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the devil himself. I know he is long-fuffering, or elfe he would never bear with me. But is it not hard to fee vile and bafe-born flaves honoured for telling lies, while others are hated for telling the truth? I believe nothing in this world is fo much hated and oppofed as truth and confcience; and thofe that hold both are most flighted. This makes me wish that I was in fome wilderness. But, oh! let them call them by what names they please, they fhall find them beyond the grave. You have furely faid the truth, and I set my seal to it.

I wrote the above on Saturday. This is Sunday afternoon; I am going immediately to Mr. B's house to preach to-night, and leave the L people to live on their wifdom. To-morrow we fet off, and get to Providence at night. I fhall fend this to Mr. B's, left you come out before the poft.

J. J.

LETTER

LETTER L.

To the Rev. J J—

BELOVED OF GOD,

THOU haft refreshed my bowels in the Lord. He who comforteth those that are caft down, comforted me by the coming of Titus. The contents are good news from a far country. God hath vifited and redeemed his people. I fell more than once or twice on my knees, with many tears of thankfulness and joy. Satan hath a captive loft, and Chrift a fubject born. There hath been joy (this week) in heaven among the angels of God, over that poor finner that now repenteth. I told her when the opened her cafe to me, that he would not die in the pit; I added, " as thou liveft, I fhall fee thee

in the kingdom of heaven." My boafting before thee is found a truth. God hath confirmed the word of his fervant, and performed the counfel of his meffenger, and hath made thee the happy inftruThou art now a midwife and a nurse, if not a father, in Ifrael. Go on, the Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour. It is not thundering hell and damnation that do the execution, my dear

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dear fon. The powerful, life-giving, and all-conquering voice that brings the finner from death to life, is the voice of the Son of God; it is a voice that is not lift up, nor is it heard in the street; it is the small still voice that filences all the noise of the earthquake, the wind, and the fire; it is the voice of the Advocate in the finner's confcience, faying, Loofe him, and let him go. No foul hears this voice but the poor finner in whofe heart it speaks; God in this way gives teftimony to the word of his grace; and the more pure the gofpel, the more will the power of God attend it. They that honour me I will honour; and to preach the pure gospel, and declare his whole counsel faithfully, is fpreading the favour of his name; and God will make such a sweet favour unto himself, in them that are faved, and in them that perish. The children are certainly come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth. But as it hath pleafed God, by the laft vifit of his poor unworthy fervant, to put a little of the fpirit of life both in the cherub and in the wheels, fo that the living creature, and the chariot of his willing people, begin to move in confort, fhould matters begin to deaden or get flat, and the shaking among the dry bones begin to go off, and the prefent rushing of the mighty wind fubfide; if any thing like Paul's dream fhould appear, faying, Come over into Macedonia and help us; I will, if God incline and permit, come again, that you may have a second benefit. Behold I fhew you a mystery, which will

much

much puzzle and perplex thee in thy present work of proclaiming liberty; Doft thou know that the fpiritual birth of every foul that is brought forth under thee will be attended with previous labour and travail in thine own foul; and, if their deliverance should not be attended with godly forrow and repentance, felf-loathing, pardon of fin, and those efsential things that accompany falvation, that thou wilt travail again and again in birth till Chrift be formed in them? When this comes on thee thou wilt wonder, and think fome ftrange thing hath happened unto thee; but fo thou wilt find it. About twenty-two years ago this puzzled me not a little. No preachers know any thing of this, but those who are in the spiritual bonds of the gospel, and whom God owns in begetting others in thofe bonds. I have been fo much accustomed to this exercise, as to be enabled nearly to tell what is going on in the church, by the operations of the Spirit on my own foul; but the Lord will reveal even this unto thee,

God bless thee,

Feb. 16, 1797

W. H. S. S.

LETTER

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LETTER LI

To the Rev. J. J————

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Gop brings down, and lifts up, my dear friend; he wounds, and his hands make whole. I believe that this prefent complaint will be one of the beft, yea, the very beft, that ever befell thee. A very prefent help is my God in times of trouble; when their ftrength is all gone he will appear, and to them that have no might he will increase strength; nor fhall all the devils in hell, nor all the infernal infidelity of thy heart, ever make my God unfaithful to his word, or God's poor fervant a liar to thee. J▬▬ fhall fee that juft One, and hear words from the lifegiving voice of the only begotten Son of God. Thou shalt not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; thou shalt not fow, and another reap; thou fhalt not plant, and another eat; for as the days of a tree are the days of my fervants, and they fhall long enjoy the work of their hands. Thou shalt fhortly know what almighty power can effect, and what eternal love can perform. Thou wast born to make full proof and trial of the foundation that God hath laid in Zion; God hath founded that city, and thou art one of the poor of his people that shall truft in it;

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