100 6 THE INFIDEL FATHER, ETO. "His questions often puzzled me; and the sweet and earnest manner in which he inquired of his poor, sinful father, to know more about his heavenly Father, and that happy land, far, far away,' which his nurse had taught him, proved to me that God had given me a great blessing in him. A feeble feeling of gratitude would steal up in my heart, and fill me with something like regret, and bring back the time when I loved to hear about, and believed more about, that same 'happy land.' A greater distrust of myself and a greater sense of my inability to assure my boy of the truth of the faith contained in the simple little prayers I had learned from my mother, with my brothers and sisters, gradually began to grow over me, and made me oftener think. Still I never went to church-had not even a Bible in the house. What was I to teach my boy-Christ and him crucified, or Universalism? or let him learn what he could from the Jesuits, in whose church he had been baptized? Blessed be God, he in his sovereign grace did choose for me! One of his little friends died; then another; then his uncle. All these made an impression on the boy. He rebelled against it; wanted to know why God had done it? it was hard that God should just go and take his friends; he wished he would not do it.' I, of course, had to explain the best I could. One evening he was lying on the bed partly undressed-myself and my wife being seated by the fire. She had been telling me that T had not been a good boy that day. All was quiet : when suddenly he broke out in a loud crying and sobbing, which surprised us. I went to him and asked him what was the matter? 'I don't want it there, father-I don't want it there,' said the child. 'What, my child, what is it? Why, father, I don't want the angels to write down in God's book all the bad things I have done to. day. I don't want it there. I wish it could be wiped out.' And his distress increased. What could I do? I did not believe; but yet I had been taught the way; I had to console him, so I said, 'Well, you need not cry; you can have it all wiped out in a minute, if you 6 THE INFIDEL FATHER, ETC. 101 want.' 'How, father, how?' 'Why, get down on your knees and ask God, for Christ's sake, to wipe it out, and he will do it.' I did not have to speak twice. He jumped out of bed, saying, 'Father, won't you come and help me.' Now came the trial. The boy's distress was so great, and he pleaded so earnestly, that the big man, who had never bowed down before God in spirit and in truth, got down on his knees alongside of that dear boy, and asked God to wipe away his sins; and, perhaps, though my lips did not speak it, my heart included my own sins too. We then got up, and he lay down in his bed again. In a few moments he said, 'Father, are you sure it is all wiped out?' Oh! how the acknowledgment grated through my unbelieving heart, as the words came to my mouth, Why, yes, my son, the Bible says, if you ask God from your heart, for Christ's sake, to do it, and if you are really sorry for what you have done, it shall be all blotted out.' A smile of pleasure passed over his face, as he quietly asked, 'What did the angel blot it out with? with a sponge?' Again was my soul stirred within me as I answered, 'No, but with the precious blood of Christ." The blood of Christ cleanseth from all sin." The fountains had at last burst forth. They could not be checked, and my cold heart was melted within me. I felt like a poor, guilty sinner, and, turning away, said, 'My dear wife, we must first find God, if we want to show him to our children. We cannot show them the way unless we know it ourselves.' After a little the boy, with almost heaven looking out of his eye, came from his bed, and leaning on my knee, turned up his face to mine, and said, Father, are you and mother sinners?' 'Why, yes, my son, we are.' 'Why,' said he, 'have you not a Saviour? Why are you sinners? God don't love sinners; don't you love God?' I answered as best I could. And in the silent hours of the night I bent in prayer over that dear boy, and prayed, 'Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief." My wife, being a Roman Catholic, would not pray with me over our dear boy until, blessed again be God, the 102 A SONG FOR THE SAVED. Lord's Prayer was put into my heart, and we prayed it together, and prayed jointly for ourselves and our child. And God heard our prayers and received us, as he always does those who seek him with a whole heart, for he has said unto such, they shall surely find me.'” A SONG FOR THE SAVED. SAVED-for ever, saved to-day! Let hell's ocean roar and shock; Glorious, infinite, divine; What shall move or trouble me? Heaven wears a brighter blue, Earth a robe of sweeter green- By my former eyes unseen. I am His and He is mine. Sin, or death, or hell's alarms Cannot shake my hallowed rest, I am in my Jesus' arms, I am on my Jesus' breast; Every doubt and fear resign, "Thou art Mine, and I am thine." STUBBORNNESS. Strong in Him I all defy, Strong in Him I run the race; I am Christ's and Christ is mine His-for ever, ever his While unending cycles roll! But, to all eternity, I am Christ's and Christ is mine! 103 STUBBORNNESS. ONE day little Kate had to cross a stream of water on a plank, which served as a foot bridge; but just as she got on one end, a goat stepped on the other. Now Kate determined that she would not give up to a goat; so they met on the middle of the plank, and stood still for a few minutes looking at each other. The goat could not turn back, so as Kate would not, he ended the dispute by pushing her into the water, and walking quietly over himself. She soon screamed for help, and was taken out dripping wet, and quite mortified. Though we should be firm in matters of duty and principle, let us not be stubborn about trifles, nor too proud to yield when we ought to do so. |