glory. Nor is the new man without his hands. There is a fomething that holds the beloved faft, and will not let him go. Thefe hands hold faft the faithful word, and every thing that Chrift hath given us, that no man take our crown. These hands appear to be the powerful actings of faith, which, under the Spirit's influence and operations, are very powerful. I have often been thinking of the feet of the new man, by which we go in and out and find pasture; yea, God fays "They fhall mount up as upon eagles' wings, they fhall run and not be weary, they fhall walk and not faint.” I know believing is called a coming to God, and we are said to walk by faith and not by fight; but I think love must have her part in these wonderful journies of the foul; for faith can neither work nor walk but by love.

Thus I have fent my dear fifter a few of my fecret thoughts upon these things. But, as Milton fays, "I find no end, in wondering mazes loft;" and yet there is a fecret pleasure in foaring and diving, though I can neither reach the top nor fathom the bottom.

Whatever name the Lord's clect are called by, the Saviour is generally fet forth or reprefented by fomething fuitable to it. They are debtors,

and he the furety; fubjects, and he the king; children, and he the father; lion's whelps, and he the lion; lambs, &c. and he was represented by the ram. A lamb flain from the foundation of the world he is, and that in a two-fold fenfe: first,

9

first, in the purpose of God; and, in the next place, he was typically flain by Abel's facrifice.

It is true he did not fuffer in his divine nature;

he was put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit;" he suffered in the flesh, and bore our fins in his own body upon the tree. Yet, you have no call to wonder at his being typified both by a ram and a lamb, when the fcriptures often fet him forth both in his feniority and in his youth. In the book of Daniel, where he is reprefented as the judge of quick and dead, the hair of his head is faid to be as white as the pure wool; and he is the Ancient of Days; but in the Song of Solomon, where he is defcribed as a wooer, his locks are faid to be bufhy, and black

as a raven.

The best knowledge, and the fafeft that thou wilt ever attain to refpecting the Trinity in this world is, a knowledge of God the Father's love fhed abroad in thy heart. This fays, " Yea, I have loved thee, and with loving-kindnefs have I drawn thee. The next is the voice of the blood of sprinkling, which speaks pardon, peace, and reconciliation, which are better things than the blood of Abel. The third is the Spirit's voice, crying, Abba, Father. Thefe are the witneffes of the Trinity; and thefe three agree in one. The Lord for ever blefs thee.

The Defert::

NOCTUA AURITA.

R 3

LETTER

LETTER XLI.

To NOCTUA AURITA, in the Defert.

I EMBRACE this opportunity of fend

ing you a few lines to inform you a little how I go on. When I wrote to you laft my foul was melted within me because of trouble; I was fainting in the day of adversity, for my foul was much difcouraged because of the way. But the Lord, who comforteth thofe that are caft down, and who is ever a refuge for the poor and needy, has condefcended to appear for me, to raise my hope and expectation, being once more brought to enjoy the prefence of him who is all in all to my foul. And I think I do now know fomething of what the apoftle calls "rejoicing in hope;" and this hope I find to be an anchor to my foul, for it does enter into that within the vail. The tempeft with which I was toffed has ceafed its raging, and a bleffed calm is brought to my mind. I am fure Satan himself has felt it; he could not endure it; and unbelief was put to the blush, while faith laid faft hold of his word of promise which was spoken to my foul. How true are the words of the wife man when he fays, "As cold water to a thirsty

foul,

foul, fo is good news from a far country." How a word from God does melt and humble us, and bring us to his feet! And I am fure that nothing elfe will do it; though in seasons of defertion Satan is as bufy with me as ever he can be with any poor foul, to ftir up in me hard thoughts of my kind and gracious God and Redeemer. But I find that afterwards these things make deep furrows in my foul, when contrition of heart and godly forrow operate under the influence of the bleffed Spirit. I think I never did before fee the diftinction fo clear between the old man and the new, or what Paul calls flesh and spirit, as I do now. This knowledge I have got in my last conflict, and by experience, which has been truly bitter to my foul; therefore I hope it will abide. My mind feems at present much impreffed with a sense of the goodness and loving-kindness of the Lord to me. I believe he will not let me run away from him, because, when I am bent on going on in ways that are not good, he lays his rod on me to stop me. How oft has he called back my wandering feet! I may well fay, "Surely goodness and mercy have followed me all my days to this prefent moment;" though Satan has often ftirred up fuch rebellion in my heart that I have even called God's minifters liars when they have prophefied good concerning me. But, notwithstanding this, the Lord has put in my heart fome good thing, which will not find fatisfaction in

any

any thing fhort of his bleffed prefence; and, as this is his fweet work, he will accept it. I was long looking for fome good thing in myself to recommend me to his favour, inftead of receiving all good from him. And, indeed, I find this, that when he withdraws from me, with refpect to his fenfible prefence, and leaves me in the dark, fo that I cannot fee one ftep of the path, that then the old legal leaven in my tabernacle will work and ferment to fet me to ftruggle and firive in my own ftrength. But, when God has appeared for me after fuch la feafoff, how has my folly been manifested, and I have called myself a thoufand fools; and have seen clearly that, if, instead of ftriving and fruggling, I had continued to have entreated the Lord to help and deliver me, I Thould have been brought out of my difficulties and darkness much fooner. Tam fure, from my own experience, that, if God was not to give us fomething to keep hope and expectation alive, they would foon give up the ghoft in fueh feafons of darkness. But, bleffed be his name, he will never forfake his own work. I was forry to hear 'you was poorly with a cold. I fhall be glad to hear you are better; and I need not fay a letter will be very acceptable. You know that I am better in my poor tabernacle than when I wrote laft; I think I do begin to fee that this late afflic tion is among the all things that fhall work together for my good. Tknow the Lord has taught

"

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me