and empty them, and bring them, poftacy by the covenant of grace. to the foot of God; it will evince, Though they fall, they fhall not their ill-defert, their utter infuf- be utterly caft down, for the Lord ficiency for any thing that is good, upholdeth them with his hand. and their abfolute dependence on Neither height nor depth shall be God for the being and exercise able to feparate them from the of a principle of fpiritual life. love of God. David's fin was It will illuftrate the long-fuffering always before him; he rememand patience of God towards them, bered it, many years after its comthe itability of his promifes, and miffion, when he fled from Abfaperpetuity of his covenant, in lom; and when, on directing Zakeeping them, through faith un- doc to carry back the ark of God to falvation, and alfo the nature, into the city, he made the followftrength and glory of divine love, ing reflection: "If I fhall find triumphing over all their bafenefs" favor in the eyes of the Lord, and ingratitude; it will caufe" he will bring me again, and them to cry, with the Apoftle" fhow me both it, and his habitaPaul, in his own cafe. "Owretch- ❝tion; but if he thus fay, I have 66 ed man that I am, who fhall no delight in thee; behold here ❝ deliver me from the body of this "am I, let him do to me, what "death" It will wean them "feemeth good unto him." And from the world; it will reconcile he had it in view, in his answer to them to dying, as the only means Abifhai defiring liberty to take of complete deliverance; and, off the head of Shimei for curfwhile they are in the body, it will ing the King, when he came to cause them to groan carneftly, not Bahurim, in these words " So that they would be unclothed, but "let him curfe, because the Lord clothed upon, that mortality might" hath faid unto him curfe David; be fwallowed up of life. Indwel- "let him alone, and let him curse, ling fin, will through the force of " for the Lord hath bidden him." fudden temptation, too often He was in confequence of it more break forth, and become vifible penitent, more humble, more pato the eye of man, as it always tient, more fubmiffive to the will is to the omnifcient eye of God; of God, more fenfible of his dethis will not fail to occafion in pendence on God, and he loved them the most poignant diftrefs God the more, because more was and fhame; will expofe them to forgiven him. The fall and rethe infults of the adverfary of fouls; covery of David happened for an and will involve them in darknefs, enfample, and they are written doubts and fears, like Jonah when for our admonition, on whom the "he cried from the belly of hell ends of the world are come; they "by reafon of his affliction." ferve to guard Chriftians in all afGod is no refpecter of perfons, ter ages from prefumptuous fin, and fin in his own children is as on the one hand ; and on the odious to him, as it is in others; other, from defpair; and the penand indeed more fo, as more ag- itential pfalms, which David gravated; but there is good rea- wrote on the occafion, and which fon to believe that it will, whether lead us up to the fountain of fin indwelling or out-breaking, ulti- in the heart, have greatly enrichmately iffue in their spiritual good. ed the canon of feripture; and They are fecured from final a- they have been the language, in which deep penitence has expreffed itfelf, in every period of the Chriftian church. Time was, when Peter could confidently fay to Chrift, "Though all men deny thee, yet will not I." But after his fall, we hear no more of this vain confidence. When the rifen Saviour demands of him, "Lov"eft thou me more than thefe ?" He modeftly anfwers. "Thou knoweft that I love thee," without drawing others, to their difadvantage, into comparison with himfelf. Christians have to fight not only against flesh and blood, but againit principalities and powers; and, as they advance in the Chriftian courfe, they are more and more fenfible that they are utterly unable to contend with the powers of darknefs in their own ftrength, that they can maintain the combat and gain the victory only by taking to themfelves the whole armour of God, and that Satan fubmits to no power, but to that of the great captain of their falvation. Add to this, God is pleafed, as a fovereign, to afford, or to withdraw his comforting prefence, as the peculiar ftate of his people requires; when he favors them with the light of his countenance they rejoice, and when he withholds it, they languish and mourn; and faints, in all ages, have, at times, complained of the hidingsof God's face. Having had fome difcoveries of the divine glory, the full vifion and fruition of God is their fupreme defire, and the withholding of it their greatest grief. Thus, in particular circumftances, it is the language of Job "Be"hold, I go forward, but he is "not there; and, backward, but "I cannot perceive him; on the "left hand, where he doth work, "but I cannot behold him; he OMICRON. Nymphas