Great Gransden, February 24th, 1742-3.

Rev. Sir,-While I was reading the account which you gave me of these dear lambs which are seeking after Jesus, and particularly of those who told you, that at times they were as ill as ever, on account of their feeling of indwelling sin, and fears about their acceptance with God thereupon, I felt a yearning of bowels towards them, and was inclined to write a line to them. And if, sir, you think it proper, I request the favour of you, to get the underwritten read to them by one of those experienced Christians who assemble with them when they meet in society; perhaps a word from a stranger may be taken notice of by them. However I leave it with the Lord, and submit to your prudence, to act as he shall direct you. Wishing great prosperity in the Lord and his work. I remain, &c.

To the dear young lambs in Kilsyth, that are seeking after Christ, a friend of theirs sendeth greeting: wishing all salvation through the Saviour's name.

My dear little Children,-With joy I received an account from the dear servant of Christ, your honoured minister, Mr. Robe, that the Lord has inclined your hearts to seek after him, that the great Shepherd is gathering you with his arm, that some of you are carried in his bosom; and that some of you who are got in to Christ are distressed at times with the feeling of indwelling sin, and fears about your interest in God, and acceptance with him on that account.

And unto you, my dear children, who are seeking after Jesus, and have not as yet sensibly found him whom your souls love, to you let me say, follow on to know the Lord, and you shall know him.-You were born sinners, guilty and filthy you were in your first father Adam; you sinned in and fell with him in his first transgression. And as his degenerate offspring, you were conceived in sin and shapen in iniquity, and came into the world with a sinful nature, all over defiled from head to foot, with hearts full of enmity against God, and bent to backslide from him; and you have

gone astray even from the womb, and the righteous law of God curseth every transgressor, and the wages of sin is death: and while souls abide in their natural state they are in apparent danger of God's eternal vengeance. But, oh! behold, God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. Jesus has borne the wrath and curse of God, for the law condemned sinners that deserved to die the death; Christ has died in the sinner's room; the blood of the Son of God has been shed instead of the sinner's; Jesus gave his life a ransom for sinners, to satisfy offended justice, and procure our redemption from all misery unto all glory, to save us from sin and hell and to bring us unto God. And God is so well pleased with what his dear Son has done and suffered for sinners, that he can be gracious to them, and has promised to exalt his grace, magnify his mercy in forgiving their sins and saving their souls unto life eternal, even to the chief of sinners; to every and all of them that come unto him by Jesus Christ will God be thus gracious.-Are you convinced then, my dear children, that you are miserable sinners, and must perish for ever, if God of his infinite mercy doth not save your souls? Then consider that Christ is the way to the Father. God invites and commands you to believe on his dear Son, to come unto Christ for life, and by him to God the Father, for all that grace and salvation which your perishing souls want. Christ is able to save you to the uttermost; and lo he is willing to save every poor sinner that comes to him; the Saviour invites heavy-laden sinners, even all that are weary and burdened with sin, to come unto him, and has promised to give them rest if they do.. And no one soul that cometh unto him will he in anywise cast out. Come then, my dear children, cast yourselves, as perishing sinners, at the Saviour's feet, and you shall find mercy. The arms of Christ stand wide open to receive returning sinners; and if you would find mercy with him, bring nothing with you but your misery. Christ saves all freely, without money and without price, without any worth or worthiness. The Saviour does not look for these, in the souls that

he saves; but only calls them to come to him in all their misery, to receive that full and complete salvation which he prepared for them, and will bestow upon them freely. And no soul that comes, let him be ever so poor and miserable, wretched and blind and naked, shall be sent empty away. And wait, my dear children, wait patiently for the Lord; for he hath said, "They shall not be ashamed that wait for me." And with Christ, in Christ, you shall find life, eternal life, and shall obtain favour of the Lord.

