Temptation and find a Proneness in our Hearts when we are as it were on the Top of the Hill to overlook despise contemn our poor Brethren that are below us in the Valley Job saith He that is ready to slip with his feet is as a lamp despised of him that is at ease if so we must take heed of that Again Beware of unmercifulness towards them have we a care they do not want our Bowels but especially that we do not hurt their's take we heed that when we are at ease our selves we be not among them who are not greived for the Affliction of others but especially that we add not to their Affliction O beware we of any thing that looks like injury or oppression and as we must thus labour to discover and carefully to avoid those Sins and Temptations which respect to others So 2. Those which do more directly respect our slves and so take heed of Pride this was the Devils Sin and his Ruine and he would have us like him in both and do we not find our Spirits ready to be puffed up on this occasion I dare say they are no ordinary Christians with whom its otherwise Again Take we heed of Security when our Mountain seems to stand strong it s well if our Hearts say not next it shall never be moved take heed of that Again Take we heed of Prodigality an unlawful excessive wastful Spending or spending Wastfulness of the Creature I remember a choise Servant of God one that hath laboured much amongst us once when I was with him in a fit of Sickness taking a Medicine he called for the Spoon back to lick it saying Jesus Christ would have nothing lost in which as I concluded he had reference to his ordering the Fragments to be gathered up after that large and plentiful Feast upon a few Barly-loaves and two or three small Fishes Again Take we heed of Sensuality our Lusts will expect our Prosperity should be a Feast for them they will crave it and the Devil will sollicite for them but these Beggers must be denied we must take heed of sensuality and of worldiness take heed of sinful inordinate pantings after love to use of or delights in the Creature This as to the first General 2. We must labour to get acquainted with and then conscientiously and diligently to discharge those Duties and exercise those Graces which this Estate gives us a special call to and advangage for And 1. Those which more directly respect others And so 1. Those which more immediately respect God himself and so we must own and acknowledge God as the free and gracious author founder and maintainer of our Prosperity and then it naturally follows hence that we be thankful to him for it and here a true Christian hath far the Advantage of another Man and is thereby laid under a stronger Obligation to this Duty for he may see his outward Prosperity his outward Mercies coming from that self same loving Hand and Heart that gave him his dear Christ O how thankful should a Christian be In a mercy that in it self may be but small yet may he see and tast that which is of more worth then a World this is no phanatical Dream but a proved and experienced Truth Again Doth it not also follow that we should love him more dearly Love would and should be paid in its own Coin and by the way observe it if we can but find this that we love God more for our outward Prosperity this would be an infallible sign that it comes from his Love for as one saith this is a certain Rule that which causeth love cometh from love and then see that we grieve more ingenuously for our Sins against him and the consideration of the cursed Ingratitude and Disingenuity that there is in our Sin 's sure this will when the Spirit strikes it home open a Vein to purpose in a gracious Heart Again Let us see we learn to trust in him more stedfastly we have promises and experiences too see we trust him in our Prosperity see we trust in him and not in uncertain riches friends or the like and if he bring us into straits again let us now learn to trust him then trust him for these things if they be good for us however that he will give us that in himself which is infinitely better and so le ts learn to trust him for better things if from his Love he give us Earth will he not much more give us Heaven and all that we need in the way And then le ts see we make him the chief object of our delight and joy Again Let 's see we be more abundant vigorous and chearful in his Service in all acts of Obedience 2. Those which more directly respect our Brethren and so we must see we be humble courtious and affable in our Carriage towards them and that we do heartily pity and compassionate them in their Necessities and Troubles and that we do actually relieve and help them as we have abillity and opportunity remembring that the Lord hath more backs to cloath more bellies to fill more hearts to chear with our Prosperity then our own and as we must thus labour to get acquainted with and then conscientiously and diligently to discharge those Duties and exercise those Graces which a prosperous Estate calls to and gives us advantage for with respect to others So 2. Those which do more immediately respect our selves such as self-denial moderation holy contentation a grave and sober joy and rejoycing weanedness from the World heavenly mindedness and the like But I fear I have enlarged too much and would fain leave a little room for the last thing and so as that I may not streighten others neither So 3. As we would thus improve our outward Prosperity as hath been confusedly hinted we must carefully observe and follow some rules and directions To name five or six 1. We must labour to get throughly convinced of our own Impotency and utter insufficiency to do this of our selves and truly we know e'ne nothing of our selves if we know not this that of our selves without Christ we can do nothing alass we can't bare a Cross no more can we handle a single Comfort as we ought then what shall we do in a State of full Prosperity especially if of any long continuance How certainly it sinks us into security sensuallity worldliness into a neglect of God our Souls Eternity and the like if left to our selves 2. We must see to it that we be Christians indeed that we have a thorough work of Grace wrought in our Hearts there are many Natural carnal Men that know what it is to be in Prosperity what it is to Abound but not one of them knows how to Abound nor can they know any thing of it while they so continue in the right improving of Prosperity there are many spiritual Acts and Motions required as you have heard but this cannot be
