"  Do  you  wish  to  believe  as  I  do?  "

"  Yes,  indeed ;  and  yet  my  heart  rebels  against  a  God
who  permits,  even  if  He  docs  not  cause,  all  this  evil."

"  Does  it  rebel  against  a  Being  who  from  first  to  last  tries
to  save  men  from  evil?"

"Tries!  tries!  what  an  expression  to  apply  to  a  God!
Why  does  He  not  *\o  it  in  every  case?"

"  Because  multitudes  will  not  let  Him."

"  Oh,  that  is  worse  still  !  Surely,  Mr.  Fleet,  you  let  your
reason  have  nothing  to  do  with  your  faith.  How  can  a
poor  and  weak  being  like  myself  prevent  an  Almighty  one
from  doing  what  He  pleases?"

"  I  am  stronger  than  you,  Miss  Ludolph,  and  yet  I  could
not  have  saved  you  to-night  unless  you  had  first  trusted  me,
and  then  done  everything  in  your  power  to  further  my
efforts."

"  But  your  power  is  human  and  limited,  and  you  say  God
is  all-powerful."

"  Yes,  but  it  is  His  plan  and  purpose  never  to  save  us
against  our  will.  He  has  made  us  in  His  own  image  and  en-
dowed us  with  reason,  conscience,   and  a  will  to  choose


414  nARJ^IERS  BURNED   AWAY.
between  good  and  evil.  He  appeals  to  these  noble  facul-
ties from  first  to  last.  He  has  given  us  hearts,  and  seeks  to
win  them  by  revealing  His  love  to  us.  More  than  all.  His
Spirit,  present  in  the  world,  uses  every  form  of  truth  in  per-
suading and  making  us  willing  to  become  His  true  children.
