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 PRAISE FOR
THE LIVE ENTERPRISE

Value chains must go beyond efficiency and become responsive and

resilient. The Live Enterprise offers a practical approach to reimagine
processes through sentient principles and systems design.
—Scott Vollet, Executive Vice President, Global Operations, Tempur
Sealy International

Flexible architecture and unified platforms are critical to rapidly

launch and scale businesses that can ride the wave of disruption. In
The Live Enterprise, Kavanaugh and Tarafdar share a “design to
evolve” mindset and a blueprint for the digital runway that makes it
possible.
—Michel Langlois, Chief Development Officer, Calix, Inc.

The triple helix mindset drives toward a more equitable,

regenerative, and ultimately prosperous society. The Live Enterprise
approach offers a practical blueprint to help make this a reality.
—John Elkington, sustainability pioneer, cofounder at Volans, and
author of Greens Swans: The Coming Boom in Regenerative
Capitalism

At the SAP Engineering Academy we build around the core idea that
people and the right value systems can drive large-scale changes.
The Live Enterprise lays out these principles plainly and clearly for
global business leaders.
—Ferose V.R., Senior Vice President and Head of the SAP
Engineering Academy
Shared digital infrastructure and APIs are essential to scale IoT
capabilities in a flexible, cost-efficient manner. The Live Enterprise
describes a ‘digital runway,’ a practical platform approach that allows
leaders to focus on realizing business opportunities instead of
overcoming technology obstacles.
—Prakash Chakravarthi, CEO and Cofounder, Machfu

The only way we’ll solve the big structural challenges is to recognize
we all live in an interconnected world and have mutual
responsibilities. The Live Enterprise shares an operating model for
firms to prosper in the disruptive digital age, yet also emphasizes the
humanity and shared responsibility required to make it happen.
—Jamie Metzl, futurist, global affairs expert, and acclaimed author;
founder and chairman of OneShared.World

Nature is the ultimate sustainable economic engine. In The Live

Enterprise, Kavanaugh and Tarafdar bridge the genius of nature with
a blueprint for business to thrive in the digital age, while meeting
our environmental and social responsibilities.
—Enric Sala, National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence and author
of The Nature of Nature: Why We Need the Wild

In The Live Enterprise, Kavanaugh and Tarafdar show how every

business can complement their drive for intelligent technology with a
human-centric mindset. They provide a roadmap to reimagine how
we maximize today’s economic opportunities while evolving to an
equitable, sustainable, and prosperous future.
—Vinay Menon, Senior Client Partner and Global Lead for the AI
practice at Korn Ferry

Professionals and students alike are focused on finding work that

aligns well with their values. In The Live Enterprise, Kavanaugh and
Tarafdar provide a guide for next generation business principles,
while also aligning to greater social purpose and responsibilities.
—Dr. Christopher Marquis, Professor in Sustainable Enterprise and
Management at Cornell University, and author of Better Business:
How the B Corp Movement Is Remaking Capitalism
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 For my parents, Lee and Irma, who showed me the path that I
follow; for my wife, Melanie, with whom I travel it; and for my
children, Katherine and Terri Lynn, whose paths are just beginning.

J.K.

For Shaista, Rehan, and my family.

