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another in the face, and fall together at the feet of Him, "who makes men to be of one mind in a house," and made once all believers to be of one foul in the Church. Let us pray, hope, wait and be ready to caft one mite of endeavour towards the bleffing of a reconciliation; in which none could be more glad to fecond you, than, Honoured and dear Sir, your affectionate, obliged fon in the gospel, J. F.

I

To Mifs PERRONE T.

Dear Madam,

Newington, Jan. 19, 1777.

Thank for you your care and kind nurfing of me when at Shoreham; and, especially, for the few lines you have favoured me with. They are fo much the more agreeable to me, as they treat of the one thing needful for the recovery of our fouls,-the Spirit of Power, of Love, and of a found Mind; together with our need of it, and the grand promife that this need fhall be abundantly fupplied;-fupplied by a baptifmal outpouring of that Spirit of Life in Chrift Jefus, which makes us free from the law of fin and death." May we hunger and thirft after righteousness, in the Holy Ghost, and we shall be filled. May we so come to our firft Paraclete, Advocate, and Comforter, as to receive the Second, as an indwelling and overflowing fountain of light, life, and love. My view of this mystery is, I truft fcriptural. The Father fo loved the world, as to give us the first Advocate, Paraclete, and Comforter, whom we love and receive as our Redeemer. The firft Advocate has told us, it was expedient that he should leave us, because in that cafe, he would fend another Advocate, Paraclete, or Comforter, to abide with us, and be in us for ever, as our Sanctifier, our Urim and Thummim, our Lights and Perfections, our Oracle and Guide. This is the grand promife to Chriftians;-called "The promife of the Father," and bought by the Son. O may it be fealed on our hearts by the Spirit of promife! May we ever cry,

"Seal thou our breasts, and let us wear

"That pledge of love for ever there!"

Then we fhall be filled with pure, perfect love; for the love of the Spirit perfects that of the Father and Son, and accomplishes the mystery of God in the believing foul. Come then, let us look for it: This great falvation draws nigh. Let us thank God more joyfully, more humbly, more penitently, for Chrift our firft Comforter; and hanging on his word, let us ardently pray for the fulness of his Spirit, for the indwelling of our fecond Comforter, who will lead us into all truth, all love, all power. Let us join the few, who befiege the Throne of Grace, and not give over putting the Lord in remembrance, till he has raifed himself a Pentecostal Church again in the earth; I mean a Church of fuch believers as are all

of

of one heart and one foul. Nor forget to afk, that, when you prefs into that kingdom and church, you may be followed by, Dear Madam, yours, &c.

J. F.

To JAMES IRELAND, Efq;

Newington, Jan. 29, 1777.

HANKS be to God, and to my dear Friend, for favours upon

favours, for undeferved love and the moft endearing tokens of it. I have received your obliging letters full of kind offers and your jar full of excellent grapes. May God open to you the book of life, and feal upon your heart all the offers and promises it contains; and may the treasures of Chrift's love, and all the fruits of the Spirit, be abundantly open to my dear friend and unwearied benefactor!

Providence fent me laft Sunday Dr. Turner, who, under God, faved my life twenty-three years ago in a dangerous illness; and I am inclined to try what his method will do. He orders me affes milk, chicken, &c. forbids me riding, and recommends the greatest quietnefs. He prohibits the use of Bristol water; advises some waters of a purgative nature; and tries to promote expectoration by a method that fo far anfwers, though I fpit by it more blood than before. It will be in order to cure one way or other.

