P. S. Tell the dear children to trust God, by doing right.
I now do frankly own, I am fully alienated from him, in his present
detestable character, as developed towards me, his lawful wife. And I
claim that it is not consistent with the laws of God's moral government,
for a fully sane being to feel otherwise.
But it is not so with my kindred, and other friends. I am not alienated
from them, for I have had no just and adequate cause for alienation. They
erred ignorantly, not willfully. They were willing to know the truth; they
were convicted, and are now converted to the truth. They have confessed
their sin against me in thus neglecting me, and have asked my forgiveness.
I have most freely forgiven them, and such penitents are fully restored to
my full fellowship and confidence. To prove they are penitent, one
confession will serve as a fair representation of the whole. I give it in
the writer's own words, verbatim, from the letter now before me. "We are
all glad you have been to visit us, and we regret we have not tried to do
more for _you_, in times past. I am grieved that you have been left to
suffer so much _alone_--had we known, I think something would have been
done for _you_. Forgive us, won't you, for our cruel neglect?" Yes, I do
rejoice to forgive them, for Christ allows me to forgive the penitent
transgressor. But he does not allow me to do better than he does--to
forgive the impenitent transgressor. And I do not; but as I have before
said, I stand ready with my forgiveness in my heart to extend it to him,
most freely, on this gospel condition of repentance--_practical_
repentance.