Leaflets of truth, or, Light from the shadow land

INTRODUCTION.

I AM an honest churchman. I make this assertion
in the beginning, that it may stand out so boldly
and clearly in the reader's mind that there may never
be any doubt as to my position, whatever of doubt or
mystery the perusal of the following pages may call
forth.

Tom Jeffreys is my old classmate. I do not approve
of him. I never have. He is a roaming sort of an art-
ist, sure to turn up in all sorts of odd times and places
and with no apparent object in life save to enjoy it.
Not that he is immoral. To the contrary, it has
always been a puzzle to me how a man holding his pe-
culiar views should be able to live a wandering, old
bachelor's life, with a pure character and no bad habit,
save the detestable one of smoking. For Tom is an
"Agnostic."

He says it, and defends his position coolly and
decidedly under my very nose. He even affirms his
position to be more logical and sensible than my own
Faith.

He maddens me at times, does Tom. And were it
not that I know him to be thoroughly sincere and hon-
est, in spite of his wicked unbelief, I would long ago
have had nothing more to do with him. But a man so

truthful and kind-hearted as he I have always cher-

ished a hope of converting, at last, to the true Faith.

And the best proof of some unusual merit in the
following articles, is, to my mind, in the fact that they
have evidently made an impression on Tom, for he
sent an exquisitely carved font to our church recently
from no one knows where. After a careful perusal of
the articles I have found nothing contained in them
directly opposed to the Apostles' Creed, and several
things quite consistent with the teachings of the
church, therefore, since Mrs. M. is a churchwoman, and
accepts the sacraments, I presume she is a very good
woman, indeed, in spite of her abnormal and unac-
countable peculiarity of " hearing voices,'' and hope
her prayers may always keep the evil one from her.
Still it seems to me very dangerous to subject one's self
thus to an unknown influence ; and for myself, I should
scrupulously avoid all such ways, deeming the Bible
alone " sufficient unto salvation " as taught by the
fathers. ....