I hope after this long fast at Providence, there will be some appetite for the savoury meat; and you know the blessing is upon the head of all that hunger after the fatted calf, the Lamb of God, and the living bread; and this hungry belly is not to be filled too full in this life, lest Israel wax fat and kick: but in the world to come we shall be filled with all his fulness-then, it is said, "They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more, neither shall the sun" of persecution "light on them, nor any heat." For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne, shall feed us to the full; fill us with light from his sweet face, and with love, joy, and peace from his heart: and the more we are kept on short commons in this life, the greater and sweeter will the marriagesupper of the Lamb be. God has preserved and appointed our good things to come last; "Thou," says Abraham to the rich man, "hast received thy good things, and likewise Lazarus. evil things but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented."

This day is Saturday; I hope to preach tomorrow, on Monday, and on Tuesday evenings; and on Wednesday morning set my face for London, where I hope to arrive by four o'clock. Farewell, be of good cheer, Christ loves all that love him, and will reward them that fear him; and, "We know that we have passed from

death unto life, because we love the brethren.". Grace, mercy, and peace be with you, is the

I WISH grace and peace to be with you, together with faith and hope, life and love. As for bodily health or strength, worldly peace or prosperity, gains or profits, riches or honours, favour or affection, kindness or civil treatment from this world-let it not be once expected, nor once mentioned among you as becometh saints, for these things are not in the covenant, they are no part of the better inheritance; for these things are seen, but the great reward of inheritance is not seen; these are temporal, but the portion is eternal.

But is there no better reward for present services, even in this life, than temporal things? O yes! his favour is better than life itself, and

his countenance is as a cloud of the latter rain, which often distils precious drops; which serve to soften the clods, and prepare it for the reception of the word of life, which siuks down deep and takes root, after it has been made soft with the showers. Let us glory in our infirmities, for these keep us from confidence in the flesh; let us glory in reproaches, for these keep us from having fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness-for he that is a friend of the world is the enemy of God. Let us triumph in our bodily afflictions, for when the outward man decays, the inward man is renewed day by day; and even bodily pains are intended to eject us out of this earthly house, that we may be admitted into our house that is from above, where the inhabitants shall no more say, I am sick. Seeing we have such hope what have we to fear, seeing our whole work is to cleave to Christ, to follow peace, and to endeavour to please conscience? And how can we be poor that have got God for our portion? This is not our rest because it is polluted, this is not our home nor our dwelling place; and we are called strangers, pilgrims, and wayfaring men; and we know we have turned the corner, gained the summit, and are going down the hill.

The valley of the shadow of death is at the bottom, and then comes the river Jordan, and

on the other side is the chief mountain, the fountain of life, and the everlasting hills; on the top of which this world will look like the drop of a bucket, and all its formidable inhabitants as grasshoppers, and as the dust of a balance: less than nothing, and lighter than vanity.

Oh! my sweet ones, the joy of my heart, and the crown of my rejoicing in that day, set your hearts on this heavenly country, where we shall see our best Beloved, and enjoy each other's company and conversation for evermore. No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall be found there; the lion's 'den will be removed from the heavenly mansions. The sumptuous glutton and hungry Lazarus shall be separated by an infinite chasm, and over that gulf they shall never pass. What is our life but a vapour? and what is our time in this world but a span long, or a hand's breadth? and all the world but a bubble.

A young professing woman in this place, upon the eve of marriage, died yesterday; but our match is for ever, and in this no dissolution nor disappointment.

LETTER XXXII.

TO THE SAME.

Cuckfield.

Dearly Beloved in the Lord,

I WISH above all things that you may prosper, thrive, and grow, which God promises shall be the case of those who are planted in the house of the Lord. The flesh is a corrupt soil, and we are by nature rooted in it; and the soul being rooted, influenced, actuated, and led by the flesh, makes the soul a corrupt tree which cannot bring forth, good fruit; hence comes the needs be for convictions, law-terrors, temptations, and sore trials, to loosen the roots of the soul, and to raise it up and root it out of the old soil of flesh and blood, that it may be rooted in the Lord Jesus, and draw heavenly moisture, heavenly treasure, and heavenly satisfaction from him.

Although the soul is prone to seek and settle in the old mould again, yet the daily cross still unsettles the soul, and keeps this union from taking place; hence it is that the motions of sin in the body work in the soul to bring forth fruit unto death. They that are in the flesh

F