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Spirit, who is our part and lot in this matter, Acts viii. 21; and does condescend to manifest himself by the instrumentality of the living creature, who gives divine motions to the wheels, so as to keep them in perpetual motion. All the externals of the church's devotions, such as open profession and confession, attending the means and treading the Lord's courts, hearing, reading, praying, watching and waiting, bearing the cross and keeping up a close walk with God, is the work of the outward or external wheels, which are said to be full of eyes, because fresh light and new discoveries are daily made to the soul by a diligent attendance on the means, by which we obtain the light of love, the light of joy, the light of knowledge; besides the eye of faith that sees things that are invisible, and the eyes of the understanding which comprehend something of the heights and depths of divine love: thus, "Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart."

But then there is another wheel in the middle of this, which is the life and spring of the outward wheels' motions, and that is the quickening influences of the Holy Spirit giving exercise to his own implanted grace; he descends from the Father through the Mediator to us, and enters the soul with all his heavenly crop of divine fruits: these spring up in our spiritual sacrifices to God, while the returns of prayer furnish us for fresh offerings; and in these things the soul ascends and

descends. At times the cup overflows, and then barren and thirsty sinners catch the streams, as our Lord speaks; "Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water:" thus the grace of the Holy Spirit ascends and descends in a continual round or revolution; and this work is a wheel in the middle of a wheel. I wish you had sent me word how you came to hear me at the first. I would not have you to call upon me until the new chapel is built, as we have no place to minister in.

Adieu.

W. H. S. S.

LETTER XCVII.

To the Rev. W. HUNTINGTON.

My dear and invaluable Friend,

I CAN scarcely think it right to be troubling you with a letter, knowing that all the time you have to spare is so much filled up with your numerous friends' correspondence; yet I beg you will excuse my intruding, as I do most sincerely love you, and highly esteem you for your work's sake. God has been pleased to bless your preaching and writing to my soul's eternal comfort I do believe. I never heard the word of life till I heard it from

your mouth, and a word of life it was, for such sweetness, power, and love attended it, that I could truly say, "O Lord, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me." I gave some account of the dealings of God with me in a letter I sent to you in March 1810, but I suppose you never received it, as you did not recollect the name when I called upon you the 7th of January last, which rather pleased me, as I was very dark when I wrote it. I should have written to you some years ago, but my mind was continually perplexed with this idea, that my religion was only the effects of natural passion, and that it would soon wear off, and then I should be ashamed of such things, and be a disgrace to others; or if I wrote to you I should only expose myself to contempt, and bring down the judgments of God upon me for such presumption: but, blessed be God, I am upheld to the present time; and for many sweet refreshing seasons, and soul-establishing blessings, I am indebted to you (as the instrument;) for, being in a very barren country, where there is scarcely one minister that knows either law or gospel, consequently cannot describe the path of the just, I am obliged to attend to what passeth within, and compare it with the word of God; but at times that is a sealed book, and such confusion and darkness overwhelm my soul that, like David, my cry is, "Will the Lord cast off for ever? and will he be favourable no more?" &c.

you

When in such a state, God knows, I have many times taken some of your writings to see if have described the state I was in; and I as often find, let me be in ever so perplexed a condition, some of them have so exactly described it, and thrown such a light on my path, that I could not help exclaiming, God bless the man, God bless the man! Blessed be the Lord for raising up such an able minister of the New Testament! O Lord, if it be consistent with thy heavenly will, send forth many more such, that shall be able to take up the stumblingblocks out of the way of thy people. Your Saints' Seedtime' has been much blessed to me, and also The Heavenly Workfolks;' your description of their daily pay is very precious. The sermon I heard you preach from these words, "Ye are clean through the word I have spoken unto you; abide in me and I in you," was very delicious fare indeed to me; but was I to attempt to describe it I should come far short; it is better felt; but the apostle Peter sweetly describes it in his first chapter.

It is but seldom that I hear any of the ministers in this neighbourhood, except the one I told you of that was intimate with Mr. Tanner of Exeter, for I have found by experience that I lose by them; for if I have any savour of divine things on my mind when I go, I am sure to lose it all under such, so that I have avoided them for some years. It is now about thirteen or fourteen years ago that I first heard you, at which time I tra

velled to London on purpose, having previously read some of your writings; and, blessed be God, I have more or less found a sweet union to you ever since, which I never felt towards any other person living except Mr. T. who is now at Sunderland; at which time you was an interpreter to me indeed, having preached from these words, "If there be a messenger with him, an interpreter, one among a thousand," &c. &c. the sweet effects were as mentioned at the beginning of this, which I often want to enjoy; but the day of prosperity and the day of adversity are set one against the other. When I observe the presumptuous confidence of professors in general, how sweet does every humbling dispensation appear; and I can truly bless the Lord for his chastening rod, finding it to have been so much for my good, for it may be truly said of me that I was rushing with haste to eternal destruction when the Lord was pleased to stop me; and though I fought against it, yet he did not leave me until I was brought as an humble suppliant to his feet, and received of his word.

I beg you will excuse the length of this, and grant me an interest in your prayers; and if you can spare a few minutes, a line or two would be most thankfully received. If a kind Providence should direct your way into these parts again, there are a few I believe starving for the bread of life, and would be very glad to hear you. I hope my dear friend T-'s visit was not in vain; there