Part 10 (1/2)

_Mary_.--(To Lucy.)--”Do you not understand that it was poor Elizabeth, who came here with my knife, which she took off the table where I left it, and who, after having cut a piece of cheese with it, went to the fruit-room, no doubt to steal some apples also.”

_John_.--(Angrily.)--”Papa, Elizabeth has acted deceitfully-- will you allow her to remain with you? One of the Psalms, the 101st, I think, says, 'He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house.'”

_The Father_.--(Gravely.) ”It is said also in Holy Scriptures, my son, that 'mercy rejoiceth against judgment,' and perhaps, John, if any of us, had been brought up like poor Elizabeth, we might have done even worse than this.”

”I am quite vexed,” said Mary, ”Oh! why did I not take more care of that wretched knife!”

_William._--”But, Mary, it was not your knife left upon the table, which tempted her to take two keys secretly out of the cupboard, and which made them the instruments of this theft. For Papa,” continued he, ”it _is_ a theft, and a shameful one too!

These stolen keys are no small matter!”

_The Father_.--(Calmly.)--”I know it my children, and it grieves my heart, that one of my servants, who daily hears the word of G.o.d read and explained, should so far have forgotten the fear of the Lord! This is what saddens me, and wounds me deeply.”

_Lucy_.--”Elizabeth has not long been our cook, and probably she never heard the word of G.o.d before she came here. Poor girl I she is perhaps very unhappy now,--and I am sure, she will repent and turn to G.o.d.”

_The Father_.-”That is right, my dear child, I rejoice to hear you plead the cause of the unhappy, and even of the guilty, for as I said before, 'mercy rejoiceth against judgment.'”

”I was therefore wrong,” said John, ”and I confess it ... for certainly I scarcely pitied her.... I did wrong I and now I think as Lucy does.”

”And I also,” said William, ”'Clemency governs courage,' says a Grecian historian, and ...”

_The Father._--(Very seriously.)--”But, my dear William, what have the pagans of old and their morals to do here? My son, you know it is the word of G.o.d which rules our conduct, and which commands us to suffer and to forgive.”

_Lucy._--”Papa, will you allow me to repeat a pa.s.sage, which I learnt by heart last Sunday?”

_The Father._--”Repeat it, Lucy, and may G.o.d bless it to us all!”

_Lucy._--”'Execute true judgment, and show mercy and compa.s.sion every man to his brother.' It is in the seventh chapter of Zechariah.”

”I too, was wrong then,” said William, ”very wrong! for it is the wisdom of G.o.d alone, that enlightens us.”

”True, my son,” said his Father, ”may G.o.d always remind you of this.

I am going to speak to Elizabeth,” he added, ”as for you, my children, do not say a word about it, and above all, bless the Lord, for having made known to you his grace and holy law. Pray to him together, that my words may have their due effect upon the mind of this poor guilty creature.”

The Father went out to look for Elizabeth, and the children repaired to William's room, who, having knelt down with them, prayed to the Lord to take pity upon her, and to touch her heart, and he ended the prayer in the following words:--”In thy great wisdom, O Most Gracious G.o.d, and in thine infinite compa.s.sion, through Jesus Christ, grant unto each of us true repentance, and a sincere change of heart, and may this affliction be turned to the glory of our Saviour Jesus.”

The children then returned to their several occupations, and not one of them ever thought of judging Elizabeth, or even speaking harshly of her.

We may add, that the exhortation of her charitable master, produced sincere penitence in Elizabeth, and that the poor girl was not sent out of the house; for ”mercy pleaded against judgment.”

It is thus that G.o.d deals with us! Oh! which of us can tell how often he has received pardon from the Lord!

III.

The Modern Dorcas

”The night cometh when no man can work.”--JOHN, ix.

Oh! my sister! my sister! What a lesson may we learn from the death of our dear Amelia! She was but sixteen years old like myself, and only two years older than you are, but how much had she done for the Lord. I saw and heard her, when Jesus came to call her to himself; I was in the churchyard when they placed her body in the grave! Oh!