§ 43. I shall have an opportunity of illustrating this in the most convincing manner below, by extracts from several letters, which he wrote to intimate friends during this happy period of time; letters, which breathe a spirit of such sublime and fervent piety, as I have seldom met with any where else. In these circumstances, it is no wonder that he was greatly delighted with Dr. Watts's imitation of the 126th psalm; since it may be questioned whether there ever was a person, to whom the following stanzas of it were more suitable : When God reveal'd his gracious name, And chang'd my mournful state, The world beheld the glorious change, My tongue broke out in unknown strains, "Great is the work," my neighbours cry'd, "And be the glory thine." The Lord can change the darkest skies, Make floods of sacred sorrow rise To rivers of delight. Let those that sow in sadness, wait Till the fair harvest come: They shall confess their sheaves are great, And shout the blessings home. § 44. I have been so happy as to get the sight of five original letters, which he wrote to his mother about this time, which do, in a very lively manner, illustrate the surprising change made in the whole current of his thoughts and temper of his mind. Many of them were written in the most hasty manner, just as the courier, who brought them, was, perhaps, unexpectedly setting out; and they relate chiefly to affairs in which the public is not at all concerned: yet there is not one of them, in which he has not inserted some warm and genuine sentiments of religion. And indeed, it is very remarkable, that though he was pleased to honour me with a great many letters, and I have seen several more which he wrote to others, some of them on journeys, where he could have but a few minutes at command, yet I cannot recollect, that ever I saw any one, in which there was not some trace of piety. And the Rev. Mr. Webster, who was employed to review great numbers of them, that he might select such extracts as he should think proper to communicate to me, has made the same observation *. § 45. The Major, with great justice, tells the good lady his mother, "that when she saw him again, she would find the person indeed the same, but every thing else entirely changed." And she might easily have perceived it of herself, by the whole tenor of those letters, which every where breathe the unaffected spirit of a true Christian. They are taken up, sometimes, with giving advice and directions concerning some pious and charitable contributions, one of which, I remember, amounted to ten guineas, though, as he was then out of commission, and had not formerly been very frugal, it cannot be supposed he had much to spare; sometimes, in speaking of the pleasure with which he attended sermons, and expected sacramental opportunities; and at other times, in exhorting her, established as she was in religion, to labour after a yet more exemplary character and conduct, or in recommending her to the divine presence and blessing, as well as himself to her prayers. What satisfaction such letters as these must give to a lady of her distinguished piety, who had so long wept over this dear and amiable son as quite lost to God, and on the verge of final destruction, it is not for me to describe, or indeed to conceive. But hastily as these letters were written, only for private view, I will give a few specimens from them in his own words; which will serve to illustrate, as well as confirm, what I have hinted above. § 46. "I must take the liberty," says he, in a letter dated on the first day of the new year, or, according to the old style, Dec. 21, 1719," to entreat you, that you would receive no company on the Lord's day. I know you have a great many good acquaintance, with whose discourses one might be very well edified; but as you cannot keep out, and let in, whom you please, the best way, in my humble opinion, will be to see In another, Jan. 25, "I am happier than any one can imagine, except I could put him exactly in the same situation with myself; which is, what the world cannot give, and no man ever attained it, unless it were from above." In another, dated March 30, which was just before a sacrament, "To-morrow, if Rone." His words are these: "I have read over a vast number of the Colonel's letters, and have not found any of them, however short, and writ in the most passing manner, even when posting, but what is expressive of the most passionate breathings towards his God and Saviour. If the letter consists but of two sentences, religion is not forgotten, which doubtless deserves to be carefully remarked as the most uncontested evidence of a pious mind, ever under the warmest impressions of divine things," it please God, I shall be happy, my soul being to be fed with the bread of life, which came down from heaven. I shall be mindful of you all there." In another of Jan. 29, he thus expresses that indifference for worldly possessions, which he so remarkably carried through all the remainder of his life: "I know the rich are only stewards for the poor, and must give an account of every penny: therefore the less I have, the more easy will it be to render a faithful account of it." And, to add no more from these letters at present, in conclusion of one of them, he has these comprehensive and solemn words: "Now, that he who is the ease of the afflicted, the support of the weak, the wealth of the poor, the teacher of the ignorant, the anchor of the fearful, and the infinite reward of all faithful souls, may pour out upon you all his richest blessings, shall always be the prayer of him, who is entirely yours," &c. 47. To this account of his correspondence with his excellent mother, I should be glad to add a large view of another, to which she introduced him, with that reverend and valuable person, under whose pastoral care she was placed, I mean the justly celebrated Dr. Edmund Calamy, to whom she could not but early communicate the joyful news of her son's conversion. I am not so happy as to be possessed of the letters, which passed between them, which, I have reason to believe, would make a curious and valuable collection: But I have had the pleasure of receiving, from my worthy and amiable friend, the Rev. Mr. Edmund Calamy, one of the letters which the Doctor, his father, wrote to