faint yet pursuing. One thing is promised to us, even when under the greatest discouragements, and that is, a renewal of our strength in waiting upon him, so that we cannot, we dare not give up or give out; for, "He giveth power to the faint, and to them that have no might he increaseth strength;" and by this increase of power he keeps us from despair, and makes us trust in his all-sufficient power, and hope, and expect, and seek for his great salvation. He keeps us feeling after him, Acts xvii. 27, both in our mind, and in our conscience where he doth work; and even in his providence, and on his throne, as he is in Christ reconciled to us: in all these ways my mother feels after him, every day and all day long; and this is what the psalmist means when he says,

My Spirit made diligent search; will the Lord cast off for ever?" &c. And this is what Paul means by feeling after him, for he is not far from every one of us; and is expressly said to be near to them that are of a broken heart, and to save such as be of a contrite spirit; and a broken heart is one made sorrowful and sad by sin, and a contrite spirit is one made sore and tender by reproofs, rebukes, and reproaches of conscience, and a sense of God's anger. And such souls God promises to dwell with, in order to revive them; for when he is pleased to search us and try us, convince, convict, and to chasten us, our knowledge, our strength, wisdom, profession, false confidence and legal hopes, self-sufficiency and worldly spirit,

this crop withers, fades, and fails us, and down we go, having no props, no supporters; but when God revives us, light, knowledge, wisdom, life, hope and help from above raise us up again; when repentance and godly sorrow operate, and we are enabled to trust in the Son of God alone for life and salvation; at which time a better crop springs up, which is called reviving the heart of the contrite ones. Under terrors carnal security gives way to convictions, self-righteousness gives way to the condemning power of the law when that enters, false faith yields to faith in the justice of God, and false peace falls before the alarms of Sinai; " By terrible things in righteousness wilt thou answer us, O God of our salvation;" and this is trying work to poor, sensible sinners: but believe me when I say that there are no rods, no scourges, no chastisements, in all this school of Christ, that are to be compared, or even mentioned, with the many stripes inflicted on the wicked in the world to come. Be patient, my dear mother, and shew the same diligence, and full assurance of hope even to the end, for in due time we shall reap if we faint not; and God declares, it is good in his sight that a man should wait, and quietly hope, for the salvation of God; and, "He that believeth shall not make haste," but shall move as God moves him; and if they hasten, or others drive them, they go all that ground over again. God bless thee.

W. H. S. S.

LETTER XLVI.

To Mrs. M.

TO MARY, MY OWN BRAT IN THE FAITH,

GRACE, mercy, and peace be with M. and with

poor C. my fellow travellers and fellow labourers. I am this morning somewhat cheerful in my soul, and therefore must trouble my dear friends with some of the overflowings; "The words of a man's mouth are as deep waters, and the well-spring of wisdom as a flowing brook." Wisdom's voice, and wisdom's words, are to the sons of men; she speaks a word in due season to them that are weary; her words uphold those that are falling; she speaks to those that are dead, and they hear her voice and live; the word quickens them, and that word feeds the life that is given to them. Wisdom speaks in righteousness as mighty to save; this brings hope, and hope brings salvation. Wisdom speaks peace to the heathen; and these are her different voices, which Christ's sheep hear and follow; but a stranger they will not follow: Why? because they know not the voice of strangers. There is no suitableness, no support, no life, no salvation or peace in all they say; and therefore

they will not, cannot, dare not follow them. The sleepy devil I find still haunts thee; but this is a full proof that he has lost the fort-royal of the heart, and all his armour wherein he trusted. His armour is, first, unbelief; secondly, carnal enmity against God; thirdly, blindness of mind; fourthly, hardness of heart; fifthly, ignorance of God; sixthly, carnal security or false peace, with these he keeps possesion of the palace and his goods in peace. Faith conquers unbelief, and continually wars against it; the love, mercy, and kindness of God in Christ wars with enmity, reconciles the mind, and leads it to favour God, and his cause of truth; light works against darkness, rends the vail, and lays the sinful heart and the suitable Saviour open to view; mercy moving on the heart melts and softens it, the bowels move, and yearn, and sound towards a kind and suffering Saviour, at which a godly sorrow, meekness, and contrition flow out, this removes the stony heart; the life, energy, and struggles of life war with false peace; while doubts and fears keep the soul in continual motion. By these, Mary may see what that is which is born of the Spirit, and that which is born of the flesh. The worst enemies the devil has in the heart of a saint are light, life, and love; when the light breaks in, if Satan cannot keep it out, he will baffle, confound, and confuse the mind until the soul cannot make a judgment either of what it sees, hears, or feels. When life quickens the soul, he will send an hundred plas

terers and daubers to heal this hurt slightly, crying, peace, peace, when there is no peace; but when love flows in he is obliged to decamp; it brings his former state of felicity so fresh to his mind, as to fill him with rage, jealousy, revenge, and desperation; nothing drives him like the fire of love, and the joy of it: this fire, and the flame of it, is too much for Satan himself; he never could maintain his standing against it; and for the sake of a little respite, and a little delusive ease, like the old cobbler, he packs up his awls and gone. But as sure as these times of love abate, so sure does he return with treble rage; and he spreads his own infernal malice, jealousy, and bitterness through all the soul, and makes us call even the truth of the visit itself in question. "And if it be not so now, who will make me a liar, and make my speech nothing worth?" God bless you all! so prays,

is

W. H. S. S.

LETTER XLVII.

To the Rev. W. HUNTINGTON, S. S.

DEAR SIR,

I YESTERDAY, with two friends, visited a poor woman, who heard you for the first time about seven or eight years since; she through illness has now been confined to her bed ever since

VOL. VI.