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Burslem Nov 20th 1827
Dear Sir,
The perusal of your favour of the 1st instant
afforded me considerable pleasure especially to learn that God was
smiling upon your labours in the ministry and blessing your family
with such special tokens of his loving kindness, which I pray God may
be your continued position and that your usefulness may be increased
yet tenfold.
My father received with pleasure the kind expression of your
best wishes towards him and expresses his thankfulness that you so far
notice him and hopes that your wishes will be realised in meeting him
in heaven if not permitted on earth and he most cordially joins me in
reiterating the sentiments before expressed.
With regard to his health it is extremely uncertain, changing
frequently and suddenly so that no dependence can be placed on his
stay – otherwise I should judge from recent appearances in him (he
being far better than I have seen him for many months) that you will
be likely to find hem with us at the conference but God only knows
perhaps I, perhaps you who are calculating with a sort of certainty as
respect ourselves in this matter may yet be the first to meet our
final hours.
Oh that whenever that awful hour shall arrive may we all be
ready to enter in to the marriage supper of the lamb.
Concerning myself in these matters I find the Lord is with me
and he very frequently blesses my soul and, I think, more frequently
that when engaged in devotional exercises with my little family
than at other times – still I feel great delight in communion with
my brethren, I am daily striving to make myself useful in the church
of Christ that so I may at length appear before the God of God in Zion
with exceeding great joy. With
regard to my family as I said nothing upon the subject before I may
tell you that I have six children living, 1 dead and before I
have the pleasure of seeing you I expect another.
We have to be thankful considering our number as a family we
enjoy very good health generally but you may be sure me and my partner
have quite enough to exercise our minds and occupy our attention.
With regard to our temporal circumstances I may tell you that
during the last 12 months my feelings respecting our condition have
been of the most poignant nature, not so much on the prospect of
impending distress, because as you know I have another means of
getting a livelihood besides the one I am now following, but for fear
of a reproach being brought on the cause of Christ through any
embarrassment of ours. I
am disposed to be thus particular from the interest you take in our
welfare and from the entire confidence I have in your knowing, that
you will be sympathetic with us in our misfortunes. The following will
serve as a short sketch.
At Martinmas 1825 the term expired which J.Read and my father
had engaged together as partners – of course a dissolution took
place, J.Read engaged with another partner, father and me united
together thinking with the capital we had (though small) with
prudence, good management and the blessing of God we should have
succeeded. But not so for we had no sooner commenced than that
dreadful panic took place which so seriously fell in the kingdom at
that time shook as it were the whole commercial world and we who were
just then relying upon a ready money trade felt its paralysing
effects.
There had also just before been some regulations adopted in the
trade and agreements made with the men on that footing which were
almost instantaneously thrown down and let loose again and subjecting
those employers who held good faith with their men to serious
disadvantage as to prices of work.
This we had to endure with a serious reduction in the price of
goods – added to this early in the ensuing spring our glost oven
fell while firing doing us considerable damage and rendering it
necessary to build a new one. But
what was worse than all the new oven never could be got to fire
regularly so that we were exposed to incalculable loss.
We had the best advice we could obtain on the subject and it
was at length cured but not before we were almost ruined – we found
we were got sadly wrong and found ourselves in a manner fast – we
therefore by and with the advice of Mr Ridgeway whose counsel we took
agreed to stop the works and prepare a full statement of our affairs
and lay the same before our creditors which we did on the fifteenth
day of last March – when agreeable to our utmost wishes they agreed
to take off 1/3 of their respective debts and allow us 18 months to
pay it in. Under these
circumstances we are now found and although we are thankful that we
met with such kind treatment from our creditors yet you cannot imagine
the feelings of my mind while passing through these various trials and
what rendered it still more distressing was that during that part of
the time when our affairs were about to be brought to a crisis, my
father was very ill and not able to take any part whatever in the
business - though the Lord has thus been chastening us yet it has been
in mercy for I feel myself so unworthy as not to deserve any favour
from his hand.
Our present prospects are brighter than before and we hope
through the blessing of God ultimately to be brought through.
I desire an special interest in your prayers that my faith fail
not in the day of adversity. I
have recently made up my mind to accept the charge of a small class
rendered vacant by the removal of the leader to Lane End circuit.
Since I wrote to you last we have got our chapel beautifully
lighted with gas and have had our anniversary. Mr Newbury and Mr
Shuttleworth preached. The question about assistant leaders attending the leaders
meeting is not likely to be enforced with the rigour first
contemplated there appears a disposition in them to go on as usual till
they are attached again and I think the meeting will let us alone
though by the by my opinion is with you that a cure might have been
effected by that process but at present our leaders meeting is hardly
prepared for it without some risk.
Hope you got your parcel from Mr Shuttleworth in time.
I read your letter to a few friends at least the major part of
it and presented your respects to the many who were glad to hear that
you were well and wished to be remembered to you with the sincerest
affection and regard.
We are obliged to you for your information respecting Mr Lomax
and as we had some business in Manchester we have directed the reason
of this Isaac Blaise a leader amongst us and a servant in our employ
to do the business for us – Mr Broadbelt.
Pamphlets on Sabbath writing are in request here I have been
applied to for them by several of the old Methodists knowing that I
had them to sell before. Shall feel obliged to you therefore if you will send me six
by Isaac, he will pay for them. Brother
W Ball wished be to remember him to you and to say that he is now gone
to reside in a larger house and he shall feel a pleasure in making you
as comfortable as he can so long as you may feel disposed to stay in
Burslem at the approaching conference time he wishes you to let him
know a few days before hand at what time you think of coming.
I wish I had it in my power to furnish you with accommodation I
should feel proud to do it, shall be happy to hear from you at anytime
when you engagements will allow you an hour and remain with best
wishes for yourself, family and circuit.
Yours in Christ
Joseph Hawley
Isaac will gladly tell you anything you may be disposed to
enquire about that he knows.
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