Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1879-06-11
FANATICS OR FOOLS
THE MOTHER OF THE SLAIN CHILD
WRITES A LETTER ABOUT IT.

The following letter, which we clip
from the Boston Herald, was received
recently from Mrs. Charles ?. Free
man by her sister.in- law in Natick,
where Freeman formerly lived
BARNsrABLE, MASS, May 10, 1879.
"DEAR SISTER We have received
your letters. l had looked for one for
a long time. never thought it would
find us here. Am glad to know you
are well. We are in need of nothing,
but we thank you Tor your kind
thoughts for our comfort. | have no
doubt you suffer for us. cannot tell
you how dearly we both loved our
little one. We have tried for more than
a year to live entirely devoted to God,
and to the good of others. We had
given up dress, the desire for money,
and everything that was not pure in
purpose. You would hardly have be-
lieved it was Charlie. He never was
profane, had not drank since knew
him, and was one of the best of hus-
bands and fathers but now he COM
mcnced life of prayer and faith in
God. and | with him. He read his
Bible every spare moment, and HE
whole life was spent in Christian, earn
est work for good and his whole aim
(not neglecting other duties) was to
win souls TO Christ, and seek himself
eternal life. One trial TO our faith
came after another, and God blessed
us very much the more we trusted him.
By and by there came week and
more of great and new trials. Charlie
did not sleep nor eat, scarcely, for
two weeks. During this time Of pain
fnl trial he felt that God required him
to have the faith Of Abraham. You
know what,that was in regard to Isaac I
He could not get away from it the
more he tried the more it came home
to him. At last he said to the Lord
he would be willing to bear the test !;
he thought that would be all that God
would ask. That seemed to end it for
the day. That night it came to him
more powerfully he could not help it.
Oh God alone knows how / suffered
But having such great faith in God to
believe He would stop him just as He
did Abraham-that it was only trial
of iaith-knowing, as | did, Charles
lite and love, his fear to dsobey God,
and that he had Abraham's faith, |
could not hinder him. But neither Of
us thought God would suffer her TO be
touched, any more than that the day
would fail to come. We thought God
would see our faith and give us some
token of acceptance. We believe God
would thunder from Sinai before any
harm should come to our darling but
when / found my precious Edie gone,
Oh, Father, how | felt ? But comfort
seemed 20 come again. Abraham be-
lieved God would raise Isaac, and so we
felt that it was Gods plan to take her,
so as to raise her from the dead, and
thus show His mighty power and love.
We did believe He would do this, in
order to show the world that the God
of Abraham, OF Isaac and Of Jacob still
lives and so wake up the frozen
Church of God to its duties-the
Church so married to the world that
there is scarcely any difference be.
tween the two. We believed this was
to be, and that Edie would yet 60 with
Charlie to preach the gospel of the
kingdom. What a power she would
be What glory to his cause Elijah,
Elisha, Christ and the apostles raised
the dead, and why should not God do
il now as then2 We believe he would.
but time has so far passed, and we are
here. God knows we are innocent Of
any crime. Charlie still thinks God is
going TO manifest his power and glory,
and himself be justified in the eyes of
the world. God grant it may be so.
"Oh, you cannot know my sorrow
1t almost breaks my heart My dear,
dear Edie Charlie is innocent, oh he
is, of any crime but | am afraid it
was mistaken faith in God. Dear
Lord, help us in our need"
HATTIE.