LETTER XXII.

To NOCTUA AURITA, in the Defert,

WE received fafe your last favour;

He

and I was forry at the account of your indifpofition. Hope it has pleased the Lord ere this to have refiored you to health again. Hope you will again have your health established. With respect to myself, I find the world, and every thing in it, is against me, befides the flesh and the devil. But the worst of all calamities that ever befell me is, that God hath hid his bleffed face from me. has fenced up my ways that I cannot pafs; he has fet darkness in all my paths; he hideth himself with a cloud in his anger; and at times I am ready to fear he is gone for ever, and never will return more. I at prefent can find no book fuit me better than your "Child of Liberty in legal Bondage." It is my companion; and fometimes I think you must have wrote that book on purpose for me, that I might not quite fink under my prefent diftrefs. Your laft letter is a compofition of the fame bitter ingredients, which you have brought forth from your own experience, not only your former, but your prefent fenfations under

your

your prefent trial. Pardon me if I tell you I tried to fuck fome sweetness from it. And it has encouraged me a little to hope that I

may

be brought

every

through; for these have been my companions by day and by night, for these five months paft; and I really do believe that I am not near through this perilous path. O, my dear friend, had I but attended to the found advice you gave me in the fecond letter you wrote to me, it had been better with me at present than it is, and that was, to keep fecret the dealings of God with me, and watch advance he made towards me, and then, you told me, I should have rejoicing in myself alone! But I have been wiser in my own eyes than feven men that could render a reason. I was not then aware that felf was working at the bottom of all; and I "A man's find true that saying of the wife man, pride fhall bring him low." And low I am at prefent, and as faft in the cords of legal bondage as ever a poor foul was. You fay, in the book that is my companion, in this cloudy and dark day to be favoured with faith in exercise, but one minute, enough to banter the enemy, and predict a future fun rifing, is a bleffing indeed. This has been the cafe with me two or three times during the first five months, when God was pleafed to fhine with a ray of light on a part of his word, and give me to see something of the end for which But now it feems he was thus dealing with me. to be taken from me, and I have had nothing of

that

1

that for these three months paft; though I can fay, with you, that I do not feel unappealed wrath or unatoned guilt work in my confcience. These ingredients are not in my cup, which were in my former bondage. But feverely do I feel the cruel flames of jealoufy burn with a moft vehement heat. Nor did I know that it was an ingredient that worked in the heart under a spirit of bondage till I read it in the book my companion. The Tuefday evening you came to my house you feemed to come as a prophet fent of God, and did predict to me the coming of him whom my foul loveth. But the language of my heart, though I did not utter it with my mouth, was the fame as the Shunamite's to Elisha," Nay, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie unto thine handmaid;" which was the effect of unbelief in her, and in me; and, indeed, I am fo under the power of unbelief, that I cannot give credit to any thing but what feems to make against me. But certainly true it is, that fince that time the darkness has gathered thicker upon me, and I am holden fafter in my fetters than I was before, but no light to fee where I am. And nothing but almighty power can rend the veil, and bring me forth from this captivity the fecond time. It will be matter of comfort to know if God lays my cafe near your heart. I hope you will never ccafe to pray for me. And do, my dear friend, make it your petition to God that he would be pleafed to fhine upon the work he has done upon

me

me by his own Spirit, that I may not be deceived in this matter, and take the work of Satan for the work of the Spirit of God; for I must tell you I have not light to fee the place from whence I did fall; and I know it is only God that can discover this to me. This is a confufed jumble. I am almost ashamed to fend it to you; but hope you bear with me and pardon me; for I am fo dark, and feel my mind fo confufed, that I am not able to exprefs my own feelings. Accept my thanks for all your kind favours beftowed on one fo unworthy; and, if God fhould give you any thing to fend me, I fhall be exceeding glad to receive it, and likewife to hear how your health is at prcfent; and believe me to remain

Your very fincere and affectionate friend

The King's Dale.

and afflicted fifter,

PHILOMELA.

LETTER

LETTER XXIII.

To PHILOMELA, in the King's Dale.

THINE epiftle came fafe to hand, favouring fweetly of a second benefit. Refreshings from the presence of the Lord attended it. It was a rich perfume. His name, like an ointment poured forth, came with it. Our unbelief fhall never make the faith of God without effect; for, if we believe not, he ftill abideth faithful; he cannot deny himself. Morcover, God will honour his own miniftering fervants, whom he knows honour him; nor will he let their word fall to the ground; for he will confirm the word of his fervants, and perform the counfel of his meffengers. The work of God on the fouls of his people fhall abide for ever. He will carry on the good work begun; he will perfect that which concerns us, and never forfake the work of his own hands. And now, as God has hitherto fulfilled all that I have predicted to thce, and hath made me manifeft in thy confcience, and hath given thee a place in my heart to live and die with thee, which joining and knitting together is the work of God's Spirit alone, and is always attended with the bands

of