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A languishing body
(Letters of J. C. Philpot)
(February 1, 1840, to a dying youth)
My dear friend,
A languishing body is a heavy cross.
Sickness often . . .
depresses our spirits,
shatters our nerves, and
casts a gloom over our minds.
But it is good thus to be weaned and detached,
and gradually loosened from the strong ties that
bind us to earth. I was ill once for many months,
and many thought I would never recover. I found
it a heavy trial, but I believe it was profitable to
my soul. May the Lord make all your bed in your
sickness, give you many testimonies of His special
favor--and when He sees fit to take down your
earthly tabernacle, remove you to that happy
country where the inhabitant shall never say,
"I am sick," where tears are wiped away from
all faces, and sorrow and sighing flee away.
May the Lord speedily grant your desires, and
visit your soul with looks of love, rays of mercy,
and beams of tender kindness, so as to smile
you into . . .
humility,
resignation,
patience,
gratitude,
contrition,
love, and
godly sorrow.
Yours affectionately in the bonds of the gospel,
J. C. Philpot
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