She continued to sing in a low, gentle tone, until Salome, soothed by the sound and refreshed by the breeze, sank into a quiet sleep; when Naomi laid aside her harp, and indulged in grateful meditation on the discussion which she had just held with her mother. It is true the faith which she had heard her express was both weak and wavering--clouded with doubts and obscured by prejudices. Yet it was evident that she was sincere in her inquiry after the truth, and really desirous of knowing the will of her Heavenly Father, that she might do it. Therefore Naomi was very confident that her mother would not be long left in uncertainty as to the way in which she should seek the salvation of herself; for Jesus himself had said, "If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God." What comfort did the remembrance of this promise bring now to the heart of Naomi; and how earnestly did she thank her merciful Redeemer, who had left such words for the encouragement of all who seek him in sincerity, however small their knowledge or weak their faith! She trusted that her beloved mother would yet be spared for some time, and enabled, before she should be called hence, to make a full profession of her trust and confidence in the merits of her Saviour. She hoped that when her last hours should arrive they might be cheered and illumined by such a sense of pardon and acceptance as should deprive death of all its terrors, and make her more than conqueror over all that now she greatly dreaded; and that then, when life was fading away, and eternity appeared in all its awful reality, she might be able to lay aside her fears and scruples, and tell to Zadok on what her soul was trusting, and whence she derived her peace and joy. But should it please the Lord of life and death to hasten her mother's departure, and deny her the privilege of bearing a triumphant testimony in her dying hours to his power and will to save sinners, yet Naomi felt that she should have no fears for her salvation--no doubts that when her flesh and her heart failed, God would be the strength of her heart and her portion for ever. "O God!" she softly ejaculated, "I thank Thee for this blessed hope! May I but hold my own faith steadfast unto the end of my pilgrimage; and then, when I stand before Thy throne, I shall see my mother, my own beloved mother, among the countless throng that shall assemble there, having washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb! But where, oh, where will my father be found in that great day? and where shall Javan stand? Can it be, O Lord Almighty! that their blindness shall exclude them from Thy presence? Shall they suffer the wrath of the Lamb if they continue to despise his mercy? O Lord God, Thou knowest. Thou knowest how much of their blindness is wilful, and whether their hearts are upright in Thy sight; and Thou art very merciful."