. C. in Recommendation of Mr. B. January 12. 1693 4. SIR I Receiv'd your's wherein you Advertise me of the Death of that worthy useful Person Mr. C. the readig of which struck to my Heart I would be concerned for you as now a Flock without a Shepheard but the loss of such Men hath a further reach with it then to their private Families and Congregations even to the whole Church the good Lord as he taketh up our old Prophets raise us up young Ones in their Room with a double portion of the Spirit of our old Elijah And as to you I heartily wish that he who is the God of the Spirits of all Flesh would find you out a Man that may fill up the Breach which by his late sad Providence he hath made amongst you I must acknowledge my self very unworthy and unfit to Advise you herein and therefore need to Apology for my self in my present undertaking and I both desire and hope you will put a favourable Construction upon it if herein I give my Opinion and truly I could not be easy in my Mind till I had acquainted you that a worthy Friend of mine Mr. B. a Person of my intimate Acquaintance one for whom I have and that deservedly a high Respect one whose Ministerial gifts graces and experiences I look upon as Extraordinary will be at Liberty at L day next He is a Man of Peace and would be for carrying on a healing Work among you And truly if you be not provided or have not your Eye upon some other Person I am apt to think he may be very fit to undertake the Charge of you and would be likely to be a blessed Instrument among you I confess little stress is to be laid upon my Iudgment but I heartily wish you would make means to consult some that know him and are able to advise you and if upon Consultation and Advice you should have any inclination this way if you give me but a Line I
am one that would fain be your Companion in the path of Holiness here and joint Possessor with you of Happiness hereafter I. B. LETTER XVI To C. H. Dear Cozen I Received your's and the doubt which troubles you I find to be the same that I have been exercised with my self so I shall give you a few of my Thoughts although I am under discouragements and have much ado to perswade my Pen to write when I think I have more need to seek advice then to give in this Case so sar as I understand it the matter stands thus with us we fear we are not sick enough for Christ to heal we are not humbled enough our hearts not broken enough for Christ to bind them up now it s true those are deceitful flatterers that would teach us to slight Humiliation for Sin this is a dangerous deceit they will prove but unsound believers that were never soundly humbled but we must consider all Christ's Patients are not sick to the like degree The wounds of such are not all of a like depth some the Spirit deals more gently and tenderly with draws them with the cords of love when others he snatcheth as brands out of the Fire if the Lord hath done his Work shall we peevishly quarrel with him because he hath not done it just as we desire O let the Lord take his own method so he will but save our Souls from Sin and Wrath But it s well if there be not Pride in the bottom when we are so thoughtful about these preparatory Humiliations we would fain bring something to Christ that might make us more acceptable O deceitful Hearts wicked Hearts As one saith why do we not complain more of our want of Faith These preparatory Works are of no worth but as they are means to promote a saving closure with Christ our business is to enquire whether our Humiliation for Sin hath attain'd its end and that Humiliation is sufficient as to its End which prevails so far as that we cannot rest satisfied without Christ when the Soul is so sick that it cannot but cry out give me Christ or I die either we see our need of him or not if not why then do we complain of our selves as lost without him Either we are willing to be saved by him in his own way or not if we are it is a great dishonour and wrong to him to doubt of his Willingness He is more willing to save us then we are to be saved by him when you object your want of Tears that you cannot mourn for Sin I can tell you a sadder Story which makes me write with wet Eyes I say I have more reason to complain of hypocritical Tears then you have for the want of them Humiliation and Repentance lieth chiefly in your Will I remember a saying of Mr. Baxter's there is more Humiliation saith he in a base esteem of ones self then in a thousand Tears more of it in a will and desire to Weep then in the greatest abundance of Tears that come either from the force of Terrour or from the moistness of the Brain could I sind more of this inward Soul humiliation I could take abundantly more comfort in that then in abundance of Tears while my Heart is thus Senseless and feels little when you speak of Reformation consider the terms of the Covenant Sincerity is accepted instead of sinless Perfection and our dear Redeemer sees not only what his Servants are but what they should be and what they shall be O happy time when we shall all see him as he is and be like him I take little notice of what you say of that Expression in my last I am still ready to say as much subscribing my self a Scholar in the lowest Form in the School of the Lord Jesus I. B. LETTER