commands his love. Matchless then and unspeakable must it be! See how the prophet Isaiah exults and triumphs in this glorious gift. With an ardour of gratitude, and with a transport of delight, he cries, "To us a Child is born; to us a Son is given;" in whose person is a dignity, and in whose righteousness an efficacy, infinitely surpassing the power of thought. And should not such a gift be the darling topic of our conversation; be the avowed glory and the general joy of our nation? Yet, strange to tell! afflictive to observe! this divinely excellent gift is forgot, is rejected, or treated with the most cold indifference. Where are the people who mention it, or can bear to hear it mentioned in their company? Instead of being in raptures at the sound, are they not disgusted and chagrined? And does not God behold all this? Did he ever receive so horrid an affront, or is it possible for his creatures to act a more contumelious and disdainful part? But whither am I running? Pardon me, dear sir, pardon my full heart, my wounded heart, which has concurred to aggravate this crying iniquity. Oh ! that its invariable language, for the future, may be, "God forbid that I should glory," or rejoice, or confide," save in the cross of Christ Jesus my Lord:" in him I have pardon of my sins; in him I have peace with God; in him I have eternal life. Therefore, "Him first, him last, him midst, and without end,”* will I remember, acknowledge, celebrate.

Now you are come so far, could you not make a little farther excursion? Could you not favour us with your company at Weston? where you would. find a plain house and a faithful heart open to receive you. I have no news from the literary world; and my orders to my bookseller are few. But having occasion to write, not long ago, to Amsterdam, I sent for all my favourite author's works: Witsius I mean; the polite and pious Witsius. My bookseller is reprinting in two volumes, at my desire, Jenks's

* Milton.

Meditations; which I propose to recommend by a prefatory address to the public. Let me soon hear from you, if I cannot see you. And may your letter be in every sense an evangelist.-Ever yours, &c.

LETTER CLXIX.

Weston-Favell, March 3. 1756. DEAR SIR,-IN a preceding letter, I begged your solution of some scriptural difficulties. As you always used even to prevent my expectations, in a free and speedy communication of your valuable sentiments; and as I have not enjoyed that pleasure for a long season, I am under some apprehensions that either you are visited with sickness, or my dispatches have met with a miscarriage. I hope, after the receipt. of this, you will find some way to relieve me from my perplexity.

Reading yesterday, Exod. xiv. methought there was some appearance of tautology in verse 7. Heb. If in either of the clauses we might render the word "BCC," by horsemen, this seeming impropriety would be avoided. It would also more exactly agree with "DCB VTDSHM," the 28th verse. Is not our method of translating verse 20. somewhat forced, and hardly reconcileable with the genius of the original language?

Hab. iii. 5. "LTGV LD." This sentence also embarrassed me a little. How does it, as translated in the English Bible, agree with the history? Is there any account, or any hint, that the pestilence went before the Lord, when he descended on Mount Sinai? There went indeed a wonderful word " DBD,” το διατελλομενον φωνη paular. Does this passage refer to the plagues inflicted on the Israelites for their murmuring and rebellion? I think not, because the sacred hymn appears calculated for the encouragement of the people, whereas this circumstance would rather depress their spirits. Does it point at the plagues and the vengeance executed on the Egyptians? This, I believe, is most probable, and perhaps affords us the true meaning of the pas

sage. Pray, favour me, if you have health and leisure, with your opinion, which, I assure you, is highly 1 valued, and always thankfully received by, dear sir, your obliged and affectionate friend, &c.

What precedes was written before the receipt of your last.

I thank you, dear sir, for your letter, and thank: you doubly because it is long. I received it on coming from my Wednesday's evening lecture: have read one sheet, and entered upon the second, but am now called down to family prayer. I shall add no more, only let me desire you to favour me with the criticisms you mention. I beseech the blessed God to establish your health, and prolong your life, that you may enrich me and others with many of your letters, and much of your knowledge.

LETTER CLXX.

Saturday morning.

