At length a man starts from the middle of the crowd. He is a common,
ill-clad, laboring man. The grime of his day's work is upon him.
Resolutely he goes forward, pushing the bystanders to the right and
left. With firm and quick tread he ascends the ladder. At the top he
stands for a moment irresolute. Is it possible to reach the window? It
seems impossible. But he makes a spring for it, and by an almost
superhuman effort he gains it. He rescues the child.; with great risk he
regains the ladder, and begins the descent. He is nerved by the cheers
of the crowd; but when about half way down his strength gives way, and
he falls. The child escapes all danger, but the rescuer has received
fatal injuries; his neck is broken.
Now the question is, where does he go? He was not a Christian. The old
theology would say that therefore he goes to hell. We cannot believe it.
We have enough of the divine image in us yet to revolt at such a
thought. Then let us beware of extinguishing that divine light in our
souls. As Carlyle says, "Come out of it, all honest men!"
We have seen that it is a divine law that what is good will survive.
Then will the noble qualities in this moral hero have no chance of
survival and development? It is true that he is not a Christian. No; but
he is a far better man than many Christians. We would expect therefore
that he will be subjected to some process of education by which he will
rise to the place where he really belongs.