Chapter I: HAVE been a little concerned of late about the term Prophet. You

guess what is the cause: many eminent professors, who are better acquainted with the News-paper than the Bible, have been lately venting out a good deal of spite against the memory of a late Minister, in consequence of what they call his ambitious and strongly-conceited _Epitaph_—“A Prophet hath been among them.” Quite forgetting that _all_ real, faithful ministers, are entitled to the same name. The passage is, in part, quoted from Ezekiel ii, 5. _And they_, _whether they will hear_, _or whether they well forbear_, _for they are a rebellious house_, _yet shall know that a Prophet hath been among them_. I believe this name is applied to gospel ministers, nearly twenty times in the New Testament. Many things of eternal importance do they prophecy; and one branch of their prophecy I am sure you will find true, _viz._ That through much tribulation, they must enter the kingdom.—Jacob called his sons together and said, _I will tell you that which shall befal you in the latter days_. And Solomon, the type of our most blessed Immanuel, acting in this character, gives intimation, of what _we_ must experience, that are created anew in Christ Jesus, and predestinated to the possession and enjoyment of the good work of Jesus—the good work of the eternal Spirit, and the good work and enjoyment of the blessed in Heaven. These God has ordained we should walk in—these are the evidences of union to Jesus; and as these are our privileges, so we must indeed drink of the same Cup Jesus did, and be immersed in the same Baptism. This was what the Holy Spirit witnessed to Paul, that in every city where he came bonds and affliction should await him, and he must go through them. No doubt these will have a glorious tendency, for our Covenant God does nothing in vain. You have hitherto been much indulged; I have really envied you, but the change you now experience is only to shew you what need you have of the _whole_ armour of God. You are but just come into the field of action, to combat with sin, Satan, errors, hypocrites, and erroneous men—to combat with many outward and inward foes, who now appear to your view.

But the dear Saviour will also appear very precious now, in other forms, to what you have ever felt of seen him. The Spirit will take every opportunity to reveal him just as you really need him. You will so learn Christ that you will be able to stand in these days of evil, which must come on the followers of the dear Saviour, and in which they must say they feel no pleasure. These evil days are set forth by Solomon under the following metaphors: The darkness of the sun, the moon, and stars, with a long, heavy, lowering sky. These things will be understood by the tried family of God; so that while you have the season of getting, or doing good, you must use that period for that use—hence such seasons are called an _Hour_—very short, but precisely fixed and determined by our covenant God. This season is called a _Day_ that will soon go away, and the _Night_ commence. This day is far spent with you, and a night is come on, in which you cannot work, but must wait—in which you cannot run, but must stand still, till the Lord sends you bright clouds, and a clear shining after rain. This season, in your experience, is called a _Morning_. How lovely and pleasant, while through the falling dew of God’s favor, your graces budded, and the softly-pleasing southern gales caused your spikenard to send forth a delightful perfume. But evil days must come; not such evil days as must befal those as have no interest in, or love to the Saviour, and which may never come on in _this_ world. Hence they are said to receive their good things in this life, but the righteous evil things. What a mercy, my brother! in all that befals you there is no curse, no hatred in God to you, no unatoned guilt, no danger of hell, or of coming short of the desired haven; nor perhaps _many_ fears or dread of _these_ things: I hope they are gone out of your conscience long ago: not but you may be tempted about them for a time, but these shall be gone. Hence God promises, that on all hills which shall be digged with a mattock there shall not come thither the fears of briars and thorns; the real cause of these fears never shall come on you again. But the design of this Letter is simply to point out some of the evil days. Literally, Solomon refers to old age, with all the infinities that attend it. And this may be applied to the weakness of the human frame, the trouble, as well as to longevity of life; and hence the 71st Psalm, composed by David, and indited by the Spirit, which belongs to Christ. He, the adorable Messiah, prays, _Cast me not off in the time of old age_, which is explained in the next clause, _when my strength faileth me_; and is doubtless the meaning of the 18th verse. This may be seen in his agony in the garden, when he cried out, _O my Father_! _if it be possible let this cup pass from me_. Now likewise his prayer was answered, for there appeared an angel from heaven to him to strengthen him. Thus age is not always applied to length of years; a person through affliction of body, many cares, crosses and losses, may be old; that is, as weak in constitution as the most aged and infirm character. No doubt many bear up amazingly well under the infirmities of age; but it must be allowed these are evil days: _that_ alone which can sweeten them, is a good hope through grace, the clear witness of the Spirit of God to the conscience, a lively precious faith in an everlasting covenant, in the blood of the Lamb, and in the faithfulness of that God who has graciously said, _and even to old age and hoary hairs will I be with you_. Justified in the Redeemer’s obedience, and kept firm in the truth. Solomon says, _The hoary head is a crown of glory if it be found in the way of righteousness_. Happy, thrice happy old man! just upon the threshold of that joy that awaits thee. Soon thy spiritual Joseph will send the waggons of his holy angels to conduct thee to himself, to behold all his glory.