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
these to direct us to suit our Reproof to the Nature of the Offence according as it is either more open or secret or as it is greater or smaller either in its self or in its circumstances or in its probable consequents 3. As to the Time The Preacher saith To every thing there is a season and a time to every purpose under Heaven Ecl. 3.1 And so a time to keep silence and a time to speak v. 7. And a wise man's heart discerneth both time and judgment Chap. 8.5 Very much lieth in the right timeing of a Reproof such a Word spoken in Season how good is it I know indeed in some Cases the Matter may not admit of delay and likewise that delays sometimes may endanger a neglect But yet methinks where it may we should take the fittest time which in General I think is 1. When we find our own Spirits in a temper in some measure fit to give the Reproof if I find boistrous unruly Passions up that is no fit time for me to Reprove another in 2. When the Person to be reproved is fittest to receive it and like to get most good by it we may learn this from Abigall's prudent Carriage of the matter 1 Sam. 25.36 37. she would not Reprove Nabal till the Wine was gone out of him so to reprove a Man in the heat of his Passion it is like to do no good but farther to enrage him 2. Humility and Meekness 2 Tim. 2.24 25. I know this and some other Scriptures produced were spoken directly to Ministers yet in a Proportion they shew every one of us our Duty too and what Sin is there that we Reprove in others that in some respect degree or other we have not been guilty of our selves However we need not look for into our Hearts to find the seed and root of it and of all other Sins whatever yea more no thanks to the best of us that we are not as bad as the vilest Wretch that breaths and sure here is enough if duly considered to humble and meeken our Spirits when we have to do with others in the way of Reproof And as this is fitting upon our own Account so likewise needful upon the Account of the Party reproved because ordinarily he will but too hardly be perswaded but that we are Proud and take too much upon us or that we bear him ill Will and are for picking a quarrel with him one may believe that Man hath more Grace than ordinary that can take a Reproof well which is given him in a ruff proud and lofty Manner 3. Love Pity and Compassion that general Rule 1 Cor. 16.14 Let all your things be done with charity or love reacheth this Case indeed we must hate the Sin we reprove in another and we may and ought to express our hatred of it But we may not hate his Person nay we must see we love him yea though he be a wicked Man yet we must love him as a Man and so capable of Grace and much more if he be one already made partaker of it and we must endeavour by loving Expressions to wind in our Reproof as advantagiously as may be and so also we must do it with much Pity and Compassion to his weakness and infirmity considering our selves that we also are in the Body and have in us the like body of Sin and so are not yet out of the Tempters reach or out of Danger by his Temptations 4. Zeal and Courage as God's Glory is struck at and in some sense wounded and blemished by every Sin committed by our selves or others though to speak strictly and properly God is impassible quite out of the reach of Sin and Sinners our wickedness may hurt a Man as we are but not God Job 35.8 but no thanks to Sin or Sinners for that he should not be might they but have their Will therefore lukewarmness and indifferency of Spirit here is a cursed thing a holy heat become us well here for which we have the highest Pattern in the World even him who in other things was the most meek and lowly in Heart so when we are called to reprove those that are above us though I think it is not so ordinarily our Duty to reprove Superiors as others they should rather be dealt with by others or by us in another way yet where it is plainly our Duty we should not fear the Faces of any so the Prophets of old when they had God's Commission and Charge they spared not crowned Heads any more then others and New Testament instances might also be easily produced here 5. Intergrity and Faithfulness and that both to God and Man but I fear I enlarge too much and alass which is worse but too impertinently 6. Self-denial and Contempt of the World this is a necessary Qualification because if we will be Faithful to God and Souls it may so fall out that we may be called to reprove such as to outward things we may have most dependance on whose Favour of all others we are most loath to loose which may be hazarded by a faithful Reproof this the Flesh knows how to improve but here carnal Sinful-self must be denied the World contemned when it stands in the way of our Duty and if we would but be Faithful to God we should find him so to us Forthwith an upright Man he will shew himself upright 2. The Cautions are these 1. That we reprove not that as Sin which indeed is not so we must take heed of that for it would be Sin in us and so justly deserve a Reproof from them this was in some degree that good Man's Fault 1 Sam. 1.14 15. And so Peter's Fault Math. 16.22 For which our Lord gave him as severe a Rebuke as most we meet with v. 23. 2. That we reprove not other 's for that Sin which we have not good ground to charge them with and are not able some way to convince them of though I think in this Case it may be a Duty to give some friendly Intimations of what we either suspect or hear in a way as inoffensive as may be and I dare say this is far more Christian like then hasty rash-judging upon weak grounds and its ten to one on such as are false by which how much some have suffered the Lord knows which it is a dangerous thing I think to give a downright Reproof upon meer surmise or upon bare heresay especially in this censorious detracting Age when false Reports are so common in Men's mouth 's yea too often in the mouth 's of those that are Wise and Good though alass this is no part either of their wisdom or goodness 3. We should beware we do not throw away our Reproofs upon such as are unworthy of them such as would but abuse them and us for them I think this Caution is warranted by and may be grounded upon such Scriptures as these Math. 7.6 Give not that which is holy unto dogs
