your favour of
16 February
last I received
with Great plea
sure
and
thankfulness in
September I am the more obliged for your goodness
in it as It came
[illegible] from your
friendship without any Motive of
My repeated
letters to you which as you dont mention I conclude
you have not received. I Return My warmest thanks for your kind and
most
desira
ble
friendship
and
but blush to See what Great Notice
you take of My respect
and
affection for my Dear
sister; the
best
and one of the most
deserving of women for whom If I had any Senti
ments of Piety virtue, or Even humanity, I
could Not but have
the most tender
respect
for the Sincerity,
Integrity, tenderness of her heart, the
distinguishing
accomplishments of mind God has blessed her with, her
undissembled piety, constant, friendship
and
undeserved
affection
and
also
knowing that Tender Love she
expressed for my dear brother (Now no More)
which
induced her leave her Native Land her Dear and
most
deserving
Friends and come into a far distant
Country among persons Unknown to
her. Alas
what have I done for her? how little could I do but wish
It had been in My Power to Render her as happy as she
could
wish
to be. long before this Reaches you you will know that she has
changed her condition
and Situation and Married Mr.
William Smith of
New York a very worthy Gentleman and of high Character Among all virtues
People there and In
this Colony to whom he is known; a
Gentleman
of ample Fortune and one of his Majesty's Council there. there
are some
circumstances
connected
I
was afraid would not be agreeable to her
his Large Family, and the Place. however I confess upon the whole
I
thought it advisable for her to comply with the
proposal, as Providence seemed Evidently to Point out and lead the
way and to open a prospect for her more extensive
usefulness, and
hoping
also it would be a means to dissipate
the Gloom and
melancholy
which is too apt to Cloud her mind.
that the Troubles
[illegible][guess: must attend] her Situation had not
[illegible]
the
the uncomfortable solitude of her widowhood. Yet I own in giving
advising
her to a compliance with
the
[illegible][guess: proposal] I was obliged to go Counter
to My own most
Strong
de
sires
[illegible][guess: knowing
that
[illegible][guess: by]
[illegible][guess: Remove] I must be] Deprived My of some of the dearest Comfort and
society
of my life. Parting with her was a Painful and bitter thing one of
the hardest Partings of my Friends I have Ever Experienced. for though there
is no Sea between us yet I have Never had the Small Pox
and the fear of
[illegible]g
the Infection at
New York
which is Seldom
Clear of it bars me from the hope of Seeing her. but the
prospect of her Comfort and
usefulness
teaches Me that tis my duty to bear Patiently
the
loss or want of that
pleasure I should
[illegible]
have enjoyed
[illegible] life been
spending
in seeing
her frequently at her own house
and
sometimes at Mine. May Every
blessing of Life and
godliness Attend her.
It is a sensible Grief Dear Sir that your bodily Infirmities
should Prevent the execution of any of the wise
and Pious Plans
for usefulness to mankind you are
[illegible][guess: framing] from time to time
and
among the rest hinder me from receiving your Kind and Edifying Letters
I doubt Not Sir but a wise
and Good God Makes this one Means
of
[illegible][guess: rendering] you more Active and
serviceable to the Kingdom of the Great
Redeemer. to this End you ask My Poor Prayers and
[illegible] a most
forcible and delightful argument the interest I have in yours.
I most
heartily thank you Sir for kind and
daily Remembrance of
Unworthy Me I beg Your Continuance of that most
desirable
favour for her
I can with Equal Sincerity, and
honesty
assure you that no day breaks
in which I do Not Remember my dear and Good Friend
Dr. wood
and Recommend him, and his deepest
interests
his Precious Life
and
usefulness to the Father of Mercies — Dear sir may our Holy Father
help us to Continue this Friendly Christian
intercourse
and
correspondence
by the way of Heaven
daily
meeting there so long as we are on
this Side of it. this favour this blessing of your Kind, and
[illegible]
[illegible] Remembrance of Me I Rank Among many others owing to
that wise
and Good Providence which brought my dear
sister from
her Native Land to this Country. and while She thinks her Life is
almost
useless
and Spent in vain I
[illegible][guess: Such] Great May
[illegible][guess: bring] kind and merciful
[illegible][guess: Events] of Providence issuing from it in a very Extensive Manner, and may God Ren
der her More and More useful in proportion to the
[illegible][guess: truest]
and
[illegible][guess: enlarged]
desires of his heart. I was sensibly
touched with the Intima
tion you gave of an uneasiness
and Clamour existing in the Nation
by the Tax or Additional Duty on beer or ale, I have not heard
how the issue of it was or what Influence it had on the Election
of Members of Parliament but hope the best
and that the Kind Pro
vidence which has for Such a time past
overruled the public
Affairs in such a wise, Steady, and kind manner has Given you a
wise
and Good Parliament. we In these
distant Regions of the British Empire
Share the
general
[illegible] in the Happy occasion of So Good a
King
so
excellent
and amiable a Man to the
[illegible] of his
[illegible] we feel the pleasure of the Delight
ful prospect of his Long and happy Reign and
daily Send up our
ardent vows to heaven for the best
blessings upon him
the Queen
[gap: tear][guess: his Amiable]
Consort
and that the Nation and all its
[illegible][guess: dependences] may in him and his Royal house Enjoy the most
distinguishing
pros
perity
and future
[illegible][guess: Ages] Call him blessed. God has Truly done Great
Things for the Nation and for us in
America, things which though we
long and ardently wished yet Scarce dare we hope to see. The
[illegible][guess: redemption] of Canada deliverance from the
most
false Cruel Perfidious Enemies
that Ever were let loose upon Mankind. how wonderful a mercy if
God Please to Incline the
heart of
the King
and his ministers to keep
North America
and never let His acquisitions
here
Return to such bloody and deceitful Men as have been the Scourge of
this Country in all past times and
[illegible][guess: as soon] as it is in their Power
will Extirpate and Ruin the English here. The Lord has done Great
Things for us whereof we are Glad. I wish I could say for which
we are thankful; and that the goodness of God had led us to Repentance.
