LITTLE Willie was very poor indeed.
His feet and legs were red with cold, and he had no money to buy shoes or stockings, and the little fellow knew too well what it is to be hungry. Often did he run about the cold streets in winter, and sleep in summer under the arches by the river.
After a time Willie tried to earn a little money for himself by chopping wood, and got on fairly well. One day a lady met him in the street. “My boy,” said she, “would you like to come to the Ragged School, and learn to be a clean boy? It is a nice warm place, with a large bright fire, and many children are taught to read there, and they learn of the good God who loves poor children.”
In the Ragged School Willie heard about the Lord Jesus, and about boys and girls who loved Him. He felt that he did not love Jesus, and the little boy began to cry for sorrow.
If you have done wrong and are naughty, you are sorry, because you feel that you have not been kind to your father and mother. So it was with Willie. He felt that he had been a naughty boy, and had not been good towards God, and the thought of his sinful heart made him weep.
“Willie,” said the lady who was teaching him, “would you like to be a Christian boy?
He sobbed, “I am too poor to be a Christian; I am such a very poor little boy.”
“But, Willie,” said the lady, “Jesus welcomes the poor. He is very kind to pops boys, and no one can be too poor to be a Christian. The Bible says, ‘Blessed are the poor,’ and to the poor is the glad news about heaven preached.”
“Teacher,” said Willie again, hanging his head. “I am too poor to be a Christian.”
The lady tried to find out what it really was that Willie meant, and after a little persuading, he said―
“You see, teacher, I can only earn four shillings a week at chopping wood, and four shillings a week won’t pay for my bed and clothes and food; so sometimes, when no one is looking, I clap a nice piece of wood under my jacket, and sell it. I am too poor to be a Christian boy.”
“Poor Willie,” said the lady, “you must pray to God to take care of you and to give you His grace; and ask Him to keep you from stealing, and to supply your need.” After trying to lead the little boy to the love and kindness of God, and trying to make him trust in God and confide in Him, the lady said, “If at any time you are very much in want, you may come to me, and I will try to do what I can to help you.”
Willie went to his work the next morning with the wish to keep his hand from stealing. Chop, chop, chop, went his hatchet all day long, and at the end of the week his master gave him four shillings. But the four shillings would not buy all he wanted. Still he felt happier because he had not done that which he knew to be wrong.
The next week Willie went on with his chopping wood. One evening the temptation came. It was getting dusk; he looked round this side and that side, no one was watching and there was a nice bit of wood at his feet.
Under his tattered coat his little heart went pat, pat, and he felt very uncomfortable, just as everybody does when he is going to do something wrong. Then he looked at the wood again, and thought he, “Oh, it is such a pretty piece of wood, such a nice piece! I could just pop it under my jacket and nobody would see me. It would sell for money enough to buy me a beautiful loaf of bread and other nice things!”
Willie again looked round; still he saw no one watching him; he stretched out his hand to take the wood, when he thought he saw an eye looking at him. He quickly pulled back his hand. “No!” said he, “I won’t take it; God is looking at me!”
The temptation had passed; God gave Willie strength to resist it.
Willie was all the happier for keeping from doing wrong, but he was none the less hungry, and was as poor as before; yet the poor boy thought it is better to have a heart at ease than to have enough to eat and to drink, and yet all the while to feel a weight of sorrow.
At the end of the week his master called Willie to him. I wonder if he feared lest he had been seen stretching out his hand towards the wood? But a kind voice gave him confidence. “My boy,” said his master, “I have watched you this week, and noticed how much better you have behaved, and how much better you have attended to your work, I will give you six shillings a week instead of four, and may you always be a good boy.”
Willie’s heart went pit-pat, pit-pat again very fast, but not in the same way as when he was looking at the piece of wood. This time it was with joy and pleasure. He thanked his master very much, and ran off to the lady’s house to tell her the good news.
His bare feet soon bounded up the clean white steps of the house, and with a glad heart he rang the bell, and told her all his happy story.
“Well, my boy, godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise, not only of the life that now is, but also of that which is to come. God rewards and helps those who try to do good and obey Him,” said the lady, and she encouraged the poor child to trust in the Lord and do good. Willie tripped home. How happy he felt! And when he came to his own little dwelling place the ragged boy felt a joy within him which no one can know except those who have been tempted and tried as le was, and whom God in His great mercy has enabled to serve Him.
God is the same to you, dear little friends, Is He was to Willie. Try to follow His ways and words, and you will see that He will never let you suffer.