get the enclosed ready before this time; which is the cause, the only cause of my deferring my thanks for your last favour. As to the doctrine under consideration, I have given a favourable and attentive ear to all that is said against it; and yet the more it is attacked, the more I am convinced of its truth. The Lord Jesus enable me to deliver and testify, with clearness of sentiment and meekness of temper, what I am persuaded in my own conscience is the true gospel of grace! The enclosed paper contains some of the alterations which I propose to make. Another sheet will comprise the remainder. Let me desire you, dear Sir, to examine them, and remark upon them, as freely and impartially as you have done upon other papers. Pray treat me with a kind severity. Whatever sentence or expression appears wrong, I beg of you, animadvert, correct, spare it not. I assure you, I can bear to be told, by your friendly pen at least, This is not evangelical-here you contradict yourself-this is redundant, and that ambiguous. Please to make little marks of reference in the MS, and pen down your observations on a separate paper. I think to drop my first design of dividing the essay into two Dialogues, and answering the various objections. This I intend to postpone for the present; and would print no more than is needful to explain, establish, and guard the tenet. I think to add, in a note, a friendly invitation to any serious and ingenious person on the other side of the question, to debate and sift this very important point; professing, that if it can be proved erroneous, I will retract and renounce it, not only without reluctance, but with pleasure and thankfulness. Truth, the truth of the gospel, is my pearl; wherever I find it, thither, without respect to names or persons, would I resort, and there would I abide. May that gracious promise be fulfilled to us in our searches, "The Lord shall guide thee continually !" I hope to send you very soon the residue; and am, dear Sir, your obliged and affectionate friend in Christ Jesus, DEAR SIR, J. HERVEY. June 12. Last night I was favoured with your second letter, and sincerely thank you for the freedom you have used, and the corrections you have made. Herewith I send the remainder of Dialogue 16.; those parts, I mean, that are to undergo some alteration. I wish you could borrow the larger edition; to that the numeral references are made, as from that the new edition is printing. I hope you will be so kind as to examine this MS also with a friendly severity. Spare no sentiment or expression, I beseech you, that so much as seems contrary to the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ. If you see any thing that may conveniently be omitted, I wish you would enclose it in a parenthesis, for I fear the Dialogue will be too long, and overwhelm the attention. I am sorry that I am so straitened in time, and can say no more: my servant waits, and if I delay him any longer, will be too late to dispatch some necessary business for the family. Be pleased to favour me with your observations as soon as possible, because the printers will, if they are delayed much longer, be tempted to impatience. I should be glad if you would make Weston in your way when you return from Norwich. May the Lord Jesus strengthen your judgment, make you of quick understanding, and enable you to detect every thing in my poor essay that is not agreeable to his word!-I am in doubt whether this letter should be directed to you at London or Norwich. A mistake in this particular may cause a longer delay in the affair. The all-seeing God guide me in every thing! I choose London, and hope it will come to your hand before you set out. I am, dear Sir, your obliged and truly affectionate friend in Christ Jesus, J. HERVEY. DEAR SIR, July 6. I should be very glad, and much obliged, if you could give me your company in your return from Norwich, that we may thoroughly canvass, and carefully examine the important subject of our correspondence. I have ordered the printers to keep their types, composed for this part of my work, standing; and to proceed with the remainder before this is worked off. So that I hope to have the whole in proof-sheets to lay before you in one view, provided you could favour me with your company pretty soon. A celebrated divine from abroad writes thus, in a private letter to his friend; in which he speaks the very sentiments of my heart; and, I apprehend, of yours also. "I apprehend Mr Hervey's definition of faith will expose him most to the generality of divines, both of the church of England and dissenters; though it is a very good one, when well explained. The persuasion or assurance which is in the very nature of faith, must be carefully distinguished from that which has, in a manner, appropriated the name of assurance to itself; I mean that exercise of spiritual sense following upon saving faith, whereby a believer sees, and, upon good grounds, concludes himself to be in a state of grace and salvation, and that he has an actual interest in Christ, and his whole purchase, even eternal life. The foundation of this assurance of sense, is the believer's experience and feeling of what the Holy Ghost has already wrought in his soul, and it runs into this conclusion: I find the fruits of the Spirit planted in my soul-I am a new creature-I love the Lord Jesus in sincerity; and it is one of the greatest burdens of my life, that I have no love suited to so glorious a One.