By Rev. D. M. Macdonald
Before dealing with the manner of Lady Ann’s conversion, I shall give a brief sketch of the minister who was instrumental in leading her to a saving knowledge of Christ. The Rev. Rowland Hill belonged to a titled family in the west of England and, when quite young, was sent to Oxford University. It seems that he experienced the saving power of the Gospel there and soon began to preach it in outlying villages. His father disapproved of this and refused to help him unless he would stop preaching. He had a good friend in Lady Huntingdon who valued evangelical preaching and she supported him when no one else would. She was much concerned for the salvation of her fellow-sinners and eager to help all who were endeavouring to advance the Kingdom of Christ in the nation.
In due course Mr Hill’s father relented and gave his son an ample allowance to support him. As he was heir to the title, he renounced it in favour of his brother so that he would devote his life wholly to the service of his Saviour by preaching the Gospel to his fellow-sinners. He had a large congregation in London but spent the summer months conducting services in different parts of the country. He was of commanding presence with a powerful voice, and his preaching was both evangelical and original so that he became very popular.
It was when he was preaching in Moorfields in London to a vast company of people in the open air that the following incident took place. It concerns Lady Ann Agnes Erskine, who was a daughter of the Earl of Buchan and came of a distinguished family. Her grandfather suffered severely in the persecuting days of Charles the Second. The famous preachers Ralph and Ebenezer Erskine were also of the same family. As a child of seven or eight years, her mind received a deep impression of religion when her nurse read certain books to her. She early learned the value of prayer but found like many others that early impressions of religion often wear off. She mixed much with the world and went into pleasure as far as she could.
When Mr Hill was preaching he saw a carriage approaching with a stylishly-dressed lady in it. His text was “I am black but comely”—Song of Solomon ch. 1, v. 5, and he was stating that he regarded it to mean that the Church was “black as the tents of Kedar” in the estimation of the world but “comely as the curtains of Solomon” in the eyes of her Bridegroom. As he was proceeding with his sermon, Lady Ann, for it was she, left her attendants and took a position at the back of Mr Hill, and by so doing drew considerable attention to herself. Noticing that the eyes of his audience were turned towards the newcomer, he paused in his discourse and, leaving the subject upon which he was engaged, entered upon a fresh one which drew the undivided attention of his hearers.
To the wonder of the people he imagined an auction sale. There were three bidders—the world, the Devil and the Lord Jesus Christ—the article offered was the soul of Lady Ann. The world offered “riches, honours and pleasure,” the Devil “all the Kingdoms of the earth and the glory of them,” and the Lord Jesus Christ “grace and glory hereafter.”
This appears to have had a very solemn effect upon Lady Ann and led her to see her need of Christ as a Saviour and to look to Him for the grace that would in the end bring her to glory. Some might think that Mr Hill was making too much use of his imagination at this time but what he said is in accordance with the analogy of Scripture, as the Saviour shows in some of His sayings how the world and Satan mislead souls and lure them to destruction. For the love of worldly gain Judas sold his Master and perished. Paul said “Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world.” Satan had the audacity to tempt Christ by showing Him the Kingdoms of the world in a moment of time and offered them to Him of He would worship him, but Jesus answered and said unto him, “Get thee behind me, Satan; for it is written ‘Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and Him only shalt thou serve.'” Many in this generation are wholly given to the pleasures of sin and ruin their souls by indulging in them. False religions abound and are increasing so that we are living in perilous times and have need of Habbakuk’s prayer, “O Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the years; in the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy.”
Lady Ann’s family removed to Bath and there they met the good Lady Huntingdon who was destined to be a generous friend to her. The Countess invited her at once to remain with her as a companion and from that time they were most intimate and constant friends. The Countess consulted her on most of her projects and when she died, Lady Ann became a very prominent person as she was appointed one of the trustees and executors of the will. The trustees arranged that Lady Ann should occupy part of Lady Huntingdon’s house and carry on the good work her friend had been doing. At length her health began to fail and she was troubled with asthma. Her spirits were bright and cheerful, however, and her mind seemed quite prepared to meet death. Two or three mornings before her departure she came much refreshed from her room and said to a friend, “The Lord has met me with so much sweetness of mind this morning that I seemed as if surrounded by God.” She went out for a drive the day before her death, conversing as usual, and in the evening when a friend visited her she said, “I have no presentiment of death upon my mind,” but she also added, “Be that as it may, God is faithful and I feel unshaken confidence in Him.” On retiring to rest she said to her maid, “The Lord will reveal Himself to Me to-morrow.” When asked if there were any outward matters to make her uneasy, she replied, “No, in those respects I am perfectly easy.” Her voice was never heard again by any human ear, for when her attendant went to her room at six o’clock next morning, she found her mistress in the sleep of death. Of her sixty-five years more than forty had been spent in the works of faith and labours of love. The day of her death was Friday, October 5th, 1804, and she was buried in Bunhill Fields Cemetery, London, in which rest many of Christ’s faithful witnesses, among them being that great Puritan theologian, Dr. John Owen, and the famous John Bunyan, whose writings have been blessed to many sinners.
Part of the epitaph on Lady Ann’s tombstone is as follows:—
“She was affable and condescending in her deportment, kind and generous to the poor and compassionate to the afflicted. Her piety was sincere and unaffected, her life honourably useful and her death easy and happy.”
We may close this brief sketch with these consoling and magnificent verses. “O, death, where is thy sting? O, grave, where is thy victory? Thanks be to God who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (I Cor. ch. 15, v. 55).
“These are they which came out of great tribulation and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb . . . They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them nor any heat.
“For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters; and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.”