Barriers Burned Away | Page 6

her
with an expression of softness and tenderness that she had not seen for
many a long day. The old restless, anxious light had gone.
"What were you doing, Ethel?" he asked. "Praying that you might see
that God loved you--that you might be reconciled to Him."
Two great tears gathered in the man's eyes. His lips quivered a moment,
then he said, brokenly, "Surely God must love me, or He would never
have given me--a wife--who would watch and pray for me--the long
winter night."
"Oh, Dennis, forgive me; I cannot deceive you; for a time I forgot you,
I forgot everything, and just wandered through Paradise alone. But in
your sleep you called me to your help, and now it seems as if I could
not be happy even there without you. I pray you, in Christ's stead, be
reconciled to God," she pleaded, falling into the familiar language of
Scripture, as she often did under strong emotion. Then, in low, thrilling
words, she portrayed to him the "new earth" of her vision, wherein
"God shall wipe away all tears, and there shall be no more death,
neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain." She
showed him that all might still be well--that eternity was long enough
to make up for the ills of our brief troubled life here. But his mind
seemed preoccupied. These future joys did not take that hold upon him
that she earnestly desired. His eyes seemed to grow dim in tender,
tearful wistfulness, rather than become inspired with immortal hopes.
At last he spoke:
"Ethel, it seemed as if I heard some one calling me. I woke up--and
there you--were praying--for me. I heard my name--I heard God's

name--and I knew that you were interceding for me. It seemed to break
my hard heart right up like the fountains of the great deep to see you
there--praying for me--in the cold, cold room." (The room was not cold;
it was not the winter's chill that he was feeling, but a chill that comes
over the heart even in the tropical summer.) "Then, as you prayed, a
great light seemed to shine into my soul. I saw that I had been charging
God unjustly with all my failures and misfortunes, when I had to thank
myself for them. Like a wilful child, I had been acting as if God had
but to carry out my wild schemes. I remembered all my unreasonable
murmurings and anger; I remembered the dreadful words I was on the
point of uttering tonight, and for a moment it seemed as if the pit would
open and swallow me up."
He paused for breath, and then went on:
"But as my despairing eyes glanced restlessly around, they fell upon the
face of my son, noble and beautiful even in sleep, and I remembered
how God had brought him safely back. Then your low, pleading tone
fixed my attention again. It seemed to me that God's love must be better
and stronger than human love, and yet you had loved me through all
my folly and weakness; so perhaps had He. Then I felt that such a
prayer as you were offering could not remain unheard, you seemed to
pray so earnestly. I felt that I ought to pray myself, and I commenced
calling out in my heart, 'God be merciful to me--a sinner.' Then while I
prayed, I seemed to see my Saviour's face right above your bowed head.
Oh, how reproachfully He looked at me! and yet His expression was
full of love, too. It was just such a look, I think, that He fixed on Peter
when he denied Him. Then it seemed that I fell down at His feet and
wept bitterly, and as I did so the look of reproach passed away, and
only an expression of love and forgiveness remained. A sudden peace
came into my soul which I cannot describe; a rush of tears into my eyes;
and when I had wiped them away, I saw only your bowed form
praying--praying on for me. And, Ethel dear, my patient,
much-enduring wife, I believe God has answered your prayer. I feel
that I am a new man."
"God be praised!" exclaimed his wife, with streaming eyes. Then in a

sudden rush of tenderness she clasped her husband to her heart, her
strong love seeming like the echo of God's love, the earnest here on
earth of that above, where all barriers shall pass away.
The sound of their voices toward the last had awakened their son, and
he now stood beside them with wet eyes and heaving breast.
When the wife rose from her embrace, she saw that her husband was
very weak. For a few moments he gasped for breath. Then, getting