Francis Cunningham

“ She had only the advantages which many young persons in every village and town possess, nor did she attain to any situation in life, which multitudes may not aspire to. But she gained a deep and well-grounded feeling of Religion. She learned the evil nature of her heart. She discovered and gained that treasure, which is revealed in the Lord Jesus Christ. She laid hold by faith on his merits. ”

“ He does not receive the repentant sinner as a servant, but he calls him his dear son. Oh what encouragement to the poor returning sinner, to know that God, whom he feels that he has offended, earnestly remembers him still.’
I am glad to make extracts from the sermons of many of my dear fellow helpers in the gospel, who have been working with me in this field of labour, and who have each,—one planting, and another watering, but God giving the increase;—been so honoured as to give suitable culture to a plant of the Lord, whom they will one day meet in glory, in the heavenly paradise. ”

“ Sometimes I question whether I am a Christian at all, yet my desire is to love and serve my God. The conflict is sharp, yet do I believe Jesus will deliver me. I do feel willing to part with any thing, if Jesus smile upon me.’
p. 56‘On Sunday, heard a sermon from Mr. R. on these words, “There shall not a hair of your head perish.” The sermon was delightfully encouraging. I have felt the comfort of it during the last week, having had some little perplexing things to meet. O how sweet to feel in the time of trial and temptation, that nothing is unnoticed by our Heavenly Father. ”

“ O how blessed it is to see young persons turn away from following vanity! To see as a fruit of religion, a separation from the world, from the manners, the appearance, p. 51and the spirit of it. I saw all this in Elizabeth. She had for many years been a member of our women’s meeting, and though one of the youngest, her ardent love of the ministry under which she lived, her Christian experience, and occasionally her prayers, were a help and comfort to our society, and she was most persevering, though often very ill. ”

“ The characteristic graces of her state appeared to me humility and quiet contentment in her situation of life. She had no high sounding profession, but all was a meek, yet very firm, testimony to that blessed Master’s grace who had “wrought all her works in her.”
“When servants are really thus Christian, they do especially adorn the Gospel of God their Saviour. “Exhort servants to be obedient unto their own masters, and to please them well in all things, not answering again, not purloining, but shewing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrines of God our Saviour in all things.” ”

“ He was, in after years, constantly sensible of this deliverance, and on two sheets of paper, nailed up in his bed room, he wrote as a memorial in his own large hand: “The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear; the Lord is the strength of my life of whom shall I be afraid?” ”

“ No! triumph will not suit me till I get to heaven. If I am admitted, as I hope to be there, then, if there be one that will sing louder than the rest, I think I shall be that one; but while here, I am a sinner, a redeemed sinner, and as such I would lie here to the last, at the foot of the cross, p. 60looking unto Jesus, and go as such into the presence of God.’ Elizabeth’s Journal shews this to have been her feeling. She then, however, declared her sense of the possession of a true peace, founded on the atonement of her Saviour. ”

“ A funeral sermon was preached on the occasion of the death of James Cullingham. He was a communicant, and his character called for this public notice. Advantage was taken of the same occasion to speak of the death of another individual, a friend of Elizabeth and her mother, and I believe of most of the servants of God, who came within her reach in our little flock. This was Mary Smith. Her husband’s shop in which she served, made her well known in the parish, and enabled her to do much for others, and thus brought into view most of the infirmities which belonged to her nature. ”

“ She did not shun to reprove sin, but knowing the terror of the Lord, she sought to persuade her fellow-sinners to be reconciled to God. She sought after backsliders with great care and perseverance, and aimed to encourage those that stood fast in the Lord. Her love of the means of grace, both public and private, was very great, and witnessed by her regular attendance on them. Her patience in her affliction, and resignation to the will of God, was indeed striking. ”

“ There may be much of indulgence or of excitement in worldly gratifications, and those who seek them may reap a present pleasure from them, but substantial happiness is alone to be found in religion. For this is a happiness which does not depend on external circumstances, it is the same in all states of life, and usually it rises higher when the hour of trial and of sickness comes on, which deadens the present enjoyments of life, and overwhelms the senses. It makes the cup run over even in the deepest desolations which the Christian is called to pass through. ”

“ He was a fine model of a man, whose religion partook of the character of a former age. He was deeply serious, entirely practical, strict in his attachment to the Church; but his religious feeling, although it led him sometimes to a fearless reproach of sin in others, did not so much draw him to aim at the conversion of his neighbours. He owed very much of the expansion of his religious mind to a social Prayer Meeting, at which he was a constant attendant. ”

“ She was laborious in gaining her livelihood, and as her health was never strong, after her return home she occupied herself at needle-work, at which, however, through the indulgence of her parent, she was not required to labour more than suited her health.
She was habitually, and by principle, industrious, feeling that it was equally a Christian duty to be diligent in business, as to be fervent in spirit, serving the Lord. ”

