on which to fix your wandering thoughts. Fix them, my dear, on Christ, bleeding, dying for you, rising, ascending, and interceding for you, 'pouring His all-availing prayer:' and let the sight of a dying Saviour subdue your heart. What could He do more to rescue you from the power of sin and unbelief? And will you not take the blessing from above, so dearly purchased, and so freely offered? Do not hastily turn away your eyes from the mournful scene at Calvary. Continue deeply to contemplate it, till you are able to claim the benefit. Then, and not till then, you will find repose,-sweet, permanent repose. Again I entreat you, my dear child, make the Bible more and more your study,-with the standard books of the Methodists. Religion is the grand thing: it is rebinding us to God our Centre; and till that is done, nothing is sweet, lovely, or of good report, as it will afterwards be.

"May 28th, 1835. I cannot but rejoice on your account; and I praise our adorable Lord that He does give you enlarged views of the value and exceeding preciousness of Himself, and of the salvation purchased by Him for our needy souls. By this you will be greatly encouraged to follow on to apprehend the unsearchable riches of grace. I doubt not that the seed sown in your heart does grow and increase daily, though perhaps you may not be so conscious of it yourself. It is striking a deeper root downward, by which you will be enabled to maintain a more unshaken faith in the promises, and thereby overcome the temptations and wiles of the great adversary. As your knowledge of God increases, so will your love to Him abound yet more and more. This knowledge and love influence you to devote your heart and life to His service. He has given you to see the vanity of earth and all sublunary enjoyments, in comparison of the essential blessedness of the things that are unseen by mortal eye, or by reason's glimmering ray; and He does and will enable you to fix your affections where true joys are to be found. You have already enjoyed more heartfelt pleasure in communing with Him, and pouring out your heart before Him, than all earth's treasures can afford.-In every ordinance of religion, and in every Christian duty, whether of devotion or charity, feel your entire dependence upon Christ for acceptance; and seek that you may continually experience the importance and efficacy of the blood of atonement and sprinkling for the justification of your person, the sanctification of your nature, and the acceptance of your offerings.-Remember always, my dear Sarah, that the work of grace is progressive, and is carried on by the agency of the Holy Spirit, enlightening, convincing, and strengthening us to apprehend fresh degrees of it from day to day. Therefore you are not to be discouraged at any difficulty you meet with in the But fly continually from self to Jesus. Abide in Him as your strong-hold; and He will keep you. What you suffer most from is -looking at yourself and your often infirmities.' But you must make constant application to the blood of the Covenant, and plunge by faith into the crimson tide: so shall you rise renewed in the Divine image, and be replenished with love Divine. Embrace Christ

way.

in all His offices; contemplate much the characters in which He stands related to us, and you will find in Him all you want. He will be your all and in all, and your soul will find sweet repose in the bosom of His omnipotence."

"June 20th, 1837," she writes to Mr. and Mrs. Eden,-" My dear children will have thought me unmindful of them, which is not in reality the case. Not a day passes in which I do not at morning and evening, yes, and at noon-time of day, bring you both in the arms of faith and love to the footstool of that throne on which our glorious Lord sits waiting to bestow some spiritual, heavenly blessing on us His unworthy creatures. And, certainly, He will not send us empty away. He says, by His blessed word, 'Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.' The hungry' He replenishes with good things; the rich' only He sends 'empty away.' O let us be sure we go hungry for the bread of life, and thirsty for the water of salvation. Then will He give us to drink of that stream which flows from the throne, and quenches all desire for drops of finite happiness. May we ardently pant after this blessedness, and by faith realise its fulness every day! There are heights, and depths, and lengths, and breadths, yet unmeasured and unfathomed by us-by reason of our slothfulness and grovelling nature. Let us arise, and shake ourselves from the dust, and be putting on our beautiful garments, fearing lest the promise left on record for our benefit should be slighted, and we come short of the blessedness intended for us by our most bountiful Benefactor, our indulgent God and Saviour.-O let us be on our guard! We are perhaps most in danger when we see the least. Our path is beset with snares."

