XXXIV.
The Mother's Story.
I do not think there is another old man and woman in Christendom whoought to be so thankful as my husband and I.
No doubt all parents are inclined to look at the best side of their ownchildren; but with ours there is really no other side to look at, itseems to me. Perhaps Else has sometimes a little too much of my anxiousmind; but even in her tender heart, as in all the others, there is alarge measure of her father's hopefulness. And then, although they have,perhaps, none of them quite his inventive genius, yet that seems hardlya matter of regret; because, as things go in the world, other peopleseem so often, at the very goal, to step in and reap the fruit of theseinventions, just by adding some insignificant detail which makes theinvention work, and gives them the appearance of having been the realdiscoverers.
Not that I mean to murmur for one instant against the people who havethis little knack of just putting the finishing touch and making thingssucceed; that also, as the house-father says, is God's gift, andalthough it cannot certainly be compared to these great, lofty thoughtsand plans of my husband's, it has more current value in the world. Not,again, that I would for an instant murmur at the world. We have all somuch more in it than we deserve (except, perhaps, my dearest husband,who cares so little for its rewards!) It has been quite wonderful howgood every one has been to us. Gottfried Reichenbach, and all oursons-in-law, are like sons to us; and certainly could not have prizedour daughters more if they had had the dowry of princesses! although Imust candidly say I think our dear daughters without a kreutzer of dowryare worth a fortune to any man. I often wonder how it is they are suchhousewives, and so sensible and wise in every way, when I neverconsidered myself at all a clever manager. To be sure their father'sconversation was always very improving; and my dear blessed mother was astore-house of wisdom and experience. However, there is no accountingfor these things. God is wonderfully good in blessing the humblestefforts to train up the little ones for him. We often think the povertyof their early years was quite a school of patience and householdvirtues for them all. Even Christopher and Thekla, who caused us moreanxiety at first than the others, are the very stay and joy of our oldage; which shows how little we can foresee what good things God ispreparing for us.
How I used at one time to tremble for them both! It shocked Else and meso grievously to see Christopher, as we thought, quite turning his backon religion, after Fritz became a monk; and what a relief it was to seehim find in Dr. Luther's sermons and in the Bible the truth which bowedhis heart in reverence, yet left his character free to develop itselfwithout being compressed into a mould made for other characters. What arelief it was to hear that he turned, not from religion, but from whatwas false in the religion then taught, and to see him devoting himselfto his calling as a printer with a feeling as sacred as Fritz to hiswork as a pastor!
Then our Thekla, how anxious I was about her at one time! how eager totake her training out of God's hands into my own, which I thought, in myignorance, might spare her fervent, enthusiastic, loving heart somepain.
I wanted to tame down and moderate everything in her by tender warningsand wise precepts. I wanted her to love less vehemently, to rejoice withmore limitation, to grieve more moderately. I tried hard to compress hercharacter into a narrower mould. But God would not have it so. I can seeit all now. She was to love and rejoice, and then to weep and lament,according to the full measure of her heart, that in the heights anddepths to which God led her, she might learn what she was to learn ofthe heights and depths of the love which extends beyond all joy andbelow all sorrow. Her character, instead of becoming dwarfed andstunted, as my ignorant hand might have made it, was to be thus braced,and strengthened, and rooted, that others might find shelter beneath hersympathy and love, as so many do now. I would have weakened in order tosoften; God's providence has strengthened and expanded while softening,and made her strong to endure and pity as well as strong to feel.
No one can say what she is to us, the one left entirely to us, to whomwe are still the nearest and the dearest, who binds our years togetherby the unbroken memory of her tender care, and makes us young in herchild-like love, and brings into our failing life the activity andinterest of mature age by her own life of active benevolence.
Else and her household are the delight of our daily life; Eva and Fritzare our most precious and consecrated treasures, and all the rest aregood and dear as children can be; but to all the rest we are thegrandmother and the grandfather. To Thekla we are "father" and "mother"still, the shelter of her life and the home of her affections. Only,sometimes my old anxious fears creep over me when I think what she willdo when we are gone. But I have no excuse for these now, with all thosepromises of our Lord, and his words about the lilies and the birds, inplain German in my Bible, and the very same lilies and birds preachingto me in colours and songs as plain from the eaves and from the gardenoutside my window.
Never did any woman owe so much to Dr. Luther and the Reformation as I.Christopher's religion; Fritz and Eva's marriage; Thekla's presence inour home, instead of her being a nun in some convent-prison; all thelove of the last months my dear sister Agnes and I spent together beforeher peaceful death; and the great weight of fear removed from my ownheart!
And yet my timid, ease-loving nature, will sometimes shrink, not so muchfrom what has been done, as from the way in which it has been done. Ifancy a little more gentleness might have prevented so terrible a breachbetween the new and the old religions; that the peasant war might havebeen saved; and somehow or other (how, I cannot at all tell) the goodpeople on both sides might have been kept at one. For that there aregood people on both sides, nothing will ever make me doubt. Indeed, isnot one of our sons--our good and sober-minded Pollux--still in the oldChurch? And can I doubt that he and his devout, affectionate littlewife, who visits the poor and nurses the sick, love God and try to servehim?
