• Will be done!- -But now for the Wings of Faith ⚫ and Contemplation. Let me take thy Hand, my dear Brother, and walk a Turn or two in yonder fpacious Regions. Yes, it is fo: We read it in the Book of GOD, that Word of Truth and Gospel of • our Salvation-that as in Adam all die, even fo in Christ shall all be made alive. The one ruined his Pofterity by Sin; the other raised his Seed to Immortality. This poifoned the Dart and inflamed the Wound of Death; but Jefus Chrift redeemeth us from this Captivity. See, thou chriftian Minifter, thou Friend of my Bofom and faithful Servant of Gon, fee the important Period, when the furprifing Signs and descending Inhabitants of Heaven, proclaim the fecond Coming of our divine Saviour! The Heavens open and difclofe his radiant Glory.

Hear the awakening Trump.-See, the Dead in Christ arife glorious and immortal-leave Corrup tion, Weakness and Dishonour behind them, and behold their Lord and Head feated on his Throne of Judgment, attended and furrounded with the • Minifters of his Power and Pleasure, and shining in all the Fulness of celeftial Glory ;-and not only fee but share his Victory and Luftre,-partake of ⚫his Image and Influence. And behold the demolish

ed Fabric reared again, ftately and ornamentedfhining and illuftrious-permanent and durable-to ⚫ demonftrate how entirely Death is vanquished, all its Ruins repaired; and what was once Meat for • Worms is now a Companion of Angels: For when this corruptible fhall have put on Incorruption, and this mortal, Immortality, every Eye will be fastened on the mighty Conqueror, and every Voice and • Harp

Harp be tuned for that tranfporting Song, O Death, where is thy Sting? O Grave, where is thy Victory? The Fruit of our Re"Yes, Doddridge, it is fo.

deemer's Sufferings and Victory is the entire and • eternal Destruction of Sin and Death. And is it not a glorious Destruction? A most bleffed Ruin? No Enemy fo formidable-no Tyranny fo bitter-no Fetters fo heavy and galling-no Prifon fo dark and difmal-but they are vanquished and difarmed; -the unerring Dart is blunted and broken-the Prifon pulled down and rased. Our Lord is rifen, -How as the First-fruits of them that flept.

glad fhould I be to hear, that Gon is pleased to prolong thy Life on Earth, to declare thefe glorious Truths and teach us to improve them! In this, your Friends with you, and Many more in every Place, join, and make it our common Petition to the great Difpofer of all Events. Ufe every means you can for the Recovery of your Health, for the fake of your Friends, among whom is your faithful and affectionate, J. Barker.'-The Doctor was fo affected and melted into Tears of Gratitude and Joy, with the Friendship this Letter expreffed, and the divine Confolations, which it adminiftered, that I was apprehensive his tender Frame would have funk under it.

As the Autumn advanced, his Physicians judged it proper for him to try the Waters of Bristol; and accordingly he went thither in Auguft. Upon his Arrival there, a worthy Clergyman of the established Church, with whom he had only a flight Acquaintance, entertained him in the most hofpitable Manner and with a fraternal Affection, till he could be

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accommodated with a Lodging near the Wells. The then Bishop of Worcester, Dr. Maddox, paid him a friendly Vifit, and, in the moft obliging Manner, offered to convey him to the Wells in his Chariot, at the stated Times of drinking the Water. His Phyficians at Bristol gave him little Hope from the Water; and he received their Report of the great Hazard of his Cafe, which he defired them faithfully to give him, with that Fortitude, Refignation and Chearfulness, which never forfook him to the laft, in any Place, or on any Occasion. He here met with fome of his Friends, who were defirous to do all in their Power to testify their Regard for him; and he received unexpected Affiftance and Offers of Service, from many Perfons entirely Strangers to him, and from fome too, who had entertained Prejudices against him. They joined to exprefs their high Sense of his Worth and the Importance of his Life; and their Company and Affistance were very seasonable to him in a strange Place and in his afflicted Condition.

-Another Circumftance, that contributed greatly to his Comfort was, that Providence directed him to a Lodging in a Family, where he was treated with uncommon Civility, and a Refpect and Tenderness, like that of a Friend, rather than a Stranger. Thus he writes from thence; I have experienced fince I came hither, this Day in particular, the kind In⚫terpofition of Providence in raifing me up fome very generous Friends in a Place, where I expected to be a perfect Stranger; especially a worthy Nobleman, who as kindly interefts himself about my Health, as if he had been long my intimate Friend. I am conftantly attended by an excellent Phycian,

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who is now become, thro' the divine Goodness, to ⚫ which I would trace up all fuch Events, an affecti⚫onate Friend; and I have the occafional Advice of • others; and they have all acted with the greatest • Generosity as well as Tenderness; performing every friendly Office in their Power with much Concern and Affiduity.'

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While he continued at Bristol, fome of the principal Perfons of his Congregation came to vifit him, with an Affection not to be expreffed; they brought him an Affurance of the highest Esteem and tender Sympathy of his People and Friends at home, and informed him that Prayer was made by that Church for him three Evenings in every Week; and that fome other Churches were engaged in the fame Work on his Account. This afforded him great Satisfaction and Refreshment. He knew their Prayers would not upon the whole, vain; tho' he confidered his own Cafe as defperate, and said, that unless GOD fhould interpofe in fuch an extraordinary Manner, as he had no Reason to expect, he could not long continue in the Land of the Living. He afcribed, to the Efficacy of the Prayers of his Friends, the Compofure and Joy he felt in his own Soul, and the Preservation of his Wife's Health amidst inceffant Fatigue and Concern, which he acknowledged as a fingular Bleffing. But while the outward Man was fo fenfibly decaying, that he used to fay to his Friends, I die daily,' yet the inward Man was renewed Day by Day. The Warmth of his Devotion, Zeal and Friendship was maintained and increased. His Phyficians had directed him to fpeak and write as little as poffible; but he could not fatisfy himself without fometimes writing a few

Lines to fome of his Friends, to whom he could write in Short-hand without much Fatigue: And the Frame of his Heart, in the Views of Death, will appear by thefe Extracts from them. I bless God, I have the ⚫ powerful Supports of Chriftianity; nor is it any Grievance of Heart to me, but on the contrary, an unspeakable Pleasure, that I have fpent my Life among the Proteftant-diffenters, and facrified to Honour, Liberty and Confcience, thofe Confiderations, which Perfons devoted to Avarice and Ambition ⚫ think great and irresistible.' To a Friend, at whose House he had fspent fome Weeks, he thus writes; I thank you for all the tender and affectionate Friendship, which attended me, while I was with you, at home and abroad, to the Throne of Grace and every where else: I shall never forget it; my GOD will never forget it. He will be in a superior Degree mindful of your Tears. May He reward you by richer and more abundant Communications of his Spirit, give you every Thing that can conduce to your earthly Happiness, and especially all that can anticipate that of Heaven! Be affured, I will take every Precaution to live; and the rather, that I may, as far as in me lies, comfort and chear your Heart. I fee indeed no Hope of my Recovery; yet my Heart rejoiceth in my GoD and in my Saviour; and I call him, under this Failure of every Thing elfe, its Strength and everlafting Portion. I muit now thank you for your Heart-reviving Letter, to ftrengthen my Faith, to comfort my Soul and affist in Swallowing up Death in Victory. God hath indeed been wonderfully good to me. But I am less than the leaft of his Mercies; lefs than the · leaft