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THE 
 
 SHADOW OF THE CROSS: 
 
 AN ALLEGORY. 
 
 
 .. 
 
 BY THE REV. W. ADAMS, M. A 
 
 «\ 
 
 
 TROM THE LONDON EDITION, 
 WITH ENGRAVINGS FROM ORIGINAL DESIGNS, 
 BY CHAPMAN. 
 
 NEW-YORK: 
 GENERAL PROT. EPISCOPAL S. S. UNION, 
 
 DANIEL DANA Jr. AGENT. 
 
 Depository 20 Jotm Street. 
 
 18 4 4. 
 
 

 
 Entered according to Act of* Congress, in the year 1844, by 
 John W. Mitchell, (as Treasurer of the General Prostestant 
 Episcopal Sunday School Union) in the Office of the Clerk of the 
 United States District Court for the Southern District of New- 
 York. 
 
 &4 S 
 
 % 
 
 VINCENT L, DILL, STEREOTYPES, 
 
PREFACE 
 
 TO THE AMERICAN EDITION. 
 
 The following beautiful Allegory is reprinted 
 without alteration, from the second London Edition, 
 and something, it is deemed, has been added to its 
 original value in the elegant and appropriate illustra- 
 tions, the designs for which were furnished by our 
 distinguished native artist, John G. Chapman, and 
 executed by Howland, Brothers, of New York. 
 
<&\)t &\)abow of tlje (JTro00, 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Old friends, old scenes, will lovelier be, 
 As more of Heaven in each we see : 
 Some softening gleam of love and prayer 
 Shall dawn on every cross and care. 
 
 p thick darkness 
 J was spread over 
 j the earth, and 
 o as I stood on 
 ) the top of a lof- 
 ty mountain, the 
 only object that 
 I could see was 
 
8 SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 
 
 the sun, which had risen in the far east 
 with a wonderful glory. It was as a 
 ball of clear and living fire ; and yet so 
 soft and chastened was its ray, that, 
 while I gazed, my eye was not dazzled, 
 and I felt I should like to look upon it 
 for ever. Presently, as it shone upon 
 the mists which rested on the earth, 
 they became tremulous with fight, and 
 in a moment they floated by, and a 
 scene of life and beauty was opened to 
 my view. 
 
 I saw a spot of ground, so rich and 
 fertile, that it might well be called a 
 garden ; — the sweetest flowers were 
 growing wild in the fields, and the 
 very pathways appeared to sparkle with 
 rubies and emeralds ; there were, too, 
 the most luxuriant orchards, and cool 
 
SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 9 
 
 groves of orange trees and myrtles, and 
 the breeze of the morning was play- 
 ing among their branches. Now, as 
 I watched the butterflies that fluttered 
 over the flowers, and the lambs sport- 
 ing on the smooth grass, and as I list- 
 ened to the song of the nightingales in 
 the woods, I fancied it was some scene 
 of enchantment which I saw, it was so 
 very full of happiness and life. Every 
 where, at the extremity of the view, my 
 eye rested on a clear narrow stream : 
 I could trace neither mountain from 
 which it rose, nor ocean into which it 
 fell ; but it glided round and round in 
 an endless circular course, forming as it 
 were a border of silver to that lovely 
 garden on which the sun was shining. 
 The morning light ever kept adding 
 
10 SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 
 
 fresh beauty to each tree and flower 
 on which it fell, but the brighest and 
 clearest rays were those which were re- 
 flected by this narrow stream ; and at 
 this I wondered the rather, because, on 
 the other side of the ring of water, all 
 was still wrapt in a thick and gloomy 
 fog, and though I gazed long and ear- 
 nestly, I saw nothing. 
 
 Young and lovely children were con- 
 tinually crossing the narrow stream ; 
 there was no other way of escaping 
 from the land of darkness to the land 
 of light. Their garments became white 
 as snow by their passage through the 
 water, and sparkled with a dazzling 
 brightness as the sun first shone upon 
 them ; I observed, too, that each child, 
 as he entered the garden, held a little 
 
SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 11 
 
 cross in his hand. Now, when I reflect- 
 ed how many millions might still be 
 wandering in the dark and gloomy re- 
 gion beyond, on whom the glorious sun 
 would never shed its cheering warmth, 
 I could not help thinking how happy 
 the children were to have found thus 
 early the narrow stream, and I said in 
 my heart, Surely this lovely garden was 
 made for them, and they will live in it 
 for ever. 
 
 While I was musing thus, it seemed 
 that, in answer, a still soft Voice came 
 floating on the breeze, and said, " It is 
 indeed for such children as these that 
 the sun is shining, and for them that 
 the mists have been cleared away, but 
 none of the beautiful things in the gar- 
 den belong to them ; they are waiting 
 
12 SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 
 
 here as strangers, till their Father shall 
 summon them home ; and when they 
 go hence, they can take nothing away 
 with them but the little crosses in their 
 hands, and the white garments which 
 they wear." " Who, then, are these 
 children?" I asked, " and what is the 
 name of the garden ? and when they 
 are taken from it, whither will they 
 go?" And the Voice said," " The chil- 
 dren are sons of a mighty King, and 
 the garden is called the Garden of tilt 
 SJiatroto Oi the &VQ88; but no one can 
 tell whither each child will go when 
 he is taken away — it will depend on 
 how far he escapes the dangers of the 
 garden. If they carelessly lose their 
 crosses, or so stain their beautiful gar- 
 ments, that they can be made white no 
 
SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 13 
 
 more, they will be thought unworthy 
 of the presence of the great King, and 
 will be hid in an outer darkness, more 
 thick and terrible than that which they 
 have just left. But if, when they go 
 away, the crosses are still in their 
 hands, and they so far keep themselves 
 clean that the King may recognise them 
 for His own children, then will their 
 garments be washed until they become 
 more shining white than snow, and they 
 w^ill be taken to a brighter and happier 
 land, in w^hich they will live with their 
 Father for ever." 
 
 But I understood not what the Voice 
 meant by the dangers of the garden, 
 and I wondered, too, that it should 
 speak to me of a brighter and happier 
 land ; for I thpught within myself, that 
 
14 SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 
 
 no land could be more beautiful than 
 that on which I gazed,- and no sun more 
 glorious than that which was .shining 
 there. And the Voice again answered 
 my thoughts, and said, "It is indeed 
 true, that no sun surpasseth in glory 
 that which is shining on the land en- 
 circled by the silver stream ; but were 
 it not for the light so resting upon it, 
 there is nothing to be desired in the gar- 
 den itself. At one time every thing, not 
 only here, but in the country around, 
 was very good — there was no mist or 
 darkness then ; but now an enemy of 
 the King has corrupted all. The very 
 air the children breathe is wont to sully 
 their white garments, and each delight 
 of the garden is full of hidden danger 
 and deceit. While every thing appears 
 
SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 15 
 
 to the eye so beautiful and innocent, 
 there is, in truth, a poison lurking in 
 each fruit and flower ; cunning serpents • 
 are hiding in the grass ; snares and 
 stumbling-blocks innumerable are placed 
 in the broad ways that look so bright 
 and smooth ; and even in the groves 
 of myrtle roaring lions are wandering 
 about, anxious to tear the children that 
 come thither, and to stain their white 
 garments with blood." 
 
 And when I heard this, I wept bit- 
 terly for the poor children, whom 1 had 
 thought so happy before, and I said, 
 " Oh wretched children, thus to be 
 placed in a garden so full of dangers, 
 and to be tempted by fruits and fknvers 
 which you dare not gather ! Surely there 
 is not one of you who will not at last 
 
16 SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 
 
 imbibe some secret poison, or fall into 
 some dreadful snare, or be stung by a 
 serpent, or torn by a lion ; and so you 
 will be prevented from entering that 
 better country which your Father has 
 prepared for you." And the Voice said, 
 " There is not one of the King's children 
 who may not dwell in peace and happi- 
 ness in the garden. Not only is their 
 Father Himself ever present with them, 
 though they cannot see Him, but He has 
 given to each a talisman, which will en- 
 able them to live here in security, and 
 even to enjoy the fruits and flowers until 
 it is His good pleasure to call them to 
 Himself. You see that the sun is shin- 
 ing brightly and gloriously in the east ; 
 you see, too, that each little one has 
 been provided with a cross : : — so long 
 
SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 17 
 
 then as the cross is so held that the 
 rays of the sun fall upon it, and cast 
 a shadow upon the surrounding objects, 
 they will remain safe and happy in their 
 garden ; for every fruit on which the 
 mark of the cross is seen, may be tasted 
 of without fear, and each path may be 
 trodden in safety on which its shadow 
 rests. 
 
