A selection from a letter by Rev. Daniel Baker to his wife. He was on a preaching tour raising money for Austin College in Huntsville, Texas. And epidemic of cholera had broken out, taking several lives. He assured his wife that he was ready to go and meet the Lord if it was the Lord’s will. This letter was written from Memphis, May 13, 1851.
I have visited Vicksburg, Jackson, Yazoo City, and Memphis. Last Sabbath morning I preached for brother Coons. I am just waiting for a boat for St. Louis. Cholera has broken out in this place; I believe three or four persons died yesterday, and two last night—one a young man who eat his supper in good health—this morning a corpse! The sexton of the _____ church rang the bell last night, and about three hours after the services closed, was in the arms of death. What poor creatures we all are!—how important to be ready to go at any moment. You need not be uneasy, my dear E. [Eliza], on my account; I am in the hands of a Being who is infinitely wise and good, and, as the saying is, ‘I am immortal till my work is done’… O what a blessed thing it is to be a Christian, and to have heaven in full view! My dear E., let us try to be more engaged—‘O for a closer walk with God!’
Making Many Glad: The Life and Labours of Daniel Baker, by William M. Baker, first published in 1858, reprinted by the Banner of Truth, 2000, pp. 428-29.
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