The Man from Glengarry: A Tale of the OttawaConnor, Ralph
History
The Man from Glengarry: A Tale of the Ottawa
Connor, Ralph
Canada -- History -- 19th century -- Fiction; Christian fiction; Glengarry (Ont.) -- Fiction
“And this is the word of the Lord this night to me,” the elder went on,
his voice losing its tremor and ringing out strong and clear: “'There is
none righteous, no, not one, for all have sinned and come short of the
glory of God. He that believeth shall be saved, and he that believeth
not shall be damned.' That is my message, and it is laid upon me as a
sore burden to hear the voice of the Lord in this solemn Providence, and
to warn one and all to flee from the wrath to come.”
He paused long, while men could hear their hearts beat. Then, raising
his voice, he cried aloud: “Woe is me! Alas! it is a grievous burden.
The Lord pity us all, and give grace to this stricken family to kiss the
rod that smites.”
At this word the old man's voice suddenly broke, and he sat down amid
an awful silence. No one could misunderstand his meaning. As the awful
horror of it gradually made its way into her mind, Mrs. Cameron threw up
her apron over her head and rocked in an agony of sobs, while Long John
sat with face white and rigid. Bella Peter, who had been gazing with
a fascinated stare upon the old elder's face while he was speaking his
terrible words, startled by Mrs. Cameron's sobs, suddenly looked wildly
about as if for help, and then, with a wild cry, fled toward the door.
But before she had reached it a strong hand caught her and a great
voice, deep and tender, commanded her: “Wait, lassie, sit down here a
meenute.” It was Macdonald Bhain. He stood a short space silent before
the people, then, in a voice low, deep, and thrilling, he began: “You
have been hearing the word of the Lord through the lips of his servant,
and I am not saying but it is the true word; but I believe that the Lord
will be speaking by different voices, and although I hev not the gift,
yet it is laid upon me to declare what is in my heart, and a sore heart
it is, and sore hearts hev we all. But I will be thinking of a fery
joyful thing, and that is that 'He came to call, not the righteous, but
sinners,' and that in His day many sinners came about Him and not one
would He turn away. And I will be remembering a fery great sinner who
cried out in his dying hour, 'Lord, remember me,' and not in vain. And
I'm thinking that the Lord will be making it easy for men to be saved,
and not hard, for He was that anxious about it that He gave up His own
life. But it is not given me to argue, only to tell you what I know
about the lad who is lying yonder silent. It will be three years since
he will be coming on the shanties with me, and from the day that he left
his mother's door, till he came back again, never once did he fail me in
his duty in the camp, or on the river, or in the town, where it was fery
easy to be forgetting. And the boys would be telling me of the times
that he would be keeping them out of those places. And it is not soon
that Dannie Ross will be forgetting who it was that took him back from
the camp when the disease was upon him and all were afraid to go near
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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