,transcriber's note3 ,text enclosed by underscores is in italics 7italics74 ,small capital text has been replaced with all capitals4 99 99 99 99 99 ,illustration3 cover ,,the ,,sheepfold ,,and ,,the ,,common4 ,illustration3 ,,drawn ,,by ,g4 ,h4 ,,thomas4 ,,engraved ,,by ,w4 ,l4 ,,thomas4 ,,the ,,old ,,shepherd4 ,vol4 i4 page #b4 ,illustration3 the ,sheepfold and the ,common ,,or ,,within ,,without4 ,blackie ,son ,glasgow ,edinburgh and ,london4 ,,the ,,sheepfold ,,and ,,the ,,common3 ,,or1 ,,within ,,and ,,without4 ,,vol4 ,i4 ,my sheep hear my voice1 and ,i know them1 and they follow me4--,,john x4 #bg4 ,them that are without ,god judgeth4--#a ,,cor4 v4 #ac4 ,illustration3 logo ,,blackie ,,and ,,son3 ,,glasgow1 ,,edinburgh1 ,,london1 ,,and ,,new ,,york4 ,,mdccclxi4 ,,glasgow3 ,w4 ,g4 ,,blackie ,,and ,,co41 ,,printers1 ,,villafield4 ,,preface4 ,this ,work was originally published1 above thirty years ago1 under the title of the ,evangelical ,rambler4 ,it has long been out of print2 and its republication at the present time has been recommended1 as calculated to assist in arresting the progress of some popular errors and dangerous institutions1 and in aiding the advancement of truth and social happiness4 ,this opinion was strengthened by a knowledge of the fact1 that1 according to the most accurate calculations1 from sixty thousand to a hundred thousand copies of the ,work1 under its original title1 were issued from the ,english press1 whilst in ,america it obtained an equally extended circulation2 and from the still more important fact of the ,author having received1 from a large number of persons1 assurances1 both by letter and personal interviews1 of their having derived their first religious impressions and convictions from perusing its pages4 ,a new and thoroughly-revised ,edition is1 therefore1 now issued1 under the title of ,,the ,,sheepfold ,,and ,,the ,,common1 as being more descriptive of the aim and intention of the ,work than its former name4 ,the object of the ,work is to afford instruction and amusement1 conveyed by a simple narration of the events of every-day life4 ,in constructing his story1 the ,author has availed himself occasionally of the conceptions of his fancy1 and at other times he has crowded into a narrow compass facts and incidents culled from an extended period of his history2 but reality forms the basis of every narrative and of every scene he has described4 ,he has departed from the common-place habit of presenting the grand truths of the ,christian faith in didactic and dogmatic statements1 preferring the dramatic form1 as more likely to arrest the attention and interest the feelings1 especially of the youthful and imaginative portion of the community4 ,in adopting this style of composition1 he has thus endeavoured to follow the footsteps of the great ,prophet of ,israel1 who often spake in parables1 veiling truth in a beauteous external vehicle1 to captivate and teach his hearers1 while their prejudices were lying dormant4 ,in no book of human authorship can we find specimens of imaginative composition that will compare with the following examples from the ,new ,testament1 which the ,author quotes1 in illustration and defence of the principle on which his ,work is based4 ,on no occasion during the ministry of ,jesus ,christ are we so thoroughly convinced of the fatal danger of trusting in our own attainments and doings for our salvation1 and of the absolute safety of reposing exclusive confidence in ,him for this inestimable blessing1 as when he places us in imagination on the shore1 after the desolating storm has completed its work of destruction1 leaving us to gaze on the ruins of the one house erected on the sand2 while we see the other remaining secure on the unmoved and unshaken rock1 in stern and tranquil defiance of all tempests and hurricanes4 ,see ,matt4 vii4 #bd-bh4 ,we have more definite and more vivid impressions of the invisible world--of the calm repose and fraternal fellowship of the saved1 and of the privations and anguish of the lost1 when reading our ,lord's description of the condition of ,lazarus and the rich man1 than is produced on our minds by his announcement of the issue of the day of judgment1 when the wicked go away into everlasting punishment1 and the righteous into life eternal4 ,luke xvi4 #ai-bf4 ,the ,work1 under its new title1 ,,the ,,sheepfold ,,and ,,the ,,common1 has undergone a very careful revision2 many portions of the original have been re-written1 and others omitted to make room for new matter of more interest and importance at the present time4 ,while carrying out the main object of the ,work1 as already adverted to--namely1 to present the grand doctrines of the ,christian faith in a pleasing and attractive manner--the ,author has also endeavoured to elucidate various topics important to the church at large and to the well-being of society in general2 and though he has not plunged into the mazes of controversy1 with the obscure and often unintelligible advocates of the theological heresies of the age1 yet many of the more prominent of these have been subjected to a severe and1 he trusts1 an impartial examination4 ,if the re-issue of this ,work should prove as successful in conveying spiritual life to the spiritually dead--in relieving the anxious inquirer from his misgivings and perplexities--and in administering the consolations of faith and hope to the devout believer1 while passing through the varied seasons of his eventful history1 as it proved in its less perfect and less attractive form--then1 whether living or dying1 the ,author will indulge the hope of meeting many1 at the coming of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 who will be to him a crown of rejoicing for ever4 ,illustration3 decoration ,,contents4 ,,vol ,i4 ,page ,the ,lonely ,widow1 #a ,the ,widow's ,son1 #aa ,the ,widow's ,son ,reclaimed1 #ba ,fairmount1 #cb ,a ,morning's ,ramble1 #dc ,the ,horningsham ,sailor1 #ec ,the ,rector of ,broadhurst1 #fe ,a ,visit to the ,rectory1 #gf ,saturday ,evening at ,fairmount1 #ib ,a ,sabbath ,morning at ,fairmount1 #ajg ,sabbath ,evening at ,fairmount1 #aba ,the ,bible ,disdained1 #acb ,the ,bible ,precious1 #adi ,the ,family of the ,roscoes1 #aed ,the ,social ,party1 #afd ,miss ,roscoe1 #agd ,a ,village ,funeral1 #ahf ,miss ,roscoe withdraws from ,gay ,life1 #aig ,fresh ,perplexities1 #bji ,the ,religious ,party1 #bag ,miss ,roscoe1 #bbf ,the ,family of the ,lawsons1 #bce ,calm ,discussion1 #bdf ,self-,delusion1 #beg ,a ,night ,calamity1 #bff ,a ,surprise1 #bgf ,the ,consultation1 #bhg ,the ,dark ,vale ,illumined1 #big ,intemperate ,zeal1 #cjg ,baptismal ,regeneration a ,fiction1 #cag ,the ,retired ,christian1 #cbh ,spiritual ,regeneration a ,reality1 #ccf ,the ,evidences of ,spiritual ,regeneration1 #cdf ,on ,conversion1 #ceg ,the ,tendency of ,evangelical ,preaching1 #cgj ,on ,attending an ,evangelical ,ministry1 #chc ,the ,unhappy ,one1 #cig ,the ,scene ,changes1 #daj ,the ,tractarian at ,fault1 #dba ,the ,popular ,delusion1 #ddc ,the ,churchman's ,lament1 #dee ,right at ,last1 #dgh ,the ,quakeress1 #die ,an ,escape from a ,false ,refuge1 #eah ,christmas1 #edd ,winter ,scenes1 #efj ,on ,apostolical ,succession1 #egd ,,list ,,of ,,illustrations4 ,,vol4 ,i4 ,page ,,the ,,old ,,shepherd1 ,frontispiece4 ,,within ,,and ,,without1 ,engraved ,title4 ,return of the ,widow's ,son1 #bb ,a ,prospect of ,fairmount1 #cb ,first ,interview with ,farmer ,pickford1 #dg ,the ,church of the ,neglected ,parish1 #ff ,mr4 ,guion's ,first ,interview with the ,misses ,brownjohn1 #hb ,a ,lamb of the ,flock ,borne to her ,rest1 #hg ,the ,woodman's ,family in ,affliction1 #aje ,we ,work on ,sunday till ,dinner-time1 #aaj ,mr4 ,tennent and the ,tract-seller1 #aea ,the ,house of ,mourning1 #ahg ,evening ,walk--,moonrise1 #bfa ,the ,lost ,child ,restored1 #bgj ,the ,dark ,vale ,illumined1 #cjj ,the ,discussion in the ,stage ,coach1 #dbc ,christmas ,eve1 #eea ,the ,death of the ,woodman1 #egj ,,the ,,sheepfold ,,and ,,the ,,common4 ,,the ,,lonely ,,widow4 ,in the summer of the year #ah--1 ,i took an excursion through part of the west of ,england2 and after travelling on horseback several days1 ,i resolved to tarry at the beautiful village of ,stanmoor4 ,passing along1 ,i stopped in front of a small but respectable looking inn1 whose honeysuckled porch and tidy exterior promised to afford a tranquil and comfortable place of sojourn1 and ,i made up my mind to rest for a season beneath its humble roof4 ,having taken my horse to the stable1 and given the hostler instructions to take good care of him1 ,i was shown into a neat small back room1 which commanded a very beautiful view4 ,as ,i stood gazing and musing while the homely-looking landlady was preparing my coffee1 the lines of ,milton's ,morning ,hymn recurred to my recollection2 but never1 till that moment1 had they produced such an exciting effect3-- ,these are thy glorious works1 ,parent of good3 ,almighty6 ,thine this universal frame3 ,thus wondrous fair6 ,thyself how wondrous then6 ,unspeakable3 who sitt'st above these heav'ns1 ,to us invisible1 or dimly seen ,in these thy lowest works2 yet these declare ,thy goodness beyond thought1 and pow'r divine4 ,my cogitations were interrupted by the landlady1 who1 as a mark of respect1 herself brought in my coffee1 c41 put a small bell on the table1 and assured me1 with a great deal of good-natured ease1 that she would endeavour to make me comfortable as long as ,i chose to honour her house with my company4 ,having partaken of the provision of the table1 ,i resolved on taking a walk1 and was told1 that if ,i turned short round to the right when past the clump of fir-trees1 ,i should soon come to a pleasant valley4 ,this direction ,i followed2 and in about a quarter of an hour ,i entered one of the most romantic vales ,i have ever visited4 ,the sun was still gilding the tops of the distant hills2 the blue sky was enlivened by the song of the thrush1 and the responding notes of the yellow-hammer4 ,as ,i walked on1 my attention was attracted by the bleating of a flock of sheep1 which ,i saw at a distance ascending a steep path1 leading to a neighbouring fold4 ,i quickened my pace1 that ,i might have some conversation with the shepherd1 who1 with his dog1 was bringing up the rear4 ,he was an old man of a swarthy complexion1 and strongly marked features2 his gray hairs hung in locks over his shoulders1 and his manners seemed to indicate the presence of a superior mind4 ,he made a courteous bow2 ,i saluted him1 and remarked--,you are taking your flock home to rest1 which ,i hope sometimes reminds you of the approach of that hour when you must rest from all your labours4 ,yes1 it does2 and1 blessed be ,god1 there is a rest provided for his people4 ,this pious expression sprang a mine of exquisite feeling in my breast2 and ,i instantaneously felt a profound veneration and respect for the old man1 whom ,i now looked upon as a son of ,god in the disguise of lowly and lonely humanity4 ,i presume you know something about ,jesus ,christ1 who is the way to that place of rest4 ,yes1 he is now my ,saviour1 though for many years ,i lived without knowing anything about him4 ,i often feel sorry when ,i think of the many precious hours ,i have wasted by reading ballads and foolish books1 which ,i ought to have spent in reading my ,bible4 ,do you ever attend a place of worship8 ,no1 ,i never leave my flock4 ,how1 then1 did you come to know anything about ,jesus ,christ8 ,he put his hand into his pocket1 and pulled out a tract1 and said1 as the big tear dropped upon his cheek1 ,this is the blessed book that made known to me a blessed ,saviour2 and ,i would not part with it for all the world4 ,feeling anxious to hold in my hand the instrument which had been employed by the ,eternal ,spirit in turning this aged man from darkness to light1 ,i asked him to let me see the tract4 ,it bore the following title1 which had become nearly obliterated by frequent use3--,the ,good ,old ,way2 or the ,religion of our ,forefathers1 as explained in the ,articles1 ,liturgy1 and ,homilies of the ,church of ,england4 ,i said to him1 ,how did you get this tract8 ,a lady gave it me one day1 about three years ago2 ,i don't know her2 but ,i hope she will be recompensed at the resurrection of the just4 ,how do you spend your leisure time now8 ,in reading my ,bible1 which tells me so much about that dear ,saviour1 in whom1 through grace1 ,i have believed1 and who is able to keep that which ,i have committed to him against the great day4 ,i suppose you are much more happy now than you were before you knew him8 ,this question brought over his countenance one of the finest expressions of delight ,i ever beheld2 and1 after a short pause1 he said1 ,more happy1 ,sir6 ,i never was happy till ,i obtained mercy2 but now ,i am happy1 and expect before long to join that blessed company we read of in the ,revelation1 who serve ,god day and night in his temple4 ,having made a few unimportant inquiries about his family1 the state of agriculture1 and the population of the district1 ,i wished him a good night1 and left him4 ,as ,i passed along1 ,i said to myself1 ,i should like to watch the countenance1 and listen to the remarks of this converted shepherd1 while some philosophic sceptic1 in flippant style1 or in graver tone and sarcastic sneer1 says to him1 ,why1 shepherd1 you have been long living amidst visible and splendid realities2 but now1 in your old age1 you are living under the spell of legendary delusions4 ,the ,deity whom you now adore is nothing but the idol of your own creation4 ,the reported facts and doctrines of the ,bible1 which have had such an effect on your imagination1 are either fabulous tales or superstitious dogmas2 and1 notwithstanding your airy flights into another world1 you1 like your sheep1 will cease to be1 when death comes to release you from your labours1 for there is no other world4 ,with what indignant astonishment1 blended with pity1 would the old shepherd look on such a man2 doubting1 for a few moments1 whether he was not some infernal spirit in the human form4 ,i can easily imagine he would reply3 ,it is odd1 ,sir1 that such a poor ignorant old man as ,i be1 that has lived for more than sixty years without thinking about ,god at all1 should all at once1 and without intending to do it1 create by the force of my fancy such a pure1 benevolent1 and glorious ,being1 as ,i now believe ,god to be2 who stoops from his high and lofty throne to listen to my poor prayers1 and to answer them too4 ,and it is mainly odd1 ,sir1 methinks1 that these tales of the ,bible1 if they be fabulous1 and these doctrines of the ,bible1 if they be nothing but superstitious dogmas1 as you call them1 should all at once1 and without my thinking of such a thing being done1 work such a great and blessed change in my hard and wicked heart1 and should make me so happy as ,i now be4 ,it is1 methinks1 a main pity that they have not worked on your heart as they have on mine1 and then you would be about as unable and as unwilling to doubt their truth as ,i be4 ,you say1 ,sir1 there is no other world2 ,i should like to know how you happen to know this8 have you been to the sun1 and the moon1 and all the stars1 and every where else to see8 ,if you have not1 according to my plain way of thinking1 ,i think it is a main act of presumption for you to say so4 ,you tell me that ,i shall cease to be at death1 just as these sheep will cease to be4 ,i should like to know how you happen to know this4 ,has our ,maker spoken to you out of heaven1 and told you so3 or is it mere guess-work with you8 ,no1 no1 ,sir2 ,i am not going to take your random guess-work sayings as true gospel2 ,i like ,matthew1 ,mark1 ,luke1 and ,john too well for that2 and now1 to let you know my mind1 ,i tell you plainly1 you come too late to make a poor man disbelieve his ,bible1 if you don't come before he has felt the enlightening and renewing and refreshing power of its blessed truths on his soul2 he has then the ,witness within1 and that's a witness that can't lie4 ,i won't give up the truthful testimony of this living ,witness for your random guess-work sayings1 which you yourself can't know to be true4 ,i don't want1 ,sir1 to offend you2 but ,i look upon you as a false prophet1 who may deceive the wicked1 but can't deceive a man who fears ,god and loves ,jesus ,christ as ,i do1 and shall do for ever4 ,perfect stillness prevailed around2 no sounds were heard but my own footsteps1 and the occasional notes of the nightingale1 until ,i came to a brake1 when ,i heard the following verses of a favourite hymn1 though the singer was concealed3-- ,the calm retreat1 the silent shade ,with prayer and praise agree2 ,and seem by thy sweet bounty made ,for those who follow thee4 ,there1 if thy ,spirit touch the soul1 ,and grace her mean abode1 ,oh6 with what peace1 and joy1 and love1 ,she communes with her ,god6 ,there1 like the nightingale1 she pours ,her solitary lays2 ,nor asks a witness of her song1 ,nor thirsts for human praise4 ,author and guardian of my life1 ,sweet source of light divine1 ,and--all harmonious names in one-- ,my ,saviour6 thou art mine4 ,what thanks ,i owe thee1 and what love6 ,a boundless1 endless store1 ,shall echo through the realms above ,when time shall be no more4 ,i lingered here some time after the music had died away1 luxuriating in my own hallowed reflections2 and then advancing a few steps1 ,i perceived1 seated in a hollow1 a decent middle-aged woman1 and1 apparently1 her daughter1 who were thus pouring forth their evening hymn of praise4 ,i then returned to the inn1 had my supper1 and after engaging in prayer with the family1 retired to rest4 ,in the morning ,i rose early and revisited the vale1 humming over1 as ,i sauntered along1 the following suggestive and consolatory lines of a modern poet3-- ,god is here2 how sweet the sound6 ,all ,i feel and all ,i see1 ,nature teems1 above1 around1 ,with universal ,deity4 ,is there danger8 ,void of fear1 ,though the death-wing'd arrow fly1 ,i can answer1 ,god is here1 ,and ,i move beneath his eye4 ,when ,i pray1 he hears my pray'r2 ,when ,i weep1 he sees my grief3 ,do ,i wander8 ,he is here1 ,ready to afford relief4 ,i reached the end of the walk before aware of it2 when ,i saw a cottage1 towards which ,i bent my steps4 ,it was small1 yet tastefully adorned with jessamine1 honey-suckles1 and rose-trees1 with a neat flower-garden in front1 inclosed by a hawthorn hedge2 and while admiring its varied beauties1 an elderly female made her appearance1 whose physiognomy and whose manners were very prepossessing4 ,after a little desultory conversation1 as ,i stood resting my arm on the top of her little wicket-gate1 she invited me to come in and rest myself4 ,i accepted her invitation1 and soon found that ,i was in the society of one of the ,lord's hidden ones4 ,my hostess was a widow1 whose husband had been dead about seven years4 ,she informed me that her father1 a man of piety and of wealth1 had given her an education becoming his station2 that at the age of seventeen she yielded herself to ,god1 as one alive from the dead1 and before she reached her twentieth year1 she was married to one of the most amiable and one of the most attentive men that ever became a husband4 ,a kind ,providence smiled upon them during the first twelve years of their wedded life1 when a series of disasters befell them1 which turned their paradise of bliss into a valley of weeping4 ,her father having made some large speculations in the wool-trade1 lost the whole of his property1 and not having been inured to affliction in his earlier days1 his vigorous constitution gave way1 and he died1 exclaiming1 ,though ,i have lost all my worldly substance1 yet the pearl of great price is still mine4 ,the insolvency of her father shook public confidence in the commercial respectability of her husband1 who was soon obliged to call together his creditors2 and though there was more than sufficient property to meet their demands1 yet1 by making him a bankrupt1 they did not receive quite half their amount4 ,when his affairs were wound up1 and he had obtained his certificate1 his friends raised a subscription for him1 and he recommenced business2 but the hand of the ,lord was against him1 and he could not succeed4 ,an interesting daughter1 who1 from the age of seven years1 had been seeking the ,lord1 was so overwhelmed by the afflictions of her parents1 that she fell into a rapid decline2 and though there were occasionally some bright prospects of her recovery1 yet at last the night of death came and sealed up the vision of life4 ,the father1 who was a man of a very delicate frame1 gradually sank beneath his accumulated trials1 and left his widow with a son1 without any resources for their future maintenance4 ,her son was sent to a boarding-school1 where he was educated at the expense of his uncle2 and as the place of her nativity had lost all its attractions1 she chose to retire to the lonely cottage in which ,i found her1 where ,he who multiplied the widow's oil has never suffered her to want any good thing4 ,an occasional tear fell from her eye while she was relating this tale of woe1 yet there was a dignified composure in her countenance1 and that led me to remark--,i presume1 ,madam1 that though you have met with such severe losses1 you have not lost your confidence in ,god1 nor the peace of mind it yields4 ,no1 ,sir2 ,i have enjoyed in this cottage more of the ,divine presence than ,i ever felt in the days of prosperity1 and would not willingly return to the world1 and hazard the loss of my spiritual consolations1 could ,i obtain its highest prizes4 ,i know that my afflictions have been sent by my heavenly ,father1 who is too wise to err1 and too good to act unkindly4 ,he has designs to accomplish1 by his dispensations1 which may appear to us mysterious1 because to us they are unknown2 but though clouds and darkness are round about him1 yet righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne4 ,i now find the wells of salvation yield sweeter waters than when resorted to in former times1 and my prospect of future glory is brighter and more animating than in the days of my greatest prosperity4 ,on expressing my surprise that she could willingly reside where the means of grace could not be fully enjoyed1 she informed me that she was not deprived of these privileges4 ,if you look in that direction1 you will see a spire rising among the trees on yonder hill4 ,in that church the gospel is preached in its purity and in its power1 and the ,rector1 who is an amiable man1 usually preaches on ,sabbath morning1 when ,i attend4 ,in the afternoon ,i stay at home and meditate on what ,i have heard2 and in the evening ,i go to hear an excellent minister of ,christ1 who preaches in a small ,dissenting chapel at the other end of our hamlet4 ,then you are no bigot8 ,no1 ,i love all who love ,christ2 and to me it is immaterial where ,i go1 if ,i can obtain an interview with ,him1 whom unseen ,i love4 ,as the gospel is preached in your village1 ,i hope you have met with some with whom you can enjoy ,christian fellowship4 ,yes1 the ,lord has a few in this modern ,sardis who have escaped the general pollution1 and are walking worthy their high vocation4 ,we meet once in the week for prayer and conversation1 and are often favoured with times of refreshing from the presence of the ,lord4 ,have you ever had any conversation with a pious shepherd1 who feeds his flock in your beautiful vale8 ,o yes1 he is often our chaplain4 ,the word of ,christ dwells in him richly4 ,he has an excellent gift in prayer1 and is an ,israelite indeed2 a beautiful specimen of the new-creating power of the ,almighty4 ,but do you never wish to reside in a town1 where you could enjoy an extensive intercourse with the religious world8 ,o no2 ,i have lived long enough to know that a few select friends1 whose minds are uncontaminated by the censorious spirit of the age1 are a richer treasure than a promiscuous throng1 enslaved and governed by sectarian prejudices4 ,the room in which we were conversing was neatly furnished2 a few pictures decorated one of the side walls1 and a small library was placed in the centre of the opposite4 ,i found among the books a copy of ,robinson's ,village ,sermons1 and on taking it from the shelf1 ,i observed1 ,robinson was an extraordinary man1 but the eventide of his life was comparative darkness4 ,yes1 it was2 but the productions of his pen have often yielded me pure mental enjoyment2 and1 if you will permit me1 ,i will show you a passage in one of his sermons1 which ,i never read without bearing a personal testimony to its accuracy3--',is it a benefit to understand the spirit and see the beauty of the ,holy ,scriptures8 ,afflictions teach ,christians the worth of their ,bibles1 and so wrap up their hearts in the oracles of ,god4 ,the ,bible is but an insipid book to us before afflictions bring us to feel the want of it1 and then how many comfortable passages do we find which lay neglected and unknown before6 ,i recollect an instance in a history of some who fled from persecution in this country to that then wild desert1 ,america4 ,among many other hardships1 they were sometimes in such straits for bread1 that the very crusts of their former tables in ,england would have been a dainty to them4 ,necessity drove the women and children to the sea-side to look for a ship expected to bring them provisions2 but no ship for many weeks appeared2 however1 they saw in the sands vast quantities of shell-fish1 since called clams1 a sort of mussels4 ,hunger impelled them to taste1 and at length they fed almost wholly on them1 and to their own astonishment were as cheerful1 fat1 and lusty as they had been in ,england with their fill of the best provisions4 ,a worthy man one day1 after they had all dined on clams without bread1 returned ,god thanks for causing them to suck of the abundance of the seas1 and of treasures hid in the sand--a passage in the #cc;d chapter of ,deuteronomy1 a part of the blessing with which ,moses blessed the tribe of ,zebulun before his death2 a passage till then unobserved by the company1 but which ever after endeared the writings of ,moses to them4 ,just as she finished reading1 a farmer-looking man came to the door with a letter1 which ,mrs4 ,lewellin took and opened with eagerness4 ,she wept as she read1 and involuntarily exclaimed--,o ,george6 my son1 my son6 ,unwilling to withhold consolation from one who had passed through such fiery trials1 ,i asked her if she had received any intelligence of a very painful nature4 ,yes1 she said1 while endeavouring to suppress the rising grief of her heart1 ,i have a letter from my dear boy1 who has resided in ,london for the last two years4 ,he is very ill4 ,o ,sir6 if----4 ,a long silence ensued1 which was interrupted only by the expressions of strong maternal grief4 ,if he had felt the power of divine grace changing his heart----4 ,she wept again4 ,but ,i fear he has been drawn away from religion by evil companions4 ,oh6 if he were to die1 where could ,i ever find rest8 ,this is a trial which pierces my heart4 ,i am not surprised to witness such excessive grief2 but may not this affliction be sent to elicit the meaning of some obscure passage of the ,sacred ,volume8 ,unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness2 that is1 deliverance comes when most needed1 but as often when least expected4 ,the set time for your son's conversion may be nigh at hand2 and ,he who worketh all things after the counsel of ,his own will may now be making the necessary preparations for this great event2 so that your mourning may very soon be turned into rejoicing4 ,if the ,lord should be pleased to renew the soul of my dear boy1 ,i shall1 like the father1 when he saw his prodigal son retracing his steps to his long-deserted home1 feel an ecstasy of joy4 ,the crisis in his moral history may be coming4 ,i will betake myself to special prayer1 and in faith and hope wait the issue4 ,nothing is impossible with ,god4 ,,the ,,widow',s ,,son4 ,george ,lewellin1 the son of the lonely widow1 at the decease of his father was twelve years of age4 ,he finished his education under the direction of his uncle2 and1 having attained his seventeenth year1 he was placed in a merchant's counting-house in ,london4 ,in person he was tall and slender1 prepossessing in appearance and manners1 unreserved in disposition1 of an amiable temper1 and disposed1 from the ingenuous sincerity of his heart1 to regard every one as his friend who courted his society4 ,soon after his entrance on his new course of life1 he received an affectionate letter from his mother1 cautioning him against the many temptations of the metropolis3-- ,as1 my dear ,george1 you are removed from under the immediate inspection of your friends1 and will be exposed to a variety of temptations1 permit me to urge upon you the importance of reading the ,scriptures daily1 of regularly attending some place of worship on the ,sabbath-day1 and of avoiding the company of the gay and dissipated4 ,if companions entice you to the play-house1 to card parties1 or to places of public amusement1 do not allow them to prevail upon you2 for1 if you once give way to their entreaties1 you will soon be overcome4 ,i have had many trials4 ,i have lost my property2 ,i have buried your lovely sister2 ,i have wept over the tomb of your pious father2 and to see you turning your back on religion1 would bring my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave4 ,but ,i hope better things of you1 though ,i thus write4 ,let me hear from you soon1 and often2 and give me a faithful account of how you spend your time2 and believe me to be yours1 most affectionately1 c4 ,his reply will give the reader some insight into the state of his mind and situation3-- ,,my ,,dear ,,mother1--,i thank you for your kind letter4 ,yes2 you have had many trials1 but ,i hope you have1 at least1 one living comfort left4 ,to promote your happiness will be1 ,i trust1 the constant effort of my life2 and as ,i know something of the value of prayer1 ,i hope you will always have me in remembrance when at a throne of grace4 ,i have a good room at a ,mr4 ,jordan's1 in the ,city ,road4 ,mr4 ,jordan is a plain1 pious man1 and his wife appears very amiable4 ,they have no children1 and they treat me as their son4 ,i very much like the situation which my uncle has procured for me4 ,there are1 in the office1 three clerks besides myself1 but they are all my seniors4 ,the oldest is married1 and has a family4 ,the next is the son of a ,friend1 but he has thrown off the plain garb1 and often ridicules the simple mode of speech for which that scrupulous people are distinguished4 ,the other is the only son of a country esquire of large fortune4 ,they treat me with the greatest kindness2 and so does the gentleman in whose service ,i have the honour of being employed4 ,my time is fully occupied2 and though business is new to me1 yet ,i begin to find the difficulties attending it giving way4 ,i will try to please1 and ,i hope shall be successful4 ,as ,i know you feel more anxious about my spiritual than my temporal prosperity1 ,i shall give you an account of the manner in which ,i spend my ,sabbaths4 ,i regularly attend church twice a-day1 and have already heard some of the most celebrated preachers in ,london1 but have not yet determined to what congregation ,i shall attach myself4 ,variety is charming1 but ,i rather think that a stated ministry is the most profitable4 ,i often think of you and your lovely retreat1 and wish ,i could pop in upon you to receive the maternal blessing4 ,a material change soon took place in the principles and habits of young ,lewellin1 and it may be proper to give a brief account of those to whose influence it may be ascribed4 ,the senior clerk in the office was an amiable man1 but his mind was deeply tinctured by the deistical sentiments of the age4 ,he would occasionally throw out some insinuations against professors2 but as he perceived it gave ,lewellin pain1 he was rather sparing in his remarks4 ,mr4 ,gordon1 the semi-,quaker1 was less guarded2 and1 being a young man of a ready wit and polished manners1 he became a dangerous companion4 ,having been educated under a severe discipline1 which taught him to regard the cut of the coat and the construction of a sentence as important if not essential branches of religion1 he had imbibed deep-rooted prejudices against it2 and1 though still in regular attendance at meeting on first-day morning1 yet he usually spent the other parts of the ,sabbath at some place of public resort4 ,his respectability introduced him into the best society1 and his principles fitted him for the worst4 ,he narrowly watched ,lewellin2 and resolved to emancipate him1 if possible1 from under the control of his religious opinions and habits2 and he proceeded with great caution in this work of moral destruction1 being aware that1 if his principles were stormed before they were undermined1 he should excite a powerful resistance4 ,having laid his plan of seduction1 he soon began to carry it into execution4 ,on leaving the office one evening1 he politely asked ,lewellin to spend an hour with him4 ,lewellin frankly accepted his invitation1 and they had a long conversation together1 during which ,gordon displayed so much good-nature1 such a fund of anecdote1 and such a rich vein of wit1 that he gained an entire ascendency over his friend1 who expressed a desire that the intimacy now formed might be perpetuated4 ,the clock struck eleven1 when ,lewellin suddenly started from his chair1 and took his hat and cane2 but was detained two hours longer by the powerful attractions of his companion4 ,at length he bade him good-night4 ,as he passed down ,fleet ,street1 his conscience began to smite him4 ,what would my dear mother feel if she knew where ,i am at this hour6 ,but1 having resolved that he would never again be guilty of such an act of imprudence1 his faithful monitor was hushed to silence3--,he is a charming man6--,what an extensive knowledge of the world6--,what a fund of anecdote2 and how well he narrates and describes6 ,a new scene is opening before me4 ,thus he talked to himself1 till he reached his lodgings1 where he found the family very much alarmed4 ,dear ,sir1 said ,mrs4 ,jordan1 as soon as the passage door was opened1 we are very glad to see you4 ,we were fearful that you had lost yourself1 or that some greater evil had befallen you4 ,i am sorry1 replied ,lewellin1 that ,i have kept you up so late2 but ,mr4 ,gordon pressed me to spend the evening with him1 and the time slipped by before ,i was aware of it4 ,i am glad to see you home1 said ,mr4 ,jordan2 and1 as we have been expecting you every minute for the last three hours1 we have not yet had family prayer4 ,the good man knelt down1 and prayed most affectionately for his young friend1 who stood exposed to so many temptations4 ,next day ,lewellin went to the office as usual1 but nothing particular occurred till the evening1 when ,gordon asked him to accept the loan of a book1 which he had no doubt would amuse him4 ,he took it1 and hastened home to peruse it4 ,immediately after tea he retired to his own room4 ,he opened the volume1 read the title-page1 threw the book on the table1 and exclaimed1 ,no2 ,i'll not read it4 ,i gave my word of honour to my mother that ,i would never read a novel2 and ,i will not sacrifice my honour to please any friend4 ,he paced the room backwards and forwards for some time1 reflecting on the past evening1 till the thoughts of his heart troubled him1 when he seated himself in the arm-chair which was standing near the table4 ,as the book was elegantly bound1 he took it up1 and examined the workmanship2 read the whole of the title-page1 and then the preface2 and1 finding nothing very objectionable1 he read on1 till startled by a knock at the door4 ,who is there8 ,will you come down to supper1 ,sir8 ,he took out his watch1 and found that he had been reading two hours1 and as it was the first novel he ever read1 it had so deeply fixed his attention1 that he had nearly finished it before he felt conscious of what he was doing4 ,yes1 yes1 ,i'll come presently2 but don't wait4 ,let me see1 there are thirty more pages2 ,i'll finish it4 ,he read on1 but the charm was broken by a recollection of his vow2 and he again threw the book from him1 exclaiming1 ,fascinating wretch1 thou hast beguiled me of my honour6 ,he hastened out of the room1 that he might avoid the reflections of his own mind2 and when he entered the parlour1 he found an interesting young man1 of whom he had often heard ,mr4 ,jordan speak4 ,this young man was intelligent and pious1 highly accomplished in his manners1 and just on the eve of being married4 ,after supper he engaged in family prayer2 and when offering up his devout thanksgivings to the ,god of all grace1 for preserving him from the paths of the destroyer1 and guiding his feet in the way of peace1 he made a natural transition to the situation of ,lewellin1 and most fervently prayed that he might be enabled to escape the pollution of the world1 and consecrate himself to the service of the ,god of his fathers4 ,lewellin endeavoured to conceal his emotions1 but the recollection of his having that night sacrificed his honour1 threw such a melancholy air over his countenance1 that ,mrs4 ,jordan1 who felt deeply interested in his welfare1 abruptly asked him if he was unwell4 ,the question perplexed him2 but assuming his ordinary cheerfulness1 he replied1 ,no1 ,madam4 ,having sat a little longer1 he took leave of the company1 and retired to rest4 ,on casting his eye on the book1 as he stood musing1 he said1 ,well1 ,i don't know that ,i have received any moral injury from reading it2 and perhaps my mother did wrong to press me to pledge my word that ,i would not read a novel4 ,next ,sabbath ,mr4 ,gordon called on him in the afternoon1 and asked him to accompany him to the ,lock1 to hear a celebrated preacher4 ,as they were passing through ,st4 ,james's ,park1 they met ,mr4 ,phillips 7the other clerk in the office71 with three ladies4 ,the meeting appeared accidental2 and as ,mr4 ,phillips pressed his friends to do him and the ladies the honour of their company1 politeness induced a compliance1 and the whole party took an excursion on the river4 ,they did not return till late2 and it was past twelve before ,lewellin reached his lodgings4 ,on entering the parlour he made an apology for not being home earlier1 and to avoid being embarrassed by any questions1 took his candle1 and retired to his own room4 ,he sat himself down2 but the sight of the ,bible1 which lay on the table1 agonized his feelings1 and he began to reproach himself in the bitterest terms4 ,yes1 a new scene is opening before me2 but what a scene6 ,no2 ,i will break the charm before ,i am completely enslaved6 ,my mother does not know it4----,but the eye of ,god----,i cannot conceal myself from him4 ,woe is me6 ,i am lost6 ,i am undone6 ,no2 ,i will repent4 ,i will ask for mercy4 ,he threw himself on his bed1 and after hours of mental torture and bitter lamentation he fell asleep2 but he was scared by the visions of the night1 and when the light of the morning dawned1 it brought no tidings of peace4 ,at length he arose1 and went to the office1 where he met his companions in guilt1 but his mind was too much depressed to allow him to be cheerful2 and the references which were made to the excursion of the preceding evening aggravated his misery4 ,when the business of the day was closed1 he walked away in silent sadness2 but he had not gone far before ,gordon overtook him1 and invited him to take some refreshment in a coffee-house4 ,he strongly objected--and then consented4 ,i perceive1 said ,gordon1 that you are unhappy1 and ,i guess the cause4 ,you suffer your noble mind to be tortured by the tales of the nursery4 ,treat them with contempt4 ,no1 ,i am not tortured by the tales of the nursery1 but by the reflections of a guilty conscience4 ,conscience1 said ,gordon1 smiling2 ,i had such a thing once1 but as it stood in the way of my love of pleasure1 ,i got rid of it1 and now ,i am happy1 because ,i am free4 ,and ,i assure you that you will never be fitted to enjoy life till you form juster notions of the ,deity than religion inspires2 and till you open your heart to the sublime gratifications which the society and amusements of this far-famed city afford4 ,come1 give way to the impulse of your generous nature1 and accompany me this evening4 ,where8 ,where you shall have a mental feast4 ,lewellin1 expecting that ,gordon was going to a ,philosophical ,society1 of which he was a member1 gave his consent2 nor was he undeceived1 till he found himself seated in a box at ,drury ,lane ,theatre4 ,his conscience smote him2 but as he had been decoyed there1 the faithful reprover was soon silenced2 the curtain was drawn1 and the stage exhibited a scene which was not only new but captivating4 ,when the play was over1 ,gordon said1 ,i have watched your countenance during the whole of the tragedy1 and ,i perceive that you have an instinctive taste for the drama4 ,yes1 ,lewellin1 this is the school to exalt the genius and amend the heart4 ,here our manners are polished1 our taste is refined1 and those moral sentiments are inculcated which make the man the gentleman4 ,on leaving the theatre they adjourned to an hotel1 where they ordered supper1 and as they sat conversing together till a very late hour1 they decided on sleeping there4 ,the ,rubicon was now passed1 and ,lewellin1 having tasted of the forbidden fruit1 resolved to rid himself of his ,puritanical notions 7as he began to term his religious sentiments71 that he might enjoy life4 ,the first step he took was to write a letter to his kind friend1 ,mr4 ,jordan1 to say that circumstances rendered it inconvenient for him to reside so far from the office1 and therefore he was under the painful necessity of taking another set of rooms2 he added1 ,i will call and settle with you2 and ,i will thank you to send my dressing-case1 c41 by the bearer4 ,he then told his friend ,gordon what he had done1 who congratulated him on his courage1 and assured him that he was welcome to accommodation in his apartments until he could suit himself better4 ,the seducer having now got his victim in his own power1 hurried him through the various stages of vice with almost breathless impetuosity4 ,the theatre1 the billiard-room1 the tavern1 and other places1 were alternately visited2 and he who a few months before was horror-struck at the sight of a novel1 could now occupy the seat of a scorner4 ,but he was not suffered to remain there undisturbed4 ,conscience would sometimes inflict the most poignant wounds4 ,the thought of home1 of his pious father and sister1 of the day of judgment1 and of his loving mother1 drove him at times almost frantic2 when1 after pronouncing a secret curse on his companion1 he would plunge himself deeper in iniquity1 that he might gain a momentary relief4 ,to follow him through the course of impiety which he ran for the space of two years1 during which time he involved himself in debt and in hopeless misery1 would afford the reader no gratification4 ,disease1 which had been for some time destroying his health1 and impairing the vigour of his constitution1 now incapacitated him for business1 and he was obliged to keep to his apartments1 which were near those of ,mr4 ,gordon4 ,for several days after his confinement he received no attention from his friend1 and that left his mind more at liberty to take the black review4 ,he reproached himself--he reproached the destroyer of his peace--he wept1 but he could not pray4 ,he wrote a letter to his pious mother1 but he burned it--he wrote another1 and burned it4 ,he wrote to his friend1 ,mr4 ,jordan1 whom he had not seen since he left his house1 and1 just as he was directing it1 the servant announced ,mr4 ,gordon4 ,well1 ,george1 how are you8 ,ill1 very ill1 and you are the cause of it6 ,i the cause of it6 ,yes1 you enticed me from the paths of virtue into the paths of vice1 and though ,i reproach myself for my folly in giving way to your entreaties1 yet1 ,sir1 you are the seducer4 ,ah6 ,lewellin1 you are got back to the tales of the nursery4 ,come1 come1 pluck up your spirits4 ,you will soon get better4 ,what does the doctor say8 ,i was at ,drury last night1 and never had a finer treat4 ,the doctor gives me but little hope1 and your present conversation gives me less pleasure4 ,if ,i die1 ,i must appear before my ,judge1 and am ,i 7wringing his hands7 prepared8 ,no6 ,well1 then1 ,i will be off1 but don't play the fool2 die like a man4 ,phillips says he'll call to see you to-morrow1 but ,i suppose a visit from some of the godly will be more acceptable4 ,i want a visit from some one who can minister to a mind diseased4 ,well1 good-bye4 ,but die like a man1 if you are doomed to death4 ,he was now left alone1 irresolute--alarmed4 ,he rings4 ,put that letter in the post immediately4 ,is more composed4 ,mr4 ,jordan called on him next morning1 and when he saw him could not refrain from weeping4 ,lewellin cautiously concealed from him the cause of his illness1 but informed him that the doctor gave but little hope of his life4 ,does your dear mother know how you are8 ,no1 ,i do not like to alarm her2 but if ,i do not get better in a few days1 ,i think ,i shall endeavour to go down and see her1 and if ,i must die1 ,i hope to die in her arms4 ,i have called several times at your office since you left my house1 but you were either engaged1 or not within1 and we have often wondered why you never came to see us4 ,we have always had you in remembrance at a throne of grace4 ,ah6 had ,i never left your house1 ,i should not have been reduced to that state of wretchedness and woe in which you now see me4 ,i was seduced by a worthless companion1 and now--7he made a long pause7--,i have cut short my life2 ,i have ruined my soul2 ,i shall break my mother's heart4 ,o eternity6 how ,i dread thee4 ,the tender feelings of ,mr4 ,jordan were so strongly excited by the looks and the expressions of ,lewellin1 that he could make no reply for several minutes4 ,at length he said1 ,but the chief of sinners may obtain mercy4 ,yes1 ,i know that the chief of sinners may obtain mercy1 if they repent and believe2 but ,i cannot do either4 ,i have fitted myself for destruction1 and now ,i must prepare to go where the worm dieth not1 and where the fire will never be quenched4 ,do not despair of mercy4 ,yes1 ,i must4 ,despair gives me more relief than hope4 ,shall ,i pray with you8 ,it is too late4 ,consent4 ,then pray for my dear mother2 pray that her mind may be prepared for the distressing news which will soon reach her ears4 ,i have deceived her4 ,mr4 ,jordan knelt down and prayed2 but his importunity merely served to invest the pang of despair with an additional degree of terror4 ,all is useless-- ',the help of men and angels join'd ,can never reach my case4' ,that's true1 my dear young friend1 but---- ,pardon me for interrupting you1 but ,i dare not ask for mercy4 ,justice demands a victim1 and ,i must die4 ,but mercy pleads4 ,yes1 but she will never plead for me4 ,do try to pray4 ,no1 ,i am not disposed to offer a fresh insult to ,god4 ,he has rejected me4 ,i know my doom4 ,it is irrevocably fixed4 ,i deserve all ,i suffer1 and all ,i have to suffer4 ,mr4 ,jordan now left him1 but called again the next evening1 when he found him rather better and more composed1 and was gratified to hear that he had written a letter to his mother1 informing her of his indisposition1 and that she might expect to see him in the space of a few days1 as he had been recommended to try the effect of a change of air4 ,,the ,,widow',s ,,son ,,reclaimed4 ,the influence of ,divine truth on the youthful mind is often very salutary2 it keeps the conscience tender1 even when it does not keep it pure2 it inspires an awe of ,god1 and a secret dread of evil1 even when it does not root out of the heart a predilection for it2 and secures an external consistency of moral deportment1 even while the mind remains unchanged4 ,but such is the extreme degeneracy of our nature1 that its sinful appetites and propensities will often burst through the most powerful restraints1 and the fascinating temptations of an evening1 or even a single hour1 will often render apparently useless all the efforts of a long and painstaking course of domestic instruction and discipline4 ,hence the youth who has been trained up in the fear of the ,lord1 on finding himself removed from under the watchful eye of parental solicitude1 may1 after a momentary hesitation1 yield to the ensnaring seductions of the world1 and launch forth into scenes of impurity and vice1 braving the consequences2 and though occasionally disturbed by some compunctious visitations1 yet he passes on1 contemning his early religious impressions1 and treating with profane levity those momentous truths which once overawed and animated his soul4 ,but can he proceed without meeting with some formidable resistances8 ,can he forget that the piercing eye of ,god follows him through all the windings and doublings of his course8 ,can he shake off the dread of futurity1 and bid his dark forebodings cease8 ,no2 conscience stands in his way1 and disputes his passage1 by turning against him the sword of truth1 which often inflicts a wound too deep even for intemperance to heal or soothe4 ,he sighs for peace1 but peace comes not2 for there is no peace to the wicked4 ,to indulge the hope of reclaiming such a youth by the mere force of terror or persuasion1 would be a visionary prospect2 yet1 have we never seen the prodigal return8 ,have we never heard the parent exclaim1 ,for this my son was dead1 but is alive again2 he was lost1 but is found8 ,george ,lewellin left ,london a few days after he had communicated the state of his health to his mother1 and reached her home the following morning2 when she saw him1 as he was opening the wicket gate in front of the house1 she sprang up1 ran1 fell on his neck1 and kissed him4 ,the interview was affecting2 and it was some moments before either of them could speak4 ,on raising her eyes to survey the once lovely form of her only son1 now emaciated by disease1 she could not refrain from exclaiming1 as she pressed him still closer to her agonized bosom1 ,o1 ,george1 what's the matter8 ,how long have you been ill8 ,why did you conceal your illness from me8 ,be composed1 mother2 ,i am better1 and have no doubt but relaxation from business1 and the fresh air of the country1 will be the means of bringing me about again4 ,the porter is waiting with my trunk2 ,i will thank you to satisfy him for his trouble1 as ,i have no change4 ,during the first week after his arrival he began to mend2 and all indulged a hope of his speedy recovery2 but disease had taken too deep root in his constitution to be suddenly eradicated2 and within a fortnight the fever returned with increasing violence1 setting at defiance the skill of the physician1 who confessed that his life was in the most imminent danger4 ,he now took to his bed1 and said to a young friend who called to see him3 ,i shall never leave this room till ,i am carried out by the ministers of death4 ,on the following ,sabbath1 his mother ventured to ask him how he felt in prospect of death4 ,this question agitated him4 ,he became restless1 a sullen gloom was thrown over his countenance1 and he remained silent4 ,this silence inflicted a deeper wound in her tender bosom than the most piercing cries of mental anguish2 and though she endeavoured to conceal her grief1 yet she was unable to do so4 ,o1 ,george1 do tell me4 ,when ,i lost your father1 ,i had the consolation of knowing that he was gone to heaven2 and your dear departed sister said1 just before she left me1 ',weep not for me1 for ,i shall soon see the ,king in his beauty2' and will you die without allowing me to indulge the hope of meeting you in heaven8 ,illustration3 ,,drawn ,,by ,g4 ,h4 ,,thomas4 ,,engraved ,,by ,w4 ,l4 ,,thomas4 ,,return ,,of ,,the ,,widow',s ,,son4 ,vol4 i4 page #bc4 ,my dear mother1 ,i have deceived you once1 but deception is now at an end2 ,i have 'trampled under foot the blood of the covenant1' and that blood is now crying for vengeance against me4 ,i know my doom2 and1 however painful it may be to your feelings to see your own child lingering out the few remaining days of his life1 without one cheering hope1 yet ,i do request that you will not embitter my last hours by making any allusions to heaven4 ,o1 ,george1 my child6 ,o1 my mother1 ,i am undone6 ,as his mind was in such a perturbed state1 ,mrs4 ,lewellin thought it prudent to turn the current of conversation2 and1 after listening to a detailed account of his course of life when in ,london1 she retired to try the efficacy of prayer4 ,in the evening a pious young friend called to see him1 to whom he said1 ,i will thank you to remove that ,bible out of my sight1 for its very presence agonizes me4 ,such a book ought not to lie near such a wretch as ,i am4 ,it is like compelling the criminal to ride on his own coffin to the place of execution4 ,but1 my dear ,sir1 that holy book contains a revelation of mercy and grace to sinners1 and offers salvation to the chief4 ,i know all that1 and therefore ,i wish it removed2 for ,i have made sport with the revelation of mercy4 ,but the ,lord waits to be gracious4 ,no2 he is now laughing at my calamity2 and soon the curtain of life will drop1 and then his injured justice will be glorified in my condemnation4 ,give me a draught of water4 ,he drank the whole in haste2 and1 on giving back the cup1 said1 ,it would afford me some relief if ,i could hope to find a spring of water in hell4 ,but1 no2 not one drop there to cool my parched tongue6 ,o1 ,george1 do not put from you the words of peace4 ,the words of peace1 to my soul1 are like the dragon's sting or the viper's bite2 and the voice of mercy sounds more awful in my ears than the footsteps of vengeance4 ,i know my doom2 and if you wish me to have a moment's calm while the respite lasts1 talk of earth1 of its joys1 or of its sorrows2 but bring me not near the spot where ,mercy died for man4 ,the fever1 which had remained stationary for several days1 now raged with uncontrolled violence1 without impairing the vigour or acuteness of his intellect1 and all expected that a few hours would terminate his mortal career4 ,his mother hung over him1 breathing the purest and most ardent affection2 but she was not permitted to instil the consolations of religion1 and that at length so overpowered her feelings that she was obliged to retire1 leaving her only son the victim of despair4 ,his eye followed her as she left the room2 and when the door closed1 he burst into a flood of tears1 exclaiming1 ,the doom that awaits me would be less terrible1 if ,i could have concealed it from my mother4 ,i have destroyed myself1 and plunged the fatal dagger into her breast4 ,o1 thou holy1 thou righteous ,god1 thou art clear when thou judgest1 and just when thou condemnest6 ,have pity on my dear mother1 and support her soul under this awful visitation of thy vengeance6 ,he now became more composed2 but on hearing the clock strike eleven1 he started up in bed1 asked for a large draught of cold water1 and expressed an ardent wish to see his mother once more1 as he was apprehensive that life was just on the eve of departing4 ,a female attendant went to call her1 but she was asleep2 and on returning1 she asked if she should awake her4 ,after a long pause1 he said1 ,no2 let her sleep on1 and take her rest1 and ,i will die alone1 and spare her the agony of hearing the last tremendous groan1 which is to announce my entrance into hell4 ,he then requested that another pillow might be placed under his head2 and turning himself on his left side1 he laid himself down to expire4 ,in about a quarter of an hour the nurse1 who was standing by his side1 gently whispered1 ,i think he is gone2 but on feeling his pulse1 she soon ascertained that he was in a profound sleep4 ,he slept for several hours1 during which time the fever very much abated1 and when he awoke he said1 with a firm tone1 ,i now think ,i shall recover4 ,yes1 my child1 replied ,mrs4 ,lewellin1 the ,lord has heard my prayers1 and answered them1 by sparing your life2 and ,i have no doubt but he will answer them further by making this affliction the means of bringing you to repentance1 and the enjoyment of fellowship with him4 ,this appropriate remark made a deep impression2 he looked at his mother1 but said nothing4 ,his recovery was as rapid as his relapse had been dangerous2 and though his strength was greatly impaired1 yet he was able to leave his room in the early part of the ensuing week4 ,being now rescued from the brink of death1 and animated with the hope of returning health1 as he sat alone musing over the awful scene through which he had so recently passed1 he laid his hand on a hymn-book1 which was placed on the table1 and read the following hymn with intense interest3-- ,when with my mind devoutly press'd1 ,dear ,saviour1 my revolving breast ,would past offences trace2 ,trembling ,i make the black review1 ,yet pleased behold1 admiring too1 ,the pow'r of changing grace4 ,this tongue with blasphemies defil'd1 ,these feet in erring paths beguil'd1 ,in heavenly league agree4 ,who could believe such lips could praise1 ,or think my dark and winding ways ,should ever lead to thee8 ,these eyes1 that once abused their sight1 ,now lift to thee their wat'ry light1 ,and weep a silent flood2 ,these hands ascend in ceaseless pray'r2 ,o wash away the stains they wear1 ,in pure redeeming blood4 ,these ears that1 pleased1 could entertain ,the midnight oath1 the lustful strain1 ,when round the festal board2 ,now1 deaf to all th' enchanting noise1 ,avoid the throng1 detest the joys1 ,and press to hear thy word4 ,thus art thou serv'd in ev'ry part2 ,o would'st thou more transform my heart1 ,this drossy thing refine2 ,that grace might nature's strength control1 ,and a new creature1 body1 soul1 ,be1 ,lord1 for ever thine4 ,while reading these verses1 the determination he had formed to live and die without hope1 was shaken2 but after a momentary pause1 he involuntarily exclaimed1 in an under tone of utterance1 ,it would be an act of presumption for me to indulge a hope of ever feeling the power of 'changing grace4' ,no1 it cannot be2 my heart is too hard4 ,i am too impure1 too depraved1 too guilty4 ,this novel train of thought was broken off by the entrance of his mother into the parlour1 who was surprised and delighted by seeing him with the hymn-book1 which he still held in his hand4 ,without appearing to notice it1 after a casual reference to the good prospect of his speedy restoration to health1 she said1 ,i hope1 my dear ,george1 as you are now able to visit your friends1 that you will accompany me in the evening to chapel1 where you will hear a most excellent minister4 ,i will go to oblige you1 but ,i can anticipate no other pleasure4 ,but you may derive some profit1 for there the ,lord condescends to make the truth effectual to the salvation of them that believe4' ,but ,i cannot believe1 no1 ,i cannot2 ,i would1 but ,i cannot6 ,but faith1 my dear child1 comes by hearing2 and who can tell but this night you may feel the power of changing grace4 ,after tea1 ,mrs4 ,lewellin and her son walked to the chapel2 and though there were no splendid decorations to allure the devotee of superstition1 nor any sculptured forms to attract the attention of the sentimental worshipper1 yet it was invested with unrivalled charms in her estimation1 as the place where ----,the ,father sits supreme1 ,as ,king ,eternal1 to receive ,petitions that his servants bring1 ,the homage which his subjects give4 ,the reading1 the singing1 and the prayer accorded with the general tone of feeling which a select congregation usually enjoy2 and though young ,lewellin conducted himself with the greatest degree of decorum1 yet it was not till after the text was announced that he appeared interested in the service4 ,the preacher was a young man1 of a correct taste1 strong intellectual powers1 and bold and animated address2 but the subject which he had chosen for discussion was more adapted to establish the ,christian in his faith1 than reclaim the sinner from the error of his ways4 ,the text was taken from #ast ,corinthians1 vi4 #ag3 ,he that is joined unto the ,lord is one spirit4 ,there were no flights of lofty imagination in the composition of the discourse2 no powerful appeals to the conscience2 no master-strokes of argument1 levelled against either the root or branches of infidelity2 no terrific enunciations of the ,divine displeasure2 but a calm and spiritual explanation and defence of the doctrine of our union with ,jesus ,christ4 ,the service was concluded without having produced any visible effects on ,lewellin1 who walked away with his mother1 and the only remark he made was1 ,i never heard such a sermon before4 ,she knew not how to interpret the meaning of this ambiguous expression1 and made no reply1 lest1 by coming in contact with his deistical opinions1 she should be incapable of persuading him to accompany her at a future time4 ,on entering the parlour1 he took a candle and retired to his own room1 which gave his mother a private opportunity of imploring the blessing of ,heaven on the service of the evening4 ,after waiting a considerable time1 she began to feel uneasy1 and went to the bottom of the stairs to listen2 but on hearing his footsteps as he paced his chamber1 she resumed her seat4 ,an hour had now elapsed since she had seen him2 the ambulating motion was no longer heard1 her fears were strongly excited1 and being unable to suppress them1 she stole up softly to his door1 and listening a while with breathless anxiety1 she heard1 or thought she heard1 an indistinct sound2 she then looked through the keyhole of the door1 and lo6 he was on his knees in prayer4 ,had she seen visions of ,god1 she might have been more awed1 but she could not have been more delighted4 ,she wept as she descended the stairs1 but they were such tears as sorrow never sheds4 ,her heart was full1 and she gave vent to her enraptured feeling at the footstool of ,his throne who had caused grace to abound where sin had been reigning nigh unto death4 ,at supper her son appeared very sedate1 absorbed in deep thought2 yet there was a serenity in his countenance1 and an ease in his manner1 which bespoke the composure of his mind4 ,i think1 said his mother1 that the discourse we heard this evening placed the happiness and security of the ,christian on such a firm basis1 that we might have concluded the service by singing the beautiful lines of ,toplady3-- ',yes1 ,i to the end shall endure1 ,as sure as the earnest is given1 ,more happy1 but not more secure1 ,the glorified spirits in heaven4' ,you might have sung these words1 because you are a ,christian1 but how could ,i have responded to them8 ,i hope1 my dear ,george1 you liked the sermon4 ,i never heard such a sermon2 at least ,i never heard a sermon which produced such an effect on my mind4 ,i could have listened till midnight4 ,i felt what ,i never felt before4 ,yes6 that night he felt the power of changing grace1 and the change produced in his opinions1 taste1 and habits1 soon became conspicuous2 and while it excited the ridicule of some1 the gratitude of others1 and the astonishment of all1 it was as a witness raised from the dead to give a fresh testimony to the divine origin of the truth which had been the means of effecting it4 ,he who had been a bold blasphemer1 now became a man of prayer2 the intoxicating cup was exchanged for the wine of the kingdom2 the ,sabbath was hallowed as a day of rest2 and the amusements and dissipations of the world were forsaken for the more refined enjoyments of devotion4 ,as soon as his health was re-established1 he began to prepare for his return to his situation in ,london2 and though he recoiled from the prospect of being compelled to associate with his former companions1 yet he indulged the hope of being able to reclaim them from the destructive paths of sin4 ,he wrote to his friend1 ,mr4 ,jordan1 with whom he lodged when he first went to ,london1 to inform him of the change which had taken place1 and to request permission to become once more an inmate in his pious family4 ,to this letter he received a very encouraging reply2 and the following week was fixed on for his departure4 ,but he could not consent to leave the place where he had passed from death to life--from the miseries of one world to the sublime anticipations of another--till he had borne a public testimony of his gratitude to the ,redeemer1 by receiving the memorials of his death4 ,he waited on the faithful minister who had been employed as the angel of mercy to his soul1 to express his desire2 and on the following ,sabbath1 with his honoured parent1 he sat down at the ,lord's table1 thus making a public profession of the faith which he once scornfully rejected4 ,the morning after his return to ,london he went to the office1 and on entering every one arose to offer his congratulations2 but ,mr4 ,gordon exceeded all in the ardour of his expressions4 ,this1 said he1 is one of the happiest days of my life1 and ,i adore the fate which has decreed that death shall lose a victim to restore me my friend4 ,i adore the mercy1 replied ,lewellin1 that has spared my life2 and ,i trust1 my dear ,sir1 that my friendship will now be a purer flame than ever burnt on the altar of my heart4 ,this reply created a little embarrassment to ,mr4 ,gordon2 but he soon got over it1 and resumed his accustomed vivacity of disposition and ease of manners4 ,in the evening they walked away together1 when ,lewellin informed him that a material change had taken place in his sentiments and in his taste2 and that if he wished for a renewal of their former intimacy1 it must be on the express condition of paying a most devout regard to the truths and institutions of revelation4 ,what1 said ,gordon1 are you again enslaved in the trammels of superstition2 and do you expect that ,i shall bow my neck to such an ignominious yoke6 ,what you deem the yoke of ignominy1 ,i esteem the badge of honour2 and what you deem a cunningly devised fable1 ,i esteem ,divine truth4 ,you won me over to your sentiments1 and what did they do for me8 ,they impaired my health4 ,they tore up the foundation of a good constitution1 and they plunged me into despair4 ,i lived a sceptic1 but ,i found that ,i could not die one4 ,i am now restored to health1 to truth1 to happiness2 and it is my determination to consecrate myself to the service of ,god my ,saviour4 ,ah1 ,i pity you4 ,pity me6 ,pity is for objects of misery2 and had you seen me when the terrors of death fell on me1 you might have pitied me3 but now ,i want no pity1 for ,i am perfectly happy2 happy1 because redeemed and regenerated2 and have the prospect of enjoying a state of endless happiness in the world to come4 ,then1 ,i suppose1 in future our office is to become the hot-bed of fanaticism1 where the rank weeds of an ancient superstition are to overshade the lovely plants of reason's golden age8 ,as ,i shall not obtrude my religious sentiments on the attention of others1 you may calculate on passing through your professional duties without being annoyed1 unless you first attack them2 and in that case1 ,i shall certainly stand up in their defence4 ,well1 well1 that is all very fair4 ,then1 if ,i do not commence the assault1 you will not open your battery4 ,it will be my aim to make myself agreeable1 and to recommend my religion more by my example than by my arguments2 because ,i know how you will evade the one1 but it is not quite certain that even you can withstand the other4 ,ah1 ,i see you resolve to play off upon me in the same way in which ,i triumphed over you1 and ,i have no objection for the experiment to be tried2 but it will not succeed4 ,the bold and decided manner in which ,mr4 ,lewellin met the sarcasms of infidelity1 and avowed his supreme regard to the truth of revelation1 cut off from his former companions all hopes of getting him again to join their ranks2 and they1 as by mutual consent1 abstained from either pressing or enticing him to do so4 ,he now pursued his course without much obstruction1 displaying an amiability of temper1 and a dignified integrity of principle1 which gained him general respect2 and though some regretted the change1 yet all acknowledged that it was beneficial4 ,his mind was too powerfully imbued with the love of the grand and essential truths of revelation1 to admit of his cherishing any undue predilection for the distinctive peculiarities of sectarian opinions2 and hence he very easily guarded religion against the obnoxious charges to which it is too often exposed1 by the dogmatism and intolerance of its injudicious advocates4 ,he was now introduced by his friend1 ,mr4 ,jordan1 to the ,rev4 ,w4 ,c----1 of whose church he became a member2 and such was the vital energy which he threw into all his engagements1 and such the unaffected humility which adorned his character1 that he soon rose very high in the esteem of all his religious associates4 ,as a ,sunday-school teacher1 as a visitor of the sick1 and as an agent of the ,tract ,society1 he was equalled by few1 and surpassed by none2 and he never appeared more delighted than when engaged1 either alone or with others1 in devising plans for the promotion of the spiritual and eternal welfare of his fellow-men2 and in carrying them into execution he spared neither time1 labour1 nor expense4 ,,fairmount4 ,at a time when ,i was recovering from a long and severe illness1 which had interrupted the regular discharge of my ministerial labours1 and threatened the extinction of life1 ,i received an invitation from my friend1 ,mr4 ,stevens1 who lived near the romantic village of ,watville1 and resolved to pay him a visit4 ,i travelled by easy stages2 and in three days after ,i left home1 ,i became an inmate in his hospitable villa4 ,the villa of ,fairmount is situated on the summit of a hill1 commanding an extensive view of a richly-wooded and picturesque country4 ,on the evening of my arrival the scene was one of extreme beauty4 ,at the base of the hill flowed a meandering river1 stretching away into the far distance1 sometimes lost amidst the luxuriant foliage1 and again suddenly reappearing2 here reposing in cool shadow1 there gleaming with the rays of the setting sun4 ,on the right1 a small parish church1 with its pointed arch and tapering spire1 peeped through an inclosure of aged elms and sycamores2 on the left1 near the public road1 a few white cottages1 with trim gardens1 where children were sporting gleefully4 ,more distant1 films of smoke marked the positions of various hamlets2 and1 stretching far as the eye could reach1 the hills of another county rose in purple masses against the evening sky4 ,in the meadow1 the cow and the ox were feeding together1 and from the sheepfold the bleating of the flock fell softly on the ear4 ,a host of early associations rushed upon me1 and filled me with pleasant recollections of days long past1 and ,i felt relieved from the pressure and perplexities of my ordinary avocations4 ,mr4 ,stevens1 with whom ,i was now domiciled1 was a very intelligent and pious man4 ,in early life1 like many others1 he had imbibed the sceptical opinions of the age1 but as they were invested with no power to ,heal the sorrows of the heart1 or allay its fears1 he renounced them when the terrors of death fell upon him1 and sought consolation at the cross of ,christ4 ,from that hour he became a decided ,christian1 choosing rather to suffer the reproach which is too often cast on genuine piety1 than endure the pleasures of sin1 which are but for a season4 ,soon after his translation from darkness to light1 he was introduced to the amiable and pious ,miss ,bathurst1 with whom he formed that sacred union1 which has been through life a source of mutual felicity4 ,the first few years after their marriage they were extremely anxious for an heir1 but as ,providence denied them this gratification1 they were disposed to acquiesce in his decision1 and to reduce to a practical operation the prayer which they had long been accustomed to repeat3 ,thy will be done on earth1 even as it is in heaven4 ,being exempted from the charge and the expense of a family1 they were more at liberty to promote the welfare of others2 and rarely a day elapsed which did not bear testimony to their benevolent exertions4 ,illustration3 ,,drawn ,,by ,s4 ,,read ,,engraved ,,by ,w4 ,l4 ,,thomas4 ,a ,,prospect ,,of ,,fairmount4 ,vol4 i4 page #cb4 ,the morning after my arrival1 ,mrs4 ,stevens asked me if ,i would accompany her to see a poor pious young woman who was very ill2 and1 lest the distance should be an objection1 she told me she had given orders for the carriage to be ready exactly at half-past ten4 ,and as1 ,sir1 she remarked1 you take greater pleasure in tracing the operations of ,divine grace in the renovation of the human soul than in exploring the wonders of the material universe1 and feel a purer delight on seeing a repenting sinner than in gazing on the enchanting scenery to which you have made such frequent allusions1 ,i think ,i can gratify you4 ,as we were passing along the road1 she gave me the following narration3--,in the cottage to which we are going reside a poor man and his wife1 who have had a large family1 but all have died in infancy except one beautiful daughter4 ,she1 when only sixteen1 entered the family of a respectable farmer in the adjoining parish1 where she continued four years1 and would1 in all human probability1 have continued there till now1 had it not been for a dashing ,london servant1 who1 when on a visit to her own father1 got acquainted with her2 and by telling her of the high wages1 and the little work which town servants have1 made her dissatisfied with her place2 and1 in opposition to the advice of all her friends1 she gave notice to leave1 and actually went to ,london to try her fortune4 ,when she arrived there she called on her friend1 who had promised to procure her a situation2 but was informed that no good one had yet turned up4 ,she was recommended to take a lodging1 for which she would have to pay only two shillings a-week1 and no doubt1 if she made proper inquiry1 she would hear of something that would be for her advantage4 ,thus thrown on the world1 without a home1 and without a friend1 she would have fallen a victim to her folly1 had not ,providence interposed to protect her4 ,as she was passing along the ,strand1 with her bundle under her arm1 a lady1 who had once seen her at my house1 recognized her1 and asked her where she was going4 ,the poor girl related her mournful tale1 and implored pity4 ,this lady took her to her own home1 but as she was not in want of a servant1 she could not retain her2 yet she procured for her the best situation in her power4 ,but1 instead of high wages1 she had not so much as when in the country2 and her work was much more laborious4 ,thus disappointed1 and having too high a spirit to return home1 she gave herself up to grief2 and taking a severe cold1 which she neglected1 her strength soon wasted away1 and she was obliged to throw up her situation1 and go into lodgings for the recovery of her health4 ,but disease had made too great progress to be arrested2 and after parting with nearly all her clothes to defray the expenses she had incurred1 she was reduced to the alternative of dying for want or returning home4 ,she wrote to her father1 telling him she was very ill1 and did not expect to live1 and desiring as a favour that he would permit her to come home1 and die in the room where she was born4 ,as soon as the old man received her letter he hastened to our house2 never did ,i witness such a burst of feeling4 ',o ,madam6 my dear ,harriet is very ill2 she has sent us this----1 and wants to come home1 she says1 to die4' ,he wept1 like the old patriarch1 when he saw the bloody coat instead of his darling son4 ,i endeavoured to console him as well as ,i could1 and immediately made an arrangement for her return4 ,in the course of the next week1 the grief-worn parents had the melancholy gratification of embracing their child4 ,she was obliged to take to her bed on the very day of her arrival4 ,i saw her the day after1 and received from her a faithful narrative of her life4 ,the wreck of beauty was still visible amidst the ruins of her constitution2 and the hectic flush gave1 at intervals1 a superhuman expression to her countenance4 ,i felt conscious that she was hastening to the grave2 and this circumstance deeply depressed the feelings of her pious parents1 who were fearfully apprehensive that she was not prepared for death and the final judgment4 ,i requested them to leave us alone together1 when ,i began to converse with her on the value of her soul1 and on the only way of salvation4 ,she wept1 and said that she was fully aware of her danger and desert2 but added1 ',i hope that the ,friend of sinners will have mercy on me4 ,my conscience has often smote me2 the anguish of my mind ,i cannot describe2 but ,i lay myself at ,his feet1 and cry1 ,god1 be merciful to me1 a sinner6' ,i have1 added ,mrs4 ,stevens1 regularly renewed my visits almost every day2 and ,i hope that my feeble efforts have been made the means of leading her to the ,saviour4 ,we now alighted from the carriage1 and entered the cottage4 ,its cleanliness and order bespoke the presence of taste and religious feeling4 ,as soon as the poor girl heard that there was a minister of the gospel in the house1 she expressed an ardent desire to see me4 ,when ,i approached her bedside1 she exclaimed1 ',this is a faithful saying1 and worthy of all acceptation1 that ,christ ,jesus came into the world to save sinners2 of whom ,i am chief4' ,my pious parents impressed this fact on my memory in the days of my childhood1 yet it never reached my heart till since ,i have been confined in this chamber4 ,i have spent the prime of my days in vanity and sin1 neglecting the means of grace1 and disregarding the remonstrances of my own conscience2 and1 had not an invisible hand arrested me in my progress1 ,i should have gone on till ,i had lost my soul4 ,but here ,i am1 a monument of mercy2 a sinner saved through the blood of the ,lamb4 ,that kind lady is the best earthly friend ,i ever had4 ,she has been the means of making known to me the way of life2 and now ,i can say1 ',i know in whom ,i have believed1 and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which ,i have committed unto him against that day4' ,i expressed the pleasure ,i felt at hearing these joyful tidings1 mingled my tears of gratitude with those of her relatives and friends1 and after commending her soul to the care of the ,lord ,jesus1 ,i bade her adieu1 till we meet in that world where no disease will invade the constitution1 where death will never burst asunder the bonds of social union1 and where ,adieus and farewells are a sound unknown4 ,as we rode back to ,fairmount1 ,i congratulated ,mrs4 ,stevens on the honour which ,god had conferred on her1 in employing her as the instrument of saving this dying girl from the pangs of the second death4 ,it is an honour which ,i prize more than gold and silver1 and which imparts a purer joy to my mind than ever heaved the bosom of a mere earthly philanthropist2 it invests the eternal world with a fresh charm1 as ,i expect to embrace my ,harriet1 as my own child in the faith4 ,i have often thought1 that if the infidel could perceive the sources of pleasure which ,christianity opens to the pious mind1 he would be less disposed to reproach her as hostile to human happiness4 ,yes1 but such is the degree of his mental aversion to pure ,christianity1 that her more sublime doctrines are turned into themes of ridicule2 the spirit which she inspires in her friends is regarded as the wild-fire of fanaticism1 and our efforts to save a soul from death are stigmatized as a paltry manoeuvre to gain a proselyte to our party2 and though we may attempt to justify our conduct on the admitted principles of social benevolence1 yet we can but rarely succeed4 ,our conversation was unexpectedly interrupted by a gentleman1 who stepped out of his garden1 and informed ,mrs4 ,stevens that the poor widow was worse1 and was not expected to live through the day4 ,this communication very deeply affected her4 ,she paused1 and then said1 ,do you think that ,i may be permitted to see her8 ,why1 ,madam1 replied ,mr4 ,roscoe1 the medical attendant has given express orders that no one be allowed to see her except the nurse4 ,i hear that she has made her peace with ,god1 and is not afraid to die4 ,it will be a happy release for her4 ,i hope ,mrs4 and ,miss ,roscoe are well2 you will make my compliments to them1 and say that we hope to see them at ,fairmount very soon4 ,mr4 ,roscoe1 said ,mrs4 ,stevens1 is our nearest neighbour1 but ,i fear that he has no just perception of the nature of true religion2 though he is1 in his own estimation1 a very religious man4 ,he is so amiable in temper1 so kind in disposition1 and so benevolent in spirit1 that every one esteems him who knows him2 but ,i fear that he substitutes this exterior amiability in the place of the atonement of ,jesus ,christ2 and thinks that nothing more is necessary for salvation except an attendance at his parish church4 ,but ,i feel for the dying widow4 ,i saw her at the commencement of her illness2 but when ,i told her that she was a sinner1 and that she could not be saved but through faith in the merits of ,jesus ,christ1 she told me that she had never done any harm in her life1 and that she did not doubt of the mercy of ,god4 ,i have called several times since2 but1 as ,i attempted to disturb her peace in her dying moments1 ,i have not been permitted to see her again2 and ,i understand some very severe remarks have been made on what is called my cruel conduct4 ,yes1 ,madam1 ,i replied1 the spirit of the world will often forbid the herald of mercy entering the chamber of affliction1 and will wrap up the departing soul in the winding-sheet of self-security before it enters the valley of the shadow of death4 ,the language of ,jesus ,christ in reference to such a state of mind is very1 very awful3 ',many will say to me in that day1 ,lord1 ,lord1 have we not prophesied in thy name2 and in thy name have cast out devils2 and in thy name done many wonderful works8 ,and then ,i will profess unto them1 ,i never knew you3 depart from me ye that work iniquity4' ,i grant1 said ,mrs4 ,stevens1 that prudence often renders it necessary to exclude even intimate friends from the sick chamber1 lest the patient should have too much excitement2 but to exclude friends merely because they are religious1 and who may be disposed to say something in relation to that tremendous scene which eternity opens on the disembodied spirit1 is a crime of no ordinary magnitude2 and if the spirit were permitted to step back1 after that scene has been beheld1 in what indignant language would she condemn such an act of fatal cruelty4 ,it is a most momentous event in the history of a human being1 when he passes from one world to another2 when he steps out of time into eternity2 but how perilously awful to make the passage when unprepared to go4 ,i recollect going to see one of my hearers who was dangerously ill2 but on recognizing my well-known foot-tread as ,i entered his chamber1 he concealed himself under the bed-clothes1 and we spoke not for several minutes2 no sounds were heard1 but his heavy sighs and piercing groans4 ,he put out his hand1 which ,i took1 and gently pressed2 we still remained silent1 both being too highly surcharged with mental emotion to give utterance to what we felt4 ,at length he threw off the bed-clothes1 looked on me with intense earnestness1 and exclaimed1 ',o ,sir1 ,i am lost2 ,i shall be in hell before the morning4' ,what a terrific vision6 were you able to speak any words of peace to his soul8 ,i did speak words of peace1 but they gave him neither peace nor comfort4 ,did he die1 ,sir8 ,yes1 he died the very next day2 and his last words were1 ',i ,,am ,,lost2 ,,lost ,,for ,,ever6' ,how very awful6 ,in such a case the tremendous catastrophe is expected2 but now1 let us think for a moment of a person passing out of one world to another 7as many alas6 do7 under a delusive expectation of going to heaven2 but on stepping out of time into eternity1 he finds himself in hell4 ,what must be his surprise2 his terror-struck anguish2 his fearful1 his terrific exclamations of agonized woe2 his condition1 bearing some analogy1 though infinitely more tremendous and appalling1 to that of a culprit tried and cast for death1 when in a trance1 knowing nothing of the process or the issue1 till he feels the minister of death adjusting the rope on the fatal platform2 awakening up to a state of consciousness just before the drop falls4 ,while in a trance1 he might be moving amidst the congratulations of his family and his friends1 to take possession of a newly bequeathed inheritance2 with what terrific consternation would he1 on recovering the use of his reason1 find himself under the gallows of infamy1 tied to its cross beam1 the executioner by his side1 stepping back to draw the bolt which is to give him to death struggles and to death4 ,your illustration is terrific2 but it is not equal to the tremendous reality--a soul lost1 when1 under a fatal delusion1 expecting to be saved4 ,we now came in sight of ,fairmount1 and that turned the current of our conversation to a more interesting theme4 ,i remarked1 that ,i thought the country more favourable to devotional feeling than the city4 ,the gaiety and the bustle of the one distract the mind2 whereas the quietude of the other composes it4 ,true1 ,sir1 but the spirit of devotion would soon languish beside the murmuring stream1 or beneath the silent shade1 unless invigorated by the unction which cometh from above4 ,if we1 who live in the country1 have fewer temptations than those who live in cities1 yet in general we have fewer religious advantages2 and though not altogether deprived of the society of ,christian friends1 yet it is but seldom that we are surrounded by a sufficient number to admit of making a selection4 ,on entering the parlour1 ,mr4 ,stevens soon joined us1 and seemed much interested by the report of our morning's excursion4 ,having partaken of a plain dinner1 he and ,i adjourned to a sequestered arbour1 at the extreme point of his shrubbery1 where we sat conversing the greater part of the afternoon4 ,mr4 ,roscoe1 he observed1 to whom you were introduced this morning1 is a most interesting companion4 ,he is a man of very extensive reading1 of deep and close reflection1 of a fine taste1 very benevolent in disposition1 of strict integrity1 and very religious in his own way4 ,he is rather too fond of disputation1 and there is no subject which he likes to discuss more than the subject of religion1 though ,i think he does not understand it so well as he does many others4 ,is he fond of introducing religious subjects in conversation8 ,very4 ,does he introduce them merely for discussion1 or in relation to their practical tendency8 ,why1 his uniform design1 if ,i may be permitted to judge of his motive1 is to excite a general feeling of disgust against what he calls the ,methodistical or ,calvinistic delusions of the age1 which he regards as more injurious to our national character1 and more destructive to our happiness1 than even the spirit of infidelity itself4 ,then ,i presume that you are not very intimate4 ,o yes1 we are4 ,we often protract the debate till our wives interfere1 and request us to remember the hour4 ,but are not some of his prejudices against the demoralizing tendency of the ,methodistical delusion 7to use his own phraseology7 shaken by your conduct8 ,o no2 he has1 like many others1 an ingenious expedient1 by which the force of individual example against his sweeping charge is repelled4 ,he says that our superior good sense1 and our superior virtue1 prevent these delusions from operating on us as they operate on others4 ,so you see that his complaisance nullifies the argument which he cannot refute2 and the mine which ,christian consistency springs beneath an erroneous opinion1 is countermined by the artifice which friendship employs4 ,is he very dogmatical in conversation8 ,rather so2 but he never loses his temper4 ,indeed1 he is a most valuable man2 and if it should please ,god1 who commanded the light to shine out of darkness1 to shine into his heart1 to give him the light of the knowledge of the glory of ,god in the face of ,jesus ,christ1 he would1 ,i have no doubt1 carry the attainments of the ,christian character to the highest point of excellence4 ,is ,mrs4 ,roscoe of the same way of thinking with her husband8 ,why1 ,sir1 ,i do not think that she ever thinks on the subject of religion4 ,she goes to church1 reads the ,week's ,preparation1 takes the sacrament1 feeds and clothes the poor1 and says that1 in her opinion1 nothing more is required of her4 ,she sometimes listens1 it is true1 to our discussions1 but it is more1 ,i apprehend1 from the respect which she feels for the laws of politeness1 than from any interest which she takes in the subject4 ,miss ,roscoe1 who is a most amiable creature1 ventures occasionally to make a few observations1 and sometimes to ask a few questions1 but she is very guarded4 ,mrs4 ,stevens presented her with a copy of ,doddridge's ,rise and ,progress of ,religion in the ,soul the last time she gave us a call2 and from the spirit in which she received the present1 and the assurance she gave that she would read the book1 we entertain some hope that the light of truth will lead her to the well-spring of true happiness4 ,from a remark which ,mrs4 ,stevens made to ,mr4 ,roscoe1 when we parted with him1 ,i hope that ,i shall have the pleasure of spending an hour or two in his company before ,i leave ,fairmount4 ,yes1 he and his family dine with us next week2 but you must contrive to hide the colour of your cloth if you wish to draw him out in conversation1 especially religious conversation1 for you ,dissenting ministers do not stand very high in his esteem4 ,he thinks that you have obtruded yourselves on an office which1 for want of learning and episcopal ordination1 you are not qualified to fill4 ,he can relish none but ,oxford or ,cambridge men4 ,mrs4 ,stevens1 accompanied by a little niece1 who was a weekly boarder at a ladies' school on the other side of the hill1 came to invite us to tea in the alcove4 ,we took a circuitous route through the shrubbery1 till we entered on the lawn1 at the bottom of which nature and art had combined their skill in the beautifying of this rural retreat4 ,while sitting there1 receiving the refreshment which the hand of an indulgent ,providence had provided1 and listening to the sweet harmony of the feathered tribe1 the servant1 who had just returned from the neighbouring town1 delivered to his master a newspaper and a packet of letters4 ,mr4 ,stevens1 having apologized for his rudeness 7as he called it71 proceeded to open the letters1 and1 to neutralize my displeasure1 he placed the paper in my hands4 ,my dear1 addressing himself to ,mrs4 ,stevens1 ,i have some good news to tell you4 ,mr4 ,lewellin has accepted our invitation1 and will be here1 if ,providence permit1 next ,thursday4 ,one mercy1 like one affliction1 replied ,mrs4 ,stevens1 seldom comes alone4 ,addressing herself to me1 ,i hope to have the pleasure of introducing to you a nephew1 who has recently felt the power of the truth1 which he once affected to despise4 ,the society of ,christian friends is always animating1 but particularly the society of those who have recently passed from death to life1 who have just been redeemed from the dominion of ,satan1 and brought into the glorious liberty of the children of ,god4 ,there is usually such an expressive animation in their look and in their utterances2 they have the freshness of their new life glowing upon them2 and when speaking of what they know1 and testifying of what they have seen and felt1 they do it with a simplicity and earnestness which has a fine and powerful influence over our spirits4 ,we glorify ,god in them4 ,my nephew is the only son of a pious mother1 and she is a widow4 ,he was permitted to run to great lengths in the paths of evil1 but the ,lord has had mercy on him1 and his conversion is1 in my opinion1 as great a proof of the divinity of this ,christian faith as the conversion of ,st4 ,paul4 ,pray1 is he the son of ,mrs4 ,lewellin1 who lives in the village of ,stenmoor1 that you refer to8 ,yes2 do you know him8 ,i have the pleasure of knowing ,mrs4 ,lewellin1 but not her son1 only by character4 ,to meet with him will be no small addition to the gratification ,i feel from my visit to your lovely villa4 ,a ,,morning',s ,,ramble4 ,when the devotions of the morning were discharged1 ,i strolled out alone1 intending to amuse myself for a few hours in collecting some fossils1 out of the quarry near the ,rectory4 ,as ,i was passing through a thick coppice1 ,i met a little boy1 very neatly dressed1 who politely made me a country bow4 ,well1 my little fellow1 what is your name8 ,jemmy ,allen4 ,and where do you live8 ,in the cottage just at the end of this wood4 ,and how many brothers and sisters have you8 ,none1 ,sir4 ,and what is your father8 ,a ploughman4 ,and where are you going8 ,up to ,squire ,stevens'1 to get a little gruel for mother1 who is very poorly4 ,can you read8 ,yes1 ,sir1 ,i can read the ,testament1 which ,squire ,stevens gave me4 ,can you tell me who made you8 ,god4 ,who came into the world to save sinners8 ,jesus ,christ4 ,what must you do to be saved8 ,i must be sorry for my sins2 ,i must pray to ,god to forgive me what is past1 and serve him better for the time to come4 ,i proceeded in questioning him1 and was pleased to find that he could repeat the whole of ,watt's ,catechism1 and also a great part of that composed by the ,assembly of ,divines4 ,his knowledge of the ,scriptures was extensive1 considering his years2 and he repeated to me the whole of the commandments1 with our ,lord's summary of them1 as recorded in the twenty-second chapter of the ,gospel by ,matthew4 ,having given him a trifle1 as a reward for his past diligence1 and as a stimulus for the future1 ,i moved on1 and soon came within sight of his mother's cottage1 which presented to my imagination more powerful attractions than the quarry ,i had intended to visit4 ,on entering1 which ,i did without ceremony1 ,i beheld an interesting-looking female1 apparently very ill1 seated in an arm-chair4 ,i apologized for my intrusion1 which occasioned her a little embarrassment4 ,after thanking me1 as a minister of ,jesus ,christ1 for the honour ,i had done her1 she asked me to take a seat4 ,her cottage stood alone1 almost entirely surrounded by tall elm trees1 and seemed1 by its sacred furniture1 consisting of a ,bible1 hymn-books1 tracts1 c4 7the symbols of the ,divine presence71 set apart as a local habitation for an heir of glory4 ,a few lines1 once addressed to a secluded saint1 involuntarily occurred to my recollection3 ,our ,lord has many jewels4 ,among the number1 there are some of such peculiar properties that he does not choose to expose them to public observation4 ,he separates them from the general assemblage1 secluding them for his own complacent contemplation1 and sets them as a seal upon his heart4 ,you have a lovely retreat from the world1 but ,i suppose1 like others1 you are sometimes disturbed by its cares4 ,i have been1 but now ,i have cast all my cares on him who has promised to sustain me4 ,then you have reached one of the highest points of experimental religion1 and may look down on this tumultuous scene with an eye of comparative indifference4 ,why1 ,sir1 ,i would not exchange my situation or my prospects for any other that could be offered me4 ,i have not much of this world's goods1 nor yet many wants2 but ,i have an unclouded prospect of future happiness1 which reconciles me to my lot4 ,but have you been always so highly favoured6 ,o no1 ,sir4 ,for many years ,i was kept in a state of spiritual bondage1 sighing for liberty which ,i could not obtain1 and praying for peace1 but had great bitterness4 ,at length it pleased ,god to shine in upon my mind 'with beams of heavenly grace2' and the plan of salvation1 of which ,i could previously form no just ideas1 was exhibited with such clearness1 that the burden of guilt fell off my conscience2 and from that blessed hour to the present1 ,i have not had a doubt of my interest in the merits of my ,redeemer4 ,the long affliction with which ,i have been visited has brought me into more intimate communion with ,him2 my soul is as a weaned child2 and ,i am waiting the summons to depart4 ,but what a chasm will your departure make in the happiness of your little family6 ,yes1 my dear husband will feel the stroke2 and so will my dear little boy4 ,nature still yearns over them1 but ,i am enabled to leave them1 as a dying legacy1 to the ,lord of life4 ,my husband1 ,i believe1 is on the way to the kingdom of heaven2 and my boy1 ,i hope1 though very young1 fears the ,lord ,god of his parents2 so that ,i die under a firm persuasion that our intercourse will not be destroyed1 but only suspended for a season4 ,then you can die in peace8 ,in peace1 ,sir6 pausing as though her redeemed spirit laboured for some more than common form of expression as the vehicle of her utterance1 that word is not descriptive of my state of mind2 ,i feel a joy which is full of glory1 and such an intense longing of soul to be introduced into the presence of my ,lord1 that at times ,i fear ,i am too impatient for the descent of the celestial chariot in which ,i am to enter through the gates into the city4 ,i suppose that1 though you live secluded from the world1 you are sometimes visited by pious friends8 ,the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby1 the venerable rector of ,broadhurst1 from whom ,i received the word of truth1 often comes and spends an hour with me4 ,he considers me as the first-fruits of his ministry2 and ,i rejoice1 as only the first-fruits1 for since it pleased the ,lord to call me by his grace1 there have been many to whom he has been the instrument of conveying the grace of life4 ,our hamlet was the land of darkness before that bright light rose upon us2 but now it is as the land of ,goshen4 ,what a glorious change has been made in ,squire ,stevens and his lady1 who live at ,fairmount villa6 ,when they came to live there1 they took the lead in all the fashions and amusements of the gay and ungodly2 very seldom attended church on a ,sunday1 and often uttered many hard speeches against ,mr4 ,ingleby2 but their prejudices vanished as soon as they heard him1 and now they are become the most spiritual and zealous family in our parts4 ,there was a fine stir when they left their own parish church to attend the ministry of ,mr4 ,ingleby1 who preaches about a mile and a half off2 but they have displayed so much of the superior excellence of the ,christian character1 and conducted themselves with so much godly consistency1 that even the enemies of the cross are loud in their praise4 ,they sometimes call to see me1 and when they do not call they often send2 and the other day1 when ,i was expressing my gratitude to ,mrs4 ,stevens for the numerous favours ,i had received1 she replied1 with an emphasis which ,i shall never forget1 ',the steward should wait in the hall after he has delivered the present2 and then return and deliver the note of thanks to his lord who sent it4' ,i hope1 as you are a stranger among us1 you will call at ,fairmount1 where1 ,i am sure1 you will meet with a very kind reception4 ,i made no reply1 but proposed reading a chapter and going to prayer4 ,i read the #bc;d ,psalm1 on which ,i made a few appropriate remarks1 and then bowed before the footstool of the ,divine throne4 ,it is true ,i had no soft cushion to kneel on1 but ,i felt that the ground was rendered sacred by the presence of the ,holy ,one2 ,i had no prescribed form to aid my devotion1 but ,i felt under the peculiar dictations of the ,spirit1 who maketh intercession within the saints2 and arose1 not to lose a recollection of the interview amidst the din of business1 or the dissipations of life1 but to cherish it as a latent proof of the connection which subsists between the spiritual and material world1 and as supplying me with a fresh evidence of the immense value of that scheme of redemption which admits sinners into fellowship with their sovereign ,lord4 ,illustration3 ,,first ,,interview ,,with ,,farmer ,,pickford4 ,vol4 i4 page #dg4 ,soon after ,i left this lonely cottage1 on crossing over a neighbouring field1 ,i saw a farm-house at a distance1 and finding from my watch that ,i had two hours more at my disposal1 ,i resolved to visit it4 ,on entering the yard ,i met the farmer1 ,mr4 ,pickford1 a respectable-looking man1 who invited me1 in the true spirit of rural hospitality1 to walk in and take a mug of ale4 ,i had not been seated many minutes before the crusty brown loaf1 the delicate cream cheese1 and the can of fresh ale made their appearance1 and as my appetite was rather keen1 ,i relished my lunch4 ,but as my principal design was the survey of human character1 ,i easily contrived to induce my host to exhibit himself1 which he did in pure native style4 ,i have been admiring1 farmer1 the neatness of your hedges1 and the cleanliness of your fields1 which1 added to the richness of the foliage and the luxuriance of the crops1 gives a fine effect to the scenery around4 ,ay1 ay1 ,sir1 a country life for me4 ,i shouldn't like to be pent up in the smoke of a city all my days1 though my foolish girls are always saying that there are more pastimes in a town than in a village4 ,why1 yes1 we have many sources of amusement in a city which you cannot have in the country2 but we are exposed to more danger1 from the temptations to which we are liable4 ,that makes good what ,i have often said1 that town-folks are worse than country-folks4 ,but if a man be inclined to be wicked1 he will be wicked anywhere4 ,i suppose you have some about you who are not quite so good as they ought to be4 ,yes1 there are a few of that sort1 the worse luck2 but then we have some who are better than they need be1 and so the quantum of goodness is made up to the full ,winchester measure4 ,indeed6 ,i never saw a man better than he ought to be4 ,why1 ,sir1 perhaps ,i made a mistake4 ,i should have said1 we have some who pretend to be better than they need be2 but you know that a man may pretend to what he a'n't got4 ,true2 but what sort of persons do you now refer to8 ,to these ,methodists2#a before they came we were as peaceable as a flock of sheep in a fold2 but now we are always wrangling2 and1 in spite of us1 they have put down all the little merry-makings which we used to have among us4 #a ,the epithet ,methodist is taken in its popular acceptation1 as employed by the antievangelical part of society4 ,but how have they put down your merry-makings8 ,why1 ,sir1 we used to have as good a pit of cocks as any in the country2 but now the very men who used to breed the best sort are turned ,methodists2 and when ,i asked one the other day if he had any young ones hatched yet1 he told me that he had seen his wickedness1 and hoped never to be permitted to fall into the sin again2 as though ,god ,almighty would be offended at the innocent pastimes of a village4 ,but do you not suppose that the cocks which fight inflict pain on each other2 and can a humane person derive any amusement from the agonies of a dumb animal8 ,true1 ,sir2 some1 ,i know1 are against such sports1 but ,i must confess that ,i have a bit of a liking for them4 ,i believe1 from what little ,i know of rural life1 that the innocent pastimes of the village usually terminate in scenes of drunkenness1 rioting1 and lewdness2 and pray1 farmer1 have you never seen the bad effects of them on your friends1 and on your servants8 ,ay1 ay1 ,sir1 you now strike home1 but what are people to do2 they must have a little 'laxation from hard work sometimes4 ,but you say 'these things are put down by the ,methodists1 in spite of you2' what do the people do now8 ,o1 nearly all of them are turned ,methodists1 and ,squire ,stevens1 who lives up at ,fairmount yonder1 is at the head of them4 ,what sort of a gentleman is he8 ,he is very well in his way1 only he has too much religion4 ,what do you mean by too much religion8 ,why1 he is always talking about it1 and giving away little books1 and visiting the poor1 and praying with them in their houses1 and preaching to them in his chapel which he built for them4 ,and some people say he can preach a better sarmunt than parson ,cole1 who is a regular ,oxford man4 ,his wife is a cleverish sort of a woman2 she looked in here one day1 and talked away at a fine rate about ,jesus ,christ and salvation by grace2 and ,i have had main hard work ever since to keep my wife from running after this new sort of religion4 ,pray1 farmer1 have you ever seriously reflected on the worth of your soul8 ,why1 ,sir1 ,i have something else to reflect on4 ,but have you any subject to reflect on of equal importance8 ,do you not know that your soul1 when it leaves the body1 will exist for ever in a state of happiness or misery8 ,so the parsons tell us1 but they may be out in their judgment as well as other people4 ,i don't believe all they say4 ,i strike off one-half1 and then there's plenty left4 ,do you ever think on the subject of death8 ,no1 ,i don't like to think on such a gloomy subject4 ,but why not1 when you know you must die soon1 and may die to-night8 ,i hope not1 for ,i a'n't fit to die4 ,and are you conscious that you are not fit to die1 and yet neglect to think about it8 ,is it possible8 ,why1 ,sir1 methinks it's time enough to think about it when it comes4 ,but it may come suddenly1 like a thief in the night1 and bear off your soul to the great world of spirits4 ,if it should1 then the ,lord have mercy on my soul4 ,i suppose he will1 as he likes to save sinners1 so the parsons say4 ,i then described to him the frame of mind in which ,i had left ,mrs4 ,allen--his wife being present the whole of the time4 ,he could not refrain from weeping1 though he endeavoured to conceal his tears2 and when ,i had finished1 he said that he knew her very well1 but as she was a ,methodist1 he had been prejudiced against her1 but added1 ,if this be a sample of their religion1 it is of a better sort than ,i imagined4 ,and turning to his wife1 he said1 ,do as you like1 ,i will never oppose thee again4 ,that's the best news ,i have heard to-day4 ,i'll go to chapel on ,sunday4 ,i hope1 ,sir1 that you will stay and take a pot-luck dinner with us2 it will be plainish fare1 but a hearty welcome4 ,yes1 ,sir1 do1 said his modest-looking wife2 we have just killed a pig1 and ,i have a nice pork pie1 and some apple sauce and cream4 ,i thanked them both for their kindness1 but declined accepting the invitation1 having engaged to dine with a friend in the neighbourhood4 ,pray1 ,sir1 if a body may be so bold1 do ,i know your friend8 ,you do know him2 and perhaps if ,i mention his name1 you will feel a momentary embarrassment4 ,i fear no man2 and ,i don't think ,i have got an enemy in all these parts4 ,i am going to dine with ,mr4 ,stevens4 ,hollo6 ,i sometimes talk a bit too fast2 the worse luck2 however1 don't say what ,i have said4 ,he is a gentleman2 ,i would not offend him for the world4 ,we live on very good terms2 and a better man does not exist1 and ,i am sure his wife is the best woman in all the parish4 ,i told him that he might make himself very easy1 as it was not my habit to sow discord among neighbours4 ,i promised to call again before ,i left1 which appeared to give him pleasure4 ,as ,i was walking up the hill which leads towards the villa1 ,i met a venerable-looking gentleman1 in the costume of a clergyman4 ,we bowed2 and1 with an air of peculiar kindness1 he said1 ,i presume ,i am addressing the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,s----s8 ,my name1 ,sir1 is ,s----s4 ,i am happy to see you in these parts2 but ,i shall be more happy by seeing you at the rectory4 ,we are both1 ,i trust1 ministers of the gospel2 and though we labour in different communions1 yet1 as we expect to dwell together in heaven1 ,i see no reason why we should shun each other's society on earth4 ,our ,lord has broken down the middle wall of partition1 but bigotry has been endeavouring almost ever since to rebuild it2 and though she has succeeded in raising it up immensely high in some parts of her empire1 yet1 as she cannot always secure a good foundation1 we occasionally find an opening through which we can pass to enjoy the fellowship of the saints4 ,ay1 ,sir1 ,i often pray1 ',raze it1 raze it1 even to the foundation thereof4' ,and to such a prayer ,i can most cheerfully respond1 ,amen4 ,but do you not think1 added ,mr4 ,ingleby1 that the spirit of liberality is gaining ground among us8 ,i hope it is2 but there is very much land yet unoccupied4 ,true1 but there have been some large inclosures made within the last half-century4 ,your ,london ,missionary ,society1 which breathes such a catholic spirit1 has brought together many of the children of ,god who were scattered abroad2 and the ,british and ,foreign ,bible ,society has bound them together as with a threefold cord1 which the demon of bigotry will never be able to burst asunder4 ,i think your remarks are correct2 but ,i want to see more of the spirit of liberality of sentiment and feeling which is often expressed1 and often applauded at our public meetings1 brought into expression and practical operation in social life4 ,i want to see ,christians of every denomination mingling together1 not in the costume and with the spirit of their distinctive order1 but in their more dignified and exalted character1 as disciples of the ,lord ,jesus4 ,i want to see them disposed to merge the trifling distinctions in the more important consideration of their relative union to each other2 and if the spirit of contention is to prevail among us1 let it be the spirit which ,paul inculcates1 when he exhorted the ,hebrews to provoke one another to love and good works4 ,your sentiments1 replied the pious rector1 exactly accord with my own2 and though ,i do not expect that the spirit of bigotry will die and be buried before ,i am called to rest with my fathers1 yet ,i hope1 when standing on the top of the celestial hills1 to witness her interment1 and then1 in ecstasy1 ,i will respond to the joyous shout which earth will raise1 when she exclaims1 ',bigotry is fallen--is fallen6' ,i have just had the pleasure of an interview with ,mrs4 ,allen4 ,ay1 she is an eminent saint4 ,how is she1 ,sir8--,i am now going to see her4 ,she appears to be drawing near her latter end1 but ,i do not think there is any prospect of an immediate change2 she is in a most heavenly frame of mind4 ,when ,i first knew her1 which is now near twenty-five years ago1 she came to live with me2 but her temper was so violent1 and her enmity to the gospel so inveterate1 that ,i was obliged to part with her4 ,after she left me1 she went to live with a dissolute gentleman in the neighbourhood1 when the seed of the kingdom1 which had been unconsciously deposited in her heart1 sprang up2 and after remaining in her situation for a few months1 she returned to my service1 and never have ,i seen a more manifest proof of the efficacy of ,divine grace4 ,religion will sometimes reform a vicious life1 and check the evil propensities of the heart1 while the temper is left unsubdued4 ,what influence have her religious principles over her temper8 ,i am happy to say that the lion became a lamb1 and in meekness and gentleness of spirit she surpasses most4 ,but ,i perceive1 looking at his watch1 that ,i cannot prolong our conversation1 as ,i have an appointment2 and therefore ,i beg you will do me the honour of a visit before you leave4 ,come early in the morning1 or consent to stay the whole of the night4 ,i reached ,fairmount about half-an-hour before dinner1 which gave me an opportunity of recording in my diary the incidents of the morning4 ,as ,i sat musing on the raptures of the dying ,christian1 the ignorance of the worthy farmer1 and the liberality of the venerable clergyman1 the servant tapped at my door1 and informed me that the family were waiting4 ,i immediately made my appearance in the parlour1 when ,mrs4 ,stevens said1 ,i have the pleasure1 of introducing to you my nephew1 ,mr4 ,lewellin4 ,i took his hand with mingled emotions of surprise and joy1 offered him my congratulations on the great change which had taken place in his moral and spiritual character1 inquired after his pious mother1 and then sat down to refresh myself with the provisions of hospitality4 ,,the ,,horningsham ,,sailor4 ,dinner being ended1 we adjourned to the back parlour1 whose folding doors opened on the lawn1 and exhibited a sweet scene of tranquil beauty4 ,the heart that is insensible to the charms of nature1 said ,mr4 ,lewellin1 must be devoid of taste and feeling4 ,true1 replied ,mr4 ,stevens1 but how many feel these charms who never hold communion with ,him who has invested them with their magic power4 ,they profess to rise up through nature1 'to nature's ,god2' but their conceptions of ,his character are essentially defective2 they admire ,his grandeur and ,his greatness1 but there is no recognition of ,his purity2 they extol ,his benevolence1 but are not awed by ,his justice4 ,i recollect being in company with a gentleman1 who was an impassioned admirer of nature1 and after an eloquent descant on its magnificent scenery1 he concluded by saying1 ',the ,deity1 who has given existence to such physical wonders1 would act a very undignified part to stoop so low as to notice the little frailties of humanity2 but to suppose he would punish them1 would be to offer ,him an insult4' ,hence they very naturally1 from their assumed premises1 scornfully reject the remedial scheme of salvation that is revealed to us in the ,scriptures4 ,our reception or rejection of the ,scripture scheme of salvation1 said ,mr4 ,lewellin1 depends on the opinion we form of the character of ,god2 for if his purity and equity be not recognized1 the law which commands obedience will be denounced2 the distinction between virtue and vice1 which the ,scriptures mark with such precision1 will be confounded2 and the whole scheme of ,divine mercy will be regarded as a cunningly devised fable4 ,i remember the time when ,i lived without any habitual reverence for the ,supreme ,being4 ,i admired the wisdom and the benevolence which ,i could trace in the construction of the universe2 but it neither excited gratitude1 nor led to any dependence on ,god for preservation from evil1 or for happiness4 ,it is true when the elements were disturbed1 when the tempest raged1 when the lightning flashed1 and when the thunder roared1 ,i trembled2 but no sooner had these commotions ceased1 than all was tranquil within2 yet it was not peace of mind1 it was a moral torpor1 a judicial insensibility1 the ease which precedes the moral pangs of the second death4 ,this reference to his former state induced me to ask him to give us an account of his conversion4 ,he complied with my request2 but as the more prominent incidents have been already narrated1 ,i need not detail the whole of his statement4 ,my mind1 he observed1 was in a peculiarly serene frame when ,i consented to accompany my mother to chapel4 ,i had been that morning on a visit to a friend1 in whose society ,i had passed many hours of pleasant intercourse2 and our conversation unexpectedly took a religious turn4 ',i have recently1' said my friend1 'had my mind very much occupied and perplexed about the truth or falsehood of ,christianity4 ,if ,christianity be a cunningly devised fable1 we are safe2 but if it be a true revelation from heaven1 we are undone4' ',it is no fable1' ,i replied2 'it is too true4' ',then how can we justify that indifference which we pay to it8' ',to justify it is impossible2 but such is the native insensibility of our hearts to unseen and eternal realities1 that nothing but an extraordinary dispensation of ,heaven can rouse us to a state of proper feeling4' ',pray1 ,sir1' said my friend1 'what was the state of your mind in the immediate prospect of death8' ',i was1' ,i replied1 'in great agony1 and its intensity increased as the symptoms of coming death became more decisive4 ,i drew back with horror from the scene which was before me2 but yet at times ,i longed to plunge into the dark abyss1 that ,i might know the utmost of my misery4' ',but could you derive no hope from the consolations which ,christianity holds out to man8' ',none2 mine appeared a hopeless case4 ,an allusion to mercy had a more terrific effect than the utterance of the tremendous word1 ,depart6' ',i think1' he replied1 'that religious people are generally more happy than those who are irreligious2 and it is certain1 if the testimony of the most respectable witnesses can be received1 that they are infinitely more happy in the prospect of death4' ',yes1 ,sir1 they are1 and very naturally so4 ,they expect by the loss of life to gain the prize of a glorious immortality4 ,we have no such a prospect6' ',that's true4 ,to us a hereafter is a dead blank1 or torments for ever4 ,what a difference6' ,as ,i was returning to my mother's cottage1 ,i felt an unusual elevation of soul1 for which ,i could assign no real cause4 ',is this1' ,i involuntarily exclaimed1 'the first beaming of mercy8 ,impossible6 ,but why8' ,the train of thought which now passed through my mind necessarily partook of the singular character of my feelings2 and though ,i could not fix my attention on religious subjects1 yet ,i felt no inclination to dismiss them4 ,after ,i reached home1 as ,i sat musing over the recent occurrences of my life1 ,i opened a hymn-book which was lying near me1 and felt deeply impressed by a hymn to which ,i chanced to turn1 and which was very appropriate to the state of my mind4 ,the same afternoon my mother asked me to accompany her to chapel1 which gave me more pleasure than ,i wished to discover4 ,i was delighted with the fervour of the singing1 and the chaste simplicity of the prayer1 and a few petitions which were uttered struck me with great force4 ,do you recollect these petitions8 said ,mrs4 ,stevens4 ,i shall never forget them--',enlighten1 we beseech you1 ,o ,lord1 our dark understandings6--renovate our depraved nature6--deepen the impressions which thy truth has already made on our hearts6--and admit us1 through the mediation of ,jesus ,christ1 into communion with thee1 the only source of pure and substantial bliss6' ,never did words1 uttered by human voice1 produce a more powerful effect2 but it was not till the minister began to enlarge on the condescension and death of the ,lord ,jesus1 that ,i felt my guilt and perceived my danger4 ,i retired from the chapel with a class of feeling which had never been previously excited within my breast2 yet ,i cannot say whether joy or sorrow most preponderated4 ,i wept as my sins came to my remembrance1 but my most sacred tears were shed in gratitude to the ,redeemer for the thrilling manifestation of his pity and his love4 ,i felt the change1 on passing from a state of spiritual death to newness of life1 as consciously as ,i now feel the action of life in my vital system2 nor could any species of sophistry induce me to doubt it--a change which produced an entire revolution in my sentiments and principles2 in my habits and in the objects of my pursuit2 and though it has called down upon me the sarcasms of the sceptic1 yet ,i am not ashamed to own that it is 'by the grace of ,god ,i am what ,i am4' ,my mother1 when ,i told her of it1 fell on my neck and kissed me2 she wept tears of joy1 and then knelt down and returned thanks to ,god for his abundant mercy towards me4 ,never1 till that eventful evening1 had ,i tasted of such pure1 such unmingled felicity4 ,every one present was deeply affected by this narration4 ,mr4 ,stevens was about to continue the conversation1 when our attention was attracted by an ,english sailor1 who approached and asked an alms4 ,mr4 ,stevens1 who was fond of seeing all the varieties of human character1 invited him to take a seat1 and after inquiring where he had come from1 and how long he had been at sea1 said1 ,i dare say you have endured many hardships in your dangerous profession2 it would be interesting to us if you would give us some account of your life4 ,my life1 please your honour1 replied the weather-beaten tar1 has been a chequered life4 ,i was born at ,horningsham1 a small village in ,wiltshire4 ,my father had three children4 ,he was very religious1 and so was my mother4 ,they taught us to read the ,bible and to pray1 and took us to chapel every ,sunday4 ,but ,i was always a wildish lad1 and so was brother ,george1 who was a year younger than ,i4 ,one night1 when we were about seventeen years old1 we set off1 unknown to father or mother1 to go to sea4 ,we walked all night1 and all the next day1 till we got to ,botley1 between ,southampton and ,tichfield1 where we stopped for some refreshment1 and to rest ourselves4 ,the next day we were joined by three soldiers1 who said they would take us across the fields to ,gosport2 but when they got us into a lonely place1 they robbed us of our watches and all our money4 ,this was the beginning of our sorrows1 and we began to repent of our folly2 but we did not like to go back home4 ,as we were walking up and down a street in ,portsmouth1 a gentleman came and asked us if we should like to go to sea4 ,i replied ,i would like nothing better4 ,he gave us five shillings each1 provided a lodging for us1 and the next morning we went on board ship4 ,we often wished ourselves at home1 but it was no use2 so1 after sending a letter to father1 to let him know what was become of us1 we set sail4 ,after cruizing about the channel for some months1 we fell in with the ,dutch off ,camperdown4 ,this was the first battle ,i ever fought2 and it was a desperate one4 ,many a stream of ,english blood flowed that day2 and1 just as we were hailing victory1 a spent shot struck my poor brother ,george 7his voice faltering as he spoke71 who was standing by my side2 he fell2 we carried him down to the cockpit1 when he took me by the hand1 and said1 ',farewell1 brother6 ,i am dying4 ,give my love to mother1 and father1 and sister1 and tell them that ,i die in the arms of victory4' ,he scarcely finished the words before he heaved a dismal groan1 and died4 ,the shouts of victory gave me no pleasure2 for ,i had lost my brother4 ,poor fellow1 he was thrown overboard the same day2 and many a tear was shed1 ,sir1 as we let him down1 for he was much liked by the crew4 ,what ship1 said ,mr4 ,stevens1 were you on board of8 ,the ,venerable1 please your honour2 ,admiral ,duncan's ship4 ,did you know ,covey1 who was wounded in that engagement8 ,yes1 please your honour2 ,i was on deck when he fell4 ,he was as brave a fellow as ever fought2 and he was as generous as he was brave4 ,but was he not very wicked8 ,he was a good sailor1 please your honour1 and he was generous to a proverb2 but he had no sense of religion1 though at times1 ,i believe1 he suffered much in his conscience4 ,do you know what became of him8 ,i have heard that he was sent to ,haslar hospital after he left the ,venerable1 and ,i suppose he died there2 and there1 ,i suppose1 he was buried4 ,god rest his soul6 ,mr4 ,stevens rose and left the room1 but soon returned with the tract which gives such an interesting account of ,covey4 ,he read some passages from it1 and while he was reading1 ,i watched the countenance of the sailor1 which betrayed alternately symptoms of astonishment1 of joy1 and of the deepest solemnity4 ,i am right glad1 said the honest tar1 to hear that my old shipmate is got safe into such a port4 ,he had a roughish voyage2 but the storm is over2 and from that account1#b he is now safe landed4 #b ,covey was one of the bravest of the brave1 and as wicked as he was brave4 ,mr4 ,pratt1 in the second volume of his ,gleanings1 gives us the following account of him3-- ,as the two fleets were coming into action1 the noble admiral1 to save the lives of his men1 ordered them to lie flat on the deck1 till1 being nearer the enemy1 their firing might do the more execution4 ,the ,dutch ships at this time were pouring their broadsides into the ,venerable as she passed down part of the ,dutch fleet1 in order to break their line4 ,this stout-hearted and wicked ,covey1 heaped in rapid succession the most dreadful imprecations on the eyes1 and limbs1 and souls of what he called his cowardly shipmates1 for lying down to avoid the balls of the ,dutch4 ,he refused to obey the order1 till1 fearing the authority of an officer not far from him1 he in part complied1 by leaning over a cask which stood near1 till the word of command was given to fire4 ,at the moment of rising1 a bar-shot carried away one of his legs1 and the greater part of the other2 but so instantaneous was the stroke1 though he was sensible of something like a jar in his limbs1 he knew not that he had lost a leg till his stump came to the deck1 and he fell4 ,he was sent home to ,haslar hospital1 with many others2 and soon after he left it1 he went on a ,sabbath evening to ,orange ,street ,chapel1 ,portsea1 where he heard the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,griffin preach from ,mark v4 #ae4 ,he listened1 says his biographer1 with attention and surprise1 wondering how the minister should know him among so many hundred people2 or who could have told him his character and state of mind4 ,this astonishment was still more increased when he found him describe1 as he thought1 the whole of his life1 and even his secret sins4 ,some weeks after this1 says ,mr4 ,griffin1 he called and related to me the whole of his history and experience4 ,he was surprised to find that ,i had never received any information about him at the time the sermon was preached which so exactly met his case4 ,something more than twelve months after this time he was received a member of our church1 having given satisfactory evidences of being a genuine and consistent ,christian4 ,a few weeks since1 hearing he was ill1 ,i went to visit him4 ,when ,i entered his room1 he said1 ',come in1 thou man of ,god6 ,i have been longing to see you1 and to tell you the happy state of my mind4 ,i believe ,i shall soon die2 but death now has no terrors in it4 ,the sting of death is sin2 but1 thanks be to ,god1 he has given me the victory through ,jesus ,christ4 ,i am going to heaven6 ,o6 what has ,jesus done for me1 one of the vilest sinners of the human race4' ,a little before he died1 when he thought himself within a few hours of dissolution1 he said1 ',i have often thought it was a hard thing to die1 but now ,i find it a very easy thing to die4 ,the presence of ,christ makes it easy4 ,the joy ,i feel from a sense of the love of ,god to sinners1 from the thought of being with the ,saviour1 of being free from a sinful heart1 and of enjoying the presence of ,god for ever1 is more than ,i can express6 ,o6 how different my thoughts of ,god1 and of myself1 and of another world1 from what they were when ,i lost my precious limbs on board the ,venerable6 ,it was a precious loss to me6 ,if ,i had not lost my legs1 ,i should perhaps have lost my soul4' ,with elevated and clasped hands1 and with eyes glistening with earnestness1 through the tears which flowed down his face1 he said1 ',o1 my dear minister6 ,i pray you1 when ,i am dead1 to preach a funeral sermon for a poor sailor2 and tell others1 especially sailors1 who are as ignorant and wicked as ,i was1 that poor blaspheming ,covey found mercy with ,god1 through faith in the blood of ,christ6 ,tell them1 that since ,i have found mercy1 none that seek it need to despair4 ,you know better than ,i do what to say to them4 ,but1 ,o6 be in earnest with them2 and may the ,lord grant that my wicked neighbours and fellow-sailors may find mercy as well as ,covey6' ,he said much more2 but the last words he uttered were1 ',hallelujah6 hallelujah6' ,there is no refuge from the storm but in ,jesus ,christ1 said ,mr4 ,stevens4 ,ah1 there is no getting into the port of heaven but through ,christ2 this ,i have known for many years2 but it han't done me much good2 but ,i hope it will4 ,have you now left the navy8 ,yes1 and please your honour4 ,i was wounded at the battle of ,trafalgar1 when our ,nelson died2 and ,i was sent home1 along with many others1 to the hospital4 ,after ,i left the hospital1 ,i went back to sea1 but ,i got my discharge a little more than two months ago4 ,here it is1 and please your honour4 ,where have you been since you got your discharge8 ,i went home to ,horningsham as fast as ,i could travel1 to see my father1 and mother1 and sister2 for ,i had not seen them for many years4 ,i got there about five o'clock in the evening1 and when ,i opened the door1 ,i saw a stranger sitting in the chimney-corner1 who turned out to be my brother-in-law2 but poor sister ,susan was dead4 ,i was afraid to ask about father1 for ,i began to think that death had been on board1 and capsized all of them4 ,i saw his stick hanging over the mantle-piece2 and after a while 7tears falling as he spoke71 ,i asked if he were alive4 ',no1 ,william1' said my brother-in-law1 'your father has been dead five years4' ',is mother alive8' ',she is alive1 but ,i fear she won't live till the morning4' ',then ,i'll put on shore1 and see her before she goes down4' ,so ,i went up stairs1 and as soon as mother saw me1 she knew me1 and she wept for joy to see me back2 and as soon as she had given me a salute1 she asked if brother ,george were living2 and when ,i told her of his death1 she wept again1 but they were not tears of joy4 ,she died in about three hours after ,i got home2 and ,i staid there a few weeks after she was buried1 but the place being deserted by those ,i loved1 ,i made up my mind to slip my cable and sheer off4 ,i couldn't lay at anchor in such a deserted port4 ,was you with your mother when she died8 ,yes1 and please your honour2 ,i hove to as soon as ,i saw her1 and ,i did not leave her until she went down4 ,how did she die8 ,just in the same way as ,i hope to die1 when it pleases ,god to call me4 ,she said1 ',william1 ,i am now going to heaven1 and ,i hope you will follow me4' ,well1 said ,mr4 ,stevens1 ,i hope you will2 but what do you intend to do for a livelihood8 ,why1 please your honour1 ,i don't know what to do4 ,can you work in a garden8 ,i think ,i can1 and ,i'm willing to try4 ,i used1 when a lad1 to work in the ,marquis of ,bath's garden1 along with my father1 and ,i have not quite forgot what he learned me4 ,mr4 ,stevens1 being in want of an under-gardener1 took the sailor into his service1 and he long remained with him1 a very faithful and industrious servant2 an ,israelite indeed1 in whom was no guile4 ,after the sailor left the parlour1 ,mr4 ,lewellin remarked1 that the adaptation of the gospel to man1 of every order of intellect1 of every shade and complexion of character1 of every age and of every country1 was to him a most decisive evidence of its ,divine origin4 ,had it been a human invention it would have been incumbered with some local or national customs1 and hence it would have discovered some radical defect2 but instead of this1 the closer it is examined the more its adaptation to the moral condition of humanity is perceived2 its rites are such as all may practise2 its precepts are as suited to an ,asiatic or an ,african as to an ,european2 and its leading fact1 that ,christ ,jesus came into the world to save sinners1 is worthy of all acceptation4 ,as you have so recently left the ranks of infidelity1 said ,mr4 ,stevens1 let me ask you--,are infidels in general sincere in the opposition which they make to ,christianity8 ,they are as sincere as a criminal would be in his efforts to prevent the judge entering the court2 but1 in general1 they have a strong impression that their opposition will be useless4 ,i see that ,i have not given my question precisely that form of meaning which ,i intended4 ,do you think that they really disbelieve the truth of ,christianity8 ,we have many in this country1 as there are many in all other countries1 who are as ignorant of the nature and design of the ,christian faith as they are of the science of astronomy or of medicine1 and they disbelieve it1 if it be proper to say a thing can be disbelieved which is not known2 but ,i do not think that any really disbelieve it who have received a proper religious training4 ,they will1 when together1 cheer up each others' spirits1 and affect contempt for the religion of the ,bible2 but ,i have seen a whole company disconcerted by a clap of thunder1 and retire1 not to enjoy the pleasures of reflection1 but1 if ,i may judge from what ,i have felt1 to writhe beneath the agonies of anticipation4 ,do you know if your conversion to the ,christian faith produced any good effect on any of your former associates8 ,i recollect on one occasion1 when several of us were spending a ,sabbath evening in an hotel1 after ,i had delivered a speech at some length in favour of ,deism1 and against ,christianity1 ,i was so much applauded1 that they clapped me1 and said1 ',well1 ,lewellin1 if you ever turn1 there must be something in it4' ,after ,i did turn1 or rather after ,i was turned1 the majority reproached me as a hypocritical fanatic2 but one came and congratulated me on having escaped the destructive snare in which he was entangled2 but added1 ',my doom is irrevocably fixed1 and it would be only an aggravation of my misery to indulge a hope of salvation4' ,poor fellow6 he was hurried on1 even against the strong convictions of his judgment1 and the reproaches of his conscience1 through almost every scene of dissipation1 till at length the strong arm of death stopped his progress4 ,as soon as ,i heard of his illness1 ,i went to see him4 ,i never shall forget the interview4 ,it brought to my recollection my own state of misery1 when the terrors of the eternal world1 like the vivid lightning1 were playing around my distracted spirit4 ,on entering his room1 he endeavoured to avoid seeing me1 by concealing his face under the bed-clothes4 ,i approached his bedside1 and spoke1 but he was dumb with silence4 ,i endeavoured to rouse him by the kindest expressions of friendship1 and at length he uncovered his horror-struck countenance1 and said 7as nearly as ,i can remember71 ',i don't doubt your kindness2 it is indelibly impressed on my callous heart4 ,but why come to torment me8 ,the damned cannot be saved6' ',but1' ,i added1 'the chief of sinners may4' ',not after their doom is fixed4 ,i have passed the line which divides the saved from the lost2 and ,i cannot retrace my steps4' ',but1----' ',but1 ,sir1' interrupting me1 'excuse my abruptness2 ,i feel as though ,i were now riding on the elements of woe2 the voice of peace ,i cannot hear4 ,my soul is in a whirlwind of despair6 ,the storm will ne'er subside6 ,the clouds of the ,divine displeasure are highly charged2 they are gathering blackness6 and soon--yes1 ,i feel death now creeping up to strike my heart6--soon1 very soon ,i shall be cast into outer darkness6' ',but1----' ',but spare me6' ',but1 do listen--,i may be the means of distilling consolation2 for ,i have suffered all you now suffer1 and yet have obtained mercy4' ',yes1 you have1 and ,i am glad of it for your sake2 but that feeling aggravates my agony4 ,distil consolation6 ,yes1 you may2 but every avenue of my soul is filled up with anguish2 it cannot enter4 ,tell me not of a ,saviour1 for ,i have slighted him6 ,tell me not of his compassion1 for ,i have made it a subject of ridicule6 ,tell me not of heaven1 for ,i shall soon see it1 but at an immeasurable distance6 ,death is come1 my heartstrings are breaking6 ,i lie down in misery1 to rise----' ,he could add no more4 ,i left him in the agonies of despair1 and soon after he died4 ,how awful6 exclaimed ,mrs4 ,stevens2 was it not too much for your feelings8 ,too much6 replied ,lewellin1 deeply affected1 ,i scarcely knew how to remain1 or how to move2 and1 had it not been for the nurse1 who entered the room just at this crisis1 ,i think that ,i should have sunk4 ,it has left a horrifying impression on my mind1 which reflection increases2 for he was the only son of a pious father1 who was ignorant of his character till he came up from the country to attend his funeral4 ,the good man waited on me before the rites of sepulture were performed2 and though ,i suppressed the strong descriptive language of his son1 yet it was not in my power to alleviate his fears4 ,he wept aloud4 ,he paced backwards and forwards in my room1 like a man bereft of his senses4 ',had ,i lost my property1 ,i had merely lost what will melt in the general burning2 but ,i have lost my child1 who will never see----4 ,woe is me6' ,i went to see the good man a few months ago1 but his countenance has never since worn a smile--his food is the wormwood1 and his drink the gall4 ,what anguish1 said ,mr4 ,stevens1 does an irreligious child often inflict in a parent's breast6 ,i have often grieved because ,i have not had a family1 but ,i am sure that ,i shall never grieve again4 ,i now observed3 ,god often employs the religious education of children as the means of their conversion2 but when they leave their father's house1 if they are not placed in a pious family1 they often turn out the most depraved4 ,hence we derive an argument for our encouragement1 to train them up in the nurture and admonition of the ,lord2 and also a beacon to warn us of the danger to which we expose them1 when we introduce them into situations where they are under no religious control4 ,this good man demands our pity2 but1 perhaps1 if we knew the whole history of his conduct to his child1 we should be disposed to blame him4 ,and what a warning is this fact to the youth who has received a religious training4 ,he may indulge himself in a course of sin1 but conscience will rebuke him2 he may suppose that his father is ignorant of his conduct1 but he cannot conceal himself from the eye of ,god2 and he may presume on a future day for repentance1 but that day may be a day of darkness1 of lamentation1 and of woe4 ,rejoice1 ,o young man1 in thy youth2 and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth1 and walk in the ways of thine heart1 and in the sight of thine eyes2 but know thou1 that for all these things ,god will bring thee into judgment4 ,,the ,,rector ,,of ,,broadhurst4 ,my dear1 said ,mr4 ,stevens1 here is an invitation from the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby1 requesting us and our visitors to take tea at the rectory to-morrow evening1 when he will introduce us to the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,guion2 and as we have no engagement1 ,i presume ,i may send an answer in the affirmative4 ,most certainly1 said ,mrs4 ,stevens2 to meet ,mr4 ,ingleby and ,mr4 ,guion together will be a great treat2 they are both men of superior intelligence and piety1 and of great conversational powers4 ,i do not know ,mr4 ,guion1 ,i remarked1 but ,i have a very high opinion of ,mr4 ,ingleby2 he breathes a fine catholic spirit1 and preaches the gospel with great simplicity1 purity1 and power4 ,i think1 said ,mr4 ,stevens1 ,i know a few who excel our venerable friend in some separate ministerial qualifications and attainments2 but in that rare union of excellencies which meet in him1 he stands1 in my opinion1 unrivalled4 ,he has a voice which is clear and powerful1 his action is natural1 he commands attention1 and he always rewards it2 for1 by an extraordinary aptness of manner1 he compels his hearers to believe that he is addressing them individually4 ,and ,i have often been astonished by the extraordinary fertility of his mind2 for while he is perpetually exhibiting the same truths1 the modes of their exhibition are perpetually varying2 his arguments1 if they are not always new1 yet they are always put in a new form2 and his figures of illustration1 which are beautifully chaste1 have1 if ,i may use such an expression1 the freshness and fragrance of novelty upon them4 ,but1 after all1 said ,mrs4 ,stevens1 much as ,i admire him when he is in the pulpit1 it is in the parlour and in the walks of private life that he unconsciously unfolds the entire of his real character4 ,he appears more amiable and lovely in the undress of social intimacy1 than when attired in the costume of his order4 ,in my opinion1 he approaches nearer the perfect and upright man of the ,bible than any clergyman ,i know4 ,i had heard much of ,mr4 ,ingleby since ,i had been a visitor at ,fairmount1 and ,i now looked forward with great pleasure to the prospect of being more fully acquainted with him4 ,i shall here introduce some particulars of his history1 much of which ,i afterwards learned4 ,on his leaving college1 where he was greatly beloved by those who were admitted into his intimacy1 ,mr4 ,ingleby went into ,yorkshire1 and took the curacy of a country parish2 and there he exhibited in faint miniature the fine character which1 in after-life1 he more clearly and broadly developed4 ,to this spiritual cure he was much attached2 and it is probable that he would have continued in it1 but he married a niece of the gentleman who had the living of ,broadhurst in his gift1 and who presented it to him on the day of his marriage4 ,to this living he was inducted in the year #agif2 and though he subsequently had several offers of preferment1 yet he declined them1 preferring contentment and the affectionate regards of the attached and devoted people amongst whom he laboured1 to the greater honours and emoluments which were held out to him4 ,when he commenced his ministerial labours1 he found the church in a most dilapidated condition2 its steeple had fallen2 its walls were rent in several parts1 and overgrown with rank vegetation2 the rain oozed through its roof2 the grass had grown high on every walk which led to its antique doors2 and though the face of the clock was partly visible1 the clock itself had long ceased to tell the hours4 ,almost the whole parish was living in a state of absolute ignorance and moral barbarism4 ,his heart sunk within him as he surveyed the moral waste which he was appointed to cultivate2 but recollecting that he was not appointed to labour in his own strength1 he resolved to consecrate his life to its improvement4 ,having formed this resolution1 no offer1 however flattering1 could for a moment shake it4 ,the first thing he attempted was1 not to raise the tithes1 which he knew would inflame the prejudices of the people against him1 but to get the church repaired4 ,he called a meeting of the parishioners1 stated his wish1 and urged them1 in such a mild and persuasive manner1 to comply with it1 that the utmost degree of unanimity prevailed2 and they retired congratulating each other on the residence of a clergyman amongst them who seemed to manifest a concern for their spiritual welfare4 ,though the parsonage house was1 if possible1 in a more dilapidated state than the church1 yet he prudently declined alluding to it1 which gave a few of the leading men such a high idea of his disinterestedness1 that they called another meeting1 and resolved that the house and the church should be repaired at the same time4 ,when the church1 thoroughly repaired1 was reopened for divine worship1 there was such a concourse of attendants that it was not large enough to contain them4 ,the clerk1 who had grown old in the service1 having repeated the ,amen within its walls for nearly half a century1 said to his rector1 while he was assisting him in putting on his sacred vestments1 ,there is a main lot of people come1 ,sir1 to see our beautiful church2 one should almost think that the dead had got leave to come out of their graves to see it4 ,illustration3 ,,drawn ,,by ,s4 ,,read4 ,,engraved ,,by ,w4 ,l4 ,,thomas4 ,,the ,,church ,,of ,,the ,,neglected ,,parish4 ,vol4 i4 page #ff4 ,it was with some difficulty that ,mr4 ,ingleby could get to the desk2 and when he commenced the service1 instead of reading the prayers1 like his predecessors1 in a hurried and irreverent manner1 there was so much gravity in his appearance1 so much solemnity in his deportment1 and such a clearness and impressiveness in his enunciation1 that the whole congregation were astonished and delighted4 ,but it was in the pulpit1 where he had to proclaim the glad tidings of salvation1 that he commanded most attention1 and excited the deepest interest4 ,he selected for the occasion the memorable words of ,st4 ,paul1 ,for ,i am determined not to know anything among you1 save ,jesus ,christ1 and him crucified 7#a ,cor4 ii4 #b74 ,after dwelling some time on the death of ,christ1 and its grand design1 he said1 ,my brethren1 ,i am appointed to labour amongst you2 and ,i have now informed you what will be the principal subject of my ministrations4 ,i shall preach ,christ2 and can ,i preach on any subject so important8 ,as you are sinners1 involved in a state of degeneracy1 guilt1 and condemnation1 you need a ,saviour who is able to absolve you from your guilt1 and bring you into a state of reconciliation with ,god1 and save you from the wrath to come4 ,such a ,saviour ,i now proclaim to you2 a ,saviour who is able to save to the uttermost all that come to ,god by him1 seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them4 ,on the merit of his obedience and death you must rely for pardon and eternal life2 and ,i beseech you to renounce at once every other object of dependence1 and come to him1 by faith1 with broken hearts and contrite spirits1 and he will save you4 ,this sermon produced a powerful impression1 particularly the following very simple illustrative argument3--,if a man1 whose tongue is cleaving to the roof of his mouth1 were to put this question to me--,will a draught of pure water quench my thirst8 ,i should very naturally say--,try it4 ,or if a man1 when standing on a wreck1 should ask me--,will your life-boat take me in safety through this fearful storm8 instead of philosophizing on the causes of storms1 or on the art of boat-building1 ,i should say--,jump in1 ,sir1 and try it4 ,and ,i have the same reply to make to you1 who may feel disposed to ask me if coming to ,jesus ,christ to save you will make you happy--,try it4 ,thousands and millions have made the trial1 and found it a successful one2 and now ,i say to each one of you--,try it4 ,this style of bold1 yet simple address1 was as novel amongst the people as it was impressive2 it commanded and secured attention2 and it was evident to all that the preacher was in earnest1 for he spake as one having authority4 ,some were delighted with the sermon1 and said that they had never seen the truth in such a clear light before1 and that they had never before felt it operate so powerfully on their minds2 and after the service was over1 they lingered about the church1 as though they were unwilling to leave the place in which they had been listening1 with so much pleasure1 to the glad tidings of salvation4 ,but there were a few of the more respectable part of the people who were offended1 and who did not hesitate to say1 that if morality was to be excluded from the pulpit1 to admit of the introduction of this evangelical style of preaching1 they should decline attending the church4 ,in the course of the week ,mr4 ,ingleby received a letter from ,mr4 ,porteous1 a county magistrate1 of which ,i afterwards obtained a copy1 and also of his reply4 ,i here introduce them as curiosities3-- ,,reverend ,,sir1--,i was not a little delighted and astonished on ,sunday last2 ,i was delighted with your very eloquent manner of reading our incomparable ,liturgy2 but ,i was astonished by the very unguarded expressions which you made use of in your sermon4 ,you said1 if my memory serves me1 'good works have nothing to do with our salvation--that if we are saved1 it must be by faith in ,christ crucified4' ,now1 if our good works have nothing to do with our salvation1 shall we not abstain from performing them8 ,i need not1 ,i am sure1 to a gentleman of your learning1 point out the dangerous consequences which must result to the interests of morality from such sentiments2 but considering that you have been so much engaged in attending to the repairs of the church1 etc41 ,i can very easily believe1 from your habit of preaching extempore1 that you let fall many expressions which1 on mature consideration1 you will condemn as unequivocally as ,i do4 ,you will excuse the liberty which ,i have taken in offering these remarks1 but as the morals of the people are somewhat under my supervision1 ,i could not remain silent when ,i apprehended danger4 ,assuring you1 ,reverend ,sir1 that ,i have a great esteem for the clergy1 and1 as you are appointed our rector1 ,i shall be happy to see you at my mansion1 and wishing you health and happiness among us--,i am1 ,reverend ,sir1 your obedient servant1 ,j4 ,p4 ,mr4 ,ingleby's reply3-- ,,dear ,,sir1--,i received yours of the #ajth1 and ,i presume that a reply is expected4 ,i did say1 in the course of my sermon1 that good works would never merit the forgiveness of our sins1 nor procure for us a state of final happiness4 ,and ,i did say that we must be saved1 if we are ever saved1 by faith in ,jesus ,christ4 ,i did state1 most expressly1 that the obedience and death of ,jesus ,christ constitute the only meritorious cause of our eternal salvation4 ,and if you read the following passages of ,scripture1 you will perceive that ,i am correct3--',but what things were gain to me1 those ,i counted loss for ,christ4 ,yea doubtless1 and ,i count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of ,christ ,jesus my ,lord3 for whom ,i have suffered the loss of all things1 and do count them but dung1 that ,i may win ,christ1 and be found in him1 not having mine own righteousness1 which is of the law1 but that which is through the faith of ,christ1 the righteousness which is of ,god by faith' 7,phil4 iii4 #g-i74 ',for by grace are ye saved through faith2 and that not of yourselves3 it is the gift of ,god3 not of works1 lest any man should boast4 ,for we are his workmanship1 created in ,christ ,jesus unto good works1 which ,god hath before ordained that we should walk in them' 7,ephesians ii4 #h-aj74 ,and1 further1 if you consult the ,eleventh ,article of our church you will find that ,i advanced no new doctrine3--',we are counted righteous before ,god only for the merit of our ,lord and ,saviour ,jesus ,christ1 by faith1 and not by our own works or deservings3 wherefore1 that we are justified by faith only is a most wholesome doctrine1 and very full of comfort1 as more largely is expressed in the ,homily of ,justification4' ,when these doctrines are preached with simplicity and earnestness among a people who have not been accustomed to hear them1 it is no unusual thing for some to imagine that they will be followed by the most dangerous results2 but if you will only wait to see their practical influence1 you will be convinced that they will incline1 as well as teach men1 to 'deny ungodliness and worldly lusts1 and to live soberly1 righteously1 and godly1 in this present world4' ,assuring you that ,i am not offended by your free communication1 and that ,i shall be happy to avail myself of your very friendly invitation--,i am1 yours truly1 ,j4 ,i4 ,the church1 which in former times had been almost as drear as the mansions of the dead1 was now crowded to excess2 the people flocked to it from all the adjacent parishes1 and many1 who came to scoff1 returned to pray4 ,a visible change soon took place in their habits2 the drunkard became sober1 the ,sabbath-breaker visited the house of prayer1 the village games were exchanged for the hallowed exercises of devotion1 and the moral desert displayed the beauties of holiness4 ,when it was found that these effects were the result of his ministry1 though the spirit of scepticism1 which often lurks under a profession of religion1 could not be conciliated1 yet its open hostility ceased1 and the amiable and zealous rector was allowed to pursue the even tenor of his way1 beloved by the pious1 and respected by the profane4 ,but he was not more attentive to the duties of his office than to the virtues of his private character4 ,what he enforced on others1 he himself practised2 what he inculcated from the pulpit1 he exemplified in his family4 ,there religion unfolded her sweetest charms1 and sent forth an influence which operated with resistless force on every inmate in his house2 and as his wife was endowed with an unusual share of prudence1 she became indeed an help meet for him4 ,she involved him in no pecuniary embarrassments by the extravagance of her habits2 occasioned no discord by the officiousness or bitterness of her temper2 but by managing his temporal affairs with discretion1 left him more at liberty to devote himself to the duties of his sacred avocation4 ,the rector of ,broadhurst was instant in season and out of season1 serving the ,lord1 and his labours were blessed in the conversion of not a few of his parishioners4 ,his earnestness in the work of the ministry1 his evangelical preaching1 and his popularity with the common people1 stirred up the jealousy and opposition of the neighbouring clergy1 who were preachers of morality1 but not of the gospel4 ,some of them even went so far as to denounce him from the pulpit as a fanatical devotee1 who was disturbing the peace of society1 and ought to be expelled from the church4 ,none were more severe in their remarks1 or more determined in their opposition1 than the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,guion1 the rector of ,norton4 ,this clergyman had passed through the ,university of ,oxford with great eclat1 was a most accomplished scholar1 possessed of a very superior understanding1 an admirer of polite literature in all its branches1 and inherited a large fortune which his father bequeathed him2 but when he entered on the discharge of his sacred functions he was an entire stranger to the power of vital religion4 ,his zeal for the church burnt with an ardent1 if not a pure flame1 which led him to look with supercilious contempt on all whom he deemed innovators2 his reverence for the consistency of the clerical character preserved him from the vices and follies in which too many indulge2 and the independent tone of his mind induced him to compose his own discourses1 rather than read those which were composed by others4 ,by the rich he was admired for the elegance of his manners1 by the intelligent for the extent and variety of his knowledge1 and by the poor for his profuse benevolence4 ,on his settlement at ,norton he called on ,mr4 ,ingleby1 but finding that he was 7what the world calls7 a ,methodist1 he declined an intimacy1 and they rarely met1 except on public occasions4 ,mr4 ,ingleby having been appointed to preach a visitation sermon1 ,mr4 ,guion and several other clergymen amused themselves with the prospect of hearing an enthusiastic and unintelligible discourse4 ,he chose his text from ,isaiah lii4 #aa3 ,be ye clean that bear the vessels of the ,lord4 ,after a few introductory remarks1 he said that the ministers of religion ought to be men of piety towards ,god1 and of purity in the sight of men2 and as they are intrusted with the truths of revelation1 they ought to proclaim them with impassioned ardour4 ,having been favoured with a sight of this manuscript sermon1 ,i have taken a few extracts from it3-- ,as1 my brethren1 the ulterior design of our public ministry is to recover sinners from their apostasy from ,god1 into a state of fellowship with him1 ought we not ourselves to live in an habitual contemplation of his excellencies1 and in the exercise of spiritual communion with him8 ,ought we not to rise above the mere forms and ceremonies of devotion1 into that immediate intercourse with the ,holy ,one which the ,scriptures describe by the appropriate phrase of 'walking with ,god8' ,may we not fairly presume that such an hallowed exercise will have a most material influence in inducing within us that pure and ardent spirit of devotion1 without which the duties of our sacred profession will be discharged