"Oh, but I am not fit for that place yet!" exclaimed Laura with a look of alarm, "and I don"t want to die for years to come, though it is hard to suffer as I do. You don"t think I"m a dying woman, Mrs. Travilla?"
"You know, dear friend, that no one of us is certain of life for a day or an hour," returned Grandma Elsie gently, taking the wasted hand in hers and gazing tenderly into the anxious, troubled face, "and surely it is the part of wisdom to make careful preparation for that which we must inevitably meet, sooner or later. And if our peace is made with G.o.d--if Jesus is our Friend and Saviour--it will only be joy unspeakable to be called into his immediate presence, there to dwell forevermore."
"Yes, yes, if one is fitted for it, as Eric, Eva"s father, was. Death seemed only joy to him, except for leaving us. But oh, I am afraid of death! Hard as life is in my weak, ailing condition, I don"t want to die, I can"t bear to think of it."
"My poor friend, my heart bleeds for you," said Grandma Elsie in low, tender tones. ""The sting of death is sin and the strength of sin is the law." But "Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth." He fulfilled its conditions, he bore the penalty G.o.d"s justice required against those who had broken it; and now salvation is offered as his free gift to all who will accept it: "Even the righteousness of G.o.d which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of G.o.d; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom G.o.d hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of G.o.d; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.""
"Is that all? only to believe in Jesus?" Laura asked with a look of mingled anxiety, hope, and fear. "But one must repent deeply, sincerely, and oh, I"m afraid I cannot!"
"He will help you," returned Grandma Elsie in moved tones. ""Him hath G.o.d exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins." Ask him, remembering his own gracious promise, "Ask and it shall be given you; seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you. For everyone that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.""
"Ah, I see the way as I never did before," said Laura, after a moment"s silence in which she seemed in deep thought. "What wonderful love and condescension it was for him, the G.o.d-man, to die that painful and shameful death that we--sinful worms of the dust--might live! Oh, I do begin to love him and to hate and abhor my sins that helped nail him to the tree." With the last words tears coursed down her cheeks. "I want to be his, whether I live or die," she added; and from that hour a great change came over her; her sufferings were borne with patience and resignation; and when the end came she pa.s.sed peacefully and quietly away, leaving her bereaved daughter mourning the separation, but not as those without hope of a blessed reunion at some future day, in that land where sin and sorrow, sickness and pain are unknown.
CHAPTER III.
Through all the six long weeks of her mother"s illness at Fairview Evelyn had been a most devoted, tender nurse, scarcely leaving the sick room for an hour by day or by night. She bore up wonderfully until all was over and the worn-out body laid to rest in the quiet grave; but then came the reaction; strength and energy seemed suddenly to forsake her, and thin, pale, sad, and heavy-eyed, she was but the shadow of her former self.
Change of air and scene was the doctor"s prescription. She was very reluctant to leave home and friends for a sojourn in new scenes and among strangers, but receiving an urgent invitation from Captain and Mrs. Raymond to spend some weeks at Woodburn with her loved friend Lucilla, and finding that her uncle and aunt--Dr. Conly also--highly approved, she gladly accepted; all the more so because she had learned that Grandma Elsie too, whom she loved even better than ever for her kindness to the dear departed, was about to spend some days or weeks with her daughter Violet. That was an added attraction to what Evelyn esteemed one of the most delightful places, and inhabited by the dearest, kindest, most lovable people anywhere to be found.
She was most heartily welcomed by the entire family, Lucilla and Grace being particularly joyful over her arrival.
It was delightful spring weather, and family and guests, older and younger, spent much of the time in the beautiful grounds or in driving and riding about the country.
The captain p.r.o.nounced Eva hardly in a fit condition for study, and for her sake required his daughters Lucilla and Grace to pa.s.s only an hour or two daily in the schoolroom; so that they were able to give to Eva as much of their society as he considered desirable for her under the circ.u.mstances--seeing that she needed a good deal of quiet rest and sleep in order to regain the youthful vigour she had lost during the exhausting nursing of her invalid mother.
His kindness was highly appreciated by all three, and under its benign influence Eva made rapid improvement in health and spirits, enjoying every day of her sojourn at Woodburn, the Sabbath even more than any other, especially the afternoon study of the Bible in which all took part, from Grandma Elsie and Captain Raymond down to little Ned.
The subject chosen for the first lesson after Eva"s coming was the resurrection, probably selected especially for Eva"s comfort in her sorrow over her mother"s recent departure, to be with her no more in this life.
"Mother," the captain said, addressing Grandma Elsie, when they were all seated, each with a Bible in hand, "as you are somewhat older and certainly much wiser than I--especially as regards spiritual things--will you not take the lead to-day?"
"Older I certainly am," returned Mrs. Travilla, with her own sweet smile, "but I think not wiser than yourself, captain; and certainly I have not made the preparation for this occasion which doubtless you have. So please lead the exercises just as you would if I were not present."
