Dear Brother:--I trust that, while life is ours to enjoy, the feeling of brotherly affection may never know an ebbing in either of our bosoms, and the most certain way whereby it may be preserved unimpaired and known to flow in a clear and unrippled current, is for us to make the Lord our God; .to know Him to be the Governor of our thoughts, our actions and our lives. Then, although distance may separate us, and the pathways of life which we tread be different, still will the fraternal affection remain unimpaired.
We shall remember the days of our childhood, when all were canopied under our parents' roof, the seasons of enjoyment that we then experienced, the fond care and parental solicitude that were manifested for our welfare, and these memories will increase our desires to do all that we can to repay those tender and watchful guardians of our youth by walking in the fear of the Lord, by inclining our ear to his voice, and by loving each other. By pursuing such a course, with the blessing of a kind Providence, we shall cause the latter days of our parents to be peaceful, and, by adding to their happiness, increase our own.
I can truly rejoice, and in my heart thank the God of our lives that thou art so comfortably settled in the married state. I believe that an unseen Hand pointed out, that an invisible Power directed thy steps in that important procedure, and hence arises the query, What shall I render unto the Lord for so many blessings? The answer is, The heart. Surrender the heart unto his keeping. If this be complied with, if He have the first place in both your hearts; you will be brought into the possession of all the enjoyment (worthy of that name) that this world can afford. Such happiness I crave for myself, and I desire it for you, for you hold a near place in my affections.
I desire, particularly, that we may be preserved from, out of, and above the spirit of contention or strife concerning Divine things (a kind of strife with which the world of mankind is now filled), so that in quietness we shall experience a being fed, day by day, with the heavenly manna, whereby our strength will be renewed and ability furnished us to journey forward toward the spiritual Canaan, the land flowing with milk and honey.
Thy brother, in much affection,
Samuel J. Levick.
1. 1.. Pages 189-190