mind aftray. I had three of these unexpected vifits; but they were tranfient, like those of a wayfaring man, who turns afide and tarries but a night. But I knew that they were earnests of more enduring and uninterrupted felicity. Soon after this my implacable enemy returned with double force; not to dispute me out of the reality of what I enjoyed, for I have felt more of that than ever he did, and know the sweetness of it better than he does; nor did he attempt to call in queftion my intereft. He has dropt that for upwards of twenty years; nay, he has acknowledged it, and confeffed it, when he hath wanted to tempt me to prefumption. But, as all the doubts that his lies have raised in my mind could never move me from the foundation, fo all his acknowledgments of the goodness of my ftate never added to my establishment. He can neither bless us at all, nor curfe us at all. The work that he came to do was to ftir up hard thoughts, prejudices, and enmity, at the best of friends, because I was then deferted, and my mind fuffered to be defiled with a foul-mouthed devil, a rebellious and most blasphemous Jacobin. This word flew into my mind, " But I gave myfelf unto prayer." I took the hint; and, for three or four days, fhut myself up, for the space of four or five hours in a day, to attend upon that very thing. And never to be fure did that holy and bleffed Spirit, that all-prevailing interceffor, that quinteffence

9

help my

effence of all meeknefs, fimplicity, and purity, infirmities more. I was amazed at the fortitude, boldness, freedom, fervour, argument, and powerful pleadings, that he equipped and furnished me with. Well might the Ancient of Days fay to his apoftles, "I will send you a Comforter, which the world cannot receive, because it feeth him not, neither knoweth him; but ye know him, for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you." For years have I watched and attended to the fecret and wonderful operations and influences of that benign and unchangeable friend of finners, and have admired his quick, feafonable, and invariable counfel, cautions, and inftructions, and have often called him by all the sweet names of heavenly Dove, sweet One, bleffed Comforter, fure and faithful Witness, yea, and every sweet and pathetic name that my heart could indite, or my lips utter; and, while I have been heaping them upon his bleffed head, he has kept my mind tranquil, and his pleafing operations have wonderfully proclaimed his approbation of my fimple encomiums. Soon after this I fell ill, and have been laid by a fortnight, during which time he left me not, but favoured me more than ufual; and one night I had the following dream. I dreamed that I was fitting at table with many of my friends. I do not remember any entertainment on the table. My mind was chiefly taken up at looking at my friends; and, among

the

the reft, there fat the Lord Jesus Christ in person; and I knew him immediately; nor did he vanish out of my fight; and I found my mind inclined to put two queftions to him. I faid to him, Lord, there are but few in this world that know thee, and there is bread enough in our Father's house, and to fpare; and, as there are but few that know thee, and as thou haft but a few to feed, how is it then, that thou giveft us fo little? He smiled, but gave me no answer. But I thought that every one at the table were looking at him, waiting for his reply; which convinced me that my open queftion was the language of all their hearts. As I could not fucceed in this question, I put another, and the eyes of all at the table feemed to look at me. I said, When you begin your work on us, you fpare no pains, nor let our fouls find reft, until you have weaned us from every thing under heaven; nor will you appear fatisfied till you have brought us to love you with all our heart, and with all our foul; and, when you have gained this, what can be the reafon of your leaving us, provoking us, and trying us, in fo dreadful a manner? The eyes of all the company, as foon as I had done with my queftion, were turned from me, and looked at him. But all that I got was another pleasing smile; for my beloved gave me no answer. I cannot, at this time, defcribe to my dear fifter how dead my foul is to this world, nor how dead this world is to me. Never

did I fee fo clearly as now the meaning of the former and latter rain, mentioned Hofea vi. 3, James v. 7. The former fhower, at converfion, I understand, when the washing of regeneration, and the renewing of the Holy Ghost, took place; when righteousness, joy, peace, and praife, fprung up. This purged from guilt and filth, and a wonderful crop of the fruits of the Spirit fucceeded. But the latter rain, at death, which is to root up and purge off the very inbeing of fin, must be a moft ftupendous work! The work of regeneration, and that of changing our vile bodies, and fashioning them like unto the glorious body of Chrift, cannot be greater than this. But this is the thing that he hath spoken to us of; and then there fhall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the Lord of Hofts. And I must tell thee that, at times, it is much on my mind, according to what I do now and then feel, that the latter rain is not far from me. "O then fhall the fruit of the earth be excellent and comely, when he that laid the foundation of the earth fhall plant the heavens!" Ifa. li. 16. "Then shall there be no more treading down, trouble, nor perplexity, in the valley of vifion." Ifa. xxii. 5. In this confidence I fubfcribe myself

Yours to ferve in the kingdom

In the Defert.

and patience of Chrift,

NOCTUA AURITA.

LETTER

LETTER XXXI.

T. NOCTUA AURITA, in the Defert.

I CANNOT exprefs how much I

feel myself indebted to you for your foul-strengthening and foul-establishing epiftle; for fuch it is indeed to me; though one part of it caused me forrow of heart; and it will caufe the fame forrow to thousands after the Lord takes you from us. But you have borne the burden and heat of the day, and the Lord has appointed the period when you are to reft from your labours. But, O how few labourers there are in the vineyard, though the harvest is truly great! It rejoiced my heart to hear of those fweet vifits the Lord has favoured you with. I know fomething of them, though but in a fmall measure. I have been favoured with but few of them of late. I feem to be called to sharp conflicts. It gave me great satisfaction to find you acknowledge I am led in the fame path with yourself; by which I think you mean the path of tribulation. Indeed, my dear brother, I am led to see more and more that it is the only way to the kingdom. My prefent ftanding greatly differs from what it was fome time back.