“ Fathers, Mothers, Wives, Sisters, Brothers, and Children, are seen intently watching every change in the sky and waves, eagerly gazing upon the distance to catch a glimpse of the absent objects of their love: grasping every phantom of hope which may present itself ”

“ But how instructive is her example in dealing with temptation. She felt its danger; she sought, as the weapon of defence, “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” The Lord was pleased to direct her to a suitable text. She received it in faith and obtained the victory. Most gladly, therefore, might she with the Apostle, “glory in her infirmities, that the power of Christ might rest upon her,” and say with him, “When I am weak then am I strong.”’
The last months of Elizabeth’s life afforded her the means of quietly pursuing her course in preparation for her end. ”

“ If then she found the way of religion to be a way of pleasantness, and a path of peace, and if now she is reaping a good reward for the confession of Christ, we have the same way opened by which to return to the Father, and the Holy Spirit is at hand to teach us, to enlighten, to strengthen, to comfort, to direct us in prayer. ”

“ My head is in a very bad state. The enemy takes advantage of my bodily infirmities and sorely distresses me. I was led this afternoon, earnestly to entreat the Lord to direct my mind to some portion of his word for comfort. I prayed with the Bible before me, and opened on 2 Cor. xii. 9. Satan then seemed to say, this is not for you; p. 57but my God tells me, “His grace is sufficient for me.” Lord, enable me to trust in thee.’
It was a strong act of faith, performed with suitable solemnity, which made this young woman believe that she should find in the Bible an answer to her prayer. ”

“ 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. ”

“ Other means are not so commonly and particularly alluded to by her, but she always in life expressed her profit in all; in the Lord’s Supper, in the social prayer meetings on Monday Evening, and Sunday Morning, and the bible class, all of which she continued constantly to attend. I add two testimonials concerning her. One of them was communicated to a friend at a distance, who had been staying some time in Lowestoft, and who had been made acquainted with Elizabeth. ”

“ She sought to be serviceable to others as well as to gain her livelihood: she was a constant helper to the ministry, and a great comfort to her parents, with whom she dwelt. Her religious mind appeared to be continually progressing. At the close of the year 1836, she began a private journal, which has been lent to me. It contains chiefly notes of sermons which she heard, and of the impression which they produced on her mind. How happy it is when the soul is brought so to hunger and thirst after righteousness, that it feeds upon all the food which is presented to it ”

“ 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 p. 66seems 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. ”

“ She was an attendant at the latest Sacrament, and twice at the services on the last Sunday of her life. But her seasons of private devotion were as regularly maintained. She was watchful to secure her morning and evening retirement;—and in order to keep up the Spirit of devotion, which she feared might flag through the hurry of business; she constantly p. 18retired in the middle of the day, when her business had a pause, for the purposes of reading and devotional exercises. She was a member, and a constant attendant, when she was able, on the Society for Social prayer. ”

“ The doctrine conveyed by this view of religion was the foundation stone on which her peace, and liberty in prayer, and holiness rested. p. 68“Ye,” says the Apostle, “who were far off, are made nigh by the blood of Christ, for he is our peace,” and “being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Although constantly cast down by the sense of her sinfulness, Elizabeth was enabled, as constantly to look by faith to the Atonement ”

“ 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. ”

“ The love of dressing beyond their means and situation in life is so common a habit, and so great a temptation to young people in general, that her correct conduct in this respect, was one lovely fruit of having her affections set on things above. ”

“ There are many now living who could bear witness to the earnestness, with which she sought to warn the unconverted, to reclaim the wanderer, to recover the backslider.
Her kindness to her poor neighbours was remarkable. Her medical man informed me, that he scarcely ever went into her house, without her first asking him about some one who wanted relief, which relief she was always eager to give according to her means, and many were the portions which her provision-shop supplied. Few ministers have had a more valuable ‘helper,’ in all respects. ”

“ She found it better to avoid the general society of young persons, and was sweetly content in the situation in which God had placed her; setting an example to other young women of the beauty of a retired and modest demeanour, avoiding from taste, as well as principle, all society that was not religious. ”

“ 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. ”

“ In the latter part of his life, p. 4he was in the habit, when at home, of having stated prayer three times a day; and he read the Scriptures in the order of the Calendar of the Prayer Book; at this period he also gave up all watching for the coming in sight of ships on the Sabbath day; always, however, being ready to go out to them, as his profession called him to do, if there was any actual necessity. On the week days at the prayers, as well as on the Sunday, he constantly attended the services of the Church. ”

“ S. was opposed to spiritual religion, had chosen another fold than the Church of England in which to seek the way of salvation. This testimony is therefore not given in ignorance of her real character, or in undue partiality to her principles.
After speaking of the striking circumstances of her conversion, the paper goes on to say, ‘The words of the Apostle were fulfilled in her. “If any man be in Christ he is a new creature. Old things are passed away, behold, all things are become new.” ”