MODERN. ent; for I think his Univerfal aly did not mean to cheerful ray which woul" acce worth your reader few friends I corruga d it with her, for almoft all the hours I. naffed alone I have employed in reading works, which for ever reprefent ination the idea of a ladder fince every volume er the language is, a visible proat better country ; fo that, though all 4 just reason, the last he whole, till you shall fomething to enlighten a tinate age; for I must behe manner in which you treat ojects is more likely to reform rk upon the affections of your s than that of any other writer living. I hope God will in mercy many thousands, myself in particular, rolong your life many years. I own this does not seem a kind wish to you, but I think you will be content to bear the inrmities of flesh fome years longer to be an inftrument in the hands of God" toward the falvation of your weak and diftreffed brethren. The joys of heaven cannot fade, but will be as glorious milty of, Sir, lions of ages to come as they are now; and what a moment will the longest life appear when it comes to be compared with eternity! My Lord defires to affure you of his regards and best wishes. I am, Sir, your, &c. tion of vengeance apt to load thofe nor would he sexpofed to lines were written one alg the invec publishes looks on a little grove in the gam beyond has an extensive vica reft. lles How lately was yon rullet grove The feat of harmony and jove › How beauteous all the fylvan fcere > The flowers how gay, the trees how green am importuned by man, who is declining apace, to a very valable prayers. and, if I have any good in to her. She was truited by th the care both of my and has lived with me now, thrugh past 70, withnet terror, and tere to answer, under the thrift nafs of fpint minde, af $ to .vinced ou may XXXVII. the fame. ugh, July 30, 1739. oner have written to a for the favour of your enjoyed more leifure; a friend with me this laft sengroffed a good many of hich I used to employ in LETTER LXXXVIII, Sir, world may at fome time or other hope to fee, for without the leaft flattery (a vice I would always avoid, and more particu larly on fo important an occafion) it is my opinion that God has in a very extraordinary manner bleffed your endeavours to the advancement of piety. I cannot help mentioning one inftance of it to you, which has fallen within my own knowledge, of a perfon who, after having drunk extremely hard, and made a very ill hufband for upwards of twenty years, has within this year and half entirely changed his courfe of life, and is now as fober a man and as good an hufband as is poffible, and he himself fays that his reformation has been entirely owing to Q94 reading ny correfpondents. She is a and very religious, as well as e, woman, and has feen enough world in her younger years to teach value its enjoyments, and fear its tions, no more than they deserve, by ich happy knowledge the has brought er mind and fpirits to the most perfect ate of calmnefs I ever faw, and her conerfation feems to impart the blefling to il who partake of her difcourfe. By this ou will judge that I have paffed my time ery much to my fatisfaction while the was with me; and, though I have not written to you, you have shared my time Very probably his Difcourfes on the World to wne, dated by him, in his preface, 1739. 598 flicted for fome weeks with a pain in my Your good prayers for poor Rothery I hope the fame divine mercy will long preferve you a bleffing to the age, and that you will find your ftrength rcturn with the warm weather. My fon affures you of his kindest wishes and fervices, and I am fure the other branches of my family would do the fame if they were here. I hoped every week (of late) for the publication of the fermons you were fo I find good as to fay you intended me. Mr. Grove's are going to be published by fubfcription. I have fent to town to defire that my name may be added to the lift. I have just had the oddest pamphlet fent me which I ever faw in my life, called Amusemens Philofophiques Jur le LanIt was burnt by the quage des Betes. hands of the common executioner at Paris, and the priest who wrote it banithed till he made a formal retraction of it, and yet I think it very plain by the ftyle that the man was either in jeft or crazed. It is by no means wanting of wit, but extremely far from a fyftem of probability. I will now only recommend myself to your prayers, and fubfcribe myfelf, Sir, your, &c. LETTER LXXXV. Frances Countess of Hartford, afterwards Sir, γου I have the pleafure of finding my gar den extremely improved in the two years I have been abfent from it. Some little alterations I had ordered are completed. The