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me. She was dreft in black, her skin was contracted into a thousand wrinkles, her eyes deep funk in her head, and her complexion pale and livid as the countenance of death. Her looks were filled with terror and unrelenting severity, and her hands armed with whips and fcorpions. As foon as the came near, with a horrid frown, and a voice that chilled my blood, she bid me follow her. I obeyed, and the led me through rugged paths, befet with briars and thorns, into a deep folitary valley. Wherever the paffed, the fading verdure withered beneath her fteps; her peftilential breath infected the air with malignant vapours, obfcured the luftre of the fun, and involved the fair face of heaven in univerfal gloom. Difmal howlings refounded through the foreft, from every baleful tree the night-raven uttered his dreadful note, and the profpect was filled with defolation and horror. In the midft of this tremendous fcene my execrable guide addreffed me in the following manner:

"Retire with me, O rafh, unthinking mortal! from the vain allurements of a deceitful world, and learn that pleasure was not defigned the portion of human life. Man was born to mourn and to be wretched. This is the condition of all below the ftars, and whoever endeavours to oppose it, acts in contradiction to the will of heaven. Fly then from the fatal enchantments of youth, and focial delight, and here confecrate the folitary hours to lamentation and woe. Mifery is the lot of all fublunary beings, and every enjoyment is an offence to the Deity, who is to be worshipped only by the mortification of every sense of pleasure, and the everlasting exercise of fighs and tears.”

This melancholy picture of life quite funk my fpirits, and feemed to annihilate every principle of joy within me. I threw myself beneath a blafted yew, where the winds blew cold and difmal round my head, and dreadful apprehenfions chilled my heart. Here I refolved to lie till the hand of death fhould put an end to the miseries of a life so deplorably wretched. In this fad fituation I fpied on one hand of me, a deep, muddy river, whose heavy waves rolled on in flow, fullen murmurs. Here! determined

determined to plunge, and was juft on the brink, when I found myself suddenly drawn back. I turned about, and was fur prised by the fight of the lovelieft object I ever beheld. The moft engaging charms of youth and beauty appeared in all her form; effulgent glories fparkled in her eyes, and their awful fplendours were foftened by the gentleft looks of compaffion and peace. At her approach the frightful spectre, who had before tormented me, vanished away, and with her all the horrors fhe had caufed. The gloomy clouds brightened into cheerful funfhine, and the whole region looked gay and blooming as the garden of Eden. I was quite tranfported at this unexpected change, and reviving pleasure began to glad my thoughts, when with a look of inexpreffible fweetness, my beauteous deliverer thus uttered her divine inftructions.

[To be continued.]

LET

ETTER S.

LETTER

CCCCXXVIII.

[From Mifs J. C. March, to the Rev. J. Wefley.]

Rev. Sir,

IT

December 30, 1775

T is very long fince I addreft you, my much-respected friend, though my fublimeft thoughts have often arose from a fecret converfation I held in my mind with you. I find much union of fentiment with you; and my experience often reminds me of the truth of your obfervations on various occafions. When you were given back to us from the dead, I longed to be one of the first who fhould congratulate your recovery; but want of a direction, and other things intervening, made me

delay

delay till the fubje&t would have been out of feason. And ever fince I have scarce had any thing important enough to write.

We are called at present to endure difcouragement, by the withdrawment of fome of our brethren. It is a cause to me of heaviness, though it does not tempt me to follow their example: as I am not difpofed to liften to the cry of, Lo! Chrift is here, or lo! Chrift is there. Yet I am not always fatisfied with the portions of meat I receive. I wish to find my Teachers more truly anfwer the defcription of the promised Paftors, of whom it is faid, "They fhall feed you with knowledge and underfranding." I too seldom reap this desirable bleffing, and am therefore in great danger of defpifing prophefyings.

My chief good is gained by communing with my own heart, and by fearching out my own spirit. My gracious Lord warns, and admonishes me, and points out to me the neceffity of fimply obeying the word of God as the beft and only way to gain or preferve a mind in health, and a heart at reft. I wifh to have the whole of my converfation in this world by the grace of God; but I feel my own extreme helpleffness. I do not always find fuch a measure of the Unction of the Holy One as helps me to fleer my courfe aright. I feel my want of fpiritual help; yet can fcarce explain myself to you so as to obtain your direction: only any thing you can fay on the way and means of close walking with God, and deep piety, must be a word in season. I want the reviving influences of grace, and my foul to be more abundantly raifed by divine power.

I live too much without experience, except that which arifes from the motions of grace, or from the fenfibility of my own defects; and am not always confcious of the fenfible workings of God's Spirit, effecting my farther fanctification as I could wifh.

You once described my state to be, that of a perfon on the threshold of chriftian perfection. I think, fince then the Lord

brought

brought me a little farther into the good land; but I fear I have crept back to the threshold again!

Since I begun this, I have heard the welcome tidings that you defign Briftol a vifit.

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Our neceffities cry,

"Come and

help us!" Till then,

I remain, Rev. Sir, with gratitude and respect,

Your affectionate and obliged Servant,

LETTER

CCCCXXIX.

J. C. M.

[From Mrs. M. L. to the Rev. J. Welley.]

Rev. Sir,

Bristol, Dec. 14, 1775.

A Deep fenfe of my own unworthinefs, has caufed me to

delay writing, longer than I wifhed. But remembering that you never look upon it as lofs of time to inftruct your friends in the way of righteoufnefs, I beg that you will confer on me an act of friendship, which I do not remember you ever yet did I mean, to tell me all my faults. For I fo covet the reproofs of my friends, that I can truly fay with David, "Let the righteous fmite me friendly." I often find fuch admonitions tend to help me to the knowledge of myself, which neceffarily drives me to the fountain open for fin and uncleannefs; but I want faith to wash therein and be clean.

I trust that he is carrying on the work of fanctification in my foul, which oftentimes proves painful to the remains of corrupt nature. I am ready to cry out, "Who may abide the day of His coming? and who fhall ftand when he appeareth VOL. X.

Sf

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as a refiner's fire? But he makes me willing to endure, fol may at laft awake up after his likeness."

For feveral weeks paft I have experienced great inward and outward trials; but I have alfo experienced that gracious promife, "As thy day is, fo fhall thy ftrength be." I find outward trials have a happy tendency to wean me from the world, and fweetly to conftrain me to truft in the Lord alone for every thing I want. And he is teaching me, that having prefent food and raiment, I am therewith to be content.

I see more and more beauty in entire devotednefs to Jefus ; and have lately found myself very ambitious of suffering hardnefs as a good foldier of Jefus Chrift. I think that in general we are too eafy and do not enough take up our crofs as the followers of a crucified Mafter. We are too apt to forget that he was a man of forrows, and acquainted with griefs; so that when he gives us to have fellowship with him in his fufferings, we are ready to feek out to ourselves an cafier way: forgetting that the fervant is not to be above his Lord. From obferving lately that this is the cafe of feveral I am acquainted with, I am lead to pray that God would give us all,

"A foul innured to pain,

To hardship, grief, and lofs,
Bold to take up, firm to fuflain
The confecrated cross :"

being affured that if we fuffer with him we fhall alfo reign with him. That this may be our happy portion, is, Rev. Sir, the carneft defire of your obedient Servant,

M. L.

POETRY.

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