Boston Feby. 14th. 1754/5 Revd. Sr.,

I had the pleasure of hearing yr. Entertaining Letter1 read Last Eveng. & it rais'd in my mind an indescribable unnam'd affection or something somewhat like Surprise to think that a Lawyer shd. turn preacher.

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But when I came to hear that it was a Temptation of the Divol my Surprise abated and you may see I continue growing Calmer & Calmer. Ay even so Calm as to demand a Philosophical Account of the Opperation of the Country Air upon the animal Spirits of a Bostonian. But perhaps you'll say it was Truly miraculous & was performed by yr. god Pan so that you were Constrain'd rather than tempted to turn preacher.

But, (beware Sr. lest this yr. Conversion don't Influance you in such a manner as to Oblige you to preach up nothing but heathenish Morality and) remember you are not above thirty miles from a Christian Country so that if you should preach any thing Contrary to the recd. Orthodoxy you might be removed by a Councell. Had you a' Consulted me I would have given you some sage advise before you had assended Rostrum, & must not fail to Comunicate some of it now lest you should be Exteem'd an Illiterate preacher. I have time but for two pieces of advice at present. The first is, That you for ever Choose a dificult Text and 2dly don't fail to Intersperce yr. discourses with some Scraps of Latten, if it be Que genus2 &c. and for a Change take some such Text as this—Adam, Seth, Enos.3 But be sure never preach from these words, A certain Lawyer &c.

If you hear of another Vacancy I shd. be glad you would Inform me, for business is Very dull, or if you'll give good Wages for a Deacon, please to let me know it. Want of time forbids me to write any more but that I am yr. Loving brother &c.,

JOS: GREENLEAF

P:S Please to tell Mr. L. Willard4 that I have Salt & Chalk at his Service—But What will you do with Tweedle? You can never make him a Christian if you turn one yrself.

RC ; addressed: "To Mr. Robt. Treat Paine att Lancaster"; endorsed.

1.

Not located

2.

What type?

3.

RTP did base a sermon on this text (I Chronicles 1:1). The sermon, dated at Shirley, Mar. 23, PM, 1755, was repeated for the funeral of Col. Samuel Willard at Camp Lake George, Oct. 26, 1755.

4.

Levi Willard (1727–1775), brother of Col. Samuel and Abel Willard and a cousin of RTP. He married Katherine Chandler, daughter of the Hon. John Chandler of Worcester. He was later a large landholder in Lancaster and surrounding areas and senior partner in the firm of Willard and Ward, which engaged in importing and trading (Willard, Willard Genealogy, 59–60).