YOUR short letter, dated July the 14th, I received two days ago, to my great satisfaction. I am glad my dear family is removed to Mr. B——, and rejoice, that our glorious God had raised him and his brother up, to be such friends in time of need. Our all-wise Saviour saw this, and therefore sent them to be converted at the Orphan-house. O Lord, thou art fearful in praises, glorious in holiness, doing wonders! I trust this will find you, my dear friends, and my dear lambs, happily settled at Bethesda. I cannot think, God will give you over into the enemies hands, or that he will suffer the enemy to abide in Georgia for any considerable time. My thoughts have been variously exercised, but my heart kept stedfast and joyful in the Lord of all Lords, whose mercy endureth for ever. The kings taking Lot, and Abraham recovering him out of their hands, hath been much pressed upon my heart. Abraham’s going into the land of Canaan, and being driven out by a grievous famine soon after he came there, has also been applied to my soul. And those words of Moses, “These enemies which you see, you shall see them no more,” have fallen with great warmth, and wait upon me. These things put together, keep my mind humbly depending upon God, in a full assurance that some great and good event for the kingdom of Jesus will ere long be brought about. I am supported in a peculiar manner, and kept from staggering through unbelief.—With this, I send you a continuation of the Orphan-house account, which I printed to satisfy the public, and to promote future collections. The news about the Spaniards, perhaps may strike a damp upon the collection at this time; but even this shall work for good. God has a wheel within a wheel. O, my dear brother, how do I long to be with you! You need not say, “if possible now come over,” for I have long wished for the wings of a dove to fly to Georgia. I yet owe upwards of two hundred and fifty pounds in England, upon the Orphan-house account, and have nothing towards it. How is the world mistaken about my circumstances: worth nothing myself, embarrassed for others, and yet looked upon to flow in riches? Our extremity is God’s opportunity. O faith, thou hast an all-conquering power! Surely, my dear man, you and the rest of you will grow now in this time of trial. Fear not, neither be dismayed: the Lord your God will fight for you. I put my trust in him, and through his mercy I shall not miscarry. He still strengthens me to go on from conquering to conquer. I pray for you, I think and dream of you almost continually. I long, I long to be with you, and methinks could willingly be found at the head of you kneeling and praying, though a Spaniard’s sword should be put to my throat. But alas! I know not how I should behave, if put to the trial: only we have a promise, “that as our day is, so our strength shall be.” I would gladly write to you all, but being so variously employed, having the superintendency of so many souls and so many spiritual affairs, in many different places, I feel a little of what St. Paul says, when he wrote these words, “besides that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.” What am I? Lord, I adore and worship! I hope ere now you have had letters from brother G—— and Philadelphia friends. Some there, are suspicious that I am joined with the Moravian Brethren, but indeed I am not. My principles are still the same; only as I believe many of them love the Lord Jesus, I would love and be friendly to them, as I would be to all others, who I think bear the image of our common Master, notwithstanding some of my principles differ from theirs, and are as far distant as the East is from the West. Glory be to God, for keeping me stedfast to those truths, which himself and not man hath taught me. I feel the power of them more and more every day, and am continually made happier and happier in the righteousness of the glorious Redeemer. O free, sovereign, distinguishing, electing, everlasting, infinitely condescending love! it quite amazes me. The thoughts of this love carry me above every thing. My dear friend, the Spaniards cannot rob us of this, nor can men, or devils. It is immutable and eternal as God himself. May the meditation on this, lead us nearer and nearer to God in Christ, that we may every day, every hour, every moment be more and more conformed to his blessed image, and ripen more and more for eternal glory. But I must have done. Adieu! my dear man, adieu! I am ready to weep tears of love. Humbly hoping, that I shall shortly hear of the spiritual and temporal welfare of you all, I subscribe myself, with the utmost sincerity and affection,
Ever, ever yours,
G. W.
LETTER CCCCLVIII.
To the Reverend Dr. C——, in Boston.
Edinburgh, Sept. 24, 1742.
Reverend and dear Sir,
TO my great and abundant satisfaction, I received your long wished for letter of June 3. It was late at night ere it came to hand; but I could not go to rest without reading it. I read, and rejoiced, and prayed for the writer with my whole heart. O reverend and dear Sir, God only knows how closely I am knit to the dear ministers and people of New-England. They are ever upon my heart, and it rejoiced me to find I was not forgotten (unworthy as I am) by them. Dear Sir, I am glad to hear that the work still goes on; be not surprized, if you are forsaken. Paul was served so, and when I came to England most of my old friends and spiritual children were exceedingly prejudiced against me. Our great high-priest sees these trials to be necessary for us, to try our faith, and teach us to cease from man. I hope they have produced this blessed effect in some measure upon my soul. There seems to be such a scene in Philadelphia, as we have had in old England. I have wrote to Mr. T——. He in a late letter thinks me too charitable; but my conscience doth not reproach me for that. My principles are still the same. I embrace the calvinistical scheme, not because Calvin, but Jesus Christ, I think, has taught it to me. I go on preaching the cross and power of the Redeemer, and desire to say as little as possible about others, lest thereby I should divert people’s minds from the simplicity of the gospel. I have often found that opposing, instead of hurting, makes erroneous people become more considerable. This made me wish, that the Boston ministers would not take up so much time in speaking against the Exhorters. It will only set the people the more upon following after them; but I cannot well judge at such a distance, and indeed I find I am such a poor creature, that I scarce know any thing yet, as I ought to know. At the same time, I will not deny what I have received; no, this would be dishonouring my dear Saviour. He makes me daily more and more happy in himself, and I continually rejoice in his great salvation. At present he supports me in an uncommon manner, and the news of the Spaniards attacking Georgia affects me no otherwise, than to increase my faith and confidence in him, whom I am sure careth for me and mine. O dear Sir, what a glorious thing is divine faith! May you have much of it, and feel the power of it more and more every day! With repeated salutations and returns of love, I once more subscribe myself, reverend and dear Sir,
Your most affectionate friend, younger brother, and servant in the glorious gospel of the ever blessed Jesus,