A Wonderful Pleasant and Profitable LETTER Written by Mris SARAH WIGHT To a Friend EXPRESSING The joy is to be had in God IN Great Deep Long and Sore AFFLICTIONS Occasioned by the Death of her Brother the Troubles of her Mother but especially the workings of God in her own heart Published for the Use of the AFFLICTED LONDON Printed by James Cottrel for Ri. Moone at the seven Stars in Pauls Church-yard 1656. To the Right Honourable The Lady FLEETWOOD Madam I So esteem you upon the account especially of God not this World that passeth away I am bold to present this little piece not mine own to your view as suitable in some sort to your former and present state having drank in a degree as of the same Cup of inward sorrow and suffering so likewise of joy and salvation herein mentioned it being the portion of all as saith the Head of all Ye shall indeed drink of the Cup that I drink of Your Ladiships Sympathy together with your Dear and Noble Lord's with the afflicted of all sorts as I have largely and multitudes of others I believe found and this Author I suppose in particular hath occasioned this presented for a looking-Glass of solace and delight to your inward Man by Your Ladiships humbly devoted to GOD on your behalf R. B. Some Apology to Mrs. Sarah Wight Touching the printing of her Letter without her knowledge or consent Chosen of God in affliction and precious HAVing sundry times read over your Letter and found in it what my heart longed after and in God rejoyced greatly in I judged with others in the Light of him the printing of it might be of exceeding use especially now to the many bewildernessed ones to whom it might serve as a VVitness they having none left them as to Man in this cloudy and dark day to lean upon save only their dearly beloved Lord and he neither not alwayes manifest and yet manifest too in a measure in the true and alone Messiah in them the Rock of Ages and the onely Hope This I have done without consulting you about it it being judged by others your Friends and by me also it might have prevented the publishing it through a temptation perhaps of modesty in you but thus making you publick was I know divinely urged of God in many as in order to his own immortal glory and praise appearing in your most most low estate so to the profit and consolation of many the like minded but especially the like afflicted in any degree with you among whom I leave you and my self with you bowing continually as is most meet at the feet of God most holy Amen A Wonderful Pleasant and Profitable LETTER Dear Sir PRecious Christian friend much beloved in the Lord of all love in him I kindly salute you wishing you and your dear Relation with my self and all Saints an heavenly increase of knowledge in the mystery of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ not doubting but as ye have received some of the Spirit so you enjoy daily fresh supplies and at last shall be perfected in the Spirit to the glory of God who hath formed you to shew forth his noble praise Sir in our winter-season of affliction I finde it a Christians crown of rejoycing to retire in the Spirit to hear what God speaks for none speaks or teaches like him never man spake like Christ In this retirement of spirit or silent waiting upon God we shall be able to see and say with the Prophet David that God is good of a truth to his purified sincere single-hearted Israelites in the midst of all troubles under Pharaohs bondage at the Red-sea in the wilderness in the firy furnace doing them unexpected good at all times he is a present help to us and an Ark or hiding-place for us from all storms and tempests I finde there is no condition so sad but there is balm enough in Gilead sutable comfort of supplies in Israels God to revive and raise up a fainting spirit The depths of misery we finde are never beyond the depthless depths of mercies When the Lord is pleased to make bare his holy Arm for the deliverance of his people out of troubles he first lays them very lowe that his work may be more admirable he many times for this very end strips us naked and bare and deprives us of all helps and props belowe that we may thereby learn to make the Lord alone our stay and trust who stiles himself A God that comforteth those that are cast down poor helpless nothings this is the very time a soul may expect great appearances and deliverances from God when its help stands onely in the Name of the Lord. That soul that findes a special presence of God with it in trouble as the children in the firy furnace hath ample cause to bless his Name This gracious presence hath been much with us in moderating the measure of our cross though not in taking it away which I desire to wait the Lords time for in praising him who hath not hitherto suffered it to be above our strength As he moderates the measure so the time it 's but a moment of affliction and light in comparison of the greatness and weightiness of the glory in eternity O what cause have we to bless the Lord who limits both measure and time and is also present in mixing some comfortable Cordial which sweetly allays the bitterness of our heavie crosses and strengthens us to bear it patiently