Elsie's children

by Martha Finley

  CHAPTER EIGHTEENTH.

  "But all's not true that supposition saith, Nor have the mightiest arguments most faith." --DRAYTON.

  "Examples I could cite you more; But be contented with these four; For when one's proofs are aptly chosen, Four are as valid as four dozen." --PRIOR.

  Isa's perversion, Isa's secret, weighed heavily upon the heart andconscience of poor Violet; the child had never been burdened with a secretbefore.

  She thought Aunt Louise ought to know, yet was not at all clear that itwas her duty to tell her. She wished it might be discovered in some waywithout her agency, for "it was a dreadful thing for Isa to be left to goon believing and doing as she did. Oh, if only she could be talked to bysome one old enough and wise enough to convince her of her errors!"

  Isadore with the zeal of a young convert, had set herself the task ofbringing Vi over to her new faith. The opportunity afforded by the absenceof the vigilant parents was too good to be lost, and should be improved tothe utmost.

  She made daily errands to Ion, some trifling gift to Molly often being theexcuse, was sweet and gracious to all, but devoted herself especially toViolet, insisting on sharing her room when she staid over night, coaxingher out for long walks and drives, rowing with her on the lake, learningto handle the oars herself in order that they might go alone.

  And all the time she was on the watch for every favorable opening to saysomething to undermine the child's faith, or bias her mind in favor of thetenets of the church of Rome.

  Violet grew more and more troubled and perplexed and now not on Isa'saccount alone. She could not give up the faith of her fathers, the faithof the Bible (to that inspired word she clung as to the rock which mustsave her from being engulfed in the wild waters of doubt and difficultythat were surging around her) but neither could she answer all Isadore'squestions and arguments, and there was no one to whom she might turn inher bewilderment, lest she should betray her cousin's secret.

  She prayed for guidance and help, searching the Scriptures and "comparingspiritual things with spiritual," and thus was kept from the snares laidfor her inexperienced feet; she stumbled and walked with uncertain stepfor a time, but did not fall.

  Those about her, particularly Eddie and her old mammy, noticed theunwonted care and anxiety in her innocent face, but attributed it whollyto the unfavorable news in regard to Lily's condition, which reached themfrom time to time.

  The dear invalid was reported as making little or no progress towardrecovery, and the hearts of brothers and sisters were deeply saddened bythe tidings.

  Miss Reed was still at Roselands, and had been brought several times byVirginia for a call at Ion, and at length, Violet having written for andobtained permission of her parents, and consulted Mrs. Daly's conveniencein reference to the matter, invited the three girls for a visit of severaldays, stipulating, however, that it was not to interfere with lessons.

  To this the girls readily assented; "they would make themselves quite athome, and find their own amusement; it was what they should like above allthings."

  The plan worked well, except that under this constant association withIsadore, Vi grew daily more careworn and depressed. Even Mr. Daly noticedit, and spoke to her of Lily's state as hopefully as truth would permit.

  "Do not be too much troubled, my dear child," he said, taking her hand ina kind fatherly manner. "She is in the hands of One who loves her evenbetter than her parents, brothers and sisters do, and will let no realevil come nigh her. He may restore her to health, but if not--if he takesher from us, it will be to make her infinitely happier with himself; forwe know that she has given her young heart to him."

  Violet bowed a silent assent, then hurried from the room; her heart toofull for speech. She was troubled, sorely troubled for her darling,suffering little sister, and with this added anxiety, her burden was hardindeed to bear.

  Mr. Daly was reading in the library that afternoon, when Violet camerunning in as if in haste, a flush of excitement on her fair face.

  "Ah, excuse me, sir! I fear I have disturbed you," she said, as he lookedup from his book; "but oh, I'm glad to find you here! for I think you willhelp me. I came to look for a Bible and Concordance."

  "They are both here on this table," he said. "I am glad you are wantingthem, for we cannot study them too much. But in what can I help you, Vi?is it some theological discussion between your cousins and yourself?"

  "Yes, sir; we were talking about a book--a story-book that Miss Reedadmires--and I said mamma would not allow us to read it, because itteaches that Jesus Christ was only a good man; and Miss Reed said that washer belief; and yet she professes to believe the Bible, and I wish to showher, that it teaches that he was very God as well as man."

  "That will not be difficult," he said; "for no words could state it moredirectly and clearly than these, 'Christ, who is over all, God blessedforever. Amen,'" And opening the Bible at the ninth chapter of Romans, hepointed to the latter clause of the fifth verse.

  "Oh, let me show her that!" cried Vi.

  "Suppose you invite them in here," he suggested, and she hastened to doso.

  Miss Reed read the text as it was pointed out to her, "I don't remembernoticing that before," was all she said.

  Silently Mr. Daly turned over the leaves and pointed out the twentiethverse of the first Epistle of John, where it is said of Jesus Christ,"This is the true God and eternal life;" and then to Isaiah ix. 6. "Forunto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shallbe upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor,the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace," and severalother passages equally strong and explicit in their declaration of thedivinity of Christ.

  "Well," said Miss Reed, "if he was God, why didn't he say so?"

  "He did again and again," was the reply "Here John viii. 58--we read"Jesus said unto them, 'Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abrahamwas, I am.'""

  "I don't see it!" she said sneeringly.

  "You do not? just compare it with this other passage Exodus iii. 14, 15.'And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou sayunto the children of Israel, I AM _hath sent me unto you_. And God saidmoreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the, the God of Abraham, theGod of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you; this ischildren of Israel, The Lord God of your fathers my name forever, and thisis my memorial unto all generations.' The Jews who were present understoodthose words of Jesus as an assertion of his divinity and took up stones tocast at him."

