The Life and Death of Joseph Alleine, Letters · Letter 37
LETTER, XXXVII.
Dear Couzin,
THough I have been in the valley of the shadow of death, though I have had more than one foot in the Grave, and have been in deaths often, yet the love and remembrance of you, ever liveth on my heart: I have long had neither feet to walk nor hands to write, yet I have borrowed hands as you see, rather than I would stay any longer from warning and admonishing of you. Dear Couzin, that soul of yours, that precious immortal soul is of no light value with me! I pray hard for its Salvation: I have a Godly fear for you, lest your soul should miscarry in a crowd of worldly business, and of earthly cares. Ah, my dear Niece, it comforts me that you are so setled for this world, and are in want of nothing, I bless the Lord for this, but me thinks this doth not satisfie me. Oh, that I could be sure that you were once safe setled in Christ; though you are, I trust comfortably furnished with earthly things, yet in this you are but half provided for: have you a Treasure in Heaven? have you laid hold on eternal life? have you made sure work for everlasting? have you past the straits of the New-Birth? do your bear upon you the marks of the Lord Jesus?
If you shall pass by a sumptuous Fabrick, and a great Lordship, and should lay claim to all as your inheritance, and please your self with the hopes of enjoying all this, when you had nothing to shew, no Writing, no Evidence to produce, as a ground for any such hope, would not every one say, this were a piece of strange vanity and imprudence; much greater folly is it to promise our selves a part in Paradise, and rest satisfied in a meer perswasion that we are the Heirs of Heaven, when we cannot prove our Title from the Book of God, nor produce from within our selves, the sure and certain marks of the children of God.
Ah, Dear Couzin, Rouze up your self make conscience, to deal plainly and freely with your soul, say within your self, I have hopes for Heaven; but where are my grounds and my Evidences? do I not build without a foundation? do I venture my Salvation upon meer uncertainties? What have I, what do I more than others? I pray, I hear, I read, but may not a meer Hypocrite do all this? I run not with others into the wretched practice of Lying, and Couzening, Whoredom, and the like; but what is this more than a Pharisee may have to say for himself? can I prove by Scripture my claim to Heaven? can I produce Chapter and Verse to justifie my self?
Oh Couzin, fear, least a Promise being lest of entring into rest, you should by any mistakes, or self-deceits fall short through unbelief; fear lest you should take Counters of gold, or some common workings for saving Grace. Oh, there is a world of counterfeit Coin going, multitudes perish by mistake, and wake in Hell, whilest they dreamt they were in Heaven: the tempter is very subtile, and will sure deceive if he can: your heart is deceitful above all things, and is willing to cheat you if it can. Therefore am I engaged so earnestly to call upon you, as one that watcheth for your soul, to arise speedily and to set roundly to your Work. Oh, consider your danger, and work out your Salvation with fear and trembling: away with these lazie Prayers, away with these cold and heartless Professions, away with this drowsie, liveless, liftless Religion; bestir your self to purpose for your Soul before it be too late. Search your Conscience as with Candles, be jealous of your self; consider, now is your time, what you do you must do quickly, the patience of God is waiting, Christ is knocking, the Spirit of God is striving, and death is at the door: Oh now take your opportunity, and take heed lest a slothful heart, and the cares of this world, or a presumptuous confidence that all is well and safe already, should at last shut you out of the Kingdom of God.
I cannot write distinctly to your Husband, but I beseech you to call upon him to set his heart to these Counsels which I have written to you; I earnestly entreat him to make Religion his business, and to look heedfully to it, that the gain of the world prove not the loss of his soul. I desire him that Closet and Family Prayers, and weekly Catechesing of his Houshold, and strict sanctifying of the Sabbath, and reading of the Scriptures, singing of Psalms, repeating of Sermons, and diligent attendance upon powerful Preaching may be his continual exercises; that so his house may be a little Church, and God may delight to dwell in his Family: pray give me to understand what is done of these things, for I have a zeal for your welfare, and that you and your Houshould should serve the Lord, that you may enter into his rest, and carry children, and servants, and friends, and all to Heaven with you. As to my own estate, I have lost all my Limbs, and about this twelve Months useless, and been again and again under the sentence of death; but was brought in a Horse-litter to Bath, where God hath wonderfully restored me, so that I can seed my self, and go alone, and speak with a little more freedom. Oh, love the Lord, praise the Lord for me; notwithstanding I continue weak, and have not strength to write, yet I could not tell how to die in silence from you; but have made use of a friendly hand to send these counsels and calls after you, which I beseech you to accept in the fear of God, for it is not unlike that they may be my last to you that ever you may receive: I now commend you to the Lord, and with mine own and my dear Wives love to you both, Rest,
Your loving and careful unkle, JOS. ALLEINE. Octob. 21. 1668.
FINIS.