Mifs Hatton. Madeley, Sep. 1766. My very dear Friend, GOD tottering clay, that he may fill up what is lacking in your faith. Concur with the merciful defign: arise in spirit, shake off the duft of earthly thoughts, put on your glorious apparel-put on, every moment, the Lord Jefus Chrift. Dare to believe-on Chrift lay hold; wrestle with Christ in mighty, or even in feeble, prayer. He breaks not the bruifed reed; let the reed be grafted, by fimple faith, in the true vine,-in the tree of life, and it will bring forth glorious fruit, not only refignation, but power to welcome the King difarmed of his terrors, and turned into a meffenger of joy, and a guide, under Chrift, to heavenly happiness. Let not one feeble breath pass, without carrying an act of defire, or of faith towards Chrift. Beftir yourself to lay hold on God, and when you find an abfolute want of power, be you the more careful to lie at the feet of Him, who hath all power given him in earth and heaven for you. Farewell, my dear friend, that is, be found in Chrift; for there only can we farewell, whether we live or die. I. É. Madeley, Mifs Hatton. My dear Friend, Madeley, Jan. 9th, 1767. THE laft time I had the pleasure of feeing you, makes me fit down to take a furvey with you of our approaching diffolution. The dream of life will foon be over; the morning of eternity will foon fucceed. Away then with all the fhadows of time. Away from them to the Eternal Subfance to Jefus, the first and the last, by whom, and for whorn, all things confift. We ftand on the fhore of a boundless ocean: death, like a lion, comes to break our bones; let us quietly ftrip ourfelves of our mortal robes, that he may do with us, as the Lord fhall permit. In the mean while, let us ftep into the ark; Chrift is the ark. My dear friend, believe in Jefus believe that your fins, red as crimson, are made white as fnow, by the fuperior tincture of his blood. Believe yourself into Chrift. By fimple faith, believe that he is your everlafting Head; nor can you believe a lie, for God hath given that dear Saviour to the worft of finners, to be received by a lively faith; and hath declared, that it fhall be done unto us, according to our faith. If you fimply take Jefus to be your head, by the mystery of faith, you will be united to the refurrection and the life. The bitternefs of death is paft, my dear friend. Only look to Jefus: he died for you-died in your place died under the frowns of Heaven, that we might die under its fmiles. The head Q 2 was was ftruck off, that the members might be fpared. Stand, then, in him; be found in him; plead that he hath wrought a finlefs righteoufnefs for you, and hath more than fufficiently atoned for you, by his cruel fufferings and ignominious death. Regard neither unbelief nor doubt; fear neither fin nor hell; chufe neither life nor death: all thefe are fwallowed up in the immenfity of Chrift, and triumphed over in his crofs. Believe, that he hath made an end of fin, that you are comely in him, that you are pardoned, accepted, and beloved of God, in the one Mediator, Jefus Chrift. Reafon not with the law, but only with Him, who fays, Come, and let us reafon together; though your fins be as fcarlet, they fhall be as white as fnow. Fight the good fight of faith. Hold faft your confidence in the atoning, fanctifying blood of the Lamb of God; through his blood the Accufer of the brethren is caft out. Confer no more with flesh and blood. Hunger and thirft after righteousness; eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Redeemer; and live in Chrift, that you may die in him. Up, and be doing the work of God. Believe in Him, whom he hath fent: kifs the Son left he be angry; grafp him, as one, who hath fallen into deep waters, grafps the branch that hangs over him. O flumber no more! Go meet the Bridegroom. Behold, he cometh! Trim, your lamp; hold up the veffel of your heart to the ftreaming wounds of Jefus, and it fhall be filled with the oil of peace and gladnefs. Quit yourself like a foldier of Jefus. Look back to the world, the things, and friends about you no more. I entreat entreat you, as a companion in tribulation, I charge you, as a minifter, go, at every breath you draw, according to the grace and power given you, to the Phyfician, who gives no body over-that fays, Him that cometh unto me, I will in no wife caft out; and, he that believeth in me, tho' he were dead, "yet fhall he live. E'er long there will be time no more. O my friend! ftir up yourself to lay hold on him by faith and prayer; and let not thofe few fands, that remain in your glafs, flow without the blood of Jefus. They are too precious to be offered up to flothful flesh, which is going to turn out its immortal inhabitant. Gladly refign your duft to the duft whence it was taken, and your fpirit to Him who gave and redeemed it. Look to him, in fpite of flesh and blood, of Satan and unbelief; and joyfully fing the believer's fong, O death, where is thy jiing? O grave, where is thy victory? Thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory, through our Lord Jefus Chrift! Let your furviving friends rejoice over you, as one faithful unto death-as one triumphing in death itself. I am just informed of dear Mifs Fragena's death. She caught a fever in vifiting the poor, fick of that diftemper, and lived a week to ftand and rejoice in dying pains. As the lived, the died, -a burning and a fhining light. E'er long you will meet her in Abraham's bofom, whence the beckons you to follow her as the followed Chrift. Be of good cheer, be not afraid the fame God, who helped her, will carry you through. Your bufinefs is to commend yourself to him-his, to keep fafe that Q 3 which which you commit to him unto that day. To his faithfulnefs and love I commend you; and am, My dear friend, yours in him, I. F. Mrs. Hatton. Dear Madam, I Madeley, Jan. 30th, 1767. Heard last night the news of Mifs Hatton's death. As the ftroke had long threatned you, and as fhe had, thro' mercy, long ago refigned herself to it; I hope it hath not found you without the fhield of refignation, patience, and confidence in God. A fparrow, you know, falls not to the ground without his permiffion, much lefs can a member of his Son fall into the grave without his direction. Surely his wifdom is infallible: he hath chofen the better part both for you and your daughter; he hath chofen to take her out of her milery, to tranflate her to the place where the weary are at reft, and to give you, by removing her, an opportunity of caring for your foul, as you cared for her body. Now, what have you to do, Madam, but to put your hand upon your mouth, and fay, It is the Lord; he gave, and he hath taken away; bleffed be his holy name! If you forrow, let it be in hope of meeting her foon, all glorious within and without, whom you lately faw fuch a fpectacle of mortality. David obferved, in the leflon for this morning, that the love of Jonathan had been better to him than the love of women. O dwell much upon the confideration of the love of Jefus, |