MADAM,

LETTERS.

THREE LETTERS TO A LADY.

LETTER I.

I AM under great obligations to your good family, and even therefore you may command me, whenever I can be of the least service to you. I believe your turning your thoughts as you do, towards the greatest and most valuable concern that can possibly be, can never be thought amiss by your worthy relations, and that they would even approve of the substance of what I say. It is certainly right for every one, being come to years of reflection, to consider the end for which he was made, and how his existence may be rendered spiritually and eternally happy. And this is apt to present itself, at first, not only as an important, but exceeding difficult matter: and so indeed it would have been, had not the mercy and faithfulness of our Redeemer been so great, and his merits so effectual for us his poor creatures. Separately from him, how could we ever think to raise ourselves to the

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divine favour, or to rectify our nature, heart, and life.

The notion of a very laborious, hazardous, and troublesome race, in order to gain eternal happiness, would be but just, if we considered only what our make and substance is, and what God and eternity are; but God be praised, we need not, ought not, to consider these alone: because we have a Mediator. He has taken the great burden and difficulty upon himself; has in his own body borne and atoned for all our sins upon the cross, is intent now upon saving every soul that does not refuse his help, and pursues this work in us as diligently, tenderly, and constantly, as if it was his own affair. He himself has undertaken to renew and sanctify, and to bring us to glory; and the very first thought we have about such things, was darted into us by him, and he will not rest till he brings it to its accomplishment. When we, therefore, at any time are seriously and religiously disposed, we ought to think it proceeds from this, that we have now a call and invitation from Jesus Christ our dear Lord, who once bled and died for us, stands at present in person before our hearts, and touches them with his grace; and if we only resign ourselves to him, and suffer ourselves to be inwardly instructed about the great mystery of his dying love, and the application of his powerful merits and atonement to our own soul, we shall soon experience a peace which passes all understanding, and a close and everlasting union with him. Our Christian life through all its steps, will afterwards be guided and supported by his faith

ful care, because we belong to him as members of his body, and his refreshing communications of himself to our heart will sweeten it all in such a manner as those can never imagine, who look only at the work and tasks that are to be done, and have not yet conversed in spirit with their Redeemer, received pardon and comfort from his own mouth, and consented and ventured to live in and by him for the future. They are Scripture expressions, that we live by faith in him; that we are found in him, not having our own righteousness which is of the law, but the righteousness which is of God by faith; that his peace and love rule in our hearts; that we are washed in his blood, made children of God by adoption, and sealed with the holy Spirit of promise. Nor are they mere expressions, but they are accordingly experienced by those who give credit to the word of God, and to the sweet intimations of which men may grace feel sometimes in their own hearts. For at such times, as I said before, we are properly invited and drawn by him, our invisible Friend, into a close union and alliance with himself, through the forgiveness of sins in his blood; and this same gracious attachment of our hearts to him, is the very substance of our conversion and salvation, and brings all other graces, virtues, and endowments along with it. And this, I think, is the greatest error of the present age, that when people are endeavouring to be good and religious, they do not at the same time fix their eyes sufficiently upon the Lamb of God himself; who died for them, and is now waiting to bless them in a higher manner

than they imagine. You see what is the chief advice I now can give you, and I need add no more now, but recommend you to his grace, which, I do not doubt, you will more and more apply to him for. As you are desirous of reading some book that may be helpful to you, and would have me recommend such a one, I know of none that is likely to furnish more seasonable thoughts to you (after the Scripture itself) than a little book that has been published here some time ago, under the title of Sixteen Discourses on the Second Part of the Creed concerning Jesus Christ our Lord, preached J. G. at Berlin.

LETTER II.

MADAM,

I HAVE now been a long time in your debt, but I am very well assured that the want of a few poor lines from me has been no detriment to you, since we all absolutely depend upon a divine invisible instructor, who has certainly been nigh to you; he alone makes the personal, powerful, and emphatical application to the heart of those great Scripture doctrines, the general truth of which it is our duty to inculcate on one another, but which you however have so good a conception of, that there For you are seems to need no further inculcation. convinced that our Saviour's precious blood is sufficient to wash away all guilt and misery in general, yea to entitle and seal us unto everlasting happiness.

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You may very justly

You have also, you say, some distant hope that Christ is your Saviour, and this because he died for the ungodly. We can indeed lay claim to him no other foundation, but his great and known love to sinners. This is what I also ground my hope upon, and find it an inexpressibly sweet consideration, that such miserable creatures, as we are, can now be as kindly embraced by sovereign mercy, as if we had done nothing amiss, and what we loathe and abhor ourselves for, inclines him to pity, instead of punishing; and more remarkably to help, hallow, and glorify. Praised for ever be that atonement and blood-shedding of our Mediator, which hath wrought such a change in our state. think, therefore, that he is your Saviour, because he is indeed the Saviour of the whole human race, as soon as they are in distress and cry to him. besides this, I think you may discover tokens of his particular love to you, in that he has found access to your heart so early, and notwithstanding all impediments: and in that he has led your meditations to the most necessary, wholesome, and life-giving subject, which so many other minds even otherwise serious, are unhappily diverted from. Hence, although I firmly believe, as already mentioned, that none are on God's part excluded from mercy, but that the door of salvation is open to all, yet, supposing the case were so, that but a few were elected, (which is indeed true in some sense, only it is a false conclusion, that therefore none of the rest can or will arrive to eternal happiness,) you would however still have the best reason that I know of to

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