In truth, I cannot help half counting it among our mercies that we haveone son still adhering to the old religion; although my children, whoare wiser than I, do not think so; nor my husband, who is wiser thanthey; nor Dr. Luther, who is, on the whole, I believe, wiser than anyone. Perhaps I should rather say, that great as the grief is to us andthe loss to him, I cannot help seeing some good in our Pollux remainingas a link between us and the religion of our fathers. It seems to remindus of the tie of our common creation and redemption, and our commonfaith, however dim, in our Creator and Redeemer. It prevents ourthinking all Christendom which belongs to the old religion quite thesame as the pagans or the Turks; and it also helps a little to preventtheir thinking us such hopeless infidels.
Besides, although they would not admit it, I feel sure that Dr. Lutherand the Reformation have taught Pollux and his wife many things. Theyalso have a German Bible; and although it is much more cumbrous than Dr.Luther's, and, it seems to me, not half such genuine, hearty German,still he and his wife can read it; and I sometimes trust we shall findby-and-by we did not really differ so very much about our Saviour,although we may have differed about Dr. Luther.
Perhaps I am wrong, however, in thinking that great changes might havebeen more quietly accomplished. Thekla says the spring must have itsthunder-storms as well as its sunshine and gentle showers, and that thestone could not be rolled away from the sepulchre, nor the veil rent inthe holy place without an earthquake.
Else's Gottfried says the devil would never suffer his lies about thegood and gracious God to be set aside without a battle; and that thedear holy angels have mighty wars to wage, as well as silent watch tokeep by the cradles of the little ones. Only I cannot help wishing thatthe Reformers, and even Dr. Luther himself, would follow the example ofthe archangel Michael in not returning railing for railing.
Of one thing, however, I am quite sure, whatever any one may say; andthat is that it is among our great mercies that our Atlantis married aSwiss, so that through her we have a link with our brethren theevangelical Christians who follow the Zwinglian Confession. I shallalways be thankful f
or the months her father and I passed under theirroof. If Dr. Luther could only know how they revere him for his noblework, and how one they are with us and him in faith in Christ andChristian love!
I was a little perplexed at one time how it could be that such good menshould separate, until Thekla reminded me of that evil one who goesabout accusing God to us, and us to one another.
On the other hand, some of the Zwinglians are severe on Dr. Luther forhis "compromise with Rome," and his "unscriptural doctrines," as some ofthem call his teaching about the sacraments.
These are things on which my head is not clear enough to reason. It isalways so much more natural to me to look out for points of agreementthan of difference; and it does seem to me, that deep below all thedifferences good men often mean the same. Dr. Luther looks on holybaptism in contrast with the monastic vows, and asserts the common gloryof the baptism and Christian profession which all Christians share,against the exclusive claims of any section of priests or monks. And inthe holy Supper, it seems to me simply the certainty of the blessing,and the reality of the presence of our Saviour in the sacrament, that heis really vindicating, in his stand on the words, "This is my body."Baptism represents to him the consecration and priesthood of allChristians, to be defended against all narrow privileges of particularorders; the holy Supper, the assured presence of Christ, to be defendedagainst all doubters.
To the Swiss, on the other hand, the contrast is between faith and form,letter and spirit. This is, at all events, what my husband thinks.
I wish Dr. Luther would spend a few months with our Atlantis and herConrad. I shall always be thankful _we_ did.
Lately, the tone of Dr. Luther's preaching has often been reproachfuland full of warning. These divisions between the evangelical Christiansdistress him so much. Yet he himself, with that resolute will of his,keeps them apart, as he would keep his children from poison, sayingsevere and bitter things of the Zwinglians, which sometimes grieve memuch, because I know Conrad Winkelried's parish and Atlantis' home.
Well, one thing is certain: if Dr. Luther had been like me, we shouldhave had no Reformation at all. And Dr. Luther and the Reformation havebrought peace to my heart and joy to my life, for which I would gothrough any storms. Only, to leave our dear ones behind in the storms isanother thing!
But our dear heavenly Father has not, indeed, called us to leave themyet. When he does call us, he will give us the strength for that. Andthen we shall see everything quite clearly, because we shall see ourSaviour quite clearly, as He is, know his love, and love him quiteperfectly. What that will be we know not yet!
But I am quite persuaded that when we do really see our blessed Lordface to face, and see all things in his light, we shall all be very muchsurprised, and find we have something to unlearn, as well as infinitelymuch to learn; not Pollux, and the Zwinglians, and I only, but Dr.Philip Melancthon, and Dr. Luther, and all!
For the Reformation, and even Dr. Luther's German Bible, have not takenall the clouds away. Still, we see through a glass darkly.
But they have taught us that there is nothing evil and dark behind to befound out; only, much to be revealed which is too good for us yet tounderstand, and too bright for us yet to see.