One more bit of Thomas Lewis

Again loosely translated

His first wife was a Miss Harris, from Wales. They had several children, many of whom died in infancy. In the year 1765 he buried his wife and three of his children. That was a devastating blow to sustain in just a few weeks. His second wife was Miss Wallis, who outlived him. They had ten children, but only three survived him.

The chapel was being extended for the fourth time when its minister died. Francis composed an elegy on his deathbed to his friend who had died just before him, the seraphic Samuel Pearce, of Birmingham. Francis was a very pious man. Thomas Flint says that shortly before he died he said

“O how glad I am to belong to Christ. I love his name, his ordinances, his people, his servants, his service, and his praise; and I do not expect to go to hell. No, the kingdom of Satan is not for me. I cannot blaspheme God; I cannot unite with evil men and be among them; I cannot have anything to do with such, with pleasure, but rather I want to love and praise my dear Jesus. If I'm not owned by the Lord” he said “I do not know to whom I can go!”

He had his Welsh Bible with him in the bed; he read Psalm 23 in the Bible, clutched it to his bosom, then said, “Surely goodness and mercy will follow me, etc”. He was buried in the chapel at Shortwood, December 20th, 1779. It was Dr. Ryland who came at the end of the week and delivered the funeral sermon, which was printed.