an irish saint - forgotten books · reflection of the heavenly image in the earthen vessel do but...
TRANSCRIPT
A N I R I S H SA I NT
THE LIFE STORYOFANN PRESTON
!!
HOLY ANN
BY
HELEN E. BINGHAM
With Introduction byREV JOHN POTTS . D.O. , LLD.
MOR GAN AN D SCOTTOFF I CE OF EH! : ttisfiun,1 2, PATE RN OS TE R BU I LD I N GS ,
AN D 30, PATERN OSTER ROW,
LONDON .
PUBLI SHERS’ NOTE
TO THE
EN G L I S H ED I T I O N
THE pu b lishers feel that an explanati on isb efitting in producing , in GreatBritain ,an edi tion of thi s record of an unwaveringfaith in God
,which assuredly puts to shame
those of us more privileged in opportunity .
The incongruities which mar the perfectreflection of the heavenly image in theearthen vessel do but set off the victorious life thi s humble woman attained , asdis cords but exalt harmonies . The Scriptures themselves thus depict , in well-nighevery instance , the frailties and flaws bywhi ch Satan maintains his foothold , untilthe last enemy that shall be destroyedreleases the saint finally from his thraldom .
Ann , the humble , the prayerful , thetrustful, despite these, reached a pedestal,walked a platform, exerted an influence ,
NOTE TO THE ENGLISH EDITION
that all too few attain , and, doing so ,exemplified a possibili ty with in rea ch of all ,and to whi ch none should plead ina bility toattain .
May this record of the wonderful experience of one who staggered not becauseof unbelief aid in the attachment to amultitude of readers of the prefix sobestowed upon
PREFACE
TH E belief that the life that brought suchblessing to the home of my girlhood would,by its fragrance , min ister acceptably to thewider household of faith
,is the motive that
has prompted the writing of thi s biography .
Then the persistent requests from thewide circle of friends , who felt that themarvellous grace manifested in thi s lifeunder review was worthy of some recordin the annals of the Church , have urged meon in the pleasant task .
The work was conceived before the deathof the subject , and the greater portion ofthis story was taken down directly fromthe lips now silent . Many times beforehad she been approached for a sketch ofher life , but only in the last two years didshe feel that her Father would be glorifiedin its publication . Abler writers mighthave been selected for the purpose
,but they
would have lacked the long acquaintancevii
PREFAOE
which was essential to the right setting ofthi s broken narrative .
The years that Ann Preston spentbeneath our roof furnished frequent occasions to hear the stories herein recorded
,
told and re-told, with daily supplementsbeing wrought out in actual experiencesbefore our eyes .Thrown, when nearing her ninetieth
year,into the midst of a hou sehold of seven
rolli cking boys and girls , rangin g from theearly school days to maturity , an excellentOpportunity was aflorded of watchi ng thisunique character at well nigh every angleof observation .
The strenuous activity of our countrylife furnished li ttle occas ion for the mainten an ce of her influence by the arts of therecluse . But then her saintliness wasnever of the nunnery type . Those whoassociate holiness with the seclusion of thecloister will be di sappointed here .
At her advanced age Ann had lost noneof the zest of life, but entered into thehousehold afla irs , took an equal interest in
the labours of the men,and was a delightful
compani on to our b ig baby brother .The mind that has only conceived sanc
tity under a clerical garb and sustained bymin isterial di gni ty should find a refreshingtonic here .
Su fficient for such to see thi s woman , towhom heaven seemed always Open and herwell-nigh every petition granted
,rambling
in the bush with my youngest brother or
in the winter time when the snow was deepbeing coaxed to go with him for just oneride down the little hill at the back of thehouse . Take one look at the old sai nt ofninety lying flat on the hand-sleigh
,being
piloted by my little brother down the hillperchance a hidden knoll unexpectedlyprecipitating a roll in the soft snow ! letthat hearty Irish laugh di spel any fears youmay have
,and when it all is over and you
listen to that half apology that ! the boy hadto have something to amuse him, scarcelyveili ng her own pleasure in the escapade ,you will conclude that you must saveyour robes of purple an d your garments of
ix
ou tward white for other occasions, andcome to this book with the idea of studyingreligion in homespun .
The best testimony to the quality of thatlife was the fact that Ann never entered ahome without leaving a benedi ction , andthat in those where she stayed the longestwill be found the greatest confidence in hersaintliness .Whi le among the wider circle of readers
into whose hands this sketch may fall theremay be those who will be tempted to doubtsome of the striking evidences of the powerof God in this li fe , the thousands who kn ewher will have no question as to the veracityof any story that came forth from her lips .N0 claim being made to literary ability ,
no apology is necessary for its absence .
The indispensable assistance of the mostintimate friends of the departed
,especially
of Mrs . F . Hughes,of Toronto
,and the
constant help and encouragement of mydea r husband , enable me to send forth thislittle tribute of love to the memory of thenow truly sainted Ann . H . E . B .
x
I NTRODUCT ION
THERE is no form of Christian literatureso helpful and inspiring as Biography, andespecially as the record of those who partake largely of the Christ life . The simplestory of Ann Pres ton , better known asHoly Ann
,
” is strikingly illustrative ofthi s truth .
The writer, Mrs . Helen Bingham , ofToronto , has done her work well , for it hasevidently been a labour of love . The bookmight well be called Grace Abounding ,for it savours largelyof Bunyan’s experienceof grace .
For well-nigh fifty years I have heard ofthis unique disciple of the Master , from thetime she came out from Ireland as a maidin the household of Dr . Reid , in whosefamily she served , both in Ireland and inCanada , as long as the family existed asa household .
xi
I N TRODUCTION
To those who knew Holy Ann there isno need of introduction, because they willbe delighted to read a record of incidentswith whi ch they are acquain ted , and manyof them will exclaim , The half has notbeen told .
”
I have read the manuscript from beginning to end, and indulge the h0pe tha t itmay lead a large number to do likewi se .
The story simply fascinated me , and as Iread I felt this book would prove a greatblessing . As it is the only worthy wayof continuing the saintly influence of HolyAnn , I sincerely hope that it may be readand re-read by hosts who never heard thevoice or looked upon the face of that rarespecimen of Grace Abou nding .
JOHN POTTS .
Toronto,July 25, 1907 .
CONTENT S
I . A FOEEe w
II. N IN ETY YEAR S AGO
IV. STUMBLIN G UPWARDS
V. FROM OLD WORLD TO
SECOND
VII I.
THE STORY or THE WELL
X. LINKIN G DIVIN E KN OWLEDGE
EABTI I LY N EEDS
A WON DERFUL TEACHER
HEAVEN LY MNEMON ICS
xii i
XIV. A GODLESS BROTHER
XVI . CORRECTIN G THE CATHOLI O BISHOP
XVI I I . TH E HABI T or PRAYER
XIX. Or LIKE PASSIONS WITH Us
XX. TESTIMONY or MIN ISTERS
XXI . SUN SET
I LLUSTRAT I ON S
THE R EID HOMESTEAD
THE WELL
ANN’S CO’I 'I ‘AGE
CHAPTER I
A FOREVIEW
SHE was Irish,and a saint . The terms
may to some minds seem incongruous andmay not generally be associated . HotCeltic blood may possibly not be easilyturned into the channel of sanctity
,but
nevertheless Ireland has had its saints, an d
Ann Preston was one . She might notbe able to cla im lin eal descent from St .Patrick
,and to be sure saintliness does not
always pervade a family tree . But thenshe was connected with the same source ofli fe
,for He that san ctifieth and they that
are sanctified are all of one .
”
She was Irish , anyway there could be nodoubt about tha t . Although she had nottrodden the green sod of the Old Land forwell-nigh
!
seventy years , her face had notlost anything of the n ational characteristi cs
,
A FOREVIEW
and to hear her speak but a few sentenceswould have settled the question of nationality beyond the suspicion of a doubt .
And then she was a saint ! at least soeverybody said that had ever kn own her ,and she was known to thousands ! and herinfluence was felt far beyond the limits ofany ordinary life . There was surely something remarkable in the career of a poorwoman , when at its close ministers of alldenominations gathered around the casketbearing the lifeless remains
,and one of our
large city churches was packed to the doorsto listen to the testimony of those representing all branches of the Ch urch
,as they bore
witness that the life of thi s sainted womanhas -been an untold blessing to them . Therewould have been nothing strange had thecoffin contained the remains of one ofearth’s great ones . Culture or wealth hasan attractive power
,but thi s woman was
untaught,unlettered . She had no wealth
to bequeath,and not a living relative to
mourn her loss . She had lived during herlast years like E lijah
,as the guest of a poor
2
HAD IN HONOUR
widow, who mi n istered to her needs . Hervery coffin was a gift of love , and her dustwas deposited in the lot of another .On the following Sunday the Mayor of
Toronto testified in hi s church : I have hadtwo honours thi s week . It has been myprivilege to have an interview with thePresident Of the United States . This is agreat honour . Then I have been pallbearer to Holy Ann .
” NO reflection wascast upon the head of the great Republicwhen he added : Of the two honours Iprize the latter most .A life with such an influence is surely
worthy of some memorial , and it has beenour endeavour to so set forth the authenticrecords that she
,being dead , may yet speak ,
and that the testimony which she bore maycontin ue to bless the lives of those who readit . We would fain hope that the story mayprove an antidote to the materialism andunbelief of our day
,as the facts recorded
bear emphatic testimony to the inerrancyof the Word of God and furnish abundantevidence that
,behind that Word
,God still
LS . 3 B
lives to make its every promi se sure . Onno other groun d shall we find the explanation of the mysteries wrapped up I n the lifeof our
NINETY YEARS AGO
enhance the beauty of the landscape .
Moreover, the pig-sty was in just as closeproximi ty to the back door as custom andconvenience permitted an Irishman to haveit . In those days there were no hauntingdreams of germs and microbes , and thegrunt and squeal were not out of harmonywith the usual music of the household .
James Preston was a hardworking man atleast he laboured for long hours in his occupatiou as a herdsman . Then after theday’s toil it was necessary for him to spendthe evening hours in tilling the little potatopatch attached to his cottage . Even thewomen had to take their share of thi s kindof work in order to keep hunger away fromthe door.
Ann was fortunate in having two eldersisters to sing her lullabies but to compensate for this bit of good fortun e , afternursing two sisters and the one brotherthat made their appearance later
,Ann was
hired out to rock the cradle in a neighbour ’shome .
When asked for her childhood’s remin6
CHILDHOOD’
S DAYS
iscen ces two events seemed to have left theirimprint, one upon the mind, and the othermay have made more impression in otherways at the time , for she quaintly concluded her story by adding : I mind thatfor the whipping I got .”
It is natural that the entrance of deathinto any home should leave an indeliblemark upon the child-mind , and Annrecalled the di ssolution of a godly aunt whowas sent to bless them for a short time .
Beneath that humble roof she had witnesseda good confession , and in that closing sceneit was manifest that Blessed are the deadthat di e in the Lord . Ann was too you ngto think much of eterna l thi ngs th en , buther Older sister Mary dated the beginningof a new li fe to that Providence whi chbrought the influence of this aunt to their
The other memory of childh ood— that is ,of the very early days—took her backover n in ety years . Wholesome chastening should leave a long impression . Thechild whose waywardness is not marked by
7
NINETY YEARS AGO
the memory of some rebuke is to be pitied .
When not more than five years of age Ann ’smother took her down by the little streamthat meandered near the village , and lefther in charge of some cotton whi ch she wasbleaching on the banks . Her instructionswere very clear . On no account was she toleave the spot or lose sight of the goods .Even amid the honesty of old Irelandsome caution was necessary .
But Ann was a real child of Eve,and
the forbidden thing became the attractivething . Her tempter came in the shape of a.young girl, who just wanted Ann to runacross the fields to her house to get something for her . Thi s seeming friend wouldnot take Ann ’s first refusal, but prevailedby promising watchful care of the cotton inher absence . Ann sped across the interveni ng space as fast as her feet would carryher, but when she returned from her errandshe found that girl and cotton were bothmis
'
sing , and that she was left alone to theflogging that followed .
Ann’s education began and ended in little8
SABBATHLES S WORK
more than a week ! but in that time sheexhausted the patience of the teacher tothe point of despair ! and finally
,after many
vain attempts to teach her the first lettersof the alphabet , he gave her a signi ficanttap upon the head as he pathetically re
marked before the class Poor Ann Shecan never learn anythi ng . And with thisshe was sent home in disgrace . Whetherher case was absolutely hopeless we do notknow, but her education terminated in thisabru pt way .
However, if her mind was vacant , herbones were not lazy , and she ha d littlerespite from work In the family withwhi ch she was at once hired out , her employer was a grazier . On Sundays , in orderto allow him to carry out hi s own devotions ,the hi red girl was made to help herd thecattle
,and Ann ’s week Of toil was followed
by a long day in the fields , where , that shemight fight the tremendous temptation tosleep at her task
,she used to occupy herself
in piecing quilts . This , of course , di d nothelp her into a life of saintship . Com
9
NINETY YEARS AGO
pulsory Sabbath-breaking was not a verygood beginning .
