"She could read a verse of Scripture or one of the beautiful prayers of the Prayer Book," said his mother, softly.
"It's all rot," he said, "the whole Bible is utter foolishness from cover to cover."
"Exactly what the Bible says of itself," said his mother. "It says that 'The preaching of the Cross is to them that perish foolishness,' and if it is foolishness to you, my dear boy, it is because you are perishing. St. Paul told the truth when he said, 'The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, neither can he know them, for they are spiritually discerned.' You have not a nature capable of grasping the spiritual. 'You must be born again.'"
"Don't quote Scripture at me, for I tell you that I don't believe one word of it," said Phil.
"If you could have seen what I have seen this day you would not be such a trifler, my boy."
"I'm not trifling, mother," he said. "I am quite serious about it. I am not proud, as some are, of being a sceptic, but I cannot believe as you and Chris do." Observing tears in his mother's eyes, he added, slowly, "I wish I could."
"There is but one way," she replied, "out of the fog of scepticism into the light of faith, and it is the narrow way of obedience. 'If any man will do his will he shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God.' If you want to believe, my boy, give up your self-will and promise me that you will try honestly to find out what God's will is concerning you, that you may do it, and your scepticism will soon take wings."
"But," said Phil, "I would like to have some proof that there is a God before I begin to find out what His will is. Every sense that I have bears me out in believing that there is no God. I have never seen a God, nor heard one; I have never smelt, tasted, nor felt one."
"You may not have felt that there is a God, but I have," said his mother, "and I delight to pour forth my very soul to Him whom I know exists, and whom I am satisfied to believe in without proofs save such as I obtain from my own inner consciousness."
"And is the testimony of that one sense of feeling sufficient to convince you that there is a God?" said Phil.