|
|
Facts and Events
Obituary
- "The Virginia Religious Magazine", September/October 1805, Pages 312-315
- OBITUARY
- The following is an account of the last illness and death of Mrs. Anne Leech, who died June 13th 1805.
- A VIOLENT fever had prevailed in the family, from which her husband had not long recovered before she was siezed with the same. Sitting at table in company with her mother, she expressed her suspicions that she was about to take the fever, and observed that if she did in her present condition she had no expectations of a recovery, and added, that if it was the will of God, she was willing to die. Her mother mentioned such considerations as were calculated to make life desirable, such as the loss her husband and child would sustain by her death. She persisted in saying that it was the will of God that she should die, she was not only weined from the world, but willing to die.
- Her suspicions of the approach of the disorder were well founded. It seized her and increased with great violence. On the 6th of June I visited her. She appeared to suffer much. I enquired whether she expected that God was about to remove her to eternity by the present dispensation. She replied, that she thought she could not live much longer, and it it was the will of God to remove her, she would not wish to stay one moment, and added, what is it that keeps me here. O I long to be gone, to be free from this body of sin and death, this clog of clay. Surely there is nothing in this vain world so inviting, there is nothing here deserves my joys, there is nothing like my God: but I must be resigned, I must wait God's time. I asked if she was willing to part with all her friends, O yes, she replied, (looking round on a number of her friends that were collected) I can chearfully leave you all, I can resign you all to God should I not be willing to leave you all to go to heaven? O I long to be there. Being asked why she so earnestly desired to go to heaven, she answered, because God my maker and my blessed savior is there. I shall be like him, for I shall see him as he is, and spend an eternity in his praise. O that the happy moment was come when I shall go to this region of peace and holiness, when I shall be free from this woful burden, this body of sin and death and this vain world; it is vanity, it is less than vanity. What is all the world to me now? Her mother asked her if she was entirely willing to leave all her friends, she replied as she had done before. Seeing her mother in tears, she said dear mother I wish you would not grieve. If you were as glad as I am you could not. I must leave my dear innocent babe (here for a moment she melted into tears, her lips trembled; but resuming a chearful countenance she said) I can resign him to God. He will take care of him. I asked what was the foundation of her hopes, she answered, she hoped to go to heaven, because Jesus had suffered and obeyed in the room and stead of sinners, and that she saw that he was able and willing to save, and just suited to save such a helpless sinner as she was. Being told that she was greatly favored, that many of God's people did not experience sensible comfort at death, and many poor sinners died unprepared, with the horrors of an eternal hell in prospect, and to have the light of God's countenance in death was an unspeakable blessing. O she replied, is it not an unspeakable blessing that ever I was brought to see that I was a lost sinner, and stood in need of salvation through the merits of Christ.
- She was told that if she should go to heaven she would have better company than her friends here, that where the Savior was all his followers should be, and her companions would be angels and holy beings. She again expressed ardent desires to depart. O, said the, I hope to meet some of my dear friends there, I hope to meet my dear father there, O how I long to see him. (Her father had died some years before) My dear friends do not grieve to see me die, you ought rather to rejoice do not wish to keep me, I long to go. Has the blessed Savior died to purchase heaven for sinners, and should I not be willing to die to go to heaven? She was then asked, whether death had no terrors. No she replied, O that death would cut the brittle thread and release me from this wearisome burden, this body of sin and death. (O death, where is thy sting; O grave, where is thy victory) Being told that the exercise of her mind appeared fimilar to that of the Psalmist, when he said, (Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no ill, for thou wilt be with me, and thy rod and staff shall comfort me). She then repeated the four first verses of the 23d Psalm, and said, O how true do I find this to be. She also repeated the 3d verse of the 51st Psalm, 2d part, Doctor Watts' version,
- No blood of goats nor heifers slain,
- For sin could e'er atone;
- The death of Christ shall still remain,
- Suffieicent and alone.
- She was delirious in the evening. The next day she had the exercise of reason, but was too weak to talk much. She requested that her child might be brought home, which had for some time been at the house of a friend. When brought, she fixed her eyes on it with the most expressive tenderness, as well as uttering words the most expressive of maternal affection. She parted with it by saying, farewell my dear, I am going away. One of her sisters about to return home, came to take leave of her, she seeing her in tears, said with a cheerful contenance, dear sister do not grieve, I may recover; or if not, you know we will meet again. The next day she requested to be raised us, as she had something to say. When raised and supported by her husband, she said she had come through a long season of darkness and distress but had not obtained deliverance by a strong belief of her interest in the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ. Being asked if she felt resigned to live if it was the devine will; she replied, the ordinances of Christ's church have been delightful to me If it is his will I would love to enjoy another sweet communion season on earth. Being told, that if she went to heaven she would sit down at a table that would never be drawn. She replied I am resigned either to live of die; she again seemed desirous of going to eternity. I will wait and suffer if it is his will, but O that it was his will to remove me. What am I doing here in this vain world! but I must wait God's time. I asked her if she had any commands to leave respecting her child, she replied no, I have wholly devoted him to God; I did that when he was baptized. I have nothing to command or request concerning him, I leave him in the hands of a faithful God. He has promised to be a God to his people and a God to their feed, I can now trust in his faithfulness; I now experience that God is a faithful God. After this she was frequently delirious and too weak to converse. Perceiving that she enjoyed a lucid interval, I asked her if she still retained a comfortable assurance of future happiness; with a low voice and a motion of her head, she answered in the affirmative.
- She appeared to be dying for twenty-four hours before her final departure, at length was taken off without a struggle or groan."
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 .
|
|
