strange to me, as I had not made known the case to any person, to the best of my knowledge; but God, who knew our straits, and heard and answered our prayers, did, by some means or other, inform some friends of our wants, and then touched their hearts with a spirit of sympathy and liberality. And I think, for three or four births successively, the Almighty raised up one Dorcas here, and another there, to provide for my dame against her lying-in. Thus the ever-blessed God, who inflicted the judgment of sorrow on women in bringing forth children, as a punishment to their sex for being first in the transgression, richly supplies their wants against the hour in which his own decreed and predicted sorrow comes on; so likewise the just sentence denounced in his just displeasure against the female sex, for their disobedience, only makes more work for sovereign mercy, in supplying their wants, supporting them in their troubles, and bringing them through their sorrows. Oh how sweetly does a covenant of grace, confirmed by the Saviour's death, engage the sweet mercy and love of the Almighty! for, whatever Justice, Holiness, or Truth, demanded of us, they brought in all their bills to Sovereign Mercy in the bowels of Christ Jesus; so that one perfection of the Deity became, through rich grace, a debtor to the other. a debtor to the other. If Justice will not abate a mite of the sinner's debt, Everlasting Love is determined to have a gaol delivery, if the creditor himself appears in the character of

the debtor, and then of the surety. Thus the whole bill of Justice falls on the score of Love, and a gaol delivery is proclaimed to us; and, though we contracted the whole debt, yet we go free, with only acknowledging ourselves debtors to Grace! A sweet way of paying debts truly! My very soul has often rejoiced and wept to see how Lovingkindness and tender-mercy have been put to their shifts to pay off the unlimited demands of vindictive Justice; and that such poor debtors and rebels as we are, who contracted so great a debt as that of eternal suffering, and which we never could pay, though we suffered to all eternity; that we should have a surety provided to pay both the preceptive and penal sum for us! for God's Eternal Spirit to be sent to proclaim a full and clear discharge from the whole, and a receipt in full of all demands, written by the finger of the creditor, sealed by the Holy Ghost, and witnessed by Father, Son, and Spirit, confirmed by the blood of the Surety, supported by all the laws of God, and for ever settled in heaven! and for Justice to stand bound with a thousand ties never to come upon the debtor to Grace again! O the sweet mystery that makes our souls tremble, and yet stand so fast! that makes us rejoice with joy unspeakable, and yet weep till our bowels yearn!

My dame having recovered from her lying-in, came with another complaint; which was, that she had cut up almost all her old gowns for the

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children, and that she stood in great need of a new one. I told her that I could not buy her one, for I had no money, and there was no likelihood of getting any. As I often heard this complaint, I at last told her that she must beg it of God if she would have it, as I did my clothes; for God had promised us these things, and his word informed me that the gold and silver, the corn, the wine, the oil, the wool, and the flax, were his own; and that, if she had faith in him, she would have her request granted in answer to her prayer. had now a great desire to see whether she would have any success at a throne of grace or not. It passed on, however, for a long time before the gown appeared; but at length it came, in this manner: after preaching at Margaret street chapel one evening a person delivered a parcel into my hands, which I received: and, when I opened it, there was a note with these words, 'This is a present for Mrs. Huntington.' It contained twelve yards of cotton, to make a gown. Who the person was that gave it I never knew from that hour to this, though I believe some of my friends did. I carried it home to Ditton, where it gave great satisfaction; and Mary was not a little delighted to find that God had granted the request of her lips.

I endeavoured as much as possible to get my dame to live by faith; and often encouraged her to prayer, by telling her that she had a right to expect her support from God as well as myself,

seeing the Almighty had taken me from my daily labour to work in his vineyard; and I supported my argument from this consideration, that the whole Levitical tribe lived of old on the offerings of the Lord, both women and children, as well as those men who waited at the altar.

Soon after this Providence sent me three guineas, with which I was determined to furnish my dame with some other apparel. I accordingly bought her another gown; and soon after a friend gave her a third. At this she seemed highly pleased. Her unbelief was confounded, her murmuring stopped, and all was well. However, I took care not to break through the bounds of Paul's assertion, "But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife; but I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord," 1 Cor. vii. 32, 33. We must endeavour to please our Master, if we cannot always please our mistress.

After this the bountiful hand of my Lord seemed to be closed again for a long time; until I got five guineas in debt, and began to want even provisions. Now I began to fret, and unbelief crept in apace: but, just as the spirit of murmuring and complaining began to operate, there came a letter to me from a gentleman at Gainsborough, in Lincolnshire. I opened it, and found the following contents:

DEAR FRIEND,

I have sent you a hamper by one of my ships, which will be at London by such a time, if God permit and I have ordered it to be left at Hungerford stairs for you. The first present is for your wife, which is two ends; the other is for your children; being a cow, and her milkmaid attending her; a cow being very useful where there is a family: the last article, according to my judgment, is a very useful thing for you, and for every gospel minister. Tender my best respects to your wife and little ones, and accept the same from

Your humble servant,

J. D.

Here is the riddle, and I had seven days to find it out. My dame asked me if my present was a Bible. I said no, I believed not. I told her that Paul called a gospel-minister an ox; "Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen, or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written." Thus, said I, God compares a preacher to an ox. Treading out the corn, is unfolding and explaining God's word; muzzling the ox, is not giving him food to eat for his labour, as Paul explains it, "Even so hath the Lord ordained, that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel," 1 Cor. ix. 14. I further added, that the same apostle, who compares the preacher to an ox, tells us, in his epistle to the church at