Did you ever see a little Treatise written by one Mr. Beart, formerly Paftor of a Church in the Place where you now refide? It is ftiled A Vindication of the eternal Law and everlasting Gofpel? It is but very lately that it came to my Hands. It appears to me a truly valuable Piece.-I forgot to defire, that you would prefent my moft cordial Salutations to Mr. It is not for want of Efteem, that I do not write to him, but from want of Health, and a Multiplicity of Engagements. I should be very glad, if he would communicate with all Freedom, any Remarks that he himself has made, or has heard from others, relating to Theron and Aspasio. Mr. called upon me, about ten Days ago, in his Return to London. He ftaid only to make a hafty Breakfast, fo that I had very little Conversation with him. I hope the GOD of Power, and the GOD of Peace, will unite our Hearts in the Love of the Spirit, and unite our Hands in the Work of the LORD. There is no Stage goes from Northampton to Suffolk. I believe I may convey a Parcel by the Cambridge Carrier. I will enquire of him, when he comes this Way, and if it is a practicable Thing, you shall have the Books by his next Re turn. We fhall be all glad to entertain you at Wefton, beft Prayers will always accompany your C4 and my Labours Labours in the LORD.-I Tend a Frank left your Stock should be exhaufted.-Write to me foon, pray for me ever, who am, and Dear SIR, Your affectionate Brother in CHRIST, Wefton, Nov. 8, 1755 J. HERVEY. My dear Friend, Sent, laft Week, by the Cambridge Carrier, a Set of my Books. He promifed me to deliver them to the Bury Carrier; and, I hope, by this Time, they have reached your Hands,—Whenever you peep upon them, pray be fo kind as to note down any Expreffions, or Sentiments, that are not THOROUGHLY Evangelical. I fhall be pleafed with them, and thankful for them, even though I fhould not haye, through the Want of a new Edition, an Opportunity of inferting them in my Volumes. I have been thinking of your Propofal to republish your Treatife on Marks and Evidences. Suppofe you tranfmit it, detached from any other Piece, under a Frank to me. Suppose I fend it to an understanding and fagacious Friend; and learn his Sentiments, and get his critical Obfervations on it. By this Means, you will fee what is likely to give Offence, or meet with Objection; and may, may, perhaps, be enabled fo to form your Arguments, fo to draw up your Forces, as to prevent or baffle any Attack. If you approve of this Scheme, fend me a Copy of the Piece; tear off the Title-Page, and I will immediately convey it to a Friend, who lives at a great Distance from London, who knows nothing of the Author, and will give me his Opinion, without Favour or Difaffection. Left you should not be furnished with a Frank, I fend the enclofed.-My Sifter is gone from Home; my Mother is in Health, and will always be glad of fuch Converfation as yours; which will be equally agreeable to, Dear SIR, Your affectionate Friend and Brother Wefton, Nov. 25, 1755. J. HERVEY. I my My dear Friend, Received with Pleasure and Gratitude, your Letter and its Contents, Would have made Acknowledgments immediately; but waited a Post or two, in Hopes of tranfmitting to you some Remarks on your Treatife. But my Friend has not fent them. As foon as they come they shall be forwarded to you. I am a I am very much pleased with your Explanation of, In the LORD have I Righteousness. "I a "Sinner, not I a new or fanctified Creature.” This is encouraging; this is delightful; it is like Door opened in the Ark for Me, even for Me to enter. Bleffed be GOD for fuch Truths! Such Truths make the Gospel glad Tidings indeed to my Soul. They are the very Thing which I want; and the only Thing, which can give me Comfort, or do me good *. When If Mr. Hervey may be believed, nothing was more offensive to him, than thofe Encomiums on his Piety, which only ferve to render his Confession of himself hypocritical, and his Doctrine false. In all his Thoughts, in all his Practice, he found himself a Sinner; and in nothing more fo, than in entertaining any good Conceit of himself, or his own State, by Comparison with other Men. God had taught him he had no Rule to measure by, but the perfect Law, or Will of Heaven; and every fingle Deviation ferved to render his Plea of Righteoufnels vain, to class him among the reft of Mankind Sinners, and fubject him to eternal Vengeance. In the View of these Circumftances, Mercy revealed in Chrift Jefus to the Guilty, was a precious joyful Sound, which he heard and lived by. Had he heard any one defcribe the holy, heavenly, pious Mr. Hervey, he would have replied, You have defcribed a Man that will never enter Heaven; but in the guilty Mr. Hervey, living only by the Divine Righteoufnefs, you find the Man that is taught of God. To love the Divine Righteousness provided for the Guilty as fuch; to love God thus characterized as just, and the Juftifier of the Ungodly by the Righteoufnefs • When People enquire, Whether Sanctification is an Evidence of Juftification? I suppose, by Sanctification they mean, what St. Paul calls the Fruits of the SPIRIT. Love of GOD, Charity to Man, Meeknefs, Temperance *, &c. Now, may we now allow these to be proper Evidences of Faith, but maintain that the appropriating Faith, or the Faith of Perfuafion †, is the ap pointed oufness of his Son; to love them that are of this Truth, for the Truth's Sake dwelling in them, is according to Scripture Account the diftinguishing Holinefs of Truth, whereby the Children of God are manifefted from the Children of the Devil; and the Works of Love to this Righteousness, are the only Works that will be openly rewarded and acknowledged in the great Day. It is also evident, from Scripture and Experience, that Men may compafs Sea and Land to make a Profelyte, may give all their Goods to feed the Poor, and even their Bodies to be burned, yet want this Charity; they may do all this, and at the fame Time manifeft themselves to be the Children of them who crucified Jefus, by their Conduct towards his real Gofpel, and the Difciples of it. *They fhould mean fo, and the Fruit of Love, &c. which is evidently from this Operation of the Divine Truth we plead for, is undoubtedly a confirming Evidence of its having become our Faith, and of its Divine Efficacy in working by Love. + By appropriating Faith, he means the Confidence arifing from the Belief of the Truth, of Righteoufnefs and Salvation freely prefented to the Guilty in Chrift Jefus; as their immediate Ground of Confidence, which he also ftiles the Faith of Perfuafion, to diftin |