Playing With Fire

her swift course.... Then suddenly visions of horrible dreams troubled them

ents of the grea

nd still and say nothing about his doubts; and when a Scotchman has cast off Calvin, and been unable to accept Kant, he is not an agreeable man in domestic life. He was morbid, but he was not insincere, and he was really desperate concerning the salvation of his own soul. So the busy gladness of Mrs. Caird about the wedding preparations and the joyous voice and radiant face of Marion, as the stream of love was bearing her gently to the Happy Isles, rasped and irritated him. He was beginning to feel that he ha

! the struggles

desolate! the

hristianity were not true, then its preachers were of all men most miserable. Generally speaking, poor Burns' prayer that we might see ourselves as others see us is surely an injudicio

spiritual state, he went one evening to a session at the Church of the Disciples. He wondered at himself for going and his elders and deacons wo

cial standing or not," said Deacon Crawford, "and I never saw such

y were sorely vexed and troubled. And the eyes that had to live u

the leading Elder; "and, the finances being in such good shape, what

rdinary thing

s getting a ver

commonly pro

ghter is mar

here's plenty of time to think the matter ove

ate when he reached home, weary and hungry, and glad of

een, Ian?" she asked. "Do

asing march of the armies of labor. The crowd never rested. When the day wor

aid Mrs. Ca

moving to

ead! Dai

fe, and bre

itterness

th, and no

Go to sleep as

, as he fumbled with the Venetian blind until it somehow went up and let in the early dawning. Then he noticed the dripping condition of his night clothing, and he hurried to his bed and cried out

d himself: "How I must have suffered! Great God, the physical melts away at the touch of the Spiritual! Oh, I wish Jessy would come! W

an

y. Come in! I want

ast is

tell me the truth, the plain, sure tr

is it,

ou ever know

that you could not understand wha

it seemed very short, I felt when I awoke from

id you

od facing the largest congregation I had ever seen. And the light was just like the light when there is an eclipse of the sun-an unearthly, solemn obscurity, frightful and mysterious. I stood in my place and surveyed the congregation. It filled the church, but th

n! Sp

as nothi

ere! What d

-only white paper-not

Mac

the New Testament was there a word. And I cried out in my anguish, and looked at the wordless Bible till

n, I

stairs, but could not, for I was in black darkness. And I was not alone; to the right and the left there were movements and whispers and a sense of Presence about me. Powers unutterable and unseen th

took his cold hand and said softly, "O Lord, Thou L

s were overcome-not with strength nor force of celestial arms, but with that One Word they were driven away; and I awakened and it w

es

does i

ts meaning with it. It is not a dream unl

, I

re that he would implicitly obey it. So she left him alone, though she heard him destroying papers all day long. The next day being Saturday, he was very quiet, and she told herself he was preparing his sermon

s most positive manner, "Jessy, I wish you and Marion to remai

now what you are going to do, Ian. Our life is a spectacle-a tragedy to bo

t, and I know what

nd, though in ecclesiastical costume, was so singularly like his uncle that Mrs. Caird involuntarily thought, "How soldie

ons of his first experience of that kind. He was prescient and restless. For, though the outward man appeared the same, the archway inside was uplifted and widened, and Dr. Macrae had risen

aturally he followed this tremendous inquiry of Christ's by those two passionate invocations of David, "Cast me not away from Thy Presence. Take not Thy Holy Spirit fro

of the Disciples. Two or three of the deacons were standing in the vestibu

one. "The church is full, sir, and, if our clock is

question. With a thoughtful gravity he walked down the aisle, ascended the pulpit stairs, and stood in his place before the people. And they watched him with a sigh

n which would take them for an hour

yours. You can delay any explanation a week-or even two. You had better do so." He trembled under the strain of this instant decision.

hall make no prayer. I am here to bid you

t words." There was no response from the cold, voiceless crowd, but he felt their antagonism to be more palpable than that of either scornful looks or reproachful words. With eloquent anger he described the cynical complaisance with which the very existence of God and the inspiration of the Bible were now challenged and discussed. "There is boundless danger in all such discussions," he cried. "As long as we are loving and simple-minded we judge the Bible by

he spoke, and Ian Macrae was a man they had never before seen. His tall, grave figure radiated a kind of awe, his voice rang out like a command.

t there was in about fifteen minutes an inevit

hatever God said in His Word. God had said it, and I knew that God would keep His Word. Then I was tempted by the devil-no, by the gift of one thousand pounds, to examine my Father's Word-to prove, and to test, and to try it, by the suppositions and ideas of some small German, French, English-and Scotch, so-called philosophers. And I wa

Christ-no farewell supper in the upper chamber-no flowery Easter morning. I dare not even think of that sacred ghost story in the garden, for, if the stone was not rolled awa

church, and the women's cries and the men's mutterings and movements were sharply distinct. Then the Senior

Bethel, by

le still

this weary

our fat

ulders the vestment of his office. In a few moments he had laid it slowly and carefully over the front of the pulpit. Then he turned to the stairs, and he remembered his dream and was afraid of them. What if there should be only one step to the floor below? The descent seemed steep and dark. He kept his hand on the railing of the balusters, a

t seemed st

me what will, you've done what's right. Put your

y and offensive in word and manner, but sure that their attitude was well pleasing to God and to the Kirk He loved. The Major's carriage was standing at the curbstone, and, without delay, yet also without hurry, they took it

jor's horses; they clatter louder than any other in Glasgow-but what are you

. Then I will tell you all that Ian has done. I am going to give to-morrow to Ian and his

"I wish I had! I think I also would have had a few

have been more like him to have said nothing to anyone, just resign

nights ago he

Ian neve

rning just at or before t

psychic man and a great dreamer, listened with intense interest, but did not at once make any

achers are no doubt preaching this day what they do not believe, but they have no

ating God. I dare say a great many ministers

would have done exactly as Ian has done. Dreams are strange things. You c

and women to dream. A true dreamer has the gift in childhood as perfectly as in old age. There is no age, no race, no class, no circumstance

, they have often read the

be sent through the air-sent all over the world. We had not then discovered the medium nor the method. In ano

s are more easily visite

vented from entering any place to which they are s

ms upon

the shadowy stair and t

of Ian's dream. I und

ke him

always loved Ian

s hard for mortals to live when the