Hitherto he has fpoken peace, and love. He bids me fear not, but follow him in the regeneration. Sometimes it is fuggefted, "what if after all I should become a caft-away!" Here he does not long leave me to reafon, but ufually repeats "Abide in me." While I do this I am fecure. When I am tempted to depart and return to earth again, I fimply tell him, if he cease to fecure me, I fhall depart: "thus I am, and I fhall never do better unless thou affift me."

"Shall I turn my feet away,

Will Jefus bear to see me rove?
To fee me feek another love?"

I have no defire but to do his will, and walk in all the
works prepared, to exercife my every grace. The thoughts of
immortality chear my oftimes drooping fpirits; and an-
ticipating the joys of eternity, by faith I fee God. I fhali foon
behold him without a veil, and worship the triune Deity, in
the beauty of holinefs. There I fhall fee him as he is, and the
Lamb fhall wipe all tears from mine eyes. Often at prefent
"Tears of joy mine eyes o'erflow,

That I have any hope of heaven."

But then they fhall be employed in beholding him, whom now unfeen I love in whom believing I rejoice with joy unspeakable. In this view of things, what are afflictions? Shall they not work out a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory ? Here I am tempted and tried, caft down, though not forfaken; but the thought of fo foon seeing the King in his beauty, makes me willing to endure the crofs; as long as my all-wife, all-gracious Lord fees fit. My chief want is to live more closely to Jefus. Indeed I want an increase of all the fruits of the fpirit, of all the mind that was in Chrift: to lie low in the duft before him, and never again esteem myself to be any thing.

What fhall I now fay to my friend? Is your heart right as my heart? Will you agree with me as touching this thing, to

afk

afk that we may go on to perfection? O! believe, and feel Jefus near, to fill every want your spirit feels, out of his abundant fulness. Is Jefus precious? Do you see him altogether lovely? And can you fee this, and love him a little, without defiring to love him with all your heart? Sure you will not rest satisfied, till he tells you, "ye are clean through the word I have fpoken." What fhall I fay to encourage you? Jefus now cries, "Open unto me, my fifter, my spouse; for my head is wet with the dew, and my locks with the drops of the night!" Hear ye him, attend to his voice, let all things elfe go, and Christ and heaven, and all is yours. All is comprized in him: whatfoever things are lovely, whatfover things are of good report, if there be any virtue, if there be any praise, any thing truly defirable, it all centers in the altogether lovely Jefus. "Whatever makes the Godhead great,

And fit to be ador'd:

Whatever makes the creature fweet,

And worthy of your paffion; meet

Harmonious in your Lord."

O look forward to that happy day, the bright day of his appearing; that holy happy reft where God is loved alone. A very little time, and this mortal fhall put on immortality, "This feeble ftate of things fhall die,

And pain and pleasure mix no more."

Let us be willing to do and fuffer all our Master's righteous will, and we furely shall in his strength come off more and more victorious. I am, my dear Friend, your fincerely affectionate Sifter in Jesus.

LETTER

P. B.

DLXXX.

[From Mrs. H. A. L. to the Rev. J. Welley.] Honoured Sir, Utretch, July 15, 1783. OW was I furprized and much delighted in receiving your moft kind and tender letter from Rotterdam! I am

How

not worthy your leaft attention. The remembrance of meeting

VOL. XIV.

4 O

here

here on earth gives me great pleasure. We fee that neither the thoughts, nor the ways of men, are the thoughts, or the ways of the Lord God.

Eternal Providence, exceeding thought,

Where none appears, had made itself a way!

My brother, my friend, I am now very forry, because I want your pleafing company. There are very few hours, that I do not remember you. Methinks I hear now your lovely voice, in preaching and praying, calling finners to the love of God, according to the meeknefs of Chrift, your great Mafter. Methinks I hear you fay in prayer, "O Lord, fpeak thou to the hearts," "O Lord let us know ourfelves," "Search us, O God, and try our hearts; try us, who knoweft our thoughts, and fee if there be any wickedness in us, and lead us in the way everlafting."

