I recommend to you stillness, calmness, patience, not to make you lifeless, and indifferent about good works, or indeed with any regard to them, but solely with regard to your faith, that it may have its proper soil to grow in, and because all eagerness, restlessness, haste, and impatience, either with regard to God, or ourselves, are not only great hindrances, but real defects of our faith and dependance upon God. Lastly, Be courageous, and full of hope, not by looking at any strength of your own; no, this will only help you to find more and more defects and weakness in yourself; but be courageous in faith, and hope, and dependance upon God. And be assured, that the one infallible way to all that is good, is never to be weary in waiting, trusting, and depending upon God manifested in Christ Jesus. _I am your hearty friend and well-wisher._ * * * * * LETTER VII. To a Person burdened with inward and outward Troubles. _Worthy Sir_, MY heart embraces you with all the tenderness and affection of Christian love; and I earnestly beg of God, to make me a messenger of _his peace_ to your soul. You seem to apprehend, I may be much surprized at the account you have given of yourself; but I am neither surprized nor offended at it; I neither condemn nor lament your estate, but shall endeavour to shew you, how soon it may be made a blessing and happiness to you. In order to which, I shall not enter into a consideration of the different kinds of trouble you have set forth at large. I think it better to lay before you the ground and root, from whence all the evils of human life have sprung. This will make it easy for you to see what that is, which only can be the full remedy for all. The scripture has assured us, that God made man in _his own image and likeness_; a sufficient proof, that man, in his first state, as he came forth from God, must have been absolutely free from all vanity, want, or distress; from any thing painful, either within or without him. It would be absurd to suppose, that a creature beginning to exist in the image of God, should have vanity of life, or vexation of spirit: a god-like perfection of nature, and a painful, distressed nature, stand in the utmost contrariety to one another.