"But we are allowed and commanded to discern the state of the heart by the fruits.""Fruits?" replied Kenny, quickly. "He was a good son and brother and friend; he was honest and clean, and he gave his life for another at the last.""Exactly so," said Peter. "I am not denying much natural goodness, for indeed he was a fine lad; but I will be looking for the evidence that he was in a state of grace. I have not heard of any, and glad would I be to hear it."The old man's emotion took the sharpness out of Kenny's speech, but he persisted, stoutly, "Goodness is goodness, Mr. McRae, for all that.""You will not be holding the Armenian doctrine of works, Mr.
Campbell?" said Peter, severely. "You would not be pointing to good works as a ground of salvation?"Yankee, who had been following the conversation intently, thought he saw meaning in it at last.
"If I might take a hand," he said, diffidently, "I might contribute somethin' to help you out."Peter regarded him a little impatiently. He had forgotten the concrete, for the moment, in the abstract, and was donning his armor for a battle with Kenny upon the "fundamentals." Hence he was not too well pleased with Yankee's interruption. But Donald Ross gladly welcomed the diversion. The subject was to him extremely painful.
"We will be glad," he said to Yankee, "to hear you, Mr. Latham.""Well," said Yankee, slowly, "from your remarks I gathered that you wanted information about the doings of--" he jerked his head toward the house behind him. "Now, I want to say," he continued, confidentially, "you've come to the right shop, for I've ate and slept, I've worked and fought, I've lived with him by day and by night, and right through he was the straightest, whitest man I ever seen, and I won't except the boss himself." Yankee paused to consider the effect of this statement, and to allow its full weight to be appreciated; and then he continued: "Yes, sir, you may just bet your--you may be right well sure," correcting himself, "that you're safe in givin'"--here he dropped his voice, and jerked his head toward the house again--"in givin' the highest marks, full value, and no discount. Why," he went on, with an enthusiasm rare in him, "ask any man in the gang, any man on the river, if they ever seen or heard of his doin' a mean or crooked thing, and if you find any feller who says he did, bring him here, and, by"--Yankee remembered himself in time--"and I give you my solemn word that I'll eat him, hat and boots." Yankee brought his bony fist down with a whack into his hand. Then he relapsed into his lazy drawl again: "No, siree, hoss! If it's doin's you're after, don't you be slow in bankin' your little heap on HIS doin's."Donald Ross grasped Yankee's hand and shook it hard. "I will be thanking you for that word," he said, earnestly.
But Peter felt that the cause of truth demanded that he should speak out. "Mr. Latham," he said, solemnly, "what you have been saying is very true, no doubt, but if a man is not 'born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.' These are the words of the Lord himself.""Born again!" said Yankee. "How? I don't seem to get you. But Iguess the feller that does the right thing all round has got a purty good chance.""It is not a man's deeds, we are told," said Peter, patiently, "but his heart.""There you are," said Yankee, warmly, "right again, and that's what I always hold to. It's the heart a man carries round in his inside. Never mind your talk, never mind your actin' up for people to see. Give me the heart that is warm and red, and beats proper time, you bet. Say! you're all right." Yankee gazed admiringly at the perplexed and hopeless Peter.
"I am afraid you are not remembering what the Apostle Paul said, Mr. Latham," said Peter, determined to deal faithfully with Yankee.
"'By the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified.'"It was now Yankee's turn to gaze helplessly at Peter. "I guess you have dropped me again," he said, slowly.
"Man," said Peter, with a touch of severity, "you will need to be more faithful with the Word of God. The Scriptures plainly declare, Mr. Latham, that it is impossible for a man to be saved in his natural state."Yankee looked blank at this.
"The prophet says that the plowing and sowing, the very prayers, of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord.""Why, now you're talkin', but look here." Yankee lowered his tone.
"Look here, you wouldn't go for to call"--here again he jerked his head toward the house--"wicked, would you? Fur if you do, why, there ain't any more conversation between you and me."Yankee was terribly in earnest.
"'There is none righteous, no, not one,'" quoted Peter, with the air of a man who forces himself to an unpleasant duty.
"That's so, I guess," said Yankee, meditatively, "but it depends some on what you mean. I don't set myself up for any copy-book head-line, but as men go--men, say, just like you here--I'd put--I'd put him alongside, wouldn't you? You expect to get through yourself, I judge?"This was turning the tables somewhat sharply upon Peter, but Yankee's keen, wide-open eyes were upon him, and his intensely earnest manner demanded an answer.
"Indeed, if it will be so, it will not be for any merit of my own, but only because of the mercy of the Lord in Christ Jesus."Peter's tone was sincerely humble.
"Guess you're all right," said Yankee, encouragingly; "and as for--as for--him--don't you worry about that. You may be dead sure about his case."But Peter only shook his head hopelessly. "You are sorely in need of instruction, Mr. Latham," he said, sadly. "We cannot listen to our hearts in this matter. We must do honor to the justice of God, and the word is clear, 'Ye must be born again.' Nothing else avails." Peter's tone was final.
Then Yankee drew a little nearer to him, as if settling down to work.
"Now look here. You let me talk awhile. I ain't up in your side of the business, but I guess we are tryin' to make the same point.