"October 31st, 1837," she writes to Mrs. Budgett,—“ I feel Him in my heart the hope of glory-the Angel who hath redeemed me from all sin. He keeps my soul sweetly centred in Himself, and deigns to commune with me with holy familiarity. I want to get more deeply instructed in the secret of the Lord,—that sacred mystery of living, moving, and having my being in Him. O who can ascend that immeasurable height? who can fathom the depth of Divine love? who can conceive of the glories of the nature of the Triune God? May we, my dear friend, open wide our hearts to receive a fresh impress of the Spirit's seal, which ascertains the kingdom ours, and draws our hearts away from created good to bask in the sunshine of His favour and fulness!-A few more rising and setting suns will bring us to the haven of our anticipated rest, to be for ever with the Beloved of our souls, where there is fulness of joy."

And again, "November 7th, 1837. He gives us hope to be our blessing now. By and by, it will be all sight and glorious fruition. Inexpressibly precious is the blood of the Covenant, -the blood of sprinkling; and the recollection that He bare our infirmities as well as our sins, and that His intercession is all-prevalent, brings peace and Divine consolation to our minds. And we thus go on; and, through grace, we will never stand still till the Master appear.' What a glorious period, when we shall see His bright, unclouded

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face,' and listen to the voice of our Shepherd! The whispers of His grace we sometimes hear even in His earthly courts, and in our little sanctums, where He is pleased to cause His goodness to pass before us, and give us to see a glimpse of His glory-in the face of Jesusin the display of the stupendous plan of redemption-the agony and bloody sweat of His immaculate Son. This is His glory,-His mercy to poor sinners. This is a theme for angels. We are lost in its full blaze, and cannot but exclaim, Lord, what are we, and what is our father's house, that Thou shouldest count us worthy!''

"January 25th, 1838," she writes to Miss Rothwell, on occasion of a painful accident which had recently occurred, and intelligence of which had just been communicated to her. "May mercy and peace be imparted to each of my beloved children from the God of all grace! I cannot express the deep sympathy I feel for you in your present state of complicated affliction. Many fears for what may be the result have pervaded my mind. And to whom could I fly for help, for them and for myself, but to our heavenly Father, both theirs and mine? Our compassionate High Priest graciously assured me that He was in the vessel when the storm was high, and that He would not suffer the waves to overflow the precious cargo, but would bring them safe into the haven. A sweet hope sprang up in my mind that we should see His goodness, love, and power engaged in our behalf. I thought some good must surely come from this severe dispensation. If the Lord brings His beloved into the wilderness,' it is that He may speak comfortably to her;' that, being removed from the cares and bustle of worldly things in the solitude of our own apartment, we may more diligently

'Attend the whispers of His grace,

And hear Him inly speak.'

May this blessed purpose be answered, and may we come up out of the wilderness, leaning upon our Beloved!' I feel the necessity and the blessedness of keeping faith in lively exercise, avoiding all reasoning on second causes, and resolving all into the will of God, who is infinite in wisdom, and able to overrule all events for our good and His own glory. He causes light' to arise in the darkness;' for 'light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart.' May we hang upon Him, not doubting that He will make Himself more fully known to us, by giving us to see more of His glorious perfections, especially His love for such poor unworthy creatures as we are ;-for He hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation.' This is His gracious purpose concerning us. We know that He made the Captain of our salvation perfect through sufferings;' and if we are called to walk in the same path, let us not think it strange. Whom He loveth He chasteneth ;'—yes, ‘and scourgeth every one whom He receiveth.' Let us willingly bow our neck to the yoke, and suffer that we may reign with Him. We have the blessed hope in prospect; therefore will we trust in Him, and not be afraid. The thought of your suffering

pierces my heart with grief. O when shall we drop the elay tenement, and dwell in a milder clime-region of eternal day?' When shall we see the Beloved of our souls, and follow Him whithersoever He goeth, walking in the land of uprightness, and drinking of the living stream that flows from His throne? Then we shall weep no more. No more tears of penitential sorrow! no more sighs of deep complaint, and crying, 'O my leanness!' In those golden streets there will be no complaining, as Ephraim bemoaning himself; but joy and gladness, and the voice of ten thousand times ten thousand of the glorious company of the redeemed, chanting the high praises of Him who has signed their pardon with His own blood. 'And all the angels say, Amen.' When my soul is drawn to meditate on these high subjects, how little do all terrestrial things appear! It is then, indeed, we long to soar away and join the blest chorus. If the Lord see good to prolong our suffering days below, we will bow to His wisdom; for we know He doeth all things well. If He put us into the crucible, it is that we may be purified from all dross. And He will sit as the Refiner, and watch over the precious metal, that not one grain may be lost. I believe that we shall learn lessons of wisdom which we could not learn in any other way so well. How sweet are His promises! He says, 'I will instruct thee.' 'Comelearn of Me, and ye shall find rest unto your souls.' And, O, what a rest is that, when we lean on our Redeemer's breast, and are upheld by His omnipotent arm! And this is our everlasting portion, and all heaven is ours. Only let us patiently wait till all His purposes be accomplished, and we rise renewed in His image. My love and prayers attend you every one. Adieu! Grace, mercy, and peace be showered upon you!"