Yet a season and you know,
Happy entrance shall be given—
All your sorrows left below,
And earth exchang’d for heaven.

What a prospect! what a scene! what a joy! nor shall you be disappointed of your hope, seeing Christ is commissioned to keep what you have long committed to his dear divine hands, your body and soul, the one for almost immediate glory, the other for a joyful resurrection.

Thus having viewed the passage in this literal form, let me return to point out some of the days of evil of which the Bible speaks, and you may meet with, that when they come you may remember I told you of them. When God is pleased to shew us our sinful hearts in that degree we are able to bear it. When conscience reproaches us for sins of omission and commission; sins long practised and long pursued by us. Satan taking the advantage of these convictions, and throwing in his fiery darts. These are called the days of evil. _Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil_, _when the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about_. This is a time you will surely meet with, as Job and others have, who have said before you, _Thou makest me to possess the iniquities of my youth_. _Thou hast set my secret sins before me_. _Remember not the sins of my youth_. Such days as these, when guilt lies heavy on the conscience, you will feel no pleasure, till faith embraces the atonement, and banishes fear. Another evil day you will have is the day of temptation, when Satan is apparently let loose upon you, as he was upon poor Job, and Paul, and Jeremiah. When you will want your head covered in the day of battle, and feel your need of the shield of faith and the helmet of hope, the one to cover your head, the other to repel these fiery darts of the Devil, which he will shoot at you—fiery shot, from the burning malice of Hell, such as strong temptation to excite burning lusts, blasphemous thoughts of God, horrid suggestions, debasing thoughts of Christ, with all the Atheism, Deism, Arianism, Socinianism, Arminianism, and Antinomianism of the human heart, stirred up by the Devil, to foster despair, enmity, and hatred of God. Thus tried you must watch the motions of the Spirit, leading you to the death of the Saviour, and with your Spirit exclaiming, Thou, O Lord, art my hope in the day of evil.

I must notice another day: _Public troubles on the Church_, which I believe will come yet; I humbly conceive the man of sin will die hard; he seems to be hearing some of his dying groans at present, but it will have its last convulsive struggle; the hour of temptation must come on—the Church seems in her Laodicean state, and it may be really in that state for all I know, though many great men suppose the Church in her Sardian state; be that as it may, have we not cause to lament the general drowsiness of the Church, the very few names that have not defiled their garments—the cloudy state of Professor and Possessor—the state the Prophet alluded to, when he said, _It shall come to pass that the light shall not be clear nor dark_. Is it not true of that light which is in the Church? the people not wholly in the dark about the Doctrines of the Gospel, yet they are not clear; and perhaps, never was a time in the Church when God’s real people were so cloudy, generally, about their interest in the Saviour, so that we may look for the sieve—a sifting time will come, for the Church and the World seem too much allied, at present, in principle and practice. The Saviour says, _Be ye seperate_—and if this small, still voice is not obeyed, you may depend upon it he will bring his rod, _for his fan is in his hand_, _and he will thoroughly purge his floor_. Hence his own declaration, _And I will bring upon thee a day of evil_. This you may feel personally. Also, after having been a little at ease, and careless of God’s glory, his cause, and his ways, he may permit you to fall; or by associating with carnal Professors, or the World too much, God may bring on you a rod to drive you from them—and if you should chance to fall, and they know it, though God in mercy, gives you repentance to life, they will be the first to stone you, and like the Priest and Levite, take care to avoid you; and if after this, you maintain the sentiment of human weakness, and insist upon it man is nothing, but as he is made and kept by the grace of God, these stout men, these whole-hearted professors, will hate you and your Doctrines; so Job found, when he said, _He that is ready to slip with his feet_, _is as a lamp despised in the thought of him that is at ease_. But God may bring on you such an evil day.

