felt my soul blessed and
encouraged while hearing of sin being destroyed, with an earnest
longing for its accomplishment. I felt the burden of indwelling sin
very heavy; O when shall the happy period commence that God shall be
all in all.--I staid the communion for the first time; how solemn!
I was humbled and melted down exceedingly.--O how infinitely short I
fall of walking with God! The love-feast was immediately after; the
master of the feast was there: I felt his presence and spoke.--Mr.
Sutcliffe's farewell sermon; may the Lord bless and reward his labours
in this place."
The most important memorandum is a collection of rules for the
regulation of her own conduct, adopted about the year 1805; and these,
we do not hesitate to add, were written not merely with pen and ink,
but impressed by the Spirit of God upon her memory and heart, for
those who knew her will be able to recognize in them the key of her
after life. They are as follow:--
"1. Let me rise early.
2. Never let me trifle with a book with which I have no present
concern; in applying myself to any book, let me endeavour to recollect
what I may learn by it, and then beg suitable assistance from God.
3. Never let me lose one minute of time, nor incur any unnecessary
expense, that I may have the more to spend for God. When I am abroad
let me be desirous of doing good; let me have in readiness some
subject of contemplation and endeavour to improve my time as I go
along.
4. Let me endeavour to render myself agreeable and useful to all
around me; by a tender compassionate friendly behaviour; avoiding all
trifling and impertinent stories; remembering that imprudence is sin.
5. Never let me delay anything, unless I can prove that another time
will be more fit than the present; or that some more important duty
requires my immediate attention.
6. O may I never enter into any long schemes about future events, but
in general refer myself to God's care.
Direct me virtue's happy course to run,
And let me be instructed by thy Son,
In every station say "thy will be done."
7. O that I may be delivered from the least inclination to judge my
neighbours; and that henceforth I may find fault with none so much as
myself."
To these are added several extracts from the general rules of the
Methodist Societies; particularly those which refer to the use of
time, the government of the tongue, reading the Scriptures, private
prayer, and abstinence.
Th
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