O Lord, I am conceived and born in fin. Thou haft nourished and brought me up, but I have rebelled against thee; I have known thy will, but have not done it, and therefore deferve to be beaten with many fripes. I have despised thy Promifes, and abufed thy mercies. I have been unthankful for mercies received, and unfruitful under mercies enjoyed. I have finned against fo much light, againft fo much love, and against so much warning, that it is of thine infinite mercy that I am not confumed. I cannot anfwer for what I have done: I cannot bear what I have deserved.

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O enter not into judgment with me! do not punifh but pity me! Remember not what I have done, but remember what Chrift hath fuffered, and let his blood go for mine.-I pray thee let my fins be my grief, but not my ruin let them be laid to my heart, but not to my charge. Thou hast found a ranfom, deliver me from the pit. Since Chrift was crucified, let me be releafed ; as he was afflicted and fmitten, let me be healed by his fripes, and cured by his wounds.

What comfort can I take in any thing here below, if fin lie at the door ?-Lord I befeech thee take away my fin before thou takeft away my life. Let not me nor any that are related to me, live in fin, and die in fin, and go to the grave with a lie in the right hand.

I humbly befeech thee, O Lord, to fprinkle my confcience with the blood of Chrift, which cleanfeth from all fin. Give me faith in that blood, and peace in the application of it to my confcience, that by thefe thy tokens for good I may know that I am not appointed for wrath but

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to obtain falvation by my Lord Jefus Chrift.-And for his fake grant me thy holy fpirit, I befeecli thee to enlighten my mind, that I may know thee; to renew my will, that I may ferve thee; and to fanctify my affections, and all the powers of my foul and body, that I may follow thee fully all the days of my life.

O Lord defend me from the world, the flesh, and the devil. Make me good in my perfon, and good in my place. Let thy fpirit reft in me that I may be always doing or getting good.Help me well through this world. Ufe me whilft I live, and dont refufe me when I come to die. Let my life be a holy walking with thee, that my death may be a comfortable going to thee.

For Chrift's fake, O Lord, bless all thy peo ple, this nation and the family I belong to. Give all true peace and holiness. Haften the downfal of Babylon, the converfion of the Jews, and the fulness of the Gentiles.

Heavenly Father, I blefs, praife, and magnify thee, for my creation, prefervation, and all the bleffings of this life; but above all, for the Lord Jefus Chrift, that unspeakable gift of thine; for the means and feafons of grace, and for all thy mercies. Hear me, O Lord, for Chrift's fake, in whofe name and words I further pray-

Our Father, which art in Heaven. Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debis as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever -and ever. Amen.

Chapter v.

Containing fome letters of the late Rev. Mr. JOHN MASON, which he fent to feveral of his friends; tending to promote the power of godliness, both in perfons and families.

LETTER I.

To my dear fifter, Mrs. HANNAH WYAT, under

DEAR SISTER,

illness.

BESEECH his moft merciful majesty to fend his word and heal you! that we may not have forrow upon forrow!-O, if it were his will to restore you for his glory, and the good of many! -And who can tell, but by this affliction he is fitting you for future fervice? And that the prayers of your many affectionate and faithful friends may be a means of your recovery? Which I hope, through the thanksgiving of many will redound to the praife and glory of God.--But, I believe, it is not recovery you wish for, any farther than as it will be a manifeftation of God's pleasure, and an opportunity of serving him it is not that you fo much defire, as to depart and to be with Chrift, which indeed is far better.

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My dear Sifter, what thanks can we render unto God who hath vifited us with peace and joy

the Holy Ghost, through our dear redeemer ? And hath given us that communion with him here, which is a pledge of our joint communion with him in everlasting glory? Certainly you cannot but remember fome Bethels and Chebars, where the Lord hath met you and owned you; fome promifes which have been made your own;

and fome times of refreshing from the prefence of the Lord. Bleffed be God that you have a witness in yourfelf; and internal evidence, an inward fight and taste that the Lord is gracious.

The Lord hath acquainted you with that which is the very fum and fubftance of the gofpel, viz. That Chrift came into the world to fave finners: that a chriftian's thankfulnefs flows from faith inthe promises That felf-denial must run thro' the whole courfe of his life, as the warp through the woof and that Chrift is a chriftian's life, peace, hope and fecurity: whilft he lives, we are in fafety:

Whilst God is merciful and true,

We are both safe and happy too :

That a chriftian's important and daily duty is to eye and engage his continual affiftance: and that our recovery from daily infirmities must be by a daily recourfe to this ever-living, ever-loving, ever-pleading advocate.

You know also, that fubmiffion to the will of God, is a yielding to thofe methods whereby he is conducting us to eternal happiness and glory; and that every dram of affliction is ordered us by the love of our ever-gracious and all-merciful Father-Bow then to his fovereignty, and believe his grace you are in a happy hand; in happy circumstances; all the paths of God are mercy and truth to you-Infinite and immortal thanks are due to our ever-bleffed Father, Redeemer and comforter. The Lord be with your fpirit!-grace and peace be with you! AmenI remain Your affectionate and

moji obliged brother in the Lord,
JOHN MASON.

Το

my

LETTER II.

dear friend Mrs. MARY HOLMES.

DEAR FRIEND,

THAT you might live in the Lord's fight! -If I knew the prefent ftate of your heart I could better tell what to write to you. However I fhall fet down fome things for your comfort.

Do not fay that you are left of God,and there is no hope for you: I tell you there is mercy enough in God, merits enough in Chrift, power enough in the fpirit, room enough in heaven, and scope enough in the promises for you.

Do not fay that you are a reprobate, and a caft-away; it is a fin to think fo; every one is bound to hope that he is elected; and, in virtue of that hope, to ftrive to make his calling and election fure. The Lord is good to them that wait for him, and to the foul that feeketh him, Lam. iii. 25. There will be doubts and fears, but we muft not cherish them. We must not question God's ability to fave; for he can do all things: nor muft we queftion his willingness to fave; for he hath fent his own fon into the world to fave us-Say to thyfelf, he hath made me willing to be faved, and is not he willing to fave me? Alas! my tender mercies are cruelties in refpect of his infinite compaffions? We cannot be so willing to confefs fin, as he is to pardon it. cannot defire to be faved, fo much as he delights to fave. None ever trufted him, but they found him a good God.

We

Therefore, my dear friend, have honorable. thoughts of God. Though he fhould hide himfelf from thee for a moment, yet lift up thy heart