in some measure As the Lord is present in sanctifying a cross so when he hath perfected his noble work in us he will be a present and perfect deliverer of us O what a comfort is it to know we dwell in the especial love of God under the cross as those who are free from it And though a Saint may be cast out of a happie state in the world yet never never out of their dear God's favour O what joy doth this administer to us to know That however it goeth with us yet our Father will deal kindly with us and continually accompany us with his presence seasoning our hearts with grace and mounting our spirits high carrying them forth with pure respects to advance his glory The true-divine soul you know is never satisfied till it 's as neer God as is attainable Truly the nearer we come to him the more we are emptied of sin and all selfishness A Christian's happiness lies in being emptied of all self self refined as well as gross self and in being filled with a full God and the glorious emptying satisfying incomes of his free spirit Certainly that soul that denies it self most seeks it self most for the more it endeavours to advance the Lord in all above all enjoyments experiences gifts graces relations or any creature or creature-comforts the more we exalt our condition in him It 's sweet and but meet upon the revelation of any mercy to yeeld our God all the praise saying Lord as
owning him in giving mercies to us and not friends and owning him to take them from us and not enemies the Lord gives takes also Truly the Lords tryall in these things is a firy strict tryall God tries our Faith and love as he did Abrahams by causing him to offer up his onely son Isaac the son of promise Now I know said God to him in doing this that thou lovest me and thou shalt know it for in Blessing I will multiply Blessings upon thee and thy seed This ascending spark of love in Abraham from God to God did as I may say engage the Lord to descend showers of blessings upon him and his seed Our God in wisdom doth all things he tries and proves us to do us unexpected good in the latter end he tries whether we can live in the practicall part of Christianity what we can do and suffer in truth for Christ whether we can be content to leave all for him be content with Christ alone without freinds or the world gifts graces qualities and conditions and such-like in one hand and Christ in the other whether we can be content to resign up all to God all outward and inward things all Relations Ordinances Gifts Graces Desires Hopes all that can be named or desired of Heaven and Earth that nothing of self may Remain none of our wills desires ends hopes but all crossed and destroyed in us which is contrary to the Lords will the Creatures will being so contrary to Gods will in all things it 's well to have it crossed though it be in that which may be most for its seeming comfort Surely they who are acquainted with the excellency of Gods hidden Divine will would not have it crossed but rather its own will in any thing though it may seem hurtful to it sure it 's thus Sir I shall acquaint you a little what a hard thing it was for me to submit to this will of God though easie to him to make me quietly submit and resign up all to him in the departure of my dear Brother Though the dispensation was dark and dismall yet I dare say from a full perswasion after many doubts that though it might seem in Judgment yet God hath received him to everlasting mercy for being weak I finde he was suddenly overcome by the strong man not willingly but by constraint meeting with many unnamed inward and outward fears and troubles Certainly what is not done in despite willingly against God but the violent hurrying of Temptation through weakness not willingly shall never be layed to any poor tempted souls charge The Lord doth not look so much to the weakness of his creature and temptation as to his own rich mercy and free love Surely thus the God of love hath looked upon my dear departed Brother for I had experience of him in his life-time that when he was himself he served the Lord with many Tears and Temptations oftentimes and did endeavour to walk as exact as a Christian to that light of knowledg God was pleased to measure out to him Much I might say of this nature had I oportunity and thought it convenient which causeth me to Believe the Lord hath not looked upon him to take advantage of his weakness to destroy but to save him according to the multitude of his tender mercies and being a God of love patience and long Suffering hath I am now perswaded though one while I was much troubled with doubts and feares hath taken him from sin and sorrow to bliss and blessedness He was of a very weak Constitution of body Truly dear friend the great loss of such a comfortable staff such a hopefull son and brother the maner and unexpectedness of his going from us hath been a sword in our bones first pierced thorow our soul which hath cut us to the heart First from a serious consideration of Gods dishonour by opening the mouths of the ungodly to cause them to stumble at the way of God saying What profit is it to serve God and are these they that made the Lord their trust