But thi s was only the commencement ofevils . Her master kept a number of servants , and they were not of the immaculatetype . The absence of master and mi stresswas u su ally the signal for an even ing ’s funand frolic , and their festivities were considered incomplete without a large supplyOf Irish whi sky . For some reason Ann hada horror of the fire-water . She may haveseen some of its brutalizing effects in herhome surroun di ngs , but , however that maybe , she persistently refused to drink withthe other hi red help on these occasions .Whether sunken into that terrible condition of depravi ty whi ch takes delight inseeing others indulge in evil , or whethersimply stung by the reproof of her refusal ,her fellow-servants determined to force herto take part with them . By sheer strengthsome held her while the others poured theliquor down her throat , and then withdi abolical delight they made sport of her asshe sat helplessly appealing to them to put
10
EARLY SN ARES
her to bed , mumbling over and over again inher intoxicated state Fitter I was sayingmy prayers than sitting here drun k .
”
It was a miracle that she di d not earlybecome a drunkard
,for after this first taste
she used to hunt for the hidden whiskybottle of her master while tending thecattle on Sunday . But while thus stealinga surreptitiou s drink , she still dreaded thetavern . Occasionally her master woulddrive some sevenmi les to cut turf , and afterthe hard day ’s work he would take the servants into the tavern to treat them on thehomeward journey . On these occasionsAnn always refused to go in
,and would
Often run to her home through the dark ,although she was so nervous that she wouldafterwards coax her father to accompanyher back to her place because of her superstitiou s dread of the will-O ’
-the-wi sp .
Just about this time a well-meaning effortwas made to impart to her some religiousinstruction , but it failed as ignominiously asthe attempt to teach the alphabet . A goodMethodi st sister undertook to teach her the
11
NINETY YEARS AGO
Lord’s Prayer, butwas sh ocked at the reve
lation of ignoran ce when she commenced .
She said to Ann :! Now
,repeat it after
me , Our Father which art in heaven ,’
and Ann at once followed in parrot- likefashion : ! Now
,repeat it after me , Our
Fath er whi ch art in heaven .
” Whenconstant repeti tion failed to make the leastimpression on the memory
,this good friend
finally abandoned the task in
12
THE GREAT CHANGE
kind,for she had positive piety of the warm
Irish Methodi st type , and she sought toinfluence all who came beneath her roof .Mrs . McKay observed family prayer , andAnn was invited to join them in worship .
It was a new epoch in her experience ,although her dull mind comprehended verylittle of what was being said . Her ignoranceof religious matters may be judged from thefact that when asked to bring the NewTestament she brought a newspaper . TheBook had never been used in any home thatAnn had ever lived in , so that her ignorancewas but natu ral .Mrs . McKay was very anxious to win her
hired help for Christ,but she acted qui te
judi ciously in that for some time Sheomi ttedto press Ann to accompany her to religiousmeetings . She finally ventured to invi te herto come to the class meeting . After a. li ttlepressure , Ann agreed to go . It was all sonew to her that she looked on in openmouthed wonder as she saw some weepingand others praising God . AS matters proceeded She seemed even to be somewha t
14
A DARKENED MIND
disgusted, as to her it seemed like religiou scant . She even watched to see whetherthe crying was real , or whether they werewetting their faces . She hardly kn ew whatto think of the whole matter .After dinner that day the mistress rangthe bell and Ann entered the parlour
,and
was surprised when she was invited to sitdown . Mrs . McKay Opened the conversation with : ! Well, Ann , how di d you like theclass meetingAnn ’s answer was a non-committal I
don’t know,
” although if she had spokenher mind she would have called thema lotof hypocrites .
Well ,” said Mrs . McKay , won’t you
go againAnn doggedly replied : I don ’t think
When pressed for a reason , she statedthat she had nothi ng to say in the meetinganyhow . She felt utterly out of placewhenothers were speaking and praying andweeping
,while she sat as stolid as a post .
In order to help her, Mrs . McKay suggested15
THE GREAT CHANGE
like one of old , she began to smi te herbreast
,and
,without any knowledge that she
was repeating Scripture , cried out! God be
merciful to me , a sinner.
” Once more shebecame desperate , as she cried over andover again for mercy .
Mrs . McKay tried to qui et her , sayingDon’t let master hear you . She suggested Ann should go to her own room andpray , and said I will go to mine and prayfor you .
” But Ann was too much in earnest for this
,and said : ! I don’t care , ma
’am,
if all the world hears me I must cry formercy .
”
After a little while she retired to herroom , but conviction did not cease , and shecontinued to pray until twelve O’clock ,whenshe jumped up
,saying
,as she rose : N O
mercy,Lord
,for me 7 But her heart was
assured even as the question passed herlips , and Ann always said that as she lookedup she saw the Saviour as He was on Calvary , and knew there and then that Hi sblood atoned for her sins . She had theMethodist way Of expressing it when she
18
THE WATER OF LIFE
said I felt then something burning in myheart . I just longed for the morning , thatI could go home and tell my father. andmother what the Lord had done for me .
She went over to the table and picked up aTestament whi ch the young ladies used ,
and then prayed her first simple request as achild of God . O Lord
,
” she said,You
that have taken away thi s awful burden ,
intolerable to bear,couldn ’t You enable
me to read one of these little things putting her finger On a verse . The text wasWhosoever drinketh of thi s water shallthi rst again but whosoever drinketh of thewater that I shall give him shall neverthirst .Our readers may believe it or disbelieve
it , but for the first time in her life Ann wasable to decipher part of a verse of Scripture—not the whole verse
,but
,as our later
narrative will show,this was the beginnin g
Of Divine assistance in the teaching of anignorant girl .The 'next morning Ann h ad her first
Opportunity of testimony . In the first19 o
THE GREAT CHANGE
place , she was sent to the tavern for thedaily supply of beer for her master . Itdi d not occur to her that thi s was in consistent for a Christian , but when sh e enteredthe saloon she saw a mother giving herchild a drink of whisky . Even the tavernkeeper’s wife protested at this , and saidDon’t give that poison to the chi ld .
” Annat once stepped up and said Well
,ma ’am
,
what makes you keep the poison Thepoor woman answered : I wouldn’t have itin the house if I could help it , but I can
’t,
as my husband wi ll sell it . ” Thi s wasAnn ’s first word of protest against evil.Later in the day she managed to get
home to tell her father and mother of hernew-found joy. On the way the temptersugges ted You don’t feel the burn ing inyour heart now . You had better not sayanything about it till you are sure .
” However , she resisted the evil one , and with realfervour broke the news to her parents . Theygave her a very cool reception . The onlyrespon se from her mother was : Oh
,you
are like your old grandfather you are going
20
0 l 0 AND TELL
off your head . Not very encouraging,
thi s , for a young convert . However, thatvery day she received a letter from her
elder sister Mary,who was working away
from home'
in Armagh , and She asked hermistress to read it to her . Ann did notremember any news conveyed in the letterexcept the one statement of her sister Iam sure you have good news to tell me ,Ann . I kn ow by the answer that I havegot in prayer .” This illustrates the powerof prayer
,for Ann’s sister had written the
letter two days before . At that time Annwas utterly indifferent to religious influen ces , but by the time the letter reached hershe had undergone the great and
become a chi ld of
21
THE GREAT CHANGE
place,she was sent to the tavern for the
daily supply of beer for her master . Itdi d not occur to her that this was in consistent for a Christian , but when she enteredthe saloon she saw a mother giving herchild a drink of whisky . Even the tavernkeeper’s wife protested at this , and saidDon ’t give that poison to the child .
” Annat once stepped up and sa id Well
,ma ’am
,
what makes you keep the poison Thepoor woman answered : I wouldn’t have itin the house if I could help it , but I can
’t,
as my husband will sell it .” This wasAnn ’s first word of protest agains t evil .La ter in the day she managed to get
home to tell her father and mother of hernew-found j oy. On the way the temptersu gges ted You don’t feel the burning inyour heart now . You had better not sayanythi ng about it till you are sure .
” However, She resisted the evil one , and with realfervour broke the news to her parents . Theygave her a very cool reception . The onlyresponse from her mother was : Oh
,you
are like your old grandfather you are going20
CHAPTER IV
S TUMBLI N G UPWARDS
R e! oice not against me , O mine enemy : whenI fa ll , I shall arise .
”—Mi cah mi . 8.
I N her early Christian experience Annwas very much the child of circumstances ,and her religious life was lived largely inthe ebb and flow of feeling . How unsafeit is to base our hopes of heaven or ourpresent relationship to God upon the trivialhappenings of everyday life or the changingmoods of the human mind . Of course Annwas not versed in the Word of God , andtheZonly spiritual help she received was atthefcla ss meeting , where she listened to theexperiences of others . This was doubtlessof some help to her
,but it could not take
the place Of thorough instruction in thetruth .
As illustrating the kind of evidence tha t
Served to buoy up her life at this time , Ann22
TRIALS
told the following little incident One evening she had cleared out the ashes from thefireplace , but instead of leaving them by thegrate until the morning , as was her wont ,she took them out and placed the box on thebrick floor of the scullery . In the morningthe box and part of the lid had been consumed by the fire
,and at once Ann jumped
to the conclu sion that thi s was an evidencethat she was saved and that God cared forher , for had she not taken the box out thatevening the house would have been burneddown .
There were evidently two ways of lookingat the same thing
,for thi s incident led Mr .
McKay to discharge her , as he consideredher unsafe and not to be trusted .
She had only been in a new situationa few months when Mr . Halliday , the minister under whom she had been converted ,
having evidently watched her industry ,
came to her one day and said that one Ofthe best homes in hi s circuit n eeded a girl ,and if she was prepared to go he wouldtake her to the situation . Ann at once
23
S TUMBLI NG UPWARDS
replied : I wi ll go anywhere , sir , where Ican be free to serve the Lord .
” He tookher to Armagh and introduced her to thefamily Of Dr . Reid , with whom she was tospend many eventful years . He agreed topay her themun ificentwage Of two shillingsa week . Ann used to say quaintly Theminister married me to Mrs . Reid , for hemade Mrs . Reid promise that she would keepAnn as long as she would stay , and madeAn n promise that she would stay as long asMrs . Reid would keep her , and concluded bysaying It will not be long till I want youmyself , as he was then engaged to be married . Many a time when dissatisfied andsorely tried with the difficulties of her situation, Ann would pack her little bundleready to leave
,but the remembrance of her
promise always restrained her .AS further illustrating her vacillatingexperience at th is time
,Ann recalls the fact
that on one occasion she was so terriblytried that she practically dec ided to commitsuicide . She selected a novel way of death .
Her master, Dr. Reid , had bought a very24
A FATHER'S CARE
vicious cow,and scarcely any one dared to
go near it . It was always necessary forthe man who tended it to accompany Annwhile she mi lked it in a meadow, about amile out of town . On the occasion referredto Ann decided that she would slip Off tothe milking unaccompanied , and expectedthat the cow would do the rest . To herastonishment
,the savage animal stood per
fectly quiet until she h ad fini shed her workand had started homeward uninjuredwith her pail of mi lk . Mrs . Reid had di scovered her absence and given the alarm ,
and was qui te astonished when she sawAnn comi ng towards the house carrying themilk . When asked who held the cow sheanswered simply Nobody . The eventencouraged Ann in the thought that Godreally cared for her , and the next morningshe had taken a new lease of life
,and when
requested to go and milk the cow she refused to go unless alone .
After Ann had been with Dr . Reid forsome five years
,he decided to emi grate
to Canada . He at once began to collect all25
S TUMBLING UPWARDS
outstanding debts . In those days therewere no banki ng facilities at hand , and hewas compelled to keep all the money in thehouse . Thi s was quite well known , and Annwas very nervous about being left alone inthe home . The family being at the watchnight service at the coming in Of the NewYear , An n was left alone with the baby .
The approach to the house was guarded bytwo large gates
,one Of iron and the other a
very heavy wooden one,and these were
always kept locked . The back yard wassurrounded by a h igh stone wall
,and things
generally seemed very secure . At twelveO’clock that night An n heard the iron gateshake , whi ch was the usual signal of Dr.
Reid’s arrival . She was just about to goout and unlock the gate when she remembered that the service could not possibly beover, and so she sat still . In a few minutesthe noise occurred again
,and a man climbed
over the iron gate . Then,mounting a stack
of turf , he man aged to get over into thegarden . Here the potatoes were kept , andhe at once began to rob the pit .
26
A HEEDED WARNING
When they returned from the service Anntold what had occurred , but her mi stressmade light of it . However , Ann ins istedtha t thi s was a warning , and so impressedthe doctor that he at once had the windowsfixed with iron bars
,and a large iron bolt
put on the back door leading into the yard .
