No. III.

To the Same,

DEAR SIR, Nov. 4, 1760. PERHAPS you will wonder when I tell you I am not surprised to hear what has happened at H. Wherever the Gospel is preached there will be mistakes even among the sincere; and opposers will catch at any shadow, and invent falsehoods, to keep off conviction, and harden themselves in the worst of errors. "I an advocate for "the merit of good works!"—I abhor the very sound of the words from my heart, and cannot imagine what there was in my sermons to ground such a misapprehension upon. I thank God, I have long been established in the belief of the 11th article of our church, not being able to find comfort or sure footing any where else; and would ask those miserable mistakers of the Gospel, who are for laying any other foundation, whether they dare say in cool blood that what they think the best action of their lives, or the choicest grace of their souls, will bear to be tried in God's balance; and if not, what will they do with all the rest? There is no trifling here; the soul is lost by sin, and how it can be recovered by actions which have a mixture of sin in them, as the best have, is not to be conceived. The consequence is plain: Salvation is a gift from first to last, altogether free and undeserved; and the man was never humbled, never considered what a fiery trial he has to go through, who can think of challenging it as a debt, in whole or in part. I am not vindicating myself to you and Mr. V. on this point, which I suppose to be quite needless; but give you leave to mention what I have said, wherever you think it may be necessary, and

have pricked my finger, as the poor boy Leaf did, to sign it.*

It is true, in all my discourses, I endeavour, as much as possible, to take in the whole scheme-repentance, faith, holiness; and, if insisting on the last, in its due connexion and for right ends, is preaching up works, I cannot help it. Wo be to those who separate what God has joined; for though faith alone saves us, and not according to the common gloss, if it works by love; yet I contend that faith is not faith, if it does not work by love, keep the commandments, and make us new creatures. My dear Mr. V. will be upon his guard, and watch zealously over such of his converts as would make Gospel-grace a pretence for sloth, or low attainments, and, by not building themselves up in their most holy faith, give occasion to the adversaries of the truth to speak reproachfully of it; and I say farther to him, fear not: proceed quietly and steadily in dependence on the arm of the Lord. Let him tell his flock not to give heed to any other Gospel, by whomsoever preached. If he expects to have things go on smoothly, he is sadly out in his reckoning. It is a poor artifice of the father of lies to set me in opposition to him; but this calumny, if despised, will die away of itself.

Those who are influenced by his preaching, and truly awakened, will soon discover what a wretched condition they are in, with respect to works; the rest must fret and speak all manner of evil, and prop themselves, as well as they can, with their own doings. It is something remarkable, that commonly those who have the fewest good works, and are evidently not in a state of careful walking and working, should build most upon them. Ask

them what they mean by it, and you will find it is little more than that they do not pick pockets, and knock down every one they meet.

I desire my love to Mr. and Mrs. V., to whom I write this as well as to you, and am your and their affectionate

No. IV.

THO. ADAM.

I

On the Death of my Wife.

July 29, 1760. IF I have true charity, I need never want a wife. My parish, my family, my relations, my friends, every soul will be the object of my conjugal tenderness, and the exercise of it, from a root of love and obedience to my Saviour, a never-failing source of the purest delight.

I find I have settled that love upon one which is due to all. This is a painful stroke; but I am sensible it is in order to another, and a more painful one; vand may my God enable me to submit to it, and make it effectual to his own blessed end. Now is the time for a total separation from the world and the flesh, by the sharp knife of circumcision. Now God calls me to a full choice of him. Now Christ says to me, Wilt thou be made whole? Now the Spirit stands ready with his purifying fire to do his office in me. Holy and eternal Trinity. Amen.

1

t

O my soul, thy lawful comforts have been a snare to thee, and thou hast well nigh ruined thyself by creaturedependence. Know thy support. Know it is thy God. Know how wretchedly thou hast been deceived, and turn to him that smiteth thee.

O Lord, thou hast struck me to the ground, and what wouldest thou have me to do? I know: Speak it evidently to my heart. If my own rebellious will does not oppose thy gracious design, I know I shall not want illumination and help.

I see plainly I am come to the turning point. From this day forward, a life of faith or sensuality ; —of heavenly affections or prevailing love of earthly things; of slavery or freedom; - of self-pleasing or entire devotedness to God.

One chain may bind us as fast to the world as a thousand. I have seemed to myself to be above it in many respects, but am sadly convinced it has all along had possession of me, and that my love of it, though less discernible, was, perhaps, more strong through centring in one object. Oh, that I might be buried in the same grave with her; and that, henceforth, I had nothing to do in the world but to live to Him that died for me, and love God with a pure heart fervently!

It is necessary for me to obliterate as much as possible all such thoughts and remembrances of the deceased as may augment my sorrows, make resignation to God more difficult, and obstruct his salutary operations.

Affliction, in union with grace, works powerfully to the healing of the soul; and if the former does not send us to the latter, we shall not experience the healing benefit of the great Physician. I can now think, if the dear deceased was alive again, what would I not do, forbear, or suffer, for her sake: but if I am not willing to do as much for Christ, what can be the reason of it but want of love?

O, my heart!-Nature has had its turn in great weak, ness. When I went into the room where she was laid out, the sight of a breathless, extended, icy corpse, so loved,-too much loved, drew a flood of tears from me, with

many sobs. I had not fortified myself before-hand by prayer and the exercise of resignation.

Blessed be God, I was more strengthened at her funeral, and hope I shall always remember it as an earnest of what he will do for me, upon all occasions, if I fly to his power.

If I look out for ease from the present distress any way but by resignation to the will of God, and desire of complete union with it for the remainder of my life, I take myself out of his hands, suffer without improvement, am still at the mercy of events, and shall be unprepared for my own death.

I have lost the dear partner of my heart, to whom I used to unbosom myself without reserve, and communicate all my thoughts and cares, designs and wishes, joys and griefs, and in the want of her seem to myself as if I were left alone in the midst of a desert. Recal thyself, O ́my soul, wake from this stupor of a vain sorrow, and do not indulge a thought to harden thyself in it. Where is thy God? If thou hast him to go to, what canst thou complain of? Make him thy friend and counsellor. He is now inviting and even forcing thee into his presence and familiarity. Speak as freely to him as thou didst to her, and look so well to thyself that thou needest not to be afraid to tell him all thy secrets.

"

No. V.

A Prayer used by MR. ADAM in a Fit of the Stone.

O LORD, my Maker and Redeemer, I thank thee for all thy goodness to me, thy unworthy creature, and especially for the great mercy of the stone. I know thou sendest it for good, that I may make deep search into