"You would prefer my doing so?" he asked.
"Very much," she replied. "The resurrection is the subject?"
"Yes; and what a glorious one! how full of comfort for all who believe in Christ! "For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth; and though after my death my body is destroyed, yet in my flesh shall I see G.o.d; whom I shall see for myself and mine eyes shall behold, and not another," said the patriarch Job; comforting himself in his affliction with that blessed prospect. The doctrine of a general resurrection is expressly taught in both the Old Testament and the New, and I think we cannot spend our lesson hour more profitably than in looking up the texts on the subject. Can you give us one, mother?"
At that Grandma Elsie opened her Bible.
"Beginning with the Old Testament," she said, "here in Psalms xlix. 15 we read: "But G.o.d will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Selah." Then here in Isaiah; "Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.""
Then Violet, sitting next, read from her open Bible: ""The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked him, saying, Master, Moses said, if a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. Now there were with us seven brethren: and the first, when he had married a wife, deceased, and having no issue, left his wife unto his brother: likewise the second also, and the third unto the seventh. And last of all the woman died also. Therefore in the resurrection, whose wife shall she be? for they all had her. Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of G.o.d. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of G.o.d in heaven. But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by G.o.d, saying, I am the G.o.d of Abraham, and the G.o.d of Isaac, and the G.o.d of Jacob? G.o.d is not the G.o.d of the dead, but of the living.""
Eva"s turn came next and she read: ""And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, and came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.""
Then Lucilla: ""Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection.""
"Will the resurrection be of all the dead, Grace? the wicked as well as the righteous?" asked her father.
"Yes, papa," she answered; then read aloud: ""Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of d.a.m.nation.""
It was little Elsie"s turn and she read a verse in Acts pointed out by her mother: ""And have hope toward G.o.d, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.""
It was Ned"s turn now and he read a pa.s.sage selected for him by his mother: ""For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.""
It was the captain"s turn again and he went on with the reading: ""Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: and if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of G.o.d; because we have testified of G.o.d that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised, and if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.""
"Yes," said Grandma Elsie, "we needed a divine Saviour, and Christ"s resurrection proved his divinity; as Paul tells us here in the first chapter of Romans, "And declared to be the Son of G.o.d with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead."
Peter too teaches us that the resurrection of Christ was necessary to our salvation. It seems plainly taught in this verse of the fifth chapter of his first Epistle. "Blessed be the G.o.d and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.""
"Yes," said Violet, "Jesus said to his disciples, "Because I live, ye shall live also." His resurrection is surely the pledge and a.s.surance of that of his people."
"Papa, does everybody have to die?" asked little Ned.
"Everybody except those who are alive when Jesus comes again, as he will some day in the clouds of heaven. This is what the Apostle Paul tells us about it in the letter he wrote to the Thessalonians. "Them also which sleep in Jesus will G.o.d bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord, shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of G.o.d: and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we which are alive and remain, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord.""
""Wherefore comfort one another with these words,"" added Evelyn softly, finishing the quotation; "and oh, what a comfort it is!"
"There could be none greater," said Grandma Elsie. "Think of being reunited with all the dear ones gone before, and in the immediate presence of Jesus; never again to be parted from them or him or to know sin or sorrow or pain. Oh, what joy to be permitted to look upon the face of our Redeemer, to kneel at his feet, to hear his voice speaking to each one of us. "Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold and not another.""
CHAPTER IV.
"Oh, Rosie, you here? I"m delighted! I hope you have come to spend the day?" exclaimed Lucilla, as on Monday she and Grace, on leaving the schoolroom where they had been reciting to their father, pa.s.sed out upon the veranda in search of Evelyn and the older ladies and found Rose Travilla seated with the others.
"Thank you; but suppose I have come intending to stay longer than that?
as long as mamma does, for instance?" laughed Rose, giving and receiving an affectionate caress; for they had seen nothing of each other for several days.
"The longer the better," was Lucilla"s hearty rejoinder. "Do you not say so too, Mamma Vi?" turning to her.
"Indeed I do," said Violet. "She will certainly make a most pleasant addition to our party."
"I think you may as well accept the invitation, Rosie," her mother said with a pleased smile; "and as I know you do not care to keep your errand a secret from any of your friends here, we can call a family council and talk the matter over."
"Yes, mamma; that sounds as though you accept Solomon"s teaching that "In the mult.i.tude of counsellors there is safety." And since he was the wisest of men we may surely consider ourselves safe in so doing. So, if you like, you may tell Lu and Gracie on what errand I came."
"Tell it yourself, child," returned her mother with an amused look.
At that Rosie held up a letter to the view of Lucilla and Grace, saying, with a smile and blush, "It is from Will Croly. He has grown tired of waiting and begs to have matters hurried up somewhat: proposes that I change my name next month, though the prescribed year of waiting would thereby be shortened by two months or more."