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Title
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Benjamin Sheard (1715-1774)
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Creator
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Sheard, Benjamin, 1715-1774
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Publisher
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Moravian Lives Project
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Date
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1774
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Type
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Text
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Format
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image/jpg
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Description
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This memoir recounts the life of Benjamin Sheard (1715–1774), a Moravian brother raised in a Presbyterian family who spent part of his youth pursuing worldly pleasures before experiencing a religious awakening through the preaching of Benjamin Ingham and the Moravian Brethren. Written partly in his own words and later completed by others, the account describes his struggles with sin, repeated spiritual failures, and eventual peace and belonging within the Moravian congregation at Fulneck, where he and his wife were received in 1750. He became known as a humble, devoted, and respected member of the congregation, deeply attached to Christ and active in church life despite years of suffering from asthma. The memoir ends by describing his patient resignation during his final illness and his peaceful death in 1774 at age 58.
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Subject
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Sheard, Benjamin, 1715-1774
Moravians--Biography
Autobiographies
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Identifier
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Ful/3/07
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Place
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Fulneck, England
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Language
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eng
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Extent
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3 pages
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Rights Holder
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Fulneck Moravian Archives, Fulneck, UK
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transcript of
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(reading version)
The life of Brother Benjamin Sheard, who has wrote the following of himself.
I was born in Littletown in the Parish of Birstal on November 30th, 1715. My parents being Presbyterians, I was baptized and brought up in the same religion; when I was about 16 years of age, my corruption got the mastery over me, and let me in to all manner of amusements as singing and dancing and the pleasures of this world, which I pursued with my whole heart for 3 years, which was a great grief to my parents; they admonished me many times to leave of this ways, but all was to no purpose for I found I could not help my self. In April 1734, I was married with my wife at Birstal Church. In 1738, I had some conversation with a man who told me how he had been awakened, and what distress he had been in and had our Saviour had delivered him; he lent me a book to read, called the Young Man’s Guide, upon which I begun to read, and to pray and to reform my life, but the happy change did not last long, but I fell soon in to my old course again until the year 1739, when Mister Ingham begun to preach and settled societies. I went to hear him, but I felt such a condemnation in my heart thinking my day of grace was past and that there was no mercy for me. In this situation I remained for some time, but at last our Saviour gave me a gracious look and refreshed my poor heart. In this happy feeling I went on for some time; I got more and more acquainted with the Brethren, which proved a great blessing to my heart, but when I began to think well of myself I lost that happy feeling and became dry in my heart, but my dear Saviour showed me my deviation and I crept to Him as a sinner. On March 2nd, 1750, my wife and I had the grace and favour to be received in to the congregation at Fulneck, which was a real blessing for my poor heart; there I felt that our dear Saviour watched in the midst of His congregation, and that I was one of His family; sometimes I wept on account of my faults and wants and sometimes my heart near melted with mercy and forgiveness. In our married state our Saviour has blessed us with 12 children, 6 sons and 6 Daughters, all are gone before me except 2 daughters, who are under the care of the congregation; with my wife I have lived happy and agreeable. So far his own writings.
He partook of the Lord’s Supper the first time with the congregation on September 19th, 1750. He became an acolyth of the Brethren’s Church in August 1767, and he was one of our Committee Brethren. He was much beloved by his Brethren and Sisters and by his neighbours as a man of God; he had a tender heart to our dear Saviour and took share in the weal and was of the congregation. And he was little and mean in his own eyes; he has been troubled with an asthmatic disorder for several years, which he bore with great patience. He was however able to follow his business and come to the chapel until a few weeks before his end; he was cheerfully resigned to his dear Saviour on the 5th of September. Brother Hauptman had a very cheerful and loving conversation with him about being ready, and without fear, when our dear Lord calls, one but no one did think that his end was so near, for on the 7th in the afternoon he got permission to leave his mortal tent in the 59th year of his age.
