’I humbly thank God that, while I dare not be sure that I am not mistaken, and suppose that if ready to go I should be taken, the thought of death at a distance is the thought of rest and peace, of more blessed communion with God’s saints, holy angels and the Lord.  Yet I dare not feel that if death was close at hand, it might not be far otherwise.  How often the “Christian Year,” and all true divinity helps up here!  Why indulge in such speculations?  Seek to prepare for death by dying daily.  Oh! that blessed text:  Be not distracted, worry not yourselves about the morrow, for the morrow shall, &c.  How it does carry one through the day!  Bear everything as sent from God for your good, by way of chastisement or of proving you.  Pusey’s sermon on Patience, Newman’s on a Particular Providence, guarding so wisely against abuse as against neglect of the doctrine.  How much to comfort and guide one! and then, most of all, the continual use of the Prayer-book.  Do you often use the Prayer at the end of the Evening Service for Charles the Martyr?  Leave out from “great deep...teach us to number”—­ and substitute “pride” for “splendour.”  Leave out “according to... blessed martyr.”  In the Primate’s case, it is a prayer full of meaning, and it may have a meaning for us all.

’Once more, the love of approbation is right and good, but then it must be the love of the approbation of God and of good men.  Here, as everywhere, we abuse His gift; and it is a false teaching which bids us suppress the human instinct which God implanted in us, but a true leading, which bids us direct and use it to its appointed and legitimate use.  On this general subject, read if you have not read them, and you can’t read them too often, Butler’s Sermons; you know, the great Butler.  I think you will easily get an analysis of them, such as Mill’s “Analysis of Pearson on the Creed,” which will help you, if you want it.  Analyse them for yourself, if you like, and send me out your analysis to look at.  There is any amount of fundamental teaching there and the imprimatur of thousands of good men to assure us of it.

’I think, as I have written to Joan, that if I were with you, after the first few days my chiefest delight would be in reading and talking over our reading of good books.  Edwin and Fisher were beginning to understand thoughtful books; and how I did delight in reading with them, interspersing a little Pitcairn remark here and there!  Ah! never more! never more!  But they don’t want books now.  All is clear now:  they live where there is no night, in the Glory of God and of the Lamb, resting in Paradise, anticipating the full consummation of the Life of the Resurrection.  Thanks be to God, and it may not be long—­but I must not indulge such thoughts.

’I feel better, but at times this sad affliction weighs me down much, and business of all kinds seems almost to multiply.  Yet there are many many comforts, and kindest sympathy.