Mrs. Ann Judson
Ann Hasseltine was born December 22nd, 1789, to John and Rebecca Hasseltine in Bradford, Massachusetts. Young Ann was reared in a congregational church and taught Godly morals at a young age which prompted her to diligently follow her parents’ teachings. When she was twelve or thirteen, she began to attend balls and parties on a regular basis— at fourteen, she was sent to an academy for better schooling. Ann got caught up in numerous ‘innocent amusements’, and as a result, she stopped praying and reading her Bible. Ann did not think about her soul’s condition since her life was wrapped around whatever would amuse her, and yet, this would not continue for long.
When Ann was sixteen, she read Pilgrim’s Progress and resolved to stop those ‘innocent amusements’ and become more godly, but failed since she did not know God. Though continuing in her worldly pleasures, Ann attended a series of religious meetings that deeply convicted her of her sin. She was under such conviction of soul that she sat in the back of the church— prepared to make a quick exit if needed. While several people talked to Ann about her lost condition, she continued to suppress the Spirit’s convicting power. With each suppression came more and more misery and anguish of spirit that she was prepared to commit suicide. Finally, Ann realized that she was a hell-bound sinner in need of repentance, and she gave her soul to Jesus Christ.
In 1810, Ann met her future husband, Adoniram Judson. Mr. Hasseltine, her father, had invited him and several other young men who had a passion for foreign missions to their home for dinner. Mr. Judson was so impressed by Ann’s serving, godly spirit that he fell in love with her. Shortly after, he proposed. After much prayer, Ann accepted his proposal and on February 5th, 1812, became Mrs. Judson at the age of twenty-three. Two weeks later, the newly married couple sailed for India as the first missionaries ever to leave American shores.
On the way to India, the Judsons diligently studied the Bible and came to the conclusion that immersion was the only acceptable mode of baptism— a doctrine not held by the Congregational denomination. Upon reaching India, they met William Carey and were baptized. After learning that the Judson’s had become Baptists, the Congregationalist churches immediately withdrew their support of them.
When they arrived in Burma in 1813, Ann was in ill health after giving birth prematurely to their first child while on the filthy boat that brought them there. The child died not many hours later and was buried in a watery grave. In spite of her grief and upon their arrival in Rangoon, Ann’s heart went out to the heathen and poverty-stricken Burmese people. She became determined to spread the Gospel message among these souls who had never heard the Gospel preached. Ann faithfully managed the household affairs while her husband studied the Burmese language. Because she worked with the Burmese women, Ann soon knew how to speak the language even better than her husband. Whenever she got the chance, Ann gave the Gospel—always praying that God would help them overcome the many difficulties they would endure.
After many years of unwavering faith and working diligently alongside of her husband, in April of 1819, a zayat (meeting house) was opened. In June of that same year, they had their first convert, a man by the name Moung Nau. Moung was baptized shortly after he was saved, and five months later two more converts were baptized. For six years they labored diligently and finally saw fruit to their labor. Unfortunately, not long after these fruitful times, Ann’s health failed dramatically. The doctors told her to return to America for better medical attention or else she would certainly die. When Ann returned to the States, she took the opportunities given her to speak to thousands about her husband’s work in Burma. Through her faithful efforts and God’s grace, they gained many supporters for foreign missions. In June of 1823, Ann sailed back to Burma in spite of her frequent lung hemorrhages and the warning that a return to Burma would mean her certain death. Ann’s burden for the lost souls in Burma kept her heart there, and it was there that God wanted her—to Burma she would go.
When war broke out between England and Burma, the Judsons were caught in the middle. They already faced torture and death because of their religion, and with the conflict, they were hated and viewed with suspicion by the government. None of these factors frightened Ann since she knew that Christ was with her. When Rangoon fell to the British in 1824, the Judsons hoped that things would go better for them. Unfortunately, the king viewed them as spies and ordered their arrests. On June 8th, while the Judsons were having supper, an officer with a dozen men burst in and seized Mr. Judson. The Burmese executioner flung Mr. Judson to the ground and bound him with small cords. Horror-stricken, Ann begged for them to release her husband, but she too was about to be seized. Adoniram begged for his wife to be left at home. His request was granted. Ann tried to bribe the executioner with money to have the cords loosened, but to this, he had them tightened as they dragged him away. Consequently, Ann barred the door and windows against the cruel guards who would try to take advantage of her unprotected state.
