Dorcas Brown letter to Charity Rotch, Providence, 19 of 12 mo 1811

              B-236-6
   
                             Providence 19 of 12 Mo 1811
  Dear Friends, 
  T. & C. Rotch,
               In that Love that time does not diminish are
  you tenderly in remembrance this Evening, I view you far
  separated in a distant Land, but rejoice that through this
  medium we can have intercourse, & sometimes converse with
  each other, my first enquiry dear Charity is after thy Health
  I am anxious to hear particularly how thou art, & where at
  present situated, does the change afford thee the relief we
  anticipated, or is thy feeble frame still afflicted. we all
  have something at seasons to remind us that this is not
  our continuing City, not our permanent home.  widely
  thus permitted by the Author of our Being, to teach us where
  to guild our hopes--this however is not necessary to survive
  in thy remembrance, having known the fallacy of all Earthly
                      thy
  enjoyments, & placing ^heart & hopes on Heaven & heavenly things-
  Thy resources are from thence, & surely it is an inexha-
  -ustable fountain, that the virtuous mind can repair to-
  that enjoys the friendship & favour of the King of Heaven
  bitter cups are sweet'ned & hard things made easy. Oh that 
  I may increasingly know this, in my own experience & perhaps
  it may be so, by an entire surrender of the will & affections
  to the great supreme who is alone worthy to be Loved & Served. 
  Oh dear Charity, I sometimes think who will show us any good.
  discouragements prevail outwardly from almost every quarter-
  & altho it is not from Men & creatures that the greatest good is
  derived - but still they are helps.  & have their use in encou=
  =raging & strengthning the feeble mind, it is sometime
  since we were visited by any Ministering friends- if any
  from your parts are commissioned here we will gladly
  receive them, are you in dear M Wichels, Neighbourhood?
  I think we have heard they were about returning to Philadelphia
  M Barker & Lydia Gardner, you have probably seen, Dear
  Women I hope they will be preserved thro' every difficulty, and