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Testimonies for the Church Volume 1
attention: “The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and
He knoweth them that trust in Him.” I could but weep over these words,
they seemed so appropriate. The whole burden upon my mind was for
my husband and the church in Wisconsin. My husband did realize the
blessing of God while in Wisconsin. The Lord was to him a stronghold
in time of trouble and sustained him by His free Spirit while he bore a
decided testimony against the wild fanaticism there.
While at Mackford, Wisconsin, my husband wrote me a letter in
which he stated: “I fear that all is not well at home. I have had some
impressions as to the babe.” While praying for the family at home, he
had a presentiment that the child was very sick. The babe seemed lying
before him with face and head dreadfully swollen. When I received
the letter, the child was as well as usual; but the next morning he
was taken very sick. It was an extreme case of erysipelas in the face
and head. When my husband reached Brother Wick’s, near Round
Grove, Illinois, he received a telegram informing him of the sickness
of the child. After reading it, he stated to those present that he was
not surprised at the news, for the Lord had prepared his mind for it,
and that they would hear that the child’s head and face were greatly
affected.
My dear babe was a great sufferer. Twenty-four days and nights
we anxiously watched over him, using all the means that we could for
his recovery and earnestly presenting his case to the Lord. At times I
could not control my feelings as I witnessed his sufferings. Much of
my time was spent in tears and humble supplication to God. But our
heavenly Father saw fit to remove the loved one.
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December 14 he was taken worse, and I was called up. As I listened
to his labored breathing and felt his pulseless wrist, I knew that he
must die. The icy hand of death was already upon him. That was an
hour of anguish for me. We watched his feeble, gasping breath until
it ceased, and could but feel thankful that his sufferings were ended.
When my child was dying, I could not weep. My heart ached as though
it would break, but I could not shed a tear. At the funeral I fainted. We
were disappointed in not having Brother Loughborough to conduct
the funeral services, and my husband spoke upon the occasion to a
crowded house. We then followed our child to Oak Hill Cemetery,
there to rest until the Life-giver shall come, to break the fetters of the
tomb and call him forth immortal.