Chapter 2—An Illustration

While writing upon this point, my eye falls upon the following striking incident from real life:DPSDAI 10.2

“‘It is of no use, Mrs. W., I have tried again and again, and I can not become a Christian.’DPSDAI 10.3

“‘So you said a year ago, yet you thought there was nothing in the way.’DPSDAI 10.4

“‘I don’t think there is now, but I don’t feel any different from what I did then, and I don’t believe I ever shall be a Christian.’DPSDAI 10.5

“The first speaker was a bright girl somewhat over twenty, who, on a previous visit nearly a year before, had confided to her elder friend her earnest desire to became a Christian. Of her evident sincerity there could be no doubt, and the visitor was sorely puzzled to understand why her young friend had not yet found peace. The two were standing by the half-opened door of the Sunday-school room, where a rehearsal for an ‘entertainment’ was in progress; and the girl, looking in, seemed suddenly to find there a suggestion for further thought.DPSDAI 10.6

“‘I believe,’ she said hesitatingly, ‘there is one thing I cannot give up.’DPSDAI 10.7

“‘Give it up at once, dear.’DPSDAI 10.8

“‘But I can’t.’DPSDAI 10.9

“‘Come to Jesus first then, and He will give you the power.’DPSDAI 10.10

“‘I don’t want Him to. I believe if I knew I should die and be lost in three weeks from tonight, I would rather be lost than give up my passion.’DPSDAI 10.11

“‘And what is this dearly loved thing, worth so much more than your salvation?’DPSDAI 10.12

“‘Oh, it isn’t worth more, only I love it more, and I can’t and won’t give it up. It’s that I—I want to be an actress; I know I have the talent; I’ve always hoped the way would open for me to go upon the stage, and I can’t help hoping so still.’DPSDAI 10.13

“‘Do you think it would be wrong for you to do so, provided the way did open?’DPSDAI 10.14

“‘I don’t know that it would be a sin; but I couldn’t do it and be a Christian; the two things don’t go together.’DPSDAI 10.15

“‘How did you come by such a taste? I am sure you do not belong to a theater-going family?’DPSDAI 10.16

“‘Oh, no! my father and mother are Methodists; they always disapproved of the theater. I’ve been in Sunday-school all my life. They used to make me sing and recite at the entertainments when I was four years old, and I acted the angel and fairy parts in the dialogues; and when I grew older, I always arranged the tableaus, charades, etc.DPSDAI 10.17

“‘Then I joined a set of sociables got up by our church young people. At first we did “Mrs. Jarley’s Wax-works” and sung “Pinafore” for the benefit of the church; and then we got more ambitious, studied, and had private theatricals, and last winter we hired Mason’s Hall and gave a series of Shakespearean performances, which cleared off a large part of the church debt. But that’s only second-class work, after all. I want to do the real thing, to go upon the stage as a profession. My father won’t hear of it; but I hope some time the way will be opened that I may realize my heart’s desire.’DPSDAI 11.1

“‘And meantime, will you not come to Jesus and be saved?’DPSDAI 11.2

“‘No, I cannot do it and keep to this hope, and I will not give this up.’DPSDAI 11.3

“And so the visitor turned sadly away, thinking for what miserable messes of pottage men and women are willing to sell their glorious birthright as children of God; thinking also of the seeds which are being sowed in our Sunday-schools, the tares among the wheat, and the terrible harvest that may yet spring up from this well-meant but injudicious seed-sowing.”DPSDAI 11.4