best, yea, the very best, that ever befell thee. A very present help is my God in times of trouble; when their strength is all gone he will appear, and to them that have no might he will increase strength; nor shall all the devils in hell, nor all the infernal infidelity of thy heart, ever make my God unfaithful to his word, or God's poor servant a liar to thee. J. shall see that just One, and hear words from the life-giving voice of the only. begotten Son of God. Thou shalt not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; thou shalt not sow, and another reap; thou shalt not plant, and another eat; for as the days of a tree are the days of my servants, and they shall long enjoy the work of their hands. Thou shalt shortly know what almighty power can effect, and what eternal love can perform. Thou wast born to make full proof and trial of the foundation that God hath laid in Zion; God hath founded that city, and thou art one of the poor of his people that shall trust in it; nor shalt thou ever be moved, the -Highest himself shall establish thee. Thou hast acknowledged me already in part, and thou shalt acknowledge me to the end; and even in this also, "His salvation is near to them that fear him, that glory may dwell in our land," and it is now even at thy door. The Lord hath long stood and knocked there in the way of reproof and rebuke, and thou hast heard his voice; and earnest desires after him, a deep sense of the need of him, and earnest expectations and longings for him, have

opened the door; and into such he hath promised to go, and with such to sup, and such shall sup with him; and thou shalt have a taste of that sweet banquet even in reading this epistle, for I know who dictated it, and who sends it to thee; and therefore hear thou what the Spirit saith to thee, and be not rebellious, be not faithless, but believing; nor turn a deaf ear to him that speaketh to thee from heaven. Truth is the girdle of our divine Prophet; faithfulness girds him as a priest, and righteousness girds him as a king; and all this shall be discovered when he manifests himself to thee; for he shall satiate the weary, and replenish the sorrowful soul; he will not contend for ever, nor will he be always wroth, lest the Spirit fail from before him, and the souls that he hath made. It is for thine iniquity that he hath smote thee and hid himself, and thou hast gone on frowardly in rebellion, murmuring, and giving way to, yea, in encouraging unbelief; but he hath seen thy ways, and will heal thee. The work of Jeremiah and Ezekiel was chiefly that of sounding an alarm, of awakening the dead, and, as personating God, they came near to sinners' hearts in judgment; as it is written, "Wilt thou judge them, Son of Man? Wilt thou judge them?" and again, "I have set thee for a tower and a fortress among my people, that thou mayest know and try their ways," Jer. vi. 27. And you know that the New Testament hath its sons of thunder as well as sons of lightning: some to sound an alarm,

others to gather the assemblies; some to remove, and others to water; some to root up, and others to plant; some to wound, and some to heal; some to strip, and others to clothe; some to condemn, and some to justify; some to bring down, and some to lift up. But whether I work at the dunggate, or square the stones; whether I carry the hod, or handle the trowel; whether I use the plummet, or bring the stones, matters not, if we are but building in the temple of the Lord, and seeking his honour, and not our own. This is the main point; and the pure, unadulterated, and uncorrupted language of all the builders must be, not self, but grace, grace unto it.

God bless thee. Ever thine,

W. H. S. S..

LETTER XXVI.

To the Rev. Mr. HUNTINGTON..

MY EVER BELOVED FRIEND,

YOUR epistle is now before me.

God Almighty

bless you and reward you. How could you tell what effect it would have upon me, and that I should have a foretaste of the heavenly banquet in reading it? But, as the Lord liveth, it is true. I have read it over with thousands of tears, and

K

O!

secretly blessed God in my soul for it, and still hope for his great salvation. I can feel that your epistle meets with acceptance in my very conscience, and draws and encourages my heart to look out, and passionately to long for, his coming. If I could see his blessed face but once, I think I should ask for no more in this world. He knows that he has crucified me to all but himself; and if he denies me the favour of his presence, I must remain in my love-sickness, despair, and die in it. Thine epistle I know is the word of his servant, and the counsel of his messenger; yea, a servant whose word I have always found to be true, and I declare that it almost puts unbelief itself to silence; but it is a hard matter to arm so close as to repel the attacks of Satan and unbelief. that I were free from these! But there is one thing in your letter that neither of them object to, nor dare they, for I am too well grounded in that to be shaken: namely, 'That it is for mine iniquity that he hath smote me and hid himself.' This my soul knows full well, and I loathe myself in my own sight for it. O! how he hath spared me! none knows, but himself, what a heart I have. Sometimes it appears to be too much for him ever to save such a sinner as I have been. He hath damned millions who were never half so vile and rebellious as I am; and why should I expect his mercy? Nay, how can I expect eternal love to stoop so low? O, my faithful brother! if I may venture to call you so, you are, according

to my thoughts, the highest in the divine favour; but I am, and ever shall be, the deepest in debt. God for ever bless you. I have a strong persuasion that whatever you shall ask of your heavenly Father, he will give it you.

Your charge is true, I have gone on frowardly in the way of my heart; I have rebelled, murmured, and even invited unbelief; and that besetting siu appears so strong, that nothing but divine power and eternal love can ever remove the bar. But I must have done, and go out after some of the lost, scattered, scabbed sheep, that are left in the wilderness. God bless you and reward you, must ever be the prayer of,

J. JENKINS.

LETTER XXVII.

To the Rev. Mr. HUNTINGTON.

DEAR SIR,

Ir is of necessity I send these lines. I am like Elihu, my belly is as new wine which hath no vent; I must speak, that I may be refreshed. I know not how to give flattering titles, yet I think I may call you my spiritual father, as Paul was to the Galatians. I once heard you deliver your master's message at a village near Gainsborough,