Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1872-03-21
OBITUARY..


In the death of the Reverend DR.. John Free.
on Tuesday, Feb. Goth. 1872 at his residence near
McCutcheonville, o the community suffers the
loss of one of its most distinguished men, and
tie Evangelical Church, in which he has been
faithful and leading Spirit, since 1916, one of
! its abest and oldest divines.
McCutcheonvillc and vicinity, in particular,
will mourn his loss, for although he has retired
from the active duties of the ministry for some
| years, yet he wont to appear in public at
| semi-occasional periods and his long residence
| here, had won HIM many warm friends
Mr. Free was born la, IN baitimofe county,
death, as full of honOrs he was of years.
Graphing with poverty from his youth up. nev-
ertheless he succeeded at intervals to store his
mind with useful and religious knowledge, so
that at the age of - he was permitted to advo-
cate the cause of his master and entered upon
charge, in Shursberry. Pennsylvania, when the
church of his choice was yet in its infancy,
numbering less than IA members, and now, at
his de \. over $4,000. What pleasur, IL W, S
| to him, TO see the labors bring forth such rich
harvests. While thus advocating the cause of
his master, he devoted his leisure hours to the
study of the German, Greek, Hebrew and Lat
in, and became, at his death, OF the first lin
| gusts in Ohio, not superficial linSuist. but
able TO make his own translations from the orig
inal manuscripts of our early fathers, and their
native tongue. About the year 1880, he became
| afflicted with disease, battling the skill of the
most learned physicians, and while thus broke
down with bodily pain and distress. he gathered
| together some of the most able medical works,
| and by close application, prepared himself to
eradicate the foul destroyer of his happiness and
| held his power back until his dealt at the ripe
| age of rs years and months, being SO success
full in giving himself relief he thought he might
go about and do good to the afflicted in connec-
ton with his duties as Minister, and entered Bal
| timore Medical College, and afterwards, in 1884,
| time until his death. he was always ready to
aid the poor and afflicted without money or
price-kind generous and sympathetlcal, his
| noble heart yielded aid whenever in his power
TO confer it, and many a stricken heart has been
cheered by his ready hand for relief. The wid-
| ow and orphan never appealed in vain to him
for a.. hn we VI
would often find place to rest at his home near
the highway, without charge, and at ght when
| ready to retire to rest, he would expect all to
kncel in alteration to his God, whiin feryent
prayer was offered up for the absent ones. and
repeated again when the morning sun wonld ap-
pear. Thus the life of 4 good man is ever
fraught with the care of his fellow men, and
thus year after year passed on until old age with
its defects bowed him down and warned him that
his days were twindling to their shortest span.
which is shown by the beautiful lines written
by him in tiy-leaf of hymn book the morning
before he dropped dead:
81 hear gentle voices. that chide my delay,
see loaeiy visions that WOO me away;
| My prison is broken, m y trials are e'er,
melcy! mercyl detain me no more.
| 40 glory o glory what music, wnat light,
| What " onders break in on M heart on nv sig,
| come, blessed spirit hear You from high,
| frail, faithlesS can this be to die?
"So neariwhat so near to my Saviour and Kin ).
| help me ye angels his glory to sing;
| Farewell, then farewell, till We meet at the
| throne.
Where love fears no parting, and tears are no
| known %
| Thus passed away kind aud lndulgent faith
| er u faithful husband. tried and true chris
| tian and one of the Oldest ministers of hi
| church, full of years, and lover of prayer. 4
| his richest enjoyment. Oftentimes has he beer
| seen, by his neighbors, kneeling at some tree
| or in the grove, Offering up to his god, hi
thanks, and praying for his chi !dren and the at
fiicted in secret, that all light possess the swee
spirit that accompanied him through all th'
journey of his life.
| On the Srbhath following his death, large
concourse of people, met TO pay the last sad rite
| to the honoTed dead. The church filled t,
overflow lug, and the Rev. DIR. Stubs. of Cleye
land, Ohio preached the funeral sermon. able
| great and powerful And then we lail him be
side his loved companion, who departed thi
life just one year before his burial.
Sleep, dear Father, sleep. thy strife is o'er,
We would not call the back, oh no;
For Il home in heaven is dearer far,
Than this you left below.
|