Far different to the scenes we have just described were those which
Naomi was called to witness; and had not her mind been harassed with
anxiety for her beloved parents and her young friend Claudia, she
would have considered the days which she passed with her relatives,
in their beautiful country residence, as the happiest of her life.
It was not that the scenery around her was lovely, and the air was
fresh and pure, in the elevated spot on which the house was situated;
nor was it because Amaziah and Judith had always loved her as a
daughter, and now treated her with the most affectionate kindness,
that Naomi felt it was a blessed privilege to be under their peaceful
roof. On the first evening of her arrival with her relatives at
their country-house, Judith had proposed to her that they should walk
to Bethany; and to the surprise of Naomi, they no sooner entered the
village than her aunt proceeded to the cottage where Mary dwelt.
The aged Christian was alone; but solitude was not sad to her, for
the bright prospects of futurity, and the blessed remembrances of the
past, shed a heavenly light over her lonely and humble abode. She
rose to meet her visitors with a smile of cheerful welcome; and Naomi
was startled and almost terrified when she saluted her, in the
hearing of her aunt, with her accustomed benediction, "The blessing
of our Lord and Saviour be upon you, my child."
Judith saw what was passing in her mind, and hastened to remove her
apprehensions. She took her hand, and said, "I have brought you
here, my dear Naomi, that in the presence of our venerable friend I
may acknowledge to you that I also am an unworthy disciple of that
Lord and Saviour whose name you have been taught to worship. She who
has been the blessed instrument of bringing you to the knowledge of
the truth, was also the means of removing the dark cloud of error and
prejudice that hung over my mind and that of Amaziah. Many years
have elapsed since the happy change took place; but our safety
required that it should be kept secret; and as so much of our time
has been passed in the country, our renunciation of the religion of
our forefathers was not discovered. Often have I wished and prayed
that the time might come when I could be permitted to instruct you,
Naomi, in the truths of Christianity; but I felt that I should be
abusing the confidence reposed in me by your parents if I attempted
to do so without their knowledge and consent. The very strong
prejudice which your excellent father entertains against the
disciples of Jesus, made it hopeless for me to expect that consent;
and I could only offer up my fervent prayers, that in his own good
time the Lord would call you to the knowledge of himself. My prayers
have been answered, and you may imagine my feelings of joy and
gratitude when Mary informed me that you had confessed your sincere
faith in the Son of God."
Naomi's astonishment was only equalled by her delight at finding that
her beloved relatives were also united to her in the bonds of one
faith, and one hope in Christ.
"Now," she exclaimed, "I shall feel that I am not alone and divided
from all I love on earth. Oh that my father and my mother, and my
poor misguided brother would also believe in the Redeemer, and find
that rest to their souls which I never knew, until I was convinced
that in him my sins were blotted out, and that by his death my
salvation was purchased. And all this I owe to you, my excellent--my
beloved teacher. I saw that amid poverty, and persecution, and
infirmity, you were happier than the wealthiest, the proudest of the
self-righteous Jews with whom I was acquainted; and I felt sure that
nothing but a true faith could produce the heavenly calm that reigned
over your soul. And when I heard of the love and pity, the wisdom
and power of Him in whom you put your trust, I could no longer wonder
at your joy and peace; and thankfully I acknowledge, that, in a
humble degree, the same faith and the same hope now animate my soul."
Long and interesting was the conversation of these Christian friends;
and Judith informed her niece of the particulars of her own and her
husband's conversion to Christianity, and their admission by baptism
into the church of Christ at Jerusalem. Theophilus had also
sincerely embraced the same religion, and had received the sacred
rite several years since. Naomi was surprised to find how numerous
had been the company of Christians in Jerusalem; until the period
when James, the brother of the Lord, and the first bishop of that
city, was murdered.
"Since that unhappy event, which you, Naomi, must well remember,"
added Judith, "the church has been dispersed and persecuted; and
those of its members who have remained in Jerusalem have feared to
appear so openly as they ventured to do during the life of that
upright and excellent man."
"I do remember his death," replied Naomi, "and I also well remember
my father's indignation at the cruel manner in which he was slain.
