Letter to his Vestry. 59 



and was able to write pleasantly and satisfactorily 

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



September ^nd. — 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 m}^ clmrch, 

 and mechanically pulled on m}^ 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, xVugust, 1827. 



Gentle^ien : You have n^ 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, ^vhen 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 eff'ort 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. 



