,transcribed from the #ahad ,r4 ,thomas edition by ,david ,price1 email ccx#jgdpglaf4org ,picture3 ,public domain book cover ,,the ,,morning ,,of ,,spiritual ,,youth ,,improved1 ,,in ,,the ,,prospect ,,of ,old ,age and its ,infirmities2 ,,being ,a ,,literal ,,and ,,spiritual ,,paraphrase ,on the ,twelfth ,chapter of ,ecclesiastes4 ,in a ,series of ,letters4 99 99 99 99 99 ,by ,j4 ,,church1 ,v4 ,d4 ,m4 99 99 99 99 99 8,rejoice1 ,o young ,man1 in thy ,youth40--,solomon4 8,the prudent ,man foreseeth the ,evil1 and hideth himself40 8--and add to your ,faith ,virtue40--,peter4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,london3 ,,printed ,,by ,r4 ,,thomas1 ,,red ,,lion ,,street1 ,,borough4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,preface4 ,,christian ,,reader1 ,i need make no apology far publishing the following ,letters1 as the ,subject was first delivered in several ,discourses1 and is now by the particular desire of many friends1 published to the ,church in the form of familiar ,letters--appearing in the homely dress of plain speech1 they will1 doubtless1 meet the censure of the carnal critic1 but my mind is fully made up on that point--that which is highly esteemed amongst such men1 is abominable in the sight of ,god4 ,being favored with much of the presence of ,god in preaching the ,sermons1 and since then in writing some of these ,letters1 ,i trust every wise1 spiritual1 and humble ,christian1 into whose hands this ,work may fall1 will be edified1 reproved1 comforted1 and built up on their most holy ,faith4-- ,so prays thy witting ,servant in ,christ ,jesus1 ,picture3 ,signature of ,j4 ,church ,,letter ,i4 ,,to ,,amicus4 ,lambeth1 #ahad4 ,,dear ,,friend1 ,,having waded through many deep waters of late1 and1 ,i hope1 learned many interesting lessons in the ,school of the ,cross1 ,i cannot forbear dropping you a few thoughts on the great things of ,god4 ,it is my mercy and yours1 that our salvation is the joint work of the adorable ,trinity in ,unity1 originating in eternal love1 planned in infinite wisdom1 and executed by almighty power4 ,this salvation ,i have been led to prise1 of late1 more than ever ,i did2 and to bless a covenant ,god that ,i ever heard its joyful sound2 that ,i was ever convinced of my need of its blessings2 that ,i ever was enabled to receive it as my own3 which glorious salvation consists in the pardon of sin--the acceptation of the ,saviour's obedience--the clear witness of ,god's ,spirit--and the happy heart-felt communion with ,god4 ,this is the salvation of the ,gospel ,i have been made acquainted with in some degree1 and trust ,i shall yet more abundantly1 even in this present life1 and beyond the grave be favored with it in body and soul for ever4 ,this is what ,i have in humble hope and expedition1 and ,god declares it shall not be cut off4 ,the ,spirit of ,god is given us as an earnest of this1 and faith is the evidence of it--and though ,i am not yet in the enjoyment of it1 the promise still stands firm1 ,thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty--they shall behold the land that is far off4 ,thine eyes3 are you inclined to ask1 ,whose eyes8--the answer is ready--those who are in possession of a good work of grace--hence1 having begun the good work1 he will perform it unto the day of ,jesus ,christ4--,sometimes you hope1 you believe1 you trust1 nay you are sure this work is begun2 then ,i am sure it will be carried on1 and must be completed2 for the ,man will not be in rest till the great work is done1 and he presents us to himself a glorious ,church1 not having spot or wrinkle1 nor any such thing4 ,may you and ,i live in the pleasing prospect of this1 and finally1 die to enjoy it--no doubt it will be an heaven worth dying for--when ,i contemplate this glory1 ,i forget the trials of the way4 ,but1 perhaps1 my dear friend1 while reading this1 is particularly tried in the way2 for as vinegar upon nitre1 so is he that singeth songs to an heavy heart4 ,well1 then1 ,i must pay you a visit in ,achor's vale1 where ,i know you are truly safe1 though miserable2 reflecting on the days that are past1 and contrasting them with what you now feel and fear--once feeling light1 joy1 peace1 comfort1 love1 zeal1 activity1 and diligence2 but now you feel darkness1 insensibility1 lowness the workings of inbred sin1 and too often have to lament the out-breakings of them4 ,this may be succeeded by legal bondage1 unbelief1 fretfulness1 enmity1 and a sad distance between ,god and the soul2 and instead of activity and diligence1 a general stupor2 calling all in question1 because you cannot act as you have formerly done--quite forgetting him that has said1 and who is now making good his promise1 ,even the youths shall faint and be weary1 and the young men shall utterly fail1 but those who wait on the ,lord shall renew their strength4 ,permit me1 my brother1 just to intimate1 that there is nothing singular in your trials2 it appears to be the very path the ,redeemer went1 and the very footsteps of the flock4 ,hence we read1 directly after the ,baptism of our dear ,lord1 when his soul was filled with all the fulness of ,god2 when the ,father1 with an audible voice1 proclaimed from above1 ,this is my beloved ,son6--and the ,holy ,spirit was seen hovering over his head1 in a body of light1 just like a ,dove in its descent--the ,redeemer rising from the watery tomb1 and the gazing spectators astonished at the solemn scene--immediately after this transaction we find him led into the ,wilderness to be tempted of the ,devil2 and he was with the wild beasts1 and evil angels came to him2 and upon the back of this1 ,satan1 the head1 the chief ,devil1 most daringly tempted him to presumption1 to doubt his ,sonship1 and to commit suicide6--and can my brother wonder that he is a subject of temptation--that he has forty days of mourning1 without a spiritual entertainment1 or the manifestative presence of ,christ--that he is among the wild beasts of his inbred sins--that evil thoughts stirred up by evil angels1 should ever trouble or visit him8 ,and can you wonder that you should be tempted to doubt your sonship--tempted to presume--that is1 forbear to use the scripture means in time of trouble1 or even tempted to suicide8 ,you think some strange thing has happened to you1 but this is the path the ,redeemer trod1 in his measure--and1 recollect1 the servant is not greater than his ,lord--it is enough to be as he was1 that we may be as he is4 ,this part of your experience was strikingly exhibited in the case of the ,israelites1 who came through the ,red ,sea with joy and praise--shouted victory1 through the mercy of ,jehovah--and felt happy that they were delivered4 ,but their felicity was soon abated1 for they were ordered to encamp at ,marah1 in the ,wilderness4 ,so you find it3 you have been convinced of your lost state2 you have felt the slavery of sin and the ,devil2 you have felt the bondage of the ,law2 you have seen the ,redeemer making an atonement for sinners3 your faith has received this2 your hope has enjoyed this2 your love has been led out to him in sweet return2 and though you still felt yourself a sinner1 yet your mind was happy in ,jesus1 his glorious ,person1 and his great ,work4 ,here you sung with ,moses and ,miriam1 with gospel ministers and people1 ,the ,lord is my strength and my song1 he also is become my salvation1 and ,i will exalt him4 ,but your note was soon changed1 for you presently found yourself in the wilderness of fears1 lest you had been deluded1 and lest you had presumed--lest your grief had been like ,esau's1 and your joys the raptures of a way-side hearer2 quite forgetting that that religion which comes from ,god1 always leads to ,god1 as our salvation and our eternal all4 ,this was certainly your experience2 then why doubt the reality of it8 ,the commandment has gone forth1 that you1 for wise and ,god-glorifying purposes1 should pitch your tent at ,marah2 here you must taste of the bitter cup of sorrow4 ,this will only endear the ,tree of ,life to you1 who was cut down1 and cast into deeper waters than you can possibly go into2 and will lead your faith to apprehend1 that though your waters are deep and bitter1 yet faith tastes them sweet1 by virtue of ,christ's removing the curse-- ,thus believing we rejoice1 ,to see the curse removed4 ,your path may indeed be hard and thorny1 but1 bless ,god1 there is no curse in it2 let this console your mind1 ,i am sure it will1 if the ,holy ,spirit gives you power to believe it4 ,your present experience of darkness1 guilt1 deadness1 bondage1 contraction of spirit1 and great stupor1 are the days of evil that ,solomon speaks of1 which are many1 but must at last issue in an exceeding and an eternal weight of glory4 ,but seeing such are the days that must come on the followers of the dear ,saviour1 how truly important1 and how highly interesting that exhortation in the twelfth of ,ecclesiastes1 ,remember now thy ,creator1 in the days of thy youth1 while the evil days come not1 and the years draw nigh1 wherein thou shalt say ,i have no pleasure in them4 ,solomon could well talk of these things1 for he had a wonderful share of them1 and wrote the whole ,book of ,ecclesiastes upon the subject4 ,the word is said by some1 to mean the ,preacher1 but others think it signifies ,restoration to the ,church4 ,it was also written by him in his old age1 after his recovery from backsliding2 as such it must be a precious treasure in the hands of a poor sinner1 who knows the plague of his heart1 the weakness of human nature1 the inconstancy and mutability of all transitory things1 of all terrestial objects4 ,this book shews the vanity of all things out of ,christ2 that they are fleeting1 insubstantial1 and disappointing2 that they elude the grasp of their followers1 and leave the soul in darkness1 misery1 and woe4 ,having learnt so much by deep heart-felt experience1 of the power of grace and the power of sin1 and having been deeply taught by the ,holy ,ghost1 he advises as a father to his children1 how to act1 before the sad days of tribulation come on2 and this is agreeable to his own declaration1 ,the prudent man foreseeth the evil 7i4e47 day and hideth himself1 but the simple pass on and are punished4 ,thus in this chapter he exhorts1 which1 through ,god's assistance1 ,i shall consider in an experimental manner2 and shew1 ,i hope1 the mind of the ,spirit upon this important theme4 ,i have often been grieved when this precious text has been taken by mere ,moralists1 who knew nothing of the ,spirit's work upon the heart1 as the testifier of ,jesus2 and applied to youth1 literally1 who are destitute of the grace of ,god--and by a mere moral harangue1 they have set youth to perform a task they themselves never did4 ,hence1 in general1 ,sermons are preached to young people from this passage1 when the very passage shews they are characters that have been taught of ,god2 else why exhort to a remembrance of that glorious object1 ,thy ,creator8 it must imply some knowledge of him2 and this great ,creator can only be known by his own ,word and ,spirit2 only seen in his own light1 for the world by wisdom knows not ,god1 nor can all the works of ,god lead us to ,god1 as some dream2 there is no coming to a knowledge of trusting in1 or loving1 or obeying ,god1 but by the glorious ,mediator1 and the impulse of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,i consider it necessary then1 my dear ,brother1 to shew you1 ,first1 ,the ,characters addressed in this important exhortation--the ,youth4 ,secondly1 the grand object recommended to their attention1 ,thy ,creators4 ,thirdly1 ,what is implied in the idea of remembering him4 ,fourthly1 ,the ,arguments the wise man makes use of to urge this important act1 viz4 ,the approach of evil days and years--which ,i shall endeavor to explain in a scriptural and experimental way1 to comfort some poor mourner2 to show the value of a precious ,saviour2 and endear salvation1 by free grace alone4 ,on the first head of this subject1 ,i would just observe1 the blessedness of being early called by the grace of ,god1 can never be fully appreciated in this world4 ,we read of some who were called at a very early period3 ,jeremiah was really sanctified from the womb3 ,john the ,baptist was filled with the ,holy ,ghost in the womb2 which shews the possibility of a work of grace in the souls of those who die in infancy1 as they are in general1 if not all1 influenced by the ,holy ,spirit before their departure1 and are passively the subjects of ,regeneration4 ,what a consolation for a parent bereaved of a lovely babe6--,it appears ,joseph was early taught of ,god2 perhaps the first martyr1 ,abel1 was--it is very clear ,obadiah1 ,josiah1 ,david1 and ,solomon1 were early converted4 ,samuel and ,timothy knew the ,saviour at a very early period--the ,lord was their guide from their youth4 ,this saves a person from many a bitter pang1--many a sigh1 many a tear1 many a deep1 black1 sad reflection of parents1 broken hearts1 violated sabbaths1 a despised gospel1 a ruined pocket1 and constitution4 ,to be sure grace shines very bright in the calling of such2 but you and ,i must say1 we are greater debtors to preserving grace4 ,i rejoice your mind was so early imprest with the power of godliness1 and that you was directed under a sound ministry1 which clearly pointed out the way of salvation1 by free grace alone2 for the labour of some foolish preachers wearieth every one1 because they know not how to go to the city4 ,but this is not the youth in the text1 they are the seed which the ,lord hath blessed--the seed of ,god2 the seed that was to serve the ,lord1 called the seed of ,jacob2 for these the ,redeemer entered into a covenant with his ,father--for these he travailed in spirit1 groaned1 cried1 obeyed1 bled1 and died4 ,hence the promise1 ,he shall see of the travail of his soul and be satisfied4 ,this is begun in our conversion1 and will be accomplished in our final glorification4 ,hence the ,psalmist says1 ,as arrows in the hand of the mighty so are the children of thy youth4 ,and the matter of the covenant between the ,father and the ,son1 is thus exhibited--,thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power1 in the beauties of holiness4 ,from the womb of the morning thou hast the dew of thy youth--which beautiful passage ,mr4 ,hervey translates1 and paraphrases thus3 8,as the morning is the mother of dews2 produces them1 as it were1 from a prolific womb2 and scatters them with the most lavish abundance1 over all the surface of the earth3 ,so shall thy seed be1 ,o thou everlasting ,father6 ,by the preaching of thy word1 shall such an innumerable race of regenerate children be born to thee1 and fill all lands4 ,millions1 millions of willing converts1 shall croud into thy family1 and replenish thy church2 till they become like the stars of ,heaven1 or the sands of the sea1 for multitude2 or even as numberless1 as these fine spangles1 which now cover the face of nature40 ,of the same opinion was the late ,mr4 ,huntington2 see his 8,light shining in ,darkness20 on the #aajth ,psalm4 8,the youth which is to spring from the womb and is to be numerous as the drops of the dew1 seem to be a time yet to come2 when the knowledge of the ,lord shall cover the earth--when a nation shall be born at once--when a little one shall become a thousand--and when the ,lord's family will consist of strong men in the faith2 who are called youth2 instead of thy fathers1 shall be thy children1 whom thou mayest make ,princes in the earth20 this must be when the greatest kingdom under the whole heavens shall be given to the saints of the most high1 and they shall take it1 and possess it1 for ,jesus shall reign where'er the ,sun ,does his successive journies run4 ,the truly excellent ,dr4 ,hawker reads this passage in reference to the heavenly extraction of the ,lord's people1 to shew1 ,that sovereign grace will give to ,christ an abundance of souls1 like the dew drops2 so numerous as to be perfectly incalculable3 8,and they shall come of heavenly extraction1 as the dew from ,god1 being born not of the will of the flesh1 but of ,god2 and unperceived1 unnoticed1 and unknown1 as the silent drops of the morn2 for the kingdom of ,god cometh not by observation3 and as they are begotten like the dew1 without the aid of man1 so also shall they be preserved by the same predisposing cause1 without man's descent4--,not by might or by power1 but by my spirit1 saith the ,lord of ,hosts40 ,thus the youth to whom ,solomon writes are the spiritual seed of ,god1 and not to mere carnal worldly youth1 who are destitute of the knowledge of ,god4 ,dear ,amicus1 adieu--,grace and peace be with you4 ,i remain1 your's in the ,sinner's friend1 ,picture3 ,signature3 ,j4 ,c4 ,,letter ,,ii4 ,,to ,,amicus4 ,lambeth1 #ahad4 ,,beloved ,,friend1 ,,amidst a vast multitude of thoughts which occurred to my mind this morning1 one more than all the rest1 seemed longest to abide1 namely1 that as the ,lord's people are called ,servants as well as ,sons1 it appears to me that the services of none are accepted of ,god1 but only the services of those who are ,sons by adoption and graces and by the testimony of the ,holy ,spirit in the heart4 ,such ,sons are also called his ,servants1 who shall serve him3 they were by nature the servants of the ,devil1 wore his livery1 and did his will2 but ,almighty grace having wrought a glorious change in the heart1 there is a change of the service2 and this service is not in the oldness of the letter1 but in the newness of the spirit2 then it must be with a new heart1 a new spirit2 with new views1 aims1 pursuits and ends4 ,into this service we are first pressed--then we become volunteers1 and though we meet with many discouragements by the way1 yet we are not tired of our ,master1 nor he of us2 nor do we serve in heart1 in affection1 in word and deed1 as we wish we could1 yet he kindly accepts the will for the deed1 and says1 ,if there be a willing mind1 it is accepted according to what a man hath1 and not according to what he hath not4 ,in the service of so divine a ,lord1 our chariot wheels would fain run swift along4 ,my dear ,brother can recollect when his feet run cheerfully in the way--ye did run well1 who did hinder you8 and you had a divine command for it--,rejoice1 ,o young man1 in thy youth1 and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth4 ,walk in the way of thy new heart1 and in the light of truth that you are favored with2 but it is added1 that all this work must be tried1 judged1 and proved1 that it may appear to be genuine1 that what belongs to ,god may go to ,god1 and what belongs to nature you may discover1 and lament2 for this is the design of the furnace1 the design of the fire of tribulation--therefore do not be alarmed1 as though some unaccountable thing had happened4 ,in the days of prosperity you did right to be joyful2 in those days of adversity you must now consider1 the ,lord approved of the days of your youth1 and even promises a renewal of them2 and ,david declared he experienced it3 this you may see in the following texts--,i remember thee1 and the kindness of thy youth1 and the love of thy espousals1 when thou wentest after me in a land that was not sown4--,he shall return to the days of his youth4 ,thy youth is renewed as the ,eagle's4 ,this is experienced after a season of backsliding and darkness1 deadness1 and misery4 ,in these youthful days it is necessary to be diligent1 as dark days may come4 ,hence the exhortation1 ,remember thy ,creator in the days of thy youth4 ,these youthful days do not so much regard the time of life as the time of the light1 love1 and liberty of the children of ,god2 these are our first1 best1 and sweetest days4 ,hence it is said1 it is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth3 whatever may be the sense of this text1 it is a point beyond all controversy1 that it is a mercy to be taught out of the ,law1 in our first setting out1 to bear the yoke of our transgressions1 and receive deliverance from them by the precious blood and righteousness of ,christ4 ,it is likewise a mercy to be in the service of ,christ1 in health and strength of body and mind2 the service of ,christ is easy and his burden light2 so he told his disciples1 ,take my yoke upon you4 ,the word youth1 does not always signify the term of years2 this is evident from ,job's pathetic moan--,o that it was with me as in the days of my youth1 when ,i was blest with health of body1 peace of mind1 cheerful days1 plenty of ordinances1 and means to get the knowledge ,jesus2 and an inclination thereto1 while the ,spirit taught me to say1 ,my ,father1 thou art the guide of my youth4 ,and hence the apostate and backslider is said1 to forsake the guide of her youth4 ,thus it appears the time to remember our creators is the days when first imprest with the good things of ,god2 when powerfully drawn on by the cords of love2 when we feel strong1 lively1 warm1 and affectionate2 when peace1 comfort1 and joy1 are felt2 when the mind is free from care1 vexation1 temptation1 and misery2 when ,god blesses us with health and strength1 with ministers and books1 with ordinances1 and the company of saints4 ,these are our most happy but not most god-glorifying times2 yet1 while they last1 ,solomon advises a careful attention to great truths1 as we may meet with many crafty1 cruel1 malicious enemies to ,god1 enemies to the doctrines of the ,trinity in ,unity2 enemies to the ,covenant of ,redemption2 enemies to free ,grace1 to the ,work of the ,holy ,ghost2 to the ,divinity and work of the adorable ,immanuel2 and in fact1 to every revealed truth4 ,so ,paul advises1 ,put on the whole armour of ,god1 that ye may stand in the evil day4 ,every part of this armour will be needed1 for it is provided for poor believers1 who have to wrestle hard with sins1 and doubts1 and fears1 nothing short of an experimental knowledge of the truth will abide the furnace1 will stand in the days of evil1 which are coming on1 and which all the ,lord's children1 either in a greater or less degree1 must endure for it is plain those who fall away had only the form of godliness1 without the power3 there may be a form of sound words1 a form of knowledge2 a form of faith1 of hope of love1 of humility--this is but superficial2 my dear ,brother1 ,i hope1 has been convinced of the danger of this1 and that nothing short of the gracious teachings of the ,holy ,ghost can satisfy his mind4 ,this leads me to consider the second particular ,i promised to attend to in my