“Of all the men with me, you seem to be the most contented and happy.  I cannot say I have seen even a sign of fear about you, when things have been at the worst.”

“It would be very ungrateful, sir, to mistrust a Providence that has done so much for me.”

“I devoutly wish I could believe with you that Jesus was the Son of God!”

“Excuse me, Captain Gar’ner; it’s jist because you do not devoutly wish this, that you do not believe.  I think I understand the natur’ of your feelin’s, sir.  I had some sich once, myself; though it was only in a small way.  I was too ignorant to feel much pride in my own judgment, and soon gave up every notion that went ag’in Scriptur’.  I own it is not accordin’ to natur’, as we know natur’, to believe in this doctrine; but we know too little of a thousand things to set up our weak judgments in the very face of revelation.”

“I am quite willing to believe all I can understand, Stephen; but I find it difficult to credit accounts that are irreconcilable with all that my experience has taught me to be true.”

“They who are of your way of thinkin’, sir, do not deny that Christ was a good man and a prophet; and that the apostles were good men and prophets; and that they all worked miracles.”

“This much I am willing enough to believe; but the other doctrine seems contrary to what is possible.”

“Yet you have seen, sir, that these apostles believed what you refuse.  One thing has crossed my mind, Captain Gar’ner, which I wish to say to you.  I know I’m but an ignorant man, and my idees may be hardly worth your notice; but sich as they be, I want to lay ’em afore you.  We are told that these apostles were all men from a humble class in life, with little l’arnin’, chosen, as it might be, to show men that faith stood in need of no riches, or edication, or worldly greatness, of any sort.  To me, sir, there is a wholesome idee in that one thing.”

“It gives us all a useful lesson, Stephen, and has often been mentioned, I believe, in connection with the doctrines of Christianity.”

“Yes, sir—­so I should think; though I don’t remember ever to have heard it named from any pulpit.  Well, Captain Gar’ner, it does not agree with our notions to suppose that God himself, a part of the Ruler and Master of the Universe, should be born of a woman, and come among sinners in order to save ’em from his own just judgments.”

“That is just the difficulty that I have in believing what are called the dogmas of Christianity on that one point.  To me, it has ever seemed the most improbable thing in the world.”