Another day of evil is, _Suffering persecution from the world for the truth’s sake_; or from those who profess a part of the truth. Such may hate you, nay the Saviour says they _shall_ hate you, and say all manner of evil against you—_all manner_, not a few hard and ill-natured things, but any thing disrespectful, spiteful, and disgraceful. This may be the lot of my Brother—this you will find very hard, seeing you have been kind to all, and acted as upright before men as you could, never deserving this from man,—yet meeting with it. Defamation of character, endeavouring to injure you in your situation, trying to prejudice all your friends against you, and to stir up your own household to oppose you. But these things _will_ they do to you, because, says the Saviour, _They have not known the Father nor me_. However, you will not be wholly destitute of some who will be raised up for your good. Hence the promise to the persecuted saint, _And I will cause you to be well entreated in the day of evil_. This was God’s promise to poor Jeremiah; and the Saviour gives the command, _Let my out-casts dwell with thee_, _Moab_, _be thou a covert to him_, _from the face of the spoiler_.

Thus the Lord will take care of you in time of persecution, national troubles, which the children of God must feel in their degree, through the loss of trade, bankruptcies, a long war, the high price of provisions, and the scarcity of every national blessing; yet, depend upon it, the Lord will find bread for you. So David encourages the people of God, _I have been young and now am old_, _yet I never saw __the righteous forsaken nor his seed begging of bread_. Or, as the learned say, it should be rendered, _though_ begging of bread, _yet_ not forsaken. Bread and water the Lord has promised you, and remembering that you are one of his prisoners, that he is bound to maintain _you_, Friends will be raised up, a supply will be sent in from the most unlikely quarters. _And the earth helped the woman.—I have commanded the Ravens to feed thee there_. Thus you shall not want in the day of evil. You may meet with many family troubles as Jacob did, and say with that dear Patriarch, at the close of your life, _Few and evil have the days of my life been_. Many evils have I met with from my children and relations, enough to break a heart of stone. My relations were envious, oppressive, cruel, and ungrateful. My children’s conduct often pierced my heart.—I have been in many wants and dangers, but the Lord that redeemed me from all evil, has thus far led me on, and I am now going home, for I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord.

