,frontispiece3 ,abraham ,lockwood4      
,,little ,,abe2  ,,or1  ,,the ,,bishop  
,,of ,,berry ,,brow4    ,,being ,,the   
,,life ,,of  ,,abraham ,,lockwood1  ,a  
,quaint and ,popular ,yorkshire ,local  
,preacher   in the ,methodist ,new      
,connexion4    ,,by  ,f4 ,,jewell4      
,,twenty-,,second ,,thousand4           
,london3  ,,published ,,for ,,the       
,,proprietor1  ,,robert ,,culley1       
#be-ce ,,city ,,road1 ,,and #bf         
,,paternoster ,,row1 ,e4,c4     ,abraham
 ,pilling1 ,esq41  ,,astley ,,bridge1   
,,bolton1  ,i ,,dedicate ,,to ,,you     
,,this ,,record ,,of ,,the  ,,life ,,and
 ,,labours ,,of ,,one ,,whose ,,worth   
,,you ,,knew  ,,and ,,appreciated1 ,,as 
,a  ,,mark ,,of ,,esteem ,,for ,,your   
,,zealous ,,exertions  ,,to  ,,advance  
,,the ,,kingdom ,,of ,,christ4          
,,preface4  ,i desire to express my     
thanks to all those friends who have    
kindly assisted me in collecting        
materials for these pages2 and ,i am    
especially indebted to my friends the   

,rev4 ,t4 ,d4 ,crothers and the ,rev4   
,w4 ,j4 ,townsend for the cheerful      
services they have rendered me in       
preparing the little work for printing4 
,whilst trying to give a faithful       
account of the life and character of    
,abraham ,lockwood1 ,i have done my best
 to make the narrative both readable and
 profitable2 but ,i am sensible that    
there are many faults in the volume4    
,such as it is1 however1 ,i humbly offer
 it to the public1 with the earnest     
prayer that it may prove a blessing to  
many4  ,f4 ,,jewell4  ,,bethel ,,villa1 
,,hull1 #ahhj4     ,,contents4          
,,chapter ,i4  ,,birth ,,and ,,parentage
   ,,chapter ,,ii4  ,,early ,,incidents 
,,chapter ,,iii4  ,,his ,,conversion    
,,chapter ,,iv4  ,,abe ,a ,,new         
,,character ,,in ,,the ,,village        
,,chapter ,v4  ,,in ,,membership ,,with 
,,the ,,church   ,,chapter ,,vi4  ,,for 
,,better1 ,,for ,,worse   ,,chapter     
,,vii4  ,,wind ,,and ,,tide ,,against   
,,chapter ,,viii4  ,,the ,,clouds       

,,begin ,,to ,,break   ,,chapter ,,ix4  
,,salem ,,chapel   ,,chapter ,x4  ,,abe 
,,becomes ,a ,,local ,,preacher         
,,chapter ,,xi4  ,,in ,,practice        
,,chapter ,,xii4  ,,butterfly           
,,preachers   ,,chapter ,,xiii4         
,,various ,,ways ,,out ,,of             
,,difficulties   ,,chapter ,,xiv4       
,,abe',s ,,titles ,,and ,,troubles      
,,chapter ,,xv4  ,a ,,basket ,,of       
,,fragments   ,,chapter ,,xvi4  ,i ,,am 
,a ,,wonder ,,unto ,,many   ,,chapter   
,,xvii4  ,,abe ,,as ,a ,,class ,,leader 
,,chapter ,,xviii4  ,,working ,,overtime
   ,,chapter ,,xix  ,,methodist         
,,lovefeast   ,,chapter ,,xx4  ,,patient
 ,,in ,,tribulation   ,,chapter ,,xxi4  
,,the ,,liberal ,,deviseth ,,liberal    
,,things   ,,chapter ,,xxii4  ,,used    
,,up   ,,chapter ,,xxiii4  ,,better ,,is
 ,,the ,,end ,,of ,a ,,thing ,,than     
,,the ,,beginning     ,,chapter ,i4     
,birth and ,parentage4  ,abraham        
,lockwood was born on the #crd          
,november1 #agib4  ,his birthplace1 also

 called ,lockwood1 is situated about a  
mile and half out of ,huddersfield4  ,it
 makes no pretensions to importance in  
any way4  ,the only public building     
which it boasts1 is the ,mechanics'     
,institute1 a structure of moderate     
size1 yet substantially built4  ,its one
 main street is lined with some very    
excellent shops1 some of whose owners1  
report says1 have made a nice little    
competency there4  ,it still boasts a   
toll-bar of its own1 which is guarded on
 either side by two white wooden posts1 
that take the liberty of preventing all 
cattle1 horses1 and asses from evading  
the gate1 and of unceremoniously        
squeezing into the narrowest limits     
every person who prefers pavement to the
 highroad4  ,lockwood is also important 
enough to receive the attention of two  
or three 'buses which ply to and fro    
between there and ,huddersfield1 as well
 as to have the honour of a railway     
station on the ,l4 and ,y4 line4  ,of   
course years ago1 when ,abraham         

,lockwood was brought into the world1   
this locality was not so attractive as  
it now is2 only a few cottages straggled
 along the level or up the hill towards 
,berry ,brow1 mostly inhabited by       
weavers and others employed in the cloth
 manufacture of the neighbourhood4      
,among these humble cottages there      
stood1 on what is known as the ,scarr1  
one even more unpretentious than the    
rest3 it boasted only one story and two 
or three rooms in all2 it was what ,abe 
used to call a one-decker4  ,in this    
little hut dwelt the parents of ,abe    
,lockwood2 the fact of their residing in
 such a humble home1 shows sufficiently 
that they were poor1 perhaps poorer than
 their neighbours4  ,however1 in that   
same single-storied cot in ,lockwood1   
,abe ,lockwood was born1 a ,lockwoodite 
by double right1 and though age has     
seriously told upon its appearance1 it  
stands to this day4  ,we sometimes see  
little old men living on1 and year by   
year growing less and less1 until we    

begin to speculate about the probable   
time it will require at their rate of   
diminution for nothing to remain of     
them2 and the same may be said of the   
little old house in which ,abe ,lockwood
 was born2 it was always little1 but as 
years have slowly added to its age1 it  
has gradually begun to look less1 and   
now1 as other houses of larger size and 
more improved style have sprung up all  
around the neighbourhood1 it has shrunk 
into the most diminutive little hut that
 can well be imagined as a dwelling     
house1 and it only requires time enough 
for it to be gone altogether4#a  ,abe's 
parents were a poor but honest pair1 and
 laboured hard to make ends meet4       
,william ,lockwood1 his father1 was a   
cloth-dresser1 and worked on ,almondbury
 common1 about a mile from his home1    
earning but a scanty living for the     
family4  ,in those days1 when machinery 
was almost unknown in the manufacture   
and finish of cloth1 the men had to work
 harder and longer and earned much less 

than now4  ,those were the times when   
hard-working men thought that the       
introduction of machinery into cloth    
mills would take all the work out of    
their hands1 and all the bread out of   
their mouths2 and this was the very     
locality where the greatest hostility   
was shown by the people to such         
innovations4  ,many a threatened        
outbreak was heard of about that time1  
and in two or three instances the       
smouldering fire in the men's minds     
actually burst forth into riot and      
rising1 when they found that the great  
masters were determined to have their   
own way and introduce machinery into    
their mills4  ,abe himself was led1 some
 years after1 to take part in one of    
these risings1 and narrowly escaped the 
hands of the law1 while several others  
were lodged for some time in ,york jail 
in recognition of the part they had     
taken in the riots4  ,abe's father was a
 quiet1 moral-living man1 whose chief   
aim for many years seemed to be to      

provide for his own household2 but in   
after times his thoughts were drawn to  
things higher as well1 and he became a  
,god-fearing man2 yet during ,abe's     
early life1 the most that can be said   
for his father is that he was an honest1
 hard-working1 and well-disposed man4   
,his mother was a good ,christian woman1
 and was for a long time a member with  
the ,methodists in ,huddersfield1 and   
attended the old chapel which formerly  
stood on ,chapel ,hill4  ,there is no   
doubt that the early teaching of his    
kind and pious mother had a great deal  
to do with the formation of ,abe's      
,christian character in after years4    
,certainly a long time elapsed before   
there was any sign of spiritual life in 
her son2 indeed1 she was called away to 
her eternal rest before there was any   
indication of good in his heart2 what   
matters that8 the good seed was there2  
it would bide its time and then grow all
 the stronger4 ,sometimes people        
conclude that because there is not      

immediate growth there is no life2 this 
does not follow2 the grain may slumber  
for years1 then wake up and grow        
rapidly4  ,i on one occasion saved some 
orange pippins1 dried and planted them  
with the hope that they might grow2 as  
time went on1 ,i watered and watched    
them1 but there was no indication of    
growth2 months went by3 ,i lost heart1  
gave over watering1 threw the plant-pot 
in which they were sown out of doors2 a 
year was gone by and more1 when one day 
my eye fell on this same pot all covered
 with green growth4  ,hey6 what's this8 
why1 positively1 they are young orange  
plants1 standing up hardy and healthy1  
protesting against my want of faith and 
patience4  ,it is often the same with   
the growth of other seed in the human   
breast2 when parents have waited long in
 vain1 their faith grows gradually less 
and less1 until it dies out in despair2 
but the good seed may not die1 it is    
sleeping1 it lives its winter life1 and 
then under the tender and genial touch  

of some spring-like influences it begins
 to grow4  ,be not afraid1 only believe1
 said the ,master of the vineyard4  ,why
 the young baby that had come to reside 
in that little cot should have the      
honourable name of ,abraham may be a    
subject of question by some4  ,it       
evidently was not to perpetuate his     
father's name1 though from the beginning
 of generations this has been a         
sufficient argument for calling son     
after father2 on that ground ,john      
,baptist had a narrow escape from being 
called ,zacharias4  ,that however could 
not influence the decision in ,abraham  
,lockwood's case1 because his father's  
name was ,william4  ,perhaps it was that
 the child indicated a patriarchal      
spirit1 and conducted himself like a    
stranger in a strange land1 in which    
case there might be a suggestion of that
 name4  ,perhaps it was a piece of      
parental forethought1 for knowing well  
that they could never confer riches upon
 him1 or place him in a position to make

 them himself1 they determined to do    
that for him1 which everyone must say is
 far better1 they would see to it that  
he had a good name among men1 and so    
they called him ,abraham4  ,this ancient
 and venerable name1 however1 soon      
underwent a transformation1 and appeared
 in the undignified form of ,abe4  ,the 
alteration at least exhibited a mark of 
economy1 even if it involved the        
sacrifice of good taste2 there certainly
 was a saving of time in saying ,abe    
instead of ,abraham1 which is very      
important when things have to be done in
 a hurry2 and then it may be that to    
some ears it would sound more musical   
and familiar than the full-length       
designation4  ,howbeit1 there always    
seemed a strange contrariness between   
,abe and his name4  ,when he was a baby 
they called him by the antiquated name  
of ,abraham4  ,as he grew older and     
bigger1 they shortened his name to ,abe1
 and when he was a full-grown man1 and  
father of a family1 he was commonly     

known as ,little ,abe4  ,the name and   
the bearer seemed to have started to run
 a circle in contrary directions1 till  
they met exactly at the opposite point  
in old age1 when for the first time     
there was seen the fitness between the  
man and his name1 and he was            
respectfully called ,abraham ,lockwood4 
#a ,since the above was written1 this   
little cottage has been removed to      
afford room for a larger building4      
,,chapter ,,ii4  ,early ,incidents4     
,nothing particular is reported of his  
early life in that little home2 there   
are no accounts of any hair-breadth     
escapes from being run over by          
cart-wheels1 or of his being nearly     
burnt to death while playing with the   
kitchen fire1 or of his straying away   
from home and taking to the adjacent    
woods1 and the whole neighbourhood being
 out in quest of him1 or that he even1  
during this interesting period of his   
history1 either fell headlong into a    
coal-pit1 or wandered out of his depth  

in the canal near by2 there is1 however1
 every probability1 considering his     
lively disposition1 that his mother had 
her time pretty well occupied in keeping
 him within bounds4  ,on reaching the   
notable age of six years1 a very        
important change came over the even     
course of his young life4  ,his parents 
sent him to work in a coal-pit2 people  
in these days will scarcely credit such 
a thing1 but it is nevertheless true2   
nor was this an extraordinary case1 for 
children of poor parents were commonly  
sent to work in the pits at that early  
age1 when ,abe was a child4  ,the work  
which they did was not difficult2       
perhaps it might be the opening or      
shutting of a door in one of the drifts2
 but whatever it was our hearts revolt  
at the idea of sending a child of such  
tender years into a coal mine1 and      
thanks to the advance of civilization1  
and an improved legislation on these    
things1 such an enormity would not now  
be permitted4  ,in some dark corner of  

that deep mine poor little ,abe was     
found day by day doing the work assigned
 to him1 and earning a trifle of wages  
which helped to keep bread in the little
 home at ,lockwood ,scarr4  ,he went out
 early in the morning1 and came home    
late at night1 with the men who wrought 
in the same pit1 his little hands and   
feet often benumbed with cold and wet1  
and he so tired with his toils that many
 a time his poor mother has had to lift 
him out of bed of a morning1 and put his
 little grimy suit of clothes on him1   
and send him off with the rest almost   
before the child was awake4  ,many a    
time he was so weary on coming out of   
the pit that he has not been able to    
drag himself along home1 and some kind  
collier seeing his tears has lifted him 
on his shoulder and carried him1 while  
he has slept there as soundly as if on a
 bed of down4  ,some few years passed   
on1 during which time ,abe continued to 
work in the coal pit with but little    
change1 except that as he grew older and

 stronger he was put to other work1 and 
earned a better wage4  ,his parents1    
however1 were not satisfied that their  
son should live and die a collier1 they 
thought him capable of something else2  
besides that1 there were always the     
dangers associated with that calling in 
which so many were maimed or killed4    
,they therefore determined that their   
son should be a mechanic1 and learn to  
earn his bread above ground4  ,after a  
while they found a master who was       
willing to take him into his employ and 
teach him his handicraft4  ,it was      
customary in those days for a master to 
take the apprentice to live with him in 
his house1 and find him in food and     
clothes4  ,so ,abe was given over to his
 new master1 with the hope that he would
 do well for him1 and the boy would turn
 out a good servant4  ,now it is quite  
possible all this was done by the kind  
parents without consulting ,abe's mind  
on the subject1 which certainly had a   
good deal to do with the realization of 

their hopes1 more perhaps than they     
thought2 however they soon discovered   
it1 for in a day or two ,abe returned   
home with the information that he didn't
 like it1 and should not be bound to any
 man4  ,it was a sad disappointment to  
the honest pair1 who had begun to       
indulge in expectations that some time  
aar ,abe may be mester hissen2 they     
however saw that it was of no use       
pressing him to go back1 and so they    
compromised the matter by setting about 
to find him another master4  ,abe was   
again despatched from home with many a  
kind word of advice1 and the hope that  
he would mind his work1 learn the trade1
 and turn out to be a good man4  ,but   
what was their surprise and pain at the 
end of about a week to see ,abe walk    
into the house again with a bundle in   
his hand4  ,oh1 ,abe1 my lad1 what's    
brought thee here so sooin8 what's ta   
gotton in th' bundle8 exclaimed his     
mother4 ,why1 gotton my things to be    
sure2 ,i couldn't leave them behind when

 ,i'm going back no maar2 and sure      
enough he had come home with the        
information as before1 he didn't like   
being bound to any man4  ,the           
probability is that there was something 
in the kind of treatment ,abe met with  
in both those cases that helped to set  
his mind so much against the life of an 
apprentice away from home4  ,all masters
 in those days were not particularly    
kind in their manners towards           
apprentices3 some honourable exceptions 
could easily be found no doubt1 but as a
 rule1 boys in such positions were not  
very kindly used2 hard work from early  
morning to late at night1 hard fare at  
meal times1 hard cuffs between meals1   
and a hard bed with scanty covering at  
nights1--it was no very enviable        
position for a youth to occupy1 and     
certainly not one to which a spirited   
lad would quietly submit4  ,it may be   
that ,abe1 during the short probations  
he had served at these two places1 had  
learnt too much of the ways of the      

establishments for so young a hireling1 
and found they would not suit his       
peculiar tastes1 and therefore he       
decided twice over to return home1      
bringing his bundle of clothes without  
giving any explanations or notice to any
 one4  ,be that as it may1 here he was  
at home again a second time1 much to the
 annoyance of his father1 who was bent  
upon the lad learning some handicraft4  
,abe remained at home a short time1 when
 one day his father told him he had got 
another place for him1 with an excellent
 man1 who would take him a little while 
on trial1 and if they liked each other  
he might then be indentured4  ,his      
father had been at some trouble to find 
a master farther away from home1 in the 
hope that when once ,abe was a good way 
off he might be induced to stay2 in this
 he was acting on the principle that the
 power of attraction is weakened by a   
wider radius1 which may be correct when 
applied to some things1 but not to all4 
,this new master lived in ,lancashire1  

and thither young ,abraham was sent in  
due course4  ,a month or so passed away1
 and all seemed to promise a            
satisfactory arrangement1 until one     
morning ,abe heard a conversation in the
 family1 from which he gathered that his
 master was going to ,marsden1 where he 
expected to meet ,mr4 ,lockwood at a    
certain inn1 and make final arrangements
 for ,abe's apprenticeship4  ,this      
opened the old sore2 ,abe couldn't rest3
 he wouldn't stay1 that he wouldn't1 he 
would be off home2 but how was he to get
 there8 he didn't know the way1 and     
thirty miles or more was a long journey 
in those days4  ,he determined therefore
 to keep his eye on his master until he 
saw him off for ,marsden1 which was more
 than half the distance to his home1 and
 then he set away after him on the same 
road1 never losing sight of him for one 
minute4  ,on they went mile after mile  
along the roads until they reached      
,marsden1 where he saw his master enter 
the inn4  ,now ,abe had to pass in front

 of this very house1 but he didn't want 
to be discovered1 so he adroitly turned 
up his coat collar over the side of his 
face1 and pulled down his cap1 and set  
off running as fast as he could1 and    
just as he was passing the inn he took  
one hurried look from under his mask1   
and there1 in the open window1 he saw   
two men side by side1 his master and his
 father4  ,of course he concluded they  
must have seen him1 and would be out    
immediately to fetch him back2 this idea
 only lent speed to his weary feet1 so  
that he ran faster than ever on through 
the solitary street of the old village1 
away out on the road1 never turning to  
look behind1 lest he might see all      
,marsden coming in pursuit of him4      
,exhausted nature however at length     
compelled him to slacken his pace1 and  
on turning to look back he found he had 
only been pursued by his own fears4     
,the two men sat still in the inn1      
talking over and settling the terms of  
the apprenticeship1 fixing the time when

 the indenture should be signed and the 
boy bound to his new master4  ,each of  
them took his journey homeward2 neither 
of them was prepared for what awaited   
him4  ,one of them found on arriving    
home that ,abe had gone1 and the other  
discovered the very opposite1 that he   
had come1 and both were alike vexed4    
,it is likely that poor ,abe would have 
had to trot back again the next day if  
his mother had not taken his part4      
,dear woman1 she had been a whole month 
without seeing her boy1 and many an     
anxious thought had she about him during
 that period2 many a time when her fond 
heart yearned for him1 she had well nigh
 said she wished they had never sent him
 away2 many a time when some foot had   
been heard at the door her heart stopped
 at the thought1 that it might be him2  
and now that he had come1 really come1  
had run so far to be near her1 had come 
so weary1 footsore1 and hungry1 had laid
 his weary head on the end of the table 
and wept tears of trouble and pleasure1 

had fallen asleep there as he sat1 she  
put her kind arms around him1 kissed his
 hot forehead and said1 ,dear lad1 they 
shall not take him away from his mother 
any more for all the masters and trades 
in the land4  ,so it was of no use that 
,mr4 ,lockwood should argue for his     
going back2 he had to yield inevitably1 
for what man can think to contend long  
against his better half8  ,from that    
time all attempt to bring ,abraham up as
 an artificer ended1 and he found       
employment with his father as a         
cloth-finisher1 at which he worked most 
of his lifetime afterwards4  ,soon after
 these stirring little events had gone  
by1 another happened in that household  
which brought far more pain and anxiety 
than anything that had preceded it4     
,the youth who would not be parted from 
his mother1 could not prevent his mother
 from leaving him1 and the separation   
took place2 death stept in1 and without 
regard to the fond feelings which bound 
that little household together1 bore    

away the wife and mother to the spirit  
land1 while her body was laid among the 
dust of others in the yard of the old   
brick chapel in ,chapel ,hill1          
,huddersfield4  ,what a gap it made in  
that house6 in the hearts of its inmates
 it left an open wound which only long  
months of patient endurance could heal4 
,when a mother's dust is carried out and
 laid in the grave1 it is the light of  
the domestic hearth gone out2 it is the 
sweetest string gone from the family    
harp2 that bereavement is like the      
breath of winter among tender flowers2  
the live tree around which entwined     
tender creepers is torn up1 and they lie
 entangled on the ground1 disconsolate  
and helpless1 until the ,great ,father  
of us all shall give them strength to   
stand alone4  ,abraham ,lockwood's      
mother was dead1 and a kind restraining 
hand1 which many a time kept his wild   
and wayward spirit in subjection1 was   
thereby withdrawn1 and the ill effects  
in time began to show themselves in his 

conduct4  ,as he grew older1 and the    
trouble consequent on the loss of his   
mother wore off1 ,abe gradually         
associated with evil companions1 fell   
into their habits1 until he became a    
wild and wicked young man4 ,he never    
sank into those low habits of which some
 are guilty1 who neglect the appearance 
and cleanliness of their own person1 and
 go about on ,sundays and weekdays      
unwashed and in their working attire4   
,abe had more respect for himself1 and  
was always looked upon among his friends
 as a dandy4  ,i have heard old people  
say he was a proud young man1 and withal
 of a very sprightly appearance4  ,abe  
took great pride in his personal        
appearance1 and when not in his working 
clothes he usually wore a blue coat in  
the old dress style1 such as ,father    
,taylor would call a gaf-topsail jacket4
  ,there were the usual and attractive  
brass buttons to the coat1 drab         
knee-breeches1 blue stockings1 low tied 
shoes with buckles2 and really everyone 

who knew ,abe thought he was a proud    
young man4  ,perhaps he was1 but it is  
not always an indication of pride when  
young people bestow more care upon their
 appearance than do their fellows2 it   
may arise from a desire to appear       
respectable and be respected4  ,no one  
will think ,i am trying to extenuate the
 foolish and extravagant love of dress  
which some people show1 who adorn       
themselves in silks or broadcloth1 for  
which they have to go into debt without 
the means of paying4  ,some are most    
unsparing in the way they lavish money  
on their own persons1 but only ask them 
to bestow something on a charitable     
institution1 or on the cause of ,god1   
and how poor they are2 how careful not  
to be guilty of the sin of extravagance2
 how anxious not to be generous before  
being just4  ,there is a propriety which
 ought to be observed with regard to    
dress as well as other things1 and it   
will commend itself to the judgment as  
well as to the eye4  ,some young people 

are the very opposite to ,abe2 they     
bestow scanty attentions on their       
appearance1--how can they think that any
 one else will pay them any regard8     
,their appearance is like the index to a
 book2 you see in a minute what the work
 contains1 and so you may generally form
 a correct idea of the character of an  
individual by his habitual personal     
appearance4  ,character shows through1  
is a good saying1 and would make a      
profitable study for most of us2 it     
shows through the skin1 the dress1 the  
manners1 the speech1 through everything2
 people ought to remember this1 and it  
would have a good influence on their    
conduct4  ,a few years after his        
mother's death his father married again1
 and removed about a mile further up the
 hill1 to a place called ,berry ,brow4  
,this village is situated about two     
miles out of ,huddersfield1 and is the  
notable place where little ,abe spent   
the greater part of his days4  ,it      
stands on the brow of a hill which      

bounds one side of the wealthy and      
picturesque valley that winds along from
 ,huddersfield to ,penistone4  ,it      
boasts one main street1 which sidles    
along down the hill-side with here and  
there a clever curve1 just enough to    
prevent you from taking a full-length   
view of the street2 on and down it goes1
 the houses on the one side looking down
 on those opposite1 and evidently having
 the advantages of being higher up in   
the world than their neighbours1 until  
it terminates in the highroad leading   
out of the village towards ,honley and  
,penistone4  ,run your eye down over the
 breast of the hill1 and you have a     
delightful landscape picture1 comprising
 almost everything which an artist would
 deem desirable for an effective        
painting1 and a little to spare4        
,there1 nearly at the bottom of the     
gradient1 stands the handsome old       
village church1 with its tower and      
pinnacles1 reaching up among the tall   
trees2 and around it1 a consecrated     

enclosure1 guarding the monuments of the
 dead1 which are mingled with melancholy
 shrubs1 planted there by hands of      
mourners whose memories of the departed 
are fitly symbolized by those perpetual 
evergreens4  ,on this side and beyond   
the sleeping graveyard1 on either arm1  
are scattered1 in pretty confusion1 the 
houses of those who have retired from   
the main street for the sake of a little
 garden plot or other convenience4  ,now
 there is some pretence at a terrace1   
numbering two or three dwellings2 then  
an abrupt break1 and houses stand       
independent and alone as if quietly     
contemplating the lovely scenery of     
valley1 hill1 and forest1 which are     
visible from that spot4  ,down there in 
the bottom of the valley1 stand those   
mighty many-windowed cloth mills1 whose 
great flat1 unspeakable faces1 seem to  
be covered all over with spectacles1 out
 of which they can look for ever without
 winking2 there the men1 women1 and     
children1 born and bred in the hills1   

find honest toil with which to win bread
 and comforts2 while with a twisting    
course there runs along the wealthy dale
 a little river1 from which these giant 
mills suck up their daily drink4        
,across the narrow valley and you are   
into a dense woody growth1 which climbs 
the hills to their very crown1 and      
sweeps away1 mingling with the sky4  ,to
 this village the ,lockwood family      
removed2 and coming more directly under 
religious influences1 the father very   
soon became converted1 and united with  
the ,methodist ,church1 along with his  
wife4  ,this had a great influence on   
,abe for good2 he began to attend the   
,sunday-school1 which was conducted in a
 room1 in what was called the ,steps    
,mill1 on the road between ,berry ,brow 
and ,honley4  ,this was ,abe's college2 
here he began1 and here he finished his 
education2 no other school did he ever  
attend2 and for what little knowledge he
 had1 he was indebted to the kindness of
 those who taught in that school2 yet   

all he learnt here was to read4         
,writing was a branch of study which    
,abe thought altogether beyond his      
power2 many times he endeavoured to     
learn the mysterious art1 but after     
struggling on as far as the stage of    
pothooks and crooks1 he gave up in      
disgust1 and never tried again4  ,he    
used to say he firmly believed the ,lord
 never meant him to be a writer1 or he  
would have given him a talent for it4   
,now in this ,abe was certainly         
labouring under a false impression1 and 
underrating his own ability2 he was as  
well able to learn the art of writing as
 many others in similar circumstances4  
,how many persons have we known who have
 grown up to manhood and womanhood1     
before they knew one letter from        
another1 and yet they have commenced to 
learn1 and persevered in the work1 until
 they have attained at least a moderate 
proficiency1 and some even more than    
that4  ,what ,abe lacked more than      
talent1 was a determination to learn2   

for if he had been resolved1 he could   
have become a good penman as well as    
others2 in this he was to blame1 whether
 he thought so or not4  ,education can  
only be had by those who will work for  
it1 and considering its immense value to
 every person1 all who neglect it are   
blameworthy1 and must pay the penalties1
 as ,abe did all through his life4      
,,chapter ,,iii4  ,his ,conversion4     
,people talk of great changes in life1  
and point to periods and events which   
seem to have turned their whole course  
into a different channel2 but there is  
nothing that can happen to any          
individual which will make such an      
alteration in his life as conversion4   
,thousands of persons who had been      
almost useless in the world1 after that 
event have become valuable members of   
society2 others who have neglected and  
abused their talents and opportunities1 
have become thoughtful and diligent2    
others who have lived in riot and sin1  
wasting the energies of body and mind1  

have learnt to live at peace with all   
men1 and walk in the fear of ,god and   
hope of heaven4  ,having become new     
creatures1 they have shown it in every  
line of their conduct4  ,old things have
 passed away1 and behold1 all things    
have become new4  ,it was never more    
strikingly illustrated than in the case 
of ,abraham ,lockwood4  ,for a length of
 time after he had begun to attend      
,sunday-school1 there was a manifest    
difference in ,abe's manner4  ,not that 
he was really living a better life1 for 
he was just as sinful as before1 only he
 was not now thoughtless2 he might go to
 the ale-house with his associates1 but 
he went home to think about it after2 he
 might swear and laugh like the rest of 
them when they were together1 but he was
 no sooner alone than he felt the stings
 of a remorseful conscience2 he was     
gradually getting into that state when a
 man dreads to be alone with himself2   
there was always something speaking to  
him from within1 and the voice was      

getting stronger and stronger every     
week1 till sometimes it fairly startled 
him1 and made him afraid2 often he would
 try to run away from it1 but it was of 
no use2 the moment he stopped1 panting  
from the exertion1 it was there again2  
many a time he tried to deaden the voice
 in the deafening noise of the mill1 but
 the more he endeavoured to destroy it1 
by some mysterious contradiction1 the   
more intently he found himself listening
 for it2 it spoilt all the pleasures of 
sin by its presence2 it was with him    
night and day2 it followed him in his   
sleep1 and was waiting for him when he  
awoke2 it made him miserable4  ,poor    
,abe was under conviction of sin2 he was
 tasting the wormwood of a guilty       
conscience1 than which nothing is more  
dreadful1 and nothing is more hopeful1  
because it is the bitter that oft       
worketh itself sweet2 it was so with    
,abe4  ,while he was in this state of   
mind1 the ,rev4 ,david ,stoner came to  
preach in the ,wesleyan ,chapel at      

