ment, compunction, meekness, contrition, faith hope, love, joy, and peace, have all appeared at times; and you cannot deny it, without belying both God and conscience. You tell me your hope is almost gone. Job's hope was removed like a tree; and there is no removing a tree without grubbing it up, and carrying it away. Yea, Job adds, "Thou destroyest the hope of man." You are in the steps of the flock, upon consecrated ground; and you must not limit nor restrain God's love to fondling, swaddling, and comforting; nor the whole work of his Spirit to meekness and joy. His power upholds you now, or you would have been in black despair, or in hell, long ago.

Adieu,

W. H.

LETTER LXXVIII.

To the Rev. J. JENKINS.

Cricklewood.

To the dear son of my vows, thine affectionate father sendeth greeting, with perfect peace, and at such a

time.

Or this, my beloved, be assured, that God does nothing in vain; he gives us grace to be exer

cised: and he will try every grace that he plants in the heart. When he hath performed the good pleasure of his will in us, and the work of faith with power, he will then try that faith with fire: the fiery darts of Satan, and his infernal rage, the wrath of enemies, the hot displeasure of God in the fiery law, and the bondage of it, the flames of inbred lusts and corruptions, shall all combine and conspire to try the faith of the saint. And the plain language of Providence at such times is, fight or flee: believe, or faint; "I had utterly fainted unless I had believed." So, long denials to prayer, postponed deliverances, hope desired, delaying to avenge us of our enemies, sorely try hope; all which suggest, take part with corruption, or with grace; join with the enemies, or with God; hope, or despond; cast away your confidence, or muster up all your courage: between which we at times halt; but after a while come to a point, as David did at the burning of Ziklag; he strengthened himself in his God;

Why art thou cast down, O my soul? hope thou in God; for I shall yet praise him." Indigence trieth humility and submission, and leads to selfdenial; but Paul's lesson is not easily learnt, namely, in whatever state I am to be therewith content: this, indeed, is walking humbly with God; but these peaceable fruits are not produced but by the Spirit's influence, who sanctifies the affliction; and then experience tells us that the heart is made better by them, and that all things

do work for our good. Affluence will try temperance, and the infirmities of old age will try patience; and when this grace has had her perfect work, we are to be perfect and entire, lacking nothing. And this seems to be the perfecting counsel of the apostle Paul, and which he prays the Holy Ghost to perform.. "The Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ," 2 Thess. iii. 5. I believe that I am nine years older than you, and have long been exercised with rheumatic pains, nor do I expect to get better of these, but of course worse and worse, because the outward man must perish, but the inward man shall be renewed day by day. There has no temptation befell thee but what is The chambers of imagery were exhibited before my mind, and impressed upon my imagination also, two or three and thirty years ago; and within these three weeks I have had the same. Sometimes an innumerable multitude, then diminished to few; then magnified to an enormous size, and then reduced to dwarfs; and anon transformed into a thousand different and ghastly forms: but this is one of the devil's old exhibitions, which took place in the heart of Ninus, son of Nimrod, in the country of Chaldea, for God himself calls that country the basis of it, Zech. v. 11. But my son will find that Satan's masterpiece is yet to come. Thou hast been long since begotten to a lively hope, and we are saved by

common to men.

hope: but the perfecting of love, or the enjoyment of perfect love, which casts out all fear, has not as yet taken place: though thou hast often been brought to the place of the breaking forth of children, yet there has not been strength to bring forth; hence the continual relapse into legal labour. Charity edifieth, or raises up the edifice: and when God, by perfect love, builds up Zion, he will appear in his glory, and the hope of glory succeeds; and this gives the Lord full possession of his temple, for God's mystery among the Gentiles is Christ in us the hope of glory. When thiş day of thy espousals takes place, Satan will then transform himself; his black garb, his deep and dark designs, will disappear; and he will shine, but in false rays. He will truckle and fawn; he will congratulate you upon your happy deliverance, and appear to confirm you in the purposes and decrees of God, but at the end he will work in your corrupt affections to such a degree as to set your bowels to sounding like a harp for Moab, Edom, and the children of Ammon. Every corrupt affection and passion will melt and move towards the enemies of God; but as Satan is never divided against himself, so he makes these influences terminate in hard thoughts and rebellion against God. And this is the root, the life, and soul of Arminianism, namely, the devil transformed into an angel of light, and as such working in the corrupt affections of mankind. Lay

this scroll up by thee, and in some future period

thou mayest understand it.

Ever thine in the best of bonds,

W. H. S. S.

I

LETTER LXXIX.

To the Rev. J. JENKINS.

KNOW not what to say, I know not how to express myself, either in thanks and praises to my God, or in my rejoicing with thee. How hast thou broken forth? Neither bars nor bolts, gins nor chains; not the strong holds of Satan, nor the doors of the shadow of death, can detain or confine this prisoner of hope. The jubilee trump has sounded the release, and the Spirit of the Lord God is upon my son; the decree is gone forth, the word is spoken, and all the infernal legions must tremble at the voice, "Loose him, and let him go." O the wonders of sovereign and allsubduing grace! The kingdom of God, begins with a single word; one live coal from off the altar imperceptibly reaches the soul, and conveys divine life through all her powers; the illumined understanding discerns the influences, pursues its progress, while faith, small as a grain of mustard seed, suggests, Surely it is supernatural! who can