Jus t two weeks after thi s , while thedoctor was away in the country attendi ng apatient , Mrs . Reid and Ann were sitting upawaiting his return
,when once more the
same noise was heard . She was just aboutto go out with the key
,when she was sud
denly restrained,and said to Mrs . Reid
0 ma’am,that is the very same noise I
heard two weeks ago . Hermistress askedIs the kitchen door locked 7 Ann
replied , No,
”an d thereupon she turned
the key and pushed the long iron boltacross the door. She had hardly ceaseddoing so , when the latch was lifted .
Finding the door locked,the intruder evi
dently thought it to be a simple matter tobu rst the lock Ofl ,
and stepping back hethrew hi s fu ll weight upon the door, but
27
STUMBLING UPWARDS
owing to the large bolt it would not yield .
He tried again and again . The two womenwere naturally very much frightened . Annbegan to pray , but Mrs . Reid suggested sh ego and call for help . Ann was afraid toventure out at the front door , but when itcame to a choice of doing that or stayingunaided
,she decided she would run for
At the first pla ce at whi ch she called theman wouldnot come
, andAnn went on to thebarracks , but there found but one soldi er atthat time
,and he was on duty and refused
to come . Finally she succeeded in reachinga home where they had not retired , anda big
,bu rly fellow came out and at once
ofiered to go with her, taking his revolver.They returned to the house just in time tomeet Dr . Reid coming home . The wouldbe robber heard his usual signal andjumped over the wall , apparently with theintent of meeting Dr. Reid alone . However when he di scovered the two men inthe darkness he turned and fled, but notbefore the doctor recognized him as a man
28
S TUMBLING UPWARDS
After proceeding some dis tance down theroad Ann turned round to address herfather
,but found he had suddenly di sap
peared to avoid the pain of saying goodbye . Her mother went On as far as
Armagh , where Ann’s sister was living .
Together they pleaded wi th Ann to stay athome , but Ann paid no attenti on to theirentreaties . Her mother finally broke downcompletely , and wept as she said : 0Ann ,
I just can’t let you go .
” In a very heartless and unfeeling way Ann turned , andsaid
,I will go . Sure, what
’s the di fference You won’t live more than seven oreight years anyway .
” Many a time didthese cruel words come back to Ann inthe years that followed . She went on as faras Moy alone . Her mother and Sister stoodwatching her for nearly two miles
,and the
parting look on her mother ’s face hauntedher for many a long day .
Even then they di d not give up hope,
and the next morn ing mother an d sisterwere outside the house where Ann was inservice . Dr . Reid very kindly ofiered to
30
release her from her promi se , but Ann wasobstinate and determined that she would gowith them . Finding that it was useless toplead longer , they bade her a last good-bye .
Her sister Mary gave her a little verse asthey separated . Ann di d not understandthe force of it at the time , but it oftencame to her with much blessing in laterdays . It was Revelation iii . 1 1 Holdthat fast which thou hast
,that no man
take thy crown . Ann sent back a littlememento to her father
,whi ch seemed to
show a little softening of her heart at thetime of separation .
3 1
CHAPTER V
FROM OLD WORLD TO N EW WORLD
If I dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea ,
even there shall Thy hand lead me .
Pa. m aria 9 , JO.
AN N took ship at the river port of Moy .
They were seven weeks on the water , andit must be remembered that in those earlydays not only was the voyage much longer
,
but the conveni ences were not by anymeans such as to make an ocean trip enjoyable . The Reid family numbered seven ,with two other relatives
,and Ann had the
care of the whole . There were then no extracooks or stewards to minister to their wants .They carried their own suppli es andpreparedtheir own food . Ann had to serve threefamili es ! and, moreover, they were all veryseasi ck . She was the only one that waswell throughout , managing to keep astirduring the whole voyage
,because
,as she
said Sure, I had no time to get seasick .
”
32
PRA YER AT SEA
The long journey had its usua l incidents ,and Ann ’s duties fu rnished plenty ofopportunity for unusual ann oyances . Shehad to cook on the ship ’s ranges
,and when
her back was turned her pots were Oftenset aside , and served as occasions fordrawing out her Irish wrath . They dubbedher the praying-man’s Biddy
,
” for hermaster used to hold family worship threetimes a day
,much to the di sgust of most
of the travellers . Mrs . Reid was able to goon deck only once during the whole voyage ,and on that occasion the ship gave a suddenlurch and a poor fellow who was up fixingthe ri gging lost his hold and fell , mangledand dead , upon the deck , almost atherfeet . The nervous shock, combined withthe seasickness
,kept her in her berth
during the rest of the voyage . Thi s allmade harder work for Ann .
They met with several severe storms , andtwice du ring the voyage the passengers werefastened down below . On these occasionsthe despised praying-man was in great demand . Ann herself thought on one occa
33
FROM OLD WORLD TO N EW WORLD
sion that the end had come , and definitelycommi tted herself to the Lord , expectingwith the rest of the passengers that theship would go down at any minute . However, piety prompted by danger is usuallyevanescent
,and as soon as the waves
calmed down the passengers returned totheir old life of gambling , drinking andswearing .
In ou r day,with the ocean greyhounds
to make the voyage so brief,the monotony
of the j ourney is sufli c ient to makeland a welcome sight
,and we can quite
imagine the delight with whi ch , after beingseven weeks out of sight of land , the passengers of one of the old sailing vesselswould welcome the first glimpse . Theyentered the port of New York and sailed upthe Hudson River . The beautiful scenerythere was very refreshing after the oceanjourney . From Albany they took the overland route and reached Toronto , thenknown as Little York . Here they ta rriedfor a few months
,and the doctor then
removed to Thornhill and took up his prac
3 4
FROM OLD WORLD TO N EW WORLD
their muddy shoes , in spite of her protests ,and th is was more than she could endure ,and anythin g but an exhi bition of Christiangraces followed . Dr. Reid di d not alwayshelp her in spiritual things in fact , b e sometimes tried her sorely . Ann was expectedto look after the horse and trap, and shehad to attend to the rugs and wraps . The
doctor was very particular that these shouldbe brought out at the last minute fromthe stove
,so that they would be n ice and
warm for hi s j ourney . One day he sawAnn coming back to the house , havingplaced the rugs in the carriage some timebefore he expected to start . Evidentlyannoyed , he pulled Ann
’s hair as she wentpast him . Instan tly Ann’s temper bla ! edup , and snatching a big stick that lay inthe pathway, she threw it at him with allthe force at her command . Fortunatelyit missed its mark . Evi dently neither ofthem was very much edified by what followed , for not a word passed between themfor the next two weeks , and at familyprayer Ann us ed to put her fingers in her
36
S TRUGGLING TO DO RIGHT
ears to keep out the sound of her master’svoice . We do not wonder that at the classmeeting Ann was diffidentabout getting upand giving her experience before Dr . Reid ,who led her class and whose duty it wasto give the young Christian s fatherly adviceand Christian counsel after they had n ar
rated their experience . We cannot wonderthat Ann was aggravated when the doctorused to conclude her own narration byquoting an old Methodis t hymn that runsthus
Your fai th by holy tempers prove,By actions Show your sins forgiven,
And seek the glorious things ab ove,And follow Christ, your Head , to heaven.
In spite of these untoward happenings , Anndid not give up the struggle to do thatwhi ch was right
,but she describes her
life at thi s period as truly awful , sinn ingand repenting
,sinni ng and repenting . She
kn ew nothing of abiding rest . She usedoften to quote , when referring to thi s time,the old couplet that ran :
3 7
hand was guiding her on to a place where
sweeter
3 8
CHAPTER VI
DEFEAT TO VICTORY, OR THE SECONDGREAT CHANGE
O wretched man that I am, who Shall deli ver1 I thank God through J esus Christ.
"
Rom. vi i . 24, 25 .
AMONGST our readers we doubt not therewill be wide di versity of view in theologicalmatters
,and even in the case of those who
have assurance of salvation there will begreat di fferences of opinion as to the expression s to be used to describe various phases ofChristian experience . As the unh appycontentions in the Church of Christ haverarely conduced to edification , it is not thepu rpose of thi s book to enter into controversial themes .
However, we come to descri be a greatchange in the life under consideration , an dwe do not wish to be mi sunderstood Anumerou s body of Christians believe that
39
DEFEAT TO VICTORY
Christian life can be divided into two distinctstages
,the one summed up under the
word justification ,” and the other and
further experience under the term sanctification .
” In defining these sta tes , however
,great di versity Of opinion is expressed .
Some maintain that san ctification is anexperience only to be atta ined in the futu restate . Then among those who believe thatsan ctification is the present privi lege Of theChristian
,two diflerent views prevail
some contending that the experience con
sists in the entire eradi cation Of the oldAdamic nature ,
” while others contend thatit is the state in which inward evil tendencies are entirely controlled or suppressedbut in the contention the one side too often
gives evidence that there is need of a more
perfecteradication , and the other that there
i s room for a more complete suppressi on .
In thi s narrative , therefore , we are notcontending for a theory , but simply narratingfacts ,
'
and arefrank to admit that we havewitnessed the practical results which we areabout to setforth , in the lives of Christians
40
CLOUD AND S UNSHINE
taking either view of this great doctrine .
In a genera l way we can appeal to ourreaders , and feel confident they will admi tthat in the circle of their acquaintancesthere are two classes of Christians . I n
the one there is not much to attract thosewho have never tasted of Christian joys .Such live all too much under the cloud . It istrue that they struggle to do right
,and
tha t there has been certainly a great changefrom their former life . They witness tha ttheir sins are forgiven . When actual wrongsare commi tted there is speedy confessionand repentance . They a cknowledge theirown powerlessness in the presence oftemptation , and admi t that they too Oftenyield to some spec ial besetment .On the other hand , there is another class
whose whole li fe and presence seems attractive . It is characteri ! ed by joyous vi ctory.
The soul has unbroken fellowshi p heavenward
,and with its peace and joy it ca rries
bles sing wherever its influence is felt . Thewill is surrendered and the life wholly consecrated and the Divin e acceptm e is
41
DEFEAT TO VICTORY
sealed by the filling of the Spirit . We shallnot quarrel here as to how the trans itionis made from one state to the other . Thatthose who have lived in the one should passout of the first and into the second is su fficient for us . In other words , that the latterlife is possible by the power of grace , is alltha t we desire to maintain .
In the case of Ann , who had been schooledamong the Methodists
,we cannot wonder
that she largely dropped into their phraseOlogy and more or less felt the impression ofthe teaching that prevailed . However , upto thi s time she knew very little of theteachi ng Of John Wesley, and did notunderstand his theory of sa n ctification , andstill less had she any corresponding expe
~
rien ce. Her ungovernable temper washer great besetment . She wept over it ,confessed it , fought with it ! b utall toofrequently the whole process had to berepeated in
'
the face of some great outbreak under specially trying circumstances .There came a chan ge , however , and a timewhen she was delivered from its slavery .
42
DEFEAT TO VICTORY
her . While still upon her knees , she saidLord , what is evil ! And the answercame : An ger, wrath , ma lice , etc . Allnight long she wept and prayed as thi sinward sinfulness was revea led to her .Toward morning , in sheer desperation , sh ecried out O Lord , how shall I kn ow whenI get deliverance 2 The answer cameWell, Jacob wrestled until he prevailed .
”
In her simpli city , Ann asked What doesprevailed mean and to her the replycame : Getting justwhat you come for andall you want .
” Again she queried : Andwhat wi ll it do for me when I get it i Thereply came back It will enable you torej oice evermore , pray without ceasing , andin everything to give thanks . You will liveabove the troubles of this world and thethings that now upset you .
”
But other suggestions were interpolatedfrom another source . Like a flash sherecalled the circumstances of former outbreaks , and the suggestion came : Yes : justwait until you are scrubbing the floor andthe children come in with their dirty boots
44
HUNGERING AFTER RI GHTEOUSNESS
-then you will see . But the convictiondeepened that these outbreaks of the carnalmind were displeasing to God , and thatHe could deliver her from them . Whenthe morning broke and the children beganto awaken , she felt like fleeing into thewoods to continue I n her waiting for deliverance . She said determinedly : I ’ll die ,but I ’ll have it . She arose and wentdownstairs . To her overwrought min d thepersona l struggle with the adversary wasso great that she thought she could hear himfollowing her . In the parlour she met theyoung man whose word had reached herheart . He asked her what she had beencrying for all night , to whi ch she replied :I wantto be sanctified throughout—body ,soul and spirit .” He said, simply : Well,Ann
,how were you justified ! She
replied Why , just by believing what Godsaid . Well
,
” he said , complete victorycomes in the same way .
Again Ann prayed,persistently pleading
the promise : Ask and it shall be givenyou
,seek and ye shall find , knock and it
45
DEFEAT TO VICTORY
shall be opened unto you . She cried! Lord , I have been knocking all night .Open unto me ! Open unto me ! And
there is little doubt but that the answercame there and then . For two hours itseemed to her as though she had enteredheaven . Thi s time the family were arousedwith ' her shouts of praise instead of hercries and groan s . She said as she lookedout that nature took on a different hue ,and that the very trees seemed to be wsving their boughs to praise God . With herheart overflowing
,she cried Father
,
di dn ’t you intend that man should praiseyou more than these She at once began to tell all around . She went to her Oldclass leader and made known her new-foun djoy . He bade her to rej oice evermore , andpray without ceasing in order to keep so .