With respect to my foul, I find it good to be in the balance, awfully weighed every day for life or death. I thank God, the latter has loft its fting, and endears to me the Prince of Life. But O! I want Chrift, my resurrection, to be a thousand times more dear to me; and doubt not he will be fo when I am filled with the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him. Let us wait for that glory, praifing God for all we have received, and do daily receive; and trufting him for all we have not yet received. Let our faith do juftice to his veracity, our hope to his goodness, and our love to all his perfections. It is good to truft in the Lord, and his faints like well to hope in him. I am provided here with every neceffary and convenient bleffing for my ftate. The great have even done me the honour of calling :-Mr. Shirley, Mr. Rowland Hill, Mr. Peckwell, &c. I exhort them to promote peace in the Church, which they take kindly. I hope God will incline us all to peace, living and dying. Lady Hun. tingdon has written me a kind letter alfo. O for univerfal, lafting kindnefs! This world to me is now become a world of love. May it be fo to my dear friend also. My kindeft love and thanks wait on yourself, Mrs. Ireland, and all your dear family. J. F. GREENWOOD.

MY Jefus.

To Mr.

London,, 1777.

Y dear Companion in tribulation, and in the patience of Jefus. Peace be multiplied unto you, and refignation by the cross of Jesus. I bear vour foot on my heart, and cast my

heart

heart on him, to whom all burdens are lighter than a feather.
Pafchal said, when the rod of tribulation was upon him, "Now
I begin to be a Chriftian," meaning a follower of the man of
forrows. By his pierced feet may yours be eafed. Hold this fast,
"Whom the Lord loveth, he chafteneth," Accept the rod as a
token of your adoption; and be willing to be made perfect in
patience by fufferings. In the mean time rejoice that Chrift's
fufferings are over, that they are atoning, and that they have
purchafed our comforts. If you can come fafely to-morrow, you
will bring a bleffing to your poor penfioner, who remains in the
bonds of grateful, brotherly love, yours,
J. F,

To JAMES IRELAND, Efq;
Newington, Feb. 24, 1777.

My dear Friend,

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us.

ET us abandon ourselves without reserve to God, who is alike the God of all grace when he chastises, as when he blesses Be a fon of Abraham,-be an imitator of God. Abraham refused not to offer up his fon Ifaac, and God has delivered his only Son to death for us. Refuse nothing to this God of love and tender compaffion. The facrifice of thofe things which are most precious to us, are the leaft unworthy of him; and had we a thou fand Ifaacs, we ought to keep back none from him. Perhaps the Lord hath heard your prayer and ours. Ifaac lives, may he be devoted to the Lord as was Samuel; and may the God of Elijah have all the glory of his recovery. If he be dead, prepare to follow him, and do not envy him the fweet repose which he enjoys, and in which we fhall foon fhare with him.

If

your

Adieu. They forbid my writing, but I will write to the laft, Bleffed be God who giveth us the victory over death and its pains by Jefus Chrift! In him I am, and fhall always be altogether yours, I am your ten thousand times obliged friend,

J. F.

P. S. Your fecond letter, which reached me when the above was written, informs me of your lofs;-but why fhould I call God's fecuring your fon, and giving him eternal life, your lofs? It is Chrift's gain, who fees in that fweet child the travel of his childhood; and it is your fon's gain, fince his conflicts and dangers are now over, and nothing awaits him but an eternal increase of happiness. Who knows but what God, who foresees all the ftorms of corruption and rocks of fin we are likely to meet with in the fea of life, has taken your dear child at the best, and by this premature death, fecures him from eternal death? Come then, do not repine. God has made you the inftrument of adding one more little cherub to the heavenly hoft; and in this light you may well fay, "The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord!" He is better than ten fons. Your fon is in his bofom, and this new cord fhould now draw you from earth to heaven with a fresh degree of power,with an irresistible attraction.

I thank

I thank you ten thousand times over for all your repeated marks of love and generofity to me and mine: the burden is too great to hear; I must caft it upon Him, who can blefs you ten thousand times over, and turn all your feeming loffes into the greatest bles fings. May the God of all confolation, help you to reap the earliest and ripeft fruit of the affliction, whereby he gives you a new token of your adoption. Remember my kind love and prefent my best thanks to Mrs. Ireland. Your's, &c.