Though he looked upon James the Just as a mistaken and deluded man,
and despised his religion, yet I have often heard both him and his
friends say that he well deserved the title which was bestowed on him
of 'the fortress of the people,' for that he commanded the love and
admiration of the whole city, from his divine temper, and his
meekness and humility. My father even once declared, since the
troubles of our nation commenced, that he considered the barbarous
murder of that righteous and venerable man as a principal means of
bringing the wrath and the chastisements of God upon the city. He
was present when James was led to the top of the temple-wall, and
placed there in sight of the collected multitude below, in the hope
that he would declare to them his conviction that Jesus of Nazareth
was not the long-promised Messiah; and he shared in the general
disappointment when, instead of doing as was expected, the venerable
saint lifted up his voice, and loudly proclaimed that Jesus was the
Son of God. But my father did not join in the cry to hurl him from
the wall--he would have saved his life, if possible; but the
infuriated populace cast him down the precipice. I have seen the
tears in Zadok's eyes, when he has described to us the old man rising
on his knees after the fall, in which he miraculously escaped being
killed, and with uplifted hands praying for mercy on his persecutors.
Oh! how hard must have been the hearts of those who could behold him
thus, and not be moved to pity, but stoned him as he knelt! If he
were living now, with what different feelings should I regard him
from those which I entertained when, as a child, I learned to call
him Nazarene, as a term of reproach, though even then I never saw his
holy countenance without an emotion of awe and veneration!"
"His presence was indeed a blessing, and his death a calamity, both
to Christians and to Jews," replied Judith. "He was the only one of
the sacred band of apostles whom I ever knew, though I remember to
have seen several of them during my youth, before they were dispersed
and scattered into distant nations, when Herod stretched forth his
hands to vex the church. Mary has been more highly blessed, for she
was acquainted with all those chosen men, and still more blessed was
she in being permitted to enjoy the presence and share the friendship
of the Saviour himself."
"Yes," paid Mary, "my eyes have seen those things which many prophets
and kings have desired to see, and have not seen--I have seen the
Lord Jesus in his human nature, and in his humility: and now all the
desire of my heart is to behold the King in his beauty, and see him
on the throne of his father David. When he comes in his majesty
every eye shall see him, and all shall equally confess that he is the
Son of God. But oh! how will those regard him then who have rejected
him in his low estate? And how will they stand before his throne of
judgment who have despised his offers of mercy?"
"Is it the belief of the Christians," asked Naomi, "that the Messiah
will speedily return in his glory?"
"The church looks for his coming," replied Mary, "both speedily and
suddenly. Some of our brethren even expect his appearance during the
life of his only remaining apostle John. But this arises from their
misunderstanding the words of the Lord to Peter, when, after the
resurrection of his Master, that disciple inquired of him what should
be the fate of the beloved John. 'If I will that he tarry till I
come,' said Jesus, 'what is that to thee?' And therefore a saying
went abroad that John should not die until the Lord came again. But
he himself did not so understand it: and he is now at Ephesus,
anxiously awaiting the hour when he shall be summoned by death into
the presence of that Lord whom on earth he loved so devotedly."
"And is John still living, then?" exclaimed Naomi. "I supposed that
none remained on earth who had seen the Saviour, except you, Mary."
"Yes, the highly-favoured and divine apostle John is still alive,
though of a great age. He governs the churches in Asia, and edifies
the believers in every nation by his pious and holy writings, which
all breathe the same spirit of Christian love and tenderness that
shines so brightly in his own life and character. But John was not
always the angelic being that I have described him to you. I knew
him in his youth, ere the voice of Jesus had called him to be his
disciple; and then both he and his brother James were impetuous and
fiery of temper. It was the love of Jesus that changed his heart,
and made him what he is. His Master's character was reflected in
that of the disciple whom Jesus loved."
