More from Flint on Francis

Thomas Halyburton

Flint felt that as Francis came nearer to the grave, the more warmly he wrote. In a letter on experimental religion he wrote

I find it to be the nature of the life of God in the soul to aim at the destruction and the death of sin; nor will its desires be fully satisfied with any thing short of heaven itself, Blessed be God I know what it is to thirst for himself, not for speculative knowledge, nor merely for assurance, nor for a speedy entrance into glory; but for the Holy Spirit to rule, to reign, to dwell in my heart so as to have my thoughts, judgement, will, desires, designs, tempers and dispositions under his direction and influence that I may know what God would have me know, be what God would have me be, do what God would have me do, suffer what God would have me suffer, and enjoy what God would have me enjoy. But alas! notwithstanding my breathings and groanings for an inward Redemption, I am yet a wretched captive groaning in my chains for perfect liberty: The cares and pleasures of life, my corporeal senses and a body of death, keep my soul in a painful bondage, so that I never live a day of or seldom perform a duty to my entire satisfaction and I now need the blood of Christ to atone for my sin, and the Holy Spirit to fan my heart, as much as ever. O when shall my polluted soul unite with the spirits of the just made perfect and shine as bright as a glorious Angel.

In a letter to a friend, dated November 6, 1798, he thus writes,

Your last favour fanned the feeble spark of love I feel to the infinitely glorious and gracious Redeemer, to whom I owe and freely give my all. Having Christ, I have more than the whole material Creation. I want to love him unspeakably more than I ever did as yet; first, for the sake of his own excellencies, and then for his love and goodness towards me. O that every sacrifice I offer offer were consumed with the fire of ardent love to Jesus. Reading, praying, studying and preaching are to me very cold exercises, if not warmed with the love of Christ. This, this is the quintessence of holiness, of happiness, of heaven. While many professors desire to know that Christ loves them, may it ever be my desire to know that I love him, by feeling his love mortifying in me the love of self, animating my whole soul to serve him, and, if called by his providence, to suffer even death for his sake.

Referring' to his laborious exertions in 1798, when he visited many of the churches in Wiltshire and preached an average of 6 to 7 times a week, he has this observation

Never have I been called to engage in more public services than in the past year, and yet. I cannot but exclaim, My Barrenness, my barrenness when I read the life of a Halyburton, an Eliot, a Brainerd, how am I ashamed and confounded! What langour, formality, and contractedness of heart do I often experience, in private and in public! The flesh is ready to cry out Spare thyself. When shall the branches and roots of sinful self love be consumed by the fire of the love of Christ. I want nothing so much as the spirit and love of the blessedness. I want large gifts and abilities, but I far more desire a burning zeal for God to make my present endowments turn to greater advantage; I have but a few more years if any to serve Christ and his Church on earth, being now in my 65th year. O pray for me that I may be faithful, diligent and successful unto death.