.300043.4000728

Savior. My Parents & friends were much con-
-cerned on my account, being apprehensive, <emotion>I
should become melancholy.</emotion> They endeavor'd by
gentle & severe means to reclaim me, and to
rouse my Spirits; but the world & its pleasures
were become a burden to me, & I only wished
to be able to find <hi rend="underline">one</hi> person, to whom I could
unburthen my mind. I got indeed acquainted
with some awakened Souls: but as they were in
a similar legal way, & my Parents had forbid
me all <sic>connexion</sic>  <corr>connection</corr> with them, it was of no Com-
-fort to me. Reading in the Bible proved often
a blessing to me, but was productive of no abiding
[?], because the important point of becoming
a poor sinner was still a mystery to me. My
Parents were much concerned at my still and
reserved behavior, they wished to have me honora
-bly settled in the world: but I found no freedom
to accept of any of the frequent proposals of
marriage made to me, however good & religious,
once, <emotion>when I was much distressed to know the
will of God in this respect,</emotion> I opened the Bible,
and reviewed these words: "I will betroth thee unto
"me forever: yea I will betroth thee unto me in 
"righteousness, Hosea 2.19" upon which I could joy-
-fully refuse every proposal of this kind & devote