Part 10 (1/2)

”I have not the slightest remembrance of him, or anybody else except my mother.”

I then proceeded, and continued my narrative until it was time to go to bed; but as I was very circ.u.mstantial, and was often interrupted by questions, I had not told a quarter of what I had to say.

Chapter XXVII.

Mrs Reichardt had promised to give me a history of the Bible; and one day, when the weather kept us both at home, she thus commenced her narrative:-- ”The Bible is a history of G.o.d's doings for the salvation of man. It commences with the fall of man by disobedience, and ends with the sacrifice made for his reinstatement. As by one man, Adam, sin came into the world, so by one man, Jesus Christ, was sin and death overcome. If you will refer to the third chapter of Genesis, at the very commencement of the Bible, you will find that at the same time that Adam receives his punishment, a promise is made by the Lord, that the head of the serpent shall hereafter be bruised. The whole of the Bible, from the very commencement, is an announcement of the coming of Christ; so that as soon as the fault had been committed, the Almighty, in his mercy, had provided a remedy. Nothing is unknown or unforeseen by G.o.d.

”Recollect, Frank, that the Bible contains the history of G.o.d's doings, but it does not often tell us why such things were done. It must be sufficient for us to know that such was the will of G.o.d; when he thinks proper, he allows us to understand his ways, but to our limited capacities, most of his doings are inscrutable. But, are we to suppose that, because we, in our foolishness, cannot comprehend his reasons, that therefore they must be cavilled at? Do you understand me, Frank?”

”Yes,” replied I; ”I do pretty well.”

”As I pointed out to you the other day, you see the blade of gra.s.s grow, and you see it flower, but how it does so you know not. If then you are surrounded all your life with innumerable things which you see but cannot comprehend--when all nature is a mystery to you--even yourself--how can you expect to understand the dealings of G.o.d in other things? When, therefore, you read the Bible, you must read it with faith.”

”What is faith? I don't quite understand, mother.”

”Frank, I have often told you of many things that are in England, where you one day hope to go. Now, if when you arrive in England, you find that everything that I have told you is quite true, you will be satisfied that I am worthy of belief.”

”Yes.”

”Well, suppose some one were to tell you something relative to any other country, which you could not understand, and you came to me and asked me if such were the case, would you, having found that I told you truth with regard to England, believe that what you had been told of this other country was true, if I positively a.s.serted that it was so?”

”Of course I should, mother.”

”Well, then, Frank, that would be faith; a belief in things not only not seen, but which you cannot understand. But to go on, I mention this because some people are so presumptuous as to ask the why and the wherefore of G.o.d's doings, and attempt to argue upon their justice, forgetting that the little reason they have is the gift of G.o.d, and that they must be endowed with intellect equal to the Almighty, to enable them to know and perceive that which he decides upon. But if G.o.d has not permitted us to understand all his ways, still, wherever we can trace the finger of G.o.d, we can always perceive that everything is directed by an all-wise and beneficent hand; and that, although the causes appear simple, the effects produced are extraordinary and wonderful. We shall observe this as we talk over the history of the Jews, in the Bible. But, I repeat, that we must study the whole of the Bible with faith, and not be continually asking ourselves, 'Why was this done?' If you will turn to the ninth chapter of the Epistle to the Romans, you will see what the Apostle Paul says on the subject: 'Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against G.o.d?' Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, 'Why hast thou made me thus?' Do you not understand in what spirit the Bible should be read?”

”Yes, I do. We must read it as the Word of G.o.d, and believe all that we read in it.”

”Exactly;--now we will proceed. After Adam's fall, the earth became so wicked that G.o.d destroyed it, leaving but Noah and his family to re-people it; and as soon as this was done, the Almighty prepared for his original intention for the future salvation of men. He selected Abraham, who was a good man, and who had faith, to be the father of a nation chosen for his own people--that was the Jewish nation. He told him that his seed should multiply as the stars in the heavens, and that all the nations of the earth should be blessed in him; that is, that from his descendants should Christ be born, who should be the salvation of men. Abraham's great-grandchildren were brought into Egypt, to live apart in the land of Goshen. You have read the history of Joseph and his brethren?”

”Oh yes; I know that well.”

”Well, the Almighty wished the Jews should be a nation apart from others, and for that purpose he brought them into Egypt. But observe, Frank, by what simple and natural causes this was effected. It was by a dream of Joseph's, which, when he told them of it, irritated his brothers against him; they sold him as a slave, and he was sent into Egypt. There, having explained the dream of Pharaoh, he was made a ruler over Egypt, and saved that country from the famine which was in every other land. His brothers come down to buy corn, and he recognises them. He sends for his father and all the family, and establishes them in the land of Goshen, as shepherds, apart from the Egyptians. Here they multiplied fast; but after Joseph's elevation they were cruelly treated by the Egyptians, who became afraid of their rapid increase, and eventually the Kings of Egypt gave orders that all the male children of the Jews should be destroyed. It was at this time, when they were so oppressed and cruelly treated by the Egyptians, that G.o.d interfered and sent for Moses. Moses, like all the rest of the Jews, knew nothing of the true G.o.d, and was difficult to persuade, and it was only by miracles that he was convinced.”

”Why did G.o.d keep the Jews apart from the Egyptians, and have them thrown in bondage?”

