With the heart Thus God premouth we must

fure and displeasure of the Jews. The believed unto righteoufnefs. pared her heart; but with the make confeffion unto falvation. This was left undone till God created the fruit of her lips, and then she was called forth to make confeffion of her faith. By these means the word founds out, which raises curiofity in fome, defires in others, it encourages many, and provokes not a few to jealoufy and emulation.

We must render to Cefar the things that are Cefar's, and unto God the things which are God's. To smuggle foreign goods robs the prince of his revenue'; and to hide the heavenly flame under a bufhel robs God of his praife. "Were there not ten cleanfed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, fave this stranger. Go thy way, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace." The nine were selffeekers, moved to pray for a temporal cure only; felf-intereft drove them to it, and bafe ingratitude kept them from acknowledging the cure; and, by this art of finuggling the benefit, they escaped the reproach of Chrift, which Mofes fo highly eftecmed, and did not lofe their reputation among the scribes and pharifees. But, alas! these could have no faith; for how can you believe (faith the Saviour) who receive honour one of another, and not the honour that cometh from God only?" We are to weep with them that weep, and re

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joice with them that rejoice. I was in company with his excellency the Welsh ambassador at your groaning, when your bearing pains and birth throes were upon you; and we both took a part of your burden; and I am informed that you felt the spirit of heavinefs get lighter upon you from that hour. But where is my part of the caudle? I travailed in birth again and again till Chrift was formed in thee. And now this work is done; but what account have I had of it? and, therefore, how can I rejoice? Ephraim is comforted; but there is a promise of comfort to his mourners. And again: "Yet, behold, therein shall be left a remnant that shall be brought forth, both fons and daughters: behold, they shall come forth unto you, and ye shall see their ways and their doings, and ye shall be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem; and they shall comfort you when ye fee their ways and their doings." Ezek. xiv. 22. Where is my share of this promife? This part of the price is withheld.

The comforts of hope, the teftimony of a good confcience, and the pleafing accounts of God's giving teftimony to the word of his grace, is the promised reward of the labourers in the Lord's vineyard, and is no small part of the penny a day. If I might intrude upon a little of thy time, I fhould be glad of fome fhort account of thy calamity when we fell into company at the G―; and how thou cameft into that deplorable ftate.

No fmall portion of furnace-work has fallen to my fhare. And, when I faw the anguish of thy foul, I never found myself more fenfibly touched with the grief of any perfon: nor did I ever feel a fuller perfuafion in my mind of any perfon's deliverance, nor more freedom and confidence to predict it, and in the ftrongeft terms; and I plainly faw (at your departure) that neither Satan, infidelity, no, nor your carnal reafon, could ftand before it; fo mightily grows the word of the Lord and prevails. I must confess that, when I heard of thy happy delivery under the miniftry of my dearly beloved and most faithful brother in the Lord, I ftood aftonifhed at the goodness of God, and at the concurring providences which went before on thy behalf. One friend in our company could not fettle his bufinefs to return to London with me till Saturday morning. Saturday is a day that I am never from my ftudy, if I can poffibly help it. One or two in company preffèd me not a little to ftay; and thofe at G

most

kindly invited me to come and visit them, where it pleafed God that we were to meet with you, whom I never faw before to my knowledge. And furely God fet before us an open door. Our mouths were wonderfully opened to you; and I think your heart was, in fome meature, opened to us. And this greatly convinced me that my ftay was of God; nor could confcience contradict it; nor was my crufe empty on the Lord's day

following

following on account of it. The favour that ĺ have to crave is, how the troubles came upon thee, and how long thou waft left to occupy bufinefs in those deep waters; and whether thou waft in a profeffion previous to those trials or not. Now, as I am engaged in the work of the Lord, and defirous of knowing the wonders that God does in the land, that I may bless him with thee, I hope thou wilt not take this liberty amifs, feeing thou art no more a ftranger nor a foreigner, but a fellow-citizen of the faints, and of the household of God; and that thou mayeft long enjoy the pleasures, privileges, and immunities, of that city, is the earnest prayer of,

To NOCTUA AURITA, in the Defert.

DEAR FRIEND,

ago that I first thefe words: "

I HAVE attempted, as the Lord has enabled me, to comply with your requeft, in giving you fome particulars respecting the good work the Lord has been pleased to work in my foul under the ministry of his Majesty's herald now with us. I think it is more than three years heard him preach a fermon from Verily, verily, I fay unto you, he that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up fome other way, the fame is a thief and a robber." He gave fuch a description of the way that moft profeffors entered into the fold, as quite aftonished me. I could hardly credit it; but was not then left to contradict it; but I believed it could not touch me. I thought it did me fome good, as it led my heart out in gratitude to God that he had not left me to make fuch an entrance, for I was juft in the ftate of the Laodicean church, thought myself rich and increased with goods, and to have need of nothing; but knew not that I was poor and wretched, miferable, blind, and naked. Had he asked me, at that time, of my experience, I fhould have told