Letter 1. - To the Parishioners of Madeley.

PASTORAL AND FAMILIAR LETTERS:F22

CONTAINING SEVERAL ORIGINAL LETTERS, WHICH HAVE NOT BEEN

PUBLISHED IN ANY PRECEDING COLLECTION.

LETTER 1. - TO THE PARISHIONERS OF MADELEY.

BRISTOL, October, 1776.

To all who fear and love God in and about Madeley: grace and peace, power and love, joy and triumph in Christ, be multiplied to you, through the blood of the Lamb, through the word that testifies of the blood, and through the Spirit who makes the application.

I expected I should have been with you to see your love, and be edified by your conversation, but Providence has hindered. Twice I had fixed the day of my departure from this place; and twice, the night before that day, I was taken worse than usual, which, together with the unanimous forbiddings ofmy spiritual, temporal, and medical friends here, made me put off my journey. The argument to which I have yielded is this: “There is yet some little probability, that if you stay here you might recover strength to do a little ministerial work; but if you go now you will ruin all.” However, God is my witness, that, if I have not ventured my life to come and see you, it was not from a desire to indulge myself, but to wait and see if the Lord would restore me a little strength, and add a few years to my life, that I might employ both in your service; just as a horse is sometimes kept from his owner, and confined to the yard of a farrier, until he recovers the ability of doing his master some service. I only desire to know, do, and suffer the will of God concerning me; and I assure you, my dear brethren, if I saw it to be his will, that I should give up the means of health I have here, I would not tarry another day, but take my chance and come to my dear charge, were the parish situated ten times more north than it is. I do not, however, despair of praising God with you in the body; but let us not stay for this to praise him. Let us bless him now; and if any of you are under a cloud of unbelief, and see no matter of praise in being out of hell, in being redeemed by Christ, crowned with thousands of spiritual and temporal mercies, and called to take possession of a kingdom of glory; t beg you would praise him on my account, who raises me so many friends in time, who afflicts me with so gentle a hand, who keeps me from all impatience, and often fills me with consolation in my trouble; giving me a sweet hope that all things work, and shall work, together for good. Love one another. The love you show to one another will greatly refresh my heart. Keep united to our common head, Jesus. Pray for your infirm minister, as he does for you; and let me hear of your growth in grace, which will be health to the withering bones of your unprofitable servant, J. FLETCHER.

P. S. Medicine does not seem to relieve me; but I rejoice that, when outward remedies fail, there is one, the blood, and word, and Spirit of Jesus, which never fails; which removes all spiritual maladies, and will surely give us eternal life. Let me recommend that remedy to you all: you all want it, and, blessed be God, I can say, Probatum est - tried. J. FLETCHER.

2. - TO THE PARISHIONERS OF MADELEY.

NEWINGTON, Jan. 13, 1777.

MY DEAR COMPANIONS IN TRIBULATION, - I find much comfort in my weak state of health, from my relation to my “covenant God:” and by my relation to him as my covenant God, I mean,

1. My clear, explicit knowledge of the Father as my Creator and Father; who so loved the world, you, and me, as to give his only begotten Son, that we should not perish, but have everlasting life. O my dear friends, what sweet exclamations, what endearing calling of Abba, Father, will ascend from our grateful hearts, if we say, with St. Paul, “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how freely will he give all things” with that capital gift!

2. I mean by my covenant relation, my relation to the adorable Person, who, with the strength of his Godhead, and the strength of his pure manhood, took away my sin, and reconciled our fallen race to the Divine nature, making us capable of recovering the Divine union from which Adam fell. O how does my soul exult in that dear Mediator! How do I hide my poor soul under the shadow of his wings! There let me meet you all. Driven to that true mercy seat by the same danger, drawn by the same