{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_58067/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_58067","id":"gutenberg_58067","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/58067","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Biographies","Category: Essays, Letters & Speeches","Category: Religion/Spirituality","Fletcher, Mary, 1739-1815","Methodist women -- Biography"],"text":"Transcribed from the [1815 or 1816] William Smith pamphlet by David\nPrice, email ccx074@pglaf.org\n\n                        [Picture: Pamphlet cover]\n\n\n\n\n\n                                 A LETTER\n\n\n            To the Loving and Beloved People of the Parish of\n\n                      _Madeley_, _and its Vicinity_,\n\n                     WHO HAVE LOST A FRIEND TO PIETY\n                             IN THE DEATH OF\n\n                              MRS. FLETCHER,\n\n                   _Widow of the Rev. J. W. FLETCHER_,\n                          (_or de la Flechere_,)\n\n                    LATE VICAR OF MADELEY, SHROPSHIRE.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\n                              BY MARY TOOTH.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\n    The sweet remembrance of the just\n    Shall flourish while they sleep in dust.\n\n    A Mother in Israel hast thou been, and thy works shall praise thee in\n    the gates\n\n                                * * * * *\n\n                               IRONBRIDGE:\n                    PRINTED AND SOLD BY WILLIAM SMITH.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\n                       Entered at Stationers\u2019 hall.\n\n\n\n\nA LETTER, &c.\n\n\n_My dear Friends_,\n\nKNOWING that it is your desire to hear something respecting the close of\nthe life of my invaluable friend, Mrs. FLETCHER, now in glory, and being\nassured that none but myself can undertake the work, as I alone was her\nconstant companion, being separated scarcely a day for more than 15\nyears, I have endeavoured, (while my mind has been exercised with the\nmost painful feelings of heartfelt sorrow for the loss of the best of\nfriends, the wisest of counsellors, and the tenderest of parents,) to set\ndown a few circumstances relative to the close of a life surpassing in\nusefulness most of her fellow mortals.\n\nIt was upon the 9th of December, 1815, a day never to be forgotten by me,\nthat my Elijah was taken to heaven.  O that the mantle might rest on me!\nShe had had many severe attacks from illness in various ways, in former\nyears, and sometimes was restored as by miracle; I therefore continued\nhoping she would be spared this time also; nor did I give up that hope\ntill two days before her removal from earth to heaven.\n\nThough she would be often saying to me, \u201cMy dear child, do not flatter\nyourself that I shall be long with you, for I feel I am going;\u201d\u2014yet,\nstill willing to hope for what I so much desired, I continued thinking,\nit may be the Lord will look graciously upon me, and save me from\ndrinking this bitter cup for a while longer: but on December 7th, I found\nit necessary to render her more assistance than usual while rising in the\nmorning, and conscious that this was a mark of increased weakness, I\nbecame greatly affected; and, having done all she at that time needed, I\nretired to plead with the Lord that she might yet be restored; but, alas!\nI had no power, and was constrained to leave it to divine wisdom to do\nwhat he saw best; and before I rose from my knees, it was strongly\nimpressed on my mind,\n\n    \u201cThe everlasting doors shall soon the saint receive,\n    Among yon angel pow\u2019rs in glorious bliss to live;\n    Far from a world of grief and sin,\n    With God eternally shut in.\u201d\n\nFrom that moment I gave up every hope of her longer abiding in the flesh;\nthough once or twice afterwards, my strong desire led me to plead, that\nhe who had raised the ruler\u2019s daughter, the widow\u2019s son, and dead\nLazarus, would yet restore her: but all the answer I could obtain was,\nDivine wisdom cannot err.\n\nFor the last month of her life, her breath was more oppressed than usual:\nit had been much affected for years, upon motion; yet when she sat still,\nor laid herself down at night, she could breathe quite easy; but the\nmiddle of November last her breathing was affected both while she sat\nstill and when she was laid down.  She had also a troublesome cough, that\ndisturbed her rest at night; and when this was the case, her strength\nquickly declined.  She had had a wound for two years and 3 quarters in\none side of her left breast, which was at first supposed to be a cancer;\nbut her sufferings from this were not to be compared with what she\nsuffered from her breath.\n\nYet, with all that she went through, how did she labour for the good of\nsouls!  Many times she has gone to speak to the people, when she has\nsaid, \u201cIt is like as if every meeting would take away my life, but I\u2019ll\nspeak to them as long as I can; while I\u2019ve any breath, and power to get\nout, I\u2019ll not spare myself.\u201d  And truly she did not, as will be readily\ntestified by many hundreds who have been in the habit of attending her\nmeetings.\n\nI am inclined to think, that the 24th of last July will not be forgotten\nby a large proportion of the great numbers who crowded to hear her: she\nexplained the 25th chapter of Matthew\u2019s Gospel.  It was the last monday\nnight she was able to speak to a listening crowd of attentive hearers,\nsome of whom had come many miles, but did not think much of the pains\nthey took, because of the spiritual good they derived from the\nopportunity.  I remember she spoke in a peculiarly striking manner on the\nnecessity of being born again.  When she came to the 13th verse, \u201cWatch\ntherefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of\nMan cometh,\u201d and from the following verses respecting the Talents, she\nenlarged much; powerfully insisting upon the right use of the\nunderstanding, will, mind, or memory, with every affection; the right\napplication of time, with every penny of money; and the watching over the\ntongue, which she observed might enjoy the honor of being God\u2019s advocate,\nbut for want of watchfulness was, as the Apostle expresses it, \u201cset on\nfire of hell.\u201d\n\nBut it is in vain for me to attempt to repeat any part of what at that\ntime was felt in many hearts.  She continued to meet her classes\noccasionally, as she had strength for it, until the middle of October.\nHer two o\u2019clock sabbath-day meeting she spoke at on the last sabbath of\nSeptember: this was her last public engagement.  Many striking proofs we\nhave had that her labours of love in this way were not in vain; for it is\ncertain many souls were brought to God through her.  In one of her noon\nmeetings she read some account of the opening of her room for the\npreaching of the gospel; and as I believe it will not be unacceptable to\nyou, I will insert it as it was put down by one present at the time of\nits first being used for the good of souls, and the glory of God.\n\n    The first sabbath in July, 1788, the room at the Vicarage in Madeley\n    was opened; it had been for many years a barn, but was now fitted up\n    for divine worship.