- M
rsFrye
Now comes the breaking up of the Winter— The Snow melting off from the
surface of the ground makes the Streets almost impassable. I attended
the morning service at the Presbyterian Church, and heard Mr Smith
from Matthew 17.21. “Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and
fasting.” I was unable to give much attention to the discourse— It was
communion day at St. John’s and Mrs Frye
attended, and was afterwards here a few minutes; but did not stay to
dine— After dinner at St. John’s Mr Hawley
read prayers for the first Sunday in Lent, and preached from Isaiah
30.25. “And there shall be upon every high mountain, and upon every high
hill, rivers and streams of waters in the day of the great slaughter,
when the towers fall. 26. Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the
light of the Sun, and the light of the Sun shall be sevenfold as the
light of seven days, in the day that the Lord bindeth up the breach of
his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound.” I read the 11th. Sermon of Dr Bancroft on the extent
of the reformation in the 16th. Century, and
the 12th. on the partial character of the
reformation as it respects doctrines. And I read a few pages of William Sullivans Moral
Class-book—but my thoughts were wandering to other subjects, till I
wrote a Sonnet to be inscribed in Mrs Lay’s Biblical keepsake;
which her husband last Monday put in
my hands requesting me to present it to her, after writing something in
it— The day before Aaron Ward at the
request of James Sheridan
Knowles, had requested me to write my name and Lines, in
the Album of Miss Emma
Elphinston a young English Lady, which I did— The fashion
of keeping Albums, and the passion for autographs, has become an
absolute annoyance to me— And having once written nonsense in rhyme in
one of these books, I have continued the practice to this day— I keep
copies of these effusions, and sicken at the reperusal of them— It is
more easy to write nonsense in prose.