If you want to recommend religion to thofe you converfe with, and, in many inftances, to pluck up offence by the root, let your heart lie where Mary's body did. Keep clofe to Jefus, be attentive to his ftill, fmall voice, and he will fill you with humble love, and fuch love will teach you, without any rule, as by the inftinct of your new nature, to become all things to all men.

You ask what the apoftle meant by that expreffion : it is certain he did not mean to overfet his own precept, Be not conformed to the world. I apprehend, that in every cafe wherein we might promote the fpiritual or temporal gocd of any one, by doing or fuffering things of an indifferent nature, or even painful and disagreeable to us, we ought to be ready to become all things to all: provided the good we propose is fuperior to the inconveniences to which we fubmit. Here alfo we ftand in need of humble love, and meek wisdom, that we may fo weigh circumftances, as to form a right judgment in all things.

I am glad the Lord ftrips you: I wifh felf may never clothe you again. Beware of ftiff fingularity in things barely indifferent: it is felf in disguise; and it is fo much the more dangerous, as it comes recommended by a ferious, felf-denying, religious appearance.

I hope the fhort comings of fome about you will not prevent your eying the prize of a glorious conformity to our bleffed Head. It is to be feared, that not a few of thofe, who talk of having attained it have mistaken the way; they are ftill fomething, and I apprehend an important ftep towards that conformity, is to become nothing; or rather to be, with St. Paul, to become in our own eyes the chief of finners, and the leaft of faints.

Mr. Harris feems to be one among ten thousand; he has left a particular bleffing behind him in this place -The God of peace give us all the bleffings that the Meffenger and the Mediator of the New Covenant brought with him, at this time, into the world! May we fo receive him, that, by a bleffed exchange, as he

is clad with our flesh, fo we may put on him, and be Covered with his righteoufnefs and filled with his Spirit! Salute the church in your houfe from your fervant, in the gospel, I. F.

To Miss Hatton.
Madam,

Madeley, Jan. 31st, 1765.

"YOU ftrive, pray, refift, but are little the better;" yet pray, ftrive, and refift on. It is good to be tried, and to get a bleffing in the very fire: we fhall then know how to value it properly. But let me be free with you, Madam; do you pray, refift, and ftrive against wanderings with any fteadiness, and do you do it in cheerful hope to overcome through the blood of the Lamb? When you have been unhinged from Chrift, in mind or heart, do you with stronger indignation againft wanderings, a calmner expectation of the affiftance of the Spirit and a deeper agony of faith, feek to be avenged of your adverfary? Do you imitate the importunate widow? If this be the cafe, you will not complain long; for whatfoever we thus afk in the name of Chrift, we shall furely receive: And hould the Lord for reafons best known to himself, try your faith and hope; yet that longer trial will be found to praife and honour, in the end. Only faint not; and when you find yourself inclined to do fo, in all hafte fly to the cordial of the promises, and determine to take nothing elfe, till your heart is revived and made ftrong again.

The fame power of God, through praying faith, is neceffary to keep you from reafoning unprofitably. Whenever this arifes to any height, there is one thing wanting, a fteadily exerted will, never thus to reafon. We cannot be fo eafily betrayed, or flide away into this fnare of the devil fo eafily as into the other. I apprehend, that whofoever abides fteadily purpofed not to reafon, fhall not do it. The will ftarts afide firft,

the refolution of courfe followeth, and the tempter eafily takes their place. Get willing, truly willing un der the crofs, and keep there to keep your will, or you will beat the air.

Laft Sunday I preached two fermons upon Heb. 11. and 1. I fee fo much in that faith of the apostle, that I can hardly pray for any thing befides that evidence of things not seen, that substance of things hoped for. To how many mistakes and fatal errors have we opened the door by varying from the apoftle, and pretending to be wifer than the Holy Ghoft! The Lord fill you and yours with that faith! Farewell. 1. F.

Miss Hatton.
Madam,

Madeley, June 2d, 1765.

