you. Pray; pray continually. Your Ladyship's in all dutiful obedience in Christ,

I

I HAVE longed exceedingly to hear of your life, and health, and growth in the grace of God. entreat you, Madam, let me have two lines from you, concerning your present condition. I know you are in grief and heaviness; and if it were not so, you might be afraid, because then your way would not be so like the way that our Lord saith leadeth to the New Jerusalem. Sure I am, if you knew what were before you, or if you saw some glances of it, you would, with gladness, pass through the present floods of sorrow, spreading forth your arms out of desire to be at land. If God have given you the earnest of the Spirit, as part of the payment of the principal sum, you ought to rejoice; for our Lord will not lose his earnest, neither will he go back, or repent him of his bargain. If you find, at some time, a longing to see God, joy in the assurance of that sight, (although the sight be but like the passover, that cometh about only once in the year,)peace of conscience, liberty of prayer, the doors of God's treasury opened to the soul, and a dear sight of himself, saying, with a smiling countenance, "Welcome to me, afflicted soul;" this is the earnest which he giveth sometimes, and which maketh glad

the heart; and is an evidence that the bargain will hold. But to the end you may get this earnest, it were good to come often to God, both in prayer and hearing of the word. You must, I say, wait upon him, and be often communing with him, for the Christ who saveth you is a speaking Christ; the Church knoweth him by his voice, and can discern his language amongst a thousand. When the Lord

cometh, he speaketh to the heart in the simplicity of the gospel. I have neither tongue nor pen to express to you the happiness of those who are in Christ; and when you have sold all that you have, and bought the field wherein this pearl is, you will think it no bad exchange; for if you be in him, all his is yours, therefore, "because he liveth, you shall live also." For the Son of God hath said, "Abide in me, and I in you." O sweet communion, when Christ and we are wholly united! "Father, I will that those whom thou hast given me be with me where I am; to behold my glory, that thou hast given me." Amen, dear Jesus, let it be according to thy word!

I wonder your heart should ever be cast down, if you believe this truth; and they are not worthy of Jesus Christ, who will not suffer forty years' trouble for him, having such glorious promises: but we fools believe those promises, as the man that read Plato's writings concerning the immortality of the soul; so long as the book was in his hand, he believed all was true, and that the soul could not die; but so soon as he laid by the book, presently he began to imagine, that the soul is but an airy smoke or vapour,

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that perisheth with the expiring of the breath; so we, at starts, do assent to the sweet and precious promises; but, laying aside God's book, we begin to call all in question. It is true faith indeed to believe without a pledge, and to hold the heart constant; and when we doubt, to run to the law and to the testimony," and stay there. Madam, hold you here; here is your Father's testament, read it: in it he hath left you remission of sins and life everlasting. If all that you have in this world be crosses and troubles, down-castings, frequent desertions and departures of the Lord, still he purposeth to do you good at your latter end, and to give you rest from the days of adversity. "It is good to bear the yoke of God in your youth." Turn ye to the strong hold, as a prisoner of hope. "For the vision is for an appointed time, but at speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it surely will come, it will not tarry." Hear himself saying, "Come, my people, (rejoice, he calleth you,) enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, till the indignation be past." Believe, then, believe and be ye saved: think it not hard, if you get not your will nor your delights in this life; God will have you to rejoice in nothing but himself. "God forbid that you should rejoice in any thing but the cross of Christ." Grace, grace be with you. The great messenger of the everlasting covenant preserve you in body and spirit. Yours in the Lord,

the last it shall

Anwoth, Feb. 1, 1630.

S. R.

Madam,

To LADY KENMURE. (5.)

GRACE, mercy and peace be multiplied upon you. I received your letter, in which I perceive your case in this world savoureth of communion with the Son of God in his sufferings. Ye cannot, ye must not have a more pleasant or more easy condition here, than he had, who through affliction was made perfect. We indeed argue, Cannot God bring us to heaven with ease and prosperity? Who doubteth but he can? but his infinite wisdom decreeth the contrary; and though we cannot see the reason, yet he hath a most just reason. Madam, when you are

come to the other side of the water, have set down your foot on the shore of glorious eternity, and look back again to the waters, and your wearisome journey, and shall see nearer to the bottom of God's wisdom, in the clear glass of endless glory; you shall then be forced to say, if God had done otherwise with me than he hath done, I had never come to the enjoying of this crown of glory. It is your part now to believe, and suffer, and hope, and wait on. I protest, in the presence of that all-discerning eye, who knoweth what I write, and what I think, that I would not be without the sweet experience of the consolations of God, for all the bitterness of affliction: nay, whether God come to his children with a rod, or with a crown, if he come himself with it, it is well: welcome, welcome, Jesus, what way soever thou come, if we get a sight of thee. And sure I

am, it is better to be sick, providing Christ come to the bedside, and say, "Courage, I am thy salvation," than to enjoy health, and never be visited by God.

You are now deprived of

Worthy and dear lady, in the strength of Christ fight and overcome; you are now alone, but you may have (if you ask,) Three always in your company, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I trust they are near you. a lively ministry, so was Israel in their captivity; yet hear God's promise to them, "Therefore, thus saith the Lord God, Although I have cast them far off among the heathen, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to them as a little sanctuary, in the countries where they shall come:" behold a sanctuary! for a sanctuary God himself, in the place and room of the temple of Jerusalem. I trust in God, carrying this temple about with you, you shall see Jehovah's beauty in his house.

Madam, my wife, after a long disease and torment, by the space of a year and a month, is departed this life: the Lord hath done it, blessed be his I have been diseased of a fever for the space of thirteen weeks, and am still in that sickness, so that I preach but once on the Sabbath with great difficulty. The Lord Jesus be with your spirit.

name.

Anwoth, June 26, 1630.

S. R.