friends at the throne of grace for me. I was seized on the 6th with what seemed like death from heart affection. I had to all appearance the rattle in the chest usual in death, for three or four hours. heart melted with the love of Jesus.

In the midst of it my

The hymn,

"Jesus is precious saith the Word,"

expresses my feelings. I felt His work was my foundation. My heart has gone out in love to all His dear people. The doctor thinks I must not attempt to preach again. Give my Christian love to Captain S-, to your lady friend, I forget her name, and to the C- -s when you see them. Please write to our dear friend Mrs. S--; my Christian love to her. The Lord help her to look to and hang upon Jesus. He is trustworthy; I proved Him so.

Pray that my feeble faith may by the might of the Spirit keep her hold of Jesus. My safety lies in His love the comfort that comes from My wife's love.

hold of me, but I hanging upon Him.

Clifton, Biggleswade, Aug. 15, 1877.

MY DEAR FRIEND,-I am pencilling a few lines from my bed to ask you to thank, with kind Christian remembrances, Miss B-, for writing to me in your stead. May the Lord soon heal your eye. How valuable, are the senses. I have of late years often been

led to thank God for continuing to me the senses, such desirable inlets to the mind, and means of outlet for us while in the body. On this bed my affections having been anew stirred towards Jesus; they have gone out towards His dear people. When for a few hours I seemed in death's cold embrace, I felt I had Jesus in my arms of faith, and love, and trust. I had the sweetest melting sense of love to Jesus that I have had for some time. I have had some moments of conflict since, but the Lord holds me to this,

"Hangs my helpless soul on Thee."

You and your dear sister, with me and all of us who are descending the hill of life, must come soon to the river without a bridge. But, very dear friends, Jesus is most trustworthy. He will fulfil to you His own word of promise, "as thy days so shall thy strength be." I felt, when I seemed so near eternity, I could freely forgive all who had misrepresented and persecuted me. I had no doubt that what I had preached was the truth that will stand for ever. I said to dear Lenton, "My sin-stained work is done." "The work of Jesus is not sin-stained. That is my trust."

I am now obliged to be almost always alone; no excitement does for me. The doctor thinks I shall not preach again. I propose giving up for six months, and awaiting the Lord's will. I trust to be able to go on with the little magazines.

My dear wife had a great shock. I think the friends round gave me up from six or seven till ten or eleven in the evening of the 6th.

We join in christian love to you and Miss M——. My mind was quite clear during the attack.

Yours affectionately in the Gospel,

S. SEARS.

To MRS. MAXWELL.

Clifton, Biggleswade, Sep. 5, 1877.

MY DEAR, KIND FRIEND IN THE GOSPEL OF Christ, -Your loving gift in the name of our only hope, Jesus, is to hand. I thank you very much for it, also for your kind, warm letter, so full of Christian feeling. Thank very much your kind servant for her bounty to me. I begin soon about myself, but I know you are wanting to hear how I am. By the great mercy of God I am better these two days than I have been yet. I think the rest, living by rule, and taking a tonic, have together been most useful. There is still, every now and then, indeed often most minutes, the feeling of embarrassment and the struggle of the heart to right itself after the regurgitation of blood, through the valve not closing properly. I quite hope, however, that with a winter's cessation from preaching, I may by the mercy of God again be allowed to use my voice in proclaiming the Gospel. I went out yesterday for more than an hour in a little basket carriage, and am hoping to go again today. I hope to get medical leave to go to Brighton about a week next Monday, where my dear, kind, and skilful friend, Dr. Corfe, proposes to be my janitor and physician. The goodness of God to me is great. It

amazes me. If I believed more in grace, the display of His goodness would perhaps more confirm my expectations than surprise me. Shall not a God of infinite grace act in character with Himself? And shall not a God of large promises show Himself a God of great faithfulness? Your faith taking a prophetic form is encouraging. I am glad you found a few words of mine helpful. Any one who knows what it is so much to need help himself is glad to be a means of help to others. How kind of dear Mrs. S-! She is one who comes to Christ, and hangs upon the faithful word, "Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out," though often tempted to loose her hold. She will find Christ and His promise will bear the strain of the last strife. Give my love to her when you write. Mrs. D has written me twice most kindly.. With very great economy I might now nearly live without pecuniary help, but I incur expenses through my state of health, and must have changes; and if even I should ever preach again, I think when I go out it must be chiefly for rest, not for preaching, and this is expensive. I think the Lord is moving His people to just supply these needs. Lenton, a precious man of God, is much pleased with his success at present. I am myself, by the goodness of God, thus far very free from anxiety about these temporal matters. I feel as if I can talk thus freely with you, because I look upon you as a sort of mother in Israel. May the blessed Spirit daily take of the things of Jesus and show them unto us. Nothing gives a heart too hot and high for some temptations, and too low and humble for others, like a spiritual, loving, appropriating view of Jesus and His rich, blessed work. (Read Isa. xxx.) See

Mr.

in it, first, Israel, past, present, and future; and then see the backsliding soul, the chastened soul, and the restored soul. Yours in Christian love,

S. SEARS.

To MRS. P.

23, Hamilton Road, Brighton, September 24, 1877. MY DEAR FRIEND IN THE GOSPEL,-I thank you for your kind note. I am sorry your eye still tries you. How precious are the senses, especially that of sight. O that our spiritual senses may be made and kept healthy. To see the King in His beauty, to hear His voice, to smell the savour of His good ointment, to handle and feel Him and His things, and to taste His love-how desirable! A body that neither sees, nor hears, nor smells, nor feels, nor tastes, must either be dead or terribly diseased; and the same thing is true of a soul. May we not only have spiritual life, but health, and the vigorous use of our spiritual senses.

We are both, by the goodness of God, deriving benefit from this change. The effects of my late attack upon my health are much removed, but the cause remains. I have to be so very cautious in my movements, and have to avoid excitement. One thing, and that a thing that much pleases me, is against me. I cannot go out without meeting people who know me, and naturally they stop to talk a little.

May the Lord much bless you and your dear sister. I am reading with much interest the inspired Pilgrim's Progress, I mean the Book of Numbers. I want two