_To Mr. D―――― T――――._
_Gloucester, Feb. 9, 1744._
_My dear Friend_,
WHO knows what a day may bring forth? Last night I was called to
sacrifice my _Isaac_; I mean to bury my only child and son about four
months old. Many things occurred to make me believe he was not only
to be continued to me, but to be a preacher of the everlasting gospel.
Pleased with the thought, and ambitious of having a son of my own,
so divinely employed, satan was permitted to give me some wrong
impressions, whereby, as I now find, I misapplied several texts of
scripture. Upon these grounds I made no scruple of declaring, “that
I should have a son, and that his name was to be _John_.” I mentioned
the very time of his birth, and fondly hoped, that he was to be
great in the sight of the LORD. Every thing happened according to
the predictions, and my wife having had several narrow escapes while
pregnant, especially by her falling from a high horse, and my driving
her into a deep ditch in a one-horse chaise a little before the time of
her lying-in, and from which we received little or no hurt, confirmed
me in my expectation, that GOD would grant me my heart’s desire. I
would observe to you, that the child was even born in a room, which the
master of the house had prepared as a prison for his wife for coming
to hear me. With joy would she often look upon the bars and staples and
chains which were fixed in order to keep her in. About a week after his
birth, I publickly baptized him in the Tabernacle, and in the company
of thousands solemnly gave him up to that GOD, who gave him to me. A
hymn, too fondly composed by an aged widow, as suitable to the occasion,
was sung, and all went away big with hopes of the child’s being
hereafter to be employed in the work of GOD; but how soon are all their
fond, and as the event hath proved, their ill-grounded expectations
blasted, as well as mine. House-keeping being expensive in _London_, I
thought best to send both parent and child to _Abergavenny_, where my
wife had a little house of my own, the furniture of which, as I thought
of soon embarking for _Georgia_, I had partly sold, and partly given
away. In their journey thither, they stopped at _Gloucester_ at the
_Bell-Inn_, which my brother now keeps, and in which I was born. There,
my beloved was cut off with a stroke. Upon my coming here, without
knowing what had happened, I enquired concerning the welfare of parent
and child; and by the answer, found that the flower was cut down.
I immediately called all to join in prayer, in which I blessed the
Father of mercies for giving me a son, continuing it to me so long, and
taking it from me so soon. All joined in desiring that I would decline
preaching ’till the child was buried; but I remembered a saying of
good Mr. _Henry_, “that weeping must not hinder sowing,” and therefore
preached twice the next day, and also the day following; on the evening
of which, just as I was closing my sermon, the bell struck out for the
funeral. At first, I must acknowledge, it gave nature a little shake,
but looking up I recovered strength, and then concluded with saying,
that this text on which I had been preaching, namely, “all things
worked together for good to them that love GOD,” made me as willing to
go out to my son’s funeral, as to hear of his birth. Our parting from
him was solemn. We kneeled down, prayed, and shed many tears, but I
hope tears of resignation: And then, as he died in the house wherein
I was born, he was taken and laid in the church where I was baptized,
first communicated, and first preached. All this you may easily
guess threw me into very solemn and deep reflection, and I hope deep
humiliation; but I was comforted from that passage in the book of
Kings, where is recorded the death of the _Shunamite_’s child, which
the Prophet said, “The LORD had hid from him;” and the woman’s answer
likewise to the Prophet when he asked, “Is it well with thee? Is it
well with thy husband? Is it well with thy child?” And she answered,
“_It is well._” This gave me no small satisfaction. I immediately
preached upon the text the day following at _Gloucester_, and then
hastened up to _London_, preached upon the same there; and though
disappointed of a living preacher by the death of my son; yet I hope
what happened before his birth, and since at his death, hath taught
me such lessons, as, if duly improved, may render his mistaken parent
more cautious, more sober-minded, more experienced in satan’s devices,
and consequently more useful in his future labours to the church of
GOD. Thus, “out of the eater comes forth meat, and out of the strong
comes forth sweetness.” Not doubting but our future life will be one
continued explanation of this blessed riddle, I commend myself and you
to the unerring guidance of GOD’s word and spirit, and am
Yours, &c.
_G. W._
The HYMN mentioned in the foregoing Letter.