Course of Life of the married Sr Eleanor Francke who fell asleep in Jesus between 12 & 1 o’clock
in the morning of the 18th of April 1827 at Malmesbury.
Aged 64 years

A short memoir of the life of Sr Ellenor Francke, whose maiden-name was Sutton, & who departed this life at Malmesbury in the 64th yr of her age.

I was born July 14th 1763 in the Parrish of Brinkworth in the Country
of Wilts.

My Parents were members of the Church of England &
brought up their children in that persuasion & in a very strict man=
-ner. It was their sincere desire that all of their children should
imbibe the principles of the Christian Religion & have the fear of God
implanted in their hearts.

In my children’s years I remember to have had drawings of grace in my soul,
& frequently prayed the Lord to keep & preserve me for himself & to guard
me from every thing which might be hurtful to me.

My Mother often spoke very tenderly of the love of our Saviour to children & what
pleasure it gave him when he saw that young people were inclined to follow
Him in this world, which at times affect me much. However with increasing years, I began
to have a hankering after the pleasures of this world altho’ I often felt a remorse of con=
-science when I indulged the thought of seeking to gratify this my desire. When I was in
my 17th year, my dear Father departed this life happily, which was
a severe trial to me, altho’ not equally as painful as if theLord had taken my dear Mother,
as she being at that time very ill, so that her life was despaired of. This constrained me with earnestness to beseech & supplicate the Lord, rather to take me to himself, than to deprive me of
my dear Mother, who was the only friend & comfort I had in
this world. He graciously condiscended to grant my prayer
& restored her to her former health, which gave me confidence
towards my dear Lord & Saviour, altho alas in the sequel I often proved un=
-faithful to the kind leadings of his holy Spirit. After the departure of my
dear Father, my Mother attended the preaching of the Brethren,
finding more pasture for her heart, than she did in the sermons at
Church, which were not so evangelical. Sometimes she took me with
her, tho’ I would rather have gone to Church: but having a great
love for my Mother, I could not feel at liberty to act contrary to
her desire.

After having for sometime attended the preachings of
the Brethren, I began to have a fervent wish in my heart to be
like those happy people of whom the Brethren spoke & described
& who they said shewed in their very countenances that they be-
longed to our Savior altho I did not understand how this could be,
yet I ardently longed to become acquainted with our Saviour. I felt
disposed to give up every thing if I could but obtain this favour
but did not fully understand what was the heart to him. He that alone knows
the secrets of every heart, taught me by degrees to see into my own no-
-thingness & to discover the deep corruption & depravity of my heart
by nature, & that unless I had his holy Spirit to direct me, I should
remain unstable & fluctuating as the water.

Feeling this to be my case, & being sensible how wavering I was, I thought sometimes
that it would be in vain to give myself much trouble, & that if
I was to be saved, I should, & if not that all my endeavours to attain sal-
vation would be fruitless.

Mentioning once these thoughts to a Sister, she
replied, that she was very sorry to hear this from me; I told her,
that it was my firm belief. She then said, that she hoped our Sa-
vior would convince me of my error before it was too late. From
that time forward my ideas concerning the means of salvation
became quite different & I was brought to believe that if I was not saved,
the fault would be entirely my own. Thus was I led into a childlike disposition of heart, and I prayed fervently to our Saviour to bring me into that path which leadeth to
eternal life.

About this time my dear Mother departed this life
in almost a sudden manner & I believe she went happily to our
Saviour, since it was her daily prayer to be prepared for this
important change. This took place in December 1788. I shall never forget
in what a wonderful manner our Saviour supported me on this most
trying occasion. I had formerly spent many anxious hours in thinking that
I could never bear to live in this world, in case my tenderly beloved Mother
was taken from me, & had often entreated the Lord in prayer to take me first
to himself, but as He did not see good to comply with my petition, He gave
me grace at that juncture, to cast all my care upon Him, who careth for the
poor & distitute. Being thus situated by this bereavment, I begged our dear
Saviour to direct my steps & to make a way for me to come thro’ this life, ac=
-cording to His mind. I had at that time various thoughts & ideas concerning the
Brethrens Congregation, for tho’ I had attended their meetings I yet knew very little concerning their constitution, however I was soon convinced & firmly believed that this was the people to
whom I should belong.

