Thoughts on Heaven

Not just Annie, but each of us needs to contemplate these truths more in our daily lives. ~ mr

Sorrow and Joy Contended Together

"Sorrow and joy contended together in the two hearts where Aunt Jane's memory was enshrined. Their wondrous delight in their child needed to be tempered and subdued, and God gave the long-delayed gift at a moment when joy tempered grief. So he was cradled in the sanctity of days of mourning, yet welcomed with smiles that chased away tears." ~ from Aunt Jane's Hero

[For me, this is one of the most beautifully written paragraph in this wonderful book and if you've read it and know the circumstances, you understand it's beauty all the more.]

And speaking of sorrow and joy, yesterday's homegoing of a suffering saint brought similar emotions, happy indeed to see his suffering over, but sorrow at our loss.

Also, the news of the ordered execution of Christians in North Korea brought many tears, much sorrow, but surely there will be joy in heaven at their arrival. Read about that here if you wish.

Christ is Heaven

"Maggie knew that it would be of no use to argue this question. Annie was too far behind her in the Christian life to comprehend what she and Aunt Jane so well understood: that heaven is Christ, that Christ is heaven; that that city hath no need of sun, or moon, or human food, or earthly tie, because the Lord Himself doth lighten it." ~ from Aunt Jane's Hero.

[May we all comprehend this...mr]

"Missing"

So war came to our hero, or should we say he went to war, and it made him a hero and better man indeed. . .

"'Captain Wheeler of the New York 82d, missing.' She had not heard of Horace's promotion, and at first hoped this might not be he. But a little reflection showed her that it was. She felt sick and faint for a moment, for what horrors might not this word "Missing" conceal? And then she began to pray for him mightily--no other word can do justice to the strength with which this woman laid hold on the Divine promises. She asked that if he lay wounded and over-looked upon the battle field, aid might speedily be sent him; if taken captive that he might be rescued, and spared the wasting terrors of imprisonment. And then she waited patiently to see what God would Do, and this is what she afterwards heard He did." ~ from Aunt Jane's Hero

[To find out what God did, you have to read the book, of course. This part is written here in honor of those soldiers who have given themselves for our protection and the well being of our nation down through the years. May we keep them always in prayer ~mr]

The Other side of Their Sufferings

For Horace, if his experience had not been identical with that of Maggie, had learned that to love as an idolater is not to love as a Christian. And while he was full of thoughtful, tender services, and watched over her as he had never done before, and had entered into closer union with her than even that of the marriage tie, for there is no love like that which unites those who live to Christ, he knew, and she knew, that he was no longer a slave to her, as she was no longer a slave to him. The baptism of fire had purified their souls, and they had come out from it, hand in hand, and with songs to sing to other ears. It is true they were misjudged by those who had suffered less and learned less; but who has passed through this difficult complex journey of life unassailed, and nobly understood?

[So we see the results of the sufferings of Horace and Maggie with both having come back from the threshold of death.] ~ from Aunt Jane's Hero.

The Sum of the Gospel

Maggie helps her brother-in-law Tom to understand just what the gospel is:

"Well, I am not going to stand out against such prayers. I'm as ignorant as a heathen, and somebody will have a hard time pulling me along. But if you and Horace will help me, I will begin."

"To begin what, dear Tom?"

"To be good."

"But you can't be good, and we can't help you to be. All you've got to do you can do now, sitting on that chair."

"And what is that?"

“Give yourself to Christ. Then ask Him to give you repentance and faith, and everything else you need.”

“But I thought it took a long time, and that people had to read and pray, and get wretched, and then at last they would feel their sins roll off their backs in a great bundle, and go on ever after relieved.”

“But that is not true. The first thing is to believe in Christ, and give yourself to Him, sins and all...”:

[From Aunt Jane's Hero by EP. Read this wonderful fictional account and see how God used Maggie's words to bring Tom to the point where he did indeed find himself in full possession of the "imperishable riches of Christ." ~ mr]

An Eventful Train Ride

While Providence supports,

Let saints securely dwell;

That hand, which bears all nature up,

Shall guide his children well.

