stay, very generously proposed to contribute towards my support. Next Lady-day I am to go and live at Milbourn-Port, as a kind of an assistant to him (though he wants no assistance at present) and he promises to furnish me with a horse to serve my curacy, which is eight miles off. After all I am in hopes that the whole will end well, if I have but patience to wait the Lord's good time. I know of nothing that could be more agreeable to me, and by the blessing of heaven, be more beneficial to me than to spend a few years with a person of Mr. L's good sense, learning and piety. I spend a great part of my time with him now: and the more I know him, the more I like him."

Mr. C. had ever afterwards considered his intercourse with this gentleman as one of the happiest and most advantageous circumstances of his life. His counsels and communications had been most useful to him. How true it is, that our comforts often arise from our distresses, and our gains from our losses. Mr. C. was in a great distress. This very distress was the means of introducing him into the society of a most valuable man, of whom he never aftewards could think but with the highest respect and sincerest gratitude.

We meet in the letter from which we have already quoted, with these observations on passive obedience to the will of God.

"I find it much easier to be active for Christ than to be passive to his will, by yielding myself up to his disposal and resting satisfied with the issue. For by the honour derived from activity the pride of the old man within, is gratified; and self hopes for something to feed upon. But to have my will one with his, to commit every thing that can affect either soul or body

or character, simply and unreservedly into his hands, to live truly by faith alone, without the hope which sense and human reason can supply, thus to live is what the grace of God alone can teach and enable us to do. When I am enabled to overlook second causes and to see the invisible hand of God in all things, ordering all events and influencing their efficient causes according to his own wise counsel and the pleasure of his own will, all distracting thoughts and murmuring complaints are quieted and silenced; and I feel a calm serenity within, which depends upon, and therefore can be affected by, nothing sublunary. Then I can adopt the Psalmist's language-“I will not fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea: for God is my refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." Here is a firm foundation! Here is an inexhaustible source of the richest comforts! I am surrounded with enemies, and have no strength to oppose them: but God is a sure refuge for me, and strength too. What can I want more? He is a present help. This is enough."

The picture he gives, in the same letter, of his parish is not very inviting.

"The people here shew me all the outward civilities I could expect, but a very great contempt to the Gospel and godly living. After all I am in hopes that the Lord hath blessed and will bless my ministry among them. Great many highly approve of the doctrines of the Gospel and of those who live godly in Christ Jesus: but the fear of an opprobrious name and worldly contempt, operates so strongly on their minds at present, that they cannot openly profess what they believe to be right. Religion is a new and strange thing here, and

operates variously according to the different tempers and interest of the persons who hear it. But most look upon it as something very bad, though they know not what it is; and they are exceedingly afraid of taking the infection.-I have lived in a place this last year where I believe charity itself cannot find one truly serious person."-We shall now proceed with the Diary.

"Jan. 20. Every return of this blessed day (when he heard Mr. Rowland in 1773) is refreshing to my soul. The remembrance of the mercies which I received, can never be forgotten. Pardon me, O God, that my heart is not more sensibly affected by thy goodness to me an unworthy creature.

Discontent lamented.

"Feb. 20. At times I found somewhat of the murmuring spirit which characterized the Israelites of old during their journey through the wilderness, instead of thankfulness for the many, many undeserved mercies which I enjoy. I imagine ten thousand wants, and view blessings which are not at prèsent in my possession; and if they were, they would most probably prove detrimental both to body and soul. Were my wants real, nothing but pride and unbelief could tempt me to murmur: for the promise of God is "Ask and ye shall have." Had the Israelites reverently asked God those blessings they wanted, they would doubtless have been granted, and been made real comforts to them. But when they murmured, God granted their requests, but it was in "his anger;" a curse accompanied them. Lord, make me more humble and more thankful.”

The first letter of the many that are still extant, which Mr. C, wrote to Miss Jones, of Bala, Merionethshire. afterwards, his wife, is dated the first of

March, this year. The acquaintance probably commenced when he visited Bala, nearly two years before, with his friend Mr. Lloyd. The whole correspondence, till they married in 1783, is singularly interesting, containing nothing light or trifling, nothing but what is of a serious and instructive character. Some of their most useful contents shall be given; for were the whole transcribed, it would fill a volume. From the letter above-mentioned, we extract the following observations on love to the brethren.

"God has diffused himself through all his creatures and when we enjoy him in his creatures, then they answer to us the end for which they were created. So that the love of God and his creatures are not only consistent, but inseparably connected. For this reason, so much stress is laid in scripture on the duty of loving Christ's true disciples, our Christian brethren. It is spoken of as a sure and infallible sign of our being the children of God. God has more highly and wonderfully honoured and has put infinitely more value upon a true believer, however mean in the eyes of the world and despised by it, than any or all his other creatures put together. And God's perfections are more illustriously manifested in him than in all his other works. How is it possible then for any that love God to hate him, who is so unspeakably dear to God, and in whom so much of God is to be seen? It cannot be. As God hath loved his children here in dust and ashes, with a love superior to that which he bears to all his other creatures, (a love so amazing and wonderful as to stagger our belief by its greatness,) in the like manner does one Christian love another. He loves him next to the Almighty. Hence, as you observe, Christian friendship is the

best we can wish to commence,' though not the only one I desire to know; but a friendship by no means repugnant to it, but grounded upon it. For I assure you, were all the perfections of your sex united in you and the wealth of the Indies in your possession, and I had no reason to believe you were an adopted child of our heavenly Father, by the help of God's grace I should hope never to desire forming any connexion with you. But I have reason and every reason to believe that this is your happy case. It is therefore my sincere desire and prayer to God that I may succeed."

The same letter contains some useful thoughts on the fear of death.

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"I feelingly, sympathize with you when you inform me that the thoughts of death are alarming to you.' It was the case with me for many sorrowful years. But through the abundant goodness of my heavenly Father, it is not generally the case with me at present. That scripture, 1 Cor. xv. 25, 26, has been very remarkably blessed to me for removing all the very alarming and anxious thoughts about death, which till then deprived me of all lasting comfort. Death is considered there, not so much our enemy as Christ's: and He must reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet; and though death will be the last enemy, yet death must be destroyed. I saw that I had nothing to do but to enjoy the victory: Christ is engaged to conquer. The victory is obtained by the arm of Omnipotence: and we shall ere long bear the palm in our hands as the token of it. Till that happy time arrives, may it be our constant care and study to live in the fear and to the glory of Him who hath thus loved us and vanquished our strong enemies for us. O! it is pleasing, it is comfortable, to