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The Md. Sr. Elisab. Rainer of Dudleyhill departed Dec. 20. 1838, aged 76 years. Her parents being members of our Church she was from early childhood accustomed to attend the public and private meetings in our Chapel. What she there heard of the love of our Saviour soon made a good impression on her heart, and this was strengthened by the instructions she received at the Dayschool, and the Scriptural texts and the hymns she committed to memory. The work of Grace, begun in childhood, progres sed as she advanced in years. She was received into the congn and admitted to the H.C. and for a time walk worthily of her heavenly calling, prizing her connexion with our Church and faithfully improving her privileges as a member of the same. From her frequent declarations it is evident, that she enjoyed much of that spiritual happiness, which those only can rightly understand, who by watchfulness and prayer keep themselves from the world seek for and obtain grace to escape the corruption there is in the world thro’ sin, living the life of faith in the Son of God.
After her marriage her connexion with the congn was for number of years entirely broken off. In proportion as their temporal affairs prosperd her desire after spiritual blessings declined, and the love of the world gained the accentancy in her heart. In mercy to her soul the Lord caused the source of her enjoyments to be dried up. Compara tive affluence was succeeded by abject poverty to which was added much bodily suffering. In this These distressing circumstances, like the poverty of the Prodidal Son, brought her to herself. She keenly felt the loss she had sustained by straying from the Good Shepherd and his fold. When speaking of this period, she was wont to describe the state of her mind in language like the following: “When recollecting the many spiritual enjoyments of which I had partaken while within the fold of the Good shepherd, my heart was ready to break and my soul refused to be comforted. Indeed I should have sunk into absolute dispondency had it not been that the love of the Saviour to sinners, of which I had heard so much in early life, and of which He had given me many a sweet taste, still had a place in my memory and a hold tho’ every light one, of on my affection. My bodily suffer rings and poverty I disregarded, and could even thank the Lord for them as proofs of his love to my soul,
being convinced that it required severe means to subdue the pride and hardness of my heart, and make me willing to lie as a poor peaitent at the foot of his cross. He did not disappoint my hope; but spoke peace to my troubled conscience.” At her earnest request she was in 1832 readmitted to her former privileges in the congn. She was then already in that state of bodily decrepitude, owing to severe rheu matic afflictions in her limbs, that she could hardly move from her chair. Her readmision therefore took place in her own dwelling. Being assured of the readiness of the congn to receive her, and of their sincere sympathy in her distressing circumstances; she broke out gave full vent to her feelings of gratitude for the favor con ferred on her; and, while tears of penitence and joy rolled down her cheeks, made an humble confession of her deviations, and of the inward joy she felt at the mercy shown to her by our Saviour. Those who were present on this occasion will not easily forget the solemn scene. The presence and peace of our Saviour, while commerating his death in his own ordinance, were felt in so sensible a manner, that her hesuible dwelling, one of the worst was indeed a Bethal, and the gate to heaven, something of the delights of heaven, when there injoy in the presence of God over one sinner that repents tho gladdened the spirits of the little company. All
During the remaining six years of her life her bodily sufferings increased more and more, till at last she was totally unable to help herself. In the midst of all her pains and extreme poverty, she could rejoice in God, her Saviour, looking forward in faith, and hope to the termination of all earthly misery. You generally found her sitting in the corner, with her Bible and Hymn book lying open on the table, and not unfre quently on approaching her cottage was she heard singing there her favorite Hymns, Nothing afforded her greater pleasure than holding converse with those who loved the Lord, and could enter into her feelings. The occasional administration of the Lords supper to her were reasons of refreshing from the presence of the Lord, and could not fail to impress those present with the conviction, that the Good Shepherd was carrying his once straying sheep in his arms. In The evening before her departure observing a great change in her, her husband said, he thought she was dying, and asked her, if she knew it, and whither she was going. She replied, “My Saviour is with me, and I am going to Him.”