BY the particular good providence of God, I got safe to Bristol yesterday by ten in the morning, and was received (unworthy as I am) with the utmost civility and kindness. I have learnt from hence the benefit of setting out on our journey to eternity betimes, and what a pleasing reflection it will be to look back, though not to depend, on one’s past life, and find a great deal of work done in a little time. The people here are exceeding kindly affected towards me; and, I hope, I have seen the effects of my doctrine in the reformation of some of their lives. Remember me always in your prayers. Accept my hearty thanks for all favours, and believe me to be,
Ever your’s,
G. W.
LETTER XXV.
To Mrs. H.
Oxon, July 14, 1737.
Dear Mrs. H.,
IF you remember, I promised you a long and particular letter when I was at Gloucester, and nothing hinders but I may now perform it. Permit me then first, to begin this, as I would all my letters, with thanks to you and kind Mr. H. for your inexpressible favours conferred on the most unworthy of my master’s servants; and, withall, to assure you, how incessantly I pray, that the God of all grace and mercy, for the sake of his dear Son Jesus Christ, would reward you in spirituals, for what you have done to me in temporals, and feed your soul with his heavenly graces, as plentifully as you have fed my body with nourishing food. But as, in all probability, this will be the last letter I shall write to dear Mrs. H. before I sail, what can I fill the remainder with better, than by exhorting you, to lay aside every weight, particularly the sin that does most easily beset you, and so run with patience the race set before you. I say, the sin that most easily besets; for unless we lay the ax to the root, unless we sincerely resolve in the strength of Jesus Christ to subdue our favourite, our darling passion, and spare not one Agag, though ever so engaging, ever so beautiful, all our other sacrifices will avail us nothing. Suppose therefore, for instance, Passion be our greatest foible. A sincere person will never cease night or day, till he is made meek and lowly in heart. But if it be asked, how he shall do this? I answer, first, let him consider how odious it is in the sight of God, and how contrary to the lamb-like meekness of the holy Jesus. Secondly, Let him reflect how troublesome it must be to others, (for alas what unnecessary disorders, what needless troubles doth the passionate person occasion to all that are round about him?) Thirdly, Let him consider how exceeding hurtful and unpleasant it is to himself; how it ruffles and discomposes his mind; unfits him for every holy duty, and in short makes him a torment to himself and a burden to others. Well, after he has thus seen the deformity of his darling passion, the next enquiry must be, how to get the mastery over it. The first and grand thing, is to get a true and lively faith in Christ Jesus, seeking for it by earnest prayer. To this, we must have recourse in all our struggles; for it’s God alone, who can subdue and govern the unruly wills of sinful men, and it is his grace which alone can enable us to mortify our corrupt passions. But then we must take care not to rest in general petitions for conquering this or that corruption; but must descend to particulars. For instance, supposing I am angry with a servant or husband without a cause; What must I do? Why, take the very first opportunity of retiring from the world, and after having bewailed my being angry, earnestly beseech the Lord of all power and might to enable me to withstand such and such a provocation for the future, and notwithstanding I should fail again and again in the very same instance, yet I would again and again renew my petitions to the throne of grace, and never cease praying and striving, till instead of a blind, perverse, troublesome passion, I had the lovely, calm, and delightful grace of meekness and humility planted in its room. Now would dear Mrs. H. take some such method as this (for I suppose by this time, she guesses to whom all this points) I dare say, she would quickly find as much difference in herself as there is between a wise man and an idiot.—And that she may both begin and succeed in this method, is the earnest prayer of, Dear Mrs. H.
Your affectionate friend, &c.