receive us into his glory. There, in those happy, happy mansions, may we, and many, very many of my dear flock meet, and never be parted more! This is the heart's desire, and the daily prayer of their and your truly affectionate friend, &c.

DEAR

LETTER LXXXI.

1751.

AND are you very weak? is sickness in the chamber, and death at the door? Come, then, let us both sit down with dissolution and eternity in view, and encourage one another from the word, the precious word of God. I have as much need of such consolation as you, my dear friend, and may, perhaps, have occasion to use them as soon.

What is there formidable in death, which our ever blessed Redeemer has not taken away? Do the pangs of dissolution alarm us? Should they be sharp, they cannot be very long; and our exalted Lord, with whom are the issues of death, knows what dying agonies mean. He has said, in the multitude of his tender mercies, "Fear thou not, for I am with thee; be not dismayed, for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee, yea, I will help thee, yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness," Isa. xli. 10. This promise authorizes us to say boldly, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff comfort me," Psalm xxiii. 4.

Are we afraid to enter into a strange, invisible, unknown world? It is the world into which our divine Master is gone; where he has prepared everlasting mansions for his people, John xiv. 2. Luke xvi. 22. and has appointed his angels to conduct us thither. Having such a convoy, what should we dread? and, going to our eternal home, where our all-bountiful Redeemer is, why should we be reluctant?

Are we concerned on account of what we leave? We leave the worse to possess the better. If we leave our earthly friends, we shall find more loving and lovely companions. We shall be admitted among the "innumerable company of angels, and to the general assembly and church of the first-born, that are written in heaven," Heb. xii. 22, 23. Do we leave the ordinances of religion, which we have attended with great delight? leave the word of God, 'which has been sweeter to our souls than honey to our mouths? We shall enter into the temple not made with hands, and join that happy choir, who rest not day nor night, saying, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come," Rev. iv. 8. And if our Bible is no more, we shall have all that is promised, we shall behold all that is described therein. If we drop the map of our heavenly Canaan, it will be to take possession of its blissful territories. "That city has no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it; for the glory of God does lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof," Rev. xxi. 23. O, my friend! blessed, for ever blessed, be the grace of our God, and the merits of his Christ! We shall exchange the scanty stream for the boundless ocean; and if we no longer pick the first ripe grapes, we shall gather the copious, the abounding, the never-ending vintage.

Do we fear the guilt of our innumerable sins? Adored be the inexpressible loving-kindness of God our Saviour! our sins have been punished in the blessed Jesus: "The Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all, Isa. liii. 6. He his own self bare our sins, in his own body, on the tree, 1 Pet. ii. 24. So that there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus," Rom. viii. 1. O that we may be enabled, with the apostle, to make our boast of this Saviour, and to triumph in this faith! "Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth; who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather that is risen again, who is even

at the right hand of God; who also maketh intercession for us."

• Is judgment the thing that we fear? To the pardoned sinner it has nothing terrible. The Lord Jesus, who keeps his servants from falling," presents them also faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy," Jude ver. 24. Observe the sweet expressions, presents faultless, and with exceeding joy. Justly therefore does the apostle reckon it among the privileges of the Christians, that they are come to God the Judge of all, Heb. xii. 23.; for the Judge is our friend, the Judge is our advocate, the Judge is our propitiation, the Judge is our righteousness. And is it not a privilege to come to such a Judge as will not so much as mention our iniquities to us, but condescend to take notice of our poor unworthy services? who sits on the great tribunal, not to pass the sentence of damnation upon us, but to give us a reward, a reward of free grace, and of inconceivable richness?

Let me conclude with those charming words of the evangelical prophet, "Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak you comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned; for her Redeemer, her all-gracious Redeemer, hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins," Isa. xl. 1, 2. May the God of our life and salvation make these Scriptures be unto us as a staff in the traveller's hand, and as a cordial to the fainting heart, that we may be strong in the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ; that we may glorify him in death, and glorify him for death; because death will introduce us into his immediate presence, where we shall be sorrowful no more, sinful no more, at a distance no more; but be joyful, and be like our Lord; love him with all our souls, praise him to all eternity. Let us then be of good cheer, soon in our heavenly Jerusalem we shall meet again. Because God is faithful, inviolably faithful, and infinitely merciful, who hath promised,

promised to you, and promised to your affectionate friend, &c.

P. S. My kindest respects to Mr ———, and Mrs ; bid them be of good courage, and go on their way rejoicing, for their Redeemer is mighty, his merits are unspeakable, and his love is unchangeable. My most respectful compliments wait upon Mr

and Mrs What a pleasure should I think it, was I able to execute the ministerial office, to bring home to their parlours the glad tidings of an all-sufficient Saviour, as well as to preach them in the pulpit! Polly, I hope, loves her Bible; may the word of Christ dwell in her richly; and may he be with your father and mother, now they are old and greyheaded.

LETTER LXXXII.

in a

DEAR I HOPE this will find you a little better in your health; but if it should find you weak and languishing condition, I hope a gracious God will sanctify what it contains to the comfort of your soul.

Often consider, if you die, you will leave a world full of sin; a condition full of frailty, ignorance, and misery; a body that has long been a heavy burden, a sore clog, both to your services and to your comforts and why should any one be greatly unwilling to leave such a state? If you die, you will go into an unknown world; but the comfort is, you have a kind and faithful friend gone thither before-Jesus Christ, your best friend, and the lover of your soul, is the Lord of that unseen world. Joseph's brethren were not afraid to go down into Egypt, when they knew that their dear brother was governor of the country. And since your most merciful Saviour is ruler of the invisible world, be not afraid to leave the body, and depart thither. It is said, the spirit of old Jacob revived when he saw the waggons sent to carry him to his beloved son; and the poor lan

guishing believer may look upon death as the waggon sent by Jesus Christ to bring his soul home to heaven.

But after death comes judgment, and this is terrible. Consider, who is the Judge. Was the father that begat you, was the mother that bare you, or the friend that is as your own soul; was any one of these to be the Judge, and to pass the sentence, you would not be apprehensive of rigorous proceedings, you would expect all possible clemency. Mercy, in this case, would rejoice against judgment. But, to our unspeakable comfort, we are informed by the Scriptures, that a glorious Person, far more merciful than a father, far more compassionate than a mother, far more affectionate than a friend, is to decide our doom-even the Lord Jesus Christ, who loved us with an everlasting love; who declares, that a woman may forget her sucking child much sooner than he forget to be merciful to those that put their trust in him; for thus it is written, "God hath appointed a day, in which he will judge the world in righteousness, by that man whom he hath ordained, even Jesus Christ," Acts xvii. 31.

The Judge calls himself our Husband, the Bridegroom of poor believing souls. And will the Bridegroom deliver to destruction his own bride, whom he has bought with his blood, and with whom he has made an everlasting covenant? Isa. liv. 5.

The Judge vouchsafes to be our Advocate. And will he condemn those for whom he has long interceded? will he condemn those for whom he poured out his prayers when he was on earth, and on whose behalf he has constantly pleaded in the presence of God? 1 John ii. 1.

The Judge condescends to be our Head, and calls the weakest believers his members. And did ever any one hate his own body? Did ever any one delight to maim, or take pleasure to ruin his own flesh, and his bones? Col. i. 18. 1 Cor. xii. 27.

The Judge has been our Victim, the sacrifice for