penal Evils which God inflicts upon us Righteousness and Judgment is ever to be ascribed to our God and all the blame to be charged home upon our own naughty Hearts it is Sin which imbitters all our Comforts here O hate Sin and take a holy revenge upon it Afflictions are but the effect Sin is the cause now remove the Cause and the Effects will cease O what bruitish and unreasonable Creatures are we who are so much in love with Sin a thing so odious and hateful in the sight of God and so mischievous to our Selves O unnatural we who are so in love with our own Miseries Now that you may follow this Direction effectually it would be a good way seriously to endeavour to find out what those Sins are that have had the greatest hand in bringing this Affliction upon you for in many of God's strokes his Hand his Rod points very visibly to the Offence I have verily thought so in several of the light Afflictions he hath laid upon me When God afflicts us in Relations we ought with shame and grief to reflect upon our relative Sins I dare not but humbly mind you of this thing having found out the Achans let us dispatch them without delay let us humble our Souls exceedingly for them and earnestly beg the Pardon of them and with all our might strive against them O let us shew Sin no mercy Let the Lord see that his quarrelling with us hath broached an irreconcilable quarrel between our Souls and Sin 2dly Let us be led to see more of the emptiness and vanity of the Creature since our fall from God to the Creature we are very prone to place and seek our Happiness in it whereas our Happiness consists and ought to be placed in God alone who is the chief Good and our Gracious God many times sees good to Afflict his Children most in those things which have got the greatest share of their Affections and so are likely to draw away most of their Hearts from him O remember dear Cozen our Head and Husband the Lord Jesus hath a very jealous Eye over our deceitful Hearts he cannot brook any adultrous Affections in his Spouse when he seeth we are following strangers and so growing strange with him it much offends him yet so constant is his Love to us that he takes various Methods to recover our Affections and if nothing else will do it rather then quite loose us he will hedge up our way with Thorns and seldom that our naughty Hearts will be reclaimed till it comes to that I remember an Expression of my Father in a Sermon of his to this Purpose I am verily perswaded saith he that most of the lashes laid upon God's Children here are to pay home and sharply to correct them for some overloving of the Creature As I said before hate Sin more so here love the World less 3dly When ever we find the Devil tempting us to hard Thoughts of God then let us stand up and plead mightily for God's goodness let not our base distrustful unbelieving Hearts be suffered to entertain any such vile Suggestions when God's providences are dark and afflictive towards his People then it is the Devils trick to do what he can to possess their Minds with black and unworthy Conceptions of him as if he had an evil Eye upon them and grudged them their outward Comforts or did willingly Afflict them or took pleasure in their Grief so it is sometimes with God's Church in general Sion's Language sometimes is The Lord hath forsaken my God hath forgotten me And so it is frequently with particular Souls under their particular Tryals and Troubles here How have poor I experienced this sad Truth And with what shame and sorrow may I acknowledge the too great readiness of my base Heart to close with such Temptations And if you do not meet with the same sometimes I can assure you from sad Experience your Case is singularly Happy and if you do meet with them with abhorrence reject and cast them out fear yet scorn to entertain them labour to recollect former Experiences you have had of the Lord's loving kindness He is unchangable in his Love to his Think often what an Expression it is of his Love and Care that he will be at the pains to Afflict you clearing your Adoption you may thence easily argue that all your Afflictions are but Fatherly Chastizements And O how would that sweet Promise of God's turning all to our spiritual Good and Advantage Rom. 8.28 if frequently seriously and believingly considered of make us think very well of all he doth 4thly Live by Faith upon the Attributes and Promises of God it is nothing below this that will be able to keep up your Heart and hold up your Head above these Waters and here I would advise you to seek out those Attributes of God that most suit your Case as it may be sometimes you are puzzeled even at your Wit 's end and know not what to do not what Course to take I believe it is so with you sometimes is it not Your way is made dark in this Wilderness why then have recourse by Faith to the infinite Wisdom of God it may be you meet with a great deal of treachery and deceitfulness in the Creature in this Case live upon the Truth and Faithfulness of God which never fails It may be you may meet with cruel and harsh Usage from such as you have no reason to expect most of the Contrary in this Case solace your Soul in the Consideration of those Bowels of Compassions that are in your heavenly Father and so improve all the Attributes of God for they are all yours and strongly engaged for you if you be his and so as to the Promises of God seek out those that come nearest to your Case promises of Support under your Affliction and of Deliverance when the Lord shall see that good for you at least of a blessed Sanctification of all to your Soul which is ten Thousand times better then present deliverance without it 5thly The exercise of Patience is another thing wherein a Christian Carriage under Affliction doth consist a quiet submitting unto and acquiessing in the good Will of God consider God's disposing Will in his Providence is as really his Will and doth as firmly constitute our Duty to Obey as his commanding Will in his Word And seeing it is his Will that it should be so with you as now it is endeavour chearfully to subscribe unto it let it appear that you are a Practitioner yea a good Proficient in the holy Apostles Art who had learnt in whatsoever State he was therewith to be Content what a poor Contentment is ours if it depends upon our Creature enjoyments yet what abundant reason we should be Content with what we have we deserve nothing so surely ought to be Content with any thing and if an ever Blessed God will not Content us surely we are very unreasonable and
