IN A LARGE town in France, the cashier of a commercial house had just finished his day’s work. He laid his pen down and began to count the rolls of gold coin which glistened on his desk. His face betrayed deep inward excitement. He took his pen up again, then laid it down, closed his eyes, opened them again a moment after, to look at the sum spread out before him. What was the matter with him? While he held the gold in his hands, he was thinking of his wife, who had been sick for a long time, his numerous children and their needs, the house expenses which he had to pay, and which were already overdue. His income was decidedly not sufficient to meet all. In spite of the greatest economy, he could not make ends meet. And the gold which he was counting was an old debt of his employer, which had just come in, but which had already been forgotten by the firm. Nobody but himself knew that it had been paid. If this sum only belonged to him, it could be so useful. Could he not then ... ... ..? The cashier looked around him; he was alone. He shuddered at the bare thought of what was running through his mind, closed his books, took the gold pieces and laid them in the safe. Then he went home. On his way home, it seemed to him as though he was being followed by an invisible enemy; during the whole evening he remained lost in thought. His wife hardly knew him as the same person, and the children looked at him perplexed. During the night he could not sleep, the rolls of gold seemed to bewitch him. He tossed restlessly on his bed, till at last his anguish of soul wrung from him the cry: “Lord, lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from evil.” And this prayer he repeated till the attack ceased, and worn out he fell asleep. In the morning Mr. R. opened the old family Bible and read on the first page the following words: “August 4th, 1822. The Lord has given us a son: Christian Rene. May God preserve this son to us, and make him a Christian and give him to be faithful to the Lord as long as he lives.”
“April 7th, 1839. Our son, Christian Rene, has come to Jesus in living faith. We have prayed with him and exhorted him to be true to his Lord and Saviour. I have given him as a watchword, ‘Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:3333But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matthew 6:33).) Our son has earnestly accepted this exhortation.”
After Mr. R. had read these lines, he fell on his knees. He remained in prayer a long time before his God. When he arose, his face had assumed its former cheerfulness. He went to the office, opened the cashbook, and entered the sum of gold that had come in the previous day, into the space he had left blank. After the lapse of an hour one of the members of the firm said to him, “We have decided to advance your salary 500 francs as a proof of our entire confidence in you.”
Mr. R. was dumb with surprise and inward emotion. What passed through his mind, we will leave the reader to judge for himself. Late in the evening, when he was alone with his wife, he confessed to her what a dreadful temptation had befallen him, and how the Lord had so graciously come to his help, by means of the lines written by his father in the old Family Bible. He then told of the pleasant surprise which had come to him, and they both together thanked God with joyful hearts that He had preserved the father from so dreadful a sin, and at the same time had graciously considered their needs and provided for them accordingly.
ML 12/15/1912