“I DON’T like to think of dying,” were the words of a young girl who was sitting in a pleasant room of one of the mansions that overlook a lovely bay. Many a happy time had Rosie had on the wide sweep of yellow sands, where she could sit and see the waves roll in and break on the shore; sometimes the sea was so calm that there was only a ripple at the edge of the waves; and then, again a gale would rise and send huge lines of white breakers dashing upon the shore with a noise like thunder.
Poor little Rosie had not always known such pleasant times as at the period of which we write, for she was an orphan, and had been sadly neglected in many ways, though she had very much of the luxury that money can give. Of that which concerns the soul and eternity she knew next to nothing; but now she had come to stay for a time at G—to see if the fresh sea breezes would bring health and strength to her weak body, for she was often very ill, and not able to walk about, and she had a cough that made her very tired. A lady who was visiting at the same house felt very sorry for the little orphan, and tried to win her love, and be a real friend to her; and so it happened that Rosie often came to Miss P.’s room, and that is where she was sitting when she said, “I don’t like to think of dying.”
Kind Miss P. was not easily tired of telling Rosie the sweet Bible stories of the Lord Jesus, and soon she became anxious to read them for herself, and out of her pocket money she bought herself a beautiful Bible, and spent many an hour in reading it. It was all new and strange to Rosie, for when in some other book she had read the tale of the woman of Samaria, it had only been a sweet story to her, and great was her surprise to find it in the fourth chapter of John’s Gospel, and she came running to Miss P. to tell her about it. Soon after this Rosie felt anxious to be saved herself, and then she sought out such verses as the following— “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved,” —and joyfully, gladly, little Rosie believed the precious words, and trusted herself entirely to the Lord Jesus as her own Saviour. Then she said, “I did not like to think of dying once, but it’s all different now I am sure Jesus loves me.”
Dear Rosie! Before very long her faith was to be tried. Her friends took her away to her own home, and there, surrounded by the wealth and gaiety of the rich world, she lived for a little while, trying to show her friends that she wanted to live for the Lord who had saved her. But soon she grew very weak and ill, too ill to get up, and for some weeks she was lying pale and suffering in her room, but always bright and happy, sending many a loving message to her friend Miss P., and telling her that she was not at all afraid to die, adding “for Jesus is always with me.” She knew that blessed Saviour was going to take her to His own bright home, where she would never suffer again.
Soon the end of dear little Rosie’s short life came, and she went to be with the Saviour whom she had learned to love and trust, and very beautiful it was to see how happy she was to go.
Dear children, the same Jesus who taught Rosie is ready to save and teach you, if you, as she did, will believe His word. You are not too young to die. Ask the Lord to teach you, and believing on Him, you will be saved, and then, like Rosie, you will not be L. T.