a hope he never knew before: so certain is it, that the preaching of Christ Crucified is the power of God unto salvation!

April 8.

I STILL continue well, and have many pulpits opened to me; and I believe I could preach charity sermons every Sunday, were I to stay here this half year. I am frequently delighted with seeing my spiritual children. Last night particularly, after service, I saw the hair-dresser whom I used to employ seventeen years since. He was then a country lad, and I used to talk much to him. He told me, with tears, that, by Sovereign Grace, he still lived near the Fountain of all life and salvation. Immediately after he had done, a lady said to me, "You, Sir, are my spiritual father!" Oh, what an honour, an unspeakable privilege! - enough to humble me, a sinful man, to the dust!-enough to overwhelm my soul with never-ceasing astonishment!-enough to make me flame with the fire of love and zeal for Christ, to spend and be spent for Him! Sometimes I feel thus rightly affected, and the feeling has indeed much of Heaven in it; but corruption and unbelief again work, and all that fine sensation is gone.

April 14.

I HAVE this morning left Mr. Thornton. Oh, that God would make me, in my sphere, and my dear friend, and every one of us who dwell together, such trees of righteousness as he is! Indeed, his humility can be only equalled by his bounty, and by his watchfulness and diligent

use of the means of grace. Thus, by coming at times to be a week or two with my friends, the cement of friendship is maintained.

April 18.

I HAVE more pleasure in writing this letter, than in any one I have sent you since I left home; because I can now fix the day when, God willing, I shall leave the life of hurry and noise I am now in, to retreat to my peaceable highly-favoured home, where my two friends will receive me with joy, and gratitude to God for all His mercies to a sinful worm. I have not been idle. I have been too much pressed to refuse; and, on the whole, I have preached twenty times, during eight weeks, to crowded churches; and I think with more boldness, delight, and power, than I have ever done before. The last sermon, on Sunday, has been made of use to Mrs.; so that, though I have often wished to be at home, I have much cause to bless God for my journey. What has most pleased me, is, to find how many spiritual children, of whom I knew nothing, the Lord has given me in this city. One young man, for whom I wrote out a prayer when he was twelve years old, did, he told me, from that time set out in earnest. Last Sunday morning I preached a charity sermon in one of the largest churches in London. The curate so hated my name, that he left the church, and there was no one to read the prayers: after making the congregation wait, I was obliged to read them myself. In the congregation I saw two young men from Huddersfield, who had run away from their homes.

I took occasion to tell the congregation, that I knew there were present two unhappy people, self-deceivers concerning the doctrine of Grace.

TO JAMES KERSHAW, ESQ.

Huddersfield, July 8, 1769.

I ESTEEM myself much obliged to you, my affectionate friend, for the good news of your safe arrival in London, and the grace of our God manifested to your precious soul, under all the trials you are constantly to meet with from without and from within. The more experience we have of both, the more rational and indeed necessary appears to me the glorious doctrine of assurance, founded upon the work and covenant-the one performed, and the other ratified, in God our Saviour. I was glad you spoke for our dear Almighty Friend, in the coach. To see the boldness of the agents of Satan, and the timidity of the soldiers of Christ, is affecting indeed! Yet how much condemnation have I in my own mind, on that account!-not that prudence is to be discarded in this matter. " Speak not in the ears of a fool, lest he despise the wisdom of thy words," is a necessary caution; yet we are apt oftener to err on the other side. In short, in this as well as in other cases, we stand in continual need of that guidance and unerring direction promised to us and by daily prayer for the Holy Ghost, He will guide us in that path which, as Mr. Hart expresses it, "the vulture's eye hath not This I have always found, that when I

seen."

have lifted up my soul to God, to be made useful, wherever I have been going, I seldom or never came away without the answer to my prayer. I had a remarkable instance of this the other day, in a visit paid to Mrs. Ramsden; whose grief for her loss is, indeed, afflicting to behold! The whole company at dinner was, this lady, the Marchioness of Rockingham, and her two other daughters. When I came away, I could scarce believe I had near two hours' talk, upon the grand, adorable object.

O, pray for me!—and I will endeavour to return the favour-that every morning I may rise with an active and steady purpose to be doing something for God, as the miser rises with the design to get more gain each day.

In the October of this year, Mr. Venn engaged to preach for a few Sundays at the chapel at Bath, belonging to Lady Huntingdon. At this time there were only a few chapels under her ladyship's patronage, and they were served by ministers of the Church of England: for it was not generally understood how far the privilege of a Peeress extended. A trial which took place in the Consistorial Court of London, about ten years after this date, respecting Lady Huntingdon's Chapel in Spa Fields, first decided their character, as dissenting places of worship.

The following are extracts from letters written to Mrs. Riland, during his absence.

St. Alban's, Oct. 13, 1769.

FROM Sheffield I rode to Chatsworth, where I slept, and set off the next morning at six o'clock. When I arrived at the top of the hill, I saw a deep valley full of mist, into which I was to descend— a lively representation of that state in which we lie by nature; and the sun appeared as pale as the moon, and not at all equal in appearance to the mighty work of dispelling so gross a mist: but, in about an hour, the glorious luminary scattered it all, and at once delighted and warmed me by its beams, giving me a very lively idea of the Sun of Righteousness rising with healing in His wings on the sinner's soul; such as you and I, my dear friend, have, through rich and sovereign grace, experienced. Happy day, when Jesus, the light of life, revealed His glory to us! At Northampton, no Mr. Madan; so that I fear he is ill. I know what it is to suffer more, long after the blow has been given, than immediately upon feeling it probably he is now suffering anguish of spirit for his departed Isaac. From Northampton I came hither; and my dear friend Mr. Clarke, of Chesham Boyce, is sitting by me. Had it not been for him, I should certainly have filled my sheet.

Bath, Oct. 22.

YESTERDAY I was brought in health and safety to my journey's end. Many Christian friends I have met with, all expressing their love for me, a worm,