\n\n    The Rev. Melville Horne preached from I Kings, chap. ix, ver. 3.\n    \u201cAnd the Lord said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and thy\n    supplication that thou hast made before me; I have hallowed this\n    house which thou hast built, to put my name there, and mine eyes and\n    my heart shall be there perpetually.\u201d  He observed how great was our\n    privilege in being so favored with places and opportunities of\n    quietly waiting upon the Lord, and the advantage of sitting under a\n    pure gospel; and how much would be required of them to whom so much\n    was given.\n\n    He then sweetly invited us to turn our eye towards the living Temple,\n    in whom we should be always sure to meet the Father\u2019s love: and, in\n    conclusion, read the part following the text, to the 10th verse;\n    pointing out the covenant blessing on obedience, and the certain\n    destruction which would follow the reverse.\n\n    As soon as he had ended his sermon, before he had time to pray, he\n    was suddenly called out to a funeral which was waiting, and left Mrs.\n    Fletcher to dismiss the people.  She observed the solemnity of the\n    occasion, and the great expectation she felt in her heart that the\n    Lord would pour out his Spirit on the souls before him; and entreated\n    them to look up, and open their hearts to receive it.  As an\n    encouragement, she reminded them of the many prayers which for\n    twenty-five years had been night and day offered up in their behalf;\n    the purport of which was, that they might behold a reconciled Father\n    in the face of Christ Jesus: that in the dedication of Solomon\u2019s\n    Temple, the people were called to eat and to drink, and to send\n    portions to those who had none.  She also observed, all the glory of\n    Israel, being outward, was but a type of the inward glory of the\n    christian church.  Therefore, (said she,) this day God calls you to\n    eat and to drink, yea, to take of the water of life, and that freely.\n    But are some dry and barren?  He sends portions to them that have\n    none.  She then added, I will speak freely: since I have been\n    preparing this place, these words of our Lord have repeatedly come\n    into my mind, \u201cWith desire have I desired to eat this passover with\n    you before I suffer.\u201d  This has caused me sometimes to think, does my\n    Lord intend shortly to remove me to himself?  Be that as it may, I\n    have a confidence that this place will be continued to your use for\n    some years to come, and that the Lord will bless you therein.  And\n    now I have two petitions to ask you, which I think you will not deny\n    me.  My dear friends, my first petition is, that you would consider\n    this day as a fresh covenanting with the Lord to be his without\n    reserve, and that we may with one consent unite in a solemn vow never\n    to draw back.  My second request is, that when I am laid silent in\n    the grave, (which, be it sooner or later, most of you will probably\n    see,) I ask you, at _that time_ to remember the transaction of this\n    day, and whensoever you pass by this place, grant me a moment\u2019s\n    thought;\u2014the carnal say, the tribute of a tear: not so with me; no,\n    my beloved friends, I rejoice not in your tears, but in your\n    happiness:\u2014grant me then a moment\u2019s thought, I will tell you what it\n    shall be.  On the first sabbath, in July, 1788, beneath that roof I\n    covenanted to be the Lord\u2019s; then pause a moment, and say, \u201cThy vows\n    are upon me, O God; I have opened my mouth unto the Lord, and I\n    cannot draw back.\u201d\n\n    She then concluded this uncommonly solemn meeting with prayer, after\n    singing the following hymn:\n\n    Spirit of holiness descend,\n       And consecrate this place;\n    With thine Almighty power defend,\n       And crown it with thy grace.\n\n    Let it be stored with heavenly wheat,\n       The harvest of the Lord,\n    With sinners brought to Jesu\u2019s feet,\n       Obedient to his word.\n\n    No more design\u2019d for earthly good,\n       Or product of the ground,\n    May it be fill\u2019d with sacred food,\n       And thy high praise resound.\n\n    Ye neighbours who surround this place,\n       The message is for you;\n    Despise not then his offer\u2019d grace,\n       Nor slight the heavenly dew.\n\n    How many pray\u2019rs in heaven are filed\n       For Madeley favor\u2019d flock;\n    Behold a Father reconciled\n       In Jesus Christ your Rock.\n\n    Then let the joys of heaven abound,\n       O\u2019er Sinners brought to God;\n    And many at his feet be found,\n       All wash\u2019d in Jesu\u2019s blood.\n\n    That voice which once you loved to hear\n       Invites you from above,\n    And bids you cast off every fear,\n       And trust in Jesu\u2019s love.\n\n    Then let us vow to serve the Lord,\n       And choose his holy ways;\n    To walk according to his word,\n       Devoted to his praise.\n\n    And when the lips that call you now\n       Are silent in the dust,\n    Remember _then_ our solemn vow,\n       And shew in whom you trust.\n\n    For soon the Archangel\u2019s trump shall sound,\n       And summon us on high;\n    The Shepherd with his Flock be found,\n       And all our tears be dry.\n\nSome circumstances occurring last summer, which brought to her\nrecollection afresh the solemn season of the opening of her room, 27\nyears before, she took the paper I have now been copying, and read it to\nthe people; and there is good reason to believe, that our heavenly Father\nwas pleased to make this also, such a season of refreshing to some then\npresent, that they will ever remember it with gratitude: indeed, all her\nlabours of love were, in a peculiar manner, blest of God.  Six years\nafter the opening of her room, the old church was taken down, and the\nchurch service was performed in it till the new one was erected.\n\nAmongst the numerous company that will have to ascribe glory to our God\nfor good received through her instrumentality, under that roof, I cannot\nforbear saying, my hope is, that I shall stand among the ransomed of the\nLord, and say, \u201cI was born there.\u201d  Yes, my friends, I must say, the good\nLord made her the means of the awakening, conversion, and deepening the\nwork of grace in my soul: and while I give all the glory to my God for\nthe grace received, I cannot but feel much love to the channel through\nwhich that grace was communicated.  Nor are my feelings in this peculiar,\nthey are the feelings of a number of lively souls, who bless God that the\nsound of her voice ever reached their ears; and in whose affections she\nwill long live, and though dead yet speak.\n\nOn the 4th of September, 1808, she was to have had a meeting at six\no\u2019clock in the evening, but was prevented through sickness; she therefore\nwrote, the following note, for me to read to the people:\n\n    _My dearly beloved in the Lord_,\n\n    My delight is to worship the Lord with you, and many, very many,\n    sweet times have we had together; but our unerring master has, at\n    this time, been pleased to confine me by a greater degree of weakness\n    than I ever remember before; therefore, by my pen, through the mouth\n    of my dear friend, I take this method to assure you, I am with you in\n    spirit, though absent in body; and I intreat you all to make trial of\n    the ground whereon you stand: when sickness and death approaches,\n    there is no comfort but in the love of God; I find none but what I\n    derive from that source.  