NiumU. 11. A L E N 7.)4a$,1141 Dear Brother, ` p S fure as Love is a Fruit of the Spirit,, the Chara/teç óf a Saint yea, the ` ß more excellent way, and as terminatedon him whom wgglose.in the$apgts, is the moff high andnoble Grace, as being the Beginning and,tnd, the Sp, iLgpf ' all other Holy Affections and A&ions, and the enjoyning Mt that's net our ` End, fo far is that State.toyou a growing State, in whichyou .increafelti lloly 'Love, and fo fare was that a decliningState. in which your Charity was ftreyig }t, ' ned and diminifhed : and as fure is that.Doetrine of ChriT that lcadeth.to an ` univerfal Los-e.of-Saints, and thi, againit Chrift, ,which is ágáinft it Ia i ner the leaft Grief of my own, Soul, that in the -eager Defenceof that whrclgi I' t judge to be,the Truth, 1-have done any, thing prejudicial to my own or Trethtens ' Charity. Upon petnfal Ì now find that,many of my Speeches in my Book.ofIn ' fant Bpptifm have been too provoking, of;whiéh I heartily, repent,, though j dare ' not of the Dohfrine. The Frame of out-Affeetions doth ,pooch adyanrage. or 'difadvantage our Judgments, andExperience is a help to both.. This I perceive you have found as well es 1: All floly Truths muff be entertained with iruxt,4h ' fehhions; with Sorrow.for any thing that we leave done, agatnf them 4.0.tk `Love, and Joy, and Gratitude to the bountiful R.eyealer of them.. F coat ` you her enumerate, as revealed tglyou, are very weighty, becaufe Of fie app. t etical Nature, and publpek.ufe; andErgo, you muff be.true to them, and nfe '-them accordingly : they arafinch as leave no room for Doubting, as bearing their ' Teltimony fo legible in their Forehead : This being concluded that they areees. ` tain Truths, it may much:help you,to judgeof your following. Troubles:. I (a69 ` reduce all that I have to fay for Refolution to theft Propofirions. r. The Word of ,God,. and not the Troubles ofyour.own Spirit, is the flandingRule bywhich '.you mutt judge of Duty, and Sig You cannot know either byyour Trembles im, ' mediately, but as they awaken or help you to underftand that Word. 2. Ìt is EX- ' go, molt certain that none of your Troubles fhould in the leaft meafure, move ypu from the certain; Truths, which by the Light of this Word bath beenmade known to you. All the Troublesin the Werld will not alter Scripture, and make ', Truth ró be noTruth : You mutt not onceoffer to try Scripture Truths by your 'Feelings, but your Feelings by theft Truths, 3. You must ..therefore firft fèe ' whether You obey the Truth revealed to you ;.. which plainly requireth you fielt a to manifelt Repentance for lb soucis breach of Truth or Unity,. or Charityas you have feenyour (elf Guilty of. 2. And to be Guilty of the fame no more. Now whether you live in that Sin, or out of ir, I leave to you to judge. And no doubt but it is your Duty to do your utmoft, to draw all thole out of it, whom you have encouraged in it, and as many more as you can. There are but their two Opeltions then before you ; What is the Canto of your Trouble ? and how you fhould difpofe ofyour fell for the future. And to the flirt 1 anfwer in this fourth ' Prop orlon: Though we know in general that Sin is the deferving Caufe, and God's Wildem and Love the difpofing Caufe ; yet it is not ear): to find out the a particular Sins, nor the particular Defign of Love : but the former is the more eafy by the help of Scripture, which fheweth us our Sin more fully than, God's `future intended Works. ç.But,as it is certain that no Providence is to be interpreted '. againff a Precept ; fo, as tar as Ican conjecture ar this diftance,your Trouble is molt likelyto arifè from thefe connexed Caufes:- r,FromTome Melancholy that bath got Advantage of your Head,by the Thoughtfulnefs,Perplexity, and the firft abttual Dif- quienuents.z. From Satans Temptations workingon this Advantage; but of the fielt 1 aro nocompetent judge, hecaufe diffant : But I ftrongly fuf,teâ it (by long Experience in Multitudesof that Diftemper, who few of them will believe that < they have it dremfelves). But of the f econd I am more confident : Satan cannot. trouble us soben he will, but r. When Sin bath procured him a Permiflion r and A. When forne Melancholy or Difquietments have given him an Advantage. P have met with few Perlons that ever fell into any Calamity by Sin, but Satan did `verymuch trouble them when they attempted the means of their. Recovery. The 'Difquietments and Horrors that feize upon molt ungodly Perlons, when they are about coming homeby Chriff, may be fromGod principally, but from'Satanas the loft, ument of his Wrath, and as permitted so try them. Whenever any ` efcape any notable Snare ofSatan (in State or Faft) ufually Satan roareth and ra- ` geth to hinder them, if pofible, till the efcape is made, and then God meeteth them with further Light and Love ë Pharaoh follows thenu into the Red Sea, and GofiI fi Si:r ,r;r
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