J. F.

A Letter from the Rev. Mr. GEORGE WHITEFIELD, tą *** ***** at Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

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My dear Brother,

you

OWE a letter and much love; the one I will now pay you; the other debt our common Lord muft difcharge; I defpair of doing it, because I run upon fresh arrears to Him and his dear people, every day and every hour. I willingly therefore own myself a debtor to high and low, rich and poor; to all of all denominations what foever. What have we to do any more with a party or fectarian zeal? Why should not our heaven begin on earth.

All that we know they do above,

Is that they fing, and that they love.

Oh for fome fresh anointings of the bleffed Spirit! Then will the scales fall from our eyes, and the vail be taken from our hearts; then fhall we be more content to think and let think; and be ftudious to be of one Heart, where we cannot be of one Judgment. The fweetnefs of fuch a fpirit is unfpeakable: It brings with it, its own reward: It frees the foul from a thousand needlefs jealoufies and felfish pursuits, and enables it to put the reins of government into his hands, who alone orders all things well. Lord increafe in us this fpirit, and enable us to love all that bear thy Image, however they may not in all things agree with us!

Oh let us find the ancient way
Our wondering foes to move;
And force the heathen world to say,
See, how thefe chriftians love!

My dear brother, your kind letter confirains me to write thus. Bleffed be God for what has been done at any time by any inftrument at Newcaftle! I ftill pray that it may be full of new creatures,

In London we have occafion to rejoice: Yesterday was a great day of the Son of Man. Both at the facrament, and under the word preached,-our Lord gave us to drink of the wine of the Kingdom. On Monday laft we followed three believers to the grave, and triumphed over death on his own ground. God help us to love him more and ferve him better!

I falute

I falute all most heartily with whom you are in fellowship. Grace, mercy and peace be multiplied upon you! I beg a continued intereft in your prayers, and fubfcribe myself, dear Sir, your affectionate friend and ready fervant,

GEORGE WHITEFIELD.

The preceding letter was found among the papers of Mr. Matthew Errington, of Newcastle. It was written at London, but to whom, or at what time, is not mentioned.

A LETTER FROM Mr. T. R. to Mr. P.

My dear Brother,

WITH

Nov. 21, 1786.

ITH my whole heart do I approve what you fay concerning the Salvation of the Gofpel being a glorious, full, free, and prefent Salvation; and that the way to obtain it is by Faith. I believe nothing more is needful but that we be made deeply fenfible of our want of this Salvation, firmly believe the promifes which hold it out unto us, and come fimply, just as we are (without ftaying to make ourselves better or worte) to the great Promife-making and Promife-fulfilling GOD, in the Name of our adorable High Prieft and Advocate; being fully perfuaded that what he hath promifed he is able, he is willing, he is ready to perform. Surely all who thus believe, fhall fee the glory of God. It fhall be done unto them according to their Faith. They fhall not only be freely juftified, but fully fanétified. They fhall increase daily in the knowledge and love of God, fink deeper and rife higher into him, till they continually enjoy that facred Union, that deep myfterious Oneness with the Father and the Son through the eternal Spirit, which our Lord prayed for in the behalf of all who fhould believe in him, when he faid, "Neither pray I for thefe alone, but for all them alfo who fhall believe on me through their Word; that they all may be one, as thou Father art in me, and I in thee, that they alfo may be one in us. And the Glory which thou gavest me, I have given them, that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that thou haft fent me, and haft loved them, as thou haft loved me." And what St. Paul enjoyed when he faid, "I am crucified with Chrift, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Chrift liveth in me." I think it is also very clear, that the Lord can, and does cleanse the hearts of believers from all fin in a moment. Indeed what doubt can there be concerning it, seeing it is wholly his work, and that with him all things are poffible, and one day as a thousand years. When men engage in any work of great importance, they take much time to bring it to perfection; but the Lord does great and marvellous things in a little time, in the twinkling of an eye. He VOL. XIX. Jan. 1796.

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