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Life Sketches of Ellen G. White
exalting the mercy and love of God in the presence of that crowded
assembly. At the close of the services I followed my husband to Oak
Hill Cemetery, where he was laid to rest until the morning of the
resurrection.
My physical strength had been prostrated by the blow, yet the
power of divine grace sustained me in my great bereavement. When I
saw my husband breathe his last, I felt that Jesus was more precious
to me than He ever had been in any previous hour of my life. When
I stood by my first-born, and closed his eyes in death, I could say,
“The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of
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the Lord.” And I felt then that I had a comforter in Jesus. And when
my latest born was torn from my arms, and I could no longer see its
little head upon the pillow by my side, then I could say, “The Lord
gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”
And when he upon whose large affections I had leaned, with whom
I had labored for thirty-five years, was taken away, I could lay my
hands upon his eyes, and say, “I commit my treasure to Thee until the
morning of the resurrection.”
When I saw him passing away, and saw the many friends sympa-
thizing with me, I thought: What a contrast to the death of Jesus as He
hung upon the cross! What a contrast! In the hour of His agony, the
revilers were mocking and deriding Him. But He died, and He passed
through the tomb to brighten it, and to lighten it, that we might have
joy and hope even in the event of death; that we might say, as we lay
our friends away to rest in Jesus, “We shall meet them again.”
At times I felt that I could not have my husband die. But these
words seemed to be impressed on my mind: “Be still, and know that I
am God.”
Psalm 46:10
. I keenly feel my loss, but dare not give myself
up to useless grief. This would not bring back the dead. And I am not
so selfish as to wish, if I could, to bring him from his peaceful slumber
to engage again in the battles of life. Like a tired warrior, he has lain
down to sleep. I will look with pleasure upon his resting place. The
best way in which I and my children can honor the memory of him
who has fallen, is to take the work where he left it, and in the strength
of Jesus carry it forward to completion. We will be thankful for the
years of usefulness that were granted to him; and for his sake, and for
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Christ’s sake, we will learn from his death a lesson which we shall