XVII To C. H. Dear Cozen THE reading of your last wherein you did acquaint me with the good Success of my poor worthless Paper did much refresh my Spirit indeed I cannot but look upon your Estate as you describe it to be safe and happy O how glad should I be many times of clear Evidences of so much What Comfort may be safely drawn from such Premises As to what you say that you fear its only a good Mood that you are in it must be granted that natural unregenerate Persons have their good Moods sometimes but I think they never come in them to a sincere willingness and resolution to close with a Gospel Christ on Gospel Terms they may have some faint Wishes and Desires but the Mood is off them before any change is wrought upon their Hearts and Wills and when it leaves them they are more hardened and secure then before and while they are in such a Frame they are out of their Element like Fishes in the Air but I am confidently perswaded that you find it otherwise with your self when you find your Heart in a holy good Frame you are where you would be and when you find it otherwise it is your grief and burthen O how glad you would be was there no such sad and sinful interruptions in your Communion with God and a dear Redeemer Such a happiness as this is well worth dying for and why should you be discouraged at that which is the common Case of all God's Children upon Earth Go to the holiest Saint you know and I warrant you he will freely acknowledge that he hath his up's and down's if it be not so then wo to such as I who alass can seldom find my Heart in any good Frame while we have Flesh as well as Spirit we must expect that-the Flesh will be acting its part and it s well that we have a spiritual Principle to oppose it and happy they who have Faith and Patience to continue this Conflict such shall certainly come off conquerors at last but I would not be too tedious upon any occasion no Friend you have shall be more ready to communicate Experiences or shall more rejoyce in being any way instrumental of the Good of your Soul then my self who though very weak yet am truly willing the Lord be your Guide and Portion I am affectionately your's I. B. LETTER XVIII To C. H. Dear Cozen IN compliance with your request I will tell you what it was that moved me to give you those my Sentiments of your Condition it was this that your Humiliation had this Fruit that nothing could content you without Christ and that as far as you know your own Heart you are willing to be saved by him in his own Way and in his Strength to mortify Corruption which I am sure is more then Flesh and Blood could teach you I desire you may be truly serious sensible and humble but I would not have you turn an unmerciful false Accuser of your self Assurance is a great Mercy where vouchsafed and improved but it is of far greatter moment to us that we have Grace and use and exercise it then
O happy Place and happy Persons whose continual Work is perfect love and joy and praise I am your loving obedient S. I. B. LETTER XXII To T. W. My dear F. YOUR lines were very welcome to me both as they express your Affection to me your readiness to Simpathize with me your hearty Prayers to God for me and likewise as they give some revival to our former intercourse which my thoughts were working upon a day or two since with much desire I can heartily bless God for the comfortable Society I have formerly had with you O can we not both of us remember many an Hour with Comfort when the Lord hath been pleased to make a Third with us Yea and I hope when a few Minutes of Time more are past we shall be removed out of this Vale of Tears and meet upon the Mountains of Spices O a happy meeting that will be will it not think you O should we not be looking and longing and with Patience waiting for that blessed Day And should we not be quickning and encouraging one another in the way It is my hearty desire now we cannot so frequently pray and discourse together as we have formerly done I am perswaded to the great Satisfaction of us both it is my desire I say that we may maintain a mutual Correspondence by writing And methinks I have much to tell my Friend of now but that streightness of Time and some bodily Indispositions will not suffer me the dispensations of the Lord towards me are very Gracious O how manifold are his Mercies Indeed goodness and mercy hath followed me all my Days and methinks there is so much of Love mixed with the severest of his Dispensations towards me that I cannot but love him the more and praise him the more for them O they are not the wounds of an enemy nor the chastizements of a cruel one God is all love yet even when he takes as well as when he gives O to see Love in every thing is not that sweet O what is this Heart of mine made of that it is no more affected O help me love the Lord for me praise the Lord for me come let us exalt his Name together the Lord hath dealt very favourable as to my F. his Distemper not so violent as it might have been though his Weakness hath been very great how the Lord may dispose of him I cannot tell he continues very Weak though I hope the Distemper is much abated but this I know God will do all things well pray for us still yea and praise the Lord on our behalf I am affectionaly Your's I. B. LETTER