trees which I left fmall ones are grown to form an agreeable fhade, and I have reafon to blefs God for the pleafantnefs of the place which is allotted me to pafs many of my retired hours ir. May I make ufe of them to fit me for my last, and that I may do fo allow me to beg the continuation of your prayer My poor old woman is got hither, con trary to her own, and all our expectations. She has the deepest gratitude for your goodness to her, and begs you w accept her thanks. She is ftill very weah. and I fancy will hardly get over the atumn. My Lord and Betty defire to si fure you of their compliments. I am, Sir, with the trueft efteem, your, &c. best books I ever faw*. I received it only on Friday night, but as the goodnefs of Providence has allowed me many hours of leifure and retirement, I have had time enough to read fo much of it as gives me the highest veneration for its author. I hope God will grant me grace not only to read it, but to endeavour after the piety it dictates, which is delivered in fuch a manner as both to convince the reason and touch the heart. I have forgot whether in any of my later letters I ever named to you a little book newly ranflated from the Italian by the fame Mrs. Carter, who has a copy of verfes rinted in the beginning of Mrs. Rowe's Vorks occafioned by her death. The ook the has now tranflated is Sir Ifaac ewton's Doctrine of Light and Colours ade eafy for the Ladies. My daughter d I have both read it with great pleare, and flatter ourselves that we at least derstand fome parts of it. She joins th her father and brother in their afances of esteem and good wishes tord you, and I hope you are convinced t on both thofe fubjects you may ally depend upon the fincerity of, Sir, Irs, &c. LETTER LXXXVII. From the fame to the fame. with her, for almoft all the hours I paffed alone I have employed in reading your works, which for ever reprefent to my imagination the idea of a ladder or flight of steps, fince every volume feems to rife a step nearer the language of heaven, and there is a vifible progreflion towards that better country through every page; fo that, though all breathe piety and juft reason, the last feems to crown the whole, till you fhall again publish fomething to enlighten a dark and obftinate age; for I must believe that the manner in which you treat divine fubjects is more likely to reform and work upon the affections of your readers than that of any other writer now living. I hope God will in mercy to many thousands, myself in particular, prolong your life many years. I own this does not feem a kind with to you, but I think you will be content to bear the inrmities of flesh fome years longer to be an inftrument in the hands of God" toward the falvation of your weak and diftreffed brethren. The joys of heaven cannot fade, but will be as glorious millions of ages to come as they are now; and what a moment will the longest life appear when it comes to be compared with eternity! My Lord defires to affure you of his regards and best wishes. I am, Sir, your, &c, LETTER_LXXXVIII, är, Mariborough, July 30, 1739. SOUID much fooner have written to ou to thank you for the favour of your letter had I enjoyed more leisure ; I have had a friend with me this laft Sir, Marlborough, Sept. 10, 1739. ith who has engroffed a good many of AM extremely glad to find that you have hours which I used to employ in I fill a referve of writings which the ing to my correfpondents. She is a world may at fome time or other hope to *pious and very religious, as well as fee, for without the leaft flattery (a vice eable, woman, and has feen enough I would always avoid, and more particu te world in her younger years to teach larly on fo important an occafion; it is to value its enjoyments, and fear its my opinion that God has in a very extrations, no more than they deserve, by ordinary manner bie.Ted endeavours :th happy knowledge the has brought to the advancement of piety. I cannot mind and fpirits to the most perfect help mentioning one in dance of it to you, t of calmness I ever faw, and her conwhich has fallen within my own knotation feems to impart the blefing to ledge, of a perfon who, after having vho partake of her difcourfe. By is druck extremely hard, and made a very will judge that I have paffed my time i hefband for upwards of twenty year, y much to my fatisfaction while the has within this year and milf er with me; and, though I have not changed his courfe of life, and is now 45 tten to you, you have thared my time fober a man and as good an aband as Very probably his Difcourfer on the Wat is poñible, and he milf fans that a , dated by him, in his prefact, 1739 reformation has been entirely