Moravian Lives

The Course of life of the S; Sr Sarah Skelton who departed to our
Savr May 3d 1778 in the Srrs House at Fulneck. She has left the
following account of herself.
I was born at Robert Town in the parish of Burstoll; Yorkshire
and baptiz'd in the Ch: of Eng: in my 5th year my Mother departed this
life; my Father being left with 5 small Children, sent me to live with one
of my relations; and remov'd himself with the rest of the family to Pudsey:
in about a year after, he took me home again; that I might have the oppor-
-tunity with the rest of the Childn to go to the meetings at Fulneck, which I
did with great pleasure for a time. when I was about 10 Years old, I begun to
love the things of this world and forgot in a great measure what I had heard
of our Savr in the meetings. I then left my Father, and went to service: which
indeed prov'd hurtfull  hurtful to me being led by others into very bad things, and following
at the same time my own evil inclinations but my faithfull  faithful Saviour kept a gracious
eye over me, and let me feel, that if I went on in this way, I shou'd be last for-
-ever. My Mrs with whom I liv'd, did not like me to go to the meetings, but
intreating her one day very earnestly, she gave me leave, I then went to my Father
and laid my case before him, and told him, I cou'd live there no longer, desiring
him to take me home again, which he did: I then cou'd go to the meetings at Fulneck
of which I was very glad in my 13th Yrr I was recd into the G: Girls Choir
and from that time our Savr begun a new work of grace in my heart, he let
me feel what a poor lost creature I was by nature. I wept for grace, and wanted
to be his intirely  entirely, I soon got a strong desire to go and live with the Srs but durut[?]
not make it known, thinking I was too bad; but when I cou'd conceal it no longer
I ventur'd to tell my Father, he gave me no encouragement at all: but as I cou'd
not give it up, I spoke to my Labouress about it, who promis'd not to forget me
as it was a good while before I got leave to go, and I was weak and unsteady in
myself; the things of this world took again hold of me, and prov'd a temptation to
me in many respects but my dear Savr never left me, but let me feel I was not
right, and causd me to be very uneasy about my poor Soul, so that I cou'd do
nothing but pray him to make out the way for my escape, from the many un[???] and
temptations which laid were in my way. March 25th 1770 I obtain'd leave to go and live