R.T.
 CONTENTS

Foreword

Acknowledgments

1 The Live Enterprise Model

2 Quantum Organization

3 Perceptive Experience

4 Responsive Value Chains

5 Intuitive Decisions

6 Hybrid Talent

7 Design to Evolve

8 Digital Runway

9 Micro Is the New Mega

10 The Triple Helix

Epilogue
Notes

Index
 FOREWORD

Nandan Nilekani

O
ur understanding of how businesses should operate has
evolved over the millennia. From the most basic barter
systems to high-frequency stock market trading, the
complexity of commerce moves inexorably forward and with
increasing speed.
As a result, business leaders must find new ways of thinking, new
frameworks just to keep pace, let alone lead our peers. Combined
with the COVID-19 pandemic, the accelerated pace of change—
technological, social, and political—demands a new mindset.
At Infosys, that new mindset is known as the Live Enterprise, the
model through which all our questions, answers, and decisions can
be filtered.
The idea is simple but deceptively so. A business should adopt the
most advantageous aspects of a living creature, one that senses and
responds instantly to external stimuli. If our hands accidentally touch
a hot burner on a stove, the body instinctively jerks that hand away
in a fraction of a second. We are already safe before we even
realized we were in danger.
I got a great deal of experience while leading the Aadhaar initiative
in India to provide a unique digital identity to more than 1.25 billion
residents, and through the work I did subsequently to help envision
UPI, a state of the art payment infrastructure. Both these
population-scale platforms are part of the India Stack, that is
bringing presence-less, paperless, and cashless service delivery to
over a billion people in India. I learnt a great deal about driving
transformation at scale, speed and sustainably.
When I came back to Infosys in 2017, I wondered, why not apply
these learnings on transformation to global enterprises that are also
large and complex and need to reinvent themselves to be like the
digital natives? And why not start with Infosys to refine and
demonstrate the model to the market?
The world—both its people and organizations—is bombarded with
signals. Signals from markets, governments, and areas in which we
never think to look. Those who seek to evolve must understand and
react more quickly, and accept uncertainty as a constant.
Although this approach seems designed to manage the upheaval
created by the current global crisis, Live Enterprise has been a
companywide priority even before this disruption. The origins date
back several years earlier when we realized our clients and our own
company needed to be more resilient.
Organizations that raised their resilience in the years leading up to
2020 were better positioned for this historic period. Change due to
COVID-19 was forced on everyone, even those who benefitted most
from the status quo. For some companies, survival has been a day-
to-day, moment-to-moment effort—no strategy, just hard work.
However, most of us realize that work ethic is important but not
enough.
Disrupting yourself makes you stronger and better prepared for the
disruptions you can’t control. In a sense, that’s what our company
did, not knowing the dangers ahead except for the dangers of
standing still. Learning and innovation go hand in hand. The
arrogance of success is to think that what you did yesterday will be
sufficient for tomorrow.
Still, knowing you need to disrupt or be disrupted is easy; we’ve
heard that advice and warning for years. That refrain is now louder
than ever. Even the first small step toward self-disruption isn’t that
hard. It’s the first great leap, the all-in commitment that gives
organizational leadership a pause.
Infosys was a successful Indian firm for its first decade. Starting with
economic liberalization in the early 1990s, we purposefully decided
to transform into a global company. The alternative was to fade into
the background or fade away entirely. A critical component of
success is knowing when to challenge yourself and go all out,
whether it’s as an individual employee or the entire organization.
It’s especially difficult for established institutions to respond
decisively to change. New organizational structures and models
provide an opportunity to build these ways of thinking directly into a
company’s DNA. This approach pushes us to more closely examine
important issues, such as stakeholder capitalism and the skills gap.
Otherwise, it would be human nature to fall back on approaches that
served us well to date, but not necessarily in the future.
The human element can hold us back or propel us forward. The
most advanced, innovative, and respected companies often have the
most impressive digital tools. However, adoption of that technology
and decisions about how best to use it flow from people and their
mindsets. When we talk about disruptions and swoon over the latest
advances, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that humans are at the
core of all innovation and are the beating heart of a Live Enterprise.
When used for its highest purpose, technology amplifies and
empowers humans rather than replaces them. Imagine an
organization where the creativity of a workforce is fully unleashed in
the service to achieve audacious goals.
Such personal realization requires continuous learning. An
organization can’t advance if its workforce is standing still. We must
be both employer and educator, sharing a parallel journey that isn’t
always well illuminated.
A Live Enterprise—no matter the size—must also learn from potential
competitors and adopt the best practices and features we see in
Silicon Valley and other high-tech centers of influence. Infosys and
its more than 240,000 employees strive to match the speed and
agility of startups, which have set the pace for business and
innovation.
When these efforts succeed, the result is a networked, collaborative
organization with seamless teamwork as a crucial attribute. Then the
best of the organization can be brought to every internal and
external interaction.
Ideas are a fuel that can be found throughout a Live Enterprise. True
leaders are able to harness the collective ideas, insights, experience,
and knowledge found in almost any organization. Those ideas,
however, offer little value if they are trapped in bureaucracy and
can’t reach escape velocity.
Established industry giants can no longer afford to take months to
make decisions and years to execute them. Companies must rapidly
respond to the stimuli around them. If they don’t, competitors will.
At Infosys, we created this idea of the Live Enterprise and applied it
to ourselves first. Our clients need to know that we believe in what
we advocate. Who wants a meal prepared by a chef who wouldn’t
eat his own cooking? Or seek treatment from a doctor who wouldn’t
follow her own advice?
We created a system where repetitive operations are streamlined
and automated so our people can focus on the customers, their own
teams, and investment in their own learning.
We have accelerated our efforts to become a Live Enterprise but
aren’t ready to congratulate ourselves just yet. Live Enterprise is a
path to travel, not a destination to reach. There is no endpoint
where we become completely resilient, 100 percent agile, and
perfectly intuitive. If we implement this strategy thoroughly, we will
always be evolving into a new, better version of ourselves.
 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

To Infosys

W
e thank the following people at Infosys for their
encouragement and support:

