Letter from John and Sarah Montgomery of Grove City, Christian County, IL; to Charles Souders, among letters formerly in the possession of Jesse J. Souders (1889-1957).  Jesse was the grandson of Charles Souders (1815-1895) of Thompson Twp., Fulton Co., PA.

Febury 13th .81(1881or 1884?)
To Mr Charles Souders

Deare brother and sister in Christ      as I have thought often about you since I left you two years ago last fall and have a strong desire to heare from you both  naturely and spirtuly of your well being and to let you heare from us       as we are all of us fast tending to grave we are now almost to our three score yearse and ten and according to the course of nature we cant look for much longer time on the shores of time and let us ask ourselves the question      Does our love continue true if indeed we have loved (still are) we waiting and looking for the second coming of our blessed Jesus who has promised to come again the second time without sin unto salvation to take his children home then this is not our home for the poet sings    ‘I would not live alway    I ask not to stay   were storm after storm flies dark on the way    the few lurid mornings that on us here    are followed by gloom or beclouded with feare’     No my Brother this worlds a howling wildersess     this world is not my home to all them that have ben made alive by quickening influace of the holy spirit and made truly to believe in the loard Jesus Christ          they see plainly that is not their home but they seeke a cuntry out of sight whose maker and builder is God but I haft to many times stop and ask my self the sollom question     am I that careckter that is seeking that cuntry or have I ever ben borne of that incoruptille seed that lives and abides for ever      or have I the faith wich is the gift of God wich enables all the children to truly believe in his name and to hope in mercy of a finished salvation      the faith wich moves the creture       not a faith wich the creture must excise inorder that God may have mercy on him       but the faith wich through the mercy of God has ben freely given and works by love and purifies the heart       and none have this faith but thoes that are born of God because it is a fruit of the spirit      what spirit     why the spirit wich is of that eternal life wich Jesus said he gives     ‘My sheep heare my voice and I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish’     but O my soul am I one of the sheep of his pasture     it makes me often travel over and examin my past experiance to see wheather I have any love in me     I sometimes hope that I can feel the love of God loom up in my heart     then I can sing with the postte (?)     O how sweet the name of Jesus sounds in a believers eare       it sooth his sorowes heals his wound and drives away his feares     John said we know we have past from death unto life because we love the brethren     here is a mark of the true love of God and ther is none need bee mistaken about it for there is no one that can love an object and not know it      then we are of that happy number that does indeed love the brotherhood and I feel some that love God and if I doe it is because he first loved me and gave himself for me     but again I am made to doubt whether I know any thing about the love of God which paseth all under standing     then I am made to enquire in myself why am I thus trobled if I know nothing about the matter and if I love why am I thus     why this darke and lifeless frame      heardly shure can they bee worse who have never known his name     but still I have a hope that I cannot dispose of because it is an inward work that I have not the disposual of      if I had I supose I should long ago disposed of      but I trus that I am kept by the power of God and ready to be revealed at the last tim     this through the goodness of God enables us to say to you that we are in good health for wich we praise God our redeemer      Now my brother in conclusion let me ask you to right to us soon after you receive this and may God our heavenly father bless you and us and at last save us in that better kingdom wheare all is peace      our love to all that may enquire after us
			Joh1 and Sarah2 Montgomery   

1.	John Montgomery Jr. (1817-1901)
2.	Sarah Snider (1821-1898)