~~Philip Doddridge

An encounter. Maybe that would have been a better title for Chapter 6. But the title I gave to the companion's corresponding chapter will do well enough, since it was an encounter that made the train ride eventful. We saw Horace get wonderfully saved in the last episode and at the beginning of this one, he had regained most of his strength and vitality after his affliction. He had become both fatherless and motherless upon the death of his father, and was returning home on a train after that event. It is here that the author introduced two of the principals of this story: Annie and Maggie. I love the way Mrs. Prentiss wove these two young ladies into Horace's consciousness as he sat near them on his ride home. Actually, there were four young ladies sitting together and chatting at first, but from the mind of our young hero, we watched while two of them got off at the stop before his, and we also took note that he was relieved to see which two remained. We also had opportunity to see his chivalry and then experienced his befuddlement when one of the remaining two young ladies recognized him from some time in the past:

"Who is she? Where can I have met her?" he vainly asked himself. But he had presence of mind enough not to ask her, and he did not pretend to conceal that he was glad to see her, trusting soon to learn, in conversation, who she really was.

But he didn't find out who she was. He only pretended to know and that was a blunder on his part. By the time the chapter ended, with all three of them getting off at the same stop, they all parted with Horace bewildered and confused. You'll have to read it to see it all unfold. It's really quite amusing, I'd say.

But what did I see in this chapter? More than anything else, I see the providence of our God. Not only in the encounter itself, but also in all that led up to it. I see God ordering the steps of this young man who had just recently returned to Him from captivity by the world. And even though it ends with Horace in a state of bewilderment, we leave it knowing that we had been given just a taste of big things to come.

What do you know of God's providence in your life? Is He ordering your steps, even in times of confusion and uncertainty? We'll see what He does in the life of our hero as the plot progresses. His life, albeit fictitious, has been written in this precious little book, authored by one who knew firsthand of the workings of a loving Savior in the life of His children. Our lives have been written out by this same Savior and we should face our futures knowing that all that He ordains is right, and He holds our books in His hand.

Great Gain in Great Loss

Jesus, my all in all thou art;

My rest in toil, my ease in pain,

The medicine of my broken heart,

In war my peace, in loss my gain...

~~Charles Wesley

 So now it's time for another segment of reflections stimulated by my beloved companion to Aunt Jane's Hero. I originally posted most of the following thoughts on my Scraps of Glory blog in February of 2008. Goodness, how time flies. Here it is more than four years later and the same thoughts are still as fresh and new as they were then in my opinion. I have to say that the book itself, well over a century old, is still fresh and new to anybody who would pick it up to read. How wise Mrs. Prentiss was to give us all this in the form of fiction! Now, these thoughts from Chapter 5:

". . .The Young Men's Christian Association opened its arms to him; he became interested in the once-despised Mission School, and once or twice his voice was heard at the weekly prayer-meeting which he never used to attend. He felt, at times, that he had gained through loss; that he was a happier, better man; and yet a voice often whispered in his ear; that next to the love of God he needed the love of a Christian woman."

Horace? Is this speaking of Horace? Yes, a different Horace as you can clearly see. These final lines of the chapter are evidence that the most wonderful thing that could possibly happen to any wandering young man had occurred--he had been brought back to his God. In Horace's case, it had happened as a result of the heavy hand of divine providence. The episode is a stirring account of how our young hero, in the midst of great loss, came into possession of great gain, even Christ. We stand in awe, as if this fictional character were someone we knew.