 "<But will not," I asked, " the hands 
 of the children become wearied by hold- 
 ing the cross, and their eves grow dim 
 while they watch the shadows ?" And 
 the Voice replied, " Their hands would 
 indeed soon become weary, and their 
 eyes grow dim, if their sight or their 
 strength were their own ; but these are 
 among the number of those precious 
 gifts, that each child, as he crossed the 
 
18 SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 
 
 stream, received from his Father. He 
 is ever at hand to watch over them ; 
 and, so long as they are really anxious 
 to be guided by the cross, He will not 
 suffer their sight or strength to fail. 
 Nay more, He has appointed means, 
 by which they themselves may seek 
 the renewal of these gifts day after 
 day, and hour after hour." 
 
 When I heard this I wept no more, 
 but I thought how good and kind that 
 Father must be, who took such care 
 of each little child. From this time I 
 ceased to watch the trees and the flow- 
 ers, or even the bright ring of water 
 that kept flowing round the garden ; 
 for I felt deeply interested about the 
 King's children, and I fancied it would 
 be very beautiful to see them throwing 
 
SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 19 
 
 shadows from their little crosses, and 
 so living unhurt in the garden of the 
 Shadow of the Cross. 
 
 Now, I had expected that, as there 
 was no difference in the crosses them- 
 selves, so, too, would there be none in 
 the shadows, and that every child who 
 held the cross would make the same use 
 of it. But I soon found that, though 
 the crosses were indeed all alike, there 
 was very great variety in the images 
 which they cast. There were some 
 which were very dark and gloomy, and 
 some, on the contrary, were so .fair and 
 soft, that they were more beautiful to 
 look upon than the surrounding light ; 
 some fell fixed and steadfast, some faint 
 and wavering ; some fell in clusters, and 
 some alone. There was also a very 
 
20 SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 
 
 great difference in the way in which 
 the children held their crosses : some 
 merely raised them on high, and then 
 walked quietly wherever the shadow 
 fell ; some kept twisting them back- 
 wards and forwards, as though it were 
 a work of much difficulty to form the 
 shadow ; and some, methought, even 
 when the image was most distinct, were 
 unable to see it. Many, too, there 
 were who hid their crosses, and only 
 used them now and then, and I knew 
 that those poor children were in conti- 
 nual danger ; and some, too, had thrown 
 them away altogether, and I feared that 
 thev would be lost. At length mv eve 
 grew weary with the confusion of the 
 scene, and I resolved to fix it steadily 
 on some one child, and to watch its 
 
SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 
 
 21 
 
 progress through the garden. One little 
 girl there was amidst a group of chil- 
 dren, with features so pure and lovely, 
 that, when she had once attracted my 
 
 
 attention, I could easily distinguish her 
 from the rest. The name of " Inno- 
 cence " was written on her forehead ; 
 and, from the whiteness of her gar- 
 ments, I thought that she must have 
 
22 SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 
 
 entered very lately into the garden. I 
 watched her as she pla\^ed with her 
 companions in the fields, and I loved 
 to see her stop with them to taste the 
 fruits or gather the flowers by the way; 
 for I observed that she chose not the 
 greenest paths, nor the ripest fruits, nor 
 the fairest flowers, but only those on 
 which the image of her cross was seen. 
 Nay, neither fruit nor flower seemed to 
 have any charms for her, unless the 
 cross had thrown its shadow there ; and 
 I wondered not that it was so, for the 
 more I gazed, the more soft and beau- 
 tiful seemed the outline that it traced. 
 The child was always happy; her sole 
 pleasure was in her little cross and 
 the shadows it formed; fall where they 
 would, she was sure to follow them. I 
 
SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 23 
 
 saw, too, that she taught her friends to 
 seek the shadows also, and when the 
 mark of her cross and theirs might be 
 discerned on the same object, then was 
 she happiest of all. 
 
 And as I gazed, behold ! a snow- 
 white dove was resting on the cross, 
 and the form of the little one began 
 already to fade from my view ; her fea- 
 tures became less bright, though not 
 less pure, than they were before, and 
 I knew that young Innocence, with her 
 garments still white, was passing away 
 from the garden. In a little while her 
 companions were weeping, and the child 
 was gone. I did not weep, for I felt she 
 had been taken away to that brighter 
 and happier land of which the Voice had 
 spoken ; yet long after we had ceased 
 
24 SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 
 
 to see her, I fancied she was still present 
 in the garden, and, as she had been 
 wont to do, was holding her little cross 
 in the light of the sun ; for its shadow 
 continued to play around all the objects 
 she had loved ; I could trace it not only 
 on the faces of her friends, but on the 
 flowers she had gathered, and the very, 
 pathways she had trod. I observed, 
 too, that these images became brighter 
 and more distinct from the tears that 
 fell upon them, and images from other 
 crosses kept clustering around them, and 
 I thought, if the beautiful child were 
 indeed still looking on the garden, how 
 happy she must be that the crosses of 
 those who wept for her were thus blend- 
 ed with her own. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 When with dear friends sweet talk I hold. 
 And all the flowers of life unfold ; 
 Let not my heart within me burn 
 Except in all I Thee discern. 
 
 hen Innocence 
 had thus early 
 been called a- 
 way from the 
 garden, I se- 
 lected one of the 
 little group of 
 mourners, whom 
 I next resolved to watch. He was a 
 very beautiful boy, and had been one 
 of the favourite friends of Innocence, 
 
26 SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 
 
 and when I first observed him, was cry- 
 ing bitterly for his loss. But he soon 
 dried his tears, and as I looked on his 
 clear and open forehead, the name of 
 "Mirth" was written there. Long after 
 he had ceased weeping, I could see that 
 he had not forgotten his companion, for 
 he continued to play in the same field in 
 which Innocence had left him, and af- 
 fection for his former playmate ever led 
 him to choose those flowers on which 
 the shadow of her cross was lingering 
 still. 
 
 While he remained there, I knew 
 that the bov was safe from danger ; but 
 afterwards, when he began to wander 
 to other parts of the garden, I grew 
 alarmed lest some evil might befal him; 
 for, though he grasped his own cross 
 
SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 27 
 
 firmly in his hand, so quick and lively 
 was his step, that I feared he might 
 soon be tempted to move beyond its 
 shadow. However, I was beginning to 
 hope there was no good reason for my 
 alarm ; for, though he gathered more 
 abundantly than Innocence had done 
 of the flowers that were by the way, I 
 observed that he never touched them 
 until the shadow of his cross had rested 
 upon them ; and if there were any on 
 which it did not fall, he passed them 
 by. But before long it seemed that his 
 eye was attracted by a beautiful bed of 
 roses and violets that grew on a little 
 hill, at the foot of which he was walk- 
 ing : I saw him hold his cross for a 
 moment between them and the sun, and 
 he quite laughed for joy as he caught a 
 
28 
 
 SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 
 
 glimpse of its shadow there ; he bound- 
 ed lightly forward, and, intending to 
 gather a lovely nosegay, began in haste 
 to scramble up the hill. Now, this I 
 perceived with sorrow, for I was afraid 
 the little fellow had not observed that 
 there were many roses there on which 
 no part of the shadow fell ; and I feared 
 lest in his eagerness he should seize one 
 of them, and, b}^ doing so, I knew not 
 what risk he might incur. There was 
 good cause for my fear. The child, 
 breathless with his scramble up the hill, 
 stretched out his hand and plucked the 
 finest rose that he saw ; it was one of 
 those on w r hich no shadow had fallen, 
 and he had scarce held it a moment, 
 when a wasp, that had concealed itself 
 among the leaves, crawled out and stung 
 
SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 29 
 
 him on the finger: the poor boy scream- 
 ed with pain, for the sting of the wasp 
 was unlike any thing he had felt before. 
 He hastily dashed the flower on the 
 ground ; but one leaf, I observed, was 
 blown back by the wind, and rested 
 on his clothes : Mirth saw it also, and 
 brushed it away ; but, when it was 
 gone, there was a stain on those gar- 
 ments which had been so white before. 
 It was but a very little spot, and, as 
 the tears trickled down upon it, grew 
 so faint, that it could hardly be dis- 
 cerned at all ; but still the spot was 
 there. The smart, however, that the 
 sting caused was of no long continu- 
 ance, and in a short time little Mirth 
 was going merrily on his way, as though 
 no accident had happened. 
 
