tle experience that I have had of the management of wordly affairs, I can fay there is communion with God to be had in the way of that management. Sweet leffons of dependence, experience of the accomplishment of promifes, and even kind rebukes for heart-fins, fweeter than the world's fmiles. Efau's face with no traits of malice and revenge in it, was but a worldly good thing; yet Jacob faw it as though he had feen the face of God; for Jacob read the answer of his prayers, and the fuccefs of his dependence on the Lord, upon the face of that little-worth man. My wife kindly remembers you, and defires to be remembered by you, as doth V. D. Sir, yours, &c.

(3) V. D. Sir,

Dec. 28. 1721.

If that project wherein my good friend would have had me concerned, (for my advantage I'm fure), do mifcarry, it is but of a piece with other tokens of the Lord's anger against us: and I know that when he was in greatest concern for advancing that and other projects, he still fhewed himself under apprehenfions of impending public judgements and we are already under a fignally heavy one, in refpect of the prefent ftate of our church-affairs, which hath a very terrible afpect. That burning mountain caft into the fea, Rev. viii. 8. makes fometimes awful impreffions on my heart; but I hope ftill God will arife, and have mercy on our Zion yet, though he may caufe us, in the first place, to pafs under the rod. I know fome would reckon themselves not obliged to believe me in what I have faid of the burning mountain, alledging I have contributed to the fetting of it on fire: the truth is, Scotland's fins, and mine among the reft, have done it; efpecially the fin of not improving the glorious gospel we have fo many years enjoyed; and I doubt not if the Lord were returned to us as in former days, he will write thame on the faces of us altogether; and my heart crys, Why tarry the wheels of his chariot ? But I reckon it in the mean time the fafelt courfe to endeavour to hold at a distance from causes of farther decli. ning. Grace be with you, and with your yoke-fellow, whom my wife kindly remembers. May you be helped to live as heirs of the grace of life, and as followers of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. I am, with the greatest refpe&t, Dr Sir, yours, &c.

(4) D. Sir, Auguft 8. 1724. There is no appearance of the diffolution of the cloud that for feveral years now has been over my wife. We have made a new effay this feafon in the use of means for her help but all hitherto ferves for nothing, but to difcover that vain is the help of man in the cafe. She has not wanted feafonable fup ports from a higher hand; and when feveral coals were by wife and holy Providence caft in together into our furnace, fle

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who behoved to be waited on and ferved before, was even helped to wait on, and be very helpful to others in diftrefs; and then the clouds returned after the rain, and now the comes little out of the bed at all. But all is neceffary, and he is infinitely wife who has the managing of all in his hand. It is a very fweet view of affliction, to view it as the difcipline of the covenant; and fo it is indeed; and nothing else to the children of our Father's family. In that refpect it is medicinal; it fhines with many gracious purposes about it; and, end as it will, one may have the confidence of faith, that it fhall end well. And how happy would we be if we could always maintain the confidence of faith! The foul in that cafe would be like that babe in the fhipwrecked woman's arms on the plank, fmiling amidst the waves, unconcerned with the hazard. I defire to remember, and be remembered by you. I am, with cordial refpects to yours, &c.

