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Life Sketches of Ellen G. White
my young friends into the light, and at every opportunity exerted my
influence toward this end.
Laboring for Young Friends
I arranged meetings with my young friends, some of whom were
considerably older than myself, and a few were married persons. A
number of them were vain and thoughtless; my experience sounded
to them like an idle tale, and they did not heed my entreaties. But I
determined that my efforts should never cease till these dear souls,
for whom I had so great an interest, yielded to God. Several entire
nights were spent by me in earnest prayer for those whom I had sought
out and brought together for the purpose of laboring and praying with
them.
Some of these had met with us from curiosity to hear what I had to
say; others thought me beside myself to be so persistent in my efforts,
especially when they manifested no concern on their own part. But at
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every one of our little meetings I continued to exhort and pray for each
one separately, until every one had yielded to Jesus, acknowledging
the merits of His pardoning love. Every one was converted to God.
Night after night in my dreams I seemed to be laboring for the
salvation of souls. At such times special cases were presented to my
mind; these I afterward sought out and prayed with. In every instance
but one these persons yielded themselves to the Lord. Some of our
more formal brethren feared that I was too zealous for the conversion
of souls; but time seemed to me so short that it behooved all who had
a hope of a blessed immortality and looked for the soon coming of
Christ, to labor without ceasing for those who were still in their sins
and standing on the awful brink of ruin.
Though I was very young, the plan of salvation was so clear to
my mind, and my personal experience had been so marked, that, upon
considering the matter, I knew it was my duty to continue my efforts
for the salvation of precious souls, and to pray and confess Christ at
every opportunity. My entire being was offered to the service of my
Master. Let come what would, I determined to please God, and live
as one who expected the Saviour to come and reward the faithful. I
felt like a little child coming to God as to my father, and asking Him
what He would have me to do. Then as my duty was made plain to me,