“Part of it in teaching the negroes about Jesus and the way to heaven. Papa and mamma have classes of the grown-up ones, and I one of the little boys and girls. I tell them Bible stories; sometimes from the Old Testament and sometimes from the New. I have a simple little catechism too that I teach them, by asking the questions and making them repeat the answers after me,” Elsie replied, with an animation of look and tone which showed that she felt greatly interested in her work.
“I like best of all to talk to them about the wonderful love of Jesus,” she went on; “how he left that beautiful heaven and came down to our world, and labored and suffered and died the cruel death of the cross; keeping God’s holy law for us, and bearing the penalty of our sins; and how he rose again and ascended to heaven and ever lives there to make intercession for us. O Annis, isn’t it the sweetest story?”
Tears were trembling in the soft hazel eyes, and Annis, putting her arms about her, said, “What a good little Christian you are, Elsie! I wish I were one too.”
“Oh, I’m not at all good, Annis,” answered the little girl with earnest sincerity; “but I do love Jesus. Don’t you?”
“I’m not sure. I do try to do right, but I so often do wrong that I’m afraid I’m not a Christian.”
“But, O Annis, Christians are not people who never do wrong, but those who trust only in the blood and merits of Jesus Christ; who expect to be saved because of what he has done and suffered, and who long and strive to be good and holy because they love him and want to please him and be like him. Not because they expect to be saved by being good. Don’t you remember the Bible says, ‘There is none that doeth good, no, not one.’ ‘There is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.’”
“Yes, I remember that, and that even the Apostle Paul said he couldn’t do the good he wanted to, and couldn’t help doing the evil he didn’t want to,” Annis said, thoughtfully. “I see the difference is that Christians hate sin and want to be free from it because God hates it, and it is dishonoring to him; and sinners love it and would only leave it off for fear of punishment.”
“Yes, you know the Bible says, ‘Be ye therefore followers of God as dear children’! Oh, I think I understand what that means! because, loving my dear papa so much, and feeling so sure that I am a very dear child to him, I almost always find it a real pleasure to obey him.”
“Yes, and I can understand it for the same reason. Isn’t it a sweet text?”
“Yes, indeed! and, oh how many others there are that are ‘sweeter than honey and the honeycomb’! as the Psalmist says,” Elsie exclaimed, taking up her Bible and turning over its leaves.