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
“A Boy with the Spirit of Christ.” Two boys—Bob Jones and Ben
Christie—were left alone in a country school-house between the morning
and afternoon sessions. Contrary to the master’s express orders Bob Jones
set off some fireworks. When afternoon school began, the master called
up the two boys, to find out who had done the mischief.
“Bob, did you set off those fireworks?”
“No, sir,” said Bob.
“Did you do it, Ben?” was the next question.
But Ben refused to answer; and so the master flogged him severely for his
obstinacy.
At the afternoon recess the boys were alone together. “Ben, why didn’t
you deny it?” asked his companion.
“Because there were only us two there, and one of us must have lied,”
said Ben.
“Then why didn’t you say I did it?”
“Because you had said you didn’t, and I would rather take the flogging
than fasten the lie on you.”
Bob’s heart melted under this. Ben’s noble spirit quite overcame him. He
felt that he never could allow his companion to lie under the charge of
the wrong that he had done.
As soon as the school began again, Bob marched up to the master’s desk,
and said:
“Please, sir, I can’t bear to be a liar. Ben Christie didn’t set off
these fire-crackers. I did it, and he took the flogging rather than
charge me with the lie.” And then Bob burst into tears.
The master looked at him in surprise. He thought of the unjust punishment
Ben had received, his conscience smote him, and his eyes filled with
tears. Taking hold of Bob’s hand, they walked to Ben Christie’s seat;
then the master said aloud:
“Ben, Ben, my lad, Bob and I have done you wrong; we both ask your
pardon!”
The school was hushed and still as the grave. You might almost have heard
Ben’s big-boy tears dropping on his book. But, in a moment, dashing
the tears away, he cried out—“Three cheers for the master.” They gave
three cheers. And then Bob Jones added—“And now three cheers for Ben
Christie”—and they made the school-house ring again with three rousing
cheers for Ben.
Ben Christie was acting in the spirit of Christ in what he did that day.
And in doing so he did good to his companion, Bob Jones. He did good to
the master, and to every scholar in the school.
And there is no way in which we can do so much real good to all about us
as by trying to catch the spirit and follow the example of our blessed
Saviour.
And so, when we think of Jesus in Gethsemane, let us never forget _the
facts and the lessons_ connected with that sacred place. The facts are
too many to be repeated. The lessons are four. There is the lesson about
prayer; the lesson about sin; the lesson about submission; and the lesson
about tenderness.
And, as we leave this solemn subject, we may each of us say, in the words
of the hymn:
“Can I Gethsemane forget?
Or there thy conflict see,
Thine agony and bloody sweat,
And not remember thee?
“Remember thee, and all thy pains,
And all thy love to me;
Yes, while a breath, a pulse remains,
Will I remember thee.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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