“‘How our hearts delight to hear Him
Bid us dwell in safety near Him!
Why should we distrust or fear Him?
Oh, how He loves!’”
They neither of them spoke for several minutes. It was getting late, and the sun was falling in slanting golden rays on the green slopes; the shadows were deepening in the woods, and other sights and sounds told, that evening was coming on; so the two boys rose from their grassy seat.
“I wish, oh, how I wish,” said Edgar, after a long pause, “that I could feel the same as you do, Arthur!”
“Well, but you must not be wanting to feel first; you have to believe what the Lord Jesus says, and He says, ‘Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out;’ so if you would only come, you must be safe, for He cannot break His word. And I will tell you what I do, Edgar, whenever I think of how bad I have been, and when I feel frightened. I just say, ‘Jesus died,’ and God hears me, and Satan hears me too; and of course when I remember why Jesus died, I feel glad. And then, there is a text I like to remember—a very short one it is—where the Lord Jesus is called ‘the Saviour of the world;’ and, you know, if He is the Saviour of the world, He must be my Saviour, and yours too.”
They had reached the school-gates now; the shadows were deep and long, and Arthur’s two-mile walk lay before him. But his aunt had long since found, that she could trust him alone; so even when the moon had begun to tell, that the day had gone; and the stars were speaking sparkling joy above, she was not uneasy about him.
“Well, good-bye,” said Arthur.
“Good-bye,” Edgar said; but he did not go, and he stood, looking wistfully at Arthur. Presently he spoke—
“Arthur, I wish——”
“Well, what?”
“I wish you would be my friend.”