To Sir ——
October 28, 1754. Sir, — Whether I see you any more in this Ufe or no, I rejoice that I have seen you this once, and that God enabled you to bear with patience what I spoke in the simphcity of my heart.
The substance of what I took the Uberty to mention to you this morning was: — You are on the borders of the grave, as well as I: shortly we must both appear before God. When it seemed to mo, some months since, that my life was near an end, I was troubled that I had not dealt plainly with you. This you will permit me to do now, without any reserve, in the fear and in the presence of God.
I reverence you for your office as a magistrate: I believe you to be an honest, upright man: I love you for having protected an innocent people from their cruel and lawless oppressors. But so much the more am I obliged to say, (though I judge not; God is the judge,) I fear you are covetous; that you love the world. And if you do, as sure as the word of God is true, you are not in a state of salvation.
The substance of your answer was, that many people exhort others to charity from self-interest; that men of fortune must mind iheir fortune; that you cannot go about to look for poor people; that when you have seen them yourself, and relieved them, they were scarce ever satisfied; that many make an ill use of what you give them; that you cannot tnist the account people give of themselves by letters; that nevertheless you do give to private persons by the hands of Colonel Hudson and others; that you have also given to several hospitals a hundred pounds at a time; but that you must support -our family; that the Lowlher family has continued above four hundred years; that you are for great things, for pubUc charities, and for saving the nation from ruin; and that others may think as they please* but this is your way of thinking, and has been for many years.
To this I replied, — 1. Sir, I have no self-interest in this matter: I consult your interest, not my own: I want nothing from you; I desire nothing from you; I expect nothing from you. But I am concerned for your immortal spirit, which must so soon launch into eternity. 2. It is true, men of fortune must mind their fortune; but they must not love the world. “If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” It is true, likewise, you cannot go about to look for poor people; but you may be sufficiently informed of them by those that can. 4. And if some of these are never satisfied, this is no reason for not relieving others. 5. Suppose, too, that some make an ill use of what you give, the loss falls on their own head. You will not lose your reward for their fault. What you laid out, God will pay you again. 6. Yet certainly you do well to have all the assurance you can, that those to whom you give are likely to make a good use of it; and therefore to expect a stronger recommendation of them than their own, whether by letter or otherwise. 7. I rejoice that you have given to many by so worthy a man as Colonel Hudson, whose word is certainly a sufficient recommendation. 8. I rejoice, likewise, that you have given some hundreds of pounds to the hospitals, and wish it had been ten thousand. 9. To the support of the family I did not object; but begged leave to ask whether this could not be done without giving ten thousand a year to one who had as much already? and whether you could answer this to God, in the day wherein he shall judge the world? 10. I likewise granted that the family had continued above four hundred years; but observed, meantime, that God regarded it not one jot the more for this, and that four hundred or one thousand years are but a moment compared to eternity. 11. I observed, likewise, that great things may be done, and little things not left undone. 12. And that if this or any other way of thinking be according to Scripture, then it is sound and good; whereas, if it be contrary to Scripture, it is not good, and the longer we are in it, so much the worse.
Upon the whole, I must once more earnestly entreat you to consider yourself, and God, and eternity. As to yourself, you are not the proprietor of any thing; no, not of one shilling in the world. You are only a steward of what another intrusts you with, to be laid out, not according to your will, but his. And what would you think of your steward, if he laid out what is called your money, according to his own will and pleasure? 2. Is not God the sole proprietor of all things? And are you not to give an account to him for every part of his goods? And O how dreadful an account, if you have expended any part of them not according to his will, but your own! 3. Is not death at hand? And are not you and I just stepping into eternity? And are we not just going to appear in the presence of God; and that naked of all worldly goods? Will you then rejoice in your money you have left behind you? or in that you have given to support a family, as it is called; that is, in truth, to support the pride, and vanity, and luxury, which you have yourself despised all your life long? 0 sir, I beseech you, for the sake of God, for the sake of your own immortal soul, examine yourself, whether you do not love money. If so, you cannot love God. And if we die without the fear of God, what remains? Only to be banished from him for ever and ever!