other view the present state is vanity and vexation of spirit. But when the love of Jesus is the leading and constraining motive of our conduct, the necessary business of every day, in the house, the shop, or the field, is ennobled, and makes a part of our religious worship; while every dispensation of Providence, whether pleasant or painful to the flesh, is received and rested in as an intimation of his will, and an evidence of his love and care for us. Happy they who do not stop short in names, forms, and notions, but are desirous of knowing what effects such a gospel as we profess is capable of producing in the spirit and conduct of those to whom it comes, not in word only, but in the demonstration and power of the Holy Ghost.

I commend you and yours to the Lord. I shall always be glad to hear from you; and remain your affectionate friend and servant.

My dear Friend,

LETTER XVIII.

To Mrs. C****.

June 12, 1779.

YOUR last leiter was long in coming; but I have deprived myself of all right of complaining by the slowness of my answer. You plead want of time; allow me to plead the same. During the first years of our correspondence you had no family, and I had few engagements, compared to what I have had since. As we grow older, connexions and businesses multiply, while, alas! for my part, my ability to attend to the many things which call upon me, seems rather to decline.

My regard for you still subsists, and I use you no worse than I am constrained to use many others whom I have long and dearly loved, and who have equal rea son to say I am become a poor correspondent.

For three years past Mrs. N**** has experienced much ill health; and this alone has abridged me of many of those hours which I used to employ in writing to my friends. Of late she has been better upon the whole, but seldom comfortably well for many weeks together. But in the course of these trials we have had much ex perience of the Lord's goodness and compassion; and I have found him, and still find him, a God hearing prayer, a very pleasant help in time of trouble. She joins with me in love to you both, to Mrs. H****, and my other friend at Y, whose name used to stand with yours, and of whom I have heard nothing for a long time.

i

The life of leisure you once had is now changed for the care of a family. It is an honourable and impor tant charge. I hope the Lord continues to bless you in it; and that you have comfort in seeing your children grow up like olive plants about your table. May he give you wisdom and success in your attempts to bring them up for the Lord; that in due time you, and the children he has given you, may appear together at his right hand.

As to myself, though I have now entered the sixteenth year of my ministry here, and have almost finished the fifty-fourth of my life, my health and strength, through his blessing, continue firm; and through his mercy I feel myself no more weary in his service, or weary of it, than at first. I have comfort in the flock he has committed to my care: I have seen many of them depart in peace, and I rejoice to think VOL. VI. I

they are safely housed out of the reach of storms. He bas from time to time raised up others to supply their places, and in general they walk agreeably to the Gospel, in peace among themselves, and united in affection to me. I speak of the serious people chiefly. Multitudes in the town are mere hearers; and some will not hear at all. But all behave civil, and give me no other trouble than that which I ought to feel most sensibly, a concern for their precious souls, that when the light of the Gospel shines around them, there should be so many who prefer darkness to light, because their deeds are evil.

Every year, and indeed every day, affords me new proofs of the evil and deceitfulness of my heart, and of my utter insufficiency to think even a good thought of myself. But I trust in the course of various exercises, I have been taught more of the power, grace, and allsufficiency of Jesus. I can commend him to others, not from hearsay but from my own experience. His name is precious; his love is wonderful; his compassions are boundless. I trust I am enabled to choose him as my all, my Lord, my strength, my Saviour, my portion. I long for more grace to love him better; for, alas! I have reason to number myself among the least of saints and the chief of sinners.

I am yours.

YOU, (and consequently Mrs! W****, for you cannot

suffer alone,) have lately been in the furnace, and are now brought safely out. I hope you have much to say of the grace, care, and skill of the great Refiner, who watched over you; and that you have lost nothing but dross. Let this experience be treasured up in your hearts for the use of future times. Other trials will come: but you have found the Lord faithful to his promise, and have good encouragement to trust him again. I would take the liberty to address myself particularly to dear Mrs. ****, upon a theme my heart is well acquainted with. You know your weak side; endeavour to set a double guard of prayer there. Our earthly comforts would be doubly sweet, if we could but venture them without anxiety in the Lord's hands. And where can we lodge them so safely? Is not the first gift, the continuance, the blessing which makes them pleasing, all from him? Was not his design in all this that we should be happy in them? How then can we fear that he will threaten them, much less take them away, but with a

view to our further benefit? Let us suppose the thing we are most afraid of actually to happen. Can it come a moment sooner, or in any other way than by his appointment? Is he not gracious and faithful to support us under the stroke? Is he not rich enough to give us something better than ever be will take away? Is not the light of his countenance better than life and all its most valued enjoyments? Is hot this our time of trial, and are we not travelling towards a land of light?Methinks when we view things in the light of eternity, it is much the same whether the separating stroke arrives at the end of seven or seventy years; since, come when it will, it must and will be felt; but one draught of the river of pleasure at God's right hand will make us forget our sorrows for ever; or the remembrance, if any, will only serve to heighten our joys. Further, what life did he lead whom we call our Master and our Lord? Was not he a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief? has he marked out one way to heaven with his painful footsteps, and shall we expect, or even wish to walk in another? With such considerations as these, we should endeavour to arm our minds, and pray to the Lord to fix a sense of them in our hearts, and to renew it from time to time; that when changes are either feared or felt, we may not be like the people of the world, who have no hope, no refuge, no throne of grace, but may be enabled to glorify our God in the fire, and give proof that his grace is sufficient for us in every state. It is neither comfortable for ourselves, nor honourable to our profession, to start at every shaking af If we are sensible of this, mourn over our ininities before the Lord, and faithfully strive in prayer ainst the fear that easily besets us; he can, and * ? trengthen us with strength in our souls, and