_To Lady ♦H――――n._
_Ashby, Oct. 11, 1750._
_Honoured Madam_,
IT is with great pleasure that I have heard of your Ladyship’s being so
supported under your late bereavement, and of the good impressions made
on surviving relations by it. Thus the Redeemer delights to magnify
his strength in his people’s weakness, and causes the death of one, to
be the life, as it were, the resurrection of another. O what amazing
mysteries will be unfolded, when each link in the golden chain of
Providence and Grace, shall be seen and scanned by beatified spirits in
the kingdom of heaven! There all will appear symmetry and harmony, and
even the most intricate and seemingly most contrary dispensations, will
be evidenced to be the result of infinite and consummate wisdom, power,
and love. Above all, there the believer will see the infinite depths
of that mystery of godliness, “GOD manifested in the flesh,” and join
with that blessed choir, who with a restless unweariedness are ever
singing the song of _Moses_ and the Lamb. There your Ladyship I believe
will see your departed daughter, not struggling with a burning fever,
but burning with love extatic, and with seraphic sweetness adoring that
Redeemer, who at the eleventh hour, even on a dying bed, snatched her
as a brand out of the fire. But what am I doing? I fear, making your
Ladyship’s wounds to bleed afresh.――But, honoured Madam, is it not
a pleasant bleeding, to think of bearing children for heaven! To see
those nearest and dearest parts of ourselves go before us thither――O
what a favour is this! May your Ladyship be always thus highly favoured:
may you live to see all your surviving children taught and born of GOD.
I must not enlarge. Neither have I room to acquaint your Ladyship, how
that mirror of piety, good Lady _H――――_, adorns the gospel of her LORD
in all things. I wrote some particulars of our situation to the good
Countess. I can now only add, that when I come to town, your Ladyship
may at any time command, honoured Madam,
Your Ladyship’s most dutiful, obliged, and ready
servant for CHRIST’s sake,
_G. W._
♦ “H――――m” replaced with “H――――n”