(seq. 1)

[100 - ]

Townsend Feb. 7 1850

Dear Mother

I have been thinking about you and I
keep thinking about you, and should have gone to Gardner today
but when my meeting in this place closed last evening - a strong
desire was expressed that I would hold another meeting, in the
next village this evening, so I concluded to write you, and
stop and lecture to night, and then go to Groton to morrow

Mr. Smith of Westminster, the Bible agent, preached here on
Sunday last and when the notice of my meeting was handed to
him, he said that I was to come [?], and that he would not
read such a notice from his pulpit. And as the minister
was absent, he asked what the deacons thought about it.

The friend who wrote the notice is not in the habit of con-
sulting deacons, and told him so. He refused to give the
notice. Now I am going to write an article for the next-weeks
Liberator, and I wish you would drop me a line at Boston.
or wherever you see by the Liberator, the convention for next Sun-
day will be and tell me what Smith's given name is and
if he did not while in Gardner Westminster, make great professions of
Anti-Slavery. Don't fail to write, as soon as you get this.

I wanted to see you very much, to-day to talk about your
leaving Gardner, & do think that a [dire?] regard to your own
health requires, that you should stop preaching, and you ought
to decide soon so that you can rent your home to good
advantage. Will be better for you and Phoebe too, to be free from
care, and both of you will stand a much better chance to
get well, than, you can, where you are both troubled with
the care of so many people's souls. Just preach a farewell
sermon, that shall be truly christian. Take the 25 chap of Mat.
for the morning sermon, and show from it, that there is no
need of creed, or prayer, or sermon, or church organisation
but that all that the Lord their God requires of them, is to do justly
to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God. That no consecration
of time, or place, and no formal ceremony, and no stated services