THE father and mother stood by the dying bed of their only daughter—a girl fifteen years of age. She had been in health, and hard at work at school, up to within two weeks of her death, intending to go in for the profession of a school-teacher. As she lay near her end, her father repeated the words in 1 Timothy 1:16: “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners,” and stopped. Cathie opened her mouth and said: “Of whom I am chief.” These were her last words; like Paul, she was brought to look at herself in the light above the brightness of the sun, and say the truth about herself, that she was a sinner. At the same time she knew that for such Christ Jesus had come into the world to save them. The saying is true and worthy of all accepting it.
In her last moments there was a heavenly brightness on Cathie’s face, like St Stephen’s, as if she saw someone.
It was a cheer to the father and mother to hear her say these fine words— “Of whom I am chief,” confessing her name—sinner: Some of her school companions wondered how such a good girl as she was could speak of herself as the chief of sinners. Grace had given her to know the truth about herself: that there was no good in her, nor any good works that she had done to fit her for heaven. But the death and resurrection of Christ had settled all.
At the graveside we read 1 Corinthians 15 the gospel that saves. “How that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,” and was seen first of Peter and last of Paul, who could say, “by the grace of God I am what I am”— and could also say in truth he was “the chief of sinners.”
It was in December 1913 that this girl was so suddenly called away. She had two brothers—one older than herself and another younger. On the first day of January 1914 the elder brother writes to his cousin, “The Lord Jesus has saved me. I was very anxious to be converted for some time past; and on Lord’s day night in the meeting I got very anxious, and I looked up that scripture, This faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.’ And I just told Jesus I was the chief of sinners too. When I came home, I just felt I could not wait another moment; but must be saved now, and I said, ‘I receive Thee,’ and I know He has saved me. I am just praying that the Lord Jesus will convert you too; and I feel He will do it, and I am expecting to hear the good news, then you will be able to say—
“‘I came to Jesus as I was,
Weary, and worn, and sad,
I found in Him a resting place,
And He has made me glad.”
Thus, whether it be the dying or the living, He is the same Saviour. The sinner looks to, believes on, and confesses Him, and is immediately saved.
There is no time to put off. Now—today—is the accepted time. Be wise, and trust Him now. He has said: —
“Him that cometh unto Me I will in no wise cast out.”
“Oh precious words that Jesus said:
The soul that comes to Me
I will in no wise cast him out,
Whoever he may be.
Whoever he may be,
Whoever he may be;
I will in no wise cast him out,
Whoever he may be.”
B. K. W.