Page:Lazarus, a tale of the world's great miracle.djvu/123

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LAZARUS.
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not love, nor mercy, nor understanding, stand undoubting and contemplate the works of a Creator. Thou canst but acknowledge Him; and if, in His mercy, He reveal to thee eternity, instead of leaving thee for endless years in gloom, in doubt, in trouble for thy future, welcome that revelation, and believe, as thou canst not but believe, for all thou canst not understand, and fall down and worship with thy soul and body that Being thou wilt never comprehend. For only God can comprehend God's nature. To grasp eternity thou must be eternal; to plumb the depth of sin thou must be spotless; to fathom love thou must be Christ; and since thou canst be none of these, be content to trust, to worship, to love that human God who hath placed Himself within thy grasp.

Such thoughts had come to Lazarus, and salvation had seemed, as it often seems to us, for a few moments a simple thing. But as the voices of the children had grown more faint and the Lord's image less distinct along the road, only a white gleam in the growing dusk of evening seeming to speak of the glory that was going by, it had seemed to him as if a spirit walked beside him muttering, the while, words of mistrust and doubt: "What if it should not be true? What if it is all a lie?"

The voice had sounded so distinct that Lazarus had turned quickly to see whether any one was there. Then, in his troubled vision, it had seemed as if two black wings had rustled away; but it might have been but the effect of clouds, or quivering evening shadows; yet, in very fear of losing the new faith, the young ruler of the Synagogue had mur-