Gathering Jewels Part 28

Never tired, never weary, In what she found to do-- Ever winsome, always cheery, She knew but love for you!

Humble, patient, kindly, sincere, She loved the Master well; Always trying, unknown to fear, She would His story tell!

She continues: "A short time since, on entering a house, the woman who opened the door asked if I was a missionary. When I said 'Yes,' she said, 'The Lord has answered my prayer. I prayed that He would send one to me to read the Bible and pray with me.' Before, when she had been visited, she would hide away to avoid the visitor, but now she desires to be a Christian, and wishes some one to read and pray with her often.

She is very poor, but is now seeking the true riches. One who had been very ill, but had recovered, gladly received a Bible, for which, though she is very poor, she gave me fifty cents. I have met with much encouragement in the Sabbath-school and sewing-school. Many mothers are, through their children, interested in religion, and come gladly to the mothers' meetings, and my earnest prayer is that the Lord will help me in the future as He has done in the past."

Her prayerful spirit was marvellous. This was the reason why she was able to impart such comfort and encouragement to others.

I called recently in the suburbs of the City of Brooklyn to see a member of the Allen Street Church, and, after reading G.o.d's Word and prayer, our conversation turned to a beautiful portrait that hung over the mantel-piece. The lady remarked, "That is the picture of my departed sister, who died in New York. She was faithfully visited during her sickness by Mrs. Knowles." She continued, "I like to think of her, because she used to tell me after she was gone, 'I pray for you by name every day.'" Perhaps that is the reason why she comes now so many miles through the long, dreary, stormy winter months, to teach a cla.s.s in the Allen Street Sabbath-school, and some of the scholars are Hebrew children. This person for whom she prayed never misses any of the services at the church.

"Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost have made you overseers, to feed the church of G.o.d, which he hath purchased with His own blood. For I know this, that after my departure shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock."

This is the injunction of the Apostle Paul to the elders at Ephesus, but it is exceedingly appropriate to all who are engaged in missionary work of any kind, and it cannot be faithfully complied with unless there is pastoral work performed from house to house. Who is sufficient for these things?

During February and March, 1885, she again writes: "During the last two months I have been engaged as usual in reading the Scriptures from house to house, and wherever I have visited have been allowed to do so, with very few exceptions. Visiting lately in a tenement house, a woman came out, telling me that I would never go to Heaven, and using other insulting language. I only said, 'Poor woman, I pity you.' A Catholic woman, who heard her, asked me into her room, took me by the hand, and with tears in her eyes expressed her sorrow that I should be treated so ill. I told her it did not harm me as much it did themselves. I then asked if I might pray with them, and when we arose from prayers several of those present were in tears. 'How can you pray for one who has abused you so?' said they. I replied that Jesus prayed for His enemies, and we must imitate His example. One of these women came to our mothers' meeting, and asked me for a Bible, and promises to read it."

Here she complied with the command of Christ: "I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you."

What a wonderful exhibition we have in the above interview of the spirit of Him who was suspended on the cross for our sins, for we read: "That when they were come to the place which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left. Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots."

The fearful drama enacted on Golgotha excites our wonder when we behold the amazing love of Jesus, in thus praying for His persecutors. How true it is that He was clothed with the mock robes of royalty, that we might be clad in His justifying righteousness; crowned with the crown of thorns, that we might wear a crown of glory.

Flow on, thou stream; oh, ceaseless flow, Till every child of sin and woe Hath plunged beneath thy cleansing tide, And found the Saviour precious.

I want to say here, that I visited a family by request a few evenings since in the upper part of New York City. During our religious conversation I asked the mother of the family how she was led to Christ.

Her husband, daughters, and sons were all seated around her at the time, a happy family circle. "Well," she replied, "about twenty-three years ago, when my children were little, Mrs. Knowles met me on the street, coming from the store. She said, 'Excuse me, lady, will you accept a tract?' I answered yes. 'Will you read it,' she inquired, 'if I give you one?' I promised I would. She further asked me, 'Have you any children?'

'Yes.' 'Do they go to Sabbath-school?' 'No.' 'Will you send them if I call for them next Lord's Day morning?' 'Yes.' She called the following Sabbath, and asked if the children were ready. 'They are all ready,' I said, 'but one, and her shoes are not good enough; but wait and I will go out and buy a new pair.' 'Oh,' said Mrs. Knowles, 'never mind buying shoes to-day, I will call next Sabbath for them.' I did not know the reason _then_ why she would not allow me to get the shoes, but I know _now_. She did not wish me to break the holy Sabbath day. Then she persuaded me to attend church, until I found Jesus as my Saviour. I was in the habit of going to her with all my trouble, and she would say, 'Oh, well, never mind, don't tell anyone but your Heavenly Father about it.'"