Being timorous & seeing many difficulties in my
way, & not knowing how to proceed, I begged our Saviour fervently, that if
He thought I should prosper for him in the Brns Congn, that he would, with
his own hand, lead me to it, but if not, that he would hedge up my way, &
thus I delivered myself entirely to his own guidance.

April 9th 1780 I obtained leave to live in the Single Sisters
House in Tytherton which was the place I wished to retire in, if but for one year.

I received this permission as from himself & thanked him for it with bowedness of heart.

On May the 1st I removed to Tytherton, altho’ I met with much opposition on the part of my relations for as none of them belonged to the Brethns Congn & were entirely strangers to their
constitution they would not comprehend why I left & went to such a place re=
-garding it as a wild scheme, They did what they could to dissuade me
from going, but finding this ineffectual they endeavoured to entice
me to remain with them, by making me a very advantageous offer, but
as they found all to be of no avail, they desisted & gave me up.

In the Sisters House in Tytherton, I had much enjoyment, every thing pleased me & our dear Saviour was very precious to my soul, he let me feel daily more & more of my innate depravity, but at the same time he comforted me with letting me enjoy his gracious presence & nearness.

July 19 the year following I was solemnly received into the Congregation as one of
its members, & what I felt on that occasion I cannot express in words, but my
prayers to the Lord was that I might never lose the impression again.
Aug.st 29 following I was permitted to be a Spectator at the Holy Communion
which was also the means of a sick blessing for my heart. However I had
to wait a longer season than I had expected before I was permitted to
have the favour to partake of this divine repast.

When I had been but one year in the Srs house an Oeconomy for young Sisters was begun
in a separate building, & I was among the number of those who were selected
to enter it as an inhabitant; which was a trial to me; but as I requested
our Saviour to let me live in the Sisters house if it were but for one
year, I remember’d my request, & was resigned & we lived together
very agreeably.

In March 1791 I had the unspeakable favour to be permitted
to enjoy with the Congn the body & blood of my dear Saviour in the Holy
Communion, after waiting a year & a half, which time had appeared
very long to me; especially as I obtained the other privileges of the Congn
as soon as I requested them. I was now very happy & would not have exchang=
-ed my situation for all this poor world could have offered me.

In January 1792 I received a proposal to undertake the joint care of a Boarding school,
which was to be begun the following spring. To this I felt a great objec=
-tion in my mind, feeling my great incapacity for such a situation.
I was in a great strait & laid this my concern before my ever faithful Sa=
-viour in prayer, intreating him, that if it was his blessed will that
I should accept this proposal, that he would make it clear to me, for I was very
much afraid, that my disinclination to such a live of life might be the
means of tempting me to act contrary to his will, & He graciously heard
my prayer & made it clear to me that I should do right in declining
it, & I never after felt that I had acted wrong in following this con=
-viction. I lived very comfortable in this small family, till in
October the same year, I received a proposal to remove to Kingswood
& to have the care of the family of Girls there. Our dear Saviour gave me the need=
-ful clearness in this case, so that I accepted it in his name & in reliance
upon his help, altho’ I felt at the same time my great insufficiency being
however apured[?] that He would make his strength perfect in my weakness,
In reliance upon Him I left Tytherton Novr 5 1792 & after spending a few
days in Bath & Bristol I arrived on the 11th at Kingswood. The family
consisted only of nine persons, the most of whom were Girls.

This situation proved a new-school to my heart, as I had never before
been entrusted with the care of a family. I felt great timidity, being afraid lest I should spoil any
thing by my perhaps too great zeal or inattention to the teachings and
lasting of the Holy Spirit. I was often constrained to approach the thro’ pierced
feet of my Saviour, as a poor needy sinner, & to entreat him with fervor
to guide & direct me according to his mind, & I must own, to his praise &
with bowedness of heart that He did hear my prayers & helped me thro’ in
a remarkable manner, in all those concerns which had been committed
to my care. He has indeed been every thing to me, & often filled my
poor heart with the feeling of his which [????very illegible and faint]
divine presence, so that I could go on with cheerfulness & look to
him daily for his assistance of which I found great need. All
those who have to care for young people know by experience, how
needful it is to teach them both by word & example, how to act
according to the mind of Christ, as alas what patience must be
exercised toward them. I can say, that I had a sincere love for them,
& an ardent wish that they all might prosper for our dear Saviour, & I had
also the pleasure to see that this was the case with some of them,
which richly rewarded me for the trouble & anxiety I had at times
on their account.

