London Dec^r 12^th 1787
My Dear M^rs Bateman,
I received your kind favor at Ramsgate
& should have answered it sooner, could I have found time when
opportunity served of sending it by a private hand; but I hope
your goodness which I have experienced on former occasions, will
{^pardon} my long silence, & believe it has not been want of attention or
respect: no my dear Madam, I hope & trust I shall ever
possess a grateful mind, let what will take place;
Apologies on your part are altogether unnecessary; but, supposing
they were, you had a sufficient excuse for not writing; permits me
then my dear M^rs Bateman to congratulate {^you} & M^r Bateman on the
Birth of your Son, & to join with you in petitioning the great
Giver of every good & perfect Gifts, to take your dear Offspring
[new page]
into the Bond of the Convenant, & set Him apart, for His own Glory
Honor & Interest in the World: long may He live to be a comfort
to His Parents, an Honor to Religion, & a Useful Member of Society .
I have not had the pleasure of seeing M^r Bateman since I left
Manchester, Miss Clegg has been so kind as to inform me He is in
Town, but so taken up, she thinks it will not be in His power to
reach Bloomsbury : if I should go to the Inn to see Him I
hope you’ll pardon me, I was extremely sorry I happened
to be out of Town when He favoured me with a call, had I known
I should have made it a point to have been at home.
I return you many thanks for your kind invitation to
Manchester, it is not unlikely but I may pass through it next
Summer , in that case I should most certainly take the liberty
to call on you. I never think of you, or the place in
which you dwell, but with a sense of the Lord’s goodness; indeed
[new page]
Whenever we are, on {^in} what situation, we may raise our Ebenezer & say
Hitherto the Lord hath helped us”; Oh for a due sense of His
Goodness, & a heart filled with gratitude to Him: well might
The Psalmist say, “what shall I render to the Lord for all
His benefits”. His mercies are more in number than the sand
on the Sea-Shore: great infinitely great they are, & ought to
be received with thankfulness, but how apt is human Nature
{^to be} contended with the Donation, & like Jonah to Prise the Gourd
But forget the Donor, while we are partaking of His [damaged]
Donations. Much the Christian has to Humble Him [damaged]
Enemies He has to encounter, & according to my poor [damaged]
self is the most suble therefore must to be dreaded;
There are others more formidable but this I think the
most dangerous; but blessed be God, He has laid help upon
One Mighty to Save & {^He} can & will save to the uttermost
all that are enabled to go to Him for help, He has led
Captivity Captive, & not one Weapon however dextrously formed
Shall prosper when used against the followers of the Lamb, they
Have not one Enemy but what sooner or later He will be arranged of,
& those that trust in Him, & fight under His banner
Shall be made more than Conquerers through Him that hath loved
Them, & given Himself for them: this I trust is your happy experi
ence, they that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion which
[new page]
cannot be moved, their place of defence shall be the Munition of Rocks
their provision is also sure they shall not lack any good that wait upon
the Lord, may you be enabled to draw living Water out of these Wells
of Salvation to the Comfort & Establishment of your Soul in faith &
holiness to your Eternal Salvation, is the sincere desire of one who is very
truly, your sincere though Unworthy friend & Servant at all times,
Maria Allwood
M^rs Bateman
Manchester
PS I hope notwithstanding {^what} I have {^said} about writing you will favor
me with a letter no soon as convenient, it will always give me great
pleasure to receive a line from you if ever so short.
I beg my best Respects to M^r & M^rs Clegg. Your sister has favored me with
[vertical right side] one visit which was very kind could she have come oftener
I should have been the more obliged but I could not expect it considering
I am but a stranger

London Dec^r 12^th 1787
My Dear M^rs Bateman,
I received your kind favor at Ramsgate
& should have answered it sooner, could I have found time when
opportunity served of sending it by a private hand; but I hope
your goodness which I have experienced on former occasions, will
{^pardon} my long silence, & believe it has not been want of attention or
respect: no my dear Madam, I hope & trust I shall ever
possess a grateful mind, let what will take place;
Apologies on your part are altogether unnecessary; but, supposing
they were, you had a sufficient excuse for not writing; permits me
then my dear M^rs Bateman to congratulate {^you} & M^r Bateman on the
Birth of your Son, & to join with you in petitioning the great
Giver of every good & perfect Gifts, to take your dear Offspring
[new page]
into the Bond of the Convenant, & set Him apart, for His own Glory
Honor & Interest in the World: long may He live to be a comfort
to His Parents, an Honor to Religion, & a Useful Member of Society .
I have not had the pleasure of seeing M^r Bateman since I left
Manchester, Miss Clegg has been so kind as to inform me He is in
Town, but so taken up, she thinks it will not be in His power to
reach Bloomsbury : if I should go to the Inn to see Him I
hope you’ll pardon me, I was extremely sorry I happened
to be out of Town when He favoured me with a call, had I known
I should have made it a point to have been at home.
I return you many thanks for your kind invitation to
Manchester, it is not unlikely but I may pass through it next
Summer , in that case I should most certainly take the liberty
to call on you. I never think of you, or the place in
which you dwell, but with a sense of the Lord’s goodness; indeed
[new page]
Whenever we are, on {^in} what situation, we may raise our Ebenezer & say
Hitherto the Lord hath helped us”; Oh for a due sense of His
Goodness, & a heart filled with gratitude to Him: well might
The Psalmist say, “what shall I render to the Lord for all
His benefits”. His mercies are more in number than the sand
on the Sea-Shore: great infinitely great they are, & ought to
be received with thankfulness, but how apt is human Nature
{^to be} contended with the Donation, & like Jonah to Prise the Gourd
But forget the Donor, while we are partaking of His [damaged]
Donations. Much the Christian has to Humble Him [damaged]
Enemies He has to encounter, & according to my poor [damaged]
self is the most suble therefore must to be dreaded;
There are others more formidable but this I think the
most dangerous; but blessed be God, He has laid help upon
One Mighty to Save & {^He} can & will save to the uttermost
all that are enabled to go to Him for help, He has led
Captivity Captive, & not one Weapon however dextrously formed
Shall prosper when used against the followers of the Lamb, they
Have not one Enemy but what sooner or later He will be arranged of,
& those that trust in Him, & fight under His banner
Shall be made more than Conquerers through Him that hath loved
Them, & given Himself for them: this I trust is your happy experi
ence, they that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion which
[new page]
cannot be moved, their place of defence shall be the Munition of Rocks
their provision is also sure they shall not lack any good that wait upon
the Lord, may you be enabled to draw living Water out of these Wells
of Salvation to the Comfort & Establishment of your Soul in faith &
holiness to your Eternal Salvation, is the sincere desire of one who is very
truly, your sincere though Unworthy friend & Servant at all times,
Maria Allwood
M^rs Bateman
Manchester
PS I hope notwithstanding {^what} I have {^said} about writing you will favor
me with a letter no soon as convenient, it will always give me great
pleasure to receive a line from you if ever so short.
I beg my best Respects to M^r & M^rs Clegg. Your sister has favored me with
[vertical right side] one visit which was very kind could she have come oftener
I should have been the more obliged but I could not expect it considering
I am but a stranger