Tom had received a religious education, but his conduct showed that he really did not know the Savior. Sometime ago he and a number of other miners, including myself, were gathered at the afternoon station waiting to receive our lamps to descend into the mine where we had been working. In the meantime Tom was telling the young men in our crowd, that he had just passed his military examination so that as soon as he would enter a regiment he would be in line for the office of corporal, then sergeant, and continue in the army for a career. While listening to his words so full of confidence in himself and the future, I could not help but think of these words in the Bible, "A man's heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps." Prov. 16:99A man's heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps. (Proverbs 16:9).
Well, we all went down in the mine, and after working there for two hours, a man came running all out of breath, asking for the boss.
"Tom is caught under a rock slide," he said, "and ten men are trying to get him out, but they don't think he will be alive.”
And so it proved to be when they finally lifted the rocks from him.
At his funeral, his short life, his courage, his ambitions, and plans for the future, were mentioned, but nothing could be said of his spiritual life, and his hope of eternal blessings beyond the grave.
A sudden death, especially under such sad circumstances, makes us think how very important it is to be always ready and we know that if we accept the Lord Jesus as our Savior, know that His precious blood had washed away all of our sins, we can calmly wait for the summons of death, or the coming of the Lord, and know that all shall be well for us here and hereafter.
"Go to now, ye that say, Today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, if the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that." James 4:13, 14, 1513Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: 14Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. 15For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. (James 4:13‑15).