,almondbury4  ,his fame drew many to    
hear him1 and among the rest ,abraham   
,lockwood4  ,he went partly out of      
curiosity1 and partly in the hope of    
getting relief to his mind2 however1 he 
only came away worse than before2 he was
 miserable1 and it now began to show    
itself to his companions4  ,pain will   
out1 like murder4  ,what's the matter1  
,abe8 they would say to him4  ,oh1      
nothing particular1 he would reply4     
,and then among themselves they said1   
,abe looks very queer1 he's ill2 then   
they tried to enliven him4  ,come1 cheer
 up1 old boy1 we'll have a yarn4  ,one  
would tell some droll tale1 and another 
would say something comical in order to 
make him laugh2 and laugh he did1 he    
must laugh2 it would never do to let    
those fellows know what was passing in  
his mind2 so he laughed loud as any of  
them1 but what a laugh6--how empty and  
hollow1 how joyless and unreal1 how     
unlike his former bursts of feeling6--a 
got-up laugh1 which shewed plainer than 

ever something was wrong4  ,abe knew it1
 and he felt it was of no use trying any
 longer to keep up a sham happiness1 and
 all the time be in torments from a     
guilty conscience2 he therefore resolved
 to give up sin and lead a new life4 ,he
 probably was hastened to that decision 
by a remark which fell from his father's
 lips2 the old man had noticed for some 
time that ,abe was not in his usual     
spirits4  ,he would come home of an     
evening and sit looking into the fire   
for an hour without speaking or moving2 
he had given over singing in the house1 
and he seemed as if he hadn't spirit    
enough left to whistle to the little    
bird in the cage2 his meals lay almost  
untasted1 and his tea would go cold     
before he had taken any4  ,come1 my lad1
 thaa mun get thee tea thaa knows1 said 
the old father one evening4  ,yes1 said 
,abe1 as he pretended to push something 
into his mouth4  ,what's matter with    
th'8 the father inquired2 thaa's not    
like theesen1 nor hasn't been for mony a

 week4  ,abe's eyes grew moist1 and his 
chin trembled1 but he called himself to 
order1 no babyism now4  ,the old man1   
still looking at him1 and keen enough to
 notice the struggle he had to master   
his feelings1 went on to say1 ,thaa's   
poorly1 my lad1 thaa mun goa to th'     
doctor1 and see if he canna gie thee    
some'at4  ,no earthly doctor can do     
onything for me1 answered ,abe2 it's th'
 ,physician of souls that ,i want4  ,oh1
 father1 ,i am unhappy2 my sins are     
troubling me noight and day2 ,i don't   
know what will become of me3 ,i feel    
like lost4  ,my poor lad1 the ,lord have
 mercy on thee1 replied the old man1 as 
,abe put on his cap and walked hurriedly
 out of the house4  ,he went out        
scarcely knowing why2 perhaps to hide   
his trouble from his dear old father2   
perhaps to smother his emotions1 which  
were rapidly gaining the mastery over   
him1 or maybe he knew not why1--an      
impulse was upon him1 and it carried him
 forth into the cool evening air2 away  

he went at a brisk walk from the village
 in the direction of ,almondbury common4
 ,faster and faster he went1 faster and 
faster as if to keep up with the rapid  
current of his thoughts2 the distance   
was uncounted1 the direction unheeded1  
the time forgotten2 one thought only    
occupied his tempest-torn mind1 what    
must he do to be saved6  ,there are some
 who would think him very foolish to    
give himself so much concern on a matter
 of that sort2 but the fact is1 ,abe was
 just beginning to act the part of a    
wise man in renouncing his old habits   
and declaring for ,christ4  ,no human   
eye followed him on that lonely walk to 
the common1 and no human friend         
accompanied him2 he was alone1 the      
thought pleased him2 he looked around   
all over the face of the common1 but no 
person was visible4  ,abe was alone with
 ,god1 and he determined to speak to    
,him1 and tell ,him all his burden of   
sorrow4  ,near to where he stood1 there 
was a large tree growing1 whose lofty   

branches were uplifted to heaven2 it    
stood just at the bottom of a little    
grassy slope of four or five yards deep1
 and close to the side of a small clear 
stream of water1 which ran gurgling and 
rippling along1 moistening the great    
roots of this tree2 it was here1 under  
its spreading boughs and gnarled trunk1 
,abe found a place for prayer4  ,down on
 his knees he cast himself1 and his     
first utterance consecrated that spot as
 a closet1 ,god be merciful to me a     
sinner6  ,he only needed to utter the   
first cry1 others followed in rapid and 
earnest succession1 till all the        
restraints upon his soul were broken    
asunder1 and in an agony he wrestled for
 salvation4  ,hour after hour fled by2  
twilight gave place to darkness2 lights 
shone from the cottage windows away on  
the hill-sides2 distant watch-dogs      
answered each other's unwearying bark2  
neighbours in the village yonder1 stood 
chatting by their open doors in the     
quiet night1 and in many a cottage home 

hard by1 children and grown-up men sat  
quietly eating their last meal before   
retiring to bed3 but none of them knew  
that out on ,almondbury common1 at the  
foot of a great rude tree1 a man1 one of
 their neighbours1 a sinner like        
themselves1 was praying4  ,no1 no1 they 
didn't know3 there is many a thing goes 
on of vital interest to us1 which even  
our nearest friends know nothing about2 
but there are other eyes1 invisible1    
which look down upon us from their      
starry heights seeing all our ways4  ,so
 they looked1 while ,abe wrestled for   
liberty4  ,his chief snare at this time 
was1 that he was too bad for ,christ to 
save2 it was a terrible thought to him1 
and had so much of seeming truth in it1 
that he at times almost despaired2 then 
again he remembered that he could not be
 too bad for ,christ to save2 no1 ,,he  
could save to the very uttermost all    
that came unto ,him2 ,abe tried to      
believe that with all his heart1 and as 
he struggled against his doubts and     

fears1 faith grew stronger and bolder1  
then in a moment the snare broke1 the   
dark cloud over his soul burst1 and out 
from the cleft there came a voice1 which
 thrilled his whole being4  ,arise1     
shine2 for thy light is come1 and the   
glory of the ,lord is risen upon thee4  
,glory6  ,glory66  ,glory666 burst from 
his enraptured lips2 his light was      
come1--what a light6 a soul full1 full  
of the light of ,divine smiles4  ,no    
wonder ,abe forgot everything else1 in  
the joys of that ecstatic moment4  ,he  
leaped1 laughed1 wept shouted the       
praises of ,god till his voice might    
have been heard far away over the waste1
 as he turned his steps towards home    
that night4 ,why1 he's made a bron new  
man o' me4  ,i hardly know mysen4       
,hallelujah6  ,he was not long in       
reaching home1 nor long in letting them 
know1 when he got there1 what a change  
had come over him4  ,in he went1 with a 
face shining in all the brightness of   
his new-found joy4  ,he's made a bron   

new man o' me6  ,he's made a bron new   
man o' me4  ,hallelujah6 ,hallelujah6   
,the change in his whole manner and     
appearance was so great1 that his poor  
old father was at first alarmed lest he 
had gone wrong in his mind2 but ,abe    
assured him he had just got right1 and  
by ,god's help he meant to keep so4     
,oh1 if ,abe had just got right by the  
wonderful change which ,god had wrought 
in him1 7and who can doubt it87 how many
 there are in the world who are all     
wrong1 living the wrong life1 striving  
for the wrong things1 going the wrong   
way1 and running towards the wrong goal6
  ,oh1 how many are spending this short 
life in the pursuit of things which are 
worthless and worse2 sacrificing their  
souls' best interests for the brief     
indulgence of sinful tastes1 or spending
 the rapidly accumulating years of their
 life in dark indifference to eternal   
things6  ,the escape of one such sinner 
as ,abe from the captivity in which the 
ungodly are all held1 may for a brief   

hour excite remark1 perhaps a desire for
 liberty1 too1 in the minds of some     
others2 but these good desires are often
 only of short duration1 they die where 
they were born1 and almost as soon1 and 
the soul returns to its former state2   
the sleeper slumbers on2 the drunkard   
drinks harder2 the swearer blasphemes   
more fiercely2 the libertine indulges in
 greater excesses2 and all these hordes 
of ungodly men push on again down the   
broad and easy incline to the pit of    
,hell4  ,do people know that the end of 
a sinful life is ,hell8  ,do people     
believe8  ,why1 then1 do they press     
their way down to such a place8         
,,chapter ,,iv4  ,abe a ,new ,character 
in the ,village4  ,hast ta yeard th'    
news8 said one neighbour to another1 on 
the morning following the happy event   
narrated in the preceding chapter4      
,what news dost ta mean8  ,aye well1    
thaa has'n't yeard what happened last   
noight2 doan't look so scared1 mon2 th' 
mill worn't burnt daan2 nor th' river   

droid up2 nor ,amebury 7,almondbury7    
common transported2 but some'at stranger
 nor that4  ,why1 whatever dost ta mean8
  ,i mean that ,abe ,lockwood's been and
 gotton converted last noight1 and he's 
up and off to his wark this morning1    
shaating and singing like a madman4     
,abe ,lockwood converted6 replied the   
other in astonishment1 and pausing      
between each word1 as if to realize his 
own sayings4 ,nay1--,i'll niver believe 
that4  ,it's as true as thaa and me is  
here2 his father telled me he wor aat   
hoalf at noight on ,amebury common1     
crying and praying by a big tree roit1  
and he gat converted there all alone2   
and when he came into th' haase1 his    
face was shining like th' moonloight4   
,here was news for the people of ,berry 
,brow1 and how it flew from mouth to    
mouth1 and from house to house1 till1   
before many hours1 almost every person  
in the village knew of the wonderful    
change which had come over ,abe4  ,some 
doubted the report1--,it canna be soa1  

said one2 another would sooiner think of
 ony one than him2 he's making game     
on't1 ,i'll lay onything4  ,others      
thought1 ,if he's turned religious1 it's
 no matter2 he'll be as wild as iver by 
th' week-end4  ,it was out of all       
character for ,abe ,lockwood to be      
anything else than he had been1 a       
rollicksome1 laughing1 drinking1 ungodly
 young man4  ,how often people talk in  
this way1 when they hear of some giving 
their hearts to ,god2 ,they won't stand 
long2 give them a month1 and it will be 
all over1 and such like injudicious     
things are said even by some who ought  
to have more discretion4  ,people talk  
without thinking1 or make such          
statements to cover their own           
shortcomings and faults4  ,why shall    
they not stand8 are they in the keeping 
of a feeble or fickle ,saviour8 isn't   
,his grace as strong as sin8 is not     
,jesus always mightier than the devil8  
and have not millions of the greatest   
sinners who have found the ,lord1 stood 

firm against the snares of the world1   
and all the devices of the wicked one8  
,he won't stand1 is an old lie1 which   
every young believer must set at        
defiance4  ,stand fast1 therefore1 in   
the liberty wherewith ,christ hath made 
us free1 and be not entangled again with
 the yoke of bondage4  ,weant ,i stand1 
said ,abe1 then ,i'll fall1 but it shall
 be at the feet of ,jesus4  ,ah1 that is
 the best way to stand2 fall at the feet
 of ,jesus4  ,it may seem a paradox in  
terms1 but it is not in truth2 it is on 
the ,apostolic principle1 ,when ,i'm    
weak1 then am ,i strong4  ,so poor ,abe 
laid himself down in order that he might
 not fall1 and this is a plan which     
others might try in times of spiritual  
peril1 and so escape the danger of      
backsliding4  ,among others who         
canvassed the subject of his conversion 
were his old companions4  ,one had gone 
out from among them that they were sorry
 to lose2 he was such a merry fellow2   
his face was always sunny2 his comical  

sayings had filled the public-house with
 roars of laughter many a time2 he could
 sing a song better than any of them1   
and he was always ready2 he was         
open-handed with his money whenever he  
had any2 and indeed1 he possessed most  
of the qualities which make a man a     
favourite among boon companions4  ,his  
going out left a blank which was more   
felt than seen2 a vacant seat in a      
public-house is soon filled2 so if ,abe 
was not there to occupy his own place   
someone else was2 but no matter who of  
his old associates were present1        
everyone felt ,abe was absent1 and      
couldn't help showing it in some way4   
,they had all observed that he had not  
been exactly himself lately2 a little   
down in the mouth1 and very quiet at    
times2 but never divining the reason1   
they had put it down to the wrong cause1
 or thought very little about it2 and   
then ,abe had so often roused himself   
out of these moods of mental abstraction
 by taking another glass1 and having    

another song1 that he had kept his      
companions completely ignorant of the   
work which was going on in his mind4    
,so now it burst upon them like a       
gun-shot2 they were amazed2 but the     
devil seldom deserts his victims at a   
time like that2 it would not be safe1 he
 might lose some more of them2 he comes 
to their help and counsels them as to   
their conduct4  ,well1 says one of them 
as they gathered in their usual place of
 resort one night1 ,i s'pose ,abe       
,lockwood will be gone to prayer-meeting
 to sing ,psalms with the old women1 at 
which the whole company burst into a    
loud laugh at ,abe's expense1 and yet it
 cost him nothing1 which was more than  
any of them could say of the drink they 
consumed that night4  ,abe ,lockwood had
 left them1--he was a changed man2 he   
had been converted on ,amebury common2  
he had turned off into an entirely      
different course from theirs2 he was a  
better man than any of them3 many such  
thoughts as these would obtrude         

themselves on the minds of his former   
friends1 and linger there in spite of   
all their efforts to keep clear of them4
  ,some time elapsed before any of these
 old associates were brought into       
immediate contact with ,abe2 whether    
they purposely kept out of his way1 or  
he out of theirs1 is not easy to say2   
perhaps both would be correct4 ,he no   
doubt felt safest and happiest away from
 his old companions and everything which
 reminded him of them2 they1 too1 had a 
misgiving that whenever they did meet   
,abe1 he would say something that might 
make them uncomfortable2 for they knew  
he would not beat about the bush1 he    
would tell them his mind about their    
ways3 so on the whole it was best to    
keep out of his way as long as they     
could4  ,meanwhile1 ,abe was gathering  
strength day by day1 for he was living  
in the constant spirit of prayer1 which 
is the way to be strong4  ,night after  
night1 a lone man might be seen kneeling
 at the root of a great tree on         

,almondbury common1 pouring out his soul
 in prayer to ,god1 until that spot     
became to the new convert the very gate 
of heaven2 and for long years after1    
when ,abe was established in the faith1 
he still frequently found his way there 
to pray2 during the whole of his        
subsequent life1 he never passed that   
spot without turning aside to hear what 
the ,lord would say to him4  ,many of   
the most delightful times he ever had   
were experienced at the foot of that    
tree2 and a visit there1 where he       
breathed the native air of his spiritual
 life1 invariably brought the glow of   
religious health to his soul4  ,as weeks
 and months went by1 the people of      
,berry ,brow became used to the fact of 
,abe ,lockwood's conversion1 and it     
ceased to excite any particular remark1 
except such as might pass between       
neighbours on seeing him go by4  ,aye1  
mun1 what a change is in yon lad1 one   
would say4  ,you are roight naa1 would  
be the response4  ,he wor as big a rake 

as ony i' th' parish a few months sin'2 
,i'd never ha' thowt o' ,abe ,lockwood  
turning religious4  ,no1 nor me noather1
 but we niver know what 'll come to us4 
,no1--gooid-noight4  ,one day ,abe and a
 former companion of his met full in    
front2 there was no sliding away on     
either side1--they must speak4  ,both of
 them experienced a slight nervousness  
at first1 but ,abe plucked up courage   
and came boldly on4  ,naa1 lad1 haa art 
ta8  ,oh1 why1 middling like1 haa's     
yersen8  ,aye1 mun1 said ,abe1 it gets  
better and better1 religion is th' best 
thing i' th' world2 it's made me th'    
happiest chap i' ,berry ,braa4  ,why1   
thaa looks merry1 said his companion4   
,i is merry1 and only wish thaa wor like
 me1 and then ,abe went on in his own   
simple1 earnest1 and homely manner to   
preach ,jesus to his friend2 and before 
they parted1 the man had proof enough   
that ,abe had found a better way of     
living than his former one4  ,many a    
time1 as weeks and months rolled by1 he 

was thrown for a short time into company
 with one or another of his old         
yoke-fellows in sin2 and often did they 
endeavour to lead him back again into   
the ways and haunts he had forsaken2 but
 no1 no1 he was not to be moved out of  
the new path which he had taken for time
 and for eternity4  ,abe was a very     
plain-spoken man1 and sometimes used    
phrases which were anything but refined1
 but this was compensated for by their  
good sense4 ,sometimes1 when ,satan was 
tempting him to give up his religion1   
and return again into the ways of sin1  
he would exclaim1 ,what6 give up my     
blessed religion and return to thy      
swill-tub agean2 ,i should be a great   
fooil to do that1--does th' want to mak'
 me like an owd saa 7sow71 that's been  
weshed1 and then runs back into t' muck 
agean2 nay1 thaa's rolled me i' sin lang
 enough2 ,i'm thankful to be aat o' thy 
mud-hoil1 and by the help of ,god1      
thaa'll get me there no maar4  ,then    
perhaps1 when in conversation with some 

unconverted neighbour on the            
all-absorbing theme of religion1 he     
would break out1 ,aye1 mun1 yoa doan't  
know haa grand it feels being weshed1   
weshed i' th' blood of th' ,lamb4  ,i   
wor that mucky1 all th' waiter i'       
,holmfirth dam couldn't mak' me daacent1
 but a drop of ,his blood did it in a   
moment4  ,glory to ,god6  ,ah6 the      
precious blood of ,jesus can make the   
foulest clean2 no matter how long or how
 deep sin has reigned in his heart1     
,jesus is able to remove it entirely1   
and bring in ,his grace and peace4  ,he 
is a wonderful ,physician1 there is none
 like ,him2 ,he has never been baffled  
yet1 though for nearly two thousand     
years ,he has been called to exercise   
,his power on the outcasts and          
incurables of our race4  ,he knows the  
disease with which every poor sinner is 
afflicted1 and ,he also understands the 
cure2 sinners who have long been given  
up by themselves1 and others as         
well--poor1 abandoned things1 who have  

been kicked out of all orderly society1 
and left to rot in the moral filth of   
the streets1 or die in the sewers of    
iniquity1 have been found by ,him1      
lifted out of the mire1 washed in the   
streams of ,his grace1 clothed in ,his  
righteousness1 and made fit to sit among
 princes4    ,jesus1 ,thy blood and     
righteousness     ,my beauty are1 my    
glorious dress2   ',midst flaming       
worlds1 in these arrayed1     ,with joy 
shall ,i lift up my head4     ,,chapter 
,v4  ,in ,membership with the ,church4  
,as soon as ,abe ,lockwood found the    
,lord1 he felt it was his duty and      
privilege to unite himself with the     
people of ,god1 and he therefore lost no
 time in seeking membership4  ,,the     
,,methodist ,,new ,,connexion at that   
time had no chapel in ,berry ,brow1 but 
conducted prayer-meetings1 and held a   
weekly class in a cottage somewhere in  
the village4  ,abe knew these humble1   
earnest people1 and felt drawn towards  
them by strong sympathy2 he was sure he 

could feel at home among them1 and they 
would be of very great assistance to him
 in building up his ,christian          
character4  ,what made him all the more 
willing to throw in his lot among them1 
was the fact that some of them had      
frequently shown an interest in his     
spiritual welfare before he became      
converted1 and had endeavoured to induce
 him to attend their meetings2 and now  
when they all knew the change that had  
taken place in him1 they were the first 
to go after him and offer him the right 
hand of fellowship1--so he at once      
united himself heart and hand to their  
little band4  ,it would be well if that 
zeal and watching for souls1 which      
characterized the early ,methodists1    
were more frequently displayed among    
their successors2 how many who are now  
merely hovering outside the ,christian  
,church1 afraid to run after the        
pleasures of sin1 ashamed to avow       
themselves in quest of salvation1 would 
be brought to decision1 and enabled to  

lead a happy and useful life4  ,there   
are many thus hanging on the skirts of  
almost every ,church1 waiting to be     
gathered up1 and shame on the members   
who quietly and indifferently permit    
this6  ,it must not be2 men's souls are 
too precious to be trifled with2 they   
have cost too much for us to allow them 
to starve and die on our doorstep2 open 
the door1 put forth your hand1 draw them
 kindly1 but firmly1 into the family of 
the ,lord2 few of them will have heart  
to resist such efforts to save them2 but
 if they do1 then go out to them1 stay  
with them1 persuade and entreat them1   
pray for them1 pray on and on1 and in   
the end you will prevail4  ,we want more
 of this watching and waiting for souls 
in ,churches2 may ,god lay these souls  
on our hearts6  ,abe became a member of 
the ,methodist ,new ,connexion in ,berry
 ,brow when it could scarcely be        
considered a ,church1 inasmuch as       
neither ,christian sacrament nor        
preaching services were established     

there3 it was merely a class belonging  
to the society in ,huddersfield4  ,that 
class1 however1 was the living germ out 
of which was in due time developed a    
strong and flourishing ,church1 having  
now a commodious chapel1 and also an    
excellent ,sunday ,school1 in which are 
growing up hundreds of interesting      
children1 who will some day be a        
blessing to the neighbourhood1 and an   
honour to the ,church of ,christ4  ,to  
this little band of disciples our friend
 ,abe was a most valuable addition2 not 
that either then or afterwards he       
brought them wealth1 for he was always  
poor1 but because he contributed a      
zealous1 praying spirit1 and encouraged 
the little flock to fresh exertions4    
,he was no sooner admitted among them1  
than he began to exercise his talents in
 prayer-meetings1 and although he       
sometimes got confused in his           
utterances1 he didn't care much1 for he 
used to say1 ,th' ,lord knows what ,i   
mean1 and ,he can soort th' words1 and  

put 'em in their roight places2 bless   
,him1 ,he can read upsoide daan1 or     
insoide aat4 ,but time and constant     
exercise made a wonderful improvement in
 this respect1 and as ,abe felt less    
difficulty in uttering what he meant1 he
 also experienced less restraint of     
spirits1 and began to show himself in   
his own peculiar style4  ,he had a way  
of responding to almost everything that 
was prayed for1 and interlacing remarks1
 and sometimes explanations1 when he    
thought them necessary4  ,possibly these
 comments were more to himself than for 
any one else1 and were often made quite 
unconsciously--a kind of thinking aloud4
  ,a rather amusing instance is given   
where ,abe's notes of explanation were  
called forth4  ,it appears that one     
night the weekly prayer-meeting was     
conducted as usual in the cottage of one
 of the members4  ,abe was there among a
 number of others1 and they were having 
a very lively time together4  ,as one   
after another engaged in earnest        

intercession at the throne of grace1 the
 feelings of all present became very    
elevated1 and they shouted for joy4  ,at
 length1 while one brother was praying1 
another got so happy that he could      
remain on his knees no longer4          
,springing to his feet1 therefore1 he   
began to jump1 and in one of his upward 
movements he brought his head into      
sudden and violent contact with a basket
 of apples1 which hung by a nail to the 
ceiling2 the basket oscillated a time or
 two1 then slipped over the head of the 
nail1 and spilt its contents on the head
 of the man that was praying4 ,this     
singular event was deemed by him a      
sufficient reason for suspending his    
exercises1 and opening his eyes to      
ascertain the cause4 ,as soon as ,abe   
observed the suspension of prayer1 he   
exclaimed1 ,pray on1 lad6 it's nobbut   
th' owd woman's apple-cart upset1 on    
receiving which timely exposition of the
 state of things1 the good man resumed  
his intercessions1 and the meeting      

returned to its former happy flow of    
feeling4  ,the time came when ,abe was  
looked upon as the life and soul of     
these little meetings3 his quaint       
sayings1 his earnest prayers1 his happy 
experience1 always animated and         
strengthened those who were present1 and
 made the meetings real means of grace4 
,then ,abe was always there2 he could be
 relied upon whoever might fail1 so that
 they all began to depend upon him1 look
 to him1 and follow him1 till1 almost   
without knowing it1 he had become       
greatly responsible for the spiritual   
life of the little flock in ,berry      
,brow1 and mainly instrumental in laying
 the foundations of the cause there1    
which has now grown to very interesting 
and influential proportions4            
,,chapter ,,vi4  ,for ,better1 for      
,worse  ,marriage is a most important   
step in the life of any person2         
happiness or misery in this world depend
 on it far more than many young people  
think4  ,nothing demands more careful   

thought1 discrimination1 and prayer1    
than the choice of a life partner4      
,especially professors of religion      
should consider this1 lest they be      
tempted to break the apostolic          
injunction1 and become unequally yoked  
together with unbelievers4  ,it is      
painful to see how little regard is paid
 to this subject by some who profess to 
be disciples of ,jesus1 and yet allow   
their affections to be centred upon     
someone of the world4  ,pleased by an   
attractive appearance1 winning manners1 
or something else of this kind1 they are
 beguiled away beyond the line of       
demarcation which divides the church    
from the world1 until1 by-and-bye1 they 
consummate a union of the flesh1 where  
there cannot be a union of spirit1 and  
light and darkness make a poor attempt  
to dwell together4  ,self-deception is a
 very easy thing in matters of this     
sort2 it is seldom difficult to find    
arguments in favour of that which the   
heart is set upon4  ,the one that knows 

the ,lord1 will pray until the other is 
brought to him2 neither will be guilty  
of casting the slightest hindrance in   
the way of the other1 etc41 etc41 but   
how often have these pretty delusive    
devices been cast to the winds1 or      
broken to atoms like glass toys in after
 life1 and their framers made to pay the
 bitter penalties of disappointment1    
regret1 and even backsliding for their  
early transgressions8  ,the selection of
 a husband or wife is not a question of 
mere sentiment or feeling1 but one which
 involves an important principle4  ,in  
making it1 we should take ,god into our 
counsel1 and abide by ,his decisions4   
,a young man who was a member in one of 
our churches once opened his mind to me 
on this subject2 he very much admired a 
young person whom he mentioned2 he said 
he had been praying about marriage with 
her for some time1 and had left it      
entirely with the ,lord1 but said he1 ,i
 must have her1 come what may4  ,prayer 
with submission like that is only a     

solemn mockery1 and is sure to meet with
 its deserved reward4  ,if we ask ,god  
to guide us1 we must permit ,him to     
lead2 and whether the outcome suit our  
feelings or not1 we may rest assured it 
will be for our ultimate welfare4  ,in  
the choice of his wife ,abe ,lockwood   
was wisely led1 as a long and happy life
 together afterwards proved4  ,it       
appears that soon after his conversion1 
,abe1 who was always fond of singing1   
joined the choir of the ,huddersfield   
,chapel4  ,that was the age before      
organs were thought of in ,methodist    
places of worship2 other musical        
instruments obtained in those good old  
times3 fiddles and bass viols1          
clarionets1 flutes1 hautboys1 cornets1  
trombones1 bassoons and serpents1       
delighted the ears and stirred the souls
 of our forefathers with their sacred   
harmony4 ,grand old times those were    
too2 there was some scope for the       
musical genius and taste of men in those
 days1 when if a man could not          

manipulate the keys and evoke the       
religious tones of a clarionet1 he might
 vent his zeal in the trombone1 or make 
melody on a triangle2 then1 the         
orchestra was a kind of safety valve1   
where zealous men might exert their     
powers until they were bathed in        
perspiration and exhausted4  ,in those  
days the musicians were men of          
considerable influence in the public    
services2 they could any time keep the  
congregation waiting while they tuned up
 to harmony1 or while the first fiddle  
mended his string1 or rosined his stick4
  ,true1 a little accident would        
occasionally happen in the midst of the 
service1 such as the falling of a       
bridge1 but nobody was hurt1 it was only
 a fiddle-bridge2 a nervous preacher    
might be just a little startled by the  
thwack behind him1 and a few of the     
light sleepers might be suddenly aroused
 from their deep meditations to venture 
an inappropriate response2 and other    
little matters might occasionally       

happen1 as when some conspicuous        
instrument became excited1 and played   
somewhat sharper than the others in the 
band1 thereby giving a twinge of        
neuralgia to a few sensitive persons in 
the congregation2 but then they         
shouldn't be so sensitive1--others were 
not1 not even the musicians1 and why    
should they8  ,besides1 all these       
things1 and a great many more1 too      
numerous to mention1 helped to throw    
some variety and feeling into the       
proceedings1 and frequently afforded    
matter for lively conversation when the 
people came out of chapel4  ,can any one
 wonder1 therefore1 that the musical    
taste of the past should steadfastly    
resist every effort to bring about a    
change in the composition and conduct of
 our chapel orchestras8  ,abe lived and 
flourished as a singer in those good old
 days1 and it was one of his greatest   
enjoyments to take his place among the  
singers in the old ,high ,street        
,chapel1 and raise his alto voice in    

honour of ,him whose praise can ne'er be
 told4  ,but there was another little   
pleasure which ,abe very much enjoyed   
after the services1 and that was to walk
 home in company with a young woman1 one
 of the singers1 too1 named ,sarah      
,bradley4  ,she lived at ,berry ,brow1  
and was a member in the same class as   
himself2 she was about his own age1 and 
while she made no pretensions to beauty1
 she was what the neighbours called a   
real bonny lass4  ,abe thought her the  
nicest and handsomest young woman he    
ever gazed upon4  ,she was the very     
light of his eyes1 and her conversation 
was real music to him2 he was so charmed
 with her1 that he would run a mile any 
time to look at her bonny face2 his     
affections were entirely won by         
her1--which was1 by the way1 no little  
pleasure to herself1 inasmuch as she    
regarded him with very similar feelings4
  ,there seemed quite a propriety in the
 mutual affection of these two young    
people2 it was1 to say the least of it1 