O that you would therefore do as Jacob did,\n    be earnest with the Lord, that his love may fill your heart, as the\n    scripture expresses it, the love of God shed abroad in your hearts by\n    the Holy Ghost, given unto you.  If you get your hearts full of the\n    love of God, you will find that is the oil by which the lamp of faith\n    will be ever kept burning; love makes all our duty easy; a soul\n    united as one spirit to the Lord, if temptation presents, has a ready\n    answer; such a one instantly cries out, How shall I do this great\n    wickedness, and sin against God? against Him in whom my soul\n    delighteth?  Pray, my friends, pray much for this love; and remember\n    that word, \u201cHe that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in\n    him.\u201d\n\nThus did she, whether sick or well, labour for the increase of\nspirituality in the hearts of the people: her eyes were always\nheaven-ward, and whether at home or abroad, she was ever endeavouring to\ndraw souls to a closer walk with God.  She was often reminding us who\nwere about her, of the fulness that was to be obtained.  I shall not\nexceed the; truth, if I say that none more fully possessed the happy art\nof leading souls into a close internal walk with God, than she did; being\nherself so experimentally acquainted with the path of righteousness, she\nwas well qualified to conduct others therein: and as to her own soul, she\nwas continually drinking more and more into the spirit of her Lord.  Her\ncapacious soul was always panting after deeper and deeper draughts of the\nliving water; frequently telling me what sweet openings the Lord had been\ngiving her, and what enjoyment in the filling and enlarging of her\ndesires.  She was ever desirous that souls would be looking for great\nthings from the hands of the Lord; frequently saying, \u201cwhat pity it is\nthat any rest in low attainments, when so much might be gained; has not\nthe Lord said, Ask what you will, and I will do it for you.\u201d  This last\nsentence was one of those sayings of our Divine Master, in which she\ndelighted to the end of her course.  I believe there are numbers who\ncannot forget with what energy she would recommend the wrestling Jacob;\nand whatever duty she enforced upon the minds of others, she was\nexemplary in practising herself.  It was always her custom, unless some\nprovidential call prevented, to go from secret prayer to the class, and\nfrom the class to prayer: thus did she habitually draw fresh supplies of\nlight and life from above; and when the seed was sown, her unwearied\nsupplications followed it.  Indeed she was a great lover of prayer, and\noften continued in that exercise on her knees for such a length of time,\n(white her strength would admit of it,) that I have sometimes gone into\nher chamber to remind her how long she had been, fearing she would injure\nher body; but on such occasions she has sweetly smiled, and said, \u201cI\nshall be none the worse for prayer; come, kneel down by me, let us pray\ntogether.\u201d  At another of these times, she has said, \u201cNo, not leave off\npraying yet; my dear husband used to say, _let me wrestle till I die_.  I\ncan\u2019t leave off yet, but come and join me; great things are promised\nwhere two agree to ask in the name of Jesus.\u201d  Many of these times have\nbecome seasons of peculiar advantage: _my_ soul has cause to praise the\nLord both for her private, social, and public exercises.  A paper\ncontaining some short hints for prayer, which I found in a testament that\nlay by her the last week of her life, I will here insert.  She begins,\nfirst in the morning, by asking permission to throw herself again at the\nfeet of her most gracious loving Saviour, and to praise him for\npreserving her from every evil through the night, and for having brought\nher to another day.  She notes as subjects of praise, a degree of ease,\neye-sight, hearing, the use of her limbs and understanding; and then\nnames, as heads for supplication, the power to walk with God, to take up\nevery cross, and to watch the tongue.\n\n                     _Second time of private prayer_.\n\nIntercession for our relations in England, Switzerland, Aleppo, &c. for\nthe spirit of prayer, light into my state of soul, increase of faith, for\npower never to offend with my tongue, with praise and acts of\nresignation.\n\n                              _Third time_.\n\nFor a _ready_ mind to do all the commands of my God, for deep humility,\nto be brought into the entire region of love, by the baptism of the Holy\nSpirit, that nothing may remain in my soul but pure love alone; for\nfaithfulness in the use of every talent; light and liberty in the\nmeetings, and a special blessing on every member thereof; for the\nchildren, the ministry, and the whole parish.\n\n                              _Fourth time_.\n\nPraise for the mercies of the day, intreaties for a spiritual night; that\nthe Lord would fulfil that promise, \u201cI will bless them that bless thee,\u201d\nfirst, by returning all the kindness they have shewn to me; secondly, by\nrepaying any injuries I may have rendered to any by thought, word, or\ndeed, if on earth by such blessings as are most for their good, if in\nheaven by adding to their crown so much more for what they had suffered\nfrom me.\n\nAfter mentioning these four times of private prayer, she then notices\npraying with me before going to bed; at which time she says, \u201cremember\nall the sufferers who have recommended themselves to my prayer.\u201d  The\npaper concludes with family prayer, of which she says, \u201cat each time of\nfamily prayer, to read with profit, and to pray with fervor.\u201d\n\nI can witness with how much diligence she discharged this duty of family\nprayer, always being remarkably careful that every one who worked in her\nhouse should be present upon this occasion; for she looked upon it as an\nopportunity of giving them a message to their souls: and times more than\nI can number she has had such up stairs, that she might pray with them,\nwhen her breath has been so oppressed that she has said, (while they were\ncoming,) \u201cI do not know whether I can speak a word, but if I can I will.\u201d\nThe last time the washerwoman and the gardener were in her study, her\nprayer will not soon be forgot by the persons present; she was at that\ntime in a state of great bodily suffering, (it was only a few weeks\nbefore her translation to glory,) and was not able both to read and pray;\nI therefore read a short account of a pious man out of the Methodist\nMagazine, and she prayed, mentioning each distinctly in such a clear,\nstriking, and forcible manner, as if fully persuaded she should never\npray with them again.  All was deeply solemn, and I could not help\nobserving, when we rose from our knees, I did not remember ever feeling\nsuch at time before: she answered, \u201cI want them to turn to God; I long\nfor the salvation of all around us.