elder and more sensible children, Malabranche's Search after Truth is an excellent French book. Perhaps you might add, Locke's Essay on the Human Understanding, with the Remarks in the Arminian Magazine. I had forgotten that beautiful book, "The Travels of Cyrus," whether in French or English. I always am, Your affectionate Friend and Brother, JOHN WESLEY. LETTERS TO MISS BOLTON. LETTER I. MY DEAR SISTER, Bandon, May 2, 1771. I WANTED much to know how your soul prospered. I could not doubt but the god of this world, the enemy of all righteousness, would use every means to move you from your steadfastness. Blessed he God, you are not moved! That all his labour has been in vain. Hitherto hath God helped you: and fear not, he will help you to the end. He gives you health, as a token for good: he can trust you with it, while you give him your heart. And, O! stand fast in the glorious liberty, wherewith he has made you free. You are not called, to desire suffering. Innocent nature is averse from pain. Only as soon as his will appears, your's is to sink down before it. Hark! what does he say to you now? "Lovest thou me more than these ?” More than these, "Wealth, honour, pleasure, or what else, This short enduring world can give ?" Then feed my lambs: carry the little ones in thy bosom gently lead those that are great with young. Be not weary of well doing! In due time thou shalt reap, if thou faint not, &c. &c. Your's most affectionately, J. WESLEY. LETTER II. MY DEAR SISTER, London, June 15, 1771. A LETTER from you is always welcome; but never more so than now: as this is the time wherein it seems good to our Lord, to try you as by fire. Fear nothing, only believe: he is with you in the fire, so that the flames shall not kindle upon you. O how will you praise him by and by, for his wise and gracious visitation! He is purging away all your dross, that you may be a vessel meet for the Master's use. Happy are they, that do his will: and happier still, they that suffer it. But whatever you suffer, cast not away that confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. In order to keep it, do not reason, but simply look up to him that loves you. Tell him, as a little child, all your wants. Look up, and your suit is VOL. 10.-H h made! He hears the cry of your heart. And tell all that troubles Your's affectionately, J. WESLEY. you to, MY DEAR SISTER, LETTER III. Lynn, Nov. 7, 1771. AT length I have snatched an hour to repeat to you in writing the advices which I gave you before. 1. Keep that safe which God has given you: never let slip any blessing which you have received. Regard none who tell you, "You must lose it." No: you never need lose one degree of love. 2. You never will, provided you are a careful steward of the manifold gifts of God. To him that hath, that is, uses what he hath, it shall be given still, and that more abundantly. Therefore, 3. Use your every grace. Stir up the gift of God that is in you. Be zealous! Be active! Spare no one. Speak for God wherever you are. But, meantime, 4. Be humble: Let all that mind be in you, which was in Christ Jesus. And be clothed with humility. Pray that you may always feel, that you are nothing, less than nothing, and vanity In this spirit, speak and do every thing, giving all the glory to him that lives and rules in your heart by faith. Last night I was reading some advices of a French author, part of which may be of use to you. Only observe: He is writing to one that had living faith, but was not perfected in love. "How can I distinguish pride, from temptation to pride?" "It is extremely difficult to distinguish these, and still more so, to lay down rules for doing it. Our eyes cannot penetrate the ground of our hearts. Pride and vanity are natural to us: and for that reason, nothing is more constantly at hand, nothing less observed than their effects. The grand rule is, to sound sincerely the ground of our hearts, when we are not in the hurry of temptation. For if, on inquiry, we find, that it loves obscurity and silence; that it dreads applause and distinction; that it esteems the virtue of others, and excuses their faults with mildness; that it easily pardons injuries; that it fears contempt less and less; that it sees a falsehood and baseness in pride, and a true nobleness and greatness in humility; that it knows and reveres the inestimable riches of the cross and the humiliations of Jesus Christ; that it fears the lustre of those virtues which are admired by men, and loves those that are more secret; that it draws more comfort, even from its own defects, through the abasement which they occasion, and that it prefers any degree of compunction, before all the light in the world: then you may trust, that all the motions you feel, tending to pride or vanity, whether they are sudden, or are thrust against you for some time, are not sin, but temptation. And then it may be the best to turn from, and despise them, instead of giving them weight, by fixing your attention upon them." I want a particular account both of your inward and outward health: tell me how you are, and what you are doing: withhold nothing from, Your affectionate Friend and Brother, J. WESLEY. LETTER IV. MY DEAR SISTER, London, Dec. 5, 1772. I KNOW not that ever you asked me a question which I did not readily answer. I never heard any one mention any thing concerning you on that account: but I inyself was jealous over you. Perhaps I shall find faults in you that others do not for. I survey you on every side. I mark your every motion and temper, because I long for you to be without spot or blemish. What I have seen in London occasioned the first caution I gave you. George Bell, William Green, and many others, then full of