CHAPTER XXI.
Questions Addressed to Jehovah—Intestinal Proof—Abraham's Losing Sixty Years of his Life—The King of Sodom's Restoration to Life—Melchisedek—His Series of Lectures—A Dream which is not all a Dream.
O Lord, there are one or two, other trifles I should like to draw you attention to if you have a moment to spare for such worms of the dust as I am. Up to this time I have had no intimation that I bore you, and so I am encouraged to proceed. If my questions teased you, you could soon give me a hint to stop. You have always a spare thunderbolt or two lying on your drawing-room table: by way of hint that you wished to hear no more of my questions, you could let fly at me with one of those said thunderbolts, and reduce me to something alarmingly like a spilt bucketful of bill-sticker's paste. In that cataclasmic form I should not be likely to trouble my "maker" with questions in regard to his Book. Or, if you liked to take a gentler way of letting me know I was a nuisance, you could, O Lord, gently drop one of Sarah's slippers down upon my head, with a pretty little scented note inside it:—
"To Saladin, with Jehovah's compliments. —J. will answer S. all his questions when S. comes to heaven."
That would be quite enough. I should build up my Ebenezer and set the slipper on the top of it, and say: "Thus far hath the Lord holpen me." You may possibly deem it a trifle presumptuous on my part to ask questions at such an august three-in-one puzzle as you are. I should not have the boldness to trouble you, O Lord, if you would give any of your servants the brains to answer me. I should never trouble the peer to give me, personally, information I could have from his flunkey. But
