confolations, if we will but exclude the world, and let him in. Why fhould we then give way to despondency, and refuse to cherish that lively hope, which if any one has, he will purify himself, even as God is pure? Take courage then and confider, that the hour of felf-denial and painful wrestlings with God will be fhort, and the time of victorious recompence as long as eternity itself. May the Lord enable you and me, to weigh that confideration in the balance of his fanctuary, and to act agreeably and may that gracious Being, who invites the young man to honour him in the days of his youth, grant you to fee him, whom he has given you, ponder those folemn truths betimes, and find by a happy experience, that none is happier than he, who takes early the Lord's yoke upon himself.

I conclude, by commending you to the Lord, and to the Word of his grace, and recommending myfelf to your prayers, I am Madam, your obedient fervant for Chrift's fake, J. F.

From Mr. FLETCHER, to Mr. CHARLES WESLEY.

My dear Sir,

London, Dec. 12, 1758.

F my filence was owing to forgetfulness, I fhould blush at

I not availing way felt more frequently of your permiffion to

write; but the idea I entertain, that nothing but your great condefcenfion can make my correfpondence fupportable, makes me fometimes act in a manner quite contrary to the sentiments of my heart.

Before I left Tern, the Lord gave me a medicine to prepare me to fuffer what awaited me here. This humiliation prepared me fo well, that I was not furprized to learn, that a perfon in London had fpread abroad many falfe and fcandalous things of me, during my abfence; and that the minds of many were prejudiced againit me. In one fenfe I took a pleasure in thinking, that I was going to be rejected by the children of God, and that my Saviour would become more dear, under the idea, that as in heaven, so now on earth, I fhould have none but him. The first time I appeared in the chapel, many were fo offended, that it was with difficulty they could forbear interrupting me in my prayer, to tell me, Phyfician heal thy felf. I was on the point of declining to officiate, fearing I fhould only give fresh offence; indeed, I fhould have done fo, had it not been for my old friend Bernon, who preffed me to ftand firm, reprefenting the triumph my filence would give my enemies, &c. His reafons appeared to me fo cogent, that, as your brother did not reject my afliftance, I read prayers, and engaged to preach fometimes in a morning; which I have accordingly continued to do.

The

The fame day I arrived in London, our poor friend Bernon took to his bed. Three days after the fever increased, and appeared to be dangerous. The next day, which was Wednesday, he fettled his temporal concerns. Friday evening he was free from fever, and I had fome hopes of his life; but on Saturday it appeared, that the fever was the lighteft part of his malady, and the phyfician faid, he would die of an inflammation in hrs bowels; which was the cafe on Monday, after an illness of eight days. I fat up with him three nights, and faw him as often as I could by day; and, bleffed be God, I did not fee him for a moment without the full affurance of faith. His foul was, in general, divided between the exercife of repentance, and of faith in the blood of the Lamb; however, from time to time, repentance gave place to rejoicing; and when he appeared better, he expreffed much fear of returning to life. Nevertheless, one day, when I was not with him, he had a conflift with the Enemy of his faith, which continued an hour or two, when he came off conqueror. The violence of the fever fometimes threw him into delirium, and that was the cafe fome hours before his diffolution. The laft words he uttered, before the ftrength of his difeafe deprived him of fpeech, were, "O what love! What love!" I have in my heart a clear teftimony that he died the death of the juft. Thas to recompence me for the injury Satan has done me by a false friend, the Lord has taken to bimfelf a true one, whom he will reftore to me again in the laft great day: Such a lofs is a real gain. Adieu. J. F.

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The danger of delaying to CLOSE with CHRIST.

