Out of the Smoke

We visited Gibeon first, and stood by the dry pool where Abner
and Joab watched the fight of their twelve picked men; and we
read Solomon's prayer.

"This is a wonderful country," said papa, "for the way its
associations are packed. There is more history here than in
any other region of the world."

"Well, papa, it is the world's history," I said.

"What do you mean, Daisy?"

I hesitated; it was not very easy to tell.

"She is right though," said Mr. Dinwiddie; "it is the very
core of the world's history, round which the other is slowly
gathering and maturing, to the perfected fruit. Or to take it
another way, - ever since God at the first did visit the
Gentiles, to take put of them a people for His name, His
dealings with that people have been an earnest and an image of
His course with His Church at large. We may cut down to the
heart of the world and find the perfect flower here - as we do
in bulbs."

"A blossoming to destruction then, it seems," said my father.

"No!" said Mr. Dinwiddie - "to restoration and glory. The
history of this land is not yet finished."

"And you think that is in store for it yet?"

Mr. Dinwiddie answered, - " 'Thus saith the Lord; If ye can
break my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night,
and that there should not be day and night in their season;
then may also my covenant be broken with David my servant,
that he should not have a son to reign upon his throne; and
with the Levites the priests, my ministers. As the hosts of
heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea
measured: so will I multiply the seed of David my servant, and
the Levites that minister unto me.' "