went home Feb 12th 1770 The course of Life of the Single Sister Grace Thornton I was born at Mirfield Novbr 8 1736 Bapt on the Church of England haveing heard of our Savr from My infancy, I had a desire to go unto the meetings but my mother thought I was too young, but one day I ventured of my own accord & stayd the whole meeting took Care to be at home before my mother, fearing she wou’d be grive’d, but when she heard of it was Much pleased. & from that Time always took me with Her. & whrn I was about 8 year old I was took into Care amongst the Childrn by Br & Srs Helt. I liked the Childrens meeting & also the school kept by the Sisters proved a great blessing to my Heart, in My 14 year I was took into the Gr Girls choir & Heartily wish I might be a joy to our dr Savr. after My fathers departure I removed with my mother to live in Holm Lane that we right be nearer fulneck to injoy the meetings, & about my 18 year I had the Smallpox in which sickness I was brought to reflect upon how my hearts stood with regard to its connection with our dr Savr for I found my self much afraid of dying feeling my depravity of soul & body & that I had no assurance of going to our Savr in my present situation, I laid my self as well as I cou’d at His thro’ pirc’d Feet for this gracious absolution & the friend of Sinners took my fear away & made My sickness more bearable to me on the 13 of novbr 54. I was received into the congration to My great Joy and deep abasement renewed my Covenant to be in soul & body my dearest Savrs & I continued Happy & chereful for some Time, & in April the following Spring I was admitted a candidate for the holy sacarement to the blessing of my Heart, for it brought me upon being more Earnest with our Savr to prepare me for the injoymont of His body & blood, but this I carried too far in My own Strength & self working, & thereby came into deep distress, my own depravity laid such hold of me that I had no more the Sight or feeling of our Savr in My heart & became cold and indiffrent to all the former promises which I’d made Him & I got a love for the world & the pleasures which I saw other young people injoy: thus with forming various Ideas of delight unto myself I went to bed one might seamingly well pleased, wth my proud & High dispossition to conceal all these imaginary pleasures to my self & I thought to sleep as at other Times but I’d sooner laid me down my pleasures vanishd & such distress came upon me that I spent the might in the bitteres Tears Crying our for mercy but felt no Sinner in My heart. this desstress continued so long that I thought it more then possable ever to survive it with My Senses; one day I retired unto a lonely place, fell upon My face & My heart burst into a flood of Tears at My dear Lords Feet
where I wou’d gladly have said Lord have mercy on me! But I cou’d not Speak, but Here found that fremd of Sinners nearer to my soul than ever I had felt before, He forgave His poor disstressd Creature & set me free from all the Sin & Guilt that stood before me, & my Heart became as a little Child before Him; & on april 16, 56 to I was confirmed for the injoyment of the Holy Saccrement & in May following participat’d of that Highest good in an Expressable manner as a poor pardond Sinner prostued before Him & I injoy’d many blessings in the dr Great Girls Choir.
