spiritual influences. Be frequently lifting up your soul to him, with such aspirations as these: 'Blessed Jesus! Thou knowest the distracting doubts and fears I am exercised with, and my perplexing uncertainty of an interest in, and union unto thee, by faith-a difficulty which thou only canst remove by the operations of thy Holy Spirit. Thou hast invited me to come unto thee, to buy wine and milk without money and without price, and to take of the waters of life freely. O Lord, I desire, I resolve, to comply with the gracious invitation. Lord, I would believe, help thou mine unbelief. Thou hast promised, that if I come unto thee thou wilt in nowise cast me out. Lord, I would come at thy call. Draw me, and I shall run after thee. Thou didst come to seek and to save that which was lost, and to call sinners to repentance. As a lost, perishing sinner, I would therefore look unto thee for pardon, sanctification, and eternal salvation. Thou only hast the words of eternal life. To thee, therefore, I repair, as to the fountain of life, and the foundation of all my hope, that of thy fulness I may receive even grace for grace. Here is my last refuge. Look, blessed Lord, upon a poor guilty polluted soul! Replenish me with thy grace; give me that faith whereby I may comply with thy gracious invitation, rely upon thy precious promises, and derive all supplies of grace from the inexhaustible treasury of thy grace and goodness.' You must endeavour, likewise, to act faith in Christ for your justification, and for your acceptance with God in the duties of religion; to rely upon him as the Lord your righteousness, and to make mention of his righteousness, even of that only. I have spoken particularly to this in some of my former letters to which I shall only add, You must approach the presence of God under a deep impression of your guilt, pollution, and unworthiness; and yet with an humble dependence upon the infinite merit and righteousness of Christ, for access unto God the Father, and acceptance in the Beloved. You must live in an humble confidence in Christ, as the propitiation for your sins, as your continual advocate with the Father, and as a constant source of righteousness and strength to your soul. And all your expectations of pardoning, sanctifying, and saving mercy, must be derived only from Jesus Christ, who is our hope, the hope of Israel, and the Saviour thereof. You must also act faith in Christ for quickening and strengthening, as well as justifying grace. Do your corruptions prevail? Bring them to the cross of Christ. Look to, and humbly depend upon, the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, to make you free from the law of sin and death. Do dead, carnal, or Strive to quicken formal frames prevail upon you? your soul by enlivening meditations on the amazing transactions of redeeming love, and firmly rely upon Christ for the quickening influences of his Spirit. You will always find your soul enlivened, your graces invigorated, and your affections spiritualized, in proportion to your humble, steady, cheerful dependence upon Christ, for all those supplies of grace you stand in need of. Thus, then, wait upon the Lord Je sus Christ, and be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord. So shall you mount up with wings as the eagle; you shall run, and not be weary; you shall walk, and not faint. I will only subjoin, that you must live by faith, under all your various circumstances of life, and under all the different dispensations of God's holy providence. Are you in the dark, and under inward trials? Remember, that we walk by faith, not by sight. Be humbled, but not discouraged, by your deadness, darkness, temptations, or corruptions: for, however your spiritual frames, affections, or dispositions of soul may change, yet Christ Jesus is the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever; and may be safely trusted for deliverance, how distressing soever your condition. Hence, when you walk in darkness, and see no light, yet trust in the name of the Lord, and (by faith in Christ) stay yourself upon your God. Are you under outward afflictions, and adverse dispensations of providence? Act faith in the promises; all of which are in Christ, yea, and in him amen, to the glory of God: and humbly hope, that, according to God's gracious promise, all things shall work together for your good; and that your light affliction, which is but for a moment, will work for you a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. But you are in doubt about your interest in the promises: well, let your hearty acceptance of Christ, and your humble dependence upon the promises in him, remove your doubts. Act always under the influence of this maxim, that you cannot trust too little to yourself, nor too much to Christ. To conclude, if you want spiritual life, Christ Jesus is our life; you must look to and depend upon him for it. If you want light, he also is the light of men; and his Spirit must be a word behind you, saying, "This is the way, walk ye in it." If you want comfort, your consolation must be in Christ; and you must rejoice in Christ Jesus, without confidence in the flesh. Would you live near to God? Draw near with a full assurance of faith. Would you have a victory over the sting and terror of death? You must be delivered from this bondage, and obtain the victory, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Would you live in the prospect of a blessed immortality? Christ in you is the hope of glory. Thus, to live, is Christ, and then to die, is gaingain unspeakable ! To depart, and to be with Christ, which is far better than to abide in the flesh, under the happiest circumstances of life, even amidst all the honours, pleasures, and riches of this vain, perishing world. Thus I have given you some brief general hints. concerning that walk with God, which he who would be a Christian indeed, and would possess the peace of God in his soul, should endeavour to maintain. Your own experience in the divine life will teach you how to improve upon these directions; and to make a continued progress from grace to grace, and from strength to strength, till you come to the perfection of grace in glory. Now, that the God of all grace may grant you the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, in his sanctify |