Letter from Margaret Duncan on the New Year, her uncle's offer, and faith
Union Falls, N.Y. Dec. 30
Rev. H. Lyman,
Forest Grove, Oregon.
Dear Uncle
Yours of 12th, was most unexpectedly read by me on the 28th; but I assure you + was none the less [?] because unlocked for. I had been thinking that I should avail myself of your invitation to “write whenever you can,” + wish you a “Happy new year” if did receive anything from you this week.
Please accept my sincere thanks for this kind letter, + for your renewed promise of tender + loving care of me, if I can accept your offer: I can not for a moment doubt that you made the offer in good faith; + that you would [secretly?] keep your promise. I have written you before, of situation, of my affairs [?]. Shall want with more than common interest the indication of Providence in this case: but would not pry into the future which I know is in the safe keeping, of One, who is infinitely too wise to [esc.?]. I trust that we may be guided in the right way.
Your account of what you are doing is very to me. It seems, to me, that you have a sufficiently large field of useful [?]; + may be the means of as great good as if you were settled over a large congregation.
What calling can be so exalted as that of preaching Christ to the perishing? May the great Head of the Church, (without whose blessing Paul’s planting + Apostles’ watering in vain) crown your labors! But if you do not see such fruits of your work as you could wish, should you be discovered. If you will allow me, I will quote a little from [M?] “Looking Unto Jesus” which though it may be families to you I cannot refrain from writing “Unto Jesus” and not to what we are doing for hi. If we are too muck taken up with our work we may forget our Master we may have out hands full and our heart empty: but if we are constantly looking unto Jesus we cannot forget our work; if our heart is filled with his love, our hands will also be active in his service. “Unto Jesus,” and not to the apparent success of our efforts Apparent success is not at [ways?] the measure of real success; and [bricks?], God has not enjoined success upon us, but only labor: He will ask an account of our labor, but not of our success; why then should we be too much concerned about it? We must sew the seed: God will gather the fruit: if not today it will be tomorrow; if not for us it will be for others. But I must hasten.
You can not certainly admire the appearance of my letters. Here is so little daylight now a days that I seldom were by light.
What I have written to you I have done entirely after dark; not even looking them over, by day light.
So I think that when you bring my deeds of darkness” to light they must appearin very strange contrast with your own well-written + very well appearing [epistles?].
I wish for you, during the coming year just as much happiness as will be for your highest good. We have been having very moderate weather most of the time of late more like spring than “Christmas [like?]” but is now growing somewhat colder + it seems now as if the old year might be complaining about the prospect of being supplanted by a young upstart: the wind is so wild + mournful. Probably you do not hear have such unpleasant winds in Oregon. Shall hope to continue to her from you often.
Affectionately
Margaret.
Rev. H. Lyman,
Forest Grove, Oregon.
Dear Uncle
Yours of 12th, was most unexpectedly read by me on the 28th; but I assure you + was none the less [?] because unlocked for. I had been thinking that I should avail myself of your invitation to “write whenever you can,” + wish you a “Happy new year” if did receive anything from you this week.
Please accept my sincere thanks for this kind letter, + for your renewed promise of tender + loving care of me, if I can accept your offer: I can not for a moment doubt that you made the offer in good faith; + that you would [secretly?] keep your promise. I have written you before, of situation, of my affairs [?]. Shall want with more than common interest the indication of Providence in this case: but would not pry into the future which I know is in the safe keeping, of One, who is infinitely too wise to [esc.?]. I trust that we may be guided in the right way.
Your account of what you are doing is very to me. It seems, to me, that you have a sufficiently large field of useful [?]; + may be the means of as great good as if you were settled over a large congregation.
What calling can be so exalted as that of preaching Christ to the perishing? May the great Head of the Church, (without whose blessing Paul’s planting + Apostles’ watering in vain) crown your labors! But if you do not see such fruits of your work as you could wish, should you be discovered. If you will allow me, I will quote a little from [M?] “Looking Unto Jesus” which though it may be families to you I cannot refrain from writing “Unto Jesus” and not to what we are doing for hi. If we are too muck taken up with our work we may forget our Master we may have out hands full and our heart empty: but if we are constantly looking unto Jesus we cannot forget our work; if our heart is filled with his love, our hands will also be active in his service. “Unto Jesus,” and not to the apparent success of our efforts Apparent success is not at [ways?] the measure of real success; and [bricks?], God has not enjoined success upon us, but only labor: He will ask an account of our labor, but not of our success; why then should we be too much concerned about it? We must sew the seed: God will gather the fruit: if not today it will be tomorrow; if not for us it will be for others. But I must hasten.
