Part II
ONE evening Edmund was reading the 3rd chapter of John. When he had read the 16th verse, his mother stopped him, and bade him read that verse again. He did so—the verse was— “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” “Oh! I understand it now,” exclaimed she, with. tears in her eyes; ‘whosoever’ then that means me; and now I remember a sermon I once heard about that very same thing.
It is now many years ago. Your father and I were walking, and saw a crowd of people going into St. Dunstan’s church; we went in with them, and heard such a sermon! I shall never forget it.”
“Tell us about it, mother,” asked Edmund and younger sister Anne, who was also listening.
“The preacher’s name was William Tyndale. He was a grave-looking„ earnest man; He seemed to look through one, and I thought he must have known me, for he told all about me, better than the priest could have done. That was his text you have just read; and many a time since then I have—wondered who told him such things; but now I remember, he read out of a book, no doubt, it was a New Testament.”
Soon after this, Edmund’s father, “Master Croft,” arrived home. He had much to tell of all that had befallen him on his journey, for there were no trains three hundred years ago, you know, and the roads were bad, and the conveyances clumsy. When he had finished the account of his adventures, he asked his wife to tell him how things had gone on in his absence. But when she told him the story of the Testament, and of the joy the reading of it had given them, her husband looked angry—more angry than she had ever seen him before; he rose from his seat, and striding backwards and forwards across the room, said at last:
“Wife, you have done wrong! where was your sense, to let such a book as that remain in the hands of foolish children? Don’t you know that it is a most dangerous book, full of deadly poison? Why, it- was only last week that his highness, our King Henry gave orders, and proclamation was made accordingly, that every one of these heretical books should be seized and burnt, and I understand that a great heap of them have been found and burnt at St. Paul’s Cross. I met Miles Grimby on my way up. He told me that the officers of the king are making most diligent search for them.
Now, suppose they should hear’ of this unlucky book; what if it were found! A fine disgrace truly, to have it said Gilbert Croft kept a heretical book in his house.”
To all this Mistress Croft could only say she was sorry; she had no idea the book was heretical; she had never heard of the king’s command, and she added, “How could a bad book contain such good things.” But Gilbert Croft would not listen to her. He called his children, and. sternly rebuking them, took possession of the offending volume. Matters stood thus when the family were just introduced to my readers. Gilbert Croft was not an unkind man, and when he saw the distress of his wife and children, he said no more about the matter, but putting the book in his pocket, went to his private office. But he did not burn it, as his wife supposed. He sat down to see what there was in it, that could so attract his wife and son, and so displease the king and clergy. He was surprised to find the book both interesting and easy to be understood.
Three months passed away, when Mistress Croft was one day delighted beyond measure by her husband bringing out the Testament from his pocket.
‘Then you have not burnt it,” she cried joyfully“ No,” he replied, “I have carefully examined it, and I shall have no objection to read you a chapter from the less difficult parts now and then.” You may fancy the joy of the wife! She thanked God with a full heart for thus answering her prayers; she had been hungering for the Word of God, and now she might have it.
The chapters were read more and more frequently, and it was not long before Mistress Croft found the rest for which she longed; she trusted herself to Jesus, the Lamb of God, and He forgave her sins, gave her that “peace which passeth all understanding.”
You see how God can bless the reading of His Word, even without a teacher. If we want to find the way to heaven, we must read the Bible, as this good woman did, and God will teach us, too.
(To be continued.)
Messages of God’s Love 9/6/1908