as, Another of his poetical productions is described in the title-page, 'A clownish poem on the Shunamite, 'To Mistress Sangster, now at number eight, Amid the heap of trash in these twenty volumes which now stand ranged before us, the correspondence of the author is of some value, as showing the influence which he possessed in his own sphere, and the sort of persons who chose him to be their Pope. Two volumes of these are published under the title of Epistles of Faith, and many of them give the reader as good an insight into the concerns of some of his flock, as Don Cleophas, by the help of the unbottled Asmodeus, obtained into the intrigues of Madrid. A widow writer tells him that she and her children are left in distressed circumstances. He replies to her, 'Dear Mother in Israel, loving kindness and tender mercy be with thee. I can truly sympathize with thee. But there is nothing fallen to thy lot by chance. All these things, says Job, are appointed for me. Call not thyself poor while faith can hold one single promise; nor a widow, while one tender thought of God is left. Credit his truth, and cast all thy care upon him, for he careth for thee. Thou art not the first widow that has been left with a family in debt. One of this number came to the prophet Elisha, and God sent a spring into her pot of oil, and set her up an oil merchant. And I will be bold to say, that she sold the best commodity of that sort in the universe. What faith brings in answer to prayer, has a particular flavour which is peculiar to itself. Jesus has got an inexhausted fulness to supply thy wants, a powerful arm for thy aid, a propitious ear for thy prayers, and a bottle for thy tears; and what wouldst thou have more but the king dom?' He desires to know how she goes on, promises to send her a little savoury meat, such as her soul loves, and tells her he had often observed, that the blackest clouds have discharged the most fruitful showers. A young woman informs him as her spiritual father, that she is about to enter into the holy state of matrimony with an unconverted person. He replies, 'My daughter in the faith, I received yours, and read it with indignation. There are but two families in this world; the children of God and the children of the Devil. If a daughter of God marries a son of Belial, she makes herself a daughter-in-law to the devil, and by this infamous infamous step labours to bring about an affinity between the most high God and Satan. What? is there not a son of Israel that will satisfy thy* desire, but thou must go and take a husband of the uncircumcised? All the plagues, persecutions, woes, and captivities that fell to Israel's share, in the land of Canaan, began with these mixed marriages. God has set forth the miserable match of Samson as a caution to every be liever. But if thy affections are saddled upon an ass, thou wilt go on unless the drawn sword of God should appear in thy way. I have showed you the word of the Lord, which is the sword of the spirit: and, if you rush upon the point of that sword, expect to pierce yourself through with many sorrows. You say he is a person of great property. This springs from the cursed root of covetousness. As for his beauty, that is but skin deep, and lies at the mercy of a cold or a fever. Jacob paid dear for this fading article.-You verily believe that he will be converted to God. Yes; a likely matter, that God should convert a man to satisfy your carnal desires, and nurse your rebellion against his word. Where will not a giddy woman run when her wantonness is kindled, and she is left to kick against Christ! God compares such as you, who have waxed wanton, to a wild ass braying after her male. He goes with you to hear the gospel, and approves of it! No doubt of that: and he will appear to get a deal of comfort from it, too, while your carcase is perched at his right hand.' A young brother consults him whether he shall marry a reclaimed harlot. What she has been,' says the spiritual counsellor, 'matters not: if the dear Redeemer has espoused her to himself, you may take her to wife, if there be a mutual affection between you. Many a magdalen has made an affectionate wife. But take this by the way, if you marry her, you must expect now and then a taunt from some of her old acquaintances, and she may sometimes, when you are with her, meet with a vulgar salutation from her old companions. I would have you consider before-hand whether these things would sit easy upon your old man.' He then advises him to make her dress like a woman professing godliness, or to have nothing to do with her, for if he could not make her pull down her high head before marriage, he was not likely to do it af terwards. I doubt,' says he, her heart is not truly humbled; if it was, she would hate even the garments spotted by the flesh.Why does she keep the sign out, if she has left off business? It ill becomes people, who have left off trade, to mock their customers with an empty sign.' He points out the probability that she may only be dissembling, in order to entangle him in a marriage, and that then the unclean spirit may return with six more of the same stamp. Yet, if she were a chosen vessel, and effectually converted, he might under God be a blessing to her; but, if he were deceived, the yoke would bow his neck till the day of his death. Therefore he exhorted him to pray and get an answer from God, who would direct him in the way he should go. This letter is so written, that the writer writer might take credit to himself, whatever might be the issue. Another beloved friend' has set his heart too much upon a certain Hagarene. I must say to thee upon that matter,' he says, 'as Samuel said to Saul, as for the asses, set not thy mind upon them, for they are found,-but it is upon their old common again. R. J. has done with religion, and it is high time thou hadst done with her.' The highly favoured Hannal' writes him a mournful epistle, dated in the month Nizan, from Abelmizraim. He addresses his reply to her, at the sign of the Unstrung Harp, in the valley of Becca, between the tree of life and the weeping willow.' This correspondent appears to have been a person of rank; he tells her she has all the pomp and pride of life to cope with; besides perishing wealth, fading beauty, and soul-destroying honour to root up; and a deal of natural and acquired parts and abilities, flying imaginations, towering dignity, and a rooted attachment to pleasure.' She complains to him of being addressed by an unbelieving suitor. He tells her he can sympathize with her, as knowing what an insipid thing carnal courtship must be when it is forced as a rape on the mind, and carried on over the shafts of wrath and the sting of death: that it is the worst trap which has hitherto been set for her, and that her soul can expect no more pleasure in a deist, than it could in the witch of Endor. He advises her to entertain her lover with lectures upon the wickedness of man's heart, the woeful state of graceless souls, the emptiness of transient enjoyments, the sweet privilege of spiritual prayer, &c. and if any thing under heaven,' he says, 'will torment his conscience, or provoke his indignation against you, I think