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fame cafe, and her prayer was that moment mine; heart I could fay, "Awake, O north

and from my heart I could say,

wind, and come, thou fouth; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out." Ever fince the Lord brought me into the liberty of the gofpel, these words have perplexed me, why the venerable spouse fhould wifh to awake the north wind. But I believe I know the fecret now; for I had rather be under the influence of that gale than to lie wind-bound, which is my cafe at prefent. But, upon this discovery of my state, my beloved feemed to put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him. This feemed, in a measure, to rouse me from my fpiritual lethargy, and a little fervour was communicated to my spirit, which enabled me to arise and open to my beloved, But, as it fared with her of old, so it does with me; for my beloved has withdrawn himfelf, and is gone; I fought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no anfwer; and, fince that time, I have loft that little fervour I then found on my fpirit, fo that I have no heart to feek him. But the light which difcovers where I am remains ftill with me. This is my present ftate; and how long I am to lie at anchor I know not; but I do not, at prefent, feel the leaft breeze from the everlafting hills to fill the fails. I feel this a fad cafe indeed, and can find no access to God; no faith in exercise to plead his word of promife at a throne

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of
grace. Therefore, if
him that I am fick of love.

you fee

my beloved, tell

The questions you ask a folution of are not (I am fure) for your own information; but, whatever your motive may be, I am bound, from a grateful fenfe of my obligations to you, to answer any question you shall afk, if it lies in my power; and I hope I fhall ever bear my teftimony against fuch a lie as that, viz. that the believer, after being once brought into the liberty of the gospel, is never entangled again in legal bondage; my own experience is point blank against it. Therefore I know that those who affert fuch things know not what they fay, nor whereof they affirm. For I am fure this is the third time that I have been in legal bondage fince the Lord was pleafed to proclaim liberty to my foul, which is but two years come next week; and I think my wanderings have been fomething fimilar to thofe of the prophet Elijah, when he went a day's journey in the wilderness. I have always been made to experience the wind, the earthquake, and the fire, before I have been favoured with the ftill small voice which has brought me back again; and have been made as bitter in my fpirit as was the prophet, when he fat under the juniper-tree, and requested of the Lord that he might die, though he knew it was contrary to God's will. Moreover, I am in a ftrait to know what this can be. I know it is the effect of legal bondage; and I

have felt it as keen and as galling fince my deliverance as I did before, only with this difference (as you obferved to me in a former letter), "that unappeafed wrath, and unatoned guilt, are not mixed with it."—But I muft conclude with thanking you kindly for all favours, and begging a continuance of them, attended with an interest in your prayers for me, that I may be kept from every fnare that Satan may spread for my feet, and that the Lord would condescend to visit me again, and restore to me the joys of his falvation, and uphold me with his free Spirit, that the wildernefs and the folitary place may be made glad and flourish, and the defert bloffom as the rofe. Then joy and gladness will be found therein, thanksgiving and the voice of melody, and not till then. My partner joins in kind refpects. Believe'me to remain, as much as ever,

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LETTER XXVIII.

To PHILOMELA, of the King's Dale.

I HAVE paid feveral vifits this week,

both to you on the hill, and to thofe in the valley, only I was abfent in body; fo that my appearance was imperceptible; fomewhat like that of the beloved standing behind the wall, and fhewing himfelf through the lattice. Whether any troubles have happened to either of your families, I know not; but you have been much on my mind when I have been fecretly engaged in that greatest, beft, moft bleffed, and moft glorious privilege that ever perifhing finners were favoured with.

Private prayer is my court vifits to my God, the life and breath of my foul; it is the afcenfion of the foul to the Almighty, and its returns are the defcenfion of Chrift to the foul's help. It is the affuafion of grief, the easement of a burdened heart, and the vent of a joyful one. It is the rich favour of myftical incenfe, the overflowings of a living fountain, an all-prevailing facrifice, the delight of the Almighty, and a ravishing charm to the heavenly bridegroom.

Prayer

Prayer has made the Sun of Righteousness to ftand ftill in his firmament, though difcharged from the lips of a blind beggar. It has brought the Ancient of Days to dwell in a bush; and even a worm, by this fimple mean, has held the King of kings in the galleries; yea, Omnipotence itself has been conftrained to fay, "Let me go, for the day breaketh." But duft and ashes replied, "I will not, except thou bless me." And he bleffed him there, and allowed that himself had been conquered, and ftyled his antagonist a prevailer with God. Thus Judah's Lion was overcome, and the lame duck waddled off with the victory. Prayer is a defence against the spirit of this world, and a guard against the inroads of vanity; it is a maul upon the head of the old man, and a lafh of fcorpions for the devil.

Prayer is a bridle in the jaws of a perfecutor, a spell to a voracious enemy, a dagger at the heart of a heretic, a key to parables and dark fayings, and a battering-ram on the walls of falvation. "The kingdom of heaven fuffereth violence, and the violent take it by force."

Prayer opens the bountiful hand of God, opens the door of mercy, keeps Chrift in the throne of our affections, and covers every rival and usurper with fhame and confufion of face.

Prayer is my royal-exchange, where I have brought thousands of cares, burdens, fnares, troubles, vexations, temptations, doubts, fears, mifgiv

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