what can I Say here? but take up your Lamentation
[illegible][guess: our]
[illegible][guess: Brittons] Still we are a very wicked People vice abounds the Power of Godliness
is much lost from Among us. we Sadly feel one of the
dismal
con
sequences of war the Corruption of our Morals.
increasing
of
Extravagance, Luxury, and love of Show, vanity and
sensual
pleasure
and much profaneness.
[illegible][guess: Sad]
Returns
these to the divine and Glori‐
ous
[illegible][guess: Author] of the
distinguishing
favours
poured upon us. I must
entreat your Fervent Prayers for us and
those of All your Praying
Friends. there Seem to appear Some hopeful glimmerings among
the Indians in several
distant Parts. The
Commissioners at New York last
[illegible][guess: Summer] upon a motion made to y
[illegible] sent up one Mr.
Samson
Occom a Mohegan Indian Educated
[illegible][guess: here]
chiefly
under
the
instruction
of the
Rev.
Mr. Wheelock one of the ministers in
this Town) and was ordained
by a Presbytery on
Long Island. a Pious Man and
zealous to serve his Country
men and promote the knowledge of Christianity
among them. he has been here since
his Return; and Informs me that he has been among the
Oneida Indians
and
Tuscaroras who border upon them and are much intermixed with
them. was very kindly received by them and he thinks first
and
last he
had above 500
[illegible][guess: hearers]
and there are Many who appear very desi
rous to be Acquainted with the
Christian
religion
and have Sent by him
to desire
the Commissioners to Send Among them
a
missionary
who can Inform them
what the
[illegible][guess: bible]
[illegible][guess: is]
and
the
[illegible]
[illegible][guess: the Great Saviour]
. they desire him to tell
the Commissioners
that they have turned their backs upon their former Idolatry and
and Never Intend to look that way again but their Faces are
now turned towards Christ the Saviour
and they are
looking for him and Greatly desire to
find him . we are also
informed that there
are some of the
Susquehannock Indians who are disposed to
[illegible][guess: live]
[illegible] to the Gospel. May God open a Great door and Effectual to let in the
knowledge of his son
Jesus
Christ into the hearts of the Poor
[illegible][guess: bereft]
[illegible][guess: Savages]. and oh that our abuse of the Gospel May not pro‐
voke him to lure us to a Dull formality nor
to a depar
ture from the
doctrines of Grace or the Main Principals of
Calvinism for
[illegible]
[illegible]
that in Proportion to
such a departure we sink, and are gone. I
[illegible][guess: join] My earnest prayers
that God May Return to you
[illegible]
[illegible][guess: deepening] Religion in the
Congregations of the
[illegible][guess: Dissenters] Multiply the
[illegible][guess: Seed Sown]
and
increase
all
[illegible][guess: hints] of righteousness among you.
our hearts
Since I began the
[illegible][guess: writing of yours] have Made
[illegible][guess: Sad] by the News brought by the Packet
boat last week to
New York that the Great
Mr. Pitt has resigned his offices
New England, and
America will be filled with Trembling on this
Important Event fearing the French will again Gain the possession
of that Country and be in A Capacity to be the Scourge and Plague
of the British
settlements here. May that divinely wise
and
all Powerful being who Rules the world Guide, and direct the
King, and
Government
and
preserve the Nation from
being
again the
dupes of French Craft, and Perfidy, and
[illegible][guess: losing] the blood, and
treasure
Spent to humble that
[illegible][guess: Haughty]
and Ambitious Nation o
you Cant Conceive the
distress
that Such
[illegible] would bring upon Poor
New England.
but if God So order we must Say the Lord is Right
[gap: tear][guess: e] ous our Sins and Ingratitude deserve it. ‡ ‡ if after all our raised hopes God
pleases to
[illegible][guess: let
us]
sink
again
under
the dark prospects of
[illegible] of trouble like the former
[illegible]
[illegible][guess: dismal] I beg your Prayers that
God
would to
[illegible] our posterity
with him and be content that he should
[illegible] as he
[gap: hole]
and
[illegible][guess: taken in] to himself
[illegible][guess: from]
the
[illegible] to Come
Never
the Dark
[illegible][guess: former]
and
the divine Spirit
[illegible]
[illegible][guess: me to]
[illegible] together with you in My Prayers
that we may be
daily
[illegible]
to Go to Jesus
and
the Spirit of the
flesh
made perfect
and meet together in the Joy and Peace of heaven. My
wife
and
children
join in Most
Respectful Salutations to you and
dear
Mrs. wood, and
your dear dr
and her
Rev.
Consort
whose Name
you dont mention.