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Indeed you infinuate, that God's concurrence may not be granted now-" perhaps, not now," are your words; but not thofe of Ananias, who faid to convinced Saul, Arise, why tarriest thou? wash away thy sins, calling or believing on the name of the Lord. If God does not concur now to help convinced Ginners to believe, we ftill affirm that they cannot, without great cruelty, be called upon now to attempt an utter impoffibility, or, if we may ufe your expreffion, "to touch heaven with their hand." This provifo of yours, this perhaps, not now," feems the common way of clogging and mangling the gofpel. We fee nothing of it in holy writ; there we read, believe, and thou shalt be saved fear not, only believe, &c. We never read, believe, but perhaps, not now-only believe, but first wait God's time, he does not, perhaps, chuse thou shouldest believe now. There is the quinteffence of the poifon of the old Serpent, in the fuppofition that God commands now, but is not, perhaps, willing that he fhould obey him now. Believe-perhaps, not now: Repent, be challe, be honeft, be fober, be charitable-perhaps, not now. Good God! What room will this not now leave for prefent infidelity, uncleannefs, drunkennefs, injuftice, &c. and every imaginable abomination!

Upon fecond thoughts, we would hope, that your perhaps, not now, does not regard our believing, but God's bringing forth the top-ftone, while we fhout grace unto it and in this fenfe, we find faith and hope are often tried, yea to the uttermost. Ifaac was not born immediately on God's making the promise, or Abraham's believing it. A joy unspeakable and full of glory does not always, immediately accompany the belief of the promife of forgiveness of fin, and of deliverance from its dominion: Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? After that ye believed, ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise-Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, &c. This was the language of St. Paul, and we dare not confound what he diftinguifhes, namely, believing and tasting all the rich fruits of faith. Concerning fome

of thefe, which faith does not, in general, immediately produce, we allow you to fay, perhaps, not now; but though they tarry, yet wait for them, for they will furely come.

"Reftlefs, refigned, for thefe I wait,

For thefe my vehement foul ftands still."

But obferve. that this earneft, patient waiting is one of the bleffed fruits of faith, and not fomething previous to it, as you feem to imagine. 2. That we do not fuppofe it neceffary for thofe, who are truly convinced of fin, and defire to be juftified freely by the grace of God, through that redemption that is in Chrift, to wait at all before they believe, that he is made unto them of God righteoufhefs, for the prefent pardon of their fin: nor for thofe, who are truly weary of their carnal mind, to wait before they believe, that he is made unto them of God fanctification, for the prefent deftruction of it: for the promife is even now to us, and to our children (thofe that are afar off not excepted) if they lay hold of it by faith. But greater difcoveries, riper fruits, richer taftes, fuller enjoyments of thefe bleffings, together with a being more ftrengthened, eftablished, and fettled in them, is what we efteem our privilege to expect and wait for, in the manner you defcribe.

V. You feem to fupect that this faith, on the one hand, leads to Antinomianifin, and on the other, takes from God the glory of our falvation.

As to the first fufpicion, we hope it is obviated in our fecond and fourth anfwers, it being impoffible, that a faith, confequent upon real conviction and wearifinefs of fin, and begotten by the pure gofpel word, through the Spirit, a faith, which leads to fanctification and the deftruction of the carnal mind,-a faith, which is productive of all the ripeft fruits of the Spirit, can be merely notional, or have the least tendency to Antinomianifin.

And as to the fecond, we deteft the thought of having the least share in the glory of Chrift, as our only Redeemer, and of the Spirit, as our only Sanctifier. We abhor it as much as the proud and mad conceit of fharing with God the glory of our Creator and Preferver. We conftantly afcribe to free grace all the honour of man's falvation, and are perfuaded, that from the first half-formed defire raised in the heart, and the leaft degree of power given for the improvement of it, to the final victory over our laft enemy, all is of graceof mere grace. But as we may give God all the glory of our creation and prefervation, without fuppofing that he must breathe, eat, drink, reft, drefs, plough, and reap for us; fo we apprehend that we may give Chrift all the glory of our redemption and falvation, without excufing ourfelves from the performance of what he enjoins, and of his own free, undeferved grace, gives us both will and power to do.

