me, a worthlefs franger; and not yet tired of the burden, you kindly invite me, weak and troublesome as I am, to share in the comforts of your house and family. Kind Providence leaves me no room, at prefent, to hang a third burden upon you. The good air and accommodations here, and the nearness to a variety of helps, joined to the kindness of my friends and the weakness of my body, forbid me to remove at prefent. God reward your labour of love and fartherly offers! Should the Lord raife me, I fhall be better able to reap the benefit of your inftructions-a pleasure, which I promise myself fome time, if the Lord pleafes.

I have of late thought much upon a method of reconciling the Calvinifts and Arminians. I have feen fome Calvinian minifters, who feem inclined to a plan of pacification. I wish I had ftrength enough to draw the sketch of it for your improvement. I think the thing is by no means impracticable, if we would but look one another in the face, and fall together at the feet of him, who makes men to be of one mind in a house, and made once all believers to be of one foul in the church. Let us pray, hope, wait, and be ready to caft one mite of endeavour towards the bleffing of a re conciliation; in which none could be more glad to fecond you, than, Honoured and dear Sir, your affectionate, obliged fon in the gofpel, I. F.

Miss Perronet.

Dear Madam,

Newington, Jan. 19th, 1777.

I THANK you for your care and kind nurfing of me when at Shore ham; and, efpecially, for the few lines you have favoured me with. They are fo much the more agreeable to me, as they treat of the one thing needful for the recovery of our fouls-the spirit of power, of love, and of a found mind; together with our need of it, and the grand promise that this need

fhall be abundantly fupplied-fupplied by a baptifmal outpouring of that Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, which makes us free from the law of sin and death. May we hunger and thirst after righteoufnefs in the Holy Ghoft, and we fhall be filled. May we fo come to. our firft Paraclete, Advocate, and Comforter, as to receive the fecond, as an indwelling and overflowing fountain of light, life, and love. My view of this mystery is, I truft fcriptural. The Father fo loved the world, as to give us the first Advocate, Paraclete, and Comforter, whom we love and receive as our Redeemer. The firft Advocate has told us, it was expe dient that he fhould leave us, becaufe in that cafe, he would fend another Advocate, Paraclete, or Comforter, to abide with us, and be in us for ever, as our Sanctifier, our Urim and Thummim, our lights and perfections, our oracle and guide. This is the grand promife to Chriftians-called the promife of the Father, and brought by the Son. O may it be fealed on our hearts by the Spirit of promife! May we ever cry,

"Seal thou our breafts, and let us wear
That pledge of love for ever there!"

Then we fhall be filled with pure, perfect love; for the love of the Spirit perfects that of the Father and Son, and accomplishes the mystery of God in the believing foul. Come then, let us look for it; this great falvation draws nigh. Let us thank God more thankfully, more joyfully, more humbly, more penitently, for Chrift our first Comforter, and hanging on his word, let us ardently pray for the fulness of his Spirit, for the indwelling of our fecond Comforter, who will lead us into all truth, all love, all power. Let us join the few, who befiege the throne of grace, and not give over putting the Lord in remembrance, till he has raifed himself a pentecoftal church again in the earth; I mean a church of fuch believers as are all of one heart and one foul. Nor forget to afk, that,

when you prefs into that kingdom and church, you may be followed by, Dear Madam, yours, &c. 1. F.

Newington, Jan. 29th, 1777.

James Ireland, Esq.

THANKS be to God, and to my dear friend, for favours upon favours, for undeserved love and the moft endearing tokens of it. I have received your obliging letters full of kind offers, and your jar full of excellent grapes. May God open to you the book of life, and feal upon your heart all the offers and promifes it contains; and may the treafures of Chrift's love, and all the fruits of the Spirit be abundantly open to my dear friend and unwearied benefactor!