owns D your reading your three volumes of fermons which were printed fome years fince. I must beg you to direct your next letter to me at St. Leonard's Hill, for we remove thither (if it pleafe God) the day after to-morrow for about two months. My Lord and my fon affure you of their fincere regards, as I am fure Betty would do was the with me, but he is ftill in Yorkshire. I will not add any more at prefent than to defire the continuance of your prayers, and affure you that I am, with a real veneration and friendship, Sir, your, &c. Sir, London, Nov. 28, 1739. I to affure you of their fervices and bet wishes, and I am, with a very fincere regard, Sir, your, &c. Sir, LETTER XC. From the fame to the fame. Percy Lodge, Dec. 3, 1747. HAVE received the valuable bookt I you was fo good as to fend me, and though I have, from fome neceflary terruptions, been able to read only beat half of it, I am fo much pleafed with thofe admirable difcourfes that I cant be eafy any longer to defer my intere thanks for the fatisfaction I have already received from them. It is much to be lamented that the me dern preachers in our church indage themselves and their hearers with col though well penned, effays of morality, as it were forgetting that the only archor of our falvation is the merits of je fus Chrift, who laid down his life to redeem us from the flavery of fin and Se tan. It is by this fashionable way preaching that I am afraid many ferious people are led into the unhappy mar of trusting to their own righteoufness, and find it a hard leffon to rank themselve with the finners of this world. of My Lord defires to affure you of fincere regards, and I am, with the mat cordial efteem and gratitude, Sir, yo, Lord Barrington to Dr. Jaac Watts ten miles, it looks as if it were an hun-I taking the first opportunity I have of dred from London. "The Life of God acknowledging your great favour in af "in the Soul of Man" is a book which I have had and a lmired above thefe twelve years. Nothing can breathe a truer pint of piety. My Lord and fon defire fifting me fo readily to offer up the praise due to almighty God for his fignal mer Undoubtedly the Doctor's volume of Evasgelical Difcourfes. See his life in the Biograplia Britaszica. cies cies vouchfafed me on three feveral occafions, and of affuring you that it was with the utmost concern I understood that I must not flatter myself with the hopes of your being with us in this laft. But how very obliging are you, who would give yourself the trouble to let me know that, though you could not give me the advantage of your company at HattonGarden, yet I fhould not want your affiftance at a distance, where you would addrefs fuch petitions to heaven to meet ours as tend to render me one of the beft and happieft men alive? This they will influence me to be in fome measure, both by their prevalency at the throne of grace, and by inftructing me in the most agreeable manner what I fhould aspire to. Whilft I read your letter I found my blood fired with the greatest ambition to be what you wish me. I will therefore carefully preferve it, where it shall be leaft liable to accidents, and where it will be always most in my view. There, as I fhall fee what I ought to be, by keeping it always before me, I fhall not only have the pleasure of obferving the masterly ftrokes of the character you wish me, but I hope come in time to bear fome refem blance to it. Whilft you were praying for us, we did not forget you; nor fhall I ccafe to befeech Almighty God to make you a bright example of paffive virtue, till he. fhall fee fit to restore you to that eminent degree of acceptablenefs and fervice you have once enjoyed. I am, Sir, your, (which from the scene of forrow and bu- LETTER XCIII. From the fame to the fame. Rev. Sir, Becket-Houfe, Feb, 4, 1731. AT laft I have received the kind pre fent you fo long fince ordered me. I have read it over, and looked over fome parts of it again. I fhall lay it in my nursery, hall, and parlour, and keep it in my ftudy. I think it a book that will be very inftructive and entertaining to people of all ages and conditions. You know I am very much for the whole Bible's being looked through, and not one part of it only; or even the New Teftament alone in prejudice of the reft. in giving us the Apocryphal history, as I think you have done very good service a part of the account of God's tranfactions with his people. But, after faying this, I must own to you I could have wished you had made your fections, especially at the beginning, not barely as hiftorical ones, but with a view to the different difpenfations of God to mankind (I mean in that part of the book before the law), |