"Surely the same effect will, in some measure, be observed in every
one who contemplates the graces that were displayed in the life of
the blessed Redeemer," observed Judith. "We cannot look on him with
our bodily eyes, but by faith we may behold him; and the more we love
him the more we shall strive to be like him. Already, my dearest
Naomi, I perceive something of this change in you. Your countenance
no longer expresses the same pride and self-confidence that I have
always lamented in your character; and your manner is meek and
gentle, like that of one who has renounced all human pride and human
dependence, and consented to learn of Him who was meek and lowly of
heart: and oh, may you thus find rest unto your soul--that rest which
He has promised, and that peace which He alone can give. I would not
wish, my child, to take from you one spark of the enthusiasm that is
now directed to so noble an object, or to weaken that firmness and
resolution which have always marked your disposition, and may one day
be called for to enable you to bear the trials and sufferings of
life. By God's grace these qualities will now be properly guided and
controlled, and we shall see you, through good report and evil
report, through persecutions and afflictions, or in the more
dangerous trials of prosperity, exhibiting that singleness of heart
and courageous determination to honour your Master's name that should
always characterize his true disciples. Alas! that some should so
sadly have fallen short of this resolution and courage, even among
his earliest and most privileged disciples!"
"It is because I now feel the sinfulness of my own heart that I am
not the proud creature I used to be," replied Naomi. "When I
consider the purity and holiness of my Redeemer's life, and compare
my own corrupt inclinations, and evil thoughts and actions, with his
faultless character, surely I must feel humbled in the dust. But
when I remember that that divine Being shed his blood to wash away my
sins, can I fear any sufferings, any trials, by which I may prove my
love and gratitude? Oh! sometimes," she continued, clasping her
hands fervently, while her eyes sparkled through tears of
enthusiastic emotion,--"sometimes I envy the apostles, and the
blessed martyr Stephen, and all those holy Christians who have
already been called to shed their blood in confirmation of their
faith!"
"Trust not, my beloved Naomi, to your present ardent feelings,"
interrupted Mary, in a gentle voice, "nor suffer yourself to be too
confident in the firmness of your faith. I pray God that you maybe
endued with strength by his Spirit, to carry you triumphantly through
every trial that he deems fit to send upon you; but I covet neither
for you nor for myself the sore temptations to which some of our
brethren have already been exposed. Remember how Peter, the brave,
the lion-hearted Peter, failed in the hour of danger, because he
trusted in his own strength and boasted of his own courage."
"Oh yes, I do remember that sad event," replied the young Christian,
somewhat abashed at the mild reproof of Mary. "That denial of Peter,
and the desertion of their Master by all his disciples at the last,
have always been a source of astonishment to me. I have frequently
heard it related by my father, and the rabbis who frequent his house,
as a strong argument against the truth of the Christian doctrines,
and the belief of the disciples in the divinity of their Master. And
even when I considered Jesus of Nazareth as merely a human teacher,
and perhaps also as an impostor, I still wondered that those who had
dwelt with him, and followed him, and professed to believe in him,
should forsake him in his hour of sorrow and suffering."
"It is indeed a humbling proof of the weakness and depravity and
selfishness of the human heart," answered Mary; "and for this reason
it has been faithfully recorded by some of the apostles themselves,
as you have seen in the precious copy which I possess of the life of
Jesus Christ, written by Matthew the publican. At the time of the
Redeemer's death the Holy Spirit of God had not descended upon his
disciples, and without the aid of that Spirit none can hope to stand
in the time of trial. All must be born again, as our Lord himself
informed Nicodemus, or they cannot enter the kingdom of God--they
cannot belong to Christ on earth, or dwell with him in heaven. But
when the apostles were endued with power from on high, according to
the promise of their Master, then they were enabled to declare the
truth with boldness, and to endure a great fight of afflictions, and
at last to receive the crown of martyrdom, and enter into their rest
with songs of rejoicing. In the strength of the same Spirit which
supported them can we alone hope to stand, and for that Spirit let us
unceasingly pray."
"But, Mary," asked Naomi, "can we expect that the Holy Spirit will
descend visibly upon us, as you have told me it did upon the
apostles, and give us power to work miracles, and speak with tongues
as they did? Neither you nor Judith possess those gifts, and yet I
feel sure that you are the true disciples of Jesus."