I THANK you for the letter of your correfpondent. What he fays about luminous joy, may fometimes be the cafe in fome of God's dear children but I apprehend, that God's defign in withholding from them thofe gracious influences, which work upon and melt the fenfitive, affectionate part in the foul, is to put us more upon ufing the nobler powers, the underftanding and the will. These are always more in the reach of a child of God, while the others greatly depend upon the texture of the animal frame; and if they are not ftirred in a natural way, the Spirit of God can alone, without our concurrence in general, excite them. Do you believe, love, take up your cross, and run after Jefus.

You must let friends and foes talk about your dress, while you mind only Jefus, his word, and your own confcience. You talk of hearing me foon-I dare never invite any one to hear me, though I am glad to fee my friends but now I can invite you with pleafure to come and hear a preacher, who, under God, will make you amends for the trouble of a journey to Madeley. His name is M- ; he may poffibly

:

ftay a Sunday or two more with me; but Jefus has promised to be always with his poor followers: To his merciful hands I commend both you and worthy friend, I. F.

Miss Hatton.
Madam,

MR. M.

your un

Madeley, Aug. 8th, 1765.

and I have confidered your ob jections to our little confeffion of faith: be pleased to take the following fhort anfwers.

I. We do not forget, that God works all good in all men: this is clearly implied in our first article; but we do not believe, that his working is generally irresistible, or that it fuperfedes our being workers together with him.

II. Can any one work out his falvation, by a faith productive of fanctification, and yet neglect good works? Impoffible!

III. Obdurate finners, if their day of grace is not over, have always power to believe fome legal truths at leaft, and to renounce fome abominations in confe quence of that belief: if they refift the Spirit here, what wonder that he does not proceed any farther? Convictions of fin, as well as of righteoufnefs, are not always fo ftrong as to carry all before them. As the dew falls more frequently on the earth than hard fhowers, fo more gentle, lefs obfervable, and more gradual droppings of grace defcend upon earthly hearts, more frequently than driving ftorms of fear, or ftrong tranfports of love: their effects may be as gracious, though lefs forcible, and God hath all the glory of the one as well as of the other.

IV. "Can convinced finners under the found of the gospel believe with the heart, &c ?" Through the power of God, always more or less prefent, they can believe with the heart thofe truths, which are fuited to their wants, and properly propofed to them. If they cannot, why does God call upon them to believe, and

fend them word, they fhall be damned if they do not ?* As to your query "Does not God fometimes delay to confer the power to believe, for a trial of the grace of conviction?" We aufwer, that we fee no fuch thing in the new teftament, and that the affertion feems to be a piece of human wisdom. Why were not the convictions of the harlot, of the 3000, the 5000, the jailer, and others, tried by a refufal of the gift of faith? If, therefore, perfons truly convinced of fin, do not believe to the comfort of their fouls, we apprehend the reafon to be, their being kept in the dark as to the gospel way of falvation, their confounding faith and its fruits, their difregarding the one talent, and defpifing the little leaven, and the faith which is fmall as a grain of muftard feed in fhort, their rejecting an inward Chrift, because he does not make his appearance, at first, as a mighty, glorious conqueror, but as a weak, naked, crying babe, who wants both milk and fwaddling clothes for his prefent fuftenance.

"It is granted, that convinced people fhould be "preffed to make an effort to believe, not doubting of "the Lord's concurrence with their attempt." Here, we apprehend, you grant us what we contend for; it being abfurd to make any attempt towards what is totally impoffible. If fuch people ought to attempt to believe now, and not to doubt of the Lord's concurrence with their attempt, it follows, that either you prefs them not to doubt of a lie, or that the Lord now helps them to believe, if they will accept his help in the manner and way it is offered.

We cannot conceive what ingredient more you would require to make faith, than on the one fide, the promife of God and the gracious help of his Spirit, and on the other, genuine conviction and an humble attempt to call ourfelves on the fidelity, mercy, and power of the Lord.

* Mark xvi, and 16.