in a cold1 formal1 and unimpressive manner8 ,and can we expect to shed the lustre of piety around us unless we are imbued with its spirit1 by a constant association with ,him who alone can infuse it into the mind1 and keep it from a state of relaxation and decay8 ,it has been remarked that the copy which the rest of mankind write after should be remarkably correct4 ,hence the exhortation which ,st4 ,paul addressed to ,timothy is strictly applicable to each of us3 ',be thou an example of the believers1 in word1 in conversation1 in charity1 in spirit1 in faith1 in purity' 7#a ,tim4 iv4 #ab74 ,the apology which has sometimes been offered for ministerial irregularity cannot be admitted--',do as we say1 but not as we do2' for is not example more powerful than precept8 ,if the priest be profane1 will not the people abhor the sacrifice8 ,if we addict ourselves to the vices of the age1 can we warn the people against them with any hope of success8 ,if we follow the amusements and diversions of this world1 will they believe that we are in earnest when we exhort them to abstain from the appearance of evil8 ,if we secularize our habits1 enter with spirit into the intrigues of the politician1 and discover a restless ambition to reach the summit of human fame1 will they give us credit for being sincere1 if we exhort them1 as we ought to do1 to set their affections on things above1 and not on things on the earth8 ,in the discharge of your public functions1 ,i would recommend you to press upon the attention of your hearers those truths which belong to the great scheme of redemption1 the lost and helpless state of man1 salvation by the free grace of ,god1 justification and acceptance through the righteousness of ,jesus ,christ1 the necessity of the new birth1 and of the enlightening and purifying operations of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,these doctrines1 which are expressed with so much clearness in the ,articles of our church1 are the essence and glory of that gospel which we are commissioned to preach2 and though they are rejected by many as the corruptions of ,christianity1 yet ,i presume that you will contend for them as the faith which you are to deliver for the conversion of sinners and the edification of saints4 ,if these truths are rejected because they are evangelical1 and the more fashionable doctrine of a sincere though imperfect obedience1 combined with a submission to a prescribed formula of religion1 which leaves the heart unrenewed1 be substituted in their room1 we may gain the applause of those who trust in themselves that they are righteous1 but we shall be guilty of an awful departure from the spirit and the design of our commission1 and justly incur the displeasure of ,jesus ,christ4 ,to conclude3 the hour is rapidly approaching when we1 who are appointed as the stewards of the mysteries of the kingdom1 shall be summoned into the presence of our invisible ,lord1 to give an account of our stewardship1 when the motives which induced us to take upon ourselves the priest's office and which induced us to retain it1 the manner in which we have spent our time1 employed our influence and our wealth1 and conducted the public solemnities of religion1 will undergo a close and a severe investigation2 and if we1 the ministers of the sanctuary1 should1 when weighed in the balance1 be found wanting1 how awful will be our doom6 ,ezek4 xxiii4 #g1 #h4 ,happy1 thrice happy that minister who1 amidst all his infirmities1 will be able to give up his account with joy2 but woe1 woe1 woe to us if we be found unfaithful6 ,this sermon produced a very considerable effect on the audience1 but no one was more deeply affected by it than ,mr4 ,guion4 ,he listened with profound attention1 and though he mustered all his prejudices against the preacher1 and endeavoured to avoid the force of his solemn appeals1 yet he was not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake4 ,after the service was concluded he retired to meditate on what he had heard1 but his mind was too deeply wounded to admit of calm meditation4 ,his personal guilt1 his danger1 his ministerial infidelity1 his dishonoured ,lord1 the future judgment passed in review before his mind1 greatly agitating his feelings2 and being unconscious of the immediate cause and design of this extraordinary mental excitement1 he knew not where to obtain relief4 ,as the ,sabbath approached he attempted1 as usual1 to compose a sermon1 but after poring over the text on which he had fixed1 he abandoned it1 because he could not understand it4 ,he then selected another1 then another1 then another1 till1 in despair1 he resolved that he would not make a fresh effort till his mind was more composed4 ,i'll preach1 said he1 an old sermon1 but he could not find one that he could preach4 ,at length he took a volume of sermons from off one of the shelves of his library1 and seeing one on these words1 ,turn you to the stronghold1 ye prisoners of hope3 even to-day do ,i declare that ,i will render double unto thee 7,zech4 ix4 #ab71 he transcribed it4 ,the following paragraph1 when he read it from the pulpit1 darted a ray of light across his mind1 but he was not then able to discover the truth which it so beautifully exhibits3 ,you who are lying in the prison of an unconverted state1 come hither to this sanctuary1 whose gates stand open to receive you4 ',it is a faithful saying1 and worthy of all acceptation1 that ,christ ,jesus came into the world to save sinners4' ,he hath shed that blood which 'cleanseth from all sin1' and hath sealed that gracious and well-ordered covenant which offers pardon and eternal life to every penitent believing sinner4 ,and now all things are ready for your reception2 the ,father is ready to embrace you1 ,christ is ready to wash you in his blood1 the ,spirit is ready to heal your diseased natures1 angels are ready to rejoice at your return1 and we1 as the servants of this ,king of ,zion1 are ready to welcome you into this family of ,god1 and do now exhort you1 and pray you1 in ,christ's stead1 'to flee for refuge1 to lay hold on the hope set before you4' ,on the next ,tuesday he rode over to ,broadhurst1 and heard ,mr4 ,ingleby preach his evening lecture1 but contrived to return without being seen4 ,he now felt conscious that ,mr4 ,ingleby was qualified to become his religious instructor1 and therefore resolved to open a correspondence with him1 which he did by writing to him as follows3-- ,,rev4 ,,and ,,dear ,,sir1--,the sermon which ,i had the honour of hearing you deliver at your visitation1 has made such a deep impression on my mind1 that ,i have been uneasy ever since4 ,it has stripped me of all my imaginary excellence1 destroyed the foundation on which ,i was building my hope of future happiness1 convinced me of my personal guilt and degeneracy1 rendered me unfit to discharge the functions of my sacred office1 and thrown my feelings into such a perturbed state1 that ,i know not how to calm them1 nor how to bear up under them4 ,as you have been the means of inflicting the wound1 probably you can administer some consolation2 and1 if you will permit me1 ,i will ride over and avail myself of the honour and felicity of an interview4 ,a reply by the bearer will greatly oblige1 yours truly1 ,,oliver ,,guion4 ,the interview took place as proposed1 and from that hour to the present1 these two laborious ministers of ,jesus ,christ have lived in the uninterrupted enjoyment of ,christian fellowship1 animating each other in their sacred work1 and1 by uniting their influence1 have succeeded in diffusing the leaven of truth through the greater part of their extensive parishes4 ,a ,,visit ,,to ,,the ,,rectory4 ,we reached the rectory early in the afternoon1 and found the venerable rector waiting our arrival4 ,there was1 in the manner and style of our reception1 a fine blending of dignity with kind and benevolent feeling4 ,in his person he was tall and slender1 about sixty years of age2 his silver locks fell in curls on his shoulders2 in his countenance there was a marked expression of benignity2 and his whole appearance was in keeping with his sacred profession4 ,mrs4 ,ingleby was equally free and easy in her manners1 but she was rather reserved2 yet it was the reserve of constitutional timidity--hauteur was alien to her nature4 ,after tarrying awhile1 examining his cabinet of natural curiosities1 selected and arranged with taste and judgment1 we adjourned to the moss-house at the bottom of the garden1 which he had1 with his own hand1 constructed and adorned4 ,it stood on an eminence1 which commanded a varied and extensive view1 while the trees and shrubs which grew around screened us from the observation of others4 ,the sun1 which had been pouring down his scorching beams during the greater part of the day1 was now gradually descending the western horizon1 gilding the heavens and the earth with his rays4 ,the birds were warbling their evening songs of praise to the ,author of their being2 the bees were pressing into their hives with the collected stores of the day2 the plaintive voice of the turtle-dove fell softly on our ear1 which1 intermingling with the occasional cawing of the rooks1 returning to their young with the fruits of their toil1 gave to the evening a charm which the crowded haunts of fashionable life never possessed4 ,as we sat1 enjoying the interchange of sacred thought and feeling1 almost forgetting that we were inhabitants of a world which had fallen from an original state of purity and bliss1 ,i observed an interesting-looking stranger advancing towards us2 and was informed that it was the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,guion1 of whom ,i had previously heard4 ,mr4 ,guion apologized for not being punctual1 and informed us that the fall of his horse was the cause of it4 ,he was welcomed by the whole party1 and congratulated on his having sustained no injury4 ,mrs4 ,ingleby1 of course1 presided at the tea-table2 she was elegantly polite1 yet so affable that we felt at perfect ease2 and every one appeared to enjoy the desultory chit-chat1 which was kept up with great spirit4 ,at length1 when the tea-drinking ceremony was over1 conversation commenced1 according to our uniform custom1 and1 to the astonishment of all1 ,mrs4 ,ingleby led off2 yet ,i think it was more by accident than design4 ,strange events happen in the history of life2 but ,i have been thinking1 while attending to the ceremonies of the table1 that if an old prophet of ,israel had been with us when we took our first cup of tea in this moss-house1 and if he had predicted that we should live to see the present company with us1 ,i should have doubted it4 ,our presence1 ,madam1 said ,mr4 ,stevens1 may be attributed to the moral power of the ,christian ministry2 that ministry being the instrument in the hands of the ,spirit of ,god1 by which he effects moral wonders4 ,i had no idea1 said ,mr4 ,guion1 when ,i was going to hear the visitation sermon at ,salisbury1 that ,i should come into contact with any other power than the rhapsodies of evangelical enthusiasm4 ,several of us were highly amused in anticipation of witnessing some strange outbursts of fanatical sentiment and feeling1 uttered in some grotesque terms of enunciation4 ,but my venerable friend had not proceeded far in his discourse before ,i felt compelled to listen with profound attention2 what he said was new to me1 it went to my heart2 ,i was not able1 nor yet inclined1 to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake4 ,and pray1 ,sir1 said ,mr4 ,lewellin1 what was the direct effect which the sermon produced8 ,the effect1 at the time1 was an undefinable effect4 ,i recollect1 when ,i left the church1 and ,i contrived to leave it without intermixing with any of my brother clergymen1 ,i retired to meditate on what ,i had heard1 but my mind was too deeply agitated to admit of calm meditation4 ,my personal guilt1 my spiritual danger1 my ministerial unfaithfulness to my dishonoured ,lord1 and the future judgment1 alternately convulsed my feelings2 and being unconscious at the time of the immediate cause or ultimate design of this extraordinary mental excitement1 ,i knew not what to do to regain my accustomed composure4 ,i could neither read nor pray4 ,i wandered hour after hour to and fro1 in a lonely glen2 ,i was in a fearful tumult of anxiety and agony of spirit4 ,the gospel1 said ,mr4 ,ingleby1 is designated the power of ,god to salvation1 and when it comes to the soul dead in trespasses and sins1 in the demonstrative power of the ,spirit1 its great power is felt2 felt to be subduing1 at times agonizing1 and always renovating4 ,the issue is certain and glorious1 its operations are the necessary preparations for eternal salvation4 ,i believe1 said ,mr4 ,lewellin1 you have not many evangelical clergymen in these parts4 ,not many1 ,sir2 the generality of our clergy are very excellent men1 who mean well1 but they are not spiritually enlightened men2 and1 unhappily for themselves and others1 this is their great fault1 they put a ,papal construction on the import and design of our sacraments1 and virtually repudiate the articles to which they have given a solemn assent and consent4 ,my nearest brother clergyman is ,mr4 ,cole1 the rector of ,aston2 he is decidedly and avowedly anti-evangelical2 he denounces us as a living curse to our church1 and a disgrace to our order2 but he is a gay man of the world1 will shuffle the cards1 dance at a ball1 and visit a theatre1 without any sense of impropriety2 he rather glories in his shame4 ,their dependence for success in their official labours1 said ,mr4 ,lewellin1 is on the efficacy of the sacraments1 and they may be regarded as magicians of a new order1 operating on their deluded devotees by a sort of spiritual legerdemain2 contrasts to the faithful in ,christ ,jesus1 who execute the ministry which they receive of the ,lord ,jesus under the sanction and power of the ,holy ,ghost2 and contrasts as great as between demons and angels of ,god4 ,the ,christian ministry1 said ,mr4 ,ingleby1 is a life-giving ministry1 and a ministry of great moral power1 when it is faithfully executed4 ,it is an institution peculiar to ,christianity1 and admirably adapted to advance the improvement and happiness of society4 ,paganism wraps up the mysteries of her pretended revelations in the folds of an hieroglyphical device1 ,mahometanism discourages the people from prying into her origin1 and ,popery confines the light of revelation within the archives of her temple2 but ,christianity presents the ,sacred ,volume to the poor as well as to the rich2 to the ignorant as well as to the learned2 and by appointing men to explain and enforce the truth1 secures the attention of the multitude1 who find that it still pleases ,god1 by the foolishness of preaching1 to save them that believe4 ,yes1 ,sir1 replied ,mr4 ,guion1 but if the ministry throw into the shade the peculiar doctrines of the gospel1 it ought not to be called a ,christian ministry4 ,i preached for the space of four years1 and thought ,i preached well4 ,i took great pains with the composition of my sermons1 but ,i did not preach the doctrine of salvation by grace through faith4 ,the few who attended my ministry were pleased1 but none were converted2 and ,i never heard any of them make the subject of my sermon the topic of conversation1 except when ,i indulged myself in a satirical attack on the fanatics in the church and the fanatics out of it4 ,i presume1 said ,mr4 ,stevens1 that you had no conception1 when you were satirizing the fanatics1 as you termed them1 that you were satirizing those who contend earnestly for the faith4 ,o no1 ,sir6 ,i was ignorant of their sentiments1 and my prejudices kept me ignorant4 ,i would not read any of their productions4 ,i often said that they ought to be driven out of the ,establishment1 because ,i thought they were secretly undermining its foundation1 and1 if allowed to grow into a formidable body1 might endanger its existence4 ,did you wish to crush them8 said ,mr4 ,lewellin4 ,o no2 ,i would have tolerated them as we tolerate the ,dissenters1 but ,i would not allow them to disturb the harmony of the church4 ,did you ever think1 ,sir1 of the awful responsibility in which your profession involved you8 ,yes1 ,sir2 but as ,i lived a virtuous life1 when ,i did occasionally advert to the day of final decision1 ,i thought ,i should have a crown of glory awarded me4 ,o6 how ,i was deluded2 but the delusion has passed away2 and though ,i now see defects where ,i could not discern them before1 and feel that ,i am not worthy to unloose the latchet of my ,master's shoes1 yet ,i hope1 through his free and sovereign grace1 that ,i shall be saved4 ,did your clerical brethren1 ,mr4 ,stevens inquired1 express any astonishment or displeasure at the change which took place in your religious opinions8 ,yes1 ,sir1 one1 a very amiable and learned man1 with whom ,i had been carrying on a literary correspondence1 wrote me a long and rather severe letter4 ,he said that he was astonished that a person of my distinguished reputation should condescend to take up the crude and unphilosophical notions of the modern fanatics4 ,pause1 ,sir1 said he1 and think of the fatal step you are taking--a step which1 if actually taken1 will tarnish the lustre of your character1 blast for ever all hope of your preferment1 and doom you to associate through life with those whom to shun is a virtue1 and esteem a vice4 ,i replied to his letter1 stated the doctrines which ,i believed1 and the reasons why ,i believed them1 and assured him that he was labouring under a powerful misconception1 from which ,i was happily delivered2 and concluded by saying1 that if it were vile in the estimation of my friends to revere and love such men as ,newton1 ,cecil1 ,venn1 and ,ingleby1 ,i was resolved to become viler still4 ,this closed our correspondence4 ,mr4 ,guion1 who was naturally very facetious1 amused us with a drollish story about two ladies1 on whom he had called in the course of his pastoral visits4 ,these were two maiden sisters1 who had resided together for rather more than half a century1 and possessing an independent fortune1 were persons of considerable consequence in the parish4 ,they were now too far advanced in life to take the lead in fashion1 but they did not lag far behind2 and though their opinions on some subjects were regarded as rather antiquated by their juvenile friends1 yet they were usually treated with very great respect4 ,they were considered as very religious1 particularly so2 and were very devout1 when seen at their devotions4 ,the preparation week was to them a week of very great importance1 and very toilsome mental labour2 and it is rather remarkable1 that neither of them had been detained from the sacrament for the space of thirty years1 except when they had company4 ,at the time of ,mr4 ,guion's visit1 the eldest1 ,miss ,susan1 was sitting in the breakfast parlour1 reading4 ,mr4 ,guion4--,good morning1 ,madam1 ,i hope you are well4 ,miss ,susan4--,indeed1 ,sir1 ,i am not4 ,i have not been well since you began to preach the new doctrines of the new birth and faith1 and salvation by grace1 which ,mr4 ,ingleby taught you4 ,i wish he had been on a visit to ,jericho1 instead of being appointed to preach that visitation sermon4 ,indeed1 ,sir1 ,i don't like your preaching against cards2 for1 ,sir1 ,i never play for money2 and beside1 all the money ,i ever win ,i give to the poor4 ,you have driven me and my sister from the church1 ,sir1 and if we are lost1 you will have to answer for it4 ,and beside1 ,sir1 ,i never will believe that ,god will damn any body4 ,we were all living1 ,sir1 as peaceably as a nestling of birds1 till you began your present style of preaching1 but now every body has something to say about religion4 ,i am sorry to say that religion is getting quite into disrepute1 now the common people are becoming religious4 ,miss ,susan had not finished the last sentence1 before ,miss ,dorothy entered4 ,she was more polite1 but there lurked under her politeness a malignancy of disposition which her sister did not discover1 amidst all her flippant invectives4 ,miss ,dorothy4--,well1 ,sir1 ,i did not expect that you would have done us the honour of a call4 ,mr4 ,guion4--,i wish1 ,madam1 to pay respect to all my parishioners4 ,miss ,dorothy4--,out of the pulpit1 ,i presume4 ,mr4 ,guion4--,yes1 ,madam1 and in it4 ,miss ,dorothy4--,surely1 ,reverend ,sir1 you are now indulging us with a joke1 and ,i wonder that such a religious clergyman as you are can use such a profane weapon4 ,mr4 ,guion4--,i am not aware1 ,madam1 that ,i ever behaved disrespectfully towards any of my parishioners1 when discharging the public duties of my office4 ,if ,i have1 ,i sincerely regret it1 and you would oblige me if you would let me know in what4 ,illustration3 ,,mr4 ,,guion',s ,,first ,,interview ,,with ,,the ,,misses ,,brownjohn4 ,vol4 i4 page #hb4 ,miss ,dorothy4--,did you not tell us1 ,sir1 on ,trinity ,sunday1 that publicans and harlots were more likely to enter the kingdom of heaven than your more righteous hearers8 ,and did you not tell us that we must implore mercy1 in terms equally humiliating8 ,what was this1 ,sir1 but proclaiming the jubilee of vice and the armistice of virtue8 ,mr4 ,guion4--,i merely quoted the language of ,jesus ,christ1 which he addressed to the chief priests and elders of ,jerusalem1 and as we are all sinners1 ,i am at a loss to conceive how any can implore mercy but in the same phraseology of speech4 ,the language of our church1 you know1 ,madam1 is very1 very appropriate to us all1 ',lord have mercy on us1 miserable sinners4' ,miss ,dorothy4--,no1 ,sir4 ,i am not a miserable sinner4 ,that language is only intended for the depraved part of your audience4 ,miss ,susan4--,miserable sinners6 ,ah6 miserable enough4 ,why1 ,sir1 there is more misery in the parish now1 than there has been for the past forty years1 put it all together4 ,i went into the kitchen the other night1 and ,i saw our cook with the ,bible on the table1 weeping as though she had lost her father4 ,and this1 ,sir1 is all your doings2 and when ,i told her she should not go to church any more to be made miserable1 she began crying again1 and had the impudence to tell me the next morning1 that unless she could have the liberty of going to church on a ,sunday1 that ,i must provide myself with another servant4 ,so you see1 ,sir1 what misery you are propagating among us4 ,mr4 ,guion4--,all pure religion commences in repentance towards ,god1 and can there be repentance without sorrow8 ,and if tears1 the signs of sorrow1 should be shed1 ought this to excite astonishment8 ,and you will permit me to say1 that prohibiting your servant from attending church on the ,sabbath is neither kind nor equitable4 ,the ,scriptures tell us of some who will not enter the kingdom of heaven themselves1 nor suffer them that are entering to go in4 ,miss ,dorothy4--,i see your reference1 but feel not its force4 ,and as we differ so materially in our religious opinions1 ,i think we had better decline any farther intercourse4 ,you may go1 ,reverend ,sir1 and comfort the miserable1 who are crying for mercy1 because they need it1 but you will allow us and our friends to enjoy that mental complacency which arises from a full conviction that we discharge our duties to our ,god and to our neighbour1 and this we take as a bright omen of our future destiny4 ,we have no desire to be initiated into the mysteries of your faith1 but we do justly1 love mercy1 and walk humbly with our ,god4 ,mr4 ,guion4--,if we cannot agree on the speculative points of religion1 probably we may on its relative duties4 ,and now1 ladies1 you will allow me to state the ulterior design of my visit4 ,john ,brown1 a very worthy man1 who is in the employ of ,mr4 ,rider1 fell two months since from the top of a barley-mow1 and broke a leg4 ,he is still confined to his bed4 ,he has five children1 and his wife is on the eve of being again confined4 ,this severe affliction has reduced the whole family to a state of extreme distress1 and ,i am anxious to procure a little assistance for them4 ,miss ,dorothy4--,they should apply to the parish4 ,we pay our rates1 and that1 you know1 ,sir1 is giving to the poor4 ,mr4 ,guion4--,a gift is a voluntary donation1 but paying the parish rate is no gift1 it is a legal compulsion4 ,and besides1 this poor man has always avoided an application to the parish1 and ,i think it is not only our duty1 but our interest1 to encourage the poor to depend on their own resources1 and the occasional assistance of their richer neighbours1 rather than force them1 by neglect1 to have resource to the parish rate4 ,there is a high spirit of independence in the mind of a poor1 honest1 industrious man1 which keeps him from making any application to the overseers2 but when that spirit of independence is broken down by the iron hand of want1 and he is compelled to solicit parish relief to save himself from starvation1 the repugnance is no longer felt1 and then1 by withholding a little temporary assistance in time of need1 we injure the tone of his moral feelings1 and create a family of paupers1 who may hang on the parish rate all their life4 ,miss ,dorothy4--,if1 ,sir1 you always reasoned in the pulpit with1 as much correctness as you now reason out of it1 your more respectable parishioners would not turn their backs on you4 ,i will think of the case of this poor man1 and if1 after having made due inquiry1 we think it a meritorious case1 perhaps we may send something4 ,mr4 ,guion4--,on the accuracy of my reasoning when in the pulpit it would be improper in me to express an opinion1 but you will allow me to say that it is only a very small portion of the respectable part of my parishioners who have turned their back on me4 ,the generality attend the church more regularly1 if not more devoutly1 than before ,i commenced my present style of preaching4 ,and who are those who have recently deserted the church8 ,not those who are separated from the spirit and the customs of this world1 but those who are lovers of pleasure more than lovers of ,god1 who feel a higher gratification in reading plays and novels than in reading the ,sacred ,scriptures1 in whose families no altar of devotion is erected1 and who are more disposed to ridicule pure religion when it is infused into a living character1 than to admire its excellence or imitate its example4 ,if ,i preach contrary to the ,scriptures1 or to the ,articles of our church1 it will be an easy thing to detect me2 but if my preaching accord with them1 to contemn it will be an aggravation of guilt1 and to desert it will be judging ourselves unworthy of eternal life4 ,miss ,susan4--,every tub must stand on its own bottom4 ,you go to heaven your way1 and we will go ours4 ,miss ,dorothy4--,yes4 ,we are commanded not to be righteous over-much4 ,the ,deity is pleased when he sees his rational creatures happy1 and he does not require us to forego the innocent diversions which improved society has instituted for its own gratification4 ,however1 it is not my wish to prolong a debate which is mutually unpleasant4 ,do these ladies1 inquired ,mrs4 ,stevens1 ever come now to hear you preach8 ,no1 ,madam1 ,miss ,dorothy bears what she calls her expulsion from church in a genuine pharisaical hauteur of spirit2 and is sullenly silent about the cause of it4 ,but ,miss ,susan is bitterly vituperative4 ,she often says ,i shall have to account to the ,almighty for driving her from the church where she was christened1 and confirmed1 and taken the sacrament ever since1 and where she hoped to be buried with her ancestors2 but she declares ,i shall never bury her4 ,do you ever see them now1 ,sir8 ,we occasionally meet1 when we go through the formal ceremonial of a polite recognition4 ,they do not object to a bow from their rector1 though they object to his sermons4 ,have they any pernicious influence over others to keep them from church8 ,yes1 ,madam1 over a few of the frivolous and the gay1 who now attend ,mr4 ,cole's church1 when they go anywhere4 ,and there these two ladies go on sacrament ,sunday--wind and weather permitting4 ,we often1 said ,mr4 ,ingleby1 see the depraved and dissolute repenting1 and seeking salvation through faith in ,jesus ,christ1 but we rarely know a genuine ,pharisee converted2 they are too good in their own estimation to need a ,saviour4 ,they will bow at the mention of his name1 but they will not look to him to save them2 and primarily1 because they are under no apprehension of ever being lost4 ,we were startled1 while gravely listening to this tale of the two spinster ladies1 by the sudden tolling of the church bell4 ,mr4 ,ingleby left the room to ascertain the cause1 and on his return informed us that1 owing to some mistake1 he had to conduct the service at a funeral1 which he expected would not take place till the following day4 ,pray1 ,sir1 said ,mrs4 ,stevens1 who is to be interred8 ,one of the choicest lambs of my flock4 ,she fell a victim to the inconstancy of a worthless man2 but towards the close of her imbittered life she enjoyed unruffled peace of soul1 and died in full and certain hope of a joyful resurrection to eternal life4 ,he now left us to prepare for the service1 and we resolved to follow him to the grave-yard4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,lamb ,,of ,,the ,,flock ,,borne ,,to ,,her ,,rest4 ,vol4 i4 page #hg4 ,seated by myself upon a tombstone1 ,i sat musing on death and immortality2 on the raptures and the woes of the invisible world2 on the dying and on the dead2 till ,i saw the procession moving slowly up a lane which led to the place of sepulture4 ,the pall was supported by six females dressed in white2 and one walked before the corpse1 carrying a chaplet of flowers4 ,the parents and their surviving children followed2 and a large proportion of the village hung on1 as deeply interested spectators4 ,on entering the church1 the bier was placed in the aisle2 the pall-bearers standing by its sides during the whole of the service4 ,the procession at length moved to the grave1 which was under the shade of a yew tree4 ,every eye appeared suffused with tears2 but when the noise of the earth falling on the coffin was heard1 there was such a simultaneous emotion of grief excited1 that nearly all wept1 except the parents4 ,they stood motionless2 the power of feeling seemed suspended2 a fixed melancholy was impressed on their countenance2 and they walked away1 the victims of despair1 moving from one dreary spot to another not less dreary4 ,as their grief appeared too singular to use any of the common methods which that passion generally adopts to gain relief from its own inflictions1 ,i felt anxious to ascertain the specific cause of its excitement2 and1 on returning to the rectory1 ,i asked ,mr4 ,ingleby to give us the history of the deceased4 ,she was1 he said1 the eldest daughter of an opulent farmer1 who resides about half-a-mile off2 an extremely handsome and accomplished girl2 and1 from the elegance of her manners1 and her intellectual attainments1 she was fitted to move in the most polite circles4 ,but though she stood without a rival in the whole hamlet1 she was either unconscious of her superiority1 or had too much good sense to display it4 ,she would visit the sick1 instruct the children of the poor1 or perform any other work of mercy4 ,in her the passion of selfishness was annihilated1 and she lived to bless others4 ,but she wanted the grace of pure religion to give the finishing polish to her attractive charms3 and had she possessed this at an earlier period of her life1 she might still have been1 what she once was1 the glory of her father's house4 ,about four years ago1 a young gentleman of rank and fortune1 but of dissipated habits1 obtained an introduction to her2 an intimacy was formed1 which soon ripened1 in her unsuspecting breast1 into an ardent attachment4 ,her parents1 who ought to have guarded her against the cruel monster1 did all in their power to encourage his visits2 and on one occasion1 when ,i ventured to suggest that ,i suspected the purity of his intentions1 they were offended4 ,but the veil of deception1 which he had thrown over his professions1 was very unexpectedly rent asunder2 and with a levity and insolence of manner1 which rarely occur in the annals of human treachery1 he tore himself away from her1 leaving her the dupe of her own credulity1 and the victim of her own grief4 ,abandoned by one she loved1 and thrown as an orphan on the world1 even while her parents were still living1 she withdrew from society1 and1 like the stricken deer1 sought a tranquil death in a gloomy shade4 ,her health gradually declined1 and it was thought proper to try if change of air and change of scene would not become the means of restoring it4 ,she went1 with a younger sister1 to ,teignmouth1 to spend the winter2 but on her return we all perceived that she was hastening to the tomb4 ,i called to see her a few days after her return1 and was both astonished and delighted to find that1 during her residence at ,teignmouth1 she had given almost undivided attention to the momentous claims of religion4 ',though1 ,sir1' she said1 ',i have had the privilege of attending your ministry from my early childhood1 and have had my mind1 at various times1 most powerfully impressed by the truth1 which ,i have heard you preach1 yet ,i never understood the plan of salvation till recently4 ,i used to admit the importance of religion1 but now ,i feel it2 and though ,i cannot say that ,i have attained to any high degree of eminence in knowledge or enjoyment1 yet light has broken in upon my understanding1 and ,i am permitted to indulge a good hope through grace4 ,how astonishing6 ,i was sent to ,teignmouth for the recovery of my health1 which ,i have not obtained2 but there ,i found the pearl of great price' 7,rom4 xi4 #cc74 ,i asked her if anything of a particular nature occurred while she was at ,teignmouth1 to force on her attention the great question relating to her personal salvation8 when she gave me the following statement3-- ',when out for a walk one evening1 ,i ran into a roadside cottage1 for shelter against a very heavy shower of rain4 ,i there saw a young person1 about my own age1 dying of a decline2 and in a short time her physician came1 who is a very godly man1 and ,i overheard part of their conversation4 ,i heard her say1 ,i am not now afraid of dying or of death4 ,i know by the loss of this frail life ,i shall gain immortal life in heaven--a life of happiness1 where there will be no sin1 or sorrow1 or pain1 or poverty1 or death4' ',i called1' she added1 'the next day1 with a few jellies and oranges1 but ,i found the cottage in a state of great confusion and sorrow1 for she died just before ,i entered it4 ,on the following ,sabbath her funeral sermon was preached at the ,dissenting chapel1 and ,i heard it4 ,the text made a deep impression on my heart1 as ,i thought it applicable to myself--,her sun went down while it was yet day4 ,from that hour ,i gave an undiverted attention to the apostolic injunction--,work out your salvation with fear and trembling2 and ,i trust1 ,sir1 ,i can now say ,i do believe in the ,son of ,god1 and hope ,he will save me4 ,i may live to outlive my affliction1 and the poignant sufferings which have been the cause of it2 but it is very doubtful4 ,what a mercy that ,i am now prepared for death and its issue4' ,she grew better as the spring advanced2 the influence of religious principle moderated the violence of her mental anguish2 her spirits regained their natural vivacity2 she resumed her customary habits of going about doing good1 and again mingled amongst the living2 but now her preference was to the excellent of the earth1 who love and fear ,god4 ,so great was the change in her appearance1 that we all flattered ourselves that the fatal disease had received a check1 and that she would yet live to bless us with her presence and her example4 ,but the disorder1 which we thought subdued1 was silently spreading itself through her whole frame2 and having taken a fresh cold1 it attacked her with greater violence1 and within the space of three weeks she was taken from us4 ,at my last interview with her1 which was only a few hours before her decease1 she said1 ',i am not now afraid to die4 ,the subject has long been familiar to me4 ,it is divested of all its terrors4 ,i know that my ,redeemer liveth4 ,i enjoy ,his presence this side the ,jordan1 and doubt not but the waters will divide when ,he calls me to pass through4' ,on seeing her mother weep1 and her father retiring in sorrow from the 'post of observation1' she said with great composure1 ',my dear parents1 weep not for me4 ,i shall soon1 very soon be released from all my pain1 and see ,him1 whom having not seen1 ,i love2 in whom1 though ,i see ,him not1 yet believing1 ,i rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory4 ,i leave you in this vale of sorrow1 to ascend the mount of bliss2 and ,i hope you will follow me4 ,and ,o6 that he who has been the guilty cause of my early death1 may obtain mercy in that day when we must stand together before the judgment-seat4' ,she spoke but little after this1 and at seven o'clock the same evening she said1 ',lord ,jesus1 receive my spirit1' smiled1 and expired4 ,since her death her parents1 who are virtuous1 but not pious1 have been inconsolable2 they reproach themselves in the bitterest terms for the inducements which they threw in the way of the murderer of their daughter and the destroyer of their happiness2 and though they have no doubt of her present felicity1 yet1 being ignorant of the nature of that felicity1 and having no animating prospect of attaining it themselves1 they sorrow as others who have no hope4 ,i have visited them several times since the dear deceased left us2 but grief has taken such an entire possession of their mind1 that the words of consolation seem to aggravate its violence1 and ,i fear1 unless mercy interpose to prevent it1 that the grave will soon be opened to receive them4 ,nothing1 said ,mr4 ,stevens1 gives such buoyancy to the mind1 in the season of affliction1 as communion with ,god4 ,this holy exercise induces resignation1 as well as submission to ,his will2 raises up the soul above the conflicting elements of sorrow1 into the tranquil regions of peace2 and1 by associating it with the unseen1 yet not unfelt realities of the eternal world1 makes it unwilling to look for permanent and substantial happiness amidst the fleeting possessions of earth4 ,i was present1 said ,mrs4 ,stevens1 when my dear sister1 ,mrs4 ,lewellin1 lost her ,eliza4 ,she wept as she followed her remains to the tomb2 but she did not repine4 ,she said to me1 after the rites of sepulture were performed1 as we sat together in the room in which the dear girl expired1 ',if it had been the will of the ,lord to have spared my child1 ,i would have received her back with grateful joy2 but as ,he has taken her to ,himself1 ,i can bow and say1 ',i welcome all thy sov'reign will1 ,for all that will is love2 ,and when ,i know not what thou dost1 ,i'll wait the light above4' ,religion1 said ,mr4 ,ingleby1 has a fine effect on the soul in the day of prosperity2 but its excellency is most visible in the season of adversity2 then it shines with peculiar radiance1 demonstrating its superhuman origin1 by the omnipotence of its power in moderating the intensity of grief1 and inspiring the soul with a hope full of immortality4 ,,saturday ,,evening ,,at ,,fairmount4 ,it was on a fine summer evening1 when taking a solitary ramble1 that ,i seated myself on the stump of an old elm tree1 gazing on the splendour of the heavens and the beauties of the earth2 thinking of the mysterious period when there was no sun1 or moon1 or stars2 when there was no material universe or created beings2 that ,i unconsciously fell into the following train of reflection4 ,here ,i am2 but how came ,i here8 ,am ,i the child of chance1 or the offspring of a wise and beneficent ,creator8 ,when ,i see a machine1 ,i feel conscious that it was constructed by an artist2 and can ,i suppose that the more curious mechanism of my body was formed by chance8 ,was it chance that placed my eye in the only proper position in the body to guide the motion of my hands and my feet2 that stationed around it so many guards to keep it from injury2 that has given it a mysterious power to travel over a wide and extended surface without fatigue2 and to receive the exact form and colour of external objects on the dark canvas spread out behind the lens1 without intermixture or confusion8 ,was it chance that constructed my ear for the nice discrimination of sounds2 that let fall the ray of intelligence on my understanding2 and gave to my fancy its capabilities to adorn the conceptions of my mind with the drapery of a beauteous imagery8 ,and was it chance that gave to my tongue the sense of taste and the gift of speech8 ,impossible6 ,i trace contrivance in all these astonishing arrangements and endowments1 which demonstrates the existence of a ,god who made me4 ,was it chance that placed the sun in the centre of the planetary system2 that impressed laws on those unconscious bodies which revolve around it1 which keep them from deviating from their mysterious course2 that set bounds to the sea1 which it cannot pass2 that gave to the air ,i breathe a salubrious and elastic quality2 and enriched the earth with a prolific power8 ,impossible6 ,in all these mighty works ,i trace the operations of intelligence and design4 ,the heavens declare the glory of ,god2 and the firmament sheweth his handywork4 ,all nature is full of ,god4 ,he shines in the brightness of the sun1 ----,refreshes in the breeze1 ,glows in the stars1 and blossoms in the trees4 ,and does not the visible creation display the goodness of ,god8 ,pain is not the object of contrivance1 which would have been the case had the ,creator been a malevolent being4 ,the eye is formed for the purpose of vision1 not to be injured by the atom floating in the air2 the ear for hearing1 not for aching2 the hand and the foot to be active and useful1 not to be lacerated by instruments of torture4 ,the sun was now creeping gently down the western horizon2 the sky was clear and bright1 as on the eve of the first day of the creation2 no sounds broke in upon my calm serenity1 except the lowing of the cattle and the bleating of the sheep penned in a neighbouring fold2 and1 just as ,i was rising to a more glorious theme of contemplation1 my attention was arrested by the appearance of a gentleman1 who was walking along the bank of a river1 gliding through the vale beneath me4 ,his manner was singular4 ,now he advanced with hurried steps the distance of fifty yards1 then suddenly stopped1 looked round him1 advanced again1 again stopped1 stood motionless1 then approached the brink of the river1 receded1 walked up to the edge again1 paused1 appeared wrapped in deep and solemn thought1 retraced his steps1 abruptly stopped1 fixed his cane in the ground1 threw down his gloves1 took off his hat1 advanced1 and fell4 ,during the whole of these apparently mysterious movements1 my sympathies were excited1 and ,i was making every necessary preparation to save a soul from death4 ,my feelings were too violently agitated to allow of cool reflection2 but ,i could not refrain from paying the tributary sigh to that unknown cause of woe which appeared to be hurrying an intelligent and accountable being out of a world on which ,i had been gazing with so much delight1 and sending him1 stained with the blood of his own life1 into another and a changeless economy of existence4 ,as soon as ,i saw him fall1 ,i rushed forward2 and1 as the river was not more than a few hundred yards distant from me1 ,i felt conscious that ,i should be able to reach him in time to save his life2 but just as ,i was going to leap over the stile that stood midway between us1 ,i saw him raising himself on his knees4 ,i drew back1 and looking through the hedge1 ,i perceived that he had not fallen into the river1 but among the high rushes that grew on its brink1 and that he was not meditating the destruction of his own life1 but the rescue of a little lamb1 that had accidentally slipped into the stream4 ,the transition of my mind from one of the most awful subjects of contemplation1 to a touching incident of human benevolence1 was not less gratifying to my feelings than the sudden hushing of the midnight tempest is to the mariner1 who1 having lost his compass1 can steer his vessel only by the light of the polar star4 ,curiosity impelled me to watch the movements of this stranger1 and ,i beheld him cautiously removing the weeds which were entwined around the exhausted lamb1 and then carrying it to its dam1 which1 ,i imagined from her bleating1 instinctively knew the danger from which her offspring had been delivered4 ,this sight brought to my recollection the language of the prophet1 who represents the ,redeemer as gathering the lambs with his arms1 and carrying them in his bosom4 ,on perceiving the stranger advancing towards the stile which ,i intended to cross1 ,i again seated myself on my former post of observation1 and soon had the gratification of seeing him saunter up the lane4 ,he was a young man1 on whom the ,god of nature had bestowed a fine exterior form2 and who by an action1 which he was not conscious ,i had witnessed1 had strongly prepossessed me in his favour4 ,i arose on his coming near me2 we exchanged the customary bow of polite recognition2 and1 after passing a few cursory remarks on the varied scenery around us1 we moved onwards together1 and were soon engaged in a very interesting and important discussion4 ,i have1 ,sir1 he said1 left the bustling city1 in which ,i have spent the greater part of my life1 to survey for myself those rural beauties and employments which ,i have been accustomed to view through the medium of the press4 ,no fancy1 ,i observed1 can paint the beauties of nature1 in all their varied forms1 and hues1 and rich combinations4 ,the landscape pleases when on the canvas2 but there is no life1 no motion1 no sound1 all which are necessary to make the representation really correct4 ,true1 ,sir1 but we are much indebted to the pencil for introducing rural scenes and scenery into our crowded cities1 by which we are told1 through the medium of the eye1 that there are living beauties in nature which we may see4 ,this is my first visit to the country4 ,i have been wandering about for several weeks1 travelling from village to village1 and penetrating into woods and forests2 trying to make myself familiar with the manners and habits1 the sentiments and feelings1 of the various orders of rustic life4 ,i have conversed with the opulent and indigent farmer2 with the man who holds the plough1 and the man who drives the team2 with the shepherd and the woodman2 ,i have looked into their houses and their huts1 and have investigated their plans of domestic economy2 and ,i think ,i shall now return home with a more correct opinion of the actual state of things that ,i once entertained4 ,the beauties of nature are more beautiful than ,i anticipated2 but ,i have searched in vain for that rural simplicity1 and innocence1 and joy1 which ancient and modern poets have described in such glowing colours4 ,for simplicity1 ,i have found rudeness2 for innocence1 low cunning2 for contentment1 murmuring dissatisfaction2 for sportive playfulness1 almost universal lamentation4 ,to quote the language of a poet who first introduced scepticism into my unsuspecting breast3-- ',i grant1 indeed1 that fields and flocks have charms ,for him that grazes1 or for him that farms3 ,but1 when amid such pleasing scenes1 ,i trace ,the poor1 laborious natives of the place1 ,and see the mid-day sun1 with fervid ray1 ,on their bare heads and dewy temples play2 ,while some1 with feeble hands1 and fainter hearts1 ,deplore their fortune1 yet sustain their parts-- ,then1 shall ,i dare these real ills to hide1 ,in tinsel trappings of poetic pride8' ,i have often been charmed with the pastoral life of the poets1 but ,i have never found a counterpart to their descriptions4 ,theirshepherdesses are clothed with the verdant beauty of paradisaical innocence1 and their shepherds are men of genius2 the sky beneath which their ewes lamb and their dogs sleep1 knows nothing of the war of elements2 but when ,i visit the actual spots from whence they collect their enchanting imagery1 ,i see the ponderous cloud overhanging the defenceless fold2 and am soon convinced that ',no shepherds now1 in smooth alternate verse1 ,their country's beauty or their nymphs rehearse4' ,the poets have long been practising an illusion on our credulity2 and though1 after the deception is discovered1 we may continue to admire their highly-wrought descriptions1 yet1 the charm of reality having vanished1 we feel dissatisfied4 ,it is to be lamented1 ,i replied1 that poets are not the only writers who try to impose on the credulity of their readers4 ,the reading world1 as it is called1 revolves in a fictitious region2 and hence1 when its inhabitants come forth amidst the scenes of real life1 they are apt to think1 and feel1 and talk1 and act1 like beings descended from an aerial planet4 ,your observation1 ,sir1 is perfectly correct2 but1 in my opinion1 no writers are so deserving of severe censure as religious writers4 ,they represent as fact1 what we know is fable2 as real1 what our intuitive sense teaches us is imaginary2 and1 by a dexterity which belongs exclusively to their order they try to beguile us of our innocent recreations1 which they denounce as impure and pernicious1 and enforce on us exercises at which our generous nature recoils2 and have the effrontery to tell us1 that if we wish for happiness we must seek for it in religion4 ,that there has been deception practised by some religious writers no one can deny2 but ,i cannot subscribe to every part of your sweeping charge4 ,for if your remarks are to be admitted in their fullest extent of application1 they would go to the entire banishment of all religion from society1 which would be a fearful calamity--the experience of all ages and countries proves that no social fabric can be held in order and in harmony1 unless its various parts are compressed together by the force of religious opinions and sanctions4 ,not1 ,sir1 to the banishment of the religion of nature1 which is simple and pure1 but to the banishment of the religion of revelation1 which is mystical and corrupt4 ,and pray1 my dear ,sir1 what is this religion of nature1 which you say is so simple and pure8 ,it is something of which ,i have heard1 but ,i never saw its form or heard its voice4 ,why1 ,sir1 it is that view of the perfections of the ,deity which we discover in ,his visible works1 and the consequent impressions which they make on our minds4 ,how vast the power which has sprung yon azure arch over our revolving globe6 ,what wisdom is displayed in the adaptation of every part of the creation to accomplish some obvious design6 ,and it is evident1 from the subservience of all things to the comfort and happiness of living beings1 that goodness is an essential attribute of the ,deity4 ,it is in this vast temple1 where he unveils his glory1 that ,i offer up my orisons and my incense2 and not on altars built by human hands1 or within temples consecrated by priestly incantations4 ,i agree with you1 that power1 and wisdom1 and goodness1 are displayed in the works of ,god1 and that we may worship him either in the glen or on the mountain top1 beside the running stream or within the recesses of pathless woods2 but1 as we are sinners1 can we indulge any hope of mercy1 unless he condescend to promise us forgiveness8 ,and tell me from what part of the visible creation has the sound of mercy ever proceeded8 ,why1 ,sir1 we may presume that ,he who has made provision for all our temporal wants1 has made provision also for our moral ones4 ,we know1 ,sir1 that the supreme magistrate feeds and clothes the state prisoner1 but are we to presume1 from this circumstance1 that he will also remit his sentence of condemnation8 ,this question produced a momentary embarrassment2 but1 after a short pause1 he said1 ,i grant that a promise of mercy would be a more substantial basis for hope than a mere presumption resting on analogical reasoning4 ,i thank you for this frank admission2 and ,i think if you will investigate the subject1 free from prejudice1 you will find that the promise has been given4 ,i know that the writers of your ,scriptures have incorporated the promise of forgiveness in their scheme of religion2 but ,i can never bring my mind to believe that they were authorized to do so by the ,deity4 ,i never can believe in the truth of ,christianity4 ,it is impossible4 ,but1 ,sir1 you will admit that it may be true1 though you do not believe it8 ,why1 yes2 my scepticism does not prove it false1 any more than your faith proves it true4 ,now1 let me suppose for a moment that it is true--in what an awful dilemma are you placed6 ,be candid4 ,are you convinced1 by an unbiassed and dispassionate investigation of the evidences of ,christianity1 that the system is false8 ,why1 no2 ,i have never examined them2 and for this reason1 ,i have never thought it worth while2 because ,i cannot reconcile your doctrine of the atonement with the dictates of reason4 ,but1 suppose the fact of the atonement be established by proper1 valid evidence1 will your inability to reconcile it with the dictates of reason be any logical argument against it8 ,most certainly it will1 unless you require me to believe what ,i can neither understand nor comprehend2 and1 allow me to ask1 what practical effect can be produced by the admission of any doctrine or supposed fact which is incomprehensible8 ,you believe in the existence of ,god2 and that belief induces you to pay him homage2 but can you comprehend the nature of his essence1 or the modus of his existence8 ,he was silent2 ,i continued1 ,we have positive proof that the tides of the ocean are acted on by the moon4 ,this is a fact1 which nautical science compels us to believe2 and the belief does operate on human conduct2 but can you understand how its influence does act8 ,but1 waiving the introduction of other facts1 which may be made to tell with crushing force against your proposition1 that what is incomprehensible cannot put forth any practical power1 may ,i be permitted to ask1 what other specific objections you have to advance against the doctrine of the atonement1 which is so distinctly and repeatedly brought forward by the writers of the ,scriptures8 ,i have several2 first1 ,i cannot admit that the death of an innocent person can be accepted as an atonement for the sins of the guilty1 without a gross violation of the laws of immutable justice4 ,if ,i take for granted1 what your ,scriptures assert to be the case1 that man is a sinner1 and consequently under a sentence of condemnation1 does not immutable justice require that he should stand responsible for his actions2 how1 then1 can he transfer this responsibility to another1 without disturbing the established law of moral order8 ,he does not make the transfer1 he merely accepts it2 the transfer is made in his behalf1 by the authority of the supreme legislator2 and ,jesus ,christ1 to whom the transfer is made1 willingly takes upon himself the moral responsibility of human crime and guilt4 ,this certainly obviates one part of my objection1 but still immutable justice seems to require1 to quote from your own standard of authority1 that the soul that sinneth shall die1 that is1 ,i suppose1 shall endure the penalty of his own crimes4 ,yes1 unless some intervening act of grace be performed1 which acquits the culprit1 without setting aside the authority of the law by which he is condemned4 ,you recollect what is reported of ,zaleucus1 a king of ,greece1 at a crisis when the paternal affections beat in harmony with the claims of justice4 ,it has escaped my memory4 ,the case was this--he passed a law which doomed an adulterer to the loss of his eyes1 as the penalty of his crime4 ,his own son was accused and condemned2 and the question arose amongst the people1 ,will the king's son suffer1 or will the law be repealed8 ,the king very soon settled the question--his son suffers the loss of one eye1 and then1 to save him from total blindness1 he consents to lose one of his own eyes2 thus bowing to the majesty of his own law for the suppression of this popular crime4 ,here we see how1 by an expedient devised by paternal benevolence1 the authority of the law was preserved1 while the guilty culprit was rescued from the extreme severity of its infliction4 ,and now permit me to ask1 whether the development of the paternal affections1 in conjunction with the mitigated severity of judicial infliction1 had not a necessary tendency to excite amongst the people a more profound reverence for the law1 while it increased their attachment to their sovereign1 and their confidence in the equity of his administration8 ,what adulterer could expect to elude the penalty of his crime after witnessing such a spectacle of justice and of benevolence8 ,permit me to say1 ,i cannot perceive the bearing of this touching fact1 which you have imported from ,greece1 on my objection to your doctrine of the atonement4 ,indeed1 ,i am surprised at that4 ,the ,bible tells us that ,god stands in the relation of a paternal sovereign1 who commands our subjection to his laws1 while he allows us to address him as our ,father4 ,these laws we violate1 and the penalty is incurred1 and immutable justice requires its infliction2 he provides a substitute in the person of his only begotten ,son1 who willingly consents to accept the appointment1 and actually suffers1 the just for the unjust2 dying to rescue the guilty from the horrors of the second death4 ,here we see the conjunction of justice and mercy1 the blending of the awful majesty of the ,sovereign with the tenderness of paternal benevolence2 the law is honoured1 while the culprit is pardoned2 and the practical effect of this comprehensive scheme of grace is to increase our reverence for the authority of ,god1 while it increases also our gratitude and love to him4 ,if ,i admit1 what you take for granted1 that the ,deity has given us a code of laws in your ,scriptures1 and that the violation of any of them does actually involve man in guilt and condemnation1 then1 in that case1 your explanation is a fair rescue of the atonement from the grasp of my objection4 ,but ,i have now to call your attention to another objection1 which1 ,i think1 will give you a little more trouble4 ,but1 before ,i bring it forward1 allow me to ask one question4 ,according to your theory1 unless ,i misapprehend you1 the atonement is a simple vindication of the ,deity's moral government1 enabling him to exercise mercy in conjunction with justice2 and thus uphold the authority of his laws1 while he passes a sentence of acquittal on the culprit who transgresses or disobeys them8 ,yes1 my theory embraces that aspect of the atonement4 ,has it any other bearing8 ,yes1 it has an important bearing on man1 in relieving him from the galling pressure of conscious guilt1 and giving him peace of soul1 combined with a hope of final salvation4 ,it is this aspect of the atonement1 said the stranger1 which constitutes the germ of my objection4 ,the atonement1 if a reality1 is a fact of ancient date2 and1 like all other historical facts1 it comes transmitted to us on the evidence of testimony2 and it must1 ,i suppose1 be believed before it can exert any influence or power on the mind of man4 ,most certainly4 ,this is the problem ,i want solved2 is this supposed moral power emitted directly ,,from the atonement on the human spirit1 when it is in a quiescent state8 if so1 there can be no necessity for the exercise of belief2 or does the human spirit extract it by the mysterious action of its own faith8 if so1 as the virtue itself is both intangible and imperceptible1 and consequently inconceivable1 how can faith1 whose object of belief must be something definite1 perform the supposed action8 ,your question is a very subtle one1 but it is not a very perplexing one1 because it relates to a fact of a peculiar order1 all of which are self-evident1 while the nature of their influence or power1 and the modus of its operation--i4e41 the operation of the influence of the facts of the peculiar order--are shrouded in a veil of impenetrable mystery4 ,excuse me2 but ,i don't take the drift of your meaning4 ,you object to the atonement1 because you cannot conceive how it can exert any effective influence over the soul of a man oppressed by a sense of conscious guilt4 ,exactly so4 ,well1 ,i am now going to prove that there is no logical force in your objection1 and ,i will do this by one analogical fact1 which will explain1 and1 ,i think1 confirm the correctness of my meaning4 ,take1 then1 human friendship4 ,is the moral power of human friendship a fiction or a reality8 ,take the look of friendship2 is there no moral power in the movement and soft beaming of the eye1 especially in the falling tear8 ,take the countenance of friendship2 is there no moral power in the bland and bewitching smile8 ,take the bosom of friendship2 is there no moral power in the suppressed groan or noiseless sigh8 ,take the hand of friendship2 is there no moral power in the hearty shake or gentle squeeze8 ,take the tongue of friendship2 is there no moral power in its expressions of sympathy1 or its promises of fidelity8 ,but1 ,sir1 what is this mystic power1 which is known to act with such efficacy on the troubled and downcast spirit in the season of its perplexities and sorrows8 ,can you tell me what it is1 or how it acts8 ,it is a mighty something1 which1 like an invisible spirit of superhuman benignity1 moves without a shape1 speaks without a voice1 passes through all resistances of doubt and misgivings without an effort1 laying the throbbing heart of the anxious mourner at rest on its own impalpable bosom1 where it enjoys the solace and the calm of sweet repose4 ,thus we have1 in the common occurrences of every-day life1 a philosophical defence of the moral efficacy of the power which the ,scriptures ascribe to the atonement1 even though we cannot define its exact nature1 or explain the modus of its actual operation4 ,it is then1 like the power of human friendship1 a fact which evidence attests and which uniform experience confirms4 ,i am delighted that my scepticism has supplied to you such a tempting background for the beautiful sketching of the mystic power of friendship true to life1 with which you have now favoured me4 ,but you have overlooked one important fact1 namely1 that the human spirit is dependent on her physical senses for the transmission and reception of the power of friendship4 ,true1 but only as the medium of transmission and reception2 and this fact supplies fresh evidence to prove1 that while you are compelled to admit1 on the evidence of consciousness and testimony1 the power of friendship1 you can neither explain nor conceive the nature of its influence1 or the modus of its operation4 ,and it is to the same evidence ,i appeal in confirmation of the moral power of the atonement on the human spirit1 and maintain that you have no moral1 or even logical right to deny it1 on the ground of my inability to give you all the explanations you may ask me for1 when you yourself feel a similar inability to explain how it is that a self-evident friendship works so powerfully on the heart of sorrow and of perplexity4 ,well1 then1 ,i will admit1 and most readily1 that you have fairly silenced my objection against the atonement1 on the ground of your inability to explain1 or my inability to conceive the modus of its moral operation on the human spirit2 but still ,i hesitate to admit its reality1 because ,i do not feel its absolute necessity1 either as a basis of hope or a source of mental ease and satisfaction4 ,i once1 ,sir1 rejected the atonement as you now do1 but when ,i saw the malignant quality of sin1 ,i could reject it no longer2 and you will allow me to say1 that if it be a reality1 and you finally reject it1 you will inevitably perish4 ,permit me1 therefore1 to advise you to read the ,scriptures attentively1 examine the evidences which they adduce of their divine origin1 and implore the ,father of our spirits to aid the perceptions of your judgment and the tendencies of your will on this important subject of inquiry4 ,if1 after this intellectual and moral process has been adopted1 you are compelled to disbelieve the ,scripture doctrine of the atonement1 you will have the show of argument in your favour2 but if you reject it without investigation1 your folly will be no less apparent1 even if it be false1 than your guilt will be overwhelming1 if it should be true4 ,we must now1 said the stranger1 leave this subject of discussion1 and bid adieu to each other2 but ,i will give you my pledge of honour that ,i will take your advice1 and if you will exchange cards with me you shall know the result1 though ,i cannot allow you to imagine that it will afford you any satisfaction4 ,it may1 and ,i hope it will4 ,the stranger 7whose name ,i perceived1 on looking at his card1 was ,gordon71 on taking leave of me1 said1 ,i have been watching yonder cloud some time1 and am apprehensive a storm is rising2 but ,i hope we shall be able to escape it4 ,i now hastened towards ,fairmount2 but1 as ,i had wandered the distance of some miles1 ,i soon found that it would be impossible to reach it without having to encounter the threatening tempest4 ,as ,i passed through a thick coppice1 the birds sat in silence on the branches1 or flew with rapidity from one tree to another2 the wind blew with a deep and hollow sound2 and then for a few seconds ceased its howlings1 as if to recover strength to send forth a more dismal groan4 ,on descending the slope which led into the vale1 a streak of lightning struck across my path1 and the loud roaring thunder1 echoing through the valley1 produced a universal consternation in its flocks and herds4 ,a sudden darkness came over the whole horizon2 the rain came down in torrents2 and1 having missed my path1 ,i knew not which way to proceed4 ,after walking on a considerable distance1 ,i saw a cottage1 towards which ,i ran for shelter1 and was welcomed in4 ,the honest woodman immediately ordered his eldest boy to fetch a large bundle of sticks to throw on the fire2 and ,i was requested to draw near and dry myself4 ,up in the chimney-corner sat a fine-looking girl1 about nine years of age1 whose eyes were bedewed with tears2 another1 about three years older1 sat in the window seat wrapped in pensive sadness2 an athletic youth1 still older1 was reclining himself against the table2 and the father soon drew1 from the deep recesses of a wounded breast1 one of the most piercing groans that ever vibrated across the sensibilities of my heart4 ,these symptoms of grief soon convinced me that ,i had retreated from the disorders of the physical world1 to witness the convulsive throes of the social2 and my spirits1 which usually ebb and flow with the tide of feeling on which they are borne1 began to sink within me4 ,i fear1 addressing myself to the father1 you are in trouble8 ,o yes1 ,sir6 our hearts are all bursting2 for death is coming to bear off our little ,jemima4 ,she is up stairs1 where she has now been these eight days1 and her mother has never left her1 night or day4 ,she is one of the best girls a father ever loved4 ,but death does not come by chance4 ,o1 no2 'the ,lord gave1 and the ,lord takes away2 blessed be the name of the ,lord2' but it is hard work to part4 ,do walk up and see her before she dies2 but she is so changed6 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,woodman',s ,,family ,,in ,,trouble4 ,vol i4 p4 #aje4 ,i entered her room1 and soon perceived that death had cast his fatal shadow on her countenance1 which still retained its beautiful form and expression4 ,addressing myself to the child1 ,i said1 ,do you think you shall die8 ,yes1 ,sir4 ,and if you die1 where do you expect to go8 ,to heaven4 ,what makes you think you shall go to heaven8 ,jesus ,christ has said1 ',suffer little children1 and forbid them not1 to come unto me2 for of such is the kingdom of heaven4' ,what do you understand by coming to ,jesus ,christ8 ,believing in him1 and loving him4 ,did you always believe in him1 and love him8 ,no1 not till he inclined me2 for if we love him1 it is because he first loved us4 ,then you can leave father1 and mother1 and all your brothers and sisters1 to go to heaven8 ,yes1 ,sir2 ,i have no wish to live on earth when ,i have the prospect of living a happier life in heaven4 ,the surgeon1 who had been anxiously expected for several hours1 now arrived4 ,do you think1 said the grief-worn mother1 our child is dying8 ,this question1 though familiar to the humane man1 was not heard without an evident emotion of sorrow4 ,while there is life there is hope2 but ,i would not advise you to be too sanguine in your expectations2 she is very ill4 ,there was no burst of anguish at this reply4 ,they all knew ,jemima was dying1 though they were unwilling to believe it2 and though their pulse beat a little quicker on hearing this reply1 and their faces turned paler1 yet they stood pressing round the bed1 as if to keep off the king of terrors1 whose advanced guards had taken the forlorn hope4 ,we now went down stairs2 and1 as the storm was over1 the surgeon left1 but ,i could not leave4 ,will you1 said the father1 go to prayer with us8 ,if it were not for prayer1 and the hope which the gospel gives1 my heart would break4 ,with this request ,i complied2 and while praying to the ,god of all grace that the little child might be favoured with the light of his countenance in her passage through the valley of the shadow of death1 ,i heard the mother's shriek1 which convinced me that she was gone4 ,the children started up1 weeping aloud1 wringing their hands1 and calling1 ,jemima6 ,jemima6 don't leave us4 ,and the mother1 with a softened melancholy of countenance1 appeared among as1 saying1 with a faltering tongue1 ,she exclaimed1 as ,i was raising her up on the pillow1 ',i am going to heaven6' and fell back in my arms1 and died4 ,i remained with them about a quarter of an hour1 administering to them the consolations of religion1 and then left them1 in company with the eldest boy1 who conducted me to ,fairmount1 which ,i reached about ten o'clock4 ,i related to my friends the adventures of my ramble1 which compensated for the anxiety which my long absence and the state of the weather had occasioned4 ,when reflecting on this fact1 and contrasting the bright prospect which the gospel of ,christ unveils to the juvenile as well as to the aged ,christian1 with the dark and cheerless gloom of infidelity1 ,i feel its immense superiority2 and with emotions which no language can describe1 ,i pay my adorations and praises to ,him who brought life and immortality to light4 ,a ,,sabbath ,,morning ,,at ,,fairmount4 ,having spent a few hours in meditating on the great facts of the ,christian faith1 an exercise in which ,i have for many years been in the habit of engaging on a ,saturday evening1 ,i retired to rest1 and soon fell asleep2 and in my sleep ,i had a dream4 ,i dreamt that1 under a serene sky1 ,i was passing through a beautiful vale1 belted on each side by a plantation of gigantic trees2 and1 on reaching the end of it1 ,i saw a broad gravel walk1 running along the margin of a rapid river2 then turning off rather abruptly under the shade of a high mountain1 winding itself gradually into a grove of large and beauteous shrubs1 whose foliage surpassed1 in diversified forms and variegated colours1 anything of the kind ,i had ever seen4 ,the soft breezes were laden with the most delicious odours of flowers2 and the air vibrated with the music of its feathered tribes4 ,i often paused2 and while listening to the soft sounds of melody1 and while inhaling the sweet fragrance1 ,i felt an unusual elevation of spirit1 a calm ecstasy of emotion4 ,in about half an hour ,i came to a spot which commanded a bold view of an extensive landscape2 but the most attractive object in this scene of beauty and of grandeur was a church1 imbedded in an inclosure of evergreens4 ,i now quickened my pace4 ,as ,i advanced near it ,i heard the harmony of sacred song2 but it soon died away into profound silence4 ,the devotional part of the service was over before ,i entered the church1 and the minister had named his text2 but1 from the tenor of his discourse1 ,i judged it was ,a ,,prince ,,and ,a ,,saviour4 ,the following is the only paragraph which was distinct and fresh upon my memory when ,i awoke1 and it was delivered with an impressiveness of manner and intonation which kept the entire congregation in breathless silence3-- ,he walked through the province of human misery and crime1 a mysterious being1 doing what ,he pleased1 without ostentation and with perfect ease4 ,he gave sight to the blind1 and hearing to the deaf2 disease1 in its multifarious forms of infliction1 withdrew when ,he issued the command2 the dead arose to do ,him homage2 the raging elements1 when ,his disciples were in danger1 hushed to a calm at ,his bidding2 and the dumb became vocal in ,his praise4 ,these were the triumphs of benevolence over the miseries of man1 requiring1 on ,his part1 no privations or suffering to effect them4 ,shift the scene of ,his history1 and what a sight do we behold6 ,he is poor1 homeless1 and unpitied2 often weary in ,his great exertions of beneficence2 and sometimes having to endure the extreme of hunger and of thirst4 ,his enemies revile ,him as a fanatic2 denounce ,him as an impostor and maniac2 and accuse ,him of treason and blasphemy2 and secretly conspire to put ,him to death4 ,the quietude of ,gethsemane1 where ,he was pleading with heaven in behalf of the people1 is broken by the foot-treads of ,his betrayer1 stepping in advance of an armed force2 in the council-chamber of ,caiaphas he is maligned and insulted2 and when arraigned at ,pilate's tribunal1 ,he is scourged and condemned2 and at ,calvary they crucify ,him between two malefactors4 ,there this illustrious ,prince bleeds1 and there ,he dies2 for what8 and for whom8 ,the pathetic tones in which this sentence was uttered--there ,he bleeds1 and there ,he dies2 for what8 and for whom8--bathed the whole audience in tears2 there was a sudden pause1 and its stillness awoke me4 ,this1 ,i said1 as ,i came back to wakeful consciousness1 is a dream1 which has called up day thoughts in the visions of the night2 painting on the fancy1 in vivid colours1 the meditations of the heart4 ,a dream6 strange phenomenon6 the mysterious action of the mysterious spirit1 ever active1 with or without the auxiliary aid of the senses2 but the facts of this dream are the realities of absolute truth--the most wonderful and important realities within the compass of universal knowledge4 ,i can reply to the questions of the dream in my wakeful hour4 ,he bleeds2 for what8 ,the iniquities of the people4 ,he dies2 for whom8 ,he gave ,his life a ransom for the redemption and salvation of man4 ,wondrous event6 ,on looking out of my bedroom window1 ,i saw the sun rising in his splendour2 the winds were at rest1 no clouds veiled the heavens in gloom4 ,it is1 ,i involuntarily exclaimed1 a delightful ,sabbath morning4 ,seeing ,hervey's ,meditations on my dressing-table1 ,i took it1 and read his ,descant upon ,creation1 closing with the following soul-inspiring paragraph3-- ,most of all1 ye ministers of the sanctuary1 heralds commissioned from above1 lift every one his voice like a trumpet1 and loudly proclaim the ,redeemer4 ,get ye up1 ye ambassadors of peace1 get ye up into the high mountains1 and spread far and wide the honours of the ,lamb that was slain1 but is alive for evermore4 ,teach every sacred roof to resound with ,his fame1 and every human heart to glow with ,his love4 ,declare1 as far as the force of words will go1 declare the inexhaustible fulness of that great atonement1 whose merits are commensurate with the glories of the ,divinity4 ,tell the sinful wretch what pity yearns at ,immanuel's breast2 what blood ,he has spilt1 what agonies ,he has endured1 what wonders ,he has wrought for the salvation of ,his enemies4 ,invite the indigent to become rich2 entreat the guilty to accept of pardon2 because with the crucified ,jesus is plenteous redemption and all-sufficiency to save4 ,while you1 placed in conspicuous stations1 proclaim the joyful sound1 may ,i1 as ,i steal through the vale of humble life1 catch the pleasing accents6 ,for me the ,author of all blessings became a curse2 for me ,his bones were dislocated1 and ,his flesh was torn4 ,he hung with streaming veins and an agonizing soul on the cross for me4 ,o6 may ,i1 in my little sphere1 and amidst the scanty circle of my acquaintance1 at least whisper these glad transporting tidings6--whisper them from my own heart1 that they may surely reach and sweetly penetrate theirs4 ,but when men and angels raise the grand hymn2 when all worlds and all beings add their collective acclamations--this full1 fervent1 and universal chorus1 will be so inferior to the riches of the ,redeemer's grace1 so disproportionate to the magnificence of ,his glory1 that it will seem but to debase the unutterable subject it attempts to exalt4 ,the loud hallelujah will die away in the solemn mental eloquence of prostrate1 rapturous1 silent admiration4 ',o goodness infinite6 goodness immense6 ,and love that passeth knowledge6 ,words are vain2 ,language is lost in wonder so divine2 ,come1 then1 expressive silence1 muse his praise4' ,on my way to the church1 passing a cottage which stood a short distance from a foot-path ,i was crossing1 ,i saw a man and his two sons at work in his garden2 they made me a bow1 which ,i acknowledged4 ,your cottage1 ,i remarked1 is pleasantly situated2 and you seem to have a productive garden1 and keep it in good order4 ,why1 yes1 ,sir2 but it costs us a deal of hard labour4 ,have you a large family8 ,yes1 ,sir1 we have six children2 and1 thank ,god1 they are as healthy as a spring morning4 ,who do you work for8 ,i and these two lads work for ,farmer ,goddard1 who lives just over the hill1 as good a master as ever hired a servant4 ,what time do you generally devote to your garden8 ,why1 ,sir1 we give it a few odd hours in the week2 but as that is not enough1 we work at it on a ,sunday morning till dinner-time4 ,and what do you generally do after dinner on a ,sunday8 ,the lads go on the green for a bit of a frolic1 and ,i go up to the ,plough1 and spend a few hours along with some of my neighbours4 ,can you read8 ,a little1 ,sir2 but my wife can read as well as any of my master's daughters4 ,have you a ,bible8 ,yes2 but ,i don't read it much1 because ,i can't understand it4 ,don't you think you could understand the following passage3--',remember the ,sabbath day1 to keep it holy4 ,six days shalt thou labour1 and do all thy work3 but the seventh day is the sabbath of the ,lord thy ,god2 in it thou shalt not do any work1 thou1 nor thy son4' ,illustration3 ,,we ,,work ,,on ,,sunday ,,till ,,dinner-,,time4 ,vol4 i4 page #aaj4 ,why1 yes1 ,sir2 that's plain enough to be understood2 but such poor folks as us can't afford to rest from labour on a ,sunday4 ,do you think that ,god would command poor people to rest from their labour on the ,sabbath1 unless ,he knew that it would be for their good8 ,and1 besides1 do you think that poverty will be admitted as an excuse for a neglect of duty8 ,suppose your master was to tell you to fetch up the cows from yon meadow1 would your poverty be an excuse for not doing it8 ,no2 to be sure not4 ,i ought to do what master bids me4 ,if1 then1 you ought to do what master bids you1 ought you not to do what ,god commands you8 ,why1 yes1 ,sir2 ,i must say that you are right4 ,but you tell me that after dinner you go up to the ,plough1 where ,i suppose you spend some of your money4 ,now1 your poverty ought to be an excuse to keep you from a public-house2 but it ought not to be an excuse to keep you away from church4 ,why1 ,sir1 ,i must say there is reason in what you say1 but ,i don't spend much2 and ,i like to have a little talk with my neighbours4 ,but do you never think of another world8 ,not so much as ,i should1 ,sir1 ,i must say4 ,don't you know that you are born to live for ever8 ,during the first period of your existence you have to live in this world1 and this period is very short2 during the next period of your existence you will have to live in the invisible world1 and that will never end4 ,and while here you are making preparation for your future and changeless condition of existence--for heaven1 and its happiness and dignity1 or for hell1 and its misery and degradation4 ,why1 ,sir1 to speak the truth1 ,i never heard anything about this till lately2 but last ,lady-day master hired a fellow-servant1 who has often talked to us on this subject2 but ,i never give heed to what he says1 because he is a fantic1 so ,miss says1 who has just come home from boarding-school4 ,a fanatic you mean2 but that is a nick-name which people who have no religion give to those who have4 ,now1 ,i suppose your fellow-servant understands more about the ,bible and about religion than you do8 ,more than ,i do6 ay1 more than all the rest on the farm put together4 ,he has got the ,bible at his fingers' ends1 and will tell the meaning1 too1 off hand2 and master has taken a great liking to him1 and is going off to his way of thinking1 which1 ,i hear1 is a mortal sorrow to mistress and the young ladies4 ,does his religion make him wretched8 ,why1 ,sir1 it is commonly thought in many of these parts1 and by many of the gentlefolks1 that religion makes people unhappy2 but ,i am sure that our ,sam is one of the happiest men on earth4 ,i have often said to my wife that there must be something in ,sam's religion which we don't know anything about2 because1 let whoever will be dull and sorrowful1 he is always happy4 ,yes1 my honest fellow1 there is more in religion than you1 who do not understand it1 can form any notion of4 ,religion is something more than resting from labour on a ,sunday1 and going to church4 ,more than that1 ,sir6 then ,i wish you would tell me what it is2 for ,i always thought that going to church was all that ,god required us to do2 and ,i heard mistress say so to master t'other day1 and she was in earnest when she said it1 for she spoke loud enough to be heard all over the kitchen4 ,yes1 ,i will tell you with great pleasure4 ,as we are depraved and unholy1 more disposed to love sin than to hate it1 the ,bible tells us that the dispositions and propensities of our mind must be changed by a supernatural power2 and when this change takes place1 we become new creatures--old things pass away1 and all things become new4 ,and as we are guilty sinners1 we must repent of our sins1 and believe in the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 who came into the world to save sinners1 even the chief4 ,ay1 ,i see1 all this belongs to the mind1 and is something different from merely going to church4 ,now ,i have often been to church1 but ,i always came out just as ,i went in4 ,i never heard anything that ever touched my heart4 ,pleased with this reply1 which seemed to indicate an apprehension of the subject1 ,i replied1 ,yes2 you may go to a church1 and return from it without possessing religion1 for that has a peculiar and direct reference to the heart1 which is by nature deceitful and impure4 ,but yet religion is conveyed to the heart through the medium of reading or of hearing4 ,hence it is our duty to read the ,bible and other good books1 and to go and hear the gospel preached1 because it pleases ,god1 by means of preaching1 to save them that believe4 ,then ,i suppose1 ,sir1 you are now going to church2 but as you are a stranger in these parts1 perhaps you don't know that our parish church stands yonder4 ,yes1 ,i know it does2 but ,i am not going to that church1 because the clergyman does not preach the pure gospel of ,jesus ,christ4 ,he is a blind guide4 ,no1 ,sir2 on that point you are mistaken2 his eye is as sharp-sighted as a hawk's2 he is the best shot in the parish4 ,i don't mean that he is literally blind1 but spiritually2 that is1 he does not understand the religion of the ,bible1 and therefore he does not teach it4 ,that's what our ,sam says1 and ,i heard mistress let fly at him rather sharply t'other day for saying so4 ,but master now says the same thing1 which1 ,i am told by the dairy-maid1 gives mortal offence to mistress and the young ladies4 ,but ,i never knew master wrong in his judgment of men and things4 ,where1 ,sir1 are you going1 if one may be so bold to ask8 ,i am going to hear ,mr4 ,ingleby1 whose preaching has been such a great blessing to many of his parishioners and others4 ,that's the parson our ,sam goes to hear2 and master has taken to go to hear him lately4 ,he wants1 so ,i have heard1 mistress to go with him1 and the young ladies2 but they won't2 they say he is a ,methodist and fantic4 ,have you ever heard him preach8 ,no1 ,sir4 ,i am told that his preaching drives people out of their senses1 and ,i should not like to part with what little ,i have4 ,did you ever know any one driven out of his senses by him8 ,why1 no1 ,sir2 and ,i must say that ,i don't much believe it2 and for this reason1 ,i always find people who like his preaching more inclined to do poor people good1 than those who talk against it4 ,why1 ,sir1 when my wife was last confined1 we all thought that she would die2 and it is wonderful how kind some of ,mr4 ,ingleby's followers were to her4 ,they gave her what she wanted for this world1 and talked to her so kindly about another world1 that she has taken a liking to them1 and would have been off to their religion1 but ,i would not let her4 ,we have had more words on this subject than any other since we have been married1 which is now eighteen years come ,christmas4 ,and do you think that you have done right by opposing your wife8 ,now1 suppose you were to make up your mind to go and hear ,mr4 ,ingleby preach1 how would you like for your master to say to you1 ,no1 you shall not go8 ,i should not like it at all1 because ,i think ,i have a right to go where ,i please on a ,sunday1 if ,i do my work in the week4 ,then1 has not your wife a right to go where she likes to worship ,god1 and get religious instruction1 if she does her duties at home4 ,why1 yes1 ,sir1 and ,i sometimes think that ,i have done wrong by stopping her4 ,now1 take my advice1 let her go1 and go you too1 and hear and judge for yourself2 and1 take my word for it1 you will never regret it4 ,i now left him1 and hastened to church2 and just as ,i entered1 the venerable man read from the desk1 ,i will arise and go to my ,father1 and will say unto him1 ,father1 ,i have sinned against heaven1 and before thee1 and am no more worthy to be called thy son3 make me as one of thy hired servants4 ,he conducted the devotional part of the service with great solemnity1 and the congregation appeared to feel that they were under the immediate notice of the ,holy ,one of ,israel4 ,after his entrance into the pulpit1 he presented a short extemporary prayer with great simplicity and fervour1 and then announced his text3 ,genesis xxviii4 #af1 #ag4 ,i4 ,it is the presence of ,god which constitutes the glory of the visible temple4 ,,ii4 ,he is sometimes present when the worshippers are unconscious of the fact2 and1 ,,iii4 ,a belief of his presence is calculated to excite awe and delight4 ,as a few notes of this sermon may not be unacceptable to the reader1 ,i will give them3 ,that ,god actually dwells in the place where a pure worship is performed1 we have the most decisive proofs4 ',in all places where ,i record my name1 ,i will come unto thee1 and ,i will bless thee' 7,exodus xx4 #bd74 ,his presence is extended through all space1 and operates with an undiminished force in every part of his universal dominion2 but there is a more special manifestation of it where people assemble to praise and pray4 ,and though scepticism may ridicule such a notion as giving locality to the ,supreme ,being1 yet to deny it1 is virtually to exclude him from the government of the world4 ,but what attracts his notice8 ,not the rising spire1 nor the tolling bell2 not the ,gothic arch1 nor the ,corinthian column2 not the flowing vestment of the preacher1 nor the purple robe of the hearer4 ,these are the embellishments and attractions of human device1 which may captivate and amuse the sentimental or the superstitious1 but from such vain shows the ,holy ,one turns away1 to look with complacency on an object which a proud and sceptical world scorns to pity or to notice4 ',to this man will ,i look1 even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit1 and trembleth at my word' 7,isaiah lxvi4 #b74 ,he is here1 though you see him not1 and though the sound of his awful and paternal voice is never heard2 and when you come into his invisible presence1 always remember that ',god is a ,spirit3 and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth' 7,john iv4 #bd74 ,you must bow before him in faith1 believing that his eye is upon you1 and that he knows all the thoughts and desires of your heart2 you must confess and deplore your sins1 and pray for mercy1 and for your eternal salvation in the name of ,jesus ,christ1 giving thanks for every good and perfect gift which he has bestowed upon you4 ,if you do this1 then you may expect some special manifestations of his grace and love2 but if you feel no emotions of reverence1 of self-humiliation1 or of gratitude1 nor any intense desires for his favour and loving-kindness1 then you stand chargeable--even though you may suppose you have done your duty--with the sin of hypocrisy or insincerity1 and of you the ,lord may say1 ',this people draw near me with their mouth1 and with their lips do honour me1 but have removed their heart far from me1 and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men' 7,isa4 xxix4 #ac47 ,and1 in addition to these exercises of mental devotion1 you are to listen to what ,god the ,lord will say to you in the ministrations of truth and grace1 which ,his ministers are employed to conduct4 ,we preach1 warning every man1 and teaching every man1 that we may present every man perfect in ,christ ,jesus2 but we warn and teach in vain1 unless you believe1 and receive the truth in love and gratitude1 not as the word of man1 but as the word of ,god2 and if our warnings and teachings do not take effect1 you will die in your sins and perish for ever4 ,for how 'will you escape if you neglect so great salvation4' ,when going through the crowd1 after the service of the church was over1 ,i noticed the man with whom ,i had been conversing in the morning1 a little way before me1 with his wife and two of his children4 ,when he saw me1 he came up1 and1 thanking me for my advice1 said1 ,i hope1 ,sir1 ,i shall never forget this day2 and ,i am sure that ,i shall often think of you when ,i don't see you4 ,as ,i was sauntering along1 meditating on the realities of the visible and the invisible world1 and offering my silent adorations and thanksgivings to ,him who gave himself a ransom for my redemption1 ,i heard the sound of footsteps behind me1 and1 turning round1 ,i was rather abruptly addressed by a stranger1 who said1 ,i thank you1 ,sir1 for persuading my servant1 ,robert1 to come to church this morning4 ,he is a good servant1 and a better informed man than most labourers2 but he wants the one thing needful4 ,godly servants are a master's treasure4 ,am ,i addressing ,mr4 ,goddard8 ,yes1 ,sir2 and if ,i mistake not1 you are the gentleman who has called to see my friend1 ,mr4 ,pickford4 ,yes1 ,i have visited him4 ,i wish1 ,sir1 you would come and see me4 ,your talk and prayer might do my family good1 as it has done his4 ,i am glad to hear that you are turning your attention to the salvation of your soul4 ,ah1 ,sir1 ,i lived for many years1 like most of the farmers in these parts1 a sad heathenish life2 and ,i should have lived on in this state till the hour of death1 had it not pleased ,god to send me a godly servant4 ,his plain and honest talk set me thinking1 and reading my ,bible1 and then ,i went and heard the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby preach1 and the gospel came with great power to my soul4 ,it opened before me a new scene of spiritual wonders1 and a new source of spiritual comfort4 ,but ,i am sorry to say that all my family are sadly opposed to spiritual things2 they make light of them4 ,you may live to see a change4 ,i hope ,i may4 ,but it is very painful1 after being made alive from the dead1 to see my wife and children living under the sentence of death4 ,it makes my heart ache4 ,what ought ,i to do8 ,persuade them1 when they go to public worship1 to go where the gospel is preached4 ,they object1 ,sir1 and ,i cannot force them4 ,try the efficacy of prayer--the prayer of faith and of importunity--and calmly wait the issue4 ,we now parted1 and when going by the church in which the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,cole does duty1 ,i picked up an elegantly bound prayer-book1 and observing a fashionable couple at a distance1 ,i quickened my pace1 that ,i might restore what ,i presumed they deemed valuable1 if their property4 ,when ,i overtook them1 ,i presented the book1 and asked if they knew to whom it belonged4 ,o dear1 said one of the ladies1 it is mine1 but ,i had not missed it4 ,i thank you1 ,sir2 we have heard a very excellent discourse this morning from the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,cole4 ,o dear1 said the lady1 ,i think he is one of the most heavenly preachers ,i ever heard4 ,is his audience very large8 ,i asked4 ,o no1 ,sir2 only a few genteel people attend1 and a few poor old people1 who receive the sacrament money1 and some gifts at ,christmas4 ,then1 ,i presume1 there can be but little religion in the parish1 for the population is very large4 ,o dear1 ,sir1 ,i assure you there is a great deal too much religion in our parish1 and it is on this subject that ,mr4 ,cole has been preaching so eloquently this morning4 ,why1 ,madam1 you both puzzle and surprise me4 ,too much religion in a parish where the generality of the people forsake the church1 and a minister preaching eloquently against religion1 which he lives to inculcate and recommend6 ,i see you are a stranger among us1 said the lady1 or you would perceive the force of my remarks4 ,the people all flock to a church just over yonder hill1 where a ,mr4 ,ingleby preaches1 and really1 ,sir1 if you associate with them1 you would soon become quite dull and melancholy1 particularly so4 ,do you know1 ,sir1 that they are so far gone from all the elegant accomplishments of society1 as to say that it is a sin to play at cards1 or attend a ball1 or go to a theatre1 or anything of the kind8 ,o dear1 if ,i should ever1 by any misfortune1 turn over to their religion1 which ,i daily pray ,i may be kept from1 ,i should be1 as the apostle says1 of all1 'one of the most miserable4' ,well1 ,madam1 with your antipathies to their religion1 one should suppose you are in no danger4 ,o dear1 there are strange things that happen1 ,sir1 in the course of one's life4 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,stevens1 who live at ,fairmount villa1 which we shall see presently1 were1 a few years since1 as gay as any4 ,mrs ,stevens was never herself more completely than at a ball4 ,she is a most accomplished dancer2 her action is so graceful2 and even now1 ,sir1 she moves as if she were stepping on springs1 which makes me think she has some secret longings to appear amongst us again--an event we should be so glad to see1 she is such a choice spirit2 but now1 as the apostle says1 'they are carried away with this dissimulation4' ,they are now so religious that they read the ,bible1 and sing a psalm1 and say prayers every morning and evening in the family2 and ,i am told1 but ,i should hope there is no truth in the report1 that when ,mr4 ,stevens is from home1 ,mrs4 ,stevens so far forgets herself as to say prayers to her servants4 ,you should not believe everything that report says1 ,madam4 ,o dear1 ,i don't believe one-half1 for ,i heard the other day that ,mrs4 ,stevens really goes to see a poor woman of the name of ,allen1 who lives in this cottage which we are now passing1 and that she descends so low as to say prayers to her4 ,why1 ,madam1 report is very busy in your neighbourhood2 ,i am afraid you are not living in peace4 ,in peace1 ,sir2 why1 ,i assure you1 it is the very worst neighbourhood ,i ever was in in all my life4 ,i never hear one person speak well of another4 ,how do you account for it1 ,madam8 ,o1 ,sir1 it is religion which has done it4 ,not the religion of our forefathers1 but the religion which is imported from t'other side of that hill4 ,do you know1 ,sir1 that ,farmer ,goddard1 who was one of the pleasantest men ,i ever knew1 has lately got infected by it2 and ,miss ,goddard1 who has just finished her education at ,mrs4 ,roper's1 told us1 as we walked together to church this morning1 they can do nothing to please him4 ,that when she wanted to go to ,bath with ,mr4 ,johnson1 to see the ,fall of ,tarquin1 he would not let her go1 but had the rudeness to say she was going into the way of temptation4 ,and do you think1 ,madam1 it is right for a daughter to talk against her own father8 ,why1 to be sure1 ,sir1 you now put a question which never struck me before4 ,and do you think that a person of affluence and respectability sustains any loss of reputation by visiting the poor and afflicted8 ,o1 no1 ,i have often thought of doing it myself2 but really1 ,sir1 ,i don't know what ,i could say to them4 ,i suppose it would be necessary to descend4 ,yes1 ,madam2 the ,lord of life and glory descended1 when he assumed a human form to accomplish our redemption2 but ,i rather fear1 from the general strain of your remarks1 that you have no accurate conception of the design of his mission1 or of his death4 ,o dear1 ,sir1 ,i wonder at your remark4 ,he came to teach us to be religious4 ,and1 ,madam1 the first lesson he has taught us is to this effect3 ',verily1 verily ,i say unto thee1 except a man be born again1 he cannot see the kingdom of ,god4' ,do you know1 ,sir1 ,i never could understand the meaning of that language2 and ,i have asked several of my friends1 but they can't tell me2 and one evening when ,i met the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,cole at a card party1 ,i proposed the question to him1 but he was so much engaged that he could not attend to it4 ,but you perceive1 that unless we are born again1 'we cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven4' ,i can tell you who can explain it to you4 ,who1 ,sir8 ,the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4 ,o dear1 you alarm me4 ,do you think ,i could ever go and ask him8 ,would you then rather live and die ignorant of the meaning of the subject1 than go and ask him to explain it to you8 ,why1 ,sir1 if ,i were to be seen speaking to him1 my friends would cut me1 and ,i should never be able to appear at any of our social parties4 ,but1 ,madam1 it is a serious thing to die without possessing that which ,jesus ,christ says is absolutely necessary to fit us for heaven4 ,but1 ,sir1 ,i am not going to die yet4 ,i hope not1 ,madam1 but you must die1 and must stand before the judgment-seat of ,christ1 and then do you think that a recollection of your card parties will afford you any pleasure8 ,but ,i hope to prepare for death4 ,can you1 ,madam1 prepare too soon1 when you do not know but you may die suddenly8 ,o dear1 ,sir1 the subject begins to depress me1 and ,i must decline pursuing it any farther1 if you please4 ,read1 ,madam1 before you retire to rest this evening1 the third chapter of the gospel of ,john2 ponder over what you read1 it may do you some spiritual good4 ,,sabbath ,,evening ,,at ,,fairmount4 ,in the estimation of ,mr4 ,stevens1 who was educated within the pale of the ,church of ,england1 and who had imbibed from his parents an intolerant spirit1 the ,dissenters were unworthy of the toleration which had been granted to them2 as he believed they were decidedly inimical not only to the religious1 but the political constitution of the state4 ,hence he often blamed the government for granting them so much religious liberty4 ,and even after he had felt the spiritual change1 which forms the great line of distinction in the human character1 he retained1 for a long time1 too many of his old prejudices against them4 ,but1 becoming an active agent of the ,bible ,society1 he was unexpectedly brought into contact with some whom he found to be men of sense1 of piety1 of zeal1 and of candour2 more disposed to disseminate the pure faith of ,christianity1 than propagate their own peculiar tenets4 ,he now rose superior to his long indulged antipathies2 and though he still gave a decided preference to the church of which he was a member1 yet he felt convinced that there were many wise and good men belonging to other religious communities4 ,as he was by nature of an open and generous disposition1 the spirit of liberality found in his heart a congenial soil for its growth and expansion4 ,he would often repeat1 with peculiar warmth of expression1 the following verses3-- ,be that bigotry far from our breast1 ,which would ,christian from ,christian divide2 ,which by blind party zeal is caress'd1 ,the offspring of folly and pride4 ,names1 parties1 and sects disappear1 ,with their separate int'rests and laws1 ,no name1 but of ,christ1 would we bear1 ,no int'rest but that of his cause4 ,happily for him1 and for the neighbourhood in which he lived1 his pastor1 the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby1 was a man of a most catholic spirit1 who viewed the circumstantial differences which prevail among ,christians as of little consequence1 in comparison with the more important truths on which they are agreed4 ,he felt a stronger attachment to the ,redeemer than to the formula of the church of which he was a minister2 and though he was a man of order1 and conscientious in the observance of all ecclesiastical laws1 yet he thought that the ,word of ,god ought not to be bound by human restrictions4 ,as the population of the parish was large1 and the gospel was not preached within the distance of two miles from ,mr4 ,stevens' villa1 he1 at the suggestion of his amiable lady1 conceived the design of building a small chapel in its immediate vicinity1 for a religious service on ,sabbath evenings4 ,he was aware that he should subject himself to the sarcasms1 if not to the contempt1 of the more fashionable and bigoted2 but he esteemed the reproach of ,christ a greater honour than the applause of men2 and seeing the people around him perishing for lack of the knowledge of the way of salvation1 he thought it his duty to do all in his power to make it known to them4 ,but he did not venture on the execution of his plan till he had first consulted his pastor1 who1 instead of censuring him for his zeal1 or presuming to silence him for not possessing the mysterious charm of office1 grace1 encouraged him to proceed4 ,if1 said the holy man1 you can get the people to love the gospel in the evening1 they will soon come to church to hear it in the morning2 and if they should be converted through the instrumentality of lay preaching1 they will love the ,saviour as much1 and be at last as happy in heaven1 as though the great change were produced through the instrumentality of clerical preaching4 ,the chapel was built on an elevated spot of ground near the roadside1 so that it was visible from the most populous parts of the hamlet2 and though the building of it gave great offence to a few1 yet it pleased the majority4 ,at first1 ,mr4 ,stevens read a sermon to the congregation2 but after a while he composed discourses1 which he delivered extempore2 and being a man of reading1 and of a ready utterance1 his labours gave very general satisfaction4 ,some of the thoughtless had become serious1 and some of the dissipated had become religious1 which he considered a satisfactory proof of the ,divine blessing2 and though he was much importuned by some of his friends to abandon what they called his wild project1 and resume his more orderly habits of a regular churchman1 yet he steadily refused to do so4 ,his reply to the gainsayer was1 ,the love of ,christ constraineth me4 ,yes1 and he reaps the fruit of all his toil1 ,he sows the seed1 and ,god has bless'd the soil2 ,he sees the wicked man forsake his ways2 ,the scoffing tongue has learned to perfect praise2 ,the drunken quits his revelry and strife1 ,and meekly listens to the word of life2 ,the noisy village1 wanton and profane1 ,grows neat and decent1 peace and order reign2 ,at length wide districts hail the gospel rays1 ,and the once savage miner kneels and prays2 ,through his dark caverns shines the heavenly light1 ,and prejudice grows silent at the sight4 ,on the ,sabbath evening we were at ,fairmount1 the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,morris was expected to preach a charity sermon for the school which was established and superintended by ,mrs4 ,stevens4 ,he came early in the afternoon1 and after tea1 while he withdrew to prepare for the pulpit1 ,i retired for meditation2 and in passing through the hall1 my attention was arrested by a female1 who was waiting with her little girl to see ,mrs4 ,stevens4 ,she informed me that her parents had never given her any religious instruction2 that no one ever taught her to read the ,scriptures1 or keep holy the ,sabbath day2 and that1 till recently1 she had no expectation of living in another world after death4 ,when about eighteen years of age1 having lost her father and mother1 she married a soldier1 who belonged to a foot regiment1 and she was permitted to go with him to the continent4 ,while sojourning among strangers1 she was exposed to the most extreme hardships2 but her greatest trial was the death of her husband1 who was killed just before the birth of her child4 ,after his decease she returned to ,england1 and settled in her native village2 where1 like the majority around her1 she lived without ,god1 without ,christ1 and without hope1 till after the erection of the chapel4 ,having often felt the disadvantages of her inability to read or write1 she resolved1 if possible1 to give her child an education2 and as soon as she heard of the establishment of this school1 she applied for her admission1 and her request was granted4 ,the children were taught in the afternoon of the ,sabbath1 and they usually attended the public service in the evening1 with their parents4 ,on one occasion ,mr4 ,stevens addressed his rustic audience from the following words3 ,come1 see a man1 which told me all things that ever ,i did3 is not this the ,christ8 7,john iv4 #bi74 ,as he proceeded to unveil the hidden mysteries of the heart1 the conscience of this widow began to smite her2 she could not imagine from what source he had derived such an accurate knowledge of her character and history2 she felt self-condemned2 and had it not been for the invitation which was given to the weary and heavy laden1 to come to ,jesus ,christ1 she must1 to quote her own language1 have gone home in despair4 ,but the wound was no sooner inflicted than it was healed2 and though her views of the scheme of salvation were circumscribed1 yet they were clear1 and operated with so much force on her moral character1 that she was become a new creature in ,christ ,jesus4 ,thus1 while the sons of science pour contempt on the gospel as beneath their notice1 and the patrons of ecclesiastical order condemn all departures from the restrictions and limitations of human authority1 yet its history demonstrates that the ,god of all grace will employ it as the means of converting sinners1 even when it is preached by men who have not studied theology within the walls of a college1 and also when it is preached in places which have not been invested with the charm of human consecration4 ,from the garden in which ,i was walking ,i had an extensive view of the surrounding country1 and watched with peculiar delight the people advancing in every direction towards the house of prayer4 ,it indeed was a lovely sight6 ,the old and the young1 the healthy and the infirm1 the poor1 and a few of the rich1 were pressing onward1 with eagerness and decorum1 apparently conscious that they were going to worship the ,lord of hosts4 ,the children commenced the service by singing a hymn1 composed for the occasion2 and such was the effect which it produced on the crowded congregation1 that many wept--not tears of grief1 but of joy4 ,the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,morris preached a very judicious sermon1 from the words of ,solomon3 ,train up a child in the way he should go3 and when he is old1 he will not depart from it 7,prov4 xxii4 #f74 ,when enforcing on parents the importance of training up their children in the way in which they should go1 he said1 ,you may be denied the gratification of seeing any immediate advantage resulting from your labours2 but you ought not1 therefore1 to conclude that they will prove useless4 ,the religious principles which you instil into their minds may lie concealed for a long time without being destroyed1 as the seed which the husbandman casts in the ground remains inactive till called forth into expansion and growth under a mild and genial influence4 ,they may be striking root1 and shooting up into active life1 at the time when you are despairing of ever reaping the reward of your labour4 ,he illustrated and confirmed these remarks by a quotation taken from ,cecil's ,remains4 ,where1 says ,cecil1 parental influence does not convert1 it hampers4 ,it hangs on the wheels of evil4 ,i had a pious mother1 who dropped things in my way4 ,i could never rid myself of them4 ,i was a professed infidel2 but then ,i liked to be an infidel in company1 rather than when alone4 ,i was wretched when by myself4 ,these principles and maxims spoiled my pleasure4 ,with my companions ,i would sometimes stifle them2 like embers1 we kept one another warm4 ,besides1 ,i was here a sort of a hero4 ,i had beguiled several of my associates into my own opinions1 and ,i had to maintain a character before them4 ,but ,i could not divest myself of my better principles4 ,i went with one of my companions to see the ,minor2 he could laugh heartily1 but ,i could not4 ,the ridicule on regeneration was high sport to him--to me it was none2 it could not move my features4 ,he knew no difference between regeneration and transubstantiation4 ,i did4 ,i knew there was such a thing4 ,i was afraid and ashamed to laugh at it4 ,parental influence thus cleaves to a man2 it harasses him2 it throws itself continually in his way4 ,on walking from the chapel1 after the close of the service1 ,i overtook a gentleman1 who confessed that he had been hostile to the benevolent designs of ,mr4 ,stevens1 but that1 in future1 he would co-operate with him4 ,and why1 ,sir1 ,i asked1 were you hostile to them8 ,because ,i did not understand them2 and it is to this cause1 ,i have no doubt1 that we may attribute much of the opposition he has met with4 ,the world1 ,i replied1 is governed by prejudice1 and not by reason2 and hence1 what is excellent and beneficial is often condemned and often opposed1 because prejudice has been excited against it by misrepresentation or misconception4 ,prejudice led ,nathaniel to exclaim1 when the advent of the ,saviour was announced to him1 ',can any good thing come out of ,nazareth8' ,and prejudice often induces many1 in modern times1 to say1 ',can any good result from teaching children to read1 or from preaching the truth in any other place than in a church8' ,yes1 ,sir1 was the reply2 and it is very difficult to dislodge prejudice after it has taken possession of the mind2 for though there are seasons when its absurdity is admitted1 yet the dread of abandoning old opinions1 which have received the sanction of ages1 and of adopting new ones1 which are held in general contempt1 operates with such force1 that but few are courageous enough to overcome it4 ,the following lines of a modern poet may be thought severe1 but they are correct3-- ',though man a thinking being is defin'd1 ,few use the grand prerogative of mind3 ,how few think justly of the thinking few6 ,how many never think1 who think they do6 ,opinion1 therefore--such our mental dearth-- ,depends on mere locality or birth4' ,true1 ,sir2 but the few who burst the bonds of prejudice1 and claim the privilege of thinking1 and judging1 and acting for themselves1 though contemned and reproached by the multitude1 are the pioneers of an adventurous and ever active benevolence1 the ornaments and benefactors of the age and the country in which they live4 ,suppose ,mr4 ,stevens had been held in subjection by the bigoted opinions of others1 the children who are now taught to fear ,god and honour man1 would be left to rise up in life without any accurate perceptions of their duties2 and the village1 which now enjoys the light of life1 would still be sitting in the shadow of death4 ,he may be ridiculed for his zeal1 and reprobated for his irregularities as a member of the ,established ,church2 but can any one who believes the truth of the ,scripture1 suppose that his conduct is displeasing to ,him who requires all his disciples to do what they can to hasten the coming of ,his kingdom8 ,i knew ,mr4 ,stevens1 said the stranger1 when he was a man of gaiety and of pleasure1 and ,i have known him since he has been a religious man2 and although unable to account for the amazing change which has been produced in him1 yet ,i always gave him credit for meaning well4 ,some religious people are ashamed of their principles1 but he has professed them openly2 some contend for them in a rude1 dogmatic1 and antichristian manner1 but he has displayed as much amiability of temper as he has decision of conduct2 and while many whom ,i know have conformed as much as possible to the customs and habits of the world to avoid its censures1 he has uniformly paid as much respect to the preceptive parts of ,christianity1 as he has discovered zeal in the propagation of its doctrinal tenets4 ,and it is this uniform consistency of conduct on his part1 that induced me to attend the ,union ,chapel this evening1 and ,i do not hesitate to say that ,i have been gratified and instructed4 ,when ,i reached ,fairmount ,i had the pleasure of being introduced to ,miss ,roscoe1 who had ventured1 for the first time1 to attend the chapel4 ,this young lady united in her person the fascinations of beauty with superior mental accomplishments2 and though she would occasionally intermingle with the gay and the fashionable1 and participate in their pleasures1 yet she was more attached to reading and retirement4 ,this disposition was cherished by her father1 who was a man of close study1 and passionately fond of disputation4 ,he would sometimes relax from the ardour of intellectual pursuits1 and enter into the amusements of the theatre1 the ball-room1 and the card party1 with energy and vivacity2 but soon he would grow weary of such pastimes1 and return to his more rational employments4 ,he was well read in history--a good botanist--had acquired an extensive knowledge of the science of geology--had studied ,blackstone and ,burn with attention2 but the largest portion of his time was devoted to the investigation of the ,scriptures4 ,after ,miss ,roscoe had finished her education at a boarding-school1 she pursued her studies under the superintendence of her father1 who was eminently qualified to enrich her mind with the treasures of knowledge and of wisdom4 ,thus months and years rolled on in regular succession1 with but few incidents of a painful nature1 till ,he ,who waits his own well chosen hour1 ,th' intended mercy to display1 inflicted a wound in her heart1 which was attended with an unusual depression of spirit4 ,she felt the stroke1 but knew not from whence it came1 nor could her father tell her who could heal it4 ,he was advised to try what effect a change of air and society would have on her spirits2 and hence he removed his family to ,dawlish in ,devonshire1 where they spent the whole of the summer2 but still her morbid melancholy increased1 and the physician recommended a visit to ,bath for the winter1 as the only expedient which was likely to prevent the entire loss of health1 if not of her reason4 ,here she was hurried1 by the ardour of parental solicitude1 into scenes of gaiety and amusement1 which now had lost their charm2 and though she often refused to go1 saying that they could afford her no pleasure1 yet1 her reluctance being regarded as an inveterate symptom of her complaint1 she was compelled to yield1 till she frankly said1 ,if you wish me to regain my long-lost tranquillity1 cease to force me where the gaiety of others increases my mental depression1 and let me return home1 that1 in the retirement of solitude1 ,i may find rest from the aggravating amusements of human gaiety and folly4 ,mrs4 ,stevens1 who was intimate with the family1 and had held some religious conversation with ,miss ,roscoe before she left home1 made a morning call on her return1 when she found her alone4 ,referring to ,doddridge's ,rise and ,progress of ,religion in the ,soul1 which she had presented to her on a former occasion1 she received a reply which gave her great pleasure2 and1 from some incidental expressions1 she was convinced that the cause of her depression lay in the deep recesses of her heart4 ,she therefore suggested to her1 as the only effectual means of its removal1 a perusal of the ,scriptures4 ,i once felt1 she said1 what you now feel1 and though my mental anguish was not so acute as yours1 nor so overwhelming in its influence1 yet ,i should have sunk under it1 had it not been for the consolations of mercy which ,i found in the ,bible4 ,this communication1 which was not less unexpected than the appearance of the angel of ,god to ,hagar1 as she sat in the solitude of maternal grief1 mourning over her child in the agonies of death1 raised the spirit of ,miss ,roscoe from beneath that load of depression which was sinking her into despair1 and she inquired1 with singular emphasis of expression3-- ,and do you indeed think that the ,bible will afford me any relief8 ,i have not been permitted to see it since the commencement of my illness2 but if you recommend it1 ,i will peruse it4 ,yes1 my dear2 that book1 which a thoughtless world despises1 is ,heaven's best gift to man4 ',i know and feel it is a blessed book2 ,and ,i remember how it stopp'd my tears ,in days of former sorrow2 like some herb ,of sov'reign virtue to a wound applied4' ,but1 said ,miss ,roscoe1 whose independent mind had not lost its intellectual vigour during the gloomy night of mental sadness1 what does the ,bible reveal1 which is so peculiarly appropriate to me8 ,it reveals a ,saviour1 who came into the world to save sinners4 ,that truth ,i know1 and ,i cannot banish it from my recollection2 but ,i cannot perceive how the belief of it is calculated to bring back my long-lost happiness4 ,but1 my dear1 if you did believe it1 in the scriptural acceptation of the term1 it would not only remove the depression of your spirits1 but raise you into a higher and a purer state of felicity than that from whence you are fallen4 ,i do believe it1 and what more is required8 ,what more1 my dear ,miss ,roscoe8 ,you should reduce your belief to a practical operation1 and1 in the most simple and humble form of speech1 plead the merits of the ,saviour's death for the remission of your sins1 for peace of conscience1 and for eternal life4 ',for through ,him we have access by one ,spirit unto the ,father4' ,you are unhappy1 but know not the cause2 and that morbid melancholy which has destroyed your health1 and laid waste the vivacity of your spirits1 has hitherto set at defiance every expedient which you have employed for its removal2 but such is the mysterious efficacy of the death of ,jesus ,christ1 when the design of his death is perceived1 that it makes the wounded spirit whole1 and it calms the troubled breast4 ,the state of your mind is neither hopeless nor singular2 and though at present you may not be able to perceive how your mental anguish can issue in mental peace1 yet1 if you try the efficacy of prayer1 you will see 'the darkened cloud withdraw2' and then you will adore the grace which humbles to exalt1 which impoverishes to enrich1 and which renders our sources of earthly pleasure incapable of affording delight1 that we may be compelled to derive our supreme felicity from fellowship with the ,father1 and his ,son ,jesus ,christ4 ,this intercourse led to an intimacy1 which soon ripened into a strong attachment2 and that morbid melancholy1 which had withstood the rural charms of ,dawlish1 and the captivating amusements of ,bath1 began to give way under the religious communications of a friend1 who had often been ridiculed for her zeal1 and sometimes reproached for attempting to disturb the peace of those whose happiness she lived to promote4 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,roscoe saw1 with no ordinary emotions of delight1 the dawning of serenity on the countenance of their beloved child1 but knew not the cause till they accidentally saw her reading the ,bible1 which they had been recommended to keep from her4 ,in the evening1 as they were sitting together1 ,mr4 ,roscoe said1 ,i think1 my dear ,sophia1 that you are regaining your former vivacity4 ,i am more happy than ,i was1 but not so happy as ,i wish to be4 ,the light of bliss1 ,i hope1 my dear1 is shining on you1 but ,i fear lest it should again depart4 ,you must be cautious what you read2 and if you will permit me to offer you my advice1 ,i would recommend you light reading1 which1 ,i think1 would just now have a good effect4 ,i thank you1 my dear father1 for your advice1 but such reading would bring back the gloom which the light of revealed truth is scattering from around my mind4 ,there is no book which ,i read with so much pleasure as the ,bible4 ,the ,bible contains much important history2 it abounds with interesting narratives2 it makes us familiar with the customs of ancient times1 and supplies us with some inimitable specimens of good composition2 but ,i would advise you not to read the ,epistles of the ,new ,testament1 lest they should perplex and bewilder you1 and lead you off into a state of mental distraction1 which no human skill would be able to control or subdue4 ,you know1 my dear father1 that no human skill has been able to control or remove that fixed melancholy under which ,i have been labouring for nine months2 but ,i feel now greatly relieved from it2 and ,i assure you that it is the perusal of that portion of the ,scripture which you wish me to avoid1 to which ,i attribute1 under the blessing of ,god1 the delightful change which has taken place in the state and frame of my mind4 ,,the ,,bible ,,disdained4 ,as it was a very fine evening1 ,i resolved on taking my usual walk1 and sallied forth1 sauntering along1 undecided where to go1 till ,i came within sight of the towering hill overlooking the woodman's cottage4 ,yes1 ,i will go and see the surviving mourners4 ,they are doubtless still in trouble2 but the heavy swell of grief may have subsided a little1 now that all that remained of their lovely ,jemima#c is in the grave4 ,the rich scenery through which ,i was passing supplied me with ample and varied materials for thinking2 but my thinking faculty felt more inclined to muse on death and immortality than on trees or flowers1 on bleating sheep1 or on lowing cattle4 #c ,see p4 #ajf4 ,yes1 man dies2 but he still lives4 ,he passes from one locality and condition of existence to another4 ,he will never die again4 ,no1 his next life is endless4 ,if saved1 what varied and splendid forms of beauty and of grandeur will open on his vision the moment he passes the dark frontier that divides the visible from the unseen world6 ,what sounds of harmony1 coming from the pure and happy spirits of the celestial state1 will vibrate on his ear6 ,what ecstasy will he feel when presented faultless before the glorious presence of the ,divine ,majesty6 ,if lost6--,woe1 woe1 woe6 ,my heart recoils from a contemplation of his fearful and changeless destiny4 ,on entering the cottage ,i saw a stranger1 in the costume of a gentleman1 polite and accomplished2 but there was an air of mannerism about him uncongenial to my taste4 ,the woodman and his wife were glad to see me1 and after making a few faint allusions to the mournful event which had recently occurred1 they relapsed into expressive silence1 which induced me to suppose that my abrupt appearance had interrupted some conversation or discussion4 ,at length1 after a little desultory and somewhat forced chit-chat1 the woodman1 who appeared rather singularly excited1 addressing himself to the stranger1 said1 ,there is1 ,sir1 one evidence that the ,bible comes from ,god1 which gives to me and my wife entire satisfaction1 and against which no objection can be brought that can stagger or weaken our faith4 ,these good people1 said the stranger1 turning towards me1 appear not to have perplexities enough in the casualties and contingencies of life1 and therefore they are perplexing themselves by the mysteries of the ,bible4 ,yes1 ,sir1 said the wife1 just as we should perplex ourselves if an old and endeared friend looked in to see us1 bringing with him some good news4 ,we certainly might feel a little perplexed about the accommodation we could give him1 but none on account of his coming to see us1 or the good news he brings2 that would be a matter of rejoicing4 ,i admire the happy art you possess to give a good turn to an objectionable observation4 ,well1 ,mr4 ,woodman1 let me hear what this evidence is1 which gives to you both so much satisfaction1 and which you think no objection can set aside4 ,i see1 taking out his watch as he spoke1 ,i must soon go4 ,why1 ,sir1 it is just this3 when reading my ,bible1 ,i cannot help thinking of myself--my condition as a sinful and an immortal being--of my last end--of ,god1 his goodness in providence1 but his still greater goodness in making such grand provision1 through the redemption of ,christ1 for my present and future happiness4 ,these thinkings awaken in my soul gratitude1 and love1 and filial trust in ,him1 and constrain me to surrender my soul to ,him1 through ,christ1 to be redeemed1 sanctified1 and saved4 ,now1 ,sir1 as the road which leads to your mansion must lead from it1 so ,i think that the ,bible1 which leads us to ,god1 as our father and our best friend1 must come from ,him4 ,well1 my good fellow1 rising1 and taking him by the hand1 perhaps it would do you no good if ,i were to attempt to disturb you while reposing with so much satisfaction in your innocent delusions4 ,you have1 ,sir1 been trying to do it for the last hour and a half1 said the wife1 with a marked emphasis of severe rebuke1 and without directing us to any other source of comfort under our troubles4 ,we have just lost one of our dear children2 but the ,bible reconciles me to that loss1 by telling me that my child is now happy in heaven2 but you have been trying to make us believe that this is a delusion4 ,why1 ,sir1 you would1 if in your power1 do us a greater act of cruelty than ,captain ,dunlop1 who lives in yon big house1 attempted to do to us last autumn4 ,i would scorn to commit an act of cruelty against any one1 especially against you1 who have behaved with so much civility to me4 ,but what act of cruelty did the ,captain meditate committing against you8 ,you see1 ,sir1 that little running brook which feeds the watercress you have just relished so much4 ,well1 the ,captain1 last autumn1 cut a deep channel for it to run through the glen1 in an opposite direction1 but ,squire ,stevens interfered1 and prevented him4 ,now1 ,sir1 if he had done what he was going to do1 he would have taken from us our stream of water4 ,but1 even then1 by raising a little subscription amongst our neighbours1 we might perhaps have sunk a well1 and though the water might not be so good or so plentiful1 yet it might have answered our purpose4 ,but1 ,sir1 if you take away our ,bible1 or1 what is the same thing1 if you were to destroy our belief in its inspiration and authority1 you would take from us the rich flow of comfort it supplies to us in our troubles1 and you would cut us off from the hope of future happiness4 ,now1 if you had succeeded in your endeavours1 your visit would be to us as great a curse as the visit of the devil was to our first parents in ,eden4 ,you are1 indeed1 eloquently ingenious4 ,well1 the next time ,i come ,i won't say anything against your ,bible4 ,i hope not1 ,sir1 said the honest woodman1 who appeared much pleased with the smart reproof his wife had administered to this stranger2 for if you do1 we shall then say at once1 what ,i now say after long endurance1 we would rather have your room than your company4 ,i think1 ,sir1 such gentlemen as you should keep within the compass of your own sceptical fraternity1 and then you may say what you please1 and perhaps not do much harm4 ,but when you enter the cottage of the poor1 and find them happy in ,god1 and thankful to ,him for their ,bible1 you ought to feel it a point of honour not to try to steal away their happiness2 as ,i suppose you have too much honour to pocket any spoons when you go away from a rich man's house4 ,i listened with amazement and delight to the artless defence and severe rebuke of the woodman and his wife1 and addressing them1 said1 ,i am happy to hear you administer such a severe and just rebuke to this gentleman2 and which1 ,sir1 turning towards him1 ,i hope you will feel at the core of your heart1 and that it will prevent your repeating elsewhere the act of meanness of which you have been guilty here--stealing a poor man's ,bible1 while eating his bread and cheese4 ,do you1 ,sir1 mean to insult me8 ,i allow no one to do that with impunity4 ,indeed1 ,sir6 ,if speaking the truth1 in a tone and style in which it ought to be spoken to a man in the attire and with the appearance of a gentleman1 who enters a poor man's cottage1 and1 while feasting at his table1 is mean enough to try to destroy his faith in his ,bible1 which is the well-spring of his happiness1 be regarded by you as an insult1 why1 then1 there is no alternative but to feel yourself insulted4 ,he looked1 but said no more1 and tossing1 rather unceremoniously1 a half-crown piece on the table for the refreshment he had received1 he left in high dudgeon1 muttering to himself as he moved away4 ,these infidels1 ,sir1 said the woodman1 in one thing are like the ,pharisees of the ,new ,testament2 they won't go into the kingdom of heaven themselves1 and they want to prevent others going there if they can4 ,he began his infidel remarks before my children1 but ,i sent them away1 and told him that ,i would not let a child1 if ,i knew it1 get near an infected person4 ,i suppose you don't often meet with infidels4 ,more often1 ,sir1 than ,i wish2 for ,i generally find they are bad men--some bad in their habits1 and all bad in their principles4 ,the high-priest of their order lives up in yonder mansion1 and he has many visitors4 ,he used to come to our cottage sometimes1 but he does not come now1 as ,i offended him one day1 by telling him that it was an act of meanness1 as well as injustice1 to try to cut off the stream of water from the poor families that live near it1 for some miles in its course1 and doing it to enrich his own meadows4 ,well1 said his wife1 we should pity them1 and pray for them1 and bless the ,lord for making us to differ4 ,it often pains my heart to think of a person living a few years in wealth and honour1 and then passing into the eternal world to perish for ever4 ,we have many troubles1 yet some comforts4 ,there1 ,sir1 pointing to her ,bible1 is our grand comforter2 its precious promises speak peace to the soul1 and take our hopes onwards to a better world1 where the weary will enjoy rest for ever4 ,i read the fourth chapter of ,paul's ,epistle to the ,thessalonians1 making a few comments on its last verse1 adapted to the excited state of feeling occasioned by the death and burial of their little ,jemima2 and1 after praying with them1 ,i withdrew1 yet promising to repeat my visit before my departure from ,fairmount4 ,on getting over the stile which crossed my pathway about half-a-mile from the cottage1 ,i saw the infidel standing where ,i had seen ,mr4 ,gordon standing on a preceding ,saturday evening2 and though at first ,i thought he was waiting for me1 yet ,i soon perceived that he was admiring the grand panoramic view which was visible from that spot4 ,i passed within a few yards of him1 and in the act of passing we exchanged a bow of recognition4 ,it appears1 ,sir1 he said1 that we are going in the same direction1 and1 if agreeable1 ,i will walk with you4 ,i at once consented1 thinking that ,i might have an opportunity of making an assault on his scepticism1 which possibly might issue in some practical good4 ,you were rather too severe upon me in the cottage4 ,if ,i thought so1 ,sir1 ,i would offer you an apology2 but my few remarks1 though severe1 were1 ,i think1 just4 ,well1 well1 perhaps ,i did wrong4 ,but the fact is1 ,i found both the woodman and his wife so shrewd and intelligent1 that1 on hearing them make some impassioned allusions to the ,bible1 ,i thought they would appreciate some remarks tending1 at least in my opinion1 to counteract the terrible impression of fear and dread which a belief in the inspiration and authority of the ,bible necessarily calls up and fixes in the heart4 ,but you see it inspires no fear in them2 it is not to them the haunting ghost of terror1 but a domestic comforter4 ,well1 ,i can't account for it2 ,i wonder how any one who believes in the ,bible1 which speaks of hell and endless misery1 can sleep calmly on his pillow4 ,i suppose they must believe one part1 and disbelieve the other4 ,no1 ,sir1 it is because their belief in one part inspires confidence in the love and faithfulness of ,god their ,saviour1 they can believe the other part without dread or fear4 ,i presume you are a firm believer in the ,bible4 ,i am1 ,sir4 ,may ,i be permitted to ask you what is the predominant impression it makes on your mind--terror or tranquil peace8 ,if ,i were to say that it never awakened an emotion of terror1 ,i should not speak strictly correct4 ,when ,i have reflected on sin1 its essentially evil nature and tendency2 on my own sins1 their number and peculiar aggravations2 on the ,divine purity and justice2 and on the tremendous visitations of punishment which have been1 and still are inflicted on man1 both in this world and in the world to come1 ,i have felt a tumult of terror agitating my soul1 of a fearful aspect4 ,but1 ,sir1 my faith sees one in the midst of the storm1 whose eye is pity1 and whose arm is power2 and my prayer is1 ,lord save or ,i perish4 ,he hears and he answers this prayer4 ,but how do you know that he hears and answers your prayers8 ,because my dark forebodings cease1 and there is a calm within1 as there was a great calm on the ,lake of ,galilee when our ,lord rebuked the winds and the sea4 ,were you trained1 ,sir1 to a belief in the ,bible8 ,i once rejected the ,bible as a book of fables or falsehoods4 ,you1 then1 were once what ,i am now--an unbeliever2 and ,i was once what you are now--a believer4 ,how the human character changes as time moves slowly on1 to bring out the great teacher1 death1 who will finally settle everything4 ,yes1 ,sir1 and for ever4 ,what awful sublimity in that short sentence--yes1 and for ever4 ,the subject of our conversation interests me1 as ,i have heard that prisoners committed for capital offences sometimes evince a peculiar intensity of emotion when listening to the mock process of a trial2 the rehearsal of the coming tragedy pleases them4 ,but to return to our subject1 may ,i be permitted to ask you whether you now live habitually free from terror8 ,i do1 ,sir4 ,never calculate on being damned for ever8 ,never4 ,and you can sleep as calmly on your pillow1 with the ,bible by your side1 as you could if you believed the dark world of hell had vanished into air--gone out of existence for ever8 ,yes1 ,sir1 ,i can4 ,this1 ,sir1 is to me inexplicably marvellous4 ,i wonder how any one1 who believes in the ,divine authority of the ,bible1 can ever look at it without feeling terrified1 as children feel when going into a dark room1 after listening to a series of fearful ghost stories4 ,why1 ,sir1 the very design of the ,christian revelation1 given to us in the ,bible1 is not only to deliver us from the wrath to come1 but from the dread of it4 ,and this it does1 when we believe in its ,divine origin1 and yield to its authority4 ,i was a believer once1 and fond of theological studies2 but the predominant influence of my faith was most oppressive1 at times agonizing4 ,i could never rise above terror2 the dread of being lost for ever haunted me almost day and night4 ,if you watched the mental process which was going on during the time you were a believer in the ,bible1 and can now distinctly recollect it1 perhaps you will perceive there was one great act you failed to perform1 which is the testing and the decisive act of a genuine believer--the passing of the ,rubicon4 ,to what act do you refer8 ,to the act of coming to ,jesus ,christ1 in compliance with his own invitation and promise--',come unto me1 all ye that labour and are heavy laden1 and ,i will give you rest' 7,matt4 xi4 #bh74 ',him that cometh to me ,i will in no wise cast out' 7,john vi4 #cg74 ,yes1 ,sir1 ,i recollect having my eye often fixed on the two verses you have quoted1 and others which speak of coming to him for life1 and to be saved2 but a veil of mystery hung over them which ,i could not lift up4 ,i had the loftiest conceptions of his superhuman greatness and goodness2 the fine blending of majesty and meekness1 of dignity and condescension in his character1 awakened my admiration2 his pity1 his love1 his spotless purity1 awed and delighted me2 and ,i often felt indignant--a real loathing of spirit--when reflecting on the brutal treatment he met with from his countrymen2 but ,i never could make out1 from anything ,i read in the ,new ,testament1 how he could stand in the relation of a ,saviour to me1 or how ,i could perform that act of coming to him1 on which he places the issue of salvation4 ,and this is the origin of my unbelief4 ,i had no wish to become an unbeliever2 ,i became one against my inclination1 and in opposition to early1 and long-cherished1 and endeared associations2 but necessity compelled me2 because1 after long and intense thinking1 ,i found that the proferred blessing of salvation was placed on an impracticable and an impossible contingency4 ,nor have ,i1 as yet1 had cause to regret it4 ,i now can live without dread of the future2 and ,i have no doubt1 if there be another state of existence for man1 as ,i feel inclined to believe there is1 it will be one of happiness1 to compensate for the sorrows and miseries which are endured in this4 ,but suppose others have been enabled to perform this act of coming to ,jesus ,christ2 and suppose1 by performing it1 they have entered into the actual possession of peace and joy in believing1 then ,i think you must admit that the contingency on which the proferred blessing of salvation is suspended1 comes within the capabilities of the human mind1 and what others have done you might have done1 and yet may live to do4 ,by your permission ,i will give you a paragraph1 as it bears so closely on the subject of our conversation1 which one of the most distinguished men of the present age addressed to a philosophical friend4 ,the writer had been for years a believer in the ,divine origin of the ,christian faith1 but up to this period in his moral history1 it was to him a system of abstract truths1 which made no approaches to his heart1 to engage his affections1 or to influence his will4 ,but by a succession of impulses and impressions1 and new discoveries of his inner spirit1 he began to feel restless--some degree of alarm1 in fact1 that he stood in need of a ,saviour2 and by reading the ,bible with close attention1 he found that ,jesus ,christ1 who up to this time had moved in dim vision before his imagination1 as an ideal or a mere historical being1 was a living being1 and just such a living being as he needed--one who could save him from his fears1 and who alone could save him4 ,the crisis in his moral history now arrived1 and he says3 ',i sicken at my own imperfect preparations4 ,i take one decisive and immediate step1 and resign my all to the sufficiency of my ,saviour4 ,i plead his own promise1 that him that cometh unto me ,i will in no wise cast out4 ,i come to him with my heart1 such as it is1 and ,i pray that the operation of his ,spirit1 and the power of his sanctifying faith1 would make it such as it should be4' ,this is the experience and testimony of ,dr4 ,chalmers1 who tells us that after he thus believed and trusted in ,christ1 he had 'joyful moments2' he walked with ,god1 living in the habitual expectation of eternal life4 ,if1 ,sir1 ,i now entertained the same belief in the truthfulness of the ,bible which ,i once entertained1 and which1 without doubt1 ,dr4 ,chalmers entertained when he wrote to his friend the paragraph which you have just given to me1 ,i should feel strongly inclined to attribute the predominancy of fear and dread over hope and peace1 under which ,i ceaselessly suffered1 to some defective view of revealed truth1 or to some shortcoming in the mysterious act of mental obedience to a ,divine requisition2 but1 to be candid1 ,i cannot now look on the ,bible with that degree of reverence ,i once did1 and for many grave reasons4 ,i have detected in it so many palpable errors1 and so many irreconcilable discrepancies1 that ,i cannot now receive it as a genuine and authentic revelation of the ,deity4 ,but neither errors nor discrepancies have ever been considered1 by fair and impartial critics1 as decisive evidence against the genuineness or authenticity of an ancient book2 as errors1 by careful collation1 may be corrected1 and discrepancies adjusted1 as our knowledge becomes more accurate and extended4 ,and this has been done in reference to the ,bible1 by many whose learning and integrity stamp a sterling worth on the result of their labours4 ,i know1 ,sir1 many men of learning1 of taste1 and of dogged honesty1 who are staunch believers in the ,bible1 and candour compels me to admit that they have1 to their own satisfaction1 corrected the errors and harmonized the discrepancies which stagger my faith2 and1 perhaps1 if ,i were to adopt the same process of labour1 ,i might be equally successful2 but ,i do not now see the necessity of it4 ,i have arrived at a point of discovery which yields me as much satisfaction as you can feel in the discoveries which the ,bible makes to you4 ,i can feel1 without such auxiliary aid1 a calm repose in the sympathy of ,god with individual man1 and a delight in meditating on his grandeur and his goodness1 which1 ,i think1 cannot be surpassed by any emotion which the strongest faith in the promises of the ,bible can inspire4 ,but1 ,sir1 how can you know that he feels sympathy for individual man1 unless he tells you so8 ,i believe he does4 ,but on what evidence do you base your belief8 ,because1 to believe without evidence1 would be as absurd as to withhold belief from preponderating evidence would be reprehensible4 ,i infer it1 from the very obvious marks of benevolent design which are apparent through the whole range of creation4 ,i will not dispute this point2 but permit me to ask you whether1 in your belief1 his sympathy is a species of refined sentimental emotion for his own gratification1 or a practical manifestation of sustaining and consoling influence2 and whether he sympathizes with every individual man who needs his sympathy1 or only a select portion of the great family of suffering humanity8 ,before ,i reply to your questions1 may ,i ask if you have any doubt on the question of his sympathy for individual man8 ,i have no doubt on the question of his sympathy and loving-kindness in behalf of those who confide in him1 and who love him1 because my ,bible tells me so2 but there is an ambiguity in your form of expression1 which1 in my judgment1 involves a self-evident contradiction1 and this is why ,i have asked for a clear explanation--ambiguity in reasoning being something like a sudden eclipse1 which wraps everything in total darkness4 ,in my theory1 ,sir1 there is no selection--nothing like that undercurrent of partiality which runs through the ,bible2 all are treated alike1 standing on the same level2 and hence my expression1 he sympathizes with individual man1 means every man4 ,and you believe this1 without his telling you that he does cherish a practical sympathy for every man4 ,i infer it1 ,sir1 and from what ,i consider an infallible data--the obvious marks of benevolent design1 which ,i can trace through the whole range of the visible creation4 ,i admit your data1 but object to your inference1 because uniform experience decides the fact that all men do not stand on the same level1 nor are they treated alike2 for we cannot look in any direction without seeing inequality4 ,i am not going1 ,sir1 to inquire into the causes of this inequality of rank1 of personal and of social condition1 which is so obviously apparent1 as that would raise many questions which we should not have time to discuss1 but simply to notice the fact of inequality1 which your proposition virtually denies4 ,look1 for example1 at yon princely mansion1 and then think of the cottage where we first met4 ,compare the athletic frame of its wealthy occupier and his hale appearance1 with an emaciated human being1 whose life is pining away under a prolonged disease4 ,are all treated alike1 and do all stand on the same level1 under his administrative providence8 ,no1 ,sir1 there are towering mountains1 rich in golden ore1 and desert wastes1 where the mower filleth not his hand1 nor he that bindeth sheaves his bosom4 ,and if1 ,sir1 he sympathizes with every man1 in the sense which we attach to the term1 it must be sentimental2 facts prove that it is not practical--the mere sympathy of the humane judge for prisoners1 when leaving the dock under the sentence of death1 or that of the tender-hearted physician in a ward of incurables4 ,go into an hospital1 a prison1 a poor-house1 or a cottage1 where its inmate is dying under prolonged and acute disease2 visit the habitation of a broken-down tradesman1 whose children are crying for food1 while he has none to give them2 pass on to the field of battle1 after the work of slaughter is over1 and mingle amongst the wounded2 or go on board the slave ship1 and look into her hold1 as she moves through the middle passage1 between the land of freedom and the land of perpetual bondage2 and what practical proof will you find1 in any of these retreats of suffering humanity1 that ,,god ,,sympathizes ,,with ,,every ,,man8 ,you talk of the discrepancies of the ,bible1 and argue that they are a proof that it comes not from ,god4 ,but what a terribly perplexing and appalling discrepancy do you open up between his character as a benevolent being1 and his administrative providence8 ,follow out your course of reasoning1 and then1 to act consistently1 you must become an atheist1 and compelled to admit into your creed not only improbabilities1 but absolute impossibilities4 ,well1 ,i will admit that when we come into real1 practical life1 we are compelled to modify1 if not to give up as indefensible1 some of our speculative opinions4 ,in fact1 the issue of every inquiry1 when fearlessly pursued1 is uncertainty--painful1 distracting uncertainty--and man becomes the sport1 if not the victim1 of his own speculations and investigations4 ,yes1 ,sir1 when he will not condescend to be taught of ,god4 ,if we admit the inspiration1 and consequent authority of the ,bible1 we have an infallible teacher on all questions relating to our responsibilities and our final destiny1 and the mind settles down into a state of quietude1 and feels secure2 but if we reject its inspiration and authority as a sham1 or a dogma of superstition1 we go adrift on the wide expanse of absolute uncertainty1 and are left to perish1 when1 and where1 and how we know not1 till after the terrible catastrophe has occurred4 ,there was now a pause in our discussion2 and within the space of a few minutes1 a little dark cloud1 like that which was seen by the prophet's servants from the heights of ,carmel1 overspread the heavens1 and we were compelled to look for a place of refuge from the storm which was coming4 ,i am going to see a poor woman1 who lives in yon cottage2 perhaps you will not object to accompany me2 we shall find shelter there4 ,most willingly1 and if she be a deserving object1 ,i shall feel most happy to contribute a mite for her relief2 for your sake1 ,sir4 ,i thank you4 ,sir1 for the personal compliment2 and ,i doubt not but she will be thankful for your charitable donation1 for she is very poor4 ,to be candid1 ,sir1 ,i like practical sympathy better than sentimental2 the one is a reality1 the other a sham or a mawkish emotion1 little less than a self-compliment to a refined but useless sensibility--something which excites the sentimentalism of a drawing-room1 when we are looking on the print of an hospital or the wreck of a vessel hanging on the wall1 but which gives no relief to a rescued sailor1 or a discharged incurable4 ,the poor inmate 7,mrs4 ,allen7 was seated in her chair1 wrapped in flannel1 and supported by pillows1 her appearance plainly indicating that she was near death4 ,she smiled on seeing me1 but on seeing the stranger she became a little disconcerted1 yet1 with polite ease1 she moved her hands towards two chairs1 and said1 ,gentlemen1 be seated4 ,you appear1 said ,mr4 ,tennent1 very ill4 ,yes1 ,sir1 but ,i believe my life of suffering will soon end1 and then all will be well--and for ever4 ,i suppose you hope to go to heaven when you die8 ,i have no doubt of it1 ,sir4 ,but as your ,bible speaks of hell and eternal misery1 don't you sometimes fear going there when you die8 ,i did once1 ,sir4 ,and why not now8 ,because my dear ,saviour says1 ',come unto me1 and ,i will give you rest4' ,i have come to him1 and do come to him daily and hourly1 and he has fulfilled his promise1 and given me rest of soul1 as an earnest of everlasting rest1 and peace1 and joy4 ,then you have no fear in prospect of going into the great invisible world4 ,no1 ,sir2 and ,i long for the hour to come when ,i shall depart and be with ,christ4 ,i saw him in the visions of the night1 when deep sleep had fallen upon me1 and he appeared in glory1 as when he was transfigured on ,tabor4 ,do you place much dependence on dreams8 ,i place dependence on nothing1 ,sir1 but the exceeding great and precious promises of my ,bible2 but it is delightsome to have1 in the visions of the night1 the re-appearance of day-thoughts and meditations2 it is often then1 from some cause which ,i cannot explain1 they are clothed in a more visible and substantial form4 ,now1 ,mrs4 ,allen1 one more question1 and ,i have done4 ,do you think it possible for any argument to convince you that ,jesus ,christ is not a real being1 only an imaginary one8 ,do you1 ,sir1 think it possible for any argument to convince you that you are not a real being1 or that we are not all real beings1 only imaginary ones4 ,the one thing is just about as likely to be done as the other1 and just about as easy4 ,i read part of the fourteenth chapter of the ,gospel of ,john1 making a few remarks on what ,i read1 and then went to pray with her1 ,mr4 ,tennent1 from a sense of politeness1 if not from a superior reason1 kneeling with me before the throne of mercy4 ,as the storm was now abated1 and the evening far spent1 we left her2 but1 on shaking hands with her1 ,mr4 ,tennent gave her a sovereign4 ,we walked away in silence1 but at length he said1 ,well1 ,sir1 if your religion be1 what unbelievers say it is1 an invention1 it is a very soothing and inspiring one4 ,on such an occasion as this we cannot help wishing it to be real1 even if we can't believe it to be so4 ,you see1 ,sir1 it answers all the purposes of a reality at the great crisis in the history of human life4 ,when we came to the cross-road where we were to leave each other1 he said1 ,do you1 ,sir1 remain at ,fairmount much longer8 ,yes1 ,sir1 for some weeks4 ,i should like another interview1 if ,i may be permitted to solicit such a favour4 ,we engaged to meet on the following ,saturday evening1 but we were prevented4 ,towards the latter end of the ensuing week1 ,i received the subjoined note from him1 which was brought by ,captain ,dunlop's gardener1 who informed us that his master was just dead3-- ,,dear ,,sir1--,before you receive this1 ,i shall have left4 ,what a contrast have ,i witnessed between the cottage and the mansion6 ,what ,i have seen and heard during this visit will never pass from my memory4 ,if ,i could believe in the efficacy of prayer1 ,i should say1 pray for me4 ,we may never meet again1 but should the ,bible ever be in later life as precious to me as it was before infidelity corrupted my heart1 you shall hear from me4--,yours faithfully1 ,,george ,,tennent4 ,we had heard of the ,captain's illness1 at whose mansion ,mr4 ,tennent had been on a visit2 but the announcement of his death startled and depressed us4 ,why1 gardener1 your master's death has been very sudden4 ,yes1 ,sir1 he wasn't ill more than five days4 ,what was the nature of his disease8 ,inflammation of the bowels1 so ,i heard my wife say4 ,did any clergyman visit him during his illness8 ,no1 ,sir1 no one was with him but my wife1 he was mainly fond of her1 and she nursed him1 and gave him his physic1 and didn't leave him1 night or day1 till he left us all for t'other world4 ,i believe1 gardener1 he was an infidel1 and did not believe in the existence of another world4 ,it happened to him1 ,sir1 as it has happened to others before him2 when death got near him his infidelity forsook him1 and then his belief of another world was as strong as the apostle ,paul's1 so ,i heard my wife say4 ,do you know how he felt in the prospect of dying8 ,i heard my wife say it was a dismal scene4 ,she trembled at night when she was left by herself with him4 ,do you know if ,mr4 ,tennent saw him during his illness8 ,i heard my wife say that he saw him once1 and they had high words4 ,you don't mean they quarrelled4 ,why1 no1 ,sir1 not exactly that1 but ,i heard my wife say that when ,mr4 ,tennent went into his room one morning1 just after breakfast1 master said to him1 you see1 ,tennent1 what you and your infidelity has done for me4 ,i shall go down in this storm1 and be lost4 ,mr4 ,tennent said something in reply1 so ,i heard my wife say1 but ,i can't mind what1 for ,i have been in a power of trouble since master's death1 for he was a good master to me4 ,he never went into the room after that morning1 so ,i heard my wife say4 ,do you know if he had any hope of salvation before he died8 ,no1 ,sir1 ,i don't think he had4 ,i heard my wife say that master said next to nothing all along through his sickness1 but that one awful saying1 ,i shall go down in this storm1 and be lost4 ,he said that1 ,sir1 so ,i heard my wife say1 just as he was a-dying4 ,my wife is in sore trouble about master's soul1 for he was a good master to her4 ,i tell you what1 ,sir1 this infidelity is a bad thing4 ,it makes people bold in wickedness and contempt of ,god when they are in health1 but their courage leaves them when death comes4 ,they are desperate cowards then4 ,well1 gardener1 ,i hope it will be a warning to you4 ,i hope1 ,sir1 you don't think that ,i be an infidel4 ,no1 ,sir1 ,i love my ,bible1 and so does my wife4 ,an infidel6 no1 ,sir2 and ,i often told master he would repent of it some day4 ,i can't1 ,sir1 get the terrible words out of my ears--,i shall go down in this storm1 and be lost4 ,in that storm master did go down4 ,good night1 ,sir2 it's too awful to think about4 ,the