You must not be above being employed in a little way. The great Mr. Grimfhaw was not above walking fome miles, to preach to feven or eight people; and what are we compared to him? Our neighbourhood will want you more when Mr. Greaves and I are gone. In the mean time, grow in meek, humble, patient, refigned love; and your temper, perfon, and-labours will be more acceptable to all around you. I have many things to fay to you about your foul; but you will find the substance of them in two fermons of Mr. Wefley's, the one entitled, "The Devices of Satan," and the other, "The Repentance of Believers.” I wish you would read one of them every day, till you have reaped all the benefit that can be got from them: Nor eat your morfel alone, but let all be benefited by the contents. I am, &c. I. F.

Mr. William Wase.

Newington, Feb., 18th, 1777.

My dear Brother,

MY dear friend Ireland brough me last week Sir John Elliot, who is esteemed the greatest phyfician in London, in confumptive cafes. He gave hopes of my recovery upon ufing proper diet and means. I was bled yesterday for the third time; and my old doctor thinks, by gentle evacuations and fpring herbs, to mend my juices. Be that as it may, I calmly leave all to God; and use the means without trufting in them. I am perfectly taken care of, by my kind friends, whom I recommend to your prayers, as well as myself.

With refpect to my foul, I calmly wait, in unfhaken refolution, for the full falvation of my God; ready to truft him, and to venture on his faithful love, and on the fure mercies of David, either at midnight, noonday, or cock crowing: for my times are in his hand, and his time is best, and is my time. Death has loft his fting and, I thank God, I know not what hurry of spirit is, or unbelieving fears, under my moft terrifying fymptoms. Glory be to God in Chrift, for this unfpeakable mercy! help me to praise him for it. ·

You talk of my "laft trials." I can hardly guefs what you mean, unlefs Mr.- fhould have mistaken 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 fo often prayed for, in thefe 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.'s miftake.

For

With refpect to our intended reom, I beg Mr. Palmer, Mr. Lloyd, and yourfelf to confult about it, and that Mr. Palmer would contract for the whole. my own part, I fhall contribute 1001. including 101. I have had for it from Mr. Ireland and 101. from Mr. Thornton. Give my kindest love to all friends and neighbours. I would mention all their dear names, but ám ftrictly forbidden a longer epiftle. Farewell in Jefus. Yours, 1. 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.
My dear Brother,

Bath, July 8th, 1777.

I HEARTILY thank you for your kind letter; and by you I defire to give my beft thanks to the dear companions in tribulation 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 fpiritual; 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 C

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 praife God for what is past, 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 righteousness, 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 promife of the Father, that we may triumph in Chrift, and adorn his gofpel in life and death.

I hope to fee you before the fummer is ended, if it pleafe 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 last Sunday, to oblige the minister 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 alk. I have flood the heats we have had thefe two days, better than I expected. I defire you 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 comnon hope, peace, joy, wifdom, 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 stand. 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. Forfake not the affembling yourfelves together in little companies, as well as in public. Walk in the fight of death and eternity; and ever pray for your affectionate, but unworthy minifter, I. F.

Newington, Jan. 13th, 1777.

To the Parishioners af Madeley.

My dear Companions in tribulation,

ALL the children of God I love; my delight is in them that excel in strength, and my tendere ft. compaffions move towards thofe that exceed in weakness. But of all the children of God, none have fo great a right to my peculiar love as you. Your flated or cocalional attendance on my poor miniftry, and the countlefs thousands of fteps you have taken to hear the word of our common Lord from my defpifed pulpit, as well as the bonds of neighbourhood, and the many happy hours I have spent 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 ftrength of our dear Redeemer, bound ourselves to ftand to our baptifmal Yow 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. Ŏ! my dear brethren, let this repeated vow, fo reasonable, so just, 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 loving you every hour more tenderly, I am not at all difcouraged; but determine with new courage and delight, to love my neighbour as myself; and to love our covenant God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, 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 gofpel obedience for the time to come.

I find much comfort, in my weak flate 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 should not perish but have everlasting 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 ny 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 fhadow of his wings! there let me meet you all. Driven to that true mercy feat by the fame danger, drawn by the fame preferving and redeeming love; invited by the fame goffel promifes, and encouraged by each others example, and by the example of that cloud of witneffes who have paffed into the kingdom of God by that precious door, let us by Chrift retura 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 wildom, our Piieit or righteousness, our King or fanctification and redemption, we shall bear fruit, and understand what is meant by the fe fcriptures, In him, I am well pleased-Accepted in the belov ed-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 Chrift is our all! In that centre of life, let us all meet, and death itfelf will not