would not have one praying Hour intermitted and yet I am loath my Pen should go the round a second time before I have somthing from you I beg you would be urgent with your worthy Ministers for a second Call to the whole Kingdom which I shall in impatiently long for not to ease my Pains but to do the Work much more universally and effectually and to encourage them to it let them know that the Iron is now hot with many of us by the experiments I have made I find a great readiness of Mind to the Duty and dare almost promise them a general universal Correspondence with the thing by those whose Prayers are likely to stand poor England in any stead at this dark and trembling Point of Time though it cannot be expected that all should fall in exactly with every Circumstance the good Lord give them an one-rest of Heart in this Affair and the whole Nation in complying with them If the Lord should encline their Hearts to do any thing this way I shall hope for some Copies I shall think the time long till I hear from you but I know not when to end it s well I have a Man of Patience to deal with I am dear Sir your very affectionate humble and much obliged Servant Jo. Barrett LETTER XXXVI To Mr. L. May 25. 1696. SIR I Cannot but eagerly take hold of the first Opportunity to let you know how well I was pleased with the short hint you gave me in the close of your last the Lord help me to do it so as may be to your eternal Advantage Since you took the little good Advice I gave you so well I am encouraged thereby to tell you more of my Heart I do not dissemble with you in telling you that yon have a great share of my Affections if you was my own Brother I think I could not love you better and I am well satisfied that as we use to say there is no love lost between us that you bear the like Affection unto me now I would endeavour to make the best improvement of the Interest I have in you and surely that cannot be better done then by doing my utmost to in-title my great Master a dear and lovely Jesus to it I do heartily rejoyce in your outward prosperity but more earnestly desire the Prosperity of your Soul and should exceedingly rejoyce might I any way be an instrument in promoting it the thing I aim at is not so much the proselyting you the bringing you over to my way and party but the engaging you in a course of serious Godliness though as I have found G. in the way that I am in I dare not forsake it my self so far as I am satisfied it is according to his Word yet I am far from thinking that Religion lies in Notions and Opinions and I doubt not but that there are many serious Christians that differ from me in their Opinions about lesser Matters but this all serious Christians in the World are agreed in that without conversion regeneration true repentance faith and real holiness both of Heart and Life there is no hopes of Salvation Now this is the Business you and I must look after to see that we have past the new birth are throughly changed from what we were by Nature and truly Grace makes a mighty great Change where it comes it is a thing above Morality common Civillity above a formal Profession above outward Attendance or Ordinances above the common Works of the Spirit in the Hearts of Men it is an inward deep powerful abiding thing The Lord give us to experience it in and upon our own Souls without which its impossible that all the Words in the World should make us rightly understand it The poor miserable deluded World thinks all this is meer Phancy but assure your self it s otherwise I know you will meet with a great many Objections arising from Satan and your own Heart as I and all others who have experience of a saving work of G. upon their Souls have done before you He will its like endeavour to make you shy of Convictions of your sin and misery by Nature which in some degree or other ever goes before a sound Conversion but as you love your Soul when ever you feel the holy Spirit of G. this way at work do not stifle but encourage them all you can when you feel your self pained this way take the first opportunity you can to retire into some private Place and there pour out your Complaint before the Lord acknowledge your sinfulness lament your misery cry to him for Mercy cast your Soul at his Feet and though you should not have ease and satisfaction at first yet be not discouraged but hold on seek him in good earnest and my Soul for your's he is found of you And its like he will endeavour to prejudice you against Religion as too strict as a moross dull melancholy Thing as that which would deprive you of all the Comfort of your Life but this is notoriously False I would not delude you and I do and must seriously profess to you this in just commendation of my dear Master and his Service that I am fully satisfied upon the little trial I have made that a religious godly Life is the most pleasant Life in all the World again Wisdoms Ways are ways of Pleasantness and all her paths are Peace I have now been acquainted with Him and his Service many Years and still the more I know of Him and his Service the better I am pleased with both and that upon solid substantial Grounds really I speak my very Heart to you in these things and nothing but what you shall certainly find your Self if you will but come and see if you will but make trial as I have done Indeed Religion doth forbid all beastly Pleasures but it doth not need them for it brings others infinitely better in their room which are peculiar to it self which strangers intermeddle not with and then as to sober manlike Pleasures it s so far from depriving of them that it gives the best right unto the sweetest Enjoyments and the surest hold of them And the best is still behind even those Rivers of Joys and Pleasures at God's right Hand for ever more where others must ly down in endless Sorrow but I am afraid you will think me too tedious do not take it ill from me I verily think you will not God is my witness that love to my Master whom I can never admire never commend never save so much or so well as he deserves I should and love to your Soul a longing desire that you two may come to be savingly acquainted together hath set my Pen on work let him give it good speed I greatly delight in you here but I would very fain take you along with me to Heaven let us not part But I dare not for a World delude and flatter you here without a sound Conversion