"No, my daughter, those gifts are now very rare; for as the Gospel of
Christ has spread already over so great a part of the world, and many
of almost all nations have been converted, the gift of tongues is no
longer necessary. And doubtless also, the miracles that were worked
so abundantly by our Lord and his first disciples, were intended in a
great measure to prove that Jesus was the Son of God, and possessed
the power of God, and that his disciples were his true servants and
his authorized witnesses. Those miracles cannot now be denied; they
were seen by multitudes, and have been recorded by eye-witnesses, who
have moreover sealed the truth of their declarations with their
blood; and therefore the proof which they convey will remain to all
ages, and needs not to be renewed by fresh manifestations of Divine
power. The Holy Spirit now no longer descends in a visible manner,
but his influence may be clearly discerned in the heart, by
increasing love to God and to his Holy Son Jesus, and greater zeal in
his service."
"Then may I hope," asked Naomi, "that the Lord has sent his Spirit
into my heart? It u still full of evil; and every day I see that
evil more clearly, and lament it more deeply; but then I also hope
that I love the Lord Jesus more and more, and feel more desirous to
do his will and walk in his steps."
"The feelings you describe," replied Mary, "and which I believe to be
sincere, are the best proof of the presence of God's Spirit in your
heart. May he ever abide with you, and strengthen you day by day for
the service of the Lord, until you enter into that world where God
has prepared such joys as eye hath not seen nor ear heard, neither
have entered into the heart of man to conceive, but which shall be
the portion of all those who love Him."
Naomi was moved at the affectionate earnestness of her aged friend;
she silently embraced her, and as Judith now rose to depart she
followed her from the cottage. The sun was setting as they left the
village, and they hastened forward while the short twilight of an
eastern climate yet remained to guide them. Their way led through
groves and orchards and rocky ravines, and they regretted that they
had been induced to remain so long at Bethany, for though this part
of the country had hitherto been undisturbed by the bands of robbers
who infested the more distant regions, yet Judith and her young
companion felt alarmed at finding themselves alone, so far from home,
and in the rapidly increasing darkness. They had entered a thick
grove of olive-trees, and were with some difficulty tracing the
narrow path that led through it, when they were startled by
perceiving several lights at some distance before them, and evidently
approaching towards the spot where they stood. Hastily they
concealed themselves among the thickest branches of the dark
olive-trees, and waited in trembling anxiety until the dreaded party
should pass. The lights came nearer and nearer, and those who
carried them raised loud and frequent shouts, which added to the
terror of Judith, until Naomi, whose eye and ear were quicker, and
whose presence of mind was greater, started from her hiding-place and
exclaimed, "It is Amaziah's voice! and now I see his tall figure
advancing through the bushes. No doubt he has come to meet us."
"True, my child," replied Judith; "I ought first to have recognised
his voice and suspected his anxious care. Let us hasten to relieve
his mind of all fears on our Account."
Amaziah was well pleased to see his wife and Naomi in safety. Their
long absence had alarmed him, and the accounts which had reached him
that day of the unsettled state of the neighbourhood, made him
apprehend that danger might lurk even among the groves of Bethany,
and within sight of his own dwelling. He desired that henceforth
Judith and her niece should confine their rambles to the immediate
vicinity of the house unless he was able to accompany them; and
knowing how greatly they would both regret being deprived of the
society of Mary, he kindly proposed to send a letter the following
day to bring her to their own residence, where she could remain until
they returned to the city.
This plan was put into execution, and on the morrow their venerable
friend was established under their roof. For many years Mary had not
left her humble dwelling, to which she was fondly attached. It was
but a portion of the house in which she and her sister and Lazarus
had been wont to receive the visits of the Redeemer, that now
remained in her possession; for poverty, and a desire for obscurity,
had led her to relinquish the greater part of the range of low
buildings that surrounded the courtyard, and to retain only two small
apartments that opened into a narrow and unfrequented street. But
the spot was dear to her heart, and she hoped to live and die in that
once happy home. She had therefore hitherto declined all the
requests of Amaziah and Judith that she would spend the remainder of
her days with them; and it was only the hope of being useful to the
young convert that now induced her to leave her obscure abode to
spend some days in the spacious and beautiful villa of her Christian
friends.
