was,

Your nice diftinction between jealousy and envy I must leave to the learned. I believe that Rachel was provoked to jealoufy at the fruitfulness of Leah, and thought that she stood higher in the divine favour than herfelf; and the confequence that the envied her fifter. The apoftles were provoked to jealoufy when James and John craved their feats on the right and left hand of Chrift in his kingdom; and the other ten were filled with indignation against the two brethren. But, you may reply, Wisdom fays, "Who can stand before envy?" True. And in another breath fhe tells you what ftirs it up: "Jealoufy is the rage of a man; therefore he will not fpare in the day of vengeance." Solomon had learnt this by experience. God fent his prophet to Jeroboam to tell him that he should be king over ten tribes. This was a fcourge to Solomon for his idolatry: and this provoked Solomon to fuch rage and jealoufy that he fought to kill Jeroboam. The latter could not stand before the envy of the former, and therefore, to fave his life, he fled into Egypt.

If thou wilt nurse, fuckle, fwaddle, prate, and preach, go on: "In the morning fow thy feed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand, for thou canst not tell which shall profper, either this or that," either the envious or the jealous; " or whether they shall both be alike good." But thou wilt be a better judge of this than thou now art when thy preaching season is over; for “there is

a time to keep filence, as well as a time to fpcak." Thou waft not very fit for the pulpit in this thy laft high fit of the fever; but that was nothing, either in weight or duration, to that which is yet to come. Walking with the footmen wearied Jeremiah; but afterwards he was called to contend with horses and, when he was tired out in a land of peace, he was ordered to cope with the fwellings of Jordan. God will have us at his feet; and it is not a little croffing and trying that will bring us there, and keep us there. To be ftripped of all comfort, and to be laid in irons for a whole year, and this attended with intolerable hardness of heart; to be left free among the dead, and be given up to the influence of a fleepy devil, who fhall give you a dose of his opium under every prayer that is put up, and under every fermon that is preached; this, this will be worse than all the afflictions that have befallen little Ifaac. So I conclude, and fo you fhall confefs. Call it one more fecret from the locks of Samfon.

In the Defert.

NOCTUA AURITA.

LETTER

LETTER XVIII.

To NOCTUA AURITA, of the Defert.

THE language of my heart at this

time is, Was ever one favoured with fuch a friend, counsellor, and guide, in this world before? There may be; but this I can be certain of, that there never was one fo unworthy of it. Every epiftle I receive from you knits and unites mỹ heart more and more to you. O what a sweet bond is this which knits every member of Chrift to each other, and to their head! Your laft favour has unmasked Satan to my view in such a manner as muft enrage him greatly. Little did I think that the inordinate affections, and the founding of the bowels, came from him. I have felt fomething of it before, and do to this moment. O, my dear friend, pray for me, that I may have wisdom given me from above that I may not be ignorant of his devices! Never did I fee him in fo formidable a view before. Surely he defires to have me, that he may fift me as wheat; and, if the prayer of the great High Prieft does not prevail on my behalf, I must fall by his temptations. Your epiftle brought to remembrance many vifits

paid to me in his white robes during thefe fix months paft. O what praise is due to God for keeping me from falling by this fnare of the fowler! I have had many of the lectures on election which you mention, and the doctrine applied, and his ends answered, in my last trial. Rebellion enough I felt. Safely he might withdraw for a season; he was fure he left me miferable enough. You have, indeed, prophefied of a dark path I have to travel, which has wrought some discouragement in my heart. I am fure you will be a true prophet in all your predictions, and not one word of all you have spoken shall fall to the ground. Satan feems to me to be the most dangerous when he comes to bloat up the foul with pride. And I have found him approach in this way when I have been much in the enjoyment of divine love, as Mr. Hart says,

The heart uplifts with God's own gift,

And makes even grace a fare.

I felt fo much of this about feven months ago as made me abhor myfelf. This was a little before my journey to the Bower, when God met me by the way. Our dear paftor made an obfervation in the pulpit, about a week before I received your laft favour, which firuck me very forcibly. It was this: that pride goeth before the deftruction of a finner, and a haughty spirit before the fall of a faint;

and

and obferved, that it was the devil's aim to get us on this ground, and then he was fure to procure our fall. And your mentioning in yours the ways and means he makes use of to effect this, and that from your experience, was very feasonable to me; and I found that " a word fitly spoken is as apples of gold in pictures of filver;" for the Lord makes me to fear this more than any thing. I am fenfible there can be no fafety but at the feet of Jefus. But true it is, as you observe, it is not a little croffing and trying that will keep me there. I find I am wrong in my views of envy and jealousy. Pardon me, dear Sir; I have, perhaps, fpoken for want of light. But you are looking forward to a time when, you fay, I shall be a better judge of it, even when my preaching time is over. Indeed, Sir, I aspire to no fuch things as preaching. As you fay, prate I do, and that when I fhould keep filence, which is known by the effects, by its bringing on me hatred and envy instead of love. I am often brought into fnares by my tongue, which is an unruly member; and I have fmarted both for my speaking and my keeping filence. But, if I am to be left free among the dead, laid in irons a whole year, and be given up to the fleepy devil, I believe my mouth will be fhut with a witnefs. If any thing lefs than this would do it, I fhould be thankful.

However, I hope ever to have an intereft in your prayers, and to be favoured with your cor

refpondence,