first letter--,the glorious object--,thy ,creators4 ,i need not tell you ,i am no scholar1 ,i wish ,i was2 but the passage must be read in the plural1 according to the testimony of most ,hebrew scholars--,remember now thy ,,creators4 ,there are other texts which must be read in the same way3 ,where is ,god thy ,,makers1 who giveth songs in the night8 ,let ,israel rejoice in ,,them that made him4 ,thy ,,makers is thy husband2 the ,lord of ,hosts is his name4 ,we live in an awful day1 wherein the most crying sin of our nation is the dreadful opposition to the doctrine of the most adorable ,trinity in ,unity1 though it is a truth so clearly revealed--the foundation of the ,church and the christian's highest glory4 ,alas6 how awfully opposed6 ,many great and learned1 experimental christians have employed their pens in proving from sacred scripture1 this most glorious point of ,doctrine1 the foundation of all the rest4 ,the adversaries of this truth pretend to hold the ,unity of the ,godhead--so do we4 ,they say there is but one ,god--so do we2 but can they prove that the ,godhead does not1 cannot admit of three distinct ,persons in that ,essence8--,no6 ,we1 then1 who are ,trinitarians1 can prove that there is but one simple1 undivided ,essence2 and1 that1 if there is any truth in the ,bible1 there are distinct subsistences in that one ,godhead--that these three are equal in power1 majesty1 dignity1 and glory2 co-equal1 co-essential1 and co-eternal4 ,there are not three ,gods1 but three ,persons in the ,godhead4 ,that there are three distinct ,subsistences1 which1 for want of better words1 we call ,persons1 is evident from a vast many passages of scripture--distinct from each other1 in ,person1 ,name1 and ,office2 for1 to what beside the term ,person1 can we with any propriety apply the distinct acts of speaking1 working1 and commanding8 ,and the ,persons in the ,trinity are clearly set forth by their personal characters1 such as ,i1 me1 him1 thou1 his1 he4 ,the scriptures plainly declare that there are three that bear record in heaven1 the ,father1 the ,word1 and the ,holy ,ghost--and these three are one--one in the divine ,essence1 undivided1 which ,essence is peculiar to the three2 yet these have different modes of subsisting in this ,essence1 which we must call ,persons--and they must be ,persons1 to be ,testifiers--testifying is a personal act2 if the ,father is one testifier1 the ,son another1 and the ,holy ,ghost a third1 they must be three ,persons1 not three ,gods2 only one in the divine ,essence1 but three distinct in ,personality1 ,name1 and ,office4 ,the ,unity of the ,godhead is exprest in this text1 ,hear ,o ,israel1 the ,lord our ,god is one ,lord4 ,but the ,plurality of ,persons in the ,godhead is exprest as before--,there are three which bear record1 the ,father1 the ,word1 and the ,holy ,ghost4 ,there is one ,god2 this is not said to the exclusion of the ,son and the ,spirit1 for the ,word is applied to both as well as to the ,father1 and in the same senses4 ,this doctrine will still appear more plain1 to my dear brother1 by the plural names of ,god4 ,in the first verse of the ,bible it is evident--,in the beginning ,god created the heaven and the earth4 ,that this name is plural1 is plain by the work of the distinct ,persons4 ,and the spirit of ,god moved upon the face of the waters4 ,and the third person is spoken of as the ,,word1 who said ,let there be light4 ,thus the three in one were concerned in creation4 ,in ,ephesians iii1 #i1 ,god is said to create all things by ,jesus ,christ--this is one ,person--,christ is said to be creator too--by the word of the ,lord was the heavens made1 and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth4 ,here is the ,word that was with ,god1 and was ,god2 and the spirit of ,god moved upon the face of the waters4 ,by his spirit he garnished the heavens1 and his hand framed the crooked ,serpent4 ,this is the ,holy ,trinity in ,unity--the ,persons who said1 ,let ,,us make man in ,,our image1 after ,,our likeness4 ,behold the man is become at one of ,,us4 ,go to1 let ,,us go down4--,whom shall ,i send1 and who will go for ,,us8 ,these words clearly prove a plurality of ,persons4 ,if any man love me1 my ,father will love him1 and ,,we will come unto him1 and make ,,our abode with him4 ,in the ,epistle of ,john we read of ,communion with the ,father1 and the ,son2 and ,paul speaks of ,communion with the ,holy ,ghost4 ,the glorious ,covenant of ,grace shews a ,plurality of ,persons4 ,divine worship is to be given to the three ,persons4 ,baptism is in their ,names3 sometimes one ,person is mentioned before the other2 the grace of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 the love of ,god1 and the communion of the ,holy ,ghost2 here ,christ is first mentioned4 ,the ,lord direct your hearts into the love of ,god1 and into a patient waiting for ,christ4 ,the acknowledgement of ,god1 and of the ,father1 and of ,christ--thus we see the ,spirit is mentioned first4 ,in the first chapter of ,ephesians the ,father is first introduced--,paul prays that the ,father of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ would grant the spirit of wisdom in the knowledge of ,christ4 ,these1 and many other passages evidently prove that there are ,three in ,one and ,one in ,three1 ,god blessed for evermore2 so the ,scripture teaches1 and so must we believe2 to err in this subject is fatal4 ,but the ,spirit has engaged to lead us into all truth1 nor can one humble follower of ,jesus go down to the shades of death1 opposing this glorious doctrine4 ,how these are one1 and how each ,person subsists in the one ,divine ,essence1 is not for us to know1 nor is it of any importance1 it is enough for me to know1 that the terms of ,father1 ,son1 and ,spirit1 are not given to shew what the ,trinity is in the divine ,essence1 as ,god2 but what they are to the church in an everlasting ,covenant2 and this is life eternal to know the ,father1 that adopted me as his own--to know the ,lord ,jesus1 in the greatness of his salvation1 by the teaching and leading of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,this is the harmonious witness in the word1 and ,i bless ,god for the same in the heart4 ,there are three which bear witness2 and he that believeth on the ,son hath the witness in himself2 and this is the witness1 the ,father says1 ,yea ,i have loved thee2 the ,redeemer says1 ,i have redeemed thee2 and the voice of the ,spirit is known1 ,i have called thee4 ,this is the point ,i want you1 my brother1 to apprehend1 to feel1 and enjoy4 ,this is a religion that will stand the test1 will bear the furnace1 and all religion1 besides what comes from1 and leads to the adorable ,trinity1 is madness1 delusion and daring presumption6 ,this is the maker or ,,makers--,,creators1 father1 husband1 friend1 and ,god4 ,the wise man not only points out the glorious ,object1 but the ,work in which they are engaged1 even the ,work of ,creation4 ,these glorious ,persons having formed the grand plan of salvation1 which was the first great act of ,jehovah1 in ,council and ,covenant1 now brings forth the grand theatre of the ,universe1 whereon to display the glories of rich1 free1 restoring grace2 and this act of power1 love1 wisdom1 and goodness1 is the joint ,work of the three ,persons2 as the word ,god is a plural term1 ,elohim1 or as some term it ,alehim--the ,persons engaged1 the ,covenanters4 ,this is a point that has been long proved by good and great men--the several acts of ,creation--,god created the heaven and earth1 formed both2 then the ,spirit's1 act--and the ,spirit of ,god1 the ,lord and giver of life1 moved upon the face of the waters1 to separate the parts which were mixed together1 and to give them a quickening virtue1 to produce living creatures in them4 ,then the ,saviour is represented as saying1 ,let there be light1 and there was light4 ,this came from himself1 who is called the ,light of the ,world4 ,and ,god said 7this is repeated nine times over2 and as the term ,god is plural1 and includes the ,three1 there is great propriety and beauty in the expression7 ,let ,,us make man in ,,our image1 after ,,our likeness4 ,this consultation is designed to point out that honor and dignity that was to be conferred on ,man1 the noblest work of all his creatures--in his image1 as ,god's vicegerent2 having dominion over the creatures2 erect in his body2 with every excellent endowment of his mind2 in purity1 holiness1 and righteousness2 in wisdom and beauty--thus man was made in his image4 ,but though this is a great truth1 yet ,i humbly conceive this is not all2 from all eternity ,god had a favour towards man2 and having exalted the dear ,saviour to be the great ,head of the ,church1 he set him up in the nature of his people1 so that ,adam was formed in the nature1 in the very image which ,god had designed to honour ,christ in2 that image made he man3 this was agreeable to divine consultation4 ,in this image our dear ,lord four thousand years afterwards made his appearance2 and this was the joint work of the ,holy ,trinity--a body hast thou prepared me4 ,he took part of the children's flesh and blood--,the power of the ,holy ,ghost shall come on thee1 and that which shall be born unto thee shall be called the ,child of the ,most ,high4 ,thus the formation of our nature is the joint work of the ,trinity1 in the first and second ,adam2 but this point will appear of equal importance if we contemplate our ,new ,creation1 as the work of the same divine ,persons4 ,our ,regeneration is called a ,creation1 but more of this in my next4 ,the best of blessings attend you4 ,so prays your willing servant to command in all ,godliness1 ,picture3 ,signature of ,j4 ,c4 ,,letter ,,iii4 ,,to ,,amicus4 ,,dear ,,friend1 ,,grace and peace be with you4 ,i thought it needful to drop you another ,letter on a subject of infinite importance to you1 to myself and to the whole church of ,god4 ,the ,saviour1 in a conversation with a learned and polite ,doctor of ,divinity1 positively declared the necessity of another1 a ,new1 a second ,birth4 ,blessed be ,god1 the salvation of the children of ,god is completed without this1 but we must be born again to know this salvation is ours2 and to pretend to lay claim to such ,salvation1 without being born again1 is most daring presumption6 ,this new ,birth is a change of heart and life2 the formation of a new man2 an infusion of holy principles--all new--every thing2 that is1 every principle which the ,holy ,spirit inspires is new2 new views1 new sensations1 new ideas1 new pursuits2 and new trials2 all is become new4 ,if any man be in ,christ ,jesus he is become new4 ,this birth goes by various names in scripture--it is stiled a ,calling2 ,the master is come and calleth for thee4 ,it is represented as an implanting or engrafting--,cut off from the old stock3 ,our souls cleave to ,jesus as our all in all4 ,it is a ,conquest2 by the power of the ,holy ,spirit our enmity is slain1 our wills subdued1 and our affections set on heavenly objects4 ,it is called an heavenly ,birth--,of the seed of ,god's word we are said to be begotten to a lively hope4 ,a new man is formed2 for this the ,redeemer travailed in spirit2 for this ministers labour and toil2 and to enjoy ,god in ,christ ,jesus1 no small portion of spiritual labour falls to the share of the happy possessor4 ,the ,saviour enters the soul2 this must create a stir there4 ,he comes into1 and by the door of the heart2 all that come in any other way1 as sin and ,satan did1 are thieves and robbers4 ,upon his entrance we1 by his light1 see our lost state--feel our guilt--conscience is quickened1 as well as the mind enlightened2 and here1 my brother1 you may discover the vast disparity between the ,possessor and the mere nominal ,professor2 it is not to be seen either in their light1 or conduct1 for a man destitute of the grace of ,god1 may be clear in his head1 and upright in his moral deportment4 ,this is the snare that is come upon the ,churches3 these are the false evidences by which thousands are deceived--it is not enough1 the main spring is wanting1 which is ,,life4 ,this is the genuine work of ,god3 this proves our union with the ,living ,vine4 ,by this life ,i feel myself condemned by the ,law4 ,i feel a spirit of bondage to fear4 ,i feel the sting of death4 ,i feel the workings of corruption1 which ,i knew nothing of before4 ,i feel dreadful apprehensions of ,god's wrath2 and while my conscience feels these things1 ,i see1 in the light of the word1 and by the ,spirit1 the exact suitableness of the dear ,saviour4 ,i am enabled by the same ,spirit to believe he lived1 obeyed1 suffered1 died1 and is risen again1 and receives poor sinners--the lost1 the helpless1 the guilty1 and the vile4 ,this begets a hope in my mind that he will save me4 ,the ,promises encourage me--the freeness of grace--the ,lord delighting in mercy1 through the satisfaction of ,jesus--the scriptural account of poor sinners as vile as me being saved4 ,these things encourage me to hope2 while my faith1 small as it is1 argues at times1 as ,manoah's wife did1 ,if the ,lord had meant to have destroyed me1 would he have shewed me what ,i see8--or told me what he has8 ,no1 no6 ,but while ,i thank ,god1 and am taking courage1 perhaps sin again overcomes me--the ,law still works wrath2 ,satan then takes the advantage1 and down ,i sink again1 and must there lay till the dear ,father of ,mercies draw me to ,christ again4 ,thus the spiritual life1 at this time1 hangs in doubt1 and there is no assurance of life1 either spiritual or eternal4 ,this is travailing in spirit1 coming to the birth1 and no strength to bring forth4 ,this is tarrying long in the place of the breaking forth of children2 panting1 breathing1 looking1 thirsting1 longing for the knowledge of the pardon of sin1 the clear witness of the ,spirit1 and the sweet1 smiting1 kind1 loving approbation of ,god4 ,such souls are already pronounced blessed1 and what ,god has promised he will surely perform4 ,such long to come forth2 are afraid of peace and comfort1 ease and quietness1 lest it should not be ,god's work2 and such would rather be always in bondage than in carnal ease1 or false peace or confidence4 ,beautiful that ,promise1 ,blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness1 for they shall be filled4 ,such are represented as waiting upon ,god4 ,those that wait upon the ,lord shall renew their strength--and they shall not be ashamed that wait for me4 ,at the ,pool of ,bethesda they lay till ,jesus appears--at the posts of ,god's ,doors they wait till favour is shewed them--they are admitted to the ,inner ,court1 till faith gathers strength enough to believe in the love of ,god towards them2 and till they can receive into their souls the ,atonement this gives peace to the conscience1 and joy in ,god1 and this honor have all the saints4 ,this is the ,new ,birth1 which you1 ,i trust1 know something of experimentally2 but darkness will sometimes hide it from you4 ,i must recommend you a sweet text in ,job4 ,thine age shall be clearer than the noon day--thou shalt shine forth1 thou shall be clear as the morning4 ,but this new-making second ,birth1 and new ,creation1 is the joint work of the adorable ,trinity1 and is1 of course1 property ascribed to each ,person1 ,remember therefore thy new ,creators4 ,let ,israel rejoice in them that made him4 ,god the ,father is called the ,father of ,christ1 the ,father of ,lights4 ,of his own will begat he us1 with the ,word of ,truth4 ,he sheds the dew of the ,spirit upon us abundantly1 through ,jesus ,christ our ,lord4 ,this ,work is also attributed to ,jesus2 he is the ,resurrection and the ,life--he raiseth up and quickeneth whom he will2 and it is by virtue of his ,resurrection from the dead that we are begotten again to a lively hope4 ,the blessed and eternal ,spirit1 the ,lord and giver of ,life1 is also the ,author of this ,new ,creation--,except a man be born of water and the ,spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven4 ,it is the ,spirit that quickens2 he it is prepares the mind for ,christ1 then testifies of ,christ to the soul4 ,may you1 my dear ,friend1 enjoy much of his testimony1 and set to your seal1 that ,god is true--and1 if ,i have not tired your patience1 let me remind you of another great act of your ,,creators1 the completing the ,work in a manifestative way1 in the glorious ,resurrection of the ,body1 to enjoy endless felicity with the soul4 ,this is what we have in lively hope and earnest expectation2 for this we groan--this is the redemption of the purchased ,possession4 ,god our covenant ,father loved our bodies as well as our souls--the dear ,redeemer bought the one as well as the other--he suffered in the body for sins done by the body4 ,the ,holy ,spirit graciously takes up his abode in the soul1 as the earnest of the future inheritance4 ,this ,doctrine has been denied by many--this has been ridiculed as contrary to sense and reason2 but why should it be thought a thing incredible that ,god should raise the ,dead8 it can easily be accomplished by the infinite power and wisdom of ,god1 as well as the first formation of it2 the one will be as easy to him as the other--the sacred scriptures assure us of it1 our faith gives credit to it2 and this faith is not in vain1 the ,redeemer would lose a part of his purchase if the dead rise not2 besides1 he has redeemed them to ,god1 and from the grave2 and the general judgment requires that those who sleep in the dust should come forth4 ,there is a necessity of the body rising1 else we should lose part of our bliss2 for we shall want some of our members in heaven1 as the eye1 to see ,christ in the flesh1 and one another2 and the ear1 to hear the everlasting songs of praise2 and the tongue1 to sing them4--,nor is this contrary to reason2 hence the dear ,redeemer1 and his servant ,paul1 has set it forth by the figure of a corn of wheat1 which1 being sown1 alters1 corrupts1 and then springs up a very different figure1 yet it is the same corn of wheat that was sown1 though now it appears with a stalk1 a blade1 and an ear3 so our bodies will be sown2 and spring up again with additional circumstances4 ,blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first ,resurrection4 ,what heart can conceive the joyful meeting of soul and body again8 ,this is most affectingly described by ,blair3 --,nor shall the conscious soul ,mistake its partner1 but amidst the crowd1 ,singling its other half1 into its arms ,shall rush1 with all the impatience of a man ,that's new come home1 and having long been absent1 ,with haste runs over every different room1 ,in pain to see the whole4 ,thrice happy meeting6 ,nor time1 nor death shall ever part them more4 ,this ,resurrection to eternal life1 is the joint work of our glorious ,makers4--,knowing that he which raised up ,jesus from the dead1 shall raise us up also by him1 and shall present us with you4 ,so this great act is ascribed to the dear ,saviour2 he shall change our vile bodies4 ,the ,holy ,spirit will have an hand in this momentous affair1 he shall also quicken our mortal bodies4 ,and it is a charming thought1 my ,brother1 that as sure as we have been quickened in the soul we shall be in the body--certain as we hear the voice of ,jesus in the ,gospel1 we shall hear it in the ,resurrection1 calling us forth to eternal life4 ,and as sure as the ,gospel trumpet proclaims liberty to our souls1 the last trumpets sound shall bring liberty to our bodies4 ,let this thought comfort you1 nor shall you be ashamed of your hope1 for the mouth of the ,lord hath spoken it4 ,it is time ,i proceed to speak of the third particular1 the ,wise ,man's exhortation--,remember4--,we meet with many such fatherly admonitions in scripture1 and in fact1 ,god promises we shall remember4 ,thou shalt remember all the way the ,lord thy ,god hath led thee in the ,wilderness4--,and one of the blessed ,offices of the ,holy ,ghost is that of a ,remembrancer4 ,this influence over the mind we often need in our state of pilgrimage3 we have1 naturally1 bad memories--besides1 ,satan is a thief1 and he is secretly watching to steal all the good he can from us1 and to leave us all the dregs4 ,our inbred sins1 and many outward foes1 also hurt our memories--they are ,foxes that spoil the ,vines1 that have tender grapes4 ,it is an unspeakable mercy that our ,salvation does not depend upon our memories1 but in ,god's remembering of us4 ,hence he has said1 ,if ,i forget thee1 ,o ,jerusalem1 let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth4 ,he remembered his ,covenant1 he remembered his mercy4 ,i will remember my ,covenant with thee4 ,then he appeals to parental affections1 and asks1 ,can a woman forget her sucking child8 ,yea1 she may forget1 7perhaps1 my ,brother1 ,i am an instance of it7 yet will ,i not forget thee4 ,my kindness shall not depart from thee1 nor the ,covenant of my peace be removed1 saith the ,lord1 that hath mercy on ,,thee1 ,o thou afflicted1 tossed with tempest1 and not comforted4--,here is our security1 though we are so forgetful1 so ungrateful--forever we dwell in his heart1 forever in his mind2 and he has graciously intimated there are some things which he can never do1 consistently with his ,nature1 his ,perfections1 and ,covenant4 ,it was impossible for ,god to lie3 he cannot forget his people1 he will not remember their sins2 he will never leave nor forsake those he once has loved4 ,but we are exhorted to ,remember him4 ,this act1 in scripture1 signifies to keep in mind somewhat future and important1 that we may notice it when it comes again4 ,remember thou keep holy the ,sabbath day3 it signifies to think of1 and deeply consider4 ,when ,i remember thee on my bed and meditate on thee in the night watches3 it signifies to love and esteem4 ,no man remembered that same poor man3 to praise or mention the great acts of covenant love1 in a way of gratitude4 ,remember his marvellous works which he hath done3 it signifies to call to mind4 ,remember that ye were ,gentiles in the flesh3 so that we remember ,god1 when we think of1 believe in1 and depend on him for help and strength4 ,some put their trust in horses1 some in chariots1 but we will remember the ,lord our ,god4 ,to remember1 in scripture1 also signifies to make a collection4 ,hence the ,apostle speaking of christian alms giving1 says1 ,that we should remember the poor2 the same which ,i was always forward to do4 ,here1 then1 clearly appears our privilege1 to think deeply of the great things of ,god--often to call