Confidence In A Parent.  


Do YOU know what faith is? I think you do; and although it is very common to hear persons say they cannot believe, I fear it is because they will not. You know what faith in your father or your mother means.

A young child can have faith in a parent. A little girl, whose mother had always told her the truth, and in whom she trusted, went with her one day to a largo town. 

The child had been used to living in the quiet country, and the bustle and the noise was alarming to her, for she was not strong; and her head ached, and her limbs grew weary, as they entered the town. A great crowd was gathered together to see some show in the street, and Lucy pressed her mother's hand, for her heart beat, and she was frightened.

"Do not be afraid, Lucy," said her mother, "I will not take you into danger; you are quite safe; keep my hand, nothing shall hurt you." And the child believed her mother, and was happy. Well, this is faith in a mother whom she could see. It would be harder to trust in one she could not see.

Clouds had been gathering for some time, and soon the rain fell. The mother looked at her little delicate girl, and said, " Lucy, dear, I dare not take you any further; I must go, for I have business to do else-where. I must leave you in this shop; don't you go away from it, and I will be back as soon as I can; but my errand will take me some time."

The child looked into her mother's eyes, and said, "You won't forget me, I know." 

And, after a kiss and a blessing, the mother left her under the care of the master of the shop, and went out to attend to her errand.  At first, she was amused by seeing the gay ribbons measured, and the ladies coming to do their shopping; but after a while she began to long to see her mother, and to hope that she would come before dark, for it was winter. She had a bun to eat, and was not hungry, but she was tired. A littlegirl, older than herself, now came into the shop, and they began to talk. Lucy told her how she was to wait there for her mother, and how glad she should be when she came.

"Perhaps she will forget you," said the little girl.'

"I am sure she will not do that," said Lucy.

"How can you he sure? She may, you know."

"She promised," was the child's reply. 

"She never broke her promise yet."

Another hour passed away. It seemed like a day to the weary little one. The gay customers I had gone home, and the shop-men were putting away the goods; the gas was lighted, and still the mother had not  returned. A woman came into the shop at this moment whom Lucy knew. She lived near her father's house, and, seeing the little girl, offered to take her home.

"No, thank you," replied the child; 

"mother will come for me; I must wait." At length the mother came, and oh! What love was there in her kiss to the trusting, patient child. The confidence of faith she had shown pleased her; and when they were once more by their fireside at home, and Lucy was nestling in her bosom, her mother told her that this was the very kind of trust which God required of his children to try no means to save themselves but according to his word; to believe alone on the Lord Jesus for salvation, and to trust his promise, which says, "Whosoever believeth shall not perish, but shall have everlasting life."