"But the Bible has taught us something better than this. It tells us that the great God ruleth over all things; that he who counteth the stars hath numbered the hairs of our heads; that he who gave the angels all their brightness, clothed the lily and the violet, and painted all the flowers of summer. That he overrules everything; governs all, directs all, controls all; great and small, old men and babes, kings and emperors and pauper children; that our happiness, or adversity and misfortune, are not the results of blind fortune, or dead chance, but the will of the Mighty One who made heaven and earth. But to proceed.
"So the widow and her son went back into the cottage, after putting the cow into the stall, and giving her plenty of hay, which for some time past had been suffered to lie waste. When indoors, Margaret sat down before her spinning wheel, and again began to weep for joy; the good news had shaken her as much as if it were a gift of terror. She felt weak and exhausted. Again and again she made George repeat the story of his prowess.
"'Dear George,' said she, 'you have followed my advice, and you have reaped the benefit of doing so. You have placed your hopes in God, and He has been your friend; you have been kind and charitable to men, and they have been good and generous to you. True religion is loving God and loving man, and holiness is only another name for happiness. Let us thank God for all things, and do you, my dear son, still continue to acknowledge the Lord in all your ways. They that wait upon the Lord shall not want any good thing. "Never saw I the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread!"'
"Well, the knight took George into his service, and he rose in favor and influence with his master. He always remembered the injunctions of his mother, who lived happy and comfortable for many a year."
"Thank you, thank you a thousand times grandpa, it is a beautiful story," said Amy.
"So it is indeed," said Henry, "and I cannot help thinking how good came out of evil."
"Right, my boy," responded grandpa, "we should indeed remember that; what says the beautiful text in that comfortable chapter in the Romans? 'For we know—'"
Amy repeated—
"'That all things work together for good to them that love God.'"
"Yes, dear children, that should always make us trustful. Let us keep this steadily in view; God cares for us. We may meet with trouble and adversity, but this should be our consolation, God cares for us. His love never grows cold, his eyes neither slumber nor sleep. And he is working. All these changing fortunes, these painful sufferings, these beds of sickness, these death-partings, these trials of poverty, and so on, are working together for good. Viewed singly we cannot understand them; viewed together, they tell the story of God's handiwork.