will he lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet; and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding places; and your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand." This line and plummet try the foundation, and the storm drives us to seek for shelter: the bed of carnal security appears too short to stretch ourselves on it, and the scanty covering too narrow to hide our sin and shame. How visibly do you see the apostle's assertion; "If any man build upon this foundation, gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble: every man's work shall be made manifest; for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work, of what sort it is." All the king of Israel's spoils must go through the fire, and nothing will stand the fire but gold, silver, and precious stones; the wood, hay, and stubble, are all consumed. Pray, what is left of all the former work? Just nothing; the wall is down, and where is the daubing? All the wounds slightly healed have been laid open again; and the cry of Peace, Peace, has been no defence against the curses of a broken law. However, this shall work together for their good; for they will be the better able to discover the delusive heat of strange fire; they have been long encompassed about with the sparks of head notions, and with that light which stirs up the fleshly affections of nature, which has caused many, to

their grief, to go to bed, and lie down in sorrow, Nothing can stand but the power of God; in this his kingdom stands, for his gospel is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; and he that is destitute of this power is an utter stranger to the gospel of Christ. The devil is aware of this, and therefore to counterfeit it is the masterpiece of all his works: and the academies are the forges, where he fits his apes for his business, who are taught to play upon the passions of poor senseless sinners with empty oratory, affected speeches, great swelling words, counterfeited joy, and dissembled love; such glory in appearance, but not in heart. God hath led thee to discover, detect, and spit upon this strange fire; and under God thou hast put it out; and thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, -nourished up in the words of truth and of sound doctrine. And those who have opposed thee, and abused thee, will, by the bar of prejudice, and by that envy which rests in the bosom of fools, be kept at a distance; while those who have been grieved for the afflictions of Joseph will now share in the goodness which God procures to Israel: but the others will burn with rage, and feel vexation in their souls, when they hear the report. "He bringeth out those that are bound with chains; but the rebellious dwell in a dry land." Those that love the power, and make the Lord their trust, shall be as a tree planted by the waters, that sendeth forth its roots

by the rivers; its leaf shall be green, nor shall they cease from yielding fruit. But those that despise the power, and make flesh their arm, shall be as the dreary desert and barren heath, and shall not know when good cometh: and thou wilt see these things made manifest before thine eyes. And do thou observe these things minutely, and they will furnish thee with many a suitable subject; for daily, in the church, and among the enemies of it, as well as in thy own soul, wilt thou see the Lord in his goodness pass before thee, and his word opening and fulfilling, yea, all the day long.

God bless thee, and keep thee, is the earnest prayer of thy fellow-labourer and companion in the kingdom and patience of Christ,

W. H. S. S.

LETTER XLVIII.

To the Rev. Mr. HUNTINGTON.

MY MOST BELOVED FRIEND,

THIS

HIS morning I received your epistle, and have read it over, and truly it has been a sweet repast to me; the matter of it, without contradiction, is truth; and the spirit of it exceeding sweet to my taste, sweeter than the honey, yea, than the honeycomb. Thine epistles, I can say in truth, are

weighty and powerful, and so I have found the bodily presence of this servant of Christ likewise; thy word is not weak, nor thy speech in any sense contemptible. For truly such as I have found him in word by letters, being absent, such also have I found him in deed, when he has been present. Our last interviews have been exceeding comfortable to my soul, and more establishing, I think, than ever.

you

The last discourse I heard from you at Monkwell Street was truly sweet and savoury; I was more strengthened and established that night than ever I was in my life. A sweet light broke into my soul, and I could see the path the Lord hath been leading me in, and follow in all you you said upon regeneration; there was nothing in your account of that way that offended me, staggered me, or was a cause of stumbling to me; I was enabled to mix faith with the word as you went on, and the light seemed to increase more and more; I found my seat so comfortable and easy, that I believe if you had preached till morning light, I should have found myself neither weary, sleepy, nor hungry. It is delightful to sit under his shadow, when his fruit is so sweet to our taste; and I know that what dropped that night was from the tree of life; for it is said, that his leaves shall be for healing, and his fruit for meat, and I found both.

Our season at B. was nothing less precious. I believe Mr. B's old barn is now consecrated

ground, for you well know that the chief Bishop himself deigned to be there, and made that old storehouse a Bethel indeed; and I believe many will be looking for the return of the year, and will be wishing the farmer to thresh out his corn as soon as possible, for they will remember your promise of visiting them again, if God spares your life.

my soul that your The Lord certainly

I am fully persuaded in observation is just and true. is doing a work that has not been done in this country for many years back, and the despisers wonder at it, and to all appearance will perish, for they will not believe, though it is declared unto them. I think it may be said, in one sense, to be the Lord's strange work; for all that I found in this part of the world, as well as myself, were entire strangers to it, and totally ignorant of it, till it pleased the Lord to awaken me, and send me to alarm others. And your other observation is no less true; for I believe all that are awakened, or in travail, or are come forth, are such as were once set down with a form of godliness; most of them very high in carnal confidence, resting in a knowledge of the letter, understanding in the theory some mysteries, but not the mystery of faith in a pure conscience, puffed up with their fleshly wisdom; but all of us strangers to that power in which the kingdom of Christ stands. O the goodness of God indeed! to visit such a parcel of wretches, and not to suffer us to perish