"Yes!" said she. "I hope--I believe I can be faithful for myself,
for I have sinned and done wrong. But Leonard----" She looked up
at him.
"But Leonard," he echoed. "Ah! there it is hard, Ruth. I own the
world is hard and persecuting to such as he." He paused to think
of the true comfort for this sting. He went on. "The world is not
everything, Ruth; nor is the want of men's good opinion and
esteem the highest need which man has. Teach Leonard this. You
would not wish his life to be one summer's day. You dared not
make it so, if you had the power. Teach him to bid a noble,
Christian welcome to the trials which God sends--and this is one
of them. Teach him not to look on a life of struggle, and perhaps
of disappointment and incompleteness, as a sad and mournful end,
but as the means permitted to the heroes and warriors in the army
of Christ, by which to show their faithful following. Tell him of
the hard and thorny path which was trodden once by the bleeding
feet of One--Ruth! think of the Saviour's life and cruel death,
and of His divine faithfulness. Oh, Ruth!" exclaimed he, "when I
look and see what you may be--what you must be to that boy, I
cannot think how you could be coward enough, for a moment, to
shrink from your work! But we have all been cowards hitherto," he
added, in bitter self-accusation.
"God help us to be so no longer!"
Ruth sat very quiet. Her eyes were fixed on the ground, and she
seemed lost in thought.
Pages:
454
455
456
457
458
459
460
461
462
463
464
465
466
467
468
469
470
471
472
473
474
475
476
477
478