DICKENS,
CHARLES
(February 7, 1812–June 9, 1870), was a distinguished English author. His works include: Pickwick Papers, 1837; Oliver Twist, 1838; David Copperfield, 1849–50; Great Expectations, 1860–61; Tale of Two Cities, 1859; and the favorite, A Christmas Carol, 1843, which sold 6,000 copies its first day. Perhaps the most touching moment in Dickens’ novel, A Christmas Carol, was Tiny Tim’s line:
God bless us every one.2443
Charles Dickens remarked:
I love little children, and it is not a slight thing when they, who are fresh from God, love us.2444
In 1849, 21 years before his death, Charles Dickens wrote a work expressly for his children, of which he and his wife, Catherine, had ten. Entitled The Life of Our Lord, the work included the miraculous events surrounding Jesus’ birth, His miracle ministry, His death on the cross and His resurrection. The work, written without thought of publication, was left in the possession of his sister-in-law, Miss Georgia Hogarth. At her death in 1917, it came into the possession of his son, Sir Henry Fielding Dickens, who made provision in his Last Will and Testament for it to be published. In March of 1934, Marie Dickens proceeded to have it published, in serial form, by the Associated Newspapers, Ltd., of London. In it, Charles Dickens expressed:
My dear children, I am very anxious that you should know something about the History of Jesus Christ. For everybody ought to know about Him. No one ever lived, who was so good, so kind, so gentle, and so sorry for all people who did wrong, or were in anyway ill or miserable, as he was. And he is now in Heaven, where we hope to go, and to meet each other after we are dead, and there be happy always together, you never can think what a good place Heaven is, without knowing who he was and what he did. … 2445
When the Star stopped, the wise men went in, and saw the Child with Mary his Mother. …
John said, “Why should I baptize you, who are so much better than I!” Jesus Christ made answer, “Suffer it to be so now.” So John baptized him. And when he was baptized, the sky opened, and a beautiful bird like a dove came flying down, and the voice of God, speaking up in Heaven, was heard to say, “This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased!” …
When he came out of the Wilderness, he began to cure sick people by only laying his hand upon them; for God had given him power to heal the sick, and to give sight to the blind, and to do many wonderful and solemn things of which I shall tell you more bye and bye, and which are called “The Miracles” of Christ. I wish you would remember that word, because I shall use it again, and I should like you to know that it means something which is very wonderful and which could not be done without God’s leave and assistance. …
Jesus turned this water into wine, by only lifting up his hand. …
For God had given Jesus Christ the power to do such wonders; and he did them, that people might know he was not a common man, and might believe what he taught them, and also believe that God had sent him; and many people, hearing this, and hearing that he cured the sick, did begin to believe in him. …
He stopped, and went into Simon Peter’s boat, and asked him if he had caught many fish. Peter said No; though they had worked all night with their nets, they had caught nothing. Christ said, “let down the net again.” They did so; and it was immediately so full of fish, that it required the strength of many men (who came and helped them) to lift it out of the water, and even then it was very hard to do. This was another of the miracles of Jesus Christ. …
This Leper fell at the feet of Jesus Christ, and said “Lord! If thou wilt, thou cans’t make me well!” Jesus, always full of compassion, stretched out his hand, and said “I will! Be thou well!” And his disease went away, immediately, and he was cured. …
Jesus, full of pity, said “Arise! Take up thy bed, and go to thine own home!” And the man rose up and went away quite well; blessing him, and thanking God. …
Then Jesus Christ, glad that the Centurion believed in him so truly, said “Be it so!” And the servant became well, from that moment. …
Then he commanded the room to be cleared of the people that were in it, and going to the dead child, took her by the hand, and she rose up quite well, as if she had been only asleep. Oh what a sight it must have been to see her parents clasp her in their arms, and kiss her, and thank God, and Jesus Christ his Son, for such great Mercy! …
For they brought sick people out into the streets and roads through which he passed, and cried out to him to touch them, and when he did, they became well. …
The bearers of the bier standing still, he walked up to it and touched it with his hand, and said “Young Man! Arise.” The dead man, coming to life again at the sound of the Saviour’s voice, rose up and began to speak. …
Jesus, coming near him, perceived that he was torn by an Evil Spirit, and cast the madness out of him, and into a herd of swine. …
Our Saviour said to him, “take up thy bed and go away.” And he went away, quite well. …
