23 Ainslie Place, Edinburgh, 12th Feb. 1868.
Many thanks for writing about our beloved Bessie, my very dear Stuart. She is indeed much endeared to all the friends, and I am a friend of more than 50 years! God's will be done. We have come to that age when we must know our time is becoming very uncertain.
There is only one thing, dearest Stuart, that I can say--my best wishes, best affections, best prayers, are with her who now lies on a sick bed. She has not to begin the inquiry into the love and support of a gracious Redeemer. She may say, "I know that my Redeemer liveth."
May God be merciful and gracious to support you all on this deeply interesting occasion, is the earnest prayer of your affectionate old friend,
E.B. RAMSAY.
DEAN RAMSAY to Mrs. CLEKK.
23 Ainslie Place, Edinburgh, 3d June 1870.
My dear Stuart--I had such a kind letter from you some time ago, about visiting you, and I did not answer it--wrong, very! and I am sorry I put it off. Should I come to England this summer I should look on it as a last visit, and would make an effort to see old Frome again. Do you know it is fifty-four years since I first appeared at Rodden!
I preach still, and my voice and articulation don't fail; but otherwise I am changed, and walk I cannot at all. St. John's goes on as usual--nice people, many, and all are very kind. We have lately had the interior renewed, and some changes in the arrangement, which are great improvement. It is much admired, "a great ornament to our ponds and ditches,"--Dr. Woodward. However, dear Stuart, I have not yet said distinctly enough what I meant to say at the beginning--that should I come south I would make an effort to come to K. Deverell.
Miss Walker has left fully £200,000 to our church. I am at present (as Dean) the only Episcopal trustee, with four official trustees--all Presbyterians.
The Bishops seem the most go-ahead people in the church just now. New sectioning and revision of Scripture, translation, all come from them: both of much importance. I wish they could get rid of the so-called Athanasian Creed. I cannot bear it. Nothing on earth could ever induce me to repeat the first part and the last part. Love to yourself, husband, and all yours.--Your affectionate
E.B. RAMSAY.
DEAN STANLEY to DEAN RAMSAY.
Broomhall, Dunfermline,
7th August 1870.
My dear and venerable Brother Dean--It was very ungrateful of me not to have thanked you before for your most kind vindication of my act in Westminster Abbey. I had read your letter with the greatest pleasure, and must now thank you for letting me have a separate copy of it. I certainly have no reason to be dissatisfied with my defenders. All the bishops who have spoken on the subject (with the single exception of the Bishop of Winchester) have approved the step--so I believe have a vast majority of English churchmen.
How any one could expect that I should make a distinction between confirmed and unconfirmed communicants, which would render any administration in the abbey impossible, or that I should distinguish between the different shades of orthodoxy in the different nonconformist communions, I cannot conceive. I am sure that I acted as a good churchman. I humbly hope that I acted as He who first instituted the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper would have wished.
You are very kind to have taken so much interest in my essays, and what you say of the Athanasian Creed is deeply instructive. You will be glad to hear--what will become public in a few days--that of the 29 Royal Commissioners, 18 at least--including the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishops of St. David's and Carlisle and the two Regius Professors of Divinity--have declared themselves against continuing the use of it.
I found your note here when we arrived last night to assist at the coming of age of young Lord Elgin. We were obliged to pass rapidly through Edinburgh, in order to reach this by nightfall. In case I am able to come over this week to Edinburgh, should I find you at home, and at what hour?
It would probably be on Thursday that I could most easily come.--Yours sincerely,