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Fletcher of Madeley by Brigadier Margaret Allen
page 22 of 127 (17%)
Not content, as many are, with consciousness of sins forgiven,
Fletcher at once began to plead that God would take fullest possession
of his heart, and grant to him a deeper experience of His love. While
lying upon his face in earnest prayer the Saviour strangely manifested
Himself to his eye of faith, and it was revealed to him that Jesus had
wondrously become his soul's inmost life, abiding in him to conquer
sin.

This completely changed his spiritual position. The blessed
realisation that in Christ he could triumph over sin and keep the
world beneath his feet, filled him with a glad sense of freedom. He
resolved that nothing should prevent him from experiencing this to the
full: he gave all his leisure to prayer and meditation, living on
vegetables, bread, milk and water, that he might be able to save time
from the long courses of dinner, many a day lunching in the garden
from a piece of bread and a few bunches of currants; also making it a
rule to do without sleep two nights of each week in order to pray.

This extremely rigid rule of life was a mistake. Lack of proper rest
and food at this period undoubtedly laid the foundation of his
subsequent delicacy. Most men attend to the cravings of the body to
the expense of the lightly-fed soul; all his life Fletcher gave less
heed to physical needs than his not-too-robust frame required, and he
paid the penalty.

As a natural gift, Fletcher possessed a very sweet and gentle spirit.
Companionship with Christ grafted upon this an unusual humility, as
simple as it was sincere. An instance of this is found in the fact
that when the clergyman of Atcham Church (which Fletcher attended
while at Tern Hall) invited adults who required instruction to join
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