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it came in and taught thee in the midst of the feast. To confine the Holy Spirit's work to joy, love, and enlargement, is limiting the Holy One of Israel. Those that are superficially drawn, as they, tell us, have their passions moved, and the affections of nature stirred, and the way-side hearers were all glee: but the Spirit's quickening, alarming, and furnishing conscience to do its office, is above all these; life lies in feeling, in tenderness, in appetite, in the food, in fear, in hope, and in faith; in imputed righteousness, in the removal of sin, and in the sentence of justification. And you are in possession of all these, yea aud of love too. Now, was there to come one into thy presence to speak slightingly or lightly of our Lord Jesus, of his word, or of his family, you would consider yourself highly offended: nay, more; you would not suffer the things to come out of their lips which a little before were muttered in secret from your own mouth: the things I do I allow not, neither in myself, nor in others. There are sons of thunder in the work, as well as sons of consolation. But the saving point with us is, whether we are ministers of the Spirit or of the letter; and the grand difference of this is, the letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life. Death unto death is ministered to infidels by good men, who are a sweet savour unto God. But life and power have attended the word of God from thy mouth; and this is the seal of confirmation to the ambassador's mission, and in the consciences of

all these thou art made manifest. And what shall

say

I more? Shall I turn Jewish orator, and say, that very worthy deeds have been done to our

nation by thy providence, and that we accept it at all times, most noble Felix? God bless the son of my vows, so prays the

COALHEAVER.

It is a sad fault in thee, and I see it in the account of poor M, that you measure God,by yourself: when you are in the most sweet frames, then God loves you; but when in the reverse of these, then he hates you. The reverse of this is the truth; the language of the covenant is, that you shall remember your own evil way that was not good, and loath yourselves for your iniquity when I am pacified towards you. And this may be seen in Job's experience, and in God's visit to Daniel, when all his comeliness was turned into corruption, though he was greatly beloved. You do vex the Holy Spirit in these things, and dishonour him by such a carriage: leave off this folly, I have long since learned this in myself.

LETTER LXII.

To the Rev. J. JENKINS.

THIS minute I received the epistle of my son; the son of my faith, and the son of my vows.

The archers have sorely shot at him, hated him, and grieved him; but his bow abides in strength, and the arms of his hands are made strong by the mighty God of Jacob. Surely there is no enchantment against my son, nor divination against him that can prevail. He has never lost one battle yet; he has never given up one truth; he has never turned his back, lost one inch of ground, or quitted the field of action; he stands and withstands in the evil day; nor can the devil get an advantage of him, though he plies all his devices, both of fraud and force. Falling from first love, falling from our own steadfastness, falling into trouble, or even into sin, or into despondency, or even falling down, or falling back, is by no means losing the day; the professor must fall finally away, and return and renew the attack no more, ere the devil can shout victory, or keep the field. I wonder at the power of God in thee; thou art in the same warfare as thy poor old father; and the first word of promise and of comfort, that ever came to me in the world was brought to me in the field of battle. overcometh shall inherit all things." remarkable, that every blessing of grace and of glory, which are held out to the seven churches, are all promised to the overcomers. The panoply of heaven is upon thee; the Lord is the sword of thine excellency, the shield of thy faith, thy breastplate of righteousness, and thy helmet of salvation: nor hast thou lost one piece of armour,

"He that

And it is

one grace of the Spirit, not one beam of life, nor one grain of strength, nor sent one embassy, to desire conditions of peace. My son stands his ground, and the Lord his God is with him. For although he is old, lame, feeble, and has no human might, yet the lame take the prey, the weak say they are strong, and to them that have no might the Lord increases strength: thou art in league with a good ally; and though one prevail, yet two shall withstand him, and a threefold cord is not quickly broken. Had not God been in thee as a mighty and terrible one, thou hadst been in black despair, and in a madhouse, or in hell, long ago. But God dwells with the broken and with the contrite heart; and it is the almighty Spirit of God that leads thee forth, shields thy head, and brings thee off, and makes thee more than a conqueror through his undeserved love. And of this be assured, that whatsoever is born of God must overcome the world; not one fruit of the Spirit, not one grace, no, not even meekness, humility, or fear, can be sullied, lost, destroyed, or be over come, even though all the powers of hell unite against it; grace must and shall reign over hellish hate and infernal rage, for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. Quit thyself like a man of God, and be strong, for God will make him at times keep silence, that thou mayest renew thy strength; he will never follow thee with more violence than I had. Wherefore, have at him again; he is more foiled, more desperate at being baffled by such

poor worms, than we are at his rage: remember how God bantered the devil in praise of his servant Job. God for ever bless thee; I am poorly, and at home.

W. H. S. S.

I

LETTER LXIII.

To the Rev. J. JENKINS.

GREATLY admire the wisdom, or rather the cunning, of his excellency. He gives me to understand that he has been favoured with some good cheer this Christmas; and all the time the cellar door is open, and the feast of wisdom continues, all is silent; he is sure to eat up his morsel alone, and the stranger to have no part with him; he warms himself with his own fleece, and shuts his doors against the travellers; the whole lamb he keeps to himself, without inviting his neighbour; all his labour is for his mouth, for his belly craveth it of him, and thus he brings forth fruit unto himself. But as soon as the famine comes on, then he sends forth his begging petition, sounds out his complaints, lays out the lark-lines, baits his hooks, trims his nets, hangs out his purse, and calls upon every passenger to remember the poor debtor. By his last epistle his grief

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