This brought in a shade of doubt,as she
wondered how she could pray without ceasing . She thought of the absorbing affairs oflife and the things that would occupy hermind, and wondered how such a state waspossible . Buther soul was speedily set at
46
TRIUMPHANT EXPERIENCE
rest by the Scripture passage Not slothful in business , fervent in spirit , serving theLord .
Her joy was so great that she could noteat
,and for eight days she went wi thout
food . Friends tried to persuade her tobreak her fast and to go forth and give hertestimony
,and it was some time before she
felt that she could return to the ordinaryduties .For seven years and a half after this itjust seemed as though she were living inheavenly places . She fell back on theMethodist Hymnal for expression
,as she
often cried
The opening heavens round me ShineWith streams of sacred bliss ,Wh i le J esus Shows His presence mine ,An d whispers I am His ."
At the first dawn of consciousness in themorning her mouth was filled with praises
,
and she clapped her hands for joy . Therewas very little di fficulty in maintaining herChristian life with such a joyous experi
47
DEFEAT TO VICTORY
en ce . One morning , however , she awoke ,and instead of the usual sense of joy andthe burst of praise
,her lips were dumb .
At once the temptation came : You havelost the bles sing .
” While thus tried,she
fell a sleep again and dreamed that she wastalking to another woman with a like ex
perien ce, and in her dream Ann urged herto walk by faith , quoting the text : Thejust shall live by faith ,
”and then told her
simplyto trust God . Thereupon she awokeand applied her sermon to herself
, with theresultant obtainment Of perfect ofheart and
48
CHAPTER VI I
A N EW NAME
Thou shalt be called by a new name thoushalt no more be termed Forsaken but thoushalt be called Heph! ibah .
—I aa . a s . 2, 4.
WHEN Jacob had finished his all-ni ghtexperience during whi ch Jehovah broke thepower of the carna l life within him , andbrought him to the place of helplessness ,where he could only cling to God and pleadfor blessing
,he received a new name whi ch
described the cha nged life upon whi ch hethen entered . It is not to be wondered atthat the li fe whose record we are nowwriting should
,at thi s time of wonderful
change,call for a new name . Just what
length of time elapsed ere she receivedit we do not know . At first it was a termof derision . The Catholic boys scribbled in
49
A N EW NAME
chalk-marks upon her door Holy Annlives here . GO in and have a word ofprayer . ” Gradually this term of deri s ionclung to her , and even fri ends began tocall her by the name . In her simple way ,when she could no longer check the application of the word to her , she went to herroom and cried : Oh , Father , they are
calli ng me Holy Ann . Make me holy,so
that the children will not be telling lies .
”
By degrees this new name was so generallyapplied that for many years the greaternumber of her friends in all communi tiesof Christians could not tell her propername .
Some may demur at the acceptance ofsuch a title
,as though it involved Spiritual
pride,but we feel confident that were such
a term to be applied to them its effectwould be that of humiliation . It certainlydid not cause Ann to become pu fled up ,
although it did cause her , with the wholepurpose of her life
,to desire to fulfil the
command of God Be ye holy,for I am
holy .
” From this time forth there can be50
CHAPTER VIII
POWE R I N PRAYER
Whatsoever we ask we receive of Him , b ecausewe keep Hi s commandments and do those thingsthat are pleasing in Hi s sight.”—I . J ohn m . 22.
THIS poor, ignorant woman had steppedfrom a life of struggling
,marked too often
by defeat, into a life of power and blessing—power not only manward, but into a lifeof prevaili ng prayer andwonderful intimacywith God . It was not long before thi sbecame generally recognized , and weakerChristians sought her counsel and beggedher prayers , for it was very plainly seenthat she had entered into the place wherein a marvellous way she could ask andreceive,
” and where she had become aSpecial subject of the thoughtful care ofher Heavenly Father .There was one incident that she has Often
told !which in some quarters has been52
A TES T OF FAITH
received with doubt and sceptical unbelief !, whi ch beautiqy illustrates this . Weare confident that the facts are ju st asnarrated . It is interesting here
,moreover
,
to recall th at it is on record th at a DutchProtestant pastor , during a time of persecution , was kept alive, and aided insecreting hi s place of hiding , by the simi larsilent ministry of a hen .
In getting over a fence Ann twis ted herfoot and inj ured the an kle . It became
unable to move about any longer . Dr .Reid said it would be necessary to scrapethe bone . In these days , when such careis taken to relieve pa in , we wonder how itwas possible that Ann submitted to thi sexcruciating operation without any an aes
thetic but, as she said, the Lord sustainedher . It was a very long time before thewound healed up , and for over a year shewas unable to walk . During this periodof enforced inactivity she lea rned many
She had become very weak through the53
POWER IN PRAYER
great strain upon her system,and one day
the doctor ordered her fresh eggs and milk .
It did not occur to him that he was givin gan impossible prescription
,for it was in
the dead of winter, and a new-laid egg wasnot to be had anywhere in the village . All
these matters were made subjects of prayerby Ann ,
who was learning already that thethings impossible with man are possible withGod . She was sitting in her chair Shortlyafter this
,between the ki tchen door and the
back stairway . The door havin g been leftaj ar
,to her su rprise a hen came in and
dropped down at Ann’s feet . She receivedthe direction Lift it up and put it onthe first step Of the stai r . Intui tivelyAnnrecogni! ed that her Father was about tomeet her need . The hen went upstairs , andin her simple way Ann asked that it mightnot be permitted to cackle
,lest Dr . Reid’s
daughters should hear it . !In the villageat that time there was another uni que charac ter , who was the laughin g-stock of theboys because she permitted the hens to li vein her house , and An n did not want to be
54
LAUGH I NG AT IMPOS SIBILITIES
likened to Old Peggy Casey ! After a fewminutes the hen came down very quietlyand Ann reached to the door and let itout .Then another grea t difficulty faced her .
She had not put any weight on her footfor a long time . It was impossible for herto walk, and while
‘
she was confident thatthe egg required by the doctor’s prescription had been provided at the top of thestairs , she did not know how she was toobtain it . She prayed , and felt that theanswer came : GO up for it . But inher simple way she said : Father , howcan I ‘7 It is impossible . Some timebefore this she had learned a little refrainwhi ch she had taken as one of the mottoverses of her life . It runs like this :
Faith, mighty faith, the promi se sees,An d looks to God alone
Laughs at impossibilities,An d cries : It shall be done ! ’
When she spoke of imposs ibilities the inward voice sai d ! Well
,say your verse .
”
She hesita ted for some time, but at last55
POWER IN PRA YER
fai th conquered and she repeated thesimple words . Then She received her
in structions as to how she was to act .She worked her chair towards the door,and then
,sitting on the first step , she
rai sed herself with her hands , step afterstep
,until she had reached the top . The
hen had laid the egg in an old box just atthe head of the stair, and she was able torea ch it without gettin g off the top step .
Buthow was she to get down with the eggin her hand 7 In her simple way—for sheused to pray about all these little thingsin a very fami liar mann er—She asked fordi rec tions , and the word came
! Putit in your pocket .” She then managedto descend in the same fashi on, and wasjustsafely back in her chair when Paddy,the servant
,walked in . Ann prayed
! Now,Father
,don’t let him ask me
where I got it,and in response to her
simple faith he took the egg without s word ,
and mixed it for her without making anyin quiry . This is the more surprising when
itis sta ted that he had been all through the56
MISTAKEN DIFFIDENCE
village in his endeavour to secure eggs for
For three weeks the hen returned everyday without makin g the slightest noise . Atthe end of this time the doctor one morningsaid she did not need any more milk andeggs , and recommended beef-tea instead .
Just after this one of the young ladi es camein
,and the hen
,disturbed
,came cackling
downstairs . The young woman was -verymuch startled
,and said . What
,Ann
,have
you got hens upstairs like old PeggyCasey ! And as the hen came cacklin gdown , the young girl drove it out into theyard and it never returned . Afterwardswhen Ann was able to get out agai n shetried to single out this hen in order to showit special kindness , but was unable to do so .
When in her customary way she appealed toher Father to show her whi ch one it was ,she heard the voice , speaking to her innerconsciousness
,forbidding the request .
For a long time Ann hesitated to speakof this incident
,but her difiiden ce in
telling of God’s goodness was reproved , by57
POWER IN PRA YER
the thought I fed you just as rea lly as Ifed Eli jah through the ravens , and yet youare ashamed to ma ke it known !Some time after her experience with the
hen , Ann was away from home vis itingsome friends in the country . She venturedto tell them how her Father had providedfor her in her illness . The lady of thehouse expressed her unbelief, but Annsa id qui etly Well
,my Father will make
you believe it before I go .
” And so
indeed He did . Ann ha d not the money totake her home , and one morning as sheknelt in prayer she asked her Father howmuch it would cost
,and had just received
the answer when the door Opened and thelady of the house stood there . Ann sai dOh, come in , till I see if you can count aswell as my Father. She came in and reckoned up the mileage and wha t the farewould be
,and it was exactly the same
amoun t as that whi ch Ann had been told .
Then the lady said Do you think youwill get it
,Ann She replied To be
sure I shall . I am sure of it , for the silver
58
POWER IN PRA YER
fore I left . So now this has come for you .
In order to avoid the point Of the rema rkher friend replied ! Well , give me themoney th en , if it has come for me ,
” butquickly An n replied NO,
the money wassent for me, but the lesson is for you .
”
It must not be though t, however , thatAnn
’s prayers were always selfish . She hada large heart for the needs of others . Everyspring she u sed to make two barrels of softsoap—one for their own use , and alwaysone for the poor . On one occasion she hadmade the one barrelful and was at the lastkettleful of the second
,when something
seemed to go wrong and it would notthicken . The children came out to see howSh e was getting on, and of course , chi ldli ke , they wanted to know what was thematter with the soap . I n her familiar wayAnn said My Father says it only needs abone .
” They asked : Well, haven’t you
one ! She said : No,but my Fath er
bids me wai t till mornin g .
” But supposeit should rain in the night ! The waterwould spoil it more .
” But Ann quietly
60
S YMPATHY FOR OTHERS
said I My Father said wait till the moming , and I will wait, and cover it up now .
”
By three O’clock the next mornin g Ann wasup and out to see her soap . There by theside of the kettle lay a large marrow bone
,
from which the meat had all been taken,but which had not been boiled . With herquiet Thank You , Father, Ann lifted upher heart in praise
,and then picking up the
axe, proceeded to break the bone and putit in the soap , and in a short time it hadthe des ired effect . The children were veryanxious to see the outcome of Ann’s faith .
Her calm confidence in these matters hadalready produced an eflectin the home, andthey expected to see Ann’s prayers answeredin some way. Wh en, in reply to their query,she said that the bone had come, It washere by the kettle when I came out,
”
one of the children sa id Oh , I guess adog dropped the bone there . Like a flashcame the well-known response I don’tcare if the devil di d bring it ! my Fathersent it .As showing her interest and sympathy
61
POWER IN PRA YER
with others,another incident is told whi ch
was well verified at the time . The Salvation Army had Opened up a station in thevillage and Ann became interested in them .
She foun d on inquiry that the officers incharge were really in actual need . Sheasked some friends with whom she wasstayin g if they ever took them in anyfood . They replied that they had , on several occasions
,but added We haven’t
very much to give .
” Ann asked the womanif she would not take them some eggs
,but
the response was that the hens were notlaying then . Ann said Well
,but if I ask
my Father for them, will you give them tothe oflicers The woman replied : Yes
,
I will .”
An n betook herself to prayer, and shortlyafterwards she proceeded to the barn andgathered over a do! en eggs . The womanwas ama! ed , and wanted to kn ow where Shegot them
,but Ann would not satisfy her
curiosity in the matter . As bearing uponthis incident
,it is interesting to record that
years afterwards this woman sent into thecity to request Ann’s prayers .
62
A CLEAR PATH
Of course, in many of these incidentsone may find a natural explanation , andwe are not trying to narrate these experien ces wi th the thought that a miracle waswrought in every instance . God frequentlyuses natural methods in order to answer theprayers of His children . Of course , somemay say that these events all happened bychance
,but it is certamly a most convenient
chance that always appears to meet theneeds of those who cry unto God .
Ann us ed to tell how,shortly after she
was able to get about again after her longillness , when she was still using her crutchessomewhat
,and it was most difli cultto get
to meetings,special services were started in
the church, and Ann sought to get out onevery occasion . She was always eager toassist, an d ever anxious to lead souls toChrist . One morning, when Ann got up ,to her di smay she noticed that there hadbeen a heavy fall of snow . She at oncesaid 0 Father, now I can
’t go to themeeting to-night . Won’t You please sendsome one to make a path for me 1 At
63
POWER IN PRA YER
that time there was no man-servant in thehouse, an d the building was nea rly aqu arter of a mile back from the road .