"What are these marble pavements and rich furniture to me," she
observed one day to Naomi, "compared with the ground on which my
Saviour has stood, and the seat on which he rested while I sat at his
feet and listened to his words?--and what are these lofty pillars and
gilded ceilings, compared with the rocky cave where once I saw him
stand and call my dead brother to life with a voice of almighty
power? Nothing but the consciousness that I have been permitted to
assist you, my child, in the path towards eternal life, and the hope
of being yet serviceable to you, could have drawn me from my beloved
retreat even for a few days."
"Have you then dwelt entirely at Bethany ever since your brother was
restored to life?" asked Naomi.
"Yes: both during the years that were added to his mortal life, and
since he descended a second time to the grave, it has been my
constant and my cherished home. For some time after my brother's
resurrection we suffered much persecution and much alarm on his
account. The chief priests and the Pharisees saw how many of the
people believed in Jesus after he had performed that astonishing
miracle; and as they could not deny the fact that Lazarus had been
dead and was alive again; they sought to kill him, that by his
presence and his words he might no longer bear witness to the power
of the Son of God."
"Could they suppose," exclaimed Naomi, "that He who had exerted that
power to restore your brother to life, would suffer his work of love
and mercy to be frustrated by their malice? Oh! how could they
themselves refuse to believe in Him, when so undeniable a proof of
his Godhead was before their eyes!"
"Pride and ambition and self-righteousness blinded their eyes,"
replied Mary. "They looked for a triumphant, kingly Messiah; and
they would not receive the meek and lowly Jesus, who had not even
where to lay his head, and who chose his own immediate attendants not
from among the learned, or the rich, or the holy in their own eyes,
but from among humble fishermen, and the yet more despised class of
publicans."
"It was the belief that Christ would appear in his glory at his first
advent," replied Naomi, "that so long prevented me from fully
comprehending that Jesus was indeed the Messiah spoken of by all the
prophets; and it is the same error that causes my father and all his
pious but mistaken friends to regard the Christians as deluded
fanatics. Our people are accustomed to consider only those
prophecies that speak of the glory and victory of Christ, and the
restoration and happiness of our nation; and all those passages which
you have pointed out to me, as so wonderfully describing the
humility, and sufferings, and death of Jesus, are disregarded, or
supposed to relate to some other person. It now appears
unaccountable to me, how I could so often, in former days, have read
the book of the prophet Isaiah, and yet have doubted who was spoken
of as the 'Man of Sorrows, and acquainted with grief.' Truly was he
'despised and rejected of men,' and truly have the Jews 'hid their
faces from him.' Oh, when will the time come that the report of the
prophets and apostles shall be believed among God's chosen people,
and the arm of the Lord revealed to that nation who are called by his
name!"
"It is not for us to know the times or the seasons which God hath put
in his own power; but most clearly are we told by the mouths of the
prophets that God has mercy yet in store for his people, and that at
the end of the days they shall again be restored to greater power and
greater happiness than they have ever yet enjoyed; and then will
Messiah return the second time in glory, and then will all the
majestic prophecies relating to his reign be accomplished. But ere
that blessed time arrives our Lord himself has told us that there
shall be wars and rumours of wars, and great tribulations and
sorrows, such as never have been yet on the earth: but he has also
told us that he that endures unto the end, the same shall be saved."
"And do you believe, Mary, that those days of tribulation are now
coming on the earth, and that the Messiah will shortly appear again
in glory?"
"I believe, my child, that heavy judgments are about to be inflicted
on the daughter of Zion, and that those only will escape who put
their trust in the Lord Jesus. It was his own command that his
disciples should not remain in Jerusalem when they saw these things
begin to come to pass; and at the commencement of the war he revealed
to some of his devoted servants that the days of sorrow were coming,
and that they must flee for refuge to the city of Pella, on the other
side of the river Jordan before the city is encompassed with armies.
Many of the Christians have already removed thither, and all my most
valued friends, except Amaziah and Judith, are among the number. My
age and obscurity and poverty have hitherto protected me from danger
and from insult; and until I find that it is no longer safe to remain
at Bethany I am unwilling to leave my home. My days on earth cannot
be many, and if it is the will of the Lord, I would wish to end them
where I have dwelt so long; but I must not presumptuously remain in
danger, from which my Lord and Master has warned me to flee; and,
therefore, when I find my present abode insecure, I shall, with God's
permission, follow my brethren to Pella. Doubtless Amaziah and
Judith will remove thither in due time, and they will permit me to
accompany them. Would to God that you and your whole family could be
persuaded to do the same, Naomi, and thus escape destruction."
