even this day. The young perfon, I mentioned as being forely tempted of the devil, is happily delivered; and we have had the teftimonies of Mr. Mould who preached here three weeks ago, and of Mr. R, who fpent four days here and preached laft Sunday. He is an excellent young man, and only a little of the Methodit zeal to temper the referve of Mr. W.

wants

When will you come to Madeley? What do you do at London? Have you repaired the breach, and healed the plague? May the Lord give you all the wifdom, the patience, the zeal, the gentleness, and the health you stand in need of! Afk them for your poor brother, I, F.

Madeley, 3d Aug. 1763.

Miss Hatton.
Madam,

I AM heartily glad to find by the contents of your letter, that your heart is more fet upon obtaining the one thing needful, Christ in us, with all his graces, the hope of glory. I beg, in my Mafter's name, you would cherish the conviction of the need of this prize of your high calling, and purfue it in the new and living way in which the fathers trod, that of the cross, and that of faith. We travel in the first, by continually denying felf, in the defire of the flesh, the defire of the eye, and the pride of life; and we advance in the fecond, by aiming at Chrift, claiming Chrift, embracing Chrift, delighting and rejoicing in Chrift received in the heart, through the channel of the gofpel promifes. To be able to go on in the way of the crofs and that of faith, you ftand in need, Madam, of much recollection and steady watchfulness over the workings of your own heart, and diligent attention to the whispers of divine grace. That the Lord would powerfully enable us to run on with faith and patience, till we inherit the promifes, is the prayer of, Madam, your fervant in Chrift, I. F.

K

Miss Hatton.
Madam,

Madeley, Aug. 19th, 1768.

MRS. HATTON gave me this morning your ferious letter. You wifely obferve therein the continual need profeffing Chriftians have to guard against religi ous chit chat, and conclude by requesting a few lines, when I fhould have an opportunity of writing; but, as there is nothing in your letter which requires an anfwer, I was thinking, whether I could answer it without being guilty of religious chit chat; for as there is fuch a thing in fpeaking, no doubt in writing alfo. I believe I fhould have facrificed to confcience what the world calls good manners, had I not juft after accidentally opened Lopez's Life upon the following paffage, which I fhall tranfcribe, hoping it will be bleffed both to the reader and copier. "He was as fpa"ring of words in writing, as in fpeaking. He never "wrote firft to any one, nor did he answer others, "but when neceffity or charity obliged him to it; "and then fo precifely, and in fo few words, that "nothing could be retrenched. I have feveral of his "letters in my hands of five or fix lines each. In an

"fwer to thofe he had received from the Viceroy of "Mexico, he fent him one containing only thefe words "I will do what you command me-And although "this manner of writing might feem difrefpectul to "perfons of fo high quality, yet it gave no offence "from one, who was fo far from all compliments, and "who never fpoke any thing fuperfluous.'

Now, Madam, for fear of writing any thing fuperfluous, I fhall conclude by wifhing both you and I may follow Lopez, as he followed Chrift; and fubfcribing myself, Madam, the ready fervant of you and yours in the gospel, I. F.

Madeley,

Miss Hatton.

My dear Friend in the Lord,

I THOUGHT laft Sunday that you were not far from the kingdom of God: had your wifdom stooped a little more to the foolishness of the cross, you would have been the little child to whom God reveals what he juftly hides from the wife and prudent. I longed to have followed you, and given you no reft till you bad drunk the cup of bleffing, which your Lord hath mixed for you with his bitter tears, and moft precious blood. And how glad was I to find laft night, that you had no averfion to Jefus and his love, nor to the fimple foolish way of entertaining him in your heart, as you can, by mere faith. How often fince has my heart danced for joy, in hope that the time is come, that the Lord will fully open your heart, like that of Lydia, to attend, without cavilling, or objecting, to his ftill, fmall voice- I am thine, and thou art mine. Fear not, for I have redeemed thee, thou worm Jacob. I have graven thy name (i. e. finner) upon the palms of my hands. I fhall fee in thee the travail of my foul, and fhall be fatisfied. Let me not upbraid thee longer for wilful unbelief and hardness of heart; but believe, upon the teftimony of my word and fervants, that I am rifen for thy juftification. Say not, I muft afcend into heaven, or defcend into the deep-I must feel firft fuch a height of joy or depth of forrow; no believe fimply that the word is nigh thee, in thy mouth and in thy heart, namely the word of faith preached unto thee. I am the • Lamb of God! I have carried away thy fins, and I

