Hartlepool, August 7, 1764

I RECEIVED my dear friend’s letter, and think she overlooks our ever-adorable Jesus, in setting any value upon a poor, dirty worm. If his grace raise it from a dunghill, and set it upon a throne with his princes, who shall have the glory — the worm, or Jesus? Shall any of his due praise be given to it? God forbid! There ought to be an holy jealousy in you and me, that we rob not our God of his glory. If we do rob him of ever so little, he will wither all our comforts and graces; but if we give him all the glory, which we cannot do, unless he be all, and we be nothing; then everything will go well with us. We get exalted as we are humbled. The lowest is the highest, which makes me fear to look at any good in myself, unless the kind hand which gave it me be seen at the same time; and afraid to hear of anything good in myself, unless I am sure my MASTER has all the praise. The plan upon which I act, herein, is this: long experience and many humblings have brought me to it, I have grieved to see how much of my time ran to waste, partly for want of knowing what to do, and partly through perplexity about what was done, lest it was not done aright; and, therefore, I was led to endeavor to bring the business of every day into a little compass, that, at one view, I might satisfy myself whether I had answered the end of living another day.

There is no doubt left about my belonging to Christ; so that this matter is not to be brought into court again. It has been tried and determined, and is now a settled point. What have I then to do? What is the work of every day? Why, it is to be living still in a constant dependence upon the Lord Christ, and to be growing every day in the knowledge and experience of that dependence.

The dependence is thus expressed, the JUST SHALL LIVE BY HIS FAITH: being justified, or made just, he [shall not live by any works, by any stock of grace, by being faithful to any talents received, but he shall live upon the Lord Jesus Christ by faith, receiving from him continually grace for grace.

The believer’s growth in this his dependence is thus spoken of: Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of God our Saviour. Grace is the free love of God to poor sinners in the whole plan of salvation — from first to last, all is of grace; and in the knowledge and experience of this there is a growth. The believer learns more clearly that all is of grace, and that he has no hand in saving himself, but an empty receiving hand. Grace comes to pull him down, and to set Christ up. When the heart is established with grace, the creature is stripped quite bare, without a rag to put on, or money to buy any, or wisdom to know where to get it. Grace pulls down all high things, levels all distinctions, and leaves the poor creature nothing at all to trust in, or to boast of, but to live upon Christ’s alms; so that the sense of our lost, guilty, helpless state, is the only thing which can make us willing to receive a whole Christ, and the abiding sense o£ this will keep us willing to live upon a whole Christ. And while a believer lives thus, how can he grow in grace, if he be not discovering every day more of the depth of iniquity which is in him? Grace cannot be magnified, unless nature be humbled. Jesus Christ cannot become more precious, unless SELF become more vile. As the believer sinks in his own eyes, Christ rises in his esteem. And this, in my opinion, is growing in grace. Growing in the sense of our weakness, magnifies Christ’s strength — our sinfulness, his righteousness — our folly, his wisdom — -our misery, his happiness — our outward sorrowful state, his inward peace and joy. Thus the growth in the knowledge of Christ is closely connected with the knowledge of self And that makes me afraid of anything which tends to weaken this view of things; because it would weaken my dependence upon Christ. I should not see nor feel my want of him so much, which would stop the working of faith, and thereby ecHpse the glory of Jesus. You see my jealousy. And, indeed, I have great reason for it.

After all my experience, which you have read in the Life of Faith, I have a revolting heart. Still I would turn from and live without Christ, if I could. Pride puts me upon it. Oh, it is the very devil, that pride; it attacks not the heel, but the heart of Christ, and wants to rob him of his crown — and I have so smarted for it, that the most distant approach is terrible to me. Think what you will of me, but never mention me without mentioning the grace of my dearest Lord, who has made me all that I ever shall be, but sin and misery.

My sweet Jesus hath contrived so much work for me in these parts, and he is so evidently and powerfully with us, that I cannot leave my neighbors, who crowd to hear far more than ever, and they are to me as my own soul. We are, beyond all description, happy in our loving, lovely Lord. Such meetings I never knew — and twice a day — and many churches open. Oh! that I could but stay; I am so knit in heart to my neighbours, and the most of them come and sit quietly to hear, that I know not how to leave them. But it must be. Adieu, my fi’iend; remember yours in our precious Lumanuel, 3 W. R,