"My father will never leave Jerusalem while one stone stands upon
another. With his feelings and his belief, I cannot wonder at it;
and my mother would not be separated from him to escape the greatest
sufferings or avoid the greatest dangers. Do not, then, blame me,
dear Mary, if I resolve to remain at all hazards with my parents. If
distresses come upon them, I can be a comfort to them; if death be
their portion, I can close their eyes and shed tears over their
remains. And if I fall myself, death is no longer terrible to me. I
know in whom I believe; and I would not wish to survive my family,
and witness the desolation of our beloved, our beautiful city."
"I have no doubt, my dear Naomi, that the Lord will make your duty
clear to you when the time for decision arrives. At present I would
have you remain with your natural protectors, and seek by prayer, and
by every other means in your power, to promote their happiness both
spiritual and temporal. But you must not throw away your life: the
Lord has called you to himself, and has given you grace to believe in
him to the saving of your soul, and you must in return devote
yourself to him in spirit, soul, and body, and be willing to serve
him on earth so long, and in such a manner as he in his wisdom shall
appoint. It is indeed a blessed change, when the believer falls
asleep, and his spirit wings its way unfettered to the presence of
his Saviour and his God: but we must wait his time, and bless him for
every day in which we can glorify him and serve our fellow creatures."
"That is true, Mary, and yet I often wish to die; and I have thought,
while reflecting on your brother's being recalled to life, that it
would have been better for him to have remained in the grave. His
spirit must have been blest, for he was the friend of Jesus; and it
seems sad for him to return to this cold world again, and mix in its
cares and its troubles, and even to dwell in it so many years after
the light of the Saviour's countenance was removed."
"Your feeling is perhaps a natural one," replied Mary, "but Lazarus
never murmured at his rest being delayed a few short years. He was
thankful to be restored to us, and to be allowed again to be our
comfort and our joy; and he was thankful to be permitted to be a
witness of his Master's power, and to have the privilege of so
greatly adding to the number of his disciples. When again his time
was fully come, most joyfully did he resign his spirit into the hands
of his beloved Master; and then did I and my sister Martha once again
weep over his grave: but, oh! how different were our feelings then,
from those which harrowed our souls at his first departure from us.
When the second time he expired, which occurred only seven years ago,
we would not have recalled him to life if we could have done so; for
then we knew that his ransomed spirit had fled to the presence of his
Saviour, and there we hoped ere long to rejoin him. Martha followed
him very shortly, and I remained alone. I have had many Christian
friends, and many consolations and blessings, but nothing could
restore the earthly happiness I once enjoyed. My heart is now in
heaven, where my treasure is; and there, through God's mercy in Jesus
Christ, I trust I shall soon meet those who have passed through the
valley of the shadow of death before me."
The conversation was interrupted by a summons for Naomi to join her
uncle and aunt, who were about to set forth on their return to
Jerusalem; and Mary also took leave of them, and proceeded with an
attendant towards her native village. Amaziah and his party had not
gone far on their way, when, as we have already related, Theophilus
met them with the dreadful tidings of the arrival of the Idumeans,
and they hastened back to their secluded dwelling. The safety of
Mary was immediately thought of, and a messenger was dispatched in
pursuit of her. She had not reached Bethany when he overtook her;
and before Amaziah and his son left their home and returned to
Jerusalem, their aged and revered friend was again safely lodged
under their roof. The house was situated in a commanding position,
and being strongly built, and partially fortified since the recent
disturbances, it was looked upon as a place of sufficient security
until Amaziah could take further measures for the removal of his
family, either to his dwelling in the city, or, if necessary, to
Pella.
