The Moral Picture Book

by Anonymous

When he reached the cottage, he found his father and mother in great alarm, as they could not think what had become of him. When they found out what had taken place, their alarm was changed into grief, on account of the son whom they loved so much, having done wrong. John himself cried a great deal, and said that he was more vexed because he had caused them grief, than he should have been, if they had scolded and whipped him. His mother told him that she left it to his own heart to scold him, and that he should go to his bed-room and pray to God on his knees to forgive him, as she had taught him to pray.

John did as she bade him, and he prayed to God with all his heart. He then went to sleep with a quiet mind; and when he awoke the next morning, he prayed again that God would give him strength to do his duty, and to stand firm when he should be tempted again as he had been by Tom Jones. He then read a chapter in the Bible to his mother, and went to school. His master kept him in, and gave him only a piece of bread and a cup of water for dinner. But he did not suffer nearly so much from this as he had done from having grieved his dear parents; for he had before this been brought to repent, and he felt that God, and his father and mother, had forgiven him.

John Cooper never again grieved his father and mother by doing wrong, and never forgot the lesson he had learned, when Tom Jones led him astray, as long as he lived.

When John Cooper became a man, there were bad times, and he could not get a living at the trade to which he had been brought up: so he went for a horse-soldier. And before he went, his father and mother gave him their blessing, and he prayed with all his heart that God would bless the old people, and preserve them; and said he would let them have as much of his pay as ever he could.

It was a sad day for him and his parents when he went away. They had never been parted for so long a time before, and he was now going to India, from whence he could not return for some years. But they could not help it; so they all said that it was God's will that they should part, and it was their duty to bear it as well as they could.

After John was gone, the old people never missed a day but they prayed to God to keep their son, both in his soul and body, from all evil. They were very poor, and were now too old to work much; but with what they got of John's pay, they had enough just to live upon, and above all they had thankful hearts, which made them happy. Yet they often wished for John's return; sometimes too they were fearful lest he should be killed or wounded in the wars; but when they felt thus, they always tried to put their trust in God.

When John had been away ten years, he came back one day, safe and sound, as his father and mother were standing at the door of the cottage. You may judge how they all felt, and how many questions his fond mother asked him, as to where he had been, and how he had got on.

The next day was Sunday, and both John and his parents were glad of it, for they wished to go to church to offer up their thanks to God, who had kept John safe through many dangers, had saved the lives of the old people, and had now brought them to each other again.

It was a fine bright morning in Spring, just such a one as it had been nearly twenty years before, when Tom Jones had tempted John Cooper to keep away from school, and to go into the wood to take birds' nests. John did not forget that day; and when it came into his mind, he could not help thinking of the changes that had taken place since.