One night, during prayer time at our church, someone asked prayer for their wayward son. At that point I took a mental excursion around the room and counted four families who have either a son or a daughter who has strayed. As I thought about them, I thought of Horace and what happened to him in this chapter. I don't wish on any of these young people that they'd experience a loss such as the one Horace endured; but, oh, I pray they'll lay hold of his gain. Then, my thoughts went even further to ponder whether any of these parents would just as soon see God have hard dealings with their wandering ones if it's the only way. It's a tough call--to an area of prayer where any parent would tread with trepidation.

[Note: I've intentionally not mentioned what Horace's great loss was. Remember, these posts are little prods to get you to read the book! ~mr]

God Tugging at the Heartstrings

Teach me, O Lord, thy way of truth,

And from it I will not depart;

That I may steadfastly obey,

Give me an understanding heart.

~~From Psalm 119:33-40

I've decided it would be better to start posting the Aunt Jane's Hero summaries written out here rather than linking to the ones at my devotional blog. In case you haven't been here before, I had started with these posts a few years ago, summarizing the chapters from a little companion work I had written for this beloved work by Miss Prentiss. I'm trying to pick up the ones already completed there and hopefully do more as time and opportunity allow. We've done three of these summaries so far, and now we'll pick up another one:

  Chapter 4 is next up and since time is short, this summary may need to be short. The title that I gave to this chapter in the companion explains what I believe to be its essence. God was having dealings with someone and if you've been following along, you know that someone would be Horace. The chapter begins with a description of his moving about in society after the Georgiana situation--dancing parties, threatricals, music festivals and so on. But in the midst of observing him in these settings we are told this: "But he went home from these gay scenes out of spirits, and in spite of himself had his hours of reflection, when there came to him uncomfortable intimations that he was not living the true life for which he was born." Ahh, stirrings in his heart. Where might they have come from?

Soon after these words came an important paragraph:

"Now there was a man of a sorrowful countenance and of a sorrowful spirit away off in a little country-town, praying for his only son at these very moments, and his prayers were going to prevail. . . And ever and anon when he was pleading for his son with strong crying and tears, there would surge up in the soul of that son unwelcome, painful thoughts; recollections of his mother and his mother's teachings, faint yearnings for a faith and a practice like hers. He wist not whence they came. . ."

Obviously, the man who was praying was Horace's father. If you will recall, his mother had passed away. After reading this, I was struck by the truth of the words of James 5:16 that the "effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." This is a promise that we parents should cling to. I think it's a promise that should give impetus to the prayers of parents whose children are not at the place they wish them to be. Perhaps, these children will some day experience "faint yearnings" for more faith, a life that's different. These yearnings, even if they are weak, would probably come from God, and could it be that He would have been sent to your children by your prayers?

Many of us are thankful for where our children seem to be in the Lord. But certainly that is no reason for us to ease up with our prayers. I like what Stormie Omartian said in her book The Power of a Praying Parent. She said:

"All that needs to happen in our lives and the lives of our children cannot happen without the presence and power of God. Prayer invites and ignites both."

Moms and dads, shall we not persist in prayer?

The Bruised Horace

We all know how important it is to teach our children the Word of God. By doing so, we can spare them much difficulty, which would have been spared Horace had he a better understanding of the truths of Scriptures. Hop over to Scraps of Glory to read more..

Horace at the Table

It was Sunday, and, as usual, when he went to church regularly anywhere, he sat with Aunt Jane in her pew. He had a bad habit of wandering about from church to church, with no special preference for any one, and she had not seen him at hers for some weeks. He behaved himself now with great outward devotion; took off his glove reverently, as his mother had taught him to do, as he sat at the sacramental table and received the sacred bread and wine, and joined in the hymns with apparent fervor. Aunt Jane's heart yearned for him; how much this festival mean to her--how little to him! And as she silently prayed for him, he felt the old discomfort creeping over him, the sense of unrest experienced, at times, at least, by every human soul that tries to satisfy its infinite longs and yearning with finite things. ~ From Aunt Jane's Hero

[Another reminder, folks, of the importance of praying for our wayward children. ~mr]

I Wonder Why

… These were among his last thoughts before he went to sleep that night, and this accounted, he fancied, for the fact that her image, sweet and fresh, came to him with his first waking ones next day. But why she should go wherever he went, why she should flit in and out of his office was not so obvious. He laughed at himself, said it would pass in a day or two, and entered into his usual pursuits with unusual ardor.