quite patriarchal that ,abraham should  
love ,sarah2 but whether ,abe ever      
thought of ,scripture precedent for     
indulging such sentiment or not1 one    
thing is certain1 he followed the       
example set by one of old1 and took     
,sarah to be his wife4  ,the wedding    
took place on the #ajth ,may1 #ahah4    
,there was no extravagant or improvident
 display on the occasion4  ,abe did1    
however1 put on his best clothes1 and   
stay from work for that day2 and ,sally1
 as he now began to call her1 appeared  
in a stuff dress1 that served as her    
,sunday frock for a long time           
afterwards4  ,a few friends attended the
 ceremony by invitation1 and a few more 
of the gentler sex just dropped in as   
they were1 to see that the affair was   
properly done1 as well as to indulge a  
pardonable liking for that kind of      
religious service4  ,some of them       
probably never attended a place of      
worship except on such interesting      
occasions1 or in connection with a      

christening4  ,here1 then1 was an       
opportunity for these people to indulge 
their select tastes1 and they failed not
 to embrace it4  ,the ceremony over1 the
 happy pair came forth to be pelted1    
according to custom1 with rice and old  
shoes1 symbolizing the wishes of the    
bystanders1 that all through life they  
might enjoy plenty1 prosperity1 and good
 luck4  ,then came the walk home through
 the village arm-in-arm2 ,abe nervous1  
and ,sally blushing under the kind yet  
familiar congratulations of their       
friends4  ,the day was spent in a quiet1
 happy manner among the members of the  
wedding party1 and nothing particular   
occurred until a little before seven    
o'clock in the evening1 when all at once
 ,abe got up1 reached down his hat1 and 
prepared for going out4  ,where's ta    
going8 someone asked4  ,sally was       
looking at him rather curiously1 as if  
she could not understand his movements4 
,why1 said he1 doant yoa know it's my   
class noight8  ,well1 what by that8     

they'll niver expect thee t'-noight4    
,oh1 but ,i mun goa4  ,all present      
laughed right heartily at his remark1   
and one of them said1 ,nay1 lad1 thaa   
mu'nt goa t'-noight and leave th' wife  
and all th' friends2 foak 'll laugh at  
thee4  ,let 'em laugh2 th' devil 'll    
laugh if ,i doant goa1 and foak 'll     
laugh if ,i do4  ,i'm sure to be laughed
 at1 ony way2 ,i'll goa4  ,he looked at 
,sally for a moment1 and saw1 at any    
rate1 that she understood him1 although 
she did smile2 so opening the door he   
shot out1 saying1 ,i shalln't be long1  
lass4  ,he went to his meeting just the 
same as usual1 and no matter to ,abe if 
his leader and class-mates were all     
surprised to see him1 he was quite as   
comfortable as if a wedding were an     
every-day event with him4  ,abe's maxim 
was to allow no hindrance to stand in   
the way of his duty to ,god4  ,christ   
came first with him1 his wife stood     
next2 and as he began1 so he continued  
through all his marriage life4  ,this   

worthy couple began housekeeping in a   
very humble way1--it was really love in 
a cot1--and with very limited means2 but
 they were happy in each other and happy
 in ,god4  ,sally made a good wife1 and 
contributed greatly not only to her     
husband's happiness1 but also to his    
usefulness in the ,church4  ,too much   
can hardly be said in honour of that    
humble and devoted woman1 whose great   
study1 during all their life together1  
was to make home most attractive to her 
husband1 and his path1 as a ,christian1 
easy4  ,when the charge of a large      
family came upon them1 she cheerfully   
and studiously undertook the            
multitudinous little offices and cares  
that always come1 under the             
circumstances1 and threw as little as   
possible upon her partner in the house2 
for she used to say1 ,dear man1 he has  
enough to do to find us in bread1       
without troubling to put it into our    
mouths4  ,ah1 and when there was        
scarcely even bread for them1 which     

often happened in those hard times1 she 
would scorn to murmur at her husband1 or
 utter a word that seemed like a        
reflection upon him2 no1 she was united 
to him for better1 for worse1 and she   
bore whatever came with a noble and     
patient fortitude4 ,many a time1        
however1 had she1 poor thing1 to go to  
her heavenly ,father with her cares1 and
 vent her anguish in a shower of tears1 
which ,abe never saw1 and perhaps never 
heard about2 and when he came home from 
his day's toil1 she always tried to have
 a cheerful face and a smile for the    
dear man4  ,besides attending to the    
duties of her household like an         
exemplary wife1 she was often engaged in
 her own house burling cloth for the    
manufacturers1 by which means she earned
 a scanty addition to their income4     
,frequently when ,abe retired to rest1  
she would pretend she was scarcely      
ready1 and then1 after he had fallen    
soundly asleep1 she might be seen by the
 dim light of a candle1 hour after hour1

 till far away into the morning1 picking
 at the cloth in order to get it        
finished2 then1 tired in body and       
spirit1 she would throw herself down to 
sleep1 and recruit for the struggles of 
another day4  ,whenever the children had
 any new clothes1 which was too seldom1 
they were made by her hands4 ,necessity 
had taught that thrifty little woman    
many a thing1 until in time she learnt  
not only to earn and make their clothes1
 but even to mend their shoes herself4  
,many a homely patch did she put upon   
their clogs1 and many a sole1 too4  ,she
 had fingers for anything1 and never    
stood fast whatever came in her way4    
,while many others in her position would
 have sat wondering and despairing1 she 
arose1 stuck to her task1 got it done1  
and if she had any time1 she did the    
wondering afterwards4  ,go when you     
would to ,sally ,lockwood's house1 it   
was always tidy1 and there was a clean  
chair for you to sit upon4  ,although   
their clothes were coarse1 and patched  

with more pieces1 if not more colours   
than ,joseph's coat1 the children were  
always clean1 though many a time they   
hadn't a change of garment to put on4   
,what that means in a large family1 the 
thrifty wives of hard-working men will  
understand4  ,the frequent late washings
 on ,saturday nights1 when the little   
ones were gone to bed1 were something   
wonderful1 and what was even more       
remarkable still was1 that ,sunday      
morning found their things all clean and
 dried1 ready for them to go to school  
like other children4  ,ah1 ,sunday      
morning1 beginning of the day of        
rest1--how welcome to poor ,sally after 
her hard week's toils and anxieties6    
,when the family were gone to school1   
and her honest man was somewhere at work
 in the ,master's vineyard1 she could   
slip on her bonnet and shawl and just   
run into the preaching service close by1
 and gather strength and encouragement  
from the earnest prayers and humble     
exhortations of those men whom ,god had 

found in the quarry1 at the loom1 in the
 mine1 or at the lapstone1 and sent     
forth ,sunday by ,sunday into the       
villages to preach a homely gospel to   
the poor1 and comfort to ,his flock4    
,and thus she struggled on from week to 
week and year to year1 bearing with     
uncomplaining fortitude her own burdens1
 and lightening1 when she could1 those  
of her husband2 setting an example of   
patience1 industry1 and piety before her
 family1 thus by example1 as well as    
precept1 training them up in the fear of
 the ,lord4  ,no wonder that one of     
,abe's greatest boasts was his wife4    
,next to his ,lord and ,master1 whose   
praise was ever on his lips1 ,sally came
 in for honours4  ,aar ,sally1 which was
 the usual homely and affectionate way  
in which he spoke of her1 was1 humanly  
speaking1 his sheet anchor2 her word was
 more to him than counsel's opinion1 and
 considerably cheaper2 what aar ,sally  
said was ,act of ,parliament in that    
little house4  ,she had gained a power  

there which was due to her1 and which   
she exercised for the benefit of the    
whole4  ,aar ,sally often figured in    
,abe's sermons1 and always in a         
favourable light1 which shows the       
estimation he cherished for the worthy  
partner of his joys and sorrows4        
,although1 as years went on1 time1      
labour1 and anxiety made their          
unmistakable impressions upon her1 she  
was always bonny to ,abe2 and up to the 
last1 when he was a feeble old man1 and 
she was stricken in years1 he used to   
say1 ,aar ,sally is th' handsomest woman
 i' th' world4  ,it is possible that    
this assertion may have been the        
occasion of some tender disputes in some
 quarters1 but nothing was ever heard to
 that effect1 and no one ever openly    
ventured to enter into competition with 
,sally for the honour which was ascribed
 to her1 so that she was1 without       
dispute1 the handsomest woman in the    
world4    ,handsome is he1 that handsome
 doth1   ,and handsome1 indeed1 that's  

handsome enough4  ,beauty is only skin  
deep1 but goodness goes right through4  
,sally was a good wife1 a good mother1 a
 good ,christian1 and now her soul rests
 in the presence of ,him who is fairest 
among ten thousand1 and altogether      
lovely4     ,,chapter ,,vii4  ,wind and 
,tide ,against4  ,when ,sally gave her  
hand to ,abe1 we have said it was for   
better1 for worse1 but she soon found   
there was a good deal of worse in it4   
,what a sad thing it seems that nearly  
all the pretty castles which young      
people build for themselves in the air1 
should so soon fall to pieces6  ,what a 
wonderful contribution it would be to   
the science of architecture if the ideas
 of these erections could only be       
realized in substance6  ,ah1 but such is
 the nature of things1 that castles     
without foundations can only be built in
 the air1 and commonplace men are unable
 to do that4  ,it has been a great      
disappointment to the constructors of   
these buildings1 that they have never   

been permitted to spend a single hour in
 them2 so very attractive as they       
looked1 too1 covered all over with gilt 
and flowers1 and furnished in a style   
that out-rivalled the pictures of the   
,arabian ,nights4  ,a real prince might 
be happy if he could only get in4  ,some
 of them have taken years to bring to   
such a state of perfection2 now1 a      
little addition is made here1 and then a
 slight alteration there1 until it is   
finished1 and the happy pair set off to 
take possession of the fairy palace4    
,but they never enter it3 the more eager
 they are to get in1 the more confused  
they become as to the position of the   
doorway2 one thinks it is at the front1 
the other fancies it must be at the     
side1 and every time they go around the 
house seeking the entrance1 by some     
mysterious means the house seems further
 from them1 and another effort is       
necessary to reach it4  ,how tiresome6  
but they must be in1 for storms begin to
 gather1 and they are not prepared for  

them2 the wind blows and whistles as if 
calling up other evil forces for        
mischief2 night1 like a dismal monster  
in a black cloak1 and barefooted1 is    
coming on2 the pretty castle is fading  
out of view among the darkening objects 
around1--quick6 quick6 we must be in1   
for the hour is wild4  ,on they hurry1  
and in their haste1 they find an open   
door and enter2 there is shelter and    
rest for them1 but when daylight comes  
they open their eyes1 and lo1 the lovely
 castle is gone1 and the home is a      
weaver's cottage6  ,there is no doubt   
that ,abe and his young wife played     
their part at castle-building1 like most
 others in their position1 and like     
others they found it a great deal easier
 to erect than inhabit4  ,however1 there
 is this to be said for them1 which     
cannot be said for all1 they had        
fortitude to endure their lot without   
complaint2 and though their castle was  
but a very little cot1 it was commodious
 enough to hold them1 and left room for 

a variety of joys and sorrows as well4  
,at the time when they were married1    
,abe was working as a cloth-finisher in 
a mill near ,almondbury common1 but not 
long afterwards1 the work at this place 
failed1 and he1 with a number of others1
 was thrown out of employment4  ,this   
was a sore reverse1 for which they were 
ill-prepared4 ,if trade had been good in
 the neighbourhood1 he could easily have
 obtained work under some other master1 
but alas6 the reasons which induced his 
employer to discharge his men1 operated 
with others in the same way1 and        
consequently left no opening for ,abe4  
,what was to be done8  ,ah6 that was the
 inquiry which often passed between ,abe
 and ,sally in their little home4  ,the 
bread-winner was stopped1 then the bread
 must soon stop1 and then would come a  
dark period1 that is1 a full stop4  ,in 
their day of trouble they carried their 
case to the ,lord1 and asked ,his       
fatherly aid2 many a time did they go   
together to vent their burden of trouble

 in ,his ear1 and obtain strength to    
endure their trial4  ,one day1 after    
,abe had been in this way asking help   
and counsel of the ,lord1 he came and   
sat in a chair at one end of the table1 
while his wife sat near him1 quietly    
stitching away at an old garment she was
 mending4  ,for a few minutes neither of
 them spoke2 by-and-by ,sally looked up 
from her work to thread her needle1 and 
their eyes met4  ,she had a very sad    
look upon her face1 for her heart was   
full of trouble1 and she was just ready 
for what she called a good cry2 but the 
moment she saw his face1 which was      
covered all over with a comical smile1  
she caught the infection1 and burst into
 a laugh1--a kind of hysterical laugh   
that had more sorrow than mirth in it4  
,she laughed and he laughed1 one at the 
other1 till tears came from the eyes of 
both1 and their poor sorrow-sick hearts 
seemed as if they would rise into their 
throats and choke them4  ,naa1 lass1    
what's matter with the'8 at length      

exclaimed ,abe4  ,why1 it's thee made me
 laugh soa4  ,me1 what did ,i do8  ,ay1 
thaa may weel ask1 said ,sally1 wiping  
her eyes with her apron4 ,why1 thaa     
looked a'most queer enough to mak' a    
besom-shank laugh2 thaa's made my soides
 ache4  ,well1 it 'll do thee gooid2    
thaa wants a bit of a change1 for thaa's
 had heartache lang enough1 responded   
her husband4  ,sally resumed her work1  
but said nothing2 her only response was 
a deep-drawn sigh4  ,a few moments of   
silence again ensued1 which ,abe broke  
by saying1 ,sally1 haa would the' loike 
to see me wi' a black face8  ,what's 'ta
 say8  ,haa w'd th' loike to see me wi' 
a black face8 repeated ,abe4  ,what art 
ta going to blacken thee face forr      
doesn't th' like thee own colour8 what  
does ta mean8 inquired ,sally looking at
 him4  ,i mean1 replied ,abe with great 
earnestness1 that ,i'm gooin to turn    
collier4  ,nay1 niver1 lad6 cried his   
wife in dismay4  ,why1 it's only for a  
bit till things brighten up in aar      

loine1 and then thaa knows ,i can get   
wark at th' mill agean4  ,poor ,sally   
wept in earnest now2 it was a shock to  
her feelings that she was not prepared  
for4  ,at length she said1 ,i niver     
thought of thee goin daan a coil-pit1   
thaa isn't used to it1 and thaa 'll     
happen break thee neck4  ,nay1 not soa2 
,i've warked mony a day in a coil-pit1  
said ,abe4  ,bless thee1 my lass1 when  
,i were nowt but a bairn ,i used to wark
 i' th' pits2 niver fear1 ,i'm an owd   
hand1 ,i can do a bit o' hewing wi' ony 
on um4 ,and then when ,abe saw the first
 burst of feeling on his wife's part was
 giving way1 he went on to make good his
 position3 ,thaa knows ,i mun do        
some'at1 and there is nowt else ,i can  
see to turn to1 and it 'll keep us going
 till ,i can get back to my own wark2 we
 mu'nt be praad in these times1 thaa    
knows4  ,i'll promise to wesh th' black 
dust off my face every day1 said he1    
laughing1 and trying to get her to do   
the same4 ,cheer up1 my lass1 we mun    

look th' rock i' th' face4  ,ah1 th'    
,lord help us1 responded ,sally4  ,naa  
,i like to year thee say that1 said     
,abe1 because ,i believe it was the     
,lord that put it into my yead1 for ,i  
niver thowt abaat such a thing till ,i  
were telling ,him my troubles just naa1 
and then it came to me all in a moment1 
like as if someone spake to me1 and ,i  
says1 ,i'll goa4  ,and he did go1 and he
 got employment in one of the coal-pits 
in the neighbourhood1 where he received 
so much per week as wages1 and a lump of
 coal every day as large as he could    
carry home1 as a perquisite4  ,of course
 he took as big a lump as he could      
manage1 and sometimes he was tempted to 
overtax his strength4  ,many a time poor
 ,abe had to stop on the way home1 lift 
the coal down from his head1 where he   
usually carried it1 and rub the sore    
place2 and many an expedient1 in the way
 of padding1 had he to resort to1 in    
order to compensate for the soft place  
which nature1 so prodigal in her gifts  

to some1 had denied him4 ,however1 day  
after day he struggled along under his  
dark and heavy load1 each day finding   
himself oppressed by another weight--of 
coals4  ,the new work was hard and      
trying to him1 but he kept toiling on1  
and patiently waiting for the time when 
his heavenly ,father would open up      
another sphere for him2 meanwhile there 
was this consolation1 that his toils    
kept fire in the hearth1 and bread in   
the cupboard at home1 and knowing this  
he was happy4  ,he didn't envy any man  
his wealth1 or his ease2 he many a time 
on his way home1 with the lump of coal  
on his head1 was happier than the rich  
employer who passed him in his carriage2
 he had no ambitious schemes with which 
to harass his mind1 his highest object  
was to glorify ,god in a consistent     
,christian life1 and try to lead others 
to do the same4  ,when his day's work   
was ended1 he could lift his burden on  
his head1 and journey homeward with a   
light heart2 the only weight he felt was

 upon his head2 many a day he came over 
the ground singing1 certainly under a   
difficulty1 but no matter1 he did sing4 
,abe was an alto singer in the chapel   
choir1 but in these homeward songs one  
would almost fancy he would have to take
 another part1 as the lump on his head  
would render it rather inconvenient for 
him to reach the higher notes2          
ground-bass would be more in keeping    
with his circumstances1 and probably he 
himself was more inclined to sink than  
soar2 be that as it may1 he sang and    
trudged along home1 and any one that met
 him1 might know he was happy as a king1
 aye1 and happier than many4            
,,chapter ,,viii4  ,the ,clouds begin to
 ,break4  ,abe had not long laboured in 
the coal-pit before all about him began 
to feel he was a good man4  ,he did not 
hide his light from anyone1 masters or  
men1 and though they may not have       
followed his godly example and          
,christian counsel1 they all respected  
him for his pious and consistent life   

among them4  ,it so turned out that one 
day the foreman ordered all the men to  
stay and work overtime at night1 in     
order to complete some important matter 
which they had in hand4  ,this was a    
terrible blow to ,abe1 for it was his   
class-night1 and he had never yet missed
 that means of grace1 nor would he1 if  
he could by any possibility get there2  
but now1 what was he to do8  ,he felt it
 was his duty to obey his master1 and   
take his share of the extra work if     
required2 on the other hand1 his heart  
yearned for the fellowship of saints3   
how dear that little classroom seemed to
 him then4  ,all the day his mind dwelt 
upon the subject2 he fancied his own    
accustomed seat empty1 and his leader   
and classmates wondering why he was not 
there2 he prayed earnestly for          
deliverance from this snare1 and yet saw
 no way of escape4  ,evening came1 and  
the usual hour for leaving work1 but no 
bell rang the men out2 on they all went 
at their task1 and ,abe along with the  

rest1 yet all the time he was groaning  
in spirit2 half an hour passed away1    
when the foreman came in4  ,he was a    
hard1 resolute man1 that seemed to have 
neither fear of ,god nor devil before   
his eyes4  ,abe ,lockwood1 said he1     
isn't this thy class noight8  ,abe      
looked up in an instant1 and replied1   
,it is4 ,drop thee wark this minute and 
go then2 if ,i'm going to hell1 ,i won't
 hinder another man from trying to get  
to a better place1 and before ,abe could
 find time to thank him1 he was gone    
again4  ,in a twinkling ,abe was out of 
the place1 and away over ,almondbury    
common1 like a fleet hound just slipt   
from the leash4  ,he went to his        
class-meeting and was very happy there1 
but he did not forget in his own        
happiness to pray for the man who in    
this instance had bowed to the better   
spirit within him1 and shown him such a 
mark of favour4  ,there is a heart in   
every man1 however hard he may be1 and  
when once the ,spirit of ,god assails   

that heart1 ,he may break it1 or at     
least reason it into submission4  ,we   
don't know all the power that ,god has1 
nor the many ways in which ,he can exert
 that power on the minds of men2 we     
often hinder its operation by our want  
of faith4  ,o ,lord1 increase our faith6
  ,then all things are possible to him  
that believeth4  ,for some time ,abe    
continued working at the coal-pit4      
,although he made no complaints1 he     
greatly disliked the employment1 and    
looked forward with intense longing to  
the time when he could again return to  
his own calling4  ,he told the ,lord all
 his heart upon this subject1 and often 
implored ,him to lift him out of the pit
 and bring him again to the employment  
that was more congenial to his feelings4
  ,nor did he pray in vain1 as the      
following incident will show3--,one day 
a gentleman came to the pit1 and said1  
,have you got a man here called ,abe    
,lockwood8  ,on being answered in the   
affirmative1 he expressed a wish to see 

him4  ,abe was at once communicated     
with1 and fetched out of the place where
 he was working4  ,on seeing him all    
begrimed with coal-dust1 the gentleman  
said1 ,i'm sorry to see thee like this1 
,abe2 ,i have been troubled about thee  
for some time4  ,have you1 haa's that1  
maaster8  ,why1 ,i hardly know1 but ,i  
have felt for many a day that ,i ought  
to come and offer thee work in my place1
 and now ,i've come1 and if thou wants  
to leave here1 ,i will find thee        
something to do in my mill4  ,abe's     
grateful heart was almost in his throat2
 his eyes swam in tears1 his face beamed
 with smiles1 and he shouted1           
,hallelujah6  ,when mun ,i come8  ,come 
at once if you can4  ,all roight1 said  
he1 ,i can leave here ony time4  ,i'll  
come i' th' morning2 bless th' ,lord6   
,i knew my ,father would foind me       
another job somewhere4  ,that night he  
went home singing with the usual lump of
 coal on his head4  ,when he got into   
the house he threw it down with a crash 

that startled ,sally1 his wife4  ,there1
 he said1 playfully pretending to be    
vexed1 ,i'll fetch thee na moor coils on
 my yead1 so thaa needn't expect it4    
,what's matter wi' the' naa8 she said1  
looking at him4  ,i tell the' ,i'll     
fetch the' na maar coils1 he responded1 
rubbing his scalp as if it hurt him4    
,well then1 we may as weel let t' fire  
goa aat first as last1 rejoined the good
 wife1 a little ruffled4  ,noa thaa     
shalln't4  ,i loike a gooid foire as    
weel as onybody2 and if thaa grumbles   
ony maar1 ,i weant go to th' pit agean4 
,sally looked hard at him for a moment  
or two1 and in spite of the thick layer 
of coal-dust on his face1 she could see 
there was a smile just underneath       
struggling to burst through4  ,what dost
 ta mean8 she said1 half laughing       
herself4  ,mean6 exclaimed ,abe1 jumping
 from his seat1 and seizing hold of her 
hand1 ,mean6  ,why1 ,i mean that ,i've  
done with coil-pit2 the ,lord has gotten
 me a job in ,huddersfield at my own    

wark1 and ,i'm goin' in th' morning1    
bless th' ,lord6  ,sally smiled1 wiped  
her eyes1 and said quietly1 ,well ,i    
niver2 aye1 but ,i am glad2 come and get
 thee teaa1 my old collier4  ,and that  
night there was sunshine in ,abe's      
cottage hours after the great orb of day
 had gone down and left the world in    
darkness4     ,,chapter ,,ix4  ,salem   
,chapel4  ,close to the entrance of the 
village1 at the top of the main street1 
and within five minutes' walk of the    
railway station1 stands the ,methodist  
,new ,connexion ,chapel of ,berry ,brow4
  ,it is situated on the right-hand side
 of the street coming from              
,huddersfield2 being on lower ground    
than the road1 it has from this point a 
stunted appearance4 ,pursuing the       
decline and curve of the street a little
 further brings you to the vertex of a  
triangle of level ground1 on the base of
 which the chapel stands4  ,it is       
fronted by a graveyard1 whose two sides 
gradually converge towards a little iron

 gateway at the entrance4  ,seen from   
here the chapel presents a more pleasing
 appearance1 though even now an observer
 could not fail to be struck with the   
dwarfish look of the building2 there is 
a want of height to give it proper      
proportion4  ,it shows a plain stone    
front1 which suggests that the good     
people who built it had no money to     
spend in costly ornamentation4 ,,salem1 
the honoured name of the chapel1 is     
inscribed on the front4  ,the           
,sunday-school1 which is of more recent 
date1 stands adjoining it on the left2  
the foreground treasures up the dust of 
many pious pilgrims who1 in the days    
gone by1 came to this house of peace4   
,the chapel has two doors in the front2 
inside1 the appearance is exceedingly   
plain2 the pulpit is stationed with its 
back against the front wall1 and is     
enclosed by a pew that was formerly     
occupied by the choir1 but now mostly by
 the speakers at the public meetings1   
for1 being somewhat elevated1 it serves 

as a permanent platform4  ,the plan of  
the sittings is a simple rising gallery1
 springing from the floor half-way to   
the ceiling1 and traversed by two aisles
 leading direct from either doorway2 in 
a recess abutting through the right-hand
 wall1 the organ is fixed4  ,the chapel 
is capable of accommodating about three 
hundred persons1 though there have been 
times when1 somewhere or other1 it has  
afforded room to much larger numbers of 
people that have crushed within its     
limited space4  ,altogether1 it is a    
plain1 unpretentious structure1 by no   
means equal to the growing requirements 
of the prosperous ,church that worships 
there in these days4  ,salem ,chapel1   
like many other places of worship1 has  
its story1 full of sacred incident and  
interest4  ,it has been the religious   
birthplace of hundreds of precious      
souls1 many of whom are now in glory1   
while others are journeying thitherward4
  ,many of the ablest ministers the     
,methodist ,new ,connexion has ever had1

 have counted it a joy to preach in that
 old sanctuary4  ,several revivals of   
the work of ,god have broken out within 
those walls1 and spread with such       
rapidity and power through the          
neighbourhood1 that ,satan's strongholds
 have trembled before them2 and in the  
great day of the ,lord it will be said  
of ,salem1 ,this and that man were born 
there4  ,but before it was built the    
people used to attend the ,high ,street 
,chapel1 ,huddersfield1 which involved a
 walk of over two miles each way1 and   
this in unfavourable weather was no     
light task4  ,the time came1 however1   
when they began seriously to entertain  
the idea of having a place of worship in
 their own village4  ,abe ,lockwood was 
among the chief advocates of this       
scheme1 and it was mainly owing to his  
activity in the matter that the         
undertaking was at length commenced and 
completed4  ,in the month of ,july      
#ahbc1 ,abe1 full of the new ,chapel    
enterprize1 entered a harvest field     

belonging to ,mr4 ,s---- of ,armitage   
,fold1 where several members of the     
,society were at work1 and took upon    
himself to announce that there would be 
a meeting in a certain house that night1
 for the purpose of considering whether 
they were to have a ,chapel in ,berry   
,brow4  ,the meeting was held1 and the  
decision taken in favour of the         
movement4  ,they would arise and build1 
so in ,god's name they began the work4  
,it was a serious undertaking for them1 
as most of the members were poor working
 people1 but they were in earnest1 and  
at once opened a subscription list1 each
 of them promising something to the fund
 before they went outside to solicit    
help from any one else4  ,they then     
obtained further promises from others1  
and arranged to gather the money by     
weekly instalments1 some being as little
 as a penny4  ,then1 in order to save   
cost as much as possible1 the men       
themselves went and delved in the quarry
 for stones1 and borrowed horses and    

carts of the farmers to remove the      
material to the chapel site1 and when it
 sometimes happened that they could not 
obtain the use of horses1 they got the  
loan of carts1 and the men1 old and     
young1 took the horse-work themselves1  
and drew the stones to the building     
place4  ,in all this ,abe was a foremost
 worker1 toiling early and late1 and    
asking any one and every one to come to 
their help1 by which means they got many
 of the wild young men of the village to
 assist in the work4 ,this did not1     
however1 meet with universal approval2  
there were some few very good people1   
who mostly employed themselves in       
looking on1 giving directions1 and      
finding fault1 who said it was not right
 to bring a lot of ungodly young men    
into a work so sacred2 they expostulated
 with ,abe on the subject1 he being the 
chief cause of their enlistment1 but he 
replied1 ,not roight for them to help in
 building th' ,lord's haase6  ,it must  
be roight2 if they soil th' stones with 

their fingers1 ,god will put them roight
 again when ,he gets into it4  ,i       
wouldn't care if th' devil hissen were  
to come and drag stones for th' place1  
if only ,jesus is preached in it        
afterwards2 so the croakers didn't gain 
anything by their complaints1 except    
rejoinders from ,abe1 which taught them 
a little good sense1 and they went on   
with the building4  ,the foundation     
stone was laid on ,shrove ,tuesday      
#ahbd1 and the chapel was opened for    
religious services on ,good ,friday     
#ahbe4  ,the ,rev4 ,thomas ,allin       
preached on that occasion with his usual
 extraordinary ability4 ,from that time 
until now the cause has never looked    
back1 but has maintained a steady onward
 course4  ,seasons of trial and         
depression have occasionally gathered   
over it like dark clouds1 but the       
earnest band of ,christian people it has
 drawn together1 have been conducted    
under the clouds in safety1 and have    
lived to come out again into the        

sunshine of prosperity4  ,there is not a
 trouble or a joy1 not a throb of sorrow
 or a thrill of delight that ever came  
to that church during those years1 which
 ,abe ,lockwood did not feel4  ,he was  
so mixed and wrapt up in its history and
 workings that he counted its very      
pulsations as distinctly as he felt his 
own4  ,in later years1 when other       
labourers were brought into the church1 
and his services as a local preacher    
came into greater demand1 many of the   
duties involved in conducting the cause 
fell into other hands2 but ,abe's love  
for ,salem never did and never could    
diminish2 to him it was the most        
beautiful sanctuary in the ,circuit or  
out of it2 and there it stands as a     
monument of the zeal and devotion of    
those earnest men who more than fifty   
years ago laid its foundations1 and     
reared its sacred walls in the name of  
the ,lord4  ,they are nearly all gone to
 their reward1 ,abe among them1 but in  
no sense more than this is the          

