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makes him sick of applause; he shuns company, and loves privacy, esteeming his lonely hours the best, where he can wait upon his God, and make his complaints to him. When trials come upon preachers because of the word, many are offended, and in time of temptation fall away, because they have no root in themselves: they were not rooted in Christ, or united to him by the Spirit of love in themselves; they stood and were upheld by the approbation and applause of men; and being carried on by their applause instead of the Spirit's testimony, they find neither defence nor support in times of trouble; and therefore must fall. If the devil, worldlings, and hypocrites serve thee as they have served me, ever since I have been in the ministry, thou mayest wish thou never wast born; but thou wilt find but little to lift thee up. A few of these trials will be sufficient to make manifest whether God hath sent thee, or whether thou hast run of thine own head. When I came first to London, I had great numbers of these human props, who would drag me through fire and water, which was no small mortification and grief to me. I always walked safest when I had no hand to watch, no hand to feel for, nor to lean on, but that of God: I liked best to follow him, and move as he led the way; then I knew that I walked surely; but those that have no eye there will be like the sons of Zeruiah, too hard for the believer, 2 Sam. iii. 28; at least I found it so. However, when God led me to cut at the form of godliness, without the power; to insist upon the pardon of

sin, regeneration by the Holy Ghost, justification by faith in an imputed righteousness, prayer, and all other parts of devotion in the Spirit, and in the truth of the gospel; and to enforce and insist upon an application of the doctrine of eternal election; my friends were like skittles, they fell off five or six at a time; which served to discover to me the various foundations that they built their hopes upon; and their withdrawing made room for their betters to approach; for, after their departure, I perceived that publicans and sinners drew near to hear me; and as many of these as God drove into the net stuck close to the fisher. And God soon discovered to me the difference between the life of these and the life of my former pillars, which encouraged me to be steadfast in the doctrines that God had applied to my soul; as I not only heard an account of their experience, but saw it manifested in their life and conduct; and such as these I found to be my bosom friends: they encouraged me in faithfulness, were ornaments of my ministry, felt for me in the work, and were able to judge when their visits were seasonable, and to take a hint without affront, when they were not. I call these the excellent of the earth, my best friends, and in whom, except Christ, is all my delight. Blessed be God, I have not a few of these, and with these I hope to live and die, to spend and be spent. As for many of my former columns, they could not keep their outward garments clean, much less keep up communion with

God, and be of service to me. I have ever found that inexperienced, unenlightened, uninformed people, have soon got sick of my ministry; they know nothing of the power, therefore can never know the worth of my doctrine, nor of me as a preacher; and when such have cleaved to me, their affection and kindness have rather been a stumbling block and a grief to me, than a matter of comfort And I would ever wish for wisdom to deal with such, as the Saviour did with some, who are said to believe; "but Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, and knew what was in man." I have dropped these hints as a caution: if you get any instruction or comfort from the same, you know where to ascribe the glory. I shall add no more, only subscribe myself,

Your affectionate Friend and Servant,

In the Lord Jesus Christ,

Winchester Row, Paddington,

Sept. 19, 1799.

W. H.

THE

LAWYER'S COMPLAINT,

AND THE

PREACHER'S CAUSTIC;

OR A

SEASONABLE REPLY TO A RESTLESS ATTORNEY AND CO.

AND BEHOLD, A CERTAIN LAWYER STOOD UP, AND TEMPTED HIM, LUKE X. 25.

ALL THAT SPOIL THEE, SHALL BE A SPOIL; AND ALL THAT PREY UPON THEE WILL I GIVE FOR A PREY, JER. XXX. 16.

WO UNTO YOU, LAWYERS, LUKE X1. 46.

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