On several other occasions , in answerto her prayers , some one had been sentalong to shovel snow, but thi s day, afterAnn ’s prayer
,she heard th e girls laughi ng ,
and one saying to the other,! Come and
see what is making the pa th for Ann .
”
When Ann looked out there were fivehorses going up the avenue one after theother as straigh t as a line . They ran upand down In colt fashi on no less than fourtimes , unti l there was a perfectly bea tentrack all through the deep snow. As soonas they got out on the road , however, theybegan to sca tter ! but up the avenue theyhad made a regular, straight track . Annwou ld relate how she enjoyed the meetin gthat night, and to those who gathered th ere ,she told with beaming face how God hadopened her a way through the snow .
64
THE WELL
THE S TORY OF THE WELL
needs , but for the stock as well . One evening at the close of the day Ann was Sittin gin the kitchen with the boys around her
,
telling them some of the remarkable waysin which her Heavenly Father had an sweredher prayers . When she had just concludedone of these narratives , Henry said Ann
,
why don’t you ask your Father to sendwater in that well , and not let us boyswork so hard 2 I was down in the welllooking at it to-day, and it is just as dryas this floor . Thi s was thrown out to Annin a half-j oking , half-earnest way, asthough to challenge her faith . He littledreamed the serious way in which Annwould take
'
it.
When she got up into her little roomthat night she knelt in prayer and said :Now , Father, You heard what Hen ry
said ton ight . If I get up in class meetingand say
,My God shall supply all your
need according to His riches in glory byChrist Jesus ,
’ the boys won’t believe I amwhat I profess to be if You don’t send thewater in the well .” She then continued to
66
WATER IN A DRY PLACE
plead tha t the water might be sent,and
finally , rising from her knees , she said :Now, Father, if I am what I profess tobe , there will be water in the well in themorning .
” When she came down the nextmorning Henry was out prepa ring to gofor the water as usual . To his surpriseand great amusement he saw Ann take upthe two pails and start for the well . Hewatched her from the kitchen window as shehooked the pail to the Windlass and beganto lower it‘. If she had done so the nightbefore it would have gone with a bang tothe bottom , but after a while there was asplash , and still down the pail went , andAnn began with difficulty to wind up theWindlass again , and at last put the pailupon the well-stand full of water . Sherepeated this
,and with both pails full of
clear,sparkling water
,she walked up to the
house . And who could wonder that therewas a little air of vi ctory as she set downthe pails and said to Harry : Well , whatdo you say now 7 To her surprise hesimply answered : ! Well
,why didn ’t you do
I s . 67 F
THE STORY OF THE WELL
that long ago , and have saved us all tha twork Meditation upon that questi on
,
thrown out so thoughtlessly by thi s youngboy
,might yield some very profitable
results . How Often we go hungry andthirsty , suffering the lack of all sorts ofneeded things , when a full supply mightbe ours We have not , because we asknot .” Years after, a fri end vis ited the welland was told that from theto the well had never been known to bedry ,
summer or winter .
68
CHAPTER X
LINKING DIVINE KNOWLEDGE WITHEARTHLY NEEDS
All things, whatsoever ye pray and ask for,believe that ye have received them, and ye shallhave them.
”—Mark xi . 24
I T will be impossible for many Christiansto understand the intimacy and famili aritywith which Ann addressed the Divin eBeing . To some it will sound almost irreverent—yea , we question whether there arenot those who would think it blasphemousto speak in the simple way that Ann wasaccustomed to do of her Heavenly Father .Further , we know there are those whowould protest against bringing the thousandand one little matters of everyday life intothe sphere of prayer . It was quite a
common thin g for Arm to go about herdaily tasks talking as familiarly to theHeavenly Father about every little thi ng
69
LINKING DIVINE KNOWLEDGE WITHEARTHLY NEEDS
as she would talk to any other personthat might be in the home . Moreover , shesought guidance in every little detail of
That she received special an swers , thosewho lived with her have no doubt . Eventhe chi ldren in their play would run toArm for a solution of the little difficultiesthat arose . One of the boys on one occasionhad lost a spade , and was dreading theanger of hi s father when he should discoverthat the article was miss ing . In his di stresshe went to Ann and appealed to her toask her Father about it . She at once in hersimple way closed her eyes and saidFather , where is it 7 We cannot explain how she understood
,or in what form
these answers made themselves known toher consciousness , but she immedi ately tooka straight courseto the back of the garden ,where the spade was lying hidden in thegrass . This was not by any means anisolated case . The children would come toher when th eir toys were lost , an d invariably
70
A RE ! UES T DENIED 3
after Ann had prayed she would at once goto where the missing article was lying .
Only on one occasion di d she fail to gether answer about such things , and thisexception happened thus A young minister was vi siting the home and was out onthe lawn playing croquet with the girls .Ann did not approve of this at least, shedid not thi nk it was right for the min i sterto be spending hi s time in that way . In herblunt style she asked if he could keep hismind stayed upon God while he was doingthis . He replied Oh , yes , for a littlewhile . As the game proceeded , one ofthe young ladies lost a much-prized locket .
However,she was quite unconcerned and
said Oh never mind . Ann will soon findit for me . She came in and said
,Ann
,
get it for me now,quick .
” Ann , in herusual way
,went to her Father
,but no
answer came . She went out to look forit
,but could not find it , and it was never
found .
Very many years afterAnn had left theReid family she came to live in our home .
71
LINKING DIVINE KNOWLEDGE WITHEARTHLY NEEDS
The boys had heard a great deal aboutAnn ’s wonderful experiences , and naturallyexpected to see some man ifestation . Theyhardly liked at first to ask her to demonstrate these things
,but they used to hide
articles which Ann would have to u se , andthen watch to see how she would find them .
Perhaps some article of clothing wou ld beput in the most out-of—the-way place theycould think of , and then they would watchfor the time when Ann would requireit . Being perfectly ignorant of what hadoccurred
,she would go up to her room or
walk up to a corner with her eyes closed ,and in her simple way she would sayFather
,where is it 7 and after standing
a moment or two in silence she would tu rnabout and go di rect to the spot where thething was hidden . We do not profess toexp lain thi s we simply narrate what hasoccurred over and over again . At one timethe boys hi d the cat and Ann was askedwhere it was . She had no idea of whathad been done, but in her simple way she
72
LINKING DIVINE KNOWLEDGE WITHEARTHLY NEEDS
next week on the way there ‘
G Then theytold how the money had been lost and theyhad looked for it all the evening with alantern . Before they retired , at the familyaltar , Ann reminded her Father of thepromise of the morning , and asked that Hewould keep the money for her wherever itwas . Early in the morning she was waken ed with the instruction : Arise and getthe money that you gave Me to keep foryou last ni ght . Then came the othervoice Nonsense ! Your leg is too b adfor you to get up and go .
” She did notobey at once and was jus t falling to sleepwhen again the inward voice spoke , biddingher to arise . She went out and wa lkeddown the path , not looking specially for it ,but all at once she was stopped by herFather, an d she saw a bill lying almosthidden beneath snow , by the side of asmall mound . She picked it up and tookit across the road , where her friend, Mrs .
Hughes , lived . Rapping at the door, shecalled : ! Get up an d eee if this is a bill.
” Her
74
RES TORATION
friend took the bill and looked at it inamazement , saying This is a five-dollarbill .
” Ann said,Come and let us praise
the Lord for thi s .
” After thanksgiving Annwent home
,and going in , placed the bill
on the ta ble,saying There there is your
money . The girls looked at it in su rprise ,for they had searched so long for it . Thenthey begged her 0Ann ,
don’t tell it inclass meeting , or people will thi nk weare so careless .”
CHAPTER X1
A WONDERFUL TEACHER
Thou didst hide these things from the wise andunderstanding, and di dst reveal them unto babes ."
Matt. an'
. 25
REFERENCE has been made in other placesto the fact that in a very strange and supernatural way Ann was taught to read . Thereare those who imagin e that God never intervenes in such secular matters . The courseof human wisdom is to them the only coursealong which events must move . We do n otwonder at this . We thi nk that the earlydi sciples found it very hard to beli eve orenter into much that the Lord Jesus taught
,
because it was contrary to their naturalwisdom , nor di d they easily recogn i ze thatHe understood not only spiritual truth , buttemporal ma tters
,in a way that they could
not . We imagine that it was with much
76
PETER’S LESSON
hes itation that Peter bent to the supremacyof the Lord in matters that concerned hisown special calling . From childhood Peterhad been occupied in the fishing industry .
H is father was a fisherman . He had almostspent hi s life upon the water . He doubtless thought that he knew all that was worthknowing with regard to fishing , the bestplaces and the best methods to adopt
,and
after toiling all night un ceasingly andcatchi ng nothing , to hi s natural mind therewould doubtless be somethi ng presumptuous in the suggestion that the nets be letdown once more for a draught . Listen ashe remonstrates We have toiled all nightand caught nothing . Notwiths tanding , wekn ow how much of faith there was possiblyhidden in those words
,and of inward
wondering whether perhaps Jesus was goingto show His special power on this occasion .
Nevertheless,at Thy bidding we will let
down the net .” Peter learned the lessonthat even in the common, everyday mattersthe Lord Jesus Christ understood betterthan any merely human mind cou ld .
77
A WONDERFUL TEACHER
We know that many will h ave theirdoubts as we record God ’s dealings withAn n in the matter of instruction in so-calledsecular things . We have recorded howafter attendi ng school for some days theteacher gave her up , having striven in vainin a hopeless effort to teach An n the lettersof the alphabet . We have further te
ma rked that , atthe time of her conversion ,in a strange way she was enabled to readone verse from the Word of God to bringcomfort and strength to her heart .
Still later,at the time when she yielded
absoluw to the Lord and was filled withHis Spirit
,she was enabled to make out a
special verse that had brought light andhelp to her soul . Without any human intervention this process of instruction contin u ed until Ann could read her Bible anywhere and everywhere . In the early stageit seemed almost as though , apart from theletters , she understood the words ! but inher later years she was enabled to spell outthe words . The most remarkable thing ,however
,about the whole matter was that
78
POSSIBLE WITH GOD
Ann to th e very close of life was quiteunable to read any other book . We re
member on one occasion putting a paperbefore her and seeing her trying in vain todecipher some of the smaller words . Shefound it an impossible task . Finally sheput her finger on one word and said Thatseems to be ‘ lord
,
’ but I don’t think it ismy Lord , as my heart doesn
’t burn whileI see it .” The writer then looked over thepaper and found her finger upon the wordindicated , but noticed that it was a reportregarding the South African War , in whi chit spoke of Lord Roberts ’ achievements .
We do not attempt at all to explain thisph enomenon
,but we do know on the tes
timony of many credi ble witnesses that itwas so .
Both in public and private Ann could readfreely, not to say fluently
,from the Word
of God , and the way the truth wouldflow forth from her lips when speaking at herFather’s bidding , was marvellous in oureyes .” While she found it utterly impossible to memorize Scripture
,yet she made it
79
A WONDERFUL TEACHER
so constantly her meat and drink tha t theHoly Spirit would bring to her remembran ceju st the pa ssage suited to the occasion . Agreat many can testify to the aptness andpoint of the Scriptures that Ann would giveon different occasions . It was qu ite a common thing for Christian people visiting thehome to request Ann to ask her Father fora verse for them
,and in a wonderful way ,
after lifting up her eyes and her heartheavenward
,Ann would give forth some
passage whi ch was evidently most suited tothe special need in fact , without knowingthe circumstances , she became repeatedlythe medium of the Divine voice eitherto guide
,comfort or correct those who
thus sought her ministry .
80
HEA VENLY MNEMONICS
would walk over to a corner of the room,
and wi th upli fted heart she would ask herFather for a suitable portion ! an d the wordwould be given her and she would tell itout , often with wonderful power an d anaptness that every one had to acknowledge .
In her early life she had a great des ireto memori ! e Scripture verses . One day shetried for an hour to learn a verse , but shefound it impossible to remember it . Thenext day she went to a friend , who re
quested her to take charge of the baby whileshe went into town . Ann took charge , andthen prayed that the child might sleepduring the whole time of her friend’sabsence so that she might once more tryto learn her verse . She got a New Tes tament and went over and over the sameverse again , but without success . Finally,it seemed as though the voice spoke to herand asked Ann
,what is the ma tter with
you Ann replied : Well , I never sawthe like of me . I spell and spell , but can
’tremember a word , and she broke intocrying . Then the voice spake again Well ,
82
HE KNOWETH THE WAY
I thought Christ was a satisfying portionall in all to you Ann replied : Well ,Father , I would like to remember theseverses .” HerFather said Wh at do youwant to get that message for Annreplied : Well , the class leader alwaysquotes it in his prayer , and I like it Thespecial verse she was trying to memorizewas What thi ngs soever ye desire
,when
ye pray believe that ye receive them,and
ye shall have them .
” The reply came backto her : Did you ever see a mother send achild on an errand and observe that thechild forgot it before it got half way to itsdestination 2 Well , you would be just thesame . But I will give it to you jus t whenI want you to have it .”
