thing that presents itself flies away from us; and in hunting after thefe views we lofe ourselves, and then, like the hireling, we earneftly look for the fhadow, not to get the reward of our work, for that is only shame and confufion of face; and this fends us home as abafhed and felf abafed as we went out in the morning; and we are more fit for the work when the battle is over, than when we began the attack; for I often think that the fecond difcourfe is a preparation for the third, or an emptying us, in order to another fupply. I long much to fee you. You fee the hand of God against his and your enemies, and you know who maketh us to differ. God bless thee; write foon; ever thine. Paddington. W. H. S. S. LETTER LETTER XXI. To the Rev. Mr. HUNTINGTON. MY DEAR SIR, I AM just come home from Mr. M————, with whom I dined yesterday, and heard your letter read, and from that I ventured to publish you last night at M; but now having received yours, I am quite confirmed and fatisfied. Great are the expectations in town and country of your coming, and glad they will be to be informed of it. I hope the country air will be of great service to you after your late illness, to brace up your body, and that your miniftry, under God, will brace and gird up the minds of many. My foul rejoices to hear how you have been enabled to prevail with God on the behalf of that poor finner; how good the Lord is! O! how Satan deals with us poor mortals! firft gets us to fin against God, hardens our heart, and blinds our eyes, and we endeavour to hide our tranfgreffions in our bofom, and yet hope in a God all mercy; but when God cuts the cable of that anchor, down we go, and then Satan knows it is his time to belabour us; and we rightly deserve it for giving heed to the father of lies. O! how we have followed his lying vanities, and forfaken our own mercies! O! what long fuffering has the Almighty fhewn, towards me especially, the vileft of the vile. I have feared often that the devil would kill me, if I did not kill myfelf; but I have found him a liar more than once. The Lord would fend that fcripture often to my mind, and though it was but a conditional one, yet it greatly fupported me; "Whofo confeffeth and forfaketh his "fins, fhall find mercy." I know he has heard me; but yet I am a mystery, I cannot understand myself. If I receive a little lift, I think foon after that I fink lower than ever. I never had fuch seasons in my life as I have had of late, and that was through a few lines in your letter. I never had fo much melting and fhame on my knees before, fo much enlargement, and fuch a profufe flow in the pulpit, as I had all day laft fabbath; I almoft thought my fetters were gone, and fo did the people; but I am now, I think, darker and more fhut up than ever, and of courfe more rebellious and ftubborn. O! when fhall I be able to mafter unbelief, rebellion, and Satan! would to God I was delivered from them, and that I could but fee their deftruction; I would then rejoice more than all the conquerors in this world ever did. God Almighty bless you, and preferve you long for our fake, is the fincere wifh and prayer of your most obliged friend, J. J. LETTER LETTER XXII. To the Rev. Mr. J. THE path of my fon fhines more and more; he goes from strength to strength; he makes straight paths for his feet, nothing lame appears to be turned out of the way; the Lord's way begins to be made known to him, which is his faving health among all nations. Satan's threatenings to kill my fon, is a little like Goliath's defiance of David; he shouted victory upon the brink of ruin, and Satan threatens in the belly of hell; but the Captain of our falvation has destroyed him that had the power of death by death, and triumphed over him in it, and has led captivity captive; and by an infinite fatisfaction redeemed us from the hand of the terrible, and by an omnipotent power has, and will, wound that infernal head over divers countries. O! King of kings, and Lord of lords! ride forth, and ride profperously, because of truth, meekness, and righteoufnefs, which are fo much wanted in the earth. : No, no; thou doft not fink lower than before: but every time that the glorious vifitor withdraws VOL. II. I thefe thefe vifitations which preferve our spirits, and which are attended with enlargement, fweetnefs, and glorious light; which, when withdrawn, make the ftocks in our apprehenfion more galling, the wormwood and gall more bitter, and the dark regions more difmal. These glorious changes are not to fink us lower, but to raise us higher-but the wonderful difference of the climate make our sensations the keener, which makes the captive exile haften that be may be loofed, and that he should not die in the pit, and bis bread fail. The last fabbath, my fon, was a good day; it was almost one of the days of the Son of man. These earnests, foretastes, and sweet morfels, sharpen the appetite, and make us pant for the living God, like the hart for the water brook. A few more of these changes, and then the door of hope will fly open, the prifoner will go forth, and he that fits in darkness will fhew himself; and then every budding hope and expectation, every longing defire, every spiritual thought, faith, hope, heart, and affections, will all be admitted to enter into the holy of holies, and even to the right hand of God, where Chrift fitteth; thy heart and thy treasure will be both together, and you may fetch them back again if you can. You have acknowledged me in part, and you will in future acknowledge me in this alfo, and even to the end; for thou wilt never get out of my fight, out of my depth, nor out of my track, go where thou wilt. |