do work for our good. Affluence will try temperance, and the infirmities of old age will try patience; and when this grace has had her perfect work, we are to be perfect and entire, lacking nothing. And this seems to be the perfecting counsel of the apostle Paul, and which he prays the Holy Ghost to perform. "The Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ," 2 Thess. iii. 5. I believe that I am nine years older than you, and have long been exercised with rheumatic pains, nor do I expect to get better of these, but of course worse and worse, because the outward man must perish, but the inward man shall be renewed day by day. There has no temptation befell thee but what is The chambers of imagery were exhibited before my mind, and impressed upon my imagination, also, two or three and thirty years ago; and within these three weeks I have had the same. Sometimes an innumerable multitude, then diminished to few; then magnified to an enormous size, and then reduced to dwarfs; and anon transformed into a thousand different and ghastly forms: but this is one of the devil's old exhibitions, which took place in the heart of Ninus, son of Nimrod, in the country of Chaldea, for God himself calls that country the basis of it, Zech. v. 11. But my son will find that Satan's masterpiece is yet to come. Thou hast been long since begotten to a lively hope, and we are saved by

common to men.

hope: but the perfecting of love, or the enjoy ment of perfect love, which casts out all fear, has not as yet taken place: though thou hast often been brought to the place of the breaking forth of children, yet there has not been strength to bring forth; hence the continual relapse into legal labour. Charity edifieth, or raises up the edifice: and when God, by perfect love, builds up Zion, he will appear in his glory, and the hope of glory succeeds; and this gives the Lord full possession of his temple, for God's mystery among the Gentiles is Christ in us the hope of glory. When this day of thy espousals takes place, Satan will then transform himself; his black garb, his deep and dark designs, will disappear; and he will shine, but in false rays. He will truckle and fawn; he will congratulate you upon your happy deliverance, and appear to confirm you in the purposes and decrees of God, but at the end he will work in your corrupt affections to such a degree as to set your bowels to sounding like a harp for Moab, Edom, and the children of Ammon. Every corrupt affection and passion will melt and move towards the enemies of God; but as Satan is never divided against himself, so he makes these influences terminate in hard thoughts and rebellion against God. And this is the root, the life, and soul of Arminianism, namely, the devil transformed into an angel of light, and as such working in the corrupt affections of mankind. Lay

this scroll up by thee, and in some future period

thou mayest understand it.

Ever thine in the best of bonds,

W. H. S. S.

I

LETTER LXXIX.

To the Rev. J. JENKINS.

KNOW not what to say, I know not how to express myself, either in thanks and praises to my God, or in my rejoicing with thee. How hast thou broken forth? Neither bars nor bolts, gins nor chains; not the strong holds of Satan, nor the doors of the shadow of death, can detain or confine this prisoner of hope. The jubilee trump has sounded the release, and the Spirit of the Lord God is upon my son; the decree is gone forth, the word is spoken, and all the infernal legions must tremble at the voice, "Loose him, and let him go." O the wonders of sovereign and allsubduing grace! The kingdom of God, begins with a single word; one live coal from off the altar imperceptibly reaches the soul, and conveys divine life through all her powers; the illumined understanding discerns the influences, pursues its progress, while faith, small as a grain of mustard seed, suggests, Surely it is supernatural! who can

it it may be a divine work. This small beginning greatly increases, at which Satan bestirs himself: the Holy Ghost searches the heart and lays the usurper open, who shuns the light, and feels the power, for the sword lies at him; this fills him with wrath, it awakens his despair, and inflames him with indignation. He is banished heaven, and he carries his hell within him, and is bound and cast out of the hearts of poor sinners, whose misery is his ease, whose sin is his food, and whose salvation is his destruction. The will is soon gained over, and becomes loyal; God makes us willing, and to will is present with us. The understanding sees the subtleness of the object which the will hath chosen; but the mind, the affections, and the conscience must settle the account. When these meet with their unction, which completes the whole anointing (for this ointment must go from the head to the beard, and down to the skirts of the clothing), then the royalty begins to appear. The mind must be fully persuaded ere it can be fixed so as to exclude perplexing doubts. The affections must be influenced and attracted by love, and the conscience must join with faith, and reap the peaceful benefits of an imputed righteousness, before the lawful captive can be persuaded that he is delivered. "I will keep that man in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on me." "With the heart," or conscience, "man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made;" for when conscience bears

her undoubted testimony, the mouth proclaims the confidence, sentence, and testimony of conscience, while the Holy Ghost fixes the heart. The affections feeling the peace, the tranquillity, the serenity of conscience, embraces with redoubled love the King of Zion; and from that time there is a beauty in the feet of them who publish salvation, and who say unto Zion, Thy God reigneth. This! this! my beloved, crowns the whole work, raises the empire of Zion's King, and fixes the loyalty of the subject. "The lot [of eternal life] causeth contention to cease, and parteth between the mighty;" the Lord divides the portion with the great, and the spoil with the strong; and when the soul is conquered, captured, and gained, enmity subsides, the gift of life in secret appeaseth anger, and the reward of love in the bosom, strong wrath. Every pain of my son appears stronger, the intervals more sharp, and the old man at these desertions appears more and more enraged, and the unexpected changes seem more intolerable. But every visit, revival, refreshing, renewal, or enlargement, expands the door, inspires the prisoner, brightens the dismal regions, and brings the King in his beauty, the land of delights, and the realities of invisibilities nearer home. The Coalheaver rejoiceth in his son: "A wise son maketh a glad father;" "And he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him." The Lord bless and keep thee, be gracious unto