Let your light be attended with the warmth of love. Be not fatisfied to know the way to heaven, but walk in it immediately, conftantly, and joyfully. Be all truly in earneft: you may, indeed, impofe upon your brethren, by a formal attendance on the means of grace, but you cannot deceive the Searcher of hearts. Let him always fee your hearts struggling towards him; and if you fall through heavinefs, floth, or unbelief, do not make a bad matter worfe by continuing helpless in the ditch of fin and guilt. Up, and away to the fountain of Jefus's blood. It will not only wash away the guilt of paft fins, but ftrengthen you to tread all iniquity under your feet for the time to come. Never forget, that the foul of the diligent fhall be made fat, and that the Lord will fpue the lukewarm out of his mouth, unless he gets that love which makes fervent in fpirit, diligent in bufinefs, ferving the Lord.

You know the way to get this love is, 1. To con. fider the free mercy of God, and to believe in the pardoning love of Jefus, who died the juft for the unjust, to bring us to God. 2. To be frequently, if not conftantly applying this faith, with all the attention of your mind, and all the fervour of your heart-"Lord "I am loft, but Chrift hath died." 3. To try actually to love, as you can, by fetting your affections on Chrift, whom you fee not; and for his fake, on your brethren whom you do fee. 4. To ufe much private prayer for yourselves and others; and to try to keep up that communion with God and your abfent brethren. I beg in order to this, that you will not forfake the affembling of yourselves together, as the manner of fome is and when you meet as a Society, be neither backward, nor forward to speak. Efteem yourselves every one as the meaneft in company, and be glad to fit at the feet of the loweft. If you are tempted against any one, yield not to the temptation, and pray much for that love, which hopes all things, and puts the beft conftruction even upon the worst of failings. I beg, for Chrift's fake, I may find no divifions nor offences among you on my return. "If there be any confolation in Chrift,

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it any comfort of love, if any fellow fhip of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the fame love, being of one accord, and of one mind. Let nothing be done through ftrife or vain glory; but in lowlinefs of mind, let each esteem other better than themselves."

I earnestly requeft the continuance of your prayers for me, both as a minifter, and as your companion in tribulation. Afk particularly, that the Lord would keep me from hurting his caufe in thefe parts; and that when Providence fhall bring me back among you, I may be more thoroughly furnished for every good work. Pardon me, if I do not falute you by name: my heart does it, if my pen does not. That the bleffing of God in Jefus Chrift may crown all your hearts, and all your meetings, is the earneft prayer of,-My very dear brethren, yours, &c. I. F.

Oakhall, Sept. 23d, 1766.

TO thofe who love or fear the Lord Jefus Chrift at Madeley Grace, peace, and love be multiplied to you from our God and Saviour Jefus Chrift.

Providence, my dear brethren, called me fo fuddenly from you, that I had not time to take my leave, and recommend myfelf to your prayers. But I hope the good Spirit of our God, which is the Spirit of love and fupplication, has brought me to your remembrance, as the pooreft and weakest of Chrift's minifters, and confequently, as him whofe hands ftand moft in need of being ftrengthened and lifted up by your prayers. Pray on, then, for yourfelves, for one another, and for him whofe glory is to minifter to you in holy things, and whofe forrow it is, not to do it in a manner more fuitable to the majefly of the gospel, and more profitable to your fouls.

My heart is with you; nevertheless, I bear patiently this bodily feparation for three reafons. Firft, the variety of more faithful and able minifters whom you kave, daring my abfence, is more likely to be fervice

able to you, than my presence among you: and I would always prefer your profit to my fatisfaction. Secondly, I hope Providence will give me thofe opportunities of converfing and praying with a greater variety of experienced Chriftians, which will tend to my own improvement, and I trust, in the end, to yours. Thirdly, I flatter myself, that after fome weeks abfence, my mi niftry will be recommended by the advantage of novelty, which (the more the pity) goes farther with fome, than the word itself. In the mean time, I fhall give you fome advice, which it may be, will prove both fuitable and profitable to you.

1. Endeavour to improve daily under the miniftry which Providence bleffes you with. Be careful to attend it with diligence, faith, and prayer. Would it not be a great fhame, if, when minifters come thirty or forty miles to offer you peace and pardon, ftrength and comfort, in the name of God, any of you should flight the glorious meffage, or hear it, as if it was nothing to you, and as if you heard it not? See, then, that you never come from a fermon, without being more deeply convinced of fin and righteousness.