do not condemn thee, though thou condemnest thy'felf. I am he that, for mine own fake, blotteth out thy fins as a cloud, and thy iniquities as a thick cloud; because I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, namely on him, who will be faved in my way, by that faith which ftumbles the Jew, and is foolishness to the Greek, but which will prove to

thee both the wifdom and power of God. Fear not, then, O thou of little faith; wherefore shouldst thou doubt any longer? Do I defpife the day of small things? Do I break the bruised reed, or quench the C fmoaking flax? Am not I the good Shepherd, who carrieth the lambs in his bofom? Does a mother for 'fake her fucking child, because it is weak, fickly, unable to walk, or even to ftand? Yea, though a 'mother fhould fo forfake her child, yet will I never 'leave thee nor forfake thee. Only lean on thy be 'loved, and I will bring thee up out of the wilderness. Abandon thyself wholly to my care, and I, the Keep6 er of Ifrael, will care for thee; and thy business shall 'be henceforth to repofe on my bofom, and wash thee in my bleeding heart; and my bufinefs fhall be to carry thee fafe through, or above all thy enemies. Only remember, thy bufinefs is to believe and love; and truft me for a faithful difcharge of mine-to save thee with a high hand."

Thus, my friend, will your dear Saviour speak to your heart, if you do not drown his voice by the objections of your falfe wifdom. O down with it; it is the fruit of the tree of death. Away to the tree of life; take freely, eat and live. I know you are willing through grace; and Chrift who hath made you willing, is ten thoufand times more willing than you; how, then, can he caft you out? What hinders but that you fhould, as a fpiritual Rebekah, fay, Now and ever, I will have that Man? You go upon a fure bottom, you need not fear being flighted; for in the letter he hath wrote you from heaven, to invite you to the marriage, he fays, I have betrothed thee to me with everlasting, yea, with bleeding kindness. Indeed, indeed he fends me to you, to affure you he is the fame yesterday, to-day, and for ever; and were you the fifter of Magdalen in outward wickednefs, he fends you word, that you may kifs his feet, and rejoice that much is forgiven you, even though you thould not have one tear to wash them with his blood, his precious blood hath washed his feet, and does wash your

heart, and will wash it white as fnow.

O let it be your bufinefs to confider it with a believing thought: that is the way to apply it to your heart,

I would have called on you this morning, had not my intended journey prevented it till I have an opportunity of calling, I beg as upon my knees, you would make ufe of the following directions, which I think as truly applicable to your ftate, as they are truly evangelical.

1. It is better perifhing for believing wrong, than for not believing at all: venture then, with Efther, If I perish, I perish. I had rather perish in trying to touch the fceptre of grace, than indolently waiting till the King touches me with it.

2. Chrift often reveals himself as a babe, a feeble infant, crying for milk in a manger. Do not you defpife him in his loweft, weakest ftate : do not fay to your Saviour, I will not receive thee, unlefs thou appear in a blaze of glorious light. Reject not the little leaven; and if your grain of faith is fmall as mustard feed, be the more careful not to throw it away as dirt. The Holy Ghoft fays, The light of the just shines more and more to the perfect day; and how feeble is the light of the early morning, how undifcernible from darkness!

3. Sin gives you your first title to the Friend of finners, and a fimple naked faith the fecond. Do not then puzzle yourself about contrition, faithfulness, love, joy, power over fin, and a thousand fuch things, which the white devil will perfuade you, you must bring to Christ. He will receive you gladly with the greatest mountain of fin; and the finalleft grain of faith, at Chrift's feet, will remove that mountain.

4. At the peril of your foul, defire at prefent neither peace nor joy, nor puzzle yourself even about love. Only defire, that that bleffed Man may be your Bridegroom, and that you may firmly believe that he is fo, because he hath given you his flesh and blood upon the cross; and keep believing this, and trufting in him.