To Jane Mecom
Copy: Historical Society of Pennsylvania
London Sept 16 1758
Dear Sister
I received your Favour of June 17. I wonder you
have had no Letter from me since my being in England. I have wrote
you at least two and I think a third before this; And, what was
next to waiting on you in Person, sent you my Picture. In June last
I sent Benny a Trunk of Books and wrote to him. I hope they are
come to hand, and that he meets with Incouragement in his Business.
I congratulate you on the Conquest of Cape Breton, and hope as your
People took it by Praying the first Time, you will now pray that it
may never be given up again, which you then forgot. Billy is well
but in the Country. I left him at Tunbridge Wells, where we spent a
fortnight, and he is now gone with some Company to see
Portsmouth.
We have been together over a great part of
England this Summer; and among other places visited the Town our
Father was born in and found some Relations in that part of the
Country Still living. Our Cousin Jane Franklin, daughter of our
Unkle John, died but about a Year ago. We saw her Husband Robert
Page, who gave us some old Letters to his Wife from unkle Benjamin.
In one of them, dated Boston July 4. 1723 he writes “Your Unkle
Josiah has a Daughter Jane about 12 years Old, a good humour’d
Child” So Jenny keep up your Character, and don’t be angry when you
have no Letters.
In a little Book he sent her, call’d None
but Christ, he wrote an Acrostick on her Name, which for
Namesakes’ Sake, as well as the good Advice it contains, I
transcribe and send you
Illuminated from on High,
And shining brightly in your Sphere
Nere faint, but keep a steady Eye
Expecting endless Pleasures there
Flee Vice, as you’d a Serpent flee,
Raise Faith and Hope three Stories higher
And let Christ’s endless Love to thee
N-ere cease to make thy Love Aspire.
Kindness of Heart by Words express
Let your Obedience be sincere,
In Prayer and Praise your God Address
Nere cease’ till he can cease to hear.
After professing truly that I have a great Esteem and Veneration
for the pious Author, permit me a little to play the Commentator
and Critic on these Lines. The Meaning of Three Stories
higher seems somewhat obscure, you are to understand, then, that
Faith, Hope and Charity have been called the three
Steps of Jacob’s Ladder, reaching from Earth to Heaven. Our Author
calls them Stories, likening Religion to a Building, and
those the three Stories of the Christian Edifice; Thus Improvement
in Religion, is called Building Up, and Edification.
Faith is then the Ground-floor, Hope is up one Pair
of Stairs. My dearly beloved Jenny, don’t delight so much to dwell
in these lower Rooms, but get as fast as you can into the Garret;
for in truth the best Room in the House is Charity. For my
part, I wish the House was turn’d upside down; ’tis so difficult
(when one is fat) to get up Stairs; and not only so, but I imagine
Hope and Faith may be more firmly built on
Charity, than Charity upon Faith and
Hope. However that be, I think it a better reading to say
Raise Faith and Hope one Story higher correct it boldly and
I’ll support the Alteration. For when you are up two Stories
already, if you raise your Building three Stories higher, you will
make five in all, which is two more than there should be, you
expose your upper Rooms more to the Winds and Storms, and besides I
am afraid the Foundation will hardly bear them, unless indeed you
build with such light Stuff as Straw and Stubble, and that you know
won’t stand Fire.
Again where the Author Says Kindness of Heart
by Words express, Stricke out Words and put in Deeds.
The world is too full of Compliments already; they are the rank
Growth of every Soil, and Choak the good Plants of Benevolence and
Benificence, Nor do I pretend to be the first in this comparison of
Words and Actions to Plants; you may remember an Ancient Poet whose
Words we have all Studied and Copy’d at School, said long ago,
A Man of Words and not of Deeds,
Is like a Garden full of Weeds.
’Tis pity that Good Works among some sorts of People are
so little Valued, and Good Words admired in their Stead; I
mean seemingly pious Discourses instead of Humane
Benevolent Actions. These they almost put out of countenance,
by calling Morality rotten Morality, Righteousness,
ragged Righteousness and even filthy Rags; and when
you mention Virtue, they pucker up their Noses as if they
smelt a Stink; at the same time that they eagerly snuff up an empty
canting Harangue, as if it was a Posie of the Choicest Flowers. So
they have inverted the good old Verse, and say now
A Man of Deeds and not of Words
Is like a Garden full of ——
I have forgot the Rhime, but remember ’tis something the very
Reverse of a Perfume. So much by Way of Commentary.
My Wife will let you see my Letter containing
an Account of our Travels, which I would have you read to Sister
Douse, and give my Love to her. I have no thoughts of returning
’till next year, and then may possibly have the Pleasure of seeing
you and yours, take Boston in my Way home. My Love to Brother and
all your Children, concludes at this time from Dear Jenny your
affectionate Brother
a Copy
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