Divine contemplations, and spiritual breathings of Mr. Henry Dorney

1663. To E. D. N^o 70.

I Received your Letter, though not so well spelled as that I received before; but as bad as it was, a Father can pick out the meaning of his Child; for Love is quick-sighted, and the best Interpreter of words in the World. God is so to me, and teach∣eth me the same to you. You wrote, you would fain have a tender heart, such as the Prophet calls a heart of Flesh, but not a fleshly carnal heart. What then must become of the hard heart? Your earthly Father cannot take that away, nor give you the other; but beg of him who made the Promise, and he can and will both give you the one, and do the other also. Be not a stranger to him; I would part with some of your Affection towards me, as far as he allows me, that you might spend it on him. You cannot speak to me but by a Letter, at this distance, but you may to God all hours of the day and night. Read the Scriptures as the Word of him who de∣serves all your love and desire; I am contented to have it only at the second hand. Muse over as oft as you can, by what you read and hear, how sinful

your Nature is, and loathsome in God's eye; and how wondrous his Goodness is to tell you, he lays that loathsomness of yours on Christ; and he has by his death, brought in eternal Redemption for you. Consider his exceeding love, and the great travel of his Soul, and bitter Agony; that you in prizing and flying to him, may be freed from the dreadful state of a hard and polluted heart: you can∣not ask any thing of him to this end (only do it re∣verently, and with reliance on him) but he is as wil∣ling to give it. You may open all your heat to him: yea, you must do it; for he loves to have you do it, that so your whole heart may be cured, and my Child be found at last among the number of them who sing for ever, Blessing and Honour, Glory and Thanks to him who loved us, and washed us from our Sins in his own Blood. I leave you to his care, &c.