ever ready to betray me into their hands, how shall I be able to stand? But if that " strong man armed be cast out with all his armour,' how much more able shall I be to contend with my outward enemies. Many other temptations were injected; but I cried so much the more, 66 Lord, save me !" And the Lord gave me that promise, "I will circumcise thy heart, and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart," &c. I said, "Lord, thou art faithful, and this is thy word; I cast my whole soul upon thy promise; make known thy faithfulness, by performing it on my heart. Circumcise it now, fill it now with thy pure love: sanctify every faculty of my soul: I offer all to thee: I give thee all my powers: I take thee, Almighty Jesus, for my Wisdom, my Righteousness,-my Sanctification. Now, Cleanse me from all my filthi ness, and from all my idols; take away the heart of stone, and give me a heart of flesh.' I come empty, to be filled; deny me not. It would be for thy own glory to save me now; for how much better could I serve thee! It is true, I have no plea but thy mercy! The blood of Jesus, thy promise, and my own great need. O save me fully by an act of free grace. Thou hast said, 'He that believeth shall be saved;' I now take thee at thy word: I do, by faith, cast myself on thy promise. I venture my soul on thy veracity: thou canst not deny! Being purchased by thy blood, thy Justice is engaged: being promised without money, and without price, thy Truth is bound; thus every attribute of my God secures it to me." 6 66 Ah! Why did I ever doubt his willingness, when he gave Jesus! Gave him to destroy the works of the devil:-to make an end of sin!" The hindrance lay in me, not in him. He desired to make me holy, but unbelief hid it from my eyes: accursed sin! But now, Lord, I do believe: this moment thou dost save. Yea, Lord, my soul is delivered of her burden. Í am emptied of all: I am at thy feet, a helpless, worthless worm: but I take hold on thee as my fulness! Every thing that I want, thou art. Thou art wisdom, strength, love, holiness: yes, and thou art mine! I am conquered and subdued by Love. Thy love sinks me into nothing: it overflows my soul. O my Jesus, thou art all in all! In thee I behold and feel all the fulness of the Godhead mine. I am now one with God: the intercourse is open: sin, inbred sin, no longer hinders the close communion, and God is all my own!" O the depth of solid peace my soul now felt! but not so much rapturous joy, as at justification. It was, "The sacred awe which dares not move; And all the silent heaven of love!" Yet when I rose from my knees, Satan once more assaulted me with, "Thou art going to face various trials, and a cooling world: thou wilt soon lose this blessing." But instantly that Scripture was given me; "He that keepeth Israel, neither slumbereth nor sleepeth: The Lord himself is thy Keeper! It is even He that shall preserve thy going out, and thy coming in, from this time forth, and for evermore." Lord, said I, I feel my own insufficiency: I can do nothing; I can resist nothing; but I commit the powers of my soul, the avenues of my heart, to thy keeping. Again, he graciously applied, "Blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord." My God, said I, it is enough! My soul does trust thee, and I will praise thee. I now walked in the unclouded light of his countenance; "Rejoicing evermore, praying without ceasing, and in every thing giving thanks." I resolved, however, at first, I would not openly declare what the Lord had wrought: but it was seen in my countenance! and when asked respecting it, I durst not deny the wonders of his love! I soon found that repeating his goodness, confirmed my own faith more. And so did the Lord bless me in declaring it, (yea, and blessed others also,) that I was constrained to witness unto all who feared him; "His blood can make the foulest clean: His blood avail'd for me." I durst not live above a moment at a time: and that moment by faith in the Son of God. I never felt till now the full meaning of those words, "In him we live, and move, and have our being." And again; "I will dwell in them; and walk in them, and be their God; I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts." Glory be to my God, I felt it written there; it was I no longer lived; but Christ that lived in me! "Christ was all in all to me; And all my heart was love." Friday, 23. Glory, honour, and eternal praise be to the God of love, for ever and ever! His own arm hath brought salvation to my feeble, helpless soul. I am now wholly his! I do love the Lord my God with all my heart, and soul, and strength. I am nothing, and Jesus is my all. The enemy is often suggesting, "Thou wilt soon lose the blessing: thou canst not stand long." But my heart answers, I will hang upon and trust my God, as long as I have any being; and I know he will supply a feeble worm with power. I have also opened on many sweet promises to-day. I find momentary power now to pray and believe: yea, I live by faith. And Sat. 24. Last night, and this morning, I have deep communion with my God. I feel I am indeed one with Christ, and Christ is one with me. I dwell in Christ, and Christ in me. O! blessed union with him my soul loveth! the more I feel of his great love, the more I sink at his feet in humbling views of my own nothingness; and here it is I would ever lie; this is my own place: Jesus alone is exalted; and I, a poor sinner, saved from sin ! Sun. 25. Glory be to God for the best Sabbath I ever knew! My body was so very weak and poorly, I could not go to preaching; but the Lord was with me, and gave me fresh dis * coveries of my own emptiness and poverty, and of his abundant fulness. These words were also powerfully applied, "Ye are clean through the words which I have spoken unto you: Abide in me, and I in you: As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine, no more can ye, except ye abide in me." I also feel that gracious promise mine; "If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you." O the condescension of God to a poor worm! What a grant is this! My soul draws near and humbly asks, "Enlarge my faith's capacity, Thurs. 29. I was so happy, that I could not sleep in the night. O what a deep communion did my soul enjoy with God; it was indeed, a foretaste of heaven itself. This morning I prayed for a portion of Scripture to be impressed on my heart, that should abide with comfort, and direct me all the day; and I opened on, "Know ye not that your bodies are the temples of the Holy Ghost, which is in you; and ye are not your own; for ye are bought with a price; therefore, glorify God, both with your body and with your spirit, which are God's." Sweet portion! O my blessed Lord, I rejoice that I am thy purchased property, and not my own; and to thee I gladly yield, body, soul, and spirit. Tuesday, March 5. For some days it has been |