Gathering Jewels: The Secret of a Beautiful Life: In Memoriam of Mr. & Mrs. James Knowles. Selected from Their Diaries.Knowles, James
Religion
Gathering Jewels: The Secret of a Beautiful Life: In Memoriam of Mr. & Mrs. James Knowles. Selected from Their Diaries.
Knowles, James
Allen Street Presbyterian Church (New York, N.Y.); Knowles, James, 1811-1886; Knowles, Matilda Darroch, 1811-1886
"MARCH 6th.--Poor Mrs. L. was visited to-day; she has been suffering
for years from rheumatism. As I went in I said, 'Mrs. L., is Jesus
precious to-day?' The tears came to her eyes as she said, 'I fear I
have grieved Him to-day; I felt like murmuring because my pain has
been so great.' I told her Jesus understood her, and knew she did
not mean to murmur. And then I read to her how He had a feeling for
our infirmities, being Himself tried and tempted; and so she was
comforted, and became quite cheerful. On leaving her I felt what a
blessed privilege it is to be able to comfort the sick poor. A poor
brother sent to my house to-day for something to nourish him, as he
felt quite weak. I prepared some broth and gave it to him, which he
ate with a relish, and that passage from the word came to my mind,
'Inasmuch as ye have done it to one of the least of these, ye have
done it unto me.'
"MARCH 8th.--Felt much wearied with visits and climbing stairs, and
was glad to return to a cheerful fireside, and settle for the
evening; but before I had removed my rubbers, a knock at the door
assured me some call had come for me, and so it proved. A child of
one of my families came to say her mother was ill, and wanted to see
me. This woman, a few months before, did not seem to care for
religion, and would not hear me read, saying she had no time for it;
she had to earn her living without listening to what did not concern
her. But when she came to lie upon a bed of suffering, she thought
of me first, and found the word of God was just what she wanted; and
as I read the words, 'Whosoever cometh unto me I will in no wise
cast out,' the tears ran down her cheeks, and she at once cast
herself upon Christ, taking him for her Saviour, and her face shone.
As I left her my soul rejoiced, though it was far in the night when
I returned home, that I had been permitted to point one soul to the
'Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world.'
"'Oh! that all the world my Jesus knew,
Then all the world would love Him too.'
"One poor woman asked me if I would get her a Bible, and she would
pay twenty-five cents a month. I promised, and am rejoiced at
finding so many that seem eager for Bibles; quite a number have
asked for them, and I trust it may prove a lamp unto their feet and
a light unto their path.
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