In October a proposal of marriage was made to me. This brought me
with an upright heart before the Lord, & having seriously weighed
it as in his presence, I felt perfect freedom to decline the same.
I continued in my proper calling till October 1794 when I received a
proposal from the Unitys Elders Conference to fill the office of
labourer of the Single Sisters in Gracefield in Ireland, which I
accepted in humility & no reliance upon the same kind support I had hi=
-therto experienced from our Saviour. Here I continued to labour altho’ in
great weakness till I received another call from the U. E. Confce to serve
the family of Single Sisters in Dublin as their labouress, & where I arrived
May the 15th in the year 1800.

I would still remark that after having received my call to Gracefield, I
left Bristol Novr 6 & having waited two days in Holyhead, I proceeded
from thence to Dublin where I arrived on the 12th & spent 5 weeks
in that Congn, I then travelled with Br & Sr West to the North
and arrived in Gracefield on the 27th. At first every thing appeared strange
to me, the customs of the country being so different from those in
England. I found the family, particularly the younger part in a very
unsettled state.

Br Schaukirch having come from Gracehill, I was on Janr 18th solemnly blessed for my
office. I surrendered myself on this for our Saviour, & felt no wish to part
from those who had been entrusted to my care. In the year 1798 the
well known rebellion in Ireland, created much disturbance in the
North, but our good Lord protected us from all danger. When in April 1800 I received my call to
Dublin, it caused me no small pain & perplexity. I had no wish to part
with this dear family, which was now in a prosperous state, enjoying
mutual love & confidence. Fearing however that I should grieve our Saviour
if I suffered myself to be influenced and guided by these feelings, I prayed him to
direct me how to act, & felt that nothing would relieve my troubled mind and
set it at ease, but to follow his gracious direction altho it would at the same
time be painful for me & this dear family to part. I therefore accepted my
appointment to Dublin, as out of our Saviours hands, saying not my will, but
thine be done. I served the family in Gracefield 5 1/2 years, & we parted from
each other with feelings of love & regret, which I cannot describe in words.

In Dublin I came into a new School and the custom then prevailing that
the Inhabitants went where they choose in the City, caused me much uneasei=
-ness of mind, as I considered it not right & that it might prove deter=
-mental to the Spiritual course of the Sisters, and as some of the older Sisters
in the family advocated the cause of the others, I was not immediately able
to put a stop to such irregularity.

My good old Friend Pd Benade was however a great encouragement to
me, & I gradually got more at home. In August 1801 I received & acceped a
proposal to enter into the married state with the Widower Br Ignatius Francke,
who was at that time Labourer & Minister of the Congn of the Brethren at
Gomersall in Yorkshire, & having taken an affectionate farewell of the
family in Dublin, I went to England & we were married Oct 12 1801 in the
Church at Birstall. We continued to serve this dear congregation for
nearly 6 years, & then removed to Woodford & in the sequel to various
other congregations, experiencing the support of our gracious Lord
amidst various difficulties & trials and at present we are among the
small congregation in Malmesbury.

Whilst I am writing this it as now 25 years since we have lived together
in the married state, during which period our Saviour has blessed us
with 2 Sons & 1 Daughter, but one of our Sons he was pleased to take into
his eternal security in his infancy. It is our most earnest wish & prayer
that he would grant our other two Children the grace to live for him
in this world & to be his devoted servants.

I can truly say that amidst all our failings we have loved each other – had each others
real welfare at heart, & have been disirous to serve our merciful Lord, who has redeemed us, & his cause, according to the grace given us, and our small abilities.

I have much to be thankful for, in having a kind and indulgent partner, who does
all in his power for my comfort.

May our Saviour bless him abundantly for his kind attention to all my
concerns.

