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diff --git a/old/52001-0.txt b/old/52001-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 3cdedd6..0000000 --- a/old/52001-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,2097 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's The Little Child's Book of Divinity, by John Ross Macduff - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Little Child's Book of Divinity - or Grandmamma's Stories about Bible Doctines - -Author: John Ross Macduff - -Release Date: May 5, 2016 [EBook #52001] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LITTLE CHILD'S BOOK OF DIVINITY *** - - - - -Produced by Heiko Evermann, Lisa Anne Hatfield and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - Transcriber’s Notes - - -Italic text enclosed with _underscores_. - -Small‐caps replaced by ALL CAPS. - -Tables require a monospace font in order to align properly. - -More notes appear at the end of the file. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - -[Illustration: Emma and her Grandmamma.] - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - THE LITTLE CHILD’S - - BOOK OF DIVINITY; - - OR, - - GRANDMAMMA’S STORIES ABOUT - BIBLE DOCTRINES. - - - BY THE AUTHOR OF - - “MORNING AND NIGHT WATCHES,” “FAITHFUL - PROMISER,” &c. &c. - -“From a child thou hast known the holy Scriptures, which are able to -make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ -Jesus.”―2 Tim. iii. 15. - -“And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be -the peace of thy children.”―Isa. liv. 13. - - - SECOND EDITION. - - - LONDON: - JAMES NISBET AND CO., 21 BERNERS STREET. - MDCCCLV. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - EDINBURGH: - PRINTED BY BALLANTYNE AND COMPANY, - PAUL’S WORK. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CONTENTS - - - PAGE - INTRODUCTION 3 - FIRST NIGHT 4 - SECOND NIGHT 12 - THIRD NIGHT 20 - FOURTH NIGHT 30 - FIFTH NIGHT 40 - SIXTH NIGHT 48 - SEVENTH NIGHT 57 - EIGHTH NIGHT 66 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - THE LITTLE CHILD’S - - BOOK OF DIVINITY. - - -LITTLE Emma was one Sabbath evening alone in the room with her -grandmamma. Good old Mrs Allan (for that was her grandmother’s name) was -seated in her arm‐chair, beside a blazing winter fire. A small table was -before her, with a Bible and a pair of spectacles lying upon it. - -Emma came jumping up upon her grandmamma’s knee, and kissed her, and -said— - -“Dear grandmamma, there is much in that large Bible I do not understand; -I should like so much to know all it tells about. When I was at church -this forenoon, I heard Mr R., our clergyman, speak to the people about -what he called ‘doctrines;’ and when he was telling about them, there -were many things the people liked to hear which were too difficult for -me. Do you think you could tell me about them in very simple words, and -make them plain to me? I will promise to be very attentive to all that -you say.” - -“I shall be truly happy,” said the other, looking with a kindly smile on -her little grandchild, “to do what you ask me. And if you will come to -me for a few minutes every Sabbath night, I will try to explain these -Bible doctrines to you as simply as I can.” - -So saying, she put aside her spectacles, and drawing her chair closer by -the fire, with her arm round little Emma’s neck, began as follows:— - - - FIRST NIGHT. - -[Sidenote: Of the Being of God.] “There was a time, my dear child, far, -far back in eternity, when no one lived but the Great God, when no angel -waved his wing, and no star glittered in the sky. - -“This ever‐living God did not need angels or worlds to make Him happy. -He was quite glorious without them. - -“This great Being was _one_ God; but there were three persons in the -Godhead—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. Of these, -there was none higher or greater than the other; they were all equal in -power and in glory. - -[Sidenote: Of the Creation of all things.] “This Great God resolved on -making angels and worlds; and He just said, ‘I wish them to be,’ and -they were all made by the word of His power. And it was not a few that -He made, but a very great many. He made large armies of angels; and such -a number of stars and worlds, that they cannot be counted. - -[Sidenote: Of our World.] “Among these crowded worlds which you see in -the dark sky at night, there was a very little one—so little, as -scarcely to be seen or noticed amid those around it. - -“This little star was called ‘_the Earth_;’ and God loved it very much, -and the Three Persons in the Godhead resolved to do something very -wonderful with regard to it. God put a happy and holy creature into it, -called _Man_; and He made him after His own image, and placed him in a -beautiful garden. - -[Sidenote: Of the Covenant of Works.] “While there, God entered with man -into what is called a _Covenant of Works_.” - -“What does a _covenant_ mean?” inquired Emma. - -“I shall tell you, my child,” said her grandmamma. “It is an agreement, -or bargain, between two people. In the garden of Eden, the two parties -were God and Adam; their covenant or agreement was this;—God said to -Adam, ‘If you do what I ask you, you shall live and be happy. If you -disobey me, you must “surely die.”’ - -[Sidenote: Of the Fall.] “God told him not to eat of the fruit of one of -the trees in the garden; but though Adam had all the rest of the trees -in Eden to eat of, he forgot God’s command, and took of the forbidden -one; and he was driven out of his happy home, and became a lost and -ruined creature.” - -“How sad for poor Adam,” said Emma, “to be banished from his beautiful -garden!” - -“Yes,” said the other; “and sadder still to be banished from his God, -with nothing before him but certain death!” - -“But how was it, grandmamma,” inquired Emma, “that Adam did not die all -at once? How did he continue to live after God had said that, if he -disobeyed Him, he should ‘surely die’?” - -“I was just going to explain this to you, my dear,” said Mrs Allan. “Our -first parents could not have lived for one moment after their ‘Fall,’ if -it had not been for another and more glorious covenant the Bible tells -us of.” - -“And what was the name of that covenant?” inquired Emma, eagerly. - -“It was called _the Covenant of Grace_,” replied her grandmother. “I -shall try, my dear child,” continued she, patting her grandchild on the -head, “to make this very great and glorious subject as simple as I can -to you; and after you hear me, you will, perhaps, be able to explain it -to others.” - -Little Emma was again very attentive, and her grandmamma proceeded: - -[Sidenote: Of the Parties in the Covenant of Grace.] “I want to see, -before I begin, if my little scholar remembers what I have just been -telling her,—who the two parties were in the _Covenant of Works_?” - -“God and Adam,” replied Emma. - -“Yes, dear, you are right. And in this new covenant or agreement I am -going to speak about, there were two parties also. Do you think you -could tell me who they were?” - -“Was it God and Adam again?” inquired the little girl. - -“No, my child,” said the old lady. “Man, having broken the first -covenant, could no longer enter into terms with God. There was some one -who came in the place of guilty man. Can you tell me who this was?” - -“It was the Lord Jesus Christ,” said Emma. - -“Quite correct,” replied her grandmother. “God was angry with man, and -could no longer speak with him. But Jesus said, ‘_I_ will come in the -room of those lost sinners, and speak to God _for_ them.’ So God and -Jesus made a covenant together. It was as if Jesus said to God, ‘O my -Father, if Thou wilt pardon these poor sinners, I will leave my glorious -throne, and come down to the earth, and die for them, and wash their -guilty souls in my precious blood.’ And then God promised, and said, ‘I -_will_ pardon them! They deserve nothing but wrath; but, for the sake of -what Thou art to do and suffer, as their Redeemer, I will shew them -“_Grace_.”’ Hence this new covenant between God and Jesus was called -‘_the Covenant of Grace_.’” - -“I should like to hear more,” said Emma, “about this glorious Being who -loved man so much as to die for him. Why is He called by the name of -_Redeemer_?” - -[Sidenote: Of the Person of the Redeemer.] “Jesus is called ‘Redeemer,’ -because He ‘buys back’ the lost souls of men. No one but God, in our -nature, could do this. If the highest angel in heaven had tried to save -us, he _could_ not. Jesus Christ was both God and man. He had lived from -all eternity ‘_with_ God, and _was_ God.’ He took upon Him our nature, -and was born a little babe in the stable of Bethlehem. How sweet for -little children to think that Jesus was once himself _a little child_!” - -[Sidenote: Of the Humiliation of Christ.] “How wonderful!” said Emma, -“for the great God of heaven to come down to dwell with man on the -earth—to be called the ‘Man of Sorrows’—to be poor and hated, and have -‘nowhere to lay His head,’ till He laid it on the Cross, and there died -a cruel death!” - -“Wonderful indeed,” replied her grandmamma. “Can you tell me, my dear -child, what became of Jesus after He died?” - -[Sidenote: Of His Resurrection and Exaltation.] “Yes,” answered Emma; “I -think He was laid in a grave in the middle of a garden in Jerusalem. A -stone was put at the mouth of it, and soldiers were made to watch it. -But after lying dead three days, He rolled away the stone, and came -forth alive.” - -“You are right, my child,” said Mrs Allan. “By this, God the Father -shewed that He had accepted the work of His dear Son—that the wages of -sin were all paid, and that His holy law was satisfied and honoured. -After remaining forty days on the earth, Jesus went up among rejoicing -angels to heaven.” - -“And where is the Lord Jesus now?” inquired Emma. - -[Sidenote: Of the Intercession of Christ.] “He who once was ‘despised -and rejected of men,’” said her grandmother, “is seated on a very -glorious throne in the skies, where blessed spirits without number adore -Him. But He has not forgotten poor sinners on earth. He is engaged in -praying to God for them; and whatever He asks on their behalf, His -Father is ready to give; for Him He ‘heareth always.’” - -[Sidenote: Of the Second Coming of Christ.] “And is there not a day of -awful glory drawing near,” said Emma, “when Jesus shall appear in the -clouds of the sky, seated on a ‘great white throne’? How dreadful to be -found, on that great day, on the left hand of the Judge! Will there be -no chance of His being merciful to these miserable wicked, and of making -another ‘_covenant of grace_’ with them?” - -“No, no; impossible, my child!” replied her grandmother. “God’s -holiness, and righteousness, and justice, and truth, could not admit of -mercy _then_. Jesus is now seated on a throne of _Grace_, and entreats -sinners to come to Him and be saved. But when once seated on His throne -of _Judgment_, the time of grace is at an end. Those who there seek Him -for the first time will never find Him. God has said, ‘Then shall they -call on me, but I will not answer.’” - -“I should like you,” said Emma, “to tell me what you mean by ‘seeking -Jesus.’ I fear I may never yet have sought Him in earnest.” - -“I shall be happy, my dear child, to explain this and many other things -to you; but as it would take me too long to‐night, I shall wait till -next Sabbath, when, if God spare me, I will speak to you about some more -of these solemn truths. I am old, and must soon stand before that great -throne; but I have long sought and found Jesus the _Saviour_, and I am -not afraid to meet Jesus the _Judge_!” - -The little child knelt down on her grandmother’s lap, to offer up her -evening prayer. The aged Christian entreated earnestly that Jesus would -early give her an interest in His “covenant of grace,” that she might be -found at last on His right hand, at the great day, an heir of glory! - - - SECOND NIGHT. - -Sabbath evening again returned; and when the shutters were closed, and -fresh wood had been piled on the fire, little Emma climbed on her -grandmamma’s knee, and asked her to explain some more “Scripture -doctrines.” - -“I shall do so with pleasure, my child,” said Mrs Allan; “and I must ask -you to give me to‐night your close attention, as I am going to speak to -you about some very important and precious truths.” - -Emma thanked her for her great kindness, in being at so much pains to -instruct her; and her grandmamma thus began:— - -[Sidenote: Of Justification.] “You will remember, my dear, that the -Bible tells us we are all condemned by nature—in a lost and ruined -state. In order to make us understand what this state is, it -represents,— - -[Sidenote: The Judge.] “God as a great Judge, ‘of purer eyes than to -behold iniquity,’ and who cannot look upon sin. - -[Sidenote: The Prisoner.] “It represents the sinner as standing at His -bar, called to answer for his many thousand transgressions. - -[Sidenote: The Witnesses.] “And, as in a court of earthly justice -witnesses are brought in to condemn the prisoner, so Satan accuses the -sinner—his own heart accuses him—God’s Law, which he has broken, accuses -him.” - -“And what more?” said Emma. - -[Sidenote: The Sentence.] “These all,” said her grandmother, “pronounce -the sinner ‘_guilty_’—the Holy Judge passes upon him a sentence of -_condemnation_. Oh! how dreadful to think, that, if ‘out of Christ,’ we -are _at this moment_ in a _condemned state_! We have not to wait till a -day of judgment to have the sentence pronounced upon us. The Bible tells -us we are ‘condemned _already_,’ and that ‘the wrath of God _abideth_ -upon us.’ We are, as it were, shut up in a condemned cell; the kindness -and clemency of our Judge alone delaying the execution of the awful -sentence!” - -“But is there no hope,” said little Emma, “for the poor sinner? Must he -die in that state of condemnation and misery?” - -[Sidenote: God’s Method of Mercy.] “No, dear child,” replied her -grandmamma. “God is willing, for Christ’s sake, to ‘_justify_’ us.” - -“But what do you mean by that word?” said Emma. - -“Listen to me,” said the other, “and I will endeavour to explain. I have -already told you that the sinner, standing in the court‐room of justice, -with the chains of condemnation fastened round him, cannot answer a word -for himself; his ‘mouth is stopped,’ and he has become ‘guilty before -God.’ - -[Sidenote: The Advocate.] “But, in the midst of that court‐room, there -is one who stands up to ‘answer’ _for_ him!—it is the ‘Advocate with the -Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.’ - -“God the Judge asks, ‘Sinner! can you say anything to justify yourself?’ -The sinner says, ‘Enter not into judgment with thy servant, O God! for -in Thy sight no flesh living can be justified.’ - -[Sidenote: The Grounds of Pardon.] “God is about to execute the awful -sentence; but Jesus, his advocate, stands up, and says, ‘_I_ have -suffered, “the Just for the unjust;” I have obeyed the law the sinner -should have obeyed; I have been “made sin for him;” I have paid with my -own blood the price of his redemption!’ - -[Sidenote: The Acquittal.] “The Great Judge says, ‘It is enough! Take -the chains of condemnation off him. I pronounce him, for the sake of -what Jesus has done and suffered, “_not guilty_!” Let him go out of the -court‐room a “justified man;” for “there is no condemnation to them that -are in Christ Jesus.”’” - -“Do you mean to say, grandmamma,” said Emma, “that God thus graciously -pardons _all_ the iniquities of the sinner for the sake of Jesus?” - -[Sidenote: Two parts of Justification.] [Sidenote: 1. Forgiveness of -Sin.] “Yes, my child; it is an amazing thought. But, on account of what -the Lord Jesus Christ has done, in pouring out His precious blood, this -great and holy Judge looks upon the sinner _as if he had never sinned at -all_! He is, in the eye of law, ‘_justified_’—considered ‘_just_.’ Jesus -is said to be ‘wounded for his transgressions, and bruised for his -iniquities.’ Like the scape‐goat under the Jewish law, God ‘has laid -upon Christ the iniquities of us all.’ These He has carried away into a -land of forgetfulness, where they can never more be found!” - -“This is a wonderful doctrine indeed!” said little Emma, “and”―― - -“Stay, my child,” interrupted her grandmamma, “I have not yet told you -the most wondrous part of it:— - -[Sidenote: 2. Acceptance as Righteous in God’s sight.] “In justifying -sinners, God does more than merely _pardon_ them. He not only reckons -the sinner as ‘_not guilty_,’ but, for Jesus’ sake, He counts him as -positively _righteous_. All the righteousness of Christ—His obedience, -and patience, and love, and resignation, and forgiveness of injuries, -and all the holy things of His holy life,—are put down to the sinner’s -account; and a holy God actually counts as if they had all been done by -the sinner himself. This is what is called _Christ’s imputed -righteousness_.” - -“Surely,” said Emma, “this explains the meaning of that verse I was -reading to you this morning in Isaiah—‘He hath clothed me with the -garments of salvation; He hath covered me with a robe of -righteousness’?” - -“Yes; you are right, my dear. The holy life, and virtues, and obedience -of Jesus, are spoken of as a bright shining robe or garment, in which -the poor sinner clothes himself. By nature, in his condemned state, he -is black with sin; and his language is, ‘O Lord, look not on me, because -I am black;’ but when he puts this imputed garment on, he can say, ‘O -Lord, look upon me, for I am all bright and shining with a Saviour’s -righteousness!’” - -“How kind is God,” exclaimed Emma, “to do all this for vile sinners!” - -[Sidenote: Justification all of Grace.] “Yes, my child; well may -justification be called ‘an act of God’s _free grace_;’ for man has no -part in it. He deserves nothing at God’s hand but wrath, and vengeance, -and condemnation. He might have been sent away trembling from His bar, -crying out, ‘It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living -God!’ His justification proceeds from free sovereign mercy; and through -all eternity his confession will be, ‘By the grace of God, I am what I -am.’” - -“I fear I may be wearying you,” said Emma; “but I have just one other -question to ask you about this glorious doctrine—how can _I_ be -justified, and get the great God thus to pardon and accept ME?” - -[Sidenote: Received by Faith.] “That is a very proper question,” replied -her grandmamma, “and I am happy to think I can give you a simple and -easy answer. You are justified ‘_by faith_;’ by _believing_ that God is -able and willing to receive you—that Jesus has shed His precious blood -for you—that He died for you on earth, and now lives and pleads for you -in heaven. ‘He that _believeth_ on the Son of God hath life.’ ‘_Believe_ -in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.’ ‘Therefore being -justified _by faith_, we have peace with God.’ - -“This glorious subject of Justification,” continued she, “has occupied -us so long, that it will be better not to speak of any other doctrine -to‐night. If spared till another Sabbath evening, I shall do so. I would -have you, my child, think very much about this most precious Bible -truth—_How a sinner is justified before God_. - -[Sidenote: The Article of a Standing and Falling Church.] “Luther, the -great father of the Reformation, said, that a church could not stand for -a moment without this doctrine. Like a house without a foundation, it -would fall to pieces. And an older saint than Luther—the apostle -Paul—had his mind so full of it, that you cannot read his writings, and -understand them, without keeping this blessed doctrine constantly in -view.” - -“Oh how peaceful, and safe, and joyous,” exclaimed Emma, “must the -justified sinner be!” - -“Yes, truly,” replied her grandmother. “He has nothing to fear. On the -great day of judgment, however many his enemies and accusers may be, he -can look around him on all of them, and exclaim, with the great apostle, -‘Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? It is GOD THAT -JUSTIFIETH; who is he that condemneth?’ Here is a beautiful verse of a -hymn I should like you to learn by heart,” she added, repeating twice -over to little Emma the following lines:— - - “‘Jesus! Thy blood and righteousness - My beauty are, my glorious dress, - ’Mid flaming worlds, in these array’d, - With joy I shall lift up my head!’” - - - THIRD NIGHT. - -“Are you ready now?” said little Emma, coming skipping into her -grandmother’s room. “I have just finished learning my verses in Romans, -and I so weary to hear about some more Scripture doctrines.” - -“I am quite ready,” said her grandmamma; “but it would make me happy, -before I begin, to hear you repeat whatever verses you have been -committing to memory to‐night.” - -So saying, Emma stood by her grandmother’s chair, and, without a -mistake, repeated from the 10th to the 15th verse of the eighth chapter -of Romans. The last one was this, “Ye have not received the spirit of -bondage again to fear; but ye have received the spirit of adoption, -whereby we cry, Abba, Father!” - -“I am happy, my dear child,” said old Mrs Allan, “that these have been -your verses to‐night, as they refer to the very subject I should like -now to speak to you about. - -“You remember what I explained to you last Sabbath?” - -“Yes, grandmamma,” said Emma. “It was about _Justification_. God the -Great Judge trying the sinner at His bar, and sending him away freely -forgiven for the sake of Christ.” - -[Sidenote: Of Adoption.] “You are right, my dear; and we are now going -to speak about _Adoption_. I wonder if you know what that is.” - -“Oh, no. I have often wondered what that word can mean, and I long to -hear from you.” - -[Sidenote: Difference between Justification and Adoption.] “Well, then, -my child, as in Justification God acts as a _Judge_, so in Adoption God -acts as a _Father_.” - -“How I should like to hear about this, grandmamma! There is something -terrible about the thought of a _Judge_; but there is nothing but love -and joy in the thought of a _Father_!” - -[Sidenote: Of our State by Nature.] “It is true, my dear,” said her -grandmother; “but by nature none of us are in the family of God; we are -called ‘children of wrath;’ ‘children of the devil;’ ‘enemies!’ God puts -a very solemn and striking question about us—‘How shall I set thee among -the children?’ He sees that we are such poor miserable sinners, that if -He had dealt with us as we have deserved for our sins, we should have -been for ever ‘children of wrath!’” - -“What, then, could have made God adopt us into His family?” said little -Emma. - -[Sidenote: Difference between Man’s Adoption and God’s.] “This, my -child,” replied the other, “is the thing in which _God’s_ Adoption -differs from _man’s_. When a man takes a little orphan child into his -house, and is kind to it, and brings it up as his own, it is because of -something attractive, and lovely, and engaging in the child. I knew an -old gentleman who saw a lovely little boy with golden locks, and he was -so struck with his beauty, he would never part with him, but brought him -up as his own son. But how different is it with us and God! The Bible -represents sinners as lying all filthy and vile in the open field; so -vile, that none would look at them, ‘all passed them by!’ But God came, -lifted them up, and said unto them, ‘Live!’ ‘_I_ will be a Father unto -you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters.’ What, my dear Emma, would -you call this act of God in Adoption?” - -[Sidenote: Adoption all of Grace.] “Oh, I would say,” said her little -hearer, “that it is the same as with Justification. It is an ‘_act of -God’s free grace_’—that is to say, that there was nothing about us to -make God love us, or be kind to us, and that it was all of His own great -and wonderful kindness and mercy in Christ Jesus!” - -“You are right, my darling; and do you remember the name of an aged -disciple of Jesus who delighted more than all the rest to speak of God’s -love? And perhaps you remember, too, what he says about this adopting -love of God?” - -“Oh, yes,” said Emma; “I think that will be the text Mr R. was preaching -from last month:—‘Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed -upon us, that we should be called the sons of God!’ But, dear [Sidenote: -When Adoption takes place.] grandmamma,” continued she, “you told me -last Sabbath that Justification takes place _in this world_, whenever -the sinner believes in Jesus. It cannot surely be that this great honour -of being children of God, and adopted into His family, can begin on -earth?” - -“Yes, dear child, it does,” said her grandmother. “Justification and -Adoption are just different names for one great act. God, as I said, is -represented in the one as a _Judge_, in the other as a _Father_. I don’t -know if Mr R. [Sidenote: The Apostle John’s Testimony.] took the next -verse in that beautiful chapter along with his text. If he did so, it -will tell you _when_ the believer is adopted, and can call God his -Father.” - -Little Emma quickly turned up her Bible, and read as follows:—“Beloved, -now are we the sons of God!” - -“You see, my child,” continued the old lady, “_when_ this act of -fatherly love takes place; it is ‘_now_;’ and if my dear little Emma -loves the Lord Jesus, she can _now_ look up to the Great God, and say, -‘He is my _Father_;’ and to Jesus, and say, ‘He is my _Elder Brother_!’” - -“How kind in God,” said Emma, with the tear in her eye, “to love sinners -so much, and deal with them so tenderly! I think this, too, explains my -favourite story in the gospel—does it not, grandmamma?” - -[Sidenote: Our Lord’s Parable about Adoption.] “I remember now what your -favourite is,” said the other, after thinking a moment; “it is the -_Prodigal Son_; and you are very right; there is no portion of the Bible -which speaks more beautifully of God’s adopting love. You remember, at -the very same moment that God forgave the Prodigal, He ordered ‘the ring -to be put on his finger’ (the ring of _adoption_); and He calls him, -‘_This, my son!_’” - -“Oh! I shall love to read that parable more than ever,” said Emma. “I -don’t think any earthly father would have been so kind to an ungrateful -son. But you often tell me that ‘God’s ways are not as man’s ways;’ and -it is surely so in this. - -[Sidenote: Evidences of Adoption.] “But how can I know, dear grandmamma, -whether _I_ am a child of God? I would feel as if I was richer and -happier than the richest in the world, and greater than earthly kings or -queens, if I could be sure that the Great God was my Father, and that I -was His child.” - -“That is a very natural question, my dear, and I shall do what I can to -answer you. Let me ask you another question. What are your feelings -towards your earthly parents?” - -[Sidenote: Love of God.] “I love them,” said Emma, “very much; I try to -do what they bid me, and I am always unhappy when I do anything that -vexes or hurts them.” - -[Sidenote: Hatred of Sin.] “It is the very same, my dear,” said her -grandmother, “with the children of God. If you are really a child of -God, you will love Him, and try to do all His will, and be unhappy -whenever you sin against Him or displease Him.” - -“I will tell you another thing, grandmamma,” interrupted the little -girl; “I am never happy when I am far away from my father, or when my -father is far away from me. Sometimes he has to go away for many days to -a distance, and I so weary for his coming back. I think and speak of him -all the day long; and once I remember, when I was a week away at aunt -Fanny’s, I so longed to get back again to be with him.” - -[Sidenote: Filial Nearness.] “Well, dear child, you have just given -another mark by which you may know if you are a child of God. Do you -love your Heavenly Father’s presence? Do you love prayer, [Sidenote: -Prayer.] which brings you always near Him? and are you always unhappy -when you forget prayer, which drives you away from God; or commit sin, -which drives God away from you?” - -“Oh, yes, dear grandmamma, I think I can say I am; but then, I often -sin, and I fear”―― - -“Stop, my dear child,” said the old lady. “Remember, it is a great cause -of grief to the true child of God, that the power of sin is so strong in -his heart, and that the devil is so often tempting him.” - -“But,” exclaimed Emma, “does not the Bible say, ‘We _cannot_ sin, -because we are born of God’?” - -[Sidenote: How the Child of God “cannot sin.”] “Yes, my child, you are -correct; but I must tell you the real meaning of that verse, so that you -may not be cast down by supposing it asks what you cannot give. That -verse means, that God’s children cannot go on in a _course_ of sin. They -cannot love sin, and continue _in_ sin; but it does not mean that their -lives are so perfectly holy that they never can know what it is to have -a bad heart and wicked thought. Alas! this never can be, till the -adopted children of God get safe into their Father’s house in heaven!” - -“Oh! how I wish,” said Emma, “I could love this kind Heavenly Father -more than I have ever yet done; and hate sin more and more every day!――I -am afraid, dear grandmamma, I tire you with my questions; but I have -just one more to ask to‐night, and then I shall go to bed. You often -speak of it being our duty to ‘_fear_ God.’ Now, how should we _fear_ a -God that you have just been telling me to _love_?” - -[Sidenote: What it is to “fear” God in Adoption.] “I do not wonder, my -child, at your question. But there are two kinds of fear; the wicked -‘_fear_’ God as an awful Judge; they fear Him—that is, they are _afraid_ -of Him, and tremble to think of His hatred of sin, and His judgment day. -But the children of God ‘_fear_’ their Heavenly Father in another sense; -they ‘_fear_’ to _offend_ Him. It is because they _love_ Him so very -much, that they are _afraid_ of doing anything that would displease Him. -The wicked man’s fear is what the Bible calls ‘the fear that hath -torment.’ The other is the fear, and reverence, and godly awe of -‘perfect love.’ - -“Good‐night, then, my dear,” said the kind old lady, kissing her little -scholar. “I love you much as an earthly parent; but your Heavenly Father -loves you more. When you go down on your knees to pray to Him to‐night, -think of that sweet verse in Jer. iii. 4, ‘_My Father!_ thou art the -guide of my youth!’ - -“You will not know all the wonders of the subject I have been speaking -about to‐night till the gracious Heavenly Father who adopts you opens to -you the gates of His own palace in glory, and when, taking you by the -hand, and shewing you all the unsearchable riches which Jesus has -purchased for you, He will say, ‘My child! _thou art ever with me; and -all that I have_ IS THINE!’” - - - FOURTH NIGHT. - -“I fear I weary you, grandmamma,” said little Emma, as she opened the -room‐door on the following Sabbath, and resumed her accustomed seat by -the good old lady’s side—“I fear I weary you, coming so often to hear -your nice explanations of Bible doctrines; but you have already enabled -me to understand a great deal I never knew before, and have made my -Sabbath evenings so happy!” - -“I assure you, you have made me happy too, my dear child,” said Mrs -Allan, wiping the tear that was rolling down her withered cheek. “I can -truly say, I have no greater joy than to talk to you about these -glorious truths. I will soon be in that silent place,” continued she, -pointing, as she was closing her shutters for the night, to the -churchyard, on which the moon was then shining; “but it makes me happy -to think, that when you can hear my voice no more, you will remember, -with joy, the Sabbath evenings we have spent together. Happy, dear Emma, -will it be,” her face brightening as she spoke, “if we meet to speak of -these blessed truths in the better Sabbath in heaven!” - -Emma was about to reply, when her grandmother took her by the hand, and -said, with a kindly smile, “Well, dearest, and what would you have me -talk to you about to‐night?” - -“You are the proper judge,” replied her little scholar, “as to what will -best follow after the two beautiful doctrines you have last explained to -me, of _Justification_ and _Adoption_. The other day I came to a -difficult word in a book, which, [Sidenote: Of Regeneration.] if it -would not be out of place, I should like to know something about. The -word was _Regeneration_, and”―― - -“Stay, my dear,” interrupted her grandmother; “that is the very subject -I was thinking of. You could not have named a better; and if you will -give me all your attention, I shall try to open up this great doctrine -to you as simply as I can. - -“Do you remember what I told you about _Justification_?