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Life Sketches of Ellen G. White
the pitying tenderness of Jesus toward one so unworthy of His notice.
I learned more of the divine character of Christ in that short period,
[24]
when bowed among the praying ones, than ever before.
One of the mothers in Israel came to me and said, “Dear child, have
you found Jesus?” I was about to answer, “Yes,” when she exclaimed,
“Indeed you have; His peace is with you, I see it in your face!”
Again and again I said to myself: “Can this be religion? Am I
not mistaken?” It seemed too much for me to claim, too exalted a
privilege. Though too timid to confess it openly, I felt that the Saviour
had blessed me and pardoned my sins.
“In Newness of Life”
Soon after this the camp meeting closed, and we started for home.
My mind was full of the sermons, exhortations, and prayers we had
heard. Everything in nature seemed changed. During the meeting,
clouds and rain had prevailed a greater part of the time, and my feelings
had been in harmony with the weather. Now the sun shone bright and
clear, and flooded the earth with light and warmth. The trees and grass
were a fresher green, the sky a deeper blue. The earth seemed to smile
under the peace of God. So the rays of the Sun of Righteousness
had penetrated the clouds and darkness of my mind, and dispelled its
gloom.
It seemed to me that every one must be at peace with God, and
animated by His Spirit. Everything that my eyes rested upon seemed
to have undergone a change. The trees were more beautiful, and the
birds sang more sweetly than ever before; they seemed to be praising
the Creator in their songs. I did not care to talk, for fear this happiness
might pass away, and I should lose the precious evidence of Jesus’
love for me.
[25]
My life appeared to me in a different light. The affliction that had
darkened my childhood seemed to have been dealt me in mercy, for
my good, to turn my heart away from the world and its unsatisfying
pleasures, and incline it toward the enduring attractions of heaven.