Magas; or Long Ago, Part II [pp. 804-814]

Mfagas; or, Lon g Ago.
At Ephesus!"
"0 Lotis! if I could but tell you
of the hollowness of this philosophy
the world so much admires; if I
dared speak to you of the light that
shineth in darkness, though the darkness comprehendeth it not; if my
lips were not profane; if my life
were not blighted likle a tree struck
by lightning; then I might tell you
of that wisdom which is not in man's
speech, but' in the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.' But I dare not; I am unhallowed, unworthy. Leave me, Lotis.
Seek another teacher."
"What did you hear at Ephesus
that has so unnerved you?"
" I will tell you, though to you the
words will bear no meaning. But my
heart must ease itself. I was walking through the streets, when I observed a crowd entering one of those
temples frequented by the new sects.
I entered with the rest. The preacher was dilating on the necessity of his
auditors having the spirit of Christ,
which if ye have not, he said, ye are
none of his. He then proceeded to
show how the world's sin had crucified the Lord of heaven; how essential
purity, truth, virtue are to the Christian character; how every Christian's
body was to become the temple of the
Holy Spirit; and how impossible it
was for the Holy Spirit to dwell with
aught unholy, or aught not in union
with God. Hence the absolute necessity of sanctity to be;wrought in
us by the powcr of God, to whom we
must surrender our being. He then
went on to speak of such Christians
as had apostatized; and the words
he used burned into my heart like
words of fire.'It is impossible,' he
said,'for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the
heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have
tasted the good word of God, and
the powers of the world to come, if
they fall away, to renew them again
unto repentance; seeing they crucify
to themselves the Son of God afresh,
and put him to an open shame.'* I
heard no more; I fainted away.
When I waked from my trance, I
was at home, and Magas was standing over me. His anxiety respecting
my health scarce enabled him to suppress his anger at my having been
seen in a Christian assembly."
"That I can easily believe; nor
do I see what you wanted with such
low company, who have evidently bewitched you; for what need you
care what was said in such an assembly as that?"'
"What indeed, what indeed! 0
my God! that it should come to this,
that I dare no longer pronounce thy
name, that I should be ashamed of
thee!" And Chione buried her face
in her hands, and gave way to an
excessive fit of weeping.
Lotis was puzzled. "Is this the
great philosopher?" thought she; "the
new Sappho, the Aspasia of the age?
Is it illness or magic that has worked
this mental dclerangement? for derangement it evidently is."
Lotis bent over her friend, endeavoring to console her, yet not knowing how, when she was suddenly relieved by the sound of horses' hoofs.
She climbed to the top of the ruins.
Magas was in sight. She i'returned
to whisper the news to Chione. Chione rose, dried her tears by a strong
effort of her will, and prepared to
greet her protector with a smile. He
was evidently in an ill-humor.
"What sudden caprice is this?
What possessed you to come out
here to a city of the past? A fine
place this for a sick woman!"
"You said you were going to Argos. I knew not that you would require my presence."
* Hebrews vi. 4-6.