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and Substance <hi rend="underline"><add>Friends</add></hi> in the Time of the great Persecution,
in <placename>France</placename>, under <persname>Lewis the 14</persname><hi rend="superscript"><persname>th</persname></hi><persname>.</persname> for the Sake of the Lord
Jesus; So She and several Others, having left their own
Country, and <sic>travelld</sic>  <corr>traveld</corr> from one Kingdom to another, at
last came into this Part of the World, where my Grand-
-mother and another [illegible] <add>Family of <unclear>Jesus</unclear></add> took up their abode; and
these Two were alone [illegible] <add>and</add> could converse with no
Body, for the People of the Place spoke Dutch, where my
Father learnt the Dutch Language and was afterwards
Lecturer, Cantor and Schoolmaster to the Reformd Con-
-gregation there, and the formentiond Person with his <add>Family Man</add>
Wife and Children with my Grandmother had their
Meetings, where they read prayd and sung in the French
Language in my Fathers House.
<gap></gap>In the Year <date>1707</date>, my Father married a second
Wife, which was a <add>great</add> Grief to my dear Grandmother,
who returnd me back to my Father, and after She had
given me her Blessing, and with many Tears re-
-commended me to God, She removed to <placename>New York</placename>,
to live with her Niece, which She brought from <placename>France</placename>
along with Her. <gap></gap>O how very miserable were now my 

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Days. what my Grandmother used to tell me of was
now no more mentiond: But the Lord gave me many
a Scripture Word out of the Bible, which I could not re-
-ceive, yet I found that I was admonishd by them to put
my Hope in God, which was an Easement to my Heart.
In all my Distress, I could not tell my Trouble and Grief
to my Father. He did not see much of it, for he had a great
School and a very bad Wife, who gave him all Manner
of Uneasiness. My Father brought Himself and his Chil
-dren into Misery, and none but the Lord could help us out
of it.
<gap></gap>The Time I was under my very hard Stepmother was
10 Years; in this Time of my Affliction, the Lord gave me
in my Heart a sure Confidence, that in due Season He 
would help Me. <gap></gap>In the Year <date>1717.</date> I took Leave of my Fa-
-ther, and He gave Me his Blessing, I set off on my Journey
to <placename>New York</placename>. I set off with the Captain and his Negro, and
no Woman with Us; the Pressure of my Heart was great, then
I cried to the Lord, and I tho<hi rend="superscript">t</hi>. on Jacobs fleeing from his Bro
-ther Esau, and how God blest Him: And I tho<hi rend="superscript">t</hi>. if the Lord
would keep Me and be a Father to Me, then would I love him
and fear him all my Life long: And I made a Covenant