them to mind2 his everlasting love1 its freeness and power2 his everlasting covenant1 that cannot be broken--his everlasting purposes to save the ruined1 the helpless1 and the vile4 ,the everlasting righteousness of the dear ,god ,man ,mediator--the everlasting salvation with which all the elect shall be saved--the value1 the efficacy1 and unspeakable worth of the ,atonement--the preciousness of the offices1 glory1 titles1 and characters of the adorable ,trinity in ,unity4 ,these things must be deeply learnt and kept in mind--the knowledge of them will surely do us good in the days of evil4 ,to make a collection of the good things the ,spirit has shewn to us--every token for good1 every sermon he has blest with power1 every sweet view of ,jesus1 every precious promise that has been applied1 every ray of comfort1 every season of access and nearness to ,god1 every good word and kind hint he has given us1 every deliverance he has wrought for us1 every clear answer to prayer1 whether of things temporal or spiritual4 ,these we ought to notice1 keep in mind1 and often think over1 with humility1 with gratitude1 with joy1 with wonder2 and ask1 with the humble ,ruth1 ,why have ,i found grace in thy sight1 that thou shouldest take knowledge of me1 seeing ,i am but a stranger8 ,remember1 with diligence2 for as we abound in faith the ,apostle says1 ,we are to abound in all diligence4 ,the pious ,psalmist declares1 ,his heart and spirit made a diligent search4 ,the woman who had lost her piece of silver1 is said1 ,to sweep the house1 and search diligently till she found it--and the ,lord is sure to bless the diligent remembrance of himself2 take the following texts3 ,the hand of the diligent maketh rich4 ,the hand of the diligent shall bear rule4 ,the substance of the diligent man is precious4 ,the soul of the diligent shall be made fat4 ,the thought of the diligent tends only to plenty4 ,he that diligently seeketh good procureth favour4--,thus we see what ,god has promised to the diligent4 ,say not this is legal1 ,no6--,i am exhorting a believer1 a quickened soul1 one that has light1 life1 and love4 ,all spiritual actions1 acceptable to ,god1 must spring from this quarter4 ,do you attend while you can to these important things1 nor shall you fail of your reward4 ,be not deceived1 ,god is not mocked1 for whatever a man soweth that shall he also reap2 and sure ,i am1 every man shall find this text true in his experience1 #b ,cor4 ix1 #f1 ,he that soweth sparingly shall reap sparingly3 ,he which soweth bountifully shall reap bountifully4 ,so the scriptures affirm3 ,i have found it and so shall you4 ,thus while you are in health of body1 peace of mind1 furnished with the ,spirit's influence as a ,remembrancer--do call to mind1 collect together and highly esteem these things1 in meditation and prayer1 and bless him for what he has done for you and in you4 ,turn down those pages in your ,bible which you have found precious4 ,tell the dear people of ,god what ,christ has done for you1 that they may help you to praise him2 for it is written1 ,they shall come and declare the ,work of ,god in ,zion4--,nor would you lose any thing by it1 should you keep a ,diary of the ,lord's dealings with you2 it would be blessed to read it over another day1 especially in the days of evil4 ,hence the exhortation1 ,set thee up way marks3 set thee up high heaps--for1 being like poor ,jacob1 we want reminding of our vows1 and of ,god's goodness4 ,hence the command1 ,arise1 go to ,bethel1 where thou anointedst the ,pillar1 and make thee an altar to ,god1 who appeared for thee when thou fleddest from the face of ,esau4 ,it is well to remember what ,god has done for us1 it encourages us in prayer and sweet confidence another day1 as may be seen in this good man's ,history1 ,genesis xxxii1 when pleading with ,god for his safety4 ,he acknowledges past mercies1 when he only possessed a staff twenty years before1 and with it came over that very place where he then stood with two hands6 ,he confesses his utter unworthiness1 and pleads with ,god upon the ground of his promises he had applied to him in times pest4 ,presents his prayer1 mixed with thanksgiving1 and obtains an answer4 ,to feel gratitude is a mercy for it well becomes the just to be thankful4 ,i'll speak the honors of thy name1 ,with my last lab'ring breath2 ,and1 speechless1 clasp thee in my arms1 ,my joy in life and death4 ,this leads me to notice the reasons ,why ,solomon urges this point2 because the evil days and years are coming on1 in which you will truly say1 ,i have no pleasure in them4 ,and as you have a little pleasure at times1 and have had a good deal of pleasure in the ,bible1 in the ,house of ,god1 at the ,table of the ,lord1 in company with the saints1 in private retirement1 in doing good to some1 in pitying and in praying for others1 and could understand something of this text1 ,they meetest him that rejoicest in thee--those that remember thee in thy ways4 ,in which things you have had pleasure1 and could rejoice in these youthful days4 ,but as some of these days are gone1 and the rest may fly1 let me advise you against such seasons as you will say1 ,you have no pleasure in4 ,but may the ,lord water you every moment1 and keep you night and day1 to final salvation--maintain his own work1 and bear testimony to your spirit1 what is his work1 and what is not4 ,this you have prayed for many a time1 and by terrible things in righteousness ,god is pleased often to answer us4 ,i remain your's1 ,picture3 ,signature of ,j4 ,c4 ,,letter ,,iv4 ,,to ,,amicus4 ,,dear ,,friend1 ,i ,,have been a little concerned of late about the term ,prophet4 ,you guess what is the cause3 many eminent professors1 who are better acquainted with the ,news-paper than the ,bible1 have been lately venting out a good deal of spite against the memory of a late ,minister1 in consequence of what they call his ambitious and strongly-conceited ,epitaph--8,a ,prophet hath been among them40 ,quite forgetting that all real1 faithful ministers1 are entitled to the same name4 ,the passage is1 in part1 quoted from ,ezekiel ii1 #e4 ,and they1 whether they will hear1 or whether they well forbear1 for they are a rebellious house1 yet shall know that a ,prophet hath been among them4 ,i believe this name is applied to gospel ministers1 nearly twenty times in the ,new ,testament4 ,many things of eternal importance do they prophecy2 and one branch of their prophecy ,i am sure you will find true1 viz4 ,that through much tribulation1 they must enter the kingdom4--,jacob called his sons together and said1 ,i will tell you that which shall befal you in the latter days4 ,and ,solomon1 the type of our most blessed ,immanuel1 acting in this character1 gives intimation1 of what we must experience1 that are created anew in ,christ ,jesus1 and predestinated to the possession and enjoyment of the good work of ,jesus--the good work of the eternal ,spirit1 and the good work and enjoyment of the blessed in ,heaven4 ,these ,god has ordained we should walk in--these are the evidences of union to ,jesus2 and as these are our privileges1 so we must indeed drink of the same ,cup ,jesus did1 and be immersed in the same ,baptism4 ,this was what the ,holy ,spirit witnessed to ,paul1 that in every city where he came bonds and affliction should await him1 and he must go through them4 ,no doubt these will have a glorious tendency1 for our ,covenant ,god does nothing in vain4 ,you have hitherto been much indulged2 ,i have really envied you1 but the change you now experience is only to shew you what need you have of the whole armour of ,god4 ,you are but just come into the field of action1 to combat with sin1 ,satan1 errors1 hypocrites1 and erroneous men--to combat with many outward and inward foes1 who now appear to your view4 ,but the dear ,saviour will also appear very precious now1 in other forms1 to what you have ever felt of seen him4 ,the ,spirit will take every opportunity to reveal him just as you really need him4 ,you will so learn ,christ that you will be able to stand in these days of evil1 which must come on the followers of the dear ,saviour1 and in which they must say they feel no pleasure4 ,these evil days are set forth by ,solomon under the following metaphors3 ,the darkness of the sun1 the moon1 and stars1 with a long1 heavy1 lowering sky4 ,these things will be understood by the tried family of ,god2 so that while you have the season of getting1 or doing good1 you must use that period for that use--hence such seasons are called an ,hour--very short1 but precisely fixed and determined by our covenant ,god4 ,this season is called a ,day that will soon go away1 and the ,night commence4 ,this day is far spent with you1 and a night is come on1 in which you cannot work1 but must wait--in which you cannot run1 but must stand still1 till the ,lord sends you bright clouds1 and a clear shining after rain4 ,this season1 in your experience1 is called a ,morning4 ,how lovely and pleasant1 while through the falling dew of ,god's favor1 your graces budded1 and the softly-pleasing southern gales caused your spikenard to send forth a delightful perfume4 ,but evil days must come2 not such evil days as must befal those as have no interest in1 or love to the ,saviour1 and which may never come on in this world4 ,hence they are said to receive their good things in this life1 but the righteous evil things4 ,what a mercy1 my brother6 in all that befals you there is no curse1 no hatred in ,god to you1 no unatoned guilt1 no danger of hell1 or of coming short of the desired haven2 nor perhaps many fears or dread of these things3 ,i hope they are gone out of your conscience long ago3 not but you may be tempted about them for a time1 but these shall be gone4 ,hence ,god promises1 that on all hills which shall be digged with a mattock there shall not come thither the fears of briars and thorns2 the real cause of these fears never shall come on you again4 ,but the design of this ,letter is simply to point out some of the evil days4 ,literally1 ,solomon refers to old age1 with all the infinities that attend it4 ,and this may be applied to the weakness of the human frame1 the trouble1 as well as to longevity of life2 and hence the #gast ,psalm1 composed by ,david1 and indited by the ,spirit1 which belongs to ,christ4 ,he1 the adorable ,messiah1 prays1 ,cast me not off in the time of old age1 which is explained in the next clause1 when my strength faileth me2 and is doubtless the meaning of the #ahth verse4 ,this may be seen in his agony in the garden1 when he cried out1 ,o my ,father6 if it be possible let this cup pass from me4 ,now likewise his prayer was answered1 for there appeared an angel from heaven to him to strengthen him4 ,thus age is not always applied to length of years2 a person through affliction of body1 many cares1 crosses and losses1 may be old2 that is1 as weak in constitution as the most aged and infirm character4 ,no doubt many bear up amazingly well under the infirmities of age2 but it must be allowed these are evil days3 that alone which can sweeten them1 is a good hope through grace1 the clear witness of the ,spirit of ,god to the conscience1 a lively precious faith in an everlasting covenant1 in the blood of the ,lamb1 and in the faithfulness of that ,god who has graciously said1 and even to old age and hoary hairs will ,i be with you4 ,justified in the ,redeemer's obedience1 and kept firm in the truth4 ,solomon says1 ,the hoary head is a crown of glory if it be found in the way of righteousness4 ,happy1 thrice happy old man6 just upon the threshold of that joy that awaits thee4 ,soon thy spiritual ,joseph will send the waggons of his holy angels to conduct thee to himself1 to behold all his glory4 ,yet a season and you know1 ,happy entrance shall be given-- ,all your sorrows left below1 ,and earth exchang'd for heaven4 ,what a prospect6 what a scene6 what a joy6 nor shall you be disappointed of your hope1 seeing ,christ is commissioned to keep what you have long committed to his dear divine hands1 your body and soul1 the one for almost immediate glory1 the other for a joyful resurrection4 ,thus having viewed the passage in this literal form1 let me return to point out some of the days of evil of which the ,bible speaks1 and you may meet with1 that when they come you may remember ,i told you of them4 ,when ,god is pleased to shew us our sinful hearts in that degree we are able to bear it4 ,when conscience reproaches us for sins of omission and commission2 sins long practised and long pursued by us4 ,satan taking the advantage of these convictions1 and throwing in his fiery darts4 ,these are called the days of evil4 ,wherefore should ,i fear in the days of evil1 when the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about4 ,this is a time you will surely meet with1 as ,job and others have1 who have said before you1 ,thou makest me to possess the iniquities of my youth4 ,thou hast set my secret sins before me4 ,remember not the sins of my youth4 ,such days as these1 when guilt lies heavy on the conscience1 you will feel no pleasure1 till faith embraces the atonement1 and banishes fear4 ,another evil day you will have is the day of temptation1 when ,satan is apparently let loose upon you1 as he was upon poor ,job1 and ,paul1 and ,jeremiah4 ,when you will want your head covered in the day of battle1 and feel your need of the shield of faith and the helmet of hope1 the one to cover your head1 the other to repel these fiery darts of the ,devil1 which he will shoot at you--fiery shot1 from the burning malice of ,hell1 such as strong temptation to excite burning lusts1 blasphemous thoughts of ,god1 horrid suggestions1 debasing thoughts of ,christ1 with all the ,atheism1 ,deism1 ,arianism1 ,socinianism1 ,arminianism1 and ,antinomianism of the human heart1 stirred up by the ,devil1 to foster despair1 enmity1 and hatred of ,god4 ,thus tried you must watch the motions of the ,spirit1 leading you to the death of the ,saviour1 and with your ,spirit exclaiming1 ,thou1 ,o ,lord1 art my hope in the day of evil4 ,i must notice another day3 ,public troubles on the ,church1 which ,i believe will come yet2 ,i humbly conceive the man of sin will die hard2 he seems to be hearing some of his dying groans at present1 but it will have its last convulsive struggle2 the hour of temptation must come on--the ,church seems in her ,laodicean state1 and it may be really in that state for all ,i know1 though many great men suppose the ,church in her ,sardian state2 be that as it may1 have we not cause to lament the general drowsiness of the ,church1 the very few names that have not defiled their garments--the cloudy state of ,professor and ,possessor--the state the ,prophet alluded to1 when he said1 ,it shall come to pass that the light shall not be clear nor dark4 ,is it not true of that light which is in the ,church8 the people not wholly in the dark about the ,doctrines of the ,gospel1 yet they are not clear2 and perhaps1 never was a time in the ,church when ,god's real people were so cloudy1 generally1 about their interest in the ,saviour1 so that we may look for the sieve--a sifting time will come1 for the ,church and the ,world seem too much allied1 at present1 in principle and practice4 ,the ,saviour says1 ,be ye seperate--and if this small1 still voice is not obeyed1 you may depend upon it he will bring his rod1 for his fan is in his hand1 and he will thoroughly purge his floor4 ,hence his own declaration1 ,and ,i will bring upon thee a day of evil4 ,this you may feel personally4 ,also1 after having been a little at ease1 and careless of ,god's glory1 his cause1 and his ways1 he may permit you to fall2 or by associating with carnal ,professors1 or the ,world too much1 ,god may bring on you a rod to drive you from them--and if you should chance to fall1 and they know it1 though ,god in mercy1 gives you repentance to life1 they will be the first to stone you1 and like the ,priest and ,levite1 take care to avoid you2 and if after this1 you maintain the sentiment of human weakness1 and insist upon it man is nothing1 but as he is made and kept by the grace of ,god1 these stout men1 these whole-hearted professors1 will hate you and your ,doctrines2 so ,job found1 when he said1 ,he that is ready to slip with his feet1 is as a lamp despised in the thought of him that is at ease4 ,but ,god may bring on you such an evil day4 ,another day of evil is1 ,suffering persecution from the world for the truth's sake2 or from those who profess a part of the truth4 ,such may hate you1 nay the ,saviour says they shall hate you1 and say all manner of evil against you--all manner1 not a few hard and ill-natured things1 but any thing disrespectful1 spiteful1 and disgraceful4 ,this may be the lot of my ,brother--this you will find very hard1 seeing you have been kind to all1 and acted as upright before men as you could1 never deserving this from man1--yet meeting with it4 ,defamation of character1 endeavouring to injure you in your situation1 trying to prejudice all your friends against you1 and to stir up your own household to oppose you4 ,but these things will they do to you1 because1 says the ,saviour1 ,they have not known the ,father nor me4 ,however1 you will not be wholly destitute of some who will be raised up for your good4 ,hence the promise to the persecuted saint1 ,and ,i will cause you to be well entreated in the day of evil4 ,this was ,god's promise to poor ,jeremiah2 and the ,saviour gives the command1 ,let my out-casts dwell with thee1 ,moab1 be thou a covert to him1 from the face of the spoiler4 ,thus the ,lord will take care of you in time of persecution1 national troubles1 which the children of ,god must feel in their degree1 through the loss of trade1 bankruptcies1 a long war1 the high price of provisions1 and the scarcity of every national blessing2 yet1 depend upon it1 the ,lord will find bread for you4 ,so ,david encourages the people of ,god1 ,i have been young and now am old1 yet ,i never saw the righteous forsaken nor his seed begging of bread4 ,or1 as the learned say1 it should be rendered1 though begging of bread1 yet not forsaken4 ,bread and water the ,lord has promised you1 and remembering that you are one of his prisoners1 that he is bound to maintain you1 ,friends will be raised up1 a supply will be sent in from the most unlikely quarters4 ,and the earth helped the woman4--,i have commanded the ,ravens to feed thee there4 ,thus you shall not want in the day of evil4 ,you may meet with many family troubles as ,jacob did1 and say with that dear ,patriarch1 at the close of your life1 ,few and evil have the days of my life been4 ,many evils have ,i met with from my children and relations1 enough to break a heart of stone4 ,my relations were envious1 oppressive1 cruel1 and ungrateful4 ,my children's conduct often pierced my heart4--,i have been in many wants and dangers1 but the ,lord that redeemed me from all evil1 has thus far led me on1 and ,i am now going home1 for ,i have waited for thy salvation1 ,o ,lord4 ,thus my dear ,brother1 you may have some days of evil1 from family troubles1 losses1 crosses1 and cares4 ,you may have no small opposition from men of corrupt minds1 that lay in wait to deceive4 ,hence the ,apostle recommends a clear experimental knowledge of the truth--,christ the essential truth1 and the word of ,god as the revealed truth4 ,a few head notions though very clear1 are not able to withstand the artifices of hell1 for if a man is argued into a set of notions1 he is liable to be argued out of them4 ,when a man of ability1 reason1 sense1 and a vast string of arguments1 against the previous truths of the gospel1 attacks such as have no grace in the heart1 they are soon moved from the truth2 but when those are attacked that have felt the precious truths of the gospel in the heart1 though the poor believer is not able to answer him one question out of an hundred1 he can prove the reality of those truths he holds1 because they have done so much for him4 ,the truth has brought him from darkness to light1 from sin to holiness1 from the service of the devil to the ,service of ,god4 ,thus ,he can prove the reality of ,bible truth1 by his own present experience2 and thus he is able to stand in the evil day1 the day of rebuke and blasphemy4 ,i can prove the ,divinity of ,god my ,saviour2 by the answers he has given me to prayer1 by the words he has sent to my heart1 with power1 and by the virtue of his sacrifice1 which has lifted up my mind1 so as no human power or object could have done1 ,i can likewise prove the ,doctrine of the ,trinity1 by the operation of the ,father's love1 the manifestation of the ,atonement of the ,son1 and by the regenerating influences of the ,spirit4 ,so we can experimentally prove the truth of every doctrine and divine ordinance4 ,but then1 when all my former experience is hid from me2 what am ,i to do1 when attacked by my foes in this evil day1 and ,i am as a dumb man1 in whose mouth are no reproofs8 ,how shall ,i act8 methinks you are ready to say4 ,to which ,i must reply1 that there is a time to keep silence1 and a time to speak2 but if shut up in heart and lip1 then stand still1 and hence the watch word1 ,stand6 stand6 shall they cry1 but none shall look back--still abide by the stuff1 if you are not able to go out to battle1 you shall share alike with those that do4 ,having done all to stand1 stand in the evil day4 ,still go on hearing1 praying1 reading1 hoping1 and waiting1 and whatever errors are thrown into your mind1 and have brought it into bondage1 you may depend upon it the ,lord will deliver you from them2 and here you will see sovereign grace1 yourself delivered1 and the wise and prudent given up to believe a lie4 ,this made the redeemer glad2 he rejoiced in spirit and said1 ,i thank thee1 ,father1 ,lord of heaven and earth1 that thou hast ,,hid these things from the wise and prudent1 and hast revealed them unto babes--even so ,father1 for so it seemeth good in thy sight4--,thus may you stand in the days of evil4 ,but finally2 sickness1 age1 death1 and judgment1 are days of evil2 not that there can be any curse in these things1 to one of ,god's elect1 but they will be found such to those who know not ,god4--,these are days in which none but the favourites of ,christ can lift up their heads3 the prudent man foreseeth the evil1 and hideth himself1 but the simple pass on and are punished4 ,but in times of sickness and age1 the brightest saint may suffer much in body1 and be afflicted in mind3 ,god may hide his face1 ,satan may plague1 