thee, and lift the light of his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace," is the

prayer of

W. H.

LETTER LXXX.

To the Rev. J. JENKINS.

more at his Paul begat

THE Doctor still holds his integrity, and will by no means change his voice; but assert that my boasting before Titus is found a truth, that my poor little one is the most excellent of all my scraps; and, like Samson, he will kill death, than he has in all his life. many in his bonds, but my scrap has begotten an old woman in the pains of death; heaps upon heaps. But he complains that his sweet frames of meekness and contrition are short-lived. Not so, if he was a private believer. God not only stores the mind of his servants with fresh views of things, new and old; he not only discovers fresh ground of standing, and fires the mind with energy, and fills the mouth with utterance; but there is a secret dew, a moisture that attends meekness and godly sorrow; this is to refresh the bowels of the saints. Speaking the words of life is thus expressed, "There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth;" this is sowing the word; but

moisture is needed, and that is thus expressed, "He that watereth, shall be watered also himself." Now in preaching, not only do the words go from the memory, but all the dew from the soul. When pastor and flock are in union, and in the bond of the covenant, the dew of Hermon goes even to the skirt: that which would keep your soul a whole week, like a watered garden, will not last one hour in a pulpit. "I will water them every moment;" this is done chiefly by preaching the word. An old bachelor, who has none to feed but himself, a half-peck loaf may serve him for a week; but the father of a family in Israel will consume it in an hour: this is our case, all our incomes are for the good of the public. I have often gone to work for more than myself, and bold as a lion; but when I had done, so shorn and drained, that I have been ashamed to look any one in the face; and at these times saints often flock round you with their joys, smiles, and fluent words, triumphing in the treasure they have got from your heart, for your cruse is emptied to fill them. And when meditation has been sweet, views many, and dew much, I have longed for the pulpit as much as a cow at grass longs for the milk-maid. But I have been at such times among a barren set; the sincere milk went not down, there being no mouth of faith to draw it; but those that go forth, and grow up like calves of the stall, will fetch it down, and out too. God save my son.

W. H.

I

LETTER LXXXI.

To the Rev. J. JENKINS.

AM now all alive with hopes and expectations of seeing the Vicar once more. I have of late had some dead hours, some barren times, which are not fit to come into the days of the week, or to be joined with the number of the months. But, "He will not always chide, he will not be always wroth; he will not keep his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy." But in his own time he came again with fresh life, with seasonable support, and with sensible relief. At which the heart expanded, the affections glowed, the mind was exhilarated, conscience charmed, and himself more sweet, more precious, more dear, more blessed than ever. What What poor creatures we are, and yet what love, what kindness, tenderness, faithfulness, and truth, does he shew and confirm to us! And how does the heart enlarge and close, rise and fall; take courage or faint, fix or waver, according as he goes or comes, frowns or smiles, shines or eclipses, shows his pleasure or his displeasure. This, my dearly beloved, is our union, communion, and fellowship, both with the Father and with his Son Christ Jesus; and surely they must have life in him who have their souls so quick, so sensible, so tender, so soft, so susceptible as this. By love we come to God, the Judge of all; by faith we come to the Mediator of the new

covenant; and by the witness of adoption we come to the cry of Abba, Father: this, my beloved, is the life and soul of our profession, and this profession will never cast its leaves, nor cease from yielding fruit; for they are grafted, bound up, joined to, and made one spirit, with the Lord our God, and in God is all our fruit found. And by virtue of our union with him fresh life and heat, support and power, are communicated to us; hence it is that the heart is led to trust in him for, and hope to expect, all promised help in time of need. The life he gives animates us, encourages us in the fight, strengthens us, and promotes appetite; and as we feed we are more and more satisfied that we shall not perish; and sometimes more than satisfied on this head, and then we are said to be full and abound.

Yours in him,

W. H.

LETTER LXXXII.

To the Rev. J. JENKINS.

To my dearly beloved fellow-soldier and fellow-servant, true yokefellow and companion in tribulation.

THOU art now a living witness that God's fire is in Zion, and his furnace in Jerusalem. God's

eternal choice of us is to be made manifest in the furnace; here God brings us to teach us the use of the sword, the shield, the helmet, and the bow. But the whole armour of God is put on us, and the incorruptible seed is put into us, before we go into this fiery trial. "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." But of this be assured, that unhallowed fires do not work but under the management of the spirit of judgement, and the spirit of burning; nor yet without the fire of divine love: these latter are both with us in the furnace, or else the vessels must be either wood or earth; and both these would consume in a moment. Nothing but the immortal Spirit, and his incorruptible seed of grace, can stand this furnace. Gold and silver abide the fire, but not wood; and both these take possession of us before the fire is kindled. But the most blessed Comforter, with his innocent dove-like nature, works so calmly as not to be perceptible but by his fruits and effects. He is unmoved, undisturbed, calm, serene, and unconcerned, at all the opposition made against him, having nothing to fear from Satan, nor from all the army of inbred corruption. He keeps his throne in the heart, protects his own temple, and supports and strengthens his own empire, in the midst of all this hurry, bustle, and confusion. And under all this violent oppression of the enemy and the avenger, righte