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The more I have endeavoured to reconcile the difficulties, and harmonize the various parts, of this parable, the greater the mysteries have appeared, and the farther I have seemed to get from what I have sometimes apprehended might be the Saviour's meaning in this passage. Nor have I been able to find any commentator, minister, or private christian, that could satisfactorily resolve me on this head; on the contrary, with much regret, I have observed that commentators in general are very profuse on passages of scripture the meaning of which is obvious to almost every reader; while such passages as have profound depths in them, and are wrapped up in spiritual mysteries, are slightly touched, or seldom, if ever, noticed by these Rabbies. With lamentation we may say of such, in Solomon's words, their much study is a weariness to our flesh, and in making many books there is no end; no end to either the reading, the study, or the purchase, of them. With great grief and disappointment, I once heard a divine of the Church of England, in speaking of the gold, spices, &c. of the wise men's offerings, quote Henry, Gill, Pool, Guise, Burkitt, and others, and then leave it to his audience to fix the sense from which ever they chose; authors whose works must have cost his poor hearers twenty pounds at least before they could come to a certainty where to settle, or what to believe. Now, sir, as my habitation may be too small to contain twenty or thirty volumes folio, my time too short, and my pocket too shallow to purchase; the

Lord being still faithful to his promise, who hath said he will send us pastors after his own heart, that shall feed his people with knowledge and understanding; I hope, as a living witness of the truth, you will, when opportunity offers, favour us, in one of your Epistles of Faith, with your thoughts on the passage; as, I think, I can truly say, this request does not proceed from a principle of mere curiosity, in order to furnish my head with empty speculations, my mouth with vain words, or to tempt the Lord's servant, by proving him with hard questions; but that I may, through your instrumentality, be more thoroughly established in those blessed truths, which have been made more precious to the soul than the merchandize of silver, the gain of gold, the hid treasures of the earth, yea, or even my necessary food. For this purpose, I pray the Lord to furnish you with light, liberty, inclination, and leisure, to comply with my request; which, I make no doubt, under his blessing, may be found effectual to the establishment and comfort of many of his dear children; and, among the rest, none more so than,

REVEREND SIR,

In the name of many others,

Your very sincere Friend,

And

A LOVER OF HIM THAT LOVES YOU.

LETTER XXVIII.

To the Rev. Mr. HUNTINGTON, Paddington.

DEAR SIR,

to my

SEVERAL attempts have I made to write you a few lines, but hitherto Satan hindered me: howbeit, I am determined now, by the help of God, to perform it, although my labour should be in vain in the end. What I wish to mention to you is, that the Lord hath been pleased of late to bring remembrance wonderful deliverances which he wrought for my soul in times past; and hath shewed me the way of which himself alone hath been leading me, in order to humble me. Much of the depravity and vileness of my nature hath been plowed up; and which the tempter had been working upon, in order to stir up prejudice and enmity, even against some of the household of faith, with whom I am not worthy to be called a fellowservant. Here was I, 'shut up in prison, and groping in the dark, when you lately preached on Matthew xviii. the 23d and following verses; pointing out the Lord's dealings, from first to last, with the ten thousand talent debtor; and, by him, his dealings with me also: and, blessed for ever be the name of Jesus, who, in tender compassion, now came with a visit to me, and made a way for my escape out of the snare of the fowler; so

that I began to rejoice with trembling. However, I still feel myself exposed perpetually to his hellish subtlety; but the Lord my God is able to keep me; and his grace is sufficient to melt down this wretched hardness of heart, and to reign over the power and prevalency of my unbelief.

The sermon I refer to was blessed to many others also, as I am well informed; and who desire much to see it printed. Let me therefore request the favour, sir, that you will include the substance of it in the Epistles of Faith you propose shortly to publish.

I suppose you need not be reminded how the Arminians will ever pervert this scripture by their false glosses, and handle it as an instrument to work mischief, and cast it as a stumblingblock in the way of thousands weak in faith. Seeing it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, I hope you will grant this my petition in the behalf of poor confined debtors. And may the Spirit of the Lord God evermore rest upon you, anointing you, and enabling you, under Christ, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison doors to them that are bound. For the sake of him who loved and died for sinners, remember at the throne of grace,

Dear Sir,

Your Fellow Servant,

A PRISONER OF HOPE.

LETTER XXIX.

DEAR BRETHREN,

I RECEIVED yours; and in compliance with your request, and the request of some others, I will shew mine opinion, by publishing my thoughts on the obscure parable, and submit them to the judgment of the wise; hoping that, as God blessed the preaching of them, he may also bless the reading of them. If they meet with the approbation of God, and are of use to those who love our Lord, Jesus Christ in sincerity and truth, I shall not grudge my labour: and, as to what Arminians, or any other set of enemies to the truth, may say against them, I care nothing about; for the good word of such is both a bad omen and a scandal to a servant of Christ; seeing the master hath pronounced a wo to us when all men speak well of us, for so did their fathers, in heresy, of the false prophets of old.

Matt. xviii. beginning at Verse 23.

23. "Therefore is the kingdom of heaven like unto a certain king that would take account of his servants."

24. "And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him which owed him ten thou sand talents."

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