Jesus ordered the stone to be rolled away, which was done. Then, after casting up his eyes, and thanking God, he said, in a loud and solemn voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” and the dead man, Lazarus, restored to life, came out among the people, and went home with his sisters. At this sight, so awful and affecting, many of the people there, believed that Christ was indeed the Son of God, come to instruct and save mankind. …
Pilate was troubled in his mind to hear them so clamorous against Jesus Christ. His wife, too, had dreamed all night about it, and sent to him upon the Judgement Seat saying “Have nothing to do with that just man!” …
Bearing his cross, upon his shoulder, like the commonest and most wicked criminal, our blessed Saviour, Jesus Christ, surrounded by the persecuting crowd, went out of Jerusalem to a place called in the Hebrew language, Golgotha. …
And crying “Father! Into thy hands I commend my Spirit!”—died. Then, there was a dreadful earthquake; and the great wall of the Temple, cracked; and the rocks were rent asunder. The guards, terrified at these sights, said to each other, “Surely this was the Son of God!” …
When that morning began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, and some other women, came to the Sepulchre, with some more spices which they had prepared. As they were saying to each other, “How shall we roll away the stone?” the earth trembled and shook, and an angel, descending from Heaven, rolled it back, and then sat resting on it. His countenance was like lightning, and his garments were white as snow. …
As she gave this answer, she turned round, and saw Jesus standing behind her … Jesus pronounced her name, “Mary.” Then she knew him, and starting, exclaimed “Master!” …
When they all three sat down to supper, he took some bread, and blessed it, and broke it. … Looking on him in wonder they found that his face was changed before them, and that it was Christ himself; and as they looked on him, he disappeared. …
While they were speaking, Jesus suddenly stood in the midst of all the company, and said “Peace be unto ye!” Seeing that they were greatly frightened, he shewed them his hands and feet, and invited them to touch Him; and, to encourage them and give them time to recover themselves, he ate a piece of broiled fish and a piece of honeycomb before them all. …
And conducting his disciples at last, out of Jerusalem as far as Bethany, he blessed them, and ascended in a cloud to Heaven, and took His place at the right hand of God. …
Two white-robed angels appeared among them, and told them that as they had seen Christ ascend to Heaven, so He would, one day, come descending from it, to judge the World. …
When Christ was seen no more, the Apostles began to teach the People as He had commanded them. … And through the power He had given them they healed the sick, and gave sight to the Blind, and speech to the Dumb, and Hearing to the Deaf. …
They took the name of Christians from Our Saviour Christ, and carried Crosses as their sign, because on a Cross He had suffered Death. …
So thousands upon thousands of Christians sprung up and taught the people and were cruelly killed, and were succeeded by other Christians, until the Religion gradually became the great religion of the World.
The End.2446
In a letter to his youngest son, Edward, Charles Dickens wrote:
Try to do to others as you would like to have them do to you; and do not be discouraged if they fail sometimes. It is much better for you that they should fail in obeying the greatest rule laid down by our Saviour than that you should.
I have put a New Testament among your books for the very same reasons, and with the very same hopes, that made me write an easy account of it for you when you were a child, because it is the best Book that ever was or ever will be known in the world; and because it teaches you the best lessons by which any human creature who tries to be truthful and faithful to duty can possibly be guided.2447
In a letter to his daughter, Charles Dickens wrote:
As your brothers have gone away, one by one, I have written to each such words as I am writing to you, and have entreated them all to guide themselves by this Book, putting aside the interpretations of men. You will remember that you have never at home been wearied about religious observances or mere formalities. I have always been anxious not to weary my children with such things before they were old enough to form opinions respecting them.
You will, therefore, understand the better that I now most solemnly impress upon you the truth and beauty of the Christian religion as it came from Jesus Christ Himself, and the impossibility of your going far wrong if you humbly and heartily respect it. Only one thing more on this head: The more we are in earnest as to feeling it, the less we are disposed to hold forth about it.
Never abandon the wholesome practice of saying your own private prayers night and morning. I have never abandoned it myself, and I know the comfort of it.2448
Charles Dickens remarked:
The New Testament is the very best book that ever was or ever will be known in the world.2449
Charles Dickens wrote in his Last Will and Testament:
I commit my soul to the mercy of God through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and I exhort my children to try and guide themselves by the teachings of the New Testament in its broad spirit, and to put no faith in any man’s narrow construction of its letter here or there.2450