The owner of a pretty little cottage was an atheist. As regards this world, he was very prosperous. A carpenter by trade, he had plenty of work, health, strength and all he wanted. For years he lived despising God. He had a loving, praying, pious wife, but she had a long, long time to wait before her prayers were answered. One other treasure the carpenter possessed was a dear little girl who he loved with as fond a love as father ever bestowed on a child. But, alas, such was his hatred of religion, that, notwithstanding the entreaties of his wife, he would not hear of his daughter even going to Sunday school lest she should learn to read the Bible and be taught about the Christian's God. So, the little girl lived untaught except by her mother.

At last God's time of converting grace came. The carpenter was taken ill and he became more and more so. His wife's fears were aroused, "Oh! if he should die," she thought, "what will become of his soul?" She prayed and prayed and when she saw the strong man becoming weak as a child, she determined to go to a servant of the Lord and entreat him to visit her poor husband. This messenger of peace at once went with the anxious wife, but no sooner did the sick man get a glimpse of him, than he assailed him with oaths and curses and bade him to leave and never darken his door again. The man of God, seeing it was useless to remain, mournfully left the wretched man, inwardly praying that he might yet turn and repent.

The terrified wife came in for no small share of abuse at daring to bring the man of God. Meekly she bore it all and continued lifting up her heart in prayer for her husband. Presently he exclaimed, "Bring me a board and a piece of chalk." The wife obeyed, and with feelings of horror she watched his hot, fevered fingers slowly write in capital letters, "GOD IS NOWHERE." "Place this," he said, "at the bottom of my bed, that I may see it every time I open my eyes and that all who enter may see my creed." The poor wife dared not object and tremblingly did as he bid her. The fever increased until delirium came on, and the life of the atheist was in imminent danger.

But suddenly God, in His infinite mercy, arrested the hand of death. The fever abated, and the poor man was pronounced out of danger. His wife's heart overflowed with gratitude. The first request the sick man made was that his treasured little girl might be brought to him, and the doctor agreed for her to see him for only a few minutes—minutes full of eternal import! She was placed on a pillow near her father, and that heart, which was at enmity with God, was softened with the tenderest emotions towards the child.

"Well, my pet," said the carpenter, "while father has been sick, what have you been doing?"

"Oh!" said the little one, "I've been learning to read."

The father listened with delight to his sweet, artless prattler, then said, "You can't read much yet, I should think; could you read to me the words on that board at the bottom of my bed?"

"Oh, yes, father, let me try," said the little one, and she began slowly spelling and repeating each letter—G O D I S—she stopped, looked again, then said, "Oh Father, I've got it—GOD IS NOW HERE," and added, "Yes, Father, so He is, He's been here all the time you've been so sick."

"You must go now, darling," said the father, in a low, choking voice. The door was closed, a burst of repentant tears followed and sounds, blessed sounds, which rejoiced the angels in heaven, came from that sick man's room—sounds of prayer, sounds of deep contrition for sin. The requests of the loving, praying wife, long ungranted, but not forgotten, were now fulfilled. The atheist became a penitent. Satan was taken in his own snare; the very same letters he had tempted the sinner to write, were the selfsame letters employed for that sinner's conversion! He now called on God, the living, the prayer-hearing God, for mercy. He was awakened to a sense of his transgressions, he was broken-hearted before God, and he now earnestly desired to see the man of God. That messenger of love and kindness at once went to him, showed him the way of access to Jesus by faith, and had the joy of beholding him rise from that bed of sickness a new man in Christ.

"He that believeth on the Son [Jesus] hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him" (John 3:36).