Thus my dear Brother, you may have some days of evil, from family troubles, losses, crosses, and cares. You may have no small opposition from men of corrupt minds, that lay in wait to deceive. Hence the Apostle recommends a clear experimental knowledge of the truth—Christ the essential truth, and the word of God as the revealed truth. A few head notions though very clear, are not able to withstand the artifices of hell, for if a man is argued into a set of notions, he is liable to be argued out of them. When a man of ability, reason, sense, and a vast string of arguments, against the previous truths of the gospel, attacks such as have no grace in the heart, they are soon moved from the truth; but when those are attacked that have felt the precious truths of the gospel in the heart, though the poor believer is not able to answer him one question out of an hundred, he can prove the reality of those truths he holds, because they have done so much for him. The truth has brought him from darkness to light, from sin to holiness, from the service of the devil to the Service of God. Thus He can prove the reality of Bible truth, by his own present experience; and thus he is able to stand in the evil day, the day of rebuke and blasphemy. I can prove the Divinity of God my Saviour; by the answers he has given me to prayer, by the words he has sent to my heart, with power, and by the virtue of his sacrifice, which has lifted up my mind, so as no human power or object could have done, I can likewise prove the Doctrine of the Trinity, by the operation of the Father’s love, the manifestation of the Atonement of the Son, and by the regenerating influences of the Spirit. So we can experimentally prove the truth of every doctrine and divine ordinance. But then, when all my former experience is hid from me; what am I to do, when attacked by my foes in this evil day, and I am as a dumb man, in whose mouth are no reproofs? How shall I act? methinks you are ready to say. To which I must reply, that there is a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; but if shut up in heart and lip, then stand still, and hence the watch word, _Stand_! _stand_! _shall they cry_, _but none shall look back—still abide by the stuff_, _if you are not able to go out to battle_, _you shall share alike with those that do_. _Having done all to stand_, _stand in the evil day_. Still go on hearing, praying, reading, hoping, and waiting, and whatever errors are thrown into your mind, and have brought it into bondage, you may depend upon it the Lord will deliver you from them; and here you will see sovereign grace, yourself delivered, and the wise and prudent given up to believe a lie. This made the redeemer glad; he rejoiced in spirit and said, _I thank thee_, _Father_, _Lord of heaven and earth_, _that thou hast_ HID _these things from the wise and prudent_, _and hast revealed them unto babes—even so Father_, _for so it seemeth good in thy sight_.—Thus may you stand in the days of evil.

But finally; sickness, age, death, and judgment, are days of evil; not that there can be any curse in these things, to one of God’s elect, but they will be found such to those who know not God.—These are days in which none but the favourites of Christ can lift up their heads: _the prudent man foreseeth the evil_, _and hideth himself_, _but the simple __pass on and are punished_. But in times of sickness and age, the brightest saint may suffer much in body, and be afflicted in mind: God may hide his face, Satan may plague, conscience may be uneasy; pain may be great, the spirits may droop; but there is no curse in all these things: one smile from the Saviour will clear all up, and make the soul happy in a sickly body. Hence the promise, _blessed is he that considereth the poor and needy_; even a precious Jesus in his personal or mystical suffering, the Lord will make his bed in his sickness. This my dear brother is acting the part of a kind nurse, he will strengthen you upon the bed of languishing: thus shall my subject be felt in times of sickness and age, even the peculiar blessedness of considering, of remembering our Creator in the days of youth. Death and judgment will be evil times to many of our fallen race, but they must be the crowning days of all who love _his_ appearing. But I must not enlarge, I think I shall tire your patience in this long letter; the sheep are gathering together, I must ran with some food for them—’tis past seven o’Clock; God bless thee.

Ever your’s in him who is our hiding place, and our shield,

[Picture: Signature of J. C.]

_LETTER V_.

TO THEOPHILUS.

DEAR FRIEND,

I well remember some conversation which we once had upon the subject of the creation, and feeling my mind particularly imprest with that subject, I venture only to drop a word or two upon it, ’tis a mercy to be satisfied with what God has said; but some are daringly presumptuous, so that they can treat both the Deity and his revelation with contempt. I am glad you are delivered from that snare. The Mosaic account of the Creation has always been supposed to be too weak, simple, and incorrect for a philosophic mind; they vainly suppose the mind ought to have been led through the whole Planetary System, instead of being led to the glorious Work of Redemption, which reflects his highest honour and beauty; for here, and here alone, his brightest form of glory shines.

