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and where God gives hope there he gives an expectation of glory. For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, faith the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Jer. xxix. 11. The wife man afferts the fame-My fon, eat thou boney, because it is good; and the boneycomb, which is sweet to thy tafte: fo fhall the knowledge of vifdom be unto thy foul when thou haft found it; then there fhall be a reward, and thy expectation fball not be cut off. Prov. xxiv. 13, 14. To die in peace, my dear friend, proclaims us in friendship with God to die in hope is to die in expectation of glory: to be blessed in death, and to die in the Lord; is to have the fpring of endless life in the foul when the body is dying to die in the enjoyment of love is to die stronger than death, and in union with God. Rev. xii. 11.-1 1 John iv. 16. But to die in joy is above all: joy is the quintessence of love; joy is the overflowings of a loving heart; and this is the highest blifs promised to a dying faint. The ranfomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with fongs, and everlasting joy upon their bead: they fhall obtain joy and gladness, and forrow and fighing fhall flee away. Ifai. xxxv. 10. The returning there meant is not coming to the militant church below; for all forrow and fighing are not banished from her in this life: but Zion above is free from both these, and will never be exercised with them again: for God fhall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there fhall be no more death, neither

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received the promises, but having feen them afar off, and were perfuaded of them, and confessed they were Atrangers and pilgrims on the earth. Heb. xi. 13. And it is the eternal decree of God, which was made known to Adam as foon as he fell, and exercifed by Abel the protomartyr as foon as he approached to God, that the just man should live by his faith. Heb. ii. Hence it is faid that by faith Abel offered to God a more excellent facrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God teftifying of his gifts: and by it be being dead yet fpeaketh. Heb. xi. 4. Gen. iv. 4. And we are told, in the New Teftament, that faith, whether weak or ftrong, and whether exercised under the Old Testament, or under the New, comes to the fame glorious end; namely, falvation from fin, from Satan, from death, from the grave, and from hell itfelf-Receiving the end of your faith, 9, which is even the falvation of the foul. 1 Pet. i. not a temporal, but a spiritual and an eternal one; for Ifrael fhall be faved in the Lord with an everlasting falvation. Ye shall not be afbamed nor confounded world without end. Ifai, xlv. 17.

The way to heaven is to follow Chrift in the regeneration. Matt. xix, 28. Fear begins it, and love perfects and ends it. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. Prov. i. 7. And the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, a good confcience, and faith unfeigned. 1 Tim. i. 5. Those who begin with fear will foon rife in hope;

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and where God gives hope there he gives an expectation of glory. For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, faith the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Jer. xxix. II. The wife man afferts the fame-My fon, eat thou honey, because it is good; and the boneycomb, which is sweet to thy tafte: fo shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy foul when thou baft found it; then there fhall be a reward, and thy expectation fball not be cut off. Prov. xxiv. 13, 14. To die in peace, my dear friend, proclaims us in friendship with God to die in hope is to die in expectation of glory to be bleffed in death, and to die in the Lord; is to have the fpring of endless life in the foul when the body is dying to die in the enjoyment of love is to die ftronger than death, and in union with God. Rev. xii. 11.-1 John iv. 16. But to die in joy is above all: joy is the quintessence of love; joy is the overflowings of a loving heart; and this is the highest blifs promised to a dying faint. The ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with fongs, and everlasting joy upon their bead: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and forrow and fighing fhall flee away. Ifai. xxxv. 10. The returning there meant is not coming to the militant church below; for all forrow and fighing are notbanished from her in this life: but Zion above is free from both these, and will never be exercised with them again: for God fhall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there fhall be no more death, neither

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neither forrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain, for the former things are passed away. Rev. xxi. 4.

Tender my love and duty to mother; my kind respects to your brother and fifter; the fame to your aunt Hannah, and to your aunt and uncle Mathews; and accept the fame yourself.

Grace, mercy and peace be with you all through our Lord Jefus Chrift. So prays

Your willing fervant

in the Gospel of God,

W. H. S.S.

LETTER

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