to be lead by the Spirit By Nature we are all Men and Women of another Spirit lead and acted by that contrary Spirit which works in the Children of Disobedience Eph. 2.2 Rom. 8.14 For as many as are lead by the Spirit of God they are the Sons of God Gal. 5.25 If we live in the Spirit let us also walk in the Spirit There must be Spiritual Life before there can be any Spiritual Motion 2. That they Regenerate themselves tho' they are renewed in every part yet they are renewed but in part They have in them while they are in this Life Flesh as well as Spirit and while we have Sin in us it will be acting its Part the flesh will be lusting against the Spirit Rom. 7.21 I find then a Law that when I would do good evil is present with me Gal. 5.17 For the Flesh lusteth against the Spirit and the Spirit against the stesh and these are contrary the one unto the other so that ye cannot do the things that ye would 3. That as men easily may so they are very prone to mistake in this Point 1. Bad Men Saul when in his persecuting Course before his Conversion he verily thought that he was in the way of his duty and so following the Motions of Gods Spirit Act. 26.9 But we see how his Mind was changed afterwards that which before he took for Holy Zeal a Fruit of the Spirit he then saw to be no better than exceeding madness 2. Good Men when they seriously consider what depends upon this Point Rom. 8.9 Now if any Man hath not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his v. 13. For if ye live after the Flesh ye shall dye And when they think of the deceitfulness of their own hearts Jer. 17.9 The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked who can know it And when they further consider how prevalent the remaining fleshly interest is in their hearts and lives this makes many a gracious Soul tremble when it comes to decide the Point and sometimes to bring in a false Judgment against it self unless that blessed Spirit shine upon it 4. That mistakes here are very dangerous and mischievous That Man who thinks he hath and is lead by the Spirit and is not woe to him for he is a lost Man if he find not out his mistake before Death and Judgment undeceive him And then a mistake on the other hand will cause the poor Soul to drive on but heavily and uncomfortably in the way of its duty tho' its Estate in the main may be safe Have none of us cause to know the Heart of such in this matter Now to the Case propounded I would answer in general thus I think that Man and he alone is lead by the Spirit the habitual and prevailing bent of whose Heart the main Scope and drift of whose Life is Spiritual As for particular marks I shall content my self with a very few which I take to be safe and scriptural so 1. Such as are lead by the Spirit of God they are by him free from the ruling Power of the Flesh Rom. 8.1 2. There is therefore now no Condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the Flesh but after the Spirit For the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the Law of Sin and Death Gal. 5.16 This I say then walk in the Spirit and ye shall not fulfil the Lusts of the Flesh Walking after the Spirit and walking after the Flesh are directly opposed in Scripture such they sin still alas that is a sad truth which cannot be denied for there is not a just man upon earth that doth good and sinneth not Ecl. 7.20 yet he that is born of God he doth not he cannot commit Sin Joh. 1.3 9. He lives not in the ruling Love and practice of Sin He can in some Measure say what the Apostle For that which I do I allow not for that which I would that do I not but what I hate that do I Rom. 7.15 2. They are such as have solemnly taken the holy Spirit for their Guide and given up themselves to his Conduct They were baptized into his Name Mat. 28.19 And every time they do renew the Covenant they do sincerely and afresh renew their Obligations to obey and follow him Before Conversion they rejected him his Counsels and Ways and were only for following the Inclinations of their own evil Hearts and the Course of this World But now they have made a better choice They desire he would teach lead and guide them such Expressions are very frequent And they have an Ear to hear and an Heart to follow him Joh. 10.3 4. And the Sheep hear his Voice and he calleth his own Sheep by Name and he leadeth them out and when he putteth forth his own Sheep he goeth before them and the Sheep follow him for they know his Voice By the Spirit it is that great Shep-heard teacheth his Sheep to know his Voice by him he calleth them both to and after him 3. They are such as have chosen the Word of God for their Rule In the Word it is that the Spirit Speaketh to the Churches Rev. 2.7 In the Word he hath chalked out the Paths of Holiness wherein he leadeth such as he hath made willing to follow him And they pray with David Lord teach me thy Statutes Psal 119.12 Let me not wander from thy Commandments Indeed the Flesh will be resisting and rebelling endeavouring to stop them in or to turn them out of the way which will cause them to take many a false Step But yet as Rom. 7.22 They delight in the Law of God after the inward Man In the bent of their renewed Mind and will they delight in it and desire to obey it perfectly and allow not themselves in the breach of any part thereof 4. Such as are lead by the Spirit their Motion is free and voluntary not by force and constraint They are lead not haled or driven Joh. 10.3 4. He calleth them by Name and leads them out and goeth before them and they follow him They are a willing People Psal 110.3 1 Cor. 4. Draw me and we will run after thee Indeed a Partical Unwillingness will be found in the best while here while we have Flesh in us it will be drawing another way But yet Holiness is this Mans choice And when he is in a holy Frame and Course he is as in his Element The habitual prevailing bent of his Heart is for a Course of Holiness and this appears in the main Scope and drift of his Life and this I think doth denominate us what we are and that therefore by it we may safely judge of our selves QUESTION II. How may we come to find out and know what are our special sins and what means are to be used for the Mortification of them The question before us Consists of two Parts 1. How may we