\u201d\n\nThe gardener\u2019s wife has since told me, that when her husband returned\nhome at night, he told her, \u201che never heard any thing like that morning\u2019s\nprayer.\u201d\n\nBut it was not an uncommon thing for her prayers to be unusually blessed\nto souls: many have come from far to see her, that she might plead with\nGod in their behalf; some of these, when they have come to her, have been\nladen with guilt, a heavy load, but our good Lord has heard the voice of\nher supplications, and so manifested himself as a sin-pardoning God, that\nthe mourners have been comforted, their sorrows have been turned into\njoy, and they have left her habitation to go on their way rejoicing.  I\nrefer not in this to a solitary instance, but mention it as a\ncircumstance that was often recurring.\n\nOf her I may say, every talent given was duly improved; for she did not\nspare herself, but her strength, her time, and substance, she cheerfully\ndevoted to the benefit of the souls and bodies of others; and as her\nprayers were very prevalent, so were her charities very extensive.  Upon\nthis subject, before I proceed, I feel it my duty to make one remark: I\nhave heard some persons say, \u201cO she was imposed upon.\u201d  But, as I knew\nher better than any person now alive, I must beg leave to affirm, that\nshe was not the dupe of the designing; her good sense was equal to her\npiety, and her charities were conducted with such a degree of wisdom,\nthat fraudulent cases, in a general way, were detected by her: though,\nwhenever a doubtful case occurred, she would say, \u201cit is better to be on\nthe right side, and to give a trifle to an unworthy object, than run a\nrisk of overlooking one that ought to be relieved.\u201d  Upon such occasions\nno doubt the worthless have sometimes partaken of her bounty, but never\nto any considerable amount.  She was one of a thousand for economy;\nalways sparing of expense upon herself, that she might have the more to\ngive to the household of faith.  She would often say, \u201cGod\u2019s receivers\nupon earth, are, Christ\u2019s church and poor.\u201d  When, I have proposed the\npurchase of some article of clothing for her, she would say, \u201cis it quite\nnecessary? if it is not, do not buy it; it will be much better to give\nthe money to some of our poor neighbours, than to lay it out upon me.\u201d\nNor was this once only; it was invariably her conduct, and with great\ntruth it may be said, that\n\n    \u201cWhat her charity impair\u2019d\n    She saved by prudence in affairs.\u201d\n\nShe was always remarkably exact in setting down every penny she expended.\nShe kept four different accounts, in which all she spent was included;\nthese four were, the house, sundries, clothes, and poor.  We have often\nat the end of the year been astonished to find the house expensed so\nsmall, considering how many had shared with us: at such times, she has\nsaid, \u201cIt is the Lord who has blessed our bread and water.\u201d  I have, in\nformer years, taken up the book in which she kept her accounts, and wept\nover it, with the consideration, that I should one day probably have to\nsettle it alone; and now I have drank of the bitter cup.  A few days ago,\nI entered upon the work; and I think it right, as a confirmation of what\nI have before advanced, to state the difference between the expenses of\nher clothes, and what she had dispensed to the poor.  On making up the\naccount of her clothes, I found the whole year\u2019s expenditure amounted to\nnineteen shillings and six-pence; this was every penny that had been laid\nout; on her own person, for the whole year. {27}\n\nI then made up the poor\u2019s account, and found the amount to be 181l 16s.\n1d thus liberally had she dispensed abroad.  But her desire of\ncommunicating comfort to the afflicted, was very extensive: I do not\nthink she ever heard of a person in distress, but, if in her power to do\nit, she, by some means contrived to send relief.  To comfort the\ndistressed, was always a real comfort to her.  With regard to this\nworld\u2019s wealth, it was no more to her, than dust in the balance.  She has\noften said, and I am sure with great truth, \u201cGold is no more to me than\ndust; the gold of Ophir than the stones of the brook.\u201d  At another time\nshe would say, \u201cIt is not so important what we have, as how we use it.\u201d\nIndeed she was truly diligent, so to occupy with this and every talent,\nas to be always well-pleasing in the sight of the Lord.\n\nHer love to every one was so abundant, that she was unwilling to find a\nfault in any one; but, ever desirous of casting the mantle of love over\nthe failings of each, she would seek out the excellencies of those with\nwhom she was concerned, and would find an excuse for the conduct of any,\nif the case would admit of it.  And while her kindness was thus\nextensively manifested to all with whom she had any intercourse, her\ngratitude to others who shewed marks of love to her, was no less; for\nwhen her kind friends sent her any thing they thought would be\nacceptable, it was her study to think how she could return them an equal\ntoken of love; and if nothing was brought to her mind to do for them at\nthe time, she would say, \u201cWell, if I can do no more for them, I can pray\nfor them:\u201d\u2014then would she fervently cry to the Lord, that he would repay\nthem for her, and impart to them spiritual blessings for all the temporal\ngood they had communicated to her.  I never knew her sit down to partake\nof any thing that was the gift of a friend, without first praying for the\ndonor.  She would have thought herself very guilty to have omitted this,\nbut it was a thing she made such a point of, that I do not think she ever\nforgot, even in one single instance.\n\nAnd while her gratitude to the creature was thus evidently discerned, her\npraise and thanksgiving to the Creator was still more abundant.  Never\nwas any one more completely sensible of surrounding mercies, or more\nfully satisfied with divine appointments.  She has for a long time lived\nin the spirit of praise, frequently saying, \u201cWhat blessings has the Lord\nbestowed upon me! how comfortable has he made me in my old age; though I\nam left here, and my dearly beloved husband, and my Sally, my child, in\nglory, yet I know no lack; for how has the Lord fulfilled that word,\ngiven me so many years ago, _God will make you a comfortable habitation_.\n{30}  And what a comfortable habitation has he made me! all is so\nsuitable, every thing that I want; and such a loving people, I may well\nsay I dwell among my own people: and that the Lord should bring you from\na distance, first to be my spiritual child, and now my careful\nhousekeeper, my tender nurse, my faithful friend.\u201d\n\nThis was the way that in her common conversation she enumerated the\nmercies of the Lord; and as the close of life drew nigh, the spirit of\npraise increased more and more.  Not quite three weeks before she was\ntaken from us, she mentioned to some friends, a dream she had had many\nyears ago.  She dreamt she was going down a rough road, with a short wall\nby the side of it, which she leaned upon, and called the wall of\nsalvation: all the light she had, while getting along with difficulty,\nwas a twinkling star.  