Ann spent hours on her knees praying to God. Desperate to secure her husband’s release, she wrote a letter to the king’s sister hoping that she might relieve Mr. Judson who had been confined to a death cell. When no results came from the letter, Ann went to the governor with bribes in yet another attempt to relieve Adoniram’s situation. With this second attempt, she was at the least given permission to see him. When she saw his clothes so tattered and his body chained, lying in such unspeakable filth, Ann broke down in tears. After such a heart-wrenching circumstance, good news came when that same night Ann learned that her husband, along with the other English prisoners, were moved out of the death cell and into the prison yard where they were confined in a shed. Later, the king gave confiscation orders for all of the Judson’s money and possessions. Learning of the king’s order, Ann hid some of their silver in the house so she would have means to bribe the soldiers with the hope of relieving Adoniram’s situation. Obedient to their orders, the servants of the king came and took all their objects of value. Boldly, Ann gave them the key to the silver chest where the remaining silver was kept.
Throughout the long days of Mr. Judson’s imprisonment, Ann prayed faithfully and trusted in God’s provision which gave her courage and faith that kept her safe form the disgruntled governor and his soldiers. Because she maintained a Christian spirit in spite of the circumstances, those with whom she had contact were moved to an attitude of pity towards her plight. For two years, Ann diligently strove for his release, but he was transported to another prison. During this time, Ann and their baby girl began to starve when, in spite of plenty of money, no one would give her food at any price. Then, thankfully, Mr. Judson was finally released when the British won the war.
Their little family moved back to their parish in Rangoon where Ann became deathly ill and died. Her little daughter died some days later and was buried next to her mother. Throughout her trials, Ann’s faith never wavered—she walked so closely to God during her time in Burma that she could honestly say, “Thy Will be done.”
- Holly A. Hildebrandt
Resource: Basil Miller, Ann Judson, Heroine of Burma (Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids MI, 1947)
__________________________________________________________
Spiritual Parenting
“It is well to note the admirable selection of instructors. We are not at a loss to tell who instructed youthful Timothy. In this epistle Paul says, ‘When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.’ (2 Timothy 1:5). No doubt grandmother Lois and mother Eunice united in teaching the little one. Who should teach the children but the parents? Timothy’s father was a Greek, and probably a heathen, but this child was happy in having a venerable grandmother, so often the dearest of all relatives to a little child. He was blessed also with a gracious mother, once a devout Jewess, and afterwards also a firmly believing Christian, who made it her daily pleasure to teach her own dear child the Word of the Lord.
O dear mothers, please understand that you have a very sacred trust reposed in you by God! He has in effect said unto you, ‘Take this child away, and nurse it for Me, and I will give thee thy wages’ (Exodus 2:9). You are called to equip the future man of God, that he may be ‘ thoroughly furnished unto all good works’ (2 Timothy 3:17). If God spares you, you may live to hear that pretty boy speak to thousands, and you will have the sweet reflection in your heart that the quiet teachings of the nursery led the adult man to love his God and serve Him.
Those who think that a woman detained at home by her little family is doing nothing, think the reverse of what is true. Scarcely can the godly mother quit her home for a place of worship. However, dream not that she is lost to the work of the church. Far from it, she is doing the best possible service for her Lord.
Mothers, the godly training of your offspring is your first and most pressing duty. Christian women, by teaching children the Holy Scriptures, are as much fulfilling their part for the Lord as Moses did in judging Isreal, of Solomon in building the temple.”
“Spiritual Parenting” by C.H. Spurgeon
_______________________________________________________________________________
The Mother of the Saviour
“Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother” (John 19:25). After the days of his infancy and childhood, and during all the public ministry of Christ, we see and hear so little of Mary. Her life was lived in the background, among the shadows. But now, when the supreme hour strikes of her Son’s agony, when the world has cast out the child of her womb, she stands there by the cross! Who can fitly portray such a picture? Mary was nearest to the cruel tree! Bereft of faith and hope, baffled and paralyzed by the strange scene, yet bound with the golden chain of love to the dying one, there she stands! Try and read the thoughts and emotions of that mother’s heart. O what a sword it was that pierced her soul then! Never such bliss at a human birth, never such sorrow at an inhuman death.
