| Title: | Churchman, George to Forsythe, John Jr, 1809 |
|---|---|
| ID | 4902 |
| Collection | John Forsythe Letters |
| File | forsythe/13 |
| Year | 1809 |
| Sender | Churchman, George |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | unknown |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | Chester, Penn., USA |
| Destination | Birmingham Township, Co. Chester, Penn, USA |
| Recipient | Forsythe, John Jr |
| Recipient Gender | male |
| Relationship | friends |
| Source | |
| Archive | |
| Doc. No. | |
| Date | |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | |
| Log | unknown |
| Word Count | 515 |
| Genre | decease, commentary on mourning |
| Note | |
| Transcript | Wrote at Chester, 2d of 1st mo. 1809, after the burial of R. Dicks. Respected Friend John Forsith. What can Mourners at sometimes do better than modestly disclose the cause of mourning in a day of mixture—Clouds & temptations to deviate from the pure standard or to mix with worldly unsettled men in their muddy dark & unsettled movements. Should we not expect those who by convincment some years back became joined as Members of a high professing Society, if they kept their Places in humble-watchfulness, to be coming forward from stature to stature, as wise and firm clearsighted Standard bearers? We know among those who were born in our Society & have been favoured with inheritancey in a fertile Soil & many Priviledges in a free country many of these have been tempted to get polluted with a worldly spirit and so much in love with the increase of lower enjoyments us to be chargeable with the breach of the first Commandment & hence such as these become Idolaters or rather Mammonites, craving, coveting & striving to get more & more & more until they suffer the God of this World so to blind their Eyes as to become very dwarfish & dimsighted in respect to things which relate to spiritual health, & some of them have at length come to be almost Strangers to the commonwealth of the true Israel. But this should not happen to watchful Converts & healthy growing Christians. The above was wrote in part by candelight while some sat by conversing; my heart has been at times mournful of late, from an apprehension that the standard of the pure Truth has been lower'd by some friends who have seemed to leave the quiet habitation where the waters are still and the shooting of the Archers not perceived. Perhaps mourning & striving to intercede for one another is better than saying much. But I have found it a very profitable exercise to often get down to Jordan to be afresh baptized & to deeply examine whether I have fallen short by any how giving way to he weaken'd by the world, the flesh or the adversary, knowing it is the overcomers only who are intitled to the new name the white stone &c, or to be made Pillars in the house where all the Stones are to be hewn, squared & polish'd & if I hint it to provoke a brother to a like exercise in a cloudy day, if we should leave the children of this World to dabble in the mudd of worldly Policy and so strive to obtain the white raiment, clear of spots & smuts, such a withdrawing I trust will rather increase our acceptance in his sight who requires his children to be clean and holy, and would make them all, even (effaced)ier than the children of this World, "wise as Serpents & harmless as Doves. This tho’ in broken unpolished sentences comes from an affectionate heart in him Who is thy welwishing Friend 2d of 1st mo George Churchman. Addressed John Forsyth Birmingham |
