"My dear old friend!" said Philip, looking up lovingly into Patient's face. "I will tell you the honest truth about myself. Celia, do you remember what I said to you the first time that I saw you?"
Celia remembered that well. It had pained her too much to be lightly forgotten.
"Well, that has all passed away. I believe that there is a God, and that the Bible is His revelation to man. Colville's philosophy merely disgusts me now. (I must say for him, though, that he was talking unusual nonsense the other night; he generally has something better to say than that.) Well, then, I believe, if I know what believing means, in Jesus Christ. Perhaps I don't know what believing means; I shall not feel astonished if you tell me so. I believe that He died to save sinners, that is, instead of sinners; but instead of what sinners I don't quite know. For I cannot help seeing that while all mankind are sinners, there is one class of sinners, called saints, who are quite different from the rest. My puzzle at present is what makes the difference. We all believe that Christ died for sinners, yet it seems to be only some of us that get any good from it. If you can explain this to me, do so."
"I must go back to eternity to explain that," said Patient. "Sir, ages back, ere the world had a beginning, the Lord God, who alone was in the beginning, Father, Son, and Spirit, covenanted the redemption of man.[[1]] Certain persons, whose names were written in the Book of Life,[[2]] were given of the Father to the Son,[[3]] unto whom, and to none other, the benefits of His redemption were to be applied.[[4]] 'No man,' quoth our Lord, 'can come to Me except the Father which hath sent Me draw him;[[5]] and also, 'All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me.'[[6]] Therefore"—
"Stop, stop!" cried Philip. "Let me take all that in before you go on to secondly. Do you mean to say, Patient, that God, the loving and merciful God, who says He wills not the death of any sinner,[[7]] selected a mere handful of men whom He chose to save, and deliberately left all the rest to perish? Was that love? Was that like God?"
"Sir, we can only know from the Word what is or is not like God. He ruleth over all,[[8]] and who shall say unto Him, 'What doest Thou?'[[9]] And when all were sunk in sin, and He might justly have left all to perish, shall we quarrel with Him because He in His sovereign grace and electing love decided to whom the merit of His work, the free gift of God, should be applied?"
"That is Covenanting doctrine, I suppose," said Philip, dryly.
Celia saw breakers a-head.
"Dear Patient," she said, very gently, "are you not trying to feed Philip with rather too strong meat? Remember what our Lord said to His disciples, 'I have many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.'"[[10]]
"Speak you, then, Madam Celia," said Patient. "I have but one speech."