(The following hymn was composed by a poor Indian woman.)
I’m glad I ever saw the day,
Sing glory, glory, glory,
When first I learned to sing and pray
Of glory, glory, glory.
‘Tis glory’s foretaste makes me sing
Of glory, glory, glory,
And praise my Saviour who is King,
Like those who dwell in glory.
A few more rising suns at most,
Sing glory, glory, glory,
And we shall join the ransomed host,
In glory, glory, glory.
And in the air we soon shall meet,
In glory, glory, glory,
Then cast our crowns down at His feet,
In glory, glory, glory.
Come, sinners, come along with us,
To glory, glory, glory,
There’s room enough in that blest place
Where Jesus dwells in glory.
Believe, repent, seek holiness
And glory, glory, glory,
For God does freely give us grace
And glory, glory, glory.
More than fifty years ago a young man, who was a clerk in a large mercantile house, was sent by his employer to settle some business with a gentleman who lived in the same town. The young man arrived at the house just as the family were at dinner, and was shown into a room to wait for a little while.
He had not been there long before he heard a little step in the passage, and presently the door was opened and a rosy face peeped in. The young man was very fond of children, so he smiled and beckoned, and then a little girl of about three years old came shyly into the room. She was a lovely little child with bright, fair hair, which hung down her neck in long, natural curls.
She soon became friends with her father’s visitor, who took her on his knee, and began to talk to her. He was, as I said, very fond of . children, but he remembered that there was another who loved them even better than he did, and he thought of Christ’s love, and how, if He had been there. He would have taken the dear child up in His arms, and blessed her. He wished to know if this little girl had heard of the love of Jesus, but he soon found that she had not, nor had she learned any hymns or verses of Scripture.
Perhaps you think that she was too young to be taught much. But even young children can understand that God loves them, and wishes them to be happy; and that they have bad hearts, and love what is wrong more than what is right; and that because God must punish sin, Jesus died to save them from the punishment of sin.
The young man told the little girl of Jesus and how He loves children, and what He did and suffered to save them, and bring them to heaven; and then he taught her the following verse:
“I’m glad I ever saw the clay,
Sing glory, glory, glory,
When first I learned to sing and pray
Of glory, glory, glory.
‘Tis glory’s foretaste makes me sing
Of glory, glory, glory,
And praise my Saviour who is King,
Like those who dwell in glory.”
He made her repeat these lines once or twice, and sang them for her, and as she was quite delighted, he went on to teach her two verses of the Bible. ‘they were these: “Jesus said, Suffer little children to come unto Me;” and, “He shall carry the lambs in His bosom.”
At last the gentleman came in, and, smiling, told his little girl to run away, and then he and the young man went on with their business, but as there was not time to finish it, he was asked to call again in a few days.
When he came again the gentleman was once more engaged, and once more he was asked to wait in the same room as before. He had not been there many minutes when the door was thrown open, and the little girl came running in. She put her hands before her laughing face, and, resting them on his knees, repeated in eager tones the two texts and the verse of the hymn.
You can think how pleased her friend was to hear how well his lesson was remembered; and when the child said, “Tell me more pretty verses about Jesus,” he took out from his pocket a little book of hymns, which he gave her, and told her to ask her mamma to teach her some of them, and to read to her about Jesus.
Some weeks later the young man had to go to the house again with a message, and as the gentleman was out of town, the lady of the house came down to speak to him, bringing her little girl with her, She instantly ran to her friend, and jumping round him, began to repeat her verses.
He was not quite sure whether the mother would be pleased, with what he had done for her child; but she thanked him kindly for his attention to her, saying that she was continually begging her to read tie verses and hymns she had learned, and to teach her others, and that she would be much obliged if he would shoe her what the child meant.
The young man drew out his Bible, and showed the lady the passages, and spoke a few words to her; and then, kissing the lovely child, he went away, and for about six months saw nothing of her.
He did not, however, forget her, and often wished his business would again take him to the house. At last he became so anxious to see his little friend that, being in the same street, he rang the bell, and asked if he might speak to the lady. The servant asked him in, and in a short time the mother came downstairs. As soon as she saw him she burst into tears. “Oh! sir,” she cried, “my child, will you come and see her?”
The young man, dreading to hear what had happened, followed the mother upstairs into a room where the little girl was sitting up in bed. She was in a high fever, and her beautiful hair was all tossed about. She was quite delirious, and knew no one, but she continued unconsciously to say or sing her hymns and verses of the Bible. Sometimes she would sing nearly a whole verse correctly, and then only the words, “Glory, Glory,” and then throw herself down, and murmur a text.
The young man looked at the weeping mother. “Dear madam,” he began, but could say ‘no more until he had looked up in his sorrow to the kind Saviour whom the little sufferer had learned to love, and prayed Him to heal the broken in heart. He then said a few words of comfort to the lady, who told him how good and patient the little child had been during her illness. “And now,” she cried, “I shall lose her; oh, it breaks my heart!”
Next morning early, the young man was sent by his employer to a distant town on business, and did not return till the next evening, when he went at once to inquire for the little girl.
“Oh! sir,” said the servant who opened the door, “my mistress thought you would have come sooner.”
He said, “I could not; may I go up:”
“Yes,” she replied, and be went quickly to the sick room. The father and mother were sitting by the bed on which the little child was quietly lying. The fever was gone, and as the young man bent over her, she put her little hand into his and said, “You are the gentleman who taught me about Jesus.”
“I’m glad I ever saw the day, Sing glory, glory,”—
She stopped, and, closing her eyes, she lay very still for a few minutes; then opening them again, she looked at the young man, who had put his hand under her head, and said, “Jesus said, ‘Suffer the little children to come unto Me,’ He will carry the lambs in His bosom.”‘ The eyelids dropped again, the little hand fell powerless, and the child was gone. The bosom of Jesus had received her forever.
This is a true story. Do not say, “It is very pretty,” and think no more of it. Do you think it was by accident that the young man was left so long alone with the little child, and taught her to love Jesus? Do you think it is by accident that you have godly friends or good books, or the Bible, or even this little story put into your hands? Oh! no, God has given you the means of grace that He may also give you the hope of glory. Would you rather be like that dear child singing of glory until her happy spirit flew away to glory, or like a boy I have heard of whose bad words to his nurse shocked everyone who heard him on his dying bed? If you would like to die as this child to the glory of God, or live like the young man to the glory of God, listen now to the voice of Jesus, the good Shepherd, calling the lambs to His bosom, and then you will be able to sing—
“I’m glad I ever saw the day.
Sing glory, glory, glory,
When first I learned to sing and pray
Of glory, glory, glory.”
Messages of God’s Love 3/29/1914