She persevered to the end, but then found a\nmud-pond, which when she saw, she thought, well, if this is the way, I\u2019ll\nplunge in; but while she was thinking to do so, in a moment of time, the\ntwinkling star became a bright comet; and by the blazing light it gave,\nshe discovered a clean narrow path by which she was instantly over, she\nhardly knew how.  After our friends were gone, she said to me, \u201cThat\ndreamt came so powerfully to my mind, I could not help repeating it; it\nis being accomplished now.\u201d  Several times after that evening, she said\nto me, \u201cI am going down the rough walk; this illness has been a long and\npainful one, but I lean upon the wall of salvation, and the comet will\ncome.\u201d  She seemed to be assured, from the time this dream was so\nimpressed upon her mind, that in an instant of time she should be removed\nfrom a state of suffering to an inconceivable blaze of glory, that would\nas much outweigh every spiritual enjoyment upon earth, as the comet in\nher sleep outshone the twinkling star.\n\nBefore this last three weeks of her life, in which such a striking\napplication of her dream was made to her, the enemy had at times\nsuggested what a state of suffering lay before her, if at the end of her\naffliction she should be long confined to a sick bed; or it might be that\nI may be so wearied by long fatigue, as not to be able to assist her in\nthat helpless state; and to have had strangers about her would have been\na most peculiar trial.  But out of all this, how soon did the Lord\ndeliver her: indeed the trial never lasted long, for she knew\n\n    \u201cThat as her day, her strength had been,\u201d\n\nand believed,\n\n    \u201cSo it would for ever be.\u201d\n\nOne day, when her sufferings were great, she said, \u201cHow sweet are the\nwords of the Apostle, The sufferings of this life are not worthy to be\ncompared with the glory that shall follow.\u201d  And on the 11th of November\nshe mentioned the divine aid she found in these words, \u201cCall upon me in\nthe time of trouble; so will I hear thee, and thou shalt glorify me:\u201d\nthese were words she frequently mentioned, and sometimes would add, \u201cYes,\nmy Lord, I will call upon thee; and I shall glorify thee too.\u201d\n\nAnother time she said, with peculiar energy, \u201cThey that trust in the\nLord, shall never be confounded.\u201d  And one day, after naming some\nsentences which she felt a spring of pleasure in, she added, with much\nanimation in her countenance, \u201cAnd that given so many years ago now comes\nwith fresh power, _Thou shalt walk with me in white_: and when I\nanswered, how can that be, seeing I am not worthy? it was repeated, but\nthou shalt walk with me in white, for will make thee worthy; I will\nthoroughly purge away thy dross, and take away thy tin; everlasting life\nis won, glory is on earth begun.\u201d {34}\n\nOne night she spake of finding a powerful application of these words, \u201cI\nwill trust, and will not be afraid, for the Lord Jehovah is my strength\nand my song; he also is become my salvation.\u201d\n\nOn the 18th of November, with much animation she often repeated, \u201cI am\nthine, and thou art mine, a bond eternal hath us joined!\u201d  On the 20th,\nshe said, \u201cJust as I was waking, after my first sleep last night, I felt\nthese words come so powerfully, Sufficient is his arm alone, and our\ndefence is sure:\u2014I instantly answered, _our_, what my friend and me? it\nthen seemed spoken again with still greater weight, Sufficient is his arm\nalone, and our defence is sure.  This (continued she) was at the\nbeginning of the night, and a suffering night it has been; but a night in\nwhich I have seen the pleasure of the Lord, and felt his goodness rest\nupon me.\u201d\n\nIndeed, the goodness of the Lord, and the great things that faith will\ndo, were subjects on which she delighted to dwell.  I have often heard\nher say, \u201cThe particular commission the Lord had given her, was to\nencourage souls to believe:\u201d and herein she was greatly blessed to many.\n\nOn the 23d, she many times repeated these words, which she said came to\nher with unusual sweetness in the night,\n\n          My Saviour and King,\n          Thy succour afford,\n          Thy righteousness bring;\n    Thy righteousness wearing, and cleans\u2019d by thy blood,\n    Bold shall I appear in the presence of God.\n\nAll this day she had a great degree of fever upon her, and would\nsometimes say to me, \u201cWhat were the sweet words the Lord gave me last\nnight?\u201d  As soon as I pronounced the first words, \u201cMy Saviour,\u201d she would\ngo on with them, and add, \u201cI feel the power of them, though my head was\nso confused, with this fever, that I could not recollect them.\u201d\n\nShe was always exceedingly affectionate to me; and as it pleased God\nthrough her means, to kindle the first spark of spiritual life in my\nsoul, I ought also to say, that nothing has ever been wanting on her part\nto increase the kindled fire, on the contrary, she was always a helper of\nmy faith, as well as the most indulgent friend: numberless are the times\nshe has expressed her strong attachment _to_, and great affection _for_,\nme.  Never was any thing more expressive, than, on the 6th of December,\nwhile looking on me with a look of the tenderest affection, she said, \u201cMy\nfaithful friend, my dearest friend, ten thousand blessings on her head.\u201d\nSeveral other times, especially in the last week of her life, with eyes\nand hands lifted up to heaven, she would exclaim, \u201cWhat shall I do for my\nfriend?\u201d  She has for years been in the habit of repeating the following\nverse;\n\n    \u201cThy bounteous hand with worldly bliss\n       Has made my cup run o\u2019er;\n    And, in a kind and faithful friend,\n       Has doubled all my store.\u201d\n\nShe would often be crying to God for a blessing upon such and such\nparticular souls; and all her relations, though so far from her in body,\nwere to the last interested in her prayers: she would frequently plead\nwith the Lord, that one day she might meet them all in glory.  Ever after\nDecember begun, she was much inclined to doze, when the cough and the\noppression upon her breath would allow her a degree of ease: this she\nwould complain of, saying, \u201cI lose my time; I want every moment to be\nspent in prayer or praise.\u201d\n\nOne day, I think the 6th of December, when waking out of a doze, she\nsaid, \u201cI am drawing near to glory:\u201d and soon after, \u201cThere is my house\nand portion fair;\u201d and again, \u201cJesus come, my hope of glory:\u201d and, after\na short pause, \u201cHe lifts his hands, and shews that I am graven there.\u201d\n\nOn the 7th of December, taking my hand in her\u2019s, she said, \u201cMy precious,\nmy invaluable friend, I have prayed that light and wisdom may guide you\nin all, in every difficulty, and it will be so, I know it will; my prayer\nfor thee is heard, my choice friend.\u201d  This afternoon Mrs. Harper called\nto see her, but finding her much inclined to doze, she soon left the\nroom: when Mrs. Fletcher opened her eyes, and found she was gone, she\nsaid, \u201cO! she\u2019s gone, without a parting word; I should have taken leave\nof her.