Page images
PDF
EPUB
[graphic][merged small]

But for that, he would never perhaps have taken to smoking; it was too expensive and selfish a luxury, he thought, but the doctor insisted upon it, and Martin did certainly find relief in his pipe when the attacks were most distressing. He still kept to the He still kept to the shoemaking, and became a capital workman; true, the confinement and the stooping were bad for him, but then he could say with a smile that no sort of work came quite easy to a poor fellow like him, and now he was getting up in his trade, he could take a holiday now and then. So Martin worked on through his youth and his manhood, always ready to do any one a good turn. He was on the most friendly terms with the new Vicar's wife, a London

born lady, who had come into the village without an idea of country life save that violets and primroses flourished in the lanes. Of rough, poor folk in the cottages needing a kindly word to win them over, little Mrs. Fortescue knew and cared nothing, till a hard winter accompanied by distress and death woke her up, and then it was to Martin, the queer old fellow pottering in and out of the cottages, that she went for advice and instruction. The cottagers nodded their heads with satisfaction when they saw Martin and Mrs. Fortescue in earnest talk in the village street; those who needed help knew then they should not be forgotten.

(To be continued.)

[graphic]
[ocr errors]

THE BLIND BOY.

SAY! what is that thing called light,
Which I must ne'er enjoy?

What are the blessings of the sight?
O tell your poor blind boy!
You talk of wondrous things you see,
You say the sun shines bright;
I feel him warm, but how can he
Or make it day or night?
My day or night myself I make,

Whene'er I sleep or play;
And could I ever keep awake,

With me 'twere always day. With heavy sighs I often hear

You mourn my hapless woe; But sure with patience I can bear A loss I ne'er can know.

Then let not what I cannot have

My peace of mind destroy; Whilst thus I sing, I am a king, Although a poor blind boy.

ARIUS AND ATHANASIUS.

T is a serious subject that I am going to write about, a subject to be treated seriously and solemnly; but I write for young people, for children, and for those who are willing to become as little children for the Kingdom of Heaven's sake; so I should like to begin in my own simple fashion, and I hope I shall be excused if the form in which I begin does not seem to belong to the real history which I shall go on to tell you. But I think that if you think a little, you will see that the difficulties told about in my little true story, are like in kind,

in their little way to the very difficulties that have been, and are still, found in the great world.

6

One day father called Teddy to come and gather some cherries.' Teddy was a bright little fellow between three and four years old, and of his own small wisdom he took up a basket and crossed the lawn slant-wise, and so caught his father the more easily. When they reached the tree, which was nailed on a wall, they found the cherries not so ripe as had been expected.

There, we will only gather just a few. Let me lift you up to this bunch, my dear. Now, gather that for mother. And there are some quite low; I think they will do. Get those, Teddy.'

And of course the little man was only too happy both to eat his own cherry then and there, and to put the rest in his basket.

'Now,' continued his father, as he took Teddy's hand to walk away, 'mind you never gather any without leave.'

'No, father, me not.'

A few days after father wanted Teddy again. Nurse, sitting at the open nurserywindow, said, Master Teddy is at the bottom of the garden, sir, and he's getting the cherries; then putting out her hand she rang the little bell which always called the children, hear it when they would.

Teddy at once came, and was met by his father, who looked very grave. Teddy's lips were more cherry-red than ever, and cheeks and chin were spotted and streaked like carnations.

Teddy, you have been eating the cherries; now you know I told you not. It is very naughty of you!'

Me no gadder chellies!' said the child, as his father felt, with terrible impudence.

'Edward,' said he, severely, you know that is not true, and I must whip you. I am very sorry to do it; but you know

I must. It is not for taking the cherries, but for saying what was not true.'

The child stood in blank wonder and dismay, and the father turned to go for the rod, telling the boy to come in. It was too plain a case of falsehood-it was not possible to doubt the evidence of the child's besmeared lips. As they came in Teddy caught sight of his mother, and flinging his arms round her, and holding up his cherry-stained face, cried, Mother, mother, me no gadder chellies.'