2. Ufe more prayer before you go to church. Confider that your next appearance there may be in a coffin; and entreat the Lord to give you now," fo to hunger and thirft after righteoufnefs, that you may be filled. Hungry people never go fafting from a feast. Call to mind the text I preached from, the laft Sunday but one before I left you. Wherefore laying aside all guile, c. 1 Pet. ii. 12.

3. When you are under the word, beware of fitting as judges, and not as criminals. Many judge of the manner, matter, voice, and perfon of the preacher. You, perhaps, judge all the congregation, when you hould judge yourselves worthy of eternal death; and yet, worthy of eternal life, through the worthiness of him, who stood and was condemned at Pilate's bar for you. The moment you have done crying to God, as guil ty, or thanking Chrift, as reprieved criminals, you have reason to conclude that this advice is levelled at you.

4. When you have used a means of grace, and do not find yourselves fenfibly quickened, let it be a matter of deep humiliation to you. For want of repenting of their unbelief and hardness of heart, fome get into a habit of deadnefs and indolence; fo that they come to be as infenfible, and as little ashamed of themselves for it, as ftones.

5. Beware of the inconfiftent behaviour of those, who complain they are full of wanderings, in the even ing, under the word, when they have fuffered their minds to wander from Chrift all the day long. O! get acquainted with him, that you may walk in him, and with him. Whatsoever you do or fay, especially in the things of God, do or fay it, as if Chrift was before, behind, and on every fide of you. Indeed, he is fo, whether you confider it or not; for if when he visibly appeared on earth, he called himself the Son of Man who is in heaven, how much more, then, is he prefent on earth now, that he makes his immediate appearance in heaven? Make your confcience then, to maintain a sense of his bleffed prefence all the day long, and, all the day long you will have a continual feaft; for can you conceive any thing more delightful, than to be always at the fountain of love, beauty, and joy ;at the fpring of power, wifdom, goodnefs, and truth? Can there be a purer and more melting happiness, than to be with the best of fathers, the kindeft of brothers, the most generous of benefactors, and the tenderest of husbands? Now Jefus is all this, and much more to the believing foul. O! believe, my friends, in Jefus now, through a continual now; and, until you can thus believe, mourn over your unbelieving hearts; drag them to him, as you can; think of the efficacy of his blood fhed for the ungodly, and wait for the Spirit of faith from on high.

6. Some of you wonder, why you cannot believe; why you cannot fee Jefus with the eye of your mind, and delight in him with all the affections of your heart. I apprehend the reafon to be one of thefe, or, perhaps,

all of them.

Firft, you are not poor, loft, undone, helpless finners in yourfelves. You indulge fpiritual and refined felfrighteoufnefs; you are not yet dead to the law, and quite flain by the commandment. Now the kingdom of heaven belongs to none but to the poor in Spirit. Jefus came to fave none but the loft. What wonder, then, if Jefus is nothing to you, and if you do not live in his kingdom of peace, righteoufnefs, and joy in the Holy Ghoft?

Secondly, perhaps you fpend your time in curious reafonings, inftead of cafting yourfelves, as forlorn finners, at Chrift's feet; leaving it to him to bless you, when, and in the manner and degree, he pleafes, Know, that he is the wife and fovereign God, and that it is your duty to lie before him as clay, as fools,-as finful nothings.

Thirdly, perhaps, fome of you wilfully keep idols of one kind or other; you indulge fome fin against light and knowledge, and it is neither matter of humiliation, nor confeffion to you. The love of praise, of the world, of money, and of fenfual gratifications, when not lamented, are as implacable enemies to Chrift as Judas and Herod. How can you believe, seeing you seek the honour that cometh of men? Hew, then, your Agags in pieces before the Lord; run from your De. lilahs to Jefus; cut off the right hand, and pluck out the right eye that offends you. Come out from among them, and be separate, saith the Lord, and I will receive you. Nevertheless, when you strive, take care not to make yourselves a righteoufnefs of your ftriving. Remember that meritorious, juftifying righteoufnefs is finished and brought in, and that your works can no more add to it, than your fins can diminish from it. Shout, then, the Lord our righteousness: and if you feel yourselves undone finners, humbly, yet boldly fay, In the Lord I have righteousness and strength.

When I was in London, I endeavoured to make the most of my time; that is to fay, to hear, receive, and practise the word. Accordingly, I went to Mr. WhitGeld's tabernacle, and heard him give his fociety a mot

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