conscience may be uneasy2 pain may be great1 the spirits may droop2 but there is no curse in all these things3 one smile from the ,saviour will clear all up1 and make the soul happy in a sickly body4 ,hence the promise1 blessed is he that considereth the poor and needy2 even a precious ,jesus in his personal or mystical suffering1 the ,lord will make his bed in his sickness4 ,this my dear brother is acting the part of a kind nurse1 he will strengthen you upon the bed of languishing3 thus shall my subject be felt in times of sickness and age1 even the peculiar blessedness of considering1 of remembering our ,creator in the days of youth4 ,death and judgment will be evil times to many of our fallen race1 but they must be the crowning days of all who love his appearing4 ,but ,i must not enlarge1 ,i think ,i shall tire your patience in this long letter2 the sheep are gathering together1 ,i must ran with some food for them--'tis past seven o',clock2 ,god bless thee4 ,ever your's in him who is our hiding place1 and our shield1 ,picture3 ,signature of ,j4 ,c4 ,,letter ,v4 ,,to ,,theophilus4 ,,dear ,,friend1 ,i well remember some conversation which we once had upon the subject of the creation1 and feeling my mind particularly imprest with that subject1 ,i venture only to drop a word or two upon it1 'tis a mercy to be satisfied with what ,god has said2 but some are daringly presumptuous1 so that they can treat both the ,deity and his revelation with contempt4 ,i am glad you are delivered from that snare4 ,the ,mosaic account of the ,creation has always been supposed to be too weak1 simple1 and incorrect for a philosophic mind2 they vainly suppose the mind ought to have been led through the whole ,planetary ,system1 instead of being led to the glorious ,work of ,redemption1 which reflects his highest honour and beauty2 for here1 and here alone1 his brightest form of glory shines4 ,the six days work of ,creation was to open to the eye of faith his works very gradually1 that like the stars of a night1 they might be seen one by one4 ,the six days work1 and the seventh day of rest1 was no doubt designed to shadow forth the ,seven ,millenniums1 which would include all time between the two eternities4 ,the first day1 from ,adam to ,enoch1 had in it a revelation of the true light--the second1 from ,enoch to ,abraham1 including the division of the waters--the third day1 from ,abraham to ,david1 including the separation of the nations of the world--the fourth day1 represented the ,thousand ,years from ,solomon to ,christ1 the time when the ,shekinah appeared in the ,temple3 the ,church1 fair as the ,moon1 and the ,prophets1 the ,stars1 shone bright in the firmament4 ,at the close of this1 ,christ the true ,sun appeared4 ,the fifth day was to point out the state of the church and the world1 from ,christ to the ,reformation1 when the great ,whales of ,anti-christian powers1 troubled the seas4 ,this lasted till the glorious ,reformation1 the beginning of the ,sixth ,day1 in which we now are1 and longing for the ,seventh1 the rest of ,jesus and his ,bride1 in the den of ,eden1 the glorious ,millennium4 ,but infidels object to the ,mosaic account of light1 the finest emblem of ,jesus--there is nothing in the account contrary either to reason or philosophy4 ,i acknowledge the question which philosophers have asked1 cannot be solved1 the ,bible has not engaged to satisfy vain curiosity1 viz4 ,what was that light that made its appearance before the ,sun8 ,a very learned man supposes it to have been an emanation of the same ,sun that enlightens us1 and which was created though it had not yet appeared in his glory1 yet it shed sufficient light to make the ,globe visible4--,this is not a bad idea for a half-hearted ,christian ,philosopher4--,milton seems to lean this way when speaking of light-- ,to journey through the aerial gloom began1 ,sphered in a radient cloud1 for yet the ,sun ,was not1 she in a cloudy tabernacle ,sojourn'd the while4 ,this is a very pretty idea1 nor is it at all contrary to reason any more than the cloud that followed the ,israelites which contained a shade1 a fire1 darkness1 and light at the same time4 ,yet the word of ,god is true1 and to that we must adhere4 ,as light without the sun was first formed1 so it appears the great ,creator collected these particles of light into one body1 the ,sun4 ,the language of scripture often expresses the appearance of things to us1 such as the ,sun rising and setting1 which at the same time1 perfectly in the main point1 agreeing with the ,newtonian ,system of ,philosophy4 ,did light appear first8 was it not to notice the dispensation for the four first thousand years1 till on the fourth day the ,sun of ,righteousness should appear8 ,was it not an emblem of all the light the ,church of ,god has now1 till the second appearance of the ,son of ,god in our nature1 and of that light which we have till the ,saviour shines upon the soul1 with healing in his beams8 ,we have light to see ourselves and his glory1 but we want him to shine with power1 then we shall be light in the ,lord1 till then1 light and darkness must struggle together2 and ,god divided them1 to shew the difference between the ,law and the ,gospel--between the ,flesh and the ,spirit1 between the ,church and the ,world--between the ,elect and the ,reprobate--,christ and ,anti-christ4 ,see the light and darkness struggling2 see it soon begins in ,cain and ,abel1 and to this day it continues1 and will for ever4 ,the ,elect and ,reprobate are divided in election1 in redemption1 in calling1 in principles1 in practices1 in death1 judgment1 and eternity4 ,may this subject lead you and me to the ,saviour1 who is the light1 the beauty1 purity1 loveliness1 and glory of the ,church4 ,o may we see him1 love him1 adore him1 and enjoy him1 till we behold him in ,heaven4 ,permit me to notice further1 that the ,holy ,ghost is pleased to represent various characters and things by these same terms1 ,sun1 ,moon1 ,light1 and ,stars1--which is really worthy our attention4 ,he sets forth the ,lord ,jesus by that well known emblem1 the ,sun1 and ,i think it is the finest figure in nature2 and hence that very precious promise to those who are the called according to his purpose1 ,unto you that fear my name shall the ,sun of righteousness arise with healing in his beams4 ,eternal sun1 whose morning measures all our days1 who hast gradually risen on my dear friend's heart1 shine brighter to perfect day1 even to that blessed meridian when in our flesh we shall see ,god4 ,sometimes the moon1 in scripture1 signifies the ,church of ,god as inferior to ,christ1 the glorious sun1 from whom they borrow all their light and truth2 their frames and feelings inconstant1 spotted in their hearts and lives1 which is the cause of much grief to their souls1 yet they are the light of this lower world1 and their influence is great on the sea of this troubled state4 ,light is sometimes used as an emblem of ,god's word1 as pure1 glorious1 pleasant1 and comfortable1 penetrating and purifying4 ,while favored with this light1 may we walk in it1 lest darkness overtake us1 as it is written1 ,give glory to the ,lord your ,god1 before he cause darkness4--,by ,stars1 in scripture1 sometimes the ,spirit condescends to point out the ,ministers of the ,gospel1 with all the ,ordinances1 which are designed1 like the ,star in the ,east1 to lead to the grand end1 the ,babe of ,bethlehem4 ,these are fixed in the firmament of the ,church1 for adorning it1 and for guiding the spiritual mariner to endless glory1 amidst the nights of trouble and woe4 ,these are held in the hands of ,christ1 kept1 supported1 and blest by him2 and though constantly opposed and troubled1 yet shine on1 and shine forth4 ,this is the mystery of the ,seven ,stars4 ,but these are likewise used to point out other things in sacred writ4 ,when ,god foretold the exaltation of ,joseph1 in a dream1 he shewed him1 in a second revelation1 the sun1 moon1 and eleven stars1 bowing down to him2 which was afterwards explained by the venerable ,patriarch finding an asylum with his son ,joseph1 and his brethren doing him homage in his state of exaltation4--,and was it not a striking type of our truly-exalted spiritual ,joseph8 honored by the most dignified characters in our world1 for kings shall submit themselves to him1 and the whole ,church of ,jesus1 the moon1 with all the stars1 ministers of the ,gospel1 that should bow before him1 and ,crown him ,lord of all4 ,i remark again1 that when the ,saviour predicted the overthrow of ,jerusalem1 he foretold that the sun should be darkened1 that is1 that the ,lord1 who was the light of the ,jewish ,church1 should withdraw his light1 justly leave them in judicial blindness1 in which they remain to this day--that the moon should be turned into blood1 that is1 their ,synagogue1 their ,church1 which was put to the sword1 7at least the greatest part of them7--that the stars should fall--their doctors1 rulers over the church and state--which they did4 ,but ,solomon1 in his #abth of ,ecclesiastes1 verse #b1 seems to borrow these metaphors of sun1 moon1 light1 and stars1 and applies them to the human frame1 when sickness or old age has impaired it4 ,good ,mr4 ,henry remarks on this passage--the decays and infirmities of old age are here elegantly set forth in figurative expressions1 which have some difficulty in them to us now1 who are not acquainted with the phrases and metaphors used in ,solomon's age and language4 ,but the general scope is plain1 to shew how uncomfortable1 generally1 the days of old age are4 ,then he proceeds1 and says1 that the sun1 moon1 stars1 and light will be dim to old people1 through the decay of their sight2 their countenance is decayed1 and the beauty and lustre of it is eclipsed--their intellectual powers and faculties1 which are as light in the soul1 are weakened--their understanding and memory fail them1 and their apprehension is not so quick1 nor their fancy so lively as it has been4--,light is often put for joy and prosperity--the days of their mirth are over1 and they have not the pleasure either of the converse by day1 or the repose of night1 for both the sun and moon was darkened to them2 then the clouds return after the rain1 as when the weather is disposed to wet1 no sooner is one shower blown over but another succeeds it1 when one pain is a little abated another comes on--the gout1 the rheumatism2 and so these afflictions being common to aged persons1 they are continually grieved4 ,that famous commentator1 ,patrick1 observes on this verse1 that the words intimate the universal decay of the whole frame of nature1 and a failing of the mind in all its faculties and powers--that something particular is signified by every word2 that by the sun is meant the soul itself2 by the light the understanding1 by the moon his will1 by the stars all the motion of the mind and memory1 with all the affections and powers in the will4 ,so the sense of the wise man is thus--the mind of man grows feeble in all its powers1 the understanding dim-sighted1 the memory forgetful1 the reason weak and childish1 giving even a feeble light1 that can neither direct ourselves or others4 ,the will listless in all its desires1 dull about our greatest concerns1 wavering and inconstant in all resolutions1 and so on4 ,but the interpretation first mentioned seems most consistent4 ,surely then1 my ,brother1 these are some of the evil days which are hastening on us1 and though we may not live to see old age1 yet1 through affliction we may have all our faculties as much impaired as the most ancient person in the world2 this has been very often seen4--,what a mercy ,i do consider it1 that he who hath begun the good work in my heart1 can carry it on without my aid1 or the concurrence of my powers or faculties working with him4 ,say not it is my duty to do so and so1 in and with the work of the ,spirit3 ,thou1 ,lord1 says the ,church1 shall work all our works in us1 and ordain peace for us4 ,but while we would look forward to the evil days which must come on the body1 may we not notice some evil days that our souls may meet with1 when the all-healing1 comfortable1 soul-reviving1 soul-cheering1 heart-warming beams of ,christ1 the glorious ,sun of ,righteousness shall be with-held1 and coldness1 deadness1 sickness1 darkness1 legality1 and distance is felt2 and such seasons have befel the brightest saints4 ,hence the mournful cry1 ,why hidest thou thy face1 ,o ,lord8 thou hidest thy face and we are troubled1 about our state1 our feelings1 our wants1 our prospects1 our way1 our end4 ,we always know when we feel him shine and when we do not1 though1 as it respects himself1 he is just the same in his shining1 but we are not sensible of it by reason of the cloud that cometh betwixt4 ,when we feel this wretched state we are always ready to fly to means1 though we ought never to neglect them2 yet there is a proneness in us to cleave to something short of the main subject4 ,but1 alas1 we find the moon of ,ordinances is just as dark6 ,we move backwards and forwards1 like the door on its hinges1 yet get neither dew nor rain1 light1 life1 comfort1 nor joy4 ,at the table of the ,lord we neither feel love nor pity for our dear ,saviour4 ,in singing his praises we have no heart1 in associating with his people we get nothing from them2 if they talk of joys1 we have none6 if of a broken-heart1 we feel nothing but hardness--if of light or comfort1 we feel destitute of both--thus the moon gives no light4 ,as to ministers1 they don't seem to touch our case1 nor is their word cloathed with any power4 ,we fancy they are very much altered in their preaching--we change them3 the passions are stirred up for a little while1 but we find we are in just the same state4 ,hence the spouse is represented as having lost her lover--she rises1 runs1 seeks1 mourns1 and is still disappointed4 ,i sought him but ,i found him not4 ,then she went into the broad places of public worship1 then into the streets1 among the inhabitants2 after this to ministers1 to enquire1 how8 why8 and wherefore8 ,but1 for a season1 all was still dark1 yes1 very dark indeed3 these stars seem to give but little light during such painful seasons3 the scriptures of light shut up in their beautiful histories1 promises1 types1 parables1 and doctrines1 where we could see ,christ once in every part1 and enjoy him2 now1 alas1 it is not so1 but it is as a spring shut up1 and sealed from us4 ,while this is attended with a lowering sky1 and a continual dropping of rain2 no bright clouds now return as they used to do1 and how it is with us we cannot tell4 ,once if we felt a little dark or uncomfortable1 it was soon gone1 smiling hope used to spring up1 or a promise sent home with power4 ,the company of ,god's people cheered us up1 or a little access to ,god's throne revived us4 ,seldom heard a sermon but we got something by it--and if a few storms of persecution1 temptation or corruption1 or family trials befel us1 the ,lord made a bright cloud after it2 but1 alas1 it is not thus with us now1 these clouds don't return after the rain--thus ,afflictions like vapours may rise1 ,light1 love1 and delight may be gone2 ,the sun may be dark in the skies1 ,and hell with its legions come on6 ,ah1 my dear ,brother1 these are dark days truly1 but it shall not be always thus2 to the upright there arises light in darkness--this light is sown for us1 and shall spring up again4 ,but may ,i not here enquire1 as on another occasion1 the ,prophet did1 ,shall there be an evil in the ,city and the ,lord hath not done it8 ,is there not a cause8 ,why doth a living man 7a quickened man7 complain8 ,let us enquire the cause3 ,have you not been making too much of your comforts8 ,have you not been looking at them instead of the ,saviour1 living on them instead of his fulness8--and were you not too prone to slight those who had not attained the same consolation8 ,and1 if so1 ,can you wonder that ,god should permit a partial death to overtake you8--,or1 perhaps1 there may be other causes--a sad neglect of those means which are appointed for the spiritual health of the soul3 as abstinence1 or neglect of food1 will soon bring the body into a pining1 languishing condition1 so1 if the means of the knowledge of grace be not diligently attended to and implored1 our souls must get into a starving state4 ,the indulgence of sensual pleasures may bring on deadness1 darkness1 and distance4 ,see this in ,sampson1 while sleeping in the lap of ,delilah1 he was shorn of his strength2 and he arose to shake himself as at other times1 but he wist not that the ,lord had departed from him4 ,but perhaps the ,lord has done this to shew his adorable sovereignty1 as in the case of ,job3 hence his complaint1 ,he hath fenced up my way that ,i cannot pass1 and he hath set darkness in my path4 ,and so complains ,jeremiah1 ,he hath led me1 and brought me into darkness1 and not into light4 ,sometimes this is done to humble us1 lest we should be exalted above measure4 ,but1 above all1 the ,spirit leads into these deep and painful feelings1 to make us prize our adorable ,redeemer1 and see our continual need of being supplied from his fulness4 ,he lets our cisterns run dry1 that we may come and lay our vessels under the flowings of the blessed fountain of life1 that from him we might receive grace for grace4 ,may great grace rest on you4 ,i remain ,your willing ,servant in ,christ1 ,picture3 ,signature of ,j4 ,c4 ,,letter ,,vi4 ,,to ,,theophilus4 ,,dear ,,brother1 ,i ,,owe you a long epistle1 for the many kind letters ,i have received from you4 ,this acknowledgment of my debt is a part of payment4 ,being a little confined through indisposition of body1 ,i thought ,i would pen a few thoughts to my dear friend1 trusting they will be acceptable at this time4 ,i am more than ever delighted with the pleasing theme the ,gospel exhibits of our most adorable ,lord1 of whom it is written1 that in all our afflictions he was afflicted2 that he was the subject of all sinless infirmities2 that he was a man like ourselves1 sin only excepted4 ,this is a sweet thought to me1 under every pressure2 and surely it proves our union with him1 and a participation of his ,spirit1 of course of the same covenant privileges4 ,what a ,christ have we got6 ,god with ,god1 ,man with ,man1 very ,god and very ,man2 a kind brother1 to feel with and for me1 under all my trials1 and a ,god able to supply my every need2 and what adds a glory to this point is1 that as ,god-,man he is the glorious ,mediator1 commissioned to give all ,i need2 for this purpose he hath ascended upon high and received gifts for the rebellions6 ,this is a most charming consideration1 it is the joy of my heart2 ,i feel it so--and such an ,high ,priest became us3 ,o6 for an heart to bless him1 to praise him as ,i ought1 as ,i wish to do6 ,i long to be disembodied for this purpose4 ,o could my soul leap out of her dull clay1 scarce should a harp above aim at a sweeter1 nobler song1 ,unto him that hath loved me4 ,my dear brother1 ,i feel mortality1 ,i am at times very glad of it3 ,i have had much sickness of late1 it is a signal1 it is a knock1 it is a servant sent with a message4 ,mark the command1 ,look1 as when the messenger cometh1 and shut to the door3 is not the sound of his master's feet behind him8 ,i keep the messenger2 ,i retire2 ,i read the note1 ,thus saith my ,master1 ,behold ,i come quickly2 ,i can send no answer back but thus--,even so come1 ,lord ,jesus4 ,may ,i therefore esteem every pain1 every felt weakness1 and every beating pulse1 but as so many messengers sent in covenant love1 to remind me of my mortality--that this is not my rest1 that my whole bodily frame is but as a ,shepherd's tent1 as ,hezekiah calls it1 soon unpinned1 easily taken down1 and removed1 as the ,arabian ,shepherd's tents were4--,hence the scriptures in a variety of places shew that the body is but earth1 dust and ashes1 formed of it1 lives on it1 and must soon return to it4 ,the apostle calls the body an outward man1 which must decay1 while the inward man1 the hidden man of the heart1 is renewed day by day1 by the secret influences of the ,spirit4 ,this work is carried on by a continual application of ,gospel promises1 and tokens of love3 this inward man gets renewed day by day1 till we arrive to perfect day4 ,this is going from strength to strength1 and being changed from glory to glory4 ,this body is the temple of the ,holy ,ghost1 the object of ,god's ,love1 and the purchase of the precious blood of ,jesus4 ,this frame is called by ,solomon1 an house1 built up in infinite wisdom1 supported by ,almighty power1 and is the noblest workmanship of ,jehovah4 ,compared to an house1 the understanding faculty is the windows1 the receptive capacity is the door2 and as the soul is converted to ,god1 the will and the affections is the throne1 the principal seat of ,jesus2 the graces of the ,spirit is the furniture1 and ,father1 ,son1 and ,spirit1 are the glorious and ever blessed inhabitants thereof1 where they will dwell for ever4 ,the ,body1 only1 ,i am about to notice4 ,i acknowledge ,i am not much skilled in ,anatomy1 it is a science ,i never learned1 though ,i believe the best ,anatomist is a person who can dissect the human heart4 ,yet the body being the great work of ,god1 ,i would view it with wonder1 with admiration1 and praise4 ,i dare say you are sometimes amazed at this wonderful1 curious-wrought frame2 this wonderful display of divine skill4 ,permit me just to notice only a very few things1 though you are so well acquainted with anatomy4 ,i trust you will correct me where ,i err1 in considering this earthly house of our tabernacle4 ,i must refer you to the excellent ,hervey's description of the human frame1 in his #abth ,dialogue of ,theron and ,aspasio1 which ,i beg you to read3 that excellent author observes1 first1 the ,bones1 cast into a variety of moulds1 enlarged or contracted into a variety of sizes1 all strong1 that they may bear up the fleshy machine1 yet light1 that they may not depress the animal with an encumbering load4 ,insensible themselves1 they are covered with a membrane of exquisite sensibility4 ,the ,feet compose the firmest and neatest pedestal1 capable of altering its form and extending its size1 containing a set of the nicest springs1 which help to place the body in a variety of graceful attitudes2 the ,legs and ,thighs are like substantial and stately columns1 forced in such a manner as is quite commodious to the acts of either walking or sitting4 ,the ,ribs turned into a regular arch1 