Nandan Nilekani, for defining the vision of Live Enterprise and

guiding, mentoring, and supporting us through the journey and
without whom this would not have been possible.
Pramod Varma and Sanjay Purohit, as partners to Infosys for
mentoring, guiding, asking the right questions, and ensuring that
we are thinking big and doing the right things.
Salil Parekh, UB Pravin Rao, Ravi Kumar S., Mohit Joshi, Binod H.
R., Deepak Padaki, Krish Shankar, Jasmeet Singh, Karmesh
Vaswani, Anand Swaminathan, Ashish Kumar Dash, Richard Lobo,
Nandini S., and Sushanth Tharappan, for their sponsorship and
support.
Narendra Sonawane, Thirumala Aarohi, Nabarun Roy, Purohit V.S.,
Rajkumar R., Harish Gudi, Rajesh Thampy, Priyapravas Avasthi,
Ramkumar “Dargha”, Allahbaksh, Peeyush Agarwal—the core team
of Infosys Live Enterprise to bring this to life.
Delivery leadership: Satish H. C., Dinesh Rao, Shaji Mathew,
Srikantan Moorthy, Narisimha Kopparapu, Balakrishna D. R.,
Rajeev Ranjan, Rajesh Varrier, Srini Kamadi, Shishank Gupta,
Rajneesh Malviya, Indranil Mukherjee, Vibhuti Kumar Dubey,
Prasad Joshi, Nitesh Bansal, Ravi Kiran Kuchibhotla, Ramesh
Amancharla, and all delivery leaders.
The Infosys Knowledge Institute Team—especially Kerry Taylor,
whose creativity, energy, and blood-and-guts passion was truly
inspirational. Also, IKI’s Nikki Seifert, Jeff Mosier, Ramesh Narayan,
and others, for their contribution and support.
For reviewing and providing inputs—Nandini S., Anoop Kumar,
Shan Latheef, Rajeev Nayar, Sebastian Lewis, Ben Wiener, Prasad
Joshi, John Gikopoulos, Anand Santhanam, Jonquil Hackenberg,
Alok Uniyal, Skyler Mattson, Rajesh Ahuja, and Naresh Chaudhary.
Information Services team—Amit Gupta, Ganapathi Raman
Balasubramanian, Gaurav Kumar, Himanshu Arora, Kiran Gole,
Ramesh G., Shilpa Aphale, Sunil Thakur, Vadiraj Adiga, Vinod Sai,
Babuji Rajendra, Priya Jacob, Muthukrishnan Sankaraiah, Ashvini
Upadhyay, SenthilKumar C., Anil Yadav and the extended IS team.
Education, Training, and Assessment team—Shyamprasad K. R.,
Prajith Nair, Kiran N. G., Padma Bhamidipati, Rajeev Vutthharahalli,
Jayan Sen, and the extended ETA team.
Quality team—Anoop Kumar, Alok Uniyal, Ganesh Subramanian,
Srinivas S., Gaurav Agarwal, and the extended quality team.
Computers & Communications Division team—Prasad, Praveen,
Ashok, Shivabasu, Yogi, and extended CCD team.
Business Enabling Function teams—Sharmistha Adhya, Deepa
Premkumar, Saraswathi C., and extended HR team..
Strategic Technology team—Allahbaksh Asadullah, Sreeram V,
Dhoomil Sheta, Jaskirat Sodhi, Vidya Lakshmi, Lakshmi Indraganti,
Joe Walter, Vikash Kumar, Vishwanath Taware, Sridhar Murty,
Sesha Sai Koduri, Subramanian Radhakrishna, Rakesh Pissay,
Sachin Agarwal, William Barry and Ashim Bhuyan.
 Experience Design Team: Manoj Neelakanthan, John Philip R.,
Senthil Kumar Subbayya, Tanvi Padmanabh Kelkar, Sreyashi
Dastidar, Ajai Raghav P.C., Ralf Gehrig, Thomas Blackburn, and
more.
Infosys Consulting team—Jayalakshmi Subramanian, Soumya
Bhattacharya, Diana Salomi, Amit Munshi, Tarkeshwar Kumar
Singh, Vaibhav Khandelwal, Vipin Gopan, Rohan Agrawal, Srishti
Sharma, and Leston Dsouza
Global Delivery—Shyam Kumar Dodduvala, Sudhanshu Hate,
Shashidara B. R., Ramaswami Mohandoss, Manesh Sadasivan,
Koshy Varghese, Binooj Purayath, Ashok Panda, Syed Ahmed,
Manas Sarkar, Hasit Trivedi, and extended team. Also, Vivek
Raghavan for guiding on AI services.
Information Security Group team—Vishal Salvi and extended team.
Data Privacy Office team—Srinivas P.
Legal and Intellectual Property cell—Jyoti Pawar, Faiz, and
extended team.
Marketing team—Sumit Virmani, Balaji Sampath, Suyog, Harini
Babu, and Ajai Raghav P.C.
Live Enterprise Go To Market team—Mitrankur Majumdar, Navin
Rammohan, Kshitij Shah, Venugopal Nair, Rajiv Puri, Ravi Taire,
Uday Kotla, Henry Johnston, and Santosh K.C.

Jeff Kavanaugh

N
o book is possible without the help of many generous
contributors. I thank the many people across Infosys,
mentioned in our nearby Infosys acknowledgement. Also, my
thanks to the business leaders and subject matter experts whose
work is cited in the book and who shared their experiences with me
through Infosys Knowledge Institute research, as a client, in the
classroom, or beyond.
This book would not have happened without my agent, Jim Levine,
and my publisher team at McGraw-Hill, especially Cheryl Segura,
championing the project at the very start, and Stephen Isaacs for
continuity across development and launch. Also, heartfelt thanks to
Mark Fortier, Norbert Beatty, and the team at Fortier PR.
Thanks to Infosys for allowing me to guide and grow the Infosys
Knowledge Institute, which provided support for research and
interviews for the book. Another round of thanks to the Knowledge
Institute team, especially Kerry Taylor, who poured his blood, sweat,
toil, and tears into the development of this book. Last, I thank my
wife, Melanie, and daughters, Katherine and Terri Lynn.

Rafee Tarafdar

L
ive Enterprise is the collective journey of every Infoscion, and
without their collaboration, contribution, and encouragement
this would not have been possible. I thank all the named and
unnamed Infoscions who are working on our transformation to be a
Live Enterprise and are now partnering with our clients in their own
transformations.
This book would not have happened without Jim Levine, Cheryl
Segura, Stephen Isaacs, Mark Fortier, Norbert Beatty, and the team
at Fortier PR to help get the word out and amplify the message.
I thank my wife, Shaista, and son, Rehan, for encouraging and
supporting in writing this book. Without their support and patience,
this would not have been possible.
 1
THE LIVE ENTERPRISE MODEL

