ABOUT two months ago I was asked to visit an elderly woman in W —, who was in a dying condition, and who was known to have been for many years a great drunkard. I went to her house and found her in much pain, bodily and mental, but still quite capable of understanding everything that was said to her. The nurse had told me that her mistress was quite aware that death might seize her at any moment, so I felt my way clear at once.
On talking with the sick woman I found from her youth she had, as she said, had nothing but hand work, Sunday and every day of the week alike, shop always open, and work and care always fully to occupy her mind and time.
I reviewed her past life, and showed her how, for many long years, she had been sinning against God and rejecting Christ. She admitted she was a sinner, but had not, as far as she knew, done any one any particular harm, but had always paid her way steadily through the world. She listened attentively while I told her of God’s great love in sending His only begotten Son into this world to die for sinners, and that the Lord Jesus Christ came to seek and to save that which was lost; and that by taking her place before God as a lost, guilty, hell-deserving sinner, and by faith in the Person and the precious blood of Christ, she would have eternal life. After speaking with her, and prayer, I placed in her hands the little tract (in form of a book), “None cast out.” She promised to read it. I then left the house.
For a period of five weeks I constantly visited this poor woman (two sisters in the Lord also frequently visited her); but I always found, after the most solemn appeals to her, she was deaf to everything, her own cares and trials being the one thought with her. I told her Satan was occupying her time with these cares, that he might drag her soul down into the lake of fire. Her reply was, “Cares she had, and she must attend to them, for no one ever had such troubles as she had.”
Once I was told she had said she had peace.
On visiting her the day after I had heard this, asked her what were her grounds for peace? She replied: “I have barely any pain now, and am lunch more comfortable.” So Satan was quieting her soul in this way. “For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them” (1 Thess. 5:33For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. (1 Thessalonians 5:3)).
Once, on visiting her with my brother, she said the Almighty had told her at night that she was not to be afraid, as He would soon take her to heaven; but at this time I fear she was under the influence of an opiate or brandy.
The evening before her death I went to see her, and I observed there were two or three strangers in the room; the dying woman saw me and put out her hand to me, and thanked me for my visits; but she spoke these awful words “I am afraid it is too late.” I told her of the love of God, and of the precious blood of Christ that cleanseth from all sin; but I fear she was in such pain she hardly heard what I said. On my speaking thus, a woman in the room said something about my making nothing of works, and then said something about baptism into the Church being salvation. I denied this, and the woman left the room, went downstairs in anger, speaking loudly to the nurse, and then went out of the house. I then went out of the room, followed by the daughter of the dying woman, and I learned that the people in the room were Roman Catholics, one being a sister of the dying woman. The next morning, we looked in just to speak a word of comfort to the poor daughter.
Death had entered the scene, and the soul had gone―where? We were invited into the room, and had scarcely taken a stand, when the nurse said, in a loud triumphal tone, “She had all the rights of the Church, and died in perfect peace.”
The daughter assured us she knew nothing of this—that she had only been out once during the evening, for about one hour, to bring the doctor; but I afterward heard that it was during her absence “extreme unction” was said to have been administered to the dying woman.
And now, dear reader, I would call your attention to the heading of this story― “God speaketh once, yea, twice, yet man perceiveth it not.” In this case God had spoken three separate times to this woman, ―for she had lost and buried three husbands. But how is it with you, reader? God is speaking plainly and loudly to you― “Because man goeth to his long homo, and the mourners go about the streets” (Eccl. 12:55Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets: (Ecclesiastes 12:5)). Are you ready to meet your God, or are you thinking of putting it off to some other day, when you may be taken ill, and will have time to think about it? Take care, you may never have a death bed, but may be cut off in a moment; or sickness may come, and pain, and so rack your poor frame, that there will be no time and no power to think. The writer of this can tell you of a time he suffered acute pain for four days and nights, and could not have listened to God’s message of salvation, had he then wished to; but he knew he had a Saviour, a living Saviour in the glory, and so his soul was in perfect peace.
“Now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.”
J. D.