MY DEAR FRIEND,-I CONGRATULATE you on the acceptance of your little tract, and the uncommon demand for it. Inest sua gratia parvis, is a maxim of more wisdom and weight than we easily apprehend. May the blessing of our Lord Jesus Christ accompany it, always and in all places! I must desire you to excuse my waiting upon you. The season is so rigorous, I am afraid to stir abroad. I question whether I shall have courage to venture to Collingtree to-morrow. You know I am one of the snail kind, both in travelling, reading, and writing. My thanks to Mr Fenwick; I have just peeped upon his work: I. fear it will be thought by the world too finely spun. You once asked my opinion concerning Dr Grey's last words of David, divided according to the metre. I had not then read it with due attention. I lately perused it very carefully, and am charmed with the importance of his correction and the beauty of the

* Thoughts on the Hebrew Titles of the Psalms, endeavouring to discover their meaning, and point out their use.

passage, as it stands amended by that judicious critic; though, I must own, I do not admire the alteration suggested by Bishop Sherlock, in his letter to Dr Grey. "A sun shall rise as the morning,' seems to have very little spirit, and less propriety. Is it not bordering upon idem per idem? What is

the morning, but the rising of the sun? ask your accurate friend's opinion. If the other passages of Scripture, mentioned by Dr Grey in the front of this little piece as what he soon intends to publish, are as valuably restored, and as elegantly interpreted as this, the suppression of them will be a great loss. I will, on your encouragement, go on with my book in my piddling way. Happy if my own heart may be impressed with the evangelical truths, even though they should reach, as handled by this pen, no farther. I had like to have forgot Mr's letter; and if I had forgot it, you might justly wonder at my stupidity. What a man is he! sure the age does not produce a more genuine copy of his divine Master. What a letter has he wrote! what dignity of sentiment! what true greatness of soul! what openness of heart! what boldness of speech, and justness of reproof, sweetened with what love! tempered with what humility! How I love the excellent man! Was not your soul ashamed while you read it? and did not your heart burn within you, as the disciples' did when talking with Christ in their way to Em

maus?

I am really afraid to read Spenser's Fairy Queen. He is in fancy superior, perhaps, to every poet, yet so luscious in some of his representations, which I have casually dipped upon, that it is impossible, for ME at least, to advert to them without catching contagion. His pictures of this sort are drawn with a good design. He makes his heroes victors of the soft allurements. But, I believe, few minds are so case-hardened against sensual pleasure, as not to receive disadvantageous impressions. I am therefore determined never to look into it again, never to

gather the honey of poetry from the briers of contamination. "Flee temptation," is the advice of an inspired apostle, and I will pay the due regard to it. I am, dear sir, with great respect, your most obliged, and very affectionate servant, &c.

LETTER CLXXI.

Weston-Favell, Dec. 6. 1756. SIR, I RECEIVED your obliging and valuable present of the Scriptural Poems wrote by an American. It is an extraordinary performance, considering the disadvantageous circumstances under which the author laboured. A spirit of zeal and devotion animates the whole. There are, too, some elevated thoughts and fine lines in it, particularly in that part of his poems he entitles "Man's fall and exaltation, or the Christian triumph."

I hope the sale of it will answer your expectation; and recompense the cost you have bestowed in printing it so elegantly, and on so fine a paper. But be that as it may, you have my best wishes that it may become the darling of the public; and you have at the same time the sincere thanks of, sir, your obliged humble servant.

LETTER CLXXII.

DEAR SIR, TELL our ingenious friend at if I did not give a direct answer to his question, it was because he had stated it improperly. His manner was like making a raw apothecary's apprentice the proper judge of a doctor's bill. If such a chap should take upon him to say, Doctor, your language is unintelligible, your recipes are injudicious, what answer would you make? Some such answer must

be made, even to Dr C and Mr Oif they or Dr C― maintain, or would insinuate, that the mystery of sanctification, as delineated by Marshall, is unintelligible and injudicious, merely