Moravian Lives @ Moravian U

1

Lydia Halley was Born at Spen near little
Gimersal, ye 16^th of April 1724 where She lived with
her Parents. till She thought it woud be proper to
Leave them and go to Service in some family, for that
suited her inclination the most; She being of a brisk and
Lively Disposick^ion After haveing Lived thus some Years
She returned again to her parents, were She Stayed till
Mr. Ingham began to preach, She went to hear ^him & after
Some time became alittle Consornd about her Salvation
So She Continued till ye Soci^ety way begun to be keept in
her Fathers House, She was one of ye first Members
there of where ye Breⁿ came. She desierd to be joind to
with ye rest of ye Soci^etys to be under their love & Care;
but her heart & Mind not being free from Other
intangelments. She coud not come to ye Right Enjoyme^nt
of what she was conviⁿced She wanted this render & her
her Course of Leading heavy and troublesom

When ye S^r lived in ye Oconemy at Clecketon, She
Visited them sometimes, and often told them She cou'd
Like very well to live with them, after some time
ye S^r Removed from Clecketon to Tyrsal Hall, where She
also on ye 11^th of july 51 had ye favour to be one of
their family, this ples'd her very much, soon after She
began to grow Sickley, and Continued some time in
a lingering way, when ye Chappel in Gummesall was
Concecrated, She went there, and being not well and ye
Weather Weak, She got a Voilent Cold, which threw
her into a fiver, but She recoverd and grew better
in ye mean time She got a desier, and Longing to become
a Member of ye Congregation which was granted to
her, ye year following on ye 3^d of May for w^hich She was
Very thankfull to our Savior, & Lookd upon it as a
real Grace and favour bestowd upon her

2

As to her Disposichion, She was very Close &
always kept her matters quite to her^self Speaking of
them to no one exept ye S^r Who had ye Care of ye
Oconemy, by which Means She Lost that right enjoy
ment and fellowship, which She might have injoyed,
had She been more free & Open hearted, however
our dear Saviour had a faithfull Eye over her, and
often Came near her heart to see when he Coud reach
his time with her in makeing her intier
so ^he Led her from step to Step, just as a tender Nurse
Cares for her Child

On ye 13^th of August 1751 She became a Candidate
for ye Sacrament, When ye S^r Removed into ye
Choir hous She Came along with them, and has ever
since been very Sickley, so that ^it has often been thought
She Woud go home, tho it was never Clear to
her, for She aways thought of recovering again

Dec^ber ye 17^th 53 She was Confirmed
and, on Jan^ry ye 16 She for firsd time partkook of ye
holy Sacrament for which She had Long'd very
much, it proved a Lasting blessing to her, tho
She never expressd much in Words, yet ye desier
of her heart after his Marter'd Corpess by Each
enjoyment was very perseptable

At ye Conclution of this Year when She was spoke
with ^for ye Sacrament, She expressd her Self in Sick a perti-
cular ^manner Concerning her heart as She never had done before
O Said She I know and feel very, for why our
Saviour permits me to Suffer so much in this body
it is becose he means it well with me, had I my
Healt and was well, very Likely I shoud have not
remaind in that Conextion, with him and his Congre
gation

At this ye facstion was put to her; why not as well
in Sickness health as in Sickness? then Said She nobody

3

nobody Knows what I feel & ye Grife I have
Concorneing my Br When I see the Steps, he has
taken; this Gave her deep Concorne, and made her
Shed many tears, so that She Coud Scarcely
be pacefied

She has within this half Year been much better
in health, then She has been for some time, She
Wounderd some times about it, that She felt no
more such great pain in her Limb as a foretimes

June ye 8^th She Spoke with much tenderness what
our dear Saviour had done for her Since She
had been in ye Congregation, what Love and
faithfullness he had shewn to her, in perticuler
that he had made he a pertaker of his Corpes
& Blood in ye holy Sacrament, for which She
again felt a great Loning and desier, to be again
a New refrechd on her dear and Marterd
Spouse, which She again enjoid on ye 10^th of
this Month When She with the rest of her Choir
had ye happyness Sacramently to dye into
immortalloty, at which She Coud not help express
ing in words what her heart had there enjoid
wile on ye Corpess reclineing of him her Lover
thus She Conclueded this happy day, it being
ye Last time of her enjoying ye Sacrament here
below

The day following She felt great pains Comeing
on her again, which Continued to grow worse &
worse, we sent for brother Planta, he made use
of all means passable, as he hath always done for
this several years past, She for a little Wile
found Ease, but her Disorder being of such a
Nature that ^all Mean which Coud be found proved
inafectual

She then Satisfied her Self as much as possable, but
On account of ye extrem Great pain she felt in her

4

head, she often thought she shou'd Lose her
senses on which acont she was very much troubled
as Long as she cou'd still go About, she thought
it made her not feel her Pains so much, as she shoud
if She took to her bead

the 25, She was Seized with fits on which
acount we perswaded her not to go about any
more, but to take to her bead, to which She
Consented, her Memory was soon very much weakend
by which we thought her time woud not be long
her father & Mother & S^r Came to see her, when
She heard it she seemd to be glad, tho' She was
not Sensible to Speak with any body

June ye 30 one Could plainly percive a great
Change in her She began to belive that her hour of
of rele^ase was nigh at hand, in a very prity manner
She then began to Sing with her Stammering
Voice Several Verses She Continued thus ye Whole
After Noon, and a midsd other things She often
Said I long very much to be with our Saviour
O if it might but soon be, on being Askd by a S^r
if She did not belive our Saviour woud soon fetch
her home, at this She was for a wile Silent, then Said
she yes yes on ye Sabbath day, which Acordingly
happend after haveing Sufferd hard pains
her everlasting Bridegroom took her over into
his Armes and Bosom happily with the blessing
of her hole Choir betwen twelve and one a Clock in
the Morning, Under those words, to kiss and inly
greet, the prints in hands & feet

on july ye 9^th 1757 in ye 34 year of her age