I would still observe that with regard to our Son & Daughter,
who both are employed as teachers in our Boarding Schools, that I
ardently wish that they may give their whole heart to our Saviour,
& he truly impress’d with his redeeming love, and be enabled
to devote themselves to his service in what ever way they may be
employed.

Their prosperity lies very near my heart, And I trust my poor prayers will be heard in
their behalf.

I have to grieve over much mispent time, in seeing many faults in others, & in not deal-
-ing so faithfully with my own heart, by passing over things in myself, which ought to have brought
me to the feet of a crucified Saviour with penitential tears, and to have
sought forgiveness with him.

I am indeed thankfull, that my kind & loving Saviour hath borne me with patience, & unexampled
long suffering. I have, alas, made him very poor returns for all his
love, & what can I say, but

O take my heart, & whatsoere’ is mine.
Beloved Jesus, I’ll be only thine.

May our Blessed Lord accept me, poor & worthless as I am, as his blood-bought property, & guide
me by his Holy Spirit, till that happy time shall arrive, when I shall be called over to his arms of
love.

My petition is “Here comes a sinner who would fain, thro’ the Lambs ransom entrance gain”

I am frequently reminded by my kind & gracious Lord, that this is at no great distance, by the great
disability I feel from day to day. May his Holy Spirit lead me through the last stage of this probationary
state, so that I may leave close to him by faith. I must beg my dear partner to forgive my manifold mistakes in offending him, which which have not been intentionally, yet I know it has been the case repeatedly. Oh, when I look back on my past life, what need have I to prostrate in the dust before our
Saviour; no one has more reason to admire the long suffering & patience of my best friend & Saviour.
Oh, that to his praise, each blood==drop within me were hallowed always. I have now to look for=
-ward when this great change will come. O Lord! grant that I may be found ready to enter into my Redeemers kingdom. At what time thou mayest call me hence, give me to feel daily more of that love
which urged thee to die, to fit and prepare me for the mansions of bliss.

The following prayer was found among her manuscripts, dated Fairfield July 1817.

O my dear & merciful Saviour, who hast laid down thy most invaluable life, for me a lost and
undone sinner. Thou didst submit to that cruel & ignominous death on the cross, that I might become
an heir of eternal life & salvation.
O grant that My precious blood may cleanse my polluted soul, from every spot & stain of sin, and so
draw me by thy grace unto thyself that I may with new life in my soul be strong thence to run my
appointed race more pleasing unto thee. Grant unto me the indwelling of thy Holy Spirit to guide my steps aright. Altho’ I am now arrived to 54 years of age, I feel daily more need of thy divine assis=
-tance, and most humbly intreat thee to fill my soul with love and peace, that love which urged thee
to die for my sins. Grant, most gracious Redeemer & Saviour, that the remainder of my days, may
be spent in sweet communion with thee. I feel conscious that I have not inproved my time as
I might have done, enjoying all those priviledges privileges in thy dear Brethrens Congn & which causes me to prostrate at thy thro’ pierced feet & to bathe them with peni=
=tential tears. _ Oh that thou wouldst wash all my sins away thro’ thy atoning sacrifice.

Strip me of every idol, which may be a hindrance to thy work of grace. The time is short,
may I not lose on moment, But improve every opportunity in making my calling & election
sure. I own it the highest privilege here below, to be employed in thy service, & which I have
been now 25 years. But when I reflect on my conduct in many instances, how much self love
there has been entwined in every action, thou alone knowest what grief this has caused me at
times, yet how apt have I been to fill into that dangerous path again. O that thou, my dearest
Lord & Saviour, wouldst condescend to look in mercy on me, and guide me safe thro’ this vale of
tears. tis alone owing to thy love, patience, & tenderness that I have been spared so long. May the continual remembrance of this be a powerful magnet to draw my heart into union with thee,
so that death itself shall never part, mine & my Redeemer’s heart. Grant that my dear partner in life, may be strengthened by thy grace & should it be thy blessed will, that I should be called out
of time into eternity, support him by thy gracious presence, that he may be enabled to acquiesce in thy leadings, for to thee he hath devoted himself. Grant that our 2 dear children, may
be thy children.

