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the Lord. Mr. Ireland fends me word, Mr. Romàine told him, you were not very well. Take care of your, felf. Lay nothing to heart. Should your breast be weak, preach but once on Sunday; for you know the evening fermon is not a part of our flated duty. I fay this, that you may not over do, and lie by, as I do. God direct, fuftain, and comfort you in all things!

Our Lord Lieutenant, being flirred up by fome of the clergy, and believing firmly that I am banished from England, has taken the alarm ftill more, and forbidden the minifters to let me exhort in their houses; threatening them with the power of the fenate, if they did. They all yielded, but are now afhamed of it. A young clergyman, a true Timothy, has opened me his houfe, where I exhort twice a week; and the other clergymen, encouraged by his boldness, come to our meetings.

Give my kind paftoral love to all my flock in general, and to all who fear God, and love Jefus, and the brethren, in particular. May all fee, and fee more a. bundantly, the falvation of God. May national diftrefs be fanctified unto them; and may they all be loyal fubjects of the King of kings. May the approaching new year be to them a year of peace and gofpel grace,

Remember me kindly to all our neighbours, whom I mentioned by name in my preceding letters. I hope Molly takes good care of you. God bless her! That you and the flock may fare well in Jefus is the hearty prayer of yours, I. F.

The Rev. Mr. Greaves.

My dear Brother,

Nyon, March 7th, 1780,

May

I LONG to hear from you. I hope you are well and grow in the love of Chrift, and of the fouls bought with his blood, and committed to your care. you have the comfort of bringing them all into the paftures of the gofpel, and feeing them thrive under your paftoral care. I recommend to your care the most E

helpless of the fleck,-I mean the children, and the fick. They moft want your help; and they are the most likely to benefit by it; for affliction foftens the heart, and children are not yet quite hardened through the deceitfulnefs of fin.

I beg you will not fail, when you have opportunity, to recommend to our flock, to honour the King, to ftudy to be quiet, and to hold up, as much as lies in us, the hands of the government by which we are protected. Remember me kindly to Mr. Gilpin, and to all our parishioners. God give you peace by all means, as, in his mercy, he does to your affectionate friend and fellow-labourer, I. E.

Mr. William Wase.
My dear Brother,

Nyon, March 7th, 1780.

I AM forry the building has come to fo much more than I intended; but, as the mischief is done, it is a matter to exercife patience, refignation, and felf-denial; and it will be a caution in future. I am going to fell part of my little eftate here to difcharge the debt. I had laid by 501. to print a fmall work, which I wanted to diftribute here; but, as I must be juft, before I prefume to offer that mite to the God of truth, I lay by the defign, and fhall fend that fum to Mr. York. Money is fcarce here, at this time, that I fhall fell at a very great lofs; but neceflity and juffice are two reat laws, which must be obeyed. As I defign, on my return to England, to pinch until I have got rid of this debt, I may go and live in one of the cottages belonging to the vicar, if we could let the vicarage for a few pounds; and in that cafe, I dare fay Mr. Greaves would be fo good as to take the other little house.

My dear friend, let us dje to fin, hold faft Jefus, the way, the truth, and the life, walk by faith in him, and not by the fight and paffions of the old Adam. I hope the fun of affliction, which burns poor England and us, will ripen us all for glory, Give my beft love

to all our friends in Chrift, and tell them, that the hope of feeing them does me good, and that I truft, they will not turn it into bitternefs; which would be the cafe, if I fhould find them out of the narrow way, and out of the kingdom of righteoufnefs, peace, and joy in the Lord. Salute dear John York; hold up his hands for me, and bid him ftand faft in the Lord; leaning upon the crofs of him, who bruifed the ferpent's head, and overcame death, hell, and the grave, by pulling out fin, the fting of death. Farewell in Jefus Chrift. I. F.

Nyon, Sept. 151, 1780.

