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| | [[Family:Whitney, Henry (s1615-1673)|Henry<sup>1</sup>]]), | | [[Family:Whitney, Henry (s1615-1673)|Henry<sup>1</sup>]]), |
| | son of [[Family:Whitney, John (1720-1805)|John<sup>4</sup> and Deborah (Smith) Whitney]], | | son of [[Family:Whitney, John (1720-1805)|John<sup>4</sup> and Deborah (Smith) Whitney]], |
| − | was born | + | was born 13 Apr 1754, Branford, CT, baptized 19 May 1754, Branford, CT, and died 8 Sep 1835, Branford, CT, aged 82 years. |
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| − | He married | + | He married firstly, 18 Dec 1776, Branford, CT, '''Amy Howd''', daughter of Samuel and Amy (Baldwin) Howd. She was born 2 Dec 1754, Branford, CT, and died 24 Oct 1809, Branford, CT, aged 55 years. |
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| | + | He married secondly, 26 Jun 1810, Branford, CT, '''Hannah (Lamphier) Chidsey''', daughter of Oliver and Temperance (-----) Lamphier. She was born 6 Sep 1754, Branford, CT, and died 15 Jul 1844, Branford, CT, aged 90 years, "of Fitts". She had married firstly, 1 Feb 1776, Branford, CT, Roswell Chidsey of East Haven. |
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| | Phoenix says the following: | | Phoenix says the following: |
| − | :John Whitney, b. at Branford, Conn., 13 Ap. 1754; bap. there, 19 May 1754; was a freeman of Branford, in 1799; a shipbuilder and captain of a vessel in the West India trade, at a time when more vessels, in that trade, were owned in Branford, than in New Haven. Tradition says that he served on a privateer in the Revolutionary War, was captured, and enjoyed a pension for his services. He was married in Branford, by Rev. Philemon Robbins, Congregational, 18 Dec. 1776, to Amy Howd. She joined the Congregational Church in Branford, 27 June 1784; and died in Branford, of apoplexy, 24 Oct. 1809, aged 55 years. He married (2d), at Branford, 26 June 1810, Hannah Lamphier, widow of Rosewell Chidsey, of East Haven.1 They joined the Branford Cong. Church, under the ministry of Rev. Timothy P. Gillett, 6 Jan. 1822. He died in Branford, 8 Sept. 1835, "aged 82." She died in Branford, "of Fitts", 15 July 1844, "aged 90." They were buried in the old graveyard at Branford, near the gate, about a quarter of a mile east of their house. | + | :John Whitney, b. at Branford, Conn., 13 Ap. 1754; bap. there, 19 May 1754; was a freeman of Branford, in 1799; a shipbuilder and captain of a vessel in the West India trade, at a time when more vessels, in that trade, were owned in Branford, than in New Haven. Tradition says that he served on a privateer in the Revolutionary War, was captured, and enjoyed a pension for his services. He was married in Branford, by Rev. Philemon Robbins, Congregational, 18 Dec. 1776, to Amy Howd. She joined the Congregational Church in Branford, 27 June 1784; and died in Branford, of apoplexy, 24 Oct. 1809, aged 55 years. He married (2d), at Branford, 26 June 1810, Hannah Lamphier, widow of Rosewell Chidsey, of East Haven. They joined the Branford Cong. Church, under the ministry of Rev. Timothy P. Gillett, 6 Jan. 1822. He died in Branford, 8 Sept. 1835, "aged 82." She died in Branford, "of Fitts", 15 July 1844, "aged 90." They were buried in the old graveyard at Branford, near the gate, about a quarter of a mile east of their house. |
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| − | Children of | + | Children of John<sup>5</sup> and Amy (Howd) Whitney: |
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| | :{| | | :{| |
| | | align=right valign=top | i. | | | align=right valign=top | i. |
| − | | '''<sup>6</sup> Whitney''', b. | + | | [[Family:Whitney, Mary (1777-1843)|'''Mary<sup>6</sup> Whitney''']], b. 8 Jan 1777, Branford, CT; bapt. 18 Jul 1784, Branford, CT; m. Eli Smith. |
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| | | align=right valign=top | ii. | | | align=right valign=top | ii. |
| − | | [[Family:Whitney, ()|'''Whitney''']], b.
