“Yes, my son.”

“And to be a Christian is to love Jesus and try to be like him and serve him everywhere and all the time?”

“Yes; a real, true Christian is one who follows Christ, striving to be like him in every way and to keep all his commands.”

“I think I do want to, papa.  Please tell me more about it.”

“We must study the Bible to learn all about Christ Jesus—­how he lived in this world, what he did, and what he did not do, what sort of spirit he showed—­and strive to have the same spirit ourselves; for the Bible tells us ‘If any man have not the spirit of Christ he is none of his.’  Jesus said, ‘I must be about my Father’s business,’ and if God is our Father we too will be about his business.”

“But how, papa?  I don’t understand it.”

“Jesus came to save souls; and we must try to save them by leading them to him; first by serving him ourselves, then by persuading others to do the same—­telling them of all his great goodness and mercy, his loving kindness, and how he suffered and bled and died that sinners might be saved—­even those who hated and persecuted him.  How strange it is that we do not love him more and serve him better!”

“And how enduring is that love—­the love of Christ,” added Grandma Elsie.  “His own word is, ’Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love:  therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee.’”

“And he laid down his life for us,” said Mrs. Landreth.  “And he himself said, ’Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.  Ye are my friends if ye do whatsoever I command you.’”

“Yes, that is the test,” said Mr. Dinsmore; “we have no right to consider ourselves his disciples unless we are striving earnestly to keep all his commandments.  He himself said, ’Either make the tree good and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt:  for a tree is known by his fruit.’”

“Yes; if we love our Father we will strive earnestly to keep his commandments and not feel them to be grievous.  A loving child is an obedient one,” said Mr. Keith. “’For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments:  and his commandments are not grievous.’”

“’God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us,’” quoted his son Donald.  “In his love and in his pity he redeemed us.”

Then there was a moment’s pause, presently broken by Mr. Dinsmore starting the hymn “Love divine, all love excelling,” in which the other voices promptly joined.

That closed the exercises for that time, and those who had come merely to take part in them bade good-bye for that day with the expectation of returning on the following one.  And those who remained behind scattered to their rooms until the summons of the tea bell brought them together again about the table, to partake of their evening meal; after which they repaired to the veranda and spent in conversation and music, suited to its sacredness, the closing hours of that Lord’s day.