be more in our thoughts is the Prayer of your poor Brother weak in Grace and low in Comfort I. B. LETTER IX To S. E. January 13. 1684 5. Dear S. I Receiv'd your's and am glad to hear of the removal of that afflictive Distemper you have of late been under a mercy I have been often seeking to God for for which I am with you obliged and shall endeavour to bless the Lord I am rejoyced to hear you are so much upon the praising pin O that I could but learn that heavenly Note But O what a strange lumpish Heart have I I talk of Heaven Of an Eternity to be spent in the love and joyful Praises of God and a dear Redeemer Truly it is a shame while my Heart is so backward to and unskilful in this blessed Work O had Heaven no better singers then I am or am like to make what poor harmony what harsh melody would there be among them But for the eternal Praise of the great Jehovah it shall not be thus many times when I hear the pretty Bird's singing forth his Praises in their kind I am ashamed of my self I am generally secure and senseless sometimes sad but seldom joyful 1st Oh how secure and dead I am many times I have scarce any Sense or feeling of Spiritual things upon my Heart I have such a senseless benumed Conscience through Custom in Sin that I feel little of the weight and burthen of it or of my need of a Saviour alass while others are joyfully prasing God and a dear Redeemer I have need to pray for a more awakned Conscience and for more Sorrow for Sin 2dly When my Conscience doth begin to speak home and my Heart doth a little relent then either my Sorrow is slighty and superficial not bearing a proportion to my Sins O how many Tears I have need to weep over as not coming from a Heart thoroughly sensible of Sin Or else I am ready to be dejected but it is more rarely thus with me I mostly err on the other hand But then 3dly When shall you find me in a joyful thankful praising frame The Lord hath laid me though an unworthy wretch under many obligations I do not want Matter whereof to compose my Song but alass I want a musical Heart well I yet hope that in Heaven if the Lord will bring me thither at last I hope then he will change my Note That I shall then have no more cause to complain of this Heart of mine but shall then with an innumerable Company of Angels and Saints sing a new Song to him that sits upon the Throne and to the Lamb for ever and ever Amen I am your Loving Brother I. B. LETTER X. To S. E. February 5. 1684 5. Dear S. I Receiv'd your's and return you thanks for it and for your I do not doubt hearty Prayer for me for spiritual Joy but O that you would help me to pray more Sorrow into my Heart first you tell me I know what they shall reap that sow in tears to wit Joy But if that be Scripture as I know it is I may expect but a small Crop not that I think my Tears can wash away the Guilt of the least Sin or merit the least favourable Glance of God's Countenance but Repentance of which Godly sorrow is one part is a necessary Qualification O therefore pray for more of that and herein you will exceedingly befriend me I am afraid you are exceedingly mistaken in me I do not wish you so ill as you wish your self to be in my State and Frame Sure I am if you did believe the Discription I have given you of it which I do again own and acknowledge to be worse then I did or can discribe to you you would not wish so however if I do think worse of my self then I should which yet I am confident I do not yet sure I am you err more on the other hand in thinking better of me then I deserve and be not troubled at my Complaints O will you not give me leave to Complain Was I under any outward Trouble I am sure you would and that you would gladly endeavour to help me too and will you not give me leave to Complain of my Spiritual wants and burthens What want Grace and not Complain Be so doged with such domineering Lusts and hanted with such impetuous Temptations as I am and not Complain Give me leave and will you not do what you can to help me O if you love me help me down with my Lusts by your Prayers but I will not longer detain you I am your Loving Brother I. B. LEETTER XI To S. E. March 8. 1684 5. Dear S. I Receiv'd your's but have time to write but a line or two I was sorry to hear of the return of your Ague but am glad to hear it hath left you again O that all fatherly Corrections might leave us better then they find us I saw my F. lately and was glad to here there was hopes of your getting home I would not have you think I forget you as to that business you hint at I know not how to advise you my self but I shall endeavour to pray for you to him that can however one thing I will say acknowledge the Lord in all your ways then take his Word for it that he will direct your Steps I am ready to think from some Circumstances that there may be something of Providence in it but let us wait a while and see what the Lord will do I am your Loving Brother I.B. LETTER XII To S. E. April 9. 1685. Dear S. I Receiv'd your's and was much perplexed in my Mind not understanding your meaning in some Passages of it as to your coming home I cannot but desire it and methinks it is plainly your Duty considering the Circumstances that you are in and considering your poor Parents how crazy they are and in what need they stand of your help Dear S. have a care of giving way to melancholy discontented Thoughts remember former Experiences that you have had of God's goodness have you not many a notable one I believe you have if you do but think on them I remember an Expression of my Father old Sins and old Mercies should not be forgotten we should not give way to any more Sorrow for Sin than we can give a good Account of much less then for any outward Trouble and what matter is it if the Lord should mark us out for Crosses and Troubles here if he will but mark us out for himself mark us out for Heaven O Sister all will be well in the End How short is this Life if we should have nothing else but Trouble here Then comes Heaven the day is at hand and then all is forgotten O nothing but joy nothing but joy in Heaven remember that Sister the thoughts of Heaven are my own and as thy own what would such Thoughts do Would they not make all our Troubles here