,scripture fulfilled1 ,he being dead yet
 speaketh4     ,,chapter ,x4  ,abe      
becomes a ,local ,preacher4  ,several   
years had passed away from the date of  
,abe's marriage1 and a family of young  
children had sprung up around him1      
filling his cottage with life1 and      
keeping him and his active wife         
constantly employed to supply their     
daily necessities4  ,hard times they had
 during those years1 but they held on   
their honest way1 content with what they
 got1 and envying no one that was in    
better circumstances than themselves4   
,during all these years ,abe continued a
 devoted follower of ,christ2 he was    
always at the means of grace1 and his   
chief aim was to be a true disciple of  
the cross4  ,at the same time he was    
slowly acquiring ability to speak in the
 meetings with more propriety and       
effect4  ,methodist prayer-meetings and 
class-meetings are excellent training   
schools for public speakers4  ,most of  
the best ministers in ,methodism first  

learnt to talk in these little meetings1
 where they have had1 week by week1     
opportunities of expressing their       
thoughts and feelings upon their        
religious life and experience2 and      
although there are some who have        
profited but very little by the benefits
 afforded in this way1 there are many   
others who have made their way from that
 humble beginning up to the highest     
ranks of the ,christian ministry4  ,in  
this training institution ,abe slowly   
and steadily improved his powers1 till  
some of his friends began to think he   
ought to have his name placed on the    
,circuit plan as an exhorter4  ,it was  
accordingly mentioned to him1 but for   
some time met with no very favourable   
response from ,abe4  ,come on t' plan1  
exclaimed he2 nay1 not soa1 unless you  
want to mak' a clerk o' me2 but ,i can  
say ,amen1 without being planned4       
,however1 circumstances sometimes happen
 which have more force of argument in   
them than anything that men can say4    

,it occasionally transpired1 that some  
local preacher who was planned to preach
 in ,salem ,chapel did not come to his  
appointment1 and some person in the     
congregation had to take the vacant     
place1 and conduct the service as well  
as he might be able without any previous
 preparation4  ,now it appears that ,abe
 found himself placed just in this very 
unenviable position4  ,the congregation 
were all in the chapel2 the hour of     
service had come1 and passed1 yet no    
preacher arrived2 the people were       
whispering and looking at the clock2 one
 brother went to the door to see if     
there were any sign of the preacher's   
coming2 two or three of the leading     
brethren were whispering together1 and  
then one of them came over to ,abe and  
said1 ,i'm afraid there's going to be no
 preacher1 thou'll be like to try and   
talk a bit this morning4  ,me1 noa1 ,i  
canna praach1 mun1 said ,abe1 evidently 
agitated4  ,aye1 but thou can2 thou'll  
have to try1 and we'll pray for thee4   

,abe turned pale1 looked up at the      
little pulpit1 then down on the ground1 
and then said1 ,i've now't to talk      
abaat1 noa1 ,i canna tak' it4  ,then    
another brother came and united his     
persuasion to that of the man already   
with him1 and at length ,abe arose and  
went into the singing pew in front of   
the pulpit1 pale and trembling1 and     
announced a hymn4  ,the service began1  
and grew into a kind of compromise      
between a prayer meeting and preaching4 
,the preacher took a text1 and in his   
own style did his best to speak from the
 words1--the probability is he did speak
 from them1 further from them than      
critical hearers would judge proper1 but
 what of that8  ,he did his best1 and   
there were none in the congregation but 
knew him and knew his consistent life2  
and although what he said was very      
unpreaching-like1 it did not matter2 the
 people were well pleased1 and ,abe was 
very glad when it was over4  ,after the 
first time this occurred again and again

 in ,salem1 until ,abe began to be      
looked upon as the general stop-gap1 as 
they called him4 ,but he was not to     
occupy that post always2 it was only the
 stepping-stone to something else1 for  
by-and-bye some of the local preachers  
would take him out with them to their   
appointments1 and let him talk to the   
people as well as he was able4          
,wherever he went they said he must be  
sure and come again2 he was so quaint1  
droll1 plain1 yet withal so fervent1    
that everyone enjoyed his remarks1 and  
wished to hear him again4  ,about the   
year #ahcc1 and during the ministry of  
the ,revs4 ,j4 ,curtis and ,g4 ,bradshaw
 in the ,huddersfield ,circuit1 an      
incident took place which will give an  
idea of the style of ,abe's early       
preaching efforts4  ,it was on one      
,shrove ,tuesday afternoon that he had  
to preach at ,paddock2--the service was 
at that time conducted in a cottage2--a 
good deal of talk had been indulged in  
by the people in anticipation of ,abe's 

visit1 and a great amount of curiosity  
and interest was excited4 ,the place was
 full4  ,abe arrived1 rubbing his hands1
 and blessing the ,lord1 and immediately
 took his place1 and commenced the      
service4  ,his prayer was like himself1 
rough and earnest2 ,divine power came   
down upon the little company1 and tears 
of joy ran from all eyes4  ,he selected 
a lesson with which he was familiar1 and
 managed the reading very creditably4   
,abe then took his text1 the subject    
being ,abraham offering up his son      
,isaac on ,mount ,moriah4  ,just at that
 moment the ,rev4 ,j4 ,curtis came into 
the service4  ,now the unexpected       
appearance of the ,superintendent       
,minister1 under circumstances like     
those1 would have unnerved most young   
preachers1 but it had no such effect on 
,abe2 he no sooner set his eyes on him1 
than he said1 ,naa thaa sees ,i'm at it1
 we're just baan off to ,mount ,moriah1 
and thaa mun goa too1 and off he went in
 a style peculiarly his own4  ,he drew  

some very amusing pictures of the       
patriarch1 his son1 and the young men   
preparing for the journey2 he had       
,abraham ordering the servant men to do 
this1 fetch that1 undo something else2  
he had a deal of trouble in saddling the
 asses1 those animals exhibiting the    
obstinate tendencies for which their    
descendants are even yet so renowned2   
all was at length ready1 ,abraham and   
his attendants were mounted and setting 
off1 when the door was again opened1 and
 in walked the ,rev4 ,g4 ,bradshaw1 the 
young minister4  ,at sight of him ,abe  
shouted1 ,aye1 lad1 thaa art baan to be 
too late1 we've gotten th' mules saddled
 and had a'most gone withaat thee1 but  
niver moind1 thaa mun catch a mule for  
theesen1 and come on behind4  ,so away  
they went1 ,abe taking the lead1 and the
 people mentally following4  ,he        
preached them such a sermon as they had 
never heard in their lives--nor anybody 
else4  ,now they laughed at his odd     
sayings and grotesque pictures1 and then

 with melting feelings they praised ,god
 as they listened to some of the simple 
yet truly beautiful sayings which fell  
from his lips4  ,as a sermon1 there was 
enough to find fault with1 for he knew  
nothing about the art of sermonizing1   
and cared as little2 but it was so full 
of homely truth and spiritual feeling1  
that every one1 ministers not excepted1 
forgave the faults1 and said it was a   
means of grace4  ,in this way ,abe      
continued for some time1 occasionally   
preaching without being officially      
recognized1 but at length his name was  
placed on the plan as a local preacher  
on trial4  ,when the term of his        
probation was almost expired1 ,abe was  
required to preach one week-night in    
,high ,street ,chapel1 ,huddersfield4   
,,his ,,trial ,,sermon4  ,it was a      
terrible trial for him1 which appears   
strange1 considering how easy he felt   
when the ,circuit ministers heard him in
 the little room at ,paddock1 yet so it 
was2 and as the time came on1 ,abe      

thought he never could show his face in 
,high ,street4  ,had it been anywhere   
else he would not have cared1 but he had
 a dread of the ,circuit ,chapel4  ,he  
had gone to several of the country      
places during the year1 and sometimes   
did very well2 but then1 he felt at home
 among the plain village people2 they   
could understand his broad vernacular1  
and make allowance for his blunders1    
which he knew were not a few1 but in    
,high ,street everything was different4 
,he thought they could not exercise the 
same forbearance towards him1 and so he 
shrank from the task4  ,but then he     
remembered it was not a place of his own
 seeking2 that it was a trial which     
other plain men had undergone before    
him1 and would do again1 and he could   
not expect more favour than his         
brethren2 so he must go and do his best1
 trusting in the ,lord for help4  ,and  
that evening ,sally brushed him up1 and 
had his clogs polished1 and away he went
 to ,huddersfield4  ,there was a good   

congregation to hear him1 and among     
others several local preachers4  ,abe   
was very nervous1 and everything around 
conspired to make him so4  ,he was in   
,high ,street ,chapel1 awful2 he had to 
preach1 worse2 to preach a trial sermon1
 worse than ever2 before all these grand
 folks1 and in the presence of the      
,superintendent1 it was blinding1       
sickening1 confounding4  ,he started at 
the sound of his own voice1 and when he 
tried to speak1 he somehow said just    
what he didn't intend1 and made more    
mistakes than he had either time or     
sense to rectify2 then1 whenever he     
moved his feet1 his clogs clamped on the
 floor in such a way as he had never    
heard them anywhere else2 he was in a   
fever of excitement and fear4  ,however1
 he had to preach2 so having announced  
his text1 he commenced his sermon1 but  
it was evidently hard for him to say    
anything2 he tried and tried1 rolled his
 eyes up and all around1 clasped his    
hands1 uttered a few sentences1         

scratched his head1 and exclaimed1      
,friends1 ,i'm plogged 7meaning he could
 not go on71 she weant goa2 if this is  
preaching trial sermon1 ,i'll niver try 
another2 we'll be like to swap texts    
7try another text74  ,now while he was  
finding another text1 the congregation  
sang a hymn1 and by the time this was   
done1 ,abe was ready with his text1     
which he announced and again started to 
speak1 but with no greater success1 for 
it seemed as if all his ideas were gone 
wool-gathering4  ,he coughed1 stammered1
 and sweat at every pore1 but brought   
forth nothing else2 an encouraging word 
or two from one of the brethren was very
 welcome at that moment1 for looking    
towards him1 ,abe said1 ,she weant goa1 
but we'll try another4  ,twice breaking 
down in one service would have satisfied
 any ordinary man in his circumstances1 
and so daunted many as that they would  
never have been heard of again2 but ,abe
 was no ordinary man1 and was not soon  
killed2 he had come there to try to     

preach1 and it was evident to everyone  
that he was trying2 he knew that if he  
made another attempt he could not do    
worse than he had done1 and he might do 
better1 and if he did break down there  
would not be anything very unusual in   
it1 seeing it would make the third time1
 so he found another text and announced 
it4  ,everybody was wide awake and ready
 for another stop1 but ,abe smiled1     
brightened up1 and went on2 ,she's baan 
to goa this time1 ,i do believe1 said   
he1 and so it proved1 for when he got   
into his subject he spoke very fluently1
 sensibly1 and naturally1 and all       
present felt that ,abe could preach when
 he got started1 and how could he or any
 one else preach without starting8  ,a  
short time after this eventful service  
,abe had to pass through another trying 
ordeal4  ,his case had to come before   
the ,circuit quarterly meeting1 the     
tribunal which has made many an innocent
 man tremble4  ,there he had to be      
examined as to his acquaintance with and

 belief in the ,methodist doctrines1    
rules1 etc4  ,what may have been the    
merits of this examination we are unable
 to state2 probably there was a good    
deal of leniency shown by the meeting   
towards ,abe4  ,if he was deficient on  
some points1 he compensated in others2  
if he could not define and defend all   
the articles of our faith1 he could     
believe them as fully as any one else2  
be that as it may1 there was no serious 
objection taken to him on the ground of 
his examination1 but the affair of the  
trial sermon was not so soon got over1  
and a good deal of special pleading had 
to be done for him by his friends1 which
 is no unusual thing when the merits of 
a candidate are under discussion4 ,that 
swapping of texts no less than three    
times was a very extraordinary feature  
in the case1 and called forth some      
severe censures4  ,a man that did so    
could not be fit to come on the ,circuit
 plan as an accredited local preacher1  
so some in the meeting felt and said2   

but others thought differently2 they    
could not but admit that under the      
circumstances he had done a good thing  
even in changing texts the third time1  
and why impeach the man for doing a good
 thing8  ,the man who changes horses in 
crossing a stream may incur great risks2
 but if the horse he is riding be       
sinking under him1 he must change seats 
or sink too1 and this is just what ,abe 
did1 and the outcome showed that he did 
the best thing1 for the third horse     
carried him over4  ,he at least         
possessed an amount of perseverance     
which few men in similar circumstances  
would have exhibited2 then he must not  
be estimated solely by what he was when 
under trial in ,high ,street chapel4    
,how had he done in other places8  ,here
 the tide began to tell in his favour1  
as first one and then another spoke in  
commendation of his labour in other     
places1 and at length ,brother ,haigh   
rose and said1 ,abe ,lockwood was with  
me on ,sunday night at ,mills ,bridge2  

,i heard him preach1 and he did my soul 
good4  ,after the sermon an old man     
seventy years of age came out1 sought   
the ,lord1 and found ,him2 that old man 
was impressed under ,abe's sermon1 which
 shows that ,god can do with his        
preaching4  ,what matter if he does     
sometimes break down in his sermons8 he 
knows how to break sinners down too1 and
 after all1 that is the best sort of    
preaching4  ,he was at once cordially   
received into the ranks of the local    
preachers1 and appeared as such in      
,january #ahcg2 and from that time to   
the end of his life was as earnest1     
devoted1 and popular as any man among   
that band1 as worthy a band of men as   
ever worked a ,methodist circuit4  ,so  
,abe became a local preacher1 and while 
he always felt and said that the office 
honoured him1 he1 on the other hand1 did
 his utmost to honour the position which
 the ,church had called him to occupy4  
,methodism owes very much to those      
brave1 earnest1 and godly men who have1 

during all her history1 through all her 
struggles1 laboured cheerfully on1 year 
after year1 often at immense personal   
sacrifice and suffering1 carrying the   
tidings of salvation to outstanding     
districts1 which would seldom have heard
 the ,gospel but for their disinterested
 services4  ,their toils cannot have    
been for worldly honours1 where could   
they win them8  ,they cannot have been  
for pecuniary gain1 because their       
labours have ever been gratuitous1 and  
often expensive to themselves2--pelted  
with hailstones1 dripping with rain1    
torn by storms1 blistered with sun-heat1
 in all parts of the land1 over miles of
 barren hills and wild moor1 through    
dirty lanes and new-ploughed fields1    
giving ungrudgingly of their strength2  
,sunday after ,sunday leaving the home  
enjoyments of their family and the      
sanctuary to carry the ,gospel of       
,christ to those afar off4  ,what will  
the ,master do to those brave labourers 
of ,his in the day of award8  ,he will  

make them great in the ,kingdom of      
,heaven4     ,,chapter ,,xi  ,in        
,practice4  ,we may now consider that   
,abe had really commenced practice as a 
local preacher1 and before long the     
numerous demands made upon him          
professionally showed the estimation in 
which he was held among the people4     
,but there was one thing which gave him 
considerable trouble1 and that was his  
preparation for the pulpit4  ,this was a
 great toil to him1 but he counted      
himself abundantly rewarded when he     
found that ,god made his simple1 earnest
 sayings a blessing to the people to    
whom he preached4  ,abe had no quiet    
room in his house into which he could   
retire for the purpose of meditation4   
,his home was full of children1 and each
 of the little rooms resounded with     
their merry or troubled outcries from   
morning till night4  ,his study was     
elsewhere4  ,there was one spot more    
sacred to him than any other in the     
world1 and that was at the old tree-root

 on ,almondbury ,common1 where1 years   
before1 he found the blessing of ,divine
 pardon4  ,to that ,bethel he often     
turned his steps1 and there would he run
 through his sermons with no audience   
but the old tree and the little brook2  
and although his earnest addresses      
produced no manifest change either on   
the stoical old elm1 or the unstable    
stream1 the practice of speaking did him
 good1 and helped to make him more      
effective when he came to address a more
 appreciative assembly4  ,his frequent  
visits to this sacred and secret spot   
began1 by-and-by1 to be known among his 
acquaintances1 and some of them         
determined to go and watch him1 and make
 fun of it4  ,they accordingly went and 
hid themselves where they could both see
 and hear all that passed4  ,abe came   
and began the service1 prayed and       
preached with great liberty1 considering
 the irresponsive audience before him2  
but while he was preaching and pointing 
out the folly and danger of sin1 and    

exhorting to repentance1 his words were 
reaching unknown ears1 and searching    
their way into more hearts than he was  
aware of4  ,these spies were caught in  
their own net2 they felt the truth of   
the simple preaching4 ,they knew those  
words applied more to themselves than   
anything else4 ,they listened in fear   
and silence1 and when they would gladly 
have got beyond the sound of his voice1 
they dared not move lest he should      
discover them1 and make his discourse   
even more personal4  ,when the preacher 
had prayed earnestly1 and had retired   
from his rural sanctuary1 the hidden and
 moveable part of his congregation were 
glad to get away4  ,some of the callous 
ones endeavoured afterwards to chaff    
,abe about the open-air service1 but    
most of them were glad to say nothing on
 the subject1 inwardly determining never
 again to venture profanely within the  
sacred precincts of the good man's      
sanctuary4  ,abe gradually grew in the  
esteem of the people throughout the     

entire ,circuit1 so that his coming to  
preach was quite an event of interest   
among them4  ,they knew he was in       
earnest for his ,master's glory2 and    
though he sometimes said and did things 
which some men would shrink from1 and   
some would condemn if done by others1 no
 one was displeased at them in little   
,abe4  ,he was a favourite1 and special 
privileges were accorded him1 so that he
 could say and do just as he pleased4   
,he knew this quite well1 and1 though he
 seldom fell into the error of using it 
as a license1 it had the effect of      
bringing him out in his own true        
character4  ,sometimes he became very   
happy in the pulpit1 and fairly jumped  
for joy4  ,he was preaching at ,shepley1
 and1 as was his frequent custom1 he had
 a brother local preacher in the pulpit 
with him1 to assist in the preliminary  
exercises4  ,on this occasion our old   
friend ,t4 ,holden acted as his curate4 
,abe was blessed with great liberty     
during the delivery of the sermon3 he   

wept1 clapped his hands1 stamped his    
feet1 and rattled his clogs together4   
,brother ,holden shuffled about to make 
room for him as well as he could in the 
narrow area of the pulpit1 but he was   
not quick enough2 down came ,abe's foot 
on the curate's toes1 almost capsizing  
the preacher1 without in the least      
disconcerting him4  ,moind thee toas1   
lad1 steam's up1 ,i mun jump a bit4     
,and he did jump1 the more freely1 too1 
when his assistant retired from his     
exalted position1 and left him all the  
pulpit to himself4  ,it is evident from 
this little event just narrated1 and    
others which might be given1 that ,abe  
did1 in time1 overcome his nervousness  
in the pulpit2 being plogged1 and       
breaking down1 became things of the     
past1 and he began to feel as much at   
home in the pulpit as in his own house4 
,so far did he show that practice makes 
perfect4     ,,chapter ,,xii4           
,butterfly ,preachers4  ,abe had no     
sympathy with men who allowed themselves

 to be called preachers1 and yet could  
treat with indifference the work which  
was allotted to them on the ,circuit    
plan2 men who seldom made their minds up
 to go to their work1 until they saw    
what kind of weather it was likely to   
be2 men who didn't like going out in the
 rain for fear of getting damp1 nor in  
the wind because it exhausted them1 nor 
in the sun because it broiled them1 nor 
in the dark for fear they might miss    
their way4  ,he called them ,butterfly  
preachers1 and often declared he would  
be ashamed to be counted among them4    
,yet he did not lay all the blame of    
their conduct upon the shoulders of     
these men1 because he thought the people
 helped in some measure to put butterfly
 notions into their minds4  ,if a good  
man came to his appointment through the 
rain and wind1 and got somewhat badly   
used by the weather1 someone was almost 
sure to say something to frighten and   
dishearten him from ever doing so again4
  ,oh dear1 have you come in all this   

rain8  ,well1 ,i hardly thought you     
would be here2 nobody could blame you   
for staying at home on such a day2 you  
are very wet1 you'll be sure to take    
cold and be laid up1 and ,abe used to   
say that kind of talk was enough to give
 a chill to any man1 and tempt him to   
stay at home next time for fear it might
 rain4  ,it did not make any difference 
to him1 however2 he went in all         
weathers1 rain or sunshine1 winter and  
summer4  ,there is a little ditty he    
used to sing--    ,come rain or come    
blow1   ,a ,methodist preacher1 ,i must 
go4  ,one ,sunday morning he was planned
 to preach at ,shepley1 and it was      
pouring down rain4  ,he1 however1 set   
off under his umbrella2 but long before 
he reached his destination he was       
drenched to the skin4  ,prior to going  
into the chapel he called at the house  
where he was going to dine that day2 the
 good woman was grieved to see him in   
such a condition4  ,dear me1 said she1  
you are almost drowned2 come in1 take   

your wet clothes off1 and go to bed4    
,nay1 nay1 replied ,abe1 yo' mun't tak' 
me for a butterfly preacher2 ,i'm noan  
going to bed i' dayloight1 ,i'm baan to 
praach4  ,and turning to her husband1   
who was a big man1 he said1 ,thaa mun   
lend me some o' thy claathes4  ,the     
proposal to adorn himself in his host's 
clothes seemed so ridiculous1           
considering that ,abe was a little man1 
that both husband and wife laughed right
 out4  ,aye1 said the man1 thou would   
look a queer butterfly going into th'   
pulpit in my wings4  ,but ,abe wasn't to
 be put off3 ,come1 said he1 thaa mun   
foind me some o' thy claathes4  ,they   
found him a spare suit1 and in a few    
minutes he came downstairs fully        
attired1 and presenting such a figure   
that the man and his wife were almost   
ill with laughing at him4  ,it signified
 nothing to ,abe who laughed or who     
didn't2 off he went to chapel4  ,he was 
a few minutes late1 and most of the     
congregation were in their places4  ,he 

was therefore very eager to get to the  
pulpit2 but in going across the chapel  
for this purpose1 one of his borrowed   
shoes slipped off1 which brought him to 
a sudden standstill1 and caused special 
attention to be drawn to his singular   
outfit2 and the moment the people       
comprehended the state of things1 it was
 impossible to suppress a laugh in old  
or young2 and yet while they laughed at 
his odd figure1 their hearts warmed     
towards him as they thought of his zeal 
in coming so far1 on such a day1 to     
preach to them4  ,that morning ,abe had 
a good time in the pulpit4  ,he was very
 lively1 and knocked about a good deal2 
but it was noticed that he had          
frequently to be looking down on the    
pulpit floor1 and shuffling about with  
his feet4  ,it afterwards came out1     
that1 in his excited moments1 he had    
dropped his shoes off1 and in getting   
them on again1 had mixed them1 and put  
his feet into the wrong receptacles4    
,this occasioned him a considerable     

amount of inconvenience1 which          
ultimately exhausted his patience4  ,he 
kicked the shoes aside1 and said1 ,i    
have been trying all th' mornin' to     
stand in another man's shoes1 and ,i    
canna' manage it2 ,i'm in borrowed      
claathes1 too1 but1 thank ,god1 my      
sermon is my own4 ,this little diversion
 set him off in another direction1 and  
he turned the incident to such good and 
practical account1 showing that ,jesus  
once stood in our place and bore our    
stripes1 that many have long remembered 
that service with very great pleasure4  
,,toiling ,,on4  ,on one occasion1 when 
going to a distant appointment1 his zeal
 was put to the test in such a degree   
that surely he would have been excusable
 if he had turned back and gone home    
again4  ,abe had a dread of             
disappointing a congregation4  ,he used 
to say1 ,if ,i slip them once1 two to   
one they'll pay me back2 noa1 ,i mun    
goa4  ,he had to set out one ,sunday    
morning in a pelting rain for a walk of 

about six miles4  ,it had been raining  
more or less for several days2 the roads
 were in a sad condition for a          
travelling praacher1 as he often styled 
himself4  ,the streams by the roadside  
were swollen over1 and pouring their    
abundance out on the highroad1 until it 
was very little better than a bog4      
,under these circumstances the wet soon 
found its way through ,abe's boots and  
clothes4  ,ne'er moind1 he said to      
himself1 ,i'll find some dry claathes   
when ,i get there4  ,so on he went over 
the rough bleak hill that wouldn't      
afford shelter for a rabbit1 much less  
for a man1 down the steep slope1 through
 the running gutters of water4  ,aye    
dear1 said he1 ,i'm weshing my feet     
withaat taking my booits off4  ,at the  
bottom of the hill1 known as ,stone's   
,wood ,bottom1 he was brought to a      
standstill4  ,along this bottom runs the
 river which takes the course of the    
valley through ,berry ,brow1 before     
named2 it was here spanned by a good    

strong bridge1 having a wall on either  
side4 ,the water in the river had risen 
so high with the rainfall1 that it ran  
right over the bridge at both ends1 and 
threatened to carry it away2 all the low
 ground about the bridge was under water
 to some depth1 and hereby ,abe was     
brought to a halt4  ,his only way was   
over that bridge1 and now that was not  
available4  ,well1 thought he1 ,i'm done
 this time2 haa can ,i get over8        
,further up and down the river was      
swollen1 over its boundaries1 and was   
out into the fields1 while at the bridge
 it rushed along like a torrent4  ,naa1 
,lord1 ,abe began1 ,thaa knows where    
,i'm plann'd to-day1 and ,thaa knows    
this is my only rooad to th' place2     
that's ,thy watter1 and ,i'm ,thy       
sarvant2 ,i mun be over somehaa2 tak'   
care o' my body while ,i try4  ,and into
 the water he plunged1 and made straight
 for the bridge4  ,on reaching this he  
tucked his umbrella under one arm1 and  
climbed up on the wall of the bridge1   

and scrambled across on his hands and   
knees1 while the torrent rushed along   
underneath at a horse-pace4  ,had he    
fallen into the water he would probably 
have been found drowned on one of the   
banks down the river1 but it was not    
permitted4  ,bless the ,lord1 he        
exclaimed1 when he was safe on the other
 side1 ,i'm over6  ,ah6 but ,i'll do    
better nor that when ,i come to pass the
 swellings o' ,jordan6  ,hallelujah6    
,i'll go over ,jordan withaat wetting a 
threead on me6  ,so thou wilt1 ,abe4    
,jordan's waves could not harm a brave1 
,god-fearing1 and ,god-honouring man    
like thee2 they know a true-born saint  
by the tramp of his foot in the darkest 
night of death1 and on his approach1    
they fall back into line like ,royal    
,guards when the king goes past4        
,though waves and storms go o'er my     
head1   ,though strength1 and health1   
and friends be gone2   ,though joys be  
withered all and dead1   ,though every  
comfort be withdrawn2   ,on this my     

steadfast soul relies1   ,father1 ,thy  
mercy never dies4     ,,chapter ,,xiii4 
,various ,ways out of ,difficulties4    
,almost any one can get into trouble1   
but it is not always so easy for any one
 to get out again4  ,abe knew both      
ways1--the way in and the way out1--and 
many a time he had to run the gauntlet1 
and save himself as best he could4      
,there is an amusing story told of a    
little passage which the ,rev4 ,p4 ,j4  
,wright once had with him4  ,they met on
 a ,sunday morning at the ,honley       
railway station4  ,mr4 ,wright was at   
that time ,superintendent of the        
,circuit1 and was on his way to preach  
at ,woodroyd1 whilst ,abe was going to  
,honley on a similar errand4  ,after    
exchanging the ordinary salutations1 the
 reverend gentleman said1 ,well1 ,abe1  
what are you going to give them at      
,honley this morning8  ,on being        
informed of ,abe's subject1 he further  
inquired how he intended to treat it2   
whereupon his companion began to give an

 outline of his sermon4  ,when he had   
finished1 his interrogator rejoined1    
,why1 you are wrong1 altogether1 ,abe1  
you must change the order of your       
divisions1 and put the first last1 and  
the last first2 you have got the cart   
before the horse4 ,ne'er moind1 said    
,abe1 ,i'll back her up th' hill4       
,good-morning1 sir4  ,cart before the   
horse was no insuperable difficulty with
 ,abe2 he knew how to manage his own    
pony1 and must drive in his own way2 he 
was not very particular which came first
 so long as he could mak' her goa4  ,he 
took what suited his mind best1 and paid
 very little attention to the rules of  
sermonizing2 he was in this respect a   
law unto himself1 and the favour with   
which his humble ministrations were     
received was a sufficient excuse for    
him4  ,we have heard a sermon described 
as a thing having three or more heads2  
it is said to be sometimes altogether   
void of body or matter of any sort2 at  
other times it appears as a skeleton1   

without form or comeliness1 having only 
the barest outline4  ,perhaps this in   
some measure explains why some people so
 seldom attend our places of worship2   
they fear to come within the reach of a 
sermon1 and therefore stay away1--they  
have heard of some persons that have    
been actually struck with a sermon1 and 
of others being fastened to their seats 
by it2 how dreadful6  ,ah1 anything will
 do for an excuse when people don't want
 to go to the ,lord's house2 a poor     
excuse is said to be better than none at
 all1 but in this case we doubt the     
wisdom of that saying4  ,abe ,lockwood  
was not very particular about the number
 of heads in his sermons1 or whether    
they had any heads at all2 his care was 
that the sermon should have some soul in
 it1 wherefrom mainly resulted his power
 in the pulpit4  ,there is sometimes    
very great danger of sermonizing all the
 force out of a discourse2 making it so 
very proper that it serves more as an   
ornament than a thing of practical use2 

it appears more a work of art than a    
work of heart4  ,abe didn't profess to  
understand the rules of sermonizing1 nor
 did he make any particular effort in   
that direction2 as may be supposed1     
therefore1 he was often disconnected and
 irregular1 but he knew nothing about   
it1 and nobody else cared2 people liked 
him as he was4  ,his sentences were not 
like beautiful stones turned and        
polished by the hand of a lapidary1 but 
they were rough lumps1 in all shapes1   
broken from the great rock of ,gospel   
truth1 having their sharp points and    
jagged edges on them2 the consequence   
being that when slung from the hand of  
this humble champion they left a mark   
wherever they struck4  ,he didn't care  
for that round1 smooth kind of preaching
 which always rolls off2 he liked the   
word to strike1 mark1 and abide where it
 fell4  ,he had no sympathy with        
high-flown sermons which shut out the   
,cross of ,jesus and those good old     
,gospel truths associated with that dear

