LIZZIE was sixteen years of age, tall and, beautiful. She had lost her mother, but God had raised up a kind friend for her in her cousin, who did almost a mother’s part towards her.
One warm day in March, while at school, Lizzie threw off her winter clothes, and the weather changing suddenly, she took a chill. The doctor looked seriously at her case, and a nurse was sent for. After some five weeks of illness a physician was called in, who pronounced Lizzie’s state to be very critical; expressing his fear that she could live but for a month or two, therefore she was taken from school and sent to her home in Scotland.
As her kind cousin was in Switzerland, Lizzie had to take the long journey accompanied only by her nurse; but God was watching over her. The nurse was comparatively a stranger to her young charge, but it was well for Lizzie that she should have this journey alone with her, for she proved the best of friends, as will presently be seen.
Edinburgh as reached in safety, and the Lizzie became quite bright and cheerful at the prospect of seeing her relatives again. The doctor, under whose care she was placed advised a rest of a few days in that city before she resumed her journey. This was the opportunity for the nurse to speak to her of Jesus, for during their stay at Edinburgh they were almost alone. She lifted up her heart to the Lord for grace and wisdom to speak aright to the dear girl, and then asked her, should the Lord be pleased to take her away, whether she was ready to meet Him. Lizzie was silent for a short time, and then looking up very earnestly, said―
“No, I am not ready.”
“You know you are a sinner, dear?”
“Yes” she replied; “but I don’t feel much about it. I have tried to be good.” Then the nurse replied very gently, “But our trying to be good apart from Jesus is sinful in God’s sight. He calls our goodness filthy rags. Oh, my darling girl, think for one moment of what it cost God to give up His dear Son―His well-beloved, and the One who always pleased Him―to come down to earth and to be mocked and spit upon, and rejected by man. Have you never thought of it? Our sins caused those nails to be thrust through His hands and feet; and our sins wrung from Him that bitter cry, ‘My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?’ Our sins were the cause of it all. Yet He went through it all because He could not do without the thoughtless sinners whom He loves. What do you think of it?”
“Oh! I wish I were saved,” replied Lizzie.
“Jesus is waiting to save you; ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.’ Oh! darling, take God’s gift now.”
Then the nurse offered Lizzie her Bible―which she took―and then explained that just in the same way as she took the Bible from her hands, so she should take God’s gift of salvation, and thank Him for it, adding, “It is so precious to be able to say, ‘He loved me and gave Himself for me.’
Lizzie seemed weary all that day; and scarcely spoke to her nurse, who feared that she might be offended.
The following day the journey was resumed, and Lizzie’s home, where her grandmother and two younger sisters lived, was reached. The excitement of seeing them tried the sick girl very much, and for some days after her arrival she was quite prostrate.
The family doctor thought she could not live very long, but said she must not be told how ill she was, as it might hasten her end. So the nurse was bidden not to Mention her real state to the patient, but to buoy her up, and make everything bright.
This was more than the nurse could-bear. She did not think the dear girl was saved, and most earnestly she asked for divine guidance in her difficult position. In a few days Lizzie’s cousin was expected, and the nurse felt She could not leave her young charge with relatives who would not tell her, her real condition, so she resolved to break it to her herself.
Very gently she asked Lizzie whether she was ready to meet the Lord, should He call her from this world.
Lizzie burst into tears. The nurse interpreting this to mean that she was not ready; again eagerly questioned her as to whether she was really trusting in Christ.
For some time Lizzie could not answer, but at last she said, “Yes, dear nurse, I can now say I am saved;” and you can judge of the joy this gave the nurse, more particularly when she learned that that conversation of Edinburgh had led her to cast herself upon the Lord, to tell all to Him, and to truss alone in His precious blood for the washing away of her sins. Lizzie wept much, and the nurse felt sorry she had let her know she was dying.
“Oh! I’m not afraid to die,” said Lizzie; “but I weep because I have done nothing for Jesus. It is so mean. I would like to have lived to tell others about Him.”
“Let not this distress you,” said the nurse; “you can begin at once. There are your grandmother, your two little sisters, the servants, and your dear sailor brother, who is coming home, and your other brother.”
This comforted Lizzie, and as the nurse learned afterward, she was not slow to follow out her counsel. You may be sure that the nurse and her charge were now closely attached to each other. They used to have such sweet talks about the Lord Jesus and about “going home,” in which the young girl learned the truth that the sting of death has been taken away for at who trust in Jesus, who died and rose again and that death is to the believer but falling asleep, since the Lord Jesus puts His own to sleep as does a mother her child.
