Anne Dutton's Letters on Spiritual Subjects
 

My Dear and Honored Brethren,
Great things has the Lord done for your souls, in showing you your misery by sin, your lost and undone state by nature, in revealing Christ the glorious remedy, and in drawing your hearts to cleave unto Him by faith and love, as the only Savior. And not a soul of you who look and come to Christ for life—shall ever die—shall die eternally. No, my dear brethren, you who have believed in Jesus, who have trusted your souls in the Savior's hands, have passed from death to life, and shall not come into condemnation. Your state in Christ is forever secure. No death—not the first death as a curse, as penal, nor yet the second death—shall ever light upon you who are entered by faith into Christ as your life. You who look to the once-dying Savior for all salvation, shall live by His death. You who feast upon the sacrificed Lamb, shall live and reign with Him, as the Lamb's bride, forever and ever. Thus shall it be done unto you, my brethren, whom the King of Glory delights to honor. Oh, free, rich, glorious grace!

What? did the Lord of all love us, and give Himself for us? For us creatures, for us sinners, rebels against His crown, His enemies, and haters of His ways, who deserved to be companions with devils, and were fit fuel for everlasting burnings! What, my brethren, could the King of glory see in us to attract His love? Were we not in His foreview most loathsome, abominable objects? And yet we, even we, found grace in His sight. O! He loved us freely from the infinite grace of His own heart, and the sovereign good pleasure of His will. And He so loved us, that rather than we should die, Himself would die for us—that rather than we should perish in our guilt and pollution, Himself, His righteous, holy Self, would bear our sins, be made a curse for us, and endure all that flaming wrath that we had deserved! Oh, never was there such a lover as our dear Lord Jesus.

He loved and lived, loved and died, loved and rose for us, loves and sits at God's right hand for us, to save us to the uttermost by His prevailing intercession, in the virtue of His infinite satisfaction, even all those that come unto God by Him. Oh, glorious Lover! He ever lives, He ever loves, and from His love and life He will raise us from all sin and misery, unto all grace and glory, and crown us with Him to reign in life eternal. And in all, will He rejoice over us to do good, with His whole heart and His whole soul, yes, delight to honor us, to lift us beggars from the ash-heap, to set us among princes, and make us inherit the throne of glory!

What love and honor, then, my dear brethren, are due from saved souls unto God the Savior! O for hearts all-enkindled with His love, to love and honor Him, who first, who thus has loved us! Let us forget the things that are behind, and press forward towards the mark—perfect holiness and glory—for this prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. By faith and patience, in all holy obedience, let us run the race that is set before us, and strive who shall outstrip each other, while we look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who leads on the foremost and brings up those behind, yes, has said to the weakest soul, "with the last, I am He."

Wishing all increase of grace here, and a weighty crown of glory at Christ's appearing, I commit you to Him on whom you have believed.




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