My very dear Mr. V——,
JUST now I received, and have read over your kind letter, dated August 22d, and in reading it, could have wished for the wings of a dove, that I might have fled and embraced you in these unworthy arms, and wished you joy of being assured of his love, who so loved us as to give himself for us. May this find you in the same happy frame, and may you for ever hereafter be blessed with the uninterrupted witness of God’s Spirit, witnessing with your spirit, that you are indeed his child! As you have undergone a long and tedious law work, I hope your joys are of the right kind, and will be more substantial and lasting, than those who leap into a fancied liberty at once, and having no root in themselves, in time of temptation fall away. Your house, my dear friend, I believe, is not built upon the sand, but upon Jesus, even Jesus of Nazareth, the rock of ages; against which the gates of hell shall never be able to prevail. Whoever hath been the instrument of bringing you into this happy frame, it is no matter to me; I rejoice, yea and will rejoice. If I know any thing of my heart, I am just the same disinterested person as when I saw you, and believe me, you are my dear, very dear Gaius, my son, my friend still. Mr. S—— can tell you, why you received no letters. They are ready, and were sent to his lodgings:—but to my great surprize I was told, a coach came for him and the other passengers. Ever since I have been preaching and travelling as usual, generally twice, and frequently thrice a day. I came only last Saturday into Winter quarters, and shall long for the Spring again, that I may enter upon a fresh campaign. O that my dear Lord may never discard me from this divine employ! An itinerant pilgrim life is that which I choose.—And why? It was the life of my blessed Lord. I hope you will not fail of calling out dear Mr. Z——y to it every year.—I am sure America, dear America stands much in need of it. Let envious, lukewarm elder brethren say what they please against it, this is the way that God hath honoured, yea and I believe will honour even unto the end. But I find, love of honour, power, ease, and fulness of bread, make even good people to think, and speak, and act unlike themselves. These, these are the things which have led the Moravian brethren on this side the water, from the cross of Christ, and made them to differ as much from what once they were, as light from darkness. O how have my dear spiritual children, (for whom I travailed in birth, and whom I love as my own soul) been insensibly led away, and robbed of their spiritual and temporal substance, at least for a while, by some self-designing and deceitful men. Against these, and not the dear people, who have been eaten up as bread, with a bleeding heart, have I drawn my pen; and I believe shall rejoice that I have done so to my dying day. God grant that the like scene may never be opened on your side the water! But I forbear.—O for heaven! O for that time when we shall get out of this church militant! I long to be
Where sin and strife and sorrow cease,
And all is joy and calm and peace.
Dear Mr. J—— W—— is going thither apace: he is supposed to be in a galloping consumption. Lord Jesus, give me patience to wait till my wished-for change also shall come! I long to awake after thy likeness; I long to be dissolved to be with thee! Then, then shall I meet you, my dear friend, and rejoice, together with all the blessed train that shall follow the Lamb! O my dear Sir, bear with me, bear with me, I pray you, for indeed I am sick of love. Surely of all the redeemed, I, even ill and hell-deserving I, shall sing loudest in heaven. Behold I am vile! black, but yet comely: not in myself, but in the comeliness which my dear Jesus hath put upon me. I can now no more. I must retire to pray for you and yours. The Lord bless you, and keep you, and give you a heart continually to remember before his throne, my dear Mr. V——,
Your most affectionate friend, brother, and servant in Christ,
G. W.
LETTER MXI.
To Lady H——n.