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it from my mind. I know now that Christ is mine, and that nothing shall ever separate me from him. I am faying with the spouse, "A bundle of myrrh is my Beloved unto me; he fhall lie all night between my breasts." I am truly glad to hear, by a friend, that you are better, and able to follow the plough. May the Lord crown your labours with fuccefs, that the fallow ground of finners' hearts may be prepared for the reception of the precious feed, that the incarnate Word may be formed in many hearts! I fhall be happy to fee you. I hope it will not be long before I have that pleasure. I faw the King's herald last night: he was well. I believe he rejoices to see my happinefs. May the Lord bless and profper him! The power that came down upon us at Gaffon's Bower seems still to remain, both with him and us. Surely that was a time never to be forgotten. Our dear fifter Moorhen begs me to present her kind love to you, and fhe thanks you for your kind letter; but fays you give her too much encouragement, and she is afraid she shall never be able to write to you again; but defires me not to forget to tell you that she loves you dearly for the work of God upon you. I think we may fay of her, as Chrift faid of Nathanael when he faw him coming to him, "Behold an Ifraelite indeed, in whom is no guile!" My very foul cleaves to her. Precious she is to me, and dear to the Lord, I have no doubt. I fhall be happy to hear from you as

foon

soon as convenient.

I hope the Shunamite's continually coming will not weary you. Let me continue to have an intereft in your prayers. I believe I never ftood in more need of them; for I think that Satan is enraged at me, and perhaps is laying fome fnare for my feet. Pray that the Lord would give me wisdom, that I may not be ignorant of his devices. My paper tells me to leave Believe me ever to remain

off.

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THY favoury, unctuous, and rapturous epiftle is fafely arrived. Nothing now (fince the operations of her late banquet on dying love, and her godly forrow, and her kind reception) seems to be wanting to complete the glo

my

rious work of converfion, regeneration, and ef poufing to Chrift. Her eyes have feen that Juft One; and she has wept the tears of heavenly love over him in his dolorous sufferings, which hath been attended with a moft joyful and affured sense of pacification; and the bleffed effects were felfloathing, and fuch felf-abhorrence as is not to be defcribed. This is a fecret which is peculiar to the elect of God, when the eternal union be→ tween Chrift and the efpoufed foul takes place; and is what no hypocrite ever attained, and what Nono minifter of the letter could ever defcribe. thing now feems to be lacking in dear fifter's faith; fhe comes behind in no gift, waiting for the coming of the Son of God. She comprehends, with all faints that have gone before, both the height and depth of boundless love, which paffeth knowledge. The Lord hath given her his fure tokens, and the things that accompany salvation; fo that in all things the hath proved herself clear in this great matter. Henceforth there can be no enchantment against Philomela; no divination against this daughter of Abraham. I certainly fhall, according to my first prediction, see her in the kingdom of God above. This foul-diffolving union, this fellowship with Chrift in his sufferings, and being made conformable unto his death in it, is the moft noble, the moft foul-enriching and foul-establishing work of the holy Spirit of promise; and the fenfations of the foul under it produces

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produces the choiceft experience that ever raised a foul to hope. It fifts things to the bottom, and brings all things, yea even life and immortality itself, to light in the foul. The poor finner appears in all his worst colours, and Jesus the fairest among ten thousand. Not an angel in heaven was ever favoured with fuch a view, nor is there an angel in heaven that ever felt fuch a fenfation for Chrift took not on him their nature, nor were they ever efpoused to him. O the unparalleled/ meekness, contrition, fubmiffion, and refignation, that is felt in the heart of the poor creature when the ring, the robe, and the fatted calf, are brought forth! How the foul is fettled and fixed, fo as not to leave room for a doubt, a fcruple, an if, or a but; for it is affuring us, and fealing us up to the day of eternal redemption.

The Lord certainly is preparing thee for fomething, my fifter. And wouldst thou know what it is? Why," Abraham made a great feast the day that Isaac was weaned." After this the breaft is put up, and a little bitter aloes is rubbed upon it, infomuch that every sweet drop is followed with bitterness, which I call one of the worst perfumes that fcent the Saviour's robes: "All his garments smell of myrrh, aloes, and caffia." Thy last letter explained the myrrh, which is love, for that always ftands firft; and aloes is the next to it, which thy next letter will smell of more or less. Ezekiel's roll and John's little book had these

compofitions

compofitions in them. You may call them bitter fweets; for they both agree in their confeffions upon this matter: "It was in my mouth sweet as honey, and when I had eaten it my [heart] belly was bitter." When the fuckling times are over, the lamb is taken out of the bofom and turned adrift, being ordered to go behind, and to follow the fhepherd. This treatment is dreadful, and what was never expected. And now, instead of the word affording fincere milk, it is a dry breast. The little one finds no fpoon meat, no bearing upon the fides, no kiffes from the lips, no fmiles from the face, no answers to their request.

"As one whom his mother comforteth, fo will I comfort you." And all this is true. But the mother puts the last child down upon its feet among the reft, to make room upon the knee for the new comer. "I have fed you with milk, and not with meat, for hitherto ye were not able to bear it. In fimplicity be ye children, but in understanding be men." Ay, fays Philomela; but my foul defires the first ripe fruit. do when there is no cluster to eat?

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What shall I

Ay, but there is food: "I will fend paftors after my own heart, that fhall feed you with knowledge and underftanding." Not fo: "How can the children of the bride-chamber faft while the bridegroom is with them?" True: " But the days will come when the bridegroom fhall be taken away from them, and then fhall they faft in thofe days."

But

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