Oh that I could recal that agreeable time; but it is paft, it is paft, and the Lord knows if we shall ever meet again. O dear friend! my prayer is, that the Lord will comfort my foul, and that he will give you life and good health, that you may come every other year to Holland. My dear friend, there is one thing I would afk of you, it is this, if you will be fo kind to fend me your fermon, that you preached in Utretch. I beg pardon for the freedom I take in giving you fo much trouble. Mrs. T. and I, fhould be very glad to fee it. You feared that I was in danger of not fuffering the reproach of Chrift; but I feel it in feveral refpects, that I cannot well exprefs; particularly fince your departure from Utretch; for many people fpeak not well of me, becaufe I had you and your worthy company to our houfe on the Sabbath evening, the 29th of June. This gives me great trouble; but it is good for my foul. I am in the Lord's hand, like clay in the hand of the Potter: he can do with me, as he will, and I truft in him, that he will make me happy for ever. For he, that gave his dear and only begotten Son, to be a facrifice for poor finners, fhall give all things unto them, who come unto him through that, Mediator.

My

My dear family give their most kind love to you. Their hear's very fenfibly remember your worthy company at our houte in the country. We recommend ourfelves to your precious friendfhip; wifhing that the Lord your God will take particular care of your foul and body, and give you every purchafed blefling. I remain, with all due efteem, your unworthy but very affectionate Sifter, H. A. Ľ.

An ELEGY on the Death of the Rev. JOHN WESLEY, A. M.*

[By Mr. T. R—]

WHEN worth unequall'd claims the nobleft lay,

What muse prefumptuous fhall the tribute pay?

The glorious theme demands a Milton's fire,

A Watts's genius and a WESLEY's lyre.t

No vulgar bard, no unharmonious tongue,
Should vilely mar the elegiac fong;

Yet would I touch the mufe's hallow'd fhrine,

And feebly join the hierarchies divine.

And hark! what ftrains all heaven's grand concert pours,

While wide unfold the everlafting doors;

While vying cherubs form a glorious scene,

Their plumes expand and waft great WESLEY in!
O! could I catch a foul-transporting beain;

And glow one moment with a feraph's flame;

* We did not receive this Elegy till very lately; and as it is the last we mean to infert on the fubject, we hope our readers will not be offended with our inferting it fo late in the year.

The lofty flight my tow'ring muse might hold,
And WESLEY'S praise, perhaps, be justly told!
But, fweetly urg'd, I stretch a feebler wing,
And found my numbers on a meaner ftring.

Oh! crown'd with cypress, rife, dejected muse! Thy zone neglected, and thy treffes loose: While deepest woe my trembling soul inspires, Awake the mournful fong, and brace the flacken'd wires!

Incumbent gloom, thee Zion overspreads,
While WESLEY finks amid the mortal fhades!
Thy weeping children mourn their Father gone!
Vanish'd thy glory! and extinct thy fun;
The burning luminary fets! to rife-
To give new luftre to th' empyreal skies!
Th' extatic joys of angel choirs to raise !
And fwell the DEITY's abounding praise !

When firft the dawn of intellectual day,
With genial influence shed her opening ray;
Religion, heav'n-born fair! disclos'd her charms,
And wooed the vot'ry to her gracious arms:
Reveal'd in nature nature's various GOD,
And taught his foul to mount the heav'nly road.
Nor lost these views: improv'd by grace divine,
With ftrong, commanding evidence they shine,
Till manhood ripens every latent feed:

Then tow'rs his ardent foul with eagle speed;
Nor feas debar, nor diftant climes impede.

With ardor fir'd, and nerv'd with heavenly zeal,
All, all his powers the great commission feel!
Benighted realms his glorious luftre cheers!
"Prepare the way! a God, a God appears!"