A Testimony from the Monthly Meeting of Marsden in Lancashire concerning Lucy Ecroyd -~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Our Friend Lucy Ecroyd was Daughter of James & Ann Bradley of Bromyard in Herefordshire and Wife of John Ecroyd of Edgend in the County of Lancaster, by a short account she left in writing of the Dealings of the Lord with her, in the early part of her Life, she was Mercifully visited with the Manifestation of Divine Grace whilst very young, also the tender care of an Affectionate Parent who watched over her Children for good, was Blessed in her in an eminent Manner. The Wholesome Advice she was frequently concerned to administer made deep and awful Impressions on her Mind, Tho she was soon deprived of this great Blessing, her Mother dying when she was about thirteen Years of Age, after which being exposed to Unprofitable Company, she found the Truth of the Apostles Assertion that evil Communications corrupt good Manners, for she was thereby drawn into Vanity, more leavened into the Spirit of this World, and too much addicted to its fading Enjoyments In this time of forgetfulness and Departure from her first Love she met with many close inward Trials, and outward Disappointments, finding no Rest to her wearied Soul, till passing thro Judgment, by which Lion must be Redeemed, (and enduring many lone Conflicts, her Feet were again Mercifully turned into the way of Peace)it then became her Concern agreeable to the Injunction of her Lord and Master, to seek first the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness, and all Things Necessary were Bountifully added. About the nineteenth year of her Age, her Mouth was first opened in Publick Testimony, she was an Acceptable Minister of Christ our Lord, and adorned her Doctrine by a Conduct agreeable thereto, being a good Example in Word, in Conversation, in Charity, in Spirit, in Faith, and in Purity, fruitful in good Works, and filled with the fervent Love of the Brethren, Kindly affectionate to all, she was diligent in visiting and nearly Sympathizing with those under Affliction, Ministering to their Necessities by Advice or otherwise as Occasion offered, was tenderly concerned to encourage the least Appearance of Good in any, yet Zealous in the Cause of Truth. Mourning over those who disregarded its Precepts She travelled much (for her time) in the Work of the Ministry, visited most Counties in this Nation divers Times over, paid one general Visit thro Ireland, was twice in Wales, in all which her labour of Love was well received, and being carefully concerned to keep under the holy Hand, which put her forth, she was kept in the right line, conducted therein with safety thro her Service, and was favourd with the Reward of Peace in her own Bosom In the latter part of her Life when in Health, she frequently intimated a Persuasion that her Race was nigh over, expressing a fervent Desire that thro divine Mercy, she might be enabled by patient Continuance in well doing to hold out to the End Thus she retained her Integrity to the Close of Life, ever preferring The Welfare of Zion above her Chiefest Joy In her last Illness which continued about eleven Days she spoke little, but her Patience under such great Countenance and Deportment, clearly evinced she had whilst Sense remained Access to the Place where Prayer was wont to be made She Departed This Life yr 26th and was solemnly Interred in Friends Burying Ground the 30th Day of the 12 month 1766 in the forty second Year of her Age
Copy of a Letter from Sophia Hume to a Friend
My Dear Friend,
Tis but a few Days since I received thy kind and very acceptable Letter dated 13th of the 12th mo which came to hand after a very singular and remarkable Manner, an Inhabitant of this Place a Friends Son having been to South Carolina in his way from thence, took it up with some others on a Bank, or store, if I remember right near Carolina, they being as conjectured thrown overboard by some Vessel pursued by an Enemy, but whether in a conveyance to Carolina or from thence to this City, I have not been able to inform myself however I am pleased to receive it, tho in a torn and ragged yet legible form, and should gladly have received my Daughter also in the same Condition, but it is no small Satisfaction to me to hear by thee of her Welfare, as well as thine and Thy dear Familys. Thou hast my dear Friend nearly engaged me to thee on account of thy kind and Sympathizing Concern for my Preservation and Protection by the good Hand of our God, whose Mercies are extended over all his Works, as well as what I am certain we are both nearly interested in, Viz, The Cause and Honour of our great Master, and the real Good and Happiness of Mankind Universally. The Affinity and Union of Spirits on this Score, I witnessed soon after my Happy Acquaintance with thee, and the time now occurs to me, wherein after I had one Day made thee a Visit, not a Ceremonious one such as are commonly made by the World, but one wherein I was edified and Consolated in my Spirit, arising from I then Thought a Sympathy of soul which seemed to tend both one Way, & is to our great Centre Good, upon my return Home and revolving in my Mind something on this Occasion, I felt a secret joy and Pleasure in thy Friendships and I loved thee, not so much for my own Sake, as for The Sake of our dear Lord This pleasing Reflection causes Tears of Joy to flow plentifully from my Eyes, this unity of Spirit, in the Bond of Peace and Love, flowing from essential Love itself, even from God, for truly our Fellowship is with the Father, and the Son (Jesus Christ) a Stranger neither knows nor can Intermeddle. Tis the commerce and Union of souls. Thoust sensible my Friend, that only deserves or can justly Claim the tender and Significant Title and Name of Friendship, for the Christians indeed love all Mankind, and are so far Friends to all, as we ardently desire and Pray for their Eternal Happiness and would Contribute all in our Power to promote this as well as their Temporal Felicity. Yet the Sacred and Expressive Name of Friendship belongs only to those, whose Souls are United by this Holy Cement. The Love of God, for tho there may be in Persons all the Requisites to form, beget, and continue a Common and Selfish Affection and Friendship vis a Similitude in Natural Tempers and Dispositions, Sympathies and Antipathies, Affections and Aversions yet where This holy Attraction and Sacred Bond is wanting. The Friendship is defective, cold, incompleat, and insipid And now dear Friend I must tell Thee, as I before informed thee, that Thy Conjectures were not without Foundation when thou was Sensible That a Concern Superior to Worldly Interest, which indeed had little or no Share in my Voyage, engaged me to quit so desirable a Situation (in such a hazardous and perilous Juncture) wherein I thought myself happy in the Enjoyment and company of many valuable Friends, with whom I had frequent and glorious Opportunities of going up to the House, or into the Presence of God, in sweet Company and Fellowship, where the Divine and desirable Communion of the Heavenly Bread and New Wine of the Kingdom has been often broken, handed, and dispensed, to my hungering and Thirsting Soul, both immediately from the Divine Hand, from whom every good and perfect Gift cometh, as Instrumentally from Gods Ministers, for which Favour and Loving Kindness of the Lord to my Soul, I have been made often and truly thankful ~ This Happy Exquisitely happy as far one engaged in the Christians Warfare can be, in the Enjoyment in some Degree of the Favours of the Almighty, (and under the Consideration that my Engagement was under the Conduct and Direction of the Captain of my Salvation who has never been overcome in Battle) which was and is better to me than Life, when a Concern I had often had for the Inhabitants of my Native Country revived in my Soul for their Eternal Happiness, where I was to return and abase myself by reporting what God had done for my Soul, and to Call them from those Things which I had been by the great Love and Power of God Redeemed from This Discovery of the Divine Will gave me the greatest Uneasiness I think I ever felt. The greatest Cross I had ever yet to bear, which I long reasoned against, and implored the Almighty if it was his Will to remove the Burden time would fail me to recount The various Consultations of Flesh and Blood, The Difficulties, Dangers, and Inconveniences it reduced me to, and laid in my Way thro this hard and trying Dispensation. at Length all Obstacles were removed by the Hand of Power, and nothing now remained a Block in my Way, but my own unwillingness to become a Fool, to go and abase myself in my Native Country where I had long lived in Pride and Exaltation of Mind, and Forgetfulness of God my Creator and Preserver, and I fain would have compounded with the Almighty, if tho but a Worm, pleaded greatly to be excused, Oh that it might be granted me to live all my Days in obscurity, Sequestered from all Worldly Enjoyments, to weep Day and Night for the Slain Sons and Daughters of my Native Land. I could have been content to have lived as a Sparrow alone on the House top, and have sat in Silence and gone softly all my Days for Their Sakes, but this was not the Divine Will concerning me The Word was gone forth Obey my Voice and was not to return empty and void but I was shewn that Obedience was better than even This Sacrifice which was not prepared of God, and to hearken to his Voice in this Command, Than any Offering I could offer in my own Will, for none but those of his own ordaining and preparing can possibly be acceptable to him. Thus in the Day of Gods Power, and by the Assistance of his Divine Hand I was enabled to run thro a Troop of reasoning, and by the Strength of my God have I leaped over the Wall of Opposition in my own Breast And as I before informed thee, I found it my Place and Duty to keep Meetings with those few that profess with me and at first met with some rude and Uncivil Treatment, yet we enjoyed our Meetings, The remaining Time I tarried there in pretty great Quietude, and some of the Inhabitants of the Town would now and then come and sit with us, to whom my Mouth was sometimes opened in rehearsing what God had done to my Soul, and in the Course of my Continuance here a Concern was laid on my Mind, to write a short Account of the Dealings of the Lord to bring me to himself, with an Exhortation to the Inhabitants which Pamphlet as I could not conveniently get it Printed in Carolina, in the Time I purposed to stay there, I have brought to Philadelphia in order to get it Printed here, where I am told I can get it better and more expeditiously done, the Conveyance from hence being short and easy I Hope to send it soon, this Affair and the Want of a suitable Opportunity will detain me I believe Six Weeks longer from my Children and Friends I have dispensed many Books in South Carolina, which were by some acceptably & thankfully received, as well as those I have distributed in my Journey from thence to Pennsylvania by Land in a Course of between 8 & 900 miles, wherein the Goodness of the Almighty was very conspicuous in preserving me thro many & to me unusual Difficulties and Streights, for which Mercy as well as innumerable others, my Soul renders to his Protecting Goodness, unfeigned Thanksgiving & high Praises, defering the Particulars of this Undertaking till I am Conducted by the same merciful Hand to my Friends & Family the time I am limited to obliges me to draw to a Conclusion, remaining in true Gospel Love