\u201d  As Mrs. H. was but just gone, I called her back: she then took\nher by the hand, and said, \u201cMay the Lord be abundantly with you, and your\ndaughter; and I pray for your son too.\u201d  All this day, at every waking\ninterval, she would be saying, \u201cWhat mercies!  Surrounded with mercies!\nhow full of mercies I am!\u201d  All her soul seemed lost in love and praise.\n\nThe day following, the 8th, was as the day before, a day of praise for\nfullness of blessing; after saying, \u201cWhat mercies I am surrounded with!\nthe use of my hands, what a comfort! how different would it be if I was\nnot able to help myself; and with how many this is the case, who have\nillnesses that take away the power of helping themselves with their own\nhands; but I can use mine, and what a mercy!\u201d\u2014then, affectionately\nlooking at me, she continued, \u201cand what a comfort art thou, my choice\nfriend! and the love of Jesus, O how precious!\u201d  Mrs. Perks was this\nevening in the room with her, but she was too heavy to converse; on Mrs.\nPerks going, however, she came quite to herself, and said, \u201cThe Lord\nbless you, your partner, and children.\u201d  Mrs. Perks kindly offered to sit\nup, but she would never hear of any one sitting up with her till (she\nsaid) she felt the need of more help than I could give.  My sister, also,\nwas desirous of being in the room, but this she would not admit of.\n\nAll this day her breathing was exceedingly difficult: in the morning she\nhad walked into the other room, as usual, with only the help of my arm;\nat the middle of the day she wished to go into the chamber again, and I\nled her, as at other times; but she was now weaker, and I could scarcely\nkeep her from falling: I therefore asked her to sit down in a chair,\nwhich she did, and I wheeled her back again: with this she was much\npleased, and said, the exercise had done her good.  At dinner she eat a\nsmall bit of light pudding, with as much appetite as usual, but she had\ntaken very little for some time.  All the afternoon she was extremely\nill, either hot to a great degree, shivering with cold, or very drowsy.\n\nBut through all, her mouth was full of the loving kindness of the Lord.\nShe said she would not go to bed till after ten o\u2019clock.  We always\nprayed together before we went into the chamber, her breath being so\ngreatly oppressed: she prayed very sweetly, but short, and then said,\n\u201cNow you call upon the Lord; I can enjoy your prayer, though not able to\nspeak:\u201d I did so, and found an uncommon degree of liberty while pleading\nthe gracious promises made to the people of God.  When I had ended, she\nsaid it had been to her soul a peculiar time of enjoyment, while I was\ncalling upon the Lord; and concluded saying, \u201cO this has done me good.\u201d\nIn the afternoon, hearing that Dr. Yonge, (who has always shewn her the\ngreatest attention,) was ill, she twice prayed particularly for him.\n\nWhen we were ready to go into the chamber, and it was after ten, I got\nher into the chair, but she was now weaker than at noon; however I\nwheeled her to the bed side, and could not but look upon her as dying;\nand indeed so she considered herself, for when got into bed, she said,\n\u201cMy love, this is the last time I shall get into bed; it has been hard\nwork to get in, but it is work I shall do no more: this oppression upon\nmy breath cannot last long, but all is well; the Lord will shower down\nten thousand blessings upon thee, my tender nurse, my kind friend.\u201d\n\nAfter these and many more kind expressions to the same effect, and having\nembraced her, and put all her things as usual, she desired I would make\nhaste to bed.  I entreated her to let me sit up, repeatedly saying, \u201cDo\nlet me watch with you this one night:\u201d but with all the tenderness\nimaginable, yet with that degree of firmness which made me unwilling to\nurge the request further, she said, \u201cGo to bed; you have done all for me\nyou can do, and you know you can be with me in a moment if I want you;\nbut if you sit up, it will make me uncomfortable: I cannot rest without\nyou go to bed.\u201d  I told her I had a few things to do, before I could get\ninto bed; she replied, \u201cThen make haste and do them, for I want you in\nbed: I cannot rest till I know you are in bed.\u201d  After I had made all the\nexcuses I could for remaining up, and looking upon her dear countenance\nas long as her kind concern for me would admit, she still urged my going\nto bed, and I therefore laid me within the bed-clothes, without taking my\nown off; and when she again put the question, \u201cAre you my love in bed?\u201d I\nanswered \u201cYes:\u201d she then said, \u201cThat\u2019s right, now if I can rest I will;\nbut let our hearts be united in prayer, and the Lord bless both thee and\nme.\u201d\n\nThese were the last words her beloved lips uttered; for an hour after\nthis, about one o\u2019clock in the morning of December 9th, the noise her\nbreath had so long made, ceased.  I thought, is she dropped asleep? it\nimmediately came to my mind, \u201cAsleep in Jesus: see a soul escape to\nbliss.\u201d  I went directly to her bed side, where I found the beloved body\nwithout the immortal spirit, which had entered the realms of endless day.\nMy feelings are not to be described; I clung to the casket of the saint,\nI knelt down by the side of it, and cried to him who had just now called\nhome the spirit of my friend, that the mantle might rest on me.  At\nlength I thought I should injure her dear remains, if I did not call the\nfamily up; I therefore went and called my sister and the servant, at half\npast one; after which I sent for Mrs. Perks, who kindly came over\nimmediately.  I never left the chamber, while any thing could be done for\nher: I had promised to be with her to the last, and the Lord enabled me\nso to do.\n\nHer countenance was as sweet a one as was ever seen in death.  There was\nat last neither sigh, groan, or struggle, but all the appearance of a\nperson in the most composed slumber.  When I first undrew the curtain,\nand saw her dear head dropped off the pillow, and looking so sweetly\ncomposed, I could not persuade myself the spirit was fled, till I took\nher in my arms, and found no motion left.  I then perceived, the moment\nshe had so much longed for, had arrived; for I think I have heard her\nsome hundreds of times exclaim, with the most vehement desire, \u201cO, my\nJesus, when shall I fly to thy arms!\u201d  She was always looking and waiting\nfor the happy moment when she should gain the blissful shore, and\n\n    \u201cSee the Lamb in glory stand,\n    Encircled with his radiant band,\n    And join the angelic pow\u2019rs.\u201d\n\nWell,\n\n    \u201cAll that height of glorious bliss\n    Her everlasting portion is,\n    And all that heaven is her\u2019s.\u201d\n\nFor the last two years of her life she was remarkably partial to the two\nfollowing hymns of Mr. Wesley\u2019s; but as the print of the book they were\nin was small and pale, I wrote them out upon a sheet of paper, which lay\nin a desk by her side, to the last.  These she greatly delighted in,\ncalling them, her sweet hymns.  As they are not in our common hymn books,\nI here insert them.\n\n                               FIRST HYMN.