Geo Town
26th. Mar -33
My Dear Cousin Nelly
The enclosed little book - I will thank you to give to Harriett
with my love. Tell her I hope she is able to say from her heart - “it is well,”
- It is only saying what is infallibly true and certain; as she will one day know
- Now we “see through a glass darkly” - but when all the hidden ways of God’s
providence are revealed to us, we shall see & own that “He hath done all things
well.”
It is only the weakness of our faith that keeps us now from being, “in whatsoever
state we are, therewith content” - If we believed and trusted as we have
the right to do, we should always be enabled to say of everything that happens to
us - “it is the Lord - let Him do what seemeth to Him good.”
God gives us many helps in this our weakness of faith - We see around us in the world
many & severe sufferings. The child for whose life we would pray we cannot guard
from them. We must commit it to God: and if He sees best to remove it from “the
evil to come,” & take it from scenes of trouble and danger, to mansions
of rest & happiness in his own presence, how can we repine? - When it is thus
taken what shall we pray for? - that we may see it again - that this dear object
of our affections may again be in our arms? This is a natural and reasonable desire
- and it shall be granted. - And that is the the best possible way for us & it.
- “I shall go to him,” said David of his child, “but he shall not
return to me.”
Now if God, in such circumstances, was to give us a choice of either having our child
returned to us here, or taking us to it in heaven, could we doubt as to which was
best?
I trust that Harriett and Mr. Marshall will encourage each other in looking forward
to a meeting with their dear child, where there will be no more sorrow or separation,
sickness or death, and that they will see & own in this dispensation, the hand
of a father & say - “it is well.”
I am my dear Cousin
Affec-ly. yrs
F. S. Key