 emblem of ,god's love to the world4    
,if such a discourse were delivered in  
his hearing he was sure to say something
 about it4 ,praacher brought us a lot of
 butterflies and fancy birds and let 'em
 fly abaat th' chapel1 and while we wore
 starin' abaat after th' birds1 we niver
 gat a soight o' th' ,cross4  ,a young  
student from ,ranmoor ,college came to  
preach at ,berry ,brow4  ,abe was in the
 vestry waiting to see him before he    
went into the pulpit4 ,he shook him     
warmly by the hand and blessed him1 then
 added in his own droll but kind way1   
,naa1 my lad1 don't let's hav' ony      
starry heavens t' day1 tak' us t' th'   
,cross6  ,had ,abe known this young man 
he would also have known there was no   
need to exhort him to tak' them t' th'  
,cross4  ,the fact was1 ,abe didn't want
 to follow any astronomical preacher all
 through the heavens1 striding from star
 to star with scales in his hand trying 
their weight1 sizes1 and distances6     
,the ,cross was his watchword and       

rallying-point2 there he loved to begin1
 and there he would always end4  ,christ
 the ,redeemer was his star1 and in the 
clear unclouded view of that ,divine orb
 he was happy whoever was the preacher4 
,,pucker ,,it ,,in1 ,,lads4  ,in his    
pulpit exercises ,abe generally enjoyed 
great self-command1 and things which    
would have disabled many a man in the   
same position1 had little or no effect  
on him4  ,this was not always the case1 
as we shall have occasion to show1 but  
usually nothing disturbed the even      
balance of his mind4  ,we have already  
seen how if a text wouldn't goa1 he     
could swap for another that would goa4  
,so if he failed to get hold of a       
thought which had been in his mind      
before1 he did not trouble himself about
 the matter2 he would just tell the     
people he had forgotten th' next idea1  
and then pass on to something else4     
,his self-possession stood him in good  
stead one day1 and helped to carry      
others through a trouble as well4  ,he  

was in one of the country pulpits1 and  
had just announced the second hymn1     
which was a long metre4  ,the choir     
commenced to sing a common metre tune to
 the hymn1 but before they had got      
through the second line they found out  
the mistake1 and one after another      
dropped their voices and ceased to sing4
 ,one tenacious brother1 who did not    
like to be beaten1 held on1 and made a  
jumble of the words for a few moments1  
and then he stopped2 whereupon ,abe     
clapped his hands1 and turning around to
 the choir1 he exclaimed1 ,ne'er moind1 
lads1 pucker it in6 pucker it in6       
,onybody can mak' a long metre tune goa 
to a long metre hymn1 but yo' mun beat  
that1 and then he joined heartily in the
 puckering exercise1 and helped them    
through their trouble4   ,,bread ,,of   
,,life ,,free4  ,at another time he had 
been preaching about the ,gospel being  
the bread of life for the world1 and    
showing up its qualities and worth2     
especially did he dwell upon its        

freeness for all1 that it could be had  
without money and without price2 this   
was his last point1 and he made much of 
it4  ,now it so happened that           
immediately on concluding his sermon he 
had to announce a collection4  ,on      
sitting down in the pulpit while it was 
being made1 the thought flashed into his
 mind that he had contradicted his own  
teachings by announcing that collection4
  ,he knew where the snare had come     
from1 and at once in his own way broke  
it asunder4  ,rising again to his feet  
and bending over the pulpit front1 he   
cast his eyes around the chapel as if   
trying to find someone4  ,i know that   
voice1 he began1 it's the devil's4      
,every eye was on him in a moment4      
,what does thaa say8  ,that ,i ha' not  
been spaking th' truth1 because ,i      
telled them th' bread of life wor free1 
and naa ,i'm asking th' people to pay   
for it4  ,thaa knaws as weall as ,i do  
th' bread is ,,free1 but we mun pay for 
th' baking4  ,mak' th' collection1      

friends1 to pay for th' baking1 and     
ne'er moind him4  ,we need hardly say   
the people gave willingly to this       
collection1 for they knew very well that
 though the ,gospel was free to the     
whole world1 expenses were incurred in  
carrying on ,god's work which they      
should help to disburse1 so ,abe got out
 of that difficulty4   ,,my ,,god       
,,shall ,,supply ,,all ,,your ,,need4   
,the ,wesleyan ,superintendent ,minister
 was planned to preach one week-night   
near ,berry ,brow1 and on some account  
he could not attend4  ,a substitute had 
to be found1 and ,abe was waited on     
during the day1 to see if he would act  
in that capacity4  ,i'll try1 he said1  
and accordingly when the time came he   
set out for the chapel4  ,some of the   
congregation knew who was to preach1    
others did not4  ,at length the door    
opened1 and in walked ,abe1 and made    
straight for the pulpit1 clamp1 clamp1  
with his wooden clogs on the floor and  
up the pulpit stairs4  ,he began the    

service with the usual smile on his     
face2 then he announced his text1 ,my   
,god shall supply all your need1 and    
closed the ,bible as he always did as   
soon as the text was read4  ,naa1 said  
he1 ,i knaw some o' yo are disappointed 
at seeing me here instead of your       
praacher1 but it was oather me or       
nobody4  ,naa1 if th' travelling        
praacher had come to-noight1 he moight  
easily ha' praached a much better sermon
 than ,i can1 but ,i'll defy him or     
onybody else to foind a grander text    
than this2 it's a raight un1 and it's   
your own fault if you doan't get some   
good aat on't3 if the ,lord had thought 
you needed it1 ,he would have sent you  
somebody better than me1 for ,he will   
supply all your need4  ,the congregation
 saw at once the condition they would   
have been in if ,abe had not come to    
their help4  ,they smiled at his        
remarks1 and from that moment forgot    
their disappointment1 nor did they think
 of it again during all that service4   

,thus ,abe's tact in managing people    
helped him happily through this         
difficulty1 as it had through many      
others in his lifetime4     ,,chapter   
,,xiv4  ,abe's ,titles and ,troubles4   
,it is time we said something on this   
subject1 as we are come to the stage in 
his life when he began to be known by   
various dignified ecclesiastical titles4
  ,he loved his own plain name1 ,abe    
,lockwood1 better than any other1 and   
therefore wanted no improvement4  ,that 
was the name in the roll of the ,church1
 and that was the name written in the   
,lamb's book of life2 he wanted no      
other4  ,if any one addressed him as    
,mr4 ,lockwood he would often break in1 
,they call me ,abe ,lockwood6 and this  
was no pretended humility on his part1  
but the expression of a sincere         
preference for the name by which he had 
always been known among his friends3 but
 the time came when it was impossible   
for him to resist the universal custom  
of saluting him by some title1 so he had

 to yield to the inevitable4  ,a story  
is told1 how that on one occasion a     
parcel of clothes came to the house for 
his wife and children4  ,it was wrapped 
in strong brown paper1 and on the       
address-label was written ,abraham      
,lockwood1 ,esq4 ,soon after this1 he   
was taking part in a public meeting in  
the place from which the present was    
supposed to have come1 and in his speech
 he thanked the unknown donor2 and      
having done this1 he proceeded to       
correct a mistake which1 he said1 had   
occurred2 the person who sent him that  
parcel had addressed him as ,esquire4   
,naa1 said he1 ,i doan't stand much upon
 titles1 but if ,i am to have ony1 ,i   
think ,i ought to have what falls to me 
by my birth4  ,yo' know1 ,i'm a ,prince 
of th' ,royal ,family1 ,i'm a ,king's   
,son1 my ,father is th' ,king of ,glory1
 and no man can say that1 unless he is  
born of ,god1 and ,i am1 ,hallelujah6   
,although there may not be anything     
original in this1 yet the happy way in  

which he worked it into his speech1 and 
the use he made of it to show the       
necessity of the new birth1 was         
exceedingly pleasing4  ,the title of    
,bishop1 or ,bishop of ,berry ,brow1 was
 one of those by which he became        
familiarly known4  ,this arose out of   
the position he held in the society     
there1 almost like that of father among 
the members1 and also from the amount of
 preaching he did all over the ,circuit4
  ,although this very reverend title    
brought him no increase to his stipend1 
nor any change in his social standing1  
it helped to show the general feeling   
with which he was everywhere regarded4  
,but the designation by which he was    
most familiarly known was ,,little      
,,abe4  ,this came into every-day use1  
and was unconsciously adopted by almost 
every person either in speaking to him1 
or speaking of him4 ,even the little    
children in the streets and in the      
,sunday ,schools1 hearing it from their 
elders1 insensibly fell into the habit  

of styling him ,little ,abe4  ,as this  
title is somewhat expressive of size1 it
 may be well to convey some idea of     
,,abe',s ,,personal ,,appearance  ,he   
was below the average height and of     
slender build1 yet withal a tough little
 man1 and capable of performing as much 
work1 and enduring as great fatigue1 as 
men who are much bigger and stouter     
made4  ,abe used playfully to say1 ,good
 stuff is mostly wrapped in small       
parcels4 ,a penny is a great deal bigger
 than a sovereign1 but yo' all know     
which to tak' when yo' have your choice4
  ,i'm nobbut a little un1 but bless    
,god1 ,i'm big enough for th' ,holy     
,ghost to dwell in4  ,i doan't tak' up  
much room in th' world1 but ,i'm as     
happy as if ,i were as big as ,berry    
,braa ,church4  ,i'm a little un mysen1 
but my ,father is greater than all4     
,his face was one of the happiest it was
 ever our good fortune to meet with4  ,a
 smooth1 round1 ruddy1 comfortable face1
 over which the razor had almost        

unlimited sway2 his mouth was always in 
shape for a smile2 his eyes were of a   
light blue colour1 and twinkled with    
life and vivacity2 his hair was always  
brushed back behind his ears1           
terminating behind in a pretty little   
natural curl and whether it had the     
black gloss of his younger days1 or the 
snowy white of old age1 it was always   
neat and orderly4  ,in early life he was
 very proud of his hair1 and bestowed a 
great deal of care in its cultivation   
and arrangement4  ,when he became       
converted1 ,abe's hair underwent a      
marvellous change4  ,the beautiful locks
 which had been so much admired and     
preserved with such care1 were roughly  
taken off by the family scissors and    
thrown into the fire1 and while they    
frizzled into smoke1 ,abe felt he had   
done the right thing in casting down    
every idol and putting away every mark  
of pride4  ,many and many a time in     
after years would he say to his wife1   
,naa then1 lass1 where's th' shears8    

,thaa mun clip my locks agean4 ,samson  
gat clipt by his wife1 and he were worth
 nought after1 but thy shears mak's me  
strong4  ,then ,sally would gently snip 
the ends of the curling fringe all      
around1 while ,abe1 by way of           
encouraging her1 would put in1 ,we mun  
shun th' appearance of evil1 thaa knows2
 cut a bit more1 lass2 and then she     
would very reluctantly sever another    
lock or two1 until he could be persuaded
 enough was taken off4  ,abe was in the 
latter part of his life particularly    
neat in his attire1 wearing an orthodox 
suit of black cloth1 and cut in the     
,methodist preacher style4  ,he wasn't  
at all sparing in white neckcloth1 for  
he wore one that travelled around and   
around his neck in such profusion1 that 
it might have been intended as an extra 
security against the loss of his head4  
,altogether he was quite the type of an 
old-fashioned ,methodist preacher4  ,in 
the pulpit his appearance was           
exceedingly prepossessing2 he always had

 a smile on his face while talking1 as  
if he thoroughly enjoyed the good news  
he was telling to others4  ,in beginning
 to speak1 or when about to say         
something which he thought particularly 
good1 he had a way of holding his head a
 little over on one side1 and clapping  
his hands together4  ,these movements1  
accompanied with an occasional shrug of 
his shoulders1 were among the general   
signs that the ,little ,bishop was      
having a good time1 and when ,abe was   
happy in his work1 everyone that heard  
him had a liberal share of enjoyment and
 profit as well4  ,but of course1 like  
other men1 he sometimes felt the misery 
of preaching in what he quaintly and    
appropriately called   ,,the ,,tight    
,,jacket4  ,taking into account the want
 of education from which he suffered1   
the disadvantages he was at in preparing
 for his public duties1 as well as other
 occasional depressing circumstances1 we
 cannot wonder that he should sometimes 
have been the subject of the most       

painful restraints1 likened by him to a 
tight jacket4  ,there was a wonderful   
difference in his preaching when he had 
one of these hard times1 and when he    
enjoyed liberty4  ,if in the latter     
mood1 as was generally the case1 his    
tongue was like the pen of a ready      
writer1 and streams of beautiful truth1 
sparkling with pious humour and         
accompanied with striking original      
illustrations1 would pour from his lips2
 but if he had the tight jacket on1 he  
could scarcely say anything1 and it was 
a pain to listen to him4  ,poor ,abe had
 one of these pulpit fevers in ,salem   
,chapel one day1 and ,sally1 his wife1  
was there2 she sat all the time in a    
nervous torment1 and as soon as he had  
finished1 she rushed off out of the     
place ashamed of him4  ,dear woman1 her 
homely criticisms were sometimes very   
severe upon him1 partly because she was 
jealous for his reputation1 and partly  
because she so loved him1 and that was  
her way of showing the ardour of her    

affection2 she used a liberty which by  
some universal law falls to the right of
 all affectionate wives whose husbands  
are preachers1 and she occasionally said
 some very terrible things to him about 
his sermons4  ,on this particular day1  
therefore1 ,abe knew pretty well that   
when he got home he would get something 
besides his dinner4  ,he winced as he   
thought about it1 and made the walk home
 as long as he could1 in the hope that  
something might cool down a bit2        
however1 he had to go in1 so1 shrinking 
into the smallest possible dimensions1  
he glided silently into the house1 hung 
up his hat1 and sat down4  ,sally was in
 a flutter1 she was full1 it must       
come3--,what hast ta been trying to do  
this mornin'8 she began1 looking hard at
 him4  ,why1 ,i couldn't mak' her goa a 
bit somehaa1 meekly replied her good    
man4  ,goa6  ,no1 haa does th' think she
 could goa1 thaa niver gat her on her   
feet4  ,abe made no response1 but sat   
mute in his misery1 and poor ,sally felt

 a reaction setting in1 which made her  
feel as if she had allowed her ardent   
affection for him to carry her too far4 
,meanwhile1 she was bustling about      
preparing the dinner1 and when all was  
ready1 she went over to him1 and kissed 
his forehead1 adding1 ,naa1 lad1 come   
and get th' dinner1 and don't moind what
 folk say2 thaa'll do better next toime1
 th' ,lord help the'4  ,abe was healed  
by a touch4  ,ah1 but he didn't like    
those dry1 hard times1 when he couldn't 
find a handful of green-meat to give to 
the ,lord's dear sheep1 and it would    
trouble him deeply to think that he had 
led the flock to expect green pasture1  
whereas he had only brought them to feed
 among rocks and stones4  ,then the old 
enemy would beset him1 and say what an  
old fool he was to think he could       
preach2 that the people only laughed at 
him and made sport of his sayings1 and  
that he had better give up preaching1   
and try no more4  ,but ,abe would say1  
,why1 devil1 thaa 'rt vary much troubled

 abaat my praaching2 if ,i'm such an old
 fool as thaa mak's aat1 ,i canna do    
the' so much harm4  ,but all the banter 
and strife he had with the devil did not
 conquer that arch-enemy2 talking to him
 is mostly waste time and ill-spent     
breath2 there is another way which a    
good man has of finding relief2 he can  
go to ,god in prayer4 ,this was ,abe's  
sure refuge2 here he vented his trouble1
 here he got comfort1 here he gained    
fresh strength1 and when he came warm   
from the closet struggle to the pulpit  
work he was another man4  ,after passing
 through one of these temptations1 he   
was almost sure to tell the people1 the 
next time he preached1 how the devil had
 harassed him1 and wanted him to give up
 preaching1 but how the ,lord had bidden
 him to go on1 and on he would go and   
did2 his restraints were broken1 his    
tongue loosed1 and his soul fired1 it   
was a joy to hear him then4  ,he was one
 day rejoicing in his regained liberty1 
when he said1 ,aye1 bless yo'1 ,i wor as

 fast as a thief in a man-trap2 ,i      
couldn't get away till th' ,lord came   
and let me aat4  ,and then turning upon 
the unsaved part of his congregation1 he
 used a simile1 which1 on his behalf1 ,i
 claim to be original if not elegant4   
,said he1 ,yo' may think ,i was fast    
enough1 but let me tell yo'1 not hoalf  
as fast as some of yo' sinners4  ,yo'   
are like a flee 7fly7 in a treacle-pot2 
the more he kicks the faster he sticks4 
,and there was truth in the saying1 and 
although the figure might amuse1 the    
moral would remain in many a mind for   
after-thought4   ,,the ,,black ,,cloth  
,,suit4  ,when ,abe had been some time  
preaching1 and was making a good name   
for himself in the ,circuit1 a desire   
began to be felt by many of the friends 
to hear him in ,high ,street ,chapel1   
,huddersfield4  ,this was before the    
present splendid sanctuary was erected4 
,accordingly when the next plan came    
out1 he was appointed to take a ,sunday 
morning service4  ,many a time did he   

tell of the consternation both he and   
,sally felt on making this discovery4   
,he was sitting at the end of the table 
one evening with the plan in his hand   
marking off his work1 and his wife was  
busy about something in the room1 when1 
all at once1 ,abe exclaimed1 ,eh1 lass1 
what dost ta think they've done8  ,sally
 looked rather startled and said1 ,who8 
what8  ,why1 they've plann'd me in ,high
 ,street on a ,sunday mornin'4  ,niver6 
gasped ,sally1 coming to look at the    
plan herself2 where is it8  ,he placed  
his finger on the number which indicated
 his work1 and she saw it was a fact4   
,well1 she said1 thaa canna goa2 thaa   
has no claathes fit to wear amang them  
grand foak4  ,now ,abe would never have 
given his clothes a thought if she had  
not brought the matter before his mind  
in the way she did2 now1 however1 he    
remembered his coloured suit and his    
thick boots1 and felt they were scarcely
 befitting the place he was called to   
occupy1 however well they might do among

 plain people in the country places4    
,at length he said1 ,but if ,i'm        
plann'd1 ,i mun goa1 and if they don't  
loike my claathes1 ,i canna help 't4    
,meanwhile the date of the ,high ,street
 event drew near1 and the following     
,sunday would find ,little ,abe at his  
post of duty4 ,he was far more anxious  
about his work than his appearance1 so  
that all the care on this matter fell   
upon his wife4  ,she was bothered sadly 
about his clothes4  ,saturday came1 and1
 poor thing1 she was bestowing especial 
attention upon his old coat1 mending    
button-holes1 cleaning spots out1       
brushing1 shaking1 and scrutinizing the 
old garments as she had never done      
before4  ,that evening they were sitting
 together1 just before ,abe went out to 
the ,band ,meeting in the ,chapel2 a    
loud knock came to the door4  ,in a     
moment ,sally opened it1 and a man      
handed her a large parcel1 simply       
saying1 ,that's for ,mr4 ,lockwood1 and 
immediately went away4  ,what's this8   

exclaimed ,sally1 feeling and patting   
the parcel4  ,nay1 lass1 don't ask me2  
thaa mun open 't1 and then ,i'll tell   
the'4  ,a table-knife soon severed the  
string by which it was tied1 and the    
good woman proceeded with nervous       
fingers to unfold the wrapping1 and out 
came a black cloth suit for her husband4
  ,neither of them could speak for a    
moment or two2 she lifted her apron to  
wipe her eyes2 ,abe's lip quivered1 and 
his eyes brimmed over2 he couldn't help 
it1 big round tears fell on his clasped 
hands as they rested on the table2 both 
of them looked at the parcel4  ,does    
the' see that8 at length said ,sally2   
thaa'll look loike a travelling praacher
 naa1 lad4  ,that broke the spell4  ,up 
jumped ,abe and began to leap about the 
house1 clapping1 rubbing his hands1 and 
blessing the ,lord4  ,all the children  
joined the chorus1 laughing1 jumping1   
and shouting ,daddy's got some new      
claathes6  ,daddy's got some new        
claathes6 and poor ,sally1 full of      

smiles1 holding up one garment after    
another1 kept interjecting1 ,well ,i    
niver6 ,law me6 ,eh1 dear6  ,abe's heart
 was full1 and he must needs empty it   
before ,him who had inclined some       
unknown friend to send this handsome and
 appropriate present just at the right  
time4  ,from an inner room the voice of 
the good man was heard going up to ,god 
in grateful acknowledgment of ,his      
kindness2 and the children were hushed  
into quietness hushed1--hushed while    
,daddy was praying4  ,the next day ,abe 
appeared in his new clerical attire1 and
 from that time was never without the   
requisite black cloth suit in which to  
go about his beloved ,master's work4    
,oh1 how much we may learn from a little
 incident like this--how much of humble 
trust in ,god under all the             
circumstances of life1 how much         
assurance that your heavenly ,father    
knoweth ye have need of these things1   
and that ,my ,god will supply all your  
need6     ,,chapter ,,xv4  ,a ,basket of

 ,fragments4  ,the fame of ,little ,abe 
was not confined to his own ,circuit1 it
 spread among the villages and towns for
 many miles around1 so that he was      
greatly sought after to preach          
anniversary and other sermons1 and      
wherever he went the people felt he was 
a man sent from ,god4  ,there are some  
who well remember his first visit to    
,elland1 and the delightful day they had
 with him in the ,lord's house4  ,his   
text was1 ,my ,god shall supply all your
 need4  ,he read these words1 and then  
clapped his hands together1 while his   
face beamed with smiles4  ,well1 said   
he1 do you want me to praach ony after  
that8 what can onybody say after ,paul  
spakes8  ,he says everything with once  
opening his maath2 with one scratch of  
his wonderful pen1 he writes more than  
,i could spake in a lifetoime1 if ,i    
were left to mysen1 ',my ,god shall     
supply all your need4'  ,friends1       
there's nowt left1 yo've gotton all in  
that1 ivery thing yo' need1 and ,i      

reckon you'r weel off4  ,from this      
simple and easy beginning1 he gradually 
got away into his subject1 explaining1  
illustrating1 and applying his text in a
 way that warmed every heart4  ,he was  
condemning the want of faith which      
characterized some professors3 ,bless   
yo'1 he said1 sooiner than aar ,god     
would see ,his faithful children want1  
,he would mak' apple-dumplins grow on   
ash-trees4  ,and then he exclaimed1     
,don't yo' believe these words8  ,ah1   
'tis nowt unless yo' believe2 you might 
be eating th' dumplins and smackin' your
 lips on th' apples1 but if you doan't  
believe1 yo'll say it's a dream4  ,wake 
up1 and believe naa1 and you'll foind   
your maath is full of good things4      
,,dish-,,cloth4  ,i have said that some 
of ,abe's similes were not very elegant1
 and when the following is related1 my  
readers will agree with me2 but they    
were well understood by the people among
 whom they were uttered4  ,speaking one 
day of the pardoning mercy of ,god1 and 

showing that ,he does not grudgingly    
forgive the penitent sinner1 ,abe said1 
,yo' womenfolk know haa to wesh a       
pie-dish1 ,i reckon8  ,yo'll tak' th'   
dish and put it into th' hot waiter1 and
 then tak' dish-cloth and rub it raand  
and raand1 insoide and aatsoide1 till   
it's clean1 and then yo'll wipe it wi' a
 clean towel1 and mak' it look just     
loike a bron new dish2 and that's haa   
th' ,lord does wi' a poor sinner3 ,he   
gies him a plunge into th' ,gospel      
fountain1 weshes all his sins away1 and 
brings him aat a bron new man4  ,an old 
woman sitting there caught the figure in
 a moment1 and responded energetically1 
,maa th' ,lord tak' th' dishcloth and   
wipe some aat here t'-noight6  ,amen1   
exclaimed the ,bishop4   ,,taste ,,and  
,,try4  ,abe's remarks on ,psalm xxxiv4 
#h1 ,o taste and see that the ,lord is  
good1 etc41 were very characteristic4   
,david was nooan a bad man to deal with2
 he didn't try to deceive onybody and   
mak' them believe a lie1 like th' devil 

does2 he says1 yo' may 'taste and see4' 
,naa1 that ought to satisfy yo'         
particular talk2 yo' loike to taste th' 
butter and cheese afore you buy1 and if 
it's gooid1 you say1 ',i'll tak' a pund 
o' that2' naa1 then1 come and try if th'
 ,lord is gooid4  ,aye1 bless yo'1 ,he  
is gooid6  ,he's as fresh as th' morning
 dew1 and sweet as new cream1 and then  
with a quaint look he would add1 and    
there's a deal more on ,him than you    
often foind on your milk4  ,he used to  
say that religion could be tested in two
 ways2--you can taste it yoursen1 and   
you can see it in others4  ,see what it 
has done for your neighbours--how it has
 changed th' lion into a lamb1 th'      
raving sot into a sober and happy man2  
weshed th' tongue and purified th' heart
 o' th' blasphemer1 and filled th' maath
 of the dumb with songs of thanksgiving1
 see6--,see that the ,lord is good6     
,then raising his voice and reaching out
 his arm he would exclaim1 ,there's noan
 so bloind as those that weant see6 but 

remember1 yo' weant always be able to   
play th' bloind man1 ,god will crack a  
thunderbolt close to your ear some day1 
and yo'll open your eyes to see th'     
judgment before yo'1 and then what will 
yo' say8  ,his only aim in what he said 
was to reach the people's hearts and    
bring them to decision for ,christ2 that
 was the reward he coveted1 nothing     
more1 nothing less2 only let him see    
sinners coming to ,jesus1 and he was    
happy4  ,he would stay all night by a   
penitent1 and never leave until he knew 
the poor soul was safe in the kingdom of
 ,god4  ,time was nothing to him2 the   
long1 dark journey home brought no      
misgivings to his mind4  ,when his work 
was done1 and another soul safe in the  
arms of ,jesus1 the humble village      
preacher would take his stick1 or1 as he
 sometimes called it1 his pony1 and set 
off home1 where many a time he arrived  
faint and tired in the dead of the      
night1 but with his soul full of that   
peace which only a man feels who has    

ungrudgingly laid his last remnant of   
energy at the feet of his ,divine       
,master4   ,,who',s ,,been ,,here8      
,little ,abe used everything that came  
to hand in order to make the ,gospel    
plain1 and enforce its teachings upon   
his hearers4  ,zeal for the work1 and a 
devout bias to his mind1 enabled him to 
find religious teaching in many things1 
wherein perhaps others would never have 
discovered any4  ,he was in one of his  
sermons exhorting the people to watch   
against the devil1 lest he should gain  
an entrance to their hearts and spoil   
the work of ,god4  ,naa1 said he1 ,i'll 
tell yo' some'at4  ,aar lads 7his own   
sons7 took a fancy for a bit of garden2 
we had a little patch of graand by aar  
haase2 well1 they set to wark1 mended   
th' fence all raand1 dug up th' soil1   
threw aat th' stones and rubbish1 raked 
it over and marked it aat into beds1 and
 planted flaars1 and you may depend t'  
lads wor praad o' their wark2 for mony a
 week they kept doin a bit noights and  

mornin's to keep it raight4             
,by-and-bye1 flaars came into bloom1    
pinks1 panseys1 and other things came   
aat all over th' garden2 weren't they   
praad naa1 and so wor ,i4  ,one mornin'1
 just afore we were going t' th' mill1  
th' big lad went aat to look at th'     
garden a minute1 and th' first words he 
said wor1 ',who's been here8  ,who's    
been here8' ,aat ,i went1 and ,i wor    
raight grieved to see all th' garden    
spoilt1 flaars broken off1 little beds  
trampled aat o' shape1 and th' wark of  
months all undone4  ,i saw in a minute  
haa it wor3 an owd ass had gotten in    
during th' noight and done all th'      
mischief4  ',haa could he get in1' said 
th' lad1 'th' fence was all roight and  
safe8'  ,but ,i said1 ',did ta fasten   
th' gate last noight8'  ,he looked at   
th' gate and said1 ',i don't knaw1      
father4'  ,ah1 that wor it1 there wor   
his foot-tracks through th' gateway4    
,ah1 friends1 the devil is like an owd  
ass1 goin' skulking and shuffling abaat 

in th' dark when other folks are in bed 
sleeping1 and he is always trying to get
 into th' ,lord's garden and spoil th'  
flaars2 yo' may mend th' fence as much  
as yo loike1 but if you don't fasten th'
 gate1 he'll be in and undo all th' good
 wark in your hearts4  ,shut th' gate1  
and fasten it2 nail it up1 raather than 
let th' owd cuddy get in2 he hates      
everything that is good in nature and   
grace2 he'll spoil th' best wark of ,god
 in a single noight2 th' track of his   
owd hoof means mischief1 and one of his 
kicks would lame onybody2 keep th' devil
 aat o' th' heart1 fence it raand with  
prayer2 watch against th' enemy1 and    
you'll be roight noight and day4  ,when 
a strong man armed keepeth his palace1  
his goods are in peace 7,luke xi4 #ba74 
,,ellow6  ,,who',s ,,there4  ,abe had a 
very quaint and original way of         
rendering the parable of our ,lord on   
the importunate neighbour 7,luke xi4    
#e74  ,there was a good man who said one
 noight to his wife1 ',naa1 lass1 we mun

 be getting to bed1 ,i ha' to be up i'  
th' mornin' i' good toime4' ',aye1' she 
said1 'thaa has8'  ,so she put supper   
things away1 and then she and th'       
childer sat daan while th' good man read
 a chapter i' ,god's ,book2 then they   
all knelt together at the family altar1 
and committed their souls to the keeping
 of ,him who never slumbers nor sleeps4 
,in a little while after that they were 
all in bed and th' candle blown aat2    
they were just settling daan into sleep1
 when there came a loud knocking at th' 
front door1 ran1 tan1 tan1 tan4         
',ellow6 who's there8' exclaimed th'    
good man of th' haase as he raised      
himself up in bed4  ',it's me6' answered
 a voice from th' aatside4  ',me1 who's 
me8'  ',i'm th' neighbour1 thaa knaws4' 
',aye1 and a bonny neighbour thaa is to 
be comin' here knocking up sich a row at
 this toime o' th' noight4'  ',why1 ,i'm
 vary sorry1' chimes in th' voice       
aatsoide1 'vary sorry to trouble you1   
but a friend o' mine that's on a        

journey1 has just come to aar haase1 and
 wants his supper and a noight's        
lodgings1 and we ha'nt a morsel o' bread
 to set before him1 and ,i want to knaw 
if thaa'll lend us a loaf till my wife  
bakes4'  ',get away hoam wi' the'1'     
replied the man of th' haase4  ',i'm i' 
bed1 and canna be bothered2 candle's    
aat1 and we ha' no matches upstairs2 go 
home and come agean in th' mornin'1 and 
,i'll lend the' some4  ,remember me to  
the' friend1 good-noight3' whereupon he 
shuffles daan into bed agean1 and tries 
to compose himsen to sleep4  ,but th'   
man aatsoide has been and fetched a big 
thick stick1 and with this he starts to 
hammer th' door laader than ever1 till  
he startles all th' sleepers in th'     
haase4  ',naa then1 what's th' matter8' 
shaats th' man from insoide1 ',i thought
 thaa war gone hoam4'  ',will thaa lend 
me a loaf till my wife bakes8'  ,this   
was said in such a deliberate1          
determined voice1 that the good man     
knows in a moment he won't be put off4  

