the words.

'Do you remember what you said at that time, about the pleasure of
seeing a face that looks brightly and kindly upon one? only you did not
know how that could be true of God, because we cannot really _see_ His
face? Well, I thought a great deal about that. You see, there are the
words; and so, I thought, the thing must be possible somehow, and there
must be some way in which they can be true, or the Bible would not say
so. I began to pray that the Lord would make His face shine upon _me_.
Then I remembered another thing. It is only the faces we _love_ that we
care about seeing--I mean, that we care about so very much; and it is
only the faces that love us that _can_ "shine" upon us. But I did not
love God, for I did not know Him; and I knew He could not love me, for
He knew me too well. So I began to pray a different prayer. I asked
that God would teach me to love Him, and make me such a person that He
could love me. It was all very dark and confused before my mind; I
think I was like a person groping about and feeling for things he
cannot see. It was very miserable, for I had no comfort at all; and the
days and the nights were all sad and dark, only I kept a little bit of
hope.

'Then I must tell you another thing. I had been doing nothing but
praying and reading the Bible. But one day I came to these words, which
struck me very much. They are in the fourteenth chapter of John:--

'"He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth
me; and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father; and I will love
him, and will manifest myself to him."

'Do you notice those last words? That is like making the face shine, or
lifting up the countenance upon a person. But then I saw that to get
that, which I wanted. I must _keep His commandments_. I hardly knew
what they were, and I began to read to find out. I had been only
looking for comfort before. And as fast as I found out one of His
commands, I began to do it, as far as I could. Pitt, His commandments
are such beautiful things!

'And then, I don't know how it came or when it came, exactly, but I
began to _see His face_. And it began to shine upon me. And the
darkness began to go away, And now, Pitt, this is what I wanted to tell
you: I have found comfort. I am not dark, and I don't feel alone any
more. The promise is all true. I think He has manifested Himself to me;
for I am sure I know Him a little, and I love Him a great deal; and
everyt