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The Philander Chase letters were written in the 18th and 19th century and therefore may contain language that we understand today as harmful or offensive. You may encounter paternalist descriptions of Native Americans, racial slurs, or sexism. For more information, see our policy page.
Description
Le Touche regrets to hear that Chase has already left England and hopes that the letter will reach him. He reassures Chase of his support for Chase's cause.
Date
7-20-1824
Keywords
voyage to America, Ireland
Recommended Citation
Digges Le Touche, James, "Letter to Philander Chase" (1824). Philander Chase Letters. 498.
https://digital.kenyon.edu/chase_letters/498
Rights Statement
Transcript
The right Rev. Philander Chase
Bishop of Ohio
My dear Sir,
When I read your last letter of the 3rd June, which only reached me the 4th of July, I was in hopes that although debarred the pleasure of seeing you that I should have the satisfaction of visiting to you [to] [Lpool] & sending you a parcel of pamphlets which would testify that in this country which you are so desirous to visit, our Lord is carrying forward a work which amidst many difficulties is prospering to his own glory & to the salvation & trust of many of our countrymen. I was therefore much disappointed on looking at the date of your letter & from finding that instead of being still in England, you were probably by the time I received your letter far on your way across the Atlantic. I know not, my dear Sir, if this letter were reach you, but I could not avoid expressing my warmest wish for the prosperity of the good work in which you are engaged & [that] the God whom you serve will bless you individually & collectively with those rich & precious blessings which are the inheritance which our Lord purchased with his own blood, which make the passage through this vale of tears safe & [?] joyful which perfected in heaven will fill the [soul] with unfading happiness [throughout] [eternity]. You will doubtless rejoice to hear that we have every abundant reason to bless God that the work of Grace in Ireland makes considerable progress, we continually hear of one & another becoming the servant of the living God, turning from the world, the flesh, and the Devil & their unprofitable servitude, & forming the determination through Grace not to be ashamed of Christ Crucified but [manfully] to fight under his banner as his faithful soldiers & servants until their lives end, & find that amongst our people, even where opposition is most prevalent & where Popery holds his [wrout] rule, there is an anxiety to read the word of God, which seems to increase amount altho’ means used to suppress it promise great things even in the darkest place of our land. The Protestant part of our community are also becoming more and more under scriptural inspection, the clergy more & more aware of their responsibility & anxious to discharge their duty as shepherds if Christ’s flock & though much much more indeed remains undone yet you will estimate what has been done by the fact, that in the year 1812 there was in connection with our 4 principal education societies 200 schools. In the year 1823 there were more than 3700, it is right to say that of both numbers some schools are on the list of more than one society, but as this applies to both, the proportion of increase is most encouraging. What hath God wrought, & may or not look forward with confidence to what he will still work, [thus] are many [adversaries] & much is doing to impede & perplex the work, but, [?] confidence in the promise that [?] the wrath of man will turn to His praise while the remainders of wrath he will refrain - [?] is truly the business of life, all else passeth by & is lost forever, human Glory or greatness or wrath is a shadow & flesh, but the effect of Christian instruction on the soul of man, enduring for ever, giving lasting comfort in sorrow, shining more bright [when] earthly things [?] [nearest] to [thus] [?] & death only [perfects] in Heaven what Grace had begun on earth. Happy are the people who know the joyful sound & walk in the light of God’s countenance. May this happiness my dear Sir, be increasingly yours & richly abound amongst your clergy & all congregations committed to their charge, & requesting an interest in your prayers on behalf of this country & its inhabitants. I have the honor to be, my dear Sir, your secure & faithful servant & through every [?], fellow servant in the Lord
Dublin 20 July 1824 James Diggs Le Touche
If there are any of the [outports] of America to which a parcel for you could be addressed I would from time to time send you some of our reports.