The Life of Jesus Christ for the Young, Vol. 4: And His Life Depicted in a Gallery of Eighty PaintingsNewton, Richard
Religion
The Life of Jesus Christ for the Young, Vol. 4: And His Life Depicted in a Gallery of Eighty Paintings
Newton, Richard
Jesus Christ -- Art; Jesus Christ -- Biography -- Juvenile literature
Nellie was faithfully carrying out the last command of Jesus, when she
tried so lovingly to get her friend Bessie to stand with her and confess
him before men. By our efforts to bring those around us to Jesus, we may
help to carry out that last command of his.
We can do this also—_by our gifts_. There is no better use to make of our
money than to give it to help in sending the gospel of Jesus to those who
do not know him. And the smallest sums are often very useful when given
for this purpose. Here is a story of a poor little orphan girl who had
earned six cents by running errands, and of the great good that was done
by her gift. Her name was Dixey, and we may call the story:
“Dixey’s Six Cents.” One day, a pale-faced little girl walked hurriedly
into a book store in Boston, and said to the man at the counter: “Please
sir, I want a book that’s got, ‘Suffer little children to come unto me,’
in it; and how much is it sir? and I’m in a great hurry.”
The bookseller wiped his spectacles, and looking down at the poor child,
he took her thin little hand in his, and said: “What do you want the book
for my child? and why are you in such a hurry?”
“Well, sir, you see, I went to Sunday-school, last Sunday, when Mrs.
West, the woman who takes care of me, was away; and the teacher read
about a Good Shepherd, who loves little children, and who said these
words. And the teacher told us about a beautiful place where he takes
care of his children and makes them all happy, and I want to go there.
“I’m so tired of being where there’s nobody to care for a girl like me,
only Mrs. West who says I’d better be dead than alive.”
“But why are you in such a hurry, my child?”
“My cough’s getting so bad now, sir, and I want to know about him before
I die; it would be so strange to see him and not know him. Besides, if
Mrs. West knew I was here she’d take away the six cents I’ve saved from
running errands, to buy the book with, so I’m in a hurry to get served.”
The bookseller wiped his spectacles again, and taking a book from the
shelf, he said, “I’ll find the words you want, my child; listen while I
read them.” Then he turned to St. Luke xviii: 16, and read to her the
sweet words of the loving Saviour. After reading them he told her about
the Good Shepherd; how he came down from heaven to seek and save the lost
sheep; how he suffered and died for us that we might live; and about the
bright and beautiful home in heaven, which he has prepared for all who
love and serve him.
“Oh, how sweet that is!” said the earnest and almost breathless little
listener. “He says—‘Come.’ I’ll go to him. How long do you think it’ll be
sir, before I see him?”
“Not long, I think,” said the bookseller, turning away his head to hide
the tears that were running down his cheeks. “Now you can keep the six
cents and come here every day, and I will read to you some more out of
this Book.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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