WHAT A LITTLE CHILD CAN DO.
Mrs. Frankham often passed Ben on the road to and from school, and
she always had a kindly smile for him, and sometimes a pleasant
cheering word.
"Are you still trying to be a brave little soldier?" she asked the
morning after the adventure in the wood. And when Ben answered with
a nod--"Yes, ma'am, as hard as I can:" she replied--"That's right;
the Good Captain is watching, and it will be worth all the trouble
when we get His smile."
Ben gave her a pleased look.
"Please ma'am, I heard father say last night he wanted to speak to
you about going to see a poor man, who is ill and is not happy. I
think he is going to die. Do go and see him!"
"That I will most gladly: and will you go too?"
"If you'll let me," replied Ben, "I would like to go and take him
some flowers--he likes flowers."
"I will come in after dinner, and speak to mother about it, Ben.
By-the-bye, when does father come in--mid-day?"
"A quarter-past one till a quarter to two," replied the little boy.
"Very well, I will try to come then, and I shall bring some roses
with me."
At the appointed time Mrs. Frankham called at Wood Cottage, and heard
all that Harry Gray could tell about John Craig.
She was very much interested in the account of the family, and
started off with Ben to pay them a visit. Mrs. Craig received her
visitors very gladly.
"I am so anxious that poor John should get peace and rest in his
Saviour, for I fear he has taken his father's complaint, and it may
be he will never rise from his bed again. He is used to my words,
and though he listens he seems to get little good; but from you
perhaps the arrow will strike him."
"If the Lord guide it. I trust He will give the right word, my
friend."
Mrs Craig led the lady and Ben into the neat little room, where John
lay, and after speaking a few kind words to the sick man, Mrs.
Frankham said "This little boy told me about you: he was so anxious I
should come and speak to you: he has brought you some flowers, for he
says you are fond of flowers."
"So I am," replied John, faintly, and eagerly taking them from Ben's
hand, he put them in a little glass, where the fragrant smell reached
him. "I like little boys too, I am so fond of little children."
Ben sat on a stool near the bed, and the sick man scarcely took his
eyes off him for some minutes, not till he forgot everything else in
his desire to lay hold of the Words of Life.
"What I want," said he, "is some one to speak to me of the Saviour.
I have wandered from Him, and want to get back, if He will have me;
but I sometimes wonder if He will."
"You doubt His willingness. Listen, His word says--'If we confess
our sins, _He_ is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and
cleanse us from _all_ unrighteousness' (1 John i. 9). _He_ is
faithful. We forget Him; He never forgets us. It is sad to grieve
Him, but the only way is to confess it to Him, take a humble place
before Him, and He will pardon for His own name's sake."
"Tell me more; I see it plainer now," said John; and as he spoke a
fit of coughing racked his feeble frame.
Little Ben was sitting and watching first one and then the other
intently.
Mrs. Frankham continued, "In order to get rest and peace we need to
see that we were lost; could do nothing to save ourselves; but that
Jesus stretched out a strong arm to save us. He undertook our cause,
and bore our sin in His own body on the cross. _There_ God punished
sin. _There_ Jesus put it away, and rose without it; and from heaven
He offers a free pardon to all who flee to Him--who put their trust
in Him."
A smile lighted up the face of the sick man, and he forgot himself
and his unfaithfulness, and began to praise the Saviour. After a few
more words, Mrs. Frankham said--
"Can you rest in His love now?"
"Yes; I can," he replied.
"Don't look into yourself then, but fix your eye on Him. Shall we
pray together before we part?"
"Yes, I was turning round for it," he said, trying to change his
position in the bed.
The lady prayed that Satan's fiery darts might be quenched by the
poor sufferer keeping up the shield of faith, and that his eye might
be fixed on Jesus.
Then Ben and she left, both promising to come back again the next
afternoon.
The little boy was much concerned about poor John, and very anxious
to know that he was going to live with Jesus in heaven.
Next morning he rose early, and going into the field, plucked a posy
of the best wild flowers he could, and then set off to Mrs. Craig's
cottage and left them with her, for poor John.
The old mother was delighted with the little boy's thoughtfulness,
and she asked him in to see her son, who was also glad to speak a few
kind words to Ben, and thank him heartily for the flowers.
"I should like something with a strong smell," he said. "It
refreshes me."
Ben returned and searched the garden until he found a piece of
Southernwood, or "old man," as it is called. Then, after school, he
watched for Mrs. Frankham, and, all excitement, he cried out as soon
as he saw her at the gate, "The poor sick man wanted a bit of
something sweet, and I've got a bit of 'old man.' Come and see him.
Do come and tell him more; I want to see him again."
"I thought of going on a little farther first, Ben," she said
smiling; but as he urged her to go at once, she consented, and they
set off to the little red cottage.
Again a warm welcome was given, and John held the Southernwood
between his hands, that the scent might revive him, while Mrs. Craig
took Ben into the next room to show him some of John's attempts at
painting, of which the mother was very proud. Mrs. Frankham told
John of Ben's anxiety to come and see him, and how he wanted to know
that his soul was safe.
The young man seemed much struck with the little child's desire, and
it greatly pleased him.
"Satan has been trying to tempt me to doubt, but my Saviour is near,
and now if it pleases Him to take me I am both ready and willing to
go."
He spoke of his own worthlessness, and the Saviour's love, and
pointed to a text which had been given him, "Whosoever will, let him
take the water of life freely" (Rev. xxii. 17).
He never doubted his Saviour's love and power again; instead, the
blessed name of Jesus was ever on his lips till he was called home
about a fortnight later.
Little Ben was very glad that John was gone to be with Jesus, and
after this he was a frequent visitor at Mrs. Craig's. They liked to
have him there, and Michael took a great interest in the boy. Many a
ramble did Ben get in the wood, by the gamekeeper's side; he knew how
to escape the traps he had once feared, and Michael liked to hear him
talk and repeat his little texts. "Jesus Christ the same yesterday,
to-day, and for ever" (Heb. xiii. 8), was still a great favourite
with him.
Mrs. Craig did sorrow of course, but she was very glad and thankful
that her son had gone home so happily, and she was very grateful to
Mrs. Frankham for coming so many times to see him. Harry Gray, and
his wife too, had stepped in several times and read passages from the
Word of God to him. Michael was often away when the visitors called,
but the death of his brother had had a great effect on both him and
his wife, and they seemed anxious to hear the truth.