XXIII To S. M. Dear S. I Hope you will not take it ill that you have not heard from me before now I am sure you are much in my thoughts and I should be glad to exchange a Letter with you now and then I had many affectionate concerned Thoughts about you when I heard of your late illness and it was not a little Comfort to me when I heard of your recovery much more shall the health and prosperity of your Soul rejoyce my Heart and that it may be daily promoted by all the Methods of God's Providence as well as by his Ordinances is and shall be my daily Prayer to that God who I hope hath begun a good Work there Dear S. the near Relation I am in to you lays me under a strong Obligation to do the utmost I am able to promote the welfare of your outward Man but methinks I feel my Affections especially working towards your Soul Well how is it Is your Soul in health Doth your Soul prosper By nature our Souls are like Hospitals for spiritual Diseases O there is no sound Part left in them but the Lord out of his Divine pity and bounty hath provided a wife able and tender hearted Physician for us the Lord Jesus Christ who hath prepared a rich Medicine every way suitable to our Diseases of his own most precious Blood and he is daily begging for Patients and his great Complaint is that Men will not come to him who would assuredly and freely heal them but rather choose Death now O that you and I may see more of our need of him our Souls are really O that they were more sensibly Sick our Diseases are in their own Nature mortal ones and all others besides him are Physicians of no value but if he undertake our Cure the danger is over no fear of miscarrying under his Hands O that now we may be so thoroughly convinced of our need of him and of his ability skill and good will that we may now look after him indeed and no more neglect him as we have done but may sincerely heartily chearfully and thankfully accept him and fiducially put our lives our souls our all into his Hands confiding in him and in him alone and obedientially following his Prescriptions then our Souls should live and not die but I must take leave let me hear how it is with you You have a daily remembrance in my poor Prayers who am affectionately Yours I. B. LETTER XXIV To S. M. Dear S. I Receiv'd your's which I took very kindly I had thoughts of writing to you before I received it for I shall be glad of intercourse this way and desire it may be so managed as that it may prove to the great Advantage of us both we should ever act like Persons for another World and should endeavour to manage every thing so as may help our selves and others forward in our way to Heaven O that we may I have two things to advise you to and let my Councel be acceptable The First is highly esteem and accordingly improve your precious Time surely if we did but consider how much great and necessary Work lies upon our hands we could not so lightly esteem and squander away that short and precious Time allotted to us for the doing of it in we have much to do for God to promote his Honour and Glory much to do for our Selves for our Souls we have our Salvation to work out an Interest in Christ to secure and clear weak Graces to strengthen strong Corruptions to subdue many and strong Temptations to resist and overcome many hard and difficult Duties to discharge and we must expect that the task of Duties though in another Sense we should not look upon Duty as a task will be encreasing as we grow up and much we have to do for others to promote their good We have our Generation to serve in the places God sets us in and all this must be done in time and is not that Time to be accounted Precious And farther it may be much shorter then we think of what is Man's life taken at its full length It is but as a Span days and years pass away like the Wind are spent as a Tale that is told but let not you and I promise our selves long Life but be thinking of a shorter cut then ordinary
may be of good Use to many Souls I would not have you give them away all at once hand over head but as prudently as you can not to such where you can have no rational hope but that they will be quite thrown away and where you do bestow them I desire you would give some good Advice both to Parents and Children and follow it with your Prayers and as you have opportunity be enquiring whether they make any use of them or no and accordingly in the Spirit of Love and Meekness either reprove oxhort or encourage as there is occasion and the Lord crown your endeavours that way with Succes I received a Letter from the Reverend Mr. F. wherein he advised that the School Dame should be encouraged by some quarterly Pension to teach her Scholars the Catechisms and that some poor Children be put to School I much approve his Advice and gave G. thanks for it if you have seen him since I question not but he hath acquainted you with my Desire that you would seasonably and prudently go about it the whole business is much upon my Heart having a longing desire after the Salvation of your poor Country Men's Souls I should be glad to hear from you sometimes how things go on and I would fain know which is your Fortnight day that I might more particularly remember you then and the good Lord give us in some early and