least express; therefore you have no cause of sadness, but of rejoicing, that you have another friend gone before you, who will welcome you shortly into your Lord's joy. Grace be with you. Account it all one, as if I had spoken all this to you face to face. These are the words of

Your dying brother,

A. WELWOOD.

IV. A LETTER TO HIS COUSIN THOMAS WELWOOD.

My dear cousin,

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THOUGH I be almost amidst death's pangs, I cannot forget you, because of the sweet friendship we have had together; and because you are, I am persuaded, one of the heirs of glory, and among those who wrestle through manifold temptations, unto the land of eternal consolations. Oh if I could tell you what my Lord has done for me unto this very hour, and much more since I came hither, than in many foregoing years! think if I had time, I could fill a whole volume with wonderful experiences of his loving kindness, strange providences, and sweet chastisements; so that a half-year may be better than a hundred. It is not the length of time we are to look to we have a race to run to heaven, and when we have finished it, we have done. 0 cousin, even a saint may live long, and make

very small progress to glory; yea, many go backward; and it were better for them, they died ere that be, before they dishonoured God by their backsliding carriages; therefore run fast. Eye the joy that is set before you, and patiently endure all the temptations and troubles in time; for your Lord hath promised, that he will never leave you, nor forsake you: and none shall be able to pluck you out of his hand, Heb. xiii. 5; John x. 28, 29. Indeed you may have sore trials, both outward and inward; but "be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart;" for you are not to bear your own burden, but to cast it fully over upon him: and I promise you, in my Lord's name, you shall be sustained: he is our strength, our wisdom, our righteousness, and our all; even all that we want, all that we can desire. Never notice long or short life; but live to die, and then you die to live eternally. Oh think much upon eternity, and you shall think nothing of time. Alas, alas! the things of time fill our eyes so, that we never regard eternity; yet time will be at a close ere ever we be aware. I have somewhat the advantage of you in getting the forestart but we shall be together perpetually even immediately, and we shall have another manner of converse, than possibly we could have had on earth. In heaven they are not confined to moments, days, and years; we shall have eternity to rejoice and be glad in. Oh what a life shall we have, when you and I shall "follow the Lamb whithersoever he goes!" when we shall have sin, temptations, and miseries done away! We know not the excellence of our

invaluable inheritance; and therefore are we so much taken up with earthly trifles, and shadows, which are nothing, which bewitch all the worldlings out of their wits, and the saints too, in a great measure it were more wisdom in us, "to use the world, as not abusing it," as not setting our hearts upon it. Beware of the cares of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, wherewith you may be entangled, in the condition you are in; if you take not heed, your course to glory will be the more slow, and you will drive your chariot-wheels heavily up to the higher city; yea, the thick clay will make them come back upon you. Oh consider how great a business salvation is! we can never consider it enough. You will think so, when you come to death, which you ought to look upon as at the door.

I speak not these things, as if you knew them not already; but I put you in remembrance, desiring to communicate a little of my mind to you, now when I am at the brink of time; because Providence has so ordered, that we cannot speak face to face these things, which are the true and genuine thoughts of my heart. Beware of the pollutions of the times. Hate the garments spotted with the flesh; clean garments are of great worth and these few, in this woful time, who have kept their garments clean, shall walk with our Lord in white; for they are worthy, Rev. iii. 4. To keep clean garments—that is, to be pious alone; pious in your family, in your worship; pious in your worldly employments; full of charity, despising the world; walking wisely towards those that are without, and

towards those that are within.

And as to the

times, let your zeal be wise, and your wisdom zealous. I fear not death; it is sin only we ought to fear; "the sting of death is sin;" that being taken away, it is most harmless. It is sweet to die in Christ! Oh what an exchange do I make! I shall see him, and that glorious company of saints and angels, "following him whithersoever he goes:" the first hour of glory shall, in a manner, make me forget that ever I was upon earth. My afflictions have been greater than the spectators could imagine; and still greater and greater, until I arrive at the haven of eternal rest. Oh it is sweet! Oh it is sweet! after a great toil and labour. My Lord is taking me in the fittest time; for both body and soul are very weary and sore tossed; but this body shall get a sound sleep, and a blessed wakening. Oh the great difference betwixt what it is now, and what it shall be shortly! who can conceive what Christ has done for the saints? Oh the depth of free, altogether free love and grace! it shall take up eternity, to extol the inconceivable love of JEHOVAH and the Lamb. Oh to think that bits of clay, sinful clay, like you and me, should be conformed unto the image of our only Lord Jesus! That is a wonderful exaltation! wonderful in the eyes of all those that see their own emptiness and vileness. Oh admire! praise! Oh adore! let these things be still imprinted on your heart; all other things are but trifles. Look upon the world as a number of mad bodies they are beasts, whose conceptions are confined within an inch of time; they are

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poor spirits, who gape after time's riches, honours, and pleasures. If the world knew what they were doing, they would wonder at themselves; at least, they would begin to question, whether their life on earth was real, or only empty, and a night dream. Oh such a sight as I have gotten of the world! Oh it is but vain, vanity of vanities: the flower and choice of it is cursed, and altogether vanity. Oh if I could tell you of the nothingness of the world, and of things temporal; and of the massiness of things eternal! compare them together, and you will wonder at the differ! The most part of professors (among whom I put myself) take an easy way to heaven; and oh where will you find the man or woman, that studies a close walk with God! It is recorded of Enoch, that he walked with God three hundred years, Gen. v. 23, 24: but who can say, he hath walked with God one day? We lose God in the midst of our worldly employments, and cannot say, We have set the Lord always before us; therefore we cannot say, We shall not be moved, Psa, xvi. 8. We approach to him, in the morning, evening, and at other times; but we neglect our thoughts: whereas to live full of holy, divine thoughts, is to live as a saint: as the man is, so are his thoughts. Alas! I may say it by sad experience, unwatched-over thoughts have made me, many a time, not to differ much from a worldling. Keep your thoughts right, and all shall be right: 66 Keep thy heart with all diligence," saith the Spirit of God; "for out of it are the issues of life," Prov. iv. 23. If your thoughts be right, your prayers will be season