Here we see displayed the Mother-heart. She is the dying man’s mother. The one who agonizes their on the cross is her child. She it was who first planted kisses on that brow now crowned with thorns. She it was who guided those hands and feet in their first infantile movements. No mother ever suffered as she did. His disciples may desert him, his friends may forsake him, his nation may despise him, but his mother stands there at the foot of his cross. Oh, who can fathom or analyze the Mother-heart.
Who can measure those hours of sorrow and suffering as the sword was slowly drawn through Mary’s soul! Hers was no hysterical or demonstrative sorrow. There was no show of feminine weakness; no wild outcry of uncontrollable anguish; no fainting. Not a word that fell from her lips has been recorded by either of the four evangelists: apparently she suffered in unbroken silence. Yet her sorrow was none the less real and acute. Still waters run deep. She saw that brow pierced with cruel thorns, but she could not smooth it with her tender touch. She watched his pierced hands and feet grow numb and livid, but she might not chafe them. She marks his need of a drink, but she is not allowed to slake his thirst. She suffered in profound desolation of spirit.
“There stood by the Cross of Jesus his mother” (John 19:25). The crowds are mocking, the thieves are taunting, the priests are jeering, the soldiers are callous and indifferent, the Saviour is bleeding, dying – and there is his mother beholding the horrible mockery. What wonder if she had swooned at such a sight! What wonder if she had turned away from such a spectacle! What wonder if she had fled from such a scene!
But no! There she is: she does not crouch away, she does not faint, she does not even sink to the ground in her grief – she stands. Her action and attitude are unique. In all the annals of history of our race there is no parallel. What transcendent courage. She stood by the cross of Jesus – what marvellous fortitude. She represses her grief, and stands there silent. Was it not reverence for the Lord which kept her from disturbing his last moments?
“When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home” John 19:26, 27
2. Here we see the perfect man setting example for children to honour their parents.
The Lord Jesus evidenced his perfection in the manner in which he fully discharged the obligations of every relationship that he sustained, either to God or man. On the cross we behold his tender care and solicitude for his mother, and in this we have the pattern of Jesus Christ presented to all children for their imitation, teaching them how to acquit themselves toward their parents according to the laws of nature and grace.
“The Seven Sayings of the Saviour on the Cross” by A.W. Pink
_____________________________________________________________________________
Mrs. John Leland
In the very beginning of her life, Mrs. John Leland (Sally Devine) had suffered much. When she was but two years old, she lost a father whom she loved very much. She was then driven from her home at the tender age of four by her cruel stepfather. As a result of such inhumane treatment, Sally’s feet were nearly frozen off, and a disease nearly consumed the palate in the back of her throat. Such misfortune caused her speech to be damaged, and only those who knew her extremely well could understand her. For some time, no one thought that she would live through this ordeal, but God saw fit to heal her. She found the grace that only God gives. After she recuperated from her poor health, she discovered that her property had been taken which left her destitute and dependent upon others. In spite of everything, Mrs. Leland found strength in God and trusted in Him to bring her through these hard times.
At the beginning of the American revolution, Sally married John Leland, a Baptist pastor in Virginia. She would be his constant helpmate all her life and the diligent keeper of his home. Mrs. Leland was truly a virtuous woman who could have easily stepped out of the Proverbs 31 passage. Sally was kind to everyone she met, and those who were in need she would supply with food or clothing. Her very nature forbade her to withhold kindness from anyone. Like her husband, she had a spirit for independence and attributes which fitted her for this time in history. A brave heart, a firm purpose, and a strong mind were just some of her desirable qualities—in peril, she was calm; in trials and afflictions, she was resilient. These were the things that served her steadfast character, and yet, accompanied with these qualities was a soft, gentle nature and quiet humility so befitting this godly woman.
Mrs. Leland had an excellent presence of mind in cases of emergency. Once, her four year old daughter was run over by a loaded cart. The little girl’s head was practically crushed, yet Mrs. Leland sat for hours holding the severed artery closed with her fingers thus saving her daughter’s life. As for her courage, it cannot be doubted. She once saved her husband from a murderer’s weapon, and during the revolution, more than one runaway slave or British soldier came to her door looking for food. God had commanded His people to “feed the hungry” and that is what she did, but more than one man who came to her door would have simply killed her for the food instead of asking. She prayed without ceasing to God to not let this happen, for she could not bare to think of leaving her children. Sally even sewed her children’s clothes by moonlight for fear that the light of a lamp would draw an assassin to her door.