funeral was conducted with great pomp2 and when passing the gardener's cottage some days afterwards1 ,i stepped in and saw his wife1 who was in mourning for her late master4 ,after a few leading inquiries1 ,i got her to tell me what passed when ,mr4 ,tennent went to see his dying friend4 ,i don't mind all1 ,sir1 but master said to him1 you see ,tennent1 what you and your infidelity has done for me4 ,he then said something about praying to ,jesus ,christ to save him1 when master said to him1 why1 how can ,i do that1 when you have taught me to reject ,him as an impostor8 ,i loved my ,bible till ,i knew you2 you made me ridicule it4 ,mr4 ,tennent then went out of the room in anger1 and never came back4 ,i felt for my poor master4 ,it was very sad to see him go out of one world into another1 and hear him say1 just as he was going1 ,i shall go down in this storm1 and be lost4 ,i have had no sound sleep since4 ,i can't get the frightful words out of my ears4 ,i am always dreaming about a boat turned over in a fearful storm1 and master sinking in the great lake4 ,,the ,,bible ,,precious4 ,some few years after my interview with ,mr4 ,tennent1 and when its vivid impressions had nearly faded from my recollection1 ,i received the following letter1 which ,i read with intense delight3-- ,,my ,,dear ,,sir1--,it is possible that you may have forgotten me long since2 but a slight reference to the remarkable incidents connected with our interview1 will probably bring me to your remembrance4 ,we met on a ,saturday evening1 in a woodman's cottage1 at ,broadhurst2 we afterwards knelt together in the cottage of a poor woman1 who1 doubtless1 has passed into a happier world long ere now4 ,we parted under an arrangement to meet again2 but the sudden illness and death of my old friend1 ,captain ,dunlop1 with whom ,i was then staying1 compelled me to leave his house rather abruptly4 ,in a note which ,i sent to you ,i remember saying1 that if the ,bible should ever be again as precious to me as it once was1 you should hear from me4 ,and now ,i redeem my pledge1 which you will be kind enough to accept as my apology for obtruding this letter upon you4 ,when we met in the woodman's cottage ,i was a proud sceptic1 looking with haughty disdain and contempt on every one1 illiterate or intelligent1 who professed a belief in the authority of the ,bible4 ,but what ,i heard and saw that never-to-be-forgotten ,saturday evening1 and subsequently in the death chamber of my old friend1 was like the shock of an earthquake2 it shook my sceptical opinions from their foundation1 and so scattered them1 that ,i never afterwards could gather them up1 nor did ,i ever make an effort or feel an inclination so to do4 ,the sweet calm of the poor woman's cottage1 when placed in contrast with the terrific storm of the mansion--the assurance of the poor woman that she was going to heaven1 and the equally strong assurance of my old friend1 ,captain ,dunlop1 that he was going to hell--were so strongly imprinted on my imagination1 that they followed me day and night4 ,i grew sick of life1 and more than once was strongly tempted to hasten on a doom which ,i thought inevitable1 and which at times ,i longed to have decided and settled for ever4 ,i dared not enter a church2 the sight of a ,bible had the same effect on my nervous sensibility which we may suppose the re-appearance of a murdered man would have on the living monster who took away his life2 and when in company1 if religion became the subject of discussion1 ,i felt interdicted from taking any part1 either for or against it4 ,this painful state of mind continued for more than two years2 there was at times a lull in the storm of anguish2 but after a while it came back with still greater fury1 and1 like my departed friend1 ,i often said1 ',yes6 ,i shall be a wreck1 and lost4' ,illustration3 ,,mr4 ,,tennent ,,and ,,the ,,tract ,,seller4 ,vol4 i4 p4 #aea4 ,but ,god1 who is rich in mercy1 whose eye is pity1 and whose arm is power 7to quote your own expression1 which ,i admired for its beauty when you uttered it71 in an unlooked for moment1 and in a strange place1 brought about a wonderful change1 by renewing me1 ,i trust1 in the spirit of my mind1 and bringing me again to say1 ',precious ,bible1 what a treasure6' ,the means which he employed to effect this wondrous revolution in my opinions and in my heart were very simple1 but they were effectual3 he chose to let me see and feel that the work was his own work4 ,such was the restlessness of my mind1 that ,i was compelled to keep perpetually moving about1 that by seeing various sights1 and going into fresh society1 ,i might be diverted from the gloomy terror of my own thoughts1 and the dread of what was to come4 ,i spent two years on the continent1 but returned to ,england last spring the same man as when ,i left it--with this difference1 that ,i seemed nearer the verge of absolute despair4 ,after spending a few weeks in ,london1 and visiting many places in ,south ,wales1 ,i went to ,bristol1 and then to ,bath1 and from ,bath to ,ryde1 in the ,isle of ,wight1 where ,i took lodgings1 making up my mind to stay there during the summer4 ,when returning one evening from ,newport1 ,i met a lad with a small basket1 who asked me to buy a little book1 telling me1 as an inducement1 that he had been walking about all day long1 and had not got enough money to buy a supper for his poor old mother4 ,his doleful tale touched my heart1 and ,i gave him some relief1 but said1 ',keep your books1 lad1 they may be money to you4' ,we both passed on1 but when at some distance from each other1 ,i thought1 perhaps he has in his basket something that would amuse me4 ,i turned and hailed him1 and he ran back4 ,on examining his basket ,i found a largish lot of religious tracts2 ,i took two1 paid him for them1 put them into my pocket1 and went home4 ,i was so knocked up by my long walk that ,i was soon in bed and asleep1 and the tracts were not thought of4 ,the next evening1 when sitting on a large stone on the beach1 looking at the ships sailing and at anchor1 at the varied movements of the sea-gulls1 and the gentle ebbing of the tide1 ,i felt a momentary elation of spirit1 such as ,i had not felt for years2 it was something like the sudden return of an old friend after years of absence4 ,i will not1 ,sir1 trouble you by recounting the thoughts that passed through my mind in this elysian reverie1 but one thought came and went so often1 that it became the master thought of this delightful mood of thinking4 ',yes1' thought ,i1 'man has a capacity for happiness1 why1 then1 is he not happy8 ,why am ,i not happy8 and why do ,i not enjoy life when ,i possess so amply the means of enjoying it8 ,what can be the reason why ,i am so cast down and wretched8' ,on putting my hand into my pocket to get my knife1 ,i felt the tracts ,i had put there when ,i bought them1 and ,i took them out4 ,their titles1 ,covey#d and ,poor ,joseph1 had caught my eye when ,i saw them in the lad's basket1 and ,i was induced to select them1 imagining they narrated some interesting tale4 #d ,see note1 p4 #eh4 ,i read the account of ,covey1 but his daring courage when going into battle1 which forced him to risk disobedience to orders rather than skulk from the advancing foe1 made a stronger impression on my imagination than his after conversion did on my heart4 ,it carried me back also to the scenes which my old friend1 ,captain ,dunlop1 had often pictured to me1 of his hairbreadth escapes from danger2 and then his last words recurred to my memory with terrible force--',mr4 ,tennent1 ,i am a wreck1 and lost4' ,i put the tracts again into my pocket1 as ,i thought1 and sat in terrible and depressing cogitations for a long time2 but providentially ,i had put back only one of them2 the other had fallen on the ground1 and a slight breeze blew it just under the notice of my eye4 ,i took it1 and read the title--,poor ,joseph2 an ,authentic ,narrative4#e #e ,a poor1 half-witted man1 named ,joseph1 whose employment was to go on errands and carry parcels1 passing through ,london streets one day1 heard psalm-singing in the house of ,god2 he went into it2 it was ,dr4 ,calamy's church1 ,st4 ,mary's1 ,aldermanbury4 ,the preacher read his text from #a ,tim4 i4 #ae--,this is a faithful saying1 and worthy of all acceptation1 that ,jesus ,christ came into the world to save sinners1 of whom ,i am chief4 ,from this he preached1 in the clearest manner1 the ancient and apostolic gospel1 and ,joseph1 in rags1 gazing with astonishment1 never took his eyes from the preacher1 but drank in with eagerness all he said1 and trudging homeward1 he was heard thus muttering to himself1 ,joseph never heard this before6 ,christ ,jesus1 the ,god who made all things1 came into the world to save sinners like ,joseph2 and this is true1 and it is a 'faithful saying6' ,not long after this ,joseph was seized with a fever1 and was dangerously ill4 ,as he tossed upon his bed1 his constant language was1 ,joseph is the chief of sinners1 but ,jesus ,christ came into the world to save sinners1 and ,joseph loves him for this4 ,his neighbours who came to see him wondered on hearing him always dwell on this1 and only this4 ,one man1 finding out where he heard this sermon1 went and asked ,dr4 ,calamy to come and visit him4 ,he came1 but ,joseph was now very weak1 and had not spoken for some time1 and though told of the doctor's arrival1 he took no notice of him2 but when the doctor began to speak to him1 as soon as he heard the sound of his voice he instantly sprang upon his elbows1 and seizing him by his hands1 exclaimed1 as loud as he could with his now feeble and trembling voice1 ,o ,sir6 you are the friend of the ,lord ,jesus1 whom ,i heard speak so well of him4 ,joseph is the chief of sinners1 but it is a faithful saying1 that ,jesus ,christ1 the ,god who made all things1 came into the world to save sinners1 and why not ,joseph8 ,o1 pray to that ,jesus for me2 pray that he may save me2 tell him that ,joseph thinks that he loves him for coming into the world to save such sinners as ,joseph4 ,the doctor prayed2 when he concluded1 ,joseph thanked him most kindly2 but his exertions in talking had been too much for him1 so that he shortly afterwards expired4 ,on any other occasion ,i should have doubted the truthfulness of the narrative1 and should have ridiculed it as a tale got up for dramatic effect4 ,but ,i did not do so now4 ,the sentiments of the tale came with such force1 that a flood of tears bore testimony to its wondrous effect on my proud spirit1 and ,i was now deeply humbled and abased before ,him whose eye is pity and whose arm is power4 ,returning to my lodgings ,i bought a ,bible1 now no longer an object of scornful contempt1 but of veneration and love1 and sat down to read it with as much eagerness of soul as a disconsolate child in a distant country would open an unexpected letter from his father4 ,i am not ashamed to confess to you that ,i shed many tears that night1 as the ,bible lay on the table before me2 tears of contrition1 when recalling to my remembrance some of my reproachful sayings against it2 and tears of gratitude to ,jesus ,christ1 the friend of sinners1 for causing me once more to revere and love my ,bible4 ,for some time ,i was fearfully anxious lest the newly-enkindled emotions of my heart should die out1 and that ,i should again be left to go back into my old practices of evil1 and possibly re-occupy the seat of the scorner4 ,i therefore resolved to let time test the genuineness of the great change before ,i said anything to any one about it4 ,time has done this2 and you1 ,sir1 are the only person to whom ,i have made the disclosure2 and ,i have no doubt but you will rejoice to hear from me a simple statement of what the ,lord has done for me1 and how he has had compassion on me4 ,we may meet again2 and if we should1 we shall meet as fellow-believers in the precious ,bible1 and in the ,saviour it reveals to us4 ,last week ,i sent a family ,bible to the woodman1 and a small ,bible to each of his children1 simply telling him that it was a present from one who once attempted to sap his faith in the divine authority of the ,bible1 but who now venerates and loves it as ,god's best gift to man4--,i remain1 yours respectfully1 ,,george ,,tennent4 ,,the ,,family ,,of ,,the ,,roscoes4 ,mr4 ,roscoe was the son of an eminent ,london citizen1 who1 by his successful speculations in trade1 had risen from indigence to the possession of great wealth4 ,he had two brothers and one sister4 ,his eldest brother took to his father's business1 his youngest entered the church1 and his sister married a country gentleman of fortune and respectability4 ,he was originally designed for the law2 but1 after spending a few years with an eminent solicitor1 he abandoned the profession1 and devoted himself to a life of pleasure4 ,after years of wandering from one place to another1 he settled in the neighbourhood of the village of ,aston1 where he built a spacious mansion1 as elegant within as its external appearance was imposing4 ,soon after its completion he married an amiable and intelligent lady1 of a small fortune1 but of great prudence4 ,for some time they lived in the enjoyment of domestic peace2 and while ,mr4 ,roscoe gained reputation as a man of intelligence and of taste1 ,mrs4 ,roscoe was universally esteemed for her affability and benevolence4 ,years passed along--they had several children1 but all died in infancy4 ,these successive bereavements had such a depressing effect on ,mrs4 ,roscoe1 that solitude became oppressive1 and society aggravated her grief1 and the shades of melancholy were gathering thick around her2 yet she was comforted under her sufferings by the sympathy and affection of a fond and endeared husband4 ,time1 which had covered the grave of her children with verdure1 began to close up the wounds of her heart2 but1 when permitted to enjoy the anticipations of becoming once more a mother1 she was doomed to witness the growing indifference of her husband towards herself4 ,her other trials depressed her1 but this overwhelmed her4 ,her affection still glowed pure and ardent2 and though she long resisted every unfavourable impression1 and redoubled her efforts to please1 and to render his home attractive1 yet she saw her happiness a wreck1 and found herself bereft of all the endearments of life4 ,this change in ,mr4 ,roscoe was produced by his intimacy with ,sir ,henry ,wilmot1 of ,cleveland ,hall4 ,sir ,henry was the only son of an eminently pious mother1 who died when he was seven years of age2 he was thus left entirely to the care of his father1 a man of superior mental attainments1 but of gay and dissipated habits1 and a free thinker on theological questions4 ,when young he resisted the contagion of evil by which he was surrounded2 but having finished his education1 which was not favourable to the growth of religious sentiments1 he paid a visit to the continent1 and there he became thoroughly corrupted4 ,on the decease of his father1 he returned to take possession of the family inheritance2 and brought with him all the loose opinions and dangerous principles of those with whom he had associated4 ,being a man of elegant manners1 of sociable disposition1 generous and warm in his professions of friendship1 who had seen the various aspects of society1 and was qualified either to debate in argument or amuse at play1 he soon acquired a powerful ascendency over ,mr4 ,roscoe1 whom he often induced to prolong his visits at the ,hall to a late hour4 ,the influence of evil1 like the influence of good principles1 is at first imperceptible2 but it is usually found that the one corrupts more rapidly than the other reforms4 ,the erection of the building requires a skilful combination of talents and materials2 but it may be demolished by the rude hand of a barbarian1 who knows not how to draw an elevation1 or execute a design4 ,cleveland ,hall1 which had been in former days the house of mercy and of prayer1 was now become the rendezvous of the vices--the seat of licentiousness and of moral pollution2 ,there many fell1 to rise no more2 and there ,mr4 ,roscoe lost the fine bloom that once glowed on his character2 and if a sense of decency operated as a partial restraint1 yet his home and his wife were comparatively forsaken4 ,mrs4 ,roscoe1 who watched this progressive change with deep anxiety1 would occasionally solicit the company of her husband during the tedious evenings of the winter1 but rarely succeeded2 for1 such was the infatuation which had seized him1 that he could not be happy away from ,sir ,harry4 ,at length the hour arrived which teems with eventful consequences to a family1 and ,mrs4 ,roscoe became the mother of a lovely female child4 ,at first her life appeared in imminent danger2 and when this was announced to her husband1 he was deeply affected1 and sat mute in silence2 but it was not the dignified silence of the soul bowing down in submission to the will of ,god1 but the silence of horror-struck guilt1 which dares not speak4 ,after waiting a considerable time1 the victim of his own reflections1 he resolved at last to see his wife2 but when he entered her room he found that she had fallen into a profound sleep4 ,as he was retiring1 the nurse threw off the covering that concealed the face of his daughter1 and the sight operated as a spell upon his passions4 ,as he kissed the babe1 the tide of conjugal affection flowed back into his soul1 and he resolved from that hour to become once more a domestic man4 ,the next morning he sent a short polite note to ,sir ,harry1 saying that he should in future decline all intimacy4 ,had he merely resolved to drop the intimacy by degrees1 leaving the ,hall earlier in the evening1 and going less frequently--offering reasonable excuses for these variations1 and then trivial ones--it is more than probable that ,sir ,harry would have employed an extra amount of fascinating influence to prevent a dissolution of the connection4 ,but by coming to a decision at once1 and acting on it--by the transmission of the note--he broke the spell of enchantment under which he had long been held1 and effected his emancipation with comparative ease4 ,herein he displayed consummate wisdom1 and should be regarded as a model of imitation by any one who feels himself entangled in a similar snare4 ,hesitation1 combined with a resort to cautious expedients1 is far more likely to give perpetuity to a beguiling temptation than to dissolve its charm2 whereas1 a resolute determination to break away from it1 followed by some bold and decisive step1 is almost sure to prove successful2 the self-conquest is then made without much difficulty1 the character is redeemed from infamy1 and domestic happiness is re-established on a solid foundation4 ,mrs4 ,roscoe soon recovered--the life of the child was spared--her husband became kind and attentive--and the sun of her domestic happiness1 which had gone down1 returned to lighten her long cheerless habitation4 ,she was always a religious woman2 but her religion was restricted to opinions1 and forms1 and ceremonies1 which had no moral power on her mind4 ,she had her seasons of devotion1 but she regarded her devotional exercises as a duty1 not a privilege2 and read her ,bible occasionally1 but her reading was generally confined to its histories1 or narratives1 or parables4 ,she regularly attended her church1 and repeated the responses of its ,liturgy with great solemnity1 but she never conceived that the essence of religion consists in the renovation of the soul4 ,she was amiable and benevolent1 discharged the relative duties of life with strict honour and punctuality1 and threw over the path of her visible history a lustre which all admired2 and feeling satisfied with her personal goodness1 she very naturally concluded that ,god required nothing more4 ,to her the scheme of salvation1 which requires repentance towards ,god1 and faith in the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 was not less offensive than to the avowed unbeliever2 and though she had more liberality than her husband1 yet she was equally severe in her remarks on those whose piety led them to oppose the customs of the world1 and devote themselves to the ,redeemer4 ,her formalism was both rigid and acrimonious2 and though it yielded no mental enjoyment1 yet it excited much self-complacency1 inducing her to think she was fit for heaven1 without creating any intense longings to go there4 ,years passed away in the enjoyment of health1 unannoyed by cares or sorrows1 till ,miss ,roscoe was seized with that depressing melancholy which has been already described1#f and which threw a sombrous gloom over all their prospects4 ,from this affliction she was now recovering1 and though her parents beheld with joy the gradual return of her cheerfulness1 yet her cheerfulness was of such a serious cast that they rejoiced with trembling4 ,as they were sitting together one evening1 when their daughter had displayed unusual liveliness1 ,mr4 ,roscoe said1 ,my dear ,sophia1 it gives us great pleasure to witness your pleasantry1 and we hope that in a short time you will be able to partake of the amusements in which you once took so much delight4 ,we have resolved to celebrate your convalescence by giving a ball1 and we hope you will lead off in style4 #f ,see p4 #abi4 ,this communication1 which was intended to raise her spirits1 had a contrary effect2 and she replied1 ,i am conscious that you always keep my happiness in view1 but ,i assure you that such a mode of celebrating my deliverance from the gloomy night of mental sadness would ill accord with the sentiments and feelings of my mind2 the song of mirth ,i would exchange for the hymn of praise1 and would prefer the retirement of devout meditation to the noisy bustle and fantastic exhibition of human vanity and folly4 ,but such amusements1 replied ,mr4 ,roscoe1 used to afford you gratification1 and ,i do think1 my ,sophia1 that they will contribute very materially towards restoring that high-toned vivacity which your spirits usually preserved4 ,yes1 father1 ,i once took great delight in such amusements1 and almost contemned the person who despised them1 but my taste is changed2 and if you wish to retard the restoration of my mental energy and vivacity1 you have only to urge a compliance1 which will wound my conscience4 ,this reply1 my ,sophia1 confirms the fearful apprehensions which ,i have recently entertained concerning you4 ,what1 my father1 are these fearful apprehensions8 ,you are escaping from the gloom of a physical depression1 to be involved in a religious gloom1 which will prove still more injurious4 ,you know that ,i have always inculcated religious principles1 and set you a virtuous example1 and can you suppose that ,i would now recommend amusements which ought to wound your conscience8 ,but it would wound my conscience were ,i to mingle again in the gay parties1 and partake of the amusements1 in which ,i once delighted2 and ,i am sure1 after such an avowal1 you will not press it4 ,i would not press anything on you which would give you pain1 but ,i fear lest the religious turn which you are now taking should lead you either to despondency or enthusiasm4 ,o my father1 it is a belief that ,jesus ,christ died for sinners1 even the chief1 that has given peace and hope to my deeply-depressed mind4 ,this is the theme on which ,i love to dwell4 ,in comparison with this1 the charms of poetry or the discoveries of science are insignificant and worthless4 ,but1 my dear1 ,i hope you do not rank yourself among the chief of sinners4 ,you have always been a dutiful child1 kind and attached to those around you2 the ornament of your family2 your character is free from a stain1 and your moral principles are as pure as the light of heaven2 and would it not be an insult to your ,maker if you were1 as is too much the fashion among our modern saints1 to class yourself with those who are too worthless to merit his regard8 ,but1 my father1 we may be very excellent in the sight of man1 and yet offensive in the sight of ,god4 ,the ,pharisees of the ,new ,testament are compared to 'whited sepulchres1 which indeed appear beautiful outwardly1 but are within full of dead men's bones1 and of all uncleanness4' ,i feel the comparison in relation to myself to be just4 ,i have discharged the relative duties of life with some degree of propriety1 and know that my character is free from reproach2 ,i have devoted myself to the improvement of my mind1 and held in veneration the religion on whose external ordinances ,i have attended1 but ,i have not sought for happiness in the enjoyment of the divine favour1 nor have ,i1 till recently1 either understood or felt the power of religious principles on my heart4 ,however1 though ,i may be blameless towards man1 ,i am a sinner against ,god1 but a sinner hoping to be saved by grace through faith1 and that faith is not of my own originating1 it is the gift of ,god4 ,my ,sophia1 ,i never heard you talk in a strain like this before2 you appear to have taken a most gloomy view of human nature1 and1 according to my judgment1 you are gone off among the mysteries of modern ,calvinism1 and1 unless you retrace your steps1 you will be plunged into a state of depression more perplexing1 because more hopeless1 than that from which you are now emerging4 ,i know ,i never talked in this strain before1 because the veil of ignorance concealed from me the truths which ,i now discern with so much clearness in the ,scriptures4 ,the apostle says1 ',the natural man receiveth not the things of the ,spirit of ,god1 for they are foolishness unto him2 neither can he know them1 because they are spiritually discerned4' ,and ,i can attest1 from my own experience1 the accuracy of this statement4 ,but the eyes of my understanding are now enlightened1 and ,i can discern a beauty and grandeur in the scheme of salvation which ,i never saw before4 ,the ,scriptures are now the pure fountain from whence ,i draw the water of life4 ,my taste is now formed by the influence of the truth which they reveal1 and such is the altered state of my mind towards ,god1 and the ,redeemer1 and another world1 that ,i feel as though introduced into a new condition of being4 ,you may imagine that this mental process will issue in gloom and dejection1 but no2 ,i feel myself rising above the conflicting elements of grief on which my mind has been tossed1 into the enjoyment of that 'peace which passeth all understanding4' ,but1 my ,sophia1 ,i fear that you are carried away by the flights of your fancy1 and are now labouring under a delusion which will leave you more wretched than it found you4 ,but1 my dear father1 suppose it be a delusion1 is it not a pleasing one8 ,it has delivered me from a species of melancholy1 which no other expedient could remove4 ,but it is no delusion1 because the effect is produced by truth operating on my mind through the medium of my judgment2 and if you examine the ,scriptures you will perceive that they represent such a moral change as indispensably necessary4 ,jesus ,christ says that unless we are born again we cannot see the kingdom of heaven4 ,this new birth ,i once thought was baptism by water1 but ,i now perceive the absurdity of such an opinion1 for those who are born again are fitted for heaven2 but can we believe that all who are baptized are fitted for heaven8 ,there is baptism by water1 which is the external sign of that moral purification which is denominated the baptism of the ,spirit4 ,and ,st4 ,paul says1 ',if any man be in ,christ he is a new creature2 old things are passed away1 behold all things are become new4' ,and though some would say that this refers expressly to the reformation which must take place in the more abandoned and impure1 yet the comprehensive phrase which he employs 7if any man be in ,christ7 demonstrates the necessity of this change in each individual1 irrespective of the peculiar modification of his character4 ,i admit that there must be a change1 my ,sophia1 but as that must be produced by our own reflections1 it does not require these flights of the fancy which you are now taking4 ,but1 my dear father1 can a change so important as that which the ,scriptures describe1 take place in the human soul without affecting all its faculties and passions8 ,the change may be sudden or gradual1 according to the sovereign will of the great agent by whom it is produced1 but when it does take place1 a person cannot be unconscious of it4 ,it is not merely a change of opinion1 but of principle2 it not only gives a distaste for the follies and vanities of the world1 but raises the affections to the unseen realities of eternity1 and transforms the whole character into a resemblance to ,jesus ,christ's4 ,dr4 ,paley says1 ',it is too momentous an event ever to be forgotten4 ,a man might as easily forget his escape from shipwreck4' ,i know that this change is necessary in relation to some1 but ,i cannot see that it is necessary in relation to you2 and ,i fear that you are perplexing your mind with a subject which1 if not above your reach1 is altogether inapplicable to you4 ,but1 my dear father1 ,i feel the necessity of this change in relation to myself1 and it is evident that my opinion accords with the current language of the ,scriptures4 ,hence we read of being born again1 of passing from death unto life1 of being created anew in ,christ ,jesus1 of being made new creatures1 and ,i feel that ,i have undergone this change4 ,it is no airy notion which flutters over my fancy2 it is no superstitious impression sporting with the credulity of my mind2 it is no mysticism of opinion which dreads the light of investigation2 but a substantial fact1 which ,i cannot doubt1 and to which ,i attribute1 and exclusively attribute1 my present mental composure and felicity4 ,yes1 ,i now can say ,i am happy4 ,it gives me pleasure to hear that you are happy2 and though ,i fear your happiness arises from a source which will ere long dry up1 yet ,i will not disturb it while it lasts4 ,your heart1 ,i know1 is good1 and the errors into which you have now fallen will be corrected1 ,i have no doubt1 by the mature reflections of your judgment4 ,it is natural for persons who have laboured under a physical depression of spirits to be delighted by almost any object of pursuit which first strikes their attention4 ,some are charmed with the gaieties of this world1 and some with imaginary conceptions of the felicities of the next1 and hence are carried away with the visions of their own fancy2 but time cools their ardour1 and they ultimately live to think and act like other people2 and this1 ,i trust1 will be the case with you4 ,my errors ,i hope to detect1 and when detected ,i will renounce them1 but my religious principles1 ,i hope ,i shall never live either to renounce1 or compromise1 or dishonour4 ,i know1 my dear1 that you are too virtuous to dishonour1 and too independent to compromise any good principles1 but ,i hope you will renounce those gloomy and mystical views which you have recently imbibed1 and return to the adoption of those in which you have been educated4 ,a mind that is given to change becomes the sport of every wind of doctrine1 and liable to be imposed on by the sleight of men1 and cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive4 ,but1 my dear father1 you will permit to say that ,i am not deceived4 ,i have carefully examined the ,scriptures1 especially the ,new ,testament1 and ,i am as thoroughly convinced that ,i have been living in a state of total ignorance of the nature and design of the gospel of ,jesus ,christ1 as ,i am opposed to the absurd rites of ,papal superstition4 ,well1 my ,sophia1 ,i perceive that you are too much enamoured with your opinions to enter on a logical investigation of them at present2 but when the freshness of novelty is worn off1 and your mind reverts to its accustomed accuracy of perception and sobriety of feeling1 we may then do so with mutual satisfaction4 ,i hope1 my dear father1 we shall2 for ,i assure you that1 as my happiness is inseparably connected with yours1 it is my daily prayer that we may be made meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light4 ,she now withdrew to her own room4 ,sophia quite alarms me1 said ,mrs4 ,roscoe4 ,i fear her disorder is taking a more fatal turn4 ,it certainly has impaired her reason4 ,she perplexes and puzzles me1 said ,mr4 ,roscoe2 no1 her reason is not impaired2 it is acute and vigorous1 and she is moving in a new pathway of religious inquiry1 but ,i cannot follow her4 ,some new chapter is opening in her mental history4 ,she talks both rationally and incoherently4 ,we must wait the issue1 and hope for the best4 ,,the ,,social ,,party4 ,the day at length arrived when the ,roscoes came to dine at the villa4 ,i had previously seen ,mr4 ,roscoe1 and had become somewhat acquainted with his character2 but there was such a peculiarity in his manner1 that ,i could not approach him with ease4 ,he was affable1 yet reserved2 high1 yet condescending2 polite1 yet spoke and acted as though conscious that he was about to engage in a disputatious combat4 ,the cloth was no sooner removed1 than ,mr4 ,lewellin1 who had recently attended the anniversary of the ,shaftesbury ,bible ,society1 informed us that a medical gentleman moved one of the resolutions1 who confessed that he had been for many years an avowed infidel2 but1 on application1 he became a subscriber to the ,bible ,society3 and then he thought it proper to read the ,bible1 to see if it was a proper book for circulation4 ,after alluding to the instruction and pleasure he had derived from its histories and its parables2 from its unique doctrines1 and its pure morality2 from its development of the character of ,christ1 and its delineation of the human heart and character1 he concluded his speech by saying1 ,i am satisfied1 from what ,i have read1 that the ,bible contains a revelation of grace and mercy from heaven4 ,i deeply regret that ,i ever despised it1 or spoke against it2 and ,i think it a duty which ,i owe to the ,redeemer1 and to this society1 thus publicly to say1 that ,i renounce my infidelity as the bane of human felicity1 and take my ,bible as my guide to everlasting life6 ,infidels1 said ,mr4 ,stevens1 very rarely read the ,scriptures1 except to ridicule them4 ,they take for granted that they are the compilation of men1 who have successfully palmed an absurd system of superstition on the world1 which but few have courage enough to expose and condemn4 ,but as the age is rapidly advancing in knowledge1 they are sanguine in their expectations4 ,hence1 ,david ,hume prophesied that1 at the conclusion of the last1 or the beginning of the present century1 ,christianity would be exterminated from the earth4 ,but this prediction has failed1 for ,christianity is now diffusing itself with almost unprecedented rapidity through every part of the world4 ,paine boasted that he had cut down every tree in the spiritual ,eden4 ',priests1' says he1 'may stick them in the ground again1 but they will never take root4' ,foolish man6 did he not know that there is hope of a tree1 if it be cut down1 that it will sprout again1 and that the tender branch thereof will not cease1 'yet through the scent of water it will bud1 and bring forth boughs like a plant4' ,i think1 said ,mr4 ,lewellin1 that the ,bible ,society is the glory of the age and country in which we live1 and if ,britain1 who now stands on the highest pinnacle of fame1 should ever fall from her eminence1 and become1 like modern ,greece1 the land of moral and political darkness and desolation1 ,i have no doubt but the adventurous of a distant posterity will visit her national ruins1 giving to her the tributary tear of gratitude1 as the birthplace of an institution whose benevolent design includes the whole family of man4 ,but ,i do not think1 said ,mr4 ,roscoe1 that the ,bible should be indiscriminately circulated4 ,a person of education1 like the medical gentleman of whom you have been speaking1 may read it1 but ,i do not think that it should be distributed among the ignorant and the poor1 because it is impossible for them to understand it2 and if so1 it is nothing less1 in my opinion1 than an act of folly1 or mistaken kindness1 to give it to them4 ,they may not1 replied ,mr4 ,lewellin1 be able to understand every part of the ,scriptures1 but ,i think they will be able to understand those parts which are of great importance to be known4 ,for example1 suppose a ,sabbath-breaker was to read ,ex4 xx4 #h1 ',remember the ,sabbath-day to keep it holy1' would he not understand it8 ,suppose a thief was to read ,ex4 xx4 #ae1 ',thou shalt not steal1' would he not understand it8 ,suppose a calumniator were to read ,ex4 xx4 #af1 ',thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour1' would he not understand it8 ,they would understand these preceptive parts of the ,scriptures1 but ,i think that they would not understand the speculative parts1 and hence they would be in danger of forming wrong opinions on religious subjects4 ,but if you withhold the ,scriptures from them1 you give them no chance to form right opinions4 ,they should take their opinions from the clergyman of the parish in which they live1 as he is the only authorized person to teach them4 ,but1 if so1 to what a dilemma would you reduce them4 ,you will1 on your maxim1 compel them to vary their belief according to the ever-varying belief of the clergy4 ,for example1 you require the people of this parish to believe implicitly what the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,cole preaches4 ,certainly ,i do4 ,and you will require the people in the adjoining parish to believe what the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby preaches8 ,decidedly4 ,but do not these two clergymen preach different doctrines8 ,can they both be right8 ,they do preach different doctrines1 and ,i think ,mr4 ,ingleby assuredly wrong4 ,then there must be something wrong in your maxim1 which requires the people of a whole parish to believe error4 ,or let me suppose that the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,cole1 the clergyman of this parish1 should die1 and that he should be succeeded by a clergyman who preaches the same doctrine as ,mr4 ,ingleby1 will you not1 according to your own maxim1 be compelled1 along with the rest of the parishioners1 to believe those very doctrines which you now regard as erroneous8 ,indeed1 if your maxim be a correct one1 what security have you for the permanent continuance of your belief8 ,i have often told ,mr4 ,roscoe1 said ,mr4 ,stevens1 that he will ultimately believe the same doctrines with myself1 and now ,i perceive there is a chance of it2 for in the event of the decease or the preferment of the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,cole1 the living will be presented to an evangelical clergyman4 ,well1 if that should be the case1 ,i will break up my establishment1 and reside elsewhere4 ,but this1 observed ,mr4 ,lewellin1 would be running away from your maxim1 that the people should believe1 without examination1 the doctrines which their clergy preach4 ,indeed1 your maxim is as much opposed to a fixed local residence as it is to a steadfast belief1 because you do not know but as soon as you have purchased your house1 laid out your pleasure-grounds1 and brought your garden to a high state of cultivation1 an evangelical clergyman may be inducted into the living1 and thus become the innocent occasion of making you literally a pilgrim1 if not a stranger on earth4 ,would you1 then1 leave every individual in society to interpret the ,scriptures according to his own judgment8 ,certainly2 ,jesus ,christ says1 ',search the ,scriptures4' ,now1 if one person has a right to search the ,scriptures1 and to form his religious opinions from them1 so has another2 and if two1 so have ten2 and if ten1 so have all4 ,then we shall have as many different religious opinions afloat in society as there are members2 and ,i think it would be infinitely better to lock up the ,bible in the cloister of the ,romish monks than to circulate it4 ,i grant that we shall have different religious opinions prevailing among us1 but this circumstance will be more favourable to the religious improvement of the people than a dull uniformity4 ,there is no nation in ,europe where there are more religious sects than in ,england1 and there is no nation where there are fewer than in ,spain2 but which of the two nations is the most intelligent1 which the most powerful1 and which the most free and the most religious8 ,national uniformity is the stagnant water where the life of religious principle dies2 but national freedom1 which gives to every man the right to think and judge for himself1 is the angel of mercy1 preserving the truth in its purity amidst the conflicting elements of diverse opinions1 causing it to have a free course and to be glorified4 ,but would it not be better if we could all see alike on religious subjects8 ,then there would be no disputation1 and ,christianity would present to an unbeliever much stronger evidence of her divine origin4 ,mr4 ,lewellin replied1 ,if we could all see the truth with the same clearness as the apostles saw it1 and if we all felt its purifying influence on the heart as they felt it1 we should then arrive at the highest pitch of human attainment2 but this is a consummation rather to be desired than expected4 ,it is evident that we have not attained this pitch of excellence2 and1 till we have1 ,i think that common justice requires that we should concede to others the right which we claim for ourselves4 ,well1 ,sir1 if ,i concede this1 still ,i think that the different sects should keep distinct from each other4 ,there should be no union1 no combination2 they should act apart and alone1 move under their own standard1 and sleep in their own tents4 ,mr4 ,roscoe is now1 observed ,mr4 ,stevens1 getting to his old objection against the ,bible ,society4 ,he dislikes the union of the different denominations of ,christians in that society4 ,he thinks that the church has degraded herself by associating with the ,dissenters in the circulation of the ,scriptures4 ,so it is1 said ,mr4 ,lewellin2 what one man considers an excellence another deems a defect4 ,this very union is to me a most delightful subject of contemplation2 it reminds me so much of the heavenly world1 where all the redeemed mingle together in sweetest harmony1 after the jarring discords of earth have ceased to annoy and disturb4 ,but if we are distinct1 let us keep distinct4 ,but1 ,sir1 we may differ on some points1 and yet agree in others2 and the same reason which would keep us distinct on points of difference1 should bring us together on points of agreement4 ,for example1 you may be most attached to the monarchical branch of our constitution1 ,mr4 ,stevens to the aristocratical1 and ,i to the republican4 ,here we should differ1 but yet we may agree to defend it against a common foe4 ,now1 shall our difference on these points prevent our uniting in its defence8 ,certainly no2 he who would not unite with his countrymen in the defence and support of the constitution1 ought not to partake of the benefits which it confers4 ,i thank you1 ,sir1 for this concession2 you have fairly awarded to me my point4 ,difference on some subjects ought not to prevent a union on others4 ,we differ on some religious subjects1 but we all profess to love the ,bible1 and to revere it as the standard of truth2 why1 then1 should we object to co-operate with each other in circulating it through the world8 ,the ,bible ,society ,i contemplate as the temple of peace4 ,when we enter we lay aside the weapons of hostility1 and mingle together as the professed disciples of ,jesus ,christ2 and after thus fraternizing for a common object1 we retire without having surrendered the smallest atom of the respective opinions and practices by which we are distinguished2 and ,i am conscious that the intercourse will have a good moral influence over us1 by diminishing the force of our mutual jealousies1 and promoting a kind and affectionate spirit among us4 ,i have often thought1 said ,mr4 ,stevens1 when ,i have had the pleasure of being present at a ,bible society anniversary1 of the beautiful lines which ,milton represents ,adam as addressing to ,eve1 after they had wearied themselves with mutual accusations3-- ',but rise1 let us no more contend1 nor blame ,each other1 blamed enough elsewhere2 but strive1 ,in offices of love1 how we may lighten ,each other's burden in our share of woe4' ,i think1 said ,miss ,roscoe1 that the spirit of ,christianity is a spirit of universal benevolence1 and ,i see no reason why it should exclude any from its communion who profess to have embraced it4 ,if the disciples of ,jesus ,christ will meet at last in heaven1 and lose their sectarian designations in the more grand appellation of the redeemed1 why should they object to associate together on earth8 ,surely it is no dereliction of ,christian principle to take the example of the spirits of just men made perfect as a model for our own conduct1 while we are in this imperfect state4 ,i see1 said ,mr4 ,roscoe1 if the question of the ,bible ,society is to be carried by numbers1 that ,i shall be out-voted2 but still1 though it may do some good1 and display a kind and benevolent spirit1 yet ,i fear it is productive of many evils4 ,for example1 a ,dissenter gives away a ,bible to a poor family1 accompanied by his own reflections2 will he not1 at the time he make the donation1 say something that may have a tendency to proselyte that family to his own peculiar tenets8 ,he may1 ,sir2 but has not the ,churchman the same liberty8 ,hence1 on a supposition that they both aim at proselyting1 their chance of success is reciprocal2 and if they both succeed1 the relative numbers of each denomination stand unaltered4 ,but ,i do not think that such a spirit actuates the great body of the members of the ,bible ,society4 ,they circulate the ,scriptures without note or comment1 and leave them under the blessing of ,him1 who employs the truth they reveal1 as the means of enlightening the ignorant and sanctifying the impure4 ,to them the question of conformity or dissent is a question of minor importance2 and ,i can attest1 as far as my knowledge extends1 that their paramount anxiety is to promote the spiritual and eternal benefit of those to whom the donation is given1 not to augment their relative numbers4 ,but ,i think that every ,churchman ought to support the church of which he is a member4 ,and do you imagine1 replied ,mr4 ,stevens1 that the circulation of the ,scriptures without note or comment will endanger the safety of the church8 ,what is this but virtually acknowledging that our church is not established on the foundation of the apostles and prophets8 ,i do not intend to insinuate that it is not supported by the authority of the ,scriptures1 but still ,i think that if the ,book of ,common ,prayer be circulated with the ,bible1 the attachment of the people for the church is more likely to be preserved4 ,but1 said ,mr4 ,lewellin1 this will involve a concession which probably you will not like to place on record2 it is conceding that the ,bible alone will not support your church1 but that it must stand indebted to the ,book of ,common ,prayer2 a concession from which1 ,i am sure1 my friend ,mr4 ,stevens will dissent4 ,oh6 ,mr4 ,stevens1 said ,mr4 ,roscoe1 with a smile of good-nature1 is more than half a ,dissenter already2 and ,i often tell him that he will soon become as zealous as the strictest of the sect4 ,there is a substantial proof of my assertion 7pointing to the chapel1 which was visible from the room in which we were sitting74 ,ah6 friend ,roscoe1 ,i know you do not like my chapel1 but ,i hope that ,i shall see you there the next time ,i have a charity sermon for ,mrs4 ,stevens' ,sunday-school4 ,your friend1 ,mr4 ,green1 was there the other ,sunday evening1 and he has called on me since to say that he shall be happy to co-operate with me in promoting the moral welfare of the poor people in this neighbourhood2 and who knows but your prejudices may ere long give way1 and that we may all act in concert6 ,yes1 ,i heard of his having been at your chapel1 and ,i must confess that ,i was astonished4 ,why1 no man has talked more against your irregularities than he has2 but now1 such is the inconstancy of man1 he is become an advocate of your opinions4 ,but ,i am too old to change1 and too much attached to consistency to deviate from the course ,i have followed for so many years4 ,even the eloquence of ,mrs4 ,stevens1 and that eloquence ,i know is powerful1 would fail in producing any effect on my mind4 ,i have many objections against educating the children of the poor1 and more against worshipping in any other place than the ,established ,church1 and ,i think that no force of argument would be sufficiently strong to overpower them4 ,there are1 said ,mr4 ,lewellin1 the objections of prejudice1 and there are the objections of reason2 and though it is not always in our power to draw the line of distinction between them1 yet we should attempt it4 ,i lay it down as an axiom1 which is founded in the very constitution of the human mind1 that a child cannot discharge his duty till he knows what that duty is2 he cannot know it till he is taught it2 and the earlier the information is communicated1 the sooner shall we secure his obedience1 and the more uniform it is likely to become4 ,hence the necessity and utility of ,sunday-schools4 ,i had hitherto sat silent1 but now ,i related the conversation ,i had had with the little boy#g whom ,i accidentally met in one of my morning rambles4 #g ,see page #dc4 ,the shrewd intelligence of this boy may be a solitary instance1 said ,mr4 ,roscoe2 but ,i fear that the plan will be found productive of fatal consequences4 ,our poor population will grow genteel in their habits2 proud and discontented1 and unwilling to discharge the duties of their station2 and by being taught to read1 will become either religious disputants or avowed infidels4 ,no1 this is not a solitary instance of the utility of ,sunday-schools4 ,i can give many others4 ,i then described the scene which ,i witnessed in the woodman's cottage1 narrating1 at the same time1 the conversation which passed between myself and his dying child4#h ,as ,i was telling this tale1 a tear dropped from the eye of ,miss ,roscoe1 and her countenance beamed with delight4 #h ,see page #aje4 ,ah6 how ,i should like to have witnessed such a scene--a little girl languishing into life4 ,indeed1 my ,sophia1 said ,mr4 ,roscoe1 with a tone somewhat harsh1 ,i should not like for you to have been present4 ,this artificial excitement of the passions--this effervescence of feeling in the bosom of a child in the near approach of death1 is no recommendation of the plan by which the effect is produced4 ,indeed1 papa1 ,i should like to have been present2 it must have been a noble sight to witness a child rising to the contemplation of a state of future happiness2 to have beheld the involuntary movements of her soul towards the source of all blessedness2 and to have heard her speak in terms so delightful of the love of ,christ1 as the first moving cause of her love to him4 ,i have seen many sights1 but this surpasses all1 possessing a radiance of glory which casts a dim shade on every other4 ,these remarks1 which were made with a singular emphasis of tone1 produced a powerful effect on the whole party2 and though ,mr4 ,roscoe was evidently displeased with the sentiments which they conveyed1 yet he was delighted with the graceful vivacity of spirit with which they were expressed4 ,mrs4 ,roscoe1 who had taken no part in the conversation1 now observed that she had no doubt but there were good and bad of all sorts1 and that she thought every person ought to be left to choose his own religion2 only they should take care not to choose that religion which made them miserable4 ,addressing herself to ,mrs4 ,stevens1 ,i think a little religion a very good thing2 and as our ,maker has given us one day out of the seven to be religious in1 ,i think that is quite enough2 ,i should not like to be obliged to think and talk about religion all the week1 and ,i often wonder how it is that you1 who have so much of it at ,fairmount1 are not become weary of it altogether6 ,why1 the reason is1 we love it2 and1 you know1 people do not grow weary of that on which their affections are placed4 ,but we are commanded 'not to be righteous over-much6' ,we are so commanded2 but we should be cautious lest we give a wrong meaning to that expression4 ,do you think it possible that we can love ,god too much2 that we can love the ,redeemer too much2 that we can be too much attached to the great principles of justice1 benevolence1 or moral purity8 ,o no1 certainly not2 but then ,i think it possible for us to think and talk so much about religion as to render ourselves uncomfortable4 ,now ,i have heard some religious people speak with rapture about the happiness which they expect to enjoy in heaven1 but as ,i know we cannot enter heaven till we leave earth1 and that we must die first1 ,i never make that the subject of conversation1 or even reflection2 for ,i always find that it casts a gloom over my mind1 and makes me low-spirited4 ,but ought we not1 ,madam1 to prepare for death before it comes8 ,o yes1 we ought to make our peace with ,god1 certainly2 and1 as he is so merciful1 he will be sure to give us time for it4 ,what time did he give to ,miss ,walcote1 who expired just as she had left the card-table8 ,to be sure that was a frightful event2 but you know she was a most accomplished young lady1 and had a good heart4 ,yes1 ,madam1 she was amiable and accomplished2 but how awful was it to pass from such scenes of human folly to the judgment-seat of ,christ6--one moment shuffling the cards1 the next listening to the final sentence1 ',come1 ye blessed1' or ',depart1 ye cursed4' ,,miss ,,roscoe4 ,there are periods in the history of life which give birth to events of such a peculiar order1 that they not only contribute materially to our future happiness1 but exert a powerful influence in the formation and in the complexion of our character4 ,we are accidentally thrown into the company of a stranger2 the stranger becomes a companion1 the companion a friend2 the friend is powerfully imbued with the spirit of ,christ1 capable of instructing and consoling us in seasons of perplexity and depression2 and though we may not notice the original moving cause of the interview1 yet the consequences resulting from it may be felt through life1 and in another and better world4 ,it was the privilege of ,miss ,roscoe1 when labouring under her mental depression1 to find in ,mrs4 ,stevens a friend eminently qualified not only to impart the sympathies of friendship1 but to administer the consolations of religion4 ,as she had passed through the same tumultuous and darkened scene1 she knew how to guide the footsteps of another2 and having tasted that the ,lord is gracious1 and felt the moral efficacy of his death1 she could speak on these sacred themes with a peculiar force of impression4 ,her skill in introducing religious subjects in conversation was great1 and her news were clear and comprehensive4 ,she minutely studied the peculiarities of the human character2 observed the times1 and seasons1 and forms of its development2 and while she rarely left an individual or a company without dropping some appropriate remark1 she never obtruded her sentiments so as to make them unwelcome4 ,as ,mrs4 ,stevens was walking one evening to her favourite retreat for meditation1 she saw ,miss ,roscoe approaching1 and after exchanging the customary salutations1 the conversation turned on the subject of religion and a future state4 ,my mind1 said ,mrs4 ,stevens1 has been dwelling with more than ordinary delight on the immortality of the soul4 ,immortality is the grand prerogative of man4 ,he lives amidst the decay of his nature1 survives his own dissolution1 and lives for ever4 ,how few1 replied ,miss ,roscoe1 are impressed by this grand subject4 ,here and there ,i meet with an individual who is alive to the powers of the world to come2 but the vast majority move onwards to the tomb1 as though that receptacle of death was to terminate their existence4 ,to me immortality is alternately a pleasing1 and an awful theme of meditation4 ,there are seasons when it is invested with a radiant brightness1 which almost entrances my soul1 and ,i am eager to join the general assembly of the redeemed2 but at other seasons my mind recoils from the thought of dying1 and ,i ask1 in terror-- ',will it be morning then with me1 ,awak'd to hail his glorious light3 ,or must my doleful destiny ,be endless night8' ,that the subject of immortality1 preceded by dying1 should present the varying aspect of delight and of terror1 is not surprising4 ,some are in bondage all their life through fear of death1 and others are occasionally in a state of great alarm2 but this proceeds either from the incorrectness of their views of the economy of revealed truth1 or the weakness of their faith4 ,they look for some degree of moral perfection in themselves1 to which they never attain1 rather than to ,jesus ,christ1 in whom they are accepted as complete2 or they hesitate to place an implicit dependence on his power and willingness to save them1 lest they should be guilty of an act of presumption4 ,but as the gospel is a revelation of grace to sinners1 and as we are invited in the most encouraging language to receive it1 we ought not to hesitate1 or deem it presumptuous to do so4 ,i remember hearing our venerable minister once conclude a sermon with this striking remark3 ',are you willing to be saved8' ,after a short pause1 he added1 ',then ,jesus ,christ is willing to save you4 ,you and the ,saviour are both of one mind1 and who can separate you8' ,but ,i fear1 said ,miss ,roscoe1 that ,i have not yet felt that deep contrition for sin which is essential to genuine repentance1 and which must precede the exercise of faith in the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,i recently read a sermon1 in which the author says1 that 'the sorrow which is connected with true repentance is not only sincere1 but deep and pungent4 ,it not only enters into the heart1 but it penetrates into its inmost recesses1 and there lives and reigns4 ,it not only causes the tear to flow1 and the breast to heave with the bitter emotions of anguish1 but it is compared to the most acute sorrow which can pierce the human bosom2 to the sorrow which chills the heart of a parent as he mourns the loss of a son1 of an only son1 of a first-born6' ,i know ,i have felt abased and humbled when reviewing my past life2 and silently adore the long-suffering of ,god in bearing with me2 but ,i am yet a stranger to that acute and overwhelming agony of soul which1 in the estimation of this writer1 is essential to genuine repentance4 ,if1 my dear1 you have felt sorrow for sin1 you need not be distressed because you have not felt it in its most intense and agonizing degrees4 ,true repentance does not always burst forth in bitter lamentations and weeping1 leaving the victim of its infliction an exile from all the comforts of life and all the promises of mercy--doomed1 in his own apprehension1 to a more awful banishment at the day of final decision2 but it is often the silent tear1 and the noiseless sigh--the self-loathing of the soul over its defects--which become daily more and more apparent1 accompanied by an humble and implicit dependence on the death and mediation of ,jesus ,christ for pardon and endless life4 ,the author from whose beautiful sermon you have quoted a passage1 remarks towards the latter end of it1 that 'heartfelt sorrow for sin is not opposed to happiness4 ,the tears of penitence are not tears of unmingled bitterness4 ,there is a joy connected with them which is as satisfying and exalting as it is purifying and humbling4 ,god himself has pronounced the sorrow of the poor in spirit1 blessed2 and he has not blessed it in vain4 ,his people taste its sweetness4 ,their happiest hours are those which are spent in the exercise of penitence and faith2 and while these graces are in lively exercise1 they may look on the inhabitants of heaven without envy1 even though they may long to participate of their still more elevated enjoyments4' ,such a repentance ,i am conscious ,i have felt4 ,i would not return to my former course of life1 even if it were compatible with a religious profession2 for ,i have lived a life of vanity1 minding earthly things2 my intellectual studies were pursued to gratify pride1 which coveted the honour which comes from man2 the claims of ,god1 on the homage and supreme affections of the heart1 ,i have neglected2 the ,redeemer ,i have neither loved nor honoured2 ,i have spurned from my presence those religious principles which require a separation from the world1 and have uniformly acted as though the realities of an unseen world were a mere fanciful creation2 but now the delusion has vanished away1 and ,i see with an unveiled face the supreme importance of those truths and sources of enjoyment which in the days of my ignorance were concealed from me2 and if ,i have any regret1 it is not because ,i have discovered the illusion so soon1 but because ,i did not discover it sooner4 ,it is recorded of one of the ,roman emperors1 said ,mrs4 ,stevens1 that he wept when he saw the statue of ,alexander the ,great1 because ,alexander had conquered the world at a period of life when he had gained no victory4 ,and if you1 my dear1 have been later than some others in making your spiritual discoveries1 and in gaining your spiritual conquests1 ,i hope you will now distinguish yourself by a decision more firm1 and a zeal more ardent1 and redeem1 for the honour of the ,saviour1 the time you have withheld from his service2 and by carrying the principles of your faith to the highest possible attainments1 you will compel others to see the effects which the grace of ,god produces in the human character4 ,on passing within sight of a cottage standing on a slight elevation1 ,miss ,roscoe said1 ,that1 ,i believe1 is ,mrs4 ,labron's1 and ,i greatly admire it1 it is such a beautiful specimen of ,gothic architecture1 my favourite style of building1 and its shrubbery and gardens are laid out and planted with so much taste4 ,yes1 my dear1 there is great external beauty1 but within there is a sad spectacle of domestic sorrow and moral disfigurement4 ,her eldest daughter is rapidly fading away from life1 under the withering influence of that disease which proves fatal to thousands2 and ,i am informed that1 to divert her attention from dying1 she spends the greater part of her time either in reading novels or playing at cards2 and though a minister of ,jesus ,christ1 who has a slight intimacy with the family1 expostulated with her on the impropriety of devoting herself to such amusements at such an eventful crisis1 yet it made no impression on her2 and her mother said1 with an air of apathetic indifference1 that as she was passionately fond of novels and cards1 she thought it would be an act of cruelty to withhold them from her2 adding that she had taken the sacrament1 and made her peace with ,god6 and that the physician particularly requested that no one be permitted to speak to her on religious subjects4 ,this is appalling1 truly awful2 and yet how many modern ,christians would give it the sanction of their decided approval4 ,the physician requesting that no one may be permitted to speak to her on religious subjects6 ,oh1 how cruel6 ,what is this but interdicting the visit of mercy1 and dooming a sinner to pass into the eternal world unprepared to die8 ,i remember1 at an early stage of my late affliction1 the medical attendant urged upon my parents the necessity of keeping the ,bible out of my reach1 and they complied with his request2 and that holy book1 which reveals life and immortality1 was kept out of my sight4 ,can you account for this most astonishing part of their conduct8 ,i can tell you the reason which they assign for it4 ,they1 ,i have no doubt1 will say that the mind of a dying patient ought to be kept in a state of great composure2 and concluding that religion will agitate and alarm1 they forbid all reference to it4 ,poor creatures1 how ignorant must they be of the nature and tendency of pure religious truth6 ,if a person be renewed in the spirit of his mind1 and if he feels the love of ,god shed abroad in his heart1 there is no subject which will have such a delightful effect as the immediate prospect of entering heaven4 ,i lately sat beside the bed of a dying ,christian1 who1 not long before her departure1 after praying in the language of ,stephen1 ',lord ,jesus1 receive my spirit1' repeated the following lines with an emphasis and melody of voice which still sounds in my ear3-- ',dissolve ,thou the bond that detains ,my soul from her portion in ,thee3 ,o strike off these adamant chains1 ,and set me eternally free4 ,when that happy moment begins1 ,array'd in thy beauties ,i'll shine2 ,nor pierce any more with my sins ,the bosom on which ,i recline4' ,and if a person be ignorant of the scheme of salvation which is revealed in the ,scripture1 there is no subject which ought to be pressed more upon his attention4 ,if he have but a short time to live1 no portion of that time ought to be lost4 ,to-day he is here--to-morrow in eternity4 ,for the physician to interpose1 to keep him in a state of ignorance1 is an act of cruelty which no language can adequately describe2 and1 notwithstanding the frivolous reasons which he may assign for his conduct1 it is an act for which he will stand responsible at the last day4 ,as ,i was returning from a solitary walk1 ,i accidentally met the ladies1 and on reaching the end of the grove through which we were passing1 we seated ourselves on a garden chair1 which stood under a very fine beech tree1 from whence we had a distinct view of the rectory and its church1 and also of ,mr4 ,stevens' unobtrusive chapel4 ,these ,dissenting chapels1 ,i remarked1 are what may be called ecclesiastic retreats2 spiritual places of refuge for the gospel when it is driven out of the church4 ,they are spiritual ,bethels1 ,miss ,roscoe replied1 where ,god unexpectedly visits his chosen ones with the manifestation of ,his unseen but not unfelt presence2 often astonishing and delighting them2 constraining them to exclaim1 in the language of the venerable patriarch1 ',surely the ,lord is in this place4' ,yes1 said ,mrs4 ,stevens1 and sometimes in these chapels ,he conveys the grace of life to the spiritually dead4 ,this reminds me of what ,i should have told you before1 but it escaped my memory4 ,you know that we have seen ,mrs4 ,pickford at our chapel several times lately1 and last ,sabbath evening1 when she was passing my pew after the close of the service1 ,i spoke to her1 expressing the pleasure ,i felt on seeing her there2 and inquired after the welfare of ,mr4 ,pickford and the family4 ,she then very modestly1 for she appears to be an amiable woman1 referred to the benefit which had resulted from your visit1 and asked me to remind you of your promise to visit them again4 ,i intend to see ,mrs4 ,pickford in the course of the week4 ,i know1 ,madam1 that you are partial to yon modest-looking chapel1 but still1 though its internal glory may be greater than that of the church1 yet it does not form such an imposing object in a piece of scenery4 ,i admit that2 but it often calls up1 in a pious mind1 an order of richer and more hallowed associations1 and awakens a more sublime and elevating class of feeling4 ,there is a church1 with its ,liturgy and its white-robed priest1 yet from it the gospel is cast out2 but it has taken refuge in what you call our modest-looking chapel1 where it proves to be the power of ,god to salvation4 ,i have been accustomed1 said ,miss ,roscoe1 to attend that church from my childhood2 the gentleman who does duty in it is a learned1 polite1 and amiable man2 we have often spent many pleasant evenings together2 he excels in music1 and has a fine poetic taste2 but ,i regret to add1 he has a strong aversion to evangelical truth4 ,he came to see me just as ,i was recovering from my late affliction1 and when ,i made some reference to the influence which reading the ,bible had over my mind1 he said1 ',i hope you will be on your guard1 for you are now in great danger of becoming too religious4 ,the mania has affected many amongst us1 but ,i hope you have virtue enough to resist it4' ,he is rather lofty in his spirit1 though very familiar when among the poor4 ,his ideas of the dignity and excellence of human nature are diametrically opposed to the scriptural representation2 and he asserted in the last discourse ,i heard him deliver1 that the charge of a universal corruption having taken place among the members of the human family1 was a gross libel on our virtue4 ',there are a few imperfect1' he said1 'yet they have virtue enough left to atone for their defects2 but the great bulk of mankind are as perfect as their ,creator ever intended they should be4' ,he then adverted to the evangelical doctrines of faith1 and salvation by grace through the imputed righteousness of ,jesus ,christ1 which he denounced as corruptions of ,christianity1 and warned the people against them1 as being more pernicious to the peace and good order of society than the principles of open infidelity4 ,on being asked by my father how ,i liked the discourse1 ,i replied1 ',not at all1 as ,mr4 ,cole not only opposed the ,scriptures1 but the ,articles of his own church2' and ,i then quoted the eleventh ,article1 which put an end to our conversation4 ,i have not heard him since2 for ,i think it wrong to sanction by my presence a style of preaching which is subversive of the entire scheme of salvation4 ,it must be painful1 ,i observed1 to be driven from the church by the introduction of erroneous doctrines2 but it must be more painful to a conscientious mind to sit and hear them4 ,where do you now attend8 ,alas6 ,sir1 like the captives of ,babylon1 ,i am denied the privilege of worshipping in the temple1 and1 like them1 ,i sit and weep over the desolation of ,zion4 ,but ,he who was a little sanctuary to them in the season of their captivity1 visits me within the retirement of the closet1 by the special manifestations of his holy presence4 ,i asked permission the other ,sabbath to go and hear the venerable ,mr4 ,ingleby1 but ,i was refused4 ,oh6 this pierced me to the heart4 ,but why did your father deny a request so reasonable8 ,he would not have done it if he had not been influenced by others2 for such is the strength of his attachment for me1 and such his devotedness to my happiness1 that he has heretofore deemed no sacrifice too great1 nor any indulgence too expensive to promote my comfort4 ,but the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,cole and some lay gentlemen have urged him to interpose his authority1 to save me from what they call the delirium of religion4 ,they tell him that his honour1 his peace1 and his influence1 are all in jeopardy2 and that if ,i am permitted to go on in my present course1 nothing but inevitable ruin awaits me4 ,by such stratagems they have induced him to act a part which ,i know is repugnant to the generous feelings of his nature2 because he told me1 at an early stage of my hallowed impressions1 that if ,i found peace in religion1 he would not presume to interfere4 ,this trial1 said ,mrs4 ,stevens1 is not joyous1 but grievous2 nevertheless1 it will yield the peaceable fruit of righteousness4 ,though it comes through a medium which invests it with a peculiar poignancy1 and may throw a gloomy shade over all your hopes of future comfort1 yet the ,redeemer says1 ',my grace shall be sufficient for thee1 my strength shall be made perfect in thy weakness4' ,you have only to act wisely1 and with decision2 keep your conscience void of offence towards ,god and man2 demonstrate1 by the meekness of your disposition1 and your efforts to please1 that your religion is not the religion of fancy or of passion1 but of principle2 and then you will rise above the visible agents who are employed in conducting the machinery of ,providence1 to meditate on ,him who sits behind the cloud that conceals ,him from our sight1 working all things after the counsel of ,his own will4 ,i have known1 ,i remarked1 some young ,christians commence their religious profession under auspicious influences4 ,they have been hailed by pious parents and pious friends with acclamations of joy2 the spring-time of their spiritual existence has been free from the rude blasts of persecution2 and they have advanced from stage to stage1 with unobstructed and undiverted steps4 ,i have known others rocked in the whirlwind1 and cradled in the storm4 ,they have had to contend with the principalities and powers of evil in their high places4 ,they have been despised and rejected2 and the reproaches of men have fallen upon them4 ,but ,i generally find that opposition at the commencement of a religious profession has a beneficial rather than an injurious tendency4 ,it forces its principles deeper into the mind4 ,it consolidates them4 ,it gives to them an energy which ultimately rises superior to resistance2 a healthful vigour1 which they rarely attain to when nourished by the fostering hand of parental solicitude2 and it brings them forth into such visible and powerful manifestations1 that even the enemies of our common faith are compelled to feel ',how awful goodness is6' ,yes1 ,sir1 observed ,mrs4 ,stevens1 and we should remember that those who oppose religion1 when it takes possession of an individual mind1 and exerts its influence over the visible actions of the life1 often do it ignorantly4 ,if they knew that they were attempting to resist the work of ,god in the new creation of the human soul1 they would cease their opposition4 ,but they do not4 ,they have no conception of such a thing4 ,they ridicule it as visionary2 and if a person offer to prove1 by sober arguments taken from the ,scriptures1 or from the ,articles of our church1 that such a new creation of the soul is a reality1 and that it will develope itself precisely in that exterior form which they see exhibited in the conduct of those whom they oppose1 yet they will refuse to hear4 ,their unfairness to meet the arguments in support of the reality of the thing1 ,i grant1 is very censurable2 but it must be attributed to that judicial moral blindness which is one of the consequences of our apostasy from ,god1 and which calls for the exercise of our forbearance and our tenderest pity4 ,hence1 when we are reviled for our religion1 we should not revile again2 when we suffer1 we should forbear to reproach2 and commit our cause to ,him who judgeth righteously4 99 99 99 99 99 ,in the course of the week ,i availed myself of the opportunity1 during the absence of my esteemed friends from the villa1 to go and take tea at ,farmer ,pickford's2 and ,i was very much gratified by my visit4 ,during the evening he made several references to his wife's attendance at the chapel2 and at length he spoke out1 by saying1 ,mr4 ,stevens1 ,i think1 is about one of the best of us3 he is very charitable to the poor1 and so is his wife2 and he is always willing to do any body a good turn when he can2 and my wife says he is a capital preacher1 but ,i can't think so4 ,have you ever heard him preach8 ,no1 ,sir1 ,i must have an ,oxford or ,cambridge man4 ,to speak my mind1 ,mr4 ,ingleby is the preacher for me4 ,i never went into his church before you took lunch with us1 but what you said then inclined me to go4 ,why1 ,i would rather hear one of his sarmunts1 than ,i would a score of ,parson ,cole's4 ,he sends what he says home here1 laying his hand on his heart2 but ,i can get a comfortable nap when ,parson ,cole is holding forth4 ,we all go to church now on a ,sunday morning1 and ,i seem to like it2 and the youngsters like it1 and so do the sarvants4 ,it helps to keep us in a bit better order4 ,and wife often tells me she was never so happy in all her life as she is now2 and that makes me feel a bit more comfortable1 as ,i like to see smiling faces in my homestead4 ,i listened with some emotions of surprise and delight while he was running on in his tale of reformation1 and1 after a little hesitation1 ,i ventured to propose reading a chapter of the ,bible1 and going to prayer4 ,ay1 that's right1 ,sir4 ,that puts me in mind of what ,i heard my uncle say1 the last time he slept here1 and he was as staunch a ,churchman as ever sung a psalm tune3 ',prayer and provender are two good things2 one is good for man1 and t'other for beast3' though1 ,i must say1 we ant had much prayer here2 worse luck4 ,i read the second chapter of ,ephesians1 making a few comments on it1 and then we knelt before the throne of grace2 and when this domestic service was over1 ,i received the hearty hand-shake1 and set out to retrace my steps to ,fairmount1 which ,i reached just in time to lead the devotions of the family2 when1 having committed ourselves to the protecting care of our heavenly ,father1 we retired to rest4 ,a ,,village ,,funeral4 ,death is a solemn subject of meditation2 and it is one which presents stronger claims on our attention than any other1 because we all must die4 ,if to die were a mere cessation of being2 if1 when the mind ceases to think1 and the passions cease to glow2 if1 when the active and the passive virtues cease to display their moral beauty and vigour1 and when the mantle of mortality falls from off us1 we live only in the recollection of surviving friends1 we should forbear passing a heavy censure on the general indifference which is manifested towards death and dying4 ,but we live1 when dying2 we outlive death1 and live for ever4 ,yes1 life and immortality are brought to light by the volume of inspiration4 ,there we read that the hour is coming1 in the which all that are in the graves shall hear ,his voice1 and shall come forth1 they that have done good unto the resurrection of life2 and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation4 ,death spares neither age nor rank1 talent nor piety4 ,the king of terrors sways the sceptre of absolute authority over all the living2 none can elude his grasp1 nor resist his power4 ,what a scene is presented where he has achieved a conquest6 ,the sparkling eye become dim1 the instructive lips sealed in perpetual silence2 the ear deaf alike to the voice of friendship and the song of mirth2 and the tabernacle of bliss changed into the house of mourning4 ,the preparations necessary for the interment keep the mind in a state of constant agitation2 but when these are all adjusted1 and the ministers of death enter to bear away the dear departed to the distant tomb1 then the sobs1 and tears1 and groans of agonized survivors1 proclaim the greatness of the irreparable desolation4 ,it was on a still summer evening1 as we sat conversing together on the immortality of the soul1 and on the blessedness of the righteous in the heavenly world1 that we received intelligence of the approaching dissolution of ,mrs4 ,allen4 ,mrs4 ,stevens expressed a desire to see her once more before her decease2 and having accepted my offer to accompany her1 we hastened to her lonely dwelling4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,mourning4 ,vol4 i4 page #ahg4 ,i have often observed1 in my intercourse with society1 that the benevolent affections are not cherished exclusively by any class of its members1 but glow in the breasts of all2 yet they are usually most delicate when refined by the hallowed fire of devotional feeling4 ,on some occasions we see in humble life the tributary tear paid to departed worth1 even where religion has not instilled her sweetest influences2 yet1 in general1 a degree of insensibility is manifested which may well excite astonishment4 ,but we felt1 on entering this cottage1 that we were indeed in the house of mourning4 ,the husband1 just returned from his hard day's labour1 sat in the window-seat1 his mug of ale1 and bread and cheese1 untouched on the table beside him2 his hand spanned his forehead1 concealing his eyes1 and his little boy stood near him1 pensive and sad4 ,no voice spoke1 no noise was heard1 nor did our entrance disturb the mourner in his musings4 ,we felt a momentary tremor1 under an apprehension that death had already borne off his captive4 ,at length ,mrs4 ,stevens said1 ,well1 ,robert1 is your wife still in the body1 or in glory8 ,he started up1 and1 as the tear fell on his sun-burnt face1 replied1 ,she is still with us2 but she will soon be gone4 ,she has been discoursing about you1 ,ma'am1 all day2 and she will be very glad to see you again before she enters into the joy of her ,lord4 ,we went up stairs1 and it was evident1 from the expression of ,mrs4 ,allen's countenance1 that our visit gave her great delight4 ,she sat up in bed1 supported by pillows2 her face glowed with a hectic flush1 her eyes shone with radiant brightness1 her voice was clear1 though not strong1 and her mind discovered its usual cheerfulness and vigour4 ,here ,i am1 hourly expecting a change4 ,disease has nearly consumed my body2 but as my outward man perisheth1 blessed be ,god my inward man is renewed day by day4 ,i have passed through deep waters since ,i saw you1 but they have not been permitted to overflow me2 for when the enemy came in like a flood1 the ,spirit of the ,lord lifted up a standard against him4 ,the contest is nearly over1 the prize of my high calling is in view1 and ,jesus1 my beloved ,saviour1 will soon1 very soon1 present me faultless before the presence of the ,divine glory with exceeding joy4 ,i am happy1 said ,mrs4 ,stevens1 to find you in such a calm ecstasy in anticipation of the coming crisis4 ,you have borne a living testimony to the truth of religion1 and now you can bear a dying testimony to its excellence4 ,my living testimony has been but feeble2 it has not been so decided as it ought to have been2 ,i dare not think of it but with regret and self-loathing4 ,i have been an unprofitable servant1 but ,i look for redemption and for acceptance to ,jesus the ,mediator1 whose blood cleanseth from all sin4 ,but it must give you some degree of satisfaction to look back and see the fruits of your religion1 though the fruit may not have been so rich nor so fine as you could wish4 ,it gives me pleasure to know that ,i have been kept from falling1 and that ,i shall soon be permitted to bow down in the presence of my ,lord1 and offer to ,him some expression of my ardent gratitude for his great goodness to me2 but ,i can derive no satisfaction from a review of my own conduct4 ,i am a sinner saved by grace4 ,you are now1 ,i observed1 near the end of your course1 and ,i suppose you would not willingly recommence your pilgrimage on earth4 ,i would1 ,sir1 cheerfully1 if my ,lord were to command me1 but not otherwise4 ,i long to be with him4 ,to give up my dear husband and child occasioned a hard struggle1 but ,i have been enabled to do it2 and now ,i am going home1 and my ,father is waiting to receive me4 ,we committed her departing spirit to the ,lord ,jesus1 and prayed for her husband and her child2 then returned to ,fairmount1 where the news of her decease reached us within the space of an hour4 ,after we left she had spoken but seldom1 lying with her eyes closed1 but1 from the occasional motion of her lips1 it was evident that she was much engaged in prayer4 ,at length she said1 ,i feel a change which ,i cannot describe--is this death8--how easy it is6 ,the king of terrors is transformed into an angel of deliverance4 ,i shall soon see the ,king1 the ,lord of hosts in his beauty4 ,i am entering the valley1 but there is no darkness4 ,i see the shadow of death1 but feel no sting4 ,after a short pause1 during which her spirit seemed to be gathering up its strength for the final departure1 she embraced her husband and her child for the last time2 and1 having solemnly commended them to ,god1 she reclined her head on the pillow1 and expired4 ,precious in the sight of the ,lord is the death of his saints1 and their decease is often precious in the sight of men4 ,yes1 their composure when bidding farewell to their endeared relatives1 and their joyful anticipations when in the act of passing into the unseen world1 often produce such a powerful effect on the spectators of their exit1 that many who contemn their religious principles1 have retired from the solemn scene1 saying1 ,let me die the death of the righteous1 and may my last end be like his4 ,mrs4 ,allen's long affliction had so impoverished her husband1 that he was not able to meet the expenses of her funeral2 but such was the esteem in which her character was held1 that a subscription for the purpose was immediately raised4 ,i had often seen the city funeral1 where the simplicity of nature is sacrificed to pompous show4 ,the mourning coaches1 the hearse decorated with plumes1 and drawn by horses clothed in black1 the hireling mourners1 who make a mockery of grief--these may1 by their sombrous appearance1 throw a momentary gloom over the spirits1 but rarely1 if ever1 produce a deep moral impression on the heart4 ,i had now to witness1 in a village funeral1 a very different scene4 ,the ancient custom of burying the dead in the evening1 which still lingers in some parts of the country1 prevailed in this village4 ,i left ,fairmount1 in company with ,mr4 ,stevens and ,mr4 ,lewellin1 about five o'clock1 the eighth day after her decease2 and we were both astonished and pleased by seeing ,farmer ,pickford on the road before us4 ,when we came up with him ,i saluted him4 ,what1 ,farmer1 are you going to the funeral8 ,yes1 ,sir2 my mistress wished it1 as she mainly liked ,mrs4 ,allen2 and ,i felt a bit inclined to pay a little respect to her memory1 because ,i once made sport of her religion2 but ,i am now satisfied that it is of the right sort4 ,it is so4 ,it gives comfort on a bed of sickness and pain1 and it fits a person to die well--to die with a full expectation of going to heaven2 that is1 of going home4 ,it's a main good thing1 and no mistake1 when we are turned out of one home1 to have another to go to4 ,and that other home heaven1 which ,i hope1 ,farmer1 will be your home at last and for ever4 ,the ,lord grant that it may be so4 ,i often pray a bit about it2 but my prayers are but poor prayers1 worse luck4 ,i can't pray like you4 ,you can pray1 like the publican1 ',god be merciful to me a sinner4' ,ay1 that's the prayer for me4 ,i can pray that prayer1 and feel it too4 ,almost immediately after we had reached the cottage1 a neat oak coffin1 bearing the name and age of the deceased1 was brought out1 and placed on two stools in the centre walk of the garden4 ,a band of singers from the church choir took the lead in the procession1 then the bearers of the coffin1 two and two1 a lad walking on each side with a stool1 to afford an occasional resting2 then the chief mourners--the widowed husband and his little boy2 some relatives1 and a few poor friends1 walked behind2 and many of the villagers attended as spectators4 ,as the bier entered the vale that divides the two parishes1 the singers sang the following hymn3-- ,hear what the voice from heaven proclaims ,for all the pious dead2 ,sweet is the savour of their names1 ,and soft their sleeping bed4 ,they die in ,jesus1 and are bless'd2 ,how still their slumbers are6 ,from suff'rings and from sins releas'd1 ,and freed from ev'ry snare4 ,far from this world of toil and strife1 ,they're present with the ,lord2 ,the labours of their mortal life ,end in a large reward4 ,the effect was solemn and impressive4 ,as soon as the hymn was sung1 the bier stood still1 and the bearers rested2 when the thrush and the yellow hammer1 roused by the music1 poured forth their melodious notes1 as though anxious to prolong the song4 ,the number of spectators increased as we advanced2 all were serious1 some wept2 and when we turned into the lane which led up to the church1 another hymn was sung1 in accents more bold1 but equally melodious with the former3-- ,o for an overcoming faith1 ,to cheer my dying hours1 ,to triumph o'er the monster ,death1 ,and all his frightful pow'rs6 ,joyful1 with all the strength ,i have1 ,my quiv'ring lips shall sing1 ',where is thy boasted vict'ry1 ,grave8 ,and where the monster's sting8' ,if sin be pardon'd1 ,i'm secure2 ,death hath no sting beside2 ,the law gives sin its damning pow'r2 ,but ,christ1 my ransom1 died4 ,now to the ,god of victory ,immortal thanks be paid1 ,who makes us conqu'rors while we die1 ,through ,christ1 our living ,head4 ,the venerable rector met the procession on its entering the burial-ground1 and walked before it up the pathway leading to the church1 reading1 as he walked1 the thrilling words of inspiration3 ,i am the resurrection and the life4 ,the corpse was taken into the middle aisle of the church1 and placed on a raised platform2 the concourse of people attending seated themselves in the different pews1 and listened with devout seriousness to the appointed lessons and portions of the ,scripture1 which ,mr4 ,ingleby read in very impressive tones4 ,when he had finished1 the corpse was carried forth to the place of sepulture2 where1 after the rest of the burial-service was performed1 it was deposited till the morning of the resurrection4 ,when ,robert and his little boy looked down into the grave which had just received the remains of her they loved1 they wept1 and returned to their house of mourning1 cast down1 yet animated by a hope of a reunion in the celestial world4 ,i stole away from the crowd1 which was pressing round the grave to take the last look of the coffin1 that ,i might indulge my reflections in solitude4 ,death was the theme of my meditation4 ,humiliating theme6 ,how calculated to bring down the lofty spirit of pride1 to extinguish the flame of ambition1 to hush the contentions of discord6 ,a thrilling horror came over my spirit as ,i anticipated my own decease4 ,i felt attached to life1 and my nature recoiled in prospect of losing it4 ,the lengthened sickness2 the parting tear2 the final farewell2 the unknown pains of dying2 the solemn anticipations of an immediate entrance into another world2 the interment of my body in the cold1 damp earth2 the sighs of my bereaved widow and fatherless children2 all rushed in upon my fancy4 ,never did the communication which the ,redeemer once made to the mourner of ,bethany appear so beautiful as at this moment3 ,i am the resurrection1 and the life3 he that believeth in me1 though he were dead1 yet he shall live3 and whosoever liveth1 and believeth in me1 shall never die4 ,it was the light of life and the vision of immortality bursting in upon the empire of death2 elevating my soul above the desolation around me1 to look for the ,saviour1 the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 who shall change our vile body1 that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body1 according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself4 ,i did not leave the church-yard till the shadows of evening reminded me of the lateness of the hour1 and of my having left my friends1 who were waiting for me at the rectory4 ,when ,i entered the study1 the venerable rector said1 ,i am happy1 ,sir1 to see you once more on this side the grave2 ,i shall be more happy to see you on the other side2 but before that blessed interview can take place1 two graves must be opened1 and we both must pass through the dark valley of the shadow of death4 ,my grave-yard is much richer than it was when ,i commenced my labours in this parish2 and in walking round it1 my eye catches sight of monuments which bring to my recollection some with whom ,i have taken sweet counsel1 and who will be1 ,i have no doubt1 my crown of rejoicing in the presence of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ at his coming4 ,they are now resting from their labours1 and ,i shall soon rest from mine2 and then we shall appear before the throne of ,god together1 and serve him day and night in his temple1 and for ever4 ,you uniformly speak1 said ,mr4 ,stevens1 with confidence of your final salvation1 but every disciple of ,christ cannot do so2 for ,i have noticed1 within the limited circle of my ,christian fellowship1 great variation of mental feeling as the hour of departure has been drawing near4 ,some ,i have seen in solemn rapture when anticipating death2 a sweet calmness of spirit in others2 while in many ,i have known hope and fear alternately prevail4 ,and though we may possibly trace up this varying state of feeling as death approaches1 to physical causes1 yet should we not contemplate the sovereignty of ,god at this crisis1 who gives what portion of consolation he pleases8 ,i think the sovereignty of ,god is as conspicuous in the dying chamber as in the temple of grace2 yet the ,scriptures lead us to believe that there is an ordained1 if not a natural connection between an eminently holy life and an eminently peaceful death4 ,hence the apostle1 after enforcing on his readers the cultivation of the graces of the ,christian character1 concludes by saying1 ',wherefore the rather1 brethren1 give diligence to make your calling and election sure3 for if ye do these things1 ye shall never fall3 for so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our ,lord and ,saviour ,jesus ,christ4' ,i have a funeral sermon1 published by the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,jay1 which ,i have read with much satisfaction1 particularly the following passage3 ',the confidence of the people of ,god generally increases as death approaches4 ,hence ,isaiah compares their peace to a river2 for as a river rolls deeper and wider as it hastens to the sea1 so their peace commonly becomes more solid and more extensive as they draw near eternity4 ,in this view the change which ,dr4 ,goodwin experienced was remarkable4 ,is this dying8 exclaimed he1 a little before he expired4 ,is this what1 for so many years1 ,i have been dreading8 ,oh6 how precious does the righteousness of the ,saviour now appear6--,he cannot love me better than he does2 and ,i think ,i cannot love him better than ,i do4 ,this is not a solitary instance4 ,how many have we ourselves seen who wept upon the mountains of ,zion1 but rejoiced in the valley of the shadow of death2 whose harps1 long before hung upon the willows1 were taken down1 and delightfully used in singing the ,lord's song in the most strange part of all the strange land6 ,we cannot always account for things as effects1 which yet we are compelled by observation and testimony to admit as facts4 ,but the case before us sufficiently explains itself4 ,the love of life having1 from the will of ,god1 no longer now any purposes to answer1 is suffered to die away4 ,by drawing near the better country1 we feel something of its influence1 as the perfumes of ,arabia the ,happy are blown into the neighbouring provinces4 ,above all1 there is now more of the simplicity of faith4 ,during life some degree of legality attaches to all our performances4 ,doing continually intermingles with believing2 and often1 insensibly to ourselves1 we are anxious to make ourselves better1 to entitle us to the divine favour1 or to find something in ourselves wherein to hope1 if not whereof to glory before ,god4 ,but all this is now over4 ,what can the believer do when dying8 ,what qualifications can he then acquire8 ,what attainments can he then propose8 ,let him look back upon a well-spent life4 ,this is impossible4 ,every review which he takes of himself is humbling4 ,the very sins of his holy duties would drive him to despair4 ,one resource remains--one1 only one1 which is always equal to our relief--one whose consolation is only hindered from flowing in to us by the want of simplicity of mind2 it is looking by faith to the ,lamb of ,god1 who taketh away the sins of the world2 it is to commit implicitly the soul to him4 ,he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto ,god by him1 seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them4' ,i am fond of visiting the sick and the dying1 said ,mr4 ,lewellin4 ,when with them1 ,i feel the truth of religion4 ,the terror which seizes on the spirit of an infidel in his last moments1 and the rapture which glows in the breast of the expiring ,christian1 are equally impressive and instructive4 ,i have seen the unbeliever tremble as the footsteps of death have been heard2 his face has turned pale through fear1 or it has been beclouded by despair4 ,i have heard him utter the most piercing cries2 send forth heavy sighs and groans--the speechless messengers of woe2 ,i have heard him reproach himself in the strongest language for his folly and his guilt1 in having passed through life an enemy to the faith of ,christ2 and ,i have seen him expire in unutterable anguish4 ,i have also seen the believer1 calm and enraptured4 ,i have heard the music of his soul becoming more soft and enchanting as the vital spirit has languished in his frame4 ,i have listened while he has given utterance to his holy aspirations and blissful anticipations2 but ,i have never heard one express any regret for his attachment to the doctrines of the gospel4 ,i have never known one willing to renounce his faith1 or give up his hope1 in prospect of death4 ,nor ,i1 said ,mr4 ,ingleby2 and this circumstance is a strong evidence in favour of the adaptation of the gospel to our moral condition4 ,infidelity may contemn the faith of ,christ1 and hold up its friends to scorn1 but she is faithless2 for when her disciples want her comfort in their last hours1 she generally leaves them as victims whom she has fitted for destruction1 that she may mingle among the gay and the dissipated1 to prepare them also for the pangs of the second death4 ,it was late before we left the rectory1 and in passing the now desolated cottage1 we saw light in the room1 and on knocking at the door1 we gained admittance4 ,well1 ,robert1 said ,mr4 ,stevens1 you are not yet gone to bed4 ,no1 ,sir2 if ,i go to bed1 ,i don't think that ,i shall sleep4 ,i thought when my wife lay so ill1 and suffered so much1 that ,i should be willing to give her up to the ,lord1 if he would take her2 but now she is gone1 ,i feel my loss4 ,no man can tell what death is till it comes4 ,i love to think of her1 for she was a good wife1 and a good mother2 and ,i should like to talk to her2 but now if ,i go into the room1 ,i find that ,i am alone2 and this chills my heart4 ,my boy tries to comfort me1 but1 poor fellow1 he wants a comforter as well as ,i2 for he loved his mother4 ,but ,god can support you under your trial2 for he has said1 ',call upon me in the day of trouble3 ,i will deliver thee1 and thou shalt glorify me4' ,oh1 yes2 he does support me1 and he has given me a spirit of resignation to his holy will2 but1 ,sir1 nature can't help feeling4 ,but ,i do not suppose you would recall her from heaven1 even if you were permitted4 ,why1 ,sir1 it gives me pleasure to think that while ,i am mourning here below1 she is happy and at rest in heaven2 but if ,i were permitted to recall her1 ,i am sure ,i should be tempted to do it2 for she always tried to make me happy4 ,she is gone1 never more to return4 ,in looking into her drawer1 since we came back home1 ,i found these papers1 which ,i have just been reading4 ,finding they were in ,mrs4 ,allen's writing1 ,i afterwards borrowed them1 and having transcribed a copy of one1 ,i here insert it4 ,it was dated three months before her decease3-- ,i have just been favoured with a singular manifestation of the loving-kindness of my ,saviour4 ,he has taken away the guilt of all my sins4 ,he has removed all my doubts4 ,he has given me peace1 and has enabled me to resign my husband and child to his care4 ,he will soon take me to himself4 ,as ,i have felt at times great depression1 and may in my last moments be unable to speak of his doings1 ,i now record in writing what will not be seen till after ,i have seen him4 ,i die a guilty and worthless sinner1 depending on his death for salvation2 and can say that ,i die in full and certain hope of a joyful resurrection to eternal life4 ,,sarah ,,allen4 ,,dear ,,widowed ,,husband1--,before you see this1 ,i shall have passed through the valley1 and joined the redeemed above4 ,while you are weeping ,i shall be rejoicing2 yet1 if the spirits of the glorified are suffered to visit their earthly friends1 ,i will often come and hover over you and the dear motherless child4 ,follow me as far as ,i followed ,christ4 ,farewell1 till we meet in glory4--,yours1 for ever4 ,,miss ,,roscoe ,,withdraws ,,from ,,gay ,,life4 ,as ,miss ,roscoe was sitting one evening with her parents1 the conversation turned in the following manner3-- ,i have just received1 said ,mr4 ,roscoe1 an invitation from ,mr4 ,denham to attend a private ball at his house2 and he hopes that you1 my dear ,sophia1 will accompany me and your mamma4 ,i fear1 from some incidental remarks which you have made at different times1 that such amusements have lost their charm2 but ,i hope that your good sense has overcome your scruples1 and that you will not hesitate to comply with my request4 ,i ask it as a personal favour4 ,yes1 my dear1 said ,mrs4 ,roscoe1 ,i hope you will2 your father and ,i have had much conversation together on the subject1 and we both think you can do it and be very religious too4 ,you know that religion is not to deprive us of any enjoyments4 ,indeed1 ,i think when such religious people as we have always been indulge ourselves in these fashionable amusements1 we do more to recommend religion than such austere professors as our friends1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,stevens4 ,to which ,miss ,roscoe replied3 ,i certainly think that religious people ought to recommend religion by their cheerfulness and their pleasantry1 as well as by their strict moral deportment2 but ,i do not see how that religion1 which requires us to avoid a conformity to the vain customs of the world1 can be recommended by a compliance with them4 ,if we do as others do1 we shall be thought like them2 and ,i am sure1 from my personal knowledge1 that those who find pleasure in balls and theatrical amusements are as averse to the religion of the ,bible as those who openly and avowedly reject it4 ,my dear1 said ,mrs4 ,roscoe1 ,i hope you do not intend to say that all who avail themselves of such recreations are destitute of religion4 ,i do not like such sweeping charges4 ,you would condemn some of the most amiable and virtuous persons living6 ,a person may be amiable without being religious1 and virtuous1 even while he rejects as fabulous that scheme of salvation which we admit to be true4 ,if1 then1 we admit it to be true1 does it not become us1 if we wish to preserve consistency1 to conform ourselves to its preceptive parts8 ,and does it not require us to become a peculiar people8 ,and in what can that peculiarity be manifested but by an entire avoidance of the habits and customs which the world sanctions8 ,you know1 mamma1 that ,i often acted a most prominent part in these scenes of fashionable gaiety1 and that ,i intermingled with the indiscriminate throng1 participating in the glow of feeling enkindled in their breast1 and am1 therefore1 intimately familiar with the moral qualities and the religious sentiments of those who derive their highest gratification from such sources2 and while ,i would proceed with great caution in invading the province of the heart1 yet it is my decided opinion that no person who has ever felt the transforming influence of divine truth can sanction them4 ,mr4 ,roscoe remarked3 ,i grant1 my ,sophia1 that a superior mind will look with indifference on such frivolous amusements1 and that many who resort to them are impelled more by custom than inclination2 yet ,i do not perceive that they can injure the religious tone of the mind4 ,i have been as firm a believer in the divine origin of the ,bible1 and the mission and death of our ,saviour1 after my return from a ball1 as before ,i went1 though ,i confess my time could have been more profitably occupied4 ,and ,i am sure1 said ,mrs4 ,roscoe1 that ,i have felt as religious at the opera as ever ,i felt at church2 my heart has been elated with gratitude to the ,almighty for permitting us to enjoy such recreations4 ,i do not suppose1 my dear father1 that going to a ball or the opera would shake your belief in the divine mission of ,jesus ,christ2 but ,i presume that you do not imagine that ,he would attend them if ,he were on earth6 and ought a disciple to go where his ,lord would not go8 ,i grant that that religion which consists only in a speculative belief may not be injured by such amusements2 but ,i am conscious that they produce and nourish sentiments and feelings which are not only unconsonant1 but directly opposed to the spirit of vital ,christianity4 ,i could not pass from the gaieties of a ball-room to anticipate the happiness of heaven1 nor retire1 after the fatigues of a lengthened dance1 to hold spiritual communion with the ,holy ,one4 ,but where1 said ,mrs4 ,roscoe1 is the necessity of being always religious8 ,is the world to be turned into a convent1 and are we all to become either nuns or monks--forbidden to taste of any of the pleasures of life1 and doomed to perpetual fastings and prayers8 ,what6 religion every day1 and all day long6 ,why1 my ,sophia1 your remarks alarm me4 ,i am sorry1 my dear mamma1 that ,i should cause you any alarm1 but ,i assure you that there is no occasion for it2 the religion which has given me a distaste for pleasures so ephemeral and unsatisfactory1 has opened to me sources of enjoyment of a much higher order4 ,i do not stoop to earth or any of its gay scenes for mental bliss1 but arise to intercourse with the ,great ,invisible4 ,i no longer seek for religious impressions amidst the forms and ceremonies of an external devotion1 but in the exercise of that faith which brings remote objects near1 and which invests those which are unseen with a more attractive power than those which are visible4 ,i no longer hover in a state of uncertainty respecting my final destiny1 for ,i enjoy the bright beamings of that hope which is full of immortality2 and can attest that now my mental happiness is more pure1 elevated1 and stable1 than it was when ,i was a devotee to fashionable amusements4 ,i am glad1 said ,mr4 ,roscoe1 to hear that you are happy2 but ,i must confess that it is a sort of happiness of which ,i can form no idea4 ,the ,almighty is very good2 he wishes to make all his creatures happy--some in one way and some in another2 we should follow where inclination leads4 ,inclination is the first law of nature1 which all must obey if they wish to be happy2 and ,i think that we ought not to interfere with each other's propensities4 ,but as by nature we are inclined to evil1 ought not such a propensity to be restrained8 ,what are the various laws of civil society but so many proofs of the evil propensity of our nature1 and so many restraints on its indulgence8 ,i admit that the majority are wicked1 and that they require the strong arm of the law to keep them in subjection2 but ,i cannot admit that all are corrupted by the evil principle4 ,what models of perfection may we select from the circle of our acquaintance6--men of honour1 of integrity1 of benevolence--men in whose character all the virtues are concentrated1 and who live amidst the contagion of the world without being injured by it--men who would scorn an act of meanness or duplicity2 who would sacrifice their ease and their wealth to promote the general good2 who are religious without ostentation2 and who know how to enjoy the felicity of social life without being entangled by its snares4 ,are we to suppose that such men are corrupted by evil principles1 and that they are under some fatally evil inclination8 ,you will admit1 my dear father1 that a community of rebels may cultivate the social virtues among themselves1 even while they live in a state of revolt against their sovereign1 and in hostility against all who retain their loyalty8 ,yes1 my dear1 certainly they may4 ,do we not read in the ,scripture1 that all have sinned against ,god--that all are gone astray from their subjection to his authority--that all are become corrupt8 ,and do we not know that the sentence of death has passed upon all men1 because all have sinned8 ,now if1 as you suppose1 some have escaped the general contagion1 and are absolutely pure and virtuous1 how is it that they are involved in the same sentence of condemnation with the openly depraved and wicked8 ,where is the equity of such a decision8 ,and are we not accustomed to say1 when kneeling before the ,lord our ,judge1 ',we have erred and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep2 we have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts2 we have offended against thy holy laws2 we have left undone those things which we ought to have done1 and we have done those things which we ought not to have done1 and there is no health in us2 but thou1 ,o ,lord1 have mercy upon us1 miserable offenders8' ,yes1 my dear ,sophia2 but you must remember that our excellent ,liturgy was composed to suit the moral condition of the great majority of the people2 and therefore it became necessary that such strong language should be employed2 but you cannot suppose that it is strictly applicable to the virtuous part of the community4 ,then why do they adopt it8 ,why do they acknowledge1 on their knees before ,god1 what they deny to man8 ,is not this a resistless proof of the evil propensity of human nature8 ,i think not4 ,i think it is a proof of the generous amiability of human nature1 as the virtuous part of society consent to employ language which is not strictly applicable to themselves1 out of compassion to the more degenerated and worthless1 who ought to make such concessions1 and pray in such strong terms of humiliation4 ,how1 then1 ought the virtuous to pray1 if they ought not to pray in the strongest terms of humiliation8 ,shall we revive the spirit of the ancient ,pharisee1 which our ,lord condemned2 and shall we approach the footstool of the divine throne with his language3 ',god1 ,i thank thee that ,i am not as other men are1 extortioners1 unjust1 adulterers1 or even as this publican4 ,i fast twice in the week1 ,i give tithes of all that ,i possess8' ,in this prayer there is the language of self-gratulation and the spirit of censoriousness1 but no humble confession for sin1 nor any petition for mercy4 ,being a virtuous man1 he had no sins to confess1 and therefore did not need to implore mercy1 but he did not forget to offer thanks to ,god for his virtuous endowments4 ,he did not feel the guilt of his sins1 nor did he feel the need of mercy2 but his insensibility was no proof of his innocence4 ,the publican was in the temple at the same time1 but how different the spirit which he discovered1 and the language which he uttered3 ',and the publican1 standing afar off1 would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven1 but smote upon his breast1 saying1 ,god be merciful to me1 a sinner6' ,and in the following verse we read the judgment which ,jesus ,christ pronounced on the state of these two men3 ',i tell you1 this man went down to his house justified rather than the other3 for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased2 and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted4' ,i am sorry1 my dear1 said ,mrs4 ,roscoe1 that you have taken such gloomy views of human nature2 ,i do not think that they will contribute to your happiness1 and ,i very much regret that you should ever have imbibed them4 ,we were once happy and united1 but now we are a divided family2 the introduction of this evangelical religion1 as it called1 among us1 has broken up our peace1 and we are censured by many of our friends for permitting you to follow your present bias4 ,we did hope1 when the fervour subsided1 you would return to your former habits of life1 but ,i begin to despair of this4 ,the views of human nature which ,i have taken1 dear mamma1 are scriptural1 and in strict accordance with the language of the prayers and articles of our church4 ,if ,i am mistaken1 ,i am willing to be convinced of my error2 but1 on a question of such magnitude1 ,i can receive only the most substantial proof4 ,you charge me with breaking up the peace of the family2 this charge possesses a keen point1 and it has deeply grieved me4 ,my peace was broken1 and ,i wandered almost a forlorn object of grief1 because ,i had no prospect of happiness till ,i was led to embrace my present religious opinions2 these have acted on my wounded spirit as the rebuke of the ,saviour did on the agitated waters of ,gennesaret1 and now ,i enjoy an internal calm2 and must the restoration of peace to my mind be regarded as the destroyer of domestic happiness8 ,why1 you know1 my dear1 that your views on religious subjects differ from ours2 indeed1 ,i think them very eccentric1 and we cannot approve of them1 and our friends make many remarks which are not pleasant4 ,some say that you are a ,methodist1 some that you are a ,calvinist1 and many say that you are become quite a fanatic4 ,these things are unpleasant1 they mortify us4 ,we think it quite a disgrace to our family that you should have such things said about you4 ,i therefore hope you will consent to go with us to ,mr4 ,denham's ball2 it is held1 ,i assure you1 principally on your account2 there is to be a large party1 and all will be delighted to see you4 ,you then will wipe off the odium which your eccentric views have brought on yourself and us4 ,your father has made a very handsome purchase for the occasion1 which he intends to present to you4 ,you know it will not prevent your being very religious4 ,i would sacrifice much to please and gratify you1 my dear mamma2 but do not press me to a compliance which ,i cannot yield to without making a sacrifice of principle4 ,but what principle would you sacrifice by complying with such a request8 ,if ,i were to go ,i should feel no interest in the scene1 and my sadness would throw a gloom over the cheerfulness of others2 and ,i should render myself the object of satirical remark1 rendered keener than any which has yet been directed against me1 as my inconsistency would justify it2 for those who are so anxious to get me among them1 well know that ,i must first sacrifice my religious principles before ,i can consent4 ,o no1 my dear1 they will receive you with more delight than they would an angel2 and when you get among your old friends1 you will disengage your mind from your religious meditations1 which you will find a great relief2 ,i have no doubt you will be quite yourself again1 and that will make us all as happy as we used to be4 ,i feel in ecstasy in prospect of it4 ,do yield to our request4 ,yes1 ,i must disengage my mind from all religious recollections or anticipations to be happy on such an occasion2 but such a disengagement would be the entire destruction of my happiness in this world1 and the prospect of it hereafter4 ,then1 must we go without you8 ,i cannot consent to go unless you insist on it2 and even then ,i should go with reluctance1 and ,i fear my presence would disturb the harmony of the evening4 ,i assure you1 said ,mr4 ,roscoe1 it is with the deepest regret that ,i witness the pernicious infatuation under which you are labouring4 ,fitted to move in any rank of life1 and to command the respect and esteem of a large circle1 who would feel proud to enjoy your friendship and society1 you seem determined to descend even to the lowest1 and gather up the fragments of a fanatical felicity among the evangelical professors who abound among us4 ,my peace is gone1 because yours is wrecked2 and my hopes of your future respectability are all vanished4 ,i certainly did expect that you would comply with my request to accompany us to ,mr4 ,denham's1 when ,i solicited it as a personal favour2 but ,i now perceive that your religion has taught you how to refuse a parent's request2 and if the first-fruits are disobedience1 what will be the issue8 ,after all the pains that ,i have bestowed on the cultivation of your mind1 and the bleeding anxiety of my heart during your protracted illness1 to see you now come forth to contemn the elegant accomplishments of social life1 and the society of those with whom you have been accustomed to mingle with so much delight and eclat1 is a calamity which will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave8 ,miss ,roscoe was too much affected by this severe and unexpected address1 to make any reply2 and though she endeavoured to suppress her feelings1 yet she was obliged to retire to her own room1 where a flood of tears gave her some relief4 ,when somewhat composed1 she opened her ,bible1 and the following passage struck her eye3 ,whosoever therefore shall confess me before men1 him will ,i confess also before my ,father which is in heaven4 ,but whosoever shall deny me before men1 him will ,i also deny before my ,father which is in heaven4 ,think not that ,i am come to send peace on earth3 ,i come not to send peace1 but a sword4 ,for ,i am come to set a man at variance against his father1 and the daughter against her mother1 and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law4 ,and a man's foes shall be they of his own household 7,matt4 x4 #cb-cf74 ,the remarks of her favourite commentator1 ,scott1 strengthened her views of the passage1 and she felt more and more that it was her duty to act consistently with her religious principles1 though she might incur the displeasure of her parents4 ,soon after this conversation took place1 a select party came to spend the evening at the ,roscoes'2 and1 after tea1 the cards were introduced as usual4 ,i shall be happy1 said the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,cole 7addressing himself to ,miss ,roscoe71 to have you for a partner at whist4 ,i am sorry1 ,sir1 to deny you any request1 but ,i cannot comply with the one which you have just made4 ,indeed6 why1 we have often spent the evening in this amusing manner1 and ,i hope we shall spend many more4 ,yes1 ,sir1 we have2 but it is not my intention to consume any future portion of my time in such an amusement4 ,but do you think that there is any moral evil in it8 ,it has1 in my opinion1 the appearance of evil1 from which we are commanded to abstain4 ,but of two evils is it not the wisest maxim to choose the least8 and is it not a smaller evil to amuse ourselves at cards1 than1 as is often the case at evening parties1 to play at scandal and defame the reputation of others8 ,unquestionably2 but ,i presume that a wise and good man would avoid both these evils4 ,but ,i am not aware that any evil can arise from this amusing exercise4 ,does it not consume that time which ought to be devoted to a more profitable purpose8 ,does it not frequently give excitement to those passions of our nature which ought to be repressed8 ,does it not encourage a passion for gaming1 which1 we know1 has involved many in entire ruin8 ,but that is the abuse of the thing4 ,nay1 ,sir1 ,i think it is the natural tendency of it4 ,but are we to have no amusements because some indulge in them to excess8 ,is life to pass away in a dull1 monotonous routine of duty8 ,are we always to live in a state of exile from the charms and fascinations of social intercourse8 ,is the mind never to relax itself amidst the diversions of polished society8 ,must we ever keep up our attention to the sombrous claims of religion1 and always think1 and speak1 and act1 as though we were treading on the verge of an awful eternity8 ,indeed1 ,i give it as my decided opinion1 that that species of religion which interdicts these amusements1 cannot claim a divine origin1 because it is opposed to human happiness4 ,that species of religion1 as you are pleased to call it1 does claim a divine origin1 and1 perhaps1 if you examine its claims1 you will find them attested by the spirit of the ,new ,testament4 ,permit me to ask you one question1 and ,i am willing that your answer shall decide the question at issue between us--,do you believe that if ,jesus ,christ or any of his apostles were now present1 they would consent to pass away the hours of this evening in such an exercise as playing a game of cards8 ,perhaps not1 but they were extraordinary persons1 and their virtue kept them from many sources of amusement from which we1 who are more frail1 may very innocently draw a portion of our pleasure4 ,then you admit that it is our frailty that leads us to such amusements1 and that if we possessed more exalted virtue we should avoid them8 ,you reason excellently well1 ,madam1 against the amusement2 but such is the frailty of our nature1 that ,i fear the passion cannot be subdued with such a weapon4 ,perhaps not1 ,sir4 ,pray1 ,madam1 what amusements would you sanction8 ,those which would afford me pleasure on reflection1 and in which ,i could be engaged in my last moments4 ,the apparent delight with which evangelical professors anticipate their last moments1 is a tacit acknowledgment that the present are dull and insipid4 ,we anticipate our last moments1 ,sir1 with awe1 mingled with delight1 and though you may imagine that our present moments are dull and insipid1 yet1 ,i assure you1 you are mistaken4 ,we have our sources of happiness1 but card-playing is not included in the number4 ,i cannot but think that evangelical religion has an antisocial tendency1 and would1 if generally prevalent1 deprive us of all our innocent recreations4 ,evangelical religion1 like the religion of the ,new ,testament1 requires us not to be conformed to this world1 but to be transformed in the renewing of our mind1 and it produces a distaste for those frivolous and pernicious amusements in which the votaries of this world delight2 but ,i am not aware that it has an antisocial tendency1 unless you mean by that expression1 that its tendency is to mark out the essential difference between a real ,christian and one who bears only the name4 ,why1 we are all ,christians1 and good ,christians1 too2 but our ,christianity does not teach us to wait the arrival of death before we can be happy4 ,yes1 ,sir1 there are the pleasures of sin1 which we are commanded to forsake for the recompense of reward4 ,and1 ,madam1 there are the pleasures of innocence1 which are as sweet and as sacred as the joys of angels4 ,but ,i cannot suppose that you include card-playing among the pleasures of innocence4 ,most certainly ,i do6 ,then1 do you imagine that our old friend1 ,mr ,lock1 is of the same opinion1 who in an evening was reduced from a state of affluence to a state of poverty8 ,why1 that was an unlucky night for him1 certainly2 but you know we do not play for more than we can afford to lose4 ,i think1 ,sir1 with all due deference to your judgment1 that every one who plays at this game of innocence stakes more than he can afford to lose4 ,you are1 indeed1 an ingenious casuist1 and ,i wish to know how you can prove the correctness of your assertion4 ,can you afford to lose your temper8 ,if ,i do lose it ,i can easily recover it again4 ,you may1 ,sir1 but can others8 ,if they cannot1 they are to blame4 ,then1 ,sir1 this game of innocence is found on experiment1 first1 to destroy the placidity of the temper1 and then to involve its abettors in censure4 ,but there is often more staked in this game than the loss of temper4 ,what is there1 ,madam8 ,the loss of friendship4 ,you know that the families of the ,orrs and the ,humes have never met in any party since the quarrel which took place two years since at ,brushwood ,house4 ,why1 that was a very serious affair1 certainly1 but you know that such quarrels rarely happen4 ,nay1 ,sir1 they often happen1 only friends interpose and effect a reconciliation4 ,but with such facts imprinted on our memory1 can we say that such a game is the game of innocence8 ,i think1 ,madam1 you are rather too severe1 for you must allow that it often beguiles away many a languid hour4 ,which hours1 ,sir1 ought to be spent in preparation for immortality4 ,you veer1 ,madam1 towards death1 from whatever point of the compass you set out4 ,and1 ,sir1 death is veering towards us1 in whatever employments we are engaged2 but would you like to feel his fatal infliction when seated at a card-table1 or returning from a theatre8 ,too grave2 much too grave1 ,madam1 to be pleasant4 ,,fresh ,,perplexities4 ,mrs4 ,denham was not one of the select party that met at ,mr4 ,roscoe's1 as she had accompanied her husband to ,bath1 where he was detained longer than he expected1 having some important family matters to adjust with the executors of a deceased uncle4 ,on the day after her return home1 when sitting quietly by herself in her little back parlour1 working away hard and fast with her knitting needles1 ,miss ,denham came in1 took a seat by her side1 and thus began3-- ,do you know1 mamma1 that ,miss ,roscoe is become so religious1 that she actually refused the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,cole as a partner at cards1 at ,mr4 ,roscoe's party1 and said so many hard things against card-playing1 and brought forward so many arguments from some old ,puritanical book1 that he was at times quite disconcerted8 ,yes1 my dear1 and it is enough to disconcert any good ,christian to have religious subjects introduced at our convivial parties4 ,o yes1 mamma1 exactly so4 ,i think if we are religious on a ,sunday1 it is as much as ought to be expected4 ,our ,maker can't expect more4 ,do you think he can1 ma'8 ,certainly not1 my dear2 if he did1 we should have had two ,sundays in the week1 instead of one4 ,well1 ma'1 ,i really wonder how it is that ,miss ,roscoe has become so religious all at once4 ,what a pity4 ,i suppose she must be very unhappy4 ,yes1 my dear1 that you may depend on4 ,her parents are nearly broken-hearted4 ,dear ,mrs4 ,roscoe says that all their peace is gone2 and they really dread the consequences4 ,she has positively refused to attend our ball on ,friday week4 ,is it possible8 ,i wish ,i had known it1 ,i would have reasoned the point with her4 ,i will go and see her4 ,i think ,i can persuade her1 because ,i recollect putting aside an engagement one night last winter to go with her to see the ,beggar's ,opera4 ,ah6 my dear1 when this evangelical religion1 as it is called1 takes possession of a person's mind1 it is no use to attempt to reason or try persuasion--reason has nothing to do with it4 ,then1 mamma1 it must be a very unreasonable thing4 ,exactly so1 my dear1 and ,i hope you will avoid its snares4 ,dear mamma1 ,i really wonder that you should consider it necessary to give such a hint2 ,i assure you ,i have no prepossessions in its favour4 ,indeed1 it is not my intention to trouble myself at all about religion yet2 of course1 ,i shall go to church along with you and papa1 and take the sacrament once or twice a-year4 ,that will do1 won't it1 ma'8 ,yes1 my dear1 our ,maker won't desire more from such a young person as yourself4 ,but still it will be necessary to avoid all intercourse with those religious people who are known to be evangelical2 for the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,cole says he thinks that there is something of a bewitching nature in it1 as it is known sometimes to overcome those who have the greatest antipathies against it4 ,why1 mamma1 you quite alarm me4 ,then no one is safe4 ,is it possible for me ever to take to this evangelical religion8 ,o1 ,i would rather enter a nunnery at once1 and take the veil for life4 ,yes1 my dear1 and ,i would rather you should2 but still ,i deem it prudent to give you a hint to be on your guard2 for ,i heard you1 a short time since1 drop some expressions1 when speaking of ,mrs4 ,stevens1 which quite alarmed me4 ,indeed1 mamma6 ,i don't recollect it4 ,i certainly think ,mrs4 ,stevens a most amiable lady2 and though she may have rather too much religion1 yet she is very accomplished1 and a most interesting companion4 ,she is amiable and accomplished1 but ,i think her a most dangerous companion4 ,what6 the amiable ,mrs4 ,stevens a dangerous companion8 ,why1 mamma1 she is a truly virtuous and lovely woman4 ,she is so1 my dear1 and that makes her so dangerous4 ,she is always aiming at proselyting others to her religion1 and such is the bewitching charm of her eloquence1 and such the fascination of her manners1 that she scarcely ever fails4 ,why1 do you know1 though ,i am ashamed to confess it1 she nearly got me over to her religion when ,i was with her by myself one evening last winter4 ,dear ma'1 you quite surprise me4 ,you nearly made an ,evangelical6 ,did you ever tell pa' about it1 and what did he say8 ,o1 no1 my dear1 ,i never mentioned it before to any one2 and ,i should not like to have it repeated4 ,i may just mention it to ,mr4 ,ryder1 as a curiosity in the economy of life4 ,no1 no1 ,i beg you won't2 it will make me so much talked about1 and it will induce her to make another effort4 ,but1 as ,i was saying1 you really must be on your guard4 ,you have not my fortitude and self-possession4 ,she is a most beguiling woman1 and has so much tact4 ,she easily accommodates herself to the taste of her visitors1 she bribes the poor by her benevolence1 fascinates the young by her pleasantry1 and entangles the thoughtless by her arguments4 ,no one is safe who associates with her4 ,but1 mamma1 ,i do not think she would proselyte me1 for ,i have no predilection for religion4 ,it is too gloomy a subject to suit my taste4 ,indeed1 ,i do not understand it2 though every now and then ,i am tempted to wish ,i did2 ,i have at times such strange thoughts and feelings4 ,of course1 you know1 my dear1 it is a duty you owe the ,almighty to resist an evil temptation4 ,exactly so2 but is it not odd that ,i should ever be tempted to a thing for which ,i have no predilection1 and which ,i don't understand8 ,but1 ma'1 ,i am under an engagement to take tea with ,mrs4 ,stevens and ,miss ,roscoe next week--what shall ,i do8 ,decline1 of course1 my dear4 ,but the time is fixed4 ,you can send a note1 and plead indisposition as an apology for absence4 ,but would that be honourable1 if ,i should not be indisposed8 ,you know it is fashionable4 ,yes1 mamma1 but ,i have long felt a great dislike against the fashionable habit of sacrificing truth to expedience4 ,i cannot do it4 ,i have no strong desire to become religious1 but ,i wish to be virtuous2 and ,i think an inviolable regard to truth the very foundation of virtue4 ,very true1 my dear2 ,i am pleased with your remark1 it discovers a virtuous mind2 but you must not be too scrupulous4 ,you will find it impossible always to avoid the customs of fashionable life2 for though some of them are open to the censures of the strict moralist1 yet they have been too long established to be changed4 ,but1 mamma1 ,i should think it wrong to comply with any custom which pure morality condemns4 ,when ,i was at ,mr4 ,travers's1 the housemaid1 who had been in the family seven years1 and who was greatly respected1 was called up into the parlour and discharged at a moment's warning4 ,she wished to know the cause4 ,mrs4 ,travers said to her1 ',i have detected you in so many falsehoods1 that ,i cannot believe a word you say4' ,she took up her wages1 and said1 ',who taught me to speak untruth8 ,when ,i came into your service1 ,i came uncorrupted2 ,i abhorred a lie1 but did you not compel me to the habit8 ,was ,i not forced to say1 when you were unwilling to see company1 that you were ill1 or from home2 and if mistresses teach servants to lie1 ought they to be discharged when detected8' ,how insolent6 ,did not ,mr4 ,travers force her out of the house8 ,yes1 mamma1 he resented the insult2 but after she was gone1 he said1 ',i hope the truth will always be spoken in future2 for if we compel our servants to falsify for our convenience1 we ought not to be astonished if they do so for their own4' ,well1 my dear1 with your high notions of virtue1 ,i do not see how you can excuse yourself from ,mrs4 ,stevens's2 but let me entreat you to be on your guard1 for we live1 as the apostle says1 in perilous times4 ,i would rather follow you to the grave than see you infected with a religious contagion2 and ,i am sure your papa would disown you4 ,dear mamma1 ,i wonder that you should harbour any suspicions4 ,it is not my intention to become religious yet4 ,indeed1 if ,i were1 my religion must tolerate all the fashionable gaieties4 ,you know ,i am fond of cards and concerts1 of balls and plays2 and as for the ,bible1 ,i assure you that ,i have not read it since ,i left school4 ,it is too grave to suit my taste1 and so mystical that ,i cannot understand it4 ,indeed1 ,i have my doubts about it2 particularly since our acquaintance with the ,ryders4 ,mr4 ,john is quite a sceptic2 he is very clever1 and his arguments are so powerful6 ,i have no wish that you should become a sceptic1 my dear2 it would make you so much talked about4 ,exactly so1 mamma2 ,i know it is not fashionable for ladies to become sceptics1 but ,miss ,sims affects to be one1 and really boasts of it1 which sadly mortifies her sister ,amelia4 ,however1 ,i have made up my mind to keep to the good old religion of our church2 though ,mr4 ,john ,ryder said the other evening1 in a large party1 he expected to make a convert of me4 ,i admire your firmness4 ,yes1 keep to the church1 and you will be sure to go to heaven when your ,maker takes you out of this world6 ,you think ,i shall1 ma'4 ,to be sure1 my dear4 ,our ,maker could not object to take such a dear lovely girl as you are to heaven1 to live amongst the happy innocents there4 ,that's a beautiful thought4 ,sceptics don't expect to go to heaven1 do they1 mamma8 ,no1 my dear4 ,where will they go8 ,i don't know1 and ,i don't think they know themselves4 ,i once heard your papa say1 they expect death will snuff them out of existence as we snuff out the flame of a candle4 ,do they really believe this8 ,what a sad pity--snuffed out of existence4 ,i shall never forget the expression4 ,i'll repeat it to ,mr4 ,john ,ryder the next time he calls2 ,i wonder what he will say8 ,he will only laugh at it4 ,laugh at being snuffed out of existence6 ,no1 mamma1 ,i will never become a sceptic1 to be snuffed out of existence4 ,i would rather turn an evangelical1 for they1 when death comes1 are in ecstasy1 in anticipation of eternal life and happiness in another and better world4 ,what a loud ring1 ,i wonder1 ma'1 who it can be2 but it does not matter1 we are dressed to receive company4 ,the servant entered with the cards of ,miss ,dorothy ,brownjohn1 and her sister ,susan1 who1 of course1 had been ushered into the drawing-room4 ,i am so glad to see you2 do be seated1 ladies4 ,well1 this is a pleasure ,i did not expect when ,i rose this morning1 though ,i said last night1 when looking at the coal leaf waving on the bar of our parlour grate1 that we should have company to-day4 ,we should have made a call on you1 as we missed you at the sacrament last ,sunday week1 only ,i have been to ,bath with ,mr4 ,denham4 ,we were all prodigiously affected1 as we thought you were ill4 ,oh no1 said ,miss ,susan1 we haven't been exactly ill1 but it was all hurry and bustle with us that week1 and ,i could not get through my preparation reading and prayers1 to fit me for the sacrament4 ,i think my sister1 said ,miss ,dorothy1 is too scrupulous1 and ,i tell her1 that if she can't get done all the preparation reading and prayers1 the ,almighty will overlook it1 and so would ,mr4 ,cole4 ,oh dear1 yes1 to be sure he would4 ,why1 ,i had not time that week to read a single extra prayer2 we had company in the house every day and night4 ,the principal purpose of our calling on you this morning1 dear ,mrs4 ,denham1 is to ask you if you know any one who would suit us in the capacity of a cook4 ,what1 are you going to part with the old cook who has been with you so many years8 ,oh dear1 yes1 said ,miss ,susan1 and ,i wish we had got rid of her at the beginning4 ,since she has got infected with the rector's new religion1 she has not been the same woman she once was4 ,yes1 there is an obvious difference1 said ,miss ,dorothy1 in her spirit1 and appearance1 and manners1 which ,i cannot account for4 ,does she neglect her duties8 ,oh no1 said ,miss ,susan1 she does not neglect her work2 if she did ,i should soon be after her4 ,she used to sing a good song1 and be as merry as a cricket2 but no singing now1 except some odd psalm2 and she never appears happy but when going to church1 or reading her ,bible2 and she is trying to get over the rest of the servants to her religion4 ,have you given her notice to leave8 ,oh no1 not exactly4 ,i'll tell you1 dear ,mrs4 ,denham1 how it was4 ,i heard a whisper amongst the rest of the servants that the cook got up before them in the morning1 and sat up after them at night2 and ,i was determined to find it out1 and the reason of it1 for it did not look well2 now1 did it8 ,so one night1 when all the rest were gone to bed1 ,i went down stairs very softly1 and looked through the keyhole1 and saw her reading her ,bible2 and ,i made up an excuse for going in2 and ,i said to her1 ',i think1 cook1 sleep would do you more good at this hour than that book1 sitting up wasting fire and candle2' and she gave me such an insolent reply1 that she ruffled my temper very much4 ,she said1 ',if ,i thought so1 ,ma'am1 ,i should be in bed1 but ,i like a little reading out of ,god's book before ,i go to rest2 and if ,i do my work to your satisfaction1 as ,i hope ,i do1 ,i think you have no cause for complaint4' ,and the next morning she actually gave notice to leave4 ,and ,i am sorry to say1 added ,miss ,dorothy1 that just before we left home1 the housemaid gave me notice4 ,why1 sister1 you did not tell me that4 ,this is all our rector's doings4 ,we were living as peaceably as a nestling of birds1 till he began to preach the new doctrines of the new birth1 and faith1 and salvation by grace4 ,i am sometimes tempted to wish myself in heaven1 out of the way of these domestic miseries4 ,mr4 ,cole1 in his sermon on ,sunday morning1 said that this evangelical religion is a spiritual epidemic2 it spreads by the power of sympathy1 and affects all alike4 ,it is a prodigious evil4 ,that's true2 we will have no more of it in our family1 said ,miss ,dorothy1 for our next servants shall engage not to go and hear our rector1 and ,i will substitute the prayer-book for the ,bible1 for the servants to read4 ,very proper1 said ,mrs4 ,denham1 that venerable book will do them no harm4 ,they may read that1 said ,miss ,susan1 and welcome4 ,it will never make them miserable1 nor keep them up late at night4 ,then1 ladies1 you are in want of two servants8 ,yes1 said ,miss ,susan1 and two who like to read the prayer-book better than the ,bible1 and won't go to hear any of the evangelicals4 ,shall we see you at church next ,sunday2 ,mr4 ,cole is going to preach a charity sermon for our ,sunday-school4 ,what1 have you a ,sunday-school8 ,yes1 ,mr4 ,cole felt compelled to set up one in self-defence1 for he found the children all going off to a school kept by some of the evangelicals1 and their parents followed them4 ,we haven't many4 ,for a ,sunday-school1 said ,miss ,dorothy1 in self-defence1 there is some excuse1 otherwise ,i would not give it my sanction2 ,i hope you are very careful what you teach the children1 otherwise you will lift them up with pride1 and they will not work as servants ought to do4 ,mr4 ,cole won't have anything taught in the school but the ,church catechism4 ,they may learn that1 said ,miss ,susan1 and welcome2 it won't do them any harm4 ,yes1 you may expect us on ,sunday1 and perhaps then1 ,mrs4 ,denham1 you may be able to tell us if you can help us to any servant who will comply with our terms--read the prayer-book1 and not go near any of the evangelicals4 ,,the ,,religious ,,party4 ,there was at ,mr4 ,stevens's a select but not a large party4 ,the conversation was of a desultory nature till after tea1 when ,miss ,roscoe was requested to favour the company with a little music4 ,she seated herself at the piano1 and sung the following hymn with considerable effect3 ,o my ,lord1 ,i've often mused ,on thy wondrous love to me2 ,how ,i have the same abused1 ,slighted1 disregarded ,thee6 ,to thy church and ,thee a stranger2 ,pleas'd with what displeased ,thee2 ,lost1 yet could perceive no danger2 ,wounded1 yet no wound could see4 ,but1 unwearied1 ,thou pursu'dst me2 ,still thy calls repeated came1 ,till on ,calvary's mount ,i view'd ,thee1 ,bearing my reproach and blame4 ,then o'erwhelmed with shame and sorrow1 ,whilst ,i view each pierced limb1 ,tears bedew the scourge's furrow1 ,mingling with the purple stream4 ,i no more at ,mary wonder1 ,dropping tears upon the grave-- ,earnest asking all around her1 ,where is he who died to save8 ,dying love her heart attracted1 ,soon she felt its rising pow'r2 ,he who ,mary thus affected1 ,bids his mourners weep no more4 ,i scarcely know which to admire most1 said ,mrs4 ,stevens1 the air or the hymn itself2 there is plaintive melancholy in the music which accords with my feelings1 and an exquisite delicacy in some of the expressions of the hymn1 which ,i greatly like4 ,how touching the allusion to our former state of indifference and insensibility6 ,how correct the beautiful reference to the moral efficacy of the ,saviour's death in exciting sorrow for sin6 ,but the last stanza1 in my opinion1 is the most soothing and consolatory-- ',he who ,mary thus affected1 ,bids his mourners weep no more4' ,it is a favourite hymn of mine1 observed ,mr4 ,lewellin2 and the last stanza1 to which you refer1 brings to my recollection the lines of ,cowper3-- ',but with a soul that ever felt the sting ,of sorrow1 sorrow is a sacred thing4' ,but no sorrow is so deep and pungent as that which the mind usually feels when pierced by the convictions of guilt2 and yet there is a sacredness in the passion which distinguishes it from unmingled anguish or grief4 ,when first excited1 it often occasions deep mental depression2 but when relief is obtained1 by a clear perception of the way of salvation through faith in the death of ,jesus ,christ1 it is turned into a spring of grateful joy4 ,but the generality of professing ,christians1 said ,miss ,roscoe1 scornfully reject those religious sentiments which commence their moral operations by inflicting pain in the mind4 ,they are religious1 but their religious opinions are not permitted to excite either the passion of sorrow or of joy2 and as soon as a person begins to feel what he believes1 he is denounced a fanatic4 ,yes1 replied ,mr4 ,lewellin1 when a person begins to feel the moral efficacy of the truth1 he is regarded by many as falling into a state of idiotcy1 or rising to a pitch of frenzy4 ,we may feel the charm of music1 but not the charm of devotional sentiment2 we may be depressed when we give offence to an endeared friend1 but a recollection of our transgressions against our ,father who is in heaven must occasion no regret2 the imagination may be delighted by captivating scenery1 but not with the sublime visions of future bliss4 ,no6 ,an excitement which takes its rise in such causes is considered by the semi-,christians of the present age as a certain indication of a disordered intellect or degenerated taste4 ,the veil of ignorance1 observed the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,guion1 which is thrown over the mind of the unregenerate1 renders them incapable of forming any clear perceptions of the nature or design of the gospel4 ,they reduce the whole of religion to a human arrangement1 which merely requires an external homage to an established formula2 and conclude that after they have uttered the solemn responses of the ,liturgy1 listened to the sermon which the clergyman delivers1 and taken the sacrament1 they have discharged the whole of their duty towards ,god2 and as they have no clear perceptions of revealed truth1 they cannot have any powerful religious impressions4 ,their heart is as cold during the service as the marble slab which bears down to succeeding generations the names of the deceased of past ages2 and as they never feel deep sorrow for sin1 nor ardent love for an unseen ,redeemer1 we ought not to be astonished if they treat with contempt the excitement of such emotions in the breast of others4 ,certainly not1 replied ,miss ,roscoe2 ,i very well recollect being much surprised when ,i accidentally heard a little girl singing the following verse of a hymn1 which ,i now much admire3-- '',tis religion that can give ,sweetest pleasures while we live2 ',tis religion must supply ,solid comforts when we die4' ,i was quite incapable of conceiving how religion could give pleasure4 ,i compared a religious service with a concert2 and while the recollection of the one produced a pleasant feeling1 the other appeared dull and insipid4 ,i compared a ,sabbath-day with another day1 and regretted that custom had set it apart for observances which were repugnant to my taste4 ,if ,i went to church1 ,i felt no interest in the service2 and if ,i stayed away1 ,i was unconscious of having sustained any loss of mental improvement or enjoyment4 ,but ,i presume1 said ,mr4 ,lewellin1 that now you can trace the connection between religion and pleasure4 ,yes1 ,sir2 there is an inseparable connection between the influence of religious truth on the heart1 and the highest degree of mental enjoyment2 it brings the soul into a new world of being1 where objects1 unseen by the natural eye1 disclose their beauties2 and truths1 unfelt by the unrenewed mind1 excite a joy which is unspeakable4 ,now ,i can understand the ,scriptures2 the ,saviour is invested with overpowering charms1 and the futurity which stretches beyond the grave1 presents a clear and spacious scene of bliss to my imagination4 ,how naturally1 observed ,mr4 ,guion1 the mind of an enlightened ,christian associates the hope of future happiness with the name of the ,redeemer4 ,how cheering and animating to believe that after the sorrows and turmoils of this life have ceased1 we shall enter into rest4 ,what a scene of sublime grandeur will open on us then1 enkindling emotions of astonishment and joyous delight infinitely beyond any ever previously felt6 ,i admit1 said ,mr4 ,lewellin1 that the external beauties of the heavenly world will impart a high degree of delight1 but the society of the place will constitute the chief source of felicity4 ,we shall behold the ,son of ,god seated on his throne of majesty and grace4 ,he is the perfection of beauty1 and his form is as glorious as his nature is pure4 ,what an impression will be produced when we see him face to face6 ,i love1 said ,mrs4 ,stevens1 to think of heaven as the dwelling-place of my ,redeemer4 ,the very anticipation of the first interview with him whom unseen ,i love and adore1 excites a feeling in my soul1 rich in all that is sacred and delightful4 ,i have1 it is true1 many ties which bind me to earth1 yet there are seasons when ,i can sing the ardent language of the poet without a faltering accent-- ',where ,jesus dwells my soul would be1 ,and faints my glorious ,lord to see2 ,earth1 twine no more about my heart1 ,for 'tis far better to depart4' ,i had as yet taken no part in the conversation1 but this reference to ,jesus ,christ now living in the celestial world1 led me to remark that the sufferings he endured when on earth were a decisive proof that he came to accomplish some wonderful ulterior design4 ,we know1 from the testimony of the ,word of ,god1 that there are beings in heaven of divers rank and order2 but from what has taken place1 and what is still taking place in the economy of the ,divine procedure1 we find that a new order of beings is to be called into existence1 and one which is to take precedence of all others--to stand out conspicuously for the admiration of all worlds1 as the most marvellous specimens of the creating power of ,god4 ,but instead of putting forth his creative power1 as when the angelic orders were called into existence1 the ,lord ,jesus himself1 in human form1 comes into the dark and wicked world1 and1 out of the most impure elements1 moulds a people for himself1 whom he will acknowledge as his brethren1 and to whom the angels of ,god are to act for ever as ministering spirits4 ,mr4 ,lewellin replied3 ,we are accustomed to say that the facts of real life are often more startling and surprising than the wildest conceptions of romance1 but the fact to which you have just given such a prominency is one which must have taken all beings1 of all worlds1 by surprise2 the lowest and the meanest in the scale of intelligence1 if not the most polluted and the most vile1 are advanced1 through the condescending grace of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 to stand at the head of the intelligent creation of ,god4 ,then1 said ,miss ,roscoe1 to be a redeemed sinner1 when the ulterior purpose of ,jesus ,christ is actually accomplished in us1 will be regarded as a nobler mark of distinction than to be an archangel4 ,yes1 the angels of ,god are the servants of the celestial establishment1 but redeemed sinners are the sons of ,god1 fashioned like unto the glorious form of ,jesus ,christ himself1 each one being the express image of ,jehovah's person4 ,an allusion having been made to the impression which must have been made on the minds of the apostles when gazing on the ascension of ,jesus ,christ1 ,i mentioned that ,i had recently heard an intimate friend give a graphic description of the scene1 in a discourse delivered in his own chapel1 and1 at my request1 he was kind enough to give me a copy of it4 ,as it bore an emphatic relation to the subject of our conversation1 ,i then read it to the party3-- ,when going with his apostles from ,jerusalem to ,bethany1 he stops1 and stops somewhat abruptly1 as though under the impulse of some new thought--they also stop2 and when he lifts up his hands1 they gather around him2 he speaks--they listen with fixed eagerness of attention2 he blesses them1 though in what form of expression we are not told2 they feel the power of his blessing diffusing through their soul an indescribable sensation of calm and ecstatic joy2 still looking on him with intense earnestness1 at once expressive of their confidence and their love1 they suddenly see a movement1 and are startled1 but not affrighted2 he moves1 he rises above them1 and enters a trackless pathway1 on which no one but himself could tread2 he is parted from them1 gradually ascending higher and higher1 till at length a bright cloud receives him1 and he disappears out of their sight4 ,they are petrified to the spot1 not by terror1 but amazement2 no one speaks--all instinctively feel that the spot is too hallowed for sounds of human utterance4 ,two messengers from the celestial world break the silence of ecstatic wonder1 saying1 ',ye men of ,galilee1 why stand ye gazing up into heaven8 this same ,jesus1 which is taken up from you into heaven1 shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven4' ,the apostles bow in reverential awe1 and on the spot on which he stood before he was parted from them1 they kneel down and worship him1 and then return to ,jerusalem with great joy4 ,with what raptures did the celestial spirits hail his return1 and with what joyful awe did they witness his re-investure with the glory he had with the ,father before the world was4 ,a new and never-to-be-forgotten era in the annals of immortality is now begun2 the new dispensation of mediatorial grace and love1 for which the events of four thousand years had been a preparation1 is now established2 inaugurated into his office as a king and a priest on his throne1 he presents to the joyous spectators the first redeemed sinner brought from earth to grace his triumphs4 ,and who is selected for this novel manifestation of his power and his love8 ,a man of genius8 a man of rank8 a man of ,platonic virtue or of ,socratic fame8 ,no3 a man of crime6 who but a few days before was hanging on a cross of infamy and torture1 reviling him who is now presenting him faultless before the presence of the ,most ,high1 amidst the praises of myriads of celestial spirits4 ,what a wondrous scene6 ,yes1 said ,mr4 ,guion1 that is a scene ,i should like to have beheld1 but the resurrection will surpass it in awful grandeur2 and this we shall all see4 ,this animating conversation excited a degree of feeling which ,i am not able to describe4 ,every countenance beamed with delight1 and even ,miss ,denham1 who had been a mere listener1 manifested an interest in it which ,i was rather surprised to witness4 ,at length ,mr4 ,stevens rang the bell1 when the servants entered the parlour1 and ,mr4 ,guion1 after reading a portion of the ,scriptures1 engaged in prayer4 ,he was solemn and devout1 and though no visions of glory were seen1 nor any supernatural voices heard1 yet the ,divine presence was eminently enjoyed1 and we rose from our knees and sang-- ,the world knows nothing of the joys ,that ,christian fellowship supplies2 ,enamour'd of their glitt'ring toys1 ,our hopes seem nothing in their eyes4 ,but we can witness what we know1 ,and speak aloud1 nor care who hears2 ,our joys from heavenly sources flow1 ,and would be ill exchanged for theirs4 ,we envy not the great and wise2 ,we count ourselves more blest than they3 ,we're taught their honours to despise1 ,and from their joys to turn away4 ',twill soon appear who serve the ,lord1 ,and who are they who serve him not3 ,then let us hold his faithful word1 ,and ours will be a glorious lot4 ,on resuming our seats1 ,mrs4 ,stevens said3 ,i think that all the pleasures of religion are not reserved for another world4 ,there are some which we may partake of in this1 and one of the most gratifying is the pleasure of doing good to others4 ,she then read to us a letter she had received from an aged ,dissenting minister1 who had a large family and a very limited income1 imploring her generous assistance to enable him to extricate himself from some pecuniary embarrassments4 ,i am a clergyman1 said ,mr4 ,guion1 and feel no disposition to leave the church1 but ,i know how to respect a ,dissenting minister1 and to sympathize with him in his afflictions4 ,but this good man wants something more than sympathy1 and ,i feel thankful that it is in my power to offer it4 ,i have already collected a few pounds1 said ,mrs4 ,stevens1 which1 with the addition of your liberal donation1 will be a very acceptable present4 ,the charity of bigotry1 said ,mr4 ,lewellin1 is restricted in its sympathies1 and1 like the ,levite1 will pass by the sufferer if he belong to another denomination1 without extending relief2 but the benevolence of the gospel1 like the good ,samaritan1 asks no invidious questions1 weeps with them that weep1 and rejoices with them that rejoice1 and rising to an elevation which renders the landmarks of religious distinctions invisible1 pours down its charities upon all who are in trouble4 ,i assure you1 ,sir1 replied ,mr4 ,guion1 that as ,i advance in life and become more imbued with the love of the truth1 ,i feel an increasing attachment to real ,christians of every denomination1 particularly the faithful ministers of ,jesus ,christ4 ,when ,i first took orders ,i was a first-rate bigot2 ,i resolved to have nothing to do with ,dissenters4 ,i despised them4 ,i contemned our venerable friend ,mr4 ,ingleby for his liberality1 and refused to associate with him because he associated with some pious ,dissenters4 ,i thought that as they left the church they should be banished from all intercourse with our society2 and such was the degree of my hostility towards them1 that it would have given me pleasure to have seen them sent to some distant colony1 where they could live by themselves4 ,but since it hath pleased ,god to call me out of the darkness of ignorance in which ,i was involved1 into his marvellous light1 and shed abroad his love in my soul by the power of the ,holy ,ghost1 ,i have cherished the pure benevolence of the gospel1 and now recognize all as fellow-heirs of the grace of life who bear the image and breathe the spirit of ,jesus ,christ4 ,i think1 said ,mr4 ,stevens1 that the spirit of bigotry is decidedly antichristian1 as it separates those from each other who are redeemed by the precious blood of ,christ1 and it has a natural tendency to excite strong aversion in the minds of unbelievers against religion2 hence we