30 SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 
 
 By and by, as he was walking by- a 
 bright path across a field, one of his 
 former companions perceived him, and 
 ran over the green to meet him : I could 
 see that he shook Mirth warmly by the 
 hand, and persuaded him that for a lit- 
 tle while they should amuse themselves 
 together. But I was grieved that the 
 friend of Innocence should join company 
 with the child, for there was many a soil 
 on his white garments, and there was 
 no cross in his hand, and the name of 
 M Wayward" was written on his brow. 
 I thought, too, that Mirth looked shock- 
 ed when first he met him, and I heard 
 him ask after his cross ; but Wayward 
 laughed, and told him it was so trou- 
 blesome to keep it always in his hand, 
 that he now carried it in his clothes. 
 
SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 31 
 
 He said, however, that he never forgot 
 to take it out when there were any dif- 
 ficulties in the way ; but in the green 
 fields and smooth paths he needed not 
 its shadow. 
 
 Now, methought, the stains on his 
 clothes proved that, without the cross, 
 neither the greenest fields nor the 
 smoothest paths were safe ; but it would 
 seem that Mirth did not observe them, 
 for his mind appeared at ease, when 
 he found Wayward had not thrown 
 away the cross ; and the two boys walk- 
 ed on together. Little Mirth still, how- 
 ever, kept his own cross in his hand, 
 and its shadow ever fell clear and dis- . 
 tinct on the bright path he trod ; while 
 Wayward walked heedlessly along the 
 soft turf by his side, and laughed at the 
 
32 SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 
 
 caution of his companion. But I soon 
 observed that Mirth was growing weary 
 of the narrow way, and tired of placing 
 his footsteps exactly in the print of the 
 cross, and that by little and little he 
 deviated from it ; he ventured first close 
 by the side of the grass, and then just 
 to tread on its edge, and so he walked 
 nearer to his companion. Now they 
 had not gone far, when, at the point 
 where the turf looked most soft and in- 
 viting, they fell into swampy ground, 
 and in an instant the green miry water 
 rose above their ankles. Poor Mirth, 
 directly he felt it, leaped back upon 
 the road, for it was at no great distance ; 
 but before he could reach it his gar- 
 ments were already splashed, and there 
 was a sad shade of green ' all around 
 
SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 33 
 
 their border. , Wayward fell deeper into 
 the marsh than Mirth, because he had 
 been walking farther from the path ; 
 but, when he had forced his way out, 
 he treated his misfortune lightly, and 
 scarce stopped a moment to wipe the 
 dirt from his clothes; nor did I wonder 
 at this, for they were so stained before, 
 that the splashes of the green mud could 
 hardly be seen on them at all ; but it 
 made me feel the more pity for Mirth, 
 as he looked sadly at his own stains ; 
 and I thought how foolish a thing it 
 was, for a child, still clad in raiment of 
 white, to walk with one whose garments 
 were so defiled. 
 
 It seemed, however, that Mirth 
 thought not of that, for he still al- 
 lowed Wayward to accompany him ; 
 
34 SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 
 
 nay, in a little while I almost fancied 
 he began to look discontented at the 
 whiteness of his clothes, for the fear 
 of spoiling them often forced him to 
 pick his way over stones with care, 
 while his companion could walk heed- 
 lessly through the mud. Alas ! if it 
 were so, the silly child had not much 
 longer such cause for discontent ; for 
 a beautiful butterfly in a neighbouring 
 field caught the attention of Wayward, 
 and in a moment away he ran, calling 
 to his companion to follow ; and I saw 
 that, for the first time, Mirth joined 
 in the pursuit without consulting his 
 cross. Now, I have no doubt the boys 
 thought they would have to go but a 
 very little way before they gained pos- 
 session of their prize, — for I too fancied 
 
SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 
 
 35 
 
 so at first ; but, as they came near, the 
 butterfly opened its bright wings to the 
 sun, and fluttered away, settling first on 
 one flower, then on another, and ever, 
 
 as the children stretched out their hands 
 to take it, just eluded their grasp. A 
 long and wearisome chase it led them 
 in the end. At first they went merrily 
 through the green fields ; but after- 
 
 C2 
 
36 SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 
 
 wards, as they grew more eager in the 
 pursuit, and the bright butterfly tempted 
 them on, they climbed steep hills, and 
 scrambled down into the valleys be- 
 neath ; they ran through brooks, leaped 
 over ditches, and broke through hedges 
 in their way, and yet the provoking 
 insect was no nearer than before. And 
 I said, " Oh that Mirth had tried whe- 
 ther the shadow of his cross would rest 
 on its glittering wings, before he began 
 thus hastilv to follow it !" for many a 
 splash of mud had fallen upon him in 
 the eagerness of the pursuit, and his 
 little hands were so scratched with 
 thorns, that in some parts they had 
 sprinkled his clothes with blood. 
 
 At length they came to a smooth 
 grassy plain, at the border of which 
 
SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 37 
 
 was a lovely grove of myrtles. The 
 butterfly flew high in the air towards 
 the distant trees, for there was neither 
 plant nor flower in the plain itself. 
 Now, I observed that Mirth had out- 
 stripped Wayward in the chase ; and 
 as he ran heedlessly on, gazing upwards 
 towards the butterfly, his foot struck 
 against a stone concealed in the long 
 grass, and he was thrown violently to 
 the ground. The careless child was well 
 nigh stunned by the fall ; and when he 
 recovered his feet, he trembled exceed- 
 ingly, and the mark of the green grass 
 was deeply imprinted on his clothes ; 
 yet I was glad that the accident made 
 him grasp his little cross, which before 
 he had well nigh forgotten, the more 
 firmly in his hand. Just as his com- 
 
38 SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 
 
 panion joined him, he held it thought- 
 fully towards the sun ; and when he 
 saw that its image w T as not reflected 
 on the wood, but on a hard dull path, 
 leading in an opposite direction, he at 
 once turned aside from the beautiful 
 butterfly which he had so long been 
 following. 
 
 Wayward, too, seemed a little fright- 
 ened by his companion's fall, for he also 
 took out his cross ; and when its dim 
 shadow fell on the same hard, dull path, 
 he too relinquished the pursuit of the 
 butterfly, and accompanied Mirth. So 
 the two boys walked on, sadly and 
 silently, together ; but Mirth limped a 
 little as he went, from the pain of his 
 fall. Very glad I was that they had 
 not ventured to enter the wood ; for, 
 
SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 39 
 
 though they saw them not, I could see 
 the bright eyes of a serpent gleaming 
 from beneath the myrtle on which the 
 butterfly was resting. He seemed to be 
 waiting anxiously for the approach of 
 the children, and 1 doubt not there was 
 poison in his fang. 
 
 Now, I have said that the road by 
 which Mirth and Wayward left the 
 grove of myrtles was dull and hard ; 
 for I had by this time discovered that, 
 soft and beautiful as every thing looked 
 in the distance, there were not only 
 some paths in the garden deceitful and 
 dangerous, but others hard and dull. It 
 led them by manv a withered leaf and 
 faded flower ; and each leaf and flower 
 was watered by the tears of Mirth, for 
 his eyes were ever fixed downward 
 
40 SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 
 
 upon the ground : he was as one who 
 was unconscious whither he was walk- 
 ing, and whose only care was so to 
 measure each step that it might fall 
 exactly in the shadow before him. 
 Wayward, too, for a little while, look- 
 ed downward also, and step by step 
 trod in the same path with his com- 
 panion : but, when they had gone on 
 for some time in safety, from the force 
 of habit he left off carrying his cross 
 in his hand, and concealed it as he had 
 done before ; and then he soon grew 
 weary of the dullness of the road, and 
 longed to turn aside to some of the 
 pleasant paths on the right hand or on 
 the left. He appeared to me, however, 
 to be half afraid of wandering alone ; 
 for I heard him coaxing Mirth to leave 
 
SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 41 
 
 off watching those gloomy images, and 
 to come and join with him in some 
 merry game, saying that, by doing so, 
 he would the sooner forget the effects 
 of his fall. But Mirth still walked on 
 in the same disconsolate way, with his 
 eyes fixed upon the ground. His heart 
 was then indeed too full of heaviness 
 to suffer him to think of play at all ; 
 yet, perhaps, he might not have been 
 able to resist very long the entreaties 
 of Wayward, had it not so happened 
 that the boys did not much further 
 continue their walk together. 
 