| + | | '''Joseph Whitney''', b. 19 Jul 1778, Branford, CT; bapt. 18 Jul 1784, Branford, CT; a mariner; died on the Island of Martinique, W. I., of yellow fever, in Dec. 1801. He married, but had no children. |
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| | | align=right valign=top | iii. | | | align=right valign=top | iii. |
| − | | '''Whitney''', b. | + | | [[Family:Whitney, Betsey (1781-1866)|'''Betsey Whitney''']], b. 24 Feb 1781, Branford, CT; bapt. 18 Jul 1784, Branford, CT; m. Noah Frisbie. |
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| | | align=right valign=top | iv. | | | align=right valign=top | iv. |
| − | | [[Family:Whitney, ()|'''Whitney''']], b. | + | | [[Family:Whitney, Grace (1783-1865)|'''Grace Whitney''']], b. 18 Nov 1783, Branford, CT; bapt. 27 Jun 1784, Branford, CT; m. Hervey Smith. |
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| | | align=right valign=top | v. | | | align=right valign=top | v. |
| − | | '''Whitney''', b. | + | | [[Family:Whitney, John (1785-1857)|'''John Whitney''']], b. 3 Nov 1785, Branford, CT; bapt. 11 Dec 1785, Branford, CT; m. Statira Farrell. |
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| | | align=right valign=top | vi. | | | align=right valign=top | vi. |
| − | | [[Family:Whitney, ()|'''Whitney''']], b. | + | | [[Family:Whitney, Statira (1791-?)|'''Statira Whitney''']], bapt. 10 Apr 1791, Branford, CT; m. Augustus Foote. |
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| | | align=right valign=top | vii. | | | align=right valign=top | vii. |
| − | | '''Whitney''', b.
| + | | [[Family:Whitney, Samuel (1793-1845)|'''Samuel Whitney''']], b. 28 Apr 1793, Branford, CT; m. Mercy Partridge. |
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| − | | align=right valign=top | viii.
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| − | | [[Family:Whitney, ()|'''Whitney''']], b. | |
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| − | 1143 I. Mary Whitney, b. at Branford, Conn., 8 Jan. 1777; bap., as Polly Whitney, by Rev. Jason Atwater, Congregational, at Branford, 18 July 1784; married, 2 Ap. 1797, at Branford, Eli Smith,1 born at North Haven, Conn., 28 Sept. 1765, a farmer, and manufacturer of boots, shoes, and leather. They settled at Northford Society, Wallingford, Conn., and there died (she, 21 Sept. 1843; he, 7 July 1845), and were buried at Northford 3789
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| − | 1144 II. Joseph Whitney, b. at Branford, Conn., 29 July 1778; bap. at Branford, 18 July 1784; a mariner; died on the Island of Martinique, W. I., of yellow fever, in Dec. 1801. He married, but had no children.
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| − | 1145 III. Betsey Whitney, b. at Branford, Conn., 24 Feb. 1781; bap. at Branford, 18 July 1784; joined the Congregational Church of Branford, 6 Ap. 1800; married, about 1812, at her father's house, in Branford, Noah Frisbie, a ship-carpenter, son of William and Rebecca (Hoadley) Frisbie, of Branford, where he was born in 1781. He was drowned, in March 1836, in Long Island Sound, and was buried in Damascus District, Branford. She dwelt with her son, Capt. Lynde Frisbie, in Branford, and died there, 13 Feb. 1866, after suffering mental derangement for six years. 3792
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| − | 1146 IV. Grace Whitney, b. at Branford, Conn., 18 Nov. 1783; bap. at Branford, 27 June 1784; joined the church in Northford, Conn., 11 Feb. 1810; married at Northford, 10 Feb. 1819, Hervey Smith,2 a shoemaker, born at North Haven, Conn., 30 May 1789, son of Oliver and Sarah 3795
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| − | (Brockett) Smith. After living in North Haven, Conn., till Nov. 1836, they settled in Newark Valley (New Connecticut District), N. Y., where they joined the Cong. Church, 17 June 1837, and he was elected deacon, 1 March 1839, serving till his death, 10 Dec. 1862, aged 73 years and 6 months. He had been deacon in North Haven from 1824 to 1828. She died at Newark Valley, 4 March 1865, aged 81 years and 3 months. Her pastor said of her: "A mother in Israel, full of years, with a life filled with the fruits of piety, has gone to her rest and her reward." They were buried in the New Connecticut Rural Cemetery.
