Our dear departed Sister Alice Brown was born at Ashton in Lancashire, on April the 23d in the year 1730.
From a child she was never without convictions, and as soon the Brethren came to Duckenfield, she was one of the first children which was taken under the Brethren’s care. The tender longing of her heart is become truly acquainted with our Saviour, and to know her own individual, her grace of election in the wounds of Jesus, was plainly felt and seen in all his actions. She used often to go alone by herself in to the fields, and when she could get into a private place, prostrated herself on the ground, before our Saviour, begging him for his death and blood’s sake, to bestow upon her, that happiness, and full pardon in his wounds, which she felt, as believed was to be attained to even while in this body. In this situation she went on, till she had obtained what her heart wanted; of this blessed course of grace, which our Saviour begun with her while a child she used afterwards to relate with pleasure; and it always came from her with such a tender felling, that whoever heard her speak thereof could not but be sensibly backed.
In the year 1744 she left her parents, and lived with her three brothers and two sisters, who on account of their mother, being at that time of a different way of thinking from them, had taken a house themselves in order to follow their course with the Brethren more to their own satisfaction. She lived thus about half a year and then she with her two sisters, and a few more, made the beginning of a little Economy, which lasted about a year and half. When on some occasions, it was thought fit for that house-keeping to be broke up, and such had it proposed to them, to go to their homes again, this proved a great grief, to our departed sister, and she with her Christ Sister resolved not to go back to their parents, but to live together till our Saviour should see fit to make out some way for them, which accordingly happened, that very year, when Brother and Sister Heckerwelder came thither, who approved himself as a faithful Father in helping the Sisters, as far as lay in his Power, and Capability our departed Sister, whom they looked upon as their own children all this time. Our Saviour carried on his work of grace in her heart, in a manner not to be described, but which at the same time was very discernible to all who knew her.
April the 23d 1748 she was received into the congregation, and on August the 13th in the same year she was made a partaker of the corpus and blood of Jesus, in the holy sacrament, although she was naturally of a very still disposition, yet concerning her own heart, and the acquaintance with our Saviour she could say enough: for, as soon as anyone begun on this subject, she never was silent but was always ready to relate our Saviour’s works of grace in her heart which from time to time, through his most nearness, was carried on in her further than any human eye could penetrate, and past (unclear) so that when she in a childlike manner spoke something thereof it made her fellow Sisters melt in (unclear) shame.
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In the same year there was begun an Economy of Sisters at Duckenfield, where she with the rest of the Sisters lived very happily. In the year 1750 she, with the rest of the Sisters, removed to Yorkshire and she came into the economy in Lambs Hill, where she lived as a cheerful and sinnerlike heart, thankful for her happy lot of grace to be so closely united with our Saviour’s Congregation, which she prized very highly.
When the hundred was settled here, she was one which was received into that number.
In the year 1753/2 she removed into the Choir House with the rest of the Sisters, at which she rejoiced very much, for the living in a Choir House was to her every weighty matter, for her Choir was very dear to her, and one can, with truth, give her the testimony, that she was a true virgin, who went on in an uninterrupted converse with the man of smart, being tenderly attached to his martyred figure.
She enjoyed in her Choir, all Choir graces, and when the dear Mother and Disciple was here, at that never to be forgotten blessed Choir Lord’s supper, she was also one of that number. For this long time past, she has talked very much of going home and said she, “I can’t not help believing that my time would not be long in this world.” On her last birthday she got a particular intimation from our Saviour, concerning this, since which time, she has often told the Sister, “You will see, I shall go home before my next birthday, for I have begged our Saviour to take me home this year and I also believe he surely will.” She has, for some time past, complained very much of a pain in her head which never left her, but continued to grow worse, and this strengthened her belief, that she should soon be with our Saviour.
On July the 22d she entered the sick room, when the disorder in her head, began to grow very swollen.
The 25th she began to sing, “Have no mind for Eating or for drinking food, which must corrupt again,” etc. and many such like verses, which showed plainly the longing of her heart to be at home. Although her pains, which she felt, was very great, yet when she recovered herself a little, she was so brisk and cheerful and would talk with the Sisters in such an agreeable manner, that it was a pleasure to be with her. Her disorder lying so much in her head, we thought it proper to keep her still as possible, it was therefore desired that the Sisters would go but of little into the sickroom, which when she perceived, made her very much
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dissatisfied, and she desired that the Sisters might not be kept from coming to see her, because it made the time much pleasanter to her when the Sisters was with her.
She desired that she might once more be brought into her living room, which was done. This pleased her very much. She desired we would sing her some verses for going home, which was done under such a sensible feeling of the nearness of our Saviour, and with an inward longing of our hearts, to be at home with him; which made our eyes overflow with tears. We could scarcely persuade her to let us take her into the sickroom again, but being afraid she would spend herself too, and we begged her now to take her leave, then she desired us to conclude, with that verse, “Love, who death for me endured,” etc.
In a few days after, she desired to see her class, once more together. When the Sisters had made the Lovefeast ready they brought her into the room, at which she was so lively and cheerful, that she did not seem like a sick person; so that we could have almost believed, she might realy recover again. We put it to her, if she still really thought of leaving us; she said, she could not tell, but her choice would be to go home, “but when I consider it rightly, what a time that will be, when I come to our Saviour, the favour seems too great”; we then asked her if she did go home whom she would fetch the first. She then named a Sister. We then asked why her in particular. She said, “because I believe she will be the first of this company and then we will fetch all the rest, one after another; I have often told you that when I come to our Saviour, I will not forget one in this house.” This she took leave of her class, and went again into the sickroom. She continued for some time, better than ever we had seen her since in the sickroom, so that she herself, began to believe, she might mend again, but in a short time, her pain returned rather worse than ever,
On the 8th of August she got a fainting fit. We used means to bring her to herself again. When she opened her eyes and saw the Sisters, she smiled, and said, “Ay! are you come to lay me out, why did you not let me go, if you had let me alone, and had not disturbed I should have gone quite softly away.”
On the 13th of August, she for the last time partook of the corpus and blood of her eternal Bridegroom in the holy sacrament with a longing and thirsty soul, after which she was quite still for some time.
On the 15th she sent for Sister Mary desiring to speak with her. She then told her some little matters, concerning her burial.
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It seemed as if she thought of going soon, but we perceived no alteration in her. For the several days she has not been able to take anything to herself; but as we saw no further alteration in her, we little thought of her dissolution being so nigh as it really was, for she was unreservedly hastened to give her Bridegroom soon the meeting. She lay all that night following still and seemed to sleep, till in the morning at about 4 o’clock on August the 16th, 1757 according to her own words, before anyone was aware, she fell softly Asleep in the arms of her eternal Bridegroom, with the blessing of her Choir, under those words, “the soul of Christ the scar by” etc.
After having lived spent in this dying life 27 years and four months