Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 19.djvu/371

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page needs to be proofread.

CORRESPONDENCE 353 and labors. Hence she has for years manifested a growing interest in religious education and, with other periodicals which advocate this cause, she manifested a great fondness for the Mothers' Journal. But she is done with her earthly labors and I doubt not but she is now reaping the rewards of those who come up out of great tribulation, although hers was not a martyr's death. But in her last illness her Christian character shone resplendent. From the first day of her illness she expressed doubts of her recovery and frequently conversed freely respecting the interests of religion in Oregon City, and especially in her own family. On Wednesday she called her three children who had arrived at years of understanding, one by one, into her room and urged upon them the necessity of immediately attending to their souls' salvation and obtained a solemn promise from each one of them that they would imme- diately seek for pardon through a crucified Redeemer. On Friday morning, about four, she discovered that she was fail- ing and asked me if I thought she was dying. I told her she was evidently failing and unless some favorable change soon took place she could not live long. She imtmediately called her family, said she must once more recommend the religion of Jesus and give them all the parting kiss. They were called up and came in. She counseled us all, gave us the parting kiss and again obtained the promise from our son, 19, and our daughters, 14 and 11 years of age, that they would imme- diately seek the salvation of their souls. About this time she said, "Oh, how unfaithful I have lived ! Would to God that I could be instrumental of doing more in my death than I have in my life!" She continued in the agonies of death from about half-past four till five minutes past eleven, yet in the exercise of her reason and able to converse at intervals till within a few mioments of her last. If she lived a Christian, she emphatically died a Christian and a soldier of the Cross. Death seemed to be disarmed of his terrors. She seemed to have her feet planted firmly on the Rock of Ages and there she rested and waited patiently for her change, with a calm, firm reliance on the righteousness of Christ for her shelter from the storm that must overtake the impenitent and the