No. 23.
THE CHILD WHO DIED
AND LIVED AGAIN.
BY THE AUTHOR OF "PEEP OF DAY."
LONDON:
JOHN HATCHARD AND SON.
1848.
THE CHILD WHO DIED AND
LIVED AGAIN.
Did you ever see a person who wasdead? Perhaps you have seen one ofyour own brothers or sisters lying on a[Pg 2]death-bed. What a change takes placewhen we die! No more breath comes outof the mouth, no colour is seen on thecheeks; the eye can look at us no longer,nor the tongue speak to us; the bodysoon grows cold and stiff; it has no morefeeling than the ground on which wetread. And why? Because the soul isgone out of the body. While the soul orspirit is in us we are alive, but when it isgone out then we are dead. The soulcan never die, but the body is only madeof dust, and it soon crumbles away andbecomes dust again.
No one can make a dead person aliveagain. Yet once there was a man in thisworld who made dead people alive. Whowas that man? He was called Jesus; hewas not only a man, he was God too; hewas the Son of God. Most people wouldnot believe that he was the Son of God,[Pg 3]though he said he was. Yet we are surehe said true, for if he had been a wickedman he could not have made dead peoplealive again. God his Father was withhim, and this was the reason he did suchwonderful things.
One day a rich man came to Jesus,and fell down at his feet, and begged himto come to his house. He said, "Mylittle daughter is dying." He was veryunhappy, he loved his little girl verymuch, and she was his only child. Hisname was Jairus, but I do not know thename of his little girl. I do know herage, she was twelve years old. Thefather thought that if Jesus only put hishands upon her he could make her well.
The Son of God was very kind to peoplein trouble. He went with the father,and a great crowd followed him. As hewent along the road, he was pressed on[Pg 4]every side by those who wanted to seehim and to hear what he said.
Before he reached the sick man'shouse, some people came and said to thefather, "Your daughter is dead." Theytold him it was now of no use for Jesusto come. They little knew what hecould do; but Jesus said to the father,"Do not be afraid, she shall be madewell."
When he came to the house, he onlyallowed three of his friends to come inwith him. Their names were Peter,James, and John. There was a greatnoise and bustle in the house; there weremen playing music, and people weepingand crying out with loud voices becausethe girl was dead. When Jesus cameinto the room where she was lying, hesaid to these people, "Why do you makethis noise? The girl is not dead, she[Pg 5]only sleeps." Then they began to laughat him, for they knew the child was dead.Why did Jesus say she slept? Becauseshe was soon to be made alive. Her deathwas like sleep.
Jesus would not let the people whomocked, stay in the room, but he let thegirl's father and mother be there, and hisown three f