INTERESTENG та FAMILY LETTERS, OF THE LATE MRS. RUTH PATTEN, OF' HARTFORD, CONN. PRINTED BY D. B. MOSELEY. THE NEW YORK 240180 ASTOR, LENOX AND TILDEN POUNDATIONS. 1901 Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1845, BY DAVID B. MOSELEY, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of Connecticut. PREFACE. As it was the earnest desire of Mrs. PATTEN that something should be written for the encouragement of her descendants, and others, especially the widow and fatherless, that they may be enabled to trust in the wisdom, goodness, and faithfulness of a covenant-keeping God. Through all this long wilderness, Mrs. P., with her little brood marched contentedly along, hand in hand, unitedly. The subsequent letters will show where her great support and consolation rested, through her various trials in the sickness and death of her beloved husband, in the meridian of life, and five dear children, of which the reader would, probably, be gratified to know more particularly. As there were a number of incidents and anecdotes omitted in the memoir of Mrs. Patten, owing to the writer not living with his mother, which it is thought best to insert, though not to interfere with the memoirs, only to add.The death of her eldest son was a very grievous affliction. He was a remarkably intelligent child from infancy-when not two years old he called four young students, who were studying with his father, preparatory for College, into the parlor they immediately obeyed, and the child, after taking his infant book and chair, sat down with dignity, and after reading, as he thought, a sufficient portion, arose, and leaning over his chair said, boys, be still, and then began his prayer, with the same expressions his father had used in the morning, though in broken language, like a child-his mother, being in the next room, and hearing him, called to him, thinking it made the duty of prayer too light-when the lads saw how the exercise ended, they were merry, though before appeared very solemn. When this child was five years old, he was attacked with a severe quinzy, which it was supposed would prove fatal. The mother's anxiety was very great,-she was satisfied his knowledge and age were sufficient to impress his mind and heart with the love of his God and Saviour.— The mother's prayers and intercessions were most fervent for the life of the child, until she could evidence the love of the Saviour shed abroad in his heart, she would then resign him cheerfully. Contrary to expectation, the child recovered. As soon as he was able to walk, he went into the garden to meet his dear mother, with an emaciated form, and anxious countenance, caught hold of her garment and said, pray ma'ma do tell me, what I must do to be saved? The happy results of this inquiry may be ascertained by his subsequent life, and triumphant death, at the age of ten years, which the reader may find in the memoir of Mrs. Patten. After the decease of this beloved child, the following Hymn was found in his closet, supposed to be in his own hand-writing, set to music. "Come let us join our cheerful songs For thousand, thousand are their tongues, Worthy the Lamb that died, they cry, Worthy the Lamb, our lips reply, Jesus is worthy to receive And blessings more than we can give, Let all that dwell above the sky, The whole creation join in one It is presumed that a brief Obituary of the father of the lamented child, whose history is narrated above, will not be uninteresting to the Christian reader. The Rev. WILLIAM PATTEN, Sen, was born in Billrica, Massachusetts, in 1738, His parents were pious, and of respectable standing, and much beloved. At what time their son became pious, cannot |