Letter

Scope and Content

From Olney. Ever since Horne’s return home, he has been intending to write to Fletcher. He has often sat down, only to tear up his letters because of disatisfaction with them.

He greatly fears that his work at Madeley is finished ‘& with respect to the ministry , an everlasting separation, between them & an unfaithful shepherd. God’s judgements are holy, wise & good & submission is their duty & mine. A dispensation so contrary to all our wishes, & brought about in a way so extraordinary, & still continued against our wills, must be referred to him whose ways are unsearchable…’ Spiritual matters are discussed in detail.

God has abundantly blessed the people [of Madeley] since Horne left them and he is sure, will continue to bless them. Horne therefore commits them to God’s mercy and will ‘reconcile myself to the cold, unkindly climate of Olney…’

Horne blesses God for his journey to Madeley. It was a debt of love to the people there and he is glad that he has paid it. There was just one thing which was a cause of sorrow, namely that he found Fletcher ‘far nearer to the hour of yr departure than I had supposed you were. The revolution of a few months will I apprehend put a period to your labour of Love & patience of hope’. Horne would not mourne for Fletcher and once more ‘before your departure, permit me to return you cordial thanks for all your kindness to me and mine; but chiefly for yr prayers, your exhortations & the Christian example you have set before me…’.

Spiritual matters are further discussed in detail.

Since his return to Olney, the Lord has given him three or four more souls ‘to be my comfort in the house of my exile. I have been enabled to bear a very strong and plain testimony in several sermons, & it has not been without effect. Loud calls and pressing invitations to every man, the happy & holy experience of God’s sincere children & the ability of grace given to every man to obey the gospel call is what I feel must be insisted on continually: & still more so in a place like this where from every house you hear “I can do nothing”…But alas my poor flock are poisoned with Calvinism, & many precious souls who are darkly feeling after God, are kept in Satan’s chains from the fatal idea that they can do nothing . Many have been taught that human nature is ruined, but not that it is restored in Xt, & the strange ideas of election, reprobation, & irresistable power discourage faith and exertion. They lie down in sloth and despondency…’

Spiritual matters are discussed in further detail with specific reference to the misleading nature of Calvinism.

Horne’s mother, wife and little ones join in sending their love.