Ten Digits

O
n September 29, 2010, 10 people met in Tembhli, a village in
the Indian state of Maharashtra, to receive their Aadhaar
numbers, the very first in India, perhaps even in the world.
Aadhaar is a 12-digit unique number based on an individual’s unique
biometric details such as fingerprints and iris scans, plus
demographic data such as date of birth and address. Named after
the Hindi word for “foundation,” Aadhaar is managed by the Unique
Identification Authority of India (UIDAI),1 with each user issued a
card cross-referenced with their biometric data held in a database.
Infosys cofounder Nandan Nilekani stepped away from his highly
successful tenure as CEO to launch this audacious Indian moonshot.
The original idea behind Aadhaar was simple—“better inclusion”—to
create a centralized system based on a single recognizable ID to
replace the former decentralized system, which often left
marginalized people struggling to obtain state services and was prey
to corruption.
Since those first 10 people in Tembhli, Aadhaar has become the
world’s largest biometric ID system, with World Bank Chief
Economist Paul Romer calling it the most sophisticated ID program
in the world.2 Aadhaar now has over 1.2 billion enrolled members
and has seeded over 250 additional programs, delivering high-
velocity access to government and private sector services. In effect,
Aadhaar has become a digital network shifting the equilibrium of
citizen and state, at scale. The initiative took only six years to reach
a billion people—from 10 digits (fingers on two hands) to 10 digits (a
billion). This is all the more remarkable because the experts at the
Bank for International Settlements concluded that based on current
state in 2008, India was predicted to take a full 46 years to get from
20 percent banking inclusion to 80 percent.
Aadhaar was the first move in the India Stack,3 the project creating
a unified software platform to bring India’s population into the digital
age. India Stack is a set of application programming interfaces
(APIs) that allows governments, businesses, startups, and
developers to use a unique digital infrastructure to solve India’s hard
problems toward presence-less, paperless, and cashless service
delivery.
These APIs have brought millions of Indians into the formal economy
by reducing friction, plus fostered innovation to build products for
financial inclusion, healthcare, and educational services at scale. At
the same time, Aadhaar costs only $1.16 for each enrollment,4 the
lowest of any ID program in the world. From the government’s
perspective, they drove a paradigm shift in the way government
services are delivered in a transparent, accountable, and leakage-
free model—saving the Indian government as much as $12.4 billion
in costs annually.5
How were Aadhaar and India Stack able to make this moonshot leap
in enrollment and financial impact in under a decade? The answer is
deceptively simple—it was designed to evolve from inception. In
essence, it was an exponential decade of progress. Nandan and the
other architects of Aadhaar were justifiably proud. Yet as he stepped
away from government service, he wondered, “Why can’t we apply
the India Stack learnings in enterprises that are also large, complex,
and struggle to make nonlinear moves in their systems?”
That question was very much on Nandan’s mind when he came back
to Infosys in 2017 as chairman of the board. That is how the India
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
 LETTER MCCCV.
To Mr. S―― S――.

Concord, 20 miles from Boston,

March 10, 1764.

My very dear Friend,

S INCE my last I suppose you have heard one way or another of

my being in this dying world, and in some measure improved
for propagating the glorious gospel. New York was New-York indeed.
We saw blessed days of the Son of Man there. Since that, in my way
to these parts, a divine influence attended the word preached in
various places. And how would you have been delighted to have
seen Mr. Wheelock’s Indians? Such a promising nursery of future
missionaries, I believe was never seen in New-England before: pray
encourage it with all your might. I also wish you could give some
useful puritanical books to Harvard-college library, lately burnt down.
Few perhaps will give such; and yet a collection of that kind is
absolutely necessary for future students and poor neighbouring
ministers, to whom I find the books belonging to the library are freely
lent out from time to time. You will not be angry with me for these
hints. I know your ambitious greedy soul: you want to grow richer
and richer towards God. O that there may be in me such a mind! But
my wings are clipped. I can only preach twice or thrice a week with
comfort. And yet a wider door than ever is opened all along the
continent. A beginning is made in Boston. But as the small-pox is
spreading there, I purpose preaching for a while in adjacent places.
With what success, you may know hereafter. I send you and yours
these few lines as a token of gratitude, respect, and love unfeigned;
but must still beg you to add to my obligations, by continuing to pray
for, my very dear friends,

Yours, &c. &c. in our glorious Head,

 G. W.

LETTER MCCCVI.
To C―― H――y, Esq.

Portsmouth, March 23, 1764.

Very dear Sir,

H OW was my heart eased by receiving yesterday your kind letter,

dated October 22d? If you and dear Mr. K――n will continue to
manage when I am present, as well as when I am absent, it may
give another turn to my mind. Who knows what a never-failing God
may do in a few months! At present, my way is clear to go on
preaching till I can journey southward. The inclosed will inform you
what hath been done by one sermon at Providence, formerly a most
ungodly place, forty miles south of Boston. At Newbury, which I left
yesterday, is a stir indeed. On Lord’s-day I shall begin here. O for
daily fresh gales! That they may every day more and more increase
with you and all your dear relations, and all dear friends, is the hearty
prayer of, very dear Sir, in great haste, but greater love,

Yours, &c. &c. &c. in Jesus,

G. W.

LETTER MCCCVII.
To Mrs. M――h.

Portsmouth, March 30, 1764.

 Dear Mrs. M――h,

I HAVE just now heard of your loss. Accept a few sympathizing

lines. I hope those that are dead, died in the Lord: if so, we had
need weep only for ourselves and for children that are left behind.
You are now more at liberty for the Redeemer’s work. I need wish
you no greater honour than that you may be a widow indeed.
Though desolate, she puts her trust in the Lord, and she continues
in prayer night and day. This hath been your old employ. By and by
you shall have nothing to do but praise.

O glorious seat! Our God our king,

Us thither bring, to kiss thy feet.

