From Abraham Watmough at Congleton to Mary Tooth in Madeley. Spiritual matters are discussed in detail, with specific regard to the severe trials recently suffered by the Watmoughs. Reference is made to the 'misconduct and consequent penal sufferings of a near relative.' [see MAM/Fl/7/13/12]
Watmough gives the following answers to Tooth's questions:
1. He thinks that Watmough and his wife are prospering spiritually.
2. The number of believers increases and he thinks that three people have been sufficiently stirred up to attempt to do good as local preachers.
3. Others are useful as Sunday School teachers. There is now more than 1500 pupils in sunday schools in this circuit. For one of the schools, more than £50 was collected the other Sunday.
'Sunday Schools promise much good, if conducted as they certainly should be, with an eye to real piety. But there is danger of losing sight of this.'
Watmough is sorry that [John] Squarebridge has been very ill for such a long time, but at least God has kept Mr [William] Edwards in good health.
Watmough has been very sick for three weeks, yet he has been somehow enabled to attend all of his preaching appointments, except one. This has indeed been a very severe winter with numbers of sick people and many deaths. Spiritual matters are discussed in detail.
Watmough was pleased with the writings of [John] Fletcher, which lately appeared in the Methodist Magazine.