preffed on my mind with an efficacious power, "My grace is fufficient for thee," which gave me peace in believing that it should be to me according to his Word. Thus, after many conflicts, comforts, and fupports, I deter mined to give myfelf up to fome church, that I might partake of the Lord's-fupper, and have my faith confirmed in the blood of that everlasting covenant which I hoped the Lord had made with me, fince he had given me his Spirit as the earnest thereof. I accordingly waited upon the Lord in his ordinances, and found great delight my faith was ftrengthened, and my love increased, from that fweet communion I then enjoyed with my Lord by his bleffed Spirit, who often filled me with joy unspeakable and full of glory. Thus I walked under the sweet and comfortable sense of his love; and while in the way of my duty, I was indulged with fuch fights of the Redeemer's glory, and fuch a taste of his grace, that I fre quently wifhed that I might never more go back to the world again. But after all these manifeftations (O wretched creature!) God in his providence called me more into the world, by changing my condition. This new relation brought new affections, and new temptations; which, being too much yielded to, infenfibly prevailed, and brought me into fuch perplexing darkness, that I want words to exprefs it. I loft the fenfe of the love of Gop; and hence my duty was performed without that delight which I had once experienced; the want of which made me often neglect it, and especially in private; while I attended on public worship with little advantage or pleasure. The confideration of this decay in my love, and the lofs of thofe quickening influences of the Spirit, which I used to experience in duty, increafed my darkness, and I had doleful apprehenfions of my fate. And my inordinate love to the creature, and want of fubmiffion to the Will of the Lord, in disposing of what I had fo unduly fet my heart on, prepared me to look for awful things, in a way of judgment, from the righteous God; which I afterwards found. His hand was foon laid on that very object, by which I had fo provoked him; for a diforder feized him, under. which he long languished till it ended in his death . This was a melancholy foke, and more fo, as I faw his hand ftretched out ftill; for I continued in an unfuitable temper, and without that fubmiffion which fuch a difpenfation called for. The Lord fill hid his face from me, and it is impoffible to give a particular account of thofe perplexing thoughts and tormenting fears which filled my mind. Every thing appeared dreadfully dark, both within and without. O! were it poffible to describe it to others, as I then felt it, they would dread that which will separate between them and God! I expected, if the Lord did return, it would be in a terrible way, by fome remarkable judgment or other; but oftentimes, from the frame I was in, I could fee no ground to hope he would ever return at all. + Her Husband died of a confumption But But was it to me according to my difmal apprehenfions and fears? Oh! no: My foul, and all that is within me, bless and adore his Name, under a fense of his free grace and love, who manifefted himself unto thee, as a GOD pardoning iniquity, tranf greffion, and fin This was the title by which he manifefted him felf to Mofes, when he caufed his glory to pafs before him (Exod. xxxiv. 6, 7.) And it was in the clear apprehenfion, and powerful application of this, by the Almighty Spirit, that I was brought to admire fo greatly, the grace of God thus difcovered to me in fo extraordinary a manner, that it even transported my very foul with love and thankfulness, beyond any thing that I had experienced in the whole of my paft life. The beginning of this wonderful alteration in my frame, was hearing the experience of one which I thought very much like my own when the Lord firft began to work on my foul. I concluded that this perfon was the fubject of a real and univerfal change. On this occafion I determined to confider my former experience; in doing of which, I found the bleffed Spirit of grace affifting me, and witneffing to his work upon my heart; infomuch, that my foul was wonderfully enlivened in duty, and en-' larged in thankfulness to God for thus manifefting himself, and directing me to thofe means which he had fo inexpreffibly bleffed beyond my expectation.