“I have got off the business track,” he thought, “by absence from it; and my brain is confused by the journey yesterday.” But when he was riding up town after his day’s work was over, she came into the stage, too, and when he sat down to dinner, she sat down by his side. Oh, Maggie, how could you? He tried to shake her off in vain, and as he knew Aunt Jane would be expecting him in the evening, he set forth for her house, and our Maggie went with him… ~ From Aunt Jane’s Hero, E. Prentiss

[Horace had just met this young lady Maggie the day before on the train. What on earth was going on? Why would he be thinking about her nonstop like that? I wonder why he couldn’t get her out of his mind? I know why. God had put her there as a part of His plan for these two people. Let’s just say that it was His intention that they end up together, and this was one of the ways He was accomplishing His purposes. ~ mr]

Where is She? Who is She?

Aunt Jane was not surprised to see Horace march in the very next evening. She knew that she had touched, though she had not changed, his heart.
He began abruptly, with--
"Suppose a man could bring his mind to get married on his poverty, where is he to find a girl willing to share it with him?"
"A good wife is from the Lord," she returned.
"But do you know where mine is?" he persisted. "If I am ever to marry, of course there is somebody in the world waiting for me. Now where is she? Who is she?"
"If I knew I would not tell you. I hate matchmaking. You might as well ask me, where are my clients? Who are they? And I should reply, wait till they come to you and you will see and know."
"All I have to do, then, is to be ready for her when she comes! Really, I begin to feel quite curious."
"Yes, to be ready," said Aunt Jane, emphatically. "For if you are not, an angel might come to you and go away unrecognized."
"But ready, how?"
"In moral worth and purity, Horace." And after a pause, she added: "If I were talking to some men, I should say: Ask God to make you fit for her when she comes, and then to send her."
"But why not to me?" he asked with a comical look.
"Because I know you wouldn't do it. You feel perfectly capable of choosing for yourself, and besides, you are not in the habit of taking counsel of Him in worldly matters."
~ From Aunt Jane's Hero,

[Ah, Horace has much to learn, doesn't he? It's interesting to see how God deals with him as time goes by. More on that later. ~ mr.]

Horace and Georgiana

I am firmly convinced that every single young lady who has a heart for God should read Aunt Jane's Hero. When it comes to young people waiting on God's direction, certainly the messages Mrs. Prentiss has in this book are nothing short of priceless. If any of you have daughters who will soon be considering or hoping for marriage, this is a treasure you can put in their hands. I believe Chapter 2 is crucial. My commentary on that chapter will give you more information. Please go over to Scraps of Glory to read it.

Meet Aunt Jane and Horace

From time to time I'll be sharing posts in a series I started almost four years ago at my devotional blog. They're about my second favorite Prentiss work--Aunt Jane's Hero. I'm sharing the first one now. ~ mr

Such Are They. . .

"Such are they in all ages who follow the Lamp whithersoever He goeth. Had they chosen for themselves, or their friends chosen for them, they would have chosen otherwise. They would have been brighter here, but less glorious in His kingdom. They would have had Lot's portion, not Abraham's. If they had halted anywhere--if He had taken off His hand, and let them stray back--what would they not have lost? What forfeits in the morning of the resurrection? But He stayed them up, even against themselves. Many a time their foot had well-nigh slipped; but He, in mercy, held them up; now, even in this life, they know all he did was done well. It was good for them to suffer here, for they shall reign hereafter--to bear the cross below, for they shall wear the crown above; and that not their will but His was done on them." ~ From the preface to Aunt Jane's Hero, published 1873