 A sudden turn in the dull road 
 brought them to one of those fields 
 over which in happier times Mirth had 
 often loved to ramble with Innocence ; 
 and the shadow of his cross rested full 
 
42 SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 
 
 on a faded lily, which had been sown 
 and watered by the hands of his for- 
 mer friend. Here the poor little fellow 
 paused, and sobbed as though his very 
 heart would break. I too felt very sor- 
 rowful ; for my mind went back to the 
 lovely scene when the two -children had 
 been playing together in the garden, 
 and Mirth had been taught by Inno- 
 cence to find pleasure in the cross. I 
 remembered how happy they had both 
 looked in their shining raiment of white, 
 and how beautiful were the first holy 
 images which fell on the objects around 
 them ; and, above all, I recollected the 
 hour when the dove had settled so 
 peacefully on the cross of her who was 
 taken, while she was fading from my 
 view : and then, as I gazed upon the 
 
SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 43 
 
 one who had been left, and saw how 
 his garments since then had been stain- 
 ed by many a dark and filthy spot, the 
 bitter thought came upon me, whether, 
 if his friend still looked upon the gar- 
 den, she would recognise him now, and 
 whether, if Mirth were called away, 
 he would be received in that better 
 country to which Innocence was gone. 
 Such thoughts, also, seemed to force 
 themselves on the mind of Mirth ; for 
 he knelt down by the lily to which the 
 shadow had led him, and, as the tears 
 chased each other down his cheeks, and 
 fell on the stains, I could hear him 
 murmur, " Oh, purge me with hyssop, 
 and I shall be clean ; wash me, and 
 I shall be whiter than snow!" Then 
 I knew he was speaking to the kind 
 
44 SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 
 
 Father, who was ever present among 
 His children in the garden ; and I re- 
 membered how the Voice had told me 
 that there were means by which the 
 sight and strength of the children might 
 be renewed. Presently I saw him bend 
 low and gaze earnestly on the faded 
 flower ; and while the big tear fell upon 
 it, methought that his eye became less 
 dim, and there w T as a gleam of hope 
 and gladness on his face, as though he 
 could again trace upon the leaves the 
 light and lovely outline of the cross of 
 Innocence. Then I also, in the midst 
 of my sorrow, was glad ; and I felt that 
 Mirth was really happier as be wept 
 over the lily of his friend, than he had 
 been while, in the thoughtlessness of 
 his heart, he was chasing the painted 
 
SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 45 
 
 butterfly on the green. Moreover, as 
 I watched him, I saw him kiss his little 
 cross and press it to his heart ; and I 
 wondered not that he did so, for I knew 
 it was that little cross, and that alone, 
 which had freed him from all his perils ; 
 for, without it, he must have been bitten 
 by the serpent in the myrtle grove ; and 
 had he not trod in its shadow along 
 the hard dull road, he would not have 
 been guided to the flower of Innocence 
 at last. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 But if, indeed, with reckless faith. 
 We trust the nattering voice, 
 Which whispers, "Take thy fill ere death. 
 Indulge thee and rejoice ■ " 
 
 Too surely, every setting day, 
 Some lost delight we mourn ; 
 
 The flowers all die along our way, 
 Till we. tor. die forlorn. 
 
 he tears were 
 fast rising in 
 my eyes as I 
 turned them a- 
 | way from the 
 kneeling child, 
 so affecting was 
 the scene ; but 
 
SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 47 
 
 for the present I watched him no more, 
 for about him my mind was now at 
 rest ; but I felt fearfully anxious to 
 trace the course of his companion who 
 neglected the cross. Wayward had not 
 seen the shadow resting on the flower, 
 but had walked carelessly through the 
 field ; otherwise his thoughts also might 
 have gone back to the time when he 
 pla} r ed with Innocence, and he would 
 perhaps have wept together with his 
 companion. He had advanced some 
 distance before he observed that Mirth 
 had ceased to accompany him ; but as 
 soon as he perceived it he was alarm- 
 ed to find himself alone ; for, though 
 he cared but little for the cross him- 
 self, he had felt some sort of safety 
 from being near to one who trod within 
 
48 SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 
 
 its shadow. He first looked anxiously 
 around, and then in a hurried manner 
 began to retrace his steps. I had no 
 doubt that his intention was to rejoin 
 his companion ; but, short as was the 
 distance back, in his haste he managed 
 to lose the way, and got into a path 
 that led him farther and farther from 
 the field in which Mirth was kneeling. 
 I could plainly hear his companion's 
 voice calling to him to return, and I 
 saw that Wayward heard it also, for 
 he continually paused and listened, as 
 though he wished to ascertain the di- 
 rection of the distant sound. And then 
 the unhappy boy would shout loudly in 
 repty, and turning to the right hand or 
 the left, begin to hurry along some new 
 track ; but each time that he started 
 
SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 49 
 
 again, he made some fresh error in the 
 way, and as I watched him I knew 
 that it would be so, for his cross was 
 not in his hand. 
 
 In a little time he had got quite to a 
 different part of the garden from that in 
 which he had parted with Mirth. He 
 saw there a pretty group of children, 
 whom he was very anxious to join ; but 
 they were frightened when they ob- 
 served that he had no cross, and one 
 of them cried out that his dirty hands 
 would soil the whiteness of their gar- 
 ments ; so they refused to let him take 
 part in their play. He tried one or two 
 other groups, but some hurried away as 
 he approached, and others shrunk back 
 from his touch, until at last he found a 
 party of boys who had no crosses, and 
 
50 SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 
 
 whose clothes were more filthy than 
 his own. These boys welcomed him 
 gladly, and he began to leap and run 
 with them. They all laughed loudly, 
 and tried to be merry ; but no shadow 
 fell on the ground which they trod, and 
 they soon grew weary of laughter itself. 
 So their game terminated in a quarrel, 
 and that brought on blows, which added 
 fresh stains to the clothes of these un- 
 happy children. Even Wayward grew 
 shocked at the scene which he now 
 witnessed, and, hastening away from 
 his companions, again began to ramble 
 through the garden alone. 
 
 He now seemed to be wandering to 
 and fro without any object, as a child 
 that was blind ; but I saw that he 
 plenteously gathered of the flowers, and 
 
SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 51 
 
 ate of the fruits that he found ; and 
 as he did so his garments became more 
 and more discoloured, and his coun- 
 tenance pale and sickly, and his manner 
 full of restlessness and languor, so that 
 I was very greatly alarmed, for I could 
 not but remember how the Voice had 
 said that there was poison in the garden. 
 I saw, too, that Wayward had become 
 not only sickly but wretched also ; he 
 no longer could derive enjoyment from 
 any thing he tasted or touched, but was 
 suspicious of them all. Sometimes I 
 thought he looked anxiously about him 
 for the shadow of the cross ; and yet, 
 whether it were from indolence, or from 
 the force of habit, or from some fatal 
 delusion, I cannot tell, but the cross 
 itself he did not hold. 
 
