98. - To the Hon. Mrs. C.
98. - TO THE HON. MRS. C.
CROSS HALL, YORKSHIRE, Dec. 26, 1781.
MY DEAR FRIEND, - Your favour of the 4th instant did not reach me until a considerable time after date, through my being still absent from Madeley; a clergyman of this neighborhood having made an exchange with me, to facilitate my settling some affairs of a temporal nature in this county. The kind part you take in my happiness demands my warmest thanks; and I beg you will accept them multiplied by those which my dear partner presents to you. Yes, my dear friend, I am married in my old age, and have a new opportunity of considering a great mystery, in the most perfect type of our Lord’s mystical union with his Church. I have now a new call to pray for a fulness of Christ’s holy, gentle, meek, loving Spirit, that I may love my wife as he loved his spouse, the Church. But the emblem is greatly deficient. The Lamb is worthy of his spouse, and more than worthy, whereas I must acknowledge myself unworthy of the yoke - fellow whom Heaven has reserved for me. She is a person after my own heart; and I make no doubt we shall increase the number of the happy marriages in the Church militant. Indeed, they are not so many, but it may be worth a Christian’s while to add one more to the number. God declared it was not good that man, a social being, should live alone, and therefore he gave him a helpmeet for him: for the same reason our Lord sent forth his disciples two and two. Had I searched the three kingdoms, I could not have found one brother willing to share gratis my weal, wo, and labours, and complaisant enough to unite his fortunes to mine; but God has found me a partner, a sister, a wife, to use St. Paul’s language, who is not afraid to face with me the colliers and bargemen of my parish, until death part us. Buried together in our country village, we shall help one another to trim our lamps, and wait, as I trust you do continually, for the coming of the heavenly Bridegroom. Well; for us the heavenly child is born, to us a double Son is given, and with him the whole kingdom of grace and glory. O my dear friend, let us press into, and meet in both of these kingdoms. Our Surety and Saviour is the way and the door into them; and blessed be free grace, the way is free, as the king’s highway, and the door open, like the arms of Jesus crucified.
January 1st, 1782. I live, blessed be God, to devote myself again to his blessed service in this world, or in the next, and to wish my dear friends all the blessings of a year of jubilee. Whatever this year brings forth, may it bring us the fullest measures of salvation attainable on earth, and the most complete preparation for heaven. I have a solemn call to gird my loins and keep my lamp burning. Strangely restored to health and strength, considering my years, by the good nursing of my dear partner, I ventured to preach of late as often as I did formerly, and after having read prayers and preached twice on Christmas day, &c., I did, last Sunday, what I had never done, - I continued doing duty from ten till past four in the afternoon, owing to christenings, churchings, and the sacrament, which I administered to a church full of people; so that I was obliged to go from the communion table to begin the evening service, and then to visit some sick. This has brought back upon me one of my old, dangerous symptoms, so that I had flattered myself in vain to do the whole duty of my own parish. My dear wife is nursing me with the tenderest care, gives me up to God with the greatest resignation, and helps me to rejoice that life and death, health and sickness, work all for our good, and are all ours, as blessed instruments to for ward us in our journey to heaven. We intend to set out for Madeley to - morrow. The prospect of a winter’s journey is not sweet; but the prospect of meeting you and your dear sister, and Lady Mary, and Mrs. L. and Mrs. G., and all our other companions in tribulation, in heaven, is delightful. The Lord prepare and fit us for that glorious meeting! As soon as I reach Madeley, I shall write to Lady Mary. Give my best respects to her, to our dear sister, and to the ladies I have just named; and believe me to be, my dear friend and fellow traveller to Zion, your most obliged and affectionate servant,
J. FLETCHER.
The following letters, addressed principally to Mr. William Perronet, explain the circumstances under which they were written. They have been obligingly communicated, exclusively for this edition, by Mrs. Grey of Walthamstow, a pious descendant of the late reverend Vincent Perronet, vicar of Shoreham. Extracts from a few of them have been inserted by the late Rev. Joseph Benson, in his excellent life of the amiable author. Published now in a regular series, according to their respective dates, though they may be regarded chiefly as letters of business, they will afford strong additional proofs of Mr. Fletcher’s heavenly skill, in compelling the most common topics of daily occurrence to contribute something, either in the form of simile or contrast, toward exalting the honour and glory of his gracious Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier.