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ing or shouting, as loud and as fast as I could, in

these words:

Thou dear Redeemer, dying Lamb,
I'll sing thy praise to harps of gold,

Because thou shed'st thy blood for me,

These words I shouted over and over near twenty times; my soul was so filled with the glory of heaven, that my poor body felt as though it would. be shattered to pieces. This was some of the good old wine of the kingdom, which made me forget my poverty, and remember my misery no more. What an almighty power operated on my soul as soon as my Saviour came! I knew it was that God that made heaven and earth; and when I saw him by faith, bleeding in my nature for me, his condescension and love seemed so great, that I could not bear the sight; indeed it broke my heart: and soon after, when I began to rejoice, I had such a blessed view of him in his beauty and glory, and of that land which is very far off, that I shall never forget.

When I was in my distress, like David I often said all men are liars; but now it is, "What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits?" After the Lord had raised me to hope, I expected (as I had lain so long in bondage to the law), that my deliverance would be conspicuous, and I thought I could not be satisfied concerning my state unless it was; and, I bless the Lord for it, so it is come

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to pass, and I think Satan will not easily baffle me out of the reality of it.

I hope, Sir, you will excuse my intruding so long upon your time; but I have such a sight of what the Lord has done for me, that I could not help mentioning some of the particulars to you. I am a single man, in the 22d year of my age. I must conclude with begging an interest in your prayers, that, as I have received Christ Jesus the Lord, I may so walk in him; whilst I remain,

Your's affectionately,

LETTER II.

To Mr. A. W.

A. W.

BELOVED OF GOD,

SOME on boards, and some on broken pieces of the ship, and so it came to pass that all got safe to land;" nor hath this voyage been attended either with harm or loss. Good it is, my son, for a man to bear the yoke in his youth, as Jeremiah did, whose remembrance of the wormwood and gall hung long upon his memory, and humbled

Thou hast been pretty

his soul within him. sharply handled, and I am glad of it, for it has bruised and broken thy spirit, which must make it sore and tender; and a daily cross, with a little additional furnace-work by the way, will keep it soft, humble, and contrite; and if armed with a filial fear, and this fear observed, cherished, and attended to, these will be a tolerable fence against the wiles of Satan, and will make thee tremble at the thoughts of nibbing at those lascivious baits, with which he plies those awful professors whom God hath given up to work all uncleanness with greediness. This fear, and a tender conscience, always go together; and so sure as we scale this fence, or break through this hedge, the serpent will bite, and hardness of heart is sure to follow, and it is ten to one if ever such a soul gets his armour so close and compact upon him again while he is under the sun. Thou hast felt what an evil and bitter thing sin is, and what a fearful thing it is to fall into the hands of the living God; and thou hast had a clear view of that just one in whom God can be propitious, and in whose face thou hast seen the light of the knowledge of his glory. Let that glorious and open vision be still in view, let thy mind be staid there, and perfect peace will ensue; and while thou thus lookest through that glass, though but darkly, thou wilt be changed into the same image from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord; for we are predestinated to be conformed to that blessed image, and the trans

porting views of faith will effect it more and more, nor will the glory of heaven itself wholly escape thy sight.

O! what condescension, what humiliation, is this in God, to behold the things that are done on earth! And will God, in very deed, dwell with men? Yes: though he be high, yet hath he respect to the lowly; for a sinner created anew in Christ Jesus is the masterpiece of divine workmanship, and from such the King of kings receives his greatest revenue; "This people have I formed for myself, they shall shew forth my praise." They shall celebrate the illustrious perfections of his nature, his counsels of old, which are faithfulness and truth, the wondrous works of his hands, the innumerable folds of his wisdom, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom.

I bless my God for thee, my son, and on thine account, because the glorious work prospers in the hand of Zion's King; he shares a portion with the great, and divides the spoil with the strong; the travail of his soul, and the fruits of his labour creep forth from the lions den, and from the mountains of the leopards. By the blood of the covenant the prisoners still go forth from their cells, and those that sit in darkness shew themselves, and shine under the spring of eternal day; and ere long the remains of the vail which now too often intervenes shall be done away, and we shall know as we are known; and all these sad and dangerous allurements, with the whole of this gross matter

which is now in view, shall dissolve and vanish, and we shall awake in his likeness, and be satisfied therewith; "For he that hath shewed us great and sore troubles shall quicken us again, and bring us up again from the depths of the earth; he shall increase our greatness, and comfort us on every side." Then shall we see him as he is, and be filled with all his fulness.

But I must counsel thee a little, and tell thee what will befall thee, more or less, in the course of thy pilgrimage. Thou art now in the banqueting house, in perfect friendship, and in sweet union with the best beloved, and his voice to us at such times is, " Eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved." This is the language of the heavenly wooer in the day of espousals, and in the day of the gladness of his heart. But look up, and see; what is that which hangs over thy head?" His banner over me is love." True; but a banner is a sign of war, and the Shulamite is a company of two armies; time will tell thee what that means. The new wine, of which thou speakest, is in general poured forth plentifully on the day of espousals; "But the time will come when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days." Yea, the time will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it. Weaning days are terrible days to the little heirs of promise, and days of absence and spiritual desertion are no less dismal to a wife of youth; but the God of Israel,

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