52 SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 
 
 At length in his wanderings he came 
 to a long high wall, on the Western 
 side of which there was a tree loaded 
 with nectarines, riper and more beauti- 
 ful than any he had before seen. Now, 
 at first he seemed as though he were 
 going to turn away, for, though he held 
 not his cross, he knew at once that the 
 bright sun shining in the East could 
 shed no image there ; and yet he lin- 
 gered and looked wistfully at the fruit ; 
 and as he looked he perceived one ga- 
 thering from the tree, whose garments 
 were yet white, and whose cross was 
 in her hand. I also looked at her that 
 gathered the fruit, and I could read 
 the name of " Selfdeceit" imprinted 
 upon her brow ; and I saw there was 
 something foul and horrible even in 
 
SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 53 
 
 the very whiteness of her garments, and 
 that wan and ghastly were the images 
 that fell from her cross. Now, I be- 
 gan to wonder how those images were 
 formed, and behold ! there gleamed in 
 the air behind her a dark blue flame ; 
 then I discovered that there were false 
 meteor lights in the garden of the Sha- 
 dow of the Cross : doubtless they were 
 placed there by the enemy of the King, 
 in order to tempt the children to taste 
 the poisonous fruits ; but I shuddered 
 exceedingly when I saw that the cross 
 might thus be converted into an instru- 
 ment of destruction : yet so unlike were 
 the false images to those formed by the 
 clear and brilliant sun in the East, that 
 they could deceive none but the eye 
 that had been long a stranger to the 
 
-54 SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 
 
 real image, and the heart that was 
 anxious to believe them true. Even 
 Wayward, as he drew nigh 9 trembled, 
 and felt there was something unnatural 
 in the shadows that fell on the Western 
 wall ; but when Selfdeceit offered him 
 one of the ripest nectarines, and point- 
 ed triumphantly to the pale outline that 
 might be traced upon it, he was tempt- 
 ed, and he took it and did eat. While 
 he was eating, some of the juice oozed 
 out from the fruit (for it was very ripe) 
 and fell upon his clothes : it marked 
 them with a stain which, though they 
 were already much discoloured, was 
 of a deeper crimson than any I had 
 seen before. Wayward threw down the 
 remainder of the nectarine, and was 
 hastening away, but Selfdeceit called 
 
SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 55 
 
 to him to stop, and said that she could 
 very easily remove the stain. So Way- 
 ward stopped, and Selfdeceit took a sub- 
 stance which seemed to me like chalk, 
 and rubbed it over the spot on which 
 the juice had fallen, and not that spot 
 only, but over the whole of the gar- 
 ments of her companion, until she had 
 produced upon them the same foul and 
 horrible whiteness that I had remarked 
 upon her own. When it was done, I 
 thought that Wayward tried to smile, 
 as though he again were clean ; but the 
 smile passed away in a sigh, for in his 
 inmost heart he knew that the stains 
 were hidden but not removed, and that 
 the all-seeing eye of his Father could 
 perceive them still. 
 
 Yet he did not fly from Selfdeceit 
 
56 SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 
 
 as he ought to have done, but still 
 continued in her compare , eating the 
 fruits on which the false images fell, 
 and allowing the treacherous chalk to 
 be rubbed upon his clothes. The chil- 
 dren did not walk very long together ; 
 but during that time the appearance of 
 Wayward became so altered, that be- 
 fore they parted I doubt whether Mirth 
 could have recognised him again : the 
 form emaciated by disease, the feverish 
 and uncertain step, the hectic flush on 
 his sallow cheek, and the wildness in 
 his bloodshot eye, had left but little of 
 the gay, though careless, child who had 
 run so lightly after the butterfly on the 
 green. Yet, great as was the change in 
 his appearance owing to the poison on 
 which he lived, the change that had 
 
SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 57 
 
 taken place in his dress was greater 
 still ; for his garments were more dis- 
 guised by the strange whiteness caused 
 by the chalk, than they could have been 
 by the darkest stain. He was, how- 
 ever, fast becoming accustomed to its 
 use, for it was astonishing how many 
 accidents befell Wayward and Selfde- 
 ceit as they moved along; — sometimes 
 they slipped, and rolled into the mire ; 
 sometimes they were tripped up, and fell 
 on the swampy grass ; sometimes they 
 stained themselves with fruit ; some- 
 times noxious reptiles would crawl over 
 their clothes ; and sometimes foul spots, 
 as in a leprosy, would suddenly break 
 out upon them, without any cause which 
 they could discern : and on each of 
 these occasions, Selfdeceit would take 
 
58 SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 
 
 out her chalk, and apply it to her com- 
 panion's garments and her own. 
 
 In this wretched way they kept walk- 
 ing side by side, until they came to 
 the borders of a great wood, and there 
 Selfdeceit bade her companion go first, 
 saying that she would follow ; but 
 Wayward drew back, and refused to 
 advance farther before he had first con- 
 sulted his cross. I do not know why 
 at . that particular moment he should 
 have paused ; it may be that it merely 
 proceeded from his usual dislike to go 
 first ; or it may be he was frightened 
 by a deep and angry sound, even as the 
 roaring of a lion, which issued from the 
 wood, and yet his ears had now grown 
 so dull, that I cannot tell whether he 
 heard it at all ; and I think it most 
 
SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 59 
 
 likely that he only delayed, because the 
 scene brought back to his memory the 
 hour in which he had stood with Mirth, 
 at the entrance of the myrtle-grove, 
 when the holy image had warned them 
 both to turn aside. But be the cause 
 what it may, he stood still, and drew 
 his long-neglected cross from his bosom. 
 It was, indeed, a scene that caused 
 my heart to beat high with interest. 
 Wayward was standing a little in ad- 
 vance of Selfdeceit, and one step more 
 would have brought him within the bor- 
 ders of the wood ; and, as he raised his 
 cross with a trembling hand, I could 
 see a smile of mockery pass over the 
 countenance of his companion. In a 
 moment the meteor lights were flicker- 
 ing in the air around them, and a crowd 
 
60 SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 
 
 of confused and ghastly shadows fell at 
 the feet of the bewildered boy. He had 
 suffered his eyes to become so very dim, 
 that it was in vain he now endeavoured 
 to distinguish the true image from the 
 false : but I observed that from that 
 very uncertainty he hesitated whether 
 to advance ; and I believe at last he 
 would have turned aside, had not Self- 
 deceit with her own hand lighted a 
 torch behind him, which threw one 
 long deep shadow in the direction of 
 the forest. Then Wayward ventured 
 to move forw r ard ; but scarce had he 
 made the first step, when there was a 
 laugh as of fiends in the air, and be- 
 hold ! the earth opened beneath the 
 feet of Selfdeceit, and she and her 
 flaming torch and her whited garments 
 
SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 
 
 61 
 
 were swallowed up, and I saw them no 
 more. Together with the light which 
 had caused it, the long deep shadow 
 also passed away, and Wayward once 
 
 more looked round him in doubt ; he 
 then saw the fate of his companion, and 
 uttered a shrill and piercing cry, and, 
 in his alarm dropping the cross out 
 of his hand, he ran hastily from the 
 
62 
 
 SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 
 
 wood. But now, alas ! it was too late 
 for flight ; the lion, that had lain in 
 wait for him there, had already made 
 his fatal spring : he seized on his prey, 
 and pulled him down upon the ground, 
 and in a moment was griping with his 
 savage teeth, and tearing to pieces with 
 his claws, the companion of Selfdeceit. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Refresh us, Lord, to hold it fast ; 
 And when Thy veil is drawn at last, 
 Let us depart where shadows cease, 
 With words of blessing and of peace. 
 
 had already be- 
 gun to mourn 
 for Wayward, 
 as for one who 
 was lost ; for, 
 even had he 
 been in health 
 and vigour, his 
 strength would have been but weakness 
 against the ferocious animal that was 
 devouring him now ; but sickly and 
 
G4 SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 
 
 powerless as he had been rendered by 
 disease, save by his fearful shrieks he 
 could offer no resistance at all. His 
 cries for help were becoming fainter and 
 fainter, when behold ! there came forth 
 from the forest a fair and gentle girl ; 
 her garments were almost of a spotless 
 white, and yet methought she seemed 
 as though she had been Ions: in the 
 garden, and the name of "Charit}^" was 
 written on her brow. And I wondered 
 at first how she could have wandered 
 through that gloomy forest alone, and 
 I was alarmed lest the lion that was 
 tearing Wayward might turn his fury 
 upon her ; but I soon found there was 
 cause neither for wonder nor alarm, for 
 her cross was in her hand. The sha- 
 dow fell full on the forehead of the 
 
SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 65 
 
 savage beast, and with a low sullen 
 growl he forsook his prey, and crouched 
 in servile fear before the little child. 
 His eyes glared horribly as he turned 
 back, and he kept moving his head to 
 and fro, as though he fain would have 
 shaken off the holy image ; but his 
 struggles to resist its influence were all 
 in vain, and step by step he was forced 
 to shrink away, and hide himself in the 
 darkness of the forest. Then did Cha- 
 rity draw nigh to the faint and bleeding- 
 boy, and bandage his mangled limbs, 
 and stanch the blood that was gushing 
 copiously from the wounds ; and, as she 
 did so, the purple stream that flowed 
 upon her garments of white, left no 
 stain upon them, but only made them 
 brighter than before. 
 
