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he was when he sat upon the stool by the fire-side, as already mentioned, and the good Lord was pleased so to bless what he enabled me to say to him, that confusion vanished, infidelity fled, his bonds and fetters gave way, his doubts and fears were dispersed; Christ shewed him that he was still upon his own beast, where he set him when he first bound up his wounds, poured in oil and wine, and brought him health and cure; and he sensibly and comfortably kept riding on towards the heavenly country, whither I believe in my soul he is arrived in perfect safety." Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits!"

I must here inform you of the wonderful impression upon his mind, and what was spoken to his heart, just after I entered his house, which he told me in his third letter. His words are these: "When the Lord sent you to my house, soon after I saw you, a thought sprung up in my mind, just as if the Lord had said, 'You want to be tried by my word; you must tell your case and experience to that man, and I will enable him to give you an answer;' which has proved to be exactly agreeable to the working of my thoughts at that time, and the Lord has appeared for me again; the Sun of Righteousness has arisen afresh with healing in his wings, and enlarged my heart. My thoughts go out after him; I have access to him prayer, and can now rejoice in his finished salvation; and I sincerely thank the Father of all

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mercies for enabling you to write so exactly to my case, and next to God I thank you, and can with gratitude of heart say, that your prayer has been answered, your epistle proving a word in due season; for by the blessing of God upon it my soul has been revived and restored again, and I believe that I shall be more than conqueror, through him that hath loved me." He also declares, that he never was at liberty to perience to any person but myself. church is declared to be, "A spring shut up, a fountain sealed," which is only opened and enlarged as the Lord is pleased to influence her by his grace and Spirit. The kind providence that brought us together, which I believe, by the blessing of God, has been profitable to both our souls, served also as the means of circulating our late honoured Pastor's works in that part of the country; and I am in possession of some good reports that they have been made very useful to several; especially to two men, with whom I keep up a correspondence.

How does the great and good Shepherd, who was sent to save all the lost sheep, both elect Jews and Gentiles, go after these, and by his own means, and the display of his own power, seek them out of all places whither scattered in the cloudy and dark day, bringing them into union with himself! So that they must and shall, let them be in what corners they may, see out of obscurity and out of darkness, and so come

forth as to shew themselves by a public pro fession of his blessed name; as the Lord says, "I will take you one of a city, and two of a family (or tribe), and I will bring you to Zion," Jer. iii. 14, the remnant according to the election of grace, in this our highly-favoured isle, which is now the seat of the church of God, and to which the prophet alludes so beautifully, that I do not like to pass it by without notice, "He shall not fail, nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth, and the isles shall wait for his law," Isai. xlii. 4. The islands of the Gentiles were overspread, or first peopled, by our father Japhet, Gen. x. 5. And the promise of the Lord to him is, "God shall enlarge, or persuade Japhet, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem," Gen. ix. 27. And this was fulfilled when the Jews were broken off; the door of faith opened to the Gentiles, Acts xiv. 27; and they were brought to believe in Christ Jesus. And this faith is the law the isles were to wait for, including our island more than any other; for we are living witnesses that we have not waited in vain, because the Lord has given us that faith which is the fruit of the Spirit, and the hand that has brought salvation to our souls. And then, if we follow on to the tenth verse, this faith, which purifies the heart, and works by love, brings that comfort which makes the soul joyful in its God; and such are called upon to sing his praises; "Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise from the ends of

the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein, the isles and the inhabitants thereof; let them give glory unto the Lord, and declare his praise in the islands," Isai. xlii. 4-12. Also, "Listen, O Isles, unto me," Isai. xlix. 1. And, bless his holy name! how many in this isle have been brought to sit down at his feet, and to receive the word of eternal life from his mouth, according to these passages, Deut. xxxiii. 3. John x. S,4, 16. Compare Isai. lix. 18; li. 5; and lx. 9. Again, "From the uttermost parts of the earth have we heard songs, even glory to the righteous; but I said, My leanness, my leanness, wo unto me!" Isai. xxiv. 16. And when the Lord Jesus girded his sword upon his thigh, Psalm xlv. 5, and upon his white horse, Rev. xix. 11, began to ride in this island, and to display his power, his glory and majesty, because of truth, meekness, and righteousness, that these, by the means of his ministering servants, in whose hearts he dwells and by whom he speaks, might be dispensed to the objects of his eternal affection, which after his resurrection was promised, and the commission was given, "Go ye forth into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature," Mark xiii. 10. xvi. 15. When those that escaped at the destruction of Jerusalem, that drew the bow or preached the word of God from a saving knowledge of the blessings of it, which were the Apostles, and others their fellow labourers, who, with their successors, were scattered abroad, so as

to go to the nations-to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud; to Tubal and Javan, and at last to the isles afar off, that had not heard of Christ's fame, neither seen his glory; to declare all this to declare all this among the Gentiles, as it has been done to us Britons, Isai. lxvi. 19; then began to be accomplished the truth of this gracious promise, which contains all the elect in this part of the earth; "I will say to the north, Give up," as well as to the East, West, and South, "Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth;" (we Britons are a part of the ends of the earth) " even every one that is called by my name; for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him," Isai. xliii. 6, 7.

Here we plainly see that the Lord's elect are declared to be his sons and daughters before called by grace, or made partakers of the Holy Ghost; and they were such by election and predestination, in the counsel of peace and covenant of grace, entered into from all eternity by the three adorable persons in the ever-blessed Trinity. And a parallel we have in their being called sons of peace before ever peace was applied or communicated;" Luke x. v. 6. And the Holy Spirit is not given to make us sons and daughters; but to enable us to claim that, with application to ourselves, which we were from everlasting, and to make it manifest to us that we are the children of God, according to his eternal purpose; and so it is clearly declared

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