”Because he wished to prepare them to become his own peculiar people. By their being descended from Abraham, and having never intermarried with other nations, they had become a pure race; by being in bondage and severely treated, they had suffered and become united as a people. They knew no G.o.ds but those wors.h.i.+pped by the Egyptians, and these G.o.ds it was now the intention of the Almighty to confound, and prove to the Jews as worthless. At the same time he worked with his own nation in mystery, for when Moses asked him what G.o.d he was to tell his people that he was, the Almighty only replied by these words--_I am_; having no name like all the false G.o.ds wors.h.i.+pped by the Egyptians. He was now about to prove, by his wonderful miracles, the difference between himself and the false G.o.ds.”

”What are miracles?”

”A miracle is doing that which man has no power of doing, proving that the party who does it is superior to man: for instance--to restore a dead man to life is a miracle, as none but G.o.d, or those empowered by G.o.d could do. Miracles were necessary, therefore, to prove to the Jews that the Almighty was the true G.o.d, and were resorted to by him in this instance, as well as in the coming of Our Saviour, when it was also necessary to prove that he was the Son of G.o.d. When the Almighty sent Moses to Pharaoh to demand that the Israelites should have permission to sacrifice in the desert, he purposely hardened the heart of Pharaoh that he might refuse the request.”

”But why did he so?”

”Because he wanted to prove to the Israelites that he was the only true G.o.d and had Pharaoh consented to their going away, there would have been no opportunity of performing those miracles by which the Israelites were to be delivered, and by which they were to acknowledge him as their G.o.d.”

Mrs Reichardt often renewed this conversation, till I became acquainted with Scriptural History.

Chapter XXVIII.

The following morning, I went with Nero to take a couple of fish out of the pool. As soon as Nero had caught them, he went into the other part of the bathing pool to amuse himself, while I cleaned the fish, which I generally did before I went up to the cabin, giving him the heads and insides for his share, if I did not require any portion for the birds. Nero was full of play that morning, and when I threw the heads to him, as he frolicked in the water, he brought them out to the rocks, but instead of eating them, as usual, he laid them at my feet. I threw them in several times, and he continued to bring them out, and my mother, coming down to me, was watching him.

”I think,” said she, ”you must teach Nero to fetch and carry like a dog--try. Instead of the heads, throw in this piece of wood;” which she now broke off the boat-hook staff.

I did so, and Nero brought it out, as he had done the heads of the fish. I patted and coaxed the animal, and tried him again several times with success.

”Now,” said my mother, ”you must accustom him to certain words when you send him for anything. Always say, 'Fetch it, Nero!' and point with your finger.”

”Why am I to do that, mother?” I asked.

”Because the object to be gained is, not that the animal should fetch out what you throw in, but what you send it to bring out which you have not thrown in. Do you understand?”

”Yes,” replied I. ”You mean if there were anything floating near on the sea, I should send him for it.”

”Exactly. Then Nero would be of some use.”

”I will soon teach him,” replied I; ”to-morrow I will send him into the sea after the piece of spar. I've no fear that he will go away now.”

”I was thinking last night, Frank, whether they had taken the pail with them in the boat.”

”The pail,” said I; ”I know where it is, but I quite forgot it. We left it up the ravine the last day we planted the potatoes.”

”We did so, now I recollect. I will go for it while you get the breakfast ready.”

We had now been for many weeks on a fish diet, and I must confess that I was tired of it, which was not the case when I lived upon the dried birds during the whole of the year. Why so I cannot tell, but I was soon to learn to relish fish, if I could obtain them.

It was not often that the wind blew direct on the sh.o.r.e, but coming from the northward and eastward, it was in a slanting direction, but occasionally, and chiefly about the time of the Equinoxes, the gales came on very heavy from the eastward, and then the wash of the seas upon the rocky coast was tremendous. Such was the case about this time. A fierce gale of wind from the eastward raised a sea which threw the surf and spray high over the loftiest of the rocks, and the violence of the wind bore the spray far inland. The gale had come on in the evening, and my mother and I, when we rose in the morning, were standing on the platform before the cabin, admiring the grandeur of the scene, but without the least idea that it was to be productive of so much misery to ourselves. My mother pointed out to me some pa.s.sages in the Psalms and Old Testament bearing strongly upon the scene before us; after a time I called Nero, and went down with him to take fish out of the pool for our day's consumption. At that time we had a large supply in the pool--more than ever, I should say. When I arrived at the pool, I found the waves several feet in height rolling in over the ledges, and the pool one ma.s.s of foam, the water in it being at least two or three feet higher than usual; still it never occurred to me that there was any mischief done, until I had sent Nero in for the fish, and found that, after floundering and diving for some time, he did not bring out one. My mind misgave me, and I ordered him in again. He remained some time and then returned without a fish, and I was then satisfied that from the rolling in of the waves, and the unusual quant.i.ty of the water in the pool, the whole of the fish had escaped, and that we were now without any provisions or means of subsistence, until the weather should settle, and enable us to catch some more.

Aghast at the discovery, I ran up to the cabin, and called to my mother, who was in her bedroom.

”Oh, mother, all the fish have got out of the pool, and we have nothing to eat. I told you we should be starved.”

”Take time, Frank, and take breath,” replied she, ”and then tell me what has happened, to cause this alarm and dismay, that you appear to be in.”

I explained to her what had happened, and that Nero could not find one fish.

”I fear that what you say must be correct,” replied she; ”but we must put our trust in G.o.d. It is his will, and whatever he wills must be right.”

I cannot say I was Christian enough at the time to acknowledge the truth of her reply, and I answered, ”If G.o.d is as good and as gracious as you say, will he allow us to starve? Does he know that we are starving?” continued I.