“Just so, sir—­I had some sort of feelin of that natur’ myself once.  When God, in his goodness, put it into my heart to believe, however, as he was pleased to do in a fit of sickness from which I never expected to rise, and in which I was led to pray to him for assistance, I began to think over all these matters in my own foolish manner.  Among other things, I said to myself, ’is it likely that any mortal man would dream of calling Christ the Son of God, unless it was put into his mind to say so?’ Then comes the characters of them men, who all admit were upright and religious.  How can we suppose that they would agree in giving the same account of sich a thing, unless what they said had been told to them by some tongue that they believed?”

Roswell smiled at Stephen’s reasoning, which was not without a certain point, but which an ingenious man might find the means of answering in various ways.

“There is another thing, sir, that I’ve read in a book,” resumed the boat-steerer, “which goes a great way with me.  Jesus allowed others to call him the Son of God, without rebuking them for doing so.  It does really seem that they who believe he was a good man, as I understand is the case with you, Captain Gar’ner, must consider this as a strong fact.  We are to remember what a sin idolatry is; how much all ra’al worshippers abhor it; and then set that feelin’ side by side with the fact that the Son did riot think it robbery to be called the equal of the Father.  To me, that looks like a proof that our belief has a solid foundation.”

Roswell did not reply.  He was aware that it would not be just to hold any creed responsible for the manner in which a person like Stimson defended it.  Still, he was struck with both of this man’s facts.  The last, he had often met in books; but the first was new to him.  Of the two, this novel idea of the improbability of the apostles’ inventing that which would seem to be opposed to all men’s notions and prejudices, struck him more forcibly than the argument adduced from the acquiescence of the Redeemer in his own divinity.  The last might be subject to verbal criticism, and could possibly be explained away, as he imagined; but the first appeared to be intimately incorporated with the entire history of Christ’s ministrations on earth.  These were the declarations of John the Baptist, the simple and unpretending histories of the Gospels, the commentaries of St. Paul, and the venerable teachings of the church through so many centuries of varying degrees of faith and contention, each and all going to corroborate a doctrine that, in his eyes, had appeared to be so repugnant to philosophy and reason.  Wishing to be alone, Roswell gave an order to Stimson to execute some duty that fell to his share, and continued walking up and down the terrace alone for quite an hour longer.