God's word, I learned to think very differently."

As he spoke he opened the Testament. "Listen. The Holy Spirit says
through the book, `God so loved the world, that He gave His only
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but
have everlasting life.' Here He says nothing about penances, or doing
anything of that sort. Listen again: A ruler of the Jews, a learned
man, paid a visit once to Jesus, to ask Him about the way of salvation,
and His answer was, `Ye must be born again.' He does not say you must
do anything, or you must try to mend your ways, or you must alter your
mode of living, you must go to confession, or pay for masses, or
anything of that sort. The ruler could not at first at all understand
the answer. Our blessed Lord then explained it in these words: `As
Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of
man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but
have eternal life.' Now in the Old Testament we read of a circumstance
which happened when the Israelites were travelling through the desert,
on their way out of the bondage of Egypt to the land of promise. They
were there bitten by fiery serpents, whose bite caused certain death.
They felt themselves dying, and cried to be saved. God told Moses to
make a brazen serpent, and to raise it up in the midst of the camp, and
directed him to inform the people that all those bitten by the serpent
who looked up at the serpent should be saved. Every one of them,
without exception, who did thus look, was cured. You see, my friend, by
putting the two accounts together, we see clearly what our Lord means,--
not that we are to do anything in a way of obtaining merit, but simply
look to Him who hung on the cross, was thus lifted up for us, and is now
seated on the right hand of God, pleading as the only Mediator all He
did for us. A king, when he bestows gifts, gives them through his
grace. It is an insult to offer to purchase them. Far more does God
bestow His chief gifts as an act of grace. I do not say that He does
not expect something in return; but He gives salvation freely, and will
allow of nothing to be done beforehand, but simply that the gift should
be desired, and its value appreciated, or partly appreciated; for we
never can value it as it deserves."

The woodcutter and his grandchildren listened earnestly to these and
many other simple truths, as their guest went on reading