John Ryland, Jr., Bristol, to Levi Hart, Preston, Connecticut, 26 August 1806.

Aug. 26. 1806

Dear Sir

         I, this day, recd your kind letter, for which, and the Magazs & pamphlets wch attended it, I return you many thanks. I am glad the Captn did not send it by the post, which mode of conveyce is very expensive. Dr Baldwin of Boston lately sent me a parcel, containing only 2 Magazs 1 Serm. & 1 Assocn Letter, in all I suppose worth 1s/8d, and I was charged 8s/4 for its coming half a quarter of a mile, from the Post Office to my house. Nor cd I get any redress, even by returng the packet. I wish your Country Capts were aware of these things. They had far better enter a parcel at the Custom house, if it be more than a double Letter than send it by the post. The last Letr Parcel I recd fm Dr Edwards, tho far the least important he ever sent me, and as to Paper & print worth about 3s/6d, cost me 1£4 postage from Liverpool –

         I either wrote wrong, by a mere slip of the pen, or you read my age wrong. I was 53 on the 29th of Jan. 1806. My wife is about 9 years younger, a very godly woman. My eldst Son, by a former wife, is near 20 years old. My youngest Son, whom I called Jonath. Edws Ryd from respect to your dear Countrymen, is turned of 9 years, & I have 3 daughters younger. – I was Bd in Septr 1767, about twelvemonths after my first abiding religs Impresss. Two other boys joind the Ch. at Northampton, at the same time; who were then at scho’l at my Fathers. – One, about my age, is Mr W. Button, pastor of a Ch. in London – The other, who was then but 12 yrs old, tho he had hopefully been converted 4 yrs, is dead. He seem’d to die as of old age at 30. –

         After speaking a few times privately before the Church, I began to preach publickly on Lord’s day Jan. 27. 1771, and I suppose I have scarcely been a dozen Lord’s days unemploy’d since. I have been 5 or 6 times prevented by illness, & five or 6 by strangers preaching all day –

         I have generally enjoy’d good health, tho liable to Rheumatic pains and spasms, if exposed to a keen draught of Air. I am very little wearied by preaching. On a late Journey I preached eleven times in 8 days, without any inconvenience. Tho at home, I seldom preach more than twice one Lord’s day, and once on the next, alternately having a stated Colleague. Strangers often preach for us, & we often help our neighbours – There is another Bt Church, & two Independts in this City, we are on very friendly terms with difft Denominations. The Bt Ch. in the Pithay is now vacant, and an unhappy division was made there sometime back, by a man bordering much upon Antinomianism. Mr Lowell is at Bridge Street, who has relations at Boston; a Cousin of his lately preached here, on his return to America, from Edinburgh. Mr Thorp is at Castle Green, where Mr Hey was, who is now at Philadelphia – We have 5 or 6 Evangl Ministers in the Establishment. – There are about 20

Episcopal Chs in Bristol – All the Dissenters are united in a Monthly Lect. – & the Wesleyans join us in a Monthly prayer meeting – We generally have a Breakfast Meeting for the Mints once a fortnight, which is held at our houses in Rotation.

         We are much obliged to you, and many of your Brethn for the Countenance you give to our Missionaries in the East Indies, as appears by No 70 of the Connecticut Evangl Mag.

We have lately heard more tidings of a pleasing Nature, since the publicatn of our last No of the P. A. – A new Church is formed at Dinagepore, and Bro. Fernandez is ordained Pastor – I had a Letter from Marshman last Week, he & his Son John & Jabez Carey are studying the Chinese. Johannes Lassar an Armenian Christian is at the Mission house, & is an excellt Teacher of Chinese, who has already gone a good way in translating the Scripts into that Language. Our Brethren are very indefatigable. I never knew Men equal to Carey & Marshman for the talent of acquiring Languages.

I am much pleas’d wth a great part of Dr Hopkins’s Writings, but I query whether his System is free from a tendency to make the most difficult parts of Revelatn the most prominent – I see in the Connecticut Magaz. No 70 a piece on the Inability of Sinners, wh seems designed to take away the Distinctn between natural & moral Inability, which Edws Bellamy & Smalley labored to establish. –

So again, after endeavouring for years to prove that God is the Author of all Virtue, & that his being so does not lessen the Excellce of Virtue; our American Teachers seem to set us a far hardr Task, viz. to prove that God is the Author of all Sin & Vice, & yet that this is not inconsistent with his own Virtue. Here I am at a Loss. And so I am in respect of requiring a Sinner to be willing to be an Enemy to God for ever. I have no objectn to insist upon it, that he deserves God shd leave him to the Enmity of his own [heart], but I query whether Paul instead of setting a Sinner to speculate on the divine Decrees, and to dwell on the Justice of a supposeable but unknown decree agt his Conversion, wd not rather have pressed immediate Compliance wth the Call of the Gospel; saying “Believe on the Lord Jesus Xt & thou shalt be saved.” If you are but willing to be saved, in God’s Way, there is no need to be willing to be damned. God will save you sure enough, if you are willing to accept of a free, just, holy Salvatn – Give Xt the whole Glory of your Salvn & yield yourself to him as his property, & he will never reject you. –

         I find Dr Dwight is ready to admit some of your Brethren into these things too far, and even Dr Edws objected to expressions some accepted in reprobating all Self Love. I am

                                             Very dear Sir

                                                         your cordl Bror

                                                                     John Ryland

Dr Edws once gave me two original Serms of his Father’s – It wd gratify me exceedingly if I cd get a like Meml of Dr Bellamy. –

Address: Revd Levi Hart D D | Oreston | Connecticut

Note: Our John Martin of London never was in America[.] He is now an old Man – [Ryland’s note]

Text: MSS Collection, New York Historical Society, Patricia D. Klingenstein Library, New York.