I am,
Your’s in the bowels of the Lord Jesus,
JOS. ALLEINE.
From the common gaol, in Ivelchester,
September 11, 1663.
LETTER VII.
[How to shew love to ministers, and to live joyfully.]
To the most loving and dearly beloved, my Christian friends in Taunton, grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Most endeared brethren,
I HAVE received your moving letter, and could not look over such tender expressions without some commotion. I may confidently say, I spent more tears upon those lines, than ever you did ink. Your deep sense of my labours I cannot but thankfully acknowledge, yet withal, heartily confessing, that all was but what I owed to your immortal souls; which God knows was very much short of my duty. The omissions, imperfections, deadness, that accompanied my duties I own, and the Lord humble me for them. But all that was of God (and that was all that was good) be sure that you give to God alone. To him I humbly ascribe both the will and the deed, to whom alone be glory for ever.
*My dear brethren, my business as I have often told you, is not to turn your eyes to me, but to Christ: his spokesman I am, will you give your hands, your names to him? Will you subscribe to his laws, and consent to his offices, and be at defiance with all his enemies? This do, and I have my errand. Who will follow Christ’s colours? Who will come under his banner? This shall be the man that shall be my friend; this is he that will oblige me for ever. Do these letters come to no loose sinner? No ignorant sinner? No unsound professor? Would they do me a kindness, as I believe they would? Then let them come away to Christ! O sinner, be no more in love with darkness; stick no longer in the skirts and outside of religion. Waver no more, halt no farther, but strike in throughly with Jesus Christ; except nothing, reserve nothing, but come throughly to the Lord, and follow him fully. And then happy man thou shalt be, for thou wilt be made for ever; and joyful man I shall be; for I shall save a soul from death. The earnest beggings of a poor prisoner, use to move some bowels: hear O friends, will you do nothing for a minister of Christ? Nothing for a prisoner of Jesus Christ? Methinks I hear you answer, “Yea, what will we not do? He shall never want while we have it; he shall need no office of love, but we will run and ride to do it.” Yea, but this is not it that I beg of you; will you gratify me indeed? Then come in, bow to the name of Jesus; yea, let your souls bow, let all your powers do him homage. Let that sacred name be graven into the substance of your hearts. Let me freely speak for him, for he is worthy for whom you shall do this thing; worthy to be beloved of you; worthy to have your very hearts, worthy to be admired, adored, praised, served, glorified to the uttermost by you, and every creature; worthy for whom you should lay down all, leave all: can any thing be too much for him? Can any thing be too good for him, or too great for him? Come give up all, resign all, lay it at the feet of Jesus, offer all as a sacrifice to him, see that you be universally the Lord’s; keep nothing from him: I know through the goodness of God, that with many of you this work is not yet to do. But this set solemn resignation to the Lord is to be done more than once, and to be followed with an answerable practice when it is done: see that you walk worthy of the Lord; but how? In the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost; let these two go together. So shall you adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour, and experience the heavenly felicity of a Christian life: cleave fast to Christ, never let go your hold; cling the faster, because so many are labouring to loosen your hold. Hold fast your integrity, hold fast the beginning of your confidence stedfast to the end: If you do but keep your hold, and keep your way; all that the world can do, and all that the powers of darkness can do, can never do you harm. Keep your own vineyard with constant care and watchfulness, and be sure that there be no inroad made upon your consciences, that the enemy do not get between your souls and God; and then let what will assail you without, you need not fear! Let this be your daily exercise, to keep your consciences void of offence: keep fair weather at home, however it be abroad. I would not only that you should walk holily, but that you should walk comfortably. I need say the less to this, because the fear of the Lord and the comfort of the Holy Ghost, lie together. Oh the provision God hath made for your continual comfort: dear brethren, do but understand your own blessedness, happy men that you are, if you did but know and consider it: who would count himself poor that hath all the fullness of the Godhead for his. O Christians, live like yourselves, live worthy of your portion, and your glorious prerogatives. That you may walk worthy of your glorious hopes, and live answerable to the mercies you have received, is the great desire of