from their firft rife, which discovers the fame undistinguishing blindness, as always hath deprived the children of this world of seeing any beauty or comeliness in the children of light. I have before noted, that I (tho' educated in the same profeffion) did not fee the Lord was amongst them, in fuch a manner, until he was pleased to open mine eyes, agreeable to Matth. xvi. 16. 17. where our Lord pronounces Peter bleffed, in that the Father had revealed the Son to him. Chap. xiii. 16. he faid to his difciples, "Bleffed are your eyes, for "they fee; and your ears, for they hear." It is through the fame bleffing mine eyes are yet preserved open to fee, that notwithstanding the great declenfion in practice, which hath prevailed over many of us as a people, the glory is not departed. from amongst us: the King is known by the upright-hearted in his beauty, ftill reigning. Princes

do

yet rule in the spirit of judgment given them of God. My faith is, at times, greatly ftrengthened to believe it will never ceafe to be fo amongst this people, but that they will be preferved by the Almighty power, through all generations, a living body; and that the principles of truth, as held by them, will yet spread far and wide in the kingdoms of the earth. This, I believe, was the bleffed end for which they were first raised, and marvelously fupported: this glorious work hath been in degree going on, tho' very much impeded by the unfaith fulness of many amongst us, who, like the foolish woman, are in fome measure pulling down what the wife woman hath built up. Oh! that all who H

take

take upon them our holy profeffion of the unchangeable truth, would deeply confider the weight of that obligation which they take upon themselves thereby! It is far, O very far! from being a light eafy thing; as it may, in a proper fenfe, be esteemed an entering into the folemn covenant those people are bound to by their God, of holding up a standard of truth and righteousness, altogether meet and fuitable for the nations, with safety and wellgrounded confidence to draw unto; fo that none amongst us need be ashamed to call unto mankind thus; viz. Look upon Sion, the city of our folemnity! Oh! it is a lovely fight to behold her walls and bulwarks all falvation, and her gates praise; when none of her ftakes are broken down, nor any of her cords loofened; being indeed the Lord's habitation, as fet forth Pfa. cxxxii. 13, 14, 15, 16. "For the Lord hath chofen Sion: he hath defired "it for his habitation. He faith, This is my rest "for ever: here will I dwell, for I have defired "it. I will abundantly bless her provision: I will

fatisfy her poor with bread. I will alfo cloath "her priests with salvation: and her faints fhall "fhout aloud for joy."

Many under our religious profeffion difregarding or lightly esteeming this folemn covenant, and refting in the profeffion only, is the principal reafon that we find divers under our name more infenfible, harder to be reached unto and awakened by a living powerful miniftry, than people of other religious perfuafions. This may feem ftrange to fome, but I know it is lamentably true; having frequently

5

frequently felt it fo in my gofpel labours. To me this doth not appear hard to account for, when it is confidered, that amongst us there hath been dispensed greater abundance of fpiritual favours, of various kinds, than amongst any society of people that I know of: which hath not proceeded from any partial regard in the Almighty towards us more than others, but the better to enable us to keep our covenant with him, in the discharge of that great work he hath called us to. Where any are so inconfiderate as to disregard and neglect fuch wonderful opportunities of lasting benefit and improvement, they become more hardened and impenitent than those who have been more out of the way of receiving heavenly impreffions. The portion of fuch, unless they in time embrace the grace of repentance, is very difmal to think of, as in Prov. xxix. 1. "He that being often re"proved, hardeneth his neck, fhall fuddenly be

deftroyed, and that without remedy." And Heb. vi. 7, 8. "For the earth that drinketh in the "rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth "herbs meet for them by whom it is dreffed, re"ceiveth bleffing from God: but that which

beareth thorns and briars is rejected, and is nigh "unto curfing: whofe end is to be burned."

Great indeed hath been the bounty of heaven to us as a people, both immediately, by the folacing influences and guidance of the Holy Spirit to all that would receive it, and alfo by the abundant flowing of a truly evangelical ministry, raised up and continued for the greatest part of this last

hundred years. But now the fociety is much stript of a living skilful miniftry; yet not, nor I hope ever will be, wholly deftitute. This, through the divine bleffing, hath been a great means of our being gathered into and preferved a people! but many amongst us have leaned and depended thereupon; and therefore it may be, and I believe it is, confiftent with Divine Wisdom, to try how the fociety will stand without fo much outward help in that way; tho' perhaps more may be afforded, in raifing up a fpirit for promoting found difcipline and good order, which will prove a blessed means of its prefervation. And this must be proceeded in by the help and holy influences of the fame Spirit, which furnishes the best ministry. It looks as if the Lord was about to make his people still more inward and fpiritual, fhewing them plainly, that gofpel-worship does not depend upon outward

means.

It is quite obvious that abundant preaching, praying, and finging, doth not bring a great part of mankind a whit nearer to heaven, nor more acquainted with God and themselves, than they would be without it. So that it may be truly faid, and indeed lamented, that they spend their money for that which is not bread, and bestow much labour without real profit to themselves. With respect to us, the ministry approved hath abounded with heavenly bread, and refreshing streams of living water have flowed through the conduits and water-fpouts to the plantation of God; and altho' many have not improved thereby, yet fome have

grown

grown and flourished. But the Lord of the vineyard cannot be confined to any particular means for the help and preservation of his church, tho' perhaps fuch as he has made use of in time paft; feeing he can make other means, unthought of by fhort-fighted mortals, as effectual. We may fee he made use of the people of Ifrael to fight his battles, wherein they feemed, in fome fort, to have been the cause and inftruments of their own deliverance and prefervation: yet it was not always. fo; for there are divers inftances of his deftroying his enemies, and working the deliverance of his people immediately by his own power. This appeared more marvellous and astonishing, both to his people and their enemies, than the ordinary means ufually employed. Upon the whole, altho❜ it appears to me fomething like a chaftifement, that fo many worthy valiants have been removed, and few raised up in the miniftry to fucceed them. with equal brightness, this may prove a trial, which, to discerning eyes, may fully distinguish between the profeffor and the poffeffor in religion; yet I believe the true church will grow under this difpenfation of God's dealing with his people. She will be more grounded and fettled in that which is within the veil, viz. the holy fanctuary and house of prayer. There is her place of fafety, quite out of the reach of Satan's transformations.

An holy, awful, filent waiting before God, is fpiritual Ifrael's abiding in their tent, where no divination nor enchantment can prevail against them. This is exceeding beautiful, reaching, and

convincing