. . . I have now to ask whether you can consent to part with your daughter early next spring, to see her no more in this world? Whether you can consent to see her departure to a heathen land, and her subjection to the hardships and sufferings of a missionary life? Whether you can consent to her exposure to the dangers of the ocean; to the fatal influence of the southern climate of India; to every kind of want and distress; to degradation, insult, persecution, and perhaps a violent death? Can you consent to all this, for the sake of perishing immortal souls; for the sake of Zion and the glory of God? Can you consent to all this, in hope of soon meeting your daughter in the world of glory, with a crown of righteousness brightened by the acclamations of praise which shall redound to her Saviour from heathens saved, through her means, from eternal woe and despair?
This was a letter from Adoniram Judson to John Hasseltine asking for his daughter Ann's hand in marriage before heading to Burma. John did consent.
This quote comes from a book called The Christian Lover, which looks at expressions of love from the past as a means of strengthening marriage today. Tim Challies reviews the book here.
He also has a humorous look at how life in the digital age may affect the collection of love letters in the future.