to Sofipater. (Contin. from Vol. II. p. 453-) LETTER III. I S there not something furprifing and awfully affecting in er. How wonderful is our lukewarmnefs in this grand bufinefs! How aftonishing is it that we do Our aftonishment in view of our feelings and conduct, with refpect to the falvation of our fellow finners must rise much higher, when we confider what infinite love has done to fave man. God the father has given and set forth his dear and well beloved Son, to be a propitiation, that whofoever believeth in him fhould not perish but have eternal life. With reference to this the fon of God has become incarnate, fulfilled all felf and become obedient to death, the painful ignominious death of the crofs. With refpect to this, the holy spirit exerts his almighty the conduct of profeffors of the prefent day, with refpect to the falvation of others? Is not the language of Cain the very lan-fo little and are fo little engaged! guage of many, Am I my brother's keeper? Is it not truly wonderful, that we feel fuch a cold indifference about their eternal falvation; and in fact do so little to pluck them as brands out of the burning, and prevent their utter ruin? When we turn our attention to them as being formed rational creatures, furnished with noble and immortal powers, in their nature adapted to please and glorify their God and Saviour and to promote their own and the high-righteoufnefs, and humbled himeft present and eternal good of his moral kingdom, the worth of the foul rifes beyond the loftieft conceptions of Angels. Creatures formed with fuch powers, furnish-energy in convincing of fin, righted for the nobleft fervice and for enjoying the highest kind of bleffednefs, are of fome real worth, even on fuppofition their existence would terminate with this momentary life. Of what incomparable worth must they then be, if after as many millions of ages have rolled away, as there are fands on the fea fhore or drops of water in the ocean, their eternity is but beginning? How can it appear to us a matter of fuch indifference .whether creatures of fuch incomparable worth, be faved or loft forever? For there is no other alternative. If they are not faved, they will certainly be loft. Is it poffible, looking on any individual in the circle of our acquaintance, if we can think it a matter of little importance whether he be ufeful and happy even through life? Much rather, it would feem impoffible that we can feel a cold indifference whether he should be ufeful and happy forever and ev eoufnefs and judgment, and in fhewing Chrift to them and if unwilling, making them willing to renounce the world, to forfake all and follow Chrift. With refpect to this, prophets, apoftles, evangelifts, paftors and teachers have been given, and the Golden Can dlesticks have been set up in the world, and divine ordinances have been inftituted. With respect to this, angels are ever on the wing. Can we think for a moment on what the father of mercies has done and of his unfpeakable gift? Can we read the memoirs of the incarnation, the obedience and fufferings, life and death of the adorable fon of God, how he agonized in the garden and poured out his foul in tears and blood, on the accurfed tree, and not feel amazement in view of our failings and conduct, that we are fo languid, fo very lukewarm in our endeavors to fave fouls from eternal death, and hide the multitudes of their fins Truly I am a wonder to myself, that I am fo loft to all feeling and tender concern for my fellow finners, who are rushing on in a mad career into the devouring flames and am difpofed to do fo little. May we not blush and hide our heads for fhame, that we fo little refemble the father of mercies; that we are so exceed-upon us to engage in this business ingly unlike him whom we call our Lord and mafter, who came from the bofom of delights to that very crofs to fave finners, and is now high enthroned and vested with universal dominion that he might deliver poor finners from fin, death and hell and raise them to the heights of bleffednefs in heavenly places? the facred three have done and are doing in the profecution of this work, the intereft which the inhabitants of heaven take in the . falvation of finners, for "there is joy in heaven over one finner that repenteth," and the zeal of the Apoftles and the firft Chriftians, upbraid our ftupor, and call Yea, fhame may cover us that we fall fo far behind the apoftles and the first churches, in the zeal we employ in this momentous bufinefs. They breathed the very fpirit of their divine mafter and clofely followed him in their painful labors and travels for the falvation of finners. What ardor of foul did the great apostle Paul breathe? How glorioufly did he exert himself? Nothing feemed to him too much to do and fuffer in this all-important bufinefs. In tranfacting this he was undifmayed in the view of the most threat ening danger. In profecuting this, he was willing to spend and be spent yea