An Affecting Incident by L. E. Millne

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jul 30, 1872

An Affecting Incident.

By L. E. Millne

The name of Jesus never seemed so inexpressibly sweet to me as it did the other day, as I heard the following affecting incident related, which lately occurred in this city:

A young married lady had been quite unwell for some time. She was taken worse, and her life was despaired of; but her husband forbade the attendant telling her of her danger, and only the day before she died, she told her the doctor said she could not live. Her agony was then indescribable. “Oh!” she exclaimed, “my God! my God! must I die? must I die? O Jesus, have mercy on poor me, have mercy. Can’t I go to Heaven? Oh! can’t I go to Heaven? Oh! send for all the ministers in the city.” They sent for a Unitarian minister, who, on witnessing her agony, said, “Stop calling on Jesus, stop calling on Jesus. He can do you no good. Call on God; he can help you.” Then she tried to repeat the Lord’s prayer, but did not know it, and he would not assist her. Then she continued calling on Jesus Christ to have mercy on her and save her; and sinking away, she became speechless, and soon died.

Oh! what agony filled my heart as I heard of this sad incident right here in this Christian land. Poor, dying soul, forbidden to call on Jesus, the only name given under Heaven whereby we can be saved! Oh! how thankful I felt that no earthly tribunal could prevent me from crying, O Jesus, my adorable Redeemer, thou dost ever live to make intercession for us with groanings that cannot be uttered. Thou man of Calvary, thou didst die for poor, fallen man. Oh! this wondrous salvation! God so loved the world as to give his only begotten Son to die, that we might have everlasting life in that beautiful city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. And I could but exclaim with the inspired apostle, Come, Lord Jesus, and come quickly.

“Oh! we long for thine appearing, Come, O Saviour, quickly come; Blessed hope, our spirits cheering, Take, oh! take thy people home.”

L. E. MILLNE.

Council Bluffs, Iowa, July 23, 1872.