To MRS. B

London.

I heard Mr. H. this morning, on

these words: "In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence, and his children shall have a place of refuge." I think, from what he has said to me, he will be at Cranbrook this day fortnight.

"There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." To be in Christ Jesus was to be chosen in him before the world began; to be sanctified in Christ and preserved in Christ, and such are said to be cleansed before they are called; but then they are decreed to be called, justified, and cleansed by Christ, or by believing in Christ. The calling is in power; the word comes in power and in the Holy Ghost and in much assurance; Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God" by these things; which Paul takes from these words in Isaiah : "This is my covenant with them, saith the Lord; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and for ever." It may be counterfeited, but then it is only natural meekness produced by oratory; it vanishes, and there is no going forth to God, by that, in secret: but, if humbled by power, when subdued at God's foot, then there is nearness to him. It is known by these things; that is, his calling being. in Christ may be said to lay in these seven things,

VOL. II.

C

namely, in fear-" Be thou in the fear of the Lord :" in faith—“ I live by the faith of the Son of God:' by trust" Blessed are all they that trust in him :" in hope" Hope thou in the Lord;" "Christ in us the hope of glory:" light-"Ye who were once darkness, are now light in the Lord:" life-“ In him we have life;" he hath given us life in him, and he lives in us love-" He that loveth dwelleth in Him, and He in him :" but, above all, in his righteousness; in him "have I righteousness and strength;" "In him shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory." He is the end of the law for righteousness to all that believe. When the law has condemned and brought us in guilty, and conscience too, it is all it can do; then the soul hungers and thirsts after righteousness, and finds Christ the end of the law for this. Such walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit. A man may mind his business and partake of all lawful things, according to God's word, and not walk after the flesh in so doing; but all the works of the flesh as described, and to fulfil them, is walking after the flesh. But to walk after the Spirit is to follow after comfort, after the truth, after life, after love, and after the witness of the Spirit; and to walk after these things is to walk after the Spirit.

He that hates his own life because it hath been wicked, and comes to Christ, is in him.

Yours affectionately,

ISAAC BEEMAN.

DEAR MARY,,

TO THE SAME.

London, June 28, 1824.

I write to say that I have complied with the desire to stop and speak here again on Wednesday evening. I was much tried yesterday morning before going out; but, while I was seeking, these words dropped in upon my mind: "In all places where I record my name, I will come unto thee and bless thee." This encouraged me to hope, and soon after came such a sense that God had magnified his Son in my poor soul that it broke me down very much with gratitude and contrition. When I arrived at the vestry, I trembled from head to foot, and was surprised, on entering the pulpit, to see so many people.* After the singing, I began in prayer, and my feelings were better. I had for my subject Rom. i. 14--17; and, to the honour of that God whom I hope I serve in his word, I have to say that, in ten minutes after I began to speak, my fears were taken away. I had no more fear there than among my own people.

I began with the first verse of the chapter, and, by way of introduction, went through the whole (except one verse) down to my text, and was enabled to do it with almost as much liberty and freedom as I have at any time been favoured with. The humbling sense that I had of his goodness, after I had done in the morning, I hope was good to me, and his goodness constrains us to give all glory and praise to him. I went no further at that time than finishing the debtor

This was the first time of Mr. Beeman's preaching at Providence Chapel, Gray's-inn Lane.

ship in the first verse of my text, which was very sweet. Mr. O— came into the vestry with tears, several seemed to think that the old voice was come again. Every body was surprised; all seemed contented, and their attention bore a new face; therefore I say, praise God, that none of his words spoken to poor me have fallen to the ground: "The first shall be last and the last first." M- said the chapel had never been so full since the declension in its members, which took place soon after Mr. H.'s death.

When I went again, at six o'clock, one who, I suppose, had watched for my coming, came to me with tears, and thanked God he had sent me, for my discourse in the morning was a great blessing to his soul but I submit these things. In the evening the body of the chapel was very full and (being a close evening) extremely hot: but, as is usual with me, I did not feel so much power in the evening as in the morning; yet, all things considered, I must not complain. I was enabled to set forth God's truth according to his word, and shew the power of his gospel in its effects upon the heart and life.

As I lay on my bed, Friday or Saturday, thinking of my journey and what was coming, these words dropped upon my mind: "This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes:" and if it may be for the glory of his name in the good of his saints, that is all I desire. But on Sunday morning I found it hard to deny self and trust wholly in the Lord: that foolish proud self wants so much to be consulted; but it is much best got rid of or subdued.

Yours in real affection,

ISAAC BEEMAN.

DEAR MARY,

TO THE SAME.

London, Monday Morning, September 13, 1824.

I hope this will find you better than when I left home. Soon after I arrived in London, I had a very bad head-ache, which continued some time, then wore off a little, and after a while it left me, and my work before me came more in view, and began to wear a better aspect, than it had hitherto done since Sunday last; so that I began to conceive hopes that I should find support; for it seems this lesson is often to be learned, "Without me ye can do nothing." I hardly can conceive, at times, that I can be a servant of God, by reason of my unbelief, and looking at self, where nothing good can be seen: but at this I have often been surprised, that, if I have been poorly in body, when Sunday is very near, I have frequently been revived.

When I arose on Sunday morning, I was tolerably well in body, but had lost some of my Saturday evening views and sensations, at which I was not a little grieved. But in these things, it seems, I must be tried, that I may always learn my own insufficiency and depend alone on the arm of the Lord: nor could I recover my former feelings before I went to the chapel. All things conspired against me: I had in the morning but few good sensations while I was speaking; so that it may be seen what is man! You may guess that, as I was so favoured the first time,* I was not now very well pleased; but that signifies nothing. These things bring a fresh burden on, and

* At Providence Chapel, Gray's-inn Lane.