I HAVE been thinking, since I saw you, of all the snares to which you are going to be exposed, and I sincerely pray that God may protect you in every danger, and hold up your goings in _his paths_. But in order to gain this gracious protection, you must take the greatest care that you do nothing to grieve his blessed Spirit, and cause him to depart from you. And this any sinful compliance will certainly do: therefore when you are desired to do any thing unbecoming a christian, fear not (young as you are) to bear your testimony for God against an evil world. But do it in the spirit of meekness; and if by this means you draw upon yourself the appellations of whimsical, obstinate, and ridiculous, look upon the reproach as matter of rejoicing, and as adding a greater lustre to the crown you will hereafter receive. There is one temptation, which at your age is peculiarly dangerous, and that is a desire of being thought handsome. You must be ever on your watch against this; for it will raise a thousand tempers in your soul, as contrary to the mind which was in Christ as darkness is to light. There is nothing which is a greater counter-poise to this desire, than bringing the mind to be contented, nay even to rejoice that another should outshine us. Let Miss _F_ be the means by which you acquire a conquest over this first born of female pride: set yourself every day to take delight in her beauty; to wish for its embellishment, and to be most pleased when she appears to the greatest advantage.――If when you read this you colour, and cry, “Dear! what can she mean? this is vastly odd!”――depend upon it there is something in your heart which makes the advice I have given highly necessary; and fail not, as you prize your peace of mind and increase of grace, to put it in practice. We should enjoy much more of the light of God’s countenance, and of that peace which passeth all understanding, if we would attend to, and watch against, those occasions of falling, which from their commonness we are apt to call _little_.――A soul is often cast into heaviness for hours, by an unguarded word.――You will not, my love, be angry with me that I deal thus freely with you: I watch over your soul in tender love; and though sensible of my own unworthiness, either to advise or persuade; though sensible of my own great and manifold sins and imperfections, I cannot desist from guarding you against all that may hinder your being made perfect in the love of God. I am,
_Your ever-affectionate_,
****
_November 30, 1754._
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I THANK you, my love, for writing to me, and rejoice that you are happy: God never fails to hear those that call upon him, and is gracious above all that we can either ask or think. As to my illness, it is extremely troublesome, but I believe not dangerous: and I must continue to bear it for a good while longer, without attempting to remove it, because my apothecary himself knows not what to make of it: *however, I am just as I ought to be; I delight to do and to suffer the will of God, and his mercies are sweet to my soul. I am in that happy state of resignation, that I have not a wish, but for an increase of grace and holiness. Sunday my soul longed after the sacrament, and the tears came in my eyes, because I could not go to church. But are the flowing streams of redeeming love confined to place or time? I found indeed they were not; for my soul was at home sweetly replenished with every blessing I could have hoped for at the altar. How much are those to be pitied who know not the love of God! How much are those to be pitied who set their hearts on any thing in this infant-state of existence! How poor, how low, how trifling is every thing, that does not look towards eternity! I have such an experimental sense of the nothingness of all worldly things, that they seem no more to me than dancing puppets; and I am sometimes ready to affront my brother and Mr. ****, by smiling at the important air with which they talk of their _business_, as they call it.――I think there is very little probability that I shall be fit to come to the wedding. Pray God keep your sister’s heart in this time of danger and distraction, and bless you both with the blessings of his children.
****
_January 7, 1755._
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To the Rev. Mr. ****.
_Reverend Sir_,