—What God does to -the sinner when He justifies and adopts him?” - -[Sidenote: Difference between Justification,] “He changes his _state_,” -replied Emma. “He brings him from a _state_ of _wrath_ to a _state_ of -_grace_,—from a _state_ of _condemnation_ to a _state_ of _pardon_.” - -“You have given me just the answer I wanted,” said her grandmother—“that -it is a change of _state_ or _condition_. In Justification, from being a -_rebel_, the sinner is pardoned by [Sidenote: Adoption,] his Sovereign. -In Adoption, from being a _prodigal_, he is received back into his -Father’s lost home. Now, dear,” continued she, “did I say that in these -there is produced also any change in _character_?” - -“I don’t think so,” replied Emma. - -“You are right; and you will instantly see how well it is that I should -speak to [Sidenote: And Regeneration.] you about Regeneration to‐night, -which is the very word which tells about this great change of -_character_ or _mind_, which is as necessary to salvation, as the great -change of _state_ and _condition_ of which I have already spoken. What -is your own idea, my dear child, as to the meaning of Regeneration?” - -“Indeed, grandmamma,” replied Emma, “it is such a long and difficult -word, that I am ashamed to tell, though I have often heard it mentioned -in Mr R――’s sermon, I never understood it aright.” - -“You should never be ashamed, my dear, to ask those older than yourself -to explain Bible difficulties to you. Many grow up to be big people, in -great ignorance, owing to this false shame.” - -“Is it the same, grandmamma,” said Emma, “as _Repentance_? I think I -understand _that_ word better.” - -[Sidenote: Bible Terms about Regeneration.] “Yes, my child, there are -many words in the Bible used to denote this same great change, and which -you must often hear ministers speaking about. ‘The _new birth_’—being -‘_born again_’—‘_Conversion_’—‘_Repentance_’—‘_Regeneration_;’ but the -meaning of them all may be summed up in this,—the necessity of a new -heart, produced by the Holy Spirit, who turns the old heart from the -service of sin to the service of God.” - -[Sidenote: Necessity of Regeneration.] “But must every one have this -entire change of heart before he can be saved?” - -“Yes, dearest, it is a doctrine many don’t like to believe, or to hear -about, because they think it makes the way to heaven too strait and -narrow; but do you remember anything Jesus said about it, when He was -speaking to inquiring Nicodemus?” - -[Sidenote: What Jesus says of it.] “Oh, yes,” said Emma, “you have put -me in mind of the verse now—‘Except a man be born again, he cannot see -the kingdom of God.’” - -“You are quite correct,” replied the old lady. “That same blessed -Saviour never spoke an unkind word, and He would never have uttered -this, unless it was a solemn truth, ‘Marvel not that I said unto you, Ye -_must_ be _born again_.’” - -“But if the sinner,” asked Emma, “is justified in the sight of God, and -God calls him ‘_not guilty_,’ and _pardons_ him, and says of him there -is _no condemnation_, what more does he require, in order to be saved?” - -[Sidenote: A Change of State and a Change of Heart must go together.] “A -great deal more,” replied her grandmother. “Let me ask you,” said she to -Emma, “two questions, which may help to explain the matter to you. If a -king pardoned a rebel, and if that rebel still hated his sovereign, and -sought to kill him, would it be safe for the king to receive the -ungrateful rebel into his palace?” - -“No!” replied Emma. - -“Or, if a father received back a prodigal son; but if that son -_continued_ prodigal as ever, breaking, with fresh sin, his poor old -father’s heart, and corrupting his other brothers, could that father -permit him to live in his house?” - -“No, _surely_,” still replied Emma. - -“Well, dearest, what would require to be done to make it safe for the -king to keep company with the rebel he had pardoned; and the father to -take the son to live with him in his own household?” - -“If they had changed and better hearts,” said Emma. - -“You have just given again the answer I wanted,” said her grandmother. -“I want you to see it is the same with the sinner. God the _King_ has -pardoned the _sinner‐rebel_. God the _Father_ has adopted the -_sinner‐prodigal_; but He never could receive him into His glorious -palace of heaven, unless what?” - -[Sidenote: Change of Heart in Regeneration needed for Heaven.] “Oh, -unless his heart is _changed_,” exclaimed Emma. “I understand it now. He -must have a _holy_ heart,—a heart to love God and hate sin. I see quite -well he could not get into heaven with an unchanged heart!” - -“Yes, my dear child,” said the other (happy that her little -grand‐daughter was now able to see the meaning of Regeneration); “and -even if the sinner could get into heaven with his sinful, unchanged, -unconverted heart, could he be happy?” - -[Sidenote: Heaven a place for holy Hearts.] “I don’t think,” said Emma, -“he could; he would be miserable in that holy place, amid holy angels -and a holy God. I see quite well now the truth of what Jesus says, -‘Except ye be converted, ye cannot enter in the kingdom of heaven.’ - -“But,” continued little Emma, getting more interested in the subject, “I -should like much to know _how_, and _when_, and _where_ we are -regenerated, and get this new mind.” - -[Sidenote: The Agent in Regeneration.] “Like every other thing in -salvation,” replied the old lady, “this great change of heart and life -is the work of God; and though all the glorious Trinity are engaged in -producing it, it is more especially brought about by the agency of the -third person in the blessed Godhead—the Holy Ghost.” - -“But how do you know when it takes place?” continued Emma. “Are we aware -of the time when the Holy Spirit works this great change?” - -[Sidenote: The Method of Regeneration.] “No,” replied her grandmother. -“You remember how simply and beautifully Jesus speaks of this to one who -was asking about it, and wondering about it, like _you_. That, just as -you cannot tell where the wind comes from—you hear it blowing, but -cannot tell _from where_—‘so is every one that is born of the Spirit.’ -That new birth, or change, is wrought silently in the soul. It is like -the little dew‐drops that sparkle in the morning sun, which gather -unseen and unnoticed during the night; or like the Temple of Jerusalem -of old, which was built without any noise of ‘hammer, or axe, or any -tool of iron;’—it rose without din or observation; and this is the case -with every renewed heart when it becomes a ‘temple of the Holy Ghost.’” - -“Then it takes a long time, grandmamma, before a sinner’s heart can be -changed?” - -[Sidenote: Various Modes of Operation.] “The Spirit of God, my child, -acts _how_, and _where_, and _when_ He pleases. He sometimes converts -and renews, _in a moment_, as He did the thief on the cross and the -jailer of Philippi, or the thousands at Pentecost. Sometimes He does it -_gradually_ (or by _degrees_), as in the case of Nicodemus; and -sometimes, as I trust, my dear Emma, is the case with you, He sanctifies -from infancy, changes the young heart, as He did in the case of Timothy, -and Samuel, and Jeremiah.” - -[Sidenote: Am I Regenerated?] “Oh! I am happy to hear you say so,” -replied Emma, “for I was beginning to fear that I had never felt the -Holy Spirit _changing my heart_, and that I must surely be yet -unregenerated and unsaved. Such a thought would be very awful to me.” - -“I trust, my dear child,” said her grandmother, “I have good reason to -believe that God, by His grace and Spirit, has ‘turned you from darkness -to light,’ and given you a heart to love Him and serve Him. I wish that -many little children would have such a [Sidenote: Awful Importance of -Regeneration.] _fear_ as you speak of. I wish many, too, would remember -that one little word MUST, and _who_ says it, ‘Ye _MUST_ be born -again!’” - -“Dear grandmamma,” said Emma, “I must pray more than I ever have done -for a _clean heart_. I fear, till you have been explaining this to me, I -have thought too much about my sins being washed in Jesus’ blood, and -too little about my heart being changed and made holy by Jesus’ Spirit. -I see that I need both, and will try and pray for both.” - -“It is a good resolution, my dearest,” said the other; “and the Great -God, for your encouragement in asking for a change of heart, gives you -in His own blessed Bible both a _prayer_ [Sidenote: A Prayer for it, and -its Answer.] and an _answer_. Give me your Bible,” continued she, “and, -as I feel unable to speak more to‐night, I will mark the two places to -which I refer, and you can take them with you to your own room, and read -them to yourself.” - -The good old lady kissed her little grandchild, putting two pieces of -paper at what she had so marked. Emma, saying “Good‐night,” ran -up‐stairs with her Bible in her hand, and, having shut her door, read to -herself, before she knelt down to her evening prayer, these two verses:— - -_The Prayer._—“Create in me a clean heart, O God; renew a right spirit -within me” (Ps. li. 10). - -_The Answer._—“A new heart also will I give you, and a right spirit will -I put within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your -flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh” (Ezek. xxxvi. 26). - - - FIFTH NIGHT. - -“I am now ready for you,” said old Mrs Allan, as little Emma was waiting -anxiously for the time when she might again seat herself by her -grandmother’s chair. “What am I to tell you about to‐night?” - -“I have been thinking,” replied Emma, “if you have no more to explain -about the great work in the soul of the believer, that I should like to -hear more of that glorious Being to whom the sinner owes all the -precious blessings you have been telling me of.” - -[Sidenote: Of the Person, Offices, and Work of Christ.] “I shall gladly -do so, my dear child. It is a delightful subject to converse upon the -Person, Offices, and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ, who, though He was -rich, yet for our sakes He became poor.” - -“I shall hear attentively,” said Emma, “what you have to say, as there -is much about the _Person_ of Jesus I do not rightly understand. He is -called [Sidenote: Christ the Son of God and Son of Man.] both ‘Son of -God’ and ‘Son of Man.’ I often wonder how this can be.” - -“This, my child,” replied her grandmother, “is the great mystery of -godliness, ‘God manifest in the flesh,’—but it is a glorious mystery; -and happy shall I be to speak to you upon it. - -[Sidenote: Son of God.] “The Lord Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of -God. He was ‘with God, and was God.’ Before this world, or any worlds -were made, He dwelt from everlasting with the Father. He is equal with -Him in power and in glory. If He had been an angel, or an archangel, He -could not have saved us, for the highest archangel is only a -_creature_—and one created being cannot atone for the sin of another. In -one word, if Jesus had not been _God_, He could not have been the -Saviour of man.” - -[Sidenote: Son of Man.] “But is he not spoken of,” said Emma, “also as -the Son of Man?” - -“Yes, my dear; and I must add, if He had not been man, He could not have -saved us. As our surety, it was necessary for Him to suffer and die in -the nature which had sinned—and besides, you know, that _as God_, He -could not have suffered, because the Divine nature is a spiritual one. -Therefore it is that He says, ‘A _body_ hast thou prepared Me.’” - -“I think, too,” said Emma, “it is a blessed thought that our great -Redeemer was a man. If He had been God only, He could not have felt for -us in the way He can do as the ‘Son of Man.’” - -“You are right, my dear child. This is one of the most delightful -thoughts about the person of Jesus, that He is our ‘elder brother,’ and -not ashamed to call us ‘brethren.’ He can say to all of us, ‘I know your -sorrows,’ for He was Himself ‘the Man of Sorrows,’ and felt them all.” - -[Sidenote: Titles of Jesus.] “Would you explain to me,” said the young -inquirer, “the meaning of some more of the names of the Lord Jesus -Christ?” - -[Sidenote: Immanuel.] “He is called,” said her grandmamma, “by that -beautiful word, which tells that He is both God and man, ‘_Immanuel_,’ -which means, ‘God with us.’ - -[Sidenote: Jesus.] “Then He is called ‘_Jesus_,’ because He ‘saves’ His -people—the word Jesus meaning ‘Saviour.’ - -[Sidenote: Messiah, Christ.] “Then He is called ‘_Messiah_,’ and -‘_Christ_,’ because He is the anointed of God—both words meaning -‘anointed.’ As kings, in ancient times, had anointing oil poured upon -their heads when they were set apart to their royal office, so our -blessed Saviour had the anointing oil of the Holy Spirit poured upon -Him, to qualify Him for His offices as mediator.” - -“The _Offices_ of Jesus; dear grandmamma, I have often heard these -spoken of. Will you kindly explain to me what they mean?” - -[Sidenote: The Offices of Christ.] “The Lord Jesus Christ, my dear -child, stands in different relations, and performs different acts with -regard to the Church He has redeemed with His precious blood. I shall -mention to you the three under which He is most frequently referred to. - -[Sidenote: Prophet.] “Jesus is the _Prophet_ of His Church. He is her -great Teacher. By means of His precious Word, and the influences of His -Spirit, He makes known to us His own will, and the will of God for our -salvation. - -[Sidenote: Priest.] “Jesus is the _Priest_ of His Church. A priest, you -know, in former times, offered sacrifices on the altar. Jesus is called -the ‘Great High Priest of our profession.’ He was Himself both the -Priest and the Victim, for ‘He gave Himself for us;’ and just as the -Jewish high priest of old went into the holy of holies and sprinkled on -the mercy‐seat the blood of the slain sacrifice, and prayed to God for -the people, so Jesus has carried the merits of His own blood into -heaven, and, as _our_ High Priest, is there pleading our cause at God’s -right hand. You remember, too, the high priest of old, after being -within the vail, came out to bless the waiting people. So Jesus, our -Great High Priest, will, at His second coming in glory, bless His -assembled Church, saying, ‘Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the -kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’ - -[Sidenote: King.] “Jesus also is _King_ of His Church, the ruler _in_ -it, and ruler _over_ it. He protects it from its enemies; and though -often, like the bush which Moses saw in the wilderness, it burns with -fire, He will prevent it from ever being consumed. He will continue to -reign over it as King, until all enemies be put under His feet.” - -“What a wonderful and complete Saviour, grandmamma!” exclaimed Emma. -“Jesus is so great, and yet so compassionate! I feel as if I can adore -Him as God, and yet love Him as a brother.” - -“True, most true, my dear child; He is all you need—the very Saviour you -_do_ need. It is a wonderful thought, His Godhead and His Manhood! As -God, angels and seraphs worshipped Him. As Man, little children smiled -in His arms!” - -“I love to think of Him, too,” said Emma, “as my High Priest in heaven. -It does [Sidenote: Christ’s Intercessory Work.] not make me afraid to -approach the Great God, when I have so kind a Saviour to intercede for -me.” - -“You are right, my dear,” said the other; “there is no thought more -pleasing and delightful, than that we have in glory ‘a Prince’ that has -‘power with God,’ and must ‘prevail.’ The Apostle Paul rejoiced much in -this truth. It gave him ‘boldness,’ as he calls it, to approach the -throne of grace. And the Apostle John, in his vision on the Isle of -Patmos, beheld Jesus as the Angel of the Covenant, with a ‘censer’ in -His hand. His people on earth put all their prayers into this censer, -and a fragrant cloud ascends from it before the throne.” - -“What is the meaning of that?” asked Emma. - -“It tells us, my child,” said her grandmother, “that the believer’s -poor, imperfect prayers, when sprinkled and made fragrant with the -incense of Christ’s adorable merits, ascend with acceptance into the ear -of God Himself. God hears the poorest and unworthiest of His saints, for -the sake of the work and merits of Jesus.” - -“I can now well understand,” said Emma, “how the Apostle Paul could say -with such a grateful heart, ‘Thanks be to God for His unspeakable -gift!’” - -“Yes,” replied the other, “it _is_ unspeakable—and the more you know of -Jesus, the more wonders will you discover in His person, and the more -glories in His work. Oh! seek to love him more and more every day. Let -it be your constant wish, and desire, and prayer—how can I do enough for -this Saviour who has done so much, so very much for me? - -“But I can say no more to‐night. May this blessed Saviour, my dear -child, be yours—yours now, and yours for ever!” - - - SIXTH NIGHT. - -“It is a long time,” said Emma, running to her grandmother’s side, -“since you were last able to tell me those nice things about Bible -doctrines. I have been longing much for you to be able to speak to me -again about them.” - -“I feel better and stronger now,” said old Mrs Allan, who had been for -many weeks laid aside, “and I am as happy as my little Emma can be, to -find myself once more in my old oaken chair, with her at my knee.” - -“Thank you, grandmamma,” said she, clinging affectionately to her -withered hand; “and what are you going to speak to me about to‐night?” - -“Our last conversation, my child, if I remember well, was on the -intercessory work of the Lord Jesus. I think you would like to hear me -speak of the final great act of His mediatorial reign, when He will come -at the [Sidenote: The Resurrection and Judgment.] resurrection to judge -the world.” - -“Oh, yes!” said Emma; “I should like much to hear of that awfully -glorious day. I often tremble when I think about it.” - -“It has no terrors, my child, to God’s own people. It is to them a very -joyful day—the happiest of all their lives; for then they shall be -brought to the full enjoyment of God for ever.” - -[Sidenote: Souls of Believers at Death.] “But, dear grandmamma, I -thought, when believers die, they go to heaven at the very moment of -death; that the angels of God are waiting by their pillows to carry them -into Jesus’ bosom.” - -“True—most true, my child,” replied the aged lady; “the moment the saint -closes his eyes on this world, he opens them in heaven. The souls of -believers are at their death made perfect in holiness, and do -immediately pass into glory. You perhaps remember some of the things the -Apostle Paul said in the prospect of death?” - -“Yes,” said Emma; “‘Having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ, -which is far better;’ ‘Willing rather to be absent from the body, and to -be present with the Lord.’ I remember, too, of Stephen, when his wicked -murderers were stoning him, how he cried out, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my -spirit.’” - -“Quite right, my dear; and that other saying of the Saviour to the poor -thief on the cross is more to the point still, when He said to him, -‘Verily I say unto thee, _To‐day_ shalt thou be with me in paradise.’” - -“But then, from all these verses,” said Emma, “is not heaven begun at -the hour of death?” - -“It is, my child,” replied her grandmother. “I have already told you -that, at the moment of death, the soul of the saint is made perfectly -holy, and happy too, beyond what we can now conceive; but its state of -final and complete glorification will not take place until the day of -judgment.” - -“What is it,” said the little inquirer, “which will then add to its -state of glory and blessedness?” - -[Sidenote: The Bodies of Believers.] “You know, my dear,” was the reply, -“that the _body_ of the believer is not taken to heaven at the hour of -death. It is laid in the tomb. You remember too well that sad day when -your little brother was laid in his grave in the churchyard. His happy -spirit, I believe, is now in heaven, joyful in the presence and love of -God; but his full state of glory and blessedness will not be complete -until his body is raised again on the resurrection morning. Perhaps I -should tell [Sidenote: Purchased by Christ.] you that the body, as well -as the soul, is part of the purchase of the Lord Jesus Christ. Every -particle of the saints’ dust is redeemed by His blood. The Apostle -speaks of ‘our _bodies_ and our spirits’ as ‘not our own,’ but ‘bought -with a price.’” - -“But how can this be?” inquired Emma; “do you mean that the bodies of -those who have been buried for ages will come all to life again, and the -soul be once more united to these?” - -[Sidenote: Raised from the Grave.] “Yes, my dear, it is indeed a -wonderful thought. But what cannot the power of God do? He has _said_ -that He will raise us up at the last day. Do you remember any of the -words of Jesus about this?” - -Emma thought a little, and at last turned up her Bible to the verses, -and read them: “Marvel not at this; for the hour is coming in the which -all that are in the graves shall hear His voice, and shall come forth; -they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that -have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.” “But how,” -continued she, when she had finished, and once more repeating her -question of surprise—“how, grandmamma, can this be?