Luke 2:40 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was on him. There lived, fifteen hundred years ago, a saint whose name was Jerome, and he loved so much the thought of the Child Christ, that he left Rome, and went and lived for thirty long years in a cave at Bethlehem, close by the cavern-stable in which Christ was born. And when men wished to invite him by earthly honours to work elsewhere, he said, "Take me not away from the cradle where my Lord was laid. Nowhere can I be happier than there. There do I often talk with the Child Jesus, and say to Him, 'Ah, Lord I how can I repay Thee?' And the Child answers, 'I need nothing. Only sing thou Glory to God, and peace on earth."' And when I say, 'Nay I but I must yield Thee something'; the Holy Child replies, 'Thy silver and thy gold I need not. Give them to the poor. Give his only thy sins to be forgiven.' And then do I begin to weep and say, 'Oh, Thou blessed Child Jesus, take what is mine, and give me what is Thine!'" Now in this way, by the eye of faith, you may all see the Child Jesus, and unseen, yet ever near, you may feel His presence, and He may sit by your side at school, and be with you all day to keep you from harm, and to drive away bad thoughts and naughty tempers, and send His angels to watch over you when you sleep. (Archdeacon Farrar.) Parallel Verses KJV: And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him. |
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