a investigation."-"My father! you make me tremble! what if we should find that he is not our God, mighty to save; that his blood and atonement is not sufficient for the ransom of millions and millions of our race; what then is to become of all our hopes of the promised heaven ?” "Child of my Justina!" cried the melting father, "and dearer to me still as the child of Jesus, fear not!-yet come to me too, as much as you can, with your faith and your love, and all your hopes of heaven, passive in the cause, and we will search the scriptures with only our understanding awake." Justina prepared, at the request of her father, blank book, in which she was to write the texts most convincing to herself, while her father placed on the table his Hebrew Old Testament, and his Greek New Testament, which he carefully examined on every disputed text, and showed to Justina their bearings on each other. She inarked the texts that most struck her, and in the absence of her father it was her employment to write them down. It was their business, part of every morning for some months, to read and examine the scriptures. It was a sight on which angels might have stopped to gaze! to see the father with his pale, yet noble brow, marked more by the hand of care, sorrow, and disease, than by that of time, with his blooming child, bending over the word of life, and searching as for "hidden treasure." Nor was their toil unrewarded; for they did indeed find the "pearl of great price;" and Justina, as her experienced father well knew she would, rose from the deep research and thorough investigation, an established believer in the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God most high, the voluntary and omnipotent Redeemer of the race of fallen man-and they closed the book with praise "unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood." Some days after, Melross asked his daughter to look at her book of selected texts, on which she had founded her proofs of the divinity of her Lord. Justina rose and put the bible into her father's hand."This is the book, my father, which is all proof;-I made many books of texts, but I found at last it would be a most formidable task, for the texts crowded on me —As in a rolling flood The meanings were often so connected, and different texts threw such light on each other, that to do them justice, I would sometimes have to write nearly a whole chapter; I therefore have concluded that we must take the whole scriptures: for, as our Saviour says, 'they are they which testify of me."""Your conclusion is right, my child! yet, nevertheless, I should like to sec some of the texts you have selected.-In the first place, have you found that he is expressly called God any where ?" "Oh yes, with a great variety of titles, too numerous to write. [See Note I. at the end of the volume.] "I have also selected numerous passages where he is called man, and which clearly prove his human nature. [See Note II.] "I will now cite my dear father a number of texts, which demonstrate the truth and faithfulness of God the Son. [See Note III.] "In the following texts," said Justina, “he is spoken of as Jehovah.-Jehovah, who sware an oath to Abraham at mount Moriah. [See Note IV.] "He is then spoken of as a Light—as the Truth-as a Shepherd-as a Prophet-as a Mediator-as an High Priest-as a King; and by many other titles and names, descriptive of his divine character and attributes. See, my dear father," said Justina, "what a multitude of authorities I have no-. ted down to prove all this to the entire conviction, I should suppose, of all who believe in the scriptures." [See Note V.] Melross then put into her hands a paper, containing some texts which he had taken and translated from his Hebrew bible, tending to show a plurality of persons in the Eternal Godhead; [See Note VI.] and then opening a volume that was lying on his ta stop the deaf ear, and bid the dead come forth, and we will hope that he will do it ; we will pray for them, dear father, that they may be excited to read the Bible, devested of all prejudice, and praying earnestly as they read, for the light of truth." "In such a prayer, my child, I will unite with my whole heart." Justina now felt herself so strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might, that she thought there was no proof of faith she could not stand; no trial she could not undergo-indeed, with the enthusiasın of early converts, she almost longed for trials and reproaches, that she might prove herself worthy to suffer for the Lord. She thought with Job, "though he slay me, yet will I trust in him." She was artlessly pouring forth these feelings to her father, when he said to her, " you will certainly meet with many trials in this life, my dear, and I reJoice to think that you will have such support through them, which if you seek you will never fail to find; there is no very distant trial probably awaits you." "What is it ?" she exclaimed. "How do you think," said Melross, "you will bear separation from me." Justina started, viewed at a glance his pale face and wasted form, and instantly comprehended his meaning. My father," cried she, folding her arms around him, while her tears flowed over his face, "I could die with you." "But that is not 66 66 to be your trial, my child!" said he, wiping her tears from his cheek, with which his own were mingling. "But we must not anticipate sorrow-we often think we could not bear such or such trials, because, as we imagine them, we think we could not. Our strength is not laid up in ourselves, but in Christ; our daily bread is given; our manna falls from day to day; we have the promise, as your day is, so shall your strength be;-besides, we are commanded to hope in God: encourage then the cheerfulness this hope inspires; we are told all things will work together for our good,' and what can we desire more ?" Many and interesting were the conversations held by the father and daughter on heavenly subjects. He felt that he was soon to leave her in a foreign land, and he wished to impart to her such a view of the transitoriness of life, and of death devested of its terrors, as would give fortitude to her filial heart to sustain the approaching scene. They would soon meet, and meet to part no more; he would only arrive before her, at most a few fleeting years, at the haven of blessedness. She must not grieve too much, but open her heart to receive the spirit of consolation, which would be offered to her. She would return to her native land-to her beloved sister and aunt, to whom she would have many duties to fulfil. "Dear father! do you think Augusta loves the Saviour too?" |