William Guthrie - Letter of Commendation

A LETTER OF COMMENDATION CHRISTIAN FRIEND, I have sent you by the bearer this book, which by Providence came to my hand, and a blessed providence it was to me; for I hope the same merèy that brought it to my hand hath brought by it the Saviour to my heart. Upon the perusal of it, I find such a blessed and happy connection betwixt the gifts and the graces of the Spirit, such a holy and humble condescension to~ my plain capacity, such a serious handling of serious truths, that the language of my heart upon perusal of it was somewhat like that of the woman of Canaan" Come, see a ~nan which told me all things that ever I did; or rather, all that God hath done in me, and for me. He that hath waded much in the water of soul-trouble may here behold a lively description of the spirit of bondage in all its terrors and troubles; and he who is got out of these, and is sunning his soul in the light of God s countenance, may here behold the light side ~f the cloud; I mean tile spirit of adoption in all its beautiful colours. The first part of this book sets forth the soul in a storm, when the law comes thundering to the conscience; the last leads it into a calni of sweet peace and serenity, when the Spirit of God comes to a - troubled soul, as the Son of God once came to the ‘troubled sea, with a ‘Peace, be still! But if it should not be thus, the believer is here directed to be willing to want what God is not willing to give; and ‘to know He is wise to give when He will, what He - will, and how He will. I find now that peace is son n for the righteous. But all do not reap the crop till they come into Immanuel s land. There our joy, as well as our light, shall be clear, and our love perfect. And if there be any more concerned in this piece than others (though it deals forth its bread to all its young men and young converts), the latter may here behold, as in a map or mirror, the several providences, and vanous workings, of the blessed Spirit, that have all concurred in bringing them home to God; and may take notice of all the inducements and remoras they -i meet with in the way. As Moses was to write a history of the children of Israel passing through the wilderness, so doth this book, with a holy kind of elegance, describe the Spirit s leading the soul out of its bewildered estate into the spiritual Canaan, never leaving it till it come to the mountain of spices, out -of Satan s reach, where his habitation shall be the -~ munition of rocks. Neither is there one path omitted, so far as I could ever read, or gather from my ~áwn or other experience; so that it may not unfitly teriñed, "A spiritual day-book of all the passa~ ‘between the Spirit of God and the soul, in its -‘ of regeneration"; which is no less profitable than delightful for the believer to be reading over the records of God s love manifested in th~ Gospel; what care and cost He took with him to recover- him out of the gall of bitterness and bond of iniquity. For trial brings truth to light, and those things which, through many clouds intercepting, may have lost their remembrance in the soul, are here clearly discovered that they have been; although for the present the believer cries out, How is the gold become dim! how is the fine gold changed! And the looking over past experiences brings a renewed savour, and a spiritual relish, of all those things upon the heart to - - them who have thus tasted that the Lord is good; at least supports the soul under the want of sensible feeling, whilst it calls to remembrance the da,ys of -old, the ,years of His right Hand. But I have done, and yet methinks I can never write enough of the excellence and -utility of this piece. The Lord make it so profitable to others as it hath been to me. To His blessing I leave both you and it, and remain, your true Christian Friend,

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