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[Illustration: "Give it to the poor woman with the sick baby," whispered
Effie--CHAPTER III]
EFFIE MAURICE
OR
What do I Love Best
A TALE
London
GALL AND INGLIS, 25 PATERNOSTER SQUARE;
_AND EDINBURGH_.
Contents.
CHAPTER
I. THE FIRST COMMANDMENT
II. PLANS PROPOSED
III. NEW YEAR'S DAY
IV. THE MISER
V. THE POOR WIDOW
VI. GENEROSITY AND JUSTICE
VII. THE NEW BOOK
VIII. ANOTHER OF MR. MAURICE'S LESSONS
IX. THE FUNERAL
EFFIE MAURICE
OR
What do I Love Best
CHAPTER I.
'Thou shalt have no other gods before me.'
'Mother,' said little Effie Maurice, on a Sabbath evening in winter, 'Mr
L---- said to-day that we are all in danger of breaking the first
commandment,--do you think we are?'
'Did not Mr L. give you his reasons for thinking so?'
'Yes, mother.'
'Didn't you think he gave good reasons?'
'I suppose he did, but I could not understand all he said, for he
preached to men and women. Perhaps he thought children were in no danger
of breaking it.'
'Well, bring your Bible--'
'O mother, I can say all the commandments, every word. The first is,
"Thou shalt have no other gods before me." I thought this was for the
Burmans and Chinese, and all those who worship idols where the
missionaries go.'
'The poor heathen are not the only idolaters in the world, my child; we
have many of them in our own Christian land.'
'What! _here_, mother? Do people worship idols in this country?'
'Yes, my dear, I fear we do.'
'_We_ do, mother? You don't mean to say that you, and papa, and Deacon
Evarts, and all such good people, worship idols?'
'Do you suppose, Effie, that all the idols or false gods in the world
are made of wood and stone?'
'Oh no, mother, I read in my Sunday-school book of people's worshipping
animals, and plants, and the sun, and moon, and a great many of the
stars.'
'And gold and silver, and men, women and children, did you not?'
'Yes mother.'
'Well, if a man loves gold or silver better than he loves God, does it
make any difference whether he has it made into an image to pray to, or
whether he lays it away in the shape of silver dollars and gold eagles?'
Effie sat for a few moments in thought, and then suddenly looking up,
replied,--'Men don't worship dollars and eagles.'
'Are you sure?' inquired Mrs Maurice.
'I never heard of any one who did.'
'You mean you never heard of one who prayed to them; but there are a
great many people who prefer money to anything else, and who honour a
fine house, fine furniture, and fine dress, more than the meek and quiet
spirit which God approves.'
'And then money is the god of such people, I suppose, and they are the
ones that break the first commandment?'
'Not the only ones, my dear; there are a great many earthly gods, and
they are continually leading us away from the God of heaven. Whatever we
love better than Him, becomes our God, for to that we yield our
heart-worship.'
'I never thought of that before, mother. Yesterday, Jane Wiston told me
that her mother didn't visit Mrs Aimes because she was poor; and when I
told her that you said Mrs Aimes was very pious, she said it did not
make any difference, ladies never visited there. Is Mrs Wiston's god
money?'
'If Mrs Wiston, or any other person, honours wealth more than humble,
unaffected piety, she disobeys the first commandment. But in judging of
others, my dear, always remember that _you cannot see the heart_, and
so, however bad the appearance may be, you have a right to put the best
possible construction on every action.'
'How can I believe that Mrs Wiston's heart is any better than her
actions, mother?'
'In the first place, Jane might have been mistaken, and money may have
nothing to do with her mother's visits; and if she is really correct,
Mrs Wiston may never have considered this properly, and so at least she
deserves charity. I desire you to think a great deal on this subject,
and when you understand it better, we will talk more about it.'
'I think I understand it now, mother. Every thing we love better than
the God of heaven becomes our god, and if we don't bow down to pray to
it, we give it our _heart-worship_, as you said, and that is quite as
wicked. But after all, mother, I don't think there is any danger of my
breaking the first commandment.'
'Do you remember the text Harry repeated at the table this morning? "Let
him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall."'
Effie looked very thoughtful for a moment, and then laying her face in
her mother's lap, she said: 'It is not because I am so good that I think
so, mother; I know I am very wicked, but I am sure that I love my
heavenly Father better than any thing else.'
'I am glad to believe you do,' said Mrs Maurice, drawing the child
nearer to her and kissing her cheek. 'I am persuaded that calmly and
deliberately you would not prefer the world to Him. But perpetual
distrust of self, with constant trust in God, is your only ground of
safety. Those who do not fall, may for a moment slip, and you with all
the rest of us must watch and pray.'