"She reminds me of my own young vehemence and trust. But the taking away
will be the least sorrow of all. Why! How sorrowfully I am writing
to-day: no, how truly I am writing of life to-day: of the life you and
she are entering--are already entered upon. But God is good, God is good,
hold to that, whatever happens. Some day, when you are quite an old woman
and I am really an old woman, I will tell you about my young days.
"Your letter was full of questions; do not expect me to answer them all
at once. First, about reading the Bible. You poor dear child! Do you
think God keeps a book up in Heaven to put down every time you fail to
read the Bible through in a year? Because you have read it three times in
course, so many chapters a weekday, and so many a Sunday, do you think
you must keep on so or God will keep it laid up against you?
"Well, be a law keeper if you must, but keep the whole law, and keep it
perfectly, in spirit and in letter, or you will fail! And if you fail in
one single instance, in spirit or in letter, you fail in all, and must
bear the curse. You must continue in _all things_ written in the law to
do them. Are you ready to try that? Christ could do it, and he did do it,
but can you? And, if not, what? You must choose between keeping the law
and trusting in Christ who has kept it for you. You cannot serve two
masters: the Law and Christ. Now, I know I cannot keep the law and so I
have given up; all I can do is to trust in Christ to save me, in Christ
who is able to obey all God's law for me, and so I trust him and love
him, and obey him with the strength he gives me.
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