The six days work of Creation was to open to the eye of faith his works very gradually, that like the stars of a night, they might be seen one by one. The six days work, and the seventh day of rest, was no doubt designed to shadow forth the Seven Millenniums, which would include all time between the two eternities. The first day, from Adam to Enoch, had in it a revelation of the true light—the second, from Enoch to Abraham, including the division of the waters—the third day, from Abraham to David, including the separation of the nations of the world—the fourth day, represented the Thousand Years from Solomon to Christ, the time when the Shekinah appeared in the Temple: the Church, fair as the Moon, and the Prophets, the Stars, shone bright in the firmament. At the close of this, Christ the true Sun appeared. The fifth day was to point out the state of the church and the world, from Christ to the Reformation, when the great Whales of Anti-christian powers, troubled the seas. This lasted till the glorious Reformation, the beginning of the Sixth Day, in which we now are, and longing for the Seventh, the rest of Jesus and his Bride, in the den of Eden, the glorious Millennium. But infidels object to the Mosaic account of light, the finest emblem of Jesus—there is nothing in the account contrary either to reason or philosophy. I acknowledge the question which philosophers have asked, cannot be solved, the Bible has not engaged to satisfy vain curiosity, viz. _What was that light that made its appearance before the Sun_? A very learned man supposes it to have been an emanation of the same Sun that enlightens us, and which was created though it had not yet appeared in his glory, yet it shed sufficient light to make the Globe visible.—This is not a bad idea for a half-hearted Christian Philosopher.—Milton seems to lean this way when speaking of light—

To journey through the aerial gloom began,
Sphered in a radient cloud, for yet the Sun
Was not, she in a cloudy tabernacle
Sojourn’d the while.

This is a very pretty idea, nor is it at all contrary to reason any more than the cloud that followed the Israelites which contained a shade, a fire, darkness, and light at the same time. Yet the word of God is true, and to that we must adhere. As light without the sun was first formed, so it appears the great Creator collected these particles of light into one body, the Sun. The language of scripture often expresses the appearance of things to us, such as the Sun rising and setting, which at the same time, perfectly in the main point, agreeing with the Newtonian System of Philosophy. Did light appear first? was it not to notice the dispensation for the four first thousand years, till on the fourth day the Sun of Righteousness should appear? Was it not an emblem of all the light the Church of God has now, till the second appearance of the Son of God in our nature, and of that light which we have till the Saviour shines upon the soul, with healing in his beams? We have light to see ourselves and his glory, but we want him to shine with power, then we shall _be light in the Lord_, till then, light and darkness must struggle together; and God divided them, to shew the difference between the Law and the Gospel—between the Flesh and the Spirit, between the Church and the World—between the Elect and the Reprobate—Christ and Anti-christ. See the light and darkness struggling; see it soon begins in Cain and Abel, and to this day it continues, and will for ever. The Elect and Reprobate are divided in election, in redemption, in calling, in principles, in practices, in death, judgment, and eternity. May this subject lead you and me to the Saviour, who is the light, the beauty, purity, loveliness, and glory of the Church. O may we see him, love him, adore him, and enjoy him, till we behold him in Heaven.

Permit me to notice further, that the Holy Ghost is pleased to represent various characters and things by these same terms, Sun, Moon, Light, and Stars,—which is really worthy our attention. He sets forth the Lord Jesus by that well known emblem, the Sun, and I think it is the finest figure in nature; and hence that very precious promise to those who are the called according to his purpose, _Unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his beams_. Eternal sun, whose morning measures all our days, who hast gradually risen on my dear friend’s heart, shine brighter to perfect day, even to that blessed meridian when in our flesh we shall see God.

Sometimes the moon, in scripture, signifies the Church of God as inferior to Christ, the glorious sun, from whom they borrow all their light and truth; their frames and feelings inconstant, spotted in their hearts and lives, which is the cause of much grief to their souls, yet they are the light of this lower world, and their influence is great on the sea of this troubled state.

Light is sometimes used as an emblem of God’s word, as pure, glorious, pleasant, and comfortable, penetrating and purifying. While favored with this light, may we walk in it, lest darkness overtake us, as it is written, _Give glory to the Lord your God_, _before he cause darkness_.—By Stars, in scripture, sometimes the Spirit condescends to point out the Ministers of the Gospel, with all the Ordinances, which are designed, like the Star in the East, to lead to the grand end, the Babe of Bethlehem. These are fixed in the firmament of the Church, for adorning it, and for guiding the spiritual mariner to endless glory, amidst the nights of trouble and woe. These are held in the hands of Christ, kept, supported, and blest by him; and though constantly opposed and troubled, yet shine on, and shine forth. This is the mystery of the Seven Stars. But these are likewise used to point out other things in sacred writ. When God foretold the exaltation of Joseph, in a dream, he shewed him, in a second revelation, the sun, moon, and eleven stars, bowing down to him; which was afterwards explained by the venerable Patriarch finding an asylum with his son Joseph, and his brethren doing him homage in his state of exaltation.—And was it not a striking type of our truly-exalted spiritual Joseph? honored by the most dignified characters in our world, for kings shall submit themselves to him, and the whole Church of Jesus, the moon, with all the stars, ministers of the Gospel, that should bow before him, and Crown him Lord of all.

