his family; and our anointing is that of an everlasting priesthood. But there is fuch a difparity between the high-priest in the holy of holies, and we who wait at the altar, that, if our faith was not from above, we fhould have juft right to conclude that our approaches to the mercy-feat would be as dangerous as that of Korah. But the anointing oil is upon us, and God has taken us from among the Gentiles to be priefts and Levites, and to minifter in the holy place; and we know that we are accepted, and our enemies know it as well as we, and not a fmall number are contending, and would even fight for the office; and there are not a few that thrust themselves into it whom God thrufts out again, as he did the king with his leprofy in his forehead. The blood of fprinkling upon the confcience is the atonement, and the fine linen of an imputed righteousness is the ephod, and truth in the mind and heart, this is the curious girdle; hope of falvation, this is the bonnet, and a heavenly countenance is the mitre; love to the brethren, this is the breastplate; gospel knowledge and perfect love are the Urim and Thummim; the joy of faith is the anointing oil; a believing heart is the golden cenfor; the graces of God's Spirit are the odoriferous fpices; the Spirit is the fire that kindles the incense; and earnest defires of being accepted is the cloud of

smoke that afcends up before the throne

This is the furniture of the priefts with which they are furnished for all the fervice of the fanctuary. A few days ago I was obliged all at once to fend a few lines to your excellency, not knowing how low you might be, but I know of none who make more noise about little matters than you do; and if I had thought that my letter would have lain two days unopened, I should not have taken the pains to fend it. Adieu.

W. H.

received yours.

LETTER XI.

THIS day is Thursday, and I have juft Thou wilt not go out with hafte, nor go by flight; the Lord goes before thee, and will gather thee up behind; fo that the leadings of his kind providence, and the energy of his grace fhall lead the van, and all the faithfulness and truth that he has fhewed shall bring up the rear. The greatest cause of my dear fon's grief fprings from the want of information of the Spirit's work; I muft inter

rogate my beloved. "We are fayed by hope," this therefore is one of the things that accompany falvation; and in this thou haft ftood firm and fast for ten years at leaft, nor has it ever loft ground or loft ftrength; nay, you have abounded in hope by the power of the Holy Ghost. The principal work of God's Spirit is that of purging us from our filthiness, and from our idols; you labour not under the guilt, nor under the weight of either of thefe; this you dare not difown, but muft confefs the truth of my affertions.

2. The quickening operations of the Spirit are the moft bleffed, and the most invaluable influences from God that ever the offspring of Adam knew or enjoyed; and this is manifest in thee by illumination, affection, motion, and fenfations, which give you an appetite; and what we eat we love, and what we love we crave and covet, feek and follow after. The kingdom ftands in power; this has made thee willing in every fenfe, and has fenfibly, evidently, and confpicuously fortified, emboldened, equipped, and furnished thee, and fupported thee in every time of trouble; yea more, it hath lifted thee up when fecretly fallen, more than seven times, or than seventy times feven. As thy days fo has thy ftrength been; you have been filled with power and might by the Spirit to fhew Jacob his tranfgreffions. And this has fenfibly rifen up

in thee-fometimes at home, before you went forth to the pulpit; fometimes in the veftry, juft before you entered; and fometimes you found it as foon as you began, though it went not in with you; and fometimes it came in and taught thee in the midst of the feaft. To confine the Holy Spirit's work to joy, love, and enlargement, is limiting the Holy One of Ifrael. Those that are fuperficially drawn, as they tell us, have their paffions moved, and the affections of nature ftirred, and the way-fide hearers were all glee: but the Spirit's quickening, alarming, and furnishing confcience to do its office, is above all thefe life lies in feeling, in tenderness, in appetite, in the food, in fear, in hope, and in faith; in imputed righteoufnefs, in the removal of fin, and in the fentence of juftification. And you are in poffeffion of all thefe, yea, and of love too. Now, was there to come one into thy prefence to speak flightingly or lightly of our Lord Jefus, of his word, or of his family, you would confider yourself highly offended: nay, more; you would not fuffer the things to come out of their lips which a little before was muttered in fecret from your own mouth: the things I do I allow not, neither in myself, nor in others. There are fons of thunder in the work, as well as fons of confolation. But the faving point with us is, whether we are minifters of the Spirit or of the letter; and the grand difference

of this is, the letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life. Death unto death is miniftered to infidels by good men, who are a sweet favour unto God. But life and power have attended the word of God from thy mouth; and this is the feal of confirmation to the ambaffador's miffion, and in the confciences of all these thou art made manifeft. And what shall I fay more? Shall I turn Jewish orator, and fay, that very worthy deeds have been done to our nation by thy providence, and that we accept it at all times, most noble Felix? God bless the son of my vows-fo prays the

COALHEAVER.

It is a fad fault in thee, and I see it in the account of poor M that you measure God by yourself: when you are in the most sweet frames, then God loves you; but when in the reverse of these, then he hates you.

The reverfe

of this is the truth; the language of the covenant is, that you fhall remember your own evil way that was not good, and loath yourselves for your iniquity when I am pacified towards you. And this may be seen in Job's experience, and in God's vifit to Daniel, when all his comeliness was turned into corruption, though he was greatly beloved. You do vex the Holy Spirit in these things, and dishonour him by fuch a carriage: leave off this folly, I have long fince learned this in myself.