The Poorhouse Waif and His Divine Teacher: A True StoryByrum, Isabel C. (Isabel Coston)
Religion
The Poorhouse Waif and His Divine Teacher: A True Story
Byrum, Isabel C. (Isabel Coston)
Christian life -- Fiction; United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Fiction
"I'm glad, Edwin, that you have at last found out what it means to be
converted. But of course you will have to join the church. You can go with
us to our church every Sunday if you want to, and after you go a while they
will tell you whether they want you to become a member."
Edwin gladly accepted the invitation, and then after telling what Mrs.
Kauffman had said about the Bible, he asked Mr. Miller if he would buy him
a copy the next time he went to the city. The latter said that he would do
the best that he could. When the smoking-hour arrived, Edwin remained, but
to visit, not to smoke. He cared no longer for his pipe, for the appetite
for tobacco was all gone.
Although Edwin was disappointed a number of times because of his employer's
forgetfulness to do his errand, a few weeks after the camp-meeting had
closed, a little red leather pocket Testament in both the German and
English languages was placed in his hand, and what a treasure it was! The
price that Edwin had paid for it seemed very small indeed, but he did not
know that the little volume was only a part of the wonderful book of which
he had heard such thrilling accounts.
In the days that followed a great longing to read the sacred pages of his
little Testament came into his heart, but even to have the little book in
his possession was a great comfort, and very often he drew it from his
pocket and pressed it to his heart while he was at his work.
On Sunday, Edwin never failed to go with Mr. and Mrs. Miller to the little
church that was on the corner where the roads met and crossed, and he was
still as earnest and anxious to learn as he had been at the camp-meeting;
but the difficulty of the language was ever before him, and his extreme
ignorance concerning the Bible was very noticeable.
At last when the subject concerning whether he should be accepted as a
candidate for a member of their denomination arose, a lengthy discussion
among the most prominent brethren followed, and it was decided in Edwin's
hearing that he was far too ignorant on Bible lines ever to amount to
anything among them. It would therefore, they said, be best to drop the
matter at once.
"Think of it!" said one, "it doesn't stand to reason that any one with so
little education and knowledge concerning the Bible could be so easily
converted. He will be like a wave of the sea--lost and forgotten, in a very
short time. Why, he can't even understand the preaching yet or the things
that you try to explain to him! To my mind his case isn't worth bothering
with."
After Edwin had heard this man's reasoning and had found that it was the
decision of all, he was given an opportunity to speak for himself. He said:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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