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Mirfield April the 18th, 1770. The Life of the Married Brother John Astley who went home April 18, 1770.

My dear Brethren and Sisters

It will, without doubt, be expected, that something should be said of the life of our departed Brother John Astley, for it is usual amongst us; but as he has left nothing from under his own hand, and besides has told me little or nothing by word of mouth, therefore I want [for] materials. He told one: that he was born in Lower Wyke in the year 1712 and there learned the trade of a shoemaker and there likewise he married the present widow, being a wild wicked young man etc.

But by the preaching of our Late Brother Delamotte (who was invited into Yorkshire by Mr Ingham) he was brought upon serious thoughts, and a hearty concern about his salvation, and that in this situation of heart and mind he fell early into the hands of the Brethren who soon after his awakening came into Yorkshire, and that by that means, he was not only happily preserved from relapsing into his former course but also by the simple and evangelical preaching of the Brethren, he became convinced of our Saviour’s unmeasurable love and grace for sinners; and became more and more acquainted, and confident toward Him, and therefore began to value and love the fellowship of the Brethren and begged for reception into the Congregation. He and his wife had this, their hearty desire, granted them as near as he could guess in the year 1747 and were soon after admitted to the Holy Communion, for the first time; he thought

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it was the First communion which was kept in Fulneck Hall. However be that as it will, it was the first to him in that place, and numbered with Him amongst his particular hours of grace! From that day, he has maintained His communion with the Brethren to his dying hour, though it was often times, but slenderly and with difficulty, yet it never ceased really.

They were married in the year 1733 in February and had 11 children, 5 of whom are in the burying ground in Fulneck; one in Hartshed Churchyard, one daughter, at Duckenfield, and one at Ockbrook Choir House. And the other three i.e. one son, and two daughters don’t belong to us. They had once a little economy of Single Brethren at their House in Hartshed, but this was not their own, but the Brethren’s Projecting, but as it did not answer our Saviour’s and the Brethren’s purposes it was soon given up again.

He has been, for some years, a pretty good steward and servant of the little Congregation in Mirfield, and so has also His present widow, and therefore his memory must remain dear to us. He was a child of grace indeed, yet his life was chequered over with grief and need.

His domestic affairs have born a very indifferent trace these many years, by which means his credit was reduced considerably; and this not only with strangers, but particularly so among our own people, therefore I am rather inclined to draw a veil over the most part of his life than to expose it to Public view.

However: all is well, what ends well. Although the beginning and middle had something deplorable, yet the end was adorable. I have laboured upon it from the beginning of his sickness to get his mind off from all eternal concerns, as he could mend nothing in it, and entreated Him

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to this his heart and eyes on our Saviour and on his atoning sacrifice, which advice he took child-likely and became quite composed, and cheerful in his mind. We visited him pretty often in order to keep this matter alive in his heart which has happily succeeded on Easter day he send for me, accordingly I went with 2 more Brethren prayed heartily by Him, kept a little liturgy, by his bedside, and gave him my last blessing, thinking he could not live till I could come again. This little visit was attended with a most blessed feeling, so that I left him with a heart quite satisfied.

On Easter Tuesday, I and my wife went to see him once more I was quite edified with his look and spoke tenderly to him, and sung some suitable verses for him, in which he joined with us which we could see by the moving of his lips, this was the last happy little visit, for the next Monday early, he fell softly and happily asleep in his 58th year.