ought to watch and pray1 lest we should be imperceptibly injured by it4 ,but do you think1 said ,miss ,roscoe1 that it is possible for a real ,christian to possess an atom of bigotry8 ,an atom6 exclaimed ,mr4 ,lewellin1 ,i know some who are enslaved by it4 ,what6 and ,christians8 said ,miss ,roscoe4 ,yes4 ,indeed6 ,i should have thought it impossible4 ,but you would not adduce their bigotry as an evidence of their personal religion8 ,o no1 it is an evidence of their personal weakness4 ,from such a spirit1 ,sir1 ,i hope we shall ever be preserved4 ,i would shun it as much for its meanness as ,i do for its malignity2 and look on it as a demon who destroys the harmony which ought to prevail among all who rest their hope in ,christ4 ,,miss ,,roscoe4 ,it was near the end of the following week ere ,miss ,roscoe and ,mrs4 ,stevens again met4 ,after some remarks from ,mrs4 ,stevens upon the evident depression of her friend's spirits1 ,miss ,roscoe observed3 ,since ,i had the pleasure of seeing you last week1 ,i have felt the extremes of anguish and of joy4 ,my life is indeed a chequered one1 and ,i often wonder how the scene will end4 ,yes1 my dear1 the life of every ,christian is a chequered life4 ,he is liable to a continued change of feeling1 and the scene of ,providence is ever shifting2 the current of his history may run on for a season in a smooth and even course1 but it is constantly exposed to obstructions4 ,joy and grief are very delicate passions2 and as they have such a powerful influence over us1 it is wisely ordained that we shall not be kept in a state of perpetual excitement4 ,they come in as with a flood of feeling2 but1 instead of laying waste the mind1 they often become the means of enriching it with the most nutritious consolations4 ,but how difficult it is to control grief1 when it springs out of a domestic calamity4 ,i hope1 my dear1 you have no new domestic trial4 ,i am not aware that ,i have a new one1 but ,i have one that has inflicted a most poignant wound1 and ,i know not what steps to take4 ,my dear parents manifest the most decided hostility to my religious opinions and habits4 ,when they confined their hostility within the bounds of argument and persuasion1 ,i found it comparatively easy to maintain the contest2 but now they begin to reproach me1 and ,i fear their attachment is on the decline4 ,to survive the loss of their affection1 ,i think1 will be to live too long for my own peace4 ,where shall ,i find another home8 ,where shall ,i find another father8 ,where shall ,i find happiness when my parents cease to love me and regard me as their daughter8 ,though your parents are hostile to your religious opinions and habits1 their hostility will not continue always4 ,they are disappointed by your not appearing in that circle of society in which they expected you to move2 and are mortified by the satirical remarks which your religious profession has provoked2 but time will soften down these asperities of feeling1 and they will eventually tolerate what they may never be disposed to sanction4 ,but what ought ,i to do8 ,am ,i to sacrifice my religious principles to parental solicitation8 ,i have been advised to do so1 as obedience to parents is a cardinal virtue of ,christianity4 ,it is a virtue which ought to live in the heart of every child2 yet ,i feel ,i cannot give it that form of expression which they wish4 ,it is this that aggravates my sorrow4 ,i love them1 ,i revere them1 ,i would sacrifice my health and my life to please them2 but ,i cannot1 ,i dare not sacrifice my conscience4 ,your situation is very delicate and painful2 yet you must remember that you are under the peculiar protection of the ,redeemer4 ,he has all power in heaven and on earth1 and works all things after the counsel of his own will4 ,he can cause light to spring out of darkness1 and often comes forth to deliver his people when they despair of help4 ,i would advise you to be firm1 yet temperate2 to blend the utmost degree of kindness with inflexible decision2 to avoid every appearance of eccentricity2 not to introduce religious questions in conversation at an improper time1 and when you do introduce them1 cautiously abstain from minor and subordinate topics2 bear reproach without murmuring2 never discover an eagerness to expose erroneous views of truth1 unless you have reason to conclude that it can be done without giving offence2 and1 as a general maxim1 prove the truth and the excellence of your religious sentiments and opinions1 more by your life than by your tongue4 ,i sometimes think that ,i shall sink beneath my afflictions1 but at other times ,i rise above them4 ,i know that it is through much tribulation that the righteous are to enter the kingdom1 and ,i know1 also1 that amidst all their tribulations they enjoy peace4 ,the candidate for immortality ought not to object to the cross2 but when the cross is prepared by those we love1 it becomes peculiarly oppressive4 ,after much deliberation and many prayers1 ,i resolved on writing to my parents1 and have placed in the hands of my father1 as ,i left home1 a letter1 a copy of which ,i will read to you3-- ',,my ,,beloved ,,parents1--,it is with many varied and conflicting emotions that ,i now address you2 you may think it strange that ,i have chosen the more formal style of writing1 rather than conversing with you1 but ,i trust you will agree with me that1 considering the importance of the subject which is now engaging so much of our mutual thoughts and feelings1 and the different opinions we entertain1 it is of great consequence that we should fully understand each others' sentiments4 ,upon your kind sympathy ,i throw myself2 judge me not harshly2 though compelled to differ from you on many points1 still let me have your usual kindness and consideration4 ',i am fully aware of the deep and poignant sorrow which my late course of conduct has brought upon you2 you have ever been to me kind and indulgent1 have brought me up in the enjoyment of every comfort and elegance which your station in life has enabled you to command2 no expense has been spared to fit me for the position in society you wish me to occupy2 and now1 by my own act and decision1 ,i deprive you of the pleasure and reward which you so naturally expect4 ,you wish to see me moving in elegant society1 joining with youthful vigour in those scenes of amusement and worldly gaiety in which you think ,i ought to find delight1 and attribute my objections to such amusements to a morbid antipathy to the elegancies of life1 and an assumption of ascetic rigour ill suited to the character of one who has enjoyed my advantages4 ,both from love and duty1 you require me again to frequent these scenes of amusement in which ,i now feel no interest1 again to conform to the usages of fashionable life1 and again to be1 what ,i once was1 a giddy worldling4 ,my dear parents1 were it an earthly attachment you asked me to surrender1 however great the sacrifice1 however my heart1 its woman's hopes and happiness might be wrecked1 so great is the affection ,i bear you1 so high a regard have ,i for parental authority1 that ,i would yield4 ,but what is it that you ask of me8 ,not such a sacrifice as this--that time1 your love1 and other ties might heal--but the sacrifice of all ,i hold most dear1 most valuable--the sacrifice of myself1 my precious and immortal soul4 ,start not1 my father1 but ponder well and deeply what ,i say4 ,judge me not by this world's judgment1 but by the ,scripture authority1 which ,i know you revere1 and will never gainsay4 ,i believe in no strange doctrine2 no new or fanciful form of religious truth has taken possession of my heart and feelings4 ,taking the testimony of ,scripture for my guidance1 seeking to be led alone by its revealed truth1 and to learn and to obey its commands1 how can ,i conform to the world1 and yet remain a disciple of ,christ ,jesus8 ,the two are impossible6 ,be ye not conformed to the world is a solemn command1 to which ,i must yield obedience4 ,it has pleased ,god in his providence so to influence my heart and conscience1 that ,i now see things with a different eye than before2 ,i must therefore regulate my conduct by these convictions4 ,love of the world1 and worldly pleasures1 cannot find a place in the heart of one who has given herself to ,christ4 ,you may plead that ,god requires not sacrifices such as these from his people1 especially in opposition to parental authority2 and that ,i have no right to blast your happiness1 and bring disgrace upon your family by my eccentric notions4 ,i cannot admit that by my decision ,i am justly incurring your displeasure1 or disgracing myself and you4 ,i cannot1 conscientiously with my sense of duty to ,christ1 any longer mix with the gay and thoughtless1 make myself a partner in their follies1 or join in their amusements2 but ,i am not required to shun literary pursuits1 the improvement of my mind1 and those intellectual enjoyments in which ,i have ever delighted2 but believing1 as ,i do1 the utter inconsistency of all worldly dissipation and gaiety with the pursuits of a ,christian life1 ,i must for ever renounce them4 ,i am prepared for all that misrepresentation and contempt from others may do to wound and annoy1 but cannot give up my religious principles1 and what ,i consider my ,christian duty4 ,i trust1 with the blessing of ,god1 and help from him1 sustained by the love and sympathy of my dear ,redeemer1 ,i could willingly become a martyr1 but never either an inconsistent professor or an apostate4 ',my beloved parents1 ponder well ere you deprive me of your confidence and affection2 listen not to the satire and bitterness of others1 who cannot judge me as ,i ought to be judged4 ,believe me--supreme love to the ,saviour will not make me love you less2 my religious feelings will not make me indifferent to the claims of parental regard1 authority1 and affection4 ,i shall not be less your child because ,i call ,god my father4 ,i implore you1 let not domestic strife and sorrow enter our once happy home6 ,for the sake of peace1 must ,i conform to the world1 return to the habits and customs of fashionable life1 be again--what ,i once was--one of the gay and thoughtless1 or no longer the child of your fondest affections1 or perhaps even an inmate of your home8 ,bear with me while ,i tell you2 my choice is made2 ,i am prepared to sacrifice everything but my religious freedom1 my love for my ,saviour1 and obedience to his authority4 ',he that loveth father and mother more than me1 is not worthy of me4' ',it will not be long1 at the longest space of time1 before this world1 with all its gaieties and follies1 will pass away from us2 we know not how much of sorrow or joy lies before us2 what will sustain us should sorrow as a flood flow over us1 desolation1 and bitter woe8 ,will the jocund laugh1 the merry dance1 the enlivening strain of earth's sweetest music1 soothe the heart overburdened with deepest sorrow8 ,if we have no other foundation to rest upon than these--no other friendship than that of the world1 which is as evanescent as its happiness--where shall we go if sorrow withers our joys and enters our home8 ,but we may escape these1 and1 like a peaceful stream1 our years may glide from us1 our sky still be bright and serene1 and a cloudless sunset cheer our departing day2 but night follows day--and there is a night1 dark and stormy if unenlightened from above1 coming upon us all1 for which we each one must prepare--the night of death6 ,what will it avail us then whether riches or poverty1 rank or meanness1 has been our portion here8 ,these will not save us2 all that human love and friendship can effect will be unavailing then1 if our hope is not on high--if an ,almighty friend is not with us to divide for us the waters of dissolution--to become our intercessor and ,saviour4 ,oh6 my beloved parents1 dearer to me than life itself1 think of these things2 think of the last earthly scene2 let me prepare for it1 and forget not that the same preparation is needful for you4 ',i can no longer trifle with the things of time2 an eternity of bliss or woe is before me4 ,i am prepared for the sacrifice of all earthly honour and happiness1 that ,i may be safe in ,christ1 and prepared to meet him at his coming4 ,that you1 my dear parents1 may finally meet me in the heavenly world1 where no sorrow can enter1 and where the voice of discord is never heard1 is the sincere prayer of your affectionate and dutiful child1 ',,sophia4' ,i have no doubt1 said ,mrs4 ,stevens1 but this letter will operate greatly in your favour4 ,your parents are labouring under a misapprehension1 which your open and frank statement will remove2 and while they must admire the independence which claims its rights1 they will respect those religious principles which no human authority can1 or ought even to attempt to subdue4 ,oh6 they are the best of parents1 and if they had not been influenced by the evil spirit of others1 they never would have disturbed my peace4 ,i blame not them1 but the officious few who1 like the ancient ,pharisees1 will not go into the kingdom of heaven themselves1 nor suffer them that are entering to go in4 ,but ,i forgive them4 ,they demand my pity--they have it--and my prayers also1 for they know not what they do4 ,i will now1 as a diversion from this painful subject1 read to you an interesting letter which ,i have just received from a young friend with whom ,i formed an acquaintance when at ,dawlish1 and ,i have no doubt it will give you great pleasure1 as it has given me4 ,she was1 when ,i first knew her1 devoted to the pleasures of this world2 but now1 ,i trust1 she is seeking those of a better3-- ',,my ,,dear ,,sophia1--,i received your last letter2 on looking at the date of it1 ,i must apologize to you for leaving it so long unanswered4 ,it came to me while my mind was in an agitated state1 and ,i had almost abandoned the hope of future happiness4 ,not that ,i have been called to pass through any scene of earthly trial and disappointment1 but my volatile and thoughtless heart has been deeply impressed by the conviction of my sinfulness in the sight of ,god1 and my consequent danger4 ,although ,i have received a religious education1 and ever felt a reverence for what is sacred and sublime1 yet love for real religion had never found a place in my heart4 ,far from my thoughts and feelings was all regard for what is most essential to our eternal interests4 ,fond of the society of the worldly and gay1 my chief pleasure and pursuits have been in the world--gayest among the gay1 the festive dance1 the evening assembly--all the pleasures which may be derived from the associations and charms which this vain and transitory scene can give1 had acquired a complete ascendency over my heart4 ,the thought of death and futurity ,i banished from me1 living on in a state of careless1 thoughtless indifference4 ',at this time a friend presented to me a little treatise1 and ,i could not from politeness refuse to read it4 ,from its perusal ,i have received those deep and powerful impressions1 which1 ,i trust1 may never be effaced from my heart4 ,i now see wherein ,i have acted so foolishly4 ,god1 in his great mercy1 has poured into my soul the light of ,divine truth4 ,oh6 how greatly are all things changed to me6 ,i can no longer find pleasure in worldly dissipation and gaiety2 ,i have entirely forsaken those scenes of folly and sin2 and am ,i not happy8 ,the peace and true joy which only a ,christian can know1 has taken possession of my heart2 love to my ,saviour1 who lived and died for me1 and a sense of his forgiving mercy1 is my chief delight4 ,in the study of the ,holy ,scriptures ,i find intense enjoyment2 the time ,i formerly spent in thoughtless gaiety ,i now devote to the improvement of my mind1 and the sacred delights of private devotion4 ,if you1 my dear ,sophia1 have felt the renewing influence of ,divine truth1 you will be able to rejoice with me1 and fully comprehend the gratitude ,i feel to ,him who has arrested my steps1 and is now1 ,i trust1 leading me in the paths of purer happiness and peace4 ',hoping soon to receive another letter from you1 and with kind remembrances from my dear parents1 believe me1 ever your sincere friend1 ',,louisa4' ,it is pleasing1 said ,mrs4 ,stevens1 to see the progress which the truth is making4 ,it is true we cannot boast of numbers1 when we compare the righteous with the irreligious1 yet our number is on the increase4 ,the poor in general hear and receive the gospel2 and the ,god of all grace is calling some in the higher ranks of society to be the living witnesses to its truth and excellence4 ,but how few the number6 ,we may quote the language of the apostle as descriptive of the present state of the higher orders3 ',not many wise1 not many mighty1 not many noble are called4' ,alas6 no4 ,the wise disdain to receive instruction from the fishermen of ,galilee2 the mighty are too proud to yield subjection to the authority of the son of the carpenter2 and the noble contemn the ignominy and reproach of the cross4 ,they support the dignity of the church1 while they debase the character of its ,founder2 venerate its ministers1 while they despise and reject the authority of their ,master2 observe its sacraments and its ceremonies1 while they repudiate the design for which they were instituted2 and move onward towards the unknown world of spirits1 without ever agitating the great question1 ,what must ,i do to be saved8 ,alas6 they are self-doomed to endless woe4 ,we should pity and pray for them4 ,their talents1 their rank1 and their wealth1 often excite our envy2 but if we knew all the moral disadvantages which are attendant on their great possessions1 such a passion would never glow in our breast4 ,they are exempted from many of the evils which press on the lower and middle classes of society1 but they are not exempted from the pangs of sorrow1 nor the visitations of death4 ,a late senator1#i whose knowledge of human life and manners was as comprehensive as his eloquence was brilliant and fascinating1 has somewhere said1 'that to the great the consolations of religion are as necessary as its instructions4 ,they1 too1 are among the unhappy4 ,they feel personal pain and domestic sorrow4 ,in these they have no privilege1 but are subject to pay their full contingent to the contributions levied on mortality4' #i ,burke4 ,from the intercourse which ,i have held with the higher circles1 ,i am of opinion that there is a much smaller proportion of real happiness among them than is generally imagined2 and when ,i reflect on the temptations and dangers to which they are necessarily exposed1 ,i feel no disposition to envy them4 ,but what rank of life is free from danger8 ,who1 of all the human family1 would ever seek redemption through the blood of ,christ1 unless impelled by an invisible force8 ,what heart would ever glow with love to ,god1 unless that passion be enkindled as with a live coal from off his own hallowed altar8 ,and where this passion does glow1 what force can extinguish it8 ,and if we have been made to differ from others1 ought we not to distinguish ourselves both by the purity of our life1 and the ardour of our zeal for the honour of the ,lord ,jesus8 ,where much is given1 much is required4 ,our responsibility rises in proportion to the elevation of our rank and the extent of our influence4 ,when ,i see a professing ,christian1 possessed of wealth and of leisure1 freed from the incumbrances of the world1 yet living a supine and comparatively inactive life--while he makes no effort to form plans for the moral welfare of society1 or to lend his aid to those already established--,i feel the force of the apostolic question1 ,how dwelleth the love of ,god in him8 ,there is1 in my opinion1 a grand peculiarity in the religion of ,jesus ,christ1 which cannot be expressed in more emphatic language than that of ,paul3--',for the love of ,christ constraineth us2 because we thus judge1 that if one died for all1 then were all dead3 and that he died for all1 that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves1 but unto him which died for them and rose again4' ,,the ,,family ,,of ,,the ,,lawsons4 ,one evening ,i received an invitation to dinner from ,mr4 ,lawson1 a retired tradesman in easy circumstances1 who within the last three years had settled in his native village4 ,mr4 ,lawson was a man of no education1 but possessed of an active mind2 his manners were unpolished yet agreeable2 and though he had been busily engaged in the trading world for more than twenty years1 he had quite acquired the habits of a country gentleman4 ,his garden was his favourite amusement2 there he toiled early and late1 displaying great taste in its cultivation1 and often availing himself of the gratification of sending a portion of its fruits to some of his old city friends4 ,he married early in life1 and made what was thought a prudent choice2 he had no fortune with his wife1 but soon found he had a fortune in her2 for what he gained by industry1 she preserved by rigid economy4 ,he used often to repeat with satisfaction one of her choice maxims--those tradesmen who begin life as gentlefolks1 often end life as paupers4 ,mrs4 ,lawson's early habits of economy in process of time degenerated into extreme parsimony2 and though she would often talk of charity1 yet she usually excused herself from the practice of this virtue by quoting the common adage--we must be just before we are generous4 ,though a rigid economy was the order of the house1 ,mrs4 ,lawson was more anxious for the education of her children than her husband4 ,he often used to say1 ,where is the necessity of spending so much money in education1 when we got on well enough without it8 ,to which she would aptly reply1 ,the times are changed1 and if we wish our children to move with respectability in that rank of life to which their fortunes will elevate them1 we must train them up for it4 ,mrs4 ,lawson was considered very religious by some of her most intimate friends1 but she was more attached to the doctrines of the gospel than to its precepts1 and usually expressed a more ardent desire to enjoy the consolations of faith1 than to grow in knowledge and in grace4 ,she was more solicitous to guard the little territory of opinion which her judgment occupied1 than to extend the empire of righteousness and peace2 and though she would sometimes speak of the love of ,god to sinners1 yet such qualified terms were invariably employed1 that it bore1 at least in her estimation1 an exclusive reference to a few of her own order4 ,on their settlement at ,broadhurst they attended the ministry of the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby1 but his style of preaching did not exactly suit ,mrs4 ,lawson2 sometimes he preached well1 but at other times he was too legal--he dwelt too much on the preceptive part of the ,scriptures1 and too little on the doctrinal4 ,he enjoined obedience to the law of ,god1 instead of leaving the principle of grace to produce it1 without any reference to obligation4 ,he did not go sufficiently deep into ,christian experience1 nor employ that singular phraseology of speech which she had been accustomed to admire4 ,mr4 ,lawson and his daughters were more delighted with this new style of preaching 7as it was termed7 than with the old2 but rather than disturb the harmony of the family1 they consented to go with ,mrs4 ,lawson on the ,sabbaths a distance of six miles1 to hear one of her more favourite ministers4 ,this circumstance at first wounded the feelings of the rector1 and excited no small degree of astonishment among the pious1 who had anticipated that this family would have been an acquisition to their little circle2 but when the spirit of ,mrs4 ,lawson was more fully displayed1 and her sentiments more generally known1 it gave entire satisfaction1 as they were unwilling to have their numbers augmented at the expense of their mutual felicity4 ,the day on which ,i was to dine with ,mr4 ,lawson at length arrived4 ,after dinner our conversation turned on religious subjects1 and ,mrs4 ,lawson distinguished herself1 not less by her loquacity than by the occasional bitterness of her spirit4 ,i think1 ,sir1 she said1 that we live in very awful times2 but few know the truth1 and very few preach it4 ,i do not know six ministers in the kingdom whom ,i could hear with any pleasure4 ,indeed1 ,madam1 and what is the cause8 ,i hope1 ,sir1 you know4 ,but1 my dear1 said ,mr4 ,lawson1 how should this gentleman1 who is a stranger among us1 know the cause unless you tell him8 ,if1 then1 said ,mrs4 ,lawson1 ,i must speak1 though it is with great reluctance that ,i bring forward such a heavy charge1 they do not preach the gospel4 ,they are in general mere moral lecturers1 and their sermons are mere essays on some one branch of relative duty2 but those who are called 'evangelical1' ,i consider most censurable2 because1 though they profess to know the truth1 yet they are afraid to preach it4 ,i presume you except ,mr4 ,inglebly from this sweeping charge8 ,he may be a good man1 but his knowledge of the gospel is very superficial4 ,i have occasionally heard him preach a sermon which has given me a little pleasure1 but his light merely serves to make his darkness the more visible4 ,he preaches what ,i call a legalized gospel2 instead of preaching a free salvation1 he is always exhorting his hearers to be doing something2 and tells them that they must look into their own heart1 or to their own life1 for the evidences of a work of grace4 ,and pray1 ,madam1 where is a person to look for a genuine proof of his personal religion1 unless he does look into his own mind8 ,are we not told that a tree is to be known by its fruit8 ,and is not this figure employed by ,jesus ,christ to teach us that if our moral principles are good1 we shall exhibit the visible signs of their goodness in our life and conversation8 ,i hear a great deal about moral goodness in the present day1 but ,i very seldom see any2 human nature is awfully depraved2 some preach about its being made better by the grace of ,god1 but ,i believe it never can be improved4 ,the heart after conversion is as deceitful and as desperately wicked as before1 and if we are saved it must be by free and sovereign grace4 ,i admit1 with you1 ,madam1 that those who are saved 'are saved by grace through faith2' but does not that faith purify the heart and overcome the temptations of the world8 ,where the principle of grace is implanted1 is it not represented as reigning through righteousness unto eternal life8 ,yes1 ,sir1 and our evangelical moralists tell us that the principle of grace will gradually extend its influence over the whole mind1 till every disposition is subdued1 and we are fitted for the kingdom of heaven4 ,and do we not read that he that hath the hope of future blessedness 'purifieth himself1 even as ,god is pure8' ,but how can we purify ourselves8 ,does not such an idea supersede the work of the ,spirit8 ,by no means1 ,madam4 ,if we are made alive from the dead by the infusion of the principle of spiritual life1 we possess a certain degree of moral power2 but this power does not render us self-sufficient2 we become new but not independent creatures4 ,we have duties to discharge1 but we are not left to discharge them in our own strength4 ,mark the reasoning of the apostle3 ',for if ye live after the flesh ye shall die2 but if ye1 through the ,spirit1 do mortify the deeds of the body1 ye shall live4' ,here we see human agency1 in concurrence with the assistance of the ,spirit1 employed in mortifying the deeds of the body4 ,it is but seldom1 observed ,mr4 ,lawson1 that ,i interfere with any religious discussion1 but ,i must confess that ,i like those principles which have the best influence over our temper and our actions4 ,my wife contends for faith1 and some high points in divinity which ,i cannot reach2 and though ,i readily agree with her1 that faith in the atonement of ,jesus ,christ is essential to salvation1 yet ,i like to see some good works following it4 ,what do we more than others8 ,i replied1 is a question which is proposed to us by high authority4 ,many who reject ,christianity carry the principles of morality to very high perfection1 and are distinguished for their integrity and benevolence1 but we are required to surpass them4 ,the same mind which dwelt in ,christ ,jesus is to dwell in us4 ,we are not only to admire his humility and condescension1 his meekness and his devotional fervour1 but to imitate it4 ,we are not only to love him as a ,saviour1 and obey him as a sovereign1 but to follow him as an example4 ,if we contend for the faith1 we are to 'contend earnestly1' but always with the 'meekness of wisdom4' ,we should never indulge ourselves in indiscriminate censure1 nor vainly presume on our own infallibility1 but endeavour to hold the unity of the faith without bursting the bond of peace4 ,the young ladies1 who appeared altogether indifferent to the conversation1 now withdrew4 ,they were genteel in their manners1 and seemingly amiable in their dispositions2 but their style of dress gave me no high opinion of their moral taste4 ,they were much too gay in their appearance for the daughters of religious parents1 and ,i could not avoid receiving the impression that they spent a larger portion of their time in adjusting the plaiting of their hair1 and the disposal of their ornaments1 than in the cultivation of their minds4 ,i love to see an elegant neatness in female attire1 but when the passion for dress reigns in the heart1 it destroys dignity of character1 engenders vanity1 consumes time1 is always instituting comparisons which either mortify pride or inflame it2 and it becomes such a perpetual drain on the resources of the pocket1 that the claims of charity are rejected1 because they cannot be relieved4 ,my daughters1 said ,mrs4 ,lawson1 have received a very superior education1 but have never seen much of fashionable life2 they were never at a ball or a play2 and though ,i once permitted them to attend a concert1 yet only once4 ,i think their taste would lead them to such scenes of amusement2 but1 as they know my objections1 they do not press for my consent4 ,as religious parents1 ,i observed1 ought to support the sacredness of their character by the moral consistency of their conduct1 so ought their children4 ,they have the same evil dispositions and propensities as the children of the irreligious1 but they are placed under more powerful obligations to repress and subdue them4 ,it is true that parents cannot force their children to be religious1 but they have a right to expect them to pay some attention to the injunctions of religion1 if not for their own sake1 yet from respect to the feelings and reputation of their parents4 ,this respect for parental feeling and reputation is often the safeguard of juvenile worth2 but when it is once destroyed1 the barrier of restraint is broken down1 and ruin becomes almost inevitable4 ,i once said to a youth1 who was pleading in favour of a fashionable amusement1 ',remember1 your parents are pious2 and if you persist1 you will not only wound their feelings1 but dishonour their reputation2 and will you deliberately commit two such evils for a momentary gratification8' ,after a short pause1 he replied1 ',no1 ,sir2 ,i will not purchase personal indulgence at such a price4 ,i will never deliberately wound feelings which ,i ought to hold sacred1 nor injure a reputation which ,i would allow no person to attack with impunity4' ,that was a noble decision1 said ,mr4 ,lawson1 and the youth who formed it1 ,i have no doubt1 is an ornament to his father's house4 ,i now ventured to remark1 that the present era afforded the ,christian parent great facilities in the discharge of his religious duties towards his children1 as the variety of engaging works which issue from the press are calculated not only to interest but to instruct1 and the numerous societies which are formed for the education of the poor1 and for evangelizing the heathen1 have a tendency to keep up a high sense of the importance of religion in the youthful mind1 while they call his powers into active operation4 ,yes1 ,sir1 said ,mrs4 ,lawson1 the press sends forth its monthly publications1 but ,i permit very few to enter this house4 ,i do not approve of teaching young people religion2 for who can teach but the ,holy ,spirit8 ,and ,he does not require any human performance to aid him in his work4 ,sunday-schools may do a little good1 by keeping the children out of mischief2 but ,i am no friend of missions to the heathen3 when their time comes they will be called2 and1 till that 'set time' comes1 it is no use for us to send them the gospel4 ,then1 ,madam1 ,i asked1 with some degree of surprise1 are your daughters connected with no religious institution8 ,no1 ,sir2 and if they were to wish it1 ,i would not give my consent4 ,a person ought to possess religion before he engages in any religious exercises4 ,i know a young lady1 ,i observed1 who entered a ,sunday-school1 and she soon became an excellent teacher2 but1 when reflecting on the nature and design of her employment1 her heart smote her1 as she felt convinced that she had never experienced the power of religion on her own soul4 ,it pleased ,god to bless these reflections to her conversion1 and she is now an eminently devoted disciple of the ,lord ,jesus4 ,such a case is possible1 said ,mrs4 ,lawson1 because1 'with ,god all things are possible2' but ,i should think it an insult to ,him to send my daughters to teach in a ,sunday-school1 or to collect for a missionary society1 as an inducement for him to convert them4 ,i wish1 said ,mr4 ,lawson1 with great earnestness1 our daughters were converted2 ,i should have a larger portion of happiness than ,i now have1 and should look forward to the grave with much more composure4 ,but1 alas6 all their attention is devoted to the follies of the world--dress1 music1 painting1 and visiting1 consume the greater part of their time4 ,i see the children of other religious families decidedly pious1 but ,i see no signs of piety in mine2 ,i begin to think that we have neglected the means1 and therefore ,god withholds his grace4 ,this remark excited a smile on the countenance of ,mrs4 ,lawson who satirically observed1 that her husband was fond of the legal dispensation4 ,what1 she added1 with great warmth of expression1 shall the ,divine decree be subject to the control of our freewill8 ,have not the ,lord's people1 in every age1 had wicked children8 ,yes2 ,abraham had an ,ishmael1 and ,david an ,absalom1 'but the foundation of ,god standeth sure2 the ,lord knoweth them that are his4' ,true1 ,madam2 but are we not commanded to 'train up our children in the nurture and admonition of the ,lord6' ,i know that we cannot give them the grace of life1 but we can give them instruction2 we cannot force their obedience1 but we may convince them of its reasonableness2 we cannot keep them from evil1 but we may succeed in placing many formidable obstructions in their path to ruin4 ,very true1 ,sir2 but human expedients will never renew their souls4 ,this is a work which ,divine grace alone can do2 and ,i think that we ought not to labour to accomplish what we know we cannot effect4 ,but do we not know that the ,spirit often breathes on the dry bones while the prophet is calling on them to live8 ,we know that we cannot command a future harvest1 but does that conviction prevent our sowing the seed8 ',but1 ,sir1 it is no use to sow the seed unless ,god gives the increase4 ,very true1 ,madam1 and have we any reason to expect the increase unless we do sow the seed8 ,are we not commanded1 ',in the morning sow thy seed1 and in the evening withhold not thine hand3 for thou knowest not whether shall prosper1 either this or that1 or whether they both shall be alike good8' ,i know1 ,sir1 that your opinions and mine are very different on most religious subjects2 and ,i think1 if we continue the debate1 we shall not come to an agreement4 ,i daily pray for the conversion of my children1 and take them with me to hear the pure gospel of ,jesus ,christ2 and ,i leave them in the hands of ,god1 to do with them as seemeth good in his sight4 ,i cannot merit grace for them1 neither can they merit it for themselves4 ,if it be given1 it will be given freely2 and if it be withheld1 it will be withheld righteously4 ,the cool indifference with which she uttered these sentiments paralyzed my whole frame1 and ,i felt that ,i ought to make no reply4 ,indeed1 what reply could ,i make that would have made any good impressions on a mind so devoid of the common feelings of humanity1 as to give utterance to expressions of such a fearful import8 ,i involuntarily sighed over victims which a perverted faith was preparing against the day of slaughter1 unless a miracle of grace should be wrought to prevent it1 and speedily retired from the room1 in which ,i had suffered more mental anguish than ,i had felt during my whole visit to ,fairmount4 ,there is a strange diversity of character in the professing world1 but amidst all the varieties which it contains1 no one presents so many repelling qualities as the high antinomian professor4 ,he embraces a few leading truths of the ,bible1 while he rejects others not less essential and important4 ,his spirit is bitter1 and his censures indiscriminate2 and while he pleads for the divinity of a system which inculcates humility and meekness as cardinal virtues1 he usually displays much pride1 and great want of charity4 ,he arrogates to himself the collected wisdom of the age1 stamps his own opinions with the seal of infallibility1 and has the vanity to suppose1 and the hardihood to assert1 that he1 and he only1 understands the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven4 ,the compassion which sighs over the moral miseries of the world1 never glows in his breast2 the pity that weeps in prospect of the desolation which is coming on the ungodly1 never moistens his eye2 the eloquence which would warn them of their danger1 and point them to the refuge of safe retreat1 never quivers on his lips2 and if we could penetrate the deep recesses of his soul1 and render ourselves familiar with every passion which claims a local habitation there1 we should find ourselves associated with the master vices of the moral world2 whose breath pollutes1 and whose touch defiles2 whose existence1 in connection with the religion of the ,saviour1 is a mystery which a future day will unravel1 but which the present has reason bitterly to deplore4 ,the antinomian heresy1 which1 happily1 is not now so prevalent in this country as it was in the early part of the present century1 is qualified for mischief by the very properties which might seem to render it merely an object of contempt--its vulgarity of conception1 its paucity of ideas1 and its determined hostility to taste1 science1 and letters4 ,it includes1 within a compass which every head can contain1 and every tongue can utter1 a system which cancels every moral tie1 consigns the whole human race to the extremes of presumption or despair1 erects religion on the ruins of morality1 and imparts to the dregs of stupidity all the powers of the most active poison4 ,to find the children of such professors of religion devoted to the follies and vices of the world1 ought to excite less surprise than regret2 because it is wisely and judicially ordained1 that the adoption of error and the neglect of duty shall meet with a just rebuke1 and a severe chastisement1 in the consequences which inseparably attend them4 ,but ought not the irreligion of such children to become a beacon to warn parents of the danger of such perverted notions and such criminal remissness8 ,shall we presume to insult the ,holy ,one by offering up our prayers for their conversion1 if we withhold from them instruction1 and cease to exercise a constant and active vigilance over the formation of their character and their habits8 ,can such professors be said to adorn the doctrine of ,god our ,saviour in all things8 ,do they add to their faith1 virtue2 and to virtue1 knowledge2 and to knowledge1 temperance2 and to temperance1 patience2 and to patience1 godliness2 and to godliness1 brotherly kindness2 and to brotherly kindness1 charity8 ,are they conformed to the image of the ,son of ,god8 ,if we compare their vanity with his humility--their bitterness of spirit with his gentleness--their bigotry with his liberality--their love of discord and contention with his love of peace--their insensibility to the moral disorders of the world with the tears he shed when anticipating the desolations which were coming on the inhabitants of ,jerusalem--and the rancorous eagerness which they discover to restrict the blessings of redemption to a select few1 with the unbounded comprehension of his invitations addressed to all1 of every age and every clime--we must feel at a loss to conceive how they can present any fair claim to fellowship with him4 ,if the ,saviour were to reappear on earth1 he would calumniate no minister who preaches salvation by grace--he would break up the peace of no church which holds the unity of the faith--he would show his regard for the law of ,god by obeying its precepts1 and unveil the glory of the gospel by proclaiming it among all people4 ,but the modern antinomian preaches only to the elect--sets aside the authority of the law by pleading the indemnities of grace--disturbs the harmony of the brethren by the contentions of discord--and pours insufferable contempt on those holy men who endeavour to win souls to ,christ1 because they execute every part of their commission4 ,we may speak of them in the language which ,jacob employed in reference to two of his sons1 ,o my soul1 come not thou into their secret2 unto their assembly1 mine honour1 be not thou united4 ,sometimes these high antinomian sentiments are embraced by persons whose genuine piety operates as a check to their natural tendency2 but they ought always to be avoided as a moral contagion1 which1 though kept under restraint for a season1 will eventually break out1 and produce essential injury in any ,christian community4 ,who can look abroad without seeing occasion to deplore their pernicious effects8 ,the religious instruction of children is discountenanced--the claims of the heathen are rejected--the love of the brethren no longer remains the test of discipleship--the great majority of the world are placed under the ban of reprobation--the attractive graces of the ,spirit are repudiated as obnoxious to the faith--and the lovely1 the merciful1 the compassionate ,redeemer is appealed to1 to sanction these monstrosities of modern professors4 ,,calm ,,discussion4 ,the letter which ,miss ,roscoe addressed to her parents proved a means of softening down their prejudices1 and convincing them of the impropriety of attempting to force her to comply with customs which were offensive to her feelings4 ,though they could not feel the attractions in religion of which she spake1 they resolved never more to annoy or reproach her4 ,thus the cloud which had been gathering for months1 threatening the destruction of all her domestic peace1 passed away1 and she was now left to pursue her onward course undismayed by difficulties1 because she had no longer to contend with the spirit of persecution4 ,i have sometimes known the ardour of devotional feeling cool as soon as the fire of persecution has been extinguished2 and the heroic fortitude1 which the storm has been unable to subdue1 has gradually relaxed under the soft influence of prosperous ease4 ,the mind1 almost instinctively1 accommodates itself to its circumstances2 and though it rises in stern defiance against the lawless threats of injustice and oppression1 it too often sinks into a state of comparative apathy when opposition ceases4 ,it is at such a period that religious principles are in danger4 ,courtesy will often prompt to a sacrifice which compulsion could never obtain2 a smile will sometimes conquer where a frown would fortify to resistance2 and the faith which has stood immovable amidst the virulence of reproach and sarcasm1 has sometimes wavered under the entreaties of parental kindness1 and the tender solicitations of endeared friends4 ,but such was the ascendency which ,divine truth had acquired over the mind of ,miss ,roscoe1 and such the decision of her character1 that no external change impaired the strength1 or shook the firmness of her religious principles4 ,she was not less spiritually minded under the sunbeams of prosperity than when adversity lowered2 her affection for her parents did not diminish her superior regard to her ,redeemer2 and though she now felt still stronger obligations to please them1 yet she regulated the whole of her conduct by the sacred maxim--,them that honour me1 ,i will honour1 saith the ,lord4 ,it was after her return from the cottage of a poor neighbour1 where she had been administering the consolations of religion to a young woman about her own age1 who was then in the last stage of consumption1 that she sat herself down on a sofa1 in perfect abstraction1 unconscious of the presence of her father1 who had just entered the parlour4 ,for some time he felt unwilling to disturb her1 but at length he broke in upon her musings1 by asking if she felt indisposed8 ,oh1 no1 papa1 ,i am not indisposed2 ,i never enjoyed a finer state of health1 or greater elevation of feeling than ,i do at this moment4 ,i have been spending an hour with ,jane ,thomason1 whose happy spirit is on the eve of departing from this vale of tears4 ,it is beside the bed of the dying that ,i feel the degradation and the grandeur of my nature4 ,there ,i see what sin has done to disfigure and destroy the body2 and there ,i see what the grace of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ does to adorn and dignify the soul4 ,yes1 my dear1 death is a debt which we must all pay2 and ,i hope we shall be able to pay it with submission when nature demands it4 ,but ,i wish you not to suffer yourself to be too much absorbed by this subject1 as it will depress your spirits4 ,i have long known ,jane2 she was always a virtuous girl1 and ,i doubt not but she has made her peace with her ,maker4 ,depress me1 father6--,no2 such a theme of meditation possesses no depressing tendency4 ,it is true1 a momentary tremor will come over my spirit when ,i think of the parting scene and the unknown pang of dying1 but it is only a momentary tremor--a passing tribute to the value of that life which ,i would spontaneously resign for a more perfect state of existence1 if my heavenly ,father required me to do it4 ,but if you incessantly dwell on a future state of existence1 ,i fear you will neither improve nor enjoy the present4 ,the present has its duties1 which we ought to discharge1 and its pleasures1 which we ought to enjoy2 and1 while we may derive some consolation from the prospect of a future life1 ,i think we ought not to undervalue the present4 ,to undervalue the present life1 my father1 would be an insult to ,him who gave it2 and to neglect its duties1 would be to incur his righteous displeasure2 but when we feel the renovating influence of ,divine grace infusing the principle of spiritual life into the soul1 it will be impossible for us to wish for its endless duration4 ,i have just been reading a discourse1 which says1 ',the soul no sooner receives this new life1 than it begins to be filled with hopes and fears1 desires and dispositions1 to which1 in its fallen state1 it is an entire stranger4 ,it becomes concerned about its own safety1 and conscious of its own dignity4 ,the things of eternity arrest its attention1 and call all its powers into exercise4 ,it thinks1 and feels1 and acts1 as though it regarded itself born for an immortal existence--as though it looked on heaven as its home1 and never could be satisfied or happy till it should be engaged in its services and sharing in its joys4' ,well1 my dear1 ,i hope1 when our earthly pilgrimage is ended1 that we shall meet in heaven2 but ,i must confess that ,i do not feel that glow of animation in the prospect of it which you feel4 ,in looking over the letter ,i received from you the other day1 ,i was surprised to find that we differ so little in our religious belief2 and yet1 when we converse together1 a stranger would imagine that we are at the distance of the antipodes from each other4 ,we admit the same truths in theory1 but you appear to discover an importance and an excellence in them which ,i cannot feel or perceive4 ,they are invested with a charm in your mind to which ,i am altogether insensible4 ,indeed1 there is a mysteriousness connected with their operation on you which ,i cannot comprehend4 ,can you explain it8 ,our ,lord1 said ,miss ,roscoe1 when conversing with his disciples1 who had proposed to him this question1 ',why speakest thou unto them in parables8' answered1 ',it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven1 but to them it is not given4' ,it is evident1 from this passage1 that the truth which is revealed1 requires some supernatural illumination to enable us to understand it2 and if you search the ,scriptures attentively1 you will perceive that this fact is asserted in the most positive and direct terms4 ',the natural man' saith the apostle1 'receiveth not the things of the ,spirit of ,god1 for they are foolishness unto him2 neither can he know them1 because they are spiritually discerned4' ,but are we to expect that this supernatural illumination1 of which you speak1 will convey to us any truth which is not already revealed8 ,if so1 the revelation is imperfect1 and if not1 it strikes me that a supernatural illumination is unnecessary4 ,there will be no fresh truth communicated2 but without this ,divine illumination we shall not discern the importance and excellence of that which is revealed4 ,hence we read of having the eyes of our understanding enlightened4 ,the psalmist prays thus3 ',open thou mine eyes1 that ,i may behold wondrous things out of thy law6' ,and the historian who records the conversion of ,lydia1 when assigning the cause of it1 says1 ',whose heart the ,lord opened1 that she attended unto the things which were spoken of ,paul4' ,but as we are endowed with an understanding which is capable of discriminating between truth and error1 ,i cannot perceive the necessity of any supernatural assistance4 ,i believe that we are sinners1 and ,i believe that ,jesus ,christ died for sinners4 ,i do not want any supernatural illumination to confirm my belief of these facts4 ,but you want supernatural assistance to invest your belief with power to impress them on your heart4 ,you may believe that you are a sinner1 and yet you may not see the malignancy of sin1 nor yet feel that deep1 poignant sorrow which the ,scriptures call repentance4 ,you may believe that ,jesus ,christ came into the world to save sinners1 and yet may not perceive how his death accomplishes this great design4 ,but ,i fear1 my dear ,sophia1 you are now soaring into the region of mysticism1 and are in danger of paying more attention to the visions of your fancy than to the convictions of your understanding4 ,no2 a mystical theology is not only inexplicable1 but it cannot be defended by sober and rational argument4 ,am ,i offering an insult to my reason when ,i beseech the ,father of light to illumine my understanding1 and thus enable me to perceive1 not only the meaning1 but the beauty and excellence of the truth which he has revealed8 ,and considering the volatility of the mind1 how much it is under the control and dominion of the passions1 how rarely it can abstract itself from sensible objects and pursuits1 and what uniform indifference it manifests to the great questions of personal piety1 shall ,i be considered as acting irrationally1 if ,i pray that ,i may be deeply and permanently affected by the truth which ,i believe8 ,o1 my father6 ,i can attest from experience that this supernatural illumination of the mind is the great secret in personal religion4 ,without it we are in darkness1 while encompassed by the light of revelation2 may admit the inspiration of the ,bible1 while the veil of mystery hangs over its sacred pages2 may condemn1 as ,puritanical or ,methodistical1 the very principles we theoretically acknowledge to be divine2 and1 amidst all our professions of reverence for the character of ,god1 and love to the person of the ,redeemer1 may be destitute of that mental peace which arises from a scriptural belief of the truth4 ,the conversation now turned on the right which every person possesses to form his own opinion on religious truth4 ,i have been an enemy to free inquiry1 said ,mr4 ,roscoe1 but on maturer reflection ,i must give up my opposition4 ,where this liberty is enjoyed there will be great diversity of opinion1 but probably that will prove less injurious to the practical influence of religion than a perfect uniformity1 which admits of no discussion4 ,when you and ,i thought alike on religious questions1 my mind was in a stagnant state2 ,i very rarely thought much or deeply on the subject2 but since you have imbibed your present views my feelings have been agitated2 ,i have been obliged to re-examine the evidences of my belief also2 and though ,i cannot agree with you on all points1 yet ,i begin to see that my knowledge is defective4 ,persecution1 ,miss ,roscoe remarked1 on account of religious opinions is a cruel crime1 and though the apologist has often attempted to palliate it1 and sometimes to justify it1 yet it is nothing less than an outrage on the inalienable rights of man4 ,who can compel me to believe any system of opinions8 ,the effort1 if made1 would be fruitless1 because physical force cannot subdue the understanding2 and if ,i do believe any system of opinions1 who can compel me to disbelieve8 ,have ,i not the same right to exercise my judgment in the adoption of my belief as another person1 and ought ,i to be disturbed1 especially in this land of freedom1 if ,i claim and exercise this right8 ,i think not1 though our prejudices are so very much in favour of old established doctrines and customs1 that we almost necessarily feel impelled to interfere and prevent a person1 if possible1 abandoning them4 ,a parent1 who is a member of the ,establishment1 does not like to see his child deserting it1 and though a severe critic may attribute this to the force of prejudice1 yet ,i am not surprised that it should assume a powerful influence over the feelings4 ,the religious belief in which we have been educated1 whose rites1 and forms1 and ceremonies are associated with our earliest recollections1 at whose hallowed altars we have formed the most sacred of all human alliances1 and in whose consecrated earth the remains of our ancestors are deposited1 may be supposed to enkindle1 even in the breast of age1 the fire of a youthful attachment2 and it must occasion deep regret to see it forsaken as the child of superstition or the parent of error4 ,i assure you ,i have no inclination to leave the ,establishment1 though1 ,i presume1 you will admit that ,i have a right to do it if ,i should think proper4 ,your right is admitted1 for ,i am convinced that we ought not to attempt to control the judgment of another2 but ,i sincerely hope that you will never think proper to exercise your right4 ,it is not likely that ,i shall4 ,i am under no temptation to do so4 ,i admire the liturgy of our church1 ,i approve of her articles2 and though there are imperfections1 which a scrutinizing eye may discover1 in her constitution and in some of her ceremonies1 yet ,i believe that she is as pure as any church of modern times4 ,i am happy that your evangelical views of truth have not destroyed your veneration and esteem for the ,establishment1 as it would be a source of great mortification to us if you were to become a ,dissenter4 ,i am not acquainted with any ,dissenter1 except ,mr4 ,lewellin1 whom ,i have occasionally met at ,mr4 ,stevens's1 but our attention has been so fully engaged by the great and important truths of revelation1 that ,i have never heard the question of dissent discussed4 ,as ,christians of every denomination will meet together in heaven1 and unite in one common anthem of praise1 ,i think they ought to cherish the kindest affection for each other2 and1 instead of suffering the minor questions of difference1 which give a distinctive shade to their religious character1 to keep them in a state of reciprocal alienation1 they ought to 'dwell together as brethren4' ,but1 my dear1 ,i am no advocate for an indiscriminate association of religious people4 ',evil communications corrupt good manners4' ,your attachment for the church may be weakened if you hold intercourse with those who dissent from it4 ,there are1 ,i have no doubt1 some wise and good men among the ,dissenters2 but1 as there is a larger number of that description among us1 ,i think you will have no occasion to wander out of the pale of the church for society4 ,it is not1 ,i assure you1 my intention to form a large circle of acquaintance2 but ,i must confess that my mind is too deeply imbued with the catholic spirit of the gospel1 to keep up the separation which divides those who are united together by ties more sacred and durable than those of nature or common friendship4 ,the ardour of my feelings may impel me to become zealous in the cause of vital godliness1 but ,i feel such an aversion to bigotry1 that ,i do not think that ,i shall ever become a bigot4 ,to me the questions of conformity and non-conformity1 of church and dissent1 are so insignificant and worthless1 when put into comparison with the vital ,christianity of the ,bible1 that ,i dismiss them from my mind4 ,no1 my dear father1 ,i value1 more than ,i value life1 the truth which bears the stamp of ,divine authority1 and care but little for the opinions which are alternately admitted and rejected by human authority4 ,mrs4 ,roscoe now entered the parlour2 and1 after taking her seat1 she expressed the pleasure which she had felt on reading her daughter's letter2 and said she hoped1 though they differed on religious subjects1 that in future they should live together in peace4 ,she assured ,miss ,roscoe that the trifling opposition they had raised against her was not intended to wound her feelings2 and1 as they were now satisfied of the goodness of her motives1 though they still felt a little regret at the eccentricity of her habits1 they should leave her to pursue the course which her own good sense was competent to mark out4 ,we hope you will not object to accompany us when we visit our friends8 ,certainly not1 mamma1 unless it be to a ball or card party4 ,my religious principles have not alienated me from the pleasures of social life1 though they have given me a distaste for fashionable amusements4 ,your secession from the fashionable circle1 said ,mrs4 ,roscoe1 has excited both astonishment and regret2 and many of your best friends very much pity you4 ,their astonishment1 mamma1 does not surprise me2 and though ,i accept of the expressions of their regret as a proof of their friendship1 yet if they knew the cause and the reasons1 they would be more disposed to offer me their congratulations4 ,i have exchanged one source of gratification for another2 and can attest1 from experience1 as ,i have tried both1 that my present is more pure and more satisfactory than the former4 ,really1 my dear1 ,i often wonder what you can see in religion to be so captivated by it8 ,if1 mamma1 my mind had not been illuminated by a heavenly light1 ,i should have seen no attractions in it4 ,i once saw none2 and if ,i had been told a few years since that ,i should live to renounce the gaieties of the world1 and embrace the calumniated doctrines of evangelical piety1 ,i should have trembled in prospect of the issue4 ,and ,i assure you that ,i even now tremble for the issue4 ,i fear that you will have your mind so bewildered with your religious notions1 that its energy will be destroyed1 and its peace entirely broken up4 ,you need not1 my dear mamma1 give yourself any uneasiness on that subject4 ,i am happy1 more happy than at any former period of my life2 and ,i have a prospect of future happiness before me4 ,what more can ,i desire8 ,i have gained the prize for which all are contending2 and though it has been found within the sacred inclosures of religion1 where ,i never expected to find it1 yet ought ,i to cast it from me8 ,well1 my dear ,sophia1 if you are happy1 ,i will not attempt to disturb your happiness4 ,no1 said ,mr4 ,roscoe2 nor shall others4 ,if it has pleased ,god to give you a portion of heavenly light1 which he has withheld from us1 we will not try to extinguish it4 ,i deeply regret that ,i ever reproached you for your religion1 or opposed you1 for ,i am now convinced that the spirit which originates such measures must be evil4 ,a remark which ,i met with in a discourse recently published by a clergyman1 has made a deep impression on my mind4 ,he says1 when illustrating the following sentence--',behold1 the devil shall cast some of you into prison1 that ye may be tried'--',it might often serve to stay the hand of persecution in religion1 to consider who1 in fact1 sharpens the axe of the executioner1 lights the fires of cruelty1 or kindles the still fiercer flames of bigotry and theological hatred in the soul4 ,it is his work who is 'the father of lies2' and therefore the natural enemy of the truth is the author of every plot for its destruction4 ,consider1 therefore1 if you discover even a spark of intolerance and harshness in your own heart1 in what flame that spark is kindled1 and make haste to extinguish it in the waters of love4' ,when opposing you1 my dear ,sophia1 ,i thought ,i was merely opposing a modern fanaticism2 but it is possible that ,i have1 through ignorance1 been opposing the progress of genuine piety4 ,ignorance may palliate1 but cannot excuse crime2 and ,i now resolve to let you enjoy unmolested the liberty of thinking and deciding for yourself on the great question of religion2 and my daily prayer is1 that ,god will be as merciful and gracious to us1 as he has been to you4 ,miss ,roscoe replied1 after she had recovered herself from that overflow of feeling which such noble sentiments had excited1 ,i thank you1 ,i thank you1 my dear father1 for your kindness4 ,you have given me many proofs of your attachment1 but this last ,i receive as the strongest1 because ,i value it as the most sacred4 ,it is to the influence of others that ,i always attributed the opposition which ,i have met with2 and1 as ,i felt conscious that it would die away upon cool reflection1 ,i endured it as a temporary evil1 which would become productive of a permanent good4 ,had ,i met with no opposition1 ,i should not have enjoyed so much my present liberty2 and ,i trust that the veil of oblivion will now fall on the past1 while a brighter vision rises on our fancy as we look forward to future days4 ,how many have pined away in the dungeon1 or expired at the stake1 under the relentless demon of persecution6 and though the shield of the civil law now protects ,britons from the tortures which the pious of former ages had to endure1 yet the evil spirit still exists1 and often displays1 even in this land of freedom1 its unsubdued enmity against the pure religion of ,jesus ,christ4 ,it cannot imprison1 but it can reproach2 it cannot consume by an instantaneous death1 but it can break down and destroy the vivacity of the mind by the lingering process of daily sarcasm and misrepresentation2 yet1 let not the sufferer compromise his principles1 but remain faithful1 even unto death4 ,the angel of the ,apocalypse1 when assigning the reason why some of the brethren of ,smyrna should be cast into prison1 left on record the design which ,god has in view by permitting you to be afflicted4 ,he 7i4e41 the devil7 shall cast some of you into prison that ye may be tried4--,here1 then1 to quote the language of an elegant writer1 if you are the children of ,god1 is the real end and object of your trials4 ,they are permitted1 not in anger1 but in love2 not to destroy1 but to sanctify2 to prove your sincerity1 to try your patience1 to ascertain your deficiencies1 quicken your zeal1 and stimulate you to confidence1 and trust1 and prayer1 and love to ,him who is 'able to save to the uttermost all that come to him4' ,it is thus that our heavenly ,father frustrates the devices of the devil4 ,the very fires lighted by the enemy of saints1 serve only to cherish the graces of the true ,christian1 to melt down the irregularities of temper1 to burn in and fix all those qualities which were1 perhaps1 hitherto sketched but in light and fading colours on the character4 ,the spirit of persecution may rage against you1 but its duration is fixed4 ',ye shall have tribulation ten days3' and as ,he1 'whose you are1 and whom you serve1' has limited its duration1 so he can abate its violence2 and1 when his gracious designs are accomplished1 he will deliver you from its power4 ,the religion of ,jesus ,christ has often been despised and rejected1 even by those who are her ministers2 and sometimes she has been bound in chains by the kings of the earth1 as though she were the destroyer of human happiness2 but she has1 in this country1 broken asunder the bands of her captivity1 and is enjoying unrestricted liberty4 ',may her sceptre sway the enlightened world around4' ',then shall the earth yield her increase2 and ,god1 even our own ,god1 shall bless us1 ,god shall bless us2 and all the ends of the earth shall fear him4' ,,self-,,delusion4 ,according to our custom1 after the engagements of the day we retired to the drawing-room1 to enjoy the pleasures of social intercourse4 ,mr4 ,stevens having spent the morning in visiting among scenes of sorrow and distress1 our conversation naturally turned on the subject of human happiness and sorrow4 ,after much varied discourse1 ,mr4 ,roscoe 7who formed one of our party7 observed1 ,there is much misery in the world2 and every individual of the human family is called1 at some period of his life1 to drink its bitter draughts2 yet1 in my opinion1 there is a larger portion of happiness distributed among us than is usually admitted4 ,these observations1 said ,mr4 ,stevens1 are quite correct2 yet how few wish to live their life over again4 ,some1 who have no hope of a blissful immortality1 would not object to a second birth and to a second childhood2 but in general they would prefer some other course of life than that which they have run1 under a supposition that they should be able to avoid the evils by which they have been oppressed1 and gain the prize of mental happiness1 which they have never obtained4 ,but the reluctance which we may feel to go back to infancy1 and live through our past life is1 in my opinion1 no substantial argument against a preponderance of happiness in the world4 ,if we prefer another course to that which we have run1 it is because we calculate on a fewer number of evils1 and a greater portion of enjoyment2 but who would not willingly endure all the miseries which he has suffered1 with the comforts with which he has been favoured1 rather than die and enter the invisible world1 where he knows not what destiny awaits him8 ,if we know not what destiny awaits us in the eternal world1 we ought to prefer the endless continuance of life1 even when associated with the severest afflictions1 rather than wish for its termination2 because here the most violent pulsations of anguish admit of some intermitting seasons of ease2 but there1 if we miss the prize1 we shall be cast out into outer darkness1 where will be weeping and gnashing of teeth1 and for ever4 ,this subject1 said ,mr4 ,roscoe1 at times almost overwhelms me2 and like ,job1 when in his anguish1 ,i am inclined to say1 ',let the day perish wherein ,i was born1 and the night in which it was said1 there is a man-child conceived4' ,but this is useless4 ,i am in being1 and can't go out of existence4 ,i may pass from one world to another1 and sometimes wish to pass the line which separates the unseen from the visible world1 that ,i may know the final issue2 but this is not a permanent desire4 ,no6 the final issue of life is invested with such solemn and awful grandeur1 so much personal and relative happiness or misery is dependent on it1 that ,i feel either instinctively or morally afraid to anticipate it4 ,indeed1 ,i should be a more happy man if ,i could disbelieve the immortality of the soul4 ,yes1 ,i should4 ,i could enjoy life2 and though ,i might feel some occasional regret in prospect of ceasing to exist1 yet then ,i should escape the awful sense of horror which sometimes fills my mind in the fearful apprehensions of future degradation and misery4 ,i have thought1 said ,mr4 ,stevens1 from our former conversations1 that you had no doubt of a state of future happiness4 ,very true1 ,i once had no doubt1 but then ,i never thought deeply on the subject4 ,i felt confident that ,i should enter heaven1 and participate in the joys of the blessed1 immediately after my decease2 but then ,i was under the power of that self-delusion which you so often entreated me to guard against4 ,i sometimes felt a momentary elation in anticipation of seeing the beauty and grandeur of the heavenly world2 but when ,i began to examine the foundation of my confidence1 ,i found it giving way4 ,i thought that the ,supreme ,being could not1 consistently with his benevolence1 inflict punishment in another world for the sins committed in this2 and that the conscientious discharge of our relative duties towards each other1 constituted the whole extent of our obligations to him4 ,hence ,i necessarily expected a state of future happiness2 but1 by a closer examination of the ,scriptures1 ,i am convinced that he has appointed a day in which the administration of justice will be conducted impartially2 when the motives of human action1 as well as the actions of human life1 will undergo a strict investigation1 and we shall be rewarded or punished according as we have done good or evil4 ,this is a very important discovery1 and may be regarded as the beginning of a great change in your religious opinions--a change which may lead to the most happy results4 ,but can such a discovery1 which has plunged me into an abyss of terrific horror1 ever lead to any favourable issue8 ,yes1 ,sir1 it can4 ,it is the discovery of our guilt and our danger that predisposes and impels us to receive the ,christian faith as exactly adapted to our moral condition4 ,until this discovery is made1 the scheme of salvation which is revealed in the ,bible may be contemplated as true1 without being felt as necessary2 and the mind1 perplexed and bewildered by the speculative doctrines of its own belief1 may admit them in theory1 and yet reject their practical application4 ,but when we feel our guilt1 and perceive the moral danger to which it inevitably exposes us1 we necessarily ask the question which the jailer of ,philippi once put to the apostle1 ',what must ,i do to be saved8' ,will a person ever put such a question till he feels that he is in danger of being lost8 ,certainly not2 but when he does feel that danger1 the question becomes not only proper1 but one of paramount importance4 ,and what ,,must we do8 ,as you have admitted the importance of the question1 ,i at once reply to it1 and do so by quoting the language which the apostle used when it was proposed to him--',believe on the ,lord ,jesus ,christ and thou shalt be saved4' ,this reply corresponds with the language of ,jesus ,christ himself1 who says1 ',god so loved the world1 that he gave his only begotten ,son1 that whosoever believeth in him should not perish1 but have everlasting life4' ,hence you perceive that our salvation is made to depend on our belief in ,christ2 but it must be obvious to you that it must be such a belief as will produce a practical effect4 ,not a vague and inoperative assent1 which leaves the mind in a state of moral apathy1 neither alarmed by a perception of danger1 nor delighted by the promise of deliverance2 but that strong faith in the efficacy of the ,saviour's death1 and his willingness to save1 which will impel us to make a direct and a constant appeal to him4 ,i am aware that a change is taking place in my religious opinions1 or rather1 that my religious opinions are beginning to produce a deeper impression in my heart2 but my happiness is not increased by it4 ,indeed1 ,i cannot account for the singular restlessness and depression of my mind4 ,i once could pray with ease and pleasure2 but now1 if ,i make the effort1 ,i cannot do it4 ,i once had great delight in reading the ,scriptures1 but now ,i cannot understand them4 ,the more ,i read and reflect1 the deeper ,i am involved in mental perplexity2 and such is the perturbed state of my feelings1 that unless it please ,god to interpose1 and give me some relief1 ,i shall be lost4 ,as he gave utterance to these expressions1 we were no less astonished than delighted2 and the rapid interchange of looks1 seemed to indicate a positive mistrust of our senses4 ,a perfect silence prevailed among us for some minutes1 while each one felt grateful to ,him who was in the act of redeeming a noble spirit from the bondage of ignorance and self-delusion1 by pouring into the recesses of his soul the light of truth4 ,at length ,mr4 ,stevens said1 with an emphasis which ,i shall never forget1 ,permit me1 my dear ,sir1 to offer you my congratulations4 ,your present depression is to me a source of unutterable joy4 ,your spirit is wounded by an unseen hand2 but there is balm in ,gilead--there is a ,physician there4 ,you are involved in a state of mental perplexity1 which increases in proportion as you labour to extricate yourself2 but the day-star will ere long arise in your heart1 and then1 under the light of a clear manifestation of the truth1 you will not only see its beauties1 but feel its moral power4 ,you may be tempted to conclude that your case is singular1 and that you shall never be able to derive any consolation from the promises of the ,bible2 but you must guard against receiving such an impression2 and remember that ,he who1 when on earth1 opened the eyes of the blind1 and made the dumb to sing1 and ,he alone1 can give you that spiritual discernment which constitutes the essential difference between a real and a nominal ,christian4 ,mr4 ,roscoe felt somewhat embarrassed by this powerful appeal2 but recovering himself1 and assuming his natural dignity of manner1 he said1 in a subdued tone1 ,i have much to unlearn1 and much to learn1 before ,i can become a real ,christian4 ,the following passage1 in one of ,st4 ,paul's epistles1 has often puzzled me1 but now ,i begin to understand its meaning3 ',let no man deceive himself4 ,if any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world1 let him become a fool1 that he may be wise4' ,i once thought that ,i could acquire a knowledge of the theory of revealed truth by the mere effort of intellectual research and investigation1 as we acquire a knowledge of any human science2 and perhaps few men have devoted more time to the study of it than myself2 but ,i have hitherto neglected to implore wisdom from above1 because ,i did not think it necessary4 ,and the result of all my mental application is a painful discovery of my own ignorance1 and even this was not made till ,i saw my danger4 ,my dear ,sophia has often told me that a ,divine illumination of the mind is the great secret in personal religion2 but ,i could form no conception of her meaning4 ,such a sentiment appeared to me not only unnecessary1 but absurd2 and ,i often feared1 when she has been speaking on this subject1 that her understanding was bewildered amidst the unintelligible reveries of a mystical theology4 ,sometimes1 it is true1 her arguments would be attended with so much force and skill that she has compelled me to change the subject of debate2 but on a recent occasion1 when she quoted the passage1 ',but the natural man receiveth not the things of the ,spirit of ,god3 for they are foolishness unto him3 neither can he know them1 because they are spiritually discerned1' it made so deep an impression upon my heart1 that from that hour to the present ,i have undergone a perpetual conflict between my prejudices and convictions4 ,mr4 ,roscoe had engaged to return home early in the evening1 and now withdrew1 but not without expressing the great pleasure which the conversation had afforded him1 and making us promise that we would spend an evening at his house in the following week4 ,mr4 ,stevens and ,i walked with him the greater part of the way home4 ,it was a lovely evening4 ,the moon was just rising above the top of a distant hill2 and1 as we were entering the grove1 we lingered to listen to the songs of the nightingales responding to each other4 ,here is melody1 said ,mr4 ,roscoe4 ,here is the song of innocence4 ,here is sweet contentment4 ,and why is the bird of night more happy than man8 ,ah6 why8 ,because1 said ,mr4 ,stevens1 man is fallen from that state of purity and honour in which he was created1 and it is wisely ordained that misery shall be the consequence of sin4 ,we now bade him adieu4 ,on our return1 ,mrs4 ,stevens said1 ,i should like to send a note to ,miss ,roscoe1 to tell her the nature of our conversation with her father4 ,dear creature1 it will make her so glad4 ,i think you had better defer doing so till to-morrow2 and even then ,i would advise you to avoid precipitancy4 ,her mind has recently been under very strong excitement1 and as such news will necessarily produce a powerful effect1 great prudence is needful on your part in making this communication4 ,as she has to pass from the deepest anxiety to the most elevated joy1 she ought not to be startled by a hasty communication2 it should be made cautiously1 that the transition of feeling may be gradual1 instead of rushing in upon her with overpowering force4 ,illustration3 ,,it ,,was ,a ,,lovely ,,evening4 ,,the ,,moon ,,was ,,just ,,rising ,,as ,,we ,,entered ,,the ,,grove4 ,vol4 i4 page #bfb4 ,perhaps1 when he sees her1 he will make some allusion to the subject of our conversation1 which may lead to an entire disclosure of the state of his feelings4 ,what a change6 ,how surprising6 ,i seem as if ,i were suddenly roused from an enchanting dream4 ,yes1 my dear1 said ,mr4 ,stevens1 it is surprising that the ,lord of glory should condescend to subdue the enmity of the human heart1 and thus make the child of disobedience an heir of glory2 but it ought not to surprise us4 ,if we look back1 we shall remember the time when to us the theatre possessed more attractions than the house of ,god1 and the follies of gay life gave us more delight than the exercises of devotion2 'but ,god1 who is rich in mercy1 for his great love wherewith he loved us1 even when we were dead in sins1 hath quickened us together with ,christ 7by grace are we saved71 and hath raised us up together1 and made us sit together in heavenly places in ,christ ,jesus4' ,if1 said ,mrs4 ,stevens1 ,mr4 ,roscoe should come forth a decided character1 it will make a powerful impression on his irreligious friends4 ,surely they will not be able to withstand the force of such a striking evidence in favour of the divine origin of the ,christian faith--why1 it is a self-evident demonstration4 ,i begin to anticipate the happiest results4 ,but1 my dear1 you must not be too sanguine2 ,mr4 ,roscoe may not come forth so soon1 nor so decidedly1 as you anticipate4 ,though ,i trust the great moral change has taken place which distinguishes the real from the nominal ,christian1 yet1 as his mind is of a very singular order1 we may conclude it will still retain its individuality1 and develope its new qualities with that precision and precaution which are its distinctive characteristics4 ,we may calculate on decision1 but not rash or hasty decision2 on energy1 but not much ardent zeal2 and on unbending integrity and unremitting constancy2 but his progression is likely to be that of a man moving onwards with the dignity of principle1 rather than under the impulse of strong passion4 ,but do you not suppose that he will go to ,broadhurst1 and hear our dear ,mr4 ,ingleby next ,sabbath8 ,certainly not2 you are not to conclude1 from the conversation of this evening1 that he yet sees the truth with perfect clearness4 ,no1 he rather resembles the man of whom we read in the gospel1 who1 when the mystic power commenced its mighty operation1 saw men so indistinctly that they appeared 'like trees walking4' ,the film is but partially removed from the eye of his understanding2 and though he has the power of spiritual discernment1 yet not perfectly4 ,and such is the degree of influence which prejudice1 and family1 and social connections may still have over his mind1 that probably he will not very soon break through his long-established habits1 and mingle among us as one of our own people4 ,indeed1 ,i hardly wish it2 because it will be so extraordinary1 that it would be considered as a religious mania1 taken as by some kind of mysterious infection1 rather than the positive result of deep thought1 and cool and deliberate judgment4 ,oh1 no2 minds1 when under the dominion of grace1 are usually governed according to the settled laws of their own constitution2 and hence the difference of conduct1 in relation to an open profession of religion1 which is so apparent among the heirs of salvation4 ,i am sure ,mr4 ,ingleby will be delighted to hear of it4 ,i have often heard him say1 that the conversion of a moral man to the faith of ,christ is a more decisive proof of the efficacy of ,divine truth1 than the conversion of an immoral man1 and a much more rare occurrence4 ,yes1 my dear1 it is more rare1 and more difficult1 because it is not so easy to convince of mental sin as of an overt act of impiety2 but ,i do not wish that there should be even the most distant allusion made on the subject to any one but ,miss ,roscoe4 ,my dear1 you surprise me4 ,perhaps ,i may1 but ,i think you will be satisfied with my reasons for wishing silence to be observed4 ,if we hastily proclaim to our friends that ,mr4 ,roscoe has undergone a great change in his religious opinions and principles1 we may raise expectations which his cautious habit of mind may disappoint1 at least for a season1 and thus bring on ourselves the censures of some1 for stating as a fact what we merely wish to be true4 ,and not only so1 but we shall deprive his decision of that power of impression which ,i think it will ultimately possess4 ,for if we are more forward to speak of such a mental change than he is to profess it1 we may be considered as the originators of it2 and in that case his example will not have such a powerful influence over his irreligious friends1 as it will have if it appear to be the result1 as ,i expect it will1 of calm deliberation4 ,he will move with great caution1 and we should speak with equal caution4 ,what effect do you think his conversion will have on ,mrs4 ,roscoe8 ,why1 unless it should please ,god to interpose1 and bring her to the knowledge of the truth1 ,i have no doubt but it will be regarded by her as some astounding and destructive visitation1 sent by an unknown hand to destroy her happiness for life4 ,she is but partially reconciled to the piety of her daughter2 and1 even now1 expresses not only her surprise1 but her deep regret2 and if her husband become pious 7as ,i have no doubt but he will71 though she may endeavour to conform herself to his religious habits1 yet it will be with extreme reluctance4 ,but perhaps by his conversation1 and the dignified consistency of his conduct1 he may succeed in process of time1 in answer to his own fervent prayers and the wrestling prayers of dear ,sophia1 in winning her to ,christ4 ,it is possible1 nay1 very probable1 as prayer will be made for her continually2 and the prayer of faith brings to pass moral wonders4 ,we may live to hail them both as fellow-heirs of the grace of life4 ,what a blissful consummation6 ,a ,,night ,,calamity4 ,near ,fairmount ,villa stood a tasteful cottage1 which ,mr4 ,stevens had erected as a means of giving additional security to his premises4 ,it was occupied by a worthy man1 named ,josiah ,hargrave1 who gained his livelihood as a common carrier4 ,he had commenced life as a labourer2 and1 by honest industry and perseverance1 had risen to a state of comparative independence4 ,his cottage was well furnished2 he had two cows1 a good horse and cart1 a donkey1 a large stock of poultry1 some pigs1 and hay and straw enough to last him through winter4 ,he had been married about seven years2 and had three children1 two sons and a daughter4 ,here they lived in peace and contentment1 neither envying their richer1 nor despising their poorer neighbours4 ,i called on them one day2 and1 when congratulating them on their prosperity1 ,i was struck with the very sensible remarks which ,mrs4 ,hargrave made on the uncertain duration of all earthly blessings4 ,our heavenly ,father1 she observed1 has blessed us indeed2 ,he has given us more than we deserve1 and more than we expected2 and ,he1 who has given us all1 can1 if ,he please1 take all away4 ,yes1 ,he can2 and suppose ,he should deprive you of your little possessions1 do you think you could bow in submission1 and say1 ',thy will be done8' ,yes1 ,sir1 if ,he give the disposition2 but if not1 we should repine4 ,ah6 ,sir1 ,josiah remarked1 we are poor sinful creatures4 ,in prosperity we are ungrateful1 and in adversity rebellious1 unless it please the ,lord to sanctify to us ,his dispensations4 ,which state1 ,i asked1 should you prefer1 if it were left to your choice--prosperity or adversity8 ,why1 said ,josiah1 ,i would rather let my heavenly ,father choose for me1 than venture to choose for myself1 because ,he cannot err2 but ,i may4 ,prosperity1 without ,his blessing1 would be a snare2 adversity1 with it1 would be a comfort4 ,we were interrupted in our conversation by the sudden entrance of the eldest boy1 a lad about five years of age1 who exclaimed1 ,i have said my hymn6 and1----before he saw me4 ,come1 said the mother1 go and speak to the gentleman4 ,yes1 added the father1 and say your hymn to him4 ,the boy approached with a modest blush1 and immediately repeated the following verses1 with ease and propriety3-- ,i thank the goodness and the grace1 ,which on my birth have smil'd1 ,and made me1 in these ,christian days1 ,a happy ,english child4 ,i was not born1 as thousands are1 ,where ,god was never known1 ,and taught to pray a useless pray'r ,to blocks of wood and stone4 ,i was not born a little slave1 ,to labour in the sun1 ,and wish ,i were but in the grave1 ,and all my labour done4 ,i was not born without a home1 ,or in some broken shed1 ,a gipsy baby1 taught to roam ,and steal my daily bread4 ,my ,god1 ,i thank thee1 who hast plann'd ,a better lot for me2 ,and placed me in this happy land1 ,where ,i may hear of thee4 ,he repeated also the third chapter of the ,gospel according to ,john1 without making any mistake4 ,and where does your boy go to school8 ,he goes1 said ,josiah1 to ,mrs4 ,stevens's ,sabbath-school2 and1 for the last six months1 he has been twice in the week up to ,squire ,roscoe's2 and ,miss ,roscoe has been so kind as to teach him4 ,there was a time1 ,i remarked1 when the rich were either too proud1 or too much devoted to the pleasures of the world1 to attend to the improvement of the lower classes2 but now they discover a disposition to favour almost every institution which pure benevolence establishes4 ,yes1 ,sir1 said ,josiah1 some do2 but not all4 ,we have a few in the parish who are very angry with ,mrs4 ,stevens for setting up her ,sabbath-school2 and they have tried to put it down2 but1 thank ,god1 they have not been able to do it4 ,we have but little light2 and why should they try to put it out8 ,i went the other day up to ,cleveland ,hall1 and ,sir ,harry ,wilmot1 who was a great enemy to ,mrs4 ,stevens's ,sabbath-school1 was pleased to say that my ,charles was a very sharp and well-behaved lad1 and did us credit4 ',yes1 ,sir1' ,i replied1 'and we may thank ,mrs4 ,stevens for that2 for if she had not opened her ,sunday-school1 our boy would be as rude and as ignorant as other boys4' ',what6' said ,sir ,harry1 'does your boy go to her school8' ',yes1 ,sir4' ,he was silent some time1 and walked backwards and forwards his room1 and then went to his bureau1 and took out a pound1 and said1 ',make my compliments to ,mrs4 ,stevens1 and give her this towards the support of her school2 and tell her that as long as ,i see such fruits of her labour1 ,i will encourage them4' ,it is pleasing1 ,i remarked1 to see the prejudices which some of the more opulent and powerful have cherished against the benevolent institutions of society1 giving way2 and ,i have no doubt but they will ultimately become the generous supporters of them4 99 99 99 99 99 ,we had protracted our conversation at ,fairmount to an unusually late hour1 and were preparing to retire to rest1 when we heard the cry of ,fire6 ,we immediately rushed out1 and1 on passing through the back yard1 we saw the flames issuing from ,hargrave's cottage4 ,we hastened to afford assistance2 but as the wind blew hard1 and we had no engine1 it was impossible to save more than a few articles of furniture4 ,it was a dismal scene2 ,i shall never forget that awful night4 ,the mother1 with one child in her arms1 and another by her side1 with difficulty made their escape2 and ,josiah1 in trying to remove his poor dumb ass from the shed1 which stood close behind the cottage1 was severely scorched2 and1 though he returned again and again1 he was obliged to abandon her4 ,at length the fury of the wind abated1 the rain came down in torrents1 and the neighbours1 flocking to our assistance1 we were able1 within the space of about two hours1 to extinguish the fire4 ,we now turned our attention to the poor sufferers1 who had taken refuge in the villa4 ,on entering the kitchen1 ,i beheld ,mrs4 ,hargrave with her infant in her arms1 ,charles standing close by her chair1 and her husband reclining against the wall1 as the surgeon was examining his wounds4 ,when they were dressed1 and the terror had somewhat subsided1 ,josiah said1 ,the ,lord gave1 and the ,lord has taken away1 but1 blessed be his name1 he hath not taken away my wife nor my children4 ,there are1 said ,mr4 ,stevens1 some circumstances connected with every affliction which take off their keen edge1 and give a stronger excitement to our gratitude1 than to a murmuring disposition4 ,but1 said ,josiah1 as he stood gazing on the living wreck of his possession1 where is ,henry8 ,i don't see him4 ,where did you carry him8 said the mother4 ,you took him up and ran out with him1 when ,i came out with ,charles and ,ann4 ,i have not seen him1 said ,josiah4 ,the mother1 on hearing this reply1 darted from her seat1 exclaiming1 with a look and in a tone of frantic agony1 ,my ,henry is burnt6 my ,henry is burnt6 ,o1 my ,henry6 my poor dear ,henry6 ,i shall never see him again6 ,this subdued the firmness of ,josiah2 but he could not weep4 ,he looked like a man bereft of his reason4 ,he fell back in a chair1 and said1 ,alas6 my poor dear ,henry6 ,this scene of parental anguish was too much for ,mrs4 ,stevens2 and1 though she bore up for a time1 and endeavoured1 by efforts of kindness1 to allay their sorrow1 yet she was obliged at length to retire4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,lost ,,child ,,restored4 ,vol4 i4 page #bgj4 ,as the mother was again exclaiming1 ,o1 my poor ,henry6 ,i shall never see him again6 the gardener entered the kitchen with ,henry1 and said1 ,here he is1 safe and sound6 ,the father sprang up as with the rapidity of thought2 the mother rushed across the room1 and they both seized the child1 as though each was afraid to let the other touch him4 ,but after the first maternal kiss had been given to little ,henry1 who knew nothing of what had been passing1 she suffered her husband to take him1 as she still held her infant in her arms1 and they both sat down1 with their ,charles between them1 while the inmates of the villa pressed round to participate in their joy4 ,and is it you1 my ,henry8 said the mother4 ,kiss me1 my boy4 ,kiss me1 ,henry1 said ,charles4 ,we now shed tears of gratitude1 and after recovering ourselves from this agitating excitement1 ,i asked the gardener where he found the child4 ,i found him1 ,sir1 asleep between two trusses of hay in ,master ,hargrave's stable4 ,o1 ,i now recollect6 said ,josiah4 ,i carried him and put him in the stable when the fire broke out1 as ,i knew he would be safe there1 but ,i had forgotten it4 ,early in the morning ,i hastened to the ruins1 where ,i found ,josiah and his wife examining the extent of their loss4 ,this has been to you a night which will never be forgotten4 ,very true1 ,sir1 said ,mrs4 ,hargrave1 we never had so many mercies crowded within such a short space of time4 ,what a mercy that we were not consumed1 that none of our children were burnt1 and that the horse and cart are not injured1 so that ,josiah can go on in his business2 we can sing of mercy as well as of judgment4 ,ah6 ,sir1 said ,josiah1 what a mercy that1 though we have lost some of our little property1 yet we have not lost any property but what was our own4 ,the ,lord gave it to us1 and now ,he has been pleased to take it away1 but ,he has not taken all4 ,he has spared more than ,i expected1 and much more than we deserved4 ,it will be a long time before you will be able to repair this loss4 ,yes1 it will2 but you know1 ,sir1 that it is 'the blessing of the ,lord that maketh rich4' ,this trial is sent to moderate our desires after the things that perish1 to teach us to walk by faith1 and to derive our happiness from communion with ,him who is invisible4 ,as we were conversing together1 ,mr4 ,stevens came up1 and taking ,josiah by the hand1 said1 ,don't be cast down1 ,i will have the cottage repaired immediately1 and till it is finished1 you shall have my other cottage at the grove1 which happens to be vacant4 ,thank you1 ,sir1 for your kindness2 ,i hope ,mrs4 ,stevens is well this morning8 ,she is not well2 she has had a bad night4 ,several of the more respectable inhabitants of the village now joined us in their expressions of sympathy2 and it was unanimously resolved that a subscription should be made for the benefit of the ,hargraves4 ,gentlemen1 said ,mr4 ,roscoe1 ,i shall be happy to see you at my house in the evening4 ,in the meantime we shall be able to ascertain the extent of this good man's loss1 and then we can adopt some effectual measures to repair it4 ,there is a kind provision made for the children of sorrow in that sympathy which is implanted in almost every breast4 ,who can avoid its excitement when an object of distress is seen1 or a tale of woe narrated8 ,yet there are some who will weep over misery1 but will make no personal sacrifice to relieve it4 ,they will talk1 but they will not give4 ,they will recommend to others the benevolence which they never practise2 and profess to admire the virtue which they are not anxious should adorn their own character4 ,but1 says the apostle1 whoso hath this world's goods1 and seeth his brother have need1 and shutteth his bowels of compassion from him1 how dwelleth the love of ,god in him8 ,the loss which ,josiah ,hargrave sustained by the fire1 amounted to about thirty pounds2 and ,mr4 ,roscoe consented1 at the urgent request of the gentlemen who met at his house1 to accompany ,mr4 ,stevens in soliciting the benevolence of the neighbours towards repairing it4 ,they commenced their work of mercy on the following morning1 and finished it in the course of the day4 ,the first person they called on was the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,cole1 the rector of the parish1 and he refused to contribute1 because ,hargrave chose to attend the ministry of ,mr4 ,ingleby in preference to his own4 ,this refusal1 said ,mr4 ,roscoe to his friend1 does not surprise me1 but it grieves me4 ,mr4 ,cole is an amiable man1 but he is1 what ,i once was1 a religious bigot2 and though he is very charitable to the poor1 yet his charity is confined to those who come to his church4 ,we may1 said ,mr4 ,stevens1 call his charity the charity of bigotry1 not the charity of the gospel4 ,i was once taking tea with him1 when a poor woman1 near the time of her confinement1 applied to him for relief2 but when he found that she attended your chapel1 he first reproved her1 and then dismissed her without giving her any assistance4 ,but perhaps he thought she was an impostor8 ,no1 ,sir1 she brought with her a note of recommendation from your friend1 ,mr4 ,stone4 ,and is it possible that a man1 who professes to be a minister of ,jesus ,christ1 could refuse to assist a poor woman in such a time of need1 because she does not attend his church8 ,then1 ,i suppose1 if he had been passing by ,josiah ,hargrave's house when the fire broke out1 his first inquiry would have been1 ,do you attend my church8--and on finding that he hears ,mr4 ,ingleby1 he would have gone on1 and left him to perish4 ,no1 no2 ,i think he would have knocked you up1 and sent you to assist him1 because his argument is1 ',let those who imbibe the same faith1 assist each other4' ,a similar argument was employed by the priest and ,levite1 when they passed by on the opposite side of the road1 disdaining to do more than merely look on the wounded traveller2 but the good ,samaritan1 whose breast glowed with pure benevolence1 'when he saw him he had compassion on him1 and went to him1 and bound up his wounds1 pouring in oil and wine1 and set him on his own beast1 and brought him to an inn1 and took care of him4' ,and are we not commanded to display the same comprehensive benevolence1 without standing to consider the character of the sufferer1 or presuming to inquire into the orthodoxy of his faith8 ,i was much pleased with a little anecdote which ,i heard the other day1 of your friend ,stone4 ,a person applied to him on behalf of a poor man in great distress4 ,he was in a hurry1 and had no money with him4 ',i cannot1' he said1 'examine the case now1 as ,i have a gentleman waiting to see me2 but1 if the poor man belong to the household of faith1 ,i will thank you to advance ten shillings for me2 if not1 advance five4 ,my maxim is1 according to the law of the ,scripture1 to do good unto all men1 especially unto them who are of the household of faith4' ,the subscription which was raised by ,mr4 ,stevens and ,mr4 ,roscoe1 with the remittances received from the ,rev4 ,messrs4 ,ingleby and ,guion1 amounted to nearly fifty pounds1 and this was given by ,mr4 ,stevens to ,josiah1 who was so overcome by this unanticipated expression of sympathy1 that at first he could scarcely speak4 ,he modestly requested ,mr4 ,stevens to express his grateful thanks1 and those of his wife1 to his benevolent friends1 assuring them that they would endeavour1 by future conduct1 to prove how deeply they felt this unexpected kindness4 ,within the space of three months ,hargrave returned to his cottage1 with his family1 a richer if not a happier man than before the fire drove him out2 and there he lived for many years1 respected and beloved by all who knew him4 ,if we say that afflictions spring up by chance1 or are brought about merely by secondary causes1 which are not under the guidance and control of ,god1 we not only reject the authority of the ,bible1 but deprive ourselves of the consolation which follows from a firm belief that the design for which they are sent is merciful and gracious4 ,if the sufferer should suppose that his afflictions are of such a peculiar nature that they cannot possibly answer any good purpose1 ,i would say1 ,do not impeach the wisdom of ,god1 nor yet presume to fix limitations to the operations of his power4 ,if you have never yet repented of your sins1 nor sought the salvation of your soul through the mediation of ,jesus ,christ1 your trials may be sent to prepare your heart for the reception of the truth1 by which you are to be sanctified and saved4 ,as the gentle rain1 descending from the clouds of heaven1 fits the soil for the seed which it is to nourish for a future harvest1 so it pleases ,god1 in the dispensations of his providence1 to allow those painful events to transpire1 which1 imperceptibly1 predispose the mind1 first1 to bow in submission to his authority1 and then to seek after the enjoyment of his favour4 ,there is a native independence in some minds1 which1 in relation to man1 is a high and noble virtue1 but in relation to ,god1 is a daring sin4 ,when one is made rich1 and the glory of his house is increased1 he is sometimes apt to think1 if not to say1 ,what is the ,almighty1 that we should serve him8 ,and what profit should we have if we pray unto him8 ,what is this but absolute rebellion against ,divine authority1 which must be subdued2 and1 if it please ,him to employ severe and varied afflictions to subdue it1 then why should a living man complain--a man for the punishment of his sins8 ,should we not1 says an admired writer1 principally value that which is morally good for us2 that which influences and secures our eternal welfare2 that by which the safety of the soul is least endangered1 and the sanctification of the soul is most promoted6 ,upon this principle many have had reason to say1 ,it is good for me that ,i have been afflicted4 ,disease1 says one1 commissioned from above1 sought me out1 found me in a crowd1 detached me from a multitude1 led me into a chamber of solitude1 stretched me upon a bed of languishing1 and brought before me the awful realities of an eternal world4 ,i never prayed before1 says another2 my life was bound up in a beloved relative2 ,i saw my gourd smitten and beginning to wither2 ,i trembled2 ,i watched the progress of a disease which doomed all my happiness to the grave4 ,in that moment of bereavement1 the world1 which had won my affections1 was suddenly deprived of all its attractions4 ,i broke from the arms of sympathizing friends1 saying1 ',where is ,god1 my ,maker1 that giveth songs in the night8' ,i entered my closet1 and said1 ',now1 ,lord1 what wait ,i for8 ,my hope is in thee4' ,misery seems to possess one of the attributes of the ,supreme ,being1 and is everywhere present1 inflicting its anguish in every human breast4 ,no situation in life1 however elevated1 is above its reach2 none1 however obscure1 is beneath its notice4 ,it goes up to the throne1 and disturbs the peace of the monarch2 it creeps into the lonely hut1 wringing the heart of poverty2 nor can the tears of penury1 nor the moans of distress1 move its pity4 ,it fastens on the babe in the days of infancy2 follows him through the various stages of childhood and of youth2 becomes a more intimate associate as he advances in life1 but often reserves its most poignant inflictions and its bitterest draughts till old age1 when the mind is bereft of its vivacity and strength4 ,it lurks beneath the most fascinating objects of delight1 and springs out at a season when no danger is expected2 sometimes it throws around itself the garb of complacency1 and1 under the appearance of the truest friendship and the purest affection1 disarms suspicion1 that it may more effectually entangle its victim4 ,where can we find an antidote for human misery8 ,not in the speculations of philosophy4 ,philosophy tells us that we must endure our sufferings1 because we cannot avoid them2 and that it would be visionary to expect an entire exemption from them in a world in which they everywhere abound4 ,miserable comforter6 ,i need some substantial relief1 some prop on which ,i can lean in the days of adversity4 ,where shall ,i find it8--in human friendship8 ,alas6 that is too often a phantom of the imagination1 which plays before the fancy while prosperity shines on my pathway1 but disappears as the storm arises1 and the darkness of the night falls upon me4 ,i need a more stable source of consolation4 ,where shall ,i find it8 ,in sweet submission to thy will1 ,o my ,god6 ,here is bliss4 ,here ,i find joy in grief4 ,here ,i have the bitter waters of life made sweet1 the heavy burden of care lightened1 and my strength becomes equal to my day4 ,a ,,surprise4 ,the indisposition of ,mrs4 ,stevens increased1 and became more and more alarming2 she was soon confined to her room1 then to her bed2 and her life was considered in imminent danger4 ,the fever rose so high that she became somewhat delirious1 but even then1 while her fancy wandered amidst the wild scenes of her own imaginative creation1 she spoke with rapture of her approaching dissolution4 ,on one occasion1 as ,i entered her room1 she raised herself up1 and sang1 with a strong yet softened melody of voice3 ,lord1 what are all my suff'rings here1 ,if thou but make me meet1 ,with that enraptur'd host t' appear1 ,and worship at thy feet6 ,at length1 while we were silently watching the progress of a disorder which was threatening to take from us one of the most interesting and amiable of women1 it pleased the ,father of mercies to throw her into a deep sleep1 which lasted many hours4 ,in the morning she awoke both revived and composed2 and1 after asking for ,mr4 ,stevens1 she requested some refreshment4 ,thus the cloud which had been hanging over us with such a lowering aspect1 now gradually dispersed2 and1 in a few days1 she was pronounced out of danger4 ,i thought at one time1 she said1 addressing herself to her husband1 ,i should have left you4 ,i felt the parting pang2 and it was such a pang as my heart never felt before4 ,i looked into the valley of death2 and though the light of life illumined it1 yet nature recoiled at the prospect of entering4 ,i had no doubt of the issue of dying1 but ,i dreaded the act of dying4 ,but now ,i am coming back to life4 ,oh6 that my life may be more devoted to ,him who lived and died for me6 ,miss ,roscoe had left home the morning after the fire at ,hargrave's cottage1 to spend a few days with her friend1 ,miss ,holmes1 but as soon as she heard of ,mrs4 ,stevens's illness1 she returned4 ,i am happy to see you once more1 said ,mrs4 ,stevens4 ,this is a pleasure which ,i did not anticipate4 ,how uncertain is life6 ,life is uncertain1 replied ,miss ,roscoe1 but they who believe in ,christ shall never die4 ,they may1 in the progress of their being1 drop their mantle of mortality1 as the insect leaves his shell1 when he expands into a more beautiful form of existence2 but the soul1 redeemed by the blood1 and purified by the ,spirit of the ,lord ,jesus1 'liveth and abideth for ever4' ,i hope your mind has been kept in perfect peace during your severe affliction4 ,it has been kept in peace1 but not in perfect peace4 ,on the second day1 when my disorder assumed a threatening aspect1 a horror of great darkness fell upon me4 ,i was compelled to admit the possibility of having deceived myself--of having claimed privileges to which ,i had no title--of having mistaken the excitement of feeling for the fervour of spiritual devotion--of having indulged prospects which ,i should never realize4 ,but1 just as ,i was beginning to sink into despair1 the light of mercy broke in upon me1 and revived my hope4 ,never1 oh6 never had ,i seen such beauty as ,i then perceived in the verses-- ',jesu6 lover of my soul1 ,let me to thy bosom fly1 ,while the billows near me roll1 ,while the tempest still is high3 ',hide me1 ,o my ,saviour6 hide-- ,till the storm of life is past2 ,safe into the haven guide2 ,o receive my soul at last4' ,it is consoling to meet with others who are exercised in a similar way with ourselves4 ,i thought your faith was too strong ever to stagger1 and your prospect of eternal life too clear ever to be shaded by dubious uncertainty2 but now1 ,i perceive1 you can doubt1 which encourages me to hope that my faith may be genuine1 though it is sometimes involved in perplexity1 and sinks into depression4 ,have you1 ,mrs4 ,stevens asked1 had any recent conversation with your papa on religious subjects8 ,not very recently1 because he has manifested a more than ordinary degree of reserve when there has been any allusion to them1 and therefore ,i have judged it proper to observe great caution while his prejudices are in such a state4 ,but may not this reserve on his part be the solemn musings of a mind deeply impressed by the truth1 which has hitherto been either misunderstood or rejected8 ,i should be happy if ,i could put such a favourable construction on his manner2 but ,i fear not4 ,our favourite poet says3-- ',ye fearful saints1 fresh courage take1 ,the clouds ye so much dread1 ,are big with mercy1 and shall break ,in blessings on your head4' ,allow me1 my dear friend1 to offer you my congratulations4 ,your prayers1 ,i hope1 are answered2 and you may go home1 and embrace your father as a 'fellow-heir of the grace of life4' ,if ,i could1 the sun of my bliss would never go down2 but1 alas6 ,i fear that you congratulate me on what we wish to be true1 rather than on what actually is the case4 ,my dear1 ,i speak what ,i believe4 ,impossible6 ,has he made any particular communication to you1 which enables you to speak in such a decisive tone8--if so1 tell me1 my dear friend1 what you know4 ,i am impatient to hear it4 ,the evening before ,josiah's cottage was consumed1 your father spent some hours with us1 and seemed not only willing1 but anxious to converse on religious subjects4 ,at one time1 he was affected almost to tears1 when he said1 ',my dear ,sophia has often told me that a ,divine illumination of mind is the great secret in personal religion2 and on one occasion1 when she quoted the words of the apostle1 ,the natural man receiveth not the things of the ,spirit of ,god1 for they are foolishness unto him2 neither can he know them1 because they are spiritually discerned1 she made an impression on my mind which has never left me4' ,thus ,god has not only subdued the prejudices of your father's heart against the truth1 and opened the eyes of his understanding to see its excellence and importance1 but has employed you as the agent in the accomplishment of this great work4 ,after recovering herself from the surprise which this communication produced1 she said1 ,i feel as if enjoying a most pleasant dream--my fancy beguiled and deluded by its own visionary conceptions--not less surprised than delighted to find myself awake--with you--listening to the most joyful news that could be conveyed to my soul4 ,she wept4 ,and is it possible8--,is it true8--,what1 my father6--,excuse me2 ,i must go1 that ,i may hear these glad tidings from his own lips4 ,on the following ,sabbath ,mrs4 ,stevens was so far recovered as to be able to go to church1 where she expected to see the ,roscoes2 but she was disappointed4 ,i fear1 she remarked to her husband1 as they were returning home1 that ,mr4 ,roscoe will not become a decided character2 but ,i hope he will not neutralize our dear ,sophia4 ,he will proceed1 ,i have no doubt1 very cautiously2 examine and re-examine every step he takes2 but when the ,rubicon is passed1 there will be no fruitless attempts to unite religion and the world1 but an unreserved devotion of soul to ,god4 ,in the evening ,miss ,roscoe was at the chapel1 and after service called at ,fairmount to see her friends4 ,it is true1 she said2 my dear father is at length brought to know that he is a sinner1 and to feel the importance of redemption through the blood of ,christ4 ,i went with him in the morning to hear the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,cole1 with whose sermon he was not so well pleased as on some former occasions2 and he would have accompanied me this evening1 had it not been for mamma1 who most earnestly requested him not to go4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the evening came when we were to pay our promised visit to the ,roscoes1 and just as we were about to set out1 the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,guion arrived4 ,when he found where we were going1 he proposed returning home2 but ,mrs4 ,stevens said1 ,no1 no2 you must accompany us4 ,you may be the means of doing some good2 and ,i think your ,master has sent you for that purpose4 ,mr4 ,roscoe gave us a cordial welcome2 but when the name of ,guion was announced1 ,mrs4 ,roscoe drew back with a very polite movement1 and became unusually reserved4 ,conversation flagged1 till ,mr4 ,roscoe mentioned that he had been reading ,buchanan's ,christian ,researches in ,asia1 and called our attention to some passages1 which had much interested him3-- ,i have returned home1 says the writer1 from witnessing a scene which ,i shall never forget4 ,at twelve o'clock of this day1 being the great day of the feast1 the ,moloch of ,hindoostan was brought out of his temple1 amidst the acclamations of hundreds of thousands of his worshippers4 ,when the idol was placed on his throne1 a shout was raised by the multitude1 such as ,i had never before heard4 ,it continued equable for a few minutes1 and then gradually died away4 ,after a short interval of silence1 a murmur was heard at a distance2 all eyes were turned towards the place1 and behold1 a grove advancing6 ,a body of men1 having green branches in their hands1 approached with great celerity4 ,the people opened a way for them2 and when they had come up to the throne1 they fell down before him that sat thereon1 and worshipped4 ,and the multitude again sent forth a voice like the sound of a great thunder4 ,but the voices ,i now heard were not those of melody2 for there is no harmony in the praise of ,moloch's worshippers4 ,the throne of the idol was placed on a car1 about sixty feet in height1 resting on wheels which indented the ground deeply1 as they turned slowly under the ponderous machine4 ,attached to it were six cables1 by which the people drew it along4 ,upon the car were the priests and satellites of the idol1 surrounding his throne4 ,i went on in the procession1 close by the tower of ,moloch1 which1 as it was drawn with difficulty1 grated on its many wheels harsh thunder4 ,after a few minutes it stopped2 and now the worship of the god began4 ,a high priest mounted the car in front of the idol1 and pronounced his obscene stanzas in the ears of the people1 who responded at intervals in the same strain4 ',these songs1' said he1 'are the delight of the god4' ,after the car had moved some way1 a pilgrim announced that he was ready to offer himself in sacrifice to the idol4 ,he laid himself down in the road before the car1 as it was moving along1 lying on his face1 with his arms stretched forward4 ,the multitude passed round him1 leaving the space clear1 and he was crushed to death by the wheels of the car4 ,a horrid tragedy was acted on the #abth of ,september1 #ahjg1 at a place about three miles from ,calcutta4 ,a ,brahmin died at the advanced age of ninety-two4 ,he had twelve wives1 and three of them were burned alive with his dead body4 ,of these three1 one was a venerable lady1 having white locks1 who had been long known in the neighbourhood4 ,not being able to walk1 she was carried in a palanquin to the place of burning1 and was then placed by the priests on the funeral pile4 ,the two other ladies were younger2 one of them of a very pleasing and interesting countenance4 ,the old lady was placed on one side of the dead husband1 and the two other wives laid themselves down on the other side2 and then an old ,brahmin1 the eldest son of the deceased1 applied the torch to the pile1 with unaverted face4 ,the pile suddenly blazed1 for it was covered with combustibles2 and this human sacrifice was completed amidst the din of drums and cymbals1 and the shouts of the ,brahmins4 ,what horrid rites6 exclaimed ,mr4 ,roscoe4 ,i fear they have been too long practised to be easily destroyed4 ,i think ,christianity ought to be established in ,india1 for the moral benefit of our countrymen4 ,many of them go out when young--when their passions are strong--and when they have but very faint conceptions of the nature or the importance of religion2 and as there are no ,sabbaths--no religious ordinances or instruction--they must be in great spiritual danger from the contagion of evil by which they are surrounded4 ,i was intimately acquainted1 said ,mr4 ,guion1 with a very amiable young man1 the son of a pious solicitor1 who went to ,india1 where he remained ten years1 and then returned4 ,he called on me some time ago1 and ,i derived much information from him2 but ,i was grieved to find1 by his own confession1 that he had become a deist4 ,i asked him if his deism was the result of any fair and earnest investigation2 and he very honestly said1 ',no1 ,i found my belief in the ,divine origin of ,christianity becoming weaker and weaker when ,i was separated from its ministry and institutions1 till at length it became extinct2 and though ,i have sometimes made an effort to recover it1 yet ,i have not been able to do so4' ,but1 said ,mr4 ,roscoe1 though the establishment of ,christianity in ,india might preserve our countrymen from infidelity1 yet ,i do not think we can calculate on bringing over the natives to embrace it4 ,why not8 ,is the conversion of a modern pagan to the faith of ,christ more difficult than the conversion of an ancient one8 ,if ,greece and ,rome were subdued by the preaching of the gospel1 who can despair of ,india8 ,if we had the same miraculous powers as those with which the apostles were endowed1 we might anticipate similar results2 but we have not2 and ,i confess that1 though ,i approve of the motive which originates and supports missionary institutions1 yet ,i do not think they will ever prove successful4 ,by what means1 then1 did ,paul convert the heathen8 ,was it by the exhibition of miracles8 ,certainly not4 ,a miracle may make some impressions on the judgment1 by demonstrating the power of a present ,deity1 and of his direct agency in its production1 but it cannot renew the heart1 and inspire the soul with the love of ,god1 with a hatred of sin1 and a hope of glory4 ,the miracles of the first ages were merely the credentials of the teachers1 and were given as a solemn confirmation1 once for all1 of the divinity of the new dispensation1 which they were commissioned to establish2 but they were not the ordained means of conversion4 ,the apostle ,paul performed miracles but seldom2 and when he did perform them1 they had not always a salutary effect on those that beheld them4 ,when he wrought a miracle in ,lyconia1 the people first worshipped him1 and afterwards would have put him to death4 ,what1 then1 were the ordained means of conversion8 ,the same that are ordained now--the preaching of the cross2 as the ,scripture hath declared1 ',faith cometh by hearing4' ,if we admit1 said ,mr4 ,roscoe1 the concurrence of a supernatural power with the agency of man in teaching and in preaching1 we ought not to doubt the possibility of converting the whole population of ,india to the belief of ,christianity4 ,certainly not2 and is not this supernatural concurrence promised by ,jesus ,christ1 to his ministers of every age8 ',lo6 ,i am with you alway1 even unto the end of the world4' ,my heart often aches1 said ,miss ,roscoe1 when ,i reflect on the degradation and wretchedness of women in ,india--where1 if they escape an untimely grave in the days of childhood1 they are doomed to a state of perpetual ignorance1 excluded from all the accomplishments of society1 treated as the refuse of the human family1 and are often burned along with the body of their deceased husbands4 ,i think every woman ought to make some effort to raise her own sex from this most appalling condition2 and as nothing will prove successful but the principles of ,christianity1 we ought all to become the advocates and supporters of missionary and ,bible societies4#aj #aj ,will it be asked what females are expected to do8 ,we leave the decision of their conduct to the impulses of their hearts1 and the dictates of their judgment4 ,let but their affections be consecrated to the cause1 and their understanding will be sufficiently fruitful in expedients to promote it4 ,their husbands will be gently prevailed upon to lay apart some of their substance to serve religion4 ,their children will be nurtured in a missionary spirit1 and learn to associate with all their pleasures the records of missionary privations and triumphs4 ,they will solicit the repetition of the often-told tale1 and glow with a martyr's zeal for the salvation of the souls of men4 ,listen to the eloquent appeal of a masterly preacher on this subject3--',christian matrons6 from whose endeared and endearing lips we first heard of the wondrous ,babe of ,bethlehem1 and were taught to bend our knee to ,jesus--ye who first taught these eagles how to soar1 will ye now check their flight in the midst of heaven8 ,i am weary1 said the ambitious ,cornelia1 of being called ,scipio's daughter2 do something1 my sons1 to style me the mother of the ,gracchi4 ,and what more laudable ambition can inspire you1 than a desire to be the mothers of the missionaries1 confessors1 and martyrs of ,jesus8 ,generations unborn shall call you blessed4 ,the churches of ,asia and ,africa1 when they make grateful mention of their founders1 will say1 ,blessed be the wombs which bare them1 and the breasts which they have sucked6 ,ye wives also of the clergy1 let it not be said that while ye love the mild virtues of the man1 ye are incapable of alliance with the grandeur of the minister4 ,the wives of ,christian soldiers should learn to rejoice at the sound of the battle4 ,rouse1 then1 the slumbering courage of your soldiers to the field2 and think no place so safe1 so honoured1 as the camp of ,jesus4 ,tell the missionary story to your little ones1 until their young hearts burn1 and in the spirit of those innocents who shouted hosannah to their lowly ,king1 they cry1 ,shall not we also be the missionaries of ,jesus ,christ8' ,such an appeal to ,christian females cannot be made in vain4 ,they are not the triflers who balance a feather against a soul4 ,they will learn to retrench superfluities1 in order to exercise the grace of ,christian charity4 ,they will emulate those ,jewish women who 'worked with their hands for the hangings of the tabernacle1' and brought 'bracelets1 and ear-rings1 and jewels of gold1' for the service of the sanctuary4 ,they will consecrate their ornaments to the perishing heathen2 and render personal and domestic economy a fountain of spiritual blessings to unenlightened nations1 and to distant ages4 ,they will resign the gems of the ,east to save a soul from death1 and bind round their brow a coronet of stars1 which shall shine for ever and ever6 ,i have no doubt1 said ,mrs4 ,roscoe1 who was not at home on these subjects1 but the natives of ,india are as happy with their religion as we are with ours2 and if the females do not meet with that respect which we meet with1 you know1 ,madam1 addressing herself to ,mrs4 ,stevens1 that they do not expect it4 ,therefore1 as it hath pleased the ,almighty to give them their religion1 ,i think we ought not to try to take it from them4 ,we should not like to have ours taken from us4 ,however1 ,i think there is too much attention paid to religion in our days2 it was not the case in the good old times of our fathers4 ,but1 mamma1 would you not save a little child from being drowned1 or a widow from being burned1 if it were in your power8 ,certainly1 my dear4 ,now1 mamma1 as this cannot be done by force1 we propose convincing the people1 by a process of fair reasoning1 that such practices are sinful and impolitic2 and thus induce them1 if possible1 to abolish them4 ,oh6 that may be very proper1 but ,i think that we have nothing to do with it1 and therefore1 why should we trouble ourselves about it8 ,why not let things remain as they always have been8 ,i must confess1 said ,mr4 ,roscoe1 that ,i begin to differ from you1 and ,i shall be very glad to see an auxiliary missionary society established amongst us4 ,if we have a purer faith than the ,hindoos1 and one better calculated to promote individual and relative happiness and improvement1 we ought to impart it4 ,to monopolize it would be an act of selfishness and injustice2 and though ,i have hitherto1 like too many around me1 been guilty of this act1 ,i will go and sin no more4 ,but1 surely1 said ,mrs4 ,roscoe1 you do not intend to become a missionary1 and transplant us to some province of ,india8 ,no1 no1 my dear2 ,i will not go myself1 but ,i will give some portion of my property to send others4 ,had some shapeless figure1 of hideous look1 suddenly entered the room1 and denounced a heavy woe on each inmate of the dwelling1 ,mrs4 ,roscoe might have been more alarmed1 but she could not have appeared more surprised than when she heard this last sentence4 ,what6 she said1 in a more lofty tone than ,i had ever known her assume1 and have you so far forgotten your own dignity as to connect yourself with missionary societies1 which go abroad on purpose to disturb other people in their religion1 as we have been disturbed in the enjoyment of ours8 ,my dear1 you seem strangely excited1 as though ,i was going to do some barbarous or immoral act2 when all ,i propose doing1 is to give a little of that wealth which ,god has given to us1 to convey to the deluded and degraded ,hindoos the good news and glad tidings of great joy which the holy angels announced to the shepherds of ,bethlehem1 and which the ministers of ,christ proclaim to us4 ,surely you cannot object to this4 ,i do not suppose you would like the ,hindoos to send their religion over to us1 for our adoption4 ,they may if they please2 but they would not manage to persuade our widows to burn on the funeral pile of their deceased husbands1 or induce fathers and mothers to destroy their lovely children4 ,well1 at any rate1 ,i think you ought to stay till they apply to us for our religion as a substitute for their own4 ,it was now late1 and the company upon the eve of retiring1 when ,miss ,roscoe arose1 took from the book-case one of the volumes of ,doddridge's ,exposition on the ,new ,testament1 placed it on the table1 and said to ,mr4 ,guion1 ,i know1 ,sir1 that it is your custom to conclude your social visits by reading the ,scripture and prayer2 and if you will consent to do so this evening1 you will greatly oblige us4 ,i have no objection1 if it be perfectly agreeable4 ,certainly1 ,sir1 said ,mr4 ,roscoe1 we ought not to object to prayer4 ,the bell was now rung1 and the servants were requested to come to family prayer4 ,we waited several minutes1 during which time ,mrs4 ,roscoe was very restless4 ,at length they entered1 at irregular intervals of time1 seating themselves on the corner of the chairs which stood nearest the door1 expressing1 by their looks1 the utmost degree of surprise at this novel service1 and occasionally1 by the satirical smile which played over their countenance1 indicating either their contempt or their disposition to merriment4 ,i needed no one to tell me that this was the first time the family had ever knelt together at the throne of grace2 but1 knowing that a great moral change had taken place in ,mr4 ,roscoe1 ,i felt conscious that it would not be the last2 and could not refrain offering my inaudible expressions of praise to the ,god of all grace1 for permitting me to see that fire enkindled on this newly-erected domestic altar1 which has ever since burnt with unceasing brightness4 ,,the ,,consultation4 ,mamma1 exclaimed ,miss ,denham1 as she entered the drawing-room one morning1 after rather a lengthened walk1 ,i have heard something that will surprise and distress you2 ,i can scarcely believe the report1 but ,i have been assured of its truth from the best authority4 ,what is it1 my dear8 you seem agitated1 has anything alarmed you8 ,nothing more1 mamma1 than this dreadful report2 really none of us seem safe2 dear ,mr4 ,cole never spoke a greater truth than when he said there was something of a bewitching nature in this new religion6 ,i am alarmed for myself1 and almost wish that we were away from this place altogether4 ,but ,i must tell you the story4 ,mr4 ,roscoe has taken to his daughter's religion1 and is now as fanatical as herself6 ,i cannot credit this1 my dear1 replied ,mrs4 ,denham2 you know how often ,i have said this is the worst place ,i know for scandal2 you should be careful how you receive these reports2 no1 no1 my dear1 ,i cannot believe such a story as this about ,mr4 ,roscoe2 he is too good1 amiable1 and virtuous a man to be led so far wrong1 and too much of the gentleman to stoop to anything so mean and vulgar4 ,i hope1 mamma1 it may be so1 but ,i am afraid it is true2 and every one is so distressed and affected by the intelligence1 ,i assure you it has produced quite a sensation4 ,my dear1 it is impossible2 ,i saw him at church on ,sunday1 and heard him myself repeat the responses louder than he ever did before2 and if you recollect1 we talked about it when we got home4 ,no1 mamma2 if you recollect1 we dined last ,sunday with a large party at ,mr4 ,gladstone's1 and did not go to church4 ,then it was ,sunday week4 ,it has happened since then4 ,it happened one night last week2 and as ,i have been at some pains to get at an entire knowledge of this disaster1 ,i will tell you about it4 ,oh6 dear1 said ,mrs4 ,denham1 as she composed herself to listen to the tragical story1 what a world we live in6 ,really nothing but religion seems to be thought of4 ,our very servants are becoming religious1 and who can wonder at it1 when the rich set them the example6 ,and if this should be true about ,mr4 ,roscoe1 which ,i devoutly pray heaven may forbid1 there is no saying where the evil will stop4 ,well1 mamma1 you know that on ,tuesday week ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,stevens1 and the gentleman that is on a visit there1 and the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,guion1 all went to spend the evening at ,mr4 ,roscoe's4 ,i have always said1 interrupting her daughter1 that there is no good doing when such people get together4 ,if ,i had seen them go1 ,i would have given ,mr4 ,roscoe a hint to be on his guard4 ,he was taken by surprise1 ,i have no doubt4 ,well1 my dear1 go on4 ,well1 ma'1 as ,i was saying1 they all went2 and when there1 ,mr4 ,roscoe said that he would change his religion1 and have that which flourished so luxuriantly at ,fairmount2 and he got ,mr4 ,guion to read a chapter out of the ,bible1 and to say prayers1 and had all the servants in to hear him1 and they all knelt down1 though ,i heard that the cook stole out slyly1 when they were all upon their knees4 ,she didn't like it4 ,i always thought well of that cook2 she has a taste above her class in life1 ,i should like to have her2 do you think she will leave8 ,i don't know1 ma'1 but ,i should think she will2 ,i will ask her if you wish it4 ,no1 my dear1 it won't do for you to appear in the matter2 ,i'll speak to ,john to speak to her4 ,but now about ,mr4 ,roscoe1 what is to be done8 ,but1 ma'1 ,i have something more dismal to tell you4 ,i hope not4 ,why1 this is enough to shock the feelings of an angel4 ,reading the ,bible1 and prayers1 and kneeling down on the floor with servants6 ,i hope ,mrs4 ,roscoe is not gone off4 ,no1 all this was much against her will1 and she is very unhappy about it1 and says she shall never be happy again4 ,dear creature1 it is impossible2 but what else have you to tell8 ,why1 ,mr4 ,roscoe proposed to set up a missionary society1 to raise money to send this new religion abroad4 ,well1 my dear1 this last part of your story relieves my mind4 ,this is a proof of mental derangement4 ,the ,chancellor would not want a stronger4 ,it is often the case1 when people go wrong in their mind1 they profess strong attachment to the things they hate most when they are in their right senses4 ,i now must insist upon it that you never make another call at ,fairmount4 ,really1 if you should ever take up with this evangelical religion1 ,i should be tempted to wish myself in heaven1 to escape the mortification4 ,indeed1 ma'1 you need give yourself no uneasiness on that subject4 ,i have no predisposition in favour of religion4 ,indeed1 ,i have my doubts1 and if it were fashionable1 ,i think ,i should profess myself a sceptic1 but that would not be lady-like4 ,mrs4 and ,miss ,denham1 after much long and serious debate1 resolved on making a call on ,mrs4 ,roscoe4 ,they found her at home1 alone1 depressed1 and reserved1 and though she made an effort to rise to her usual vivacity1 yet she could not succeed4 ,mrs4 ,denham was very particular in her inquiries after the health of ,mr4 ,roscoe1 and was surprised to hear that he was well2 and on being informed that he was gone with ,miss ,sophia to spend an hour at ,fairmount1 in company with the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby1 she became greatly agitated4 ,then ,i fear1 my dear ,mrs4 ,roscoe1 that it is too true8 ,oh6 ,i have had no rest since ,i heard it4 ,what a trial6 ,really1 no one is safe4 ,that such a sensible1 and amiable1 and virtuous man as ,mr4 ,roscoe used to be1 should so far forget himself and all his friends as to change his religion1 is very astonishing and affecting4 ,we called on the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,cole as we came by1 to ask if he had heard of the report1 and here he is1 dear man1 coming to condole with you4 ,i am glad to see you1 said ,mrs4 ,denham to ,mr4 ,cole1 as he entered the parlour2 we have been offering our sympathy to dear ,mrs4 ,roscoe--but can't something be done1 ,sir8 ,then ,i suppose there is some foundation for the report4 ,i always thought ,mr4 ,roscoe a very judicious and sensible man1 and ,i still hope1 that though he has diverged into this eccentric course1 his good sense will1 on cool reflection1 induce him to return4 ,yes1 ,sir1 replied ,mrs4 ,roscoe1 ,i hope so too1 but it is possible that the influence and example of our daughter may protract1 if it do not perpetuate1 the delusion under which he unhappily labours2 and if so1 ,i shall never see another happy day4 ,o yes1 you will1 said ,mr4 ,cole1 his sun is only passing under a cloud1 and when his mind clears up1 it will shine with its accustomed brightness4 ,his good sense will preserve him from that fatal vortex into which too many have fallen4 ,if1 ,sir1 this were a sudden change1 ,i should be induced to believe that he might be recovered1 but it has been coming on for a long time4 ,you know that he does not make up his mind on any subject very suddenly1 but when he has done it1 you know how firm he is4 ,very true1 said ,mr4 ,cole1 but his spirits have been unusually depressed for some months4 ,i remember the last time we spent an evening at ,mr4 ,denham's1 that ,i rallied him on his dulness when we were at play4 ,we must raise his spirits1 and then we shall drive away his evangelical notions4 ,i have not noticed any particular depression4 ,he has been rather more grave1 yet he has been cheerful2 and has talked rather more frequently on religious subjects1 but they have not affected his spirits4 ,well1 said ,mr4 ,cole1 ,i will come and have a rubber with him1 and ,i will engage to rub these notions out of him4 ,indeed1 ,sir1 he has formally declined playing any more1 and has requested me never again to introduce cards4 ,really1 said ,mrs4 ,denham1 this is very affecting4 ,not play again6 ,not suffer cards to be introduced8 ,then ,i suppose he intends to break off connection with all his old friends1 and take up with the evangelicals2 but ,i hope you have too much firmness to yield to him4 ,it has been my maxim through life to sacrifice everything for the sake of domestic peace4 ,i cannot oppose ,mr4 ,roscoe1 and ,i must confess that he has manifested the utmost degree of affection and kindness4 ,the apostle ,st4 ,paul has predicted1 said the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,cole1 that in the last days perilous times should come1 and indeed they are come4 ,the church once enjoyed quietude1 but now she is rent into divisions2 not so much by the ,dissenters who have seceded from us1 as by the evangelical clergy who are admitted within her pale4 ,their eccentric notions1 and their extempore and familiar style of preaching1 operate as a charm on the minds of their hearers2 and wherever they go1 some stir is always occasioned about religion4 ,in general1 the poor and the illiterate become their admirers2 but sometimes we see men of sense and learning beguiled by their artful sophisms4 ,i can account for their success among the lower orders1 but when ,i see an intelligent man brought over to their belief1 ,i confess ,i am puzzled4 ,but still ,i won't give up ,mr4 ,roscoe4 ,i will1 in the course of a few ,sundays1 preach a sermon which ,i will procure for the occasion4 ,you will greatly oblige me if you will1 ,sir1 but you must do it soon1 for ,i dread the idea of ,mr4 ,roscoe going to hear ,mr4 ,ingleby while he is in his present state of mind4 ,but you have no idea of his leaving my church8 ,why1 you know very well1 ,miss ,denham remarked1 that none of the evangelicals think you preach the gospel4 ,i have heard ,miss ,sophia say so many times1 and you may be sure that she will try to make her papa believe it1 and if he is become an evangelical1 he is sure to believe it2 for ,i have noticed that what one believes1 they all believe4 ,really1 ,sir1 there is so much ado made now about the word gospel and evangelical preachers1 that the subjects are become quite offensive4 ,yes1 to persons of intelligence and taste4 ,exactly so1 ,sir2 you will excuse what ,i am going to say1 but ,i often think that you are rather severe1 too much so ,i know for some of your hearers2 but ,i have no idea how any people of sense can go and hear such preaching as ,mr4 ,ingleby's4 ,i heard him once1 on the loss of the soul4 ,i could not sleep after it--and even now1 at times ,i think of it4 ,but1 ,sir1 you know we have nothing to do with such subjects till we die1 or till after death4 ,such preaching1 said ,mr4 ,cole1 is as offensive to pure taste1 as it is revolting to our feelings4 ,exactly so2 you know we are to be allured to a brighter world--not frightened there4 ,pray1 ,sir1 shall we have the pleasure of meeting you and ,mrs4 ,cole at ,mr4 ,ryder's on ,tuesday8 ,by the by1 ,i wonder you do not cure ,mr4 ,john of his scepticism4 ,there is to be a large party1 and rather a gay one4 ,i don't think1 replied ,mr4 ,cole1 that ,mr4 ,john ,ryder has any more scepticism than does him good--it keeps off the gloom which a belief in the ,bible almost necessarily brings over the youthful mind4 ,no1 ,i shall not be with you4 ,i have an engagement with a few friends who are going to ,bath1 to see ,romeo and ,juliet4 ,how dull and insipid is a religious service when compared with a play4 ,what a pity that our ,maker requires us to be religious4 ,i have not seen a play for some months1 and when ,i was hearing ,mr4 ,ingleby1 ,i really thought that ,i should never have courage to see another4 ,oh1 how he did denounce the theatre6 ,he really said that it was the pathway to hell4 ,yes1 said ,mr4 ,cole1 with high disdain1 that man would interdict us from every social enjoyment2 would batter down the temple of the muses1 or change it into a house of prayer2 and bring before our imagination the awful realities of the eternal world1 with so much force1 as should compel us to think1 with perpetual awe1 on death and the future judgment4 ,oh6 dear1 they are awful realities indeed4 ,when ,i heard him1 he alluded to dear ,miss ,patterson1 who took cold on returning from the play1 and died1 you know1 ,sir1 a few weeks afterwards8 ,oh6 she was a lovely creature4 ,she was too good to live on earth4 ,had she been religious1 she would have been a saint4 ,but she often used to say that her grandpapa left his religion to her aunts1 and his fortune to his grandchildren4 ,mr4 ,ingleby1 after condemning plays1 c41 as impure and sinful1 made a long pause1 and then proposed his questions with so much solemnity1 that my pulse began to beat with feverish rapidity4--',should you like1' he said1 and he looked while he said it so stern and solemn1 'to pass from the theatre to the judgment-seat of ,christ8 ,should you like to leave the gaieties of this world1 to associate with the awful realities of another8' ,there was so much stillness in the church as he went on in this strain of awful eloquence1 and so many people were overcome by what he said1 and such a serene smile on his countenance when he began to speak about our ,saviour1 that ,i do really think1 if ,i had not been very firm and decided1 ,i should have become as religious as any of them4 ,it was1 ,i assure you1 very difficult to withstand his fervour4 ,i hope1 said ,mr4 ,cole1 you will never go again1 for evil communications corrupt the best of hearts4 ,go again6 exclaimed ,mrs4 ,denham1 not if she have any respect for her own happiness1 or ours4 ,why1 to hear this about the sermon is enough to frighten any good ,christian2 what must it have been to have heard the sermon itself6 ,one thing puzzles me when ,i think about it--why do our bishops consecrate such men8 ,oh1 unluckily we have some evangelical bishops4 ,a bishop evangelical6 don't you consider that a great wonder1 ,sir8 ,i consider it a great calamity to our church4 ,exactly so2 then ,i suppose we shall always be annoyed with these evangelical clergy if the bishops sanction them4 ,i hope you won't turn evangelical4 ,not while ,i retain my reason4 ,when that is gone1 ,i may go off too4 ,my readers who are but superficially acquainted with the religious habits and style of conversation which prevail in the higher walks of life1 may be induced to imagine that ,i have given a strong colouring to some parts of my narrative1 but ,i assure them that ,i have not4 ,indeed1 had ,i quoted the epithets and the phrases which1 ,i know1 are sometimes employed1 when a certain class of fashionable ,christians1 with their anti-evangelical pastors1 venture to discuss religious subjects1 and animadvert on religious people1 my pages would be too disfigured to pass through the hands of the pious reader4 ,it is to be lamented that many intelligent and amiable persons1 who occupy very prominent positions amongst us1 and who are admired and esteemed by all who know them1 are as ignorant of the nature and the design of ,christianity as the ancient ,scythian or the modern barbarian4 ,they imagine that they are ,christians1 because they are born in a ,christian country2 that they are very good ,christians1 because they sometimes go to church2 and that they are safe for another world1 because their conscience does not condemn them for the practices in which they now indulge themselves4 ,and if any one1 in the most guarded way and the kindest tones of speech1 venture to suggest the possibility of self-deception1 they are offended1 or take refuge in the belief that their hearts are too good to be guilty of such a mean vice4 ,they keep to the religion in which they were born and educated2 and this to them is the ark of safety4 ,yes1 you are a ,christian in ,britain1 as you would be a ,mahometan if you had been born in ,turkey2 but search the ,scriptures1 and examine if the design of ,christianity has ever been accomplished in you4 ,have you been born again8 ,no4 ,that subject you ridicule1 because you do not understand it4 ,have you had repentance towards ,god1 and faith in our ,lord ,jesus ,christ8 ,no2 and if these subjects were pressed upon your conscience with the affection of apostolic compassion1 and ardour of apostolic zeal1 you would retire displeased1 if not disgusted1 with the minister who dares to enforce them as essential to your safety and happiness4 ,are you crucified to the world by the moral influence of the death of ,jesus ,christ8 ,crucified to the world6 ,the very phrase1 though scriptural1 grates offensively on your ear6 ,crucified to the world6 ,o no4 ,you are devoted to its pleasures1 its follies1 its amusements4 ,shut up the theatre1 abolish cards1 interdict the assembly and the ball1 and how would a large portion of our modern ,christians be able to support life8 ,you may imagine that you are a good ,christian1 because you sometimes go to church2 but an occasional visit to a material temple will not produce that moral transformation of the soul which is essential to fit you for the holy exercises and enjoyments of another world4 ,you may reject these questions which ,i now propose to you2 but before you reject them1 permit me to urge you to search the ,scriptures1 and then you will see that they have a paramount claim on your attention4 ,can you be a ,christian unless you possess the spirit1 and are in some degree conformed to the image of ,jesus ,christ8 ,but it ought not to excite our astonishment1 though it may our tenderest sympathy1 to see the great majority of those who move in fashionable life passing away their time amidst the gaieties and follies of the world1 when they are sanctioned1 if not encouraged by the clergy1 who ought to teach them better1 both by precept and example4 ,we have ministers of religion who do not hesitate to hold up to ridicule and contempt the essential doctrines and self-denying precepts of their own faith2 and attempt1 as far as the influence of their example can extend1 to banish all serious and devout piety from the social circle4 ,they see no harm in customs which the spirit and even the letter of the ,scriptures condemn2 and sanction by their presence those scenes of human folly and gaiety which have captivated and ruined thousands1 who were once the ornaments of their fathers' house4 ,such ministers not only sanction the customs of the world1 but they discountenance all serious piety1 and declaim against their evangelical brethren as disturbers of the peace of the church4 ,if ,christianity be a cunningly devised fable--if the life of faith and of practical devotedness of the soul to ,god be mere fancies--if heaven and hell be the conceptions of romance1 brought into the pulpit to terrify the credulous and please the sanguine--,i should not hesitate to pronounce a heavy censure on those ministers who bring forward these subjects so often1 and who enforce attention to them with so much ardent and impassioned eloquence4 ,but if ,christianity be true--if the final happiness or misery of the human soul depend on faith in ,christ--if the glories of heaven and the terrors of hell are realities which exceed the power of man to describe--then even the most sceptical must admit that the ministers of religion ought1 with great boldness and impassioned earnestness1 to rouse their hearers to a serious and immediate attention to these great1 these awful subjects2 and ought they not to teach by example1 as well as by precept8 and by the purity of their morals--by their religious habits and style of conversation--give strong and unequivocal proofs that they preach what they believe1 and believe what they preach8 ,but let no ,christian1 whatever rank he may hold in social life1 or whatever degree of reputation he may have attained for intelligence1 or good sense1 or for amiability of temper1 presume to hope that he will ever be able to make a scriptural profession of religion 7after he has felt the power of it7 without exciting the displeasure1 if not the opposition1 of his irreligious relatives and friends4 ,they will not object to the religion of forms and ceremonies2 to the religion which is confined to the temple1 or to the bed of sickness2 to the religion which allows of a conformity to the gaieties and the follies of the world1 and which frowns from its presence all references to death1 to judgment1 to heaven1 and to hell2 but the religion which consists in the moral renovation of the soul1 which identifies man with a living ,saviour1 and which raises his anticipations to the glories of the invisible world1 they despise1 and cast it from them as a strange thing1 and then ridicule it as contemptible4 ,,the ,,dark ,,vale ,,illumined4 ,just as we were going out to take an evening walk1 the postman delivered a letter addressed to ,mrs4 ,stevens2 she read it1 and in silence handed it to her husband4 ,i apprehended1 from the expression of her countenance and her excited manner1 that it conveyed some painful intelligence2 and this was immediately confirmed by ,mr4 ,stevens1 who said1 ,this is a letter from our nephew1 ,mr4 ,lewellin1 informing us of the sudden and dangerous illness of his mother1 and he requests that we hasten to see her4 ,the intelligence1 said ,mrs4 ,stevens1 is most painful1 but it does not greatly surprise me2 ,i had something like a presentiment of it in the mental visions of the past night2 ,i saw her leaning on the top of her staff1 standing near the brink of a river1 whose waters divided of themselves1 as a radiant brightness gilded the whole horizon2 and while listening for some moments to the sounds of sweetest harmony1 ,i awoke1 and found it was a dream4 ,thus my senses were locked up in the chambers of slumber1 that my spirit might go and commune with my dear sister before she leaves us4 ,a carriage was immediately sent for1 and we set off from ,fairmount about eight o'clock4 ,it was a cloudy moonlight night4 ,we rolled on in silence1 being too much absorbed in painful thought and expectation to break the quiet which grief requires for the solace of her own feelings4 ,at length ,mr4 ,stevens1 alluding to ,mrs4 ,lewellin's illness1 said1 ,with what different emotions do the inhabitants of the visible and invisible world contemplate the same event6 ,while we are anticipating her departure with deep sorrow1 the glorified spirits of her deceased husband1 and child1 and father1 are attuning their harps of joy1 to celebrate her entrance among them4 ,very true1 ,mrs4 ,stevens replied2 our loss is their gain2 but it is as natural for us to deplore our loss1 as it is natural for them to exult in their gain4 ,i admit1 my dear1 that we cannot1 while encompassed by human infirmities1 avoid feeling the pang of sorrow on such an occasion as this1 though we may moderate its intensity by reflecting on our own dissolution1 which will introduce us into the society of those who obtain the prize of immortality before us4 ,we had no difficulty in procuring a change of horses at each succeeding stage2 nothing worthy of remark occurred during the journey1 and on the following morning we arrived at ,mrs4 ,lewellin's cottage4#aa ,the same jessamine1 and honey-suckles1 and rose trees adorned its tasteful front2 the same hawthorn hedge inclosed its well-cultivated garden2 the little wicket-gate still swung on its hinges1 as when ,i paid my first visit six years before2 but they had lost their attractions1 or ,i had lost my power of enjoyment4 #aa ,see page #f4 ,on seeing ,mr4 ,lewellin1 ,mrs4 ,stevens said1 ,is your mother still living1 my dear ,george1 or has she left us8 ,o no1 aunt1 she has not left us2 she has made many inquiries about you1 and longs to see you4 ,she says that when she has seen you she shall depart in peace4 ,when was she first taken ill1 and what is the nature of her disorder8 ,she has not been well for some weeks1 but her indisposition created no alarm4 ,on ,sabbath morning she felt better1 and went to chapel1 where she commemorated the death of the ,redeemer1 with her ,christian brethren4 ,as she was returning home she was exposed to a heavy shower1 and though she took every precaution to prevent any evil consequences1 yet1 early in the evening1 an inflammation of the bowels came on1 which has raged with unabating violence2 and her medical attendant says that he does not expect that she can live through the day4 ,her pains have been excruciating1 but she has borne them with the fortitude and resignation of a ,christian1 and now she seems to be enjoying that fatal ease which is the immediate forerunner of dissolution4 ,on entering her room she received us with composure1 and calmly said to her sister1 ,weep not for me1 the days of my widowed mourning are drawing to a close4 ,i have long lived secluded from the world1 and ,i can leave it without a sigh4 ,then1 ,i said1 you have no fear8 ,fear6 why should ,i fear8 ,i know ,i am in the valley1 but it is illumined with the light of life4 ,i have often dreaded this hour1 yet it is the happiest hour ,i have ever known4 ,to us1 my dear sister1 it is a most painful hour4 ,on seeing her sister and her son in tears1 she said1 ,i hope you will compose yourselves1 that we may enjoy each other's society on this side ,jordan1 which ,i am soon to pass4444 ,my dear ,george1 receive once more1 and for the last time1 the congratulations of your mother on the honour which the ,god of all grace has conferred on you1 in adopting you as his son4 ,i now solemnly charge you1 before ,him and the pious friends now with you1 always to act worthy of your high vocation4 ,maintain the dignity of your ,christian character by the integrity of your principles1 your decision1 and your zeal for the honour of the ,lord of life and glory4 ,as much of your future happiness and respectability will depend on the choice which you may make when you settle in life1 let me beseech you to marry only in the ,lord--prefer piety to beauty1 good sense to a large fortune1 and remember that a meek and quiet spirit is the most beautiful ornament in the home of a righteous man4 ,she then turned towards ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,stevens1 and said1 ,i thank you for all your kindness to me and mine in the days of our adversity4 ,the ,lord reward you a thousand fold4 ,i have only one legacy to leave1 and ,i leave it to you4 ,i bequeath to you my dear boy2 take care of him for my sake4 ,the pious rector of the parish made an early call4 ,mrs4 ,lewellin received him with a sweet smile1 and motioned him to be seated4 ,after inquiring for her welfare1 he thus accosted her3 ,what would you now do without a ,saviour8 ,i should perish6 ,but ,i have a ,saviour whose blood cleanseth from all sin4 ,his blood1 he said1 is of more value than a thousand worlds4 ,she replied1 ,it is inestimable6 ,it is inestimable6 ,we all knelt down1 and this man of ,god devoutly prayed that she might have an entrance ministered unto her abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our ,lord and ,saviour ,jesus ,christ4 ,as the cottage was not large enough for our accommodation1 the pious rector invited us to his hospitable home1 but ,mrs4 ,stevens resolved not to leave her sister4 ,there was grief over the whole village as the rumour spread that she was dying4 ,her benevolence had added lustre to her piety1 and such was the veneration and attachment in which her character was held1 that many a hand knocked softly at the door of her cottage1 and many a low voice inquired how ,god was dealing with her4 ,about noon she fell into a sweet sleep1 and slept for several hours2 she awoke refreshed1 animated2 a heavenly serenity beamed on her countenance1 as she exclaimed1 ,oh6 the bliss of dying6 ,you are happy1 mother1 in the prospect of death4 ,happy1 my child1 yes1 my joy is unspeakable4 ,her voice suddenly faltered1 yet she gently whispered ,farewell as her son caught her in his arms1 and with her eyes fixed on him1 after one strong convulsive struggle1 she expired4 ,mrs4 ,lewellin had generally attended the village church in the morning of the ,sabbath1 and in the evening she usually heard an excellent minister of ,christ who preached in a ,dissenting chapel1 and when reproached for her liberality by the more bigoted1 she used to say1 ,i have no objection to go where ,i can hold communion with the ,saviour4 ,adjoining the chapel there was a burying-ground1 to which she had long been accustomed to resort1 as favourable to meditation1 and on returning from an evening walk with the pious rector1 we passed near it1 and were induced to visit the spot which she had selected as the place of her burial2 it was overshadowed by a large oak tree1 and partially inclosed with some evergreens1 which she had transplanted from her own garden4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,dark ,,vale ,,illumined4 ,vol4 i4 page #cjj4 ,you see1 he said1 how instinctively we love immortality1 and as we cannot live here always1 we wish life to flourish over the tomb in which our body is decaying4 ,this is simple and beautiful4 ,she was a woman of great taste1 and a ,christian of high principle4 ,her knowledge of the gospel was clear1 comprehensive1 and profound2 and she displayed1 during her residence with us1 a spirit as free from the ordinary imperfections of the human character as ,i have ever beheld4 ,i told him