The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1870-12-28
2iilt]lruloud 1ispattEl.
WEDNESDAY. Y...DECEMBER as, 1870
THE CIRCULATION OF THE DISPATCH
rs LARGER THAN THE CONFINED CIR
CULATfoN OF ALL THE OTHER DAILY
NEWSPAPERS OF TIE CITY,
Autograph letter OF .ysaac Watts.
.. ... tErom the Boston Aavert,ser .r....-.

The following letter is printed from the
original In the handwriting of DR.. Watts
which has been placed at our disposal by Q
lady IN this city, to whom 1t belongs. The
letter was addressed to the daughter-in-law
Of Cotton .Mather, and was written to con
sole her for the death of her children
...,... .Novemb 7th, 1720.
Yesterday from Mr.. Sewalls hand re-
celV'd the favour of several letters from nv
friends in New England & q particular &C.
count of that sharp & surprizing stroke Of
providence that has made q painful & last.
ing wound in your Soul. He desired let.
ter from my hand directed to you, which
might carry in it some balm for an afflicted
spirit. by this information find I am not
an utter stranger to your family & Kindred
MIR. Lee your venerable Grandfather was
Predecessor to Mr.. Tho. Bowe, nv HON
Tutor 4 once my Pastor, in my younger
yesrs. Mr. Peacock who married your eldest
aunt was my intimate friend. Mrs. Bishop
q Mrs. Work were both my acquaintance
tho my long illness and absence from Lon.
don-has made me Stranger to their DOS.
tcrity, whom 1 knew when children-but
now know not who Of them are living or
where; Doct. Cotton Mather your late
father in Law was my yearly correspon.
u %
loss you have SuStain'd is Of q tenderer and
more distressing kind: yet let us see
whether there are not sufficient springs OF
consolation flowing all round you, to allay
the smart OF so sharp a sorrow, Il may the
Lord open your eyes as he did the eyes OF
Hasar In the Wilderness, to eSpy the spring
of water when she was dying with thirst, &
her child over her against her, ready to ex.
pire. G-2l.19. Have you lost two lovely
children: Did you make them your Idols
II you did God has saved you from
ldolatry !: If you did not you have
your God still !: And creature cannot
be miserable who has God. The little
words. My God, have infinitely more sweet.
ness in them than nay sons or ma do1shters
Were they very desirable blessings? Your
God calls you then to the nobler sacrifice
Can you give these to him at his call? God
delights in such sacrifice. Were they your
all: SO was Isaac when Abraham was re.
Quircd to part with him at Gods altar. Are
you not daughter Of Abraham? Then
! initiate his faith, his sclf.deniaf, his obedi.
ence, and make your evidences of such 9
spiritual relation TO him shine brighter OF
this solemn occasion. Has God taken them
from Your arms? And had you not given
them TO him in baptism5 Are you dis
pleased that God calls for his own? Was
not your heart sincere in your resignation
of them to him? Show, then, madam
the sincerity. of your heart in leaving
them in the hand of God. DO you
say they are lost ? Not out Of Gods
Sight Il Gods World: tho they are gone
out of Our sight and our World. All Lire
to God. You may hope the spreading GOV.
enant Of Grace has sheltered them from the
second Death. They Live, tho not with
l,- fo los, h,,.
brought forth for the grave! 1t may be SO,
but not in cain. ISa. G3 %. They shall
not labour in vain nor bring forth for trou-
blc-i. c. for sorrow without hope. For
Mey are the seed Of the blessed of the Lord,
and their offspring aclth them.' This has
been q sweet text 10 many q mother when
their children have been calPd away be.
times. And the prophet Jer. chap. 31-y.
15-11 has very comfortable words to allay
!: the same sorrows. Did you please your
SELF in what comforts you might have derive
from them in marurer years! But Madam,
do you consider sufficiently that God has
taken them away from the Evil to come, &
hid them III the grave from the prevailing &
miSchievouS temptations OF degenerate
age?. My brothers wife in London has
hury'd or 8 children, d among them all
her sons: This thought has reconciled her
to We Providence Of God, that the tempta-
tions Of young men in this age are 80 eX-
ceedlng great, Il she has seen so ilany OF
the young Gentlemen OF her acquaintance,
so shamefully degen'rate, that she wipes
her tears for the sons she has bury'd Il COM
poses her soul to patience & thankfulness
with one only Daughter remaining. Per-
haps God has by this stroke prevented a
thousand unknown sorrows.-AIe your
sons dead? But are all your mercies dead
too: A worthy husband is a living com
tort, e. may God preserve and restore him
to YOU with joy! Food, rayment, Salty,
Peace, Liberty of religion, access to the
mercy seat, Hope of Heaven; all these
are daily matters of thankfulness: Good
Madam, let not one sorrow bury them
all; Shew that you are Christian by
making it appear, that religion has sup
What can q poor worldling do but, earthly
blessings departed, go down with them
comfortless to the grave? But methinks a
Cristian should Lift up the head rs partaking
OF brighter hopes. May the blessed spirit
be your. comforter. Madam, endeavor to
employ yourself in some business or amuse.
ment of life continually, lest q solitary and
inactive frame of mind tempt you to ,sit
brooding over your sorrows Il nurse them
to dangerous size. Turn your thought:
often to ye brighter scenes of Heaven and
resurrection-Forgive the freedom OF q
stranger, Madam, who desires to be the
humble a. faithful servant OF ChflStn
Souls 5 ISAAC WATTS.
Z. 8. Madam, you have som any excel
lent comforts around you, that l even
blush to send what / have writ yet since
the narrowness Of my paper has excluded
two OF three thoughts which may rot be
unpertinent or useless on this mournfut &C.
casion, i will insert them here,-you know
Madam, the great 81 blessed God had but
one Son, Il he gave him up a sacrifice g. de-
voted him TO a bloody death out of Love to
such sinners as you and L. Can you shew
your gratitude to God in more evil
dent & acceptable manner than by vii.
Ingly rcsigning your two Sons to
him at the call of his Providence p
This act of willing: resignation turns q
painful atilction into a holy sucrifce.-Are
the two dearest things took from the Heart
of mother? Then you may ever sit so
much the looser to this World, & you have
fewer dangerous attachments to this Life
'Tis happiness for Christian not to have
tie heart strings ty'd too fast to anything
beneath God & Heaven. Happy the Son
who is ready to remove at the divine sum
mons the fewer engagements we have on
Earth the more we may live above q and
have our thoughts more tX'd on things dl
vine 81 heavenly. MAY InlS palhitt stfoke
he thus sanctifi'd & lead you nearer to God
- - Amen. l.. W.
SAD ACCIDENT IN HARTFORD.-Hdrttord
Conn.,, Dec. 23.-The Rev. Collins Stone,
PRINCIPAL of the American Asylum for the
Deaf and Dumb in this city, was killed by
the cars on the Hartford and New Haven
railroad this afternoon and the Rev. JAS
". Strong, pastor of The Congregations
Church ut Faribault, Miss, was badly In
inred and is in q critical condition. The