Grant!--I will tell her," cried Davie, jumping
up relieved. "Oh, thank you, Mr. Grant!" he repeated; "I could not
bear you to go away. I should never stop crying if you did. And
you won't say any wicked things, will you? for Arkie reads her Bible
every day."
"So do I, Davie."
"Do you?" returned Davie, "I'll tell her that too, and then she will
see she must have been mistaken."
He hurried to his cousin with Donal's suggestion.
It threw her into no small perplexity--first from doubt as to the
propriety of the thing proposed, next because of the awkwardness of
it, then from a sudden fear lest his specious tongue should lead
herself into the bypaths of doubt, and to the castle of Giant
Despair--at which, indeed, it was a gracious wonder she had not
arrived ere now. What if she should be persuaded of things which it
was impossible to believe and be saved! She did not see that such
belief as she desired to have was in itself essential damnation.
For what can there be in heaven or earth for a soul that believes
in an unjust God? To rejoice in such a belief would be to be a
devil, and to believe what cannot be rejoiced in, is misery. No
doubt a man may not see the true nature of the things he thinks she
believes, but that cannot save him from the loss of not knowing God,
whom to know is alone eternal life; for who can know him that
believes evil things of him? That many a good man does believe such
things, only argues his heart not yet one towards him.
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