that ,i had been requested to ask if he would attend her funeral4 ,he replied1 ,certainly1 if the family wish it4 ,i respected her--,i loved her4 ,i often retired from the labour and perplexity of study to pass an hour with her1 and always found her conversation of such a spiritual1 catholic1 and heavenly cast1 that ,i never failed to derive great benefit from it4 ,her conversation was remarkably suggestive2 she has helped me to many texts1 and some of my most useful sermons owe their origin to her observations and reflections4 ,i was always delighted when ,i saw her in church1 because ,i knew she was praying in spirit for the success of my ministry4 ,upon the day appointed for her burial almost every inhabitant of the village attended1 to pay the tribute of respect to her memory4 ,the corpse was taken into the chapel1 and after the minister had read the #aeth chapter of #ast ,corinthians1 and delivered a very simple impressive address1 and offered up a solemn prayer to the ,god of the spirits of all flesh1 it was interred amidst the sighs and tears of a large concourse of spectators4 ,some were attired in full mourning1 many were in half mourning1 but the majority had merely put on their ,sabbath dress1 being too poor to purchase clothes for the occasion4 ,there was one female of the group1 about the age of thirty1 with an infant in her arms1 whose appearance and manners indicated the most poignant grief4 ,during the time the minister was conducting the service1 the tear fell silently on her cheek1 but when the body was lowered into the grave she wept no more1 but appeared convulsed1 and then advanced to the brink of the grave1 and after looking with intense eagerness for some seconds1 she exclaimed1 ,lover and friend hast thou taken from me1 and fell senseless on the ground4 ,on inquiry1 ,i found that she was the widow of a poor woodman1 who was killed by the falling of a tree1 and who was left with three children1 and had another born three months after his father's decease4 ,she lived about a quarter of a mile from the cottage1 and as ,mrs4 ,lewellin used to pass by her residence when taking her morning walks1 she often called to see her4 ,on one occasion 7the poor woman told me the next day71 after giving her weekly donation1 she gave her a tract1 and requested her to read it4 ,i did read it1 said the weeping widow1 but ,i could not understand it4 ,when she called the next time she asked me if ,i had read it1 and when ,i told her ,i could not understand it1 she said1 ',read it again1 but before you read it the second time1 pray to ,god for wisdom to enable you to understand it4 ,he can give it1 and he will give it if you ask him4' ,i did so4 ,the ,lord has answered my prayer1 and made me1 ,i trust1 wise unto salvation4 ,but he has taken from me my guide1 my counsellor1 and my friend4 ,the death of my husband1 which threw me on the charity of the parish1 and deprived my dear babes of a father1 was a great trial1 but it did not pierce my heart like this4 ,i sometimes think my heart will break1 then ,i go and pray to the ,lord for submission to his holy will1 and ,i find myself better2 but it will be a long time indeed before ,i shall be able to get over it4 ,i mentioned this incident at the rectory1 and then learned that the poor widow was a regular attendant at the church1 and was considered decidedly pious4 ,mrs4 ,stevens1 having ascertained the amount of her departed sister's weekly donation1 engaged the rector to become her almoner1 and the usual payment was continued4 ,mr4 ,lewellin was so affected by this testimony to the memory of his mother1 that he increased the sum2 and before he left ,stanmoor he called to see the bereaved sufferer1 and gave her several articles of furniture1 which once adorned the lonely cottage of her whose remains we had committed to the tomb4 ,the evening before our departure1 ,i retraced the steps ,i had trodden on my former visit to this village2 and fixing on the same hour for my ramble into the vale1 ,i anticipated another interview with the pious shepherd4 ,as ,i walked on ,i heard the bleating of the sheep1 and saw them at a distance ascending the steep path which led up to their fold in a neighbouring field4 ,i heard also the barking of the dog2 and soon afterwards the shepherd made his appearance1 but ,i knew him not4 ,is the old man dead1 ,i asked1 who kept his flock here about six years ago8 ,yes1 ,sir2 he died about ,christmas4 ,did you know him8 ,he was my father2 and a better father never lived4 ,he was a religious man2 was he not8 ,yes1 ,sir2 and he died in the faith of ,christ4 ,i hope you are following in his steps4 ,it is1 ,sir1 my wish and my prayer to be a follower of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises4 99 99 99 99 99 ,on the ,sabbath morning after our return to ,fairmount1 the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby preached from ,acts xxi4 #af1 ,an old disciple4 ,we were much pleased with his sermon1 particularly with the following passage3 ,when we see an old disciple moving amidst the activities and amenities of life1 we see a living monument of the faithfulness and loving-kindness of ,god2 and when we follow him to his grave1 though we may sorrow over his departure from amongst us1 yet our sorrow is not to be without hope2 he still lives1 and lives in a new form1 amidst new scenes of beauty and of grandeur1 and with new associates2 he is with ,christ1 assimilated to his likeness1 beholding his glory1 and enjoying sweetest intercourse with him4 ,his gain by his death1 should reconcile us to our loss4 ,the loss of my dear sister1 said ,mrs4 ,stevens1 is the most afflictive trial ,i have ever been called to endure4 ,memory carries me back to the days of childhood1 to the riper years of age1 and to the associations with which my dear departed sister is inseparably entwined4 ,but the pleasing charm soon vanishes1 for she is gone4 ,but1 my dear1 replied ,mr4 ,stevens1 though this affliction be grievous1 yet you might have been visited by one much more severe4 ,yes1 ,i know it4 ,i might have lost you4 ,that would have been a more overwhelming one4 ,i wish to be resigned--it is my constant prayer--and ,i hope that ,i do not cherish any murmuring disposition1 but ,i cannot help feeling2 yet ,i fear lest ,i should indulge my mourning to an excess4 ,excess of grief1 my dear1 is to be guarded against1 as it unhinges the mind1 induces a melancholy cast of temper1 and dispossesses comforts which are still preserved1 of their power to interest and delight4 ,mourn you may1 but you must not mourn as one 'who has no hope4' ,for hope1 even the sweetest hope that can lodge in the human heart1 is yours4 ,death has merely separated you for a season1 he has not destroyed your union4 ,you now live apart1 but no impassable gulf lies between you--only a narrow grave4 ,let your mourning1 therefore1 be moderate and submissive4 ,yes1 ,mrs4 ,stevens replied1 as her countenance began to assume its former cheerfulness1 which had vanished from the moment the first intelligence of her sister's illness was received1 my sister lives--she lives a purer and a happier life than ,i ever expect to live1 till ,i cease to breathe this vital air--she now sees the ,king in his beauty--she now unites with all the redeemed in singing1 ',unto him that loved us1 and washed us from our sins in his own blood4' ,she is1 and ever will be with the ,lord4 ,these words comfort me4 ,then let me hear the words which comfort you1 said ,mr4 ,lewellin1 who caught this latter sentence as he entered the parlour1 as they may serve to comfort me4 ,my heart never throbbed as it has done since ,i lost my mother--a loss ,i have been anticipating for years1 but ,i now find that it is more desolating than ,i ever anticipated4 ,it is an event1 said ,mr4 ,stevens1 which has brought along with it many alleviating circumstances4 ,she died in peace4 ,no dubious uncertainty distracted her1 no dread forebodings appalled her1 no torturing anxieties for those she loved agitated her breast4 ,hers was an enviable death4 ,yes1 said ,mr4 ,lewellin1 her sun did not go down till the evening2 and even then it was light4 ,she told me that for several days before her last illness she suffered great mental perplexity and horror1 that she not only doubted her personal piety1 but the truth of revelation4 ,she was driven almost to a state of despair2 and on the ,sabbath morning1 when she left her cottage for the house of prayer1 she resolved not to receive the memorials of the ,saviour's death4 ,the text from which the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,bates preached1 was taken from ,judges viii4 #d1 ',faint1 yet pursuing4' ,there was one paragraph in the sermon which gave her sweet relief4 ,it was to this effect3 ',the most favoured servants of the ,lord are liable to momentary seasons of suspicion and depression2 and some have been left for days1 and some for months1 not only without consolation1 but even without hope4 ,but shall we say that as soon as they lose their enjoyments they make a shipwreck of their faith8 ,shall we say that the design of ,god--the practical efficacy of the atonement--the continual indwelling of the ,holy ,spirit--depend on the ever fluctuating and ever varying temperament and feelings of the mind1 which is sometimes so perplexed and distracted by unknown causes1 as to be incapable of believing its own faith1 or deriving felicity from its own sources of blessedness8 ,oh6 no4 ,there are periods in the mysterious life of an heir of salvation when he is left without comfort1 if not without hope1 and then comes on the hour and the power of darkness2 but this singular dispensation does not disinherit him1 or leave him an orphan1 in a state of privation and abandonment2 neither does it destroy the vitality of his religious principles1 but it is intended to let him feel a portion of that misery which he deserves1 but from which he is delivered through the blood of the ,lamb4' ,had my sister left us under this mental gloom1 ,i should have had no doubt1 said ,mrs4 ,stevens1 of her present happiness2 but it would have been an additional cause of grief4 ,sometimes1 ,i observed1 it pleases ,god to leave his most eminent servants without any strong consolation in their last hours2 and sometimes he elevates them to a participation of the felicity of heaven1 before he permits them to enter4 ,hence there is no undeviating uniformity in his procedure2 but yet he keeps our practical good in view by all the dispensations of his will4 ,when ,i see a holy man overwhelmed with sorrow on the eve of his departure1 ,i am convinced there is no absolute1 no meritorious connection between an exemplary life and a triumphant death4 ,this conviction1 coming through such a medium1 destroys all self-complacency1 and impels me to place all my dependence for salvation on ,jesus ,christ4 ,but when ,i see a sinner of like passions and infirmities with myself--one who has wept over defects and transgressions similar to my own--rising above fear1 eagerly and yet submissively anticipating his own dissolution1 giving utterance to thoughts and feelings more nearly allied to the glory and purity of the heavenly state than to the dark obscurity of the present1 ,i feel a degree of gratitude to the ,saviour for making manifest life and immortality1 which1 for its full expression1 ,i must wait till ,i see him as he is1 and am made like unto him4 ,the death of our friends1 said ,mr4 ,stevens1 is always an afflictive event1 but it is sometimes a salutary one4 ,it reminds us of our mortality1 and brings before our imagination the unseen realities of an eternal world4 ,it teaches us what shadows we are1 and what shadows we are pursuing3-- ',our dying friends come o'er us like a cloud1 ,to damp our brainless ardours2 and abate ,that glare of life1 which often blinds the wise4 ,our dying friends are pioneers1 to smooth ,our rugged pass to death2 to break those bars ,of terror and abhorrence nature throws ',cross our obstructed way2 and thus to make ,welcome1 as safe1 our port from ev'ry storm4' ,to repine1 ,i observed1 under any of the dispensations of ,providence1 would be to display a temper which no ,christian should cherish2 but to repine at the grave of a pious friend1 discovers not only a spirit of hostility to the ,divine will1 but an unsubdued selfishness1 which would deprive another of happiness1 merely to augment our own4 ,resignation is our duty1 and this brings with it its own reward2 yet it is a disposition which does not spring up spontaneously in the heart4 ,it is one of those good gifts which cometh from above2 but1 like every other disposition which claims the same origin1 it must be exercised before it can become perfect2 and when perfected1 or when approaching near perfection1 it can rejoice in tribulations also4 ,,intemperate ,,zeal4 ,the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe and his lady1 who had not been at the mansion for several years1 now intimated their intention to pay a visit to their brother4 ,he was the youngest son of the family1 and at an early age had decided for the church1 as a profession more easy1 if not so lucrative as some others4 ,having finished his career at ,oxford1 where he was more distinguished for his love of pleasure than regard for academical honours1 he obtained ordination1 and settled in a parish in ,somersetshire4 ,for nearly fifteen years he remained unmarried1 devoting himself to a life of pleasure1 and paying but little attention to the claims of his parishioners4 ,the dignity of the priest was lowered by the imperfections of the man1 and the church was forsaken for the village chapel4 ,at length he was1 by the remonstrances of his friends1 induced to pursue a course more becoming the sanctity of his office2 he withdrew from his former companions1 abandoned the sports of the field and of the gaming table1 and turned the torrent of his displeasure against those who had separated themselves from the church1 on account of his former irregularities4 ,he had reached the age of forty when he married the eldest daughter of a neighbouring magistrate1 a lady distinguished by superior intelligence1 and a most catholic spirit4 ,they had two children1 who both died in infancy4 ,so deeply wounded was the heart of the mother by these bereavements1 that she long abandoned herself to the agonies of grief2 and though time had now removed its poignancy1 yet she often alluded to her babes and their early death1 in a tone and manner which proved that they still lived in her fond remembrance4 ,their arrival at their brother's mansion had been expected for several days1 and every preparation was made to render their visit pleasant and profitable4 ,at length they came2 and though the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe was a reformed man1 yet he discovered no signs of being a spiritual one4 ,he was become more moral in his habits1 but less tolerant in spirit2 and soon convinced his brother and his niece that the things which are seen and temporal had a more powerful ascendency over him than those which are unseen and eternal4 ,he declined the invitation of the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,cole1 to preach on the following ,sabbath1 as he was too much fatigued by his journey to do duty2 but consented to accompany the family to church4 ,it was a beautiful morning1 still and serene2 no sound was heard but the melody of the birds1 and the church-going bell4 ,mr4 ,cole read the ,liturgy in his usual heavy1 monotonous tone1 which was no less offensive to the ear1 than a certain air of carelessness which hung over his manner was repulsive of devotional feeling4 ,he announced his text in an elevated pitch of voice1 which immediately arrested the attention of his congregation4 ,the subject1 he remarked1 which ,i shall submit to you this morning1 is taken from the tenth chapter of ,st4 ,paul the apostle's ,epistle to the ,romans1 and the second verse3--',for ,i bear them record that they have a zeal of ,god1 but not according to knowledge4' ,he began by declaiming against the spirit and the conduct of the ancient ,pharisees1 who were1 he asserted1 the troublers of the church in a former age2 and then expressed his deep regret that the sect was not yet become extinct1 but was even at this moment augmenting its numbers1 and threatening1 by its untempered zeal1 and its invincible ignorance1 to tarnish the lustre and destroy the foundation of the church which is fostering them in her bosom4 ,if1 said he1 we run a comparison between the modern ,calvinists1 who unhappily stand connected with our venerable ,establishment--the admiration and envy of the world--and the ancient ,pharisees1 we shall find that they bear a close resemblance to each other2 and though a good man will pause before he gathers on his lips the denunciations of inspired writ1 yet a high sense of duty compels me to say that the woes which our ,saviour uttered against the latter1 stand directly pointed against the former4 ,the ancient ,pharisees set aside the weightier matters of the law to attend to the ceremonials of religion2 they prescribed no bounds to their proselyting spirit1 for they would encompass sea and land to gain even one proselyte2 and when they had gained him1 our ,saviour says that they made him twofold more a child of hell than themselves1 though they made bolder and higher pretensions to religion than any other sect4 ,and who1 when looking at this picture of the ancient ,pharisees1 does not recognize the portrait of our modern ,calvinists8--',for ,i bear them record that they have a zeal of ,god1 but not according to knowledge4' ,but the modern ,calvinists conduct themselves with less reverence for the authority of our church1 than the ,pharisees discovered for the authority of theirs2 for they will dare to reject some of our established doctrines1 and explain away the import of some of our long-settled rites and sacraments4 ,he then went on to prove1 by quotations from the fathers and the ,book of ,common ,prayer1 that baptismal regeneration is the only regeneration which is necessary or possible2 and positively asserted that the conversion of persons who are already members of the apostolic ,church of ,england1 is a mere fiction of modern fanaticism4 ,these ,calvinistic clergy1 he added1 declaim against good works1 and exalt a dogmatic belief in certain crude opinions1 as the only necessary condition on which sinners can obtain the forgiveness of ,almighty ,god4 ,then he attempted to prove that the people must necessarily become corrupt1 among whom salvation is proclaimed1 without requiring1 on their part1 good works as the essential condition of its bestowment4 ,look1 my hearers1 he exclaimed1 on the destructive tendency of their style of preaching4 ,as soon as the officiating priest opens his lips and gives utterance to his sentiments1 there is an instantaneous commotion in his congregation4 ,those who lived in peace are split into divisions1 and the family or the village which held the unity of the faith1 as propounded by our pure apostolic church1 suddenly becomes the arena of religious disputations and wrangling1 and the temple of peace and unity becomes a ,babel of confusion and discord4 ,indeed1 in some instances1 children will rise up in rebellion against the authority of their parents1 till the parents1 wearied by their obstinacy1 or subdued by their importunity1 imbibe the same fatal opinions1 that they may regain their domestic peace4 ,these priests are zealous1 and they pretend that they have a zeal of ,god2 but it is the fire and the smoke1 whose effect is to darken and to desolate1 rather than that clear and radiant light which warms while it illumines1 and gives a verdant bloom to every springing blade and opening bud1 while it directs the passenger onwards on his journey4 ,in a word1 the labours of these men1 wherever they are successful 7and such is the fatality attending them that they are always successful71 tend to give a retrograde movement to our social habits and enjoyments1 and to carry us back to the gloomy times of the ,commonwealth1 when the ,puritanical devotee was seen weeping between the porch and the altar1 but never indulging himself in the innocent recreations of life4 ,in fine1 ,i feel myself compelled once more to warn you against their doctrines1 as contrary to the doctrines of our incomparable prayer-book2 to warn you against associating with them1 or hearing them preach1 as you may be entangled by their sophistry before you are aware1 and while you will deplore1 in common with myself and others1 their existence within the pale of our pure apostolic church1 you will endeavour1 by your influence and your example1 to check the progress of the moral contagion which they have introduced among us4 ,that the common people1 who know not the ,scriptures1 and who despise the authority of their authorized teachers1 should embrace the ,calvinistic doctrines1 is not surprising1 because they give them a complete indemnity against every species of crime1 but that any of the well-educated and intelligent members of society--any who have not sacrificed their virtue nor lost their taste--should feel a predilection for them1 is one of those moral mysteries which can be accounted for only from one of two causes--a partial derangement of intellect1 or the magic charm of enthusiasm4 ,to conclude3 ,are they zealous in propagating their doctrines8 be you zealous in opposing them2 are they zealous in gaining proselytes8 be you zealous in reclaiming them2 are they zealous in putting an end to all the innocent enjoyments of social life8 do you display a superior degree of zeal in preventing such a fatal evil1 that we may enjoy life as we have been accustomed to enjoy it in our social circles1 and thus prove to a sceptical and a fanatical age1 that we can be religious without being melancholy or morose1 and fit ourselves for the happiness of a future world without sacrificing the pleasures of the present4 ,when the service was concluded1 the ,roscoes walked home together1 but no one made any reference to the sermon1 as all felt convinced that it was directed against ,mr4 ,roscoe1 who appeared1 during the whole of the afternoon1 unusually reserved4 ,this reserve was regarded by some of the family as a decisive evidence that the sermon had produced its intended effect2 and the polite and friendly manner in which he received the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,cole1 who called in the evening1 seemed to confirm this opinion4 ,next morning1 as they sat at breakfast1 the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe said that he had anticipated great pleasure from his visit1 but1 he added1 ,i certainly did not anticipate the feast of delight which ,i enjoyed yesterday4 ,mr4 ,cole surpassed himself4 ,i think he gave us a correct portraiture of modern ,calvinism4 ,o1 it is a gloomy system of religion6 just suited for fanatics or enthusiasts4 ,don't you think ,mr4 ,cole a very clever and a very intelligent man8 ,yes1 replied ,mr4 ,roscoe1 ,i think him clever and intelligent1 and a man of rather extensive reading4 ,we have often passed many pleasant evenings together in discussing literary and scientific questions1 and ,i have uniformly admired his dexterity in reasoning1 and the aptness of his illustrations2 but1 in my opinion1 something more than learning and intelligence is necessary to enable a person to understand the scheme of salvation which is contained in the ,scriptures4 ,but ,i presume you do not intend1 like our modern fanatics1 to depreciate learning and intelligence8 ,no2 ,i think a ,christian minister cannot be too learned nor too intelligent1 but learned men do not always understand the things of the ,spirit of ,god1 and some of the most intelligent have been known to imbibe the most erroneous opinions4 ,this1 ,i suppose1 you will not deny2 does it not then necessarily follow that something more than learning and intelligence is requisite to enable a person to understand the ,scriptures8 ,o6 ,i see you have imbibed one of the notions of our modern fanatics4 ,and is it possible that you can give up your understanding to the dominion of fanaticism1 which avows sentiments not less derogatory to the dignity of man1 than its unintelligible jargon is offensive to pure taste8 ,they say that no one can understand the gospel unless he is taught by the ,spirit of ,god4 ,they think we must be inspired to enable us to understand the ,scriptures1 which were given by ,divine inspiration1 and which are able of themselves to make us wise unto salvation4 ,you have made several allusions to modern fanatics1 and1 from your mode of expression1 ,i conclude that you hold them in contempt4 ,in sovereign contempt4 ,they are the troublers of the church1 and ,i wish it were in my power to expel them4 ,but if you were to expel all from the church who believe in the necessity of a ,divine illumination to enable us to understand the ,scriptures1 you would retain none but those who disbelieve her doctrines4 ,in the homily on reading the ,holy ,scriptures you will find the following passage3 ',and in reading of ,god's ,word he not always most profiteth that is most ready in the turning of the book1 or in saying of it without the book1 but he that is most turned into it1 that is1 the most inspired with the ,holy ,ghost4' ,and is there not1 through the whole of the public service of our church1 a constant reference to the ,holy ,spirit as the agent by whom the ignorant are instructed1 the impure cleansed1 and the morally wretched consoled and made happy8 ,read the collect for ,whitsunday3 ',god1 who as at this time didst teach the hearts of thy faithful people by the sending to them the light of thy ,holy ,spirit1 grant us1 by the same ,spirit1 to have a right judgment in all things1 and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort1 through the merits of ,christ ,jesus our ,saviour4' ,and if you turn to the service which was read when you entered into priest's orders1 you will find the following verse1 which breathes a language no less fervent than scriptural3-- ',come1 ,holy ,ghost6 our souls inspire1 ,and lighten with celestial fire2 ,thy blessed unction from above ,is comfort1 life1 and fire of love2 ,enable with perpetual light ,the dulness of our blinded sight4' ,can language more clearly or more forcibly express the necessity of a ,divine influence to aid us to understand the meaning of the ,word of ,god8 ,and ought those to be stigmatized as fanatics1 and expelled from the church1 who actually believe their own recorded faith8 ,that would be an act of injustice no less flagrant than if a ruler were to banish the faithful and loyal subject1 while the convicted traitor is permitted to enjoy the protection of the law and the emoluments of office4 ,but you will admit that there are fanatics in the church1 who hold some strange opinions1 which do essential injury to society8 ,i admit that there are men who are called fanatics by those who do not understand the doctrines of their own church4 ,i once regarded every zealous1 and spiritual1 and useful clergyman as a fanatic2 but1 like others1 ,i affixed no definite meaning to the epithet which ,i employed4 ,i found the word already coined1 and ,i used it2 but ,i have since discovered its spurious qualities1 and1 as far as my influence extends1 ,i will prevent its circulation4 ,we ought not to stigmatize those who differ from us4 ,if we think them wrong1 we ought to try to reclaim them1 but in doing so we should make no sacrifice of the spirit of the ,christian1 or the courtesy of the gentleman4 ,then ,i presume you did not approve of the sermon which you heard yesterday8 ,i did not approve of the temper which ,mr4 ,cole displayed4 ,the pulpit is a sacred place1 and he who occupies it should always bear a near resemblance in spirit1 if he cannot in manner1 to the ,prince of ,peace4 ,the weapons of the ,christian minister never do any execution except they are spiritual1 and then they become mighty1 through ,god1 to the pulling down of the strongholds of error1 and destroying the barriers which prejudice has raised against the reception of the truth1 and then the mind willingly submits to its authority4 ,i must confess that he was rather severe1 perhaps too much so for the sanctity of the pulpit2 but the severity of his spirit did not weaken the force of his arguments4 ,but a bad spirit will often induce a wavering hearer to suspect that the arguments are defective4 ,an affectionate manner insinuates itself into the heart1 renders it soft and pliable1 and disposes it to imbibe the sentiments and follow the impulse of the speaker4 ,whoever has attended to the effect of addresses from the pulpit1 must have perceived how much of their impression depends upon this quality4 ,but1 instead of being cool and dispassionate in his reasoning1 and leading on the congregation from one stage of conviction to another1 by a regular process of proof1 treating his erring opponent as a fond parent treats a disobedient child1 with affection1 even while a paramount regard for his welfare urges to correction1 ,mr4 ,cole advanced with impetuosity into the heat of the debate1 dogmatized when he ought to have argued1 instituted invidious comparisons when he ought to have made an effort to conciliate prejudices1 denounced when he ought to have entreated1 and certainly left an impression on my mind that the display ,i witnessed yesterday had little of the loving temper of pure ,christianity4 ,but1 said ,mrs4 ,roscoe1 ,i really thought1 from the friendly manner in which you received ,mr4 ,cole last evening1 that his discourse in the morning had given you as much pleasure as it gave us4 ,indeed1 ,i do not think that his spirit was bad2 he spoke certainly with more warmth than usual1 but then he was anxious to convince you1 ,i have no doubt1 of the errors which you have recently imbibed1 and to warn you of their dangerous tendency4 ,if ,mr4 ,cole displayed an antichristian temper in the pulpit1 that is no reason why ,i should behave unlike a gentleman in the parlour4 ,i shall always be glad to see him1 and will treat him with the respect which is due to his character and his office4 ,if he thinks ,i have imbibed any erroneous opinions1 ,i shall have no objection to give him an opportunity of correcting them2 but if he calculated on disturbing my belief in the doctrines of the ,scriptures and of our church1 which ,i have recently embraced1 he1 by his mode of attack yesterday1 supplied a fresh proof of the adage1 that intolerance defeats its own purpose1 as ,i am1 if possible1 more deeply convinced of their truth and importance than ,i was before ,i heard his sermon4 ,i had heard1 said ,mrs4 ,john ,roscoe1 a great deal about ,mr4 ,cole before ,i left home1 of his learning1 and of his eloquence1 and ,i went to church yesterday with very high expectations2 but ,i was sadly disappointed4 ,i listened to his sermon with great attention1 but ,i did not like either the sentiments1 or the spirit1 or the design of the sermon4 ,he was1 when in the pulpit1 more like a gladiator aiming a deadly thrust at some living opponent1 than a minister of ,jesus ,christ preaching the truth in love4 ,it certainly1 but no thanks to him1 has put some new thoughts into my heart1 which ,i feel to be weighty and important1 but which at present exist there in a very wild and incoherent state4 ,i am happy to hear you say so1 dear aunt1 said ,miss ,roscoe1 as the incipient thoughts of a spirit1 on entering and passing through the great renovating process of ,divine grace1 are usually wild and incoherent2 but1 in a short time1 they are always reduced to obvious and intelligible order4 ,i don't quite understand you1 my dear4 ,but you will soon1 dear aunt4 ,the roll of ,divine truth opens gradually1 and what at first is obscure and indistinct1 becomes1 in the progressive unfolding1 clear1 intelligible1 and perceptibly harmonious2 and then the comprehension of the wondrous scheme of human redemption and salvation1 against which we had yesterday morning such a tirade of misrepresentation and abuse1 is an easy1 and1 ,i may add1 a necessary action of the mind4 ,the prophet ,hosea1 speaking under the inspiration of the ,holy ,spirit1 says to the now thinking inquirer1 ',then shall you know1 if you follow on to know the ,lord4' ,,baptismal ,,regeneration ,a ,,fiction4 ,the right of private judgment on every question which stands connected with the present or future happiness of man1 is an unalienable privilege4 ,the exercise of this right has been1 and still is1 proscribed by the genius of superstition2 but the spirit of ,christianity not only sanctions but establishes it2 and we are commanded to bring every opinion which may be submitted to us to the test of a close and severe examination4 ,we are not to be controlled or governed by the authority of men of learning1 nor are we to receive a doctrine as true1 because it bears the marks of antiquity4 ,the priests of the ,romish ,church lay claim to infallibility2 but this extraordinary endowment is withheld from the laity1 who are commanded to receive1 most implicitly1 everything which they advance1 however repugnant to reason1 or contrary to the ,scriptures4 ,but this prostration of the understanding before the majesty of the priesthood1 and this tame submission to all the doctrines and precepts which they may enforce1 is an act which no intelligent ,protestant can perform4 ,if1 then1 we refuse to surrender the government of our reason to the absolute authority of the ministers of one church1 which arrogates to itself the attribute of infallibility1 shall we do it to those of another1 which makes no such lofty pretensions8 ,we ought unquestionably to hold in high estimation those who administer to us the word of life2 but as they are men encompassed with infirmities1 often differing from each other on the most essential articles of the ,christian faith1 and liable to err in common with ourselves1 it is no less our duty than our privilege to compare what they advance from the pulpit or from the press with the testimony of the ,bible4 ,did not ,jesus ,christ urge his hearers to search the ,scriptures8 and when the apostle ,paul wrote to the church at ,corinth1 he employed these words3--,i speak as to wise men2 judge ye what ,i say4 ,there is too much reason to fear1 that while we boast of our freedom from the spiritual dominion under which our forefathers groaned before the ,reformation1 we are getting back into a state of bondage1 by voluntarily and pertinaciously adhering to ancient opinions on religious subjects without investigating them2 and hence1 so few among us are capable of distinguishing truth from error4 ,indeed1 so unpopular is the calm investigation of religious truth become among a certain class of ,christians1 that it is deprecated as one of the early symptoms of fanaticism4 ,they will go to church1 utter their solemn responses1 and listen to the sermon2 but to compare the sentiments of the sermon with the language of the ,scripture1 to see if there be a strict accordance between what they hear and what they read1 or ought to read1 is a practice which many would condemn1 and which comparatively few will adopt4 ,is it then surprising that we meet with so many who are as ignorant of the ,scriptures and of the articles of their own church as they are of the ,koran of ,mahomet or the ,shasters of the ,hindoos8 ,nor is this charge directed exclusively against the lower orders of society1 for it is equally applicable to those who occupy high places in the intellectual1 social1 and literary world4 99 99 99 99 99 ,in the evening1 as the ladies of the family were attending to their needle-work1 the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe made an allusion to the sermon which ,mr4 ,cole delivered on the preceding ,sabbath1 and said1 that though the spirit which he displayed might be objected to1 and some of his arguments might be deemed inconclusive1 yet he decidedly agreed with him on the subject of baptismal regeneration4 ,he went on to say--,i know that the evangelical clergy maintain that every person1 even the most moral and virtuous1 must undergo an internal change before they can be fitted for the kingdom of heaven2 but1 as ,mr4 ,cole very judiciously observed1 this is one of the wild notions which spring out of the luxuriance of an enthusiastic imagination1 rather than out of the soil of a matured judgment4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,but do you not believe in the necessity of regeneration8 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,yes1 but ,i believe that no other than baptismal regeneration is either necessary1 or even possible in this world4 ,we are born#ab anew in baptism1 and in baptism exclusively4 ,as you are fond of appealing to the authority of our church on the disputable points of religion1 you will allow me the same privilege4 ,when the child is baptized1 the priest is taught to say1 ',seeing now1 dearly beloved brethren1 that this child is regenerate1 and grafted into the body of ,christ's church1 let us give thanks to ,almighty ,god for these benefits1 and with one accord make our prayers unto him1 that this child may lead the rest of his life according to this beginning4' ,then follows this solemn form of thanksgiving and prayer1 which the priest is required to offer to ,almighty ,god3 ',we yield ,thee hearty thanks1 most merciful ,father1 that it hath pleased ,thee to regenerate this infant with thy ,holy ,spirit1 to receive him for thine own child by adoption1 and to incorporate him into thy holy church2 and humbly we beseech ,thee to grant that he1 being dead unto sin1 and living unto righteousness1 and being buried with ,christ in his death1 may crucify the old man1 and utterly abolish the whole body of sin2 and that as he is made partaker of the death of thy ,son1 he may also be partaker of his resurrection3 so that finally1 with the residue of the holy church1 he may be an inheritor of thine everlasting kingdom1 through ,christ ,jesus our ,lord4' ,and does not the catechism of our church teach the child to say1 in answer to the question1 ',who gave you this name8' ',my godfathers and godmothers in my baptism1 wherein ,i was made a member of ,christ1 a child of ,god1 and an inheritor of the kingdom of heaven8' ,what language can more plainly or unequivocally prove that baptism is regeneration2 and that the child who is thus regenerated by baptism is made a partaker of the death of ,christ1 a child of ,god1 and an inheritor of the kingdom of heaven8 ,and as regeneration can take place only once1 and does take place in baptism1 those who imbibe the modern notions on this subject are convicted of error by the authority of the church to whose decision they so often appeal4 #ab ,some of the ,tractarians speak in more guarded1 yet in more ambiguous terms1 on the regenerating power of baptism2 but the majority of them entertain the belief which is expressed by the ,rev4 ,w4 ,j4 ,e4 ,bennett1 in the following quotation from one of the last sermons he preached at ,st4 ,paul's1 ,knightsbridge1 see page #aic3--;,here is a great mystery2 that by water in holy baptism is given a regenerating and life-creating grace--that by water we go down into the font foul and leprous2 by grace we rise pure1 spotless1 and sound--that by water we go down into the font dead in trespasses and sins2 by grace we rise up from the font alive in ,christ4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,i grant that the popular construction of the passages which you have quoted supports your opinion1 and if a similar phraseology of speech were employed by the writers of the ,new ,testament1 ,i should not hesitate to agree with you2 but ,i do not find such language in any part of the ,new ,testament4 ,i think that the ,liturgy and ,articles are to be brought to the test of the ,scriptures1 and not the ,scriptures to that of the ,liturgy4 ,the latter1 though the first of human compositions1 is nevertheless of human authority2 the former is given by the inspiration of ,god4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,i admit that the ,liturgy and the ,articles of our church are human compositions1 and that they possess no weight of authority unless they are in strict accordance with holy writ3 but do not the sacred writers in the most positive terms assert that baptism is regeneration8 ,is not the following passage conclusive3 ',but after that the kindness and love of ,god our ,saviour toward man appeared1 not by works of righteousness which we have done1 but according to his mercy he saved us1 by the washing of regeneration1 and renewing of the ,holy ,ghost2 which he shed on us abundantly through ,jesus ,christ our ,saviour2 that being justified by his grace1 we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life' 7,titus iii4 #d-g74 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,this passage most certainly associates baptism and regeneration together2 but it does not say that we are regenerated by baptism4 ,the washing of regeneration1 or baptism1 is the mere external sign of that moral purity which is the effect of the renewing of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,and that this is the meaning of the passage1 ,i appeal to your good sense2 for1 if we are regenerated by baptism1 where is the necessity of the renewing of the ,holy ,ghost8 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,i do not mean that baptism itself regenerates us1 but that the ,holy ,spirit regenerates us when we are receiving the sacrament4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,simon ,magus was one of the first converts to ,christianity2 he was baptized by ,philip1 but he was not regenerated by the ,holy ,spirit4 ,he had been baptized1 but he still remained unholy1 and 'in the gall of bitterness1 and in the bond of iniquity4' ,this simple fact proves that baptism is not regeneration1 unless you are prepared to admit that a regenerate person may be 'in the gall of bitterness1 and bond of iniquity2' and if so1 what spiritual advantage does he derive from his regeneration8 ,if by baptism ,simon ,magus was made a child of ,god1 and an inheritor of the kingdom of heaven1 it is evident that he required some moral change after this1 as we are expressly informed that his heart was not right in the sight of ,god1 and that he had no part nor lot in any of the gifts of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,i candidly confess that this case of ,simon ,magus seems to militate against the doctrine of baptismal regeneration2 or1 at any rate1 it clogs it with difficulties which are not easily overcome4 ,mrs4 ,john ,roscoe4--,so ,i think1 and so ,i should imagine every person of common sense would think4 ,in my opinion1 it settles the question4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,but there are other difficulties which press upon the doctrine1 which seem to me insuperable4 ,if baptismal regeneration be the only regeneration possible in this world1 and no one can enter into the kingdom of heaven except he be regenerated by water1 what will become of those children who die unbaptized8 ,shall we consign all the offspring of the ,friends and of the ,baptists to a state of future misery1 and nearly all the children of ,scotland1 and of those of our own church1 who die before the ceremony can be performed2 shall we plunge them1 in fact1 into hell1 with the devil and his angels1 when we know they have committed no actual sin8 ,what is this but representing the mothers of earth bringing forth children to people the infernal regions4 ,most horrible6 ,indeed1 rather than embrace a doctrine that entails after it such fearful consequences1 ,i could consent to close my ,bible1 as a revelation of wrath rather than of mercy4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,but ,i do not see that this consequence necessarily follows2 because ,almighty ,god may of his goodness take these children to heaven1 though they may not have been baptized4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,what6 if baptism be regeneration4 ,are not children conceived in sin1 and shapen in iniquity8 ,do they not partake of our impurity1 and can we suppose that they will carry a depraved nature with them into heaven8 ,if so1 evil abounds there no less than here2 and all the anticipations which we indulge of attaining a state of unsullied purity and bliss after the close of life1 must be regarded as the illusions of the fancy3--,no1 their moral nature must be changed2 and if they are not baptized1 it must be changed by the renewing of the ,holy ,spirit1 without the external ceremony1 which proves that regeneration is essentially different and distinct from baptism4 ,i will give you a quotation from the pen of an elegant writer1 which will1 ,i think1 decide the question3--',but that baptism is not regeneration1 is placed beyond all reasonable debate by the following declarations of ,st4 ,paul3 ,i thank ,god that ,i baptized none of you but ,crispus and ,gaius4 ,for ,christ sent me not to baptize1 but to preach the gospel3 not with wisdom of words1 lest the cross of ,christ should be made of none effect 7#a ,cor4 i4 #ad1 #ag74 ,nothing is more certain than that1 if baptism insures or proves regeneration1 ,paul1 who so ardently desired the salvation of mankind1 and wished to become1 as extensively as possible1 the instrument of their salvation1 could not thank ,god that he baptized none of the ,corinthians but ,gaius1 ,crispus1 and the household of ,stephanus4 ,to him it would comparatively have been a matter of indifference whether they accused him of baptizing in his own name or not4 ,of what consequence could the clamour1 the disputes1 or the divisions be1 which might arise about this subject1 compared1 on the one hand1 with the salvation1 and on the other with the perdition of the ,corinthians8 ,instead of thanking ,god in this manner1 he would have baptized every ,corinthian who would have permitted him2 and1 like a ,romish missionary1 have compelled crowds and hosts to the streams and to the rivers in the neighbourhood1 that they might receive the ordinance at his hands4 ,with still less propriety could he say1 if baptism were the means of regeneration1 especially if it insured or proved it1 that ,christ sent him not to baptize1 but to preach the gospel4 ,christ1 as ,he himself hath told us1 sent ,st4 ,paul to the ,gentiles and to the ,corinthians1 as well as other ,gentiles1 to turn them from darkness to light1 and from the power of ,satan unto ,god4 ,in other words1 ,christ sent ,st4 ,paul to the ,gentiles to accomplish their regeneration4 ,but if baptism be the means of regeneration1 or be accompanied by it1 then ,christ actually sent him to baptize1 in direct contradiction to the passage just now quoted4 ,from both these passages it is evident that baptism neither insures nor proves regeneration1 unless we believe that the gratitude of the most zealous apostle rose in intensity in proportion as he failed in accomplishing the design of his mission4' ,mrs4 ,john ,roscoe 7addressing her husband74--,i think you must now give up the point2 for who can fairly stand against such plain and powerful arguments8 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,but the doctrine is no less dangerous than anti-scriptural2 and when we reflect on the tendency which the human mind discovers to derive consolation from any source of relief1 however vague or imaginary1 we cannot evince too much ardour in exploding the fatal delusion4 ,in this country there are multitudes of baptized persons who discover1 at no period of their life1 any other proofs that they have been regenerated than what the parish register supplies4 ,if these persons1 who have grown up in a state of ignorance of ,christianity1 corrupt in morals and in manners1 are told by their clergyman that when they were baptized they were made inheritors of the kingdom of heaven1 will they not easily lull the disquietude of their consciences to sleep1 and flatter themselves with the hope of final salvation1 even while they continue the servants1 if not the slaves of sin8 ,will they1 if warned to flee from the wrath to come1 apprehend any danger1 seeing they are taught to believe that they are already the children of ,god8 ,o fatal delusion6 a delusion no less dangerous to the morals than it is to the final happiness of man1 because it leads him to ascribe the origin of his religious character to a ceremonial act performed on him at a period when he knew it not1 rather than to his repentance towards ,god and faith in the ,lord ,jesus ,christ2 and teaches him that he may become a glorified spirit in another world1 even though he lives and he is a sceptic or a blasphemer4 ,thus a little cold water taken from a font1 and falling from the holy hands of a regularly ordained priest1 imparts such a mysterious sanctity to the subject whom it touches1 as to render any moral or spiritual meetness for the inheritance of the saints in light quite unnecessary4 ,how wonderful6 ,it was amusing to watch the movements of ,mrs4 ,john ,roscoe during these discussions1 and gratifying to hear her occasional observations4 ,she would sit sometimes as patient as a judge when listening to the evidence on some grave charge against a prisoner at the bar1 and at other times she was as restless and fidgety as a juryman anxious to deliver the verdict1 that he might get home to his dinner as quickly as possible4 ,in general1 she held a very tight rein over her excursive spirit1 out of respect to the two principal disputants2 but occasionally it would drop from her grasp1 and then she was off at a tangent4 ,i think1 said she1 a man's bump of credulity must be larger than his head who would tell me1 with decorous gravity1 that he really has faith to believe such an ecclesiastical dogma4 ,this remark somewhat disconcerted1 though it did not displease her husband1 who rather liked to see her display her cleverness1 but he soon recovered himself1 and addressing his brother1 he said3-- ,but these are the consequences which you deduce from the doctrine1 rather than consequences which necessarily follow from its admission4 ,when the child is baptized we pray that he may lead the rest of his life according to this beginning2 which presupposes the possibility that he may not4 ,if he do not1 he forfeits his baptismal rights1 and relapses into a state of condemnation and guilt4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,then ,i presume that1 by his relapse into a state of condemnation and guilt1 he places himself in a moral condition similar to the condition in which he would have stood if he had never been baptized8 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,exactly so4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,as a state of guilt and condemnation implies1 on the part of man1 depravity and alienation from ,god1 must he not undergo some moral change in his disposition1 his principles1 and his taste1 before he can loathe himself on account of his impurities1 or be fitted to dwell in the immediate presence of a holy ,god2 as we read that 'without holiness no man shall see the ,lord8' ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,certainly2 he must be made good and virtuous before he can be admitted into heaven4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,but if he were regenerated when he was baptized1 and there is no other regeneration possible in this world1 you see the dilemma in which you place a man who by transgression forfeits his baptismal rights4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,what dilemma8 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,why1 in despair4 ,you say he needs a moral change to fit him for heaven2 but as that change cannot be produced without baptism--and he has undergone the ceremony1 which cannot be repeated--you place him under the ban of reprobation1 unless you adopt the only alternative which remains for you1 that of admitting him to heaven in his depraved state4 ,mr4 ,cole1 in his sermon1 was very severe on the evangelical clergy for two things2 he asserted that1 by their awful strain of preaching1 they generally destroy the peace of society2 and by holding out the hope of salvation to the most guilty1 they destroy its virtue4 ,these were certainly heavy charges2 but do you not perceive that they are charges which may be brought with strict logical accuracy against the advocates of baptismal regeneration8 ,for1 if they follow out their doctrine to its legitimate consequences1 they are compelled either to admit a man into heaven in an unregenerated state1 who by a relapse into sin forfeits his baptismal rights1 or1 after his forfeiture1 to tell him that he cannot be regenerated1 by which he is systematically and inevitably consigned over to despair4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,well1 ,i confess that the doctrine appears involved in more oppressive difficulties than ,i ever conceived2 and yet1 from the quotations which ,mr4 ,cole gave us on ,sunday from the ,fathers1 it appears to have been a doctrine which was received into the church very early and very generally4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,yes1 to quote the language of an eloquent writer1 'it is well known that1 from a very early period1 the most extravagant notions prevailed in the church with respect to the efficacy of baptism1 and its absolute necessity in order to attain salvation4 ,the descent of the human mind from the spirit to the letter--from what is vital and intellectual to what is ritual and external in religion--is the true source of idolatry and superstition in all the multifarious forms they have assumed2 and as it began early to corrupt the patriarchal religion1 so it soon obscured the lustre and destroyed the simplicity of the ,christian institute4 ,in proportion as genuine devotion declined1 the love of pomp and ceremony increased2 the few and simple rites of ,christianity were extolled beyond all reasonable bounds2 new ones were invented1 to which mysterious meanings were attached1 till the religion of the ,new ,testament became1 in process of time1 as insupportable a yoke as the ,mosaic law4 ,the first effects of this spirit are discernible in the ideas entertained of the ordinance of baptism4 ,from an erroneous interpretation of the figurative language of a few passages in ,scripture1 in which the sign is identified with the thing signified1 it was universally supposed that baptism was invariably accompanied with a supernatural effect1 which totally changed the state and character of the candidate1 and constituted him a child of ,god1 and an heir of the kingdom of heaven4 ,hence it was almost constantly denoted by the terms illumination1 regeneration1 and others expressive of the highest operations of the ,spirit2 and as it was believed to obtain the plenary remission of all past sins1 it was often1 in order to insure that benefit1 purposely deferred to the latest period of life4 ,thus ,eusebius informs us that the ,emperor ,constantine1 finding his end fast approaching1 judged it a fit season for purifying himself from his offences1 and cleansing his soul from that guilt which1 in common with other mortals1 he had contracted1 which he believed was to be effected by the power of mysterious words and the saving laver4 ,this1 said he1 addressing the surrounding bishops1 is the period ,i have so long hoped and prayed for1 the period of obtaining the salvation of ,god4 ,and no sooner was the rite of baptism administered1 than he arrayed himself in white garments1 and laid aside the imperial purple1 in token of his bidding adieu to all secular concerns4' ,we have here a fair specimen of the sentiments which were generally adopted upon this subject in early times2 but if the ,articles and ,liturgy of our own church are to be submitted to the test of the ,scriptures1 must not the opinions of the ancients pass through the same ordeal8 ,i would therefore say of all the authorities quoted by ,mr4 ,cole1 ',to the law and to the testimony2 if they speak not according to this word1 it is because there is no light in them4' ,but you will permit me to add1 that if there be such mysterious efficacy accompanying the rite of baptism1 and such danger incurred by a relapse into sin after the candidate has submitted to it1 ,i think the ancients discovered more wisdom in having it deferred till the period of their approaching dissolution1 than we do in submitting to it while surrounded by all the fascinations of sense and the temptations to evil4 ,mrs4 ,john ,roscoe4--,i was never a zealous advocate for baptismal regeneration1 but now ,i repudiate it as an ecclesiastical fiction4 ,but then comes a very grave question1 ,what is regeneration8 ,miss ,roscoe4--,yes1 aunt1 one of the gravest and one of the most important questions that can engage our attention4 ,mrs4 ,john ,roscoe4--,and ,i must have the question satisfactorily solved4 ,indeed1 ,i begin to apprehend personal danger1 for1 though baptized1 ,i may not be regenerated4 ,,the ,,retired ,,christian4 ,the beauty of the morning tempted me to seek the recreation of a solitary rural walk1 and that ,i might not spend a useless day1 ,i made a selection of tracts for distribution4 ,after sauntering through many a pleasant lane and meadow1 the freshness of the grass1 the beauty of the wild flowers1 and the warbling of the birds enlivening the scene1 ,i came near to a mansion belonging to the ,marquis of ,b----1 and1 availing myself of the privilege which he generously affords the public1 ,i resolved to visit it4 ,walking leisurely up the long shady avenue1 ,i now and then caught a glimpse of the venerable structure1 and at length it came full in view4 ,it was an irregular building1 of the ,elizabethan period1 of considerable extent1 and in excellent preservation4 ,as ,i passed from room to room1 examining the articles of taste and of luxury with which they were adorned1 ,i thought within myself1 how little can all this splendour do to confer true happiness6 ,the collection of ancient armour interested me1 and the portraits of the great ones of former times carried my mind back to events too intimately interwoven with our national history ever to be forgotten4 ,before ,i left the library1 ,i deposited between the leaves of some of the books lying on the table a few tracts1 which ,i hoped might arrest the attention of some of the members of the noble family1 and having commended these silent messengers of truth to the ,divine blessing1 ,i retired1 delighted with what ,i had seen4 ,i walked on some little distance1 when1 on making a sudden turn1 ,i descended a winding slope1 which led to the front of a neat cottage1 partially concealed by the evergreens which surrounded it4 ,an air of finished neatness and scrupulous order was everywhere visible1 and its quiet simplicity formed a pleasing contrast to the magnificent mansion ,i had just left4 ,the barking of a little dog1 and the crowing of a cock1 satisfied me that it was inhabited1 though ,i saw neither man nor child4 ,discovering a tasteful seat1 formed by the bended branches of an ash and hazel that grew in fellowship1 ,i sat me down to rest myself4 ,i did not long remain in suspense as to the character of the inhabitants1 for1 while indulging my fancies1 ,i observed1 at some distance1 a venerable-looking man advancing towards the cottage4 ,as he drew near1 ,i rose and saluted him3 he returned the compliment with graceful ease2 and his manner at once convinced me that1 though in a rustic garb1 he had been accustomed to mingle in polite society4 ,his frank and kindly manners at once relieved me from the embarrassment into which his unexpected appearance had thrown me1 and it was with feelings of interest and pleasure that ,i accepted his invitation to step into his cottage and rest myself4 ,the interior of this retreat was as neat as the outer decorations were beautiful2 the furniture was simple and inexpensive2 the only thing which particularly attracted my attention was a large painting1 which1 he informed me1 was a favourite family-piece4 ,while ,i was admiring the picture1 and carefully examining the group there represented1 his wife entered the room1 and1 after a little general conversation1 she pressed me to remain and dine with them4 ,we soon became somewhat familiar2 and1 throwing off reserve1 conversed freely1 as two old friends are wont to talk when met together after a long absence4 ,in course of conversation1 my venerable host gave me some account of his history4 ,his life had been a chequered one1 on which had fallen the lights and shadows of prosperity and adversity4 ,i ascertained that his name was ,armstrong1 that he had three children--his daughter1 who was married to an attorney in ,bristol1 and his two sons1 who resided in ,london4 ,he had acquired a handsome fortune by industry and frugality1 and having disposed of his business1 had retired to the country to spend the evening of his days in retirement4 ,but soon the charm and novelty of the country wore away2 he was not happy completely isolated from commercial life and intercourse with general society2 and resolved again to return to more active pursuits4 ,a favourable opportunity soon occurred1 when he disposed of his country residence1 and entered into partnership with a banking firm of reputed respectability4 ,but1 ere long1 he found that he had been deceived2 the concern became bankrupt1 and in his old age he lost at one sweep the accumulated property of former years4 ,the shock to himself and his wife was at first overpowering1 but1 when awakening from the stupor into which it had thrown them1 they rejoiced that their children were in a very prosperous condition1 and they had no doubt but they would prove to them comforters in the hour of their distress4 ,in this they were not mistaken3 an arrangement was soon made for the removal of their parents from the scene of their sorrow and misfortunes2 the cottage which they now occupied was purchased for them1 and to secure them from all anxiety respecting their future support1 an annuity was settled upon them for life4 ,when ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,armstrong removed to the cottage1 they brought with them an old domestic1 who had been in their service for more than thirty years1 and she1 with a man-servant1 made up the whole of their family4 ,as they were strangers in the neighbourhood1 and in a manner cut off from intercourse with the world1 they lived quite retired1 finding1 in the gratification of promoting each other's happiness1 more satisfaction than they had ever enjoyed in the days of their prosperity4 99 99 99 99 99 ,adversity1 ,i remarked1 though dreaded when at a distance1 is often met on its near approach with calmness1 and not unfrequently it becomes a source of greater happiness than prosperity has ever been able to impart4 ,prosperity1 said ,mr4 ,armstrong1 possesses greater attractions than adversity1 but it has a more pernicious influence on the mind4 ,the prayer of ,agur ,i admire for its simplicity and suitableness1 seeing that wealth and extreme poverty often place our principles in danger3--',two things have ,i required of thee2 deny me them not before ,i die2 remove far from me vanity and lies2 give me neither poverty nor riches2 feed me with food convenient for me3 lest ,i be full1 and deny thee1 and say1 ,who is the ,lord8 or lest ,i be poor1 and steal1 and take the name of my ,god in vain4' ,there is no exercise1 ,i observed1 which has such a salutary influence over the human heart1 and over the formation of the character1 as prayer2 for1 by associating us with the ,author of all excellence1 we imperceptibly imbibe a portion of his goodness2 it is the hand which lays hold of his strength2 and then we enjoy peace1 because we feel secure amidst all apparent dangers and positive privations4 ,but1 ,sir1 said my host1 how few pray6--how few understand the nature of prayer6--how few engage in this holy exercise from choice1 or derive from it that satisfaction and delight which it is calculated to impart6 ,looking at me with calm earnestness1 he added1 ,such is the magic influence which the fleeting events of life have over us1 that we remain comparatively indifferent to the realities of an eternal world1 till some disaster arises to break the charm4 ,the afflictive dispensation which deprived me of all my property1 and left me dependent on my children1 though severe1 has proved the most beneficial occurrence of my history4 ,it has taught me the vanity as well as the instability of all earthly possessions2 it has led me to seek pure and substantial happiness in fellowship with the ,father1 and his ,son1 ,jesus ,christ4 ,he then informed me that1 from his childhood1 he had been a regular attendant at his parish church1 and endeavoured to practise the relative virtues which he so frequently had heard inculcated4 ,but1 during the whole of this time1 he had no just conception of the evil of sin1 or of the degeneracy of his nature1 or of the necessity of that faith in the atonement of ,jesus ,christ which purifies the heart4 ,he was religious from habit1 not from conviction2 and he paid respect to the ceremonies of public worship because others did so1 rather than from any benefit which he expected to derive from them4 ,the cottage he now occupied was at a considerable distance from the parish church1 and on his removal to it he felt quite free from the control of the opinion of others1 and usually spent his ,sabbaths at home4 ,one day1 however1 his curiosity was excited by some rumours which reached him respecting the rector1 and he resolved to go to hear him4 ,we all walked together1 said he1 and on entering the church we were struck with the size of the congregation1 and the unusual seriousness of the clergyman1 who was officiating in the desk4 ,but it was when in the pulpit that he displayed the fervid and impassioned eloquence of a holy man of ,god4 ,there he exhibited the word of life with such clearness1 and with such power1 that we were delighted2 and though he advanced some things that were new to us1 and which did not exactly agree with our own opinions1 yet we could not refrain from going again on the following ,sabbath4 ,since that day we have never absented ourselves1 except when illness has compelled us2 and now ,i can adore the wisdom and the love of ,,him who broke up my former establishment1 in which ,i lived a useless life1 and fixed my residence in this humble retreat1 where ,i have been brought to hear the pure gospel1 which has been the means of infusing spiritual life into every member of my household4 ,the ways of heaven1 ,i remarked1 are sometimes dark and mysterious2 but when their ulterior design is accomplished1 the obscurity vanishes1 and we are enabled to perceive marks of infinite wisdom and benevolence in the events which1 at an early stage1 appeared as the precursors of judgment and of woe4 ,yes1 ,sir1 the dispensation by which ,i lost my property was1 indeed1 dark and mysterious2 it involved me in the depths of trouble1 and ,i had no resources of consolation opened to me1 but the sympathy ,i received from my children4 ,it did not occur to me that a gracious ,providence was intending to promote my happiness by smiting the prosperity which ,i was enjoying4 ,i reproached the agents of fraud1 who had deceived me1 and ,i reproached myself for being deceived4 ,i was stung to the quick by the disgrace into which ,i was plunged2 and when ,i retired to this cottage1 ,i felt more disposed to murmur against the providence of ,god1 than to offer the tribute of a grateful heart4 ,it is the influence of religion which induces within us a disposition of mind in accordance with the sovereign will of our heavenly ,father1 and which teaches and inclines us to derive our purest enjoyments from the manifestations of ,his favour4 ,hence1 he who possesses the religious principle in full energy1 is fitted to meet any trial1 however severe1 and to reside in any place1 however humble1 because he believes that all things are working together for his good1 and that there is no spot in the universe from whence the ,god of providence and of grace is excluded4 ,in my former country residence1 to which ,i had retired with a large fortune1 ,i soon began to feel out of my element4 ,the decoration of my house1 and the laying out of my gardens and pleasure-grounds1 kept me employed for a time1 but when these were completed1 ,i found that the inactivity of a retired country gentleman was ill suited to my active habits4 ,i became unhappy1 and was glad to leave the country to enter again into commercial pursuits4 ,when ,i came here ,i dreaded a renewal of the experiment2 and though ,i believed that adversity would assume and retain a powerful influence in reconciling me to my fate1 ,i soon found that adversity alone could not induce submission to the will of heaven1 nor produce contentment4 ,the mind cannot derive support from the cause of its depression4 ,this must come from some other source4 ,i have found it1 or rather it was given me1 when and where ,i looked not for it4 ,i now can say1 what ,i never could say when in the height of my prosperity1 that ,i am really happy and contented4 ,i have no wish to return again to the busy world4 ,solitude1 ,i remarked1 is most favourable to the spirit of devotion2 yet there are many of the virtues of the ,christian character which cannot be displayed but before the public eye--such as candour1 and benevolence1 and zeal2 and as we are not to live to ourselves1 do you not think1 ,sir1 it is our duty to go forth and let our light shine before others8 ,most certainly1 ,sir2 and though ,,we are apparently shut out from the world1 and have but few of its temptations to allure1 and none of its cares to distract us1 yet we live quite near enough to its evils to afford us an opportunity of displaying those graces of the ,christian character to which you have alluded4 ,our nearest neighbour is a man of wealth1 and of extensive influence in the parish2 but he looks down on us with contempt1 because we have embraced what he calls this new religion1 and he does everything in his power to irritate and mortify us4 ,just over yonder hill there are several cottages1 which are inhabited by coal-miners1 who are as ignorant and as depraved as any description of persons ,i have ever known2 and where ignorance and vice abound there is sure to be wretchedness4 ,hence1 though we do not occupy any prominent station in the eye of the public1 we are not exempted from the privilege of attempting to do good to others1 nor from the honour of suffering persecution for righteousness' sake4 ,as you are now in the possession of a larger portion of happiness than you ever previously enjoyed1 do you not feel a stronger attachment to life than you ever felt8 ,yes1 ,sir1 ,i do2 because ,i now perceive that our life is given for a nobler purpose than ,i ever conceived before4 ,i used to think that it was given us for the acquisition of wealth and honour1 and for the gratification of the taste and feeling2 but now ,i believe that the original design of its bestowment is that we may honour and love ,god1 and1 through the mediation of ,jesus ,christ1 be prepared to enjoy ,his presence in the eternal world4 ,but though ,i am more attached to life than ever1 ,i have no objection to resign it1 when it may please ,god to call me to do so4 ,at my advanced age1 though my health is good1 and my constitution unbroken1 ,i cannot expect to live many years2 yet ,i feel the strong pulsation of a life over which neither the first nor the second death have any power4 ,i should like to live on earth1 if it were the will of ,god1 till ,i see my dear children embrace the faith of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ2 but if ,i should be removed before that event takes place1 ,i have no doubt but ,i shall unite with the ministering angels and the spirits of the redeemed in celebrating it in ,,his presence4 ,i am happy to hear you speak with so much confidence on such an important subject1 as ,i have long thought that the fears which ,christian parents so often and so long cherish respecting the salvation of their children1 are no less dishonourable to ,god than destructive of their own peace4 ,he has commanded us to use the means for the conveyance of truth to their minds2 and he has given us many promises of sure success2 and ought we1 after all this1 to despair8 ,he may withhold the renovating power1 to make us more importunate in prayer1 and to convince us that human means alone will not prove effectual2 but still it is our duty and our privilege to expect that his word shall not return unto him void1 but that it shall accomplish that which he pleases1 and prosper in the thing whereto he sends it4 ,i was much interested by the conversation of my host1 and my gratification was increased by hearing that he attended the ministry of the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,guion1 of whom he spoke with all the warmth of filial attachment2 that he was personally acquainted with my esteemed friend1 the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby2 and had often heard of ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,stevens1 though he knew them not4 ,i now bade this aged couple farewell1 and set out to retrace my steps to ,fairmount1 highly pleased with the adventures of the day1 which ,i found as conducive to my mental and spiritual improvement1 as they had been beneficial to my health4 ,,spiritual ,,regeneration ,a ,,reality4 ,an occurrence took place in the course of the day which revived the question of the preceding evening4 ,two funerals passed along the road in front of ,mr4 ,roscoe's mansion4 ,the first was that of a man1 who died in the prime of life2 and the second was that of an infant1 who expired soon after its birth4 ,the man had been a poacher1 and1 like most who devote themselves to illicit practices1 he had lived a dissolute life4 ,he rarely if ever attended church2 usually spent his ,sabbaths in idleness1 or in the indulgence of his vicious propensities2 was notorious for the vulgarity and impurity of his manners2 and such was his aversion to religion1 that when the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,cole called to see him1 only a few days before his death1 he bluntly told him that as he had lived without religion1 he had made up his mind to die without it4 ,the infant was the first-born of an interesting couple1 who had been married little more than twelve months4 ,they lived in a genteel residence at the farther end of the village1 and were celebrated amongst their neighbours no less for their affection for each other1 than the sufferings which they endured before their union was consummated4 ,the cupidity of their parents kept them apart for a period nearly as long as ,jacob served for his beloved ,rachel1 when death came1 and by leaving them orphans1 broke down the barrier which had obstructed their union4 ,but they were both too deeply affected by their loss to evince any symptoms of pleasure2 and such was the respect in which they held the memory of their parents1 that they permitted one year to pass over their heads before they were married4 ,on the nuptial morning1 a large number of the villagers greeted them with their simple benedictions as they left the church2 and when they alighted from the carriage to enter their own dwelling1 they were surrounded by a group of females dressed in white1 who presented them with a garland of flowers--expressing1 at the same time1 a wish that their joy might prove of a less fading nature4 ,it is1 said ,mr4 ,roscoe1 by bringing the incidents and facts of real life to bear on the doctrines of our belief1 that we are able to test them4 ,the man who has just gone to his grave was the son of the parish clerk1 and ,i well remember when he was baptized4 ,if regeneration takes place when the ceremony of baptism is performed1 he was then made a child of ,god1 and an inheritor of the kingdom of heaven4 ,but what moral good resulted from this supposed change in his state and character8 ,none4 ,he grew up a wild lad--he lived without religion--and without it he died4 ,but the child whose funeral we have just seen pass--this babe1 the first-fruits of conjugal bliss1 which just made its appearance in this valley of weeping1 a branch too tender to thrive in such an uncongenial soil1 after languishing for a few seconds1 experienced a premature decay4 ,it was a branch from the wild olive1 and required the same spiritual grafting to fit it to luxuriate in the garden of the ,lord as a more hardy plant4 ,but if this spiritual operation cannot be performed except when the sacrament of baptism is administered1 as some assert1 then is this tender scion a brier or a thorn1 whose end is to be burned1 for it withered and died before the waters of healing could be procured4 ,the impure and impious ruffian1 who dies in the act of scornfully rejecting the ,christian faith1 passes at once into the kingdom of heaven1 and takes rank with prophets1 and apostles1 and martyrs2 while the little lovely babe1 when waking up into a state of consciousness1 instead of feeling the tender embraces of a mother1 is startled into terror and anguish1 by the sight and sound of infernal and lost spirits6 ,really this baptismal regeneration of the ,tractarian churchman is such a monstrous doctrine1 that ,i am at a loss to conceive how any man of common sense and humane feeling can appear as its advocate2 it is a libel on the ,christian faith1 a daring outrage on parental feeling1 and altogether a fatal delusion4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,i have been reviewing my opinion on the question of baptismal regeneration since our last discussion1 and ,i find the difficulties in which it is involved too numerous and too formidable to be fairly overcome4 ,i find ,i must abandon it2 but in doing this ,i am plunged into deep perplexity2 for ,i am utterly incapable of conceiving what regeneration can be1 unless ,i imbibe the notions of the evangelical clergy1 which ,i never can do4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,to object to truth1 attested by conclusive evidence1 merely because it is admitted by a class of men against whom strong antipathies are improperly excited1 is a mark1 not of wisdom1 but of folly2 and if you push such a determination to the full extent of its application1 you will be reduced to the necessity of giving up your belief in the existence of a ,god--the ,divine mission of ,jesus ,christ--the doctrine of providence--the resurrection and the final judgment--as they believe these doctrines in common with you4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,very true2 but you know that prejudice is more difficult to subdue than reason2 and hence it may be termed the forlorn hope of truth1 which but few can take4 ,but as the question is one of paramount importance1 and we have leisure to discuss it1 ,i wish it to be pursued1 and ,i shall be glad if you will give me your definition of regeneration4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,the word regeneration rarely occurs in the ,new ,testament2 but there are many other terms employed1 which convey the same leading idea2 such as1 being born again--born of the ,spirit--born of ,god--being made a new creature in ,christ ,jesus4 ,hence1 when the apostle had exhorted the ,ephesians to put off1 with respect to their former conversation1 'the old man1 which is corrupt1 according to the deceitful lusts1' he adds1 'and be renewed in the spirit of your mind1 and put on the new man1 which after ,god1' or in conformity to ,his image1 'is created in righteousness and true holiness2' and in his address to the ,romans he says1 'and be not conformed to this world2 but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind1 that ye may prove what is that good1 and acceptable1 and perfect will of ,god4' ,these passages decidedly prove1 at least in my opinion1 the necessity of some moral change in the principles1 and dispositions1 and tempers of our mind2 and ,i am not aware that ,i can give you a better definition of it than you will find in the preface to a volume of discourses which ,i have in my library3--',by regeneration is meant1 a prevailing disposition of the mind to universal holiness1 produced and cherished by the influence of the ,divine ,spirit operating in a manner suitable to the constitution of our nature1 as rational and accountable creatures4' ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,the passages which you have quoted unquestionably imply the necessity of some moral change2 and ,i can conceive a propriety in their application to the ,jews1 or to pagan ,gentiles of ancient times2 but they cannot1 with any show of reason1 be applied to us1 who are born ,christians1 and educated in the belief of ,christianity4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,no1 we are not born ,christians4 ,we are born in a country where ,christianity is professed1 and of parents who bear the ,christian name1 and we have been educated in a belief of ,christianity2 yet no one is a ,christian until he is renewed in the spirit of his mind1 and is in some measure conformed to the image of ,jesus ,christ1 who was holy and undefiled4 ,to prove the correctness of this statement1 ,i will refer you to our old friend1 ,mr4 ,trotter4 ,his father1 you know1 was a good man2 but he himself1 with all his excellencies1 was an avowed sceptic2 and his brother was no less dissolute in his habits than he was corrupt in his principles4 ,you will admit1 ,i presume1 that some moral change is necessary in relation to such men4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,certainly2 if a man be a sceptic1 his opinions must be changed before he can become a believer2 and if his habits are depraved1 they must be changed before he can become a ,christian4 ,but the majority are virtuous1 and to these ,i suppose you do not intend to apply the doctrine4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,you may know many whose characters are adorned with the various traits of excellence1 but have you ever known a perfect man8--a man in whose temper there is no flaw--in whose disposition there is no perversity--in whose principles there is no obliquity--one who uniformly1 and on all occasions1 displays the most entire and irreproachable goodness8 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,no1 ,i must confess that ,i do not know such a one4 ,i quite admit that the most perfect and the most amiable men ,i have ever known1 have1 on close acquaintance1 disclosed some imperfections of character1 more or less4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,and may not a person acquire a high degree of virtue even while he is destitute of every religious principle8 ,our friend1 ,mr4 ,frowd1 as you may well remember1 was a most excellent and virtuous man1 and even a zealous ,churchman2 but you know that he rejected the ,divine origin of ,christianity1 and supported the church as a mere human establishment1 which served to give stability to the government1 by operating on the prejudices and passions of the masses of the people through the medium of her clergy4 ,hence we must not confound morality and religion1 as though they were essentially the same thing1 seeing that the most moral may be as sceptical in their opinions as the most impure1 and are often even more unwilling than they1 to receive the humiliating doctrines and self-denying precepts of the gospel4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,i admit the correctness of your statement1 and ,i assure you that this view of the matter has often excited my astonishment4 ,i have in my parish a gentleman1 who is very humane and benevolent--a faithful friend--beloved by all who know him2 but he has not been to church for nearly twenty years1 except when he came to receive the sacrament1 on his being elected sheriff of the county4 ,i have sometimes spoken to him on the subject of religion1 but he shrewdly gets away from my arguments by saying1 ',sir1 you are to be commended for doing your duty4' ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,and will not these facts convince you that the moral disorder of our nature lies in the heart1 which may be deceitful and desperately wicked in the sight of ,god1 even while some of the virtues adorn the character4 ,have you yet to learn1 my brother1 that pride1 which disdains vulgar vice--that a love of fame and that self-interest may generate many social and domestic virtues1 even while the inner man is enmity against ,god1 neither recognizing the authority of his law1 nor embracing the truths of the gospel8 ,on this subject ,i can speak with strong personal feeling2 and if ,i may refer to a passage in my own history1 it is not to gratify vanity1 but to illustrate the distinction which the ,scriptures preserve between morality and personal religion4 ,i lived for many years a virtuous life1 attached to the church1 and devoting much of my time to the study of the ,scriptures1 reverencing ,god as a great and good being1 and believing in the ,divine mission of ,jesus ,christ2 but during the whole of this time ,i was ignorant of the alienation of my affections from ,god--of the actual depravity of my heart--of the essential evil of sin2 nor could ,i understand how we are to be saved by grace1 through faith1 until it pleased ,god to enlighten my understanding2 then all obscurity vanished1 and now1 ,i trust1 ,i know the mysteries of truth more perfectly4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,you who embrace what are termed evangelical sentiments1 always employ a mystical phraseology of speech1 which no one can understand but the initiated2 and this is one principal cause of the prejudice which prevails against them amongst the more intelligent and less enthusiastic part of society4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,but our mystical phraseology of speech1 as you are pleased to term it1 is the very language of ,scripture2 and the inspired writers who have employed it1 would doubtless use it now1 if they were speaking to us4 ,you1 then1 ought to transfer your objections from us to them2 but in doing so1 you would be encountering an authority which you profess to venerate4 ,but1 after all1 the objection is less against the phraseology of ,scripture1 than against the truth of which it is the appointed vehicle of communication4 ,pride1 under some peculiar modification1 is the epidemic disease of our nature2 but none are more under its dominion than men of intelligence1 of taste1 and of virtue2 and it is against this passion that the gospel of ,jesus ,christ directs the thunder of its power4 ,how mortifying to a man of intellectual fame1 whose superior genius feels equal to the comprehension of whole systems of truth1 by a single exertion of its power1 to be told that 'whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of ,god as a little child1 shall not enter therein6' ,how mortifying to a man1 whose amiable temper1 whose social habits1 whose fascinating manners1 whose constitutional virtues have combined to raise him far above his fellows1 to be told that he must come down from his vantage-ground1 to kneel at the same throne of grace with publicans and harlots1 and implore forgiveness in language equally humiliating with that which they employ6 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,i have always thought that the cultivation of the virtues predisposed the mind to receive the truths of ,christianity2 but if your statement be correct1 a virtuous man may be no more fit for the kingdom of heaven than a profane one4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,nor can he be1 unless he is born again4 ,he may1 like the ,pharisee in the gospel1 trust in the merit of his virtues for salvation1 instead of trusting in the redemption made by ,jesus ,christ2 but having no just perceptions of the degeneracy of his nature1 he repudiates with disdain the doctrine of regeneration1 which ,jesus ,christ asserts to be universally necessary4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,then you believe that all men are depraved1 though not equally corrupt2 and that all1 notwithstanding their various shades of excellence1 stand in equal need of the moral change which you think regeneration denotes8 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,we should remember that ,christianity is essentially a restorative dispensation2 it bears a continual respect to a state from which man is fallen1 and is a provision for repairing that ruin which the introduction of moral evil has brought upon him4 ,exposed to the displeasure of ,god1 and the curse of his law1 he stands in need of a ,redeemer2 disordered in his powers1 and criminally averse to his duty1 he equally needs a ,sanctifier4 ,and it is to men of every age and of every clime1 as guilty and depraved sinners1 without paying any respect to the lighter degrees of their depravity and guilt1 that the gospel of ,jesus ,christ brings the glad tidings of complete redemption2 but if any reject it1 through a false conception that they do not require its renovating power or its cleansing virtue1 they are1 in the language of the ,scriptures1 emphatically denominated unbelievers1 on whom the wrath of ,god abideth continually4 ,the conversation was here interrupted by the entrance of the ladies1 who informed us that they had made a call at ,fairmount1 where they had been highly gratified4--,indeed1 said ,mrs4 ,john ,roscoe1 ,i must confess that ,i was most agreeably disappointed4 ,mrs4 ,stevens is no less accomplished than intelligent2 and ,i was delighted with her frank and cheerful disposition1 and the elegant ease of her manners4 ,instead of a demure lady1 disgusted with the world1 and absorbed in the anticipations of a future state1 she talked pleasantly of men and things1 as a contented and a happy resident amongst them4 ,i could perceive that religion was her favourite theme2 yet there was no gloom with it1 nor overweening self-conceit4 ,she appeared almost like an angel pleading the cause of heaven1 and that in such language and with such feeling as ,i never before heard or witnessed4 ,she disengaged the religious principle from all its connections and associations with human forms and ceremonials1 and presented it in its own native simplicity and purity2 ,i could see that it was to her no less a source of felicity than a subject of contemplation and discussion4 ,she must be1 indeed1 a happy woman4 ,it is generally supposed1 said ,miss ,roscoe1 that the religious principle1 when it takes possession of the mind1 pervading all its powers1 and regulating all its movements1 necessarily becomes the source of perpetual dejection and sorrow2 but a more false notion never obtained currency4 ,true religion is not a source of misery1 but a perennial spring of contentment2 the day-star of hope1 the rising and setting sun of human happiness4 ,but you know1 my dear1 said ,mrs4 ,roscoe1 that your religion prohibits you from participating in many sources of amusement in which you once took great delight2 and as they are so innocent and so agreeable1 ,i cannot but think that in this respect it must be painful to you to make the sacrifices which your religion requires you to make4 ,if1 mamma1 ,i looked back on my former sources of gratification with a lingering eye1 and still longed to participate in them1 ,i certainly should feel the restraining power to be painful2 but the grace of ,god1 by renewing my mind1 has entirely changed my taste2 and now the theatre1 the ball1 or the card-party1 would be to me as much a source of actual pain as they once were of ephemeral joy4 ,while sojourning in this vale of life1 the enjoyment of fellowship with my heavenly ,father is more than a recompense for the loss of those pleasures which ,i have abandoned4 ,on which ,mr4 ,roscoe remarked3 ,if the revelation of mercy was intended to promote our happiness1 it certainly would fail in accomplishing its design if it proved a source of misery4 ,but1 said ,mrs4 ,john ,roscoe1 ,i have never yet conceived of religion as being a source of mental bliss4 ,i have felt it a duty to be religious1 but never a pleasure4 ,i have read over my prayers1 but they never came from my heart4 ,i have practised some of the self-denying virtues of religion1 but it has been more from a sense of duty than from actual preference4 ,i have sometimes thought of going to heaven1 but ,i have never derived any gratification from anticipating it4 ,o no1 said ,mrs4 ,roscoe1 interrupting her1 neither have ,i4 ,but1 replied ,mrs4 ,john ,roscoe1 one thing is certain1 there is some essential difference in the origin and the character of that religion which is a source of real pleasure1 and that which is embraced from a mere sense of duty4 ,yes1 said ,mr4 ,roscoe1 the religion which is embraced from a mere sense of duty1 is the religion of forms and ceremonies2 while the religion which is the source of mental bliss1 is the religion of principle and of feeling4 ,the one may be assumed or laid aside as fancy or as convenience may dictate2 but the other1 taking up its abode in the heart1 liveth and abideth for ever4 ,all false religions take man as he is2 they accommodate themselves to his errors and his passions2 they leave him essentially the same as they found him2 they follow the man1 they are formed after his likeness3 whereas in genuine religion the man changes--he is modelled after the image of ,jesus ,christ4 ,the gospel1 instead of flattering1 tells him that in his present state he is incapable of performing its duties or of relishing its joys2 that he must be transformed1 or he cannot enter into the kingdom of ,god2 and what it requires it produces2 hence all is order and harmony4 ,for everything in the dispensation of the gospel and the constitution of the ,christian church is new2 we have 'a new covenant2' we 'approach ,god by a new and living way2' we 'sing a new song2' we are called by a new name2 according to his promise we look for 'new heavens and a new earth1 wherein dwelleth righteousness4' ',he that sitteth upon the throne saith1 ,behold ,i create all things new4' ,can we wonder then that we are required to 'put off the old man with his deeds1 and to put on the new man2' 'to walk in newness of life2' 'to serve him in the newness of the spirit1 and not in the oldness of the letter8' that we are assured 'that neither circumcision availeth anything1 nor uncircumcision1 but a new creature2' 'that if any man be in ,christ1 he is a new creature2 old things are passed away1 behold1 all things are become new8' ,i feel1 said ,mrs4 ,john ,roscoe1 under the impulse of strong excitement4 ,some strange emotions--conflicting emotions--which ,i know not how to embody in distinct and appropriate forms of expression4 ,i have been religious--scrupulously religious--and yet my religious ideas have been vague and indefinite2 my religion has never engaged my affections4 ,i felt charmed while listening to the chaste eloquence of ,mrs4 ,stevens1 when speaking of the practical influence of the love and grace of ,christ on her soul2 and your correct distinctions between the religion of mere form and the religion of principle1 confound and subdue me2 but ,i want two things1 which you1 ,sir1 and ,mrs4 ,stevens seem to possess--,i want a spirit to discern the distinction1 and a heart to feel it4 ,yes1 there must be a mental change in me before ,i can see as you see1 and feel as you feel4 ,her husband1 interrupting her1 exclaimed1 ,my dear1 you must put a curb on your imagination1 or before you leave for the sober quietude of home1 you will become an evangelical enthusiast4 ,to be candid2 ,i am awe-struck by the new discoveries ,i am making1 or rather by the new visions of religious truth which are rising before me4 ,indeed1 ,i must have the religion of principle2 that of mere form has no life1 no power2 it throws out no attractions2 it touches not the heart to excite its affections2 it does not bring me into contact with a living ,saviour2 nor does it inspire me with a hope full of immortality4 ,my dear1 said her husband1 you surprise me4 ,you cannot feel more surprised than ,i feel myself4 ,i feel on the eve of some great crisis in my moral history1 and yet ,i see nothing distinctly1 except the utter worthlessness of a religion of mere form without a living principle4 ,we were all too much astonished by this sudden outburst of impassioned feeling1 to make any observations2 at length ,miss ,roscoe broke through the silence1 which was felt to be painfully oppressive1 by saying1 ,i hope1 my dear aunt1 the ,divine ,spirit is gently leading you into the way of peace and the paths of righteousness1 for his name's sake4 ,what is now obscure will soon become clear2 wait patiently on the ,lord until the day of explanation dawn1 and then the day-star of hope will arise in your heart4 ,,the ,,evidences ,,of ,,spiritual ,,regeneration4 ,on returning from a walk in the garden1 the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe said to his brother1 ,i have just been having a talk with your gardener1 and ,i think you have got one of the most industrious and intelligent workmen ,i have ever met with2 he both understands how to cultivate his garden and how to cultivate his mind4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,yes1 ,robert is a very good and a very clever servant2 he respects the apostolic injunction1 and renders obedience1 not with eye-service1 as a man-pleaser1 but as a servant of ,christ1 doing the will of ,god from the heart4 ,he is conscientious and intelligent2 and ,i believe that he would neither waste my time by indolence1 nor my property by negligence or extravagance4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,a good servant is very valuable2 but1 like most other valuable things1 he is very rare4 ,your gardener seems much attached to you1 and says he hopes to die in your service4 ,from the style of his conversation1 and the extent of his general information1 ,i should suppose he has had a superior education1 and that he must have seen better days4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,no2 he never occupied a higher rank in life than he does at present4 ,his father1 who is still living in one of my cottages in the village1 is a very worthy man1 who has brought up a large family1 and he often boasts of having done it without receiving any assistance from the parish4 ,he is a fine specimen of the true ,english character in its primitive state4 ,about three years since he was very ill2 and as we knew that his resources were scanty1 we voted him twenty shillings at a vestry meeting1 which the overseer was requested to give to him4 ,but when the money was presented he said1 ',i am much obliged to you1 ,sir1 and to the other gentlemen1 for your kindness1 but ,i will never eat bread that's bought with parish money2 no1 ,sir1 ,i won't disgrace my family in my old age4' ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,that is a noble spirit6 ,if such a spirit were generally diffused among our labouring population1 there would be more virtue and more happiness in the country4 ,i am not surprised that you have such a servant1 now ,i find that he has such a father4 ,is the old man evangelical in his principles8 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,yes1 and in his practice2 but he was not able to infuse his principles into his son1 who for many years evinced strong antipathies against his father's piety4 ,he inherited his honesty1 and industry1 and high independent spirit2 but he was very profane1 which was a source of great distress to the good old man4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,but ,i should hope that he is not so now1 for ,i was led to infer1 from some expressions which he used1 that he was a very virtuous man4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,yes1 he is virtuous1 and more than virtuous--he is now decidedly pious4 ,he is a living witness of the doctrine of regeneration2 and if you go and ask him what it is1 he will tell you that it is an internal change in the dispositions and propensities of the mind1 produced1 not by the application of water in baptism1 but by the renewing power of the ,divine ,spirit4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,i did not think that talking of the old man and his son would lead us to the subject of our late discussion2 but as it has come up again1 let me ask you one question--,if regeneration do not take place at the time of our baptism1 when does it take place1 and how will it be possible for us to decide whether we have been regenerated or not8 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,if it invariably take place at the time of baptism1 according to the popular construction of our prayer-book1 and the current belief of the ,tractarian members of our church1 nothing more would be necessary to convince us that we are the children of ,god than an attested copy of our baptismal register1 which ,i presume1 on reflection1 you will deem too preposterous and too hazardous to be admitted4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,but admitting1 for the sake of the argument1 that baptism is regeneration1 where would be the hazard of letting our assurance of it depend on an attested copy of our parish register8 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,why1 suppose such an attested copy could not be obtained1 then we could have no substantial proof of our regeneration4 ,we may be the children of ,god1 and we may be inheritors of the kingdom of heaven2 but if the officiating minister neglect to record the fact of our baptism1 or if the register-book should be lost or burnt1 it will be impossible for us to prove it1 even though the ,spirit itself bear witness with our spirit that we are the children of ,god4 ,to what a dilemma1 then1 may a son of ,god be reduced6 ,he may be in the possession of every moral evidence of his filial relation to his heavenly ,father--he may love him1 fear him1 and glorify him2 he may have put off the old man1 which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts2 and may have put on the new man1 which after ,god is created in righteousness and true holiness3 but not being able to establish the fact of his baptism by the production of a genuine copy of its insertion in the parish register1 he is not able to prove the fact of his regeneration4 ',a situation this of doubt1 suspense1 and anxiety1 with regard to our eternal welfare1 to which it is reasonable to believe that1 with such a revelation of his will as ,christianity professes to be1 the ,father of mercies and ,god of all comfort would not expose his humble creatures4'#ac #ac ,dr4 ,mant4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,i am satisfied that it does not invariably nor necessarily take place at baptism2 but then1 when does it take place8 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,it does not uniformly take place at any particular age1 but precisely at that period in the life of man which the ,spirit of ,god determines4 ,some1 ,i have no doubt1 are regenerated by the ,holy ,spirit in the days of infancy1 and grow up into life under the influence of the holy principles which were implanted in their soul when they had no consciousness of it4 ,i have a book at hand1 from which ,i will read you a passage that is quite to the point3--',god has wisely given to the female sex a peculiar tenderness of address1 and an easy and insinuating manner1 which is admirably adapted to the great end for which he intended it1 that of conveying knowledge to children1 and making tender impressions on their minds2 and there is hardly any view in which the importance of the sex more evidently appears4' ,it seems to me that children may early come to have some apprehensions of what is most important in religion4 ,they may have a reverence for ,god1 and a love for him1 as that great ,father who made them1 and that kind friend who gives them everything that they have2 and they may have a fear of doing anything that would displease him4 ,and though it is not so easy for them to understand the doctrines peculiar to a ,redeemer1 yet when they hear of ,christ as the ,son of ,god1 who came down from heaven to teach men and children the way thither1 and who died to deliver them from death and hell1 their little hearts may well be impressed with such thoughts as these1 and they may find a growing desire to be instructed in what ,christ is and what he taught and did1 and also to do what shall appear to be his will4 ,and wherever this is the prevailing disposition1 it seems to me that the seeds of holiness are sown in that soul1 though but small proficiency may be made in knowledge1 and though the capacities for service may be very low4 ,but the tendency to that which is evil and the aversion to that which is good1 which children generally discover1 is a decisive proof that very few are renewed at this early period4 ,they often outgrow their religious impressions1 yield to the force of temptations1 and allow themselves to be drawn aside from the path of duty by the attractive charms which a deceitful world holds out to allure and destroy4 ,but1 while glowing with health and devoting themselves to the pleasures and amusements of this life1 it often pleases ,god to arrest them in their career of folly as they are entering on the age of manhood1 or during the first few years of it1 and then they yield themselves unto ,god as those that are alive from the dead4 ',some1' to quote from the same author1 'are wrought upon by ,divine grace in the advance and even in the decline of life4 ,there are but few who arrive at what may be called old age1 and of them but very few who1 at that period1 feel the great change2 nor shall we be much surprised at this if we consider the inveterate nature of bad habits1 which renders it almost as hard for them that are accustomed to do evil to learn to do good1 as it is for the ,ethiopian to change his skin1 or the leopard his spots4' ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,but one should imagine that the more our reason is improved1 and the nearer we get to another world1 the more solemnly and deeply the heart would be affected by the great and awful truths of religion4 ,you never thought so much nor so deeply on religious subjects when you were young as you do now2 and1 therefore1 ,i wonder you agree with your author in supposing this to be a very unfavourable period to be regenerated4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,very true2 but ,i cannot see one of my own age in the whole circle of my acquaintance1 who has been impressed in a similar manner to myself4 ',it is in vain to reason against facts1' says a judicious writer1 'and experience proves that it is an uncommon thing for persons to be awakened and reformed in old age2 especially if they have been educated in the principles of religion4 ,nevertheless1 to prove the infinite energy and sovereignty of ,divine grace1 ,god is sometimes pleased to renew even such3 ,he touches the rock which has stood for ages unmoved1 and the waters flow forth2 ,he says to the dry bones--live1 and they are animated with life2 and then1 with the vigour of a renewed youth1 they devote themselves to ,god4' ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,then you think that this great change in the human heart may take place at any period of life1 though you think that the season of youth or early manhood is the most favourable4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,i do4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,will you now tell me by what sort of evidence a person who is actually regenerated acquires a satisfactory knowledge of the fact8 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,the apostle says1 ',therefore1 if any man be in ,christ1 he is a new creature3 old things are passed away2 behold1 all things are become new4' ,when an immoral man undergoes this internal renovation1 there will be such a change in his habits and in his conversation that it will be conspicuous to all who know him4 ,the swearer will fear an oath--the drunkard will put from him the intoxicating cup--the ,sabbath-breaker will keep holy the day of rest--the impure1 who have been as a walking pestilence in the social world1 will become chaste--and those who have displayed the more malignant and ferocious passions1 will distinguish themselves by their meekness1 gentleness1 and humility4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,but may not this reformation take place in the character of the more dissolute1 without any change being effected in the dispositions and propensities of their hearts8 ,mr4 ,rosco4--,yes2 the influence of persuasion1 of example1 of self-interest1 and of mortified pride--the decay of the vigour of the animal passions1 and a fearful apprehension of future judgment1 will sometimes operate a most surprising reformation in some of the more licentious2 but when it proceeds from any of these causes1 if they do not relapse into their former course of evil1 they become satisfied with a mere scantling of exterior morality--evincing1 at the same time1 the utmost degree of aversion to the things of the ,spirit of ,god4 ,but when this reformation in the character proceeds from the renovation of the heart1 it resembles the shining light1 which shines clearer and brighter until the perfect day2 those who undergo it become decidedly pious1 and usually engage in the holy exercises of religion with a high degree of animation and delight4 ,they will speak in the most exalted terms of the ,redeemer--of the greatness of his love1 and of the sovereignty of his grace2 they will discover the most intense concern for the spiritual welfare of others in whom sin is reigning unto death2 and while they will often look back with astonishment on the scenes of danger from which they have been delivered1 they will boldly and cheerfully devote themselves to the service of ,christ1 notwithstanding the opposition or the persecution they may have to encounter4 ,i remember1 when my gardener1 ,robert1 felt the great change1 he became all at once so anxious to go and hear ,mr4 ,ingleby preach1 so much attached to his ,bible1 so zealous for the conversion of his fellow-servants1 and so fond of conversing on the essential doctrines of the gospel1 that ,i thought at the time he would lose his senses2 but now ,i can easily account for it all2 and though some lighter shades of imperfection still rest on his character1 yet he holds fast his integrity1 and is a living witness of the efficacy of the gospel1 which is the power of ,god unto salvation to every one that believeth4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,if ,i mistake not1 you have asserted that this renovation of the heart is as necessary for a moral person1 whose character is adorned with many social virtues1 as for one who is openly profane4 ,now1 if we admit this to be correct1 what perceptible change can take place in his conduct when he is renewed1 and by what evidences can he be convinced of it8 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,there will not be that visible transition1 in his case1 from a state of depravity to a state of purity2 but the moral man1 when regenerated1 will become a pious man4 ,he will discover the same anxiety on the question of his personal salvation--the same attachment to the ,bible--the same zeal for the conversion of others--the same disposition to converse on the essential doctrines of the gospel1 as the regenerated immoral man2 and he will ascribe this change to the same supernatural cause2 and1 by the avowal of his sentiments and by his decision1 he will provoke the same expression of scorn and contempt from the men of the world4 ,there will be a striking similarity between his character and his religious habits after his regeneration1 and the character and religious habits of one who was previously an immoral man1 but who has been renewed in the spirit of his mind2 and they will both be in possession of more satisfactory evidences of their regeneration than any exterior change which their character and their life may supply4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,what are those other evidences of regeneration to which you now refer8 ,mrs4 ,john ,roscoe now became much excited4 ,yes1 she said1 that's the important question ,i want explained4 ,i have been living many years under a most fatal delusion1 for though baptized1 ,i am not regenerated2 nor do ,i as yet know what regeneration is4 ,be very simple and plain in your explanation4 ,she now sat looking and listening with a fixed intensity of anxious earnestness1 reminding me of the appearance of a defendant whom ,i once watched in a crowded court1 during the prolonged consultation of the jury1 whose verdict was to secure to him the possession of his rich inheritance1 or reduce him to comparative pauperism4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,a person who is regenerated will be introduced as into a new world2 the transition from his former to his new moral condition1 whether it takes place suddenly1 or by a gradual process1 will be so clear to his mind that he cannot doubt it2 he will form new and more accurate perceptions of the character of ,god--of his own character--of the visible and invisible world--and of the official character of ,jesus ,christ2 he will feel the force of obligations pressing upon him1 of which he had previously formed no conception1 and he will discover sources of enjoyment of a new and a more refined order4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,i fear you are now taking me into an imaginary region1 where we shall be both lost amidst the obscurities of a fanatical and enthusiastic belief4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,i am as great an enemy to fanaticism as yourself2 but you will permit me to say that this term is often affixed as a stigma on personal piety4 ,i am now merely stating facts1 which are attested by the evidence of experience4 ,do we not read in the ,bible that the renewed man has the eye of his understanding enlightened8 ,does not this expression imply that before his renovation his understanding was darkened1 through the ignorance that was within him8 ,and can we suppose that he discovers no fresh objects of contemplation and delight when this new power of spiritual vision is imparted8 ,he has new apprehensions of the spirituality and omnipresence of ,god--of his majesty and purity--of his power and patience--of his goodness--and especially of his condescension in hearing and answering prayer4 ,and when he turns his eye in upon himself1 he discovers his guilt1 his depravity1 and his unworthiness2 and exclaims1 ,woe is me1 for ,i am unclean6 ,he is no less astonished at the ,divine forbearance towards him than he is at his own insensibility and ingratitude2 and while he offers up the tribute of praise to the ,god of his mercies1 he abhors himself1 and repents in dust and in ashes4 ,but his chief attention is fixed on the person of the ,redeemer--on the efficacy of his death--on the prevalence of his intercession--on his amazing and boundless love for sinners--even the chief4 ,on these grand and important themes he dwells with the most enraptured delight4 ,they now appear before him invested with a charm all their own2 and he is no less astonished when he remembers his former indifference to them1 than he is at that death-like insensibility which the great majority around him discover4 ,the pleasures and the pursuits of the world1 which once engrossed so large a portion of his attention1 and so powerfully interested his passions1 now sink into insignificance when compared with the realities of the invisible state2 and though he feels no disposition to neglect his present duties1 yet he often anticipates1 with intense emotions of delight1 the glory which is to be revealed on entering the kingdom of heaven4 ,having been redeemed by the precious blood of ,christ1 and sanctified in part by the eternal ,spirit1 he now feels the powerful obligations of gratitude and love constraining him to yield himself to ,god1 to serve and glorify him4 ,he can now without regret leave his sinful pleasure1 and from meditation1 prayer1 and listening to the gospel's joyous sound1 he can derive real and substantial happiness4 ,but one of the most satisfactory evidences of regeneration is an aversion to sin1 and an ardent desire for an entire conformity to the purity of the ,divine nature1 which every renewed man feels--an aversion which is not directed exclusively against open immoralities1 but which extends to the principles of evil which lie concealed in the recesses of the heart4 ,hence1 his prayer will be--,cleanse thou me from secret faults2 keep back thy servant from presumptuous sin2 let no iniquity have dominion over me2 lead me not into temptation1 but deliver me from all evil4 ,but the renewed man is not more anxious to be preserved from the dominion of sinful passions and principles1 than he is to become holy1 even as ,god is holy4 ,and as he knows that this assimilation can be produced only by immediate intercourse with ,god1 he walks in a state of habitual communion with him2 and though he is not always conscious of his presence1 nor always favoured with the sensible manifestations of it1 yet he cleaves to him in the purposes of his heart4 ,now1 ,i appeal to you1 if such a change in the character1 in the views1 and in the tastes of a man1 is not a powerful evidence of his having undergone that internal renovation or regeneration which the ,scriptures represent to be indispensably necessary to fit us for the kingdom of heaven4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,why1 ,i must confess that such a change is a more rational evidence of regeneration than the simple fact that the baptismal ceremony has been performed2 but how few of those who have been baptized possess any such evidence of their being the children of ,god1 and the inheritors of the kingdom of heaven4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,this is too true2 and1 alas6 what an appalling truth6 ,mrs4 ,john ,roscoe1 who listened with profound attention to the whole of this discussion1 on rising with her niece to take a stroll in the garden1 said1 ,what a burlesque on the sanctity of our pure and sublime faith1 to see an immoral man1 when reproved for his vices1 and warned to flee from the wrath1 deliberately appeal to the fact of his having been baptized1 to prove that he is a child of ,god1 and an inheritor of the kingdom of heaven6 ,can we conceive of anything more puerile1 or more calculated to encourage persons to riot in sin1 fearless of the fearful consequences8 ,it is quite time this fatal heresy was driven out of our church1 and torn out of our prayer-book4 ,i think so too1 aunt2 but what commotion would be excited amongst our church-going people if any legal attempt were made to substitute the simple and significant baptism of the ,new ,testament for this delusive papal ceremony of baptismal regeneration4 ,why1 many would rather have their ,bibles mutilated than their prayer-book4 ,the ,bishop of ,oxford calls it a ,churchman's blessed inheritance1 which ought to be preserved entire2 no change in a book which is so perfect4 ,,on ,,conversion4 ,returning with ,mr4 ,roscoe and his brother from a survey of some ancient ruins1 which reminded us of the departed heroes of olden times1 and of the legendary tales of their strange and adventurous life1 which are still rife amongst the people who reside in this vicinity1 we overtook ,mr4 ,stevens1 who consented to spend the evening with us1 and we walked on together to ,mr4 ,roscoe's mansion4 ,after tea our conversation turned on the rise1 progress1 and character of ,methodism1 when the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe gave it as his unqualified opinion1 that its introduction into this kingdom was no less fatal to the honour and harmony of the church1 than the irruptions of the ,goths and ,vandals from the trackless deserts of the ,north1 were to the literature and sovereignty of the ,roman empire4 ,it came1 he observed1 at a period when no danger was apprehended2 and from the meanness of its appearance1 and its entire want of the attractions of intelligence or of taste1 no one could calculate on its exciting that commotion1 or acquiring that degree of influence over the popular mind1 which its history records1 and which we all ought deeply to deplore4 ,to extirpate this fatal heresy1 or to arrest it in its destructive course1 ,i fear is now impossible2 but we ought certainly to be on our guard1 lest we should accelerate its march1 either by that supineness which neglects to defend the passes1 or that neutrality which looks with indifference on the conquests of an enemy1 if he leaves us in the undisturbed possession of our own little territory4 ,though you cannot agree with the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,cole in his opinions on baptismal regeneration1 ,i think you must agree with him in his remarks on the preposterous conversions which are the boast of our modern fanatics4 ,indeed1 what man of learning or of taste can read the periodical journals of enthusiasm without feeling disgusted1 and if he were not thoroughly established in his belief of the ,divine origin of our holy religion1 he must1 ,i think1 become a sceptic4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,men of learning and of taste1 with some few honourable exceptions1 very rarely discover any strong attachment for the humiliating doctrines or the self-denying precepts of that holy religion1 whose ,divine origin they professedly admit4 ,the religion which they admire is not the religion of the ,scriptures1 but one modified and adapted to their taste and propensities4 ,would the poets or prose writers of modern times1 who praise1 in harmonious numbers or well-turned periods1 the religion of their country1 welcome that religion if she were to disengage herself from the attractions of the mitre1 and the associations of sacred altars and antique buildings1 and rise up before them in the simplicity of her attire1 and1 with an authoritative voice1 as when she first despoiled ,greece and ,rome of their elegant mythology1 demanding from them repentance towards ,god1 and faith in our ,lord ,jesus ,christ8 ,if she were to speak to them of sin1 of their sins1 she would excite the smile of ridicule2 if she were to urge on them the necessity of repentance1 lest they perish1 she would provoke their contempt2 and if she were to require from them that faith in the ,lord ,jesus ,christ which by its own reaction purifies and ennobles the human soul1 she would be despised and rejected1 no less than the enthusiasm of ,methodism4 ,but though the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,cole reprobated1 in very strong terms1 the preposterous conversions of the fanatics of modern times1 he did not1 ,i believe1 deny the necessity of conversion1 nor say that it was impossible4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,o no1 he gave us the following quotation from the excellent and judicious tract#ad which the justly celebrated ,dr4 ,mant has published on the question3 ',conversion1 according to our notions1 may not improperly be said to consist of a rational conviction of sin1 and sense of its wickedness and danger2 of a sincere penitence and sorrow of heart at having incurred the displeasure of a holy ,god2 of steadfast purposes of amendment with the blessing of the ,divine grace2 of a regular and diligent employment of all the appointed means of grace2 and of a real change of heart and life1 of affections and conduct1 and a resolute perseverance in well-doing4' ,and ,i may quote the next paragraph from this judicious tract1 which says1 ',the triumph of such conversion as this is not attended by alternations of extreme joy and despondency1 of the most ecstatic rapture and the most gloomy despair2 sometimes by heavenly exultation1 and sometimes by the agonies of hell4 ,it has little of what is brilliant and dazzling to decorate1 little of what is magnificent and imposing to dignify and exalt it4' #ad ,the reader is referred to two tracts on ,regeneration and ,conversion1 published by ,dr4 ,mant1 and circulated by the ,society for the ,promotion of ,christian ,knowledge4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,when ,i first read that tract1 ,i very much admired it1 and ,i have circulated many hundreds1 thinking that it would check the progress of evangelical sentiments2 but1 on a recent perusal of it1 ,i felt much astonished when ,i recollected the satisfaction and the pleasure which it once afforded me2 and ,i fear that1 by giving it circulation1 ,i have assisted in perpetuating the delusion under which such a large proportion of all ranks in society are advancing to the eternal world4 ,i certainly do not object to his definition of conversion2 but the highly-wrought reflections which you have just quoted1 are1 in my opinion1 an impeachment of the accuracy of his reasoning and of the fervour of his piety4 ,if they have any meaning1 they are intended to prove that the gentle excitement of the passions constitutes a legitimate evidence of conversion2 but if the passions should be strongly excited--if they should overflow1 and dare to wet the couch of a penitent with the fast-dropping tear--if they should touch on the borders of the joy which is unspeakable and full of glory--or if they ever should sink into despondency1 or rise to a hope full of immortality1 then they change their character1 and become1 not the evidences of conversion1 but of fanaticism4 ,i object to such a statement as unphilosophical1 and calculated to produce the very evil it is intended to prevent4 ,two men1 whose mental temperament varies from cool apathy to the highest degree of a nervous sensibility1 may sincerely repent of having1 by their sins1 incurred the displeasure of ,god2 but to suppose1 with ,dr4 ,mant1 that they will both feel in the same exact proportion1 and that proportion the lowest possible degree of excitement1 would be to betray consummate ignorance of the constitution of the human mind4 ,these two men1 who feel a degree of sorrow for sin1 and of joy for the promise of forgiveness1 that accords with the exact susceptibility of their nature1 are placed by the judicious ,dr4 ,mant in very opposite columns--the one amongst the sincere penitents1 the other amongst the deluded fanatics4 ,but this is not the only absurdity which such a classification involves2 for it necessarily tends to plunge the man of strong passions into despair1 because he feels too acutely1 while it keeps the man of more moderate passions in a state of uncertainty1 lest he should not have felt quite enough4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,but will you not admit that the annals of ,methodism record many instances of extravagant feeling1 which neither a reference to the varying temperament of the mind1 nor the sober language of ,holy ,writ1 will account for or justify2 such as extremes of weeping and of laughter1 sobs1 and shrieks1 and groans1 and wailing1 and gnashing of teeth--the voice now stifled by agony1 and now bursting forth in tones of despair2 tremors1 and faintings1 and droppings to the ground1 as if struck by lightning2 paleness and torpor1 convulsions and contortions2 things terrible to behold1 too terrible to be borne1 and which words cannot describe4 ,can you suppose that such scenes are the effect of ,divine truth producing a rational conviction of sin1 and a keen sense of its wickedness and danger8 are they not rather the consequences of fanaticism8 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,the symptoms which you have enumerated are sometimes apparent1 ,i have no doubt1 even when the heart is untouched by the subduing power of the grace of ,god1 and may be referred to the strong excitement of the animal passions1 when stirred up from their dormant state by the impassioned eloquence of the preacher2 but at other times we may regard them as the visible and audible signs of a genuine conversion to ,god1 the utterances of a soul at the period of its new birth1 when in the act of passing from death to life4 ,and though ,i should prefer the truth being felt and received into the heart in the calm of composed and silent listening1 yet ,i would rather see an entire congregation bathed in tears1 sobbing1 and even groaning aloud1 while their minister is addressing them on the sublime and awful realities of the eternal world1 than witness that apathetic indifference which is so generally apparent--a listlessness which is something like a judicial insensibility4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,i admit that there is too much apparent indifference in our congregations to the sermons of the clergy2 but there may be a strong undercurrent of emotion1 even when there are no floods4 ,but to revert to what ,i call the extravagant symptoms of feeling in connection with ,methodism1 the line of distinction which you have drawn between the causes to which we may refer them may be substantially correct2 but ,i presume you do not intend to maintain that they are ever1 even in the most sober and modified degree1 the necessary accompaniments of conversion8 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,no1 certainly not2 but if there be sorrow in the heart for having incurred the displeasure of a holy ,god1 ought we to be surprised if the eye be suffused with tears8 and if there be a rational conviction of the danger to which the commission of sin exposes us1 ought we to be surprised if the breast heave with tumultuous swellings of alarm and dread8 ,shall an apprehension of deserved wrath awaken no terror8 or a hope of redeeming love inspire no joy8 ,why1 a man must be metamorphosed into some other being1 not to have his passions stirred1 from the very depth of his soul1 when such awful and transporting scenes are passing before his mental vision4 ,mr4 ,stevens4--,i am astonished that any clergyman should condemn the strong and visible excitement of the passions at the period of conversion1 when there are so many passages in the ,scriptures which attest it4 ,the writer of the book of ,proverbs says1 ',the spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity1 but a wounded spirit who can bear8' ,and if a deep wound be inflicted on the soul of man1 which he is incapable of healing or of enduring1 shall we turn round upon him and aggravate the intensity of his anguish1 by employing the strong symptoms of his grief as evidences either of insanity or fanaticism8 ,the impiety of such an act would be no less censurable than its cruelty4 ,and does not the prophet tell us that when the ,spirit of grace is poured out on the inhabitants of ,jerusalem1 that 'they shall look upon him whom they have pierced1 and they shall mourn for him1 as one mourneth for his only son1 and shall be in bitterness for him1 as one that is in bitterness for his first-born4' ,this prediction was fulfilled when the three thousand were pricked in their heart1 and cried out at the close of ,peter's address1 ,men and brethren1 what shall we do8 ,and shall the charge of fanatical extravagance and delusion be brought against these primitive converts1 because they cried out1 and asked aloud1 in the hearing of all the people1 what they should do to escape from the wrath they had deserved8 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,mr4 ,cole admitted that the penitents in former times were sometimes extravagantly affected1 because their conversion was miraculous1 but he maintained1 and ,i think very satisfactorily1 that there are no instantaneous conversions in modern times--the thing is impossible4 ,if you recollect1 he proved that the instantaneous conversions recorded in the ,scriptures were effected by the force of miracles1 but as these have ceased1 men must be wrought on now by the more slow process of argument and persuasion2 and he supported his opinion by the following quotation from ,dr4 ,mant3 ',when the conversion was sudden or instantaneous1 it was the consequence of miraculous evidence to the truth4 ,when the preaching of ,peter on the day of ,pentecost added to the church three thousand souls1 they were men who had been amazed and confounded by the effusion of the ,holy ,ghost1 and the supernatural gift of tongues4' ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,yes1 they were confounded and amazed when they heard the apostles speaking in different languages1 but this miracle1 so far from effecting their conversion1 merely excited the ridicule of many1 who1 mocking1 said1 ',these men are full of new wine4' ,but after they had listened to ,peter's discourse1 they were 'pricked in their heart1 and then said unto ,peter1 and to the rest of the apostles1 men and brethren1 what shall we do8' ,miracles attested the ,divine mission of the apostles1 but it was the truth which the apostles preached that became the means of the conversion of the people4 ,and though the miraculous evidences of the apostolic commission have ceased1 because they are no longer necessary1 yet the truth1 which is the instrument of conversion1 is preserved pure and entire2 and when it is faithfully and energetically preached1 it is still the power of ,god to salvation4 ,shall we say that he1 who has all power in heaven and earth1 cannot1 if he please1 effect the conversion of sinners as suddenly in the present day as in the times of the apostles4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,if you recollect1 he quoted ,dr4 ,mant to prove the possibility of such sudden conversions4 ',not that ,i would be understood to assert that ,providence may not1 perhaps1 even in the present day1 be sometimes pleased to interpose in a manner more awful and impressive than is agreeable to the ordinary course of his proceedings1 and to arrest the sinner in his career of infidelity or wickedness1 and to turn him from darkness to light4' ,what he maintained was1 that these sudden conversions are not to be expected by the clergy who preach to ,christian congregations1 which are composed of those who have been trained up in the belief of ,christianity4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,i have no doubt that many who have been trained up in the belief of ,christianity have1 in the process of their training1 felt its moral influence in producing repentance towards ,god1 and faith in our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 though they may not know the time when they first felt its power in enlightening and renewing them1 or when they passed from death unto life4 ,the whole process of their conversion has been conducted so silently and so gradually--they have been led on by such imperceptible steps from one degree of knowledge and of grace to another1 and it has been with so much hesitating precaution that they have embraced the consolatory promises of mercy--that they have erected no monumental pillars to commemorate any great moral revolution in their character1 nor placed any sacred landmarks by which their progress in the life of faith can be traced4 ,but are your congregations composed exclusively of this description of hearers8 ,no2 you may sometimes see all the varieties of the human character sitting around you when you are in the pulpit2 the ,sabbath-breaker1 the swearer1 the debauchee1 the seducer1 the scoffer1 and the mere formalist in religion4 ,must not these persons be converted before they can enter the kingdom of heaven8 ,and how is their conversion to be effected8 ,you employ your arguments to convince them of the ,divine origin of ,christianity1 and they are convinced of it1 but still go on in a course of sin4 ,you employ the force of moral suasion to induce them to turn from iniquity to righteousness1 but such is the fatal obduracy of their hearts1 that it makes no impression4 ,what can you do now to insure success8 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,why1 if people will not be converted by argument or persuasion1 they must take the consequences upon themselves4 ,i don't know anything more that can be done4 ,we must leave them to take their own course1 and if they perish1 we can't help it4 ,they doom themselves to perdition4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,but if you read the ,new ,testament with close attention1 you will perceive that there is a power associated with a faithful and enlightened ministry1 which makes it not the letter of instruction merely1 but the spirit which giveth life4 ,did not the ,saviour1 when he gave the apostles their commission1 say1 ',lo ,i am with you always1 even to the end of the world8' ,is it not to his immediate presence with the first preachers of the gospel1 that the sacred historian everywhere ascribes the signal success which crowned their labours1 and not to the force of miracles8 ,if a great multitude at ,antioch turned to the ,lord1 it was because the hand of the ,lord was with them2 if ,lydia believed in consequence of giving attention to the things which were spoken1 it was because the ,lord opened her heart2 if ,paul planted1 and ,apollos watered with success1 it was the ,lord who gave the increase2 and highly as they were endowed1 they did not presume to rely on the efficacy of their own addresses1 or the force of the miraculous attestations of their own mission1 but confessed that it was through ,god that they became mighty and triumphant in all their ministerial labours4 ,if1 then1 his presence is associated with a faithful ministry1 and the apostles invariably ascribed their success to the concurring testimony of his power1 and if he promise to be with his ministers through every succeeding age1 ought you to overlook it8 ,will you boast of your uninterrupted succession in the ministerial office from the times of the apostles1 while you undervalue the importance of the presence of the ,lord to give success to your official labours8 or do you suppose that now ,christianity is grown venerable by her age1 she can turn men from darkness to light--from the power of ,satan to ,god--without the concurring testimony of that ,almighty power on which she relied in the days of her youthful vigour8 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,these quotations and references undoubtedly prove that our ,saviour must give the success to our ministry2 but ,i think it would be very injudicious to state such a fact to our congregations4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,why so8 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,because it would lower the clergy in their estimation if we were to say that we are not invested with a plenitude of power to accomplish the design of our appointment1 and might lead the people to wait for a miraculous conversion1 instead of trying for it in the regularly appointed way4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,then you must admit that the writers of the ,scriptures1 who wrote under the plenary inspiration of the ,holy ,spirit1 acted a very injudicious part1 and have set us a very improper example1 as they have placed the fact of their personal insufficiency1 and their entire dependence on their invisible ,lord1 in a prominent point of view4 ,indeed1 the consequences of such an admission would be alarming1 as in that case we should be compelled to pass a censure on the wisdom of the ,divine ,spirit for allowing such facts to be placed on record1 if they are calculated to produce a pernicious effect on the popular mind4 ,it is evident to me1 from your last remarks1 that you1 in common with all the clergy of the anti-evangelical school1 have imbibed some very fatal errors1 which must render your ministrations worse than useless2 must1 in fact1 render them pernicious1 because deceptive1 both to yourselves and to your people4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,and do you really think so8 ,this certainly is a very grave imputation on our order1 and one which ought not to be advanced unless you can maintain its correctness1 with an array of very clear evidence4 ,why1 you now insinuate that we are self-deceived1 and are deceiving others4 ,what proof can you bring of this8 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,your first error1 and it is a capital one1 is the self-sufficiency of the clergy to accomplish the design of their appointment4 ,this may be true1 if we view them merely as appointed by human authority to conduct a prescribed service and administer the sacraments4 ,this you can do4 ,but the more spiritual functions of the ministry you cannot perform by virtue of a self-sufficient power4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,to what spiritual functions do you refer8 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,why1 to the conversion and spiritual renovation of sinners1 and the administration of effective consolation to a wounded spirit4 ,if any order of ministers1 under the ,christian dispensation1 ever possessed the power of doing this1 we must admit that the apostles of our ,lord possessed it in a pre-eminent degree4 ,but they disclaimed the possession of such a self-sufficient power1 and acknowledged their absolute dependence on the concurring grace of ,god1 and the fervent and effectual prayers of their pious lay brethren4 ,the apostle ,paul1 when trying to allay the ferment which the spirit of contention had raised in the church of ,corinth1 and to detach the people from the popular idols of their admiration and confidence1 speaks out boldly and explicitly on the question of ministerial insufficiency and dependence3 ',for while one saith1 ,i am of ,paul2 and another1 ,i am of ,apollos2 are ye not carnal8 ,who then is ,paul1 and who is ,apollos1 but ministers by whom ye believed1 even as the ,lord gave to every man8 ,i have planted1 ,apollos watered2 but ,god gave the increase4 ,so then neither is he that planteth any thing1 neither he that watereth2 but ,god that giveth the increase' 7#a ,cor4 iii4 #d-g74 ,we know that opinion has a powerful influence in the formation and development of character1 and in no order of men does it operate with more direct and constant force than on the clergy2 hence1 if a clergyman thinks he is invested with a plenitude of power to accomplish the design of his appointment1 he will live in a state of comparative1 if not absolute independence of ,god3 he will not be a man of prayer2 ,i mean1 he will not wrestle in prayer with ,god1 to render his public ministry successful in the conversion of sinners2 such a thing will not come into his mind4 ,he thinks of himself more as a priest in the church1 than as a minister of ,christ1 labouring for the spiritual good of the people4 ,his self-sufficiency1 which keeps him independent of ,god1 tends to inflate him with spiritual pride2 he becomes arrogant1 and expects that the people will place themselves in submissive subjection to his authority--believe what he dictates1 and celebrate what he prescribes4 ,but when1 like ,paul and the rest of the apostles1 a clergyman has a piercing conviction of his insufficiency to execute the trust committed to his charge1 he will never enter a pulpit to preach till he has been in his closet with ,god--praying for assistance from him1 and for the putting forth of his ,divine power1 through the medium of his otherwise ineffective agency4 ,his opinion of himself1 his feelings1 and his retired devout exercises1 all harmonize with the following quotation1 which ,i will now read to you3 ',forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of ,christ ministered by us1 written not with ink1 but with the ,spirit of the living ,god2 not in tables of stone1 but in fleshly tables of the heart4 ,who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament2 not of the letter1 but of the spirit3 for the letter killeth but the spirit giveth life' 7#b ,cor4 iii4 #c1 #f74 ,and while such a clergyman will depend on ,god for the success of his labours1 rather than on any conceived self-sufficiency1 he will also1 in imitation of the apostles1 place a subordinate degree of dependence on the fervent prayers of his believing brethren4 ',finally1 brethren1' says ,paul1 who could work miracles to attest the ,divine origin of the message he delivered to the people1 'pray for us1 that the word of the ,lord may have free course1 and be glorified1 even as it is with you' 7#b ,thess4 iii4 #a74 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,and what is the second error which you think we hold8 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,why1 you teach the people to depend on you for spiritual blessings1 instead of directing them to look to ,god1 from whom cometh every good gift1 and every perfect gift2 hence1 they come to church1 go through the order of the service1 and withdraw when it is over1 more like self-moving machines1 whose movements are regulated by laws imposed on them by human skill and authority1 than like intelligent beings1 who feel their responsibility to ,god1 and their dependence on him4 ,and this is the great practical evil which is inflicted on the people1 by the clergy assuming to themselves a sufficiency of power to accomplish all the purposes of their ministry--their hearers are not a praying people4 ,now1 to me nothing is more obvious1 if ,i take the meaning of the uniform language of the ,bible1 than this great important fact1 that prayer on the part of a minister and his hearers1 is made essential to their spiritual prosperity and happiness4 ,hence1 after the promise of a new spirit and a new heart was given1 to excite the eager expectation of the people of ,israel3 ',thus saith the ,lord ,god1 ,i will yet for this be inquired of by the house of ,israel1 to do it for them' 7,ezek4 xxxvi4 #cg74 ,hence the importance and necessity of prayer4 ,can we expect forgiveness unless we pray for it8 and is not the moral renovation of our nature of equal importance8 and if1 in the economy of salvation1 we are to be sanctified by the ,spirit of ,god as well as justified in the name of the ,lord ,jesus1 are we to be reprobated as deluded when we invoke his purifying agency8 ,let us look around us1 and what shall we see8 ,what6--a scene not less affecting than that which struck the eye of the prophet when he received his commission from above to enter the mystic valley of death4 ,it was full of bones3 ',and1 behold1 there were very many in the open valley2 and1 lo1 they were very dry4' ,he was asked1 ',can these dry bones live8' and he answered1 ',o ,lord ,god1 thou knowest4' ,what did he do8 ,he prophesied as he was commanded2 and when thus engaged1 the ,spirit of the ,lord came upon them1 and they lived4 ,if1 then1 the ministers of grace wish to accomplish the great moral design of their appointment1 and acquire the deathless honour of rescuing sinners from that state of guilt1 degeneracy1 and misery in which they are involved1 let them preach the gospel in a clear and in a faithful manner1 teaching them that every good thought1 every holy desire1 every sacred principle1 must proceed directly from the ,father of mercies1 and ,god of all grace2 and that1 while they are employed as his servants1 in administering the revelation of his will1 if any good results from their labours1 it must be in answer to the humble and fervent prayers of those who proclaim and those who hear the truth4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,the clergy have fallen very low in your estimation4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,the ,tractarian clergy have4 ,they sink themselves by their arrogance1 and lofty assumptions of official dignity and power2 they are haughty and overbearing1 and have no resemblance in their spirit1 or in their style of speech1 to the prophets of the ,old ,testament or the apostles of the ,new2 and if not an importation from ,rome1 they are in training to serve at her altars1 and advocate her assumed infallibility4 ,,the ,,tendency ,,of ,,evangelical ,,preaching4 ,in his brother the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe met with a more formidable antagonist than he expected2 and though foiled in some previous encounters1 yet he again resumed the debate4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,i wonder how you can object to the strictures which the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,cole made in his sermon last ,sunday1 on the censurable conduct of those clergymen who declaim against good works1 and exalt a dogmatic belief in certain crude opinions as the only necessary condition on which sinners can obtain the forgiveness of ,almighty ,god4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,as ,i have not been in the habit of hearing many of the evangelical clergy preach1 ,i certainly cannot say from my own personal knowledge how far the charge which you allege against them is just or unfounded4 ,if they do declaim against good works1 they are guilty of a serious dereliction of duty1 and should not receive the sanction of any wise or good man4 ,i agree with you1 that this is not the age in which virtue1 in any of her forms or requirements1 should be made light of1 especially by those who are professedly her ministers4 ,for if they1 who ought to stop up the passes to evil1 turn their weapons of war against the bulwarks of practical righteousness1 the common enemy will meet with an ally where he ought to find a foe1 and the capital and its dependencies will soon be taken4 ,but though ,i have not heard many of them preach1 ,i have been in the habit of reading their published discourses1 and it is my opinion that from the press they push the claims of practical righteousness to such an extreme1 that ,i have often heard them censured for their excessive strictness2 and it is fair to presume that they are not less urgent and severe when they are in the pulpit4 ,but admitting1 for the sake of the argument1 that they do declaim against good works1 we know that they practise them2 and their hearers1 with some few exceptions1 will bear a comparison with the most virtuous members of society4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,then you admit that some of their hearers are not men of virtue--hence1 does it not necessarily follow that their ministers preach a doctrine which leads to licentiousness8 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,but this argument which you employ against the moral tendency of evangelical preaching is liable to two very formidable objections--it is fallacious1 and it proves too much4 ,it supposes that the conduct of a minority is the test by which the orthodoxy of the preacher is to be decided4 ,but why fix on the minority as the test1 when their relative number is a tacit proof that they are the exception to the general class of his hearers8 ,if a few in a district are turbulent and factious1 and disposed to rebellion1 while the larger proportion of the people are peaceable and submissive1 revering the authority of the laws1 and cultivating the virtues of social life1 would you recommend the suspension of the ,habeas ,corpus1 as though the entire mass were in a state of revolt8 ,where would be the equity or the expediency of such a measure8 ,why impugn the character of all because a few are criminal1 and why involve the innocent and the guilty in one indiscriminate visitation of punishment8 ,and would not your argument apply with equal1 if not with stronger force1 to the anti-evangelical clergy8 ,have they no immoral hearers8 ,have they none who set at open defiance the laws of ,god and man8 ,have they no scoffers who visit their temples8--no infidels who commune at their altars8 ,can they say of all in their congregations1 ',ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of ,christ ministered by us1 written not with ink1 but with the ,spirit of the living ,god'8 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,but1 you know1 we enforce virtue1 and tell our hearers that their final salvation depends on their becoming virtuous4 ,this1 you will admit1 is a more powerful motive than that which an evangelical preacher employs1 who says that we may be saved without it4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,no1 he does not say that we can be saved without becoming virtuous4 ,this is an accusation which cannot be substantiated2 and to bring it forward is to bear false witness against another4 ,he does not require virtue on our part as a prerequisite to recommend us to the favour of ,god2 but he enforces it as expressive of our reverence for his authority1 and of our gratitude to his sovereign goodness in redeeming us from the curse of a violated law4 ,he does not substitute our very defective righteousness for the righteousness of ,jesus ,christ1 which would be an entire abandonment of one of the most essential doctrines of the gospel2 but he tells us that the grace of ,god that bringeth salvation1 teaches us that1 denying ungodliness and worldly lusts1 we should live soberly1 righteously1 and godly1 in this present world4 ,indeed1 the evangelical minister requires1 on the part of his adherents1 a higher degree of virtue than his opponent1 and he employs more powerful motives to enforce it4 ,he requires the entire renovation of the soul1 and such a conversion from all the evil habits and impure propensities of our nature1 as shall constitute us new creatures in ,christ ,jesus4 ,do you enforce virtue from an appeal to the authority of ,god8 so does your evangelical brother4 ,do you enforce it by a reference to its own loveliness1 and its tendency to promote personal and relative happiness8 so does he4 ,but he goes a step further--he presses into the service of the pulpit the motives which arise from the redemption of the soul by the death of ,christ2 and if we look around us1 we shall perceive that these exert a more powerful influence on the principles and conduct of men1 than any other which ever has been or ever can be employed4 ,men who will resist authority may be subdued by clemency1 and many whom a dread of punishment could not reclaim from evil1 have been turned from the error of their ways after that the kindness and love of ,god our ,saviour toward them hath appeared4 ,and then1 like the eunuch of the ,scriptures1 they have gone on their way rejoicing1 ever ready to give to others a reason of the hope within them2 saying1 under the impulse of devout gratitude1 rather than vainglorious ostentation1 ',come and hear1 all ye that fear ,god1 and ,i will declare what he hath done for my soul4' ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,we very well know that those who admire evangelical preaching are1 generally speaking1 more loquacious on the subject of religion1 and more religiously disposed in their habits1 than others2 but this is one of the objections which we have against it4 ,if we feel too little1 they feel too much2 and if we are not quite so religious in our habits as we ought to be1 they go to the opposite extreme1 and become enthusiasts4 ,we keep within the boundary which reason and decorum mark out1 but they cross it2 and while we restrain our passions1 and rarely discuss the awful subjects of religion in our social interviews1 they yield to impulses and excitements1 which they rashly ascribe to a mental intercourse with an invisible world1 and thus they approach to the very verge of fanaticism4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,but surely you do not object to a person who has felt the renewing power of the grace of ,god1 ascribing the great change to its real cause1 expressing at the same time his joyful gratitude to ,god for effecting it4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,what ,i dislike and condemn is the strong effervescence of feeling which so often makes its appearance amongst the admirers of evangelical preaching1 and which leads them to use terms of expression which are more nearly allied to rhapsody than sober truth and reality4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,you know that1 on all subjects1 men speak as they feel2 and therefore1 when their passions are strongly excited by religious truth1 they ought not to