You can not certainly admire the appearance of my letters. Here is so little daylight now a days that I seldom were by light.
What I have written to you I have done entirely after dark; not even looking them over, by day light.
So I think that when you bring my deeds of darkness” to light they must appearin very strange contrast with your own well-written + very well appearing [epistles?].
I wish for you, during the coming year just as much happiness as will be for your highest good. We have been having very moderate weather most of the time of late more like spring than “Christmas [like?]” but is now growing somewhat colder + it seems now as if the old year might be complaining about the prospect of being supplanted by a young upstart: the wind is so wild + mournful. Probably you do not hear have such unpleasant winds in Oregon. Shall hope to continue to her from you often.
Affectionately
Margaret.
- Title
- Letter from Margaret Duncan on the New Year, her uncle's offer, and faith
- Description
- Letter from Margaret Duncan to her future father-in-law, Reverend Horace Lyman. She discusses the New Year, an offer from her uncle, and faith in work.
- Creator
- Lyman, Margaret Duncan
- Source
- Pacific University Archives
- Date
- 1880-1881
- Is Part Of
- Lyman Family Papers
- Format
- Letter
- Language
- English
- Identifier
- PUA_MS31_45_dd
- Rights
- http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/
- Type
- Text
- Media
-
https://exhibits.lib.pacificu.edu/files/original/041568ac4a7a3d144e8f2ce3a04dff65.pdf -
Union Falls, N.Y. Dec. 30<br/>Rev. H. Lyman,<br/>Forest Grove, Oregon.<br/><br/>Dear Uncle<br/><br/>Yours of 12th, was most unexpectedly read by me on the 28th; but I assure you + was none the less [?] because unlocked for. I had been thinking that I should avail myself of your invitation to “write whenever you can,” + wish you a “Happy new year” if did receive anything from you this week.<br/><br/>Please accept my sincere thanks for this kind letter, + for your renewed promise of tender + loving care of me, if I can accept your offer: I can not for a moment doubt that you made the offer in good faith; + that you would [secretly?] keep your promise. I have written you before, of situation, of my affairs [?]. Shall want with more than common interest the indication of Providence in this case: but would not pry into the future which I know is in the safe keeping, of One, who is infinitely too wise to [esc.?]. I trust that we may be guided in the right way. <br/><br/>Your account of what you are doing is very to me. It seems, to me, that you have a sufficiently large field of useful [?]; + may be the means of as great good as if you were settled over a large congregation.<br/><br/>What calling can be so exalted as that of preaching Christ to the perishing? May the great Head of the Church, (without whose blessing Paul’s planting + Apostles’ watering in vain) crown your labors! But if you do not see such fruits of your work as you could wish, should you be discovered. If you will allow me, I will quote a little from [M?] “Looking Unto Jesus” which though it may be families to you I cannot refrain from writing “Unto Jesus” and not to what we are doing for hi. If we are too muck taken up with our work we may forget our Master we may have out hands full and our heart empty: but if we are constantly looking unto Jesus we cannot forget our work; if our heart is filled with his love, our hands will also be active in his service. “Unto Jesus,” and not to the apparent success of our efforts Apparent success is not at [ways?] the measure of real success; and [bricks?], God has not enjoined success upon us, but only labor: He will ask an account of our labor, but not of our success; why then should we be too much concerned about it? We must sew the seed: God will gather the fruit: if not today it will be tomorrow; if not for us it will be for others. But I must hasten.<br/><br/>You can not certainly admire the appearance of my letters. Here is so little daylight now a days that I seldom were by light.<br/><br/>What I have written to you I have done entirely after dark; not even looking them over, by day light.<br/><br/>So I think that when you bring my deeds of darkness” to light they must appearin very strange contrast with your own well-written + very well appearing [epistles?].<br/><br/>I wish for you, during the coming year just as much happiness as will be for your highest good. We have been having very moderate weather most of the time of late more like spring than “Christmas [like?]” but is now growing somewhat colder + it seems now as if the old year might be complaining about the prospect of being supplanted by a young upstart: the wind is so wild + mournful. Probably you do not hear have such unpleasant winds in Oregon. Shall hope to continue to her from you often.<br/><br/>Affectionately <br/><br/>Margaret.