and such-like things And secondly the Saints discouragement besides our own great discomfort in the middle of our supposed comfort I hope the effect of the sword I mention will prove the Lords severing sword to separate more between flesh and Spirit Christ and the creature I find all that God doth is to try us whether we can love God as well in the way of his Judgments as in the way of his mercies love him in casting us down as raising us up in smiting as healing in Winter as Summer for all in all changes and conditions above all many are the troubles of the holy seed of God and truly did we not suffer something the remaining part of Christs sufferings would be unfulfilled which tryal and proof he endures in us as he suffered in the patterne so we in truth O there is a necessity of our suffering something if we would be feelingly sensible of what Christ hath suffered in the flesh for us to crown us with glory in the Spirit and be sympathizing with others in affliction and really magnifying that free grace of God which ends in full glory causing us always to extol the Lord blessing him with a triumphant song of praise I am sure the Saints have cause to bless the Lord at all times even in the wilderness because this is the place where God usually speaks comfortably to his people Though he lead them this solitary way yet it 's the right way the way of the Lord is an unknown strange way even in the whirlwind O what a happyness is it to finde afflictions come not out of the dust but as we may say they are the finger the providence of God for our good he makes them antidotes to us to expell poyson the more we have of them Sanctified to us the more pure like Christ we have no cause to say when we are under the rod therefore not beloved of our Father because so and so afflicted but the rather loved of our Father because chastned hereby we are made more conformable to Christ by being buried with him in the Baptisme of his sufferings The Cup of affliction which the sanctified ones drink of is a Fathers Cup which they cannot but drink handed to them for their good from himself whose ways are all mercy and truth whose paths drop fatness whose out-goings and in-comings are all sweet and precious to us The poor creature in trouble is very apt to cry out and say Is this and this a pleasant way is this a comfortable condition and can God indeed bring good out of such great evills O it 's impossible Thus I have thought often Can any good come out of sinfull Nazareth out of my confusion and darkness O it 's impossible with us it is but not with God who at first commanded light to shine out of darkness O what cause have we to exalt Gods power and love
worthyness in me Justifying me or any unworthyness condemning me O how admirable is it for to find God thus freely and fully loving and saving his poor people and owning all that is his as he hath been and appeared in them and causing all that hath been and sprung from us to pass away for evermore My soul shouts forth with the true spiritualized Christian this voice Dear God as I am a selfish corrupt creature so let there be no profit of all my labor and travel but thou who alone art the Author of every good and perfect gift we enjoy do thou reap the travels of thy soul for its high time for thee to enjoy thy own for my part I cannot but turne from all the fruitless works of my hands all the motions and delights of my Spirit in the inward world of my heart and with as much irksomness and great tiredness of spirit as ever Solomon did in the outward world yet I know every thing is beautiful in its season time and place though nothing is lovely out of it there is a beauty in living when the spring of life is come O how lovely is it thee is also a beauty in death when that season is come it 's as beautyful to see things in Winter as to see them live in the Spring of Summer there is nothing so deformed but when we look upon God in it we see much beauty written in it nor nothing so evil but it hath good on it there is nothing so bad but it 's good in its own order place and season and course nor nothing so good but it 's bad and uncomely out of its place order and season There is a beauty in killing healing weeping in Rejoycing and triumphing but this beauty shines not so glorious out of their seasons as it doth in There is the very nature and exellency of God in every thing that he doth which makes it beautyful for every thing that springs from him savours and tastes of his life and perfection The outward and inward man hath but a poor lowe dark shallow knowledge of the things of God whatever they may pretend to have There is no soul able of it self to reach these things they are onely spiritually discerned and known by the sight of the Spirit it 's by this Spirit onely that the soul comes to know observe and understand the ways and wonders of God in the deeps and his various motions and operations in things which he doth There is nothing seen in the Root by the sense of the creature as it lies or springs from thence or as it returns thither Man as man you know hath onely a brutish understanding of every thing so of God I had not says one the understanding of a