of a settlement than my present situation; as I have good reason to believe I shall be presented to the living, when the incumbent dies. At present the curacy, taking one thing with another, is about equal to Ravenstone, or rather preferable; and there have been for many years subscriptions for a lecture, which have amounted to 40l. or better, but may probably be 201. or 301. The living is but small, 70l. per annum, and the house; and the incumbent is very old. I mention these things because, as relations, you will probably wish to hear of them: otherwise, they are to me very unimportant. I have this day finished my thirty-fourth year. I lived without God in the world for nearly twentyeight: then he did not starve me, nay, he provided well for me, though I knew him not, asked him not, thanked him not. I have now in some measure trusted, and poorly served him the other six years, or nearly, and he has not failed me. Sometimes he has proved my faith, and made me ready to question whether he would provide for me or not, at least in that plentiful manner I had been accustomed to; but he has always in the end made me ashamed of my suspicions.-Mercy and goodness have followed me all the days of my life, and the same Jehovah is still my Shepherd; therefore I shall not want. I do not therefore embrace this offer, as if I were either dissatisfied, or distrustful, or avaricious. I trust the Lord knows these are not my motives. The advance of income, (if it be any,) is not at all a leading object with me; but, the situation being offered, I verily judged it, upon the most deliberate consideration, I trust in the spirit of prayer, my bounden duty to accept it; because the vicar of Ravenstone's life is very precarious, and his death would probably have been followed with my removal to a greater distance from the place of my present abode, and from the people to whom I have been made useful, and whom I dearly love; who will now be near, within reach of me, and I of them: because I hope the Lord hath some good work to do by me at Olney: and because many good people there have been this last year as sheep not having a shepherd. At the same time I am aware that I am about to be plunged into the midst of difficulties and trials, and shall have to regret the loss of many of my present comforts; that I shall need vastly more wisdom, patience, and meekness, than I have hitherto attained to. But he who sends me will support me, supply me, stand by me, and carry me. through. And indeed I am not to expect that the Lord Je

sus has enlisted me into his army, and commissioned me as an officer, and given me a complete suit of armor, and directions, and encouragement for the fight, and assurance of victory, for nothing. He bids me endure hardships, fight the good fight, carry war into Satan's dominion, down with his strong holds, spoil his goods; and resistance, and conflict, and wrestlings, I must expect. Now for the fight, by and by the victory, and then the conqueror's rest. He has, I trust, also enlisted you: be not discouraged at the number and rage of your enemies. Your captain leads you forth 'to conquest and a crown.' He will cover your head in the day of battle, heal all your wounds, renew your strength, and at last crown you more than conqueror.

"Indeed Olney is, I apprehend, as difficult a charge for a minister as can well be imagined, and I greatly feel my insufficiency; but if I look to Jesus, I cannot be discouraged: his strength shall be perfected in my weakness, and his wisdom in my foolishness: I must, however, enjoin you to pray for me: I have prayed for you long and often, and I trust the Lord has heard, and taught you to pray; now pay me in kind. I need this return, and shall much value it.

"Mr. (the last minister of Olney,) having set Olney in a flame by his contentious behavior, is to succeed me at Ravenstone, which is a sensible affliction to me; but the Lord knows better than I do, and there I leave it. It will probably prevent my future usefulness at Ravenstone. This Satan doubtless intends, but I hope the Lord will turn his counsel into foolishness."

To the same person he wrote July 4th, following: “You desire me to inform you how I like Olney: but it is impossible. I trust the Lord is with me, and I love his presence, and the light of his countenance, which entirely reconciles me to the numerous disagreeables that otherwise I do and must expect to encounter. I am satisfied that the Lord will not leave me to be needlessly discouraged; and, further, that I shall learn many a profitable lesson from the things I meet with: and, if I acquire humility, meekness, patience, prudence, experience in this school, though it be not pleasing to the flesh, the spirit will rejoice. As to the people they are pretty much as I expected: rather more divided. But I cannot tell how things will issue. I have taken a farm, which is a good deal out of heart; I am breaking up the fallow ground, ploughing, and harrowing, and sowing: but what sort of a crop I shall have, harvest

time will best shew. Only I am sure I shall reap in due season if I faint not. I do not, however, repent coming."

Indications have already appeared of the spiritual happiness which my father enjoyed after the settlement of his religious views. Several passages also in the Force of Truth, and in the Discourse on Repentance, demonstrate the same state of mind. This continued for some years, but was afterwards succeeded,as by scenes of greater effort, so also by more internal conflict. He always looked back upon the seven years which followed his first cordial reception of Scriptural truth, as those of greatest personal enjoyment. The following passages of letters to his younger sister, Mrs. Ford: may be added to those which contain intimations of this kind; and they, at the same time, continue the history of his intercourse with that branch of his family.