love, were favoured with extraordinary revelations and manifestations from God. But by this very thing, Satan beguiled them from the simplicity that is in Christ. By insensible degrees, they were led to value these extraordinary gifts, more than the ordinary grace of God; and I could not convince them, that a grain of humble love, was better than all these gifts put together. This, my dear friend, was what made me fear for you. This makes me remind you again and again. Faith and hope are glorious gifts, and so is every ray of eternity let into the soul. But still these are but means. The end of all, and the greatest of all is, love. May the Lord just now pour it into your heart, as he never has done before. By all means spend an hour every other day in the labour of love, even though you cannot help them as you would. Commending you to him who is able to make you perfect in every good word and work, I am, your's, affectionately, J. WESLEY. LETTER V. MY DEAR SISTER, London, July 18, 1773. YOUR late conversation was exceeding pleasant to me. I had sometimes been almost inclined to think, that your affection was lessened; but I now believe it is not: I trust your love is not grown cold. This gave me much satisfaction, though I could not but be concerned at seeing you so encumbered with worldly business. Surely it will not be so always! But God's time is best! Two or three of those little things I have sent you: With peaceful mind thy race of duty run: God nothing does, or suffers to be done, But what thou wouldst thyself, if thou couldst see Let thy repentance be without delay: Nor steel, nor flint, alone produces fire, If gold be offer'd thee, thou dost not say Prayer and thanksgiving is the vital breath, Two different painters, artists in their way, The specious sermons of a learned man But he who preaches with a Christian grace, Faith, Hope, and Love, were question'd what they thought of future glory, which religion taught. Now Faith believed it firmly to be true, And Hope expected so to find it too: Love answered, smiling with a conscious glow, Believe? expect? I know it to be so. Go on, in this humble, gentle love; that you may abound therein more and more; aim at nothing higher than this. And may the God of love still possess you whole, and guide your every thought, and word, and work. Continue to pray for Your affectionate Brother, J. WESLEY. LETTER VI. MY DEAR SISTER, London, Aug. 8, 1773. IT gives me much pleasure to observe, that you do not lose your simplicity. You seem not only to retain simplicity of spirit, (the great thing,) but likewise of sentiment and language. God has indeed dealt very graciously with you from the beginning hitherto. He has led you tenderly by the hand, from grace to grace, and from faith to faith. And you may well say, "The mercy I feel, To others I show: I set to my seal, That Jesus is true." Go on in his name, and earnestly exhort all that know him, to press forward to the mark. Encourage them to aspire after full salvation, salvation into the whole image of God! Beware you do not decline in your zeal for this: let no prudence hinder you. Let prudence "guide, not cool, its fires." "Still let it for his glory burn, With unextinguishable blaze: But I had forgotten that I am in haste. I hope Mr. S. will be a He is alive to God. This day I set out for Bris blessing to many. tol, and thence to Cornwall: but I hope to be at Bristol again on the 28th instant. Life is short! We have need to improve every moment! Adieu! J. WESLEY. LETTER VII. MY DEAR SISTER, Bristol, Sept. 27, 1777. UNDOUBTEDLY Satan, who well understands the manner how the mind is influenced by the body, can, by means of those parts in the animal machine, which are more immediately subservient to thinking, raise a thousand perceptions and emotions in the mind, so far as God is pleased to permit. I doubt not but he was the chief agent in your late painful exercises. And you gave him advantage by reasoning with him, that is, fighting him with his own weapons instead of simply looking up, and saying, "Thou shalt answer for me, O Lord, my God." You undoubtedly want more thankfulness and you want more simplicity; that grace, Cambray says, "which cuts the soul off from all unnecessary reflections upon itself." You are encompassed with ten thousand mercies, and the greatest of all is, "Christ in a pure and spotless heart!" Beware of ever admitting any doubt or reasoning concerning this! Whereunto you have attained, hold fast! And use all the grace you have received. Warn every one, and exhort every one, and especially those who groan after full salvation. I cannot, on any account, pass a whole day without commending you to God in prayer. I thank you for writing to me so soon. pray for, Continue to love and LETTER VIII. MY DEAR SISTER, London, Jan. 2, 1781. IT is a great step toward Christian resignation, to be thoroughly convinced of that great truth, That there is no such thing as chance in the world, That fortune is only another name for Providence: only it is covered Providence. An event, the cause of which does not appear, we commonly say, "comes by chance." O no: it is guided by an unerring hand: it is the result of infinite wisdom and goodness. Such are all the afflictive circumstances that have followed you in a constant succession, almost from your childhood. He that made the Captain of your salvation perfect through sufferings, has called you to walk in the same path, and for the same end; namely, that you may "learn obedience (more full, inward obedience, a more perfect conformity to his death,) by the things that you suffer." A little while, and "He will wipe all tears from your eyes; and there shall be no more sorrow or crying: neither shall |