Ο

UR Life is a vapour that appeareth for a little time, and then vanifheth away, ready every moment to expire; and yet how negligent and carelefs we are about our eternal welfare! How long muft Chrift fland knocking at the door of our hearts, before we will condefcend to admit him in? And how great is the indignity we put upon him, by these wretched delays? Tho' now is the accepted time; tho' the Holy Spirit may never invite us any more; tho' we are not fure of another day of Grace, yet how many hazard their Eternity, rather than they will, this day, hear the voice of Chrift and live! Tho' they may have his righteoufness and redemption, his fpirit and his image, his heaven and his glory, by coming to him in faith, yet what trifling excufes are men's hearts filled with? Tho' they are actually condemned by the Law for capital offences, for High Treafon against the Majefty of Heaven, and free pardon is offered by Jelus Chrift, if they S sa will

will but accept of him; yet he is fo little efteemed by many who are called Chriftians, that they will hazard their fouls, rather than they will yet be fo much beholden to Chrift! This defperate enmity against Chrift, and his offers, is the condemning fin; "This is the condemnation, that Light is come into the world, and men love darkness rather than Light." All other fins are nothing to this. What,-when God hath limited thee to a day, wilt thou, dareft thou, carelefsly mifpend that one day, when thou art not fure of another? How dareft thou, after having tranfgreffed against God, and voked him to wrath ten thoufand times, yet add to all these iniquities thy trifling delays of coming unto Chrift, that thou mayeft obtain pardon? Thou art lying under the wrath of a juflly incenfed God, and wilt thou fay to Chrift, as Felix did to Paul, "Go thy way for this time, when I have a convenient feafon, I will fend for thee." When, wretch, is that convenient feafon? When thou haft ferved the Devil fome weeks, months, or years, longer? When thou haft fpent all the flower of thy time and ftrength in the fervice of Hell? Muft then Christ have the dregs of thy time? Muft he have nothing but Satan's leavings? Doubtlefs for thefe delays the divine wrath is ready to be poured out upon this nation to the uttermoft."The Lord fhall be revealed from Heaven, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that obey not the Gofpel." By neglecting to hearken to the invitations of Christ, thou, in effect, telleft him to his face, that he is not altogether lovely, that He is not the fairest among ten thou fand; that there is in the fervice of fin and Satan, fomething which is more defirable than Chrift! Thou knoweft not how foon his Spirit may ceafe ftriving with thee, nor how long thou fhalt have a capacity of obeying the heavenly call. The Jews have a rule, that if any man vows any fervice to God before he dies, he must do it prefently, becaufe he may die prefently. Death and Hell are defcribed coming on horseback in full fpeed: Afk thyfelf, therefore, Jeremiah's queftion, "Can I out-run these horsemen ?" What ftrange perverfe. ness is in men's hearts, that they ftay and linger, like Lot in Sodom, as if they were determined to perifh in the flames! One hath a yoke of oxen to take care of, another hath a wife to pleafe, all of them pretend to fome urgent business, which detains them for the prefent from Chrift. There are feveral forts of thefe trifling finners:

1. Some are fo bewitched by their lufts, that they fear, if they come under Chrift's yoke, they must be deprived of them, Sin hath fo rooted itfelf in their affections, that they are loth to take a final farewell of it, and to mortify their earthly members. Sin is dearer to them than their right eye; and

they

they ftrive hard to ftifle their convictions; they gladly admit of any amusement or diverfion, to wear out the divine impreffions that are made upon their confciences: They labour to quench the Spirit of God, and will not ufe the means, whereby they might be fully converted to Chrift. They pretend they are defirous of falvation, only they doubt whe ther Chrift is willing to receive them; but the real truth is, they are unwilling to leave their darling lufts, and loth to exercife themselves in prayer and watching, and to do what God requires and expects from them, in order to converfion. Is not this highly provoking to the Almighty? Has not God fent his only SON unto you, the beft jewel that ever, lay in his bofom, and will you neglect and undervalue him, and that in the very face of all the faints and angels of Heaven, who are witnesses of your bafe ingratitude? If you prefer gioveling appetites, and fwinifh lufts to Chrift, it is a plain argument that you fhut your eyes, and will not fee the exceeding finfulness of fin, neither will you credit God in his difcoveries of the Glory of his SON. You flight the greatest richeft Gift, that ever God conferred upon men or angels. You make void all the divine counfels, and fruftrate the con trivances of infinite Wisdom, to fave you from the Wrath to come. Surely (faith God) "they will reverence my Son;' whereas, by your criminal delays, you tell God and men, that you do not believe there is any advantage to be had from Chrift; but on the contrary, that it will be to your lofs, to receive the LORD of Glory!

