While souls to Jesu’s blood he calls!”
*It was scarcely possible for the most icy, and rocky heart, to remain long so under his moving and authoritative discourse, laid home to the conscience, by the sword of the Spirit, which, like the flaming sword in paradise, turned every way, to every heart. And accordingly, it was a very rare thing for him ever to preach a sermon, without sending some away, either broken-hearted, rejoicing in God, or increased more or less, in the knowledge of the Crucified.
*Towards the latter part of his progress, the two last years of his life especially, the whole bent of his soul, his reading, meditations, prayer, conversation and preaching, tended altogether, to the deep things of God, (1 Corinthians ii. 10.) the so perfectly loving him, with all the capacity of the soul and body, as the state of humanity can admit. The entire salvation of God, from all sin, to all the mind that was in Christ Jesus, was now his constant, and most beloved theme, both in public and private. And he omitted nothing which might either inform his judgment, or affect his own, or the hearts of others, in reference to this most interesting concern of the children of God.
*His thoughts on the head became therefore thoroughly digested; so that there was hardly an objection which either Satan, men, or the heart of unbelief could bring against it, for which he had not a convincing answer. His own heart-acquaintance therewith, will be seen from a subsequent account of his experience. The light which he had into the nature, and his fervent manner of enforcing the worth, and necessity of Christian holiness, was one great means of enkindling, in the hearts of many, that fire of pure love, to God and man, which has since his death likewise, increased more abundantly, and still burns (O may it ever burn!) amongst us, to the greater glory of God. Only such as were experimental witnesses of it, having a true relish for things of so high a nature, can rightly conceive of the abilities, with which God endowed him, for this part of his work; of the manner in which, he,
With strength and utterance from above
Urg’d on the saints thro’ grace forgiven,
To scale the mount of holiest love,
To seize the brightest throne in heaven!
In all his discourses on the subject, he as much as may be, carefully avoided his own words, both in explaining, and enforcing its nature, extent, and the means of attaining thereto. He did it in the words which the Holy Ghost teacheth, explaining those spiritual things, with spiritual words: (1 Corinthians ii. 13.) while in the mean time, his fervent and affecting manner of urging them, and indeed every other part of the doctrine of salvation, commanded,
——“Audience and attention, still as night