',what thinks ta1 lass8  ,mun ,i get up 
and gie him one8  ,i don't believe he'll
 goa away2 he'll bray t' door daan afore
 dayloight4'  ,while th' wife is rubbing
 her eyes and hesitating a bit1 th' man 
aatside rings sich a clash of bells on  
th' front door1 as brought th' good man 
aat on th' floor in a twinkling4  ',hold
 on6 hold on1 mon1 ,i'm coming6' and he 
was off daanstairs to the cupboard like 
a shot1 aat with a loaf1 unlocked th'   
front door1 handed forth th' bread to   
the man1 who was just getting ready for 
another knock4  ',i see1' said he1 'thaa
 weant be put off2 tak' this1 and go    
hoam wi' the'4'  ,this story1 told in   
the vernacular of the district1 of which
 this is a very imperfect rendering1 and
 accompanied with ,abe's expressive     
gestures1 was exceedingly effective1 and
 not easily forgotten4  ,nor did he omit
 the beautiful moral of the parable1    
showing the necessity of prayer1        
importunate prayer1 prayer at all times4
  ,keep knocking6 ,abe would say1 ,god  

is only trying you a bit in not         
answering first knock2 it's ,his way of 
proving whether you really mean it or   
not4  ,knock laader1 pray on and on1 ,he
 hears1 ,he is coming1 bless ,him6  ,he 
never said to th' seed of ,jacob1 ',seek
 ye my face in vain4'   ,,put ,,um ,,on 
,,theesen4  ,the ,prodigal ,son was a   
favourite subject with the ,little      
,bishop1 and many are the quaint sayings
 which fell from his lips while dwelling
 on this interesting parable4  ,the     
singular pictures which he drew of this 
young man in his degradation brought    
many a smile on the faces of the        
congregation4  ,but his chief aim always
 was to get the youth back to his       
father's house again2 here his emotions 
often overpowered him1 and his joy was  
so great that he hardly knew what he was
 saying4  ,many of the friends still    
remember him on one occasion at         
,outlane4  ,he had brought the poor     
prodigal to the top of a lane leading   
down to his father's house2 there he    

stood1 covered in rags and dirt1 his    
head bare and his shoes gone2 he is just
 timidly stopping at the corner of the  
lane debating whether he shall go on or 
turn back1 when at that moment out comes
 the old man to look up and down the    
road2 he sees that bit of human misery  
at the lane end1 and in an instant      
recognizes him as his son1 ',mother6    
mother6' exclaims th' owd man1 'quick6  
quick6 here's aar ,jack standing at top 
o' th' loin4  ,oh1 run6 run my owd legs1
 tak' me to him6  ,here1 ,jack1 my lad1 
come to me1 the' father wants           
thee--come1 come6'  ,and in another     
moment the old man is hurrying with     
tottering steps and open arms towards   
his son1 and folding him1 rags and all1 
to his bursting heart4  ,it was so real 
to ,abe1 and he was so carried away with
 the picture which was before his vivid 
imagination1 that when he got the lad   
into the house1 he exclaimed1 ,put shoes
 on his hands1 and rings on his         
feet1--whereupon a brother in the chapel

 called out1 ,nay1 nay1 ,abe lad1 thaa  
mun't put shoes on th' lad's hands1 and 
th' rings on his feet2 put um on roight1
 man4  ,but ,abe responded at the top of
 his voice1 while tears came rolling    
over his face1 ,put um on theesen and   
let me aloan6  ',this1 my son1 was dead1
 and is alive again1 he was lost and is 
faand6'  ,by that genuine burst of      
feeling1 he reached a climax of         
eloquence that has seldom been surpassed
 in the history of preaching4           
,,chapter ,,xvi4  ,i am a ,wonder unto  
,many4  ,such were the words of ,david  
in olden times1 and with propriety did  
,little ,abe frequently adopt them in   
his day4  ,considering his condition    
prior to his conversion1--a wild1       
thoughtless1 and wicked young man1      
having neither fear of ,god nor man     
before his eyes1 and then contrasting it
 with what he had become by the grace of
 ,god2 remembering his want of          
education1 that he never could write1   
and by that means commit his thoughts to

 paper1 and yet that his preaching was  
acceptable and profitable to the people1
 that he drew large congregations       
wherever he went1 some people coming to 
hear him who seldom attended the places 
at any other time2 that he was used by  
,god in bringing many sinners into the  
fold of ,christ1 who are now useful     
members in the ,church on earth1 or     
enrolled among those who serve ,god in  
,his temple in heaven1 ,little ,abe     
really was a wonder unto many4  ,a woman
 once said to him1 ,aye1 ,abe1 ,i like' 
to hear the' preach4  ,bless th' ,lord  
for that1 responded ,abe4  ,but1        
continued she1 ,i many a toime wonders  
where thaa gets all th' sense from1 and 
haa thaa foinds t' words to say1 for    
thaa's niver been to college1 nor ony   
place loike that4  ,who says ,i wor     
niver at college8 he replied4  ,i have  
been to a college where they mak' a     
roight job on um1 woman4  ,why1 what    
college hast ta been to8  ,not ,ranmoor1
 ,i'll be baan8  ,noa1 not ,ranmoor2 it 

would puzzle th' ,doctor to mak'        
onything o' me2 ,i've been to th'       
fisherman's college1 where ,peter and   
th' rest on um went4  ,i've learnt a bit
 at th' feet o' ,jesus1 bless ,him6     
,yes1 he had learnt to devote what      
little talent he possessed to the       
highest and happiest service in the     
universe1 and his success as a labourer 
for ,jesus shows that the great ,master 
can make good use of any feeble         
instrumentality for the spread of truth 
and the salvation of mankind4  ,we have 
this treasure in earthen vessels that   
the excellency of the power may be of   
,god and not of us1 was a saying of     
apostolic days1 but as true now as when 
uttered by ,st4 ,paul4  ,when great     
scholars and brilliant orators or men of
 extraordinary natural and acquired     
parts become successful as the advocates
 of our ,christian faith1 there are     
always some more ready to pay a tribute 
to the powers of these men1 than to the 
,gospel which they teach1 ascribing     

their success not to the inherent power 
of truth1 but to the extraordinary      
talent of its advocates4  ,but when men 
like our friend ,little ,abe are raised 
up for the ,lord's work1 and the ,gospel
 preached by them becomes mighty in     
changing the hearts and lives of others1
 these opponents of our blessed religion
 are at a loss to find some human arm to
 which they can ascribe the glory1 and  
while they vainly seek such arm1 others 
can plainly see that the excellency of  
the power is of ,god1 and not of us4  ,a
 great deal of the favour which ,little 
,abe met with was due to his sincerity4 
,he was very droll in his sayings2 he   
was very original in his manner of      
dealing out truth2 his illustrations    
were mostly drawn from things in        
everyday life which everybody           
understood2 his language was the plain  
home-spun provincialism of the locality 
where his hearers were born and brought 
up2 but however much may be due to these
 things1 those who knew him best would  

say1 that his almost universal          
acceptance was due to his undoubted     
sincerity4  ,this made everything he    
said in the pulpit quite proper4  ,what 
would appear out of place in any other  
man1 was becoming in him2 all his odd   
sayings and gestures were kindly        
received1 and never an unpleasant       
feeling was excited in the breast of any
 who really knew the man4  ,oh1 it is a 
grand thing when a man has so lived and 
proved himself among those around him1  
that they all feel his religion to be   
sincere6 ,what good may not such a man  
be capable of doing8  ,he may be        
unschooled and unread1 he may be poor1  
and hold but a humble position in the   
ranks of life1 and yet withal1 he may   
exert a power which neither rank nor    
learning can acquire1 nor wealth        
purchase4  ,he rules hearts2 learning   
may rule heads1 and wealth may influence
 manners1 but sincere goodness enshrines
 itself on the throne of the heart4     
,men among whom ,little ,abe lived and  

worked1 with whom he met from day to    
day1--men who professed to have no      
regard for religion as such1 respected  
,abe's presence more than they would    
that of their own fathers1 and stopped  
their unclean conversation at his       
approach1 or by some other unmistakable 
means indicated their deep respect for  
him4 ,they all knew what grace had done 
for him1 and they honoured the genuine  
work1 thereby entitling ,abe to say1    
,i'm a wonder unto many4  ,one man says1
 ,if there were no other evidence that  
religion is a good thing1 there was     
proof enough in ,little ,abe4  ,i have  
had ample opportunities of watching his 
daily life for many years1 having worked
 in the same mill with him1 and ,i know 
what the other mill hands thought of him
 as well2 everybody believed in the     
',little ,bishop1' and there wasn't a   
man to be found that would utter a      
disrespectful word of him4 ,he was often
 employed in what is called 'cuttling1' 
that is1 drawing cloth from the machine4

  ,to do this he had to kneel on the    
ground2 it was easy work1 and required  
very little thought4  ,many a time have 
,i seen him1 while in this position1    
praying and drawing off the cloth1 and  
,i have thought that ,abe couldn't help 
praying if he got on his knees1 whether 
it was in the mill or anywhere else4    
,sometimes on a ,saturday the young     
people in the mill would say1 ',well1   
,bishop1 where are you going to preach  
to-morrow8' and then1 with the          
brightest1 kindest smile1 he would tell 
them where his work for the next day    
lay1 and perhaps he would ask them to go
 with him2 but on their refusing1 he    
would add1 ',ah1 my lads1 yo' want your 
hearts changing by th' grace of ,god1   
and then yo' would be glad to run       
onywhere in ,his ,name4'  ,as years grew
 on him and he became infirm1 ,i have   
seen him come into the mill on a ,monday
 morning looking very tired1 and ,i have
 said ,i thought he was working too hard
 on ,sundays4 ',canna do that1' he would

 reply2 ',i would do a thausand toimes  
maar for ,jesus if ,i could2 and then   
brightening up1 he would add1 ,i'd      
raather wear aat loike gooid steel1 than
 rust aat loike owd iron2' and he was   
true to his word2 he did wear out4      
,many such testimonies might be added if
 it were necessary1 all showing that    
religion in ,little ,abe was the        
all-engrossing thing1 but let this      
suffice4  ,it is delightful to see how a
 good man may live in the midst of the  
ungodly1 and keep his garments          
unspotted1 and his name unsullied by the
 adverse influences around him4  ,what a
 rebuke such a life is to many who      
excuse their looseness and              
irregularities because they are thrown  
among the irreligious2 and how          
stimulative it becomes to others that   
are similarly situated1 and trying to   
live consistently in the midst of all   
their evil surroundings6     ,,chapter  
,,xvii4  ,abe as a ,class ,leader  ,the 
,class-meeting is one of the best       

institutions in ,methodism4  ,it has    
done as much as anything else1 if not   
more1 to keep up the spiritual life of  
the churches2 it has been a refuge for  
tens of thousands of tempted ones2 it   
has been a seasonable corrector to many 
who were just beginning to fall into the
 paths of sin1 and has brought them back
 to ,christ again2 it has supplied the  
social need of our ,christian faith1 and
 gathered friends together for spiritual
 communion2 it has been a safeguard     
against the devices of the devil by     
affording opportunities for the         
disciples of our ,lord to compare their 
experiences1 tell their temptations1 and
 impart mutual encouragement to each    
other in the ,divine life2 it is a      
natural1 seemly1 and modest vent for the
 spiritual fire which glows and flashes 
in every heart that loves the ,lord with
 sincerity4  ,it was almost             
self-appointed2 it came to be1 or grew  
out of a class of circumstances which   
would at any other time have produced   

essentially the same thing2 it is the   
outgrowth of the fervent piety which    
marked the lives of our fathers in the  
churches1 and it has met the tendencies 
of glowing ,christianity among us ever  
since4  ,it is an encumbrance only where
 this kind of ,christianity is not      
maintained2 as godly zeal declines1 so  
sinks the estimation for class-meetings2
 just as the appetite for food forsakes 
a sickly person1 so the desire for      
experience meetings declines in a sickly
 church4  ,persons who never did attend 
class-meetings cannot be judged by them2
 their piety may deepen or diminish1 but
 other tests must be found for them4    
,the class-meeting is a ,methodist      
gauge1 and only here can it apply4      
,little ,abe was a class leader for many
 years1 and there was no work more      
heartily enjoyed by him than this4  ,the
 members of his class who survive him   
often talk of the grand times they had  
with the little man in this way2 it was 
often like heaven on earth4  ,he was a  

very successful leader1 and always kept 
his members well together4  ,if any of  
them absented themselves he was soon on 
their track1 hunting them up and        
bringing them back to the fold4   ,,my  
,,father',s ,,got ,,plenty ,o' ,,timber4
  ,his class was conducted in a neat    
little cottage near the chapel belonging
 to one of the members1 who week by week
 opened his doors for the accommodation 
of ,abe and his flock4  ,their meeting  
was held in a comfortable room which    
served the family as kitchen and        
parlour2 here every ,monday night the   
quaint old shepherd came to meet his    
sheep4  ,the big family table was pushed
 back against the window1 the           
elbow-chair was placed at the end for   
the leader1 all the chairs and seats in 
the house were brought into this room   
and ranged around as conveniently as    
possible to accommodate the weekly      
visitors1 and sometimes when this was   
done there were more people than seats1 
and the big table had to be drawn out   

again1 and made use of as a             
resting-place for the homely people who 
gathered there2 or a long board would be
 brought down from upstairs and its ends
 placed on two chairs1 and thus an      
additional seat was extemporized4  ,this
 very board had the misfortune to snap  
in two one night while a brother was    
engaged in praying4  ,he was a powerful 
man in prayer2 his soul was inspired    
with zeal1 and his body animated with   
strength1 which on this occasion he     
vented in a succession of heavy blows on
 this devoted piece of timber1 until    
suddenly it gave way with a loud crack  
and fell in two pieces on the floor1 to 
the great discomfiture of those whose   
weight added to the strain4  ,for some  
moments there was considerable confusion
 in the room1 as may be supposed1 and   
the praying was brought to a sudden     
halt1 when ,abe's voice was heard above 
all1 ,ne'er moind1 lad1 go at it6  ,my  
,father's got plenty o' timber1 and     
,he'll send thee a new seat1 whereon the

 meeting went on1 as lively as before4  
,abe wouldn't allow any such trifles to 
interfere with the happy flow of feeling
 in his meetings2 indeed1 such incidents
 served rather to stimulate than abate  
the exuberance of his spirits4  ,he knew
 that all things belonged to the ,lord1 
and that ,he would make good all that   
was lost in ,his service1 and therefore 
he took joyfully the spoiling of his    
goods1 and other folk's too4  ,it is    
needless to say that the old seat was   
replaced by a new one4   ,,my ,,father  
',,ll ,,gie ,,the' ,,this ,,haase       
7,house74  ,when ,abe had been          
conducting his class for some years in  
the cottage before named1 an event      
transpired which greatly disturbed his  
mind1 and led him to fear he might have 
to remove his meeting to some other     
place4  ,now this was a sore trouble ta 
him and to every one of his members2    
they had got accustomed to going there1 
and some of them had never met anywhere 
else1 so that they could not bear the   

thought of being obliged to leave1 yet  
there was some ground for the fear4     
,the person who owned the cottage was   
mother-in-law to the man by whom it was 
occupied2 she died and left her         
property1 which consisted chiefly of    
cottages1 to be divided equally among   
her children4  ,soon after the funeral  
the family met in this very house to    
arrange the division of the estate4     
,the plan adopted was to draw lots for  
houses1 and as they were nearly of the  
same value1 this seemed equitable4  ,so 
the lots were all prepared and placed   
together1 and each person was to draw   
one1 and take the house named on the    
lot2 the drawing was to commence with   
the eldest1 and go down to the youngest4
  ,now the wife of the man in whose     
house the class met was the youngest    
member of the family1 and therefore must
 take what all the others left4  ,when  
everything was ready for the drawing to 
begin1 the proceedings were interrupted 
by a knock at the door4  ,the man of the

 house opened it1 and found1 to his     
surprise1 ,little ,abe there4  ,come aat
 a minute1 said he1 ,i want to spaike to
 the'4  ,on getting outside ,abe        
resumed1 ,i knaw what ye are baan to do 
in there4  ,haa dost ta knaw8 said the  
man4  ,ne'r moind1 ,i knaw2 and going   
close up to his ear and placing his hand
 on the man's arm1 he said1 ,my ,father 
'll gie the' this haase1 ,he telled me  
soa2 ,i've been to ,him abaat it1 and ,i
 have ,his word on 't2 but afore thaa   
gets it1 ,i want the' to promise me that
 while ,i live ,i shall have my meetin' 
here4  ,yo' shall1 was the ready        
response2 as long as thaa and me lives  
this haase shall be oppen to the' if we 
get it4  ,bless the ,lord1 said ,abe1   
rubbing his hands1 ,i could loike to    
shaat 7shout7 but they'd hear me        
insoide4  ,ne'er moind1 ,i knaw tha'll  
get it2--gooid-noight6  ,his friend then
 returned into the house1 and           
immediately the drawing began4  ,each   
drew one lot2 then they all read them   

together1 and as ,abe predicted1 the    
house in which they were assembled fell 
to the share of the man who lived in it4
  ,but this is not the end of the story3
 it appears that one of the sons was not
 satisfied with his portion1 and began  
to complain4  ,the fact is he wanted    
this house1 and if he had got it ,abe   
and his class would have been turned    
out4  ,so1 rather than have any         
unpleasantness in the family1 they all  
agreed to cast lots again and abide by  
the issue4  ,this was done1 and to the  
astonishment of all1 this house fell a  
second time to the same man1 and though 
it was considered the best lot1 everyone
 felt it was fairly his1 and he has it  
to this day4  ,it may suit some people  
to say this was a mere accident2 yes1   
just the same as the world is an        
accident and a thing of chance4         
,perhaps it was an accident1 too1 that  
,little ,abe was able to foretell the   
issue of that lottery with such         
confidence1 and was so eager to make his

 bargain for the use of the room before 
the lots were known4  ,the chance that  
can show such intelligence1             
foreknowledge1 and power1 that can      
communicate its intentions beforehand1  
and afterwards verify them in this      
manner1 has the attributes of ,god1 and 
must be ,divine2 a chance that can hear 
and answer prayer1 that can work out its
 own designs and baffle those of others1
 that can reveal secrets to ,his        
favourites and honourably keep          
covenants1 deserves the faith and       
worship of all men3 this was ,abe       
,lockwood's ,god1 and ,he shall be ours 
for ever and ever4 ,there are some who  
say1 ,what is the ,almighty that we     
should serve ,him8 and what profit shall
 we have if we pray unto ,him8  ,these  
scientific theorists and unbelievers are
 intensely anxious to prove that prayer 
is only wasted energy1 that nothing can 
possibly come as direct answering to    
prayer1 that if things do follow which  
seem to be in response to earnest and   

devout petition1 they result from some  
other causes1 which have no connection1 
except coincidental1 with prayer4  ,men 
who talk so don't pray1 never did4      
,they don't know what prayer is2 they   
are wrong in their first principles1 and
 therefore all their deductions are     
awry2 it is impossible for anyone who   
discredits prayer to know what he is    
talking about4  ,prayer is a something  
going on within the soul1 it is         
something which must be experienced to  
be understood2 and yet those who have no
 experience presume to philosophize on  
the subject as if they had spent all    
their life in the exercise and study of 
prayer4  ,just as well might ,little    
,abe try to talk scientifically1 as     
those scientists speak on the merits or 
worth of prayer1 it is out of their     
sphere1 they are out of their depth1 and
 therefore it was a sad want of         
discretion which first tempted them to  
venture so far4  ,little ,abe was a much
 better judge of the value of prayer    

than these theorists2 he was much       
further learnt in this direction than   
any of them1 and therefore his testimony
 was more reliable than theirs2 what to 
them was a mystery and impossibility was
 to him a simple daily enjoyment4  ,they
 that would test the value of prayer    
must really pray themselves1 and believe
 while they pray1 otherwise they will be
 no wiser4  ,prayer is not disproved by 
the failure of improper petitions1 but  
it is proved by the success attending   
supplications presented in the right    
spirit4  ,if men expect nothing1 they   
get what they expect1 the ,bible says   
so2 ,but without faith it is impossible 
to please ,him2 for he that cometh to   
,god must believe that ,he is1 and that 
,he is a rewarder of them that          
diligently seek ,him 7,heb4 xi4 #f74    
,prayer was an exercise in which ,abe   
was a proficient and spent much time2 at
 his work he prayed1 and in his chamber1
 long and earnestly1 until he prevailed4
  ,sometimes in the meetings1 as ,abe   

would say1 they gat agaat o' wrestling1 
and then he often became so importunate 
in his intercessions that his whole body
 prayed as well as his soul1 and quite  
unconsciously he beat the bench at which
 he knelt1 struck the floor with his    
clogs1 sweat at every pore1 and really  
wrestled with ,god in mighty prayer1 and
 then the glory was sure to come down   
and fill the place4  ,certainly at those
 times ,abe and those who were with him 
were very noisy1 and some who had no    
sympathy with anything of the sort1     
would make some disparaging remarks4    
,there were some of old who would have  
silenced the loud cries of poor blind   
,bartimeus1 but they could not1 nor can 
they stop the voice of vehement prayer4 
,pray on1 brethren1 get hold of ,god1   
and then make what noise you like4  ,we 
want more of this praying spirit among  
the ,lord's people1 and less of the cold
 calculations of the unbeliever4  ,here 
lies the strength of the ,christian     
,church1 and not in its immense wealth1 

its high culture1 its refined pulpit1 or
 luxurious pew2 it is that praying power
 which brings the ,divine unction down4 
,may ,god give us the praying power4    
,,chapter ,,xviii4  ,working ,overtime4 
,the time came when ,little ,abe was    
much sought after to speak at week-night
 meetings1 such as tea-meetings1        
missionary meetings1 and the like4  ,it 
was considered a great point to have him
 as one of the speakers2 they were sure 
to have a lively time if ,abe came--for 
what with his own original speech1 his  
running comments and responses while    
others were talking 7a liberty which    
every one allowed him71 he kept the     
whole meeting alive throughout4  ,this  
was what he called working overtime4    
,all his ,sundays were given1 as a      
matter of course1 to the ,lord's work1  
and the week-days to his daily calling2 
consequently what he did1 in this way   
had to be done at nights1 after his     
day's work was finished4  ,now as this  
kind of work grew upon ,abe1 there were 

some who would tell him he was doing too
 much1 that he would injure himself2 but
 he would remind them that when he had  
to work at the mill night after night1  
week after week1 no one ever thought of 
telling him he was doing too much4  ,no1
 would be the response1 because you were
 paid for that4  ,then ,abe's soul was  
roused4  ,well1 and does the' think my  
,father doesn't pay me8  ,bless ,him1   
,he owes me nowt1 ,he's paid me double  
wages for every minute ,i have warked   
for ,him4  ,and so he went on serving   
the ,church and honouring ,god to the   
utmost of his ability4   ,,little ,,abe 
,,and ,,the ,,mule4  ,he had a singular 
experience one dark rainy night when    
going to a missionary meeting at        
,shelley4  ,he was late in arriving1 so 
that the meeting was somewhat advanced  
when he put in an appearance4  ,as he   
entered the chapel he was greeted by a  
burst of clapping1 and in a moment every
 face brightened at the sight of him1   
though1 to tell the truth1 he was rather

 unsightly1 for he was bedabbled with   
mud from his feet to his head1 and his  
big umbrella looked as if it had been on
 the spree and rolled in the gutter2    
altogether he appeared in unusual style 
for a public meeting4  ,it was no matter
 to him1 however4  ,he just shook       
himself like a dog out of the water1    
placed his bundle of whalebones and     
gingham in a quiet corner1 rubbed his   
numbed hands together1 and went smiling 
on to the platform4  ,nothing would     
satisfy the people but that he should   
speak at once1 so he rose to his feet   
amid the hearty clapping of the whole   
audience1 and said1 ,i niver knew so    
mich of th' trials of missionary wark in
 my loife as ,i do naa4  ,i've been in  
trainin' for this meetin'4  ,i've had to
 endure storms1 rain1 tempest1 and      
dangers seen and unseen1 for it wor that
 dark on th' road ,i could hardly see   
mysen1 so1 loike a returned missionary1 
,i think ,i ought to let yo' knaw       
some'at abaat my trials4  7,hear1 hear47

  ,well1 yo' knaw1 when ,i promised to  
come to this meetin'1 ,i meant being    
here somehaa1 but ,i 'av had a job4  ,i 
thowt as ,i wor comin' ,i would mak' it 
as easy as ,i could for mysen1 so ,i    
borrowed aar neighbour's mule4  ,i      
didn't knaw mich abaat riding1 so he    
telled me ,i wor to keep tight hold o'  
th' bridle1 as th' owd mule had a way o'
 tumblin' fore'ards4  ,well1 ,i gat on  
th' back wi' my umbrella oppen1 for it  
wor pouring daan rain1 and we set off1  
all three on us1 umbrella1 th' mule1 and
 me4  ,we gat on alroight most o' th'   
way4  ,i had to scold th' owd animal    
sometimes1 and tell him to get on or    
we'd be too late for th' meeting1 so we 
kept gaining a bit o' graand by degrees1
 but troubles wor ahead4  ,what wi'     
thinking abaat my speech and holding th'
 umbrella roight1 ,i forgat to keep a   
toight hold o' th' bridle1 and all at   
once th' mule tript1 and th' umbrella   
and me went roight over his head into   
th' dike4  ,i really wor astonished at  

mysen1 and didn't know which to         
blame--th' mule or me4  ,i think ,i ne'r
 gat off a cuddy so quick in my loife   
afore2 and th' owd mule would hardly    
understand me ,i daresay1 for he stopt  
in a moment and look'd over at me as if 
he wor wondering if ,i always gat off in
 that fashion4  ,however1 ,i soon       
scrambled aat o' th' dike1 and after a  
good bit o' trying ,i maanted agean and 
set off on th' road2 but ,i hadn't gone 
far before ,i faan some'at wor wrang wi'
 th' bridle4  ,i couldn't guide th'     
beast roight somehaa1 so ,i felt abaat  
to try if ,i could foind aat what it    
wor1 and behold ,i had gotten th' bridle
 all on one soide4  ,well1 ,i dar'n't   
get off to set it roight1 so ,i wor fain
 to let th' owd beast goa his own gait  
till we gat to ,shelley4  ,the whole    
story was so amusing1 and the more so as
 told in ,abe's inimitable style1 that  
the people laughed themselves into      
tears2 and yet they could not but admire
 the zeal of the little man1 and their  

hearts warmed towards him1 and to the   
missionary cause as well1 for as soon as
 ,abe resumed his seat1 the chairman1   
who knew how to take the tide at its    
flood1 called for the collection to be  
made1 and there is no doubt it was a    
good one4  ,just at that moment ,abe    
shouted out1 ,bless the ,lord1 ,i've    
made th' collection speech to-noight4   
,a ,,quotation ,,from ,,sally4  ,at one 
of the meetings where ,little ,abe was a
 speaker1 he was exhorting the people to
 give freely to the ,lord's cause4      
,some folk1 he remarked1 say that       
,methodists are always after money2     
well1 we canna' do very mich withaat it1
 ,i wish we could1 it's a deal o'       
bother1 and takes sich a lot o' getting2
 and yet it is a far worse job to be    
withaat ony4  ,then throwing his head   
over a little on one side he went on1   
,aar ,sally says money is th' rooit of  
all evil1 but ,i says1 ',aye1 lass1 ,i  
knaw it wad be1 if ,i wor to come home  
on ,saturday withaat ony4'   ,a ,,list  