2. Others, in imitation of the first apoftate Man, believe the Devil, before God! they credit the fuggeftions of the Arch-deceiver, and difcredit the difcoveries and declarations of immutable Truth. O what a black-grain'd fin is this. The Lord faith," Let the wicked forfake his way, and his thoughts, and I will abundantly pardon ;" but the grand liar, fays, You have finned more than others, you have provoked God exceedingly, your day of Grace is paft, and therefore never hope for faving benefits by Chrift's Death. The Almighty teftifies and declares, "Ceafe to do evil, learn to do well; come now, and let us reafon together; though your fins be as fcarlet, they fhall be as white as fnow." As I live, faith the Lord, I defire not the death of a finner." Every fin against the Son of Man fhall be forgiven," to the truly penitent. Whofoever believeth fhall not perish." But you believe the Enemy more than the Friend. If Satan only whifpers to your heart, God never intended you any good; you are a velfel of difhonour, predeftinated unto wrath; Chrift never tafted death for you; how eagerly you catch at falfehood, and greedily fwallow the lies of the Devil to your own de ftruction. O what a provocation is this? What deadly

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malice you are inflamed with against you own foul? For while you reject the great and precious Premifes of God, you are trampling underfoot the Blood of the everlasting Covenant!

3. Others, thro' the Pride of their Hearts, will not come (as yet) unto Chrift. They have no mind to submit to the Righteoufnels of Faith. He is a proud man, to all intents and purposes, who when he is condemned, will not floop fo low, as to accept of a pardon. Men, indeed, may be willing to be justified, but they would have their duties to purchase that favour of God; they fcorn to be beholden to Chrift. Thoufunds will die, and perifh for ever, rather than they will receive forgivenefs upon the fole account of Chrift's Merits.

the curfed pride of the heart! When will men cease to be wifer than God? When will they be content with His method of Salvation? How dare they prefcribe to the infi nitely wife and holy One! Art thou fo high and lordy, that thou wilt be loft eternally, rather than take refuge in Him, who is the only atoning facrifice for the fins of the world?

4. Others, thro' Ignorance ftay from Chrift, in hope of working that within themfelves, which cannot be wrought without his affiftance. Could they fee all their corruptions fubdued and deftroyed, were their hearts more prepared for the reception and conant refidence of fo great a Friend, then they would clofe in with the promifes. Whereas they should come to Chrift, as foon as they apprehend their poverty, blindnefs, and nakednefs. But alas! a difcovery of their wants, which is itfelf a great mercy, they pervert, through hearkening to the wiles of the enemy, to their own undoing. They would have the fruit first, and then the tree; they are feeking for fanétification, before juflification; for purity of heart, before pardon of fins; which is entirely reverfing the order of the divine Method of Salvation. The Holy Spirit convinces them of their guilt and helpleffnefs, on purpose that they may flee to Chrift, their City of Refuge; but inftead of co-operating with the defign of the heavenly teacher, they unhappily liften to their enemy, and are driven upon the dark. mountains of unbelief and evil-reafoning. Whereas they fhould come to Chrift in faith, and wait upon him in the use of the means, for the broken heart, the pure heart, and all other fpiritual mercies which they feel the want of. " O faithlefs generation, how long fhall I be with you; how long shall I fuffer you ?" Chrift is put to the utmoft of his patience, to bear with our unbelief.

5. Others, through a kind of feeming modefty and tendernefs, delay coming to Chrift. They are afraid of abufing the Holiness and Juftice of God, if they were to hope for Redemption through the Blood of Chrift. The language of

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