's
souls? They are ambassadors in Christ's stead to persuade sinners to
be reconciled to God. So that your calling is above that of angels:
for they are _afterward_ to minister to the heirs of salvation; but
the sinner must be _first_ reconciled to God. And you are called on
from day to day to intercede with man as his friend, that you may win
souls to Christ. Christ is ascended up on high, to intercede with his
Father for guilty sinners, and to plead for them the merits of his
death. So that Christ and his faithful ministers, through the
operation of the blessed Spirit, are co-workers together. Yet without
Him we can do nothing: our strength is his strength, and his is all
the glory from first to last.

"It is my heart's prayer and desire, sir, that you may, by a living
faith, cleave close to that blessed exalted Lamb of God, who died to
redeem us from sin--that you may have a sweet communion with Father,
Son, and Spirit--that you may sink deep in love and rise high in the
life of God. Thus will you have such discoveries of the beauties of
Christ and his eternal glory, as will fill your heart with true
delight.

"If I am not deceived, I wish myself to enjoy his gracious favour,
more than all the treasures which earth can afford. I would, in
comparison, look upon them with holy disdain, and as not worth an
anxious thought, that they may not have power on my heart, to draw or
attract it from God, who is worthy of my highest esteem, and of all my
affections. It should be our endeavour to set Him always before us,
that in all things we may act as in his immediate presence; that we
may be filled with that holy fear, so that we may not dare wilfully to
sin against Him. We should earnestly entreat the Lord to mortify the
power and working of sin and unbelief within, by making Christ appear
more and more precious in our eyes, and more dear to our hearts.

"It fills my heart with thankful recollections, while I attempt in
this weak manner to speak of God's love to man. When I reflect on my
past sins and his past mercies, I am assured, that if I had all the
gifts of wise men and angels, I could never sufficiently describe my
own inward sense of his undeserved love towards me. We can better
enjoy these glorious apprehensions in our hearts, than explain them to
others. But oh how unworthy of them all are we?