NOTE. THE following MEMOIR of Mrs GOODAL is printed, we believe, for the first time, from a MS. in the Library of the Faculty of Advocates. It is designed, along with other Female Biographies already printed, to exhibit the stedfastness with which all classes adhered to principle, and endured affliction on its account, during the times to which the Narrative refers. The MS. is quoted by Dr M'Crie, in his edition of the MEMOIRS OF GEORGE BRYSSON, as fixing certain dates, and is valuable, not merely on that account, but as illustrating, by another instance, the process by which men are prepared to endure the great fight of afflictions, by which the holiest are often the most severely tried, when great principles are about to be established, or re-asserted in the world. MEMOIR OF MRS GOODAL. 7 ERE, I declare, I do believe my lost estate in Adam, I find myself so polluted in my miserable condition, wherein I find myself all over, in my understanding, and will, and affections, in an estate of estrangedness from God. His holy law, which is given to me to be my rule to walk by-it is my judge, I cannot obey it; I am summoned to the bar of God's justice, and there I stand sentenced and condemned by God and my own conscience. This did not appear to me so dangerous an estate as indeed it was, (though I was born and brought up in the place where I had occasion to have the benefite of the preaching of the gospell in power and purity,) untill the year 1677, the Lord discovered my lost estate to me. I saw nothing but wrath and displeasure from the Lord; and that which I thought should have (as I thought) given me relief, it increased my sorrow. I found no comfort in the use of any means, either publick or privat. When I went to the Lord to seek relief, I durst not say any thing but,'O! lost, lost; O! if there were mercy for an hypocrite! and, when I was thus tossed, I thought I was a reprobat destined to damnation, so that I needed not to seek 2 H VOL. II. salvation through Jesus Christ, for there was no mercy for me, (though I knew he had abundance of mercy for all the sins of the elect;) thus I continued under this case more nor [than] a quarter of a year. It came to that, after a moneth, that I could not endure it. I went to a minister, and told him my sad condition with a heavy heart. He (it was Mr Archibald Hamilton, minister of Ardmagh in Ireland) instructed me, and what course I should take, he told me; and gave good ground from the word of God, that I, finding myself a lost sinner, had a right to lay hold on Jesus Christ, and that purchased redemption which he had provided for sinners, for he came to seek and to save that which was lost. That which he thought should have yeelded me comfort, it did aggravat my trouble, for I thought it did not belong to me. When he saw that nothing could prevail, he gave me an advice, to begin at the Psalms of David, and read from that to the Revelation; he assured me, before I had done, I should find ground of hope, for the Spirit of God wrought with the word. 1 I took his counsel; I did begin at the Psalms; I read with grief and torment, because I durst not apply the promise; I was destitute of any sensible comfort, from any airth, untill the 15th day of June 1677, a day never to be forgotten. I was reading in Isaiah the fiftie-fourth chapter; when I did begin my heart did warm, and when I read the 4th verse, I found it was to me, and when I did read the 5th verse, Thy Maker is thy husband; the Lord of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; the God of the whole earth shall he be called, 6th verse, For the Lord hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God, 7th verse, For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee, 8th verse, In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer. 9th verse, For this is as the waters of Noah unto me: for as I have sworn 1 Quarter. that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee, 10th verse, For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee, this Scripture did swallow me up: I knew not what to do; it answered all my objections, it took away all my fear. I was not able to bear the weight of love that the Lord did manifest to me. O! the height; O! the depth; O! the length, and the breadth, of that eternall love wherewith he loved his own before the world was. I embraced Jesus Christ for my Saviour upon his own tearms, to be my king, priest, and prophet. I gave myself away to him to be his for ever. I found a sensible change. I mourned over my sins, because Christ laid down his life for me; then that Scripture was made out to me, They shall look upon me, whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him as one that mourneth for his only son, (Zechar. xii. 10.) O! love that laid down his life for me. I have no ground to fear or doubt, for he hath sealed me with the Spirit of promise. I do believe that the Spirit, speaking with the word, is as sure a way, and is as certainly the Lord's way of dealing with his people under the gospell, as his speaking to Moses, and giving him the law upon Mount Sinai. O! blessed law-maker, he set it before me to let me see my lost estate. O! blessed law-keeper, he has payed the debt, and answered all that justice can seek or require of me; he has sent me to the law to be my rule-the law sends me to Christ to make use of him. O! blessed Jesus, he has taken away the curse of the law. O! sweet law, it's the joy of my heart, it lets me see I have continual need to make use of Christ. After this discoverie of the Lord's love to me, I lived under the sensible impression of the love of Christ, his ordinances were sweet, I sat down under his shadow, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. I must make mention of three communion dayes the Lord |