Letter from Daniel Muir [Father] to John Muir, 1874 Mar 19.

Creator

Daniel Muir [Father]

Recipient

John Muir

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Transcription

Portage City, March 19th, 1874.My very dear John:Were you as really happy as my wish would make you, you would be permanently so in the best sense of the word. I received yours of the 3 inst. with your slip of paper, but I had read the same thing in ''The Wisconsin," some days before I got yours, and then I wished I had not seen it, because it harried up my feelings so with another of your hair-breadth escapes. Had I seen it to be God's work you were doing I would have felt the other way, but I knew it was not God's work, although you seem to think you are doing God's service. If it had not been [for] God's boundless mercy you would have been cut off in the midst of your folly. All that you are attempting to show the Holy Spirit of God gives the believer to see at one glance of the eye, for according to the tract I send you they can see God's love, power, and glory in everything, and it has the effect of turning away their sight and eyes from the things that are seen and temporal to the things that are not seen and eternal, according to God's holy word. It is of no use to look through a glass darkly when we have the Gospel and its fulfilment, and when the true practical believer has got the God-head in fellowship with himself all the time, and reigning in his heart all the time. I know that the world and the church of the world will glory in such as you, but how can they believe which receive honour one of another and seek not the honour that cometh from God only, John 5, 44. You cannot warm the heart of the saint of God with your cold icy-topped mountains. 0, my dear son, come away from them to the Spirit of God and His holy word, and He will show our lovely Jesus unto you, who by His finished work presented to you, without money and price. It will kindle a flame of sacred fire in your heart that will never go out, and then you will go and willingly expend it upon other icy hearts and you will thus be blessed infinitely in tribulation and eternally through Jesus Christ, who is made unto us of God wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption. I Cor. 1,30,31. And the best and soonest way of getting quit of the writing and publishing your book is to burn it, and then it will do no more harm either to you or others. And then, like Paul, look to the cross of Christ and glory in it, and as in the sight of God and in Jesus Christ, my only Lord and Master, I hereby say Amen to it.I expect, my God willing, to leave Portage City for Hamilton, Toronto, on the last day of this month. I bought a house last October there and without my family at present I mean to go in the way of God's providence to spend all my time in His service and wholly by His grace to glorify Him. I shall be glad to hear from you there any time. I will get your letters at the post office there.We are all well. Your dear mother sends her love to you.Your affectionate father in Christ,Daniel Muir[Folder marked "Father's letters from Portage 1874 after reading account of my storm night on Shasta and from Hickory Hill, Jan. 1872 and Portage and others of 1860 when I was in Prairie du Chien."]

Location

Portage City, [Wisc]

Date Original

1874 Mar 19

Source

Original letter dimensions: 17.5 x 22.5 cm.

Resource Identifier

muir03_0049-trans.tif

File Identifier

Reel 03, Image 0049

Copyright Status

Copyright status unknown

Copyright Statement

Some letters written to John Muir may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.

Owning Institution

University of the Pacific Library Holt-Atherton Special Collections. Please contact this institution directly to obtain copies of the images or permission to publish or use them beyond educational purposes.

Page Number

Page 3