that will.' The advice, indeed, if duly followed, could scarcely fail of proving effectual. One of the most characteristic epistles is addressed to a person, who having married one of the S. S.'s daughters in the faith, diminished his flock by removing with her into Devonshire. The gentleman's offence was aggravated by the fact of his having been won from the simple Calvinism of Rowland Hill and my lady's preachers to the high antinomian faith by Huntington himself. And here again the dexterity of the writer is observable; his upbraidings are couched in such language, that if the person to whom they were directed were so pleased, he might take them in good part. Surely, he says, you must have forgotten whose daughter in the faith you married. During the time of your courtship I was politely invited to your house, and made an acceptable guest; but no sooner had my presence granted consent to the marriage, and you obtained the full possession of my daughter, than you treated the parent with cold indifference, neither have you paid any respect or reverence even to my cloth. Wherefore didst thou flee away secretly, and steal from me, and and didst not tell me, that I might have sent thee away, if not with mirth and with songs, with tabret and with harp, yet I might have sent thee away with counsel, caution, petitions, and blessings. Thou hast not suffered me to take leave of my daughter. Before you took your journey, did you propose to go by the way of Mespah? did you ascend the watch tower, descry the leadings of providence, and follow hard after Him who has promised to go before us, and to be our rearward also? did the angels of God meet you as a guard by the way, and as a sure token that your way was not perverse before him? or have you had an absolute promise applied by the spirit to assure your heart that you shall not make a Moabitish voyage of it; go out full, and return empty? -It is safe abiding under the wings of the Almighty. Your very name appears big with meaning. Parker signifies a park-keeper, or deerkeeper, one who is generally prowling about among the herds: but who would have thought that after being so many years an established citizen of mount Zion, thou wouldest, in thy declining age, have become a ranger of the forest? If, like Israel of old, we are forced into exile, the Lord promises to be a little sanctuary in all places whither we may come. But if, like the prodigal, we make a peremptory demand of our portion, and without a divine warrant, set off into a far country, we may bring leanness into our souls, but we shall never get much by trading. There were three that had a joint hand in thy flight, and they are Satan, covetousness and unbelief, and these three are two: and there are three that bear witness against it, namely, William Huntington, my daughter, and Mr. Parker's own conscience; and we three agree in one. Had either of us been consulted and followed, the journey had been postponed to all eternity. I am in a great strait. I long to be present with thee, and to change my voice; but alas! alas! thou art got too far from the first witness. Who then shall I appoint over this business? my daughter? she is the second witness, but she is the weaker vessel; besides, her desire shall be to her husband, and he shall rule over her. I must appeal to conscience, then, and to conscience I will go.' An anonymous correspondent declares an intention of waiting on him for spiritual advice, though he acknowledges it is not fitting that his time should be occupied with hearing the loquaciousness of a fool, or the ravings of a madman. I know to meward is vain all human help,' says this miserable man, yet something may be a stay to my patience, if I have any left. What Job was outwardly, that I am inwardly. My case is similar to that of Francis Spira, the cause excepted. I am distracted, almost dead, and on the verge of desperation! My heart is broken, not only broken, but pulverized. My memory is almost gone, the executive power almost annihilated, and my conscience. a wild beast, a roaring lion! oftentimes at death's door, yet alive! full of murder, theft, and all evil concupiscence. I cannot think a good thought, nor, I now find, ever did. Heretofore I have grappled with atheism, deism, and sadduceism; now a more bitter exercise exercise awaits me. Divines divide God's punishments into judicial and corrective, query, which is mine?" The most afflictive cases of insanity are not always those which can be legally pronounced such; many persons are continually mixing in society with a perfect command over their words and actions, but with as much madness in their heads and hearts as ever consigned a poor maniac to St. Luke's. The S. S. tells this unknown correspondent that he sees nothing in his case more than is common to God's elect, when first apprehended by divine justice, expresses his readiness to see him, exhorts him to be as importunate in prayer as the widow. with the unjust judge, who fairly tired him out, and advises him to 'sit under' the most spiritual and experimental preachers that he could find. To another person who consults him in like manner, he says, you need not have made any apology, as the troubled minds of sensible sinners are my peculiar province. I am authorized and commissioned by the God of heaven to transact business, and negociate affairs between the king of kings, and self-condemned rebels.' One madman assures him that he was actually electrified, in body. and soul, by one of his books. While I was reading it,' he says, 'an uncommon light darted forth, somewhat in the manner of a flash of lightning, which seemed to strike me across the forehead; and directly it sunk into my inward parts, and I felt it within me as plainly as ever I felt any thing in my life. Surely it was the candle of the Lord searching all the inward parts of the belly; for my soul was like a bird shot, it sunk in a moment, and my countenance immediately fell.' This man saw a brilliant star appear over the head of Huntington while he was preaching! and Huntington publishes the letter, and assures him that dreams (of which he has communicated a curious story) are from the spirit of God." Sometimes he found that correspondents were troublesome, new-born babes being never satisfied when they desire the sincere milk of the word. A certain Mrs. Bull writes to him rather more frequently than is agreeable. The Bull family are notorious for the facility with which they are duped. The S. S. lets Mrs. Bull know that he does not like her head dress; he finds fault with her preposterous streamers, and her first, second, and third tier of curls; but tells her that a little more furnace-work will teach her to pull down those useless topsails. This prediction was verified rather more literally than it was meant, for the said Mrs. Bull, thinking it was not his business to interfere with her head dress, was about to resent it in a sharp letter, but, says she, happening to fall asleep by the fire as I was reading the Bible, the candle caught the lappet of my cap, consumed my cap and a good deal of my hair, and I own it a great mercy that I was not consumed myself, and you may be assured that you will see |