"June 20th, 1838," she writes to Mrs. Budgett,-"Often do I want to tell you how matters stand between my best Beloved and my soul. I prove Ilim to be God unchangeably the same,-in weakness my almighty power, enabling me to believe, and hold on my way, rejoicing in hope; for He is faithful who hath promised, and He will surely come at His own appointed time to take His exiles home. Then indeed shall you and I have rejoicing in ourselves; for we shall see the King in His beauty. Then we shall prove by happy experience what we have oft-times read with pleasure, that our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.' We have known what it is to be active in our Lord's service. Now He teaches us another lesson equally necessary for us; that is, to lie passive in His hands, to be willing to be laid aside. Now His language to us is, 'Be still, and know that I am God.' We see His work going blessedly forward. Many labourers are thrust out into His vineyard; and we wish them good luck in the name of the Lord. His kingdom, His unsuffering kingdom,' will come; and Christ will reign the universal Saviour, 'God over all for ever blest.'-I often think of you, and the sweet happy inches of time you used kindly to spare to come and see me and my poor afflicted husband. He has reached the haven of repose, and is safe

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lodged in Immanuel's breast. This is just about the time of the year when he began to be much worse; and it brings many thoughts and feelings to my mind connected with that painful period. But I must not give way to these feelings; I must rather strive to raise my weak mind to the heavenly joys which are at God's right hand for evermore." November, 1838," she writes to Miss Howard," We have come, I think, more than a Sabbath-day's journey on our way to the New Jerusalem, since our last epistolary intercourse. Often have I wished to write, and tell you of the sweet refreshment I have met with at the various stages of my pilgrimage, and how very graciously I have been encouraged to hold on my way. I hear of your protracted suffering with much pain; but I know you are in the hands of Him who doeth all things well. When He hath tried you, you shall come forth as gold from the refiner's fire, more pure and bright through consecrated pain, and thereby made more meet to see the face of our Beloved in His glorious kingdom. The thought of such transcendent blessedness may well overwhelm our weak, finite minds, and cover us with holy shame; yea, fill our hearts with unutterable tenderness, and grateful love to Him who hath given us everlasting consolation, and good hope through grace.' May we hold fast this hope without wavering! He is faithful who hath called us, and will perform His own word to our believing souls. In due season we shall reap, if we faint not.' I trust, my dear, you find that, in the various temptations with which no doubt you are exercised, the name of the Lord is your strong tower, into which you may flee, and be safe from the face of all your adversaries. This we may at all times do; for the Lord is a very present help in trouble,' and makes a way for our escape. How gracious and condescending is He in all His dealings with us! He knoweth whereof we are made: He remembereth that we are but dust. And He remembers, besides, that we are the purchase of blood Divine, and therefore infinitely precious in His sight. He saves us from fear of falling, or turning into any by-path, of which there are, no doubt, many in this day. But, blessed be His name, we have not so learned Christ; and, through grace, we are still inquiring for the good old way,-the way in which the Prophets and holy men of old walked, who held converse with God, and were instructed by His word and blessed Spirit. This is our high calling in this glorious Gospel-day. May we enter into the fulness of our dispensation, and walk in unclouded light and sweet communion with the Triune Jehovah, keeping our intercourse open by constant prayer and meditation, and realising the sweetness of the promises left upon record for our comfort and encouragement."

"June 27th, 1839," she writes to the same,-"I believe that you and I shall raise our songs of triumph higher in the eternal world for all we have passed through in the land of our pilgrimage. How sweetly have we proved the truth of many of the precious promises of God! So has He made His grace to abound to us that we have become as the passive clay in His hand, ready to take the stamp Divine, desiring only that His will should be done, and His name