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The Course of Life of Martha Fawset

Martha Fawset was born in Wyke in the year 1751 May ye 27th and Baptized June ye 4th at Scoles by Br Latrobe.

She was a Child that from her earliest years took great delight in learning Verses and this was one great reason why she had such pleasure in going to the Childrens School which was at that time kept by Sister Betty Holdsworth. She had a perticular love for her insomuch that when the Sister went away it cost her many Tears, in the time of her going to School the had two Fitts, but grow better. In the year 1763 March the 25th she was taken into the great Girls Choir which was a new School to her. She was of a very lively dispossion which when she began to feel a little of her self she was some times concernd about it and one night in perticular she wept to her Mother and said she wish’d it cou’d be made possable for her to go and live some were among the Sisters. Her Mother comforted her telling her it wou’d be made possible and that she shou’d only give her Heart to our Saviour and she wou’d take care about that, and thus for the present she was made satisfy’d. The first time after that she came to Fulneck she desird her Labrous to give her leave to go and live at the little Oeconomy with the Sister Mary Wight. Soon after she was rejoiced with the News that she had now leave to go and live with them Sisters where upon she went with great Satisfaction Jany ye 30 1765 and became soon satisfy’d and quite at home and was very chearfull among the Sisters there tho’ her uncommon lively turn some times occasion’d the Sisters to reprove her yet not with standing it was very perceptable that that she had some times very serious reflections. One time in perticular as the sisters was conversing together in a bandlike way she put the question to them if they thought that the Angels had the same share in our Saviour’s redemption as the human

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Creature had, and when they answer’d her that he did not dye for the Angels for they was not fallen as we was for they was no sinners, and when they repeated that verse:

Glory be unto that heart so bloody
that I poor and sinfull thing,
Not adapted to an Angel’s body
But a human with its Sting
Go on smelling tasting feeling gaping

ye, she was almost as in an Extasy. Some time after it was percievd that she began to be more thought full and would say, do let us give our Selves entirely up to our Saviour and then we shall all be happy and she began to have great pleasure in going to her bands and classes and all her other opertunitys which otherway she according to her own declaration us’d to have a little fear for because she found that with all she still got not such an intire heart as our Savr and her Labroures cou’d have wish’d her. But in this respect she became quite alter’d for she hardly could wait the time when she was to go to her choir meeting at Fulneck and many time as she return’d home with the Sisters she us’d to say O I wish I coud always feel as I do on those days I always think that I will give every thing to our Savr but yet my lightmindedness comes again but yet for all that I know I am our Saviour’s and he will accept me just so as I am.

The 10th of March being Congregation day in Fulneck she with the rest of the Sisters went to the same and got such an impression there from that she never lost and when it was given out that the Brn and Sisrs would soon receive the Acts of the Son of Man she not have a right undersanding what was said she understood that our Saviour was soon to come which put her in such uncommon joy that she hadly knew how to contain

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her self and simply told her thoughts to the Sisters and how she felt about it. Soon after she begun to complain that she felt such but did not think that her dissolution was so near but she grew worse and worse that we at last cou’d think no other ways then that our Savr woud soon take her to himself. Her disorder began to grow very strong on her tho’ as long as she was able she she did not keep her bed. She was often heard speaking when alone with our Saviour and tho’ she herself did not think that he wou’d so soon take her to himself yet she was heard some time saying to him, “thy will be done.” She at last began to grow very weak but to the very last she never kept her bed. The day before her desolution it was perceptable that she woud not continue long. The Sister that waited on her ask’d her if she felt our Saviour near her and if she did not think that he would soon fetch her. She soon go to him. To which she answerd that she desird him often to let her feel his nearness and that if it pleas’d him to take her to him self that he wou’d not delay the time too long. The Morning after she desir’d that her Labrous might be fetch’d and as the Sister who waited on her was going to call one of the Sisters to her she heard her speak to our Saviour but cou’d not tell any thing she said. When she came to her she percievd she was departing and to our great suprise she got her last kiss and thus was her joy now compleated in him whom she so desir’d having liv’d in this dying life 15 years 19 Weeks.