home and in Sunday-school. One of the first
things that they did after they were married was to solemnly dedicate
their home to God, promising Him that they would follow Christ to
the best of their knowledge and understanding. They began to attend
church, now here, now there, and as a consequence, began to compare
one denomination with another, with the result that they were thrown
into confusion about which church to join; for they supposed it was
their bounden duty to join one or the other of the denominations
represented there.

"Which church do you like best, Robert?" Mary Davis asked one Sunday
afternoon after they had come home from a Sunday-school session and
service at one of the churches.

"I had not thought of it in that way," he replied, "but I had been
comparing one with another, with the idea of finding which one is
right."

"You are right in that, I feel sure," said Mary, "for really, what we
should strive for is to please God. But which one, then, do you think
is right?"

"Really, I do not know," he replied. "I am puzzled. I feel that we
should be identified with some church, and work to extend it, but it
seems to me that one church has one Bible truth and emphasizes it, and
another has another Bible truth which it emphasizes, and so on, all
around. How does it seem to you?"

"That is the way I feel," said Mary.

"Suppose that we ask each church to give us a summary of its beliefs,
and we shall then compare each one with the Bible," suggested Robert.

"Why, let's do that," replied Mary. "I do want the truth."

"So do I," Robert said fervently.

That night in prayer, special request was made to God for guidance
into truth. "Oh, we must have Thy truth, O God," they cried, "we will
follow it at any cost, if Thou wilt only make it clear. Help us in
studying Thy Word. Make it plain to our minds. O Lord, guide us into
Thy way."

The next Sunday they began their investigation by asking the minister
of the church that they visited for a brief outline of its doctrinal
belief. They then bought a concordance and the search for truth was
begun, which was to lead them into paths that they little dreamed of
then, and into experiences that they could not at that time foresee.

CHAPTER TWO

A THREATENING QUARREL

Among the old settlers in the vicinity to which Robert Davis and
his wife moved was Peter Newby and his family. They were of the old
pioneer type--rugged, honest, frugal, but they also