Dear brother in the faith, and companion in travail: meekness, fubmiffion, and refignation to the will of God, be ever with thee, through Jefus Chrift our Lord.

A CHOSEN veffel, an elected brother, is born for adverfity; chofen in the furnace, and ordained to afflictions. It is given in our behalf, not only to believe in Chrift, but also to fuffer for his name: hence we are commanded to look to him that maketh the feven flars and Orion, and turneth the fhadow of death into the morning. This fhadow of death very much resembles the fubftance-the fting of death is feverely felt, the miniftration of death is fet home upon the heart, the awful fentence paffes, and the foul finks under it, the execution of it is both felt and feared, and the worst part, the pains of hell and eternal death, are imagined-which are attended with as much terror and torment as if real.

But it is but the fhadow, not the fubftance; it is the dark valley, not the bottomlefs pit. The

Spirit of life quickens the foul, creates a thirst for Jefus, dictates prayer, opens the word of truth to the foul, and allures it to hope and expectation; all which counteract the terrible artillery of Sinai, and maintain a door of hope, and hope expects a refuge, even under the heavieft difcharges of that awful ftorm. Dreadful are the threatenings of God's profound judgments, and the verdict of the finner's own confcience; but our own heart, when we are even in the horrible pit, will commend the righteousness of God; thus deep calls unto deep-and why is not the juft fentence executed? Because a voice before the throne forbids it: it calls upon God for juftice in the forgiveness of fins, and in cleansing us from all unrighteoufnefs; and, in the finner's confcience, there is an expectation of a voice that speaks better things than that of Abel, and the poor trembling finner eagerly and impatiently waits for it. Yea, though heaven, earth, and hell, appear to combine against the finner, though all refuge fail, and both heart and flesh fail, yet this hope in atoning blood banters the devil, weathers the storm, furmounts the gloomy regions, refifts defpair, and expects no less than the manifeftation of the fons of God, and the inheritance with the faints in light.

This is the path that God leads his blind ones in, this is the path that they know not; though they know they are in his powerful hand, and he compels them to follow him; though in chains, and with fupplication and bitter weeping he leads them, look

ing through the dark cloud at Him whom they have pierced, and mourning for him; though afhamed and confounded at the thought-even of expecting fuch an undeferved mercy at the hands of a longflighted, much neglected, and juftly incenfed God and Saviour. This is fomething of the appearance, and fome of the effects of the Saviour's first visit to the heart of a rebel. He comes as the most mighty, with his fword upon his thigh, and rides in his glory and in his majesty, while the heart of the enemy feels his arrows, and falls under him. Trembling attends his first approach, life works with his arrow, health attends his fword, and conqueft waits on his bow; while truth, meeknefs, and righteousness, are the lafting, or eternal, effects of his victory-I will bend Judah for me, and fill my bow with Ephraim.

The veffel of mercy that makes the defired haven, muft know God's path in the mighty waters; he that wins the field in the fight of faith, muft watch the found of his goings in the tops of the mulberrytrees; and those who enter the Holy of Holies shall first learn to know the goings of their God and their King in the fanctuary. None, my dear brother, teaches like him; his leffons baffle carnal reafon, and expofe the folly of our wifeft fchemes; but when he hath taught us to know our wants, he will teach us to know the banquet that he has provided, and to diftinguish between the bread of faints and the hufks of hypocrites. Christ is anointed and appointed, not to break the bruifed

bruised reed, nor to quench the fmoaking flax; not to throw the lambs to the wolf, nor to leave them that are great with young; he is the chief, the faithful, and the good Shepherd, who gave his life for the sheep, and who received the sheep as the Father's gift to him, nor fhall one sheep of his fold be loft, or one hoof of his flock be left behind. I have of late, according to custom, had a little furnace-work, to which I have been long in feafoning, and to which I am in fome degree inured. And fince that time of trial no small share of Satan's prefence, aid, and affiftance, which he lends to the old man, has fell to my fhare; and now I am keeping this fabbath, or day of reft, at home, laid afide through a long cold and hoarfenefs; as a dumb dog that cannot bark, or a dumb man in whofe mouth are no reproofs; but whether at home or abroad, noify or filent, I have you in remembrance, and fubfcribe myself ever yours in Chrift Jefus,

Church-street, Paddington.

W. H. S. S.

S 4

LETTER

LETTER XLII.

To the Rev. Mr. HUNTINGTON.

DEAR SIR,

I RECEIVED your kind letter, and it gave me fome comfort. You call me your brother in Christ. O! how happy fhould I be, could I with confidence write to you as fuch. Yet, Sir, was I to fay I thought I had no part in him, I fhould do violence to my own confcience. The Comforter is far from me, for I am in prifon and cannot come forth; although in this prifon fometimes light and truth in the word is with me, which encourages hope, I do not feel fo much terror as formerly, yet Satan does not like to give me up. O, Sir, he is a terrible deceiver! he often infinuates I am given into his hands to be deceived, which caufes heavy work within; but I truft Jefus will appear, and fay to the prifoner, Go forth. The Lord works in a myfterious way to our comprehenfion, yet it is all right: who, by fearching, can find him out? How fure am I of what you fay, "His leffons baffle carnal "reafon, and expofe the folly of our wifeft fchemes."