seem light I will endeavour to pray for you as hard as I can do you endeavour to pray down more of the Spirit of Prayer into my Heart and then my poor Prayers may stand you in more stead I desire a plainer Account of your Circumstances as soon as you can who am your Loving Brother I. B. LETTER XIII To S. E. May 6. 1685. Dear S. I Receiv'd your's and cannot but sympathize with you in your Troubles I have been under those inward Troubles lately that have taken off my Thoughts from other things otherwise I have been and am under Circumstances much like your own I have more and more experience of the vanity and deceitfulness of the Creature O how vain a thing is Man But I must tell you Sister as I tell my own Heart I am afraid we expect too much from the Creature we meet with disappointments in and from the Creature who bid us look for better Not our Bibles The Lord will sooner or later make us know the Creature as the Creature if we belong to him that we place not too much of our Happiness in it and we have cause to bless God for the crossest Providences that are blessed by him to that End O let us learn to live more upon God! And let us learn not to be too much concerned at such things they are without us and unless we open them the door they cannot get into our Hearts to sink them God is a true and faithful Friend remember that indeed we live far below our selves as I trust we are Heirs according to the hope of eternal Life if we suffer such little things to distract and deject us I had written sooner but that I hoped before this to have seen you I shall be contriving for an opportunity as soon as I can who am your Loving Brother I. B. LETTER XIV To C. H. Dear Cozen METHINKS our ill husbanding the means of Grace hath brought us to this that we must either beg or starve the Lord hath formerly afforded us rich means to live upon How have we been feasted in his publick Ordinances Many a poor hungry Soul would have got a good meal out of our livings but now alass we have almost run out of all now we have but hungry Sabbath's God knows what will become of our poor Souls now Well but here is a way whereby you and I may get a good living still by the right improvement of this Duty we may be thriving Christians still shew me a praying Soul I dare say that is a happy Soul that Soul hath many a sweet morsel from Heaven that others taste not of that Soul is growing rich but then we must acquaint our selves with the divine Art and Mystery that there is in this Duty alass our Souls cannot live upon the Wind words in Prayer are but wind but in the lively exercise of Grace and in Communion with God there is nourishment for our poor Souls for your help him accept of this small Sheet which about two Years since I receiv'd from one that is as well skilled in this spiritual Mystery as any Christian that I know and when you are with God in this Duty then remember me a poor wretch that after so many years Practice of it to my Sorrow still find many roving wandring Thoughts much deadness of Spirit and inactivity of Grace I am confident you are many times in my praying Thoughts when you think not of it may I not beg the like from you for a requital Your's I. B. LETTER XV. To C. W. Dear Friend YOUR Soul is very precious in my sight my hearty desire and prayer for you is that you may be saved and O that I could do any thing to promote it it pleases me much to think in how hopeful a way you are for Heaven and O how I should rejoyce to see you crowned there but alass we are yet but in the Fight with our Enemies yet faint not hold on and the day is our own conquer and we are crowned yet be we jealous of our selves I am ready to tremble when I think of our danger by our Enemy the World it is a very Cheat and how ready we are to be imposed upon by it For my own part I never thought there had been so much Carnality in my Heart as I lately discovered and O I am afraid there is much more abominable wickedness that I have not yet discovered O methinks I would have something besides God for my Portion I am loath to cast all my worldly hopes over board O my Folly Well my love to you inclines me to impart some of my Thoughts to you in this Matter God and the World are presented to our Choice and this is our choosing time now that you and I may make a wise Choice 1st Let us seriously consider the excellency of God O happy Souls indeed whose Portion the Lord is O wonderful wonderful That the ever blessed God should be wiling to become the Creatures portion a portion for such Wretches as we are Let all the Angels and Saints of God admire and adore him for this his matchlefs Condescention and God-like Bounty Now think what God is and can we not be content with him for a Portion What not with God Why what is there that our Souls can reasonably desire that is not eminently in him O there is enough in God to make us compleatly and eternally Happy and what would we have more 2dly Think we seriously of the Vanity of the Creature O what trifles are these that Men make such a hurry about Such as are projecting most throngly for the World alass what have they when they have got it but a little Vanity for which they many time loose an eternal Crown O woful Choice When such come to die they will put another estimate upon the World I dare appeal to your own Experience when you have any serious thoughts of Death and Judgment and the Life to come then O how little you regard the World I find it thus with me now let us learn this project to set one Enemy against another to set Death against the World as one saith frequentiy lie down in our own Graves and thence take a prospect of the World let us take our Coffin into the Field with us when we go to fight the World And farther to make us serious let us consider it is for everlasting that we choose here choose God in Christ for our portion and he is our own for ever choose Sin and the World and we loose him and Hell must be our portion and our loss herein will be everlastingly imparable the Lord help us to act like reasonable Creatures but I must take leave if I have any interest in you I would entitle a dear Redeemer to it Will you choose him I hope you have but will you renew and confirm your choice and never rest till you can my beloved is mine and I am his 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
