RUTH, who taught the Bible-class of the Sunday school in the little village of C., was the child of many prayers. She had early received Christ into her heart, and was so filled with. His love that all her energies were in her work. She was rather young to be the teacher of a class of young women, having begun to do so at the age of thirteen, but then the Lord had specially prepared her for the work, having brought her through much mental conflict and agony of spirit, before she found peace through the Savior.
As people looked upon that healthy and happy countenance none would suspect the fierce temptations, and the sharp spiritual conflicts with which this young teacher was still often exercised, which served to deepen the work of God in her soul, and bring her out; the earnest and faithful follower of Christ they owned her to be.
The best preparation for a teacher is to be first taught of God. Often the women in the class would ask her privately, “How did you know what you told us this afternoon, miss?" and Ruth would reply simply, “God taught me." Several of the married women of the class were double the age of their teacher, but such was their love for her that they listened with the greatest respect to what she had to say. One Sunday afternoon a stout, bold-looking woman made her way into the class, and sitting down in front of Ruth, and staring her in the face, said, "This is the class I'm a-goin' to be in!”
The teacher quietly asked, “Do you mean to come to school regularly, and would you like to be in my class?"
“Yes, if you ben't too proud to have me," replied the woman, rather impudently.
A deep color dyed the cheeks of Ruth as she noticed several of the young women draw away from the new corner, who, to put it mildly, presented rather a startling appearance. Her blue velvet bonnet was decorated with some brilliant geraniums, and her shawl was at variance with both dress and bonnet.
Ruth gave the new corner a Bible, and found the chapter for her, and the stranger appeared to be quite at her ease, despite the sidelong glances of many in the class. She read her verse in her turn, spelling out every word, and waiting to be told the pronunciation. The verse she was reading finished with the word” hypocrite," and she startled the class by her abrupt question—
“I say, miss, what is a hy-po-crite?"
Ruth explained as well as she could, and the lesson proceeded. At its close Ruth detained the new comer, and asked her her name.
The woman said her name was “Zebra." “Do you mean Deborah?” inquired her teacher.
“No, I don't! It's Zebra; that's wot I've allis bin called, and I don't want no other! That's good enough for me, miss, if it'll do for you! "
Ruth then asked, “Why do you come here?”
" Well, I went to chapel last week," answered Zebra; " the minister called and asked me to, so I went, and now I think it's time I know'd summut about the Bible, and about God, so I've come to you."
There were tears in the woman's eyes as she continued" I've bin a wicked un, I have, and I'm wicked now but I wants to be better, for I'm miserable," and the falling tears bore witness to the truth of the statement.
Ruth put her arms around the neck of the penitent, and kissed her cheek, and while her own tears flowed in sympathy, she pointed her to the sinner's Friend. Zebra, however, could not believe the Lord would save so great a sinner, although assured that He Himself had said, “Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out."
In the course of the next week Ruth was called aside by Mary F., a young woman of irreproachable character, one of her class.
“Can I have a few minutes' conversation with you?" she inquired.
“Oh, yes, Mary; certainly!" answered Ruth. “What is it?"
Mary looked very serious, and appeared at a loss how to begin.
“You must excuse me, miss, but I do not think you know who that woman is that came into our class on Sunday."
“Well, who is she?” inquired the teacher.
“Oh! a regular bad woman," replied Mari. “She lives in that narrow lane, coming out of M. Street, and people say the man she lives with is not her real husband, because they are not married. Everybody knows she is a dreadful woman."
The young teacher certainly felt upset by Mary's statement, but she had a small portion of the spirit of Him who came to "seek and to save the lost." So she looked at Mary, with tears in her eyes, as she replied" You forget, dear Mary, that it was for just such sinners the Savior died. He came, ' Not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. And if all be true you tell me, that is the more reason we should seek to bring her to the One who can save her. You know we both profess to be followers of Him of whom it was said, 'He was gone to be guest with a man that was a sinner."
