Phillips Family Papers Box 2

"Blessed forever blessed be that astonishing and unspeakable goodness which so tenderly loved wretches so unworthy saved a perishing world by thy only thy best beloved Son That thou should so love the world as to give thine only begotten Son that all who believe on him should not perish but have everlasting life And this is life everlasting to know thee the only true God & Jesus Christ whom thou hast loved to know thee by a right faith & to manifest that knowledge by Works suitable to wuch a faith"

We must accept of Christ as a free Gift bringing nothing of our own to recommend us to his acceptance. We must accept of him as our only righteousness to justify us before God and as our Prince as well as Saviour consenting as well to be governed as to be saved to be sanctified as to be justified by him. And as we must receive him, so we must confidently trust as a continual Fountain of all supplier of Grace to our Souls whatever difficulty and discouragements we may meet with And we must have this standing evidence of the sincerity of out Faith that it purifies the heart and brings us to an earnest desire of an endeavor after habitual Holiness of heart & life that it works by love to God and man and keeps up in our Souls an abaseing Scene of our own vileness and utter unworthiness after all. This is that precious Faith to which the Promises of the Gospel are made and to which no false Professor can make any Just pretence Dickinson's Letters

When my mind runs goes to God as its refuge and Strong defence I think I can bear any thing the loss of all, the loss of health of relations on whom I depend & whom I love all that is dear to me without repining or murmuring. When I think that God orders & disposes & manages all things according to the councel of his own Will when I think of the extent of his Providence that it reaches to the minutest things then tho' a useful friend or dear relative be snatched awau by death I recall myslef & check my thoughts with these considerations. Is He not God from everlasting and to everlasting? And has He not promised to be a God to me? A God in all his Atributes a God in all his Persons a God in all his Creatures & Providences? And shall I dare to say What shall I do? Was not He the infinite cause of all I met with in the creatures? And were not they the finite effects of his infinite love & kindness? I have daily experienced that the instrument was & is what God makes it to be And I know that this God hath the hearts of all men in his hand and the Earth is the Lord's & the fulness thereof. If this Earth be good for me I shall have it for my Father hath it all in possession. If favor in the eyes of men be good for me, I shall have it for the spring of every motion in the heart of man is in God's hand. xxxxxx God is all-wise & every thing is done my Him for the best xxxxxx When I consider the excellency of his glorious Atributes I am satisfied with all his dealings.

We must not choose for ourselves and it is well we must not for we wou'd often make a very bad choise And therefore it is our wisdom as well as our duty to leave all with a gracious God who hath promised that all things shall work together for good to those that love Him and He is faithful that hath promised who will infalliably perform it if our unbelief does not stand in the way.

Habakkuk

Away my unbelieving fear. Fear chall no more in me have place My Savior doth not yet appear He hides the birghtness of his face

But shall I therefore let him go And barely to the tempter yield? NO! in the strength of Jesus, NO! I never will give up my shield.

Altho' the vine its fruit deny Altho' the Olive yield no oil The with'ring fig-tree droop & die The field illude the tiller's toil

The empty stall no herd afford And perish all the bleating race Yet will I triumph in the Lord The God of my slavation praise.

Faith teacheth that God casts us in the fire not to burn us but to refine us and make us more orient in his sight This is the beaten path to heaven (cries faith) which all the glorious Saints have trodden before us.