tains my duty to God and my neighbour? But what can a pen do here? It can juft teftify what my heart feels:-That no words can defcribe, what I owe to my heavenly Benefactor, to my earthly friends, and to you in particular, who have had so much patience as to ftand by me, and bear a fhare in my burdens, for fo many months at home and abroad.

What fhall I fay? Thanks be to God for his unfpeakable gifts; for Jefus ;-for the Spirit of Jefus ;-for the members of Jefus's myftical body; and in particular am I bound to return thanks for thofe, who have miniftered, and ftill do minifter to my wants, and share in my infirmities. Your meek humility forbids my faying, that among the many, who, for Chrift's fake, have debased themselves fo far, as to take up my crofs with me, and help me to bear it after my Lord, you ftand in the first rank, and the firft fruits of my gratitude are due to you. Simon of Cyrene bore our Lord's crofs by compulfion: You have borne that of the most unworthy of his fervants without compulfion; and now, what fhall I render?-A filent tear whispers, I can render nothing. May the merciful, faithful God, who has promifed, that a cup of cold water given to the leaft of his followers fhall not lofe its reward,---may that omnipotent God, who fees you in all the ftates of weakness, which await you between the prefent moment and the hour of death, give you all, that can make your life comfor table, your trials tolerable, your death triumphant, and your eternity glorious!

What I ask for you, I alfo peculiarly beg for your dear brother and fifter, who have vouchfafed to bind fo dry, fo infignificant (I had almost faid, fo rotten) a flick as myself, in the bundle of that loye, with which they embrace the poor, the lame, the helpless, the loathsome, and thofe, who have their fores without, as Laza. rus, or within, as I. May we all be found bound up together in the bundle of Life, Light, and Love, with our Lord! And when he fhall make up his jewels, may you all fhine among his diamonds of the finest water and the first magnitude!

You want poffibly to know, how I go on. Though I am not worth a line, I fhall obferye, to the glory of my patient, merciful Preferver, and Redeemer, that I am kept in fweet peace, and am looking for the triumphant joy of my Lord, and for the fulness expreffed in these words, which fweetly filled the fleepless hours of last night :--

With refpect to my body, I fleep lefs, and fpit more blood than I did, when you were here: nor can I bear the leaft trot of an eafy horfe. If this continues many days, inftead of thinking to go and fee my friends on the Continent, I fhall turn my fteps to

my

my earthly home, to be ready to lay my bones in my church-yard: and in fuch a cafe, I fhall put you in mind of your kind promise, that you would do to the laft the office of a guardian angel,---hold up my hands in my laft conflict, and clofe my eyes, when it is over. Two of my parishioners came to convey me fate home, and had perfuaded me to go with them in a poft chaife; but I had fo bad a night before the day I was to fet out, that I gave it up. My profpects and ways are fhut up, fo that I have nothing to look at but Jefus and the grave. May I fo look at them, as to live in him, my refurre&tion and life; and die in all the meeknefs and holinefs of my Lord and my all! I humbly requeft a continued interest in your fervent prayers, that I may be found completely ready,. when my Lord's meilenger fhall come for my foul. Adieu my dear friend. God blefs and reward you. I am, your most affec tionate friend and brother, J. F.

The Right Hon. Lady MARY FITZGERALD.

Honoured and dear Madam,

Madeley, Oct. 21, 1777.

HE honour of your. Chriftian letter humbles me, and the

you tepe,

your taking a journey to confult fo mean a creature, lays me in the duft. My brothers and fifters invite me to breathe once more my natal air, and the phyficians recommend to me a journey to the Continent. I wait for the laft intimations of Providence to determine me to go. If I do, I fhall, probably, pafs through London, and in that cafe, I could have the honour of waiting upon you. I fay, probably, becaufe I fhall only follow my friend, and a ferious family, which goes to spend the winter in the South of France, or in Spain: and I do not yet know, whether they defign to embark at Dover, or at fome port in the Weft of England. They have all taken a journey, and at their return, I shall know their determination, and be able to fix the time, when I might have it in my power to wait upon you, Madam, either at your house, or at our dear friend's in St. James's Place,

