t.'"

"And here,"--

"'Whatsover ye shall ask the Father in My name, He will give it you.'"

"Does Jesus ever break His promises?"

"No, Mr. Richmond; He can't."

"Then remember that, whenever you think of to-day, and whenever you
feel troubled or weak. _You_ are weak, but He is strong; and He cannot
break His promises. So you and I are safe, as long as we hold to Him."

There was silence a little while, and Mr. Richmond set the apple to
twirling again. It had untwisted its string and was hanging still.

"I am to put your name now, I suppose, Tilly, among the names of our
Band; am I?"

"Yes, Mr. Richmond."

"What work would you like specially to do?"

"I do not know, Mr. Richmond; I will think."

"Very well; that is right. And there is another place where your name
ought to go--is there not?"

"I don't know, sir."

"Yes; among those who desire to be members of the Church; to tell the
world they are Christ's people."

"Oh no, Mr. Richmond."

"Why 'oh no, Mr. Richmond'?"

"I am not good enough. I want to be better first."

"How do you expect to get better?"

Silence.

"I suppose your thought is, that Jesus will make your heart new, as you
asked Him just now, and help you to be strong. Is that it?--Yes. And
you do not expect to accomplish the change or grow strong by your own
power?"

"Oh no, sir."

"Don't you think Jesus loves you now as well as He will by and by, and
is as ready to help you?"

"Yes, Mr. Richmond."

"Then, Tilly, I call it just distrust of Him, to hold off from what He
commands you to do, for fear He will not help you to do it. I would be
ashamed to offer such an excuse to Him."

"But--has He commanded _that_, Mr. Richmond?"

"He has commanded us to confess openly that we are His servants, hasn't
He? and to be baptized in token of the change He has wrought in us, and
as a sign that we belong to Him? How can we do either the one or the
other without joining the Church?"

"I thought"--Matilda began, but seemingly did not like to tell what she
had thought.

"Let us have it, Tilly," said her friend, drawing her closer to him.
"You and I are talking confidentially, and it is best in those cases to
talk all out. So what did you think?"

"I thought there were people who were the servants of Christ, and yet
did not join any church," Matilda said softly.

"By not doing it, they as good as say to the world that they are not
His servants. And the world judges accordingly. I h