(5) Dr Sir,

You will excufe me when I have told you, that fince I faw you, I have been in the furnace of affliction through the rod of a kind and gracious God on myself and family. My eldeft daughter had a fever when you was here laft; and on the morrow after you went off, my other daughter took her bed alfo by a fever; after her my youngest fon; another boy of the family being in the mean time indifpofed. While thus feverals were together in ficknefs, but my eldeft daughter beginning to recover, I myself was, on a Lord's day after fermons, fuddenly feized with a violent illness, which afterwards I knew to be a fit of the gravel, before that time unknown to me. It was fharp; but the time was kindly fhortened, for I got up again on the Wednesday: neither did I agonize all that time, but was favoured with intermiffions: but I had one fit of fix or feven hours continuance. Mean while my diftreffed wife was helped to get from her bed, and to go between me and the children, and to be useful to both. Our fhip feemed to be hard at the fhore, in mine and the childrens recovery, when behold a wave came, and drove back the shattered vessel again. My eldest fon and our fervant-woman being taken ill on one day, and his fever the most dangerous of all, the woman's fever abated on the 6th, my fon's not till the 13th, my fecond daughter's on the 11th. My eldest fon is now recovering, tho flowly, and all are well again; except my diftreffed wife, whofe chastisements are new every morning. I have given you this particular account, as making no doubt of your fympathy, and that you will join with us in the deliverance wrought for us, and in feeking pity and help in the continued affliction, and grace rightly to improve both the one and the other. The Lord was very gracious according to his word, and I felt him

to be the lifter up of mine head, while carried through the deep waters; and my foul bleffeth his holy name for this difpenfation in this trial, in which he made me inwardly to rejoice when nothing of that kind appeared about me. O that I could praise and trust him! he is a fkilful pilot, and one might be very easy in doubtful events, trufting and relying on him, believing that what is good he will give. I am, &c.

(6) Dr Sir,

Dec. 14. 1724.

I rejoice to hear of the fuccefs of your affairs; which you take as you ought from him who keeps the balance of trade, as well as of crowns and of kingdoms, in his own hand. O but the management of the kingdom of grace must be a great thing! and our Mediator must be well furnished for the managing of it! fince the vaft and extenfive kingdom of Provi dence is put in his hand as a fubordinate, there to be adminiftrate in a fubferviency to the kingdom of grace, and to carry on the glorious purposes thereof. He fits enthroned in Zion; and as Zion's King, his power reaches through the whole earth, the feas, heaven, and hell! All power is given him every where. His fubjects in Zion are but few, but the whole world is rolled hither and thither for that little kingdom. For their fakes he sent to Babylon, and brought down the Chaldeans, whose cry is in the fhips: for it the Babylonian, Perfian, Grecian, and Roman monarchies, were brought down. O, Sir, continue to follow your business in the actual faith of this and as, when there is a profperous turn in it, you willingly give it under your hand, you are the Mediator's debtor for it; fa when there comes about an awkward-like turn at any time, labour to believe the fame hand does it for the beft; for this reason, that he never does any thing but what is best done; which will one day be demonftrated beyond contradiction. As for the difcourfes on the covenant of grace, I have long ago ended that fubject; but I am fo engaged otherwife, that I cannot take it in hand for fome time, to be counted by years, for ought I yet fee; and my years now appear to me in a manner more than formerly uncertain; and I would fain do, as the Lord is pleased to enable, what I conceive might be of greatest ufefulness, as long as life is continued with ftrength. I am, Dr Sir, &c.

(7) D. Sir,

April 25. 1726.

I understood by yours, that your wife continues in her ordinary tender condition may it be fanctified by grace to her and to you. The different ftates of perfons, in respect of health and infirmity, is a piece of fovereign difpofal, which the afflicted are to reverence and adore. Our Lord himself was a man of forrows, and acquainted with griefs; and if we

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fuffer with him, we fhall alfo reign with him. The heavief burden of affliction is but light in refpect of the weight of glory we have in hope; and the affliction that is of fuch continuance as the party has forgot profperity, is but for a moment, being compared with the eternity of that weight which faith has the view of.