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| − | 1147 V. John Whitney, b. at Branford, Conn., 3 Nov. 1785; bap. at Branford, 11 Dec. 1785; married, by Rev. Matthew Noyes, at Northford, Conn., 1 Oct 1806, to his cousin, Statira Farrell, of Guilford, born at Branford, 13 Ap. 1789, dau. of George and Margaret (Whitney) Farrell. He lived in New York City, and from 1828, for many years, dealt in ladies' shoes, at the corner of Broadway and Park Place, where the Broadway Bank now stands. He had previously lived in New Haven, Conn., and in Albany, Utica, and Geneva, N. Y. He died at Brooklyn, N. Y., 15 Dec. 1857, aged 72 years, and was buried in Greenwood Cemetery. She resided, in 1868, at 27 College Street, New Haven; and, in Nov. 1874, at 189 President Street (Carroll Park), Brooklyn, N. Y., with her grand-daughter. She died of paralysis, 5 July 1875, and was buried, 8 July 1875, in Greenwood Cemetery, from the residence of her son, Samuel Whitney, at 294 Gates Avenue, Brooklyn, N. Y. 3798
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| − | 1148 VI. Statira Whitney, b. at Branford, Conn.; bap. there, 10 Ap. 1791; married at Branford, 11 June 1817, Augustus Foote, born at Branford about 1793, son of Jacob and Sally (Bunnell) Foote.1 They lived in Durham, Wallingford, Northford, Branford, and Fair Haven, Conn. 3806
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| − | 1149 VII. Samuel Whitney, b. at Branford, Conn., 28 Ap. 1793; a clergyman; joined the church at Northford, Conn., 27 March 1812; was dismissed, about 1817, to the church in Yale College, where he studied for two years; married, 3 Oct. 1819, at Pittsfield, Mass., Mercy Partridge, dau. of William and Jemima (Bidwell) Partridge, of Pittsfield, where she was born 14 Aug. 1795. The A. B. C. F. M. having accepted his offer of service as a missionary to the Sandwich Islands, they embarked at Boston, Mass., 23 Oct 1819, in the brig Thaddeus, and arrived at Kailua, Hawaii, 4 Ap. 1820. He was licensed by the Hawaiian Association, 28 Feb. 1823, and ordained by the same, at Kailua, 30 Nov. 1825. They settled at Waimea, Kauai, where she was yet living in 1868. He died, 15 Dec. 1845, after 25 years of devoted service, at Lahainaluna, in the Island of Maui, and was buried there. The following account of the life, labors, and death of this excellent man, written by W. P. Alexander, appeared in 3814
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| − | The Friend, a newspaper published at Honolulu, Sandwich Islands, 15 Jan. 1846.
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| − | "The Rev. Samuel Whitney was born April 28, 1793, in Branford, near New Haven. Little is known by the writer of his childhood and youth. His mother died when he was about 14 years old, at which time he went to Northford to live with an elder sister, mother of the Rev. Eli Smith, missionary to Palestine.
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| − | "He probably had little religious instruction up to this period, as neither of his parents was pious. He had the joy, however, of hearing, several years before the death of his aged father, that he had become a Christian, and at last approved of his son's choice in devoting himself to the work of foreign missions. Through the influence of his pious sister and her husband, he was preserved from many of the rocks on which unguarded youth make fatal shipwreck, and drawn insensibly to the paths of virtue and religion. Some time about the year 1813, when he was about 20 years of age, he was hopefully converted to Christ, and he united with the church of Northford Not long after this, he had an interview with Mr. John Maltby, now pastor of the Hammond street church of Bangor, Maine, which led him to resolve to seek an education and prepare himself for the gospel ministry. This he undertook with his wonted zeal. In 1817, he entered Yale College, where he was noted for his consistent, pious deportment and zealous application to study. He had prosecuted his studies in that institution for only two years, when, hearing that the A. B. C. F. M. were seeking men to establish a mission at the Sandwich Islands, and that they found much difficulty in getting the requisite number, he volunteered to go, and pursue his theological studies on heathen ground. His offer was accepted; and on the 4th of October, 1819, he was married to Miss Mary Partridge, at Pittsfield, Mass. On the 23d of the same month, they embarked at Boston, on board the Thaddeus, with the other pioneer missionaries to these Hawaiian shores. On the way, he narrowly escaped being drowned. One day, while with a smooth sea and favorable breeze, the ship was going six or eight miles an hour, as a recreation amid the tedium of sea life, he joined the first mate, who was engaged in painting the outside of the ship. Having previously examined the rope by which he was to hold, and found it securely fastened to a pin on the side of the ship, he took his stand on the stage; and holding to the rope with one hand, painted with the other. While thus engaged, one who hated the name and office of missionary, slyly unloosed the rope by which he held, and he was precipitated into the ocean. Providentially there was a bench on deck that day, though it had not been brought on deck before during the voyage. Mr. Hunnewell, the second mate, afterwards merchant at Honolulu, threw this overboard, and Mr. Whitney was so fortunate as to reach it and get on it. He was left almost out of sight before the ship could be brought to. During this time of suspense and peril, he renewed the solemn dedication of himself to the Lord, and vowed that, if he would
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| − | save his life, it should be henceforth devoted to his service. His prayer was heard, his life was preserved, and the bench on which he supported himself during his peril is still at Waimea, his late residence, where it has ever borne the title Mr. Whitney's life-boat.
