MY dear little friends, would you like to take a peep into a Swiss home? Perhaps you reply, “Yes; but I cannot do so, for Switzerland is a long way off, and I live in England.” You cannot do so with the eyes of your body; however, if I describe one to you, you will be able to imagine a little what it is like.
First, then, I must tell you that the houses of many towns in Switzerland are different from those in England; they are very large, and divided into a great many sets of apartments, each of which is occupied by a separate family; in some houses there are five or six families, in others more, according to the size of the house; in some of those occupied by the poor, there are even ten or twenty families. The one to which I am going to introduce you is of moderate size, in a narrow street, and occupied by poor families. We will enter together; the street door is open, the staircase is of stone, we will not stay to examine it, but continue our way until we arrive at a back-room on the third floor; this room is not very large, there is no carpet upon the floor; the furniture consists of a French bedstead without curtains, an oaken table, and two or three chairs; there is no open fireplace as you have in England, but a large stove in which wood is burnt for firing.
Now I will tell you what passed in this room not many months ago. It was Saturday evening. A woman who appeared very ill was lying on the bed, and by her side was standing a little boy, twelve years of age; the father of the little boy, the poor woman’s husband, had gone an errand to a village a few miles distant, and as it was now getting late, both mother and son began to feel uneasy that he did not return. There were two other children, a little girl seven years of age, and a little boy of five, but they had been some time in bed in the next room, and were now sleeping soundly. At length the eldest child, overcome with fatigue, lay down also, and fell asleep, but the poor mother continued awake listening to every sound, and hoping every minute that her husband would come. Hour after hour passed away, and still he did not arrive. What an unspeakable privilege it is to know the love of God, to be able to trust him when we feel anxious and troubled; then, though the heart may have to pass through much suffering, there is at the same time strong consolation in believing that “All things work together for good to them that love God.” The poor woman I am telling you about did not thus know God as her resource in trouble, and therefore the had nothing to sustain her in her anxiety. Now what do you think had become of the poor man? When he left the village to which he bad gone, it was already getting dark; his friends had tried to persuade him to stay all night, but he had replied, “No, my wife is ill, and if I stay she will be anxious; I will therefore take the shortest way, and get home as quickly as I can.” The way that he took passed near the railway, and at one part it was necessary to go near a high bridge; on arriving there, the poor man took a wrong turning, and, instead of going along the road as he thought, dreadful to relate, he was suddenly precipitated from the height of the bridge into the depth below, and must have been killed on the spot. The next morning his body was discovered there by some workmen. I cannot tell you what was the state of his soul, or whether he was prepared for such a solemn change. Does not such an event prove to us the importance of being at all times ready? You can imagine the distress of the woman when, after such a night as she had passed, the fearful news was brought to her that her husband was a corpse, that she was a widow, and her poor little children fatherless. Oh! what need she had of those consolations which God alone can give; but as I said to you she did not yet know God, and therefore the blow was so great to her, that her health became rapidly worse, and soon it grew evident that ere long she too would be in the grave. At that time a Christian lady often visited her, and tried to arouse her to the importance of that solemn change which was awaiting her; for you know, dear children, the Word of God tells us, “It is appointed unto men once to die, and after death the judgment.” Those who have received the Lord Jesus as their Saviour need not fear the judgment, because he has already borne it for them on the cross; but for those who have not had their sins washed away in the precious blood of Christ, it is a fearful thing to think of appearing before God.
One day, more especially, the lady I have mentioned spoke to the poor woman about the necessity of being born again, that is to say, of receiving Christ as her Saviour, and believing God’s love; also of the change which is experienced when thus able to rest in God; how happy the heart can be even in suffering; and that when death comes there is no fear, because Jesus has promised always to be with those who trust in him. Then the lady said, “Do you know what it is to have passed through this change, and to be happy because God loves you?” The poor woman reflected a little, and then said,
“No, madam, I do not; I am not thus happy.”
The lady left her, asking God to reveal himself to the poor woman’s heart. For some days she continued much in the same state; once or twice she remarked to her sister,
“I have not experienced this change.”
At length the day came when she was to pass through the dark valley of death, and on that day God spoke peace to her heart; she did not say much, but appeared happy, and said to her sister,
“Yes, I know it now; I die in peace;” and soon after she departed, just a month after her husband had been taken from her; and the three little children I mentioned to you were now orphans. You would like to know what became of them, and perhaps another time I may tell you. Now I want to ask you one question. Do you know what it is to have experienced the change about which the lady spoke to the poor woman? You know by nature we are all sinners, we have evil hearts opposed to God, and if we die in this state we must be separated from God forever. But God does not wish us to die thus. He has so loved us as to give Jesus to die for us; and in believing what the Bible tells us about this love, we receive a new nature, by which we are enabled to love God. Oh, how precious to think that God loves us! Then we love him because he first loved us; and then, when we love God, we cannot help trying to please him. Those who love God have still an evil nature, which is always ready to do what is wrong, and it is often very difficult to overcome temptation. For instance, a little child who loves the Lord may be tempted to be idle and disobedient; but then that little child knows that Jesus is grieved when children do wrong, and therefore he asks for strength to overcome the temptation, and the Lord Jesus is always ready to help and strengthen those who seek his assistance to do what is right. The heart can only be really happy as it thus knows him as its Saviour, happy in this life, and happy for eternity; while those who choose to walk in the ways of sin never know real joy in this world; and then, how dreadful to think of an eternity in that place where the worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. Oh, truly it may be said, those who choose such a portion wrong their own souls!
H. H.