"Our Father."
"OUR Father." The mother's voice was low, and tender, and solemn.
"Our Father." On two sweet voices the words were borne upward. Itwas the innocence of reverent childhood that gave them utterance.
"Who art in the heavens."
"Who art in the heavens," repeated the children, one with her eyesbent meekly down, and the other looking upward, as if she wouldpenetrate the heavens into which her heart aspired.
"Hallowed be Thy name."
Lower fell the voices of the little ones. In a gentle murmur theysaid: "Hallowed be Thy name."
"Thy kingdom come."
And the burden of the prayer was still taken up by thechildren--"Thy kingdom come."
"Thy will be done on earth, as it is done in heaven."
Like a low, sweet echo from the land of angels--"Thy will be done onearth, as it is done in heaven," filled the chamber.
And the mother continued--"Give us this day our daily bread."
"Our daily bread" lingered a moment on the air, as the mother'svoice was hushed into silence.
"And forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors."
The eyes of the children had drooped for a moment. But they wereuplifted again as they prayed--"And forgive us our debts, as we alsoforgive our debtors."
"And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. ForThine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen."
All these holy words were said, piously and fervently, by the littleones, as they knelt with clasped hands beside their mother. Then, astheir thoughts, uplifted on the wings of prayer to their heavenlyFather, came back again and rested on their earthly parents, awarmer love came gushing from their hearts.
Pure kisses--tender embraces--the fond "good night." What a sweetagitation pervaded all their feelings! Then two dear heads wereplaced side by side on the snowy pillow, the mother's last kissgiven, and the shadowy curtains drawn.
What a pulseless stillness reigns throughout the chamber! Inwardlythe parents' listening ears are bent. They have given these innocentones into the keeping of God's angels, and they can almost hear therustle of their garments as they gather around their sleeping babes.A sigh, deep and tremulous, breaks on the air. Quickly the motherturns to the father of her children, with a look of earnest inquiryon her countenance. And he answers thus her silent question.
"Far back, through many years, have my thoughts been wandering. Atmy mother's knee thus said I nightly, in childhood, my eveningprayer. It was that best and holiest of all prayers, "Our Father,"that she taught me. Childhood and my mother passed away. I wentforth as a man into the world, strong, confident, and self-seeking.Once I came into great temptation. Had I fallen in that temptation,I would have fallen, I sadly fear, never to have risen again. Thestruggle in my mind went on for hours. I was about yielding. All thebarriers I could oppose to the in-rushing flood seemed just ready togive way, when, as I sat in my room one evening, there came from anadjoining chamber, now first occupied for many weeks, the murmur oflow voices. I listened. At first, no articulate sound was heard, andyet something in the tones stirred my heart with new and strangeemotions. At length, there came to my ears, in the earnest, lovingvoice of a woman, the words--'Deliver us from evil.' For an instant,it seemed to me as if the voice were that of my mother. Back, with asudden bound through all the intervening years, went my thoughts;and, a child in heart again, I was kneeling at my mother's knee.Humbly and reverently I said over the words of the holy prayer shehad taught me, heart and eyes uplifted to heaven. The hour and thepower of darkness had passed. I was no longer standing in slipperyplaces, with a flood of waters ready to sweep me to destruction; butmy feet were on a rock. My mother's pious care had saved her son. Inthe holy words she taught me in childhood, was a living power toresist evil through all my after life. Ah! that unknown mother, asshe taught her child to repeat his evening prayer, how littledreamed she that the holy words were to reach a stranger's ears, andsave him through memories of his own childhood and his own mother!And yet it was so. What a power there is in God's Word, as it flowsinto and rests in the minds of innocent children!"
Tears were in the eyes of the wife and mother as she lifted herface, and gazed with a subdued tenderness upon the countenance ofher husband. Her heart was too full for utterance. A little whileshe thus gazed, and then, with a trembling joy, laid her head uponhis bosom. Angels were in the chamber where their dear ones slept,and they felt their holy presence.
THE END.
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