my Lord fhall call. I intreat, and (as the duty of your function requires) I charge you, when you kneel before the throne of God and the Lamb, (in fecret) not to forget me; for an alluring world and a tempting devil are never weary of their attacks. I am greatly obliged to the excellent Lady Abney, to whom you will prefent my humble refpects. Happy fhe! who has turned her widowed state into an everlasting match with the glorious bridegroom of the church of God. By the laft fhip I covered, to my fon, a letter for you, from our dear friend Dr. Colman, wherein, I doubt not, he has given you an account of the outpourings of the spirit of God in a wonderful measure, of late, in this and the neighbouring provinces ; to his name alone be the glory. I am, Sir, with the most perfect efteem and friendship, yours, &c. J. BELCHER.

P. S. When you favour the world with any new production let me partake.

From

1

From Mr. BENJAMIN COLMAN to Dr. WATTS.

LETTER I.

REV. AND DEAR SIR,

Bofton, Jan. 16, 1739-40.

A WEEK is paft fince your letter and packet

of September 17th, and another of October 12th, arrived together in Captain Forbes. I thank you for the books bought, and the account given of them; I find it exact and judicious. I could not bear to read Thompson through now I have him; I thank you for not buying the fecond volume; he ftudies obfcurity and labours intricacy, while Sommerville's chain is fmooth as an eagle's foaring. All of Young's pleafes, edifies, and furprises. Mr. Lowe on Perfection is not equal I think to his Serious Call, which I had feen before. I prefent you now with our Bofton edition of your Hymns and Guide to Prayer, done well for us. My Withered Hand, that little Sermon, is like to be of fome use here, and is in the prefs again, together with a little book of four fermons on the Incomprehenfibleness of God,

Mr. Whitfield arrived fome months past at Philadelphia, where, and through the Jerseys and at New-York, he preached daily to incredible multitudes with great eloquence and zeal, as a good judge there writes me.

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He was pleased to fend me a letter and ask a correfpondence with me. He was fhewn at NewYork a letter of mine which named him with respect, but wherein I happened to say "he is but a young divine;" his fermon of Juftification led me to say so. "You faid right, Sir, fays he to me, I am but a novice in the things of God; I can only fay I defire to know the whole will of God, that I may communicate it to others. Chrift is fo good a mafter that I would have all men drawn after him. He is pleafed to let me experience daily the teachings of his bleffed fpirit, and to fhew me the riches, freenefs, and eternal duration of his love. Pray that I may be able to see all things clearly."

America is like to do him much honour, as you will fee by the prints from New-York and Philadelphia here inclofed. And it is a moft happy prospect to me, in favour of many a poor foul, through the colonies of Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina, that he is gone preaching the gofpel through them, and praying, in his way to Georgia. He proposes to see Boston in his return to Europe about June next, by God's will; and our town and country stand ready to receive him as an angel of God. Indeed, minifters and people, all but his own church, speak of him with great esteem and love: he seems spirited from on high in an extraordinary manner, affifted and profpered.

Mr. Holden fent me over his Journals and Anfwer to the Bishop of London, I read there of his calling in to see you as he paffed through Newington, but you nor Dr. Guife have faid a word to me of him; nor do I find how the diffenting minifters ftand affected to him; it may be prudent in them to be filent: but, in what of mercy or judgment, God may mean this rife of the methodifts to the glory of the church or the nation in general, time must show. I shall be glad of your thoughts on this matter.

As to the account I fent you of the story from Mrs. Rowe's own mouth, I leave it to Mr. Rowe to make what use of it he pleafes, and am far, I affure you, from affecting to have it inferted at large in my words, or as from me. The more I

confider her beauteous life and works the more I admire the grace of God which preferved, animated, and honoured her fo. But it is a pleasure to me that you have named me to the Hon. the Lady Hartford on the occafion, whom I love in the truth for her love to Mrs. Rowe, and her most endearing returns of high affection. Such beauteous fouls are formed and fhewn for the love and esteem of all the ends of the earth. Mrs. Rowe's hiding that fecret from Lady Hartford, feems almost a prohibition from her of telling it to the world; or, if the world now hears of it, the filence of her after

after-years about it may give it a double force and edge upon the ingenious and pious part of mankind.

Mr. Sargeant goes on with great pleasure in his work, and Providence has fent up a worthy gentleman with his family to him, whose discreet and very amiable daughter he has married.

I am forry to hear of your continued low state of health, and that you think it proceeds from a fhock of the paralytic kind; but the Lord, whose you are, when on earth healed the fick even of the palfy! may he receive, fupport, refresh the foul, and prolong the life and fervice of my beloved friend. Let not my correfpondence with you be a burthen and oppreffion. I hope God will yet give you health to add to your last fongs on death, "the world to come."

I have had fome revival the fummer paft, and the winter has not hitherto broken it; indeed, it has begun in a manner but this week, and earth and fky are alike dazzling bright; a ferenity which you (our revered mother ifle) are altogether a ftranger to; it braces up alfo our nerves, and makes the old, whom it does not kill, think themselves hail again for a feafon.

I have wrote to the minifters of Connecticut of the packet for them, which you have committed to Mr. Cox's care, that they may write to his

indolent