66 SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 
 
 Wayward had had a very narrow 
 escape from destruction, and it was a 
 long time before he so far came to him- 
 self as to be able to stand up. I cannot 
 tell what fearful dreams he may have 
 had while he was lying prostrate on the 
 ground ; but the moment that he arose, 
 his first thought was of his cross : he 
 felt for it in his bosom, but he found 
 that it was not there ; and I shall 
 not easily forget the look of anguish 
 and despair that was on his face when 
 he remembered he had let it fall. He 
 threw himself down on the ground, and 
 searched very anxiously for the treasure 
 he had neglected so long ; but his head 
 swam and his sight was dizzy, and he 
 looked for it in vain. Nay, it had fallen 
 so near the forest, and the grass was 
 
SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 67 
 
 so long, and the bushes so numerous, 
 that there was little hope of his recover- 
 ing it again; and yet he now felt that, 
 if he found it not, he himself was lost. 
 He told Charity of his sad loss, and 
 with tears and groans besought her ear- 
 nestly to assist him in the search. So 
 Charity raised her own cross on high, 
 and the dark outline fell on a thick 
 bush of furze close by the outskirts 
 of the wood ; it was there that the 
 cross of Wayward had fallen, and she 
 bade the boy call earnestly on his gra- 
 cious Father, and advance with a good 
 courage, telling him that, though others 
 might point out where it w^as, no hand 
 but his own could take it up. Way- 
 ward did advance, but it was with fear 
 and trembling; he often raised his eyes 
 
68 SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 
 
 timidly towards the forest, as though 
 he was afraid lest the lion mioht seize 
 
 o 
 
 upon him again : when, too, he stood by 
 the bush, and stretched out his hand, it 
 was sad to see how the noxious insects 
 stung him, and the thorns entered into 
 the new-made wounds ; twice in anguish 
 did he draw it back ; the second time 
 that he did so, a low growl was heard 
 issuing from the wood, and then in haste 
 he thrust his hand down aoain, regard- 
 less of the pain, and seizing on his lost 
 treasure hurried back to the side of 
 Charitv. 
 
 Now I rejoiced greatly that Way- 
 ward had recovered his cross ; I was 
 glad, too, that the chalk with which 
 Selfdeceit had bedaubed his clothes 
 was gone, for the red streams of blood 
 
SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 69 
 
 had washed it away. Yet still was I 
 verv sorrowful when I saw how fear- 
 fully they were now defiled ; it seemed 
 that whole rivers of tears would be un- 
 able to restore to them any portion of 
 their original whiteness, and I could 
 not but doubt whether poor Wayward 
 might hereafter be recognised as the 
 King's child. The same thoughts, too, 
 were weighing him down, for he groan- 
 ed deeply and was very sorrowful ; and 
 then I heard Charity speaking to him 
 of the tender mercies of their King and 
 Father, and telling him that, if only he 
 was able to hold steadfastlv for the time 
 to come by the cross, and walk care- 
 fully in its shadow, he need in no wise 
 despair, for, though his own tears could 
 not cleanse his garments, there was One 
 

 70 SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 
 
 who might wash them for him with the 
 water of life, so that, though they were 
 now as scarlet, they would become as 
 white as snow, though they were red 
 like crimson, they should be as wool. 
 When he heard this, Wayward look- 
 ed down upon his cross, but there still 
 was very much of sadness in his gaze ; 
 he felt in truth that his hand was too 
 feeble to hold it steadfastly for the 
 time to come, and his eye too dim 
 to discern its shadow. But Charity 
 again addressed him with words of 
 comfort ; she reminded him that they 
 were not alone in the garden, and that 
 there were means by which, if only he 
 would be diligent in employing them, 
 his strength and his sight would gradu- 
 ally be renewed ; the same kind Father, 
 
SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 71 
 
 she said, "who has given you the will 
 and the power to recover your cross, 
 can render it once more the guardian 
 of your steps." 
 
 Then did he take comfort, and while 
 he feebly raised his cross, methought 
 that he earnestly besought his Father 
 to restore to him a portion of his former 
 strength. 
 
 For some little while Charity walked 
 by his side, and gently holding him by 
 the hand, guided him safely through 
 the snares and stumbling-blocks which 
 beset them on their way. But before 
 long the warning shadows bade them 
 proceed along different paths, that of 
 Charity leading her through a smooth 
 verdant meadow, that of Wayward fall- 
 ing on a rough uneven ground, close 
 
V 
 
 72 
 
 SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 
 
 to the border of the wood. So, with 
 many a parting warning, and ever, as 
 she went, holding on high the sacred 
 sign, Charity bade adieu to Wayward, 
 
 and I cannot tell that she ever beheld 
 him again. For a moment I watched 
 her light graceful form as she passed 
 through the pleasant fields : it was, 
 indeed, a lovely sight ; the long grass 
 
SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 73 
 
 and the flowers appeared to bend as 
 she approached, lest they might stain 
 the hem of her white garments ; the 
 little lambs would come to lick the 
 hand which held the cross, and the 
 birds sung more tunefully as its sha- 
 dow fell upon them. 
 
 But I turned from this pleasing pic- 
 ture, for I was anxious to know what 
 would become of Wayward now he 
 was once more alone ; he too had been 
 watching the retreating form of Charity, 
 and the tear rose in his eye as he felt 
 it was not for him to accompany her 
 along the ways of pleasantness and 
 peace. He began his solitary journey, 
 and I could see that he w T as strug- 
 gling hard to hold firmly by the cross, 
 and was inwardly resolving to follow 
 
74 SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 
 
 the advice of Charity. But, alas ! that 
 which might have been sweet and easy 
 once had become a task of much la- 
 bour and difficulty now ; for though his 
 Father did not suffer his strength or 
 sight altogether to fail, he was allowed 
 continually to feel the ill effects of his 
 former wanderings. His arm grew faint 
 and w^eary when he lifted it on high ; 
 and his cross itself would at one time 
 glow with a burning heat, and raise 
 blisters on his hand ; and at another, 
 would become cold as a mass of ice, ■ 
 until his numbed fingers could scarce 
 retain it in their grasp. Its shadow, 
 too, no longer fell on fruits or on flow- 
 ers, nor on any thing desirable to the 
 eye, but on husks and withered leaves, 
 and all the refuse of the earth. I saw, 
 
SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 75 
 
 also, that he staggered to and fro as he 
 walked along, and that, from his very 
 anxiety to place his footsteps right, he 
 often stumbled and well nigh fell, and, 
 by the continued difficulties of the path, 
 he was brought into so great trouble 
 and misery, that he went mourning all 
 the day long. How strange must he 
 now have thought it, that there had 
 been a time when he fancied that he 
 could walk safely without the aid of 
 his cross ! and how often must he have 
 wished that it would again afford him 
 that clear and distinct shadow, which 
 it was wont to shed when first he 
 entered the garden ! For even this 
 comfort was denied him now. The 
 meteor lights which he had allowed to 
 accompany him in his wanderings with 
 
76 SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 
 
 Selfdeceit still continued to hover around 
 him, and kept throwing their deceitful 
 shadows on secret poisons and hidden 
 snares : many a time did he pause long 
 and anxiously, before he could distin- 
 guish between the true image and the 
 false, and often had he reason to re- 
 joice that the real shadow was dark 
 and gloomy, because he could the more 
 easily discern it. He knew also that 
 he had good reason to be alarmed, for 
 the roar of the lion that had torn him 
 once was ever sounding in his ears ; 
 and each time that he hesitated, he fan- 
 cied he could perceive his fierce eyes 
 glaring upon him from the w r ood : it 
 seemed as though the beast, having once 
 marked him for his own, was watching 
 every step that he took, and ready in a 
 
SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 77 
 
 moment to pounce upon his prey. At 
 length the shadow fell upon a pathway 
 leading directly into the wood ; Way- 
 ward gazed doubtfully upon it a little 
 while, but, when he saw that it was the 
 true image, with slow and trembling- 
 steps he continued to follow it. I soon 
 lost sight of him among the trees, so 
 that I cannot tell what may have be- 
 fallen him there ; but I have a good 
 hope that tie walked in safety through 
 all its dangers, for, though his garments 
 were stained with blood, and his limbs 
 were faint, and his eyes dim, and though 
 the beasts of the forests were howling 
 around him, his cross was in his hand. 
 Still I was not sorry that I could no 
 longer watch him, for it had become 
 very painful to me to trace his steps ; 
 
78 SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 
 
 not only was there trouble in each path 
 that he trod, but there was even much 
 to render me sad in the gloom} 7 shadows 
 that fell from his cross ; so I suffered 
 my eye to wander towards the more 
 lovely parts of the garden, in hopes that 
 once again it might rest upon Mirth. I 
 soon discovered him not far from the 
 field in which Wayward had left him ; 
 he had altered very little since then, 
 except that the cheerfulness of his coun- 
 tenance and the buoyancy of his step 
 had returned. He was holding his cross 
 towards the sun, and his face beamed 
 bright with gratitude as he traced its 
 outline on the flowers strewed in his 
 path. The shadows were not, indeed, 
 so light and lovely as those which had 
 fallen from the cross of Innocence, yet 
 
SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 79" 
 
 still they were very beautiful, — more 
 beautiful than the fairest flowers on 
 which they fell. The garments of 
 Mirth had almost recovered their white- 
 ness, yet they, too, were not so bright 
 and shining as those of Innocence had 
 been ; nay, I fancied I could yet trace 
 upon them the dim outline of each for- 
 mer stain, not only the deeper marks 
 that had been caused by his careless 
 chase with Wayward, but even the first 
 little spot that the falling rose leaf had 
 left. The marks were so very faint, 
 that while the shadow of the cross rest- 
 ed upon them they could not be dis- 
 cerned ; but, when they were exposed 
 to the clear and brilliant light of the sun, 
 1 could see that they still were there. 
 " Surely, then," I said within myself, 
 
80 SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 
 
 " the children whose garments are yet 
 unsullied, would run less heedlessly, if 
 they knew that their early stains would 
 continue with them so long !" Mirth 
 was happy now, but he would have 
 been far happier if he had never left the 
 shadow of his cross ; for there was often 
 a momentary expression of sadness on 
 his face, w r hen some gay butterfly with 
 its golden wings fluttered across his path, 
 and brought to his remembrance his for- 
 mer wanderings. Yet were his garments 
 so white, that it was easy to recognise 
 him for the King's child ; and I knew 
 that his kind Father would cleanse them 
 at last from every spot, and I almost 
 longed for the time when the white dove 
 might settle on his cross, and Mirth 
 should be called away from the garden. 
 
SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 81 
 
 Then did my thoughts wander to the 
 land to which Innocence was gone, and 
 I said in my heart, how glorious must 
 that land be in which this same bright 
 sun is shining, while all the children 
 are clad in raiment of a dazzling white- 
 ness ! It must be that the cross, which 
 is their safeguard here, will there be 
 their delight ; they will love for ever to 
 watch the holy shadows ; and yet will 
 they then require them no more, for in 
 that better land there will be neither 
 danger in the fields, nor poison in the 
 flowers. 
 
 And the still soft Voice replied : " In 
 that better land there will be neither 
 fields nor flowers such as you now be- 
 hold, for the grass withereth, and the 
 flower fadeth, but there will be nothing 
 
82 SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 
 
 there that can either wither or fade. In 
 that better land the cross will indeed 
 be the delight of the children, and the 
 bright sun will be reflected on their gar- 
 ments of dazzling whiteness ; but, when 
 raised on high, the cross will cast no 
 shadow there ; it will itself shine with 
 exceeding lustre, the rays of immortality 
 will be shed from it, and all things will 
 be filled with light and gladness by its 
 pure and living fire." 
 
 Now, while I wondered at this, and 
 tried to picture to myself a land lovely 
 without fields or flowers, and in which 
 the cross might be raised towards the 
 sun and yet no shadow be discerned, 
 behold ! the vision of the fair garden 
 passed away, and I saw no more. 
 
Qtett0 from fijolg Srrtpture. 
 
 The following and similar passages of Scrip bare may 
 "be impressed on the minds of children, by point- 
 ing oat their connexion with the different paTta 
 of the Allegory 
 
 " The sun of righteousness (shall) 
 
 arise with healing in his wings." 1 
 
 " The darkness is past, and the true 
 
 light now shineth." 2 
 
 " That was the true light, which 
 lighteth every man that cometh into 
 the world." 3 
 
 " Ye are all the children of light, 
 
84 SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 
 
 and the children of the day ; we are not 
 of the night, nor of darkness." 4 
 
 " That ye should show forth the 
 praises of him, who hath called you out 
 of darkness into his marvellous light." 5 
 
 " Except a man be born of water, 
 and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into 
 the kingdom of God." 6 
 
 " The like figure whereunto even 
 baptism doth also now save us (not 
 the putting away of the filth of the 
 flesh, but the answer of a good con- 
 science towards God) by the resurrec- 
 tion of Jesus Christ." 7 
 
 " God is faithful, who will not suffer 
 you to be tempted above that ye are 
 able ; but will, with the temptation, also 
 make a way to escape, that ye may be 
 able to bear it." 8 
 
SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 85 
 
 " The Lord is their strength, and he 
 is the saving strength of his anointed." 9 
 
 " My grace is sufficient for thee : for my 
 strength is made perfect in weakness." 10 
 
 " When that which is perfect is come, 
 then that which is in part shall be done 
 away." 11 
 
 " I am a stranger with thee, and a 
 sojourner, as all my fathers were." 12 
 
 " For they that say such things, de- 
 clare plainly that they seek a country." 13 
 
 " But now they desire a better coun- 
 try, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God 
 is not ashamed to be called their God : 
 for he hath prepared for them a city." 14 
 
 u Come, ye blessed of my Father, in- 
 herit the kingdom prepared for you from 
 the foundation of the world." 15 
 
 " The children of the kingdom shall be 
 
86 SHADOW OF THE CROSS, 
 
 cast out into outer darkness ; there shall 
 be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' 916 
 
 " Trust in the Lord with all thine 
 heart, and lean not unto thine own un- 
 derstanding. In all thy ways acknow- 
 ledge him, and he shall direct thy 
 paths." 17 
 
 " Her ways are ways of pleasantness, 
 and all her paths are peace." 18 
 
 " Yea, though I w^alk through the 
 valley of the shadow of death, I will 
 fear no evil : for thou art with me ; thy 
 rod and thy staff, they comfort me." 19 
 
 " I heard a voice from heaven, say- 
 ing unto me, £ Write, Blessed are the 
 dead which die in the Lord, from 
 henceforth. 5 " 20 
 
 " But I would not have } r ou to be 
 ignorant, brethren, concerning them 
 
SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 87 
 
 which are asleep, that ye sorrow not 
 even as others which have no hope." 21 
 
 "It is better to go to the house of 
 mourning, than to go to the house of 
 feasting, for that is the end of all men, 
 and the living will lay it to his heart. 
 Sorrow is better than laughter, for by 
 the sadness of the countenance the 
 heart is made better." 22 
 
 " Whom the Lord loveth he chasten- 
 eth, and scourgeth every son whom he 
 receiveth." 23 
 
 " Enter not into the path of the 
 wicked, and go not into the way of 
 evil men." 24 
 
 " There is a way that seemeth right 
 
88 SHADOW OF THE CROSS* 
 
 unto a man, but the end thereof are 
 the ways of death." 25 
 
 " As for me, my feet were almost 
 gone, my steps had well nigh slipped ; 
 for I was envious at the foolish, when 
 I saw the prosperity of the wicked." 26 
 
 " The way of the wicked is as dark- 
 ness ; they know not at what they stum- 
 ble." 27 
 
