The strife is now, Who shall be Lord of all:  whether Satan the prince of this world, or Christ Jesus the Son of God; or which can lay the best claim to God’s elect, he that produces their sins against them, or he that laid down his heart’s blood a price of redemption for them.  Who then shall condemn, when Christ has died and does also make intercession?

Stand still, angels, and behold how the Father divides his Son a “portion with the great,” and how he “divides the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors, and did bear the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”  The grace of God and the blood of Christ will, before the end of the world, make brave work among the sons of men.  They shall come for a wonderment to God by Christ, and—­be saved for a wonderment for Christ’s sake.”  Behold, these shall come from far; and lo, these from the north and from the west, and these from the land of Sinim.”

“What man is he that feareth the Lord?” says David; “him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose.”

Now, to be taught of God, what is like it?  Yea, what is like being taught in the way that them shalt choose?  Thou hast chosen the way to life, God’s way; hut perhaps thy ignorance about; it is so great, and those that tempt thee to turn aside are so many and so subtle, that, they seem to outwit thee and confound thee with their guile.  Well, but the Lord whom thou fearest will not leave thee to thy ignorance, nor yet to thine enemies’ power or subtlety, but will take it upon himself to be thy teacher and thy guide, and that in the way that thou hast chosen.  Hear, then, and beliold thy privilege, O thou that fearest the Lord; and—­whoever wanders, turns aside, and swerveth from the way of salvation, whoever is benighted and lost in the midst of darkness—­thou shalt find the way to heaven and the glory that thou hast chosen.

There is between those that have taken sanctuary in Christ, and the bottomless pit, an invincible and mighty wall of grace and heavenly power, and of the merits of Christ to save to the utmost all and every one that are thus fled to him for safety.

Oh, how my soul did at this time [while in spiritual darkness] prize the preservation that God did set about his people.  Ah, how safely did I see them walk whom God had hedged in.  Now did those blessed places that spake of God’s keeping his people, shine like the sun before me, though not to comfort me, yet to show me the blessed state and heritage of those whom the Lord had blessed.  Now I saw that as God had his hand in all the providences and dispensations that overtake his elect, so he had his hand in all the temptations that they had to sin against him; not to animate them in wickedness, but to choose their temptations and troubles for them, and also to leave them for a time to such things only as might not destroy, but humble them—­as might not