light that David faw this-I have feen an end of all perfection; but thy commandment is exceeding broad. In this light we fee this world in its true colours, and the state of all men in it-we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness. In this light we see the dumb dog, the foolish shepherd, and the blind guide; for though the Lord give you the bread and water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes fhall fee thy teachers. It is in God's light that we see the vanity of all natural religion, the infufficiency of a form of godlinefs, the vanity of human traditions, doctrines, commandments, and precepts, of men—whatsoever I counted gain bere, I count lofs for Chrift; yea, doubtless, and I count all things but dung and drofs, that I may win Chrift. Furthermore, in the light of God we fee the prophecies, and Chrift the fubftance of them, who is the light that shines in a dark place, or in all the prophets' dark fayings, until the day-dawn and day-ftar arife in our hearts. Once more, it is this light that leads us to fee that juft One, who is the brightness of the Father's glory, and the exprefs image of his perfon-God bath fhined into our hearts, to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jefus Chrift; this is feeing him who is invifible; that is, it is feeing the Lord in his own light, who is invifible to all natural men. It is in this light that we fee Chrift to be the only way to the Father, who himself is the only path of the juft, and who leads us from one

discovery

H

discovery to another, till we come to perfect day. Now when my fon comes to read this, can he fay that the God of this world hath blinded his eyes, that the light of the gospel fhines not to him, that the old vail is ftill upon his heart, and that he walks in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth? I trow not.

Whatsoever bleffing comes from God leads the heart in faith, in affection, in gratitude, and thankfulness to God; which faith and affection is attended with an inward witnefs for God, and which witness filences every accufer for that time, for faith is never without a witnefs. Pay no regard to oppofition; foldiers of Christ must endure hardness, and fight the good fight of faith.

Old men are not always wife, nor do the aged understand judgment.

An over fondness of reputation and character caufed Jonah his perilous voyage. To be oppofed, perfecuted, reviled, and flandered for truth and confcience fake, is the badge of a real difciple of Jefus, and the certain lot of all his faithful followers. When the devil lofes a willing captive, or a letter preacher, which is one of the nets of that artful fowler, he is fure to refent it, market of those who buy the truth and fell it not; but let that ferpent go on, and fill up his measure; he fhall be trampled under our feet, and we shall judge him, and fure I am that he will have judgment without mercy, for he has fhewed no mercy

X 4

by foreftalling the

upon

upon Chrift's lambs and doves. If God fets before thee an open door, none can fhut it; nor can the word of God be bound; the word that he fends shall accomplish the end, the candle that he lights shall neither be put under a bed nor under a bufhel, the Lord's city cannot be hid, nor fhall Haman himself ever prevail against the feed of the Jews; we fight no enemy but what is already conquered or flainbe of good cheer, I have overcome the world; I have fought the field, and won the day, and therefore be of good cheer, for both the victory and the spoil are yours-then is the prey of a great spoil divided; the lame take the prey. The word of the Lord shall found out, and the fame of his fervants shall be spread abroad; not only by the recipients of truth, but from the lips of envy-thefe are the fervants of the Most High God, fays the poor girl poffeffed with the devils when fhe followed Barnabas and Paul. That thou mayeft minister as of the ability that God giveth, that God in all things may be glorified through Jefus Chrift; that thou mayeft hold the mystery of faith in a pure confcience, and by thefe war a good warfare; and that every member of Chrift may fill and magnify his office, fo that he that prophefieth may wait on his prophecies, he that teacheth on teaching, he that exhorteth on exhortation; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that prayeth, with cheerfulness; is the hearty, unfeigned, and undiffembled defire and prayer of, dear fon, thine affectionately in the kingdom and patience of Christ,

W. H. S. S.

LETTER LVII.

To the Rev. Mr. HUNTINGTON.

MY DEAR FRIEND,

My letters never ftand long unanswered with you; the answer feems to be ready to what I wish to know, though I can but exprefs it in a very blundering manner. I received your last favour in due time, and, if I had wrote then, I could fay it was favoury meat, fuch as my foul loveth; it was all that was in my heart, but you tell it far better than I can describe it; I know it when it is fhewn, but can find neither light nor words to fet it forth, and this is the truth of the matter; fo dark, ftupid, dull, and ignorant i am. I know that "legal ftrivings, "together with the hurrying and terrifying influence " of Satan, drive into the wildernefs;" drive from God, but never to him; and when it is night all the beafts of prey creep out of their dens, corruptions I feel then fwarming, and on the back of that I rebel awfully against God, because it is not better with me; and when I have cried in this diftrefs, and have obtained an answer, and fometimes I have found a letter from you to be the anfwer, but foon

after

after legal pride will begin to work, felf-sufficiency, carnal ease, take place, and this calls for the fcourge again, and down I go as miferable as ever, till I feel my heart heaving with rebellion; and furely this is the foolishness of a man perverting his way, and his heart fretteth against the Lord. It fuffices nothing that I am not tempted to grofs acts of fin, while thefe evils haunt my foul, and bring me into captivity to their power fo eafy. Pride, unbelief, murmuring, unclean thoughts, and rebellion, are the fins which alternately worry me and make my life bitter; and yet I often think not bitter enough, otherwife I might be delivered from them. I know they have been all at times difperfed by one little ray of light from the Saviour's bleffed countenance; but this has been but of a very short duration, and when it is gone, I fall again to question the whole, whether it was from him or not. And when I have received a letter from you, which has been attended with a comfortable feal, my ftate and my feelings fo clearly defcribed, that I could venture my life it was true, my heart broken, and the darkness difpelled in reading it; yet I have called all in question again, and feared that I had applied to myself what did not belong to me.

I have reafon to hope that two women who belonged to us died lately happy in the Lord. When I first vifited them, they were in great distress; but before they died, they were raifed to a fweet hope.

The