Providence fent me laft Sunday Dr. Turner, who, under God, faved my life twenty-three years ago in a dangerous illness; and I am inclined to try what his method will do. He orders ine affes milk, chicken, &c. forbids me riding, and recommends the greatest quietnefs. He prohibits the use of Bristol water; advifes fome waters of a purgative nature; and tries to promote expectoration by a method that fo far anfwers, though I fpit by it more blood than before. It will be in order to cure one way or other.

With refpect to my foul, I find it good to be in the balance, awfully weighed every day for life or death. I thank God, the latter has loft its fting, and endears to me the Prince of life. But O! I want Chrift my refurrection to be a thousand times more dear to me; and doubt not he will be fo when I am filled with the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him. Let us wait for that glory, praifing God for all we have received, and dio daily receive; and trusting him for all we have not yet received. Let our faith do juftice to his veracity, our hope to his goodnefs, and our love to all his perfections. It is good to truft in the Lord, and his faints like well to hope in him. I am provided here with every neceffary and conveni

ent bleffing for my ftate. The great have even doze me the honour of calling-Mr. Shirley, Mr. Rd Hill, Mr. Peckwell, &c. I exhort them to promote peace in the church, which they take kindly. I hope God will incline us all to peace living and dying. Lady Huntingdon has written me a kind letter also. O for univerfal, lafting kindness! This world to me is now become a world of love. May it be fo to my dear friend alfo. My kindeft love and thanks wait on yourself, Mrs. Ireland, and all your dear family.

1. F.

Mr. Greenwood,

London,

1777.

My dear companion in tribulation, and in the patience of Jefus. Peace be multiplied unto you, and refignation by the crofs of Jefus. I hear your foot on my heart, and caft my heart on him to whom all burdens are lighter than a feather. Pafchal faid, when the rod of tribulation was upon him, "Now I begin to be a Christian," meaning a follower of the man of forrows. By his pierced feet may yours be eased. Hold this faft, Whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth. Accept the rod as a token of your adoption; and be willing to be made perfe&t in patience by fufferings. In the mean time rejoice that Chrift's fufferings are over,

that they are atoning—and that they have purchafed our comforts. If you can come fafely to-motrow, you will bring a blessing to your poor penfioner, who remains in the bonds of grateful, brotherly love, yours, 1. F.

Newington, Feb. 24th, 1777.

James Ireland, Esq..

My dear Friend,

LET us abandon ourselves without seferve to God, who is alike the God of all grace when he chastises,

as when he bleffes us. Be a fon of Abraham; be an imitator of God. Abraham refufed not to offer up his Ifaac, and God has delivered his only Son to death for us. Refufe nothing to this God of love and tender compaffion. The facrifice of thofe things which are most precious to us are the leaft unworthy of him; and had we a thousand Ifaacs, we ought to keep back none from him. Perhaps the Lord hath heard your prayer and ours. If your Ifaac lives, may he be devoted to the Lord as was Samuel; and may the God of Elijah have all the glory of his recovery.

If he be

dead, prepare to follow him, and do not envy him the fweet repofe which he enjoys, and in which we shall foon fhare with him.

Adieu. They forbid my writing, but I will write to the last, Blessedbe God who giveth us the victory over death and its pains by Jesus Christ! In him I am, and fhall always be altogether yours. I am your ten thou fand times obliged Friend, I. F.

P. S. Your fecond letter, which reached me when the above was written, informs me of your lofs ; but why should I call God's fecuring your fon, and giving him eternal life, your lofs? It is Chrift's gain, who fees in that fweet child the travel of his childhood ; and it is your fon's gain, fince his conflicts and dangers are now over, and nothing awaits him but an eternal increase of happinefs. Who knows but what God, who forefees all the ftorms of corruption and rocks of fin we are likely to meet with in the fea of life, has taken your dear child at the best, and by this premature death fecures him from eternal death? Come, then, do not repine. God has made you the inftrument of adding one more little cherub to the heavenly hoft ; and in this light you may well say, The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away, and blessed be the name of the Lord! He is better than ten fons. Your fon is in his bofom, and this new cord fhould now draw you from earth to heaven with a freth degree of power; with an irresistible attrac

tion.

R