Correspondence and diary Author:Philip Doddridge Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: FROM THE REV. JOHN JONES. Ripton, May 30, 1741. MY VERY DEAR AND MUCH HONOURED DOCTOR, I Received your kind letter with all the joy and satisfaction that s... more »o friendly a favour could excite in a grateful heart: the concern I had been a good while under vanished at once, and gave way to livelier and more delightful thoughts. You have set my heart upon a silk cushion at last; and now it rests easy; and every remembrance of you ministers pleasure, with a prospect of many new enjoyments to come. For what but satisfaction can I expect from the continuance of a friendship which I so tenderly value ? and which, since I was blessed with it, has been one of the greatest comforts of my life. Had you not written, I might perhaps have surprised you at Northampton; for it would have been worth while to have taken such a journey, rather than have quite lost so valuable a friendship. I thank Mrs. Doddridge for upbraiding you for the neglect of not writing to me; you will love her the more for it,—and she you, for so readily administering ease to the distressed; so that I need not come over to reconcile you, which perhaps it would not be safe for me to do; for the interposing between man and wife often brings the vengeance of both upon the reconciler; and I so well love both, that I would not forfeit my share in the friendship of either. I fully see the tenderness and firmness of your friendship, since you submitted to the pains of writing so long a letter; and indeed I am almost sorry I have given you the occasion, since I am persuaded you have so much other business upon your hands: I wish I had it in my power to give you a helping hand ; but alas, it is far, very far beyond my reach ; I can only be a fellow labourer with you in general, upon the grand errand of the Gospel. And may Go...« less