are gently moveable for the act of respiration2 they form a secure lodgment for the lungs and the heart1 and fortify them4 ,the back bone is intended1 not only to strengthen the body1 and sustain its most capacious store rooms1 but also to bring down that communication of the ,brain1 which is usually termed the ,spinal ,marrow1 and guards the silver cord4 ,the ,arms are exactly proportioned to each other2 these being the guards which defend1 and the ministers which serve the whole body1 are fitted for the most extensive operations1 firm with bone1 yet not weighty with flesh2 they bend inwards or turn outwards1 they rise upwards or stoop downwards1 and they throw themselves into whatever direction we please4 ,to these are annexed the ,hands1 and all terminated by the ,fingers1 which give a most graceful appearance1 yet destined to almost incessant employ2 though the extremities or the fingers are an assemblage of the finest fibres1 most acutely sensible2 for this reason our ,almighty ,maker has overlaid them with an horny substance called ,nails1 to preserve the tender part from dangerous impressions4 ,above all1 is the ,head1 a majestic dome1 designed for the residence of the ,brain2 ample to receive it1 strong to uphold it1 and firm to defend it4 ,this stately ,capital1 is screened from heat1 defended from cold1 and at the same time much beautified by a copious growth of ,hair1 which no ways encumbers the wearer4 ,this is the outward ,man1 the noble work of the great ,god our ,saviour1 who became man for our sakes4 ,it is equally as wonderful to notice the ,inside of this house2 with the amazing arrangement of ,fibres that unite the several ,limbs of the ,body1 tough and strong4 ,the small ,membranes appointed1 enwrap the fleshy parts1 to part some1 and form a connection with the others4 ,arteries1 some of which ascend to the ,head1 others spread themselves over the shoulders2 some extend to the ,arms1 and others descend to the ,feet4 ,veins1 these are appointed to receive the blood from the arteries1 and reconvey it to the heart4 ,glands1 whose office it is to filtrate the passing fluid2 an assemblage of vessels1 complicated and intervolved with seeming confusion1 but with perfect regularity4 ,muscles1 wove in natures finest loom1 seem composed of the slenderest fibres1 yet indeed with incredible strength2 these1 with their tendons1 constitute the instruments of motion2 not like a sluggish beast1 but quick as lightning4 ,nerves1 surprisingly minute tubes1 derived from the ,brain1 which gliding into the ,muscles1 set them on work1 depress the power of sensation through the body1 or returning upon any impression from without1 give all needful intelligence to the soul4 ,the ,skin1 like a curious surtout1 exactly fitted1 is superadded over the whole1 formed of the most delicate net work4 ,the ,pores are minute1 and nervous fibres are multiplied even to a progeny4--,the ,veins beautifying the human structure1 especially the most conspicuous parts of it2 the pliant wrist and the taper arm1 are adorned with them1 they spread vermillion over the lips1 and plant roses on the cheeks2 while the eye1 tinged with glossy jet1 or sparkling with the blue of ,heaven1 is fixed in an orb of polished chrystal4 ,the grand means of keeping up this wonderful frame1 is a point worthy our attention2 for this purpose it is furnished with the powers of nutrition4 ,teeth1 the foremost thin and sharp1 fit to bite asunder1 or cut off such a portion as the mouth can conveniently manage3 those which are broad and strong are qualified to grind in pieces whatever is transmitted to their operation4 ,the ,throat1 the ,stomach1 with its various operations and appendages1 which are so admirably constructed1 ,i leave you to muse upon4 ,there are but two things more ,i have time to notice4 ,high in the ,head1 and conspicuous1 as a star in the evening1 is placed the ,eye4 ,this is one of the greatest works of our blessed ,creator1 consisting only of simple fluids1 inclosed in thin tunicles3 it conveys to our apprehension all the graces of blooming nature1 and all the glories of the visible heavens4 ,the ,eye so particularly tender1 that a slight accident1 scarce perceivable by any other part of the body1 would be very injurious to its delicate frame4 ,it is intrenched deep in the ,head1 and barricadoed on every side with a strong fortification of bones1 defended by two substantial curtains1 hung on a slender rod1 which secures it from every troublesome annoyance4 ,the ,ear4 ,the structure of this organ is so wonderful that ,god claims it as his own work1 ,he that planted the ,ear4 ,amazing nice and exact must be the formation and the tension of the auditory nerve1 since they correspond with the smallest tremors of the atmosphere3 these living chords1 tuned by an ,almighty hand1 receive the impressions of sound1 and propagate them to the ,brain4 ,these give existence to the charms of music1 and the entertainment of discourse4 ,i must not enlarge--read the whole of that ,chapter1 and no doubt you will be well entertained4 ,but while ,i would admire this noble work of ,god1 ,i rejoice that ,jesus has taken my nature1 and lives in it for ever2 and that he will raise my frame from the disgrace of corruption1 earth1 and worms1 to glory1 happiness1 and ,god4 ,i am at the same time deeply affected with the miseries of my fallen nature1 in consequence of sin2 this has injured all its fine powers1 damaged every room in this wonderful house1 so that in consequence of the bad tenants which occupy it1 the ,almighty landlord has ordered us to quit it4 ,we have received by many a pain1 a writ of ejectment1 but being unwilling to leave this clay frame1 though in such a damaged state1 the owner and builder of this house takes it down by degrees1 which1 ,solomon mentions in the following four verses4 ,ah6 my brother1 what has sin done6 the pains1 miseries1 strife1 and agonies introduced into our poor bodies1 and distress into our souls4 ,permit me here to mention that affecting description which the ,angel gave to ,adam1 soon after his fall1 as represented by ,milton4-- --,immediately a place ,before his eyes appear'd1 sad1 noisome1 and dark2 ,a lazar house it seem'd1 wherein were laid ,numbers of all diseas'd2 all maladies1 ,of ghastly spasm1 or racking torture1 qualms ,of heart-sick agony1 all feverous kinds1 ,convulsions1 epilepsies1 fierce catarrhs1 ,intestine stone and ulcer1 colic-pangs1 ,demoniac phrensy1 moping melancholy1 ,and moon-struck madness1 pining atrophy1 ,marasmus1 and wide-wasting pestilence1 ,dropsies1 and asthmas1 and joint-racking rheums4 ,dire was the tossing1 deep the groans2 despair ,tended the sick1 busiest from couch to couch2 ,and over them triumphant death his dart ,shook1 but delay'd to strike1 though oft invok'd ,with vows1 as their chief good1 and final hope4 ,sight so deform'd what heart of rock could long ,dry-ey'd behold8 ,adam could not1 but wept1 ,though not of woman born2 compassion-quell'd ,his best of man1 and gave him up to tears4 ,from this sight let us turn1 likewise1 and consider the infinite love and condescension of ,god our dear ,saviour1 who took all our infirmities1 bore our sickness1 and knows how to sympathize with our poor natures in all their sorrows2 and such an ,high ,priest became us2 such a ,saviour is exactly adapted for all our miseries2 and hence he is called a ,physician of value1 he healeth all our diseases1 and surely the mind is awfully diseased with sin1 nothing but his skill can penetrate into the depth of the diseases of the mind2 whatever may be the ailments of the body1 they are but emblems of the diseases of the soul2 the blindness of ignorance1 the deafness of spiritual unconcern1 the fever of concupiscence1 the jaundice of malice1 the swelling tympany of pride1 the vertigo of inconstancy1 the quinsey of cursing and blasphemy1 the dropsy of covetousness1 the palsey of stupidity1 the pleurisy of envy1 the rheumatism of discontent1 the delirium of constant levity1 the moon-struck madness of passion and rage1 with unbelief1 hardness of heart1 temptations of ,satan1 and the stings of conscience1 of whatever disease we may feel we have got2 these the adorable ,physician heals4 ,let us carry all our hard cases to him--,see ,brown's ,tropology4 ,we are always welcome to him1 and though he may not seem to notice our case for a season1 yet he will in his own appointed time4 ,this text has often been very precious to my soul1 ,therefore will the ,lord wait that he may be gracious to you--and therefore will he be exalted that he may have mercy upon you4 ,finally1 ,the earthly house of our tabernacle shall soon be dissolved1 it has got the plague in it1 the plague of leprosy1 and the house is condemned to come down4 ,leviticus xiv4 ,he shall break down the house1 the stones of it1 and the timber of it1 and all the mortar of the house1 and he shall carry them forth out of the city into an unclean place1 even to the grave1 till the last trumpet shall sound1 and the tabernacle be raised again1 beautiful and glorious1 like the human nature of our most glorious ,covenant ,head2 and this will be thy lot1 ,o ,theophilus1 as sure as the trumpet of the ,gospel ever quickened your soul4 ,i shall add no more1 but my prayers for you1 as ,i trust ,i have your's for me4 ,picture3 ,signature of ,j4 ,c4 ,,letter ,,vii4 ,,to ,,mrs4 ,d--4 ,peckham1 ,july #aa1 #ahad4 ,,my ,,dear ,,friend4 ,,may the ,father of ,mercies and ,god of all consolation be with you1 as your all in all1 the foundation of your soul1 the shield of your faith1 the helmet of your hope1 the length of your days1 the joy of your mind1 the strength of your heart1 and your portion for ever4 ,i think1 a few months ago you requested1 and ,i promised you1 a few remarks on the #abth of ,ecclesiastes4 ,having repeated it in the ,pulpit in a ,sermon1 ,i will how endeavour to give you my opinion in the most literal and spiritual manner ,i can1 with all due deference to superior judgments2 and humbly submit my sentiments to the whole ,church of ,christ1 which is the pillar and the ground of the truth4 ,it has been asserted that ,solomon was the wisest of all men2 here ,i beg leave to differ1 ,i humbly conceive he was not so wise as ,adam1 before the fell2 nor perhaps so wise as the ,apostle ,paul3 but when it is said he was the wisest of men1 it must be considered merely in a political point of view2 as ,god blest him with much natural wisdom1 so that he was able to manage the affairs of the ,nation without a ,parliament1 and to try all causes without a ,bench of ,judges2 this was indeed a great work1 and the ,lord fitted him for it1 by a spirit of wisdom and understanding1 which he requested of the ,lord4 ,he was the wisest man1 therefore1 in natural things1 that perhaps ever lived since the fall4--,he collected and framed three thousand ,proverbs1 and a thousand and five spiritual ,songs4 ,he was well versed in1 and well explained the nature of ,herbs and ,animals of every kind4 ,solomon had several books to study1 the ,book of the ,ceremonial ,law1 which is often alluded to in the ,proverbs1 the ,book of the ,moral ,law1 out of which he was taught his need of a ,mediator1 and a better righteousness than his own1 to justify him before ,god1 the ,book of all the scriptures that were then extant4 ,into these he was deeply led4 ,he had the book of nature1 and appeared to be a ,master of all the ,sciences of natural and spiritual ,philosophy4 ,he was well skilled in ,astronomy1 in ,botany1 and ,anatomy2 the last he shews his skill in1 as this last chapter of the ,preacher shews4 ,this book was probably written in his old age1 after his recovery from his fall1 and ,god had healed his broken bones4 ,age and sorrow coming on him1 he felt the decline of mortality1 urges the necessity of spiritual knowledge and practice1 while health lasts and ,god furnishes a man with opportunities1 knowing that the mental faculties would soon decay1 however bright they might have been4 ,these are set forth in three verses4 ,he then notices the decay of the human frame--its weakness1 and how every limb and joint1 every power and passion1 every member and faculty is affected1 either by age1 sickness1 or trouble4 ,the ,lord1 indeed1 sometimes sends for his dear people1 suddenly4 ,he snatches them away from the power of enemies1 and the evil to come2 but others are gently gathered1 not hastily plucked4 ,god takes down our tabernacle a pin at a time1 and loosens the cords just as we are able to bear it2 gives kind warnings1 and then appears like a cloud of the latter rain4 ,this gradual decay ,solomon pays a particular attention to1 he had noticed it in others1 perhaps began to feel it himself2 and having called the ,body an ,house1 he describes its timbers1 its strong beams1 its supporters2 in the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble and the strong men bow themselves4 ,the almost universally received opinion of these ,strong men1 the keepers of the house1 is1 that they signify the ,hands and ,feet1 which include the ,shoulders1 the ,arms1 and ,hands1 the ,thighs1 the ,legs1 and the ,feet4--,these ,hands and ,arms are the keepers of the house1 for when the scripture speaks of preserving1 defence1 and deliverance1 the ,hands and ,arms are generally mentioned1 besides1 they keep the house by providing for it1 getting maintenance for the whole body4 ,these ,hands1 says ,paul1 have ministered to my necessities3 these protect the house1 and also keep off an adversary2 these tremble through age or infirmities1 as experience shews2 and this includes all weakness and inactivity of those parts in this condition1 whether they are outward1 as stiffness and contraction1 or inward1 as aches1 pains1 numbness1 palsies1 cramps1 and tremblings4 ,thus the ,keepers tremble4 ,the wise ,man then descends to notice the inferior1 the ,feet1 containing these parts in connection1 the ,thighs1 ,legs1 ,ancles1 and ,feet4 ,these are the strong men2 sometimes they are called the ,strength of a man2 and the ,spouse is setting forth the majesty and glory of her beloved1 in his strength1 by this text1 ,his legs are as pillars of marble2 and because the great strength of a ,man lays in these parts1 therefore in his infirm and weak condition1 these parts must become more eminently weak4 ,as the diseases which affect the superior part1 also affect the inferior1 as the rheumatism1 gout1 and such like1 the keepers and the strong men are subject to a similarity of diseases2 and the learned say they are in the original exprest nearly alike--,the keepers of the house tremble1 and the strong men shall nod1 or shake4 ,the next part of this shakey house the ,wise ,man observes1 is the ,grinders2 these cease1 because they are few4 ,grinding1 all men know to be performed by two hard bodies1 the one immovable1 on which the ,grinding is made1 the other movable2 which by strong compression against the former1 and by its motion1 makes the grinding4 ,the upper and the nether millstone1 as the scripture calls them1 the firm stander1 and the strong mover4 ,now1 similar unto these in a mill1 there are for that grinding which is performed in the mouth1 two jaw-bones1 the upper and lower2 the upper admits no movement at all1 the lower is movable1 and so both perform that act called mastication1 or chewing4 ,out of these jaw-bones proceed a certain number of small bones1 we call ,teeth--these are the proper strict instruments of grinding4 ,by the ceasing of the ,teeth1 we must understand all those infirmities that are incident to them by reason of age1 whether looseness1 hollowness1 rottenness1 brokenness1 blackness1 or whatever else may be an impediment to them in their use2 for as age comes on1 the natural moisture at the root of the teeth is consumed1 and a preternatural is distilled in its room3 thus as the teeth drop out1 and very few are left in it1 the chewing in the mouth ceaseth1 more so than when there is none at all1 for then the gums might act one against another4 ,but when the grinders are few1 they hinder those from working1 and having no antagonists they are not able to work themselves1 and so the whole grinding ceaseth1 which is a great symptom of the decay of life1 at least of a state of weakness4 ,the next great object which we are called to observe1 is1 the ,decay of ,sight--,those that look out of the windows1 are darkened4 ,i believe none has ever questioned but this means the eyes1 and the infirmities of them in old age4 ,one may be said to look out of a window1 when he looks through the glass of the window1 or when he looks through the open casement4 ,now a man could not look through a window1 if it was not made of glass1 or something of the kind1 neither could he perceive any thing with his eye were not the parts thereof which the passage is made of1 the very same substance4 ,the parts of the eye through whose bodies the visible species must pass1 that they may be discerned1 are either the humours1 or the tunicles2 the humours are three1 the watery1 the chrystalline1 and glossy humour1 so ,anatomists call them2 and however they differ1 yet they are all instrumental to vision4 ,the tunicles or coats1 through which the sight is made1 are only two1 though there are others which conduce to the sight1 yet there are but two through which the beams of light pass2 the first is as fine and curious as a ,spider's web1 and being derived from the ,brain and optic ,nerve1 it becomes a vestment for the humors1 and is pellucid and transparent4 ,the other is an hard and horny membrane1 and encompasseth the whole body of the eye1 without perforation1 and on the back part1 behind the sight of the eye is more obscure and dark1 but on the fore part is far more plain and clear4 ,solomon observes these lookers out of the windows to become dark1 that is1 as age enfeebleth the eye the form and figure becomes more plane and depressed than it was before1 and the chrystalline humor1 which had a power of reducing itself1 now becomes dry and altogether unfit for such an end1 which must breed a confusion in the sight4 ,as age comes on1 and increaseth1 it is well known the sight goeth away1 the lookers out of the windows must be darkened4 ,we have scarce any description in scripture of an old man and his infirmities1 but the decrease of sight is mentioned1 their eyes were dim1 and they could not see4 ,i hope you will pardon this very short description of the eye1 as it is a very large subject1 and a vast deal may be said open it1 which ,i reluctantly omit1 lest ,i should swell this letter to a volume4--,thus my dear friend1 our poor bodies in sickness and age1 are compared to an old house1 with its teams1 pillars1 and windows1 terribly shattered2 condemned by the ,parish to come down4 ,but ,i cannot let this letter pass without the promise of another4 ,may your confidence increase1 and abound more and more in this blessed truth1 ,if this earthly house of our tabernacle is dissolved1 we have a building of ,god1 an house not made with hands1 eternal in the heavens--there may we meet4--,amen4 ,i remain ever yours in ,jesus1 ,picture3 ,signature of ,j4 ,c4 ,,letter ,,viii4 ,,to ,,mrs4 ,d--4 ,peckham1 ,july #ba1 #ahad4 ,,my ,,dear ,,friend1 ,what an unspeakable blessing it is for you1 that the ,holy ,ghost has enabled you to rejoice in hope of eternal glory1 and put that expression in your mouth1 as well as the hope and confidence in your heart1 ,i know that if this earthly house of my tabernacle were dissolved1 ,i have a building above1 an house not made with hands1 eternal in the heavens--this is in your hope1 and a ,god of truth has declared your expectation shall not be cut off4 ,the blessed ,spirit is promised to all the ,elect seed1 as the earnest of that promised rest4 ,while the glorious operations of that self-same ,spirit1 are designed to prepare us for that glorious inheritance4 ,my dear ,sister has1 ,i trust1 been long taught the sad state of man by nature1 that though he was originally built for ,god to dwell in1 and his image did reside in man a little while1 yet an enemy came against this little ,city1 besieged it1 and raised awful bulwarks against it1 gained the possession of the capital1 and keeps it in peace1 till the stronger than he1 even the eternal ,spirit comes on him1 spoils him of his armour1 makes him quit his territory1 and gets full possession of his heart4 ,solomon well instructed in the operations of the ,spirit1 under the emblems of old age and its infirmities1 points out this work in striking1 figurative language4 ,in the days when the keepers of the house shall tremble1 and the strong men shall bow themselves4 ,we are not at a loss to conjecture who those keepers are in the worst of senses1 ,satan having blinded the eyes of man1 it is his work1 to study how to keep them blind1 keep them enemies1 keep them in prejudice1 keep them proud1 and keep them in awful rebellion4 ,this is the work of the devil1 nor is he at a loss for means to carry on this work4 ,religious systems1 and erroneous preachers1 are the ,devil's under-strappers1 by whom he carries on his infernal work4 ,hence the out-cry made against the truth1 whenever and wherever it is preached2 the endeavours to stop the progress of truth in the world1 lest the light of the glorious ,gospel should shine into the heart1 and poor sinners be saved4 ,these strong keepers of the house tremble at the approach of the light of the ,gospel1 and as soon as it comes in power they must submit1 bow themselves1 relinquish their claim1 and turn out1 knowing they come in by art1 and with a view to deceive the house1 that it might share the same fate as devils do4 ,but viewing this subject experimentally1 the ,spirit coming to convince of sin1 to apply the law to the conscience1 and to shew us the works of the devil1 at his coming these keepers tremble1 but we do not find them gone1 till the power of the ,gospel is felt4 ,many have trembled at the curse of the ,law2 at the preaching of the ,law as ,felix did1 when ,paul reasoned of judgment1 temperance1 and righteousness4 ,it is one thing for a criminal to tremble in his chains1 and another for ,satan to be overthrown4 ,satan will maintain his seat in the heart as long as he can1 but ,god says1 ,i will overturn1 overturn1 overturn it1 until he comes1 whose right it is2 and ,i will give it him4--,there is nothing ,satan hates so much as light1 when this comes into the mind he is discovered1 his works hated1 and the poor sinner votes against both him and his works1 cries unto the ,lord because of these oppressors1 while his hope springs