CHAPTER XII.

LETTERS FROM YOUNG CONVERTS AND OTHERS.

WE

words:

E give the following letter from little Sadie, as written by her mother, in Sadie's simple

"Tell brother Earle I am sorry that he is going away. Tell him I will pray for him twice a day, and he must not forget to pray for little Sadie. I feel so very happy this beautiful day. Tell him that I love Jesus better than any body in the wide world. I love my own angel Georgie, that went to Jesus when papa was in the war. I want to see Jesus holding our little lamb in his arms; for Georgie prayed, and I will always pray to Jesus. Tell him that when I went to tell my dear teacher that I was going to give my heart to Jesus, the devil said to me, 'Don't go; don't do it, Sadie.' But I said, 'Yes, I will.' And when I came home, and knelt down at the bed, and prayed, he came again, and said, 'Don't pray.' and I did, and felt so happy.

But I said, 'I will,'
Tell him I will try

and be a good girl, and then I will see them all in

heaven.

Your little friend,

"DAYTON, OHIO, January 29, 1866."

SADIE.

A family letter, signed by the father, mother, and three children:

"HARTFORD, December 26, 1864.

"DEAR BROTHER EARLE: The love of Christ constraineth us to declare to you that our hearts have burned within us while you have talked with us and opened to us the Scriptures. Our souls are drawn out towards you, as we believe you are one of our blessed Savior's reflectors to our race. When you came among us, two of our number were as sheep without a shepherd; but now we trust that we are all pursuing the way to the fold on high. God grant that we may meet each other there."

Ohio letter; sent with a pair of socks.

"DAYTON, January 29, 1866.

"DEAR BROTHER EARLE : Will you accept this pair of homespun socks made of Ohio wool, spun and knit, primitive style, by Buckeye' in

dustry, insured to be warm and durable, but far less so than the friendship of your many, many friends in Ohio? I need not, like the old lady who knit socks for the soldiers, attach a note, saying to the wearer, 'Let the toe never be turned from the foe,' for you have told us that in the whole armor of God there is no shield for the back, no provision for the coward, none for defeat nor surrender. So I have no fear but that you will continue to fight Satan and sin as long as your feet need protection from the chill winters of earth.

"I pray that you may still be successful, win and conquer, till the great Captain of our salvation promotes you to fields elysian, where, with feet immortal, you haste along the shining ranks, under orders divine, file in with angel hosts, whose feet need not even be shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, for no rugged, thorny ways are there to tread, and all is peace."

"WOULD LIKE TO BE A MINISTER."

"DAYTON, January, 1866.

"DEAR SIR: I am a little boy twelve years old, but I love Jesus and his people. I would like to be a minister of the gospel. Pray for me that I may become one in God's good time."

Another lad, fifteen years of age, writes: "It seems to me, the height of my ambition in this world would be to stand up and preach the gospel. To this end I hope I may have your most earnest prayers."

God seems to have planted such seed in the hearts of many of the youth interested in our meetings, and to have nourished that seed, until scores of living ministers, now gathering sheaves in the great harvest-field, can look back to these same meetings as God's seed-time, when he said to them, "Go preach."

TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF WANDERING.

"CHELSEA, April 18, 1866.

"REV. A. B. EARLE.

"Dear Sir: As you have not my name upon your little book, will you add it as the name of one who has returned from his wanderings, after a period of twenty-five years, and is now in the enjoyment of his first love? I thank God for a praying wife, the prayers of Christians, and your kind invitations, which have been instrumental in bringing me back to the Savior."

"A HAPPY NEW YEAR."

"SACRAMENTO, CAL., January 1, 1867.

"DEAR MR. EARLE: On this beautiful, sunny morning, I wish you a very, very 'Happy New Year.' I am glad you came to our city, but I am sad that you must leave us so soon. I reflect, however, that as you made me happy by coming here, so others will be made happy wherever you go.

"I shall always remember you, and in truth can say, with my little brother, I wish you could be with us always. I shall, at least, always remember and love you."

A SABBATH SCHOOL CLASS NOT TOO YOUNG FOR

JESUS.

"REV. A. B. EARLE.

"DAYTON, January 29, 1866.

"Dear Sir: You will remember me as the Sabbath school teacher who did not want her class converted, because she thought they were too young. I have earnestly prayed that God would forgive me this sin, and convert every member of my class. Two of them think they have found the Savior; three more are feeling deeply on the subject.

66

Pray for me, that I may be a faithful teacher, and that each member of my class may be a Christian."