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| − | "On the 4th of April, 1820, he, with the rest of the missionary band, went on shore at Kailua, Hawaii, where the rulers of the land were assembled, and after about a week's delay, they obtained permission to prosecute their labors on these shores.
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| − | "In the distribution of this little band, Messrs. Whitney and Ruggles were located on the island of Kauai, where they were allowed the distinguished privilege of scattering the first rays of Gospel light among the benighted people. Their trials, physical and spiritual, can never be fully appreciated by their successors. The whole population were sunk in the lowest abyss of licentiousness, and besotted with drunkenness, ignorant of the true God and of every sentiment that ennobles man. The new teachers were treated with indifference, and often with scorn and contempt. At one time, when the subject of this article was riding not far from Koloa, at evening twilight, two robbers suddenly sprang to his side and seized his horse by the bridle, but being sharply spurred he broke from their grasp and carried his rider with such speed, that, though pursued, he was not overtaken. One of them; finding pursuit in vain, threw a spear at him but missed his aim. Thus was he rescued from the robbers by the same hand that had pulled him out of the deep waters.
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| − | "On the 28th of February, 1823, he was licensed by the Hawaiian association to preach the Gospel, a work ever dear to his heart.
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| − | "The acquisition of the language by the pioneers was a great work, and a work not accomplished suddenly. The language had never been reduced to writing. Close attention to what seemed to be unintelligible jargon, was the only means of access. All was crude chaos, and it was nearly three years before our departed friend and brother had so reduced his observations to order and mastered the intricacies of the language, as to be able to preach his first sermon in the Hawaiian tongue. Meanwhile, he, in common with his fellow-laborers, had been engaged in teaching the English language to such as he could induce to attend on his instructions, and in preaching through the medium of such interpreters as he could employ.
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| − | "The death of Kamualii, the king of Kauai, in 1824, was followed by a rebellion of the people against the Kamehameha dynasty, and it was found necessary for their safety that the missionaries and their families should flee from the field of battle. They accordingly embraced an opportunity that offered, and sailed to Honolulu. The rebellion was soon quelled, and Mr. Whitney returned to his post, and with renewed zeal sought to bring the late warlike inhabitants to bow to the Prince of peace.
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| − | "On the 30th of Nov., 1825, he was ordained to the office of the Gospel Ministry, at Kailua, Hawaii, by the Hawaiian association. Not long after this event, several who had attended on his instructions, giving cheering
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| − | evidence of conversion, were organized into a church, a light shining in a dark place. Under the smiles of the Great Shepherd of the flock, this little church continued to prosper, and it was gradually enlarged, and continued to be the only church on the island for eight succeeding years.
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| − | "During the years 1833-4, and again in 1838, precious revival seasons were enjoyed, during which very many turned to the Lord, who have since proved by their fruits the sincerity of their profession. It was here that he spent most of his life as a missionary. He occasionally visited other parts of the islands, and as he went, he preached the Gospel. He spent most of the year 1817 at Honolulu and Hilo; he was also one of those who went on an expedition to the South Seas in 1832, to explore the Marquesas Islands as a field of missionary labor. A detailed account of his labors would swell this notice beyond its prescribed limits. It is moreover unnecessary, as they are already known and read of all men. As a preacher, he was solemn, earnest, and impressive. It was manifest to all his hearers that he felt deeply the importance of what he declared to them. He was accordingly very successful in winning their attention and arousing in them the feelings with which he was animated. In his parochial visits, he was dignified and affable, and while he commanded the respect and esteem of all, he won their hearts. He was untiring in his work--in preaching the Gospel--in teaching school--in tours around the islands of Kauai and Niihau. Were any of the people perplexed in their affairs, he was their counsellor--were they oppressed with a load of guilt, he pointed them to the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world--were their bodies sick, he was their physician. He was a father, counsellor, and friend to the whole people, high and low, and long will he live in their affections. 'When the ear heard him, then it blessed him; and when the eye saw him, it gave witness to him, because he delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and him that had none to help him. The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon him; and he caused the widow's heart to sing for joy.' He shrank from no duty because it was arduous or attended with danger. His tours to preach the Gospel and establish schools often led him into perils. Many a time the ocean seemed ready to swallow him up, as he traversed it in canoes or small schooners, on errands of mercy. More than once, an unseen hand delivered him from the knife of the assassin. He, in whose service he had enlisted, was with him alway, even unto the end. We shall find this abundantly confirmed during his last sickness, and while he was engaged in the last conflict.
