"I am very sure that you never can do anything to make God forgive you,
dear Willie; and yet I am sure that God _will_ forgive you if you seek
Him through the Mediator He has given us. God loves to be gracious. If
you really are sorry for what you have done, if you repent, not because
your fault has brought you into trouble and disgrace, but because you
have offended God, then God will assuredly pardon you, for He has
promised in His Holy Word to do so. He says `Knock and it shall be
opened to you, seek and ye shall find'; so you see, dear Willie, you may
be pardoned if you seek it in the right way."
And she spoke of God's love in sending His blessed Son to save us from
our sins, and of the Holy Spirit that He gives us to soften our hard
hearts and make them tender, as well as to teach us always what we ought
to do.
When she ceased speaking he was sobbing, but not bitterly.
"Pray for me, Anna," said he; "I am not able to pray for myself."
"Oh, be sure all those who love you will pray for you," she answered,
kissing him. "Papa and mamma pray for us night and morning, I am
certain of that; and it makes me very happy and confident to think so.
But still, dear Willie, remember always that we must pray for
ourselves."
"Yes, I know, and I will try," said William, as his sister left the
room.
The evening approached. Charles brought him up some tea and
bread-and-butter, but said nothing. No one else came near him, not even
Frank. He thought that Frank might have come, but still he could not
complain. How different had been his brother's conduct and his own
towards poor Old Moggy! He had thought her a witch, and thrown stones
at her, and called her all sorts of bad names; while brave Frank had
risked burning himself to save her, and had kindly treated her, and
given her money, and come back to see how she was faring.
"And they say that there are no such things as witches, or ugly ghosts
wandering about, or such-like creatures," he thought to himself. "I
always fancied there were, but papa must be right, and I am sure I hope
that there are not. And as God loves us I don't think He would let such
things be, to come and frighten us, certainly not to harm or frighten
those who love Him. How very, very foolish I have been, to believe all
the nonsense I have heard."
With these thoughts, repentant Willie fell asleep. He did not see that
his parents entered, when the rest of the family were gone to bed, and
bending over him observed how placidly he slept. Then they knelt down
together and earnestly prayed for his spiritual welfare. He had sorely
felt their absence all day, and was inclined to believe that their love
was estranged from him. How far was this from the truth! Thus it is
that our Heavenly Father deals with His erring children. He shuts
Himself out from them. He allows evil to overtake them, but not the
less does He love them. He thus afflicts them that they may more fully
feel their dependence on Him, and return like the prodigal to His arms.