I rejoice that your foul profpers: you need not look back any more. When you are tempted to hurry and inward impatience, remember you are not obliged to give way to it. Take up thefe little croffes patiently, by believing, looking inward, and finding Jefus in the midst of bulinefs. "He is here, he is here, as my all," will break many, yea ten thousand fnares. May the peace of God be with you and yours! Farcwell. I. F. ¡ ..

Mr. Alexander Mather.

My dear Brother,

If I an

I THANK you for your last favour. fwered not your former letter, it was becaufe I was in expectation of feeing you, and not from the leaft difregard. I am glad you enjoy peace at Wellington, and I hope you will do fo at the Trench when you go there. My reafons for ftepping there myfelf were not to feize upon the spot first (as the accufer of the brethren may have infinuated, but to fulfil a promise I made to the people, of vifiting them, if they would

not countenance a lying wretch, who went to them from the Bank: all this was previous to my knowledge of the invitation they gave you. I defire you will call there as often as you have opportunity. An occafional exhortation from you or your companion at the Bank, Dale, &c. will be esteemed a favour; and I hope that my stepping, as Providence directs, to any of your places (leaving to you the management of the focieties) will be deemed no encroachment. In fhort, we need not make two parties: I know but one heaven below and that is Jefus's love; Let us both go and abide in it, and when we have gathered as many as we can to go with us, too many will ftill ftay behind.

I find there are in the miniftry, as in the common experience of Chriftians, times which may be compared to winter: no great flir is made in the world of grace, befide that of forms and offences, and the growth of the trees of the Lord is not fhowy; but when the tender buds of brotherly and redeeming love begin to fill, Spring is at hand. The Lord give us harvest after feed time! Let us wait for fruit as the husbandman, and remember, that he who believes does not make hafte. The love of Chrift be with us all! Pray for I. F.

Miss Hatton.
Madam,

Madeley, Jan. 13th, 1766.

I AM almost ashamed of anfwering your letters after my long delays, but better late than never, as I hope your indulgence will put the beft conftruction on what time does not allow me to make an apology for

******** &c. hath

I do not wonder if *** been a fnare to entangle your thoughts; but it is now over; and what is that to thee? follow thou Chrift. You may, however, learn this leffon, that the minding Chrift and our own fouls, with Mary, while we

leave the world to Martha, is no eafy thing in a temptation; and that no one knows what he is, till he is tried, and tried in the tendereft points-love, liberty, efteem, and fharp bodily pain. Lord prepare us for fuch trials, and may we encounter them, in the whole armour of God!

This evening I have buried one of the warmest oppofers of my miniftry, a ftout, ftrong, young man, aged twenty four years. About three months ago, he came to the church yard with a corpfe, but refused to come into the church. When the burial was over, I went to him, and mildly expoftulated with him. His conftant aufwer was, "that he had bound himself 66 never to come to church while I was there; ad"ding, that he would take the confequences, &c." Seeing I got nothing, I left him, faying with uncommon warmth (though as far as I can remember, without the least touch of refentment) "I am clear of 66 your blood; henceforth it is upon your own head; "" you will not come to church upon your legs, preแ pare to come upon your neighbours' fhoulders." He wafted from that time, and to my great furprize hath been buried on the fpot where we were, when the converfation paffed between us. When I visited him in his fickness, he feemed tame as a wolf in a trap. O may God have turned him into a fheep in his laft hours!

This last year is the worst I have had here-barren in convictions, fruitful in backflidings. May this prove for us, and for you, the acceptable, year of the Lord. I beg your prayers on this behalf.

I have filled my page, but not with Jefus's name: let your heart contain what my letter wants-Jesus and his precious blood-Jesus, and his free, glorious salvation. Live to him, breathe for him; buy, fell, eat, drink, read, write for him. Receive him as yours altogether, and give him your whole felf, with all that is around you. Take us all, Lord, into thy gracious favour, ftamp us with thy glorious image, and conduct us to thy eternal kingdom!

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