John Ryland, [Bristol], to Andrew Fuller, [location not specified], 15 June 1814.

My dear Bror

         Your letter by Mr Ransford is just come.  I sent one to Mr Burls to meet you or else forwarded to Essex as you directed – I wrote to Yates as you desired – I had yesterday a better letter from Moore than ever before, part of which I will copy – Bror Page had one also a few days ago from Chater – Our Breth.n sh.d be sure not to lessen his allow.ce on acc.t of the 100£ sent by deacon Thomas his wife’s F.d – He says 2 ships go every spring direct to Ceylon – I went to Moleston Association [Wales] last week, collected 19£ 17.s and rec.d sev.l small Collections from the Ch.s – I went on to Haverford west, & preached there on Thursd. Ev. and set off Friday morning and got home by Saturday.  We were disappointed of a Collect.n at Haverford west, by accepting of the Tabernacle, and then a Collect.n was unexpectedly opposed by the Manager, much to the grief of Mr Luke the Minister – At Molesten we were supposed to have 5000 hearers in the field – I heard 3 Welsh Serm.s preached 2 English ones there, and a 3.d at Narbeth – the latter they want to have printed, I have begun to write it out – but as I think only of printing 500 as cheaply as I can, and shall send them all to Wales, except 20 for myself, I think I had better let poor Bryan’s widow have this job, it is not worth sending to your son [Robert Fuller]. – I will pay him as soon as I receive my next Quarterage.

         We can certainly make room for the young men if you approve of sending them to us – Several are leaving, and we have heard only of two applications for admission – Our brethren in London are preparing to lay all the country under contribution to them, and I cannot help fearing they will push more eagerly than I can prove to be fair and friendly – In fact they sent a circular letter a good while ago to Me to make a Collect.n for them, and last Week Bror Newman himself proposed to me their sending one hither for Subscript.s and Donations!!!  I really cannot conceive that if the Case were inverted exactly, I could have made such a proposal to him.  Seven years ago the Fundees in London tho’t 4 stud.ts too many for them to support, but now (tho they got their premises for nothing, and have no Debt) they cannot be content to go on gradually, but w.d build up their own as fast as possible, even if they pull down older institutions to do it – we have but 3 B. Ch.s here, one loaded with debt, the other does very little for us, is Broadmead alone tho’t equivalent to all London?  where they have near 30 Ch.s – We have very few opulent Memb.s in the Ch. and more Hearers, and π Cn [pious Christian] Friends cannot be expected to help us and them too – I am sure as to myself I have as many annual Subscriptions as I can [letter cut off here]  I wish you could secure us 50 of your Association Letters, for 50 of ours  –

         I do not want to bore you about mixed Communion &c but I had many tho’ts in the Welsh Mail – about the Visible Church – and B.m [Baptism] &c – Idolizing B.m first bro’t in inf. B.m [infant Baptism] and then Clinic B.m, and at last Inf. sprinkling – And it seems to me, that idolizing of B.m now, is the great thing that prevents the Restoration of that Ord.e  –

               The π C.s [pious Christians] have a visible Ch. all over Christen.m, not 1/4 part of which will ever get to Heaven – Bro.r M. has a visible Ch. w.ch includes poor Fernandez, and excludes Edwards & Bellamy and 9/10s of the heirs of Heaven – and now some of my brethren are for splitting us all off, that dare not make it a term of Communion – Oh it is all Nebushtan, Nebushtan; I believe in my Soul Paul w.d say so.  2 K. xviii. 4 – 1 Cor. 1.17.  Gal. vi. 15.   Witherspoon describes Visible Religion in his Serm. on Matt. v.   16. – Well, I’l look among my pamphlets for my old friend Okeley’s disjointed Word[1] – I think I shall like it better than ever I did – Alas!  Alas! it is very just, one Child has the Case, and another the hand, and another the finger, one this wheel and another that, and each forsooth is positive that he alone has got Pappy’s Watch – If I could alter pappy for Father, and make the stile a little less babyish, I sh.d like to reprint it – But I am afraid our Magaz. w.d not put it in; they have got the original Case, and that is pappy’s Watch, let what will have become of the main spring. – Christ have Mercy upon us, miserable Sinners!

Text: NLW MS. 14348D, National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth. The work mentioned above is probably A Seasonable and Salutary Word, humbly offered to the wise in heart, through the re-publication of a late tract (London: M. Lewis, 1774), by the Moravian minister and writer, Francis Okely (1719-94).