The Power of Faith: Exemplified In The Life And Writings Of The Late Mrs. Isabella Graham.Graham, Isabella
Religion
The Power of Faith: Exemplified In The Life And Writings Of The Late Mrs. Isabella Graham.
Graham, Isabella
Christian biography; Graham, Isabella, 1742-1814
"Alas, alas, and is there no help--no preventive? Yes, there is.
Behold the angelic band; hail, ye virtuous daughters; worthy of your
virtuous mothers, come forward and tread in their steps. Snatch these
little ones from the whirling vortex; bring them to a place of safety;
teach them to know their Father, God: tell them of their Saviour's
love; lead them through the history of his life; mark to them the
example he set, the precepts he recorded for their observance, and the
promises for their comfort. And by teaching them to read, enable them
to retrace all your instructions when their eyes see you no more.
"My dear young ladies, the sacrifice you have made shall most
assuredly meet its reward: but like your mothers, you will experience
much painful banter, you will be styled school-madams. Let it pass;
suffer it quietly; when your scheme begins to ripen and the fruits
appear, who shall be able to withhold their praise? Only be steadfast,
draw not back and justify the prophecies of many.
"A great general, in ancient times, in search of glory, landed
his troops on the hostile coast, and then burnt all his ships: they
must conquer, or die. You have, ladies, already embarked in this
design; there is no remaining neuter now; your name and undertaking
are in every mouth; you must press forward and justify your cause: and
justified it shall be, if you persevere; it cannot be otherwise. The
benevolence you contemplate is as superior to that already in
operation, as the interest of the soul is to that of the body; and it
is your own--the very scheme originated in a young mind in this
company. The society were contemplating mercenary agents, schools for
pay, and one is already established.
"But this labor of love; who could have hoped for it? A society
of _young ladies,_ in rank the first in the city, in the very bloom
of life, and full of its prospects, engaged in those pleasures and
amusements which generally engross the mind, and shut out every idea
unconnected with self, coming forward and offering--what? not their
purses, that were _trash;_ but their own personal services to
instruct the ignorant, and become the saviors of many of their sex.
It is indeed a new thing, and more strange in this age of dissipation
than that institution from which it sprung. May this too become the
darling of Providence. May God put his seal upon this also. May he
bless and prosper you in this undertaking, bless you, and make you
a blessing."
We next have her wrestling supplications for the revival of God's
work in the church with which she was connected.
"FEBRUARY 21, 1804.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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