up in the ,gospel news1 that the ,son of ,god was manifested in the flesh1 that he might destroy the works of the devil1 as the power of the word is felt1 as grace reigns1 so these keepers and strong ones bow1 and like the soldiers at the sepulchre1 the keepers thereof became as dead men4 ,when the ,angel of the covenant descends to open the prison doors1 the poor prisoner comes forth as ,peter did1 from his prison1 though the keepers stand at the door they are not able to retain the captive2 hence the question1 ,shall not the prey be taken from the mighty8 ,shall not the lawful captive be delivered8 ,yes1 blessed be ,god it is the mighty work of ,god the ,spirit to cast down the strong holds of the devil1 carnal enmity1 pride1 prejudice1 and self-righteousness2 when these are demolished1 ,satan has no hope of the damnation of such a soul2 though the poor sinner himself cannot perhaps see his own part and lot in the salvation of the ,gospel2 he may still remain in bondage to the fears of death1 the dread of hell2 unbelief still prevails1 doubts1 fears1 and sad despondency may still operate to keep the soul in misery1 till the ,holy ,ghost favours it with an increase of faith1 gives it strength enough to believe in his love1 in his ,person and in his glorious ,work2 then we enter into rest4 ,this is done by believing the report of the ,gospel1 by believing such precious truths as these3 ,he shall finish transgression--he shall make an end of sin4 ,he shall magnify the law4 ,blotting out the handwriting contained in ,ordinances1 that was against us4 ,ye are complete in him1 having forgiven us all our trespasses4 ,i have loved thee1 ,i have redeemed thee4 ,i have blotted out as a cloud thy transgression1 and as a thick cloud thy sins4 ,he hath made to meet on him the iniquities of us all4 ,the ,lord is well pleased with his righteousness sake4 ,now1 my dear friend1 ,i can assure you that ,i always feel peace and joy in believing these precious truths for myself2 they are for such poor sinners as ,i have described2 but faith to receive these precious things is the gift of ,god4 ,and this work of ,god carries us above our strong fears and doubts1 which are as much the corruptions of the human heart as our sins4 ,this glorious conquest of the keepers and strong men is sometimes achieved by sensible tokens1 clear deliverances1 and open manifestations2 it was not so with me1 but it has been the happy experience of many who have had much legal bondage2 not favored with a clear ministry of the word1 and when ,god intends them either for much suffering or for public usefulness4 ,i have often wished it my case1 but ,i should be sorry to endure what many have1 nor would ,i murmur that my heavenly ,father has not drove me into such awful deeps4--,this portion of scripture ,i get into very well2 to you which believe he is precious2 yea1 he is preciousness itself3 ,this ,i find true in my experience1 and it is enough to convince me that the good work is begun1 that the work is of ,god1 and must terminate in an exceeding and eternal weight of glory4 ,thus we see1 feel1 and admire the conquests of sovereign ,grace2 this brings us to ,god1 this endears the ,saviour1 this inspires us with a lively hope1 this turns our feet to ,god's testimonies1 opens the eyes to see the beauty of ,god's word2 the glories of the ,saviour1 and imbitters1 yea1 darkens all terrestial objects4 ,the eyes by nature are full of evil1 they are fixed on sinful objects1 they are full of sin4--,hence we read of eyes full of adultery4 ,we read of lofty eyes1 and of an evil eye1 the one signifies pride of self-righteousness1 the other of a churlish1 envious disposition4 ,these eyes must become dark1 dim1 and least exercised as grace reigns4 ,the lust of the eye is1 and must be the grief of all who feel it2 with this temptation ,satan beset poor ,eve2 she saw the tree was good2 she soon fell after this4 ,satan plied this to the ,saviour1 but in vain4 ,he shewed him all the kingdoms of the world1 and the glory of them1 in a moment of time4 ,the eye is the inlet of sin2 hence ,job says1 ,i have made a covenant with my eyes2 why then should ,i think on a maid4 ,job xxxi1 verse #a4 ,the power of almighty grace most effectually at times1 affects the very sight of the believer1 and makes him delight in looking into the ,word of ,god1 and employing even his very eyes as well as every other faculty1 in the good ways of ,god2 and as these are open to every thing that is good1 they must be darkened to what is evil1 neither the heart nor the eyes of a believer1 as converted1 are designedly set to evil2 but when the one wanders and the other slides back from ,god1 it is then the soul mourns1 ,prone to wander1 ,lord ,i feel it1 ,prone to leave the ,god ,i love6 ,this ,subject may lead us to further experimental remarks1 ,i do not decidedly pretend to fix the mind of the ,holy ,ghost on this passage1 but while ,i contemplate the keepers of the house1 in the worst sense1 may we not look at them in a better point of view2 as faith1 hope1 fear1 and love1 the christian's keepers2 the believer's strong men1 who have done much for the ,church4 ,paul has given us a whole chapter on what faith has done1 #aath of ,hebrews4 ,hope keeps us at an anchor1 firm in our confidence1 though it may be small in enjoyment4 ,fear will never let us wholly depart from ,god1 while love bears us up1 and carries us through difficulties1 duties1 and dangers1 and abides with us for ever4 ,these graces are not self-active1 they cannot act but as the ,spirit keeps them up2 they are always in us as spiritual principles1 but they are set always active1 though perhaps all the ways in which they operate are not known to us4 ,these are very strong in time of tribulation2 at least in most cases4 ,faith is tried deeply when guilt is felt on the conscience1 when ,satan roars1 when the mind is distressed1 when outward circumstances run crooked2 then faith often leans towards the ,atonement2 trusts in an unseen1 though not an unknown ,god2 waits on ,god till light springs up1 and is looking for suitable promises to support the soul1 to plead with ,god1 and to animate the mind at a future day4 ,thus faith keeps us from sinking4 ,i had fainted unless ,i had believed to see the goodness of the ,lord in the land of the living4 ,but ,solomon found some days in his experience when these keepers were not so strong2 when these strong men bowed through weakness1 and when his sight was not so well occupied1 nor his mind quite so clear4 ,he found something1 as ,sampson did1 which weakened his strength1 which might have made him question the reality of his faith1 the sincerity of his love1 and the foundation of his hope1 when he found the hedge of ,godly fear broken down1 and himself at a sad distance from ,god1 befooled in his old age1 and led into awful idolatry4 ,when conscience was awakened1 and the hand of ,god was upon him1 he then found the keepers were weak indeed2 ,love had been out of exercise1 and the inordinate love of women came in2 fear was out of exercise1 and idolatry was soon practised1 a sin ,god detests more than any other4 ,faith was inactive1 and hope at a low ebb1 so that ,satan stept in when these keepers were weak4 ,and is not this1 at times1 the painful experience of ,god's ,elect1 in their degree8 ,do we not find every sin indulged weakens the graces of the ,spirit1 beclouds our evidences1 and brings us low2 so that as soon as trouble comes on1 we find neither faith nor hope1 nor love1 nor fear1 nor zeal1 nor spirituality4 ,a worldly spirit1 levity1 evil tempers1 giving way to our most easy besetment2 hearkening to ,satan1 conforming to the world1 or medling with erroneous sentiments4 ,these things will weaken1 and make the strong men tremble4 ,guilt felt1 sin creeping in between conscience and ,god1 and faith not strong enough to make use of the ,atonement2 this makes us tremble indeed1 while the eyes of an illuminated understanding become very dim--this darkness we feel when we can neither see the way behind nor before with pleasure4 ,ah6 how painful1 how truly wretched is this for ,god's children--but the backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways4 ,what a painful subject is this ,i am writing to you2 but yet it is necessary to know these things2 such knowledge is painful1 but it is good to write thus to warn1 having tasted this bitter cup myself4 ,here we see the necessity of abiding continually in ,jesus1 keeping near him1 that we may have peace maintained in the conscience2 be kept from sin1 and led on in the ways of ,god1 strong in faith1 cheerful in hope1 fervent in love1 and tender in conscience4 ,may that be your felicity and mine1 dear ,sister in ,jesus1 is the earnest prayer of ever yours in ,jesus4 ,picture3 ,signature of ,j4 ,c4 ,,letter ,,ix4 ,,to ,,mrs4 ,d--4 ,peckham1 ,august #d1 #ahad4 ,,my ,,dear ,,friend1 ,,grace and peace be yours4 ,i am come to visit you once more with pen and ink1 though ,i am not able to come in person to see you4 ,this is a means of conversation the ,almighty has afforded us1 nor can we be too thankful for it1 as we may write to each other on those momentous subjects which concern our never dying souls2 nor can the pen be better employed than in stirring up each other's mind1 by way of remembrance4 ,time with us both is short2 you are farther advanced in years than ,i am1 but both are going to our ,father's house2 let us therefore follow that advice of the ,wise ,man's while we can1 ,whatsoever thy hand findeth to do1 do it with all thy might1 for there is no work1 nor device1 nor knowledge1 nor wisdom1 in the grave whither thou goest4 ,it is the work of faith to lay hold of eternal life4 ,the knowledge of faith gives present peace2 the wisdom of faith is to cleave to ,god1 and the art or device of faith is to endeavour to gain all it can1 to be useful to others4 ,this faith leads us to think ,god's thoughts1 and approve of them2 to do what ,jesus has commanded--to carry our cases to ,god2 to search diligently into his word1 and to open the mouth for ,god when we have an opportunity4--,faith opens the mouth to ,god in prayer and praise1 and for ,god's glory1 in a firm1 warm1 decided attachment to his cause1 his people1 his ways1 his truth2 and while we are favoured with health and means1 let us improve them4 ,the faculty of speech1 the opening of the lips1 and the exercise of the lungs1 should be all employed in his service and to his glory1 who died1 the just for the unjust1 to bring us to ,god4 ,age1 infirmities1 trials1 and death itself1 will soon put an end to these2 let us therefore employ them while we can1 and in the lively hope of glory1 may we sing1 with the excellent ,cowper1 ,and when this lisping stammering tongue1 ,lies silent in the grave1 ,then in a nobler sweeter song1 ,i'll sing thy power to save4 ,hence ,solomon exhorts to these things in your favourite chapter1 which ,i glanced at in my last letter4 ,he reminds us of the solemn period to which we are all hastening1 when the doors shall be shut in the street2 the sound of the grinding be low1 and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird1 and all the ,daughters of ,music shall be brought low4 ,i believe ,i have already intimated that ,solomon1 was well versed in the science of ,anatomy2 that he well understood the human frame1 and perhaps much better than any before him4 ,he had in the former verse spoken of the ,animal ,system2 in this fourth verse he proceeds to notice the ,natural ,faculties1 inward and outward4 ,a great writer says these words form but one sentence3 ,the doors shall be shut in the streets1 when the sound of the grinding is low4 ,this ,grinding is supposed to relate to almost every part in man1 which is preserved1 kept up1 and supported by food1 and respects the alteration which that food undergoes1 that it may be really transubstantiated into our flesh4 ,these are by ,physicians called digestion or concoction4 ,by the sound of the ,grinding is meant some natural symptoms which are expressive of digestion1 and prove that all things are right in the bodily frame1 which a want of digestion would prove to the contrary4 ,the voice of the ,grinding is the natural appetite of the stomach to meat and drink1 and is what we call hunger and thirst after food1 with the strength and power of the stomach to retain what it receives1 and nourishes the whole body4 ,this ,grinding and its voice takes in at once all the excellencies of nature1 while they are in power2 but1 as age comes on1 all the indicators of strength and concoction must be depraved1 diminished1 and abolished4 ,loss of appetite1 with all its attendants1 is the lowness of the voice of this ,grinding2 the doors of course are shut in the streets4 ,when this is the case with a sickly1 feeble1 aged body1 the mouth1 the throat1 in speaking1 and the stomach in receiving food2 the nostrils1 and the eyes1 which are called doors1 these are all affected and must weaken as nature ceaseth to perform its original offices4 ,thus these doors are shut in the street when the ,grinding is low4 ,the ,streets are the several passages of the body1 which the matter of nourishment passeth through1 and are the roads and highways to and from the places where the ,grinding is performed4 ,may not this expression likewise refer to the inability of the sick1 feeble1 and aged1 to encounter with the noise and bustle of business2 and to the doors and shutters shut1 as a signal of the departure of some of the family2 and the voice of singing1 even of common cheerfulness is altered4 ,solomon gives us another intimation of the weakness of the human body--listlessness of repose1 easily awakened4 ,he shall rise up at the voice of the ,bird4 ,his age1 or sickness1 is like the wealth of the rich man1 it will not suffer him to sleep2 in the night he may have some unquiet drowsiness1 but the approach of morn1 when healthy young people sleep sound1 he shall be broad awake1 and at the crowing of the cock1 or the singing of a ,bird1 he shall be rising up from his sleepless bed4 ,hence the saying1 ,the singing of ,birds and the sighing of old ,men are generally contemporaries--these are as soon weary of their lodgings1 through the pains and wakefulness in the night season1 as the ,birds are for lifting up their pleasant notes4 ,the last remark in this verse is1 ,the ,daughters of ,music shall be brought low4 ,these ,daughters are considered by those skilled in ,anatomy1 to be both active and passive1 such as make ,music and such as receive ,music2 the active make a ,music themselves1 or bear a part in it2 the other delights in that of which they have not the least share in making4 ,there are three several kind of organs that do more immediately1 yet distinctly and gradually1 conduce to the production of vocal ,music2 the first is the ,lungs1 which are the proper instruments of our breathing2 the second sort of organs that conduce to music1 are such as form the ,breath into the ,voice1 or ,respiration1 the ,tongue1 the ,palate of the ,mouth1 the ,teeth1 especially the four ,front ,teeth1 and1 lastly1 the ,lips3 these form the sound into a ,voice2 the others that modulate this ,voice into ,music1 are the cartilaginous parts of the ,wind-,pipe2 the head of the ,wind-,pipe is very small1 yet it has thirteen ,muscles belonging to it1 most of which are framed only for the modulation of the ,voice4 ,some shut the ,pipe1 some open it1 some dilate1 some contract it1 so that acting severally or jointly1 according as there is occasion1 they do wonderfully conduce to the variation of sound4 ,this also has got five ,cartilages some are moveable1 some immoveable1 some of one form1 others of anther1 that they may better contain the air and break the ,voice into ,melody4 ,this is the ,pipe to sing the high praises of ,god with1 and which infinitely excels all the ,instruments of ,music3 these are the active ,daughters of ,music which are brought low through age2 the passive ,daughters of ,music are the organs of hearing2 these are inward and outward2 the outward ,ear is spread abroad like a net1 that it may gather and catch the sound as it rolls about the ocean of the air2 the inward ear is a great secret1 that no one can possibly understand--all have confessed their ignorance of this great matter2 the first part we meet with is a thin strong membrane1 which being placed over the ,hole of the ,ear1 transversely1 divides between the inward and the outward ,ear2 within this there are three ,cavities1 and three little ,bones4 ,so likewise there is implanted in the ,ear a pure1 subtil1 and quiet air1 with the filaments of the auditory ,nerve2 and then the whole ,nerve itself4 ,by the help of those several parts our hearing is thus performed2 in age the several holes and ,cavities of the ,ears are stopped2 the drum is unbraced2 the hammer is weakened1 the anvil is worn1 the stirrup is broken1 and the inward air is mixed and defiled2 the filaments are dulled1 the nerve itself is obstructed1 so that there cannot but follow heaviness of hearing4 ,hence old ,barzillai complains to ,david1 #b ,samuel1 xix1 #ce1 ,i am this day eighty years old1 and can ,i discern between good and evil8 ,can ,i hear any more the voice of singing men and singing women8 ,wherefore should thy servant be yet a burden to my lord the king8 ,thus the habit and taste for ,music is brought low4 ,this appears to be the literal sense of this passage1 and some of those unpleasant days which many of our fallen race see with grief2 all must lament it as creatures1 but yet ,believers must rejoice1 as new creature1 that all their musical days are not at an end--no1 but that they are only beginning1 as son as they enter upon their ,father's house above1 and in the resurrection morn their harps1 their powers1 will be sweetly tuned to the praise of electing grace and eternal love4 ,permit me here to insert those lines from the hymn just quoted4 ,lord ,i believe thou hast prepar'd1 ,unworthy tho' ,i be1 ,for me a ,blood-bought1 free reward1 ,a golden harp for me4 ',tis tun'd and strung for endless years1 ,and form'd by power divine1 ,to sound in ,god the ,father's ears1 ,no other name but thine4 ,in once more looking over this verse1 my mind is impressed with other ideas1 which ,i must commit to paper and send to my dear friend4 ,we read in sacred ,writ of the ,door of the ,heart1 and of the ,door of the ,lips1 and of the ,conscience3 these ,doors are all opened by the finger of ,god4 ,the conscience is quickened to feel the native guilt of our sins2 the heart1 the mind1 all the faculties of the soul are opened by the operations of the eternal ,spirit2 the ,understanding is enlightened to perceive the glories of the ,saviour2 the ,will is bowed down to chuse ,jesus1 the ,affections are set upon him1 the ,thoughts love to retain him2 thus the ,door of the ,heart is open4 ,hence the ,spouse says1 ,he put in his finger by the hole of the ,door1 and my bowels were moved for him1 ,i rose up to open to my beloved4 ,the ,door1 here1 may signify ,faith in her heart2 the ,hole of the ,door1 a principle of love1 though not wide open1 free1 and at sweet liberty1 yet1 as a principle1 it was there4 ,the ,lord ,jesus putting forth his powerful grace in the heart afresh1 stirred her up1 opened all the faculties1 and afresh quickened the ,conscience1 she was led forth in soul after him4 ,this is opening the ,door4 ,hence he addresses the ,laodicean ,church2 ,behold ,i stand at the door and knock2 if any man hear my voice and open the door ,i will come into him4 ,this text has been awfully perverted by the ,arminians and ,modern ,calvinists of the day3 they tell us that the ,deity is knocking at the door of every man's heart1 begging to come in--waiting till the creature will open the door1 and receive salvation6 ,alas6 what a most miserable perversion of the text4 ,the passage has nothing to do with the ,world1 it is an address to the ,church in a backsliding state1 as the #e ,chapter of ,songs shews4 ,the ,church knew her ,beloved's voice1 which is the ,gospel4 ,every enlightened1 quickened soul1 understands the truth1 whether it is drowsy or not2 the soul is again made willing to receive ,jesus1 to seek most ardently the best of friends3 this is opening the door1 as we are made willing in the day1 the time1 the moment he puts forth his power4 ,this is what the ,church means by the ,beloved putting forth his hand by the ,hole of the ,door4 ,the heart moved after him1 the door of the lips is opened1 in prayer1 in entreaty1 and when admittance is gained1 they are opened in praise1 and in speaking good of his name4 ,they shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom4 ,thus the doors are opened for the ,king of ,glory to come in4 ,these are everlasting doors and will never be fully shut against ,christ1 nor will his doors ever be shut against his ,church4 ,he manifests himself to us1 and we entertain him with the fruits of his own ,spirit4 ,the ,grinders cease in the best of senses4 ,the worst oppressors we ever meet with is a broken ,law and a tempting ,devil1 and accusing conscience1 this is the trouble of the ,spirit4 ,hence that fine passage1 ,they shall cry to the ,lord because of the oppressors4 ,he shall send them a ,saviour1 a great one1 and he shall deliver them4 ,the manifestation of pardon eases the conscience2 the testimony of the ,spirit that we are complete in ,christ's righteousness1 silences the ,law1 and the ,saviour's great ,work1 pleaded by himself as an ,advocate with the ,father1 drives off the ,devil4 ,thus these oppressors cease1 because they are few4 ,a ,believer can bear and endure any thing while all is right within1 between ,god and the soul2 not that he is rid of the inbeing of his sins1 or the temptation of ,satan1 these will often oppress him2 nor will they fully cease till he lays down his poor body in the grave4 ,another sweet priviledge1 ,he shall rise up at the voice of the ,bird4 ,this is a most blessed truth in our experience1 for the gospel attended with power stirs up all our faculties1 and we follow hard after ,god4 ,this voice as used by the ministers of the word1 is called ,the time of the singing of ,birds4 ,the ,gospel ,dispensation is called a spring time1 and when the love of ,jesus is felt casting out fear1 when the storms of sin cease1 by the voice of pardoning mercy1 this sweet text is well understood3 ,my beloved spake1 and said unto me1 rise up my fair one1 and come away1 for lo1 the winter is past1 the rain is over and gone2 the time of the singing of ,birds is