* Thus the Lord drew me by the cords of love, and lifted up the light of his countenance upon me, fo that in his light I faw light, which scattered that miferable cloud of darkness that had enwrapped my foul fo long. Yea, he difpelled all thofe unbelieving thoughts which are apt to arife, on account of that low eftate out of which he had newly raised me. The enemy fuggefted to me, that this was not the Lord's ordinary way of dealing with fuch provoking creatures as myself, but that they are ufually filled with terrors, and brought down even to a view of the lowest hell, &c. Thus fatan endeavoured to hold me under believing fears. But the bleffed Spirit, by taking of the things of Chrift and fhewing them unto me, prevailed over the temptation. I had a discovery of the glory of the Father; and likewise, of the glory of the Son, as proceeding from the Father, and offering a facrifice of a tweet-fmelling favour, and in bringing in an everlafting righteousness, which by his Spirit he enabled me to reft wholly upon, as the foundation of every bleffing which I have received, or he has promifed, for the whole of my acceptance be This fhews the benefit of communicating experiences: "As in water face anfwereth to face, fo the heart of man to man," Prov. xxvii. 19. And though this great duty is much neglected in the prefent day; yet those who faithfully and diligently regard it, the Lord makes it exceeding ufeful in the quickening, comforting, and establishing their fouls in their most holy faith. The wife man fays, ver. 17. "As iron fharpeneth iron, so a man fharpeneth the countenance of his friend." Good men's graces, are sharpened by converse with those that are good; and bad men's lufts are sharpened by those that are bad. VOL. XIX. fore fore God, for my justification, fanctification, and full redemption. On this foundation he has enabled me ftedfaftly to rely, which greatly enlivens and enlarges my foul, in its addresses to the Fa ther, through the Son, by the affiftance of the Holy Spirit. O the love! the infinite, condefcending, and unchanging love of the Father! And, O that fulness of grace which is treasured up in my Redeemer, to be bestowed on me by his promised Spirit! of which fo much hath already been communicated, that my foul is even overwhelmed under the fenfe and confideration of it! The Lord appears to me as refting in his love, and joying over me with finging, as it is expreffed, Zeph. iii. 17: which fcripture, with many others, have been so opened and applied, as makes my approaches to him exceeding delightful. This fenfe of his love lays me low, in the views of my own vileness and unwor thinefs, and conftrains me to love him and live to him, and to give him all the glory of that change which of his own free and fovereign grace he has wrought in me. There was nothing in me to move him to this; yea, what was there not in me to provoke him to caft me off for ever? But thus it hath pleased him to magnify his grace and mercy on a creature the most unworthy of any that ever received a favour at his hands. I know not where to end. He has recovered me from amongst the dead, and he shall have the glory of it while I live: Yes, I will praise him, and tell of the wonders of his love to others, that fo he may be honoured, and none may distrust him. He has filled me with his praifes, though he has not given me that natural capacity which fome have been bleffed with, to exprefs what I feel and find of his work on my foul. But this I can fay, "I have found him whom my foul loves," he hath manifested himfelf to me; and there is nothing I dread fo much as lofing fight of him again. His prefence makes all his ordinances, and all his providences, and every thing delightful unto me. It is impoffible to exprefs the joy of my foul in fweet communion with him, with a fenfe of his love and experience of his prefence, under the influences of his Spirit, whofe office it is to abide with me, and to guide, direct, and comfort me for ever. London, Dec. 17, 1697. This▾luable RECECCA COMBE. This luable chriftian lived to a good old age. She was confined by illness for four years before her death; during which the had large experience of the divine prefence and confolations. She greatly valued her stated habitual seasons for converse with God, and longed much for the time when all hindrances and reftraints fhould be for ever removed. She flept in Jefus, Nov. 20, 1744, aged 79 years, and her remains were interred in Bunhill-Fields. To the Editor of the ARMINIAN MAGAZINE. HE Writer of the following Letter, was a gentleman of good family and fortune in France, who at the beginning of the prefent troubles left that country in company with an only Brother, older than himfelf. He was at that time just come from college, where he had finished his education, and believing his duty to GOD and his king required it, he was eafily perfuaded to go and arrange himself under the standard of the Duke of Brunfwick. After that General had been forced to retreat before Dumourier, he left the army and fettled for a fhort time in Holland. From whence he came to the Ifland of Jersey. Here my acquaintance with him commenced, and during a year and a half spent in habits of intimacy, he always discovered a fincere defire to know the Truth. From his conftantly attending the preaching, as might be expected where there is an inquifitive mind poffeffed of more than ordinary powers, his knowledge of himself and Religion daily increased; and in