With respect to the hints you drop in your letter, concerning your external circumftances, I find it upon my heart, to fay, Abide in the ftate in which you have been called, till Providence makes a way for you to efcape out of what may be contrary to your new tafte. Your crofs has changed its nature with your heart; and we may, in fome cafes, be called to take up a worldly, as well as a heavenly crofs. Jofeph and Mofes did so once in Egypt, Ether in Sufa, Daniel in Babylon, John the Baptift at Herod's court, and our Lord in the houfe of the rich Pharifee. Some great end, to yourself, or to others, may be answered by patiently bearing your worldly crofs, till it be taken from you, or you are removed from under it. Continue to make it matter of earnest prayer to know the will of God concerning you; and whilst your eye watches the motions of the providential cloud, and your heart

U 2

liftens

liftens for the Lord's call, endeavour to keep your will as an even balance at his feet, that the leaft grain of intimation---clear intimation from him, and the leaft diftin&t touch of the hand of Providence, may turn the scale either way, without refistance on your part. Being thus fully perfuaded, you will do and fuffer all, with the liberty and courage of faith.

You have been afflicted, as well as dear Mrs. G. Mrs. L. and myself. May our maladies yield the peaceable fruits of righteoufnefs---complete deadness to the world, and increased faith in the mercy, love, and power of Him, who fupports under the greatest trials, and can make our extremity of weakness, an opportunity of difplaying the freenefs of his grace, and the greatnefs of his power. Give my duty and thanks to them, and tell them, that I falute them under the crofs, with the fympathy of a companion in tribulation; and rejoice at the thought of doing it, where the crofs fhall be exchanged for the crown. In the mean time, let us glory in the crofs of our common Head; and firmly believe, that he is exalted to give us whatever is beft for us, in life, in death, and for ever.

I have taken the bark for fome days, and it feems to have been bleffed to the removal of my fpitting blood. Time will decide, whether it be a real removal, or only a fufpenfion of that fymptom. Either will prove a bleffing, as his will is our happiness. To live fingly to God, the best method is to defire it in meekness; to fpread the defire in quietness before him who inspireth it; to offer him now all we have and are, as we can; and to open our mouth of expectation wide, that he may either fill it with good things, with all his funefs, or that he may try our patience, and teach us to know our total helplessness. With refpect to the weeping frame of repentance, and the joyous one of faith, they are both good alternately; but the latter is the better of the two, because it enables us to do, and suffer, and praife, which honours Chrift more both are happily mixed. May they be fo in you, Madam, and in your unworthy and obliged fervant,

I

To the Rev. Dr. CONYER S.

Hon. and Dear Sir,

J. F.

Macon in Burgundy, May 18, 1778. Left orders with a friend to send you a little book, called The Reconciliation; in which I endeavour to bring nearer the children of God, who are divided about their partial views of divine truths. I do not know whether that tract has in any degree, anfwered its defign; but I believe truth can be reconciled with itself, and the candid children of God one with another.

that fome abler hand, and more loving heart, would undertake to mend my plan, if it be worth mending, or draw one more agreeable to the word of God! My eyes are upon you, dear Sir, and those who are like minded with you, for this work; difap. point me not of my hope, Stand forth, and make way for reconciling

conciling love, by removing (fo far as lies in you) what is in the way of brotherly union. O Sir, the work is worthy of you! and if you faw, with what boldness the falfe philofophers of the Continent, who are the apoftles of the age, attack Christianity, and reprefent it as one of the worft religions in the world, and fit only to make the professors of it murder one another, or at leaft to contend among themselves; and how they urge our difputes to make the gospel of Chrift the jeft of nations, and the abhorrence of all flesh, you would break through your natural timidity, and invite all our brethren in the miniftry, to do what the herds do on the Swifs mountains, when wolves attack them; inftead of goring one another, they unite, form a close battalion, and face the common enemy on all fides. What a fhame would it be if cows and bulls fhewed more prudence, and more regard for union, than Chriftians and gospel Minifters !

