Percy’s father was chief engineer on board a trading steamer, and was often away from home for months at a time. Every Saturday, Percy wrote a letter to his father, giving him the week’s news, with all their family joys and sorrows.
The absent father was always glad to hear of his loved ones, and although sundered from them by land and sea, he carried them on, his heart, and prayed for them daily at the throne of grace.
His great desire was to see his boys — of whom Percy was the eldest — saved, and serving the Lord. During his time at home, he had frequently seen Percy anxious to be saved, but these impressions had passed away, once and again.
On a Saturday afternoon, Percy sat down to write his father’s letter. It had been an unusually busy week, and there was much to tell of. Over and above the usual news of home and school, he had to give his father an account of a week’s special services, which had been conducted by an earnest evangelist in the town at which he and his mother had been every night. Many of the young people had been converted, and others were deeply impressed. Percy himself had been spoken with several nights, and his mother believed he was concerned about his soul, but he had said nothing of it either to her or to his brothers. As he sat at a table writing, his mother passing by, and Percy, looking up, said,
“Mother, if a person believes in Jesus and accepts Him as his Saviour, will he always be saved after that?”
“Certainly, my boy,” said his mother; “for Jesus says,
ML 04/22/1945