abundant joy to us that the great Lord of the church is pleased to continue your life, health, and extenfive usefulness. We cannot exprefs our gratitude to you for your many important fervices to the public, or our thankful fenfe of that friendship with which you are pleased to honour us. We have no end in the propofal we now make, but the promoting that cause of truth and holiness, peace and love, in which you have been fo faithfully, fo warmly, and, through grace, fo fuccessfully engaged. We promise ourself a share in your remembrance at the throne of grace; and are, with fincereft respect, reverend and dear Sir, your most obliged humble fervants, W. HUNT, J. DRAKE, P. DODDRIDGE. LETTER V. REV. AND DEAR SIR, Northampton, O&. 8, 1737. I AM deeply fenfible of all my obligations to your goodness; obligations which your last letter greatly increased. I thankfully accept Dr. Guise's propofals, and acknowledge your kind care in Lending them. I am well convinced that he had no unkind purposes towards me, and am determined that what hath hath happened fhall not, on my fide at least, break any friendship between us. May God command a bleffing on his endeavours, as well as mine, to illuftrate his word and promote his kingdom: I hope he that fees my heart, knows it is my desire that this attempt of mine may be buried in filence, if the intereft of truth and piety may not on the whole be promoted by the execution and publication of it. I cannot but look upon it as a dark providence; may I be enabled to know the will of God in it. Infinite wisdom hath of late feen fit to exercise me with many disappointments in my worldly affairs, I must not therefore venture to begin printing till fuch a number be fubfcribed. for as will render me fecure, at least that I fhall not be at much expence, which, indeed, I cannot at prefent afford: for the very charge of my removal hath been fo great, that it will be. fome years before I can expect to be reimbursed. I would leave myself and all my concerns with God. I often enjoy a fweet ferenity of foul in the perfuafion of his paternal care and love, but find it difficult at fome particular feasons to prevent an anxiety of mind, which when I feel, it wearies me more than all my labours, and even more than those forrows too, (deep as they often are) which are tempered with friendship and devotion. That That dear young friend, whom I mentioned in my last as in fuch extreme danger, is, by a moft amazing and moft endearing interpofition of Divine Providence, recovered to fome degree of ftrength and chearfulness; and will, I hope, be given back to our importunate prayers. She was fo dear to my wife and me, being indeed like a fifter in the family, that we are both very fenfibly affected with the goodness of God herein, and defire you, dear Sir, would join with us in acknowledging it. Sir, I am well convinced that good Dr. Guife will have the advantage of me in many particulars; I heartily thank you that you enter fo particularly into them. One, indeed, will in part be remedied, as we have a good printing-house at Northampton; but there is another circumftance which is more than a balance, in that I fhall be forced to tranfcribe moft of my work, especially my notes, anew; which, joined to the bufinefs of correcting the prefs, will I fear be too much to dispatch at once speedily and accurately; which added to all the work of a tutor and a paftor, &c. the care of neighbouring churches, which are constantly supplied (at least four) by my direction. Will not my dear friend pray for me, that I may not fink under the burthen? I fometimes think, Sir, I am going to leave you, and that therefore God may force upon me this feemingly unfeasonable neceffity D neceffity of dispatching this chief work of my life as an author, leaft, that long delay, which I might elfe have found excufes for, might have occafioned the lofs or great imperfection of it. My hearty thanks attend Lady Abney, the young ladies, Mrs. Cooke, and all other friends who have the goodness to encourage my work. The receipts which you ask shall be sent to Mr. Hett for you, figned by my hand, by the first opportunity. I fhall be fure to obferve the hint your goodnefs and prudence gives me, as to noting in the reflections the verfe on which each is grounded; though in the hurry in which I was obliged to fend away my fpecimen, I unhappily omitted it. I fhall also add a very complete Index, but cannot alter the scheme of a Harmony, having both pro mifed it in the Propofals, and plainly finding that it will be acceptable to most of the friends I have confulted, though perhaps to the lower rank, as you infinuate, not fo completely agreeable. I have all the notes, and more than half the work to transcribe into long hand; a labour which I dread. I have alfo commentators and tranflators to compare, for I have hitherto writ (frequently on journies) with only my Greek Testament before Nevertheless I hope, by the Divine affiftance, to get out my first volume in pretty good me. concurrence. time. Your influence over my worthy fellow labourer, may probably induce him to give me all the breathing time he can; it is with great pleafure, I can faithfully affure you, that I feel an undiminished love for him, and am really difpofed to put the kindest construction on this disagreeable But what are thefe little things, that they should alienate the affections of brethren in Chrift and joint-heirs of glory. Let me once more intreat, most honoured Sir, a conftant remembrance in your prayers. I am a poor weak creature, but I hope I can fay, I feel a firm and chearful dependance on God, to illuminate and invigorate my mind, and he will give me fuch a relish of his bleffed word in this review of it, as will nourish and refresh me more than these affiduous labours may fatigue animal nature. I am, reverend and dear Sir, your most refpectful and affectionate humble fervant, P. DODDRIDGE. LETTER VI. REV. AND DEAR SIR, Maidwell, April 23, 1740. MR. Gill returns to you, and the other gentlemen concerned with you in Mr. Coward's truft, his humble fervices and thanks for the permiffion you have given him to fettle for a while with Mr. Flower, D 2 |