REUBEN GARMAN, a careless young man who had spent many years in the service of sin and Satan, was at length laid upon a bed of pain. During his illness, an aged aunt, who was a child of God, came to see him. After a few words about his illness she said—
“This is, indeed, a world of sin and sickness; but, oh! Reuben, there is a brighter world above, where sin and sorrow can never come, and sickness can never enter: would you not like to go there?” Reuben made no reply, but his aunt continued to speak to him of the Lord Jesus— “You know He gave up His life for such as you,” she said, “and even now He is waiting with arms outstretched to save you. He has said, ‘Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out;’ if you will only ask Him to save you, Reuben, He will do it.”
“I tell you, aunt, I have prayed, and I will not pray again; it is no use,” said the young man.
“You are right, Reuben,” replied his aunt, “it is no use praying if you never believe. Look not to your prayers, but look to Jesus, and you will be saved; for ‘the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, cleanseth us from all sin.’”
His aunt then took her leave of Reuben, and returned home to pray that the Lord Jesus would make Himself known to him before it should be too late.
A few weeks passed, and she again went to see him. His illness had made rapid progress, but his eye lit up with pleasure as she entered the room where he lay.
Reuben begged his mother to leave him, saying, “Aunt is going to stay with me a little while.” Then calling her to his side, he put his arms about her neck, and kissed her tenderly. “Oh, aunt,” he said, “it was all true what you told me when you were here before; there is a brighter world than this!”
“Yes, Reuben, but do you think you will, get there?”
“I am going there,” replied the young man, “I know that I have nothing to do to get there—Jesus Himself has done it all for me. Oh, Aunt, I am so happy! I am not afraid to die now I know that He has washed my sins away.”
The aged aunt could only lift up her heart and thank the Lord for His great love to this soul for whom she had so earnestly prayed. It was not the Lord’s will that they should meet again on earth; he fell asleep in Christ, the One whom he had so lately learned to love, and went to the “brighter world” of which he and his aunt had been speaking together.
S. E.