CHAPTER x.x.xIV.

CONVERSION OF CHILDREN.

We are so helpless, Lord, Thou art all power and might; Our path is often drear, Be thou our light.

We have no hope but thee; Oh, leave us not alone, Till life's brief day is o'er, Still guard thine own.

Her joy in bringing children to the Sabbath-school was great, but when she led them to Christ it was sublime. Why should she not be interested in their early conversion, when Jesus said, "Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven." I desire to state here, that when I was a boy, about nine years of age, I attended a prayer-meeting between the morning and afternoon services, led by an elder of the Relief U.P. Church, Greenock, and was so deeply impressed with Divine truth that I gathered my playmates together, and invited them to a meeting of my own across the burn at the foot of grandfather's garden, near Dr. McCulloch's established church, where we boys read G.o.d's Word in turn sang the sweet psalms of David, and offered prayer.

Rev. E. P. Hammond is doing a grand work among children at the present time in New York. I a.s.sisted in his meetings, and found a goodly number of children inquiring after Jesus, and one afternoon there were a dozen young men and women rejoicing in their sins forgiven, who had signed the covenant.

The following letter will speak for itself regarding Mr. Hammond's work here in this city among children, many of whom were brought to Christ:

"NEW YORK CITY, March 3, 1887.

"DEAR BROTHER YOUNG: I am engaged, night and day, holding meetings here, I wish you could come up and attend some of the services; I thank you for all your kind words. I am to be to-morrow at the prayer-meeting as per bill. If you can be there I shall be glad to see you.

"_One hundred and twenty_ here, gave their names to us yesterday, saying they had been converted in these meetings (for the most part). To-morrow night we go to Carle Hall. It will hold, perhaps, three or four thousand. Pray for us.

"Yours in Jesus,

"E. P. HAMMOND."

The afternoon I visited the scene of his labors, he presented me with a copy of his work ent.i.tled, "The Conversion of the Children," in which I have found a very encouraging letter to workers among the little ones.

I use it here to ill.u.s.trate the power of Divine grace, and to show that wherever the effort is put forth to save the children, G.o.d blesses it.

The following letter will testify also to the power of the Gospel. It is the production of one whom G.o.d has been graciously pleased to bless in a marvellous manner among the young.

"GLASGOW, SCOTLAND, September, 18, 1877.

"MY DEAR MR. HAMMOND: We oftentimes remember you, though few letters have pa.s.sed between us. My daughters and myself will never forget your visit and the time of blessing then, and they, as well as myself, send you most hearty salutations.

"Dear brother, my thoughts on the subject of the conversion of children are the same as when I wrote that tract you refer to.[5] I think I agreed with you in almost every thing but one, viz., expressing publicly an opinion on cases. It seems to me that we should be cautious in so doing; for children themselves mistake _feeling_ for _faith_; how easy, then, for us who do not know the heart, to mistake in them a manifestation of feeling for evidence of faith.

"But in the awakening which took place under your labors here, and in awakenings that have been given us since, the cases of young people have been as entirely satisfactory as any cases we have had.

If conversion be G.o.d's work, in which the Holy Spirit reveals Christ to the soul, surely His work can take place in children as really as in the old; for it is the young soul meeting with Christ in the one case and the adult in the other.

"One day, about the time, or perhaps after the time, you were among us, in the vestry of my church, an old Christian woman, who had watched the work going on, came to me and said, 'Sir, you will find many people speaking lightly of the young who come to Christ, as if there was nothing but feeling in their case; but never mind what these people say. I was converted in the days of Dr. Kidd, of Aberdeen, when I was but a child, and two others of my age were converted at the same time; and we have all three gone on to this day, following the Lamb.'

"The Lord blesses you amazingly. Surely you will need to 'walk circ.u.mspectly,' 'sober, vigilant,' for Satan will not fail to watch you, and seek to injure you, that he may injure G.o.d's work through you. If the way be opened for your revisiting Scotland, many among us shall rejoice.

"Meanwhile, we pray for you, and will not cease. Pray for us still, dear brother.

"Yours truly, in Him 'Whose we are and whom we serve,'

"ANDREW A. BONAR."

[5] The Conversion of Children, by Dr. A. A. Bonar.

But what makes us to differ from each other? Surely it is simply the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in our heart. It is all of free sovereign grace and mercy, as Paul says, to the Church at Corinth:

"By the grace of G.o.d I am what I am: and His grace which was bestowed upon me was not found vain: but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of G.o.d which was with me. Whether then it be I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed."

CHAPTER x.x.xV.

ASLEEP IN JESUS.[6]

Asleep in Jesus; blessed sleep, From which none ever wakes to weep, A calm and undisturbed repose, Unbroken by the last of foes.

"For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain."--Philippians i. 21.