April 10, 1834.

MY DEAR FRIEND AND SISTER IN

THE LORD,

"Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love. Amen."

I was much relieved and comforted by receiving your last letter; as I find that, however we may differ on some minor points, you are quite clear from the specious but awful delusions of Irvingism; and it is (as I hoped, but could not feel sure, till I heard from you again,) that you have read the third part of the treatise you sent me, without understanding it, but willing to put a more favourable construction upon it than it will really bear. To the refutation of Mr. Irving's errors contained in the notes to my volume of sermons, I have received so many testi

monies from the wisest and most experienced Christians, that I can say with full confidence, you may rely upon the soundness and clearness of the views therein set forth and I am now about to publish what I have written on that subject as a separate tract, in the hope that, in that form, my refutation of Irvingism may have a more extensive circulation, and be more useful, than merely as forming part of a large volume.

I am afraid, my dear sister, that in your present feeble state of health, some of the discussions into which I have been led in my last two letters, have only served to give you pain and trouble, when I was most desirous of giving you help and comfort. Let us not pursue this subject, while you are unequal to it. There are points enough on which we can cordially and entirely agree. And I trust the Lord has given me grace to think of you, and write to you in Christian tenderness and sympathy, even when I think that you are decidedly wrong. I know what spiritual trials and conflicts are, both by personal and ministerial experience: therefore be not afraid to

write openly and candidly to me, as you have done, even when you fully expect that I shall differ from you. When I consider the circumstances in which you have been placed, I am not surprised at all that you should be in perplexity and temptation, or even error, on some points. Let us rather adore the grace of God, which has so far guided you aright, and trust that in due time we shall be enabled to see eye to eye, even on those points respecting which we differ at present. I am sorry that the Christian friends you mention should have introduced such points of controversy to your consideration: nor can I think that they have acted altogether with Christian kindness and consideration in so doing. But those who dissent from the Church of England, have commonly such a restless spirit of proselytism about them, that they have no consideration of times and seasons; but must bring forward the points of difference, when, in reason and charity they ought to be content to keep close to those of agreement. I gather from what you have written, and from what I have heard from our dear friend Mr. H. that you can

know but little of the religious world as yet. Let me therefore entreat you to be on your guard in reading modern books, and in conversing with the Christians you may meet with. Many take to themselves that sacred name at present, who are but hollow professors,-who can talk very speciously and plausibly; but there their religion ends. Others who are truly children of God, are yet by no means to be trusted as guides, in any respect or measure and some of those who are least fit to lead you, will yet be most diligent and urgent in their attempts to do so. It is very painful to be obliged to warn you against brethren : but I know enough of the fearful state of the religious world at present, to feel an absolute necessity of so doing. I have had pretty extensive opportunities of observing the real state of religion, and its professors, both at home and abroad, and I can assure you that the state, not only of the mere professing Church, but of the real Church, is awful and lamentable in the extreme. Never, I really believe, was the body of Christ in such a sickly and languishing condition before.

Do not think that I am confounding the Church of England with the Church of Christ; or that I fall into the mistake of speaking of the former when I ought to speak of the latter. You must, my dear sister, have wholly misunderstood many passages in my sermons if you think so; or if you imagine that I am in any measure blind to the evils at present existing in the Church of England. I see them in so awful a light that, if God should suffer His enemies and ours utterly to lay us waste and desolate, I am fully prepared to justify Him in his most tremendous judgements. But I distinguish between the Church of England, and that which usurps and arrogates to itself the name. I distinguish between the real principles of that Church and the misrepresentations of its avowed enemies on the one hand, and the evils which have been fastened upon it by its pretended friends and supporters on the other. What the Church of England really is, must be learned from a careful examination of its Articles, Homilies, and Liturgy, and from the writings of its fathers and confessors. Abuses (to which all human