our God! We complain of dry withering days; alas! we ourselves are the fole caufe. We have offended, have grievoufly offended and provoked the Lord to refuse us good things. Nay, alas! we are not at the pains to ask him. Hitherto we have asked him nothing. Owhat shame, fin, and folly to us, that we will not ask when we have fo much need of one, of all his bleffings! O what shame, fin, and folly to us, that we will not even have mercies unasked, will not open our mouth wide that he may fill it! O if God would make us wifer! O what a portion, a bleffed, an eternal portion, you, and we, and our young ones may find in Chrift! And, that we could take a mutual lift of one another's cafes and families to a throne of grace, might I not address yours thus: My dear young friends, O think for what end you were born, were kept, had Christian education, and have been often called to the fellowship of Jefus! Is there any more excellent, more comely, more deferving at your hands than Jefus, who loved us, and gave himself for us? O no! furely no! O then give him your loves, your earliest loves! Now you are poffeft of the very tendereft paffions. O furrender all to Chrift! To each of you he addreffes himself, My daughter give me your heart. O let none of you fay him nay! How happy you, if the back room, fo convenient for pouring out the heart to God, were a bride chamber, a fellowship chamber between you and your Chrift! I remember a ftory, that, when one, in a pretty large company, faid, perhaps there is one here without Chrift, the hint fo affected them all, that they never refted till they were all fure they were in Chrift. Let my saying to you, my young women," Perhaps one of you may be yet without

dear

without Chrift," have a like effect on you. Can virgin love be better placed than on our divine Hufband? Can early years be better spent than in fellowship with him? Can any robes be like his righteousness and grace? O! feek first the kingdom of God and the righteousness thereof, and all things fhall be added to you. O let eternity, eternity be written in your young hearts!

HADDINGTON, October 29. 1767. S

Yours affectionately, &c.

- Since I faw you laft I have not been altogether well; grief, and fear, and one thing and another, has not a little difpirited me. O! if ye find him whom I am fure my foul fhould love, tell him that I have uncommon need of his pity under my prefent guilt, plaguer, and talks.

and

LETTER VIII.

DEAR FRIENDS,

Confidering the kindness I have received from you

your parents, I fhould be extremely ungrateful if I did not with your real welfare: That lies chiefly in your being Chriftians indeed. O let that be your chief care! let your early love, your early truft be fixed in Jefus Chrift. Whatever other young women do, ferve ye the Lord. Is it poffibie any can deferve your affection more than Chrift? Is pedigree honourable? Is not he the only begotten of the Father? Is beauty amiable? and, Is he not the brightnefs of the Father's glory, the

exprefs image of his perfon, and fairer, infinitely fairer, than all the children of men? Is wisdom to be chofen? Is not he the wifdom of God, and the power of God? Is wealth defired? In him it pleafed the Father that all fulness fhould dwell. The Father loved the Son, and gave all things into his hand. Is grace valuable? He is full of grace and truth. Is love engaging? Behold how he loved us, in giving himself for us and to us! O how aftonishing! that God, bleffed forever, should give himfelf to be a curfe for you or me; that the infinitely lovely, all in all, thould give himself a portion to us, without money, and without price. Is falvation necessary to you and me, poor, loft finners? Is not Jefus the falvation of God to all the ends of the earth? Let then that fair, that kind, that wife, that rich, that everlasting, and all-comprehending Jefus, be the Husband, the beloved, the portion of your foul. When your affections are tender, what delightful fellowship you might have with Jefus Chrift! O let not the pride, the folly, the fashions of this world, nor the corrupt lufts of your heart, get in between your affections and the bleffed Redeemer! But, in the beginning of a religious courfe, make fure work; ; for one may have many early motions of affection towards fpiritual things, and yet be but almost a Chriftian. Beware of learning a trifling way of going about prayer, and reading God's word. Let your heart be engaged; now is your fummer, your harvest for eternity! Let your foul be pained whenever you fpend time without fome out-going of heart to Chrift. Be much given to converfe with your own heart, in pofing it with important questions, and in laying on it folemn charges. Take

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up

with no companions, as your intimates, except fucli as fear God. It might be worth your while to peruse the lives of Elizabeth Cairns, Eliza Watt, Guthrie's trial, Mead's almost Christian; but, above all, the precious book of God.

No date.

Yours affectionately, &c.

fifters in age, may it

Since you have the start of your

be your care to excel, and be a pattern to them in a gracious and holy conversation.

LETTER IX.

The REV. MR JOHN BROWN to the COUNTESS of HUNTINGBON,

MADAM,

In confequence of a meffage from the Rev. Mr Shir ley, I have, fo far as the late death of a dear confort, and penury of time permitted, thrown together a few thoughts upon the doctrine of juftification through Jefuis' blood, that great foundation of all our holiness and comfort, and tranfmitted them to your care. But, fince the High and Lofty One, that inhabiteth eternity, appears to have fingled you out as one of the not many noble that are called; has efponfed you to his Son, and rendered you an eternal, a diftinguifhed debtor to the exceeding riches of his grace, and a zealous contender for the leading points once delivered to the faints; might not I, an unknown and inconfiderable friend of the

1

bridegroom, for your encouragement, speak a word in his behalf?

7

Truly, noble lady, let your life have Christ for its all and in all, Phi. i. 21. Let it be a looking to Chrift, a coming to Christ, a receiving out of Chrift's fulness, a refting on, and rejoicing in Chrift; and, in fine, a worfhipping and ferving of the Lord Chrift. Amidst all the temptations of an high life, let your meditation of him be sweet. When you wake may you still be with him. What are all the dignities, the glories of creation, in respect of him, the brightness of his Father's glory, the King, the God of glory? O! fweet to us! the Man, God's fellow! the Word made flesh! God bone of our bone, and flesh of our flefh! Our Brother born for adverfity! Our Friend that fticketh closer than a brother! Immanuel, God with us! Our Mediator between God and us Thrice bleffed, thrice wondrous and effectual means of reconcilement! Bleffed furety of the better teftament, that undertook and paid our infinite debt, till God could take no more! Powerful Redeemer, that takes us a prey from the mighty, and delivers us the lawful captives. Bleffed Prophet, to whom God hath given the tongue of the learned to speak: words in feafon to our weary fouls, and whofe words are fpirit and life; are like, new wine that goes down' fweetly; they cause our dumb and dull hearts to fing." Great High Prieft of things to come, that loved us, and: gave himself for us! All-prevailing Advocate with the Father, that welcomes us with all our perplexed cafes, and defperate like cafes! Our Prince of Peace to com-" mand