  Isadore seemed interested in the discussion, but Virginia showed evidentimpatience. "What's the use of bothering ourselves about it?" sheexclaimed at length, "what difference does it make whether we believe inhis divinity or deny it?"

  "A vast deal of difference, my dear young lady," said Mr. Daly. "If Christbe not divine, it is idolatry to worship him. If he is divine, and we failto acknowledge it and to trust in him for salvation, we must be eternallylost for 'neither is there salvation in any other; for there is none othername under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.' 'Butwhosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.'"

  Virginia fidgeted uneasily and Miss Reed inquired with affectedpoliteness, if that were all.

  "No," he said, "far from it; yet if the Bible be--as I think we allacknowledge--the inspired word of God, one plain declaration of a truthis as authoritative as a dozen."

  "Suppose I don't believe it is all inspired?" queried Miss Reed.

  "Still, since Jesus asserts his own divinity, we must either accept him asGod, or believe him to have been an impostor and therefore not even a goodman. He must be to us everything or nothing; there is no neutral ground;he says, 'He that is not with me is against me.'"

  "And there is only one true church," remarked Isadore, forgetting herself;"the holy Roman Church, and none without her pale can be saved."

  Mr. Daly looked at her in astonish
ment. Violet was at first greatlystartled, then inexpressibly relieved; since Isa's secret being one nolonger, a heavy weight was removed from her heart and conscience.

  Virginia was the first to speak. "There!" she said, "you've let it outyourself; I always knew you would sooner or later."

  "Well," returned Isadore, drawing herself up haughtily, determined to puta brave face upon the matter, now that there was no retreat, "I'm notashamed of my faith; nor afraid to attempt its defence against any who maysee fit to attack it," she added with a defiant look at Mr. Daly.

  He smiled a little sadly. "I am very sorry for you, Miss Conly," he said,"and do not feel at all belligerent toward you; but let me entreat you torest your hopes of salvation only upon the atoning blood and imputedrighteousness of Jesus Christ."

  "I must do good works also," she said.

  "Yes as an evidence, but not as the ground of your faith; we must do goodworks not that we may be saved, but because we are saved. 'If a man loveme, he will keep my words.' Well, my little Vi? what is it?" for she waslooking at him with eager, questioning eyes.

  "O, Mr. Daly, I want you to answer some things Isa has said to me. Isa, Ihave never mentioned it to any one before. I have kept your secretfaithfully, till now that you have told it yourself."

  "I don't blame you, Vi," she answered coloring. "I presume I shall beblamed for my efforts to bring you over to the true faith, but myconscience acquits me of any bad motive. I wanted to save your soul. Mr.Daly, I do not imagine you can answer all that I have to bring against theclaims of Protestantism. Pray where was that church before theReformation?"

  There was something annoying to the girl in the smile with which he heardher question.

  "Wherever the Bible was made the rule of faith and practice," he said,"there was Protestantism though existing under another name. All throughthe dark ages, when Popery was dominant almost all over the civilizedworld, the light of a pure gospel--the very same that the Reformationspread abroad over other parts of Europe--burned brightly among thesecluded valleys of Piedmont; and twelve hundred years of bloodypersecution on the part of apostate Rome could not quench it.

  "I know that Popery lays great stress on her claims to antiquity, butPaganism is older still, and evangelical religion--which, as I havealready said, is Protestantism under another name--is as old as theChristian Era; as the human nature of its founder, the Lord Jesus Christ."

  "You are making assertions," said Isadore bridling, "but where are yourproofs?"

  "They are not wanting," he said. "Suppose we undertake the study ofecclesiastical history together, and see how Popery was the growth ofcenturies, as one error after another crept into the Christian church."

  "I don't believe she was ever the persecutor you would make her out tohave been," said Isadore.

  "Popish historians bear witness to it as well as Protestant," he answered.

  "Well, it's persecution to bring up those old stories against her now."

  "Is it? when she will not disavow them, but maintains that she has alwaysdone right? and more than that, tells us she will do the same again ifever she has the power."

  "I'm sure all Romanists are not so cruel as to wish to torture or killtheir Protestant neighbors," cried Isadore indignantly.

  "And I quite agree with you there," he said; "I have not the least doubtthat many of them are very kind-hearted; but I was speaking, not ofindividuals, but of the Romish Church as such. She is essentially apersecuting power."

  "Well, being the only true church, she has the right to compel conformityto her creed."

  "Ah, you have already imbibed something of her spirit. But we contend thatshe is not the true church. 'To the law and to the testimony; if theyspeak not according to this word, it is because there is no light inthem.' Brought to the touch-stone of God's revealed word, she is proved tobe reprobate silver; her creed spurious Christianity. In secondThessalonians, second chapter, we have a very clear description of her asthat 'Wicked whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, andshall destroy with the brightness of his coming.' Also, in the seventeenthof Revelation, where she is spoken of as 'Babylon the great, the mother ofharlots and abominations of the earth.'"

  "How do you know she is meant there?" asked Isadore, growing red andangry.

  "Because she, and she alone, answers to the description. It is computedthat fifty millions of Protestants have been slain in her persecutions;may it not then be truly said of her that she is drunken with the blood ofthe saints?"

  "I think what you have been saying shows that the priests are right inteaching that the Bible is a dangerous book in the hands of the ignorant,and should therefore be withheld from the laity," retorted Isadore hotly.

  "But," returned Mr. Daly, "Jesus said, 'Search the Scriptures; for in themye think ye have eternal life; and they are they which testify of me.'"