New Series, No. 24; The Annual Monitor for 1866; Or, Obituary of the Members of the Society of Friends

The editors gratefully acknowledge the kindness of those Friends who prepared the reports for this volume. There are more of them than in previous years, and they would risk thinking that some of them will be read with great interest. It is gratifying to see many of these memoirs describe much of the active usefulness that has continued over the years. Indeed, with a few exceptions, it is evidence of life, not of the deathbed around which the narrative interest gathers. It's not that stories that seem to open the door to a sick room and reveal the power of faith and hope in the near term of death are of little use, but we feel a personal interest in the last moments of a dying person, because we do not know how soon we will be able to become like how are they. Seeing how they are supported and how the Savior is close to soothe their fears encourages us to hope for an equally rich blessing when our hour comes. But dwelling too much on such scenes can cause us to forget that we need the presence and help of our Lord both in the stressful scenes of life and at the hour of death. And one great benefit to be gained from such details of active ministry and serene peace, and firm faith in God's forgiving love at the very brink of the grave, as conveyed in some of the following notes, is the confidence that they provide a similar manifestation of divine grace can be expected as long as we enjoy health and strength, and at the end of life.