‘What is there here to court my stay,
Or hold me back from home;
While angels beckon me away,
And Jesus bids me come.’
Some time after, she said, ‘now I must pray for patience to wait the Lord’s time. Come Lord Jesus!’ Soon after she said, ‘I would not come back again, now I have got a glimpse of the heavenly kingdom.’ She made use of similar expressions, till she gradually sunk in death, and her Spirit took its flight to the paradise of God.
The funeral of Elizabeth Cullingham took place in the usual course. It was attended, as well by her own family, as by many of her christian friends. There was nothing in it to call for attention. It was consistent with her own simple unostentatious life. A large party of the attendants met at a neighbouring cottage, where the voice of thanksgiving was raised for the mercies which had been granted to our departed friend, and prayer was offered up for all who had been connected with her. On the ensuing Sunday Evening, a funeral Sermon was preached on her account. The text was taken from Rev. iii. 12. “Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.”
The subjects dwelt upon in the Sermon were—The course of a christian’s life; and the eternal reward which follows his death. The victory over the world, the flesh, and the devil was through divine grace, obtained by our departed friend, and now she has her reward. She is become a pillar in the temple of her God, to shew forth his praises through eternity amidst the redeemed in heaven; where “they hunger no more, neither thirst any more: neither shall the sun light on them nor any heat. For the lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.”
Her tomb stone in the church yard, bears a memorial to the truth of which all who attended upon her in her last hours can bear witness. They are lines somewhat transposed from a beautiful little poem of Mr. Dale’s.
‘Triumphant in thy closing eye,
The hope of glory shone;
Joy breath’d in thy expiring sigh,
To think the fight was won.‘And thus shall faith’s consoling power,
The tears of love restrain,
O! who that saw thy parting hour,
Could wish thee back again?’She was aged 28 years.
In drawing this memorial to a conclusion, I wish to add a few words in the way of encouragement to any young persons, who may read the account which has been given.
In the first place I wish to repeat, what I have before stated, that the subject of this history had nothing in her natural character or her situation in life, which distinguished her case from that of thousands. She was not particularly clever, or naturally very amiable, or very much instructed, or a person of great leisure, or brought up under very extraordinary circumstances. She had a moderate portion of talents committed to her—but she used what she had well. I know how prone we all are, to think that others around us have advantages which we have not, and to take this for an excuse for not giving ourselves to God as others do.
I wish to make the same remark about all the persons whose history has been introduced into this memoir. They were occupied in business, or engaged in the common duties of life; they had no greater advantages than belong to many of their neighbours, they were persons of like passions with others. There is nothing therefore in their case to make an excuse for those who have not followed in their steps. It must however be admitted that some individuals are often situated in a more favourable position than others for the cultivation of religious duties, and I am willing to allow that Elizabeth Cullingham had every advantage of this kind. At the same time I say without hesitation, that I believe the great mass of our young people possess the means, by which she gained her highest advantages. The preached word seems to have been her chief outward help, and the ordinary instruction in the scriptures, and the little meetings for prayer, were the means of grace which she followed. Within her own mind, however, she at the same time laboured diligently, she watched and prayed, she came out from worldly temptation, and she sought to set her affections on things above. But these efforts are within the reach of all who will enter upon them. Such is the liberty given to young persons in this present day, that it seems to me, that in almost any case, the excuse of not having the fullest opportunity of obtaining religious instruction is groundless. There may indeed be cases where young persons are deprived of a liberty which they should always have of attending at the House of God at stated times. But these instances are very few. No! the fault is not with the husbandman. ‘What could I have done more,’ the divine master says, ‘that I have not done.’ It is with ourselves. Our heavenly Father would gather us to himself, but we will not.
But, I will shortly point out the chief rules of christian doctrine, by which I think that Elizabeth advanced to that state, in which she became so meet for her heavenly rest.