_NEW ROBES: AN ALLEGORY._
"Have you another dream to tell us?" asked Minnie on the following
Sunday.
"It is the end of the same dream, but it has a different page in the
'Wordless Book' as its suggestion," answered Agnes.
"Yes, the White page," said John.
White--Righteousness.
Then the boys passed out towards the Light, leaning on Him who had
delivered them. I followed silently, still allowed to watch and listen.
"Dost Thou say that Thou wilt present us to the King?" asked Alwin
hesitatingly.
Their Deliverer assented; for Edred immediately answered, "We are not
fit to appear before Him! Thy power has indeed saved us from the
destruction we merited; but we are so soiled and filthy from contact
with the mire in this awful Cavern, that we could not appear before any
one, least of all before the Great King." He spoke eagerly and half
proudly.
"Dost thou not remember what I told thee? That My Blood, which has been
shed for thee, with which thou hast been covered, will work--nay, has
already worked, marvels; and when the Light shines upon thee, thou wilt
see. Fear nothing, only believe what I tell thee."
They were silent after this, and were quickly approaching the end of the
darkness. Then the boys could look upon their Deliverer, and could see
the terrible wounds that He had sustained in His conflict with the foul
fiend. And when they looked they wept--wept for sorrow that He should so
have suffered for them--wept for joy that they were safe from the
dreadful destruction.
They thought not of themselves; but when I could unfasten my eyes from
the lovely face of the Deliverer, I was amazed to find that the boys
were no longer arrayed in their former clothes, for in that mysterious
passage from Darkness to Light all these had been changed, and they were
now clad in a spotless robe of pure white.
By-and-by they perceived it themselves, or rather their Guide pointed it
out to them.
"See," He said tenderly, "what My deliverance has done for you; now you
can meet the King without fear. Covered by this robe, you will be
accepted even in His eyes, because when He sees it He will remember
that I have fought for you and prevailed; and He will count My merits
yours."
He led them now swiftly, it seemed to me, towards a spot which He told
them would be the Meeting-place, but for the first time I was unable to
follow them. A thin cloud seemed to obscure my vision for a while.
When I saw the boys again their Guide had left them, and they were
walking along the road towards the Palace of the King, which lay at the
end of the journey.
They were busily engaged in perusing the Guide-book, which Edred had
before so despised; but now his face bent over it with a look which was
both inquiring and trustful.
"What does it mean, Alwin, when it says, 'Needeth not save to wash his
feet?'"
"Does it not mean that we, who have been cleansed from all that filth by
the wonderful efficacy of our Deliverer's Blood, still may get
defilements in our path, and that these will need constant washing
away?"
"I suppose it does," said Edred hesitatingly and looking round; "but
where----?"
"Our Deliverer told us--do you not remember it?--that by our road we
should find a cleansing stream, dyed by His Blood, to which we must
needs constantly repair."
"He did, but I had well-nigh forgotten it; but see, Alwin, the end of
the journey is not so very far off; just beyond those Hills, where the
radiance is; there will be nothing to defile us _there_."
Alwin looked towards the Hills in silence, with a rapt face, on which
the glory seemed reflected. Then he added suddenly, "Our Deliverer said
that He might fetch us Himself, instead of our travelling so far; that
would be better still, Edred."
"Indeed it would," answered Edred earnestly. "I hope He will."
Then I awoke from my dream.
* * * * *
"And this text has been running in my head while I have been pondering
over my dream," added Agnes, "'The blood of Jesus Christ His Son
cleanseth us from all sin'--and--'He hath made us accepted in the
Beloved.'"
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