Stories from Switzerland
Anonymous
9781465647962
201 pages
Library of Alexandria
Overview
People say that idle folks are good-for-nothing folks: but they might say much more upon the subject. Idleness is a sin against God, and therefore idlers never can be happy; for how can any persons be happy when they are committing sin? Maurice knew this very well, at least his parents had often told him so; but Maurice still continued his sinful habits of idleness, carelessness, and self-indulgence; he very often neglected his duties, and I need not add, that he was very often unhappy. My dear children, you might as easily count the sparks which fly up the chimney, as reckon up the sins and troubles which come from idleness. Maurice had passed several unhappy idle weeks. He did not like to write a copy; he said his lessons were all so hard that he could not learn them; he laid in bed of a morning till obliged to get up; and when his brothers and sisters asked him to do any thing for them, he spoke cross and pushed them away. He was dull, peevish, and discontented; just as idle boys and girls always are. There he is in the picture; he sat for two hours together playing with his keys, rather than learn his lesson, though he wished for a game of play, and knew that he could not be allowed to play till he had repeated it. People generally go on from bad to worse, and the last week was the worst of all. It began badly. On Sunday morning Maurice gave way to a naughty temper, and spoke to his mother in a very improper manner. Instead of praying to God to send away this evil temper, he thought about something else while he repeated his prayer, and ate his breakfast without asking a blessing, just as a little dog would have done. After breakfast he teazed his sisters, and did all he could to hinder them from learning the chapter they were to repeat to their father in the afternoon. He went to church it is true, but he did not attend to any thing that he heard; part of the time he looked about him, and the remainder he sat yawning, and he asked three times when the sermon would be over. I have told my little readers enough about his naughty behaviour; the rest of the day passed much in the same manner, and the rest of the week like the Sunday. I have always found that unless there is “Happy Sunday,” there will not be “a Happy Week.” Thus there was nothing but idleness, quarrelling, disobedience, ill-tempers, and ill-manners; and poor Maurice during this week fully shewed the sinfulness of his heart. His behaviour clearly proved the truth of the text, “His servants ye are whom ye obey;” (Romans vi. 16.) and my readers will recollect that when this text was written the servants were slaves. He had obeyed Satan by his wicked conduct on the Sabbath, and he continued to serve that hard master all the week, with a constant attention to his will that was very dreadful. How much better it would have been to have served the Saviour, “whose yoke is easy and whose burden is light.” His father was very kind, and warned him several times of the consequences of such conduct. On the following Sunday he spoke again to Maurice for a considerable time, telling him how displeasing such conduct was to the Lord.