This seemed to satisfy Ann in a measure ,but she then in a persistent way saidWon’t You teach me the little things onthe doors ‘
! She could never tell the number of a house . The voice replied : Whydo you want to be able to read them 7She said So that I could go about bymyse Then came the answer, No , for
83 G
HEAVENLY MNEMONICS
then you would go to places where theydo not want you and where I did not sendyou . I will always take you Myself or
sen d a pilot .” Ann was ignorant of themeaning of th is last word , but the nextmorn ing a woman came for her to go andpray with her mother
,who was dying , and
she was instructed to ! go withand then Ann understood .
I shall never forget my own experienceof Ann in this connexion . She had beeninvited by my parents to come and livewith us altogether, and I was deputedto return wi th Ann to the city while shecollected her belongings . I was an absolutestranger in the city , and in con sequencewas of no service in finding the localityof places . She had left things in severaldi fferent quarters and directi ons , and shecould neither tell the names of the persons , nor streets , nor the numbers of thehouses . Here and there she would recallpossibly a name , and on some occasion swould remember the street . We setoutone morning to visit the pla ces where she
84
HEAVENLY MNEMONICS
At the next place Ann could not remember the name of the individu al , and evidently did not know the hou se . Severa ltimes as we walked on she said Thatlooks like the house ,
” but was directed togo past . Finally she stopped and saidMy Father says thi s is th e house .
” Isaid : Well , Ann , you can go up and see Iam not going .
” It seemed to me too ridiculous to ring the doorbell and meetpeoplewithout knowing whom you wanted to see,
or where they lived . With perfect confiden ce Ann went up and rang the bell , andwhen the right person came , tu rned roundin a kind of triumphant way and beckonedme to come up . Experience ofthis sort wasrepeated over and over again that day . Itwas at first very mortifying to me , and then ,to conclude matters , Ann wanted me to goto the Salvation Army meeting with herthat ni ght . I went and when the opportun ity was given for testimony Ann jumpedup
, an d in a joyful way began to praiseher Father for the way He had led herthat day and gu i ded her aright , and then ,
86
GUIDED ARIGHT
turni ng to me,and directing the attention
of all present to me,she said : She was
afraid to trust my Father . She wouldn’t b elieve that the Lord could guide me to theright houses ,
” and then concluded by turning again and saying to me : Now, you getup and speak .
” As far as my own feelingswere concerned
,the day di d not end very
triumphantly,but I certainly had learned
that Ann h ad a strange power and thatshe had such intimate gu i dance as I havenever seen exhibited in any one before .
87
CHAPTER XIII
PROVI DENTIAL PROTECTION
The angel of the Lord encampeth round aboutthem that fear Him and delivereth them .
”
Pa . W u . 7.
I N her long career Ann had quite a number of very narrow escapes , and there wereseveral occasions on whi ch it seemed as
though the powers of evil had designedeither to destroy her life or accomplish herruin . On one occasion Ann was out inthe bush gathering some wood , as she di dnot care to trouble any one else to do it .
In a very lonely place a man suddenlyappeared
,and after watching her , asked
why she was gathering wood , and why herhusband did not do that kind of work forher . Innocently Ann an swered : I haveno hu sband . I am ‘ j oin ed to the Lord .
’
Looking round in every di rection , he88
PROVI DENTIAL PROTECTION
this particular morning , and had carriedthe buttermilk downstairs ! but instead oftaking it through into the milk cellar, sheplaced it just at the foot of the steps , intending first , as her custom was , to clean upthe dairy . Ann , in her usual way , wastalking to her Father, and said she wascomi ng back to finish this work later .After dinner , when she was left alone, sheproceeded to wash up the dishes , and then,noticing a small hole in the carpet , she saidI will mend this , Father , before I go downin the cellar to clean .
” Wh ile thus en
gaged a man entered the lane and cametowards the house . Ann paid little heedto him
,but proceeded wi th her work . She
described how he turned aside into thehedge for a while , and then reappearing ,came along with his arm in a sling . Whileshe was working on the carpet he suddenlystood in the doorway and asked for money.
Ann said : ! I have nothing .
! Whereare the girls i b e queried . Ann said :They are gone out for the afternoon andwon ’t be back until even ing .
” ! Where90
DANGER AVERTED
are the men ! Back in the bush ,she answered . How far away is that T
he continued . Half a mile , Annreplied . Satisfied that there was noone about , he asked her if she could gethim a drink of buttermi lk , knowing thatshe would have to go into the cellar forit . Ann said
,
! Yes,sir , I can ,
” and atonce proceeded down the steps . HerFather said : Be quick
,and then Ann
began to be afraid . She ran quickly tothe foot of the stairs , and di pped into themi lk pail for a drink and rushed up again
,
but not until the man had made hi s wayto the top of the steps . However , hersudden return With the can in her handseemed so to surprise him, that he ba ckedaway from the entrance to the cellar, andthen took the milk . After he had drunkit Ann again kneeled down to fini sh mending the carpet . The man sat down , andasked Ann if she would mend a small rentin hi s clothes . The man said that he hadtorn it in going into the hedge to tie up hisarm in the sling. She did not know what
91
PROVI DENTIAL PROTECTION
to do , and so , in order to gain time sheprepared needle and thread to carry out hiswish , praying all the while that the Lordwould take care of her . She was convincedtha t the man intended evil . Ere she hadfinished threading her needle , to her greatrelief she heard the Windlass creaking atthe well , and at once jumped up and saidOh , there is Mr . Reid now ,
sir .
” Theman evidently di d not want to meet him,
and slun k away,trembling
,Ann said
,as
though he had the palsy . She felt thatGod had delivered her .
Two or three days after thi s , justaboutthe same time in the afternoon
,she was
occupied outside in the bakehouse , whenshe saw someone resembling a queer-looking old woman comi ng up the avenue tothe house . The aspectof this indi vidu alstruck Ann at once as being very peculiar .She said : Who is it Father ‘
l Instantlythe answer came : Don ’t you rememberthe man who was here the other day !! Yes , Father, is it he i
! Yes , it is ,came the answer . The apparent old
92
PROVI DENTIAL PROTECTION
in Ann’
s li ttle cottage . Some ofthe thingswere valuable
,but they h ad perfect
confidence in Ann’s care and integrity .
However,it was at this time that a neigh
bou r began to covet possession of th esethings . T h e two girls had expected toretu rn home withi n a year
,instead of
which , years went by and they were stilllivi ng in the Western States . The neighbour woman above referred to was oneof di sreputable character
,and while she
professed friendship for Ann,yet she did her
utmost to circumvent her . On one occasion when Ann was very ill she cameand proffered her services
,but Ann h ad no
confidence whatever in the woman , andtried to decline . However , she persis tentlypressed her assista nce upon her . Ann wassuffering greatly from dropsy and hearttrouble , and this woman , evidently havingdesigns upon the valuables that she knewwere in Ann’s care
,came in one day and
insisted on Ann drinkin g a cup oftea . Annhad been warned by her Father not toreceive anything from her, and when she
94
A FAILURE FORGIVEN
came in she refused to take it , but thewoman gla red at Ann and insisted, andunder pressure , through fear Ann finallytook the cup and drank it . The womanthen went out .Ann was much tried because she feltshe had gone contrary to the revealed willof her Father , and Satan said :
! Now Hewon’t hear your prayer . But in an instantAnn was crying out : Father, forgive me ,forgive me . You know I love You betterthan I do any one else in the world . ButYou know I was afraid . Now, Father, likeas a father pitieth his children
,pity me .
You know my frame and You rememberthat I am but dust .” Instantly she re
ceived the assurance of forgiveness , andto her mi nd was brought at once veryvividly the incident in the life of Paul
,
where he was bitten by the viper, and shereceived the assurance that God wouldtake care of her , even though poisoned .
In a little whi le she became very, very sick .
She felt that this saved her life . Thiswoman tried to get the care of Ann again,
95
PROVI DENTIAL PROTECTION
time after time , but by very special providen ces her efi orts along thi s line wereblocked and her purposes fru strated.
ins tance she had received the fulfilment ofth e Scripture promise If they drink
any deadly it shall not hurt them .
”
96
A GODLESS BROTHER
to kill her with it . Ann looked at himquite boldly
,and said : ! If the devil has
the chair,my Father has the gu i ding
'
_
of it ,and indeed you will not do it . Ann saidhe then dashed the chair on the ground withforce enough to have broken it . It wasa great grief to Ann to see the examplewhich he set to hi s little daugh ter. Heused to send her out for drink . Ann feltthis so keenly that after rebuking him for itshe made it a special matter of prayer , andgetting a glimpse of the life of sin thatseemed inevitable for the little girl undersuch surroundi ngs , she cried out to God tosave her and to take her away from the evilwhi ch was to come . She received assurance that thi s would be granted
,and boldly
told her brother that it was the last timethat he would ever be permitted to send herfor the liquor . This enraged him ,
but didnot alter the decree . For a few days thechild happened to be otherwise occupiedwhen the hour came to go for the drink , andthen she became ill . As she grew worseAnn
’s brother and hi s wife became very u n
98
TRUS T AND OBEY
easy and appealed to her to pray for thechi ld’s recovery . But she told them plain lythat she
'
knew her Father was going totake the child away to deliver her fromsuch a wicked home . A few days afterthis she fell asleep , leavin g behind a cleartestimony of her faith in the Lord Jesus .
Ann di d not cease to visit thi s brother,even when some miles intervened betweenthem . On one occasion she was stayingwith a friend
,when one morning she re
ceived word from her Father that she was togo and seeZherb rotherJ ames that day . Annreplied : Sure
,Father
,I cannot go ! it is
five miles,and I am too weak to walk so
far .
”Th e reply came : ! You do as I tell
you . The earth is the Lord’s , and the fulness thereof . The silver and the gold areHis , and the cattle upon a thousand hills .
”
Ann saw it in a minute and said : ! Thehorses , too , Father .
” She went on withher work . Just when she had got thedinner ready her Father said : Now is thetime to go .
” Tu rning to one of the girls ,Ann told her that she mus t go . They urged
99 H
A GODLES S BROTHER
her to stay and have the dinner , but Annins isted that her Father had said : Nowis the time .
” They said : Very well,you
can go a little erran d for us on your way .
Just call in and tell Mrs . to send overthe goods Ann hu rried off , and away inthe di stance behind her she saw comi ng overthe hill a vehicle with a grey horse . HerFather said : That is the horse that is totake you .
” She hurried down the roadto get the errand completed first . Justbefore she entered the house she saw thehorse stop at the tavern . She at once saidSure
,Father, that cannot be the one , or
it would not st0p there . But the answercame Yes , that is the horse to take you .
”
When she came out of the house anothertrap overtook her and she accepted aninvitation for a ride , but found theman was only going two miles . After alittle while the grey horse overtook theman d Ann said to the man who was drivingher : ! There
,that is the horse that my
Father said was to take me . Ask the manhow far he is going .
” In reply to inqui ry
100
A GODLESS BROTHER
She reached the home of her brother,
and it seemed as though , while her ownbrother constantly rejected her message ,yet God intended her to mini ster to hiswife ! for it was not long before this poorwoman was won derqy converted ,
and thechange, as in the life ofAn n herself , was realand deep . She was led into an experienceof very close intimacy with God
,and
although living in a drunkard’s home shereceived wonderful answers to her prayers
,
and led a li fe that commended the Gospelwhich she proclaimed .
102
CHAPTER XV
A FAITHFUL SERVAN T
I f, therefore, ye have not b een faithful in theunrighteous mammon, who will commit to yourtrust the true riches 1 —I fa.ke xvi . 11 !R.
TH E Lord Jesus has said that He that isfaithful in that whi ch is least is faithful alsoin much ,
” and it is a general principle thatthose who are untrue in the so-called secularmatters of life can never be made powerfulin the spiri tu al realm . Ann kept her coven antwith the Reid family, and stayed withthem until , first Mrs . Reid, and then laterthe old doctor
,had passed away ! nor did
her task end then she continued to keephouse for the family that was left until they
grew up and her services were required nolonger . Even then she constantly followedthem wi th her prayers . Two of the sonsleft the old homestead and determin ed to
103
A FAITHFUL SERVANT
seek their fortunes in the South , takingup residence in New Orleans . A cous inaccompanied them on this j ourney . Theyhad not long resided there before a terriblevisitation of yellow fever visited the city .
People died by thousands and were carriedaway to the outski rts of the city for interment ,without any ceremonywhatever . Fortwo weeks at this period , without knowingwhat was occurring , Ann felt a great burden of prayer , and used to go daily to herfriend
,Mrs . Hughes , and together they in
terceded on behalf of the two absent boys .
During this time An n had a vision one nightthat Joshua
,the younger , had died . So
certain was she of this that the nextmorning she visited Mrs . Hughes and toldher that she knew Joshua was dead , andthat she could no longer pray for him .
Her friend tried to persuade Ann that itwas the constant thought and care for theboys and her undue anxiety that caused herto thi nk thus . But An n was persistent instating that her Father had given her thedream , and that it must be so . Th e cou sin
104
CAS T UPON GOD
kept up correspondence with the twodaughters who were at home with Ann . Hereported that both of the brothers hadfever ! but it was not until six weeks after ,when Henry
,the elder brother , had fully re
covered from the fever , that he sent homeword that Joshua had died
,and when the
date became known it was found that it wason the very night of Ann ’s dream .
When the family needed Ann ’s services nolonger they had very kindly furnished for hera little cottage in the village, and made heras comfortable as possible , the sons assuring her that as long as they lived she shouldnever want However , man
’s proposalsare often very di fferent from that which isbrought to pass . It was not long beforeall the sons were dead and Ann was thuscast entirely upon the loving care of herHeavenly Father.
Ann continued to reside in her littlecottage for some years
,and then for a time
returned to the home of a member of theReid family
,but later on accepted an invi
tation to come and spend a little time with105
A FAITHFUL SERVANT
her old friend,Mrs . Hughes , who had moved
to the City of Toronto . This temporaryarrangement merged into some years , andToronto became her home . There is no
doubt that God ’s providence was in this ,leading Ann into a wider sphere of usefulness and blessing , for her testimony wasgiven in many of the city churches , and herinfluence was felt far and wide .
106
CORRECTING THE CATHOLIC BISHOP
that she would go . Her friend took herinto one of the front seats , and together theysat while the—to Ann—strange introdu ctory services and ceremonial proceeded .
After thi s came a sermon by the Bishop .
Unfortunately , on this occasion ,he occupiedhi s address with a contrast between RomanCatholi cism and the Protestant churches ,and he proceeded to bring the variousdenominations one by one under consideration . Ann ’s knowledge of Ch urch hi storywas certamly very limited , and relativeclaims to antiqui ty were meaningless toher ! as decades , centuries or ages were allalike to her mind . Consequently sheunderstood very little of what was beingsaid u ntil the Bishop came to the Methodi sts . Then Ann was all alive at oncewith interest
,as she was now on familiar
ground . He commenced by saying that theMethodi sts were a little , upstart people ,founded by a cobbler and in existence but ashort time . Thi s was too much for Ann ,who immediately stood up and saidThat ’s not so , and proceeded to explain
108
VALI AN T FOR THE TRUTH
that they had been in existence for someconsiderable period, for she had knownthem for full forty years . Her good friendwas mortified and terribly di smayed
,and
at once tried to pull Ann to her seat . However
,Ann was not to be easily swerved
from her position . Turning to her friend ,she said Stop pluckin g me ! I am not agoose ,
” and proceeded to tell the peoplewhat the Methodi sts were . Two youngpriests
,however , came towards her , and one
of them very respectfully said : Madam ,it
is wrong for you to speak here . The Scriptures say that women must keep silence inthe churches
,and if they wish to know any
thing they must ask their husbands athome . To this remonstrance Ann repliedI have no husband . I am joined to theLord
,so I will ask Him here ,
” and she atonce proceeded to pray . After thi s shequi etly sat in her seat during the rest of theservice . The congregation was so in dignant that any one should dare to contradicttheir Bishop that they seemed well-nighincens ed enough to tear her to pieces at
109
CORRECTING THE CATHOLIC BISHOP
the close , but her friend and some others ,who knew her, came forward and pleadedher cause , and Ann was allowed to go inpeace .
Ann was just as outspoken, however, inher own church . On one occasion, whenthey were having a union class meeting atThornhill , nearly the whole of the testimonies were simply confes sions of heartwanderings and deviations from the will ofGod , and the whole atmosphere was morelike a Jewish waili ng-place than an old-timeMethodist class meeting . Finally Anncould endure it no longer . She jumped toher feet and marched to the front , and thenfacing the crowd, she said : Would to Godyou had done with your heart wanderings and your deviations . You give myFather ’s table a bad name . Who , afterhearing you this morning , would want tocome You keep people away from theLord
,
” and then she told them the secretof a joyful Christian life .
110
PRA YER FOR HEALING
asked her Heavenly Father to give at leasttwo hours of quiet sleep . As soon as herpetition was ended she went out confid
ently into the adjoining room,and asked the
members of the family to keep very quiet !stating that she had asked her Father togive two hours ’ sleep , and addi ng I knowHe will.
” The patient fell asleep immedi
ately and obtained four hours of qui et ,restful sleep
,and from that point her
health began to return .
It must not be thought , however , thatAnn would pray indiscriminately accordingto people’s requests . She learnt ere longtha t it was impossible to press persistentlyfor answers to prayer that , when granted ,
would only prove a h indrance , or a curse .
On one occasion a husband came to Ann in
great distress and said the doctor had givenup hi s w ife , and had said that it wasimpossible for her to live . Piteous ly heappealed to Ann to pray for her life tobe spared to her family . He said : I knowyour faith will bring her back . Ann
allowed herself to be entreated and went
112
WHATS OEVER THINGS YE DES IRE
to her Father in a very presumptuous way ,saying If I am what I profess
,I w illhave
her life . She even us ed stronger expressions which we do not care to repeat . Thewoman was restored speedily but livedfor years a life that di shonoured God andbrought di scredit on the cause of Christ .Ann humbly confessed the rashn ess of herprayer .Some persons may take exception to the
subjects that came within the range ofAnn ’s petitions . The writer well remembers the comi ng of Ann to live in her home .
After she had been there a short time theyoungest boy of the household said toAnn one day : We haven’t seen any ofthe wonderful things
,that they tell about ,
done round here since you came .
” A fewdays later one of the cows wasseriously
,and Ann heard the men say that
it could not get better and must be shot .Ann went out to the pasture and lookedat the cow
,and decided that it was indeed
truly in a very bad way, when the Lord saidto her : Now
,here is your chance .
”Ann
113
PRA YER FOR HEALING
asked Chance for what The replycame : To show them that My power isunchanged .
”An n looked again at the cow ,
whi ch appeared to be in the last extremity.
But her fa ith was not staggered by theaspect of thi ngs
,and she confidently said
Well,Father, I will take it then by faith
although , Gideon-like, she asked for twoor three signs before she was entirely satisfied , and could go back and meet thisyoungest brother, with the assurance thatshe kn ew the cow would soon be well .The boy clapped his hands at the statement ,and said : Oh , good ! It will get betternow .
” In hi s boyi sh way he used sometimes to like to test Ann ’s faith afterwards .
When he went back for the cows that nighthe came home qu i te dis appointed and saidAnn , it is no better .
” But this did notdi sturb Ann’s confidence
,and shortly after
the cow was perfectly restored .
114
THE HABIT OF PRA YER
life was in ac cord with her public utterances .
Providentia lly after a special meeting shewas sent to spend the night at the samehome at which Ann was staying , and theywere given the same room in which to sleep .
This officer relates how, long after theyhad gone to bed
,Ann lay quietly commun
ing with her Father, eja culating praisefrom time to time
,until nea rly midnight .
About five o’clock in the morning she awoke,
in her usual way , praising God . The dawnh ad not yet broken , and experiencing somedi fficulty in finding her attire
,she just asked
her Father to direct her ! and at once , finding her clothing
,Ann in her simple way said
Th ank you , Father .
” Then she pouredwater into the wash-basin and began towash . For many years , even to the close ofher li fe , shemade it a daily custom to take acomplete cold sponge bath . Just as she waspreparing for this she suddenly stopped ,
and addressing God she said : ! Wh at is thatYou say , Father Then in a moment shebu rstout with the exclamation Yes , thatis it . Thank You , Father . And then with
116
THE HABIT OF PRA YER
brother there with her, and at times heserved as an incentive to Ann ’s prayers . Onone occasion Ann asked him where hi s eldest brother was , and was informed that hehad gone with a number of other men to aploughing-competition to assist one of theneighbours who had long been ill, and b eclosed his remarks by adding ! But it isa pity : they will all have to come home ,
”
for a regular downpour of rain was thenthreaten ing . Ann expressed her regret atthis , and he replied : Why ,Ann , couldn
’tyou ask your Father to st0p the rain 9 andin his boyish wayquoted to her her favouriteverse : ! Faith
,mighty faith
,the promise
sees .
” Ann at oncemade thi s a matter ofprayer and received assurance of her answer,and with strong faith asserted that therewould be no rainfall that day . The cloudscontinued to gather and the prospec t lookedblacker than eve r
,and George asserted that
it was bound to come . But Ann was u nmoved
,and the men were permitted to
finish their day ’s unselfish work withoutany hindrance from the rain .
118
! UI ET ASS URANCE
Perhaps the writer may be pardoned forreferring to a personal experience in thisconnexion . A friend was expec ted to arriveat the railway station
,situate about five
miles from our home . The men were toobusy to go , and it had been arranged that Ishould drive the horse and trap there tomeet him . However , just before the time toleave
,a heavy thunder shower threatened .
I had always been very much afraid oflightn ing , and dreaded the idea of beingcaught alone in a thunderstorm away fromhome . My mother sought to persuade menot to go , as there seemed no doubt aboutthe storm bursting shortly We then appealed to Ann
,and after qui et communi on
she turned and said that it was all right forme to go
,for not a drop would fall until I
had reached my destination . In spite ofthe gathering storm I drove off, and reachedthe end of my journey . The horse was putup
,and just after meeting our friend, the
rain began to come down in torrents , andwe had a tremendous demonstration ofelectric forces .
1 19
CHAPTER XIX
OF LIKE PAS S IONS WITH US
We have this treas ure in earthen vessels , tha tthe exceeding greatness of the power may be of Godand not from ourselves ."— II. Cor. iv. 7 !R.
I F we were to close thi s narrative andrecord an unblemished career of over fiftyyears , many would think that we were following the custom of hero worshippers
,and
either wi th biased judgment or by su ppres
sion of facts , were creating an ideal ratherthan recording the actual .It is with the consciousness that we shall
make the lesson of this prayerful woman ’slife more effective thereby
,that we venture
to a ssert a few incidents that magnify graceby conclus ively proving that the subjectofthis biography was throughout a womanof like passions with us .”
120
OF LIKE PASSIONS WITH US
for a great love-feast , followed by a fellowship meeting , atwh ich Dr . Carroll was inthe chair . When the opportunity for testimony was given it was not long before Annwas on her feet . The chairman did notknow her, and after she had spoken at somelength he very courteously reminded herthat there were others who were entitledto some time as well as herself . Verysweetly Ann replied Yes , that is so thetime is my Father’s ,
” and in a very niceway she concluded her
'
remarks and sat
down . Before the meeting concluded someone informed Dr . Carroll who the oldlady was , and he at once felt grieved thathe had asked her to stop . At the conclusion of the service he made his way back towhere Ann was standing , and very humblyexpressed his regret that he had asked herto cease , an d said he hoped she would notbe offended . Ann at once said ! Oh , no ,
”
and then lifting up her eyes , she saidFather , what do you say about it 2 Atonce the answer came an d Ann gave itforth from the Scriptu re : ! Great peace
122
H UMAN IMPERFECTION
have they that love thy law,and nothing
shall ofiend them .
”
In contrast to this , the same friendaccompanied Arm to a meeting in WesleyChurch
,Toronto , at whi ch , as soon as the
Opportun ity occu rred , Ann rose to speak forthe Master . As she proceeded , one of thegood brethren at the back , evidently impressed and blessed by what she wassaying , began to respond . From previousexperiences , Ann was probably somewhatsensitive , and failing to catch what thi sgood brother said , concluded that he wascalling for her to sit down . In a momentshe turned round and said quite sharplyI will not sit down till my Father wantsme to .
” The friend who narrates this saidthat on her way to the meeting Ann seemedto be ! just running over with the joy of theLord ,
” and that her face fairly shone as onthe street car she spoke to first one and thenanother of the Lord Jesus . Nor had thisradiance left her as she rose to speak on thi soccasion . But ,
” said thi s friend, immediately after her sharp retort there was a
123
OF LIKE PASS IONS WITH US
change and after saying a few words moreAnn sat down .
” On the way home hergood fri end undertook to remonstrate withher and told her the enemy musthave gothold of her ear
,at least in that meeting .
She informed Ann that the person thatshe had reproved was simply say ingPraise the Lord Ann said she thoughtshe heard him say : Sit down .
” But onfurther explanation she became very muchashamed and humbled over her whole attitude in this matter . We simply narrate
apart from grace and the keeping powerof the Holy Spirit
,Ann was as liable to
be surprised and defeated by the greatAdversary as others would be .
There were several occasions on which ,during the years that we knew herqu i teintimately , further evidences of thi s factwere given . As best illustrating that thi swas so , we narrate one little incident thathappened toward the close of her life . Annhad been invited by a friend to a town somedistance from Toron to , and during her stay
124
OF LIKE PASS IONS WITH US
amongst thi s small number . So extremehad she become in her view that for thetime she seemed to have lost sight of thefundamental basi s of grace , the merits ofthe Lord Jesus Christ . Moreover, shebecame so greatly prepossessed with thisfriend that she began to apply to him versesof Scripture that could only be rightlyapplied to the Lord Jesus Himself .Just at thi s time my husband was invited
to preach in the church to whi ch this gentleman belonged , and was to be entertainedat hi s home . After the sermon Ann rose,
and pointing to thi s man , used the wordsThis is my beloved Son hear ye Him ,
”
and di rected the people to regard him as onewho should be lis tened to in a peculiar waybecause of thi s , and stated that the Churchcould not be blessed unless they heededhis teaching . She spoke for some ti me .
