Part 2 (1/2)
”I can't tell, son.”
”Well, mamma,” he said, ”I would like to be a Christian, can't I? I would like to be baptized soon.”
His mamma always prayed that her children might grow in grace as they grow in years, but this was unexpected. She answered: ”I am glad you think about that, Charlie, but you are too young now.”
”How old must one be first?”
”Well, that varies a good deal, I know.”
”I'm _nine_ years old.”
”Yes, I know.”
”Ain't nine old enough?”
”But you must think about it more, Charlie.”
”More! I've been thinking about it a long time a'ready.”
”Well I'll talk to papa about it, and we'll see what he says. You know we want you always to do right,” said his mamma, and he got his magnet, and put pins together and magnetized a needle, and made it swim, and point north and south.
That night after both children were asleep, their parents talked a good deal about what Charlie had said.
”Charlie wants to unite with the church.”
”He does? When did he say so?”
”Just to-day, and he is in deep earnest about it, too. I don't know what to think, hardly.”
”I hardly think he realizes fully, what he wants to do.”
”Poor little fellow, what do you think I had better tell him?”
”I don't know. Suppose he should come and then not hold out. You see that would be bad.”
”Yes, and then, papa, what wrong has he done?”
”That's so.”
”But you remember four years ago when a certain lady was here on a visit, how she happened to express her unbelief in G.o.d. No one thought the children heard a word of it. Charlie was gone in a moment, we thought to play, when he brought in the Bible and laid it on her lap and said, 'Read that, it will tell you what to do.' I always did think Charlie would be a Christian very early in life.”
”Yes, I am glad for it, too,--but I guess we'd better wait a while anyhow, and see if he really wants to come,” said his papa, and the matter was dropped, and other things were talked about.
Several days pa.s.sed by till the subject was brought up again. Then Charlie said:
”Nine years; old enough to go to school, old enough to do work, old enough to do good or bad, and not old enough to be baptized. Mamma, I do wish I could.”
”Charlie, you never did anything bad.”