my mind completely rescued from the dark and difmal regions; nor did unappeased wrath and unatoned guilt ever enter my confcience, or fink my foul in the horrible pit afterward; though legal bondage and fatherly anger have often fell to my lot. But a good hope through grace counterpoises these, and keeps the foul at a par, or hanging at least in an even balance. The new birth, my fifter, is to us the teftimony of Jefus. "How can these things be ?" faith Nicodemus. "Verily, verily, I fay unto thee, we speak that we do know, and teftify that we have feen; and ye receive not our witness." Where this change is made, whereever perfect love casts out fear and torment, there is the teftimony of Jefus; and "the teftimony of Jefus is the fpirit of prophecy." Rev. xix. 10. Yea, an earnest of the future inheritance, the firft fruits of the glorious harvest, or of the harvest of glory; and faith itself “is the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not feen;' and is attended with a train of forerunners which lead to perfect day. These things abide with us. But, alas! bonds and afflictions abide alfo; and these make such a medley of bitter-fweets, which are ftrange things to us. Now I fhall expect to hear how you go on, and to have an honest account, whether any of my former predictions came to pass or not; or whether the oil of joy continues fpringing without any abatement; whether the banqueting-house affords the fame profufion;

and

whether the banner displayed is ftill in view; whether the fame hearty welcome of "Eat, O friends! drink; yea, drink abundantly, O beloved!" founds ftill in thine ears, and attended with the fame inward fulness and fatisfaction as ufual. In hope of a folution, I conclude, in the bonds of the better covenant,

The Defert.

Thine in Him,

NOCTUA AURITA.

LETTER XX.

To NOCTUA AURITA, in the Defert.

I RECEIVED fafe your kind favour,

and kindly do I thank you for the fame; and glad I am to find you bear me on your mind. In compliance to your requeft, I take this opportunity of informing you of my fpiritual welfare. I have not to inform you that I am in the banquetinghoufe: no; thofe fweet feafons are over; for my Beloved has withdrawn himself, and is gone, and

has

has left me a filly dove without an heart, as you warned me of in a former letter; and I am going mourning without the fun. He has hid himfelf with a cloud in his anger, and my foul is melted because of trouble. He has taken the bag of money with him, and there feems to be a famine in the land, and I am in want. As you obferve, the bare remembrance of thofe paft seasons wherein I lived under his fhadow, is only an aggravation of my mifery. I well know now, and that by bitter experience, the truth of your former predictions, much of them having been fulfilled during these two months paft; and none but God himself could have fupported me in the perilous path I am called to walk in. I have been brought fo low as almoft to caft away my confidence; though, in my joys, I have faid, numbers of times, I was fure I should never be fhaken with refpect to my fiate. But this language is purged from me by very sharp ftrokes. Indeed, I have fometimes a little light given me, from the word, that the path I am brought into is the path of tribulation that leads to the kingdom; and a little light God has given me lately by a very particular dream. God fill inftructs me by dreams and vifions of the night. Some part of it is now fulfilling, and fome part remains to be fulfilled; and much does God lead me to watch his hand, which is with me at this time. It would carry me far beyond the limits of a letter to give you a particular account of God's dealing

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dealing with me; and perhaps it is God's will that I should keep his dealings with me to myself. I am fure I have wifhed a thousand times lately I had never opened my mouth to any one about the work of God with me. I know it has involved me in many fnares. However, nothing teaches like experience. I have been a little ftrengthened by thofe words in Job xxvi. 2, 3, wherein he fays of God, "How haft thou helped him that is without power? How faveft thou the arm that hath no ftrength? How haft thou counfelled him that hath no wifdom? and how haft thou plentifully declared the thing as it is?" I am brought moft fenfibly to feel my want of help, power, ftrength, and wifdom; and I never fo faw before my need of Chrift in his office as a counsellor; and it strengthened me a little that he is ftyled by the prophet the Wonderful Counsellor. I think never did a poor foul ftand more in need of his help, in all his offices and characters, than I do at this present time. Thofe lines of Mr. Hart's are ruly applicable to me:

Weaker than the bruifed reed,
Help I every moment need.

I hope ftill to be favoured with an intereft in your prayers, that I may be kept, guided, and directed in all fpiritual wisdom, knowledge, and understanding, and preferved unto his heavenly

kingdom;

kingdom; and may the best of spiritual bleffings continually be vouchfafed to you, is the prayer

I AM ftill kept looking out at my ftudy window, with my heart not a little fet on my intended journey to the King's dale. But my weak ftate of body, and the long, miferable, wet feafon, not a little difcourages me. I long to fee and know how you all go on. I am just like an old hen, which hath got more chickens than fhe can cover with her feathers; for my thoughts are all over the nation, and I am always afraid of the hawks and kites. But this is indulging fear where no fear is; for under his feathers his children. fhall truft; his truth fhall be their fhield and buckler.

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