My wife has now kept her bed thefe five weeks; and, together with her ordinary distress, fhe has had a fever, with a great inflammation, which began in her face, and went up over her head: but he who delivered in fix troubles, has delivered in that feventhi alfo, and it is gone off; but she is very weak, My youngest daughter was frequently ill this winter, but fince the return of the fpring, and warmer weather, fhe is better. The reft are as ordinary. From about the time of the equinox, when the weather became warmer, the blood and fpirits deferting my fingers, has not been fo uneafy and frequent as before. I have now for fome time stirred about on my work in the parish, which I could not manage in the winter as formerly; and ftill, as I have time, I am furnished with fo much strength as to go about my closet-work. But my weakness is nevertheless fo felt as occafions thoughts of heart. This is an account of our hofpital; but fometimes the voice of melody, of joy, and praife, is heard among us. We are caft down, but not deftroyed; perplexed, but not in despair; and are aiming at refignation. This morning the latter part of the 71ft pfalm was very sweet to me. I was abroad in our neighbour parish on the fouth hand, at ten miles distance from this, preaching yesterday. I have not been fo far abroad fince I was at Selkirk in the winter; and I had not gone to that place neither at this time, had it not been to thew good-will to the ftrengthening of the hands of the minister of the place, which is a parifh that has been fore broken with divifion; but to do any thing to purpofe in fuch a cafe, fad experience teacheth me is very difficult. It may be wifhed for; but how hall it be effected, till another spirit be poured upon both mi nifters and people? I am, &c.

(8) D. Sir,

May 21. 1726.

I had yours, with the much affecting account of your lofs of a dear child. I travelled that gloomy road fix times, and learned, that God has other ufe for children than our comfort; an ufe far more honourable and happy for them and the pa-rents often come to fee it afterwards, that it is peculiar kindnefs to the dear babes they were to early carried off. It likewife ferves to let in to the fweetnefs of that word in particular, "I will be thy God, and the God of thy feed." While parents are taken up for the eternal falvation of their dying little. ones, and look about to fee what the word fays with relation

to the cafe, O do not grudge the freedom the Lord has used with you, in pitching upon a precious thing of yours for himfelf, and accordingly taking it away. Both of you have offered your all to the Lord: and though, when it comes to the pinch, the heart is ready to misgive; yet in calm blood I am perfuaded you will ftand to the bargain, and check yourfelves for any femblance of rueing. The next time you fee your child, you will fee him fhining white in glory, having been wafhed in the blood of the Lamb," who was an infant, a child, a boy, a youth, as well as a grown man, because he came a Saviour of infants, little children, &c. as well as of perfons come at age. Perhaps his cries are not yet out of your and his mother's ears; but then you will fee him capable of managing his harp as well as the faint that died an hundred years ago. Ah! ah! why are we thus not fully fatisfied, and acquiefcing in the wife management of the great Counfellor, who puts clouds and darkness round him, bidding us follow at his back through the cloud, promifing an eternal uninterrupted funfhine on the other fide. "Lord, increase our faith," is a petition we need to be oft putting up. But I hope the Lord has taught you and your fponfe refignation to the will of him who does all things well. But I find it is a difficult leflon to learn: the Hesh still fpurns and rises against the rod. And how difficult is it to get our bow's and why's crucified, and to refolve all into, and reft fatished in infinite wifdom tempered with covenant-love! Our affliction is returned to an extremity, and the form has blown hard now for fome time: but the Lord fits on the flood; and though it feems to be without all order, yet certainly there is an order in it, though imperceptible to our eyes, and the feveral drops keep their ranks according to the word of command. I am, with the most endeared respecs, &c,

(9) Dear Sir,

Auguft 6. 1726.

As to the matter of the facrament not celebrated here this feafon, fome things falling out in our feffion did put me off from aiming at it in our ufual time; which I was otherwise of thoughts of as ordinary; but when it was fo determined to pass the diet, the extreme diftrefs of my wife did perfectly confirm me in it. We have had a heavy fummer of it in that refpect; which yet continues. We exceedingly need the prayers of our friends; and know, that feveral do carry our afflicted cafe before the Lord; and hope, that he will at length incline his ear to hear, though the afflicted cries, " Why are

his chariot-wheels fo long in coming?" It feems we are not yet fufficiently humbled, and ripe for deliverance. May the Lord himself fend forth humbling influences, and fo prepare our hearts, and caufe his ear to hear. For my own part, I