Beast as of God himself so of all his motions thoughts actions and intentions in and about things times places and persons seeing onely a present appearance of this or that not knowing what it is whence it came what it means or whither it tends So he judges according to a present outward appearance and shews himself to be what he is and what God will have him to be A fool in himself that the pride of his glory may be stained and God alone exalted Though this be a dark obscure dispensation yet because God will have it so with us this is beautiful in its season as darkness is proper for the natural night so is spiritual darkness for the spiritual night as proper for it as light becomes the day and as truth and substance is proper for it so are shadows and lyes for the night while the night remains it 's as sutable they should remain as when the day dawns the shadows fly away O how clearly doth herein the excellency of Christ of Sion the holy seed appear though they are not exempted from any varieties or changes in the inward or outward world running thorow them yet they still sweetly remain the same being one with the Father they are as he is like him as Seth was like Adam what ever their cloathes their appearances be yet their life and substance is still the same For a season the inward man I find is so benighted and bewildered yea all his life so deaded and his light so put out and his glory darkened that he is made to see and confess that he knoweth nothing as he ought to know nor hath nothing to boast of no more then the outward man and that it 's onely the spiritual man that shall grow up to perfection and live and flourish whether in the seed or grown up For the coming of this full enjoyment of all blessedness happiness longeth my poor waiting soul in a daily expectation upon the God of all our mercies who is coming to fulfill our desires to compleat our glory he comes not with a thought to tarry or go back he comes swiftly with speed leaping to meet his beloved waiting Jacobs to revive their spirits with his loves his wisdom power grace goodness yea all his Riches of grace and glory that they may sing sweetly strongly thorowly fervent and frequent the new songs of Hosanna Hallelujahs blessing and glory power and praise to our God for ever who is the Authour of all our present good and the Omega of our perfect happiness in that heaven of heavens where Just men made perfect take up Sanctuary and assured Rest for ever solacing their souls with their Beloveds loves the riches honors pleasures and soul-delights of eternity that are in the bosome of our dear and precious father in the full fruition of this rest and glory longeth my waiting soul to be where time shall be no more the time of sin sorrow paine death any weakness or imperfection when that which is perfect is come I know all this which is imperfect will be done away yea then there will be no complaining or cause of complaining within or without because all sin and so all sorrow and sighing shall certainly be done away as being momentary the pure language the new melodious tune of Joy and gladness from the Spirit shall be onely sung heard and known to be for ever in the Saints to their Saviour who is our choice our chief our only and dearly beloved One in all without and above all in himself Worthy Sir because Honourable in the Lambs cloathing having put pen to paper with an intent to salute you your neer relation with a few broken fragments gathered up from my Masters table I shall take leave having a little freedom to communicate a few more lines to you hoping it will not be too burdensome to you Sir I cannot but Christian-like thank you for your Remembrances of us at all times though I know you are in covenant with that God who will recompence sevenfold into your bosom for all your labor of undeserved unexpected love your sympathizing from a fellow-feeling of our affliction and others plainly demonstrate you to be
a fellow-member of that mysticall body whereof Christ is the Head O what a mercy is it to be heartily affected with the afflicted to have the same mind which was in Christ in us to have the same love one to another as Christ hath to us in quality though not in quantity The love of the Lord in his people is many times made out to them in an unexpected way to wonderment when they think least of it as Hagar said the Lord looked after her when she looked not after him so doth he to many of his people oftentimes provide and protect them in a way and manner which they cannot but wonder and bless his Name It 's a wonder to mee sometimes to see how sensible one Christian is of anothers sufferings because it 's so rare but when I consider that all the Saints have but one God one Father one Faith one Baptisme one Love one Spirit who dwells in them all and runs thorow them all and conveys it self to all as it pleaseth whether absent or present afar off or neer at hand known or unknown by face Although the Saints are scattered abroad in this wide wilde world and distinct in the flesh from one another yet are they one in the Lord and so love sympathize sorrow and rejoyce together as members in truth of Christs body Christ was of