I fecretly wished you not to leave me, as I knew the flatterer was at no great distance; but I did not ask you. You turned and went out of my fight again; and no fooner was you gone, but this woman came up to me again, but fomewhat nearer. I felt the same sensations as before, and, as before, took my garments, and girt them round me with all the ftrength I had, and stood trembling before her, expecting her to fall on me. I wished for you to come again; but you came no more. This was done three times; and I believe with my trembling I awoke. What it all means I muft leave to God and future difcovery; but fure I am, by the repetitions of the dream, and by my ftrange feelings under it, that fome fore trial awaits me. I know that the church of Rome, and all falfe churches, as well as the foolish virgins, are called women, and are fet forth as very gaudy and gay in their drefs, as this woman was; and I believe it is the bufinefs and delight of fuch perfons to rob the children of God. But who can take away the garment of imputed righteoufnefs, or lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? My garment I wrapt close round me; and I believe it is faith that puts this robe on, and keeps it clofe. However, fuffer we muft; and, "if we fuffer with him, we fhall alfo reign with him;" for our confolations are as fure as our fufferings. The Lord promifes ftrength equal to the day; and, if fo, I fhall ftand and withstand. My My other three fucceeding epiftles you told me drew fome fecrets from your heart; and I am fure they did my foul good; and, as this is the third fince you wrote me, I hope these will do the fame again. I faw the herald laft night, and he was as well as ufual. meet you and your family well. Hope this will HAVING a little leifure time upon my hands, I am inclined to write to thee, having a defire to know how thou doft. But which way to steer my course, so as to find thee, is the difficult task that I have undertaken. 8 In my former epiftles epiftles I always went before thee by the spirit of prophecy; and, as thou cameft after, thou didst fet to thy feal that the word of the Lord was true. But, moving from my old habitation, and the troubles which have attended it, have fo interrupted our correfpondence, that I know not where thou art. However, I will pursue the footsteps of the flock; and I have no douht but I fhall overtake thee, either in the vallies, or in the heights of Ifrael. To go back to the days of thy difperfion, when thou waft ftumbling upon the dark mountains, must be altogether vain. The Shepherd's promise to thee in that ftate hath been fulfilled: "I will feek my sheep, and fearch them out; and I will gather them out of all places whither they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark days." From these difinal and dark regions he hath put thee forth, and gone before thee, and caused thee to pass under the rod, and to hear his voice; and he hath led thee into the bond of the covenant, that thou mightest be bound up in the bundle of life with the chief Shepherd. This is the fummit of all happiness, the height of Zion's dignity, the high mountain and the eminent on which fo many have faid, "I fhall never be moved; thou, Lord, of thy goodness haft made my hill fo ftrong." Upon this eminence he carries the lambs in his bofom, as well as leads gently thofe that are are with young. The former feel the warmth of his heart, the latter the strength of his arm. But it is vexatious, grievous, yea, and dangerous, coming down from this mount; because the horrible pit and the miry clay are so near to the foot of it, one of old tumbled into it: "I ftick faft; I am come into the deep waters, fo that the floods overflow me." This ftiffened his joints, and relaxed his nerves, and made him ftagger and wad dle in his walk. "I am ready to halt, and my forrows are continually before me." This being put out of the bofom, and driven from the fuckling-house, and turned adrift to go behind, and only now and then allowed to hear the Shepherd's voice, and being bid to follow him inftead of riding in the bosom, appears to be hard treatment. However, he always heals them that halt, binds up that which is broken, and feeds that which is faint: "The Lord is my fhepherd, therefore I fhall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green paftures; he leadeth me befide the ftill waters; he restoreth my foul; he leadeth me in paths of righteousness for his name's fake." Thus to lie down and find reft and fatisfaction, encompaffed and fupported by the lively oracles, or life-giving words of promife, and to be led by the ftreams which flow from the river of divine pleafure, makes us fat and flourishing. But, alas! thefe vanish again, and we lofe fight of these waters: "I am a stranger with thee; hide not thy commandment commandment from me. O, when wilt thou come and comfort me!" Here the old man, and the sheep's worst enemy, entangle him; he is hung up: "Mine eyes are ever toward the Lord; for he fhall pluck my feet out of the net. The troubles of my heart are enlarged; O bring thou me out of my diftreffes !" Out he comes again: "I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy for thou haft confidered my trouble; thou haft known my soul in adversities, and haft not shut me up into the hand of the enemy. Thou hast set my feet in a large room." But he foon wanders out of this into the defert, and gets upon the barren mountains of Sinai, and here gets both blinded and impoverished: "I have gone aftray like a loft sheep; feek thy fervant, for I do not forget thy commandments." What part of this path of tribulation my fifter is now on, or which of thefe footfteps of the flock suits her present steps, I know not; but, when I faw her laft, fhe was fhut up, and could not come forth; and, when I informed her of a future enlargement, her anfwer agreed with that of her fifter of old, "Nay, thou man of God, do not lie to thine handmaid;" for I fhall never be comfortable any more in this world. Has experience, from that time to this, proved that saying to be true? or did the Lord confirm the word of his fervant, and perform the counsel of his meffenger? Once more: Haft thou found, in the courfe of thy |