_To Mr. L――――._
_London, Dec. 3, 1749._
_My dear Mr. L――――_,
I Thank you heartily for your kind Letter, and yet more heartily thank
our glorious _Emmanuel_ for succeeding your charity school, and smiling
upon your public administrations. I have sent Lady _H――――n_ an account
of it, and earnestly pray the blessed Redeemer to own and succeed
you evermore. My winter quarters are made very agreeable; but so much
business crouds in upon me, that I have not time to write long letters.
I am looking out for some fresh sermons for you. Mr. _H――――_, with whom
I spent some agreeable hours lately at _Northampton_, would let you
have some, but his are all in short hand. Here is a volume of one Mr.
_H――――_’s lately deceased that I guess will do for you. A friend to-day
promises to send me _Gurnall’s spiritual Armour_, of which I suppose
you will highly approve. I will endeavour to bring or send it to you.
I cannot think of stirring hence till after Christmas, but before
the Winter is over, I shall long for the Spring to come, that I may
enter on a fresh campaign. The encouragement given me this last fall,
gladdens my poor heart, and makes me to long more than ever to spend
and be spent for that JESUS, who hath shed his precious blood for us
upon the cross. I know those last almost parting words of our ascending
LORD, “Feed my lambs, feed my sheep,” will be engraven upon the tables
of your heart. Our obligations to do so, are very great, at least mine
are. O that we may embrace all opportunities of shewing that we love
our LORD more than every created thing. O for simplicity and godly
sincerity unto the end of our race! Yet a little while, and we shall
reach the goal and lay hold on the crown. Yonder our LORD stands
holding it out. It has those words written upon it, _Vincenti dabo_.
What is infinitely more, he will give us himself. We shall behold, we
shall partake of his glory. _O gloriam ♦quantum et qualem!_ You will
urge all to press after it. Blessed be GOD, that you have so many
around you that have a taste thereof. My hearty love attends them all.
May the LORD JESUS be with your spirit, and give you to increase with
all the increase of GOD! Nothing greater can be, nothing less shall be
desired in your behalf by, my dear old friend,
Yours most affectionately,
_G. W._
♦ “quantam” replaced with “quantum”