I hope ere now, that many more in the neighbouring market have
thus begun their heaven upon earth. I hear God is with you at the
chapel. Praise the Lord, O my soul! You will know from others, what
cheer the Redeemer gives us in America. Good cheer, Mrs. M――h,
good cheer. He rains down righteousness; he rains down bread from
heaven on the congregations. This supports (and at times
overcomes) my tottering tabernacle. In heaven we shall have a
glorious body. Hoping and believing that yourself and sister, Mr. and
Mrs. K――g, and Mr. and Mrs. W――, with many others, will
speedily meet there, I subscribe myself, dear Mrs. M――h,

Yours, theirs, &c. in our common Lord,

G. W.

LETTER MCCCVIII.
To Mr. and Mrs. D――n.
 Boston, April 20, 1764.

My very dear Friends,

I WISH you much joy. Grace, mercy, and peace be multiplied upon
you both! It will, it will. Your match was certainly made in heaven.
How do I long to see you! I have been at my ne plus ultra northward,
and am now more free and capable of settling my affairs southward.
When that is done, how chearfully, with a Christ in my heart instead
of my arms, could I sing, “Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart
in peace!” I hope you are not offended at my giving a power of
attorney to Mr. H――m. The Redeemer knows it was not owing to a
distrust of any of you, but only in case of my death, that he might
testify to the world the integrity of your actions, and the veracity of
your accounts. I am persuaded he will not desire to interfere, but act
and consult jointly, as occasion offers; and you will go on in your old
way. O that I was assured of your stay at Bethesda! Of this I am
satisfied, that you will not distress me by leaving the place destitute
of proper help. And I assure you, if I thought we should have the
least demur, I would not come at all. My tottering tabernacle will not
bear grief, especially from those whom I so dearly love, and who
have served the institution so faithfully and disinterestedly for so
many years. Verily you shall in no wise lose your reward. What I
have in my view for Bethesda, may be better spoke of when me
meet, than by letter. Lord Jesus, hasten the wished-for time! At
present, by my late excursions I am brought low; but rest and care
may brace me up again for some little further service for our glorious
Emmanuel. A most blessed influence hath attended the word in
various places, and many have been made to cry out, “What shall
we do to be saved?” O for such a cry at the southward! Abba,
Father, all things are possible with thee! To his tender and never-
failing mercy do I commit you, as being, my very dear friends,

Yours most affectionately in the blessed Jesus,

G. W.
 LETTER MCCCIX.
To Mr. R―― K――n.

Boston, April 25, 1764.

My very dear Mr. K――n,

Y OU are a friend indeed. The Friend of sinners, the King of saints,

will bless and reward you for all your works of faith and
unfeigned labours of love. Nay, he will bless both you and your
children. God grant, that roots and branches may all increase with
all the increase of God. I find I can do but little for him, and by a late
return of my disorder, was in danger of doing less. But, blessed be
his name, I am recovered, and yesterday got upon my throne again.
Words cannot well express the eagerness of the people to hear. I
was meditating an escape to the southward last week; but Boston
people sent a gospel hue and cry after me, and really brought me
back. Lord Jesus, let it be for thy glory, and thy people’s good!
Blessed be his name for giving you so much prudence in the
management of the Chapel and Tabernacle affairs, and for
countenancing the ministerial labours at both ends of the town. The
burning bush may still be our coat of arms. By a ship that will soon
be going for London, I purpose to write to you and dear Mr. H――y
more particularly. I have very little time allowed to write this, lest the
vessel should be gone. Adieu. Tender love to all. Ten thousand
thanks, and most affectionate love await all mentioned in your last,
and all who are so kind as to enquire after, and pray for, dear Mr.
K――n,

Theirs, yours, &c. in our glorious Emmanuel,

G. W.
 LETTER MCCCX.
To Mr. R―― K――n.

Boston, May 19, 1764.

My very dear Friend,

Y OUR letter by the packet came safe, but I fear you must write
again. There can be no coming to England till I have settled
Georgia affairs. Thither I cannot go till the fall: a few months will soon
glide away. Your Isaac is well off. Of such is the kingdom of heaven.
People here beg earnestly for a six o’clock morning lecture. I hope to
get strength to gratify them. To be able to do what you say, will fully
satisfy! I would fain die preaching. Tender love to all. By the next
opportunity your worthy collegue shall hear from, my very dear
friend,

Yours, &c. in Jesus,

G. W.
 LETTER MCCCXI.
To C―― H――y, Esq.

Boston, June 1, 1764.

Very dear Sir,

I HOPE this will find you safe returned from your summer tour, and
laden with the fruit of God’s everlasting love. You see where this
leaves me. Friends have even constrained me to stay here, for fear
of running into the Summer’s heat. Hitherto I find the benefit of it.
Whatever it is owing to, through mercy, I am much better in health,
than I was this time twelvemonth, and can now preach thrice a week
to very large auditories without hurt. Every day I hear of some
brought under concern; and I trust, whenever I remove, a blessing
will be left behind. This is all of grace. To the glorious giver,
purchaser, and applier of it, be all the glory. All was well at Georgia in
April, and I hope to be carried comfortably through the southern
journey that lies before me.

Christ’s presence shall my pains beguile,

And make each wilderness to smile.

In about a fortnight, God willing, I purpose to set forward. It will be

hard parting. But heaven will make amends for all. Blessed be God
that matters go on so well at London. If I get more bodily strength, I
shall think of another voyage with more comfort. But future things
belong to Him, who orders all things for the best. I would trust him for
the present day, and not be over solicitous for the morrow. Lord, I
believe, help thou my unbelief! Perhaps we may meet once more on
this side eternity. They tell me, that the Summers in these northern
parts have of late years been very cool. The event will shew. Let it
suffice that eternal truth hath assured us, that as our day is so our
strength shall be. I know I shall not want your prayers, or the prayers
of your dear relatives. Most cordial respects and ten thousand
thanks await them all; for indeed none are forgotten by, my very dear
Sir,

Yours, &c. &c. in the blessed Jesus,

G. W.

June 7.

