FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100  
101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   >>   >|  
pathising eyes, until she could trace the whole weary journey through the arid desert sands. "And now tell me, friend," Clarice ended, "why our Lord deals so differently with thee and with me. Are we not both His children? Yet to thee He hath given the desire of thine heart, and on mine He lays His hand, and says, `No, child, thou must not have it.'" "I suppose, beloved," was Heliet's gentle answer, "that the treatment suitable for consumption will not answer for fever. We are both sick of the deadly disease of sin; but it takes a different development in each. Shall we wonder if the Physician bleeds the one, and administers strengthening medicines to the other?" Clarice's lip quivered, but she rocked Rose's cradle without answering. "There is also another consideration," pursued Heliet. "If I mistake not--to alter the figure--we have arrived at different points in our education. If one of us can but decline `_puer_,' while the other is half through the syntax, is it any wonder if the same lesson be not given to us to learn? Dear Clarice, all God's children need keeping down. I have been kept down all these years by my physical sufferings. That is not appointed to thee; thou art tried in another way. Shall we either marvel or murmur because our Father sees that each needs a different class of discipline?" "Oh, Heliet, if I might have had thine! It seems to me so much the lighter cross to carry." "Then, dear, I am the less honoured--the further from the full share of the fellowship of our Lord's sufferings." Clarice shook her head as if she hardly saw it in that light. "Clarice, let me tell thee a parable which I read the other day in the writings of the holy Fathers. There were once two monks, dwelling in hermits' cells near to each other, each of whom had one choice tree given him to cultivate. When this had lasted a year, the tree of the one was in flourishing health, while that of the other was all stunted and bare. `Why, brother,' said the first, `what hast thou done to thy tree?' `Now, judge thou, my brother,' replied the second, `if I could possibly have done more for my tree than I have done. I watched it carefully every day. When I thought it looked dry, I prayed for rain; when the ground was too wet, I prayed for dry weather; I prayed for north wind or south wind, as I saw them needed. All that I asked, I received; and yet look at my poor tree! But how didst thou treat thine? f
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100  
101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Clarice

 

prayed

 

Heliet

 
sufferings
 
answer
 

brother

 

children

 

parable

 
Fathers
 

writings


received
 

lighter

 

honoured

 

fellowship

 

ground

 

discipline

 

replied

 

carefully

 
watched
 

possibly


thought

 

looked

 

choice

 

dwelling

 

hermits

 

needed

 

cultivate

 

health

 

weather

 

stunted


flourishing

 

lasted

 
gentle
 

beloved

 

treatment

 

suitable

 

consumption

 
suppose
 
development
 

Physician


bleeds

 
administers
 

disease

 

deadly

 
journey
 
desert
 

pathising

 

friend

 

desire

 

differently