two of Mr. Huntington's, in reading of which my foul has been comforted and refreshed. She had been reading of them in private, and told me fhe was lately found out, and had been chid for it. She said she asked the lady that took upon her to chide her, if the ever had read any of his works? O! no; fays fhe, never: for he is a man of fuch. a bad fpirit, and his writings of a dangerous tendency. However, by this it got vent, and fhe foon had the minister of the church, and alfo the two deacons of the chapel, to admonish her for this rafh attempt; and they must look much sharper than they do, if they keep her much longer under their veil.

Night came, and fome how this poor woman, by the direction of Providence, found us out, though I did not tell her of our intended meeting. But I was very dark in my own foul, and very far from being as I was the night before; I felt myself a very poor creature, and not able, according to my feelings, to speak any thing; but go I muft, for that was fettled. And this, I faw afterwards, was to let me know that the excellency of the power was of God, and not of me, a poor earthen veffel: for when we gave over, I was very much furprifed, indeed, to hear one fay, You was fent on purpose for me; another faid, You was fent on purpofe for me; and another, for him; and one declared that he had been a profeffor thirteen years, but never had fuch a night as that. I might well be furprifed: might

not

1

not I, think you? I really was; and, to tell you the truth (looking at myfelf), I had hard work to believe it, yet I dare not say it was not true.

The next day I fet off home, and when I had got without fide of the town, my good Lord was pleased to fhine into my foul, and to give me, in some meafure, the knowledge of the glory of himself, in the face of Jefus Chrift. I understood by this that I had been doing the Lord's will, and astonished I was to think of the goodness of our God, that, though there were two eloquent minifters in the town, yet that he should ftoop and condefcend to blefs and comfort the hearts of his people by fuch a weak and contemptible mean as myself. May the Lord be eternally praised. Amen.

This vifit, I think, has laid the foundation for fome of them to separate themselves from those that "glory in appearance, and not in heart;" and to affemble themselves together at ftated periods; but where it will end I know not. After I got home, finding my heart knit to them in love, and confidering that fome of them would have a good deal of difficulty to go through, I have sent them a long letter.

I have not room to give you an account of the converfation that the young man and I had with the church minifter, which I think was for two hours or more. Neither fhould I have troubled

you with fo many particulars as I have, had it not been to discover the amazing means the Lord

ufed

used to bring it about, his condefcenfion when there, and his goodness in vifiting of me the greatest part of the way home, and betimes for three or four days after. He fulfilled his word, he went before me, and also was my rereward; he alfo was a wall of fire round about us, and the glory in the midst of us; and, as I faid before, fo now fay I again, may the Lord be eternally praised.

Amen.

I hope fending this fo quick will not hinder you from writing to my other letters as you intended, neither to this fo foon as you fhall have opportunity. And may the Lord blefs and profper you in foul. Amen.

Please to give my love to your spouse, and to our dearly beloved friend Mr. O and all that love our Lord Jefus Chrift in fincerity and truth. Our friends defire their love to you, and especially my wife. I hope I fhall hear from you again the first convenient opportunity. I earnestly beg of you to beg of God, that he will lead and guide me by a right way, for I find myself strangely entangled at times, indeed; nay, overwhelmed fometimes, that I do not know where I am.

I fhall write no more at prefent, but fubfcribe myfelf your loving and affectionate brother in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jefus Christ.

A. R.

VOL. II.

H

LETTER

LETTER XVIII.

To Mr. A-R

Blefs the Lord, O my foul, and forget not all his benefits. Blefs the Lord, O my foul; and all that is within me blefs his holy name.

My boafting before Titus is found a truth. God hath confirmed the word of his fervant, and performed the counsel of his meffenger. Zion hath one to lead her among the fons which the hath brought forth; one is raised up to take her by the hand among the fons that he hath brought up. Thou art my brother, be thou the father of thoufands and of millions, and may thy feed poffefs the gates of their enemies. Children are the inheritance of the Lord; the fruit of Zion's womb are his reward; he shall bend Judah for himself, and fill his bow with Ephraim; and thofe that handle the bow fhall go to Tarfus, Pul, and Lud, to Tubal and Javan, and their bow fhall not return empty bleffed is the man that hath his quiver full of them. Go on, the Lord is with thee, thou man

of

of valour, mighty in thy Saviour's might; and thou shalt deliver Ifrael. Stand like an iron pillar, or a brazen wall; hold no conference with flesh and blood, nor with carnal reafon and unbelief. Set your face like a flint, and go through ftitch with it; discharge the whole counfel of heaven, and back it with folemn appeals to God and confcience. Know no man after the flesh; fet off without the camp, and ask who is on the Lord's fide? and this will discover those who are ensnared in holes, and those who make lies their refuge, and bring fuch to a conclufion who halt between two opinions. Make full proof of thy miniftry, by enforcing and infifting upon the application and experience of it, for that is the power of it, and is the love of the truth, and truth in the love of it; and this will produce a twofold favour, a favour of death unto death in the fcoffer and railer, and a favour of life unto life in the humble penitent. Set forth the balances of the fanctuary, and God will weigh both the fpirits and the actions of men before thee; the wooden and earthen veffels will kick the beam, when thofe of gold and of filver will drop with a weight of glory into thine heart, and thou wilt live and die with them. The reproach, fcandal, hatred, and malice, that I have met with, did, in former years, difcourage me not a little; but now it hath but little weight. Succefs in the ministry, and accefs to my God, makes the yoke eafy and the burden light; knowing, in my own confcience, that the light, power, and prefence