God's mercy and wisdom make them straight. He makes rough places smooth; obstructions, difficulties, and afflictions make the path rough, but his visits, and the influences of forgiving love sweetening our spirits, and sanctifying our afflictions, makes them smooth by making them bearable. Many little kind providences does he turn up in our favour, which faith greedily catches at; many impediments does he remove; many openings in our favour, and ways of escape in trouble, does he work out for us in the course of our pilgrimage. These things employ the mind, endear the Creator to us, and exercise our faith by the way. Moreover, the new man is kept alive by various ways; sometimes it is done by the word preached, the sound of Christ's sweet voice, and salutations in the word, sounding with joy to the ears, makes the new man within leap for joy. "Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance. In thy name shall they rejoice all the day and in thy righteousness shall they be exaled," Ps. lxxxix. 15, 16. Again, the new man is oft revived by the word and Spirit, by which past experiences are brought to our minds; former deliverances which have been doubted of, confirmed; Christ afresh exhibited to faith; doctrines already received presented to view with more evidence; * and some things never known before, brought forth thus, the scribe instructed unto the kingdom of God, brings forth things out of his treasure, new and old. In this way, the Spirit says Christ, shall take of the things that are mine, and shall shew them unto you; which encourages faith, excites gratitude, and under the influence of the Spirit draws forth love, joy, and praise, by which Christ is glorified -the Spirit shall glorify me.... One thing more I will observe to my friend, which she will do well to attend to, and that is, the effects of God's favour with which we are encompassed, and the different pieces of armour with which we are equipt: "For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous, with favour wilt thou compass him, as with a shield," Psal. v. 12. If we look back, there is our former fol lies, the burden of them, and the severe chase tisement that attended them; "Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall. My soul hath them still in re membrance, and is humbled in me," Lam. iii. 19, 20, Under the keenest temptations to sin, there is a thousand tokens for good, and the most noble ties of gratitude, from the considerations of a suffering Saviour, and the sweet experiencies of pardoning love; this will produce a filial, and child-like fear, "I will plant my fear in their heart, they shall not depart from me." The blessing of God is life, on mount Zion, God commanded the blessing, even life for evermore, Psal. cxxxiii. 3. This blessing Satan calls a hedge, "Hast thou not made an hedge about him, and blessed the work of his hands?" Job, i. 10; and where there is life, the sting of sin, and rebukes of conscience pierce deep. "I will hedge up her way with thorns that she shall not find her paths." "Whoso breaketh an hedge, a serpent shall bite him," Eccles. x. 8; the old serpent will reproach him, and guilt is called the sting of death. A tender heart, which is the effect of life; "Because," says God to young king Josiah, "thy heart was tender, and thou hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me, thine eyes shall not see the evil, but thou shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace." He is one of the righteous Isaiah alludes to, who was taken from the evil to and Hezekiah another. Had much more to say but time fails; hope ever to follow thee with my poor prayers, and conclude come, , I RECEIVED a letter from my dear friend in the Lord, informing me what I have fully believed; for from the first account of the illness, if I am not much disappointed, I felt in myself he would never rise again. I heard last Saturday night from, that my dearest of all friends was better; I replied immediately that he would relapse again. It is true, place your heart on what you may in this world, allis fleeting, unsubstantial, disappointing, distressing, and delusive; nothing short of the Son of God, and faith in him, will ever stay the mind or fix the heart. Try till doomsday, and you shall set to your seal that God is true, and that the above is true... **But then I ask you in the name of God to tell me, What are we? heirs of wrath, and cursed children, and yet we are in the light and life of God, in hope, in faith, in expectation, and in looking for the great reward of inheritance, which was what we were born for, appointed to, and intended to the endless enjoyment of. Therefore are by God himself strictly charged, "Not to be sorry as them. that have no hope, for them that sleep in Jesus will God bring with him." It is true they are gone, but not for good and all; we shall see them again, and enjoy their company for ever and ever. "This is the will of him that sent me, that of all that he hath given me, I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day." This is the unalterable and eternal will, God's will of purpose, and of promise, and must and shall be punctually fulfilled, even to the hairs of our head, all of which are numbered, and not one of which shall ever perish, but be raised up, renewed, refined, restored, adorned, and glorified, and shall outshine the sun in all its splendour, lustre, glory, light, and heat, and that to all eternity," He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." My dear young friend, my companion in travail, my sister in Christ Jesus, as I have ever told you, so I now tell you again, that if you have any reverence of, or respect to God, if any love to your own immortal soul, if any regard to me, to my ministry, to my advice, seek without ceasing, without intermission, the face, the fulness, and the reconciling countenance of the Son of God.. No damp, no death, no disappointment there; but seek it in the flesh, and no cross can be expected, no crop shall ever be reaped but corruption..one |