fpite of all the oppofition he met with from his countrymen, especially the priests, he avowed himself our friend. In July 1795, I left the Islands, and in Auguft, he was ordered with the rest of his unhappy companions who had refided in Jersey, on the Quiberon expedition; but owing to fome unavoidable delay, the veffel in which he embarked was too late to join the fquadron in the Channel, and fo failed for England. That this was a providential escape from death, all who are acquainted with the melancholy iffue of that expedition, will readily grant. Being in England, and knowing that I was in London, he came to fee me. Here another providential door was opened: Dr. Coke wanting a *perfon verfed in the French Language, was very glad to accept of Mr. Pontavice, who was equally glad to meet with fuch a fituation. With the Doctor he has travelled ever fince, and I believe the whole of his conduct affords fufficient proof of the reality of the change he professes to have experienced. One cannot but remark the chain of favourable Providences, by which he has been brought to a knowledge of himself and GOD. Many of them painful enough, but all neceffary to accomplish that great and important end. Had he remained in his own country, it is probable he would have been engulphed in the whirlpool of infidelity, towards which he was verging. Had he remained in Holland, he would have fallen into the hands of the Republicans. Had he gone to the Bay of Quiberon, he had in all probability fhared the fate of the thousands who there fell. He was first brought to the Island of Jersey where the Gospel is preached, and here he was awakened and began to enquire the way to Zion with his face thitherwards. After that, having every advantage. from vifiting the Societies with Dr. Coke, and converfing with Religious People, the work of Grace was carried on in his Mind till he was prepared for the event related in the following Letter 4 D 2 which which I have tranflated, and present to you to be inferted in the Ar. minian Magazine, if it be judged worthy of a place in that useful Publication. Many, I doubt not, will be happy to hear a French Emigrant, late a nobleman, fpeaking his Experience, and relating the Dealings of GOD, with all that evangelical fimplicity to which they have been accustomed. Others will be encouraged to confide in the care of Divine Providence, which fometimes leads us thro' paths rough and gloomy, to do us good in the latter end. And all Chriftians will rejoice in profpect of a glorious harvest of converfions, of which this is the firft fruit, among a people whom we have been accustomed to call “ our natural enemies." My dear Friend, G R. R. Chester, May 12, 1796. In a LORY be to GOD, he hath at laft compleated the work, he had begun under your miniftry. When I first became acquainted with you, I was, alas! in a deplorable state. Plunged in every kind of crime, my heart depraved and hard; and my confcience afleep. My foul, palfied by fin, was incapable of ele vating itfelf to the GOD who made it. Inftead of communing with him and fitting in heavenly places in CHRIST JESUS, it grovelled in the duft. And what is ftill worfe, I had begun to call in queftion the Divinity of him who alone could heal me. word, I had abandoned my GOD. You spoke to me of his goodnefs and mercy, when my foul began to awake from her lethargy, and I ardently defired to be farther inftructed in the things that make for my peace. You gave me a Bible, the contents of which I devoured. I was foon convinced of the Divinity of JESUS CHRIST, and that I was a miferable finner. I proftrated myfelf before him, and with many tears, implored the pardon of my fins. Many times I had a perfuafion that GOD was not inattentive to my pray ers, for he gave me confolation, and at fome moments I was quite happy. But ftill there were great obftacles remaining in the way of my converfion. The prejudices of education yet remained with me. I was furrounded with men of corrupt principles and depraved morals, who cried, Stop, unhappy youth, you are on the brink of Ruin." The Methodists were reprefented to me as the offscouring of all things. But God had pity on me when he faw me expofed to fo many dangers, and drew me from among them, and caft my lot with a pious people, from whofe Example I might learn to ferve him. My old prejudices then vanished before the Light of Truth, which I received with all readiness of mind, and became more and more confirmed in the doctrines of the Gospel which I heard. When I recollect the circumstances of my life, fince I firft knew you, I am aftonifhed, and fee the Hand of GOD in them. The books I have met with, appeared to have fallen from the fkies, for my perufal; and many times I have been conftrained to acknowledge the interpofition of Divine Providence in opening on a paffage directly fuited to my ftate of mind. This was my foul prepared for the day, ever memorablę 66 |