\n\n    AND shall I, Lord, the cup decline,\n    So wisely mixt by Love divine,\n          And tasted first by thee\n    The bitter draught thou drankest up,\n    And but this single, sacred drop,\n          Hast thou reserved for me.\n\n    Lord, I receive it at thy hand,\n    And bear, by thy benign command,\n          The salutary pain:\n    With thee to live, I gladly die\n    And suffer here, above the sky\n          With my dear Lord to reign.\n\n    Here only can I shew my love,\n    By suffering, my obedience prove,\n          And when thy heaven I share,\n    I cannot mourn for Jesu\u2019s sake,\n    I cannot there thy cup partake,\n          I cannot suffer there.\n\n    Full gladly, then, for thee I grieve,\n    The honor of thy cross receive,\n          And bless the happy load;\n    Who would not in thy footsteps tread,\n    Who would not bow with thee his head,\n          And sympathize with God.\n\n                               SECOND HYMN.\n\n    JESUS! thy Sovereign Name I bless!\n    Sorrow is joy, and pain is ease,\n          To those that trust in thee:\n    All things together work for good,\n    To me, the purchase of thy blood,\n          The much-loved sinner, me.\n\n    With thee, O Christ, on earth I reign,\n    In all the awful pomp of pain;\n          But send me piercing eyes,\n    Th\u2019 eternal things unseen to see,\n    The crown of life prepared for me,\n          And glittering in the skies.\n\n    As sure as now thy cross I bear,\n    I shall thy heavenly kingdom share,\n          And take my seat above;\n    Celestial joy is in this pain,\n    It tells me, I with thee shall reign,\n          In everlasting love.\n\n    The more my sufferings here increase,\n    The greater is my future bliss;\n          And thou my griefs dost tell;\n    They in thy book are noted down,\n    A jewel added to my crown\n          Is every pain I feel.\n\n    So be it, then, if thou ordain,\n    Crowd all my happy life with pain,\n          And let me daily die:\n    I bow, and bless the sacred sign,\n    And bear the cross, by grace divine,\n          Which lifts me to the sky.\n\nHaving before mentioned the unwearied love and strong attachment she so\ninvariably manifested towards me, I will here insert a short letter or\ntwo, which she wrote in different years, but each in the season of bodily\naffliction, when, to human appearance, death was nigh at hand.  The first\nwas occasioned by my expressing a wish, if I died at Madeley, that I\nmight be buried in the same grave with her.  After we had been conversing\non the subject, I was called away from her, and on my return found on the\ntable, a paper, on which she had written the following words:\n\n    My dear Friend,\n\n    As you have expressed a wish to be buried in our grave, if you should\n    continue to wish it, I here declare my _desire_ that it should _be\n    so_.  You are to me a faithful helper, and as a gracious gift of\n    providence, I esteem and value you: and my prayer is, that after my\n    death you may meet with the same measure from others, that you have\n    measured unto me.\n\n                                                            MARY FLETCHER.\n\nI think this was written in the year 1802 or 3, but not being dated, am\nnot certain.  The following, I think was in 1806 or 7, but it also has no\ndate.\n\n    My dear and faithful friend,\n\n    I wish to give you comfort, when I am taken from you; and to assure\n    you how great a favor I consider your being given to me, in the place\n    of my dear Sally, now in glory.  It is often said, God takes nothing\n    from us, but he gives something better in the place; and so it has\n    been, for though she was the most disinterested and tender friend,\n    yet, in many things you are a still further help than she was able to\n    be.  Your tender care and attention to me, encourages me to hope, you\n    will never want assistance, nor be left friendless; for the promise\n    is, \u201cwhat you do unto another, shall be done unto you.\u201d  We are\n    joined together in the Lord, and shall therefore be eternally one.\n    My beloved husband and me, my friend Ryan, my Sally, and you, shall\n    be an eternal knot which can never be separated.  You know what\n    proofs I have had that my friends in heaven do not forget me;\n    therefore, believe we are waiting for you, yea, and longing to hail\n    you on the shore.  I might have been far more useful than I have\n    been; but I cast all my sins on my atoning God.  I pray the Spirit\n    may richly be poured on you; and may showers of love and grace\n    descend on the dear people.  You are called to labour _here_, and God\n    will be with you.  I do believe the Lord will answer my prayer, by\n    supplying all your wants.  I wish I could do more for you, but I\n    commend you to him who hath said, \u201cNo manner of thing that is good\n    shall be withheld.\u201d\n\n    Grieve not, my dear, for me.  You shall soon be with me; and perhaps\n    I shall be oftener with you than you think for; the spirits of the\n    departed are very near to us.  \u201cWe are come to them,\u201d says the\n    Apostle.\n\n    The Lord bless and keep you, and return all your kindness a hundred\n    fold, prays your most faithful\n\n                                                       everlasting friend,\n                                                              M. FLETCHER.\n\nAnother of these kind tokens of her love was dated February 11th, 1810,\nat which time it was thought she would very soon be removed from us, but\nthe gracious Lord had compassion upon his people, and spared her to us\nfor above five years longer: and, O! how was every year fraught with the\nfruits of righteousness.  Well, she laboured, and while she did so, kept\nher eye upon the Saviour, whose example\n\n    \u201cShe tracked, the world she disdain\u2019d.\n    And constantly trampled on pleasure and pain.\u201d\n\nBut to return to her kind epistle, written with a view to comfort me in\nthe separation likely to take place:\n\n                                                          Feb. 11th, 1810.\n\n    My very dear child,\n\n    The gracious gift of God to me, how do I feel for you, who I am\n    sensible will feel a great deal in my loss; but I know the Lord will\n    be with you, and count your every hair.  Let not Satan tempt you,\n    that you could have done any thing more for me than you have done;\n    for you have been the most tender creature in the world to me, and a\n    great comfort.  I wish I could have done more for you in a temporal\n    way, but my gracious father, who hath cared for me, will care for\n    you, I am confident.  To his gracious protection, I commit you: we\n    shall be one in spirit, though divided in the flesh.  You may perhaps\n    stay a little behind me, to help the dear souls in Madeley, and I\n    trust the Spirit of the Lord will be poured out on all you are called\n    to do in his cause, and then we shall be again re-united to part no\n    more.\n\n                                            Your faithful friend for ever,\n                                                            MARY FLETCHER.\n\nThe last of these loving remembrances was written two years ago, when the\nwound in her breast was at the worst, and it was supposed she could not\nsurvive more than a few days.