,,of ,,the ,,family ,,names4  ,at       
another meeting in which our little hero
 was speaking he got into an exceedingly
 happy mood1 and was dwelling on the    
honour of being a child of ,god4  ,his  
face shone with delight1 his eyes       
glistened with joyful tears4  ,bless the
 ,lord1 said he1 ,i'm a ,king's ,son1   
and one of a royal line4  ,ah1 and there
 are hosts maar in th' family besides   
me4 ,let's see1 said he1 there's        
,jonathan ,cheetham1 ,king's ,son2      
there's ,james ,crossland1 ,king's ,son2
 there's ,james ,carter1 ,king's ,son2  
,glory6 there's ,mary ,carter1 ,king's  
,son4  ,hallelujah6  ,how far he would  
have pursued the list of family names we
 don't know1 had not the whole meeting  
burst into laughter and tears at ,abe's 
unwitting mistake in calling ,mary      
,carter a ,king's ,son2 but it was of no
 consequence to him2 a little slip of   
his happy tongue didn't mar his meaning2
 the people cheered him1 and on he went 
as blythe as ever4  ,it was reward      

enough for ,little ,abe to know that he 
had done his ,master's work and brought 
honour to ,his great name4  ,the        
exertion which these extra meetings     
entailed upon him1 the long weary       
marches out and home1 were all performed
 without a murmur or the slightest      
abatement of zeal4  ,he didn't serve the
 ,lord with a footrule in his hand1     
measuring and marking off to the eighth 
of an inch4  ,abe strode over all narrow
 and stinted measurements1 and served   
his ,master out of the fulness of his   
warm and generous heart4  ,that         
miserable devotion which does as little 
as possible for ,god1 and magnifies that
 little into importance1 ,little ,abe   
knew nothing about1 and he is a poor1   
pompous1 pitiable thing that does2 the  
open heart1 the willing hand1 the ready 
feet1 are among the few things that ,god
 ,almighty is pleased to see among ,his 
people2 the penitent that sheds his     
tears by the dozen1 the man that goes   
just the length of his sixty-feet       

tape-measure and no more1 the champion  
that quenches his zeal in the first     
obstacle that comes in his way1 and     
turns back from the fight1 is unworthy  
the name and honour of a ,christian2 he 
is unfit to march in the glorious       
succession of martyrs and confessors who
 follow a ,leader that dedicated ,his   
all to the world's welfare and ,his     
,father's will4  ,for ye know the grace 
of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 that though
 ,he was rich1 yet for your sakes ,he   
became poor1 that ye through ,his       
poverty might be rich4     ,,chapter    
,,xix4  ,methodist ,lovefeast4          
,methodism has created new institutions 
and coined new words to express the     
object of them4  ,the lovefeast is      
purely ,methodistic3 it is a meeting of 
,christian people belonging to one or   
more societies1 where they relate their 
religious experience1 and bear their    
testimony to the worth and influence of 
,divine grace in the soul4  ,under the  
conduct of a minister1 or someone duly  

appointed for the purpose1 the meeting  
is opened with singing and prayer2 then1
 while the people are sitting1 bread and
 water are distributed to all present1  
to suggest that believers are members of
 one great family1 and partners in the  
same spiritual provision made by ,christ
 who gave ,himself to be the ,bread of  
,life for men4  ,when this is done the  
offerings of the people are gathered1   
usually for the poor of the ,lord's     
flock4  ,the formalities ended1 the     
meeting is thrown open for the relation 
of ,christian experience1 and any one   
speaks that is prompted4  ,in every     
period of ,methodism the lovefeast has  
been a precious and popular means of    
grace4  ,these meetings are held all    
through the country1 every little church
 taking care to have its quarterly or   
annual lovefeast4  ,and it is remarkable
 what a hold some of these meetings have
 upon the people2 ten1 or even twenty   
miles1 have not been considered too     
great a distance to be travelled in     

order to be present at some of them1    
even though the entire journey has had  
to be performed on foot4  ,men and      
women1 some of them stricken in years   
and bowed down with the toils and cares 
of a long and hard life1 have joyfully  
walked many a weary mile for the        
pleasure of attending a lovefeast2 old  
people1 leading their grand-children by 
the hand1 and telling them of the       
stirring times of early ,methodism2     
younger people in groups1 singing       
revival hymns as they plod steadily     
along the dusty or miry roads under     
melting sun or pelting rains1 making    
their way to these attractive and       
soul-stirring meetings1 contending      
against every obstacle and overcoming   
every hindrance1 determined to be there 
and do honour to the ,divine ,master1   
who said1 ,ye are my witnesses4  ,there 
have been some of the grandest          
manifestations of ,divine power at these
 gatherings1 as seen and felt in the    
sweet1 gentle1 and unconscious melting  

of feelings1 until the whole            
congregation has been broken down to    
tears and songs of joy and praise2 or   
coming suddenly upon them as a rushing  
mighty wind1 without sound or sign1 save
 in the bending of heads1 the breaking  
of hearts1 the streaming tears1 and the 
adoring responses of the people4  ,then1
 believers have caught the spark of     
sanctifying fire from ,god ,himself1 and
 declared it2 then1 men have been endued
 with the gift of tongues1 and spoken   
with apostolic power2 then1 sinners1    
drawn into the place by the peculiar    
attractions of the occasion1 have felt  
their souls shaken by ,divine energy1   
like forest trees in a tempest1 and     
trembling1 bending1 rending1 breaking1  
have fallen in the storm of ,heaven's   
mercy1 and cried for help and found it4 
,oh1 how many there are now in glory or 
on the way1 of whom it may be said1     
,convicted in a lovefeast6 converted in 
a lovefeast6 sanctified in a lovefeast6 
,their name is legion1 for they are     

many4 ,hallelujah6  ,some things among  
the usages of the churches we may       
perhaps afford to dispense with and     
suffer no loss1 but not this glorious   
means of grace4 ,if in any place they   
have lost their power1 the fault is not 
in the institution1 but in the ,church2 
religious declension is the greatest    
enemy to this good old custom4  ,if the 
,lord's people return to their first    
love1 the lovefeast will resume its     
former glory and power4 ,oh1 ,lord1 wilt
 ,thou not revive us again1 that ,thy   
people may rejoice in ,thee8  ,methodism
 cannot afford to forsake her old ways  
for new and untried ones2 they are      
intelligent1 proper1 and essentially    
,christian4 ,lovefeasts are the olive   
branch which we have received from the  
revered hands of our fathers and mothers
 in the faith1 not to be cast away1 but 
to be prized and kept as a mark of our  
love for them1 for each other1 and for  
,christ our ,saviour2 and though the    
green branch which they left us may be  

somewhat faded1 and its leaves droop in 
our moistureless hands1 though it has   
lost some of the freshness it had when  
it first came to our keeping1 thank     
,god6 thank ,god6 it is not dead1 it    
lives6 and can be revived4  ,it wants   
more moisture2 sprinkle tear-drops of   
penitence upon its shrunken foliage2 let
 the springs of our sympathy once more  
flow over it2 let us ask ,god to give us
 the upper and the nether springs1 that 
,his love and ours may flow out in one  
united stream2 let us come to that      
stream1 near1 nearer1 to the brink1 and 
olive branch in hand1 plunge in1 refresh
 ourselves1 and revivify the blessed1   
beautiful1 and sacred symbol4  ,there   
was no meeting in which ,little ,abe was
 more at home than a lovefeast2 whether 
as conductor or in a private            
capacity1--if such a term can be applied
 to ,abe1--he gloried in a rousing      
lovefeast4  ,his love for these meetings
 and his aptitude in conducting them    
occasioned a great demand for his       

presence4  ,he had such a way of        
interspersing enlivening comments       
between the speakers4  ,he was a good   
singer1 too1 and was always ready with  
some hymn expressive of the feeling of  
the meeting4  ,then he had the power to 
make everyone feel at home1 so that he  
was the very man to lead a lovefeast1   
although he did sometimes say things    
that would shock very orderly and       
circumspect persons4   ,,devil ,,didn',t
 ,,pop ,,thee4  ,little ,abe was leading
 a lovefeast in ,berry ,brow ,chapel2   
the place was crowded1 people had come  
from far and near2 the ,holy ,spirit was
 present in great power2 there was no   
lack of witnesses1 two or three being   
often on their feet together waiting for
 an opportunity to speak4 ,little ,abe1 
as he said1 was fair swabbing o'er1 he  
wept for joy4  ,a young man at length   
rose to relate his ,christian           
experience4  ,he had but lately been    
converted to ,jesus1 and before that had
 been a very wicked1 drunken1 degraded  

character4  ,he proceeded to say what   
the ,lord had done for him1 how ,he had 
found him in his sins and misery1 and   
taken hold of him when hardly any one   
else would look at him1 except a        
policeman1 who felt as if he had a sort 
of right to him1 and often found him    
board and lodgings for a few weeks4  ,at
 the time of his conversion he was      
almost naked1 and absolutely destitute2 
said he1 ,i had popt 7pawned7 my coat1  
and popt my shoes1 my vest1 my shirt1   
and everything on which ,i could raise  
money1 and ,i was almost in hell4 ,this 
was more than ,abe could sit under2 he  
sprang to his feet and exclaimed1 ,it's 
a rare job th' devil didn't pop thee and
 all1 my lad6 ,praise th' ,lord6  ,the  
young man fell on his seat and vented   
his gratitude in a fresh burst of tears1
 and many an eye in that meeting ran    
over as well4   ,,religion ,,all        
,,humbug4  ,little ,abe once got up in a
 lovefeast4  ,friends1 said he1 a man   
asked me what ,i made so mich noise     

abaat religion for2 he said1 ',it's all 
humbug1' and ,i said1 ',thaa'rt roight  
for once1 mon2 it's th' sweetest humbug 
that iver ,i tasted4  ,i have been      
sucking it for mony a lang year1 and it 
is sweeter than iver4'  7,humbug is the 
,yorkshire name for sweets and goodies74
  ,it was just in ,abe's way to turn the
 tables on his assailant1 and certainly 
in this case the ,little ,bishop had the
 best of the encounter1 and the joy of  
the humbug as well4   ,,penitent        
,,physic4  ,the ,bishop was leading a   
lovefeast in ,shelley ,chapel 7where it 
is said that the ,rev4 ,john ,wesley    
once preached71 and one of the speakers 
had been a backslider1 but had          
determined to return to the ,lord4      
,this man was telling the meeting his   
bitter sorrow1 and how he had drunk of  
the wormwood and gall of repentance1 and
 as he spoke tears ran chasing each     
other down his face4  ,bless th' ,lord1 
said ,little ,abe1 ,i see my ,father has
 been giving the' some penitent physic1 

and it's made the' 'een 7eyes7 run4     
,ne'er moind1 lad1 ,he'll heal thee     
heart1 and wipe' away all tears from    
thee 'een4'   ,,honley ,,feast ,,monday4
  ,the ,honley feast is one of the      
remaining relics of byegone times1 and  
is tenaciously kept year by year        
throughout the parish as a holiday4 ,it 
begins with ,sunday1 and extends over   
the greater part of the week1 during    
which time the people enjoy themselves  
in ways suited to their varied tastes1  
too many of them indulging in the cup   
which brings aching heads and empty     
pockets4  ,what a pity it is that men1  
and even women1 too1 are so infatuated  
as to think that pleasure can only be   
found in drunkenness and public-house   
brawling6  ,thank ,god there are many   
who know the folly of this1 and have    
other and better ways of finding        
pleasure4  ,ever since ,salem ,chapel   
was first built it has been the custom  
to hold a lovefeast there on ,honley    
,feast ,monday1 and this is perhaps the 

most popular meeting in the whole year1 
and is always looked to with great      
interest4  ,people come to this         
lovefeast from many miles around1 and   
the chapel is invariably filled to      
overflowing4  ,this was always a great  
occasion with ,little ,abe--a real red  
letter day4  ,i remember attending this 
annual meeting some years ago4  ,abe was
 there1 and he certainly monopolised a  
good share of my attention4  ,he was    
very happy1 and kept on ringing changes 
with clapping1 stamping1 shouting1 and  
sometimes1 when under strong feelings1  
he pealed a clash altogether1 with hand1
 foot1 and voice4  ,hey1 lads6 he said1 
it's grand6 it gets better and better1  
bless th' ,lord6  ,his face was covered 
with smiles from his smooth chin to his 
bald forehead2 he never ceased smiling  
during all that service1--for no sooner 
had his joyous countenance spent itself 
on one pleasant thing1 and the light1   
dancing ripples begun to subside1 than  
something else presented itself to his  

notice1 and another smile passed across 
his face like a playful breeze over a   
clear pool1 shaking up the waves again2 
and so on he went1 through all that     
service1 with a face as bright as a     
sunbeam4  ,at length ,abe rose to his   
feet1 still smiling1 and his hands      
clasped together2 every eye was on him  
in a moment1 and smiles and tears of joy
 mingled all over the chapel2 the women 
wiped their eyes1 and the men shouted1  
,glory1 ,abe6  ,god bless the'1 lad4    
,friends1 he began1 ,i am happy1 ,i mun 
spaike naa1 or ,i'st brust mysen4  ,go  
on1 ,abe1 came from all parts of the    
chapel4  ,hey1 my lads1 ,i mean to go   
on2 ,i'm noan going to turn back naa2   
it's heaven ,i set aat for1 and heaven  
,i mean4 ,i've been on th' road aboon   
fifty years1 and ,i'st get t' th' end   
afore lang4  ,and then he went on to say
 how glad he was to see them there once 
more1 and to see the place full of      
earnest worshippers4  ,you knaw it      
warn't always soa4  ,i can remember when

 we wor just a few1 but we agreed to    
pray for a revival1 and gie th' ,lord no
 rest until we should mak' ,his arm bare
 amang us4  ,we started a prayer-meeting
 on ,sunday mornings at five o'clock to 
th' minute1 and they that worn't there  
at time should be locked aat4  ,well1   
yo' know1 ,i wor' baan to be at that    
meeting4  ,so ,i telled aar ,sally on   
,saturday noight ,i mun be up i' th'    
morning at half-past four4  ,well1 wod  
yo' believe it1 ,i waked abaat five     
minutes to five4  ,i wor aat o' bed in a
 wink1 and shoved my feet in my         
stockings1 and then on wi' my breeks1   
scratted up my booits 7boots7 i' my     
hand1 and off ,i ran in my stocking     
feet4  ,when ,i gat hoalf-way up th'    
,braa th' clock struck five1 and ,i     
pushed one fooit in my booit1 fastened  
up my gallasses1 and ran on agean       
panting up th' hill1 and just as ,i came
 t' th' gate ,i saw th' chapel door shut
 in my face1 so ,i wor locked aat2 but  
,i wor noan baan to looise my meeting4  

,while they insoid wor getting ready1 ,i
 finished dressing mysen4 ,by-and-bye ,i
 hears one on 'em give aat a hymn1 and  
,i clapped my ear t' th' key-hoil and   
listened for th' words1 and then ,i put 
my maath to th' hoil and sang with 'em1 
and so ,i kept on until they began to   
pray4 ,then ,i listened1 and shaated    
,amen through th' hoil1 and kept on     
while iver they prayed4  ,at last my owd
 friend ,bradley stopped in th' middle  
of his prayer1--',oppen that door1' he  
said1 ',i canna pray with that chap     
shaating in at th' key-hoil that road2' 
so they oppened th' door1 and ,i went in
 and had my meeting after all1--but yo' 
moind ,i wor niver late agean4  ,our    
little friend will be remembered as a   
lovefeast man for many years to come4   
,his name had quite grown to be         
associated with the ,conference         
lovefeast of the ,methodist ,new        
,connexion1 and many are the            
affectionate references to our brother  
in these grand annual gatherings even to

 this day4  ,his voice is not now heard 
as it once was1 along with that of      
,thomas ,hannam1 ,john ,shaw1 and men of
 like spirit and notoriety2 but his name
 is still fragrant in the affectionate  
memories of those who are in the habit  
of attending our ,conference lovefeast4 
,,breed ',,em ,,yoursens4  ,although    
,little ,abe was no narrow-minded       
sectarian1 he still loved to foster in  
the minds of his own children a         
preference for the people that had1     
under ,god1 saved his soul1 and made him
 what he was1 and he tried to bind his  
family to the ,church of his choice4    
,spending a ,sunday in the town of      
,dewsbury1 in company with a devoted    
brother and local preacher who is now in
 heaven1 they were led to converse about
 the ,community to which they both      
belonged4  ,abe said1 ,i was born in th'
 ,new ,connexion1 never aat of it1 and  
by ,god's help ,i'st die in it1 and ,i  
hope my children after me4  ,and then1  
taking up an incident which his own     

words had called to mind1 he said1 ,my  
lad went by a cheap trip to ,hull       
t'other day1 and what dost ta think wor 
th' first thing he axed for when he gat 
there8  ,don't know1 replied his friend4
  ,why1 afore he gat aat at station     
yard1 he goes up to a man and says1     
',can yo' tell me th' way t' th' ,new   
,connexion ,chapel8'  ,naa1 he added1   
looking across at his friend2 if yo'    
want th' roight soort1 yo' mun breed um 
yoursens2 a saying which1 put into other
 words1 simply means that if we are to  
have reliable members in the ,church1   
pious parents must bring in their own   
children1 and let them grow up in the   
fear of the ,lord and love of ,his      
people1 and the maxim is correct4       
,,chapter ,,xx4  ,patient in            
,tribulation4  ,abe ,lockwood had to    
encounter many troubles arising from a  
variety of causes but that which seemed 
to harass him most was poverty4  ,having
 a large family to bring up1 and earning
 but moderate wages by his employment1  

his head was seldom above water2 he just
 managed to keep above the drowning     
point4  ,only the brave1 honest1 and    
godly poor who have struggled through   
similar difficulties1 can really know   
what that good man and his wife had to  
contend against in this way4  ,yet how  
often do we find poverty and piety yoked
 together in one house4 ,what a mercy it
 is that piety will condescend to dwell 
with poverty2 sit down at the same dry  
crust1 or sit without it2 wear the same 
patched and threadbare raiment1 and not 
complain2 stay in the same circle1      
endure the same hunger1 cold1 sickness1 
and suffering with unmurmuring          
constancy1 and taking more than half the
 load of trouble on her own neck will   
sit the long night through1 and sing of 
mercy till the day breaks1 and the light
 comes1 and the sun shines again4       
,godliness with contentment is great    
gain4  ,how many of the ,lord's jewels  
have been ground1 cut1 and polished on  
the wheel of poverty2 polished1 but not 

set1 for poverty is neither the gold nor
 silver for the setting4  ,no matter1   
,god does not care for the setting1 it  
is the diamonds ,he loves1 and they     
shall be mine1 saith the ,lord of hosts1
 in that day when ,i make up my jewels4 
,when1 however1 industry1 economy1 and  
patient courage had done all1 poor ,abe 
was sometimes almost overwhelmed by     
hardships1--almost1 but not altogether4 
,he had a firm faith in ,god1 and used  
to say1 ,my ,father knows haa mich ,i   
can carry to a grain1 and ,he wean't lay
 a straw too mony upon me1 bless ,him4  
,in the midst of all the little ,bishop 
maintained a happy heart and a cheerful 
countenance2 he made as little of his   
poverty as some people do of their      
luxuries1 and an ordinary observer might
 have supposed he never had a sorrow1 or
 felt a care4 ,the fact is he did not   
hoard his troubles as some persons do2  
he did not like them well enough for    
that4  ,they hung very loosely about him
 at any time1 and he shook them off as  

soon as he could2 instead of buttoning  
them up in his breast1 and keeping them 
until they rankled1 festered1 or turned 
sour1 he loosened his bands1 bared his  
bosom to the first healthy breeze of joy
 that blew1 and laughed the moment his  
sorrows were gone4   ,,watter ,,gruel4  
,he was one day walking several miles to
 a preaching appointment1 in company    
with another brother who was going to   
the same place4  ,on the way his        
friend's nose began to bleed1 and they  
had to stop1 though the man's nose still
 kept on bleeding4  ,abe tried to stop  
it3 he put a cold stone to the man's    
neck1 held his arms up over head1 and   
resorted to a variety of acknowledged   
remedies1 but with very little effect4  
,what mun ,i do1 ,abe8 said the man4    
,the little ,bishop thereupon proceeded 
to give him his advice4  ,i'll tell the'
 what to do1 said he2 thaa mun strike at
 th' rooit 7root7 o' th' evil2 thaa     
lives o'er high2 thaa should try watter 
gruel for six weeks1 and thaa'd cure    

that nose1 that's haa ,i do4  ,a burst  
of laughter from both hastened the cure1
 and on they went again with the        
journey4  ,there was in this quaint     
remark of his just the slightest        
reference to the poor fare on which he  
had many a time set out on a long       
journey and a hard day's work in the    
cause of his ,divine ,master2 often     
enough dear old ,abe was like brave     
,gideon of old1 faint1 yet pursuing4    
,he used to say when he met people who  
carried their troubles in their faces1  
,yo' ha' no need to pull such lang      
miserable faces1 raand 'um up a bit6    
,what6 are yo' gotten on dark soid o'   
th' hedge8  ,yo' mun flit into th'      
sunshine1 there's plenty o' room4  ,and 
what a blessing it would be if people   
who nurse their sorrows would begin to  
count and cherish their joys instead2   
the world1 and especially the ,church1  
would be full of bright faces and happy 
hearts4   ,,the ,,hallelujah ,,coat4    
,there was a time when ,little ,abe was 

badly provided against the cold1 wet1   
inclement weather which he had to       
encounter in the work of the ,lord1 and 
coming out of the chapels on winter     
nights exposed him to many a dangerous  
chill4  ,his only extra covering was a  
thick woollen muffler around his neck1  
yet in this way he bore uncomplaining   
the brunt of storm and pelt of rain4    
,one ,sunday night after the little     
,bishop had been preaching1 a man came  
and invited him to supper before        
starting for home1 and he went4  ,supper
 over1 ,abe prepared to be off2 it was a
 bitter night1 cold and wet4  ,on seeing
 him about to start1 the good man said1 
,i've got something for you1 ,bishop4   
,abe looked round and saw him standing  
with a big1 thick overcoat open1 ready  
for him to put on4  ,without a word of  
remark he thrust his arms into the coat1
 and his host proceeded to button it up 
from his throat to his heels1 smiling   
all the time2 this done1 he stood back  
to look at him4  ,abe clapped his hands 

together1 and shouted ,hallelujah6      
hallelujah66  ,i can say now't          
else--hallelujah6 a top coit6 a         
hallelujah coit6  ,and away he went out 
into the darkness and rain shouting1 ,a 
,hallelujah top coit6  ,that garment was
 always known after as the hallelujah   
coit4   ,,tempted ,,of ,,the ,,devil4   
,every ,christian knows something of the
 wiles of the devil1 and how busily he  
goes about to tease1 annoy1 and break   
the peace of the ,lord's people4  ,abe  
had many a tussel with this enemy1 but  
in the strength of faith and prayer he  
conquered him4  ,during the early years 
of ,abe's ,christian life the devil     
often endeavoured to raise doubts in his
 mind on fundamental truths2 but ,abe   
was not to be moved from the faith4     
,what he could not understand nor       
explain1 he yet believed with all his   
heart1 so that in time the enemy yielded
 every point of dispute up to him1 and  
,abe kept his heart in perfect peace1 so
 far as these things were concerned4    

,if ,satan came to him1 it was generally
 on some unimportant thing which might  
harass and divert from better things4   
,abe would say ,th' owd enemy 's ge'en  
o'er playing 'th' roaring lion1' and    
turned into a flee1 running and hopping 
all o'er me4  ,and thus the devil would 
sometimes assail him1 rousing his       
feelings1 exciting his imagination and  
anger1 and kindling his resentment to a 
pitch that sometimes made ,abe almost   
ashamed of himself1 especially as it was
 all about nothing4   ,,accused ,,of    
,,swearing4  ,after preaching one       
,sunday at ,wellhouse1 a place about    
four miles from where he resided1 he was
 making his way home in the cool of the 
summer evening1 and had got within a    
very short distance of ,berry ,brow4    
,following on the same road was a man   
that knew ,abe very well1 who was trying
 to overtake him4  ,as this man drew    
nearer he heard the ,bishop talking     
rather loudly1 and giving expression to 
some very extraordinary language1       

accompanied by sundry violent flourishes
 of his walking-stick and stamping of   
his foot1 and the man was amazed as he  
heard ,abe break out1 ,thaa 'rt a liar1 
thaa owd devil6  ,a few moments' silence
 followed this outburst1 during which   
the little man was walking like a       
champion racer2 then suddenly he broke  
out again1 ,i tell the' thaa 'rt a liar1
 and ,i will n't believe a word on 't4  
,then followed another brief silence1   
and then another excited explosion1     
which brought ,abe to a standstill4     
,didn't ,i tell the' ,i don't believe   
the'8  ,away with the'1 thaa lying old  
devil6  ,by this time the man came up to
 him and said1 ,why1 ,abe1 whatever art 
ta swearing abaat soa on a ,sunday      
noight8  ,swearing6 me swearing6        
exclaimed ,abe4  ,i'm noan swearing1 my 
lad4  ,but ,i yeerd the' mysen4  ,when8 
,naa1 this minute2 thaa called somebody 
a lying owd devil1 and sich loike4  ,oh1
 said the little ,bishop kindling at the
 sudden recollection of what had been   

passing in his mind1 ,i've left my      
,sunday pocket-handkerchief in th'      
pulpit at ,wellhaase1 and th' owd devil 
wor telling me aar ,sally wod scold me1 
and ,i told him he wor a lying owd      
devil1 and so he is2 but ,i didn't knaw 
onybody could yeer me4  ,in this way the
 enemy assailed him on his way home from
 his pious work1 grudging him the peace 
of mind which a good man has in the     
service of his ,master4  ,satan would   
not raise any vital point of faith or   
duty with ,abe1 because he knew he would
 be beaten1 and ,abe would be blest1 and
 would rise high on the wings of his    
faith out of the devil's reach2 but he  
could spring a snare upon the good man  
about his pocket-handkerchief1 and      
gradually worry and tease him into a    
conflict until he forgot altogether the 
thought of better things4   ,,counting  
,,the ,,organ ,,pipes4  ,another amusing
 story is told of ,little ,abe1 showing 
how ,satan sometimes succeeded in       
trailing a false scent across his path1 

and leading his mind astray for a time1 
or1 so to speak1 shunting him on to a   
siding1 and keeping him there until he  
discovered the snare4  ,he was sitting  
in ,berry ,brow ,chapel listening1 or   
endeavouring to listen1 to the preacher2
 it was soon after the new organ was    
introduced into that place of worship4  
,abe sat just opposite the organ1 so    
that he could not avoid seeing it4      
,several times during the service the   
little ,bishop had fidgeted about1 and  
indicated signs of impatience from some 
cause or another2 when all at once1 to  
the astonishment of preacher and people1
 ,abe exclaimed1 ,i tell the' there's   
soa many pipes in that organ1 ,i've     
caanted 'em a dozen times already2 if   
thaa doesn't believe it1 caant 'em      
theesen1 devil4  ,we may imagine the    
effect produced by ,abe's outburst of   
indignation1 that the devil should doubt
 the accuracy of his counting in a      
matter so trivial1 as well as the       
annoyance and shame he felt that he had 

allowed his old enemy to make a dupe of 
him again4  ,yet it is only an          
illustration of the insignificant things
 that serve to call off our minds from  
the pursuit of holy studies4  ,the devil
 would dispute through a whole service  
about a couple of flies1 rather than    
permit a saint to wait upon ,god without
 distraction4  ,it shows that we need to
 be very watchful against the influence 
of that arch enemy1 even in the ,lord's 
house4  ,little ,abe1 with all his      
excellences1 had his infirmities like   
other men1 and he felt them keenly4  ,it
 was a cause of great grief to him when1
 through unwatchfulness1 he was led into
 folly4  ,could ye not watch with me one
 hour8 was said to the weary disciples  
of old1 and might often be repeated to  
the ,lord's people to-day4  ,watch1     
therefore1 lest ye enter into           
temptation4   ,,an ,,evil ,,temper4     
,one source of temptation to ,little    
,abe was his temper2 and yet here few   
would think he had any trouble at all4  

