Memorials of early piety. Occurring in the holy life & joyful death of Mrs.…

§ 4. She had a great Felicity in a more than ordinary strength and ⟨p. 13⟩sharpness in her Eye Sight, being able to Read by such a dim light as others could not, for which she was Thankful to God, and made a good improvement of it. She became from her Childhood a notable Mistress of her Pen; wrote a Fair Hand, and rarely Miss spelt a Word in all that Passed her Hand. She was to her Father his Amanuensis, could read his ordinary hand and characters: Transcribed several of his Printed Books for the Press. Among the many other Good Things, wherein she employed her Pen, One was her Diary, wherein she did, especially for the Last Ten Years of her Life, enter such Passages as concerned her Interior State; and indeed seldom let a Day pass without entering Something or other, that was an Aspiration of Serious Piety: always Ending with that clause; For the Sake of the Lord Jesus Christ. All that I propose now to do, is only to make a few faithful Extracts from, and useful Remarks on, these Reserved Memorials. And the first thing, which I will mention, before I Proceed ⟨p. 14⟩unto any thing else in the World shall be, a Notable Proof, That the Doctrines of Grace, have no Tendency to extinguish the Zeal of Good Works, and that Justification by a Precious Faith in the Righteousness of God our Saviour, is no Enemy to the most Conscientious and Elevated Purity. In her Diary, she very often makes her Flight unto the Righteousness of the Blessed JESUS, as the only Refuge of her Soul, the only Hope of her Acceptance with God. Very, very often her Language is this; The Lord Enable me, Sincerely to Renounce all my own Righteousness, and enable me Sincerely to Accept of the Righteousness of CHRIST, and to depend on that alone, for my Justification; And the Lord be Reconciled to me through CHRIST, and Pardon all my Sin, and keep me from Sin; and that for the Sake of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the constant Strain! But now, Reader, Didst thou not observe one clause in her Prayer; And keep me from Sin! This is what I am now to observe. Such a Dread and Hatred of Sin, there was in the Soul thus relying upon ⟨p. 15⟩the Righteousness of the Sinless JESUS alone, to Justify her, that it is a clause for ever occurring in almost every Prayer, Let the Subject she is upon be what it will: And keep me from Sin! I believe, the clause occurs many more than a Thousand times.