you have offered for the watchful eye of providence and grace to guard me in my feparated ftate of folitude, is the highest inftance of your love and friendship; and I doubt not but that (through the powerful interceffion of the great Mediator)" your prayer will come before God as incenfe, and the lifting up of your hands as the evening facrifice."

I was glad to find my fon had (though late) done his duty, in paying his juft regards to his father's friend at Newington; and I thank you from the bottom of my heart, for your kind concern towards him. I know he lives in an age and place, and in an employment, that continually environ him with a numerous variety of fnares and temptations, and that nothing less than the matchlefs powerful influences of the grace of God are able to keep him, and to the grace of God I defire to commend him, and thereto leave him, nor am I without encouragement fo to do, and to give praise to God for ever and ever, while I hear he yet faves him from any open flagrant vices.

It is my duty, and has been my pleasure (during his distance from me) to be his monitor on his birth-day, by telling him, he was born to die; and I take the freedom to enclose you what I now write to him on that head, which you will read, feal, and let it find the way to his chambers, not taking notice to him, at any time, that you have read it; VOL. II.

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but what I defign in it is, that (in your converfation and letters, when you will pleafe fo to honour him) you would now and then harp upon the fame ftring, and you will, doctor, forgive this trouble, when you confider the ineradicable Erogyň, implanted by the God of nature in us fathers.

Omnis in Afcanio chari ftat cura parentis.

I pray you to make my moft refpectful compliments to the excellent lady Abney, to whom I am highly obliged for her condolence and kind wishes.

I thank you for your two books: that on Humility I have twice run over, and am much pleafed. Methinks a man that loves this world, or a better, fhould rejoice to fhine in that virtue. What fays Solomon?" Before honour is humility." And what fays St. Peter?" God refifteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble." I have not quite got through your Strength and Weakness of Human Reafon, but am greatly gratified, fo far as I am gone; and when you are pleafed to oblige the world with any thing new, I fhall be glad to have it as a ftrength and ornament to my fmall collection. And I am alfo to beg your picture, one of which graces our college library.

The

The feveral packets committed to my care, found the way to their owners. I ask your acceptance of our last election fermon, preached by the reverend and pious Mr. Lorlny; and of a grammar lately put out by one of the fons of our college.

Mr. Belcher fent me a copy of your letter to him, of the 19th of Jan. laft, from Newington, refpecting the epitaph he had prepared for the tomb of his late dear mother. Your frankness and freedom with him is fuch a teft of your fincere regard to his honour, as I cannot enough thank you for, and with fuch a grateful fenfe does he reprefent it to me. I approve your corrections in general, and like your last thought of faving the whole, the first part to be on the top ftone of the tomb, the two other parts to be on the two fides. I by no means like the word barr'd; for the duft of the faints is not imprifoned, but only refts from its labour. Poets, they fay, must be born fo, which I am fure I was not, therefore you must pardon the blunder, if I think the two firft lines might run thus :

Peaceful within this filent fhrine's preferv'd,

A while that facred duft which angels guard.

When with your kind help he has made the matter perfect, I fhall be expecting it for inscription.

that

Reverend and dear Sir, I wish above all things thou mayeft profper and be in health, even as thy foul profpereth." Thus, I am, your friend and servant, J. BELCHER.

LETTER IV.

REV. AND DEAR SIR,

Boston, May 20, 1741.

I AM afhamed to look over the date of your kind letter of the 4th of May laft, which came to my hands the ift of November following, yet I can rely on your goodness for pardon in owning it fo late; while you confider how much I am ingroffed in the care of two of the king's provinces, fometimes, I fear, too much to the neglect of the great bufinefs of the King of kings; and yet I would humbly hope I have an eye to his glory, in the whole of my administration: "Man is born to trouble, as the fparks fly upwards;" and even this determinaof the great Governor of the world, is defigned in mercy to mankind. What fays the wife preacher, "In the day of adverfity confider;" and his pious father, "Before I was afflicted I went aftray." If the fruit of our troubles be" that our ways please the Lord; he will make even our enemies to be at peace with us." May the holy and eternal fpirit of God take the full poffeffion of my heart, that this may become my cafe, through

riches of mercy in Jefus Chrift. He that faid to the foaming billows, "Peace, be ftill," and it was fo, can disconcert all faction and oppofition, can scatter every cloud, and bid the shades of night fly before the fpringing day and rifing fun! A governor muft endeavour to mail himfelf with patience, Savis effe tranquillum in undis. I defire "to be in fubjection to the Father of spirits," and to have faith in him, and this conftant conclufion in myself, that all the carvings of his providence towards me are beft for me.

I again greatly rejoice in the favour of God, in fo well reftoring you after fuch a threatening ftroke; but I rejoice still more in your humble and pious fubmiffion, while you can fay, " you are waiting his will to be employed here, or to be called away hence at what hour he pleases." Oh! Sir, how thankful muft the chriftian be that has thus got upon the last round of the ladder. My greatest gratitude flies into your bofom, in return for all your prayers and good wifhes to me and to my family as to myself, I am juft at the heels of fixty; my few remaining moments are crowded into a narrow compafs, "my days are swifter than a poft or a weaver's fhuttle, they will foon be extinct, and the grave be ready for me." Oh! then may I, by the fovereign powerful grace of God, double my diligence, that I may be ready when G 3

my