And unto you, my dear children, that have found Jesus, and the comforts of his love in his precious promises to your souls; unto you I say, that none of all your enemies-sin, Satan, and wicked men-shall ever pluck you out of your Saviour's hands. He will give you eternal life, and you shall never perish. The Lord that hath begun to save you will save you to the uttermost. He that hath forgiven your sins will subdue your iniquities. "The God of peace will bruise Satan under your feet shortly." That little spark of grace which he hath enkindled in your souls shall not be quenched by these waters of sin, that sea of corruption which still abides in your depraved nature. Though sin and grace war in your dear souls, yet grace shall get the victory over sin. The Lord Jesus, the Captain of your salvation, will vanquish all your corruptions, trample these your enemies under his feet, and cause you to set your feet upon their necks; yet a little while, and these enemies, which pursue and affright your souls to-day, you shall see no more for ever: they shall sink as lead into the mighty waters of the boundless, alloverflowing grace of God, and the infinite merit of the Saviour's blood; and you, as the redeemed of the Lord, *shall sing the Lamb's new song, and say, "Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen." Oh, dear souls! you who have a painful feeling of the working of sin within you have the forgiveness of sins through the Lamb's blood: your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake, and God has wrought the new life of grace in your souls, or else the

workings of sin would not grieve you. If you have a painful feeling of the body of death, it is because you are alive from the dead: and because Christ lives, you shall live also; because he lives for you and in you, and his life will swallow up all your death. That death of sin which now works in you shall shortly be swallowed up of perfect holiness, joy, and life for evermore. And meantime your Saviour will succour you under all your sorrows, compassionate your souls under all your griefs from the being and working of indwelling sin, and give seasonable grace to strengthen you against corruption and temptation. The grace of Christ is sufficient for you, and his strength shall be made perfect in your weakness. And lo, your interest in Christ, and in God through him, doth not in the least depend upon your frames, nor shake and totter as they alter. Your Beloved is yours, and you his: he hath betrothed you unto himself for ever, and hateth putting away: he will never cast you off for your vileness, for all that you have done. And God has engaged, in his new covenant, to be a God, a Father to you, and you shall be his people, his sons and his daughters; and hath sworn that he will no more be wroth with you, that his kindness towards you shall never depart, but stand firmer than the mountains and hills, outlive time and run on its own everlasting round to an endless eternity. And as for your acceptance with God, it is quite out of yourselves; it stands alone in the person, blood, and righteousness of Christ, who is yesterday, to-day, and for ever the same. God the Father has made you accepted everlastingly accepted in Christ, the beloved of his soul. And in him you have an everlasting standing in divine favour that is quite independent upon your own inherent goodness. God accepts you, my dear children, for Christ's sake, on the account of what he is and hath done, and not on the account of what you are or can perform; salvation is all of grace, a mere free gift to the chief of sinners. The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Therefore, my dear little children, abide in Christ by faith. Run daily, as perishing sinners, unto him the great Saviour; and there you shall be for ever

safe from the storms of God's wrath, and eternally solaced with his present favour. Into the arms of Christ I commit you, as his tender lambs, to be carried safe in his bosom, through a world of trials into a world of glory and am yours most tenderly in Jesus," &c.

Third Journal from Kilsyth, sent by a letter from the Minister, June 9th, 1742.

E. F., about twenty-five years of age, blameless in his former life, and professing religion, began to be convinced more than ordinarily about his spiritual state, from the day he heard the Rev. Mr. Willison of Dundee preach here about the 23rd of April. This concern increased the Lord's day thereafter, upon his seeing a young girl awakened and fainting in the congregation. He says, that he reasoned thus within himself, that when a girl so young was so deeply affected with a sense of her sin and danger, his case was sad, who was so little affected.

Upon the Lord's day, being the 16th of May, when there were many brought into spiritual distress, his anxiety about his soul greatly increased.

Monday morning he went to a sheep-cote for prayer. By the way he was much concerned, fearing that the Lord had passed him by, and earnestly desiring that the Holy Spirit might come for his conviction and awakening. As soon as he came thither and bowed his knees to pray, he said, "O mighty God of Jacob, why passest thou by me? send thy Holy Spirit to convince and awaken me, and give me a discovery of myself." Upon which he fell into great distress, seeing himself lost and undone, and thought he got a sight of all his sins, both original and