that love God will for ever dwell, well pleased, be it where it may, and no where else. God fanctifies and confecrates his own refidence by his own love, which is to be our holiness before God for ever, Eph. i. 4.

Now, feeing these things are fo, and fuch glorious things are spoken of this city of God, and that God's love is God's image in the foul; fo every revival of this most holy fire, and every cheering ray that breaks in upon it, is a changing of us into the fame image, from glory to glory, till perfect day and endless glory fwallow up the foul in blifs. This is the renewing of the inner man. The outward muft and will decay; the leprofy is deep in the walls, and has no falt to season it, no armour to guard it from the grave and corruption. All belonging to the outward man is vanity; death is vanity; and this creature is made fubject to vanity, though not willingly.' But it is fubjected in hope. It has been, and ftill is, the temple of the Holy Ghoft. But we may call it the cloifter, or outward court; the foul being the feat, and charity the throne, of the spirit. Though in it, abstractedly confidered, dwells no good thing: even its origin is mean, its natural corruption vile to the laft degree, being but a body of death at beft; and it is pregnant with the feeds of death, and is dying daily, and therefore it must come down. Its doors muft be fhut, and its windows be darkened; the cords

D

and the pins must be loofened; the filver cord and golden bowl, the wheel and the cistern, fhall all be diffolved together, and return to their original duft. This is the outward man's long home. Every one that paffeth his first birth is born to trouble; and he that obtains a fecond is a brother born for adverfity, Prov. xvii. 17. Every bodily pain is a warning to quit, every fit of ficknefs an ejectment; and death feizes both body and goods, and hales the former to the grave, which was once our Lord's prifon: but he was taken from prifon and from judgment, and fo fhall we. The door of hope and gate of life have been open, and by them we have gone out, and the Lord at the head of us, calling us by name, and leading us out. The way of life and the path of peace are caft up.

Chrift is the only lively act of faith

way to the Father; and every upon him is a ftep in the way, while love ftraightens the crooks, fmooths the roughs, raifes the vallies, and levels the hills. The footsteps of the flock are faith and love, as is plain by every print of their heels. Out of this way mount Sinai is removed, the clouds of our tranfgreffions are difperfed, the drawn fword is put up, the accufer of the brethren is difplaced by the advocate, and his charges anfwered by the blood of fprinkling, and the great creditor fmiles in the face of the furety; and no lion or ravenous beaft is to be found in all the road, though we are travelling

through the regions of the Eaft. It is true that tribulation always attends upon regeneration, as gospel power and the offence of the cross go hand in hand. The furnace of affliction too is in this new way; but faith and love can walk through the fire. Some clafhing fcriptures, and fome little difcord between promife and providence, have at times, and will again, raise some obstructions in the way: but there are labourers employed to gather up thefe; and, though fome should remain before us, all is clear behind.

Infirmities of body have long overtaken me:

old age is never without a retinue of these; and even common fenfe tells us that these must increase with our days. But the inner man, the incorruptible feed, is not fubject to these things; if they increase, gather fresh strength, and thrive in light and life, in fortitude and fubmiffion, in vigour and heavenly-mindedness, the spirit will fuftain the infirmities of the body.

Farewell!

Grace, mercy, and peace be with thee!

Aug. 19, 1809.

T. Bensley, Printer,

Bolt Court, Ficet Street, London.

THE COALHEAVER.

THE END.

TO

THE REV. MR. HUNTINGTON.

REV. AND DEAR SIR,

FROM a defire that the condefcending goodness of God, to one of his moft unworthy creatures, may not pafs unacknowledged, I take the liberty of addreffing you on this subject; and, knowing, as I do, in fincerity and truth, that my aim is not to feek human approbation, nor merely a name in his church, but to speak to the praise of Him who hath called me out of darknefs into his marvellous light, I follow the example of David, in déclaring to those that fear God what he hath done for my foul.

The Lord has promifed to fend his people paftors after his own heart, to feed them with knowledge and underftanding; by whofe means the Holy Spirit of all grace and truth makes manifeft to the heirs of promite, and to them only, the love of our heavenly Father, which in his dear Son was fet upon them from everlafting:

A 2