_To the Reverend Mr. M――――._
_London, February 17, 1757._
_Reverend and very dear Sir_,
YOUR kind letter lies before me, for which, be pleased to accept my
cordial thanks. I am glad you got safe to _Chatham_, and heartily
pray, that the GOD of the sea, and the GOD of the dry land, may be your
convoy on the mighty waters. The continuance of your correspondence
will be quite agreeable. Who knows but JESUS may bless it to our mutual
edification? I want to be stirred up, to begin to begin to do something
for him, who hath done and suffered so much for ill and hell-deserving
me. Surely, I am a worthless worm, and therefore little moved with
whatever judgment an ill-natured, misinformed world may form of me.
The great day will discover all. Come, LORD JESUS, come quickly.――O
to be an _Israelite_ indeed, in whom there is no guile! Simplicity
and godly sincerity is all in all. A want of this, I fear, hath led
the Count into all his mistakes. With great regret I speak or write
of any people’s weaknesses; but I did and do now think, that divine
Providence called me to publish what you mention. The Redeemer gave
it his blessing. I do not find that their fopperies are continued,
and I hear also that they have discharged many debts. You seem to have
right notions of the sermon to which you refer. It certainly speaks of
a sinless state, which is not attainable in this life. We are called
to be saints, but not angels. Strange, that after so many years, such
an error should be propagated!――but so it is. LORD, what is man? Glory
be to GOD, there is a time coming, when sin, root and branch, shall
be destroyed: I mean at death. Then an eternal stop will be put to the
fountain of corruption, and we shall be sinless indeed.――Till then, O
JESUS, do thou continue to wash us in thy blood, and cloathe us with
thy compleat and everlasting righteousness; and at the same time, out
of a principle of love to thee, do thou help us to follow hard after
that holiness, without which no man can see the LORD!――But whither am
I going? My very dear Sir, excuse prolixity. I write to you, as to one
whom I love in the bowels of JESUS CHRIST. My most cordial respects
await all that love him. My wife joins in sending you the same, with,
reverend and very dear Sir,
Yours most affectionately in our common LORD,
_G. W._