_To Mr. ――――._
_Portsmouth, (New-England) Nov. 16, 1744._
_My dear Friend_,
AS I promised, I must employ a little of my new-gained strength in
writing to you. Soon after I began to recover, good old Mr. _M――――_
the minister of _York_, who feared the LORD greatly from his youth,
came to and accosted me thus: “Sir, you are first welcome to _America_;
secondly, to _New-England_; thirdly, to all the faithful ministers
in _New-England_; fourthly, to all the good people in _New-England_;
fifthly, to all the good people of _York_; and sixthly and lastly, to
me, dear Sir, less than the least of all.” He then urged me to give
them a sermon. Too forward to reingage in my old delightful work,
I complied, notwithstanding at the same time word had been sent to
_Boston_ that I was dying; upon which, my dear _Gaius_ and a beloved
physician came, either to take care of me, or attend my funeral; but
to their great surprize they found me in the pulpit. GOD was with me
but imprudently going over the ferry to _Portsmouth_, I caught cold,
immediately relapsed, and was taken, as every one thought, with death,
in my dear friend Mr. _Sherburne_’s house. My pains returned; but what
gave me most concern was, that notice had been given of my being to
preach the next evening. A great number of ministers and people flocked
to hear; three physicians attended me, and Colonel _Pepperel_ with many
others were so kind as to pay me a visit and sympathize with me. GOD
dealt so bountifully with me, that I was enabled to tell the Colonel in
particular, from heart-experience, that I felt a divine life distinct
from my animal life, which made me as it were to laugh at pain; this
made me determine to get up and preach, though the General and all had
left me, and the person appointed to lecture in my stead was just going
out of the house. My dear _York_ physician was then about to administer
a medicine. I on a sudden cried, “Doctor, my pains are suspended: by
the help of GOD I’ll go and preach, and then come home and die.” With
some difficulty I reached the pulpit. All looked quite surprized, as
though they saw one rose from the dead. Indeed, I was as pale as death,
and told them “they must look upon me as a dying man, that I came to
bear my dying testimony to the truths I had formerly preached amongst
them, and to the invisible realities of another world.” Nature (by my
continuing an hour in my discourse) was almost quite exhausted; but O
what life! what power spread all around! All seemed to be melted, and
were drowned in tears. The cry after me, when I left the pulpit, was
like the cry of sincere mourners when attending the funeral of a dear
departed friend. Upon my coming home, I was laid on a bed upon the
ground near the fire, and I heard them say, “He is gone;” but still,
you find by this I am alive, and if spared to be made instrumental
in making any poor dead soul alive to GOD, I shall rejoice that the
all-wise Redeemer has kept out of heaven a little longer,
Yours, &c.
_G. W._