employ our thoughts, and will be uppermoft; and awe, reverence, and fear of God, difcover themfelves. Faith in the truth, juftice, holiness, immutability, and terrible majesty of God, works ftrongly in us, though as yet we cannot claim. his love, his mercy, or his promised falvation; future trials are to difcover that. And when the

fiery trial comes on, then is grace to maintain the fight, while the drofs and tin confume in the flames. In this furnace God tries us to the quick, that we may know what that treasure is, and what that grace can do that he has put into our hearts; and we at the fame time prove him, and try the tried ftone, and fure foundation, that he has laid in Zion, and watch narrowly to fee if he is faithful and true to his promifes, and to us poor needy, perifhing finners, whofe cafes the fcriptures defcribe, to whom the invitations are proclaimed, and to whom the promises are made; and if we can find the leaft failure here, or the least short-coming, or if we are left to fink without hope, or are in the leaft danger of the great tranfgreffion, or are permitted in the leaft degree to exceed the bounds that God has prefcribed in his word to fuch cafes, we are fure to wax bold, to reason, argue, plead, and difpute the point; and the good, the holy, the adored, and the ever-bleffed Comforter, makes us fo wife, fo cunning, fo fubtle, as to improve every flight, neglect, or difregard that God fhews to us

in our own behalf and defence, and the Spirit fills our mouths with arguments to plead these things. He is our advocate on earth, our interceffor; he comes for that purpose, to make interceffion for us according to the will of God: and he does it effectually, and to purpose; and, bless his dear and precious name, we know him, love him, admire him, and adore him, as the sweetest of all teachers, and the fureft of all guides. And what is to be the refult of this fiery trial? why our dross and tin, by which I understand fleshly affections, legal influences, natural faith and hope, universal charity, and the favour of nature: these are to be purged off, and we are to come forth more precious than the golden wedge of Ophir. Faith in this fire is to fhew herself, and do her office; fhe is to claim her parentage, and God is to acknowledge the fraternity. I will fay it is my people, and they shall say the Lord

is

my God. This is the end God aims at, and the end that shall be accomplished; this is impreffed on the foul by the Holy Ghost, and of this faith prophesies; and this end hope expects; "When he hath tried me, I fhall come forth as gold." And fo it must be if it be true that all things do work for good to them that love God, as every foul does who craves his favour and his prefence above all things elfe; for all that hate him fay, depart from us, and cause the Holy One to ceafe from before us, for we

defire not the knowledge of thy ways; as the Jews, who faw and hated both Chrift and his Father, and therefore faid to Pilate, Away with him, crucify him, crucify him. I believe in my heart that I have had the aid, affiftance, prefence, and instruction of the Holy Comforter, in writing this: the devil is almoft at the end of his chain, his darts do not stick, their fire is much cooled, and they fly only through the head; they do not pierce the heart as heretofore. It is almoft over with him, he lofes ground, and will gain it no more. He muft quit the stronghold fhortly. The stronger than he pursues him; half his armour is gone, wherein he trufted. And you may expect him to beat a parley, hang out his white flag transformed, treat of terms about a furrender, or wish to capitulate. Liften to no offers, or terms: believe nothing that he fays, for there are feven abominations in his heart. Yet a little while, and he that shall come will come; then thou fhalt moft affuredly fee that Just One, and hear the voice of his mouth; the Holy Spirit will put the best robe in the hand of faith, and faith will put it on; the fentence of juftification will then be paffed in the court of confcience, and the Spirit will bear his witness to it, and set the fair mitre on thy head, an ornament of grace, proclaimed by the light of God's countenance, fhining on thy face, as the health of thy countenance, and thy God. And although

though thou haft often faid, I fhall not fee him, yet this judgment is before him, therefore truft thou in him. I am still in labour, and under no common influence even at this time. God blefs thee ! my kind love to all that love him.

Ever yours,

W. H. S. S.

LETTER XLVII.

BELOVED in the Lord, I have not written

to you for fome time, because it was hinted in a letter to my dame, that my last was too much for you; by which I conceived that it had caufed grief, but fince I understand that it only meant that the matter was too profound for my friend's confufed judgment, and too great for one fo unworthy: mifunderstanding, therefore, has been the cause of my long filence. I ftill continue lame, but my bleffed one is kind, and very indulgent to me. Nothing can move our Rock, and there is no fhaking or unfettling the building till the foundation be deftroyed. The living ftone is a rifen Saviour, and the lively stones are

quickened finners; these two coming together, and being united in the bond of peace, constitute that wonderful fabric called Mount Zion, in which God will for ever dwell. A broken heart is the door by which the Saviour enters, and the fore, tender, or contrite fpirit, is his refidence in which he dwells. Here he first displays his powerful work: firft in cleanfing; fecondly, in healing, curing, and binding up; then he goes on in reviving, in raifing up a new crop, fuch as faith, hope, love, joy, peace, quietness, meeknefs, humility, felf-abasement, godly forrow, repentance, glorious liberty, and reft; and making us to reft contented, fatisfied, and fully affured that death is abolished, and that life and immortality are brought to light in us. This is the wonderful work that God performs on Mount Zion when he enters, and when he comes to take up his eternal abode. You may, Nancy, tell your uncle of what has befallen my chapel: it has not caused me one moment's concern, nor deprived me of one minute's fleep; my heart is fixed, trufting in the Lord, and this fhall work for my good. Blefs the Lord, O my foul! and God bless you all!

The COALHEAVER.