The Autobiography of a Cornish Smuggler: (Captain Harry Carter, of Prussia Cove) 1749-1809Carter, Harry
History
The Autobiography of a Cornish Smuggler: (Captain Harry Carter, of Prussia Cove) 1749-1809
Carter, Harry
Carter, Harry, 1749-1829; Smuggling -- Great Britain -- History
So I thought he paid me a very great compliment. I thanked him, and when
the time come, that dear woman took me to the _meeting_ house and put me
in a place to sit down. So after they had sung and prayed, the precher
gave an exhortation, and I thought all to me, so that I was a little
comfarted; and after the meeting was ended, the dear woman took me by
the hand, as I was half blind, and lead me home to her own house; and
the good glasar, her husband, lead me on board, with a strict charge not
to fail coming to see them to-morrow. So I gladly accepted of the
invitation, and when I came there she had brought one of the class
leaders and a good old woman to meet me, who gave me great encouragement
to seek the Lord. My eye still getting worse, and as I could not get
leeches as I used to do at home, applyed to a doctor, and he cutt the
small blood-vessels of the apple of my eye, and so lett the blood out.
So as the ship was going to Baltimore to load, I thought if I went in
her I should be in danger to lose the sight of one eye if not both, as
both was much afected. So, then, I concluded to stay there, where I
attended all the ordinance; some place to go to every night. And I think
it was aboute the 1 of May when I was asked if I would have a note of
admittance to meet in class. I thought it to be the greatest compliment
I ever received in all my life, and gladly accepted it; so that when the
leader asked my name, as he took me in surprize, I said "Harry." He
said, "Is that your sir name?" I said, "Yes." Then he asked, "What is
your Christian name?" I said, "Henry." So the people called me, sume
Mr. Harry and sume Capt^{n.} Harry, as the sailors I come with me _caled
me_ Capt^{n.} Harry; so that in the course of a very little time I got
more acquaintance with them dear people. I could see afterwards I was
hungering and thirsting after righteousness, but sometimes in hope of
mercy, othertimes allmoste ready to give up all. I used to walk out of
town every morning in sume solitary place to myself to read and pray;
and I know since that time if I wanted to know when the clock struck
twelve in order to go home, that the family should not wait for me for
dinner--I did hardely know much better when the clock had done striking
no more than when it begun--I had not the time to count two, for all my
soul was in a blaze of prayer. I think in the beginning of May, Doctor
Cook[35] come there to hold confarence. I wished to make myself known
unto him, but was afraid, as at that time I know very little aboute the
methodists--afraid of the shaking of a leaf. And for all[36] I was so
highly favoured with so much helps and means I could form no idea of
justifying faith. Sometimes I thought I should here as a man's voice to
speak unto me, other times think to see something with my bodily eyes,
other times think as if my body should be changed. I have thought many
times that there never was one so ignorant as I was in the ways of
salvation.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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