My Dear
Friend,
......You say, a death-bed
repentance is what you would be sorry to give any hope of. My dear friend, it
is well for poor sinners that God's thoughts and ways are as much above men's
as the Heavens are higher than the earth. We agreed to communicate our
sentiments freely, and promised not to be offended with each other's freedom if
we could help it. I am afraid of offending you by a thought just now upon my
mind, and yet I dare not in conscience suppress it: I must, therefore, venture
to say, that I hope they who depend upon such a repentance as your scheme points
out, will repent of their repentance itself upon their death-bed at least, if
not sooner. You and I, perhaps, would have encouraged the fair-spoken young
man, who said he had kept all the commandments from his youth, and rather have
left the thief upon the cross to perish like a villain as he lived. But Jesus
thought differently.
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I do not encourage sinners
to defer their repentance to their death-beds- I press the necessity of a
repentance this moment. But then I take care to tell them, that repentance is
the gift of God; that Jesus is exalted to bestow it; and that all their
endeavours that way, unless they seek to Him for grace, will be vain as washing
a blackmoor, and transient as washing a swine which will soon return to the
mire again. I know the evil heart will abuse the grace of God; the apostle knew
this likewise, Rom. iii. 8, and vi. 1. But this did not tempt him to suppress
the glorious grace of the Gospel, the power of Jesus to save to the uttermost,
and His merciful promise that whosoever cometh unto Him, He will in no wise
cast out. The repentance of a natural heart proceeding wholly from fear, like
that of some malefactors, who are sorry, not that they have committed robbery
or murder, but that they must be hanged for it; this undoubtedly is nothing
worth, whether in time of health or in a dying hour. But that metanoia, that
gracious change of heart, views, and dispositions, which always takes place
when Jesus is made known to the soul as having died that the sinner might live,
and been wounded that he might be healed; this, at whatever period God is
pleased to afford and effect it by His Spirit, brings a sure and everlasting
salvation with it.
Still I find I have not
finished; you ask my exposition of the parables of the talents and pounds; but
at present I can write no more. I have only just time to tell you, that when I
begged your acceptance of Omicron, nothing was farther from my expectation than
a correspondence with you. The frank and kind manner in which you wrote,
presently won upon my heart. In the course of our letters upon Subscription, I
observed an integrity and disinterestedness in you, which endeared you to me
still more. Since that our debates have taken a much more interesting turn; I
have considered it as a call, and an opportunity put in my hand, by the
especial providence of Him who ruleth over all. I have embraced the occasion to
lay before you simply, and rather in a way of testimony than argumentation,
what (in the main) I am sure is truth. I have done enough to discharge my
conscience, but shall never think I do enough to answer the affection I bear
you. I have done enough likewise to make you weary of my correspondence, unless
it should please God to fix the subject deeply upon your mind, and make you
attentive to the possibility and vast importance of a mistake in matters of
everlasting concernment.
I pray that the good Spirit
of God may guide you into all truth. He only is the effectual Teacher. I still
retain a cheerful hope, that some things you cannot at present receive, will
hereafter be the joy and comfort of your heart; but I know it cannot be till
the Lord's own time. I cannot promise to give such long answers as your letters
require, to clear up every text that may be proposed, and to answer every
objection that may be started; yet I shall be glad to exchange a letter now and
then. At present it remains with you whether our correspondence continues or
not, as this is the third letter I have written since I heard from you, and
therefore must be the last till I do. I should think what remains might be
better settled viva voce (in personal conversation) for which purpose I shall
be glad to see you, or ready to wait on you when leisure will permit, and when
I know it will be agreeable; but if (as life and all its affairs are
precarious) we should never meet in this world, I pray God we may meet at the
right hand of Jesus, in the great day when He shall come to gather up His
jewels, and to judge the world. There is an endless diversity of opinions in
matters of religion; which of them are right and safe, and will lead to eternal
glory, Dies iste indicabit (the day itself will show) I am still in a manner
lost amidst more engagements than I have time to comply with; but I feel and
know that I am, &c.