The events of that dreadful night and the succeeding days have been
already recorded; and when Amaziah returned from the bloody city to
his quiet home in the mountains, he could hardly believe that such
scenes were yet going forward within so short a distance from the
peaceful spot. But he could not conceal from himself, that however
tranquil all appeared around them, their present abode was no longer
a secure one, and he proceeded with the greatest dispatch to make the
needful preparations for removing to Pella. Naomi was greatly
shocked and distressed at the account which her uncle brought of the
state of her family, and of her father's severe wounds, and
consequent illness. She would instantly have hastened to rejoin
them, and lend her aid in nursing and cheering her beloved parents
and her friend Claudia, but it was quite impossible for her to enter
the city under the present circumstances; and Amaziah also brought
her a letter from Salome, in which she was desired by her parents to
continue under the protection of her uncle, and to accompany him to
whatever place he might find it desirable to make his temporary
residence.
Amaziah declared his intention of retiring to Pella, as the refuge
pointed out by express revelation, where the people of the Lord
should hide themselves until this tyranny should be overpast; and
though Naomi would gladly have encountered danger and suffering to be
again with her father and mother, she could not but rejoice in the
prospect of spending some weeks in the company of a society of
Christians, where she might observe their manners and share their
worship, and even be admitted by baptism among the members of the
true church. The removal to Pella was soon effected; and Mary
consented to accompany her friends, in the hope that when the Idumean
army had departed and the present violent disturbances were quelled,
she might be permitted again to return to Bethany and end her days.
During the whole of the winter the civil war raged in Jerusalem with
unabated violence, and it was impossible for Naomi to rejoin her
family. Occasionally Theophilus contrived to send intelligence to
Pella of the proceedings in the city; and by his messengers Naomi
received long and affectionate letters from her parents and Claudia,
and enjoyed the satisfaction of knowing that her father's health was
restored, and that he and his family were safe and unmolested. How
long their security might last was very uncertain, as the robbers and
assassins became daily more powerful and more insatiable,
notwithstanding the efforts of the other party; and Naomi trembled
for her friends. Her fervent prayers were joined to those of her
Christian brethren for the preservation of those so dear to her, amid
the destruction that threatened them; and still more fervently did
she pray that they might be brought to the knowledge of the Gospel,
and preserved from the far more terrible destruction which she
believed was yet to come upon her nation, and to swallow up all who
wilfully despised the grace of God in Jesus Christ.
Every day did that grace become more precious to her, and her faith
become more lively and more deep. The beautiful and simple forms of
worship that were observed by the Christians powerfully affected her
heart. In the meetings of this holy band all was calm and peaceful:
tears of deep devotion and unaffected humility stole silently down
the cheeks of many a once hardened sinner, and many a young and
ardent convert, as they knelt together in their unadorned sanctuary,
and joined in the prayers and confessions which were pronounced by
the elders of the community. Meekly they bowed their knees; but
there were no prostrations on the earth, no outward gestures or
vehement excitement; and their prayers were offered up with the
devotion of creatures before their Creator, the love of ransomed
sinners before their Redeemer, and the confidence of children before
a Father, who has promised, that wheresoever two or three are
gathered together in his name, there will He be in the midst of them.
Those who had witnessed the imposing magnificence of the
temple-service, and beheld the thronging multitudes, the glittering
gold and jewelled dresses of the priests, the costly sacrifices, the
clouds of incense, the marble pavements and splendid altars, and
listened to the brazen trumpets and united voices of the choristers,
that were ordained to impress the senses, and fix the attention of
the Jews, might have smiled at the simplicity of this little church
in the wilderness. Frequently they held their meetings in the
silence and the obscurity of night, and selected some neighbouring
glen or rocky recess in the mountains as their place of worship.
