ALICE found a poor herb-woman one day resting under the cooling shade of a tree outside the garden gate.
“Do you want something?” asked Alice.
“Yes, dear child,” she answered, “I want a new dress.”
“A pretty calico?” asked Alice.
“That will too soon fade,” answered the poor woman.
“A black woolen?” asked Alice.
“That will too soon wear out,” answered she.
“A silk?” asked Alice.
“I have nothing fit to wear with it,” answered the herb-woman; and Alice thought as much.
“A plaid, a beautiful plaid?” asked the child.
“That will too soon go out of fashion,” answered the herb-woman.
“Do you care much about the fashion?” asked Alice.
“I want the dress to last me a thousand years or more!” said the old woman.
“Oh!” exclaimed Alice, drawing back, for she half thought the poor woman was crazy; “do you expect to live so long? A thousand years is a great, great while; and you are pretty old now.”
“I shall live longer than that,” said she.
“I will ask my mother,” said the little girl, much puzzled, “if she knows what dress would suit you, and perhaps she will buy it for you.”
“Your mother is not rich enough to buy it, dear child,” said the old woman.
“My father is rich,” said she.
“Not rich enough to buy me the dress I want,”
answered the old woman.
“Do you want to dress like a Queen?” asked Alice.
“No; but I want to be dressed like a King’s daughter!”
“The old herb-woman is crazy,” thought Alice to herself; “she talks so queer. I don’t know where you will get such a dress,” said she aloud; “something that will never fade, never wear out, never go out of fashion.”
“And never get soiled or spoiled,” added the herb-woman: “wear it when and where you may, it will always keep white and shining.”
“Oh!” was all Alice could say; then she added, “I should like such a one, I am sure. Could a little girl have one? But a little girl would outgrow hers.”
“No,” said the herb-woman, “the dress would let itself out so as to suit you always.”
The child was lost in wonder. “Will you please ten me what it is, and where I can get one?” she asked.
“It is the garment of salvation, the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ,” said the old woman tenderly, “Christ came and died to take away the poor rags of our sins, and to put on us this pure white robe, thus making us children of God, and fit to dwell with Him forever. Should you not like to have this garment, dear child?”
“Yes,” answered the child; “I do want to be one of God’s children; I always wanted to. Will He give me a heavenly dress, do you think!”
I do not know what the herb-woman said in reply, for, although knowing so much about the garment, she did not speak as one would do who knows she has it; but I do not doubt that many of the young readers of GOOD NEWS will want an answer to the question, because, until you have this dress, you are not fit for heaven, and you must have it here, for, if you wait till by-and-by, you may die without it, and then you could never have it at all; but, instead of standing like those who are spoken of in Revelation 7, to sing the songs of heaven, you must be cast out from the presence of God, as the man of whom you read in Matthew 22 was put away from the feast, because he had not on the wedding garment. Perhaps he thought his own clothes would be good enough, as some think their good works will make them a dress good enough for heaven; but this is a great mistake. As the herb-woman said, no one on earth can buy that dress, but God gives it now to all who trust in that precious blood of Christ which cleanses from all sin, and makes us fit to go at once into the blessed place where they sing, “Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood.” It is put upon all them that believe (see Rom. 3:2222Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: (Romans 3:22)), whether old or young; therefore, if you are a believer in Jesus, it is even now upon you, and as God Himself puts it there, you may be quite sure that it will be enough to cover you forever, and will never be soiled, never wear out.