Mercy Carter (1716-1771)
- Name:
- Mercy Carter
- First name:
- Mercy
- Last name:
- Carter
- Birth date:
- 1716-03-29
- Birth place:
-
Greetland, Hallifax Parish
- Death date:
- 1771-01-04
- Death place:
-
Wyke
- Gender:
- Female
- ML ID:
-
mlper000575
Memoir:
- Archive: Fulneck Archives
- Shelfmark: MemFul Ful/3/48
Mercy Carter was born on March 29, 1716, at Greetland in Halifax Parish, and after years of seeking spiritual peace, found rest in 1739 through a sermon by Brother Boehler that manifested the Savior's suffering in Gethsemane to her heart. Received into the Fulneck congregation in 1759, she served as a respected member of the Helpers' Conference, known for visiting the sick and relieving the poor with quiet, maternal devotion. She died on January 4, 1771, in her fifty-fifth year, departing with the blessing of the church and the tender farewell of her family.
View Transcription of Memoir
1
Ful/3/48
Occurrences in Wike Congn for the Month of Jan. 1771.
The 4th our dear Sr Mercy Carter went to our Saviour. Of her
Course thro' this World the following is to be observed:
She was born at Greetland in Hallifax Parish March 29th
1716, and brought up in the established Church. Her Parents depar=
ting this Life when she was very Young, and they being at the same
Time but Low in the World, she was cared for by the Town to which
she belongd. And tho' she was in the midst of the World in her 19th
and 20th Years, yet she could not be brought in the comon sinful
Track thereof, partly owing to an invisible Hand of Preservation
from our Savr, and partly to Stirrings and Convictions she had
in her Heart from her earliest Remembrance. This Spark which
lay in her Soul from a Child, was fed and nourish'd by the Testi=
mony she heard of Mr Ingham and Mr Dellamot of the free Grace
in Jesus Blood and Death. And being very Anxious and Restless
for the Forgiveness of her Sins and true Life out of Jesus in her
Heart, she followed the Course and Track peculiar to those Times,
in hearing the Preaching of the Gospel; But her poor Soul never
found Deliverance and Peace, [inserted above line: till] in the Year 1739, [inserted above line: when] she once heard
our dear Br Boehler, during which our dear Savr manifested
himself to her, so as he sweated Bloody in the Garden of
Gethsemane on her Account; This not only gave her Ease and
Peace, but Life and Love. In 1745 a Society of the Brn
was settled at Greetland, to which she belongd from the Beginning.
In 1746 she was married to the present Widower. When the Brn
removed from Newhouse, she and her Husband moved with
our Br Jeremy Carter into the same in order to be nearer the
Congn, into which she was received at Fulneck May 12th 1759
and the following Year in Septr 3d she with her Husband enjoyd
the holy Comunion for the first time with the Congn. Their
Marriage has been blessd with 4 Childrn, 1 is already with the
Lord, and 1 Son and 1 Daughter are in the respective Choir=
Houses at Fulneck, for which she was inexpressibly thankful
to our dear Lord.
2
She being an approved of solid Sister, and as such respected by
our People, she was accordingly made use of as a Helper in
a Band; and when the late Helpers Conference was settled,
she became a Member thereof. Our late Sister had a peculiar
Talent for visiting her Sisters, and contriving to relieve the
Needy and those in Distress. When in the dayly Course of
her House Affairs, she got an impulse to visit this or the
other Sister, either confined by Sickness, or wherever she felt it
was necessary, she acquainted her Husband with her Intention
and recommended herself to him for that Purpose; and he
during her Absence would sigh to our Savr in her behalf,
that his Aim with her Visiting might be answered; And
when in the Evening she related to him of what had occurred,
they both rejoiced together, that our dear Lord had heard the
Sighs of the one and blessed the weak Endeavours of the
other.
Whenever one of our Sisters was in external Need,
she used to go about among the heartiest Sisters, and pro=
pose to make a Collection for the Relief of such a one;
in which she always succeeded, and as for her own Part
in such a Case, her left hand did not know what her right
Hand did.
Thro' her very maternal and loving Way, peculiar to
herself, she gaind the Affection of such Childrn who were not
her own, but [inserted above line: being] about her, in such a Manner, that they would
scarcely be seperated from her; And Where ever she could
invent any thing to be helpful to them, wether it related to
internal or external Matters, in order to secure them for
our Savr, she left no Stone unturned. And as a Proof
that our dear Lord was with her in this Respect, she
has left Fruits behind her now in the single Sisters House
at Fulneck.
The heaviest
3
The heaviest Circumstances which she experienced during
her Course of Grace, happened about a Year and a half ago,
when her eldest Son turning quite from our Savr and the
Inclinations and Convictions he had in his Heart, when among
the Boys; So that the Steps he then took caused [inserted above line: her] much Grief
and trouble. And altho' she became comforted by our Savr
upon that head, that she could leave the Issue to his merciful
Heart, yet her sickly Tabernacle received such a Shock thereby,
that we are inclined to think it rather proved a Furtherance
to her Dissolution. About 4 Month ago she uttered the first
Apprehension that she should not be here long, for she said to
her Husband when coming from the married Festival last
Sept: This will be the last married Festival I shall celebrate!
an old Breast Complaint which was renewd by getting repeated
Colds and a bad State of Blood, were seemingly the Cause of
her going to our Savr. About 2 Month ago she was the
last time here at the h. Comunion, and tho' exceeding weak
yet very much rejoiced to be once more together with her
Brn and Srs on so Solemn an Occasion: for she was a very
constant attender of all the Meetings. The nearer she
drew to her End, the more Childlike she became, and used to express
herself thus: I want to be nothing else than my Saviours little
Child! She was always much pleased and comforted when
she was visited, especially by her Band Sisters. After our
last Comunion Br and Sr Zander brough her her Share,
after which she had longd much, and which she enjoyd
with great Eagerness together with her Husband. She being
once asked how she was and felt in her Heart? she answered:
My Heart is happy, I am my Savrs little Child, He shall
do with me what he pleases! On the 4th instant Br
Zander calld there, and finding her remarkably altered,
told her, that she would soon be with her Redeemer; she
4
answered: that's well, I have nothing to plead but his
precious Blood and Righteousness. Having sung a few
verses with her, and telling her that she departed [inserted above line: to our dearest Lord] with the
entire Blessing of his Church below, and she sitting by the Fire
side, she bowed down her Head in order to have it imparted
to her; This being done, there was such a feeling of our
dear Savrs Presence, that none present could refrain from
shedding Tears. And tho' there was not an immediate
Appearance of her going directly, yet after having taken
leave of her Childrn and those she had been like a Mother
to, she laid down, and in about 4 Hours after, her happy
Soul took its Flight into the Wounds of Jesus.