LETTER OF
The GOSPEL TRUTH CHARLES G. FINNEY
1863
To Edwin & Mary Lamson
10 December 1863
[MS in Finney Papers 2/2/1]
Oberlin 10th Dec. 1863.
My Dr. Br. & Sister Lamson.
You are aware before this time
that my Dear Wife has gone to heaven.
Gone to Heaven! O Wonderful! Yes verily,
there can be no doubt of that. But how
marvelous "that a mortal, & a sinner,
should put on immortality," that
death should be swallowed up of
life." That a sinner should be translated
to Glory. I am almost lost in the contemplation
But you will wish to know something of
the last illness of my Precious wife.
She wrote our Dear Mary while at
Clifton. You are therefore aware that
she supposed herself & was pronounced
by her Physician to be better. But her
strength continued to decline. Her
Physician recommended her going
to the sea side. She went to Brooklyn
but was much fatigued by the journey.
She grew weaker & her Physician called
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her back to the water cure. She
started with her son, spent a day
in Albany & left in an evening
train in the sleeping carr for
Clifton. In the neighborhood of
Utica she was suddenly cut
down with a shock that rendered
her quite insane, & to all appearances
near the end. At Syracuse she
was taken to a hotel, & by a council
of Physicians pronounced past help.
She however rallied & after two days
the physicians said she might be
be
safely ^ taken on to Clifton. They
wrote to me that she was better &
that they expected to be in Clifton
at a certain time. There I hoped
to be able to meet her. But just
before they were ready to leave
the hotel, she fell under another
shock. From this she never recovered
she was to all appearance, uncon
scious after this & passed away in
[page 3]
sleep. On conversing with her
Brooklyn friends I find that she
had several light strokes of
paralysis. At last the paralysis
became general. Her Brother, both her
sons & a lady cousin were with her
when she passed away. I met them
with the corps at Rochester, where,
in accordance with our understanding
for years past she was buried in the
family burying ground on the beau
tiful "Mount Hope." There we laid
her remains beside her former hus
band & 6 children. I only saw her
dear face through the lid of her
coffin. She had not lost much flesh.
She looked many years younger
than when I last saw her racked
with pain & suffering as she was.
She was beautiful in her shroud.
A sweet, calm, smile was spread
over her face, as if she would express
her love for her friends even in her coffin.
[page 4]
She continued to the last to be what
you saw her to be when we were your
guests. As a wife, she was one of the
most affectionate. As a mother one of
the wisest & most successful. As a christian
one of the most loving, confiding, uniform,
exemplary & useful of christian women
I think I have never known her superior.
As a wife. A mother. A neighbor. A Christian
female laborer for christ. She was most
loving & lovely in all the relations of
life. She has conversed much of dying
for years & for the last year was making
constant arrangements to depart. But she
was at last called at a time, & in a
manner, unexpected to herself & all her
friends. It is all well with me My
Dear Br & Sister. She loved you & your
Children to the last. He[r] love for you
never abated. I am deprived of the
company, sympathy & help of my
sweet companion, & must make the
short remainder of my journey without her.
[page 5]
But I shall not go alone. The savior
will not leave me nor forsake me.
I have almost never seen a christian
who, from personal experience, could
so fully sympathize with me as
my Precious wife could. We always
on questions of religious experience,
saw eye to eye in a remarkable
manner. My spiritual nature is
fully sustained by grace in this trying
hour. The soul will mourn but though
I gro[a]n I accept the will of God &
would not have it otherwise than
it is. So unspeakable is her gain
that I must not think or speak
of my loss. Ange is with me & she
& her sweet babe are a great com
for[t] to me. Julia is also at home &
these precious daughters do all for
me that daughters can. Ange went
to the funeral. My health has recd a
shock, yet I am not laid aside. I
hope to preach the gospel for a time
before I depart. However I hold my
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self in readiness to depart. I am a
soldier under marching orders.
I should much delight to see all our
Boston friends again. O, how I should
like to attend prayermeeting at old
south Chapel. Will you not give
my christian love to such of our dear
Christian friends as you may see & tell
them of my bereavement, & that I accept
the sweet will of the Blessed God in
this dispensation. The Lord both bows me
down with grief & lifts me up in
hope. It is upon the whole a relief
to me to have my Precious wife relieved
from further suffering & enter into
her eternal rest. My frail body trembles
under the stroke, but my soul does not
lose its confidence in God.
With much love to you both, with
love & many kisses to the children
I am your brother in the Lord
forever.
C. G. Finney.