To the Society Pro Fide et Christianismo Date: LONDON, December 23, 1775. GENTLEMEN, I was out of town when your favor of January last came to London; and its being through some mistake mislaid occasioned my not seeing it for a considerable time after my return. Otherwise I should have set all other business aside in order to acknowledge the favor. It gave me a particular satisfaction to observe the zeal with which you still prosecute the glorious mark you have undertaken. May the Author and Finisher of our Faith and of every good work give you to see abundant fruit of your labor. The large Dissertation upon Divine Providence will, I trust, be of great service, in particular to those who fear God and desire to acknowledge Him in all their ways. This is a subject the more needful to be explained and defended, because the wise men of this world explode everything of the kind, asserting that the race is always to the swift and the battle to the strong and success to men of understanding. Although it is rather to be desired than expected that the general plan of modern education may be amended, yet a treatise on that subject, which was printed in England some years since, has not been without success. A few have dared to go out of the common road and to educate their children in a Christian manner; and some tutors of the University have trained up them under their care in a manner not unworthy of the primitive Christians. We have hardly heard in our country of any such thing as a Mission into Lapland. If the common accounts of the Laplanders are true, they are some of the lowest of the human species, raised not many degrees either in understanding or manners above the beasts of the field. Whoever, therefore, they are that undertake to form these into men and into Christians, they will have need of more than common measure both of understanding, faith, and patience. But, still, there is nothing too hard for God; and nothing impossible to him that believe.

One thing, gentlemen, I am particularly surprised at in the account of the Society with which you favor me that in Sweden men of rank, of quality, of eminence are not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; are not ashamed openly to espouse His cause and to give a public testimony that they believe the Bible. May the God whom you serve prosper all your endeavors for His glory and the public good. This is the sincere wish of, gentlemen, Your obliged and obedient servant.