“Tell awa',” she said, resuming her seat “What do they ca' Him?”
“They ca' Him the Father o' Jesus Christ.”
“I'll gang wi' ye,” she answered.
So the church was increased by a whole half, and the fraction of a
chicken--type of the groaning creation, waiting for the sonship.
The three gathered to read and pray. And almost always there was some
creature with them in the arms or hands of Dawtie. And if the Lord was
not there, too, then are we Christians most miserable, for we see a
glory beyond all that man could dream, and it is but a dream! Whose
dream?
They went on at other times with the usual employments and games of
children. But there was this difference between them and most grown
Christians, that when anything roused thought or question they at once
referred it to the word of Jesus, and having discovered His will, made
haste to do it. It naturally followed that, seeing He gives the spirit
to them that obey Him, they grew rapidly in the modes of their Master,
learning to look at things as He looked at them, to think of them as He
thought of them, to value what He valued, and despise what He
despised--all in simplest order of divine development, in uttermost
accord with highest reason, the whole turning on the primary and
continuous effort to obey.
It was long before they came to have any regular time of meeting. Andrew
always took the initiative in assembling the church. When he called they
came together. Then he would read from the story, and communicate any
discovery he had made concerning what Jesus would have them do. Next,
they would consult and settle what they should ask for, and one of them,
generally Andrew, but sometimes Sandy, would pray. They made no formal
utterance, but simply asked for what they needed. Here are some
specimens of their petitions:
“Oh, Lord, Sandy canna for the life o' 'im un'erstan' the rule o' three;
please, Lord, help him.”
“Oh, Lord, I dinna ken onything I want the day; please gi'e us what we
need, an' what ye want us to hae, wi'oot our askin' it.”
“Lord, help us; we're ill-natnr'd (_bad-tempered_) the day; an' ye wadna
hae us that.”
“Lord, Dawtie's mither has a sair heid (_headache_); mak her better,
gien ye please.”
When their prayers were ended Andrew would say: “Sandy, have you found
anything He says?” and there-upon, if he had, Sandy would speak. Dawtie
never said a word, but sat and listened with her big eyes, generally
stroking some creature in her lap.
Surely the part of every superior is to help the life in the lower!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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