CHAPTER XXIII
THEIR SECOND SABBATH ON THE ISLAND, AND THE WAY THEY SPENT IT
On coming together in the morning, Robert proposed that they should addto their usual religious exercises the singing of a hymn. "It isfather's plan," said he, "to mark the Sabbath with as many pleasantpeculiarities as possible."
Harold was gratified with the suggestion, but remarked, "As I cannotsing, you must allow me to join you in my heart, or else to assist themusic with my flute."
"Oh, the flute, by all means!" Mary replied. "And see here what abeautiful hymn I have just found!"
Robert took the book, and read with remarkable appropriateness of toneand manner that exquisite hymn by Dr. Watts, beginning
"My God, how endless is thy love!"
The music that morning was unusually sweet. The voices of the singerswere rendered plaintive by a consciousness of their helpless situation;and the rich tones of the flute, together with Sam's African voice,which was marked by indescribable mellowness, added greatly to theeffect.
The subject of the chapter was the parable of the prodigal son. Sam,poor fellow, raised himself on his elbow, and listened attentively; hisremark made afterwards to Mary, showed that, however far beyond hiscomprehension a great part of the parable may have been, he had caughtits general drift and meaning. "De Lord is berry kind; he meet desinner afore he get home, and forgib him ebbery ting."
About nine o'clock the young people separated, with the understandingthat they were to re-assemble at eleven, for the purpose of reading theScriptures, and of conversation about its teachings.
Robert went to the beach, and taking his seat upon a log, near theflag-staff, looked upon the ocean, and engaged in deep reflection upontheir lonely situation, and the waning prospects of their deliverance.His Testament gradually slipped from his grasp, and his head sunkbetween his knees. Such was his absorption of mind, that the big dropsgathered upon his forehead, and he was conscious of nothing except ofhis separation from home, and of the necessity for exertion. At last heheard a voice from the tent. Harold and Mary were beckoning to him; andlooking up to the sun, he saw that eleven o'clock had come and passed.He sprang to his feet, and in doing so, was rebuked to see lying on theground the Testament which he had taken to read, but had not opened.
Harold, on leaving the tent, took his pocket Bible and strolled up theriver bank, to a pleasant cluster of trees, where he selected a seatupon the projecting root of a large magnolia. His mind also revertednaturally to their lonely situation; but he checked the rising thoughts,by saying to himself, "No. I have time enough during the week forthoughts like these. The Sabbath is given for another purpose, which itwill not do for me longer to neglect. When the Lord delivered us inthat strange way at sea, I resolved to live like a Christian, but I haveneither lived nor felt as I ought. The Lord forgive me for my neglect,and help me to do better." He knelt down, and for several minutes wasengaged in endeavouring to realize that he was in the presence of God.His first words were a hearty confession that, although he had beenearly taught to know his duty, he had not done it, nor had the heart todo it; and, though in the experience of countless blessings, he hadnever been grateful for any until the time of that unexpecteddeliverance. He thanked God for having taught him by that dreadfulaccident to feel that he was a sinner, and that it was a terrible thingto live and to die such. He said he knew there were promises, many andgreat, to all who would repent of sin, and believe in Jesus Christ, andhe prayed that God would enable him so to repent and believe, as to feelthat the promises were made to him.
Rising from his knees, and sitting upon the root of the tree, he openedthe Bible, and his eye rested upon the fifty-fifth chapter of Isaiah,"Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hathno money; come ye, buy and eat; yea, come; buy wine and milk, withoutmoney and without price." Here he stopped, for his eyes filled, and thepage became obscured. He put his hands to his face, and thought, "Thatpassage surely describes _me_. I came to this spot as a thirsty persongoes to a spring. My soul longs for something, I know not what, exceptthat God only can supply it, and that I have nothing to offer for itspurchase. Now God says that he will _give_ it, 'without money andwithout price.' O, what a blessing! O, how merciful! Let me see thatpassage again."