After the service my husba nd went homewith them , and at the dinner table re
marked that he had almost decided tosing Ann down in the meeting when she
made such wrong application of Scripture126
WANDERING ARRES TED
and hedemurred at the application of such averse to any mere man . At th is both the reproved persons became quite indi gnant , andAnn gave strong evidence of possessing someof the warmth of feeling over whi ch shehad wept and prayed so much during herearly Christian life . After concluding theSunday services , my husband decided toleave for home by the early train at fiveo ’clock the next morning . Just beforedeparting he heard Ann ’s knock at hisdoor , and on Opening it Ann stood outsidesaying My Father tells me that I am togo wi th you . He was very much su r
prised atthis , as she had told him the daybefore that she was going to stay in thishome the rest of her life . He said to herthat it would be impossible for him to waitwhile she got ready, as it was a long walkto the station , and he had only ju st timeto hu rry on and catch the train . Sheinsisted, however , that her Father told herthat she was to go with him . My husbandrelates that he wishes he had heeded her
guidance , but he hurried off to catch the
127
OF LIKE PAS S IONS WITH US
train . After reaching the railway he hadto wai t for fully an hou r before the traincame , it was so late that morn i ng fLittle more than a week had elapsed
after this when Ann was sent back to herold home in Toronto under the care of afriend , she having become utterly irresponsible
,and for some months her reason
was beclouded and she was under the constant care of loving friends . Whether herweakening mental condition was the causeof her deflection from the truth , or whethera compassionate heavenly Father took thismethod of delivering her from a subtledelusion , it is impossible to tell . Duringthi s period she was in no way responsiblefor her actions .
Many friends who had known her for solong felt for her condition deeply , and it wasthought it would be deplorable , after allthe years of her testimony, that her earthlylife should be terminated in that manner .Much prayer was offered up on her behalf ,and after some few months the cloud li ftedand she regained her wonted mental vigour
128
CHAPTER XX
TES TIMONY OF MINISTERS
Of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost.Acts vi 3 .
Ob tained a good report through faith .
H eb . xi . 39.
THE Rev . E . B . Ryckman,a Methodist
mi nister , at that time resident in Almonte,
on seein g the obituary notice of An n ’s deathin one of the papers
,wrote as follows
to the Montreal Witness Just fiftyyears ago now I was sent to my firststation in the Toronto district . My homewas at Thornhi ll , which was also the homeof the family of Dr . Reid
,in which Ann
was a servant , and in a sense mis tress andmother
,too
,for both Dr . and Mrs . Reid
had passed away , and the devoted Ann hadthe young people under her care . I soondi scovered that I had in my charge a per
130
FAITHE UL WITNESS ING
son and a Christian of very remarkableattainments . During the fifty years of myministry the word consecration has neverbeen interpreted to me so fully by any otherperson as by Ann . Allthatis meant by thephrases , walking wi th God and talkingwith God
,
’ was illustrated more visibly ,practically and constantly by her than byany other that I have kn own . One couldnot speak with her without talking aboutChrist or some interest of His Kingdom .
Without the least appearance of assumption, she always controlled the conversation .
She was accustomed to speak of theAlmighty as was Job , and to hear Himspeak to her in turn . For instance , oneday I went into the Reid home
,and of
course the subject of religion in someinteresting phase of it was up at oncebetween Ann and myself . In the courseof conversation
,she spoke of her tempts
tions . I said , as if in surprise ‘Why ,Ann , how is it that you are tempted !
’ Shereplied Oh
,I understand it . I told the
Lord about it and He said :‘Why , Ann ,
13 1
TESTIMONY OF MINIS TERS
you are all the time trying to tear downSatan’s kingdom
,and of course he will not
let you alone .
’ He then records somein cidents already referred to in this narrative and goes on to state ! The mostremarkable thin g about this woman was herknowledge of Scripture and the u se shemade of it in prayer, in the relation ofChristian experience and in ordin aryconversation . Generation s of Methodis tprea chers stati oned during the past sixtyyears on Yonge Street circuit have in turnstood astonished at Ann ’s familiarity withthe Bible . All her wants and wishes , herj oys and sorrows , indeed ,
all her thoughts,
seemed to be such as could be most easilyand fitly expressed in Scriptu re language .
I never heard her equal even in the pulpit .Ann made the very hi ghes t profession . Sheaffirmed that she was sanctified wholly, andthat the blood of Jesus Chri s t cleansed herfrom all unrighteousness
,and I never knew
saint or sinner,who knew her , that would
hint that either her conduct or her character was out of harmony with her profes
132
TES TIMONY OF MINIS TERS
heard Ann,when speaking in publi c , quote
a passage of Scripture that was brought toher mind in the followin g way . The passage or verse she wanted seemed not to bein her memory just at the time she wishedto give it out . She would stop and sayaloud Father
,give me th at verse,
’ andthe next instant would exclaim : I havegot it
,
’ and then she wou ld repeat it , sothat a person could tell at once thatour sisterwas living in constant communionwith God .
Like En och of old , she walked with God .
I remember on one occasion at aSalvation Army camp meeting , a numberof us were on the platform when Ann wasspea king out of the fulnes s of her heart . Ihappened to turn round to my nextneighbour
,the !late ! honoured and la
mented William Gooderham , an d I sawgreat tears roll ing down his cheeks as tha tdear woman poured forth her torrents ofliving truth from a heart overflowing withlove and praise to our God . I cann ot atthis time recall her words , but they werewords of wonderful power sent forth by the
13 4
HOLY C ONVERSATION
Holy Spirit,which indwelt that feeble body
of clay , whi ch was lighted up by the lifeDivine , so that her face used to shine withjoy and gladness .Ann was a genial companion in her
home life . Her conversation usually concerned her experience of the Lord’s kindnessunder di fferent circumstances . She hadno hesitation in saying : My Father tellsme this ,
’ and He told me that . ’ We mightbe disposed to speak as follows : Something seems to say
,do this
,or do that . Aye
That Something or Someone . We: areafraid to say
,My Father told me .
’ Suchforms of speech show how little we know ofreal communion with God . Communion isthe highest form of intercou rse it impliesthat not only do we talk to God , but that Healso speaks to us . When the Lord woulddes troy the cities of the plain , as describedin Genesis xviii . 17—3 3 , He said : Shall Ihide from Abraham that which I doThen there begins a conversation betweenthe Lord and Abraham, and after earnestpleading on the part of Abraham that the
13 5
TESTIMONY OF MINISTERS
city sh ou ld be spared , even if on ly tenrighteous men were found in it
,the Lord
replied I will not destroy it for the ten’ssake .
’ Then follows the signi ficant statement An d the Lord went his way as soonas he had leftcommuning with Abraham
,
and Abraham returned to his place .
’ Communion consisted thus in the Lord talkingto Abraham and Abrah am talking to God .
Ou r beloved si ster Ann knew wha t it wasthus to hold converse . Is that not whatis meant when the Lord Jesus says Mysheep hear My voice and I kn ow them , andthey follow Me Ours is the privilegeto speak to the Master and to have th eMaster speak to us . Solomon prayed for ahearing heart !marginal reading! , a heartto hear God’s voice .
On one occasion I was taking oursister Ann to spend a few weeks in a homenear Whitby During the journey onthe train there sat behind us a Catholicpriest, who became very much interested inthe conversation going on between Ann andmyself . I drew her out in regard to the
136
TESTIMONY OF MINISTERS
her . As we waited upon God in prayer ,Ann poured out her hea rt something likethi s Father
,sure the devil told me that
my two brothers would not come to see me ,as th ey-did not know I was sick
,and tha t
I could not write to tell them how ill I was .But , Father, You told me I could telegraphthem by way of the Throne of Grace . SoI just telegraphed to You , and now Youhave sent the message to them
,an d here
they are . Glory to God We were filledwi th holy joy and laughter
,and could do
nothing but praise God from the depthsof our hearts . God graciously answeredprayer, and Ann was immediately restoredto health
, and testified afterward to havingbeen raised up from a sick bed in answer tothe prayer of faith given to us on tha tmemorable visit .”
We could give the testimony of manyother ministers , did spa ce permit . At herfuneral almost every evangelical den omination was represented , and minister aftermin i ster rose to bear witness to the wonderful influ en ce of the life that had just closed .
138
ON FIRE WITH THE WORD
Ann did not hesitate to exhort,rebuke
or reprove ministers when she felt theywere not true to the Word of God or tothe light given to them
,and more than
one such was led to greater faithfulnessto his mi nistry through the faithfu l testimony of this humble saint .The well-known Bible teacher
,Mr . W .
R . Newell , gives the following testimonyconcerning the way in whi ch Ann wouldobta in knowledge relating to individuallives through communion with her Heavenly Father . He writesSeveral winters ago I was holding
meetin gs in Toronto , and , with my wife ,was staying at the China Inland MissionHome .
On e day I suggested we should go tovisit Holy An n
,
’ whom I had met , andwith whose li fe and testimony I was profoun dly impressed .
We had an excellent talk with her .She seemed on fire with the Word of God ,being occupied with nothing else . Shewould bring up passage after passage with
13 9
TESTIMONY OF MINISTERS
a kind of holy triumph tha t was most
In th e mids t of her conversation shesudden ly turned to my wife and saidMany are the affli ctions of the righteous ,but th e Lord delivereth him out of themall . ’ I think you will be sick . There willsome trouble come to you , I think, prettysoon , but the Lord will deliver you outof it . She said this with much earnestness and conviction , as if she had Divinelight on the subj ect .My wife and I spoke of the matter as
we walked back to the Mission . On thenext day
,or the next day but one , my wife
became ill with pneumoni a of an acutetype
,and came very near the gates of the
grave,being very low for several weeks ,
but she recovered,jus t as had been said
by this remarkable handmaiden of theLord .
! I was never in my life so impressedwith wha t seemed to be propheti c in sight ,as on this occasion .
”
140
she sometimes became a li ttle weary , andon several occasions again expressed herwillingness
,and even desire , to depart and
be wi th the Lord . The last few months oflife , however, were full of great activityand constant witnessing .
The Sunday before she passed away shewas up as usual and present at the seveno’clock prayer meeting in the BerkeleyStreet Methodist Church . Two hours latershe went again to the class meeting , remaining to the preaching service . When thebenediction was pronounced
,she , with
others , went up to say good-bye to themini ster , Rev . Marmaduke Pearson , whowas leaving for another charge . In herconversation with him she had not noticedthat she had got up on the low platform ,
and gradually moving back,she stepped
over the edge and fell with considerableforce to the floor. However, she rose anddi d not seem to feel very much th e worsefor the little accident
,and in the afternoon
went out again to attend another meeting .
Other than being somewhat wearied,there
142
ENTERING INTO RES T
appeared to be no disqui eting symptomswhen sh e retired to rest that evening
,and
she rose as usual on Monday morning,took
her customary bath,but j ust as she sat
down to breakfast she was smitten with astroke of paralysis . She gradually sankinto semi-consciousness . Mrs . Pedlow
,the
humble widow who had gladly shared herhome with An n during the last years of herlife
,was away at this time . She was im
mediately summoned home . Du ring theintervening hours Ann lay with eyes wideOpen
,but observing Mrs . Pedlow
’
s arrivalshe seemed to be satisfied
,and the weary
eyelids closed . For three days she lay perfectly still , but seemed to understandwhat was going on ! for when asked topress the hand if she knew who was speaking , or un derstood what was being sa id,she would at once respond wi th gentlepressure . After lingering for a few days,she quietly slept away on Thursday ,June 21 , 1906, at the age of 96 . The sunwas sinking in the west on the longest dayof the year . Mrs . Pedlow and a few friends
143
S UNSET
were watchin g by the couch . As the vi talflame burned low
,they sang softly
Abide with me, fast falls the eventide,Th e darkness deepens : Lord , with me abideWhen other helpers fail , and comforts flee ,
Help of the helpless, Oh , abide with me
Just as the words , Swift to its closeebbs out life’s li ttle day ,
” broke the stillness of the room , the spirit quietly tookits flight and the dear old sai nt was presen twith the Lord she so greatly loved . As soonas the news spread the home was throngedby hundreds anxious to get a last glimpse ofthe loved face
,and on Saturday a fitting
tribute was paid,when
,in the Berkeley
Street Methodi st Church , the friendsgathered to take part in the las t services .
The church was packed with friends,some
of whom had come many miles to be present at that service . Min isters of six
different denomination s who had kn ownher life paid fitting tribute by their testimony on this occasion to its influence andpower in the lives of others . At the closeof the service many followed to the ceme
144