“Yes, I know all about that," replied the scandalized Mary;” but for all that, to tell you the truth, I did not like the other girls to see me last Sunday sitting by the side of such a woman. Besides, see what a guy she looked! I saw one in the next class laughing." “I am sorry to see you have so much of the spirit of the Scribes and Pharisees, Mary," replied Ruth, in a grieved tone; " as for myself, I feel it is only the grace of God, and the circumstances in which He has placed us, that have made us to differ. You have been in my class two years, and you know you are dear to me, yet I would sooner tell you to stay away than poor Zebra, for she needs me more."
Mary's eyes were wet as she answered “Oh, miss, if you are not ashamed to be seen with Zebra, I'm sure I needn't be, so I'll say no more about it."
“Pray for her, Mary; speak kindly to her, and do not laugh at the poor woman," said Ruth, as they parted.
Next Sunday Zebra was early in the class, and a very attentive scholar she proved to be.
Very soon after this she invited Ruth to go home with her and drink tea, adding, “There will be nobody there but our John."
“Who is ‘our John’?" asked the young teacher.
"My husband," answered Zebra.
"If I refuse," thought Ruth, "will not Zebra be likely to think I am proud? I do not think she would understand my motives. If I assure her, as I did today, that the Master will enter and sup with her, how can she believe it if I, who profess to follow Him, will not enter her house? If I go, I will at least find out if she is married." So she agreed to go home with Zebra.
John proved to be a slim, tall, consumptive-looking man, who listened readily while Ruth spoke about the Savior.
“It is very kind of a young lady like you to visit our poor place," he said.
"But then her loves the Lord, John," explained Zebra; "and you'dn't believe how good He was to the poor folks. Tell him about how one woman washed His feet," she added, turning to Ruth.
So the teacher read, and John was interested, and hoped she would come again.
Then he left the room, and, in answer to a question, Zebra assured Ruth that she was married, but added, “I’ll tell you the truth, miss, I've only been married about a month, and the vicar married us for nothin'. Here are the marriage lines," and she produced the marriage certificate.
Ruth, after that, often called to see John, who always expressed himself pleased. He saw himself a sinner, and eagerly welcomed the news of salvation. After weeks of suffering he passed away, a sinner saved by grace. But Zebra, to the grief of her teacher, appeared contented with having turned over a new leaf. She gave up drink, left off all bad language, attended the class, and also came several afternoons in the week to Ruth for instruction in reading, and in other respects her life had outwardly become so changed that it was remarked upon by the neighbors. The poor woman attended the gospel preaching and the Sunday school for some months, but alas! for all reformation which does not proceed from life in Christ, for there came a time when weeks passed, and she failed to appear.
Ruth called at her house, but could never find her in. At last they met in a lane.
“You wonder why I have stayed away?" said Zebra. " It is because they have told lies about me," and she burst into tears, adding passionately, " They've bin and gone and said as how you pays me for cumin to school, or else I shouldn't come. They say they be God's children who hate me so, and who pass me by, and toss their 'eds; but if they be, then I don't want to be."
It was a solemn meeting of the teacher and her poor scholar. Ruth said all she could to Zebra as to her immense responsibility to seek the salvation of her soul, and pressed upon her her solemn duty to accept Christ for herself. Both parted in tears.
Twenty-five years passed away, yet Zebra never again attended the Sunday school.
Ruth had in this time married, and was living about two miles from the scene of her former labors. She had one day been conducting a meeting for women in a cottage, and at the close of an earnest appeal to sinners, was startled by a voice saying, “You’d better take notice what her says, for I know'd her when her was a girl, and her was always the same, and means what her says! I wish I'd a took more notice years ago."
Ruth found it was her former scholar, Zebra. She had married again, and said she was now a believer in Jesus, but that having an unconverted husband she could not live as she wished to do.
If any of my readers feel themselves as great sinners in the sight of God, as poor John and Zebra, let them not despair, for it is still true that the blessed Jesus came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance, and that " His blood cleanseth from all sin," and I would bid them come without delay to Him. To the weary worker I would say, " Take courage, cast thy bread upon the waters and thou shalt find it after many days."
RHODA.