He re-opened the Bible, which had been laid in his lap, but the placehad not been marked, and was not to be found. After searching sometime, he turned to the New Testament, and having opened it at theEpistle to the Romans, was turning back to the Gospels, when his eye wascaught by these words (contained in the seventh and eighth verses of thefourth chapter of Romans): "Blessed are they whose iniquities areforgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom theLord will not impute sin." "Ah, yes!" he exclaimed, "how true that is!There is no blessing like it." Supposing that something might be saidin the chapter to show how sin may be forgiven and covered, he read thechapter through, but was disappointed. The only clear idea he gainedwas that Abraham was counted righteous, and was saved, not by his works,but by his faith. This confused him. "I always thought," said he,"that people were saved because they were good. But this teaches,--letme see what,"--at this time his eye rested on the words, "Now it was notwritten for his sake alone (viz. that Abraham's faith was imputed to himfor righteousness), but FOR US ALSO, _to whom_ it shall be imputed, ifwe believe on him that raised up Jesus, our Lord, from the dead, who wasdelivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification."
"Ah, there comes my case again!" he mentally exclaimed. "It does seemas if God is opening to me the scriptures. This fact, about Abraham,was _recorded_ not for his sake, but FOR OUR SAKES _now_. And theblessing bestowed on him (that is, the forgiveness of sin), shall bebestowed on us too, 'if we believe on Him (that is, God the Father),that raised up Jesus from the dead, who was delivered (that is, given upto death--put to death) for our offences, but raised again for ourjustification.' But justification, what does that mean?"
He glanced his eye over the chapter. It flashed upon him thatjustification means nothing more nor less than what Paul had beenspeaking of throughout the whole chapter. Abraham was "justified"--thatis, "sin was not imputed to him"--he was "counted righteous," on accountof his faith. Now he understood the passage. It declared that we tooshall be justified, if we believe on God, who gave up Jesus to sufferfor our sins, and who raised him again that we might be countedrighteous.
As soon as he had conceived this idea, and had certified his mind of itscorrectness, by reading the passage over several times, he fell oncemore upon his knees, and said, "O Lord, I am a sinner. But thou hastsaid, 'Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters; and he thathath no money.' I come as a sinner, thirsting for pardon, but having nomoney to offer for its purchase. My only hope is in Thy promise. Iplead it now before Thee. Thou hast promised, that as Abraham wasjustified by faith, so shall we be, if we believe on Thee, who didstraise Jesus from the dead. Lord, I believe; help thou my unbelief.Accept of me as righteous in thy sight, not because I am righteous--forI am not, but because Jesus Christ was delivered for our offences, andraised again for our justification. Forgive my iniquities, cover mysins, and make me all that thou wouldst have me be, for Jesus Christ'ssake. Amen."
For some minutes he continued kneeling; his eyes were closed, his handsclasped, and his bowed face marked by strong emotion. It was pleasantto be thus engaged. He had experienced for the first time theblessedness of drawing near to God, and now he was listening to that"still small voice," that spoke peace to his inmost soul.
Once more he sat upon the rough root of the tree. He opened his Bible tothe same page which had been so instructive, but it was to the nextchapter, where he read: "Therefore, being justified by faith, we havepeace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ." "Yes, yes," hemurmured, as his hand sought his bosom. "Peace indeed! Peace with God!Peace through our Lord Jesus Christ--and justified by faith." Hecontinued reading:
"
By whom we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, andrejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory intribulations also; knowing that tribulation worketh patience, andpatience experience, and experience hope, and hope maketh not ashamed,because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts, by the Holy Ghostwhich is given unto us."
"Ah! is not this true?" he joyfully soliloquized. "We glory intribulations. I used to wonder how people could glory in trouble. Butnow, thanks to God for trouble! especially for the trouble that broughtus to this island, and brought me to Jesus Christ! Yes, _thanks to Godfor trouble_!"
Having read the chapter to the end, and found, as is usual with personsin his state of mind, that although he could not understand it all,there was scarcely a verse in which he did not discover somethingsuitable to his case, he knelt down and consecrated himself to God;praying that the Lord would grant him grace to live as a Christian, andmore particularly so to live, as to be the means of bringing his youngcompanions to a knowledge of the truth. As he closed his prayer, thewords of the morning hymn rose vividly to his recollection; he did notindeed use them as any part of his address to a throne of grace, but heused them as uttering beautifully the language of his own heart in thatsweet communion to which he was now initiated.
"I yield my powers to thy command,To thee I consecrate my days;Perpetual blessings from thy handDemand perpetual songs of praise."
