Images de page
PDF
ePub

66

him, that he awoke and said, "It is a mercy I am out of hell." From this time he left off asking for a deep law-work and kept begging of the Lord to give him a clear manifestation of the pardon of his sins; the first passage that was applied was, Thy sins, which are many, are all forgiven thee;" but he feared the words were not for him, not coming with that power he expected to feel. He asked the Lord to give him a clearer proof that the words were for him, and opened the Bible on the following passage, “Blessed are your eyes, for they see and your ears, for they hear. For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them." He longed to feel the burden of his sins gone.

He was much exercised upon approaching the Lord. Often when he attempted to do so, such horrid thoughts would rush through his mind, which made him feel he was mocking God. He thought the Lord's people had not such a wicked heart as he had, and feared he did not possess the true marks of a child of God, or he should not feel thus. The following words were sweetly applied: “Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear Him; for He knoweth our frame, He remembereth we are dust."

At another time when his sufferings were great, these words were very sweet, "Underneath are the everlasting arms." "How often," he said, "I

want to feel more love to Christ, and to read my 'title clear to mansions in the skies; and this the dear Lord granted. About three weeks before his death he had such a manifestation of the love of Christ, that all his pains and cough, which had been most distressing, were gone for a short time, while his soul bathed in the fountain of everlasting love. His language was, "Oh that I could die ! my mouth is filled with His praises; the glory I am beholding I cannot half express." To a friend a few days afterwards he said, "I thought I should not have doubted any more, but the enemy has suggested thoughts like these: 'How do you know there is a heaven or a hell? No one has been to tell you.' Oh, to think I should have such a thought after what the Lord has done."

How often he said, "Although my sufferings are great, what are they in comparison with what Christ suffered? These light afflictions of mine, which are but for a moment, they are not worth mentioning when I think of the glory that is laid up in store for those who love God. What should I do without a precious Christ ? Oh that I could love and praise Him more!"

He had many kind friends, amongst whom was Mr. Hazlerigg, the dear pastor, whose visits he much enjoyed, and whose prayers greatly encouraged him. Also the officers and teachers of the Sabbath-school, for which he was grateful, and wished them all a thousand blessings. He said, 'How good the Lord is to raise up such kind

friends." He was never heard to murmur nor repine, but felt he had much more than he deserved.

He was laid much upon the hearts of the friends who visited him. There was such a candour and honesty in his expressions, such a fear lest he should say more than he felt. His mother asking him one day the state of his mind, he replied, "I do not feel the joy I should like, but it is all right." He also said to her, "These words have been applied with such sweetness

"Did Jesus once upon me shine,
Then Jesus is for ever mine."

He asked for that hymn to be read,

"When pining sickness wastes the frame."

A few days before his death his sister read that hymn,

"On Jordan's stormy banks I stand."

He asked to have it sung, and said, "I cannot sing now, but shall when I get there." He spoke of death with the greatest composure, and arranged his funeral, selected the hymns to be sung, also the bearers, and often said, "I long to be gone; I want to praise the Lord, but my strength fails."

On one occasion his brother asked him if he wished to recover, when he said, "Not without it is the Lord's will; I would rather be with Him; this world is but a bubble compared with what I have in view."

The last few days he was unable to say much

and, feeling his end near, summoned the whole of his family around his bed to take his farewell of them.

In the morning of the day he died, he said to his mother, "Where are these words

"What cheering words are these,
Their sweetness who can tell?
In time and to eternal days,

'Tis with the righteous well'?"

She then read the hymn, and he said, "It is well, the hymn is all sweet." Shortly before his death he exclaimed, "Precious Jesus! glory! glory!"

CHARLIE DAVIES.

ONE cold afternoon in the early winter, between two and three months after the beginning of my story, two lads, on reaching home from school, were surprised to find the housedoor locked, and no signs of Mother or Mary.

66

Where can they be gone?" said Charlie, as he climbed on to the window-sill, to look into the house; "mother didna say they were going out."

[ocr errors]

Gone to take th' clothes home," suggested Willie.

"No, its not th' right day, besides——"

"Eh, lads, ye're come home, are you?" cried the next-door neighbour, looking out from her own door. "Yer mother's left th' key here; yer

father's been nearly killed this afternoon, with tumblin' off th' wall of yon house they're building down in th' town; and your mother, as soon as she heard on't, went off to th' hospital to try and see him, and Mary durstna let her go alone, she was so knocked up like; and they said, Charlie, you know'd where the things all were, and mun get th' tea. I'd ask ye both to step in here, but my master 'll be home directly, and he cannot bear the sight of other folks' childer about. Eh, but dunnot take on so, lad, he'll perhaps be none so bad after all;" for Charlie's rosy cheeks had turned quite white, as soon as he had heard the bad news, and he was now crying bitterly, as well as Willie.

"Thee doesna know where father's hurt, missus ?" Charlie asked at last between his sobs.

"No, they say he's nearly killed, that's all 1 know; but I mun be getting my master's tea ready;" and so saying she went into her house again.

It was a miserable time for the two boys: Charlie got some bread and butter and a cup of milk for Willie, for he was too unhappy to eat more than a mouthful or two himself. Then he made up the fire, and filled the kettle and put it on to boil, that it might be ready by the time his mother and sister came home. When he had made all ready, he joined Willie at the door, where, in spite of the cold winter's evening, the little fellow had been listening for his mother's step.

« PrécédentContinuer »