—does not the dead -body crumble into dust? How can the particles that have for hundreds and -thousands of years been mixed with the earth come together again?” - -“God can do anything, I answer once more,” was the reply of the other. -“We should always remember that what is impossible with man, is possible -with God. We are not without examples, my child, in the natural world, -of the wondrous changes which the power of God can produce in smaller -[Sidenote: The Doctrine of the Resurrection probable from Analogy.] -things; and this shews us (from what is called _analogy_) that we have -no right to question the doctrine I am now speaking about, however -strange and apparently impossible it may seem to be.” - -“What instances, grandmamma,” said Emma, “may I ask, do you refer to in -the outer world? I should like to understand better what you mean.” - -“I like to hear you asking for more information, dear Emma, and I shall -try to give it to you. Well, then, I know you have often seen the bright -and beautiful butterfly with its golden wings and rings of silver. Can -you believe that that lovely insect was once a little grub or -caterpillar? I see you are astonished, my dear, at what I now say; but -it is the case. During winter, these little worms lie in what is called -a _chrysalis_ state. During this time there is nothing in the least -beautiful about them—I would say rather the reverse; but all at once, -when the summer sun shines out, the little insect bursts its coating, -and is changed into a lovely butterfly or moth, with expanded wings, -flying up into the blue sky, or ranging at large amid the garden -flowers.” - -“Oh how wonderful is this!” exclaimed Emma; “and I see now, grandmamma, -what you mean. This little creature teaches me to understand how the -same mighty power of God, that changes the caterpillar into a butterfly, -can bring about the still more wonderful change in raising our vile -bodies from the grave.” - -“You are right, my child,” said her grandmother. “I am glad you have -understood me; and if I had time, I might give you other instances of a -similar kind. You have seen, for example, the farmer put the little -grains of seed into the ground; could you ever have expected that the -small pickles thrown into the earth would spring up into the rich fields -of yellow corn you have seen waving at harvest time?” - -“Oh no,” replied Emma; “I have often thought how curious this is, and -also that the little annual seed I sow in my own garden‐plot should -spring up such lovely flowers. The seed looks so small and withered -like, and the flowers are so beautiful in colour, and have such a sweet -smell.” - -“Well, my dear, does not God give us proofs in these smaller things of -what He can do in greater things. The body laid in the grave is like the -seed laid in the ground, ‘it is sown in dishonour, it is raised in -glory.’ I should like you,” continued the old lady, “to take your Bible -and read all that striking and beautiful passage of the Apostle Paul on -[Sidenote: Testimony of St Paul.] this subject.” Emma immediately opened -to the 15th chapter of 1st Corinthians, 42d verse, and read aloud as -follows:—“It is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption: it is -sown in dishonour, it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness, it is -raised in power: it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual -body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.... Behold, -I shew you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be -changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump (for -the trumpet shall sound); and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, -and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, -and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall -have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, -then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is -swallowed up in victory.” - -“What a wonderful scene that will be!” said Emma, as she closed her -Bible. “Dear grandmamma, can you tell me _when_ it will take place?” - -[Sidenote: When the Resurrection will be.] “No, my child,” replied she; -“the Bible tells us that ‘Of that day and hour knoweth no man; no, not -even the angels that are in heaven.’ God seems purposely to keep us in -the dark about the time of the coming of Jesus, that we may be always -ready for it. It matters little how long or how short it may be, -provided we are now living as we would wish we had done when we hear the -trumpet sounding.” - -“And what sort of bodies,” said Emma, “will they be that will then rise -from the graves?” - -“All that I can tell you,” replied her grandmother, “is, that they will -be glorious [Sidenote: Glory of the Resurrection Body.] bodies, -fashioned like unto Christ’s glorified body. They will be no more -subject to decay, and weakness, and disease, and death. It is said of -them, ‘They shall be like Him’ (like Jesus), and also, ‘Neither shall -they die any more.’ And surely no blessedness can be greater than -this—to be _like Jesus_, and _never_ to _die_.” - -“Oh, grandmamma!” exclaimed Emma, “I feel as if I would not be afraid to -go to the grave, after all that you have been now telling me.” - -“True, my child, the lowliest grave in yonder churchyard, if it be the -grave of a true believer, is holy ground. Perhaps angels are watching -over it, and Jesus himself counts its dust _precious_. The grave of the -wicked is a prison house, where they are detained in captivity until the -day of awful vengeance; but the grave of the saint is a casket holding a -precious jewel. It is a bed of rest, where he gently and peacefully -‘sleeps’ till awakened on the happy morning of immortality. - -“But I must here, my dear, pause for to‐night. We have been speaking so -much about this wondrous doctrine of the body’s resurrection as to -render it necessary that I should wait till another Sabbath to speak as -I promised about the day of judgment.” - - - SEVENTH NIGHT. - -“You promised, grandmamma,” said little Emma, as she found herself once -more seated by the old oaken chair, “to tell me to‐night [Sidenote: The -Last Judgment.] about the Day of Judgment. I long to hear you speak -about so solemn a subject. There is much about it I do not understand.” - -“It _is_, my child,” replied the other, “a solemn subject. It will be a -dreadful day to the wicked; but it will be a happy day to all God’s dear -children—the happiest day in their lives.” - -“Tell me, then, dear grandmamma, all that the Bible tells us about it. I -shall promise to listen with great attention.” - -[Sidenote: What it is.] “The Judgment,” answered the other, “is that -great transaction which is to take place at the end of the world, when -every man, and woman, and child, that ever lived, will be brought to -trial before God’s ‘great white throne.’ A trumpet will sound over their -graves. As I told you last Sabbath, the mouldering dust will come to -life again, and the dead, small and great, will stand before God.” - -“What a wonderful and awful thought!” exclaimed Emma; “but do you mean -to say that _all_ will be there, without any exception?” - -“All!—all!” replied the aged lady, “from Adam to the last inhabitant of -the world. There will be those who lived _before_ the flood, and _since_ -the flood. Patriarchs, and Prophets, and Apostles—Jews and -Gentiles—Pagans and Christians—rich and poor—young and old—learned and -unlearned—kings and beggars—not one will be wanting; and more still, -_you_ and _I_ will be there. _Our_ eyes will look on that vast crowd.” - -“And tell me,” continued Emma, deeply impressed with the thought, “who -is the [Sidenote: The Judge.] Judge that will be seated on the throne -you speak of? and what will He do?” - -“If you refer, my child,” said her grandmother, “to the seventeenth -chapter of Acts, thirty‐first verse, you will there read who is set -apart as Judge of the world.” Emma turned up the passage in her Bible, -and read as follows:— - -“For He hath appointed a day in the which He will judge the world in -righteousness by _that Man_ whom He hath ordained; whereof He hath given -assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised Him from the dead.” - -“Oh, I see now!” she exclaimed, as she closed her Bible; “it is the Lord -Jesus Christ who is to be Judge. It makes me glad to think of this; for -if I love and serve Him now, I will not be afraid to meet Him then. -[Sidenote: The Throne.] But why is it said that He is to be seated on a -_white_ throne?—will it really be so?” - -“I cannot tell,” replied the other, “what the _outward_ marks of majesty -will be in which He will appear, although, doubtless, these will be very -great; for it is said that He will come ‘in His glory,’ and that He is -to have ‘all His holy angels with Him.’ But He is spoken of as seated on -a great _white_ throne, to denote His awful purity and holiness; that He -will give on that day every one his due. His mercy will not interfere -with the exercise of justice and holiness, and sinners will not escape -unpunished.” - -“I think I now remember, dear grandmamma,” said Emma, “of reading in -that same chapter in Revelation which speaks of the throne of the Judge, -that He is to have [Sidenote: The Books.] some books lying open before -Him.” - -“Yes, my child, you are right; ‘the books,’ we are told, are to be -‘opened.’ What these books may be we cannot tell; but perhaps they may -be the books of the Law and the Gospel—the books of Conscience, and -Memory, and Privilege; and especially the _Great Book of Remembrance_, -in which all [Sidenote: The Book of Remembrance.] our words, and deeds, -and actions, are preserved. All that every individual has ever done will -be found recorded in it. Many will wonder when they come to see how -faithful the pen of God has been in writing down _all_;—heart sins, and -tongue sins, and life sins. I fear not a few suppose that there are many -trifling faults (or, as they call them, ‘little sins’) which they -imagine God does not think it worth while to take notice of. They will -find every one of them recorded. _They_ may have forgotten them long -ago; but they will all be brought to light again on that Great Day.” - -“If this,” exclaimed Emma, “be indeed the case, who is there but must -tremble at the thought of that day?” - -“The wicked, my child,” continued her grandmother, “will and must be -afraid to think of it. All who have not known the salvation of Jesus, -and fled to His precious blood, must be covered then with confusion and -shame. They will then be led to see, what they never saw before, what an -evil thing sin is, and what a holy being God is. But His own people will -have nothing to fear. They can say now, in the words of the beautiful -hymn— - - ‘Bold shall I stand on that great day; - For who aught to my charge can lay, - While by Thy blood absolved I am - From sin’s tremendous guilt and shame?’ - -Yes, dear Emma, they will be able to look up with joy in the face of -their Judge, and say, ‘_It is God that justifieth, who is he that -condemneth?_’” - -“But what! Do you mean, grandmamma, that God does not take account of -the sins of the righteous?” - -“No, no, my child; every one of their sins is written down as well as -those of the wicked—dreadful pages of guilt, too, that might well -overwhelm them with wrath and condemnation.” - -“How, then,” continued Emma, “can it be different with them from the -others? How can God pass over their many sins?” - -“He _does_ not—He _could_ not, my child,” replied the aged lady, “pass -any sins over. But you may have heard of _another_ book which [Sidenote: -The Book of Life.] God will have before Him on that day. It is the _Book -of Life_. There the names of all the redeemed are written. None who are -written therein can be lost! It is as if the great Judge took His pen -and drew it through every page of recorded sins, marking them all out -with the blood of the Lamb of God.” - -“But,” asked Emma, “will it not make the believer very sad and sorrowful -on that day to see such an awful record of sins? It will be enough, -surely, to bring floods of tears to his eyes.” - -“I do not wonder at your saying so, my dear; but I think the thought of -his sins will be lost in a still more wondrous and amazing one—I mean in -thinking of the work of Jesus, that could take _so many sins_ away, -making them all forgiven and forgotten, and blotted out for ever.” - -“Oh that _my_ name, dear grandmamma, were safely written there! I feel -as if I never could be for another hour happy or joyful until I felt -sure that my name was in the _Book of Life_!” - -“You have, my dear child, all the assurance necessary, if you are now -believing in the Lord Jesus—trusting in His merits—seeking to love -Him—to do what He commands—and avoid what displeases Him. Of such He -says (Rev. iii. 5), ‘I will not blot out his name out of the _Book of -Life_; but I will confess his name before my Father and before His -angels.’” - -“But tell me further,” said Emma, “how will the work of judgment -proceed?” - -“Jesus, my child, after the books have been opened, and the vast -multitude have been brought before Him, will go on to pronounce sentence -upon each. It will be a solemn scene. We read that ‘He will [Sidenote: -The Awards.] separate the righteous from the wicked as a shepherd -divideth the sheep from the goats.’ In this world the good and the bad, -the ‘tares and the wheat,’ are mixed up together. _We_ cannot tell the -holy from the unholy; but Jesus knows them all; and on that day He will -parcel all mankind into these two great classes. In one or other every -human being must be placed.” - -“On whom will He pronounce sentence first?” inquired Emma. - -“He will address the righteous first,” said her grandmother. “It will -not, indeed, be with _them_ a day of wrath. Believers, at the time of -their justification (as I explained to you on a former evening), were -dismissed with the sentence of ‘not guilty’ pronounced upon them. They -are brought before God’s throne, that there they may be ‘openly -acknowledged’—receive a public acquittal before men and angels—and -listen to that happy, happy sentence, ‘Come, ye blessed of my Father, -inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’” - -“I can well imagine their joy,” said Emma; “but what next?” - -“It will be a sadly different scene, my child. Let the words of Jesus -himself tell you of it—you will find them in the 25th chapter of -Matthew, 41st verse.” - -Emma again turned to the passage, and read, “Then shall He say also to -them on the left hand, Depart, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, -prepared for the devil and his angels.” - -“After this,” continued the aged lady, “we read no more about the doings -of that great day. The court is dissolved—the trial over. We see the -golden gates of heaven open to receive happy saints and angels; and the -miserable wicked sink down to the regions of despair! This solemn day -terminates the kingdom of grace on earth. The kingdom of glory is then -completed. The elect are gathered into it from the four quarters of -heaven. They ‘enter into the joy of their Lord.’ But this I must reserve -speaking to you about, if God spare me, till another Sabbath.” - - - EIGHTH NIGHT. - -Spring once more returned with its green fields and bright sky. The -little birds were beginning to raise their earliest notes, as if telling -one another how happy they were that winter, with its snow and its -storms, was again over, and that the fresh buds were beginning again to -appear. The small, old‐fashioned lamp, too, which was filled every -Saturday, so as to be ready for the Sabbath evening, was, from the long -twilight, no longer required. As the last rays of the setting sun were -falling through the latticed window, Emma was found once more at her -grandmother’s side. - -“I think, my dear,” said the latter, laying aside her spectacles, and -drawing her grandchild nearer her—“I think I left off speaking last -Sabbath when we were just beginning to talk of the most wondrous and -glorious of all Bible subjects.” - -“Oh yes,” replied Emma, “you had told me about the doings of the great -Day of Judgment, and you were commencing to [Sidenote: Of Heaven.] speak -about the glories of heaven, when you thought it would be better to wait -till now.” - -“Truly, my child,” said her grandmother, “I would require rather to wait -till that heaven itself begins, in order to give you any idea of its -happiness. We are told that ‘eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither -have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared -for them that love Him.’” - -“I was reading a little ago, when sitting at the window,” said Emma, -“the description of this glorious heaven given us in the last chapters -of the Bible, where it is said to be a [Sidenote: How described in -Revelation.] great city, with streets of gold like transparent glass, -walls of jasper, and foundations of precious stones. And here, too, is -another beautiful verse, grandmamma,” continued she, as her eyes glanced -over the 21st chapter of Revelation: “‘And the city had no need of the -sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it; for the glory of God did -lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.’ And here yet another -lovely description,” she added, “I love so to read it: ‘And he shewed me -a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the -throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on -either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve -manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of -the tree were for the healing of the nations.’” - -“I have not interrupted you, my dear child, in reading these beautiful -verses,” said the aged lady; “they give us a bright and glowing picture -of happiness and glory, which our minds can in no other way conceive.” - -[Sidenote: To be understood figuratively.] “But will there _indeed_ be -golden streets, and crystal walls, and all these precious stones that -are here spoken of?” inquired Emma. - -“There will be far greater magnificence, and far purer happiness,” -replied her grandmother, “than all the gold and gems this world could -give. These are just figures or emblems employed by God in His Word to -convey to us some idea of the vast glory of heaven. No earthly words, or -thoughts, or language, could describe this; and therefore, as men -consider gold and precious stones the most costly and valuable things in -the world, they are used as pictures to give us some feeble -representation of heavenly blessedness.” - -“What, then, dear grandmamma, will heaven really be? What kind of a -place is it? and how are the righteous employed when they get there?” - -[Sidenote: The Scenery of Heaven.] “I cannot tell,” replied the other, -“what character of scenery there will be in heaven, nor in what -particular spot in the universe this happy place is prepared. The Bible -does not gratify our curiosity about this. For anything that is known to -the contrary, there may be much there that we love and admire in this -world. There may be beautiful skies, and clear rivers, and gushing -fountains, and lovely flowers, and sweet music. But still, as I have -said already, regarding all these the Bible says nothing.” - -“What, then, _will_ heaven consist in, grandmamma?” inquired Emma. - -[Sidenote: Negative and Positive Blessedness.] “I was just going to say, -my child, that there are many things we know will _not_ be there, and -many things we know _will_ be there. Does little Emma think she could -tell me any of the things we have in this world that we shall _not_ have -in heaven?” - -“Oh yes,” replied the little girl, “I think I know. We shall have no -_sin_ there, and no _sorrow_ there, and no _death_ there.” - -[Sidenote: Negative.] “Quite right, my child,” said her grandmother. -“This is a world of sin, and therefore it has become a world of pain, -and sickness, and sorrow, and death; but in heaven all these will be -unknown. I thought I saw you, my dear, but yesterday seated in the -churchyard on little Robert’s tomb; and when you came home, I observed -by your eyes that you had been weeping for the loss of your little -brother. In that happy heaven I am speaking of there will be no graves -and no tears, for there will be no sin and no death to cause them.” - -“But then, dear grandmamma, will there be no other joys in heaven?” - -[Sidenote: Positive.] “Yes, yes, my child,” replied the aged lady; “I -have only spoken to you of what is _not_ in heaven. I have yet to tell -you what _is_ there. Can little Emma answer this question too, as well -as the last?” - -“I shall meet all my dear friends there,” said Emma—“my father and -mother, who were both taken from me when I was so young, and little -Robert, and you too, grandmamma, who have so kindly led me on in the way -to that happy place, and told me often how I am to get there.” - -“My dear child,” said her grandmother, “all that you have said about -meeting departed friends there is true. All who are the friends of Jesus -will meet in that happy home. I _believe_ it to be true,” she repeated, -the tear filling her eye as she spoke. “Parents will know their -children, and children their parents; and brothers and sisters will meet -never to part any more. But this is but a very small portion of the joy -of heaven. Can you not think of a far greater joy in that bright world -than even the meeting of the dearest earthly friends?” - -“Oh yes,” replied Emma, “we shall meet God!