evident Token of his gracious Acceptance of us in this thing in revealing his Arm in his Word and Ordinances he is now pleased to send amongst you I have not time to add more now but intend to write to you again shortly Let me hear from you give my hearty Love to good Mr. P. and accept the same your Self I am your affectionate Friend I. B. If the School Dame will undertake it let all Her Scholars have Catechisms given them It hath pleased the Lord to put it into the Hearts of our Ministers and of a great Number of serious praying Persons among us to spend one Hour weekly apart in our Closets in earnest Prayer to G. for the Publick and particularly for this present Parliament which G. enabling us we intend to continue during their present Sessions the time is Tuesday Morning Seven a Clock As you meet with any serious Christians endeavour to engage them to the same Course and send away your enclosed to Mr. B. as speedily as possibly you can which goes upon the same Errand LETTER XXXIII To Mr. B. at Ford about the praying Project December 5. 1695. Reverend and dear Sir IT hath pleased the Lord to put it into the Hearts of our Ministers and of a great Number of serious and praying Persons in this Place to set apart one Hour every Week wherein in an humble wrestling Manner to seek the Lord as for his Church in general and especially amongst us in these poor sinful Lands so particularly for this present Parliament which we intend to continue the Lord enabling us during their present Session we think there are many things which loudly bespeak and will sufficiently warrant such an Undertaking as this but if I should go about to mention them to you it would shew my Weakness if not something worse therefore I forbear I shall only in a few Words acquaint you first with our purpose and resolution as to our Practice which I have indeed in part done already and then with our humble Request unto you as to our own Resolution which we shall the Lord enabling us forthwith the ensuing Week put in Practice and continue during this present Session of Parliament it is to spend one Hour every Tuesday Morning beginning at Seven a Clock as near as we can each of us apart in our Closets in earnest wrestling with the Lord for his poor Church and particularly for this present Parliament O that they may be a band of Men whose Hearts the Lord hath touched O that he would make them reformers and healers to us And now our humble and earnest Request unto you is that you would put to your helping Hand and that you would speedily endeavour in such a way as your Prudence shall direct to engage as many of your serious praying People as possibly you can to set upon the same Work we thought it most Prudent to engage Persons by speaking to them privately and particularly but that and other Circumstances we leave to your prudent Management Only dear Sir let us stir up our selves and one another and once more see what Prayer will do And we do further Request that you will use your Interest in other Ministers that are near you but out of our reach to engage them and their several Congregations in the same Work and also to use their Interest to engage others and when you have an opportunity I should be exream glad to hear in a few Lines what is done in this Affair amongst you I have divers others to write unto upon the same Account so must take leave beging a particular Remembrance of you in your Prayers who am one extream needy though very unworthy of the same I am dear Sir Very affectionately Your's I. B. LETTER XXXIV To dear H. London about the praying Project January 18. 1665 0. Dear and much Honoured Sir UPON the receipt of a considerable spiritual Mercy the latter end of November last as I was projecting what return to make it pleased the Lord to direct my Thoughts and strenuously to encline them to this Scil. to attempt the engaging of a weekly Hour of Prayer by Persons apart in their Closets ' as for the universal Church of God and especially that part of it amongst us in these poor sinful Lands so particularly for this present Parliament and he hath been pleased to succeed my poor Endeavours herein to the actual engaging of a great Number of excellent pious praying Ministers and private Christians as in this so likewise in divers neighbouring Countries as Darbyshire Leicestershire Yorkshire Cheshire and Lancashire my poor Thoughts have again and again been looking towards London where I know there are vast Numbers of such as are Princes upon their Knees but have had those discouragements arising in and from my Self as have hitherto laid an embargo upon my Pen indeed I was ready all along to fear as I had just Reason that this Religious project would if it took in the main yet suffer much damage by its passing through my sorry Hands but meeting with unexpected Success to my very great surprizing Joy I am now encouraged to hoist the Sails and make this further and higher Adventure O that it may be as prosperous yea more abundantly so And I am the more encouraged because I have your dear Self whose prudence zeal and interest in the Hearts of others I have such a full satisfaction of to apply my self unto And now dear Sir my humble and earnest Request is That you will be please to take the first convenient Opportunity