O dear Sir, take courage! Be bold for the reconciling truth. Be bold for peace. You can do all things, through Chrift ftrengthening you; and as Doctor Conyers, you can do many things,--a great many more than you think. What if you go, Sir, in Christ's name, to all the gospel ministers of your acquaintance, exhort them as a father, entreat them as a brother, and bring them, or as many of them as you can together; think you that your labour would be in vain in the Lord? Impoffible, Sir! O despair not! Charity hopeth all things, and as Kempis faith, "It trieth all things, and bringeth many things to pass, which "would appear impoffible to him, who defpaireth, hateth, or "careth not for the sheep."

If you want a coach, or a friend to accompany you, when you go upon this errand of love, remember there is a Thornton in London, and an Ireland in Bristol, who will wish you God fpeed, and make your way plain before you; and God will raife many more to concur in the peaceful work. Let me humbly intreat you to go to work, and to persevere in it. I wish I had ftrength to be at least your poftilion when you go. I would drive, if not like Jehu, at leaft with fome degree of cheerful fwiftness, while Chrift fmiled on the Chriftian attempt. But I am confident you can do all in the abfence, and without the concurrence of him who is, with brotherly love, and dutiful refpect, Hon. and dear Sir, your obedient fervant in the gospel,

J. F.

To Mr. WILLIAM PERRONET.

My dear Friend,

W

Nyon, June 2, 1778.

HEN I wrote to you laft, I mentioned two Ladies of your family, who have married two brothers, Meffrs. Monod. Since that time, they have requested me, to fend to your father the enclofed memorial, which I hope will prove of ufe to your family. As the bad writing and the language may

make

make the understanding of it difficult to you, I fend you the sub ftance of it, and of the letter of the Ladies' lawyer.

While I invite you to make your title clear to a precarious eftate on earth, permit me, my dear Sir, to remind you of the heavenly inheritance entailed on believers. The Will, the New Teftament by which we can recover it, is proved. The court is juft and equitable, the Judge is gracious and loving. To enter into poffeffion of a part of the eftate here, and of the whole hereafter, we need only believe, and prove evangelically, that we are believers. Let us, then, fet about it now, with earneftnefs, with perfeverance, and with a full affurance, that, through grace, we fhall infallibly carry our cause. Alas! what are estates and crowns to grace and glory? The Lord grant, that we, and all our friends, may chufe the better part, which your brother, my dear friend, fo happily chofe. And may we firmly stand to the choice, as he did, to the laft. My best refpects wait upon your dear father, your fifters, and nieces. God reward your kindness to me upon

them all!

I have had a pull back fince I wrote laft. After I left Mr. Ireland at Macon, to fhorten my journey and enjoy new profpects, I ventured to cross the mountains, which feparate France from this country. But on the third day of the journey, I found an unexpected trial; a large hill, whofe winding roads were so steep, that though we fed the horfes with bread and wine, they could fcarcely draw the chaife, obliged me to walk in all the steepest places. The climbing lafted several hours, the fun was hot, I perfpired violently, and the next day I fpit blood again. I have chiefly kept to goat's milk ever fince, and hope I fhall get over this death alfo, because I find myself, bleffed be God, better again, and my cough is neither frequent nor violent.

This is a delightful country. If you come to fee it, and claim the eftate, bring all the papers and memorials your father can collect, and come to fhare a pleafant apartment, and one of the finest prospects in the world, in the houfe where I was born. God blefs you, my dear friend! Believe me, Dear Sir, &c.

To JAMES IRELAND, Esq;

My dear Friend,

J. F.

Nyon, Sept. 25, 1778.

Am juft returned from an excurfion I made with my brother, through the fine vale in the midst of the high hills, which divide France from this country. In that vale we found three lakes, one on French ground, and two on Swifs; the largeft is fix miles long and two wide. It is the part of the country where industry is moft apparent, and where population thrives beft. The inhabitants are chiefly woodmen, coopers, watch-makers, and jewellers. They told me, they had the beft finging, and the beft preacher in the country. I asked, If any finners were converted under his miniftry? They ftared, and afked, "What I

meant