"He is our life, our light, our love, Our portion, and our all, The circle where my passions move You are the persons our Lord has himself pronounced blessed; he bids you rejoice and be exceeding glad. May we be vigilant to serve our Master, and pray for them that hate us! I want nothing but what my Jesus has to give, and he is always willing, and we might be always receiving, if unbelief did not prevent us opening wide the door of our hearts, that he might come in and sup with us according to his promise.-I think he is teaching me more every day, there is nothing worth having but himself, nor enjoying, but as we receive in it something of his love: dont you find it so? If we have him, we have more than tongue can describe, we have sweet peace within, that we enjoy by looking in faith through our interceeding Saviour to our loving Father. What mere earthen vessels we are, empty and liable to be broken: what a blessing to see we are so, that we may ask and receive, and be filled; that we may come up from this wilderness leaning on our Beloved! He will hold us up, and we shall be safe. But I must stop and recollect, this subject of a soul's love would fill my paper, and after all, I have said nothing : I must leave the subject to eternity, we cant comprehend, much less talk of it, though to feel it is heaven begun! And does my sweet Lucy give her idols to the moles and the bats: this is love again! Tell if you have no objection, that (from my soul) I wish she was what they call a Quaker, but that most of all, I wish her to be a Christian; a despised follower of a despised Saviour. I have acquitted my conscience already, and tell her from me, if she reject this Saviour, He will reject her, and the horrible consequence no pen can paint.-Need I tell my beloved parent my heart is united to her's for ever in love by the strongest bands. P. S. When you give my message give it in love: there is great harmony in love. LETTER XII. To her Mother. 1795. To those who find religion a real good, retirement is delightful, as it enables us without interruption to seek for peace, and to enjoy the greatest privileges: communion with him who condescends to be the Friend of sinners, and rejoices over them to do them good. O may we unfeignedly give him all our hearts, and commit the keeping of our souls to him, who is able to keep them until that great day, when our Saviour, who manifests his love to us, will be our Judge: He who now intercedes for us. We are reading an account of the numbers of martyrs that died in the flames in Mary's reign, all rejoicing they were counted worthy to suffer for the truth; let this encourage us, my dear mother, not to mind what the world may say those will one day be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conver sation in Christ; and remember for your comfort, your light afflictions, which are but for a moment, work for you an eternal weight of glory. My two sweet sisters are afraid of the temptations of the world; and since I have set them the example of mixing in it, it is but fair to tell them, I never knew happiness in the pleasures of it: they are toilsome and unsatisfying; assure them with my love, were I to begin the world again, I would seek to walk in wisdom's ways, they are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. 3 LETTER XIII. To her Mother. 1795. WHEN we think on what a slender thread life hangs, not to have an interest in Christ is most awful! To you who believe he is prccious, these are sweet words, "Christ in you the hope of glory." O for a stronger faith to rest entirely on his unchangeable love, an abiding sense of which would sweeten every cross and create a heaven within. |