saw this: "I have seen an end of all perfection; but thy commandment is exceeding broad." In this light we see this world in its true colours, and the state of all men in it; "We know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness." In this light we see the dumb dog, the foolish shepherd, and the blind guide; for, "Though the Lord give you the bread and water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers." It is in God's light that we see the vanity of all natural religion, the insufficiency of a form of godliness, the vanity of human traditions, doctrines, commandments, and precepts, of men. "Whatsoever I counted gain here, I count loss for Christ; yea, doubtless, and I count all things but dung and dross, that I may win Christ." Furthermore, in the light of God we see the prophecies, and Christ the substance of them, who is the light that shines in a dark place, or in all the prophets' dark sayings, until the day-dawn and day-star arise in our hearts. Once more, it is this light that leads us to see that just One, who is the brightness of the Father's glory, and the express image of his person: "God hath shined into our hearts, to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ;" this is seeing him who is invisible; that is, it is seeing the Lord in his own light, who is invisible to all natural men. It is in this light that we see

Christ to be the only way to the Father, who himself is the only path of the just, and who leads us from one discovery to another, till we come to perfect day. Now when my son comes to read this, can he say that the god of this world hath blinded his eyes, that the light of the gospel shines not to him, that the old vail is still upon his heart, and that he walks in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth? I trow not.

Whatsoever blessing comes from God leads the heart in faith, in affection, in gratitude, and thankfulness to God; which faith and affection is attended with an inward witness for God, and which witness silences every accuser for that time, for faith is never without a witness. Pay no regard to opposition; soldiers of Christ must endure hardness, and fight the good fight of faith.

Old men are not always wise, nor do the aged understand judgment.

An over fondness of reputation and character caused Jonah his perilous voyage. To be opposed, persecuted, reviled, and slandered for truth and conscience sake, is the badge of a real disciple of Jesus, and the certain lot of all his faithful followers. When the devil loses a willing captive, or a letter preacher, which is one of the nets of that artful fowler, he is sure to resent it, by forestalling the market of those who buy the truth and sell it not; but let that serpent go on, and fill up his measure; he shall be trampled under

our feet, and we shall judge him, and sure I am that he will have judgment without mercy, for he has shewed no mercy upon Christ's lambs and doves. If God sets before thee an open door, none can shut it; nor can the word of God be bound; the word that he sends shall accomplish the end, the candle that he lights shall neither be put under a bed nor under a bushel, the Lord's city cannot be hid, nor shall Haman himself ever prevail against the seed of the Jews; we fight no enemy but what is already conquered or slain, "Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world;" I have fought the field, and won the day, and therefore be of good cheer, for both the victory and the spoil are yours: "Then is the prey of a great spoil divided; the lame take the prey." The word of the Lord shall sound out, and the fame of his servants shall be spread abroad; not only by the recipients of truth, but from the lips of "These are the servants of the Most God," says the poor girl possessed with the devils, when she followed Barnabas and Paul. That thou mayest minister as of the ability that God giveth, that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ; that thou mayest hold the mystery of faith in a pure conscience, and by these war a good warfare; and that every member of Christ may fill and magnify his office, so that he that prophesieth may wait on his prophecies, he that teacheth on teaching, he that exhorteth.

envy;

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on exhortation; he that ruleth, with diligenge; he that prayeth, with cheerfulness; is the hearty, unfeigned, and undissembled desire and prayer of,

Dear Son,

Thine affectionately

in the kingdom and patience of Christ,

W. H. S. S.

LETTER XXXI.

To the Rev. Mr. HUNTINGTON.

MY DEAR FRIEND,

My letters never stand long unanswered with you; the answer seems to be ready to what I wish to know, though I can but express it in a very blundering manner. I received your last favour in time, and, if I had wrote then, I could say it was savoury meat, such as my soul loveth; it was all that was in my heart, but you tell it far better than I can describe it; I know it when it is shewn, but can find neither light nor words to set it forth, and this is the truth of the matter; so dark, stupid, dull, and ignorant I am. I know that legal strivings, together with the hurrying and terrifying influence of Satan, drive into the wilderness; drive from God, but never to him;

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and when it is night all the beasts of prey creep out of their dens, corruptions I feel then swarming, and on the back of that I rebel awfully against God, because it is not better with me; and when I have cried in this distress, and have obtained an answer, and sometimes I have found a letter from you to be the answer, but soon after legal pride will begin to work, self-sufficiency, carnal ease, take place, and this calls for the scourge again, and down I go as miserable as ever, till I feel my heart heaving with rebellion; and surely this is the foolishness of a man perverting his way, and his heart fretteth against the Lord. It suffices nothing that I am not tempted to gross acts of sin, while these evils haunt my soul, and bring me into captivity to their power so easy. Pride, unbelief, murmuring, unclean thoughts, and rebellion, are the sins which alternately worry me and make my life bitter; and yet I often think not bitter enough, otherwise I might be delivered from them. I know they have been all at times dispersed by one little ray of light from the Saviour's blessed countenance; but this has been but of a very short duration. and when it is gone, I fall again to question the whole, whether it was from him or not. And when I have received a letter from you, which has been attended with a comfortable seal, my state and my feelings so clearly described, that I could venture my life it was true, my heart broken, and the darkness dis