be condemned or censured if they do give utterance to some expressions which may appear rather extravagant to an apathetic mind2 they speak naturally1 that is1 in character4 ,let me give you an example4 ,can a man of a refined taste1 and who is very excitable1 avoid being deeply interested by the sublime or beautiful in the natural1 or by the pathetic or tragical in the moral world8 ,no4 ,it is impossible4 ,he is affected before he is conscious of feeling1 and often when he is incapable of assigning the cause of it4 ,to argue that this liability to strong excitement is a proof of the imbecility of our mind1 or of our tendency to fanatical illusions1 is nothing less than a begging of the question--a species of artifice which cannot be tolerated4 ,our nature is liable to excitement1 and we cannot avoid it4 ,it is1 upon the whole1 considered a favourable symptom of a fine taste or a good disposition4 ,we prefer it to stoicism1 to apathy1 and to a mental dulness1 which neither harmonious sounds nor enchanting scenes can move4 ,if1 then1 our passions are necessarily stirred within us1 and sometimes powerfully stirred by external objects1 by what law is it rendered improper for a man to be deeply affected by the momentous truths of revelation8 ,does the law of our nature forbid it8 ,no4 ,you yourself have confessed that the admirers of evangelical preaching are in general strongly1 too strongly affected by what they believe4 ,to strip your charges of the measured language in which they are brought1 do you mean to say that they are too deeply affected by the awful descriptions which the sacred writers have given us of the miseries of the damned2 or too strongly animated by the sublime anticipations of a blissful immortality2 or too grateful to the ,lord of glory for bearing their sins in his own body on the tree2 and too intense in their desires after a more perfect conformity to the purity of the ,divine nature8 ,but is this possible8 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,we certainly cannot love ,almighty ,god too much1 nor can we be too grateful to him for his mercies1 temporal and spiritual2 but when we are speaking to each other about our religious feelings1 ,i think1 as the apostle says1 we should let our moderation be known4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,but1 to speak naturally1 we should speak as we feel4 ,i remember a poor woman of the name of ,allen1 who often used to perplex me when we conversed together on religious topics2 she always left a vague impression on my mind that there was a something in religion which ,i had never discovered4 ,i am fully convinced1 said ,mrs4 ,john ,roscoe1 apologizing for obtruding her remarks1 that those who embrace evangelical sentiments are more religious in their conversation and habits than those who do not4 ,but it is at the awful hour of death that the difference becomes the more apparent and striking4 ,we had a servant1 a member of a ,dissenting chapel1 who lived with us some years1 but when she was taken ill she left us to go to her father1 a poor pious man1 with whom she resided for several months before she died4 ,i often went to see her1 and was standing by her side when she breathed her last4 ,she was composed and even cheerful in prospect of death1 but it was the cheerfulness of a spirit made happy by the consolations of religion1 and which expected to be still happier in the celestial world4#ae ,i recollect asking her what made her so happy when death was so near1 and her reply1 though ,i did not then1 and do not yet comprehend its full import1 made such a strong impression1 that ,i have never forgotten it--',his sweet promise1 ,come unto me1 and ,i will give you rest4 ,i do come to him2 he has given me rest of soul2 and he has provided a rest for me in heaven4 ,and you1 dear ,madam1 must come to him to be saved and made happy4' #ae ,the author once knew a lady who was celebrated1 in the town in which she lived1 no less for her benevolence1 than she was for her utter dislike to those persons who had embraced evangelical sentiments4 ,she generally used to term them1 by way of reproach1 ,methodists1 enthusiasts1 or fanatics4 ,for many years she was in the habit of visiting the poor and the infirm1 sympathizing with them when in trouble1 giving them money to purchase the necessaries and comforts of life2 and she originated several public institutions1 which still remain as the memorial of her practical goodness4 ,often has she sat beside the lingering sufferer1 wiping away the cold sweats of death1 and administering1 with her own hands1 the last portion of food or of medicine which nature consented to receive4 ,this lady1 when conversing with a friend1 whose prejudices against the fanatics of the day 7as the disciples of the ,redeemer are styled7 ran as high as her own1 said1 ,i don't know how to account for it1 but ,i find these people know more about religion than we do1 and appear more happy in their dying moments than any others ,i ever meet with4 ,happy would it have been for her if some friend had been present to explain the cause of it2 but no--living under the sombrous gloom of a pharisaical faith1 which admits not of the clear light of the truth1 she lived in ignorance of the nature of faith in ,christ1 and in ignorance she died4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,it is now about twelve months since ,i was travelling with an eminent physician4 ,our conversation happened to turn on the state of religion in the country1 and on the evangelical and anti-evangelical clergy and laity of our own church2 when he stated that1 in the discharge of his professional duties1 he was often called to witness the termination of human life--the retiring of the actors from the busy stage--the departure of intelligent beings from one world to another--and that he had uniformly found1 that those who imbibe evangelical sentiments die much more like the ,christians of the ,bible than those who do not4 ,he gave it as the result of long experience1 that evangelical religion1 though much despised1 is greatly conducive to the happiness of man1 especially in his last moments4 ,this fact produced a deep impression on my mind1 as he said it had done on his4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,yes2 the imagination1 when acted upon by evangelical opinions and impulses1 very often holds a pretended intercourse with ,heaven1 and sees sights and hears sounds which are supernatural2 but are we so far gone from the sober restraints of reason as to become the advocates of enthusiastic raptures8 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,i am not surprised at what you say1 as ,i once used to talk in a similar strain1 but now1 blessed be the ,god and ,father of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 the delusion has vanished1 and ,i am convinced that what ,i then called1 and what you still call the raptures of a disordered imagination1 are the triumphs of faith over the terrors of death2 and that the glowing expressions which often fall from the lips of the dying believer are entirely in accordance with the genius of the gospel4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,i have no doubt but such strongly excitable persons will be saved1 if they are sincere4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,and why should you doubt their sincerity8 ,if you see a man devoting his mind to the pursuits of commerce1 or of literature1 or of pleasure1 you do not feel at liberty to impugn his motives2 then why should you do so when you see him devoting his mind to religion8 ,is religion the only subject which we are forbidden to approach8 or if we do approach it with reverence for its authority1 with ardent gratitude for its sacred communications1 with strong interest in its sublime enunciations of a future state of existence1 are we to be reproached for insincerity and hypocrisy8 ,you accuse us of ostentation1 because we make a more decided profession of religion than some of our neighbours2 but allow me to ask you if the spirit in which this charge originates has not exuded its venom against pure and undefiled religion in every age of the ,christian church1 when it has been embodied in a living character8 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,why1 you know that some who have made the greatest pretensions to religion1 have been guilty of the most dishonourable conduct6 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,yes1 ,i know it2 and ,i confess that the inconsistent conduct of some professors of religion induced me1 for many years1 to cherish very unfavourable opinions against all who embraced evangelical sentiments2 but ,i am now satisfied that ,i acted neither wisely nor equitably4 ,because one member of a family1 or ten members of a religious community1 act inconsistently with their professions to each other1 am ,i at liberty to condemn the whole8 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,but you will admit that it is calculated to excite suspicion4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,it may excite suspicion where an evil passion or where prejudice has gained the ascendency1 but not otherwise4 ,i maintain that the law of equity forbids our suspecting the sincerity and uprightness of any man until he gives us a cause for doing so4 ,am ,i to suspect the honour1 the integrity1 and the friendship of ,mr4 ,stevens1 because some one who goes to the same church1 and professes the same religious opinions1 has been guilty of fraud1 or sacrificed his honour by attempting to wound the reputation of his friend8 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,but when people make a greater profession than their neighbours1 it is natural for us to expect more exemplary conduct4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,certainly2 and if they are not exemplary in their conduct you may impeach their sincerity2 but you ought to confine the act of impeachment to the offender--to extend it to others would be unjust4 ,if a professor of religion run to the same excess of riot as others--if he press to your theatres--if he visit your card parties or your balls--you may very justly reproach him2 but if he do not1 such is the fastidious and antichristian spirit of the age1 you think it strange1 and begin to speak evil of him4 ,if he act in direct opposition to his religious principles1 you charge him with hypocrisy2 if he act in conformity with them1 he is subjected to the same imputation1 with this essential difference in his favour--that the first accusation would be just1 while the latter would be groundless4 ,mrs4 ,john ,roscoe4--,i very much dislike indiscriminate and wholesale accusations4 ,we ought not to censure one person on account of the imperfections of another2 nor insinuate a charge against any one1 unless we have strong evidence to sustain it4 ,miss ,roscoe4--,very just1 aunt1 but such is the practice of this strange world2 and though we protest against it1 yet we can obtain no redress4 ,when one who has been gay becomes pious1 the magicians prophesy that he will go off into a state of derangement2 if he retains his reason1 as is usually the case1 they express a devout wish that the motives of his conduct may prove to be sincere2 if he act in accordance with his religious principles1 and refuse to conform to their customs and habits1 he is stigmatized as unsocial1 precise1 and hypocritical2 and such is the degree of virulence which goes forth against him1 that if no imperfections can be discovered in his character1 some will be imputed2 and if no rumours come from the north to blast or tarnish his reputation1 they are easily raised at home by the magic wand of calumny4 ,mrs4 ,john ,roscoe4--,i am quite weary of this censorious spirit1 its bitterness and its sarcasms4 ,i would willingly contribute towards raising five hundred pounds1 as a prize for the best essay on the antichristian character of this evil spirit1 and the most effectual means by which it can be exorcised from amongst us4 ,miss ,roscoe4--,and so would ,i1 dear aunt2 ,i am sure we could raise the money1 if we could get a first-rate pious writer to give us the book4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,courtesy requires that ,i yield the point to the ladies1 who1 to their honour1 generally take the part of the accused2 but 7addressing his brother7 ,i still believe that the offer of an unconditional salvation to men of every description of character is very hazardous to the interests of public and private virtue4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,but the evangelical clergy do not1 if ,i judge from their written discourses1 make that unconditional offer which you suppose4 ,they require repentance towards ,god1 before they inculcate faith in the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,they require that we should forsake our sins1 before they encourage us to hope for mercy4 ,and then the faith which they inculcate is not a mere philosophical assent to the truth of ,christianity1 which may leave the evil passions and propensities of the mind unsubdued1 but such a faith as shall1 by its own reaction1 purify the imagination1 overcome the allurements and fascinations of the world1 and work that conformity of soul to the purity of the ,divine nature1 which forms the great line of distinction between a real and a nominal ,christian2 between one who is born of the flesh1 and one who is born of the ,spirit2 between the natural man1 in whose estimation the things of the ,spirit of ,god are foolishness1 and the spiritual man1 who discerns them in all their simplicity and relationships4 ,you talk of a conditional salvation2 but if you intend by that phrase that we are required to do something by which we are to merit the favour of ,god and a seat in his celestial kingdom1 you hold an opinion which is opposed to the ,scriptures and destructive to human happiness2 for who can tell when he has acquired that exact degree of virtue which will justify his claim8 ,indeed1 my brother1 we ought always to remember that we are sinners--that in the most improved state of our character we are yet imperfect--that after all the acts of obedience which we may perform1 we are unprofitable servants--and that if we are ever saved1 as ,i hope we shall be1 it will not be for our own works or deservings1 as the articles of our church declare1 but by grace1 ',for by grace are ye saved through faith2 and that not of yourselves3 it is the gift of ,god' 7,eph4 ii4 #h74 ,considering the indifference which is so generally manifested by persons of all ranks1 and of every character1 to the momentous truth on which the final and eternal destiny of the soul depends1 and the fearful inroads which the worst of principles are making amongst the morals of social life2 considering the rapidity with which the fashion of this world is passing away1 and how soon we shall all be called to appear before the judgment-seat of ,christ2 instead of repressing any ardent passion for religion1 we ought to cherish it2 and should contemplate the secession of one sinner1 who withdraws from the deluded and infatuated multitude to repent and to pray1 with a kindred feeling to that of the spirits of the invisible world1 of whom our ,lord says1 that 'likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth1 more than over ninety and nine just persons which need no repentance4' ,the conversation was here interrupted by some of the party moving to the parlour window2 when ,mr4 ,roscoe said to his brother1 ,there is1 ,i see1 a gentleman coming up the carriage drive1 one of your own order1 who is a living witness that regeneration is something essentially different from water baptism1 and quite independent of it2 and also that a person of the purest virtue requires a ,mediator and a ,saviour1 no less than the most profane and worthless4 ,who is the gentleman8 ,the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,guion1 the rector of ,norton4#af #af ,see page #gh4 ,i have heard of him1 and ,i am told that he is a man of great attainments4 ,his learning is great4 ,he is a most eloquent preacher2 and he is evangelical4 ,mr4 ,guion was now ushered into the parlour1 accompanied by ,mrs4 ,stevens2 the ceremony of introduction was soon over1 and the parties very soon began to be acquainted4 ,after some desultory conversation1 the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe 7addressing himself to ,mr4 ,guion7 said1 ,i had the honour of making the acquaintance of two ladies1 who are1 ,i believe1 members of your cure1 the ,misses ,brownjohn4 ,i met them at ,buxton last autumn2 ,i hope they are quite well4 ,they are1 ,i believe1 very well2 but just now they are involved in a vexatious perplexity4 ,nothing very painful1 ,i hope4 ,why1 the case is this2 they had a nephew who left ,england for the ,east ,indies when they were little girls4 ,no tidings were heard of him for many years2 but about twelve months ago1 intelligence of his death arrived1 and he died1 it appears1 without a will1 and very wealthy4 ,there have been a few claimants to his property1 but the two ladies in question are judged by many to be the next of kin1 and they have commenced proceedings2 but there is a mortifying hitch in the progress of their suit1 for1 on searching the parish register1 there is no record either of their birth or their baptism4 ,these old records used to be kept in a most shameful way4 ,i don't wonder to hear of their vexatious perplexity4 ,it is a little amusing to see how differently the two ladies are affected by this unlucky discovery4 ,miss ,dorothy is in high dudgeon1 because the non-production of the document arrests her progress towards the possession of a large fortune4 ,but ,miss ,susan is most affected1 by its cutting her off from the prospect of going to heaven1 believing1 as she does1 that no other than baptismal regeneration is necessary or even possible2 but now1 for want of a fair copy of her registration1 she has no legitimate proof that she is born again1 even though she has a faint recollection of her godfather and godmother4 ,what course of procedure do they intend to adopt to obviate the evils resulting from the non-registration of these two events--birth and baptism8 ,miss ,dorothy has employed a very clever solicitor1 who is drawing up her case to lay before counsel1 caring but little about her baptism if she can succeed in getting at the money2 while ,miss ,susan cares nought about the money in comparison with her spiritual birth4 ,she thinks that her confirmation1 which she distinctly remembers1 and the trouble she has often been put to by the week's preparation for the sacrament of the ,lord's ,supper1 will all prove of no avail1 for want of this fair copy of her registration4 ,she has called into requisition the official aid of the bishop's secretary1 to lay her case before his lordship2 and with her the point of vexatious perplexity is1 who shall now regenerate her1 to fit her for heaven1 if she can't prove that the thing has been done4 ,she won't let me do it1 because ,i am an evangelical2 and she fears the bishop won't give his sanction to its being done by a clergyman with whom she sustains no ecclesiastical relationship4 ,however1 she has made up her mind on this point1 so ,i hear1 that if the bishop thinks it is necessary she should be baptized1 and if he won't give his sanction for her to go into another parish to be born again1 she will break up her establishment1 and become a parishioner at ,aston1 and then the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,cole will do the thing properly4 ,this case of ,miss ,susan ,brownjohn1 said ,mrs4 ,john ,roscoe1 addressing her husband1 upsets1 according to my thinking1 your doctrine of baptismal regeneration2 for it is monstrous to imagine that the ,almighty will make a person's fitness for heaven depend on the fidelity of a parish registrar1 who is often a stupid fellow1 and sometimes more partial to his cups than to doing his duties4 ,with this half-grave and half-comic remark the colloquy ended1 and the party separated1 some going one way and some another1 but all in a very good humour4 ,your aunt1 said ,mr4 ,guion1 as he was bidding adieu to ,miss ,roscoe1 has a rich vein of satire imbedded in her mental stratum4 ,true1 ,sir1 but ,i believe there is a new formation progressing1 of more sterling worth2 a discovery made very recently4 ,indeed6 ,this is joyful intelligence4 ,such discoveries are made by angelic spirits1 who care nought about any other formations of our earth2 and when made1 they kindle into celestial rapture4 ,and we can participate in their joy4 ,your papa1 said ,mrs4 ,john ,roscoe to her niece1 as they were promenading in the garden1 is a powerful reasoner2 his arguments seem to me quite irresistible4 ,he is1 my dear aunt1 a spiritually enlightened man2 and he not only understands what he believes1 but he feels its power4 ,alas6 my dear ,sophia1 ,i feel dark and bewildered2 and ,i know not what to do to gain mental peace4 ,o how ,i long for some rays of that celestial light which has illumined his mind and yours4 ,the incipient thoughts of my heart1 which have long been nestling there1 are becoming powerful convictions2 and force me to believe that there is a reality in our common faith1 which you and your father have discovered1 but which we have not4 ,the ,lord1 ,i trust1 dear aunt1 is beginning in your soul the great good work1 which will issue in your eternal salvation4 ,what makes you think so8 ,i think so because your spirit1 which has long remained dormant1 and comparatively insensible under the repressing and benumbing influence of ,tractarian delusions1 is now stirring within you2 struggling into newness of life2 acquiring the moral sense of spiritual perception and feeling2 craving after spiritual nourishment and consolation2 willing to yield itself to ,god1 to be renovated1 redeemed1 and sanctified2 and to walk with him4 ,these are unmistakeable signs4 ,,on ,,attending ,,an ,,evangelical ,,ministry4 ,mr4 ,roscoe had devoted a large portion of his life to biblical studies1 and the various branches of literature which are connected with them1 and was thus qualified to discuss theological questions with great facility4 ,his passion for disputation having subsided into an ardent love of the truth1 he no longer argued for the honour of gaining the victory1 but either to vindicate his opinions when assailed1 or to acquire more correct information on subjects which1 till recently1 he but imperfectly understood4 ,his loftiness of spirit had now left him2 and though he still displayed the insignia of a high mental order1 yet there was so much amiability in his manner1 and so much docility in his temper1 that while he commanded respect1 he did not fail to win esteem4 ,during his first serious impressions1 the light of truth shone with too feeble a ray to produce that perfect and plenary conviction which permits the mind no longer to vacillate2 but when it came1 not in word only1 but also in power1 and in the ,holy ,ghost1 and in much assurance1 he received it with mingled emotions of astonishment and joy2 and while he still retained his constitutional independence and ardour1 these qualities were so softened and imbued by the love of ,christ1 that they gave a charm to his character and conversation1 of which every one was conscious but himself4 ,his more public profession of religion was free from ostentation1 and without reserve4 ,it was not made to gratify caprice1 or cast a reflection on the indecision of others1 but in obedience to the authority of the ,saviour2 and as he had1 before his conversion1 acquired extensive information on theological subjects1 when that great event took place he was enabled to advocate the cause of truth with considerable ability1 without requiring the preparatory course of instruction which is in general necessary4 ,he still held in veneration the ,established ,church1 and respected the private character of his parish minister1 the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,cole1 though he could not agree with his sentiments2 but as he was not edified by his ministrations1 he felt it to be his duty to separate himself from his congregation1 and join himself to that of the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby1 whose evangelical preaching was quite in accordance with his own views of revealed truth4 ,this step had been anticipated by his friends1 and while some of them commended him1 others were much displeased4 ,on the evening preceding the ,sabbath1 ,mr4 ,roscoe mentioned the resolution he had formed1 when his brother remarked1 ,i am not surprised at your determination1 because ,i know that it is a very general thing for those who embrace evangelical principles to prefer an evangelical ministry2 but will not such a step grieve your old friend1 the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,cole4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,perhaps it may2 but ought ,i1 by my presence1 to sanction opinions which ,i believe to be erroneous8 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,though ,mr4 ,cole differs from you on some points of theology1 there are many on which you agree2 and ,i think you may1 like some others who have embraced evangelical principles1 still attend a ministry which does not belong to this specific denomination1 as you retain the right of rejecting what you disapprove4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,if the points on which we differ did not involve any essential doctrine of the ,christian faith1 ,i should deem it my duty still to attend his ministry2 but when ,i consider that he denies those truths which are1 in my opinion1 the vital parts of ,christianity1 and preaches what an apostle would call another gospel1 ,i ought not to give him the sanction of my presence4 ,if ,i sustained no personal injury under such a ministry1 ,i could not derive any real advantage from it4 ,and1 besides1 am ,i not responsible to ,god and to society for the influence of my example1 as well as for my opinions and principles8 ,if so1 ,i am under a sacred obligation to be as cautious what ,i indirectly sanction1 as what ,i recommend4 ,can ,i1 without sacrificing the dictates of my conscience1 recommend a person to believe that he requires no other regeneration than that which he experienced when he was baptized1 and that his good deeds will atone for his evil actions2 that he requires no other qualification for heaven than a faithful discharge of his relative duties on earth8 ,impossible4 ,if1 then1 ,i cannot recommend the adoption of these opinions1 ought ,i to sanction them by my presence1 when they are enforced by others8 ,i believe that men1 before they are renewed in the spirit of their minds1 live in a state of alienation from ,god--under the condemning sentence of his holy law--and are justly exposed to future and endless misery4 ,i believe this on the testimony of the sacred writers1 whose testimony is corroborated by the articles of our church2 and do not the same authorities teach us to believe that the truth1 when preached in a pure and faithful manner1 is the ordained means of the conversion and salvation of men8 ,but if the pure truth of the gospel becomes corrupted1 are we not taught to believe that the people perish8 ,he who corrupts it1 either wilfully or through ignorance1 will stand responsible at the last day for the awful consequences of his conduct2 but if ,i give my sanction to a ministry which ,i believe to be a corruption of the gospel1 and the people should perish under it1 shall ,i not be regarded as accessory to their ruin8 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,but supposing ,i admit that an anti-evangelical ministry is a corruption of the gospel1 and that it does not prove the means of the conversion and salvation of those who hear it1 yet you must allow that they hear the truth in its purity from the desk1 where the ,bible1 as well as the prayers are read1 which answers the same purpose4 ,hence ,i have known some who have imbibed evangelical sentiments1 recommend a continuance at their parish church on this account1 though the ministry may not exactly accord with their views and taste4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,yes2 we have the pure gospel in the desk1 even when we have another gospel in the pulpit2 but ,i have never known it produce those moral effects on the people which result from an evangelical ministry4 ,the prayers of our ,liturgy may aid the devotional feelings of a renewed ,christian1 but it is the preaching of the truth that ,god employs as the means of infusing the devotional spirit2 and though some may recommend us to attend where the gospel is confined to the reading-desk1 yet can we suppose that ,paul would do so if he were on earth8 ,would he1 who pronounced that man or angel accursed who dared to preach any other gospel than that which he and his fellow-apostles preached1 urge his friends or his hearers1 if he were taking leave of them1 to attend a ministry which he believed to be in opposition to the truth8 ,impossible6 ,can we suppose that our ,lord1 who commanded his disciples to take heed what they heard1 would1 if he were again to appear on earth1 recommend us to attend on a ministry which he believed was subversive of the truth1 and the means of misleading the people8 ,impossible6 ,if we cannot believe that they would recommend us to do it1 ought we to recommend that others should do so8 ,would it be wise to act in opposition to such authority8 would it be safe8 would it be in accordance with the will of the ,lord ,jesus8 and could we calculate on receiving his benediction--,well done1 good and faithful servant8 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,but surely you do not mean that every one who embraces evangelical sentiments ought to leave his parish church if those sentiments are not preached there8 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,most certainly ,i do4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,indeed6 ,suppose one member of a family should embrace evangelical sentiments1 while all the rest retain their former belief1 would you recommend that one individual to disturb the peace of his family1 by straying to some other church to hear his favourite doctrines4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,i recommend no one to disturb the peace of a family1 and ,i rather think it will be found1 when peace is disturbed1 it is in consequence of the resistance which is raised by the opposite party4 ,here is1 for example1 a single individual in the midst of a large circle of gay acquaintances1 who feels the renewing influence of truth1 and makes an open profession of her faith in ,christ4 ,she now retires from the follies and vanities of the world1 adopts habits which are decidedly religious1 and1 without infringing on the rights of others1 she claims the privilege of attending that place of worship where she can derive the most spiritual improvement4 ,what law1 either human or divine1 is violated by such a decision8 ,none4 ,but as the profession of faith in ,christ1 in the midst of a circle of the gay and the fashionable1 is a novelty repugnant to their tastes1 and considered by many of them so inelegant1 and such a near approximation to the habits of the lower orders1 she who makes it becomes an object of satire and reproach1 and then is accused as being the cause of all the domestic misery which they originate4 ,mrs4 ,roscoe4--,but you know1 my dear1 that our domestic peace was destroyed as soon as ,sophia imbibed her evangelical sentiments2 and you know that religion has been the subject of contentious debate between us ever since4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,but would it ever have been destroyed if we had not done it8 ,a letter#ag which she addressed to us convinced me1 at the time1 of the injustice of our accusation2 but now ,i look back on that dark period of our life with more pain than any former one4 ,that letter satisfied me that ,i ought not to oppose her2 and though ,i then regretted that she had embraced views of truth which were so different from my own1 yet ,i admired the firmness and constancy which she uniformly displayed when they were assailed2 and now ,i do not hesitate to say1 that he who opposes or persecutes another on account of his religious principles and habits1 is treasuring up to himself wrath against the day of wrath4 #ag ,see page #bbh4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,i disapprove of persecution as much as you do3 it is both impolitic and cruel2 and seems to be one of the crimes which is left for the more savage and waspish part of our nature to commit4 ,but1 still1 if we do not oppose force against a person who has embraced evangelical principles1 we may reason2 and as ,i consider the desertion of a parish church a serious evil1 you must permit me to remind you that if you leave yours and go to hear ,mr4 ,ingleby1 the stability of your character will be shaken4 ,you have been considered as one of the pillars of the congregation--one of its ornaments--your decision has been admired no less than your benevolence1 and all regret that you should fall from your steadfastness1 and exchange the religion of your forefathers1 which is grown venerable for its antiquity1 for a new religion1 which has but recently sprung up amongst us4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,this was one of the very arguments which the ,church of ,rome employed against the ,reformers1 and if they had yielded to its influence1 we should still have been in her communion4 ,i recollect having met1 some time since1 in the course of my reading1 with the following judicious reply to a satirical question which a ,catholic bishop proposed to a ,protestant3--',where was your religion before the days of ,luther8' ',in the ,bible1 ,sir1 where yours is not1 and never was4' ,the ,bible1 as ,bishop ,stillingfleet very justly observes1 is the religion of ,protestants4 ,you say that ,i have exchanged an old for a new religion1 but this ,i deny4 ,i still admire the ,liturgy1 and ,i still believe the ,articles of the church2 ,i still retain that religion which you say is venerable for its antiquity2 but1 then1 ,i believe it is not to remain a religion of mere forms and ceremonies1 but that it is to operate on my heart1 and produce within me the peaceable fruits of righteousness4 ,the new religion1 as you and others are pleased to term it1 is not a corruption of the old2 but it is the old religion of our venerable ,reformers1 and the good old bishops and pastors of our church1 revived in its primitive simplicity1 and life1 and power4 ,it is the religion of the ,bible1 which enlightens and renovates the inner man--which brings us into fellowship with the ,holy ,one--which preserves the broad line of distinction between the real and the nominal ,christian--and which1 by its progressive influence1 makes us meet to become partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,but ,i do not think that you can1 consistently with your profession as a ,churchman1 leave your parish church to attend one in another parish2 the rector is the shepherd1 whose spiritual jurisdiction extends over the whole parish1 and the people are1 ecclesiastically considered1 his flock4 ,is it right for one sheep to stray into another fold for pasture8 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,your figure of comparison is more fanciful than just4 ,as we live in a land of freedom1 where every man is permitted to exercise his own judgment on every religious question1 we may believe what doctrines1 practise what ceremonies1 and hear what minister we please1 without offending against any law1 or subjecting ourselves to the interference of others4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,but you are not sure that you will approve of all the doctrines that ,mr4 ,ingleby preaches1 and may1 after a while1 be under the necessity of going elsewhere4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,if ,i should be under the necessity of going elsewhere1 ,i ought to be thankful that ,i have the right1 and also the opportunity of doing so4 ,but as this is an hypothetical case1 ,i feel under no obligation to reply to it1 further than to say1 that as religion is now become essential to my happiness1 and an enlightened ministry#ah essential to my spiritual improvement1 ,i shall go where ,i can derive most advantage4 ,places and forms1 times and seasons1 are the accidental associations of religion1 not the integral parts of it4 ,that powerful ascendency which they once retained over my imagination and prejudices is now destroyed1 and ,i am free to hear the truth wherever it is proclaimed1 and to offer up my sacrifice of prayer and of praise to ,god1 in any place which he will condescend to visit with his presence4 #ah ,they that have any just sense of the importance of religion1 says a judicious writer1 find that they need all the helps that ,god has appointed4 ,suppose the ,sabbath were abolished for a few weeks--in what state1 think you1 would some of you find your minds8 ,why1 you would feel as if you had scarcely any knowledge or power of religion at all4 ,but there is no charm in the sanctity of the day to keep up the power of vital religion in the heart of a ,christian1 nor in the holy place where he may spend the consecrated hours--this honour having been put on a faithful ministry1 which exhibits the truth in its purity and force4 ,what a loss does a ,christian habitually sustain who deprives himself of such a ministry1 and worships where angels never stoop to celebrate the conversion of one sinner to ,god6 ,instead of hearing that glorious gospel which enlivens and strengthens the mind1 which purifies and ennobles it1 and which brings the remote and unseen realities of eternity to moderate the impetuosity and cool the ardour with which the fleeting shadows of time are pursued1 the heart is often disquieted1 if not with harsh and dissonant sounds1 yet with antichristian and dissonant sentiments1 and the day of rest becomes one of perplexity and mortification--,providence having determined1 that they who observe lying vanities shall feel that they have forsaken their own mercies 7,jonah ii4 #h74 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,but ,i presume you do not intend to leave the church for any of the ,dissenting chapels which are springing up amongst us4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,you know that ,i am attached to the constitution and the prescribed formula of the church1 but ,i have a stronger attachment for the gospel of ,christ1 which is the power of ,god to salvation2 and if ,i could not hear it preached within the walls of the ,establishment1 ,i should consider it my duty to go where ,i could hear it4 ,now1 ,i will put one simple question1 and ,i am perfectly willing to be guided by your reply4 ,suppose the pure gospel was preached in a ,dissenting chapel1 and another gospel was preached in the church1 to which place would the apostle ,paul go to worship1 if he were a resident amongst us8 ,the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe made no reply to this somewhat hampering question2 but his wife1 who was rather more ingenuous in her disposition1 and less anxious about the consequences of any fair concession or admission1 said1 ,i have no doubt but he would go to the ,dissenting chapel1 and take others with him4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,my dear6 do you really think so8 you must be more guarded4 ,mrs4 ,john ,roscoe4--,yes1 ,i do most certainly think so2 and ,i'll tell you why4 ,he has pronounced a woe against any one who shall dare to preach another gospel than that which he preached2 and therefore it is not likely that he would sanction an official service1 against which he has recorded his solemn and awful denunciations4 ,it would be exposing himself to the consequences of his own anathema if he were to do so4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe1 smiling4--,i bow to the ,spirit1 that will rule in spite of apostolic prohibition4 ,mrs4 ,john ,roscoe4--,yes1 when it rules in righteousness1 as in this case1 rebellion would be treason1 no less to logic than to apostolic authority4 99 99 99 99 99 ,on the following ,sabbath morning we were delighted to see ,mr4 ,roscoe and his family enter the church1 ,mrs4 ,john ,roscoe accompanying them4 ,as this was the first time they had come to hear ,mr4 ,ingleby1 we were very naturally somewhat excited on the occasion4 ,he read the prayers with great solemnity and pathetic earnestness2 and it was evident1 from the expressive responses of the congregation1 that they felt engaged in a devotional exercise1 blending1 in the name of the glorious ,mediator1 supplication with thanksgiving4 ,his subject was taken from ,revelation iii4 #ba1 ,to him that overcometh will ,i grant to sit with me in my throne1 even as ,i also overcame1 and am set down with my ,father in his throne4 ,after a few prefatory remarks1 the venerable rector said1 ,i shall endeavour to prove from these words that the ,christian is animated in his course by the hope of attaining the honours which wait him at the end of it4 ,he had1 in this sublimely interesting subject1 ample scope for the exhibition of some of the most attractive and impressive parts of revealed truth2 and such was the ease1 energy1 and animation with which he spoke1 that the audience listened with fixed attention2 and though he knew not that ,mr4 ,roscoe's family was present1 yet1 from the tenor of his remarks1 some thought that the sermon was intended solely for them4 ,after service1 when strolling leisurely through the church-yard1 ,farmer ,pickford pressed through the crowd1 and rather abruptly gave me his hearty hand-shake1 and we walked away together1 his modest wife by his side4 ,we have had an excellent sermon this morning4 ,that's true1 ,sir1 and no mistake4 ,mr4 ,ingleby speaks as though he believed and felt what he says4 ,he is wonderfully clever4 ,he knows the ,bible from ,genesis to ,revelation2 and methinks he could repeat it without looking at it4 ,and what a smart voice he has--not too loud for them that sit near him1 and loud enough to make people hear outside the church if a window happens to be open4 ,he is indeed an eloquent man1 and mighty in the ,scriptures2 that is1 he has extensive and profound knowledge of them4 ,he has more verses of the ,bible in one sarmunt than ,parson ,cole puts in threescore2 and ,i take notice that they are all different1 while ,parson ,cole is always repeating two1 which ,i have learnt by heart4 ,one is1 ',be not righteous overmuch2' and t'other1 ',in the last days perilous times shall come4' ,he has given me a bit of a liking for the ,bible4 ,i read one chapter every night to the youngsters before they go to bed1 and two on a ,sunday4 ,i hope you understand and feel what you read1 and what you hear from the pulpit8 ,why1 ,sir1 as for that ,i can't say much2 but ,i can say this1 ,i like what ,i hear1 and ,i can make out ,mr4 ,ingleby's meaning a bit better now than ,i could at first4 ,what he says often comes home here1 placing his hand over his heart1 and then ,i can't help feeling1 and at times ,i feel desperately2 but then1 worse luck1 it all goes off on a ,monday4 ,i suppose1 though1 you sometimes think during the week on what you hear at church on the ,sabbath8 ,i can't help doing that2 but1 worse luck1 ,i can't make out his meaning by my own thinkings so cleverly as he does in his sarmunts4 ,that's very likely2 but ,i suppose you now reflect at times on the worth of your soul1 and the possibility of its being lost8 ,ay1 that ,i do2 more now in one hour than ,i ever did all my life long before4 ,parson ,cole never made me feel or think1 but when he was lashing away at the schesmeatics1 as he calls the ,methodists1 and then ,i used to feel mightily pleased4 ,i often think we were two fools together--one for lashing the ,methodists1 who never offended him1 and t'other for being pleased with it4 ,i never come from church now without thinking about myself and my sins1 and about ,jesus ,christ who died on the cross1 and about heaven and hell4 ,these are now to me great realities4 ,nothing else1 as you said to me when you first talked to me1 is of equal importance4 ,but ,i am very stupid in such matters1 worse luck4 ,wife knows a power more about such things than ,i do1 and she often helps me a bit to mind and understand ,mr4 ,ingleby's sarmunts4 ,we often sit up an hour or so after the youngsters and the sarvunts are gone to bed1 to talk over these matters4 ,i like her talk1 as ,i understand it a bit4 ,i suppose you understand ,mr4 ,ingleby much better than you used to understand ,mr4 ,cole2 and ,i daresay you would not very willingly go back to your parish church8 ,i have been there1 ,sir1 for the last time1 and no mistake4 ,when there1 ,i could sit thinking about my crops and my cattle1 but ,i can't do that at church now4 ,no2 ,mr4 ,ingleby takes my heart along with him2 and at times he gives such terrible back strokes that he makes me tremble--ay1 and cry too2 and ,i a'n't ashamed to confess it to you4 ,i am thankful to hear you say what you do say1 and ,i have no doubt but you will1 by and by1 know spiritual things much better than you do now4 ,and so ,i tell him1 ,sir2 ,i tell him he is now like the man of whom we read in the ,gospel of ,mark1 who1 when the ,lord began to open his eyes1 saw so confusedly1 that men appeared like trees walking2 but after a while he saw things as clearly and as distinctly as other people4 ,the ,lord grant it may be so2 then ,i shall be a power happier than ,i be now4 ,i sha'n't mind death then4 ,i suppose1 ,mrs4 ,pickford1 things are now more comfortable at home than they used to be8 ,yes1 ,sir2 ,i see a blessed change in my husband1 and a change in my family4 ,sunday is now kept as it ought to be1 and we all go to church1 servants and all1 which makes me very thankful to ,god for working this change in our homestead1 and to you1 ,sir1 for the part you have taken in it4 ,i have a good wife1 ,sir1 who looked after me when ,i neglected to look after myself1 and who looked after the youngsters when ,i was for letting them run wild4 ,i used to feel a power of anger against her for her ,methodist ways and talk1 and at times ,i refused to let her go to chapel on a ,sunday2 but ,i did this in the days of my ignorance4 ,i know a bit better now1 thank the ,lord4 ,she says she sees a change in all of us1 but ,i hope she will see greater changes yet4 ,i now know that my heart must be changed1 and ,i pray to ,god to change it4 ,i hope1 ,sir1 you will come again to see us before you leave ,fairmount1 and give us a bit more prayer4 ,that prayer you gave us at your last visit has never been off my heart since ,i heard it1 and ,i don't think it will ever go off4 ,yes1 ,sir1 do come again1 said ,mrs4 ,pickford1 ,i will try to make you comfortable1 and you may do us some good4 ,why1 ,sir1 ,i got more good to my soul by your talk when you looked in and tasted our brown loaf and cream cheese1 than ,i got from all the parsons that ever visited us1 and we have had a power of them in the shooting season4 ,they would talk about game and dogs1 but not a word about the soul and its salvation4 ,i'll tell you what my belief is--one half of them would make better gamekeepers than parsons2 and ,i'll tell you why ,i think so--a man1 to be a right sort of a fellow for his work1 should have a liking for it2 and he should stick to it1 and not gad about1 minding other things4 ,very true2 the ministers of religion should try to save the souls of their people4 ,that1 ,sir1 is my thinking2 but no parson ever said anything to me1 or to any of us1 about my soul and its salvation1 though they all knew ,i was a badish sort of a man1 apt to swear a bit1 and sometimes get drunk1 worse luck4 ,well1 ,farmer1 ,i hope now you will work out your salvation with fear and trembling1 and then you will never again commit such sins4 ,i will1 ,sir1 the ,lord helping me2 and ,i hope we all shall2 we shall then be a power happier1 and no mistake4 99 99 99 99 99 ,on their return from church1 ,mrs4 ,john ,roscoe said1 ,we have heard a very judicious and impressive sermon this morning4 ,i was much pleased with the vigour and occasional elegance of ,mr4 ,ingleby's style2 but this was a source of gratification far inferior to the elevating sentiments which he delivered4 ,i could have sat another hour with great pleasure1 but not without coveting the feelings of a man who spake of the joys of heaven as one who had passed through all the necessary preparatory trials1 and was living in the sweet anticipation of his final happiness4 ,i was much struck1 said ,mrs4 ,roscoe1 at the size and listening attitude of the congregation4 ,how audibly and impressively they uttered the responses4 ,it was the sound of many voices1 yet all in harmony2 ,i saw no one gazing about1 as though he were a stranger in a strange place1 but every eye seemed fixed on ,mr4 ,ingleby4 ,i have been more pleased than ,i expected2 and if this be a fair specimen of evangelical preaching1 ,i shall feel no reluctance to go again4 ,this remark overpowered the feelings of ,miss ,roscoe1 whose mind had been filled with anxiety respecting the issue of this first visit of her parents to the church in which she had so often listened with delight to the truths of revelation1 and she could not refrain from shedding the tear of joy4 ,yes1 said ,mr4 ,roscoe1 the service was indeed interesting and impressive4 ,the preacher displayed a spirit and a manner which became the place he occupied1 and the responsibility of the sacred duties devolving on him4 ,his mind was absorbed in his subject2 and his principal aim was1 by showing us our danger1 and the resources of our safety1 and by exhibiting before us the honours and felicities of the unseen world1 so to awe and animate us1 as to secure our devout and permanent attention to the momentous truths which he brought forward4 ,i felt that the revelation of mercy was to him not a mere system of philosophical speculation1 which1 by exercising the reasoning faculties1 improves the intellect without refining the moral sense2 but that it was1 what it professes to be1 a restorative scheme of salvation1 which1 by renovating the heart1 restores man to his long lost purity and bliss--deriving all its efficacy from the grace of ,him by whom it was first announced4 ,i never retired from a service1 said ,mrs4 ,john ,roscoe1 with such feelings as those that influenced my heart this morning2 so dissatisfied with myself1 and yet ,i know not why2 ,i feel that ,i need something to solace my heart1 and yet what that something can be ,i know not4 ,i am1 indeed1 dear ,sophia1 in a state of almost overwhelming perplexity4 ,your observations1 dear aunt1 remind me of a passage in the history of the apostle ,paul1 who at one period of his life was in the same state of mental perplexity1 which led him to say1 ',when the commandment came1 sin revived2' that is1 when he felt the condemnatory application of the law of ,god to his conscience1 he was in a tumult4 ,before this application was made1 he thought that his heart was very good1 but afterwards he felt himself a great sinner1 and that he had within him many evil principles1 which had been lying in such a dormant state1 that he had no suspicion of their existence4 ,the new discoveries which you are now making1 and which occasion such painful perplexity1 are preparing the way for other discoveries1 which will soothe1 and yield the sweetest consolation2 and you will be led gradually onwards to a clear and comprehensive view of the grand theory of revealed truth2 and then1 like ,paul1 you 'will abound in hope1 through the power of the ,holy ,ghost4' ,i hope1 my dear1 it will be so2 for ,i feel when associated1 as ,i too long have been1 with our ,tractarian fallacies and delusions1 such a craving of soul for some yet unknown spiritual helps and consolations1 that ,i am painfully disquieted1 and at times alarmed1 lest ,i should be seized by death in my present state of unpreparedness for that solemn event4 ,i hope1 my dear1 you and your papa will pray for me1 for ,i now feel the need of the prayers of others4 ,i know not how to pray myself4 ,forms are now useless to me1 especially those ,i once used and admired1 but never felt2 ,i cannot use them now2 and yet ,i know not how to pray to the ,almighty without a written form4 ,you will soon know1 dear aunt4 ,,the ,,unhappy ,,one4 ,mrs4 ,denham was quite disconcerted by not seeing the ,roscoes at church on ,sunday2 and therefore1 accompanied by her daughter1 she made a call the next day1 to ascertain the cause4 ,we were much surprised yesterday1 said ,mrs4 ,denham1 by not seeing any of you in your pew4 ,we thought some of you must be very ill4 ,we had a most charming sermon4 ,mr4 ,cole took his favourite text--',be not righteous over much4' ,he read most excellently4 ,mr4 ,denham very much admired the sermon1 and so did ,sir ,henry ,wilmot2 ,i heard him say that ,mr4 ,cole surpassed himself4 ,he showed us the folly and the danger of being too religious4 ,we should have called in the evening1 only we know that ,mr4 ,roscoe has some scruples now about ,sunday visitors4 ,perhaps1 said ,mrs4 ,roscoe1 you will be surprised when ,i tell you that we all went to hear ,mr4 ,ingleby4 ,indeed6 ,and did you really8 said ,miss ,denham4 ,i heard him once4 ,is he not a most solemn preacher8 ,i think if ,i were to hear him often ,i should be brought over to his religion1 he enforces it with such awful power4 ,you know1 my dear1 our objections to his religion2 and ,i hope you will never think of leaving your own for it4 ,why1 mamma1 if ,i speak the candid truth1 ,i must confess that ,i have no religion to leave4 ,dear ,matilda1 you shock me4 ,why1 can't you say the ,catechism1 and the ,belief1 and the ,lord's ,prayer2 and were you not confirmed by the ,bishop of ,bath and ,wells2 and have you not taken the sacrament three times1 and thus made yourself a very good ,christian8 ,no1 ma'1 only twice4 ,if you recollect1 we had a large party last sacrament ,sunday4 ,yes1 ,i now recollect it4 ,i suppose 7looking at ,mrs4 ,roscoe7 you found the church prodigiously full8 ,there was a very large and a very attentive congregation4 ,i have heard that before1 and ,i wonder at it4 ,i wonder what charm people can feel in such a gloomy religion1 to be so fond of it4 ,they should have the sermon preached to them which ,mr4 ,cole read on ,sunday morning4 ,it would soberize them4 ,i am told ,mr4 ,ingleby preaches such awful sermons1 and with so much vehemence1 that he makes people take up with his religion whether they will or no4 ,pray1 how did ,mr4 ,roscoe like his preaching8 ,he is a sensible man1 and one on whose judgment we may place some dependence1 notwithstanding his religious eccentricities4 ,mr4 ,roscoe was very much pleased4 ,he thinks ,mr4 ,ingleby a very intelligent and a very eloquent preacher4 ,indeed1 we were all so much gratified1 that it is our intention to hear him again4 ,there1 mamma1 said ,miss ,denham1 ,i told you it would be so4 ,is he not1 ma'am1 a most beguiling preacher8 ,i have often wished to hear him again2 and yet ,i wonder at it1 for he made me feel so awfully4 ,what was the subject of his discourse8 7,mrs4 ,john ,roscoe now entered the parlour with ,miss ,roscoe47 ,he preached about the difficulties which a ,christian has to overcome before he can enter heaven4 ,i wish1 said ,mrs4 ,john ,roscoe1 you had been with us4 ,i think all your objections against evangelical preaching would have been removed4 ,i never enjoyed a sermon so much4 ,we certainly act a very unwise part in cherishing antipathies against a style of preaching which is so well calculated to direct our attention towards that eternal world to which we are all hastening4 ,it is very proper that we should all think about going to heaven2 but if we think too much on that subject it will make us low-spirited4 ,mr4 ,cole very justly remarked yesterday1 in his sermon1 that our ,saviour never prayed that we should be taken out of the world2 and ,i think it would be wrong if we were to desire it4 ,but you know that we must leave it2 and as we know not how soon1 is it not of importance that we should be prepared8 ,o1 certainly2 and ,i doubt not but1 when our ,maker is pleased to take us unto himself1 we shall be quite resigned to our fate2 but for my own part 7rising as she spoke71 ,i would much rather live than die4 ,we know what this world is1 and here we are very well off1 but we know nothing about the next4 ,i hope1 said ,mrs4 ,roscoe1 you and ,miss ,denham will accompany us on ,sunday to hear ,mr4 ,ingleby1 as ,i have no doubt you will be much pleased4 ,no one could have stronger prejudices against that good man than myself2 and though he advanced some things which ,i did not very well understand1 yet he preached with so much ease and animation1 that ,i felt more of the importance of religion last ,sunday than ,i ever felt before4 ,i have no doubt but ,mr4 ,ingleby is a very good man and a most excellent preacher2 but you know that ,mr4 ,denham is so attached to his religion1 that he would not like for us to change ours4 ,when1 ,madam 7addressing ,mrs4 ,john ,roscoe71 do you leave8 ,we think of going the early part of next week4 ,no1 no1 said ,mrs4 ,roscoe1 we cannot part with you so soon4 ,you must prolong your visit4 ,yes1 dear aunt1 said ,miss ,roscoe2 indeed you must4 ,i hope1 ,madam1 you and the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe1 accompanied by ,mr4 and ,mrs4 and ,miss ,roscoe1 will do us the honour of joining a select dinner-party at ,brushwood ,house this day week4 ,mr4 ,denham charged me to take no refusal1 he is so anxious for the honour of seeing you all at his table4 ,i feel obliged by your polite invitation2 but ,i believe my husband has to attend a clerical meeting1 which will render it absolutely necessary that we should be at home on ,tuesday next4 ,if he can stay1 you may expect to see us2 and ,i will let you know immediately after ,i have seen him4 ,you see1 my dear1 said ,mrs4 ,denham1 on her way home1 the propriety of the suggestion which ,i gave you some time since1 to avoid associating with ,mrs4 ,stevens1 as it is to her influence we may attribute the entire secession of the ,roscoes from our social parties4 ,they are all gone1 as you may perceive from our interview with them this morning2 and their example will influence others4 ,it is prodigiously affecting to see the progress this evangelical religion is making1 and no one can say where it will end4 ,but1 mamma1 one thing is certain--if we judge from observation1 they are happier with their religion than we are with ours4 ,yes1 my dear1 they say they are happy2 but what pleasure can there be in religion8 ,i don't know1 mamma2 but ,i am sure that ,mrs4 ,stevens and ,miss ,roscoe have a larger share of happiness than ,i have4 ,i often feel a gloom come over my mind1 which ,i can neither remove nor account for2 and sometimes ,i feel such a singular depression of spirit1 that ,i am inclined to read my ,bible2 but ,i don't know that it would do me any good4 ,why1 you know1 my dear1 you have been confined at home rather more than usual1 which has relaxed your nerves too much2 but our parties will soon meet1 and then the gloom of which you speak will go off4 ,but ,i must request you to avoid associating with your new friends1 especially now you are somewhat depressed in spirits1 or they may bring you over to take to their religion1 which would be1 as ,i have often told you1 a most prodigious affliction to your father and myself4 ,i cannot1 mamma1 efface from my memory the sermon which ,i once heard ,mr4 ,ingleby preach4 ,it sometimes recurs to my recollection with a force that quite overpowers me2 and ,i have such fearful dreams4 ,i dreamt last night that1 just as ,i was coming out of the theatre1 the heavens all at once blazed with fire1 and ,i thought the day of judgment was come4 ,i awoke in such a fright1 and just then ,i heard ,hector howl most awfully4 ,but1 my dear1 this was only a dream4 ,but is not my dream a presentiment8 ,o1 no1 my dear6 it's only superstitious people who ever have such a thing as a presentiment4 ,but1 ma'1 ,i am unhappy1 indeed ,i am4 ,i can't forget the sermon ,i heard ,mr4 ,ingleby preach4 ,i wish you had never gone to his church4 ,i wished you not to go4 ,you should always follow my advice2 ,i have more knowledge of men and things than you have4 ,true1 ma'2 but ,i often wish to hear him again4 ,is he not a good man8 ,my dear ,matilda1 you alarm me4 ,you wish to hear him again1 when his first sermon made you so unhappy6 ,you must not cherish such an idea4 ,indeed1 you must make some effort to raise your spirits1 and drive all these gloomy thoughts out of your head1 or there is no knowing what may happen4 ,but1 ma'1 if ,i could drive them out of my head1 ,i could not drive them out of my heart4 ,they have penetrated too deeply4 ,my dear ,matilda1 you must rouse yourself4 ,it won't do to give way to your melancholy ideas4 ,why1 if you don't take care1 you will become as religious as any of them2 and then1 as ,i have told you before1 we should never have another happy day4 ,my dear ma'1 ,i am unhappy1 and cannot help it4 ,with everything to make me happy--perfect health1 affectionate parents1 kind friends1 the prospect of a union with the man ,i love--and yet ,i am not happy4 ,that fearful question1 which impressed me so much when ,i heard it1 is perpetually sounding in my ears4 ,what question do you refer to8 ,it is this1 which ,i have repeated to you before--,should you like to pass from the theatre to the judgment-seat of ,christ8 ,but that1 my dear1 was in his sermon1 and he could not help reading it4 ,he did not mean you1 and ,i wonder why you should recollect it so4 ,you should forget it4 ,but ,i can't forget it4 ,it is always returning4 ,i hear it now4 ,i hear it in company4 ,i hear it in solitude4 ,and in the dead of the night1 when ,i awake1 as ,i often do1 ,i hear it then4 ,your papa has spoken to me several times lately about you4 ,he says he is sure1 from your melancholy looks and absence of mind1 that there is something the matter with you4 ,he thought1 till ,i satisfied him to the contrary1 that there was likely to be some rupture between you and ,mr4 ,ryder4 ,he is urging me to grant you every indulgence in our power4 ,i am strongly tempted to become religious1 to see if that would make me happy4 ,i am glad1 my dear1 it is only a temptation4 ,you know our ,saviour has taught us to pray1 ,lead us not into temptation4 ,this accounts for something ,i saw the other day1 which rather distressed me4 ,what was that1 ma'8 ,i saw a ,bible on your toilet4 ,o yes1 ,i recollect4 ,i heard a poor woman say that her ,bible made her happy1 and ,i thought for the moment it might make me happy4 ,but ,i could not make out which part ,i ought to read first1 so as to understand it2 and1 therefore1 ,i didn't read much4 ,i read the history of ,joseph1 which pleased me a little2 and ,i read some of the gospel stories2 but the other parts ,i cannot understand4 ,it is to me altogether a book of mystery4 ,nor can ,i understand it4 ,it is a book of mystery to me as well as to you4 ,but1 dear1 one thing is certain--the ,almighty does not require you1 now you are so young1 the very life and soul of all our parties1 to give your mind to such awful subjects as the ,bible speaks about4 ,perhaps not1 but still ,i am restless and uneasy4 ,indeed1 ,i sometimes think of going to consult ,mr4 ,ingleby2 he may be able to give me some advice which may do me good4 ,dear ,matilda1 by no means do such a thing4 ,if he could once get you into the ,rectory1 he would be sure to convert you to his religion4 ,keep up your spirits4 ,we will go to ,brighton soon2 then to the altar4 ,then the tour1 and then the return and the visiting4 ,you will soon be as happy as the day is long4 ,i hope ,god will bless me1 and make me happy4 ,there's no doubt about that4 ,then1 ma'1 if he will bless me1 why does he let me live so unhappy8 ,i have tried to pray to him to make me happy2 but it's of no use4 ,what can ,i do8 ,you must go into company more4 ,it is useless4 ,i can't now enjoy what ,i used to enjoy so much2 and ,i don't know the cause4 ,i feel doomed by fate to unhappiness1 and yet ,i have everything to make me happy4 ,i'll speak to ,dr4 ,bailey2 he is very likely to give a prescription that may relieve you4 ,no physician's prescription will ever soothe the pangs of a wounded spirit4 ,my dear ,matilda1 your case greatly distresses me1 and your papa too4 ,tell us what we can do to comfort you1 and we will do it4 ,i cannot tell4 ,what a contrast between ,miss ,roscoe and myself6 ,how cheerful she is6 what a sweet smile is always playing on her countenance6 how lively and energetic she is1 while ,i am wretched and depressed1 weary of life1 yet living in the dread of death2 more wretched1 while in the possession of abundance1 than the poor in their poverty4 ,some few weeks after this conversation1 ,miss ,denham1 on her return from making some morning calls1 said to her mamma1 ,you recollect our meeting ,mr4 ,cole1 the last time we were at ,mr4 ,roscoe's8 ,yes1 dear4 ,and do you recollect the remark you made on his leaving us8 ,no4 ,you said1 ',i wonder what is the matter4 ,mr4 ,cole looks so much annoyed to-day4' ,i now recollect it1 and ,i thought of it several times during the week1 but ,i don't cherish such gloomy things as you do4 ,then ,i can tell you what affected him4 ,i have just heard it4 ,it will astonish you4 ,no one expected such a thing2 it is so strange and unlikely4 ,what is it8 ,you know ,miss ,amelia ,stubbs has been very ill many weeks and is likely to die4 ,yes1 ,i heard it from ,dr4 ,bailey4 ,her papa1 when she was given over by ,dr4 ,bailey and another physician1 sent for ,mr4 ,cole1 and he talked to her1 and gave her the sacrament and absolution1 and then assured her that all was done that was necessary to be done to fit her for heaven2 and he told her that now she might be resigned to her fate without any fear1 as her peace with ,god was made on the sanctity of the sacrament4 ,very proper1 dear4 ,it is not1 ,i believe1 quite safe to die without taking the sacrament4 ,i should do that the first thing if ,i were a-dying4 ,exactly so1 ma'4 ,after ,amelia had taken it1 and when all thought she had made her peace with ,god1 and was quite resigned to die1 she sent for ,mr4 ,cole again1 and told him that what he had done was of no use1 and that she dreaded dying just as much after taking the sacrament and absolution1 as she did before she took it4 ,it was this that so much affected him4 ,he had just left her when we met him4 ,but why should he care about it1 if he did what the church prescribes to be done8 ,he did his duty1 and that ought to have satisfied him4 ,but1 he says1 it is such an indirect impeachment of his competency to perform his clerical functions4 ,i have no doubt1 if the real state of the case were known1 that ,mrs4 ,stevens has been with her1 and undone what ,mr4 ,cole did4 ,she is always prowling about amongst the sick and the dying1 disquieting their minds after the clergy have helped them to make their peace with ,god4 ,no1 ma'1 she had not seen ,mrs4 ,stevens4 ,her disquietude of soul came of itself4 ,how do you know that8 ,i have just seen her1 and she told me so4 ,she said1 and she spoke emphatically when she said it1 ',to give the sacrament and absolution to fit a person for dying1 as a sort of a passport to heaven1 is a great delusion4' ,depend on it1 dear1 that her fever has affected her brain4 ,she must be in a state of delirium4 ,no1 ma'1 she is quite herself--as calm and as collected as when in perfect health4 ,and she talks now so sweetly about ,jesus ,christ1 and about his love for sinners1 and about coming to him to be saved1 that she really made me weep1 though ,i could not comprehend her meaning4 ,you would not know her if you were to hear her speak now1 so different to her former talk4 ,she talks now like a saint just going into heaven4 ,it is quite wonderful4 ,i can't make it out4 ,then ,i suppose ,mr4 ,ingleby has been with her4 ,yes2 her papa1 at her request1 sent for him2 and he talked to her1 so she told me1 so sweetly about ,jesus ,christ1 about his compassion and his love1 and about his being able and willing to save her1 and prayed with her so sweetly1 that now she says she is quite happy at the thought of dying--that she would rather die than live4 ,all this is quite marvellous4 ,exactly so4 ,it has taken the whole circle of her intimacy by surprise4 ,everybody is talking about it1 and nobody can make it out4 ,only think1 a young lady with her bright prospects saying she would rather die than live6 ,did ,mr4 ,ingleby give her the sacrament and absolution8 ,no1 ma'1 he did nothing but explain the ,bible to her1 and pray with her4 ,is she dying8 ,she is just now a little revived2 but she told me again1 she would rather die than live2 and there was such a sweet smile on her countenance when she said it4 ,marvellous6 ,but are you quite sure she is not in a state of delirium8 ,this is how delirious people talk1 so ,i have heard4 ,she is no more delirious than ,i am4 ,she told me1 that if she should get well again1 which she did not expect1 she would have nothing more to do with balls1 theatres1 and card-parties2 and she said so many solemn things to me about my soul1 and its salvation and another world1 and urged me so earnestly and affectionately to prepare for death while time was given me for such preparation1 that ,i am become as low-spirited as ever1 and don't know what to do4 ,it is marvellous to hear with what ease1 and fluency1 and earnestness1 she now talks on these awful subjects4 ,one strange thing now comes so soon after another1 that ,i get quite bewildered1 but ,i suppose after a while things will settle down1 and we shall be as quiet as ever4 ,it is this evangelical religion that is doing all the mischief4 ,what a pity that our ,maker does not1 somehow or another1 put a stop to it4 ,but1 ma'1 people can't die in peace without it1 though they can live without it4 ,how will you account for this8 ,i don't know1 as ,i never studied the subject2 and ,i wish you would banish it from your mind1 and talk about something else4 ,i may talk about something else1 ma'1 but to banish it from my mind is more than ,i am able to do4 ,the conversation was interrupted by the entrance of the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,cole4 ,we were just talking about this strange case of ,miss ,amelia ,stubbs4 ,how unpolite in her to tell you that the administration of the sacrament and absolution was a great delusion1 when it is the very thing our church prescribes to fit a dying person for heaven6 ,ay1 she is to be pitied4 ,her mind is affected4 ,so ,i believe1 and so ,i have said4 ,is she likely to get any better before death8 ,no1 ,madam2 there is no chance of that now1 as ,mr4 ,ingleby has her under his care4 ,i think1 said ,miss ,denham1 she is scarcely to be pitied4 ,she is as calm and as collected as when in perfect health1 and appears so happy when speaking of the bliss she expects to enjoy after death4 ,she says she would rather die than live4 ,this1 ,i know1 is what the evangelicals say1 but ,i won't believe it4 ,i believe it1 ,sir1 for ,i have seen her1 and heard her say so4 ,i wish ,i was half as happy with the prospect of living as she is with the prospect of dying4 ,can you account for this wonderful change from a dread of death to a desire to die8 ,it's all effervescent excitement4 ,a most pleasant one1 just such an excitement as ,i should like if ,i were dying4 ,my dear1 you are overstepping the bounds of reverential propriety1 by offering such free remarks to ,mr4 ,cole4 ,i hope not1 ma'2 it is not my intention to do so2 but ,i can't help saying that1 while standing beside her death-bed1 ,i envied her her happiness4 ,she told me that the sacrament did not take from her the dread of dying1 but the sweet promise of ,jesus ,christ did4 ,what promise of ,jesus ,christ did she refer to8 ,to one1 ,i suppose1 that she heard in a fit of delirium4 ,delirious people always see imaginary sights1 and hear imaginary sounds1 and yet they think them real4 ,o no1 ,sir1 there's no delirium in her case4 ,it was a promise which ,mr4 ,ingleby read to her out of the ,bible1 and it was something like this1 ',come to me1 and ,i will give you rest4' ,i shall have no rest as long as ,mr4 ,ingleby is suffered to invade my ecclesiastical territory1 and pervert my parishioners from the sacraments of our church to his evangelical notions4 ,i mean to complain of him to the bishop of our diocese1 and have him cited before him4 ,i don't like1 said ,miss ,denham1 after ,mr4 ,cole left1 this citation reference4 ,i wonder what he will say to the bishop1 and ,i wonder what the bishop will say to him4 ,will he tell him that he visited a young lady of his parish when she was dying1 and gave her the sacrament and absolution1 according to the prescribed forms of the church1 but they failed in her case in the efficacy of their power1 as she dreaded death as much after she had taken the sacrament as she did before it was given to her8 ,will he then go on to say1 that ,mr4 ,ingleby was then invited to see her1 and that he1 by repeating and explaining to her some promise of ,jesus ,christ1 which he read to her out of the ,bible1 succeeded in taking from her heart all dread of death1 and in inspiring her with a joyful hope of immortality8 ,do you think he will do this1 and then pray his lordship to issue a censure1 and an interdiction to prevent his doing such a kind thing to any other person8 ,o no1 dear1 he won't do anything so highly indecorous4 ,it was a hasty expression4 ,i hope so1 because the morale of such an application would be this3 he would rather his parishioners should die in despair1 than they should derive hope and spiritual consolation from the promises of ,jesus ,christ1 repeated to them and explained to them by a brother clergyman of another parish4 ,but1 dear ,matilda1 in this case the brother clergyman is an evangelical4 ,admitted2 but then he does what ,mr4 ,cole could not do2 he gives consolation and hope to a person when dying4 ,this case is causing much excitement2 it is bringing the efficacy of the sacraments into disrepute4 ,i shall never1 ma'1 forget my interview with ,amelia2 her serene look1 her composure1 the soft yet full intonations of her voice when bidding adieu to what she called this vain world1 and hailing the dawn of a blissful immortality4 ,and1 ma'1 she wept many tears when she was urging me to flee from the wrath to come4 ,why1 dear1 it was very uncharitable in her even to suppose that such a dear innocent as you are is exposed to the wrath to come1 but to allude to it was an act of great rudeness4 ,i wonder you did not resent it4 ,really1 ma'1 ,i felt when she was speaking as though what she said was very applicable and proper4 ,but perhaps we were both labouring under a wrong impression4 ,however1 the conclusion which ,i have come to is this1 though ,i have not mentioned it to any one before1 that there is a power in evangelical religion of which we can form no idea4 ,there's a mystery about it ,i cannot fathom4 ,i am glad that dear ,amelia is happy in prospect of death2 she was always a virtuous girl1 with a good heart2 and now we will dismiss the subject1 to talk about something else4 ,come1 let us go into the drawing-room1 and we will have a little music4 ,you dwell on melancholy ideas too much2 dismiss them1 dear4 ,dismiss them6 ,why1 ma'1 my thoughts come and go without my control4 ,some are strange thoughts1 such as ,i never had before1 and some are the same as usual4 ,my mind is quite jaded by its own activity2 and if ,i go to rest1 and go to sleep1 it is just the same then1 as it is now4 ,i often wonder what the issue of all this mental turmoil will be4 ,here is ,mr4 ,ryder and his sister coming2 they will cheer you up4 ,don't tell them that ,i am unhappy2 it may excite suspicion or jealousy4 ,,the ,,scene ,,changes4 ,an arrangement having been made by a few of the gay young people of ,aston to go to a public ball1 ,miss ,denham yielded to the solicitations of ,mr4 ,ryder1 her betrothed husband1 and promised to go with them1 though not without a slight degree of reluctance4 ,after she had given her consent1 on casually seeing the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby1 as she was returning from a morning walk1 his sermon on the loss of the soul was brought so forcibly to her recollection1 and it revived so powerfully the disquieting emotions which it produced at the time she was listening to it1 that she said to her mamma1 ,i think ,i ought not to go2 the thought of going makes me feel quite unhappy4 ,however1 the entreaties and persuasions of her mamma and ,mr4 ,ryder prevailed1 and she accompanied the party4 ,it was a fine evening when they set off1 and they were all in great glee2 but on their return1 the night had become so dark and stormy that it was with difficulty they reached home4 ,the next morning ,miss ,denham complained of a slight cold1 and it was thought proper that she should keep her room during the whole of the day4 ,on the following day she felt somewhat unwell1 but not ill2 and as there were a few select friends engaged to tea and cards1 she dressed1 and appeared amongst them4 ,she was gay and sprightly1 but the dew of health was gone from her countenance2 her eyes did not sparkle with their usual lustre2 and all received an impression1 from her general appearance1 that some fatal disease had seized her1 though no one had courage enough to mention it4 ,after the party broke up she became somewhat worse2 but as there never had been much illness in the family1 her parents did not send for medical assistance1 supposing that she had merely taken a cold1 from which she would soon recover4 ,her mamma sat by her bedside till midnight1 when she left her in a sweet sleep1 having commissioned her favourite servant to watch her through the night4 ,about three in the morning she became restless1 awoke1 and asked for some water1 which she drank with avidity1 and then slumbered on for the space of another half-hour4 ,she awoke again1 and asked for more water2 complained of its being bitter1 and uttered some incoherent sentences1 which induced the servant to call up her parents4 ,she became composed again2 slept rather more soundly2 but about five she again awoke1 and seeing her mother1 she said1 ,i have had a very strange night--,i have seen strange sights1 and heard strange sounds--,i am very ill--,i ought not to have gone to the ball--,i knew better--,i should not like to pass from the theatre to the judgment-seat of ,christ6 ,o1 my dear1 do not suffer your mind to be so distressed4 ,it was a very unfavourable night2 but ,i hope it will please the ,almighty to restore you to health very soon4 ,your papa has sent ,william for ,dr4 ,bailey1 and we expect him here every minute4 ,at length1 after two hours' long suspense1 the trampling of the horses announced the approach of the doctor1 who was soon introduced to her by her tender-hearted father4 ,he made a few inquiries--examined her pulse--looked grave--and then abruptly retired below1 followed by both her parents1 who felt anxious to know his opinion1 yet dreaded to ask him for it4 ,miss ,matilda1 he said1 is very ill--she must be kept very composed4 ,i will send her some medicine1 which she must take immediately1 and ,i will see her again about noon4 ,is there any danger1 ,sir8 ,there is1 ,madam1 always some danger attendant on such a violent seizure2 but ,i see no great reason to apprehend a fatal issue4 ,the doctor's directions were strictly adhered to2 but the fever continued to rage with even greater violence1 and she became delirious4 ,occasionally she gave utterance to half-formed sentences1 which indicated that she sometimes thought herself listening to a sermon on the loss of the soul1 and at other times enjoying the gaieties of fashionable life4 ,often did her father1 with hurried steps1 walk up and down the lane1 between the hours of twelve and two1 to look for the doctor2 and just as he was sending ,william to hasten his return1 he saw him coming4 ,after the second interview with his patient1 her mother ventured to say1 ,do you think1 ,sir1 the dear creature is dying8 ,why1 no1 ,madam2 she is still very ill1 but not worse than when ,i saw her in the morning4 ,she may recover1 and ,i hope she will2 but everything depends on her being kept composed4 ,but1 ,sir1 she is at times very delirious1 and utters sayings frightful to hear4 ,that must not astonish you2 it proceeds from the nature of the complaint2 it is a painful but not a dangerous symptom4 ,i want to subdue her fever1 and if ,i can do that1 we have nothing to fear4 ,i will see her again in the evening4 ,she continued during the afternoon much the same1 but towards evening was more composed2 she recognized her mother1 and conversed a little with her2 complained less of pain and of thirst1 and was so much revived that the doctor said1 on leaving her1 that he had very little doubt that she would recover4 ,during the four following days there was no perceptible change1 but on the turn of the seventh day the fever left her4 ,as the doctor had been very particular in recommending her parents to keep up her spirits1 to prevent her ruminating on the subject of religion1 her mamma occasionally read to her some passages from the most amusing books she could procure1 and generally passed away the dull and tedious hours of the evening at cards4 ,but though she had regained her vivacity1 and talked with her accustomed ease on the past scenes of her life1 and the prospects which futurity opened up to her ardent fancy1 yet she gradually became weaker and weaker1 which convinced her physician that some incipient disease was undermining the vigour of her constitution2 yet he did not despair of her final recovery4 ,but though for a while some flattering symptoms gave promise of returning health and vigour1 yet at length it became evident that death was lurking in ambush1 and that the gay and accomplished ,matilda must die4 ,one physician was called in after another1 and every expedient which human skill could devise was resorted to2 but no power could arrest the progress of the flattering yet fatal disorder which was gradually wasting away her life4 ,as soon as she was informed that there was no hope of her recovery1 she requested to be left alone till she rang the bell4 ,on this request all went below1 and sat for some time weeping together4 ,she is now1 said her father1 making her peace with ,god2 let no noise be heard2 this work requires stillness2 may heaven bless her in the act4 ,the bell rang2 her anxious mother1 on approaching her bedside1 perceived she was in a state of extreme agitation1 and her voice faltered as she said1 ,i fear1 ma'1 ,i am not fit to appear before the judgment-seat of ,christ4 ,i wish to see some clergyman who will bring words of peace to my soul4 ,that's very proper1 dear4 ,i'll send for ,mr4 ,cole1 who will1 ,i am sure1 and with great satisfaction1 give you the sacrament1 and then you will make your peace with ,god4 ,yes1 mamma2 he gave it to ,amelia ,stubbs when she was dying1 and she told me that she dreaded death after she had taken the sacrament as much as she did before it was given to her2 she told me that giving the sacrament and absolution to fit a person for dying is a great delusion4 ,i now feel1 ma'1 that ,i have been living under the spell of a fatal delusion2 but ,i cannot consent to die under it4 ,will you send for ,mr4 ,ingleby8 ,mr4 ,ingleby6 said the astonished mother4 ,yes1 ma'2 he spoke words of comfort to ,amelia ,stubbs when she was dying1 and he may bring some words of comfort to my troubled soul4 ,send for him immediately4 ,i have not long to live1 and ,i wish now to turn the current of my thoughts towards the other world4 ,i hope1 said the weeping father1 on ,mrs4 ,denham's entrance into the parlour1 our dear ,matilda feels her soul happy4 ,o no6 she is not happy4 ,her soul is in trouble4 ,she says that she is not fit to appear before the judgment-seat of ,christ4 ,what makes her think this8 ,it is the remembrance of some question she once heard ,mr4 ,ingleby put when he was reading his sermon4 ,did she ever tell it you8 ,yes2 many times of late4 ,do you recollect it8 ,yes2 it was this--',should you like to go from the theatre to the judgment-seat of ,christ8' ,and who would8 ,perhaps that question was the ,almighty's warning voice speaking to her soul4 ,she wishes to see the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby1 and requests that he may be sent for immediately4 ,yes1 ,i'll send for him at once1 since she desires to see him4 ,he is a good man1 and has made many happy in their last hours1 and ,i hope he will bring words of peace to the troubled spirit of our dear dying child4 ,as the news of ,miss ,denham's approaching dissolution spread through the parish1 many wept1 and many sent to inquire after her2 but none were more deeply affected than the ,stevenses and the ,roscoes4 ,though they had often sent1 and often called1 yet they had not been permitted to see her more than once1 and then she was flushed with the high expectation of a speedy recovery4 ,mr4 ,denham at once sent a note to the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby1 informing him of the dangerous illness of his daughter1 and of her desire to see him at his earliest convenience4 ,mr4 ,ingleby was very soon with her2 he found her seated in an arm-chair beside the fire1 with a ,bible open on the table before her2 but she was too much excited to do more than extend her hand1 sitting for some time nearly motionless1 in pensive silence4 ,there was a melancholy cast on her countenance1 which formed a strong contrast to the brilliancy of her eye1 and the beautiful though fatal hectic which flushed her cheeks4 ,her parents1 after making some delicate allusions to her illness1 and the depression of her spirits1 withdrew1 as she had requested to be left alone with ,mr4 ,ingleby2 and after they had left the room1 she very frankly told him that she had sent for him to give her the benefit of his instructions and his prayers4 ,i have lived1 ,sir1 a gay and a thoughtless life1 but not a happy one4 ,i have often felt dissatisfied with the sources of my gratification1 and envious of the happiness of our friends at ,fairmount2 but never had resolution enough to abandon the objects of my pursuit1 nor to seek theirs4 ,it has now pleased the ,almighty to put a stop to my career of folly and gaiety1 and ,i know that in a few weeks1 if not days1 ,i shall die1 and go into the eternal world2 and ,i am not prepared for such an awful event4 ,but what convinces you that you are not prepared to go into the eternal world2 and how long have you entertained such a belief8 ,ever since ,i heard you preach a sermon on the loss of the soul4 ,since then ,i have been unhappy1 and often in terror4 ,do you remember any particular passage in the sermon which impressed and affected you8 ,o yes1 ,sir2 one1 which is fixed on my memory4 ,it was this3 ',should you like to go from the theatre to the judgment-seat of ,christ8' ,to pass abruptly from such a scene of gay amusement into the eternal world would indeed be awful1 but ,god in mercy has interposed to prevent it2 and your present anxiety on the subject may be regarded as a favourable sign that he is dealing graciously with you4 ,but as many are alarmed in the immediate prospect of death1 and pray for mercy when they cannot continue longer in a course of folly and of sin1 you will permit me to warn you against grasping at a premature hope1 which may prove more fatal1 because more deceptive1 than the keenest feelings of anguish4 ,o1 ,sir1 ,i have no hope4 ,my soul is deeply depressed2 ,i cannot look back on the scenes of my past life without being amazed at my folly4 ,had ,i taken the warning which ,amelia ,stubbs gave me when she was dying1 ,i had not gone to the theatre or the ball-room again2 and then ,i had not been dying now4 ,you knew her8 ,yes1 ,sir2 and ,i saw her when she was dying2 and she told me she would rather die than live4 ,and she besought me with tears1 and in the sweetest tones of solicitude1 to flee from the wrath to come4 ,but ,i was infatuated1 and ,i saw not my danger1 nor did ,i understand the full import of her warning as ,i do now4 ,i continued to follow the multitude1 because custom led the way1 and now ,i must die alone4 ,but ,i am not fit to die4 ,why do you suppose that you are not fit to die8 ,because ,i am a sinner2 ,i always thought ,i was1 when ,i ever thought on the subject1 but now ,i feel that ,i am4 ,and how long have you felt yourself a sinner8 ,o1 ,sir1 and she wept as she spoke1 not till after ,i was informed of my danger2 and this aggravates my misery1 because ,i fear that it is a dread of punishment which disquiets my soul1 rather than a true sorrow for my sins4 ,had you ever any convictions during your gay career that you were acting an unwise and a dangerous part8 ,o yes1 often1 ,sir1 very often2 conviction would sometimes flash over my mind1 with the vividness of lightning2 but then it would soon go off again2 and though ,i could not forget the impressions which it produced1 yet ,i soon ceased to feel them4 ,you informed me just now that while you were sometimes dissatisfied at your own pursuits1 you often envied the superior happiness of our pious friends at ,fairmount2 but why did you envy them their happiness1 when you could form no just conception of the nature of it8 ,it is true1 ,sir1 ,i could form no conception of the nature of their happiness1 but ,i knew they were happy--more happy without our fantastic sources of amusement than we were with them4 ,i never retired from their society without being convinced that there was a ,divine reality in true religion2 and yet ,i could not imagine what it could be4 ,the only idea ,i could form of it was going frequently to church1 reading the ,bible1 praying1 and living a virtuous life4 ,yes1 my dear1 there is a ,divine reality in true religion1 which1 ,i hope1 you will live to feel8 ,i cannot live1 ,sir1 and ,i am not fit to die4 ,my case is hopeless4 ,no1 my dear1 it is not hopeless4 ,i can repeat to you words which have comforted thousands1 and ,i hope they will comfort you--',god so loved the world1 that he gave his only begotten ,son1 that whosoever believeth in him should not perish1 but have everlasting life4' ,but1 ,sir1 after living such a vain life1 may ,i venture to rely on his death for salvation1 with a hope of obtaining it8 ,yes1 most certainly4 ,jesus ,christ came into the world to save sinners--those who feel they are sinners--and as soon as we feel our guilt and our degeneracy1 we are not only fitted to come unto him for peace1 and acceptance1 and eternal life1 but invited in the most tender and endearing terms4 ,hence he says1 ',come unto me1 all ye that labour and are heavy laden1 and ,i will give you rest4' ,o1 ,sir1 she suddenly exclaimed1 and her eye sparkled with delight1 these are the very words which gave comfort to dear ,amelia ,stubbs when she was dying1 so she told me4 ,and ,i hope they will give comfort to your soul4 ,they are the words which ,jesus ,christ uttered when he was on earth1 and addressed to sinners like you4 ,but he does not speak them to me2 if he did1 then ,i should have comfort1 because then ,i should have hope4 ,he has had them inserted in the ,new ,testament1 and there you may read them2 and as they are placed there for the comfort of sinners of all future times1 you are authorized1 when reading them1 or hearing them repeated1 to believe that he ,,is speaking to ,,you1 and as really as though you could hear him giving utterance to them4 ,then ,i will hope in his mercy and in his power2 and yet ,i am almost afraid to hope4 ,had ,i felt some years1 or even some months since what ,i now feel1 ,i should have been preserved from the ensnaring influence of those fascinations which have opened for me a premature grave1 and might1 in the society of my esteemed friends1 ,mrs4 ,stevens and ,miss ,roscoe1 have enjoyed a large share of happiness on earth4 ,but you ought to be thankful to the ,god of all consolation that you have felt1 in the eleventh hour1 that degree of guilt1 and that clear apprehension of danger1 which has induced you to run for refuge to ,jesus ,christ to save you4 ,very true1 ,sir2 and ,i do feel the emotion of gratitude to him springing up in my heart4 ,it is a new emotion1 and it is a very sweet one4 ,you have often heard1 when attending the services of the church1 that ,jesus ,christ died on the cross to save sinners from perishing2 did it never make any impression on your heart8 ,yes1 ,sir1 ,i heard it1 but it did not impress my thoughtless mind4 ,but now ,i see it and feel it4 ,o1 how wonderful1 that the ,son of ,god should bleed and die for such a guilty and worthless sinner as ,i now feel myself to be6 ,and may ,i hope1 dear ,sir1 without being guilty of presumption1 that he will save me from perishing1 and admit me into heaven8 ,you may2 indeed1 not to do so would be a sin1 as it would be an impeachment of his integrity4 ,then ,i will hope1 and will bless and praise his name with all my soul4 ,i have been living under a fatal delusion1 but ,i feel that ,i am under no delusion now4 ,no1 my dear1 you are now brought into connection with realities1--sublime realities--realities which connect the two worlds1 and which explain the mysteries of time1 and open a free and a safe passage for the guilty and the worthless into eternity4 ,may ,i now urge my last request1 which is this--that ere you leave this house1 you will try to impress on the mind of my dear parents the important truths which you have with such clearness made known to me4 ,the venerable man having given her his pledge that he would attempt to do so1 then knelt down and prayed with her1 and bade her farewell1 yet intending to see her again4 ,immediately after ,mr4 ,ingleby's departure she retired to rest1 and slept the greater part of the night4 ,in the morning1 when her father drew near her bedside1 and asked her if her soul was happy1 she replied1 ,i am composed1 but not perfectly happy4 ,i have a hope that ,i shall not perish1 and that ,i shall be saved2 and this is as much as ,i can expect1 and far more than ,i deserve4 ,i shall now soon leave you1 dear father2 but before ,i go ,i have two requests to make1 which ,i hope you will comply with4 ,the one is this1 that you and my dear mother will go and hear that holy man of ,god preach1 who has brought words of comfort to my troubled soul4 ,he understands what religion is1 and will explain it to you more clearly and more perfectly than ,mr4 ,cole can do4 ,i once1 in common with others1 ridiculed his evangelical views of ,divine truth1 and turned the edge of satire against those who seek happiness in the consolations of the gospel2 but now ,i am driven for peace and for hope to that very source4 ,my other request is1 that you will send my affectionate regards to ,mrs4 ,stevens and ,miss ,roscoe1 and say that ,i wish to see them as soon as they can conveniently come4 ,mr4 ,john ,ryder1 who had been unremitting in his attentions during her illness1 and who was nearly frantic with grief in the prospect of parting with her1 was waiting below2 and when she was asked if he might see her once more1 she replied1 ,i think not1 it may disturb me2 ,i am too near an eternal world to suffer my feelings to intermingle again with those objects on which they have been too strongly placed4 ,but after a long pause she added1 ,yes1 let him come up4 ,the parting scene1 though painful1 may be profitable4 ,he entered the room1 pale and dejected2 and though his spirit could brave death in the high places of danger1 yet now he was appalled--seeing her preparing for the tomb1 instead of the altar4 ,on approaching her bedside she extended her hand1 and with a mild look and softened tone1 she said1 ,we now part1 but ,i hope not for ever4 ,death1 which is now removing me1 may soon call for you1 and then ,i hope you will find that consolation in the death of a despised ,saviour1 which it has pleased ,god1 very unexpectedly and undeservedly1 to give to me4 ,and then1 after a mutual embrace1 she drew back her hand1 and concealed her face1 as though her eyes were for ever closed on things visible and temporal4 ,the interview with her endeared friends1 ,mrs4 ,stevens and ,miss ,roscoe1 gave a fresh excitement to her feelings2 but it was one of pure and unmingled satisfaction4 ,they conversed together with intense interest on the love of ,christ1 and the freeness of his salvation2 but when any reference was made to the joys of the heavenly state1 she merely expressed a hope that she might be permitted to join the innumerable throng1 though doomed to remain unnoticed amongst them4 ,as ,mrs4 ,denham and the nurse were exhausted by excessive fatigue1 having had no rest for several nights1 ,mrs4 ,stevens's and ,miss ,roscoe's kind offer to stay with her was accepted4 ,it was evident to all that she could not continue long2 for though there had been some favourable symptoms of recruited strength1 yet for the last few days the disease had made very rapid progress1 and when the physician took his leave1 he said1 ,be not surprised if a sudden change should take place4 ,she slept through the first part of the night very composedly1 but about three in the morning she became restless1 and on being raised up in the arms of ,miss ,roscoe1 she swooned for a few seconds1 when she gradually revived1 and expressed a wish to see her parents once more4 ,she first kissed her mother1 and bade her adieu1 and then her father1 and then her two female friends1 and1 last of all1 her old nurse2 and after a long pause she said1 ,i am dying1 but not without hope of obtaining eternal life1 through faith in the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,she then gently reclined her head on the bosom of ,mrs4 ,stevens1 and breathed her last4 ,thus died the once gay and thoughtless ,miss ,denham1 bearing a testimony against the vanities of the world1 which had ensnared her1 and to the importance and excellence of the faith in ,christ1 which she had often made the theme of her ridicule4 ,had she felt the transforming power of the truth which on one occasion she heard fall from the lips of ,mr4 ,ingleby1 or had she given heed to the warnings which ,amelia ,stubbs1 when dying1 addressed to her1 she might have lived1 a comfort to her parents in their old age1 and an ornament to society2 and1 at a distant period1 she might have descended to the grave laden with the fruits of righteousness1 and rich in the anticipations of hope4 ,but as she chose to disregard them1 and devote herself to the follies and amusements of gay life1 she was called to taste the bitterness of death in the spring-time of her years2 yet mercy spared her till she sought the redemption of her soul1 through faith in the death of the ,redeemer1 while many are left in their last hours on earth to seek for enjoyment amidst scenes of folly1 and then1 when death comes1 they pass into the eternal world1 for which they have made no preparation4 ,what consternation and horror will then seize them6 ,a ceaseless storm of agony1 which never abates1 and from which there is no escape4 ,o1 reader1 ,be wise to-day1 'tis madness to defer4 ,,the ,,tractarian ,,at ,,fault4 ,soon after the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe and his lady returned home1 ,miss ,roscoe received the following letter from her aunt3-- ,,my ,,dear ,,sophia1--,we are again at home1 and in good health2 but before ,i say anything about home1 ,i will give you a short account of the adventures of our journey4 ,we had1 for nearly half the distance1 two gentlemen for our fellow-travellers--one a ,roman ,catholic1 the other a ,protestant--whom ,i shall call ,mr4 ,o',brian and ,mr4 ,robertson4 ,mr4 ,o',brian was a very demure-looking man1 with a large head1 overhanging brows1 and strongly marked with a severe yet self-complacent expression4 ,on taking his seat1 he at once opened a newspaper and commenced reading4 ,at length1 having wearied himself by the intensity of his reading1 or having exhausted the subject matter of his paper1 he folded it up1 put it on his knee1 took off his spectacles1 and then placing them cautiously in an elegant silver case1 he slightly changed his position1 and appeared equally intent in looking at the varied beauties of nature4 ,mr4 ,robertson requested that he would favour him with the use of the paper4 ,the favour was granted in silence1 and with a somewhat haughty bow4 ,mr4 ,robertson1 who sat opposite me1 was an interesting and intelligent-looking man1 with a bold1 yet rather facetious-looking countenance2 while reading1 ,i was much struck with his appearance1 his features underwent such frequent and rapid changes of expression4 ,it seemed to me that he had met with something which alternately amused his fancy and roused his ire4 ,the paper1 ,i should tell you1 was from the ,roman ,catholic press1 and contained some marvellous tales1 the description of some gorgeous ecclesiastical ceremonies1 and a ,jesuitical defence of the ,catholic clergy1 on whom the editor lavished many praises1 for their active benevolence and their earnestness in the grand work of saving the people4 ,on returning the paper1 ,mr4 ,robertson said1 ',i greatly dislike these marvellous tales1 because ,i think them legendary inventions2 and ,i greatly dislike these pompous ceremonies1 because they do not harmonize with the beautiful simplicity of the religion of the ,new ,testament2 and though ,i have no doubt but some of your priests are men of active benevolence1 yet ,i do not think they have any more power to save the people than any other men4' ,illustration3 ,,discussion ,,in ,,the ,,stage ,,coach4 ,vol4 i4 page #dbb4 ',perhaps1 ,sir1' said ,mr4 ,o',brian1 'you are what in common parlance we call an unbeliever4' ',no1 ,sir1 ,i am not2 ,i believe in the plenary inspiration and absolute authority of the ,bible2 but ,i have no faith in the infallibility or divinely delegated power of any order of priesthood2 pure sham pretensions1 ,sir4' ',but1 ,sir1 our priests are the regular successors of the apostles4' ',they may be1 but what then8 ,do you mean to imply1 in this category of their descent1 that they are endowed with the same power and authority as the apostles8' ',most certainly ,i do4' ',indeed6 that is claiming a good deal of what is superhuman4 ,the apostles had power to work miracles2 but do these priests of yours ever do such a thing as open the eyes of a blind man1 or raise a dead man to life4' ',no1 ,sir1 they do not pretend to do such things4 ,the power and authority which is delegated to them is spiritual2 to act not on matter but on mind2 to remit or retain its sins4' ',the apostles never possessed this spiritual power1 or if they did1 they never exercised it4' ',i beg your pardon1 ,sir1 but you are mistaken4' ',to the law and the testimony2 specify one case in which any one of the apostles ever ventured on forgiving any man his sins4' ',i have not my ,new ,testament with me1 or ,i could prove the truth of what ,i say4' ',i know all the facts of the ,new ,testament1 and if you will only refer to any one case1 ,i will give it to you with all its details4' ,no reply4 ',no1 ,sir2 the apostles always directed the attention of the guilty1 for the remission of their sins1 to ,god1 seated on a throne of grace2 or directly to ,jesus ,christ1 as a ,saviour mighty to save4 ,i certainly will give your priests the credit of acting a very cunning part in one particular1 relating to the possession of apostolic powers4' ',a very cunning part1 ,sir6 in what particular8' ',why1 the apostles proved that they had power to work visible miracles2 but this power your priests lay no claim to1 because1 if they did1 they would be challenged to the proof2 but they claim an authority to forgive sins 7after certain cash payments are made71 which authority the apostles never exercised2 and when they are asked for a proof that they possess it1 they have none to offer except their own fallible testimony4 ,however1 their deluded devotees very meekly hand over the cash1 which the priest very gravely pockets1 reminding me of the ,ephesian jugglers1 who said1 in justification of their zeal for the great goddess ,diana1 ,sirs1 ye know that by this craft we have our living4 ,this1 ,sir1 is worse than mere sham2 it is a daring usurpation of the ,divine prerogative1 which is no less than an act of blasphemy2 for who can forgive sins but ,god only8' ,no reply4 ,when ,mr4 ,o',brian left us1 his place was filled up by an elderly man1 the most profane person ,i ever travelled with4 ,i watched the changing countenance of ,mr4 ,robertson1 the rapid contraction and distention of his brow1 his intent and eager look of indignation4 ,availing himself of a short pause1 he said1 with a very stern look1 and in an authoritative tone1 ',if1 ,sir1 you have no reverence for ,god1 ,i hope you will pay some respect to a lady1 and leave off such profane1 disgusting utterances4' ',i suppose1 ,sir1 you are a believer in the ,bible8' ',i am1 ,sir4' ',i am not4 ,i don't believe that ,god takes any notice of what we say or do4' ',it is very possible1 ,sir1 you may feel the full force of your belief at some future period of your history4' ',you speak ambiguously2 will you explain your meaning8' ',why1 ,sir1 it is possible you may feel1 when dying1 what the generality of your profane fraternity feel--intense remorse and some awful forebodings--and may1 as they have often done1 cry aloud for mercy2 and then you may be made to feel that ,god takes no notice of what you say or do4' ',i don't believe in a futurity2 ,i no more expect to live after death comes1 than ,i expect my dead dog to live again1 or that a rotten cabbage-stalk will spring up into vegetable life again4' ',well1 ,sir1 if you choose to die like a dog1 or rot like a cabbage stump1 you will permit me to say that ,i don't admire your taste4' ',i defy you to prove that ,i shall live after ,i am dead4' ',you need not defy me to do that1 for ,i assure you ,i have no wish to do so2 and really the sooner such profane beings go out of existence the better2 if not for their own sakes1 yet certainly for the sake of others4' ,this last stroke of caustic severity struck the evil spirit dumb1 and he left us very soon after4 ,your uncle took no notice of any occurrence during the whole of the journey2 he entered into no conversation1 but appeared deeply absorbed in his own thoughts1 and since his return he very rarely leaves his study1 except for his meals1 and these he often takes in almost total silence4 ,an incident occurred on ,saturday week1 which1 when viewed in connection with the strange alteration of his habits and manners1 induces me to hope that his religious opinions1 like my own1 are undergoing a decided change4 ,he said to me1 ',i shall read the service to-morrow1 and my curate shall preach2' assigning as the reason for such an unusual arrangement1 that he could not select a sermon to his mind2 adding1 ',i must get a new set4' ,what spiritual influence that visit is now exerting over him1 time alone will show2 but as it relates to myself1 ,i assure you1 my dear ,sophia1 ,i shall never forget it2 and ,i hope the vivid impressions of the superlative importance of personal piety which ,i received1 will never become obliterated4 ,the idea which most forcibly struck me was one which came out incidentally at our interview with the excellent ,mrs4 ,stevens--that genuine religion was a source of mental bliss2 it takes its rise in the heart1 and brings us into contact with a living ,saviour4 ,as soon as this grand idea took possession of my mind1 ,i saw the absurdity1 and ,i may say the impiety of deifying the ceremonies of religion1 by ascribing a regenerating power to baptism1 an absolving power to confirmation1 and a saving power to the priesthood of any church4 ,o6 how often have ,i uttered1 in conjunction with others1 when in church1 the following prayer3 ',o ,god the ,son1 ,redeemer of the world1 have mercy upon us1 miserable sinners4' ,but ,i never felt myself a miserable sinner till now4 ,i never felt the need of mercy till now4 ,i uttered the prayer quite mechanically1 not from the heart2 but now ,i feel its appropriateness and its urgent necessity2 and ,i begin to hope he will have mercy on me and on my dear husband4 ,you are aware that my sister1 who is an eminently devout woman1 is also a ,dissenter2 and hitherto1 when she has visited us1 we have felt some objection to her staying over the ,sunday1 because1 having no sympathy with your uncle's style of preaching1 she could not go with us to church2 and we both felt a reluctance to tolerate an inmate of the rectory going to a ,dissenting chapel4 ,but the other evening1 when alluding to her expected visit1 he said to me1 ',i hope she will remain with us some weeks2 and ,i see no good reason why we should object to her attending the ,dissenting chapel1 as we know she prefers it4 ,the apostle commands us to be courteous2 and hence we must not suffer any of our ecclesiastical antipathies or predilections to set aside the law of ,christian politeness4' ,this first budding of liberality was hailed by me with more delight than we feel when gathering the first snow-drop of spring2 in itself a proof that our visit has thawed away the ice-bound antipathies of a frigid ecclesiastical formalism4 ,remember me most affectionately to your papa and mamma1 and believe me to be1 my dear ,sophia1 your most affectionate aunt1 ,a4 ,r4 ,soon after receiving this letter1 ,miss ,roscoe wrote to her aunt1 in the following terms3-- ,,my ,,dear ,,aunt1--,yours of the #adth more than delighted us2 it excited our gratitude to the ,author of all good desires and all holy counsels2 and both mamma and papa have consented that ,i should come to you as soon as ,i can conveniently get ready4 ,i often prayed1 while you were with us1 that your visit might prove a spiritual blessing to us all2 and ,i now indulge the hope that the ,lord is answering my prayers4 ,to see you and my dear uncle moving out of dull1 monotonous formality1 into newness of life1 and to hail you as fellow-heirs of the grace of life1 will be indeed the consummation of bliss4 ,with united affection to you and yours1 ,,sophia4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe had not preached for many ,sundays1 leaving this part of his clerical duties to be performed by his curate2 and one evening1 when in conversation with his family1 he made a communication that startled them4 ,alluding to the discussions which had taken place at his brother's mansion1 he said1 ,they have altogether unfitted me for my ministerial functions4 ,i cannot preach now1 for ,i do not know what to preach4 ,i am compelled to renounce my former belief1 and ,i see no alternative but to adopt the evangelical faith2 and yet ,i do not clearly understand it4 ,it is at present enveloped in a thick mist1 which may possibly clear off as ,i pursue my inquiries2 and yet ,i scarcely know how to pursue them4 ,however1 ,i have decided on one important step1 which ,i have no doubt will startle many1 and may bring upon me some opprobrium1 and that is1 ,i have engaged an evangelical preacher to succeed my present curate1 who leaves next ,sunday1 having obtained preferment4 ,my new curate may prove to me a counsellor and a guide4 ,the effect of this unexpected announcement was electrical1 and some tears were shed1 as an homage of gratitude to the ,god of all grace4 ,i hope1 ,sir1 said ,mrs4 ,burder1 the ,divine ,spirit is gently leading you out of the darkness of theological error1 into the marvellous light of pure1 evangelical truth2 and though for a while a thick mist of obscurity may envelope some parts of its harmonious theory1 yet if you follow on to know the ,lord1 the pathway of your inquiry will become clearer and brighter1 till in the progress of time you will comprehend1 by practical experience of its power1 what the apostle designates the height and the depth1 the breadth and the length of the love of ,christ1 which passeth knowledge2 and then you will have both joy and peace in believing4 ,it will1 indeed1 said ,mrs4 ,roscoe1 be a delight to my soul to hear pure evangelical truth proclaimed in our church1 in which a cold and frigid ,tractarianism1 which ,i never very well liked1 has long been in the ascendant4 ,and to hear it proclaimed by my dear uncle1 said ,miss ,roscoe1 will be as joyous to my heart as the coming up of ,john the ,baptist out of the wilderness1 proclaiming the speedy appearance of the ,messiah1 was to the devout ,jews1 who were waiting for the consolation of ,israel4 ,your father1 my dear ,sophia1 has been the means of effecting a thorough revolution in my theological opinions and belief2 but had there not been another power presiding over our discussions1 more powerful than his cogent arguments1 my haughty spirit would never have yielded to him the palm of victory4 ,yes1 and ,i am not ashamed to avow it1 'by the grace of ,god ,i am what ,i am4' ,i have always loved my brother as my brother1 but now1 henceforth1 ,i shall love and revere him1 as my spiritual father in ,christ4 ,do you recollect1 uncle1 what part of the discussion made the first and the deepest impression against your ,tractarianism1 and in favour of evangelical truth8 ,yes2 ,i felt staggered by the case of ,simon ,magus1#ai as a self-evident proof that baptism is not regeneration4 ,the argument rising out of the possible loss#bj of a parish register ,i felt to be very powerful4 ,i was also1 more than once during our debates1 very solemnly impressed by your father's serious and intense earnestness2 but one expression he uttered1 when replying to some observations of your aunt1 went to the core of my heart1 and ,i could not extract it4 #ai ,see page #cba4 #bj ,see page #cdh4 ,do you recollect the expression8 said ,miss ,roscoe4 ,yes1 and its accompaniments1 and the long train of reflections it gave rise to4 ,it was this3--',all false religions take man as he is1 and leave him essentially the same2 but in genuine religion the man changes1'#ba and ,i saw an illustration and confirmation of this in your papa4 ,i recollected the time when he was as decided a ,tractarian as myself1 equally averse to evangelical truth1 and more intolerant in his spirit against others4 ,the conversion of ,saul of ,tarsus did not excite more astonishment amongst the ,jews and the disciples of ,christ1 than ,i felt at the change which had taken place in my brother4 ,in him ,i saw a living proof that the man changes1#ba and ,i saw also that the change brought him into a nearer spiritual conformity to the primitive disciples of ,jesus ,christ4 ,then the emphatic exclamation of your aunt helped on this new process of thinking and feeling1 and my spirit instinctively responded to the truthfulness of her utterance1 ',i must have the religion of principle--that of mere form has no life2 it does not bring me into contact with a living ,saviour4' #ba ,see page #cdd4 ,i often felt1 said ,mrs4 ,john ,roscoe1 addressing her niece1 when associating with your friends1 that ,i was with persons of a new order1 very diverse in spirit and in style of speech to our ,tractarian neighbours1--advocates for the same ecclesiastical ceremonies1 but regarding them merely as the external medium for the conveyance of ,divine truth and grace to the mind2 not magnifying them1 as endowed with any mysterious1 self-contained power to operate by their own immediate agency4 ,but the point of difference which struck me most forcibly1 was their constant reference to the absolute necessity of a supernatural renovation of the soul1 and the infusion of a new and spiritual life4 ,and1 my dear aunt1 was this the only point of difference which you discerned between us and your ,tractarian friends8 ,o no4 ,perhaps if ,i refer to a passage in a sermon which ,i heard the venerable ,mr4 ,ingleby preach1 it will give you an idea of the other point of difference ,i perceived4 ,it was contained in a sermon from ,john iii4 #ad1 #ae1 and was to this effect3 ,jesus ,christ stands in the same relation to us which the elevated brazen serpent did to the bitten ,israelites--every one who looked to it was healed4 ,we1 as sinners1 are thus addressed3 ',look unto me1 and be ye saved1 all the ends of the earth2 for ,i am ,god1 and there is none else' 7,isa4 xlv4 #bb74 ',you are not1' he said1 with intense earnestness1 'to look to your virtues for salvation1 nor are you to look to your religious ceremonies for salvation2 but you are to look to ,jesus ,christ1 symbolized by the brazen serpent of the ,hebrew camp1 a living ,saviour1 and one mighty to save4' ,this was a beautiful passage1 beautiful from its simplicity and its adaptation to our condition4 ,i have been baptized1 confirmed1 have taken the sacrament many times1 and have passed through the entire process of ecclesiastical training1 but ,i now find ,i am not spiritually regenerated1 and that ,i need a ,saviour just as much as any unbaptized heathen4 ,tractarians1 said ,miss ,roscoe1 neither deny nor repudiate ,jesus ,christ2 they maintain his original dignity1 and often depict1 in strongly exciting language1 his humiliation and his sufferings4 ,they also extol him as the perfection of moral dignity1 combined with personal excellencies of the purest order2 but they do not give to him that prominence as a ,saviour mighty to save1 which the inspired writers and which the evangelical clergy give to him4 ,his substitutional work they virtually reject1 as we do the legend of baptismal regeneration4 ,he is1 in their ecclesiastical domain1 more as the spectre of the ,christian faith1 moving silently in dim twilight amongst its established forms and lifeless ceremonies1 than as the ever-living ,son of ,god1 giving life to the spiritually dead1 healing the moral disorders of fallen humanity1 and saving the chief of sinners from everlasting woe4 ,on ,sunday afternoon they all went to church1 and heard the curate deliver his farewell sermon1 which1 like most sermons of the same school1 was a pompous eulogium on the church1 its apostolic orders1 and its sacraments4 ,jesus ,christ was visible in the remote distance1 but not drawing the people to himself by the virtue of his death2 the efficacy of the attractive power was deposited in the laver of baptism1 and the absolution of the priesthood4 ,i am devoutly thankful1 said ,mrs4 ,roscoe1 as they were returning from church1 that this is the last sermon of the ,tractarian school we shall have from this pulpit4 ,i think1 said ,miss ,roscoe1 as they were chatting together after tea1 we shall be guilty of no offence against any law of our statute-book if we go together to the ,dissenting chapel this evening1 as we have no service at church4 ,i shall not object1 said ,mr4 ,roscoe1 to your going2 but if ,i go1 now that ,i have appointed an evangelical curate to do duty at church1 a report may be raised that ,i am going to turn ,dissenter4 ,this would most likely operate to my prejudice4 ,however1 ,i intend to hear the sermon1 which ,i can do very easily by walking in the garden alongside the chapel1 where ,i have of late heard many of ,mr4 ,davis's sermons1 and have more than admired them2 ,i have felt them4 ,my uncle6 you progress in liberality rather rapidly4 ,i hope this is not a sign that you will soon be taken from us2 choice fruit sometimes gets prematurely ripe4 ,o no4 ,i am not meet for heaven as yet4 ,but now that ,i begin to know and feel the real power of the truth on my heart1 ,i shall throw off the mantle of bigotry2 it never sits gracefully on a true believer in ,christ4 ,one faith ought to produce one spirit--the spirit of love and ,christian fellowship4 ,we shall all be one in heaven1 and why not all one on earth8 ,the text for the evening sermon was part of the #bith verse of the #cdth chapter of the prophecies of ,ezekiel--,a ,,plant ,,of ,,renown4 ,after a concise exposition of the prophecy1 ,mr4 ,davis remarked1 ,it is not my intention to give you a lecture on the future restoration of the ,jews to the land of their fathers1 but rather to fix your attention on that glorious ,one who is announced in my text under the beautifully appropriate image of a plant of renown4 ,that it refers exclusively to ,jesus ,christ ,i shall take for granted1 and the following is the leading question ,i mean to discuss--,what is the primary cause to which his pre-eminent distinction and celebrity may be attributed8 ,that there are some subordinate causes which have contributed to it1 ,i readily admit1 such as his miracles1 his teaching1 and the moral grandeur and social loveliness of his character2 but these1 though brilliant and imposing1 are not enough to account for the unparalleled celebrity which he still maintains in universal estimation4 ,for suppose1 after performing the miracles which he did perform1 and after conveying the knowledge of spiritual truths which he did convey1 and after developing the character which he did develope1 he had suddenly disappeared1 like ,enoch or ,elijah1 doing nothing more in behalf of man1 what an impenetrable cloud of mystery would hang over the design of his appearing on earth8 ,we should1 in that case1 be reduced to the necessity of believing that the greatest1 the wisest1 and the most benevolent being that ever appeared in the human form1 came and went away without accomplishing any purpose commensurate with the moral grandeur of his character1 or the vastness of his resources for practical utility4 ,he would flit before our imagination as a wonderful being1 but a being of no essential importance to us4 ,his history might live in our recollection without exciting an emotion of gratitude or of love1 or it might pass from our recollection without our sustaining any perceptible loss1 proving a vast brilliant mirage in the dreary desert of humanity2 or1 like some splendid night-dream1 leaving at the dawn of morning its romantic incidents feebly and uselessly imprinted on the fancy4 ,if1 then1 his splendid miracles1 his sublime revelation of spiritual truth1 and his unique character1 blending in equal proportions the perfections of divinity with the excellencies of unfallen humanity1 are insufficient to account for his unfading and ever-increasing celebrity1 and for the absolute dominion he holds over the thoughts1 the admiration1 and the supreme affection of his disciples1 of every tribe and every grade of the intellectual and social world1 to what other cause are we to attribute it8 ,to what other cause6 to his death1 and the relation in which he stands1 by virtue of his death1 to the great family of man4 ,he came to give his life a ransom for many2 his life he gave1 laying it down of himself2 he suffered1 the just for the unjust2 he died for us4 ,death severs all relative connections2 but the living survivors can derive no benefit from the departed1 because all intercourse is broken off1 and the medium of communication destroyed4 ,but here is an exception to the universal rule2 by giving his life as a ransom for sinners1 he became the ,saviour of all who believe in him1 and his death is the mystic power which brings them into a close and indissoluble union and fellowship with him4 ,john ,bunyan1 when incarcerated in ,bedford jail1 was building up his fame as one of the most sagacious moral philosophers of his age2 his genius1 having gauged the depth of human sorrow1 discovered and made known the source of its alleviation and relief--by an allegorical form of representation1 which charms the imagination while it touches the heart4 ,his ,pilgrim leaves the ,city of ,destruction with a heavy burden on his back1 and he groans beneath its weight through every stage of his progress1 till1 on ascending a little eminence1 he suddenly and unexpectedly descries the cross1 when in a moment the straps of his burden snap asunder2 it rolls off and disappears4 ,this was to him a joyful discovery2 and he exclaims1 ',he hath given me rest by his sorrow1 and life by his death4' ,yes1 brethren-- ----',the cross6 ,there and there only1 is the power to save4 ,there no delusive hope invites despair2 ,no mock'ry meets you1 no deception there4 ,the spells and charms that blinded you before1 ,all vanish there1 and fascinate no more4' ,hence1 when a sinner feels the pressure of guilt on his conscience1 and stands terror-struck lest the wrath of ,god should fall upon him1 he looks by faith to ,jesus ,christ giving his life a ransom1 and then a power is emitted which soothes his sorrows and allays his fears1 and gives him joy and peace in believing4 ,and when he arrives at the great crisis of his destiny1 conscious that he is going from this world into the great world of spirits1 what is it that braces up the nerves of his soul1 now on the eve of becoming disembodied8 what is it that gives buoyancy to his hope1 and calmness if not ecstasy to his feelings8 what is it that acts with such great power at such an eventful crisis8--it is a simple trust in the efficacy of the death of ,jesus ,christ4 ,hence you may often hear the departing believer saying1 as his last audible utterance1 ,who loved me1 and ,,gave ,,himself ,,for ,,me2 and his conscious assurance of this great fact disarms death of his sting1 and he passes onward into the eternal world with a hope full of immortality4 ,after proving that he will maintain his celebrity through all future periods of time1 and onwards for ever1 both in the estimation of the saved and the lost--the saved will never forget him1 or cease to feel the manifestations of his love2 nor will the lost ever forget him1 or cease to feel the terror of his righteous displeasure--he concluded his sermon as follows3--,will those doomed spirits1 who were his contemporaries during his earthly sojourn1 and who distinguished themselves by their daring and unprovoked hostility1 ever forget his appearance when they held him under their subjection1 or his appearance now he has them under his own8 ,will ,judas ever forget taking the sop1 and then going deliberately away to receive the reward of treachery8 ,will he ever forget re-entering the garden1 passing along its lonely pathway1 followed by an armed force1 and stepping forward in advance to give the appointed signal1 by saluting him8 ,will he ever forget the tortuous question1 which still vibrates on his ear--',judas1 betrayest thou the ,son of man with a kiss8' ,will ,caiaphas1 the high-priest1 ever forget rending his clothes1 and accusing him of blasphemy1 because he admitted he was the ,son of ,god8 ,or will any of his associates in the council ever forget that they once spat in his face1 and buffeted him1 and smote him with the palms of their hands8 ,will ,herod and his men of war1 now seeing him on his throne of majesty1 ever forget setting him at nought1 and mocking him1 arraying him in a gorgeous robe1 and dismissing him in derisive scorn and contempt8 ,will ,pilate ever forget when the ,lord of glory stood as a criminal at his tribunal8 or when1 after pronouncing his innocence1 he ordered him to be stripped1 and scourged1 and then sent him forth to the death of torture and infamy8 ,will the man who placed the crown of thorns on his head1 or the man who put the reed of mockery in his hand1 or the men who nailed him to the cross1 or the debased malefactor1 whose last breath was spent in reviling him--or will any of the ,scribes and the ,pharisees1 whose malignant spirit gave an impulse and a tone to the infuriated rabble1 ever forget what they did and what they said against ,him who now sits on the throne of majesty and of power1 and the day of whose vengeance is come8 ,ah6 no4 ,he will be held in everlasting remembrance by celestial and infernal spirits1 and by the saved and the lost1 who once sojourned in this vale of tears4 ,there is1 said ,mr4 ,roscoe1 ,i must confess1 a power and an impressiveness in this style of preaching1 as much superior to our cold and formal ,tractarianism1 as the beauty and the fertility of summer surpasses the icy chills and sterility of winter4 ,the one1 said ,miss ,roscoe1 is the empire of death2 the other1 of life4 ,i long1 said ,mrs4 ,john ,roscoe1 for next ,sunday1 when ,i hope we shall hear1 for the first time in our church1 the glorious gospel of the blessed ,god4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the ,sabbath dawned1 and it was a lovely day4 ,public curiosity had been awakened by the suddenness and novelty of the change2 the church was crowded1 for the fame of the preacher had preceded him4 ,the service was read by the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4 ,his new curate entered the pulpit with graceful ease1 his countenance betokening a deep sense of his responsibility to ,god and to the people1 to act a faithful part in the ministration of ,divine truth4 ,his text was a very appropriate one1 and it was announced with impressive distinctness1 yet in a mild and rather pathetic tone3 ,unto me1 who am less than the least of all saints1 is this grace given1 that ,i should preach among the ,gentiles the unsearchable riches of ,christ 7,eph4 iii4 #h74 ,after a very brief introduction1 he said1 ,here are two things to which ,i will now call your attention1 first1 the estimate which the apostle forms of himself2 and1 second1 the commission he was engaged to execute4 ,a few extracts from the second division of his discourse1 may not be unacceptable to the intelligent reader4 ,he first gave a graphic sketch of the impure and degrading mythology of the ,gentile world1 and the safeguards which were placed around it1 by the sagacity of its priests1 in conjunction with imperial authority1 to protect it against any movements which might be made to subvert it1 or bring it under the ban of popular outrage or odium4 ,he then represented ,paul taking a survey of it1 meditating on its antiquity1 its imposing and beguiling fascinations1 its undisputed ascendency over the passions and prejudices of the people1 exclaiming1 in anticipation of its overthrow1 ,but who is sufficient to do it8 ,his faith1 brethren1 said the preacher1 was as strong as his zeal was ardent2 and while conscious that he was in himself less than the least of all saints1 yet he knew he had received a commission to go forth and destroy this stronghold of ,satanic impurity and crime1 and he was to do this by preaching the unsearchable riches of ,christ4 #a4 ,the subject of his preaching was defined4 ,he was to preach about ,jesus ,christ4 ,he doubtless told the people that ,jesus ,christ was the ,son of ,god1 who had appeared on earth in the likeness of men2 and then1 after giving a sketch of his character1 detailing some of his miracles1 and repeating some of his sayings1 he announced his ignominious and agonizing death4 ,had ,paul been an impostor or a fanatic1 and had ,jesus ,christ been1 what our ,german infidels say he was1 a mythical being1 the apostle would have cast the myth of his death into the shade1 under a full conviction that it was far more likely to elicit the expression of scornful contempt1 than to awaken any poignant or sublime emotions in the souls of the people4 ,but no2 his death is the chief subject of the apostle's preaching--the magnetic power of a mysterious attraction1 awakening morbid sensibilities1 and stirring death itself into vigorous life2 it is the fact of his extraordinary history on which he dwells with impassioned earnestness3 ',for ,i determined not to know any thing among you1 save ,jesus ,christ1 and him crucified' 7#a ,cor4 ii4 #b74 ,he does not dwell on his tragical death to excite popular odium against his murderers1 nor to excite popular sympathy or admiration by a description of the calm self-possession and the moral dignity he displayed in his sufferings2 but he dwells on it as a marvellous manifestation of ,divine benevolence3 ',for ,god so loved the world1 that ,he gave his only begotten ,son1 that whosoever believeth in him should not perish1 but have everlasting life' 7,john iii4 #af2 ,rom4 v74 #b4 ,the subject of his preaching was exclusive4 ,he had1 as modern preachers have1 a great variety of subjects which he could have introduced in his public ministrations2 and we know that on some occasions he did avail himself of them1 as when at ,athens he exposed the absurdity of the superstitions of the people2 and as when1 addressing ,felix1 he reasoned on righteousness1 temperance1 and judgment to come1 making that licentious man tremble1 in the presence of his courtiers1 under the terror of his appeals2 but in general1 the pity and the love of ,christ for perishing sinners1 and his power and willingness to save them1 constituted the leading theme of his simple and subduing eloquence4 ,yes1 brethren1 and this is the only theme which can render the ministrations of the pulpit attractive and impressive2 because it is the power of ,god unto salvation4 ,jesus ,christ1 when on the earth1 said1 ',i am the way1 and the truth1 and the life3 no man cometh unto the ,father but by me' 7,john xiv4 #f74 ,paul believed this1 and he preached it2 and so ought we4 ,yes1 we should enter our solemn protest against1 and fearlessly denounce1 all the false and delusive expedients which superstition and infidelity devise and adopt to conciliate the ,divine favour2 and boldly maintain that there is only one way of access to the ,father for the forgiveness of our sins and for eternal life 7,acts iv4 #ab74 #c4 ,the subject of his preaching required no adventitious circumstances to make it attractive1 or to render it successful4 ,see #a ,cor4 i4 #ba1 #be4 ,we have been gravely told by some of our ,christian philosophers1 who admit the ,divine origin of ,christianity1 that she must be preceded by civilization1 with its arts and sciences1 or she will never gain any splendid triumphs amongst a rude and an uncultivated people4 ,then1 forsooth1 the agriculturist must know how to drain his marshes1 and how to cast up his furrows2 how to plant and prune his hedges1 and how to construct his dikes2 before his heart can receive the incorruptible seed of the truth1 which liveth and abideth for ever4 ,then1 forsooth1 the sculptor must know how to convert1 and by the most scientific process1 the rough and shapeless block of marble into the human form1 before his soul can undergo a new creation in ,christ ,jesus4 ,then1 forsooth1 the painter must know how to impress on the canvas the face of the blue heavens1 its rising and its setting sun2 the sombrous splendour of a starlight night1 and the dark and fearful thunderstorm1 before he can feel the moral attraction of the powers of the world to come4 ,then1 forsooth1 the rude barbarians of the island and the desert must be located in towns or cities1 must abandon their wigwams1 their caves1 and their mud huts1 for well-ventilated and ceiled houses2 must give over the chase1 and cease to pluck subsistence from the unpruned plants of the wilderness1 and participate in the luxuries of high living2 must have their museums and literary societies1 their courts of judicature1 and their halls of legislation1 and their printing-presses1 before they can be formed into ,christian churches1 to enjoy the communion of saintly brotherhood4 ,this is what ,i call the poetry of scepticism2 something to excite or soothe the sentimental1 and to act as a barrier to arrest the progress of the faithful herald of salvation1 who1 like ,paul1 goes forth to preach amongst the ,gentiles the unsearchable riches of ,christ4 ,we have another set of philosophers1 who have not moral courage enough to reject ,christianity as a sham or delusion1 but who gravely tell us that she must submit to the operation of the law of progress1 or she will never gain any conquests amongst our deep and profound thinkers1 or our men of refinement and of taste4 ,she must now1 at the opening of this new epoch in her history--so say these semi-sceptical philosophers--come out of her antiquated forms and requisitions1 and be moulded into a shape1 and trained to a mode of argument and address1 adapted to the intellectual attainments and delicate sensibilities of the age4 ,a chaste and classical language must supersede the uncouth technicalities of the olden times2 reason must now be admitted as the only standard of appeal and of judgment on all questions of belief2 arbitrary dogmas must give place to new discoveries in the science of morals and of theology2 and while a subdued respect and reverence is still cherished in the popular mind for the ,bible1 and the institutions which are upheld by its authority1 yet there must be no limits prescribed to the spirit of free inquiry1 nor must any coercive power or ceremonial arrangement trespass on the sanctity of human freedom1 or on any of our civil or social habitudes4 ,if we choose to dance at a ball2 if we choose to bet at the race-stand or frequent the theatre2 if we choose to shuffle the cards1 or toss the dice1 or strike at a billiard-table2 if we choose to take recreative pleasures on a ,sunday1 rather than render obedience to the ,puritanical law of its observance1 and choose to offer our adorations and our orisons to the ,deity beside murmuring streams or gurgling fountains1 or on the tops of lofty mountains1 in preference to a church consecrated to his worship2 and if we should have a greater liking for the poetry of ,byron or of ,wordsworth than for that of ,david or ,isaiah1 and should cherish a stronger predilection for the novels of ,scott or of ,bulwer than for the dull prose of prophets or of apostles1 we feel that ,christianity has no moral right to interdict us4 ,the day of absolutism in her history is past and gone4 ,she may now ask to be received amongst us as a guest--she must not come as a despot or as a sovereign2 she may advise1 but she must not command2 she may breathe the words of a soothing sympathy in the house of mourning1 or in the chamber of death1 but she must not presume to utter any denunciations1 if we should say to her1 what ,felix once said to her heroic champion1 ',go thy way this time1 when ,i have a more convenient season1 ,i will send for thee4' ,and now1 forsooth1 we have a new set of philosophers#bb coming up within our own borders1 men of learning and of taste1 and of ,oxford or of ,cambridge training1 who have recently discovered that ,christianity is not1 as hitherto believed by our great theological authorities1 a remedial scheme of grace and truth1 to recover man from the ruins of the fall1 but a mere educational scheme1 to develope his inner spiritual life1 and train it to a state of perfection4 ,hence1 they tell us that we are to regard ,jesus ,christ as a prophet and an example1 rather than as a priest and a sacrifice2 and that the basis of our hope of salvation is not his meritorious righteousness1 imputed to us and received by faith1 but his personal excellencies1 which he displayed through the whole tenor of his life2 these excellencies becoming inwrought in our souls by an assimilative process1 conducted by our own unaided meditative musings4 ,so then1 according to the doctrine of this new school of ,christian philosophers1 if ,i meditate1 under the mysterious charm of an approving sympathy1 on the gentleness1 the meekness1 and the patience of ,jesus ,christ--on his benevolence1 his heroic fortitude1 and his calm endurance of suffering--on the graceful urbanity of his manners--on the amiability of his temper and spirit--and on the moral dignity of his character--,i shall so inwork his personal righteousness in my inner spirit as to make it my own2 and on this my hope must rest of being justified against all the charges of a violated law1 and through this source ,i must look for peace with ,god and for final salvation4 #bb ,reference is here made to ,archdeacon ,hare1 the ,rev4 ,fred4 ,maurice1 chaplain of ,lincoln's ,inn1 the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,trench1 professor of divinity in ,king's ,college1 ,london1 and the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,kingsley1 rector of ,eversley4 ,i will meet all these new discoveries and semi-profane speculations by one simple remark3--,if the apostle had lived through all succeeding ages up to the present time1 he would continue to write and to preach as he wrote and preached to the citizens of ,ephesus and ,corinth4 ,he would have indulged in no vain speculations1 nor would he have made any new discoveries4 ,if he stood in this pulpit now1 and if any of the departed spirits of ,ephesus or of ,corinth were raised from the dead to form part of his audience1 they would see the same man and hear the same voice1 and hear that voice giving utterance to the same truths1 and in the same style and tone of proclamation4 ,he would again tell them1 as he told them when preaching to them1 that by nature they are the children of wrath1 even as others1 and are saved by grace1 through faith1 and that not of themselves1 it being the gift of ,god1 'not of works1 lest any man should boast' 7,eph4 ii4 #i74 ,he would preach the unsearchable riches of ,christ4 ,hence we perceive that the theme of preaching is to be the same throughout all ages1 though the heralds of its proclamation may be different men1 dying off in the progress of time1 to be succeeded by others2 but woe be to that herald who dares to substitute a vain philosophy1 or any new discoveries1 for the glorious gospel of the blessed ,god4 ,hear what ,paul says3 ',but though we1 or an angel from heaven1 preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you1 let him be accursed' 7,gal4 i4 #h74 ,he has1 ,i know1 been censured for using such awful words of denunciation1 and held up to popular reprobation1 as breathing a malignant as well as a dogmatic spirit4 ,but1 brethren1 allow me to ask you one question4 ,do you think it possible for human language to embody that amount of indignant feeling which you would virtuously cherish against the monster who1 on a dangerous coast1 and for no personal advantage1 would falsify the colours of the lighthouse1 or who would shift the buoys on a rocky shore8 ,no4 ,if you could inhale the breath of the most scorching vengeance1 you would breathe it forth against such an infernal being1 who is willing to become a wholesale murderer1 beguiling to danger and to death by the very signals which are appointed for life and safety4 ,hence heavy denunciations of woe on some special occasions are the utterances of pure benevolence4 ,and this is strictly correct in reference to ,paul4 ,he knew that the gospel he preached was a true and faithful saying1 the power of ,god to salvation2 and consequently any gospel in opposition to it would be false and fatal3 and hence he sends forth his warning voice1 as you would send forth yours if you saw a man in the very act of changing the signals of safety for those of destruction and of death4 ,in conclusion1 brethren1 ever remember that preaching is only the proclamation of mercy and of grace4 ,it is an instrument of power2 but it is nothing more4 ,to you the word of salvation is now brought1 and to you it has been delivered this night2 will you receive it1 or will you reject it8 ,if you receive it in faith and in love1 it will prove a savour of life unto life2 but if you reject or neglect it1 it will prove a savour of death unto death4 ,on its reception or rejection your eternal destiny is dependent1 and shall that destiny be endless happiness or endless woe8 ,decide2 now is the accepted time4 ,the congregation listened with close attention1 and appeared powerfully excited2 a deep solemnity was the predominant expression of almost every countenance1 quite unlike the apathetic indifference of former times4 ,on passing away from the church1 with ,mrs4 ,roscoe and his niece1 who were in an ecstasy of delight1 one of ,mr4 ,roscoe's most intelligent hearers said to him1 ,you have now1 ,sir1 a curate who is an honour to your pulpit2 he knows his work1 and has given us a proof that he knows how to do it2 he will very soon fill the church1 for we need1 and have long felt the want of a pure evangelical gospel4 ,under such a ministry we shall soon see some signs of spiritual life amongst us4 ,,the ,,popular ,,delusion4 ,a rumour having reached us that the venerable ,mr4 ,ingleby had met with an accident on his return from a visitation1 we made a call at the rectory1 and had the gratification to find that it was a false report4 ,mr4 and ,miss ,roscoe and ,mr4 ,lewellin came while we were there2 he detained us to tea1 and then gave us an account of his journey1 which1 though unattended by any remarkable incidents1 was both interesting and instructive4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,i was much pleased with our bishop2 he is a commanding figure in the pulpit1 with a clear sonorous voice1 and very graceful action4 ,i never heard a more natural speaker4 ,but he has other1 and still greater excellencies2 he is a truly godly man--a spiritually-minded man2 and he equals1 if he does not surpass1 both in purity of doctrine and impressiveness of manner1 the most distinguished of our prelates4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,it is to be regretted that our bishops don't preach as ,paul and the other apostles preached--in season and out of season--anywhere and at any time2 proving1 by the multiplicity of their labours1 that they are in earnest in their efforts to save souls from perishing4 ,mr4 ,lewellin4--,there is some difference between our modern ,episcopal bishops and the bishops of the ,new ,testament1 though they profess to be their lineal descendants4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,yes1 the bishops of the ,new ,testament were fishermen or tent-makers2 men of a meek and lowly spirit1 who coveted no man's gold or silver2 they thirsted for no secular honour2 in their own estimation they were less than the least of all saints2 and the highest point of their ambition was to preach amongst ,jews and ,gentiles the unsearchable riches of ,christ1 regardless of the privations and sufferings to which this exposed them4 ,but a mitre now adorns the brow of our ,episcopal bishops2 there is a graceful magnificence in their appearance1 and they are in general men of a lofty bearing2 their superb palaces are decorated with the skilful devices of sculptors and painters2 they roll in carriages1 and fare sumptuously every day2 they may be seen occupying their seats in the legislative council of the nation1 and on days of public audience ,csar admits them into his august presence1 and his princes and nobles do not hesitate to bow down and do them homage4 ,what a striking contrast between the primitive and our modern bishops6 ,mr4 ,stevens4--,and you may add1 ,sir1 between the primitive church of the apostles1 and our modern ,episcopal ,church4 ,the latter is distinguished by its wealth and splendour1 the former by its extreme simplicity and purity4 ,the ,apostolic ,church was founded for the edification and safety of its members1 who were an incorporation of independent freemen1 to whom the right of private judgment was conceded2 the ,episcopal ,church is an ecclesiastical institution1 established for the support of an hierarchical priesthood1 who1 like despots1 admit of no interference from the people over whom their jurisdiction extends4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,i must confess that ,i should like to see our church brought into a nearer resemblance to the ,apostolic ,church of the ,new ,testament2 but still ,i think we may look upon it1 with all its faults1 as a national blessing2 and if we could get the ,tractarians expelled1 it would stand as a mighty breakwater against the drifting currents of ,popery and infidelity4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,but most of our bishops have a strong bias towards ,tractarianism1 because it is so favourable to their spiritual despotism2 it increases and consolidates their power1 and under its sway the lay members of the church are reduced to a state of abject submissiveness to the priesthood1 similar to the condition of the members of the ,church of ,rome4 ,the inferior order of priests rule the people1 and the bishops govern the priests2 the laity have no voice in the appointment of any of them2 and if1 as is sometimes the case1 they object to their teachings as having a tendency to establish ,roman ,catholicism on the ruins of the ,protestant faith1 they can obtain no redress against such a fatal result4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,but1 happily1 there are exceptions to this general rule1 and our bishop is a very decided one4 ,he is a good and faithful minister of ,jesus ,christ1 imbued with a ,pauline spirit2 and the sermon which he delivered to his clergy was both appropriate and impressive4 ,i was quite delighted with it1 and so were some of my brethren1 especially our pious and intelligent lay brethren4 ,the text was taken from ,rom4 xiv4 #ag3 ',for the kingdom of ,god is not meat and drink2 but righteousness1 and peace1 and joy in the ,holy ,ghost4' ,the bearing of the discourse was to prove that the essence of religion consists in supreme love to ,god our ,saviour1 and uniform and cheerful obedience to his revealed will2 and not in a mere conformity to ecclesiastical regulations1 and the observance of ceremonial rites4 ,and when addressing the clergy at the conclusion1 he said1 ',my beloved brethren1 to whom is intrusted the ministry of reconciliation1 you will not neglect to observe the rules which the church has laid down for the government of her clergy1 nor omit to administer the sacraments of baptism and the ,lord's supper1 but ever keep in mind the sacred and imperative command of your ,divine ,lord and ,master--,,go ,,and ,,preach ,,the ,,gospel--for it is the gospel which is the power of ,god to the salvation of the people4 ,preach it fully1 clearly1 and faithfully--in season and out of season--and with all the energy of your soul4 ,before you enter your pulpits to preach1 retire to your closets to get your heart imbued with the unction of the ,spirit2 and when you return from your labours1 withdraw to your closets to invoke the ,divine ,spirit to impress your message of grace and mercy on the hearts of the people4 ,ever remember you are in some degree responsible for their salvation4' ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,why1 ,sir1 this was like an apostolic sermon4 ,did the clergy listen to it2 and did they appear to like it8 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,yes1 ,sir1 they listened1 and some of them were delighted with it2 but ,i fear the majority thought it savoured too strongly of the spirit of the evangelical school2 they appeared rather restless4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,i recently spent a few days with an old friend1 when ,i was introduced to several ,puseyite clergymen1 with whom he keeps up a close intimacy4 ,they are1 in general1 accomplished and intelligent1 but bitter in spirit against ,dissenters1 and1 if possible1 ,i think more bitter against their evangelical brethren4 ,they say the ,dissenters are honest foes to the church1 because they avow their hostility2 but the evangelical clergy1 they say1 are sly1 artful1 and dishonest1 who conform to betray--take the loaves and the fishes of the church1 while they are labouring to destroy it4 ,mr4 ,lewellin4--,of what practical use1 ,sir1 is your act of uniformity8 ,the ,dissenters have no such an act in their ecclesiastical statute-book1 and yet1 with the exception of a few ,socinians1 we agree on all the essential truths of the ,christian faith1 and our ministers preach in each other's pulpits without making any compromise1 or giving any offence2 but it is not so amongst the clergy of your church1 even though they are under a legal obligation to believe alike4 ,why1 ,sir1 it is ,jew and ,samaritan dwelling together in the land of promise1 still refusing to have any dealings with each other1 though they avow allegiance to the same prince4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,yes1 ,sir1 our clergy are two distinct orders of men1 subscribing to the same creed2 yet the faith for which some contend1 as the original faith once delivered to the saints1 is disdainfully rejected by others as false doctrine4 ,mr4 ,lewellin4--,the evil which you1 ,sir1 and other stanch ,churchmen see and deplore1 without being able to correct it1 takes its rise in this plain palpable fact--the reformation from ,popery in ,england was not a thorough reformation2 it was no plucking up by the root1 as in ,scotland2 it was mere topping and lopping work4 ,it was more like a transfer of the ,papacy1 a little changed and a little modified1 from the ,pope to the ,english monarch1 to answer his ambitious purpose1 than a transformation of the ,papal superstition into the ,protestant faith of the ,new ,testament4 ,why1 ,sir1 there is very little difference between a ,tractarian clergyman and a ,roman ,catholic priest2 they both claim the same high prerogatives1 and arrogate to themselves the same submissiveness on the part of the people1 restrict salvation within the pale of their own church1 and assume a delegated power to discharge all the functions of their office1 without any acknowledgment of their dependence on a supernatural agency4 ,they are dogmatic1 imperious1 and intolerant--spiritual ,ishmaelites1 whose hands are against every man belonging to another order2 they are1 in temper and in spirit1 a perfect contrast to the apostles of the ,new ,testament1 from whom they profess to derive their descent4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,your description is strong1 but1 alas6 it is too true4 ,i recollect one day1 when there was a large number of ,tractarian clergy at my friend's1 being rather provoked by the ,papal-like style of speech which prevailed amongst them1 and availing myself of a favourable opportunity1 ,i said1 ',gentlemen1 ,i can hardly bring my mind to believe that you are the genuine successors of the apostles1 as you assume to yourselves a self-sufficient power for the performance of your duties4 ,the apostles spoke as men who were appointed to act ministerially1 always acknowledging that their success depended on the concurrence of a ,divine power2 and when they were successful in their great work1 they offered up their thanksgiving to ,god1 to whom they ascribed the honour of their success1 viewing themselves as mere inefficient instruments4' ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,did your remarks1 ,sir1 elicit any reply8 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,o no1 ,sir2 ,i saw by their looks and their significant movements that they regarded them as beneath their notice1 because they were the remarks of a layman4 ,infallibles will not stoop to discussion2 they merely dictate like an oracle1 or command like a despot4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,yes1 ,sir2 our clergy who advocate high church principles talk like ,papal priests1 and breathe the same spirit2 and1 unless they can be checked1 they will assimilate the ,church of ,england to the ,church of ,rome4 ,regeneration and absolution1 which the sacred writers ascribe to the grace of ,god1 they pretend to effect by their own delegated authority and power2 and1 as a necessary consequence1 they require the people to look to them as holding the keys of the kingdom of heaven4 ,and some few of the order are gone so far on their way to ,rome1 that they require their penitents to enter the confessional and make a full confession of all their sins1 before they perform the delusive act of absolution4 ,mr4 ,stevens4--,one should suppose that the ,papal-like extravagance of the ,tractarian clergy would be so repugnant to the evangelical clergy as to keep them at an infinite distance from all adhesion to high church principles1 and yet it has not this effect4 ,they seem1 with rare exceptions1 as much attached to these principles as the priests are1 whom they denounce as ,papists in disguise4 ,hence they will allow no church to be a true church of ,christ but the ,episcopal ,church of ,england1 and no minister to be a true