The Black Forge Mills

by William P. Chipman

Mr. Carleton smiled as he looked down into that earnest face, and said: "There are a good many nearer the meeting house than you, who have evidently regarded this storm as sufficient excuse for not coming." Then to himself: "God surely has not bestowed such an unflinching regard for duty upon this lad without having some special work for him to do; he must be helped to something better than running a jack in the Black Forge Mills." But he little knew how that little prayer meeting, even as one a few months before, was, by the blessing of God, going to become an important factor in changing the whole current of the lad's life.

He read the sixth chapter of Second Corinthians for the Scripture lesson of the evening, and talked briefly upon the words of the seventeenth verse: "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord."

"Paul, in this chapter," he said, "is showing the Corinthian Christians that there is no fellowship between righteousness and unrighteousness, or between the believer and the unbeliever. The Christian cannot contract worldly friendships, nor enter into any connection with unbelievers which requires much familiar intercourse, lest he be tempted to join with the unbeliever in his wicked principles and practices. As the privileges conferred upon the Jews obliged them to withhold themselves from all heathen intercourse, and from the pollution of every unclean thing, so, the apostle argues, the followers of Christ, on account of the special favors and blessings they have received, are much more under obligations to keep themselves separate from all impure associations and unholy practices. He then, to enforce his argument, quoted these words: 'Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.'"

Ray listened attentively to Mr. Carleton's remarks. He always did. But what he carried away from that prayer room was the divine command: "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord." The words rang in his ears. They went home with him. They even followed him into the mill. He could not shake them off. He read them over and over again. He prayed over them. They had but one meaning to him. He gave them the most literal interpretation. He must leave his old associations, he must abandon his old life, he must sever the old ties; and he was fully persuaded that only thus could he secure the highest spiritual development, and prepare himself for the work of God.

He talked the matter over with Betsy a few evenings later. But she, with a puzzled look upon her face, finally asked: "If those words mean what you say they do, what is my duty? Am I to take the children, and leave here too? How in the world am I to care for them if I do?"

"Don't you see, Betsy," Ray answered, eagerly, "those words may mean more to me than to you? You have ties; you had them before your conversion, and you cannot break them without wrong to others. The words mean to you to come out and be separate from all in your surroundings that will hinder your fidelity to the Saviour. But those things you can do and still honor Jesus, you have a right—nay, it is your duty to do. The words mean the same to me, but in my case may have a wider bearing than in yours. I can leave home, I can leave the mill, I can sever the old life, and instead of neglecting any duty, I shall be placing myself where I can do far more for the Master. I feel he is calling me to a higher work. I am sure that in my present life and surroundings there is little if any opportunity to prepare myself for obeying that call. I must seek some other work. I must find some way wherein I can carry out the Master's wishes."

"Why don't you go and talk with Mr. Carleton about it?" inquired Betsy.

"I would, but he might think I was asking for help; then, too, what may seem plain duty to me may not seem so to him. When my life and my growth in grace and knowledge of Jesus are such as to lead him to believe I am called to the Master's work, I will tell him freely of my convictions. So far I have confessed them only to you. For the present I must fight out the battle alone. All I can do is wait, watch, and pray for God to open up the way for me. He knows I am willing to walk in any path he may mark out for me. In his own time he will show me what he would have me to do."

Several weeks passed away. Ray patiently did the work before him, but the conviction grew stronger and stronger in his heart that his mill life was drawing to a close; that before a great while the Lord would throw open a door through which he might go on toward his most cherished hopes. And, as is often the case in God's dealings with us, it was opened so unexpectedly, and so naturally and simply, that only those who recognize God's hand in everything would have seen his hand in it at all.

There came a warm bright Sunday in April. The snow had left the hills; the grass was starting up fresh and green; the trees were showing their tiny buds; here and there in some sheltered nook an early flower had ventured to open its bright face, as a harbinger of others to come.