LETTERS. 239 



domestic man I ever met with. You will be glad to hear 

 we are thus charmingly situated. I have reason to thank 

 God for his goodness in leading me to so peaceful and 

 happy a situation. 



The year which now lies before me, I shall, with the 

 blessing of God, if I am spared, employ in very important 

 pursuits ; and I trust that I shall come away not only a 

 wiser but a better man. I have here nothing to interrupt 

 me — no noise — no society to disturb, or avocations to call 

 me off, and if I do not make considerable improvements, 

 I do not know when I shall. 



We have each our several duties to perform; and 



though God has been pleased to place us in very different 



walks of life, yet we may mutually assist each other by 



counsel, by admonition, and by prayer. My calling is 



of a nature the most arduous and awful ; I need every 



'assistance from above, and from my companions in the 



I flesh ; and no advice will ever be esteemed lightly by me, 



which proceeds from a servant of God, however trifling, 



or however ill-expressed. If your immediate avocations 



be less momentous, and less connected with the world to 



come, your duty is not the less certain, or the more lightly 



to be attended to —you are placed in a situation wherein 



God expects from you according to your powers, as well 



, as from me in mine : and there are various dark and 



:j occult temptations, of which you are little aware, but into 



1 which you may easily and imperceptibly fall, unless up- 



j held by the arm of Almighty God. You stand in need, 



I therefore, to exercise a constant reliance on the Holy 



\ Spirit, and its influences, and to watch narrowly your 



; own heart, that it conceive no secret sin ; for although 



! your situation be not so dangerous, nor your duties so 



I difiicult, yet, as the masks which Satan assumes are 



I various, you may still find cause for spiritual fear and 



! sorrow, and occasion for trembling, lest you should not 



have exercised your talents in proportion to their extent, 



' It is a valuable observation, that there is no resting-place 



j in the spiritual progress — we must either go backward 



I or forward, and when we are at a loss to know whether 



I our motion be onward or retrograde, we may rest assured, 



