evenings in this devout exercise, he should be upon his guard lest he be tempted to leave it off. O may he never be tired of such a good work! the more he prays, the more he will have strength to persevere. It is humbly hoped, that all who read this will immediately purchase the Earnest Invitation, &c. the price of which, as has been before observed, is no more than a penny; and then, after having weighed it with the attention which a matter of this importance deserves, they will, to use the author's own words, "judge whether it be not a seasonable and a safe measure which we would persuade you to take; and you will take it, if you are indeed a friend to our present happy establishment in church and state. Your love for them will put you upon the doing every thing that lies in your power to serve them; and here you have a fair opportunity, of which, if you make use, it cannot but do you service, and may be a blessing to them. Pray for them at the appointed hour, (namely from eight to nine every Sunday evening). Determine, through God's assistance, that nothing shall hinder you from joining us. Break through all engagements, all hinderances, to meet at the throne of grace the Lord's people. [Consider that God knoweth his secret ones, and will reward them openly]. And moreover, for your encouragement, remember, that he who sitteth upon the throne is the GOD WHO HÉARETH PRAYER, and who has invited you (Psal. 1. 15.) to call upon him in the day of trouble; so will I hear thee, says he, and thou shalt praise me." What a comfortable promise is here to animate every one to make part of this praying congregation!

LETTER CLXXVII.

MY DEAR FRIEND, I TRULY Sympathize with you in all your calamities; but to be afflicted more or less, is the common lot of God's people; and it is frequently their fate to be exercised with frowning

providences in a remarkably grievous manner. Under such circumstances we should suggest soft hints of admonition, with the same friendly intention as actuated the prophet Jeremiah, when he addressed this exhortation to his countrymen, "Let us search and try our ways, and," if we are found delinquents, "turn again unto the Lord," Lam. iii. 4. We should likewise comfort each other by observing, that God, who heareth prayer, has bowels of everlasting compassion, and does not willingly afflict the sons of men; that this adorable God has given his all-glorious Son to be a bleeding sacrifice for our sins; and that if he withheld not his Son, his only Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not also with him freely give us all things? all things that pertain to life and godliness;" to subsistence here, and salvation for ever. Prompted by the infinite benignity of his nature, and engaged by his inviolable promise, he never faileth those that seek him. O how ready is he to give his Holy Spirit! to give all happiness to those that with an humble sincerity will apply to him! infinitely more ready than we are to give our children a morsel of bread to save them from perishing with hunger. These are indeed comfortable considerations, and are the strongest reasons why we should continually be making our requests known unto him.

I fear Mr Sm-h is a very bad man, and too justly deserves the name you give him. Labourers, I am told, are distressed by his neglecting to pay them; which I can assure you very much grieves me, nor is it in my power to redress them. I wish it was; they should soon see what it is to have to do with one "who nameth the name of Christ," 2 Tim. ii. 19.

Please to lend me Dr Squire's Indifference for Religion Inexcusable. I mightily like the title of it. He bears so good a character, both as a scholar and a man, that I hope it will be an antidote against the fashionable and growing indifference to religion,

Did you ever see a shilling poem, entitled the Battle of the Sexes? It is wrote in the spirit of Spenser, and is indeed one of the prettiest things I ever met with. But it is very evident that the author has taken his plan from Fletcher's Purple Island.* The celebrated Pitt of New College, who translated Virgil and Vida, has wrote a complimentary copy of verses, which are prefixed; a specimen of which I have here selected to shew you the nature of it.

What muse but yours so justly could display
The embattled passions marshall'd in array?
Bid the ranged appetites in order move,
Give lust a figure, and a shape to love?
To airy notions solid forms dispense !
And make our thoughts the images of sense!
Discover all this rational machine,

And shew the movements, springs, and wheels within?