come4 ,the ,lord ,jesus1 and the blessed ,spirit of all ,grace1 are called ,birds1 and their voice is heard1 known1 and felt4 ,my ,sheep hear my voice1 and follow me4 ,these leave all when ,jesus speaks by the ,spirit to their souls2 while every kind promise1 every sweet invitation1 and every precious declaration1 form the sweet voice of ,jesus1 in the word and in the souls of them that believe4 ,the ,ministers of the ,gospel are called ,birds1 and when they are understood and the power of their message is felt1 the soul yields the obedience of faith4 ,conscience1 approving and taking part with the man1 as his experience is genuine1 is a ,bird1 and is called by ,solomon1 a ,bird of the air2 this accuses or approves as ,god the ,spirit influences it4 ,thus1 in the best of senses1 we read this text2 but1 alas6 we must take another view of it1 as alluding to some evil days the soul may experience in passing through this valley of ,bochim1 or ,weeping4 ,we find the saints of old at times had the ,doors of their ,hearts and ,lips shut as well as open4--,one said1 ,i am shut up1 ,i cannot come forth4--,another1 ,i go bound in the ,spirit3 ,another1 ,i was dumb1 and opened not my mouth4 ,ezekiel was dumb for seven days before the people1 as a ,preacher1 and in the streets of ,zion1 that is among the inhabitants of ,gospel ,zion4 ,this has been often experienced to their grief1 shut up in prayer1 either reluctantly going to the exercise1 or else finding but little access there2 hurrying through the act4 ,hence the charge against one of old1 ,thou restrainest prayer before ,god4 ,job did not say such did not pray1 but they were not open1 free1 familiar1 or staid at the throne till liberty was felt2 but the act was performed merely to quiet conscience4 ,at times in company1 dumb almost about the things2 and though the voice1 the lips1 the tongue1 the lungs1 were sweetly exercised before1 yet these ,daughters of ,music are brought low1 for they neither sound with prayer or praise1 or godly conversation1 or reproof1 or comfort1 to any other6 ,thus these ,doors are shut in the streets4 ,conscience is1 however still awake1 and the poor ,believer is alarmed2 is startled at the voice of that ,bird1 when listening to its accusation of sin committed1 of duty neglected1 of a worldly spirit of levity or covetousness1 or of some corruption given way to1 or permitted to lie on the conscience4 ,thus the voice of the ,bird is heard1 and it is well to listen to it1 lest another day it should fill the soul with horror and sorrow4 ,this is what ,david felt after a long series of months1 with guilt on his conscience1 till ,nathan came with his ,parable2 but not knowing what it meant1 he vows vengeance against the man that did it1 ,that he should surely die4 ,this was indeed true1 for it was ,david's wayfaring man1 the man of sin1 that came to steal the ewe ,lamb2 but ,david rose up at the voice of this ,bird1 and life went with the word to ,david's soul1 ,thou art the man4 ,he felt it1 conscience was afresh awakened1 and it is our mercy to have the life of ,god in the ,conscience2 for the main difference between the ,christian and the mere nominal ,professor1 lays in this2 the one has got all his religion in his ,head1 and if that was cut off1 he would have none2 the others lays in his ,conscience1 as pardoned by blood1 and quickened by the ,holy ,spirit4 ,another evil day we may find in this dark state1 when so sadly shut up1 is the fewness of them that preach all the truth as it is in ,jesus3 ,hence the ,church in her sad state ran to some who did not know her case2 of course we find they ceased to give advice4 ,she ran to others2 they only rebuked her1 and added affliction to her bonds1 doubted her interest in the garments of ,salvation4 ,hence she says1 ,the watchmen found me2 to whom ,i said1 ,saw ye him whom my soul loveth8 ,then again in the #eth ,chapter1 ,the watchmen met me1 they wounded me2 they smote me2 they took away my veil from me3 and sure ,i am that nothing can be more trying than for a soul in such intricate paths not to be able to find one to suit its case2 and if they do1 the word not being attended with power1 they get neither light nor life4 ,these are called ,teeth in scripture1 as they prepare food1 break the bread of life1 make all things plain1 easy1 and intelligible to the people2 fixed in their ,covenant ,head1 harmonize and agree in sentiment1 at least in the main points1 and engaged in the same work4 ,these may cease by death--the ,prophets1 do they live for ever8--by removals in providence far from the abode of such a soul as ,i have been describing2 or they may not be blest much to tried souls4 ,they may be few in number1 and those cease1 as it respects their usefulness to some2 so that1 though they were once as a lovely song1 and as one who could play well on an instrument1 yet they may get dry1 barren1 and lifeless2 at least1 apparently so for any use they may be to a soul in the above circumstances4 ,the make us mourn1 nor can the ,daughters of ,music make melody again till he shines4 ,we are compared ,instruments of ,music1 set in tune by the ,spirit1 but can make no ,music till he touches the chords of the heart2 then upon the instruments of ten strings1 he gets praise4 ,the ,doors of his ,heart1 his ,house1 his ,table1 and his ,throne1 will never shut against you1 any of his children4 ,the days of your ,mourning will soon end1 the voice of ,jesus will call you at the glorious resurrection of the just1 when you will rise up at that voice1 and sigh and sin no more4--,hallelujah4 ,ever your's1 ,picture3 ,signature of ,j4 ,c4 ,,letter ,x4 ,,to ,,mrs4 ,d--4 ,peckham1 ,august #cj1 #ahad4 ,,my ,,dear ,,friend1 ,i once more resume my pen to give you a few more thoughts on the #abth of ,ecclesiastes1 but lament the limits1 of a ,letter1 or even a ,sermon would be too short to do justice to that subject4 ,the ,wise ,man has in the verses we have already considered1 described age to us1 in the influence it has upon all the functions and faculties of a man2 and shews how they are all weakened in his declining state4 ,he now proceeds to notice one sad effect of age1 that is1 ,fear4 ,verse #e1 ,also they shall be afraid of that which is high1 and fears shall be in the way2 and the ,almond tree shall flourish1 and desire shall fail1 and the ,grasshopper shall be a burden1 because man goeth to his long home1 and the mourners go about the streets4 ,the first is ,fear1 either of things high or low4 ,he shall be afraid of that which is high1 either in respect of place or objects2 as steep1 and eminent ways1 hills1 mountains1 steeples1 and towers2 some of which formerly they could ascend without fear1 in their juvenile and manly days2 but it is not so now1 they are weak in mind1 nervous1 low1 timid1 and fearful2 so they are afraid of high things1 as fiery meteors1 strange apparitions1 thunder1 lightning1 and such like4 ,so they are likewise1 probably1 afraid of abstruse and mysterious points in any science1 which while strong1 they durst have ventured upon1 but now they are too weak in the faculties to dive deep into them2 they are always in fear lest tiles of houses1 or chimney pots1 or any thing else should fall on them1 especially in windy weather4 ,they have fears about them constantly on all hands2 they see danger1 lest they should dash their foot against a stone2 lest some people in their hurry should push them down1 or should rush upon them1 and injure them4 ,being conscious of their own impotency1 it makes them most obnoxious to this terrible passion1 which is the great change made on them in the time of age4 ,thus ,solomon notices the change made in the mind by sickness1 trouble1 and age4 ,he then points it out clearly upon the body in the next line1 ,the ,almond tree shall flourish4 ,the learned tell us1 this tree waketh1 and riseth from its winter's repose before any other1 it flowers in the month of ,january1 and by ,march bringeth its fruit to maturity4 ,the forwardness of this fruit-bearing tree is intimated by the vision which ,jeremiah had of the speedy ,destruction of ,jerusalem2 ,for the word of the ,lord came to ,jeremiah1 saying1 what seest thou8 ,and he said1 ,i see a rod of an ,almond tree4 ,then said the ,lord1 thou hast well seen1 ,i will hasten my word to fulfil it4 ,jeremiah1 #a chapter1 ,,xi verse4 ,this was to shew the speedy fulfilling of the word of ,god against that ,city4 ,now there is no change that befalleth man1 that can be so lively represented by the blooming of the ,almond tree1 as that whereby the hair of the head becomes hoary and white4 ,the grey head is similar to this tree1 for its whiteness1 so in hastiness of appearance1 as the ,almond tree buds sooner by two or three months than most other trees1 so do these hasty buds of age appear2 these steal upon men suddenly before they are aware4 ,some peoples' hair turns grey at thirty or forty years of age1 while other symptoms of the decay of life do not appear on them till sixty or seventy years of age4 ,both these attract attention4 ,an ,almond tree in full blossom1 and an almond head1 especially if found in the ways of ,god1 these are alike in their indications1 they foretel what is approaching--a change2 fruit will come after2 so grey hairs prognosticate that death is at hand2 these are ,church-yard flowers1 which serve1 like passing bells1 to give those notice that bear them1 that their end is near4 ,two things more the ,wise ,man observes2 ,the ,grasshopper shall be a burden1 and desire shall fail4 ,the learned say the word ,grasshopper1 likewise signifies the ,locust1 and will apply to both in the original language2 and they likewise suppose that ,solomon here alludes to some parts of the body1 which being shrivelled and deformed1 appear like the ,locust and ,grasshopper4 ,these ,species are both of them hard1 crusty1 cragged1 crumpling creatures1 differing from all others1 principally in the protuberance of the limbs1 having their legs strangely crooked1 and their joints very closely inverted1 and at a great distance from the trunk of their body4 ,this description may refer to some of the bones in the neck1 the back1 the loins1 the heels1 and the ancles4 ,now when a man by reason of age1 begins to stoop1 and bend forwards1 and withal those fleshy parts that cover these processes1 begin to shrink and decay1 he resembles these creatures4 ,this may also include the change upon the cartilages of the body1 the ,ligaments1 the ,membranes1 the ,fibres1 the ,veins1 the ,nerves1 the ,arteries1 the ,tendons1 and the like1 which all grow harder and drier in old age1 and become a burden2 the skin1 likewise1 as man declines1 becomes crusty1 dry1 callous1 and consequently falls into many wrinkles4 ,this may also include that fretfulness to which aged people are subject2 every thing is a burden1 though light1 weak or trifling as a ,grasshopper4 ,good ,mr4 ,henry1 observes1 ,perhaps this ,grasshopper or ,locust was some light food1 such as ,john did eat2 but even this was a burden to an aged man's stomach2 then1 of course1 through these things ,solomon well adds1 ,desire shall fail3 ,sensual and natural desire for food1 pleasure1 or any sensual delight whatever4 ,this word ,desire1 the celebrated ,dr4 ,smith says1 should be translated ,capers1 the fruit1 or rather the flowers of the ,caper ,shrub1 or ,bush2 and alludes to something calculated to give appetite2 and that as the ,grasshopper did represent the ,bones1 or hard parts of the ,body1 so these the soft1 spongy1 and dilated2 and what ,solomon by this expression means1 is the alteration of all the moist and tender parts of the body1 usually called the ,sanguineous2 including the change that befals the ,blood1 and the natural ,humours of the ,body in time of age1 for they become low1 and much depauperated2 they are diminished and far less in quality than they were before4 ,the reason of this is1 for man goeth to his long home1 and the mourners go about the streets4 ,the grave1 said ,job1 is my house1 and soon the funeral proclamation must be repeated over us1 ,dust thou art1 and unto dust shall thou return4 ,the grave is the home for the body1 when once it comes there1 as long as there is any dust to cover it1 or heavens to surround it1 ,man lieth down1 and riseth not till the ,heavens be no more2 they shall not awake1 nor be raised out of their sleep till death is swallowed up in victory4 ,and the mourners go about the streets4 ,this we see daily2 the friends1 the relations1 characters of every description4 ,mourning1 is not because my friend is gone to glory1 but on account of the loss ,i sustain1 that person being near and dear to me2 besides1 it is a solemn call1 ,be ye also ready1 for in such an hour as ye think not1 the ,son of ,man cometh4 ,and oh1 my dear friend1 to have the lamp of salvation from sin1 its guilt1 and curse1 and power1 and to have my soul filled with joy in ,god1 through ,jesus--this is the oil which will blaze when he appeareth4 ,but if ,i have not much joy1 ,i am blessed with a good hope1 through grace2 a hope that maketh not ashamed1 and ,god declares it shall never be lost2 ,there is hope in thy end1 and thy expectation shall not be cut off4 ,praise ye the ,lord4 ,i would again glance at this ,text in another sense4 ,having considered the evil days coming on the body in this verse1 let us once more survey some days of evil1 in which ,i am sure you and ,i can say ,i have no pleasure in them4 ,fear shall be in the way1 and the ,almond tree shall flourish2 the ,grasshopper be a burden1 and desire shall fail1 for man goeth to his long home1 and the mourners go about the streets4 ,without turning1 twisting1 or wresting this ,text1 ,i am forcibly struck with the following thoughts1 which ,i must pen and send you4 #ast4 ,the ,believer's home4 #bndly4 ,the way to it4 #crdly4 ,the fears which attend him4 #dthly4 ,their cause1 which is a source of grief1 and causes the spiritual mourners to go about the streets of ,zion4 ,i know of no dwelling or resting place1 for a soul born of ,god1 but the everlasting love of ,god in ,covenant2 the ,person and ,work of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,this is my habitation1 my dwelling1 my resting place2 nor is there any safety1 happiness1 felicity1 or peace1 any where else4 ,all that are born of ,god1 naturally1 in this sense1 tend to this one grand object4 ,hence the question of a seeking soul1 ,does ,god love me8 ,did ,jesus die for me8--and after the soul knows this1 yet in general1 there is a thirsting after greater knowledge1 and greater enjoyment of it1 nor is a ,believer ever at home but when he is here4 ,he rests not in his attainments of this knowledge1 but is anxious to go on to know the ,lord1 in his infinite love2 to feel more1 to enjoy more1 to be delighted with more of it1 till he arrives at perfect bliss1 and is filled with all the fulness of ,god1 which is love4 ,he tastes what the poet did1 and has exprest in these two lines3 ',tis heaven to rest in thine embrace1 ,and no where else but there4 ,this is our resting place1 as ,faith apprehends it in its antiquity1 its freeness1 power1 complacency1 and beneficence3 ,it is truly delightful to eye the goings forth of this ,love1 in the ancient settlements1 in the covenant engagements of each ,person in the adorable ,trinity1 in the gift of ,jesus to the ,church1 in his great work1 and wonderful ,person1 as ,god-,man ,mediator1 in the ,gifts of the ,spirit1 and all his saving operations upon the soul1 testifying of ,christ1 as putting away sin1 as obeying the ,law1 as delivering us from going down into the pit1 and making intercession for us4 ,on these topics we1 who have the ,life and love of ,god1 are quite at home2 especially as the ,holy ,ghost realizes them in our hearts2 for this we labour in ,spirit1 to know and enjoy2 and this one point we wish to die to know1 and to plunge in this sea of bliss4--,to view the ,father's love1 the ,son's dear face1 and the ,holy ,spirit's ,grace1 in ,heaven1 are objects worth dying for2 this is the home1 the place1 the state1 the mansions of peace1 rest1 joy1 satisfaction1 and pleasure1 we hope to get to shortly4 ,this is our long home1 eternal as the throne of ,god4 ,no foe shall ever enter there4 ,no friend shall ever depart--they shall go no more out2 so shall we be ever with the ,lord4 ,this is our everlasting home1 nor will our ,lord let us rest short of this4 ,there may we meet soon1 ,amen4 ,but do you ask me1 #bndly4 ,the way8 ,it is clearly set forth in the word1 and ,i hope you have long known it1 and highly approved of it1 and been led into it2 nor shall you ever finally depart from it4 ,the word of truth says1 ,i am the way2 not a way1 but the way4 ,ah1 my dear ,friend1 how lamentable that thousands are deluding their souls with this unscriptural notion1 that all the sects1 parties1 and religious denominations in the world1 are only as so many different ways to one city4 ,hence they suppose the ,turk1 the ,pagan1 the ,papist1 the ,socinian1 the ,arian1 the ,arminian1 and the ,antinomian1 are all going right1 and some out of all these will be saved as such4 ,alas1 what an error2 there never was but one way to ,god1 to heaven1 and to glory1 and that is ,christ1 as the adorable ,mediator2 all that reject this will find to their grief1 that whatever way they went it led to the chambers of death2 it led to hell4 ,what a mercy to be satisfied with a precious ,saviour1 and to hear the voice of the ,word and ,spirit pointing to him1 saying1 ,this is the way1 walk ye in it4 ,christ is the way to the ,father1 to the knowledge and enjoyment of his love4 ,by the sacrifice he offered1 by his perfect law-fulfilling ,righteousness1 by the path he trod as our fore-runner1 by the ,door of ,hope that he opened1 by the way of life he cast up1 and consecrated through the vail of his flesh1 by the doctrine he taught1 by the example he set1 and by the promise of life and peace4 ,we are brought into this way by the ,holy ,spirit of ,promise1 and kept in it by the same1 with an eye to ,jesus1 as the way4 ,we walk in his appointments1 in his ordinances4 ,we use them to gain the knowledge of the ,pearl of great price4 ,by waiting upon him we renew our strength1 and by abiding in him we bring forth fruit4 ,this way leads us to ,god1 and will bring us to glory1 assure as it brings us to a sense of his love on earth4 ,many have waited long1 and travelled far in this way1 before they have been very fully persuaded of ,god's ,love to them2 but all shall have their minds satisfied about that1 though not all in the same degree1 as walking in this way of truth1 way of holiness1 way of wisdom1 way of charity1 way of life1 and way of peace4 ,we are called ,strangers1 ,pilgrims1 ,travellers1 ,runners in a ,race1 and going a ,journey4 ,our ,pilgrim's ,coat is an imputed righteousness2 our ,staff is ,christ2 our ,map is his word2 the ,girdle is truth2 our ,shoes is peace2 our ,way is marked out for us1 omnipotent ,power guards us1 infinite ,wisdom directs us1 ,mercy is often shewed us1 and eternal ,love cheers us1 while we can sing with a ,pilgrim who has reached glory before us1 ,how harsh soe'er the way1 ,dear ,saviour still lead on4 ,but as this is ,god's way we must expect to meet with enemies1 with savage beasts of prey1 with robbers1 many a stormy day1 and many a dismal night1 when neither moon nor stars appear to cheer the ,pilgrim's way1 for it is our lot to travel much by night2 this begets fears lest we have come wrong1 lest this be not the right road4 ,god's dear people are unavoidably the subject of many fears2 when the eyes are first opened1 they fear the wrath of ,god1 they fear ,death1 ,judgment1 and ,eternity3 these are high things4 ,if they hear of ,christ1 the ,promises1 and ,ordinances1 they fear to come to these high things1 or make use of them1 lest they should presume4 ,thus there are fears in the way1 and many times after ,god has raised the soul up to hope1 they fear the work is not genuine2 they fear they shall fall into sin1 and disgrace their profession2 and feeling the power of sin1 and the weakness of their souls1 they fear they shall at last fall away4 ,when they see many apparently brighter characters than themselves go back into the world1 or sink into error1 they fear it will one day be their case2 and when they see how far a person may go in a profession and yet be nothing1 they startle1 they fear1 lest they should4 ,thus we find fears in the way1 and when the mind is low1 deprest1 and every grace of the spirit1 to all human appearance out of exercise1 they are afraid of high1 great1 precious1 and important ,doctrines1 lest they should presume in medling with them1 fearing they have no interest in them4 ,sometimes fears of poverty1 pain1 persecution1 and what we may suffer in the agonies of death4 ,these kind of fears may come on us1 and above all1 the fears that all we have experienced may be a delusion1 and that hypocrites may come as far as we have1 talk better than we do1 and give a better account of themselves than we can2 this makes us fear in the way4 ,all these fears is for want of looking unto ,jesus1 and permitting ,satan to get so much ground1 by listening to his suggestions4 ,these fears1 likewise1 are occasioned by other feelings1 and trying parts of our experience4 ,what ,satan principally aims at is to make us as miserable as himself1 and as rebellious against ,god2 to this end he endeavours to get us to look within in seasons of darkness1 that we may dispute the whole of the ,spirit's work1 and consider all our sins1 failings1 and corruptions as sure tokens of a speedy destruction1 just as ,jeremiah saw the rod of an ,almond tree speedily flourishing2 so might have been our profession1 but soon gone away4 ,so we fear may be all our religion1 and then be damned for being hypocrites4 ,o the misery of looking within1 when we should be looking unto ,jesus6 ,what a gloomy prospect before us6 what unbelieving fears are indulged2 and this must be our misery1 till the ,saviour shines again4 ,but what a mercy when we have grace enough to look from our sins1 our grace1 our ,religion1 or any thing in us1 or done by us1 to ,god the ,father's ,christ1 who lived and died for poor sinners4 ,a second source of fears is1 ,sin but little felt1 so as to be lamented1 so as to break the heart1 humble the spirit1 and endear the ,saviour4 ,it appears ,god sometimes sent the ,grasshoppers to devour the fruits of the earth1 as in ,amos1 chapter #g1 where the ,prophet foresees the ,destruction of ,jerusalem1 by ,pul1 king of ,assyria1 bringing his vast troop to devour that land1 coming up like ,grasshoppers for their number and destructive influence4 ,so in the ,book of ,judges it is said1 the enemies came up among them as ,grasshoppers for multitude to destroy them4 ,as these represented the enemies of ,god's dear people of old1 do they not point out the corruptions of the heart1 inbred sin1 the ,old man1 with its deceitful lusts8 ,are they not numerous is ,grasshoppers1 and as destructive to every thing that is good8 ,do not these destroy our peace1 our joy1 our bright evidences1 and cause us1 sometimes1 to fear we have neither part nor lot in the matter1 especially when we cannot see that these sins are pardoned by the precious blood of ,christ8--,these are felt as a burden too heavy to bear1 and a burden we fear will sink us to hell1 till we believe they are all blotted out1 then the inbeing of them becomes a burden to us4 ,but here we must admire divine mercy1 communicating to us spiritual life that we may feel these things a burden4 ,as this life operates the difference between a child of ,god and one that is not1 is clearly seen2 they who are not quickened by the ,spirit do not feel these things2 but1 alas1 my dear ,friend1 have not you been left in such a strange state of mind1 that you have neither felt sin1 nor grace1 neither mourned at the judgments of ,god1 the terrors of hell1 the sufferings of ,christ1 the afflictions of the ,church1 nor the plague of the heart4 ,o6 worst of states my soul ever was in2 this deadness1 carelessness1 dull1 stupid1 heavy frame1 ,i hate it1 ,i lament it4 ,before this came on ,i could sigh deeply on account of my sins1 their number1 and destructive tendency1 but now ,i have fresh fears that all is not right1 because ,i don't see sin such an evil as it is4 ,i don't groan beneath it2 ,i don't lament my vileness4 ,surely my soul cannot be right with ,god1 while this is the case2 the ,grasshopper is a burden1 because it is so light2 ,i am burdened1 because ,i don't feel sin that heavy1 hateful burden1 ,i have felt it1 and as others do4--,thus you see1 my dear sister1 what poor1 foolish1 fearful creatures we are1 how discontented with the cross2 when we feel much sin1 we fear1 and when we scarcely feel it at all1 then we fear also4 ,alas1 how much of poor ,jonah's spirit do we all possess4 ,murmuring1 repining1 rebelling4 ,but ,i must mention a third source of ,fear1 ,the failing of ,desires4 ,the people of ,god are the objects of his desire2 ,christ saw them in the glass of the ,father's decrees and purposes4 ,he desired them4 ,hence the ,church triumphs in the ,song1 ,i am my ,beloved's and his desire is towards me4 ,he desired the ,church for himself1 and gained it1 every one that he desired1 in electing grace1 is brought to desire ,christ1 by calling grace1 and one blessed effect of being truly called1 is the desire of the soul towards ,god1 to hold communion with him1 to be like him1 and to be with him4 ,hence that sweet ,promise will one day be accomplished1 ,he will fulfil the desire of them that fear him4 ,this will not be till we awake up in his likeness2 then1 but not till then1 shall we be satisfied4 ,these desires of the soul are highly commended by the ,saviour1 as they spring from a feeling sense of need2 are the pulse of the soul1 which beats for ,god4 ,many a poor ,believer in seasons of darkness1 has blessed ,god for the feeling desire1 the hunger1 the thirst1 the wish for what ,god has promised1 and what the soul feels its need of4 ,but let me ask you again1 have you not found such days of evil1 as the loss of these desires8 ,no life1 no spirituality1 no appetite1 no earnestness1 no fervent desires1 not a breath of the ,new man felt or seen2 and to be left in this state a considerable time1 when all has been shut up8 ,i have still triumphed in my desires1 but when these have failed1 all is dark1 gloomy1 wretched1 desolate4 ,this has sent me mourning about the streets of ,zion1 crying1 ,saw ye him whom my soul loveth8 ,this is the enquiry of souls who are afresh quickened to feel their native guilt1 their deadness1 and want of the light of comfort1 of joy1 of peace1 and the testimony of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,the ,saviour was sent to comfort them that mourn after a godly sort1 sorrowing after ,jesus2 to gain a sense of his love1 a token for good1 a fresh view of pardon1 and eternal life4 ,this is calculated to comfort the mourner in ,zion1 to cheer his heart1 and enable him to look forward to death and the grave1 with sweet composure1 knowing ,jesus is the conqueror of death1 spiritual1 temporal1 and eternal4 ,to him1 ,i commend you1 and remain ,your's in him1 ,picture3 ,signature of ,j4 ,c4 ,,letter ,,xi4 ,,to ,,mrs4 ,d--4 ,peckham1 ,september #cj1 #ahad4 ,,my ,,dear ,,friend ,,in ,,christ ,,jesus4 ,i have been just reflecting a little on that glorious ,title and ,office of our most blessed ,lord1 a ,surety3 the longer ,i live the more ,i feel the need of him as such2 the bondage1 sin1 and misery ,i am daily and hourly experiencing1 except a few sweet seasons of liberty in prayer1 preaching1 writing1 and conversing about the precious things of ,god4 ,it is well he became one with us1 in the eye of the law1 that he kindly undertook for us1 and infallibly secured the payment of that obedience it demanded of us4 ,this whole debt he took upon himself1 and crossed our name from the bond1 and addressed his divine ,father for us1 ,whatsoever my people owe thee1 put that to my account4 ,the ,father graciously accepted this1 and has declared himself well pleased with it4 ,every blessed view of this gives me hope1 peace1 and rest4 ,i am truly miserable but when this is shewed me1 then ,i feel a sweet serenity of mind4 ,o6 precious ,surety1 ,o6 glorious ,redeemer1 thy ,person1 thy ,name1 and thy ,work1 is very dear to my heart3 ,no other stay have ,i beside1 ,if these should alter ,i must fall4 ,i need this to support me now1 ,i shall need it as much when my heart and flesh fail4 ,when the ,silver ,cord is loosed1 when the ,golden ,bowl is broken at the ,cistern1 when the ,pitcher is broken at the ,fountain1 and the ,wheel broken at the ,cistern1 this glorious ,saviour will then carry my regenerated spirit to ,god who gave it me1 and this is as sure to my soul as that ,god has begun the good ,work in it4 ,he begins it with a view to carry it on1 and he will perfect that which concerneth me1 for his mercy endureth for ever4 ,i will now drop you a few thoughts on the sixth verse1 with which ,i must close these letters1 which ,i trust you will candidly read1 and where ,i err1 attribute that to me1 but receive the truth as from that ,god whose ,i am1 and whom ,i serve4 ,here are four symptoms of approaching dissolution2 the first is the loosing the ,silver ,cord4 ,by this is most probably meant the ,spinal ,marrow1 and all the ,nerves arising therefrom2 with all the ,filaments1 ,fibres1 and ,tendons that proceed from those ,nerves2 as there can be no motion or drawing performed in all the ,body without these2 and through the influence of the animal ,spirits upon them2 and although these belong to the spinal ,marrow1 and all draw together as it were1 yet ,solomon expresses it in one word1 the ,silver ,cord1 because the rest are but a continuation of the same thing4 ,this is called the ,silver ,cord from its colour1 for it appears to the eye a white1 bright as silver2 it is seated deep in the body2 it lays lower and deeper1 and safer than the ,veins or ,arteries1 or other common conveyers in the ,body1 and it is reckoned the most excellent of all1 so that some ,philosophers have termed it the ,foundation of ,life4 ,the loosing of this ,cord1 is an undoubted sign of death2 sometimes this is only affected in one part1 and is the cause of ,paralytics1 but when it happens to the head of the spinal ,marrow1 it hinders the influence of the spirits upon the whole ,silver ,cord1 and consequently takes away all sense and motion from all the subjected parts1 and gives a sure prognostic of death1 especially in aged people4 ,thus the ,silver ,cord is loosed4 ,the next object worthy notice is1 the ,golden ,bowl broken1 by which some think is meant the ,scull pan2 or1 as the ,seventy translate it1 the ,repository of the ,brain4 ,the celebrated ,dr4 ,smith 7to whom ,i am indebted for many of his ideas on ,anatomy7 says1 there are two ,membranes within the ,skull1 a thicker and harder1 and a thinner and finer1 which does more immediately encompass the ,brain1 and by an immediate contact1 encircles the very ,substance of it1 which seems to me to be the ,golden ,bowl1 so called1 by way of eminence1 which is broken4 ,this is called ,golden1 for the same reason that the other is called the ,silver ,cord1 in its colour4 ,the ,membrane is of a flavious colour1 nearer to that of ,gold2 it is hidden1 secret1 and well defended2 and requires much wisdom and time to find our all its secret caverns and mysterious branches1 and also for its ductility2 above all1 it may be compared to ,gold1 for excellency and use4 ,now as long as man remains in his strength1 this ,golden ,bowl is knit unto itself in all its parts1 but in the event of extreme old age1 when he is just giving up the ghost1 it can no longer retain itself1 by reason of its natural dryness1 shrivelling into itself1 or preternatural moisture1 imbibing excrementitious humours1 till it is over full1 it often snaps asunder1 and so recurs into itself1 from whence the ,brain must naturally subside1 and all the parts cease from their several uses2 upon this we perceive a change of the whole countenance2 the nose appears very sharp1 the eyes sunk into the head1 the temples are pinched in1 with all the other symptoms of approaching dissolution4 ,this brings the house down indeed1 when the animal faculty is so deeply affected4 ,i think there is something very interesting in the idea of the body compared to a ,golden ,bowl1 not ,china1 ,earthenware1 or ,tin1 but ,gold1 to shew how precious our bodies are in his sight who redeemed them2 that he will take special care of them1 collect all the various pieces together1 and raise them up a glorious body by and by4 ,the third point worthy our consideration1 is1 ,the ,pitcher broken at the ,fountain4 ,this must refer to something belonging to the vital faculty2 it appears in sacred ,scriptures1 that the life of man consists in his blood2 ,for the life of all ,flesh is in the ,blood thereof2 and this most noble liquor of ,life1 hath a primary ,seat or ,fountain1 where it is principally made1 and from whence it is dispensed through the whole ,body1 and this ,fountain is the ,heart1 for out of it are the issues of life4 ,this part continually issueth out abundance of ,blood1 wherein is the life1 to all the parts of the body4--,this is a deep ,fountain1 it is the ,fountain of ,life1 the first living1 and last dying ,part of ,man4 ,within the ,body of the ,heart there are two firmly-divided ,cavities1 a right and left1 called ,ventricles2 from these are certain vessels4 ,out of the right ,ventricle1 of the ,heart1 proceeds the great ,vein1 which sends forth ,branches throughout the whole1 and hath1 at its entrance into the ,heart1 certain ,portals1 and also an ,artery4 ,out of the left ,ventricle proceeds a ,vein1 inserted into the ,lungs1 and also the great ,artery1 which disperseth its ,branches throughout the whole ,body1 both whose ,cavities are defended with the like ,portals4 ,how the blood passeth in and through these passages ,i have not time to describe1 ,i wish ,i had4 ,by the ,pitcher1 therefore1 we must understand the true and proper concepticle of the ,blood1 namely1 the ,veins1 which throughout the whole body1 serve only as vessels to contain that noble liquor1 and carry it back again to the ,fountain4 ,this is the ,pitcher here intended4 ,the ,fountain is the right ,ventricle of the ,heart4 ,but neither the ,fountain nor ,pitcher continues for ever2 the ,pitcher does not go so often to the ,fountain but at last it comes home broken4 ,the breaking of it in old age1 is the failing of the ,veins1 their ceasing from their natural action and use2 when they can no longer carry back1 nor conveniently pass into the ,heart that liquor1 the blood they contain1 it stops1 it is stagnated1 it dies in the ,veins4 ,this is breaking the ,pitcher at the ,fountain4 ,finally1 ,the ,wheel broken at the ,cistern4 ,the ,cistern is the left ,ventricle of the ,heart1 as the ,fountain is represented as the right2 for the ,blood being enlivened and ennobled in the right ,ventricle1 it remains only to be dispersed into these several parts it is to quicken1 which it cannot consequently do1 except it be received into this ,cistern4 ,the ,wheel is that round1 or circulation of the ,blood which flows from the left ,ventricle of the ,heart4 ,take this part of the symptom of ,death1 the chasing of the ,pulse2 the instruments of pulsation decay1 and can no longer perform that work which must necessarily be continued for the preservation of life2 when that ceases to beat1 the man ceaseth to live2 thus the ,wheel1 which till now1 run its constant round1 is broken at the ,cistern1 heart and flesh now fail4 ,o6 that when this is your case and mine1 we may have nothing to do but to depart and be with ,christ4 ,may our ,spirits return to ,god who gave them1 while the poor tabernacle returns to its original dust4 ,solemn thought6--,but the ,gospel opens to my wondering1 pleasing view1 the ,resurrection of this ,body1 formed and fashioned like the glorious ,body of my ,jesus1 who appeared on ,mount ,tabor1 or ,mount ,lebanon1 as perhaps we shall appear when he comes in glory4 ,may this be your felicity and mine1 ,amen4 ,do accept a few thoughts more upon this verse1 of the evil days which may come on the mystical ,body of ,christ1 which is drawn together1 acts1 moves1 and is kept together by the strong ,silver ,cord of everlasting love4 ,i drew them with the ,cords of ,love1 with loving kindness have ,i drawn thee4--,this keeps the whole ,body together2 and ,paul tells us to endeavour to keep the unity of the ,spirit in the bond of peace4 ,love is the bond2 put on charity1 which is the bond of perfectness4 ,this is the ,cord that draws us to heaven3 this unites us in heart to ,jesus4 ,love as a principle1 and as shed abroad in the heart1 unites us to his ,truth1 his ,ways1 his ,ministers and his ,people4 ,when this is sweetly felt1 and especially in that degree the ,apostle speaks of1 when perfect1 that is eternal love comes in1 it casts out fear1 which hath torment3 to live under this influence is truly blessed1 but such seasons are short1 they are pleasant days truly2 and in our first setting out1 or some part of our pilgrimage1 we do experience them truly blessed4 ,so did ,solomon1 but he had some evil days1 when his own corrupt heart overflowed with sin1 which brought on a sad distance between ,god and his soul4 ,this is also attended with a shyness to the ,household of ,faith1 and very few pleasant seasons in ,god's ,house of ,prayer4 ,no love is felt to ,jesus1 and scarce a desire after him2 very little affection is felt to faithful ministers1 as there is but little received under their message1 which used to be so sweet to them1 and their love to ministers so strong1 for the truth's sake4 ,thus1 by contracted guilt1 the cord of love is loosed1 not in ,god1 but in our exercise of this grace4 ,so of those we once viewed saints1 many we have proved to be nothing but hypocrites2 some only mumping a living under the mask of religion2 some lying in wait to deceive2 some watching for our halting1 to find something amiss in our conduct2 and if they can catch any thing1 it is marrow and fatness to their bones4 ,tattling1 lying1 backbiting1 jealousies1 and evil speaking4 ,these things we begin to discover1 and groan on account of them in ,professors1 till we can hardly help exclaiming with the ,prophet1 ,there is none upright among men1 the best of them is a briar1 the most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge4 ,very little spiritual love being now felt1 the ,silver ,cord1 appears to be loosed1 not that the principle is lost1 but ,god is teaching the ,believer wisdom1 and directing the principle of love to the proper object1 even to the ,household of ,faith--not to every ,professor1 but only to those who stand manifest in our consciences1 that they are taught of ,god2 yet it must be acknowledged that while the heart is shut up from the exercise of love it is an evil1 a trying day4 ,sin on the conscience1 backsliding1 getting into a worldly spirit1 the affections being entangled with creature love--these things bring on evil days4 ,o6 what a mercy to have the heart right with ,god4 ,when the soul is thus filled with love1 it is always attended with an illuminated mind1 a mind receiving the truth4 ,charity rejoiceth in the truth1 believeth all things ,god hath said1 as well as hopeth for what ,god hath promised4 ,but it is possible to stumble upon the dark mountains2 ,god may cause darkness to come on the mind1 the judgment to be bewildered1 and errors to creep in--the ,golden ,bowl may be broken4--,ephraim1 says ,god1 is oppressed and broken in judgment1 either by evil men1 who lay in wait to deceive1 or by a curious spirit1 which a ,believer may be plagued with1 till he has imbibed some error1 which leads him into darkness1 bondage1 and misery4 ,a sound judgment is valuable1 like a ,golden ,bowl1 but many of ,god's children have got proud1 and ,god has permitted ,satan to lay a snare for their feet1 a haughty ,spirit before a fall1 and into awful errors they have run1 till days of trouble have come on1 and they have found out their errors4 ,moreover1 real contrition for sin2 a heart affected with grief after the ,saviour1 mourning on account of him4--,compunction and godly sorrow of heart is precious1 is valuable to ,god2 with this sacrifice he is well pleased2 this is a ,golden ,bowl broken indeed1 in the best of senses4 ,blessed are they that mourn1 for they shall be comforted4 ,the ,silver ,cord of ,love1 the ,golden ,bowl of a sound ,judgment1 and an heart influenced by the ,spirit of ,grace1 are in sweet connexion2 these make a ,believer shine in the ,church--such are valuable characters1 but they are few4 ,my soul desired the first ripe ,fruit4 ,the ,pitcher may be broken at the ,fountain4 ,our ,lord ,jesus is a never-failing ,fountain in his ,person1 in his ,offices1 in his ,love1 and in his ,work4 ,he is the ,fountain of all spiritual and eternal ,life4 ,what a deep1 never-failing1 abundant source of all good he is to his ,covenant ,people4 ,he is a fountain of ,gardens for his ,church1 a ,fountain of living ,waters1 and a ,fountain opened for ,sin and ,unclearness4 ,faith wrought in the heart1 may be compared to a ,pitcher1 which draws its supplies from that inexhaustible source of all blessings4 ,it receives the ,atonement into the conscience1 it is the great ,artery in the spiritual ,body1 which conveys peace and joy through the whole soul1 as it receives the precious ,blood from the heart of ,christ1 and every other blessing is in this one1 ,jesus died for me4 ,while ,faith is thus busied1 the exercises of ,religion1 like a wheel1 go their happy round to the ,cistern of ,gospel ,ordinances2 for a while ,faith is thus exercised on ,jesus1 the mind1 the soul is made willing1 and rolls its happy round1 like a wheel well oiled4 ,faith is going to the ,fountain while the ,believer is willingly running the way of ,god's ,commands4 ,it is worthy our notice1 that all the treasures of blessings in ,christ1 are compared to a ,fountain2 but in ,ordinances1 in ,ministers1 and ,means1 it is but a ,cistern4 ,hence the folly of those who seek salvation in their round of duties2 they forsake the ,fountain1 and cleave1 in general1 to those ,cisterns that can hold no water4 ,faithful ,ministers and ,gospel ,ordinances hold the ,water of ,life1 and wisdom declares the man of understanding shall draw it out4 ,this ,i dare say you can prove in your own experience2 if your soul is1 through faith in the ,person and ,work of ,jesus1 happy in his love--all the while the ,pitcher of ,faith is bringing you such supplies1 you can come as regular to the ,cistern of ,gospel ,ordinances1 and as willing as a wheel1 well set in motion1 goes its round4 ,in such days of the ,power of ,faith1 we are made willing to believe1 to do1 to suffer1 and to obey4 ,such days we have had1 but we have had some evil days besides1 some opposite reasons1 when the ,pitcher of ,faith appeared to be broken1 for all the good it did for us2 it ceased to act1 at least in the way it had done2 it brought no grace1 no love1 no joy1 no comfort2 it was like a ,broken ,pitcher2 not that it can cease to exist1 as a principle1 but only in its motions1 'tis weak1 low1 and of course the mind must be low1 and the wheel move slowly1 if it moves at all1 in ,ordinances1 in ,conversation1 in ,prayer1 in ,reading1 and every other religious ,exercise4 ,ah1 my dear friend1 have you not met with such days of evil8 but all things work together for good1 even those sins1 those hindrances to our comfort1 shall terminate right2 for the elder sin shall serve the younger4 ,sin makes us pray1 cry1 groan1 wrestle1 entreat2 this makes ,faith grow and increase1 and what belongs to ,god ascends to him1 gravitates to its own centre4 ,faith comes from him1 is busied about him1 affections go to him1 hope centers in him1 patience waits on him1 humility is precious to him2 this is the fruit of his own ,spirit1 and we find by daily experience1 that the ,spirit goes to ,god who gave it1 while all that is carnal in us will cleave to the dust1 to sin1 to the world1 to all that is opposite to ,god2 like loves its like1 that which is born of the ,spirit1 is ,spirit1 and delights in spiritual objects2 that which is born of the ,flesh is ,flesh1 and is desirous of sensual gratification4 ,this is the ,believer's affliction2 but we shall soon be done with time1 and commune upon an eternal scene1 when all that belongs to the earth1 to the dust1 will return to it1 and all of me1 and belonging to me1 will return to him from whom it came4 ,the ,lord carry on his ,work in your soul and mine2 and while we live1 may we be enabled1 through all1 and by all our evil days1 to distinguish between the ,dust and the ,spirit1 the ,old-,man and the ,new--to watch the operations of both2 lament the one1 and bless ,god for the other4 ,yours in him1 ,picture3 ,signature of ,j4 ,c4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,finis4