Volume I Part 29 (1/2)
”The birds without barn Or storehouse are fed; From them let us learn To trust for our bread.
His saints what is fitting Shall ne'er be denied, So long as 'tis written, 'The Lord will provide.'
”His call we obey, Like Abraham of old, Not knowing our way, But faith makes us bold.
And though we are strangers, We have a good guide, And trust in all dangers 'The Lord will provide.'
”We may like the s.h.i.+ps In tempests be tossed On perilous deeps, But cannot be lost.
Though Satan enrages The wind and the tide, The promise engages 'The Lord will provide.'
”When Satan appears To stop up our path, And fills us with fears, We triumph by faith.
He cannot take from us, Though oft he has tried, This heart-cheering promise, 'The Lord will provide.'
”He tells us we're weak, Our hope is in vain, The good that we seek We ne'er shall obtain; But when such suggestions Our spirits have tried, This answers all questions, 'The Lord will provide.'
”No strength of our own, Or goodness we claim; But since we have known The Saviour's great name, In this, our strong tower, For safety we hide; The Lord is our power!
'The Lord will provide.'
”When life sinks apace, And death is in view, This word of his grace Shall comfort us through.
No fearing nor doubting, With Christ on our side, We hope to die shouting 'The Lord will provide!' ”
Guy listened very attentively to the whole. He was very far from understanding the meaning of several of the verses, but the bounding expression of confidence and hope he did understand, and did feel.
”Happy to be so deluded!” he thought. ”I almost wish I could share the delusion!”
He was gloomily silent when she had done, and little Fleda's eyes were so full that it was a little while before she could look towards him, and ask in her gentle way, ”Do you like it, Mr. Carleton?”
She was gratified by his grave ”Yes!”
”But Elfie,” said he, smiling again, ”you have not told me your thoughts yet. What had these verses to do with the sea you were looking at so hard?”
”Nothing; I was thinking,” said Fleda, slowly, ”that the sea seemed something like the world ? I don't mean it was like, but it made me think of it; and I thought how pleasant it is to know that G.o.d takes care of his people.”
”Don't he take care of everybody?”
”Yes, in one sort of way,” said Fleda; ”but then it is only his children that he has promised to keep from everything that will hurt them.”
”I don't see how that promise is kept, Elfie. I think those who call themselves so meet with as many troubles as the rest of the world, and perhaps more.”
”Yes,” said Fleda, quickly, ”they have troubles, but then G.o.d wont let the troubles do them any harm.”
A subtle evasion, thought Mr. Carleton. ”Where did you learn that, Elfie?”
”The Bible says so,” said Fleda.
”Well, how do you know it from that?” said Mr. Carleton, impelled, he hardly knew whether by his bad or his good angel, to carry on the conversation.