—we shall see Jesus face to -face! [Sidenote: Vision of God.] This will be the greatest, surely, of -all the glories of heaven—to dwell for ever with God, and discover more -of His grace and love!” - -“Yes, truly, my child,” said the other; “this is to heaven what the sun -is to the universe. All the other glories we can speak of are only, by -comparison, like the light of the stars to that sun, or like little -streams to the great ocean. We shall ‘see God;’ and what, perhaps, is -more wondrous still, we shall be _like_ God. Along with the holy angels, -we shall have no higher delight than doing His will. We shall feel that -in His presence ‘there is fulness of joy.’” - -“But shall we indeed _see God_?” inquired Emma; “the thought seems so -wondrous. How can this be?” - -[Sidenote: How God will be Manifested.] “Here again, dear child,” -replied her grandmother, “we must not try to be wise beyond what the -Bible has told us; for it is there said, that ‘He dwells in light that -is inaccessible and full of glory, whom no eye hath seen, neither can -see.’ That there will be some bright and glorious manifestation of His -presence I cannot doubt; but what the [Sidenote: The Presence of Jesus -in the midst of the Redeemed.] nature of this will be I cannot tell. -This we know, however, with certainty, that Jesus, our blessed Redeemer, -in His glorified human nature, will be seen and adored by the countless -multitudes of His ransomed people.” - -“I saw,” said Emma, “a verse immediately following the words I a little -ago read, which speaks of this. Here it is: ‘And _they shall see His -face_, and His name shall be in their foreheads.’” - -“Yes, my child; and you may perhaps remember some other passages which -tell the same blessed truth. Do you remember what made John so happy in -the prospect of heaven?” - -“Oh yes,” replied Emma, “I recollect now. He says with such joy, ‘We -know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall _see -Him as He is_.’” - -“Quite right, dearest,” said her grandmother; “I shall just remind you -of one more. It is the Saviour’s own last prayer for His people—‘Father, -I will that they also whom Thou hast given me be _with me where I am_, -_that they may behold my glory_.’ Do you remember the name by which -Jesus is spoken of again and again in the book of Revelation, describing -to us how He now appears in glory?” - -“Yes,” replied Emma; “I have often been struck with the title there -given to Him. He is called ‘the _Lamb that was slain_.’ I often wonder -why He should be called so, now that He is in heaven, seated on His -throne, with all His sufferings at an end.” - -“It is, my dear child,” answered the aged lady, “a very precious name. -It tells that He continues, and will continue, to wear His glorified -_human_ nature there, and that, too, through all eternity. It tells us -also that the redeemed will never cease to remember that it was to the -shedding of His precious blood that they owe every gem of their crowns.” - -“And doubtless,” said Emma, “the happy company of the saints will for -ever delight to think more and more of the love of Jesus?” - -[Sidenote: Their Contemplation of Christ’s Love.] “You are right,” said -the other. “It will assuredly be one of the greatest joys in heaven to -comprehend with all saints what is the height and depth, and length and -breadth, and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge. They -will ever be trying to know more and more of this love; but they will -never be able to understand all its meaning.” - -“I daresay, too, much that we cannot now understand will be cleared up?” -said Emma. - -“Yes, my dear,” replied her grandmother; “God’s wisdom and faithfulness -will then be as fully revealed as His love. There is much that takes -place on earth which is perplexing [Sidenote: Providences Explained in -Heaven.] to us—what we call ‘dark dealings,’—as, for example, when good -and useful lives are taken away, and evil and worthless lives are -spared; but Jesus, you remember, said, ‘What thou knowest not _now_, -thou shalt know hereafter.’ I believe we shall then not only ‘_know_,’ -but _see_, that ‘all things have been working together for good to them -that love God.’ Sore trials and afflictions will then call forth loud -songs of praise; and it will be made manifest that the Judge of all the -earth had done right.” - -“And will all these blessed saints,” inquired Emma, “be equally holy and -happy?” - -“They will all, my dear, be _holy_,” said the old lady, “for ‘without -holiness no one could see God,’ far less enjoy Him; and they will all, -too, be _happy_—not one tear will be in their bright faces. But I -believe, too, that some [Sidenote: Degrees of Bliss in Heaven.] will be -happier than others. _All_ will be like vessels full to the brim with -glory and happiness; but some vessels will be larger than others, and -able, therefore, to contain more happiness. We read that they shall -differ ‘as one star in the firmament differs from another star in -glory.’ Some stars are of a larger size than others; some are nearer the -sun than others: so those who have lived nearer Jesus on earth, and -loved Him with larger hearts, will be nearer Him in heaven. While _all_, -therefore, who are believers will be happy, those will be happiest who -are walking closest with God now. If you will turn to the twelfth -chapter of Daniel, you will find there a striking verse, telling of -different degrees of coming happiness. Here it is,” continued the old -lady, pointing her little grandchild to the third verse: “‘They that be -wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn -many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.’” - -“Oh! what a glorious, happy prospect, dear grandmamma! Would that I -could feel sure of being one even of these feeblest stars!” - -[Sidenote: How Heaven is Obtained.] “There is but one way, my child,” -replied the other, “of joining that bright company of which we have been -speaking. It is the blood of Jesus alone that can open these glorious -gates. But that blood _has_ opened them, and keeps them open still, to -the chief of sinners. That blessed Redeemer seems still to stand at the -gate of heaven, and say, ‘I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he -shall be saved.’ - -“But I feel, my dear Emma, that my strength is failing, and I am unable -to speak more to you this evening. Give me your Bible, and I shall -double down the leaf at my favourite description of the joys of heaven.” -She accordingly took her little grandchild’s Bible, and putting a mark -with her aged finger at the seventh chapter of Revelation, thirteenth -verse, returned it to her again, saying, “Should you, my child, be with -me at my dying hour, when my tongue is too feeble to speak, remember to -read to me that sweet passage. I have often wished that I might have -some one to read to me these words when I pass through the Dark Valley.” - -[Sidenote: Conclusion.] Little did Emma suppose that the words which now -fell upon her ear would so soon come true. A few weeks only passed by, -when her grandmother was laid upon a bed of sickness and pain, which -soon proved a bed of death. The aged saint bore up under her sufferings -with calmness and fortitude. She was kept in perfect peace, for her mind -was stayed on God. Her dear little grandchild was her faithful companion -during her last hours. The night before her death, when she was fast -sinking, and her lips getting paler and paler, Emma remembered -faithfully the request made to her. The tear started to her eye as she -opened her Bible, and saw the leaf still folded down. She read it with a -trembling voice. The poor old sufferer was able to do no more than clasp -her withered hands as the happy sentences fell on her ears. When she had -fallen asleep in Jesus, and was laid in the churchyard which she had so -often looked to from her window, Emma delighted to go with her Bible in -her hand, and, sitting on the green turf which covered her grave, to -read the well‐known passage: “And one of the elders answered, saying -unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence -came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, -These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed -their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are -they before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His -temple: and He that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They -shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun -light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb, which is in the midst of the -throne, shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of -waters; and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.” - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - Transcriber’s Notes - - -A Table of Contents has been added for convenience. - -In the caption for the frontispiece, “Grandmama” has been changed to -“Grandmamma” to make it consistent with the rest of the project. - -On page 46, “in” has been corrected to “on” at “vision on the Isle of -Patmos.” - -Obvious punctuation errors have been silently corrected. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Little Child's Book of Divinity, by -John Ross Macduff - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LITTLE CHILD'S BOOK OF DIVINITY *** - -***** This file should be named 52001-0.txt or 52001-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/2/0/0/52001/ - -Produced by Heiko Evermann, Lisa Anne Hatfield and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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