A Sunday school teacher wished to show his class how free the gift of God is. He took a silver watch from his pocket and offered it to the eldest boy in the class.
“It’s yours, if you will take it.”
The little fellow sat and grinned at the teacher. He thought he was joking. The teacher offered it to the next boy, and said,
“Take that watch: it is yours.”
The little fellow thought he would be laughed at if he held out his hand, and therefore he sat still. In the same way the teacher went nearly round the class; but not one of them would accept the proffered gift. At length he came to the smallest boy. When the watch was offered to the little fellow, he took it and put it into his pocket. All the class laughed at him.
“I am thankful, my boy,” said the teacher, “that you believe my word. The watch is yours. Take good care of it. Wind it up every night.”
The rest of the class looked on in amazement; and one of them said, “Teacher, you don’t mean that the watch is his? You don’t mean that he doesn’t have to give it back to you?”
“No,” said the teacher, “he doesn’t have to give it back to me. It is his own now.”
“Oh — h — h! if I had only known that, wouldn’t I have taken it!”