,if people who knew him were canvassed  
on this question1 the uniform testimony 
would be that he had a most even        
disposition2 few could be found to      
testify that they ever saw him overcome 
by anger4  ,he was1 however1 naturally  
of a quick1 sensitive temper1 and had to
 keep a jealous watch upon himself1 in  
order to hold this tendency in          
subjection2 the consequence was that it 
seldom gained the mastery over him after
 his conversion4  ,grace turned the lion
 into a lamb1 and subdued the evil      
spirit within him1 and as he grew in    
grace1 the marks of the old ,adam became
 less distinct4  ,still it was always an
 occasion for prayer and watchfulness   
with him2 he would not allow himself to 
be tempted from this side of his        
character1 if he could avoid it4        
,should anything transpire which was    
likely to rouse the evil spirit1 ,abe   
would take his hat and run away1 rather 
than let the enemy gain ascendancy over 
him2 he felt that it was often better to

 hide than 'bide4  ,all our readers may 
not be troubled with a fiery temper1 but
 they who are should watch it closely1  
or they will burn themselves4  ,if you  
have fire about1 keep powder and        
petroleum out of the way1 or there may  
be an explosion2 he that tempts the fire
 with combustibles must surely pay the  
penalty sometimes4  ,the safest and     
wisest policy is to put the fire out    
altogether2 get the evil temper         
destroyed by ,divine grace1 and then    
this sin shall have no dominion over    
you4     ,,chapter ,,xxi4  ,the ,liberal
 ,deviseth ,liberal ,things4  ,little   
,abe was endowed with a generous heart1 
but with very limited means4  ,he could 
generally say as the ,apostles did to   
the lame man1 ,silver and gold have ,i  
none1 but such as ,i have give ,i thee2 
yet he often devised means whereby he   
could enjoy the luxury of giving to     
others4  ,his own children1 and even    
those of the village1 knew they could   
get a penny from ,abe if he had one in  

his pocket1 although it might be the    
last he had in the world1 and many a    
time he might be seen surrounded by a   
swarm of children in the street1 all    
begging sweets or some other little     
trifle of him2 and you want no better   
proof of a man's habitual kindness than 
to see him often beleaguered by little  
children3 they only beg where they get  
something4  ,if any poor neighbour was  
in want1 and ,abe had any means of      
assisting him1 he would not wait to be  
asked4  ,many a time he has gone home to
 ,sally and told her of some poor       
creatures who had no bread in the house1
 and then he would wind up his tale of  
sorrow with1 ,naa1 lass1 we'll be loike 
to tak' 'em a loaf1 whereupon the good  
woman would go to the cupboard and take 
out a big family loaf1 and hand it to   
him1 and he would hurry away to gladden 
the hearts of the hungry children4      
,people do not need to be rich to       
exhibit the spirit of true generosity1  
because it is not so much in the amount 

given1 as in the spirit in which it is  
done1 and the sacrifice involved in the 
act4  ,it is a truly noble thing for a  
wealthy man to bestow of his abundance  
on the needy around him1 and he who does
 so is sure to gain a place in the      
affections of the people4  ,everyone    
admires a liberal man2 indeed1 it is    
questionable whether admiration for this
 quality may not sometimes blind us to  
other things in the same persons which  
are actual faults1 and hence a man may  
be intemperate or profane or worldly1   
and people say1 ,well1 but he is such a 
generous fellow1 and that is taken as   
mitigation of his faults3 thus he is    
allowed to indulge in many wrongs1      
because he has one excellency in his    
character4  ,men are not often impartial
 judges2 their minds are warped by      
unduly regarding one virtue more than   
another1 and consequently their verdict 
on character is not always reliable4    
,give a benevolent man his full meed of 
honour1 but let not his liberal gifts   

become the purchase price at which he   
may obtain indulgence for other sins1 or
 he makes morality only a mockery4      
,generosity is an essential mark of the 
,christian character1 and should display
 itself in every follower of our ,lord4 
,this is the spirit which prompted the  
poor of the ,lord's flock to share their
 scanty means among their poorer        
brethren1 and therefore1 though ,abe    
,lockwood was never in his life worth   
many shillings at one time1 he was one  
among a multitude of humble and generous
 spirits moving in the lower walks of   
life1 who often enjoy the pleasure of   
relieving the wants of sufferers around 
them4   ,a ,,good ,,name ,,is ,,better  
,,than ,,great ,,riches4  ,among the    
people in his own locality no one stood 
in better repute than ,little ,abe4  ,if
 any sick person wanted spiritual       
direction or comfort they would send for
 ,little ,abe4  ,he was quite at home in
 the sick-room2 the sight of his bright 
genial face would be sure to cheer the  

sufferer3 and then he knew so well how  
to lead the penitent sinner to the      
,saviour1 that the gloom of many a      
bedside has been dispelled by his humble
 ministrations in this way4  ,he loved  
this work1 and gave a great amount of   
his spare time in visiting the sick4    
,he was ready to go anywhere1 any time1 
night or day1 that he might help to     
sustain the soul in the last trial of   
faith2 and many an hour has he sat by   
the bedside of some dying neighbour1    
talking1 singing1 praying1 and trying to
 cheer him through the valley of death4 
,the little ,bishop was general         
religious factotum in his own village1  
and especially among those who were in  
any way connected with ,salem ,chapel4  
,in baptisms and burials he was held by 
many in as high repute as the regular   
ministers4  ,often it happened that he  
was fetched by some troubled parent to  
baptize a dying child1 and he would     
perform the rite with as great          
satisfaction to the friends1 in his blue

 smock and clogs1 as he could have done 
had he worn the white neckcloth1 and    
passed through ordination honours4      
,,wilt ,,ta ,,knug8 7,,kneel74  ,a man  
came one evening to ,abe's house1       
knocked at the door1 then opened it a   
little way1 thrust in his face and said1
 ,is ,abe in8  ,it was a most unusual   
thing to see that man there1 for he was 
a wicked1 drunken character1 a trouble  
to the neighbourhood where he lived1 and
 often a terror to his poor wife and    
children4  ,many a time ,abe had tried  
to induce him to go to the ,lord's house
 and begin to lead a new life2 but sin  
had such a hold upon him that he only   
made light of everything good1 and1 in  
his ignorance and hardihood1 professed  
to disbelieve in ,god and ,his ,word4   
,is ,abe in8 asked the face at the door4
  ,yes1 ,i'm here1 replied the little   
man in question1 looking up from his    
,bible1 and peering over the lamp on the
 table to see who the speaker was1 ,come
 in1 mon2 open th' door and come in4    

,and in a little further came the face  
and head1 followed by a pair of broad   
shoulders and a huge body1 whereupon    
,abe saw who they belonged to1 and      
rising from his seat he noticed that the
 great hard face was clouded and        
softened with sorrow4  ,ah1 it is a hard
 heart that does not melt sometimes4    
,what's ta want8 asked ,abe1 in a kind  
tone4  ,arr bit bairn 's badly1 replied 
the big man1 and th' missus wants the'  
to come and sprinkle it4  ,th' missus   
want me does she1--and what does thaa   
want8 said ,abe1 looking meaningly at   
him4  ,does thaa want me to come8  ,ay1 
responded the man1 looking rather       
humble1 and feeling that ,abe had       
obtained his first victory by that      
confession4  ,well1 ,i'll goa wi' the'1 
and1 putting on his hat1 they went out  
together1 and betook themselves to the  
dwelling of the visitor4 ,arriving there
 ,abe beheld a painful yet by no means  
uncommon picture4 ,a room miserably     
furnished1 and not the ghost of comfort 

anywhere2 several little ragged children
 stood grouped together1 and in the     
midst of them was the saddest figure of 
all--the missus1 the wife1 the mother1  
in tears1 and on her lap1 wrapped in an 
old faded shawl1 was a dying infant4    
,the woman tried to smile amid her tears
 as ,abe came in1 just the shadow of a  
smile1 and then her poor face settled   
again to that look of anguish it had    
before1 as if all her meagre joy were   
slowly dying with that little creature  
that lay feebly gasping on her lap4  ,it
 was so like a woman to remember amid   
her grief1 to give a sign of welcome to 
her visitor4  ,aye1 my lass1 ,i'm real  
sorry for the'2 thaa has a mother's     
heart1 ,i see1 and thaa'd loike to keep 
thee bairn1 ,i knaw thaa wad2 but thaa  
mun remember ,god has first claim on 't1
 and if ,he wants it1 thaa'll be loike  
to let ,him ha' it4  ,he can tak' better
 care on 't nor thaa can2 bless it1     
it'll sooin be better off nor ony on    
us--don't fret1 my lass--th' ,lord      

comfort the'4  ,and so in this way      
,little ,abe went on talking1 softening1
 comforting1 and strengthening the      
bitter heart of that poor woman2 at     
length he said1 ,thaa wants me to       
baptize th' little un1 ,i reckon4  ,if  
yo' pleeas1 she replied4  ,jack1 added  
she turning to her husband1 who stood   
all the time with his back to the table1
 trying hard to keep his eyes dry and   
swallow down a lump that was continually
 rising into his throat1 get a basin o' 
watter1 my lad4  ,it was said so sadly  
and yet so kindly1 that if ,jack had had
 to go through fire to fetch that basin 
of water he would have got it4  ,in a   
minute or two he came with the basin in 
his big broad hand and stood close up to
 his wife's side1 looking down on his   
dying child4  ,this is a religious      
service1 said ,abe1 and ,i want yo' to  
understand that4  ,he had his doubts    
about the man1 notwithstanding his      
evident effort to control his emotions2 
he knew the man's sinful character1 knew

 his hostility to everything religious1 
and now that he had him to something    
like an advantage1 he wanted to make the
 most of it4  ,i'm baan to baptize that 
bairn in ,god's name1 and we mun kneel  
daan and pray for it2 and then looking  
at the father he said1 ,wilt ta knug    
7kneel7 daan with us8  ,the man made no 
answer1 but still kept by his wife's    
side1 looking down on the infant4  ,wilt
 ta knug with us1 ,jack8 he repeated2   
it's thy bairn1 and it'll sooin be gone4
  ,still there came no reply2 a conflict
 was going on in the breast of that     
strong man1 the wicked man of the world 
was contending against the father4  ,if 
thaa will n't knug beside the' wife and 
bairns1 ,i'll go haam agean1 said ,abe4 
,the man was conquered2 the devil was   
strong in him1 but the father was       
stronger4  ,he could not bear the       
thought of paying a slight to his dying 
child4  ,i'll knug1 said he1 and that   
instant he full on his knees4  ,abe     
baptized the child1 and then all of them

 knelt together1 while he poured out his
 soul in earnest supplication to ,god   
for the child and the family2 but       
especially for the father who was now1  
almost for the first time in his life1  
found humbly kneeling at the throne of  
grace4  ,it would have been very        
gratifying if we could say that this was
 the turning-point in that man's life2  
but here our knowledge of the case ends4
  ,it is1 however1 not too much to hope 
that the memory of that sad night1      
coupled with the loss of the little     
child1 would have a good influence on   
the subsequent life of the man1 and     
perhaps be the means1 under ,god1 of    
leading him to seek that grace which    
alone could afford him hope of meeting  
his child again in the kingdom of glory4
  ,whether this was so or not1 the      
incident shows the high esteem in which 
,little ,abe was held by the people     
among whom he lived4  ,we see that he   
gained a decided advantage over the     
hardened sinner when he constrained him 

to kneel before the ,lord2 and it also  
shows that when scoffers and so-called  
unbelievers are brought into the shadows
 of death1 their unbelief forsakes them1
 and like devils1 they believe and      
tremble4  ,it was no uncommon thing for 
,abe to be called out of the mill to    
conduct the burial service at ,salem1 in
 place of the minister1 who perhaps had 
never been informed of the funeral1 or  
even of the death4 ,no matter1 poor man1
 he has sadly lowered himself in the    
opinion of the family and friends by not
 being present4  ,he might have known he
 would be wanted1 and at what time of   
the day1 and in what place1 and it is   
very unkind of him not to be there4     
,where is he8  ,poor innocent1 he is    
tramping off to a distant country       
appointment in simple ignorance of the  
misdemeanour of which he is guilty4  ,a 
minister ought to know everything--know 
who is well and who is not2 ministers   
are different from all other people1 and
 more is expected from them4  ,if1 for  

instance1 any one is ill1 the doctor    
must be sent for2 but the minister is   
expected to come without being          
requested4  ,it is his duty to attend to
 the sick of his flock4  ,it is no      
matter whether he knows of the illness  
or not1 he ought to know of it2 a pretty
 shepherd he must be not to know if any 
of his sheep are ill2 he should make    
inquiries for himself among the people4 
,are any persons dead here1 or any sick8
 any to be prayed for8 or are there any 
disaffected parties waiting to be coaxed
 into a good humour8 any croakers in    
want of a good subject to vent their    
bile upon8 or anything at all in the    
general ministerial way that wants      
doing8  ,a man could easily find out    
what is going on1 and what is going off1
 with a little ingenuity and            
perseverance2 and it would save all the 
trouble and expense of a post card to   
the minister asking him to call4  ,let  
us hope1 therefore1 that in future there
 will be no misunderstanding upon these 

important matters1 because every place  
in the land is not favoured with such an
 able1 willing1 and acceptable          
substitute as the people of ,berry ,brow
 had in ,little ,abe4  ,reference has   
already been made to the esteem with    
which he was regarded by his            
fellow-work-people4  ,as years went on  
this regard was1 if possible1           
intensified1 and it was beautiful to see
 how the younger men in the mill would  
strive to lighten his work1 and make his
 duties as easy for him as possible4    
,nor was this kindly feeling confined to
 the mill operatives2 his masters1      
gentlemen of high position in the       
locality1 held him in great esteem1 for 
they knew him to be a honest1 upright   
man1 and a faithful servant4  ,he had1  
in his latter days1 many liberties and  
favours which could not be permitted to 
their employes generally2 often one or  
another of his masters would come into  
the mill1 and have a few minutes'       
conversation with him about his work as 

a preacher1 and his religious zeal1     
enlivened by his irrepressible humour1  
almost invariably sent the master away  
with his face covered with smiles1 and  
his good opinion of the ,little ,bishop 
confirmed4     ,,chapter ,,xxii4  ,used 
,up4  ,as time went on1 and year after  
year was added to his age1 ,little ,abe 
began to show1 by unmistakable signs1   
that he was becoming an old man2 and    
although his lively temperament enabled 
him to hold up against his infirmities  
for some time1 the day came when he     
confessed he was an old man and stricken
 in years2 he began to speak of himself 
as being used up1 worn aat1 done for1   
and the like4  ,all the marks were upon 
him2 his hair was snowy white1 his face 
was furrowed with age1 his sight was    
dim1 his step was slow and feeble1 his  
voice tremulous1 and the signs were     
plainly seen that the ,little ,bishop   
was drawing near the end of his journey4
  ,one day he was unexpectedly called to
 go into his master's office1 and       

immediately he made his way there1 when 
something like the following dialogue   
took place4  ,well1 ,abe1 his master    
began1 ,i am sorry to observe that you  
are getting so infirm that you cannot do
 a day's work now4  ,i have seen this   
for some time1 yet did not want to turn 
you away1 but now ,i am sorry to say you
 will have to leave the mill1 and ,i    
must put another man in your place4     
,this coming so suddenly from the master
 was enough to stagger a stronger man   
than ,abe1 and certainly he felt a      
little troubled at what he had heard1   
but he could put his trust in ,god4     
,i'm vary sorry to laave1 maaster1 but  
,i knaw ,i am gettin' owd and used up4  
,and what will you do for a livelihood1 
,abe8  ,i'm afraid you would not be     
likely to get employment anywhere else  
at your age1 what will you do8  ,well1  
,i don't knaw what ,i mun do1 but ,i'm  
sure my ,father will niver see me want2 
',i have been young and now am old1 yet 
have ,i never seen the righteous        

forsaken or his seed begging bread4'    
,this beautiful triumph of simple faith 
in ,god was soon followed by its reward2
 his master had carried the test far    
enough1 he saw once more his old servant
 was a man of ,god1 his face broke out  
into a smile which showed he had only   
been playing with ,abe3 ,we have        
arranged to give you a weekly allowance 
sufficient to keep you and your wife as 
long as you live4  ,praise th' ,lord6   
exclaimed ,abe1 ,i knew my ,father would
 not see me want4  ,so from that time   
our old friend received his weekly      
allowance1 and was kept from want4  ,the
 ,lord takes care of ,his own children  
that trust in ,him1 and ,he often does  
so through the agency of some other     
individual1 yet whomsoever he be1 he    
shall have his reward4  ,whosoever shall
 give to drink unto one of these little 
ones a cup of cold water only in the    
name of a disciple1 verily ,i say unto  
you1 he shall in no wise lose his reward
 7,matt4 x4 #db74   ,,out ,,of          

,,harness4  ,when our old friend became 
so infirm as to be unable to work for   
his daily bread1 we may naturally       
conclude that his labours as a local    
preacher also necessarily terminated4   
,it was a great trouble to him to have  
to put off the harness2 he struggled    
against it as long as he could1 until   
indeed it was no longer safe for him to 
go to his beloved work2 so he was       
compelled to stay at home1 but never man
 left a calling with greater regret than
 he did this1 for he loved it with all  
his heart4  ,nor was he alone in his    
regrets4  ,many shared in them when it  
was known up and down that ,little ,abe 
was out of harness1 and would come no   
more4  ,some friends sitting together in
 one of the country places of the       
,circuit were talking about the         
preachers they had heard in that place1 
some of them in heaven1 and some        
remaining till ,god should call them    
home2 reference was made to ,abe        
,lockwood1 or as he was often called in 

the latter days of his life1 ,old ,abe6 
,ah1 there's dear ',old ,abe6' he'll    
never come again4  ,a fine little fellow
 that sat listening to the conversation 
rose to his feet1 with his eyes full of 
tears1 and exclaimed1 ,why won't they   
let him come8  ,if he only came and     
stood in the pulpit for us to see him1  
it would do4  ,old ,abe was a great     
favourite with children1 and he was     
always fond of them2 sometimes old age  
turns folks sour1 crabby1 and snarlish  
with children1 but age only mellowed    
him1 and made him more loving and loved4
   ,,where',s ',t ,,young ,,praacher8   
,an amusing incident came under my      
notice during the time ,i was minister  
at ,wellhouse in the ,huddersfield      
,circuit4  ,i was in the front garden   
one windy morning1 attending to a few   
plants1 and endeavouring to protect them
 against the gusty wind1 when ,i thought
 ,i heard someone calling my name1 but  
on looking up and seeing no one ,i      
resumed my task4 ,in a moment or two ,i 

heard someone say1 ,bless th' ,lord6    
,i've managed it at last1 hurrah6 and on
 looking up1 ,i saw ,little ,abe        
struggling along the steep pathway in a 
field just in front of my house1 his    
head bare1 his hat in his hand1 his     
white locks tossed in wild confusion by 
the gale1 yet holding on by their roots1
 refusing to part from their place of   
nativity4  ,well1 ,i declare1 here's    
,little ,abe tipping about in the wind  
like a shuttlecock4  ,out ,i ran1 and   
getting hold of his arm towed him into  
dock4  ,whatever has brought you here in
 such a gale of wind1 ,abe8  ,hurrah6   
,i'st see him naa1 was his only         
response4  ,see who8  ,why1 th' young   
praacher to be sure2 ha'nt ye gotten a  
young praacher in your haase8  ,i've    
come to see him4  ,so laughing heartily 
at ,abe's way of installing new members 
into the ministry1 ,i opened the door   
and pushed him into the house4  ,my wife
 was as much astonished at his arrival  
as ,i was1 yet very glad to see him1    

especially when he inquired ,where's t' 
young praacher8  ,let's see him4  ,come1
 hold him up2 there1 naa1 put him on my 
lap and let me have a bit of talk to    
him4  ,and down he sat1 and the young   
praacher1 at that time having advanced  
to the age of eight or ten weeks1 was   
placed in the old man's lap1 where he   
lay complacently winking his eye at ,abe
 while he told him how he had left home 
after breakfast and walked over the     
hills about five miles in a storm of    
wind on purpose to make the acquaintance
 of this young praacher whose name was  
already on the ,circuit plan4  ,and     
there he stayed for the day1 talking1   
singing1 and communing with his young   
friend till evening1 when we sent him   
home by the train4  ,well1 the time came
 when dear old ,abe visited his friends 
nor stood in the familiar pulpits any   
more2 then everyone1 young and old1 felt
 they had sustained a loss4  ,yet this  
is the natural course of things all the 
world over2 the scenes of life are      

continually changing1 so are the most   
familiar and most beloved faces in those
 scenes2 they come1 and come1 and come  
again1 until we unconsciously acquire   
the habit of expecting them1 but when at
 length they do not reappear as         
formerly1 we realize an unexpected loss4
  ,how many grand and familiar faces    
have disappeared from our pulpits and   
sanctuaries since we first began to     
remember things6  ,in running the mind's
 eye back into byegone years1 what a    
number we can call into recollection who
 are gone1 never to return2 while the   
truth is forced upon us1 we are daily   
hurrying after them1 and ere long some  
others will miss our faces from among   
the familiar scenes1 and let us hope1   
will regret our absence4     ,,chapter  
,,xxiii4  ,better is the ,end of a      
,thing that the ,beginning4  ,it was    
known by ,little ,abe that his          
infirmities were premonitory of the end 
which was not far off4  ,he knew that   
though he might be permitted to linger  

for a while in the border land1 he must 
soon receive command to march over the  
boundary1 and enter the eternal world4  
,just as a shock of corn remains in the 
field to dry and ripen after the        
shearing1 so our old friend remained in 
his place here for a short time1        
ripening for the heavenly garner4  ,he  
had just sufficient strength to go      
quietly about among his old friends in  
the village1 and talk over the good     
things of his ,father's kingdom2 or he  
could get as far as the chapel1 which   
was ever dear to him1 and the more so   
now that he felt the time was fast      
approaching when he should enter it no  
more4  ,he knew that before long his    
happy spirit would be called up to      
worship in a grander temple1 among a    
multitude of those who had washed their 
robes1 and made them white in the blood 
of the ,lamb2 and as he sat in old      
,salem1 and listened to the sweet notes 
of the organ1 his thoughts were oft     
carried away to the great temple above1 

where day and night the harpers are     
striking their joyous strings to the    
,redeemer's praise4  ,often when the    
choir chanted the solemn words3--       
,what shall ,i be1 my ,lord1 when ,i    
behold ,thee1     ,in awful majesty at  
,god's right hand2   ,and 'mid th'      
eternal glories that enfold me1     ,in 
strange bewilderment1 ,o ,lord1 ,i      
stand8   ,what shall ,i be8 these       
tears1--they dim my sight1     ,i cannot
 catch the blisful vision right1  he was
 like one enraptured1 as with tearful   
eyes1 quivering lips1 and clasped hands 
he listened to the soul-stirring hymn4  
,little ,abe was ripening for the end4  
,,arise6  ,,let ,,us ,,go ,,up ,,to     
,,bethel4  ,a touching little incident  
is told of him about this time4  ,he    
always retained an affectionate regard  
for the old tree on ,almondbury ,common1
 where many years before he had made his
 peace with ,god1 and now a strong      
desire was felt by him to visit the     
consecrated spot once more before he    

died4  ,it was his ,bethel pillar2      
against that old tree he had rested his 
weary head on the dark night of his     
desolation2 there the ,lord ,god had    
appeared to him1 and filled his soul    
with the joys of his salvation2 there   
the morning of a new life first broke   
upon his troubled spirit2 there he had  
made a covenant with the ,god of ,jacob4
 ,that old pillar was anointed with the 
first tears of sanctified joy which ever
 fell from his eyes2 it was the altar on
 which he offered his broken and renewed
 heart to ,god1 and he felt as if the   
,lord had given it to him as an         
inheritance and a monument of ,his      
pardoning mercy4  ,he must see it once  
more and renew his vows to ,god2 so one 
day they wrapped him up in his great    
coat1 and gave him his stick1 and sent  
him forth alone to his first sanctuary4 
,feebly and slowly the old man made his 
way to the spot1 and standing on the    
very ground1 and with his hand upon the 
same old tree1 he saw how the locality  

was altered4  ,men had been busy during 
these years1 population had increased in
 the neighbourhood1 houses were built in
 different places1 and many changes had 
taken place4  ,but there still remained 
the little running stream close         
by1--figure to him of the stream of     
,divine grace1 that had never been cut  
off1 never dried up in the drought of   
summer1 never stopped by the chill of   
winter1 never lost in the wild growth of
 the wilderness world2 but on and on it 
flowed1 down the incline of the moral   
world1 winding and turning from side to 
side1 as if to gladden all in its       
course1 away down the hill among the    
gaps of the rocks1 and over the gravelly
 ground of human life1 until it finds   
its way again into the river of ,god's  
eternal love4  ,and there too1 stood the
 tree1 the monument2 but both man and   
tree bore unmistakable marks of age4    
,the unwearying fingers of time had     
planted innumerable mosses against its  
bark2 some of its old branches had      

withered1 its foliage was scantier than 
of old2 it was ripe1 too2 man and tree  
were both ripe and ready to fall4  ,what
 a sympathy there was between them1 what
 a friendship1 what a secret6  ,how many
 storms had both those old trees        
encountered since ,god first threw them 
together6  ,the old elm had shaken1     
bent1 and groaned under the violent     
grasp of the tempest1 which hundreds of 
times had swept across that common4     
,but it still stood1 patiently and      
bravely waiting1 amid the rolling years1
 for the end4  ,brave old elm6  ,there  
is no sympathy in a tree1 or this final 
meeting would have awakened it2 but what
 matter8  ,there is enough in man for   
the tree and himself too1 enough to     
kindle regard in his heart for every    
square inch of timber in that old trunk2
 enough to make him see eyes in every   
joint--loving eyes1 looking at him in   
mute affection2 enough to transform     
every limb into strong arms stretched   
out to protect the old man in his       

feebleness1 and enable him to see a     
smile in every wrinkling crack and      
fissure in thy hard1 weather-beaten     
bark4  ,dear old elm1 there needs no    
apology if a man love thee4  ,who could 
wonder if ,old ,abe felt something like 
this for that tree8 we should wonder if 
he did not4  ,there1 ,old ,abe1 dear    
trembling old man1 rest thy white1      
honoured head against the breast of that
 elm1 and weep if thou wilt1 and never  
mind whether man understand thee or not1
 ,god does4  ,weep1 old man1 but not in 
fear2 thou hast nothing to fear1 ,god is
 with thee1 and the place whereon thou  
standest is holy ground4  ,it is the    
natural vent for those feelings which   
come crowding in upon thee1 some from   
the long past1 and some from the        
approaching future1 now rapidly drawing 
on1 with all its revelations of wonder  
and delight4  ,and thus old ,abe stood  
with his head resting against the tree1 
his eyes closed1 his tears running1 and 
his lips silently moving in prayer to   

,god2 so he paid his vows once more1 and
 gathered strength for the few remaining
 days of his pilgrimage2 then he        
retraced his steps towards home1 and by 
the time he arrived there he was        
entirely himself again1 and no one would
 guess the emotion he had felt at       
,bethel4  ,well1 ,sally1 he exclaimed1  
as he re-entered his cottage1 ,i've been
 to th' owd spot6  ,they have hewn all  
abaat it1 but th' owd tree stands yet   
,god 'll keep that tree while ,i live1  
and then they may do what they like wi' 
it4  ,so ,abe went on1 quietly severing 
himself from one tie after another which
 bound him to this world1 and getting   
ready for his departure to another and a
 better4  ,his mind was now steadfastly 
turned towards the future1 and he was   
continually looking for his promised    
rest4  ,the nearer he got1 to the end of
 his life1 the clearer his prospects of 
heaven became2 he enjoyed a most        
unclouded hope of glory4  ,often he     
would say1 when talking with his        

friends1 ,you'll be hearing some mornin'
 before lang that ,abe is gone1 and yo' 
needn't ask where4  ,tak' my word for   
it1 ,i'll be in glory4  ,if you should  
hear ,i'm dead1 you may set it daan that
 ,i'm in heaven4  ,a brother local      
preacher had lain ill for some time1    
expecting every day to be his last4     
,abe thought he would like to see him   
once more before he passed away1 and    
accordingly he went1 and the two old    
veterans spent a happy time together1   
conversing about the joys which were    
before them4  ,we're both aat of harness
 naa1 thaa sees1 said ,abe1 and we'll   
sooin be at haam4  ,i want the' to tell 
them ,i'm coming1 and shall n't be long 
after the'4  ,everyone thought that ,abe
 would live the longer of the two1 but  
he gained his prize first1 passing away 
a little before his brother1 and now    
they both rest from their labours1 and  
their works do follow them4  ,abe's     
remaining strength rapidly failed him at
 the last1 so that he was unable to     

leave his room2 yet he was always happy 
in prospect of the immortal life before 
him4  ,no aching bones or tottering     
limbs there1 he would say2 ,glory to    
,god6  ,i shall sooin be young agean4   
,the ,bible and hymn-book were his      
constant companions now1 and in peaceful
 expectation he waited for the signal   
that would open to him the portals of   
the skies4  ,the annual lovefeast was   
held during the time when he was a      
prisoner in his room1 and it was a      
privation to him not to be able to get  
there once more1 but it was not to be4  
,they would hear his voice no more in   
,salem1 but before long he would have to
 relate his enrapturing story among     
listening angels and saints before the  
throne4  ,several of the friends came   
down from the chapel to see him4  ,he   
said1 ,aye1 lads1 ,i could loike to ha' 
been amang yo' once maar1 but th' next  
toime ,i cross ,salem doorstep ,i shall 
be carried over2 but ne'er moind1 ,i    
have seen a door opened in heaven1 and  

,i shall sooin go through--hallelujah6  
,at last he took to his bed never to    
rise again2 the time of his departure   
was at hand4  ,as1 however1 his body    
lost strength1 his spirit seemed to gain
 it2 the words of the psalmist were ever
 on his lips1 ,though ,i walk through   
the valley of the shadow of death1 ,i   
will fear no evil1 for ,thou art with   
me1 ,thy rod and ,thy staff1 they       
comfort me4  ,listen1 he said one day1  
when ,i can't spaike to tell yo' haa ,i 
feel1 ,i'll lift my hand1 and yo'll knaw
 all's weal4  ,this was for their sakes4
  ,he wanted to leave a token with his  
dear wife and children that should      
antidote their sorrow when he was gone4 
,a friend came one day from a distant   
town to see him2 he felt very sad at    
finding him so near his end1 and could  
not refrain from tears1 but when the old
 man saw him weep1 he began to repeat as
 well as his feeble voice would allow-- 
,break off your tears1 ye saints1 and   
tell   ,how high your great ,deliverer  

reigns2   ,see how ,he spoiled the hosts
 of hell1   ,and led the monster ,death 
in chains4   ,and then he took the part 
of comforter3 ,aye1 my lad1 what art ta 
looking so sad abaat8  ,thaa mun't be   
cast daan1 thaa mun come up aat o' th'  
valley2 bless th' ,lord6 he ran on1 ,i'm
 on ,pisgah1 and my soul is full of     
glory4  ,i'm in soight o' th' promised  
land1 hallelujah6  ,i'll sooin be at    
haam4  ,in this happy frame he continued
 to the last4  ,as long as he could     
speak at all1 words of exultation and   
praise rose to his lips1 and when he    
could no longer articulate1 he fell back
 upon the signal1 and lifted his hand1  
in token that all was well4  ,dear old  
,abe1 he was come to the end of his     
course1 the shades of death were upon   
him1 he was crossing the narrow strip of
 neutral ground that divides the two    
worlds2 friends stood in the margin of  
the shadow-land1 watching him feebly    
lift his hand as he went over1 till he  
could lift it no more1 and when the     

signal dropt mourners knew that ,old    
,abe was safe through4  ,he died in the 
,lord in ,november #ahga1 and left a    
memory behind that grows more fragrant  
as years go on4  ,his dust lies buried  
in the graveyard in front of ,salem     
,chapel1 where1 five years later1 the   
remains of his devoted wife1 ,sally1    
were laid beside him4  ,there let their 
dust sleep until that day when they that
 are in their graves shall hear ,his    
voice1 and come forth4  ,oh1 said a good
 woman one day when talking over the    
subject of these pages1 ,i should just  
like to have an odd look into heaven1 to
 see what ,little ,abe is about4  ,what 
is he about8  ,he is praising ,god in   
the glorious temple above3 ,and one of  
the elders answered1 saying unto me1    
,what are these arrayed in white robes8 
and whence came they8  ,and ,i said unto
 him1 ,sir1 thou knowest4  ,and he said 
to me1 ,these are they which came out of
 great tribulation1 and have washed     
their robes1 and made them white in the 

blood of the ,lamb4  ,therefore are they
 before the throne of ,god1 and serve   
,him day and night in the temple4  ,they
 rest not day and night saying1 ,holy1  
,holy1 ,holy1 ,lord ,god ,almighty1     
which was1 and is1 and is to come4      
,,the ,,end4