I remark again, that when the Saviour predicted the overthrow of Jerusalem, he foretold that the sun should be darkened, that is, that the Lord, who was the light of the Jewish Church, should withdraw his light, justly leave them in judicial blindness, in which they remain to this day—that the moon should be turned into blood, that is, their Synagogue, their Church, which was put to the sword, (at least the greatest part of them)—that the stars should fall—their doctors, rulers over the church and state—which they did. But Solomon, in his 12th of Ecclesiastes, verse 2, seems to borrow these metaphors of sun, moon, light, and stars, and applies them to the human frame, when sickness or old age has impaired it. Good Mr. Henry remarks on this passage—the decays and infirmities of old age are here elegantly set forth in figurative expressions, which have some difficulty in them to us now, who are not acquainted with the phrases and metaphors used in Solomon’s age and language. But the general scope is plain, to shew how uncomfortable, generally, the days of old age are. Then he proceeds, and says, that the sun, moon, stars, and light will be dim to old people, through the decay of their sight; their countenance is decayed, and the beauty and lustre of it is eclipsed—their intellectual powers and faculties, which are as light in the soul, are weakened—their understanding and memory fail them, and their apprehension is not so quick, nor their fancy so lively as it has been.—Light is often put for joy and prosperity—the days of their mirth are over, and they have not the pleasure either of the converse by day, or the repose of night, for both the sun and moon was darkened to them; then the clouds return after the rain, as when the weather is disposed to wet, no sooner is one shower blown over but another succeeds it, when one pain is a little abated another comes on—the gout, the rheumatism; and so these afflictions being common to aged persons, they are continually grieved.

That famous commentator, Patrick, observes on this verse, that the words intimate the universal decay of the whole frame of nature, and a failing of the mind in all its faculties and powers—that something particular is signified by every word; that by the sun is meant the soul itself; by the light the understanding, by the moon his will, by the stars all the motion of the mind and memory, with all the affections and powers in the will. So the sense of the wise man is thus—the mind of man grows feeble in all its powers, the understanding dim-sighted, the memory forgetful, the reason weak and childish, giving even a feeble light, that can neither direct ourselves or others. The will listless in all its desires, dull about our greatest concerns, wavering and inconstant in all resolutions, and so on. But the interpretation first mentioned seems most consistent.

