Letter to his Vestry. 59 



and was able to write pleasantly and satisfactorily 

 to her, and also to ray friend, Dr. Wilson. 



September 2nd. God's blessed Sabbath ! I woke 

 feeling pretty strong; but my friends thought I ought 

 not to go out. I sent Miss Martin to my friend's, Mr. 

 Schaeffer's, church, designing to keep my chamber ; 

 but I heard one of the tunes sung in my church, 

 and mechanically pulled on my coat, took a little 

 boy with me, and went into the church, as the minis- 

 ter gave out his text. Many pew-doors were thrown 

 open to me, and I was able to remain to the end, 

 without much fatigue. To-morrow^, I design to go 

 on a recruiting voyage to New Haven, and other 

 parts of New England.* 



LETTER TO THE VESTRY. 



NEW YORK, August, 1827. 



GENTLEMEN : You have no doubt, for some weeks 

 past, heard many melancholy details of my suffer- 

 ings and danger, and I hasten, at the first moment 

 of returning strength and health, to inform you of 

 the goodness and mercy of God towards me. He 

 interposed in my behalf, "\yhen my friends, my 

 physicians, and myself, had ceased to hope, and He 

 has restored my strength, much sooner than any of 

 us contemplated. 



I was hastening down to New York in order 

 to sail on the " Niagara," and stopped a night at 

 my uncle's, and another at Dr. Quitman's, in 

 Rhinebeck. There I felt the first attack of a 

 fever, which nearly proved fatal to me. I was fear- 

 ful I should be very sick, and made an effort to get 

 to New York for medical assistance. That night 

 I nearly died in the steamboat, having fainted 



*He did not go to New Haven, but to Newport. 



