"Dear son, it would require more hours than I have minutes to spare, to answer all your questions. Nay, of many things you must be content to remain in ignorance, since they are beyond man's feeble understanding. I will leave with you certain treatises of Master Tyndale and, other good men from which you may gain much instruction, and you do right to ask for the illumination of the Spirit of God, which you will doubtless receive. But, my son, you must be prepared to learn from that teaching, many things which will be displeasing to you, ay, things against which your pride will rise up in rebellion. No man ever sees the wickedness and weakness of his own heart till the Spirit reveals it to him, and the sight is not a pleasant one. Yet it is necessary that we behold it, or we shall not feel our need of the remedy without which we must be lost indeed."
"And that remedy—" asked Jack.
"Is found alone in Christ Jesus, the way set forth by our Father for the forgiveness of sins. His blood, when we believe in Him and receive Him for our Saviour, cleanseth us from all sin which we have committed, so that for His sake we are freely pardoned and justified before God. Not as there were any merit in faith itself, but because it is only by faith that we accept Christ and receive Him into our hearts."
"See here, I must needs go on my way at present. I would gladly take you with me, and, as you say, let you help in this great work. But that would not be right. You are the only son of your father, and yet in your nonage, and your duty lies in obedience to him. Go on then doing your work in that place where God has put you, and remember that He will accept your service and make you His helper in building up His kingdom, whether he call you like the Jews of old to build on the walls of the spiritual Jerusalem with a sword in one hand and a trowel in the other, or in the quiet dells of the mountain to quarry out the stone for the temple, or even to carry food for them who are more actively engaged."
"It is the great blessing of work in our Divine Master's service, that nothing done for Him is ever thrown away, no, not even when the workman would appear in the eyes of men to have failed utterly. He will account nothing a failure which is done with a hearty and humble desire to serve him. Do you, therefore, watch and pray, read and meditate, strive for holiness of heart and purity of intention, and let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."
"I will give you for your own, a copy of the New Testament containing Master Tyndale's glosses and notes, which will be a great help to you in understanding the Word. It may be that we shall meet again, for I purpose to remain some time in this country; but if not, I charge you, my son in the faith, if I may call you so, that you keep your loins girded about, and your light trimmed and burning, and you yourself as one who waiteth for the Bridegroom, that, when the day of account shall come, I may meet you at the right hand of the Throne."
For the whole of that and many succeeding days, Jack was like one in a dream. He seemed to have lost all taste for his usual pleasures, bird's-nesting and fishing, while he strove with punctilious accuracy to fulfil all his daily duties and to take every possible care from his uncle. In fact, a new world seemed to be opened to him.
His imagination, always a strong part of his mental constitution, revelled in the scenes to which he was introduced and made them real to him. He walked the streets of Jericho and Jerusalem, and sat with the apostles at the board with their Lord; he was among the crowd which stood around the sepulchre when Lazarus came forth, and entered with the chosen disciples into the inner chamber where the ruler's young daughter was raised from the dead.
Nor was it the narrative alone which interested him. As Richard Fleming had told him, he began to have some sense of his own real nature, to realize his own sinfulness, and to wonder whether it were possible he could ever attain to the inheritance of the saints in light. At times he felt a profound discouragement, and was ready to despair of himself; then he found help in such passages as these contained in Tyndale's notes:
"Ye shall not thynke that our dedes deserve ani thynge of God as a laborer deserueth his hyre. For all gode thynges come of the bounteousness, liberalitie, mercy, promyses and truth of God in the deseruing of Christes blood only."
"The eye is single when a man in all hys dedes loketh not but on the will of God, and loketh not for laude, honor, or ein other rewardes in this worlde. Nother ascrybeth Heven or a hyer roume in Heaven unto hys dedes; but accepteth Heven as a thing purchased bi the blode of Christe, and worketh freely for loves' sake onlie."
"As a natural sonne that is his father's heyre, doth his father's will not because he wolde be heyre, that he is already by birth—but of pure love doeth he that which he doth. And axe him why he doeth any thing that he doth, he answereth, 'my father bade, it is my father's will, it pleases my father.' Bonde servantes work for hire, children for love; for there father, with all he has, is there's already. So doth a Christen man freely all that he doeth, considering nothing but the will of God and his neighbour's wealth only. If I live chaste, I do hit not to obteyne heaven therby, for thus should y do wronge to the blode of Christe. Christes blood has obtayned me that." ¹