Sr. Susanna Burgher’s Account of Her Life. Awakening etc.
See a further Account of her Course in the Journal of the Year 1772 under the 3d. of November, when she ended her Life, aged 76 Years 7 Months and 29 Days.
I, Susanna Burger was Born in the year 1696 the 24 day of March at Staten Island: my fathers and Mothers name was Nathan
and Catherin Whittman: my father was a farmer of a honest and Sober life, and Lived in good Credit-my Dear Mother died when I was 4 year and 3 months old: my father took his mother home and She took Care of me until I was Eight years old, and then my father married again, and then my grandmother had no more Liberty to take Care of me, as She had before. When I was Eighteen years old I was married to Elias Burger in the year 1714, by Whom I have had 7 Sons and 4 daughters and when I had been married 3 months I was
Baptised as my father was a Baptist I was not Baptisd in my infancy: my husband and I Came to New York that I Should
recieve the holy Baptism we went to my husbands Cousins house, they askd me: what minister I would have? I Said a English Presbyterian minister, and When the minister Came he askd me Several questions: he ask me also Why i was not Baptisd on Staten Island? I answered, I was afraid to Let my father know of it, beCause he was a Baptist and we had no English minister there as a Churchman, and i told him i would not be Baptised by him; he ask’d me Why? and i Said beCause he Sign’d with the Sign of the
Cross; he Sayd Said nothing to me but about that, but he askd me Several other questions about my faith: but i answered but Little and then my husband and Cousin was Calld in the room, and we all Stood and he askd me Some Church questions to which i answered: he told us to kneel down, and then he Baptised me and Signd me with with the Sign of the Cross but it Seemd to me as tho’ he Struck his fingers upon my heart in Stead of being Rejoiced my heart Sunk in my body, o the pain of my heart i cannot Express i Slept but Little that night i thought what Shall i do now i have made So many promises how Shall i perform them and thought if i Could Keep them i would feel Ease in my heart, but i soon found i was not able to perform them, as i thought i Should do: i was much troubled but kept it for my Self, but i had Little Comfort from within or without: i then thought to Seek it in good Books to read them
diligently but found no true peace i poor miserable Creature Live Without Comfort; many ways i tried at reading and fasting, but i remaind the Same for about Seventeen year and then i hear mr Frahinghuysen a Dutch minister Came from the Jersey who Went onCe to Long Island to preach, i understood Very Little Dutch that time, i went to hear him his teach was in the 16 Chapter of St John: When the Comforter Shall Come he Shall Convince the World of Sin of righteousness and of Judgment i thought by my Self, what he would make of Sin and Judgment i could apprehend but of righteousness i knew not he preached Very powerful i thought i had never heard Such preaching before [?] affected me very much, and when he Came on that Text of righteousness, i was Stript of all my
righteousness wich which i had before to build upon before, for it was a very poor for foundation. i went then more ConCernd, as i was before, but i was glad i had heard him: about a year after i removed to new york and then i fell Sick my friends Thought i Would die and i was ConCernd about my poor Soul and could find no relief or reLease for my distressed mind, but i Thought i Should not die then, and firmly believed if i Should not die then reCover that the lord would give that i Should Live him for then i reCovered a Little and we moved to Staten island again, where i found a few acquaintances which was awakened, which made me more ConCernd to Seek for merCy, and one day i felt very angry for Something Which i thought i Should not, and i felt So much guilt that i thought what Shall i do now there is no merCy and that night my husband went out and when my Children was in the Bed i Cried for Mercy
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