woodcutter, cutting both down, and both falling under their own proper influence; or as bending under that wind that blows upon them: "Whether the tree falls toward the north, or toward the fouth, in the place where the tree falleth there it fhall be." No change fhall be made in the foul after death. The former dies in felf and felfrighteousness, looking to the law; the latter dies in faith, looking to Jefus: and fo fhall each appear in the great day. Let my fifter, therefore, kifs the chaftening rod, and confider that she procures it to herself, and God appoints it for her good, and it is intended to make the spouse fruitful. But not so the servant, who is in a false profeffion; who, without being dead to the law, or divorced from it, yet claims Christ the second husband before the first be dead. These are otherwise dealt with; and fo it follows: "Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh away;" as he did Judas. And to such, and only fuch, in the most dreadful fenfe, is that awful text applicable, "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God;" as every fruitless branch doth, which God the Father takes away from Chrift, and from his church. These foon wither, and foon burn. If any thing in this fcrawl is encouraging, comforting, or establishing, receive it as one espoused to the Lamb of God; for "all things are yours; whether Paul or Apollos, or Cephas, or Chrift, or life, or death, or things prefent,

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prefent, or things to come; all are yours;" and, among the reft, in the indiffoluble bond of the everlasting covenant, I fubfcribe myself, in the Covenant Head, and for his fake,

Devotedly yours,

The Defert.

NOCTUA AURITA.

LETTER XXIX.

To NOCTUA AURITA, of the Defert.

I HAVE received safe your very va

luable epistle, and I thank you kindly for the fame. I was somewhat furprised at your writing a letter to me on that fubject at that time. I will give you a little account how it has been with me fince I wrote to you laft.

The day after I wrote you the letter, which you know informed you that I was lying at anchor, wind bound, an unexpected breeze sprung up. I did expect the fouth wind, but, alas! it was the north

north wind; and I have been for a fortnight toffed with no small tempeft; infomuch that, at times, I have despaired even of life, and my mouth hath uttered perverse things before God. Such rebellion have I found working within, fuch contending with the Almighty, fuch unbelief prevailing, together with fuch deadness and barrenness, and fuch bitterness of fpirit, that I think I never felt before. I am kept at such a distance from God,

Thut quite up in prayer, and not a word to plead

before him, which made me cry out, "All these things are against me." I could get nothing under the word; and therefore I have come away from the house of God raging like a rebel; and have found true what you mentioned in your "Child of Liberty in legal Bondage,' that, was it not for the strong hand of God on fuch fouls, the ways of Zion would be unoccupied by them. I am fure this is true; for my feelings at that time were quite the reverfe of David's when he faid, "How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of Hofts! my foul longeth, yea, even fainteth, for the courts of the Lord. When shall I come and appear before God?" But not this, but the former, was the state of my mind when I received your letter; and, when I read what you wrote on the subject of prayer, it caused desperation, in fome measure, to work within me. Well, thought 1, if this is the way that these enemies are to be overcome, what is to become of me? L 3

Pray I

cannot ;

cannot; therefore, for ought I fee, I must have their company. I had faid, when I lay windbound, that I had rather be in the ftorm than lie fo. And a ftorm it has been to me, with a witness. Having thus given you the dark fide, I will proceed to inform you how the tempeft was made to cease.

On Monday evening laft I went to Bethel in all this ftorm. His excellency's oration was, "Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing instant in prayer." This fet me a quarrelling with him. Well, thought I, there will be nothing for me this night; I fhall go home worfe than I came out, as I did last night. I think, had he picked the facred records throughout, he could not have found a fubject that is more contrary to my present feelings. But no fooner did he begin to open than the contents diftilled as the dew. The devil fled, unbelief got a blow, carnal reafon was fo put to the blush as to be forced to retire; nor have they dared to fhew their rebellious heads fince.

On Tuesday morning, on taking up the records of Zion, my eyes were directed to the following proverb: "The car that heareth the reproof of life fhall abide among the wife." I cannot express what a fweet light accompanied these words, which gave me to see what I had received the evening before. My mind was carried above the literal fenfe of the words. I un

derstood

derstood what the ear there spoken of is, even the ear of the foul; the fame that Chrift himself spoke of when he said, "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." This ear was given me; and what the Lord caufed me to hear was, the reproof of life; because it was attended with a quickening influence to my foul. And that it was the voice of God, by his word and his Spirit, I have not a fingle doubt; because, on those three evenings, the devil, unbelief, and carnal reason, were forced to make their retreat, whose plea before was fo powerful in my heart. And this vifit was attended with a sweet persuasion, yea, an affurance, that I shall be found at last among the wise virgins, when the Lord comes with the midnight

cry.

I think my fenfations are at present somewhat like David's, when he faid, "By this I know that thou favoureft me, because my enemies do not triumph over me." I believe the Lord will never let me go out of his hands until he hath made me meet for the inheritance. He will put me into a thousand fires, that my drofs and tin may be purged from me.

I have no larger paper, or I fhould have wrote you more at this time on fome parts of your letter. I was forry to hear, by a letter you wrote to my brother, that you was indifpofed. I hope ere now you are about again, which, I fhall be very glad to hear as foon as convenient. Mr.