46 LIFE AND CORRESPOXDENCE CF THE [l/Sl 



Sins and Unworthiness can come between us and the propitious smiles 

 of our merciful Creator. When these are done away, through the 

 Grace of God, leading us to Repentance and Amendment — "We sliall 

 no longer Fast, and the Almighty not sec — Wc shall no longer afflict 

 our souls, and He take no knowledge," or pity of our distress. We 

 shall be raised from Sorrow, and receive the blessing promised to the 

 Jews, on the like conduct — "Our light shall break forth as the morning, 

 our Health (or political salvation) shall s[)ring forth speedily; our 

 Righteousness shall go before us, and the glory of the Lord shall be our 

 Rere-ward. We shall call, and the Lord shall answer: We shall cry, 

 and He shall say. Here I am! If thou take away from the midst of 

 Thee the Yoke, the putting forth of the Finger and speaking Vanity; 

 If thou draw out thy soul to the Hungry, and satisfy the afflicted Soul ; 

 then shall thy Light rise in (or out of) obscurity, and thy darkness be 

 as the noon-day: The Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy 

 thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: Thou shalt be like 

 a watered Garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not — 

 They that shall be of you (or remain of you, your reformed and happy 

 posterity) shall build the old waste places (that is, the Houses and 

 Cities, that have been destroyed and made desolate, shall again be built 

 up, and become the joyous dwellings of a happy people, by dependence 

 upon God and turning to the ways of his commandment, as warned by 

 his late visitation of you in judgment). Ye shall yet be raised up, as 

 the foundations of many generations — Millions shall spring from your 

 loins to possess an immense and happy country; and every Hero, every 

 Patriot, every Wise and Good Man v/ho contributes his share towards 

 the promotion of the general welfare shall be called the Repairer of 

 the Breach, the Restorer of paths to dwell in." 



Great and gracious God! Grant that by thus following the advice of 

 the Prophet to the Jews, for keeping a True Fast, and especially for 

 "hallowing the Sabbath Day, not doing our own ways, nor finding our 

 own pleasure, nor speaking our own words, but delighting in Thee, we 

 may receive the promised reward, and be fed with and preserved in the 

 Heritage of our Fathers; " and to Thy Name, with Thy blessed Son and 

 Holy Spirit, One God, Let the Glory and Praise be ascribed forever 

 and ever ! Amen ! 



There may be, perhaps, nothing very remarkable in this dis- 

 course. It is in the good old-fashioned style of the Church of 

 England. It is certainly solid, serious and true. The topic being 

 one so very often well treated by others, I should not have made 

 so considerable extracts from it except to follow it by like extracts 

 from a sermon in contrast with it — a sermon preached in the same 

 Chester Chapel, Maiyland, after the capture of Cornwallis, at 



