PART 17
The next morning he began without delay to erect near his own house, a plain little cabin for his brothers, they helping him as much as they were able.
In the meantime his wife procured stockings, shirts and underwear, and a tailor was called from the nearby village to make trousers and jumpers for the new arrivals. Until the house was completed they slept in the barn, but had their meals with the family. Regular work could not be thought of as yet, as the poor men were so weakened that they needed care for a good while to come, so that they might regain a little strength.
When the house which, of course, was very plain, was finished, it was fitted out with the most necessary things, as beds, chairs, table, etc. Then William bought axes and hatchets for them, that they might take up their former work again. The brothers returned the love and care of their youngest brother with deep gratitude and respect, showing it too in their quiet ways and diligence. The two oldest of the five brothers were so weakened that there was no possibility of making their own living, as they suffered most during their long imprisonment and the hardships Afterward, and only lived a few years longer, but going home, believing in the virtue of the precious blood of Christ, which had cleansed them from all their sins. To the others also the wonderful and saving power of the grace of God was made known.
The untiring efforts of their brother William for their salvation were not in vain. One after the other came to the knowledge of their condition before God, lost and ruined, and not long, after received living faith in Christ. From this time on, it was their joy to read the Word of God in fellowship with William and his family, and bow their knees before the God of their salvation and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thus the fervent prayers of their father and grandmother were answered, and although neither had received the answer in this scene, yet God did according to their desires in His own good time and Way, William and his wife outlived his brothers many years and enjoyed the privilege of seeing their children’s children grow up, instructed in the truths of God. William often told his grandchildren the wonderful ways in which God had led him in his childhood, and often cried out with the Apostle:
Now to the young readers of this narrative, may God, in His grace, lead you early to seek Jesus and His light, that you may be kept from the paths of sin, and to go through this world with Him, as His possession, to the praise of His glorious name. The Lord is ever rich in grace and mercy toward all that call on Him while it is called Today.
ML 04/30/1939