the Major, on this wonderful occasion. I perceive by the contents of it, that it was the first; and indeed, it is dated as early as the 3d of August, 1719, which must be but a few days after his own account, dated August 4th, N. S. could reach England. There is so much true religion and good sense in this paper, and the counsel it suggests, may be so seasonable to other persons in circumstances, which bear any resemblance to his, that I make no apology to my reader for inserting a large extract from it. $48. "Dear Sir, I conceive, it will not much surprise you to understand that your good mother communicated to me your letter to her, dated August 4th, N. S. which brought her the news, you conceive would be so acceptable to her. I, who have often been a witness to her concern for you on a spiritual account, can attest, with what joy this news was received by her, and imparted to me as a special friend, who, she knew, would bear a part with her on such an occasion. And indeed, if, as our Saviour intimates, Luke xv. 7, 10. There is, in such cases, joy in heaven, and among the angels of God, it may well be supposed, that of a pious mother, who has spent so many prayers and tears upon you, and has, as it were, travailed in birth with you again, till Christ was formed in you, could not be small. You may believe me, if I add, that I also, as a common friend of hers and yours, and, which is much more, of the Prince of Light, whom you now declare you heartily fall in with, in opposition to that of the dark kingdom, could not but be tenderly affected with an account of it under your own hand. My joy on this account, was the greater, considering the importance of your capacity, interests, and prospects; which, in such an age as this, may promise most happy consequences, on your heartily appearing on God's side, and embarking in the interest of our dear Redeemer. If I have hitherto, at all remembered you at the throne of grace, at your good mother's desire, (which you are pleased to take notice of with so much respect), I can assure you, I shall henceforth be led to do it with more concern and particularity, both by duty and inclination. And if I were capable of giving you any little assistance in the noble design. you are engaging in, by corresponding with you by letter, while you are at such a distance, I should do it most cheerfully. And, perhaps, such a motion may not be altogether unacceptable: For I am inclinable to believe, that when some, whom you are obliged to converse with, observe your behaviour so different from what it formerly was, and banter you upon it, as mad and fanciful, it may be some little relief to correspond with one, who will take a pleasure in heartening and encouraging you. And when a great many things frequently offer, in which conscience may be concerned, where duty may not always be plain, nor suitable persons to advise with, at hand, it may be some satisfaction to you to correspond with one, with whom you may use a friendly freedom in all such matters, and on whose fidelity you may depend. You may therefore, command me in any of these respects, and I shall take a pleasure in serving you. One piece of advice I shall venture to give you, though your own good sense will make my enlarging upon it less needful; I mean, that you would from your first setting out, carefully distinguish between the essentials of real religion, and those things, which are commonly reckoned by its professors to belong to it. The want of this distinction has had very unhappy consequences from one age to another, and perhaps, in none more than the present. But your daily converse with your bible, which you mention, may herein give you great assistance. I move also, that since infidelity so much abounds, you would, not only by close and serious consideration, endeavour to settle yourself well in the fundamental principles of religion, but also that, as opportunity offers, you would converse with those books, which treat most judiciously on the divine original of Christianity, such as Grotius, Abadie, Baxter, Bates, Du Plessis, &c. which may establish you against the cavils, that occur in almost all conversations, and furnish you with arguments, which, when properly offered, may be of use to make some impressions on others. But being too much straitened to enlarge at present, I can only add, that if your hearty falling in with serious religion should prove any hinderance to your advancement in the world, which I pray God it may not, unless such advancement would be a real snare to you, I hope you will trust our Saviour's word, that it shall be no disadvantage to you in the final issue: He has given you his word for it, Matt. xix. 29. upon which you may safely depend; and I am satisfied, none that ever did so, at last repented of it. May you go on and prosper, and the God of all grace and peace be with you!" $49. I think it very evident from the contents of this letter, that the Major had not imparted to his mother the most singular circumstances attending his conversion: And, indeed, there was something so peculiar in them, that I do not wonder, he was always cautious in speaking of them, and, especially, that he was at first, much on the reserve. We may also naturally reflect, that there seems to have been something very providential in this letter, considering the debate, in which our illustrious convert was so soon engaged; for it was written but about three weeks before his conference with the Lady abovementioned, in the defence of Christianity; or, at least, before the appointment of it. And as some of the books recommended by Dr. Calamy, particularly Abadie and Du Plessis, were undoubtedly within his reach, if our English advocates were not, this might, by the divine blessing, contribute considerably towards arming him for that combat, in which he came off with such happy success, And as in this instance, so in many others, they who will observe the coincidence and concurrence of things, may be engaged to adore the wise conduct of Providence in events, which, when taken singly and by themselves, have nothing very remarkable in them. § 50. I think it was about this time, that this resolute and exemplary Christian entered upon that methodical manner of living, which he pursued through so many succeeding years of |