Mrs Reichardt had promised to give me a history of the Bible; and one
day, when the weather kept us both at home, she thus commenced her
narrative:--
"The Bible is a history of God's doings for the salvation of man. It
commences with the fall of man by disobedience, and ends with the
sacrifice made for his reinstatement. As by one man, Adam, sin came
into the world, so by one man, Jesus Christ, was sin and death
overcome. If you will refer to the third chapter of Genesis, at the
very commencement of the Bible, you will find that at the same time
that Adam receives his punishment, a promise is made by the Lord, that
the head of the serpent shall hereafter be bruised. The whole of the
Bible, from the very commencement, is an announcement of the coming of
Christ; so that as soon as the fault had been committed, the Almighty,
in his mercy, had provided a remedy. Nothing is unknown or unforeseen
by God.
"Recollect, Frank, that the Bible contains the history of God's doings,
but it does not often tell us why such things were done. It must be
sufficient for us to know that such was the will of God; when he thinks
proper, he allows us to understand his ways, but to our limited
capacities, most of his doings are inscrutable. But, are we to suppose
that, because we, in our foolishness, cannot comprehend his reasons,
that therefore they must be cavilled at? Do you understand me, Frank?"
"Yes," replied I; "I do pretty well."
"As I pointed out to you the other day, you see the blade of grass
grow, and you see it flower, but how it does so you know not. If then
you are surrounded all your life with innumerable things which you see
but cannot comprehend--when all nature is a mystery to you--even
yourself--how can you expect to understand the dealings of God in other
things? When, therefore, you read the Bible, you must read it with
faith."
"What is faith? I don't quite understand, mother."
"Frank, I have often told you of many things that are in England, where
you one day hope to go. Now, if when you arrive in England, you find
that everything that I have told you is quite true, you will be
satisfied that I am worthy of belief."
"Yes."
"Well, suppose some one were to tell you something relative to any
other country, which you could not understand, and you came to me and
asked me if such were the case, would you, having found that I told you
truth with regard to England, believe that what you had been told of
this other country was true, if I positively asserted that it was so?"
"Of course I should, mother."
"Well, then, Frank, that would be faith; a belief in things not only
not seen, but which you cannot understand. But to go on, I mention this
because some people are so presumptuous as to ask the why and the
wherefore of God's doings, and attempt to argue upon their justice,
forgetting that the little reason they have is the gift of God, and
that they must be endowed with intellect equal to the Almighty, to
enable them to know and perceive that which he decides upon. But if God
has not permitted us to understand all his ways, still, wherever we can
trace the finger of God, we can always perceive that everything is
directed by an all-wise and beneficent hand; and that, although the
causes appear simple, the effects produced are extraordinary and
wonderful. We shall observe this as we talk over the history of the
Jews, in the Bible. But, I repeat, that we must study the whole of the
Bible with faith, and not be continually asking ourselves, 'Why was
this done?' If you will turn to the ninth chapter of the Epistle to the
Romans, you will see what the Apostle Paul says on the subject: 'Nay
but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God?' Shall the thing
formed say to him that formed it, 'Why hast thou made me thus?' Do you
not understand in what spirit the Bible should be read?"
"Yes, I do. We must read it as the Word of God, and believe all that we
read in it."
"Exactly;--now we will proceed. After Adam's fall, the earth became so
wicked that God destroyed it, leaving but Noah and his family to
re-people it; and as soon as this was done, the Almighty prepared for
his original intention for the future salvation of men. He selected
Abraham, who was a good man, and who had faith, to be the father of a
nation chosen for his own people--that was the Jewish nation. He told
him that his seed should multiply as the stars in the heavens, and that
all the nations of the earth should be blessed in him; that is, that
from his descendants should Christ be born, who should be the salvation
of men. Abraham's great-grandchildren were brought into Egypt, to live
apart in the land of Goshen. You have read the history of Joseph and
his brethren?"
"Oh yes; I know that well."
"Well, the Almighty wished the Jews should be a nation apart from
others, and for that purpose he brought them into Egypt. But observe,
Frank, by what simple and natural causes this was effected. It was by a
dream of Joseph's, which, when he told them of it, irritated his
brothers against him; they sold him as a slave, and he was sent into
Egypt. There, having explained the dream of Pharaoh, he was made a
ruler over Egypt, and saved that country from the famine which was in
every other land. His brothers come down to buy corn, and he recognises
them. He sends for his father and all the family, and establishes them
in the land of Goshen, as shepherds, apart from the Egyptians. Here
they multiplied fast; but after Joseph's elevation they were cruelly
treated by the Egyptians, who became afraid of their rapid increase,
and eventually the Kings of Egypt gave orders that all the male
children of the Jews should be destroyed. It was at this time, when
they were so oppressed and cruelly treated by the Egyptians, that God
interfered and sent for Moses. Moses, like all the rest of the Jews,
knew nothing of the true God, and was difficult to persuade, and it was
only by miracles that he was convinced."
"Why did God keep the Jews apart from the Egyptians, and have them
thrown in bondage?"
"Because he wished to prepare them to become his own peculiar people.
By their being descended from Abraham, and having never intermarried
with other nations, they had become a pure race; by being in bondage
and severely treated, they had suffered and become united as a people.
They knew no Gods but those worshipped by the Egyptians, and these Gods
it was now the intention of the Almighty to confound, and prove to the
Jews as worthless. At the same time he worked with his own nation in
mystery, for when Moses asked him what God he was to tell his people
that he was, the Almighty only replied by these words--_I am_; having
no name like all the false Gods worshipped by the Egyptians. He was now
about to prove, by his wonderful miracles, the difference between
himself and the false Gods."
"What are miracles?"
"A miracle is doing that which man has no power of doing, proving that
the party who does it is superior to man: for instance--to restore a
dead man to life is a miracle, as none but God, or those empowered by
God could do. Miracles were necessary, therefore, to prove to the Jews
that the Almighty was the true God, and were resorted to by him in this
instance, as well as in the coming of Our Saviour, when it was also
necessary to prove that he was the Son of God. When the Almighty sent
Moses to Pharaoh to demand that the Israelites should have permission
to sacrifice in the desert, he purposely hardened the heart of Pharaoh
that he might refuse the request."
"But why did he so?"
"Because he wanted to prove to the Israelites that he was the only true
God and had Pharaoh consented to their going away, there would have
been no opportunity of performing those miracles by which the
Israelites were to be delivered, and by which they were to acknowledge
him as their God."
Mrs Reichardt often renewed this conversation, till I became acquainted
with Scriptural History.