Church-street, Paddington.
YOURS came safe to hand. You fear of failing of the grace of God; this fear often springs from a knowledge of one's own heart, and the desperate deceitfulness of it; from pious suspicion, and godly, jealousy, and well becomes the young ––, as it is a spur to his prayers and inquiries. It excites a desire of being searched and tried, and led in the way everlasting. It is planted there to keep thee from stopping short, from settling on the old legal bottom, and from resting in thy former attainments: It will make thee forget those things which are behind, and keep thee pressing after those things which are before. Be thou in this fear all the day long, that thou mayest not depart from him.
A hypocrite is a stage-player; the part that he always acts is that of a saint of God, as the devil does that of an elect angel. He is one that begs at the door of mercy, but never hungered after the bread of life, nor the righteousness of Christ, having never felt the sting of death, nor the curse of a broken law. He covets the name of a saint, but in heart hates the grace that is in him. He mocks God in words, and men in appearance--it is all to be seen of men. His mouth goes one way, and his heart another; with the former he draws near to God, with the latter he is far from him. His outward appearance is righteous before men, his inward, extortion and excess; his religion is all in the crowd, none in the closet. He cannot believe, because he seeks honour from men, and not the honour that cometh from God only, John v. 44. He groans much under a sermon, but is never sick nor sorry; he often turns up his eyes to God, but has not one thought or affection with him. He is swift to speak, and slow to hear; often in raptures, but never in contrition; quick-sighted in the faults of others, but blind to all his own; sees a mote in a rival, and overlooks a beam in self. Ire loves to be flattered, but hates to be searched; talks much of relieving the poor, but steals half that is in the poor's bag; cannot endure waste in the ointment, but sells innocent blood for half the value. He strains at a Gnat, but swallows a camel; he treasures up wrath in religion, and cries not when God binds him for his dissimulation.
To love the Lord above every object, is doubtless the criterion of a saint; but as the carnal mind is enmity, and as the law stirs that enmity up, it is not expected to be found in an awakened soul, when the anger of God appears against it, and servile fear is predominant; which fear always has the wrath of God for its object, as filial fear has the goodness of God for the object of it. Moreover, all the time we doubt whether God loves us or no, our love will be clogged, it will be smoking flax; but it will not flame till a sense of God's love to us draws it forth. We may love a creature that does not love us, for nature loves nature, and corrupt affections love corruption, "With my flesh I love the law of sin;" but we cannot love God till he loves, or discovers a love to us moreover, "Where little is forgiven, the same loveth little." Again, love works according to the proportion of faith; if faith be weak, love will be languid; if strong, love will be warm, for faith works by love, Gal. v. 6.
There must be a love to him, where there is a restlessness for him, a dissatisfaction with every thing short of him, and an earnest desire for him, and the heart making diligent search after him "O thou whom my soul loveth, tell me where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon," Cant. i. 7. But that which swallows up all our love, is a love-visit from Christ, when we visits us with his free and full salvation; and faith in full exercise receives it, with a sense of God's love to us, shed abroad in our hearts-then, "Whom having not seen ye love; in whom though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable, and full of glory," I Pet. i. 8.
W. H
A hypocrite is a stage-player; the part that he always acts is that of a saint of God, as the devil does that of an elect angel. He is one that begs at the door of mercy, but never hungered after the bread of life, nor the righteousness of Christ, having never felt the sting of death, nor the curse of a broken law. He covets the name of a saint, but in heart hates the grace that is in him. He mocks God in words, and men in appearance--it is all to be seen of men. His mouth goes one way, and his heart another; with the former he draws near to God, with the latter he is far from him. His outward appearance is righteous before men, his inward, extortion and excess; his religion is all in the crowd, none in the closet. He cannot believe, because he seeks honour from men, and not the honour that cometh from God only, John v. 44. He groans much under a sermon, but is never sick nor sorry; he often turns up his eyes to God, but has not one thought or affection with him. He is swift to speak, and slow to hear; often in raptures, but never in contrition; quick-sighted in the faults of others, but blind to all his own; sees a mote in a rival, and overlooks a beam in self. Ire loves to be flattered, but hates to be searched; talks much of relieving the poor, but steals half that is in the poor's bag; cannot endure waste in the ointment, but sells innocent blood for half the value. He strains at a Gnat, but swallows a camel; he treasures up wrath in religion, and cries not when God binds him for his dissimulation.
To love the Lord above every object, is doubtless the criterion of a saint; but as the carnal mind is enmity, and as the law stirs that enmity up, it is not expected to be found in an awakened soul, when the anger of God appears against it, and servile fear is predominant; which fear always has the wrath of God for its object, as filial fear has the goodness of God for the object of it. Moreover, all the time we doubt whether God loves us or no, our love will be clogged, it will be smoking flax; but it will not flame till a sense of God's love to us draws it forth. We may love a creature that does not love us, for nature loves nature, and corrupt affections love corruption, "With my flesh I love the law of sin;" but we cannot love God till he loves, or discovers a love to us moreover, "Where little is forgiven, the same loveth little." Again, love works according to the proportion of faith; if faith be weak, love will be languid; if strong, love will be warm, for faith works by love, Gal. v. 6.
There must be a love to him, where there is a restlessness for him, a dissatisfaction with every thing short of him, and an earnest desire for him, and the heart making diligent search after him "O thou whom my soul loveth, tell me where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon," Cant. i. 7. But that which swallows up all our love, is a love-visit from Christ, when we visits us with his free and full salvation; and faith in full exercise receives it, with a sense of God's love to us, shed abroad in our hearts-then, "Whom having not seen ye love; in whom though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable, and full of glory," I Pet. i. 8.
W. H
