Anonymous

“ Harry listened with attention till John ceased reading, then he asked him, ‘Did that little boy love God?’
‘Yes, he prayed to God every day, and was so mild and humble, that we all thought him a child of Jesus. Oh! what [42] a comfort it is when we look at his grave, to think that he will rise from it a glorious body, like our Saviour’s; for the Bible tells us that “He shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body.”’
Kneeling by the grave, they prayed that they might be faithful servants of Christ, and rest in peace at last. ”

“ It is sad to see trouble clouding the brow of childhood; but He who sends affliction, will send strength to bear it, if we ask Him. Though John’s father had been dead but a few weeks, he had thought more in that short time than in his whole life before. While he read God’s precious promises to his mother, he learned to pray to that merciful God, and love the kind Saviour. ”

“ As John was too young to manage the boat, it was sold with the nets and fishing tackle, and the widow with her five children removed to the neighbouring town, where she hoped to find employment in sewing. She hired a small house in the outskirts of the town; and there, with her little flock around her, she felt like a desolate stranger.
How little do those children who are blessed with many comforts know of the trials of the poor and fatherless! ”

“ At dinner, as his father and mother were talking, his father said roughly, ‘I shan’t do anything for that man’s son; the old man always did his best to injure me.’ ‘But, father,’ said the little boy, looking up into his father’s face, ‘does not the Bible say we must return good for evil?’ The little boy did not know that his father thought of what his son had said all the afternoon, and said within himself, ‘My boy is more of a Christian than I am; I must be a better man.’
When he came home from school at night, he went to the cage and found his dear canary-bird dead. ”

“ With the assistance of a neighbour the boat was drawn up, and placed in its usual resting-place in the shed. The children gathered around it with sorrowful faces, as if it had been their father’s coffin. The mother looked silently on the helpless little ones; then, leaning her face on her hand, as she rested on the side of the boat, she wept piteously. One of the neighbours [7] perceiving a Bible, which lay on a shelf, took it down and read the eleventh chapter of John. The word of God soothed the poor widow’s grief ”

“ If he mentioned the name of his Creator, it was only to profane it. There was no prayer offered to God in that family, and Sabbaths came and went, not reverenced, almost unheeded. Once, while at a neighbouring city, where he had gone with a boat load, his little vessel was visited by a Christian gentleman, who gave him a Bible, which he brought to his wife; but whether it was prized as it deserved to be, or whether the fisherman, in his solitary hours upon the sea, ever turned in repentance to his God and Saviour, none can tell. ”

“ John seated himself by the bed, and taking the sick man’s hand, spoke kindly to him in a gentle voice. How powerful is the force of kindness! Those calm words soothed the mind of the youth, and he remained more quiet, while John endeavoured to discover his disease. Exposure and neglect, it seemed, had brought on a fever, which threatened to be fatal. John gave him some medicine, bathed his burning temples, smoothed his pillow, and fanned him until he sank to sleep. Antonio brought from the schooner some tea which he prepared ”

“ It had only his name ‘Antonio’ engraven on it, but that was sufficient for John’s heart; and there was no one else to care for the poor sailor who rested in that humble grave. But precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints. However humble may be [55] the Christian’s lot on earth, or obscure his last resting-place, he has a happy home in heaven. A few moments in that blessed world will make us forget all the sorrows of a long life of trouble.
John, or Captain John as he is now called, still sails in the ‘Sally,’ and has as much work as he can do. ”

“ John’s heart had been so full that he did not know how hungry he was, till Mrs. Newton set before him some bacon and bread. They smiled to see him enjoy his meal; but all at once he stopped eating, [18] and said, ‘Please, sir, let me take this to the children, they are so hungry!’
‘Sally,’ said the captain, ‘put some more on the plate; as it’s but a step, we will walk along and see poor Leddam’s little ones.’
How pleased the children were when they saw their brother, and the good breakfast which he brought them! ”

“ We have seen that even when a young boy, John was taught to be useful to Antonio and his brother Henry; and as he grew older, his opportunities for doing good increased. My young reader, is there no one to whom you can do some good? Do you love the Lord Jesus yourself? [44] This is the first and most important question; for if you are not a child of God, you cannot be useful to others,—indeed, you will do harm, and thus have a dreadful account to give at the day of judgment.
But to return to John’s adventure. In the marshes at the mouth of the bay, there are great quantities of wild ducks. ”

“ On a little indenture of the shore, where the bay setting in formed a cove, stood the cabin of the fisherman. It was built of logs, and a sloping shed protected the house from winter storms and summer suns. Beneath this shelter were kept, when not in use, the fishing boat and the fishing tackle. Here too the family assembled in fine weather, and thence the anxious wife sent many a wishful glance, when expecting her husband’s return.
Their family consisted of two boys, John and Henry, and three daughters. ”

“ Mrs Leddam and John do not forget their dear Henry, nor their old friend Antonio, but they hope to meet them at last; and while they enjoy their quiet home, they often unite their hearts and voices in thanking that merciful God who had thus kindly guided and blessed the poor fatherless boy.
[56] WHAT A LITTLE BOY CAN DO.
‘I WISH, I wish, I wish,’ said a little boy, who awoke early one morning, and lay in bed thinking; ‘I wish I was grown up, so as to do some good. If I was governor, I’d make good laws; or I’d be a missionary; or I’d get rich, and give away so much to poor people ”

“ When the little boy lay on his pillow that night, he thought, ‘I am too small to do any good; but oh, I do want to be good, and to love the Saviour who came down from heaven to die for me. I do want to become one of the heavenly Father’s dear children.’
The heavenly Father’s children are sometimes called children of light ”

“ She was pale and sad, but her heart seemed to revive when she heard her visitor speak kindly to her. ‘It is a great comfort,’ she said, ‘to know that there is one person in this strange place that feels for these poor children. ”