fore the fire is kindled. But the most blessed Comforter, with his innocent dove-like nature, works fo calmly as not to be perceptible but by his fruits and effects. He is unmoved, undifturbed, calm, ferene, and unconcerned, at all the oppofition made against him, having nothing to fear from Satan, nor from all the army of inbred corruption. He keeps his throne in the heart, protects his own temple, and supports and ftrengthens his own empire, in the midft of all this hurry, buftle, and confufion. And under all this violent oppreffion of the enemy and the avenger, righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, keep working at the bottom; and though at firft they are unperceived or invifible to us, yet the holy empire rises up through all this confused chaos, and at last appears in all its luftre, glory, power, and majefty. Every battle of the warrior is with confufed noife, and garments rolled in blood; but ours fhall be with burning and fuel of fire; for unto us a child is born. When the Holy Ghoft enters and conquers the will, the mind, the affections, and the confcience, and bends them to himfelf, then the war begins; the devil fets all the briers and thorns against him in battle, and he goes through them, and burns them altogether, when grace rifes, and reigns triumphant through Jefus Chrift unto eternal life. This is the way that the King of Zion obtains his fpoils; I will divide him a

portion with the great, and he fhall divide the fpoil with the ftrong, because he hath poured out his foul unto death, and he was numbered with the tranfgreffors, and he bore the fins of many, and made interceffion for the tranfgreffors; and all the many whofe fins he bore, and for whom he made interceffion, he will have; they are his Father's choice in him, and the Father's gift to him, and are the purchase of his own blood, and must be the trophies of his victory. And although they are all fallen off from him, and are fallen under the treble dominion of Satan, fin, and death; yet the prey must be taken from the mighty, the lawful captives must be delivered. The Saviour mounts the triumphal chariot of his willing people, girds his fword upon his thigh as the most mighty, and goes forth as a mighty man, ftirring up jealousy like a man of war, and rides profperously, difpenfing the word of truth, the grace of meeknefs and righteoufnefs, and discharging his arrows in all directions; which, piercing the hearts of finners, they fall under him, submit, and yield, to his irrefiftible artillery. This wounds the infernal head over divers countries; and as numbers of finners enlift under Satan's banner against him, he fills the places with the dead bodies of these, by making his word the favour of death unto death; while fuch as feel the contents of his quiver, yield obedience to

him; and, obtaining the bleffed Spirit of truth, meeknefs, and righteousness, the council of deep waters rise in their hearts, and words of wisdom, like a flowing brook, iffue from their mouths: these libations of praise are poured forth to honour their lawful fovereign and irrefiftible conqueror; he drinks of this brook in the way, well pleafed with the willing captives; and then lifts up his head, and pursues his victories. This, my wellbeloved, is the way that this holy and heavenly warfare is carried on. It is on our fide faith fights; faith wields her fhield, and handles her fword; for even the word of God, the sword of the Spirit, is put into the hand of faith, and we overcome by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of our teftimony. The Captain of our falvation is always at the head of his forces; he is both a commander and a leader of the people. He leads us forth, and brings us off; he gives ftrength equal to the day, infpires with fresh courage, animates to fresh vigour, gives hope of better fuccefs, makes us renew the attack; he difplays the enfign ftaff, waves the banner of love, and makes us fight or die, refift or give way; and fets both the prize and the blank before us; glory and a crown if we fight, hell and eternal difgrace if we flinch

and both these

The COALHEAVER.

LETTER XXXVI.

By

YOURS came to hand last night, and I like it well; and doubt not but, through undeserved mercy and the merits of Chrift, we fhall prevail. Remember what I wrote to you in the winter, when I begged of the Almighty to remove my cough; what energy I found in prayer, and what bondage and mifery followed. terrible things in righteoufnefs will God anfwer us. This is the dark fide; the fun breaks out when this blows over even to this day, and this morning, I found great liberty for my dearly be loved brother: the devil may well lay about him; he feels the lash, and muft and fhall give way; refift him, fays God, and he will flee; he cannot stand before the Spirit's fupplication and the interceffion of Chrift; he cannot ftand before the faith of God's elect, and the Spirit's fword. I expected no less than what you write; I was fure he would labour hard, and ufe violence; but I will give you power to tread on ferpents and fcorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing fhall by any means hurt you, faith the Lord; and what think you of that? Never

give it up: pursue it ten times a day, and beg these two things, as I do-a fatisfactory token for good; this is for the foul-and deliverance from a fleepy devil; this is for the body. Depend upon it that, by God's leave, I will meet you daily at the throne: nothing under heaven that is against God can ftand before us; this I know, for God is for us and with us. Perfevere, my dearly beloved; quit yourfelf like a man, that you be not a fervant and flave to the worst of tyrants. You fee how the lion can change into the ferpent, and the ferpent into the fox, in order to mar the vines; and into an angel of light, by moving in our corrupt affections, to make us favour the things of men more than the things of God. And now from being the ftrong man armed in defence of his own palace, he is become a rocker, to attend the cradle, and lull thee to fleep; and how has he foiled thee in this? Fight, flinch not, but at him, and he will foon flee, and you will fee it. I expected a damp from the quarter you mention. If we provoke others to jealoufy, our own locks muft and fhall be fhorn. God will deal as we deal. But this, yea, even this, fhall work for thy good. The needy fhall not always be forgotten, the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever. The orders will come-friend, go up higher; then fhalt thou shine, and many shall fee it; for those that cry in fecret shall be rewarded openly. You