themselves, and so worship and love their own invention and similitude, instead of that glorious Being, who makes himself known to us by immediate revelation. Even in exercising gratitude to God, I must take in the consideration of his infinite greatness, holiness, and excellency, to form a proper estimate of the favours bestowed on so mean and vile a sinner; or my gratitude will be no more than self-love reflected; at least it will not be a pious and holy affection. The whole plan of the gospel is intended to exhibit the loveliness of Jehovah, in all his harmonious excellencies: and shall we not include that loveliness in loving him? I may be thankful to a man whose character I deem odious; I may love the man who never showed me any kindness. But love of excellency, desire of union and conformity, gratitude, and zeal, all unite in the love of God, which both law and gospel require of us.-To love God 'for his own sake,' does not mean so loving him, as to have no regard to our own happiness at all; but so as to seek our happiness in admiring, serving, and glorifying him; in bearing his image, and enjoying his favour. If Edwards speaks, at some times, rather more strongly than this seems to imply, I am persuaded, from the general tenour of his writings, that he does not mean any thing inconsistent with it. I do not think that meant to exclude love of the divine excellency, as well as gratitude for mercies bestowed upon us; but merely to oppose an abstract notion, which they erroneously suppose the American divines to have advanced. At the same time, I think they and many others have imbibed, and do propagate, an unhappy prejudice

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against these writers; and, for fear of their system, they often speak inconsistently with themselves, and seem to be without fixed sentiments in this particular; and countenance certain sentiments, which, did they see their tendency, they would abhor. As to the text, We love him because he first loved us, it can only mean, that we should never have loved God, had he not first loved us; and, if we do now love him with genuine affection, it is full proof that we are the objects of his love; this being the seal of his Spirit in our hearts.

"But I have written more than I can fairly afford. I would have you endeavour to avoid all prejudices, as much as possible; and fairly, in humility and with prayer, to give different authors a careful examination: not too many at a time, or as if it were necessary to make up your mind on every subject; but deliberately, and with much exercise of your own thoughts on the various views set before you."

I would here just add, that, even if any persons should be of opinion that the text quoted (1 John iv. 19) speaks more directly of the love of gratitude, it would only prove, what I apprehend no one wishes to deny, that favours received form one ground of that complex affection which is styled the love of God; not that this is the only ground, or that no stress is to be laid on the love of moral esteem for the divine character.-One great reason for insisting on the principles of this letter is, that even a wicked man, taking for granted, on whatever grounds, (as it is to be feared many have done,) that he enjoys the favour of God, and is an heir of all the blessings of which he reads in the scriptures, may, on that erroneous› assumption, feel a flow of gratitude, which he may mis

take for the love of God, and thus be confirmed in his delusion, while his heart is really at enmity with God; and that this error is best guarded against, by urging the necessity of cordial reconciliation to the divine holiness, and delight in the perfections of the divine character.

May 21st, he writes: "I am decidedly of opinion, that the slight and unscriptural kind of gospel current in most places, especially about London, threatens the cause of genuine Christianity more than the attacks of open enemies. Nothing will do more mischief, though silently and without observation, than mistaking a small part of the divine testimony for the whole of it. This would be readily understood, if prescriptions sent to a druggist to be made up should be compounded in the same partial manner, with only one half or quarter of the ingredients. In this case lives would be lost, and the medical art disgraced in the parallel one souls will be ruined, and the gospel dishonoured.-But alas! numbers go further, and put poison in the mixture, instead of the salutary ingredients prescribed by the great Physician."

The following letter to a lady on a popular volume of hymns arose out of his visits to Margate. It points out some important distinctions, often not duly adverted to.

"Mr. Hart, in his hymns, often represents faith as consisting in a belief that Christ died for me, in particular; which, being no proposition of scripture, can, only be directly known by a new revelation. This opens a door to delusion. Many are confident, whose lives prove their confidence to be presumption: and

many are cast down for want of this confidence, concluding themselves unbelievers because they have it not, whose faith is notwithstanding proved to be living and saving, by its proper fruits. Faith is the belief of God's testimony, especially concerning his Son, and eternal life for sinners, in him: it embraces this salvation, and gives up other confidences, and other objects, for the sake of it: and, when its effects on the judgment, desires, affections, &c. prove it to be genuine, the spirit of adoption enables a man to conclude according to scripture, that Christ died for him in particular. But this is rather the maturity of faith and hope than essential to the nature of faith. Again, a person's doubting of his own state is generally condemned by Mr. H., as unbelief; whereas it is often a genuine exercise of faith in God's word, under existing circumstances. We believe, on God's testimony, that such and such characters have only a dead faith; and we find reason to doubt, whether we are not such characters. This puts us on self-examination, prayer, &c.: and thus our doubts, which were very salutary, are removed.-The apostle stood in doubt of the Galatians and surely it behoved them to doubt of themselves.-Indeed every caution against being deceived, in the whole scripture, confutes this too popular sentiment; which is only suited to bolster up the presumptuous, and crush the feeble and tempted.-To doubt the truth of God's word, or the power and willingness of Christ to save all that truly come to him, is direct unbelief: but to doubt whether I come aright, and am a true believer, when many things in my experience and conduct seem inconsistent with the life of

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faith and grace, is the grand preservative against delusion, and incitement to watchfulness, self-examination, and circumspection. But Mr. H. does not attend to such distinctions.-The same is frequently the case in respect to fear. Many passages indiscriminately condemn every kind of fear; though the scripture says, Blessed is he that feareth always; Be not high minded, but fear. Yet in other places he speaks a different language.

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Upon the whole, Mr. H. was a man of a warm heart, and of a lively imagination; and sometimes he displayed a poetical genius: but, for want of more accuracy of judgment, he has left passages, in some of his hymns capable of a dangerous construction."

Observations, similar to those of this letter, my father used pointedly to apply to an abuse, current in some quarters, of that fine passage in the conclusion of the book of Habakkuk, in which the prophet declares his confidence and joy in God, under the failure of all external sources of consolation. The

abuse consists in what is called spiritualizing the language of the inspired writer, and thus employing it to cherish a confidence of God's favour, when faith,

and hope, and love, and every other grace may have been long out of exercise, and perhaps no sufficient evidence exists that we ever were true Christians at all.

In a letter dated December 29, 1796, my father regrets his want of skill in Hebrew, but adds, "It is too late for me to go to school in this sense." Yet much after this time he did attain a degree of critical proficiency in the language; so that his remarks were acknowledged to be among the most valuable that were received on the late Hebrew version of the New