Blackfriars, October 27

My dear Friend: — Finding the cover of this letter yesterday, it put me in mind of our past correspondence, and brought back into pleasing reflection many agreeable interviews with you and yours; I was resolved, therefore, to make use of this cover. Providence, I thought, had put it in my way. It is to be sent as directed, to be a witness for me of my constant attachment to you and your family, as of my uninterrupted affection. Go, letter, and say so. Assure them, that I am still the same in heart, in deed, wishing and praying to approve myself to be unfeignedly theirs. And tell them my reason; it is because, through grace, I am the same in heart, in deed, to my spiritual friend; wishing and praying to approve myself to be unfeignedly his in all things. Upon better acquaintance, I am become settled in my love, and rest in it. I have some little intimacy with the Friend of Sinners, and what he manifests to me of himself increases affection. He teaches me to loathe myself; every day he lets me feel and see the total ruin of this body of sin and death, and will not let me look at anything in or of myself, from whence I may draw one moment’s comfort. Thus he makes himself more lovely. Self-loathing renders him precious. The more we grow out of self, the more we grow into Jesus. Tired of our works and duties, we learn to value his righteousness. Feeling we cannot keep ourselves, we know how to trust his faithfulness, who hath undertaken to keep his people unto the end. O what a friend is this! whose love is like himself; the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever. This sense of his love makes his people loving. And his love to them is the bond of all their holy love to one another. Having put on Christ, they put on with him kindness, brotherly love, bowels of mercies, &c. Some of these, but I do not boast, I feel to you, and my dear friends with you. May our love be mutual, increasing continually in every sweet and holy affection. The love of Christ will constrain to this; it spreads like leaven. Every act not only brings forth, but also diffuses, its sweet influence. Whenever I remember you, and make mention of you at our court, the king not only hears, but approves, and makes the love expressed to be love abounding. The holy flame spreads as it burns; so that every affection, as it increases in its attachment to our glorious Head, makes us more truly loving to all his members.

My dear friend, I wish you was more intimate with this loving Jesus. And why not? What has he done to make you shy of him? All your complaints about yourself are no bar: they are so many ties and bonds, constraining you to love him; yea, he will love to hear them from you, as matters of faith. Whatever you are, or feel of sin, misery, helplessness, &c., if rightly managed, should increase your knowledge of and dependence on the Lord Jesus Christ. Indeed, all that you meet with, till you meet him face to face, should bring you into more experience of his perfect salvation, and of his free love to bestow it on such as you; by which means you would be growing daily in the excellency of the knowledge of your Lord, and would be more conformed to his image and example. May you and I increase daily in this heavenly friendship, and love him, in our measure, as he loved us. I am just returned from a journey of seven hundred miles, ashamed and confounded at his mercies to me and mine; and yet to pour my praises to his grace, so mean my services in his own work, that I am forced to cry for mercy on my best sermons and labors. I am returned home self-abased, carrying this truth written on my heart, and desiring to manifest it in outwa rdconversation: Let him that glorieth glory ONLY in the Lord Jesus. I saw Lady

H, who was pure and well, and preached

at her chapel at Bath: she had not received satisfactory, or I think she said no answer at all from the Lord Chancellor; but he must give such an answer as our Lord Chancellor pleases. That’s our comfort: my love to

Mr.. I am going to pray for him.

All covenant blessings be with you and

yours. The Lord spare for his mercies’

sake: I don’t know what you would all do, if he who gave him was to take him away; and remember, he has a right to do it when he will. Farewell, farewell. I am yours in our dear Lord and keeper,

W. R.