minister of ,christ unless he has been episcopally ordained4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,yes1 ,i regret to say these opinions are becoming very popular1 and the clergy of both orders are endeavouring to impress them on the laity1 and1 ,i fear1 with some degree of success4 ,indeed1 high church principles1 which used to be confined to the studies of the clergy1 or merely lurked about amongst a few grave thinkers of the monkish order1 are now becoming popular2 they are finding their way into the light reading of the day1 in hymns1 in tales1 and in memoirs2 the female sex is captivated by them1 and they are employing their powerful influence in propagating them amongst the poor1 in ,sabbath-schools1 in workhouses1 and wherever they can track the foot-treads of a human being4 ,the advocates of these principles are displaying an ardent and an untiring zeal1 a zeal worthy of a better cause4 ,they employ the same argument amongst all classes1 and with an equal amount of success2 the intelligent and the sentimental1 the uneducated and the uncouth1 are alike ensnared by it4 ,ours1 they say1 is the true church1 which ,jesus ,christ has purchased by his blood2 enter and keep in1 and you will have nothing to fear at death or the day of judgment4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,and this belief is rising in popularity1 and is becoming a national delusion4 ,it is an instrument of great power in the hands of our ,tractarians1 as well as in the hands of the priests of ,rome1 and it is to the members of both churches a refuge of lies4 ,the infatuated ,tractarians reason precisely on the same data as the ,papists1 and arrive at the same deceptive conclusion--,we are members of the true church because we are members of the ,church of ,england1 and therefore we are safe--as safe1 they think1 as the family of ,noah in the ark when the door was shut2 and no argument1 however scriptural or powerful1 can shake their confidence in the belief of their safety4 ,mr4 ,stevens4--,yes2 and so inveterate is this belief amongst a vast majority of the members of the ,church of ,england1 that they will resent1 as a personal insult1 any reference to the possibility of their labouring under a delusion4 ,an intimate friend related to me the following anecdote1 which is illustrative of the facility of self-deception when under the power of high church principles4--,he had been1 in the early period of his life1 a gay man of fashion1 but he was now become a new man in ,christ ,jesus2 and he had been a ,churchman1 but he was now a ,dissenter4 ,an old friend1 with whom he had lived on terms of very close intimacy when they were both gay men of the world1 came to reside in his neighbourhood1 and he went to see him4 ,on his second visit he took an opportunity of referring to the progress they were both making towards old age1 and to the importance of being prepared for an entrance into the eternal world4 ,his old friend abruptly terminated the subject of reference1 by saying1 ',i am not disposed1 ,sir1 to do as you have done--change my religion4 ,i am a member of the ,church of ,england1 as my father was before me2 and ,i mean to live and die in her communion4 ,i offer no opinion about what will become of schismatics2 but we know that the members of the true church will be saved2 and such is the ,church of ,england4' ,yet this man very seldom went to church4 ,he was gay in his old age--passionately fond of gay company and high living4 ,mr4 ,lewellin4--,this is the common cant apology which ,churchmen offer in defence of their utter neglect of the great salvation4 ,i had formed1 some short time ago1 a slight commercial intimacy with a gentleman2 and on one occasion ,i ventured to call his attention to the solemn interrogation of ,jesus ,christ--',for what shall it profit a man1 if he shall gain the whole world1 and lose his own soul8 ,or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul8' 7,mark viii4 #cf1 #cg74 ,he replied1 with an off-hand pleasantry1 ',i am not disposed1 ,sir1 to change my religion4' ,he knew ,i was a ,dissenter4 ',why1 ,sir1' ,i remarked1 ',i did not know that you had any religion to change1 for ,i heard you say1 not long since1 that you had not been inside a church for several years4' ',true1 ,sir1 but ,i am a member of the ,church of ,england1 as my forefathers were as far back as we can trace2 and ,i shall live and die in her communion4 ,you know1 ,sir 7so the apostle says71 our ,saviour has purchased the church1 and ,he will not let go any part of it2 and therefore ,i am safe4 ,our rector1 who is a very learned man1 preached a sermon on that subject the very last time ,i heard him2 and he satisfied me that ,i have nothing else to do1 to propitiate the ,deity1 than to keep within the pale of the church4' ,mr4 ,stevens4--,last winter ,i went to visit a very old woman1 whose grandson is my groom2 she has attended 7so she told me71 all her life long1 the parish church in which the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,cole does duty4 ,when ,i asked her if she thought she was prepared for death1 she replied instanter1 ',yes1 ,i be1 ,sir4 ,i keeps to my church4 ,there ,i was married1 there ,i was confirmed1 there ,i was christened1 and there ,i had the holy sacrament many times4 ,there my husband is buried1 and my father and mother1 and all the rest of them that lived before them2 and there ,i shall be buried when ,i dies4 ,i ant changed my religion1 ,sir4 ,it has been in our family for upwards of a hundred years4 ,we have all kept to our church4 ,the ,lord rest our souls4' ,mr4 ,lewellin4--,i suppose1 ,sir1 you could not lead her into another way of thinking8 ,mr4 ,stevens4--,o no4 ,her unvarying note was1 ',i keeps to my church--my blessed church4' ,i offered to read a chapter of the ,bible1 and pray with her2 but she said she had taken the sacrament and made her peace with ,god1 and did not want to be troubled with any fresh thing4 ,miss ,roscoe4--,these are most melancholy tales4 ,why1 it appears that one great comprehensive scheme of delusion is extending its fatal influence both over the clergy and the laity of our church4 ,one should suppose they look upon it as the very ark of ,god1 transferred from the ,levitical to the ,christian dispensation4 ,they make the church their saviour4 ,i have recently had a most painful confirmation of this4 ,i opened an epistolary correspondence1 a few months since1 with a young lady#bc with whom ,i formed an intimacy when ,i was moving amidst the gay scenes of fashionable life4 ,she is both intelligent and accomplished1 and of a most amiable disposition4 ,having adverted to the attention ,i was giving to the paramount claims of religion1 ,i very delicately urged her to consider them1 as life is so uncertain2 alluding1 at the same time1 to give force to my remarks1 to the death of ,miss ,denham1 with whom ,i knew she sometimes exchanged letters4 ,the following is her reply3--',i am delighted to hear that you are becoming religious4 ,our ,maker has enjoined it upon us4 ,i resolved1 when ,i had finished my education1 and before ,i made my debut in fashionable life1 to become decided1 and settle everything connected with religion1 as ,i knew that when ,i had done so ,i should be more at liberty to give attention to other claims1 and to derive gratification from other pursuits4 ,indeed1 ,i may say ,i acted on the old maxim1 ,finish one thing before you commence another4 ,therefore1 having perfected myself in the ,creed1 the ,lord's ,prayer1 the ,commandments1 and the ,catechism1 ,i passed through our curate's examination without any difficulty2 and1 in the following week1 ,i was confirmed by the ,bishop of ,london1 along with several of my school-fellows4 ,the next ,sunday ,i took the sacrament2 and ,i have taken it three times since4 ,so you see1 my dear friend1 ,i am now a member of our pure apostolic church2 and ,i am resolved to live and die in her communion4 ,i do not think the ,almighty can require anything more than this2 and ,i think1 if we keep steady and faithful to our church1 we are sure to go to heaven when we die4 ,i advise all my young friends to follow my example2 but1 ,i am sorry to say1 some are too frivolous and gay to do so4 ,it is too grave a subject for them4' #bc ,miss ,rawlins1 of ,london4 ,mr4 ,lewellin4--,it is appalling to listen to such tales as these2 and yet we are all familiar with them4 ,what myriads of ,churchmen live1 and die1 and perish under this fatal delusion6 ,what agony of surprise1 what intense anguish of soul1 must they feel on entering the world of spirits--on discovering the deception which has been practised on them1 and which they so fondly cherished4 ,the ,papal and the ,tractarian priests are the most successful agents which the devil employs to ruin souls4 ,what terrible mental encounters will take place between them and their deluded victims when they meet each other in hell--and meet they will6 ,miss ,roscoe4--,and how much is it to be deplored that the living victims of this popular delusion are so deeply intrenched in their superstitious belief1 that the ordinary methods of conviction and recovery cannot get at them8 ,o these priests1 who are preparing their devotees for destruction6 ,pray1 ,sir1 turning to the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby1 what judgment do these ,tractarians entertain of the ,church of ,scotland1 which made such a noble stand for the faith against the encroachments of the ,papal power8 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,o1 they unchurch it4 ,miss ,roscoe4--,and1 of course1 they are as unceremonious in their treatment of the ,dissenters8 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,yes1 they treat all alike1 except the ,papal ,church1 and that they admit to be a true church of ,jesus ,christ4 ,miss ,roscoe4--,this does not surprise me4 ,they revere and love their parentage2 this is a filial virtue4 ,for this they are to be commended4 ,but do they consign all to a state of future misery who do not belong to the ,episcopal ,church8 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,why1 my dear1 there is a diversity of opinion amongst them on this question4 ,some will take their belief to the full stretch of the tether of consistency1 and1 without hesitation1 doom all to destruction who are not within the pale of their communion4 ,others are a little more charitable2 they admit the bare possibility of their salvation1 by assigning them over to the uncovenanted mercies of ,god4 ,miss ,roscoe4--,and pray1 ,sir1 what do they mean by the uncovenanted mercies of ,god8 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,they mean that ,god can save them1 as he can save an infernal spirit2 but he gives them no promise of mercy on which they can place any hope of salvation4 ,miss ,roscoe4--,what opinion1 ,sir1 do the evangelical clergy who hold high church principles entertain on this question8 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,why1 all of them would rather see the people within the pale of the church than on the outside1 deeming it of the two1 the safest spiritual locality2 yet ,i never knew an evangelical clergyman express a doubt about the salvation of any one who believes and trusts in ,jesus ,christ4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,are high church principles held by any very considerable number of the evangelical clergy8 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,i regret to say that1 in the best and the most liberal1 there is a strong leaning towards them2 but the majority1 ,i believe1 are not only their decided but their zealous advocates4 ,they know that the gospel they preach is preached with equal purity1 and sometimes with greater power1 in the pulpits of ,dissenting churches and chapels2 and hence1 from motives of policy1 ,i apprehend1 they endeavour to enlist the sympathies of the lay members of the ,establishment in favour of these principles1 to prevent the possibility of their withdrawing from it4 ,to what extent they succeed in imparting their spirit of exclusiveness and bigoted attachment to ,episcopacy1 amongst the enlightened and the pious laity1 ,i have no means of judging2 but ,i believe1 from some few indications ,i have seen1 that in liberality of opinion1 and generous expressions of ,christian feeling1 these lay members of the ,establishment are at least half a century in advance of their clergy4 ,they were1 a few years since1 equally exclusive and bigoted1 but1 from the concurrence of various causes1 they have improved most rapidly in the cultivation of charity and brotherly kindness--the prominent graces of the ,christian faith4 ,they are acting now as pioneers in the work of church reform1 though that1 ,i fear1 is a forlorn hope4 ,mr4 ,stevens4--,then1 ,sir1 we cannot calculate on any great accessions from the clergy of the ,church of ,england to the cause of ,christian union and fraternal fellowship1 during the prevalence of these high church principles4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,a few1 who are ripening more rapidly than the average of their brethren for a removal to a purer world1 gladly hail and accelerate the progress and the triumph of fraternal union of all denominations amongst the people of ,god2 but they subject themselves to much obloquy and reproach1 by overstepping the broad line of ecclesiastical demarcation which is drawn by these high church principles1 to prevent any intermixing of the different denominations1 even in ordinary social intimacy4 ,they are marked men2 deemed by their brethren ecclesiastical renegades1 who sacrifice clerical consistency to gratify their vanity4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,these high church principles1 in their development and practical working1 militate very strongly against the ,church of ,england1 and do more than any other cause to shake the confidence of the laity in her ,divine origin2 they make her more like the gaudy1 intolerant1 and exclusive ,church of ,rome1 than the simple1 meek1 and loving church of the ,new ,testament4 ,she has now officiating at her altars a numerous tribe of ,tractarian priests1 who are subdivided into two orders--one prepared to fraternize with ,papal priests1 the other directly opposed to them--but both orders unite in denouncing their evangelical brethren1 and with as much severity as they denounce ,dissenters4 ,the various tribes of infidelity watch the virulence and the progress of this internal contest with intense gratification1 and its tendency is to increase their contempt for the ,bible and ,christianity4 ,we know that the church has in her service a comparatively small number of clergymen who preach the pure gospel of ,jesus ,christ2 but1 unhappily1 with few exceptions1 even these are as much opposed to ,dissenters as the ,tractarian clergy1 and consequently it would be utopian to expect any rapid progress in the cause of ,christian unity and fraternal fellowship while these high church principles continue in the ascendant4 ,what reaction may take place on the evangelical party from the tremendous efforts of the ,tractarians to assimilate the ,church of ,england to the ,church of ,rome1 must be left to pure conjecture1 but we may hope that1 in process of time1 they will be brought to see and to feel that the more nearly they are conformed in spirit1 in temper1 and in disposition to the ,,lord ,,of ,,all1 the more brilliant will be their moral lustre1 and the more powerful their ministry4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,i should like to see the dove with the olive branch make its appearance1 betokening the abatement of the elements of strife and contention2 but ,i fear the day of its alighting on our altars is far distant4 ,however1 let it be our aim and our daily prayer to aid the progress of ,christian union and fraternal fellowship1 and then we shall have this testimony1 that we please ,god our ,saviour1 and serve our generation according to his revealed will4 ,,the ,,churchman',s ,,lament4 ,the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby1 when opening an evening discussion on a very important question1 gave it as his opinion that the judgment which ,robert ,hall formed on the present aspect of the ,papal movements1 is perfectly correct4 ,he says--,it is certain that the members of the ,romish community are at this moment on the tiptoe of expectation1 indulging the most sanguine hopes1 suggested by the temper of the times1 of soon recovering all that they have lost1 and of seeing the pretended rights of their church restored in their full splendour4 ,if anything can realize such an expectation1 it is undoubtedly the torpor and indifference of ,protestants1 combined with the incredible zeal and activity of ,papists2 and universal observation shows what these are capable of effecting--for often they compensate the disadvantages arising from paucity of number1 as well as almost every kind of inequality4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,if1 ,sir1 we were merely torpid and indifferent1 there would be less danger to apprehend2 but the fact is1 the high church principles1 which are now struggling amongst us for the ascendency1 are imperceptibly and very extensively reconciling the clergy and many of the laity to the fatal errors of the ,church of ,rome4 ,it is1 ,i believe1 the opinion of most who have paid much attention to the records of prophecy1 that ,popery1 before her final overthrow and extinction1 will revive from her long torpid state1 will shake herself from the dust which has been accumulating around her during her slumber of inaction1 and come forth with new and more vigorous life4 ,i fear that a large number of our ,episcopal clergy are preparing the way1 some few openly1 but the greater proportion of them secretly and slyly1 for the triumphs of the ,papacy in the ,united ,kingdom1 especially amongst the ,churchmen of ,england4 ,mr4 ,lewellin4--,that the ,papacy does look with a longing eye on ,britain1 the emporium of wealth and of the arts and the sciences1 and is with ,jesuitical artifice concocting schemes for its recovery to her own dominion1 is now too palpable for any one to doubt2 and ,i believe1 when she does come forth in some new forms of seductive attraction1 she will gain over many to her ranks1 both of the clergy and the laity of your church2 but her efforts to beguile and subdue ,dissenters will be but the serpent biting at the file2 our absolute and exclusive authority in support and defence of our belief is the ,bible1 and our watchword is1 ',to the law and to the testimony3 if they speak not according to this word1 it is because there is no light in them' 7,isa4 viii4 #bj74 ,illustration3 ,m4 ,s4 ,,morgan4 ,t4 ,,bolton4 ,,the ,,bridal ,,party ,,welcomed ,,by ,,the ,,villagers4 ,vol4 ii page #def4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,and our appeal1 if we acted a consistent part as sound ,protestants1 would be to the same authority2 but many of our clergy are not satisfied with this authority1 but are for calling in the fathers1 and appealing to the decisions of councils1 and listening to the vague and often contradictory testimony of unauthenticated tradition4 ,they are unsettling ,protestantism by the attempts they are making in its defence4 ,mr4 ,lewellin4--,a high ,churchman may say1 and say truly1 there is but a step between me and ,popery4 ,and consistency has already forced some of them to take this step2 but ,i apprehend that many1 with the ,pope in their hearts1 will feel more disposed to sacrifice consistency on the altar of self-interest1 than publicly profess allegiance to his authority4 ,the entreaties and the tears of a loving wife1 especially when she pleads under the shade of a palace1 the mitre gracing the brow of her frail lord1 or when standing on the luxuriant soil of a rich benefice1 will decide many a bishop1 and many a prebend1 and many a rector1 to prefer hypocrisy to apostasy2 they will content themselves by attempting to assimilate the ,church of ,england1 as nearly as possible1 to the corrupt original from which she withdrew at the ,reformation4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,but some are so thoroughly honest1 that they prefer apostasy to hypocrisy4 ,some1 even of the evangelical clergy1 are gone off to ,rome1 and many others1 ,i fear1 will follow them4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,i have long apprehended and dreaded this1 and ,i have made many efforts to convince my clerical brethren of the fatal tendency of their high church principles1 but ,i have not been very successful4 ,no mathematical demonstration appears to me clearer than this1 that if the clergy will magnify the church1 instead of magnifying the ,saviour2 if they will confine salvation within the pale of her communion1 instead of proclaiming that whosoever calleth on the name of the ,lord shall be saved2 if they will maintain that no minister of the ,christian faith is a true minister of ,jesus ,christ1 unless he has received episcopal ordination from a bishop in the regular line of succession from the apostles1 they will be led1 in the process of the inquiry1 to see the palpable inconsistency of having a secular power as the head of the church1 and then there is no alternative but to bow down and do homage to the ,pope1 as the spiritual head of a church founded and upheld by his spiritual authority4 ,but so strong is the attachment they cherish to their high church principles1 that some say they cannot give them up1 even though such an issue should take place2 and others are even sanguine in their expectations of being able to effect a junction with ,rome1 by inducing her to abandon some of her dogmas1 and relax in some of her absolute1 and what they consider unimportant regulations4 ,mr4 ,stevens4--,i see dark omens in the heavens4 ,a severe testing time is coming4 ,i believe we have amongst us many noble spirits1 who are valiant for the ,protestant faith2 but we have also a powerful and subtile enemy in the field1 and1 ,i fear1 many treacherous men in our camp4 ,a party of the clergy of our ,protestant ,church hailing with delight a union with ,papal ,rome6 ,how startling and humiliating6 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,many great and good laymen amongst us see the tendency of these high church principles1 and deeply deplore it1 yet but few of the clergy apprehend any real1 or rather any very alarming danger4 ,indeed1 the leading men amongst them believe that these principles are the only safe barrier of defence which can be thrown around the ,church of ,england1 thus virtually admitting that she is not established by ,christ's authority1 nor guarded by his strong arm4 ,i have often said to many of them1 ,you act not only impoliticly1 but dangerously4 ,you are professedly protecting your church against ,dissenters1 from whom you have little or nothing to fear2 while by your manoeuvres you are moving nearer and nearer the ,romanists1 who will ultimately seduce you to their fellowship1 if they do not gain actual possession of your church4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,yes1 ,i fear that evil times are coming4 ,many of the best part of our clergy are tainted with the popular opinions of the worst4 ,they do not preach like our pious forefathers1 urging the people to repent and believe in ,christ4 ,they magnify the ,church of ,england at the perfection of ecclesiastical order and beauty1 and direct their vituperations against their fellow-,protestants who differ from them on the comparatively unimportant questions of ,episcopacy and ,episcopal ordination4 ,the only points of importance on which the evangelical clergy differ from their ,tractarian brethren1 relate to the efficacy of the sacraments4 ,mr4 ,stevens4--,these high church principles have always prevailed amongst some of our clergy2 but they never gained such notoriety as they have recently done4 ,they were merely an undercurrent1 but now they are like the ,jordan overflowing its banks4 ,daubeny's ,guide to the ,church made a little stir on its appearance1 but it produced no ferment in the popular mind4 ,mant's tracts on baptismal regeneration made a more powerful impression2 but it very soon subsided1 and things remained as they were4 ,but the ,oxford tracts have roused the attention of ,europe4 ,they are shrewd1 subtile1 elegantly written papers1 which1 by laying hold of the imagination1 easily beguile the heart2 they are doing great execution amongst our sentimental half-,popish ,churchmen1 and especially amongst silly women3 written professedly in defence of the ,church of ,england1 yet1 as ,i once heard a ,catholic priest#bd say1 nothing that ever issued from the press has done so much to aid the triumphs of ,popery4 #bd ,rev4 ,mr4 ,logan1 a priest at ,oscott ,college1 near ,birmingham4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,i have read most of these tracts1 and ,i am fully convinced1 by the arguments and reasonings of the writers1 that the high church principles1 which are becoming so popular amongst our clergy and some of the laity1 cannot be deduced from the ,bible1 which contains the religion of ,protestants4 ,mr4 ,stevens4--,from the ,bible1 ,sir6 no2 they emanate from the ,prayer-book1 that keepsake which ,rome gave to ,protestantism at the time of the ,reformation1 with this inscription written in hieroglyphics3--',occupy till ,i come4' ,that book1 ,sir1 is the cause of all the ,popery with which our church abounds4 ,it is the destroying angel of a pure ,protestant faith4 ,mr4 ,lewellin4--,ay1 ,i have often told you that you were too much attached to your ,prayer-book4 ,it is to many ,churchmen not only a domestic idol1 but the idol of their temple3 and now you are suffering for your idolatrous attachment to a book which the ,jesuitical spirit of ,rome induced your ,reformers to take into their worship1 and indorse it as the guide of the faithful in all future ages4 ,to that book1 which you admit to be an authority1 the ,puseyites now appeal in support and defence of their ,papal opinions and customs1 preferring its authority to the authority of the ,word of the ,lord4 ,they tell you1 as the ,papal priests tell their devotees1 that the ,bible is an ambiguous book2 that it ought not to be put into circulation1 except with notes and comments written by some of their own order2 that prophets1 and apostles1 and ,jesus ,christ himself ought not to be trusted amongst the people1 unless some ,tractarian professor or priest go with them to give the proper interpretation to their equivocal teachings2 but the ,,prayer-,,book1 in their estimation1 is the living oracle1 the ,urim and ,thummim of a new theocracy1 which utters the truth of inspiration in unmistakeable language4 ,mr4 ,stevens4--,i went and heard the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,farish1 who left his curacy a few months ago1 preach his farewell sermon4 ,he knew that the clergyman who was appointed to succeed him1 was one of the most rabid ,puseyites that ,oxford ever sent forth4 ,at the conclusion of his discourse he said1 as nearly as ,i can recollect1 ',i have preached to you ,christ and him crucified2 and ,i have told you again and again that there is none other name under heaven given amongst men whereby we must be saved4 ,i have proved from ,holy ,writ that salvation is of grace--free unmerited grace through faith--and that not of yourselves1 it is the gift of ,god3 not of works1 lest any man should boast 7,eph4 ii4 #i74 ,my successor is a clergyman of a different school1 and he will1 ,i fear1 dwell more on the ceremonies of our faith than on its doctrines1 and most likely he will give to the sacraments a prominency to which you have not been accustomed4 ,but if the gospel should be excluded from the pulpit1 as ,i fear it will be1 sorrow not1 even as others who have no hope2 you will hear it from the desk4 ,the great truths of the ,bible may be perverted and suppressed1 but no sacrilegious hand will dare to mutilate or withhold our ,prayer-book4 ,this ever liveth1 and is unchangeable amidst all the mutations of a mysterious ,providence4 ,you then1 brethren1 will not forget that you are ,churchmen1 and you will still cleave to the altar and the walls of your church2 and wait till the vision returns1 which for a season is about to vanish away4' ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,i have always protested against advising people to attend their church when the gospel is banished from the pulpit1 and for this reason3 it is the gospel of ,christ which is the power of ,god unto salvation1 and not the ,prayer-book4 ,and experience proves1 that if there be no more gospel in a church than what the ,prayer-book announces1 the people show no signs of spiritual life4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,this is diverting the attention of the people from the ,word of ,god1 to the compositions of man--a most dangerous experiment1 fraught with great evil4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,i think so4 ,when we go to the ,bible1 and take its lessons1 believing what it teaches us1 we are safe2 but if we admit any other book to become our authoritative teacher1 then we are in great danger4 ,in that case we follow a fallible instead of an infallible guide4 ,hence originate the discordant opinions which are now disturbing the peace of our church4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,yes1 ,sir1 this is the root of the evil that exists and is spreading amongst us4 ,i certainly admire much of our ,liturgy1 and think that the men who drew up some of the prayers1 though not inspired1 in the sense in which apostles and prophets were inspired1 yet they must have been greatly assisted by the ,spirit of the ,lord when composing them4 ,but many parts of the ,prayer-book are very exceptionable1 of which ,i was not conscious till lately4 ,the fantastical exhibition of the white-robed priest in the pulpit1 and wax candles burning on the altar at mid-day1 or in readiness to be lighted1 have led me to examine the ,prayer-book more attentively and minutely1 and ,i must confess that the closer ,i study it1 the lower it sinks in my esteem and confidence4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,i have been attached to the church from my youth1 and ,i am still attached to it4 ,but my attachment is to its excellencies1 not to its defects4 ,i prefer ,episcopacy to ,presbyterianism1 or ,independency2 but the exterior form of government is a matter of little moment1 when compared with the essential principles of the ,christian faith4 ,forms may change1 as they have changed before1 but ,christianity itself undergoes no change2 the new and living way of access to a reconciled ,god and ,father in ,christ ,jesus1 is the same yesterday1 to-day1 and for ever--one ,lord1 one faith1 one baptism1 for all ages and all countries4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,if we could have ,episcopacy thoroughly relieved from the excrescences which disfigure and defile it1 and our ,prayer-book thoroughly purged from all its ,papal sacraments and ceremonies1 we then should have1 in my opinion1 the faith embodied in an external form of government and ritual1 as near the perfection of the ,new ,testament as human wisdom could make it4 ,i then should look on the ,church of ,england as one of the purest churches of the ,reformation3 it then would be the temple of peace and order4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,yes1 ,sir1 ,i should like to see this done2 but alas6 it is what1 ,i fear1 the present temper of the times would not tolerate--something to be desired1 rather than expected--a utopian calculation--the forlorn hope of ecclesiastical reformation4 ,mr4 ,lewellin4--,reform the ,prayer-book6 ,why1 ,sir1 to touch that antique book1 grown gray in the service of the temple1 and around which there is such a clustering of tender and imaginative associations--to obliterate a single sentence1 or change a single custom1 or new-shape a single ceremony--would be1 in the estimation of the great majority of ,churchmen1 a crime as heinous as that of ,uzzah1 who laid hold of the ark of ,god with unclean hands2 and would merit a similar doom4 ,the proposal to do such a foul deed would disturb the peace of every parish within the domain of ,episcopacy2 would raise such lamentations as have never yet been heard by the ear of living humanity2 and compel many a grave old man1 and many a still graver old matron1 to go and mourn apart from the general community of grief4 ,reform the ,prayer-book6 that pure relic of antiquity6 ,what wild project next8 ,if you take my ,bible1 ,o1 spare me my ,prayer-book6 would be the exclamation of many of the church-going people of ,england4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,i think1 with you1 ,sir1 that the current of national prejudice in favour of the integrity of the ,prayer-book is at present too strong to be resisted2 and all attempts to effect any essential change in it will end in failure4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,it must be revised and reformed if we are to retain our ,protestantism4 ,mr4 ,lewellin4--,as ,protestantism and the ,prayer-book have lived together in love for so many centuries1 why not permit them to live on to the end8 especially as this close alliance has had both the sanction and the support of the most distinguished of the evangelical clergy4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,because the ,prayer-book is now putting forth that inherent ,papal power which long lay dormant and unsuspected2 and is doing this1 not to aid the spiritual triumphs of the glorious gospel of ,christ1 but to sap the foundation of our ,protestant faith2 and thus prepare the people to hail the return of the ,papacy amongst us4 ,it is1 if ,i may be allowed the use of such a figure1 the decoy duck of ,popery1 which we have been carefully preserving in the ark of our faith1 mistaking it for the gentle dove4 ,dr4 ,pusey1 in his letter to the ,bishop of ,london1 says3 ',it is more than idle to talk1 as some have done1 of putting down ,tractarianism in order to check secession to ,rome4 ,such might drive hundreds from the church for tens2 but while that precious jewel1 the ,prayer-book1 remains1 they cannot destroy or weaken ,tractarianism4 ,tractarianism was entirely the birth of the ,english ,church4 ,its life must be consistent with the formularies with which it is embodied4' ,mr4 ,stevens4--,but there is certainly a change coming over the public mind respecting the ,prayer-book4 ,some very stanch ,churchmen are for driving it out of our church1 as the buyers and sellers were driven out of the temple2 but most are for purging it from its ,papal defilements and sacraments4 ,mr4 ,lewellin4--,i am aware that there is a slight movement amongst a certain order of ,churchmen in favour of a revision of your ,prayer-book1 that it may be brought into a more perfect agreement with the purity of the ,christian faith2 but how is it that so few of the evangelical clergy take part in the present struggle8 ,they seem1 so ,i judge from their inaction1 as willing to let this stronghold of ,popery remain unscaled1 as their ,tractarian opponents4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,two reasons1 ,i think1 may be assigned for their inaction1 though1 in my opinion1 they are not very logical or powerful4 ,they love peace and quietness1 and this restrains them from taking any active part in the contest2 and1 in addition to this1 they are somewhat apprehensive that if the secular powers interfere1 they may decree a rejection of the old ,prayer-book1 and the construction of a new one4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,i would not give my sanction to such a decree4 ,no1 ,sir1 we will retain our ,prayer-book1 but have it submitted to a very severe purifying process4 ,there must not be1 as at the ,reformation1 an attempt made to please both ,papists and ,protestants2 it must be made thoroughly ,protestant1 as it is designed for us2 and hence there must be a thorough purging out of the old leaven of ,popery1 and nothing retained but what is in exact harmony with the ,new ,testament records4 ,no rite1 no ceremony1 no institution1 no ecclesiastical law or regulation which does not originate in ,divine appointment4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,if this could be accomplished1 and we could have a ,prayer-book whose articles and ceremonial rites and institutes would exactly harmonize1 as they ought to do1 with the integrity and the purity of the ,new ,testament1 then the ,church of ,england would become a great moral and spiritual power amongst us1 justly entitled to the admiration and the homage of the ,british people1 whose sympathies and affections would rally so closely around her1 that she need not stand in awe of the aristocracy of ,popery1 nor be jealous of the democracy of ,dissent1 nor cherish the slightest misgivings1 when assailed by any class of infidels4 ,mr4 ,lewellin4--,i should very much like to see such a prayer-book substituted for the half-,papal and half-,protestant one which you now have2 and if1 ,sir1 addressing ,mr4 ,roscoe1 you were nominated on a commission appointed to revise it1 what suppressions and alterations would you propose8 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,i would begin with the ,catechism4 ,,the ,,catechism4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,a catechism should be a digest of the entire theory of ,divine truth1 arranged in logical and systematic order1 every part should be stated in such definite and plain terms as to be easily understood1 especially by the young4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,but our ,catechism does not answer this description4 ,it contains no correct digest of biblical truth1 nor is there any order2 it is defective on some points1 and on others it is erroneous--more in harmony with ,papal than with ,protestant belief4 ,it begins by advancing1 in a categorical form1 a delusive and a most fatal error1 which1 as a necessary sequence1 is made to run through all the prominent ceremonies of our church1 placing the ,tractarians on the vantage ground1 who claim the honour of being more faithful expositors of our national creed than their evangelical opponents4 ,in reply to the question about who gave the catechumen his name1 he is taught to say1 ',my godfathers and godmothers in my baptism1 wherein ,i was made a member of ,christ1 the child of ,god1 and an inheritor of the kingdom of heaven4' ,mr4 ,lewellin4--,these ecclesiastical officials can put in no claim to a ,divine origin or sanction2 there is no allusion to godfathers or godmothers in the ,bible2 they are an importation from ,rome2 and ,i think it will be more to your honour to send them back1 than retain them in your service4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,what follows is equally1 if not more objectionable3--',question4--,what did your godfathers and godmothers then for you8 ,answer4--,they did promise and vow three things in my name4 ,first1 that ,i should renounce the devil and all his works1 the pomp and vanity of this wicked world1 and all the sinful lusts of the flesh4 ,secondly1 that ,i should believe all the articles of the ,christian faith4 ,and thirdly1 that ,i should keep ,god's holy will and commandments1 and walk in the same all the days of my life4' ,thus the ,church of ,england initiates the rising generation into the belief of positive and dangerous error2#be substitutes absolute falsehood for ,scripture truth1 as no such moral wonders#bf are performed when the rite of baptism is administered4 #be ,see page #cbj4 #bf ,the writer of this article1 in the year #ahdc1 met a physician in ,bath1 and in the same year he met a solicitor in ,banbury1 who for many years ranked as members of the ,church of ,england2 but on examining the baptismal service in conjunction with this part of the ,catechism1 they felt such a strong repugnance against having their children baptized according to the prescribed formula1 that they both preferred becoming ,dissenters1 rather than give their sanction to what they conscientiously believed to be a sinful1 because antiscriptural ceremony1 more fit for a ,papal than a ,protestant church4 ,mr4 ,lewellin4--,how any intelligent ,protestant1 with the fear of ,god before his eyes1 can conscientiously take upon himself such a vow1 that a child1 who is born in sin and shapen in iniquity1 shall renounce all the sinful lusts of the flesh1 and walk in ,god's commandments all the days of his life1 is to me inexplicable1 unless he looks upon the ceremony of baptism as a mere farce1 and his vow an idle1 unmeaning utterance4 ,however1 one thing is certain2 they find it more easy to make the vow than to keep it2 as the children of the church turn out as gay1 and dissipated1 and sceptical1 as those who never had such a vow made in their behalf4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,i can offer no arguments in defence of the appointment of godfathers and godmothers2 they certainly have no ,new ,testament origin or sanction4 ,and if ,i were left to my own choice1 ,i would rather forego administering the rite of baptism to infants1 than ,i would tolerate such vows1 when those who make them1 and those who hear them made1 very well know that they have no power to redeem them4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,as no human being can persuade or coerce another to do these deeds of renunciation and submission1 we must look upon the whole ceremony as a purely ,papal invention1 admitted most censurably within the pale of our church1 and incorporated with her system of ceremonial discipline and order4 ,hence ,i presume1 ,sir1 you would very willingly have these parts of our ,catechism expunged8 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,indeed1 ,sir1 ,i should1 and so would my evangelical brethren4 ,it is a sad evil which we groan under4 ,mr4 ,lewellin4--,the ,tractarian clergy1 in common with the ,papal priests1 are resolute in their adherence to this baptismal ceremony and its catechetical adjuncts2 and they denounce their evangelical opponents as unfit to officiate in the church1 because they impeach her authority to originate ecclesiastical ceremonies which have no sanction from the ,new ,testament4 ,from these data ,i draw the following conclusion3--the evangelical clergy are the most consistent scripturalists1 but the ,tractarian are the most consistent ,churchmen2 and while the former do homage to ,divine authority1 the latter prefer rendering allegiance to human4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,your conclusion1 ,sir1 is just2 but it is a most mortifying one1 and ,i think we should do all in our power to get a ,catechism more in harmony with the ,new ,testament and the ,protestant faith4 ,,the ,,confirmation ,,service4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,it is maintained by many1 that the rite of confirmation which is administered by our bishops is a continuation of apostolic practice1 recorded in the ,acts2 but ,i prefer the judgment which our own distinguished commentator1 the ,rev4 ,t4 ,scott1 has given on this subject3--',the rite of confirmation1 as practised by many ,christian churches1 has often been1 and still is1 spoken of as a continuation of the apostolical imposition of hands for the confirmation of new converts1 by the ,holy ,spirit thus given to them4 ,but it is far from evident that this was done universally by the apostles1 or by those who immediately succeeded them4 ,as1 however1 miraculous powers1 rather than sanctifying grace1 were thus conferred1 unless miraculous powers were now connected with that rite1 the parallel must wholly fail4#bg ,how far something of this kind1 properly regulated and conducted1 may be rendered subservient to the edification of young persons descended from pious parents1 and baptized when infants1 is another question2 but to advance this observance into a sacrament1 and even above a sacrament 7as it certainly is advanced when the ,holy ,spirit is supposed to be conferred by imposition of hands1 and by using words in prayer like those of ,peter and of ,john71 puts the subject in a very different light4 ,doubtless it was at first thus magnified in order to exalt the ,episcopal order1 to whom the administration of it was confined1 as if they were intrusted with apostolic authority2 but as miracles are out of the question1 so to follow the apostles in faith1 humility1 diligence in preaching in season and out of season1 in piety1 and self-denial1 is the only scriptural mode of magnifying either the ,episcopal or the clerical office4 ,assuredly as this matter 7namely1 the confirmation service7 is very often conducted1 it must be allowed to be an evil2 and it ought either to be attended to in another manner1 or not at all4' ,change it1 or abolish it4 #bg ,after the intelligent reader has carefully examined the following references--,acts viii4 #e-ae2 xix4 #a-f--then let him look at a ,puseyite confirmation1 and ,i think the contrast cannot fail to strike his attention4 ,we have seen what took place in the days of the apostles1 let us next see what takes place at a ,puseyite confirmation4 ,the unconscious infants of a nation are baptized2 by such baptism they are professedly regenerated2 they are made children of ,god1 heirs of the kingdom of heaven4 ,at this ordinance there are godfathers and godmothers undertaking solemn responsibilities2 these parties are required to be present to witness the confirmation1 and are taught to regard it as a loosening of them from their sacred bonds4 ,now1 we ask the ,episcopal expositors to tell us where we are to look for godfathers or godmothers at the baptisms mentioned in the ,acts8 ,where is the doctrine of the regeneration of baptized infants in the ,acts8 ,where is the doctrine of a ,divine life begun in baptism and perfected in confirmation8 ,what are the proofs of such regeneration as a qualification for confirmation8 ,the only qualification prescribed by the ,book of ,common ,prayer for confirmation by the bishop1 is ability to repeat the ,creed1 the ,lord's ,prayer1 the ,ten ,commandments1 and the ,catechism4 ,of repentance towards ,god and faith towards the ,lord ,jesus ,christ there is not a word4 ,here1 then1 we have a generation of young persons on whom ,episcopal hands are laid1 and who are taught to believe that1 in consequence of this act1 they have received an influx of spiritual grace1 implanting new1 and invigorating old spiritual principles1 and raising them at once to the stature of ,christian manhood4 ,was there ever such delusion6 ,how long will men of sense in the ,established ,church endure it6--,dr4 ,campbell4 ,mr4 ,stevens4--,i met the other day1 in my casual reading1 with an honest confession from a leading ,tractarian3 ',it is true1 the actual word confirmation does not occur in the ,bible in that sense in which we are now using it1' which is a plain admission that the rite1 as administered by our bishops1 differs from that act of confirmation which the apostles performed4 ,they confirmed believers who were members of the church2 that is1 strengthened their faith1 by renewed evidences of its ,divine origin1 urging them at the same time to continue in it1 notwithstanding the persecutions they might be exposed to1 and on some occasions they conferred the miraculous gifts of the ,holy ,ghost2 but our modern bishops administer the ceremony to young people who make no decided profession of personal piety1 and the observance of this ceremony1 and not their piety1 is the ecclesiastical qualification for membership with the church over which their jurisdiction extends4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,it appears to me1 after a close investigation of the subject1 that confirmation1 as administered by our bishops1 is based on the fatal error of baptismal regeneration1 and is a necessary sequence to it4 ,two objects are accomplished by it4 ,in the first place1 it is a release to godfathers and godmothers from the heavy responsibilities they took upon themselves1 when they gave the vow at the baptismal font that their godchild should renounce all the sinful lusts of the flesh1 c42 and1 in the second place1 the confirmed person becomes legally entitled to all the privileges and immunities which the ,church of ,england guarantees to her members2 and1 at the same time1 'confirms and perfects1' as ,dr4 ,hook says1 'that which the grace of ,god's most ,holy ,spirit has already begun in baptism4' ,hence the prayer which the bishop offers up before he administers the rite1 is in exact agreement with this statement3--',almighty and everlasting ,god1 who hast vouchsafed to regenerate these thy servants by water and the ,holy ,ghost1 and hast given unto them the forgiveness of all their sins1 strengthen them1 we beseech thee1 ,o ,lord1 with the ,holy ,ghost the ,comforter1 and daily increase in them thy manifold gifts of grace2 the spirit of wisdom and understanding2 the spirit of counsel and ghostly strength2 the spirit of knowledge and true godliness2 and fill them1 ,o ,lord1 with the spirit of thy holy fear1 now and for ever4 ,amen4' ,after this prayer1 then1 follows the effective act of confirmation2 the bishop lays his hand on the head of every one kneeling before him1 repeating a short prayer2 and it is by this imposition of hands and prayer that the grace is conveyed which nourishes and strengthens the inner spiritual life1 which was infused at the baptismal font2 or1 to quote what ,dr4 ,hook says1 'it is to perfect that which the grace of ,god's most ,holy ,spirit has already begun in baptism4' ,mr4 ,lewellin4--,this certainly is a very ingenious arrangement1 to show out to public notice the importance of a duly authorized priesthood1 on whose official actions the spiritual life and safety of ,churchmen and their children are made to depend2 but it is ingenuity at the expense of truth and common sense4 ,in the prayer which precedes the ceremony of confirmation1 the bishop asserts what is not true--children are not regenerated at the font of baptism2 and yet it is asserted that they are4 ,he does not pray that ,god would be pleased to forgive them their sins2 he merely tells ,god that he has done it2 and thus they are confirmed in the belief of a most fatal delusion--a positive falsehood4 ,mr4 ,stevens4-,unquestionably2 every person who is confirmed1 if he have any faith in the integrity of the bishop1 when engaged in this act of public devotion1 must believe two things2 indeed1 he is compelled to believe them1 unless he impeaches the piety of the bishop2 he must believe that he is regenerated1 and consequently needs no spiritual change of heart and mind2 and he must believe that all his past sins are forgiven1 which renders it unnecessary for him to pray for mercy on account of any bygone acts of delinquency or--impiety4 ,what a delusion6--a fatal delusion6 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,that no such moral effects result from this act of confirmation1 is very painfully demonstrated by the scenes which often follow its performance4 ,i went some time since1 at the request of a friend who1 like myself1 still cleaves to the church1 while he loathes many of her ,papal ceremonies1 to witness a confirmation1 and what immediately followed4 ,some on leaving the church appeared to be seriously impressed2 but the majority were as mirthful as if returning from a fair2 many resorted to the public-houses1 and in the evening they were seen reeling home in a state of intoxication2 and ,i afterwards heard of some who fell into grosser crimes4#bh #bh ,the writer of this paper once heard a young man say1 when reeling out of a public-house1 ,well1 as ,i have the old score wiped away to-day by the bishop himself1 ,i can afford to run up another short one4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,there is no denying the fact1 that what often follows a confirmation service is most revolting to ,christian feeling2 tending to bring its administration into popular disrepute4 ,hence1 ,i can subscribe to the truth of a statement1 and an accompanying opinion1 given by a clergyman of high distinction1 in his reply to some official interrogations4 ',i do not pretend to know1' he says1 'what may have been the effect of confirmation in former times1 but ,i have witnessed enough in our day to make me wish to see it abolished4 ,in some persons it creates a superstitious trust in the efficacy of the mere ceremony2 to others it is a grand festival1 a time to see and be seen2 and too frequently ending in folly1 drunkenness1 and every kind of vice4 ,i have heard more than one reclaimed drunkard1 in giving an account of himself1 date his first act of intemperance1 or first intoxication1 to the day of his confirmation2 and on these accounts it is1 to many1 a subject of ridicule and contempt1 bringing discredit upon our holy religion4444 ,for more than ten years my own desire has been1 that in any measure of church reform that may be adopted1 the ceremony of confirmation may be entirely left out4' ,,the ,,ordination ,,service4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,i was not aware1 till very recently1 that the ordination service is so very objectionable in many of its parts1 especially to any one who is jealous of the ,divine honour4 ,when a person presents himself to be admitted to the order of priesthood in our church 7and it matters not whether he be a gay man of fashion or a devout servant of ,god71 after replying to certain questions proposed to him1 and giving certain assurances1 he is then required to kneel in the presence of the bishop1 who thus speaks in a tone of authority1 as though he had all power in heaven and on earth3--',receive the ,holy ,ghost for the office and work of a priest in the church of ,god1 now committed unto thee by the imposition of our hands2 whose sins thou dost forgive1 they are forgiven1 and whose sins thou dost retain1 they are retained4 ,and be thou a faithful dispenser of the ,word of ,god and his holy sacraments1 in the name of the ,father1 and of the ,son1 and of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,amen4' ,does it not savour of blasphemy to concede to any man an authority to forgive sins8 ,mr4 ,lewellin4--,i think it does1 ,sir1 and very strongly4 ,and are you aware that the priests of the ,church of ,england are invested with a much higher degree of authority in this matter than any of the priesthood of the ,papal ,church of ,rome8 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,not with a higher degree of authority6 ,that ,i think is impossible4 ,mr4 ,lewellin4--,indeed1 ,sir1 they are4 ,their delegated power is made absolute1 and it is unlimited2 but the power of the ,papal priesthood is placed under very stringent restrictions4 ,thus1 when the ,papal priest puts into requisition the exercise of his ghostly power1 in the remission of the sins of the dying ,catholic1 the bye-laws of his church make a distinction1 and for very lucrative reasons1 between venial and mortal sins2 he is authorized to remit venial sins1 but he is powerless to remit mortal sin2 and hence his form of absolution runs as follows3 ',and by virtue of authority committed unto me1 ,i absolve thee from thy sins1 in the name of the ,father1 and the ,son1 and the ,holy ,ghost4' ,the ,episcopal ,protestants' form of absolution runs thus3 ',and by ,his authority1 committed unto me1 ,i absolve thee from all thy sins1 in the name of the ,father1 and of the ,son1 and of the ,holy ,ghost4' ,the ,papal priest remits some sins2 the ,protestant priest absolves from all sins2 the ,roman ,catholic1 after his priest has absolved him1 has to go and live for a season amidst purgatorial fires2 but as ,protestantism has no purgatory1 her devotee passes at once1 according to this ,episcopal legend1 into the kingdom of heaven1 after her priest has exercised his absolving power4 ,the priest1 then1 according to this absolution ceremony1 saves from hell1 and gives a passport to heaven1 by virtue of the delegated authority he received from the bishop who ordained him4 ,mr4 ,stevens4--,this1 certainly1 is a too glaring usurpation of the ,divine prerogative of mercy on the part of the priesthood1 to be tolerated1 especially by us ,protestants4 ,away with it from our ,prayer-book1 and send it back to ,papal ,rome1 from whence it came4 ,it is both a sin and a disgrace to a ,protestant community to tolerate amongst them such a close conformity to the blasphemous usurpations of the ,papal ,church4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,i thought but little about it when ,i was ordained1 but ,i have thought much since1 and ,i must admit that it is most objectionable1 so much so that ,i have made up my mind never to attend another ordination service4 ,the bishop assumes and professes to convey a power which does not belong to man1 and with which man ought never to be intrusted4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,to invest a man with such power has a most dangerous and servile tendency4 ,if a priest really believes1 as many of them do1 both ,papal and ,protestant1 that he is actually endowed with the authority which the bishop professes to delegate to him at his ordination1 must he not look upon himself as a great being1 entitled to great homage1 having a disposing power over the final destiny of the human spirit8 will he not move about amongst his parishioners as a demi-god in the human form8--whom he wills1 he pardons and saves1 and whom he wills1 he allows to perish4 ,and if he makes the people believe this1 as the clergy are now attempting to do1 will they not stand more in awe of him1 whom they see and hear1 than they do of ,god1 who is invisible8 ,,the ,,burial ,,service4 ,mr4 ,stevens4--,i think some parts of this service require revision1 though1 as a whole1 ,i rather like it4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,as a service to be read at the interment of a devout man1 a believer in ,jesus ,christ1 it is very appropriate2 but it must be a very painful infliction on a truly pious and conscientious clergyman1 to read the service at the interment of a very wicked person4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,yes1 ,sir1 it is indeed2 and ,i make it a rule to vary the forms of expression when ,i have such an office to perform on such an occasion4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,yes1 ,sir1 ,i am aware you do2 and though it is1 ,i believe1 a trespass on the sanctity of canon law1 yet ,i think no conscientious person will blame you4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,on one occasion1 some years since1 when ,i made this variation1 a complaint was lodged against me by the relatives of the deceased for so doing4 ,the bishop sent for me2 and when ,i told him that the deceased was a very impure man1 an avowed sceptic1 and one who died in the act of sinning against ,god1 his lordship said1 ',i do not wonder at your scruples4 ,i cannot blame you4' ,the service is often most painfully trying to a conscientious clergyman1 not only on his own account1 but on account of the wrong impressions it often makes on those who attend at the funeral4 ,we know that last impressions1 like first impressions1 are often very powerful2 they linger long on the heart and on the imagination2 and hence1 when the survivors of a wicked man hear a clergyman thanking ,god for taking the soul of the departed one to himself1 they very naturally withdraw from the scene of death1 under a firm belief that1 however profligate he may have been in his life1 and however agonizing his dying mental pangs1 he is just as well off in the eternal world as he would be if he had lived a religious or virtuous life4 ,mr4 ,lewellin4--,it appears1 from the tone and style of your ,prayer-book1 that the persons1 when receiving the mysterious efficacy of your sacraments1 are just as passive1 in one sense1 as a piece of marble is under the chisel of the sculptor4 ,they stand still1 as the block of marble stands still1 doing nothing2 they may be dozing4 ,the clergy1 like the sculptor1 do all that is to be done1 and the sacraments they administer are to take effect on these passive beings by virtue of their inherent power1 when properly administered by a bishop1 or a priest who has received ,episcopal ordination from a bishop1 who is in the regular line of succession from the apostles4 ,now this ,tractarian theory is in direct contradiction to the ,word of ,god1 which makes it obligatory on every sinner to work out his own salvation with fear and trembling2 to believe and to trust in ,christ that he may be saved2 to receive the truth in the love of it1 which is to effect his spiritual freedom2 to yield himself to ,god as made alive from the dead2 to purify himself1 and to walk in newness of life2 and even the first great action of ,divine grace1 in his renewal and renovation1 is making him willing to do what is essential for his present happiness and safety1 and his final salvation4 ,thus1 according to the ,scripture theory1 the sacraments have no self-acting power1 nor have the agents who administer them any self-sufficient power2 the regenerating and sanctifying power is in the ,lord alone1 and to him1 and him alone1 is a sinner indebted for his salvation1 which is an act of sovereign and unmerited grace4 ,see ,ephes4 ii4 #h1 #i1 #aj4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,i deeply regret that we have in our ,prayer-book so many objectionable services and ceremonies1 and more especially as they bring us into so close a conformity with the ,papal ,church of ,rome4 ,any impartial person1 who looks at the two churches through the medium of these prominent services and ceremonies1 would pronounce us twin sisters1 or ours a daughter bearing a very strong resemblance to her mother2 and it is only by turning to our articles that we can point out any essential difference between them4 ,our articles are ,protestant and scriptural2 our ceremonies are derived from the ,papacy1 and are antiscriptural4 ,hence we account for the existence of the two orders of clergy who officiate at our altars--the evangelical and the ,tractarian4 ,we are a kingdom divided against itself1 and what the final issue of the contest will be no human foresight can decide4 ,you are for reforming the ,prayer-book by expunging that which savours so strongly of the ,papacy2 and if this could be done1 then ,tractarianism would disappear from amongst us1 and we should hold the unity of the faith in the bonds of peace4 ,but who will undertake this herculean labour8 ,will our clergy8 ,they have no power1 even if they had an inclination4 ,will our bishops8 ,no4 ,they have gained the prize1 and are contented2 they live in affluence and in ease1 and care but little about the strife and contentions which prevail amongst their subordinates1 with whom they hold but a very formal and distant intercourse4 ,the laity1 at least the more enlightened1 and the pious1 ,i know1 are restless for a change2 but ,i see not how any change can be effected unless there be a breaking up of the ,establishment1 for it to undergo a remodelling2 and if such a great crisis as this should come1 there is no conjecturing1 from the present aspect of the times1 whether the ,prayer-book would receive a more scriptural or a more ,papal cast and complexion4 ,we ought not to forget that it is the civil power which appoints our bishops1 sits in judgment on the conflicting opinions which divide the clergy1 and rules the destiny of our church2 and we know1 from very painful experience1 that the civil power1 whether embodied in a ,whig or a ,tory administration1 has uniformly evinced a stronger liking for ceremonial pomp and display1 than for the beautiful simplicity of the church of the ,new ,testament4 ,hence1 ,i believe that reformation is hopeless1 as ,csar disdains to admit the supremacy of ,jesus of ,nazareth4 ,mr4 ,lewellin4--,that1 ,sir1 is my decided opinion4 ,mr4 ,stevens4--,i am not sanguine in my hopes4 ,the buyers and sellers are again in the temple1 but the ,son of ,god is not now in the form of the ,son of man1 or they would soon be driven out4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,then1 ,sir1 ,tractarianism will spread more widely and rapidly amongst us1 and if an open and a positive junction be not formed between the ,church of ,england and the ,church of ,rome1 there will be a tacit one2 and the reign of ecclesiastical delusion and despotism will be established in ,britain2 and the ,english1 like the ,irish and the ,italians1 will be1 at least to a certain extent1 a priest-ridden people4 ,mr4 ,lewellin4--,you should all do as ,i have done1 and then you may breathe freely and without fear1 and laugh to scorn all attempts1 open or insidious1 to beguile you to ,rome4 ,our principles render us invulnerable2 yours1 constitute your danger4 ,mr4 ,stevens4--,mr4 ,lewellin means we should all turn ,dissenters1 and acknowledge no legislative dictation or authority in matters of religion but that of the ,new ,testament4 ,mr4 ,lewellin4--,you have often rallied me on my ,dissenting principles1 but the time is fast coming when the problem will be solved1 that dissent from human authority in matters of the ,christian faith is the only invincible barrier against the encroachments of the ,papal power4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,i have no desire to forsake the church of my fathers--the church of my early and long-cherished veneration and attachment--but ,i will not remain in her communion if she form an alliance with ,papal ,rome1 or become semi-,papal herself4 ,no6 ,i am a ,protestant ,christian1 which is another designation for a ,bible ,christian2 the ,bible is my infallible rule1 which forbids absolute yielding and subserviency to any human authority2 and if ,protestantism be driven from the ,church of ,england1 or if she gives that submission to priestly dictation which should be given exclusively to the ,word of the ,lord1 ,i will immediately leave her1 as ,i would leave my own mansion if ,i felt its foundation giving way1 preferring the woodside cottage as more safe1 though less elegant and imposing4 ,,right ,,at ,,last4 ,i hope1 ,sir1 said the venerable ,mr4 ,ingleby to ,mr4 ,roscoe1 you were gratified by your late visit to your brother1 now1 ,i trust1 your son in the faith8 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,i was more than gratified2 ,i was both astonished and delighted4 ,there is a marvellous change in him1 in his spirit and habits1 as well as in his theological opinions and style of preaching4 ,he stands in the centre of a large circle of his clerical brethren1 a living monument to the honour of the enlightening and renewing grace of ,god4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,all such changes are both marvellous and natural4 ,the unrenewed part of the community1 both the clergy and the laity1 look at them with some degree of amazement1 regarding them as strange and mystical phenomena2 but we know that they are the moral workmanship of the ,spirit of ,god4 ,they are also living evidences of the ,divine origin of ,christianity1 bearing the same relation to it now1 as the miracles of healing did on its first promulgation4 ,their production requires a power which is extra-human2 but1 notwithstanding this self-evident fact1 different persons will attribute them to very different causes1 as they did the undisputed miracles wrought by ,jesus ,christ4 ,some of the ,pharisees asserted that he performed them by a power derived from the devil2 others said1 can a devil open the eyes of the blind8 thus implying the absolute impossibility of his doing such a benevolent action4 ,the same difference of opinion prevails amongst men1 when they try to account for these moral miracles4 ,some refer them to an undefined fanaticism1 or to a love of singularity1 or to the power of persuasion1 or to the imbecility or partial derangement of the intellectual faculty2 and others ascribe them to the direct agency of the ,spirit of ,god1 which1 certainly1 is assigning an adequate cause1 and the ,,only adequate cause for their existence4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,surely no one who knew my brother before his conversion1 will accuse him of fanaticism1 for a more doggedly stern advocate in behalf of ,tractarianism never undertook its defence and support2 and no one1 ,i think1 will venture to say that his intellect has passed under an eclipse since his conversion4 ,no1 ,sir2 such references would entail discredit on any one who would make them4 ,all must admit that he himself is competent to give evidence on the fact and the cause of it2 and he uniformly says1 ,by the grace of ,god ,i am what ,i am4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,as you refer to his style of preaching1 ,i presume he has resumed his pulpit labours8 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,yes1 ,sir1 he has2 and if my eyes had been closed1 and ,i had not known that he was in the pulpit1 ,i should have thought that ,i was listening to a preacher ,i had never heard before4 ,formerly he was rather heavy1 and there was a harsh monotonous tone in his delivery--but now he speaks with great ease and fluency1 and with a pathetic earnestness which at times is thrilling4 ,i have seen some of his hearers affected to tears1 who used to sit as unmoved as stones4 ,i was present when he delivered his first sermon1 after several months' absence from the pulpit2 and as he had given notice that he should assign the reasons which induced him to renounce the ,tractarian heresy and adopt the ,evangelical faith1 there was an overflowing congregation4 ,his text was a very appropriate one2 it was taken from #b ,tim4 iii4 #e3 ',having a form of godliness1 but denying the power thereof2 from such turn away4' ,from these words of ,paul he raised the following proposition1 which he argued with great accuracy and telling force3--',we should hold no ,christian fellowship with any order of ministers who unduly magnify the form and ceremonies of ,christianity1 and who1 either actually or virtually1 depreciate its doctrines and its precepts4' ,he concluded his discourse as follows3--',my dearly beloved brethren1 ,i have been labouring amongst you many years1 but ,i now publicly confess1 with shame and confusion of face1 that ,i have been misleading you on the great question of your personal salvation1 simply because ,i have been living under the power of self-delusion--advocating the form of godliness1 while denying its power4 ,like the priests of ,rome1 and like too many1 alas6 of our own church1 ,i have been teaching you to look for peace of mind and for the hope of salvation to the efficacy of your baptism1 to the eucharist1 and to priestly absolution2 but1 thanks to the ,divine ,spirit1 ,i now perceive that these are refuges of lies--the inventions of a crafty and self-deluded priesthood--the fatal quicksand of superstition1 on which the people are perishing in their sins1 and are lost for ever4 ,i now renounce these ,christ-dishonouring heresies1 as opposed to the spirit and the letter of the ,bible1 and embrace the truth which is embodied in the simple and concise reply which the apostle ,peter made to the members of the ,jewish council3 ,neither is there salvation in any other3 for there is none other name under heaven given among men1 whereby we must be saved 7,acts iv4 #ab74 ,in future1 both by myself and my excellent curate1 the regenerating power of the ,spirit of ,god will be substituted for the regenerating power of water-baptism1 and your faith will be directed to the ,lamb of ,god1 who takes away the sins of the world1 rather than to the officiating priest when exercising his absolving power4 ',i fear that many of my parishioners have passed into the eternal world under the influence of self-delusion1 during the long period in which ,i have been self-deceived2 and this is to me a source of bitter and agonizing sorrow4 ,but1 brethren1 ,i have now resolved1 in the strength of the ,lord1 that none of the living shall perish from the same cause1 as1 from this time forth1 it is my intention to preach the unsearchable riches of ,christ--proclaiming him1 in all my ministrations1 as an ever-living ,saviour1 able and willing to save even the chief of sinners4 ',christianity has been designated an experimental science1 that is1 a science which may be submitted to the test of experience2 and to the truthfulness of this designation ,i can now bear my testimony4 ,the change which has taken place in my belief has been preceded by a change of heart4 ,while living under the fatal delusions of ,tractarianism1 the ,bible was to me a book of mysteries1 but now it is intelligible--it is the book of the heart4 ,i now know what it is to be born of the ,spirit1 to believe and trust in ,christ1 to love and adore him1 and also what it is to have joy and peace in believing2 and it is my earnest prayer that you1 my beloved brethren1 may be made partakers of like precious faith1 that we may live and rejoice together in hope of the glory to be revealed in us when our spiritual warfare is accomplished1 and we are for ever at rest4 ,in conclusion1 ,i would make the same request of you1 which the apostle made of the church of the ,thessalonians3 ,finally1 brethren1 pray for us1 that the word of the ,lord may have free course1 and be glorified1 even as it is with you 7#b ,thess4 iii4 #a74' ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,how do the people appear to like this new style of preaching8 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,some are violently opposed to it1 others express no decided opinion1 but ,i think the majority are pleased with it4 ,the ,curate informed me that he has conversed with a few who have recently felt the gospel to be the power of ,god to their salvation2 and1 to aid their spiritual progress1 a weekly prayer-meeting is established1 where ,i heard two laymen pray with great simplicity and earnestness2 and after the devotional part of the service was concluded1 the ,curate delivered a short and an appropriate address1 which appeared to make a deep impression on this select audience4 ,he and my brother are very active1 labouring in season and out of season2 they go from house to house1 distributing tracts amongst the people1 conversing and praying with them2 and1 in addition to this1 they are training a lay agency to pay domiciliary visits to the farm-houses and cottages that are scattered over the hamlet4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,that's one of the most useful plans which a clergyman can adopt to extend his usefulness amongst the more ignorant and debased of his parishioners1 who will not come to church unless some influence be employed to induce them4 ,i recollect a decent woman1 the wife of a very rude and profane forester1 was persuaded1 by one of my pious members1 to come to church1 soon after ,i was inducted to the living2 and it pleased ,god to convert her1 which so greatly enraged her husband1 that he threatened to kill her if she did not leave off coming2 but she braved all his menaces1 and has been ever since one of my most constant hearers4 ,happening one day to be near his cottage1 ,i ventured to make a call2 he was eating his dinner2 and as ,i passed him to take a seat in the chimney-corner1 he cast a sullen look at me1 but spoke not a word4 ,after a few common-place observations1 ,i referred in terms of commendation to a fine plantation of fir and beech trees which ,i had been admiring1 and to the neatness of the quickset hedge which encircled it1 which so much gratified him that his dogged sternness of look and manner relaxed into free and easy good humour1 and he became quite chatty1 and asked me if ,i would take a glass of ale4 ,i thanked him for his hospitality1 but said ,i preferred water to any other beverage4 ,he rose1 took a jug from the dresser1 and stepped out as nimbly as he would step to wait on his master2 his wife expressing her astonishment at what she heard and saw4 ',there1 and please your reverence1 is a glass of pure spring water1 as clear as crystal1 and about as cold as ice4' ,i sat some time longer1 and having accomplished my object by talking him into a good humour1 ,i arose to depart1 shook hands with him1 and left him1 and ,i had the pleasure of seeing him at church on the following ,sabbath morning2 he is now one of the most pious1 and1 ,i may add1 one of the most polite members of my spiritual cure4 ,we should imitate the example of ,jesus ,christ1 who came to seek1 as well as to save them that are lost4 ,miss ,roscoe4--,i know him quite well4 ,when riding by his cottage last autumn1 my horse plunged1 and threw me1 but providentially there was no accident beyond the bursting of the girths of my saddle1 which he repaired with the dexterity of a proficient4 ,had ,i been a duchess1 and had he been a young nobleman1 ,i am sure more promptness and delicate kindness could not have been shown me2 and his wife was equally attentive and obliging4 ,this occurrence has led to a little intimacy1 and ,i have since spent some happy moments in his cottage2 and ,i have seen the big tear fall on his sun-burned face when we have been talking of the love of ,christ4 ,he is more like the gentle lamb than the savage bear4 ,he is fond of reading2 and1 in addition to some historical works1 and books on horticulture1 he has a copy of ,henry's ,commentary on the ,bible1 ,bunyan's ,pilgrim1 ,scott's ,force of ,truth1 ,andrew ,fuller's ,gospel its own ,witness1 and ,john ,newton's ,works4 ,i don't think any infidel would venture an attack on his faith4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,i suppose1 ,sir1 you heard the ,curate preach8 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,yes1 several times4 ,he has a sonorous and clear voice1 and his action when in the pulpit is good1 because natural2 he excels most ministers ,i have heard in the ease and facility of his style of address2 he narrates an anecdote with great skill and force of impression2 his appeals to the conscience are very close and searching2 he dwells much on the love and compassion of ,jesus ,christ for sinners ready to perish1 and on his ability and willingness to save them2 but it is when he is warning them to flee from the wrath to come--and sketching the dying of an impenitent sinner1 and his passing alone into the eternal world1 to endure the anguish and self-reproach which are consequent on being lost and doomed for ever--that he evinces the most feeling1 and discovers the extent of his mental resources to supply him with novel imagery of illustration1 and terms of alarm and vivid description4 ,then it is that the eyes of all the people are fastened on him2 and at times they seem to be awe-struck4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,the introduction of the gospel of the grace of ,god into a parish1 which has been long sitting in spiritual darkness1 is an event of immense importance2 it is the beginning of a new epoch in its history2 it is the depositing of the mystic leaven amongst the people1 which effects wonderful changes and transformations in their souls and social habits4 ,i can supply out of my own parish examples illustrative and confirmatory of what ,john ,foster says in his ,treatise on ,popular ,ignorance4 ',we cannot1' he remarks1 'close this subject without adverting to a phenomenon as admirable as1 unhappily1 it is rare1 and for which the observers may1 if they choose1 go round the whole circle of their philosophy1 and begin again1 to find any adequate cause other than the most immediate agency of the ,almighty ,spirit4 ,here and there an instance occurs1 to the delight of the ,christian philanthropist1 of a person brought up in utter ignorance and barbarian rudeness1 and so continuing till late--sometimes very late in life--and then at last1 after such a length of time and habit has completed its petrifying effect1 suddenly seized upon by a mysterious power1 and taken with an irresistible force out of the dark hold in which the spirit has lain imprisoned and torpid1 into the sphere of thought and feeling4 ',we have known instances in which the change1 the intellectual change1 has been so conspicuous within a brief space of time1 that an infidel observer must have forfeited all claim to be esteemed even a man of sense1 if he would not acknowledge--,this that you call ,divine grace1 whatever it may really be1 is the strongest awakener of the faculties after all4 ,and1 to a devout man1 it is a spectacle of most enchanting beauty1 thus to see the immortal plant1 which has been under a malignant blast while sixty or seventy years have passed over it1 coming out at length in the bloom of life4' ,mr4 ,lewellin4--,yes1 and we are all living witnesses of the amazing efficacy of ,divine grace in effecting our spiritual transformation1 which1 like that of the apostle ,paul1 has been produced in us without any efforts of our own1 or any anticipation of such an unlikely thing being done4 ,that it is a reality we cannot doubt1 because1 in addition to the evidence arising from our consciousness1 we have the evidence of our senses4 ,now1 suppose by an action of our imagination we step back a few years in our moral history1 and re-assume our original characters1 what a contrast should we1 in that case1 exhibit to our present selves6 ,you1 ,sir1 and your brother would move amongst us as two haughty ,tractarians1 magnifying the form and ceremonies of ,christianity1 and depreciating its doctrines and precepts4 ,mrs4 ,roscoe would be a stereotyped formalist1 sitting in her easy-chair1 with her week's preparation before her on her card-table1 looking forward with some undefined emotions of superstitious reverence to the sacrament ,sunday4 ,miss ,roscoe would be moving1 the principal figure in a ball-room1 exciting the envy or the jealousy of her gay associates4 ,my uncle and aunt would be living at ,fairmount1 the chief priest and priestess in the temple of fashion2 routs1 and dances1 and gala nights--coursing-matches1 and the prosecution of poachers1 and the gains and the losses of the turf1 supplying the poor rustics with topics for their table-talk4 ,and1 as for myself1 ,i should be prowling about the streets and resorts of ,london1 with some profane sceptics or accomplished gamesters1 humming1 in an under-tone of grave or jocular levity--',let us eat and drink1 for to-morrow we die4' ,this is a sketch of what we should have been at this moment if ,divine grace had not come to impress on us another likeness1 and infuse within us another spirit4 ,these moral changes in us are not shams and delusions1 but positive realities4 ,mrs4 ,roscoe4--,i should not like to become my former self again1 without religious thought1 and without any religious emotions4 ,i lived without reflection or anticipation2 and when any particular circumstances compelled me to advert to the certainty of my death1 ,i felt an awful recoiling of spirit against it4 ,mr4 ,stevens4--,if our conversation were overheard by some of our fashionable ,christians1 how strange would it appear to them6 ,they would imagine1 if they did not know us1 that we were a set of incurables2 and if they actually knew us1 they would speak of us as a group of fanatics4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,this reminds me of an admirable discourse ,i heard my brother's ,curate preach on the words of the apostle ,john3 ',beloved1 now are we the sons of ,god1 and it doth not yet appear what we shall be3 but we know that1 when he shall appear1 we shall be like him2 for we shall see him as he is' 7#a ,john iii4 #b74 ',you are now living1' he said1 when addressing the pious part of his audience1 'in a world of sin and sorrow2 and you are living in disguise1 and are not known to the persons amongst whom you live1 and with whom you are engaged in the commerce of life4 ,they may know your person1 your name1 your residence1 your relative connections1 and your distinctive religious denomination1 but they have no knowledge1 or even conception1 of your elevated rank in relation to the wondrous beings of the great unknown world4 ,this should neither astonish nor mortify you2 for when ,jesus ,christ sojourned on earth1 even though he was the brightness of his ,father's glory--even though stormy winds and raging waves1 disease1 and death1 and infernal spirits acknowledged the absolute supremacy of his dominion over them--yet the men of the world knew him not4 ,they knew him as ,jesus of ,nazareth1 the son of the carpenter2 they knew him as a madman1 an impostor1 and a blasphemer2 but they knew him not as the ,son of ,god in the human form1 come to seek and to save them that are lost4 ,if1 then1 they knew him not who presented such luminous signs of his celestial dignity and glory1 how can you expect the world over to look on you as the sons of ,god1 living through the period of your minority in disguise1 soon to have your relative dignity chronicled in the records of immortality8' ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,that passage proves that our identity is preserved amidst all the changes we have undergone1 or may yet undergo--identically the same persons after our conversion as we were before our conversion1 though vastly different2 and1 in a glorified state1 we shall be identically the same persons we are now1 but then we shall be made exactly like the ,son of ,god4 ,our ,lord1 when administering consolation to ,martha of ,bethany1 said3 ',and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die4 ,believest thou this8' 7,john xi4 #bf74 ,there is nothing in this passage which requires its restriction to the singular occasion of its utterance2 it announces an absolute fact1 universally applicable to our ,lord's disciples4 ,there may be a momentary suspension of life1 attended by a sudden yet momentary collapse of the self-conscious faculty1 when the great spirit is in the act of removing from her material tabernacle1 to enter the house not made with hands1 eternal in the heavens3 but it is only the suspension1 it is not the extinction of life2 and the self-conscious faculty will soon awake1 and bear an undisputed testimony to the personal identity of the soul4 ,yes1 and there is to me a sublime and thrilling interest in the belief1 that ,i shall be myself again when ,i awake in the ,divine likeness1 with my own intellect1 with my own imagination1 with my own heart1 and with my own memory laden with its varied accumulations--identically the same person1 yet transformed into a pure and spotless being--and that1 after the lapse of millions of ages1 ,i shall be identically the same being ,i am now2 the same being ,i was in the days of childhood and of youth1 of early and of later manhood2 the same as ,i was when living amidst the attractions of home and the charms of more extended social intimacies2 the same as when ,i was enduring the privations and sorrows of earth1 encountering its conflicts and its trials2 and the same as when ,i stood trembling on the narrow isthmus of time1 fearing to slip the cable of life1 and launch into eternity4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,but while identity is preserved1 we shall exist in some new form1 as we shall then be disembodied2 shall see ourselves and each other2 and be endowed also with some new faculties to fit us for our high destiny1 its felicities and employments4 ,mr4 ,lewellin4--,we shall1 undoubtedly1 be as fitted to engage in all the exercises of the celestial world1 and to intermingle1 with graceful ease1 in all its varied associations and enjoyments1 as we should be if we had sprung up into being there1 like the angels of ,god4 ,but yet ,i do not think it necessarily follows that we shall have any new mental facilities communicated to us2 the faculties which we shall then require may even now be lying dormant in the soul1 waiting merely for the act of disembodiment to come forth in full development and activity4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,that's an idea ,i have long entertained1 for experience proves that the spirit of man1 even now1 when it makes its escape from the control of the senses1 as in dreaming1 does occasionally give palpable indications of the possession of faculties far more active and vigorous than is ordinarily displayed when under their dominion2 doing1 in fact1 when asleep1 what cannot be done when awake4 ,i know an intelligent man1 on whose testimony ,i can place absolute dependence1 who has told me more than once1 that though unable1 when awake1 to construct a stanza1 yet1 after reading ,milton1 or ,thomson1 or ,pope1 he has when asleep composed poetical pieces with great ease and rapidity4 ,and ,i am quite sure that many of the sermons ,i have preached when asleep have far surpassed anything ,i could produce when awake4 ,these facts1 and ,i could increase their number1 are to me satisfactory indications that there are latent faculties in embryo1 lying dormant in the wondrous spirit of man1 which1 when fully developed and brought into action 7as they will be when the spirit is disembodied71 will be found admirably adapted to the exercises of our future economy of existence4 ,without requiring any new mental creation1 we shall feel as much at ease and at home in heaven as though we had never lived elsewhere4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,does the apostle1 by this expression1 ',when he shall appear1' refer to the appearance of ,jesus ,christ on the morning of the general resurrection1 preparatory to the final judgment4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,some think he does1 but ,i doubt it4 ,when he makes his grand appearance1 preparatory to the final judgment1 he will be seen coming in the clouds1 and all the holy angels with him2 and at the blast of the archangel's trumpet1 the pious dead will spring up into life1 and1 together with the pious who may be living at this great crisis1 will undergo a change in their physical formation and appearance2 the natural body will become a spiritual body1 bearing the image of the heavenly1 as distinctly as they bore1 when living on earth1 the image of the earthy4 ,but this wonderful process of coming up into newness of life1 issuing in a physical transformation from a natural to a spiritual body1 is effected by the action of power4 ',for our conversation is in heaven2 from whence also we look for the ,saviour1 the ,lord ,jesus ,christ3 who shall change our vile body1 that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself' 7,phil4 iii4 #bj1 #ba74 ,what a sublimely grand spectacle6 every one of the august family of ,god will be arrayed in a body resembling the glorified body of ,jesus ,christ6 ,but the assimilation to which the words of ,john refer1 is produced by vision4 ,we shall be like him when we see him2 and the assimilation will take place immediately on seeing him1 and in consequence of seeing him2 and we shall see him the moment we die1 for to be absent from the body is to be present with the ,lord4 ,mrs4 ,stevens4--,there is something so strange and appalling in death and in dying1 and in having to pass1 and pass alone1 into the great world of spirits1 that ,i am not surprised by the shuddering dread which some feel when anticipating it2 and nothing can allay this fearful commotion1 but a firm belief in the watchful eye and ever-active presence of our kind and compassionate ,saviour4 ',i will come again and receive you to myself1' is the sweet promise which reduces agitation to calmness1 and inspires confidence and joy in the moment of the final departure from earth4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,we cannot tell on what living being here on earth any of us will cast the last look of recognition and affection2 but the first ,being we shall see on entering the great unknown world will be ,jesus ,christ1 waiting to receive us to himself as his own1 that we may be glorified together4 ,this we believe1 and this we know2 and therefore we may rejoice with joy unspeakable4 ,miss ,roscoe4--,then it would be more in harmony with the spirit of our faith1 to cherish a desire to depart to see our ,lord1 than to wish to live here always away from him4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,i was very much pleased with the following paragraph of the discourse which ,i heard the ,curate deliver1 from the text on which you have just been speaking3--',you are following1 my brethren1 no cunningly-devised fable1 as infidelity asserts1 when you enter the mystic inclosure of ,divine revelation1 and look with the piercing eye of faith on the glory to be revealed in you1 because the objects of your belief are not inventions1 but realities within the range of your actual knowledge4 ,you know in whom you believe2 and you know that he has effected in you the preparatory spiritual change which is to issue in the grand result of your eternal salvation4 ,you know he has convinced you1 by his ,holy ,spirit1 of the evil of sin2 that he has produced in you the feeling of deep self-humiliation and contrition2 that he has drawn you to himself1 to believe and trust in him2 and that he has at times manifested himself to you as he does not unto the world1 giving you peace and joy in believing4 ,these emotions of contrition and self-humiliation1 of peace and of joy1 you know are genuine emotions2 not self-originated1 nor yet produced by the action of any mere human agency2 and you know that they are the first spiritual operations in the new formation of your soul1 which is to terminate in a perfect likeness to ,jesus ,christ1 when you see him as he is4' ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,i have in my congregation a very simple-hearted1 godly man1 who is in the service of an avowed sceptic2 and one day1 when he was at work1 his master said to him1 ',john1 you don't know that what you believe about another world is true4'--',and you1 master1 don't know that it is untrue4'--',i believe1 ,john1 that the visions of future glory which now flit so vividly before your imagination1 will turn out at last to be deceptions--mere fancy pictures2 for when you are dead you will go out of existence4'--',i have heard you say that before1 master2 and if it should be so1 ,i shall never know it2 but there is one thing which ,i think ,i know4'--',and what's that1 ,john8'--',why1 master1 it is just this4 ,if you were dying--and die you must--you would rather have the bright visions of immortality and eternal life flitting before your imagination1 than die as infidels generally do1 in dread uncertainty1 or in the agony of self-reproach for neglecting the great salvation4 ,i am safe against both these terrible evils1 but you stand exposed to them2 and it will very soon be decided which is right and which is wrong--you or ,i4 ,we are both near our journey's end2 ,i am seventy-two1 and ,i believe1 master1 you are a few years older4 ,we shall soon know what our end is to be4 ,i have no fear1 except for you1 master4' ,mr4 ,stevens4--,these plain godly people very often1 by their homespun arguments and their shrewd remarks1 stagger and confound even the most subtile and scornful infidels4 ,mr4 ,lewellin4--,they often silence them4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,i don't think we have many avowed infidels in ,broadhurst1 though1 alas6 we have too many who are theoretical believers1 but practical unbelievers4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,there are a great many in my brother's parish1 and yet they generally attend church once on the ,sabbath4 ,they are very free in their remarks on his conversion1 which1 they say1 is passing from one theological absurdity to another2 the ,curate1 in their estimation1 is a very amiable and zealous fanatic4 ,at the conclusion of the sermon from which ,i have given you one extract1 he made this striking appeal to them1 and he was kind enough to give me a copy of it3-- ',i will now admit1 for the sake of the question ,i have to propose1 that what we believe is fictitious2 that there is1 in fact1 no future state of existence for man2 no such visions of glory for us to behold when we pass out of life2 and no such scenes of bliss for us to enjoy as ,i have now been endeavouring to portray4 ,but suppose we really believe that there are1 ,i appeal to you whether our faith does not tend to sustain our spirits when suffering under the ills of life2 and whether we have not something in prospect1 which is an adequate compensation for the anticipated loss of life and all its possessions4 ,is it nothing to a noble mind1 rich in the stores of knowledge1 and still richer in the anticipations of hope--endowed with faculties too valuable to be annihilated without a pang of regret keener than ever pierced the heart of sorrow--to believe that he is superior in the duration of his being to the beasts of the field and the creeping things of the earth2 that he is superior to the trees of the wood1 the shrubs of the lawn1 and the flowers of the garden2 ordained to live after they have outlived their life1 and to live on for ever in dignity and in happiness8 ,take the case of a poor believer1 who has to sustain the hardships and privations of life1 often not knowing how to get the next meal for himself and family1 or where to get the means of protecting his scanty household property against the distraints of his landlord4 ,is it nothing to him to be able to look forward to the coming of a period when he shall be in the possession of an inheritance uncorrupted1 undefiled1 and that will never fade away8 ,take the case of one who has had to weather all through life the storms of adversity2 to stand exposed to the blasts of calumny1 reproach1 and wrongful testimony2 who has had to suffer1 like the apostle of the ,gentiles1 the peril of the deep1 the peril of the wilderness1 and the more galling peril of false brethren4 ,is it nothing for such a man of accumulative trials1 to be able to believe that1 after a few more storms have agitated the waters of life1 and after a few more reproaches have assailed his reputation1 he shall enter into the port of eternal safety1 where the wicked cease from troubling1 and the weary are for ever at rest8 ,or take the case of one who has been a living martyr to physical afflictions and sufferings2 who has scarcely ever breathed the breath of uncontaminated health1 though she has wandered from one salubrious place to another1 to catch its invigorating inhaling2 whose food has been tasteless1 and to whom restless nights and days of weariness and pain have been appointed2 and whose ethereal spirit has been held in a state of langour and depression by the mysterious action of disease on her nervous sensibilities4 ,is it nothing to such a sufferer to believe that1 after a few more months or years of agonizing and torturous endurance1 the dark night of her mourning will pass away in the dawn of the bright and serene morning of immortality1 whose sun will rise without a cloud1 never to go down or pass under a momentary eclipse8 ',why1 then1 ,i ask the infidel1 will you attempt to destroy or disturb the faith of such believers8 ,why not let each one go daily1 in the quietness of his spirit1 to draw the waters of healing1 of refreshment1 and invigoration from this perennial well1 which he has found in the wilderness8 ,why attempt to throw a dark and impenetrable veil over the enchanting scenes which the opening heavens partially disclose1 and on which he gazes in joyous hope and in ecstasy of longing8 ,why not let him remain1 under what you call the spell of his delusion1 when it entails on you no loss or suffering1 but which imparts to him such holy and sublime enjoyments8 ,suppose it be--what you tell him it is--all a delusion2 yet if he die under its power he will never know it2 why not1 then1 let him die in peace8 surely his peaceful death can occasion you no bitter regret4 ,why try to rouse him out of his elysian reverie1 simply to let him know that death is coming to deprive him of all his sublime anticipations1 and slip him out of existence8 ,what gratification can success in such a species of destructive labour afford you8 ,you are not the daring highway robber1 who plunders another to enrich himself2 you are the wanton or the malignant incendiary1 who devastates that you may revel in the irreparable losses which you inflict on others1 with no prospect of personal advantage4 ,but suppose that what you reject as fanciful and fabulous1 should turn out at last to be a reality1 then your doom is certain and truly awful2 you will pass into the eternal world alone1 a lost spirit1 to perish1 yet retaining your consciousness for ever4 ,and you cannot know that it is not a reality1 unless you can acquire all knowledge1 and this you cannot do while you live4 ,you must die to know that there is no hereafter2 and if you survive your own death1 and live on in some intermediate state1 you must visit every nook and corner of the vast universe before you can know that there is no heaven and no hell4 ,why1 then1 proudly arrogate to yourself the possession of knowledge which you know that it is impossible for you to acquire8 and why1 while unable to decide against the reality of what we believe1 are you not in terror lest you should be labouring under a criminal self-deception8 ,if there be another world1 which you cannot disprove1 with what horror will your spirit1 when disembodied1 enter it1 to meet her fearful and merited doom1 to dwell for ever amongst the devil and his angels8 ',the efforts which you are now making to induce others to reject the ,christian faith as an imposition on human credulity1 will receive ,,at ,,last a recompense2 and what will that be8--their bitterest curses1 which will be an aggravation to your misery1 far beyond the capability of human conception4 ,there1 in the eternal world1 you will be a lost spirit1 assailed by other lost spirits1 reproaching you as the prime agent in effecting their ruin for ever2 and with emotions of deadly hatred1 and in terms of malignant accusation1 corresponding with the awful intensity of their mental suffering4 ,regret then1 on their account or on your own1 will be useless2 for could you shed as many tears of sorrow1 as there have been dew-drops since the birth of creation2 could you heave as many sighs and groans1 as there have been pulsations of pain since the first child of sorrow felt the bitterness of grief2 and could you offer as many petitions for mercy1 as there have been lamentations of woe since ,esau endured the anguish of unavailing repentance1 it would be of no use4 ,once lost1 by dying in your sins1 there is no possibility of recovery or escape4 ,when1 then1 the final issue is so tremendously awful1 the preparatory anxiety and caution to avoid it cannot be too scrupulous or guarded2 but to advert to it with a spirit of levity1 or to deem it too insignificant and unimportant to demand the most solemn attention1 is to give decisive evidence that you have prematurely fitted yourselves for destruction1 and are ripe for hell1 before the reaper is in readiness to put in the sickle of death to cut you down4' ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,this1 ,sir1 must have been a most impressive sermon4 ,what effect did it appear to produce8 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,the congregation listened to it with profound attention2 and some were subdued2 they quailed under it4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,if1 ,sir1 a few years since1 you had seen and heard in some night vision1 what you have now seen and heard under the broad daylight of positive reality1 you would have thought1 when awakening out of your sleep1 that you had witnessed something of what ,god could do1 but you could not have anticipated its actual occurrence4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,that's very true1 ,sir2 ,i wish you would go1 and see and judge for yourself4 ,miss ,roscoe4--,yes1 do1 ,sir2 and1 if you will permit me1 ,i will accompany you4 ,it is the ,lord's doing1 and it is a very choice specimen of the ,divine workmanship4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,i should like to go1 but my age and infirmities forbid it4 ,i must be contented to look at the descriptive sketching of this sublime manifestation of the power and the grace of ,god2 it is the triumph of evangelical truth over the lifeless formalism of ,tractarian arrogance and delusion4 ,our prayers1 said ,miss ,roscoe1 are answered2 my dear uncle and aunt are right at last4 ,,the ,,quakeress4 ,on returning from my protracted visit to ,fairmount1 and resuming my pastoral labours1 ,i was gratified by the eager welcome ,i received from the people of my charge4 ,during my absence the pulpit had been regularly supplied by a succession of ministers of various religious denominations--men who had never subscribed to an act of uniformity imposed by human legislation1 but yet1 in all their public ministrations1 they closely adhered to the unity of the faith1 because they received the ,bible as the rule of their religious belief and practice4 ,on looking around my congregation1 ,i missed a venerable elder and several others1 who had gone the way of all flesh2 also1 a few individuals and families1 who had removed to other localities4 ,yet ,i was pleased to find that there was no perceptible decrease in numbers1 and to learn that the harmony of my flock had not been in any way disturbed by strife and contention4 ,amongst the various causes which lead to the peace and prosperity of a ,christian church1 the example and influence of females deserves a prominent place2 it operates silently1 yet powerfully1 both to repress what is evil and to stimulate to what is good4 ,woman was first in the transgression1 but in every age she has laboured to repair the evil which that direful calamity has entailed on the human race2 and1 though less conspicuous in her sphere of action than man1 she has often equalled him in earnest devotedness1 and has sometimes surpassed him in self-denying sacrifices and heroic sufferings4 ,the apostle makes honourable mention of those women who laboured with him in the gospel2 and it was my privilege and happiness to have some as co-workers1 of great1 if not of equal importance and worth4 ,one of the most useful of these was ,miss ,chester1 a diffident and unobtrusive woman1 yet ever active in labours of love--doing everything with so much prudence and amiability that she neither provoked censure nor awakened jealousy or envy4 ,she had acquired great aptitude in gaining the confidence of the females in the congregation1 whose hearts the ,lord appeared to be opening to receive the truth2 she could go where the habits of social life forbade me to enter1 and could gain information on the delicate question of personal piety1 which would have been withheld even from my solicitations4 ,in this way she acted as a pioneer1 and often brought me information regarding individuals of whose religious awakening ,i might otherwise never have heard4 ,the first time she called on me after my return1 she had a great deal to tell me of what had taken place among my people during my absence2 but the most gratifying intelligence of all was1 that she thought her esteemed friend1 ,miss ,osbourne1 had become decidedly pious1 though she had not yet openly avowed herself4 ,miss ,osbourne was not one of my own people1 but had been brought up in the ,society of ,friends1 and had1 to all human appearance1 been a consistent adherent of that community4 ,on making some inquiries as to this unexpected transformation of character and habit1 ,i learned that it took its rise from a sermon she heard from ,matt4 vi4 #e--that they may be seen of men4 ,while listening to the preacher1 and when reflecting on what he said1 she was convinced that it was contrary to the spirit of the ,new ,testament for a disciple of ,jesus ,christ to assume any distinctive denominational sign1 either in dress or style of speech--as it is holding out a secular mark to attract human attention2 or if this be not the motive1 she perceived that such was the result4 ,from that time forth she exchanged the dress and speech of ,quakerism for that which is in current usage in genteel life1 believing that the best evidence of a living faith is to add to faith virtue2 and to virtue knowledge2 and to knowledge temperance2 and to temperance patience2 and to patience godliness2 and to godliness brotherly kindness2 and to brotherly kindness charity 7#b ,pet4 i4 #e-g74 ,on leaving me ,miss ,chester said--,the history of her religious experience will1 ,i have no doubt1 interest and gratify you4 ,i have promised to spend an evening with her soon1 and ,i hope you will accompany me2 ,i am quite sure she will be very glad to see you4 ,miss ,chester having made an appointment with ,miss ,osbourne1 the evening soon came round that we were to pay her a visit at her quiet residence1 and ,miss ,chester having called on me for the purpose1 we set out on our mission together4 ,just prior to this my first interview with ,miss ,osbourne1 ,i had lent my chapel to the ,friends to hold a public meeting1 when ,i had the pleasure of hearing ,mr4 ,joseph ,gurney and another address a large and an attentive audience4 ,to this meeting ,miss ,osbourne very naturally referred1 thanking me at the same time1 for this mark of respect for the body2 adding1 ,i am no advocate of the esprit du corps4 ,we may cherish our preferences1 yet ,i like to see all true believers living together in friendly intercourse4 ,it is1 ,madam1 by coming into close contact we rub off the angular parts of our denominational character1 and then1 as a necessary consequence1 we can develope the more sterling attributes of our renewed nature1 as one in ,christ4 ,i think ,friends have isolated themselves too much4 ,they live in a little ,goshen of their own1 and cherish rather too fondly the idea that they1 and they only1 have a purely spiritual faith4 ,they look on others as devotees of carnal ordinances4 ,we receive the ordinances which are delivered to us in the ,new ,testament1 and observe them as tests of our subjection to the authority of ,jesus ,christ2 but1 in our judgment1 they do not possess any inherent power to work in us the fruits of righteousness4 ,we look through them to the great truths they symbolize4 ,baptism symbolizes the washing of regeneration and renewing of the ,holy ,ghost2 and the ,lord's ,supper symbolizes the shedding of blood for the remission of sins4 ,and this ,friends might have known long since if they had consulted our best writers2 but this they neglect doing1 and hence they do not know us perfectly4 ,indeed1 they cherish many wrong notions and impressions about us4 ,yes2 they move in a circle of their own1 which is rather a confined and peculiar one4 ,they do not like to cross the line which keeps them distinct from others4 ,this ,i have long considered an evil1 and ,i may say ,i have felt it to be one4 ,thus1 when the controversy sprang up in ,america about the divinity of ,jesus ,christ1 and which led to the secession of so many from the ,society of ,friends1 ,i was in a most bewildered state2 ,i had no previous information to help me to form a correct judgment on the questions in dispute and discussion4 ,the tenacity with which the ,friends adhere to the 'inward light1' which they imagine is given to every one1 very naturally renders any laborious effort1 on their part to understand the facts and the truths of the ,bible a mere work of supererogation4 ,they hand down1 from one generation to another1 a few distinctive opinions1 which1 combined with other causes1 keep them a compact body and peculiar people2 but ,i apprehend there is among them too great a lack of a diligent searching of the ,scriptures1 to ascertain how far these opinions are supported by ,divine authority4 ,i myself was very fond of this 'inward light' theory4 ,it was to me1 what the all-sufficiency of reason is to the rationalist4 ,i was my own guide and my own authority4 ,i could not stoop to receive instruction from prophets or apostles4 ,but my faith in its infallible guidance has long since been shaken--,i may now say1 quite destroyed4 ,i find it is not powerful enough to keep the ,society of ,friends from a gradual decay4 ,they are dying off towards extinction1 while other denominations are increasing in their numbers4 ,i know some of the rising generation who have withdrawn from the ,society of ,friends and gone over to the ,established ,church4 ,there was1 ,i believe1 a large secession at ,manchester some few years ago8 ,yes2 but nothing shook the body so violently as the ,american controversy on the divinity of ,jesus ,christ4 ,the shock was felt here1 and ,friends were not prepared for it4 ,it led many to imbibe the ,socinian heresy1 and some became avowed sceptics4 ,in relation to all controversies knowledge is power1 but ignorance is weakness4 ,if we are trained by a regular course of proper teaching to understand the distinct yet united truths of the ,bible--the evidences by which they are supported1 and the arguments by which objections to them are refuted--we are then prepared to withstand the shocks of heresy without being startled into scepticism by the imposing dogmatism or subtle plausibilities of its advocates4 ,very true2 but ,friends have not the advantage of such training2 and therefore1 when a controversial spirit does spring up amongst them1 it becomes as a wolf in the sheepfold4 ,but though controversy may do some evil1 yet it may do some good2 for in the spiritual world1 no less than in the physical1 stagnation is often more perilous and fatal than the most violent tempest4 ,very true4 ,i know that the ,american controversy has done some good in ,england4 ,it has awakened the dormant mind of ,friends to a calm and close investigation of the subjects of discussion2 and the result is1 that the belief of many now rests on logical evidence1 rather than traditionary testimony4 ,till it took place1 and excited the attention of ,friends1 ,i always looked on ,jesus ,christ merely as an amiable and intelligent philanthropist--a model for us to copy after4 ,but as there is an immense disparity between humanity and divinity--between a perfect man1 and ,god manifest in the flesh--what effect did the first announcement of the divinity of ,jesus ,christ produce on your mind8 ,did it not startle you8 ,i felt an instinctive revolting against it4 ,i felt more disposed to treat it as a legend1 than look upon it as a fact4 ,but why8 ,because ,i thought it was not likely that ,god would manifest himself in the flesh1 when he could so easily accomplish any beneficent purpose without stooping to such an act of humiliation and meanness4 ,indeed1 for a very long time the more ,i thought of it the more ,i revolted against it4 ,i loathed it1 it was offensive to my taste2 and ,i did not like to hear the question argued4 ,but did it never strike you1 when reading the gospels1 that ,jesus ,christ attempted to make the ,jews believe that he was a ,divine incarnation8 ,i suppose you must have read the following passage--',the ,jews answered him1 saying1 ,for a good work we stone thee not2 but for blasphemy2 and because that thou1 being a man1 makest thyself ,god' 7,john x4 #cc78 ,why1 yes2 but ,i thought their accusation against him on this point1 was a wilful perversion of his meaning--an excess on their part of malignant feeling4 ,but did you never receive an impression1 from the facility with which he performed many stupendous works1 and his entire avoidance of all pomp and display1 that he was a wonderful ,being1 something more than man8 ,why1 no4 ,the truth is1 ,i never felt sufficient interest in the question to pursue the investigation of it with attention4 ,i revolted from it4 ,but when you were forced to attend to it1 in some measure1 by the frequency of its discussion amongst ,friends1 did any other reason present itself to your mind as a constraint1 or an inducement to reject it as a mere legend8 ,yes2 the absolute impossibility that two such dissimilar natures1 as the ,divine and human1 could be united in one person4 ,but did you never advert to the conjunction of the immaterial and material--two very dissimilar natures--in your own person8 ,i recollect hearing one ,friend1 who was arguing the question with another1 advance that fact in confirmation of the proposition that natures very dissimilar to each other can be conjoined in one identity2 but at the time ,i thought it more fanciful than correct4 ,indeed1 ,i revolted against any evidence that was brought forward by any one in support of what ,i considered a legend1 rather than a reality4 ,but did it never strike you that his relative character1 as the ,saviour of sinners1 involves in it the necessity of his being something more than a mere man1 it being an absurdity to suppose that one man can save others8 ,i never adverted to his relative character at this period2 ,i had no definite conception of it1 nor did ,i wish to have4 ,i did not feel that ,i needed a ,saviour2 ,i thought his being called one was a mere conventionalism--a mark of respect4 ,at the time when the divinity of ,jesus ,christ became a popular subject of discussion amongst ,friends1 the question of his atonement was also agitated2 what were your sentiments respecting it8 ,i repudiated it1 as derogatory to the ,deity4 ,in what respect did you consider it derogatory to the character of ,god8 ,i thought it an impeachment of his benevolence to suppose that he would not exercise his clemency unless he was induced to do so by the shedding of blood4 ,and ,i also thought it was an impeachment of his equity to require innocence to suffer and die in behalf of the guilty4 ,all my feelings were opposed to it4 ,but ,friends in general have professed their belief in the reality and necessity of the atonement2 and ,joseph ,gurney1 who is an authority amongst them1 has written in defence and support of it4 ,did you ever read his treatise8 ,it was put into my hands by one of our elders1 who knew that ,i entertained some doubts on the subject4 ,i looked into it1 but as soon as ,i found that he attempted to support his views of the atonement by citations from the ,bible1 ,i felt that ,i could much easier reject the ,bible as a revelation from heaven1 than ,i could admit a dogma so utterly opposed to my reason4 ,indeed1 ,i had become a confirmed sceptic1 though ,i did not like to avow it1 as ,i knew it would give pain to many for whom ,i had great esteem2 and1 besides1 ,i did not like the idea of making myself the subject of public notice and remark4 ,did you1 at this period1 feel at ease--quite satisfied with yourself and your condition8 ,no2 not quite4 ,i sometimes felt an impression1 and it was a very painful one1 that ,i was not acting honourably nor honestly by standing identified with a body of ,christians1 after ,i had virtually renounced my belief in the articles of their faith4 ,this greatly perplexed me4 ,i knew not what to do4 ,i suppose if you had openly avowed1 what you had virtually done1 they would have excluded you from their fellowship8 ,it is probable that a sentence of disownment would have been passed against me4 ,this ,i should not have liked4 ,it would have given so much pain to my parents4 ,there is now1 ,i believe1 a change in your views of ,divine truth8 ,yes2 and a great change1 not only in my views of ,divine truth1 but in my appreciation of its importance4 ,will you tell me what was the means of leading you to receive the faith you once repudiated8 ,in the first instance1 the reading of ,dr4 ,chalmers' ,astronomical ,discourses weakened1 in some measure1 one very strong objection which ,i had long cherished against the truth of ,christianity1 and which ,i then considered invincible4 ,i presume you refer to the objection which some philosophic sceptics have advanced against the ,divine origin of ,christianity1 that it is monstrous to suppose the ,deity would lavish on so insignificant a world as ours such peculiar and distinguishing attention as are ascribed to him in the ,bible8 ,yes4 ,to suppose that he would make such costly sacrifices as the ,bible says he did make1 to recover such a puny race of beings from their degradation and misery1 when1 if they were swept out of existence1 they would hardly be missed from the great field of the creation--was an objection which struck me with great force2 and ,i long cherished it4 ,it appeared quite insurmountable4 ,but though the eloquent doctor1 by weakening the force of a long-cherished opinion1 cowed in some degree my sceptical spirit1 it was not subdued--,i felt more disturbed than gratified4 ,indeed1 ,i felt so much annoyed1 that ,i resolved ,i would read no more speculations relative to ,christianity4 ,i was determined to banish religion from my thoughts4 ,did you remain for any length of time in this state of mental isolation from all contact with the facts and truths of the ,bible8 ,no2 ,i really found it impossible to isolate my mind from them4 ,the more ,i tried to do so1 the closer did they cleave to me4 ,i felt painfully annoyed by the ceaseless action of my thoughts and reflections4 ,they disturbed me in my sleep1 my dreams were often painfully exciting1 and ,i often awoke in a tumult of mental emotion4 ,did this severe mental conflict subdue you to the obedience of the ,christian faith8 ,no1 no3 quite the reverse4 ,i felt1 if possible1 a more haughty indignation against the truths by which ,i was so painfully annoyed--they followed me as my own shadow4 ,at length1 ,i went so far as to resolve that ,i would rather avow my scepticism1 than keep my rank as a believer4 ,then what led you to embrace the faith which you repudiated with such indignant feelings8 ,a most humiliating sacrifice of my integrity4 ,it came about in this way4 ,joseph ,gurney and a few other ,friends met at my father's house to spend the evening2 and as ,i expected there would be a religious service1 ,i feigned indisposition as an excuse for not being present4 ,i withdrew to my own room1 and resumed reading ,macaulay's ,essay on ,milton1 but could not proceed with it4 ,i took up another book1 but soon closed it4 ,i felt painfully restless--vexed that ,i was by myself1 and mortified at what ,i had done4 ,that night was a restless night to me4 ,i had never before deviated from absolute truth4 ,i was now sunk in my own esteem1 and ,i felt that if my friends knew what ,i had done1 and why ,i did it1 ,i should sink in their esteem also4 ,i retired to rest2 but sleep was gone from me4 ,when musing on what ,i had done1 and what ,i must do in the morning1 to carry on this work of deception1 the idea rushed into my mind with terrific force--but ,god knows what ,i have done1 and what ,i am now meditating to do to conceal my shame6 ,then ,i felt the pang of remorse4 ,i had never felt it before4 ,it was a strange sensation4 ,i felt that ,i had fallen from my steadfastness4 ,miss ,chester had hitherto taken no part in the conversation1 but on seeing her friend painfully excited1 she remarked1 that the first convictions and impressions of conscious guilt have often a very singular effect on the mind4 ,some degree of perplexity is felt to account for them2 but the most perplexing question is1 ,how can relief be obtained8 ,mine that night1 said ,miss ,osbourne1 were very acute and depressing--almost overwhelming4 ,however1 ,i indulged a vague hope that ,i should sleep away my disquietudes1 and be myself again in the morning1 and feel as in former times4 ,i resolved ,i would never again violate the sanctity of absolute truth4 ,and did the morning bring relief8 ,no1 ,sir4 ,it brought a rapid succession of strange and very painful emotions4 ,i could neither banish nor repress them4 ,i knew not what to do4 ,i remained in my own room1 for ,i was too excited to mix with the family4 ,i spent a lonely and very unhappy day4 ,did you not attempt to pray for mercy to pardon the act of deception you had committed8 ,the idea occurred to me more than once4 ,i had heard a ,friend1 some weeks before at a public meeting1 discourse about the publican in the temple4 ,his simple prayer came very vividly to my recollection2 but my spirit was too haughty to adopt it4 ,my convictions of conscious guilt had merely disturbed my quietude4 ,they had not gone deep enough to awaken any alarm for my soul's safety4 ,they inflicted torture1 but excited no genuine penitence and contrition4 ,i felt bewildered and unhappy4 ,i knew not what to do4 ,did you long remain in this bewildered and unhappy state8 ,for several months1 ,i was a living martyr to mental disquietude and restlessness4 ,did you search the ,scriptures to see if you could find anything in them to minister relief to your disconsolate heart8 ,such an idea never struck me4 ,if it had been suggested to me1 ,i think ,i should have scorned it as a fanatical idea4 ,i had always looked upon the ,bible as a compilation of strange writings1 without unity1 order1 or authority4 ,i had no more notion of deriving relief from them1 than from reading any other book of history or ecclesiastic ceremonies4 ,a melancholy proof1 ,madam1 of the great defect in your religious training6 ,that ,i now feel and deplore4 ,the ,bible ,i now revere as the inaudible voice of the ,lord speaking to the conscience and the heart4 ,and how did you come to change your views as to the ,bible8 ,one evening1 while ,i was sitting alone1 bemoaning my hapless condition1 and mourning over the fruitless efforts ,i had made to regain mental tranquillity1 the sense of conscious guilt became very1 very acute1 and very oppressive4 ,it weighed down my spirit4 ,it was at this time attended with some degree of alarm and dread4 ,i began to think it possible that ,god would bring me before him in judgment4 ,this was a new idea4 ,i trembled when thinking of the probable issue--lost1 lost for ever6 ,at this eventful moment1 when the dread of such a terrible issue was wringing and torturing my spirit1 a sudden impulse1 accompanied by a ray of celestial light--though then ,i knew not that it was celestial light--produced a deep conviction of the necessity of an atonement to expiate human guilt2 and then ,i at once admitted the reality of the atonement made by ,jesus ,christ4 ,did these new discoveries of truth minister to your relief8 ,not immediately2 ,i was still bewildered and unhappy4 ,i was trying to make myself good--trying to work out my own righteousness4 ,but ,i could make no satisfactory progress4 ,i thought at times that my heart was getting worse instead of better4 ,i was treading on the verge of overwhelming despondency4 ,i felt an outcast4 ,in this state of extreme perplexity and mental torture1 ,i betook myself to the ,bible2 but ,i did so more to divert my mind from its miseries than with an expectation of gaining relief4 ,the ,divine ,spirit directed my attention to the passage--',if any man sin1 we have an advocate with the ,father1 ,jesus ,christ the righteous4 ,and he is the propitiation for our sins3 and not for ours only1 but also for the sins of the whole world' 7#a ,john ii4 #a1 #b74 ,had the ,lord spoken to me from heaven1 ,i might have been more startled2 but there was such a sweet consolatory power accompanying the reading of the passage1 that ,i felt it came from him4 ,i was in a moment1 in a calm of ecstatic emotion4 ,i shall never forget the sensation4 ,it was a sudden transition from torture to ease4 ,i then felt1 and for the first time1 an intense glow of love to ,jesus ,christ4 ,did not the reading of that passage1 said ,miss ,chester1 with its hallowed accompaniments1 bring you on your knees before the ,lord with weeping and supplication8 ,it did2 but for a while1 and rather a long while1 surprise was the most predominant emotion of my heart4 ,i was surprised that ,i had never previously felt myself to be a guilty and helpless sinner needing an ,almighty ,saviour4 ,i was surprised that ,i should ever have felt a loathing and hostility to a scheme of salvation which is such a sweet and rich manifestation of the loving-kindness of ,god4 ,and ,i was surprised that ,i could have lived so long without feeling a supreme love for ,jesus ,christ4 ,your experience1 my dear ,miss ,osbourne1 said ,miss ,chester1 is a fresh confirmation of a remark ,i heard a good minister of ,jesus ,christ make not long since3--,a sense of ,,need must precede all intense concern for our salvation1 and all right apprehensions of the relation in which ,jesus ,christ stands to us4 ,when this is felt1 the veil of mysticism is taken off the truth which is deposited in the ,bible2 and it becomes intelligible and powerful4 ,as our ,lord says3 ',they that be whole need not a physician1 but they that are sick' 7,matt4 ix4 #ab74 99 99 99 99 99 ,several months elapsed before ,i had another interview with ,miss ,osbourne2 but ,i noticed that her attendance at the chapel was regular and punctual4 ,she listened with marked attention to the pulpit ministrations2 but there was a pensiveness in her look1 which still indicated mental disquietude4 ,at the request of ,miss ,chester1 ,i again visited ,miss ,osbourne1 along with her4 ,on expressing a hope that she was making progress in the path of life1 she said1 ,i am still in a state of painful bewilderment1 and still unhappy4 ,i no sooner get over one spiritual difficulty than ,i feel perplexed and entangled by another4 ,i find that the pursuit after truth lies through a thorny maze4 ,i trust you are now thoroughly established in your belief of the supreme divinity of the ,son of ,god1 and of the reality and efficacy of his atonement8 ,o yes1 ,i am4 ,his divinity is written as with sunbeams2 and ,i now wonder how any one can doubt it1 who admits the authenticity of the ,bible4 ,and his atonement is equally conspicuous4 ,what1 then1 is the fresh spiritual difficulty that now disquiets you8 ,i don't know whether ,i rightly understand the import of the expression which ,jesus ,christ uses--',,come ,,to ,,me1 and ,i will give you rest4' ,it is evident he makes the present and future happiness of sinners to depend on a personal application to himself4 ,hence he says1 ',all that the ,father giveth to me shall come to me3 and him that cometh to me ,i will in no wise cast out4' ,as this style of speech was never employed by any other prophet or messenger1 it appears to constitute a peculiarity of great importance in relation to his supreme dignity4 ,he cannot be a mere man who places such an inconceivable blessing on such an issue4 ,but though ,i am convinced1 after long and patient investigation1 that our salvation is made to depend on a personal application to ,jesus ,christ1 ,i often have this question pressed on my attention--,how may ,i know if ,i have actually applied to ,him in the exact way which the ,scriptures require8 ,to some1 who are rooted and grounded in the faith1 this question may present no difficulty2 but to me it is one of great importance and of painful perplexity4 ,one difficulty which attends the solution of this question arises from the very nature of the application which it supposes4 ,if coming to ,christ were a bodily act1 and if the dependence to be reposed in him fell under the cognizance of the senses1 we should be able to decide with perfect ease whether we have come to him or not4 ,but it is simply a mental act1 which may be performed even while the believer remains in a state of doubt4 ,to believe or to trust in ,christ1 is the first act of the mind2 but to come to a satisfactory conclusion that this act of dependence agrees with the requirements of the ,scripture1 supposes that a process of examination and comparison has taken place4 ,i am to judge of my faith from its effects2 as the worth of a tree is to be decided by the quality of its fruit4 ,and here two questions demand my attention3 first1 ,what moral effects does faith produce8 ,secondly1 ,have these effects been produced in me8 ,faith purifies the heart from the love of sin2 brings the distant and unseen objects of the eternal world to act with impressive force on the judgment1 and affections1 and imagination2 induces its possessor to walk as seeing him who is invisible2 to love the ,redeemer with a supreme affection2 and constrains him to attempt to advance the glory of ,god in the world by a life of practical devotedness to his will4 ,these are some of the effects or moral evidences of faith2 and if they always existed in their highest degree1 we should have some certain landmarks of decision1 when attempting to ascertain the genuine nature of our dependence on ,christ1 which neither sophistry nor unbelief would be able to remove4 ,but as an excellent writer observes3--',the mind of every ,christian experiences many alternations of holiness and sin4 ,temptations often and unexpectedly intrude4 ,the objects which engross the whole heart of the sinner1 unhappily engage at times in greater or less degrees that of the ,christian4 ,nor is their influence always transient4 ,david1 ,solomon1 and other saints mentioned in the ,scriptures1 for a length of time sinned4 ,not a small number of sins are committed in thought1 word1 and action1 in the brighter and better seasons2 nay1 in the brightest and best4 ',i sin1' says ,bishop ,beveridge2 ',i repent of my sins1 and sin in my repentance4 ,i pray for forgiveness1 and sin in my prayers4 ,i resolve against my future sin1 and sin in forming my resolutions4 ,so that ,i may say1 ,my whole life is almost a continued course of sin4' ,this is the language of one of the best men that ever lived4 ,a still better man has said1 ',for the good that ,i would ,i do not3 but the evil which ,i would not1 that ,i do' 7,rom4 vii4 #ai74 ,if1 then1 the most eminent saints1 in the most improved state of their character1 and the most sacred seasons of their devotion1 have the evidence of their faith weakened by the force of contrary evidence1 ought it to excite our surprise if in us it is often obscured1 and sometimes overbalanced8 ,then ,i judge from the tenor of your remarks1 that1 for consolation and hope1 we must turn from ourselves1 and constantly depend on ,christ as a ,saviour2 whatever may be the varying tone and tendencies of the heart4 ,yes2 trust in him at all times--in sorrow1 and in joy2 when assailed by temptation1 and in seasons of triumph2 whether in transport on the mount1 or abased in the valley--one undeviating act of the mind from the beginning to the end of the conflict4 ,our conversation now turned on the honour which the ,god of all grace confers on an individual whom he condescends to admit into a state of fellowship with himself2 and on the consequent obligation which this places him under to make an open and unequivocal profession of religion4 ,yes1 said ,miss ,chester1 the noblest distinction we can attain to1 is to be endowed with the faith of ,god's elect2 but it is a distinction which often exposes us to the ridicule and the scorn of the world4 ,the semi-,christians of modern times1 ,i remarked1 are as ignorant of the relative dignity of the sons of ,god1 as the ancient ,jews were of the personal dignity of ,jesus ,christ4 ,nor ought this to excite our surprise1 seeing that1 as the apostle says1 'the world knows us not1 because it knew him not4' ,but though the world be ignorant of our relative dignity1 we ourselves are not2 and yet there are some who appear ashamed of it4 ,they desire to gain the crown of glory2 but refuse to identify themselves with the disciples of ,jesus ,christ1 that they may escape the odium to which they are exposed4 ,there is in this1 said ,miss ,osbourne1 a species of meanness1 of which1 ,i think1 an honourable mind could not be guilty4 ,but though some who have felt the power of truth to a certain extent1 may hesitate to identify themselves with the disciples of ,jesus ,christ1 yet they may be influenced by the purest motives4 ,i have a friend1 who has recently been convinced of the truth of the gospel2 and yet1 when conversing with an eminently pious stranger on some of its sacred topics1 very ingenuously said1 ',but1 madam1 ,i do not wish you to suppose that ,i am a ,christian4 ,i admire the doctrines and the precepts of ,christianity2 and ,i admire the character of those who display its moral virtues2 but ,i dare not rank myself among their number4 ,o no2 ,i am not good enough6' ,now1 this friend has mental firmness enough to withstand the rudest shocks of reproach2 but as she has not1 in her own estimation1 felt the transforming power of the truth1 she cannot conscientiously identify herself with those who have4 ,this1 ,i remarked1 is neither a singular nor a hopeless case4 ,the reluctance which your friend feels to make a profession of religion1 till she is satisfied that she possesses the principle1 is a decided proof of her integrity2 and though she may remain in this state of dubious perplexity for a still longer time1 yet she will never enjoy perfect peace1 till she becomes decided4 ,but ought a person to make a decided profession of religion before he has attained a full assurance of his personal interest in the redemption and love of ,jesus ,christ8 ,in my opinion1 the very moment a sinner trusts in ,christ ,jesus for the salvation of his soul1 he places himself under an obligation to render obedience to his laws4 ,the first petition is1 ',lord1 save1 or ,i perish2' the next in order1 and which should immediately follow1 is1 ',lord1 what wilt thou have me to do8' ,he distinctly states what he would have us do3--',whosoever therefore shall confess me before men1 him will ,i confess also before my ,father which is in heaven' 7,matt4 x4 #cb74 ,but is it not a wise discretion to tarry awhile1 to test the strength of the religious principle1 before the garb of a public profession is put on8 ,should we not avoid precipitation in a matter of such importance8 ,but would you1 during this probationary period1 depend on your own moral strength to sustain the vital energy of your religious principles8 ,certainly not4 ,then you would depend on the grace of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ to preserve the vitality of your principles1 while you are passing through this probationary period2 the length of it to be decided by your own discretion4 ,i would depend on him to keep me steadfast in his ways4 ,and could you not depend on him with as much implicitness and constancy to keep you steadfast after you have put on the yoke of obedience1 as you can when preparing to do it8 ,most certainly4 ,there is a little incident recorded in ,matthew xvi4 #ba1 which embodies one of the laws of the mediatorial government of ,jesus ,christ4 ',from that time forth'1 that is1 after his apostles had made a public avowal of their belief in him as the ,son of ,god1 he began to show unto them the coming events of his wonderful history4 ,yes1 my friend1 the path of duty is the path of safety1 and obedience brings its own reward1 as clearer manifestations of the love of ,christ usually follow an open profession of devotedness to him4 ,i remained a spectator the last time the ordinance of the ,lord's ,supper was administered at your chapel2 ,i thought it a very solemn service1 and ,i was a good deal impressed by it4 ,i hope you have outlived the scrupulous objections of your educational training1 and now admit that the ordinances of baptism and the ,lord's ,supper are of perpetual obligation8 ,i must confess that they have engaged some portion of my thoughts1 particularly the ,lord's ,supper4 ,i recently read ,joseph ,gurney's remarks on it1 but they did not satisfy me4 ,i thought them more ingenious than solid2 and they seemed to me very much a piece of special pleading4 ,from his book ,i turned to #a ,cor4 xi41 and ,i recollect saying when ,i had finished1 the apostle ,paul and ,joseph ,gurney don't think and write alike on this subject4 ,as they can't both be right1 one must be wrong2 which shall ,i follow8 ,i suppose1 said ,miss ,chester1 you don't find that a difficult question to decide8 ,why1 my dear1 it is not a very easy matter to get over long cherished scruples--to obliterate early impressions1 and adopt new religious habits and customs4 ,but still1 ,i must confess1 that an inspired apostle is a safer guide1 than an uninspired partizan writer4 ,however1 there is a previous question1 which1 if ,i may be permitted to mention it1 ,i should like to have answered4 ,what1 in your judgment1 are the spiritual advantages which are connected with the regular observance of the ordinance of the ,lord's ,supper8 ,in the first place1 ,i replied1 it tends1 and ,i think very forcibly1 to give fixedness and solidity to our faith in the historic truthfulness of our ,lord's sufferings and death4 ,he himself instituted the ordinance1 even before his death was accomplished2 and he assigns his reason for so doing3 ',and as they were eating1 ,jesus took bread1 and blessed it1 and brake it1 and gave it to the disciples1 and said1 ,take1 eat2 this is my body4 ,and he took the cup1 and gave thanks1 and gave it to them1 saying1 ,drink ye all of it2 for this is my blood of the new testament1 which is shed for many for the remission of sins' 7,matt4 xxvi4 #bf-bh74 ,immediately after his death1 we find1 by consulting the ,acts1 that his disciples partook of it in obedience to his authority1 and for the purpose which he specified4 ,the apostle ,paul tells us that he had a special revelation from heaven in relation to it 7#a ,cor4 xi4 #bc1 #bf74 ,and this ordinance1 instituted by ,jesus ,christ1 and observed by all the primitive disciples1 is handed down to us as a standing memorial of the wonderful fact that ,christ died for our sins1 according to the ,scriptures4 ,yes1 ,i see4 ,then this ordinance stands like a monument erected at the time when the event occurred1 to commemorate it1 and to perpetuate the remembrance of it8 ,it does4 ,then as people are not so foolish as to erect monuments to commemorate what never took place1 the historic certainty of the death of ,jesus ,christ receives an indisputable confirmation from the perpetual celebration of the ,lord's ,supper8 ,exactly so4 ,this is a new idea to me1 and an important one4 ,then ,i must disapprove of the conduct of ,friends1 who have not merely defaced this monumental pillar of the ,christian faith1 but entirely removed it4 ,why1 the removal of a landmark is more like the work of an enemy1 who has an interest in destroying boundary lines1 than the work of a friend1 who has an interest in preserving them4 ,i wonder that ,joseph ,gurney did not see this4 ,but this ordinance does something more than perpetuate a remembrance of the historic fact of the death of ,jesus ,christ3 it is significant of its moral design4 ,when he gave the cup of wine to his disciples1 and commanded them to drink of it1 he added1 as explanatory of the purpose which he had in view by this arrangement--',for this is my blood of the new testament1 which is shed for many for the remission of sins' 7,matt4 xxvi4 #bh74 ,yes1 ,i see it is this that attaches supreme importance to the ordinance1 which would become an unmeaning ceremony if we exclude the atonement from our theory of belief4 ,very true4 ,the historic fact1 and its moral design1 are inseparably blended2 and the truthfulness of both is confirmed by the same ceremonial rite4 ,when our ,lord had supped1 he took the cup1 saying to his disciples1 ',this cup is the new testament in my blood3 this do ye1 as oft as ye drink it1 in remembrance of me4 ,for as often as ye eat this bread1 and drink this cup1 ye do shew the ,lord's death till he come' 7#a ,cor4 xi4 #be1 #bf74 ,i am quite satisfied that the ordinance should be received by the disciples of ,christ1 in obedience to his authority1 when they believe that they are his disciples4 ,and ,i must say1 that ,i think the ,friends are wrong in rejecting it as an obsolete ceremony4 ,by doing so1 they remove an ancient landmark4 ,it is worse than that1 said ,miss ,chester2 it is destroying an ancient monument which was designed to perpetuate1 as long as time shall last1 a remembrance of the great event it was erected to celebrate4 ,do you1 said ,miss ,osbourne1 administer the ,lord's ,supper indiscriminately to persons in general1 or do you restrict its administration to the decidedly pious8 ,amongst us ,dissenters it is a test of character2 none are permitted to partake of it1 unless they profess repentance towards ,god1 and faith in the ,lord ,jesus ,christ2 and1 at the same time1 give some practical proof that they are renewed1 and walk worthy of the vocation wherewith they are called4 ,what is called open communion prevails1 ,i believe1 in the ,national ,establishment4 ,it does4 ,the clergyman of our national church is the minister of the parish in which he officiates1 and he baptizes all children whose parents wish him to do it2 and unless they should be excommunicated1 which is rarely done1 they are treated as members of the church1 and have the right of access to the sacrament of the ,lord's ,supper4 ,indeed6 ,what6 are any immoral persons ever permitted by a clergyman to partake of the ,lord's ,supper8 ,i should judge from what ,i read in the ,new ,testament1 that it belongs exclusively to true believers in ,christ4 ,yes2 in ,national ,establishments1 all the varieties of the human character1 from the most pious to the most profane1 may be seen mingling together at the sacramental table4 ,indeed6 this must be a perversion of the ordinance4 ,the apostles1 if ,i recollect rightly1 required repentance towards ,god1 and faith in the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 as essential qualifications for admission into the church2 and if any member walked disorderly1 he was separated from ,christian fellowship4 ,it is so amongst us ,dissenters4 ,we do not profess to have a perfect church1 but we do not suffer any one to remain in membership with us who dishonours his profession by any known act of impiety or immorality4 ,that seems to me to be adhering to the rule of the ,scripture4 ,to that rule we should always adhere2 and hence it is obligatory on all to observe the ordinance who are trusting in ,christ for salvation4 ,they should do so1 as a visible expression of their subjection to his authority1 and of their gratitude and love to him for his marvellous loving-kindness in shedding his blood for the remission of their sins1 and for giving his life a ransom for their redemption4 ,i recently heard an esteemed minister deliver the following address1 just before the administration of the ordinance3-- ',we are now1 my dear ,christian brethren1 going to commemorate the death of a beloved ,friend1 whose friendship derives its value from his death4 ,we often muse with intense interest on the wondrous events of his wondrous life2 we repeat to each other1 with strong emotions of delight1 his soul-inspiring sayings4 ,but it is his death which enkindles the purest1 the most powerful1 and the most joyous emotions of our heart4 ,it is true1 he was crucified by wicked hands1 but crucifixion touched no vital part4 ,he could have lived on the cross as long as he pleased1 free from pain1 and with as much placid ease as1 when seated on the mountain side1 he dictated the beatitudes to his disciples4 ,he could have stepped down from the cross1 had he pleased1 and arrayed himself with as much celestial beauty as when he stood transfigured on ,tabor2 and he could have changed in a moment the humiliating and conflicting scene of ,calvary into the awful grandeur of the final judgment2 and at his bidding the trumpet would have awakened the dead1 to stand before him for their final sentence4 ,but no4 ,such prodigies of power1 and displays of justice were not to take place then and there4 ,the only event to take place then and there was his shedding his blood for the remission of sins1 and his giving his life a ransom for sinners4 ,this he did1 unsolicited1 voluntarily1 and cheerfully2 and when he calls on you to take the cup1 in remembrance of his sufferings and death1 will you hesitate to do so8 or can you do it with formal indifference8 ',o for this love1 let rocks and hills ,their lasting silence break1 ,and all harmonious human tongues ,the ,saviour's praises speak4' ,i like the sentiments and expressions of this address2 but ,i think you must admit that hesitation does not always bespeak reluctance4 ,very true2 but it arrests the progress of obedience1 and entails the loss of spiritual privileges and enjoyments4 ,i hope1 my dear ,miss ,osbourne1 said ,miss ,chester1 you now feel no reluctance to yield obedience to the dying command of your beloved ,saviour and ,friend2 and that you will1 by one sacred resolve1 yield yourself to him as one alive from the dead--have your fruit unto holiness1 and the end everlasting life4 ,a sublime termination to a painful1 and often a depressing conflict6 ,it would be wrong in me not to confess that ,i have derived instruction from the conversation of the evening4 ,some new ideas have been suggested to me1 and some lingering doubts have been removed4 ,my hesitation1 which sprang from caution1 rather than reluctance1 now yields to a sense of duty4 ,i will do what my ,lord commands me2 and because it is his command4 ,you will both pray for me1 that my faith fail not1 and that ,i may endure to the end1 steadfast in the path of duty4 ,she kept her promise2 and on the first communion day1 with us commemorated the death of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ in the way of his appointment4 ,soon after1 ,i received an interesting letter from her2 and as its conclusion is an appropriate sequel to the long and painful conflict through which she had to pass1 its transcription may serve as a guide and solace to others4 ',o1 happy day1 that fixed my choice ,on ,christ1 my ,saviour and my ,god6 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 ,now rests my long-divided heart4' ,my experience proves the truthfulness of a remark you made in our recent interview 'obedience brings its own reward4' ,those who have been early initiated into the ,christian faith1 and who have advanced1 under judicious training1 from one stage of inquiry and attainment to another1 till they have acquired a perfect knowledge of the truth as it is in ,jesus1 both in its unity and harmony1 and who have felt it on their hearts1 in the spirituality of its power1 can form no just conception of the severe and often prolonged conflict to which others are subjected1 who have not been favoured with similar advantages4 ,they are in a moral condition somewhat analogous to that of the lonely traveller who1 when on a strange road1 is suddenly enveloped in a mist--hearing sounds of danger1 while unable to discover from whence they come1 why they are given1 or how he shall effect his escape4 ,their mind gets bewildered1 jaded1 and paralyzed by its own fruitless labours and solicitudes2 becomes irresolute1 unwilling to relinquish the question of inquiry1 yet unable to pursue it2 and like the maniac amongst the tombs1 seeks for rest1 but cannot find it4 ,the secret of relief to all such anxious inquirers1 lies imbedded in the invitation of ,jesus ,christ3 ,come unto me1 all ye that labour and are heavy laden1 and ,i will give you rest 7,matt4 xi4 #bh74 ,this invitation has ministered consolation to myriads2 its efficacy now1 is as powerful as it was when it first fell from his lips2 and whosoever receives it in faith1 and yields to it1 will find rest to his soul4 ,,an ,,escape ,,from ,a ,,false ,,refuge4 ,when surveying my congregation one ,sabbath evening1 ,i noticed an interesting stranger in the front gallery1 whose manner indicated that he had never been in the chapel before4 ,i had selected for my text ,isa4 lvii4 #ah3 ,i have seen his ways1 and will heal him2 ,i will lead him also1 and restore comforts unto him1 and to his mourners4 ,as he sat just opposite the pulpit my eye caught his1 when delivering the following introductory remarks3-- ,no one can read the ,bible with serious attention1 without feeling that he is brought into contact with ,god4 ,while intently fixed on the subject which engages his attention1 he feels isolated from others--existing apart from others1 yet existing in immediate connection with ,god and the eternal world4 ,the same novel effect is sometimes produced1 and often to a greater degree1 when a congregation is attentively listening to the ministrations of the pulpit4 ,people are drawn together into a place of worship3 the reading1 the singing1 and the prayer are gone through2 and then the preaching commences4 ,the preacher is known1 but he is soon lost sight of2 his subject absorbs attention1 excites emotion2 impression succeeds impression2 and though1 in some instances1 there may be a momentary degree of astonishment awakened as to the source from whence the preacher has obtained his knowledge of individual character1 yet that astonishment soon subsides1 and nothing is left to engross the attention of the hearer1 but an overwhelming sense of his own guilt1 misery1 and danger1 which is now discovered1 and felt1 ,,for ,,the ,,first ,,time4 ,yes1 many a person has entered this chapel to scorn1 who has left it to breathe the prayer of the publican--',god be merciful to me a sinner4' ,yes1 many a person has taken his seat with others1 and by being blended with the mass of the congregation1 has seemed to lose the individuality of his existence2 but the high and lofty ,one1 that inhabiteth eternity1 whose name is ,holy1 speaks--and though his voice is not heard1 it is felt--',i have seen his ways4' ,yes1 ,o sinner1 he has seen your ways in the gone-by times of your impenitence1 when you were living without him1 and without hope in the world4 ,yes1 he has seen your ways1 when you either neglected the ordinances of religion1 or observed them with careless indifference1 as though they bore no relation to the ,holy ,one1 who inhabiteth eternity4 ,yes1 he has seen the ways you have adopted to obliterate your religious impressions2 to pacify your consciences2 and to reconcile your habits of gaiety and folly1 with a sense of your obligations to him4 ,but he has never yet seen you walking in the narrow way that leadeth to eternal life4 ,he has never seen you at his footstool deploring the error of your ways1 and praying for mercy4 ,shall he abandon you to your irreligious course1 and leave you to perish8 or shall he come to heal you1 to guide you1 and to comfort you8 ,his attention was arrested2 he looked and listened as though he had never previously seen a minister in a pulpit1 or heard a sermon2 and on his countenance there was impressed an air of expressive solemnity1 indicating profound thought4 ,i saw him again on the next ,sabbath evening1 then ,i missed him for several ,sabbaths2 he again re-appeared1 became more frequent in his attendance1 and at length ,i saw him walking up the area of the chapel accompanied by a lady1 whom ,i presumed to be his wife4 ,on this occasion he was invited into a pew belonging to one of my elders2 and at the close of the service they left the chapel together4 ,on inquiry ,i found that this elder knew him2 and from him ,i obtained the outlines of his history1 which he prefaced by saying1 ,i was not at the chapel on the first night of his attendance1 and was rather surprised when he told me of it1 because ,i rather apprehend he is a sceptic1 though he does not avow it4 ,however1 though he gave me no reason to expect that he should repeat his visit1 he made one remark which ,i was gratified to hear1 as it was a proof that he had listened to the discourse1 and was rather pleased than otherwise4 ',the sermon1' he said1 'was simple and plain1 yet somewhat original4 ,i have heard more eloquent1 and more argumentative discourses1 both in my own country1 and in ,england1 but ,i never heard one which took such a firm hold of my attention1 or one which brought after it such a train of novel thought2 indeed1 ,i cannot escape from a recollection of it4' ,mr4 ,christopher ,lobeck1 the gentleman in question1 was born in ,berlin1 in #agid4 ,his parents were ,protestants1 with whom he lived till he had finished his literary education2 and then he travelled for two years1 visiting ,spain1 ,france1 and ,switzerland1 and the principal manufacturing districts and marts of commerce of his own country1 to qualify himself to engage in