126 Tom Seven Years Old.

 

 

“Do you love God very much, Benjamin ? p”
he asked.

“Not near enough—not near enough,”
answered he, softly; “but when I’ve known
His ways, and watched His works, and felt
His hand leading me for seventy-nine years,
one’s heart must glow a little bit, Master
Tom.”

“But you've never seen Him—not once ?”
asked Tom. He was very curious to know
this. Old Benjamin shook his head.

“No,” he answered; “I haven’t seen Him
—nobody has; but I’m waiting for Him to
call me away. In your story-book, Master
Tom, maybe you've read about the boy
Samuel, who heard a voice-——”

“Yes !" broke in Tom; “he was lying in
bed, and the voice said, ‘Samuel, Samuel !’
And he couldn’t have been asleep, because
he answered at once, ‘Here Iam!’ And he
didn’t know who it was calling, and it was
God. Do you expect to hear a voice calling,
‘Benjamin, Benjamin?’ and when—how
soon ?”