Parting here hath been heart breaking: I cannot stand it. I must
away for the southward. Mr. T―― C―― hath a packet that will be
delivered by a friend. O for heaven! There all will be together with the
Lord. Hallelujah!

LETTER MCCCXII.
To Mr. R―― K――n.

New-York, June 25, 1764.

My very dear Friend,

H ITHERTO the Lord hath helped me. The New-England winter

campaign is over, and I am thus far on my way to Georgia. Mr.
Smith, my faithful host, writes thus: “Your departure hence never
before so deeply wounded us, and the most of this people; and they
are injudicious enough to propose sending a book full of names to
call you back. Your enemies are very few, and even they seem to be
almost at peace with you. I inclose five prints, which shew what is
said of you publicly; but as to private discourse, and secret
intercessions, you will willingly and modestly remain ignorant of the
one, and, I doubt not, feel sweetly the influences of the other.” I add,
even so, Lord Jesus, Amen! To crown the expedition, after
preaching at New-Haven college, the President came to me, as I
was going off in the chaise, and informed me that the students were
so deeply impressed by the sermon, that they were gone into the
chapel, and earnestly entreated me to give them one more quarter of
an hour’s exhortation. Not unto me, O Lord, not unto me, but unto
thy free and unmerited grace be all the glory! At present my health is
better than usual, and as yet I have felt no inconvenience from the
summer’s heat. Praise the Lord, O my soul! I write this in great
haste, but with greater love to you and yours, and to all. I beg leave
to subscribe myself, my very dear friend,

Ever yours, &c. in Jesus,

G. W.

LETTER MCCCXIII.
To Mr. W――.

New-York, August 8, 1764.

Dear Sir,

Y OUR last, I find, left you soaring aloft. I fancy you like being a
Hebrew of the Hebrews. This, I hope, will meet you sitting low
at the feet of Jesus, and hearing his words. That is the safest place.
He continues good to me, a worthless worm, during this summer
season. I have preached twice lately in the fields, and we sat under
the blessed Redeemer’s shadow with great delight. Let every thing
that hath breath praise the Lord! In a short time I move southward.
Perhaps in Spring I may embark for England. But future things
belong to him who orders all things well. The New-Jerusalem is the
place I have in view.
 There sin and strife and sorrow cease,

And all is love and joy and peace.

Hearty love to your wife and all dear friends as they come in your
way. God bless you all! In Him, who is all in all, I am, dear Sir,

Yours, &c.

G. W.

LETTER MCCCXIV.
To Mr. D――n, &c.

New-York, August 19, 1764.

My very dear Friends,

I HAVE waited with eagerness for another letter. I want a particular

account of the necessaries you stand in need of. They might be
procured with advantage here or at Philadelphia. I hope you have
received the things. Something more will be sent by Schemerron to
the care of Mr. H――m. I hear another vessel is expected from
Georgia soon. Surely I shall have a line then. I fear it will be the
middle of October before I can leave Philadelphia; but, God willing,
you shall hear more particularly soon. A never-failing Jesus
continues to smile upon my feeble labours, and hath hitherto carried
me comfortably through the summer’s heat. Help, O help me to
praise him. Pray for us. Tender love to all. Hoping to join with you
quickly on earth, and in full assurance of joining with you eternally in
heaven, in very great haste, but greater love, I subscribe myself, my
very dear friends,

Ever yours, &c. &c. &c. in Jesus,

 G. W.

LETTER MCCCXV.
To Mr. R―― K――n.

New-York, August 25, 1764.

My very dear Friend,

S TILL am I kept as it were a prisoner in these parts, by the heat of

the weather. All dissuade me from proceeding southward till
the latter end of September. My late excursions upon Long-Island, I
trust have been blessed. It would surprize you to see above a
hundred carriages at every sermon in this new world. I am, through
infinite mercy, still kept up. Dear Mr. H――y’s packet is not yet come
to hand. I wrote to him and my dear wife very lately by a friend in the
packet, and I have sent many letters for a letter-day to the care of
Mr. E――s in Bristol. I thank dear Mr. L――d for his last by the
packet. I wrote to him just before his came to hand. Tender, tender
love to your whole self and to all.

Ever theirs, ever yours, &c. &c. in our Jesus,

G. W.

LETTER MCCCXVI.
To Mr. R―― K――n.

Philadelphia, September 21, 1764.

 My very dear Friend,

Y ESTERDAY I had the pleasure of yours by the New-York packet,

and can only in return send my repeated thanks for so many
repeated favours. After a most solemn and heart-breaking parting at
New-York, I am come thus far in my way to Georgia. There I hope to
be about Christmas; and in Spring, God willing, to embark for
England. Hitherto the Lord hath helped. However, let what will
become of the substance, in the mean while I send you my shadow.
The painter, who gave it me, having now the ague and fever, and
living a hundred miles off, I must get you to have the drapery
finished, and then, if judged proper, let it be put up in the Tabernacle
parlour. One Captain B―― brings it in the Philadelphia packet, and
would most gladly have brought the original over. If you see him,
take a little notice of him. I have only preached twice here, but the
influence was deep indeed. Grace! grace! Before my further removal
hence, I hope for an opportunity of writing to dear Mr. H――y. Two
such friends surely could not be picked out, for the London affairs.
Tender, most tender love awaits him and all of you. God bless you!
God bless you! I am really better in health than I have been these
three years. Excuse my not writing to other dear friends; the ship is
going, my hands full of business, and I have little more time allowed
me than to return you ten thousand thanks, and subscribe myself,

Ever yours, &c. &c. in Jesus,

G. W.

September 23.