\n\n                                                         January 2d, 1814.\n\n    My dearest and best earthly friend,\n\n    I have only strength to say, I ask a thousand blessings on you, both\n    soul and body.  God will stand by you: He will help you through all.\n    I solemnly commit you into his hands, and He is faithful to keep that\n    we commit unto Him.  We shall soon meet above, to part no more.  You\n    have been to me the _best_ of friends, and God will reward you.\n\n    I ever remain,\n\n                                                 One with you in the Lord,\n                                                              M. FLETCHER.\n\nThe last week of her life she wished to have manifested her love again in\nthis way, but writing had long been very fatiguing to her.  However she\nasked me for the paper, but as I knew how difficult it was to her, I\nsaid, \u201cWhat is it you wish to write? let me write for you.\u201d  \u201cNo, (she\nreplied,) it won\u2019t do for you to write what I would say, but I think I am\ntoo weak for writing now: I only wanted to put it down with my own hand,\nbefore I am taken from you, how completely satisfied I am with all that\nyou have done, and how thankful I am that my papers are all in your\nhands, and nothing to be printed but as you approve; and that I am fully\npersuaded whatever trials you may have to pass through, God will be with\nyou.\u201d  She was often telling me how confident she was, that the Lord\nwould make all my way plain before me; and has sometimes said, \u201cIn all\nthe painful circumstances you will have to pass through, your language\nstill will be, The Lord liveth, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be\nthe God of my salvation.\u201d\n\nShe left nothing undone, that the creature could do, to soften the stroke\nof separation.  While she herself stood, as the pigeon on the house-top,\nready\n\n    \u201cTo clap the glad wing, and tower away,\n    To mingle with the blaze of day;\u201d\n\nher longing desire for that hour was frequently expressed by her\nexclaiming; \u201cO! my God, when shall I come to thy dear bosom!\u201d  At another\ntime she would say, \u201cMy Jesus, and my all, I pant to see thee as thou\nart; O come, and take me to thy loving breast.\u201d  But, to write all her\nlively animating expressions, would fill volumes: I must therefore desist\nfrom recording any more of them, and conclude this account (which I have\nmany times wished some abler hand had been the writer of,) by mentioning,\nthat at the beginning of her christian warfare, she saw, as a plan for\nher life, the words of the apostle Paul to Timothy, 1st Epistle, chap. v.\nverse 10: \u201cWell reported of for good works; if she have brought up\nchildren, if she have lodged strangers, if she have washed the saints\u2019\nfeet, if she have relieved the afflicted, if she have diligently followed\nevery good work.\u201d  And here I cannot but appeal to all you who have known\nher, whether her life has not agreed with this description, which she\ntook as a rule for her conduct.  Is she not well reported of for good\nworks? has she not brought up children? has she not lodged strangers? has\nshe not washed the saints\u2019 feet? has she not relieved the afflicted, and\ndiligently followed every good work?  These things you know she has done;\nyea, has she not been abundant therein?  But did she value herself upon\nany of all the works of righteousness she wrought?  No, by no means.  All\nher salvation she ever ascribed to him who had loved her, and washed her\nin his own most precious blood: therefore, with delight she would often\nrepeat,\n\n    \u201cBecause that I can nothing do,\n       Jesus, do all the work alone;\n    And bring my soul triumphant through,\n       To wave its palm before the throne.\u201d\n\nI must now conclude: but not without fervently praying, that the zeal,\ndiligence, love, and humility, with all that faith _in_ and active\ndependence _upon_ the Saviour, that was in her, may dwell richly in each\nof you: and trusting that I also shall be interested in your prayers,\nthat an abundant entrance may be administered unto me into the kingdom of\nour God and Saviour, after that I have for a little longer done and\nsuffered his righteous will; that so I may overtake my company that\u2019s\ngone before, and safely arrive \u201cwhere all the ship\u2019s company meet, who\nsailed with the Saviour beneath.\u201d\n\nWaiting for that happy day,\n\n                                I remain,\n\n        Your affectionate friend, and willing servant, in Christ,\n\n                                                               MARY TOOTH.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\nThe following hymn of Mr. Newton\u2019s, being very expressive and suitable to\nthe occasion, was sung at Madeley, when the above letter was read there.\n\n                                  HYMN.\n\n    IN vain my fancy strives to paint\n       The moment after death;\n    The glories that surround the saints,\n       When yielding up their breath.\n\n    One single sigh their fetters breaks,\n       We scarce can say, \u201cThey\u2019re gone!\u201d\n    Before the willing spirit takes\n       Her mansion near the throne.\n\n    Faith strives, but all its efforts fail,\n       To trace her in her flight:\n    No eye can pierce within the veil\n       Which hides that world of light.\n\n    Thus much (and this is all) we know,\n       They are completely blest;\n    Have done with sin, and care, and woe,\n       And with their Saviour rest.\n\n    On harps of gold they praise his name,\n       His face they always view;\n    Then let us followers be of them,\n       That we may praise him too.\n\n    Their faith and patience, love and zeal,\n       Should make their memory dear;\n    And, Lord, do thou the prayers fulfil,\n       They offer\u2019d for us here.\n\n    While they have gain\u2019d, we losers are,\n       We miss them day by day;\n    But thou canst every breach repair,\n       And wipe our tears away.\n\n    We pray, as in Elisha\u2019s case,\n       When great Elijah went,\n    May double portions of thy grace,\n       To us who stay, be sent.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\n                                * * * * *\n\n                  PRINTED BY WILLIAM SMITH, IRONBRIDGE.\n\n\n\n\nFOOTNOTES.\n\n\n{27}  I do not mean it to be understood, as though she never spent more\nthan this in a year; but this I must say, it was very seldom that her\nclothes account exceeded five pounds per year, and in general it was\nunder that sum: she saw it a duty not only to avoid expending much in\nthis way, but was also very careful in the use of her clothes.\n\n{30}  This refers to a dream which will be published when her life and\njournals come out.\n\n{34}  This also has a reference to what will be more fully seen when her\nlife is published.","title":"A Letter to the Loving and Beloved People of the Parish of Madeley, and Its Vicinity, Who Have Lost a Friend to Piety in the Death of Mrs. Fletcher, Widow of the Rev. J. W. Fletcher, (or de la Flechere,) Late Vicar of Madeley, Shropshire.","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":9940}