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| − | "He was taken ill on the island of Kauai, on the 21st of September last. His symptoms, from the first, indicated a disordered liver. After trying a change of air at his summer retreat at Hanapepeluna and employing various remedies, he, with his family, sailed on the 21st of October for Honolulu, where he arrived in three days, very much exhausted by bilious vomiting and diarrhoea, which continued for several weeks to pull down his strength. It then received a temporary check, and for a little while he was
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| − | better; but soon a renewed attack of vomiting and diarrhoea prostrated him again. From this, however, he partially recovered, and he was induced, by an earnest invitation, to come to Maui, to try the effects of a residence at the cool and elevated retreat of Mount Ball, above Lahainaluna. He and his family (wife and daughter) accordingly sailed for Maui, Dec. 1st, and in less than twenty-two hours were at anchor at Lahaina. After getting ashore, he was very feeble, but the next day he was rather more comfortable, and in the afternoon he rode up as far as Mr. Peck's, his old Kauai friend and neighbor, where he spent the night. Early the next morning, he rode up to my house at Lahainaluna. When he arrived, he was quite fatigued, and he was ever afterwards confined mostly to his bed. He now rapidly wasted away under the influence of disease, though his friends generally hoped he would soon begin to mend. He seems to have understood better than they the serious nature of his disorder. Almost a week before his death, he said one morning, 'I am sinking, and if you have anything more to do for me, you must do it during the few remaining days of this week.'
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| − | "On Thursday he said, 'My work here is probably done--and oh that it had been better done! Yet I know that the great aim of my life has been to serve my Lord and Master. I have a strong belief that I shall be saved. I think I may say with Paul, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith, and henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me in that day." Christ is the Rock on which I rest. How can I doubt? I have often thought with pleasure of Bunyan's tall pilgrim, who, as he was crossing the Jordan, looked round on his comrade and said, "Courage, brother: I feel the rock."'
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| − | "On Friday morning, he was distinctly informed that his physician did not think he would recover, and when Mr. Baldwin, who had watched with him the night previous, came to take his leave, he said, 'I am sinking,' to which Mr. B. replied, 'Well, perhaps your work is done, the Lord only knows.' He added, 'Yes, my work is done, and on some accounts I rejoice. What is there worth living for?' He soon requested that he might be left alone with his wife, and commenced with calmness to deliver his dying commands; and as he could not converse long at a time, he repeated the request to be left alone with her several times during the day. Though weak and languid, his mind was vigorous and active, and nothing of importance in his affairs was overlooked. When he had finished giving directions about his temporal concerns, he rallied all the power of his mind to look into the state of his soul. He did not, at first, possess that clear evidence of a personal interest in the Redeemer that he desired, but he thought it was owing to the disease of his body. He said that perhaps he was deceived in regard to his interest in Christ. When he looked to the creature, he saw much imperfection and his hopes were obscured, but when he looked to Christ, all was bright; that there was an infinite fullness in
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| − | Him, and notwithstanding all his sins, he hoped they were pardoned. At another time he said, 'I may be deceived about my personal salvation, but not about my loving the kingdom of Christ. I am not so clear in my views of Christ as my Saviour, as I could desire; but as to His kingdom, I have no doubt. If I love anything, I love His kingdom. I love to see it advance and to hear of its prosperity.' He then repeated the lines,
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| − | 'I love Thy kingdom, Lord,' &c.
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| − | In the course of the day, he sent for his domestics (a man and woman, who had lived with him nineteen years) and said to them in the Hawaiian tongue, 'The physicians have just told me that I am about to die. Here is my dying charge to you. Take care of her (pointing to his wife); she will act as my successor; obey her as you have obeyed me.' As they sat weeping, he continued, 'Jesus Christ is the Rock on which to build our hopes of everlasting life. He is the immovable foundation. His blood cleanses from all sin. I have been a great sinner, but I think I am forgiven. He told the man, who was not a professor of religion, that God required him to give Him his heart, and exhorted him to do it without delay. To the woman, who was a professor, he said, 'Follow me in the things in which I have followed Christ, but wherein I have departed from His example, do not follow me there.' He exhorted them both to seek religion as the great object of pursuit, and not to be eager after worldly gain, assuring them that nothing but an interest in Christ would sustain them in a dying hour. He said much to this effect, and sent a like message to the people of his charge on Kauai. 'I wish them all,' he said, 'men, women, and children, to meet me where Christ is.' At another time, he requested his dying, affectionate farewell to be given to all his flock, among whom he had labored and over whom he had been placed as a shepherd, to feed and guide them, naming with much tenderness various individuals.
