Overland journeys to the Pacific -- Juvenile fiction; Shawnee Indians -- Juvenile fiction; Siksika Indians -- Juvenile fiction
"Was not that Father kind? Could any father be as good to his children
as God was to those He put on the earth to live together? Should not
those children love Him and try to live as He wished them to live? But
they were wicked and did not care for Him. They fought and killed one
another and did all they could to offend their Heavenly Father. They
were so bad that bye and bye He turned away His face in anger. He would
have slain them as they deserved, but He had a Son, good and pure like
Himself. This Son took the load of all the sins of the world on his
heart. He came to the earth and told the people how sad God was because
they did evil. Some heeded His words, but bad men took the Son, whom we
call our Saviour, because He saved us all--you and me and
everybody--and they drove nails through his hands and feet, and let Him
hang on two crosspieces of wood till He died the most painful of
deaths. He could have killed those who treated Him so cruelly, but He
chose to die so that the way would be opened for all men and women and
children to come to God, who was angry no longer, because the Son had
taken their place and suffered in their stead.
"The Great Spirit, whom we call God or our Heavenly Father, has made
the path so straight and so free from briars that the smallest child
can walk therein without harm. He wants you to become Christians and to
believe in Him. A Christian is one who does all he can to make others
happy. You must not go to war, and only fight when others attack you or
those whom you love. You must be merciful and forgiving. Never cause
anyone to suffer. Give food to the hungry, help those who have fallen
to climb to their feet, take them by the hand and lead them if they are
weak. Think all the time of new ways of making other persons smile. You
must pray to God every morning and night and, when you have the chance,
through the day. If you do this, a sweet peace, such as you have never
known before, will come into your heart. You will not care for pain or
hunger or thirst or suffering, for the happiness of pleasing your
Heavenly Father will make you forget all these. When you die He will
carry you to those blessed hunting grounds, where you shall meet all
the friends who have gone on before and where you and they shall be
happy forevermore."
During the utterance of this simple plea the Big Lodge was as still as
the tomb. It is safe to believe that not a man or woman present failed
to be impressed, for every person, savage or civilized, pagan or
Christian, is profoundly interested in the most transcendant theme that
can engage the human mind--the saving of man's soul and the preparation
for the life to come. None other can compare with it. It is the one
supreme question of the ages.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account