The Res. Mr. Greaves,
My dear Fellow-labourer,

I HAD fixed the time of my departure for this: month; but now two hinderances ftand in my way. When I came to collect the parts of my manufcript, I found the moft confiderable part wanting; and, after a thoufand fearches, I was obliged to write it over again. This accident obliged me to put off my jour ney; and now the change of weather has brought back fome fymptoms of my diforder. I fpeak, or rather whifper, with difficulty; but I hope the quantity of grapes I begin to eat will have as good an effect upon. mie, as in the last two autumns. Have patience then a little while. If things are not as you could with, you can do, but as I have done for many years—learn: patience by the things which you fuffer. Croffing our will,. getting the better of our own inclinations, and grow, ing in experience, are no mean advantages; and they. may all be yours. Mr. Ireland writes me word, that if I return to England now, the winter will undo all I have been doing for my health for many years. How-, ever, I have not quite laid by the defign of fpending the winter with you; but don't expect me till you fee me. I am, neverthelefs, firmly purpofed. that if I do not fet out this autumn, I fhall do fo next fpring, as early as I can.

Till I had this relapfe, I was able, thank God, to exhort in a private room three times a week; but the Lord Lieutenant will not allow me to get into a pulpit, though they permit the fchoolmasters, who are laymen, to put on a band and read the church prayers; fo runs the prejudice. The clergy, however, tell me, that if I will renounce my ordination, and get Prefbyterian orders among them, they will allow me to preach; and, on thefe terms, one of the minifters of this town offers me his curacy. A yong clergyman of Geneva, tutor to my nephew, appears to me a truly converted man; and he is fo pleafed when I tell him, there are converted fouls in England, that he will go over with me to learn English, and converfe with the British Chriftians. He wrote laft fummer with fuch force to Some of the clergy, who were ftirring up the fire of perfecution, that he made them afhamed, and we have ince had peace from that quarter.

There is little genuine piety in thefe parts; nevertheless, there is yet fome of the form of it; fo far, as to go to the Lord's table regularly four times a year. There meet the adulterers, the drunkards, the fwearers, the infidels, and even the materialists. They have no idea of the double damnation that awaits hypocrites. They look upon partaking of that facrament. as a ceremony enjoined by the magiftrate. At Zurick, the first town of this county they have lately beheaded a clergyman, who wanted to betray his country to the Emperor, to whom it chiefly belonged. It is the town of the great reformer Zuinglius; yet there they poifoned the facramental wine a few years ago. Tell it not in Gath! I mention this to fhew you there is occafion and great need to bear a teftimony against the faults of the clergy here; and if I cannot do it from the pulpit, I must try to do it from the prefs. Their canons, which were composed by 230 paftors, at the time of the reformation, are fo fpiritual and apoftolic, that I defign to tranflate them into English, if I am fpared.

Farewell, my dear brother. Take care, good, conftant care of the flock committed to your charge; ef

pecially, the fick and the young. Salute all our dear parishioners. Let me fill have a part in your prayers public and private; and rejoice in the Lord, as through grace, I am enabled to do in all my little tribulations. I am your affectionate friend and fellow-labourer, I. F.

Mr. William Wase,
My dear Brother,

Nyon, Sept. 15th, 1780.

YOU are alfo entitled to many thanks; receive them from me, till I can return you fomething more fubftantial. Give my love and thanks to the preachers, who come and help us. Enforce my little exhortation to the focieties in much love. Go and comfort for me Mrs. Palmer and Mrs. Cartwright; and fince God has placed you all in a widowed ftate, agree to take Jefus for a never dying friend and bridegroom. Your Maker is your husband. He is all in all; and what, then, have you loft? Chrift is yours and all things with him. The refurrection day will foon come. Prepare yourfelves for the marriage feast of the Lamb, and till then rejoice in the expectation of that day. 1 fympathize with our fickly friends, widow Matthews, M. Blummer, E. Whittaker, I. York, and S. Afton. Salute them Kindly from inè. Help them to trim their lamps, and wait for the Bridegroom. Bid them not be difcouraged. Thank Thomas, and Nelly Fennel for their love to the preachers, and give them mine, as well as John Owen, &c. by whom, I fend it to the little companies they meet with, to call for ftrength, comfort, and help, in time of need. Fare ye all well in Jefus. I fay again, farewell. I am, yours, I. F.

Mr. Thomas York.

My dear Friend,

Nyon Sept. 15th, 1780.

YOU fee by my letter to Mr. Greaves, that I am in good hopes of feeing you, at the lateft, next fpring.

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