mercantile pursuits4 ,soon after the termination of the war in #ahae1 he was introduced to an ,english merchant1 with whom he made an arrangement to serve his establishment in the capacity of a corresponding clerk2 and this led to his settlement in ,london4 ,while in this situation1 which he held for seven years1 he married the daughter of a citizen of worth and distinction2 and by his advice1 and with the concurrence of the house in which he had been engaged1 he accepted an eligible offer of partnership in a firm of high respectability in ----1 to which place he removed in #ahbb4 ,his private residence was situated about a mile and a half from the centre of the town1 a neat snug cottage1 with the usual appurtenances1 c41 c4 ,he is1 the elder added1 both intelligent and communicative1 and has acquired a large amount of scientific and general information2 and notwithstanding his doubts on the great question of the ,christian faith1 he generally attends church on ,sabbath morning with his wife and children4 ,mrs4 ,lobeck is a contrast to her husband on religious matters2 he looks with equal indifference on all the external forms of ,christianity--she is one of the most impassioned admirers of ,episcopacy and its clergy ,i ever knew4 ,she is1 in fact1 what may be termed a devotee--excited1 as by an electrical shock1 if she hear any remark derogatory to the absolute perfection of her church and its priestly orders4 ,he concluded by saying1 ,i think you should now go and see them2 as they have both been to hear you preach1 ,i think it likely they will be expecting it as an act of courtesy4 ,it is possible that this may be the opening of a new epoch in their moral history1 which may lead to some grand spiritual result4 ,i made a call1 and was gratified by my reception4 ,mr4 ,lobeck was very cordial1 and ,mrs4 ,lobeck very polite2 he was free and easy in chit-chat1 but she was rather reserved2 yet both seemed to be pleased by my visit4 ,after looking through his museum1 which contained a choice though not very extensive collection of birds1 reptiles1 and fossils1 a few coins of different ages and countries1 and a good assortment of autographs1 ,i then strolled round his garden and shrubbery1 and took my leave of them--both equally pressing for a more lengthened visit4 ,their attendance at the chapel now became more regular on a ,sabbath evening1 and occasionally on a ,sabbath morning2 and after the lapse of a few weeks1 ,i met a select tea-party at their house1 and though nearly all were strangers to me1 and most of them high church1 yet ,i spent a very pleasant evening4 ,no controversial subject was introduced for debate or discussion2 conversation was desultory1 without being frivolous1 and was sustained without being prosy1 or degenerating into dry common-place4 ,having intimated to ,mr4 ,lobeck that it was my usual habit to conduct family prayer where ,i spent an evening1 the ,bible was presented to me2 ,i read ,psalm ciii41 offering a few expository remarks1 and then we knelt together at the throne of grace4 ,at a subsequent interview1 when ,mr4 ,lobeck called on me1 he said1 ,we have decided on attending your chapel if we can be accommodated with a pew4 ,on expressing some degree of surprise that ,mrs4 ,lobeck should be willing to leave her church1 with all its long-cherished predilections and associations1 he replied-- ,she still gives it the preference1 but a paramount sense of duty now compels her to take this step4 ,she was pleased with the extreme simplicity of your mode of worship the first time she came2 and has on several occasions expressed her approbation of the momentous truths you have inculcated on the attention of your audience2 but your discourse on ,sabbath evening1 from ,acts xvi4 #ad1 brought her long-hesitating mind to this decision4 ,as we were returning home1 after alluding to the hymn1 and to the singing1 which she very much enjoys1 she remarked she now felt no surprise that ,i should prefer the preaching at the chapel to the preaching at the church2 because1 in her opinion1 it is more interesting and instructive4 ',it is1' she added1 'quite a relief to hear no more prosing about the regular succession question1 or about the font and its mysteries4 ,this clergyman makes one think of one's self1 of ,god1 of another world1 and our ,saviour ,jesus ,christ4' ,as they were now become my stated hearers1 a close intimacy soon sprang up between us2 and on one occasion1 when alluding to the state of religion on the ,continent1 he said1 with emphatic earnestness1 ,my country1 ,sir1 is the land of spiritual barrenness2 death reigns there4 ,infidelity is awfully dominant1 and fatally powerful4 ,but ,i have heard it now assumes an aspect somewhat different from the infidelity introduced by ,voltaire1 and which ,i believe was aided in its progress by the more fascinating genius of ,rousseau4 ,yes1 ,sir1 it is now the infidelity of ,goethe1 a man of extraordinary mental power--a most subtle and beguiling writer4 ,voltaire was an intellectual sceptic1 who denounced ,christianity as an imposition on human credulity1 and he advocated its suppression and extermination4 ,rousseau was a sentimental sceptic1 who contemplated ,christianity with the same class of emotions as he surveyed the beauties and the deformities of nature2 regarding it as a strange compound of moral grandeur and of meanness1 which1 in his estimation1 might remain amongst a people without doing any social injury1 and might be got rid of without their sustaining any irreparable loss4 ,goethe is a rational sceptic1 or what is called in ,germany a rationalist4 ,his disposition is not mocking like that of ,voltaire and others1 nor does he ever indulge in burlesque or ridicule1 when speaking of the popular faith4 ,he uniformly evinces a marked respect for the ordinary doctrines and ethics of ,christianity1 while the drift of his writings is to prove that the real religion of a man's heart1 and the real end of his existence1 lie in the refined cultivation of his mind and affections1 and in subjecting all irregular impulses and passions to a course of due restraint4 ,the infidelity of these sceptical writers who have done so much mischief on the ,continent1 and in ,england too1 is substantially the same in its origin1 in its essence1 and in its tendencies1 though there is a slight variation in its phases1 its developments1 and in its designs4 ,infidelity1 ,sir1 under any phase1 or in any form of development1 is a destroying power2 and its progress may be traced1 like that of an epidemic1 by the scenes of desolation which it leaves in its track4 ,there would be some difficulty in adjusting the comparative injury which these distinguished sceptics have entailed on the moral and religious world2 but it is very evident to any one who studies their writings1 that they all tend to the same issue4 ,the primary lessons which they all teach are these--that man needs no ,divine instructor1 which supersedes the necessity of revelation2 that his own reason is sufficient to enable him to discover the safe road to true happiness and moral greatness1 which supersedes the necessity of priestly instruction and training2 and that he need do nothing more for his present well-being1 and his future destiny1 if there be a futurity1 than cultivate his own tastes and social virtues4 ,but ,i suppose ,goethe has done more moral injury amongst the theologians of ,germany than any other sceptical writer4 ,i have no doubt of it2 and also amongst all classes of literary men4 ,i was once one of his devoted disciples2 he ruled my mind with despotic sway4 ,i revered him as an oracle4 ,he stood1 in my estimation1 both in intellectual greatness and in the accuracy of his moral discoveries1 far above any of the writers of the ,old or ,new ,testaments4 ,he gave me a distaste for the ,bible1 and a loathing against its sublime and momentous doctrines2 and ,i believe that his writings have tainted to a fearful extent the theology of the pulpits of ,germany4 ,there are a few able and eloquent men1 who preach ,christ and him crucified1 in close imitation of ,paul2 but only a comparatively small number4 ,human reason is the popular idol amongst the majority2 they keep the cross of ,christ in the background2 the atonement is repudiated by them4 ,they maintain from the press and from the pulpit1 and with as much strenuous earnestness as any of the infidel fraternity1 that man has within himself a self-sufficient power to secure his present and his future happiness1 without being at all dependent on the grace of ,god or the love of ,christ4 ,a sad change since the palmy days of ,luther1 and the other great ,reformers4 ,a most melancholy one2 ,i should not like to return to live amidst such signs of decay and scenes of moral desolation--it is as ,eden in ruins4 ,your removal1 ,sir1 to ,england has proved a very important event in your history4 ,it has indeed2 a local change often leads to many other changes4 ,if ,i had tarried in ,berlin1 ,i had not known my wife or had my three dear children2 and most likely ,i should still have remained a disciple of ,goethe1 rather than become a disciple of ,jesus ,christ4 ,will you permit me to ask you one question1 ,what circumstance induced you to come to the chapel the first time you came8 ,your question1 ,sir1 revives in my recollection a proposition which you illustrated by a series of facts1 when delivering a discourse on ,john iv4 #f1 #g1 and which1 if my memory does not fail me1 you stated in the following words3--',when a crisis approaches in the history of a nation1 or even of a private individual1 we may sometimes observe prognostic signs of its coming2 and in taking a review after its occurrence1 we may sometimes see a marked conjunction of determining events naturally leading to it4' ,the fact is1 on the ,sunday of my first visit to your chapel1 we had arranged with a few friends to take a drive into the country2 but just as we were in readiness to start1 a tremendous thunderstorm compelled us to give up our jaunt4 ,after it had cleared off1 as it was too late for our country excursion1 ,i took a walk into the town to see an old friend2 but the rain again came down in torrents1 just as ,i was passing your chapel2 ,i ran into it for shelter1 not for worship4 ,i had no more thought of being converted to the faith of ,christ when ,i entered your chapel1 than the woman of ,samaria expected to see the ,messias when she left home to get some water from ,jacob's well4 ,the ,psalmist1 when calling on all the powers of the celestial and terrestrial creation to praise the ,lord 7,psal4 cxlviii471 speaks of fire and hail1 of snow and vapour1 and stormy wind as fulfilling the ,divine purpose2 they come and go at his command1 doing the work he assigns to them4 ,so ,i now believe4 ,i recollect1 when watching the coming up of the dark thunderstorm1 feeling vexed that it should come just then1 when we were all in such high glee1 and in complete readiness to be off4 ,i did not then know that on that storm my future destiny was depending4 ,had it not come when it did come1 we should have been desecrating the ,sabbath by recreative indulgence2 and had it not been followed by the second storm1 ,i should have been with my friend enjoying the convivialities of hospitality and mirth4 ,in either case1 when laying my head on my pillow1 on that memorable night1 my bosom would have heaved to other emotions than those which your discourse had stirred up within it4 ,there and then ,i felt what ,i never expected to feel2 and if the strange commotion had been predicted by an angel of ,god1 ,i should have ridiculed it as a mere phantom4 ,indeed1 my philosophy1 which led me to believe that such a moral change as ,i have experienced was unnecessary1 compelled me also to believe that it was impossible4 ,i recollect the text from which ,i preached on the occasion to which you refer1 but ,i do not recollect employing any arguments to expose the fallacy and delusions of scepticism1 or any in confirmation of the ,divine origin of the ,christian faith4 ,argument1 ,sir1 in favour of ,christianity ,i could have withstood2 but ,i could not withstand the great moral power by which ,i felt awe-struck and subdued4 ,do you think you were renewed in the spirit of your mind during the first service you attended at the chapel8 ,i know ,i felt very differently when ,i came out of the chapel that evening1 from what ,i felt on entering2 but whether ,i then actually passed from a state of spiritual death to newness of life1 is a question ,i cannot decide4 ,but now ,i can say what ,paul said--,by the grace of ,god ,i am what ,i am4 ,do you ever doubt the reality of the spiritual change which you have undergone8 ,no1 ,sir1 that's impossible4 ,i know that ,i was once living in a state of spiritual death1 or mental alienation from ,god1 neither loving nor fearing him--living without him in the world2 but it's the reverse of this now4 ,i now revere him as my sovereign1 whose laws are my delight2 and ,i now love him as my reconciled ,father through ,jesus ,christ4 ,all through life1 up to my first visit to your chapel1 the invisible world flitted before my imagination1 more as a fairy land than a real world of spiritual beings2 and the immortality of man ,i considered more a thing of speculation than of positive certainty2 but now ,i am compelled to believe1 and by the force of evidence which sophistry cannot falsify1 that it is the habitation of the high and lofty ,one whose name is ,holy1 and before whom ,i hope to be presented faultless with exceeding joy when the crisis comes4 ,but1 ,sir1 does your old philosophy never suggest to you the idea that these new discoveries and emotions1 with their consequent anticipations1 may be referable to the mysterious action of a disturbed imagination1 rather than the direct action of a supernatural power--what scepticism designates the flights of fancy8 ,i must confess that such an idea has more than once obtruded itself on my mind2 but ,i at once dismiss it as an intangible fiction2 for when ,i turned my attention to study the ,christianity of the ,bible1 which ,i did very closely as soon as ,i felt the new impulse from your first sermon1 ,i perceived that it not only offers remission of sin to the penitent and contrite sinner1 but that it is essentially a restorative scheme of grace1 constructed for the very purpose of rescuing man from the moral ruin in which sin has involved him1 and ultimately to re-produce that spiritual similitude to the ,divine likeness in which man was created1 and which would still have adorned humanity1 if the first transgression had not been committed4 ,hence the discoveries and emotions ,i have made and felt1 and the conflicts through which ,i am now passing1 are the initiate of this grand design of the high and lofty ,one--the preparatory steps in the progress of recovery1 which is to lead to such a glorious issue4 ,have you1 ,sir1 any distinct recollection of the order of thought which followed--the unanticipated impressions and emotions which you felt while listening to the sermon8 ,i recollect saying to myself1 when passing home--,i have heard many sermons in my own country1 and many in ,england1 more elaborate1 more argumentative1 and more brilliant2 and yet no one ever produced such a series of novel and strange convictions and impressions as this simple and plain appeal to which ,i have been listening4 ,myself1 my moral condition and danger1 now absorbed my attention3 ,i felt1 and for the first time in my history1 that ,i had been living without ,god--living the life of a practical atheist--that ,i deserved his anger1 and that he might justly leave me to perish4 ,did you entertain any idea that this new moral discovery would lead to an eventful issue2 or did you suppose it would vanish away1 and leave you to live as in former years8 ,why1 ,sir1 ,i felt that the discovery ,i had made was no mental illusion1 but a palpable and awful reality2 and though it excited emotions of alarm and terror which ,i could scarcely endure1 yet ,i felt more inclined to cherish than repress them2 and at times during the ensuing week1 ,i did indulge a vague hope that ,god would have mercy on me and comfort me4 ,did you tell ,mrs4 ,lobeck where you had been1 and what you felt8 ,no1 ,sir4 ,i deemed it inexpedient to do that2 because ,i knew it would distress her to hear that ,i had been to a ,dissenting chapel4 ,but there were other considerations which imposed silence4 ,i knew not what opinion to form of the issue of the mental process through which ,i was passing4 ,i thought it might bring on some change in my moral character and history2 and ,i also thought it might end in nothing4 ,i therefore resolved1 while in this state of perplexity and confusion1 not to say anything to any one on the subject1 till ,i actually knew the result4 ,did you remain long in this state of mental perplexity and distraction8 ,for several months1 during which time ,i accompanied my family to our church every ,sabbath morning1 and very generally ,i was at your chapel in the evening4 ,i perceived that the religion of the two places is the same in its broad outlines2 yet ,i soon discovered a great difference1 not only in its impressiveness1 but even in the doctrines of its public ministrations4 ,the ,rector and his ,curate1 ,i believe1 dwell principally on the efficacy of the sacraments1 and the absolute necessity of a steady adherence to the church1 as an implied condition of salvation4 ,yes1 ,sir3 they virtually reject what many of our ,protestant ministers in ,germany openly repudiate--the inherent depravity of man1 the atonement for sin made by ,jesus ,christ1 and the necessity of the agency of the ,divine ,spirit to enlighten and renovate the soul of man4 ,in fact1 they adopt the leading principle of ,goethe's philosophy1 and place our hope of future happiness on our doings and attainments4 ,goethe and his disciples work the principle without the alliance of any auxiliary powers or influences2 but the clergymen of our church identify it with ecclesiastic ceremonies and associations4 ,in either case1 it is man doing something for himself which makes him his own saviour4 ,i often wonder how it is that intelligent persons1 who admit the authority of the ,bible1 can make such egregious mistakes as they often do on the question which relates to the way of salvation1 or the method of a sinner's reconciliation with ,god2 when it is stated with so much explicitness and precision by the sacred writers1 ',believe and be saved4' ',for through him we both have access by one ,spirit unto the ,father' 7,ephes4 ii4 #ah74 ,the terms are very explicit and simple--believe and be saved3 but judging from my own experience1 ,i should say they are very difficult of apprehension1 and for this reason1 we cannot trace a connection between such an action of the mind and such a glorious result4 ,nor1 ,sir1 are we required to do so3 we are to rest our belief on ,christ and his promise1 and then expect the issue4 ,the discourse1 ,sir1 which you delivered some time since on ,john iii4 #ad1 #ae1 set my mind at rest on this simple and important question4 ,you sketched the scene in the camp of ,israel--the people dying under the judicial infliction2 and when representing one and another1 on moving out of their tents1 feeling an instantaneous cure when they looked on the elevated brazen serpent1 the scales fell from my mental vision1 and ,i saw clearly1 through the medium of this illustrative fact1 that it is by faith in the death of ,jesus ,christ that we are to be saved4 ,i shall never forget the effect which this discovery excited within me4 ,i felt joy and peace in believing4 ,the cloud of obscurity which had hung so long over the sacred page1 and over the spiritual parts of your ministrations1 instantaneously vanished2 and ,i saw ,,the truth in its clearness1 because ,i again felt it in its power4 ,i hastened home under an impulse of emotion which ,i know not how to describe2 and as soon as ,i saw ,mrs4 ,lobeck1 ,i disclosed the long pent-up secrets of my heart4 ,she listened to my communications with intense interest2 and after offering me her congratulations on my escape from the snares and delusions of my sceptical philosophy1 she then added1 what both surprised and delighted me to hear--',i will very willingly go with you on a ,sabbath evening1 where you have received so much spiritual good1 if you will continue to go with us to church on a ,sabbath morning4' ,i at once consented to this proposal1 and we continued for many months to alternate an attendance at the two churches1 till at length she came to the decision which ,i have mentioned4 ,we are now one in spirit1 and ,i hope one in faith2 but ,i regret to say that at times she feels a mental depression which ,i know not how to account for1 nor can ,i remove it4 ,mrs4 ,lobeck was a truly interesting person--as genteel in her manners1 as she was amiable in her disposition2 and as our intimacy increased1 she gradually threw off her constitutional reserve1 and became more free and communicative4 ,she was naturally more buoyant in spirits than her husband1 yet there was an expression of grief in her countenance which excited my sympathy1 and ,i felt desirous of ascertaining the cause of it4 ,she had been1 from her youth up1 a most rigid devotee of ecclesiastical formalism2 no ,puseyite could be more scrupulous in observing the times and seasons and ceremonies of his church4 ,i knew1 from many incidental allusions1 that she had idolized her ,prayer ,book1 which led her to neglect her ,bible2 and this made me suspect that she was still placing some undue dependence on ecclesiastic ceremonies4 ,i had preached a sermon on the eunuch going on his way rejoicing 7,acts viii4 #ci71 to which she made a reference when ,i was spending an evening with her4 ,to be candid1 ,sir1 it is not with me as it was with the eunuch2 for ,i am not quite so easy in my mind now1 as ,i was before ,i left the church2 sometimes ,i think ,i must return1 though ,i should regret depriving myself of the benefit ,i derive from your ministry4 ,you do not feel quite so much at ease in your mind now1 as you did when attending to your long established religious customs8 ,i do not4 ,indeed1 ,i feel at times quite unhappy4 ,were you quite happy when you were attending to your religious duties4 ,did you habitually feel that you were prepared for death2 that is1 were you assured that your sins were forgiven1 and that you would go to heaven when you died8 ,no1 ,sir1 ,i was never perfectly happy1 because ,i was not quite assured that ,i should go to heaven1 but ,i always thought that if ,i continued to the end in the religious course in which ,i had been trained1 the ,almighty would take me to himself4 ,i recollect mentioning to our ,rector the fears which ,i occasionally had on this subject1 when he quoted a passage from the ,bible which gave me much comfort1 ',he that endureth to the end shall be saved4' ,i now feel that ,i am failing in this duty1 which makes me unhappy4 ,did you1 when practising your religious duties1 think much about ,jesus ,christ1 and much about coming to him by faith1 to save you8 ,did you ever feel that you loved him8 ,i always thought he was our ,saviour1 but ,i have thought more about him lately than ,i used to think4 ,your preaching puts some new ideas into my mind about ,jesus ,christ1 but they soon pass away4 ,i cannot retain them1 because ,i do not clearly understand them4 ,if ,i do not mistake1 you cherished a hope that the ,almighty would save you1 because you were regular and conscientious in the observance of your religious duties8 ,yes1 ,sir1 ,i did4 ,was ,i doing wrong by doing this8 ,you will see presently4 ,in consequence of having left the church1 you cannot now attend1 with the uniformity of former times1 to the same order of duties2 and therefore you cannot now indulge the hope that the ,almighty will save you4 ,and this depresses your spirits and makes you feel unhappy4 ,it does1 and very painfully so4 ,i think ,i have forfeited the blessing1 because ,i am not enduring to the end4 ,you say you always thought that ,jesus ,christ was our ,saviour2 but do you not perceive1 that as long as you indulged the hope of being saved in consequence of your scrupulous and constant attention to your religious duties1 you were expecting to be saved without being indebted to him for your salvation8 ,if you had succeeded1 you would have got into heaven without his help2 how then could he be your ,saviour8 ,then1 ,sir1 was ,i doing wrong by placing my hope of being saved on my religious life and practice8 ,you were living under the spell of a common1 but fatal delusion4 ,indeed1 ,sir6 ,such an idea has struck me1 more than once1 when ,i have been listening to your discourses2 but it has passed from me2 ,i could not entertain it1 it is too horrifying4 ,if1 my dear ,madam1 to live under the spell of a fatal delusion be horrifying1 what must it be to die under one--to pass away from earth1 expecting to go to heaven1 and when disembodied and alone1 to be left to sink into hell6 ,but1 ,sir1 if a person be sincere and constant in his religious duties--if he endure in them to the end of life1 do you think the ,almighty will suffer him to die under such a delusive expectation as that8 ,the thought of it is truly painful4 ,it makes me shudder4 ,allow me to call your attention to the following passage1 which is a quotation from the words of ,jesus ,christ1 the faithful and true ,witness--',not every one that saith unto me1 ,lord1 ,lord1 shall enter into the kingdom of heaven2 but he that doeth the will of my ,father which is in heaven4 ,many will say to me in that day1 ,lord1 ,lord1 have we not prophesied in thy name8 and in thy name have cast out devils8 and in thy name done many wonderful works8 ,and then will ,i profess unto them1 ,i never knew you3 depart from me1 ye that work iniquity' 7,matt4 vii4 #ba-bc74 ,how awful6 ,their doom is the reverse of what they expected4 ,this passage is conclusive2 delusion is possible1 and it sometimes proves fatal4 ,the question is1 ,how can it be detected before the discovery comes too late for correction8 ,i feel confused4 ,did you often pray to be kept from self-delusion1 during the time you were engaged in your religious duties8 ,i always used my prayers twice a-day1 morning and evening2 and on some special days ,i used them more frequently4 ,when travelling1 or when we had visitors at our house1 ,i sometimes neglected them1 but then ,i always did double duty the next day1 or as soon after as possible4 ,but ,i don't recollect that ,i have any prayer which refers especially to self-delusion4 ,such an idea ,i never entertained4 ,the idea is quite new to me4 ,then you merely read your prayers2 you did not pray8 ,why1 ,sir1 is not that praying8 ,i am quite sure that ,i was sincere when ,i was doing it1 and ,i always felt a pleasure when ,i had done it4 ,the apostle ,paul1 even when he was an enemy to ,christ1 and when persecuting the disciples of ,christ1 even to bonds1 imprisonment1 and death1 was very devout and zealous in all his religious duties2 as touching the righteousness of the law1 that is1 the duties of the ceremonial law1 he says he was blameless4 ,he said his prayers1 or he read them2 but it was not till after his conversion that ,jesus ,christ said of him1 ',behold he prayeth' 7,acts ix4 #aa74 ,the subject of our conversation is somewhat alarming4 ,it agitates me4 ,it will increase the depression of my spirits4 ,i shall feel quite unhappy4 ,i see nothing before me now but real danger1 ,i may say awful danger4 ,what can ,i do now8 ,the prophet says1 ',then shall we know1 if we follow on to know the ,lord' 7,hosea vi4 #c74 ,in nature there is progression1 and so in grace4 ,the light shines brighter and brighter from the faint dawn to the clear meridian4 ,this is an emblem4 ,you will find ,scripture truth come out of its obscurity as you advance in your inquiries and researches2 and therefore1 my dear ,madam1 you should not yield to despondency1 but rather give diligence to make your calling and election sure1 and if you do this1 you will ultimately rejoice in hope4 ,several weeks elapsed before ,i visited her again4 ,i had preached one ,sabbath evening from ,luke xv4 #b1 proving that ,jesus ,christ takes supreme delight in saving the chief of sinners4 ,i noticed1 when delivering the subjoined passage1 the fixedness of her look1 and the varying aspect of her countenance1 indicating both astonishment and delight4 ,if he saved our men of refined taste and literary eminence--our great historians and poets--the noble aristocracy of our country--our active spirits who go about doing good--persons of artistic and professional skill--the heroes and heroines of valour and adventure--many would be more gratified than surprised3 this1 they would say1 is as it ought to be2 due respect is paid to mind1 to moral worth1 to rank--the dignity of order is preserved4 ,well1 brethren1 he will save any of the various orders to whom ,i have referred2 but then they must come out of the fascinations and embellishments of their social position1 and get into the position of sinners1 as he did not come to call the intelligent1 the renowned1 and the righteous1 but he came to call sinners to repentance2 he seeks and saves those and those only who feel that they are lost1 and in danger of perishing for ever4 ,he receiveth sinners--the chief of sinners--sinners of vulgar habits and atrocious crimes--sinners who are shunned by the refined and virtuous1 and scowled upon by our sentimental moralists and men of taste2 and he saves them--they constitute a large portion of the population of the celestial world4 ,he receiveth sinners2 but on what terms and conditions8 ,believe and be saved2 believe now1 and be saved4 ,you see1 my brethren1 that sinners are not sent to mend their ways1 before ,jesus ,christ will save them2 they are not sent to embellish their character with a few constitutional virtues1 before he will save them2 they are not sent to learn a creed1 or become proficients in the art of any ceremonial observances1 before he will save them2 the soul-stirring proclamation is1 ',look unto me1 and be ye saved1 all the ends of the earth3 for ,i am ,god1 and there is none else' 7,isa4 xlv4 #bb74 ,your discourse1 ,sir1 on ,sunday evening1 pleased me1 but it has greatly perplexed me4 ,it is an inversion of my order of thinking4 ,i always thought that the intelligent and the virtuous were sure to go to heaven1 but ,i had my doubts about others4 ,they may be saved2 though their intelligence and attainments place their salvation in great jeopardy4 ,the virtues of some1 like the vices of others1 militate against them1 and often decide the fatal issue4 ,you greatly alarm and perplex me4 ,as much danger in superior intelligence1 and superior virtue1 as in vulgar ignorance and offensive vice6 ,yes1 ,madam1 and sometimes there is more4 ,the ,pharisees of the ,new ,testament were intelligent persons1 and they were also virtuous and very religious2 and yet with what fearful solemnity1 and in what terrific forms of expression1 did ,jesus ,christ denounce and condemn them--',woe unto you1 scribes and ,pharisees1 hypocrites6 for ye are like unto whited sepulchres1 which indeed appear beautiful outward1 but are within full of dead men's bones1 and of all uncleanness4 ,ye serpents1 ye generation of vipers1 how can ye escape the damnation of hell8' 7,matt4 xxiii4 #bg1 #cc74 ,my dear ,sir1 you stagger and confound me with alarm4 ,you overlook1 my dear ,madam1 one great fact1 which is a solution of the perplexity which confounds you4 ,and what is that fact8 ,all have sinned against ,god2 and as a palpable proof of it1 the sentence of death has been passed against all4 ,this is a judicial sentence1 which could not be inflicted unless there was delinquency1 and consequent guilt4 ,as the apostle says1 ',wherefore1 as by one man sin entered into the world1 and death by sin2 and so death passed upon all men1 for that all have sinned' 7,rom4 v4 #ab74 ,then1 ,sir1 am ,i to understand that all persons--the intelligent and the virtuous1 and the ignorant and the vicious--are in the same moral condition--all on the same level8 ,you see that they are all doomed to death2 because they have all sinned4 ,the virtue of the most virtuous is no protection against death4 ,true1 ,sir1 but may it not prove a safe passport to heaven8 ,in that conception lurks the fatal danger of constitutional virtue1 with its fascinating accompaniments of intelligence and mental attainments4 ,i don't quite apprehend your meaning4 ,don't you perceive1 my dear ,madam1 that by entertaining the conception that virtue will prove a safe passport to heaven1 you substitute virtue in the place of ,jesus ,christ1 the ,friend of sinners2 virtue is transformed from a mental quality into a saviour1 and man saves himself8 ,now1 we know from the infallible testimony of the ,bible1 that none are received from earth into heaven but redeemed ,,sinners2 and all when actually saved1 ascribe their salvation to the death and grace of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ',unto him that loved us1 and washed us from our sins in his own blood1 and hath made us kings and priests unto ,god and his ,father2 to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever4 ,amen' 7,rev4 i4 #e1 #f74 ,i am now convinced that ,i have much to renounce1 and much to learn1 before ,i can become a true ,christian4 ,i was taught to believe ,i was regenerated at the font of baptism4 ,this delusion was practised on me when ,i was confirmed by the bishop4 ,why1 ,sir1 ,i have been enveloped in delusion all my life4 ,this is a most painful discovery4 ,it takes me by surprise4 ,had you died under this delusion1 you would have been at this moment a lost soul1 moving about the dark and terrific world of spirits in absolute despair4 ,you ought1 my dear friend1 to feel truly grateful to the ,god of all grace and consolation1 that you have made the painful discovery before it is too late for rescue and effective relief4 ,but1 ,sir1 what must ,i do8 ,i am compelled to leave the false refuge in which ,i have been dreaming of safety2 but where shall ,i find the true one8 ,jesus ,christ receiveth sinners1 when they feel that they are sinners1 and then he will save them4 ,i now feel that ,i need his help2 but ,i do not know how to obtain it4 ,my mind1 ,sir1 is distracted--most painfully distracted4 ,i don't know what to do4 ,i see nothing clearly4 ,i feel confused--painfully perplexed4 ,you can pray1 ,lord save me1 or ,i perish4 ,i can offer that prayer1 and offer it from the depth of my heart2 but will ,jesus ,christ hear it1 and will he answer it8 ,he will4 ,then ,i will try4 ,a few days after this interview ,i received a note from her1 requesting me to make an early call2 and when ,i went1 she informed me that she had such a dread of delusion1 she had made up her mind to search the ,scriptures1 and pursue the investigation till she thoroughly understood--quoting an expression she heard me use when in the pulpit--the unity1 and harmony1 and glory of the wonderful economy of redemption4 ,to assist her in her studies1 in addition to recommending ,dr4 ,doddridge's ,family ,expositor1 ,i forwarded to her a copy of ,dr4 ,bates' ,harmony of the ,divine ,attributes1 giving it as my decided opinion1 that she would acquire a larger amount of profound and accurate theological knowledge from a careful study of it1 than from any other book in the ,english language4 ,during the time she was pursuing her spiritual researches1 ,i deemed it expedient to avoid calling on her2 but ,i had the gratification of seeing her both punctual and regular in her attendance at public worship4 ,there was also a perceptible change in the aspect of her countenance2 the pensive1 and somewhat gloomy impression was entirely obliterated2 her eye had resumed its native radiance2 she appeared at ease4 ,after the lapse of several weeks1 ,i renewed my visit1 which yielded me an adequate recompense for all my preceding solicitudes4 ,i used1 ,sir1 to read my ,prayer ,book more than my ,bible1 which made me idolize the church2 but then ,i lightly esteemed ,jesus ,christ1 the ,rock of my salvation4 ,i used to be very fond of the ,oxford tracts1 but they mystify the truth4 ,they unduly exalt the sacraments1 and cast a dimming shadow around the cross4 ,they perpetuated the delusions of my early training1 and were preparing me1 not for heaven and happiness1 but for ,popery and its lying wonders4 ,but1 ,sir1 in what a state of delusion our clergy are living1 and they don't know it2 they are deceiving others1 and don't know it6 ,that is true1 ,madam--painfully true4 ,a spirit of delusion has come forth from the ,evil ,one1 and it has alighted on the great majority both of the clergy and laity of the ,church of ,england2 and1 like insane persons1 they are pleased and satisfied with the delusions under which they are living 7,mat4 xxiii4 #ac-bh74 ,they should be warned of their danger2 and warned1 ,sir1 before it is too late4 ,they scorn to heed warning when it is given4 ,they hold fast deceit1 as though it were the pearl of great price4 ,what a wonderful and merciful escape ,i have had6 ,yes1 ,dr4 ,bates' ,harmony is a safe antidote to mental delusions4 ,i can now understand my ,bible4 ,i can now understand your preaching4 ,i can now understand what is included in a favourite expression of yours1 which for a long time so greatly perplexed me1 ',the grand economy of human redemption4' ,and ,i hope1 my dear ,madam1 you have felt the renovating power of ,divine truth and grace in your heart2 that you have passed from a state of spiritual death to newness of life1 and are become a new creature in ,christ ,jesus2 that old things are passed away1 and behold all things are become new4 ,i certainly feel conscious of some internal spiritual change1 when ,i compare the present state of my mind with its state some time since2 though ,i sometimes doubt whether it is the spiritual regeneration of the soul of which ,i read so much in my ,bible4 ,but why do you doubt it8 ,the change has not been produced by yourself1 but by the grace of ,god2 why1 then1 do you doubt either its reality or the divinity of its origin8 ,i do not doubt its reality1 but ,i strongly suspect the divinity of its origin2 because1 after the most minute investigation of what has passed and still passes in my mind1 ,i can discover nothing there but my own thoughts1 emotions1 desires1 and purposes4 ,these ,i find succeed each other in a natural1 unforced order1 under the guidance and control of my own will2 which is as free to choose or reject them1 as though no superior being were able to control it4 ,accurately to define the exact point where the human will and a ,divine agency meet in the moral renovation of the soul1 or to say when this mysterious junction takes place1 requires a knowledge of the laws of the spiritual world which we can never hope to attain in this imperfect state4 ,unquestionably1 your thoughts and emotions1 your desires and purposes1 appear to rise spontaneously in your mind1 and actually succeed each other in a perfectly logical order2 but who first sprang this new mine of thought and feeling8 and by what power are these desires and purposes cherished and nurtured in your heart8 ,if you suppose that all originated in the uninfluenced action of your own understanding and will1 you are reduced to the necessity of denying the scriptural statement of the entire depravity of the human heart4 ,that ,i cannot do2 ,i admit that we are morally dead in relation to ,god1 though we may cherish many of the social virtues in relation to each other2 and ,i admit also that no one knoweth the things of ,god1 but by the ,spirit of ,god4 ,then you are compelled to admit his immediate agency in imparting a spiritual discernment2 and an inclination also to receive those truths as the source of your most sacred and elevated joy1 which appear to the natural man either as unnecessary or absurd4 ,his ,spirit acts1 but we see only its effects4 ,all is under his guidance and control1 yet all appears to be the result of our own thoughts and purposes4 ,he leads us in the way in which he would have us go1 but his hand is unseen4 ,he takes of the things of ,christ and shows them to us1 while we suppose that we discover them ourselves4 ,he draws us to ,jesus ,christ1 and enables us to depend on him for salvation2 but we seem to direct our own steps1 and put forth the unaided strength of our own mind4 ,thus the ,holy ,spirit effects our renovation1 and makes us willing1 in the day of his power1 to come to ,jesus ,christ2 while he sees fit to conceal his agency1 and condescends1 when we are examining ourselves to see whether we are in the faith1 to bear witness with our spirits that we are the children of ,god4 ,i thank you1 ,sir1 for this very satisfactory explanation of a mental process1 of which ,i have been conscious1 while unconscious of the concurring power of the ,divine ,spirit1 by whom it has been conducted4 ,it reminds me of what the apostle ,paul says in one of his epistles1 which ,i have often meditated on1 but could not clearly till now apprehend his meaning--',for it is ,god which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure' 7,philip4 ii4 #ac74 ,i now perceive that the volitions and doings are ours1 but it is ,god who works them within us2 we have the blessing1 and he claims the consequent gratitude and love4 ,if1 my dear friend1 we differ from others1 as ,i trust we do1 to ascribe its origination to ourselves would be to arrogate the glory which belongs exclusively to ,god2 and though we may sometimes suspect that the difference is not of ,divine origin because we are not already perfect1 yet ,i think we cannot fairly doubt its reality when we are brought into direct intercourse with the unenlightened and unrenewed1 even though they may profess the same external forms of the ,christian faith with ourselves4 ,i can subscribe to the correctness of this remark2 for when retiring from such society1 ,i have often felt very grateful to the ,lord for giving me views of truth1 and enkindling in my soul emotions and desires1 of which they appear absolutely destitute4 ,the ,psalmist says1 ',all thy works shall praise thee1 ,o ,lord2 and thy saints shall bless thee' 7,ps4 cxlv4 #aj74 ,the new creation of the soul is the most wonderful specimen of the ,divine workmanship2 and every one in whom it is effected1 will perpetually and for ever advert to it with mingled emotions of astonishment and gratitude4 ,no great while after ,mrs4 ,lobeck had acquired this more perfect knowledge of the theory of ,divine truth1 and became rooted and grounded in its belief1 she was received1 with her husband1 into fellowship with the church4 ,they both distinguished themselves by their liberality1 and by their activity in the various departments of labour connected with my congregation2 and ,mr4 ,lobeck was eventually elected an elder1 by the unanimous choice of his ,christian brethren4 ,there was one praiseworthy habit they formed even before their membership2 and from which no circumstances1 except illness or absence from home1 could induce them to deviate2 and that was1 neither to receive company1 or pay any fraternal visits on the evenings when public worship was conducted at the chapel4 ,they thus pursued their onward course with undeviating consistency2 walking worthy of their sacred vocation2 an example to their ,christian brethren1 in faith1 in charity1 and in zeal2 blending in their character so many lovely excellencies1 as to justify a beautiful remark made by an intelligent observer1 that they had sustained as little injury from the fall1 as any couple he had ever known4 ,whom the ,lord loveth ,he chasteneth1 is an aphorism which was first uttered by an inspired writer1 and now it has passed into current circulation amongst the faithful in ,christ ,jesus2 and as all chastisements1 whether light and momentary1 or heavy and prolonged1 are designed to yield the peaceable fruits of righteousness1 they should be submitted to with meek submissiveness of spirit1 and unwavering faith in their necessity and utility4 ,in general the ,lord is pleased to give his people some intimations of their coming trials1 that they may look to him for strength and patience to endure them2 but sometimes he departs from this general rule1 and1 as in the case of ,job1 the storm rises out of the dead calm--the affliction is as sudden1 as it is unexpected4 ,the ,lobecks had three children1 two sons and a daughter1 the living personifications of vigorous health and sprightliness2 but the youngest child1 a beautiful little boy about seven years of age1 sickened and died within the space of a few hours4 ,i hastened to the house of mourning to offer the expressions of my sympathy2 and there ,i saw the intensity of parental sorrow1 held in subjection to the triumph of heroic faith4 ,there was a dignified placidity in ,mr4 ,lobeck's countenance1 but he could not repress the falling tear4 ,our dear child is taken from us1 he said in a mild but firm tone2 yet we must not forget that the ,lord has done it1 who has reasons for what he does2 he does all things well4 ,he never errs4 ,this1 ,sir1 said the mother1 is a great trial4 ,i feel it at the very core of my heart4 ,so sudden6 ,we had no warning of its coming4 ,our medical friend did not apprehend any danger4 ,but how thankful ought ,i to be to our heavenly ,father1 who has permitted me to see the bow in the overhanging cloud2 the dear little sufferer said1 just before he died1 ',ma1 ,i am going to ,jesus4' ,sweet words6 ,the bitter1 my dear friend1 often yields sweetness4 ,he was commissioned to announce to you his elevation1 even before he had seen the ,king in his beauty1 and received his appointment4 ,the sound of his sweet voice still lingers on my ear1 but the sweeter words of his lips have sunk deep into my heart2 and they soothe and comfort me4 ,he is happy1 because a glorified spirit2 and though ,i cannot help mourning over my loss1 yet ,i dare not repine4 ,yes1 he is with ,jesus1 and must be safe and happy4 ,you may mourn your loss4 ,this is natural4 ,jesus wept at the grave of his friend1 even though he knew that he was coming back to life4 ,your dear little one will long live in your memory4 ,you will often recall his form1 his looks1 his sweet smiles and embraces1 his inquiries and his sayings4 ,these reminiscences will keep in continuous flow the waters of maternal grief4 ,but turn from his grave1 to heaven his present home4 ,think of his premature elevation1 his dignity1 and his blessedness--the sorrows and the conflicts he has escaped4 ,think of the honour which ,god has conferred on you2 you are now the mother of a glorified spirit4 ,i feel it to be an honour1 and a great honour4 ,but ,i shall never forget my sweet little ,harry4 ,he was the miniature of his father4 ,i watched his rapid growth1 and the premature development of his mind with intense pleasure4 ,his looks1 and speech1 and manners were so engaging4 ,i anticipated his coming manhood4 ,alas6 he is taken from me4 ,taken from the evil to come2 and the ,lord has done it4 ,i bow to his holy and sovereign will4 ,he saw there was a necessity for this severe stroke1 or he would not have permitted it to fall upon us4 ,perhaps we were too fond of our children1 and getting too fond of the world2 and therefore he has sent this trial to wean our affections from earth2 to purify them2 to concentrate them supremely on himself4 ,many have been heard to say1 ,it hath been good for me that ,i have been afflicted4 ,hence afflictions1 even the most severe1 are not positive evils2 they are blessings in disguise to the people of ,god4 ,they unsettle the affections which were cleaving too closely to earth2 they elicit the hidden meaning of the precious promises of the ,bible1 which distil the dew drops of ,divine love on the heart2 and by giving palpable demonstrations of the vanity of all human possessions1 they imperceptibly invest the glory to be revealed with a freshness of reality which is felt to be elevating and sublime4 ,at a subsequent interview1 when adverting to this severe domestic bereavement1 she thus expressed herself3--,i can now say1 what ,i could not say before this trial came upon us--,i know in whom ,i believe4 ,my fears and misgivings have all left me4 ,i am happy1 because ,i know ,i am safe now2 and expect to be more happy1 when heart and flesh faint and fail1 because then the ,lord will be my portion for ever4 ,your dependence for safety and happiness1 here and hereafter1 is not now placed on your religious ceremonies1 or on your virtuous attainments4 ,o no6 ,it was1 when ,i was living under the beguiling delusions of the ,tractarian heresy2 but now ,i can say with the apostle1 ',yea doubtless1 and ,i count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of ,christ ,jesus my ,lord3 for whom ,i have suffered the loss of all things1 and do count them but dung1 that ,i may win ,christ1 and be found in him1 not having mine own righteousness1 which is of the law1 but that which is through the faith of ,christ1 the righteousness which is of ,god by faith' 7,philip4 iii4 #h1 #i74 ,i congratulate you1 my dear friend1 in having lived to see this day--a day of sorrow1 but a day of greater joy and rejoicing4 ,your husband has exchanged his long cherished scepticism for the faith of ,christ1 and is now safe for eternity4 ,your dear little one is with ,jesus1 in heaven1 waiting your entrance4 ,and you are now delivered from all your perplexities and depressive fears1 and can anticipate the glory to be revealed in you4 ,these1 ,sir1 are facts1 great facts1 astounding facts4 ,no delusions1 grand realities4 ,what an escape has my dear husband had from the subtle devices of scepticism1 and what an escape have ,i had from the equally fatal devices of ,tractarian superstition2 and ,i cannot forget the subordinate part you have taken1 in effecting these deliverances2 nor can ,i feel too grateful4 ,i thank you for your wise counsels1 for your faithful warnings1 for your sympathy and your friendship2 but my purest and most ardent gratitude is due1 and is often presented to ,,him1 who has produced these wonderful changes in our character and condition4 ,and they are changes1 my dear friend1 which we may look upon as preludes and pledges of still more glorious changes1 when the end cometh4 ',beloved1 now are we the sons of ,god1 and it doth not yet appear what we shall be3 but we know that1 when he shall appear1 we shall be like him2 for we shall see him as he is' 7#a ,john iii4 #b74 ,,christmas4 ,the ,christmas season carries the mind back to the origin of our faith1 and all the wondrous events connected with it4 ,it has been made the time for gathering together family connections1 and drawing closer those bands of kindred hearts1 which the cares1 and sorrows1 and pleasures of the world are continually operating to cast loose2 of calling back the members of a family who have launched forth into life1 and wandered far asunder1 once more to assemble around the parental hearth1 that rallying place of the affections1 there to grow young again among the endearing remembrances of childhood4 ,and though this season is commonly devoted by the gay and the thoughtless to scenes of frivolous mirth1 thus diverting the attention from the contemplation of the glorious event which the observance of ,christmas ,day is designed to commemorate1 yet that circumstance should not deter the pious ,christian from availing himself of the opportunity which national custom affords of mingling in the friendly circle1 and partaking of its innocent gratifications4 ,the spirit of our religion neither requires us to shut ourselves up in a monastery1 nor practise the austerities of a recluse2 but while it purifies the affections1 and throws a salutary restraint upon the appetites and passions1 it permits us to enjoy the comforts and the felicity of social intercourse4 ,it teaches moderation1 but does not prohibit indulgence2 it condemns levity1 but sanctions cheerfulness2 and1 like its illustrious ,author1 it does not hesitate to attend the festive gathering1 when hallowed by the influences of pious friendship and domestic love4 ,fully two years had now elapsed since my return from ,fairmount1 and during the interval ,i had been engaged in close and unremitting attention to the care of my flock1 and ,i believe ,i may say1 without undue exultation1 that my labours had been blessed4 ,i frequently corresponded with my country friends1 and when1 in the close of #ah--1 ,mr4 ,stevens sent me a pressing invitation to spend the ,christmas with him1 ,i resolved1 after securing a suitable substitute in my absence1 to proceed to ,watville1 along with ,mr4 ,llewellin1 who was to accompany me on my visit4 ,we left ,london by the stage coach on a fine frosty morning1 the #bc;d of ,december1 and as evening was closing in we reached ,salisbury1 where we were to pass the night1 ,mr4 ,llewellin having some business to transact there4 ,our journey was exceedingly pleasant4 ,after emerging from the smoke and bustle of ,london1 we passed through a beautiful country1 attractive even in winter1 the aspect of which was all the more delightful to me from my long previous confinement to a city4 ,we travelled the greater part of the way with two young gentlemen1 who were going home to spend the vacation4 ,they were brothers1 of nearly equal age--the one destined for the profession of the law1 the other for the church4 ,the elder boy was sprightly1 the younger somewhat grave2 both were very agreeable and intelligent4 ,with the happy buoyancy of youth ere its day-dreams are dispelled by the sad experience of maturer years1 the present was to them a joyous reality1 only to be exceeded by the realization of the bright visions of the future4 ,their conversation was the complete overflow of youthful spirits1 rejoicing in the release from school discipline1 and the prospect of again meeting their friends1 and returning for a time to all their country recreations4 ,they also alluded to their prospects in life--of their success1 in which no desponding thought had as yet ever crossed their minds2 but1 though thus sanguine in their anticipations1 they possessed too much good sense to suppose that distinction could be attained without industry1 or honour acquired without desert4 ,i suppose1 young gentlemen1 said ,mr4 ,llewellin1 you intend to devote your holidays to amusement4 ,not entirely1 said the young lawyer2 ,i intend to read history at least two hours every morning2 and ,i intend1 said the young divine1 to con over the classics as long1 and then1 ,sir1 to amuse myself4 ,i am happy to hear1 added ,mr4 ,llewellin1 that you have come to such a decision2 while your recreations unbend your minds from the severity of close application1 the adoption of such a habit will keep them in trim for future service4 ,very true1 replied the lawyer2 if we wish to rise to eminence1 we must redeem time1 rather than suffer it to be wasted in indolence and inactivity4 ,the young clergyman1 who was looking out of the window1 suddenly exclaimed1 ,here's old ,william standing at the gate with our horses1 and yonder is papa coming on ,smiler across the close4 ,the coach stopped1 and out stepped our interesting companions1 who1 after bidding us adieu1 left us to pursue our journey alone4 ,we soon lost sight of them1 but1 in the space of a few minutes1 a turn in the road revealed them again to our view2 their father1 alighting from his horse1 joyfully embraced his children1 after which they all mounted their steeds1 and we watched them galloping off towards a beautiful country-seat1 which we had been admiring before our young friends left us1 but then had no idea that it was their destination4 ,the stage now drove on1 and about five o'clock we were rattling through the streets of ,salisbury1 where1 after refreshing ourselves at our inn1 ,mr4 ,llewellin sallied forth to transact the business matter which had led us to take this route1 and ,i ensconced myself comfortably by the side of a blazing fire1 where ,i commenced reading ,cheever's ,wanderings of a ,pilgrim1 then just published4 ,the charms of the narrative entranced me1 and ,i gradually lost myself1 crossing the pass of the ,grand ,st4 ,bernard to the charming ,val d',aoste1 or sailing on the romantic ,lake of ,luzern4 ,mr4 ,llewellin was detained for several hours2 ,i accordingly had time to traverse a considerable part of ,switzerland in company with my pilgrim4 ,he at length appeared1 and we shortly afterwards retired to rest4 ,on getting up in the morning ,i proposed a walk to the cathedral1 as we had some time to spare before the coach started4 ,on reaching it 7the hour for morning service not having yet arrived7 we found the attendants busy decking the cathedral with evergreens for the ensuing day4 ,though both ,mr4 ,llewellin and myself were decided ,dissenters1 we could nevertheless well appreciate the majesty of the noble structure in which we were now standing1 and feel even something of a religious awe as we gazed down the long aisles1 and listened to the echo of our footsteps as they reverberated through the building4 ,after all1 observed ,mr4 ,llewellin1 the simplest form of worship appears to me the most to be commended1 where the mind runs no danger of mistaking the mere excitement of the imagination for a burst of devotional feeling4 ,certainly1 ,i returned2 and ,i quite agree with ,cheever's remark in his ,wanderings1 which ,i was reading last night1 that it is generally the period of greatest spiritual declension where we find ecclesiastical architecture most magnificent4 ,but hark6 ,the organist had1 unseen by us1 ascended to the loft to practise2 and at this moment pealed forth a majestic voluntary1 which sublimely rolled away to the extremity of the building1 and then returned in a softer strain through the re-echoing aisles4 ,another and another succeeded4 ,we both stood for some moments rooted to the spot1 surrendering ourselves to the overpowering influence of the sacred strain4 ,the music ceased for a few moments1 and1 recovering myself1 ,i exclaimed1 ,let us haste from this bewitching influence1 which ,i am afraid savours but too much of mere earthly excitement4 ,i think so too1 rejoined ,mr4 ,llewellin2 and1 nevertheless1 ,i can well understand the lines of the poet ,gray3-- ',where through the long drawn aisle and fretted vault ,the pealing anthem swells the note of praise4' ,as our time was then nearly expired1 we returned to our inn1 and shortly afterwards started again in the coach2 and after a journey of some hours1 reached ,watville1 where we found ,mr4 ,stevens' carriage waiting to convey us to ,fairmount4 ,it is needless to say how warmly we were welcomed by our friends1 whom we had the pleasure of finding in excellent health4 ,soon after the first greetings were over1 and we had arranged our toilet and made ourselves comfortable1 ,mrs4 ,stevens1 with a peculiar smile on her countenance1 which told tales1 said to ,mr4 ,llewellin1 ,mr4 and ,miss ,roscoe are engaged to spend the evening with us2 no doubt this will be a gratification to you4 ,this communication at once raised his spirits1 which had been gradually sinking as we approached the end of our journey4 ,i was no longer at a loss to account for the sighs which had occasionally made their escape from his breast during the short intervals of silence that took place in the course of conversation4 ,his countenance now brightened up1 and he seemed to be animated by a more than usual flow of spirits4 ,a storm of snow began now to descend as we gathered snugly around the cheerful fire1 and for a time enjoyed ourselves in familiar converse by its uncertain light4 ,candles had been brought1 and ,mrs4 ,stevens was busying herself with the tea arrangements1 when the bell rang1 and ,mr4 ,roscoe was ushered into the parlour2 but he came alone4 ,i am sorry to inform you1 ,madam1 that ,sophia will not be able to be with you this evening1 as she has caught a cold4 ,i hope1 ,sir1 said ,mr4 ,llewellin1 with a certain awkwardness of manner of which gentlemen are sometimes guilty when they feel too much to express1 that she is not materially affected by it4 ,o no1 ,sir1 it is only a slight cold1 and she is unwilling to expose herself to the night-air1 lest she should be incapable of going to church in the morning4 ,after tea our conversation turned upon the festivals of the church1 and the propriety of observing those days which are set apart for the celebration of the great events which stand connected with the redemption of man4 ,i was once1 said ,mr4 ,roscoe1 superstitiously attached to these days1 and regarded them with more reverence than ,i did the ,sabbath2 but ,i have now corrected the error into which ,i had fallen1 and though ,i still reverence them more than the common days of the year1 ,i do not look upon them as equal to the ,sabbath in obligation or sanctity4 ,some ,dissenters1 said ,mrs4 ,stevens1 who wish to get as far away from the church as they can1 reprobate this observance as savouring of ,popery4 ,is it not so1 ,mr4 ,llewellin8 ,yes1 aunt1 they do2 and in doing so1 they go from one extreme to the other4 ,their aversion to superstition is so strong1 that they cannot observe these commemorative days of ,christianity with feelings of reverence and delight1 because the zealous patrons of the church invest many of them with more sanctity than they attribute to the ,sabbath4 ,as time is the regular and unbroken succession of minutes1 hours1 days1 months1 and years1 one portion of it cannot be more sacred than another1 unless it derives a sanctity from the command of ,god2 and since he has enjoined the observance of the ,sabbath only1 as that portion of time which we are to hold sacred1 we feel ourselves under no obligation to keep the holidays which are set apart by mere human authority4 ,but1 ,sir1 interposed ,mr4 ,roscoe1 though we do not exalt the holidays of our church to equal sanctity with the ,christian ,sabbath1 yet as the recurrence of the anniversaries of great events in the history of man is known to impart to past transactions a degree of interest which is not so powerfully felt at other times1 is there not a propriety in observing these commemorative days1 if we are anxious to derive from past events the powerful lessons which they ought to teach8 ,most certainly1 returned ,mr4 ,llewellin4 ,i do not object to these commemorative days1 though some of my brethren do1 but gladly avail myself of them1 as a means of recalling to remembrance the great facts which stand inseparably connected with my redemption4 ,i can go with you to church on a ,christmas morning1 to celebrate the birth of my ,saviour--on a ,good ,friday1 to commemorate his death--and on an ,easter ,sunday1 to rejoice in his resurrection4 ,and though some may censure this as a dereliction of principle1 ,i do not so view it4 ,it gives me greater pleasure to unite with my fellow-,christians1 than to live in a state of alienation from them3 and while ,i would condemn all superstitious attachment to these days1 ,i would reprobate the spirit which treats them with contempt4 ,i am happy to find1 observed ,mrs4 ,stevens1 that you have not lost your catholic spirit by associating with your brethren in the metropolis2 and ,i hope you have been the means of diffusing its mellowing influence amongst them--softening down their prejudices1 and bringing them over to a more friendly intimacy with their fellow-,christians of the ,establishment4 ,since you left us1 rejoined ,mr4 ,roscoe1 ,i have examined some of the reasons which induce you to dissent from our ,establishment3 and though they have not produced the same effect on my mind which they have on yours1 yet ,i think it right to confess1 that they have convinced me of the impropriety of censuring you1 and of the folly1 not to use a stronger term1 of allowing a difference of opinion on minor questions of religion to operate as a barrier to ,christian fellowship4 ,i am really happy to hear you make such a concession2 it exactly accords with my own views3 and turning towards ,mrs4 ,stevens1 he said1 ,you seem to think1 aunt1 that all the bigotry of religion is on our side4 ,quite enough of it1 she replied4 ,too much1 ,i grant2 but with all due deference1 ,i think that you of the ,establishment have the greatest share amongst yourselves4 ,illustration3 ,,christmas ,,eve4 ,vol4 i4 page #eea4 ,bigotry amongst us6 ,a libel6 a libel6 ,mrs4 ,stevens returned1 with an expression of feigned indignation4 ,i suppose1 aunt1 you are become a believer in the modern doctrine of libel2 which teaches us1 that the greater the truth1 the greater the libel4 ,well1 well1 we won't contest this point2 but rather regret that there should be still found amongst any of us a vestige of that anti-,christian spirit1 which keeps asunder those who are united in the bonds of the everlasting covenant1 and who look forward to dwell together in that heavenly world1 where no discordant notes will ever break the harmony of holy fellowship4 ,it is when we view religion1 remarked ,mr4 ,roscoe1 as connected with this world--as coming in contact with our prejudices1 and our passions--as trespassing upon the sanctity of our opinions1 and threatening to disturb them1 that we imperceptibly imbibe an anti-,christian feeling towards those who differ from us3 but when we view it as connected with eternity--as involving the glory of ,god in the transformation of the human character2 and when we distinctly recognize the action of his power1 in setting apart a peculiar people to display before the men of the world a palpable evidence of the unity of our essential faith1 our mind becomes imperceptibly imbued with the spirit of the ,redeemer1 who loves no disciple more because he is a ,churchman1 and no disciple less because he is a ,dissenter--having given his life a ransom for all who trust in him for salvation4 ,the conversation was here interrupted by the sweet voices of children singing a ,christmas carol in front of the house4 ,we listened for some minutes1 when ,mrs4 ,stevens proposed that the choir should be invited into the hall1 where they would be sheltered from the snow which was drifting against them4 ,i immediately opened the door1 which threw them into some confusion1 and they were on the eve of scampering away4 ,i requested them to come in2 and taking hold of the hand of the youngest girl1 ,i brought her into the hall1 when1 after some backwardness and hesitation1 the rest cheerfully followed her4 ,mrs4 ,stevens welcomed them1 and was pleased to recognize in the young singers some of her own ,sunday scholars1 who1 in spite of snow and drift1 had carried out this plan of showing their attachment to her4 ,their bonnets and cloaks were taken off2 and after they had had some refreshment and warmed themselves by the fire1 ,mr4 ,llewellin consented to play on the piano1 and we all joined the youthful choristers in singing the praises of the ,redeemer4 ,thus pleasantly passed away the hours of the evening1 without entailing guilt or self-reproach2 and having rewarded those who came to afford us gratification1 we allowed them to depart1 happy and contented4 ,on the following morning we rose at the usual hour1 and after the devotions of the family were concluded we took breakfast4 ,the ground was carpeted with the snow which had fallen last night1 but the weather was clear and dry above1 and we contrived to reach church without much inconvenience4 ,on entering the sacred building1 in which ,i had on past occasions listened with delight to the glad tidings of salvation1 and where many who were then assembled had received the first impressions of truth on their hearts1 my eye caught sight of the venerable ,rector1 who had just raised his face from its concealment under the folds of his surplice1 having invoked in silent prayer the ,divine blessing on himself and his congregation4 ,the time that had elapsed since ,i had previously met with him had not passed lightly over his head1 for he now bore evident marks of increasing age and infirmity4 ,when the audience stood up1 as he began the service1 ,i thought of the venerable patriarch who1 when addressing the tribes of ,israel just before his departure1 said--,i am an hundred and twenty years old this day2 ,i can no more go out and come in4 ,though his hand shook1 and his general appearance indicated great bodily weakness1 yet his voice was strong1 and he read the whole service with great impressiveness and solemnity4 ,having finished it he threw off the surplice1 and ascended the pulpit2 and looking around with a benignant smile on his crowded auditory1 he once more knelt to pray to ,him who rewards with the open manifestations of his grace the prayers of his faithful servants4 ,he chose the following text3--,for ,christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands1 which are the figures of the true2 but into heaven itself1 now to appear in the presence of ,god for us3 nor yet that he should offer himself often1 as the high-priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others2 for then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world3 but now once1 in the end of the world1 hath he appeared1 to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself 7,heb4 ix4 #bd-bf74 ,after a few introductory observations1 he said1 ,allow me to call your attention to-- ,i4 ,the ,saviour's appearance on earth4 ,mark1 ,first4 ,the time of his coming4 ,it was in the end of the world2 that is1 at the conclusion of the ,levitical dispensation4 ,second4 ,the design of his appearance--to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself4 ,third4 ,the perfection of the sacrifice which he offered--verses #be1 #bf4 ,the ,jewish sacrifices1 said the venerable ,rector1 removed ceremonial defilement1 and the guilt of the sins which were committed against the political and ecclesiastical laws of the theocracy2 but they could not expiate the guilt of the sins committed against ,god1 nor restore peace to the conscience of the transgressor3 and their perpetual repetition1 during the succeeding periods of that dispensation1 was an unequivocal proof of their inefficacy4 ,but such was the efficacy of the sacrifice which ,jesus ,christ presented1 when he offered up himself to ,god1 that he made a full expiation for the sins of his people1 and procured for them pardon1 acceptance1 and eternal life4 ,when his enemies stood gazing on him1 as the blood was flowing from his veins1 they were unconscious of the great moral effects which that precious blood was actually producing4 ,it was throwing back an influence on the ages which were past--cancelling the arrears which were due to the justice of ,god from the redeemed who had been pressing into the kingdom of heaven from the death of ,abel to that hour2 and it was extending forward to the end of time a source of merit1 which would take away the guilt of all who should believe in him4 ,and yet1 my brethren1 though the ,scriptures declare1 in the most decisive terms1 that we have redemption through the blood of ,christ1 even the forgiveness of our sins1 many impeach the efficacy of the atonement1 and some would expunge it from the ,christian system4 ,but if they are disposed to mistrust its efficacy in relation to themselves1 why not suffer it to remain for the benefit of others8 ,take away the atonement of ,christ from the scheme of redemption1 and you commit an act more cruel towards man than that of which a ,levite would have been guilty had he1 under cloud of night1 carried off the brazen serpent1 which was the only means of saving the people from the agonies of a lingering but certain death4 ,take away the atonement of ,christ from the scheme of redemption1 and you commit a deed more cruel than that of which the high-priest would have been guilty1 had he drained off the waters of ,bethesda the night before the descent of the angel1 by whose mysterious power they became the means of healing the withered1 the halt1 and the blind4 ,o1 take not from the sanctuary of the ,lord the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better things than the blood of ,abel3 it is the only voice that speaks the words of peace to man1 when stung by remorse1 or agitated by fear4 ,,ii4 ,the ,saviour's appearance in heaven4 ,first4 ,where does he appear8 ,in heaven itself4 ,second4 ,for whom does he appear8 ,for us4 ,third4 ,for what purpose does he appear8 ,it hath pleased ,god1 said the preacher1 when illustrating this part of his subject1 in the conveyance of blessings to man1 to appoint a regular system of agency and means as the medium through which they are given4 ,to object to such an appointment is no less an insult to his authority1 than an impeachment of his wisdom4 ,it is but rarely1 indeed1 that such an act of folly and impiety is committed in relation to the minor gifts which he bestows4 ,life is preserved1 not by a direct and arbitrary exertion of his power1 but by the reception of food prepared by the labour and skill of man1 and received according to the ordinance of his appointment4 ,evils which threaten our honour and happiness are averted1 not by a visible interposition of his providence1 but by the influence and exertions of our friends1 who are employed under his direction4 ,if1 then1 on this general principle the ordinary affairs of his wise and benevolent administration are conducted2 and if this principle be admitted by us1 and we feel its practical utility1 why should we object to the adoption of it in reference to a more important and a more momentous course of procedure8 ,why refuse to admit that ,jesus ,christ is the medium through whom all the designs of mercy and grace1 in relation to man1 are accomplished8 ,if it hath pleased the ,father that in him all fulness should dwell1 ought we to object to such an arrangement8 ,is it wise8 ,is it becoming8 ,is it safe8 ,but1 brethren1 ,i hope better things of you1 though ,i thus speak4 ,you feel too deeply your obligations to the ,redeemer1 for laying down his life a ransom for you1 to wish to rob him of the glory of your salvation--and are too deeply interested in the result of his appearance in the presence of ,god for you1 to exclude him from your affections and confidence4 ,he now appears in the presence of ,god to intercede for you2 and on his intercession your present safety and happiness1 and your future glory depend4 ,the looks1 the tones1 and the manner of the speaker showed that he was thoroughly impressed with the importance of his subject2 and being earnest himself1 an evident impression was produced on his audience4 ,on leaving church1 ,i was walking a little behind ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,stevens1 and ,mr4 ,llewellin1 and was much pleased to find my old friend1 ,farmer ,pickford1 and his wife1 waiting on the roadside to speak to me4 ,i am main glad1 ,sir1 to see you back amongst us once more2 and ,i hope you will come some day and take pot-luck with us4 ,yes1 do1 ,sir1 said ,mrs4 ,pickford1 we shall be so glad to see you4 ,our eldest son often talks about you4 ,we hope what you said1 when reading the ,bible1 and your prayer1 have been made a great blessing to his soul4 ,he'll be a better man than his father1 and no mistake4 ,why1 ,sir1 he knows more of the ,bible already than ,parson ,cole2 he can say more varses than the ,parson can2 and he can tell the meaning of them too4 ,i and my mistress often sit up a bit at night1 after the rest are gone to bed1 to hear his talk about the good things of the ,bible4 ,have you established family prayer in your family8 ,yes1 ,sir1 said ,mrs4 ,pickford4 ,our son prays with the family every night4 ,aye1 ,sir1 it would do your heart good to hear our ,harry pray4 ,he often makes me weep when ,i am hearkening to him4 ,why1 at his age1 and a longful while after1 ,i was a wild1 wicked man4 ,i have sinned a main lot of sins in my time1 the more's the pity2 but now ,i know the blood of ,christ cleanses from all sin4 ,what a mercy6 ,things are changed amongst us for the better4 ,yes1 ,sir1 rejoined his wife2 the wilderness is now a fruitful field4 ,we have no swearing1 or drunkenness1 or ,sabbath-breaking1 amongst us now4 ,we are so happy1 and thankful to the ,lord and to you4 ,i suppose1 farmer1 you would not like to have things changed back again to their former state8 ,i would rather die first1 and no mistake4 ,what6 swear again--and get drunk again--and break the ,sabbath again--and be the same man ,i was when you gave us the first talk about the worth of the soul4 ,the ,lord1 ,i hope1 will never let that come to pass4 ,my heart would burst to see it1 exclaimed ,mrs4 ,pickford4 ,our ,henry tells his father1 that when the ,lord begins the work of grace in the soul1 he always goes on with it4 ,the ,lord has done a little for me1 ,i do believe2 because ,i should never have done it myself without him2 but ,i can't get on in knowledge and in grace1 like my mistress and our ,harry4 ,i am dullish like1 except in the matter of farming4 ,but ,i hate sin1 love my ,bible1 trust in ,christ for salvation2 and ,i think at times it will be well with me at last4 ,i am happy to tell you1 ,sir1 we now all go to chapel at night4 ,so then1 farmer1 you have got over your scruples1 and go and hear my friend1 ,mr4 ,stevens1 on a ,sabbath evening4 ,he's a wonderful man4 ,i sometimes think he can preach better than our ,rector2 though he is a main good preacher4 ,he is more simple and plain-like4 ,somehow or another1 but ,i don't know how it is1 what he says gets farther into my heart1 and stays longer there than our ,rector's sermons4 ,i wish he would preach in the morning too4 ,the youngsters like him best4 ,our ,harry leads the singing at the chapel1 and teaches in the school4 ,he is a kind of a right-hand man amongst 'um4 ,keep steadily on1 farmer1 in the good way2 avoid temptation2 let no sin have dominion over you2 read your ,bible1 be constantly coming by faith to ,jesus ,christ1 to pardon1 to purify1 and save you1 and ,i shall see you in heaven at last4 ,the ,lord grant it may be so4 ,will you speak to me then if you should happen to see me there8 ,speak to you6 yes2 and hail you as a son of ,god1 made perfect in knowledge and in purity4 ,well1 ,i'll live in hope4 ,you will come and take pot-luck with us before you leave ,fairmount8 ,yes1 do1 ,sir1 added ,mrs4 ,pickford2 we shall all be so glad to see you1 and so will dear ,henry4 ,i forgot to say one thing1 observed the farmer1 which mainly you would like to know1 ,sir4 ,and what is that1 ,mr4 ,pickford8 ,why1 my mistress and our ,harry have set up a bit of a prayer meeting like1 in our kitchen1 on a ,wednesday night4 ,our youngsters and sarvants1 and some of the neighbours come to it1 and fill it2 and we have some good singing1 and all the rest of it1 as they have at ,mr4 ,stevens' chapel4 ,i am happy to hear this1 farmer2 but have you a sermon8 ,no1 ,sir1 not always2 but we have a sarmunt now and tan1 when we can get hold of a preacher2 and when we 'ant got one1 our ,harry says a few things from the ,bible1 and you would be main pleased to hear him4 ,he puts out what he says in a plainish sort of a way1 but we all see that what he says comes from his heart1 and it gets into our hearts1 and does us good4 ,will you come1 ,sir1 some ,wednesday night while you are here1 and give us a prayer and a sarmunt8 ,you shall have a full kitchen4 ,yes1 do1 ,sir1 said ,mrs4 ,p42 we shall be so glad to see you and hear you4 ,i'll invite all our neighbours4 ,and if the kitchen be not big enough to hold them1 ,i'll have the barn cleared out1 and we'll go there4 ,very well4 ,i'll be with you next ,wednesday4 ,we then shook hands and parted1 and ,i hastened to rejoin my friends1 who ,i found1 in the interval1 had met with the ,roscoes1 including ,miss ,roscoe1 who had now happily completely recovered from her cold1 and consented1 evidently to the satisfaction of ,mr4 ,llewellin1 to accompany her parents in the evening to ,fairmount4 ,i informed them of my conversation with ,farmer ,pickford1 and how ,i had arranged to conduct a prayer meeting at his house on the ensuing ,wednesday4 ,we then proceeded homeward1 discussing the topics of the sermon we had just heard1 with1 ,i trust1 much mutual profit4 ,early in the evening1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,roscoe1 and ,miss ,roscoe1 appeared1 agreeably to their promise1 and we spent a very pleasant ,christmas evening together4 ,the tranquil joy visible in the countenances of ,mr4 ,llewellin and ,miss ,roscoe was especially manifest--our courting days1 as ,goldsmith remarks1 being generally about the happiest in our lives4 ,after tea we had a little sacred music1 both ,mr4 ,llewellin and ,miss ,roscoe being admirable performers on the pianoforte4 ,we then all joined in singing together the ,evening ,hymn4 ,thus terminated our ,christmas at ,fairmount1 during which we had all experienced how much better is the employment of the day in the purposes of devotion than in those of conviviality and mirth4 ,on ,christmas ,day1 when the scattered members of a family are gathered together to enjoy1 around the social hearth1 the pleasures of social intercourse1 those who are the avowed disciples of the ,redeemer should be on their guard1 lest they conform to the custom of the world1 which too often celebrates his birth by indulging in the pleasures of eating and drinking1 and thoughtless merriment1 rather than by improving conversation and the interchange of devotional sentiments4 ,we are required to set an example2 and while ,i am no advocate for the exclusion of innocent recreations and indulgences from the domestic circle1 ,i must enforce the imperative necessity of a dignified consistency of conduct on the part of those who profess to be wiser in their generation than the men of the world1 and who contemplate1 with wonder and with gratitude1 the scheme of redemption1 consummated by the appearance of the ,saviour1 on which many pour contempt1 or look with unmoved indifference4 ,you may have your family parties1 and you may invite your friends to partake of your bounty1 and you may assume and wear an air of cheerfulness and pleasantry2 but no excess of eating1 or of drinking1 or of levity should be tolerated1 as your profession has raised you to the summit of observation1 and the irreligious1 no less than your fellow-,christians1 expect that you will let your moderation appear unto all men4 ,your children1 if they are not decidedly pious1 may wish1 on this day of festivity1 to trespass a little farther on the gravity of your domestic habits than they presume to do on ordinary occasions2 and though ,i would not advise you to transfer the sanctity of the ,sabbath to this day1 as you have no authority for so doing1 yet there is a propriety in observing it with decorum1 as commemorating the birth of him who came to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself4 ,the slightest reference to the design of his mission will suggest to your mind the importance of celebrating this day in a suitable manner1 by offering thanks unto ,god for his unspeakable gift1 and by giving a practical proof that he came to save his people from their sins4 ,,winter ,,scenes4 ,the weather had been intensely cold since our arrival at ,fairmount1 and for two days the snow had descended without intermission2 but on the second evening a severe frost set in1 and when ,i stepped out in the morning1 ,i found that the fallen flakes had become so hardened that ,i could walk on them without leaving the impression of my foot on the surface4 ,i love the country at all seasons1 and1 though certainly preferring it in the genial seasons of summer and autumn1 when the woods are decked in their mantle of green1 and the fields brighten in the sunshine with their waving crops of golden grain1 ,i have nevertheless frequently experienced a large amount of pleasure in rambling during winter along the frozen roads and lanes1 or contemplating the bleak landscape spreading out before me1 with its white carpet of snow4 ,after walking briskly onward for a little distance1 ,i determined1 after some hesitation1 to revisit the spot where1 on a former occasion1#bi ,i had sat to feast myself on the enchanting scenery of the country1 which was then clothed in its gayest summer dress2 but now the scene was completely changed4 ,the skeleton trees extended their leafless branches sprinkled with snow-flakes2 many of the evergreens in the shrubbery presented a withered and scorched aspect1 from the influence of the frost2 while the little birds1 who in the summer had delighted us with their music1 were now roaming about the country in search of food1 and some of them not unfrequently found dead on the roadside from hunger and cold4 #bi ,see vol4 i4 p4 #ib4 ,as ,i stood viewing the change which the winter season had made in the appearance of nature1 my mind reverted to the changes which as suddenly take place in the dispensations of ,providence2 and ,i recalled to my remembrance many who1 during my short pilgrimage1 had sunk from the heights of prosperity to the depths of adversity1 and whose opening spring of plenty and of hope had been succeeded by the sterile and stormy winter--closing up the visions of their anticipated bliss in the gloom of disappointment and of woe4 ,while thus musing on the mutations of nature and of ,providence1 ,i saw two lads approaching from a distant meadow1 and when they drew near enough for me to trace their features1 ,i recognized the children of the woodman whom ,i visited on the evening when his little daughter died4#cj ,they looked very sorrowful and dejected1 and exclaimed1 as soon as they recognized me1 ,o1 ,sir1 we are again in trouble--we have lost father6 ,have you seen him1 or heard of him8 ,we have been walking about ever since daybreak1 but we can't find him4 ,they then gave me an account of the calamity which had befallen them4 #cj ,see vol4 i4 p4 #ajd4 ,after the interment of his daughter1 he regained his usual flow of spirits1 and felt resigned to the will of ,god2 but within the last few weeks he had sunk into a low1 desponding state1 and often spoke of his decease as one who believed the hour of his departure was at hand2 and yet health nerved his arm1 and he was strong to labour4 ,mother often told him1 said the eldest son1 that he ought not to mistrust ,providence1 who had always provided food and raiment for us2 nor yet to think that he was going to leave us4 ,but she could not comfort him2 for1 after coming home at night1 he would sit and weep1 and talk to us till we all wept with him2 and we knew not why1 for we saw no danger coming4 ,we were all well and happy except father4 ,he had gone to his work on the preceding day1 at his usual hour1 taking with him1 in his bag and bottle1 his refreshment1 and was seen by his master about noon1 walking away from the field in which he had been at work1 with his dog by his side1 but neither of them had been heard of since4 ,we fear1 ,sir1 said the lad1 who sobbed aloud as he spoke1 wiping away at the same time the falling tears with the sleeve of his frock1 he has tumbled into some pit1 and has perished in the snow2 but1 ,sir1 we cannot trace any marks of his footsteps1 nor yet hear ,trail bark nor howl4 ,farmer ,pickford and his son have just been away searching for him in one direction1 and we in another2 and the whole village is up looking for him1 but we can see nothing like him anywhere1 and ,i feel assured that poor father is gone4 ,o1 ,sir1 if you could but come and speak a word of comfort to mother6 ,she is so unhappy1 she does nothing but wring her hands and cry1 for she does not know what to do4 ,having heard this tale of woe1 ,i resolved to accompany the two lads to the cottage1 and endeavour to soothe their mother's distress4 ,the distracted wife was standing at the door1 and1 on seeing me1 she clasped her hands in an agony of grief1 and began to repeat to me the affecting tale4 ,i have thought1 ,sir1 at times1 he would not live long1 for within the last two months his spirit and his prayer all seemed to prove that he was getting ripe for glory2 but ,i did not expect to lose him so soon1 nor in this way4 ,you do not1 ,i remarked1 suppose that he is murdered8 ,o no1 ,sir6 ,he has tumbled into some pit and perished in the snow1 which fell yesterday in larger and thicker flakes than ,i ever saw before2 but ,i feared no danger1 because he knows the parts so well4 ,i expected him home sooner than usual1 on account of the badness of the weather2 and as ,i thought something warm would comfort him1 ,i had got a stew ready1 but--she could add no more4 ,i was very much affected by the aspect of the interior of the cottage1 which still showed the preparations made on the preceding evening for the poor woodman's return4 ,the neat round table stood near the fire1 covered with a clean cloth2 a deep wooden trencher1 with a spoon and salt-cellar made of the same material1 were placed beside it2 the oak chair was in readiness to receive its owner1 and the small kettle was still hanging over the fire1 which had been suffered to dwindle from the bright blaze into dying embers4 ,i endeavoured to comfort her in this hour of her sorrow2 but she was so overpowered with anguish1 that words of consolation appeared to be of no avail2 and after praying with her ,i left1 with a promise that ,i would call again4 ,the lines of the poet ,thomson1 with which ,i had been long familiar1 now recurred to my recollection1 and ,i could not repress the tear which their remembrance on the present occasion involuntarily caused3-- ,ah6 little think the gay licentious proud1 ,whom pleasure1 pow'r1 and affluence surround2 ,they who their thoughtless hours in giddy mirth1 ,and wanton1 often cruel riot1 waste2 ,ah6 little think they1 while they dance along1 ,how many feel1 this very moment1 death1 ,and all the sad variety of pain4 ,how many sink in the devouring flood1 ,or more devouring flame6 ,how many bleed1 ,by shameful variance betwixt man and man6 ,how many pine in want1 and dungeon glooms1 ,shut from the common air1 and common use ,of their own limbs6 ,how many drink the cup ,of baleful grief1 or eat the bitter bread ,of misery6 ,sore pierc'd by wintry winds1 ,how many sink into the sordid hut ,of cheerless poverty6 ,how many shake ,with all the fiercer tortures of the mind1 ,unbounded passion1 madness1 guilt1 remorse6 ,whence1 tumbling headlong from the height of life1 ,they furnish matter for the tragic muse4 ,even in the vale1 where wisdom loves to dwell1 ,with friendship1 peace1 and contemplation join'd1 ,how many1 rack'd with honest passions1 droop ,in deep retir'd distress6 ,how many stand ,around the deathbed of their dearest friends1 ,and point the parting anguish6 ,thought fond man ,of these1 and all the thousand nameless ills1 ,that one incessant struggle render life1 ,one scene of toil1 of suffering1 and of fate1 ,vice in his high career would stand appall'd1 ,and heedless rambling impulse1 learn to think2 ,the conscious heart of charity would warm1 ,and her wide wish benevolence dilate2 ,the social tear would rise1 the social sigh2 ,and into clear perfection1 gradual bliss1 ,refining still1 the social passions work4 ,on my return to ,fairmount1 ,i found the ,roscoes there2 and1 on entering the parlour1 ,mrs4 ,stevens said1 ,we have felt somewhat uneasy on your account4 ,i hope nothing unpleasant has detained you4 ,i have been1 ,madam1 to the house of mourning1 where grief is still raging unassuaged4 ,i then narrated the melancholy tale1 which deeply affected the whole party2 and various plans were suggested for the recovery of the lost woodman4 ,it will be impossible for us1 said ,mr4 ,roscoe1 to do anything in the way of searching for this poor man2 but we may make some provision for the support of his widow1 as ,i fear she may now too truly be termed1 by commencing a subscription for her1 which ,i think is no less our duty than our privilege4 ,very good1 replied ,mrs4 ,stevens1 who immediately drew from her pocket-book a five pound note1 which sum was increased to the amount of #ag by the donations of the rest of the party4 ,how soon1 remarked ,mr4 ,stevens1 may a mysterious ,providence lay waste the pleasant things of our possession1 and leave us in a state of destitution and affliction6 ,i saw the woodman and his family at church on ,christmas morning2 the bloom of health was on his countenance1 and a fine glow of delight came over it when ,mr4 ,ingleby was describing the effects which would be produced on the mind of a redeemed sinner when taking the first look at the ,great ,high ,priest of the heavenly temple4 ,i have no doubt but he spent the evening of that day in the bosom of his family1 blessing them with his prayers and instructions4 ,at no season of the year1 said ,miss ,roscoe1 am ,i so powerfully impressed by a sense of the ,divine goodness1 as during the inclement season of winter2 when ,i am sheltered from the rude storm1 which often beats through the shattered roof of the poor man's cottage--am warmed by the cheerful blaze1 which seldom burns on his hearth--have extra clothing to cover me whenever ,i am exposed to the severity of the weather--and have all the comforts and conveniences of life1 while many1 ',sore pierc'd by wintry winds1 ----sink into the wretched hut ,of cheerless poverty6' ,but why am ,i favoured with these mercies of which many others are deprived8 ,i might have been doomed to work for my daily bread1 or perhaps to beg it from door to door2 or1 looking at the fate of this poor woodman1 such a calamity might quite as likely have befallen one of my dearest friends4 ,if we wish to trace our mercies1 said ,mr4 ,lewellin1 to the source from whence they proceed1 we must go to the fountain of all goodness1 and acknowledge that 'every good and perfect gift is from above1 and cometh down from the ,father of lights1 with whom is no variableness1 neither shadow of turning4' ,no other reason can be assigned why we are so distinguished by the munificence of his kindness in preference to others1 than the sovereignty of his will4 ,and does it not1 said ,miss ,roscoe1 enhance the value of our mercies1 and tend to excite our gratitude to still higher degrees of ardour1 when we receive them as coming from the fountain of all goodness through the mediation of our ,redeemer1 who gave himself for us6 ,and1 remarked ,mr4 ,stevens1 if we are distinguished in preference to others1 when we can present no stronger claims on the ,divine bounty1 ,i think we ought to act an equally munificent part towards the more needy and afflicted of the human family4 ,i am at a loss to conceive how any ,christian can consent to be comfortably clothed and fed1 while so many1 even of the household of faith1 are suffering all the evils attendant on a state of poverty4 ,what we possess is intrusted to our care as stewards1 not given to us as proprietors2 and though we are allowed to partake of it1 yet are we not commanded to distribute to the necessities of the saints8 ,i have no doubt1 said ,mr4 ,roscoe1 there are many pious and benevolent ,christians who would distribute a much larger portion of their goods amongst the poor and the needy1 if they knew the extent of their privations2 but living apart from the suffering community by which they are surrounded1 and seldom hearing of its woes1 they have no conception of the prevalence of distress1 and from ignorance rather than avarice1 withhold the assistance they would otherwise most willingly afford4 ,i have long entertained this opinion2 for ,i generally find1 that when any special case of distress becomes a subject of notoriety1 or when any benevolent scheme is promulgated to promote the comfort of the poor1 especially on any pressing occasion1 contributions flow into the treasury of benevolence to a large amount4 ,yes1 papa1 answered his daughter2 when the public see the pallid and emaciated form of misery moving before their eye1 or when they hear the mournful relation of its sufferings1 the common sympathies of their nature are powerfully excited1 and they cannot help affording some degree of assistance without doing violence to their ,christian feelings2 but is it not our duty1 as the disciples of the ,redeemer1 to imitate his example in going about continually doing good8 ,we are told that 'the poor shall never cease out of the land2' and can poverty exist unattended by its consequent evils8 ,would it not1 on our part1 be a profitable exercise1 were we sometimes to leave our warm fireside1 during the inclemency of the weather1 and visit the huts and cottages of the poor1 to examine for ourselves how they are clad1 and how they are warmed and fed8 ,certainly1 my dear2 and ,i think that those ,christians who possess wealth to any extent beyond the immediate wants of their own family1 who never pay such a visit to the poor man's dwelling1 not only deprive themselves of one strong incitement to gratitude1 but act a faithless part to him who has employed them in the capacity of stewards to distribute his bounties4 ,i quite agree with you1 said ,mr4 ,lewellin1 in your opinion respecting the benevolence of the public when any case of distress1 or when any scheme of charity becomes the subject of notoriety1 but the benevolence which takes its rise from the mere sympathies of our nature1 or that is stimulated to excitement by the example of others1 is a defective principle1 and essentially different from the pure benevolence of ,christianity1 which1 taking its rise from the authority of the ,divine law1 proposes the example of the ,redeemer as the pattern of its own conduct1 going and distributing its donations in the unfrequented paths of misery1 no less than in the open field of want4 ,what you say1 ,sir1 replied ,mr4 ,roscoe1 is very true2 and it possesses another property which you have forgotten to mention--it is less dependent on excitement1 and consequently more steady in its exercise4 ,i once heard of a lady of rank who rode out in her carriage one frosty morning1 but having passed the suburbs of the city1 felt the weather so intensely cold1 that she ordered the coachman to drive home as fast as possible4 ,turning then to a friend who was with her1 she said1 ',i will immediately purchase twelve pairs of blankets for the poor1 who must be nearly frozen to death4' ,in the afternoon1 when reminded of her promise1 she said1 ',i think the weather is become so mild that they will not require the blankets4' ',yes1' replied her friend1 'it is milder in this parlour than it was in the carriage1 but it is equally severe in the open air4' ,in this case1 as in many others1 the intensity of the weather excited the benevolent feeling1 and extorted the pledge2 but as soon as the bitter cold outside was exchanged for the comfortable warmth within1 the feeling gradually subsided1 and the poor were left still to suffer without enjoying the benefit of relief4 ,i was so much struck1 said ,mr4 ,stevens1 with the description of charity which ,i met with in the course of my reading some time since1 that ,i transcribed it into my common-place book1 and1 by your permission1 ,i will now read it3-- ',charity is no intermittent thing that now and then breaks out into brilliant munificence1 and then retires to slumber in the lap of indolence and selfish repose2 that1 like a burning mountain1 emits occasional sparks and flashes of splendour1 and then rolls forth nothing but smoke and darkness4 ,it is a lamp that is always burning1 sometimes with a brighter and sometimes with a fainter light1 but is never extinguished4 ,it is a vital principle--a generous life--the pulses of which are continually proceeding1 now with stronger and now with more languid beats1 but never come to a stand still4 ,the life of a charitable man consists not merely of a few detached acts of desultory bounty1 separated from each other by long intervals2 his heart is an inexhaustible fountain1 that supplies a current of kind attentions2 that sends forth a stream of services to his fellow-creatures1 few of which may be signal1 but all of which are sincere1 and which1 though separately considered1 may appear small1 yet1 collectively1 are of great amount4' ,but1 said ,mr4 ,lewellin1 we rarely find a pure and unremitting charity1 except among those who are the real disciples of ,jesus ,christ2 and the motive by which they are induced to cultivate it is very powerful4 ,in the twenty-fifth chapter of the gospel by ,matthew1 our ,lord has given us an impressive description of the solemnities of the future judgment2 and when replying to the interrogation of the righteous1 whom he had commended for their benevolence1 he says1 to explain the language he employed1 ',verily ,i say unto you1 ,inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren1 ye have done it unto me4' ,he thus teaches us that we are to perform our acts of beneficence and kindness1 not merely because others set us the example1 nor yet to gratify our own feelings of sympathy or vanity1 but to express our gratitude and love to him for his love and compassion towards us4 ,when we are governed by this motive1 which the men of the world would deride as the figment of an enthusiastic imagination1 our benevolence becomes one of the established laws of our moral system1 which admits of no suspension or diversion1 without occasioning a shock to our sense of right and wrong4 ,and when we act on this principle1 it is as if we addressed a poor person in the words which ,i lately read in an admired author3--',i relieve you in your distress1 because of the near relation you bear to that blessed ,person who has relieved me in all mine--my ,friend1 my ,benefactor1 my ,saviour1 my ,god4 ,i1 too1 was an hungered1 and he gave me the bread of life2 ,i was thirsty1 and he gave me the water of life2 ,i was a stranger1 not belonging to the fold1 and he took me into it2 ,i was naked1 and he clothed me with the robe of righteousness2 ,i was sick1 and he visited me1 and comforted me1 and made me whole2 ,i was in prison1 and he came to me1 loosed the bands of sin and death1 and brought me forth unto light1 liberty1 and salvation4 ,you come recommended to me as one of those whom he condescends to call his brethren4 ,accept1 for his sake1 what ,i can give you4 ,i would it were more2 all ,i have is too little4' ,there is1 observed ,miss ,roscoe1 a touching force in the language of our ,lord which no real disciple can withstand2 but there are many who have no ability to exemplify the influence which it assumes over them1 for they have no wealth to distribute2 and yet1 if they do what they can to testify their love to him1 they will be equally commended with the most munificent benefactors of their race4 ,for he by whom actions are weighed and motives are judged--who gives to his servants what proportion of talents he pleases--often sees much given1 where nothing is contributed2 and will reward the benevolence which would gladly contribute if it possessed the means1 no less than the munificence which commands the homage and respect of men4 ,while1 then1 we are so highly favoured as to be exempted from the poverty of the poor and the selfishness of the rich1 and profess to derive our motives from such a pure source1 let us1 in the stations in which we are placed1 and according to the ability which we possess1 endeavour to promote the comfort and happiness of others1 remembering that where much is given1 much is required2 and that our ,lord will receive every act of kindness which we perform to our poorer brethren1 as an expression of our love to himself4 ,i have occasionally noticed1 said ,mrs4 ,stevens1 a strange phenomenon in what may be called the religious world--a person holding rank as a devout disciple of ,jesus ,christ1 ever ready to administer to the spiritual wants of the destitute1 but systematically unwilling to help them in their temporal distresses4 ,i1 too1 said ,mr4 ,lewellin1 have known the same strange thing4 ,i know a wealthy lady who will forward handsome contributions to the treasurer of a ,bible1 or ,tract1 or ,missionary ,society1 but if applied to on behalf of a needy person1 even though a fellow-member of the same church1 she will put on such a scowling look1 and speak in such harsh and repulsive tones1 that few will venture to ask her for alms4 ,her own pastor1 on one occasion1 ventured to ask her for a small donation1 to assist a poor worthy minister who was in the depth of poverty1 and1 by excess of importunity1 he obtained a few shillings2 but within a few weeks she sent #ej to the treasurer of a society for the support of aged and infirm ministers4 ,how can we account for such strange conduct1 which is so opposed to the injunctions of the ,word of ,god8 ,very easily1 ,madam1 replied ,mr4 ,roscoe4 ,these public societies will blazon the name of the munificent donor through the ,british dominions in their annual reports2 and as such a lady wishes to be seen of men when performing her acts of charity1 she is willing to pay the price which is demanded4 ,how contemptible6 ,a female ,pharisee of the old school embalmed while living1 and reserved as a specimen of the detestable order from which she is descended1 that we may see broadly developed the meanness and odiousness of vanity1 which gives liberally to the public institutions of ,christianity for self-display and self-satisfaction4 ,in the morning we proceeded to the woodman's cottage1 and on our way overtook the sad procession of his corpse brought home on a hurdle carried by some countrymen1 his weeping children and his faithful dog walking alongside4 ,he had been found in a pit near the edge of the wood2 his dog was sitting beside it1 and moaning the fate of his master1 whom he was unwilling to leave1 though nearly perishing with hunger and cold4 ,on the body being brought into the house1 the spectacle of grief which was then exhibited became almost too much for us to endure4 ,his wife wiped off the snow which was still hanging about his face and hair1 and then kissed his cold black lips1 bedewing them with her tears1 while the children pressed around her1 sobbing as they looked on the altered countenance of their father1 and then turned away to mourn apart4 ,mr4 ,roscoe spoke kindly to her1 which soothed her spirit1 and he assured her that she should not want4 ,i know it1 ,sir1 she replied1 because the ,lord is my ,shepherd1 and he can spread a table for me1 though my husband is not spared to bring me the provisions4 ,he then informed her that a subscription would be raised for her support1 which he had no doubt would be sufficient to enable her to bring up her family respectably4 ,o6 ,sir1 said the two eldest boys1 mother shan't want while ,god gives us strength to work1 nor shall the little ones4 ,don't cry1 mother6 said the youngest girl1 who had just drawn back her finger from touching the face of her father2 father is gone to see ,jemima4 ,don't cry1 mother6 for that won't make father speak to us again4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,death ,,of ,,the ,,woodman4 ,vol4 i4 p4 #egj4 ,the body was interred1 with great decency and solemnity1 the seventh day after his decease1 ,mr4 ,ingleby reading the burial service4 ,such was the esteem in which he was held1 and the degree of interest his death had excited1 that one of the largest funeral processions known in the village for many years accompanied his remains to the grave1 and all expressed the most tender sympathy towards his surviving family4 ,by the exertions of ,mr4 ,roscoe and ,mr4 ,stevens1 a large subscription was raised for their benefit2 which in some measure tended to abate the intensity of their sufferings1 though it could not heal the deep wound which had been inflicted on their domestic happiness4 99 99 99 99 99 ,mr4 ,stevens and ,mr4 ,lewellin accompanied me when ,i went to preach at ,farmer ,pickford's1 and on our arrival we found that the barn was lighted up and seated for the occasion4 ,there is a power of people1 said the farmer1 on giving me his hand1 come to hear the sarmunt1 and no mistake4 ,the congregation was much larger than any one had anticipated1 and showed a marked attention to the sermon1 which was on the conversion of ,zaccheus1 from ,luke xix4 #a-i4 ,we intended to return to ,fairmount immediately after the service was over1 but felt compelled to yield to the kind importunity of the farmer and his wife1 and stay to take supper with them4 ,a hearty welcome1 said the warm-hearted farmer1 as we entered his kitchen1 where an ample supper was set out1 consisting of a joint of roast beef1 a boiled turkey and ham1 custards in abundance1 and tankards of the best home-brewed ale4 ,is this what you call pot-luck1 ,mr4 ,pickford8 ,no1 no2 we don't live after this fashion every day2 but my wife and me made up our minds to give you some of the best on it2 and ,i think that the best the house can afford is all too little in return for the sarmunt you have just given us in the barn4 ,before we sat down to supper1 ,henry ,pickford1 at my request1 asked the blessing1 and we then set1 with sharpened appetite1 to the consumption of the good things before us4 ,the farmer was so much excited1 that his wife could not refrain from saying1 ,master1 you talk so much that you prevent conversation4 ,i beg pardon1 but ,i can't help it4 ,what's in1 will come out4 ,i never thought of having the honour of such a company as this4 ,gemmen1 ,i hope you will all enjoy yourselves as much as ,i do4 ,we feel very much obliged to you1 ,mr4 ,pickford4 ,as you see1 we are all enjoying ourselves2 and ,i hope we shall live to meet again4 ,i trust so1 too4 ,i never expected to see such a day as this2 and ,i was thinking1 when you were preaching in the barn1 that when ,zaccheus got up in the morning he little thought what would happen to him before night4 ,and ,i was thinking1 ,sir1 said ,harry1 when you were preaching1 that when ,zaccheus got up in the sycamore tree he didn't think he should be converted before he got down4 ,it was quick work1 said the farmer2 done in no time4 ,and ,i was thinking1 said ,mrs4 ,pickford1 that everybody must have felt surprised that ,jesus ,christ should notice such a notorious sinner as ,zaccheus was1 and should condescend to go and be a guest at his house4 ,nobody more so1 said the farmer1 than ,zaccheus himself4 ,i know he felt just what ,i feel myself4 ,why1 it is but t'other day1 and ,i was a wicked1 drunken1 and swearing fellow1 that thought no more about my soul than one of my cows2 but now ,i hate such sins1 and my main concarn is to get my soul saved4 ,at times1 ,i can hardly believe my own knowledge4 ,what mighty power ,jesus ,christ has1 to bring to1 such wicked and hardened sinners as ,zaccheus and myself6 ,and make you new creatures1 ,mr4 ,lewellin here remarked2 the old things of evil to pass away1 and the new things of grace and religion to come1 to reform your character and bless your house4 ,that's it1 and no sham1 replied the farmer4 ,parson ,cole called t'other day to have a talk with me4 ,he heard ,i was gone mad4 ,i told him what ,jesus ,christ had done for my soul1 and how happy ,i was1 and what a change had come over my ,harry and the rest of us4 ,he called it all a lusion1 or some such a word which ,i didn't understand2 but ,i made out his meaning1 and ,i told him it was a real thing4 ,poor fellow1 he could not understand such things--more's the pity2 and he said1 by way of mock-making1 ',why1 ,jesus ,christ appears to have a great liking for you great sinners4' ,this made a big stir within me1 and ,i spoke my mind4 ',yes1' ,i said to him1 'he is the great and good ,physician that comes to cure those that otherwise were incurable4' ,i said to him1 ',does not ,paul tell us that he began by saving the chief of sinners8 and ,i can say he has not left off doing it yet1 as ,i hope he will save me4' ,no one1 ,i think1 said ,mr4 ,stevens1 can doubt the ability or willingness of ,jesus ,christ to save the chief of sinners1 who reflects on what he has done4 ,he saved ,zaccheus1 a hard-hearted extortioner1 who had grown rich by deeds of fraud and oppression2 and who was justly held in such detestation by the people1 that they expressed a high degree of astonishment when they found that ,jesus ,christ was going to be his guest4 ,his conversion and salvation makes good what ,i said to ,parson ,cole1 that ,jesus ,christ cures the incurable4 ,i was thinking1 in the barn1 just when the sarmunt was over1 that if any of the people who knew ,zaccheus had been asked if they thought it possible for any one to convert him into an honest and charitable man1 they would all have said ',no1 it can't be done2 he is incurable4' ,but ,jesus ,christ did it in no time4 ,and ,i was thinking1 said ,mrs4 ,pickford1 that many a poor widow1 and many a poor orphan1 and many a poor tradesman1 listened with great joy to the report of his conversion1 when he set about doing what he said he would do--give half his goods to the poor1 and make a fourfold restitution to every one he had injured4 ,having now finished supper1 ,mr4 ,lewellin read the #ajc;d ,psalm1 after which ,i brought the evening to a close by conducting family prayer4 ,on taking leave of the farmer1 he said1 ,there are three things ,i shall never forget3--,i shall never forget your first call1 when you talked to me about the worth of my soul2 ,i shall never forget your preaching in my barn2 and ,i shall never forget this story about ,zaccheus1 which lets us know what ,jesus ,christ can do in a little time4 ,i hope1 ,sir1 said ,mrs4 ,pickford1 you will come again and see us4 ,we shall feel so much pleased and profited too4 ,we then shook hands with our hospitable entertainers1 and returned to ,fairmount1 much gratified with the pleasant evening we had spent4 ,,on ,,apostolical ,,succession4 ,on our return from ,farmer ,pickford's1 we heard that the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe and his lady had arrived rather unexpectedly at his brother's mansion2 but we regarded it as a flying rumour without any foundation4 ,however1 the next morning ,miss ,roscoe called and confirmed the intelligence1 and said she was commissioned to invite us to meet them and a select party on the following ,monday evening4 ,addressing me1 she said1 ,you will see a great change in my dear uncle4 ,he is no longer the bigoted ,tractarian1 contending for legendary dogmas and ceremonial rites2 but is now a devout and simple-hearted minister of ,jesus ,christ4 ,we cordially accepted the invitation2 and1 on the appointed evening1 had the pleasure of meeting our esteemed friends all in excellent health and spirits4 ,after tea1 a casual reference having been made by ,mrs4 ,john ,roscoe to ,williams' ,missionary ,enterprises1#ca we indulged for some time in a free and easy interchange of remarks on the labours of missionaries in foreign parts4 ,this1 somewhat unexpectedly1 led to a grave discussion on the popular question of ,apostolical ,succession4 #ca ,missionary ,enterprises in ,south ,sea ,islands4 ,by ,rev4 ,john ,williams4 ,in this extraordinary narrative1 said the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe1 which ,i have read with intense delight1 we have a detailed account of the success of ,mr4 ,williams' labours4 ,in islands where an impure and demoralizing idolatry1 which often demanded human sacrifices1 existed from time immemorial1 there is now a ,christian population1 organized into churches1 observing the sanctity of the ,sabbath1 and the ordinances of baptism and the ,lord's ,supper4 ,the printing-press is also at work2 the ,bible is in free circulation2 and the natives are exerting themselves in various ways for the spread of the gospel amongst their yet unenlightened brethren of other islands4 ,in fact1 there is such a moral and spiritual transformation that it cannot be accounted for1 otherwise than by the concurrence of a supernatural power with the human agency which has been employed in effecting it4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,the results of the labours of ,mr4 ,williams and his coadjutors in the propagation of the gospel1 form a very strong argument against the dogma of ,apostolical ,succession1 for which a party in our church are contending with so much ,jesuitical artifice and overbearing intolerance4 ,dr4 ,hook1 one of their leaders1 says--and all the clergy of his school subscribe to his sentiments--',unless ,christ be spiritually present with the ministers of religion in their services1 these services will be in vain4' ,i admit this3 but then he adds1 what ,i cannot admit1 because it is in palpable opposition to indisputable facts--',but the only ministrations to which he has promised his presence1 are to those of the bishops who are successors of the first commissioned apostles1 and the other clergy acting under their sanction and by their authority4 ,i therefore1' he adds1 'at once abandon expediency1 submission to constituted authority1 decency1 and order1 as the ground of our defence of our clerical commission1 and appeal to the promise given by ,jesus ,christ to his apostles1 and which promise1 by coming down to us as their successors1 marks us exclusively for ,god's ambassadors4'#cb #cb ,see ,dr4 ,hook's ,sermons on ,church and ,establishments4 ,if we contrast this vain boasting of the ,tractarians with indisputable facts1 how strange does it appear6 ,here ,i find from the life of ,williams1 that instead of studying at ,cambridge or ,oxford1 he was serving as an apprentice to an ironmonger1 in the ,city ,road1 ,london2 and1 if not a positive infidel1 he was addicted to habits of impiety1 if not intemperance1 spending his ,sabbath evenings at a public tavern4 ,on one occasion1 a pious female friend saw him loitering about in front of the tabernacle in ,moorfields1 where he expected to meet the companions of his nightly revels2 but to mortify them because they were not punctual to their engagement1 he yielded to her entreaties to go with her into the tabernacle and hear the sermon4 ,then1 taking up the ,life of ,williams1#cc which lay on a side table1 he read the following passage3--,such a state of mind was anything but favourable to the serious consideration of sacred subjects2 and few ever entered the house of ,god less prepared to profit by its services4 ,the ,rev4 ,timothy ,east1 of ,birmingham1 occupied the pulpit that evening1 ,january #cj1 #ahad1 and preached from the weighty question1 ',for what shall it profit a man1 if he shall gain the whole world1 and lose his own soul8 ,or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul8' 7,mark viii4 #cf1 #cg74 ,the word came with power1 and with demonstration of the ,holy ,spirit upon the mind of his youthful auditor4 ,now this young man1 continued ,mr4 ,roscoe1 reclaimed from the error of his ways by what ,paul calls the foolishness of preaching1 after tarrying at home long enough to give evidence of the genuineness of his conversion to ,god1 and receive instruction to fit him for the work to which he had devoted himself1 goes to the ,south ,seas1 learns the language of the natives1 and commences the work of evangelizing them2 and this book is a faithful record and report of his extraordinary labours4 ,he received no episcopal ordination in the regular line of descent2 but was he not ,god's ambassador of grace and mercy to these once savage and cannibal islanders8 and if so1 ,dr4 ,hook asserts what is not absolutely true1 that none are ,god's ambassadors except the clergy of the ,church of ,england and ,papal priests4 #cc ,the ,life of the ,rev4 ,john ,williams4 ,by the ,rev4 ,e4 ,prout4 ,snow1 ,london4 ,mr4 ,stevens4--,the minister who preached the last anniversary sermons in my chapel1 in behalf of our ,sabbath-schools1 informed me1 when we were chatting about apostolic succession1 that he knew the ecclesiastic ancestors of ,mr4 ,williams1 and gave me his pedigree1 remarking that he was descended from 'a succession of bishops1 who neither had palaces nor seats in the ,house of ,lords4' ,mr4 ,jay1 of ,bath1 was the instrument employed by the ,spirit of ,god in the conversion of the ,rev4 ,o4 ,a4 ,jeary1 of ,rodborough1 ,gloucestershire1 who was employed by the ,holy ,spirit in the conversion of the ,rev4 ,t4 ,east1 and he was employed by the same ,divine agent in the conversion of the ,rev4 ,j4 ,williams4 ,we thus see that the moral revolutions and spiritual transformations which have taken place in the ,south ,sea ,islands are not to be ascribed1 in the slightest degree1 either subordinately or instrumentally1 to the intervention of ,episcopal power or authority4 ,not one employed in any department of this wondrous work1 occupied a position in the regular line of descent from the apostles1 nor had any one of them received ordination from an ,episcopal bishop4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,guion4--,a ,tractarian who admits the truthfulness of ,mr4 ,williams' report of the success of his own labours1 and those of his coadjutors1 would probably look on this as an exceptional case to the established law of order prevalent in the church1 which we all know requires ordination to precede preaching or the administration of the sacraments4 ,and ,i see no very strong objection to this view of the matter1 because we find that1 even in apostolic times1 the disciples who were scattered at the persecution of ,stephen went to different places preaching the ,word1 though they were not ordained to the work as the apostles were 7,acts xi4 #ai1 #bj74 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,i admit there is some force in the popular saying--',there is no rule without an exception2' and ,i admit1 also1 that the exception establishes rather than subverts the rule from which it is a deviation2 but then there must be some proof that it is really an exception4 ,regarding the case of the dispersed disciples to which you have referred1 ,i see no evidence in confirmation of its being a deviation from any fixed rule of government established within the pale of the church1 because ,i find other cases reported which bear such a strong analogy to it1 that ,i am compelled to believe that no absolute and undeviating regulations on this subject can be found in the ,new ,testament4 ,we find for example 7,acts i4 #bf71 that ,matthias was chosen to the apostleship as the successor of ,judas2 but it does not appear from the record of the transaction1 that he was ordained to this office by the other eleven apostles with whom he took rank4 ,again1 the case of ,paul is still more decisive against the ,tractarian dogma that no one can preach or administer the sacraments with efficacy1 unless he derive his official authority and power to do so from the apostles1 or some one to whom they have delegated their authority and power4 ,he assumed the designation of an apostle1 and did the work of an apostle1 some years before he saw any one of the twelve1 acting as independently of them1 as they did of him2 and when they met at ,jerusalem they did not require him to submit to ordination administered by them3 and1 at a subsequent period of his history1 when he was called by the ,holy ,spirit 7,acts xiii4 #a-e7 to go and preach the ,word of ,god in the synagogues of the ,jews in ,seleucia and other places1 he#cd was set apart to this work1 not to any office1 by subordinate members of the church at ,antioch1 termed prophets and teachers1 who1 when they had fasted and prayed1 and laid their hands on ,paul and ,barnabas1 sent them away4 ,these things occurred just when a new system of government was introduced into the church1 that was to be perpetuated through all future ages4 ,here1 then1 we see pious laymen sallying forth and preaching in different places the ,lord ,jesus1 with such power that many believed and turned unto him 7,acts xi4 #ai-ba72 and we see also some holding the highest office in the ,christian church without undergoing the ceremony of consecration by pre-existing officials1 and yet these facts are recorded in ,scripture without any notification that they are exceptions to fixed and absolute laws4 ,such a notification would have proved a decisive evidence in confirmation of such laws had they been established4 ,we thus see that the plain1 indisputable facts of the ,new ,testament are in direct opposition to the high church principles of our ,tractarians4 #cd ,if we suppose1 with some of the ,tractarians1 that he was now ordained to the apostolic office1 then we have a series of irregularities3 he labours for years before he receives ordination1 and when he does receive it1 it is not from the hands of apostles1 but some very inferior officials connected with the church at ,antioch4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,i have long maintained that this dogma of apostolical succession is an ecclesiastical monopoly which has no sanction from the ,word of the ,lord1 and it is too selfish in its nature to harmonize with the free and generous spirit of the ,christian dispensation4 ,if it be the will of ,jesus ,christ1 the supreme ,legislator of his church1 that no one shall preach the gospel or administer the sacraments with spiritual efficacy until he is ordained to the work by an apostle1 or some bishop who can trace his lineal descent from an apostle with absolute certainty1 how can such a restricted law as this be known unless he expressly enacts it either by an immediate revelation of his will1 or through the medium of the inspired writers8 ,no one pretends that an express revelation has ever been given in reference to such a restriction1 and ,i have never been able to find an implied regulation in any chapter or verse of the ,new ,testament4 ,to say that we1 and we exclusively1 are the priests of the ,lord1 and1 if you wish to be saved1 you must intrust your souls to our ghostly power--that we1 and we only1 have the keys of the kingdom of heaven--that we open and shut by virtue of the authority delegated to us by ,st4 ,peter and ,st4 ,paul--is nothing less on the part of the ,papal and ,tractarian clergy than a monopoly of official authority and power1 unsanctioned by the authority of ,jesus ,christ1 and a subtle manoeuvre to magnify their own order4 ,that a ,papist should believe this1 who is trained in the belief that the laws and regulations of his church are absolute and unchangeable1 is not surprising2 but that a ,protestant should believe it1 who has free access to his ,bible1 and been taught to hold its absolute and exclusive authority on all articles of faith and practice1 is indeed a moral paradox which ,i cannot explain4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,guion4--,yes1 ,sir1 it is a monopoly which has no sanction from ,jesus ,christ1 the supreme ,legislator in his church1 and one which entails repulsive and fearful consequences4 ,it compels its advocates to shun all ,christian alliance with many of the excellent of the earth1 and drives them into the closest connection with many who are moral miscreants1 men of impurity1 sceptics1 and scoffers4 ,such men as ,chalmers and ,wardlaw1 ,robert ,hall and ,william ,jay1 are branded as usurpers in the church1 with whom it would be a sort of treason to associate1 and whose ministrations must be denounced as a fatal curse to their deluded adherents1 while those clergymen who have received the so-called apostolical ordination1 however immoral they may be in conduct1 or heterodox in teaching1 are to be revered and obeyed as the true and faithful ministers of ,jesus ,christ4 ,there is in all this something so repugnant to common-sense and ,christian feeling--so derogatory to personal dignity and pure taste--and so calculated to excite the contempt of infidels against the whole clerical order1 that ,i am astonished how any one who cherishes the slightest degree of reverence for the authority of ,jesus ,christ1 or who has imbibed a particle of his pure and loving spirit1 can submit to its dominion and governing power1 especially when he is told that1 if he has not the spirit of ,christ1 he is none of his4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,your very just and forcible remarks remind me of a paragraph in the ,edinburgh ,review1#ce which ,i marked for reference1 and which1 by your permission1 ,i will read3 it is an amplification of your remarks on this very objectionable feature of ,tractarianism3--',the strongest and most irrefragable argument against the principles held by the ,tractarians appears to us not their absurdity1 though that is flagrant enough1 but their essential uncharitableness4 ,we stand absolutely confounded at the fatuity of men1 who1 with the ,new ,testament in their hands1 profess to be willing to fraternize with ,rome1 but cannot fraternize with ,lutherans and ,presbyterians2 who affect to consider the points of difference between the ,church of ,spain and the ,church of ,england less vital than those between the ,church of ,england and that of ,scotland2 who1 for the sake of such a figment as apostolical succession and other figments as shadowy1 remorselessly exclude a large portion of the communities of ,christendom from the very name1 rights1 and privileges of ,christian churches2 who can imagine the great doctrines in which both they and their opponents coincide1 and which form the theme and triumph of inspired eloquence1 of less moment than doctrines and rites on which the ,scripture is ominously silent1 or which seem to stand in shocking contrast to the moral grandeur and magnanimous spirit of the ,christian institute4 ,yet so it is2 and we need no other evidence of the degrading and narrowing effects of such principles than that this most melancholy result of them should inspire so little sorrow1 or rather should be so frequently proclaimed more in triumph than with regret4 ,the generality of the ,oxford school proclaim the consequences of their principles not only with an arrogance which ill befits such equivocal conclusions1 but without a particle of sorrow1 which1 if true1 they would naturally excite in the breast of every benevolent man4' #ce ,april1 #ahdc4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,guion4--,as they are1 in common with their ,papal brethren1 intolerant on principle1 and that principle one which1 in their opinion1 involves the honour of the church1 and the final happiness of the soul of man1 they cannot feel any regret1 when adverting to its necessary consequences in its application to other churches and sects1 without being self-convicted of positive inconsistency2 they must adhere to their principle of exclusive intolerance1 in spite of all the odium it may cast on their theory of belief4 ,and this stern and steady adherence to a principle which compels them1 as by the force of a ,divine law1 to prefer fraternizing with the ,papacy1 with all its arrogant claims1 its assumed prerogatives1 and its repugnant ceremonial regulations1 rather than fraternize with their ,protestant brethren who contend earnestly for the pure faith of the ,new ,testament1 is to me a conclusive proof that their theory of belief is anti-,christian in its character and tendency1 as the unerring test may be applied to principles as well as to persons--',if any man have not the ,spirit of ,christ1 he is none of his1' ,rom4 viii4 #i4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,if we are to receive the doctrine of apostolical succession as correct1 we must then admit as a fact what to every reflecting mind will appear most incongruous and extraordinary4 ,the theory held by our ,tractarian clergy in common with the ,romish ,church1 is1 ,that each bishop1 from the apostolical times1 has received in his consecration a mysterious gift1 and also transmits to every priest in his ordination a mysterious gift1 indicated in the respective offices by the awful words1 ',receive the ,holy ,ghost2' that on this the right of priests to assume their functions1 and the preternatural grace of the sacraments administered by them1 depends2 that bishops1 once consecrated1 are invested with the remarkable property of transmitting the gift to others2 that this has been the case from the primitive age till now2 that this high gift has been incorruptibly transmitted through the hands of impure1 profligate1 heretical ecclesiastics1 as ignorant and flagitious as any of their lay contemporaries2 that1 in fact1 these gifts are perfectly irrespective of the moral character and qualifications both of bishop and priest2 and reside in equal integrity in a ,latimer or a ,bonner--a virtuous man or a profligate--an imbecile or a genius4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,guion4--,i believe1 ,sir1 said he1 addressing the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe1 you were once a strenuous advocate of this theory of apostolical succession2 will you permit me to ask you a few questions1 which may tend to expose its gross absurdity--its shameless jugglery to magnify the glory of an ambitious priesthood1 who evince more zeal and devotion in behalf of their own order than they do for the purity and spiritual triumphs of the ,christian faith8 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,yes1 ,sir2 ,i confess1 with some degree of shame1 that ,i once entertained the belief that some mysterious gift was transmitted from the bishop to the priest at the time of his ordination4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,guion4--,was this gift1 in your opinion or belief1 transmitted to the intellect or to the heart1 or to both8 ,or in other words1 did it give additional acuteness to your intellectual faculty--extend the range of your knowledge of ,divine truth1 or did it increase the purity of your soul1 and raise your affections to a higher pitch of devotional feeling8 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,to be candid1 ,sir1 ,i took for granted the truth of the doctrine as to the mysterious transmission of a mysterious something2 but when ,i reflected on it1 as ,i sometimes did1 even before ,i was rescued from the meshes of ,tractarian delusions1 ,i felt as though my mind were revolving in a circle3 ,i could see nothing2 ,i could feel nothing4 ,i was the same man in knowledge1 in intelligence1 in taste1 and in devotional feeling1 after the solemn words1 ,receive the ,holy ,ghost1 were uttered1 as ,i was before they fell from the lips of the bishop4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,it amounts then simply to this1 and it is of no use to attempt to disguise the fact1 that what is deemed the essential part of the ordination service1 is either a solemn farce1 or it is a positive reality1 and in that case it must be received without a particle of evidence in its support4 ,the bishop who transmits the gift is not conscious that he possesses what he pretends to give2 and the person who receives it is not conscious of receiving it at the time it is imparted3 both the giver and receiver are in the same condition of unconsciousness1 during the mysterious process of giving and receiving the inexplicable and inconceivable something1 on which the authority of the priest to officiate1 and the vital efficacy of all his ministrations1 are made dependent4 ,this is most marvellous6 more like an extravagant invention to answer some special device1 than a sober reality of ,divine appointment4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,guion4--,i have no doubt but a scrupulous and conscientious clergyman will sometimes feel a painful degree of perplexity when musing on the very mysterious process of bestowing and receiving this gift1 so essential to the identity of his priestly character1 and the vital efficacy of his official labours2 and should he begin to doubt1 as possibly he may1 whether the bishop actually bestowed on him the gift1 or whether he actually received it1 his doubts must remain1 and will very likely increase and multiply1 because no living oracle1 or conclusive evidence1 or logical reasoning can afford him any relief4 ,though ,i am not very fond of introducing caustic irony in the discussion of such a grave question1 yet the following paragraph from the ,review already quoted may not be inappropriate3-- ',we can imagine the perplexity of a presbyter thus cast in doubt as to whether or not he has ever had the invaluable 'gift' of apostolical succession conferred upon him4 ,as that 'gift' is neither tangible nor visible1 the subject neither of experience nor consciousness--as it cannot be known by any 'effects' produced by it--he may imagine1 unhappy man6 that he has been regenerating infants by baptism1 when he has been simply sprinkling them with water4 ',what is the matter8' the spectator of his distractions might ask4 ',what have you lost8' ',lost6' would be the reply2 ',i fear ,i have lost my apostolical succession2 or rather1 my misery is1 that ,i do not know and cannot tell whether ,i ever had it to lose6' ,it is of no avail here to suggest the usual questions--',when did you see it last8' ',when were you last conscious of possessing it8' ,what a peculiar property is that1 of which1 though so invaluable--nay1 on which the whole efficacy of the ,christian ministry depends--a man has no positive evidence to show whether he ever had it or not6 which1 if ever conferred1 was conferred without his knowledge2 and which1 if it could be taken away1 would still leave him ignorant not only when1 where1 and how the theft was committed1 but whether it had ever been committed or not6 ,the sympathizing friend might probably remind him1 that as he was not sure he had ever had it1 so1 perhaps1 he still had it without knowing it4 ',perhaps1' he would reply1 'but it is certainty ,i want4' ,such a perplexed presbyter1 and doubtless there are many such1 is in a regular fix2 and there he must remain1 calling on his idols for help1 but1 like the priests of ,baal1 calling in vain1 as there is no power in heaven above1 or in the earth beneath1 which can rescue a man from the terror of his own delusions1 till the delusions themselves are abandoned as visionary and absurd4' ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,this question of apostolical succession1 when cleared of its legendary mysticism1 and brought within the pale of sober reality1 may be employed as a very cogent argument in confirmation of the historic truthfulness of the ,christian faith and its institutions1 in refutation of some of the objections of infidelity4 ',the existence of such an order of men as ,christian ministers1 continually from the apostles to this day1 is perhaps1' as ,archbishop ,whately remarks1#cf 'as complete a moral certainty as any historical fact can be2 because it is plain that if1 at the present day1 or a century ago1 or ten centuries ago1 a number of men had appeared in the world1 professing 7as the clergy do now7 to hold a recognized office in a ,christian church1 to which they had been regularly appointed as successors to others1 whose predecessors1 in like manner1 had held the same1 and so on1 from the times of the apostles--if1 ,i say1 such a pretence had been put forth by a set of men assuming an office which no one had ever heard of before1 it is plain that they would at once have been refuted and exposed4 ,and as this will apply equally to each successive generation of ,christian ministers1 till we come up to the time when the institution was confessedly new--that is1 to the time when ,christian ministers were appointed by the apostles1 who professed themselves eye-witnesses of the resurrection--we have a standing monument in the ,christian ministry of the fact of that event as having been proclaimed immediately after the time when it was said to have occurred4 ,this1 therefore1 is fairly brought forward as an evidence of its truth4' #cf ,whately on the ,kingdom of ,christ1 p4 #ahj4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,guion4--,yes1 ,sir1 the unbroken succession of the ministerial order1 from the times of the apostles till now1 is1 in my opinion1 an irrefutable evidence that ,christianity took its rise at the period of its asserted origin1 and that we have the essential substance1 at least1 of the same faith which the apostles established in ,jerusalem1 ,ephesus1 and other places2 and that this same faith is administered by a distinct order of men1 whose business it is1 and ever has been1 to propagate it and hand it down to the next generation succeeding them4 ,as an argument of confirmation and defence in relation to the historic certainty of our faith and its institutions1 it is of great value and importance2 but1 as ,whately very justly remarks in his incomparable ,essays1 ,successionists are guilty of a fallacy in the use which they make of it--',the fallacy consists in confounding together the unbroken apostolical succession of a ,christian ministry generally1 and the same succession in an unbroken line of this or that individual minister4' ,the existence of the order may be traced up to the times of the apostles2 but this supplies no evidence in proof that each1 or any one minister of the order now living is a legitimate descendant1 in the genealogical line1 from either of the two favourite apostles1 ,st4 ,peter or ,st4 ,paul4 ,and hence the argument1 which is a splendid triumph to ,christianity1 is a dumb oracle to ,tractarianism4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,when reading the ,oxford tracts1 and some other publications of the same school1 ,i have often felt astonished that the writers are not startled when advocating their favourite dogma2 because1 if they could establish it as a positive truth1 they would prove self-destroyers--be guilty1 in fact1 of what ,i may term ecclesiastical suicide4 ,they maintain1 first1 that no one is duly qualified to take office in the church of ,christ--to preach and administer the sacraments--until he is ordained by some bishop1 who can trace up his descent either to the apostle ,peter or ,paul4 ,and they maintain1 in the next place1 that1 when so ordained1 they are in verity ,god's ambassadors to men2 but1 if not so ordained1 the laity cannot expect to receive any spiritual benefit from their official labours4 ,or1 in other words1 each clergyman of our church must be in the unbroken line of succession from the times of the apostles1 or he holds an office to which he has no legitimate appointment1 and administers sacraments which cannot take effect4 ,a ,tractarian1 then1 is either in the unbroken line1 or he is not in it--if in the unbroken line1 all is right2 if not in1 all is wrong4 ,if in1 the people are blest2 if not in1 they are unblest4 ,he believes he is in1 but this does not prove that he is2 he may be mistaken1 self-deceived1 and quite unintentionally deceiving others4 ,and he cannot know he is in1 unless he can prove it1 and prove it as all facts of history are proved1 by moral evidence4 ,he may be able to prove his own ordination1 and perhaps the ordination of the bishop by whom he was ordained1 and also a few preceding bishops2 but as an intelligent and conscientious man1 he ought not to administer the sacraments1 or appear as a clergyman amongst the people1 till he has1 with the clearest and most unequivocal evidence1 traced back the successive ordinations of the bishops through the long lapse of past ages1 up to the time when ,paul or ,peter conferred the rite of ordination on the bishops to succeed them4 ,this done1 he may remain in the priest's office2 but till this is done1 on his own principle of belief and reasoning1 he ought to hold his peace--he ought to do nothing2 because he has no evidence that the laity can derive any spiritual benefit from his ministrations4 ,thus his faith1 and its consequent reasoning1 impose silence and inaction1 till he has performed this process of historical research2 or1 if he continue to labour1 it will inevitably be in a state of ceaseless disquietude1 because1 ceaseless doubt4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,soon after ,dr4 ,hook preached his celebrated sermon on ',hear ,,the church1' ,i delivered one on the same subject4 ,on leaving the pulpit one of my hearers1 a shrewd clever man1 followed me into the vestry1 and1 in the presence of my wardens1 asked me to hang up under the tablet containing the ten commandments1 a genealogical pedigree of my ecclesiastical descent2 assigning as a reason for such an application1 that he and his family had an interest in knowing it1 as ,i had taught them to believe that the efficacy of the sacraments on their souls depended on my ecclesiastical legitimacy4 ,i felt greatly mortified by his application1 and especially when my senior warden said such a document1 he had no doubt1 would prove very satisfactory to many--and would tend to allay the disquietudes of those who sometimes complained that they derived no spiritual benefits from the church sacraments4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,guion4--,this is what ought to be done in self-defence1 and to satisfy the scrupulous anxiety of others2 but who can do it8 that is the perplexing question4 ,dr4 ,hook says1 and his asseverations are echoed by his fellow-,tractarians1 'the prelates who at this present time rule the churches of these realms were validly ordained by others1 who1 by means of an unbroken spiritual descent of ordination1 derived their mission from the apostles and from our ,lord4 ,this continual descent is evident to every one who chooses to investigate it4 ,let him read the catalogues of our bishops1 ascending up to the most remote period4 ,there is not a bishop1 priest1 or deacon amongst us who cannot1 if he please1 trace his own spiritual descent from ,st4 ,peter or ,st4 ,paul4' ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,dr4 ,hook is a very rash man to give such a boastful utterance1 when he knows1 or ought to know1 that this tracing of a spiritual descent is an absolute impossibility2#cg it never has been done1 and every attempt to do it has proved a mortifying failure4 #cg ,there is not a minister in all ,christendom 7says ,archbishop ,whately1 and he is an authority on this question71 who is able to trace up with any approach to certainty1 his own spiritual pedigree4 ,the sacramental virtue dependent on the imposition of hands1 with a due observance of apostolical usages1 by a bishop himself duly consecrated1 after having been in like manner baptized into the church and ordained deacon and priest--this sacramental virtue1 if a single link in the chain be faulty1 must be utterly nullified ever after in respect to all the links hanging on that one4 ,for1 if a bishop has not been duly consecrated1 or had not been previously rightly ordained1 his ordinations are null1 and so are the ministrations of those ordained by him1 and their ordinations of others1 and so on without end4 ,the poisonous taint of informality1 if it once creep in undetected1 will spread the infection of nullity to an indefinite and irremediable extent4 ,and who can undertake to pronounce that1 during that long period usually designated as the dark ages1 no such taint was ever introduced8 ,irregularities could not have been wholly excluded without a perpetual miracle2 and that no such miraculous interference existed we have even historical proof4 ,amidst the numerous corruptions of doctrine and of practice1 and gross superstitions that crept in during those ages1 we find recorded descriptions not only of the profound ignorance and profligacy of life of many of the clergy1 but also of the grossest irregularities in respect of discipline and form4 ,we read of bishops consecrated when mere children--of men officiating who barely knew their letters--of prelates expelled and others put in their places by violence--of illiterate and profligate laymen1 and habitual drunkards1 admitted to holy orders2 and1 in short1 of the prevalence of every kind of disorder1 and reckless disregard of the decency which the apostle enjoins4 ,it is inconceivable that any one1 even moderately acquainted with history1 can feel a certainty1 or any approach to certainty1 that1 amidst all this confusion and corruption1 every requisite form was1 in every instance1 strictly adhered to by men1 many of them openly profane and secular1 unrestrained by public opinion through the gross ignorance of the population among which they lived2 and that no one not duly consecrated or ordained was admitted to sacred offices4 ,the inference which the ,archbishop99 draws from these historic statements is this3 ',the ultimate consequence must be that any one who sincerely believes that his claim to the benefits of the gospel-covenant depends on his own minister's claim to the supposed sacramental virtue of true ordination1 and this again on perfect apostolical succession as described1 must be involved1 in proportion as he reads1 and inquires1 and reflects1 and reasons on the subject1 in the most distressing doubt and perplexity4 99 ,see ,essays on the ,kingdom of ,christ1 pp4 #agf-i4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,guion4--,two things in relation to this question of spiritual descent are certain1 at any rate they are as certain as any positive and negative evidence can make anything certain--first1 our ,tractarian clergy cannot prove their spiritual descent1 and therefore1 on their own principle1 they have no authority to officiate in the church2 and1 secondly1 if they could do this thing1 which has never yet been done1 they cannot prove that they are invested with the mysterious gift on which the validity of their ministrations depends4 ,therefore1 on their own principle1 the laity can derive no spiritual benefits from their labours4 ,they are a pompous order of self-created exclusionists1 uttering great swelling words of vanity1 when1 on their own principle1 they are self-convicted usurpers in the priestly office2 and1 while vaunting that they1 and they only1 are ,god's ambassadors to man1 they decline producing their commission of appointment1 even when pressed to do so1 though they say they could easily do it if they pleased4#ch #ch ,it is a somewhat ominous sign that neither ,dr4 ,hook nor any of his brethren has been pleased to do this very easy thing1 though they have often been challenged to do it1 as essential to their priestly identity and the validity of their ministrations4 ,mr4 ,roscoe4--,but after all1 the practical influence of those high church principles1 constitutes1 in my opinion1 the most cogent argument against them4 ,we shall find that pernicious as they are to the clergy1 they are still more fatal to the laity1 though they do not always operate with the same uniformity of result4 ,some they lull into a callous apathy and indifference1 from which nothing can rouse them to the soul-stirring question--,,what ,,must ,i ,,do ,,to ,,be ,,saved8 ,they have unbounded confidence in their parson1 that he is in the regular line of succession--firmly believe in the fact of their regeneration in baptism1 as they have seen the public record of its performance--and calculate that when death comes1 a despatch will bring the duly qualified official to give them absolution and the sacrament1 and then the debt of nature may be paid without reluctance1 as their peace with ,god is settled1 on the authority of the unalterable laws of the church1 of which they are bona fide members and devoted advocates4 ,mr4 ,stevens4--,i knew an instance in which these high church principles had a contrary effect2 they plunged an old friend of my own into a state of mental perplexity and depression1 which was not only painful but appalling4 ,this friend was a sincere and a conscientious member of the ,church of ,england1 and a firm believer in the ,tractarian doctrines of the ,oxford school2 but happening to meet with ,archbishop ,whately's ,essays on the ,kingdom of ,christ1 he began to entertain some doubts that he was not quite so safe1 in relation to eternity1 as he had been accustomed to believe4 ,on one occasion1 he confidentially disclosed his fears and his misgivings to myself1 confessing that they arose from the degree of uncertainty attachable to the legitimacy of the spiritual descent of his ,rector from the apostles1 and the consequent validity or invalidity of the administrations of the sacraments4 ,i wished to direct his attention to a safer way to final happiness than through the medium of the sacraments2 but his predeliction for the church and its ordinances was so inveterate1 that ,i could not succeed2 his long-cherished associations prevented the free exercise of his reasoning faculty1 and in this state of perplexity and depression1 he lived for years3 he died a few months since1 but how he died1 ,i know not1 though ,i fear he died under the spell of the awful delusion in which he had lived4 ,mrs4 ,john ,roscoe4--,i recollect a somewhat similar occurrence1 happening to a near and dear friend of my own1 but with a very different result4 ,she also was a member of the ,church of ,england1 and a great admirer of the ,oxford tracts1 which she read1 and1 ,i may say1 studied with close attention1 having no more doubt of the reality of baptismal regeneration than she had of the fact that her ,vicar had administered it to her4 ,however1 some circumstances1 though ,i never heard what they were1 led her to suspect that there was a difficulty1 if not an impossibility1 for any one minister of the ,episcopal church being able to trace up with absolute certainty his spiritual descent from either of the apostles1 and for a while she felt perfectly bewildered4 ,at length she was advised by a pious friend to turn from man to ,god3 to put aside the ,oxford tracts1 and search the ,scriptures1 to exercise her own judgment when doing so1 and pray to the ,holy ,spirit for wisdom and grace to lead her in the right way to mental peace and to heaven4 ,she did so1 and now she has made her escape from the delusive errors of ,tractarianism1 and feels secure1 because she now builds her hope of pardon and salvation1 not on sacraments or ceremonies1 but on ,christ1 the sure foundation which the ,lord hath laid1 and not man4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ingleby4--,this painful controversy which is shaking our church from its centre to its remotest extremities--alienating friendships1 making us a by-word amongst ,papists1 and a scorn amongst infidels--will1 ,i fear1 continue to rage for a long time to come2 but ,i am sanguine in my anticipations of the final issue4 ,our church was slumbering in ease and security1 paying but little attention to her responsibilities to her ,divine ,lord and ,master2 but these corruptions of heresy and error have roused her1 and called upon her faithful sons to come forward in the defence and support of the truths of the ,new ,testament4 ,if we act wisely1 we shall be prepared to surrender any tenet or mode of expression incorporated in our prescribed formularies or other articles of belief1 which has not the direct sanction of the ,word of ,god2 and shall evince a greater zeal for the extension and for the triumphs of ,christianity herself1 than the honour and glory of our own church or its ministerial orders4 ,if we can bring our minds to this resolve1 and if we rely on ,him who is the invisible ,head of his visible church1 we need fear no evil2 the truth1 however obscured for a time1 will at length shine forth1 and the fabrics of human superstition and device totter and fall like the dwelling of the foolish man1 which built his house upon the sand4 ,,end ,,of ,,vol4 ,i4 99 99 99 99 99 ,transcriber's note3 ,minor typographical errors have been corrected without note4 ,irregularities and inconsistencies in the text have been retained as printed4 ,the illustrations have been moved so that they do not break up paragraphs1 thus the page number of the illustration might not match the page number in the ,list of ,illustrations4 ,mismatched quotes are not fixed if it's not sufficiently clear where the missing quote should be placed4 ,in the table of contents the transcriber has changed the page number for ,a ,village ,funeral from #ahg to #ahf4 ,page #aje3 ,the page number in the caption has been changed from #afe to #aje to match the table of contents order4 ,for ,spiritual ,regeneration a ,reality1 the page number has been changed from #ccg to #ccf4 ,page #cbd ,the transcriber has added the word to after the word wrath3 ,will they1 if warned to flee from the wrath come1 apprehend any danger 444 ,also on page #cbd though he lives and his a sceptic or a blasphemer-- ,the transcriber has changed his to he is4