tering Satan in the garb of an angel of light, and a servant of his, whom he had transformed into the likeness of a minister of righteousness. I never had a single doubt on my mind about the lawfulness or the necessity of the war; no, nor of the event of it neither: and I now find that my faith was the substance of what I hoped for, and the evidence of what I did not then see. But how grievous such things are to nature, none can tell but those who feel them. Far less than what you have met with makes me more like a devil than any thing else; every thing that touches me, or goes contrary to me, makes me rebel like a tiger; and, what is very strange, I find that all severities cannot tame me, nothing but kindness humbles me: and how can this be expected under so much rebellion! But unexpectedly it comes at times. The account I had of the P. of B. was sweetened; I cannot tell you what comfortable and sweet views I had of its contents, and with what power they abode upon me for some few days; and I thought, if I could lie in them, with the feelings and sensations I had then, I should be contented to wait for health to the last moment of my life. But O! they are gone! nothing continues with me long. I am like a broken vessel, in whom there is no pleasure. And where am I to look for more? Let me look where I may, I know that it will never come but from one object; it must come from Jesus, and no where else. It grieves me to say, Give, give, when I know there

are so many things that call besides. The good Lord be with your Spirit is the desire and prayer

of

Your real friend,

J. JENKINS.

LETTER XXXIV.

To the Rev. Mr. JENKINS.

I THANKFULLY received the epistle of my friend, and bless my God for owning, or attending with his blessing, any thing written or spoken by so unlikely and unworthy an instrument; but he knows his poor servant, and I know my kind, dear, and ever blessed Master; this bears me up, and helps me on. He has put the helmet of salvation on my head, he has clad me with zeal as with a cloak, he has girded me with strength for the battle, and has filled me with power and might by his Spirit, that I may shew Jacob his transgressions, and the house of Israel their sins; he has told me in my study, that he will avenge his own elect, and deal treacherously with them that have dealt treacherously with me; and this reckoning will shortly be brought in, and they that hate me shall pay it, and those that favour my righteous cause shall see it, and iniquity shall stop her mouth. Judgment may appear at times

to linger, and because it is not speedily executed, the hearts of sinners are fully set in them to do evil; but when God is known by the judgments which he executes, and he avenges the cause of his servants, many a halting soul comes to be at a point, judgment shall return unto righteousness, and the upright in heart shall follow it. When the sticks of the eleven tribes appeared dry and barren, after being laid before the testimony, and only Aaron's rod budded, it stopped the murmuring of the children of Israel; and this minister of Satan, being set up in opposition to thy friend, will make the simple look both ways, and in time see for themselves, whether God prospers the calf-worshippers at Bethel, or his own institution at Jerusalem; or whether the throne of iniquity can have fellowship with God, who frame mischief by a law. The house of David will increase, and the house of Saul shall decrease. And I must tell thee, that the things which happened unto me have fell out rather to the furtherance of the gospel: the newspapers, hand-bills, and pamphlets, have been of the same use; as the voice of the devil Pithon, in the young witch, mentioned in the Acts, who proclaimed Paul and Barnabas as servants of the Most High God, who shew us the way of salvation. Curiosity hath led many to hear what sort of a monster I am, and not a few, like Doeg the Edomite, are detained before the Lord. Mr. Fenton, by his book, hath acted the part of those accusers of the adulteress woman,

who brought her to Christ, and left her there, when they themselves were sent off under the accusations and curses of their own conscience; and his scribble may be the means of sending some to hear, who shall hear to profit, though the word hath never profited him. Howbeit he meaneth no good, nor doth his heart think it; but God may mean, think, and intend all this, for his thoughts are not as our thoughts.

The bondsmen who are to be responsible, if report be true, are six in number. They have begun to build without counting the cost; but the top of this tower will not reach unto heaven, for God hath bound himself, in honour to his great name, to confound their language, and to scatter the proud in the imagination of their hearts; he will pull down the mighty from their seats, in order to exalt them that are of low degree and of light esteem.

The majority of his audience, if report be true, are females; these smell a sweet savour under him, and are very much benefited, especially those that have waxed wanton and kicked against Christ, and such as have already turned aside after Satan: the ewes great with young, and those that feel the cloudy and dark day, abide by the old tents; these cannot feed themselves with their own deceivings, because of the terrible famine. The former class of those honourable women require a peculiar sort of class-leaders; to be bishop of these, a man must first be proved whether he be,

like Eli's sons, a real child of Belial, one that is fond of creeping into houses, apt to feel for, and sympathize with, the weaker vessels; moreover, he must have a good report amongst these daughters of Zion, as one that can allure through the lust of the flesh, and be touched with the feelings of their infirmities, and not only spread his skirt over them who creep to his feet in the barn floor, but he must have a mantle of love, of such dimensions as will cover all their works of darkness; he must hear confessions, say mass, and be sure to visit when the good man is not at home; he must receive peace-offerings, and be present when Mrs. Piety wipes her mouth and pays her vows. Most of this stamp who herded with us, are now led captive, being zealously affected; and, I believe, some of them will, ere long, be made more fruitful under the present pastor than they have been with us; for, I believe, he is a pastor after their own hearts, whether he feeds them with knowledge and understanding, or not. The Almighty seems to make me a sharp threshing instrument, having teeth; and, as he uses me to beat them off, this wind of doctrine which blows to and fro carries them away, and when I have taken the vile from the precious I shall be as God's mouth.

Another sort which God hath cut off from us, are the wise, the fat, and the strong, which he has promised to feed with judgment; these have long loathed the manna, and pined after the garlic, cucumbers, and melons, of Egypt; they have