"January 29, 1782. To see you as happy in that peace of God, which passeth understanding, and which, through Jesus Christ, keepeth the heart and mind, as I feel myself, is my ardent wish, and frequent, fervent prayer. ... On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, I am at your service; but I preach on the other evenings.... You may likewise depend upon it, that I will not make your continuance at Olney disagreeable by religious disputes: for the Lord has almost spoiled me for a disputant. Waiting and praying are the weapons of my warfare, which I trust will in due time prove mighty, through God, for the pulling down of all strong holds, which hinder Christ's entering into, and dwelling in your heart by faith, and bringing every thought into captivity to obedience to himself .... One expression in your letter encourages me to hope that we shall, before many more years have elapsed, be like-minded; namely, where you seem to entertain a doubt of your being right, and do offer a prayer to God to set you right. Thus I began: in this I persevered, and do persevere, and have no more doubt, that it is God who taught me what I now believe and preach, as to the great outlines, than I have that God is faithful and hears prayer . . . . You wonder at my condemning you unheard, and think I have a worse opinion of you than you deserve. I will promise you I have not so bad an opinion of you as I have of myself. But the Bible condemns us all, moral and immoral, great sinners and little sinners, (if there be such a thing;) that every mouth may be stopped. Rom. iii, 19, and the following. Let me beg of you to read

without a comment, to meditate upon, and pray over this scripture, especially that humbling text, For there is no difference, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. No difference: all are guilty, all condemned malefactors, all must be saved in a way of grace, by faith, through Christ.

"June 25, 1782. Two things have concurred together to render it not easy for me to write, namely, many engagements and much indisposition . . . . If the Lord be pleased to give us, (for he is the alone giver,) in the way of honest industry in some lawful calling, the necessaries and ordinary conveniencies of life, just above the pinchings of poverty, and beneath the numberless temptations of affluence, we are then in the most favorable station for real happiness, so far as attainable in this world, that we can be; and we want nothing more but a contented mind: such a contented mind as springs from a consciousness, that of all the numberless blessings we enjoy we deserve not one, having forfeited all, and our souls too by sin; from a consideration of the povererty, and afflictions of the Son of God, endured voluntarily for us; from faith in him, a scriptural hope that our sins are pardoned, and that we are in a state of acceptance with God; from peace of conscience, peace with God, submission to him, reliance on him, and realizing views of his unerring wisdom, almighty power, and faithfulness, engaged through Jesus, to make all work for our good; together with the sweets of retired communion with him in the rarely frequented walks of fervent prayer and meditation. This is all that is wanted to make us satisfied, cheerful, and comfortable; rejoicing in hope of complete happiness in a better world. All beside, that our restless minds (restless unless and until they find rest in God,) can crave, could add nothing to us.... Riches, pleasures, diversions, the pomp and pride of life, are not only empty but ruinous-vanity and vexation. The Lord grant that we may esteem them such, and despise them. True happiness consists in being like God, loving him, and being loved of him. All the rest is but a poor attempt of miserable man to forget his misery, and to find a happiness independent of the fountain of happiness: as if men, being deprived of the light and heat of the sun, should attempt to supply the irreparable loss by fires and tapers. . . . But believe me, dear sister, it is no small matter to be such a Christian: to deny ourselves, renounce the world, crucify the flesh, and resist the devil, though pleasant to him that has once got into the scriptural method,

is too great a work for the most even of professors: most put up with either a round of devotions, in a formal way, or a set of notions. But, though there is much diligence and self-denial necessary, and the friendship of the world, and conformity to it, must be renounced; yet the present comforts of religion (I speak from sweet experience,) amply and richly repay it. May you and your's experience the same!"

In another letter, about a year afterwards, addressed to a young woman remotely connected with him by marriage, who had spent some time in his family at Weston, and who will hereafter be repeatedly noticed as his correspondent in Northumberland, he gives counsel and encouragement on the subject to which the preceding letter leads our thoughts, the treatment of relations not yet brought to that religious state of mind which we could wish. At the same time we may trace in it the germ of that spirit of intercessory prayer, which so much distinguished the writer to the end of his days.

"We seldom, or never, have to repent of doing any thing which we have well prayed over, and then acted according to the best of our judgment. I have been but little at home, and then have been very poorly in health since I received yours: so that you must excuse my delay in writing. I do not quite forget you and your concerns when at the throne of grace, though I cannot say with Paul, always in every prayer. This is one among many things in this blessed apostle which I admire, that, amidst his manifold and important employments, he seems scarcely ever to have forgotten any of his churches or friends, but to have been constant, fervent, and particular in his prayers for them all and every one. The Lord help me to imitate him!—I can sympathize with you in your sorrow, but can give you no other advice or comfort, than what you already know.—The Lord is sovereign and owes us nothing: and therefore we have abundant cause for thankfulness for what he hath, in a distinguishing manner, done for us, but none to complain of what he denies us. Be still, and know that I am God, is a lesson which all his people must learn experimentally. Wait the Lord's time, is another of the same sort. To love Christ even more than father and mother, and to desire his glory even more than their welfare, (which yet it is a duty to desire next of all,) is another very hard lesson which a true Christian must learn. But, when you have made pro