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South Hadley March 22, 1825 Very Dear Friends, Your very welcome letter mailed the 16th came to hand the 19th. I embrace the first leisure moments to return you an answer partly because you requested us to write immediately and partly because we wish to have the pleasure of receiving another letter from you as soon as we can. I cannot describe to you the sensations which the reading of your letter produced in my mind. The thought that the people whose welfare lies so near my heart and with whom I have spent so many happy days and often met in the House of prayer, have now a Pastor and Teacher sit over them in the Lord, is to me a source of comfort which I cannot describe. Truly you may say, the Lord hath been mindful of us, and in mercy hath he visited us! Great will now be your obligations to praise the Lord for his goodness and his wonderful kindness unto you. And you now, my dear friends, ready to say, in the language of the Psalmist, "what shall we render unto the Lord for all his benefits towards us?" If so, you will be ready, like him, to "pay your vows unto the Lord, now in the presence of all his people." I hope that your present Pastor may be a far richer blessing to the people with whom he is connected than his unworthy predecessor was. That he may have much more grace and more bodily health; and that he may be far more faithful and more successful in the ministry. I trust I do rejoice with you, that god has sent you a man who has so happily united the affections of the people and who is now established among you with so fair a prospect of usefulness. May god continue him with you for a long time; and give him many souls from among you as his ???? of rejoicing in the day of the Lord Jesus! As it has been my earnest desire since I left you, that god would send you and feel able to do much more than preach on the Sabbath. I think I must try the effect of an emetic soon and hope if the operation should be favorable, that I may be better. But that I shall ever enjoy firm health again, I do not expect. Very often while thinking of my own infirmities and of Mrs. Moody's, I find these lines of Dr. Watts ???? in my mind. "Lord what a feeble piece is this our mortal frame!" But it is not of as much consequence to us to live long as to live well. If we are found prepared to die when our summons comes, it is no matter as it concerns us, when or in what manner, we are brought to our graves. The Lord will ???? these things in the best manner. The religious revival here appears to be on the decline. There has been indeed a season of refreshing from the presence of the Lord. And ???? at present, the appearance is very different from what it was last summer, yet there is by no means that degree of feeling which there was six or eight weeks ago. There are at present a number in the society, who appear to be under serious ????, but I do not know that there has been any new case of convictions for 2 or 3 weeks. The meetings are yet the most of them full and solemn. But there does not appear to be that engagedness which there has been. I fear that the spiritual harvest is almost past, while many souls are not yet gathered into the arms of the Lord ????. The Revival has extended over the whole of this ???? but is not at present very powerful in any part of it. I hope the work will not soon subside, but the prospect of its continuing much longer is not now very flattering to human view. Do pray, my dear friends, that may more souls among this people may yet be born of God. I received from this people a few days since, an invitation to settle with them. This is what I had no expectation of when I wrote you last. Without ever asking me whether I was willing to consider myself as preaching among them as a candidate for settlement or not and knowing my infirmities and my sickness at their annual meeting last week, they voted unanimously to give me a call to settle with them. I feel very much attached to the people and the society is so small and compact that the ordinary labours of a minister would be far lighter here than in any other society in this part of the country.
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