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| − | "Being asked by his wife whether he had any message to send to his surviving brothers and sisters, and to his own dear children in America, he answered, 'Yes,' and lying for a few moments apparently in deep thought, he said, 'Those dear children of Mr. Chamberlain, remember me affectionately to them. I little thought, when I parted with them, that it would be the last time I should ever see them. Dear children !--how I love them!' He had lodged in Mr. Chamberlain's family, while at Honolulu, and had ever manifested a deep interest in his children. It would seem that the tender recollection of these dear little ones made him forget his own children, or perhaps he was exhausted by the effort he had made. On a subsequent occasion, however, he did send a message to his children in the United States, saying, 'Tell them to repent and serve the Lord, Jesus Christ, to give Him their hearts, and serve Him as long as they live. He is the sun and center of the universe. An interest in Him is worth infinitely more than all the wealth in the United States. I would not exchange my
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| − | interest in Him for all the United States. Tell them not to seek after the world, its wealth and its vanities. The world can do them no good. It is a vain, deceitful world. Tell them to serve Christ, and all will be well.'
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| − | "On Saturday morning, when Mrs. Whitney came to his bedside and asked him how he was, he replied, 'The conflict is almost over.' Mr. Hunt, who stood by, said, 'Brother Whitney, you are going to meet many friends in heaven; you will leave some behind, but join more.' He replied, 'Christ will be there.' He often spoke of himself as a great sinner in the sight of God, but always seemed to feel that there was an infinite fullness in Christ. His blood could cleanse from all stain.
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| − | "On the same morning, I asked him, 'If it be the will of God now to take you hence, do you feel resigned to His will?' To which he replied, 'Yes. His time is the best. I am ready to go, though not so ready as I could wish. Still, I feel that the Saviour is with me, and though I walk through the valley and shadow of Death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me. Twenty-six years ago, when I consecrated myself to the work of mission, I felt courage in view of the Saviour's promise, "Lo, I am with you alway, even to the end of the world." This promise He has kept good. He has been with me in all my journey--with me amid all my labors, and joys, and sorrows, and temptations, and trials; and how can I doubt that He will be with me now? No, He will never desert me. He has ever been a precious Saviour to me, and now when all other props begin to fail, he is increasingly precious.' He then added, 'Our friendship, and that of our families, has been intimate and sweet. Many precious seasons have we had together. How pleasing the prospect that this friendship is soon to be renewed in heaven. It surely will be sweeter there.'
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| − | "In the evening, his wife said to him, 'I have often thought that you would outlive me, but you are about to go first and leave me behind.' He replied, '"Even so, Father, for so it seemeth good in Thy sight."' She added, she thought it would not be long before she should follow him, and hoped they should have a happy meeting in heaven. To which he replied, 'Watch unto prayer. What I say unto you, I say unto all, watch.'
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| − | "Saturday night, the night previous to his death, the north-east storm, which had been blowing for several days, increased to a gale and filled the air with dense clouds of dust, which added much to his suffering. But within, all was calm and peaceful. He enquired how long I thought he would last. And being told that the doctor thought he might yet live thirty-six hours, he replied, 'I think I shall go before thirty-six hours have rolled round.' When informed that his physician had proposed to administer morphine to him, to calm his bowels and alleviate his pain, he earnestly objected, saying, 'Would he send me intoxicated to my Heavenly Father's arms? I want to go with a clear mind.
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| − | "After midnight, as the storm was raging, he was told that the Sabbath
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| − | had arrived. 'Blessed Sabbath,' he said, 'type of the rest above! Here it is dark and stormy; how sweet the contrast there! Peace and joy are there, and no pain, and there I will soon be. Yesterday I had some clouds, but now all clouds are brushed away. All is light and peace.' As he gradually failed, under the influence of his disorder, he at length thought he was dying, and calling one of his attendants to him, requested that he might be raised up. Then throwing his arms around him, he said with great emphasis, 'And is the victory won? Glory, glory, glory! Hail, glorious immortality! Can it be that this is death? That I, a poor wretch, who all my life have been afraid of death, have come to this? Here all is peace, and light, and joy. The Saviour has me by the hand, leading me along. I shall soon be in heaven.' His attendant remarked, 'There is a blessed assembly of friends there.' 'Yes,' he said, 'and more than all that, Jesus is there. He has never forsaken me--He is near--He is with me now.' He then lay down, much exhausted, but soon engaged in audible prayer and praise, the great subject of which was thanks to the Saviour for his wonderful love. His attendant, alluding to what he had said about Bunyan's tall pilgrim, said, 'Brother, you are now crossing Jordan--tell me, do you feel the Rock?' 'Yes,' he promptly replied, 'I am on it. Jesus Christ is the Rock.' Then, looking one of his attendants in the face, with a countenance beaming with affection and triumph, grasping his hand with one of his, and with the other pointing to heaven, he said, 'Jesus Christ is the brightest star in heaven. Look at that star, follow that star, and it will guide you safely amid the storms without and the storms within, amid the storms of life and the storms of death, and conduct you to a haven of everlasting rest. Neglect it, and you are lost! Jesus Christ is my hope, my life, my all.'