June 10 1757 I was receivd into the Single Sisters Choir here a new schooling commened in My heart & I begd my Savr to take me afresh into His hand & make me a true virgin thro’ His own precious blood, for I felt a daily need of Grace & absolution
decbr 14 1758 I got leave to live at Gomersal Oeconomie at which
place I was soon at Home much rejoic’d at my happy lot felt chereful
& Glad to live amongst the Sisters & to feel there Hearts Love for me;
may 1760 I had leave to remove into the choirhouse at fulneck, which
rejoiced me very much, beliveing I was removed from all danger
& had now got a Lasting home till I shod enter into My Everlasting rest
not long had I injoyd all these great & Gracious previlidges but
I began again to feel myself that needy one for whom there was
no help but at the Feet of Jesus, to which place I had many by petty
before He cou’d get this poor sheep His poor blood bought worm to stoop
So low & when I think of this what I’ve injoyd at that dear place
my poor Thanks are far too short for all the Toil & Labour that I’ve cost him
about one whole year in My Choirhouse I injoy’d a Happy Saboth for my
Heart, & then came into great coldness & indiffrency of Heart towards our
dear Savr & my Sisrs whom I thought did not Treat me according to my desirts
& instead of being a Sinner over My faults I grew High in Spirit & brought
myself into Such Circumstances as I never felt myself before beleiveing
it impossible to come thro’ as I percived I had intirely lost the Sinner Tract
therefore resolved to keep it all a secret in My breast & take an oppertunity
to leave the House in private by walking out alone;
thus on setting out I resolved never to see the choir house more & to turn My back upon all the hardships which I found too much for to submit on my first steping out the Tears begun to flow plentifuly down My cheeks, & every step seam’d to pierce my very Heart; I had not walkd above
a quarter of a mile but I was struck so with fear & Trembling that I cou’d not approach one step further & a voice came so to me was those words, if thou goest away thou will be ruind in soul & body; turn again & I will bring the through, I lookd round me but coud see no person but felt the near presence of our Savr in My Heart;
I return’d with all speed unto My dear choirhouse with a Thankful & chereful Heart unto My dear Savr for His great fauthfulness in helping of me Back & after haveing deprived myself of 4 months injoyment of the holy saccorement I was on the 12 of march 61 admitted to that great grace again to my never deep forgotten abacemerst & from this Time I become more open Heartd to my Labourers as I had never been before to My great loss & shame & pain.
Thus far her own words. The particular grace our Dr Saviour bestowed on our Happily departed Sistr makes us adore the friend of Sinners Who with unwearied Patience follows his poor helpless Worms; Convicts & comforts; alternately; according as the poor deprav’d nature can bear it; this was the Case with our Late Sistr who did not like the searching love of her Lover, but had a secret inclination thro Pride to hide her faults; Which Stagnated her Course in the Injoyment of the Blessed Sinnoers Fellowship with her Choir Sistrs The Sencible feeling she had of it at the same time may be seen by a few lines; which she her self Composed
I have so often gone astray And would seek help some other way Till I into great Danger came Which made me cry out for a Lamb May I on Thee my Surest Rock Now fix my faith I nor from thee look I know from thee my health does When I around Thee Cling (Spring)
Her Favourite Verses were the Late Br Christol’s & in particular That Hymn; With Sainfull Pennance thoughts Distressed
The Soul of my Belov’d I See &c. Whereby a tender Emotion of heart towards her Suffering Redeemer was very Persceptible in her; Octbr ye 9 she remov’d into the sickroom which prov’d a Blessed school to her; Which Our Saviour made up of to his own purpose, in delivering her from all her self delusion as well as from the painfull Sensation Occasion’d by imposing on her Constitution about which she was truly poritent; And thro’ his Grace set her at Liberty from all porplexity, which had intrrupted her Course of Grace so manny years; This She expressed to her Labouresses with that aimiable, absolv’d Sinners Beauty; as Bespoke a Serene Dignity & Clearness with the Friend of Sinners; in such a meltedness of injoyment that all about her partook of her happiness
From that time Our Saviour gave her the grace to relish & injoy His Bleeding Merits, to her comfort and Satisfaction; and supplied all her wants richly; she had for some time past a secret intimation that her stay here wou’d not be long, at which She rejoic’d Like a child; at that Blessed Meeting when she Should see our Saviour, but her disorder having hung on her for some years being something astmatical we did not think it would be so soon; till about a week ago, she alter’d porceptibly & begun to speak with firm assurance, that her Hope wou’d soon come to the full Injoyment, She thank’d & Prais’d Our Saviour night & day for His Love & Goodness and often repeated. O my own dear Saviour how shall I poor worm thank Thee enough; It is impossible for me to tell what He has done for me; Soon I shall have the favour to See Thee & kiss these dear wounds which have heal’d me; In this Happy Expectation she ended her dying, & all Porplexity, Comforted & reconciled, on the 12st between 1 & 2 oclock in the after noon with the Blessing of her Choir in the 34th year of her age.