Looking at his watch he saw that the hour of eleven was at hand. Heturned his face toward the tent, and walked slowly onward, and as hewent his lips continually murmured,
"Perpetual blessings from thy hand,Demand perpetual songs of praise."
While Robert and Harold were thus engaged, Mary told Frank to amusehimself not far away, and that after she had looked over her own lessonsshe would call for him. In the act of going to her room, she wasarrested by the voice of Sam, who said:
"Please, misses, Mas Robert and Mas Harold both gone away; and if youcan, read some of the Bible to your poor sick servant--do, misses."
Touched by his melancholy earnestness, she promised to do so withpleasure, after having finished Frank's lessons and her own; and indeed,urged on by his apparent thankfulness, she dispatched her task inone-half the usual time, and then called for Frank.
"What! have you learned your lessons already?" he asked, in somesurprise. She replied, "Yes." "Then," said he, "I wish you would makemine as short, for it took you a very little while." But when sheinformed him of the secret of her rapidity, and he heard a plaintive,half-devotional sigh from Sam's corner, he said, "Get the book, sister;I will learn as fast as I can, and then we can both go and sit by him,while you read." Mary patted his cheek, saying that he was a goodfellow, whenever he chose to be; and giving him the book, he stood byher side, and learnt his lessons very soon, and very well.
The chapter selected at Sam's request was the third of John. With thishe was so well acquainted as to be able to repeat verse after verse,while Mary was reading, and he seemed withal to have a very clear ideaof its meaning. Mary was surprised. She knew that her father was inthe habit of calling his plantation negroes together on Sabbathevenings, and instructing them from the Scriptures, but she had no ideathat the impressions made by his labour had been so deep.
It was not until half-past eleven that they were all assembled andcomposed. They sang several hymns, then conversed freely upon thesubject of the chapter, which had interested them in the morning, and onwhich they had promised to reflect. These exercises occupied them sopleasantly that it was past the usual hour ere any one thought ofdinner.
A part of Dr. Gordon's custom had been to call upon each of his childrenevery day at their midday meal, to tell what "new knowledge" they hadgained since that hour of the day preceding. On Sundays the same planwas pursued, except that the knowledge was required to be suitable tothe day. This practice was on the present occasion resumed by the youngpeople. Frank's new knowledge consisted of part of his morning lesson;Mary's, of a new method devised by her for remembering the order ofcertain books in the Bible; Robert's, of the aim and object of theparable just discussed: it was a keen rebuke to the Scribes andPharisees, who murmured against Jesus for receiving sinners and eatingwith them. When Harold's turn came, he spoke with much emotion, and aface radiant with pleasure. He said that he had on that day learnt themost important lesson of his life; how good the Lord is, and how great asinner he himself had been; he had learnt how to love Him, and how totrust Him; how to read the Bible, and how to pray. He was not able totell how it happened, but there was now a meaning in the Scriptures, anda sweetness in prayer, that he had never before suspected, and that hehoped it would last for ever. He concluded by saying that he couldconceive of no greater blessing than that of being enabled to feel allhis life-long as he felt that morning, after promising to try to livelike a Christian.
To these remarks of Harold no one made reply. Robert looked down amoment, then directed his gaze far away, as if disturbed by some painfulrecollection. Mary gazed wistfully on her cousin, and covered her facewith both hands. Frank slid from his seat, and coming to Harold's side,insinuated himself upon his knee, and looked affectionately into hisface. All felt that a great event had happened in their little circle;and that from that time forth their amiable cousin was in a mostimportant sense their superior. They separated in silence, Robert goingto the spring, Mary to her room, and Harold to talk with Sam.
Late in the afternoon they went together to the seashore, and sittingaround their flag-staff, on the clear white sand, looked over the gentlyrippling waters, and talked thankfully of their merciful deliverance,and of their pleasant Island of Refuge. The air became chilly, and thestars peeped out, before they sought the tent. Again soft music stoleupon the night air, and floated far over the sands and waters. Then allwas hushed. The youthful worshippers had retired. And so softly didsleep descend upon their eyelids, and so peacefully did the night pass,that one might almost have fancied angels had become their guardians,were it not for the still more animating thought that the _God_ of theangels was there, and that He "gave his beloved sleep."