As I was looking yesterday at my preface to the new edition of Jenks's Meditations, I observed, in the catalogue of his works, that, either through my own or the printer's negligence, two little pieces are omitted: one of them is his Serious Thoughts on the Wonderful God; which is very useful in assisting us to form proper notions of the divine perfections; the other is his Glorious Victory of Chastity, exemplified in Joseph's hard conflict, and happy escape. It is pity that this little piece is not more regarded by parents, as it is perhaps the best thing of its size ever wrote on the subject, and ought to be put into the hands of all young people; for as St Augustine justly observes, "Inter omnia certamina Christianorum duriora sunt prælia castitatis; nam ibi continua pugna, et rara victoria."+

If another edition of Jenks's Meditations should be demanded, and if it should please God to take me to himself before that time, I here desire the favour of to see that these two little tracts be inserted

you

* See Letter CCVI.

†The neaning of which is: "Amidst all the various and sharp encounters in the Christian warfare, the attacks on our chastity are perhaps the most formidable, as the combat is strenuous and lasting; a complete victory being rarely obtained."

in the catalogue of Mr Jenks's writings, given in the preface to that book by your ever affectionate, &c.

LETTER CLXXVIII.

Weston-Favell, April 28. 1757. WHAT has my dear friend been speaking for the honour of HIM, who saved his life from destruction? How are you? how is your lady, after your great fright,* and greater deliverance? Calm now, I trust, and no emotions in your mind but of gratitude to the great Preserver of men, who kept all your bones, so that not one of them is broken.

Now, I hope, you will be steadily and uniformly serious. You see, God warns you, yet spares you. To others he has appointed such dangers as befell you yesterday, to be the messenger of death; to you he has designed them only as an admonition of love; hear then your PRESERVER's voice. Trifle no longer with Christ and his salvation; be zealous, I mean discreetly zealous, for your Saviour, and for that gospel, which you understand better than most of our clergymen. How can you refuse to speak boldly for such a Master, and to devote yourself to his service in earnest, who forgives all your backslidings, watches over you with such tender compassion, and waits, yea, waits to be gracious unto you!

My dear friend, may the Lord Jesus turn us both to himself, who is our refuge, our salvation, and all our hope; who should be our boast, our triumph, and all our joy.

I long to see your amiable friend the Reverend

* The gentleman was driving his wife in a one-horse chaise, when the horse suddenly took fright, and flung his hinder leg over one of the shafts, just by the side of a very deep ditch: being thus entangled, and a high-mettled horse, he kicked with all imaginable fury, and several times his hoofs came within a hair's breadth of their heads. They called in vain on their servant, who had loitered behind; and they must both have inevitably been dashed to pieces, had not the horse, by the violence of his kicking, broke the harness, bar, and shafts, and thus fortunately disentangled himself.

Mr Dyer's poem on the Fleece. I suppose he will make you a present of it. When you have done with it, please to send it me. I hear it is to be sold at five shillings, which I cannot afford to give for it.

In your last letter you asked me for two guineas out of my charity purse, for our very deserving and very distressed friend. Indeed it is quite exhausted; nay, I do not think I have a single guinea in the world, even for my own use; though I forbear every unnecessary expense, and want many of the little conveniencies of life, that I may be enabled to succour the worthy servants of Christ. I have agreed to go halves with Rivington in the profits of my book; and I always make it a maxim, not to give till I have gotten. Be just before you are generous, is your own rule too. If the Lord pleases to prosper my work, I will very readily communicate to the comfort of such worthy objects as you may think proper to recommend to the charity of, my dear friend, yours very affectionately.

LETTER CLXXIX.

DEAR SIR, MR MOSES BROWNE has, I think, thirteen children. One is settled in the world; and a friend of his has taken another for his clerk, gratis. We propose to put out one of his daughters to some decent business, by which she may have the means of getting her livelihood. He has been at a great expense, poor man! by the sickness of his family. Your contribution on this occasion will be acceptable. Dr has offered to augment the collection; and Mr ——, I am sure, will readily add his charitable assistance, especially if you recommend the case.

* The Rev. Mr Moses Browne (the author of Sunday Thoughts, and various other pieces) is now vicar of Olney in Buckinghamshire, the revenue of which is about fifty pounds, being his only income, and he above fifty years old.