45. - To James Ireland, Esq.
45. - TO JAMES IRELAND, ESQ.
MADELEY, Feb. 6, 1774.
MY DEAR FRIEND, - Though my mind has travelled fast to Bath on reading your letter, yet an embargo is laid upon my body. “I must not go yet.” I am the more inclined to take the hint for two reasons. I will tell you my heart about it. The more I see her ladyship’s generosity, and admire the faithfulness or the friendship that she has for many years honoured me with, the more I ought to take care not to bring burdens upon her. It might lessen her influence with those she is connected with; and might grieve some of her friends, who would possibly look upon her condescension as an affront to them: this is the first reason. The second respects myself. I must follow my light. A necessity is laid upon me to clear my conscience with respect to the Antinomian world, and to point out the stumbling block that keeps many serious people from embracing the real doctrines of free grace. I cannot do this without advancing some truths, which I know her ladyship receives as well as myself, but which, by my manner of unfolding them, will, at first sight, appear dreadful touches to the Gospel of the day. I am just sending to the press “A Scriptural Essay upon the astonishing Rewardableness of the Works of Faith.” Though it consists only of plain scriptures, and plain arguments, without any thing personal, I think it will raise more dust of prejudice against me, than my preceding publications. With respect to myself, I do not mind it, but I am bound in love to mind it with respect to her ladyship. My respect to her ladyship, therefore, together with the preceding reason, determines me to defer paying my respects personally to her, till after the publication of my Essay, and Scripture Scales: and if she do not then revoke the kind leave she gives me, I shall most gladly make the best of my way to assure her in person, as I do now by this indirect means, that I am, and shall for ever be, her dutiful servant in what appears to me the plain Gospel of our common Lord. The smartness of the letter writer, in the Westminster Journal, and his bringing college charges against me, made me think he was probably the author of “The Whip for Pelagian Methodists.” Well! after all, St. John’s love will carry the day. If I have all faith, and have not that, I am nothing: but when you plead for love, you plead for the chief work I contend for; so you are almost as deep in the mud, as I am in the mire. With love to yourself, and dutiful love to our noble friend, I am, &c, J. FLETCHER.
46. - TO MISS MARY CARTWRIGHT.
MADELEY, - - - - , 1775.
MY DEAR FRIEND, - As it may be long before you have an opportunity to hear a sermon, I find myself drawn by friendship and pastoral care, to send you a few lines to meditate upon to - morrow.
As I was longing for an opportunity to offer life, friends, and liberty to Him who is worth a thousand such ails, I thought I must wait for no other opportunity, and found another blessing in using the present moment. I did not forget to offer you among my friends, and I found it on my mind to pray and praise with you; and to beseech you to fulfil my joy, by giving me to see you all glorious within, and full of eager desire to be with our everlasting Friend. O let us take a thousand times more notice of him, till the thought of him engrosses all other thoughts, the desire of him all other desires.
Nothing can reconcile me to let my friends go but the fullest evidence that they are going to Jesus. If you go before me, let me not want that comfort. Let me never see you, but fill of an earnest desire to do and suffer the will of our God. I wanted to see heavenly joy and glory beaming from your eyes last night, and, I feared, I saw them not. Pardon my fears, if they have no foundation. Charity thinks no evil, hopes all, and yet is jealous with a godly jealousy; and, the warmer the charity, the stronger and keener the jealousy. A doubt passed through my mind, whether you had not caught our dulness, whether your soul is as near to God as it was some weeks ago. O! if the multiplied mercies of God toward us do not rouse us to the third heaven of gratitude, what will?
My prayer, my ardent prayer to God, and I make it now afresh, with tears of desire, is that you may live as one who does not depend on another breath. Come, my dear friend, up with your heart, and spread the arms of your faith. Welcome Jesus. Believe till you are drawn above yourself and earth; till your flaming soul mounts and loses itself in the Sun of righteousness. I want you to be a burning, shining light, setting fire to all the thatch of the devil, and kindling every smoking flax around you. Disappoint not the Saviour’s hope, and mine. I expect to see you not only a risen Lazarus, and a spared Hezekiah, but a Mary at Jesus’ feet, a Deborah in the work of the Lord. There is what St. Paul calls a being