Thus I have set before you a method of filling up your time with duty; with such duties, as will, every one of them, tend to promote your progress to eternal bliss. And I need now only further put you in mind, that besides these daily exercises of religion, there are seasons wherein the whole day should be taken up in the immediate service of God; excepting when we are called off by works of necessity and mercy.

Such is the Lord's day, which ought to be so strictly sanctified, that we should not so much as allow ourselves to think our own thoughts, or to speak our own words. Such are likewise occasional days of humiliation and thanksgiving. The frequent and devout celebration of these days may prove of eminent usefulness to promote the life and power of godliness. The scriptures do not indeed direct how often these should be attended to. They are a free-will offering: and the state of your soul, with the dispensations of Providence towards yourself, your family, or the church of God; and the respective business, whether temporal or spiritual, which you have before you, will be a sufficient direction as to the time and manner of performing these duties. I would suggest here one thing more: you would do wisely to keep an exact account in writing, of your daily expenditure of time. Before you go to bed, recollect, and record (at least in some brief hints) the business you have done, the duties performed, the mercies received, the frames of your soul, dispensations of Providence, with the sins and imperfections of the day past. Let this be done so, that you yourself, upon a review, can understand it; though there may be some occurrences requiring a veil of obscurity to be thrown over them, that they may not be understood by others, if ever your papers should fall into their hands. By this means, you may have always before you more

distinctly what special reformation is wanting, what special obligations you are under to God, and what proficiency you make in the school of Christ.

7. Walk by faith in the Son of God. Whatever you do, let faith in Christ be kept in daily exercise, and run through all your duties, from first to last. I have adapted my former directions to that state of suspense which you are in, with respect to your conversion to God. "You have sometimes," you tell me, "refreshing and encouraging hope, that you have had some experience of those marks of converting grace, which I have described." Be it then supposed, as I trust there is ground to suppose, that the hope you have at times is well founded; in this case your compliance with those directions is the best means of a successful and delightful progress towards your heavenly inheritance. But you complain, that " often conflict with distressing doubts and fears, that the prevalence of your corruptions, the formality and hypocrisy of your duties, and the dead, carnal frames, which you feel in yourself too frequently, are utterly inconsistent with well-grounded hopes of a renewed and sanctified soul." Now were your case indeed according to your fears, what better method could be proposed, than to attend the directions here given, in order to seek after the renewed influences of the Spirit of God?

you

But I must observe to you, there is one thing that is eminently of importance, and which seems yet wanting, in order to your maintaining a heavenly conversation, and a comfortable walk with God. To walk with God, is to walk in Christ; so that the life which we live in the flesh may be by the faith of the Son of God. It is by faith in Christ that we have access to the throne of grace; "by whom also we have access

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by faith into this grace wherein we stand," Rom. v. 2. It is by faith in Christ that our persons and services find acceptance with God. "Who hath made us accepted in the Beloved," Eph. i. 6. It is by faith. in Christ that our corruptions are mortified, and our hearts cleansed. 'Purifying their hearts by faith,' Acts xv. 9. It is by faith in Christ that we are enabled to tread the world and its idol vanities under our feet. "And this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith," 1 John v. 4. It is by faith that we enjoy the consolations and pleasures of a religious life," We have joy and peace in believing, Rom. xv. 13. It is by faith in Christ, and by our holding fast our confidence firm unto the end, that we are rendered stable and stedfast in our religious course, and enabled to persevere to the end. "Thou standest by faith; be not high minded, but fear," Rom. xi. 20. It is by faith that we obtain the sealing of the blessed Spirit, and the earnest of our future inheritance. "In whom also, after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance," Eph. i. 13, 14. And, in a word, it is by faith that we keep the mark for the prize of our high calling in view, and are actuated to the diligent pursuit of the recompence of reward. "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen," Heb. xi. 1. Thus you see, that if you would walk with God, you must walk by faith in the Son of God. Here, therefore, it seems needful to give you some plain and familiar directions.

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And I would first direct you, to look to Jesus as the author and finisher of your faith. You are," you say, "uncertain whether you have a true faith or not?" Look, then, to this fountain of all grace, to get your doubts removed, to be freed from this.

uncomfortable suspense of mind, and to be sensibly, as
well as really united to that glorious Head of all spi-
ritual influences. Be frequently lifting up your soul
to him, with such aspirations as these: "Blessed
Jesus! thou knowest the distracting doubts and
fears I am exercised with, and my perplexing uncer-
tainty of an interest in, and union unto thee, by faith
-a difficulty which thou only canst remove by the
operation of thy Holy Spirit. Thou hast invited me to
come unto thee, to buy wine and milk without money
and without price, and to take of the waters of life freely.
O Lord, I desire, I resolve to comply with the gracious
invitation. Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief.
Thou hast promised, that if I come unto thee thou wilt
in no wise cast me out. Lord, I come at thy call. Draw
me, and I shall run after thee. Thou didst come to
seek and to save that which was lost, and to call sin-
ners to repentance. As a lost, perishing sinner, I
therefore look unto thee for pardon, sanctification, and
eternal salvation. Thou only hast the words of eter-
nal life. To thee, therefore, I repair, as to the foun-
tain of life, and the foundation of all my hope, that of
thy fulness I
receive even grace
for
may
is my last refuge. Look, blessed Lord, upon a poor
guilty polluted soul! Replenish me with thy grace,
give me that faith whereby I may comply with thy
gracious invitation, rely upon thy precious promises,
and derive all supplies of grace from the inexhaustible
treasury of thy grace and goodness.'

grace.

Here

You must endeavour, likewise, to exercise faith in Christ for your justification, and for your acceptance with God in the duties of religion; to rely upon him as the Lord your righteousness, and make mention of his righteousness, even of that only I have spoken particularly to this in some of my former letters: to

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which I shall only add-You must approach the presence of God under a deep impression of your guilt, pollution, and unworthiness; and yet with an humble dependence upon the infinite merit and righteousness of Christ, for access unto God the Father, and acceptance in the Beloved. You must live in an humble confidence in Christ, as the propitiation for your sins, as your continual Advocate with the Father, and as a constant source of righteousness and strength to your soul. And all your expectations of pardoning, sanctifying, and saving mercy, must be derived only from Jesus Christ, who is our hope, the hope of Israel, and the Saviour thereof.

You must also exercise faith in Christ for quickening and strengthening, as well as justifying grace. Do your corruptions prevail? Bring them to the cross of Christ. Look to, and humbly depend upon the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, to make you free from the law of sin and death. Do dead, carnal, or formal frames, prevail upon you? Strive to quicken your soul by enlivening meditations on the amazing transactions of redeeming love, and firmly rely upon Christ for the quickening influences of his Spirit. You will always find your soul enlivened, your graces invigorated, and your affections spiritualized, in proportion to your humble, steady, cheerful dependence upon Christ, for all those supplies of grace you stand in need of. Thus, then, wait upon the Lord Jesus Christ, and be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord. So shall you mount up with wings as the eagle; you shall run, and not be weary; you shall walk, and not faint.

I will only subjoin, that you must live by faith, under all your various circumstances of life, and under