and the wrath of God will be the finisher of it; for whenever the unclean fpirit returns to his house with seven spirits more wicked than himfelf; or whenever perfecution and tribulation. come on, or the fiery trial to confume this hay, ftraw, and ftubble; then, like Alexander the copperfmith, Demas, or Judas, down they go; and no wonder, for they never flood upon the foundation that God hath laid in Zion.

ke

as

THE END.

13

LETTERS.

DEAR SIR,

YOUR

To S. S.

OUR miniftry having ftripped me of all · my false joys and falfe confidence, and of all my falfe notions, and undeceived me, and brought me down to an acquaintance with the plague of my own heart, to a fenfe of guilt and of the anger of God revealed in a broken law, and caufed me to fly, trembling, from the wrath to come, has alfo been bleffed to me in raifing me to, and often encouraging my foul in hope; and many a word of fupport and encouragement, attended with light and information, has been fent by God to me, when ready to faint, from your mouth; and, I think, I may call your ministry the ftrength of my heart. My trouble, and thefe bleffings communicated, have effectually taught me both to prove and highly to prize a paftor after God's own heart; having found you as such under God, and the best friend to me in all this finful, miferable world. Numberlefs are the bleffings which

F4

which I have received in the courfe of three or four years labour and travail. But under a fermon you preached the 30th of June laft, from Ifa. liv. 1, I almoft thought my bonds would have bursted, but there was not fufficient ftrength to bring forth; and, although foon after I lost the sense of it, yet it was fuch an effectual blow to Satan and my unbelief, that they have not entirely recovered it fince. Laft Sunday morning's difcourfe was ftrengthening, encouraging, and informing; and fent of God to me I believe it was. The two Sundays before being wet and dirty, and having fome miles to drag a cumbersome carcase and a burdened heart, it made me fret; and Satan is neither backward nor awkward at helping forward fuch calamities; his advice was, to have no more of this. I thought if the next Sunday was fo I would not come, but would go and hear

who is found in the letter, and make myfelf as comfortable as I could. But in the course of the week I found fome nearnefs to God, and a heart to pray; and prayed him to fend fair weather for my journey, a bleffing at his house, and to let it be a fign betwixt himfelf and me. The morning was fine, which encouraged me; and you preached from 2 Cor. i. 24. I will not trouble you with the particulars; but God furnished you with that fubject for me, I believe, among the rest. It was the ftrengthening and encouraging voice of a good God to my troubled, fearing, and despond

ing heart, by the mouth of his fervant, I do believe, and a word in due feafon it was. But before I got home I loft it all in company with the devil, and sunk in defpondency up to my neck; and, although fome fecret power and good hand has hitherto held my head above, yet I fear that I fhall, after all, be left to fink. I am preffed in fpirit, and fenfibly purfued by the avenger of blood. O that I may get into the city of refuge before overtaken! I know that Jefus Chrift is near to fly unto, being near to all that call upon him. O that I was but fafe there, that my foul may live! But fearing I fhall fail and come short, fearing I shall die an incurable with the plague of leprofy, I am full of toffings to and fro. But excufe my intrufion, fir; to make one requeft is the cause of these fcribbled odds and ends appearing to you.

You know, fir, the world is ftuffed with forgers of lies, foul-ftarvers, and phyficians of no value; and how applicable the words of the Lord Jefus are to our ftate, that faithful labourers are few; that there are many in obfcurity that cannot get to hear you, and, according to your late prophecies, we may fay, "Wo unto us, for

the day goeth away, &c." That you have often lately founded an alarm about your own departure, and it feems there is to be no fucceeding Elifhas; may I therefore, dear fir, folicit to fee the two fermons on True and Falfe Faith in print,