The Life and Death of Joseph Alleine, Letters · Letter 7
LETTER VII. [First, Christian Marks: 2. Duties.]
To the Beloved, my most endearing, and endeared Friends, the Flock of Christ in Taunton, Salvation.
Most dearly Beloved and longed for, my Joy and Crown:
I Must say of you as David did of Jonathan, Very pleasant have you been unto me, and your love to me is wonderful. And as I have formerly taken great content in that my Lot was cast among you, so through grace I rejoyce in my present Lot, that I am called to approve my love to you by suffering for you; for you, I say: for you know that I have not sought yours but you; and that for doing my duty to your souls, I am here in these Bonds, which I do cheerfully accept through the grace of God that strengtheneth me. Oh! That your Souls might be quickened and enlarged by these my Bonds! that your hands might be strengthened, and your hearts encouraged in the Lord your God by our sufferings! See to it, my dearly Beloved, that you stand fast in the power of the Holy Doctrine which we have Preached from the Pulpit; preached at the Bar; preached from the Prison to you: It is a Gospel worth the suffering for: see that you follow after Holiness, without which no man shall see God: Oh! the madness of the blind World, that they should put from them the only Plank upon which they can scape to Heaven. Surely the Enimies of Holiness are their own Enemies. Alas for them! they know not what they do. What would not these foolish Virgins do at last, when it is too late for a little of the Oyl of the Wise; Oh, for one dram of that Grace which they have scorned and despised. But let not any of you, my dear People, be wise too late: Look diligently lest any man fail of the Grace of God. Beware that none of you be cheated through the subtlety of Satan and deceitfulness of your Hearts with counterfeit grace. There is never a grace but hath its counterfeit: and there is nothing in all the World that is more common or more casie, than to mistake common and counterseit Grace for true and saving: and remember you are undone for evermore, if you should die in such a mistake: Not that I would shake the confidence of any sound Believer, who upon often and through search into the Scripture and his own heart, and putting himself upon Gods tryal, hath gotten good evidence that his Graces are of the right kind: Build your confidence sure: See that you get the knowledge of the certain and infallible marks of Salvation, and make sure by great observing your own hearts that these marks be in you, and then you cannot be too confident. But as you love your souls take heed of a groundless confidence. Take heed of being confident before you have tried. Dear Brethren, I would fain have you all secured against the day of Judgement; I would that the states of your souls were all well setled: Oh how comfortably might you think of any troubles, if you were but sure of your pardons! Were your Salvation out of doubt, no matter though other things were in hazard. I beseech you, whatever you neglect, look to this: I am afraid there are among you that have not made your peace with God yet; that are not yet acquainted with that great work of Conversion: such I would warn and charge before the living God to speed into Christ, and without any more disputes or delayes to put away their iniquities, and to come in and deliver up themselves to Jesus Christ, that they may be saved. It is not your Profession, nor performing external duties, nor partaking of external Priviledges that will save you: No, no, you must be converted or condemned. It is not enough that you have some love and liking to Gods ways and people, and are willing to venture something for them; All this will not prove you sound Christians: Have your hearts been changed? Have you been soundly convinced of your sins? of your damnable and undone condition in your selves? and your utter inability to lick your selves whole again by your own duties? have you been brought at least to such a sight and sense of sin, as that there is no sin, though agreeable to your constitution, though a support to your gain, but you do heartily abhor it, and utterly disallow of it? are you brought to such a sense of the beauty of holiness, and of the Laws and ways of God, as that you do desire to know the whole mind of God, and would not excuse your selves by ignorance from any duty, and that you do not allow your selves in the ordinary neglect of any thing that conscience charges upon you as a duty? are your very hearts set upon the glorifying and enjoying of God, as your greatest happiness, which you desire more than Corn and Wine and Oyl? had you rather be the holiest than the richest and greatest in the World? and is your greatest delight (ordinarily, and when you are your selves) in the thoughts of God, and in your conversings with God in Holy Exercises? Is Christ more precious than all the World to you? and are you willing upon the through consideration of the strictness, and holiness, and self-denying Nature of his Laws, yet to take them all for the rule of your thoughts, words, and actions? and though Religoin may cost you dear, do you resolve if God will assist you by his Grace, to go through with it, let the cost be what it will? happy the man that is in such a case. This is a Christian indeed, and whatever you be and do short of this, all is unsound. But you that bear in your souls the marks of the Lord Jesus above mentioned, upon you I should lay no other burden, but to hold fast, and make good your ground, and to press forward towards the mark. Thankfully acknowledge the distinguishing grace God to your souls: and live rejoycingly in the hopes of the glory of God, the hopes that shall never make you ashamed: live daily in the praises of your Redeemer: be much in admiring God, and study the worthiness, excellency, and glory of his Attributes: let your souls be much taken up in contemplating and commending his glorious perfection, and blessing your selves in the goodly Portion you have in him: live like those that have a God, and then be disconsolate if you can: If there be not more in an infinite God to comfort you, than in a Prison, or Poverty, or other affliction to deject you, our Preaching is vain, and your Faith is vain. Let the thoughts of God be your daily repast: and never be satisfied till your hearts run out as freely, naturally, constantly, unweariedly after God, as others do after the World: a little force upon your hearts for a while to turn them into this holy Channel, may quickly come so to habituate your minds to holiness, that they may naturally run that way. But it is time to shut up: Farewel, my dear Brethren, the Lord God Almighty be a protection to you, and your exceeding great reward: Farewel in the Lord. I am
Just now I received your meking Letter, to which I am not able now to return an answer, but shall with speed: your very great affections for me cannot but move me, and make me ready to repeat again the first words of my Letter above. The Lord inable me to return something to you for your great loves; I am sensible I have come very short of my duty to you; but I must needs tell you, my Bowels are moved with your loves, which I hope I shall greatly prize: once more Farewel.
My dear Brother Norman remembers you with much love, desiring that you may be blameless and harmless, the Sons of God without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse Nation, among whom ye should shine as lights in the World.
Yours in the Bowels of the Lord Jesus, JOS. ALLEINE. From the Prison at Juelchester, Septemb. 11. 1663.