that we know we have it let the most of your time and care and thoughts be spent in the getting and exercising of Grace and wait upon God for comfort in his Time and Way and when you want Evidences of special Grace then as Mr. B. adviseth improve the general Grounds of Comfort as the merciful Nature of God the merciful Nature and Office and the all-sufficiency of a Redeemer the extent of the Covenant of Grace and so the possibility probability yea the conditional Certainty of your Salvation if you come up to covenant Terms abundance of Comfort might be fetched in by the serious Consideration of these things and if you find that trying your self by Marks be ineffectual as to helping you to Comfort but that you are rather more disordered by it your doubts encreasing would you spend your time in endeavouring to exercise Grace in putting forth fresh acts of Faith on Christ and in exercising Love to God and the like would you I say but take this Course a while I am perswaded you would find it a more ready way to Satisfaction and Comfort then by trying your self by Marks unseasonably Thus you might come to feel that you do believe and feel that you love God c. when you complain of the weakness of Grace and strength of Corruption and the like consider you are to distinguish between that which is matter of Humiliation and for Reformation and that which is matter of Doubting the Lord when he hath prepared you for it cause his face to shine upon you and order it so that the present shakings you are under may tend to and issue in your more firm Settlement I am affectionately your's I. B. LETTER XIX To my M. Dear M. I Cannot but really sympathize with you under your present Troubles methinks I feel part of the burthen that lieth upon you O that I could do any thing to make it more easy and light to you But alass I can do little more then pray for you well as your Troubles abound so may your Graces and Comforts abound much more May your Soul prosper indeed May all your outward Troubles prove spiritually Advantagious If so I both may and will rejoyce in your Happiness I take it for a certain Truth that it goeth well or ill with us as Matters go with our Souls alass what are those Mercies worth that do not someway reach our Souls And why should we not prize those Afflictions that further their Salvation and love that God the better that sends them Sure I am these sick Souls of our's need Physick as well as Food and why should we not bless God for the one as well as for the other when both tend to promote our spiritual Health O that we were brought to kiss the Rod patiently chearfully and thankfully to submit to the Lord 's severest Discipline who intends us good and not hurt and will issue all things well Dear M. chear up as well as you can labour to get above this lower Region O what solid Comforts may be fetched from Heaven in our darkest Hours here O how great how sure how near is our reward there Eye hath not seen nor Ear heard nor hath it entered into the Heart of Man to conceive what God hath laid up for them that love him and all this we none of us know how much as sure as the decree and promise of the Faithful and unchangeable God can make it and near too The Lord is at hand he saith behold I come quickly and my reward is with me dear M. Comfort your self with these Words be very careful of your self least grief be added to our Affliction My dear F. though I have not time to write is much in my Thoughts his illness hath damped my Spirit in that Business you know of many Friends are inquisitive about him and I hope many Prayers are going up to Heaven for him here I am your loving obedient Servant I. B. LETTER XX. To S. E. Dear S. HAVING a little time I resolved to write a line or two hoping they would not be unwelcome I have little business except Soul concerns to write about but indeed that is our greatest Business these our grand Concerns and all other things even those we call Matters of Weight great Concerns they are but trifles compared with these it is a great Comfort to me when I think what comfortable Evidences I hope I have of the good Estate of your Soul I think my self happy in having so many Relations related to Jesus Christ O happy Family highly favoured of the Lord that is likely to turn out so many Souls for Heaven O S. make sure to be one and pray hard for me that I may be another yea that there may not be one outcast amongst us and labour to get as long an Heaven as ever you can O we may begin Heaven even here O how much more of Heaven might me enjoy then we do Well I will tell you what I would be pressing after even to maintain a constant strict and holy Communion with God in and through Christ O the sweetness of Communion with God Oh our unspeakable loss in having Hearts so alienated from God and in being such strangers to a heavenly Life Lord how long shall it be thus How long e're we may love and enjoy thee perfectly without the least intermission interruption or cessation O this body of Sin And O this body of Flesh Well it is our happiness to desire and long and wait with Patience for that which others happy they are do possess and enjoy with fullest satisfaction may our Souls now be following harder after God May we now live like believers a life of holy Love and joyful praises I am much concerned for poor F. but can do little to help him only I pray as hard for him as I can be as careful as you can poor M. that she be not brought down to I am affectionately Your's I. B. LETTER XXI To my F. Dear F. NOW I am beginning to write comes to mind God's great goodness in that I have yet a F. to write to I have great cause to sing aloud of Mercy the Lord punisheth less then my iniquity deserveth he doth but shake the Rod to let me see what I deserve and he can do at pleasure that I ly every way at Mercy when he might strike home indeed O that my Heart should be no more affected with so great Mercy O how far the Lord will fall short of that tribute of Praise due from me O that he would help me yea O that all my Friends would help me by their Prayers that I may love and praise God more who is continually every way doing me good O what a pitty what a shame so good a God should be loved saved and praised no more Was not Earth what it is was not my Heart what it is is was impossible but I live in hopes it will be better e're long
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