“Sit down in that chair!” The voice was peremptory—the tone excited.
Florence, a girl of nineteen, meekly obeyed her mother’s command and sat down upon the chair which had been placed for her in the middle of the room. Flourishing a stick before her, the mother asked,
“Will you give up thinking about that foolishness?”
“No, mother, I cannot,” meekly replied Florence.
The “foolishness” which the angry mother wanted her child to think no longer about was the blessed truth that she was saved—that the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, had made her clean from all her sins.
For months Florence had been exercised about her sins. Her brother had been turned to the Lord, and this led her to think of her own condition, and she was made to feel that she was not in the state to meet God. Each afternoon, when she was through with her work, she went off and sat down where she could have a little quiet and rest; but day after day, as she did this, her sins rose up before her, and this made her very uncomfortable. She said to herself,
“I am a sinner, my sins are not forgiven.”
One day while thinking about these things—for she could not, try as she would, put these thoughts away from her—this verse of Scripture came to her mind:
“Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers.” (2 Cor. 6:14).
This only served to increase the feeling of guilt; she felt that she was hastening on the broad road in company with other sinners, instead of separating from them. The burden of her sins grew heavier and heavier and she knew not what to do.
About this time she left her home to go out for a period of service. But even there the thought of her sins pursued her. What should she do? how could she find rest for her troubled soul? One day as she was thinking about these things and feeling weighed down with the heavy burden she was carrying, these words came to her,
“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.” (Acts 16:31).
Ah! now her eyes were opened, and the burden was rolled away. It was believe—only believe! Jesus had suffered for her sins; He had taken the strokes that were due to her; all was settled before God, and her sins would never be brought up against her; seeing this, gave rest to her conscience and made her heart very happy.
But now came a great trial to the dear girl’s faith. The time had come for her to leave her place of service and return home, and she knew that she would meet with opposition from her mother who had no love for the name of Jesus. Should she speak to her, or should she keep silence as to what God had done for her soul? She longed to bear testimony to that blessed One who had redeemed her; but felt that she had not courage to speak of it to her mother.
On her way home she stopped at the house of a Christian whom she had not before been willing to recognize. On entering, she took Mrs. W.’s hand and said,
“I am happy to meet you as a sister in the Lord.”
This gave much joy to this dear Christian, who had been watching with anxious heart to see Florence turn to the Lord. After a little conversation with Mrs. W. Florence went on her way.
On reaching home her courage failed her, and, much as she wished to tell her mother of the salvation that had come to her, she could not do so.
That evening a gospel service was held some distance away, and Florence was very glad to be able to go with her brother to attend it. During the address, the speaker repeated this verse,
“Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.” (Luke 12:4).
Ah! again the voice of the Lord had reached her soul; to the poor, trembling spirit, courage was given; she now felt that she could tell her mother what the Lord had done for her.
The meeting was over; the long walk was ended; the dreaded moment had come; Florence, sustained of the Lord, went to her mother and quietly told her she was saved.
The mother did not at once fly into a passion, but she said to her daughter,
“You are foolish,” and in a moment added, “I will settle that with you tomorrow.”
Next morning after the father and brother had gone away to their work, and there was no one in the house but Florence and her mother, the scene, with which this little sketch opens, took place.
When the mother found that her angry threats, when brandishing the stick before Florence, did not move her, she bade her go into the bedroom. Florence obeyed, saying in a quiet voice,
“All right, mother.”
The mother followed and when they were in the room, began to beat her with the stick she held in her hands. Poor Florence patiently stood and took the blows that fell thick and fast about her head and face, making no remonstrance whatever; but she clasped her hands above her head to protect it in a little measure from the heavy strokes which were frightfully bruising her. At last the mother, exhausted with her efforts, but not yet satisfied with her cruel work, for it had failed to have the desired effect, turned to the bureau and taking a knife from the drawer, told her daughter she would “cut her into pound pieces.” By this time the excited mother was so frenzied with rage that she was trembling from head to foot; but the Lord did not allow her to go further with her inhuman treatment of her daughter, except to take hold of her, and, saying,
“Now you can go to your own company,” push her out of the house and slam the door after her.
The poor girl, thus thrust out of her father’s house, went weeping along the road until she came to the house of Mrs. W., the Christian whom she had owned the day before as a “sister in the Lord.” Mrs. W., seeing that she was in distress, went out and asked her what was the matter.
After hearing her story, this kind Christian woman took her in and told her she should have a home with them. She then sent for the father and brother who were at work some miles away. When the messenger reached the aged father, who was a believer in Jesus, he left his work and in the greatest haste went to his afflicted child, to comfort her in her sorrow. After some consultation it was decided that Florence should have a home for the time at the house of Mr. and Mrs. W.
But now arose another question. How could she get her clothing? Almost sick from what she had passed through, timid and shrinking in soul, how could she again face her angry mother? Her dear friends, who had shown her such true Christian love and kindness, besought the Lord for her, and she, too, took the matter to the Lord, and when the next morning came, her fear was gone. She went back to her father’s house, met her mother, gathered up her clothes and departed. The Lord stood by her, and she was kept both from fear and from harm. It was some weeks before she recovered from the cruel beating that her mother had given her, but she was happy in her soul; and she was made to realize, in a very blessed way, that the Lord was her helper.
This dear girl was willing to suffer for Jesus; she confessed Him, knowing that it would bring upon her trial and persecution; and through it she has not been a loser. Her head, hands and arms were bruised and sore, and her heart was sore also because her mother had so dreadfully abused and ill-treated her; but while sore, her heart was also rejoicing in the Lord, and she had the happy consciousness of His approval.
The day is coming when the Lord Jesus will confess this dear girl; she was not ashamed of Him, and He will not be ashamed of her. How fully recompensed she will be when He confesses her before His Father, and before the holy angels! (Matt. 10:32; Luke 12:8).
“Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” (Matt. 5:11, 12).