O take them into thy house anew, & form & fashion them according to thy mind. May their dear
Father impress upon their minds the importance of being wholly given up to thee in their youth & do thou crown his endeavours with success, by laying thy blessing upon it, so that if they are permitted to continue for a time in this vale of tears, they may be useful members in thy Congn.

O, my most beloved Saviour, do thou sprinkle their hearts with thy redeeming blood, & fill them with thy love, let them feel that they are not their own, but thy blood bought property, to live alone for thee in this world be their highest aim; so that we may be enabled to say, when favord to surround thy throne: “Here are we, and the children thou hast given us”. Grant most gracious Redeemer
& Saviour, these petitions, which flow from a heart truly penetrated with thy special love to me a poor sinner, for it is thro’ grace alone that I hope to obtain mercy. Cleanse me from every sin, & forgive, for the sake of thy blood & death all my transgressions & receive me into thy favour.

Under date of September 6 1822 Gracehill; is the following which she had written but left unfinished;
What shall I say to the faithfulness of my adorable Redeemer & Saviour, who hath led me with such unwearied patience, but fall at his feet & devote soul & body unto him who hath answered my prayer, when in distress of mind, I expected my dear partner would be taken from me, & not be permitted
to see his children again. This obstacle appears removed, as we have received a call to Kingswood, where we hope to serve our Saviour in that small Congn.

From this short account of our late beloved & respected Sisters course thro’ time, drawn up by herself, it is apparent, that her earnest wish & prayer was to enjoy in her soul, all those blessings which our gracious Lord has merited for his followers, & to devote herself to him and to his service in the church of the Brethren. She was indeed deeply sensible that she was a sinner, & that all her happiness &
salvation was free grace & mercy, flowing from the merit of Christs blood & death.
She took great delight in frequenting the assemblies of Gods People, & never suffered any thing to prevent her attendance, even when it was thought not advisable on account of her great disability. She often mourned over those, who on any trivial occasion would vacate their seat in the house of God, or suffer their secular concerns to interfere with the higher duties of their soul. Her sincerity in her attachments to her Saviour & his service to which she had devoted herself was very edifying. Her husband has lost in her an affectionate partner, who made it her study to afford him every
comfort that lay in her power, & who was truly devoted to her Saviour, & to those services to
which they were called in the church of the Brethren.

Her children have lost in her an affectionate, faithful, & discreet mother, who was always solicitous to
promote their present & eternal happiness. So the poor she was, as far as her abilities went a benevolent friend. She had been in a declining state of health for several years, having had repeated paralytic seizures, the last of which she had on March the 11th which [??]ned her left side and rendered her left hand almost useless, from whence it became evident that her continuance here below could not
be much longer. She was herself aware of it, & often spoke of her dissolution as not being far distant.

Her mind was fully prepared to meet this event, & her humility & confidence in her Saviour, & love to him, as also the gratitude she expressed for all the mercies & favors she enjoyed was very edifying. She had no doubts & fears to perplex her mind regarding her final acceptance and eternal safety, but spoke of her departure with serenity & composure, & with a full conviction of her interest in our Saviours merits & death. She attended all the meetings in the Chapel during the Passion Week. But on the Friday preceding her departure, she was troubled with an obstinate cough & which was attended with sickness & a continual inclination to sleep, however she did not take to her bed till Tuesday the 17th April, when she was seized with a lethargy, which prevented her from saying much.
She requested her husband on that day to bless her for her final departure, which he did, after having commended her in a fervent prayer to our Lord & Savior, beseeching him to support her in her dying moments by the feeling of his divine peace & presence, & to receive her dear bought soul into his presence above, thanking him for all the grace & mercy he had bestowed upon her here below, & delivering her up into his faithful hands. She said I shall go to our Saviour. She continued the
most part of her time to a cup till about 25 minutes before one o’c on Apl 18th she breathed
her last in an easy & peaceful manner, and her redeemed soul went over into the presence
of her Lord & Saviour, there to enjoy in fullest measure what he has prepared for them
that love him & wait for his appearing. She now rests with Jesus, & our loss is her
eternal gain. She was in the 64th year of her age.