p. 191 | Two More Ties to the Better World

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Dec 16, 1875

Two More Ties to the Better World.

By Smith Sharp; Nettie Sharp

My brethren, especially of the Kansas Conference, will want to know what I have been doing lately. Perhaps a few lines through the REVIEW will explain.

A few days after our camp-meeting, I brought a part of Bro. Rice’s family, who were very sick, to our home. In a short time I brought the remainder of them, and we took care of them until they were able to go to their home in Missouri.

About this time our own dear children were taken sick with the fever. They lingered for some time, and we took care of them as best we knew how. But they gradually grew worse until a little more than a month ago our elder son had a very severe attack. In a short time our younger son was also taken much worse. Last Friday it was our sad lot to lay the younger one away in the silent tomb to await the resurrection; and to-day (Monday) the elder one breathed his last.

The Lord has indeed called us to wade through deep affliction. Our dear boys, aged respectively five and eight years, were the pride of our life. They were fine, intelligent boys, both members of our Sabbath-school, in which they took a very great interest. They were never better pleased than when we were teaching them verses to repeat, or were reading to them from the Bible or Instructor. We cannot doubt but that our dear boys are safe, calmly awaiting the resurrection.

It was a pleasure, during the last sickness of the elder one to read to him from the Bible, he selecting the subject upon which he wished to hear. He often called me to pray with him, in which exercise I had great freedom. Less than an hour before he died it was my privilege to hear him answer, “Yes,” to the question, Do you think Jesus will save you when he comes? Non-professors often remarked that they were amazed at the patience with which he bore his sufferings. Our only living child, a little daughter, has not been well for many weeks, but we hope for her recovery.

The Lord has severed the dearest ties we had to bind us to earth, and we feel to say, “Two ties less to this poor world, and two more to the better one.” We feel that we must be faithful, and train our only remaining child for Heaven. And we must make sure work ourselves, that we may be a united family in the kingdom.

I design, in a few days, to engage anew in the proclamation of this message, with a consecration and an energy I have never had before. Those brethren of the Centerville church who have shown such disinterested sympathy for us in this our deep affliction, have endeared themselves to us by ties too strong for anything but death to sever.

SMITH SHARP, NETTIE SHARP.

Centerville, Kan., Nov. 29, 1875.