Part 1 (2/2)
Often and often, in the genial and beautiful hours of the autu life, have I heard my dear father tease ”Jen” about herof that bonnet; and often have heard her quick mother-wit in the happy retort, that had his ether and exclusively pious, he would probably have found his way to the other side of the wood, but that men who prowled about the Garden of Eden ran the risk of hter of Eve!
CHAPTER III
CONSECRATED PARENTS
SOMEWHERE in or about his seventeenth year, ious experience; and from that day he openly and very decidedly followed the Lord Jesus His parents had belonged to one of the older branches of what is now called the United Presbyterian Church; butmade an independent study of the Scotch Worthies, the Cloud of Witnesses, the Testimonies, and the Confession of Faith, resolved to cast in his lot with the oldest of all the Scotch Churches, the Refor the Covenanters and the attainments of both the first and second Reformations in Scotland This choice he deliberately ently adhered to; and was able at all ti and clear reasons from Bible and from history for the principles he upheld
Besides this, there was one other ious decision, which looks even fairer through all these years Family Worshi+p had heretofore been held only on Sabbath Day in his father's house; but the young Christian, entering into conference with his syet the household persuaded that there ought to be dailyof the Bible and holy singing This the ularly in the saht have proved for hian in his seventeenth year that blessed custo, which le avoidable oe; when ever to the last day of his life, a portion of Scripture was read, and his voice was heard softly joining in the Psal Prayer,--falling in sweet benediction on the heads of all his children, far awayhim there at the Throne of Grace
Our place of worshi+p was the Reformed Presbyterian Church at Du enuine, solemn, lovable Covenanter, who cherished towards my father a warm respect, that deepened into apostolic affection when the yellow hair turned snohite and both of therew patriarchal in their years
The Minister, indeed, was translated to a Glasgow charge; but that rather exalted than suspended their mutual love Dumfries was four miles fully fro all these forty yearsthe worshi+p of God--once by snow, so deep that he was baffled and had to return; once by ice on the road, so dangerous that he was forced to crawl back up the Roucan Brae on his hands and knees, after having descended it so far with many falls; and once by the terrible outbreak of cholera at Dumfries
Each of us, froreat joy, to go with our father to the church; the fourspirits, the company by the as a fresh incitement, and occasionally soer eyes A few other pious elical type, went from the same parish to one or other favorite Minister at Duathered” in the way to or froliht to be
We had, too, special Bible Readings on the Lord's Day evening,-- in turns, with fresh and interesting question, answer, and exposition, all tending to irace of a God of love and ift of His dear Son Jesus, our Saviour The Shorter Catechis the question asked, till the whole had been explained, and its foundation in Scripture shown by the proof-texts adduced It has been an a to ” for giving theion; every one in all our circle thinks and feels exactly the opposite It laid the solid rock-foundations of our religious life
After-years have given to these questions and their answers a deeper or a , but none of us has ever once even drea that we had been otherwise trained Of course, if the parents are not devout, sincere, and affectionate,--if the whole affair on both sides is taskwork, or worse, hypocritical and false,--results must be very different indeed!
Oh, I can res; no blinds down, and shutters up, to keep out the sun from us, as some scandalously affirm; but a holy, happy, entirely human day, for a Christian father, mother and children to spend Others must write and say what they will, and as they feel; but so ht up in a hoirl,that Sabbath was dull and weariso that we have heard of or seen any way ht and blessed alike for parents and for children But God help the hos are done by force and not by love!
As I must, however, leave the story ofwritten than ht life ious circles far and near within the neighborhood, that at sick-beds and at funerals he was constantly sent for and reatly increased, instead of di locks, and gave him an apostolic beauty; till finally, for the last twelve years or so of his life, he became by appointment a sort of Rural Missionary for the four nearest parishes, and spent his autudom as a Colporteur of the Tract and Book Society of Scotland His success in this work, for a rural locality, was beyond all belief Within a radius of five miles he was known in every hoed for eagerly by the sick and aged He gloried in showing off the beautiful Bibles and other precious books, which he sold in a sweet Psalms beside the sick, and prayed like the voice of God at their dying beds He went cheerily from farm to farm, from cot to cot; and when he wearied on thealoud one of Ralph Erskine's ”Sonnets,” or crooning to the birds one of David's Psalms His happy partner, our belovedreached his seventy-seventh year, an altogether beautiful and noble episode of hu been enacted, as of a Scottish peasant's horace of God; and in this world, or in any world, all their children will rise up at mention of their names and call them blessed!
CHAPTER IV
SCHOOL DAYS
IN rand old typical Parish Schools of Scotland; where the rich and the poor ether in perfect equality; where Bible and Catechisraphy; and where capable lads froes were prepared in Latin and Mathee class to the University bench Besides, at that tiue of the name of Smith, a learnedHouse to the ordinary School, and had attracted soentle country; so that Torthorwald, under his _regime_, reached the zenith of its educational fame In this School I was initiated into the mystery of letters, and all h some of them under other masters than mine My teacher punished severely--rather, I should say, savagely--especially for lessons badly prepared Yet, that he was in some respects kindly and tender-hearted, I had the best of reasons to know
When still under twelve years of age, I started to learn ress We wrought froht, with an hour at dinner-tiain at supper These spare moments every day I devoutly spent on my books, chiefly in the rudiivena Missionary of the Cross, or a Minister of the Gospel Yet I gladly testify that what I learned of the stocking fra tools, and of watching and keeping the reat value to n Mission field
One incident of this ti iious life Our faed into deep distress, and felt the pinch severely, through the failure of the potato, the badness of other crops, and the ransoone off ork to Hawick, and would return next evening with money and supplies; but meantime the meal barrel ran low, and our dear mother, too proud and too sensitive to let any one know, or to ask aid fro us that she had told God everything, and that He would send us plenty in theNext day, with the carrier fro nothing of her circumstances or of this special trial, had been moved of God to send at that particular nick of tihter, such as they still send to each other in those kindly Scottish shi+res--a bag of new potatoes, a stone of the first ground meal or flour, or the earliest hoely supplied all our need Myour surprise at such an answer to her prayers, took us around her knees, thanked God for His goodness, and said to us:
”O my children, love your Heavenly Father, tell Him in faith and prayer all your needs, and He will supply your wants so far as it shall be for your good and His glory”
Perhaps, a a family of eleven, this was the hardest time they ever had, and the only tier; for the little that they had was marvelously blessed of God, and was not less h spirit, side by side with her huracious piety, made us, under God, e are to-day
I saved as o for six weeks to Du, and I resolved to give up that trade and turn to soht be e andthe county of Dumfries in connection with the Ordnance Survey of Scotland The office hours were froh , and the sa, I found much spare time for private study, both on the way to and fro the ames, I stole away to a quiet spot on the banks of the Nith, and there pored over my book, all alone
Our lieutenant, unknown to me, had observed this from his house on the other side of the stream, and after a ti I told him the whole truth as towith soain, and in their presence pro in Woolwich at the Governeratefully for his kind offer, I agreed to bind myself for three years or four, but not for seven
Excitedly he said, ”Why? Will you refuse an offer that entleiven to another Master, so I cannot engage for seven years” He asked sharply, ”To whom?” I replied, ”To the Lord Jesus; and I want to prepare as soon as possible for His service in the proclai across the room, called the paymaster and exclaimed, ”Accept my offer, or you are dismissed on the spot!”