On my return to this family, I found my
benefactress as much engaged in religion as
before j and her conversation and example

** ** DigilizeabyVjUU^lt:



4$ THE LIFE OF THE

$oon revived, in me, my former desires
and resolutions. About this time, also« a
Presbyterian minister had obtained a settle-
ment in the county of Cumberland, conti*
guous to Albemarle, and preached, once
in four weeks, within four miles of my
lodgings. This afforded me better helps
for religious improvement, than ever I had
before. Nor did I neglect tbem. I con*
stantly attended all the sermons, and fre-
quently had the pleasure of the mimster's
company and conversation, at our house,
and also at other houses in the ^ttlement*
He was not, indeed, the best of men, nor
was he a good preacher-^yet i gained con«
sider2d)le advantages by him, as, by his
means, I was brought to an acquaintance
with a number of very excellent books,
written by men of the greatest eminence
for learning and piety, such as Baxter,
Watts, Doddrige, Young, &c. These I
read with pleasui* and profit. The preach-
ing of the gospel had also some good ef-
fects on several in the neighbourhood;
and increased the number of rcligioijj,
friends^ which I consider as another ad"*
vatftfcLge to me. With these I frequently
conversed to our mutual edification. And
as I neglected none of the public ordinan-
ces of religion and means c^ct^cc, and



REV. DEVEREUX JARRATT. 4r

my moral character was irreproachable, I
wa^ received and held as a Christian by all
the professing people in the different coun-
ties where I was known. I believe, indeed,
I had true religion then, as far as it went-^
but was subject to continual doubts, whe*
ther to draw the happy conclusion in my
'lavorornot. At times I felt comfortable
*— but soon sunk in doubts and fears* The
^take was of great value, and we can never
make too sure of the prize — but a too hasty
conclusion, or a decision not well founded,
mi^ht be attended with fatal consequences.