There, undisturbed by the Jews who dwelt in Pella, they united their
voices in hymns of prayer and praise, while the caverns re-echoed the
loud "Amen," and repeated the joyful "Hallelujahs" of these poor and
exiled brethren. Naomi's soul was lifted up with gratitude and
devotion; and she felt that this was an offering and a sacrifice more
worthy of the Redeemer, and more acceptable to him than all the blood
of bulls and goats, that were only a type of his own complete and
all-atoning sacrifice. She ardently desired to be received into the
Christian church by baptism, and allowed to partake in the holy
communion of the body and blood of Christ; and when she was
considered to be duly instructed in the doctrines of her
newly-adopted religion, and had satisfied the catechists and elders
that her faith was sincere and her conduct consistent, the ceremony
was performed with the same pious simplicity that distinguished all
the outward manners and customs of the primitive Christians. Naomi
rejoiced in being permitted thus to make an open profession of her
faith, and of her firm resolution, by the grace of God and the help
of his Spirit, to "renounce the devil and all his works, powers, and
service," and "the world, and all its pomps and pleasures." Her mind
was fully made up as to her future line of conduct; and much as she
dreaded her father's displeasure, she was determined, on her return
to Jerusalem, to confess to him her conversion to Christianity, and
her firm resolve to live according to the dictates of that religion,
and no longer to conform to the rites and ceremonies of Judaism. She
knew his violent prejudices against the religion of the Nazarenes;
and she knew how grieved and disappointed both he and her mother
would be when they found that she had renounced the way of her
fathers, and adopted the faith which they so greatly despised. But
then she trusted to her Saviour to support her under all trials, and
carry her through all temptations which were incurred for his name's
sake; and she felt that she could not without hypocrisy any longer
conceal her true belief, or appear to take part in the Jewish rites
and customs, that were so strictly observed in her father's house.
She hoped also that Zadok's fond affection for her would prevent him
from using any harsh measures; and she knew that her mother's gentle
and forgiving temper would not long cherish anger towards her; but
that she would use all her influence with her husband, to soften his
heart towards his beloved and hitherto dutiful and obedient daughter.
Therefore she checked her fears and her anxieties, and strove to
derive all the benefit that was possible from the intercourse of the
pious company, with whom she was so unexpectedly and so happily
permitted to dwell.
The privilege of attending the Holy Eucharist, or Supper of the Lord,
was allowed to the young Christian after her baptism; and she
frequently and thankfully partook of it, to the strengthening and
refreshing of her soul. In those early days this sacrament was
administered to baptized believers on every Lord's day, and also on
many other occasions. In some churches it was celebrated four times
a week; and it is even recorded, that while (in the words of St.
Chrysostom) "the spirit of Christianity was yet warm and vigorous,
and the hearts of men passionately inflamed with the love of Christ,"
they communicated every day; and found themselves stronger and
healthier, and more able to encounter the fierce oppositions that
were made against them, the oftener they fed at the table of their
crucified Saviour. Would to God that the same love of Christ now
animated the hearts of all who have been admitted as members of his
visible church! We should not then see his table neglected, and his
command disregarded, as now we do; and the same blessed results might
be expected. We, like our holy fathers in the faith, should become
"strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might;" we should indeed
"eat his flesh and drink his blood," and find it to be "the food that
nourishes to salvation."
The manner of celebrating the holy sacrament in the first days of the
church differed very much from that which we are accustomed to see,
as a banquet or supper usually preceded the administration of the
consecrated elements. These repasts were called Agapæ, or
Love-feasts; and there rich and poor met together as equals, and
partook in common of the food which was provided from the oblations
and gifts of the communicants, which were always bestowed, according
to their respective ability, for this purpose, and for the relief of
the poor.
In her intercourse with the Christians, Naomi could not but observe
and admire the sobriety which marked their apparel, the temperance
which they observed in regard to their food, and the modesty and
simplicity that reigned in their whole deportment. They were
governed by the rule of the apostle, who directed his converts,
"having food and raiment, therewith to be content;" and while they
avoided singularity and affectation, they were careful to fall into
no excess, and indulge in no vanity or worldly pleasures. Naomi
contrasted the jewelled tiaras, the embroidered shawls, the silken
robes and sashes fringed with pearls, the massive and highly-wrought
armlets and bracelets, the golden clasps, and all the other dazzling
ornaments and glowing colours that then distinguished the attire of
the wealthy Jews, with the plain and sober garb of her new
associates; and she felt how much more suitable was the appearance of
the Christians to the condition of those who are but "strangers and
pilgrims on the earth," and profess to seek a home in heaven. All
her own ornaments, with which the indulgence of her father had
liberally supplied her, were laid aside; and she would have disposed
of them all, and given the product to her needy brethren, had not
Judith reminded her, that as the gifts of Zadok, she had no right to
part with them without his consent; and especially for the relief of
those who were in his judgment unworthy of the air they breathed, and
not to be approached by a faithful son of Abraham without
contamination.
[Illustration: Bethlehem]