come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me. I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God. Pf. Ixix. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my fin: for I acknowledge my tranfgreffions, and my fin is ever before me. Purge me with by sop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than fnow. Reftore unto me the joy of thy Salvation, and uphold me with thy free fpirit. Pfalm li. And again-0, my God, my foul is caft down within me therefore will I remember thee from the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites from the bill Mizar. Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy water-fpouts: all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me. Pfalm xlii. In the above the pfalmift feels the fpirit of bondage, which is wrath and fear; and he prays for the joy of God's falvation, and to be upheld by God's free fpirit; which is the Holy Spirit, the fpirit of love and power. He complains of deep calling unto deep. A foul in the horrible pit hears little elfe but the calls of law and justice for vengeance, which are always anfwered again by the accufations of Satan and confcience. The ftorms of Sinai, like a water-fpout at fea, threaten the earthen veffel with a deluge of wrath, which would foon drown it in deftruction and perdition. Thefe waves of real, and fome imaginary difpleasure (no lefs terrible than real) rolling over the poor creature, are ready to fend the bark bark to the bottom. This is the terrible way in which fome fallen and backfliding fouls are purged and reclaimed; and especially fuch as have brought public fcandal upon the gospel and church of Chrift, as the incestuous Corinthian, &c. Others are revived and reftored by more gentle meansA foft tongue fhall break their bones. Prov. xxv. 15. Divine kindness fhall melt them, humble and foften them. But even this unexpected kindnefs, which is coyly received, and in much felfabhorrence often put from them, as they are utterly unworthy of the leaft notice of God, and is mixed with fome refentment, which keeps the foul at a distance, mixing his fear with trembling; and when any child of God is raised up and restored in this way, as the poor prodigal was, when the kifs, the robe, and the ring, quite killed him; and as a propitious look from the Lord Jefus Chrift killed Peter to fin, self, and the world, when he went out, and, with a flood of the tears of penitence and love, discharged the guilt with which he had been drenched while in the fieve of Satan. Such are forgiven; but it is long before they can forgive themselves. They are acquitted by God; but they will not fuffer confcience to acquit them. What carefulness it works in them! yea, what clearing of themfelves! yea, what indignation! yea, what fear! yea, what vehement defire! yea, what zeal! yea, what revenge! 2 Cor. vii, 11. K 3 Thus, Thus, my dearly-beloved brother, does the Holy Spirit help the infirmities of the faints of God, through the mediation of Jefus Chrift; and continually communicates grace from his fulness to help us in every time of need: whofe inexhaustible fulness of grace is fufficient to change the heart of the ftouteft rebel, to raise up the fearfully fallen, and to restore the most awful backflider.-Howbeit, for this caufe I obtained mercy, that in me first fefus Chrift might fhew forth all long-fuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting. Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invifible, the only wife God, be bonour and glory, for ever and ever. Amen. 1 Tim. i. 16, 17. And fo Lays, Your affectionate fervant, friend, and brother, W. HUNTINGTON. LETTER LETTER XIV. To the Rev. J. JENKINS, at the new Vicarage, The Coalbeaver to the Welsh Ambassador fendeth greeting, with words of peace and love. BELOVED, the perishing foul, parched with the heat of a fiery law, who is led to the fountain of living water to drink, is to have a well of living water in his heart, which is to fpring up into everlafting life. I know that Chrift has rent the heavens and come down; that there is a new and living way opened into the holy of holies; and that he has admitted our hearts and hopes, our faith and our affections, already to the right hand of God, where he fitteth: and where our heart is, there is our treasure. And there is nothing that men delight in more than in their treasure: of this they boast, and on this they set their mind, and this generally employs their thoughts; and therefore you must not wonder if I come again and again, for we have heavenly treasure even in earthen veffels. The next thing that I fhall treat of is, 12. The affiftance of the Spirit against Satan.So fhall they fear the name of the Lord from the weft, and his glory from the rifing of the fun: when the enemy fhall come in like a flood, the fball lift up a standard against him. fball come to Zion. Ifa. lix. 19, 20. Spirit of the Lord And the Redeemer Every time that hiding of God's a new-born foul gets under the countenance, or into the furnace of affliction, or is exercised with legal bondage or fpiritual desertions, the adversary is fure to be upon him, to raise doubts and fears in him, by calling the whole work of God upon his foul into question; and, by raising scruples in his mind, he roufes up the unbelief of his heart; and then he deals with the poor foul just as a highwayman does with the unwary traveller; he comes upon him unexpectedly, and flurries him, and fills him with confufion, fo that he is robbed before he can recollect himself. So the believer, when his comforts are gone, is fuddenly surprised by the various affaults of Satan-As a bird that is caught in a fnare, fo are the fons of men fnared in an evil time, when it cometh fuddenly upon them. Eccl. ix. 12. The devil labours to difpute him out of the truth of the work of God in his heart, by fetting before him fuch as the foolish virgins, and how far they went on; the gifts and abilities of Judas, and what became of him; and of many in the prefent day, who made a great fhew and deceived many. Moreover, Satan suggests to the young believer that the real children of God receive a Comforter that abides with them for ever, and therefore they are always comfortable; and that no fuch temptations befall the real |