guef's what you mean, unless Mr. fhould have miftaken tears of holy fhame before God, and of humble love to my opponents, for great trials; but they only indicated fuch a trial, as I pray God to make me live and die in-I mean a deep fenfe of my unworthinefs, and of what I have so often prayed for, in these words, "I would be by myself abhorr'd, All glory be to Chrift my Lord." I thank you, however, for the comfort you adminifter to me upon, I fuppofe, Mr. mistake. 's With respect to our intended room, I beg Mr. Palmer, Mr. Lloyd, and yourself to confult about it, and that Mr. Palmer would contract for the whole. For my own part, I shall contribute fool. including tol. I have had for it from Mr. Ireland and 10l. from Mr. Thornton. Give my kindeft love to all friends and neighbours. I would mention all their dear names, but am ftrictly forbidden a longer epiftle. Farewell in Jefus. Yours, I. F. P. S. If the room cannot be completed for what I have mentioned, and 201. more be wanting, afk Mr. Lloyd how much the royalty might come to, and tell him I would appropriate it to. the building. Mr. Michael Onions. I Bath, July 8th, 1777. Heartily thank you for your kind letter; and by you, I defire to give my beft thanks to the dear companions in tribu lation whom you meet, and who fo kindly remember fo worthlefs and unprofitable a minifter as me. May the God of all grace and love, our common Father, and our all, blefs you all, and all our brethren, with all bleffings (piritual; and with fuch temporal favours, as will beft ferve the end of your growth in grace. My defire is, if I fhould be fpared to minifter to you again, to do it with more humility, zeal, diligence, and love; and to make more of you all than I have done. But as matters are, you must take the will for the deed. Let us all praise God for what is paft, and truft him for what is to come. The Lord enable you to cleave together to Chrift, and in him, to abide in one mind, ftriving together for the hope of the gofpel, the fulness of the Spirit, and that kingdom of righteoufnefs, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghoft, of which we have fo often difcourfed together, but into which we have not preffed with fufficient ardour and violence. God give us the humble, violent faith, which inherits the promise of the Father, that we may triumph in Chrift, and adorn his gospel in life and death. I hope to fee you before the Summer is ended, if it please God to fpare me and give me ftrength for the journey. I am in fome refpects better than when I came here, and was enabled to bury a corpfe laft Sunday, to oblige the minifter of the parish; but, whether it was that little exertion of voice, or fomething elfe, bad fymptoms have returned fince. Be that as it may, all is well; for he that does all things well, rules and over-rules all. I have ftood the heats we have had these two days, better than I expected. I defire you will will help me to blefs the Author of all good, for this, and every other bleffing of this life; but above all for the lively hopes of the next, and for Chrift our common hope, peace, joy, wisdom, righteoufnefs, falvation, and all. In him I meet, love, and embrace you. God bless you all, and crown you with loving-kindness and tender mercy all the day long! I live, if you ftand. Don't let me want the reviving cordial of hearing, that you ftand together firm in the faith, broken in humility, and rejoicing in the loving hope of the glory of God. Look much at Jefus. Blefs God much for the gift of his only begotten Son. Be much in private prayer. For fake not the affembling yourselves together in little companies, as well as in pablick. Walk in the fight of death and eternit and ever pray for your affectionate, but unworthy minifter, I. F. Newington, Jan. 13th, 1777. To the Parishioners of Madeley. My dear Companions in tribulation, But ALL the children of God I love: my delight is in them that excel in ftrength, and my tendereft compaffions move towards thofe that exceed in weakness. of all the children of God, none have fo great a right to my peculiar love as you. Your ftated or occafional attendance on my poor miniftry, and the countless thousands of fteps you have ta ken to hear the word of our common Lord from my defpifed pulpit, as well as the bonds of neigh bourhood, and the many happy hours I have fpent fpent before the throne of grace with you, endear you peculiarly to me. With tears of grateful joy, I recollect the awful moments, when we have, in the strength of our dear Redeemer, bound our felves to ftand to our baptifmal vow:-to renounce all fin, to believe all the articles of the Chriftian faith, and keep God's commandments to the end of our life; efpecially, the new commandment, which enjoins us to love one another, as Chrift has loved us. 0! my dear brethren, let this repeated vow, fo reasonable, fo juft, and fo comfortable, appear to us worthy of our greateft regard. For my own part, afking pardon of God, and you all, for not having exulted more in the privilege of keeping that vow every day better, and of log you every hour more tenderly, I am not 1. difcouraged; but determine with new courage and delight, to love my neighbour as myself; and to love our Covenant God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, with all my mind, heart, and ftrength;-with all the powers of my understanding, will, and affections. This refolution is bold, but it is evangelical; being equally founded on the precept and promife of our Lord Jefus Chrift, whofe cleanfing blood can atone for all our past unfaithfulness, and whofe almighty Spirit can enable us to perform all gospel obedience for the time to come. I find much comfort, in my weak ftate of health, from my relation to my Covenant God; and by my relation to him as my Covenant God, I mean, (1.) My clear, explicit knowledge of the Father as my Creator and Father; who fo loved the world, you, and me, as to give his only begotten Son, that we fhould not perish but have everlasting everlafting life. O! my dear friends, what fweet exclamations, what endearing calling of Abba, Father, will afcend from our grateful hearts, if we fay, with St. Paul, He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how freely will he give us all things with that capital gift? (2.) I mean by my covenant relation, my relation to the adorable perfon, who, with the ftrength of his Godhead, and the ftrength of his pure manhood, took away my fin, and reconciled our fallen race to the divine nature, making us capable of recovering the divine union from which Adam fell. O how does my foul exult in that dear Mediator! How do I hide my poor foul under the thadow of his wings! There let me meet you all. Driven to that true mercy-feat by the faine danger, drawn by the fame preferving and redeeming love; invited by the fame gofpel promifes, and encouraged by each others example, and by the example of that cloud of witnelles, who have paffed into the kingdom of God by that precious door, let us by Chrift return to God; let us in Chrift find our reconciled God: and may that dear commandment of his, Abide in me, prove every day more precious to our fouls. If we abide in him by believing that he is our way, our truth, and our life; by apprehending him as our Prophet or wifdom, our Prieft or righteoufnels, our King or fanctification and redemption, we fhall bear fruit, and understand what is meant by thefe fcriptures, In him, I am well pleased-Accepted in the beloved-There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus--God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself &c. O the comfort of thus cleaving to Chrift by faith; of thus finding that |