Within a few days, but not before, I received the hymn books, and
hope to write to other friends in a few days by way of Londonderry.
This day has been a good day indeed. Grace! grace!

LETTER MCCCXVII.
 To Mr. S―― S――.

Nassau-Hall, September 25, 1764.

My very dear Friend,

A T length I am broke loose from my summer’s retreat, and have

preached twice at Philadelphia. Many could say, “This was no
other than the house of God, the gate of heaven.” Yesterday I came
here, to preach at the commencement to-morrow. Surely it is one of
the best regulated institutions in the world. But most importunate
calls come from every quarter. So large is the range, that although I
have been a twelvemonth in America, I have scarce begun to begin.
At present I can only go strait forward, and preach in my way to
Georgia. There I hope to be about Christmas. God knows how I am
to be disposed of afterwards: whether to England, or to take another
tour on the continent, is best known to Him who orders all things
well.

To feel his power, to hear his voice,

To taste his love, be all my choice.

Through infinite mercy my bodily health is somewhat improved.

Perhaps a few more months itinerating might improve it more.
Father, thy will be done! You and yours, I trust, prosper both in soul
and body. Tender love and hearty thanks await you, and all enquiring
friends. If the person in Mr. D――t’s compting-house, would go over
to New-York, he might get a very handsome maintenance in
teaching young gentlemen and ladies to read well. O what new
scenes open in this new world. In every place the word hath run and
been glorified. I could enlarge, but am interrupted. You and yours will
continue to pray for me. I retain my old name. I am the chief of
sinners, less than the least of all saints, but for Christ’s sake, my
very dear friends,

Yours, &c. &c. &c.

 G. W.

October 3.

Since writing the above I have received your kind letter. Blessed
be God that you and yours are so well in the best sense. The books
may be committed to the care of Mr. Mauduit, agent for New-
England. That will give you least trouble. It is a good charity. Lord
Jesus, accept and bless it. Amen, and Amen!

LETTER MCCCXVIII.
To Mr. R―― K――n.

Philadelphia, October 19, 1764.

My very dear Friend,

A CCEPT a few more lines before I set off for my southern tour. My
last, in which was a letter for my wife, left New-York last
Sunday. The enclosed will inform you a little of my late motions. Pray
tell dear Mr. H――y that Dr. S――, the Provost of the Philadelphia
college, read prayers for me, and attended me backwards and
forwards. Both the present and late Governor, with the head
gentlemen of the city, were present, and cordial thanks were sent to
me from all the Trustees, for speaking for the children, and
countenancing the institution. This is all of God. To me nothing
belongs but shame and confusion of face. O for a truly guileless and
Israelitish heart! It will be found to be the best policy at the great day.
More good news await you in a packet of letters directed to you, and
committed to the care of Captain Sparks, of the Elizabeth and Mary.
I believe he will deliver them himself; if not, you may send for them.
On the reading, I am apt to believe you will think it is almost sinful
not to take another tour. Lord Jesus, do thou direct my goings in thy
way! He will, he will. But what is become of T―― C――? Mr. R――
my worthy host wrote to him many months ago, about being
admitted a member of the society for distributing books among the
poor. Not a word of answer yet. Many more want to be members. In
a day or two, God willing, I set off for my beloved Bethesda. O what
blessings have we received in this place. You will join in crying,
Hallelujah, the Lord reigneth, and blessed be the God of our
salvation! To his never-failing mercy do I commend you, as being,
my very dear friend,

Ever yours, &c. in Jesus,

G. W.

LETTER MCCCXIX.
To C―― H――y, Esq.

New-Brunswick, North-Carolina,
November 22, 1764.

My very dear Sir,

T HROUGH the tender mercy of a never-failing Redeemer, I am

thus far advanced from Philadelphia through Virginia, in my
way southward. At Newburn last Sunday, good impressions were
made. Several gentlemen after sermon escorted me out of town.
From that place to this, I have met with what they call New-lights
almost every stage. At Lockwood’s-Folly (an unlikely place as Rome
itself) there is to be a general rendezvous of them. This is grace
indeed. I am to call to-morrow on a wealthy planter that seems to
lead the van. There I shall enquire more particulars. I have the
names of six or eight of their preachers. This, with every other place,
being open and exceedingly desirous to hear the gospel, makes me
almost determine to come back early in the spring. Surely the
Londoners, who are fed to the full, will not envy the poor souls in
these parts, who scarce know the right hand from the left. As to
spiritual things, a few gospel crumbs in journeying, upon the whole,
agrees with me. In less than a week I hope to reach Charles-Town;
from thence I purpose to write again. Tender love to Mr. and Mrs.
B――, and to your whole connections, and all dear dear friends who
pray for, and enquire after, my very dear Sir,

Yours, &c. &c. in Jesus,

G. W.

LETTER MCCCXX.
To Mr. J――.

Charles-Town, December 2, 1764.

My dear Mr. J――,

T HOUGH I have not had a line from you, since I wrote to you from
on board ship, yet I do not forget our old friendship, and
therefore was glad to hear by my wife’s letter, that you kept your
place in the despised tabernacle, where you and yours have so often
met with God. Ere long we shall meet in an upper world,

Where sin and strife and sorrow cease,

And all is calm and joy and peace.

