Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1883-09-18
MISCELLANEOUS.
The Baby on the Prison Steps.

Nearly two hundred years ago
people passing by one of the prison.
in England might have seen, on any
warm, sunny day, q woman scateC
ON the stone steps with y baby in hel
arms.
1t was a.poor, feeble little thing,
and those who looked attcntively al
it used to think that it would never
live to grow up to repay the care its
mother bestowed upon it.
Her heart was very sad, rs she sat
there rocking her baby in her arms,
trying to still its feeble cry, for her
husband was shut up in those gloomy
walls, and it was but seldom that the
keeper of the prison would allow her
to see him.
But you must not think that he
was a wicked man, because he was n
prisoner; for in those days people
were put in prison rs often for loving
the truth rs for committing crimes.
The King of England and his Par
lament had passed law that per-
sons must not meet together to wor-
ship God in any other place than the
churches which they established, and
that no one must preach unless they
had given him permission.
Many of the people thought this
law unjust, and would not obey it
so they had meetings of their own.
where they could hear the Word oil
God truly explained by godly men.
These meetings made the government
very angry, and the people who wcrc
found attending them were put in
prison. This baby's father was ono
of those who had been found at these
meetings, and so he was put in pri-
son with many others.
After many months of imprison-
ment, during which time the baby
and his mother were constant III their
visits to the prison, the father was
released, but he was obliged to leave
the country and so for many years
was separated from his family.
Still the little pmny baby lived and
grew, though very slowly. Almost
rs soon as he could speak he would
go to his mother with any money
which had been given him, and say,
F." a book-buy me n booIl!'
His mother taught him from the
Bible. and he early learned to love
the Saviour. When he was only
seven years old he commenced to
write verses. His mother had some
doubt whether some verses, which
she found in his handwriting, were
really hiss, so to prove that he could
write them, he composed an acrostic
on his name. l Will give you the last
verse, that you may know of whom
you have been reading; for if You
take the first letter of each line YOU
can form this name:
''Wash me in thy blood. o Christ!
And grace divine impart;
Then search and try the corners Of-my heart
That l. in all things, may be fit TO do
Service to thee, and sing thy praises too
Not very good poetry, you will say.
but then you know he was only seven
years old, and he wrote better verses
afterward, as you all know, if you
have read his name, for it is the same
Isaac Watts who has written so many
of the hymns you learn to sing.
1t was not until he was quite old
that he wrote those, however, for his
early years were chiefly spent in study.
Indeed, his father did not approve of
his verse-making, for, after he was
permitted to come home, he took
charge of his sons education. One
day he was about to punish him for
making. verses when he should have
been studying, when Isaac stopped
him bS saying:
''Oh. father. do some pity take.
And | viii no more verses make"
He kept his word. and wrote very lit
tie until he left school.
His health was always very delicate.
and though he studied for the min
istry he was able to preach but little
most of his time was spent in writ
ing. He had delightful home in a
small village few miles from Lon
don, in the house of Sir Thomas Alb
ney. He went there to spend a few
weeks, and he remained there thirty
six years. For the delicate infant
whom no one thought would live to be
year old, lived to be seventy-fiyc
years of age.
And his mother, by her tender care
of him, was probably the means OF
sparing the life of the greatest hymn
writer the world has ever known. ]
dare say that you will find that some
of the hymns you love best to sing
were written by him. Such as s;T'here
is q land of pure delight, or ''Wher
1 can read my title clear" as well as