a sympathizing suffering Spirit and such hearts qualities and dispositions he would that we should have therefore he puts his Law of love and kindness into us he takes our humane nature and infuses his divine nature into us Christ bears all our griefs and carries our sorrows and in all our afflictions is afflicted with us and for us O how good is it in our wilderness of trouble to lean upon this our Beloved who can bring us out of them all we are very apt to stumble at the way and maner of Gods dispensations when we have little cause for it if we did but consider that he hath glorious ends in all he doth and suffers for the exaltation of his Name and our sole comfort Though the Lord may cross his people in the way of his providence so that all things may fall alike to all in this World before men yet not in his account hereafter for he may give us to look unto him in his word of Promise and there behold him by an enlightned eye doing all things after the counsel of his own good will and pleasure for his glory and our everlasting comfort beyond and above all outward sense and external hopes as he did to Abraham calling things that are not as though they were I am not so much a worder as an admirer and a little writer of the wonders of God in the deep of affliction to some of my fellow-sufferers who have been bewildered in their spirits as I have been though now through rich mercy in som measure refreshed with the crums of Canaans comfort drops of honey and milk grace and love that flows from our good spiritual land Much of Gods fatherly Dealings and Refreshings I might relate unto you which my hungry thirsty weary Restlesse soul hath known seen and felt in the day of trouble the hour of sad temptations if I had freedom Sir the sharp exercise which hath been upon my spirit since that little unknown book was made of Gods glorious Displayings of light and love upon a poor dark forlorn nothing-creature in an unexpected time I was not then capable of the publishing of it if I had I could not be free fearing how it might be with me afterwards Truly since then I have had a sharp Winter-season mourning for the loss of all that comfort I have been stripp'd so bare of seeming comfort since that I cannot boast of that nor of any comforts but of the God of comforts not of enjoyments or experiences not of any gifts or graces but of the giver alone and of my infirmities and in that Power of Christ which hereby is made more manifest in us the Lord alone is the boast and glory of his people in his Name we set up our Banners and upon him alone shall our mind be fixed and our soul-affections set and not on things below this is to have our hearts above on things remaining not shadowy but substance and our conversation in heaven though we tabernacle in houses of clay in the world When Christ is our only object then but not till then will all below be our abject in comparison of a full God a naked Christ a free Spirit O that it might be all our aimes and ambitions to take up our crosses and follow Christ fully even thorow fire and water for here our God hath promised to be with his people and when we are purged and purified enough he will lead us out into a wealthy place of peace and Joy O that we could walk in our Masters steps without stumbling and do as he did run our race with joy knowing if we run we shall obtaine the Crown which is not to be had on this side the end of it Surely this prize is worth the running waiting for and longing after till we enjoy it Our suffering and Cross is but a little while for a small moment but our glory is for everlasting our reigning for ever Thrice-happy is that soul whom God chuseth for his own in his furnace and chastens in his school happy entering happy in it and for ever happy afterward Blessedness and Happyness is annexed to Gods chastning Blessed and happy is the man God correcteth and teacheth new lessons thereby therefore not to be despised Our loving Father even smiles when we think he frowns upon us when he seems to strike us he stroaks us He doth to us sometimes as he did to Adam convey a precious promise with a sad threatning saying The seed of the woman c. Mercies oftentimes come veiled to us and a sentence of death may pass upon our choicest mercies as did upon Abraham for the tryall of our graces which would not shine so bright if not fire-tryed with Abrahams whose faith love and holy obedience to God after thus tryed shined more eminent and glorious I find our sad visitation known to you Sir was not so much a Punishment as some may call it but rather a strict tryal to try our faith love patience and pure good-will to God whether it be simply and entirely to him without by-ends as Satan would have accused Job to God saying Doth Job love or serve God for nothing also to try our strength what we can do or suffer for God and also to try our wisdom how prudent patient we could behave our selves like true Christians in the loss of all outward enjoyments though deare and precious to us not onely in flesh but in Spirit O what an unspeakable mercy is it to finde and feel God enabling of us to hold out in these firy tryals speaking well of the Name of our dear God