Tille was a wee delicate child. Her father and mother died when she was very young; then a kind aunt took her to live with her. The house was situated in a lovely part of the country, surrounded by pretty woods, but no houses were near, so Tillie had no play—mates. But with her dolls and other toys, she seemed quite pleased without them.
A young lady, the daughter of a merchant who lived not far off, sometimes took her across to spend the afternoon with her, and on the afternoons of the Lord’s Day, this young lady had a class for little ones, to which Tillie always went.
When she was about six years of age she began to show signs of much anxiety about her salvation. She had learned at the afternoon class, and also from her aunt who was a Christian, that she needed to be converted before she could go to heaven. The uncertainty of life, and the great eternity beyond, seemed to take an early hold of Tillie’s mind. One of the earliest verses she was able to repeat was
“Days, months, and years must have an end,
Eternity has none;
‘Twill always have as long to spend,
As when it first begun.”
Sitting alone with her aunt one evening, she asked,
“Aunty, are you afraid of eternity?”
“No, my dear,” said her aunt, “I do not need to be, because I know that to me it will be an eternity of happiness—I am going to a home of eternal peace, and joy, to be with Jesus and all His redeemed ones. I was afraid of the word ‘eternity’ when I was unconverted, for then I knew that if I died, it would be an eternity of misery and weeping, but ever after the day that I came to Jesus as a poor lost sinner, and claimed Him as my Saviour, eternity has been a word of great delight to me.”
“Would Jesus take me if I came to Him, aunty, and would He take me to eternal glory too?’ earnestly inquired the dear child, now thoroughly anxious about her salvation.
“Yes, He says He will, Tillie, and whatever He says is sure. Long ago He spake the word from heaven, ‘Whosoever will may come,’ and ‘whosoever’ means Tillie, or anybody else.”
The next morning, when Tillie came downstairs to breakfast, a happy smile played on her face.
“What makes my little maiden smile so this morning?” said her uncle. Throwing her tiny arms around his neck, Tillie said,
“Cause Jesus has taken me, and I am not afraid of eternity now.”
Tillie had truly come to Jesus; He had received her, and saved her, She went off to school that morning singing in the gladness of her heart,
“O what can equal joy Divine,
And what can sweeter be
Than knowing that the soul is safe,
For all eternity;
Safe in the Lord without a doubt,
By virtue of the Blood,
For nothing can destroy the life,
That’s hid with Christ in God.”
On the afternoon of the Lord’s Day, Tillie stood, Bible and hymn book in hand, awaiting the coming of her teacher. She had news to tell her, which she was sure would make her glad. When Miss Moore came round the corner, Tillie bounded off to meet her, and locking her arms around her, said, “Jesus has taken me, and I am safe for eternity.”
The lady lifted the orphan child, kissed and hugged her to her bosom, and as they walked along hand in hand together, she heard from her own lips the story of how anxious she had been for many days, how the long eternity had troubled her, and how at last she came to Jesus and was taken by Him and made safe for eternity.
The girls in the class were told the story, and if it needed a picture, Tillie’s happy face, seated by her teacher’s side, supplied it, for the of her heart was beaming in her eyes.
Reader are you sale for eternity?
ML 05/14/1939