Grayson Griffith [pp. 605-611]

SOUTHERN LITERARY MESSENGER.
their little boy compelled them to stop. The house
where they stopped, though not promising much in out ward appearance, was yet neat and clean. Mr. Felix,
the landlord, and his wife, were intelligent, industrious
and pious. They were strict temperance people, and
no liquor could be had for drink within fifteen miles.
Griffith of course became very cool. The first day he
was very wretched; he had no employment-he had
no heart to assist in nursing the sick boy. Towards
evening he took a gun and walked into the field, and
shot a partridge. At first he seemed pleased that he
might thus promote the comfort of his little son, but
then he remembered that animal food of any kind wo'ld
injure him. The next day he was more miserable than
ever, until about noon he saw fishing rods, and on in quiry found that there was a fish-pond not very distant.
He went and angled for hours, but the hot sun had dri ven every fish under the banks and tussocks. He sat
four long hours, and had not even a nibble. He return ed with a heavy heart; yet it was pleasant to more
than his wife, to observe a growing earnestness and
frequency of inquiry into the health of his child. The
next day, being Friday, a meeting commenced at a
church not three hundred yards distant from the house
of their kind landlord, and by a little persuasion, Grif fith was prevailed on to attend. The first sermon was
very animated, and was on that text: Isaiah lii. 3:
"Thus saith the Lord; ye have sold yourselves for
naught, and ye shall be redeemed without money."
Griffith sat on the back seat, and paid more attention
than one would have supposed from his appearance.
The second sermon was preached by an old gentleman,
on the text, 1 Timothy, i. 15: "This is a faithful say ing and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus
came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief."
Returning home, Griffith thought the preachers both
affectionate and able; buthe really thought some things
must be personal. Indeed, the young man who had
preached first, had a very dark and piercing eye, which
when animated in preaching, made almost every one
think he-was looking all the while at him alone. When
Griffith came home, he sat by his sick child, and told
his wife what he had seen and heard. That night he
was restless and wakeful. In the morning he took a
long walk before breakfast, and at the usual hour repaired to the church. A sermon was then preached on
the Cities of Refuge, and the preacher earnestly exhorted his hearers to flee for refuge to the hope set before them in the gospel. The exercises of Saturday
afternoon, were prayer and singing, accompanied by
short and solemn exhortations. In all these services
Griffith manifested deep interest, though he said nothing,
except that he detailed to his wife what he had seen
and heard. I-He also said, that as their boy was now
much improved in health, and as Mr. Felix's oldest
daughter would stay at home next day, his wife must
accompany him to church. Sabbath morning came,
and although there seemed to be many difficulties, yet
they were all surmounted, and Mrs. Griffith and her
husband, for the first time in several years, went in
company to the house of God. The text was, Isaiah
liii. 5: "He was wounded for our transgressions, he
was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our
peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." During the delivery of this sermon, Griffith was
seen to weep. His wife, however, had two reasons for
not feeling easy. Her apparel was really poor; but
she was soon relieved, by seeing that all the people
were plainly attired. She also suffered much uneasiness
about her son. But good Mrs. Felix had directed her
eldest son to return home in an hour after the service
should begin, and bring word whether all was right.
Her son came with a message, which she soon, in a
whisper, communicated to Mrs. Griffith. The message
was, that the boy had fallen asleep-that his room had
been made dark-that he seemed to sleep very sweetly,
and would perhaps not wake for an hour or two. Mrs.
Griffith got the message just in time to be entirely composed during the administration of the Lord's Supper,
which service immediately succeeded the first sermon.
I t was a solemn scene. There were few dry eyes in
the house. At the close of the communion service, the
company of believers rose and sang that favorite spiritual song "How happy are they
I-low happy are they
Who the Savior obey," &c.
Griffith and his wife both thought "how happy are
they." They both hastened home, as did Mrs. Felix
also. Finding their boy much better, and their kind
hostess herself determining to remain at home in the
afternoon, both Mr. and Mrs. Griffith returned to the
church. When they came near the church they heard
singing, and just as they entered the door, the congregation sung, and repeated the closing lines of a hymn
as follows:
"Here, Lord, I give myself away,
'Tis all that I can do."
Griffith sighed, and said to himself-" 0"O that I could
give myself away, and the gift be accepted." They
had just taken their seats, when the preacher announc ed his text in Revelation xxii. 17: "And the spirit
and the bride say, come: and let him that heareth say,
come: and let him that is athirst, come: and whoso ever will, let him take the water of life freely." The
sermon did not exceed forty minutes in length, yet it
was a faithful, tender and solemn entreaty to all sin ners, theast and the most vile, to come to Christ and
live. After service, one of the ministers went home
with Mr. Felix, and having observed Griffith's behavior
at church, he said many good things in his presence and
for his benefit. Griffith and his wife spent most of that
night in solemn reflection and silent prayer. On Monday morning a neighbor called to complete some arrangements with Mr. Felix, in reference to supplying
the place of their teacher,who had recently died. In an
unexpected train of conversation, they were led to speak
of Griffith as perhaps a suitable man. In a few days
it was mutually agreed that Griffith should teach the
school for the rest of that session, which was but three
months. His family being provided for, he commenced
his school. Yet for days and weeks, both he and his
wife suffered much pain and darkness of mind. At
length they both, about the same time, hoped that they
had found him, of whom Moses in the law and the
prophets did write. After trial of some weeks, they
were admitted to the communion. The day after this
event, Griffith wrote an affecting letter to his venerable
parents. This letter was evidently blessed, not only to
the comfort of their hearts, but also many of the pious
people in Goodcheer were much affected by it.
610