In 1791, Mr. & Mrs. Leland were on a ship that was stricken in a horrific storm. The ship was tossed, turned, and battered for hours such that the vessel was despaired of—-certain it would sink:
“After twelve hours of incessant watching and agonizing prayer, expecting momentarily to go to the bottom, she appeared to sink into a slumber; but presently turning to her husband, she exclaimed, ” We shall not be lost.’” She had received this assurance from a figure in white which seemed to stand before her, measuring off piece after piece of a long white cord, and which said to her, ” The vessel cannot sink I have undergirded it.” [John Leland (2011-08-26T06:52:47+00:00). The writings of the late Elder John Leland (Kindle Locations 825-827). Printed by G.W. Wood. Kindle Edition].
The life of Mrs. Leland held not only physical hardship but mental suffering too. During a revival in which her husband was a part, she would be alone several days. At night, she and her children would hear a groaning in the walls of their home. Every night the groaning would be heard and the children would clutch their mother in fear and say “the groaner has come”. Each night the groaning became more terrifying and loud— it was an unearthly sound. When Mr. Leland came home, he was shocked to learn that this had been happening for eight months. Finally, he turned to his Lord in prayer and beseeched Him whether this sound was of good or evil. If it was the latter, Mr. Leland asked the Lord to destroy whatever it was. As he prayed, the screeching grew louder and louder until it suddenly vanished in a terrifying howl. The groaner was never heard from again.
This honorable woman was never seen to be idle. Sally never ceased her daily toil of handling her husband’s affairs and cultivating their small garden. Completely content in her place beside her husband, come what may, she was joyful in being his helpmate and in rearing their children for the Lord.
Near the end of her life, a disease settled upon her throat caused by the malady earlier in her childhood. The nature of the disease slowly closed her throat until she could only force liquids down. Soon, even this was impossible. Lacking proper nourishment, Mrs. Leland literally starved to death. Prior to her end, she still remained strong in fortitude and calm in spirit—she never complained. Throughout her life, Sally’s faith in the Lord never wavered as she stayed under His protective wing, and her piety was seen and revered by all who knew her.
~Holly A. Hildebrandt
Resource: The Writings of the Late Elder John Leland, by John Leland and L.F. Greene
________________________________________________________________________________
THIS DAY IN BAPTIST HISTORY PAST November 27, 1560 – Soetgen vanden Houte, sealed her profession of faith with her own blood in the city of Ghent in Belgium. Soetgen, a godly woman fell into the hands of the same persecutors that her husband had fallen into previously, and now she was left a widow with three children. Just prior to her death, Soetgen left a testament to her children: This is a portion of that testament. “In the name of the Lord: Grace, peace and mercy from God the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ, be to you, my dear children…To you, David, Betgen, and Tanneken, written by your mother in bonds, to put you in mind of the truth, to which I hope to testify by word and by death, by the help of the Almighty, and as an example to you. May the wisdom of the Holy Spirit instruct and strengthen you, that you may be nurtured in the ways of the Lord. Amen. Further my dear children, since it is pleasing to the Lord to take me out of the world, I will leave you a memento, not of silver of gold, for such jewels are perishable. I would fain inscribe a jewel in your heart were it possible-the word of truth. Thus I will a little teach you by the Word of the Lord, with my best wishes, according to the small ability I have received of the Lord, and in my simplicity,” At this point she began to exhort them to fear the Lord. Soetgen concluded by saying, “Oh! My dear children, I have written this with tears, admonishing you from love, praying for you with a fervent heart, that if it were possible, you may be found among that number (the redeemed). When your father was taken from me I did not spare myself, day or night, to bring you up… After commending the children to her family and to the Lord, Soetgen concluded her letter and was soon reunited with her husband in the presence of the Lord.
Dr. Greg J. Dixon from: This Day in Baptist History Vol. I: Cummins /Thompson , pp. 494-95.
________________________________________________________________________________