[ocr errors]

'Oh, Teddy!' said she, I'm shocked! Nurse and I both saw you!'

"No, mother, me only sucks dem; me not gadder one, and me not swallow one stone!' added he in triumph; and me put hands tight behind me all time.'

Father just entering heard it all, and with much hidden amusement, but with a grave face, he said, 'Well, now understand, child, you are not to suck nor to gather any more.'

'No,' said Teddy; Tommy can gadder dem.'

'But, Teddy, I mean you are not to have, or to eat, or to get, or to gather, or to suck any cherries unless mother or I give you leave.'

Now I will ask those who know anything about such things to ponder for a moment on the many words lawyers use to make anything clearly understood beyond dispute. Then I would have all dwell in their minds upon those familiar conversations which the Holy One had with His friends: whether it were with only two of them on their evening walk home, when He explained from the very beginning of what they knew from the books that Moses had written, from the very creation and man's first disobedience; or whether it were to a little group, or to a crowded room-full, I would have them think of the many

things He said, which were not written down, only stored in the loving memories of those friends.

What would the Confession or Creed be that would rise to the lips of those two who supped with Him at Emmaus as they rose, after hearing the whole scheme of redemption over again, and remembering with it the many conversations and preachings He had held when He again and again used the words, I and my Father are one?' And then all His words, too, about the Comforter,' what would the words of their Creed be but, I believe in the Father, and in the Son, and in the Holy Ghost?" And not for a moment would they think of explaining what they meant, or how.

Solomon says, 'God made man upright, but he has sought out many inventions.' And so in time the simple but great matters of faith which the Christian Church said a man must believe if he would own the name of Christian, came to be reasoned over and altered little by little, and explained till they were explained away. So it came that a man named Arius at last taught that the Lord Jesus Christ was not truly God!

Now then it was not enough for one who would be counted among the Christians to say, I believe in the Father, and in the Son, and in the Holy Ghost,' but he must at least add, and I believe that the Father is God, and that the Son is God, and that the Holy Ghost is God;' but besides that, the many inventions' that were sought out' made it needful to add many another guard and guide to the right understanding of the precious Creed of the people who were called Christians.

So a Bishop, who lived about the same. time Arius did, drew up a full and complete explanation (as far as heavenly things can be explained to earthly minds) of what

was meant by the words, I believe in the Father, and in the Son, and in the Holy Ghost, and he embodied in it the things said in the Apostles' Creed about the life and death of Jesus Christ the Lord; and this was called The Creed of Saint Athanasius,' because he was a bishop who was very earnest in teaching the true, and in preaching against all false doctrines.

But people loved disputing and arguing 1500 years ago quite as much as they have done ever since, and indeed, no doubt, have done since the beginning of the world; and Athanasius's struggles to do God's work and maintain the honour of his dear Master among the nations, might have continued. longer still, had not the Lord Himself plucked His hand out of His bosom,' had not God Himself laid to His hand, as it says in the Psalms, and took away him that troubled Israel. Arius died suddenly in the streets by the visitation of God just one day before his intended proceedings would have caused more mischief than ever.

Now you see why I told you that little tale at the beginning. I meant that as Teddy's father had to use all those words to make his meaning clear, and to prevent the child from thinking that somehow he might have the fruit, so all those words had to be put into the Creed which is called the Creed of St. Athanasius to prevent people from getting into mistakes. The simple words of belief, as you have seen when I told you of Arius, were not enough, and the words had to be added, 'I believe that the Father is God, and the Son is God, and the Holy Ghost is God;' and then immediately another set of people would say, 'Oh, then, there are three Gods, not one God!' and so on, till the teachers in the Church, as I have shown you, said, "We must write a Creed that will meet every objection: though really, if people were not

[graphic][subsumed][merged small][merged small][merged small]

Published for the Proprietors by W. WELLS GARDNER, 2 Paternoster Buildings, London.

« PreviousContinue »