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| − | "In about an hour, he called me to him and said, 'Brother Alexander, tell the brethren for me, when you go to general meeting, to preach Christ, Christ Jesus, and Him crucified. This is all that will do us or our people any good. Tell all the brethren and sisters and the children of the mission, to cling to Christ. Tell the children of Punahou, and Mr. Chamberlain's children, and all the children, that you saw me die, and that I expected to go to heaven, and that I want them to love and obey Christ, that they may come there too.'
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| − | "Towards morning, on receiving some little attention, he said, 'How kind you all are! I am under great obligation to you all.' To which was replied, 'We esteem it a great privilege to take care of you, on your way to your Father's house,' when he said with much energy, '"Bless the Lord, oh my soul, and forget not all his benefits."'
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| − | "When suffering intense pain toward morning, he said, 'Oh this pain, this pain! But it is nothing to what my Saviour suffered for me.'
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| − | "On Sabbath morning, when Mrs. Whitney asked him how he had been during the night, he said, 'Death is fast finishing his work. I shall probably not be with you twenty-four hours longer. But Jesus is precious.'
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| − | "After getting relief from a severe fit of vomiting, he said, 'It is hard work to die. This close union of soul and body, which has so long existed, is hard to dissolve.' After which he prayed thus, 'O Saviour, precious Saviour, come quickly! Come and take me away from this world of sin! Come quickly!'
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| − | "He bid farewell to his native man, enjoining upon him to prepare to meet him in heaven, saying he wished all his domestics and all the people of his charge to meet him there, that he was going soon, and it had been his desire all night to depart and be with Christ.
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| − | "During the Sabbath, he suffered increasing pain, and was sometimes delirious, when his thoughts seemed like those of one dreaming. At such times, it was pleasing to find that, however incoherent his thoughts on other subjects, when reference was made to Jesus Christ, he rallied his powers, and all was clear.
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| − | "He waited all day with eager expectation of being allowed to depart and be with Christ. At one time he said, 'His chariot wheels are longer in coming than I had expected.' Being told that perhaps the Lord intended to try his patience a little longer, he said, 'It is all right--His time is best'
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| − | "During the day, he often expressed his gratitude to those who were attending him, and would often add, 'God bless you.'
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| − | "He said at one time, 'Satan is trying to make me think that heaven is not a place for such a wretch as I am.' And after a pause, added,
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| − |
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| − | '"In my hand no price I bring,
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| − | Simply to Thy cross I cling."
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| − |
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| − | And who is there on earth or in hell, that can turn me from it? No one. Christ has promised that all whom the Father hath given him He will keep, and no one is able to pluck them out of His Father's hand.'
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| − |
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| − | "In the afternoon, he remarked again, 'I had hoped to go to Jesus before the Sabbath was over, but I fear I shall be detained here. However, His time is the best.' One who stood by remarked, 'I think He will call you home before this Sabbath is ended.' To which he replied, 'All hail! Glory, glory, glory to God in the highest! Bless the Lord, bless the Lord, oh my soul, and forget not all His benefits! I want to enter the threshold, and see Jesus.'
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| − | "Soon after this, he repeated those words of our Saviour, 'In my Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.' 'And why,' said he, 'would He have told them? Because He loved them. Now, He has never come back to say the room is all occupied. No--no such message has ever reached our fallen world. There are many mansions there. There is room there for me.'
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| − | "When his physician, who had attended him with tender solicitude, went to bid him farewell, he grasped his hand and said, 'Doctor, Jesus
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| − | Christ is the star of the universe; He is my hope, my life, my all. Thirty-six years ago I set my affections on Him, and nothing has ever made me swerve. Nothing can separate me from Him. The devil has tried to baffle me, but Jesus Christ is near to help me, Jesus Christ is here.' Then, looking him full in the face, still holding his hand in both of his, he asked, ' Doctor, do you love Jesus Christ?' He replied, 'I hope I do.' He then said, 'That's right; then I shall hope to meet you in heaven. God bless you, Doctor.'
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| − | "In the evening, he said to Mr. Emerson, 'Will you read that beautiful hymn, commending,
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| − |
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| − | "There is a fountain filled with blood."'