Thy real and affectionate Friend
1749 Sophia Hume
Dear Friend Warrington 4th moth 2nd 1757
Daniel Stanton
I Salute thee and thy Dear Children, in that Love which is stronger than Death, and which spreading over Sea and Land, and freely Circulating through every part of the Family, makes Truly one in the Unity of one Heart and Spirit. This Holy Union towards Thee and Thine, I have often Strongly felt since I saw you, and methought the warmth of my Heart was so strongly renewed this Morning, that I could scarce forbear some little Expression of it, which I hope wont be Unacceptable. I well know the Integrity of thy Heart, and am no Stranger to its pain for the Promotion of that Salvation of whose cup thou hast drank the present Times are proving, and the United helps of all the World is no more to lean on than a broken Staff or a Reed which pierces the Hand, I see and feel it as a Confirmed Truth, and that even amongst the seemingly right-concerned, little trust or Confidence can be placed, if Words, shew and Profession could rectify the Temple of God, there would be many Builders in Times of such defection what manner of help is Sufficient to keep us, and Strengthen us for War. But that Everlasting Arm of Power which is, and has been Sufficient and hath oftentimes Magnified itself for the poor of the flock, the Antient Guide of the Faithful Servants which hath made their goings Beautiful with Shoes and directed them in the Sanctuary of their god, that being Stedfastly Zealous, and Jealous for the Name of God, they may be preserved from intemperate heat on one hand, and excited with proper Concern to avoid Negligence on the other. And when the Bishop and Shepherd appears may receive a Crown which Fadeth not away. This dear Friend is my earnest Desire for thee, myself, and the anointed of our God the World over The distress of your Country affects me, I seem to feel it, tho I hear not much of it, for I have not to this date received one line from Philadelphia or Pennsylvania since I left the Country except one Letter from honest Phebe Brown, if my Labour and Message may be profitably remembered, I am not Concerned for Marks of regard to myself, I thank my Master I sought his Honour and not my own, and it is now my Peace the same Affectionate Regard I bear your Worthy Father reaches to you also, Dear Abigail and Sally. I am sensible of his strong desires for you, and of the most Merciful reaches of the Hand of your Fathers God, for your sure and Everlasting help. I have thought my Spirit has been so affected of late about Abby as if something particular had fallen to her Lot, perhaps Sickness or some Affliction, if such should be the Case I trust Infinite Wisdom and Infinite Protection will still accompany her to make hard things easy and bitter Things sweet Painful is the Case when the Bloom of Youth is Marred, and its Joys Diminished, or destroyed by Sickness But who shall say, what dost thou, he metes out all the Waters of Affliction in the Hollow of his Hand, and Sanctifies them, however bitter they shall not swallow up, or destroy the least Child in his Family May his Hand be reverently sought, and it is not to be doubted he will cause all things to work together for good Thus Dear Friends both Father and Children, in the hidden Sympathy of the one Family and the Virtue and Power of the Everlasting Root which hath bore all the Generations of the Just I affectionately Salute you and remain your true Friend
Samuel Fothergill
My dear Wife, and Samuel Emlen who hath been my Lodger about two Months joining me in the same Salutation PS I have sent thee two small Books
Warrington 10th 11th mo 1759
Let not my Dear Friend Daniel Stanton suppose my Friendship for him is worn out I remember Thee often, and with tender Affection, as a Brother in the Fellowship of the Gospel hope, and of its Afflictions, in the Sense where of I nearly Salute Thee, and Pray the Preserver of Men evermore to keep Thee as upon that Rock of all the Righteous Generations which have stood all the shocks of Time; And the Inhabitants thereof Shout for Joy Dear Friend the longer I live the more I feel the Necessity of the renewing of the Holy Ghost, for the Sanctification of our own Vessels, and the true discharge of our Ministry in the Name of the Lord, and not in our own, That the Meekness of the Lamb may cover our Hearts, and when raised in the Authority of our Master, our own Spirits may not get up, and kindle a fire. He maketh his Angels Spirits, And his Ministers a Flame of Fire, is a most Certain Truth in This Day, and in the pouring forth of his Spirit on his Servants, all Flesh is abased, and become as nothing. The Depths utter their Voice to the depths and They hear and rejoice in the sound of the Voice. They know, and if Thy habitation be there, at Times remember the Eloi, Eloi Lama Sabachthani of our Holy High Priest, and that the Servant is not above his Lord. May the Meekness of Wisdom, The Simplicity of the depending Child, the Innocence of the Dove more and more unite in our Characters. Then all Things will be of, and to the Praise of God. My Wife Joins me in the Salutation of Dear Love to Thyself and Daughters, Thy unfeigned Constant Friend
Samuel Fothergill
