FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126  
127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   >>   >|  
rs, and tell them as they was Miss Clara's parting gifts to her class, and that's all as they need to know." The promise was cheerfully given by all; and then, before they left, all knelt, and in their hearts joined in the fervent prayer which Thomas Bradly offered for the vicar and his family, and specially for the invalid, that she might be spared to return to them in renewed health, and be kept meanwhile in perfect peace. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The evening after this little happy tea-party, Thomas Bradly called in at William Foster's. He found the young man and his wife studying the Bible together; but there was a look of trouble and anxiety on the husband's face which made him fear that there was something amiss. He was well aware that his former foe but now firm friend was but a weak and ignorant disciple; and he expected, therefore, that he would find it anything but smooth sailing at first in his Christian course. Still, what a marvellous change, to see one so lately a sceptic and a scoffer now humbly studying the Word of Life! "Anything amiss?" asked Bradly. "Can I be of any service to you, William?" he added, as he took his seat. "Well, Thomas," replied the other, "I can only say this--I had no idea how little I knew of the Bible till I began to study it in earnest. I see it does indeed need to be approached in a teachable spirit. But I have my difficulties and perplexities about it still. Only there's this difference now,--I've seen in my own home, and I see daily more and more in my own heart, abundance to convince me that the Bible is God's truth. So now, when I meet with a difficulty, I see that the obscurity is not in the Bible but in myself; in fact, I want more light." "Yes; and you'll get it now, William; for the Bible itself says, `The entrance of thy word giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.'" "I heartily believe it, Thomas; still there is much that is very deep to me--out of my depth, in fact. But there is one thing just now which is a special trouble to me. They don't chaff me so often at the mill now, but this evening Ben Thompson came up to me, and said, `Do you think it's any good _your_ turning Christian?'--`Yes, Ben, I hope so,' I said.--`Well,' he went on, `just you look in the Bible, and you'll find that there's what they call the unpardonable sin--there's no forgiveness for those who've been guilty of
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126  
127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Thomas

 
Bradly
 

William

 
evening
 
Christian
 

trouble

 

giveth

 

studying

 
earnest
 
convince

approached
 

difficulties

 

perplexities

 

difference

 

spirit

 

abundance

 

teachable

 

Thompson

 
turning
 
guilty

forgiveness

 

unpardonable

 

entrance

 

obscurity

 

understanding

 

special

 
simple
 
heartily
 

difficulty

 
service

called

 
perfect
 

Foster

 
anxiety
 
husband
 

health

 
renewed
 

fervent

 

prayer

 
joined

hearts

 

offered

 

cheerfully

 

spared

 

return

 

invalid

 
specially
 

promise

 

family

 

humbly