over them with a godly jealousy, but this turned to my reproach; I was then for a little while left to feel a fpirit of heavinefs, but meeknefs attended, and counteracted that: fince which time no small share of fpiritual might hath been afforded to the inner man, for which I blefs and adore the beft of friends. I ftand my ground, and from my station they will not pull me down; God maintains my lot, which is to be as his mouth, and to burn incenfe. The tables are

turned; my fpirit of jealoufy which operated upon me, is poured into their bofom who have hated me for telling the truth; they fit with leanness in their fouls, difmay in their faces, and envy in their hearts; while thofe who abide by the old crib, and love clean provender, feed in all high places; and how the feaft of these agrees with the faft of others, I will leave you to guefs, who have fo often read of "their grudging who are not fatisfied." The real wheat begins to fall together in the heap, and the chaff is gathered by the whirlwind out of the floor, and I am determined to purge out the old leaven that is left, if I have not a baker's dozen remaining; I mean thirteen. The name of Antinomian seems now to be wiped off; the pulpit call for candour and mantles of love; ministers are called to fuffer the lofs of all things but their character; but that must be fpared-yes, as God fpared the reputation of Eli's fons. There hath

been one awful ftroke among us, and I call it Gad, for I think a troop will follow. Pray come up next Monday; and I think if you were to fet off on the Sunday evening, you might come fifteen or twenty miles, which would help both your horfe and you. But this I must leave; farewell. Ever thine, in fire and water,

W. HUNTINGTON.

LETTER XVIII.

Paddington, October 14, 1796.

Dear Brother in Chrift,

I HAVE been for five weeks running visiting the brethren in the little adjacent towns to fee how they do; and I find that they which ftill follow the Lord are all alive to this day. I have got a cold upon me, which I am very fubject to, either in my heart or in my head; the former is by far the worse, as nothing but a fresh sense of divine love will ever remove it. The burden bowed me down for above a fortnight; I cannot defcribe the weight, it was intolerable; and I was fure that that burden must shortly go from me, or I must go to my long home. And, were

it not for two entanglements that hung faft by my fkirts, and brought me into a ftrait, I fhould not have hefitated one moment about that end of the balance which proves all flesh to be vanity. But fervent and unremitted prayer made it vanish in an hour, and it returned no more; fince which day I have gone upright. I call this the burden of the word of the Lord, as it was a strict adherence to that which brought it on me; and as God knew this, he fuffered me to caft it upon him, and he fufiained me; which has been followed with this voice-" And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him?". And fince that time with this voice alfo-" And when thou fhalt cease to deal treacherously, they fhall deal treacherously with thee." On whomfoever the Lord in thofe threatenings falls, he will grind that enemy to powder; I may not fee it, but others fhall, and confefs that there is a God that 'judgeth in the earth. I have not the leaft doubt but the hand of God is in all this; for fhall there be evil in the city, cfpecially in the city of our folemnities, and the Lord hath not done it? My antagonist has been the devil, in the heart and mouth of a rank impoftor; and to try such and prove them liars is one branch of the minifterial work, and a work which is highly commended by Christ himself; this I know, but it is grievous to flesh and blood; however, felf must be denied daily

by them that would follow the Lamb through evil report and good report. The pool of Bethesda has five porches the firft is God's irrevocable decree; the fecond, the bowels of his eternal love; the third is the covenant head in which they are chofen; the fourth is the promife of God in which they are all included and fecured; the fifth, under the guardianship of divine providence, by which they are all preserved in Chrift Jefus till called. Thefe five porches at the door of the houfe of mercy, fcreen them from the inclemency of the weather, and from the winds of deftructive error: all that came before me were thieves and robbers, but the fheep did not hear them, from the floods of temptation, from the rain, hail, and winds of defolating judgments; from all the ftorms and tempefts of Mount Sinai, and from the deftructions of fin, the fentence of damnation, and from the wrath to come. In these porches lay many fick and impotent folks which want a cure, and wait for the angel of the covenant to come and move the waters. By waters is meant, not the love of God, for that is a river, not a pool, a river that makes glad the city of our God; nor doth it mean the Spirit, or grace of God, for these are called springs of living water, not pools; much less can it mean God, who is a fountain of living waters; nor Chrift, who is a well of falvation; for who can trouble thefe ?

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The church is called a pool; read-The parched ground fhall become a pool, Isai. xxxv. 7. I will make the wilderness a pool of water, &c. Ifa. xli. 18. This pool often wants stirring up, and especially when, lik Moab, fhe fettles too much on her old earthly sediment; then a little ftirring troubles the people, which are often in scripture called waters; and then fresh life and vigour, zeal and fervour, are felt; prayer goes up, and light and life come down; and the power which at such a time attends the word, often heals the foul of whatsoever disease it had. Three poor invalids have been healed fince the laft defcent of the angel; and how many more have experienced the fame efficacy I cannot tell, for they are not found to return to give glory to God, save these strangers: these are sent away in peace, and certain I am that their faith hath made them whole. I hear the noify and predominant clamours of unbelief in this thy epifile, which is loud enough to drown every other voice; but grace I know is an eternal bar to Satan, which confines every thought of that wicked fpirit, which may at any time break loofe upon us. And at certain feafons, when he is allowed to have access to my foul, (ftrange as it may seem) I can feel my own foul influenced, confined, and fhut up by it, attended with every rebellious, defperate, envious, and ftarving fenfation that reigns in him.-Dated from Mizpah,