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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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Untitled Article
can any one have , under such apprehen - sions , to put pen to paper ? Being one day in the road which leads from this town to Wolverhampton , Stafford , 8 zc . in the midst of this road , on the top of the hill , 1 found a shilling . \ It is natural at such a time to look for
more , which I did , but in a ^ superfkial manner . The next day my occasions leading me that way , I found another shilling . I then concluded there must have b ^ en money lost in that place ,
which I carefully examined , but found no more . 1 he next day , fceing the la . st Sabbath in the month , there was a sore of vestry or parish-meeting " , at the castle church , which I was obliged , though with a very uneasy mind , to attend
upon . Amongst other case ? , there was a very poor man that applied for relief . It was answered by some present— " He docs not come to church at the Castlechurch . " " What church then ? " says the bailifF . cc To the church at the
bridge , " it was answered : ( this is what the } ' call the Baptist rneetisg-hou . se . ) [ Here the on ^ inal letter is torn , but it appears from what may be collected , that the leading persons in the vestry insisted on It that the Baptists should maintain their own poor , and that the poor old man was dismissed , with orders never
to apply to them any more for relief . It appears , moreover , from this torn part of the paper , that Mr . Sing had frequent occasion to go over the bill toji > , as mentioned above , and that he always found one shilling and no more , on wLich he began to think that there was something very uncommon and peculiar in it . l
The next week going that way and finding another shilling , I was exceedingly surprised , and 50 carried out in transport , wonder ar . d joy , that I thought it happy afterwards that " none but the Father was with me . " For if ever 1 experienced what the " si insanimus" ( pardon me , dear Sir ) meant , it was then * .
However from that time , I was fully persuaded in my own breast , that the money was handed to . me in some extraordinary manner ; and that whensoever 1 , came there 1 should find a shilling and no other piece , at that time ; and that it would remain invisible to others p ; . ssir » g that way ; and lastly , that all this money ought to be laid out in the * I presume the Witetf-refers'to those our elves , it io to God . *'
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self-same pieces in charitable u , $ e % and the whole tio be kept a secret . Accordingly , I never went that way but I found a shilling , and looked for no more at that time . I observed people , passing and repassing , to go over i £ . I disclosed no part of this affair , and always applied
the money to the best uses . But to bring it to an issue . After eleven weeks continuance , wherein to the best ; of my remembrance ( for I little expected a demand of this nature , and was not careful to register ) I found thirteen pieces of money . Being obliged to attend Kidderminster market , one Thursday , I had
a servant with me to assist me in taking the mare which pastured in some lancjs on the other side this hill , I saw the shilling at some little distance—haired , and put the servant before me—picked up the shilling , and very inadvertently placed it with the rest of my money , and very foolishly pa . id it away for goods bousrht of * Mr . Walker of
kidderminster . For what reasons he seemed to scruple that very piece I cannot tell . I told him that it was good—that I had it where I had several more—that though T came easily I came honestly by it ; and , like a very silly person , gave him too much light into the affair . He had
no sooner put up the money than my heart smote me ; I saw my error in parting with the piece ; but had no power to ask for it again , but stood , as we say like one planet-struck—came all the way home with an heavy Jieart , believing I bhbuld find no more : which fell out
accordingly . Thus , Sir , I have given you the history , without the omission of any tning very material that 1 know of , and believe that you are disappointed in your expectations . Common fame , generally setting forth things of this nature much more strange than they really were . A- history I call i :, of what kind I cannot tell . Let
others place it where they please , amongst the miracula ^ or mlranda * or even amongst the contingentia * 'Tis all alike to . me , so they do not call it a romantic history , and put it on the same footing with the
Popish legends . Rut fuppose they should do so , who can blame them , since the whole depends on one single testimony and that human , and from a person frail , mean , and obscure . But the day shall declare it , and I can wait . Only 1 would words of Saint Paul , " If we are bpsifc
Untitled Article
356 Original Letter of Mr . John Sing ' s .
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), July 2, 1809, page 356, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1738/page/2/
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