Surely then, my Brother, these are some of the evil days which are hastening on us, and though we may not live to see old age, yet, through affliction we may have all our faculties as much impaired as the most ancient person in the world; this has been very often seen.—What a mercy I do consider it, that _he_ who hath begun the good work in my heart, can carry it on without my aid, or the concurrence of my powers or faculties working with him. Say not it is my duty to do so and so, in and with the work of the Spirit: _Thou_, _Lord_, says the Church, _shall work all our works __in us_, _and ordain peace for us_. But while we would look forward to the evil days which must come on the body, may we not notice some evil days that our souls may meet with, when the all-healing, comfortable, soul-reviving, soul-cheering, heart-warming beams of Christ, the glorious Sun of Righteousness shall be with-held, and coldness, deadness, sickness, darkness, legality, and distance is felt; and such seasons have befel the brightest saints. Hence the mournful cry, _Why hidest thou thy face_, _O Lord_? _thou hidest thy face and we are troubled_, about our state, our feelings, our wants, our prospects, our way, our end. We always know when we feel him shine and when we do not, though, as it respects himself, he is just the same in his shining, but we are not sensible of it by reason of the cloud that cometh betwixt. When we feel this wretched state we are always ready to fly to means, though we ought never to neglect them; yet there is a proneness in us to cleave to something short of the main subject. But, alas, we find the moon of Ordinances is just as dark! We move backwards and forwards, like the door on its hinges, yet get neither dew nor rain, light, life, comfort, nor joy. At the table of the Lord we neither feel love nor pity for our dear Saviour. In singing his praises we have no heart, in associating with his people we get nothing from them; if they talk of joys, we have none! if of a broken-heart, we feel nothing but hardness—if of light or comfort, we feel destitute of both—thus the moon gives no light. As to ministers, they don’t seem to touch our case, nor is their word cloathed with any power. We fancy they are very much altered in their preaching—we change them: the passions are stirred up for a little while, but we find we are in just the same state. Hence the spouse is represented as having lost her lover—she rises, runs, seeks, mourns, and is still disappointed. _I sought him but I found him not_. Then she went into the broad places of public worship, then into the streets, among the inhabitants; after this to ministers, to enquire, _how_? _why_? and _wherefore_? But, for a season, all was still dark, yes, very dark indeed: these stars seem to give but little light during such painful seasons: the scriptures of light shut up in their beautiful histories, promises, types, parables, and doctrines, where we could see Christ once in every part, and enjoy him; now, alas, it is not so, but it is as a spring shut up, and sealed from us. While this is attended with a lowering sky, and a continual dropping of rain; no bright clouds now return as they used to do, and how it is with us we cannot tell. Once if we felt a little dark or uncomfortable, it was soon gone, smiling hope used to spring up, or a promise sent home with power. The company of God’s people cheered us up, or a little access to God’s throne revived us. Seldom heard a sermon but we got something by it—and if a few storms of persecution, temptation or corruption, or family trials befel us, the Lord made a bright cloud after it; but, alas, it is not thus with us now, these clouds don’t return after the rain—thus

Afflictions like vapours may rise,
Light, love, and delight may be gone;
The sun may be dark in the skies,
And hell with its legions come on!

Ah, my dear Brother, these are dark days truly, but it shall not be always thus; _to the upright there arises light in darkness_—this light is sown for us, and shall spring up again.

But may I not here enquire, as on another occasion, the Prophet did, _Shall there be an evil in the City and the Lord hath not done it_? _Is there not a cause_? _Why doth a living man_ (a quickened man) _complain_? Let us enquire the cause: Have you not been making too much of your comforts? Have you not been looking at them instead of the Saviour, living on them instead of his fulness?—and were you not too prone to slight those who had not attained the same consolation? And, if so, Can you wonder that God should permit a partial death to overtake you?—Or, perhaps, there may be other causes—a sad neglect of those means which are appointed for the spiritual health of the soul: as abstinence, or neglect of food, will soon bring the body into a pining, languishing condition, so, if the means of the knowledge of grace be not diligently attended to and implored, our souls must get into a starving state. The indulgence of sensual pleasures may bring on deadness, darkness, and distance. See this in Sampson, while sleeping in the lap of Delilah, he was shorn of his strength; and he arose to shake himself as at other times, but he wist not that the Lord had departed from him. But perhaps the Lord has done this to shew his adorable sovereignty, as in the case of Job: hence his complaint, _He hath fenced up my way that I cannot pass_, _and he hath set darkness in my path_. And so complains Jeremiah, _He hath led me_, _and brought me into darkness_, _and not into light_. Sometimes this is done to humble us, lest we should be exalted above measure. But, above all, the Spirit leads into these deep and painful feelings, to make us prize our adorable Redeemer, and see our continual need of being supplied from his fulness. He lets our cisterns run dry, that we may come and lay our vessels under the flowings of the blessed fountain of life, that from him we might receive grace for grace.

May great grace rest on you. I remain
Your willing Servant in Christ,

[Picture: Signature of J. C.]

_LETTER VI_.

TO THEOPHILUS.

_DEAR BROTHER_,