to fpill the laft drop of his blood. Nothing was fufficient to damp his ardor, or divert the current of his endeavors. His very foul was all love to finners, and he was indefatigable in his labors for their falvation. His according to its importance. If we faw finners furrounded in the flames of their houfes, fhould we not fly to their relief and do every thing which could be done? And should we not much rather exert ourselves to fave them from everlafting burnings? Their danger is great and preffing, the world, the flesh and the devil, are combined to effect their deftruction. And alas! The poor creatures, are in general, in a death-like sleep, fearlefs of danger. What a great and blessed thing would it be, if we, thro' the Lord's grace might be inftrumental, in faving even one of our fellow finners from mifery? Let us put on Chrift, and imbibe large measures of his fpirit and follow him, let us imitate the example he has left us, of the kindeft, tendereft love to fouls ; let us keep him in view and like him let us be ready to make any facrifice in fuch a cause, and be ready to do and fuffer as we have ability and opportunity, for the falvation of fouls, and finally may we fhine in that kingdom of our father, among those who win fouls and turn many to righteoufnefs. Yours, &c. fellow laborers and the first church- On the moral imperfection of Chrif es of the faints breathed the fame lovely spirit and followed him as he followed Chrift, and nobly ex- IT tians. erted themfelves in the fame gt-Tis a clear cafe, that Chrifglo- tians are morally imperfect, rious business. The grand things and that, while in this life, they have much remaining fin. This moral imperfection of Chriftians must confft, either in the inconfancy of their holy exercises-in diftinct exercifes of a different and oppofite nature at the fame time-or, in moral imperfection in their holy exercifes themselves. We can conceive of no other, than one of these ways, wherein Christians can fail of moral perfection. If it be in the firft, it is to be fuppofed that the holy affections they exercife are perfectly holy, but interrupted by affections, which are wholly and totally finful. If it be in this that the moral imperfection of Christians çonfifts, the following confequences must be admitted, viz. ly fay, "I have no fin." But the apoftle fays, '1 John, i. 8. If we fay that we have no fin, we de'ceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." 2. If Chriftians are perfectly holy in this life, excepting that, at times, their holiness is inter rupted by fome finful affection, it is not readily difcerned why they may not, alfo, be perfectly free from erroneous opinion. As all neceffary truth is clearly and perfectly revealed, in the holy fcriptures; and, the revelation altogether adapted to the natural capacities of men, it may not be admitted that an unprejudiced mind will ever misunderstand or pervert divine truth: But on the other hand, as our Savior fays, Matt. vi. 22. "If thine eye be fingle, thy "whole body fhall be full of light." On the fame ground he faid again, John vii. 17. "If any man will do his, (God's) will, "he fhall know of the doctrine, "whether it be of God, or wheth 1. That growth in grace, excepting fuch improvement as will be in Christians after they arrive to a state of perfection never again to be interrupted by fin, confifts in the nearer approach to conftancy of holy exercifes. That it is the duty of Chriftians to grow in grace-that they are frequently" er I fpeak of myfelf." The exhorted to it, in the word of God-and, that they in fact do, will not be denied. This growth in grace muft imply a nearer approach to freedom from fin. But as their holy exercifes are already free from fin, the exhortation can be complied with only by their being lefs frequently interrupted by fuch as are finful. And if the Chriftian's growth in grace imply a lefs frequent interruption of holy affections, nothing appears to forbid the expectation of an uninterrupted fucceffion of perfectly holy exercifes, in Chriftians, for days, months, and even years. And whenever this fhall be the cafe, the Christian arrives to all that finlefs perfection the greateft enthusiasts ever imagine attainable in the prefent ftate, and may tru apostle fays, also, 1 Cor. xiii. 7. that love believeth all things.' We might, therefore, rationally expect perfect harmony in fentiment, among Chriftians; as, alfo, perfect brotherly love.Should it be faid, that this perfect harmony in fentiment, and perfect brotherly love, are prevented by finful affections, which, at times, intervene ; it may be. replied, this would not prevent perfect harmony of fentiment and affection during the period, however long, of the fucceffion of holy affections. But when thofe exercifes, or that train of exercifes take place, which, by fuppofition, are totally finful, how widely Chriftians may differ, in fentiment, is utterly uncertain: As, alfo, whether any erroneous |