I hope you both enjoy large anticipations of this approaching,

uninterrupted, everlasting bliss. Ill and hell-deserving as I am, a
never-failing Emmanuel continues kind to me,
 His presence doth my pains beguile,

And makes the wilderness to smile.

In a little above a month we came by land from Philadelphia. This

morning I am to preach, and to-morrow, God willing, shall set
forwards for Georgia. Fain would I be a pilgrim to my last gasp.
Continue to pray for me, and remember me most kindly to all friends,
as they come in your way, and assure yourselves, my dear Mr. and
Mrs. J――, that neither of you are forgotten by,

Yours, &c. &c. in Jesus,

G. W.

LETTER MCCCXXI.
To C―― H――y, Esq.

Savannah, December 19, 1764.

My very dear Sir,

T HIS leaves me sitting, where I would be glad dear Mr. H――y,

K――n, B――n, &c. were for some moments. They would say,
never was a place more commodiously situated for a college. The
enclosed will shew you what providential steps have been taken
towards it. All done without the least hesitation. The colony is rising
very fast, nothing but plenty at Bethesda, and all arrears, I trust, will
be paid off before I leave it; so that in a short time I hope to be free
from these outward incumbrances. Lord Jesus, shew me whether I
must go directly to England, or make another northern excursion. I
wish, if I do come over, that Mr. D――n was engaged to stay always
in town. Mr. D――s seems to come, only because I am not in
London. My spirits will not bear the usual care. I hope your dear
relations are better than when you wrote last. Most cordial respects
await them, and all dear, very dear friends. I am obliged to Mr.
L――d for his favour dated September 24. It came to hand
yesterday. I wish the voyage may produce a volume of sermons; but
I cannot write when I will. Lord Jesus, do thou rule both heart and
hand! Great favour is here given me, in the sight of all. This is the
Lord’s doing. In my next you may expect many more particulars. Mr.
D――n hath chartered a ship, and sent orders for my having a
passage gratis. Thus the great God continues his unmerited
goodness to, my very dear Sir,

Ever yours, &c. &c. in Jesus,

G. W.

LETTER MCCCXXII.
To Mr. S―― S――.

Bethesda, January 14, 1765.

My very dear Friend,

T HROUGH tender mercy, I have been in this province above five

weeks. All things, in respect to Bethesda, went on successfully.
God hath given me great favour in the sight of the governor, council,
and assembly. A memorial was presented for an additional grant of
lands, consisting of two thousand acres. It was immediately complied
with. Both houses addressed the Governor in behalf of the intended
college. As warm an answer was given; and I am now putting all in
repair, and getting every thing ready for that purpose. Every heart
seems to leap for joy, at the prospect of its future utility to this and
the neighbouring colonies. The only question now is, whether I
should embark directly for England, or take one tour more to the
northward? He that holdeth the stars in his right hand, will direct in
due time. I am here in delightful winter quarters. Peace and plenty
reign at Bethesda. His Excellency dined with me yesterday, and
expressed his satisfaction in the warmest terms. Who knows how
many youths may be raised up for the service of the ever-loving and
altogether lovely Jesus? Thus far however we may set up our
Ebenezer. Hitherto the bush hath been burning, but not consumed.

Blest is faith that waits God’s hour,

Blest are saints that trust his power.

Lord, I believe, help thou my unbelief! You and yours will continue to
pray for me. Be pleased to accept this as a small token of
acknowledgment for all favours conferred upon, my very dear friend,

Yours, &c. &c. in our glorious Emmanuel,

G. W.

LETTER MCCCXXIII.
To Mr. P――e.

Bethesda, February 3, 1765.

My dear Mr. P――e,

Y OUR kind letter lies by me. Love unfeigned constrains me to

answer it. We have just been wishing that some of our London
friends were here. We have love feasts every day. Nothing but peace
and plenty reign in Bethesda, this house of mercy. God be praised,
for making the chapel such a Bethel. I believe it will yet be a gate of
heaven to many souls. Whether we live or die, we shall see greater
things. Remember, my dear friend, to ask something worthy of a
God to give. Be content with nothing short of himself. His presence
alone, can fill and satisfy the renewed soul. Trials only empty the
heart, and thereby make way for further communications from
above. Seed time and harvest, summer and winter, will always
succeed each other here. Do you not find it so, dear Mr. and Mrs.
A――r, as well as your friend Mr. P――e? Though you do not write, I
will venture to answer for you—Yes.—Well, then let us go on, till we
enter into our eternal summer, our uninterrupted harvest. Haste we,
haste we; the Lord is at hand! Pray that my tardy pace may be
quickened; get all enquiring friends to join with you; and believe me
to be, my dear Mr. P――e,

Yours, &c. in our sympathizing Lord,

G. W.

LETTER MCCCXXIV.
To Mr. R―― K――n.

Bethesda, February 13, 1765.

My very dear Sir,

A FEW days more, and then farewel Bethesda, perhaps for ever.
Affairs, as to me, I trust are now brought near a close. The
within audit I sent to the G――r. Next day came Lord J. A. G――n,
to pay his Excellency a visit. Yesterday morning, they with several
other gentlemen favoured me with their company to breakfast. But
how was my Lord surprized and delighted! After expressing himself
in the strongest terms, he took me aside, and informed me, “that the
G――r had shewn him the accompts, by which he found what a
great benefactor I had been: that the intended college would be of
the utmost utility to this and the neighbouring provinces; that the plan