The rocky island, and other similitudesWilberforce, Samuel
Religion
The rocky island, and other similitudes
Wilberforce, Samuel
Allegories; Children's stories, English; Christian life -- Juvenile fiction; Conduct of life -- Juvenile fiction; Short stories
Now it so happened, that just by where they stood was a great shop, and
in its windows there seemed to shine precious stones and jewels, and fine
crystals, and gold and ivory. And, as he looked, his eyes fell full upon
the shop, and he said to his fellow,--"Look here; surely here is what we
want: let us turn in here and traffic for our master, and then we shall
escape all this rout which is coming upon us." "No, no!" said the other;
"we must push on to the market; that is our appointed place; there our
lord bids us trade: we must not turn aside from the trouble which our
lateness has brought upon us--we must not offer to our master that which
costs us nothing. Play the man, and we shall soon be in the market."
"But we shall be torn in pieces," said the other. "Look at the great
crowd: and even now it seems that our old companion sees me, and is
beginning to lead the rabble upon us." "Never fear," said he who led the
way; "our king will keep us. 'I will not be afraid for ten thousands of
the people who have set themselves against us round about.'"
Then I saw that he to whom he spoke did not seem to hear these last
words, for the master of the shop had noticed how he cast his eyes upon
the goods that were in the window, and was ready in a moment to invite
him in. "Come in, come in," he said, "before the crowd sweep you away;
come in and buy my pearls, and my diamonds, and my precious stones; come
in, come in." And while he halted for a moment to parley with the man,
the crowd came upon them, and he was parted from his friend, who had held
up his fainting steps; and so he sprung trembling into the shop, scarcely
thinking himself safe even there.
Now the man into whose house he had turned, though he was a fair-spoken
man, and one who knew well how to seem honest and true, was altogether a
deceiver. All his seeming jewels, and diamonds, and pearls, were but
shining and painted glass, which was worth nothing at all to him who was
so foolish as to buy it: but this the servant knew not. If it had been
in the bright clear light of the morning, he would easily have seen that
the diamonds and the pearls were only sparkling and painted glass, and
the gold nothing but tinsel; but the bright light of the morning had
passed away, and in the red slanting light of the evening sun he could
not see clearly; and so the false man persuaded him, and he parted with
all the rich treasures which his king had given him, and got nothing for
them in exchange which was worth the having, for he filled his bag with
bits of painted glass, which his lord would never accept.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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