the other hand, if this be neglected and not attended to, the branch gets at a distance, till sin, guilt, fear, and shame, stop up the intercourse, and then deadness and barrenness follow; leanness comes into the soul, the heart sinks, the countenance falls; spiritual gifts, abili ties, zeal, apparent liveliness, diligence, and all joys, seem to blight under the fire of inbred lust; and all wither away together, unless the Spirit displays his power in such a soul.

7. The deeds of the body are not a little mortified by the fiery trial. When the old man, with his deceitful lusts, is ready to be too much for the believer, insomuch as that the enjoyment of peace and common comforts is not sufficient to keep him, these are withdrawn; at which the soul is alarmed, fatherly anger lowers, fear and terrors follow up and flow in, and a spirit of heaviness succeeds. Doubts and fears about the goodness of our state lay us under great concern; God seems to be gone; every thing looks dismal; and the devil tempts the poor soul that he has no part nor lot in the better inheritance, &c. This sometimes crucifies

the old man, with all his lusts and pleasures. This terrible remedy was applied to the incestuous Corinthian : "In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, to deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus," 1 Cor. v. 4, 5. Many times, but in a less degree, and not for public scandal, but to mortify the sins of the flesh, which are too strong for the believer in prosperity, does the fiery trial come on, only to subdue his sin and to purge his dross.

These, my dearly beloved son, are some of the kind helps with which the holy and blessed Spirit of God doth assist the believer in mortifying the deeds of the body. And eternal life will most surely attend and succeed this long and lingering toil and labour, which God has given to the sons of men to be exercised therein. Adieu; grace and peace be with thee. Amen and amen, Says thine affectionate father in Christ Jesus,

W.

HUNTINGTON.

LETTER XVI.

TO THE REV. J. JENKINS, LEWES,

SUSSEX.

My dearly beloved Son,

I TOLD thee, in my last, that the blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of thy progenitors, unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills; and that these blessings shall be upon the head of my son. And this shall come to pass "by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts and of the womb." These blessings of heaven are the blessings that will bring us to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth," Ps. cxxi. 1, 2. "But who shall abide in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and

speaketh the truth in his heart, &c." Psal. xv. The best blessing in heaven' is that of being filled with all the fulness of God; the best blessing that lieth under, is the victory Christ obtained over Satan, sin, death, and hell, by his own death and burial; the best of all breasts is the comforts of the Holy Ghost attending the gospel, called the sincere milk of the word; and the best womb is the promise of adoption and life, in which all the children of the promise lay. But I must proceed,

16. To shew the sealing of the Holy Spirit. This is promised to all that are taught of God: "And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken. Bind up the testimony, seal the law, among my disciples," Isa. viii. 15, 16. But then what is the testimony? It is the gospel. And what is the gospel? The ministration of the Spirit. But if the ministration of death was glorious, how shall not the ministration of the Spirit be rather glorious?" 2 Cor. iii. 7, 8. He therefore that receives the Spirit, and is born again of him, receives our Lord's

testimony or witness, "Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness," John iii. This doctrine Jesus spake; and adds, "We speak that we do know" and this he testified: "We testify that we have seen, and ye receive not our witness." This doctrine of the new birth, received in the experience of it, is emphatically called the testimony of Jesus. "And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God; for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy," Řev. xix. 10. The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. Hence it is plain that no man, in an unregenerate state, can be a prophet