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Letter to Mary from Kate I. Kidd [Catherine].

17 February 1860

From: 1860 To: 1860

Written at Bushey Heath [Hertfordshire]. ...I only returned home ten[?] days ago and then I found your letter waiting for me. I was glad to have it and to find that you had not quite forgotten me as I had almost begun to think must be the case. I spent my holidays at Hull and in London and in spite of the weather enjoyed them very much. Thank you for your promise to send your portrait, dear Mary. I shall be glad to have it but do not trouble yourself about getting it; when you have an opportunity conveniently will do very well. It gives me much pleasure to know that you are thinking seriously on the subject of religion. Do not rest, dear Mary, until you have found Jesus precious to your soul. If you seek Him He will be found of you. Although you may have broken many resolutions and by your conduct refused hitherto to receive Him as your Saviour, yet if you are now convinced you have done wrong in this, there is no reason why you should keep away from Jesus. He is as willing to receive you now as He ever was. Remember He came not to call ‘the righteous but sinners to repentance’, and the more you feel yourself to be a sinner the more need have you to go to the Saviour, that you may obtain forgiveness. Do not doubt His willingness to receive you; there is nothing so displeasing to Him as unbelief. What He has declared in His word, we ought implicitly to believe-- and has He not said ‘him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out’. Dear Mary, have you been to this loving Saviour by prayer, telling Him that you feel your need of pardon and asking Him to receive and save you? If you have, then do not fear. He will hear and answer you. Do not delay to settle this important matter. You cannot be really happy until you have found peace with God; there is no peace like that which He gives to those who trust in Him. Do not forget that ‘the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin’-- and therefore will take away your sin if you seek to be washed in it. Let me entreat you to go at once to Jesus, at this very time, and ask Him to teach you how to love Him. Carefully cherish every serious thought and impression, dear, and I pray that you may indeed find that ‘now is with you the accepted time, now is the day of salvation’. You ask me about Mr. Vine; he is now settled at Hoddesdon in this county and is very comfortable there; we see him occasionally, which is of course a great pleasure to us. We have a new minister now, Mr. Moses, whom I think we shall like very much; he preaches very well. I do not know whether you have heard that my sister Emily has gone to Germany for a year. She went last November. I shall be very glad when she returns. I am glad to hear that dear Elizabeth is well; give my kind love to her. I have not the pleasure of knowing Mrs. Wiggins. Mama desires her kind regards to her and love to yourself and Elizabeth. I shall be glad to hear from you again. Are you keeping up any of your studies? Before I close let me give you a word more from Jesus Himself which you may think upon: ‘Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest’. Now goodnight, my dear Mary, with very kind love, Believe me, Your affectionate friend.... P.S. I know you will be glad to correct it, when I tell you that there was one word mis-spelt in your letter: 'afraid' has only one 'f'-- you put two!

item

Kidd, Catherine I.,
Kidd, Emily,
Moses,
Vine,
Wiggins, Mary

Bushey, Germany, Hoddesdon, family correspondence, Christianity