* From all which, I am sure, God has This manner of expression, which this friend never learned from the Scriptures, but catched (as I suppose) through common custom, savours too much of the leaven of the Pharisees. given me Christ, pardoned my sins; I am in a state of grace, and must go to glory.' But the ground and foundation of that particular persuasion and assurance, which is in the nature of saving faith, is the glorious authority and faithfulness of God in the gospel record, promise, and offer; and it rises no higher than this, that God offers, and thereby, as he is true and faithful, gives Christ with all his fulness to me, to be believed on, and trusted in, for life and eternal salvation.* So that I not only safely and warrantably may, but am obliged, to receive, apply, and make use of Jesus Christ, as my own Saviour, by resting on him, and trusting to him as such. Jehovah's great gift, offer, and promise, gives every sinner a sufficient warrant to do this, and are a strong immovable foundation for this persuasion or assurance of faith. Nor can any other solid satisfying answer be given to a broken-hearted, humbled creature,† who puts away from himself the gracious promises and offers of the gospel upon this ill-grounded imagination, that they do not belong to him: To whom it always may, and ought to be answered, That they do belong to him, in the sense I have mentioned."‡ This extract is, I think, the precise explanation of This is well expressed, and evidently distinguishes his meaning of the word offer, from the offer of a bargain to any who will come up to the terms. He evidently means the real grant of the blessings, as when money, food, and clothing, are offered to the poor, famished, or naked. + If this gentleman, by a broken-hearted, humbled creature, means some that were hereby more qualified for mercy than the rest, he would differ from us widely; but if (as I apprehend) he only means those whose criminal remorse renders them absolutely destitute of every other hope than by Christ alone, we are of one mind. One of the most evangelical appearing objections against this grant of Christ to be believed on, is, “That, according to this doctrine, the free gift does not secure their reigning in life on whom it is bestowed; because they may rise to damnation for all that abundance of the gift." To which it may be answered, That gift, though to sinners indefinitely, that they may live by it, yet is a non-entity to every one till he hears it, and no conveyance of righteousness to any man that does not believe it according to that which is spoken. And, on the other hand, where a man does really believe it, he undoubtedly lives by it; and there" grace reigns through righteousness to eternal life," over all who are thus begotten again, our doctrine. If If you find any expression not exactly suited to your opinion, please to observe it. I am, dear Sir, your affectionate and obliged brother in Christ, J. HERVEY. DEAR MR Cudworth, August 4. Last night I received your favour, and, according to your request, have written to my excellent friend, without delaying a single post. The Lord Jesus accompany my conciliatory offices with his heavenly blessing! I hope you had a good journey, and are well in health, and joyful through faith. We shall all be glad to hear that bore his journey comfortably, and is returned home more and more established in the love of his blessed Lord. I hope you do not forget me and my family, my people, and my work at the press. May the good Lord prosper you, and your labours of love! I am much straitened for time, and can add no more at present, but that I am yours most cordially, J. HERVEY. DEAR MR CUDWORTH, September 9. Mr Wd has been with me, and went away last week. We had much talk concerning you. I told him what I thought of your conversation and doctrine. What I could urge seemed to make no impression. I assure you my esteem for you is not diminished. I am more and more persuaded, that your method of stating that grand and precious doctrine, the doctrine of faith in Christ, is the truth of the gospel. Your company, whenever you come this way, will be truly acceptable to all my family. I wish you would inform me of the mistakes which you apprehend to be in Dr Crisp's sermons. I have the new edition, intend to read them very attentively, and should be glad of your cautionary hints. Pray let me hear from you soon; and believe me to be, dear Sir, your cordial and faithful friend, J. HERVEY. |