desires may be in a great measure suspended—this has often alarmed me, till some Promise or a sweet Sermon, or a precious Hymn, have set me longing again; or else some new and heavy cross has come on. This sets me to confessing, to searching, to reading to humility, to waiting, and standing on my watch tower, to hear what God the Lord will say. I hear what Satan, the world, and mistaken possessors say, not what carnal reason, unbelief, and sense has to say—these all want to swear away my eternal life; they are not the judges of the court; they dont understand the nature of the case; and it is a man’s privilege to appeal from a low to a higher court; thus did Paul and lost his head, thus did I and lost my liberty. But though this may be the case in temporals, yet it is not so in spirituals; all judgment is committed to Christ, because he is the Son of Man; he is the judge in the court of mercy, and I will hear what the Lord will say. Moses has condemned me, conscience has said Amen to the sentence, justice demands satisfaction, the law is broken, guilt is great, Satan is busy, hell appears open, heaven shut, and the soul trembles, and with all the heart exclaims, God be merciful to me, to me a sinner! And amidst all, will you believe it, faith is waiting for the sentence from the judge; and when it is cut him down, O justice—take him, O Satan—close upon him, O hell. No, not so, but, poor sinner look up, be of good cheer, thy sins are forgiven thee—but how, Lord? and he shewed him his hands and his side. I trust my dear Brother has had many such views, not only when liberty first came, but many times after, when the whole work has been as it were dead, and lost; yet there has been many revivals again, and no doubt will, till death. I hope you are both well. I only want another piece of a broiled fish, and of a honey-comb, (John, 21) both are gifts. A common blessing in a kind providence, is a fish, and grace to enjoy it, is an honey-comb. Though to poor ministers, a soul is compared to a fish, and if they are led to ask for the salvation of a soul, or for success in their ministry when they go a fishing—surely the Lord will not give them a Scorpion, that is, a reprobate. The Lord grant we may be found among the good fish at the end of the world, when the gospel net will be full, and the grand separation take place. Till then may we swim in the ocean of mercy, with the fins of faith and love. The Lord bless thee with every needful grace. Your’s, truly, _Ruhamah_. LETTER XI. _Valley of Achor_, _December_ 17_th_, 1817. Mr. & Mrs. F. BELOVED OF THE LORD,