Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

alfo the many afflictions attending the fame, fhall infallibly work for my eternal good? What reafon have I to cry out, and say with astonishment of foul, Mic. vii. 18. Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and paffeth by the tranfgreffion of the remnant of his heritage? He retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. Blefs his name; who out of darkness produceth light, and out of the greateft evil can bring the greatest good *.

And is it fo, that, notwithstanding the many and great oppofitions and tribulations I am to meet with in the world, I fhall, through Chrift accompanying and ftrengthening me, be brought through them, and made complete conqueror in the end? How greatly zealous ought I to be in loving and lauding the true and living God, Father, Son, and Holy

*Though this be a truth, That all things do work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose, Rom. viii. 28. who are in covenant with God, in union with Chrift; who are created anew, and are new creatures in Jefus; who cannot fin with the bent of their renewed will, nor with the affent of their heavenly minds; nor love fin after the inner man; the body of death, or the old man, being quite diftin&t from the new man, who cannot fin because he is born of God. Wherefore it is no more the faints that fin, according to the new man, but fin that dwells in them, according to the old man.-Let none take licence from this paragraph to indulge their lufts; remember the author ftiles his narrative, "A Cordial for Sin-fick and Despairing Souls," not an encouragement for prefumptuous finners, whose mind and confcience are both defiled. W. H. S. S.

Ghost,

Ghoft, whofe tremendous and glorious name is infinitely transcending all praifes which faints or angels are capable of giving.

And feeing that from henceforth, till I come to heaven, the fpecial providence of God will be with me in every change of condition, fo as nothing fhall be able to do me harm; what unfpeakable caufe have I to fear, with a reverential, holy, and filial fear, the glorious name and infinite majefty of the great God; and how unbecoming me, for whom God hath done fo many and wonderful things, will it be to fear either devils or men, who set themfelves against God, and his Son's intereft? O my foul, rejoice now in God, who is become thy falvation; and fear nothing but what may any way grieve his holy and tender spirit.

Marvellous and unutterable were thofe manifeftations of God's love let out upon me his poor nothing creature in that moment of his Spirit's fealing me in believing, and by the fenfe whereof the Holy Ghoft filled up thofe vallies and bottoms in my foul and confcience, occafioned by the fharp and terrible workings of the fpirit of bondage. And as the manifeftations but now mentioned were in themselves marvellous and aftonishing, fo were alfo the fenfible effects they produced in me wonderful and ravifhing.

Those effects I reduce for order's fake to fix heads: First, The horror and guilt of my confcience was gone, which was fucceeded by the anfwer of a

good

good confcience towards God, which did inwardly fuggeft and dictate to me, that my state and condition Godward is truly fafe and most happy.

Secondly, The fpiritual vail which covered my heart and mind, and which kept me from seeing into the mystery of the gofpel, was taken off, like scales or a web off the eyes of a blind man ; whereby I was enabled to fee and behold who and what Jefus, held forth in the gofpel, is to me.

Thirdly, The affrighting distractions and overwhelming hurricanes of my despairing foul, occafioned by my continual expectation of being sent to hell, were turned into an unexpected and foulfurprising calm and fedate frame of spirit.

Fourthly, The fpirit of flavish fear, which on every occafion tormented and racked me, vanished; and the fpirit of power, of love, and of a found mind, was given me.

my

Fifthly, The joy and comforts of the Holy Ghoft were communicated to me in fuch a measure as unspeakably paffeth my frail capacity to tell forth or express, which occafioned me to call to mind former wondering; and mufing, while going on in the way of my ignorant and blind zeal in ferving God before the fpirit of bondage vifited me, to think what the joy of the Holy Ghoft fhould mean. Whenever I did read of the joy of the Holy Ghost, or did hear any mention thereof joy of the Holy Ghost, think I, Lord, what is that? What

.is

is the meaning of it? I cannot tell or apprehend what this joy of the Holy Ghoft fhould be.

Sixthly, The fpirit of adoption was given me whereby I was enabled to come to God's throne of grace, and with a holy and humble boldness to call him my God and my Father. The instinct in the new creation wrought by the God of all grace in me, led me to God as the fountain of all good.

The Spirit given me, putting into my mouth words of folemn thanks and praife, for the greatness and ftrangeness of my falvation.

To my knees I betook me, adoring and worfhipping with my fpirit that holy Jehovah, Trinity in Unity, and Unity in Trinity; Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft; the true and eternal God; whom all the time of my blind zeal, and during the time of my bondage state, I had fo ignorantly worshipped. I was now, and never before, enabled, Jacob like, to catch hold of, and to wrestle with a reconciled God. The greatnefs, holiness, and infinitenefs of his majesty, which, before I knew him in Chrift, terrified and affrighted me with a witness, animated and encouraged me in praying to him. It is not to be expressed in words with what alacrity and cheerfulness of spirit I approached the throne of grace, and with what enlarged and inward meltings of heart and foul I called upon God. When I did but mention this, My God and my Father, Oh, what ravishment of foul did I experimentally feel, overflowing and drowning my very fspirit! G

Το

[ocr errors]

To my bed I went with a glad and ravished heart Christ knows; the burning inflammation which the horror and bondage of my wounded and defpairing confcience caused in my body was gone, and my body's difpofition to crookednefs, through the finking weight which lay on my spirit within, was inftantly rebuked and caused to retreat, by the glad and joyful tidings of gofpel peace, which that night took up its lodging within me; fucceeding and powerfully fupplanting that spirit of bondage which made me fo hopeless, and as I thought paft all poffibility of escaping hell.

No fooner was I ftretched in my bed, but fwooning and fainting fits of love-fickness feized me; I was inwardly and fpiritually fo apprehenfive of the mysteriousness of Chrift's incarnation, his humbling himself even to death, his lying confined as a prisoner in the grave, and his being raised therefrom: again, his afcending to heaven from whence he came, and his fitting down at the Father's right hand to enter on the work of interceffion with God, and that as my furety and mediator, and all for me, that I verily thought my body was near its diffolution; a thing which the clear and certain affurance given me of my being an adopted Son of God, made me even long and pant after. My thoughts and meditations were now wholly employed about Chrift, and that bleffed change which I fenfibly felt was paffed on me.

The

« AnteriorContinuar »