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| − |
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| − | After he had read it, he requested him to pray with him. A few moments afterwards, he raised both hands and, in a clear, full voice, made a short prayer. He requested prayer to be offered several times during the evening. And several hymns, to which he was particularly attached, were sung.
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| − |
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| − | "About an hour before his death, his wife went to his bedside, but as his sight seemed to have failed, he did not at first notice her; but when told who she was, he raised his arms, and clasped them around her neck, and pressed her to his bosom. She said, 'My dear, you have got almost over Jordan; do you feel the Rock firm beneath you?' He replied, 'Yes; I have no doubt on that point.' She continued, 'Is Jesus precious to your soul?' He answered, 'Yes.'
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| − | "Two or three times before he died, he raised his arms, as if to embrace his Saviour, and repeated with warmth,
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| − |
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| − | '"Jesus, lover of my soul,
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| − | Let me to Thy bosom fly."'
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| − |
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| − | A little while before he bid adieu to earth, Mr. Emerson came in, and surprised at finding him still living, asked him, 'My dear brother, are you yet in the flesh?' To which he replied, 'O yes.' Mr. E. continued, 'Do you still find Christ precious to your soul?' He confidently and promptly replied, 'Yes; He is precious.' These were his last words. In a few moments, he turned over on his left side, and one hour and a quarter after the earthly Sabbath had rolled around, he sweetly breathed his last, without a struggle or a groan, and entered into the enjoyment of his Lord, which he had so earnestly desired.
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| − |
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| − | "Well may we say, 'God is our Rock and Strength, a very present Help in time of trouble.'
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| − | "We cannot mourn for him. Let us rather praise God, who made him to triumph, through our Lord, Jesus Christ--and let us take courage from it to cling to the Rock of our salvation.
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| − | "Our departed friend and brother was blessed with a robust constitution and generally enjoyed good health, which enabled him so constantly to
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| − | perform the great amount of labor which he kept up during more than a quarter of a century.
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| − | "He also possessed a strong intellect, a well-balanced mind, and a sound judgment, united with firmness of purpose. He never engaged in visionary schemes; his projects were generally wise and well-digested, and with steadiness of purpose carried into execution.
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| − | "He had a warm heart His friendship was ardent. He was a whole soul man. In whatever he engaged, all his energies were summoned. What his hands found to do, he did with all his might. No trait in his character was more prominent than that of enlarged benevolence--a benevolence bounded only by his ability to confer happiness. It was this that prompted him to abandon friends and country, and all the blessings of Christian society, and cast in his lot with a little band, who purposed to carry the Gospel of Jesus to the darkened savages of Hawaii. It was this which led him so often to strip himself of comforts and bestow them on his friends whom he thought more needy than himself. Few have become acquainted with him, who have not received substantial tokens of his kindness and friendship. Most of the permanent houses of public worship on the islands contain a deposit from his benevolence. Few have been found more ready than he, to deny themselves, in order to do good to others. He embarked in the missionary work as a work of self-denial, and cheerfully adopted the resolution that he would engage in no business for the purpose of private gain. His whole life was an illustration of this resolution, and on his dying bed he charged his wife, saying, 'You will remember, we own nothing at Waimea. The house, herd, &c., are, all, the property of the American Board.' His treasures were amassed where moth and rust do not corrupt, and where thieves do not break through and steal. There he set his affections, and thither his aspirations ascended to the last.
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| − | "Confidence in God sustained him amid all the trials through which he passed. He was calm and unmoved, however dark the clouds that overhung the horizon. This confidence was the legitimate fruit of walking with God. He told his daughter, on his dying bed, that from the time that he first covenanted to be the Lord's, he had never, for a single day, neglected prayer. That God whom he had honored in secret, rewarded him openly, and took him up from us in triumph to His rest above.
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| − | "While we mourn his loss to his family and to the church, we would rejoice in his blessed triumph, and would gather encouragement from his victory to banish the fear of death and trust in the same almighty hand that gently led him across the Jordan, hoping that we too shall come off more than conquerors through Him that hath loved us and given Himself for us. Let us, therefore, follow in the bright path which he trod; and ere long, we too shall win the victory.
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| − | "'Mark the perfect man and behold the upright; for the end of that man is peace.'"
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| − | -->
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| | == References == | | == References == |
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| | [[Category: Connecticut]] | | [[Category: Connecticut]] |
| − | [[Category: Fairfield County, Connecticut]] | + | [[Category: New Haven County, Connecticut]] |
| − | [[Category: Ridgefield, Fairfield County, Connecticut]] | + | [[Category: Branford, New Haven County, Connecticut]] |
| | + | [[Category: West Indies]] |
| | + | [[Category: Martinique, West Indies]] |
