tion, converfion, and falvation, fo I chufe to use it ftill for my improvement in religion, and acquaintance with Chrift, without asking help from men. The Lord himself hath been my teacher; he reveals the mysteries of the gofpel unto me; he fhines upon his own word, and makes it useful to my foul; he refolves my doubts, ftrengthens my faith and hope, and brings all things to my remembrance. From him I have peace, grace, joy, every bleffing, every benefit. He teaches me to profit, and fhines upon me with the light of his countenance. What would I have more? who among the fons of men can teach me better? Bleffed is the man whom the Lord teacheth and inftructeth out of his law. The Lord hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and fure; he hath put his laws into my mind, and written them in my heart; he hath fulfilled his promife unto me, All thy children fhall be taught of the Lord, and great fhall be the peace of thy children. There is a meffenger with me, an interpreter, one among a thousand, who has fhewn unto me his mercy and grace, and faid unto me, I will deliver thee from going down to the pit, for I have found a.ranfom. God is my teacher; he giveth me fongs in the night; he teacheth me more than the beafts of the earth, and maketh me wifer than the fowls of heaven. The Lord Jefus, my glorious Redeemer, has the tongue of the learned, and knows how to speak a word in feafon to him that is weary; he, even he, hath given me the Spirit of wifdom and revelation in the knowledge of himself; he hath given me an unction, and I know all things; he hath given me an underftanding to know him that is true. He had compaflion upon me when ignorant, and out of his way. When the floods of horror, defperation, and wrath lifted up their

waves against me; the Lord on high, who is mightier than the noife of many waters, yea than, the mighty waves of the fea, ftilled the noify tu mults, quelled the threatening billows, and calm-ed the roaring furges. He faid unto me, Peace be unto thee; I will make thy peace as a river, and thy righteoufnefs as the waves of the fea. And will my Lord and King, who hath wrought fuch great and marvellous works for me, forfake. and abandon me now? No; the Lord will fill me with the knowledge of his will, in all wisdom and fpiritual understanding, that I may increase in the knowledge of God. The peace of God, I firmly believe, fhall rule in my heart; and the word of Christ shall dwell in me richly, in all wifdom. When the enemy fhall attempt to break in as a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a ftandard. God hath from the beginning, from eter-: nity, chofen me to falvation, through fanctification of the Spirit, and belief of the truth; and hath called me to obtain the glory of our Lord Jefus Chrift. And our It Jefus Chrift himfelf, and God even our Father, who hath loved me, and given me everlasting consolation, and good hope through grace, fhall comfort my heart, and establish me unto the end. Therefore all neceffary knowledge and inftruction fhall not be with-held from me. The Lord hath loved me with an everlasting love, and therefore with Loving-kindness will he draw me. He will afford me instruction, fupply all my wants, and satisfy all my defires, till the bleffed day arrive, when I fhall enter into the joy of my Lord. Further," faid he," you obferve fome of our companions in iniquity vifiting me, and that I am warning them to relinquish their wicked courfes. Now, if I converfed with clergymen, they would think, and fay, that I received all my admonitions and warnings

warnings from the clergy, and confequently my reproofs would have lefs influence. But when they know that I have no communication with the gentlemen of the facred character, I obtain at fairer hearing with them, and my words are more apt to engage their attention. You know further," continued he, ́ that there are many difputes and contentions among the clergy in general with regard to doctrine, as well as other things; that fome are very popular, and have many followers, while others are little eftéemed. Now, if I were to fend for any of them, I fhould be at a very great lofs whom to pitch upon, and I am not for declaring my cafe to every one.

As for you, my dear friend, ufe all means for attaining knowledge; converfe with minifters and godly people; attend public inftruction; and treafure up the word of God in your heart. Attend thofe miniftrations only which begin and end with Chrift. That preaching is only to be valued, which points out Chrift the Saviour, exalts and glorifies him as the purchafer and author of falvation, and afcribes the glory of it all to him. Thofe preachings are worthless and ftark naught, which feldem or never touch upon original fin, the fatal fource of all the wickedness in the world, man's enmity against God, and his inability to help himself, the neceffity of believing in the Son of God as our Saviour, the doctrine of juftification by faith in imputed righteoufnefs, as the only foundation of our access to God, and acceptance with him, the nature of regeneration and fanctification, the neceffity of living by faith on Chrift, and obferving his commandinents, out of love to the lawgiver, and in obedience to his authority, and not as a recommendation of us to his favour, &c. The fermon that humbles the finner in his own fight, and directs him to Christ

for

for every thing relating to his falvation, is only worth attending. For I am thoroughly convinced, that mere moral preaching, however warm and pathetic, will never fave one foul. Gofpeldoctrine only will have that effect. Where-ever you find the gofpel truly and faithfully preached, there pitch your tent; there feed, and live.As for me, I thall never more attend gospel-ordinances; my y feet fhall never again stand within the gates of the Zion on carth. But I fhall in a little time join the general affembly and church of the firft-born, which are written in heaven; I fhall foon be feated on the mount Zion above, and fing, and fay,, with the other redeemed from among men, Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our fins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priefts unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and Amen."

ever.

I could not but exprefs my fatisfaction with this difcourfe, as particularly edifying and instructive to me; but afked him how he could reconcile his not seeking the affiftance of minifters, with Jam. v. 14. Is any fick among you? let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him? He defired me to read the whole paffage. When I had done fo, he replied, That the fickness there mentioned was not a fickness unto death, but an illness which had all the appearance of being curable. Is, fays, the apostle, any of you troubled with any fickness or illness? then call for the elders, or minifters of the church, to pray over you. And they were not only to pray for, but to anoint the patient with oil in the name of the Lord; which fhould have a miraculous effect in working a cure. This practice then feems to have been peculiar to the primitive times, and ceafed in the church along with other mira

cles;

cles; and must not now be revived, when it can produce no effect. It is obfervable however, that the Papifts have built their pretended facrament of extreme unction upon this paffage of fcripture; but without any real authority: for they don't pretend, that their anointing the fick, which they never do but when the patient feems to be near death, has the effect of curing, as it had in the primitive times. It was then applied as a miraculous medicine; but who will fay that fuch an unction could have any effect now? I own, that it is the duty of people, when they are fick, to ule all proper means for the recovery of their health, looking to the Lord for his bleffing upon the means used; and also to ask all the affiftance of minifters and good people, for their inftruction and improvement as to the ftate of their fouls; and fuch as neglect to do fo, must be prefumed to have no concern about their eternal interefts. But widely different is my cafe: I have afked the beft affistance that could be procured; and finding all human remedies ineffectual, I have refigned myself entirely to Providence, faying, Here am I, let the Lord do unto me as feemeth good. unto him. And as for minifters, I have no need of them, as the Lord is better unto me than all the clergymen on earth! On him will I rely for guidance, establishment, and preservation, till he remove me to the minions of glory, where I thall be happy in the enjoyment of him for ever.”