Lizzie used to have severe fits of prostration, and when these were coming on she would whisper to her nurse, “Sing, dear,
‘Safe in the arms of Jesus,
Safe on His gentle breast;’”
or other sweet hymns of comfort, and she would then lay her weary head upon the nurse’s arm and listen.
The time soon came for the nurse to leave, for Lizzie’s cousin had arrived. It was a bitter parting, for the Lord had entwined these two hearts closely together.
The kind cousin now took the nurse’s place and the invalid suffered very much, but bore her pain patiently, resting upon that word, “His banner over me was love.” (Song of Sol. 2:44He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love. (Song of Solomon 2:4).)
At last the time came for Lizzie to “depart to be with Christ.” In the afternoon of the day before she died she said to her cousin, “Darling cousin, I think I am just going to die. You have been good and kind to me. I shall meet you again in heaven. Oh! do not cry for me; I am very happy; I am going to Jesus. Call Gran, Willie, Agnes, and Margaret.”
When her grandmother came in, she said, “Gran dear, I am going to die. I know it, but I am quite happy. You must meet me in heaven, gran.”
“I hope to do so, dear,” replied her grandmother.
“Oh, gran!” said Lizzie, “you must.”
Then to her brother Willie she said, “I am just going away from you, Willie, but oh! do not cry; I am quite happy. I am sorry to leave you all. I would like to have lived, but I am happy. Jesus has saved me. Oh! Willie, do not live as if this life were all. Once I did so, but I was led to cast myself upon Jesus, and I have felt safe and happy ever since.”
Then she spoke to him of the temptations he would meet with in his ship and in the world, and bade him take Christ now as his Saviour, and then in His strength resist the temptations. “You must never forget my words, Willie.”
To her absent brother James she sent her fond love, adding, “Tell him to take Jesus as his all now.”
“Darling little things,” she said, turning to Agnes and Margaret, “Lizzie is going away from you to heaven—to Jesus. Don’t cry! Lizzie is quite happy. You must love Jesus, and be dear, good children, and never disobey Gran. Don’t forget what Liz said to you before she left you.”
She sent her love to her governess, to her dear nurse, and to all her schoolfellows, and asked that they should be entreated not to think only of this life.
She bade the servants good-bye, and, having spoken earnest words to them, said, “Now I can speak no more. God has given me grace to say this to you all. I think I am just going to sleep in Jesus now.”
But she had still to say, “Thy will be done!” The dreadful pain and heart spasms returned. “O Lord Jesus, take me!” she cried; and her cousin prayed, too, that if it were His will, she might be taken without further suffering.
Soon afterward she said to little Agnes, “Sing, darling.” The little sobbing creature looked at her cousin, as much as to say that it was impossible.
“Try, darling—for Lizzie,” said her cousin. Immediately the lovely childish voice burst forth with her little evening prayer―
“Jesus, tender Shepherd, hear me!
Bless Thy little lamb tonight;
Through the darkness be Thou near me,
Watch my sleep till morning light.”
and the words seemed now suitable for the one who was nearing the darkness of death. Perhaps the little one had never sung that hymn so well before. It was most touching to hear it.
From that time Lizzie had no more suffering. She slept much, awaking only at times. Her kind grandmother and cousin shared that night’s watching. In the morning the latter was alone with her, holding her hand. Lizzie awoke, and said, “I am so tired, cousin. You do not know how tired I am. I think I shall sleep in Jesus now.” She nestled her head upon the pillow, as if she were going to sleep again; her cousin saw a light pass over her face, and Lizzie was gone!
“Oh, Lizzie, are you gone?” cried she Lizzie had indeed just fallen asleep in Jesus, as she had said. Her cousin, writing of this Afterward, said, “I never saw death so completely robbed of its sting.”
Her brother came home when he heard of her death, and when he saw his sister, beautiful in death, he exclaimed, “Oh, darling, how lovely! I cannot even cry for her. Yes, she is just sleeping in Jesus.”
My dear young friends, perhaps you have been touched by the simple story of Lizzie Perhaps your eyes are dimmed with tears but, oh, you must not stay there! I want you each one to trust yourself to Lizzie’s Saviour. He is waiting to save you now. Will you do as Lizzie did — tell Him all the sin and folly of your hearts, and then trust Him to wash all your sins away in His precious blood? If you do He will save you. How dreadful if you should die without believing in Him! But if you do believe, your hope will be His coming again to take you to be with Himself forever. Jesus has very many on the earth who have been washed in His precious blood, and they are alive, and seeking to live for Him who did so much for them. Will you join their number by taking Jesus as your Saviour now? God grant that you may! and then you can live for Jesus, as Lizzie wished to have done.