 " Before 1 was afflicted, I went astray, 
 but now have I kept thy word." 28 
 
 " Let thine eyes look right on, and 
 let thine eyelids look straight before 
 thee. Ponder the path of thy feet, and 
 let all thy ways be established. Turn 
 not to the right hand, nor to the left : 
 remove thy foot from evil." 29 
 
 " Now I rejoice not that ye were 
 made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to re- 
 
SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 89 
 
 pentance : for ye were made sorry after 
 a godly manner, that ye might receive 
 damage by us in nothing. For godly 
 sorrow worketh repentance to salvation, 
 not to be repented of: but the sorrow 
 of the world worketh death." 30 
 
 " Blessed are they that mourn, for 
 they shall be comforted." 31 
 
 " A double-minded man is unstable 
 in all his ways." 32 
 
 So they did eat and were well filled ; 
 for he gave them their own desire ; 
 they were not estranged from their lust. 
 But while their meat was yet in their 
 mouths, the wrath of God came upon 
 them." 33 
 
90 SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 
 
 " Take heed, brethren, lest there be 
 in any of you an evil heart of unbelief 
 in departing from the living God. But 
 exhort one another daily while it is call- 
 ed to-day, lest any of you be hardened 
 through the deceitfulness of sin. 9 ' 34 
 
 " In whom the god of this world hath 
 blinded the minds of them which believe 
 not, lest the light of the glorious gospel 
 of Christ, who is the image of God, 
 should shine unto them." 35 
 
 " For such are false apostles, deceitful 
 workers, transforming themselves into 
 the apostles of Christ. And no marvel, 
 for Satan himself is transformed into an 
 angel of light." 36 
 
 " Hypocrites ! for ye are like unto 
 whited sepulchres, which indeed appear 
 beautiful outward, but are within full 
 
SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 91 
 
 of dead men's bones, and of all un- 
 cleanness. Even so, ye also outwardly 
 appear righteous unto men, but within, 
 ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity." 37 
 
 " The way of peace they know not, 
 and there is no judgment in their 
 goings : they have made them crooked 
 paths ; whosoever goeth therein, shall 
 not know peace." 38 
 
 " Woe unto them that call evil good, 
 and good evil ; that put darkness for 
 light, and light for darkness ; that put 
 bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter." 39 
 
 " For many walk of w T hom I have 
 told you often, and now tell you even 
 weeping, that they are the enemies of 
 the cross of Christ, whose end is de- 
 struction." ^° 
 
 %i When your fear cometh as desolation, 
 
92 SHADOW OF THE CROSS* 
 
 and your destruction cometh as a whirl- 
 wind, when distress and anguish cometh 
 upon you, then shall they call upon me, 
 but I will not answer : they shall seek 
 me early, but they shall not find me." 41 
 " Then shall two be in the field ; the 
 one shall be taken, and the other left." 42 
 
 " To the Lord our God belong mer- 
 cies and forgivenesses, though we have 
 rebelled against him ; neither have we 
 obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, 
 to walk in his laws which he set before 
 us." 43 
 
 " Brethren, if any of you do err 
 from the truth, and one convert him, 
 let him know that he which converteth 
 
SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 93 
 
 the sinner from the error of his way- 
 shall save a soul from death, and shall 
 hide a multitude of sins." 44 
 
 " Woe unto us that we have sinned ! 
 for this our heart is faint ; for these 
 things our eyes are dim." 45 
 
 " If any man will come after me, let 
 him deny himself, and take up his cross 
 and follow me. For what is a man 
 profited if he shall gain the whole 
 world, and lose his own soul ? or what 
 shall a man give in exchange for his 
 soul?" 46 
 
 " They that turn many to righteous- 
 ness, (shall shine) as the stars for ever 
 and ever." 47 
 
 " There is no soundness in my flesh 
 because of thine anger ; neither is there 
 any rest in my bones because of my sin. 
 
94 SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 
 
 For mine iniquities are gone over mine 
 head as an heavy burden, they are too 
 heavy for me ; my wounds stink and 
 are corrupt, because of my foolishness. 
 I am troubled, I am bowed down great- 
 ly; I go mourning all the day long." 48 
 
 " Wash me throughly from mine ini- 
 quity, and cleanse me from my sin ; for 
 I acknowledge my transgressions, and 
 my sin is ever before me." 49 
 
 " The sacrifices of God are a broken 
 spirit ; a broken and a contrite heart, 
 O God, thou wilt not despise. 50 
 
 " For the Lord will not cast off for 
 ever : but though he cause grief, yet 
 will he have compassion according to 
 the multitude of his mercies." 51 
 
 " Mark the perfect man, and behold the 
 upright, for the end of that man is peace." 52 
 
SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 95 
 
 " If thou, O Lord, shouldst mark ini- 
 quities, O Lord, who shall stand ? but 
 there is forgiveness with thee, that thou 
 mayest be feared." 53 
 
 " And he carried me away in the 
 spirit, to a great and high mountain, 
 and shewed me that great city, the ho- 
 ly Jerusalem, descending out of heaven 
 from God, having the glory of God : and 
 her light was like unto a stone most 
 precious, even like unto a jasper stone 
 clear as crystal." 54 
 
 " And I heard a great voice out of 
 heaven, saying, Behold the tabernacle 
 of God is with men, and he will dwell 
 with them, and they shall be his people, 
 and God himself shall be with them, 
 and be their God. And God shall wipe 
 away all tears from their eyes ; and 
 
96 
 
 SHADOW OF THE CROSS. 
 
 there shall be no more death, neither 
 sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there 
 be any more pain, for the former things 
 are passed away." 55 
 
 1 Mai. iv. 2. 
 
 2 1 John ii. 8. 
 
 3 John i. 9. 
 
 4 1 Thess. v. 5. 
 
 5 l Pet. ii. 9. 
 
 6 John iii. 5. 
 
 7 1 Peter iii. 21. 
 
 8 i Cor. x. 13. 
 
 9 Psalm xxviii. 8. 
 
 10 2 Cor. xii. 9. 
 n 1 Cor. xiii. 10. 
 l"i Psalm xxxix. 12. 
 13 Heb. xi. 14. 
 
 11 Keb. xi. 16. 
 
 15 Matt. xxv. 34. 
 
 16 Matt. viii. 12. 
 
 17 Prov. iii. 5, 6. 
 
 18 Prov. iii. 17. 
 
 19 Psalm xxiii. 4, 
 
 20 Rev. xiv. 13. 
 
 21 1 Thess. iv. 13. 
 
 22 Eccl. vii. 2, 3. 
 
 23 Heb. xii. 6. 
 
 24 Prov. iv. 14. 
 
 25 Prov. xvi. 25. 
 
 26 Psalm lxxiii. 2, 3. 
 
 27 Prov. v. 19. 
 
 28 Psalm cxix. 67. 
 
 29 Prov. iv. 25, 26, 27. 
 
 30 2 Cor. vii. 9, 10. 
 
 31 Matt. v. 4. 
 
 32 James i. 8. 
 
 £3 p s . lxxviii. 29, 31. 
 
 34 Heb. iii. 12, 13. 
 
 35 2 Cor. iv. 4. 
 
 36 2 Cor. xi. 13, 14. 
 
 37 Matt, xxiii. 27, 28. 
 
 33 Tsa. lix. 8. 
 
 39 Isa. v. 20. 
 
 40 Phil. iii. 18, 19. 
 
 41 Prov. i. 27, 28. 
 
 42 Matt. xxiv. 40. 
 
 43 Dan. ix. 9, 10. 
 
 44 James v. 19, 20. 
 
 45 Lam. v. 16, 17. 
 
 46 Matt. xvi. 24, 26. 
 
 47 Ban. xii. 3. 
 
 48 Ps. xxxviii. 3, 4, 5, Q. 
 
 49 Psalm li. 2, 3. 
 
 50 psalm li. 17. 
 
 51 Lam. iii. 31, 32. 
 
 52 Psalm xxx vii. 37. 
 
 53 Ps. cxxx. 3, 4. 
 
 54 Rev. xxi. 10, 11- 
 
 55 Rev. xxi. 3, 4. 
 
 THE END 
 
13 v 
 
 uti