Wesley Corpus

came to see her. He asked, “Do you know me?” She said, ‘No, you all appear to me like Blackamoors.” “But do not you know my voice?’ ‘No; I know no one's voice, except Molly L--’s.’ “Do you pray God to help you?’ ‘No, I can’t pray. God will never help me. I belong to the devil; and he will have me: He will take me, body and soul, on Monday.’ ‘Would you have me pray for you?” “No indeed : For when people pray, he torments me worse than ever. In her fits she was first convulsed all over, seeming in an agony of pain, and screaming terribly. Then she began cursing, swearing, and blaspheming in the most horrid manner. Then she burst into vehement fits of laughter; then sunk down as dead. All this time she was quite senseless; I50 REv. J. WESLEY’s [Oct. 1763. then she fetched a deep sigh, and recovered her sense and understanding, but was so weak that she could not speak to be heard, unless you put your ear almost close to her mouth. “When Mr. W. began praying, she began screaming, so that a mob quickly gathered about the house. However, he prayed on, till the convulsions and screaming ceased, and she came to her senses much sooner than usual. What most surprised us was, that she continued in her senses, and soon after began to pray herself. “On Sunday evening Mr. W. came again, asked her many questions, pressed her to call upon God for power to believe, and then prayed with her. She then began to pray again, and continued in her senses longer than she had dome for a month before; but still insisted, the devil would come the next day, between two and three, and take her away. “She begged me to sit up with her that night, which I willingly did. About four in the morning, she burst out into a flood of tears, crying, ‘What shall I do? What shall I do? I cannot stand this day. This day I shall be lost. I went to prayer with her, and exhorted her to pray for faith, and her agony ceased. “About half-hour after ten, ten of us came together, as we had agreed the day before.